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The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty - five years on Today marks the fifth anniversary of the opening for signature of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). The Treaty bans all nuclear test explosions in any environment. To date, 161 States have signed the Treaty, and 81 have ratified it. 16 of these ratifications have taken place since the fourth anniversary. The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty must be ratified by 44 named States before it can enter into force. These States, listed in Annex 2 to the Treaty, all participated in the 1996 session of the Conference on Disarmament and are listed in the International Atomic Energy Agency’s April 1996 edition of "Nuclear Power Reactors in the World" or the December 1995 edition of IAEA’s "Nuclear Research Reactors of the World". 41 of these 44 States signed the Treaty in 1996, displaying a remarkable global consensus on its importance. To date, 31 have ratified it. The five years since the opening for signature of the Treaty have seen many achievements. The Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty was established on 19 November 1996, and its Provisional Technical Secretariat began work in Vienna on 17 March 1997 under Executive Secretary Wolfgang Hoffmann. The Commission is responsible for the necessary preparations of the effective implementation of the Treaty and the first session of the Conference of the States Parties to the Treaty, upon entry into force. The Provisional Technical Secretariat of the Preparatory Commission also provides regular workshops and training opportunities to Member State nationals. Tasked with the establishment of a global verification regime to monitor Treaty compliance, the Preparatory Commission focuses its activities on the establishment of 337 monitoring facilities around the world. The data collected by this International Monitoring System (IMS) is analysed in the International Data Centre, and will be used by States to monitor Treaty adherence and, if necessary, to reach a decision as to whether or not the Treaty has been contravened. The verification regime also provides for a consultation and clarification process, on-site inspections and confidence-building measures. The monitoring stations, located evenly around the globe, are often in distant and hard-to-reach places, posing considerable engineering challenges in their establishment. Some monitoring facilities must endure extreme temperatures, others are so remote that they must be self-reliant for power. In some cases, access itself is a major problem. Despite these challenges, progress in establishing the facilities has been good. Five years after the Treaty was opened for signature, site surveys are almost complete, and installation finalized at some 105 stations. Seismic, hydroacoustic, infrasound and radionuclide data from about 100 stations flow to the International Data Centre (IDC), and new software is proving steadily more accurate in pinpointing the location of events which produce such data. The verification data already available to States Signatories, both in ‘raw’ and processed forms, are a valuable scientific resource. Five years after opening for signature, the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty has the firm support of the international community, and is recognized as playing an important role in nuclear disarmament and in preventing the proliferation of nuclear weapons. By signing and ratifying the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, States become part of a global community committed to ensuring that the world is a safer and more secure place. The 81 States that have deposited their instruments of ratification of the CTBT are: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Benin, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, El Salvador, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Germany, Greece, Grenada, Guyana, Holy See, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kiribati, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Lesotho, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mexico, Micronesia (Federated States of), Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Namibia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russian Federation, Saint Lucia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Uruguay and Uzbekistan. The 161 States that have signed the Treaty are: Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Canada, Cape Verde, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Holy See, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Latvia, Lesotho, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mexico, Micronesia (Federated States of), Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, Saint Lucia, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Thailand, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, United States of America, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Yugoslavia, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

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The process of tequila begins when a blue agave plant is ripe, usually 8 to 12 years after it is planted. Leaves are chopped away from its core by a "jimador" who assesses the plants ripeness. Pinas are hauled to the distillery where they are cut in half or chopped and put to roast. Starches turn to sugar as the pinas are roasted in furnaces called "homos". Modern distilleries use huge steam ovens to increase output and save on energy. Roughly speaking, seven kilos (15lb. ) of agave pina are needed to produce one liter (one quart U.S.) of tequila. The roasted pinas are then shredded, their juices pressed out and placed in fermenting tanks or vats. Some distilleries use the traditional method to produce tequila. In this method Eartesian tequila Ethe cores are crushed with a stone wheel at a grinding mill called "tahona" and the fibers are dumped into the wooden vat to enhance fermentation and to provide extra flavor. One the juices are in the vats yeast is added. Every distiller keeps its own yeast as a closely guarded secret. During fermentation, the yeast acts upon the sugars of the agave plant converting them into alcohol. Juices ferment for 30 to 48 hours then they are distilled twice in traditional copper stills or more modern ones made of stainless steel or in continuous distillation towers. The first distillation produces a low-grade alcohol and the second a fiery colorless liquid that is later blended before being bottled. Alcohol content may be between 70 and 110 Proof. At this moment the liquor is no longer mezcal but tequila. The tequila's color comes from being aged in wood. The wood also imparts subtle flavors and aromatic overtones that enhance the character of the Tequila.

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By Jocelyn Maggard ContributorThe Bishop’s School kicked off its first Hispanic Heritage Month celebration with keynote speaker Chris Tenorio, who asked the audience “How many of you have had a birthday party with a piñata? ” When an overwhelming majority of the audience raised a hand, Tenorio, a parent of a Bishop’s student and federal prosecutor with the U.S. Department of Justice, had made the point of his presentation that Hispanic cultural influences are everywhere. “We need to stand back sometimes and see there are these influences everyday in our lives, said Tenorio. “We live in a country where the sell of salsa has surpassed the sale of ketchup. ” Tenorio said the idea sparking his presentation came when another student told his daughter Gabby, that she didn’t look Latina. He felt it was important to teach the students what it means to be from the Latino culture but also reminded them that despite culture and ethnicity, everyone is an American. “It’s important to identify with those with similar backgrounds and it’s also important to show others how we have influenced our own culture here in the United States, said Tenorio.” Shakira Trejo an eighth-grade student of Mexican heritage, said she “liked the PowerPoint because it taught that Latin culture is all around us, and I don’t’ think many kids know about this. ” Last spring, students, parents, and faculty formed a planning committee “to affirm Latina/o identities on national, state, local and community levels,” according to a statement from the school. Through Oct. 15, three guest lecturers will visit the school to share what it means to be Latin American in both their professional and personal lives. Christen Tedrow-Harrison, an English teacher at Bishop’s believes in teaching diversity in the classroom. “Our students deserve the opportunity to encounter works by authors from racial, ethnic, gender, sexual orientation, and class backgrounds that are different from their own, or works that highlight narratives about individuals that reflect differences in social and cultural identifiers. This type of education challenges our perceptions and behaviors. It allows students, educators, and the larger community to wade in the waters of difference, and hopefully, embrace those opportunities to lean into discomfort and reflect,” she says. Tedrow-Harrison teaches “House on Mango Street,” written by Mexican American author Sandra Cisneros. The story chronicles a young girl’s coming of age story growing up in a poor, Puerto Rican neighborhood in Chicago. Tedrow-Harrison says it is a favorite among her students. Currently Bishop’s also offers a course on Latina(o) literature and another called the Art of Protest, which Tedrow-Harrison says “incorporates a multicultural perspective. ” The city of San Diego acknowledged the school’s first Hispanic Heritage Month and San Diego City Council member Todd Gloria of District 3 gave a proclamation on behalf of the city. “We are going to become a very, very multi-ethnic democracy, and we have to set you (students) up for success in that wonderful community,” said Gloria. Julieta Torres-Worstell, a Spanish teacher, said the celebration showcases why they teach Spanish. “It makes learning Spanish meaningful. ” Besides a cultural learning experience, the students got an added bonus of filling up on mole poblana, frijoles negros (black beans) and handmade corn tortillas at lunch and watching a local Samba group in elaborate sequined gold and purple costumes perform the traditional Brazilian dance.

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Today we had a talkshow at KLCBS about the upcoming ProCodeCG Half-day Kids Coding Camp 🙂 The registration is still open, you may send your kids to more than one topics (Games Development, Cryptography, Virus-Antivirus). Games Development topic will introduce kids to programming using games. They will learn different tools and languages to create games. And at the end they will be able to create their own games. Cryptography topic will give awareness about security of data to kids. They will learn how to protect their data with encryption. Later their problem solving skills will be improved by learning how to decrypt their encrypted data. Virus-Antivirus topic will provide the kids with knowledge about malware threats. They will learn about different kind of virus, the level of dangers and how to prevent the threat. They will learn to create simple and less harmful virus to see how it works. They will also be taught on how to create antivirus to the virus they created. Each topic will be in 3 days, from 9am to 2pm. Kids will learn from beginner to advanced level on each topic. Don’t worry if your kids are beginners because we will start from the beginning for each topic! Age doesn’t matter too, we have several Captains on different ages to make sure your kids keep up with the class. Each kid is expected to bring a laptop and a table. We will provide internet connection, snack, lunch, souvenirs and certificate. And course materials 🙂

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Boil Water Notice Issued CITY OF BRANDON Boil Water Alert for Rankin County, Mississippi Water System: City of Brandon – PWS ID#: 610003 Effective Date: November 4, 2019 Local officials have issued a precautionary Boil Water Alert for customers who get their drinking water from the CITY OF BRANDON located in RANKIN COUNTY, MS. Charles Smith, spokesperson for the water system, stated this precautionary action was necessary, because the system lost pressure due to a water main break. This affects approximately 45 customers located along Morrow Street, Orr Drive, and Hill Circle When a water distribution system loses pressure, contaminants can siphon back into the system. Public health officials consider any system that has lost pressure contaminated until tests of the water prove otherwise. As soon as pressure is restored to those customers affected, water system officials will begin collecting water samples for testing and recommend that consumers vigorously boil water for one minute before it is consumed or use an alternate source for drinking/cooking. Users will be notified when tests indicate the water is safe to drink. CHECKLIST FOR SAFE WATER USE Do not drink tap water while the water system is under boil water advisory. Do not drink from water fountains in parks or public/private buildings that receive water from the system. Do not use ice made from water today. Freezing will not necessarily kill harmful bacteria. Do not use tap water to make drinks, juices or fountain soft drinks. Do not use tap water to make tea or coffee unless the brewing process brings the water to a boil for at least one minute. Wash your dishes in boiled water or use paper plates for the next few days. Wash your fruits and vegetables with boiled or bottled water since they may have been exposed to affected water from grocery store sprayers. Wash your hands and bathe as usual. Bathing is safe as long as no water is swallowed. Brush your teeth with boiled or bottled water. Cook with tap water if the food will be boiled for at least one minute. Properly chlorinated water in swimming pools is safe. Fish in aquariums are not affected. Bringing water to a rolling boil for one minute will destroy all major types of harmful bacteria. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PLEASE CALL THE CITY OF BRANDON PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT AT (601) 824-4579.

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Delaware Gov. Jack Markell signed a formal resolution Wednesday apologizing for the state’s role in perpetuating slavery. “Delaware today is impacted by the lasting legacy of slavery, including ongoing tension between races and the existence of institutional racism,” states the resolution. “It is important for Delaware to make a formal apology for slavery and Jim Crow, so that it can move forward and seek reconciliation, justice, and harmony for all of its citizens. " Delaware was one of the last states to abolish slavery, followed only by Kentucky and Mississippi, though it did not secede. The state becomes the ninth to issue a formal apology for slavery; Virginia was the first state in 2007 to acknowledge “with profound regret” the enslavement of Africans, followed by Maryland, North Carolina, and Alabama that same year. New Jersey and Florida followed in 2008 and Tennessee and Connecticut in 2009. Both the U.S. House and Senate passed bills apologizing for slavery in 2008 and 2009, respectively, but failed to become laws. Delaware's General Assembly passed the legislation in January as an important step toward addressing the state’s continued racial inequalities, the Christian Science Monitor reported. “It’s essential that we publicly and candidly and wholly recognize the everlasting damage of those sins,” Governor Markell told parishioners at the Bethel American Methodist Episcopal Church on the 150th anniversary of the abolition of slavery, “damage that reverberates to this day in a country were 150 years after the establishment of slavery and decades after the official end of the Jim Crow era, being black in Delaware and being black in America means your likelihood of prosperity and success is less than if you are white. ” The Washington Post points out that the Delaware resolution includes a line that seems to protect itself from future reparations suits: “It is the intent of the General Assembly that this Joint Resolution shall not be used in, or be the basis of, any type of litigation. ” Reparations became a subject of discussion in the presidential election after Bernie Sanders said they would be "divisive. " And at Fusion's Black and Brown Forum in January Hillary Clinton dodged the question of whether she supported reparations. The bill was hard-fought, and came after repeated requests by activists, the Monitor said. Harmon Carey, leader of the Afro-American Historical Society in Wilmington, says Markell ignored two of his requests before he asked a third time last July, after the Charleston church shootings. “I thought that one way for us to respond—‘us’ meaning Delawareans—was for the governor to issue an official apology for slavery,” Carey said. “It would say to me that my government cares enough about African American people to issue a proclamation. ” Rob covers business, economics and the environment for Fusion. He previously worked at Business Insider. He grew up in Chicago.

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From 1969 to 1972, there were six manned landings on the moon. Apollos 11, 12, 14, 15, 16 and 17 all landed safely on the moon's surface and returned to Earth, allowing 12 astronauts to set foot on Earth's satellite. The first time man set foot on the moon was July 20, 1969. American astronaut Neil Armstrong was the first person to step onto the surface of the moon. As of April 2014, no animals other than human beings have landed on the moon. The first humans to land on the moon were Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin. Armstrong was the first human to step on the moon. The first people to land on the moon were Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin. The third member of the Apollo 11 mission was Michael Collins, who remained in the orbit around the moon. According to NASA, there have been six lunar landings, all under the Apollo program. The first moon landing was by Apollo 11 on July 16, 1969. The last was Apollo 17, which landed on the moon on December 7, 1972. Reports indicate that some 600 million people watched as Neil Armstrong took the first step on the moon on July 20, 1969. That televised event set a world record that went unbroken until Prince Charles and Lady Diana married in 1981, which drew 750 million viewers. A moon is a natural satellite consisting of solid material that naturally orbits a planet or dwarf planet. Although the Earth has just one moon, there are other planets that have more, and some that even have none. Moons and their planets often have very symbiotic, or c. . .

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Consolidating an associate company An associate is a company in which a group of companies has a substantial stake, but not outright control. This usually means more than 20% but less than 50%. The group balance sheet shows the value of the shares owned in the associates. Although shown separately, they are treated like any other investment. When calculating an EV the value of the holdings in associates should be deducted. Alternatively, the cost of completely buying out the associate should be added - but this approach makes more sense for subsidiaries. When calculating an EV/EBITDA, the EBITDA should be adjusted in line with the EV. To consolidate is the action of combining of assets, liabilities and other financial items of two or more entities into one. In the context of financial accounting, the term consolidate often refers to the consolidation of financial statements, where all subsidiaries report under the umbrella of a parent company. These statements are called consolidated financial statements. Consolidation also refers to the merger and acquisition of smaller companies into larger companies. A consolidation, however, differs from a merger in that the consolidated companies could also result in a new entity, whereas in a merger one company absorbs the other and remains in existence while the other is dissolved. In financial accounting, consolidated financial statements provide a comprehensive view of the financial position of both the parent company and its subsidiaries, rather than one company's stand-alone position. In business, consolidation occurs when two or more businesses combine to form one new entity, with the expectation of increasing market share and profitability, and the benefit of combining talent, industry expertise or technology.

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SECTION 3: CROSSING SPACES "From the Ground Up: Shaping Community, Collaboration, and Multiliteracies at Georgia Tech" Rebecca E. Burnett, Karen Head, Brandy Ball Blake, Andy Frazee, Diane Jakacki, Chris Ritter, Nirmal Trivedi, and Christopher Weedman This chapter discusses three dynamic spaces of the Writing and Communication Program at Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech): the Laptop Classroom in the Skiles Classroom Building, the Communication Center in the Clough Undergraduate Learning Commons, and the Stephen C. Hall Building. The authors recount how these spaces were deliberately designed by and for them. They describe how they worked with designers, architects, interior designers, landscape architects, and information technology experts in the planning and design stages to match the physical spaces with the Writing and Communication Program’s philosophy, pedagogy, and research practices. This chapter focuses on physical and digital affordances that contribute to the Writing and Communication Program’s core philosophies of rhetoric, process, and multimodality. It also offers implications and conclusions flexible enough for readers at a range of other institutional contexts to consider and apply. Note: Users can navigate this web text in two ways: either by starting with section 1. 0 and following the links to the next sections, or by jumping to a section using the navigation menus at the top and bottom of each page.

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Olympiad is an Indian aptitude test for class 8 students. It is conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and is a prestigious exam in India. The test checks the student’s skills in English, maths, science, and general awareness. A high score on Olympiad can help you get into a reputed school or college. “Olympiad for Class 8” is like a game of chess. It’s tough, demanding, and needs no introduction to the world. The aim is simple – to solve as many questions as possible in which you can find up to five marks out of ten. Of course, nobody has time to memorize all the tricks that could work for them. Are you looking to crack Olympiad for Class 8 and excel in all subjects? Some important points that one should know: - The first thing you need to do is buy a good study guide. This will help you understand the concepts, and will also provide a lot of solutions for past papers as well as strengthen your speed and accuracy level. Once you have done that, write down your weaknesses and strengths on a piece of paper. This will help you devise a study plan that is customized to your needs. Another key tip is to keep practicing mentally as much as possible before the exam. Mental practice can be a very effective way to prepare for exams because it requires no materials or assistance from other people, which means it can be done anytime and anywhere. - Do not be disheartened by a first try. Even Einstein failed the first time around. Remember, no one is perfect, and everyone makes mistakes. Instead of getting upset after the exam, just analyze your mistakes and look at them as a way to improve yourself the next time around. - The last tip is to relax and concentrate on the questions that you know well before moving on to ones that you don’t. If you save your time for those hard questions then there is a huge chance that you will fall short of the time limit. Click here – Tips to Clear 6 Maths Olympiad Older students can also help their younger counterparts in studying. Older students act as great resources for younger students, who can learn a lot from them whether it is about the habits to make studying easier or how to manage their time better. It is very much to see that many times parents don’t want to take interest in helping their children to study for this exam. This makes the child feel lonely and weak, which might affect his or her confidence negatively. The top 10 of the most important things to keep in mind while doing your preparation are listed below: - Be sure to do ample research on what’s being taught at school, so you understand it fully. This will allow you to perform better in your exam. sg - Write down all the things you have been taught, so that you could remember them easily. - Ask your teacher to provide you with marks sheets for past papers as well as the marks allocation method. It may be beneficial to practice on past papers as well as facts from books or other sources. - Make sure that you have a detailed study plan, including the topics that need to be catered by homework assignments and exams. This will help a lot in making sure that you do not miss out on any important topics and do it all in time for exams. - Take up an online coaching session to learn different types of questions asked during tests. Online coaching sessions are very helpful in improving your scores in exams because you could ask the help of the teacher in taking the test. Online coaching is available at various coaching centers. - It is essential to write down questions that could be asked during the exam. This will make sure that you do not miss out on any important topics. - Practice with your friends and teachers to make up for areas that you are struggling with. You must make up for the gaps in your preparation to do well in the Olympiads. - Start preparing as early as possible, as it will allow you enough time to learn and practice all you need. - Don’t ever forget about sleep, as this is very important to keep yourself energized during exams. - Regular practice with past years’ question papers will allow you to improve on your answers and drive down your time during exams, as well as helping you manage the time properly. You can check out IMO Olympiad Question Papers for Class 8. Never give up studying. Have the courage to be a student who doesn’t settle for less. Olympiads is a great way to learn and understand things in a better way as well as prepare for competitive exams. Social life can be an essential part of any kid’s life; however, during the exam period it might be difficult to manage social life as well as studies, but it is always best to take a break from studies and focus on studies, rest, and eating healthy food rather than spending time on partying. Make sure that you are preparing yourself to crack at least one exam. Don’t stop preparing till you are satisfied. Never read the question if the answers already pop up in your mind. Firstly, read the options and then think about each option carefully before making a decision. Always practice questions which you got wrong in your previous attempt rather than doing questions which you got right at your first attempt because it helps in avoiding the same mistake again. Researches show that students should be more focused on solving problems rather than just mugging up formulas and results because it will help them understand concepts better and increase their retention power which is very helpful while solving problems later on without using formula etc. Click here – Olympiad examinations To Know Some Great Stuff Do Visit Snorable To Know Some Great Stuff Do Visit SquareRoott To Know Some Great Stuff Do Visit StarCasto

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Week Eighteen: 100% Whole Grain Breads Just so you know, it’s not easy finding recipes for 100% whole grain bread, let alone good recipes. See, it’s not just a matter of switching whole wheat flour for white flour in your favorite recipe. If you’ve ever tried that, I know how disappointed you were! Your bread ended up flat, heavy, and dry, with a sawdusty texture, right? What gives? ! To figure out what happens to bread when you use whole grain flour, you have to understand the grain itself. Lets use wheat as an example, since it’s the most common in breadmaking, and pretty representative of many grains as far as this discussion is concerned. The wheat kernel (also known as a wheat berry) is made up of three parts: the bran, the germ, and the endosperm. The bran is the outer covering, and provides fiber and B vitamins. The germ is the part of the grain that grows into a new wheat plant, and contains the only fat in the kernel, along with vitamins and minerals. The endosperm is the remaining 85% of the grain, and provides carbohydrates and protein. Here is a good diagram of what it all looks like put together. In milling whole wheat flour, the whole wheatberry is ground up together. But for white flour, the bran and germ are removed, leaving only the endosperm. Yes, this means that it’s less nutritious, since most of the vitamins and fiber are taken out; but in the end, it makes for a fluffier bread. This is because the bran is sharp, and acts a bit like little knife blades in a dough. When you form gluten (the tough, rubbery substance created when wheat flour is mixed with water) in a whole wheat dough, the bran actually cuts it, and the germ simply gets in the way of it forming at all. Without a good gluten structure, your dough has no way to trap the gases produced by the yeast, and therefore has a poor texture. And not only that, but the bran and germ (as I mentioned yesterday) both absorb more water than the endosperm alone, meaning a whole wheat dough will be drier than a white dough, if mixed in the same proportions. You can solve this problem by making a wetter dough, and letting it sit longer, therefore giving the brand and germ a chance to fully hydrate. But then, if it rises too much, the gluten will become overdeveloped (more on that later in the week! ), and that bread will also have a poor texture. So what can be done? Luckily, there’s a few simple ways to overcome the hurdles presented by a 100% whole grain bread. I’ll discuss some additional ways in the next few days, and focus on this one for today: if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em. So you’ll never make a perfectly airy baguette with only whole wheat flour. Let’s aim a little differently, and go for a great American-style sandwich bread instead. Try working with what whole wheat flour gives you, instead of forcing it to do something it never will. When making a good sandwich, one doesn’t want giant holes in a slice of bread, since your ingredients will fall out. Whole wheat bread will never make giant holes! Perfect! Additionally, while a hard crust makes for a fabulous bread to eat on its own, it becomes a difficult obstacle to navigate in a sandwich. And how do we get a soft crust? By adding milk and butter to the dough, of course! Both of these ingredients contain fat, a. k.a. “shortening”, because it shortens gluten strands. This, in turn, means that we don’t have to worry so much about the bran cutting the gluten strands, since we’re trying to do that anyway. Win! This dough bakes into a tender, close-crumbed loaf, absolutely ideal for making sandwiches. You’ll never worry about errant bits of lettuce or mayonnaise falling out of big (but otherwise lovely) holes in your bread; nor will you have to fret about choosing flavor over nutrition – you get both with this one! One last thing: obviously, this bread contains none of the preservatives included in your average grocery-store sandwich bread. This is great for your body, but if you don’t plan on eating it within a day or two, I strongly recommend pre-slicing and freezing it. It will only take a minute to toast and thaw if prepared that way. But please, please, please, don’t refrigerate it! A refrigerator is just a big bread-staling machine! Commercially-produced breads can stand up to it, due to all their added dough conditioners and enhancers; but this wholesome little guy just has no defense. Treat your bread properly – it’s there to nourish you! 100% Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread Adapted from King Arthur Flour Makes 1 loaf 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast (1 package) 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 3 tablespoons brown sugar 3/4 cup instant mashed potato flakes 16 ounces (about 3 3/4 cups) whole wheat flour, divided 1 cup hot milk (120º to 130º F) 1/2 cup orange juice 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the yeast, salt, sugar, potato flakes, and 14 ounces (about 3 1/4 cups) of the flour, setting the remaining flour aside. Add the milk, orange juice, and butter. Using the dough hook and scraping the bowl as necessary, mix at low speed until the dough forms a cohesive ball, about 6 or 7 minutes. Add the reserved 2 ounces flour as needed to achieve the proper consistency (the dough should be slightly sticky, but not at all liquidy; see note 1 below). Increase the speed to medium-low and mix for 1 minute more, until some gluten strands begin to form. 2. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, and knead a few times until it forms a smooth round. Transfer the dough to a lightly-oiled bowl, cover, and let rest in a warm place about 45 minutes. The dough should not quite double in size. 3. Lightly oil a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan. Without punching down, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Gently press and roll the dough into a loaf shape (it will deflate a little; this is okay), pressing the seam to seal. Tuck the ends under, and set the dough in the prepared pan, seam side down. Cover loosely with oiled plastic wrap, and let rise another 45 to 60 minutes, or until not quite doubled in size. Preheat the oven to 350º F. 4. Bake the bread at 350º F for 10 minutes. Loosely tent the bread with aluminum foil, and bake for an additional 30 minutes, or until golden brown and an instant-read thermometer registers 190º F in the middle of the loaf. Remove from the pan and let cool on a rack thoroughly before slicing. 1. If your weather is very dry, you may not need to add any of the reserved flour; but if your weather is humid, you may need to add all of it. 2. You can rub the finished loaf, hot from the oven, with a bit of butter to ensure a soft crust and pretty shine, if you like. 3. FYI, the orange juice is in there to reduce bitterness produced by a less-than-perfectly-immaculate whole wheat flour, and doesn’t impart any flavor of its own. If you have a pristine, ground-that-morning whole wheat flour, you should substitute water instead; otherwise, I recommend using it. 4. This bread should be eaten within a day or two, stored at room temperature; otherwise, it should be sliced and frozen, wrapped tightly.

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For many new or intermediate database developers, it’s difficult to know where to start when designing a relational database. It’s easy to make the mistake of assuming that the functionality of a database will take shape over time, or the design will fall into place as you build the database. This course introduces a process for effectively planning and designing a functional, efficient database. Knowing how to plan a relational database is important to the success of the databases you create. Without planning, you cannot possibly know what the database needs to do, or even what information to include in the database. Planning a database is essential and prevents the extra work of fixing data maintenance problems later on. The concepts are not specific to a particular software application and can be applied to any relational database management system. - Lesson 1: Getting Started with Relational Database Design - Topic A: Identify Database Components - Topic B: Identify Common Database Design Problems - Topic C: Follow a Database Design Process - Topic D: Gather Requirements - Lesson 2: Defining the Database Conceptual Model - Topic A: Create the Conceptual Model - Topic B: Identify Entity Relationships - Lesson 3: Defining the Database Logical Model - Topic A: Identify Columns - Topic B: Identify Primary Keys - Topic C: Identify and Diagram Relationships - Lesson 4: Normalizing Data - Topic A: Avoid Common Database Design Errors - Topic B: Comply with Higher Normal Forms - Lesson 5: Finalizing the Database Design - Topic A: Adapt the Physical Model for Different Systems - Topic B: Ensure Referential Integrity - Topic C: Ensure Data Integrity at the Column Level - Topic D: Ensure Data Integrity at the Table Level - Topic E: Design for the Cloud At the end of this program, you will be able to: - Follow an efficient process for designing a relational database - Define the database conceptual model - Define the database logical model - Apply database normalization methods to improve the initial design of a database - Complete the database design, including controls to ensure its referential integrity and data integrity RecommendationsTo ensure your success in this course, you should have fundamental computer skills. This course is designed for individuals who need to learn database design essentials, typically in preparation for, or as a supplement to, a course on SQL such as SQL Querying: Fundamentals and courses on specific relational database platforms. Applies Towards the Following Certificates - Data Scientist-Database Management : Data Scientist-Database Management

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Through video students can be taken on a journey around the world, see places with a real world context. Students can experience the pyramids in Egypt, a trip into space, famine in Africa, the colours and sounds of extinct species, and remote wilderness half way around the globe (Griffin, 2009). These journeys can be engaging and authentic, and encourage deeper understanding and higher order thinking about diverse cultures and the differences in their way of life. Before using video in the classroom, specific outcomes should be determined and scaffolding of a lesson to be planned. The video is most effective if used as an enhancement to the lesson to provide engagement, relational and instructional information. It is ideal to keep the videos to a minimum to remain effective, as stated previously on my blog, these tools are not a substitute for good teaching pedagogy. Video can also be used within the classroom through the use of technologies such as video cameras. During the last unit of work at a placement school, video cameras were used to film students role playing an advertisement for a toy they had constructed out of recycled materials. They were provided with a criteria and brainstorming sessions about effective advertising prior to filming. Once filmed the students downloaded the footage onto movie maker adding music introductions and credits. The completed advertisements along with the original toy were viewed by parents on culminating day. The project was extremely successful and proving the theory of engagement where students must be meaningfully engaged in learning activities through interaction with others and worthwhile tasks, which is facilitated by the use of technologies (Kearsley, Shneiderman, 1999). The task provided the intimate use of technology and collaborative tasks which when intertwined proved to be highly engaging and meaningful. Griffin, L., (2009). Using Video in the Classroom. Retrieved 16 August, 2009, from: Kearsley, G., Shneiderman, B., (1999). Engagement Theory: A framework for technology-based teaching and learning. Retrieved July 18, 2009, from http://home.sprynet.com/~gkearsley/engage. htm

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Questions about Egypt Pyramids? pyramids in Egypt facts who built the pyramids? how the pyramids built? how old are the pyramids? The date of the pyramid built around 2560 BC how many pyramids in Egypt? Egypt has more than 100 pyramids The Pyramids of Giza are among the most important tourist attractions in Cairo and even around the world. It is one of the largest and most important archaeological buildings built throughout history for the wonders of its engineering and its magnitude. We remind you of the most important pyramids: The Great Pyramid of Giza 146. 5 meters (481 feet) long ago 138. 8 m (455 ft), currently Base 230. 4 m (756 ft) Pyramid of Cheops in Egypt’s largest pyramids, The pyramid of Khufu, which belongs to Khufu, who is behind his father Sinfru, and his mother is Queen Hattab Haras I, which dates back to 2650 BC, the abbreviated name of Khannum Kho Foy. It is Khenum who protects me. History tells Khufu that it is the greatest building on the face of the earth. The largest pyramid of Giza, and is the only remaining miracle of the seven wonders of the old world. Its grandeur is not only due to the enormity of its construction but also to its impressive internal layout. It built around him a cemetery with small pyramids for his wife and mother, surrounded by the pyramid of King Khufu Sur, whose remains still exist in the eastern and northern regions, at a distance of 20 meters from the base of the pyramid The original height of the Great Pyramid is 146 meters and currently, it is about 137 meters long and the length of its base is 230 meters. As for the weight of the stones, it ranges between tons and eight tons or more. You can also visit the Khufu ship which was called the ” Solar Boat”. In 1954, at the base of the Great Pyramid, the Egyptian archaeologist Kamal Al-Malakh discovered two perforated cisterns at the base of the southern Khufu pyramid. At the bottom of one of them found a disjointed vessel of cedarwood, the number of parts of the vessel was 1224 pieces, not missing any part, including five pairs of paddles, two steering fins, and a cabin. Pyramid of Chephren is the middle pyramid between the pyramids of Egypt. It was built by King Khafra, the fourth king of the fourth family, the son of King Khufu. He married Princess Maras Ankh, 26 years old, and built the second pyramids of Giza, which is lower than the Khufu pyramid. The 136 m high is built on an area of 215 square meters and still retains part of its external exterior. In his pyramid collection he found statues of cast stone in the temple of the private valley, including a statue of the most beautiful produced by the Egyptian sculpture, which is now located in the Egyptian Museum, and attributed to him the rock sculpture Sphinx statue, Khafra launched on his pyramid name (the great). Built by the pharaoh Mycrenos , the son of King Chephren , the length of each side of the rib 108 meters and height of 65 meters, the entrance rises about 4 meters above the surface of the earth, and built of limestone, but Munkra chose to build the lower part of granite that was brought from Aswan by river Nile, and found in one of the corridors of the pyramid wooden coffin with the name of Minker and his mummies, a mummified mummy is now reserved in the British Museum. To the south of the area is ” Menkara “, there are three pyramids dedicated to the kingdoms stretching east to west of the first pyramid, especially the queen of the second wife of the second wife of King Munkra. He called (Menkera) on the pyramid name (Holy) One of the most important tourist sites in Cairo. the statue of a mythical creature with the body of a lion and a human head, believed to be ancient Egyptians built during the reign of Pharaoh Khafre 2558-2532 BC, located on the Giza plateau on the West Bank of the Nile in Giza, Cairo, Within the pyramids of Giza, it is the oldest known large carvings The Great Sphinx of Giza and the successor of the Pyramid of Khafra. Sphinx in Giza and behind the Great Pyramid, Pyramid of Pharaoh Khufu. The Sphinx is a statue of a mythical creature with the body of a lion and a human head carved from limestone. probably covered with a layer of plaster. The traces of the original colors are still visible next to one of its ears. Located on the Giza plateau on the west bank of the Nile in Giza, the Sphinx is also a guardian of the plateau. It is the oldest known monumental sculpture, about 73. 5 meters long, 15 meters in length, 19. 3 meters in length, and 20 meters above the surface of the head. It believed that the ancient Egyptians built it during the reign of Pharaoh Khafre (2558-2532 BC), builder of the second pyramid in Giza. Head of the Sphinx. It believed that the statue of the Sphinx was a stone before King Khafra thought of his sculpture in the form of a statue. Book Now: Pyramids day tour The pyramid of Saqqara also named: ” Step Pyramid ” of Zoser Pyramid, In related to King Zoser, one of the Pharaohs of the third family ruled Egypt. It is a huge limestone building built in 2816 BC, width of about 110 M And the length of the base about 130 m, and the height of about 60 m, It is one of the oldest pyramids in the world. The pyramid consists of 6 terraces It has many rooms, corridors, mezzanine, and doors with engravings for Zoser King, There is also a statue of King Zoser sitting on his throne and The pyramid contains two plants where my daughter Zoser was buried. Tomb of Ti The Tomb of Ti . is located in the northern region of Saqqara. is one of the pyramids of Egypt and one of three pyramids built by Pharaoh Sinfero. Called the pyramid slant where he began to build the pyramid to rise at an angle of 58 degrees, and when the construction of the pyramid almost half height, it decided to build the top at an angle of 43 degrees. According to the technique, Sinfero and his engineers have built a complete pyramid with new technology in the town of Maidum called the Red Pyramid. The construction of the sloping pyramid took 14 years, and it seems that he did not like Senefro and decided to build the red pyramid according to the experience learned by his engineers when building the slanting pyramid. He chose the place for his pyramid, which buried about 2 kilometers north of the sloping pyramid in the town of Dahshur. When building the sloping pyramid between the pyramid of stones with geostationary angles estimated at 59 degrees. It is likely that by constructing such a structure, construction began to sink because of the stone loads. Also, the large nook causes a sharp rise in the pyramid to make it harder to complete and build the upper part of it. To remedy this problem, engineers built reinforced walls that made the 55-degree slope of construction unfinished. They then completed construction at a curved angle of 43 degrees, making it called the Bent Pyramid. Thus the technique of building the pyramids discovered by placing horizontal floors of stones. Each square layer of stone topped with a lower layer in the area with a tilt angle of 52 degrees, rather than a 55 or 43-degree angle, as in the case of the curved pyramid. This shape became the full shape of the pyramid as we know it today. The Red Pyramid built by Pharaoh ” Sinfro “, the father of King Khufu in ” Dahshur ” near Cairo is the top three main pyramids in Dahshur. It called red for the red rust layer above its stones, the third largest Egyptian pyramid after the pyramids of Khufu and Khafra, which built in the city of Giza. The Red Pyramid built at the highest stone building in the world. Local people call it the “bent pyramid. ”

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My Experiences Dating With Cystic Fibrosis | The Mighty Cystic fibrosis patients' lungs become colonized with bacteria as time goes by, and once those bacteria get in there, it's almost impossible to eradicate them. Although cystic fibrosis is a rare disease, in some schools there may be more than one person with CF present. Germs are a major concern for people with CF, but there are steps you can take to help students and faculty with CF lower the risk of cross infection. Despite significant. Cystic fibrosis, or CF, is an inherited disease caused by a defective The sad but true news is that cystic fibrosis patients do pose a threat to. Я был ослеплен своими амбициями! - Cystic Fibrosis patients can’t risk health by meeting in person, but now have online hangout - You’ll need a new login link. - A real 'Fault in Our Stars' couple Увы, и все его тело сразу же обмякло, такое уже случалось, но спокойно, затем из автомата в аэропорту и еще раз - из морга. Танкадо рассказал о своем тайном партнере в печати!

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Our Germplasm Resources Unit (GRU) have recently repatriated to India more than 600 wheat landraces which are currently not in cultivation. The GRU is an internationally recognised repository for the long-term curation and provision of crop and crop-wild-relative germplasm resources and stores germplasm collections representing the global natural variation of highly important cultivated species and their wild relatives. As well as being a vital contribution which will feed into India’s future wheat breeding efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change, the return of seeds has cultural significance. Historically, India had contributed a huge amount of plant genetic resources to the global agricultural research community. The country’s varied geography, diverse ecosystems and rich agricultural heritage have developed this valuable international germplasm resource. Many accessions of Indian-origin material, held globally, such as the collection at GRU, are traditional varieties or landraces with defined traits and form the backbone of crop gene pools and breeding programmes. For example, a 2015 study, found that our own Germplasm Resource Unit was the third largest national holder of Indian Germplasm outside of India, a total of 1,714 accessions. The collection of this material continued until the 1970s, and includes a mixture of cultivars, landraces and breeders’ lines from various sources including local markets. The GRU wanted to help repay India’s generosity by responding to a request by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research-National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (ICAR-NBPGR) for germplasm that had either become extinct in its homeland or was unknown if it was represented in Indian collections. To that end, 620 Indian wheat landraces were repatriated to India from GRU, material that may no longer be grown locally or held in the gene banks of India. “On the cultural aspect, this is like returning a work of art, or local creations. Unlike the Rosetta stone in the British museum, seeds can be easily replicated. It means that we can share it for the benefit of those who created it and of those who saved and conserved it and beyond to support global food security” explained Germplasm Resource Unit Manager Dr Noam Chayut. The materials sent to India from the GRU will now be used there for breeding projects aiming to mitigate the effects of climate change by developing wheat varieties suitable for elevating temperatures. “India has initiated genotyping and phenotyping of most of its Plant Genetic Resources for trait and gene discovery. These 620 accessions will be a part of more than 7,000 accessions that are being genotyped and phenotyped for large number of agronomically important traits” added Dr Kuldeep Singh, Director of the ICAR-National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources in New Delhi, India. With 70% of its rural population still depending on agriculture for their daily subsistence and livelihoods, genetic resources such as these locally adapted wheat landraces, are invaluable to future plant breeding efforts in India.

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The image of Jesus’ death is well-known around the world, portrayed in artwork, statues and movies. But are popular conceptions supported by the Bible? Two years ago I visited Europe and toured some of the greatest museums in the world—particularly the Louvre (in Paris) and the Vatican Museums (in Vatican City). As I perused room after room of art, I was struck by the frequency of one particular theme: the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Though varying slightly by artist and era, nearly all images had certain similarities: Jesus’ arms outstretched on a t-shaped cross with relatively minor wounds (usually a few drops of blood from the crown of thorns and a small wound in His side). Jesus’ crucifixion is not just an iconic image, it is central to Christianity. But do the images and ideas from art and religion really reflect what the Bible says about His gruesome death? Sadly, many fictions about Christ’s death have crept into modern Christianity. In this article we’ll refer to them as crucifictions. Crucifiction 1: Jesus definitely died on a t-shaped cross. Nearly every image of Jesus’ death portrays His arms outstretched, nailed to the crossbeam of a cross. Because of this belief, the image of the cross has become the primary symbol of the Christian religion. People are often surprised to learn that the Bible doesn’t say Jesus died on a cross. But people are often surprised to learn that the Bible doesn’t say Jesus died on a cross. Now before you do a concordance search and email me about the 28 times the word cross is used in the New Testament, please read on. Remember that the original New Testament books were written mostly in Greek. When referring to the execution instrument, the New Testament writers used the Greek word stauros. Over a thousand years later, translators like John Wycliffe and William Tyndale decided to use the word cross to translate stauros into English. The problem is that stauros doesn’t mean cross. Bible lexicons will point out that the literal meaning of the word is an upright stake or a pole. In five other scriptures, Luke and Peter described the device using the word xylon (also transliterated xulon), which literally means tree or wood. The point is, the New Testament writers didn’t call it a cross—translators did. The original writers used words that describe an upright wooden beam. If Christ was crucified on an upright pole, His arms and hands would have been nailed above His head instead of being outstretched horizontally. But the Bible is not absolutely specific on the shape of the device, which should be a clue that God didn’t intend us to use its shape as a symbol or object of worship. Crucifiction 2: Jesus and the thief went to heaven that day. This myth is based on a misinterpretation of a statement Jesus made in Luke 23:43. While hanging on a stauros, one of the thieves next to Him recognized the injustice of Jesus’ death sentence and asked Jesus to remember him when He entered His Kingdom (verse 42). Jesus, recognizing there was still hope for this man, replied, as the New King James Version translates it, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise” (verse 43). Because of this statement, many people believe the souls of Jesus and the thief ascended to heaven that same day. Interestingly, this idea contradicts another commonly held belief—that Jesus went to hell to preach to sinners after His death. Obviously, both ideas can’t be right. In fact, both of them are wrong. It is easy to prove that Jesus didn’t go to heaven on that day. Jesus plainly said, three days later after His resurrection, that He had “not yet ascended to My Father [in heaven]” (John 20:17, emphasis added throughout). The problem with Jesus’ statement to the thief is not His statement, but the assumptions made by translators when they added punctuation years later. So how can this apparent contradiction be solved? Read it again: “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” Notice, the placement of the comma before today. In the original Greek there are no commas; translators added them later. If instead the comma is placed after today (“Assuredly, I say to you today, you will be with Me in Paradise”), we see that Jesus was at that moment (“today”) saying to the man that in a future resurrection they would be together in paradise—meaning the future rule of Christ on earth. For a more thorough explanation of this verse, read “Thief on the Cross: What Happened to Him? ” Crucifiction 3: Jesus was crucified on a Friday. Every year, thousands around the world observe Good Friday to commemorate Jesus’ death. The common belief is that Jesus died late on Friday afternoon, was in the tomb throughout Saturday and was resurrected early on Sunday morning. But this timeline does not fit what Jesus said. Jesus gave a specific sign as proof that He was the Messiah: “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Matthew 12:39-40). He would be dead, but would rise to life again after three full days entombed in the earth (12 hours of daylight plus 12 hours of nighttime per day multiplied by three days, equaling 72 hours). But if He died on Friday afternoon and rose on Sunday morning, He did not fulfill this sign because it’s impossible to fit 72 hours in this time frame. There is a key that many overlook. Most consider the fact that Jesus died before the Sabbath to be proof He died on Friday. But John’s Gospel adds a small detail most ignore: “Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away” (John 19:31). The Sabbath following Jesus’ death was not a normal weekly Sabbath (Saturday). It was actually a “high day”—an annual Sabbath (Leviticus 23:6-7). This annual Sabbath could fall on other days of the week. When we put all the evidence together, it becomes clear that Jesus was crucified on a Wednesday and rose exactly three days and three nights later. For more details on how to correctly calculate the time Jesus was in the tomb, read the article in this issue “How Do You Count Three Days and Three Nights? ” See also on our website “Sign of Jonah: Did Jesus Die Good Friday, Rise on Easter? ” and download our free chart “Chronology of Christ’s Crucifixion and Resurrection.” Replace the fictions The sacrificial death of Jesus Christ is not only the path to forgiveness of our sins, but the starting point of God’s plan of salvation. That is why it is so important we clearly understand it with no fictions attached. The best place to start is by going to the Gospel accounts and reading what they actually say (Matthew 26-27; Mark 15; Luke 23; John 19). We also recommend you read our articles on the truth and significance of Jesus Christ’s death: “The Crucifixion of Jesus,” “The Greatest Sacrifice Ever” and “Why Jesus Had to Die.”

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Question: Suspend VS hibernate in Linux, what is the difference? Suspend stops operation of all applications and system state is saved in RAM, the machine go into a low-power mode, in this state, the system still requires power . Various triggers can resume the machine, among them pressing a key or quickly pressing and releasing the power button. Command to suspend Computer/Laptop Hibernate Moves the contents of memory into swap, tells the bootloader to boot directly into the appropriate kernel, and shuts the machine down, in this state, the system does not require power. You turn on the machine by powering up, which causes the kernel to reload the contents of memory from swap. Command to Hibernate computer/ Laptop For questions, feel free to post your questions in our Q/A forum http://ask.unixmen.com

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Acoustical study of the playing characteristics of brass wind instruments Logie, Shona Mary MetadataShow full item record When assessing the quality of a brass instrument the player must consider a number of factors, the main consideration being the playability of the chosen instrument. The playability of an instrument is a broad term used to describe how well the instrument plays; this includes how in tune the resonant modes are, how easy it is to start and move between notes, how easy it is to bend notes and the degree of spectral enrichment during a crescendo that is able to be produced. The starting transient is known to be of crucial importance for both the musician and listener, and previous work in the field has been mainly concerned with such starting transients; this work focusses on inter-note transitions. Transitions between notes include both starting and finishing transients as the initial note is ended and the next begun. Using high speed photography images synchronised with pressure signals from the mouthpiece and bell end, the internote transitions are explored. Results from these experiments are compared with those from a simple one dimensional time domain model. Other techniques used to determine the playability of a specific instrument include the rate at which the instrument timbre becomes `brassy' due to nonlinear effects, that are a consequence of loud playing. The relative significance of viscothermal wall losses and nonlinear effects within realistic brass instruments have been explored here using experiments on cylindrical tubes of different internal diameters. These experimental results are compared with results from a computational model that uses weakly nonlinear wave propagation theory and includes viscothermal losses. It is also possible on some brass instruments, when playing loudly, to achieve what are known as super high notes; these notes are above the frequency where the instrument has well defined resonances. Experimental results are presented here using optical techniques to visualise the motion of the player's lips during playing of these super high notes.

