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- Case Studies
- Professional Seminars
- Site Index
- Profile Your Health
U.S. Public Health Service
(National Institute of Dental Research)
NIDR Study Shows No Relationship
Between Fluoridation and Tooth Decay Rate | - Case Studies
- Professional Seminars
- Site Index
- Profile Your Health
U.S. Public Health Service
(National Institute of Dental Research)
NIDR Study Shows No Relationship
Between Fluoridation and Tooth Decay Rate
By John A. Yiamouyiannis
Data collected by the National Institute of Dental Research (NIDR) of the United States Public Health Service (USPHS) produced the largest and most extensive database ever used to determine whether there is a relationship between fluoridation and tooth decay. Released on June 21, 1988, the $3,670,000 nationwide survey examined 39,207 U.S. school children aged 5-17 from 84 different geographical areas.
Of the 84 areas, 28 had been fluoridated for 17 years or more, 29 had never been fluoridated, and 27 had been only partially fluoridated or fluoridated for less than 17 years. Age-adjusted tooth decay rates for the permanent teeth of children were determined for each of the 84 areas which were then listed in the order of increasing tooth decay rates. The listing showed clearly that there was no relation between tooth decay rates and fluoridation. Ironically, the lowest tooth decay rate reported in the survey occurred in a nonfluoridated area.
The average number of decayed, missing, and filled permanent teeth (DMFT) per child was 2.0 in the fluoridated areas, 2.0 in the nonfluoridated areas, and 2.2 in the partially fluoridated areas. The percentage of decay-free children in the fluoridated, non fluoridated, and partially fluoridated areas was 34%, 35%, and 31%, respectively.
The foregoing results compiled from an analysis of the data gathered by NIDR were neither sought - nor reported in the NIDR release. At the Safe Water Foundation, we extracted these results from the data of the NIDR survey and submitted them to the journal, Comm. Dent. Oral Epidemiol., for publication. After reviewing the manuscript we submitted, Dr. Irwin Bross, the former Head of the Research, Design, and Analysis unit of the Sloan-Kettering Institute, former Director of Biostatistics of the Roswell Park Memorial Institute, and the current President of Biomedical Metatechnology, commented: "The material is clear and well presented. It provides a good demonstration of its main points: There is not much difference in tooth decay rates or in the percentages of decay-free children in the three fluoridation categories."
Getting |
Visual and Olfactory Stimuli and Fruit Maturity Affect Trap Captures of Oriental Fruit Flies (Diptera: Tephritidae)
Authors: Alyokhin, Andrei V.; Messing, Russell H.; Duan | Visual and Olfactory Stimuli and Fruit Maturity Affect Trap Captures of Oriental Fruit Flies (Diptera: Tephritidae)
Authors: Alyokhin, Andrei V.; Messing, Russell H.; Duan, Jian J.
Source: Journal of Economic Entomology, Volume 93, Number 3, June 2000, pp. 644-649(6)
Publisher: Entomological Society of America
Abstract:An effective lure-and-kill trap is a potentially important instrument in monitoring and controlling oriental fruit flies, Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel). A number of experiments were performed in an orchard of commercial guava, Psydium guajava L., to determine how fly captures are affected by combining visual and olfactory stimuli, and by the timing of trap deployment relative to host phenology. Baiting sticky Ladd traps with hydrolyzed liquid protein significantly increased the number of captured flies. Mostly male flies were caught in the absence of mature guava fruit, whereas mostly female flies were caught when ripe fruit was abundant. These results suggest that an effective oriental fruit fly trap should include both visual and olfactory lures, and that proper timing of trap deployment can be an important factor in monitoring female abundance in oriental fruit fly populations.
Document Type: Research Article
Publication date: 2000-06-01
- Journal of Economic Entomology is published bimonthly in February, April, June, August, October, and December. The journal publishes articles on the economic significance of insects and is divided into the following sections: apiculture & social insects; arthropods in relation to plant disease; forum; insecticide resistance and resistance management; ecotoxicology; |
The picturesque canals of Venice, California, are one of the seaside community's hidden charms, secreted away from the hustle and bustle of the famous boardwalk. But in Venice's early years, the canals that survive today -- restored | The picturesque canals of Venice, California, are one of the seaside community's hidden charms, secreted away from the hustle and bustle of the famous boardwalk. But in Venice's early years, the canals that survive today -- restored in the 1990s after decades of neglect -- were only a sideshow. The main attraction -- the original canals of Abbot Kinney's Venice of America -- are lost to history, long ago filled in and now disguised as residential streets.
In planning Venice of America, cigarette baron Abbot Kinney incorporated several references to the community's Mediterranean namesake, from the Italianate architecture to his fanciful notion of launching a cultural renaissance there. But Venice of America would not have lived up to its name were it not for its canals.
When it opened on July 4, 1905, Venice of America boasted seven distinct canals arranged in an irregular grid pattern, as seen below in Kinney's master plan for the community, preserved today in the Los Angeles Public Library Map Collection. Totaling nearly two miles and dredged out of former saltwater marshlands, the canals encircled four islands, including the tiny triangular United States Island. The widest of them, the appropriately named Grand Canal, terminated at a large saltwater bathing lake. Three of the smaller canals referred to heavenly bodies: Aldebaran, Venus, and Altair.
Though their primary role was to evoke the old world charm of Venice, Italy, the canals also functioned as part of Kinney's transportation plan for the development. In 1905, the automobile was not yet ascendant, and so Kinney laid out Venice of America at the pedestrian's scale. Visitors would arrive by interurban streetcar or steam railroad and once there could reach the entire community and its various amusements by footpath. The canals -- as well as a miniature railroad that circled the development -- provided an alternative to walking. Gondoliers rowed tourists through the canals for a fee, serenading their passengers in Italian, while homeowners navigated the system of waterways by canoe or boat.
Meanwhile, a second set of canals soon appeared just south of Kinney's. Linking up with the existing network through the Grand Canal, these Short Line canals (named after the interurban Venice Short Line) were apparently built to capitalize on the success of Kinney's development. Their origins are uncertain, but work started soon after Venice of America's 1905 grand opening, and by 1910 real esta |
New features in 4.1
New memory management
The original AmigaOS was released in 1985, and despite the power of the Motorola 68000 and Amiga's custom hardware, there were certain unassailable realities that | New features in 4.1
New memory management
The original AmigaOS was released in 1985, and despite the power of the Motorola 68000 and Amiga's custom hardware, there were certain unassailable realities that limited what the OS could do. Lack of a hardware memory management unit (MMU) in the 68000 made it impractical to add memory protection, where running tasks in the operating system are physically prevented from stomping over each other's memory space and causing a crash.
In updating AmigaOS to modern hardware, Hyperion has faced the same issue that stumped Apple when that company wanted to release Copland, an update to the Classic MacOS. Simply adding memory protection to the existing system wouldn't work, because many applications expected to operate in an environment where it wasn't present. Apple couldn't find a way to enable memory protection without breaking most MacOS applications, and the Copland project was eventually abandoned. Apple did actually add the ability for the kernel to use memory protection in OS9, but had to leave it disabled. Hyperion has done the same with the new memory manager they built for OS 4.1: memory protection is there, but the user can't turn it on.
One feature that you get basically "for free" with memory protection is virtual memory—the ability to substitute hard drive space for RAM in a pinch, allowing more applications to be loaded than could normally fit into memory. In the past, both Amiga and Macintosh applications had to roll their own virtual memory schemes if they wanted to get past the RAM ceiling. Photoshop on the Macintosh and ImageFX on the Amiga both used this method, and still do today. Apple added a more basic form of virtual memory to MacOS in System 7, and there were various third-party efforts to add this feature to AmigaOS. With the release of OS 4.1, Hyperion has written its own virtual memory system that any application can use, even without knowing it is there. When the system runs out of RAM it starts to use virtual memory automatically.
Although full memory protection is disabled, AmigaOS 4.1 does provide programs with limited protection against each other. If an application crashes, a debugger window called the Grim Reaper appears, allowing the user to kill the offending app. OS 4.1 adds resource tracking, a feature originally scheduled for the very first release of AmigaOS, but abandoned due to time constraints. This means that the OS can clean up resources used by an application that has quit and doesn't need them any more.
New display layer
One of the biggest selling features of OS X and Windows Vista is those operating systems' use of a composited window display layer, which uses the power of modern graphics cards to build up a layered picture of the desktop off-screen, then quickly blasts the result to the display. This prevents display artifacts such as window tearing, and gives the desktop the same smooth feel that PC gamers have known for years. It also allows for special effects, since each window is stored as a large, flat, 3D polygon.
When I heard that Amiga OS 4.1 would feature a composited window display, I was at the same time excited and trepidatious. After all, one of the big selling points of AmigaOS was the lightning-fast response of the user interface, and both OS X and Vista have been criticized for sluggish window performance, especially on low-end hardware.
I needn't have worried. The Workbench, AmigaOS' user interface, is just as fast as ever in composited mode. I was warned, however, that opening too many windows would quickly use up the limited graphics memory on board my Micro A1's integrated Radeon 7000. In testing, I found that I could open about four or five applications and an equal number of Workbench windows before video RAM was exhausted and the OS was forced to juggle between video and main memory. At this point, moving and dragging windows around became slightly sluggish. Users with discrete video cards such as the Radeon 9250 will not run into this problem unless they open a ludicrously large number of windows. It is possible to disable the 3D acceleration and fall back to standard 2D mode if one wishes to avoid these issues altogether.
AmigaOS 4.1 makes all windows except the foreground one very slightly transparent. When you drag a window around, it turns even more transparent until the user lifts the mouse button again. This is a subtle effect, but in practice it is less obtrusive than Vista's gaudy translucent title bars. Windows can be any shape, and the default AmigaOS windows now have rounded corners.
New file systems
The history of file systems is a whole article all by itself, and the Amiga has had its share. The designers of the original operating system made it easy to add new file systems, and this wisdom has allowed Hyperion to snap in support for a plethora of new ways to format drives of all sizes.
First up is the Swap file system, which takes its |
A coroner is a medical professional, usually licensed and generally a skilled surgeon, who identifies the cause and circumstances of an individual’s death, supervising investigations to determine the cause of death in criminal cases, suicides, and similar situations (accidental | A coroner is a medical professional, usually licensed and generally a skilled surgeon, who identifies the cause and circumstances of an individual’s death, supervising investigations to determine the cause of death in criminal cases, suicides, and similar situations (accidental, violent, or unexplained deaths). Usually, the coroner is employed by law authorities or a specialized medical facility. To determine the cause of death, a coroner likely will need to perform an autopsy of the body, as well as review toxicology and pathology reports. They are sometimes required to testify as expert witnesses in criminal trials. A successful coroner must be comfortable working intimately and routinely with corpses, be prepared to work extensively with his/her hands, and have a thorough understanding of the human anatomy, injuries, illnesses and many causes of death. Additionally, coroners must be good managers of others, and must be able to interact with sensitivity (especially when interacting with family members and friends of the deceased). Coroners are strictly regulated, and may only operate within his/her defined jurisdiction. Coroner positions require at least a bachelor's degree in a science or medical field, but usually require postgraduate study as well. Specific licensure qualifications vary from state to state. Coroners are usually appointed into position by the county. The work environment has some variety beyond just the morgue or similar medical milieu, since coroners must travel to various scenes of death, inventorying personal effects, observing and recording the positions and conditions of bodies and related evidence, and conferring with involved officials. |
Education and Ontario Family History: A Guide to Resources for Genealogists and Historians by Marian Press.
This book is for the person who had ancestors in the educational system in Ontario, from the earliest days to the 1960s.
The | Education and Ontario Family History: A Guide to Resources for Genealogists and Historians by Marian Press.
This book is for the person who had ancestors in the educational system in Ontario, from the earliest days to the 1960s.
The six chapters range from Chapter One: "Where the Resources Reside" to Chapter Six, which covers the topic of post-secondary education.
The website is at http://ogs.on.ca/ogscart/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=722
Tracing Your English & Scottish Ancestry Moorshead Magazines Ltd.
This is a collection of nineteen articles previously published by the company in their magazines, and include "British WWII Merchant Vessel Cards", "35 Top Sites for Scottish Research", and "Cornish Online Parish Clerks".
Each of the nineteenth subjects are written by such writers as Davis A. Norris, George G. Morgan (one of the Genealogy Guys), and Alan Stewart.
The website is www.moorshead.com
Some Early Scots in Maritime Canada, Volume 1 by Terrence M. Punch.
Here, he follows the history of the emigration of Scots from the mid-1700s to the 1800s.
He even partly reconstitutes passenger lists for the ships William Tell and Harmony.An Index to the Articles Referred to in Genealogy in Canada 4th Edition by Brenda Dougall Merriman.
This book lists 167 articles about genealogy in Ontario. Among the headings are "Afro-Canadian Ancestry", "Loyalists", and "Vital Statistics".
The website is at http://ogs.on.ca/ogscart/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1085
Perseverance, Pranks & Pride by Joy V.C. Forbes.
There are over 1,700 personal names listed in this book about one-room schoolhouses in the Ottawa Valley.
Over 120 schools are listed, and photos are available.
You can go to her website to see more about one-room schoolhouses at www.oneroomschoolhouses.ca |
Prepared Remarks of Attorney General John Ashcroft
(NOTE: The Attorney General Often Deviates from Prepared Remarks) National African American History Month The Great Hall February 20, 2002
Historian Paul Johnson's epic book, entitled A | Prepared Remarks of Attorney General John Ashcroft
(NOTE: The Attorney General Often Deviates from Prepared Remarks) National African American History Month The Great Hall February 20, 2002
Historian Paul Johnson's epic book, entitled A History of the American People, begins with these words: "The creation of the United States of America is the greatest of all human adventures. No other national story holds such tremendous lessons, for the American people themselves and for the rest of mankind."
The first lesson posed by our national story, Johnson writes, is whether "a nation can rise above the injustices of its origins and, by its moral purpose and performance, atone for them?"
By pausing this month to reflect on the experience, the contributions and the achievements of African Americans, we begin to find the answer to this question. This month we celebrate the great and varied contributions of all African Americans to the American adventure. We remember Crispus Attucks, who gave his life in the Boston Massacre, and Benjamin Banneker, who helped draw the plans for the nation's Capitol. We recall Frederick Douglass, who gave moral and intellectual force to the movement to end slavery. We celebrate Sojourner Truth, whose powerful account of life as a slave helped bring freedom to all Americans.
In our own lifetime, we have benefitted from the determination and leadership of Thurgood Marshall, Medgar Evers and the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King. We have witnessed the courage of the Little Rock Nine, who opened doors of American education for so many deserving people, and Rosa Parks, who stood up for civil rights by sitting down where she was not welcomed.
Each of these brave Americans brought a great nation -- a nation conceived in and dedicated to liberty -- closer to living out the ideals of its founding. Dr. King challenged us to live out the true meaning of our values by envisioning a day when citizens of this great nation are judged not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. It is my great honor to be Attorney General of the United States at a time when Dr. King's dream is closer to reality than ever before.
We have much work yet to do. But never before in history has there been a more diverse and more qualified leadership team here at the Department of Justice. Under Larry Thompson's indispensable leadership, we have not been satisfied with a team that merely looks like America – we have built a team that reflects the strength of America. I am honored to serve with them, and I look forward to the day when the length and breadth of the Department of Justice – from line attorneys to investigators to staff assistants – reflects the same diversity and professional excellence. Larry and I believe this is a priority and we have agreed we are not going to rest until this dream we share comes true.
Today, 139 years after the end of slavery, 38 years after the passage of the Civil Rights Act, and 37 years after the passage of the Voting Rights Act, we continue to build on the heritage of those who came before us. We continue to strive to live up to the ideals of freedom and equality for which they sacrificed.
There is no higher calling in government than ensuring that the law applies fairly and equally to all Americans. At the Department of Justice, equal justice before the law is our mission, our sacred trust. It is our contribution to that "greatest of all human adventures" – the story of the United States of America. This month and in the months and years to come, let us rededicate ourselves to rising above the injustices of our past, to securing justice for all Americans, and to building a future worthy of emulation by all the peoples of the earth.
Thank you very much. |
The Importance of the DOM
Choosing the DOM
This article looks a little deeper into the importance of the DOM as a intermediary, and points out some of the strengths and weaknesses of it. The DOM, of course, is the Document Object Model | The Importance of the DOM
Choosing the DOM
This article looks a little deeper into the importance of the DOM as a intermediary, and points out some of the strengths and weaknesses of it. The DOM, of course, is the Document Object Model within a browser, that models the content and layout of a page.
UIs via rendering/layout engines and the DOM
Rendering/Layout engines (wikipedia links: Gecko for Firefox, WebKit for Safari and Chrome, Trident for IE) traverse the DOM, and and processes elements they understand. The aim is to position, represent and render elements according to what it knows inline, or from related CSS. I will conveniently ignore HTML5 Canvas for now. There is a handy comparison on wikipedia of capabilities of the layout engines.
The rendering/layout engine can only process what it knows. I previously talked of glass-ceilings and used the lack of a ‘image drop-down’ as an example of that. In that case “image drop-down” may be easy for humans to understand but the rendering engine needs it represented in the DOM as a series of regular <div> <ul> <li> <span> items, that are unlike the <select> that is canonical for ‘drop-down’. It is like that for every advanced effect, I suggest. Thus to push ahead in terms of capability, the rendering/layout engine needs to be enhanced. There are four main browsers now, meaning that a committee needs to decide what new affortdnces and capabilities the DOM can encode, and that needs to be rendered and interacted with.
By design, the DOM and browsers pertain to presentation and interaction only. There is a server part of the application, that is most likely handling business logic, and persistence. The server and browser speak HTTP to each other of course, and therefore the overloaded term thin client applies to this class of application. Another “thin” aspect of this type of application is the lazy way that additional “pages” of the application are retrieved at the time of first use. The whole application is delivered incrementally to the browser, while in use, leading to a hugely important faster start.
The DOM is an intermediary between code and the renderer
The DOM, as an intermediate layer, is two-way. You can program it at any stage, including sending it more HTML. It can also be queried to retrieve HTML or specific attributes. There a lot of pros to this, and some cons (as I’ll outline later).
All HTML-centric web technologies mutate the DOM
Cappuccino is about as advanced as you can get for user-experience that works without plugins. Here’s their floor-plan example showing the DOM in the style of a HTML app:
Note that it also uses Canvas tactically. The bed in the circle in that screenshot is via Canvas.
SVG, in Firebug, does represent itself as a set of elements that are expandable. As such, it uses a scene-graph rather than a bitmap/buffer to represent its details.
UIs rendered by visiting code (and recursing into increasingly small rectangles)
Generally speaking most non-DOM graphics APIs deal with the leasing of rectangles of pixels from a parent container (browser). You can see the relevant node in the DOM, but can’t see specifics. This class of UI technology, is certainly thicker than the thin-client class above.
These technologies typically have a ‘paint’ or ‘drawRect’ (or similar) method/function for a rectangle, that when invoked will repaint itself to a graphics plane. Often there are threading restrictions for repainting or changing variable state that would cause a repaint. A repaint of everything would be a call into the outer-most instances first (that paint method), and each of those could call into many other paint() methods that are part of the composite makeup of that rectangle. For example a textfield could have a border and the area you type into. This is decomposed into at least two sub-components, meaning two further delegations to ‘paint’. Object-orientated inheritance can, sadly, play a part too. The paint() method/function could be overridden, and may not deliberately call the parent’s paint() as part of its invocation. It’s easy to make a performance mess this way. Do any I/O during one of those paint() invocations (or just code badly) and your finished product is going to suck. This can also mean there are deep invocation stacks during rendering, and implicitly a lot of code execution. Since computers became hand-held, the trade-off between economic graphics systems, and fastest CPUs has been constantly revisited. This is true for browser-plugin based versions of the technology where applicable, and for the desktop incarnations. The only difference is where the rectangle is leased from (browser or OS), and what constraints are placed upon the app (security managers, sandboxes, reduced APIs).
There is a key element of this category of renderer/layout engine: There is no intermediary between code and the renderer, they are intermingled.
Flash leases a rectangle in a viewport of the browser via an <object> element, and renders it’s own stuff in there. It is mostly known for it’s in-browser capabili |
From Genealogy Gems: News from the Fort Wayne Library
No. 70, December 31, 2009
by Cynthia Theusch
After four Winnebago braves attacked a farmhouse in June 1827 near Prairie du | From Genealogy Gems: News from the Fort Wayne Library
No. 70, December 31, 2009
by Cynthia Theusch
After four Winnebago braves attacked a farmhouse in June 1827 near Prairie du Chien in what is now Wisconsin, volunteers from Illinois and Michigan were called up to help federal troops quell the ensuing “disturbances.” Only a few skirmishes took place and most of the 1,000 volunteers had served less than two months before the Winnebago surrendered in September. Available at the Genealogy Center, “Compiled Military Service Records of Michigan and Illinois Volunteers Who Served During Winnebago Indian Disturbances of 1827” is a three-roll National Archives microfilm set pertaining to these troops.
Records are arranged by company and then in alphabetical order by the name of the soldier. Volunteers from Illinois may have served in the Mounted Riflemen or in companies commanded by Captains Field, Hamilton, Nair, Strode or Whiteside. Michigan volunteers served in companies under Captains Dickinson, Johnston, Smith and McNair. Captain Smith’s company consisted of volunteers from the Menominee tribe who were assigned the rank of “Warrior.” In front of each company’s records is a record-of-events jacket that highlights the stations, movements and activities of the unit. One such jacket provides this description: “Muster Roll of a Company of mounted Riflemen Commanded by Capt. Achillis Morgan who at the special request of Alexander Wolcott, Jr., Esqr., Indian Agent at Chicago, Volunteered their services for the defence of Fort Dearborn on the 28th day of July 1827 and were discharged on the 16th day of August 1827.”
Each soldier’s record consists of muster roll abstracts in a jacket-envelope noting the volunteer’s name, unit and incoming and outgoing rank. Because of the short period of service, most jackets contain only one card abstract of a muster roll entry relating to the soldier. Each abstract shows the soldier’s name, unit, period of service, whether present or absent on particular days, name of the person who completed the muster roll jacket, and remarks such as “served with his own arms” or “served with public arms.” The records of Menominee warriors who served provide an English translation of their name, as with May-aw-ko-may, “The Straight Nose Warrior” and Pe-de-dah, “The one who comes making a noise.” The identification of parentage for some of the warriors is an added genealogical bonus, as with O-me-gw-on, “The Feather,” son of O-shaw-wo-nim.
These military records may help fill a gap in your ancestor’s life. For those with Menominee forebears, they may add another generation to the family tree in a time period that is difficult to research.
This electronic newsletter is published by the Allen County Public Library's Genealogy Center, and is intended to enlighten readers about genealogical research methods as well as inform them about the vast resources of the Allen County Public Library. We welcome the wide distribution of this newsletter and encourage readers to forward it to their friends and societies.
To subscribe to “Genealogy Gems,” simply use your browser to go to the website:
Scroll down toward the bottom of the first screen where it says, "Enter Your Email Address to Subscribe to "Genealogy Gems." Enter your email address in the yellow box and click on "Subscribe." You will be notified with a confirmation email.
Steve Myers & Curt Witcher, co-editors |
Imagine if you dropped your mobile device and didn't have to worry about breaking it, because you knew the phone would bounce harmlessly off the floor -- and, even if it were damaged, it could repair itself.
That's the promise of a | Imagine if you dropped your mobile device and didn't have to worry about breaking it, because you knew the phone would bounce harmlessly off the floor -- and, even if it were damaged, it could repair itself.
That's the promise of a new material developed by researchers at the IK4-CIDETEC Research Center in Spain that can fuse back together in two hours after being severed. The polymer-based material uses "a poly(urea-urethane) type composition, a material which is widely used in industry," the researchers said in a press release.
A YouTube video (below) shows a researcher cutting a solid cylindrical-shaped piece of the material in half. The two halves are put back in contact with each other and left to sit at room temperature for two hours. In that time, according to the video, the material connects back together as a single piece of polymer that doesn't separate when the researcher stretches it.
This catalyst-free healing occurs without any intervention or other material agents, the researchers wrote in a paper (registration required) published by the Royal Society of Chemistry journal Materials Horizons.
In the paper, the researchers discuss the key to the material's self-healing capability:
A particularly useful approach to generate self-healable polymers has been the introduction of reversible or exchangeable bonds into the polymer network. The idea behind this is to reconnect the chemical crosslinks which are broken when a material fractures, restoring the integrity of the material. This is expected to provide polymers with enhanced lifetime and resistance to fatigue. Self-healing approaches based on such dynamic crosslinks have been carried out using both reversible covalent chemistries and supramolecular interactions.
