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Sensible Precautions to Use with Tape Backup Systems
While tape backups can play an important role in an enterprise's data loss prevention system, there are certain procedures and safeguards that should be followed in order to preserve the integrity of the backup media. A managed program model may include a structure in which IT services personnel are usually the ones to handle the tapes themselves, but any number of situations may arise that require other personnel to come into contact with them. Training to ensure proper handling and storage is essential.
Common Causes of Tape Failure: Things to Avoid
Most tape backup systems are designed to maximize the amount of information stored on each linear foot of tape. This means in practice that data is written right up to the edge of the tape medium itself. Anything that causes damage to the edge or causes it to become brittle or more likely to fray should be avoided. Also to be avoided are situations that cause stress or damage to the cartridge casing of the tape or the internal components in the housing. While it is possible to respool tape onto a fresh cartridge, it is better to avoid the need to do so in the first place.
The primary causes of tape degradation over time relate to environmental factors. Humidity and dust are the enemies of tape media, as are temperatures that are excessively high or low. Tapes should not be stored or stacked where they may experience prolonged periods of vibration, and they should not be stacked directly on top of each other as pressure can cause the casing in the bottom tape to become compressed.
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This is the second post as part of an ongoing series that discusses the market trends that are affecting the evolution of medical device connectivity (MDC) technology. I received some good comments from my previous post – please consider sharing your thoughts, ideas, and experiences.
The second trend I’d like to discuss is the shift towards patient safety as one of the key market drivers for connectivity. It is probably not news to anyone that patient safety has become one of the key drivers for many healthcare IT initiatives. But what is the relationship between patient safety and MDC? Ever since the often referenced IOM report, To Err is Human: Building A Safer Health System, hospitals and vendors alike have increased their focus on driving towards significant reductions in medical errors. The industry as a whole has made great strides, but still lots of work remains.
With device connectivity, my experience has been that for at least the past 15+ years, the key driver has been making the nurse more efficient by eliminating the manual transcription of device data into the patient’s chart. One of the related benefits is a more come complete and legible patient record. However, one could argue that the more legible patient record could be achieved if the vital signs from medical devices were simply typed into the charting application manually (something that many hospitals are actually doing today). So I believe that the nursing efficiency argument holds as the primary driver – but that is starting to be challenged by the focus on patient safety as it relates to connectivity.Read More
One of the most important areas of connectivity, and one that frequently does not receive the attention it deserves, is establishing and maintaining patient context. Historically, connected devices identified data by location – tagging data with a bed or even port number – rather than the actual patient name or ID. Because patients are frequently moved during an episode of care – not to mention ambulatory – data that is only tagged with a location presents risks of misidentification. In an effort to improve positive patient identification, data is increasingly tagged with a patient identifier.
Besides patient safety, patient context also greatly impacts medical device workflow. (Medical device connectivity is workflow automation through the integration of medical devices and information systems.) How a vendor implements patient context can have a big impact on usability and customer acceptance.
Patient context requirements can vary, based on the type of medical device in question. What is not variable is the requirement to reliably establish and maintain context. Mobile applications (like smart pumps or patient monitoring) where the device may go in and out of network coverage while constantly in use present special challenges. This compares to a fixed or portable medical device, like a dialysis machine or diagnostic ultrasound, with an episodic use case during which neither the device or patient is moved. Another variable is whether the application is life-critical. Continuous patient monitoring and many alarms (e.g., smart pumps and ventilators) are life-critical applications with a higher threshold of requirements. This contrasts with connectivity for documentation like with point of care testing or spot vital signs capture. In all cases though, patient context must be safe and reliable. The above issues just help define how many hoops you have to jump through to be safe and reliable.Read More
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Coronavirus (COVID-19) Return to Work Form
The Return to Work form is a helpful tool to have proper documentation in place for an employee to return to work after a sickness.
How does it work?
Using this app will allow the employee to record the required information necessary and allow for employee and the human resource facilitator signatures to be documented and easily accessible for management to review when needed. During times where there is an increased need for work absence due to illness such as during the outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19), this form will be essential to businesses of any size to maintain appropriate records while tracking and monitoring exposure dates in the workplace.
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A small town in Southern Lithuania
Where the Jewish Community is no more
From Josh Rosenfeld
"We have been working on the family genealogy and now have some context for the mysterious album my grandmother brought from Lithuania when she came to the US in 1938 after my grandfather Yehoshua Rosenfeld passed away. His family lived in Vilkaviskis and he married my grandmother Esther Sadunishker from Vilnius. They lived in Vilkaviskis until the German's invaded in 1914 when the Russians moved the town’s Jewish population away from the front. They were resettled in Moscow until the war ended and then returned to Vilkaviskis. My father attended the University of Liege in Belgium after graduating from the Gymnasium and then came to the US in 1924. His younger brother Abe soon followed, went to Kansas City, Missouri and changed his surname to Rosenfield. My father’s youngest brother Hershel went to Israel and became Tzvi Vardi. He was a policemen there until 1951 when he and his family came to the US, went to Kansas City, Mo and he became Harry Rosenfield. Harry appears in the photo on your website of the Zionist group preparing for Aliyah (Maccabi). He is the one in the bottom row on the right"
The graduating class of the Hebrew Gymnasium in Vilkaviskis 1922/23
The class of 1921
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This page describes a reference implementation for an IIS proxy server running https behind a firewall which manages connections to an EASA Server and two EASAP (or historically 'JSF') Servers.
The machine names are:
iisgateway.easa.com is running https listening on ports 8443, 8081, 8082.
The EASA machines are all running http listening on port 8080.
An Author or User will directly interact only with ports on iisgateway.easa.com.
Below is a summary and reference for this four machine IIS and EASA example configuration.
The sections below describe:
In this window, pictured below:
If HTTP 500 errors are a problem, turn off static compression (uncheck box below) for all three EASA machines.
If HTTP 500 errors persist and compression is still turned on for other non-EASA hosts, change the order of the Modules so that the RewriteModule occurs before the StaticCompressionModule.
Further details may be found at the IIS online documentation:
Modify the registry key below to support long URL's:
jsf-server-two has the identical configuration as jsf-server-one above with the following two text substitutions:
Replace each instance of:
Configuration of jsf-server-one:
Configuration of jsf-server-two:
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30th April 2018
There has been an increase in measles in surrounding areas, as this is Immunisation week we would like to highlight this to all parents.
“Measles is highly infectious – a cough or a sneeze can spread the measles virus over a wide area. If you come into contact with it and are not protected, the chances are that you will be infected. Measles can be very serious and more severe in adults causing complications such as ear and chest infections, fits, diarrhoea, encephalitis (infection of the brain), and brain damage. Measles, mumps and rubella can also cause complications in pregnancy that can lead to miscarriage. About one in 5000 individuals with measles is likely to die.”
To be protected from measles and other infections including mumps and rubella, you need to be immunised with 2 doses of MMR vaccine. If you haven’t had 2 doses of MMR, it’s not too late. Speak to your GP today or visit www.nhs.uk/measles”
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When accessing the database in WordPress, you need to use the global variable
$wpdb. This will take the constants you set in wp-config.php to connect to your database and retrieve whichever results you specify. But what if you have a second database you wish to connect to for whatever reason? To do that all you need is the following snippet:
$newdb = new wpdb($DB_USER, $DB_PASSWORD, $DB_NAME, $DB_HOST); $newdb->show_errors();
Add the code snippet to your functions.php file or a specific page template, and then you can use
$newdb just like you would
$wpdb to access a second database and retrieve some data.
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Dogs will put almost anything in their mouths, and may view something as simple as a weekly pill holder as a plastic chew toy. Unfortunately, this means they are prone to swallowing all manner of poisonous materials — most cause unpleasant side effects, but some can be fatal without treatment.
When in doubt, pet proof your home and avoid self-administering over-the-counter medications without first consulting your veterinarian. And if you think your pet may have ingested something poisonous, call your veterinarian or a pet poison helpline immediately!
What To Watch For
Clinical signs will vary depending on the type of poison swallowed. They can be as mild as generalized lethargy, malaise, and weakness to gastrointestinal signs like vomiting, diarrhea, drooling, and nausea. More severe signs can include agitation, excessive sedation, tremors, twitching, seizures, or even coma. Because symptoms vary, always call your veterinarian or an animal poison helpline for help.
Most poisons are ingested by accident, when an inquisitive dog finds unsecured substances lying around. Sometimes, owners may self-medicate their pet, only to find out days later, when their pet is symptomatic, that the medication is poisonous to pets due to their altered ability to metabolize certain drugs.
-If your pet has accidentally ingested something poisonous, immediately remove him or her from the source of poison. However, you first must determine if it is safe to do so. Some substances require special safety equipment for handling (i.e., rubber gloves, masks, etc.). -If possible, identify the poison and have the contents available for your veterinarian to evaluate. Having the labels and/or containers of the material or medication is extremely helpful, too. -If the dog has vomited, gather a sample of it in a plastic bag and save it for your veterinarian. It may be used for testing and analysis. However, never induce vomiting without consulting with your veterinarian or an animal poison helpline first, especially if it is unconscious. Certain types of poisons can be made worse when vomiting is induced. -Contact the poison helpline on the way to the veterinarian or emergency clinic. It may help you relay important information to the doctors.