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While it has always been widely known that gymnasts often develop close friendships, especially when they have reached the team level, a 1996 scientific study by Wiess, Smith and Theeboom investigate the topic in depth. How To Win Friends One of the interesting aspects of the study is that it points the way for how gymnasts can actively take steps build and maintain close friendships and relationships on their gymnastics team or in their gymnastics program. Only Other Gymnasts Can Really Understand You Gymnastics is such a specialized sport that often the only ones who understand the amount of work and difficulty of what gymnasts are doing and the specifics of the sport are other gymnasts. Even parents often don’t understand just what their gymnasts are going though. Only Gymnasts and Coaches Really Understand the Sport The rules of the sport are complicated and the number of skills and combinations so numerous that friends outside the gym and parents often cannot understand the intricacies and complexities of the sport enough to be able to keep up in a gymnastics conversation. No Time To Waste The amount of hours many gymnasts spend in the gym often isolates them from their school mates and friends outside the gym and keep them from participating in the perhaps less important but more common social activities like going to the mall, talking on the phone and hanging out. Learn How To Build Friendships in the Gym This makes gym friendships important for gymnasts to develop and maintain. It is also very likely that a good number of the friends a gymnast has will be other gymnasts. It can be useful and instructive to know the dimensions of gym friendships and to know what steps can take to build and maintain them. The Daily Dozen of Friendship Building Tools The study identified “12 positive friendship dimensions: companionship, pleasant play/association, self-esteem enhancement, help and guidance, pro-social behavior, intimacy, loyalty, things in common, attractive personal qualities, emotional support, absence of conflicts, and conflict resolution. ” These characteristics are and can be used by gymnasts to foster good friendships. Each of these factors could be used to establish gymnastic friendships in the gym. To be or become popular in the gym, gymnasts should direct these behavior characteristics toward everyone on the team and specifically toward those they wish to develop close friendships with. Spend Time Together Companionship refers to taking an interest in other gymnasts, spending time with and keeping company with them. Time together breeds friendship and familiarity and gymnasts can work out together and spend workout time together. Smile and Be Positive What the study described as pleasant play association could in the case of gymnasts be taken to describe working out while maintaining a positive and enjoyable manner. Everyone likes people who are in a good mood, have a smile on their face and are easy to get along with. Pay Attention to Your Friends Self-esteem enhancement means taking an interest in and complimenting other gymnasts frequently. Paying attention to other gymnasts and giving them positive feedback not only builds friendships, but is likely to improve your teammates performances. One of the most important aspects of building a friendship involves paying attention to the other person and being aware of their actions, feeling and thoughts. Give a Helping Hand Providing help and guidance, by offering positive suggestions and assistance when asked to, is both a sign of a good teammate and a good friend. Passing on tips that the coach has given you that may apply to your friend(s) improves their gymnastics training and makes for a good friend. Spend Time Together Outside the Gym Pro-social behavior refers to attempts to participate in non-gymnastics activities together outside of the gym. Actively working to spend time together outside of the gym shows your interest and commitment to friendship and further increases the amount of time you spend with your chosen friend(s) from the gym. Share and Learn to Keep a Secret Intimacy is the extent to which you share in, and keep confidential, personal matters with your friends and teammates. As we mentioned, other gymnasts are often the only ones who truly understand what gymnasts are going through and can and do serve as confidantes to their friends and teammates. As always, do not keep secret from coaches or parents behaviors which are dangerous to other gymnasts. Be a Friend All the Time and Everywhere and With Anybody Team and gym loyalty is the extent to which gymnasts support each other at all times. One of the conflict situations that can occur which demonstrates this character trait best is when gymnasts are in a social situation with both their friends form the gym and with schoolmates or friends from outside the gym. True friends maintain loyalty to their teammates and friends outside of their exclusive group. Share Your Gymnastics A built in characteristic of gym friends and friendships is having things in common and associating with friends who have similar likes and dislikes. Gymnasts have their sport in common and their team and gym in common which is a built-in commonality. Be All You Can Be Having attractive personal qualities means working on being the nicest person that one can possibly be. In a competitive environment, some gymnasts have trouble balancing these two qualities. “Nice guys” don’t finish last. They are just better and more enjoyable friends and teammates. The perfect gymnastic relationship is often to be friendly, supportive and competitive. This can allow your friends and teammates to be pushed by your accomplishments and to better themselves in the long run by keeping up or being competitive. Providing emotional support to teammates involves assisting and comforting your friends and teammates when needed. Gymnasts, however, must be careful to not reinforce negative thinking and behaviors in their teammates like commiserating with gymnasts who are feeling sorry for themselves or are exhibiting quitting behavior or giving up. Coaches sometimes also set guidelines as to how they want gymnasts to support each other, which probably need to be followed (assuming they are reasonable, rational and not just controlling). Friendships benefit from the absence of conflicts in which teammates do not fight but seek independent resolutions to disagreements. The gym situation has a built in moderator in cases like this in the form of the coach. Problems can and often should be presented to the coach for resolution. Coaches are also often useful for providing conflict resolution and establishing rules for solving conflicts within the gym. Examine Your Friendship Behaviors Logically, undesirable friendship characteristics involve doing the opposite of the above positive friendship and behavioral characteristics. The study also identified four negative friendship characteristics: conflict, unattractive personal qualities, betrayal, and inaccessibility. Gymnasts need to examine themselves and their behaviors to ensure they are not engaging in such negative behaviors. There is Nothing Better Than a Good Friend Our personal experience reinforces the fact that deep and lifelong friendships can be developed in the gym. As with anything of value, friendships require care and attention to flourish and grow. Actively work on and work to maintain your friendships in the gym. Be a good friend and you will have many good friends.

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Just about all freshwater aquarium fish reproduce sexually-that is, by combining egg and sperm—but the process by which that occurs, and the rearing of fry that follows, will vary widely from one species to another. Some fish are monogamous (at least during the course of a single breeding cycle), while others will spawn with numerous partners. Some guard their eggs or young, while others are seemingly oblivious to them-or even go so far as to eat them. Generally speaking, though, fish employ one of two reproductive strategies: They either lay eggs or give birth to live fry. This is the reproductive strategy most comparable to human reproduction. Female livebearers produce eggs, which the male fertilizes by touching his gonopodium to her vent or releasing sperm in it's vicinity. At the end of a gestational period (which can vary in length according to light and water temperature), the female delivers fully-developed fry. There are a few key differences between human reproduction and that of livebearers, however. For one thing, female livebearers are capable of having a lot more babies at once-often 100 or more, depending on species and the size of the mother. And unlike their human counterparts, many female livebearers can store sperm internally; after giving birth to one batch of fry, they use the stored sperm to fertilize another batch of eggs. In fact, it's not uncommon for a female to give birth to several batches of fry from a single insemination over a period of several months. That's one of the reasons female livebearers, such as guppies or platys, sometimes have what appears to be a virgin birth, delivering fry in tanks where there was no male present to have fathered them. Once the fry are born, their mother's job is done; she not only does not care for the babies, but she does not seem to recognize them as her offspring and may even try to eat them. This is by far the most common means of reproduction among fish. Unlike their livebearing counterparts, egg-laying fish do not fertilize or incubate their young internally. Rather, they release eggs and sperm into the water, and when the two come into contact with one another, fertilization takes place. Within the broad category of egg layers, however, fish employ a wide range of different reproductive strategies: Some scatter their eggs; some build nests for them; some deposit them on rocks, wood, or plants; some brood them in their mouths; and a few even bury them. Egg-scattering fish practice what could be thought of as the aquatic version of free love. They spawn in mid-water, with the females releasing eggs and the males simultaneously releasing a cloud of sperm-a process that can be so fast that it occurs in less than a second as the fish swim past one another. The breeding pair then goes on their separate ways, leaving their eggs to drift down through the water column and land where they may. Those that land in a protected site, such as a rock crevice, may hatch, while those that land in the open are often eaten by other fish, including their own parents. To compensate for this and to ensure that some of their eggs go on to hatch and the fry grow to adulthood, fish that spawn using this strategy tend to produce large numbers of eggs, typically numbering in the hundreds or even thousands. Zebra Danios, Neon Tetras, and Bala Sharks are examples of egg-scattering fish. Rather than spawn wherever they happen to be when the urge hits, egg depositors deliberately seek out a site in (or on) which to spawn. Some are known as plant choosers because they spawn in clumps of vegetation; others are called substrate choosers because they pick a site, such as a piece of wood or a rock, on which to lay their eggs. In the home aquarium, such fish sometimes consider just about anything to be "substrate," even spawning on the heater or the sides of the tank. Males of plant-spawning species typically chase or lure the female into a clump of vegetation or a spawning mop; once there, she releases her eggs either en masse or a few at a time, and he simultaneously releases sperm to fertilize them. Substrate choosers frequently clean off their designated spawning site together beforehand. Plant-spawning parents, such as rainbowfish and some species of killifish, are similar to egg scatterers in that they typically do not guard their eggs. Substrate spawners, however, sometimes do. Discus and angelfish are examples of substrate-choosing fish that guard their eggs. As their name indicates, mouthbrooders incubate their eggs and/or fry in their mouths to keep them safe from predators-a reproductive strategy that makes them one of the most interesting fish to breed. Typically, the process begins with the female depositing her eggs on a flat surface, such as a rock, where the male fertilizes them; one parent then gathers them in his or her mouth and incubates them. There are a couple of variations on this: In a few species of mouthbrooders, the female releases the eggs and picks them up immediately; the male then fertilizes them by releasing sperm into her mouth. And a few species of South American cichlids allow their eggs to hatch in a nest and then gather the fry in their mouths to protect them from predators as they grow-a technique known as delayed mouthbrooding. Usually, the female is the one who does the mouthbrooding; however, there are some species in which that task is relegated to the male and even a few in which both parents share in it equally. This strategy is known as biparental mouthbrooding. Cichlids are among the best-known examples of mouthbrooders, although there are other species that also practice this reproductive strategy, such as some species of bettas. Like birds, some fish build nests in which to lay and incubate their eggs. In most cases, either the mother or father remains with them to protect them until they hatch and the fry become free swimming. There are two different types of nesting strategies commonly employed by fish-bubble nesting and pit nesting. Bubble nesters construct elaborate floating nests of saliva bubbles, and in some cases, snippets of vegetation. The breeding pair spawns directly under it, and the fertilized eggs either float into the nest or are picked up by the male and spit into it. The male then guards the nest until the fry hatch and become free swimming. Bettas and gouramis are among the best-known bubble-nest builders. Pit nesters dig holes in the substrate in which to lay their eggs. The female releases them into the nest, and the male fertilizes them there. At least one of the parents then stands guard over the eggs, fanning fresh water over them with their fins, until the fry hatch and become free swimming. Many catfishes and some cichlids build pit nests in which to spawn. Some fish will only spawn in enclosed spaces such as caves or shells. A few fish even bury their eggs to protect them. Some killifish, for instance, deposit their eggs in the mud, then die when the water dries up. The eggs remain dormant in the substrate, hatching the following year, when the rainy season restores their habitat.

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With flu season right around the corner, many families are doing whatever they can to protect themselves. For many families, simple prevention from handwashing is something that is overlooked. Proper handwashing techniques should be used all year round, but now is a great time to begin implanting good habits in yourself and your children. How Often Should You Wash Your Hands? Your hands should be washed often, but there’s no specific answer to this question. In addition to handwashing before preparing or eating food, you should be washing your hands anytime they’ve encountered an activity full of potential germs or bacteria. This may include after using the restroom, handling pets, blowing your nose, and more. If you shake hands or touch doorknobs a lot throughout the day, handwashing needs to happen even more frequently. If you’re unable to wash your hands as often as you should, hand-sanitizer is a great alternative. You should equip your children with portable hand-sanitizers to use throughout the school day as well. How Should You Wash Your Hands? Believe it or not, there is a right and a wrong way to wash your hands. You were probably taught how to wash your hands when you were younger properly, but with time terrible habits quickly develop. Follow these steps to achieve the best results from your hand washing: - Wet your hands with running water from the faucet, turn the faucet off to conserve water - Lather the soap between your hands. Be sure to get the soap between fingers, under fingernails, and across the back of your hands as well. - Scrub your hands for 20 seconds to thoroughly clean them. If you need help teaching your children what 20 seconds of scrubbing feels like, have them sing the happy birthday song in their head twice over. - Rinse your hands under running water, removing all soap. - Dry your hands using a towel or air dryer. Dry between your fingers as well. When it comes to hand washing in the home, be sure to replace the hand towel used to dry hands regularly. Failure to renew this towel regularly can lead to a buildup of germs and bacteria that will be spread back onto your hands and defeat the purpose of washing them. Now that you know how to wash your hands properly, you should share the tips with your family, friends, and coworkers to protect everyone around you!

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I’ve got my pencil, I’ve got my paints, I’ve got my dreams. I am a writer, a creator, A game changer, A wall changer. In their book, Hey, Wall: A Story of Art and Community, author, Susan Verde and illustrator, John Parra create a story that shows the power of art, and the power of children to create change. A young boy describes a wall in his neighborhood as “cold, old, empty” where nobody wants to be. Working together with family, friends and neighbors, the author leads the challenge to fill the wall with “colors, creations and energy,” therefore transforming the street. There is so much to explore and think about in this engaging picture book. In “A Note from the Author” Susan Verde describes her fascination with street art, similar to the mural depicted in this book. You may want to check out Lola the Illustrator with your students. She is an eight year old girl “who is making her mark in the street art world through her murals. ” This can be used as another powerful example of children creating change through art. Teaching ideas provided by the author/publishing company

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When we look at a photo of an open refrigerator, are we inside or outside the refrigerator? Historically, from the time when linear perspective was introduced, European artists in particular made it their task to establish a viewpoint for the viewer. This tradition has endured. In many public places you will see specific positions marked as ‘Viewing place’ or ‘Photography point’. A case in point is in the grounds of Laycock Abbey, once home to William Henry Fox Talbot, where at several places in the grounds there are frames, positioned in such a way as to suggest as an ‘ideal’ photograph of the landscape by defining a particular viewing point. However, not all artists are comfortable with the degree of constraint that either a strict perspective or a single defined viewing angle imposes and chose to rebel. A more contemporary approach is to allow considerable freedom in the creation of a work. It is acceptable to ignore the suggested ideal and use the wider space to spark alternative interpretations and options so that both the composer and the viewer can liberate new ideas. Tradition also determines that a composition is titled to aid the understanding and appreciation of the work. However, in many cases the author of the artwork is seen to bypass the expectation of the audience by simply choosing ‘Untitled’ for their work. This in itself is open to interpretation, it may be seen by some as lazy, others as arrogance and others again as leaving more space for the viewer’s imagination to build on the work. Titles though, can serve several purposes. Titles may be given to aid cataloguing, to identify exactly which of the numerous variations of a particular artist’s work it is. Sadly, too often, titles of visual artworks are merely literal descriptions. A simple statement of the obvious, potentially belittling the viewer by questioning their ability to identify, easily and simply, what is in front of them. Literal descriptions can also constrain the interpretation by the viewer by reinforcing in words the immediately available image hence narrowly channelling thought and providing a mental straitjacket. Another option is the careful selection of a title that is intended to add something to the work, such as a clue to the inspiration of the artist or a potential line of enquiry that could be followed by the viewer when contemplating it. The French philosopher Michel Foucault in his book The Order of Things analyses the relationship between language and visually perceived ‘reality’ with the example of a painting of Las Meninas by Diego Velázquez. “… the relation of language to painting is an infinite relation. It is not that words are imperfect, or that, when confronted by the visible, they prove insuperably inadequate. Neither can be reduced to the other’s terms: it is in vain that we say what we see; what we see never resides in what we say. And it is in vain that we attempt to show, by the use of images, metaphors, or similes, what we are saying; the space where they achieve their splendour is not that deployed by our eyes but that defined by the sequential elements of syntax. …” Foucault continues and suggests that naming depicted things can be merely an artifice. “… it gives us a finger to point with, in other words, to pass surreptitiously from the space where one speaks, to the space where one looks; in other words, to fold one over the other as though they were equivalents. But if one wishes to keep the relation of language to vision open, if one wishes to treat their incompatibility as a starting-point for speech instead of as an obstacle to be avoided, so as to stay as close as possible to both, then one must erase those proper names and preserve the infinity of the task. It is perhaps through the medium of this grey, anonymous language, always over-meticulous and repetitive because too broad, that the painting may, little by little, release its illuminations. ” Incidentally the title of the book in English is not a direct translation of the French title under which it was first published. It is however a direct translation of the title Foucault initially favoured when writing it. It is said that his editor influenced the choice of the French version. So, returning to the photograph of the refrigerator; there are several possibilities, or for some maybe only one, to answer two questions with regards to the photograph of the open refrigerator – What is depicted? and Where are we standing? Both depend on the perception of the viewer and that is shaped by their previous and current experiences. Is it a photograph of the refrigerator to be explored by an artist, engineer, marketeer, potential consumer or aficionado? An artist may be perceiving the photograph only as material with its texture, size, tonal balance and disposition of the depicted elements. Alternatively, another may be using the photograph to explore some special characteristics of the depicted refrigerator with no interest in specifics and qualities of photography as a means of expression. The major concern may be how well the photograph leverages the commercial possibilities of the item depicted or conversely, will the refrigerator meet the functional needs of me and my family? There also is a possibility that the focus of interest is concerned neither with the refrigerator nor the photograph but with the way refrigerators have been depicted using various medias, is it indeed a refrigerator or an objet? The number of possible conclusions can be numerous, depending on our standpoint. This is where a title can help or hinder tremendously. So, where do we stand? Of course, we are neither outside nor inside of the refrigerator because there is no refrigerator. “Ceci n’est pas un réfrigérateur. ” William Henry Fox Talbot (11 February 1800 – 17 September 1877) was an English scientist, inventor and photography pioneer who invented a process he called calotype, essentially a precursor to photographic processes of the later 19th and 20th centuries. The Order of Things: An Archaeology of the Human Sciences (French: Les mots et les choses: Une archéologie des sciences humaines) Pg10, Paul-Michel Foucault, first published in 1966 éditions Gallimard. The quote is a fragment on analysis of the painting by Diego Velasquez, Las Meninas (1656). The chapter Las Meninas from this book is a pivotal text and a good suggestion for anybody trying to acquire understanding of the relationship between language and visually perceived ‘reality’. Michel Foucault also wrote an essay Ceci n’est pas une pipe which was a contemplation on a painting by René Magritte, La trahison des images (Ceci n’est pas une pipe).

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BOSTON — The hardy, invasive kudzu vine, introduced to this country decades ago to control soil erosion, could have what it takes to curb binge drinking, new research suggests. Kudzu, an ever-expanding plant considered a pest in much of the South, appears to contain a compound that can be effective in reducing alcohol intake among humans. Researcher Scott Lukas did not have any trouble rounding up volunteers for his study, published in this month’s issue of Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research. Lukas’ team at Harvard-affiliated McLean Hospital set up a makeshift “apartment” in a laboratory, complete with a television, reclining chair and a refrigerator stocked with beer. Findings show that subjects who took kudzu drank an average of 1. 8 beers per session, compared with the 3. 5 beers consumed by those who took a placebo. Lukas was not certain why but speculated that kudzu increases blood alcohol levels and speeds up its effects. More simply put, the subjects needed fewer beers to feel drunk. “That rapid infusion of alcohol is satisfying them and taking away their desire for more drinks,” Lukas said. “That’s only a theory. It’s the best we’ve got so far. ” In 2003, David Overstreet and other scientists found the herb to be effective in reducing alcohol intake on rats. “There’s a lot of anecdotal evidence from China that kudzu could be useful, but this is the first documented evidence that it could reduce drinking in humans,” said Overstreet, who described Lukas’ work “groundbreaking. ” Lukas recruited 14 men and women in their 20s to spend four 90-minute sessions consuming beer and watching TV. Researchers selected people who said they regularly consumed three to four drinks per day. After the first session, some subjects received capsules of kudzu, others a placebo. Don't miss these Health stories More women opting for preventive mastectomy - but should they be? Rates of women who are opting for preventive mastectomies, such as Angeline Jolie, have increased by an estimated 50 percent in recent years, experts say. But many doctors are puzzled because the operation doesn't carry a 100 percent guarantee, it's major surgery -- and women have other options, from a once-a-day pill to careful monitoring. - Larry Page's damaged vocal cords: Treatment comes with trade-offs - Report questioning salt guidelines riles heart experts - CDC: 2012 was deadliest year for West Nile in US - What stresses moms most? Themselves, survey says - More women opting for preventive mastectomy - but should they be? “Unbeknownst to them, I was weighing that mug of beer every time they took a sip,” Lukas said. “We actually got a sip-by-sip analysis of their drinking behavior. ” None of the subjects had any side effects from mixing kudzu with beer. “It’s perfectly safe, from what we can tell,” Lukas said. “Individuals reported feeling a little more tipsy or lightheaded, but not enough to make them walk into walls or stumble and fall. ” Reduce alcohol cravings Though kudzu won’t turn drinkers into teetotalers, Lukas said, he hopes it can help heavy drinkers to cut back. “That way, they’re a lot closer to being able to cut down completely,” he said. Lukas’ study was inspired by Dr. Wing Ming Keung, a pathology professor at Harvard Medical School who has studied kudzu’s potential medical applications. Keung, not directly involved in Lukas’ study, said he has extracted a compound from kudzu root that he hopes to turn into a drug for reducing alcoholics’ cravings. “The most urgent need is helping people who cannot help themselves, who need a drug to help them stop drinking,” Keung said. © 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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antiphon(redirected from Antiphon (in the Greek Church)) Also found in: Dictionary, Thesaurus, Legal. Antiphon(ăn`tĭfŏn, –fən), c. 479–411 B.C., Athenian orator. He rarely spoke in public but wrote defenses for others to speak. Of his 15 extant orations 3 were for use in court, the rest probably for the instruction of his pupils. A few fragments of other speeches survive. Antiphon did much to advance Attic prose writing. His position in politics was with the conservative aristocrats, and he was instrumental in setting up the Four Hundred in 411 B.C. When they fell, Antiphon was among the first to be executed before AlcibiadesAlcibiades , c. 450–404 B.C., Athenian statesman and general. Of the family of Alcmaeonidae, he was a ward of Pericles and was for many years a devoted attendant of Socrates. He turned to politics after the Peace of Nicias (421 B.C. . . . . . Click the link for more information. returned. See R. K. Sprague, The Older Sophists (1972); Antiphon and Lysias (tr. by M. Edwards and S. Usher, 1985). antiphon(ăn`tĭfən), in Roman Catholic liturgical music, generally a short text sung before and after a psalm or canticle. The main use is in group singing of the Divine Office in a monastery. However, the sung introit, offertory, and communion verses of the Mass are also antiphons, whose psalms have for the most part disappeared. Certain festival chants, sung preparatory to the Mass itself, are called antiphons. There are also the four antiphons of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which are in the nature of office hymns and are sung by alternating choirs (i. e., antiphonally), each one belonging to a certain portion of the year. The best known of these is Salve Regina, of whose text there are many polyphonic settings. Modern antiphons are set to composed music rather than plainsongplainsong the unharmonized chant of the medieval Christian liturgies in Europe and the Middle East; usually synonymous with Gregorian chant, the liturgical music of the Roman Catholic Church. . . . . . Click the link for more information. . These are independent choral works for which the English term anthemanthem [ultimately from antiphon], short nonliturgical choral composition used in Protestant services, usually accompanied and having an English text. The term is used in a broader sense for "national anthems" and for the Latin motets still used occasionally in Anglican services. . . . . . Click the link for more information. was derived from antiphon. 1. a short passage, usually from the Bible, recited or sung as a response after certain parts of a liturgical service 2. a psalm, hymn, etc. , chanted or sung in alternate parts

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In recent years, the importance of IQ has taken something of a downturn. With the rise of cutting-edge research by Daniel Goleman, emotional intelligence has come to the fore. Emotional intelligence is also referred to as EQ, or EIQ, which stand for emotional quotient and emotional intelligence quotient, respectively. In brief, emotional intelligence refers to one’s ability to observe the emotions of themselves and others. If you are able to tell different emotions apart, that is a sign of a decent EQ. If you have a broad emotional vocabulary, you probably have a good EQ. If you can use your emotions as information, and harness that information to direct your thoughts and behaviour (rather than responding reactively to all of your emotions), then you likely have a very good EQ. Emotional intelligence represents the crossroads between intellectual and intuitive ability. It’s the point at which empathy meats cognition and is reflective of an individual’s capacity to navigate the dynamics of interpersonal relationships. Read on to discover why it’s so highly valued in modern workplaces, and how to improve your EQ. Emotional Intelligence Matters More Than Ever Imagine you were looking to hire someone, and you had to choose between two candidates. One is highly educated, but they lack all social graces. The other’s education is passable – sufficient, let’s say – but they have a remarkably high EQ. Which do you think you would end up hiring? Most managers would say the latter. Someone who is better able to regulate their own behaviour, pilot themselves through difficult social situations, and make positive decisions is far more likely to succeed in practically any workplace than a person with specialised knowledge and limited emotional range. Emotional intelligence makes people better collaborators, better listeners, and better company. People with emotional intelligence can make your company better, too. Want To Improve Your Emotional Intelligence? Here’s How… To paraphrase Aristotle, one acquires virtue by practising virtuous activities. By the same token, you can develop emotional intelligence by engaging with the skills that emotional intelligence supports. Fair warning – you may find these things tricky at first, but that’s just a signal that you need to work at them! Practice makes perfect, and over time you will find yourself with more and more emotional intelligence tools in your arsenal. This is the core habit on which emotional intelligence is built. The Greeks knew it, the Buddhists know it, every personal development guru in the history of the world knows it: know thyself. If you can’t observe and understand your own thoughts and feelings, you can’t expect to handle anyone else’s. Mindfulness meditation is a great way to practice this. Five or ten minutes a day is a perfect place to start, and there are hundreds of apps and resources out there that can support you on your journey. Mortimer J. Adler said “True freedom is impossible without a mind made free by discipline. ” Choosing to limit the trivialities and distractions in your life will develop your mental discipline, and allow you to focus on what’s important. Pick one thing that you spend too much time doing, and focus on limiting it as much as possible. You don’t need to erase it altogether – just try to get 1% better each day. Not only does this build your self-regulation muscle, but it supports your self-awareness habit as well. Don’t be disheartened if you fail. Your ability to get back on the horse is what will develop resilience, another key part of EQ. Practice attending to others’ needs. Having developed a strong foundation of self-awareness, self-regulation, and resilience, you can begin to turn your attention outward. Learn to mirror, empathise, and validate the emotions that people express to you. This is known as ‘the Imago technique’, and it involves paraphrasing what your interlocutor has said, indicating your understanding of the way that they feel, and assuring them that those feelings are understandable given the circumstances. Giving people the space to express their emotions will increase your ability to handle theirs, as well as your own. Everyone wins! Want To Learn More About Emotional Intelligence? The above tips are a good starting point for anyone who wants to improve their EQ. If you’re interested in discovering more in-depth strategies for developing your emotional intelligence, consider taking an Emotional Intelligence Course with Pathways Australia. With expert facilitators on hand in all of Australia’s major capital cities, our course will help you uncover insight into your own EQ strengths and weaknesses, scientifically-backed guidelines on developing your EQ, improved capacity for management and leadership, and more happiness and confidence in every area of your life. Don’t hesitate to contact us for more details!

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San Salvatore in Lauro |This article does not cite any sources. (April 2015) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)| San Salvatore in Lauro (St. Salvatore at the Laurels) is a Catholic church in central Rome, Italy. It is located on a piazza of the same name in the rione Ponte, it stands on Via Vecchiarelli, just south of the Lungotevere Tor di Nona and north of via dei Coronari. Within Rome, the church is also known as St. Jesus. It is the "national church" of the marchigiani, the inhabitants of the Marche region of Italy (the population of each Italy's region was counted as "nation" before Italian unification). The current protector of this titulus is Cardinal-Deacon Angelo Comastri. The first church at the site dates to the 11th century; while the present building was constructed in the 16th century on designs of the Bolognese Ottaviano Mascherino. The main altarpiece and cupola are painted by Ludovico Rusconi Sassi. In the chapels are works of art by Antoniazzo Romano, Camillo Rusconi, François Duquesnoy, Alessandro Turchi and a Nativity by Pietro da Cortona. The refectory has a series of Mannerist frescoes (1550) by Francesco Salviati (1550), and contains the 15th century tomb of Pope Eugene IV by Isaia da Pisa, transferred here from the Old Saint Peter's Basilica. Parmigianino's Vision of Saint Jerome was commissioned for a chapel in the church, but was later brought away by the donors and is now in the National Gallery, London. The titular church was first established in 1587 as a Cardinal-Priest title but was suppressed in 1670. In the consistory of 24 November 2007 Pope Benedict XVI restored the church as a Cardinal-Deaconry. List of Cardinal Protectors - Scipione Lancellotti (20 April 1587 – 2 June 1598) - Luca Antonio Virili (17 December 1629 – 4 June 1634) - Ciriaco Rocci (13 August 1635 – 25 September 1651) - Pietro Vito Ottoboni (19 February 1652 – 15 November 1660) - Angelo Comastri (24 November 2007 –)

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October 25, 2012 In Potential Vaccine Breakthrough, Antibody Response Outwits HIV A new discovery could prove a major stepping-stone toward developing an effective HIV vaccine. In South Africa, two women’s immune systems reacted to changes in HIV cells by producing potent “broadly neutralizing antibodies” that could kill 88 percent of HIV found throughout the world. The study, published October 24 in Nature Medicine and highlighted in a news release by the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, was conducted by the Centre for the Aids Programme of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA) consortium. The researchers found that, after infection, the two women’s immune systems initially produced less potent antibodies that pressured the virus to cover a key point of its surface with sugar, or “glycan. ” This position on the cell became an Achilles’ heel, prompting the development of broadly neutralizing antibodies that effectively targeted the site. This scientific know-how could prove crucial to what CAPRISA scientists envision as a sequential series of vaccinations that would mimic this co-evolution between HIV and the body’s immune response—but without the actual presence of the virus—and result in the creation of broadly neutralizing antibodies. To read the University of the Witwatersrand news announcement, click here. Search: HIV, vaccine, South Africa, broadly neutralizing antibodies, Nature Medicine, University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, Centre for the Aids Programme of Research in South Africa, CAPRISA, women, 88 percent Scroll down to comment on this story. Show comments (11 total) [Go to top]

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The first settlers of northern McLennan County arrived in the 1840’s. They were farm and ranch families drawn from the east by the rich lands made available by the government sale of land to build schools in Texas. The area farmers cultivated the land growing cotton, wheat and maize and raising cattle. The farming community centered around a fresh water spring that became known as Bold Springs. In 1860 Bold Springs had a population of about 300 and provided services such as a blacksmith, churches, and a post office. The Katy Railroad was laid between Hillsboro and Waco in the fall of 1881. The path of the railroad cut through land owned by Thomas West. Mr. West moved to the area in 1859. He farmed land that he had purchased and served as postmaster of Bold Springs. A train depot was built on the land he sold to the railroad company and the land run ning beside the tracks was divided into small sections and sold to people wanting to start businesses. The new depot included a post office and from that time forward it was known as the West Post Office. Mr. West served as postmaster while opening the first general store. He became a successful businessman later owning a hotel, a furniture store and a bank. The railroad brought prosperity to the area during the 1880’s. More businesses were opened and more surrounding land was purchased. Czech immigrants came to the area purchasing the rich lands to farm and start a fresh life in the new world. They also opened businesses sharing their European culture. By the 1890’s the Czech businesses flourished in West. On June 11, 1892 West was officially organized into a town. It had became the center of commerce for the area. There were cotton gins, grocery stores, churches, schools, doctor’s offices. Many of the farmers and business men of West contributed to the success of West as a great little farming community. The turn of the century brought electricity, running water, and natural gas. The population of West and surrounding area grew. The Czech’s brought with them the custom of having very large families and by the 1920’s they became the dominate culture in West. Many of the descendants of the original settlers continue to farm the lands and run the businesses still today. You can still hear Czech spoken by some of the older folks around town. The West Depot is now home for a railroad museum and Information Center for West. In it you will find information and old photographs of the railroad and it’s relation to the West community.

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Apart from being coated or hairless, the skin of a dog can come in many variations. It can cover the dog tightly, or be so loose in a particular area that it becomes a characteristic described by a specific term. This page explains the names of some of these loose skin formations. When the supple skin of the head is loose, the lower eyelid can droop or sag so the eye rim does not hug the eye. The red pouch which then becomes clearly visible is called haw. This is often seen in a breed with excessive head skin like the Basset Hound (pictured) or the Bloodhound. Scowl is another variation in the skin covering the head. The skin of a Chow Chow's head wrinkles or contracts giving the expression is referred to as a 'scowl'. The dictionary describes a scowl as this wrinkling or contracting the brow giving an expression of anger or disapproval. In the Chow Chow, the slightly tilted, small rounded ear also adds to this scowling expression. The dewlap is the loose pendulous skin around the throat area, often arranged as two distinct folds as illustrated in the Basset Hound. In breeds like the Neapolitan Mastiff which were originally developed as dogs used in wars, these loose folds acted as protection for the jugular vein in the throat area. In most breeds, excess skin in the throat area is considered a fault. When a neck has no excess loose skin, it is called a 'clean throat' or 'dry throat'. The term 'clean' meaning no excess loose skin, can also be applied to the cheeks, for example the Weimaraner.

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Wetland Loss Hammers Lake Winnipeg and Manitoba’s Environment New research by Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) has identified that the continued loss of wetlands in Manitoba is increasing phosphorus loads into Lake Winnipeg equivalent to dumping 10 semi loads of commercial agricultural fertilizer or 544,000 bags of lawn fertilizer directly into the lake every year. “Never before has DUC’s push to stop the loss of wetlands been so staunchly supported by research,” says Bob Grant, Manager Provincial Operations for Ducks Unlimited Canada. “Our results are by far the most compelling scientific support for the benefits that Manitoba’s wetlands provide to all Manitobans. In fact, this research has broad application across Canada and should be taken seriously by all municipal, provincial and federal governments. ” Up to 70 per cent of wetlands have been lost or degraded in settled areas of Canada. Grant says this has had exceedingly negative impacts on Manitoba’s environment. To demonstrate how the loss of wetlands impacts the environment, DUC partnered with the University of Guelph and Tarleton State University, a member of the Texas A&M University system to conduct a study of the Broughton’s Creek watershed, located in the Rural Municipality of Blanshard north of Brandon. Lead funding provided by the Murphy Foundation helped complete the first phase of this multi-phase project. The first step of this project determined that 5,921 wetlands or 70 per cent of total wetlands in the Broughton’s Creek watershed have been lost or degraded due to drainage between 1968 and 2005. DUC lead researchers Shane Gabor, Pascal Badiou and Lyle Boychuk scaled up the results from the Broughton’s Creek research to represent all of southwestern Manitoba, determining that wetland drainage has caused: – An increase in phosphorus loads into Lake Winnipeg equivalent to dumping 10 semi loads of commercial agricultural fertilizer or 544,000 bags of lawn fertilizer directly into the lake every year. – The release of 5 million tonnes of carbon to the atmosphere, the equivalent of putting 169,000 cars on the road for 20 years. – An increase in area-contributing runoff into Lake Winnipeg of 4,518 square kilometers, the equivalent of 10 times the size of the City of Winnipeg. In 2005, nutrient removal and additional carbon released into the atmosphere as a result of lost wetlands are estimated to have cost Manitobans $15 million that year. These estimates are based on the costs associated with removing phosphorous and nitrogen from water and offsetting carbon emissions. “Given that the province of Manitoba and the city of Winnipeg are investing millions of taxpayer dollars to reduce nutrient loading to Lake Winnipeg and to deal with climate change, stopping the continued destruction of wetlands should be a top priority,” said Pascal Badiou, research scientist, for DUC’s Institute for Wetland and Waterfowl Research. “Maintaining the status quo will significantly reduce the return on investment of our mitigation dollars. This figure will increase to $19 million per year by 2020 if wetland drainage or degradation is not stopped. ” Badiou points out that the costs do not account for the economic costs of downstream flooding, lost biodiversity, diminished ecotourism, lost groundwater recharge and the many other ecological functions that wetlands lose when drained or degraded. The impacts of wetland drainage and water quality should be of concern to all Manitobans. Wetland loss impacts our quality of life and our economic well-being. Providing financial incentives for landowners and legislated protection that ensures wetland retention and restoration is needed to prevent further deterioration of Manitoba’s water resources. “DUC has 70 years of wetland expertise and experience to assist governments and stakeholders in the development of a wetland policy that benefits all Manitobans,” said Grant. “DUC looks forward to working with the government and agricultural community in developing an effective wetland policy for Manitoba.” For more information on the Broughton’s Creek research and facts about wetland loss in Manitoba, visit the Ducks Unlimited Canada website at www. ducks. ca or go to: http://www.ducks.ca/aboutduc/news/archives/2008/pdf/081107.pdf Ducks Unlimited Canada is a private, non-profit organization that conserves, restores and manages wetlands and associated habitats for waterfowl. These habitats also benefit other wildlife and people. Contacts: Ducks Unlimited Canada Leigh Patterson Corporate Media Relations Specialist (204) 467-3306 Email: firstname. lastname@example. org Website: www. ducks. ca SOURCE: Ducks Unlimited Canada

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On June 4, 2011 the Cordón Caulle volcano complex in Chile erupted sending volcanic ash high into the atmosphere. A combination of small ash particles, which take a long time to fall to Earth, and the high winds of the jet stream has resulted in this ash plume being carried great distances to the east – crossing Argentina, the Atlantic, South Africa, Indian Ocean, Australia and New Zealand towards the Pacific Ocean. Starting on June 5, the following image sequence, based on data from Meteosat-9, MTSAT-1R and GOES-11 satellites maps the spread of the ash cloud around the southern hemisphere. Bright red indicates the highest ash concentrations. The Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre has an animated version of the sequence.

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“On the 25th day of January 1832, a very important conference was held by the elders at Amherst, Lorain County, Ohio. The history of the Church is very brief in the report of this conference. Much business was transacted, but the most important thing was the fact that Joseph Smith was sustained and ordained, by the will of the Lord, as President of the High Priesthood.” (Smith, Church History and Modern Revelation, 1:274. ) The Prophet Joseph Smith recorded: “A few days before the conference was to commence in Amherst, Lorain county, I started with the Elders that lived in my own vicinity, and arrived in good time. At this conference much harmony prevailed, and considerable business was done to advance the kingdom, and promulgate the Gospel to the inhabitants of the surrounding country. The Elders seemed anxious for me to inquire of the Lord that they might know His will, or learn what would be most pleasing to Him for them to do, in order to bring men to a sense of their condition; for, as it was written, all men have gone out of the way, so that none doeth good, no, not one. I inquired and received the following: [D&C 75]. ” (History of the Church, 1:242–43. ) Notes and Commentary D&C 75:1. Alpha and Omega For the significance of this title see Notes and Commentary on Doctrine and Covenants 38:1. D&C 75:2–5. Go Forth and Labor With Your Might D&C 75:5. What Is the Meaning of the Sheaves and the Crowns? Anciently, grain was cut by hand and tied into large bundles or sheaves which were then carried to the place of threshing. To see a person or an animal “laden with many sheaves” (D&C 75:5) was proof that the person had reaped an abundant harvest and would now enjoy the fruits of his labors. “Elders who go out to preach the gospel sometimes return and report that they know not whether they have been the means of converting anybody or not. But if they have been faithful, the harvest is sure. The seed they have sown may sprout and come to maturity years after they have been released. ” (Smith and Sjodahl, Commentary, p. 434. ) The Lord had already instructed missionaries: “For behold the field is white already to harvest; and lo, he that thrusteth in his sickle with his might, the same layeth up in store that he perisheth not, but bringeth salvation to his soul” (D&C 4:4). Elder Bruce R. McConkie commented on the symbolism of being crowned: “Those who gain exaltation in the highest heaven of the celestial world shall wear crowns. Perhaps literal crowns may be worn on occasion—emblematic of their victory over the world and signifying that they rule and reign as kings and queens in the eternal house of Israel. But at all times they will be ‘crowned with honor, and glory, and immortality, and eternal life. ’ (D. & C. 75:5. )” (Mormon Doctrine, p. 173. ) D&C 75:10–11. Calling On the Comforter and Praying Always Smith and Sjodahl explained the importance for gospel teachers of prayer: “They were commanded (v. 4) to preach the truth ‘according to the revelations and commandments’ given. They were to keep strictly to the revealed word, but even this they could not do without the aid of the Comforter, the Holy Spirit of God. Studying alone does not qualify an Elder for preaching the truth. It is the Spirit that qualifies. … “Some Elders put all their faith in preaching. The Latter-day Saints generally will endorse the following, though uttered by one not a member of the Church: “‘What is preaching without praying! Sermons are but pulpit performances, learned essays, rhetorical orations, popular lectures, or it may be political harangues, until God gives, in answer to earnest prayer, the preparation of the heart, and the answer of the tongue. It is only he who prays that can truly preach. Many a sermon that has shown no intellectual genius and has violated all homiletic rules and standards has had dynamic spiritual force. Somehow it has moved men, melted them, moulded them. The man whose lips are touched by God’s living coal from off the altar may even stammer, but his hearers soon find out that he is on fire with one consuming passion to save souls’ (Arthur T. Pierson, The Fundamentals, Vol. IX. , p. 67). ” (Commentary, p. 435. ) D&C 75:19–22. Shake the Dust off Your Feet D&C 75:22. Why Will It Be More Tolerable for the Heathen Than for Those Who Reject the Missionaries? Elder James E. Talmage noted that “man will be accounted blameless or guilty, according to his deeds as interpreted in the light of the law under which he is required to live. It is inconsistent with our conception of a just God, to believe Him capable of inflicting condemnation upon any one for noncompliance with a requirement of which the person had no knowledge. Nevertheless, the laws of the Church will not be suspended even in the case of those who have sinned in darkness and ignorance; but it is reasonable to believe that the plan of redemption will afford such benighted ones an opportunity of learning the laws of God; and surely, as fast as they so learn, will obedience be required on pain of the penalty. ” (Articles of Faith, p. 519. ) D&C 75:24–28. The Church to Support Families of Those Called to Proclaim the Gospel President Joseph Fielding Smith said that “the brethren who were called to take these missionary journeys were quite generally poor men in temporal things. It was difficult for them to go out on the Lord’s work and leave their families without support. Yet the call was essential, for the souls of men were at stake and there were those waiting to hear the message who would be a strength to the Church after they received the Gospel. The Lord took into account the needs of the families of these brethren, and he said, ‘It is the duty of the Church to assist in supporting the families of those who are called and must needs be sent unto the world. …’ The commandment therefore was given that suitable places should be provided in which these families could be housed and cared for, and the members of the Church were admonished to ‘open their hearts,’ and assist in this undertaking. If there were brethren, however, who could support themselves and their families, this was required of them. ” (Church History and Modern Revelation, 1:276–77. ) D&C 75:29. The Idler Shall Not Have Place in the Church Elder Franklin D. Richards taught: “President McKay has said, ‘Let us realize that the privilege to work is a gift, that the power to work is a blessing, that love of work is success. ’ “How true this is! Yet today as in earlier times many misguided individuals embrace the philosophy of idleness, feeling that the world owes them a living. Many have a desire to destroy the establishment that has been built upon productive effort. “In this dispensation the Lord has many times confirmed the eternal principle of work. We have been told that there is no place in the Church for the idler ‘except he repent and mend his ways,’ and ‘he that is idle shall not eat the bread nor wear the garments of the laborer. ’ (D&C 75:29; 42:42. )” (In Conference Report, Oct. 1969, p. 121. ) Additional discussion of the evils of idleness and the value of work is found in Notes and Commentary for Doctrine and Covenants 68:31.

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By: Steffi O'Brien Thirty-five years ago this fall, on October 21, 1978, President Jimmy Carter signed into law the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Act (Public Law 95-495). This new law ended a rancorous three-year fight in Congress over the future of the BWCAW, provided important new wilderness protections for the canoe country, and settled once and for all the decades-long question that the Boundary Waters was indeed a wilderness. Sigurd Olson would later call it the most important achievement in his half-century of wilderness conservation on behalf of the Boundary Waters. And Sig played an incredibly important role in the struggle to pass this legislation. Not only did he play the role of leading elder statesman for the wilderness cause throughout those years, utilizing his myriad contacts to promote the BWCA Wilderness bill, but Sig personally testified at the Congressional Field Hearing held in Ely in July of 1977. At this point in the public debate, two competing bills had been introduced dealing with the BWCAW. Rep. Jim Oberstar’s bill would have removed about 400,000 acres from wilderness in the heart of the BWCA and turned it into a National Recreation Area where logging, motorboats and snowmobiles, resorts, and other developments would have been allowed. The competing bill introduced by Rep. Don Fraser would have made the BWCA a complete wilderness—no logging, no mining, no motorboats, no snowmobiles. Three members of Congress came to Ely for the field hearing: Oberstar, Fraser, and Rep. Bruce Vento, a freshman member of Congress who chaired the hearing on behalf of the Subcommittee Chair, Rep. Phillip Burton of California. Though only in his first term in Congress, Bruce was the only Minnesotan to serve on the full House Interior and Insular Affairs Committee (which included Burton’s subcommittee), and Phil drafted Bruce to chair the two field hearings in Minnesota. The Boundary Waters issue was very hot politically, of course, and the Ely field hearing reflected that stormy nature. Over 1,000 people jammed into the auditorium where the hearing was held. Parked logging trucks sat outside the building. A dummy dangled from the boom of one truck, with the names of Sigurd Olson, Bud Heinselman, and the Sierra Club pinned to its shirt. Inside the hearing, when Bruce Vento called Sig’s name to testify, the auditorium erupted in yells, boos, and jeers. For long minute after minute the yelling continued, preventing Sig from speaking. Vento tried gaveling the crowd to order, but to no avail. The foot-stomping and yelling continued. Oberstar and Fraser also tried to bring the crowd to order, but with similar results. The yelling was so intense and continuous that Vento turned to an aide and asked if there was a way out the back of the auditorium in case violence erupted. Finally, however, Vento gained control of the crowd and it quieted. Sig then delivered this testimony in favor of the Fraser bill. The testimony accompanying this article is from Sig’s presentation copy of his testimony, with his hand-written deletions and additions, so this version is the way Sig presented it. Most notable is the moving final paragraph of this testimony, which was hand-written onto his typed statement and which I remember Sig delivering, all the more remarkable and eloquent given the tense and angry atmosphere in which he gave it. July 8, 1977 My name is Sigurd F. Olson, my home Ely, Minnesota. I support the Fraser Bill (H.R. 2820) whose purpose is to eliminate all adverse uses from the BWCA and give it complete wilderness status. I have worked for some 50 years toward building an appreciation and understanding of what wilderness really means. I have served as a consultant to the Department of Interior through several administrations, served on numerous commissions and advisory boards and in that capacity have become familiar with most of the wilderness regions of the United States, Canada, and Alaska. I have crisscrossed the BWCA and its adjoining Quetico Provincial Park by canoe countless times since my early guiding days, but also the Northwest Territories of Canada, have worked closely with Canadians such as the Quetico Foundation of Toronto, having to do with the preservation of the BWCA and the Quetico as well as other lake and river areas as far north as the Arctic Tundra. I have worked with citizen groups, such as the IWLA and Wilderness Society and others, and know how people feel, and have cooperated closely with all major conservation organizations across the country toward the goal of preserving wild and natural areas. Many threats have plagued the area over the years, road programs, power dams, airplane and fly-in resort developments, the acquisition of private land, logging and mining, and I realize now that had any of these issues been lost there would be no wilderness in the BWCA today. The BWCA and Quetico Provincial Park across the border comprise over two and a quarter million acres, the largest area of its kind in the world. People come from all over the U.S. and even foreign countries to enjoy the tranquility, beauty, and peace of this unique Lakeland wilderness. Opponents of the Fraser Bill claim the economy of Northeastern Minnesota would be adversely affected. The mainstay of its economy is mining, an industry doing very well outside the BWCA. There are millions of acres for commercial logging outside the wilderness, a third of the Superior National Forest’s three million acres. In this lower two-thirds there is plenty of room for snowmobiles, motor boats, logging and mining. Studies show that resorts and canoe outfitting employ many people and bring in millions of dollars, all of them benefitting from their proximity to the BWCA and its wilderness lure. Once the wilderness is gone, the real meaning of the BWCA will be lost forever. I am opposed to the Oberstar Bill cutting out some 400,000 acres of prime wilderness canoe country and converting them to recreational use, a permanent tragedy for this long fought-over region which belongs to all the people of America. President Carter in his Environmental Message to Congress said, “The National Wilderness Preservation System must be expanded promptly before the most deserving areas of federal lands are opened up to other uses and lost as wilderness forever. ” I endorse this statement as do millions across the country. The Fraser Bill (HR 2820) supports President Carter’s view. The time for action and immediate passage is now. No further studies or surveys are necessary. This is the most beautiful lake country on the continent. We can afford to cherish and protect it. Some places should be preserved from development or exploitation for they satisfy a human need for solace, belonging and perspective. In the end we turn to nature in a frenzied chaotic world, there to find silence—oneness—wholeness—spiritual release. Please make this statement a part of the record. Sincerely, Sigurd F. Olson

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Stress may be invisible, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t there. Stress is a real problem, especially in this day and age where many of us feel like we have hundreds of things to do and very little time to do it in. It’s important we work on reducing our stress levels before they get out of hand. When we’re stressed, we can’t think straight, and this can lead to a plethora of problems at home and at work. Here, we’re going to talk about why reducing stress is one of the best things you can do for your mind and body, as well as how to do it. Why Is Reducing Stress One Of The Best Things You Can Do For Your Mind And Body? Stress has a huge impact on the mind. Not only can it make us more forgetful, but it can also give us brain fog and stop us from making the most rational decisions. It can stop us from seeing the solutions that are right in front of us, and instead only focus on the issues that we perceive to be the problem. You’re far more likely to make mistakes at work when you’re stressed. Chronic stress can eventually lead to burn out, which is a huge problem and could mean having some time off work. You probably won’t be any fun to be around, either, which may not be a problem at work, but your family and friends will suffer! Stress can also impact your physical health in a big way. It can impact your appetite, making you want to eat more or less. You may notice weight changes. You might also notice sleep changes. Getting enough high-quality sleep is crucial for getting things done during the day, but stress can stop you from sleeping through the night. It can even cause problems like hair loss, and weaken your immune system, making you more susceptible to colds and other illnesses. How To Reduce Stress It’s important to make sure you don’t turn to bad habits as an attempt to lessen daily stress. Smoking and drinking, for example, may make you feel like your problems have disappeared for a while when in reality you are just masking them. Stay mindful of your bad habits and try to replace them with good ones. Replace smoking with a SMOK device, and start drinking tea instead of alcohol, for example. You also need to figure out the triggers that you have. Everybody is different. Perhaps you’re taking on too much at work, and you need to talk with your boss about lightening the load. Maybe you’re having problems caring for your children; you could ask family members to take over for a few hours during the week so you can have a break. Needing a break is normal and nothing to feel ashamed about! You should take the time for self care each day, too, whether that’s exercising, cooking a healthy meal, or spending time in a hot bath. Eating well and moving your body will positively impact your physical and mental health in both the short and long term. Get to work on those stress levels now and soon you’ll notice a huge difference in your mindset and life!