The self-healing polymer could have a wide range of applications in the commercial, industrial, and aerospace sectors, where damage to materials could be harmful not only to the device, but also life threatening.
I just read about this polymer the other day. It is certainly very impressive, its healing ability might capture the attention of alot of material engineers which can bring alot of advancement in the field.
If this polymer can be commercialized, I can see it acting as a protective skin on products. When a cut occurs on its surface, its self-healing properties could close up the opening after several hours to prevent further damage.
I know what you mean, Rob. It's a little hard to believe because we don't actually see the material coming back together. But still, if it does what it says, it's a pretty incredible invention with lots of potential.
Truchard will be presented the award at the 2014 Golden Mousetrap Awards ceremony during the co-located events Pacific Design & Manufacturing, MD&M West, WestPack, PLASTEC West, Electronics West, ATX West, and AeroCon.
Robots that walk have come a long way from simple barebones walking machines or pairs of legs without an upper body and head. Much of the research these days focuses on making more humanoid robots. But they are not all created equal.
The IEEE Computer Society has named the top 10 trends for 2014. You can expect the convergence of cloud computing and mobile devices, advances in health care data and devices, as well as privacy issues in social media to make the headlines. And 3D printing came out of nowhere to make a big splash.
For industrial control applications, or even a simple assembly line, that machine can go almost 24/7 without a break. But what happens when the task is a little more complex? That’s where the “smart” machine would come in. The smart machine is one that has s |
Isecalc, Intersection Line Calculator
computes the intersection line of two sets of triangles or quads.
Each set is provided to the utility as separate LDraw files.
A third file containing the intersection lines is created.
It is a simple | Isecalc, Intersection Line Calculator
computes the intersection line of two sets of triangles or quads.
Each set is provided to the utility as separate LDraw files.
A third file containing the intersection lines is created.
It is a simple console application, source code
is provided below to anyone willing to integrate it in a more
palatable interface. You may also use Michael Heidemann LETGUI front-end (highly recommended!).
package, including program for Windows Linux
and Macintosh, documentation, source files (Visual C++ 6.0)
and the following sample files:
sphaxle.ldr contains a Technic
axle stuck in a sphere primitive, slightly off-center.
sphere-t.dat is the inlined sphere
axle-t.dat is the inlined axle
sphaxle.dat is the intersection
line as created by Isecalc.
sphaxle2.dat contains the intersection
line with the original axle and sphere
Note: Macintosh version (universal |
Wolf, who is also director of the Alson H. Smith Jr. Agricultural Research and Extension Center (AREC) in Winchester, Va., and an Extension viticulturist, has a range of research interests, including grape variety adaptation to | Wolf, who is also director of the Alson H. Smith Jr. Agricultural Research and Extension Center (AREC) in Winchester, Va., and an Extension viticulturist, has a range of research interests, including grape variety adaptation to Virginia. When he first arrived on the job in 1986, Virginia’s wineries numbered fewer than 30 and winery owners were still trying to determine which grape varieties to grow.
“We looked at varieties from around the world that were grown in areas that had similar growing seasons to what Virginia had to offer,” Wolf said. “Bear in mind that this was a fairly novel grape-growing area in the late 1970s and early 1980s.” Based partly on the results of the variety evaluation in Winchester, a number of the varieties that Wolf initially evaluated are now commonly grown in Virginia, including Viognier, Petit Manseng, and Petit Verdot.
Nearly 200 years after Thomas Jefferson planted more than 30 European grape varieties in Virginia, the challenging and very unique “terroir,” or the soil and climate of an area, has produced some of the most prominent wines in the United States.
“Winemakers and growers are interested in a broad range of topics r |
Ice fields are made when it snows
over many kilometers where the temperature is always way below
freezing. Over hundreds of years the ice field is very heavy
and big. Some ice fields are as large as the state of Texas.
| Ice fields are made when it snows
over many kilometers where the temperature is always way below
freezing. Over hundreds of years the ice field is very heavy
and big. Some ice fields are as large as the state of Texas.
field is not really part of a glacier, but they do "feed"
glaciers ice. Some ice fields like the Columbia
Icefield is 325 square kilometers in size and it "feeds"
ice to 8 different glaciers in the Arctic Circle. Water that
melts from an ice field provides fresh water to the people
who live near it. |
Key terms such as vocation, life calling, religious life, priesthood,
marriage, sacrament will help in tying the article to your programs.
Understanding Basic Terms in This Months Article
Look for these key words and terms as you read the | Key terms such as vocation, life calling, religious life, priesthood,
marriage, sacrament will help in tying the article to your programs.
Understanding Basic Terms in This Months Article
Look for these key words and terms as you read the article.
Definitions or explanations can be researched from the article itself,
or from the resource materials cited throughout the Links for Learners.
Finding Your Way in Life
In this months article, we learn about two brothers
from West Virginia who took different routes early in life and wound
up with the same calling, the life of a Catholic priest. After reading
the article with your group, begin a discussion of the routes to a life
vocation each of the brothers used.
One brother felt the call to be a priest since he was
a child. He play-acted in the role, even dressing up in homemade vestments.
Dont many of us do the same? As kids we dressed up as a doctor
or pretended to be a store clerk. Imagining ourselves professional athletes,
we practiced free throws or soccer kicks for hours on end. Maybe we
dressed in moms or dads clothes and imagined ourselves grownups
caring for our kids and working around the house. Of course we dont
always end up being what we play at as children, but its often
an indicator of an interest in a particular life path.
For some of us, the choice of direction is clear. The
difficult part can be convincing our parents or others that this is
what we need to do. Our parents want the best for us, and that usually
includes financial security. Some car |
Today marks the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous, "I Have a Dream" speech. Dr. King delivered that monumental speech to ensure that the words of Thomas Jefferson, "We hold these truths to be | Today marks the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous, "I Have a Dream" speech. Dr. King delivered that monumental speech to ensure that the words of Thomas Jefferson, "We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal," lived up to their meaning, just as Lincoln sought to do. It is therefore quite appropriate that the monuments to these three astute Americans are within eyeshot of each other.
However, where have we come in these 50 years and what is legacy of that speech today?
Dr. King postulated that, "the Negro is still not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity."
There can be no doubt that we have highly successful blacks in all walks of life, but when we examine the state of America's inner cities we must all be appalled; shall I say Detroit?
We have fought to break the chains of physical bondage, but today the chains of economic bondage are even worse. This is not about social justice but about ensuring that the economic opportunities of America can resurrect small business entrepreneurship in the black community. Our economic, tax, and regulatory policies must promote free market growth, investment, innovation and ingenuity to enable self-reliance.
We need to promote the growth of our small community banks in order to provide the capital for those in our inner cities with an idea in their heads and determination in their hearts. The Reagan administration proposed such an initiative – urban economic empowerment zones.
Dr. King stated that, "America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked insufficient funds." Today, the government is issuing electronic benefits transfer cards and even recruiting for enrollment. The government is issuing free cell phones. This is not the dream King wanted, the nightmare of dependence.
North of Dr. King's birthplace in Atlanta, a young black teenager sits accused of shooting a 13-month-old baby in the face. We know of the killings in Duncan, Okla., and Spokane, Wash., the murders in Chicago and the school bus beating in Gulfport, Fla. Black males comprise 6 to 7 percent of the American population but are responsible for nearly 55 percent of violent crimes … that is not part of the dream.
We are witnessing the complete breakdown and collapse of what was the foundational strength of the black community, the family. Today, 72 percent of black children are born out of wedlock … that is not part of the dream.
It is, however, the result of the soft bigotry of low expectations.
Dr. King talked about the promissory note of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence and the guarantee of unalienable rights: life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. When it comes to life, over the past two score years there have been some 13 million black babies aborted. The black community would be 36 percent greater save for this tragedy, this genocide.
How many black babies will never experience King's dream, the American dream? How many will never get to be the next generation of doctors, lawyers, successful business men and women, prominent entertainers and sports figures. This horror is not part of Dr. King's dream.
The hypocrisy is that liberal progressive Democrats support the choice of a woman to kill black babies bu |
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Dental implants are the most realistic tooth replacements available. Implants begin with a surgically placed post that is securely anchored into the jawbone. The bone surrounding the anchor will heal in approximately six months. With a completely solid | View larger image
Dental implants are the most realistic tooth replacements available. Implants begin with a surgically placed post that is securely anchored into the jawbone. The bone surrounding the anchor will heal in approximately six months. With a completely solid and stable anchor point, an artificial tooth is then installed. The end result is a new artificial tooth that is virtually indistinguishable from a natural tooth, both from an aesthetic and functional standpoint. In cases where several teeth are missing, dental implants can also act as the teeth to which bridges are fixed, again perfectly mimicking the function of healthy, natural teeth.
Dentures may be considered if the financial burden of dental implants it too great. |
The findings are the same in either language. Americans are fatter than Canadians. In the United States, 34 percent of adults are obese (defined as having a body mass index of 30.0 or higher). In Canada, the figure | The findings are the same in either language. Americans are fatter than Canadians. In the United States, 34 percent of adults are obese (defined as having a body mass index of 30.0 or higher). In Canada, the figure is a substantially smaller 24 percent. Even after limiting the analysis to non-Hispanic whites, most of the gap remains: 33 percent of Americans are obese compared with 26 percent of Canadians.
Source: National Center for Health Statistics, Prévalence de l’obésité chez les adultes au Canada et aux États-Unis |
College may be the first opportunity you have to study Chinese. So, forget the myth that you have to start learning another language in childhood. College can help young adults become faster and more effective language learners than small children. With a little imagination and | College may be the first opportunity you have to study Chinese. So, forget the myth that you have to start learning another language in childhood. College can help young adults become faster and more effective language learners than small children. With a little imagination and hard work, Chinese studies at Lafayette can lead to an amazing study-abroad experience. And for each additional year of language studies, research shows a wide range of benefits, including improved verbal and math scores on entrance exams (GREs, MCATs, LSATs). Advanced language studies lead to greater opportunities for admission to graduate and professional schools and greater access to career-oriented jobs.
The Major & Minor in Asian Studies
Courses in Chinese
CHN 101 Elementary Chinese I
This course aims to develop fundamental listening, speaking, reading, and writing abilities in Mandarin Chinese. Students examine approximately 250 new words and more than 30 grammar patterns. Mastery of Pinyin pronunciation is an essential part, and students are trained with computer-based exercises, especially character typing. Class activities may also include practicing calligraphy, singing songs in Chinese, making dumplings, and watching film shows to enhance students’ understanding of Chinese language and culture.
CHN 102 Elementary Chinese II
This course will help students continue to develop fundamental skills in listening, speaking, reading, and writing of Mandarin Chinese based on 101 class training or equivalent. Students will learn 200 new words and more than 30 new grammar patterns. Mastery of Pinyin pronunciation is still an essential part, and students are to be trained with more frequent computer-based exercises. Class activities also include calligraphy competitions and Chinese movie shows to enhance students’ understanding of Chinese language and culture.
Prerequisite: Chinese 101 or equivalent
CHN 111, 112 Intermediate Chinese I & II
Review and expansion of basic grammar and vocabulary and continued development of familiarity with Chinese characters are stressed in this course. Attention is given to developing reading and conversational skills for a deeper understanding of the diverse cultures of the Chinese people.
Prerequisite: Chinese 101, 102 or equivalent proficiency
CHN 211 Advanced Chinese Conversation and Composition
This course is designed for students who have completed four semesters of Chinese study or demonstrate equivalent language proficiency. The course emphasizes vocabulary building, advanced reading comprehension, and an increased degree of conversational fluency. Short expository essays on various contemporary social topics are composed in class to help students understand the changing China of today.
Prerequisite: Chinese 112 or equivalent proficiency
CHN 231 Chinese Civilization
This course presents the fundamental features and highlights of Chinese civilization from the Neolithic age down to the 20th century. It explores the origin, transformation, and continuity of this long-standing culture, discussing varied aspects in philosophy, religion, political institutions, and literature and arts. Students also explore certain areas of Chinese culture that are becoming transnational interests, such as Buddhist practice, geomancy, and medical tradition. No prior knowledge of China or Chinese language is required. All works are read in English translations.
CHN 290, 291 Independent Study
These courses are intended to expand the student’s basic capabilities in the four linguistic skills – listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Enrichment of written grammar review with emphasis on the expansi |
Despite the common fear that those annoying tip-of-the-tongue moments are signals of age-related memory decline, the two phenomena appear to be independent, according to findings published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.
Anecd | Despite the common fear that those annoying tip-of-the-tongue moments are signals of age-related memory decline, the two phenomena appear to be independent, according to findings published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.
Anecdotal evidence has suggested that tip-of-the-tongue experiences occur more frequently as people get older, but the relationship between these cognitive stumbles and actual memory problems remained unclear, according to psychological scientist and lead author Timothy Salthouse of the University of Virginia:
“We wondered whether these self-reports are valid and, if they are, do they truly indicate age-related failures of the type of memory used in the diagnosis of dementia?”
To find out, Salthouse and Arielle Mandell — an undergraduate researcher who was working on her senior thesis — were able to elicit tip-of-the-tongue moments in the laboratory by asking over 700 participants ranging in age from 18 to 99 to give the names of famous places, common nouns, or famous people based on brief descriptions or pictures.
Throughout the study, participants indicated which answers they knew, which they didn’t, and which made them have a tip-of-the-tongue experience.
Several descriptions were particularly likely to induce a tip-of-the-tongue moment, such as: “What is the name of the building where one can view images of celestial bodies on the inner surface of a dome?” and “What is the name of the large waterfall in Zambia that is one of the Seven Wonders of the World?” Of the pictures of the politicians and celebrities, Joe Lieberman and Ben Stiller were most likely to induce a tip-of-the-tongue moment.
Overall, older participants experienced more of these frustrating moments than did their younger counterparts, confirming previous self-report data. But, after the researchers accounted for various factors including participants’ general knowledge, they found no association between frequency of tip-of-the-tongue moments and participants’ performance on the types of memory tests often used in the detection of dementia.
“Even though increased age is associated with lower levels of episodic memory and with more frequent tip-of-the-tongue experiences…the two phenomena seem to be largely independent of one another,” write Salthouse and Mandell, indicating that these frustrating occurrences by themselves should not be considered a sign of impending dementia. |
PROVERBS, MIDRASH TO:(Redirected from MIDRASH MISHLE.)
Haggadic midrash to Proverbs, first mentioned, under the title "Midrash Mishle," by R. Hananeel b | PROVERBS, MIDRASH TO:(Redirected from MIDRASH MISHLE.)
Haggadic midrash to Proverbs, first mentioned, under the title "Midrash Mishle," by R. Hananeel b. Ḥushiel (first half of the 11th cent.) as quoted in "Mordekai" on B. M. iii. 293. Nathan of Rome calls this midrash "Agadat Mishle" ("'Aruk," s.v.
This midrash is different from all the other haggadic midrashim in that its interpretations approach the simple exegesis then in vogue, being brief and free from the prolixity found in the other midrashim, so that this work is in the form of a commentary rather than in that of a midrash. The interpretations follow immediately upon the words of the text, without the introductory formulas found in the other midrashim, "as Scripture says," or "Rabbi N. N. began"; the latter formula, however, occurs at the beginning of the midrash. The editor of the midrash drew upon the Mishnah, Tosefta, Mekilta, Sifre, Pesiḳta de-Rab Kahana, Abot de-Rabbi Natan, Bereshit Rabbah, Wayiḳra Rabbah, Ecclesiastes Rabbah, Canticles Rabbah, and the Babylonian Talmud. But he does not seem to have known anything about the Palestinian Talmud, since he does not quote from it. The editor was therefore probably a Babylonian, although this can not be definitely decided.
The exact time at which the editor lived can not be determined. Zunz holds ("G. V." p. 268) that the midrash was compiled in the middle of the eleventh century; but this is dubious inasmuch as it is mentioned by name by Hananeel and Nathan, both of whom lived in the first half of that century. Buber thinks that the midrash was compiled as early as the eighth century, since quotations from it are found, though not with references to the source, at the end of the "Halakot Gedolot" and in the "Seder R. Amram," 12b. Although the midrash contains comparatively few legends, myths, or parables, it has many interesting sentences for which no parallel exists in the other midrashim. For instance, the four riddles which the Queen of Sheba propounded to Solomon (Buber, l.c., p. 20b) are found in no other extant midrash, but they correspond to the first four of the nineteen riddles mentioned in the manuscript Midrash ha-Ḥefez (comp. S. Schechter in "Folk-Lore," 1890, p. 353).Manuscripts and Editions.
Aside from the manuscripts mentioned by Buber (pp. 14b-15a), there is one of the Midrash Mishle in the library of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America (p. 5, 1018, fols. 25a-48b). This manuscript, which includes only chapters i. to xvi., corresponds in many passages with the Constantinople edition. In xiv. 34 (ed. Buber, p. 39b) it has "Meṭaṭron" instead of "Michael," as in the printed editions. If this reading is the original one, it would confirm the assumption that the editor was a Babylonian, since the name "Meṭaṭron" occurs only a few times in the Palestinian sources, the name "Michael" being found instead (e.g., Targ. Yer. on Ex. xxiv. 1 has "Michael," while Sanh. 38b has "Meṭaṭron").
The first edition was issued at Constantinople without date; the second, at Venice in 1547. Apart from these two, eight other editions have been issued (comp. Buber, Introduction, p. 16a). The latest and best edition is that by Buber (Wilna, 1893), with an introduction and notes. The Midrash Mishle has been translated into German by August Wünsche (Leipsic, 1885).
- Zunz, G. V. pp. 268-269;
- Weiss, Dor, iii. 276;
- Buber, introduction to his edition of the Midrash Mishle;
- Wünsche, introduction to his translation of the Midrash Mishle. |
The sightings of two suspected wolves in Atlantic Canada in recent weeks has left experts wondering why the animals may be in a region of the country where they have not been seen for decades.
An 82-pound canine was shot in Newfoundland in early March. | The sightings of two suspected wolves in Atlantic Canada in recent weeks has left experts wondering why the animals may be in a region of the country where they have not been seen for decades.
An 82-pound canine was shot in Newfoundland in early March. At the beginning of April, a 90-pound animal was shot in New Brunswick.
As the first kill of his coyote hunting season, New Brunswick hunter Jacques Mallet couldn't believe the size of the animal.
"When I killed it, we were a bit nervous weighing it," Mallet said.
Mallet called New Brunswick's Natural Resources Department, which took samples for DNA testing.
"If it is a coyote, I think it would be a record for North America," he said.
Biologists at Natural Resources believe wolves were hunted to extinction in New Brunswick by 1860, two years after legislation was enacted by the government to "encourage the destruction of wolves in this province."
Fred Harrington, an animal psychologist, has studied wolves and coyotes for over 30 years and says he believes the animals are likely wolves based on their size alone.
Harrington says the average male wolves he encountered while working in Minnesota were between 75 and 90 pounds, with females being 10 to 15 pounds lighter.
He says both animals could have made it to Newfoundland and New Brunswick on ice floes, at which point they would look for territory and mates.
"Finding a territory would be kind of easy because there are no territories as far as I know staked by wolves south of the St. Lawrence River," he said.
"Wolves can move hundreds of kilometres in search of suitable territory and in search of a suitable mate."
Harrington says it's also possible that the animals were kept as household pets and escaped, or they could've been deliberately released in a "misguided attempt to bring the animal back to their neck of the woods."
"There is that sentiment," he said. "There are people in New England who would love to have wolves back and of course the governments are not in the business of wanting to do that."
It's illegal to own wolves in both provinces, so Harrington says he doubts anyone would come forward to claim the animals if they owned them.
Simon Gadbois, a researcher at Dalhousie University's canid research laboratory, says wolves and coyotes are known to have interbred, pointing to a study published last year that found the eastern coyote had eight per cent wolf ancestry and eight per cent dog ancestry in its DNA.
He said that could explain the animals in New Brunswick and Newfoundland.
"To be of that size, they would have to be recent hybrids," said Gadbois. "They would have interbred with wolves or coyotes, depending which one is the first, some time probably one or two generations ago."
Gadbois said if the animals turn out to be wolves, there is little cause of public concern.
"If anything, if there is wolf genes in those coyotes, I would think they would be less dangerous," said Gadbois.
"Wolves... keep to themselves typically. They are much less likely to stick around humans."
DNA results for both animals are expected in the next several weeks. |
I love bugs. All bugs. Creepy crawly spiders (yes, I’m calling arachnids bugs for the time being), annoying mosquitoes, destructive termites, stinging wasps, even the terrifyingly fascinating bot flies of Central | I love bugs. All bugs. Creepy crawly spiders (yes, I’m calling arachnids bugs for the time being), annoying mosquitoes, destructive termites, stinging wasps, even the terrifyingly fascinating bot flies of Central and South America (they lay eggs under your skin and the larva hatch, their fat wormy bodies bursting forth like the Aliens in Alien.) I’ve never been particularly squeamish and I find the little creatures fascinating. There are so many insect species—more than any other group of animals on earth—and they’re startling diversity is matched by their startlingly clever survival mechanisms. Some of them are intensely social, like bees and ants, while others are brutal loners, like the praying mantis or black widow. They live in all but the most severe climates. They pollinate our flowers, provide us with delicious foods (like that honey in your tea), and feed a dizzying array of other animals.
I’ve been collecting insects for years. I catch them with nets, kill them with an alcohol solution, mount them on blocks, and do my best to identify them (I could really use some help on this last task.) Insects are notoriously tricky to I.D. Many species look very much alike, save for an extra abdominal segment or extra long mandible, and it takes an expert eye to separate one similarly endowed species from another. This is why the Texas A&M Volunteer Entomology Training Program appeals to me so thoroughly. Expert entomologists work with volunteers to teach them the basics of insect collection, preservation and identification. Their goal: to create educated laymen who can, in turn, educate people in their own communities about the amazing and wonderful world of insects.
Texas A&M University is known for its science programs, so it makes perfect sense that they’d be at the forefront of volunteer programs to inspire future educators. In fact, educating is a prerequisite of the program. Volunteers are required to use their knowledge for good. They can do that however they please—from teaching a class in their hometown to leading a bug hunting expedition to setting up an educational website about local critters. Insects are everywhere and yet, how much do you know about them? Do you give that housefly a second thought? Do you wonder where that spider goes in the winter? I think volunteer opportunities that help us appreciate the wildlife all around us open our eyes to the incredible in the every day. The next time I’m in Texas, you’ll find me at Texas A&M! |
Bat biologist Nickolay Hristov, of UNC’s Center for Design Innovation and Winston-Salem State University, develops new techniques for filming and visualizing bats and the caves they occupy. Some of the tools in his kit include a long-range | Bat biologist Nickolay Hristov, of UNC’s Center for Design Innovation and Winston-Salem State University, develops new techniques for filming and visualizing bats and the caves they occupy. Some of the tools in his kit include a long-range laser scanner—for modelling bat cave morphology—and portable thermal cameras--to capture bat-life when the lights are off.
***If you are having trouble viewing the video in our standard html5 player above, click here and the mp4 file should open in your browser's default video player. Or check it out on |
Before ‘Circus Climate Change Conference’ moves on from Copenhagen to Cancún this December, it could be clever to take a close look at that region’s ancient Maya history; and maybe to learn a thing or two from it, too.
| Before ‘Circus Climate Change Conference’ moves on from Copenhagen to Cancún this December, it could be clever to take a close look at that region’s ancient Maya history; and maybe to learn a thing or two from it, too.
But first, the good news: the world isn’t going to end in 2012 (no matter what happens at the conference later this year). This post is hence not about the speculations around a Mayan Judgement Day in 2012, as shown in the “2012″ movie. That is nonsense. What is true, is that a Mayan calendar ends on the 21th of December that year. But, to everyone’s relief: the Mayans did always plan to replace their first 5125 years old long-count calendar with a new one in 2012. If only their civilisation had survived to see that date …
Two years ago I was fortunate enough to visit the remains of their society, an extraordinarily advanced society that may have been established as early as 2000 years BC. The Maya civilisation was featured by advanced build |
The scientific evidence indicates that life did not and could not somehow arise spontaneously from some warm little pond, as Darwin thought. What we find from the evidence around us and from the fossil record is that, as the law of biogenesis states, life | The scientific evidence indicates that life did not and could not somehow arise spontaneously from some warm little pond, as Darwin thought. What we find from the evidence around us and from the fossil record is that, as the law of biogenesis states, life can only arise from life.