Instructions for poisoning with household products:
Some common types of household products include acids, alkalis, or petroleum-based hydrocarbons such as:
-Drain cleaner -Oven cleaner -Toilet cleaner -Dishwasher granules/tablets -Laundry soaps/detergents -Kerosene -Gasoline -Paint thinner -Paint stripper/remover -Lye -Furniture polish -Floor polish -Shoe polish -Wood preservative -Caustic soda -Chlorine bleach
If your pet is exposed to any of these products:
-Stay calm! -Contact a veterinarian immediately and tell them you are on your way; this will allow them to prepare for your arrival. -Move your pet to a safe area (away from the poison), if possible. -Check to see if your dog is breathing. If not, perform CPR on the animal. -If your pet begins to tremor or convulse, move her to a safe area where she won’t injury herself(away from stairs or furniture). -Always take the dog to the vet as soon as possible, as your vet may need to pump your dog’s stomach (called “gastric lavageâ€) or administer activated charcoal to bind up any toxins in the stomach.
Instructions for poisoning with acids, alkalis, and petroleum products:
-If your pet swallowed anything caustic (i.e., acids or alkalis), do not administer home remedies. Neutralizing the chemical ingestion can, in and of itself, cause a chemical reaction, which can further aggravate the dog’s injuries. -Instead, flush your pet’s mouth out with tepid water for 15 to 20 minutes by using a shower head or kitchen sink spray hose. Try not to point the hose to the back of the mouth, though. The water may go into the lungs, which can complicate the situation. It is better to clean the mouth from different angles. -Never induce vomiting without consulting a veterinarian or animal poison helpline first, as sometimes you can make your pet worse by inducing vomiting. -Burns in the mouth often take hours to show up. Just because you don’t see any injury, doesn’t mean it’s not occurring! Also, burns may only show up in the esophagus or stomach, where you can’t visualize them. -If your pet is unconscious, seek immediately veterinary care! -If your pet swallowed a petroleum product, do not induce vomiting. This can make your pet worse, and these substances are easy to aspirate into the lungs, making your pet develop a potentially severe aspiration pneumonia. -If the dog has licked the substance, refer to Burns and Scalding for treatment of chemical burns in the mouth.
Other important points to consider:
-If your veterinarian recommends inducing vomiting, use fresh, non-expired, bubbly hydrogen peroxide as directed by your veterinarian. It is no longer recommended to use syrup of ipecac, salt, or any home remedies, as this can make your pet worse. -Do not administer activated charcoal products that you have at home – these aren’t as effective as what your veterinarian can give -If your veterinarian or emergency clinic cannot be reached, call an animal poison helpline.
Treat your dog as you would a young, inquisitive child:
-Crate train your dog — this is the best way to prevent accidental toxicities! -Pet proof your house adequately, making sure all dangerous substances (i.e., medication, chemicals, household products) are stored in secured cabinets or closets, out of reach of inquisitive paws and noses. -Do not allow your dog to play in areas where chemicals are stored. -Keep the garage floor or parking space free of oil, antifreeze, and petroleum products, even minor spills. Antifreeze is especially toxic and enticing to dogs because of its sweet taste, and should be stored away securely. -Store your medication in a separate area from your pets’ medications. This will help prevent you from giving your own medications to your pet by accident. -Carefully read the label of the prescription vial to make sure you’re administering the correct drug to your pet. -If you keep pills in a weekly pill holder, make sure to put this in an elevated cabinet, instead of on the kitchen counter. Dogs view these as plastic chew toys (they even rattle inside with all those pills!), and can easily chew through this. -Do not store your pills in a plastic storage bag (i.e., Ziploc) — these can easily be chewed through, exposing your dog to many medications all at once.
This article is posted through the courtesy of petMD “Because pets can’t talk”
Also see ASPCA 10 Top Pet Poisons
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Sliding doors are no less elegant now than they were in the long-ago Asian cultures in which they originated, but new materials have given them a sturdier, more pronounced presence than their predecessors of centuries past. Today’s roundup of modern sliding doors, also called “fusama,” range from glass room dividers to metal sliding wardrobe doors, as well as a heavy slab of wood from Bartels acting as a privacy partition for a master bedroom in an urban loft. They may not provide as much satisfaction as a slammed door during moments of frustration, but then again, it might be a moot point since they lend a sense of Zenlike calm to their surrounding spaces. You could say it’s in their genes.
Modern wood sliding door found at Bartels.
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The Cold War was the continuing state of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition existing after World War II (1939–1945), primarily between the Soviet Union and its satellite states, and the powers of the Western world, particularly the United States. Although the primary participants' military forces never officially clashed directly, they expressed the conflict through military coalitions, strategic conventional force deployments, extensive aid to states deemed vulnerable, proxy wars, espionage, propaganda, a nuclear arms race, and economic and technological competitions, such as the Space Race.
Despite being allies against the Axis powers and having the most powerful military forces among peer nations, the USSR on the one side, and the UK, France, China and the USA on the other, disagreed about the configuration of the post-war world while occupying most of Europe. The Soviet Union created the Eastern Bloc with the eastern European countries it occupied, annexing some as Soviet Socialist Republics and maintaining others as satellite states, some of which were later consolidated as the Warsaw Pact (1955–1991). The US and some western European countries established containment of communism as a defensive policy, establishing alliances such as NATO to that end.
Several such countries also coordinated the Marshall Plan, especially in West Germany, which the USSR opposed. Elsewhere, in Latin America and Southeast Asia, the USSR assisted and helped foster communist revolutions, opposed by several Western countries and their regional allies; some they attempted to roll back, with mixed results. Some countries aligned with NATO and the Warsaw Pact, and others formed the Non-Aligned Movement.
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About the FDRF040-95/195-160/300 Diameter Measurement System
The system is designed for non-contact measuring of inner diameter of cylindrical and taper pipes, gun barrels. The system is used on the production line as the quality control tool.
- Measurement range (diameter): 95 to 195mm, 160 to 300mm
- Accuracy: ±50 µm, ±200 µm
- Number of laser sensors: 4
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SAP SRM 7.0 Enhancement Package 3 SP11
As part of SAP SRM 7.03 SP11 the following features are delivered:
Undo Accept or Undo Reject a Bid:
This feature enables the option to revert the acceptance or rejection of a RFx Response in bid decoupling scenario.
Generic Text Templates:
This feature provides a central location to create or edit the text templates and use them across business objects.
Adoption of a Formula:
This feature allows you to update the factors, value of the factors and the formula associated with a purchase order or a contract. This feature is an enhancement to the feature Formula based Condition for PO or Contract.
You can find detailed description about these features by following the links mentioned below:
For complete details about SAP SRM 7.03 refer: SAP SRM 7.03
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If you are currently deciding whether or not to file a disability discrimination lawsuit against your current or former employer, know that there are time limitations you should be aware of regarding your legal complaint.
An employee must first receive a right to sue letter from the Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) prior to filing a disability discrimination lawsuit. An employee generally has 1 year from the time of the violation to file this charge. This 1-year period is known as the first statute of limitations. After receiving the “right to sue” letter, an employee has another 1-year period within which he or she can sue the employer. This is known as the second statute of limitations.
As with any law, there are exceptions, and they can get rather complicated. There are two major exceptions to these rules: the continuing violations doctrine and equitable tolling.
Continuing Violations Doctrine
The Continuing Violations Doctrine essentially depends on whether the incident was “discrete” or “ongoing.” The doctrine allows employees to bring a charge to DFEH more than 1 year after discrimination occurred if the charge involves continuing discrimination and is brought within 1 year after the discriminatory behavior stopped. For most one-time instances of discrimination, such as firing or failing to hire or promote, the continuing violations doctrine will not apply. The doctrine will only apply to cases where discrimination is ongoing to a specific individual, even if most of the discrimination occurred more than 1 year before filing a charge. In practice, this usually means that the 1 year period does not actually start running until the employee quits, is terminated, or the employee responsible for the discrimination is terminated or leaves.
Equitable Tolling Doctrine
The Equitable Tolling Doctrine is a principal created by judges that seeks to impose fairness on statutes of limitations. It can potentially apply in many situations; however in practice it is usually effective in two specific situations. The first is when an employee files a charge with the federal equivalent of DFEH, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). If DFEH gives the employee a right to sue letter, but the employee also files a charge with the EEOC, the 1 year period does not run for the duration of the EEOC’s investigation.
The second situation is when the employee is following internal grievance procedures. For example, if an employee suffers disability discrimination, they may bring a formal grievance charge, which will prevent the 1 year period from running during the pending grievance. However, there are limitations. The grievance system must have a hearing where the employee is able to present their claim and evidence of the discrimination.
Contact a Discrimination Disability Lawyer
To learn more about your rights under disability discrimination law, call California employment attorney of Michelle Baker today. Give us a call at (858) 452-0093 or use our online submission form to schedule a Free Consultation.