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Solar-Powered Circulation Technology Clears Out Blue-Green Algae by Ed Sullivan As the annual onslaught of blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) blooms continues to plague fresh water lakes and reservoirs, the use of copper sulfate to control the problem has become dubious. After 50 years of pouring innumerable tons of copper into lakes and reservoirs, the use of this algaecide has increased resistance and resulted in consequential problems that require more expensive treatment and threaten marine habitats throughout the world. Although naturally present in water, blue-green algae blooms occur as tranquil waters warm. Left untreated, these blue-green algae wreak havoc on the ecosystems of lakes and reservoirs and the streams that feed them. Sixty percent of Americans drink water that comes from lakes and reservoirs, many of which are afflicted by blue-green algae. The primary complaints about unsuccessfully treated blue-green blooms concern taste and odor. However, research suggests that long-term consumption of water containing high levels of blue-green algae toxins increases risk of illness and even liver cancer. In the past, copper sulfate has been the chemical of choice for treating blue-green algae. But research findings, diminishing results and increasing costs have made dependency on this algaecide unrealistic. The use of copper sulfate causes blue-green algae cellular lysis (membrane collapse), thereby releasing any toxins the algae may contain — defeating the purpose of the treatment. As blue-green algae become increasingly resistant to copper sulfate, continuously larger doses (thousands of pounds per week) are required for effective control. Furthermore, impacts on zooplankton and other life forms have led to increasingly stringent permitting requirements for its use. When blue-green algae conditions warrant more extensive treatment of drinking water, many plants must also invest in expensive chloramine systems, since straight chlorine can produce unacceptable levels of trihalomethane (THM) and haloacetic acid (HAA), disinfection byproducts deemed carcinogenic by the EPA. Even chloramine-treated water that is stored in potable water tanks for long periods without an effective circulation system can release nitrofications that will result in a torrent of complaints about taste and odor. A non-toxic solution arrives “If you can create sufficient circulation, blue-green algae problems and other unwanted water conditions can be avoided or even corrected,” says Joel Bleth, president of Pump Systems, Inc. (PSI), Dickinson, ND. “Sufficient circulation will minimize or eliminate the need for chemical and carbon treatments because it prevents blue-green algae takeover. ” To provide reliable and flexible forced circulation, PSI developed SolarBee™, a floating self-contained system for use in lakes and reservoirs. Powered by solar modules, this system features an adjustable down-hose suspended from an anchored flotation unit. A single unit can draw up to 10,000 gallons of water per minute and spread it gently across the surface for continuous aeration 24-hours per day. The system’s mixing action prevents the takeover of blue-green algae and promotes a good crop of diatoms (“good algae”) and zooplankton. Instead of constantly sinking to the bottom and being blocked from the sunlight, they continuously glide up and down in the mixing currents. At the same time, continuous circulation prevents the blue-greens from blocking the sunlight below the water surface. When used to control blue-green algae growth, SolarBee units are positioned at problem locations with the unit’s down-hose suspended to just above the thermocline. The water intake, from the relatively warm epilimniun layer, is pumped up the down-hose and spread across the water surface, providing beneficial turbulence and aeration. The resulting circulation of the epilimnium prevents the blue-green algae from staying at the top of the layer, so that diatoms are able to out-compete the blue-green algae. At Palmdale Lake in the high desert country of southern California, the Palmdale Water District had been using 2,000 to 3,000 lbs. of copper sulfate powder per week from March to September to control algae growth in its 4,130 acre-ft. of water. “Besides being expensive, we wanted to avoid using excess copper,” says Greg Dluzak, Palmdale Water District Production and Control Superintendent. “There are concerns about the oils and chemicals that algae release being toxic and possibly carcinogenic. Although this isn’t established or regulated yet, it was another reason we wanted to find some other way of controlling the algae other than chemically treating it. So we were very pleased that a year after installing seven of these SolarBee circulation units (in 2002) we had greatly reduced the amount of copper that we were using. ” “We also saw considerably more dissolved oxygen that was much more evenly dispersed throughout the lake,” Dluzak says. "The water temperature was much more even, and we weren’t getting our usual spring or fall turnover. The lake also looks much clearer than it did before, which makes it much easier to see the fish, too” Another problem that often results from blue-green algae blooms is filter clogging at treatment plants. At the Palmdale plant this problem occurred almost continuously throughout the year. “Since installing these new circulation units we have only experienced two or three weeks of excessive clogging of our filters during the algae growing season, per year,” Dluzak says. “We’re planning on upgrading our units to the new V12 model with the larger battery and solar panels, which will operate 24 hours per day as compared to the current units (without batteries) that only run during daylight hours, so we’re hoping that the filter clogging will virtually disappear. Since we have to use treated water to backwash the filters, that’s a loss of treated water that we don’t see now - another savings. ” “Prior to installing the units we were putting in as much as 800 pounds at a time,” says Don Coatman, Water Production Superintendent at Englewood Water District. “It was an all-day task. Since we installed the new forced circulation system, I’ve got a lot of copper sulfate I’d like to sell. ” Another primary reason for installing the units was concern about the buildup of very dense sedimentation over a 50-year period. If a lake or reservoir has unhealthy sediment or an unwanted sediment build-up, the system can be set up to solve that problem. To handle this problem, the system’s down-hose is set below the thermocline and close to the bottom where it pulls large volumes of water and spreads them across the surface of the water. Since the water from the bottom (hypolimnion) layer is colder and denser than the top layer, it aerates for a relatively short distance (depending on temperature differential), and then sinks to the bottom again. This newly aerated water oxygenates the nutrients in the sediment, helping to break it up and alleviate anoxic bottom water conditions. “This is where we did our sedimentation process until 2000, before we installed a separate building and process for that,” explains Coatman. “Over the years there were attempts to clean the reservoir out with various types of dredges and an aerator, but these couldn’t keep up with the sedimentation. By 2000 the sediment had built up to the point where in some areas of the reservoir you could almost walk on the water it was so shallow. So, we were running out of storage room. ” Englewood Water District faced a choice of draining the reservoir, scraping out the sediment and hauling it away — a process that would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars or finding a less expensive approach. “We had heard that the solar-powered circulation system could aerate the water, get dissolved oxygen down to the reservoir bottom and break up the sediment,” Coatman explains. “They were using this system at the water facility in Pueblo CO, primarily for blue-green algae control, and suggested that system might be an inexpensive solution to our problem. ” In June 2002 Englewood installed a 10,000 GPM unit and positioned it in the area of the sediment buildup. “It’s reduced sediment in our reservoir by probably 75 percent,” Coatman says. “It has broken it down and distributed it out. Because the cleanup has eliminated the nutrients in the sediment, it also helped get rid of the blue-green algae problem at the same time. ” The Englewood Water District is budgeting for an additional circulation unit at its pre-treatment reservoir to handle raw water that enters the pond from the South Platte River through “The City Ditch,” a historic open channel that travels approximately 24 miles from the Chatfield Reservoir. “During the summer months the river is often very shallow, and so the water carries higher concentrates of elements such as manganese as well as a lot of organic material from the river and the trench. The new circulation unit will help handle those,” Coatman says. In a report “Improving Lake Water Quality by Solar Powered Circulation” published by Bo Labisi, P.E. of the Palmdale Water District, Labisi concluded that forced lake circulation using the solar-powered device was effective in controlling the incidence of seasonal algal bloom in Palmdale Lake during the summer of 2003. He said the greatly reduced amount of copper sulfate used to limit algal activities in 2003 amounted to a significant savings, while water quality parameters including dissolved oxygen, pH, secchi transparency depth, turbidity and chlorophyll-a concentration all improved noticeably during forced lake circulation. Irrespective of nutrient loading to the lake, algae proliferation was curtailed because circulation exposed available nutrient to all species, thereby stimulating much higher food demand and resulting in a more advanced food chain. For more information, contact SolarBee headquarters at 530 25th Ave E, Dickinson, ND 58601; Phone 866-437-8076 or 701-225-4494; Fax 701-225-0002; E-mail firstname. lastname@example. org; or visit the web site www. solarbee. com. ©2004 - 1998 Land and Water, Inc.

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The Violin Sonata in G minor, Bg.5, also called Tartini's Dream or Devil's Trill Sonata(Italian: Il trillo del diavolo), is a solo violin sonata created by Giuseppe Tartini (8 April 1692 – 26 February 1770), an Italian Baroque composer and violinist. According to the legend, Tartini was inspired to write the sonata by a dream in which the Devil had played. Tartini allegedly told the French astronomer Jérôme Lalande that he had dreamed that the devil had appeared to him and had asked to be Tartini's servant and teacher. At the end of the music lesson, Tartini handed the devil his violin to test his skill, which the devil began to play with virtuosity; delivering an intense and magnificent performance. So singularly beautiful and executed with such superior taste and precision, that the composer felt his breath taken away. The complete story is told by Tartini himself in Lalande's Voyage d'un François en Italie: Mesmerized by the devil’s brilliant and awe-inspiring playing, Tartini attempted to recreate what he had heard. However, despite having said that the sonata was his favorite, Tartini later wrote that it was "so inferior to what I had heard, that if I could have subsisted on other means, I would have broken my violin and abandoned music forever. " The sonata, written for violin with basso continuo (figured bass), is written in four movements: 1. Larghetto affettuoso 2. Allegro moderato 4. Allegro assai — Andante — Allegro assai The first movement, begins gently and reflectively, with languid double stops and a flowing violin melody line filled with tasteful embellishments. The melody, which moves from the tonic to the mediant key in the middle of the movement includes several deceptive cadences, before returning once again to a tonic theme similar to the beginning. A crisp, quick, highly decorated bravura follows, preceding a brief cantabile slow movement, said to signify Tartini's dream state. The last movement, technically difficult, begins fast, before dissolving into repeated, modular violin melody over an intensifying accompaniment. This leads to a slow chromatic theme, followed by more sequences of the two themes. The source of the sonata's nickname is a passage where the violinist trills while simultaneously playing arpeggiated triads. The bravura cadenza that is frequently played was composed by Fritz Kreisler. The accompaniment joins the violin again for the last few dramatic measures. The trill in the last movement is one of the earliest examples of a trill illustrating a musical theme. While Tartini claimed he composed the sonata in 1713, scholars think it was likely composed as late as the 1740s, due to its stylistic maturity. It was not published until 1798 or 1799, almost thirty years after the composer's death. The sonata is Tartini's most famous composition. It is notable for its technically difficult passages that requires a number of technically demanding double stop trills and is difficult even by modern standards. It would become the basis for Cesare Pugni's 1849 ballet Le Violon du diable, as well as Chopin's Prelude No. 27. Giuseppe Tartini was born in Piran, a town on the peninsula of Istria, in the Republic of Venice (now in Slovenia). It appears Tartini's parents intended him to become a Franciscan friar and, in this way, he received basic musical training. He studied law at the University of Padua, where he became skilled at fencing. After his father's death in 1710, he married Elisabetta Premazore, a favorite of the powerful Cardinal Giorgio Cornaro, who promptly charged Tartini with abduction. Tartini fled Padua to go to the monastery of St. Francis in Assisi, where he could escape prosecution. While there, Tartini took up playing the violin. Legend says when Tartini heard Francesco Maria Veracini's playing in 1716, he was impressed by it and dissatisfied with his own skill. He fled to Ancona and locked himself away in a room to practise, according to Charles Burney, "in order to study the use of the bow in more tranquility, and with more convenience than at Venice, as he had a place assigned him in the opera orchestra of that city". Tartini's skill improved tremendously and, in 1721, he was appointed Maestro di Cappella at the Basilica di Sant'Antonio in Padua. Giuseppe Tartini was the first known owner of a violin made by Antonio Stradivari in 1715, which Tartini bestowed upon his student Salvini, who in turn gave it to the Polish composer and virtuoso violinist Karol Lipiński upon hearing him perform: the instrument is thus known as the Lipinski Stradivarius.

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MEMS World - Electrostatic actuators It can take several books to give an exhaustive description of all MEMS electrostatic actuators things to know, not speaking about electrostatics phenomenon itself. This page just intends to describe the principle and benefits of electrostatic actuation at microscopic scale, as well for direct parallel plates electrostatic actuation as comb-drive microactuators. Any electric charge creates around it an electric field. Any electric field applies a force to any charged particle. This principle, widely known since Maxwell's era, has not been so much used during the past decades, but MEMS have a high interest in using electrostatic actuators: The main problem of electrostatic effect is that it decreases with the square of the distance between the two charged bodies. In microscopic scale, this is a huge advantage, because most of the structures have a very low aspect ratio (i. e. width and length are large before thickness and gap in z direction), so the distance between bodies is really very small. Electrostatics is the most widely used force in the design of MEMS. In industry, it is used in microresonators, switches, micromirrors, accelerometers, etc. Almost every kind of microactuator has one or more electrostatic actuation based version. Pros and cons Electrostatic force depends largely on the size of the structures and the distance between electrodes. So, for large electrode surface compared to distance to travel, electrostatic actuation has a large advantage. But the equation of the force gives a dependancy to the square of the distance. This means that the longer the distance is, the higher the actuation voltage is. This is one of the main problem with this physics principle: actuation voltage are often quite high, easily reaching tens, and even hundreds of volts to be used. High voltages are easy to get on a large device, but not on a very compact integrated system. An interesting point is the fact that the electric circuit is capacitive, meaning the power consumption is very low, despite of any high voltage. Very few current is needed to load the capacity formed by electrodes. Another consideration to take care of is the electric field itself: the nature of the material between electrodes: water, for example, is conductive at low frequencies, so electrostatic actuation cannot be used in these conditions. Void and neutral gases are the best environments. Finally, the hysteresis behaviour of straight actuators can be as well an advantage and a problem, depending on the application. It reduces sensitivity of devices to electrical noise, but it also means larger voltage variation for a complete actuation cycle when pull-in/pull-out is desired. A detail of the calculation of the electrostatic actuation can be found in the electrostatics section. This example shows an electrostatic actuator in which one plate is electrostatically attracted toward another. You can consider this an electrostatic tunable capacitor if you wish, since some of them use the same principle. But remember real systems are often more complicated! Electrostatic actuation systems By straight actuation, I mean actuation between two electrodes in which the mobile parts moves along the electric field paths. This is the most simple actuation technique you can imagine, though the architectures used are often not so simple to optimize it. The tunable capacitor is an example of straight actuation. But there are others. Microswitches devices make a large use of electrostatic actuation, depending on the characteristics required for the device. Micromirrors devices are almost all based on electrostatic force. Example of application: Schematics of a simple electrostatic microswitch In a straight actuation, the exact movement of the mobile parts is ruled by the electric field path and the mechanical constrains of the structure. So, tunable capacitor will translate along a straight line, micromirrors will rotate around their anchor axis, etc. The actuation is not always really straight, but it is as well as possible. This technique is probably the most efficient in terms of forces, and so required voltage. The straight actuation is the one in which pull-in/pull-out hysteresis cycle can be met. Another widely used architecture for electrostatic actuation is a lateral translation of the mobile parts. This is mostly achieved with comb-drive actuators Principle of comb-drive actuation The blue part is fixed and anchored to the substrate. The red part is free to move, except at the end where it is anchored to the substrate, so that the actuator can come back to its initial position thanks to the spring force. In this configuration, the force is equally and symmetrically applied on both side of beams, and the mobile part moves along the beams direction. The total displacement is rather shorter than what is possible in straight actuation, but the force is constant, meaning an easier control of the displacement. This kind of system offers a very high precision level, and a simpler electronic control. Systems like microaccelerometers make high use of comb-drive. In theory, comb-drive would require higher voltage than straight actuation because of the electric-field direction being different than displacement one. But most of the time, theses structures are geometrically optimized, so the gap between electrodes and the distance to travel are also shorter. In a comb-drive, there is no pull-in effect, unless a design error make electrodes reach each others. The displacement is linear, contrary to straight actuation. But the design is limited by the needs to place electrodes beams opposite to each other. Designer must also take care of the end stop to avoid contact between mobile part and fixed part, and to keep forces quite symmetric so that the direction of the displacement is kept as planned. Microresonators are structures not planned to be displaced, but, as their name tells, to vibrate. They're planned to replace electronic resonators, being used in electronic filter systems, so select a particular frequency chosen amongst several ones. This is highly used in telecommunications. For example, in mobile phone communication: each telephone uses a precise frequency included in a range depending on the protocol. The filter must keep only the chosen frequency, so that you're not disturbed by other people conversations during your own calls! All mechanical systems have specific resonance frequencies. Most of time, only the first one are useful. Think of it as guitar cords: if you stimulate it, it is, from a frequency point of view, as if you were applying a signal containing all frequencies at once on the cord, but only one note comes out: it is the eigen frequency of the cord. So, microresonators use mechanical vibrating parts to filter signals so that only one frequency, the eigen frequency of the structure, is kept. The application is for electronic signal treatment, so, there must be a way to convert electrical signal into mechanical stimulation, and then back again mechanical vibration into electrical signal. This way is the electrostatic principle. The top schematics is always the same: the vibrating part includes as well the electrode for stimulation, and the electrode for measurement. Then, a lot of architectures are under studies in research laboratories, including different shapes and electrodes configuration for mechanical and electrical parts. Photos of several microresonators architectures from the IEMN Silicon Microsystem Group Design and fabrication by Emmanuel Quevy All rights reserved The vibration is made by the incoming electrical signal. Then, the amplitude of the vibration depends on how close the input frequency is to the eigen value. On the output, a polarization (constant voltage) between the resonator and the output electrode allows the measurement of the amplitude of vibration. Since the amplitude difference obtained between the eigen frequency and other ones is very high, the electrical output signal for any non-selected frequency is considered as neglectible, while the eigen frequency signal is kept. Note that this is a quite simple explanation of the behaviour of the system. In real development a LOT of parameters are taken in account. The photos show microresonators architecture vibrating in the range of tens of MHz, that corresponds to Intermediate Frequencies (IF). Intermediate frequencies are a convenient way of treating a signal between low frequency (ex: human voice frequency) and really high frequencies (at which mobile phones communicate). The distance between mobile parts and fixed parts here is about 60nm. Microresonators should enter the market quite soon from now. They will replace electronic devices, especially in mobile devices, and allow greater autonomy and more integrated functions thanks to the save of space and power consumption. Finally, you can find an example of a real developed straight actuator in my PhD project on micro-extractor, in which the microactuator is in fact a combined thermal-electrostatic actuator.

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You are here New York Mental Health Documentation Project Documenting Mental Health in New York State The story of mental health in New York is a critical part of our history, but significant elements of that history are in danger of being lost. In organizations, groups, and families, there are rich resources that tell unique and compelling stories about people, families, communities and organizations involved — now and in the past — in mental health concerns. The kinds of records that may be of value include letters, diaries, newsletters, brochures, case files (with proper access restrictions), minutes of meetings, photographs, administrative files, reports, and a wide variety of other papers produced as a person or organization goes about daily life and work. Many people think they have nothing that is an "historical record"—but they may be unaware of the historically valuable treasures they hold. Mental Health Documentation Project The State Archives is working to identify the issues, people, organizations, and events in mental health that are most critical to document in New York State. We have enlisted advice and participation from many people and organizations in the mental health community, as well as from researchers in mental health, and from librarians, museums, historical societies and archives. Early in the project we commissioned an historical overview of mental health in New York. We also researched existing documentation and produced a Preliminary Guide to Mental Health Documentary Sources. From the information we have gathered, we have developed a draft Strategic Plan for Documenting Mental Health in New York and begun to work with a range of people, organizations, and historical records repositories to implement the plan to ensure that important resources are identified, saved, and made accessible in appropriate ways. Who will benefit Historical records on mental health can be a resource for many, including: - mental health leaders and lawmakers developing practices and policies for the future; - advocacy, self-help, and support groups who wish to promote understanding and recognition of the experiences of people who have faced mental health issues; - researchers seeking longitudinal data and evidence regarding previous policies, practices, and treatments; - historians who need to present an even and equitable story of the experience of all New Yorkers; - teachers and students striving for a more complete understanding of who we are as families, communities, and a state. Products from the Mental Health Documentation Project

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the lowest possible altitude at which a natural satellite can form and orbit, withstanding the fragmenting force of the gravitational pull of a planet or other primary celestial body Origin of Roche limitafter E. Roche (1820-83), French astronomer The smallest distance at which a natural satellite can orbit a celestial body without being torn apart by the larger body's gravitational force. The distance depends on the densities of the two bodies and the orbit of the satellite. Origin of Roche limitAfter Edouard Albert Roche, (1820–1883), French mathematician. (plural Roche limits) From Édouard Roche French astronomer

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There are many advantages of using solar power. The main advantage is that maintenance is less as it does not have any moving parts. When there is sunshine, you definitely get free electricity. With improvements in technology, system efficiency has gone up and costs have come down for sure. This has made it possible to tap solar power for many more applications. Though solar power offers so much when it comes to clean energy production, some problems, with solar panels and equipment required to bring system power output to your home or any other point, do crop up. The solar panels that are available commercially are relatively trouble free. These are generally Photovoltaic (PV) systems and come with a guarantee for their construction and power output for a specified period of time. You may be aware that the efficiency of solar cells comes down over a period of time. Often, it takes more than twenty years for this to happen. Very large installations like home or business power supply units use commercially available panels. It is true that the technology is well established over the years, but problems like failure of components do happen over a period of time. Smaller units or do-it-yourself (DIY) projects face more problems, if utmost care is not exercised at the time of construction. Almost always problems are due to electrical faults in the panel and along the supply chain of controllers. Fires have happened due to short circuit in solar panels, but very rarely. If moisture is there inside a panel that is operational, there can be a lot of problems. It obstructs light and slowly corrodes the electrical contacts. Corrosion in turn increases resistance to current flow and the efficiency of the solar cell reduces. This causes a knock-on effect. Once one cell becomes weak due to corrosion, the nearby cells also get affected due to heating and current flow changes. If the power output rating of the panel is high and greater resistance is developed, the potential for shorting and serious damage to the panel are very high. Problems do come up in solar system controller and inverter as well. Sometimes animals cause damage to the wiring. If the power output is coming down slowly, it could be due to the problems in the solar array. Each panel’s output will have to be checked to find out if it is due to one panel or the wiring of the cells within the panel. The container that you construct for your do-it-yourself solar panel must be watertight and secure. It is recommended that you use a sealed aluminum casing and silicon sealing to prevent moisture entering the system. You can also attach a packet of silica gel inside the panel to absorb the small amount of moisture that will be present in the air inside the panel. It is a good idea to use a comprehensive guide to build a safe and secure solar panel, especially if you are planning to make a solar panel by yourself.

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Foreign language students should be encouraged to use dictionaries because they are a handy source for researching meanings, pronunciation and collocations of different words. From finding the right meaning and spelling of words to learning the appropriate translation, there are several ways they can benefit from dictionary use. Monolingual vs. Bilingual Dictionaries Most foreign language students use bi-lingual as well as mono-lingual dictionaries. - Bilingual dictionaries are used for translating words or phrases from one language to another. You can look for up for a word from the target language and see the direct translation for the word in your native language. - This dictionary is generally used in the initial stages of language learning. It is quite useful if students want to express something in the target language but they don’t know the correct words. - Monolingual dictionaries are designed for explaining the meaning of a word in the target language, examples of how words are used in context and their grammatical behavior. It meet the reference needs of people who have become more proficient in their target language. - These dictionaries provide more comprehensive information about the target language. Benefits of Dictionary Use in Language Learning - Pronunciation is the first advantage of using a dictionary. You can check the correct pronunciation of words in your target language. You can also listen to the pronunciation of words if using an e-dictionary. - A dictionary can help you learn different usage of a word. For instance, if you are learning English language, a dictionary will help you learn if the word ‘dog’ is a noun, adjective or verb and how it can be used in a sentence. - You get to learn spellings of different words in your target language. It can guide you in writing different phrases, words, sentences and even paragraphs. - Monolingual dictionaries also provide example sentences, helping you learn where to use a particular word. Growing Popularity of E-dictionaries E-dictionaries are an extremely useful learning resource because students can use them on the go. Many traditional dictionaries have their online editions. Many students also make use of electronic dictionaries in language learning. Language Learning Apps as Dictionaries With language apps, it has become easy to take language learning with you. There is no need to carry a bilingual dictionary separately because the app tells you the correct words and its pronunciation in your target language. For instance, the Learn English Quickly app by AlterGyan includes 1500+ words and phrases in English language. The app provides translations into English in regional scripts, including Marathi, Hindi, Gujarati, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Urdu, German, French, Malay, Portuguese and Chinese Traditional Language). The app offers search functionality in English as well regional language scripts. For instance, if you speak Hindi and you want to know the English word for “Tyohaar” or “त्यौहार”, you just need to type the word in Devanagari script or its transliteration in the app. The result will contain the English word – “Festival” in English as well as Devanagari script. It will also contain an image and pronunciation for the same.

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Mission Geography is curriculum support materials that link the content, skills, and perspectives of Geography for Life: The National Geography Standards with the missions, research, and science of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Mission Geography is now available in two formats, for download from this website or from a CD-ROM. The purpose of the Mission Geography web site is to serve the needs of educators and students using this resource. Visit frequently for updates. - To begin the mission, visit Mission Geography On Line. - To review Mission Geography modules, visit MG Modules. - To learn more about the project, read Overview, Mission Geography. Mission Geography: A Collaboration between GENIP and NASA Sarah W. Bednarz Department of Geography Texas A&M University College Station, Texas 77843-3147

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44:30 minutes (10. 18 MB) On this episode of Teachers Teaching Teachers http://teachersteachingteachers.org/?feed=rss2, Monika Hardy and Paul Allison discuss "Detox," a reflective practice that they have been inviting students to do in their different contexts. Monika has been doing Detox with her students for a couple of years http://labconnections.blogspot.com/p/what-is-detox.htmlRecently, Paul started asking his students to reflect on their work, dreams, thoughts, and learning on Youth Voices: http://youthvoices.net/channel/31618 Monika and Paul are joined in this conversation by a co-conspirator with Monika and a researcher of Detox James Folkestad, from Colorado State University. We also get the perspective of youths from two of Paul's high school students Evelyn Salazar and (on the phone) Shamar Smith. In addition there are valuable insights from 7th Grader Kelsey Shelhart and her father Scott Shelhart as well as Fred Mindlin. After listening to this podcast, you might be inspired to try something similar in your classroom or perhaps your students are already doing this kind of reflection on who they are, what they are doing, what they dream could happen, what they are noticing, and what connections they are making. Either way, whether you are starting something new or continuing a valuable process in your classroom, please let us know about it. We'd love to hear if "detox" is spreading virally or "scaling across trans-locally" to use some of the language that Margaret Wheatley and Deborah Frieze have given us in their book Walk Our Walk On: Taking things to scale doesn’t happen vertically through one-size-fits-all replication strategies. . . experiments move horizontally, scaling across villages and nations, trans-locally, as many diverse people learn from their discoveries and are inspired to try their own. ( http://www.walkoutwalkon.net/mexico ) Click Read more to see a copy of the chat that was happening during the webcast.

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The major signs of a surgical site infection are pain, fever and changes in the appearance of the incision and surrounding skin. Infection after surgery can lead to more pain, prolonged time in the hospital, readmission to the hospital and, in rare cases, life-threatening illness. By knowing the signs and symptoms, however, and looking at your incision regularly, you can help boost the odds of early detection and prompt treatment of any infection that might occur. Oozing versus Discharge or Bleeding Serum is a slightly sticky, watery liquid that can ooze from your incision after surgery. This fluid is generally transparent or light yellow, but it can be light pink if a small number of red blood cells are present. It is normal to have a small amount of oozing, especially in the early stages after major surgery. Seepage or discharge of any other liquid from the incision suggests the presence of an infection. Infection by certain germs, such as the bacterium Staphylococcus, leads to a grayish white discharge from the incision. The bacterium Pseudomonas causes a characteristic green discharge. The discharge may be associated with a foul odor. Unprovoked bleeding could also indicate an underlying infection. Increased or Unusual Pain Some pain at the site of your surgical incision is normal. It is also normal for this pain to increase when moving or stretching. After surgery, routinely prescribed painkillers should make the pain tolerable. If your pain is troublesome despite painkillers, this may signal an infection. Infections cause the release of chemicals that trigger pain, so new or increasing pain is concerning. A pain score -- in which you rate the intensity of pain from 0 to 10, with 0 indicating no pain and 10 representing the worst pain imaginable -- is a useful way to measure your pain. If your pain number suddenly shoots up or is persistently climbing, this suggests the possibility of an infection. Changes to the Surrounding Skin When bacteria are present in the surgical wound, nearby blood vessels enlarge to help combat the infection, making the skin look red. Any redness more than 2 inches away from the incision edge is a cause for concern. The resultant swelling also stretches the skin, especially at the incision's edges. If this becomes severe, the stitches or staples used to close the incision may give way, causing the wound to open up. If infection persists, skin cells may die and parts of the wound can look shriveled and black. If the infection is not promptly treated, it can extend into the surrounding tissues, causing cellulitis -- a serious skin infection that can spread quickly. Warmth and Fever An infected, inflamed incision site can be warm -- or even hot -- to the touch. This is best checked using the back of your fingers or hand because this side can sense temperature better. Surgical infection can also cause a fever. Tiredness, decreased appetite, fast breathing and a rapid heartbeat may accompany the fever. If the infection enters the bloodstream and travels throughout the body, severe symptoms like confusion and organ damage can occur. If untreated, this situation can be life-threatening. When to Seek Medical Attention Notify your doctor if you are experiencing significant pain around your surgical incision site, especially if it is getting worse. This may simply mean that you need more pain medications or it may be a sign of an infection or another complication. You should contact your doctor immediately if you have a fever, notice an unusual discharge or blood coming out of your incision or if your surgical site appears to be opening up or is looking worse in any other way. See your doctor immediately or go the emergency room if you feel very ill, dizzy or confused, as these may indicate that you have a blood infection.

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Forensics are ever evolving due to changes and boosts in technology. Whether you are just interested in forensics or studying it, forensics is a very important component of our justice system. Here are some must read books on forensics: This book, written by Dr. D P Lyle, is an introductory manual to several different forensics issues and serves as a great starting point for anyone interested in the forensic sciences. Written by Ngaire Genge, this book explains in detail how responding officers and investigators handle a crime scene- from the very beginning, to the collection of evidence, the presentation of evidence in court and testimony. Written by Dr D P Lyle, Howdunit Forensics presents the development and meaning of forensics, as well as how it works and how it takes a part in helping to solving crimes. Written by W M Dale and Wendy Becker, this book explains the techniques used in forensic science in terms that are easy to understand as well as the psychological aspects of the crime scene teams. This book, written by Larry Ragle, serves a a guide into a forensic investigator’s head to show how they figure out all the aspects of their investigation with the evidence they have. Written by Michael M Baden, Dead Reckoning is about the procedures medical examiners follow as well as evidence found on the body to determine causes of death. This textbook offers an introductory look into the forensics field and also includes case studies, real stories and photographs for a better understanding. Written by Richard Saferstein, this textbook introduces the reader to the field of forensics through DNA, criminal investigations, techniques, and the abilities of crime labs. Written by Jessica Snyder Sachs, Corpse decribes the steps it takes to determine when a person died, as well as many other projects and solved crimes relating to the subject matter. Written by Edward M Robinson, this book stresses the importance of crime scene photos as well as the general principles, concepts, and strategies of crime scene photography. Written by Colin Evans, this book details 100 cases, some famous, and what type of forensics were used to solve each one, with a description of history. Written by David Owen, Hidden Evidence explores the discovery of forensics and the evolution of technology and technique to tell how 40 real crimes were solved, with pictures included. Written by Dr. William R Maples, who was a forensic anthropologist, this book talks about the evolution of forensics and his experiences in solving some of the most famous cases to date. Written by Ross M Gardner, this book is a manuel of how to cover crime scenes while also presenting theories and concepts of the crime scene. Written by Henry Lee and Timothy Palmbach, and Marilyn T Miller, this book goes into collecting evidence at crimes scenes and how to process it, while keeping it general enough for someone who is introductory to understand. Written by Mary H Manhein, this book tells the life of a forensic anthropologist- her infatuation and desire to learn more about anthropology, and the high- profile cases that she has worked on. Written by Michael M Baden, Unnatural Death describes the life this medical examiner and how he uses the bodies to find out everything that happened to them. Written by Katherine Ramsland, this book offers a look into crime scene coverage, evidence techniques, methods for processing a crime scene and also includes references to help along the way. Written by Dr D P Lyle, this book is fact-filled and informative answering questions such as how long it takes bodies to decompose in certain states and many other informative facts. Written by Dr William Bass and Jon Jefferson, this explains the process of several types of forensics as well as decomposition and the many cases they have been involved with over the years.

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Individual differences | Methods | Statistics | Clinical | Educational | Industrial | Professional items | World psychology | Weapon focus is a factor affecting the reliability of eyewitness testimony. Weapon focus signifies a witness to a crime diverting their attention to the weapon the criminal is holding, thus leaving less attention for other details in the scene and leading to memory impairments later for those other details. Elizabeth Loftus, Yuille and Burns, have all been associated with studies to prove the existence of weapon focus as it has been and still is a highly controversial theory. - Kramer, T.H.I., Buckhout, R.I., Eugenio, P.I. (1990). Weapon focus, arousal, and eyewitness memory. Law and Human Behavior. - Loftus, E.F., Loftus, G.R., & Messo, J. (1987). Some facts about weapon focus. Law and Human Behavior, 11, 55-62. Abstract - Mitchell, K. J., Livosky, M., & Mather, M. (1998). The weapon focus effect revisited: The role of novelty. Legal and Criminological Psychology, 3, 287-303. PDF - Pickel, K.L. (1998). Unusualness and threat as possible causes of "weapon focus," Memory. - Steblay, N. M. (1992). A meta-analytic review of the weapon focus effect. Law and Human Behavior. See also Edit

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A VOTER turnout survey report by the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) has found evidence that people were kept away from voting in the 2016 elections by issues such as lack of confidence in the electoral body, violence and intimidation, and corruption. Declining voter turnout Since 1991 when multi-party democracy was re-introduction, voter turnout in Zambia has been declining, especially in the last decade. The average voter turnout since 1991 has been 56. 41 percent. In the 2016 general elections voter turnout was 56. 45 percent compared to 53. 65 percent in the 2011 general election. The unpublished study seen by MakanDay show that voter turnout recorded in the 2016 elections falls behind the global average of 66. 25 percent. The study commissioned by ECZ and funded by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) was to investigate the causes of low voter turnout in the 2016 general elections and propose measures to enhance voter turnout in future elections. The 2018 study which was done over a five-month period (May – September) covered a sample of 1,520 homes countrywide. Makanday Centre for Investigative Journalism has established that some of the reasons for not voting such as lack of voter registration documents (NRCs and Voters cards), long distances, long queues at polling stations and illiteracy have not been addressed ahead of this year’s elections. Zambians will be voting for the presidency, national assembly, local councillors and mayors, . The report points out that even though most people considered the ECZ to be professional in the conduct of the elections, some of them felt that some poll staff recruited to conduct elections were partisan. It was also felt the ECZ did not apply the electoral code of conduct to erring political parties and media houses and failed to regulate the application of the Public Order Act. The survey shows that women participation in elections, was negatively impacted by illiteracy. Most illiterate women had difficulties to understand party manifestos, could easily be bribed, and were not able to receive voter education provided in English. Another challenge faced by women was political violence which prevented them from going to vote. The study also lists high unemployment and a lack of economic opportunities as some of the issues which affect the ability of the youths to participate in the elections. Youths also lacked interest in politics. It further highlights major challenges faced persons with disabilities’ participation in elections is wrong information formats, poor accessibility to polling stations, inappropriate voting booths at most polling, and political violence. Zambia has ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and enacted in 2010 the Persons with Disabilities Act, ensuring the right of the disabled to vote and to be elected. The Commission for Human Rights and Good Governance (CHRAGG), which actively followed the electoral process, in 2016, received complaints from people with disabilities on the lack of voter education, especially for deaf people. According to the report, voter education was also a concern during the registration process as there were no sign language interpreters at registration centres. When it comes to perception of media balance during the 2016 general election, the survey found out that majority of respondents – 60 percent felt that the private media was balanced in its reporting. However, 43 percent of the respondents felt that the public media was balanced. When respondents were asked to indicate their position if elections were held in 2021, 86% indicated they would vote. The main reason cited by respondents for voting in 2021 was “to change their economic status”, “elect their preferred candidate” and “to exercise their right to vote”. “The key drivers to changing one’s economic status were development, poverty alleviation, agriculture and employment creation,” the report said. It was observed that unfulfilled promises by politicians and religious beliefs are the factors likely to deter voters from voting in 2021. MakanDay is a member of the Global Investigative Journalism Network (GIJN): https://gijn.org

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Browsing the Hubble Legacy Archive, I was intrigued by a small ring shaped nebula NGC 6369. It is also known as the Little Ghost. Discovered by 18th century astronomer Sir William Herschel, it lies over 2000 lt-yrs away in the constellation Ophiucus. The sun-like star at the center explosively blasted away its outer layers creating the ring of glowing gases. The star radiates strongly in ultraviolet causing the glow of the nebula. The blast also reduced the star to a white dwarf. For this color image, I combined three blue, green, and red filtered grey-scale Hubble images. The colors illustrate the presence of ionized oxygen, hydrogen, and nitrogen atoms. Fellow amateur astronomer Roger captured an image of his own recently of a different ring-shaped nebula NGC 7293 in his southern hemisphere sky. It is published here in his blog Cosmic Focus. Astronomy fans are likely familiar with Messier 57 high in the summer sky of the northern hemisphere. It is another fine example of a ring nebula. Follow the link for a beautiful image and description. There are billions of billions of galaxies in the known universe. They are oriented in countless different ways. A small fraction show their full face toward Earth, while some show an edge-on view. This first example is a nearly face-on view of NGC 4414. Imaged by the Hubble Telescope in 1995, it lies about 60 million lt-yr from Earth. Only about half of the galaxy fit into the detector of Hubble due to its large size. Three red, green, and blue filtered greyscale images were used to make my color version of this galaxy. The center region is densely populated with older yellow and red stars. This is typical of spiral galaxies. The outer regions are less populated and include younger blue stars. The galaxy has a lot of dust mixed into the spiral arms as evidenced by the dark clouds and bands in silhouette against the bright star glow. This next galaxy is a nearly perfect edge-on view of NGC 4013. The very bright light source at the heart of this galaxy is actually a star in the foreground much closer than the galaxy. It is part of our Milky Way galaxy and just happens to be in alignment. NGC 4013 is about 55 million lt-yr away in the direction of Ursa Major, the Big Dipper. If we could see it face-on, it would have a spiral shape similar to NGC 4414 above. What stands out clearly in this edge-on view is the dark band of dust cutting across the width of the galaxy. A few blue stars show in the upper right. They are in an outer band and less obscured by the dust. The Carina constellation lies about 20,000 light years away. It is too far south in the sky for me to see. Within Carina is a cluster of bright stars surrounded by clouds of gas and dust. These stars formed about the same time. Their intense light has blown away the nearby gas and dust revealing the group of bright stars in this ESA image from Chile. The stars differ in size, mass, temperature, and color. The mass of a star determines the pace of its evolution over time. This cluster contain stars in various stages of their lives. Astronomers are able to do detailed analyses of their life cycles with this snapshot in time. This cluster NGC 3603 has some of the most massive stars known. They burn through their hydrogen fuel quickly demonstrating the phrase to ‘live fast and die young’. Zoom into Carina to find the location of NGC 3603. Credit: NASA, ESA, and G. Bacon (STScI). Below is my version of the colorized NGC 3603 using greyscale images from Hubble. The resulting colors depend on several factors such as color filters used to make the original greyscale images and the choices made in hue and saturation in software such as Photoshop. An important point to make is that various colors help us see different features, structures, and processes. They are not typically what the eye would see. In the far southern skies is the constellation Piscis Volans, the flying fish. Within Volans lies this galaxy NGC 2442. It is distorted from the more common spiral shape into a meathook appearance. The unusual shape is likely the result of a close encounter with another galaxy not in the field of view. The galaxy lies about 50 million light years away. Visible are darkened dust lanes, young blueish star clusters, and reddish star forming regions. More views are from Astronomy Picture of the Dayhere, here, and here. I tried my hand at producing a color version of the Meathook galaxy using 3 greyscale images from the Hubble Telescope. The process is described in this previous post. The Hubble images provide rich detail.