......So it turns out that cells are far more complex and sophisticated than Darwin could have conceived of. How did mere chance produce this, when even human planning and engineering cannot? In fact, no laboratory has come close to replicating even a single human hair!
Because he believed in the simplicity of the information of the cell, he came up with a theory called "pangenesis," where huge variations simply popped out of cells at random—something that was later proven to be entirely false.
Everything we know about DNA indicates that it programs a species to remain within the limits of its own general type. Genetic changes that do occur are typically small and inconsequential, while large mutations, rather than producing improved and novel designs, are overwhelmingly harmful to the organism's survival.
During his life, Charles Darwin was puzzled over the fossil record. For it to back his theory, the evidence should show a fine gradation between the different animal species and have millions of intermediate links.
He stated it this way: "The number of intermediate and transitional links, between all living and extinct species, must have been inconceivably great. But assuredly, if this theory [of evolution] be true, such have lived upon the earth" (The Origin of Species,1958, Mentor edition, p. 289).
Yet faced with the evidence, he admitted: "The distinctiveness of specific forms, and their not being blended together by innumerable transitional links, is a very obvious difficulty... Why then is not every geological formation and every stratum full of such intermediate links? Geology assuredly does not reveal any such finely-graduated organic chain; and this, perhaps, is the most obvious and serious objection to my theory" (p. 287).
Darwin got the idea about natural selection in part from observing artificial selection. For instance, he noted the way pigeon breeders came up with a great variety of pigeons. Yet we should remember, they are still all classified as pigeons!
He thought that from this variety, given enough time, pigeons could eventually evolve into some other type of birds, such as eagles or vultures, and gradually, even to other creatures such as mammalian bats.
No one seriously disputes the notion of "change over time" in biology—heredity sees to that. We vary from our parents and grandparents—but that is not what the theory of evolution is all about. It is really an attempt to explain how microorganisms, insects, fish, birds, tigers, bears and even human beings actually became what they presently are through the passage of time.
Darwinian evolution—what is taught in the schools—is about macroevolution, or changes beyond the limits of the species kind to create another distinct species. It consists of three suppositions: 1) all living things descend from a common ancestor; 2) the principal mechanisms for the changes are natural selection and mutation; and 3) these are unguided, natural processes with no intelligence at work behind them.
But have we seen either in present life forms or in the fossil record that creatures are |
Diet & Nutrition Glossary: H
hemoglobin : The protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen through the body.
histidine: A semi-essential amino acid that your body needs during periods of growth, stress, and recovery from illness | Diet & Nutrition Glossary: H
hemoglobin : The protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen through the body.
histidine: A semi-essential amino acid that your body needs during periods of growth, stress, and recovery from illness and injury.
homocysteine : An amino acid produced when you digest proteins
hydrogenated : |
Your credit history and credit score reflects how well you manage your debt and is compiled on your credit report. Private companies called "credit reporting agencies" collect information related to your access to and use of credit. They make that information available to others under | Your credit history and credit score reflects how well you manage your debt and is compiled on your credit report. Private companies called "credit reporting agencies" collect information related to your access to and use of credit. They make that information available to others under certain circumstances in the form of a "credit report." Your credit report is relied upon by lending institutions, employers, insurance agencies, and future creditors to make decisions about you. For this reason, your credit report is an important document, and the law gives you certain protections against the reporting of incorrect information. Knowing your legal rights and remedies is a first step to resolving any problems associated with your credit report. For detailed information about credit reporting, visit the Credit Reporting page on this website.
There are a number of ways that you can build credit, such as credit cards, services or utilities, or student loans.
Credit Cards are easily available to college students and are often times viewed and used as a secondary source of income. According to a 2005 Nellie Mae study, 56 percent of undergraduates received their first credit card at age 18 and credit card usage increases as students get older. Only 21 percent of undergrads and 20 percent of graduate students reported paying off their full balances each month. Undergraduates, on average, carried $2,100 in credit card debt, while graduate students in their 20s carried $6,500. It is extremely important for credit card holders to know their rights and responsibilities associated with credit cards, to avoid trouble in the future. For detailed information, visit the Consumer Credit pages of this website.
Payments for Services
Payments in Installments
Any time you receive something with an agreement to pay a set price over a period of time, you are building credit. You will generally sign a contract, make a down payment, and will make set payments based on a payment schedule agreed up in your contract. Finance charges and interest are generally built into the payments. Students most commonly use installment credit when buying a car or renting an apartment. |
Need help writing the logical formulation of statements
I am needing some help writing the logical formulation of statements.
For example, here are some statements:
1. Between any two real numbers there is at least one rational number and one irrational number.
2 | Need help writing the logical formulation of statements
I am needing some help writing the logical formulation of statements.
For example, here are some statements:
1. Between any two real numbers there is at least one rational number and one irrational number.
2. If r1 and r2 are any real numbers satisfying r1 < r2, then r1+a < r2+a for each real number a.
3. If a, b, and c are any real numbers, then a(b+c)=ab+ac.
I think the problem is that my teacher didn't give us any type of examples of doing this, so I am having a hard time figuring them out. I would appreciate any and ALL advice you can give me on doing these. Also, how do you know what the universe is for these things?
Thank you so much for any help.
Re: Need help writing the logical formulation of statements
Try writing 2. |
Monday, Jan 13
Barbara Anderson: TBA
Gillespie, B.W., Q.X. Chen, H. Reichert, A. Franzblau, E. Hedgeman, James M. Lepkowski, P | Monday, Jan 13
Barbara Anderson: TBA
Gillespie, B.W., Q.X. Chen, H. Reichert, A. Franzblau, E. Hedgeman, James M. Lepkowski, P. Adriaens, A. Demond, W. Luksemburg, and D.H. Garabrant. 2010. "Estimating Population Distributions When Some Data Are Below a Limit of Detection by Using a Reverse Kaplan-Meier Estimator." Epidemiology, 21: S64-S70.
Background: Data with some values below a limit of detection (LOD) can be analyzed using methods of survival analysis for left-censored data. The reverse Kaplan-Meier (KM) estimator provides an effective method for estimating the distribution function and thus population percentiles for such data. Although developed in the 1970s and strongly advocated since then, it remains rarely used, partly due to limited software availability. Methods: In this paper, the reverse KM estimator is described and is illustrated using serum dioxin data from the University of Michigan Dioxin Exposure Study (UMDES) and the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Percentile estimates for left-censored data using the reverse KM estimator are compared with replacing values below the LOD with the LOD/2 or LOD/root 2. Results: When some LODs are in the upper range of the complete values, and/or the percent censored is high, the different methods can yield quite different percentile estimates. The reverse KM estimator, which is the nonparametric maximum likelihood estimator, is the preferred method. Software options are discussed: The reverse KM can be calculated using software for the KM estimator. The JMP and SAS (SAS Institute, Cary, NC) and Minitab (Minitab, Inc, State College, PA), software packages calculate the reverse KM directly using their Turnbull estimator routines. Conclusion: The reverse KM estimator is recommended for estimation of the distribution function and population percentiles in preference to commonly used methods such as substituting LOD/2 or LOD/root 2 for values below the LOD, assuming a known parametric distribution, or using imputation to replace the left-censored values.
Country of focus: United States. |
A new study published in Free Radical Biology and Medicine shows how grapes can be utilized as a powerful tool in halting or slowing blindness brought on by age. Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a progressive eye condition which leads to a | A new study published in Free Radical Biology and Medicine shows how grapes can be utilized as a powerful tool in halting or slowing blindness brought on by age. Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a progressive eye condition which leads to a suffering retina. The condition affects millions of elderly individuals worldwide, but knowing this information can put a stop to the increasing statistics and even make it so that no eye-sight ‘promoting’ pharmaceuticals are needed.
Grapes and Antioxidants Provide Powerful Vision-Promoting Properties
The study examined the effects 3 different diets had on aging mice: a diet rich in grapes, a diet with added lutein, and a normal diet. Mice are prone to developing retinal damage in old age very similar to how humans do, so the impacts of antioxidant-rich diets should have a very similar impact on humans.
What the researchers found was that the diet containing grapes provided significant protection by shielding against oxidative damage of the retina and also prevented blindness. A diet containing lutein was also effective, but not quite as effective as a grape-rich diet. A ‘normal’ diet was conclusively the least positively impacting. These results indicate that age-related vision loss is the outcome of cumulative oxidative damage over many years.
“The protective effect of the grapes in this study was remarkable, offering a benefit for vision at old age even if grapes were consumed only at young age,” states principal investigator Silvia Finnemann, PhD, Department of Biological Sciences, Fordham University in New York.
Of course those already entrenched in a healthy lifestyle probably don’t need to worry about AMD. Consuming a diet rich in dark leafy greens, egg yolks, yellow peppers, pumpkin, blueberries, carrots, o |
4. Assistant stops chronoscope and takes reading.
[Illustration: FIG. 7. Reaction Key. l, lever swung on pivot; p, p, posts for contacts with platinum plates on base; b, upright bar for string | 4. Assistant stops chronoscope and takes reading.
[Illustration: FIG. 7. Reaction Key. l, lever swung on pivot; p, p, posts for contacts with platinum plates on base; b, upright bar for string; s, spring for clamping string; w, wheel to carry string; c, c, chronoscope circuit; 1 and 2, points which are brought into contact by animal’s reaction.]
The steps of this process and the parts of the apparatus concerned in each may be clearly conceived by reference to the diagram given in Fig. 6. The various forms of stimulating apparatus used and the modification of the method will be described in the sections dealing with results. The same reaction key was used throughout (see Fig. 7). Its essential features are a lever l, pivoted in the middle and bearing a post at either end, p, p. From the middle of this lever there projected upward a small metal bar, b, through the upper part of which a string to the animal ran freely except when it was clamped by the spring, s. This string, which was attached to the subject’s leg by means of a light elastic band, after passing through the bar ran over a wheel, w, and hung tense by reason of a five-gram weight attached to the end. Until everything was in readiness for an experiment the string was left free to move through the bar so that movement of the animal was not hindered, but the instant before the ready-signal was given it was clamped by pressure on s. The diagram shows the apparatus arranged for a reaction. The current is broken, since 1 and 2 are not in contact, but a slight movement of the animal turns the lever enough to bring 1 against 2, thus making the circuit and stopping the chronoscope. When the motor reaction of the subject was violent the string pulled out of the clamp so that the animal was free from resistance, except such as the string and weight offered. The five-gram weight served to give a constant tension and thus avoided the danger of error from this source. Between experiments the weight was placed on the table in order that there might be no strain upon the subject.
That the subject might be brought into a favorable position for an experiment without being touched by the operator a special reaction box was devised.
The animals used in these studies were specimens of Rana clamitans which were kept in a tank in the laboratory throughout the year.
The reaction time to electrical stimuli was determined first because it seemed probable that this form of the pain reaction would be most useful for comparison with the auditory, visual, olfactory and tactual reactions. In this paper only the electrical and the tactual reaction times will be considered. The former will be divided into two groups: (1) Those resulting from a stimulus given by touching electrodes to the leg of the frog, and (2) those gotten by having the frog resting upon wires through which a current could be passed at any time. |
Baird, John Logie (1888–1946)
Early history of televisionJohn Logie Baird was the man who changed television from being a vague dream into a definite reality. He was not its inventor. The idea had been | Baird, John Logie (1888–1946)
Early history of televisionJohn Logie Baird was the man who changed television from being a vague dream into a definite reality. He was not its inventor. The idea had been in existence long before.
The possibility was first realized after the photoelectric effect had been discovered in 1839 when it was noticed that the electrical resistance of selenium, a chemical relative of sulfur, changed when the intensity of the light falling on it altered. Light fluctuations could be turned into electrical fluctuations and vice versa. Perhaps something of this nature was the key to the transmission of pictures. Several would-be inventors made and designed pieces of apparatus, but Baird's was the first one to actually work, and it was largely his enthusiasm that rocketed a television broadcasting system into being.
Baird's careerBaird was never very strong and for most of his life suffered ill health. He first became interested in the problem of television while studying electrical engineering at Glasgow University. Soon after getting a degree he gave up engineering to start out on a commercial career in London, but unfortunately he was forced to stop because his health broke down. So Baird, aged 34, went down to Hastings in search of peace and quiet, hoping the freedom from strain would bring his health back.
He quickly became bored with nothing to do, so once more started to design and make a machine for transmitting and receiving moving pictures. Success came three years later with apparatus made from old biscuit tins, a hat box, darning needles, bicycle lamp lenses, and worn out electric motors. It may have been constructed out of bits of old junk, but it certainly worked.
Baird by this time was penniless after the long period of not earning and was delighted to be paid £25 a week for three weeks for demonstrating his television in a big London store. The image received was only 1.5" × 2" and was very flickery, but nevertheless it was possible to recognize the faces being televised. Because of this publicity he was able to raise a little money to finance more research.
In 1927, he sent pictures from London to Glasgow via telephone wires. In the following year, without using wires, he sent images from London to New York. Scenes were televised in the dark using infrared rays. Baird also invented a device for storing images on wax, made a simple color television, and experimented with stereoscopic television.
The Baird Television Company broadcast the first regular television service and in 1930 the Baird Televisor was the first receiver to go on sale to the general public.
Yet for all his undoubted genius none of Baird's inventions is in use today. His ideas quickly became old-fashioned and better ones took their place. His scanning system was really his downfall. He insisted on using a mechanical system of scanning the scene. By mounting a series of lenses, radiating slits, and spiral slits in spinning disks, he produced the effect of an eye flashing across a page, first taking in one point and then rapidly moving on to the next. His rivals preferred an electronic scanner. Both systems were given a period of trial by the British Broadcasting Corporation but the mechanical system was finally rejected because it gave more flickery pictures.
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Stephen Paget, MD: My name is Dr. Stephen Paget, Chief of Rheumatology at Hospital for Special Surgery and it is a pleasure today to introduce Dr. Anne Bass, an Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine. She will focus on | Stephen Paget, MD: My name is Dr. Stephen Paget, Chief of Rheumatology at Hospital for Special Surgery and it is a pleasure today to introduce Dr. Anne Bass, an Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine. She will focus on Lyme disease and neurologic manifestations of Lyme disease. Anne what is our current concept of how Lyme disease develops?
Anne R. Bass, MD: Well, we do think that Lyme disease is an infectious process; that is number one -- that it is antibiotic responsive. Clearly many of the manifestations of Lyme disease stem from the body's own immune response to the organism and that applies to neurological Lyme disease just as it does to arthritic manifestations of the disease.
Stephen Paget, MD: Is it an eminently treatable disease?
Anne R. Bass, MD: It is extremely treatable. It is best treated early. If you see a patient with erythema migrans and other symptoms and treat them promptly with antibiotics, the vast majority will not go on to have later complications and, even those patients who do have later complications, will be by and large curable with antibiotics.
Stephen Paget, MD: Is it less common today? Are we picking it up earlier because its more known?
Anne R. Bass, MD: I don't think it's less common. I think that we just have a very educated public and medical treatment complex. I think this is a disease that is picked up very early. Most patients who have erythema migrans rash recognize it and go to the doctor promptly, and physicians have come to recognize that flu-like symptoms and headache in the summer months might be Lyme disease. So I think that we are seeing a lot of the disease, but we are treating it early.
Stephen Paget, MD: Tell me about the manifestations in the neurologic system that patients can get with Lyme disease.
Anne R. Bass, MD: Well, early on about 15% of patients who are not treated with antibiotics will go on to have often a facial palsy, with weakness on one side of their face, which will generally resolve even if they don't receive treatment. The minority will develop a mild meningitis picture or what we call radiculitis with pain in nerve roots going down the arm or the leg. Those manifestations again are quite antibiotic responsive.
The later neurological disease is quite rare. In this country, we sometimes see what we call a subtle encephalopathy where patients have cognitive and sometimes mood abnormalities. These patients also respond to antibiotics although much more slowly. The more severe central nervous system disease, encephalomyelitis, is seen almost exclusively in Europe. Peripheral neuropathy can be seen here but, again, is much more common in Europe.
Stephen Paget, MD: Why does there seem to be such a difference in Europe versus the United States regarding the incidence of these problems?
Anne R. Bass, MD: The Borrelia burgdorferi, the cause of Lyme disease, comes in several substrains, and the strains differ in the United States from those that we see in Europe. So in this country, we see Borrelia Sensu stricto which causes, in untreated patients, very commonly an arthritis and much less commonly neurological disease. In Europe, they see other organisms: Borrelia Afzelii, which is responsible for the acrodermatitis skin lesion. They also see Borrelia Garinii and some of the sensu stricto strains as well. And those strain differences probably explain the differences in the manifestations that we see there.
Stephen Paget, MD: In Lyme disease in genera,l what roles do genes, the infectious organism itself, and the immune system play in the way we see it clinically?
Anne R. Bass, MD: I think all of those things play an important role. In this country, there have been rare case reports of patients with refractory arthritis. Those rare cases probably have an immunologic basis. There are HLA association HLA-DR-4 that may make some rare patients susceptible to this chronic arthritis that is not antibiotic responsive. We don't know much about host factors regarding neurological disease, which is far less common. We think that, with regard to neurological disease, there may be more importance in the differences between strains of Borrelia. But as we learn more about the immune response to the organism, we may find different host responses that explain differences in disease manifestations.
Stephen Paget, MD: There are new vaccines for Lyme disease and, given the fact that some patients will get this and no longer develop problems with Lyme disease, is there any possibility that the vaccine itself may trigger off the disorder given potential cross reactivities?
Anne R. Bass, MD: Originally there was great concern that the vaccine might be associated in particular with a chronic arthritis because it is know that the patients who develop a chronic oligo- or monoarthritis tend to have antibodies against the Osp-A protein, which you don't see in early Lyme disease. (Borrelia down-regulates Osp-A when patients are initially infected and it o |
Open AccessThis article is
- freely available
How to Solve the Torus Puzzle
Department of Computer Science, Gunma University, 1-5-1 Tenjin-cho, Kiryu, Gunma 376-8515, | Open AccessThis article is
- freely available
How to Solve the Torus Puzzle
Department of Computer Science, Gunma University, 1-5-1 Tenjin-cho, Kiryu, Gunma 376-8515, Japan
Kiryu High School, 1-39 Miharacho, Kiryu, Gunma 376-0025, Japan
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Received: 27 December 2011; in revised form: 30 December 2011 / Accepted: 30 December 2011 / Published: 13 January 2012
Abstract: In this paper, we consider the following sliding puzzle called torus puzzle. In an m by n board, there are mn pieces numbered from 1 to mn. Initially, the pieces are placed in ascending order. Then they are scrambled by rotating the rows and columns without the player’s knowledge. The objective of the torus puzzle is to rearrange the pieces in ascending order by rotating the rows and columns. We provide a solution to this puzzle. In addition, we provide lower and upper bounds on the number of steps for solving the puzzle. Moreover, we consider a variant of the torus puzzle in which each piece is colored either black or white, and we present a hardness result for solving it.
Keywords: torus puzzle; 15 puzzle
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Narrator: This is Science Today. In case you need another good to reason to floss your teeth, it now appears severe gum disease may play a role in strokes. One way to combat this, is to know who is most susceptible to | Narrator: This is Science Today. In case you need another good to reason to floss your teeth, it now appears severe gum disease may play a role in strokes. One way to combat this, is to know who is most susceptible to plaque-causing gum disease. And that's just what UCLA periodontist, Dr. Michael Newman has done with a genetic marker in the form of a finger stick test.
Newman: Up until now, dentists had no way of looking into the crystal ball to determine who was going to be severe and who wasn't. They could sort of, but it wasn't very accurate. Now, with this objective test, dentists and patients can immediately know whether they're at high risk or low risk of getting disease.
Narrator: A gene, which produces anti-inflammatory agents to fight off bacteria, can be detected by this test.
Newman: And having that knowledge allows everybody to focus the most appropriate treatment for that individual's own needs, rather than generalizing by giving either too much treatment or too little.
Narrator: For Science Today, I'm Larissa Branin. |
In those days came John the Baptist
The Evangelist having given an account of the genealogy and birth of Christ; of the coming of the wise men from the east to him; of his preservation from Herod's bloody design against him, | In those days came John the Baptist
The Evangelist having given an account of the genealogy and birth of Christ; of the coming of the wise men from the east to him; of his preservation from Herod's bloody design against him, when all the infants at Bethlehem were slain; of the flight of Joseph with Mary and Jesus into Egypt, and of their return from thence, and settlement in Nazareth, where Christ continued till near the time of his baptism, and entrance on his public ministry; proceeds to give a brief relation of John, the harbinger and forerunner of Christ, and the administrator of baptism to him: and he describes him by his name John, in Hebrew (Nnxwy), "Jochanan", which signifies "gracious", or "the grace of the Lord", or "the Lord has given grace"; which agrees with him, both as a good man, on whom the Lord had bestowed much grace, and as a preacher, whose business it was to publish the grace of God in Christ, ( Luke 16:16 ). This name was given him by an angel before his conception, and by his parents at his birth, contrary to the mind of their relations and neighbours, ( Luke 1:13-60 Luke 1:63 ). He is called by some of the Jewish writers F13, John the "high priest"; his father Zacharias was a priest of the course of Abia, and he might succeed him therein, and be the head of that course, and for that reason be called a "high" or "chief priest"; as we find such were called, who were the principal among the priests, as were those who were chosen into the sanhedrim, or were the heads of these courses; and therefore we read of many chief priests, ( Matthew 2:4 ). From his being the first administrator of the ordinance of baptism, he is called John the Baptist; and this was a well known title and character of him. Josephus F14 calls him "John", who is surnamed (o baptisthv), "the Baptist"; and Ben Gorion having spoken of him, says F15, this is that John who (hlybj hve), "made", instituted, or practised "baptism"; and which, by the way, shows that this was not in use among the Jews before, but that John was the first practiser this way. He is described by his work and office as a preacher, he "came" or "was preaching" the doctrines of repentance and baptism; he published and declared that the kingdom of the Messiah was at hand, that he would quickly be revealed; and exhorted the people to believe on him, which should come after him. The place where he preached is mentioned,
in the wilderness of Judea;
not that he preached to trees and to the wild beast |
An Anatolian wild sheep. Looks a lot like a goat.
Archaeological data suggest two different areas with independent sheep domestication events in Turkey: the upper Euphrates valley in eastern Turkey, where the most important reference is the Ne | An Anatolian wild sheep. Looks a lot like a goat.
Archaeological data suggest two different areas with independent sheep domestication events in Turkey: the upper Euphrates valley in eastern Turkey, where the most important reference is the Nevali Cori settlement, considered the oldest domestication site in the Near East and Central Anatolia (particularly, the Catal höyük and Asikli höyük sites.
Archaeological data from Early Neolithic human settlements distant from one another throughout the Near East support the occurrence of independent domestication events in this area. The first region of importance, with the oldest human settlements in the Near East (Nevali Cori and Çayönü Tepesi), is dated about 8500 BC and located in the upper Euphrates valley in eastern Turkey, near the northern arc of the so-called Fertile Crescent. The Zagros region of modern day Iran and Iraq is also recognized as a primary centre of sheep domestication. In central Anatolia, the Asikli Höyük and Çatalhöyük sites have also revealed morphologically domestic caprines. Finally, the Southern Levant region of southern Syria, western Jordan and Israel has also been suggested as a centre of sheep domestication. Actually, the first two regions, the upper Euphrates valley and Zagros were proposed by as the origin of two out of the three goat lineages, presumably rising from independent domestications.
On the basis of all this, the multiple sheep maternal lineages revealed in our study suggest that the process of sheep domestication was more complex than previously thought. Estimated divergence time, long before domestication dating (around 8000 BC), suggests that at least three independent domestication events were involved in the origin of modern domestic sheep.
So it seems sheep were domesticated in multiple locations. |
Camp Ellis was massive. Not only did it encompass 17,760 acres, but it boasted about 2,200 buildings and was home to as many as 25,000 soldiers and officers at its peak.
Like any community, Camp Ellis | Camp Ellis was massive. Not only did it encompass 17,760 acres, but it boasted about 2,200 buildings and was home to as many as 25,000 soldiers and officers at its peak.
Like any community, Camp Ellis had administration buildings, libraries, bakeries, laundries, schools, gymnasiums, stores, water and sewage systems, two landing strips and even a railroad spur.
One of the most impressive facilities was the 420-bed camp hospital, one of the largest and best equipped World War II Army hospitals in America. The longest corridor was an amazing 2,939 feet in length – that’s nearly 10 football fields laid end-to-end.