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While running a program, when an exception occurs, sometimes it’s easy to figure out what caused it. Other times, it can be more complex, especially in the case of unique exceptions you might not be familiar with. Here, having Copilot chat inside Visual Studio offers an extra gear. Within the exception menu, we now have an option that allows us to ask Copilot for information on that specific exception.
Figure 1: Copilot AI Assistant in exception box
Copilot may not always be able to find the exact solution to our problem, but the interesting thing is that with a single click, without leaving the context of Visual Studio, we already have a very extensive description of what might be the cause of the exception. This helps us understand and find the root cause.
Figure 2: Copilot AI exception explanation
As you can see in the figure above, you have a circular dependency with castle. It occurs when one component depends on another, which in turn depends on another, and going around the resolution chain, we finally return to the main component. Therefore, Castle is unable to create the component because it enters a loop. If you work with castle it is common to find this exception, the reason is clear, but it is tedious understanding which is the chain*
However, if you look at the highlighted part, Copilot was still able to analyze the entire stack trace of the exception and tell me what the circular dependency is. These details are contained in the exception you just need to read description and stack trace carefully, but copilot chat can summarize with a single click, saving precious time.
Figure 3: Part of the original exception detail
As you can see in the figure above, the information in question is contained within the exception text. However, compare it with that from Copilot to understand how much simpler it is to read Copilot’s result, rather than having to rummage through the exception’s stack trace.
This area is where AI and ChatGPT shine, with the ability to summarize text and find relevant information. Copilot chat brings this capability within one click’s distance, without exiting Visual Studio, a real time-saver.
After several days of usage, Copilot Chat isn’t miraculous, but it is a real lifesaver in many situations. The more you understand where it shines the brightest, the more time you save.
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In a never-ending testing environment, formative assessments can be overwhelming. District-mandated assessments PLUS classroom assessments are a recipe for student shutdowns. But don’t fear, try any of these methods to spruce up your classroom formative assessments. Students love the games, and teachers can use the information to drive instruction.
- Quizlet Live: Quizlet Live randomly places students in groups, assigns a mascot, and requires students to work together to answer questions.
- Plickers: I recently showed this to teachers during a professional development and they were blown away. Afterwards, many teachers tried it immediately and the feedback was tremendously positive. Plickers stores information by student and uses technology to accept student answers. Each student is assigned a specific code card, so teachers can track students’ individual progress as well as the class. Plickers is great for accumulating data to drive instruction.
- Kahoot!: I’ve seen this used a lot at the middle school level. Students can play using their Chromebooks or personal electronic devices. It’s like an interactive survey with instant results. It also ranks students, creating friendly competition.
- Quizziz: Quizziz sends questions to the student’s device and allows them to answer at their own pace. The faster they answer, the more points they earn. There are also options to assign quizzes with a deadline, or quizzes can be done as a class.
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Following a few safe sleep precautions is one of the most important steps you can take to help prevent sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) during the first few months of your baby’s life. Yet infant deaths related to SIDS, suffocation in bed and other unknown causes are still too high, at 3,700 in 2015, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). But a new test program involving texting may just help keep more parents informed on the latest sleep recommendations so they’re more likely to avoid unsafe sleep practices.
What the study looked at
Between March 2015 and May 2016, 16 hospitals across the U.S. enrolled 1,263 moms of healthy full-term newborns in a safe sleep program following birth. The moms were divided into four groups. Moms in all groups got the basic hospital rundown on bringing baby to bed to breastfeed and returning her to a separate space to sleep. Some of the moms then either received texts or emails on safe sleep, or they received the same information from hospital nurses.
The texts and emails, which included both health tips and 60- to 90-second educational videos, addressed common questions about safe sleep and breastfeeding when issues are most likely to arise. The messages were delivered every day for the first 11 days after the moms were released from the hospital post-birth, and then every three to four days for 60 days, providing a sort of virtual support system for moms when they needed it the most.
When their babies were 2 months old, moms were offered a survey about their sleep and feeding practices over the past two weeks, with all survey responses collected by the time the babies reached 8 months old. The authors’ goal was to determine whether the moms put babies to sleep on their backs, in the same room without bed-sharing, offered a pacifier and avoided using soft bedding in the babies’ sleep environment.
The authors compared the various nurse and text methods to the moms’ actual safe sleep practices, taking into account other factors like their age, household income, race/ethnicity and educational level.
What it found
Of the various programs, moms who received texts/emails were significantly more likely to stick to all safe sleep practices, especially room-sharing without bed-sharing and avoiding soft bedding. Training from hospital nurses, however, did not impact the moms’ sleep practices. "Other studies have found that mothers usually intend to adhere to infant safe sleep practices before they are discharged from the hospital, but that the challenges of caring for a newborn may result in changes in practice," the authors noted.
One limitation of the study was that 21 percent of all moms didn’t respond to the survey; what’s more, most of the moms completed the surveys when their babies were between 8 and 12 weeks old, so it’s not clear whether they continued to follow recommended safe sleep practices. And, of course, all of the responses were self-reported (so moms could have fibbed on the survey).
Will this be available nationwide?
The authors’ goal was to create an inexpensive program (the texts and emails can be automated) that’s well-received by moms. Happily, moms who participated opened the messages more than 50 percent of the time.
"Parents are bombarded with a lot of information from a lot of sources, and some of it is not reliable. The mobile health program offered a way to provide reliable messages during periods when parents may be having difficulty following the safe sleep recommendations," says pediatrician Rachel Moon, MD, lead author of the study and co-author of 14 Ways to Protect Your Baby from SIDS.
Moon says the authors are currently applying for funding to expand this study to high-risk moms, serve up texts during pregnancy and optimize the timing and content of the messaging. "Our hope is that it may eventually be expanded nationally," she says.
What this means for you
About 90 percent of all SIDS deaths occur in babies less than 6 months old, with most happening in babies 1 to 4 months of age. So it’s essential to follow all safe infant sleep practices the moment your baby comes home from the hospital, including:
- Share a room, not a bed
- Put baby to sleep on her back
- Keep baby's sleep area clear of bumpers, comforters, blankets, pillows, stuffed animals and wedges
- Use a firm, tight-fitting mattress covered in a tight-fitting cotton sheet
- Offer baby a pacifier, which has been shown to reduce SIDS risk
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Campbell R. Harvey
Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
National Bureau of Economic Research, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
Chris M. Kirby
University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
A number of well-known asset pricing models imply that the expected return on an asset can be written as a linear function of one or more beta coefficients that measure the asset's sensitivity to sources of undiversifiable risk. This paper provides an overview of the econometric evaluation of such models using the method of instrumental variables. We present numerous examples that cover both single-beta and multi-beta models. These examples are designed to illustrate the various options available to researchers for estimating and testing beta pricing models. We also examine the implications of a variety of different assumptions concerning the time-series behavior of conditional betas, covariances, reward-to-risk ratios. The techniques discussed in this paper have applications in other areas of asset pricing as well.
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Character Harry Callahan, played by Clint Eastwood in the movie Magnum Force, so famously said, "A man's got to know his limitations."
After reading the book StrengthsFinder by Tom Rath, supported by The Gallup Organization, I'd like to modify this quote to read, "A man's got to know his strengths."
The concept of the book is that everyone should play to their strengths instead of focusing on improving their weaknesses. For example, if a child brings home a report card with an "A+" in math and a "C" in art - some parents may sign their child up for more art classes to improve the weakness; however,StrengthsFinder would say it's more important to better refine the math skills which are clearly the student's strength.
I agree, when people operate in an environment which utilizes strengths, the opportunity to maximize potential increases exponentially.
If we hire someone who is great at auditing, yet average at tax preparation, we're going to make sure they focus on getting even better at auditing, and keep the tax work assigned to others with strengths in that area.
If you haven't taken the StrengthsFinder assessment, it's enlightening. As the book points out, the assessment does not necessarily measure your strengths, it measures your talent, "...we have discovered that knowledge and skills - along with regular practice - are most helpful when they serve as amplifiers for your natural talents."
- My particular strength areas, with descriptive phrases based on the book's definitions, are as follows:
- Competition: Rooted in comparison - if you can compare, you can compete
- Futuristic: Fascinated with the future, visions of the future energize you and pull you forward.
- Learner: Love of learning
- Maximizer: Transforming something strong into superb
- Relator: Derive pleasure and strength from being around close friends
I'm always interested in hearing other people's strengths. If you give StrengthsFinder a try, share your results with others in your organization and start to manage people with their strengths/talents in mind. Leverage strengths - don't accentuate weaknesses. Good luck!
"Pessimism leads to weakness, optimism to power." - William James
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Over the last several years, the Government of Canada has funded programs designed to help Canadians adapt to the impacts of climate change. The Regional Adaptation Collaborative (RAC) Program is part of this investment. It is a three-year, $30 million, program delivered in cooperation with all provinces and territories.