008_1711998

US 20010007420 A1 A hidden object sensor is described which senses and locates hidden objects hidden behind a surface of an architectural structure. The sensor includes sensing elements for sensing live wires behind the accessible surface, and separate sensing elements for respectively sensing metal and non-metallic objects behind the tested surface. A microprocessor alternates between the use of the various sensing elements and their associated circuits to detect live wires, metal objects, or wood studs. Visible and audible indicators are provided for indicating the device's mode of operation and the locations of sensed hidden objects. 1. A hand-held hidden object sensor for sensing a location of objects hidden behind a surface of an architectural structure, said sensor comprising: an indicator for indicating a location of first and second object types hidden behind a surface; sensing circuitry for sensing said first and second object types hidden behind said surface of said architectural structure; an indication activation mechanism for causing the indication by said indicator of the location of said first object type as sensed by said sensing circuitry and precluding a concurrent indication of said second object type; and a housing supporting said indicator, said sensing circuitry, and said indication activation mechanism. 2. The hand-held hidden object sensor of 3. The hand-held hidden object sensor according to 4. The hand-held hidden object sensor according to 5. The hand-held hidden object sensor according to said hand-held hidden object sensor further comprising a calibration activation mechanism for causing the calibration of said metal circuit and said wood circuit, said calibration activation mechanism deactivating said wood circuit when said wood circuit is not successfully calibrated, said indication activation mechanism causing the indication by said indicator of a “metal-only” indication when said wood circuit is deactivated. 6. The hand-held hidden object sensor according to 7. A hand-held hidden object sensor for sensing a location of objects hidden behind an architectural surface, said sensor comprising: a housing comprising a contact surface for contacting said architectural surface and a manually engageable portion to be held by a user's hand during operation to scan said sensor across said architectural surface while said contact surface remains in contact with said architectural surface, said housing further comprising a marking mechanism positioned and operable to place a mark on said architectural surface, said mark on said architectural surface corresponding to the location of an object located behind said architectural surface; an indicator for indicating the location of a sensed object; sensing circuitry for sensing the sensed object behind said architectural surface; and an indication activation mechanism for causing the indication by said indicator of the location of said sensed object when said housing is at a position corresponding to said location of said sensed object and said contact surface remains in contact with said architectural surface. 8. The hand-held hidden object sensor according to 9. The hand-held hidden object sensor according to 10. The hand-held hidden object sensor according to 11. The hand-held hidden object sensor according to 12. A hand-held hidden object sensor for sensing and locating objects hidden behind an architectural surface, said sensor comprising: a housing comprising a contact surface for contacting said architectural surface and a manually engageable portion to be held by a user's hand during operation to scan said sensor across said architectural surface while said contact surface remains in contact with said architectural surface, said housing further comprising an axis corresponding in position to a sensed edge of an object being sensed and located by said hand-held hidden object sensor, and a mid-stud indicating marker spaced from said axis by a predetermined distance equal to ½ the width of a standard wall stud; an indicator for indicating the location of a sensed object; sensing circuitry for sensing the location of said sensed object behind said architectural surface; and an indication activation mechanism for causing the indication by said indicator of the location of said sensed object when said housing is at a position corresponding to said location of said sensed object and said contact surface remains in contact with said architectural surface. 13. The hand-held hidden object sensor according to 14. A method for sensing and locating objects hidden behind a surface of an architectural structure, using a hand-held hidden object sensor, said method comprising: sensing for first and second object types hidden behind said surface of said architectural structure; and indicating a location of said first object type sensed; and precluding a concurrent indication of said second object type. 15. The method according to 16. The method according to 17. The method according to 18. The method according to 19. The method according to 20. A method for marking a position on an architectural surface while using a hand-held hidden object sensor for locating objects hidden behind the architectural surface, said method comprising; placing said sensor so that a contact surface thereof contacts said architectural surface; and scanning said sensor across said architectural surface while said contact surface remains in contact with said architectural surface; and depressing a marking mechanism positioned on said sensor against said architectural surface to place a mark on said architectural surface, the mark corresponding to the location of said object sensed and located behind said architectural surface. 21. A method for sensing and locating objects hidden behind an architectural surface and for locating a center point of a stud hidden behind said architectural surface, said method comprising: identifying the edge of said stud hidden behind said architectural surface which corresponds to an edge marking provided on a housing of said sensor; and identifying the center point of said standard wall stud as a point along said architectural surface which is identified by a mid-stud indicating marker carried by said housing of said sensor and spaced from said edge marking by a predetermined distance equal to ½ the width of a standard wall stud. 22. The hand-held hidden object sensor according to 23. The hand-held hidden object sensor according to The present invention is related to devices that will sense for and locate objects hidden behind accessible surfaces, such as walls, ceilings, and floors, of architectural structures. There are several types of existing sensing devices for sensing and locating objects behind walls and other building surfaces. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,859,931 (Yamashita et al. ) discloses an electronic detector comprising both a capacitive sensor and a magnetic field sensor. The capacitive sensor is provided to locate non-metallic objects behind a wall surface, and the magnetic field sensor is provided to locate metallic objects behind a wall surface. U.S. Pat. No. 5,438,266 (Tsang) discloses an instrument for locating buried conductors. The instrument utilizes a signal generator and a coil having a substantially vertical axis coil attuned to pick up odd and even harmonics of a fundamental frequency of a periodic test current, thereby allowing the accurate location of buried conductors. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,352,974 and 5,619,128 (both to Heger) each disclose stud sensors which utilize capacitive sensors for locating studs hidden behind a wall or other structural surface. Zircon Corporation markets a multifaceted stud finder device called the VideoScanner™ 5. 0 Model No. 54014. This device detects wood, metal, and live electrical wires hidden behind walls, floors and ceilings having conventional cross-sections. The device has normal and deep scan settings in one mode and a metal setting in another mode. Thus, the device can be set to scan for studs using a normal or deep scan setting, or it can be set to scan for metal objects. With either mode—the normal/deep scan settings or the metal setting, the device is first calibrated. To calibrate the device for sensing hidden objects, the activation switch is pressed and held down, and a ready indicator will appear on an LCD once the device has been calibrated. The activation switch is held down during scanning of the device along the applicable surface. Once the device is calibrated, it may be scanned to locate hidden objects such as wood or metal studs in the normal and deep scan settings, or metal objects in the metal setting. The device is further provided with a portion which allows continuous AC voltage detection. It will detect either 110 or 220 volts AC present in a live electrical wire hidden behind the applicable building surface. Once the voltage has been detected, the device will display a flashing voltage icon. The present invention is provided to improve upon devices for sensing and locating objects hidden behind structural surfaces, such as hand-held stud finding devices. An object of the present invention is to provide such a sensing device that will continuously sense for and locate both wooden and metal wall studs hidden behind wall and other structural surfaces made of such materials as plaster board. Another object of the present invention is to provide such a sensing device that will further locate metal rebars in concrete walls. Yet another object is to provide a sensing device which automatically increases sensitivity during calibration to most accurately sense and locate metal bars that are located behind the accessible surface. A further object of the present invention is to provide a hidden object sensing and locating device that can locate live wiring behind accessible wall and other structural surfaces, where such surfaces are formed by materials such as plaster board or concrete. A further object of the present invention is to provide a wall stud sensing device with a convenient marking mechanism for marking on the applicable surface one or more spots that coincide with and indicate the position and dimensions of an object hidden behind the surface. Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a wall stud sensing device which utilizes an intelligent hierarchical approach to simplify the operation of the device in detecting and locating (and distinguishing between) live wires, metal objects, and non-metallic objects. The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention are further described in the detailed description which follows, with reference to the drawings by way of non-limiting exemplary embodiments of the present invention, wherein like reference numerals represent similar parts of the invention throughout the several views, and wherein: FIG. 1A is a perspective view of a hidden object sensor in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1B is an end view of the illustrated sensor; FIG. 1C is a bottom view of the illustrated sensor; FIG. 1D provides a partial cross-sectional view of the sensor-taken along the lines A-A as depicted in FIG. 1C; FIG. 2 comprises a view of a wall surface 32 being scanned by a hidden object sensor 10; FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the electronic circuitry 60 of the illustrated sensor; and FIG. 4 is a flowchart representing the process by which the illustrated hidden object sensor 10 will perform its various functions. The present invention is directed to a hidden object sensor for sensing and locating objects hidden behind an accessible surface of an architectural structure, such as a wall, ceiling, or floor surface of a dwelling or other type of building. Referring now to the drawings in greater detail, FIG. 1 illustrates in a perspective view, an exemplary embodiment of a hidden object sensor 10 comprising a back surface (see FIG. 1D) which is substantially planar, and a top surface having a generally convex cross-section. The illustrated sensor 10 comprises on its left side an on-off switch 12 and on its right side, a live wire switch 14. A belt clip 16 is provided at one end on the top side of sensor 10. A plurality of LEDs 24 are arranged along a common axis flush with the outer surface of the illustrated sensor 10 and in line with its longitudinal axis. Sensor 10 has a resilient but flexible marker member 18 provided at an end opposite belt clip 16. Resilient marker member 18 comprises a pencil hole 22 and is formed in the shape of a triangle comprising an apex that coincides with the central longitudinal axis of sensor 10. Rectangular recesses 18 a, 18 b extend downward from each sloped edge of the triangular-shaped resilient marker member 18 in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of sensor 10. Recesses 18 a, 18 b add to the flexibility of a central portion of resilient marker member 18, and further assist in targeting a specific location identified by sensor 10 along the structural surface being scanned. A pin marker 20 is centered within the central portion of resilient marker member 18, and thus also coincides with the longitudinal axis of sensor 10. Pin marker 20 may comprise, for example, a sharp apex protruding from the bottom planar surface of resilient marker member 18 and thus facing toward the surface to be scanned. The user can use a free finger such as the index finger to press down on the central portion of resilient marker member 18 to cause the sharp apex of pin marker 20 to create a hole within the structural surface, thereby identifying the position of a located object hidden behind the structural surface. The sharp apex of pin marker 20 may comprise an integral part of resilient marker member 18 which may be formed, for example, using a press molding technique. Resilient marker member 18 may, for example, be formed from a sheet of tin or brass alloy, or, in the alternative, it may comprise a piece of fiber-reinforced molded plastic. In any event, resilient marker member 18 should be of a material that is resilient yet sufficiently flexible to allow a user to press pin marker 20 into the scanned surface with little effort. It should continue to return to its original position even after repeated flexing of the central portion of resilient marker member 18. Note that when the central portion of resilient marker member 18 is in its non-flexed position as shown in FIG. 1B, the apex of pin marker 20 will be spaced from the scanned surface, as is evident in FIG. 1B. A plurality of LEDs (visible indicators) are positioned in tandem in line with the longitudinal axis of the illustrated sensor. They comprise a yellow metal-only detection mode indication LED 26, a red edge indication red LED 28 a, plural red graduating red LEDs 28 b-28 d, and a green ready indication LED 30. The hidden object sensor 10 in the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1a-4 uses electronic signals to identify and precisely locate the positions of studs, joists, metal or live AC wires hidden behind structural surfaces formed by drywall, concrete, and other common building materials. Once the edge of a hidden object has been detected, sensor 10 provides both audible and visible indications to allow the user to easily pinpoint the center position of the hidden object. The built-in pin marker 20 or pencil hole 22 may be used to easily mark the object position on the wall surface. FIG. 3 is a block diagram of electronic circuitry 60 which facilitates the operation of the illustrated hidden object sensor 10. Plural sensing elements 38, 40, and 42 are secured within the housing of sensor 10 so as to be in alignment with the sensor's longitudinal axis for providing information indicative of the type of object hidden behind the applicable building surface and its location. Sensing element 38 is provided for sensing the existence and location of live wires. Sensing element 40 is provided to sense the presence of metal objects behind the surface. Sensing element 42 is provided to sense studs behind the applicable structural surface. By way of example, sensing element 38 may comprise an antenna or other sensing element for responding to electric or magnetic fields which will be present near live wires carrying 110 or 220 volts AC. Sensing element 40 may comprise a magnetic field sensor such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,859,931 (Yamashita et al. ). Sensing element 42 may comprise a standard capacitive sensor for sensing hidden studs behind wall and other building surfaces. Live wire circuit 44 may comprise amplifying circuitry narrowly tuned to coincide with a frequency on the order of 50-60 Hz, and having a threshold voltage level of approximately 90 V, to thereby signal the presence of live wires carrying greater than 90 V and having a frequency of between 50-60 Hz. Metal circuit 46 may comprise circuitry as provided in the metallic object detection section disclosed the Yamashita et al. patent. Wood circuit 48 may comprise sensing and calibration circuitry such as that disclosed in the Yamashita patent, or as described in other stud sensing devices such as either of the Heger Patents (U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,619,128 and 5,352,974). Each of live wire circuit 44, metal circuit 46, and wood circuit 48 is connected to a microprocessor 52 which executes a process in accordance with the flowchart shown in FIG. 4. Microprocessor 52 is further connected to one or more visible indicators 50 and one or more audible indicators 54. Audible indicator (s) 54 may comprise a speaker (not shown). In the illustrated embodiment, visible indicator (s) 50 comprise LEDs 24 as shown in FIG. 1A. In operation, the illustrated sensor 10 is first calibrated and then is used to scan a structural surface to identify objects hidden behind that surface. During calibration, the sensor 10 is scanned across the structural surface in a manner similar to when sensor 10 is scanned for purposes of identifying and locating hidden objects. Different calibration processes are executed depending upon whether the unit will be used for detecting and locating wood or metal. Before calibration, live wire detection switch 14 should be put in the “ON” or “OFF” position. However, the user may wish to put the live wire switch 14 in the “ON” position for the desired operation unless the user is sure that there are no live wires present behind the structural surface being scanned. When calibrating for wood, sensor 10 is firmly held flat against the applicable surface. The user will then depress the “ON-OFF” switch on the left hand side of sensor 10 and release. Sensor 10 must then be held without any movement until the green ready indication LED 30 flashes. Then, the user will sweep sensor 10 across the tested surface in the manner illustrated in FIG. 2 until a long beep is heard and a green ready indication LED 30 remains “ON. ” At that moment, the unit is calibrated and ready for detection of wooden studs. Sensor 10 will sound three separate beeps if no stud was detected by wood circuit 48, thus indicating that wood circuit 48 could not be calibrated. At that point, wood circuit 48 is shut off, and the “metal-only” yellow indication LED 26 will be illuminated. When calibrating for the detection of metal objects, sensor 10 is held firmly against the surface to be tested, and the “ON-OFF” switch is pressed and released. Sensor 10 is placed over a location where a metal object is known to exist, and the unit is turned on. When green LED 30 starts to flash, sensor 10 will be set. Metal circuit 46 will set its sensitivity to the necessary depth. It will then only indicate whether a metal object exists at the set depth or closer. The actual depth will vary depending upon the type and size of the metal object being detected. Once sensor 10 is calibrated, to detect wood studs, the unit is slid slowly across the surface in a straight line, as shown in FIG. 2. As the unit moves closer to the left edge 36 of wood stud 34 (or to the right edge of wood stud 34 in the situation where the device is being scanned toward the left to detect the right edge) one or more red LEDs 28 a-28 d will be illuminated, starting with lower-most red LED 28 d when sensor 10 is far from left edge 36 and including successive additional ones of LEDs 28 c-28 a until the final LED 28 a is illuminated—thus indicating the coincidence of the center position of sensor 10 with the stud's left edge 36. The position of left edge 36 will coincide with the position of pencil hole 22 and pin marker 20 of resilient marker member 18. At this point, a pencil or pin marker 20 may be used to mark the position on the wall surface corresponding to edge 36 of stud 34. The dimensions and position of stud 34 should be double-checked by repeating the above steps while sliding sensor 10 from the right side of stud 34, making additional markings indicating the stud's right edge location on the wall surface. The mid point between the two marks will indicate the stud's center. When detecting for metal objects, the unit is calibrated as described above for metal detection, and the unit is scanned in the same manner described for detecting wood, as shown in FIG. 2, until the red LEDs start to illuminate in the same manner. When an edge of a metal object such as a metal stud or plate is detected, the unit will sound short double beeps and it will flash green LED 30 and steadily illuminate red LEDs 28 a-28 d signalling the object's location. The edge of the detected metal object may be marked on the wall surface. Sensor 10 may be scanned from the opposite direction, and an additional marking may be made on the wall surface identifying the location of the opposite edge. The mid point between the markings indicates the center point of the detected metal object. For locating deep metal objects up to a maximum depth allowed by metal circuit 46, metal circuit 46 of sensor 10 may be calibrated by holding sensor 10 away from any wall surface and pressing the “ON-OFF” switch 12 momentarily. The user will then wait until green LED 30 stops flashing, at which point sensor 10 is set for detecting and locating metal objects at a maximum distance from the wall surface, and the wood circuit 48 has been shut off, as indicated by yellow “metal only” LED 26 being illuminated. When metal circuit 42 is calibrated to detect metal objects at a maximum depth sensitivity, metal objects close to the wall surface may seem to have a very wide width as indicated by sensor 10. To ascertain the true edges of the metal object being detected, sensor 10 may be placed at the approximate center of the indicated area and be re-calibrated for the appropriate depth of that specific metal object. Sensor 10 may then be re-scanned across that area from each side of the metal object, to locate the edges of that object. Sensor 10 will detect live wires as sensor 10 is scanned across the structural surface being tested, provided live wire switch 14 is in the “ON” position, and ON-OFF switch 12 is pressed momentarily at the beginning of scanning. No specific calibration is required for detecting live wires. When a live wire is detected, sensor 10 will sound triple short beeps, a green LED 30 will be illuminated and all red LEDs will flash in a rotating pattern. The live wire indication, as described, will override both wood and metal indications. Note that shielded live wires contained in metal conduits, casings, or behind metallized walls or thick, dense walls, will not be detected by live wire circuit 44. Sensor 10 further comprises extending “horn” portions 17 at either side of resilient marker member 18. Each horn portion 17 comprises an inner surface 17′ which is spaced precisely ⅞ inches from the center axis of sensor 10, which coincides with pin marker 20 or pencil hole 22. This facilitates the prompt location of the center of a standard wood stud which is 1 and ¾ inches in width. The user may simply mark the center point of the stud on the wall surface by using the inner surface 17′ of the extending horn portion 17 as a guide. FIG. 1C provides a view of the bottom of sensor 10, which is the side of sensor 10 which comes in contact with the surface being scanned. As shown in FIG. 1C, hidden object sensor 10 comprises an outer housing, which includes a substantially planar contact surface 11 which will come in direct contact with the surface being scanned. A removable battery (not shown) for powering the device's circuitry may be accessible via a battery door 13. The view shown in FIG. 1C shows the bottom side of resilient marker member 18, including pin marker 20 and pencil hole 22. FIG. 1D shows a partial cross-sectional view of hidden object sensor 10, illustrating a cross section of resilient marker member 18 along the lines A-A. As shown in FIG. 1D, pin marker 20 may comprise a metallic scribe inserted into a recess of resilient marker member 18. The metallic scribe may comprise, for example, a brass insert having an apex portion 19 a, a flange 19 b and a cylindrical insert portion 19 c which may comprise threads or may be fastened to the recess provided within resilient marker member 18 by glue or cement or by another process, such as insert molding. The recess provided within resilient marker member 18 is of a shape to accommodate both the cylindrical protruding portion 19 c as well as flange portion 19 b of the metallic insert. FIG. 4 illustrates the process performed by the sensing circuitry 60 shown in FIG. 3, as controlled by microprocessor 52. At an initial step S2, the process will commence upon powering on of sensor 10 by depressing switch 12. The sensor will then generate one beep in step S4, and calibration will be commenced for metal detection as indicated at step S6. Frequency calibration will occur within wood circuit 48 at step S8, and upon commencement of both the metal detection calibration and stud detection calibration, microprocessor 52 will cause the green LED to be flashed, as indicated at step S10. At step S12, microprocessor 52 will allow wood circuit 48 to search for a stud for up to 5 seconds. At that point, as indicated at step S14, the green LED will be constantly illuminated. At step S16, a determination is made as to whether wood circuit 48 has successfully calibrated itself for stud detection. If not, the process will proceed to step S30, where the yellow LED will be illuminated indicating that sensor 10 is in a metal-only detection mode. If wood circuit 48 did successfully calibrate itself to detect studs, the process will proceed to step S18, at which point microprocessor 52 will cause a single beep to be generated by the audible indicator 54, thereby signaling that sensor 10 is ready to detect studs, metal objects, and live wires. At step S20 a timer will commence. At step S22, a determination is made as to whether ON-OFF switch 12 has been pressed again. If it has, the process will be forwarded to step S58 at which point microprocessor 52 will shut sensor 10 off. If the ON-OFF switch (i. e., the power key) has not been pressed again, the process will proceed from step S22 to step S24, where a determination is made as to whether the 3 minutes of time set at step S20 has expired. If such time has expired, the process will proceed to step S58. If the three minutes have not expired, the process will proceed to step S26, where microprocessor 52 will inquire as to whether an AC voltage of a sufficient level has been detected by live wire circuit 44. If such a voltage level has been detected, the process will proceed to step S28 where the appropriate AC indications will be triggered via visible indicator 50 and audible indicator 54. The process will then return to step S22. Note the process will not be forwarded to step S50 if an AC (live wire) indication is generated, as the device is designed so that it will not identify the existence and location of a metal object or a stud where a live wire exists. This serves as a safety precaution to prevent the user from proceeding to insert a nail or screw into a detected metal object or stud that may coincide in position with the detected live wire. Only if there is no AC voltage detection as determined at step S26 will the process proceed to step S50 and then inquire as to whether a metal object has been detected by metal circuit 46. If a metal object has been detected by metal circuit 46, the process will proceed to step S52 where a metal indication will be triggered by microprocessor 52 via visible indicator 50 and audible indicator 54 in accordance with the process as described above. While a metal indication is taking place, and a metal object has been detected by sensor 10, the process will not proceed to detect a stud using wood circuit 48, and thus will not return to step S54 until and unless there has been no detection of an AC voltage at step S26 and there has been no detection of a metal object at step S50. When a metal object has been detected, the sensor 10 will identify the fact that the object is metallic by generating short double beeps with the audible indicator, flashing the green LED, and steadily illuminating the red LEDs. To indicate a detected wood stud a short repeating beep is generated while using the same audible indicator steadily illuminating the same green LED and the same red LEDs. If the process proceeded to determine if a stud was detected at step S54, wood circuit 48 would also provide an indication of the presence of an object behind the tested surface, as wood circuit 48 uses a capacitive sensor which may very well sense metal objects as well as wood objects. This would unnecessarily create confusion, and would require that a separate indicator such as a separate row of LEDs be provided for purposes of simultaneously indicating that a stud exists as detected by the capacitive sensor used by wood circuit 48. To cut down on the cost of providing extra indicators and LEDs and to cut down on the confusion encountered by the user, the device of the illustrated embodiment is simplified. It includes only one set of indicators for identifying hidden objects, and detects for hidden objects in accordance with an intelligent hierarchy. That hierarchy prioritizes the information provided to the user so that the user is only provided with the most pertinent and meaningful information at any given time. Thus, if an AC voltage is detected, information will not be provided regarding the location of a metal or wooden object hidden behind the tested surface. The user only needs to concern his or herself with the fact that there is a live wire behind the tested surface. If there is no live wire behind the tested surface, the sensor 10 may indicate the existence and location of a metal object behind the tested surface via processing at step S50 and step S52. If that is the case, the presence and location of that metal object will be identified by the audible indicator and the single set of LEDs 24 using a specific protocol—with the green LED flashing, the red LEDs on and the audible indicator providing short double beeps. The device will automatically avoid checking to see whether there is a wooden stud where the device is already indicating the existence and location of a metal object. The user need not be concerned with whether or not a non-metallic object coincides with the metallic object that has been detected. If there is no live wire or metal object detected at either step S26 or S50, the process will proceed to step S54 and check for the existence and the location of a stud with the use of wood circuit 48. If a stud is located, the appropriate indication protocol will be triggered at step S56, thus causing the red LEDs to be illuminated, and a short repeating beep, and the illumination of a green LED to commence upon the coinciding of sensor 10 with the stud edge. Before sensor 10 will commence the detection and location of objects behind a tested surface, it will perform a calibration for metal detection as well as a calibration for stud detection at steps S6 and S8. To further simplify the operation of the device and the user's understanding of the types of objects behind the tested surface, the device will indicate as a result of that initial calibration when there are no non-metallic objects detected behind the tested surface, and the device will automatically enter into a metal-only sensing mode. When sensor 10 is in this mode, a yellow LED 26 will be illuminated at step S30, and three beeps will be generated by audible indicator 54 indicating that the device is ready to detect metal objects and live wires behind the tested surface, and that the device will not concern itself with non-metallic objects, as no such non-metallic objects appear to be present. At step S34 a three minute timer will be commenced. At step S36 a determination is made as to whether the power key has been pressed. If it has, the process will proceed to step S58, and sensor 10 will be shut off. If the power key was not pressed, the process will proceed to step S38 where a determination is made as to whether three minutes have expired. If the three minutes have expired, the process proceeds to step S58. If not, the process proceeds to step S40, where a determination is made as to whether live wire circuit 44 has detected a live wire. Here, the hierarchy is set up so that if a live wire is detected, the appropriate indication protocol is triggered by microprocessor 52 at step S42, and the process will return to step S36. Only if no live wire is detected at step S40, will the process proceed to step S44, at which point metal circuit 46 will try to detect and locate a metal object. Upon the detection and location of a metal object, the appropriate indication protocol will be triggered by microprocessor 52 at step S46. While the invention has been described by way of an exemplary embodiment, it is understood that the words which have been used herein are words of description, rather than words of limitation. Changes may be made within the purview of the appended claims, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention in its broader aspects. Although the invention has been described herein with reference to particular elements, materials and embodiments, it is understood that the invention is not limited to the particulars disclosed. The invention extends to all equivalent structures, mechanisms, elements and uses which are within the scope of the appended claims.

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Behcet’s disease, also called as behcet’s syndrome is one of the rare health disorders that can cause chronic inflammation in the blood vessels throughout your body. This inflammation in the blood vessels leads to variety of signs and symptoms that may seem unrelated to the condition. With behcet’s disease, you can experience stroke, various intestinal complications, blindness and also swelling of spinal cord. Usually, men and women with 20 to 30 years of age get behcet’s disease. However, children and also older adults can become victims to this chronic inflammatory disease. No one knows the main cause of behcet’s disease. But, both inherited and also environmental factors such as microbe infections are suspected to be the major factors that contribute to the development of behcet’s disease. It is not a contagious disease. Even, it is believed that this unusual and rare chronic inflammatory disorder is more frequent and also severe in patients who live in Eastern Mediterranean countries and Asia than those who belong to Eastern descent. Behcet’s disease affects various organs of your body! Even though the signs and symptoms of behcet’s disease can vary from one individual to another, it mainly depends on the type of organ that is affected with behcet’s syndrome. Most common body areas that are usually affected with behcet’s syndrome can mainly include: - Skin: Some people can develop acne sore on their skin and others can develop red, raised nodules on their skin with this sort of chronic inflammatory condition. Skin problems clear up on their own within 10 to 15 days of their appearance. Eventually, there is chance for these skin lesions to reoccur. - Genitals: These are the most common parts of your body that can develop sores because of behcet’s disease. More often you can experience sores on penis or vulva. These sores can appear as round and red ulcerated lesions. Usually, these genital sores can cause great discomfort and pain and leaves scars on the affected areas. - Eyes: Uveitis is an eye condition that results from behcet’s syndrome. Patients with uveitis mainly suffer with blurred vision, redness and also pain in one or both eyes. This inflammation in eye usually reappears again and again. This inflammation that mainly involves the blood vessels of your retina is very serious complication of behcet’s syndrome. - Mouth: Painful sores in mouth that are identical to canker sore are the most common signs of behcet’s disease. These sores usually begin as raised, round lesions on your gums, tongue, cheeks and also lips. Finally, after a day or two these sores become shallow ulcers with white and yellow covering. In many cases, these sores become more persistent and cause severe pain for you. So, never ignore to consult your personal health expert or doctor, when you notice any kind of unusual signs and symptoms of behcet’s disease.

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The Locust Grove Cemetery in Shippensburg is a historic African-American cemetery. The cemetery is the burial location for 47 African American veterans from every major American conflict from the Civil War to Vietnam. There are 26 known Civil War veterans buried. These veterans served in the United States Colored Troops between 1863 and 1865. These include three men who served in the 54th and 55th Massachusetts Volunteer Regiments which were the troops featured in the movie Glory. Learn more about this site while following the Shippensburg's Locust Grove Cemetery Walking Tour. Located between E. Fort Street and E. Burd Street on N. Queen Street. Discover this site and others with the All Things Civil War in Cumberland Valley trip idea. Historic Marker: An on-site marker reads: "Burial ground for slaves and free blacks since the early 19th century and site of Shippensburg's first African American church, established 1830s. Edward Shippen Burd granted the land to Shippensburg's African American community in 1842. It was the only public cemetery to open to African Americans in the area until the late 20th century. Graves of veterans from the Civil War to the Vietnam conflict include those of twenty-six Civil War soldiers. "

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Marine satellite remote sensing data used for oil spill monitoring Estimations of the total amount of oil entering into the ocean each year are varied from 1. 5 to 8 million m3. More then 20% of all oil contamination falls at unauthorized discharges of the polluted water from the ships into navigable waters (Table 1). | Table 1. Sources of the ocean oil pollution (worldwide each year) ||Amount (thousands m3) |Down the Drain |Up in Smoke Investigations carried out with spaceborne SAR in Baltic, North and Midterrian Seas revealed oil spills along main ship routes, which ranged from 0. 1 km2 to 56 km2 ("Clean Seas", Pavlakis et al. , 2001). Most of spills have area size about 1-10 km2, length 5-10 km, width < 1 km and occurred during night time. Such dimensions of the marine oil contamination require use high resolution sensors (<200 m). First of all these are instruments providing high resolution imagery in a range of visible and infra-red bands. Similar sensors were placed on the satellites series Landsat (USA), Spot (France), Resurs-O (Russia) and IRS (India). Past and present missions from these series are represented in Table 2 and their high resolution imagers in Table 3. These missions are used mostly for high resolution land studies, but images from these satellites are successfully utilized in coastal marine pollutions monitoring. The major disadvantages of the thermal and optical sensors are unsuitability for cloudiness areas and night limitation for visible bands. Next kind of the high resolution sensors used in marine oil pollution monitoring is synthetic aperture radars (SAR). Among the many different sensors SAR is probably the most sophisticated, because of its independence of weather and light conditions. Oil slicks appear as dark patches on SAR images because of the damping effect of the oil on the backscattered signals from the radar instrument. All space missions carried SAR are showed in Table 4 and Table 5 and properties of their SAR are represented in Table 6. The most suitable SAR radar configuration for oil pollution study is C-band radar frequency with VV polarization, with a 20 to 45° incident angle. This is the case for ERS, RADARSAT and Envisat satellites. ERS SAR imagery was additionally useful for oil spill monitoring due to ability to recover the surface wind characteristics which are very important for oil weathering. Wind direction can be retrieval from an orientation of the organized structures in the atmospheric boundary layer (convective rolls) that clearly manifest themselves in the SAR images, as well as can be estimated from backscatter variation near the islands and capes. Wind speed is retrieved with CMOD4 geophysical function. In many cases wind direction can be derived from oil spots themselves. Old oil spills have on the upwind sites roughly parallel bands oriented in the wind direction (Figure 1). The spatial coverage of the SAR imagery is adapted to pollution survey (100 x 100 km for ERS-1 and ERS-2; 300 x 300 km for RADARSAT, and from 100x 100 km to 405 x 405 km (wide swath) for ASAR Envisat). A problem is the satellite coverage frequency (35 days for ERS), but now RADARSAT SAR and Envisat ASAR allow covering every 2-3 days for accident cases. Figure 2 shows Envisat ASAR Wide Swath Mode image of the Japan/East Sea taken on 7 April 2003. All dark patches on the low resolution image (Figure 2a) are associated with the fields of lower surface wind speed. Enlarged fragment of the image (resolution 150x150 m) depicts distinct oil contamination with total area about 110 km2 (Figure 2b). For example, approximately similar circular area with radius about 40 km can be fully covered on August 2004 by 12 ASAR Wide Swath frames (Figure 3) and additionally partly covered by 4 frames. But in operational context it would be useful to improve this to have regular survey. The delay between acquisition and analysis must be shortened. ||Fragment of the ERS-2 SAR image of the Japan/East Sea acquired on 22 September 1997 at 02:00 UTC. Oil spill is darker on the leeward side. Upwind part of the spill is organized into nearly parallel bands aligned in the wind direction. Near vertical light line crossed the spill is a ship wake. ||Envisat ASAR Wide Swath Mode image of the Japan/East Sea taken on 7 April 2003 at 13:07 UTC. (a) Low resolution image with dark patches associated with the fields of lower surface wind speed. (b) Enlarged fragment (resolution 150x150 m) depicting oil contamination with total area about 110 km2. ||Envisat ASAR Wide Swath Mode covering of the circular area with radius approximately 40 km on August 2004.

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The CDC says that Lyme disease is most common among boys aged 5-19. This age group is affected at three times the average rate of all other age groups. Around 25% of all reported cases are children. read more Kids may be more likely to encounter ticks and get tick-bites because they often go off trails, play in grassy areas or in leaves under trees in natural habitats where ticks are found. They may also be less likely to notice a tick if one attaches to them. The tick-bite prevention information on this page is designed for youth in the 4th through 6th grades and can be used in the classroom, scout groups, other youth groups or at home. In the spring and summer, you might hear about something called Lyme disease. It has nothing to do with limes, but it does have something to do with ticks — those creepy, tiny bugs that like to drink human blood. Disgusting! Don’t let ticks bite you. Lyme Disease Awareness & Prevention by Dr. Elizabeth Maloney Lyme Activity Book (Printable booklet) Kids Page – Lyme Disease Association ABC’s of Lyme by the Lyme Disease Association

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The hidden costs of stroke The dangers and risks of stroke are well-known. Hundreds of thousands of Americans suffer a stroke each year, and the physical damage that such conditions may wreak can often leave individuals with lasting disabilities or maladies. As the National Stroke Association terms it, a stroke is a "brain attack" and happens when blood flow to the brain is interrupted. It can happen at any time and oxygen deprivation kills brain cells quickly. Once those cells are gone, the functions they control — like muscles on one side of the body, the ability to speak or fine-motor skills — are similarly lost forever. However, while much note and awareness is given to the negative physical effects of stroke, there is a growing amount of research that indicates other aspects of a person's well-being may be affected. Particularly, stroke can put mental health at risk, as a recent study found. This added wrinkle in what is known about stroke side effects may make awareness efforts all the more important, as prevention and recognition are key to saving lives. Fifth-leading cause of death According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, stroke is the fifth-leading cause of death in the U.S., killing around 140,000 Americans annually, or 1 in 20 deaths. Overall, someone in the country experiences a stroke every 40 seconds, as each year more than 795,000 Americans has a stroke; of whom, 610,000 are first or new strokes. The human and economic costs of stroke are clear. Strokes kill one American every four minutes and are estimated to lead to some $34 billion in losses each year. The potential for older adults to suffer severe and lasting adverse effects further underscore the risks of stroke, which the CDC said was the leading cause of serious long-term disability. Stroke also reduces mobility in more than half of stroke survivors who are 65 and older. Mental health possibly affected as well "58 percent of stroke victims had meaningfully worse scores when it came to social roles and activities. " As noted, many of the side effects stroke victims experience are related to physical movement and control. In many cases, a stroke can leave portions of a person's body partially or totally paralyzed. This isn't a fact that a recent paper published in the journal Neurology intends to dispute, however, what a team of researchers from the American Academy of Neurology did find was that the scope of stroke side effects can extend beyond physical complications. In a study involving 1,195 people who'd suffered an ischemic stroke (the most common kind, when blood flow to the brain is blocked), participants were asked questions about their physical functioning, anxiety, thinking skills and planning, and how pain affects aspects of their lives. They filled out questionnaires for 100 days after a stroke, and unsurprisingly, researchers found victims were more affected by physical problems than the general population, as 63 percent of stroke patients had scores considered meaningfully worse. Interestingly, 58 percent of people with stroke had meaningfully worse scores than the general population when it came to social roles and activities. "After a stroke, people who have only mild disability can often have 'hidden' problems that can really affect their quality of life," said study author Irene L. Katzan, MD, MS, of the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio and a member of the American Academy of Neurology. "And for people with more disability, what bothers them the most? Problems with sleep? Depression? Fatigue? Not many studies have asked people how they feel about these problems, and we doctors have often focused just on physical disability or whether they have another stroke. " Katzan went on to say that treatment for strokes should be cognizant of these other side effects and potentially incorporate things like social participation and encouragement.

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An estimated 2. 5 billion people are connected to the Internet. I am one of them. And so are you, otherwise you would not be here reading this blog post. But did you ever think of the impact your Google Searches, YouTube streaming, Netflix binge-watching, social media scrolling and continuous flow of e-mails has on our planet? In other words, do you know what the carbon footprint of the internet is? When it comes to sustainability, the first things that pop into our minds are ‘the usual suspects’ like food, clothing, the airline industry and plastic pollution. The internet on the other hand is seen as something that has to do with ‘dematerialization’: for everything that is digital, we feel like we don’t need that many resources, so we are actually helping the planet. And that might be true in some way, as we no longer need the same amount of paper as before (hooray for the trees). But… The internet is leaving a larger ecological footprint than we think So how is it possible that the internet is leaving such a high carbon footprint? Here is how that happens: First of all, the production of the devices that we use to connect to the internet (a smartphone, a tablet, a computer, a television) require raw materials. A lot. Our extensive use of these devices combined with planned obsolescence puts a lot of pressure on the Earth’s resources. The same goes for data centres – those giant buildings packed top to bottom with servers full of the websites, databases, online applications and files that make our ever increasing hunger for online activity possible. All these servers first need to be produced. And what about the network needed to transport all that data? Think about all those thousands and thousands of kilometers of internet cables at the bottom of the ocean, network antennas and optic fibres. More resources extracted from our precious planet. All those personal devices and the data centers require tons of electricity. Not only to charge our smartphone or to power the servers 24 hours a day. Data server centers require a lot of additional power for the air conditioning needed to keep the servers from overheating. All this electricity is generated from different sources, including a large amount of fossil fuels, that cause pollution. This is what your binge-watching Sundays cost the planet So how much does it really cost, our online addiction? Well, I have some facts for you that might scare, or at least surprise you a bit: If the Internet were a country, it would be the sixth largest consumer of electricity on the planet, right behind Russia, Japan, China, India, and the US* The energy footprint of the IT-sector is estimated to consume 7% of the global electricity. ** Video streaming is a tremendous driver of data demand, with 63% of global internet traffic in 2015, and is projected to reach 80% by 2020. Netflix accounts for one-third of that traffic alone. However, Netflix scores a sad 17% on the “Click Clean Scorecard” of Greenpeace and still uses a lot of unsustainable sources to bring Donald Draper, Jessica Jones and Piper Chapman into your living room. I bet that’s not what you expected, right? I know I didn’t. Not, let’s have a look at this: How much pollution do you cause by sending an e-mail or doing a Google Search? It’s difficult, if not impossible, to calculate the complete carbon footprint of the internet. That would mean analyzing every tweet, like, share, WhatsApp message, activities of “Internet-of-Things” devices, just to start. That’s not the purpose of this blog post. It’s about creating awareness of the impact our digital behavior has. So I decided to dive into the data of two everyday activities for many of us: Google searches and sending e-mails. The carbon footprint of a Google Search An online search emits about 0. 2 grams of CO2. You could do 5. 000 searches – almost 14 searches per day for an entire year – before you hit 1 kilo of CO2. To put that in perspective: That’s the same as driving 4,46 kilometers in a (non-electric) car, according to calculations of MilieuCentraal. Although Google, the biggest search engine on the planet, does not disclose how many searches it handles each year, it is estimated that it’s more than 2 trillion. In CO2 terms, a year of Google Searches equals 1. 785. 720. 000 kilometers driven in a (non-electric) car. The carbon footprint of e-mails If we look at e-mails, it is estimated that sending an e-mail emits between 4 and 50 grams of CO2, depending on how many recipients the e-mail has, the length of the e-mail and the size of the attachment. Let’s take 10 grams as an average. With an estimated 269 billion e-mails send each DAY, that comes down to a whopping 2,69 billion kilograms of carbon dioxide each day. Or a little over 12 billion kilometers driven in a (non-electric) car. A day! That is a huge impact. Oh, and by reading this article, you created an estimated 24 grams of CO2… Now, you could click away from this article and take a walk outside in order to save the planet. That’s a good start.

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This Solemnity of the Church and Holy Day of Obligation calls our attention to an important doctrine. To define what the Immaculate Conception is helps Catholics to understand what they are called to believe as a faith tradition. The Immaculate Conception means that Mary, whose conception was brought about the normal way, was conceived without original sin or its stain—that’s what “immaculate” means: without stain. The essence of original sin consists in the deprivation of sanctifying grace, and its stain is a corrupt nature. Mary was preserved from these defects by God’s grace; from the first instant of her existence she was in the state of sanctifying grace and was free from the corrupt nature original sin brings. This implicit reference may be found in the angel’s greeting to Mary. The angel Gabriel said, “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you” (Luke 1:28). The phrase “full of grace” is a translation of the Greek which expresses a characteristic quality of Mary. This characteristic quality is much more than an identity of “highly favored daughter” found with some New Testament translations. The Greek implies the grace given to Mary is at once permanent and of a unique kind. There is a sense in its meaning “to fill or endow with grace. ” This sense further indicates that Mary was graced in the past but with continuing effects in the present. The grace Mary enjoyed was not a result of the angel’s visit. The state of sanctifying grace extended over the whole of her life, from her immaculate conception onward. Because this feast day falls on Sunday this year, the Solemnity is transferred to Monday, December 9, but the Holyday of Obligation is not. (9:2)

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Problem Based Learning (PBL) is typically done in small discussion groups of students accompanied by a faculty tutor or facilitator. A constructed, but realistic problem is presented in consecutive sections, mimicking the gradual acquisition of potentially incomplete information in real life situations. In some implementations of PBL, students must engage in inquiry to get information about the problem; in others, the information is presented sequentially. The students discuss the case, define problems, derive learning goals and organize further work (such as literature and database research). Results are presented and discussed in the following session. The students then apply the results of their self-directed learning to solve the problem. A PBL cycle concludes with reflections on learning, problem solving, and collaboration. A structured whiteboard is used to help the learners keep track of their problem solving and learning. Although some predefined aspects of the problem are usually expected to be investigated, not all learning goals are strictly defined in advance. Problems should be ill-structured and should ideally be open to differing approaches and offer thematic sidelines. The tutor's role is that of a guide rather than a teacher. Tutors are not expected to contribute their factual knowledge or opinions (except as fellow learners). Instead, they should direct the students by asking questions. Tutors also observe the group interaction and give feedback on the work process. Feedback and reflection on the learning process and group dynamics are essential components of PBL.

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Primary cosmic rays striking the upper atmosphere of the earth produce a cascade of secondary particles. Many of the secondary particles are muons. A muon is about 206 times heavier than an electron and it has a lifetime of about 2 microseconds. In traveling the distance from the higher parts of the atmosphere, muons arrive at the surface of the earth and below after their lifetimes have expired. But because the muons are traveling near the speed of light, a time dilation effect allows them to complete their journey. Magnetic fields affect the arrival directions of the primary cosmic rays which in turn affect the arrival directions of muons which are also spread out from the creation of the particle cascade. The constant arrival of muons on the surface of the earth results in a muon flux which varies with the coordinates of the arrival location. This is a result of the magnetic fields and the muon flux variation and has been calculated by J. F. Ziegler (see resources) for various locations on the earth using New York as a base reference value of one. The Ziegler article was written as study of how cosmic radiation affects the failure rate of computer chips at different locations. Geiger counters detect the muon flux which is around 5% to 10% of the total background radiation which is picked up. This is not an accurate way to find the muon flux rate and its variations. A better way is to place two geiger counters together and connect them with a coincidence counter (c-box). Only those muon particles that go through both geiger counters at the same time interval are counted with the help of the c-box. During the past year, I have consulted many websites and several books on the subject and I have found much theory and calculations but little on the actual study of the muon count variations on the surface of the earth. There seems to be many sophisticated experiments on measuring the various components of cosmic radiation but little on actually measuring and monitoring the muons reaching the surface of the earth at various locations and times. Despite the magnetic fields which change their directions, I think that it is worthwhile to study the variations in the peaks of the muon flux on the surface of the earth with the location and local and sidereal time. The sources of cosmic radiation which could affect the muon flux variation are the sun, our galaxy, and the rest of the universe. Variations in the radiation from the sun could affect the muon flux variation after large solar flares which tend to suppress the cosmic radiation reaching the earth while they are active. I think that a better candidate would be the cosmic radiation reaching the earth from the center of our galaxy. The galactic center has a strong radio source (Sagittarius A at around RA 17 deg. 45 min and DEC -28 deg. 48 min. ). I am interested in finding changes in the muon flux which can be related to solar activity, activity from the center of our galaxy, and unusual events that may occur anywhere in the universe. This project is concerned with gathering background data on the feasibility of measuring muon flux variations related to the above events. This project is also intended to be educational and perhaps will facilitate a number of investigators sharing their data online to be able to develop an accurate model for explaining the variations of the muon flux on the surface of the earth. Accuracy and expense are 2 important aspects of this project. The setup that I am using makes use of the following items (shown in the top photo without the computer): 1) A PC computer with a free serial port input, 2) Two RM-60 geiger counters and software from Aware Electronics (see Resources), 3) Coincidence box (c-box) from Aware Electronics, 4) Several elastic bands, 5) Compass, 6) Level, 7) Protractor, and 8) Pile of index cards or other device for changing the angle of the array. The Photo section will show how these items are used. The computer hookup directions are available from Aware Electronics. Optional items could include a GPS device to indicate the exact location and a barometer. It is possible that the muon count rate could be affected by the density of the air which is related to barometric readings but it is possibly a very small variation. The RM-60 geiger counters have geiger tubes which have a higher pickup rate from the sides. The geiger counter is housed in a plastic box (see Photos). The 2 geiger counters are placed on top of each other with the sides of the geiger tubes parallel to each other. They are secured with 3 elastic bands. The geiger counters and c-box and computer port connector all make use of standard phone plugs and jacks. The 2 geiger counters are connected to the c-box with phone line cords and the c-box is connected to the computer serial port with another phone line cord (refer to Aware Electronics directions for the proper connection sequence as the c-box may not work properly if their connection sequence is not followed). The software from Aware Electronics includes a program (aw-srad. exe) which finds the counts from the geiger counter and shows the counts as an updating bar graph. This can be saved as a file and viewed as a bar graph or line graph using another program (aw-graph. exe). I recorded the data for this project and viewed it with the aw-graph. exe program which enables screen capturing of the graph displayed on the screen. You can see an extensive collection of data graphs by clicking on the screen below. There are 19 small graphs each which can be viewed in a large, detailed format. (Give the Data Graphs page time to load. ) I placed the 2 geiger counter array at a straight up (90 deg. ) angle for some parts of this project. That is the position for the maximum muon count rate. The muons do not have enough energy to come from the direction of the earth so that only the ones from the overhead sky are counted. To prove this one would have to place many lead blocks below the geiger counter array. When turned sideways (0 deg. angle) which can be indicated as N/S, E/W etc. the muon count drops to around 10 % or less of its straight up angle. I used angles of 40 deg. and 20 deg. South for some of the counts. The average count rate for 20 deg. S was 20 % of the straight up angle rate and for 40 deg. S was around 35% of the straight up angle rate. The 20 deg. S angle was the optimum direction for pointing towards the center of our galaxy. The accuracy of the data in this project is related to the size of the geiger tubes and their capture rate. More or larger geiger tubes would increase the accuracy but would also increase the cost. Another way to increase the accuracy is to average the data counts over one or two hour periods instead of just one minute periods. This can be done automatically by the aw-graph. exe program. This results in reliability factors in the high ninety percents for many of the peaks on the muon graphs that were made as a part of this project. The values given in the project graphs are in counts per minute. These values need to be multiplied by 60 for the hour graphs and 120 for the 2 hour graphs before calculating the probability statistics. To calculate the probability of the curve of interest on a graph being significant, the following math can be used: 1) Determine the average counts per time period and take the square root of it - this is the standard deviation. 2) Find the difference between the curve of interest in counts per time period and the average counts per time period. 3) Divide the difference by the standard deviation. 4) Use the results of the division to look up the areas in a standard curve table which will give the probability that the curve of interest was not caused by random variations. As an example of the above, I will use the curve in muon graph # 02. The curve of interest has a value of 1. 68 counts per minute and it took place at 5:45 AM EDT on 7/04/01. The average muon flux for this graph is 1. 22. The graph is done in intervals of one hour each so the counts per minute need to be multiplied by 60 first to get the counts per hour. The curve of interest becomes 1. 68 X 60 = 100. 8. The average muon flux becomes 1. 22 X 60 = 73. 2. The square root of the average muon flux is 8. 56 and the difference between the curve of interest and the average is 27. 6. The next step is to divide the 27. 6 by the standard deviation of 8. 56 and that equals 3. 22 which has a probability of 0. 9994 in the standard curve table. The table is available from an online link at Aware Electronics but quick estimates in the 90 % range can be made from the following. 1. 29 = 0. 9015, 1. 65 = 0. 9505, 2 = 0. 9744 Using the above example, the curve which peaked at 5:45 AM EDT on 7/04/01 was not due to chance but was caused by a source definitely increasing the muon count rate. In order to connect muon count increase with a definite celestial event, it needs to be related to the sidereal time of the event and it needs to be in a repeating pattern. If the repeating pattern is not apparent, then corrections for other factors (for example, the magnetic field) need to be taken into account. It could also be a one-time event which could be correlated to the observations of others at the same time. This project is meant to be a starter project giving the basic instructions for assembling the components and some idea on the values to be received under different conditions. The large data graphs together with all of the explanations given in this report, should enable you to draw some ideas involving the times of the significant events on the graphs. My analysis of the data is given on the DATA TABLE, ANALYSIS, SUGGESTIONS FOR MORE RESEARCH page. I hope that we can collaborate in this project to further investigate this unknown area of knowledge. Perhaps a network could be set up to share the data. Feel free to contact me for any questions that you may have regarding the project. Also check out the RESOURCES page of this report, the PHOTO page, and DATA GRAPH page.

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Ransomware is now a routine cybercriminal business model. Learn how to recognize and defend against attacks before they happen. Ransomware is a form of malware that, after covertly installing itself on the victim’s hard drive, encrypts its contents and demands a ransom be paid for its recovery. Simple Ransomware may block access to the system in ways a technical person can reverse, but more commonly, it’s impossible to recover the data without paying the ransom or restoring a system backup. Even if you have system backups, you’ll still incur costs if infected. Disinfecting computers and restoring backups can take days or weeks depending on the extent of the infection. Of all the malware and virus dangers out there, ransomware currently leads as the preferred attack methodology used against businesses. According to Malwarebytes, a leading security firm, ransomware distribution increased 267 percent between January and November 2016, the fastest expansion they’ve ever seen. Now it’s even possible for cybercriminals to buy turnkey ransomware kits that enable people with little technical knowledge to deploy the scheme. It’s called Ransomware as a Service (Raas), and the advanced cyber criminals who author it often get a cut out of each ransom. Essential characteristics of Ransomware Ransomware actually made its first appearance way back in 1989. A remedy was eventually developed for that, but ransomware technology has changed a lot since then, and common infections are mostly incurable. Once you’re infected, usually the only option is to pay up for the decryption key or restore from backups. Key features of modern ransomware include: - Unbreakable encryption – The software generates a random encryption key and uses it to encrypt the data. It can only be reversed using the decryption key, which you must purchase from the attacker. - Scrambled file names – It often scrambles file names so it’s harder for you to be sure which files were affected. - Time-limited ransom demand – The software displays a message containing the ransom demand. If you miss the deadline, the ransom will increase. After that, your data will be irreversibly destroyed. - Requires payment in Bitcoin – This is a crypto-currency that can’t be easily tracked by law enforcement agencies. - Can spread to other devices on a network – Ransomware can propagate across a network and infect other attached devices. - Evades antivirus protection – Ransomware employs techniques that make it tough to detect. How Ransomware Spreads Many methods can be used to infect victims, which makes it challenging to protect against ransomware. The most common infection techniques include: - Phishing emails: Email messages that appear legitimate but contain malicious attachments or links to compromised websites are sent to employees. With a single click, the infection process begins. - Drive-by downloads: Malicious code can download from a compromised site onto target computers with the user even clicking on anything. The website scans each visiting system for known security weaknesses and uses them to download an exploit that will install the ransomware. - Malvertising: Infected ads on legitimate sites can exploit weaknesses in the user’s system to download code. - Free software downloads: A user willingly downloads a file, unaware that it’s infected. The Mechanics of a Ransomware Attack An infection can start through any of the routes described above. The process goes like this: - Victim clicks on a link in an infected email or visits a website that contains malicious code. - A downloader is installed on the victim’s system. - The downloader connects to a remote server and downloads the ransomware onto the local system. - The ransomware begins encrypting the system. Everything local is encrypted. Connected devices and cloud accounts can be encrypted too. - The ransom message pops up on the screen, giving instructions on how to pay for the decryption key. This all happens with a few seconds to a few minutes, leaving little opportunity to intervene even if you realize what is going on. Fending off Ransomware The threat of ransomware must be taken seriously. It can throw a business offline in minutes and result in significant disruption and expense. Use these defenses to help keep IT infrastructure safe: - Backups: Make backups to an external hard drive or account and disconnect it between backups; otherwise the ransomware can encrypt the backup as well. - Patch and update: Make sure all user operating systems and browsers are patched and current with the latest security updates. Remove outdated plugins and add-ons. - Ad blocker: Use an ad blocker to avoid potential infection from malicious ads. - Educate users: Users should be reminded to never open spam emails or email from unknown senders, and never click links or download attachments unless they are 100% certain of their source. - Limit account permissions: Give users the minimum permissions they need to work on a system so they can’t install unauthorized software (knowingly or unknowingly). Reserve administrator accounts for actual administrators. - Antivirus software: Use an antivirus with real-time protection and automatic updates. This won’t block all infection sources but it will help. - Consider a traffic filtering solution: Cybersecurity companies have been developing cloud-based traffic monitoring solutions that identify when a ransomware or other cyber attack has initiated and blocked it. These work by inspecting all traffic going in and out of devices and watching for suspicious connections. Suspected connections are blocked or rerouted to a safe destination. This prevents ransomware from making the connection to “home” and downloading its payload. - If you get infected, disconnect: Immediately pull the plug on an infected computer, and disconnect it from the network to prevent spread while you sort out the problem. You may need to disconnect entire network segments. Some variants of ransomware can be unlocked by an antivirus company, depending on the strain, although many cannot. If you can’t unlock your files, and you can’t restore from backups, the only option is to pay the ransom or lose your data. Ransomware is now a functioning business model employed by organized groups of cyber criminals. It’s a global company that targets other businesses as well as private individuals. An infection can be devastating. Understanding how ransomware works and how to protect against it can save endless headaches and heartache. The threat is high, but you can protect against it, and you must.