In 1944, the hospital made national headlines when famed brain surgeon Capt. Irving Steigel was flown to the camp to perform a delicate operation on Pfc. Joseph E. Dober. The 27-year-old private suffered a head injury when he accidentally fell from a truck. Dober’s life was saved.
In addition to training GIs, Camp Ellis housed German prisoners of war, beginning about month after the camp’s July 4, 1943 opening when about 1,000 POWS arrived. The camp would eventually house 5,000 POWs. Prisoners were assigned manual labor within the camp. Outside the camp, they worked in canneries, on construction projects and in farm fields. POWs received a daily allowance of a dime and 80 cents a day for maintenance work. Non-commissioned officers could voluntarily work in supervisory capacities while commissioned officers did not work.
Only four POWs died at Camp Ellis. Initially, the Germans were buried in the Dobbins Cemetery, a small family cemetery that lay within the camp. Following the war, the Germans’ remains were removed and re-interred at Fort Sheridan Cemetery near Chicago.
Following the war, the Army decided to keep the camp opened as an Army Ground Forces Training Center. However, this would be short-lived. Atomic Energy Commission plans to build a $26-million |
of Cougars (Purring Cats)
Genus/Species: Puma concolor
From southern Canada south to Patagonia in southern South America. Found from
sea level to 16,000 feet.
Typical habitat is steep, | of Cougars (Purring Cats)
Genus/Species: Puma concolor
From southern Canada south to Patagonia in southern South America. Found from
sea level to 16,000 feet.
Typical habitat is steep, rocky canyon country but can also be found in jungle swamp areas and desert plains.
Known to live in temperatures of ‑40 degrees to 100+ degrees.
Physical appearance may slightly vary depending on geographic area. Males are larger than females, otherwise appearance is similar. Adult males are
7-9 feet long, including the tail. Males weigh approximately 140-200 pounds,
females 85-125 pounds. Cougars are light brown, tawny, and in a few cases,
black; spots on side of muzzle; dark hair on tail tip; lighter on underparts.
They have acute vision and hearing. Ears are round and erect and move to focus
Breeding is non‑seasonal with most births occurring in summer. Females usually have young every
other year. Two or three (but sometimes 6) cubs are born after a gestation
period of 91 ‑ 95 days. Cubs are
weaned at 4 ‑ 6 weeks, accompany the mother in her home range for about 2 years,
then disperse into a broader range as "floaters" in search of unoccupied
STATUS in Natural Habitat:
Threatened to Endangered depending on geographic region
Cougars have over 200 names because they inhabit the largest geographical region
of any other cat in the World. Other
names for the cougar include: mountain lion, panther, puma, catamount, American
lion, screamer, painted cat and fire cat.
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There are many types of electronic or automotive tools that can help diagnose a problem, such as a volt-ohmmeter or an OBD scanner. There are different tools to help fix a problem, such as a soldering iron or a torque | There are many types of electronic or automotive tools that can help diagnose a problem, such as a volt-ohmmeter or an OBD scanner. There are different tools to help fix a problem, such as a soldering iron or a torque wrench.
The field of psychology has diagnostic instruments as well, such as the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Test.
Is there a word for a psychological instrument that not only diagnoses, but can help a subject improve? I was thinking of
a?proscriptive instrument
(EDIT: Proscriptive is
close wrong. A proscriptive tool would be a forbidden one.)
Here is an example. The Myers-Briggs personality inventory is a diagnostic test that will categorize you as, say, an Extroverted, iNtuitive, Thinking, Perceiving (ENTP) person. You may also use the results of the inventory as a _ (fill in the blank) tool to help you understand your own strengths and weaknesses (example) and work better with others. |
Results 1–10 of 11 for "Toolkit"X related to "2011 Class of the APA Leadership..." Refine Your Search Refine Your Search TopicEducation (8)Disability (6)Children (4)Learning & memory | Results 1–10 of 11 for "Toolkit"X related to "2011 Class of the APA Leadership..." Refine Your Search Refine Your Search TopicEducation (8)Disability (6)Children (4)Learning & memory (2)Sexuality (1)Document TypeToolkitXYear2013 (1)2010 (1)Author/ContributorCollier, Azurii (1) Results 1–10 of 11 Previous 1 2 Next Relevance Title A-Z Title Z-A Newest First Oldest First Sort by: 1.Reasonable Accommodations ExplainedFAQs and case examples by disability type help explain what is meant by reasonable accommodations.Toolkit 2.Domains of Early Learning Guidelines ToolkitA toolkit for early childhood educators. These resources demonstrate effective strategies to promote young children's overall development using each state's early learning guidelines.Toolkit 3.Special Populations Early Learning Guidelines ToolkitThis toolkit offers help and resources for early childhood educators working with special populations.Toolkit (May 2013)4.The Graduate Student Advocacy Tool KitAs graduate students focused on the multifaceted demands of earning a PhD, we often become oblivious to the pulse of national science policy. Toolkit - Psychological Science Agenda (January 2010)5.State Resources for Early Learning Guidelines ToolkitEach state provides early learning guidelines and resources related to early childhood education. This toolkit gathers that information from all 50 states and the District of Columbia, providing easy access for early childhood educators across the nation. Toolkit 6.Early Learning Guidelines (ELG) Educator ToolkitThe ELG Toolkit is a roadmap to early childhood educators looking for national and state resources that are based on research and evidence-based practices.Toolkit 7.Deafness Case ExampleCase example in which auxiliary aids and services and effective communication under the Americans with Disabilities Act are explained, as well as other legal issues encountered by a deaf student in a PhD psychology program whose primary language is American Sign Language. Toolkit 8.Overview of Section 504Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act is explained, with specific attention to allowable auxiliary aids for students with sensory, manual or speaking impairments.Toolkit 9.Americans with Disabilities Act BasicsGeneral information about the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), protections and requirements under the act, and suggested do's and don'ts.Toolkit 10.Healthy Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Students Project: ToolboxThe Toolbox is a collection of resources and documents that supplement information provided in the school staff development workshop, "Preventing Health Risks and Promoting Healthy Outcomes among LGBQ Youth."Toolkit Previous 1 2 Next Relevance Title A-Z Title Z-A Newest First Oldest First Sort by: ADVERTISEMENT Results 1–10 of 11 for "Toolkit"X related to "2011 Class of the APA Leadership..." |
Intellectual property rights (IPRs) are legal rights granted by governmental authorities to control certain products of human intellectual effort and ingenuity. (OECD 1996, p. 12). An in-depth discussion of the philosophical and policy goals | Intellectual property rights (IPRs) are legal rights granted by governmental authorities to control certain products of human intellectual effort and ingenuity. (OECD 1996, p. 12). An in-depth discussion of the philosophical and policy goals served by granting legal protection to these products is beyond the scope of this study. However, a basic familiarity with these goals is necessary to grasp how national and international intellectual property systems and institutions have evolved into their present forms and to understand the constraints that those systems and institutions place on governments seeking to implement competing policy objectives in tension with IPRs.
Two broad philosophical approaches underlie the decision to grant IPRs in the products of human intellectual effort and ingenuity. Elements of these two approaches can be found to different degrees in all national laws and international agreements relating to IPRs.
The first approach to IPR protection predominates in many civil law legal systems, including continental Europe. It takes the position that the products of the human mind are stamped with the personality of their creator, inventor or author, thus endowing him or her with a moral as well as an economic claim to exploit those products to the exclusion of third parties. Under this view, legal protection flows from a states commitment to protect human rights, a fact reflected in the wording of article 27 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which guarantees to everyone "the right to the protection of the moral and material interests resulting from any scientific, literary or artistic production of which he is the author." Legal protection also rewards creators, inventors and authors for their intellectual efforts as well as their expenditures of time and money. From these underlying premises flows a desire to provide robust intellectual property protection that includes, for example, a broad and expansive range of exclusive rights, long terms of protection, limits on mandatory licensing and narrow exceptions and limitations to exclusive rights.
The second approach to IPR protection takes as its starting premise an instrumental view of intellectual property. Legal protection for the products of human intellectual effort and ingenuity is granted not because of a moral commitment to compensating creators or innovators, but rather because the products they create enrich a societys culture and knowledge and thus increase its welfare. Perhaps the most well-known manifestation of this approach is found in the Intellectual Property Clause of the United States Constitution, which authorizes the United States Congress "[t]o promote the progress of science and useful arts, by securing for limited times to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries."
This instrumentalist philosophy shapes the structure of many national intellectual property systems. The grant of IPRs in nations following an instrumentalist approach is intended to provide adequate incentives for creators, inventors and authors to invest the time, resources and intellectual capital needed to create intellectual property products. In the absence of a grant of exclusive rights over those products, so-called "free riders" who have not made such investments could exploit inexpensive distribution and reproduction technologies and sell others intellectual property products at a much lower cost.
However, the ultimate goal of legal protection is not remunerative reward for creators but the enhancement of social welfare through access to the ideas and information contained in their products. Instrumentalist intellectual property systems often tailor the scope of legal protection to achieve this goal, for example by placing certain limits on the scope of protection or recognizing situations in which consumers or second-generation creators may access and use intellectual property products for socially valuable purposes.
The policy goals of granting IPRs to plant varieties are grounded principally on an instrumentalist approach to IPRs. This is true both for patents and plant breeders rights.
Under this instrumentalist approach, new plant varieties are afforded legal protection to encourage commercial plant breeders to invest the resources, labour and time needed to improve existing plant varieties by ensuring that breeders receive adequate remuneration when they market the propagating material of those improved varieties. In the absence of a grant of exclusive rights to breeders, the dangers of free riding by third parties would be considerable. This is because the genetic material within plants that specifies their distinctive and commercially valuable features is naturally self-replicating, for example by reproduction of seeds or other propagating material. Self-replication makes innovations incorporating biological material particularly susceptible to exploitation by parties other than the innovator.
IPRs in plant varieties thus provide some assurance to breeders that they will be able to recoup the risks and costs of a value-added innovation that is based upon an underlying biological resource. (Lesser 1997; OECD 1996)
Ultimately, however, the grant of exclusive rights to plant breeders is designed to benefit the society granting the rights. It provides an incentive for private research and d |
German philosopher; born at Filehne, in the Prussian province of Posen, Sept. 15, 1824; died at Meran, Tyrol, April 13, 1903; son of Aaron Levin Lazarus | German philosopher; born at Filehne, in the Prussian province of Posen, Sept. 15, 1824; died at Meran, Tyrol, April 13, 1903; son of Aaron Levin Lazarus, a pupil of Akiba Eger, and himself president of the bet din and the yeshibah of Filehne (died there Feb. 26, 1874). With his brother Leyser, who later became president of the Jewish Theological Seminary of Breslau, Lazarus received his first instruction at the school of the Jewish community of Filehne. Besides he studied with A. Waldenburg, father of the Berlin professorLudwig Waldenburg. The first German public school in Filehne (founded 1834) was inaccessible to young Lazarus on account of its denominational character. Thus his early education was confined to the various branches of Jewish knowledge. His parents destined him for a commercial career, and at the age of sixteen he was apprenticed to a merchant of Posen. From the outset, however, this career did not meet with Lazarus' approval. In 1844 he entered the German gymnasium at Brunswich, and left it two years later with the "testimonium maturitatis." From 1846 to 1849 he studied history, philology, and especially philosophy at the University of Berlin. Being a fervent admirer of his teacher Herbart, Lazarus in course of time became a prominent exponent of his philosophy, to which he gave a more idealistic impress. In 1850 he obtained his Ph.D. degree; in the same year he married Sarah Lebenheim.
Lazarus' first publication, "Die Sittliche Berechtigung Preussens in Deutschland" (Berlin, 1850), appealed to the public at large. In this book he claimed for Prussia the leadership over the other German states on account of her political, philosophical, and religious superiority. From 1850 Lazarus devoted himself especially to psychology. Applying the laws of the psychology of the individual to the nation and to mankind (for these he considered as social beings), Lazarus established a new branch of research which he termed "Völkerpsychologie" (national psychology). In an article entitled "Ueber den Begriff und die Möglichkeit einer Völkerpsychologie als Wissenschaft" (in Prutz's "Deutsches Museum," 1851) he laid the foundation for the study of this science. Nine years later, in collaboration with H. Steinthal, his friend and brother-in-law, Lazarus established the "Zeitschrift für Völkerpsychologie und Sprach wissenschaft" (vols. i.-xx., Berlin, 1860-90; continued as the "Zeitschrift des Vereins für Volkskunde"). From 1856 to 1858 he published his principal work, "Das Leben der Seele in Monographien" (3 vols.; 3d ed., 1883-97). It deals with the principal problems of psychology from the standpoint of the philosophy of Herbart. Written in a popular and easy style, it soon found a large circle of readers.
In 1860 Lazarus was called to the University of Bern as professor of psychology; six years later he returned to Berlin and was appointed teacher of philosophy at the Royal Military Academy (1867); and in 1874 he became professor of philosophy at the university of that city. He was one of the founders of the Schillerstiftung and for many years its president; he was also curator of the Victoria Lyceum. On the occasion of his seventieth birthday Lazarus was honored by the German emperor, the University of Bern, and the Hebrew Union College of Cincinnati. The first conferred upon him the title of "Königlicher Geheimer Regierungsrath"; the second, the degree of doctor of law; and the third, that of doctor of theology. In 1895 Lazarus, after the death of his first wife, married the widow Nahida Ruth Remy, who under his influence had embraced Judaism. D |
Discovering the spring in elastin
2 March 2011
An international team of scientists from Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States of America and Europe, led by the University of Sydney, has solved the structural puzzle of the main | Discovering the spring in elastin
2 March 2011
An international team of scientists from Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States of America and Europe, led by the University of Sydney, has solved the structural puzzle of the main component of elastin, the protein that gives our vital organs their ability to expand and contract.
The discovery could lead to major advances in treatment for burns victims and for patients who need to replace damaged blood vessels.
The findings, published in this month's edition of the highly acclaimed journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA (PNAS), describe the spring-like structure of elastin's essential element, tropoelastin.
Initiator and research project leader, Professor Tony Weiss from the School of Molecular Bioscience, said: "Tropoelastin is a tiny protein 'nanospring' in the human body. Our bodies assemble these nanosprings to put elasticity into tissues such as skin, blood vessels and lungs."
"Our finding is the result of more than a decade of international collaboration. Our scientific teamwork spans Australia, the UK, USA and Europe. We discovered that tropoelastin is a curved, spiral-shaped molecule with an attached 'foot' that helps it attach to human cells.
"We also found that tropoelastin has the extraordinary capacity to extend to eight times its initial length and then return to its original shape, with no loss of energy, so it behaves like a perfect spring. Nature is showing us how to make an ideal nanospring."
Professor Weiss said the discovery has significant implications for future treatment of skin repair such as in burns victims, and patients who need to replace damaged elastic blood vessels.
"The elastin around our lungs, for example, expands with each intake of breath and contracts with each exhalation. Other vital organs such as our skin and arteries absolutely depend on it."
Professor Weiss's co-author and international collaborator, Dr Clair Baldock from the Wellcome Trust Centre for Cell-Matrix Research, University of Manchester, said: "Understanding how the structure of tropoelastin creates its exceptional elastic properties will hopefully enable the development of synthetic elastin-like polymers with potentially wide-ranging benefits."
Interview contact: Professor Anthony Weiss, 9351 7333, [email protected]
Media enquiries: Victoria Hollick, 0401 711 361, 9351 2579, [email protected] |
Overall, the Census showed that Louisiana’s population increased 1.4% between 2000 and 2010. As expected, the 2005 hurricanes (Katrina and Rita) initiated a significant outflow of population from Metro New Orleans | Overall, the Census showed that Louisiana’s population increased 1.4% between 2000 and 2010. As expected, the 2005 hurricanes (Katrina and Rita) initiated a significant outflow of population from Metro New Orleans – the city of New Orleans lost 29% of its population and now only has 344,000 residents. Jefferson Parish lost 5% of its population and now has 433,000. These population losses from the (formerly) two largest parishes now means that East Baton Rouge Parish, with 440,000, is the most populous parish in Louisiana.
While the parishes (Orleans, St Bernard, Plaquemines, and Cameron) with the most significant hurricane damage lost between 14% and 47% of its people, the other story of the 2010 Census was the accelerated growth of New Orleans and Baton Rouge’s suburbs. Livingston and Ascension Parishes each saw a 40% growth in population over the last decade. St Tammany also continued to boom with 22% population growth, and Tangipahoa posted 20% growth. Below is a graphical depiction of the changes that have occured in each parish over the past decade:
What will the implications of these population changes have on redistricting? Let’s start with the US House delegation. Louisiana’s loss of a House seat means that all districts need to expand to have the appropriate population. Rep. Cedric Richmond’s district in New Orleans needs to add about 262,000 people, which means that his district will need to stretch up the Mississippi river. While Rep. Bill Cassidy’s district is, on the surface, the least impacted (it only needs to pick up 28,000 people), district adjustments needing to be made to Richmond’s district will almost certainly impact Cassidy and Jeff Landry’s districts.
The real impact of New Orleans’ population loss will be felt in legislative reapportionment, since the membership of the state House and state Senate is not shrinking. The Census numbers suggest that the following gains/losses would occur throughout the state:
(1) Orleans/Jefferson/St Bernard – loss of 5 House seats and 2 Senate seats
(2) The fast growing suburbs along I-10/12 (St Tammany, Tangipahoa, Livingston, Ascension, and St Charles) – gain of 3 House seats and a Senate seat
(3) East Baton Rouge and Lafayette Parishes would each gain 0.5 House seats and 0.2 Senate seats
(4) North/Central Louisiana would gain 0.5 House seats and 0.2 Senate seats. This is a huge turnaround from prior reapportionments, when this part of the state steadily lost legislative representation.
(5) The remainder of the state would gain 0.4 House seats and 0.1 Senate seats
The largest Senate district, population-wise, was that of Jody Amedee (D-Gonzales), whose district has 157,000 residents (40,000 more than needed). Cynthia Willard-Lewis (D-New Orleans) saw her district in the 9th Ward of New Orleans lose 50,000 people, and now has the smallest Senate district, with 66,000 people. The largest House district is that of Eddie Lambert (R-Prairieville), with 66,000 people. The Lower 9th Ward district of Charmaine Stiaes (D-New Orleans) only has 16,000 residents now. To put these numbers in perspective, an ideal House district has 43,175 people, while the ideal Senate district needs 116,240 people. |
Jan 24, 2012
Dark matter is in the news.
“Plasma phenomena are scalable. Their electrical and physical properties remain the same, independent of the size of the plasma.”
— Donald Scott, author of The Electric Sky
| Jan 24, 2012
Dark matter is in the news.
“Plasma phenomena are scalable. Their electrical and physical properties remain the same, independent of the size of the plasma.”
— Donald Scott, author of The Electric Sky
Plasma in space usually appears as a cloud of partially charged gas and dust. When clouds are in motion they become ionized. Clouds in relative motion induce electric currents within them. The currents generate magnetic fields that confine the plasma into coherent filaments known as Birkeland currents. The charged particles in the currents spiral along the resulting magnetic fields, appearing as electrical vortices. The forces between these spinning Birkeland currents pull them close together and wind them around each other into “plasma ropes”.
Birkeland currents squeeze galactic plasma into thin filaments that remain collimated over great distances. Light-years-long jets and so-called “radio lobes” can extend for many times a galaxy’s diameter, for example. A circuit is induced within any one galaxy that causes diffuse electric charge to flow from the galactic poles toward the galaxy’s equatorial plane and spiral into its nucleus.
The forces exerted by electrified plasma contained in the twisting filaments of Birkeland currents dominate the Universe. They circulate in a cosmic circuit that flows into our field of view and then out into the void with electromagnetic attraction between them that is billions of times more intense than gravity.
No doubt the universe is larger than what we can observe at this moment because more sensitive tools have continued to reveal greater depths. Out of those depths rise electrical explanations far superior to the centuries-old hypotheses conceived in a time when none of today’s observations were possible.
According to a recent press release, after Japanese scientists analyzed data from millions of galactic observations, the distribution of so-called “dark matter” throughout the Universe has been mapped. Computer simulations played the dominant role.
Indeed, computer simulations are all that is available to astrophysicists when it comes to dark matter. Minute differences in the models of some galaxies lead them to claim that unseen conglomerations of matter are “bending” space in a phenomenon called “gravitational lensing”. It is that lens effect that holds their hypothesis together. The intense gravity generated by the concentrations of invisible (or “dark”) matter is said to cause light rays from remote objects to bend as if seen through a lens. However, it is a “weak gravitational lensing” effect, so the slight variations can only be identified statistically.
As the press release states, Masataka Fukugita, Naoki Yoshida, and Shogo Masaki “…used very large computer simulations of cosmic structure formation to unfold various contributions to the projected [dark] matter distribution.”
Their mathematical inference is that only 4.5% of the matter in the Universe is normal or “baryonic” matter, while 22% is dark matter. It is often written in the popular press that dark matter makes up a significantly larger percentage of the Universe than normal matter. Accompanying that statement is usually a claim that “dark energy” makes up “75% of the rest of the Universe.” To anyone familiar with plasma physics, it is well known that plasma makes up 99.99% of the Universe. It is a fascinating convergence that the amount of gravitational mass invented to save conventional theories is the same as the ionized plasma that is overlooked. |
A transition metal is an element which forms at least one ion with a partially filled d subshell. The transition metals tend to inhabit the middle block of the periodic table and have many uses in modern industry.
Properties and Uses
- Color of chemical | A transition metal is an element which forms at least one ion with a partially filled d subshell. The transition metals tend to inhabit the middle block of the periodic table and have many uses in modern industry.
Properties and Uses
- Color of chemical compounds - the d subshell of a transition metal ion is usually degenerate (all the same energy level), however in the presence of other atoms and ligands it can split into two energy levels with an energy gap often corresponding to wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation in the visible spectrum. As such a compound with a transition metal is able to absorb wavelengths of light causing them to be redundant in the reflected ray, hence producing color. As such transition metals form the basis of our paint and pigment industries. |
The Taft-Hartley Act outlawed the "closed shop." The Act, however, permitted employers and unions to operate under a "union shop" rule, which required all new employees to join the union after a minimum period after their hire | The Taft-Hartley Act outlawed the "closed shop." The Act, however, permitted employers and unions to operate under a "union shop" rule, which required all new employees to join the union after a minimum period after their hire. Under "union shop" rules, employers are obliged to fire any employees who have avoided paying membership dues necessary to maintain membership in the union; however, the union cannot demand that the employer discharge an employee who has been expelled from membership for a |
Tuesday May 28, 2013
A community’s quality of life is measured by many factors, but physical and emotional health is, arguably, the most important.
Health behaviors such as tobacco and alcohol use, obesity, and teenage birth rates | Tuesday May 28, 2013
A community’s quality of life is measured by many factors, but physical and emotional health is, arguably, the most important.
Health behaviors such as tobacco and alcohol use, obesity, and teenage birth rates are often the leading indicators that define a community’s health.
When it comes to ranking the state’s health by key risk factors, Lake County fares poorly, ranking 81st out of 92 Indiana counties. A 2013 County Health Rankings report revealed that 26 percent of Lake County residents are smokers, 18 percent drink excessively and 34 percent are obese.
While the study ranked Porter and LaPorte counties healthier, 20th and 69th respectively, the Northwest Indiana region, as a whole, ranks poorly within the state and against national benchmarks.
These health rankings, published by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and widely analyzed in the One Region’s Quality of Life Indicators Report, are sobering.
To fully understand why our region ranks where and how it does, it is important that we, as a community, understand the lifestyle choices our citizens make, and how these choices affect an individual’s health. It is the crucial first step in our ability to influence the state of our region’s health.
It is widely recognized that higher education leads to higher income. Similarly, higher income and education levels are also correlated with better health outcomes.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, college graduates can expect to live at least five years longer than individuals who have not finished high school.
Those who have some higher education, and thus, greater income levels, naturally have easier access to healthier foods, safer homes and good-quality healthcare.
Studies also show a direct correlation between education levels and health literacy, the ability to make informed decisions about health and medical care.
Nursing students from Indiana University Northwest recently conducted a health literacy study, which found individuals from a regional outpatient center to have below average health literacy.
While a complementary study showed that the greater Lake County population did have a slightly higher health literacy score, the collective results should not come as a surprise, since only 58 percent of the County has completed some college, a figure which is 12 percent below the nationa |
Republicans have become more concerned about climate change in the past couple of years, according to a new Gallup Poll.