The Governments of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador partnered to deliver the Atlantic portion of this program. The Atlantic Regional Adaptation Collaborative, administered through the Atlantic Climate Adaptation Solutions Association (ACASA), worked to develop tools and resources that can help decision makers address:
- coastal erosion,
- coastal and inland flooding,
- infrastructure design, and
- groundwater management.
From 2009 to 2012, Natural Resources Canada provided $3.5 Million to the region. The Atlantic Provinces contributed an additional $4.6 Million.
For more information, please visit the Natural Resources Canada website.
- Date modified:
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What the learner needs to know, understand or be able to do
The learner will:
Take part in an activity to support their own mental health and wellbeing.
What the learner need to demonstrate in order to meet the learning outcome
The learner can:
- Choose one activity that can support their own mental health and wellbeing
- Participate in an activity to look after own mental health and wellbeing for a minimum of three weeks
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1 Answer | Add Yours
A figure of speech in poetry is also known as literary devices or poetic devices. The main figure of speech used in the poem is one of personification.
Personification according to the eNotes site is:
a figure of speech in which abstractions, animals, ideas, and inanimate objects are endowed with human form, character, traits, or sensibilities.
What this means is that non-human things are given traits that only humans typically have. An example of personification would be "the wind is laughing" or "the clouds are screaming". Wind cannot laugh and clouds cannot scream. Only people can laugh and scream.
The entire poem "Mirror", by Sylvia Plath" is a personification poem. The personification is denoted by the title of the poem. Without the title, one could justifiably assume that the poem is about a person given the human characteristics depicted in the poem itself.
Whatever I see, I swallow immediately.
Here, the line refers to a mirror swallowing the reflection seen in the glass. Mirrors cannot swallow anything, but people can. Therefore, this examples the personification used in the poem.
Another figure of speech that exists in the poem is one of hyperbolic language. A hyperbole, as defined by eNotes, is:
obvious and deliberate exaggeration or an extravagant statement.
Basically, a hyperbole is an over-exaggeration of the truth. Here, an example of hyperbolic language is:
Now I am a lake.
The mirror is stating (personification- mirrors cannot state anything) that it is a lake. This qualifies as a hyperbole because a mirror is nothing like a lake- it is small and has no depth (physically). The hyperbole exists because the mirror is describing how deeply one can look into a mirror and it would seem that the mirror is endless and deep.
The last example of figurative speech in the poem is one of a simile. A simile is a comparison between two things using the words "like" or "as".
Rises toward her day after day, like a terrible fish.
The comparison is the image of the woman reflected in the mirror to that of a fish.
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The rise of China as a major player on the international stage over the past few decades has been breathtaking. This interdisciplinary course introduces students to some of the key challenges which face China today through the study and analysis of topics such as population, politics, geography, economics, culture and the environment.
Contents & Topics
Topics covered in the course include:
- Law and human rights
- International security
- Hanification of minorities
- Protest culture
Case studies presented and discussed in the course include Mao Zedong, China and Africa, CCP land grabs, China and the internet, Tibet, copyright and IP, the Three Gorges Dam, and Taiwan.
Goals and Objectives
The purpose of this course is to develop the skills needed to independently learn about and understand the nations of the world. With China as a giant case study, students will: analyze the impact of history, geography, economics, religion, politics, culture and language on nations; analyze challenges involving this dynamic nation with ancient roots; better understand the growing importance of China in international affairs and use these analytical skills to better understand any nation or region of the world.
This challenging yet rewarding two-credit blended learning course requires, at a minimum, six hours of work per week, including weekly face-to-face and online class participation, reading assignments, quizzes, written assignments, unit tests, a research paper, and a final project. Students will also read China Road, by Rob Gifford, and Contemporary China - An Introduction, by Michael Dillon. Access to a computer and the internet is also required for the course as the course calendar, assignment descriptions, online activities and the submission of all assignments are done via I-Learn.
- Completion of Writing and Reasoning (FDENG 101) with a D- or higher
- Completion of American Foundations (FDAMF 101) with a D- or higher
- Completion of Foundations of Humanities (FDCA 101) with a D- or higher
Winter, Spring, Fall
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Vlogging throughout an intensive wet lab practical
This article will show an example of how lab practicals can make use of vlogging for mimicking real life in a course.
Course: AFI31806 Aquaculture Production Systems
Period: Period 2
Short Introduction and background
Introduction and story behind the emergence of this learning activity. What was the need, what issue/problem was the teacher facing and wanted to resolve?
In this course, students acquire knowledge of and experience with biological, physical and chemical water quality control in aquaculture production systems. These systems are being used in aquatic research facilities and commercial aquaculture. The course practical specifically focuses on Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS).
During lectures and tutorials, students receive theoretical information on how to design and manage different aquaculture systems taking into account biological, physical and chemical processes that occur in the water and water treatment units, which affect fish production and welfare.
During the practical sessions, students are responsible for:
- building their own mini RAS
- managing the system and maintaining the water quality parameters
- taking care of live fish in the tanks of each RAS
The practical is quite extensive since it includes taking care of live animals. Students in groups manage the tanks, feed the fish, take care of water quality, etc. for a duration of 5 weeks, 7 days per week.
Due to corona restrictions, it was not possible for the students to do the practical session in the Aquatic Research Facility of Carus, the animal research facility of WUR (Carus-ARF). However, the application of the theoretical knowledge in practice is an important learning objective of the course - using such knowledge to evaluate the daily management actions on the RAS water quality performance and fish welfare. Therefore, the course offers very important skills to students for future occupations in aquaculture sector where they have to manage few thousands of fish, but also for those that want to continue in research and perform experimental studies involving aquatic organisms.
Mimicking real life in this course is therefore of great importance. Hence, the lecturers investigated ways to replace this practical session with something that approached that experience as close as possible.
Relevant tools / apps (software) or hardware used
- OneDrive - used to communicate data across all relevant parties (lecturers, student assistant, students)
- MS Teams - used for vlogging with the student assistant in the lab and for consultation sessions with the lecturers
- Gimble - vlogging hardware (rented via WUR)
- Cell phone - to record the vlogging
What has been learned after this lesson/activity has been executed ?
- Integrate insights in biological, physical and chemical processes occurring in water into the design of sustainable aquaculture production units, while considering input needs and environmental impacts
- Apply and control the main biological processes affecting water quality in aquatic ecosystems
- Design and operate outdoor and indoor recirculating aquaculture systems
- Apply the principles governing the management of aquaculture production systems to the maintenance, design or restoration of natural or man-made aquatic ecosystems
Lesson idea / Learning activity
Specific description and demonstration of the lesson idea/learning activity.
The students work in groups of 4-6 (the preferred group size is 4 students). Normally they would be responsible for building the RAS system and then for maintaining the systems and taking care of the fish living in those systems. They would do this taking turns, because it would require them to check-in and take several actions every day of the week, for a duration of 5 weeks. Live animals need daily care.
The first step would be to build the RAS. This step was replaced by a practical video with animated elements (see the second video), created by the educational video team. In this video, the different components and their functioning were explained, helping the students to understand how the RAS works. This would only cover the first practical morning of the course. For the practical, the normal setup was still the same as earlier years; there were 10 groups of students and each group was responsible for maintaining one RAS housing 30 common carps.
For the majority of the 35-day lasting practical, another solution involving video was used; vlogging. This vlogging was done by a single student-assistant who was present at the RAS systems for 35 consecutive days. The process that is explained below was hence repeated 35 times (each student being 6 -7 days ‘responsible’ and trained under supervision (5 minutes feedback and 5 minutes vlogging per student each day).
Every morning the student assistant would measure the water quality parameters in each of the 10 RAS and provide the data to each student group via an Excel file shared in OneDrive (one Excel sheet was allocated per group). Collected data (time series) were directly visualised in graphs to create optimal conditions for management actions and feedback on proposed management decisions of students. The students used the Excel file in which all data about the fish (number, daily feed ration etc), the water quality parameters (temperature, oxygen, pH, etc) and the approved management actions (temperature, pH, oxygen, etc) of the previous days were registered.
Based on those data, the student groups had to make decisions for their consecutive actions and had to register those decisions in the Excel file. They would discuss their intended actions with the lecturers during a feedback or consultation session every day (7 days a week) and they would ask for advice if needed. During the consultation session, a single (rotating) representative of each group was present, and there was time for consultation for each group. They would propose their management decisions based on the water quality measurements and they could ask questions about the measurements, or about the next steps required. Note: if the decisions would be detrimental for the fish, the lecturers would interfere. Then, they would go to the vlogging student assistant; one group at the time.
The vlogging student assistant had a cell phone attached to a gimble for a vlogging setup, see the video below what this vlogging looked like. He called the responsible student (5-10 minutes) and discussed the agreed actions accordingly. E.g. the students would indicate the amount of feed required to feed the fish, they would be able to check the filters in case cleaning was required, they could check the behaviour of the fish during feeding and the clarity of the water for instance, which were visible on the camera that was attached to the gimble. In that way, the student could follow what was done and see how the fish were responding. The student assistant also administered all taken actions in the Excel file, so that the students could discuss and take action on those things again the next day.