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From the BBC: Microbes locked in Antarctic ice for as much as eight million years have been “resuscitated” in a laboratory. Researchers melted five samples of ice from the debris-covered glaciers of Antarctica which range in age from 100,000 years to eight million years. When given nutrients and warmth, the microbes resumed their activity – although younger microorganisms grew more successfully than the older ones. According to the news story, the paper is published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, but I couldn’t find it at the time of writing. Update: the full text of the paper is now available.

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In many casinos, a person buys chips to use for gambling. Within the casino's walls, customers often can use these chips to buy food and drink or even a hotel room. Do chips in a gambling casino serve all three functions of money? Can you name some item that is a store of value, but does not serve the other functions of money? If you are out shopping for clothes and books, what is easiest and most convenient for you to spend: M1 or M2? Explain your answer. For the following list of items, indicate if they are in M1, M2, or neither: - Your $5,000 line of credit on your Bank of America card - $50 dollars’ worth of traveler’s checks you have not used yet - $1 in quarters in your pocket - $1200 in your checking account - $2000 you have in a money market account Explain why the money listed under assets on a bank balance sheet may not actually be in the bank? Imagine that you are in the position of buying loans in the secondary market (that is, buying the right to collect the payments on loans) for a bank or other financial services company. Explain why you would be willing to pay more or less for a given loan if: - The borrower has been late on a number of loan payments - Interest rates in the economy as a whole have risen since the bank made the loan - The borrower is a firm that has just declared a high level of profits - Interest rates in the economy as a whole have fallen since the bank made the loan

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- Research article - Open Access Incidence of cancer in children residing in ten jurisdictions of the Mexican Republic: importance of the Cancer registry (a population-based study) BMC Cancer volume 7, Article number: 68 (2007) In 1996, Mexico started to register cases of childhood cancer. Here, we describe the incidence of cancer in children, residing in ten Mexican jurisdictions, who were treated by the Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social (IMSS). New cases of childhood cancer, which were registered prospectively in nine principal Medical Centers of IMSS during the periods 1998–2000 (five jurisdictions) and 1996–2002 (five jurisdictions), were analyzed. Personnel were specifically trained to register, capture, and encode information. For each of these jurisdictions, the frequency, average annual age-standardized incidence (AAS) and average annual incidence per period by sex and, age, were calculated (rates per 1,000,000 children/years). In total 2,615 new cases of cancer were registered, with the male/female ratio generally >1, but in some tumors there were more cases in females (retinoblastoma, germ cells tumors). The principal groups of neoplasms in seven jurisdictions were leukemias, central nervous system tumors (CNS tumors), and lymphomas, and the combined frequency for these three groups was 62. 6 to 77. 2%. Most frequently found (five jurisdictions) was the North American-European pattern (leukemias-CNS tumors-lymphomas). Eight jurisdictions had AAS within the range reported in the world literature. The highest incidence was found for children underless than five year of age. In eight jurisdictions, leukemia had high incidence (>50). The AAS of lymphomas was between 1. 9 to 28. 6. Chiapas and Guerrero had the highest AAS of CNS tumors (31. 9 and 30. 3, respectively). The frequency and incidence of neuroblastoma was low. Chiapas had the highest incidence of retinoblastoma (21. 8). Germ-cell tumors had high incidence. The North American-European pattern of cancers was the principal one found; the overall incidence was within the range reported worldwide. In general but particularly in two jurisdictions (Yucatán and Chiapas), it will be necessary to carry out studies concerning the causes of cancer in children. Due to the little that is known about the incidence of cancer in Mexican children, it will be necessary to develop a national program to establish a cancer registry for the whole of the country. Cancer in children differs from that in adults. In general, the principal groups of cancer in children are leukemias, lymphomas, and sarcomas, whereas in adults, the chief cancers are carcinomas . For this reason, the manner of grouping the cancers for study is different. For children, the International Classification of Childhood Cancer (ICCC) is used; it is based on the morphology of the tumors and is composed of 12 main groups . Childhood cancer encompasses, in general, the cases of cancer found in the cohort of 0–14 year-old children; however, some registers also include those found in the 15–19 year-old cohort . At present, there is a controversy regarding the interpretation of trends because researchers in the United States of America (USA) and France [4, 5] have shown no increase, whereas other researchers in Europe have shown an increase, in general, for acute lymphoblastic leukemia, Hodgkin's disease, central nervous system tumors (CNS tumors), and germ cell tumors [6–9]. Likewise, other investigators in the USA have demonstrated that there is a trend toward increase in the 0–9 year-old group . Worldwide, the incidence of childhood cancer is generally between 100–180 per 1,000,000 children/year . However, the incidence of the principal groups of cancers differs according to the country in which the study took place: For example, in the USA, the incidence of leukemia is 47. 8 per 1,000,000 children/year , whereas in some countries, it can reach as high as 57. 9 per 1,000,000 children/year . Therefore, based on the three principal groups of cancer, various patterns of presentation of the disease have been described: 1) North American-European pattern (1st, leukemias; 2nd, CNS tumors; and 3rd, lymphomas); 2) Latin American pattern (1st, leukemias; 2nd, lymphomas; and 3rd, CNS tumors); and 3) African pattern (1st, lymphomas; 2nd, leukemias; and 3rd, CNS tumors or soft tissue sarcomas) . By sex, the male/female ratio (M/F) is generally 1. 2, but this value may vary according to country and to the type of cancer. For example, in many countries, the M/F for leukemias is 1. 3; for Hodgkin lymphomas (HL), 2. 5 or higher; and for renal tumors (Wilms tumor), <1. By age, the highest incidence of neoplasms in general is found in children less than five years old . Other aspects of great relevance for the descriptive epidemiology of childhood cancer may be noted, such as the incidence in relation to environment (urban/rural), race, occupation of the parents, socio-economic stratum [12, 13]. However, what should be most evident is that all these data are obtained, in general, from population-based cancer registries [3, 5–9, 11]. Due to the lack of a national program for the registry of childhood cancer, in Mexico data exist only for the incidence of cancer in those children who reside in Mexico City and who are entitled to treatment by the Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social (IMSS). These data are obtained by means of hospital surveys. In other jurisdictions in the country, only the frequency of those cases treated in some hospitals is known, but the incidence is not known due to the absence of a specific registry for cancer and to the difficulties in obtaining the population at risk (denominators) [14–16]. This situation results in a grave problem, in that the magnitude of the problem of childhood cancer in the greater part of the jurisdictions of the country is unknown. The aim of the present study is to present the incidence rates and the main groups of cancer in those children in ten jurisdictions of the Mexican Republic, who were treated by IMSS. IMSS is the principal institution that provides medical attention in Mexico, serving 50% of the population of the country. Socio-economic distinctions exist between the jurisdictions, which are reflected in their populations. Type of study Population-based, prospective study. Sources of information IMSS provides medical attention to workers and their families. When a child of a worker develops some form of cancer, the child is sent to one of the specialized hospitals in the IMSS system (Medical Center-IMSS), which are distributed strategically throughout the country. The Medical Centers-IMSS are hospitals that have both the specialized personnel (oncologists, surgeons, hematologists, and pediatric pathologists) and the technology necessary to perform precise diagnosis and to give the treatment required for a child with cancer. IMSS keeps a register of the population entitled to receive medical attention at its facilities; therefore, the base population is known and it is feasible to obtain the incidence rate for the population under 15 years of age (Table 1). Not only do children with cancer receive medical treatment at no cost, but also when such children reside in areas in which no Medical Center-IMSS is located, they are referred to a Medical Center-IMSS closest to their place of residence, with IMSS covering the cost of transportation of these children for treatment. The information for this study was taken from two different sources of data. The first was the Registry of Childhood Cancer that was established in the Unit of Medical Research in Clinical Epidemiology of the Pediatric Hospital of the National Medical Center "Siglo XXI" of IMSS. This population-based registry of cases of cancer was started in 1996 and is ongoing . Cases are registered for those children who are treated in Mexico City in either of the two hospitals, the Pediatric Hospital of the National Medical Center "Siglo XXI" and the General Hospital of the National Medical Center "La Raza", that IMSS maintains for providing free medical attention to those who, by right of being residents of Mexico City, are entitled to its services. These hospitals also treat children with cancer who are referred from other states of the Mexican Republic. The data were collected prospectively. Thus, the data used in this study represent the new cases of children with cancer, during the period 1996–2002, from Mexico City and from four states (Mexico, Morelos, Guerrero, and Chiapas), the first two located in the center of the country and last two, in the south (see Figure 1). The second source of data was a hospital survey carried out during the period 1998–2000 in the remaining five Medical Centers-IMSS: one in the north of Mexico (Nuevo León); one in the west (Jalisco); one in the central part of the country (Puebla); one in the east (Veracruz); and one in the southeast (Yucatán) (see Figure 1). It should be noted that, in general, the populations in these jurisdictions are socio-economically distinct: Those in the North, West, Center, and East of the country are richer, whereas those in the South are poorer. Because it is indispensable for providing treatment of any kind, the diagnosis of cancer for each patient who was included in the study, from both sources of data, was confirmed either by aspiration of bone marrow in the cases of leukemia or by histopathological study of the tumors for the remaining cases of different cancers. Only one patient, suspected of having hepatoblastoma, received chemotherapy without having had the diagnosis confirmed by biopsy. Unfortunately, the child died and a postmortem study was not done; however, the case was included in the analysis. For this reason, we consider that the histopathological validation of the registered cases was practically 100%. The cases included in the numerators were those of patients who were treated at the different Medical Center-IMSS and who were residents in the above-mentioned jurisdictions. Only new cancer cases for children less than 15 years of age were included; prevalent cancer cases were excluded. IMSS holds a very precise record of the population entitled to receive medical care in its facilities; therefore, the population under 15 years of age and residing in the different jurisdictions during the period studied, the value needed to calculate the incidence, was obtained from the Coordination of Medical Treatment of the Medical Financing Board of IMSS. This is the only governmental agency that calculates all the populations with access to medical attention provided by the IMSS . This information is updated every year by the IMSS. The recorded population of each of the jurisdictions during the study periods is shown in Table 1. Hospital units from which data were obtained A child with cancer might be treated in different hospital services; therefore, the data were obtained from various pediatric services (Oncology, Hematology, Surgery, Neurosurgery, Endocrinology) of the different Medical Centers-IMSS selected, all of which have the infrastructure (well-trained personnel and technology) necessary to establish the diagnosis of malignant neoplasia precisely. Variables of the study Prior to carrying out the study, we designed a form listing the variables of interest: those of the individual (e. g., sex, age at diagnosis, type of neoplasm), of place (residence according to the districts in which the Medical Centers-IMSS are located in the ten jurisdictions included in this study), and of time (age at diagnosis). All the foregoing variables were obtained by interviewing the parents or by reviewing the respective clinical records; such information was obtained for 100% of the cases included in this study. Procedure for obtaining, encoding, and validating the information Prior to the actual gathering of data, nurses whose job it would be to collect and code such data, were specifically trained not only in obtaining the appropriate information from the hospital, but also in registering, coding, and verifying the type of cancer, site, and diagnosis of the cancer for each patient. In a pilot test at the last stage of the training, these nurses showed a good consistency in their coding of the data (unweighted Kappa = 0. 85). However, the final encoding of the cases from both sources of data was carried out by personnel (three physicians and two nurses) of the Registry of Childhood Cancer of the Unit of Medical Research in Clinical Epidemiology of the Pediatric Hospital of the National Medical Center "Siglo XXI" of IMSS, all of whom had also been trained in the registry and coding of cases of cancer and who had shown an adequate consistency in coding the morphology, topography, and staging of the different cancers (unweighted Kappa = 0. 90). Therefore, for each of the nine Medical Centers-IMSS selected, a nurse was assigned to register all the new cases of malignant neoplasms in children. These nurses went every third day to the above-mentioned hospital services, with the aim of capturing all possible new cases of cancer. The nurse registered this information in a special file and then used the questionnaire to obtain pertinent information from the parents, which was needed for the study. Once a diagnosis of cancer had been confirmed, the nurse captured the data for inclusion in this study; those diagnoses not confirmed were discarded. If for any reason the patient had been released from the hospital, the nurse reviewed the patient's medical record in the archives of the respective hospital to learn the final diagnosis. To encode the different cases of cancer, topographic and morphological coding was used; for the cases collected between 1996 through 1999, the second edition of the "International Classification of Diseases for Oncology" (ICD-O-2) was used, and for the cases between 2000 through 2002, the third edition (ICD-O-3) [19, 20]. The collected information was then captured on two occasions with the aim of detecting any problems in capturing the data and, prior to analysis of the data, the respective databases were reviewed in search of duplicated cases and missing data. Also, validation of the principal variables of the study (morphology and topography of the different types of cancer; age; sex) was performed by using the program, Child-Check, that was developed by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) , which evaluates the internal consistency of the individual cancer registries. The different types of cancer were grouped according to the ICCC . With the aim of having an objective evaluation of the case completeness in the different Jurisdictions included in the study, the expected incidence was calculated. To this end, we used the method that the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries follows to evaluate the case completeness when evaluating a central registry . In this method, the ratio between the rate of the incidence of cancer and the mortality rate of cancer is calculated; therefore, the values not only of the incidence, but also of the mortality, must be as precise as is possible. The incidence (126. 4 per million children/year) that we used was that of the jurisdiction of Mexico City and the mortality (71. 7 per million children/year) was that reported by IMSS for children (0 to 14 years) during the period 1995–2000 . With these data, we obtained the ratio for these rates (1. 76) and we multiplied this value by the mortality for the period 1995–2000 that had been reported for each jurisdiction studied . By using this method, we found that, in nine jurisdictions, the ratio of the observed/expected rates was equal to, or greater than 0. 90; only in Jalisco, was it 0. 71 (data not shown). The absolute and the relative frequencies were obtained according to the type of neoplasm, to sex, and to age, with age being stratified into four subgroups (less then one year of age, one to four year-olds, five to nine year-olds, and ten to 14 year-olds). For each of the periods under study (1996–2002 and 1998–2000), the average annual age-standardized incidence (AAS) per period, both general and that for the different neoplasms grouped according to ICCC, were calculated by using the direct method and by taking the standard world population under 15 years of age as reference population . Also calculated was the incidence according to sex, age, and place of residence for the selected jurisdictions of the Mexican Republic; the rates are given per 1,000,000 children/year. The protocol was approved by the Research and Ethics Coordination of the Pediatric Hospital, National Medical Center Century XXI, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social. A total of 2,615 new cases of cancer in children was registered, of which 1,957 (74. 8%) corresponded to the period 1996–2002 in the Pediatric Hospital of Medical Center "Siglo XXI" and Medical Center of "La Raza" (both in Mexico City) and 658 (25. 2%) for the period 1998–2000 in the remaining Medical Centers. Table 2 shows the different types of neoplasms that were registered in each of the ten jurisdictions. Of the total number of cases in the study, 1,572 (60. 1%) came from either Mexico City or the State of Mexico. In general, the three types of neoplasms most commonly found were leukemias, with frequencies between 31. 6% (Nuevo León) and 51. 4% (Mexico State); CNS tumors, with frequencies between 8. 8% (Puebla) and 18. 6% (Nuevo León); and lymphomas, with frequencies between 2. 0% (Yucatán) and 16. 8%, (Guerrero). Only in Jalisco did CNS tumors and bone tumors have the same frequency (10. 5%); in Yucatán, CNS tumors and germ cell tumors had the same frequency (9. 8%) (Table 2). As to specific type of neoplasms, among leukemias, acute lymphoblastic predominated; among lymphomas, non-Hodgkin (non-HL) predominated in six jurisdictions, and HL, in five; among CNS tumors, astrocytomas predominated in nine jurisdictions; between tumors of the sympathetic nervous system, neuroblastoma; between renal tumors, nephroblastoma; between hepatic tumors, hepatoblastoma; among bone tumors, osteosarcoma; among soft tissue sarcomas, rabdomyosarcoma predominated in six jurisdictions; and among germ cell tumors, malignant gonadal tumors. Due to the low frequency of carcinomas, it was difficult to establish with precision which type had the highest frequency (Table 2). The AAS was found to range between 83. 6 (Jalisco) and 203. 5 (Chiapas). Notably, leukemias had the highest incidence in Chiapas (74. 2); HL, in Puebla (11. 9); non-HL, in Guerrero (19. 9); CNS tumors, in Chiapas (31. 9); neuroblastoma, in Guerrero (13. 5); retinoblastoma, in Chiapas (21. 8); renal tumors, in Morelos (10. 8); hepatic tumors, in Puebla (11. 3); bone tumors (12. 2), soft tissue sarcomas (14. 0), and carcinomas (5. 9), all highest in Chiapas; and germ cell tumors, in Yucatán (10. 6) (Table 3). In general, the M/F ratio was higher than 1, with it being highest (1. 4) in Jalisco; only in Yucatán was it less than 1. However, a greater variation in the M/F ratio was found within the different groups of neoplasms (Tables 4, 5, 6). By age, the incidence for those <1 year of age varied between 38. 6 and 330. 7, with the highest found in the states of Chiapas, Puebla, and Morelos (330. 7, 300. 7, and 235. 1, respectively); for 1–4 year-olds, the incidence varied between 106. 7 and 263. 0. The incidence was lower for 5–9 year-olds, ranging between 63. 8 and 143. 2, but rose again for 10–14 year-olds, varying between 82. 1 and 173. 2 (Tables 4, 5, 6). In regard to the principal pattern of presentation, the North American-European pattern (1st, leukemias; 2nd, CNS tumors; and 3rd, lymphomas) was found in five jurisdictions; the Latin American pattern (1st, leukemias; 2nd, lymphomas; and 3rd, CNS tumors) in two jurisdictions; and in the other three jurisdictions, although leukemias and CNS tumors were predominant, bone tumors, germ cell tumors, or retinoblastoma were in second or third place (Jalisco, Yucatán, and Chiapas, respectively) (Tables 4, 5, 6). A better understanding both of the descriptive epidemiology and of the underlying causes of childhood cancer would greatly aid the medical community and health authorities in Mexico to improve treatment for one of the most vulnerable populations, that of infants and children. Registering cases of cancer in children can be an enormous aid in understanding the epidemiology of these diseases. But it must be kept in mind that, to improve the precision of the estimates, it is necessary not only to have a completeness of coverage of cases, but also to have a quality control in an appropriate form in which to collect and register the data . The quality should be evaluated in relation not only to the manner in which the data were collected but also, when a register is based on information obtained in the hospitals treating the children, to the rigorousness of the search for these cases in the different hospital services. Because cases so detected comprise the numerator for the estimation of the incidence rates, it has been recommended that medical records be reviewed in all those departments or services (e. g., Oncology, Hematology, Surgery, Endocrinology, Neurosurgery, Pathology, and Radiotherapy), in which medical attention may have been provided to a child with cancer and in which, therefore, a case of childhood cancer may have been registered . Thus, for this study, the participating nurses searched exhaustively in these various hospital services for possible cases and performed a detailed registry of such information. Another fundamental aspect is the reference population (or, the population at risk) from which the cases were taken. Because IMSS keeps a rigorous registry both of those entitled to treatment and of those treated in its facilities, the precise numbers of the populations that comprise the denominators needed to estimate the rates of incidence were obtained (Table 1) . Because a population-based cancer registry is the "gold standard" for ascertaining the number of cancer cases that develops within a population, it is very difficult to evaluate if this ascertainment is complete. Children with cancer must be treated in specialized medical units and, at IMSS, they are treated in the Medical Centers-IMSS, because such centers have the necessary infrastructure and the medical personnel dedicated to the specialized treatment that children with cancer need. For this reason, we decided to select these centers to carry out this study. Additionally, the personnel that participated in the collection of data performed a strict inquiry into the number of new cases presented in the selected hospitals. We think that, through these actions, over 90% of the new cases that had developed in the selected jurisdictions were, in fact, registered. To support this, it was necessary that we had a proxy with which to assess the validity of the information registered. An indirect form of so doing was to compare the incidence rates obtained with those reported worldwide. For eight of the jurisdictions studied, the exceptions being Chiapas and Jalisco, the incidence was within the range of variability (100 to 180 per 1,000,000 children/year) reported in the world literature . The incidence in Chiapas was higher than that reported worldwide. In theory, the contrary would have been expected, because it is more common to underestimate data for the numerator due to under-diagnosis and/or under-registration (or under-reporting) of cases. Thus, an incidence <100 per 1,000,000 children/year, as was found for Jalisco (82. 6 per 1,000,000 children/year), would have been expected. Jalisco is an state in which, despite our best efforts to collect all the cases, an underestimation might be suspected. This situation can be remedied by carrying out further studies ex profeso or through the establishment of a Registry of Childhood Cancer in those states where no such Registry presently exists. Thus, at first glance, the high value for Chiapas may be thought to have resulted from the denominator having been underestimated. However, two factors led us to consider otherwise: Prior studies have demonstrated a high frequency of cancers, such as retinoblastoma, in Chiapas [16, 25, 26], and the pathologists of the Pediatric Hospital of Medical Center "Siglo XXI" have commented on their impression that cases of the rarest types of cancer in children were found in Chiapas (personal communication). Such was the case in the present work as, in Chiapas, both the frequency (3. 5%) and the incidence (5. 9 per 1,000,000 children/year) of carcinomas (usually the least frequent among cases of childhood cancers) were found not only to be higher than those of any of the other ten jurisdictions, but also to be one of the highest reported in the world [5, 6, 11]. We corroborated the foregoing by calculating the ratio of the observed rate to the expected rate for each Jurisdiction studied . As was mentioned in Methods, we found that, in nine jurisdictions, the ratio of the observed and the expected rates was equal to, or greater than, 0. 90; only in Jalisco, was it 0. 71. With these data, we corroborated that we had an underestimation of the registered cases in Jalisco and that the incidence in Chiapas is one of the highest in the world . The finding that one state had such a distinct profile of cases of childhood cancer underscores the necessity of developing analytical studies with the aim of understanding the risk factors that this pediatric population has in developing cancer. Other indications of the validity of the data presented here were that both the frequency and the incidence of the principal types of cancer, the profile of the age at presentation (greatest incidence in those <5 years of age, falling off at 5–9 years, and rising again at 10–14 years), and the M/F ratio were consistent with the values reported for other countries [3, 5–8, 11]. From the foregoing, we consider that, based on the hospitals selected for the study and on the manner in which the data were collected and the results obtained, our data on the frequency and incidence of childhood cancer in the jurisdictions in this study (with the possible exception of Jalisco) have the greatest precision when compared to data previously reported [14–16]. However, we must continue to perform a quality registry of the cases of cancer in the jurisdictions studied, because when a great number of cases, especially well-registered cases, are used for the calculations, the precision of the resulting incidence in the studied population will be increased. Although IMSS provides medical attention to 50% of the Mexican population (thus, to approximately 50% of the population of Mexican children), only workers and their family members are covered. Because the remainder of the population, 10% of which are considered to live in extreme poverty, are attended by other institutions (Ministry of Health, the Armed Forces, Instituto de Seguridad Social al Servicio de los Trabajadores del Estado), it will be necessary to perform studies specifically with these populations in order to know the incidence of cancer in Mexican children. It is interesting that no unique pattern for the principal groups of cancer (leukemias, CNS tumors, and lymphomas) was found; in the present study, the North American-European pattern was found in six of the ten jurisdictions studied, with the data from Nuevo Leon most notably demonstrating this pattern. Data from Morelos and Puebla clearly showed the Latin-American pattern. Jalisco, Chiapas, and Yucatán have another pattern. From these data, the question arises as to whether the different patterns in the presentation of different cancer groups were due to the use of a detailed cancer registry, or to distinct or changing risk factors, or to a combination of the two. It should be noted that, in the present study, the collection of data was prolective; there is no doubt that the collection was more detailed and more precise compared to the data in previous studies in which the collection was retrospective [14–16]. However, we may also consider the possibility that there may be distinct risk factors encountered in the jurisdictions studied, because the jurisdiction located in the north (Nuevo León); the west (Jalisco); the center (Mexico City, State of Mexico, Morelos, Puebla); or the south or southeast of Mexico (Guerrero, Veracruz, Chiapas, Yucatán) generally have different patterns of disease and different socio-economic conditions. Those jurisdictions in the North have a pathology similar to that of North American children; for those in the Western, Center, and most especially, in the South, the principal pathologies are the infectious type and nutritional deficiencies. Similarly, the states in the north and in the center of the country have better socio-economic conditions compared to those of the states in the South, the poorest being Guerrero, Chiapas [27, 28]. This leads to the supposition that distinct risk factors may act on the presentation of the different cancers. It would, therefore, be interesting to carry out analytical studies to establish what the possible risk factors are and to determine if the disease patterns are due to the improved registry of cases, to these distinct risk factors, or to both. In regard to the predominant neoplasms, leukemias, HD, neuroblastoma, retinoblastoma, and germ cell tumors deserve special comment. For leukemias, in general, the children in this study had some of the highest frequencies of leukemias in the world (seven jurisdictions having a frequency >40%) and, consequently, also had some of the highest incidence (eight jurisdictions with an incidence >50 per 1,000,000 children/year), with values comparable to those of children in Canada, of Hispanic and Black children in Los Angeles, and of children in Costa Rica and Ecuador. For other continents, the data are similar for the children of Denmark, Australia, Hong Kong, and Singapore . These data underscore the necessity of developing analytical studies with the objective of determining and studying possible risk factors. In particular, due to how widespread it is in the Mexican population, tobacco smoking would be an appropriate choice to study in relation to the prevalence of leukemia. In a study on children with Down's Syndrome who reside in Mexico City, it has been shown that if the father smokes while the mother is pregnant, the child has a higher risk of developing leukemia . For HL, the lowest incidence was found in Yucatán, and Jalisco (1. 9 and 2. 5 per 1,000,000 children/year, respectively); in the remaining states, the incidence ranged between 3. 6 per 1,000,000 children/year (Mexico City) and 11. 9 per 1,000,000 children/year (Puebla), values similar to those for children in North America and Europe . It is noteworthy that, in comparison to previous reports for the children residing in Mexico City, not only the frequency (10. 7, 9. 0, and 3. 1% in 1991, 1992–1993, and 1996–2002, respectively) but also the incidence (6. 5, 7. 7, and 3. 6 per 1,000,000 children/year for these same time periods) apparently fell spontaneously [14, 15, 26]. This phenomenon is consistent with that mentioned by Linet et al. (1999) for children in the United States . Because the Epstein-Barr virus has been mentioned as a possible causal agent in the etiology of the HL, it will be interesting to perform an ecological study to determine if any correlation exists between the use of antivirals, which at present are used indiscriminately throughout much of Mexico, and the incidence of HL. Data from such a study would either prove or disprove the hypothesis that the apparently spontaneous fall in HL in the children of Mexico City may be due to the excessive use of antivirals . It is interesting that, in developed countries, the frequency of neuroblastoma is 5 to 10% and the incidence is 8. 0 to 15. 0 per 1,000,000 children/year, values that contrast with those in developing countries (frequency, 3 to 5%; incidence, is 3. 5 to 9. 3 per 1,000,000 children/year) . The data obtained in our study are similar to those from the developing countries, with eight jurisdictions having a frequency <5% and seven jurisdictions having an incidence less than 5 per 1,000,000 children/year. In countries such as Japan, where screening tests are carried out in an attempt to achieve an early diagnosis, it has been shown that, of the cases detected by this method, 59% had spontaneous regression . It is likely that, in Mexico and in countries having similar socio-economic development, there really is a lower frequency of cases of neuroblastoma, or whether there are cases that are not diagnosed but that spontaneously regress . Between 20 to 40% of retinoblastoma, an embryonic tumor, may have a hereditary component . It has been shown that not only the frequency but also the incidence of retinoblastoma is higher in developing countries than in developed countries [3–8, 11]. These data are reflected in the present study, in that the incidence in the jurisdictions in the south of Mexico, areas than are poorer than those in the north of the country , had higher incidence. Corroborating the results of previous studies carried out by our group, the present data showed that Chiapas in the south of Mexico had one of the highest reported frequencies of retinoblastoma [16, 25, 26] and, in addition, had the highest incidence (21. 8 per 1,000,000 children/year). Also, the data are consistent with a recent study carried out in a population in the south of Mexico, where reduction of the mother's intake of vegetables and fruits during the pregnancy increased the risk of developed sporadic retinoblastoma in their children . In our study, germ cell tumors had a frequency and incidence that were slightly greater than the values in the international literature, in which both the frequency (3. 0 to 6. 8%) and the incidence (2. 5 to 9. 6 per 1,000,000 children/year) are generally higher in Asian countries . With the exception of Guerrero, the frequencies in the jurisdictions ranged between 3. 7 and 9. 8% and the incidence between 2. 3 and 10. 6 per 1,000,000 children/year. Worldwide, tumors of the gonads are the most frequently found (40 to 50%) of the germ cells tumors, whereas in our data, although they were the most frequent, the proportion was higher (43. 2 to 100%). However, because the highest frequency and incidence was found in Yucatán, the jurisdiction with the fewest cases in the study, this frequency may be random. Therefore, it will be necessary to perform studies with a greater number of cases in order to confirm these findings. A Registry of Childhood Cancer is extremely important means of assessing both the frequency and the incidence of neoplasms in the pediatric population, values that are not known in any great detail in Mexico at present. Knowledge of the frequency and the incidence of childhood cancer have other very valuable uses: In the clinical setting, knowing the frequency of diseases serves to establish the pretest probability that a patient has upon arrival at the hospital. Such probability increases or decreases depending on the symptoms presented, on the sensitivity and specificity of the test(s) requested, and on the result (positive or negative) of such test(s) . From the present data, for a child who resides in Mexico City and for whom the parents sought medical attention or who was referred to the tertiary care pediatric hospital upon suspicion of cancer, the pretest probability (without taking into account the child's symptoms) for having a leukemia is 43. 7%; a lymphoma, 12. 0%; or a CNS tumor, 13. 4% (Table 2). This shows the importance of learning the frequency of the different types of cancer (or, for that matter, of illnesses in general) that are present in Mexican children. Knowledge of the frequency and incidence of childhood cancer can aid in the planning of future health services, in that it provides a basis not only for estimating the personnel (physicians, nurses, laboratory technicians, etc. ) necessary to provide medical care to these children, but also for allocating the equipment, pharmaceuticals, and laboratory consumables necessary for the ideal treatment of children with cancer . For example, when planning the medical attention needed to treat childhood cancer in Mexico City, it should be taken into account that the data suggest that the great majority (43. 7%) of these children will have some type of leukemia and that, yearly, 55. 4 cases per million children residing in this jurisdiction may be expected (Table 3). Similar predictions may be made for the children in the other jurisdictions studied. From the foregoing, it is imperative that, in Mexico, a definitive registry of childhood cancer be established in all hospitals that treat children with cancer. This should be done ex profeso for cases of cancer in the pediatric population, because cancer in children is distinct from that in adults. The coding and grouping are quite different; hence, personnel who work on these registries must have the specialized training required to maintain the quality of the registry [37, 38]. Such a Cancer Registry would be the first step towards a better understanding of the epidemiology of cancer in the pediatric population and, in the future, towards the prevention and control of cancer, as has been seen in countries that have established national programs for the registry of cancer . We think that to be most effective, when establishing a Registry of Childhood Cancers, the registering of cases of pediatric cancer be made mandatory. In general, of the total pediatric population (supposing an average incidence of 130 per 1,000,000 children/year), 4,000 to 4,500 cases of childhood cancer are presented annually in Mexico. Therefore, IMSS each year will treat approximately between 2,000 and 2250 cases that could well be reported to, and included in, the Registry of Childhood Cancers of the hospitals of the Medical Centers-IMSS. Thus, these children and the society in general would reap the benefits obtained when cases of childhood cancer are properly registered. We conclude that the North American-European pattern of cancer was the principal one encountered and that the general incidence was within the range reported in the world literature. The incidence of leukemias was high in the majority of the jurisdictions studied, whereas the incidence of neuroblastoma was low. The highest incidence of retinoblastoma was found in Chiapas, one of the poorest jurisdictions. In general but particularly in two jurisdictions (Yucatán and Chiapas), it will be necessary to develop studies concerning the causes of cancer in children. We think that a detailed and mandatory Registry of Childhood Cancer must be established in all hospitals that provide medical attention to these children. We consider that this would be a great step in learning of incidence of these diseases in Mexico. Miller RW, Myers MH: Age distribution of epithelial cancers. Lancet. 1983, 2: 1250-1251. 10. 1016/S0140-6736(83)91295-3. Steliarova-Foucher E, Stiller C, Lacour B, Kaatsch P: International classification of childhood cancer, third edition. Cancer. 2005, 103: 1457-1467. 10. 1002/cncr. 20910. Ries LAG, Eisner MP, Kosary CL, Hankey BF, Miller BA, Clegg L, Mariotto A, Feuer EJ, Edwards BK, Eds: SEER Cancer Statistics Review, 1975–2002. 2005, Bethesda: National Cancer Institute, based on November 2004 SEER data submission, posted to SEER web site 2005, [http://seer.cancer.gov/csr/1975_2002/] Linet MS, Ries LAG, Smith MA, Tarone RE, Devesa SS: Cancer surveillance series: Recent trends in childhood cancer incidence and mortality in the United States. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1999, 91: 1051-1058. 10. 1093/jnci/91. 12. 1051. Desandes E, Clavel J, Berger C, Bernard JL, Blouin P, de Lumley L, Demeocq F, Freycon F, Gembara P, Goubin A, Le Gall E, Pillon P, Sommelet D, Tron I, Lacour B: Cancer incidence among children in France, 1990–1999. Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2004, 43: 749-757. 10. 1002/pbc. 20148. Dreifaldt AC, Carlberg M, Hardell L: Increasing incidence rates of childhood malignant diseases in Sweden during the period 1960–1998. Eur J Cancer. 2004, 40: 1351-1360. 10. 1016/j. ejca. 2004. 02. 003. McNally RJ, Cairns DP, Eden OB, Kelsey AM, Taylor GM, Birch JM: Examination of temporal trends in the incidence of childhood leukaemias and lymphomas provides aetiological clues. Leukemia. 2001, 15: 1612-1618. 10. 1038/sj. leu. 2402252. McNally RJ, Kelsey AM, Cairns DP, Taylor GM, Eden OB, Birch JM: Temporal increases in the incidence of childhood solid tumors seen in Northwest England (1954–1998) are likely to be real. Cancer. 2001, 92: 1967-1976. 10. 1002/1097-0142(20011001)92:7<1967::AID-CNCR1716>3. 0.CO;2-#. Steliarova-Foucher E, Stiller C, Kaatsch P, Berrino F, Coebergh JW, Lacour B, Parkin M: Geographical patterns and time trends of cancer incidence and survival among children and adolescents in Europe since the 1970s (the ACCIS project): an epidemiological study. Lancet. 2004, 364: 2097-2105. 10. 1016/S0140-6736(04)17550-8. Mangano JJ: A rise in the incidence of childhood cancer in the United States. Int J Health Serv. 1999, 29: 393-408. 10. 2190/TGRR-L4MV-JMXC-HJKP. Parkin DM, Kramárová E, Draper GJ, Masuyer E, Michaelis J, Neglia J, Qureshi S, Stiller C: International incidence of childhood cancer. 1998, IARC Scientific Publication No. 144. Lyon: IARC, II: Greenberg RS, Shuster JL: Epidemiology of cancer in children. Epidemiol Rev. 1985, 7: 22-48. Little J: Epidemiology of childhood cancer. 1999, IARC Scientific Publication No. 149. Lyon: IARC Fajardo-Gutiérrez A, Mejía-Aranguré M, Gómez-Delgado A, Méndoza-Sánchez H, Hernández-Hernández DM, Martínez-García MC: Epidemiología de las neoplasias malignas en niños residentes del Distrito Federal (1982–1991). Bol Med Hosp Inf Mex. 1995, 52: 507-516. Fajardo-Gutiérrez A, Navarrete-Martínez A, Reynoso-García M, Zarzosa-Morales ME, Mejía-Aranguré M, Yamamoto-Kimura LT: Incidence of malignant neoplasms in children attending Social Security Hospitals in Mexico City. Med Pediatr Oncol. 1997, 29: 208-212. 10. 1002/(SICI)1096-911X(199709)29:3<208::AID-MPO8>3. 0.CO;2-H. Fajardo-Gutiérrez A, Mendoza-Sánchez HF, Valdez-Martínez E, Mejía-Aranguré M, Yamamoto-Kimura L, Mejía-Domínguez AM, Ayón-Cárdenas A, Bolea-Murga V, Frías-Vázquez G, Rivera-Luna R, Aguilar-Martínez M, Farfán-Canto JM, González-Chirinos P: Frecuencia de neoplasias malignas en niños atendidos en hospitales del Distrito Federal. Estudio multicentrico. Bol Med Hosp Infant Méx. 1996, 53: 57-66. Menk RH, Linn JP: Central Cancer Registries. Cancer Registry Management, Principles and Practice. Edited by: Hutchison CL, Menck HR, Burch M, Gottschalk R. 2004, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt Publishing, 403-448. 2 Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social: Coordinación de Atención Médica. Estructura de Población Adscrita a Médico Familiar, 1996–2002. 2003, México Percy C, Van Holten V, Muir C, Eds: International Classification of Diseases for Oncology, 2nd edition. 1990, Geneva: World Health Organization Fritz A, Percy C, Jack A, Shanmugaratnam K, Sobin L, Parkin DM, Whelan S: International Classification of Diseases for Oncology, 3rd edition. 2000, Geneva: World Health Organization Kramárová E, Stiller C, Ferlay J, Parkin DM, Draper GJ, Michaelis J, Neglia J, Qureshi S: Child-Check program. International Classification of Childhood Cancer. 1996, IARC Technical Report no. 9. Lyon: IARC, 43-47. Ross F: Quality control of cancer registry data. Cancer registry management. Principles & Practice. Edited by: Hutchison CL, Menck HR, Burch M, Gottschalk R. 2004, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt Publishing, 199-207. 2 El Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social (IMSS) en cifras: El IMSS en la mortalidad Nacional (1995–2000): División técnica de Información Estadística en Salud (DTIES). 2002, México Smith PG: Comparison between registries: age-standardized rates. Cancer incidence in five continents. Edited by: Parkin DM, Muir CS, Whelan SL, Gao YT, Ferlay J, Powell J. 1992, Lyon: IARC. Scientific Publication No. 120, 6: 865-70. Amozorrutia-Alegría V, Bravo-Ortiz JC, Vázquez-Viveros J, Campos-Campos L, Mejía-Aranguré JM, Juárez-Ocaña S, Martínez-García MC, Fajardo-Gutiérrez A: Epidemiological characteristics of retinoblastoma in children attending the Mexican Social Security Institute in Mexico City, 1990–1994. Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol. 2002, 16: 370-374. 10. 1046/j. 1365-3016. 2002. t01-1-00442. x. Juarez-Ocana S, Gonzalez-Miranda G, Mejia-Arangure JM, Rendon-Macias ME, Martinez-Garcia MC, Fajardo-Gutierrez A: Frequency of cancer in children residing in Mexico City and treated in the hospitals of the Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social (1996–2001). BMC Cancer. 2004, 4: 50-10. 1186/1471-2407-4-50. Navarrete-Navarro S, Ávila-Figueroa C, Beltrán-Silva S, Casta-Cruz M, Hernández-Hernández M, Santos-Preciado JI: Deficiencia de vitamina A: frecuencia y características clínicas en dos poblaciones del Estado de Chiapas. Bol Med Hosp Infant Mex. 1995, 52: 280-286. Instituto Nacional de Estadística Geografía e Informática: Anuario de Estadísticas por Entidad Federativa. 2005, México Mejia-Arangure JM, Fajardo-Gutierrez A, Flores-Aguilar H, Martinez-Garcia MC, Salamanca-Gomez F, Palma-Padilla V, Paredes-Aguilera R, Bernaldez-Rios R, Ortiz-Fernandez A, Martinez-Avalos A, Gorodezky C: Environmental factors contributing to the development of childhood leukemia in children with Down's syndrome. Leukemia. 2003, 17: 1905-1907. 10. 1038/sj. leu. 2403047. Little J: Infection. Epidemiology of childhood cancer. 1999, IARC Scientific Publication No. 149. Lyon: IARC, 206-240. Oue T, Inoue M, Yoneda A, Kubota A, Okuyama H, Kawahara H, Nishikawa M, Nakayama M, Kawa K: Profile of neuroblastoma detected by mass screening, resected after observation without treatment: results of the Wait and See pilot study. J Pediatr Surg. 2005, 40: 359-363. 10. 1016/j. jpedsurg. 2004. 10. 062. Spix C, Pastore G, Sankila R, Stiller CA, Steliarova-Foucer E: Neuroblastoma incidence and survival in European children (1978–1997): Report from the Automated Childhood Cancer Information System Project. Eur J Cancer. 2006, 42: 2081-2091. 10. 1016/j. ejca. 2006. 05. 008. Hurwitz RL, Shields CL, Shields JA, Chévez-Barrios P, Hurwitz MY, Chintagumpala MM: Retinoblastoma. Principles and practice of pediatric oncology. Edited by: Pizzo PA, Poplack DG. 2002, Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 825-846. 4 Orjuela MA, Titievsky L, Liu X, Ramírez-Ortíz M, Ponce-Castañeda V, Lecona E, Molina E, Beaverson K, Abramson DH, Mueller NE: Fruit and vegetable intake during pregnancy and risk for development of sporadic retinoblastoma. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2005, 14: 1433-1440. 10. 1158/1055-9965. EPI-04-0427. Sackett DL, Haynes RB, Guyatt GH, Tugwell P: The interpretation of diagnostic data. Clinical epidemiology. A basic science for clinical medicine. 1991, Boston: Little, Brown & Company, 69-152. 2 Hayler SS, Malnar K: Data utilization. Cancer registry management. Principles & Practice. Edited by: Hutchison CL, Menck HR, Burch M, Gottschalk R. 2004, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt Publishing, 315-328. 2 Smith MA, Gloeckler LAR: Childhood cancer: incidence, survival, and morality. Principles and practice of pediatric oncology. Edited by: Pizzo PA, Poplack DG. 2002, Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 1-12. 4 Cole C: Registering childhood cancers. Lancet. 2004, 364: 2074-2076. 10. 1016/S0140-6736(04)17561-2. Fact sheet 2004/2005. Cancer Registries: The foundation for cancer, prevention and control. [http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/npcr/npcrpdfs/about2004.pdf] The pre-publication history for this paper can be accessed here:http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2407/7/68/prepub The authors thank Veronica Yakoleff for translating and revising the manuscript. The authors thank Bertha García-Carrillo (Coahuila), Magdalena Madero-Rovalo (Monterrey, Nuevo León), Maricela González-Figueroa (Jalisco), Moisés Moreno-García (Puebla), Ana María Córdova-Jiménez (Veracruz), and Alma del Carmen Godoy-Franco (Yucatán), who collected the information at the various Medical Centers-IMSS outside of Mexico City, and also thank all the physicians who permitted us to review their registries of patients in order to obtain a more complete dataset of information on children with cancer in Mexico. Supported in part by Fondo para el Fomento a la Investigación, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social (FOFOI FP-2003/212 y FP 2006/1A/I/013). The author(s) declare that they have no competing interests. AFG conceived and designed the study, analyzed the data, corrected the final manuscript, and provided guidance to all aspects of this project. SJO recoded, analyzed the data, and wrote the first draft of the manuscript. GGM, VPP, RCC and MCOA recoded, revised and analyzed the data base, and participated in the interpretation of results. JMMA analyzed the data, participated in the interpretation of results, critically revised the manuscript, and provided guidance in some aspects of the project. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. Authors’ original submitted files for images Below are the links to the authors’ original submitted files for images. Rights and permissions This article is published under license to BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. About this article Cite this article Fajardo-Gutiérrez, A., Juárez-Ocaña, S., González-Miranda, G. et al. Incidence of cancer in children residing in ten jurisdictions of the Mexican Republic: importance of the Cancer registry (a population-based study). BMC Cancer 7, 68 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2407-7-68 - Soft Tissue Sarcoma - Hodgkin Lymphoma - Germ Cell Tumor - Mexico City

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Triton, Neptune's largest moon, has been predicted to undergo significant seasonal changes that would reveal themselves as changes in its mean frost temperature. But whether this temperature should at the present time be increasing, decreasing or constant depends on a number of parameters (such as the thermal properties of the surface, and frost migration patterns) that are unknown. Here we report observations of a recent stellar occultation by Triton which, when combined with earlier results, show that Triton has undergone a period of global warming since 1989. Our most conservative estimates of the rate of temperature and surface-pressure increase during this period imply that the atmosphere is doubling in bulk every 10 years -- significantly faster than predicted by any published frost model for Triton. Our result suggests that permanent polar caps on Triton play a dominant role in regulating seasonal atmospheric changes. Similar processes should also be active on Pluto. Scanned PDF (712k). [ Marc Buie Home Page, Bibliography / Boulder/SwRI Home ]