Self-identified Republicans are less likely than Democrats to say global warming concerns them, but while Democrats' global warming anxiety has remained relatively steady | Republicans have become more concerned about climate change in the past couple of years, according to a new Gallup Poll.
Self-identified Republicans are less likely than Democrats to say global warming concerns them, but while Democrats' global warming anxiety has remained relatively steady, Republicans' worry is climbing. In 2011, just 30 percent of Republicans said they worried a "great deal" or "fair amount" about climate change. This year, that number reached 40 percent.
The poll queried a random sample of 1,022 adults, weighted to match national demographics. The margin of error is plus or minus 4 percentage points.
The new numbers show Republican concerns reaching levels that haven't been seen since since 2009, when 35 percent said they worried about global warming. Three-quarters of Democrats currently say they worry about global warming a great deal or fair amount. [8 Ways Global Warming Is Already Changing the World]
Republicans have also become more likely to say that global warming's effects have already been felt, the poll fo |
How aerial photographs tracked down Hitler's flying bombs
At the height of WWII, as deadly German V1 and V2 rockets were fired from northern France towards the UK, a country house by the banks of the River Thames became the centre of Allied | How aerial photographs tracked down Hitler's flying bombs
At the height of WWII, as deadly German V1 and V2 rockets were fired from northern France towards the UK, a country house by the banks of the River Thames became the centre of Allied attempts to discover the Nazis' test and launch sites.
Hundreds of staff at RAF Medmenham in Buckinghamshire studied millions of grainy aerial images of northern Europe to try to find the final pieces of an intelligence jigsaw - known as Operation Crossbow.
To mark 50 years since the first batches of WWII aerial photos were declassified, Allan Williams - from the National Collection of Aerial Photography in Edinburgh - has written a book about Operation Crossbow and the role photographic intelligence played to stop the doodlebugs and V2 rockets.Continue reading the main story
All images subject to copyright. Most images courtesy Medmenham Collection. Additional images courtesy Getty Images and Press Association.
Music by Billy Cotton and courtesy KPM Music. Slideshow production by Paul Kerley. Publication date 15 July 2013.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external websites.
More audio slideshows: |
Now a days social workers are expected to write their reports in a coherent way, justifying it using theory and research. Sociology offers some important social theories, which provide explanations and critiques of human behavior, social actions and interactions as well as the institutions | Now a days social workers are expected to write their reports in a coherent way, justifying it using theory and research. Sociology offers some important social theories, which provide explanations and critiques of human behavior, social actions and interactions as well as the institutions and the structures of society. The fact that social work is concerned with social change and problem solving is precisely why sociology is important to social work.
In this essay I have selected two sociological theories - to examine and understand Ms. B's situation. I will be applying these theories to my understanding of my position as a social worker. The essay will also consider how these theories or perspectives helped my thinking about Ms. B's situation and how these theories or perspectives were unhelpful in my understanding of Ms. B's situation. In this essay I will also considers what other theory might have been applied, and as an integral part of the essay, considering anti-oppressive and anti-discriminatory practice.
Functionalism views society made up from numerous interconnected parts which together form a system. The basic part of this breakdown is the society, and its variety of parts can be understood in terms of their collective relationship. In the initial stages of this theory Functionalism drew comparisons between society and the human body. Mainly this comparison existed since they viewed the society operating in theory in a similar way of the human body.
Therefore, for one to understand the function of an organ in the human atonomy, for example the heart, it is essential to understand its relationship with the other organs in the human body and especially, its contribution towards the maintaining of the organism. Thus, functionalism argues that, an analysis and examination of the functioning of society is therefore important as it illustrates its relationship with the other parts of society, and most importantly, its contribution to the maintenance of society.
According to Emile Durkheim (1895), the founder of Functionalism, crime and deviance are normal and necessary. Given that they are found in all societies, functionalists argue that it is a form of social change, as through deviance the society would learn about the accepted behaviour. However, too much crime can bring on a state of 'anomie', which is a state of normlessness in society. This arises when cultural goals and structural means of achieving those goals is unbalanced. The anomie state would result in conflicting the agreement of the functioning of society. Durkheim described the state of anomie as 'a feeling of aimlessness or despair...traditional moral controls and standards are largely broken down...this leaves many individuals in society feeling lack of meaning in their daily lives'.Giddens(2006, p 14)
Durkheim (1895) suggested that the theory of Merton gives an |
Labor Day gives many Americans a chance to extend their weekend away from work.
It can also provide people of faith in the United States an opportunity to reflect on the nature of economic activity and the proper roles of their government in it. For Catholics, | Labor Day gives many Americans a chance to extend their weekend away from work.
It can also provide people of faith in the United States an opportunity to reflect on the nature of economic activity and the proper roles of their government in it. For Catholics, the words of Blessed John Paul II can provide a common place to start.
To Stabilize, Sustain…
In 1991 John Paul II spent an entire section in an encyclical letter, Centesimus Annus, discussing general functions of the government – what he called the “State” – in economic affairs (§48). The Holy Father began by stressing how a market economy takes as fact “sure guarantees” of individual freedom, private property, stable currency, and efficient public services. Seeking to achieve the full security of such guarantees, the first role of government becomes stabilizing economic activity. Stable economies, he concluded, allow workers and producers to “enjoy the fruits of their labors” and “feel encouraged to work efficiently and honestly.”
John Paul II next focused on the role of the government in “overseeing and directing the exercise of human rights” in economic activity. He specified how primary responsibility in this regard “belongs not to the State” but with individuals and the collective variety of “groups and associations” in society.
Where the government could and should take the lead toward these ends, the Holy Father instructed, is in sustaining economic activities by “creating conditions which will ensure job opportunities,” “stimulating those activities where they are lacking,” or “supporting them in moment of crisis.”
… and to Substitute
Centesimus Annus also proposed that the government has the right to substitute weak or infant “social sectors or business systems” with “supplementary interventions" under “exceptional circumstances.”
Importantly, the Holy Father carefully described and circumscribed the role of government in such situations. Perhaps initially “justified by urgent reasons touching the common good,” he warned that direct government intervention in economic activity “must be as brief as possible” to avoid “removing permanently from society and business systems the functions which are properly theirs” as well as “enlarging excessively the sphere of State intervention to the detriment of both economic and civil freedom.”
A Message for All
Take a moment on Labor Day to consider what happens when the people of a nation forget that the fundamental goal of economic activity is “to the service of persons, of the whole man, and of the entire human community” (cf. CCC, 2426).
Results may include:
The lust for profits replaces providing for people.
Government responsibilities grow larger as our sense of individual responsibility grows weaker.
Work serves to discourage our search for and sense of vocation.
We confront brief, exceptional circumstances only to resign ourselves to believing that they’re lasting, ordinary norms.
Blessed John Paul II, with one section in a single encyclical, addressed the stabilizing, sustaining, and substituting functions of government in economic activity. He warned of potential moral hazards that could emerge from misunderstanding the true nature of financial activities. His lessons mean as much now as they did over 20 years ago. And, most important for our time, they never once demean a person because of political party affiliation.
Jason Godin teaches United States history at Blinn College in Bryan, Texas. You can find him on Facebook here. |
Two disturbing reports out this week point out the dangers faced by children while riding in cars.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said that more than a third of children under age 13 who died in passenger vehicle crashes in 2011 were not in | Two disturbing reports out this week point out the dangers faced by children while riding in cars.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said that more than a third of children under age 13 who died in passenger vehicle crashes in 2011 were not in car seats or wearing seat belts.
Mothers Against Drunk Driving said that during that same year, 20% of fatalities of children under age 15 -- 226 deaths -- were a result of drunk driving crashes. It’s probably a good guess that in many of these accidents, the adult driver was too inebriated to remember to buckle up young children safely.
“Drunk driving with a child passenger is a form of child abuse and no child should ever be put in that kind of danger, especially by those entrusted to keep them safe,” said Jan Withers, MADD national president.
Car crashes remain a leading cause of death for children.
"Regardless of the size of the vehicle, the age of the child or the length of the trip, children should always be properly restrained in a car seat, booster or seat belt," said NHTSA Administrator David Strickland. "Car seats, when correctly installed and used, provide proven life-saving and injury-reducing benefits for child passengers."
The agency said that on average, almost two children under age 13 were killed and 338 were injured daily while riding in cars.
Drivers don’t seem to understand the importance of child restraints in big vehicles. For example, 24% of the fatalities were of children riding in passenger cars. That rose to 40% for vans, 43% for pickup trucks and 55% for sport utility vehicles. |
Research is an important aspect of idea production. An idea miraculously coming out from a vacuum has never occurred in the course of history, as every thought has been shaped by what we read, felt, or experienced. Research is done to ultimately build | Research is an important aspect of idea production. An idea miraculously coming out from a vacuum has never occurred in the course of history, as every thought has been shaped by what we read, felt, or experienced. Research is done to ultimately build up our knowledge of the world and in turn we draw upon this knowledge in order to create more new ideas.
Ideally every professional on earth will have a personal, well-stocked library for all his research needs, may it be for historical references or technical cheat sheets. If that can’t be done one-hundred percent of the time, the internet is the next best thing. Here, we round up top websites we love that has made visual research all the more easy – and fun.
- Del.icio.us - Basically, del.icio.us is a web bookmarking tool that allows us to save web URL, sort them accordingly based on subject, purpose, or whatever sorting system suitable for each user, and share them easily through a link. Not only that, notes can be added for each particular entry and users can also search what other people bookmarked based on tags. This is particularly useful for searching for websites on the same topics.
- Evernote - Evernote is more than your typical notebook. A “note” can either be a few lines of texts, a picture, a voice note, a video, a web link, or a file attachment arranged into notebooks, stacks, and tags. Basically, notebooks are collected individual notes while stacks are collected notebooks. Tags can be attached to every note for easy searching. This powerful organization tool allows users to take down each and every important piece of information, arrange them accordingly, and make them easily accessible when you need them. This can be useful for project notes, list of errands, materials needed, or all of the above.
- Ideeeas.com - Got a great idea? Why not share them? The thing with ideas is that they grow, and perhaps this is a good place to let them do just that. Ideeeas gives us a platform to share an idea, no matter how raw it is, with just “two images and a tweet”. You simply put in your own words what an idea is all about and attach two pictures with it that may either, illustrate, explain, or obscure. Whatever your pick may be. Other users can also comment on your post and perhaps give you a clue whether using Comic Sans for an avant-garde wedding invitation is such a good thing after all.
- Pinterest - This website allows us to gather the interesting things we see on the web and share them, pinboard-style. One of the best things about Pinterest is that we can conveniently “pin” an image from anywhere on the web to our corresponding accounts and sort them to “boards” that may be about absolutely anything. Users can also like and re-pin other people’s image posts. The secret to Pinterest success lies in which boards to follow. Follow the right people on the website and you’re guaranteed a quality stream of interesting images.
- Retrievr - Usual search methods allow us to look for particular items through keywords. This handy tool however, allows users to explore Flickr images by drawing a rough sketch on the site’s flash drawing pad. The site will then generate similar images based on shape, pattern, and color. Results will vary, of course, but stunning images find their way into the search results every so often which makes it all the more satisfying.
Guest author Laura Brentley is Manager of Online Sales at Card Printing US, a division of Tele-Pak Printing which specializes in printed card items such as id cards, gift cards and key tags. |
Measuring the Welfare Gain from Personal Computers
AbstractThe welfare gain to consumers from the introduction of personal computers is estimated here. A simple model of consumer demand is formulated that uses a slightly modified version of standard preferences. The modification permits marginal utility, | Measuring the Welfare Gain from Personal Computers
AbstractThe welfare gain to consumers from the introduction of personal computers is estimated here. A simple model of consumer demand is formulated that uses a slightly modified version of standard preferences. The modification permits marginal utility, and hence total utility, to be finite when the consumption of computers is zero. This implies that the good won't be consumed at a high enough price. It also bounds the consumer surplus derived from the product. The model is calibrated/estimated using standard national income and product account data. The welfare gain from the introduction of personal computers is in the range of 2 to 3 percent of consumption expenditure. Economic Inquiry, forthcoming.
Download InfoIf you experience problems downloading a file, check if you have the proper application to view it first. In case of further problems rea |
Classroom, Lab and Field Exercises in Geophysics
This collection of teaching materials allows for the sharing of ideas and activities within the community of geophysics teachers.
Do you have a favorite teaching activity you'd like to share? Add your | Classroom, Lab and Field Exercises in Geophysics
This collection of teaching materials allows for the sharing of ideas and activities within the community of geophysics teachers.
Do you have a favorite teaching activity you'd like to share? Add your teaching materials to the collection, using our submission tool.
Results 81 - 100 of 227 matches
Earthquakes part of Cutting Edge:Introductory Courses:Activities
Achim Herrmann, George Washington University
This activity uses geoinformatics to understand the world around us with an emphasis on earthquakes.
Tsunami assignment part of Cutting Edge:Introductory Courses:Activities
Klaus Neumann, Ball State University
Students read reports about potential sources for tsunamis on the US east coast and compare them with previously discussed dangers for the west cost.
Identifying Plate Tectonic Boundaries for a Virtual Ocean Basin part of Cutting Edge:Introductory Courses:Activities
Steve Reynolds, Arizona State University - Downtown Phoenix
Students observe an ocean basin and two continental margins to identify possible plate boundaries and predict where earthquakes and volcanoes would occur. They also draw the boundaries in cross section.
Adopt a Blob part of Cutting Edge:Deep Earth:Activities
Catherine Cooper, Enviornmental Science
Blobs are everywhere in the deep Earth! Students will adopt a "blob" and develop the various associated observable anomalies for it (tomography, gravity, etc). There could also be a potential for students...
Thermal Exhumation Model part of Cutting Edge:Complex Systems:Teaching Activities
Steve Hurst, University of Illinois at Chicago
Build a one-dimensional thermal model in STELLA of rock uplift. Determine how the speed of uplift affects the geotherm and why uplift rates determined from heat flow are often too high. The model demonstrates the...
Wave Interference part of Cutting Edge:Deep Earth:Activities
Glenn Richard, SUNY at Stony Brook
This activity engages students in the exploration of interference between sinusoidal wave forms. They use an interactive applet to manipulate the phase, wavelength, amplitude, and phase velocity of two waveforms...
Reading Time |
Researches and Resources
A list of serious gaming/simulation conferences and associations is here.
Best Practices for Using Games & Simulations in the Classroom - A report from the Software & Information Industry Association. Download here. (highly recommended reference for | Researches and Resources
A list of serious gaming/simulation conferences and associations is here.
Best Practices for Using Games & Simulations in the Classroom - A report from the Software & Information Industry Association. Download here. (highly recommended reference for facilitating game-based learning).
The GameIT Handbook has been funded by the European commission, and provides a framework for games-based pedagogy. There are introduction for beginners and case studies, illustration of contexts for game-based learning for educators who are more familiar with the concepts.
Game-Based Learning Database of Resources - View or add to this community’s collectively-built educational games database from edWeb - Click here. (more than 100 games categorized by ages, purposes and sources…)
PowerMyLearning is a free online platform for K-12 students, teachers, and parents, developed by the national nonprofit organization, CFY. CFY selects the most effective digital learning activities available on the web and making them easily accessible and usable in one trusted place. A free account grants access to a world of smart and engaging resources, include 1,000+ thoroughly vetted academic games, interactive simulations, and videos tagged by subject, grade, and Common Core Standards. Other features are badges and playpoints to reward student usage, playlist to sequence activities and individualize learning, lesson plans to incorporate activities into instruction.
Games in Education (in wikispace) is a fantastic resource collection put together by Adrian Camm.
Game On: Increasing Learning though Online Games is a site by teachers that has resources, links, ideas, and games to use in education to help students get engaged and understand concepts. Games are sorted by topic |
Indian #Women’s #Freedom Song: Where the Mind is Without Fear
‘Where the Mind is Without Fear‘ is a famous poem that the great Indian poet and Nobel Laureate, Rabindranath Tagore, had written in 190 | Indian #Women’s #Freedom Song: Where the Mind is Without Fear
‘Where the Mind is Without Fear‘ is a famous poem that the great Indian poet and Nobel Laureate, Rabindranath Tagore, had written in 1901 to inspire India’s Freedom Movement. Tagore believed that India’s fight was not just against British colonial rule. But this fight for freedom and democracy for all its citizens had also had to be fought within, against its own social structures and cultures.
In 20 years, 20% of women will have been exterminated from India, subject to every form of misogyny and violence, before and after birth (see this). For too long, we’ve kept silent and borne this violence like we were taught to. For too long, we’ve allowed customs, culture, religion, class, family, caste, and government to imprison us in this cage of violence and fear! No more!
The December 2012 protests that started in Delhi, and spread to the rest of India, after the brutal gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old woman touched a nerve, that set off a time-bomb! The government tried to squash the protests that started in Delhi with brutal force and dirty political maneuvers, and continues to attempt to block and minimize all grassroots efforts rallying for the safety of women and girls in India. But the fact is – THE REVOLUTION IS ALREADY HERE! And it is moving forward, regardless!
The 50 Million Missing Campaign is honored to present below the anthem to India’s second fight for freedom and democracy. It is a series of photos from the Delhi gang rape protests and is accompanied by Tagore’s freedom poem. The photos were contributed by various photographers to our campaign’s flickr pool, which is supported by more than 2400 photographers. Click on the photos to connect to the photographer’s site. To see our other online photo-shows click here.
WHERE THE MIND IS WITHOUT FEAR
AND THE HEAD IS HELD HIGH;
WHERE KNOWLEDGE IS FREE;
WHERE THE WORLD HAS NOT BEEN BROKEN UP INTO FRAGMENTS
BY NARROW DOMESTIC WALLS;
WHERE WORDS COME OUT
FROM THE DEPTH OF TRUTH;
WHERE TIRELESS STRIVING
STRETCHES ITS ARMS
WHERE THE CLEAR STREAM OF REASON
HAS NOT LOST ITS WAY
INTO THE DREARY DESERT SAND OF DEAD HABITS;
WHERE THE MIND IS LED FORWARD
INTO EVER WIDENING THOUGHT AND ACTION;
INTO THAT HEAVEN
LET MY COUNTRY AWAKE!
STOP THIS BRUTAL VIOLENCE ON WOMEN IN INDIA. SUPPORT OUR PETITION FOR 3 IMMEDIATE DEMANDS FROM THE PRIME MINISTER BY CLICKING HERE |
Flower gardens are simple to install and easy to care for. With thoughtful planning and design, flower gardens can provide your landscape with color from early spring until fall. The following covers the 5 steps involved in creating a healthy and colorful flower garden | Flower gardens are simple to install and easy to care for. With thoughtful planning and design, flower gardens can provide your landscape with color from early spring until fall. The following covers the 5 steps involved in creating a healthy and colorful flower garden.
Successful flower gardens rely on an understanding of a site's natural environmental conditions such as sun and shade, wind exposure, soil composition and views. Only after a thorough site evaluation should you begin plant selection and design. The garden you design should, with some site preparation, be able to thrive in the existing conditions of the site.
There are basically three categories of flowers to choose from when planting a flower garden: perennials, annuals and biennials. Perennial gardens are generally the easiest to care for but planting different types of flowers together in the same garden to ensures a colorful garden from spring until the first fall frost.
Perennials are those flowers which bloom year after year and are at the heart of most gardens. After growing throughout the spring and summer, perennials die back to the ground each winter only to reemerge again the following spring. Perennials are easy to grow and need little maintenance. Perennials are adaptable to a variety of landscape conditions so analyze the conditions of your own garden to determine what will work best.
Annuals provide gardens with an array of colorful flowers from spring until the first frost. Annuals can also provide additional color to the flower garden as they can fill in bare spots and compliment the perennials. Though annuals flower all summer long, they sprout, flower, set seed and die within one growing season. Since annuals cannot tolerate freezing temperatures they need to be planted in the spring after the there is longer a threat of frost. Become familiar with your local climate and the specific needs of the flowers before you plant.
Biennials are those flowers which complete their life cycle over the course of two growing seasons. They produce foliage, and sometimes stems, during their first year of growth and then flowers during the second. Once this cycle is complete, they die. Biennials include the long time cottage garden favorites; hollyhock, foxglove, and sweet William.
Plan a garden which compliments your house and overall landscape. For instance, mixing different heights, colors, and varieties of flowers together in a cottage garden style will give your garden a rustic look which is quite appropriate for a country setting. If you want a more formal feel, consider a rectangular garden with a symmetrical layout.
Flower gardens require an adequate supply of water and nutrient rich soil if it is to flourish. The proper amount of sunlight light or shade is also critical. Be sure the flowers you choose are appropriate for your garden conditions.
Adding organic matter such as compost to sandy soils will increase the soil’s ability to hold moisture. Poorly drained soils such as clay will benefit from the addition of a mixture of sand and compost. They will help provide adequate drainage. Compost is important in any garden since it provides your plants with nutrients.
Maintaining a flower garden is even easier than planting one. Although they’re generally self-sustaining, perennials can benefit from an early spring feeding. Apply a slow release fertilizer for best results. Adding a layer of compost or light mulch, such as buckwheat hulls, to a flower garden each season also helps keep the plants healthy. Mulch adds to a garden as it breaks down over time, keeping the soil nutrient rich and helps the soil retain moisture. |
|Research Home | Pavements Home|
|This report is an archived publication and may contain dated technical, contact, and link information|
Publication Number: FHWA-RD-98-085
Basin shape factors are used to quickly and easily | |Research Home | Pavements Home|
|This report is an archived publication and may contain dated technical, contact, and link information|
Publication Number: FHWA-RD-98-085
Basin shape factors are used to quickly and easily extract meaningful information out of measured deflection basins. This information is typically related to relative stiffness of the surface to the base, the entire pavement to the subgrade, or the base to the subgrade.
Basin shape factors were developed as empirical relationships that were related to the more rigorous elastic layer or finite element analysis results that could only be run on mainframe computers. Since it was not practical to analyze each deflection basin with the computing equipment available at the time of their development, basin shape factors were looked at as the computationally expedient way of extracting information about the structural characteristics of a pavement.
Even though computational capabilities have improved tremendously from the days when basin shape factors were first developed, they can still provide valuable information about the structural behavior of a pavement section, particularly when circumstances are unfavorable to backcalculation. Some such circumstances are heavily deteriorated pavements or lack of layer thickness information. In addition, a plot of an appropriate basin shape factor versus station can be quickly performed in the field to delineate where changes in pavement condition or thickness occur. Such a delineation is useful in choosing locations for taking cores, for example.
All of the basin shape factors included here respond in some manner or another, to the ratio of stiffness of the upper layer to a lower layer. The AREA factor is sensitive to the composite stiffness of the overall pavement section compared to the stiffness of the underlying subgrade support. The F-1 basin factor is sensitive to the relative stiffness of the upper layers and less so to the lower subgrade layers. The Delta and Ratio factors respond primarily to the stiffness of the asphalt layer for the factors calculated from deflections close to the load plate. Delta and Ratio factors that are based |
More than 2 million accounts have been compromised from popular sites such as Google, Yahoo, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
In home and hobby circles, a hacker is a person who enjoys exploring the limits of what is possible, in a spirit of | More than 2 million accounts have been compromised from popular sites such as Google, Yahoo, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
In home and hobby circles, a hacker is a person who enjoys exploring the limits of what is possible, in a spirit of playful cleverness. They may also heavily modify software or hardware of their own computer system. It includes building, rebuilding, modifying, and creating software (software cracking, demo scene), electronic hardware (hardware hacking, modding), or anything else, either to make it better or faster or to give it added features or to make it do something it was never intended to do. Hobby home computer hacking originated around the MITS Altair, yet the spirit of hacking has been embodied in real projects since the advent of simple tools.
Hardware hackers are those who modify hardware (not limited to computers) to expand capabilities; this group blurs into the culture of hobbyist inventors and professional electronics engineering. A sample of such modification includes the addition of TCP/IP Internet capabilities to a number of vending machines and coffee makers during... |
home :: commas
Students often place commas
throughout their papers as if they are sprinkling raisins
on their oatmeal. Although you shouldn’t use a comma
unless you know a rule for it, commas are necessary for others
| home :: commas
Students often place commas
throughout their papers as if they are sprinkling raisins
on their oatmeal. Although you shouldn’t use a comma
unless you know a rule for it, commas are necessary for others
to understand what we have said, to “get it.” It
is easy to know when someone has finished a sentence: we
see a period there. It is not as easy to know where a writer’s
thoughts are going inside a sentence. Commas cause the reader
to pause and better understand the elements that make up
the sentence. In this module you will learn how to
use commas correctly. Lessons will cover rules for
comma use and common comma mistakes.