Even though the student-assistant performed the actions, the students were ‘fully responsible’ for the well-being of their fish and their environment. That all groups also participated actively during the weekend sessions, showed that they were engaged. The feedback that the lecturers and student-assistant received on these practicals was very positive.
Student reactions in the course evaluation
What did you like about the course (remarks selected are restricted to the vlogging in practical 1):
- "We could experience Practical 1 learning despite being fully online It was really sad that we could not do the practical in real life, however, the alternative with the vlogging was very nice."
- "I really like that we could still manage the fish. It really helped to engage with the content by just doing it although it was online."
- "It was really nice to be able to still do a practicum, online."
- "The fact that we were still able to do the experiment even though we were not able to be at Carus present ourselves. Although I think that we would have learned more from doing it at the Carus facility ourselves."
- "The practicals with the carp, even though we weren’t able to visit the lab, practical knowledge is always a great learning method in my opinion."
Which online elements in this course did you like the most and why (selected remarks are restricted to vlogging):
- "I really liked video calling the fish."
- "The group work and the management vlogging online lectures and practical."
- "The vlogging with Taofik."
- "It made me feel like we were still an active part of the experiment."
- "The vlogging!"
- "The VLOGS from Taofik and MS teams."
- "Two practicals, they are very useful."
- "Vlogging for Practical 1 is a great idea, but the amount of idle waiting time to be called was unnecessary. Sometime we got called very late (later than 13:30), pushing it to overlap with the afternoon course."
There were no negative remarks in relation to vlogging (best alternative when a real-life practical is not possible). However, there were remarks from students that the real-life situation is preferred. One student unsubscribed from the course because he wanted to do the practical next year in real life.
Lessons learned / Tips
Mentions tips lecturer has for colleagues based on their experience.
It went really well and the experience was as close as it could get given the current circumstances. Of course, a real-life practical is always better. Although maybe an intermediate format could be where 5 groups work with 5 vlogging systems to keep updated their own group members. Certainly following this experience, the lecturers will keep the consultation sessions and the Excel in OneDrive to keep track of the data and actions. This is because the consultation and feedback were really contributing to the learning experience of the students. The use of a shared Excel file with 10 excel sheets resulted in very good control over the process; a certain problem and its solution were always traceable in the data and available for all students in the course.
Logistically it was a bit of a challenge because there were 10 groups and group #10 was always the last one being called by the student-assistant. This could perhaps be improved by randomisation.
Teacher(s): Fotini Kokou, Ep Eding, Geert Wiegertjes
Educational supporters/ESC contact: Senna Tamminga, Gerrit Bakker, Karly van Gorp
Author (interviewer): Karly van Gorp
- Manuals for adding MS Teams within Brightspace: Brightspace Help for Lecturers
- Microsoft tutorials on how to set-up your MS Teams page: Microsoft Support
- Manuals for using OneDrive with Brightspace: Brightspace Help for Lecturers
- The impression of the vlogging experience (Video executed and filmed by the student assistant Taofik Momoh. Edited by Esther Nijkamp.): (video below)
- Instruction video on the RAS system (Video Executed by: Fotini Kokou and Ep Eding. Filmed and edited by Educational Media Team.): (video below)
Interested in learning more about Showcases of learning activities?
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Eugenics began as a science studied by Francis Galton and Charles Darwin, his relative, in 1883. The reason for the study was to find a way to make sure human beings in the future evolved into socially acceptable members of society. This meant both in physical form and intellect. The eugenics idea came from ancient times but became popular during Europe’s enlightenment period. It was a time when scientists began questioning who we are and where we come from. SinceDarwin’s theory of evolution explained how species evolved through natural selection, Galton theorized the same could also be done artificially in humans. It caused scientists and fellow enthusiasts to think about what society would look like if scientists could directly manage its members by either promoting yearned for characteristics or preventing unwanted ones from occurring.
In the first part of the 20th century, eugenics was seen as a tool to control a persons living environment so that they could live disease-free. Studies were done and the result provided information for better nutrition, new medical remedies and health education, to include prenatal care.
From the popular characteristics that were considered to be good, scientists began studying how genes could be identified and singled out in the later part of the 20th century. This study coupled with the evidence gathered of individuals who displayed high intellect and their results began to spread across scientific communities. Much was learned from them but the studies did not always yield positive results. Sometimes they drew wedges in social circles when it was deemed that bad behavior was due to having bad genes. Studies showed the bad genes as well as good were found in abundance in different areas of societies.
Ethical problems arose as well when arguments against the rights of women to bear children or use birth control as part of informed choices emerged in political discussions. One question that was raised was how would birth control contributed to the spread of genes good or bad if controls on sex were not social enforced? This gave radicals further fuel to debate with and placed a moral monkey wrench into the picture.
Forced sterilization emerged as a solution to the spread of bad genes that burdened society and deemed certain people unfit to reproduce. People started advocating new laws to prevent immigrating families of people with bad genes from entering the US. The Immigration Act of 1924 was passed in Congress to set rules and guidelines on immigration. Eugenics influenced this passing. The idea of forced sterilization and control of reproduction however met with resistance among those who opposed it in 1930 to include the Catholic Church. The science was reduced to that of genetic study under a microscope rather than delivered measures forced upon individuals. It remains as a foundation of genetic study that is done today.
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A new report from the National Council on Teacher Quality finds that compared to other college majors, grading standards for students in teacher preparation programs are a whole lot easier. According to NCTQ authors:
Using evidence from more than 500 higher education institutions that turn out nearly half of the nation’s new teachers each year, we find that in a majority of institutions (58 percent), grading standards for teacher candidates are much lower than for students in other majors on the same campus.
Second, we find a strong link between high grades and a lack of rigorous coursework, with the primary cause being assignments that fail to develop the critical skills and knowledge every new teacher needs.
Prospective teachers are almost half again as likely as students in other majors to graduate with grade-based honors. While 30 percent of all graduating students at the 509 institutions earn honors, 44 percent of teacher candidates receive this distinction — a substantial 14 point differential.
A closer look at the coursework prospective teachers takes helps explain why this is so. Compared to other majors where students are expected to apply knowledge and skills to meet specified objectives through criterion-referenced assignments, teaching candidates are more than twice as likely to have what the NCTQ calls criterion-deficit assignments, namely coursework that does refer to any objective standard.
As US News & World Report’s Allie Bidwell reports:
"You’re not doing anyone any favors … by handing out meaningless A's that send a signal that says you’re prepared, and you get into a real classroom and it’s like hitting a brick wall," says Kate Walsh, president of the council. "Every piece of evidence points to the fact that teachers aren't getting prepared adequately to enter the classroom, by and large." …
One way to ensure better outcomes, Walsh says, is to have administrators and faculty involved in teacher preparation programs come together to define a common set of expectations for excellence within a program – in other words, what type of work constitutes an A and what constitutes a C.
"The truth of the matter is the prevalence of these criterion-deficient assignments are really a result of a field that has yet to embrace there are certain strategies and techniques and knowledge and skills that work better than others," Walsh says. "The field is still very much of the mindset that whatever you want to teach about anything is fine, that the teacher preparation candidates will decide on their own how to teach."
There are better ways to get well prepared teachers into the classroom. Raising admissions standards would help ensure better qualified candidates enter teacher preparation programs to begin with. Instructors should have extensive and recent classroom experience, and teaching candidates should have rigorous practical classroom training with expert teaching mentors. Finally, schools of education should not be the primary providers of teacher training programs. With a near monopoly, they have little reason to ensure that their teaching graduates are well prepared or effective in the classroom. Teach for America, for example, provides excellent training and mentorships, and gets great results. Alternative programs such as TFA should be encouraged and allowed to compete with schools of education to improve the overall quality of the American teaching force.
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GOOD GRAMMAR Lessons Without Grief
In addition to your child learning to express his thoughts in writing, your child needs Grammar lessons. Writing mechanics such as punctuation, spelling, and word usage are important, but I’ve yet to meet a child with learning disabilities who loves his grammar lessons!
While there are many programs that teach grammar skills, few programs have multi-sensory grammar lessons. For kids who struggle with print-on-paper learning, learning grammar can be a challenge. Additionally, if your child has Executive Functioning deficits or ADHD, then you may need to address those issues too in order for your child to learn his grammar lessons successfully. It’s an added bonus if your child can actually apply what he has learned. 😉
Given that grammar lessons are a chore for most kids with LD issues, I’d like to suggest two things:
1) Make your grammar lessons as fun as possible using the entertainment factor, and
2) Forget diagramming sentences and all of the nit-picky stuff that your child will never use outside of schoolwork!
Let’s look at these two suggestions separately.
FIRST, Make Grammar Lessons FUN!
You and I both know grammar mistakes can be fun and funny. Take the example of, “Jane loves cooking horses and her family.” Without any commas, that is an alarming sentence. Correct punctuation gives us, “Jane loves cooking, horses, and her family,” which has an entirely different meaning.
Using a program like Laugh Your Way Through Grammar can be THE ticket to engaging your child in his grammar lessons. The comical nature of Laughing Your Way through Grammar lessons helps kids understand and remember the importance of comma placement. We used Laugh Your Way Through Grammar for our grammar lessons, and it was fun for my guys to laugh at their mistakes once they realized the different meanings a sentence has based upon punctuation.