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Harvard physicist Lisa Randall is so nervous in her delivery on stage at TED (and she's losing her voice) that it's hard to keep up with what she's saying. She's a particles specialist, and her talk is about "extra dimensions" (beyond the three dimensions we're all accustomed to: length, width and height). Why, actually, are we even worried about extra dimensions, since we can't see nor experience them anyway? One of the reasons, she says, is: why not? More seriously, the interest in extra dimensions is driven by the existence of the "string theory", which, if proven, could be a "theory of everything". She mentions the Large Hadron Collider in construction at CERN in Geneva, an accelerator that should be switched on in 2007, and where "we could be able to observe particles that travel in the extra dimensions". Paul Berg is a biochemist at Stanford and the 1980 co-Nobel Prize for chemistry. His main work is on recombinant DNA - think of it as a way to "edit" two DNA sequences to produce a new one. He talks about the way genomic information is encoded. Bill Joy (bio) is a technology icon - he co-founded Sun Microsysytems and co-developed some key software such as Java. In recent years however he has mostly been heard sounding the alarm concerning the risks of genetic engineering and nanotech, starting with his famous April 2000 cover story in Wired magazine "Why the future doesn't need us": The 21st-century technologies - genetics, nanotechnology, and robotics (GNR) - are so powerful that they can spawn whole new classes of accidents and abuses. Most dangerously, for the first time, these accidents and abuses are widely within the reach of individuals or small groups. They will not require large facilities or rare raw materials. Knowledge alone will enable the use of them. Thus we have the possibility not just of weapons of mass destruction but of knowledge-enabled mass destruction (KMD), this destructiveness hugely amplified by the power of self-replication. I think it is no exaggeration to say we are on the cusp of the further perfection of extreme evil, an evil whose possibility spreads well beyond that which weapons of mass destruction bequeathed to the nation-states, on to a surprising and terrible empowerment of extreme individuals. Bill start his speech by pointing out that individuals and small groups are today superempowered by easy access to biological and other technologies ("you can download the gene sequences of pathogens off the Internet if you want to"), and that represents a growing danger. He's now writing a book building on that article and these thoughts. But he wants to use his 18 minutes to talk about "three areas that I'm particularly excited about" (note to Europeans: Americans use "excited about" to say "really interested in"): - education: "there is alot of development left in Moore's law; it will give us another 100-fold improvement in what microchips can do, so a computer that costs 1000 USD today in 2020 will cost 10 dollars, and that would be a great tool for education" - environment: "new materials are driving our ability to address environmental problems" - pandemics: "we need to speed up the research and production of vaccines" Will that solve the overall problem? "No, we can't solve a tech-generated problem with more technoloogy; what we need is better policies and better-working markets - for example factoring into the cost of doing business the cost of potential catastrophes - and to limit access to certain kinds of information. That is hard to accept for many of us who believe in free speech, but that's the price to have civilization and keep the rule of law: limit the access to this kind of knowledge". Jeff Han of New York University, a last-minute addition to the program, gives a spectacular presentration of a computerized table developed in his lab, whose large screen includes multi-touch sensing (you can have interact with the system using several fingers - several points of contact - at the same time: think of multiple mouse or pen devices operating on the screen at the same time, just more sophisticated than that; or of multiple simultaneous users - think digital conference table, or big "brainstorm wall"). He draws, moves across documents, etc, using his fingers at an impressive speed and quality of display. There is basically no structured interface to the device: he just "navigates" in the information, zooming in and out of a map or tilting it or redistributing images on the screen just by moving his fingers on it. Producer Chris Anderson said, introducing Jeff, that "when I saw this, I had a aha! moment like when 20 years ago I saw the first Macintosh": that's an appropriate definition of what we've just seen. Jeff adds: "Google could really use one of these in their lobby". Only hiccup: the technology is called "multi-touch sensing trough frustrated total internal reflection" (I didn't make that up - go see by yourself, and do watch the video demo), these guys need some branding help. But Jeff gave the best speech of the session. The session ends with a performance by the Children of Uganda, a troupe of about 20 children and young people (8 to 18 years of age) orphaned by HIV/AIDS. Wearing colorful traditional dresses, they perform East African songs of joy and sorrow, play (xylophone, panpipe, drums, flutes and other instruments) and dance to raise awareness about AIDS and its impact on children in Africa: despite the campaigns, the disease is spreading, and in Uganda nearly one million children under the age of 15 have lost one or both of their parents to AIDS. The organization supports two orphanages in Uganda, as well as children living with HIV-positive widowed mothers, and has over 700 children under its care. (tags TED2006 - TED 2006)

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Guide Prepared by Michael J. Cummings.. . © Picture of Dorian Gray is a novel that combines elements of Gothic horror with satire and tragedy. Let us consider these elements one at a the work is not a true Gothic novel in the manner of the books of Horace Walpole and the Brontë sisters, it does contain characteristics of many Gothic novels, such as the suggestion of a supernatural presence, darkness and rain, murder and suicide, characters with mysterious pasts, and a secret room (the “old schoolroom"). The Gothic atmosphere of the novel even manifests itself in the brightness of a cheerful day, as the following passage in Chapter 14—describing events on the morning after Dorian's murder of Basil Hallward—demonstrates: he opened his eyes a faint smile passed across his lips, as though he had been lost in some delightful dream. Yet he had not dreamed at all. His night had been untroubled by any images of pleasure or of pain. But youth smiles without any reason. It is one of its chiefest charms. turned round, and leaning upon his elbow, began to sip his chocolate. The mellow November sun came streaming into the room. The sky was bright, and there was a genial warmth in the air. It was almost like a morning in May. the events of the preceding night crept with silent, blood-stained feet into his brain and reconstructed themselves there with terrible distinctness. He winced at the memory of all that he had suffered, and for a moment the same curious feeling of loathing for Basil Hallward that had made him kill him as he sat in the chair came back to him, and he grew cold with passion. The dead man was still sitting there, too, and in the sunlight now. How horrible that was! Such hideous things were for the darkness, not for the novel satirizes Victorian aristocrats. First, it ridicules them for having little more to do than gossip, attend parties, and dabble in the arts. They live on inherited wealth and/or on enterprises sustained by the underclass. Lord Fermor, for one, derives income from his Midlands collieries (coal-mining operations). He regards this “taint of industry" as excusable because it provides money for him to burn wood in his fireplace. Second, the novel ridicules these same aristocrats for prizing appearances over substance. They assay a person’s worth on his looks, his money, his social status. For example, Lord Kelso disdains his daughter’s husband because he is a lowly subaltern in the military. On the other hand, Wotton and Hallward extol Dorian Gray primarily for his physical qualities. Late in the novel, after Dorian descends into depravity and tongues wag against him, he continues to move in the highest social circles because of his money and unchanged novel can be regarded as a tragedy in that the protagonist, Dorian Gray, suffers a downfall and dies because of a flaw in his character—inordinate pride, or hubris—about his physical appearance. Wilde published The Picture of Dorian Gray in Lippincott's Monthly Magazine in 1890, then revised and published it in book form in 1891. In the latter version (the one sold in bookstores today), Wilde added a preface and six chapters; he also moderated references to implied sexuality. Many critics condemned the novel as scandalous even though it clearly demonstrates the pernicious effects of immoral behavior. action takes place in London, England, in the late nineteenth century. The narration also says Dorian Gray spent time at a villa in Trouville, at a house in Algiers, and at a house he maintained in Nottinghamshire. Dorian Gray Young man with extraordinary good looks. Orphaned as an infant, he was brought up by his wealthy grandfather, who despised Dorian. Dorian inherits a great deal of money when he comes of age. On the surface, he seems a decent fellow at first, although he no doubt suffers psychological problems rooted in his upbringing. Under the influence of Lord Henry Wotton, Dorian slips into a life of dissolution and scandalous behavior. Lord Henry Wotton Corrupt aristocrat who smokes opium-tainted cigarettes, reads scandalous books, and generally pursues a life of pleasure. Enthralled with Dorian because of his remarkable looks, which remind him of ancient Greek works of art, he introduces Dorian to perverse pleasures. Wotton is ten years older than Basil Hallward Artist who paints a full-length portrait of Dorian Gray. It is the best work he has ever done, he says, because Dorian and his looks inspired him to pour all of his talent into the painting. He wants to keep the portrait rather than exhibiting it, then decides to give it to Dorian. Hallward is genuinely concerned about Dorian’s welfare. After Dorian falls into his shameful lifestyle, Hallward implores him to reform his ways—and incurs Dorian’s Sybil Vane Young, beautiful, impoverished Shakespearean actress who falls in love with Dorian, whom she calls "Prince Charming." When he ends their relationship, he breaks Mrs. Vane Mother of Sybil. Mrs. Vane, also an actress, plays the part of Lady Capulet in Vane Brother of Sybil. Deeply concerned about his sister’s welfare, he is suspicious of Dorian Gray’s attentions to her. Many years after Sybil's death, he tracks Dorian down. Mother of Dorian Gray. Although she does not appear as a living character in the novel—she died before the action in the novel begins—references to her and her background are important. Margaret was a woman of exceptional beauty with a substantial inheritance and, therefore, extremely popular with men. However, she ran off with a penniless foot soldier. He was killed in a duel by a thug hired by her father, Lord Kelso. Lord Kelso Dorian Gray’s wealthy maternal grandfather. After the death of Dorian's mother, he takes Dorian into his home even though he despises the boy because he reminds him of his daughter and her marriage to a no-account soldier. Lord George Fermor Lord Henry Wotton’s uncle. He provides Wotton key background information about Dorian Gray. Mr. Isaacs Manager of the theatre where Sybil Vane acts. Dorian despises him, apparently because he is a Jew, and thinks of him as a Caliban (a beast-man in Shakespeare’s Tempest). Isaacs provides Mrs. Vane money to help the family pay its Alan Campbell Acquaintance of Dorian Gray. Campbell, who has studied chemistry, dissolves the body of Dorian's murder victim, Basil Hallward, after Gray threatens to disclose a secret that would embarrass Campbell. An acquaintance of Dorian. He is one of the young men befriended and ruined by their contact with Dorian. None of Adrian’s friends will speak to him any more. Dorian encounters him in an opium den. Lady Agatha: Lord Henry's aunt, who hosts him and others--including Dorian Gray--at a luncheon. Duchess of Harley: Woman who attends Lady Agatha's luncheon. Sir Thomas Burdon: Radical member of Parliament and a guest at Lady Agatha's. Mr. Erskine: Charming older gentlemen who tends to remain silent at social affairs, explaining that he had already said everything he had to say before he reached age thirty. Mrs. Vandeleur: Friend of Lady Agatha. Mrs. Vandeleur dresses like "a badly bound hymn-book. " Lord Faudel: "Mediocre" middle-aged man who is a guest at Lady Agatha's luncheon. Duke of Berwick: On one occasion, when Dorian Gray entered a room in a men's club, the duke rose and left because he did not wish to associate with the young man. Lady Brandon Society hostess who introduces Hallward to Dorian Gray. Mr. Hubbard Frame-maker who, with an assistant, helps Dorian move the portrait upstairs, where visitors will not be able to see the mysterious changes in it. Hetty Merton Beautiful country girl Dorian decides to spare from corruption. Mrs. Leaf Dorian Victoria Wotton Lord Henry's wife. In time, she leaves him. Duchess of Harley: Various Lords, Ladies, Servants, Footmen, Hansom Driver tells the story in omniscient third-person point of view, enabling him to reveal the thoughts of his characters, as in the following Chapter 2 passage centering on Lord Henry Wotton: With his subtle smile, Lord Henry watched him [Dorian Gray]. He knew the precise psychological moment when to say nothing. He felt intensely interested. He was amazed at the sudden impression that his words had produced, and, remembering a book that he had read when he was sixteen, a book which had revealed to him much that he had not known before, he wondered whether Dorian Gray was passing through a similar experience. He had merely shot an arrow into the air. Had it hit the mark? How fascinating the lad was! Plot Michael J. Cummings.. . © his London studio on a pleasant summer day, artist Basil Hallward assesses a painting on an easel in the middle of the room. It is his life-sized portrait of an extraordinarily handsome young man named Dorian Gray. With Hallward is Lord Henry Wotton, a witty and cynical friend. Wafting in from the garden through an open door is the scent of flowers to compete with the smoke from Wotton’s cigarette, which is tainted with opium. declares that the portrait is the best painting Hallward has ever done and suggests that he submit it for display at the Grosvenor. But Hallward says he has put so much of himself into the painting that he plans to keep portrait that is painted with feeling is a portrait of the artist, not of the sitter," Hallward explains. “The sitter is merely the accident, the occasion. It is not he who is revealed by the painter; it is rather the painter who, on the coloured canvas, reveals himself. The reason I will not exhibit this picture is that I am afraid that I have shown in it the secret of my own soul. " had met Gray at the home of society hostess Lady Brandon. There, while dowagers, academicians and other lofty personages stood around conversing, Hallward’s gaze met Gray’s, and the experience had an unsettling effect on the painter. knew that I had come face to face with some one whose mere personality was so fascinating that, if I allowed it to do so, it would absorb my whole nature, my whole soul, my very art itself," Hallward tells Wotton. Brandon introduced Gray to Hallward, and the two men immediately became is eager to meet Gray. While he and Hallward are in the garden discussing him, Gray enters the studio and sits down at a piano, leafing through the sheet music of a Schumann piece. When Hallward and Wotton come in, Hallward introduces Wotton as an old friend from Oxford University, warning that Wotton is a bad influence. Wotton thinks the youth is "certainly wonderfully handsome," the narrator tells the reader, "with his finely curved scarlet lips, his frank blue eyes, his crisp gold hair. There was something in his face that made one trust him at once. All the candour of youth was there, as well as all youth's passionate purity. " while Hallward continues to daub at the painting, Gray and Wotton talk in the garden. The narrator says Wotton's "romantic, olive-coloured face and worn expression interested [Dorian]. There was something in his low languid voice that was absolutely fascinating. His cool, white, flowerlike hands, even, had a curious charm. They moved, as he spoke, like music, and seemed to have a language of their own. " compliments Gray on his looks but then unsettles the young man when he tells him he has only a short time left to enjoy life to its fullest. “When your youth goes, your beauty will go with it, and then you will suddenly discover that there are no triumphs left for you. . . . You will become sallow, and hollow-cheeked, and dull-eyed. You will suffer horribly. " short time later, Hallward announces that the painting is finished. Wotton congratulates him on the excellence of the portrait. It is clear that Gray has awakened latent talent in Hallward, so good is the painting. But Gray is silent. “Don’t you like it? " Hallward asks. Wotton answers for him, saying that he indeed likes it, and Lord Henry then offers to buy it. Hallward says, however, that he will give it to Dorian.Gray says he is sad that he will grow old while the portrait remains young. If only the reverse were true, he says—if only he would remain young while the portrait grows old. “I would give my soul for that! " Dorian as Faust so Gray, it appears, becomes a sort of Faust, and that evening he goes to the opera with his Mephistopheles, Lord Henry. In the following days, Wotton indeed proves a “bad influence," for Dorian begins following him in the pursuit of pleasure for the sake of pleasure. They engage in scandalous activities which erode Dorian’s innocence. evening, while attending the Royal Theatre in the Holborn district of London, Gray becomes enthralled with a young woman playing Juliet in Shakespeare’s and Juliet. Her name is Sibyl Vane. She is quite striking, Dorian thinks. She is a portrait in beauty, like the portrait of himself, and a wonderful actress. After they meet, she becomes equally enthralled with Dorian. In a short while, they pledge their love for each other. Wotton visits his uncle, Lord George Fermor, to find out about the history of Gray’s family. Fermor, an old bachelor who owns two townhouses and a colliery business, lives in chambers at the Albany Hotel and is well connected in aristocratic circles. When told that Gray is the grandson of a certain Lord Kelso, Fermor says he knew Kelso and Dorian’s mother. was an extraordinarily beautiful girl, Margaret Devereux, and made all the men frantic by running away with a penniless young fellow—a mere nobody, sir, a subaltern in a foot regiment, or something of that kind. " who had inherited a fortune from one side of her family, could have had her choice of established young men but shocked her father, Kelso, when she married a cipher. So enraged was Lord Kelso that he hired a Belgian thug to pick a fight with his son-in-law, and the Belgian killed him in a duel. Margaret died less than a year later. Dorian thus became heir to his mother’s fortune—and later, apparently, was designated to receive a goodly sum from old Kelso. believes Dorian’s family history makes him all the more interesting: “Behind every exquisite thing that existed," he muses, “there was something tragic. " And he would seek to take advantage of Gray and “make that wonderful spirit takes Wotton and Hallward to the theatre to show off Sibyl Vane. Mr. Isaacs, the fat Jewish manager of the theatre, greets them at the door and escorts them to a box. Dorian despises Isaacs, thinking of him as a Caliban (a beast-man in Shakespeare's The Tempest), but Lord Henry likes him because of his sponsorship of the arts. When Sybil recites her lines, Dorian is surprised that she is not the actress she was when he first saw her. Her performance is perfunctory, incompetent—just plain bad. Apparently her fervid love for Dorian has made her feigned stage love for Romeo seem she is a happy young lady, nonetheless, and she tells her mother all about Dorian, calling him a true “Prince Charming." Mrs. Vane, who knows nothing of Dorian’s background, frowns on the relationship, suggesting that Sibyl pay more attention to Mr. Isaacs, who has provided the Vanes 50 pounds to pay debts and buy clothing for Sibyl’s brother, James. James cautions Sybil about Dorian, noting that she hardly knows him. But Sibyl says her heart is set on him. when he next visits her, he criticizes her severely for her poor stage performance, calling her “shallow and stupid" and a “third-rate actress" who embarrassed him before his friends. He then ends their relationship. She turns white with disbelief. “You are not serious, Dorian," she says. “You are acting. " He assures her he is serious. When she begs him not to leave her, he walks out. his elegant residence he glimpses the painting as he enters. The expression on the face has changed! It cannot not be possible, yet there it is “with the touch of cruelty in the mouth. " The portrait “had taught him to love his own beauty. Would it teach him to loathe his own soul? . . . . Here was a visible symbol of the degradation of sin" into which Dorian had plunged. Suddenly afraid, Dorian decides it would be best to redeem himself. So, even though he no longer truly loves Sibyl, he writes her a love letter in which he begs forgiveness. Sybil Kills Herself stops by to see him on an urgent matter, following up on a letter he had sent Dorian earlier in the day. Dorian tells Lord Henry of his cruel behavior toward Sibyl but says he plans to marry her anyway. Wotton realizes Dorian has not yet read the letter, so he informs him of its message: Sibyl Vane has been found dead. She had swallowed a concoction laced with prussic acid. Dorian regrets her death, which he knows he caused, but apparently only because he thinks Sibyl would have kept him from the dangerous, dissolute life he has chosen to lead under Wotton’s influence. “She had no right to kill herself," he says. “It was selfish of her. " Henry consoles him, telling him not to spend tears on Sibyl but instead to look forward to the wonderful life that awaits him. “There is nothing that you, with your extraordinary good looks, will not be able to do," Dorian continues on the path cleared for him by Lord Henry. That very evening, he and Wotton attend the opera and Dorian forgets Sibyl. The following day, when Hallward arrives to offer his condolences, he is shocked to learn that Dorian had attended the opera on the very day that Sibyl died. Dorian manages to explain away his behavior, and Hallward seems satisfied. Hallward walks toward the painting, which is behind a screen, to again admire his handiwork. Dorian, terrified that Hallward will see the change in it, forbids Hallward to look at it, saying he will never speak to him again if he draws back the screen. Dorian’s fists are clenched. He means business. Hallward is dumbstruck. He tells Dorian he had meant to show it at an exhibition in Paris, but he backs away from the painting. experience so disturbs Dorian that he decides to move it where no one has access to it—a room upstairs he had not used in years. It is where he studied as a child. “The old schoolroom," he calls it. His grandfather, Lord Kelso, had had it built especially for Dorian so that he could keep the boy out of his sight. He despised Dorian, for the boy’s face reminded Kelso of Dorian’s mother and her shameful marriage. After obtaining the key to the room from his housekeeper, Mrs. Leaf, Dorian engages a frame maker, Mr. Hubbard, and his assistant to move the heavy, bulky painting—which Dorian has wrapped in a coverlet—to the room. in his library, he sits down to read a book Lord Henry had sent over for him—a novel about the sinful life of a young Parisian. It is a “poisonous book," Dorian realizes, and he devours it. continues to lead the dangerous life ordained for him by Wotton, engaging in every manner of profane activity. Many years pass in which people whisper about his shameful behavior, but he still enjoys some favor in society because of his looks, which simply do not change, and because of his money and the pleasures it can buy. He holds lavish parties at his house, where only the most celebrated musicians perform. Sometimes, too, he hosts little concerts at which gypsies and Indians and Tunisians play exotic instruments. He collects jewels, tapestries, embroideries—anything that strikes his fancy, even church vestments. He maintains a great house in Nottinghamshire, where he and his guests pursue forbidden pleasures. For a time lives abroad with Lord Henry at a villa in Trouville, France, at a house in Algiers, Algeria. But he always returns—to look at the portrait, to see that it remains safe in its hiding place. portrait, meanwhile, becomes more and more hideous. One day, when Dorian is 38 but still appears young, Hallward reproaches him about his scandalous lifestyle, and Dorian decides to show him the portrait. The time has come for him to reveal the state of his soul. When Dorian pulls away the curtain hiding it, the narrator says, “An exclamation of horror broke from the painter's lips as he saw in the dim light the hideous face on the canvas grinning at him. There was something in its expression that filled him with disgust and loathing. " Dorian Kills Hallward concludes that Dorian must be even more evil than the rumors say, and he urges him to recant his sins. “Pray, Dorian, pray. " But by now, the devil owns Dorian. Suddenly a feeling of deep hatred for Hallward seizes him. In a rage he takes up a knife he had brought to the room days before to cut a cord. He plunges it into Hallward again and again. Then he blackmails an acquaintance, Alan Campbell—a man with a dark secret known to Dorian—to dissolve Hallward’s corpse with chemicals. in the evening, Dorian visits an opium den by the waterfront, where smokers lie on old mattresses and Dorian well knows "in what strange heavens they were suffering, and what dull hells were teaching them the secret of some new joy. " He recognizes Adrian Singleton, a young man whom Dorian had brought to ruin. Now no one but Dorian will even speak to Singleton. When they later have brandy together at a bar, Dorian—in a rare moment of remorse—offers to help Singleton: "You will write to me if you want anything? " "Perhaps," Dorian leaves, he walks along the river in drizzling rain. For a moment—just a moment—he feels sorry for Singleton, then decides it was not his fault that Singleton had fallen so low. Each man makes his own decisions, and each man must pay the price for making the wrong ones. continues on, "callous, concentrated on evil, with stained mind, and soul hungry for rebellion. " But in a moment he is confronted by another man from his past: James Vane, Sybil's brother. He means to kill Dorian to avenge the death of his sister. But Dorian tells him he has the wrong man and, under a light, shows him his face. It is still as young as it was 18 years before, when Sybil killed herself. This youth could not be Dorian Gray, Vane believes, and he leaves Dorian alone. Later, however, a woman informs he that he was indeed speaking to Dorian Gray. One day, while Dorian and is out hunting with acquaintances, one of the hunters shoots what he thinks is a hare. But it turns out to be a man—James Vane, who was apparently the following days, Dorian looks to a new life in which he will change his evil ways. One evening at Wotton's home, he tells Lord Henry that he has actually done something good: He has given up a beautiful village girl, Hetty Merton, whom he had been seeing two to three times each week. They were to run off together, but Dorian decided not to steal her innocence. Dorian speaks further about reforming himself and even reproaches Wotton: "You poisoned me with a book once. I should not forgive that. Harry, promise me that you will never lend that book to any one. It does harm. " is unmoved. He tells Dorian that morality, the existence of the soul—it is all nonsense. "Don't spoil [the rest of your life] by renunciations. At present you are a perfect type. Don't make yourself incomplete. You are quite flawless now. " returning home, Dorian continues to think about his new life. Vane is dead and buried, Alan Campbell has shot himself, and Basil Hallward’s disappearance remains a mystery. What has he to worry about? Perhaps the painting. However, his good deed—his sparing of Hetty—may be reflected in the painting. Perhaps the painting has already changed for the better. He goes upstairs for a look. When he beholds it, he cries out in pain. could see no change, save that in the eyes there was a look of cunning and in the mouth the curved wrinkle of the hypocrite. The thing was still loathsome—more loathsome, if possible, than before. . . . " turns around and picks up the knife that he used to kill Basil Hallward. He stabs the painting. There is a loud crash. Servants come running. They summon a coachman and a footman, but no one can break down the locked door to the room that gave out the noise. So they go on the roof, drop down onto a balcony, and break through windows to the room. There they see the portrait of Dorian in the full bloom of youth, unchanged from the day Hallward had finished it—and a dead man in Dorian Gray’s clothes. He is old and withered, with a hideous face. . Self-worship leads to self-destruction. Dorian Gray’s excessive love of himself leads to an obsessional desire to preserve the moment—whatever the moral cost—in order to maintain his looks at the peak of their perfection and enjoy all the pleasures that they bring him. Of this obsession, the narrator says in Chapter 11, Sometimes when he was down at his great house in Nottinghamshire, entertaining the fashionable young men of his own rank who were his chief companions, and astounding the county by the wanton luxury and gorgeous splendour of his mode of life, he would suddenly leave his guests and rush back to town to see that the door had not been tampered with and that the picture was still there. What if it should be stolen? The mere thought made him cold with horror. Surely the world would know his secret then. Perhaps the world already suspected it. Time will have its way. No man can defeat time; it marches inexorably toward old age and death. Dorian Gray ends up old and ugly and dead, physically and spiritually. Yes, he remained youthful looking for many years, seemingly cheating time. But time, in the form of the portrait, caught up with him and gained its revenge. In some ways, Gray’s attempts to preserve his youth resemble the attempts by modern men and women to forestall aging with lotions, special diets and exercises, cosmetic surgery, and youthful fashions. Beauty is only skin deep. Beneath his veneer of elegant good looks, Dorian Gray is monstrously ugly. As Shakespeare observed in The Merchant of Venice: “A goodly apple rotten at the heart: / O, what a goodly outside falsehood hath! " Earthly pleasures can never completely satisfy a human being. Dorian Gray never is really happy because he never realizes that the things of the earth—physical beauty and the pleasures of the flesh—can never satisfy man’s insatiable desire Evil appears in winsome disguises. Lord Henry Wotton and Dorian Gray are both charming, each in his own way. But their outer charms disguise inner evil. An abused child becomes an abusive adult. Dorian Gray’s grandfather, Lord Kelso, reared the orphaned Dorian in a poisonous atmosphere. The old man despised Dorian and even had a special “schoolroom" built for the boy so that he could shut him up in it and not have to endure his presence. When Dorian grows up, he lashes out at Sybil Vane, driving her to suicide; murders Basil Hallward; and blackmails Alan Campbell, who also commits suicide. Ultimately, Dorian turns his wrath against himself. Dorian Gray is admired by other males in the novel for his “beauty"—the word author Oscar Wilde, who was a homosexual himself, uses again and again to describe Dorian and the word these male characters use from time to time in dialogue in their praise of Dorian. Although Wilde never explicitly describes or refers to intimate relations between Dorian and other males, he indicates that Lord Henry Wotton and other characters either desired such relations or participated in them. Homosexuality apparently is one of the sins that corrupt Dorian and possibly other young men in the novel. climax of a narrative work can be defined as (1) the turning point at which the conflict begins to resolve itself for better or worse, or as (2) the final and most exciting event in a series of events. According to the first definition, the climax of The Picture of Dorian Gray occurs when Dorian first notices a change in the portrait, after the death of Sybil Vane. At this point, he realizes that he is sinking in a morass of evil. According to the second definition, the climax occurs when Dorian attempts to "kill" the portrait but instead kills himself. Picture of Dorian Gray is easy to read and understand, thanks in part to long passage of witty dialogue passages that keep the action moving at a brisk pace—like that of one of Wilde's stage plays. (A notable exception in the use of dialogue is Chapter 11, written entirely in narrative paragraphs. ) Here is an excerpt of the dialogue from Chapter 3. "We are talking about poor Dartmoor, Lord Henry," cried the duchess, nodding pleasantly to him across the table. "Do you think he will really marry this fascinating and Other References "I believe she has made up her mind to propose to him, Duchess." "How dreadful! " exclaimed Lady Agatha. "Really, some one should interfere. " "I am told, on excellent authority, that her father keeps an American dry-goods store," said Sir Thomas Burdon, looking supercilious. "My uncle has already suggested pork-packing Sir Thomas." "Dry-goods! What are American dry-goods? " asked the duchess, raising her large hands in wonder and accentuating "American novels," answered Lord Henry, helping himself to some quail. The duchess looked puzzled. "Don't mind him, my dear," whispered Lady Agatha. "He never means anything that he says. " "When America was discovered," said the Radical member [of Parliament] -- and he began to give some wearisome facts. Like all people who try to exhaust a subject, he exhausted his listeners. The duchess sighed and exercised her privilege of interruption. "I wish to goodness it never had been discovered at all! " she exclaimed. "Really, our girls have no chance nowadays. It is most unfair. " "Perhaps, after all, America never has been discovered," said Mr. Erskine; "I myself would say that it had merely been detected. " "Oh! but I have seen specimens of the inhabitants," answered the duchess vaguely. "I must confess that most of them are extremely pretty. And they dress well, too. They get all their dresses in Paris. I wish I could afford to do the same. " "They say that when good Americans die they go to Paris," chuckled Sir Thomas, who had a large wardrobe of Humour's cast-off clothes. Really! And where do bad Americans go to when they die? " inquired the duchess. "They go to America," murmured Allusions or direct references to persons, places, and things from history, myth, and legend play an important role in the novel in that they help to reveal the interests of Dorian Gray and, in some instances, those of Lord Henry and other characters. For example, the following paragraphs tell of one of Gray's interests. one occasion he took up the study of jewels, and appeared at a costume ball as Anne de Joyeuse, Admiral of France, in [an ensemble] covered with five hundred and sixty pearls. This taste enthralled him for years, and, indeed, may be said never to have left him. He would often spend a whole day settling and resettling in their cases the various stones that be had collected . . . . discovered wonderful stories, also, about jewels. In Alphonso's Clericalis Disciplina a serpent was mentioned with eyes of real jacinth. . . . When the Duke de Valentinois, son of Alexander VI, visited Louis XII of France, his horse was loaded with gold leaves, according to Brantome, and his cap had double rows of rubies that threw out a great light. Charles of England had ridden in stirrups hung with four hundred and twenty-one diamonds. Richard II had a coat, valued at thirty thousand marks, which was covered with balas rubies. Hall described Henry VIII, on his way to the Tower previous to his coronation, as wearing "a jacket of raised gold, the placard embroidered with diamonds and other rich stones, and a great bauderike about his neck of large balasses. " The favourites of James I wore ear-rings of emeralds set in gold filigrane. Following is a sampling of allusions and other references in the novel. Adonis (Chapter 1): In Greek mythology, an exceptionally handsome young man favored by the goddess of love, Aphrodite. A wild boar kills him while he is participating in his favorite sport, hunting. Shakespeare's Venus and Adonis tells the story. Alexander VI (Chapter 11): Spaniard who became pope in 1492. Alexander (1431-1503) betrayed his church with corrupt rule that ignored spiritual matters. Clericalis Disciplina (Chapter 6): Disciplina Clericalis, a twelfth-century collection of literary works presented by Peter Alfonsi. 11): Anastasius I (430-518), Byzantine emperor from 491 to 518. Anne de Joyeuse (Chapter 11): Duke Anne de Joyeuse (1561-1587), French nobleman, admiral of France, governor of Normandy, and a leader of Roman Catholics against Protestant Huguenots in France. 11): Christian belief that established laws of morality are not necessary for salvation; only divine grace and faith are necessary. (Chapter 19): In Greek mythology, god of prophecy, music, poetry, and medicine. His alternate name, Phoebus, means brightness, and he was thus also considered the god of the sun. Athena (Chapter 11): In Greek mythology, goddess of wisdom and war. 3): In ancient Greece, a female member of the cult of Dionysus, the god of wine and revelry. His Roman name was Bacchus. 11): Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827), German composer of many of the world's greatest symphonies and piano pieces. 3): Great Renaissance artist Michelangelo Bunonarotti (1475-1564), who painted the Sistine Chapel and sculpted the Pietà and the and designed he dome of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. 7): Savage, ugly half-man in Shakespeare's play The Tempest. Dorian thinks the theater owner, Mr. Isaacs, resembles Caliban. Catherine de Médicis (Chapter 11): Great-granddaughter of the powerful Lorenzo de' Medici of Florence. Catherine (1519-1585) married the duc d'Orléans of France, who acceded to the French throne as Henry II. Three of her sons became kings of France. Charles of Orléans (Chapter 6): Duc d'Orléans (1522-1545) and son of Francis I, king Chopin (Chapter 11): Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849), Polish-French composer of soulful romantic music for the piano. 4): French rococo (1738-1814) sculptor who portrayed sensuality in the form of satyrs, nymphs, and votaries of Bacchus, the god of wine and revelry. Lord Henry has a Clodion statuette in his home. Cortez (Chapter 11): Hernán Cortés (1485-1547), Spanish soldier, explorer, and conqueror of Mexico. Dante (Chapter 11): Dante Alighieri (1265-1321), author of the great epic poem The Divine Comedy. Acquaintances of Dorian Gray think that he seemed to be of the company of those whom Dante describes as having sought to "make themselves perfect by the worship of beauty. " 8): Beautiful wife of the title character of Shakespeare's Othello. Diaz (Chapter 11): Bernal Díaz del Castillo, Spanish soldier and author who accompanied Hernán Cortés when the latter conquered Mexico. Dorian: The historical term Dorian refers to people of ancient Greece, thought to have originated in a region known as Doris, who developed the simple but elegant Doric style of architecture. This style was used in the design and construction of one of the most beautiful buildings in the history of the world, the Parthenon, a temple of white marble on the Acropolis in Athens. When musing about Dorian Gray in Chapter 3, Lord Henry Wotton links Dorian with ancient Greek architecture: "Grace was his, and the white purity of boyhood, and beauty such as the old Greek marbles kept for us. " (Chapter 6): French novelist, poet, and critic (1811-1872). Imogen (Chapter 8): Protagonist of Shakespeare's Cymbeline. She defies her father, Cymbeline, and marries the man she chooses. John the Priest: Probably an allusion to Prester John, the subject of medieval legends that said he was a priest who became ruler of a land east of Persia. strange romance A Margarite of America (Chapter 6): Reference to a 1596 romance by Thomas Lodge (1557-1625), English writer of prose, poetry, and plays. Louis Quatorze clock (Chapter 4): Clock designed in the lavish style popular during the reign of France's King Louis XIV (1638-1715). He was king from 1643 to 1715. Manon Lescaut (Chapter 4): Novel by Antoine-François Prévost d'Exiles (1697-1763), about a young man from an upstanding family who falls to ruin over a courtesan. Jules Massenet and Giacomo Puccini both based operas on the book. Marco Polo: Venetian merchant and adventurer (1254-1324) who spent seventeen years in China. He wrote a book about his experience that became a classic in world travel 6): Messalina Valaria, wife of the Roman emperor Claudius I. She was known for her decadent lifestyle. 7): Beautiful young daughter of Prospero, the protagonist of Shakespeare's play The Tempest. (Chapter 11): Arab prophet (570? -632? ) who founded Islam. 10): Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592), Frenchman who pioneered the essay 1): In Greek mythology, a young man of extraordinary good looks and the subject of a story in Ovid's Metamorphoses. One day, while gazing into a pool of water, he fell in love with his reflected image. He was so in love with what he saw that he was unable to turn his gaze away. Consequently, he wasted away as he stared at the image. Like Narcissus, Dorian is in love with himself. 8): Daughter of a court official in Shakespeare's Hamlet. She loves Hamlet, but his pretended madness—during which he rejects her—and the death of her father trigger a pathological reaction in her. 11): Franz Schubert (1797-1828), Austrian composer of symphonic and piano 2): Robert Schumann (1810-1856), German romantic composer of symphonies, piano works, and lieder (songs). (Chapter 11): Jan III Sobieski (1629-1696), king of Poland, famous for driving back Ottoman Turks. velarium that Nero had stretched across the Colosseum at Rome (Chapter 11): Nero (AD 37-68) was emperor of Rome from 54-68. Wilde commits a faux pas here, for the Colosseum--a huge amphitheater for gladiatorial contests and other entertainment--did not exist during Nero's reign. It was constructed under Emperor Vespasian and completed between AD 80 and 82. The velarium was an awning stretched over seating areas to shield spectators from the sun. Wagner (Chapter 6): Richard Wagner (1813-1883), German composer of operas, such as Lohengrin. Picture of Dorian Gray contains many symbols, including the following. Cigarette: Lord Henry's "opium-tainted cigarette" represents his corrupt lifestyle. Fermor's collieries symbolize the oppression of the underclasses. Coverlet: The purple and gold coverlet draped over the portrait symbolizes a pall covering the morally dead Dorian. Laburnum: One of the most telling symbols appears in the following passage in the second paragraph of Chapter 1: "Lord Henry Wotton could just catch the gleam of the honey-sweet and honey-coloured blossoms of a laburnum, whose tremulous branches seemed hardly able to bear the burden of a beauty so flamelike as theirs. " A laburnum is a poisonous tree of the pea family. " Certainly Dorian turns out to be "poisonous" to many characters and, like the laburnum, has difficulty bearing "the burden of beauty. " This symbol appears to foreshadow many plot developments. Gray's portrait symbolizes the state of Dorian's soul. Yellow book: Given to Dorian by Lord Henry, this book represents the lord's corrupting influence on the youth. Wilde indulges his witty pen again and again in epigrams loaded with paradox, irony, and antithesis, frequently couched in parallel sentence structure. Most of these witticisms occur in dialogue spoken by Lord Henry. Here are There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about. (Chapter 1) witticisms such as these occur so frequently that they become tiresome. It is almost as if author Wilde is attempting to set the world record for most epigrams, aphorisms, bon mots—call them what you may—in a single novel. But not only Lord Henry speaks them; so do other characters. Consider these: She is a peacock in everything but beauty. (Chapter 1) Nothing can cure the soul but the senses, just as nothing can cure the senses but the soul. (Chapter I don't want money. It is only people who pay their bills who want that, Uncle George, and I never pay mine. (Chapter 3) We have emancipated them [women], but they remain slaves looking for their masters. (Chapter 8) All crime is vulgar, just as all vulgarity is crime. (Chapter 19) Books that the world calls immoral are books that show the world its own shame. (Chapter 19) It often seems to me that art conceals the artist far more completely than it ever reveals him. —Basil Hallward. (Chapter 9) result is that the characters who speak these witticisms end up sounding alike. The illusion that they are part of a story is destroyed as readers perceive Oscar Wilde manipulating his marionettes and mouthing their lines. Wilde was ever ready to show the world how clever he was. It is said that when he arrived in the United States for a speaking tour, he said, "The only thing I have to declare is my genius. " Harry spends his days in saying what is incredible and his evenings in doing what is improbable. —Dorian Gray. (Chapter 9) A man who is master of himself can end a sorrow as easily as he can invent a pleasure. —Dorian Gray. (Chapter Gray as Faust Gray acts out the Faust legend, but unlike Faust he does not redeem himself. According to the Faust legend—told in the Faustbuch (1587) and retold in numerous literary works, including in the early 19th Century—Faust sold his soul to the devil in exchange for 24 years of pleasure. However, Faust redeems himself through good works and repentance. In the first chapter of The Picture of Dorian Gray, Dorian says, “I would give my soul" in order to remain young. Nearly two decades pass and Dorian does remain young—on the surface. Although he makes half-hearted attempts to reform, he ultimately fails to redeem himself. Foreshadows Wilde's Religious Conversion he died, Oscar Wilde became a Roman Catholic. In a passage in Chapter 11, describing Dorian Gray's fascination with Roman Catholic ritual, Wilde perhaps is really writing about himself. It was rumoured of him once that he was about to join the Roman Catholic communion, and certainly the Roman ritual had always a great attraction for him. The daily sacrifice, more awful really than all the sacrifices of the antique world, stirred him as much by its superb rejection of the evidence of the senses as by the primitive simplicity of its elements and the eternal pathos of the human tragedy that it sought to symbolize. He loved to kneel down on the cold marble pavement and watch the priest, in his stiff flowered dalmatic, slowly and with white hands moving aside the veil of the tabernacle, or raising aloft the jewelled, lantern-shaped monstrance with that pallid wafer that at times, one would fain think, is indeed the "panis caelestis," the bread of angels, or, robed in the garments of the Passion of Christ, breaking the Host into the chalice and smiting his breast for his sins. The fuming censers that the grave boys, in their lace and scarlet, tossed into the air like great gilt flowers had their subtle fascination for him. As he passed out, he used to look with wonder at the black confessionals and long to sit in the dim shadow of one of them and listen to men and women whispering through the worn grating the true story of their lives. Wilde's the revised version of the novel, published in 1891, the preface articulated Wilde's "art for art's sake" aesthetic theory. "There is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book," Wilde wrote. "Books are well written, or badly written. That is all. " Questions and Essay Topics Wilde (1854-1900) was born in Dublin, Ireland, to highly educated parents. His father was a surgeon and writer and his mother, a poet and political activist. He studied at Trinity College in Dublin and graduated from Oxford University in England in 1878, where he earned a reputation as a wit. While developing his skills as a playwright, poet, and novelist, he married Constance Lloyd, the well-to-do daughter of an attorney, and fathered two children. He worked for a while writing and editing articles for periodicals before devoting himself to his literary pursuits. He was at his best when writing plays, the most popular and most esteemed of which are The Importance of Being Earnest and Lady Windermere's Fan. In 1895, after three sensational trials, a British court found him guilty of committing homosexual acts and sentenced him to two years in prison. The jail time ruined him financially and emotionally. After his release, he spent the rest of his life in Paris, where he died of meningitis in 1900 after converting to the religion he had long esteemed, Roman Catholicism. Write an essay arguing that a major fault of many of the characters in The Picture of Dorian Gray is that they judge others by how they look or what they have rather than by the quality of their character. Include in your essay specific examples from the book. Does Dorian Gray have any redeeming Are there characters in the novel whom you admire? Compare and contrast Dorian Gray with Faust, the title character of Wolfgang von Goethe's masterwork. Compare and contrast Lord Henry Wotton with Mephistopheles, the devil figure in Goethe's Faust. Comment on the validity, or lack of it, of this observation in the novel: "Books that the world calls immoral are books that show the world its own shame. "

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Service Industries in the World Economy October 1993, Wiley-Blackwell New and diversified service products have generated increased consumption, ranging from tourism and leisure, to sophisticated innovations in ways of making finance capital available for corporate growth or production strategies. But there are spatial variations between the world's nations, regions and cities that ensure a highly uneven ability to supply services, and to generate demand. There are contrasts between the developed, less-developed, and post-socialist economies of Eastern Europe, for example, and between major metropolitan areas around the globe in the extent to which they experience the positive (as well as negative) effects of the internationalization of the service economy. This book examines some explanations for the expanding role of services in the world economy. It is suggested that the resulting patterns are particularly significant for the form and function of the global urban system. The book concludes by reflecting on the future role of services in the world economy: can the trends evident for the 1980s be assumed to shape the evolving geography of services during the 1990s and beyond? Services: Definition and Classification. The Recent Expansion of Services. Explanations for Growth. Understatement of Role of Services. 2. The Tradability of Services. TRadable and Non-Tradable Services. Information Technology and Tradability of Services. Transport Technology and the Tradability of Services. Service Multinationals and the Tradability of Services. Case Studies of the Development of Service MNE'S. Government Influences on the Tradability of Services. Changes in Consumer Requirements and Expectations. 3. International Trade and Foreign Direct Investment in Services. Measuring Trade in Services. An Outline of Global Trade in Services. The Role of Comparative Advantage. Foreign Direct Investment in Services. International Trade in Services and the Developing Countries. Developing Country Service MNE's. Eastern Europe, the Commonwealth of Independent States and International Trade in Services. Liberalizing International Trade in Services. 4. Services and the Global System of Cities. Services and the Global Urban System: Some Explanations. Services and Cities in the Global Urban System. Services and the Global Urban System: Some Examples. 5. Internationalization of Services and Restructuring of Cities. Services and Employment Restructuring in Large Metropolitan Areas: Some Comparisons. Impacts on the Urban Property Market: Offices. Changes in the Location of Services Within Cities. 6. Services in the World Economy: Some Reflections. Services in the 1990s: Victims of the Decade of Optimism? . Service-Dominated Economies: How Desirable? . Is the Globalization of Services inevitable? . Unfulfilled Potential of Telecommunications? . * Highly contemporary. * Pulls together a great deal of otherwise disparate information. * Accessible survey of a key topic within urban studies and economic geography. * Highly contemporary. * Pulls together a great deal of otherwise disparate information. "The book's value lies in its wide-sweeping survey of what is known about the entire field. . . a very useful classroom tool for those concerned with exposing students to a critical area of investigation that remains under-researched. " Journal of Economic Literature

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Mineral aerosols are produced during the erosion of soils by wind and are a common source of particles (dust) in arid and semiarid regions. The size of these particles varies widely from less than 2 µm to larger particles that can exceed 50 µm in diameter. In this study, we present two continuous records of total suspended particle (TSP) concentrations at sites in Mesa Verde and Canyonlands National Parks in Colorado and Utah, USA, respectively, and compare those values to measurements of fine and coarse particle concentrations made from nearby samplers. Average annual concentrations of TSP at Mesa Verde were 90 µg m−3 in 2011 and at Canyonlands were 171 µg m−3 in 2009, 113 µg m−3 in 2010, and 134 µg m−3 in 2011. In comparison, annual concentrations of fine (diameter of 2. 5 µm and below) and coarse (2. 5–10 µm diameter) particles at these sites were below 10 µg m−3 in all years. The high concentrations of TSP appear to be the result of regional dust storms with elevated concentrations of particles greater than 10 µm in diameter. These conditions regularly occur from spring through fall with 2 week mean TSP periodically in excess of 200 µg m−3. Measurement of particles on filters indicates that the median particle size varies between approximately 10 µm in winter and 40 µm during the spring. These persistently elevated concentrations of large particles indicate that regional dust emission as dust storms and events are important determinants of air quality in this region. |Title||The role of dust storms in total atmospheric particle concentrations at two sites in the western U.S.| |Authors||Jason C. Neff, Richard L. Reynolds, Seth M. Munson, Daniel Fernandez, Jayne Belnap| |Publication Subtype||Journal Article| |Series Title||Journal of Geophysical Research D: Atmospheres| |Record Source||USGS Publications Warehouse| |USGS Organization||Southwest Biological Science Center|

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What Is Mobile App Accessibility? At its core, mobile app accessibility is about ensuring everyone can use your mobile app. Accessibility features improve how users interact with apps at a fundamental level, from their favorite social media platform to their note taking app. Mobile app accessibility is the web version of a wheelchair ramp or elevator. It is foundational to user-friendly user interfaces (UIs). That said, mobile app accessibility is a multifaceted problem that requires combinations of solutions to implement successfully. Solutions for the hearing impaired and the visually impaired are going to be very different. Part of developing your mobile app’s accessibility is selecting the right features to cover your users’ needs. Accessibility features give users with disabilities a way to interact with an application, but they don’t stop there. They actually allow any user to tailor their device and it’s UI to their individual preferences, making it possible for users to connect with your app and brand in a way that is personal to them. In this article, we’ll walk you through the integral elements of mobile app accessibility and why it should be a part of your app development project. Why Mobile App Accessibility Matters It’s easy to develop an app and assume it will meet everyone’s needs. We can see from laws like the ADA that it takes more work to include people with disabilities, but it’s well worth it. 61 million people, 26% of all adults, in the United States have some form of disability, according to the CDC. That means you could be missing out on a quarter of your potential customer base by overlooking accessibility features. That’s why working with a mobile app development company with expertise in accessibility, like Five Pack, is so important. Who Needs an Accessible Mobile App? 10. 8 percent of people with a disability have trouble concentrating, remembering, or making decisions. The best thing you can do for people with cognitive disabilities is to simplify your interface. Another 10. 5 percent of people with a disability have a serious hearing difficulty or difficulty seeing. To accommodate those who struggle with hearing, you would need to create different ways for app users to navigate audio content and engage with it, like subtitles. For those with poor eyesight, integrating dynamic type size support and display zoom can assist with readability. Let’s go back to that wheelchair ramp example from earlier. People who use wheelchairs aren’t the only ones who use wheelchair ramps. So do people pushing strollers and dollies. The benefits of integrating accessibility features go beyond including people with disabilities in every situation. Anyone can benefit from accessibility features. Meeting WCAG Standards The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) developed the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) through an open process and were revised in 2008 (WCAG 2. 0). While these standards aren’t a part of the law in the U.S., lawmakers and disability advocacy organizations are slowly integrating them into the ADA. They have been written into law in the European Union, parts of Europe, and Australia. The four fundamental principles for assessing success are Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, and Robust. Each of those guiding elements then falls into one of three success levels: A through AAA. Level A is the lowest level. Apps that are level A meet basic requirements for displaying their web content. The next level, AA, corresponds to having level A success and beyond. Finally, level AAA means that web content meets the highest accessibility standards in WCAG. Tips to Make Your App More Accessible Disability inclusion can take a lot of forms, so here are a few tips to show you how your app can be more accessible to users. 1. Make It Easy to Customize Views Mobile app accessibility comes in a lot of forms. Creating a few simple customizations can help people with a variety of vision issues. Making color-deficient-friendly color palettes, text that responds to a user’s dynamic type size preference, and supporting dark mode can all make your content easier to view. 2. Simplify Your Interface Cognitive disabilities like Alzheimer’s and ADHD can make it hard for users to navigate an interface, but streamlining potential routes will help them get what they need out of your app. Clearly labeled buttons and intuitive designs will keep your interface intuitive and easy to use. 3. Allow Users to Control Pacing Elements that change too quickly can leave users with cognitive difficulties struggling to follow. Making it easy for users to slow or speed up visual and audio elements can help them interact with your app on their terms. 4. Make Your Content Screen-Reader Friendly Screen-readers can be useful for various reasons, from serving people with visual impairments to people with dyslexia and other learning disorders. A built-in dictation feature is another great way to make content more accessible for people who may struggle to read it. 5. Outsource Your App Development to a Mobile App Development Company. Five Pack has years of experience guiding entrepreneurs to Fortune 100 companies through the process of deciding which accessibility features to support and implementing them with success. We stay on the cutting edge of mobile app development and accessibility, and have the end-to-end development capabilities you need to transform your vision into a reality. How to Find Mobile App Development Services It’s one thing to hire a mobile app developer, but a completely different thing to find a partner. Mobile app development quality can vary widely, and timezone and language barriers for overseas developers can further complicate the process. An app is an investment, and it’s critical to make that investment with a team you trust. Here are a few important things to look for. 1. Review Their Past Clients You’ll want to start by exploring portfolios, case studies, and reviews. Do they have a history of success working with companies like yours? Were clients happy with their professionalism and friendliness? What case studies can they provide that showcase the results their work brought to a client? 2. Look for an Accessibility Expert A team that is already familiar with disability accessibility and innovating to ensure their products cover broad needs won’t have trouble doing the same for you. They’ll be ready to implement the right features the right way, and help you assess the corresponding costs/benefits. One key question to ask in your conversations is, “What is the most recent app you’ve built that included accessibility features, and what were those features? ” 3. Consider Your Compatibility Look for an organization that can tailor their services to your needs. Consider asking a few questions like this to help determine compatibility: - Do you offer end-to-end development? - Is your team composed exclusively of onshore talent or do you use offshore developers? - Do you offer maintenance agreements and/or monthly retainers once an app is released? Remember, developing an app isn’t just about the experience for your end-user; it’s also about your experience along the development journey, and finding an agency with the values and processes that align with yours will make all the difference. 4. Request Estimates You need to begin the mobile app development journey with the end in mind. A team should be able to provide you with a ballpark estimate after you provide some details about your project. Be leery of companies that give detailed estimates without first going through a discovery phase. The Best Company for Mobile App Accessibility in App Development At Five Pack, we help leading brands build the future of their industry through great mobile apps. With over a decade of experience in the mobile app development industry, we are experts in accessibility and creating engaging user experiences that drive results. See our case studies to learn more. Five Pack – Your Mobile App Accessibility Partner Integrating accessibility features into your mobile app development roadmap can transform how people interact with your app and increase your reach and retention. Whether you’re making it easier for people to view your app’s content or streamlining your controls, everyone can benefit from accessibility features, and Five Pack is the perfect partner to make that happen. Contact us today for a free consultation and estimate.