Quick Comma Rules...
In most situations, five general rules for comma use will
help students use commas correctly. Some special situations
for comma use are discussed toward the end of this module.
- use a comma to separate items in a series.
- use a comma with a coordinating conjunction to
separate two independent clauses
- use a comma to set-off non-essential
elements such as a phrase or clause. Commas should
be placed before and after a non-essential element in the
middle of a sentence
- use a comma after an opening clause, word,
- use a comma to follow conventions of
naming, citing sources, presenting addresses, dates, etc.
Rule 1: separate items in a series
Separating items in a series signals to the reader
that the items are "like" in some respect.
The series may be a series of adjectives describing
something, a series of things to pick up at the market,
or a series of adjective, infinitive, or prepositional
phrases. A series of two or more items should
be separated by commas; however, there is some debate
about whether the last item in a list of three items
should take a comma. Many grammarians would argue
in this situation, leaving out the last comma is acceptable. However, MLA
format rules do require a comma before the last
item in a series of three or more elements.
Felix dislikes spinach, broccoli, green beans,
and brussels sprouts—any vegetable
Doing the dishes, washing the clothes, and mopping
the floor are the chores I hate most.
Finding healthy, appetizing fast food is
Note: Sometimes a series seems to be "like" when
it is not. In this situation, a comma should
not be used between the items. For example,
She left her beautiful black leather handbag
on the bus.
Haunted by the memory of last year's painful
knee surgery, she protected her knee with
a strong brace during the tennis match.
A useful way to tell if items are "like" is
to try placing the word "and" between every
item; if the sentence makes sense, then the items are
like; if not, then they are unlike items and should
not be separated by commas.
Rule 2: use a comma to
separate two independent clauses
Two or more independent clauses joined together
need strong punctuation: a semi-colon, or a comma and
a coordinating conjunction. This punctuation
tells the reader that the clause could
stand on its own as a complete sentence. Writers join
clauses together to show a close relationship between
ideas and to vary the rhythm in the sound of their
sentences. And the coordinating conjunctions—and,
nor, for, but, yet, and so—also help writers identify
the relationship between ideas and create coherence
in their writing (take a look at the module on coordination
and subordination for more information about using
conjunctions effectively). Without adequate punctuation,
the sentence will be a "run-on sentence": if
no punctuation is included between independent clauses,
the error is a "fused sentence," if the coordinating
conjunction is provided and the comma is omitted, the
error is a "comma splice" (for more detail, explore
the module on run-on
Felix does not like spinach, nor does
he like broccoli.
We will be going to the mountains again this summer,
but this time we will bring mosquito repellant.
After graduation, Maya is going to travel throughout
Southeast Asia for a year, and I will be staying
home flipping burgers and going to school.
Rule 3: use a comma to set off
A non-essential element is information that is added
to the core of a sentence to add further information—information
that is useful, but not really essential to understanding
the basic assertion. To signal the reader that
a word, phrase, or dependent clause is non-essential
information, writers set these elements off by commas
before and after the addition. The information
is thus enclosed by commas. If the phrase occurs at
the beginning or end of the sentence, only the comma
separating the phrase from t |
Cellular OrganellesEdited by
- Edward Bittar, Department of Physiology, University of Wisconsin Medical School, Madison, USA
The purpose of this volume is to provide a synopsis of present knowledge of the structure, organisation, and function | Cellular OrganellesEdited by
- Edward Bittar, Department of Physiology, University of Wisconsin Medical School, Madison, USA
The purpose of this volume is to provide a synopsis of present knowledge of the structure, organisation, and function of cellular organelles with an emphasis on the examination of important but unsolved problems, and the directions in which molecular and cell biology are moving. Though designed primarily to meet the needs of the first-year medical student, particularly in schools where the traditional curriculum has been partly or wholly replaced by a multi-disciplinary core curriculum, the mass of information made available here should prove useful to students of biochemistry, physiology, biology, bioengineering, dentistry, and nursing.It is not yet possible to give a complete account of the relations between the organelles of two compartments and of the mechanisms by which some degree of order is maintained in the cell as a whole. However, a new breed of scientists, known as molecular cell biologists, have already contributed in some measure to our understanding of several biological phenomena notably interorganelle communication. Take, for example, intracellular membrane transport: it can now be expressed in terms of the sorting, targeting, and transport of protein from the endoplasmic reticulum to another compartment. This volume contains the first ten chapters on the subject of organelles. The remaining four are in Volume 3, to which sections on organelle disorders and the extracellular matrix have been added.
- Contents. List of Contributors. Preface (E.E. Bittar and N. Bittar). The Plasma Membrane (S.K. Malhotra and T.K. Shnitka). The Transport of Macromolecules Across the Nuclear Envelope (N. Pokrywka, D. Goldfarb, M. Zillmann, and A. DeSilva). Chromosomes, Chromatin, and the Regulation of Transcription (N. Stuurman and P.A. Fisher). The Nucleolus (D. Hernandez-Verdun and H.R. Junera). Centromeres and Telomeres (J.B. Rattner). The Cytoskeleton (D.S. Ettenson and A.I. Gotlieb). Intermediate Filaments: A Medical Overview (M.W. Klymkowsky and R.M. Evans). The Endoplasmic Reticulum (G.L.E. Koch). The Sarcoplasmic Reticulum (A.N. Martonosi). The Ribosome (R. Brimacombe). |
About This Workshop
Students learn the basic components of reading in the early elementary grades, but learning to read doesn’t end there. In the intermediate grades, students learn to become fluent readers, they build their vocabulary and word knowledge, and learn to | About This Workshop
Students learn the basic components of reading in the early elementary grades, but learning to read doesn’t end there. In the intermediate grades, students learn to become fluent readers, they build their vocabulary and word knowledge, and learn to comprehend and retain more meaning from what they read.
The Teaching Reading, 3-5 workshop is designed to give teachers the strategies they need to help all students become better readers and writers in the intermediate grades. Eight workshop sessions provide current research, questions for reflection, tips for new teachers, activities to enhance your teaching, and video segments from classrooms across the country.
Each workshop video features a leading literacy expert whose research and experience focus on a key element of teaching reading, from classroom organization and comprehension to teaching diverse learners, te |
This pie chart shows the relative likelihood of observing particular other species commonly observed near Bupleurum gracile
These species are those which most commonly occur in our observation database near Bupleurum gracile. Observations favor some phyla over others. | This pie chart shows the relative likelihood of observing particular other species commonly observed near Bupleurum gracile
These species are those which most commonly occur in our observation database near Bupleurum gracile. Observations favor some phyla over others. Typically Bacteria, Fungi, Protozoa, and Arthropods are more common in the field than in our records.
In sections below, we make some habitat inferences based on the known hab |
Waitable Timer Objects
A waitable timer object is a synchronization object whose state is set to signaled when the specified due time arrives. There are two types of waitable timers that can be created: manual-reset and synchronization. A timer of either | Waitable Timer Objects
A waitable timer object is a synchronization object whose state is set to signaled when the specified due time arrives. There are two types of waitable timers that can be created: manual-reset and synchronization. A timer of either type can also be a periodic timer.
|manual-reset timer||A timer whose state remains signaled until SetWaitableTimer is called to establish a new due time.|
|synchronization timer||A timer whose state remains signaled until a thread completes a wait operation on the timer object.|
|periodic timer||A timer that is reactivated each time the specified period expires, until the timer is reset or canceled. A periodic timer is either a periodic manual-reset timer or a periodic synchronization timer.|
Note When a timer is signaled, the processor must run to process the associated instructions. High-frequency periodic timers keep the processor continually busy, which prevents the system from remaining in a lower power state for any meaningful amount of time. This can have a negative impact on portable computer battery life and scenarios that depend on effective power management, such as large datacenters. For greater energy efficiency, consider using event-based notifications instead of time-based notifications in your application. If a timer is necessary, use a timer that is signaled once rather than a periodic timer, or set the interval to a value greater than one second.
A thread uses the CreateWaitableTimer or CreateWaitableTimerEx function to create a timer object. The creating thread specifies whether the timer is a manual-reset timer or a synchronization timer. The creating thread can specify a name for the timer object. Threads in other processes can open a handle to an existing timer by specifying its name in a call to the OpenWaitableTimer function. Any thread with a handle to a timer object can use one of the wait functions to wait for the timer state to be set to signaled.
- The thread calls the SetWaitableTimer function to activate the timer. Note the use of the following parameters for SetWaitableTimer:
- Use the lpDueTime parameter to specify the time at which the timer is to be set to the signaled state. When a manual-reset timer is set to the signaled state, it remains in this state until SetWaitableTimer establishes a new due time. When a synchronization timer is set to the signaled state, it remains in this state until a |
Coefficient of thermal expansion
The coefficient of thermal expansion is used:
These characteristics are closely related. The volumetric thermal expansion coefficient can be measured for all substances of condensed matter (liquids and solid state). The linear thermal expansion can only be measured | Coefficient of thermal expansion
The coefficient of thermal expansion is used:
These characteristics are closely related. The volumetric thermal expansion coefficient can be measured for all substances of condensed matter (liquids and solid state). The linear thermal expansion can only be measured in the solid state and is common in engineering applications.
Thermal expansion coefficients for some common materials[change | edit source]
The expansion and contraction of material must be considered when designing large structures, when using tape or chain to measure distances for land surveys, when designing molds for casting hot material, and in other engineering applications when large changes in dimension due to temperature are expected. The range for α is from 10-7 for hard solids to 10-3 for organic liquids. α varies with the temperature and some materials have a very high variation. Some values for common materials, given in parts per million per Celsius degree: (NOTE: This can also be in kelvins as the changes in temperature are a 1:1 ratio)
Applications[change | edit source]
Thermal expansion is also used in mechanical applications to fit parts over one another, e.g. a bushing can be fitted over a shaft by making its inner diameter slightly smaller than the diameter of the shaft, then heating it until it fits over the shaft, and allowing it to cool after it has been pushed over the shaft, thus achieving a'shrink fit'
There exist some alloys with a very small CTE, used in applications that demand very small ch |
I mentioned that I have a number of students working on phonemic awareness and pre-reading tasks this year. One of the concepts that keeps rearing its head is syllable-ness.
The concept of breaking words into parts is a simple one | I mentioned that I have a number of students working on phonemic awareness and pre-reading tasks this year. One of the concepts that keeps rearing its head is syllable-ness.
The concept of breaking words into parts is a simple one for many kids, but when they don’t get it right away, where do you go? Often clapping or tapping out the breaks with rhythm sticks helps. I’ve found with many kids that making the whole thing bigger does the trick.
I have a couple sets of felt placemats that I’ve picked up at Walmart, Target and Michaels. To start, I make two parallel lines of 3-4 mats. I stand side by side with the child off the mats and hold their hand. I start with their name, let’s pick “Taylor,” and say it with the break. Then we “jump it”–”Tay” (first mat), “lor” (second mat). We might do this a few times.
By holding my hand and jumping together, they can feel the rhythm I’m using and cuts way down on errors. And I only use the felt mats which don’t slip (I’m doing this on carpet, you might need a rubber back if you use on tile floors).
A huge number of kids these days seem to have two and three syllable names. Next, we do my first name, “Kim.” The kids seem to love using my first name for this. It must feel slightly illicit to use an adult’s first name without “Miss” in front. And they love that my name is “only one” which they delight in letting me know immediately. “Your name is only ONE! Mine is TWO!!!”
Once they have this down with me, I’ll have them start jumping words on their own with a variety of 1-4 syllables and we might start alternating jumping with clapping or tapping. They usually pick this up quickly onc |
Three-spine, Triplespines, Tripodfishes
Compiler and date details
Douglass F. Hoese, Dianne J. Bray & John R. Paxton
The triplespines, family Triacanthidae, | Three-spine, Triplespines, Tripodfishes
Compiler and date details
Douglass F. Hoese, Dianne J. Bray & John R. Paxton
The triplespines, family Triacanthidae, are usually found over the continental shelves of the Indo-west Pacific in depths to about 150 m. Currently, four genera and seven species are known worldwide, with all four genera and six species recognised from Australia.
Triacanthids are of small to medium size, reaching a maximum length of about 30 cm and are commonly taken by trawlers in the tropical regions. Tyler (1968) revised the family and Santini & Tyler (2001) studied relationships within the family. Fossils are known from the Eocene of Europe. Nelson (2006) placed the family in the suborder Balistoidei.
Nelson, J.S. 2006. Fishes of the World. Hoboken, New Jersey : John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 601 pp.
Santini, F. & Tyler, J.C. 2001. Phylogeny and biogeography of the extant species of triplespine fishes (Triacanthidae, Tetraodontiformes). Zoologica Scripta 31(4): 321-330
Tyler, J.C. 1968. A monograph on plectognath fishes of the superfamily Triacanthoidea. Monographs of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 16: 1-364 figs 1-209
Common Name References
Matsuura, K. 2001. Triacanthodidae, Triacanthidae, Balistidae. pp. 3902-3928 in Carpenter, K.E. & Niem, T.H. (eds). The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fisheries Purposes. Rome : FAO Vol. 6 pp. 3381-4218. (Triplespines)
Pollard, J. (ed.) 1980. G.P. Whitley's Handbook of Australian Fishes. North Sydney : Jack Pollard Publishing Pty Ltd 629 pp. (Three-spine, Tripodfishes)
History of changes
|Published||As part of group||Action Date||Action Type||Compiler(s)| |
- High-resolution images:
- Wide area view, December 29, 2004 (2.2 MB JPEG)
- Wide area view, December 13, 2004 (2.6 MB JPEG)
The island of Sumatra suffered | - High-resolution images:
- Wide area view, December 29, 2004 (2.2 MB JPEG)
- Wide area view, December 13, 2004 (2.6 MB JPEG)
The island of Sumatra suffered from both the rumblings of the submarine earthquake and the tsunamis that were generated on December 26, 2004. Within minutes of the quake, the sea surged ashore, bringing destruction to the coasts of northern Sumatra.
This pair of natural-color images from Landsat 7’s Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) instrument shows a small area along the Sumatran coast in Aceh province where the tsunami smashed its way ashore. In this region, the wave cut a swath of near-total destruction 1.5 kilometers (roughly one mile) in most places, but penetrating farther in many others. Some of these deeper paths of destruction can be seen especially dramatically in the larger-area ETM+ images linked to above. (North is up in these larger images.)
ETM+ collects data at roughly 30 meter resolution, complimenting sensors like NASA’s MODIS (onboard both Terra and Aqua satellites) which observed this area at 250-meter resolution to give a wide view and ultra-high-resolution sensors like Space Imaging’s IKONOS, which observed the same region at 4-meter resolution to give a detailed, smaller-area view.
NASA images created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data provided courtesy of the Landsat 7 Science Project Office |
Last fall Matt Foti‘s excellent crew moved a mature Katsura tree (Cercidiphyllum japonicum) on the UMass campus in Amherst. Jim Flott showed one photo of the tree in his New England Grows | Last fall Matt Foti‘s excellent crew moved a mature Katsura tree (Cercidiphyllum japonicum) on the UMass campus in Amherst. Jim Flott showed one photo of the tree in his New England Grows presentation last week, to illustrate the breadth of a root mass; take a look here to see what it looked like during and after the soil blowoff.
Notice the trench dug around the entire root mass. Typically, the crew uses a line tied to the trunk to swing and mark the edge of trench at the tree’s dripline. If really significant roots appear once the first buckets of soil have been dug, the crew can decide to shift the trench edge outward to save more roots in the blowoff. Alternatively, if no roots are found that far out from the trunk, the excavator can dig closer in t |
view a plan
These activities encourage physical education outside the classroom
P.E. & Health
K, 1, 2
Title – Eye Hand and Fitness
By – Larissa Smalley
Primary Subject – Health / Physical Education
| view a plan
These activities encourage physical education outside the classroom
P.E. & Health
K, 1, 2
Title – Eye Hand and Fitness
By – Larissa Smalley
Primary Subject – Health / Physical Education
Grade Level – K-2
Standards – NJCCS: 2.6 NASPE: Standard 3
I chose these lessons because the NJCCS/NASPE standards state that children should engage in physical education outside the classroom. The game Sharks and Seaweed is a simply tag game that can be played outside of P.E. because it requires no equipment – and can be played with 6+ children. Juggling was also assigned to be practiced at home and can be done with folded socks. It is important that children participate in activities that contribute to improving health and promote gross motor skills.
Eye-hand/eye-foot Coordination Station name: Juggle
- Overview: Teach children how to juggle first; beginning with scarves, then move along to bean bags. If a child has a difficult time with this concept, have them throw a small ball in the air tossing it to one hand and then the other. Encourage students to practice at home.
- Focus: Eye/hand coordination and to involve PE outside of classroom.
Fitness Station name: Sharks and Seaweed
- Overview: Have three students be sharks (taggers) and the rest of the class be the fish. Have sharks split up and chase (hunt) the fishes, if a fish is caught, they are not out of the game, but become seaweed! The seaweed must stand in place, but can twist and move their arms in any fluid position, and at different levels: low, middle, high. The remaining fish must not only flee from the sharks, but also dodge the seaweed’s arms. If a fish touches the seaweed-it too becomes seaweed by holding the child’s hand and attaching itself. Try to rotate between sharks and fishes.
- Focus: Chasing, fleeing, and dodging.
- Equipment: Accompany this with music from “The Little Mermaid.” The song “Under the Sea” would be |
MELODIA - Melody Extraction vamp plug-in
The MELODIA plug-in automatically estimates the pitch of a song's main melody. More specifically, it implements an algorithm that automatically estimates the fundamental frequency corresponding to the pitch of the | MELODIA - Melody Extraction vamp plug-in
The MELODIA plug-in automatically estimates the pitch of a song's main melody. More specifically, it implements an algorithm that automatically estimates the fundamental frequency corresponding to the pitch of the predominant melodic line of a piece of polyphonic (or homophonic or monophonic) music.
Given a song, the algorithm estimates:
- When the melody is present and when it is not (a.k.a. voicing detection)
- The pitch of the melody when it is present
A non-scientist friendly introduction to Melody Extraction as well as the algorithm, including graphs and sound examples, can be found on: www.justinsalamon.com/melody-
For computational reasons, MELODIA is composed of two vamp plug-ins: "MELODIA - Melody Extraction" and "MELODIA - Melody Extraction (intermediate steps)". The former provides the main output of MELODIA (the pitch of the predominant melody), whilst the latter provides visualisations of the intermediate steps calculated by the algorithm (see Input/Output below for further details). Both plug-ins are included in a single MELODIA library file available for Windows, OSX and Linux.
Full details of the algorithm can be found in the following paper:
J. Salamon and E. Gómez, "Melody Extraction from Polyphonic Music Signals using Pitch Contour Characteristics", IEEE Transactions on Audio, Speech and Language Processing, 20(6):1759-1770, Aug. 2012.
We would highly appreciate if scientific publications of works partly based on the MELODIA plug-in cite the above publication.
The MELODIA vamp plug-in has been made possible by the kind support of the following entities.
Graphical User Interface
The MELODIA - Melody Extraction Vamp plug-in used in Sonic Visualiser. Top pane: waveform. Second pane: salience function. Third pane: pitch contours (all). Fourth pane: extracted melody (in red) and spectrogram.
Audio file in a format supported by your Vamp host (e.g. wav, mp3, ogg)
MELODIA offers 4 different types of output. The first (Melody) is computed by the "MELODIA - Melody Extraction" plug-in and the rest by the "MELODIA - Melody Extraction (intermediate steps)" plug-in:
The pitch of the main melody. Each row of the output contains a timestamp and the corresponding frequency of the melody in Hertz. Non-voiced segments are indicated by zero or negative frequency values. Negative values represent the algorithm's pitch estimate for segments estimated as non-voiced, in case the melody is in fact present there.
A 2D time-frequency representation of pitch salience over time on a cent scale. The salience function covers five octaves, from 55Hz to 1760Hz, divided into 600 bins with a resolution of 10 cents per bin (= 120 bins per octave).
Pitch Contours: All
In order to estimate the melody, the algorithm first tracks all salient pitch contours present in the signal. This output is a 2D representation of pitch contours vs. time, using the same sc |
The History of the Volkswagen Beetle Type 1
The history of Volkswagen goes back to 1934, when Adolf Hitler asked Ferdinand Porsche to produce a “peoples car”. This car was intended to be affordable to the ordinary man in the street | The History of the Volkswagen Beetle Type 1
The history of Volkswagen goes back to 1934, when Adolf Hitler asked Ferdinand Porsche to produce a “peoples car”. This car was intended to be affordable to the ordinary man in the street. it was meant to carry 2 adults and 3 adults at a speed of 60mph. After experimenting with various prototypes, the Volkswagen factory at Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony in Germany came into being on the 28th May 1937, just slightly more than two years before Germany invaded Poland.
The Car was to be priced at 990 Reichsmark through a savings scheme. The average wage at the time was 32RM per week, so even given thefact that the car was being subsidized by the German Government, that was a lot of money for the average German family to try and save.
The War years
Once war broke out, the Volkswagen factory started to produce military type vehicles such as the Kubelwagen and the Schwimmwagen. A third vehicle, the Kommandeurwagen, a Beetle body on a Kubelwagen chassis was manufactured. Towards the end of the war, production had to halted because of the Allied Air raids and the machinery was dismantled and stored in the air raid bunkers.
You are in the Army now.
Volkswagen owes its survival to a British Army officer, Major Ivan Hirst, who was appointed to take charge of the factory. The factory was damaged by the bombing, the labor force was comprised of slave and prisoners as well as German Citizens. The slave and the prisoners were set free and sent home. He then persuaded the British Army to take 20,00o Beetles to use as for transportation by the occupying army. Volkswagen was meant as war spoils for Britain, however no British motor wanted it, describing it as a joke, so Volkswagen remained in Germany.
To this day, Volkswagen remembers Ivan Hirst as the Man who saved them
In 1949, the first Beetles were imported into the USA. They did not get a warm reception Even though by 1950, 100,000 Beetle sedans and a 1000 Beetle convertibles had been produced, they did not prove to be very popular in the US. sales were very erratic until 1953. In 1954 there were only 6,000 VW’s in America, by 1958 it had increased to 104,000 by 1 |
In the wake of the Toyota recall, a broad coalition of automakers announced their support for making "black box" data recorders and brake override systems mandatory on new cars.
What exactly would these safety features do? Black boxes, or event data | In the wake of the Toyota recall, a broad coalition of automakers announced their support for making "black box" data recorders and brake override systems mandatory on new cars.
What exactly would these safety features do? Black boxes, or event data recorders as they're called in the biz, would record everything that happened to a car, including driver inputs and vehicle speed, in the 60 minutes prior to -- and the 15 seconds after -- a car crash. Brake overrides, on the other hand, would kill the engine when a car's brake pedal and gas pedal were applied at the same time.
While this sounds like a pretty good idea, having the benefits of saving lives and determining once and for all whether unintended acceleration was caused by runaway cars or drive error, it does bring up the question of how much is too much when it comes to mandatory safety features.
It may seem like a callous question, but with the most NADA numbers pegging the average cost of a new car ringing in at a not insubstantial $ |
What is the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement?
A satellite image shows the Great Lakes from space. A green Earth, with white clouds bordering the top and bottom of the picture.
Credit: © NASA and GeoEye.
The Great Lakes Water Quality | What is the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement?
A satellite image shows the Great Lakes from space. A green Earth, with white clouds bordering the top and bottom of the picture.
Credit: © NASA and GeoEye.
The Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (GLWQA) is an agreement between Canada and the United States, first signed in 1972. It contributes to the quality of life of millions of Canadians by identifying shared priorities and coordinating actions to restore and protect the chemical, physical and biological integrity of the waters of the Great Lakes.
In amending the agreement in 2012, the Governments of Canada and the United States have committed to a shared vision of a healthy and prosperous Great Lakes region in which the waters of the Great Lakes, through their sound management, use, and enjoyment, provide benefits to present and future generations. To this end, Canada and the United States recognize the importance of taking action, resolving existing environmental issues and anticipating and preventing future problems.
Through the GLWQA, Canada and the United States, in consultation and cooperation with other levels of government, First Nations and Métis organizations, businesses, non-governmental entities, and the public will develop programs, technologies and other measures necessary to better understand the Great Lakes ecosystem, and to restore and protect water quality and ecosystem health.