Another fun favorite is Painless Grammar (Barron’s Painless Series). The Painless series of books seeks to make rather boring topics interesting and memorable. A humorous approach to grammar lessons applies to these books too, so check it out if your child is hating grammar!
If you Search on Amazon for Grammar Fun, you will find a number of books with grammar lessons built upon the fun-factor.
Second, Forget Diagramming Sentences!
I know it is supposed to help a child understand the proper structure and to learn grammar within sentences. However, diagramming sentences, memorizing different clauses or the more complicated parts of speech has no practical use whatsoever when it comes to real life–or anything beyond school. For many kids with LD issues, trying to dissect sentences is torturous at best and an impossible task for most.
The main goal is for your child’s grammar lessons is to be able to write a proper sentence, using proper grammar, and to be able to convey his thoughts in writing. Therefore, I’d like to suggest diagramming is unnecessary fluff. Learning to identify parts of speech or diagram sentences is not worth the battle, in my humble opinion. 😉
Unless your child plans on being an English teacher, then your main goal should be to teach your child proper usage of commas, colons, semi-colons, etc. If you’re an English teacher, please don’t write to me and tell me how important sentence diagramming is–when is the last time an adult asked you to diagram a sentence outside of a classroom?
As a reaffirmation of skipping sentence diagramming, parts of speech, etc., my boys performed fabulously in college during English 101 and 102, earning all A’s. My boys didn’t have to diagram anything, identify anything, nor did I when I was in college. There may be an occasional college out there that requires it, but that is more likely the case if a person is majoring in English.
That said, please refer to the first section to make grammar lessons fun, and consider the programs in the next section to help your child learn grammar. The main reason for formal instruction outside of grammar fun is to enable your child to score well on standardized tests that quiz on punctuation.
Grammar Lessons and Programs Recommended by Learning Abled Kids’ Moms
One favorite of many is **Shurley Grammar. This program has catchy ‘jingles’ to help children remember rules. The program is thorough, sequential, and provides extensive instruction. Some parents find the program to be too cumbersome, but many who stick with it long-term think it is the best program available.
Applied Grammar is a great program for Learning Abled Kids. This program is colorful and multi-sensory in nature, which definitely helps with your child’s learning engagement. Learning grammar with the applied program involves teaching your child weekly grammar lessons that are about 15 minutes long. This lesson length is ideal for kids with short attention spans. There is about 15 to 20 minutes of application per lesson, which can be practiced immediately after the lesson. Grammar is then practiced throughout the week in a natural way. The best thing about Applied Grammar is that it is applied. Using it properly in writing assignments helps your child see the practical aspects of the grammar lessons.
Linguisystem’s Grammar Games and energetic grammar activities help engage your child in grammar lessons. Again, this adds in the “fun factor,” which can be of great benefit to your child. The Linguisystems products are primarily targeted towards Speech-Language Pathologists, and as such, the programs are specifically designed for kids who struggle with learning. Therefore, as far as direct instruction in grammar learning goes, the Linguisystems programs are likely to allow your child to learn grammar more effectively than using traditional mass market grammar programs.
Somewhat Multisensory Grammar Programs
Some of our favorite grammar lessons include the books produced by Critical Thinking Company. The Language Mechanic, Punctuation Puzzlers, and Editor-in-Chief are a few of the great series they have available in the Critical Thinking Company’s Grammar line of products. Visit Critical Thinking’s BrightMinds website to see series not available elsewhere.
If your child has a visual / auditory learning style or loves computers, you may find a Grammar Software program provides more enjoyable grammar lessons. Since grammar is an aspect of written language that is generally either right or wrong, using a software program with immediate feedback is a good way to help your child learn.
If, however, your child is not a computer lover, he may find the program frustrating if he doesn’t do well with entering the proper responses. We used some software for our grammar lessons (the Editor In Chief program), which worked alright for my boys. They didn’t love it, but that was mostly because it was grammar!
Wishing you and your child great luck with your grammar lessons.
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Contracts: The Essential Business Desk Reference
There’s no reason to risk your hard-earned money signing a contract you don’t understand. With Contracts: The Essential Business Desk Reference, you get easy-to-understand explanations for every common contract term. In no time, you’ll grasp mysterious concepts like “force majeur,” “indemnity,” and “time is of the essence.”
Contracts: The Essential Business Desk Reference is more than just an A–Z explanation of over 300 terms. It also includes:
- common negotiating strategies
- examples of contract provisions
- sample contract clauses and entire contracts
- examples of illegal and dangerous contract clauses
- what to expect if you or the other side breaks a contract
- up-to-date explanations of electronic contracts, and
- tips on amending and modifying agreements.
Whether you’re starting a business, signing a lease, hiring a new employee or independent contractor, licensing a concept, selling a boat, or contracting for a new fireplace, Contracts: The Essential Business Desk Reference can help. A must-have for small business owners, entrepreneurs, lawyers, and law students—and anyone else whose success is built around understanding and negotiating agreements.
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The practice of travelling into space for recreational purposes: space tourism could be a $10 billion-per-year industry within two decades
More example sentences
- There is also growing acceptance of suborbital markets beyond space tourism.
- U.S. lawmakers, too, are taking the first steps to regulate space tourism.
- Its designers are trying to win a $10 million contest to encourage space tourism.
space tourist noun
- Example sentences
- Two mega-rich businessmen have already become space tourists after paying a fee of around 20 million dollars for the privilege.
- In early 2001 Dennis Tito became the first space tourist when he spent a week on the ISS.
- Cumulatively, space tourists have spent almost three months in space.
Definition of space tourism in:
What do you find interesting about this word or phrase?
Comments that don't adhere to our Community Guidelines may be moderated or removed.
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- Read More
Cold feet can be caused by poor circulation, excessive perspiration or neurological conditions that limit blood flow to the feet. In some cases, cold feet may be due to one or more of these problems. Management of cold feet is often a matter of being pro-active, avoiding a cold or wet environment. Specific medical conditions that contribute to cold feet are discussed in this article.
- Sensation of cold is symmetrical in both feet
- Symptoms worsened by exposure to damp conditions
- Cold hands often found concurrent with cold feet
Warm feet are the product of good circulation and adequate neurological innervation of the feet. Warmth is brought to the foot by way of arterial blood flow. Warm blood nourishes the tissue of the leg and foot providing oxygen and stabilizing the body temperature. The most obvious reason for cold feet is a decrease in normal circulation. Many folks with compromised circulation describe feeling cold feet not only in the winter months but throughout the entire year.
Causes and contributing factors
One consideration in keeping the feet warm is heat loss. There are a number of ways that the body loses heat. Heat can be lost by conduction. Water is a great conductor of heat. Heat is also lost by windy conditions (convection) and contacting a cooler surface (radiation) such as standing on cold concrete or snow.
Alcohol, hunger, anemia, and cardiovascular disease all make you more susceptible to heat loss and cold weather injury. Smoking and use of smokeless tobacco can contribute to cold feet. Nicotine is a vasoconstrictor that limits blood flow to small vessels.
Anxiety can also contribute to cold feet and hands. Anxiety increases perspiration of the hands and feet, resulting in conductive heat loss. Anxiety also results in vasoconstriction that limits blood flow to the extremities.
Here are a few tips to protect yourself from the cold this year:
- Be sure your feet are dry- Perspiration is the single most common contributing factor to cold feet. Frequent changes of socks, rotating shoes and using a drying solution on the feet are essential in limiting the amount of moisture surrounding the foot.
- Wear loose shoes - In an attempt to make the feet warmer we’ll wear thicker socks. The tighter the shoe, the greater the constriction of blood flow to the feet and toes.
- Avoid nicotine - Nicotine is a peripheral vasoconstrictor and will significantly contribute to cold feet and hands.
- Avoid alcohol - Alcohol makes you more susceptible to heat loss. Best to just go without.
- Wear a hat - No, I haven’t talked to your mom, but your mom was right. 30% of heat loss is from the head. Wear a hat and your feet will be warmer.
When to contact your doctor
Cold hands and feet can be a symptom of other medical conditions. Most cases of cold hands and feet can be managed by being proactive and avoiding situations where you are exposed to cold or wet environments. If your symptoms include pain or changes in the skin as a result of cold exposure, consult your podiatrist or family doctor for treatment.
References are pending.
Author(s) and date
This article was written by Myfootshop.com medical director Jeffrey A. Oster, DPM.
Competing Interests -None
Cite this article as: Oster, Jeffrey. Cold Feet. http://myfootshop.com/article/cold-feet
Most recent article update: December 8, 2018.
Cold Feet by Myfootshop.com is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License.
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Supposedly on Tuesday, but they just reschedule due to most of them is working in shift. So, I'm okay je.