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We’ve Seen It with Our Own Eyes Thermometers have been around in something like their modern form since the first mercury thermometer of Gabriel Fahrenheit, in 1724. There are many stories about the origin of the Fahrenheit temperature scale, but one is simply that 0°F was the coldest temperature that Fahrenheit experienced in the winter of 1708–1709, and 100°F was his own body temperature. The scale puts the melting and boiling points of water at the somewhat awkward temperatures of 32°F and 212°F, respectively. We in the United States tend to think of the metric system as some newfangled thing, but the Celsius scale is no younger than the Fahrenheit scale. Fresh water melts and boils at 0°C and 100°C on the Celsius scale. The very first temperature measurements might not have been easily comparable with each other, while the temperature scales were being defined. But the modern definition of the Fahrenheit scale was chosen just a few years after Fahrenheit’s death in 1739. A mercury thermometer is still considered a good way to measure temperature today. Temperature is a relatively easy physical quantity to calibrate, because common substances like water have precisely stable

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Human trafficking is a phenomena happening all over the world. In order to help the victims of criminal activities and human trafficking, the U.S. Congress passed in 2000 the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act, along with the Battered Immigrant Women’s Protection Act. This is how the U.S were able to develop two types of visas for the non-US citizens that are subject to this sort of crimes in the U.S: - T Visa- victims of human trafficking - U Visa- Victims of criminal activity that have been through mental and physical abuse What is the T visa? The U.S non-immigrant visa, the T visa is released to victims or human trafficking, children and adults alike. As there are so many people that get to the U.S. illegally and against their will, the U.S. actually gives them the chance to become legal with this type of visa. There are 3 elements defining the human trafficking for the case of T visa: - Process of trafficking- it has to include recruitment, transferring, harboring, transportation or even receiving one against their will - Means of trafficking- this may include threat, coercion, abduction, threat, deceit, deception or abuse of power - Goal of trafficking- this has to include violence, pornography, prostitution, debt bondage, sexual exploitation, slavery or involuntary servitude Anyone proving at least one of the aforementioned situations may be declared as victim of human trafficking. In the case of children, the Process or Goal may be enough. In addition, one has to be trafficked into the U.S. or be in the country. Even though the victim doesn’t have to know that he/she is being trafficked, it’s essential for the victim to cooperate with the law enforcement agencies throughout the investigation. Once a victim of human trafficking receives the T visa, he/she is going to obtain the benefits similar to those of refugees. The T Visa holder is also going to receive an Employment Authorization Document (EAD) which gives him/her the right to work in all legal activities, for any period of time. What are the types of T visas? There are various types of T visas, even though the principal visa is for the victim of the human trafficking: - T-1 visa is only for the victim of the human trafficking (the main visa holder) - T-2 visa is for the spouse of the T-1 visa holder. The marriage has to be recognized by the U.S. (a valid marriage certificate is required). No several spouses are allowed - T-3 visa is for the children of the T-1 visa holder (a valid birth certificate is needed as well) - T-4 visa addresses to the parents of the T-I visa holder. However, the T-1 visa holder has to be under 21 years old in order for the parents to qualify for the T-4 visa. - T-5 visa is for the unmarried siblings of the T-1 visa holder. The T-1 visa holder has to be under 21 years old, whereas the siblings must be under 18 years old. Who qualifies for a T visa? In order to be eligible for the T visa, you need to accomplish multiple requirements: - You must have been trafficked into the U.S. but you must also be within the U.S., the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa or at a U.S. port of entry - You must be a victim of human trafficking (go over the previous conditions once again) - You must prove that sending you back from the U.S. is going to harm you. Here’s what you can do: - You probe that your government isn’t going to protect you enough - You prove that you’re not going to get medical assistance as you do in the U.S. - You prove that you’re going to be stigmatized in your home country as a victim of human trafficking - You must cooperate with law enforcement agencies with their investigation. You’re not going to have to cooperate if: - You’re under 18 years’ old - You’re a victim of mental or physical trauma - You didn’t break any immigration rules and you have to be admissible in the U.S. How to apply for the T visa? the procedure is quite simple and the T visa is a bit different than other types of application procedures. You don’t need to go through a U.S. Embassy, but simply apply to the Vermont Service Center or USCIS> Here’s what you need to do: - Complete the Form I-914, Application for T Nonimmigrant status - Fill in the Form I-914, Supplement B, Declaration of Law Enforcement Officer for Victim of Trafficking in Persons. This certification is going to prove that you’re a victim of human trafficking - You need 3 passport sized photographs (make sure they complete the US Visa Photograph Requirements) - Any other evidence that proves that you meet the eligibility criteria You’re not going to pay any application fees. Even if the T-visa is free, you’re going to have to pay the fees for filling the forms. However, you may not pay the fees if you may file the form to waive them (Form I-912, Request for Fee Waiver). How long do you have to wait until the T-visa comes out? The processing time for this type of visa may vary. As USCIS isn’t going to be able to give you an estimate or a time, you’re just going to have to wait for the visa to come out. The processing time varies from person to person and it all depends on the evidence that you’re providing. What’s the validation time of the T-visa? As it’s similar to the U-visa, the T-visa is also valid for 4 years or so. During the 4 years of validation, the T visa holder may very well open a bank account, follow some vocational or academic study, get a driver’s license and get a job. Once the visa expires, the T-visa holder has to go back to his/her home country. Should you not go back, you’re going to have to face the legal problems. In some situations, one may apply for an extension or change the status with USCIS. What can you do to get a Green Card on a T visa? If you’re the T visa holder, you may file for the permanent residence and get a Green Card later on. Here are the requirements you need to meet: - You must pass as a good character - You must have been in the U.S. for minim 3 years on a T-visa - You must be admissible in the U.S. - You must have helped with the investigation for the human trafficking crime you were a victim of - You must prove that you’re going to go through extreme trauma if you’d go back to your home country

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During the Roman Empire, the Emperor Augustus organized a lottery to raise funds for repairs in the City of Rome. Records from Ghent indicate lotteries may date back to the 1st century. Lotteries were also used by several colonies during the French and Indian Wars. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts raised money with a lottery in 1758 for an “Expedition against Canada.” In the United States, the term lottery is commonly used to refer to a random draw of numbers. Players pay a small amount to purchase a ticket, hoping to match a series of numbers that will win them a prize. This is usually a cash prize, but fixed prizes are also offered. Some governments endorse lotteries and organize state or national lotteries. These lotteries may or may not be open to the public. The first lottery known in Europe was togel sdy held during the Roman Empire. In the 14th century, a record in L’Ecluse in France mentions a lottery with 4304 tickets. These lotteries raised money for walls and other public projects. In the 15th century, several lotteries in the Low Countries gave prizes in the form of “Pieces of Eight.” In the United States, there are 45 states and Puerto Rico that offer a lottery. There are also several multi-state lotteries that offer jackpots of several million dollars. Lotteries are usually run by the state or city government. They can help raise money for public projects such as roads and bridges, colleges, libraries, and fortifications.

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News By Tag News By Place Air Quality Awareness Week Celebrates Progress, Acknowledges Future Challenges The Clean Air Campaign encourages Georgia residents to take action April 30 – May 4 Outdoor air quality is improving in Georgia, thanks to a combination of regulatory controls managed by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) and voluntary programs like those offered through The Clean Air Campaign. However, continued population growth has put more demand on energy use and more cars on the roads, which means there’s still work to do. Plus, the onset of warmer temperatures, combined with low humidity and stagnant conditions, creates ideal conditions for smog in Georgia. The Clean Air Campaign suggests taking advantage of commute alternatives and choosing other activities such as reducing unnecessary engine idling to reduce air pollution. “Air Quality Awareness Week is a reminder that small actions can make an immediate, positive impact on the air we all breathe,” said Tedra Cheatham, executive director of The Clean Air Campaign. “Commuters, employers and schools all play a role in this issue because in many areas of Georgia, half of smog-forming emissions come from vehicle tailpipes. ” The Georgia EPD measures air pollution throughout the state and issues daily air quality forecasts for Atlanta, Columbus and Macon. The Air Quality Index, a national air standard rating system developed by the US Environmental Protection Agency, provides the public, on an hourly basis, with an analysis of air pollution levels and possible related health risks. The AQI categories are: Good (green), Moderate (yellow), Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups (orange), Unhealthy (red) or Very Unhealthy (purple). Exposure to ground-level ozone can irritate and inflame the airways, creating a sensation that can feel like sunburn on a person’s lungs, and particle pollution poses risks to the cardiac system. Because poor air quality has been linked to a variety of health hazards for children, the elderly, asthmatics and even healthy adults, The Clean Air Campaign distributes Smog Alerts via email when the next day’s air quality is projected by the EPD to be Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups (orange). More than 20,000 Georgians have registered to receive Smog Alerts. In addition to earning financial incentives for clean commuting through Commuter Rewards, commuters can also take part in a unique competition that awards prizes for helping spread the word about the importance of clean air. During Air Quality Awareness Week, The Clean Air Campaign will host a “Caption for Cleaner Air” Facebook contest in order to encourage participation in commute alternatives. Beginning April 30, participants can submit photo captions for various images such as cars in traffic, smog in the air and commuters riding transit. Winners will receive prizes that have been donated from a variety of sponsors, including High Country Outfitters, Patagonia, Fifth Group Restaurants and Atkins Park Tavern. For more on air quality, visit CleanAirCampaign. org. For exclusive information throughout Air Quality Awareness Week, follow @CleanAirGa on Twitter and find The Clean Air Campaign on Facebook at Facebook.com/ About The Clean Air Campaign The Clean Air Campaign is a not-for-profit organization that works with more than 1,600 Georgia employers, tens of thousands of commuters and more than 300 K-12 schools to encourage actions that result in less traffic congestion and better air quality. In conducting these programs, The Clean Air Campaign works in partnership with The Georgia Department of Transportation. The Clean Air Campaign, along with partner organizations, creates customized commute options programs for employers; provides assistance and financial incentives to commuters that enable the use of commute alternatives; Each day, these programs reduce 1. 4 million miles of vehicle travel and keep 700 tons of pollution out of the air we breathe. For more information, call 1-877-CLEANAIR (1-877-253-2624)

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NUTRITION & COOKING Children will have a fun hands-on cooking experience. They will learn to read a recipe, follow instructions and eat what they make. Students will measure liquid and dry ingredients. They will handle kitchen utensils such as hand beaters, sieves, graters, scales, etc. They will work as a team, learn to set a table and of course tidy up their own mess! Brontosaurus, Stegosaurus, Tyrannosaurus and Triceratops! We will learn about this fascinating group of reptiles that once ruled the earth. The children will study their shapes, sizes and habitat. Our junior paleontologists will participate in a mini dinosaur dig! Learn the differences between meat eating and plant eating animals and look at some dinosaur teeth up close. The students will learn to identify and name some of the creatures in the sea. They will learn their characteristics and habitat among many fun fish facts! We will learn all about the animals that live on the farm, the food they provide for us, as well as the many jobs of the farmer. On one day of the week we will have the opportunity to feed and pet real live animals in a mini farm in our very own front yard. BUGS & INSECTS Insects are everywhere! Insects are believed to outnumber any other type of animal on earth! The children will explore and learn about the fantastic lives of beetles, butterflies, caterpillars and ants. Ever wonder how a bird flies or how long a baby bird must be inside an egg before it hatches? These questions and many more will be investigated during our study of birds. Students will learn all about the sun, moon, planets and asteroids. They will learn about the Earth and its position in space, day, night and year. WEATHER & WATER The students will learn all the different kinds of weather conditions they might encounter when they go outside! From sunny days with cool breezes to violent rainstorms and frigid blizzards are some of the weather conditions the students will learn about. Students will also participate in a “Bubble Show”. They will learn how bubbles form, why they’re spherical, how to make a cube bubble and the science of bubble bursting! Students will learn about the Rain Forest Layers- Forest Floor, The Understory, The Canopy and the Emergent Layer. Students will learn fun facts about the Hawaiian culture, foods, festival and rainforests. We will end the week with a Hawaiian Luau! Students will learn fun facts about the Mexican culture, foods, festivals and language. We will end the week with a Mexican fiesta! Students will learn about different groups of people who help in our neighborhoods by offering their services or goods. They will learn about the different jobs and responsibilities people have in their communities. Firefighters, police officers and paramedics help keep the community safe. Doctors, nurses and dentists help keep people healthy. Our local police will visit the students to talk to them about safety. The students will also have a community workers dress up parade! - Take a bus or take a train. - Take a boat or take a plane. - Take a taxi or a car, - May be near or may be far. - Take a spaceship to the moon, but be sure to be back soon! We will have a visit from our local Fire Department and Police Department during this week. We’ll end this week with our very own Wheels Day. Children may bring their bike, scooter, roller blades or skates to school on this day. - Dinosaur Egg Hunt - Dentist Visit - Police Office Visit - Fireman Visit - Junior Olympics - Puppet Show - Petting Zoo - Shaved Ice Party - Hawaiian Luau - Water Play - Sea Sand & Surf - Happy Birds - Arts & Crafts - Community Workers Dress Up Parade Academics: Including the weekly science lessons & activities, students will have hands on math, language, reading and writing practice daily to maintain & improve the skills they learned during the school year Arts & Crafts: Students will participate in weekly themed arts and crafts activities each week Junior Olympics: Students must wear tennis shoes to participate in the Junior Olympics Cooking Week: Students will learn hands on cooking skills and eat their creations. A permission to eat sign-up sheet will be posted prior to cooking week Sun Screen: Please apply sun screen on your child when you drop him/her off to school Activities: All activities will take place at Monarch in the morning. Activities and themes are subject to change with notice.

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How to make a copy of your file or picture There will be many times when you want to make a copy of the file you are working on, and move that copy to a new location. A file can be text, a digital photograph, or a graphic image. Using the copy and paste operation leaves the original file where it began, but makes an exact copy of it and places that copy in a new location. You can copy and paste from either an active screen or from a file directory. First we will consider locating a photograph you want to use in a report, then making a copy of that photo to paste into your word processing document. Then we will look at making copies of files from directories. The first thing you want to do is right-click anywhere within the photograph. Another menu appears. Then click on Copy to make a digital copy of the photograph. If you want to copy and paste some text from your document, the process is essentially the same. Simply highlight the text you want to copy, select Copy from the menu. Alternatively, you can go to Edit > Copy or hit Ctrl + C on your keyboard. Sometimes you will want to copy an entire file. Perhaps you need to make a backup or to move it to a CD-ROM or other storage device. Go to the directory where the file lives; click once on the file name to highlight it, and then select “Copy To” A list of places will appear for you to choose from. Select a location where you want your copied file to be located.

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Establishing a routine that recognizes the body’s natural response to light and dark can help keep your circadian rhythms in sync. Here are some expert-recommended strategies to move toward optimal circadian health. 1. Stick to a Sleep/Wake Schedule Try to maintain a consistent sleepwake cycle (and thus a consistent dark-light cycle) by going to sleep and getting up at the same time every day. Try not to deviate more than an hour on weekdays, and more than two hours on weekends. 2. Consider the Quality of Light Get as much daylight exposure as possible during the daytime. If natural light is not available, you can use bright, blue-enriched white light bulbs indoors. Sleep in the dark, at night, or wear an eye mask to block light from reaching the eyes. 3. Create Natural Wind-Down Lighting Between Dusk and Dark Just as the sun goes down, you can mimic that fading light by minimizing bright light and moving toward a warmer orange light, which promotes sleep, ideally three hours before going to bed. 4. Pay Attention to Your Nighttime Light Any light tells the brain it’s daytime, encouraging alertness, and suppresses melatonin, the hormone that tells the brain that it’s night. If needed, use a dim red-orange night light in the hall or bathroom. 5. Sleep at Night Focus on getting all the sleep you need at night, so you don’t need a nap during the day. If you need to nap, make it short—no more than 20 minutes. 6. Eat Smarter Avoid eating three hours before bedtime. Ideally, you want to consume more of your calories in the daytime when your metabolism is most active. 7. Practice Screen Hygiene Dim the lights and don’t use screens within two hours of bedtime. The blue light emitted from TV, tablets, phones, and computers can have a delayed, negative effect on your sleep, even with the use of apps or eyeglasses that block blue light. 8. Establish a Wind-Down Routine Create a transition time that separates day from night. Do something relaxing before bed, such as breathing exercises or yoga. This is a good way to calm the mind and body. Sufficient sleep heals our bodies and minds, but for many reasons sleep doesn’t always come easily. Mindfulness practices and habits can help us fall asleep and stay asleep. Consult our guide to find tips for meditation, movement, and mindfulness practices to ease into sleep. Read More

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Socioeconomic status (SES) and discrimination have been implicated as social determinants of health and health disparities. Yet, very little research has been done to assess their contributing role in Black-White disparities in inflammation. Using data from the Midlife in the United States (2004–2006), we conducted Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition analysis to quantify the extent to which three indicators of SES (i. e., education, household income, and employment status) and three forms of discrimination exposures (i. e., everyday, lifetime, and workplace discrimination) explained Black-White differences in inflammation. Education, particularly having a college degree or more, explained 16. 88% of the differences between Blacks and Whites. There was no evidence that household income and employment status explained Black-White inflammation differences. Lifetime discrimination significantly explained 18. 18% of Black-White difference in inflammation burden. There was no evidence that everyday and workplace discrimination explained Black-White difference in inflammation burden. Together, the predictors explained 44. 16% of inflammation differences between Black and White participants. Education and lifetime exposure to discrimination may play a role in inflammation disparities. Further research is needed to examine other dimensions of SES (e. g., wealth) and discrimination (e. g., racial segregation) that are associated with health to better understand the contributions of these key social determinants of Black-White inflammation disparities. - Socioeconomic status ASJC Scopus subject areas - Endocrine and Autonomic Systems - Behavioral Neuroscience

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Compare book prices at 110 online bookstores worldwide for the lowest price for new & used textbooks and discount books! 1 click to get great deals on cheap books, cheap textbooks & discount college textbooks on sale. Sir John Johnson: Loyalist Baronet is the first full-length biography of a man who played a central role in the organization and development of Canada. The son of Sir William Johnson, he was born and bred in the Mohawk valley of New York and, after the onset of the American Revolution, became the most prominent Loyalist in the province of Canada. The commander of the King s Royal Regiment of New York, he played in important part in the forays on the rich agricultural lands of his native state, a region regarded as the breadbasket of the Thirteen Colonies. In 1782 he was appointed Superintendent-General of Indian Affairs in British North America; during his decades in this post, he remained the loyal friend of the Indians and the champion of their rights. In 1784 he supervised the movement of the Loyalists from the Montreal area to the upper St. Lawrence and Bay of Quinte regions and consequently may be considered as the founder of modern Ontario. He was recommended by Lord Dorchester for the position of first lieutenant-governor of Upper Canada, and there was widespread disappointment when some one else was chosen. This is the story of a colonial who mixed easily with the elite of both America and England, his tumultuous affairs reflecting the tumultuous times he lived in. The tremendous property losses he suffered as a Loyalist were never matched by the land grants and money payments made by the British Government; yet he maintained the same extravagant standard of living he had been accustomed to before the Revolution. His mansions in Montreal, his seigneuries in old Quebec, his houses and mills in other parts of Canada, and his home in the London suburbs were costly to buy and expensive to maintain. He and Lady Johnson had fourteen children to provide for, to feed, clothe, educate, and purchase dowries, positions, and military commissions for. He had his former common law wife and their two children in Schenectady to provide for, as well as the families of no less than three deceased brothers-in-law to concern him. His life was one long struggle, in an age of nepotism, favouritism, and graft, to find the funds to finance his responsibilities. The product of an age of violence, the Seven Years; War, the American Revolution, the French Revolution, the War of 1812, the Napoleonic Wars, he was not essentially a violent man. However, many of his male relatives, sons, nephews, brothers-in-law, cousins, were caught up in the turbulence of the age and paid with their lives. Sir John did no escape unscathed; he paid the price in a different currency. The goal of this website is to help shoppers compare book prices from different vendors / sellers and find cheap books and cheap college textbooks. Many discount books and discount text books are put on sale by discounted book retailers and discount bookstores everyday. All you need to do is to search and find them. This site also provides many book links to some major bookstores for book details and book coupons. But be sure not quickly jump into any bookstore site to buy. Always click "Compare Price" button to compare prices first. You would be happy that how much you would save by doing book price comparison. Buy Used Books and Used Textbooks It's becoming more and more popular to buy used books and used textbooks among college students for saving. Different second hand books from different sellers may have different conditions. Make sure to check used book condition from the seller's description. Also many book marketplaces put books for sale from small bookstores and individual sellers. Make sure to check store review for seller's reputation if possible. If you are in a hurry to get a book or textbook for your class, you should choose buying new books for prompt shipping. Buy Books from Foreign Country Our goal is to quickly find the cheapest books and college textbooks for you, both new and used, from a large number of bookstores worldwide. Currently our book search engines fetch book prices from US, Canada, UK, New Zealand, Australia, Netherlands, France, Ireland, Germany, and Japan. More bookstores from other countries will be added soon. Before buying from a foreign book store or book shop, be sure to check the shipping options. It's not unusual that shipping could take two to three weeks and cost could be multiple of a domestic shipping charge. Please visit Help Page for Questions regarding ISBN / ISBN-10 / ISBN10, ISBN-13 / ISBN13, EAN / EAN-13, and Amazon

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|Darkfield photograph of a gastrotrich| The gastrotrichs (from Greek γαστήρ, gaster ["belly"], and θρίξ, thrix ["hair"]), often called hairy backs, are a phylum of microscopic (0. 06-3. 0 mm), pseudocoelomate animals abundant in fresh water and marine environments. Most fresh water species are part of the periphyton and benthos. Marine species are found mostly interstitially in between sediment particles, while terrestrial species live in the water films around grains of soil. The common name "hairy back" apparently arises from a mistranslation of "gastrotrich;" the better common name for all gastrotrichs is "hairy belly," which refers to ventral cilia present in most species. "Hairy back" should be limited to the large Genus Chaetonotus, whose members usually have backs covered with hair-like spines. Gastrotrichs are bilaterally symmetric, with a transparent body and a flat underside. Many species have a pair of short projections at the posterior end. The body is covered with cilia, especially about the mouth and on the ventral surface, and has two terminal projections with cement glands that serve in adhesion. This is a double-gland system where one gland secretes the glue and another secretes a de-adhesive to sever the connection. Like many microscopic animals, their locomotion is primarily powered by hydrostatics. Gastrotrichs demonstrate eutely, with development proceeding to a particular number of cells, and further growth coming only from an increase in cell size. The mouth is at the anterior end, and opens into an elongated pharynx lined by myoepithelial cells. In some species, the mouth includes an eversible capsule, often bearing teeth formed from the outer cuticle of the body wall. The pharynx opens into the intestine, which is lined with glandular and digestive cells. The anus is located close to the hindmost part of the body. In some species, there are pores in the pharynx opening to the ventral surface; these may allow egestion of any excess water swallowed while feeding. The excretory system consists of a single pair of protonephridia, which open through separate pores on the lateral underside of the animal, usually in the midsection of the body. Unusually, the protonephridia do not take the form of flame cells, but instead the excretory cells consist of a skirt surrounding a series of cytoplasmic rods that in turn enclose a central flagellum. These cells, termed cyrtocytes, connect to a single outlet cell which passes the excreted material into the protonephridial duct. As is typical for such small animals, there are no respiratory or circulatory organs. Nitrogenous waste is probably excreted through the body wall, as part of respiration, and the protonephridia are believed to function mainly in osmoregulation. The nervous system is relatively simple. The brain consists of two ganglia, one on either side of the pharynx, connected by a commisure. Each ganglion gives rise to a single nerve cord, which runs the length of the body and includes further, smaller ganglia. Gastrotrichs are simultaneous hermaphrodites, possessing both male and female sex organs. There is generally a single pair of gonads, including sperm-producing cells anteriorly, and producing ova from the posterior part. Sperm are released through ducts that open on the underside of the animal roughly two-thirds of the way along the body. Once the sperm are produced, they are picked up by an organ on the tail that functions as a penis to transfer the sperm to the partner. Fertilisation is internal, and the eggs are released by rupture of the body wall. Many species of chaetotonid gastrotrichs reproduce entirely by parthenogenesis. In these species the male portions of the reproductive system are degenerate and non-functional, or, in many cases, entirely absent. Some species are capable of laying eggs that can remain dormant during times of desiccation or cold temperatures; these species, however, also produce regular eggs during good environmental conditions, which hatch in one to four days. The eggs hatch into miniature versions of the adult. The young typically reach sexual maturity in about three days, and gastrotrichs can live up to ten days under laboratory conditions. The relationship of gastrotrichs to other phyla is unclear. Morphology suggests that they are close to the Gnathostomulida, the Rotifera, or the Nematoda. On the other hand genetic studies place them as close relatives of the Platyhelminthes, the Ecdysozoa or the Lophotrochozoa. About 790 species have been described. - Barnes, Robert D. (1982). Invertebrate Zoology. Philadelphia, PA: Holt-Saunders International. pp. 263–272. ISBN 0-03-056747-5. - Zhang, Z.-Q. (2011). "Animal biodiversity: An introduction to higher-level classification and taxonomic richness". Zootaxa 3148: 7–12. |Wikispecies has information related to: Gastrotricha| - University of Modena and Reggio Emilia: Gastrotricha World Portal - Overview - URL retrieved December 3, 2006

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By Nnamdi Odumody In October 2018, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warned that governments would have to take rapid, far reaching and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society to avoid disastrous levels of global warming. The global scientific authority was unambiguous: at the current rate of warming, the planet will reach the crucial threshold of 1. 5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels as early as 2030. The impacts which include stronger storms, more erratic weather, heat waves, floods, food shortages, rising sea levels, desertification, shrinking lakes and rivers, and large scale disruptions to migration patterns will be felt across ecosystems, communities and economies worldwide. According to the IPCC, to ensure we maintain a 50-50 chance of limiting warming to around 1. 5 degrees Celsius this century, CO2 emissions need to be lowered by 45 percent from 2010 levels by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050. IKEA’s Innovation Lab Space 10 has unveiled a project ‘’SolarVille’’ which will redesign access to clean energy. Solarville is an ambitious and realizable vision for the future. It is a working prototype of a miniature neighborhood completely powered by solar energy. Built to a 1. 50 scale, some households generate their own renewable energy using solar panels while others automatically purchase excess electricity directly from the producer using blockchain technology. The result is a model of a self-sufficient, community-driven microgrid system where people trade renewable and affordable energy from one another based on their individual needs. As we went through the tour, one of the items got my brain firing. They have built this hand hair dryer that could buy the cheapest electricity using blockchain. In the dryer is a blockchain node via Internet connection which links it into an ecosystem. As you use the dryer, it would be combing the world, looking for the cheapest electricity. Once it finds, an AI bargains, and closes the deal. You would not even know. Yes, you would continue to dry your hair while the agents of bits and bytes do their jobs! About 1. 1 billion people around the world still have little or no access to electricity. It’s almost an expensive task to reach these people with centralized energy networks today as doing such is not economically optimized. Consequently, those locked in energy poverty continue to remain in that state. Solarville aims to solve that problem through the combination of technologies such as solar energy, micro-grids and blockchain, opening new opportunities for off-grid systems, and allowing people to leapfrog traditional grid electricity infrastructures. The Federal Ministry of Power, Works & Housing, Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, and Nigeria Bulk Electricity Trader should work out modalities which will make it convenient for embedded power providers to utilize the abundance of renewable energy in Nigeria to provide access to electricity for millions of Nigerians rather than the dependence on gas-powered Independent Power Plants which remain expensive and vulnerable to disruptions in gas production from the Niger Delta. The model of SolarVille may even work better in Nigeria since we have the abundance of solar energy in the nation.

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Have you noticed that your gums are red, swollen, or bleed easily when you brush and floss your teeth? If so, you may have gingivitis, the earliest stage of gum disease. Gingivitis is reversible when it is treated properly, but can progress to a more serious condition called periodontitis. If gum disease is allowed to progress untreated, it can lead to pockets forming around the teeth and gums that become infected, and eventually destroy supportive tissue and bone. In addition to oral health consequences, gum disease has been connected to other systemic diseases such as diabetes and even heart disease. In this infographic from Maple Avenue Family Dentistry, a periodontist in Barrington , you’ll learn more about the symptoms of periodontal disease, how it can affect your overall health, and what you can do to protect yourself. Please share with your friends and family.

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Lab 5: Solar Energy and Solar Panel Orientation From dawn to dusk, the sun travels from east to west across the sky. During the course of the day, a fixed solar cell will show an increase in power from sunrise to solar noon and a decrease from solar noon to sunset. There are several factors that cause this change in current output: - Over the course of the day, the earth’s rotation brings the solar panel closer to the sun from dawn to noon and further from the sun from noon to dusk. In figure 1, the path of light traveling during solar noon is shorter than the path at dawn. - At dawn and dusk sunlight must travel through more of the earth’s atmosphere than at noon. Traveling through the atmosphere reduces the amount of sun that arrives at the solar cell. In figure 1, the light at solar noon travels through less atmosphere than the light at dawn. - Throughout the course of the day the sun’s angle changes in relation to the solar panel, causing changes in the solar panel’s output. In figure 2, the solar panel is pointed directly up. Sunlight, represented by the yellow rectangle, shines down on the panel. At solar noon, the light shines directly down on the panel and 100% of the rectangle hits the face of the solar panel. When the sun is 45° off from normal to the panel face, 71% of the total rectangle hits the face of the solar panel and 29% misses the solar panel. Although all these reasons are responsible for changes in current output, it is the third reason, the angle of the solar panel in relation to the sun, which is improved upon by using a solar tracker. The purpose of this lab is to understand how solar panel power is impacted by the angle of the sun in relation to the face of the solar cell.

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Is a general-purpose programming language. It has imperative, object-oriented and generic programming features, while also providing facilities for low-level memory manipulation. It was outlined with a predisposition toward framework programming and installed, asset compelled and huge frameworks, with execution, effectiveness and adaptability of utilization as its plan highlights. C++ has additionally been discovered valuable in numerous different settings, with key qualities being programming foundation and asset obliged applications, including desktop applications, servers (e. g. web based business, web hunt or SQL servers), and execution basic applications (e. g. phone switches or space tests). C++ is an incorporated language, with executions of it accessible on numerous stages. Numerous merchants give C++ compilers, including the Free Software Foundation, Microsoft, Intel, and IBM. C++ is a center level programming dialect created by Bjarne Stroustrup beginning in 1979 at Bell Labs. C++ keeps running on an assortment of stages, for example, Windows, Mac OS, and the different forms of UNIX. This instructional exercise embraces a straightforward and down to earth ways to deal with portray the ideas of C++. C++ homework assistance C++ task help for C++ homework and C++ ventures from specialists with programming degrees of their own, and in addition the required involvement. Our profoundly qualified staff has been framed to give you C++ online answers, regardless of what the application you are taking a shot at. C++ enable online where you can take a shot at layouts, redress operational blunders, and legacy. Don’t be crushed when the work isn’t turning out effectively, visit us and get the assistance you have to finish a quality C++ task, satisfy the necessities of your C++ venture inquiries with taught applications, finish programming dialect, and even elegantly composed reactions. C++ online homework assistance Assignmentsaid C++ online help might be required from some of your activities, because of time imperatives, issues with content, or even only to editing and checking through your work. You can get C++ help to assess your work, using the two eyes are superior to one hypothesis. It can be hard to get quality C++ task help, so we went and discovered it for you. Enlisting specialists in the programming field to give you the best quality additional match of eyes (and hands) you have to prevail in your programming classes.

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Imagine if we could develop a passenger car that averaged more than 100 miles per gallon -- or, if used only for short trips, 1,000 miles per gallon. What if it could cost the equivalent of only 75 cents a gallon to operate and needed to go to a filling station only every other month? Surprise -- we have all that technology today! We even have a handful of demonstration vehicles to prove it. All we lack is bold political and corporate leadership to put this technology in play immediately. These vehicles underscore that if President Bush is serious about curbing our addiction to oil, there's plenty more that he could do -- right now. There's no need for vague, long-term initiatives that are welcome but smack of procrastination. The cars I'm talking about are known as "plug-in hybrids. " They are similar to hybrids like the Toyota Prius, but they have bigger batteries and at night would be plugged into a standard 120-volt outlet to charge the batteries. They can be built to have a 30- to 50-mile range before the gasoline engine needs to be used at all. So for someone who commutes 15 miles each way to work and rarely takes long drives, a plug-in hybrid usually functions as an electric vehicle and relies on gas only on rare occasions. Continue reading the main story "If you used it only locally, you would go to a gas station only a couple of times a year," said Felix Kramer, founder of CalCars. org, a nonprofit in Palo Alto, Calif., that converted a regular Prius to a plug-in hybrid. "This can be done right now. That's why people are so excited. " Estimates of gas mileage with a plug-in tend to be 100 miles per gallon and up, but these estimates depend on how the vehicle is used. People who only putter around their neighborhood could go thousands of miles on a gallon of gas -- and a supply of household current. Eventually, instead, maybe we'll be driving hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. A few years ago, I drove a General Motors hydrogen prototype on an Arizona test track, and it was capable of speeds of up to 100 miles per hour, handled well, was whisper-quiet and emitted only water vapor for exhaust. On the other hand, it also cost $5 million to make. In contrast, plug-in hybrids are economically and technically feasible today. While the batteries still aren't perfect, supporters say that plug-in hybrids can be mass-produced today for only about $3,000 more than a conventional hybrid (which already costs $3,000 more than a regular auto). Skeptics say that the additional cost might be greater, up to $15,000 more than a regular gas car -- but even that might find a market among car buyers seeking the Hot New Thing. The higher sticker price is compensated for by lower operating costs, with power from the electrical grid. Indeed, if it recharged at night when rates drop, a plug-in hybrid could be run for the equivalent of 75 cents a gallon or less. Another advantage is that plug-ins fit easily into the existing infrastructure, unlike cars fueled by hydrogen. At least at home, the infrastructure is as simple as an extension cord. "None of this requires a Manhattan Project," notes James Woolsey, the former C.I.A. director, an ardent fan of plug-in hybrids to achieve greater energy autonomy and stop subsidizing extremism and dictatorships in the Middle East. Now, he says, government incentives are needed so that auto companies take the financial risk of producing plug-in hybrids. Mr. Woolsey has a vision that starts with plug-in hybrids averaging, say, 125 miles per gallon. Then he would like to see them made of lightweight carbon (like Formula One racers), which would save enough weight to double mileage -- taking the vehicle up to 250 miles per gallon. Then make that plug-in a flex-fuel vehicle that burns E85 (which is 85 percent ethanol and only 15 percent petroleum), and it will go four times as far for each gallon of petroleum. That's 1,000 miles per gallon with existing (albeit not always very economical) technology. Will everything work so smoothly? No, of course not. But even if only one-fifth of this dream were achievable, the result would still be 200 m. p.g. cars -- and more energy security and less global warming. The Bush administration is backing the technologies that go into plug-in hybrids, but languorously. Instead, the U.S. should promise to order 50,000 fleet vehicles of the first viable plug-in hybrid -- that would be just the stimulus the carmakers need. Mr. Bush was forthright in acknowledging America's oil addiction, but he sometimes sounded like an addict who declares he's going to quit "tomorrow. " Let's start now. Continue reading the main story

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March 22, 2010 | The illegal trade in elephant ivory is booming. African elephants are being slaughtered at rates exceeding the former peak in the late 1980s, before Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, or CITES (pronounced SITE-ees), banned all trade in elephant products. The ban–as well as a worldwide public oucry against the slaughter–helped to stabilize the wild population of elephants. But within the last decade, highly organized international criminal rings have begun killing elephants like never before. The latest figures indicate that 38,000 elephants a year are falling to the poachers’ guns. Last year, Samuel Wasser and Cathy Laurie of the University of Washington along with Bill Clark of Interpol described in Scientific American their efforts to use DNA analysis to trace ivory seizures back to the wild populations of elephants from which they were taken. They found that some of the largest seizures in recent years all came from the same population of wild elephants in Tanzania.

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From the editors at Why The Face! Materials for your mind, body, spirit. . . and classroom! Resources and research and Links to SEL related interests and people and media There are many things that can be barriers to positive academic growth, healthy personal/social development, and purposeful career and college readiness. The majority of the obstacles that students face are things that happen in life. A robust, evidence based approach to learning, practicing, and applying Social Emotional Literacy (also SEL) can help students recognize how "life stuff" can either hinder or help their ability to succeed. But this depends less on the things that happen to us, and more on how we respond to those things. I'm glad you're here. Let's do share in some learning. - Bryan Manzo, Founder & Creative Director, Why The Face Why The Face is dedicated to providing SEL resources for students, families, and educators. If you have comments, suggestions or ideas you'd like to share please email us at

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Local school districts across Georgia are dealing with less money from the state for transportation while being hit with higher gas prices and dwindling local budgets. School districts are finding cost-efficient solutions, like increasing the number of students per bus ride. Thousands of bus stops have been eliminated across the state and remaining stops are farther apart. That means more kids are walking earlier in the morning in limited light, and making their way across busier roads to get to bus stops. Garry Puetz, transportation director for Forsyth County Schools, says their local transportation budget has shrunk by more than half since 2002. Instead of cutting service, they’re putting more students on each bus: “We’re carrying on average, 45 students per bus, per bus route, our routes are longer, we have some routes at an hour long, which is rather unusual, those are getting longer every year. ” In Forsyth County, for example, one of the state’s wealthiest districts, school transportation costs were about 12 million dollars this fiscal year. The state contributed 1. 4 million to cover the expense—about 11 ½ percent.

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About Egyptian Pyramids by Jimmy Dunn writing as Alan Winston When many of us were young, we were taught that the great pyramids required immense human resources to build, which of course, they did. We were told that as many as 100,000 slaves worked as forced labor for decades to build the Great Pyramid at Giza. Regrettably, it would seem that our teachers needed something to say about this ancient Egyptian civilization, and as is not unusual, memorizing some sort of data outweighed the importance of having correct information. Hence, we committed to memory the fantastic estimates of ancient historians who were mystified by the large volumes of material required to build these great stone edifices. However, we must give them credit, for at least they did not degrade the accomplishments of the early Egyptians by proposing the builders of these great structures to be space aliens or Atlantians. To many, the sheer size of the pyramids made such overestimation seem reasonable. Wieslaw Kozinski, a Polish architect, believed that an average of 25 men were required to transport a block weighing one and one-half tons. Therefore, at a time when Egypt's population was probably no more than one and a half million people, including women and children, he estimated a workforce of 60,000 men outside the construction site and as many as 300,000 inside. Of course, Kozinski believed that the population of Egypt during the early pyramid age to be five to ten million people. Yet modern research has demonstrated that as few as eight to twelve men could have actually pulled a 2. 5 ton block over an even, lubricated (by water) surface, and twenty men could have drug such a block up a lubricated gradient from the quarries to the Great Pyramid in as little as 30 minutes. Even Petrie, one of the first great modern Egyptologists, thought that the huge labor force the Greek historian Herodotus reported (100,000 men) to have been used for the construction of the Great Pyramid was plausible. In his view, which continues to have considerable acceptance by today's Egyptologists, the labor force was drawn mostly from the rural Egyptian population who would work on the monuments during flood season, when they could not work in their fields. It is probably not unreasonable to believe that a few slaves were also involved in this construction work, though to what extent we do not know. It seems that the more knowledge we gain about the pyramids and other elements surrounding their construction, the lower the estimates for the work force. Kurk Mendelssohn, an American mathematician and physicist believed there were as many as 50,000 men involved with the Great Pyramid's construction based on calculations needed to move a given mass over a given distance. Ludwig Borchardt and Louis Croon, in their investigations, estimated that the Meidum pyramid would have required some 10,000 men to complete. Applying these calculations to the larger Great Pyramid, they estimated that a work force of some 36,000 men would have been required for that project. However, even this smaller workforce seemed too high to them, given the limited area of the construction site and the difficulties connected to logistics support. More recent evidence suggests that the ancient Egyptians may have been somewhat more astute builders. In the mid 1980s a French/Egyptian team investigated the Great Pyramid using ultrasound technology. Their efforts revealed that large cavities within the structure had been filled with pure sand. This is referred to as the "chamber method", and could have considerably increased the pace of work. In addition, we also know that the Great Pyramid utilized a rock outcropping as part of its core. These discoveries, as Miroslav Verner notes, made all the careful calculations and estimates concerning how many millions of stone blocks make up the Great Pyramid, and the associated speculations, useless. Today, while the question of exactly how many men it would have taken to build the Great Pyramid at Giza remains unanswered, we can speculate on certain elements of the workforce. The ancient Egyptians became great labor organizers. Part of the labor force working on the pyramids would have been organized as a crew, perhaps consisting of 2,000 men. This crew was divided into two gangs of 1,000 workers, which in turn was divided into five zaa (in each gang), a term that was translated by the ancient Greeks as "phyloi" or phyle, meaning tribe, group or brotherhood. Each Phyle consisted of about 200 mean. These phyle were named for the different parts of a boat, including the Great (or Starboard), the Asiatic (or Port), the Green (or Prow), the Little (or Stern), and the Last (or Good) Phyle. The name of the fifth phyle is uncertain, but may have referred to the helmsmen's position. It should be noted that even the priesthood was arranged in a similar fashion. These phyle were then divided into four, or later, two smaller groups that also had names , usually related to their geographical origin, or sometimes related to the required skills or virtues of the workers. According to Verner, there were apparently, at any one time, no more than three phyle comprising six hundred men, working on the Great Pyramid. However, Lehner seems to believe that an entire crew of 2,000 men would have been employed. While we know of the organization of this work force, we know less about what they actually did. Most Egyptologists believe they were involved with transportation and various other logistical supply work. Verner also tells us that a second type of team system was employed. These workers were divided up according to the cardinal compass points, north, south and west. There was probably a forth team that was not referred to as the eastern team, because east, like left, was considered by ancient Egyptians to be a sinister direction. These four teams made up a "troop", and included the craftsmen and specialized workers on the pyramid construction sites. Unfortunately, there is no real evidence of the number of men making up the troop or the various teams. It is possible, or even probable that these two types of construction teams may have been largely made up of a relatively skilled, permanent royal work force. However, it is clear, given the volume of work required to construct the Great Pyramid, that more workers were needed. These workers were probably helpers, and if slaves were used at all, they would have probably been included in this larger workforce. However, many of these helpers were probably unskilled agricultural workers employed on a seasonal basis during the Nile inundation. We do know much more about the work activities, particularly at Giza, then ever before. Archaeologists have carefully studied the worker's villages, the craft shops, the bakeries and other related structures, which of course give us some idea of the workforce. So how many people did it take to build the Great Pyramid at Giza? Verner tells us that the current consensus among Egyptologists sets the figure at a little more than 30,000. Lehner, who has worked at Giza for many years and conducted experiments on building pyramids, is considered one of the leading authorities on these structures. He claims a somewhat lower estimate, including carpenters to make tools and sledges, metal workers to make and sharpen cutting tools, potters to make pots for food preparation and hauling water for mortar and other purposes, bakers, brewers and others, consisting of between 20,000 and 25,000 workers at any one time. In fact, as the pyramid grew, fewer and fewer men were probably required, for work at the top required much less stone and the construction space became more limited. This number of men, which was probably drastically reduced during the agricultural seasons, probably finished the Great Pyramid of Khufu in less than 23 years. This discussion has mostly focused on the Great Pyramid of Khufu which, simply because it was the largest pyramid we know of that the Egyptians built, seems to pose the greatest problems. Of course, we also know much more about it than many other pyramids. However, it should be noted that some of the earlier and many of the later pyramids would have required much less labor. Most, of course, were smaller, and at least a few built prior to the Great Pyramid used a more gentle slope, hence requiring less material. A number of pyramids, like that of Khufu, used rock outcroppings in their construction, and most, including Khufu's pyramid, had some "fill" material. Later pyramid's employed the use of mudbrick in their cores, so the labor required to build these pyramids was considerably reduced. All of this discussion is not to say that the early Egyptians did not commit considerable resources to these building projects. It is estimated that during the century and a half composing the 4th Dynasty, some nine million cubic meters of masonry was utilized in royal construction projects. Essentially, the Egyptians became the world's best construction managers, and these skills served them well for some 2,500 years. Last Updated: November 14th, 2011

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(HOST) Stories and traditions tend to thrive in the garden, right along with the vegetables, and commentator Ron Krupp recalls one of his favorites. (KRUPP) As we enter the green growing season, let us remember the great agricultural heritage of the Native Americans. The Three Sisters – corn, beans and squash – are grown throughout the Americas. The tradition of calling these crops the “Three Sisters” originated with the Haudenosaunee, the “People of the Longhouse”, also known as the Iroquois. Chief Louis Farmer, an Onandaga, once said, “As long as the Three Sisters are with us we know we will never starve. The creator sends them each year. We thank Him for the gifts. ” Corn, beans and squash are a form of companion planting. Beans are a legume – a member of the pea family. They have certain bacteria that live in nodules on their roots. These bacteria absorb nitrogen from the air and change it into nitrates that plants use in order to grow. In this way, beans fertilize the soil for corn and squash. In the Native American “Bean Woman” story, beans get the support they need by winding around the corn stalks. The squash plants serve as a ground cover between the corn and beans. The squash leaves lessen erosion, prevent weeds from growing and increase the amount of rain that soaks into the earth. The vines and leaves also act as a barrier to woodchucks and raccoons. Besides the Three Sisters, there are many other agricultural crops of the Americas, such as tomatoes and potatoes, cotton, peppers and garlic, peanuts and pecans, blueberries, cranberries and straw- berries, wild rice and chocolate. Did I forget to mention maple syrup? Native communities of the early 1600s, such as the Wampanoag and Massachusett, shared their agricultural gifts with the newly arrived Europeans. The same was true some years later with the Abenaki in Vermont. Over the course of many generations, by carefully selecting and planting seeds from preferred plants, Native Americans chose certain varieties for their gardens. They also created hybrids by making sure that pollen taken from the flowers of one desirable plant fertilized the flowers of another chosen plant. The new hybrid shared the desirable characteristics of both parent plants. In these ways, many varieties of Native corn were developed for size, sweetness, arid conditions and short growing seasons. The Tohono O’odham people developed a corn that grows close to the ground and conserves water by having a small amount of leaf and stalk. The gifts of the Native Americans have forever changed the world. We need to be thankful, not just on Thanksgiving, but at the start of the green growing season. This is Ron Krupp, the northern gardener. Ron Krupp is a gardener and author who lives near Lake Champlain on Shelburne Bay.