To view specific commitments, objectives and actions to address environmental issues affecting the Lakes, click on the Annex links below:
- Annex 1: Areas of Concern
- Annex 2: Lakewide Management
- Annex 3: Chemicals of Mutual Concern
- Annex 4: Nutrients
- Annex 5: Discharges from Vessels
- Annex 6: Aquatic Invasive Species
- Annex 7: Habitat and Species
- Annex 8: Groundwater
- Annex 9: Climate Change Impacts
- Annex 10: Science
To learn more about what is new and enhanced under the amended Agreement, click on A Renewed Commitment to Action: The 2012 Agreement.
To learn more about the evolution of this 40-year-old Agreement, click on History and Successes of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement.
- Date Modified: |
July 3, 1930: The Veterans Administration is Created
On this day in 1930, Congress passed a bill that created the Veterans Administration. Congress authorized the president to “consolidate and coordinate Government activities affecting war veterans” | July 3, 1930: The Veterans Administration is Created
On this day in 1930, Congress passed a bill that created the Veterans Administration. Congress authorized the president to “consolidate and coordinate Government activities affecting war veterans” in an executive order. The bill known as Executive Order 5398 was later signed into law by President Herbert Hoover on July 21, 1930. Since its creation, the VA has been responsible for providing federal benefits to veterans and their dependents.
Visit the National Salute to Veterans site to explore ways to support today’s veterans.
Photo: President Herbert Hoover, General Hines and staff, following the signing of Executive Order creating the Veterans Administration July 21, 1930 (U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs).
POW Week at the Nixon Library
A sheriff-led motorcade will escort Vietnam POWs to the Nixon Library in Yorba Linda, California at 12:30PM PT. Their arrival at the Library coincides with the 40th anniversary of President Nixon’s POW homecoming dinner at the White House.
An All-American Homecoming is a new exhibit at the Nixon Library about the POWs visit to the White House. The event occurred on May 24, 1973, and it remains the largest dinner ever held at the White House. This week, the Nixon Foundation is hosting a series of events to celebrate the POWs.
Tomorrow evening, on the anniversary of the original White House homecoming, the Foundation will hold a reunion dinner fo |
Forest Management Program Overview
The Forest Management Program is directed at reducing the risk of large wildfires and improving forest resilency to insect and disease epidemics. This is of the utmost importance due to the ever increasing wildland-urban interface, drought, | Forest Management Program Overview
The Forest Management Program is directed at reducing the risk of large wildfires and improving forest resilency to insect and disease epidemics. This is of the utmost importance due to the ever increasing wildland-urban interface, drought, fire suppression and mature forests with high fuel content.
Fuels reduction treatments are accomplished in a number of ways and varies by forest type. The main goal is to slow the spread of wildfire to protect people and structures. In some cases, fuels mitigation can improve the resistance of trees to disease and pests, protect watersheds or restore historic ecological conditions.
Current fuels mitigation projects include:
Program benefits include:
Individuals can help reduce fire risk by participating in fuels mitigation on their property. The effectiveness of the park projects increases, when neighbors participate in fuels mitigation. Information and assistance for private property owners is available through the Colorado State Forest Service at 970-491-6303. |
Jasper Johns: the ‘Color Numeral’ series
March 9, 2011 2 Comments
Currently on display at the National Gallery of Australia is Jasper Johns’ luminous Color Numeral series. Johns was at the forefront of | Jasper Johns: the ‘Color Numeral’ series
March 9, 2011 2 Comments
Currently on display at the National Gallery of Australia is Jasper Johns’ luminous Color Numeral series. Johns was at the forefront of the Pop Art movement and challenged the art establishment with works that feature ubiquitous symbols of the everyday. In his paintings and prints the American flag, letters, numbers, targets, arms and legs are reframed as the subject matter of fine art. The Color Numeral series shows each figure from zero through to nine rendered in brilliant hues. The dramatic, shifting colour spectrum in combination with drawn and found elements – scrawls, squiggles, Mona Lisa’s face, and the artist’s own handprint – give the prints a palpable, tactile quality.
In the late 1960s, under the direction of Ken Tyler, the print workshop Gemini GEL pushed the limits of printmaking, embracing all available technologies. This experimental ethos allowed artists to print on a larger scale and with more freedom than ever before. Created between 1968 and 1969, the ten works in the Color Numeral series were printed from the same stones Johns had used for his earlier Black Numeral series. Maintaining the delicate image for a second print series provided a challenge for the Gemini printers: using the ‘rub-up’ technique learned from the French master Marcel Durassier, Tyler managed to create a low-relief image from the flat drawings on the stones, thus preserving the surface and allowing for a longer print-run.
A subsequent problem faced by the Gemini workshop was the inking of the large plates in order to capture the rich, multicoloured finish Johns required. In the artist’s smaller numeral prints, the plate was inked with a regular-sized roller which had been run throught the desired colours on a flat palette – a process impossible to replicate on a much larger scale. To achieve the smooth colour gradation the Gemini GEL workshop spent six months researching and adapting inking techniques and using rollers that would cover the large stones smoothly and adequately with a single rotation. The end result was a roller so large it could not be inked by one person. Instead, a hand-fed ‘inking fountain’ had to be devised. This rather complex machine consisted of four rollers which agitated the inks to achieve a slight blending, after which the large roller would be lowered and coated, ready to ink the stone.
Johns said of his printmaking practice: “…it’s the techniques that interest me. My impulse to make prints has nothing to do with my thinking it’s a good way to express myself. It’s more a means to experiment in the technique. What interests me is the technical innovation possible for me in printmaking.” His fascination with the possibilities of printmaking and Gemini GEL’s commitmen |
METZ.- In 2010 an Inrap team excavated a 3.5 hectare site in Bassing, in the Moselle department. This research was curated by the State (Drac Lorraine) in advance of the construction | METZ.- In 2010 an Inrap team excavated a 3.5 hectare site in Bassing, in the Moselle department. This research was curated by the State (Drac Lorraine) in advance of the construction of the East-European high speed train line by the Réseau Ferré de France.
Occupied for one thousand years, from 200 BC to 800 AD, this site revealed a Gallic aristocratic establishment, a Gallo-Roman villa and several medieval buildings. Numerous weapons and an exceptional monetary deposit of 1165 Gallic coins attest alone to the power of the elites of Bassing.
An aristocratic and warlike site
Between 150 and 120 BC, a vast rural establishment was built in Bassing. A large quadrangular trench, 3 meters wide, with a talus and palisade, surrounded the habitat over one hectare. Inside the enclosure wooden buildings associated with an farm and a habitation were constructed. The ensemble survived until 14 AD.
The size of the farm, the size of its trenches and the richness of the artifacts illustrate the privileged status of the occupants. Among the jewelry, there were bracelets in cobalt blue glass and a bead in Baltic amber. 123 fibulae were also present, some of which were made at the site. Metalworking was thus one of the resources of this aristocratic site at which casting, spinning, weaving and shoemaking completed the resources provided through agriculture.
Among the drinking utensils, colanders associated with wine came from Italy. The wine, imported from the Mediterranean, was a real luxury product that was consumed in large quantities, as is shown by the discovery of numerous amphorae.
The Inrap archaeologists uncovered a large quantity of Gallic and Italian military artefacts: chariot parts, a combat axe, the dagger of a Roman legionary (a pugio), arrowheads, uniform ornaments, sandal nails, horse tack of the Roman cavalry and even the metal mouthpiece of a war trumpet.
Located in the territory of the Mediomatrici, between the oppida of Divodurum (Metz) Saverne, the site of Bassing thus belonged to an aristocrat whose power was linked not only to a large agricultural exploitation, but also to his warrior status.
The conquest of the Gauls does not appear to have affected the function of the site. During this troubled period, the establishment of Bassing remained stable and prosperous, with a dense and continuous population. In 27 BC, stone was replaced by wood for the construction of buildings in the rural establishment, still situated within the Gallic enclosure.
An exceptional monetary deposit: 1165 Gallic coins
The most remarkable find at this site is an exceptional monetary deposit of 1165 Gallic coins. This treasure has been dispersed over the site since the Middle Ages by successive plowing. The archaeologists thus gradually collected the coins during the excavation.
They are composed of 1111 silver coins, 3 gold coins and 51 bronze coins. All of them were issued during the 1st century BC, and the majority just after the Gallic Wars.
One of the particularities of this treasure is that it includes silver coins. During this period, bronze coins and potins played a major role in daily exchanges, while silver was reserved for the payment of personnel linked to powerful positions. The three gold coins, which are very rare, are mediomatric, and thus local.
The two kilos of silver include different types of coins issued in several regions of Gaul. 74% of the lot originates from the Center-East of Gaul and belongs to the Sequani of Besançon, the Lingones of Langres and the Aedui of Bibracte or Autun. 14% originates from the peoples of Val de Loire, 7% from the Remi of Reims (from Belgian Gaul) and 3% from the Arverni of Clermont-Ferrand. Finally, a few specimens belong to the Segusiavi, a population near Lyon.
These coins are Gallic imitations of quinaries, a Roman silver coin with a diameter of less than 1.5 cm. North-eastern Gaul, nicknamed "the zone of the last Gaul" by numismats, distinguished itself after the conquest by the imitation of Roman coins. The last Gaul equals a half-denier (or quinaire) of the Roman Republic. This standard unit facilitated commerce between Rome and Gaul.
The money of war in a Romanized Gaul
One third of the Bassing treasure is composed of imitations with minting errors. Some representations of Gallic or Greco-Roman warriors, from helmeted Rome, have a crude style. These imitations were usually made in a context of urgency. Between the 40's and 30's BC, lacking Roman deniers, such copies were made to pay the military contingents, including the auxiliary Gallic troops enlisted in the Roman army.
During the conquest, Cesar relied on part of the Gallic elite. This nobility widely adhered to the new Roman power. Local aristocrats and their contingent warriors then contributed to the different Roman conquests.
At the beginning of the Empire, the Bassing deposit equaled one and a half years of the salary of a legionary. This large sum of money could correspond to the funds of a chief mediomatrici to pay th |
Copyright © University of Cambridge. All rights reserved.
'Notty Logic' printed from http://nrich.maths.org/
The negation NOT$(P)$ of a statement is true if and only if the
statement $P$ is false | Copyright © University of Cambridge. All rights reserved.
'Notty Logic' printed from http://nrich.maths.org/
The negation NOT$(P)$ of a statement is true if and only if the
statement $P$ is false. A well-constructed negation uses positive
language, avoiding the use of the word NOT.
Here are two statements, each
with four suggested negations. Which of these are the correct
negations and why?
1. A good pet is friendly and
A. A good pet is unfriendly and unfurry
B. A bad pet is friendly and furry
C. A good pet is unfriendly or unfurry
D. A bad pet is unfriendly or unfurry
2. That man is lying or I'll eat
A. That man is telling the truth and I won't eat my hat
B. Either that man is telling the truth or I won't eat my hat
C. I won't eat my hat or that man is telling the truth
D. That man is telling the truth and I don't have a hat
Have a go at negating this sentence:
If you don't go to the party and
if John goes to the party then I won't go to the party
Finally, try to negate this sentence taken from Lewis Carrol's
from Through the Looking-Glass and What
Alice Found There, 1872
Twas brillig, and the slithy
Did gyre and gimble in the
This question is based on an exercise
A Mathematical Bridge (2nd ed), by
Stephen Hewson. Published by World Scientific. |
|Fueling Energy Efficiency, Improved Health in Maputo, Mozambique|
In the capital city of Mozambique, nearly 85% of the 1.1 million residents still use wood fires and other inefficient means to cook meals. Especially in | |Fueling Energy Efficiency, Improved Health in Maputo, Mozambique|
In the capital city of Mozambique, nearly 85% of the 1.1 million residents still use wood fires and other inefficient means to cook meals. Especially in the crowded lodgings of the 800,000 inhabitants of Maputo living in extreme poverty, this means daily exposure to toxic fumes which cause damage both to their health and to the environment.
AVSI, in collaboration with the City of Maputo, is seeking to remedy the situation by promoting alternatives for greater energy efficiency in two of the largest informal areas in the city, Chamanculo and Xipamanine. By the end of the project, 15,000 energy conserving stoves with low environmental impact will replace the kitchen fires of 7,500 families, spreading a safer and more responsible use of energy and a reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.
On July 14, Mayor David Simango distributed the first round of stoves while visiting Chamanculo C, a neighborhood AVSI is familiar with thanks to over 10 years of activities to promote education. The distribution marked a milestone in a process that began over a year ago with stakeholder meetings to foster collaboration among local authorities and the communities, assessments to identify the needs of the families and to design a mechanism so that they contribute to the cost of the new stove. Awareness and education campaigns on the best cooking techniques to take advantage of the new stoves will continue throughout the process of distribution and 3-5 years of follow-up.
The use of the stoves will reduce carbon emissions by 80% and save families around 190 dollars a year in reduced spending for cooking fuel. It will also have great health benefits, considering that, on a global level, more deaths are caused by toxic fume consumption than either malaria or tuberculosis.
Tri-lateral urban upgrading project opened in Maputo (November 2011) |
|By Admin1 (admin) on Monday, July 02, 2001 - 1:27 pm: Edit Post|
Burkina Faso - Peace Corps Volunteers in Africa
Burkina Faso - Peace Corps Volunteers in | |By Admin1 (admin) on Monday, July 02, 2001 - 1:27 pm: Edit Post|
Burkina Faso - Peace Corps Volunteers in Africa
Burkina Faso - Peace Corps Volunteers in Africa
Peace Corps Volunteers in Africa
Education Volunteers in urban and rural settings teach secondary school English, math, science and university English. Encouraging girls' education is a major component of Burkina Faso's education policy. Health Volunteers are assigned to promote health education in village clinics. Working with the people to revitalize the primary health care system results in the development of critical programs addressing childhood communicable diseases, malaria, HIV/AIDS education, and Guinea worm eradication.
Volunteer Job Assignments
As a Peace Corps Volunteer, you'll travel overseas and make real differences in the lives of real people. Whether you're teaching children the basics of math, science, and English or working with a community to protect the local environment; whether you're help |
Our clock is based on the best science. It considers the two primary and interlinked causes of species extinction: habitat destruction, which already affects 90% of threatened species, and climate change, which will become just as dangerous.
The easiest way | Our clock is based on the best science. It considers the two primary and interlinked causes of species extinction: habitat destruction, which already affects 90% of threatened species, and climate change, which will become just as dangerous.
The easiest way to calculate extinction rates is to look to the past, but this significantly underestimates current patterns. Extinctions often occurred without being recorded, especially among less well-known species, and threats to species are now far more widespread and severe. This is why we use predicted extinction rates.
Predictions are always subject to uncertainty, due to use of different information, assumptions, and techniques. Our predicted extinction rates estimate the number of species that will face extinction between 2000 and 2050. We say "faced with extinction" because there is a delay between the onset of threats and the actual death of the last individual of a species, causing an "extinction debt."
Some 5% to 50% of species are predicted to face extinction due to habitat destruction alone between 2000 and 2050. Independent studies on climate change effects predict 15% to 37% of species may face extinction over the same period. The midrange estimate for each scenario is about 25%. Overlap between the 25% of species imperiled by each of these factors is likely, which gives us a midrange predicted extinction rate of around 25% of species by 2050.
Given a conservative estimate of 4 million to 6 million species on Earth today, and incorporating best- and worst-case extinction scenarios, we can estimate how many species will be faced with extinction between 2000 and 2050:
- Midrange estimate: 25% of 5 million species = 1.3 million species, or roughly 1 every 20 minutes.
- Low estimate: 15% of 4 million species = 0.6 million species, or roughly 1 every 44 minutes.
- High estimate: 50% of 6 million species = 3 million species, or roughly 1 every 9 minutes.
The species featured here are not a definitive list, but an example of the variety of species worldwide that are under threat. They include:
Golden-crowned sifaka (Propithecus tattersalli)
Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii)
Philippine eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi)
Lake Titicaca giant frog (Telmatobius culeus)
Red-crowned roof turtle (Kachuga kachuga)
Leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea)
Bastard quiver tree (Aloe pillansii)
African red land crab (Afrithelphusa monodosus)
Giant humphead wrasse (Cheilinus undulatus)
Madagascar baobab (Adansonia grandidieri)
Tiger (Panthera tigris)
Whale shark (Rhincodon typus)
Goliath beetle (Goliathus regius)
1. Baillie et al. 2004. 2004 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: A Global Species Assessment. IUCN, Gland.
2. Tilman et al. 1994. Nature 371: 65–66.
3. Pimm et al.1995. Science 269 (5222): 347–350.
4. Thomas et al. 2004. Nature 427: 145–148.
5. Novotny et al. 2002. Nature 416: 841–844. |
We are back to the Law section. This morning we find ourselves in the last half of chapter 8 of Leviticus. In September we were in chapter 9. In that introduction we said that the Book of Leviticus was written | We are back to the Law section. This morning we find ourselves in the last half of chapter 8 of Leviticus. In September we were in chapter 9. In that introduction we said that the Book of Leviticus was written by Moses. It is part of the Pentateuch or the Law or the Torah which is the first five books of the Bible. For our American culture this book is difficult to understand. There are, however, several great Christian scholars or theologians who consider this the most important book of the Bible.
J. Vernon McGee wrote the following:
“If it were possible for me to get the message of this book into the hearts of all people who are trying to be religious, all cults and “isms” would end. A knowledge of the Book of Leviticus would accomplish that.”
This book is part of the Exodus stage which is covered in four books of the Law. They are Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. The four most important men of this stage are Moses, Aaron, Caleb and Joshua. This Exodus stage covers a period of some 325 years somewhere around 1500 BC.
Some of the events are as follows:
The captivity and deliverance of Israel from Egypt by Moses!
The failure of Israel to enter the Promise Land because of unbelief!
The appearance of the Manna!
The Institute of the Sabbath!
The giving of the Ten Commandments!
The building of the tabernacle!
The aimless wandering in the wilderness.
The sin and death of Moses!
The choice of Joshua as Israel’s new leader!
Dr. H.L. Wilmington made the following interesting comments:
Here we read of a bloody river, a backed up sea, and a bitter brook!
We are told of a golden calf, a talking ass, and a bronze snake!
We see a burning bush in the desert and a bright cloud in the sky!
Here Moses ascends to the pleasures of heaven while Korah descends to the pits of hell!
That’s pretty much the history. When we leave the Book of Exodus, everything is pretty much in place. We have the law, the tabernacle, the furniture, the priests and their garments – in fact – we have everything we need except the operations manual – the franchise if you will. The Operation Manual is the Book of Leviticus – one might call it the Handbook of the Tabernacle.
Obviously we are not going to cover the contents of this great book. The first five chapters cover the various offerings (Burnt, Meal, Peace, Sin, and Trespass). Most Christians who read this book get about as far as the second or third offering and give up on it. I’m no different than anyone else. There are also listed the feasts that required attendance and a myriad of laws. And, in spite of what you may have been told from some pulpits – God never cancelled any of them. If they are written down in the Bible, they still count – maybe not for salvation – but at least for a guideline to life. Through the years well-meaning, but arrogant Rabbis have added many volumes of oral laws to these written down in the Bible. They don’t count and they have made being an Honest-to-God Jew miserable.
This morning we will look at the ordination of the very first Aaronic priests and the kickoff of the tabernacle services. So let’s look at this last half of Chapter 8. |
What is Essential Tremor (ET)?
Essential tremor is a neurological condition that causes rhythmic shaking of the hands, head, voice, and/or legs. This is the most common form of tremor. The tremor with essential trem | What is Essential Tremor (ET)?
Essential tremor is a neurological condition that causes rhythmic shaking of the hands, head, voice, and/or legs. This is the most common form of tremor. The tremor with essential tremor is mostly noticed when doing things and especially when trying to concentrate on a focused task. This is different than the “resting” tremor that is seen in Parkinson’s disease, and this is commonly described as tremor occurring when the body part is at complete rest.
The shaking of essential tremor can sometimes be mild without causing trouble, but when severe it can impair a person’s ability to do simple tasks such as eating, drinking and writing. In some instances the tremor minimally worsens with time, but in others it can increase and impact quality of life and cause considerable disability.
Though there is no cure, when the tremor is problematic there are medications that can be used to help lessen the degree of tremor which is effective for most people. When medications aren’t effective or side effects from medications are significant, there are other treatment possibilities.
Treatment for Essential Tremor
The Ohio State University Medical Center is a leading center for performing deep brain stimulation (DBS) for treatment of essential tremor and other neurological conditions. DBS is considered a treatment when patients with ET have limited or no significant benefit from medications and/or experience side effects from medications. DBS is also known as a brain pacemaker. The implanted device delivers tiny electrical signals that calm abnormal brain signals to alleviate the symptoms of Essential Tremor and improve quality of life.
Why Choose the Center for Neuromodulation at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center?
- Ohio State provides a leading-edge surgical procedure for patients with essential tremor. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is an implanted device that helps to alleviate symptoms and restore function to patients with essential tremor.
- Our DBS team includes physicians from our nationally ranked Neurology and Neurosurgery programs. U.S.News & World Report ranks these programs among the best in the nation. Our team of specialists including neurosurgeons, psychiatrists and psychologists, physical medicine and rehabilitation specialists, as well as our nurses, physician assistants and patient coordinators, work together to ensure best possible patient outcomes.
- In addition, Ohio State is conducting advanced research that will further improve treatment of movement disorders such as ET.
- Our successful DBS program is due, in part, to the strong multidisciplinary teamwork and collaboration among our neurosurgeons, movement disorder neurologists, psychiatrists and psychologists, physical medicine and rehabilitation specialists, as well as our nurses, physician assistants and patient coordinators. This teamwork and our comprehensive evaluations ensure optimal selection of surgical candidates and enable us to make the best choices for patient outcomes.
- Ali Rezai, MD, a world-renowned neurosurgeon and neuromodulation specialist, is the director of the Center for Neuromodulation. Dr. Rezai is an internationally recognized DBS surgeon who has performed more than 1,600 DBS surgeries and thousands more neuromodulation procedures. Dr. Rezai and his work have been highlighted on the popular CBS news program "60 Minutes" and the PBS series "Wired Science." |
Press Release 11-126
New Report Offers Roadmap for Success in K-12 STEM Education
With funding from the National Science Foundation, the National Research Council reports on effective approaches in teaching science, technology, engineering and mathematics
Recommendations | Press Release 11-126
New Report Offers Roadmap for Success in K-12 STEM Education
With funding from the National Science Foundation, the National Research Council reports on effective approaches in teaching science, technology, engineering and mathematics
Recommendations include devoting adequate instructional time and resources for K-5th grade science.
Credit and Larger Version
June 23, 2011
From educators to leaders in industry, there is broad agreement that U.S. schools have a crucial challenge in improving teaching and learning in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) among students from kindergarten through high school. A background in STEM is not only essential to many current and future careers; it is also a means for citizens to understand and participate in an increasingly complex world--from understanding the challenges of environmental sustainability to addressing the need for alternative sources of energy.
The NRC report, "Successful K-12 STEM Education," is a response to a request from a member of Congress, Rep. Frank Wolf, to identify the characteristics of highly successful K-12 schools and programs in STEM. The report was prepared by a committee of educators led by Adam Gamoran of the Department of Sociology and Wisconsin Center for Education Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The committee's work included examining existing research and research in progress on STEM-focused schools, as well as a broader base of research related to effective STEM education practices and effective schooling in general. The committee also conducted a public workshop to explore criteria for identifying highly successful K-12 schools and programs in the area of STEM education through examination of a select set of examples.
The report offers two sets of recommendations, geared for schools and districts, and for state and national policy-makers. They are summarized as follows.
Districts seeking to improve STEM outcomes should:
- Consider the adoption of STEM-focused schools. The report identifies three models for such schools: selective STEM Schools for academically talented students, who need to apply for admission; inclusive STEM high schools, often referred to as "magnet schools;" and schools and programs with STEM-focused career and technical education.
- Devote adequate instructional time and resources to science in grades K-5.
- Ensure that their STEM curricula are focused on the most important topics in each discipline, are rigorous, and are articulated as a sequence of topics and performances.
- Enhance the capacity of K-12 teachers.
- Provide instructional leaders with professional development that helps them create the school conditions that appear to support student achievement.
Educational organizations and policy makers at the state and national levels should:
- Elevate science to the same level of importance as reading and mathematics.
- Develop effective systems of assessment that are aligned with the next generation of science standards and that emphasize science practices rather than mere factual recall.
- Invest in a coherent, focused, and sustained set of support for STEM teachers.
- Support key areas for future research.