Location? Tat Nasi Ayam, Sri Rampai. Nearest Wahab Cendol ( Quite Famous). However before we went there, we pleasuring ourself at Bazar Ramadhan Wangsa Maju. Bought some cream puff, Takoyaki<--my all time favourite! Hii. Then, we move to the restaurant. Already reserved. So, its okay. Managed to get the table la kan. Around 6.45pm, people are start filling all the tables. Memang dapat sambutan la kan?
Order? Nasi ayam special. Apa yang special? Just an extra rice. Dayah order Nasi Itik. Yummy. Drink? Mostly juices.
Activity? Just talking. After meal, we stop by at Bazar nearest. They buy dresses, shirt and etc. Ok la. Murah dan lawa. Me? None. Pokai. HAHAHA
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One of the challenging issues raised for Christians by the science of evolution is understanding what it means for an evolved human to be made in the image of God (imago Dei). Evolutionary theory implies that species are not neatly distinguished from one another in discrete categories. Instead, it posits that the ancestry of life on earth is better understood as a slow, continuous development with ever-changing lines differentiating species from one another. Species, including humans, have changed over time and continue to change. If, according to evolutionary theory, the human species has evolved from non-human ancestors over the course of hundreds of thousands of years, how might we understand humans as uniquely bearing the image of God?
In a previous BioLogos blog post, Dennis Venema suggests that modern homo sapiens have evolved along “different evolutionary trajectories.” While all modern homo sapiens share common ancestors from Africa, some homo sapiens also have Neanderthal and Denisovan ancestors. Who, then, were divine image-bearers – the common ancestors from Africa, Neanderthals, Denisovans, their mixed species children, or all of the above? In other words, if the lines differentiating species from one another are less clear and the development of a species is seen as an extended, continuous process involving the mixing of different related species, how are we to understand modern humans as divine image-bearers in comparison to the direct ancestors of humans who presumably were not?
One way of addressing this question is to consider the role divine image-bearers are given and the capacities required for that role. If bearing God’s image requires a particular role with particular capacities, those species that lack those capacities and therefore cannot act in that role are not image bearers of God. Those species that possess those capacities may then be considered potential image bearers, in the sense that these species have the necessary capacities for this role. In this way, a line may be drawn between direct ancestors of humans that most likely did not bear the image of God and those that may have. We believe this approach is compatible with existing interpretations of the imago—whether Christological, relational (i.e., being in relationship with God), functional (i.e. fulfilling God’s role or commission to humankind)—and also compatible with understanding how God could have used natural processes to enable humans to become unique image bearers. (Tomorrow’s post will address a different approach to understanding the image of God in the context of evolution as well.)
This method is, of course, somewhat complicated by disagreements concerning what it means to be made in the image of God. These disagreements, while certainly interesting, will not be resolved here. For the sake of this post, one well-established feature of the imago Dei will be focused on: the role of dominion or stewardship over creation. We will then consider which capacities are required for this role to be performed in a meaningful way. Two broad examples are the ability to learn about creation and flexibly care for different species with different needs and the ability to plan for the benefit of these species.
The ability to learn about creation is important for dominion because different species require different care. Here we may discuss various psychological capacities that enable this ability. Theory of mind—the ability to consider the intentions, desires, and beliefs of other minds—is greatly useful. In order for a divine image-bearer to exercise dominion, he or she must understand that gazelles prefer to eat grass and lions prefer to eat gazelles. Various aspects of intuitive biology may also be useful as they allow humans to understand the basic needs of species in general (e.g., food, water, shelter, etc.) and to differentiate between species and attribute specific needs to them. These abilities, in turn, allow humans to flexibly care for different species with different needs. The sheep can be led to pasture and the fish left in its pond where they may both respectively thrive, rather than applying one method of care to both.
In order to helpfully rule over creation, image bearers also need to plan ahead for the benefit of these species. Sheep taken to the same pasture too often may create an environment that can no longer sustain the life of the sheep or the life of other co-existing species. Here we may also speak of particular psychological capacities, such as a certain amount of self-control and the ability to delay gratification. Without these abilities, humanity may wreak havoc on ecosystems in order to pursue their own gain or obtain immediate rewards. Further, image bearers may need to examine potential futures, set goals, and implement these goals. In this way image bearers may foresee problems and helpfully avoid them.
To a degree, these capacities exist in other species as well, but the extent to which they exist in the human species is unique. This method may allow us to say that those groups of humans that possessed these capacities, such as theory of mind and self-regulation, were potentially image bearers, but those groups of direct ancestors of humans that lacked these capacities were likely not image bearers. For example, if Neanderthals lacked a number of necessary capacities for dominion, it may be accurate to say that they were likely not image bearers. But, if Neanderthals, like modern humans, possessed these capacities and were capable of exercising a meaningful amount of dominion over creation, it may be accurate to say they were potential image bearers.
This method does raise further questions about humans or groups of humans with limited capacities in these areas, and for this reason, this method may be better applied to species as a whole, rather than to individuals. Tomorrow’s post will address the different ways by which humans have borne the image of God across time.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://biologos.org/blog/evolution-and-image-bearers-part-1
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Fig.1-Forming the correct material shape inside the pinch-off is critical to part performance. That shape is determined by both the pinch-off design and processing conditions.
Fig.2A-Changing the amount of material compression in the flash pocket will also change the amount of material on the inside of the part at the pinch-off seam.
Fig.2B-In case of excess material inside the part at the seam, adding half-round channels to the flash pocket provides more volume and less compression of flash material so less is forced back into the part.
Fig.2C-If the problem is too little material inside the pinch-off, one solution is this step-down design of the flash pocket to press more material back into the part.
Extrusion blow molded parts often fail at the parison pinch-off seam of the mold parting line. Common forms of part failure at the pinch-off are cracking from impact, fatigue failure from flexing, or chemical stress cracking. Once the mode of failure is identified, the appropriate processing changes or pinch-off design modifications can be selected to optimize part performance and appearance.
Part failure along the parting line is related to material processing conditions, parison geometry, molding conditions, mold design, or a combination of these factors. Developing the optimal material shape inside the part at the pinch-off is a key to building parting-line integrity.
The pinch-off mold section is designed to cut through the excess extruded material (flash) that extends beyond the part and separate it along the mold parting line. When the mold closes on an extruded parison, three segments are formed: the top flash (parison between the die and the part), the part, and the bottom flash/tail (parison below the part). In some cases, the whole part is surrounded by flash and is considered fully flashed (part plus flash).
The array of pinch-off designs is endless, often selected from experience or designed for use in specific applications. For instance, multilayer barrier pinch-offs require bonding or manipulation of the barrier layer to maintain the part’s barrier properties. Some mold designs, including pinch-off designs, are patented, so it is always best to check before redesigning.
Optimizing the seam
Both processing conditions and mold pinch-off geometry will influence the shape of the material inside the part and the integrity of the parison bond. The objective is to produce a consistent material geometry along the pinch-off weld. Figure 1 illustrates common shapes of the material inside the part at the pinch-off. Figure 1A shows excess material along the seam. That excess material is likely to shrink and warp because it is not cooled at the same rate as the surrounding part wall. Slower cooling may also increase the residual stress and degree of crystallinity in some materials such as HDPE, increasing the tendency for chemical stress cracking.
Figure 1B shows a seam configuration optimal for cooling and strength. The material thickness is the same as or slightly thicker than the adjacent part wall.
Figure 1C illustrates a “V” notch or weak bond area. This seam is likely to split with impact or show fatigue failure with bending. Some materials, like polycarbonate, tend to have impact failure with both thin notched sections and thick stiff sections.
To evaluate and correct part pinch-off failures, first confirm that the part weight and material thickness are within specifications. Second, cut the part and examine the parting-line pinch-off and wall thickness throughout the part. Under magnification, examine the outside of the part along the pinch-off for a notch or indentation, which can occur from flash that is removed too hot or too cold or from damage to the mold pinch-off land. Check the land for “coining” damage if a notch is found.
Process adjustments should be tried to improve material distribution and bonding before considering making changes to the mold. Consider the following types of process changes for pinch-off improvement:
- Material compression in the flash pocket: Changing parison thickness and the mold slow-close speed and cushion will change the amount of material squeezed back into the part. Adjust the slow-close distance and cushion just before mold lock-up to add or decrease material pushed back (Fig. 1). Also, the parison melt viscosity varies according to the melt temperature and material type. Higher-viscosity material causes greater material push-back into the part.
- Material delivery: Confirm that the parison melt temperature and moisture levels are within the manufacturer’s recommended conditions. Adjust parison programming to distribute the material uniformly as per product specifications. Change die and/or mandrel size to adjust parison diameter and wall thickness. Add parison die shaping to distribute material more evenly in the part.
- Mold location and movement: Close the mold at a speed that captures the parison uniformly, minimizing material sag and allowing the air to vent. Also, adjust the mold location in relationship to the die and any pre-pinch device.
- Air management: Adjust the pre-blow and blowing air pressures and flow rates. A pre-pinch device can be added or adjusted to help capture air in the parison and improve material distribution without a blowout. Also, adjust blowing air duration and pressure to optimize part cooling. Examine the part’s outer surface to confirm that mold venting is adequate.