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Inspired by the English and Dutch systems of canals, Americans began to eye the possibility of man-made waterways early in their history. George Washington perhaps spurred the activity by publically wishing that Americans had "the wisdom to improve" our system of waterways. Nevertheless, by the 1790's, small canals were being attempted--slow to construct and under- financed, these canals were supported by such public luminaries as Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Mifflin. Thus, despite the problems the canal builders found, improvement of the nation's waterways was inextricably linked with republican sentiment and nationalism. Much of the difficulty in early canal building was simply a lack of elementary knowledge. Americans were not used to such improvements; engineers were either sent to England for training or, more often, expected to work out for themselves how to take a level, how to dig a channel, remove tree roots, dispose of tons of earth, mix underwater cement, create locks and a hundred other things. The fact that, for the most part, American engineers, surveyors, and laborers were able to build a system of canals from this beginning was widely hailed around the country as further proof that America was an inspired nation whose ingenuity would carry it far. The earliest canal ventures began in Pennsylvania and Virginia with the common goal of improving transportation to the Ohio Valley. In 1791, the Pennsylvania legislature incorporated a private group of leading citizens and began work on the Schuylkill and Susquehanna Canal. An English engineer, William Weston, was brought to America to supervise construction. As with many canals, the work was done in sections, and the short "portage canal" at the Great Falls on the lower Susquehanna was complete first, in 1797, becoming the first working canal in Pennsylvania. Similarly, building was begun on the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal, intended to connect the two bays, in 1803; there work continued until 1805 when the funds were exhausted. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison all supported another venture begun in 1785, the Potomac Company. Originally intended to connect the Potomac to the Ohio River, the canal, like many early projects, was scaled back; it eventually came to act as an improvement for the Potomac trade. Numerous other small canals were begun with grand ambitions and became controlled partners to the larger rivers they followed. It was not until 1825 with the completion of the Erie Canal in New York that canal builders were vindicated. As the model for most subsequent canals, the Erie ushered in the canal era with great fanfare, proving to an excited nation caught up in the Great Jubiliee that the American economy and spirit could indeed benefit from a system of inland waterways.

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Holes, fractured and cracked teeth – what you need to know A brilliant smile, fresh breath, and no pain when sipping a frozen lemon squash or snacking on a hot meat pie are desirable. However, this is not always the case thanks to cracks, holes, and fractures in your teeth. While teeth are remarkably strong and impermeable, they are not immune to chipping, cracking, or breaking. Here, we look at some common dental issues. A cavity, which is a decayed area affecting the hard coating of your teeth, can develop into holes. A cavity often results from the buildup of plaque and is caused by a combination of factors, including bacteria and poor cleaning. You can detect a cavity if you experience pain in your teeth or your tongue feels a hollow surface on the crown. Depending on the severity, cavities can be treated using fillings, crowns, or root canals. You are likely to chip your teeth if you often bite on hard foods such as ice and nuts or you frequently grind your teeth. With chipped teeth, you’ll feel pain when chewing as well as sensitivity to heat, cold, and sugar. Have a dentist examine the chipped tooth for severity. Minor chips may only require polishing to smooth out the chipping. However, if the damage is extensive, the dentist may need to fill it to restore its integrity and shape. Fractured cusps happen when a piece of the horizontal surface of a tooth breaks. Fractured cusps are common around a dental filling and pointed edges. Since they don’t reach the pulp, they are painless and can easily be resolved. The restoration process involves inserting a tooth onlay or a crown. Diagnosing a split tooth can be difficult as the crack may be so small that it’s not visible on an x-ray. A split tooth occurs when a tooth breaks vertically in two. This is usually the case with molars as they have more than one root. Symptoms may include pain that comes and goes when chewing. Treatment may vary from inserting a crown, a root canal or even having a tooth extraction. Do not hesitate to visit your dentist should you notice a crack, fracture, or unexplained pain in your teeth.

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If you’ve just started a Blueprint course — or if you otherwise have a reasonable study plan that includes learning a sound strategic approach for each Logical Reasoning question type — you’ve probably just encountered the Soft Must Be True question. You know, the ones that say stuff like “If the above statements are true, which of the following is most strongly supported? ” We love these questions. In a truly nerdy hat-tip, we named this blog after these questions. But don’t let our love or the “Soft” modifier throw you off — these questions can be vexing for a ton of LSAT test takers. And LSAC’s malevolent psychometricians seem to know this, having taken quite the liking to these Soft Must Be True questions on recent exams. In fact, on the most recently published LSAT, 20% of the scored Logical Reasoning questions were Soft Must Be True questions, making your success on these supposedly “soft” questions a “hard” reality to face. So this post is going to give you some advice to firm up your approach to these Soft Must Be True questions. All it takes a hardened resolve and solid practice, and these can become, more or less, Softball Must Be True questions. Here’s Part 1 of the FAQs for Soft MBTs. Check back later this week for Part 2. “What is a Soft Must Be True question? ” Let’s start by backing up for a second. What are Soft Must Be True questions? And how do they relate to the regular old Must Be True questions? Soft Must Be True questions, just like basic Must Be True questions, require you to make a deduction from a set of facts provided in the stimulus. But when you make a deduction for Must Be True question, the deduction must be 100%, without-a-doubt true. And that’s a “hard” burden of proof to bear. Any sliver of a chance that a deduction is not true is enough to render an answer choice incorrect. This is why, incidentally, most correct answers for Must Be True questions are derived from either making a transitive deduction from conditional statements or from simply summarizing the information in the stimulus. These are tried and true ways to make an unassailably true deduction. On the other hand, we have a “softer” burden of proof on Soft Must Be True questions. These questions ask for the “most supported” or “best illustrated” inference. We don’t have to be 100% certain our deduction is true. We have a little more leeway to make inferences or offer explanations for surprising results. That said, this is still a pretty high burden. We have to be like 90% sure our deduction is true — we can only entertain a small amount of doubt to our deduction’s truth. Think of it this way: Let’s say your friend regularly drinks margaritas made with (fancy, expensive) Patrón tequila. But when this friend requested that you buy him this drink at the bar, you instead bought him a margarita made with (cheap, plastic-bottled) well tequila. And then your friend drank and enjoyed this cheaper facsimile of a cocktail, never mentioning that it didn’t taste like the fancy margarita he typically orders. What would be the most supported inference we could draw from this? Probably that your friend can’t taste the difference between a margarita made with Patrón and a margarita made with cheap tequila. Now, we can’t be certain that this is true — there’s a remote possibility that your friend tasted the margarita, and beyond tasting the lime juice, and the Cointreau, and the agave syrup, and the salted rim, your mans tasted the tequila and wasn’t getting the notes of like oak barrel and lemon zest that he associates with Patrón tequila. He just didn’t say anything to be polite. In other words, this inference wouldn’t meet the burden of proof for Must Be True questions. But because this possibility is very unlikely — especially if your friend isn’t a supertaster — it’s going to be good enough for Soft Must Be True questions. “So where’s the line on what inferences we can draw? ” Let’s take the above example about the margaritas. We need to be careful not to go too far when making a deduction. We can’t engage in any unfounded speculation. We couldn’t say, for instance, that your friend can’t taste at all, since we only have evidence that he can’t seem to distinguish between two types of margaritas and we don’t have any evidence relating to his ability to taste other foods or drinks. Nor could we say that your friend has below-average taste receptors, since we don’t know if anyone else could distinguish between these two types of margaritas. Both of these inferences require us to speculate about information not included in the example. We also couldn’t say that that there’s no difference between Patrón and cheap tequila. While one person can’t seem to notice the difference when these tequilas are used as an ingredient in a margarita, to say there’s no difference between the two is going way overboard. Maybe most people, unlike your friend, can tell the difference between the two when used in a margarita. Maybe when the two tequilas are consumed straight up, there’s a huge difference. There are basically three types of inferences we can never make on a Soft Must Be True question. And incorrect answer choices we almost always make at least one of these kinds of mistakes. The first is an inference that deals with outside information. On a Soft Must Be True question, we can only make inferences about the info provided in the stimulus. Any answer choice that brings in new ideas, facts, or hypotheticals should be eliminated. The second is an inference that is stronger than its support. You can’t make a conclusion that is stronger than the evidence used to support it. If I said, “Most BMW drivers I encounter drive dangerously and selfishly,” we certainly couldn’t conclude, “All BMW drivers drive dangerously and selfishly. ” Answer choices do things like this all the time on Soft Must Be True questions, and should be eliminated with impunity. The third is an inference that proposes a relationship between two things in the stimulus that the stimulus doesn’t support. You’ll commonly see answer choices that propose causal, comparative, or proportional relationships, and these answer choices almost always incorrect. “OK. How do I find the right answer on these? ” This is where most test takers get into trouble on Soft Must Be True questions. At Blueprint, we’re very fond of anticipating the right answer to questions before looking at the answer choices. Ideally, you don’t want to rely on “discovering” the right answer in the answer choices. The answer choices are not your friends. They are laden with all kinds of tricks and traps designed to entice a certain percentage of test takers into selecting the wrong answer. To avoid these “sucker” choices, we recommend anticipating what the right answer will look like, and looking for that in the answer choices. A lot of the early concepts we cover in the Blueprint course are very involved methods of anticipating the right answer. These frequently require students to put pencil to paper and actually write things out. Like diagramming conditional statements. Or making good set-ups and scenarios for Logic Games. Or writing out the primary structure for Reading Comprehension. There’s not really an analog to these processes on Soft Must Be True questions. Few Soft Must Be True questions involve diagramming, so there isn’t a pressing need to press pencil to paper on these questions. Consequently, many students fail to do any anticipation on Soft Must Be True questions, rushing headlong into the answer choices like lemmings off a cliff. However, there are several steps you can do to help anticipate the right answer to Soft Must Be True questions. The first thing you should always do is summarize the stimulus to yourself. If it’s a shorter stimulus, you can usually make a short, one-sentence summary. If it’s longer, you may have to make a few bullet points. Make sure you’re not repeating the frequently confusing (obfuscating, abstruse, recherché) language the stimulus uses. Use your own words. Doing so will ensure that you understand what the stimulus is about and — just as importantly — what the stimulus isn’t about. This will help you avoid answer choices that bring in outside information. Then, you want to look for strong pieces of information in the stimulus. Strong pieces of information are great for making deductions. In order to infer something about a subject, you need to know a lot about that the subject. If you can find a really strong statement, you want to think about how that strong statement relates to the other statements in the stimulus. By thinking about how that strong statement affects the other statements, you should be able to anticipate a deduction that will appear in the answer choices. Even if you can’t anticipate the exact deduction they’re looking for, you at least know the right answer will probably relate to that strong statement. For instance, take this Soft Must Be True question … “Modern science is built on the process of posing hypotheses and testing them against observations– in essence, attempting to show that the hypotheses are incorrect. Nothing brings more recognition than overthrowing conventional wisdom. It is accordingly unsurprising that some scientists are skeptical of the widely accepted predictions of global warming. What is instead remarkable is that with hundreds of researchers striving to make breakthroughs in climatology, very few find evidence that global warming is unlikely. ” First, we should all take a moment to appreciate an instance of anti-scientist bias on the LSAT. The former philosophy majors who write this exam love to criticize the more pragmatic field of scientific research, so here’s one of many questions describing how scientists are craven and fame-hungry and overall not that cool. Cool. Then, we should of course summarize this information. Basically, we can whittle this stimulus down to: “Scientists try to disprove hypotheses. Disproving conventional wisdom brings the most recognition, so scientists try to disprove hypotheses relating to global warming, although very few can find evidence to disprove those. ” Or, if you are really into the whole brevity thing, “Very few scientists who try to undermine global warming hypotheses find evidence to do so. ” Next, we should look to a strong piece of information to try to make a deduction. And the strongest statement made here is “Nothing brings more recognition than overthrowing conventional wisdom. ” That is crazy strong. Nothing could possibly bring more recognition to a scientist that overthrowing conventional wisdom. So if we had two scientists — one who cured cancer, and one who overthrew the conventional wisdom that the common cold is caused by being chilly — we would apparently recognize the latter’s accomplishment more. That’s a strong take, and we need to pay attention to that. Finally, we should think about how that strong piece of information relates to the rest of the stimulus. Well, if overthrowing conventional wisdom brings a ton of recognition to scientists, and if global warming is “widely accepted,” scientists have a pretty big incentive to overthrow the conventional wisdom relating to global warming. Doing so would bring a scientist a ton of recognition, presumably ensuring him or her a lucrative second career as a talking head on every Fox News show and a representative of fossil fuel companies’ interests. Even if we can’t make that specific deduction, we should be looking for an answer choice that relates to the benefit scientists accrue by overthrowing conventional wisdom. Either way, that should lead us to the answer choice that says, “Most researchers in climatology have substantial motive to find evidence that would discredit the global warming hypothesis. ” This is totally consistent with the deduction that we anticipated and, importantly, it’s not stronger than anything we summarized and doesn’t bring in information that wasn’t included in our summary. Voila, it is the “most strongly supported” inference. So whenever we get a very strong statement in the stimulus of a Soft Must Be True question, we should take these steps. But what if there isn’t a strong statement? … Stay tuned for Part 2 later this week

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Santanu Nandi Purkayastha (The writer is PGT, Biology, Vivekananda Kendra Vidyalaya (NEEPCO), Umrangso. He can be reached at email@example. com) On Januaruy 12, 1863 Swami Vivekananda was born to Viswanath Dutta and Bhuvaneshwari Devi in Kolkatta. He was named Narendra Nath Dutta. From his childhood, Narendra Nath showed extraordinary thinking, brilliance and great courage and never accepted anything to be correct unless he found out the facts by himself. It was under the guidance of his Guru Ramakrishna Paramhamsa that his energy was channelized towards religious beliefs, Vedas, Vedanta and Indian Philosophy. Gradually Narendra Nath started taking interest in Vedas and Sanskrit and within a short period of time he developed mastery over the areas. After the death of his Guru Ramakrishna Paramhamsa, he started Bharat Parikrama as a wandering monk. He travelled all the direction of India and made people enlightened with his knowledge. He made everybody understand Vedas in a simple way. Meaning of all the Vedas became clear even to a layman as the wandering monk cited the examples from practical application. It was Mharaja of Khetri who confirmed him the title of Vivekananda. People were highly moved by his ideas, intellect, and knowledge in Vedanta. Swamiji became restless and to find solution to such problems, he mediated in the mid sea rock away from Kannyakumari for three days and three nights that was on December 25, 26 and 27, 1892. He hit upon a plan to spread the message of India to the world and to raise the sufferings millions of his country to their past glory. Only thing that Swamiji wanted was to rejuvenate India and to put mother India in her earlier throne of Glory. By that time a news spread that world parliament of religion was all set to be held in America and people of India mainly South Indians found Swami Vivekananda to be correct representative for Hinduism. Even though Swamiji declined at first but later on he had to accept the people’s request. Religion when he pronounced the idea “We believe not only in universal tolerance but we accept all the religions to be true”, the vision for next generation was laid. Swamiji stayed in the west for long years both in America and the UK where Swamiji developed thousand of disciples who were eager to know Vedanta from him. Swamiji who went from India empty handed was able to establish Vedanta Society in the USA, with a large number of followers. In 1897 Swamiji returned to India. He had to arise and awake a Nation which ‘felt like a slave, under the shadow of the British and the west. ’ In the year 1985, Indian Government declared 12 January as National Youth Day. If we summarized Swami Vivekananda’s teaching, philosophy and work we find that- Swami Vivekananda was a True Indian from the core of his heart; he was above all sorts of society division like, caste, community, language or religion. He considered himself only as Indian and made others also feel proud of themselves as Indian. That time itself Swamiji stressed for Women Education and later on, this dream was fulfilled by his disciple sister Nivedita, who opened a school for girls in Kolkatta. Swami Vivekananda said, “Women must be put in a position to solve their own problems in their own way. No one can or ought to do this for them”. Swami Vivekananda advocated that development of a country rests in the development of Science. So, he put forward his opinion to Jamshedji Tata regarding the scientific research while they were in a voyage from Japan to Chicago. Swamiji wanted to combine scientific and technological achievement of the west with the asceticism and humanism of India. Jamshedji liked his proposal and accordingly The Indian institute of Sciences came into existence. He also challenged the worst side of Hindu religion and said “Astrology and all these mystical things are generally signs of a weak man” and also made it clear that instead of spending whole day in worshipping God, people need to serve the poor, needy and downtrodden. Serving men is serving God. Worshipping the God if done for 10 minutes to one hour is sufficient to keep the rituals intact. Swami Vivekananda’s teachings and Philosophy is very much relevant today. A number of problems that the nation is facing today can be solved through his teachings. Swamiji’s life and speeches are capable enough to develop in anybody the patriotic feelings and in return the person is bound to contribute in nation building. Let me conclude with one of his quotation “If there is one word that you find coming out like a bomb from the Upanishads, bursting like a bombshell upon the masses of ignorance, it is the word Fearlessness.”

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I know I just posted a global color map of Saturn's moon Titan, but sometimes it's cool just to take a step back and look at a picture that gives a little context. . . and it doesn't hurt that it's a moody grayscale shot, too: [Click to encronosenate. ] This shot of Titan was taken by the Cassini spacecraft back in August, and shows the moon superposed on Saturn's rings, seen here almost -- but not quite -- edge-on. The fact that you can see surface detail on Titan is a dead giveaway this shot was taken in the infrared: optical light, the kind we see, can't penetrate the thick, hazy, nitrogen/methane atmosphere blanketing this moon. Infrared light gets through, though, so surface features can be seen. In fact, this image was taken using a filter that lets through light at 938 nanometers (the reddest light the human eye can see is about 750 nm). Methane is pretty good at absorbing light at a bunch of different wavelengths, but at 938 nm it's transparent, so this is a particularly good place in the spectrum to look at Titan -- astronomers call it the "methane window". Not only that, but this image also employed a polarizing filter, which blocks a lot of light from the atmospheric haze, making the surface easier to see (it also makes rainbows appear and disappear, too). Not that the atmosphere is completely invisible in this picture: look around the moon's edge and you can just see some of the upper atmospheric layers, and at the top you can easily spot the north polar hood, which may have water ice crystals in it. And that dark region on Titan's surface? It may have once been the bed of a methane sea, but now it's a dry, vast area of wind-blown dunes, hydrocarbon grains collected by the Titanian winds. It's called Shangri-La, and that makes me smile. I'm not sure anything at -180°C could be called a human paradise, but for astronomers, it's certainly a scientific one.

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On December 30, 1922, the Treaty on the Creation of the USSR (Договор об образовании СССР) and the Declaration of the Creation of the USSR were confirmed by the 1st Congress of the Soviets of the USSR and signed by the heads of plenipotentiary delegations from the Russian SFSR, the Transcaucasian SFSR, the Ukrainian SSR and the Byelorussian SSR, forming the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (Сою́з Сове́тских Социалисти́ческих Респу́блик — Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik), commonly known as the Soviet Union. Following the signing by Mikhail Kalinin, Mikhail Tskhakaya, Mikhail Frunze, Grigory Petrovsky, Alexander Chervyakov, and the delegates they led, a formal proclamation was made from the stage of the Bolshoi Theatre. The Treaty de jure legalized a union of four Soviet republics and created a new centralized federal government (Congress of Soviets of the Soviet Union and Central Executive Committee of the Soviet Union (TsIK) were the legislative while Council of People’s Commissars was the executive) where key functions were centralized in Moscow. It provided flexibility to admit new members. Therefore, by 1940 the Soviet Union grew from the founding four republics to 15 republics. The Declaration stated the reasons necessitating the formation of a union between all existing Soviet republics into one united socialist state and expressed willingness to undertake a “permanent revolution”, exporting the Socialist Revolution to other states, primarily in the West, as evidenced by the recent Polish-Soviet War. The Declaration also stressed that the creation of the Union of the Soviet Socialist Republics was a voluntary union of peoples with equal rights, whereby each Soviet republic retained the right to freely secede from the Union, a provision that was used as the legal basis for the independence of several republics and the subsequent dissolution of the Union in 1991. In January 1924, the Second Congress of Soviets of the Soviet Union ratified the first Soviet Constitution (Конституция СССР 1924 г. ). The Constitution’s text is essentially the 1922 Treaty, re-written and expanded. with the Declaration included as the preamble. Where the Treaty contained 26 articles, the Constitution was split into eleven chapters containing 72 articles. On February 1, 1924, the USSR was recognized by the British Empire, helping to legitimize the December 1922 union. On December 8, 1991, Russian, Ukrainian and Belarus presidents signed the Belavezha Accords (Беловежские соглашения). The agreement declared the dissolution of the USSR by its founder states through the denunciation of the 1922 Treaty and established the Commonwealth of Independent States (Содружество Независимых Государств, СНГ — Sodruzhestvo Nezavisimykh Gosudarstv, SNG) in its place. On December 10, the accord was ratified by the Ukrainian and Belarusian parliaments. On December 12, the agreement was ratified by the Russian Parliament, therefore Russian SFSR denounced the Treaty on the Creation of the USSR and de facto declared Russia’s independence from the USSR. On December 26, 1991, the USSR was self-dissolved by the Council of the Republics of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union, a house of Soviet parliament (the second house, the Soviet of the Union was without a quorum). The Treaty on the Creation of the USSR in December 1922 was a result of many internal political conflicts within the Bolshevik Party and governments inside the Union. Initially, Vladimir Lenin did not see that Russia’s October Revolution would end all foreign borders as such. This view was supported by Leon Trotsky and his followers, who believed that Russia was only a first step in a future world revolution. However, as the Red Army approached former internal national and foreign borders, it needed an excuse to cross them. One such method was a creation of an alternative government, a Soviet Republic, that would then take over authority as the Red Army ousted the existing government. This was the case with Ukraine, Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan and failed campaigns such as in Lithuania and Poland. Alternatively, it would use the presence of a minority to undermine the standing army (such as the establishment Tatar and Bashkir autonomies), and where there was no national minority, a government based on geographical locale — Far Eastern Republic, Turkestan. The Red Army’s ultimate failure in the Polish campaign placed Trotsky’s World Revolution plans on hold. Simultaneously, the growing figure of Joseph Stalin pursued a different agenda. Lenin himself saw the creation of national republics as a permanent feature in line with his korenizatsiya (коренизация, meaning “nativization” or “indigenization”, literally “putting down roots”) policies. In the spring of 1922, Lenin suffered his first stroke and Stalin, still being a People’s Commissar for Nationalities gained a new official chair as the General Secretary of the Communist Party. Stalin argued that now that the Russian Civil War had concluded and that war communism was now replaced by the New Economic Policy, it required a country whose legal de jure framework would match its de facto one, and re-organizing the Bolshevik state into a single sovereign entity. This included liquidating the many splinter Soviet governments and restoring supreme rule to Moscow. This line went directly in conflict with both proponents of korenizatsiya and some of the local governments, most notably in Ukraine and Georgia. Thus, the Treaty can be viewed as a compromise between the different groups within the Bolshevik camp, to satisfy the aspirations of large minorities and to allow for potential expansion, as well. Byelorussia was the smallest republic, yet its official languages included Polish and Yiddish in addition to Russian and Belarusian to undermine the authority of the neighboring Second Polish Republic and to use its sizeable Jewish minority, as well as the Belarusians and Ukrainians in Poland as a future fifth column. At the same time, it created a new centralized federal government where key functions would clearly be in the hands of Moscow. The original document included a cover sheet, the Declaration, the Treaty (containing the Preface and 26 articles) and the signatures of the delegations that signed it. On the cover sheet, the title Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was typed in Russian, French, English and German, as well as the words Treaty on the Formation of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in those four languages. It contained the original state emblem of the Soviet Union. The Declaration was written as a reflection on contemporary international relations and why the treaty was necessary. According to the narrative, there were now two distinct camps, an “exploiting” capitalist with colonialism, chauvinism and social and ethnic inequalities and a “free” socialist one with mutual trust, peace and international cooperation and solidarity. The former sought to destroy the latter, but because of the common good that the latter is based on, the former has failed. The Declaration goes on to list three factors as to why this Union is a necessary step. First of all, the aftermath of the Civil War left many of the republics’ economies destroyed, and rebuilding in the new socialist fashion is proving difficult without closer economic cooperation. Secondly, foreign threats continue to loom over the socialist camp, and its sovereignty requires an alliance for defense. Finally, the ideological factor, that the Soviet rule is internationalist in nature and pushes the working masses to unite in a single socialist family. These three factors justify in uniting in a single state that would guarantee prosperity, security and development. The Declaration then specifies that the resultant Union of Soviet Socialist Republics is one that is created by the free will of the people, that its purpose follows the ideals of the October Revolution, that each and every socialist republic has the right to join and leave the Union at its own will, and hinting at the Soviet foreign policy of socialist irredentism, finishes stating that the treaty …will serve a decisive step on the path of unification of all workers into a “World Socialist Soviet Republic”. Following the declaration, is the Treaty itself consisting of a preface and 26 articles. In the Preface, it is fixed that the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, the Ukrainian Socialist Soviet Republic, the Byelorussian Socialist Soviet Republic and the Transcaucasian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic (containing Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia), acting in free will, agree to form a single Union of Soviet Socialist Republics that is governed on the articles listed in the treaty. Article 1 lists the competency of the responsibilities that the Union’s authorities would contain. These include all foreign affairs; international treaties; change in external borders; expansion of the Union by accepting new republics; declaring war and agreeing to peace; foreign and domestic trade; authority over economic development; creating a single postal and transport services; the armed forces; internal migration; creation of single judiciary, education and healthcare services as well as unifying all units of measurement. All of the above would be thus explicitly controlled directly by the Union’s authority. Moreover, the final clause explicitly listed, that the Union’s authorities could now overturn acts of all Republics’ authorities (be it Congresses of Soviets, Soviets of People’s Commissars or Central Executive Committees) that were deemed in violation with regard to this Treaty. Articles 2–10 determined the structure of supreme authorities of the Union. The legislative authority, according to the treaty, was the Congress of Soviets of the Soviet Union and between the congresses this was to be carried out by the Central Executive Committee of the Soviet Union (TsIK) (2). The delegates to the Congress are to be elected by local Soviets represented by one elected representative from 25,000 voters in urban areas and one per 125,000 voters in rural areas (3). The Congress delegates would be elected by local Guberniya Soviets, rather than Republican ones (4). The congresses would be held annually, or may be summoned by requests of at least two Republics’ or the Union’s TsIK (5). The TsIK would be the main body to carry out executive functions between the congresses. This TsiK was a 371-person body, whose members were proportionally represented to the population of the Union, and elected by the Congress (6). The Union TsIK would meet four times per annum on a regular basis, whilst irregular sessions can be summoned on demand by the Union government (the Council of People’s Commissars) or by one of the constituent Republics (7). The Congress and the TsIK would be held in the capitals of the Union Republics in the order that would be decided by TsIK’s Presidium (8). The latter, was to be appointed by TsIK, that would be the supreme power organ between its sessions (9). This Presidium would consist of nineteen members, with four chairmen, each representing the four republics (10). The Presidium also had the authority to summon an irregular session of TsIK. Article 11 appointed the executive authority, the Council of People’s Commissars (SNK). The council’s members were appointed by TsIK, and included ten portfolios (commissariats) as well as a chairmen and his deputies. Article 12 specified the functions of the Supreme Court of the Soviet Union (under control of TsIK) and the secret police, the OGPU (under control of the SNK, and the OGPU chairman was to be a participant of the SNK with advisory vote). The creation of these two bodies, was justified as measures to overcome criminal and counter-revolutionary elements in that very article. Articles 13–17 specified the framework on the legal proceedings between the Union’s supreme bodies (the TsIK and the SNK) and those of each republic. All of the decrees by Union’s SNK were effective in every republic (13). Also confirmed, was the multilingual aspect of the Union, specifying that all of the Union’s decrees are to printed in the official language of each constituent republic (Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Georgian, Armenian and Turkic (i. e. Azerbaijani)) (14). It was specified that the Union’s SNK resolution may only be overruled by the Union’s TsIK or its Presidium (16), and if a republican TsIK chooses to protest the resolution or a decree of the Union’s TsIK, the protest itself does not halt the implementation of the document (15). The latter is only possible if there is obvious violations with existing laws, and in such cases the republic must immediately notify the Union’s SNK and the relevant commissariat (17). Article 18 listed the authorities that would be retained by the Republics and specified their respective Councils of People’s Commissars, each to have a chairmen, his deputies, eleven portfolios and representatives with advisory votes of several Union-level commissariats, in particular foreign affairs, defense, foreign trade, transport and logistics. At the same time, Article 19 specified that republican-level organs, the Supreme Soviet of the National Economy (whose chairman was to also have a full seat in the relevant republican SNK), the commissariats for food supply, finance and labor, as well as the Soviet inspection (the Rabkrin) though subjugated to the Republican authorities, their activities were to be regulated by the Union’s TsIK. Article 20 discussed that the budgets of the Republics would form the Union’s budget, and that all expenses and spendings by the Republics would be determined by the Union’s TsIK. Moreover, the latter would also determine the share of profits, if any, that each Republic would receive. Articles 21–23 created a single Soviet citizenship (21), state symbolism (flag, national anthem and a coat of arms – 22), and specified the Union’s capital in Moscow (23). Article 24 demanded that the republics amended their constitutions with regard to the treaty. Article 25 specified that any amendments, additions or changes to the treaty may be done only by the Union’s Congress of Soviets. Article 26 affirmed the clause in the declaration where each republic has the right to leave the Union. Initially, the treaty did little to alter the major political spectrum. Most of the governing positions of the RSFSR’s supreme organs were automatically transferred to the USSR’s. For example, the Chairman of the All-Union Central Executive Committee (TsIK) was taken by Mikhail Kalinin, who would retain his chair as Russia’s TsIK. Likewise Lenin’s position as chairman of RSFSR’s Council of People’s Commissars (SNK), which he held since the Revolution, would now to be transformed as the Chairman of the Union’s SNK. However, as Lenin remained ill from the stroke, both of his chairs would be occupied by Alexei Rykov as acting head of the government. Joseph Stalin’s position as General Secretary of the Communist Party was also unchanged. However the Party’s position was. Prior to the treaty the Russian Communist Party (bolsheviks), had its own bureaus which oversaw the activities in distant regions (e. g. Turkestani bureau, Transcaucasian bureau, etc. ). After the Treaty, the party was re-organized as the All-Union Communist Party. Whilst the Republic’s parties remained, Russia’s party not only retained its primus inter pares (“first among equals”) position, but officially took over as a supreme authority in the USSR. One area where Soviet division of power was not resolved at time of the Treaty’s signing, was Soviet Central Asia which contained several problems. A major battleground during the Russian Civil War, the region would remain unstable afterwards. Turkestan had come under Russian control fairly recently, between 1867 and 1885. Unlike other ethnic borders of the former Russian Empire which were delimited during the Tsarist days (e. g. Transcaucasia lost its feudal administration by the mid-19th century), the Soviet authorities inherited two provinces that were de jure never part of Russia proper, the Emirate of Bukhara and the Khanate of Khiva. During the Russian Civil War, these too shared the fate of the other republics, but even here their special status was preserved, and they were established as the Bukharan and Khorezm People’s Soviet Republics. Despite Mikhail Frunze’s victories, the conflict was ongoing and whole provinces were under control of the Basmachi movement in 1922. To settle this issue, in line with the korenizatsiya policy a massive program of national delimitation in Central Asia was undertaken. On October 27, 1924, TsIK issued a decree where the former Bukharan, Khivan People’s Republics as well as the RSFSR’s Turkestan were re-organized as the Uzbek SSR and the Turkmen SSR, both of whom became full Union Republics on May 13, 1925. The borders of the new republics matched the ethnic ones, and Uzbekistan initially also contained a newly formed Tajik Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, which would be elevated to a full Union Republic on October 16, 1929, becoming the Tajik SSR. Some experts argue that the original Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ceased to exist as such upon the adoption of the second Soviet Constitution on December 5, 1936, which greatly altered the internal arrangement and re-organized the USSR from a Union-based confederation into a proper federal country. Instead of the Congress of Soviets, the new Constitution created a permanent parliament, the Supreme Soviet. It also tied together most of the authorities, and most significantly affirmed the role of the Communist Party as the driving force behind the USSR’s working masses. With regard to the original Treaty, the adoption of the Constitution re-organized the make-up of the Union. The Transcaucasian SFSR ceased to exist and the three republics that made it up were fully admitted to the Union. Simultaneously two of RSFSR’s autonomies, the Kazak and the Kirghiz ASSRs were re-organized as full republics. Therefore, the seven became the eleven. The Transcaucasian SFSR existed until December 5, 1936, when it was broken into Armenian, Georgian and Azerbaijani SSRs. The same day Turkestan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic of the RSFSR ceased to exist, and its territory was divided between the new Kazakh and Kirghiz SSRs. The names of all Soviet republics were changed, transposing the second (“socialist”) and third (“soviet” or e. g. “radianska” in Ukrainian) words. In the prelude to World War II, several new republics were created prior to the German invasion of the USSR in 1941. The first was the Karelo-Finnish SSR, which on March 31, 1940, was elevated to a union republic from the Karelian ASSR, previously part of the RSFSR. After the annexation of the Baltic states, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia were transformed into the Lithuanian SSR (July 13), Latvian SSR (July 21) and Estonian SSR (also July 21), and were formally adjoined to the Soviet Union on August 3, August 5 and August 6, respectively. The final republic was the Moldovian SSR that merged the large territory of Bessarabia with the Moldovian ASSR previously part of the Ukrainian SSR. After World War II, no new republics were established, instead the Karello-Finnish SSR was downgraded into an autonomous republic and re-annexed by the RSFSR on July 16, 1956. On December 8, 1991, the leaders of the Ukrainian and Belorussian SSRs, and the RSFSR met to agree on the annulment of the 1922 Treaty, which was terminated on December 25, 1991, effectively dissolving the USSR. On March 15, 1996, the State Duma of the Russian Federation expressed its legal position in relation to the decision of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR in “The denunciation of the Treaty establishing the Soviet Union” as the wrongful, unconstitutional act passed by a grave violation of the Constitution of the RSFSR, the norms of international law and then in force legislation. For more about the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, including postal history, please see my previous ASAD country profile. To commemorate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the USSR, the Ministry of Communications (Министерство связи СССР) released a set of six stamps on October 25, 1982 (Scott #5091-5096). Each stamp was denominated 10 kopecks and printed by photogravure, perforated 11½x12. Scott #5096 portrays the state emblem of the USSR as well as the Kremlin, framed with the national flag. I also own a small souvenir sheet bearing the same design with additional marginal inscriptions and simulated perforations which I was unable to find in the Scott catalogue. The stamp design has a crossed-out denomination of 4 kopecks with a sheet surcharge of 15 kopecks.

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Calcium carbonate: Ukiyo-e colorant Calcium carbonate 胡粉(gofun): A white powder that can occur in three crystalline forms: Calcite (hexagonal-rhombohedral), Aragonite (orthorhombic) and vaterite. Calcium carbonate occurs naturally in many forms such as Chalk, Limestone, Marble and sea shells. In Japan, the source is sea shells. Calcium carbonate can be difficult to confirm as a printed color since the water used papermaking can be have high concentrations of calcium; also it was sometimes used as an additive to the pulp during papermaking. Calcium carbonate has been found mixed with carbon black to create a wide range of gray tones that can appear as a pale blue color. Extensive use of calcium carbonate is found on Harunobu’s mizu-e or water prints of the 1760’s which are images printed with no or faintly printed outlines. Sometimes a calcium carbonate paint was spattered across the surface of a completed print in order to approximate the appearance of snow or sea spray. For more information see: Calcium carbonate Examples of Calcium carbonate in Ukiyo-e Prints X-ray fluorescence analysis (XRF) is used to detect calcium, which in a white area, is an indication for the presence of calcium carbonate (CaCO3). Other Images of Calcium carbonate Pages in category "Calcium carbonate: Ukiyo-e colorant" The following 3 pages are in this category, out of 3 total.

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Different cultures specialize in different types of artistic media. We think of the French and we think so much of photography, film, light, and painting, for example. We think of the ancient Romans and their beautiful marble and stonework. In many countries and communities, textiles have been and still are a part of the artistic culture. In India, textiles are such a vital part of life even today. There are different regions that are known for different types of fabrics, and certain cities that are known for certain prints, weaves, etc. My ancestral town of Kanchipuram is known for silks, there are certain prints that one would recognize are from Rajasthan, and of course there is the globally popular Pashmina scarves. Given that millions of Indian women wear saris on a daily basis, with the sari typically being a 6 yard piece of fabric, it is only natural that India would be a very heavily textile-oriented culture. Walk into any fabric or sari shop, and ask, say, to look at red saris with a paisley print–the salesperson would immediately pull out 10 bolts of fabric that fit the description! Many indigenous Central and Latin Americans wear the unmistakable woven cotton fabrics in all variations of colorful stripes, and we can see their goods sold all over the world (such as Guatemalan purses). Interestingly, very similar fabrics and patterns can be found in Bhutan. The Nordic countries are known for their intricate knit patterns in their woolen sweaters, very necessary to ward off the chills in extreme northern climates. There are many centers of wool and silk in northern Italy, though probably less than centuries ago, and women delight in wrapping themselves with shawls and richly textured sweaters. Many Native American tribes in the Americas made good use of animals that were hunted for food and used their durable skins, decorating them with feathers, shells, and other natural materials. West African royalty swathed themselves in kente cloth, the different colors symbolizing different attributes. This is just one example of how royalty denoted themselves from commoners. We think of the classic European royal purple, or the bejeweled Russians, magnificent robes and garments for the aristocrats in all cultures. This might seem like something antiquated, but if we reflect on royalty today, they still distinguish themselves by their outfits, often wearing luxury brands that are no longer their exclusive domain, though unaffordable for most people. Think of the countless blogs dedicated to the Duchess of Cambridge and her wardrobe, some of which include suggestions on how to duplicate her look. Books from the 18th and 19th centuries focus heavily on the details of what the characters are wearing. Tolstoy’s Kitty is wearing a dress that shows off her shapely ankles, and then at her ball, is in a cloudlike dress. Every girl who grew up reading Laura Ingalls Wilder lived with vicarious delight as Ma took the girls into town to get fabrics for their new dresses, calicos or muslins or poplin. Jane Austen’s characters also take notice of what the others are wearing, and judge them accordingly. We cannot ignore the significance of textiles in religious contexts. Hindu priests wear simple white cotton dhotis with a simple colored woven border, whereas Episcopalian priests and Catholic clergy are decked out in opulent robes and colors. We recognize the stripes on a Jewish tallit, or prayer shawl. Many African-American communities take pride in dressing up for church, wearing elegant suits and magnificent hats. Fashionista or not, one cannot help but be impacted by the significance of textiles in our daily lives. It is something that we are often too much in a hurry to pay attention to in America, a culture that is so based on practicality. But if we just take a moment, we might appreciate the swish of a dress, the shine of a silk tie, or the tantalizing texture of a hand-knit sweater.

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The wealthiest university of Earth can't afford its academic journal subscriptions. Why not? Because academic journals are expensive. Now, the British government is doing its part to change that. Yesterday afternoon, Science Minister David Willetts outlined the details of a plan that would make publicly funded research available online. Free of charge. They're even enlisting the help of Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales to help pull it off. This is a huge win for the open science revolution. My department spends about £5bn each year funding academic research – and it is because we believe in the fundamental importance of this research that we have protected the science budget for the whole of this parliament. We fund this research because it furthers human knowledge and drives intellectual, social and economic progress. In line with our commitment to open information, tomorrow [May 2, 2012] I will be announcing at the Publishers Association annual meeting that we will make publicly funded research accessible free of charge to readers. Giving people the right to roam freely over publicly funded research will usher in a new era of academic discovery and collaboration, and will put the UK at the forefront of open research. The challenge is how we get there without ruining the value added by academic publishers. The controversy about the status and reliability of reviews on TripAdvisor is a reminder of how precious genuine, objective peer review is. We still need to pay for such functions, which is why one attractive model – known as gold – has the funders of research covering the costs. Another approach, known as green, includes a closed period before wider release during which journals can earn revenues. While opening up the fruits of research is a seismic shift for academic publishing, it is not a leap into the unknown. There are many good examples in medicine. For instance, the Wellcome Trust requires all the research it funds to be made freely available online. A report this year from the U.S. Committee for Economic Development has concluded that the US National Institute of Health's policy of open access has accelerated the transition from basic research to commercialisation, generated more follow-on research and reduced duplicate or dead-end lines of inquiry – so increasing the US government's return on its investment in research. And the researcher Philip Davis has found that, when publishers randomly make articles open access on journal websites, readership increases by up to 250%. Twenty years ago it would have been impossible to imagine an encyclopedia written by millions, openly and freely collaborating via the internet. Today, Wikipedia is an important part of our lives and its co-founder, Jimmy Wales, will be advising us on the common standards that will have to be agreed and adopted for open access to be a success, and also helping to make sure that the new government-funded portal for accessing research really promotes collaboration and engagement. You can read the article in full over on the Guardian. Make no mistake: this represents a monumental achievement in the open science revolution, which, for the first time in years, has been gaining significant momentum ever since Cambridge mathematician Tim Gowers wrote this condemnatory blog post about Elsevier, the largest publisher of scientific journals in the world. Gowers published that post back in January. Within a day, one of his readers had set up a website, The Cost of Knowledge, which allowed academics to register their protest against Elsevier. As of this posting, the site has collected over 11,000 signatures. With organizations like The Wellcome Trust, institutions like Harvard, and governments like the UK backing the push for open access to scientific knowledge, this revolution shows no signs of letting up anytime soon.

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When you are copying a color print to a color negative, the best film to use is Kodak Internegative film. Because of the inherent high contrast of photographic papers, if not controlled, contrast is gained in each generation of a reproduction. Kodak Internegative film is designed to give greater contrast separation in the highlights without raising the overall subject contrast in the negative. To achieve proper color balance in the shadows, midtones, and highlights, you must perform tests to assure that proper exposure and color filtration is obtained. The Photo-Lab Index contains the procedures necessary to accomplish this Combined Black-and-White Line and When a black-and-white original contains both line and continuous-tone matter, the ideal copy method is to copy each type of matter with an appropriate film separately and then sandwich the two negatives together, or print the two negatives separately on the same piece of paper. The colored lines should be copied with an extremely high contrast film, such as Kodalith Pan, and the pastel-colored portions of the original should be copied with a moderate contrast film. When copying the original with only one type of film, you loose quality in either the lines or the continuous tones. For best results, you should copy the combined line and continuous-tone original with a moderate contrast film, such as Kodak Professional Copy film or Kodak Commercial film. Black-and-White Halftone Originals A black-and-white halftone original consists of a pattern of black dots of various sizes that represent tones of gray. Examples of halftone originals are printed pictures in newspapers or magazines. Small dots with ample white space between them produce an illusion of a light tone or highlight. Large dots that are close together produce the illusion of dark tones or shadow areas. Because the dots are all the same tone (black), halftone originals can be copied as line originals. This type of original can also be copied as a continuous-tone original, depending on the use of the final product. Reflection Originals Specifically Produced for Copying When an original is to be used specifically for copying, you can take certain measures to ensure better and color prints produced for copying should have normal density, color saturation, and a glossy surface. When a non-glossy surface is used, the texture of the surface may be apparent in the copy negative and material that is to be copied should be typed with a new typewriter ribbon. A carbon one time ribbon is best. To further increase contrast between the type and the paper background, you can place a sheet of carbon paper behind the typing paper. This causes the carbon to be transferred onto the back of the paper during typing. When using a typewriter to produce copy that will be photographed for making 35mm slides, limit your typing to no more than 8 double-spaced lines with 43 elite or 36 pica characters to a line. When photographing typed copy, use a template as a guide for setting up your camera Allow about 1/8 inch of space outside the template lines in the camera viewfinder. Originals with Defects Occasionally, the only record of an event is the original document that through age or use is no longer in its original condition. By use of appropriate corrective measures, certain defects in originals can be eliminated or minimized in the reproduction. WRINKLED OR CREASED ORIGINALS. Reflection originals that are wrinkled or creased can be flattened by placing the original on a mounting board and then in a heated dry-mounting press. Mounting in this manner is permanent and should be considered carefully before being used. Another method you can use to flatten an old photograph is to wet the photograph with water and squeegee it onto a sheet of glass with the emulsion toward the glass. The photograph must be removed from the glass before it dries; otherwise, it may stick to the STAINED BLACK-AND-WHITE ORIGINALS. Usually, transparent stains on black-and-white originals can be eliminated in the reproduction by using panchromatic film and a filter that is the same color as the stain. Details on eliminating images of stains with filters is discussed in chapter 3. FADED BLACK-AND-WHITE PHOTO- GRAPHS AND MANUSCRIPTS. Normally, black- and-white photographs and other types of original documents that have faded and are yellowed should be

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