"NSF appreciates Chairman Wolf's deep interest in improving K-12 STEM education," said Subra Suresh, NSF director. "This report, developed at Rep. Wolf's request, is a resource that will be very useful to all involved in STEM education--from policy makers to teachers to education researchers. The report's findings will be shared with these groups in the months ahead and will guide future research in the field."
"The National Research Council, through leading education researchers, has done a thorough job of identifying evidence-based directions for successful K-12 STEM education," said Joan Ferrini-Mundy, NSF assistant director for Education and Human Resources. "This report will guide a numb |
This task applied integrated earth and health science characterization methods to examine how the mineralogical and geochemical properties of earth materials from diverse sources may influence their potential toxicity. An important focus was on asbestiform minerals, acicular crystals, and ac | This task applied integrated earth and health science characterization methods to examine how the mineralogical and geochemical properties of earth materials from diverse sources may influence their potential toxicity. An important focus was on asbestiform minerals, acicular crystals, and acicular cleavage fragments of silicate minerals. However, other earth materials were also studied such as mine wastes, mineral processing wastes, a variety of soils, dusts from dry lake beds, volcanic ash, coal fly ash, coal dust, and wildfire ash. This work was carried out in close cooperation with toxicologists, epidemiologists, and molecular biologists. The ultimate goal of this task was to provide mineralogical and geochemical insights into the mechanisms by which minerals may trigger disease.
Task activities focused on several areas:
Development of geochemical leach methods that measure the solubility and reactivity of specific earth material constituents (such as asbestos fibers, acicular cleavage fragments, cement dusts, etc.) in simulated human lung and gastrointestinal fluids.
Application of chemical reaction path modeling to interpret the results of the geochemical leach test methods, and to model general mineral-fluid reactions in the body.
Comparison of the compositions, mineralogical properties, geochemical reactivities, and toxicological effects of earth materials from diverse sources.
Provide external collaborators with samples of well-characterized earth materials, of which they will measure the toxicological effects using a variety of in vitro toxicity tests. Our ongoing studies have utilized lung epithelial cell lines to model effects of inhalation exposure, but we are investigating other types of in vitro tests that might be used to simulate toxicity via other exposure pathways such as ingestion.
Pursue longer-term collaborative studies with toxicologists to provide them with well-characterized earth materials for use in in vivo inhalation or ingestion toxicity and uptake tests. Such in vivo tests are generally thought to provide clearer indications of the potential toxicity of substances than in vitro toxicity tests, but are not as commonly used due to their high costs.
Pursue collaborative studies with health scientists who are doing biomonitoring and exposure assessment studies. USGS would provide characterization studies of the materials to which humans were exposed, which could be used to help interpret the results of ongoing biomonitoring studies. |
Al-Juwayni rose to great prominence as a theologian in the Islamic world, and his theoretical discussions of philosophical issues played a significant role in the development of Islamic philosophy. He provided a stout defence of the Ash'arite theory that | Al-Juwayni rose to great prominence as a theologian in the Islamic world, and his theoretical discussions of philosophical issues played a significant role in the development of Islamic philosophy. He provided a stout defence of the Ash'arite theory that emphasizes the power of God and the insignificance of human beings. His work on the meaning of scriptural texts provided Muslims with a sophisticated and productive series of concepts with which to discuss issues of interpretation.
Born in Juwayn in Persia, al-Juwayni spent his life defending the principles of Ash'arism (see Ash'ariyya and Mu'tazila). By the time of his death he was widely known as the Imam al-Haramayn, the imam of the two great mosques of Mecca and Medina. This gives some indication of the influence of his thinking in the Islamic world. He worked in an interesting time of transition between the original Ash'arite kalam (theology) (see Islamic theology) and the more radical developments which were to be undertaken by al-Ghazali.
Al-Juwayni argued that there are some forms of knowledge which are available to contingent beings such as ourselves, yet this knowledge is itself irretrievably contingent and should be distinguished from the sort of knowledge which God has. Although God is not a body and is neither a spatial nor temporal being, it is nonetheless possible for him to be seen, in the next life, through beatific vision. God is completely free, acting for no reason other than that which he gives himself. There is nothing necessary about causality, and the possibility of miracles is based upon the fact that there is nothing fixed about nature. God is not only the creator of the universe in the sense of being the first cause, but he is also the agent who is the cause of its continuous existence. The existence of the world at every moment depends upon God's will. God is the sole creator, and even our actions do not really originate with us but are acquired from God.
The route to an understanding of the Qur'an is through a thorough grounding in the Arabic language. Al-Juwayni distinguishes between different kinds of text. Some texts are obvious and clear, some are accurate, some are concealed and yet others are obscure. Texts which are clear do not change their sense, whatever context they appear in. Those which are accurate have a sense which is clearly linked to a particular state of affairs which the text describes, and present no difficulties. Concealed texts have two sorts of meaning, one which requires interpretation by a prophet and his followers, or one which is capable of explanation by a body of readers who really understand the difficulties of what is before them. Obscure texts require ta'wil or analogical interpretation, in accordance with which the correct meaning will be carefully extended from the actual forms of words which are used. This form of interpretation should only be used as a last resort, and it is replete with dangers in that it can lead to a loose and undisciplined approach to understanding the meaning of scripture. Al-Juwayni presents in his work a highly organized system of hermeneutics designed to make scripture accessible and yet also restricted within particular theological boundaries.
Al-Juwayni was a staunch defender of the Ash'arite view of the basis of value judgments, which is entirely scriptural. What is good is what is said to be good in scripture, and what is bad is what |
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Babe Ruth steps to the plate and causally points to the left centerfield to indicate the location of his next home run. The mightyBabe holds his bat across his | 0 pts endedThis question is
closed. No points were awarded.
Babe Ruth steps to the plate and causally points to the left centerfield to indicate the location of his next home run. The mightyBabe holds his bat across his
shoulder, with one hand holding thesmall end of the bat. The bat is horizontal and the distance fromthe small end of the bat to the shoulder is 22.5cm. If the bat
hasa mass of 1.10kg and has a center of mass that is 67.0cm fromthe small end of the bat, find the magnitude and direction of theforce exerted by
a) the hand andb) the shoulder |
Sounds of Silence Just as a dog or bat hears whistles pitched too high for
the human ear, elephants can produce and perceive rumbles
that drop below the range of human hearing. These
infrasounds pass easily over long distances | Sounds of Silence Just as a dog or bat hears whistles pitched too high for
the human ear, elephants can produce and perceive rumbles
that drop below the range of human hearing. These
infrasounds pass easily over long distances and allow
elephants to broadcast information about their movements,
their search for mates and their alarm over impending
dangers by booming out calls that sound like silence to us.
[ Full Article ] |
|History of the Swiss flag|
Home > Tourist Guide > Table of contents > Swiss culture > Swiss flag > History
This text is reproduced by permission of http://www.atlasgeo.chWhile Swiss independence and democracy traditionally dates from 129 | |History of the Swiss flag|
Home > Tourist Guide > Table of contents > Swiss culture > Swiss flag > History
This text is reproduced by permission of http://www.atlasgeo.chWhile Swiss independence and democracy traditionally dates from 1291, people are often surprised to learn that the national flag in its current form dates only from 1889. Modern variations of the flag can be said to go back to 1815, and the original Confederate white cross on a red field dates from the 15th century. Its inspiration perhaps goes back to the 4th century.
Some have postulated that the Swiss flag owes its origin to the vexillum of the Theban Legion of the ancient Roman empire, but any such connection is pretty tenuous. In 302 Mauritius and his Christian legionnaires were executed in Valais for refusing to sacrifice to the Emperor and suppress the local Christians. Long after his death St. Maurice was granted arms of a white cross bottony on a red field (symbolising the shed blood of the legion's martyrs), and the arms of his namesake city (whose monastery was founded in 515) consist of the same cross on a field per pale azure and gules. The arms of Sts. Victor and Ursus, patron saints of Geneva and Solothurn and officers of the Theban Legion, also feature the white cross bottony. (Medieval iconography sometimes depicts St. Maurice's flag and arms as a red cross on a white field, very similar to St. George's.)
Most of the Swiss cantons first earned sovereignty within the Holy Roman Empire, and were granted their banners by the Emperor. Later they banded together in a Confederation which grew from three members in 1291 to thirteen in 1513. By the Peace of Basel in 1499 ending the Swabian War, the Swiss threw off the last vestiges of imperial obligations, and their full independence was recognised in 1648 by the Treaty of Westphalia ending the Thirty Years' War (a war in which the Swiss actually had no part).
The Holy Ro |
Your Montana Public Radio
Fri June 7, 2013
Why it's hard to buy local when it comes to chickens
“Pastured Poultry” is a method of raising chickens or turkeys by giving them free range over the | Your Montana Public Radio
Fri June 7, 2013
Why it's hard to buy local when it comes to chickens
“Pastured Poultry” is a method of raising chickens or turkeys by giving them free range over the ground and the most natural life possible. Agriculture Economist Jeff Schahczenski with the National Center for Appropriate Technology, NCAT, said it’s a method gaining interest across the country.
“The idea is to get them outside, in the air there. It changes the quality, we think, of the meat, and possibly the nutritional value of the meat. It lends itself to the animal being healthier and happier – to a certain extent, although they all end up in the pot,” Schahczenski said
NCAT teamed up with several other organizations to offer workshops on pastured poultry in Great Falls, Bozeman, down in the Bitteroot Valley, and in Ronan in the Mission Valley. Director Jan Tusick for the Mission Mountain Food Enterprise Center said her organization focuses on economic development for the agriculture sector. The Center helps food and agriculture clients navigate regulatory issues; works with food cooperatives, coordinates farm-to-school programs, and offers a certified kitchen to prep fruits and vegetables.
Tusick said challenges to raising chickens in Montana include having an available processing facility, costs to small scale farmers, and confusion about the rules and regulations guiding the industry.
“There’s a high demand for local poultry, but there are several barriers. One is, we talked about regulations, feed cost was another barrier, labor costs for doing on-farm processing of birds, doing the labor was an issue,” Tusick said.
A Hutterite colony in Montana that sells whole chickens has its own packaging plant, and Tusick said the Center used to have access to a mobile processing machine which is now out of service.
Another challenge of raising chickens in Montana is handling predators, like grizzly bears.
Part of the workshop discusses electric fencing, and cost share programs available through Defenders of Wildlife to electrify and to build safe coops. Tusick said right now the regulatory set up makes it difficult to sell chickens on the small scale. She said these workshops give the chance to explore the interest that exists in raising pastured chickens for sale, and the next steps that need to be taken to make that an reality in the state. |
What is Mate?
The History of Mate
» The Guaraní People and Caá-ete (True Yerba Mate)
» The Spanish Conquistadors and the Jesuits
» Bonpland and Ilex Paraguariensis
| What is Mate?
The History of Mate
» The Guaraní People and Caá-ete (True Yerba Mate)
» The Spanish Conquistadors and the Jesuits
» Bonpland and Ilex Paraguariensis
» Yerba Mate in the Twentieth Century
» Yerba Mate Cultivation Today
» Mate: A Good Habit
Enjoyment of mate (pronounced MAH-teh) dates back to the beginnings of the culture of the Guaraní people of Paraguay, northeastern Argentina and southern Brazil. It was a staple of this people, who consumed it as a drink, sipping it from a hollowed gourd through a reed straw. They also chewed the plant (called yerba mate) during long treks. In the Guaraní culture, mate played a social role beyond that of a mere beverage; it was present in cults and rituals, and yerba mate served as currency when trading with other Pre-Columbian peoples. The Inca, the Charrúa and the Araucano of the pampas all received yerba mate in trade from the Guaraní. In the Guaraní language (also called Guaraní) caá means “herb,” but also “plant” and “forest.” For the Guaraní, the yerba mate tree is the greatest of trees, a gift of the gods. To drink the sap of its leaves was to imbibe the very essence of the forest.
The Conquistadors learned about yerba mate and its virtues from the Guaraní, and they spread the practice of its consumption enormously, developing an intense trade in yerba mate beyond the area from which it came, throughout the entire Viceroyalty of Río de la Plata. Later, the Jesuits introduced the tree’s cultivation in some settlements. Jesuit missions were distributed throughout the present-day Argentine provinces of Misiones and northern Corrientes, as well as in southern Paraguay and southwestern Brazil in order to shorten distances between places where yerba was grown and where it was processed. The Jesuits had discovered the mysterious secret to growing yerba mate, learning that the plant’s seeds only germinated after having passed through the digestive systems of toucans. This secret was lost when they were expelled in 1769, however, which meant the end of the tradition of yerba mate cultivation and the abandonment of plantations. The Jesuits preferred taking mate as a tea rather than from a hollowed gourd with a reed straw. They were so instrumental in making mate tea known throughout the civilized world that it came to be known as “Jesuit’s Tea.”
More than half a century later, the famous French naturalist Aimé Bonpland began the first scientific studies of yerba mate, its cultivation and its uses. In 1819 in Paris, the botanist Saint-Hilaire classified the plant as Ilex Paraguariensis. Bonpland rediscovered the secret of germinating the seeds, but this disappeared again upon his death. Not until 1903 in Santa Ana in the province of Misiones, was it learned again that yerba mate seeds only germinated when they had passed through the digestive systems of certain birds. It was then that the first modern yerba mate plantation was established. Until then and for many years afterwards, yerba mate came only from wild trees in the forest. These grow in very dense thickets, called islands. Crude exploitation of the trees—felled trees were a commodity for centuries—caused the decimation of a resource once thought to be infinite. Only through controlled plantations was yerba mate cultivation to reclaim its place in history.
During the early years of the twentieth century, the major yerba mate processing centers of Argentina were born. They were established in ports to the south: Rosario and Buenos Aires. Wild yerba mate continued to be harvested mainly in the natural woodlands of Brazil and Paraguay and was transported on the Paraná River. In the 1920s, when the settling of the province of Misiones began, the Argentine government granted land parcels to European colonists under the condition that they be partially planted with yerba mate. When these plantations began to produce, processing centers in Rosario and Buenos Aires refused to buy yerba mate from them, since they could continue to obtain it from the wilds in Paraguay and Brazil. So yerba mate producers could not sell their harvests, a situation which quickly caused a crisis and resulted in the first instance of state intervention. In 1936, Argentine law created the “Yerba Mate Regulating Commission” and the “National Roasted Yerba Mate Consigning Market,” prohibiting any new yerba mate plantations and establishing production quotas. This undermined incentive for expanding yerba mate plantations, and until 1966 the yerba mate centers of Buenos Aires and Rosario continued importing from Paraguay and Brazil. The Yerba Mate Regulating Commission was discontinued in 1989, but no mechanism was created to help growers continue working without state assistance, thus suddenly exposing them to the forces of |
Who should not take aspirin?
While a daily low dose of aspirin is safe for many people, for some people it is not, and some may have a higher risk of stomach irritation than others. For these reasons, everyone should check with | Who should not take aspirin?
While a daily low dose of aspirin is safe for many people, for some people it is not, and some may have a higher risk of stomach irritation than others. For these reasons, everyone should check with his doctor before starting daily aspirin use.
The more aspirin you take, the higher your risk of stomach ulceration or bleeding. That’s why it’s important to be aware of aspirin as an ingredient in combination medicines, so you can accurately assess your daily intake. Other NSAIDs can also cause gastrointestinal bleeding, so if you take other NSAIDs as well as aspirin, your risk of bleeding increases.
Drinking alcohol also raises the risk of stomach irritation and bleeding, so if you have a history of alcoholism or drink more than three servings of alcohol daily, your health-care provider may advise against daily aspirin use.
Your risk of stomach irritation and bleeding is also higher if you have a history of gastroesphageal reflux disease (GERD) or stomach ulcers, take steroids such as prednisone, smoke, or are over 60 years old. You may still be able to take aspirin, but your doctor may advise you to also take a drug called a proton-pump inhibitor to decrease the amount of acid in your stomach.
Aspirin is generally not recommended if you have gout.
Aspirin and other NSAIDs are not recommended if you |
Michael EdwardsGPC/Pre-sessional Lecture 2008
In Our Time - Architecture and power
Melvyn BraggThe role which architecture has played in our public life throughout history, whether in homage to an individual or as a monument to | Michael EdwardsGPC/Pre-sessional Lecture 2008
In Our Time - Architecture and power
Melvyn BraggThe role which architecture has played in our public life throughout history, whether in homage to an individual or as a monument to an institution or ideology, has always been a potent symbol of wealth, status and power. From castles to cathedrals, from the pyramids to Canary Wharf, architecture has always served to glorify in some way the animating ideal of the time. Why is architecture such a powerful form of expression? Have architects concerned themselves mainly with the masses, or restricted their designs to the demands and aspirations of the elite? What can a country’s buildings tell us about its ideas of its own past and present identity?
In Our Time - The Great Fire Of London
Melvyn BraggThe Great Fire of London was a conflagration of unimaginable proportions – up to a third of the city was destroyed – but the burning of London, the interpretation of the fire and the arguments and ideas about what should be rebuilt give an insight into a city and a period that housed the Royal Society and the restored Stuart monarchy, a place of religious anxiety and fear of foreign invasion in a country still haunted by the Civil War.
Discover Britain's Historic Houses - Yorkshire
Simon Jenkins, 2005Yorkshire covers a vast area and its varied landscapes, towns and cities hold many treasures to be discovered. In this book, 92 of the most impressive, interesting or unusual dwellings - from Castle Howard and magnificent Harewood to Wilberforce House in Hull and the Brontë parsonage at Haworth |
Visiting a user’s environment is a practice that many UX professionals try to integrate into the user centered design process. Traditionally, ethnographic research projects can take a considerable investment of time and resources. By conducting the research remotely, however, you | Visiting a user’s environment is a practice that many UX professionals try to integrate into the user centered design process. Traditionally, ethnographic research projects can take a considerable investment of time and resources. By conducting the research remotely, however, you can work around the barriers of travel and recruiting, making it a little easier to pull off.
The terms “remote” and “site visit” often would be considered contradicting things, but they do not have to be. So how can you visit a person’s environment without physically being there? Here are a few tips to help you modify your existing field research method into a remote one.
Tip #1: Figure your tools out first.
Your study format will be dependent on what tools you have available. Make sure you have this squared away as soon as possible. We have found that a web meeting with screen sharing capabilities works very well for people who are sitting at desks. If the person is moving around, a webcam might work. Consider that you may need people to have tools available on their end as well.
Tip #2: Give the person some prep work.
Making sure the participant understands what you want to learn before you visit them is critical. Since you will be remote, you are going to need to rely on them to share their environment with you. What you have them prepare will depend on your area of focus. Some ideas that might work:
- Photo & video assignments: Have the person take pictures or videos of their workspace, themselves, coworkers, and any other relevant area of interest. With the prevalence of smartphones, this is usually a pretty easy task to assign a user. Instruct them upload the photos to their computer to review when you meet or have them send you the files beforehand.
- Set aside work to perform during the visit: You can ask the person to save some work to be done on their computer while you watch them using screen sharing.
- Reenact a scenario: Have the person brainstorm some recent problems or a scenario of interest. Instruct them to gather all the examples they will need to re-tell the story to you start to finish. Encourage them to gather artifacts like screenshots, photos, and emails.
- Gather examples for a show-n-tell: Ask for examples of artifacts that they can share with you. One drawback to this approach is that sometimes you don’t know what to ask for.
Tip #3: Have a quick chat with each person before your visit.
Briefly speak to the person on the phone before your scheduled visit to explain the goals of the exercise and instruct them on how to prepare. It also gives you a chance to get a sense of who they are. This will help you understand them more easily during the actual visit.
Tip #4: Make sure the person is in the right location.
Try to have your participant be in the physical location that you want to learn more about. Be extra clear about where and how you want to conduct the visit remotely. It should be as if you were really visiting in-person even though you are remote.
Tip #5: Build in extra time to get to know the person’s environment.
Leave a considerable amount of time in the beginning of your remote visit to have the person describe their environment. If the person completed a photo assignment, review the images with them using screen sharing. If you are using a webcam, get a live tour. If no visual aids are possible, ask the person to describe in detail what they see around them. Make sure to leave no stone unturned. There will always be unexpected clues that will help reveal more about that person and their location.
Try it out and see: Although nothing can replace actually being in a person’s work environment, hopefully with these tips you can set up your research to come pretty close. Note that you still need some sort of field research plan to begin with, these are just tips on the logistics.
Remote research can open doors to new types of people and environments that were once closed due to travel restrictions and recruiting obstacles. It also makes things a little easier visiting people and never having to leave the office! |
Cumberland County, Tennessee Facts
Cumberland County Facts
- Government Website: www.cumberlandcountytn.gov
- Created Date / Origin: 1856 from Roane County, Overton County, White County, Bledsoe County | Cumberland County, Tennessee Facts
Cumberland County Facts
- Government Website: www.cumberlandcountytn.gov
- Created Date / Origin: 1856 from Roane County, Overton County, White County, Bledsoe County, Morgan County, Rhea County, Fentress County and Putnam County
- County Seat: Crossville
- Named After: The Cumberland Mountains.
- Bordering Counties: Fentress County (north), Morgan County (northeast), Roane County (east), Rhea County (southeast), Bledsoe County (south), Van Buren County (southwest), White County (west) and Putnam County (northwest)
- Cities & towns include: Crab Orchard, Crossville, Fairfield Glade, Lake Tansi, Pleasant Hill
Cumberland County Societies and Family History Resources
A list of Cumberland County Historical and Genealogical Societies, Forums, Message Boards, Libraries, Archives.
Cumberland County Courthouse and Government Records
Genealogist frequently overlook the value of County court, probate, and land files as a useful resource of genealogical details. Buried away in Tennessee courthouses and archives everywhere could be the dreams and worries of many Tennessee residents.
The chances are great that your particular ancestors and forefathers have left a in-depth record of at least quite a few factors of their lives in the County court records. Even if your forebears is not referred to in a Court case, consider all of the other procedures which often can have lead to her or him appearing in court records.
Please get in touch with the clerk's office to affirm hours, mailing address, fees and other specifics before visiting or requesting information because of in some cases changing contact details. The Department Offices DO NOT DO RESEARCH. The records are |
A few months ago I attended a talk by Professor Colin Groves of the Australian National University: ‘An update on Homo floresiensis, a.k.a. the “Hobbit”’ (available on YouTube in seven installments: | A few months ago I attended a talk by Professor Colin Groves of the Australian National University: ‘An update on Homo floresiensis, a.k.a. the “Hobbit”’ (available on YouTube in seven installments: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7). As is well known, there has been an unusually bitter scientific debate over the last couple of years as to whether the hobbit is indeed a new species, or just a small microcephalic human. The term ‘microcephaly’ covers a range of conditions which cause unusually small brain sizes. (Disclaimer: Groves is not a disinterested participant in this debate, having coauthored a paper which argues against the microcephalic interpretation.) Groves went over a long list of unusual features of the hobbit. The limb bone ratios are unlike those of any apes or humans. They are also very robust: in spite of their small size, hobbits would have been remarkably strong. The arms are too long for humans, and they had unusually large feet (like Tolkien’s hobbits!). The lower jaw lacks a chin, a feature found in all humans (even people who look chinless), and that is also true of a second jaw which has been found. The upper end of the humerus has a twist not found in modern humans, but which was then found in the Turkana Boy Homo erectus/ergaster skeleton once it was looked for. Groves’ conclusion: all of these features make it overwhelmingly unlikely that the hobbit was just a small microcephalic human.
In the question time afterwards, I asked Groves whether the scientific community was coming to any consensus about the hobbit.
The reply was unequivocal: although the debate is very heated, the microcephalic interpretation is supported only by a small number of scientists, and rejected by an overwhelming majority. At a recent conference, Colin was able to talk to a number of prominent paleoanthropologists. All were under no doubt that the hobbit is a new species. And, during one of the talks, when a reference was made to the microcephalic interpretation, a ripple of amusement went through the audience. Creationist Marvin Lubenow, in a new article “Hobbits” were true humans! claims that
In contrast to the discoverers’ claim that these fossils represent a new human species, a second theory gaining popularity is that these fossils do not represent a new human species but instead were dwarfs or pigmies possibly suffering from microcephaly, having abnormally small bodies and brains.
but this would appear to be wishful thinking. The microcephaly supporters may be making a lot of noise, but not many converts.
By the way, Mike Morwood, one of the discoverers of the hobbit, was present at the talk and I met him very briefly. He had just coauthored a new book, The Discovery of the Hobbit, available in Australia. It has now been published in hardcover in the USA in May 2007 under the title A New Human. A must-read for anyone wanting to know more about one of the hottest paleoanthropological discoveries ever. |
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