To properly evaluate your efforts to improve the pinch-off seam, be sure to document all processing and mechanical changes in the sequence that they were made. If possible, keep digital pictures of the results of changes for the record.
Fixing pinch-off design
If processing changes do not correct pinch-off failures, it’s time to look at pinch-off design geometry. Compare the material geometry formed inside the part by the pinch-off with those in Fig. 1. In some cases, the design for optimal pinch-off material uniformity will change in different sections of the mold, i.e., top versus bottom. A new mold is usually built “metal-safe” so that mold changes can be made by removing metal. Consider several approaches to design changes before committing to mold modification. Also confirm the location of mold cooling lines and internal components and ask the mold maker for suggestions before making any mold modifications.
Excess material inside the part at the pinch-off, like in Fig.1A, is reduced by decreasing the material compression in the flash pocket. The solution in Fig. 2A is a relatively simple mold modification to increase the flash pocket depth. The solution in Fig. 2B consists of half-round channels that are added perpendicular to the pinch-off to reduce the amount of material that is compressed close to the pinch-off land. The compression area adjacent to the pinch-off land is maintained to provide better response to changes in molding conditions. Modification 2B also shapes the flash to improve cooling and make the flash more rigid and less likely to fall back on the part. The 2B design is also less sensitive to minor fluctuations in parison thickness and length.
Thin material inside the part at the pinch-off (Fig. 1C) is alleviated by forcing additional material back into the part by increasing the parison compression or by restricting material from moving away from the pinch-off. A simple way to increase compression in the flash pocket is by adding metal on each mold half to decrease the flash pocket depth. A flash pocket depth of 1.4 to 1.7 times the parison wall thickness will usually create sufficient material compression in the flash pocket. Figure 2C adds a step-down flash pocket and Fig. 2D uses two opposed dams to compress material into the part.
Depending on the mold material and configuration, dams may be added to the flash pocket without changing the entire flash pocket surface area. Dam height and width can be modified if further changes are required. Always confirm that clamp tonnage is adequate for the increased material compression area while maintaining adequate blowing-air pressure.
A key component of the pinch-off is the land, a short parallel section that helps bond the material and separates the part from the flash. The land length is usually 0.125 to 0.380 mm (0.005 to 0.015 in). A longer land is more durable and produces more separation of the part and flash for improved cooling and trimming. A short land and small gap are more susceptible to damage or coining. Metal in the land should be hardened or made of a harder metal if wear from the plastic or fillers is an issue.
The land gap or separation is controlled by the mold lock-up position and by the distance the land is cut below the plane of the mold parting surface. Land thickness can be adjusted to create optimal flash thickness for easy part removal and trimming. With thin material in the land, the flash may fall off the part during the mold opening, before the part is removed. The land can be deepened if the flash separates from the part too easily. Thicker flash is stiffer, which aids part handling and flash removal. A thick land gap is often used with larger parts to aid part removal and handling, but it makes parts more difficult to trim for good appearance.
Also, changing the angle of the land to the flash pocket influences the material push-back. A sharper angle will cut through the parison with less material push-back.
Lewis Ferguson has 40 years of experience in the plastics industry, much of it in blow molding PVC and engineering thermoplastics. He worked in material and process development at Tenneco Chemical, Borg-Warner Chemicals, and GE Plastics. After retiring from GE in 1998, he founded Parisons, a blow molding consulting business in Stone Harbor, N.J. He can be reached at (609) 368-7230 or by e-mail at [email protected].
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Text and Illustrations by Jon
More displacement and greater leverage means more torque. This
concept is obvious when you compare the torque ratings between
factory small block motors and factory big block motors. However,
nowadays it is not necessary to suffer the time and switching
costs of leaping to a larger block if you are only after more
displacement. Displacement is just a factor of bore and stroke,
by increasing the stroke of your current motor you can enjoy the satisfaction of
more torque disguised in the same package.
Widespread awareness of the facts above and an abundance of
aftermarket stroker kits have made the stroker option extremely
popular. If you are out for performance, a stroker is a wise
alternative to building a motor that only meets the factory
displacement. Whether you have already built a stroker motor
or are simply researching them, take a little time to learn
the basics and understand the benefits and possible compromises
of the now popular engine building practice.
|Formula A. Displacement.
Simply a factor of bore and stroke. Increase the stroke
of your current motor and reap the benefits of more torque.
Stroker Motor (def.)
A motor that has greater than stock displacement due to an
increase in the factory crank throw. An increase in crank throw
increases stroke (the difference between the piston's top dead
center and bottom dead center position).
The illustrations below show the difference between a stock
and a stroked rotating assembly. Study the differences and you
can see what makes up a typical stroker motor. Though a bit
exaggerated for effect, the stroked cross section in Figure
Crank Throw (distance between C and D)
Rod Length (distance between B and C)
Piston Compression Height (distance between A and B)
Keep in mind that rod length
does not affect the displacement of the engine, it is common
to have a stroker motor that uses an increased crank throw,
decreased piston compression height, and stock rod length to
achieve additional stroke. We'll discuss why longer rods are
often used in stroker motors later in the article.
1. Stock Cylinder
2. Stroked Cylinder
The animation below helps visualize the effect of increased
stroke and rod length on piston travel and speed.
1. Stock Cylinder
2. Stroked Cylinder
Stroker engines are nothing new, and in fact they are not
even an aftermarket invention. If you look
closely at factory engine offerings, you'll see that changes
in displacement are often nothing more than a change in stroke.
This was a cost effective way for the factory to increase power
for larger vehicles, or future models, while reusing the same
block and accessory components.
Performance enthusiasts then caught on and they found that creative
machining and parts matching could yield more cubes while hidden
in the stock block to fool fellow racers.
|Figure 3. Offset Grinding. The rod journal is offset ground to move the centerline of the rod journal further from the centerline of the main journal. Result is increased stroke.
One of the methods used to increase stroke with a stock crank,
is called offset grinding. By offset grinding the rod journal
you move the centerline of the rod journal away from or toward
the centerline of the main journal. This will result in increased
or decreased stroke. Figure 3 above illustrates the case we
are interested in, the rod journal is ground in a manner to
increase stroke. Keep in mind that when the rod journal is offset
ground it now has a smaller diameter. The motor will require
special connecting rods with correctly sized bearing bores.
Additionally, if the rod journal is ground too much it becomes
weak. Unless you add material and regrind, you can only stroke
a motor so far with a stock crank.
Due to a demand for more stroke than offest grinding a stock
crank could achieve, many aftermarket companies developed specialized
cast and forged cranks with relocated rod journals. The specialized
stroker crank has dramatically increased the amount of stroke
you can add to your stock bottom end. Stroker cranks require
a shorter piston to keep the factory sized piston from extending
beyond the deck surface, it is also shortened to accommodate
a longer rod. In the past the only way to complete a stroker
motor was to find the right combination of rod lengths and piston
heights. This often meant researching other factory motors for
the right dimensions. It was not uncommon to have a Small Block
Ford stroker motor consisting of Pinto rods and Chevy pistons.
Longer rods are often required to increase leverage and minimize
the high degree of rod angularity created by the increase in
stroke. The longer rod also prevents the piston from being pulled
out the bottom of the cylinder bore. Rod Ratio and rod angularity
are especially important issues to consider before simply choosing
the stroker kit that yields the largest displacement for your
application. We will discuss these topics in the following section.
| (Rod Ratio Explained)
An illustrated review of the geometry behind the increasingly
popular "stroker motor". This article covers
the fundamentals and makes special note of the benefits,
compromises, and limits of stroking your block.
How to Build Big-Inch Small Blocks by George
Reid, covers the theory behind increasing displacement via bore
and stroke modifications and then dives right into stroker kit selection
and assembly. The book has pictorial build-ups on 302, 351W and
351C based stroker engines. Reid also discusses proper cylinder
head and camshaft considerations for the bigger displacement engines.
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What does Oceania mean?
The meaning of Oceania is "ocean".
Oceania is generally used as a girl's name.
It consists of 7 letters and 4 syllables and is pronounced O-cea-ni-a.
The Given Name Oceania
The water name Oceania, has a wonderfully daring quality.
A wonderfully distinctive name.
Oceania has no variant spellings.
Oceania falls into the water name category.
In contrast, the year before less than 5 girls were given the name. Less than 5 boys were given the name.
The trend's your friend. See how Oceania has changed in popularity since 1880 by visiting the Oceania Name Popularity Page.
Oceania Related Names
It may all be in the numbers.
The numbers that make up your child's name.
Numerology may give you some insight.
Children named Oceania are often content and frail but most of all they are read more >>
Oceania Name Fun
Then just follow the diagram below.
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Characterisation of semi-volatile hydrocarbon emissions from diesel engines
Exhaust emissions from diesel vehicles have recently been receiving global attention, due to potential human health effects associated with exposure to emitted pollutants. In addition, a link has recently been established between unburnt hydrocarbon (HC) emissions from diesel engines and photochemical smog. Despite being present at very low concentrations in the exhaust, these HCs may act as precursors in the formation of photochemical smog pollution. While short-chain HCs are easier to characterise and have been successfully reduced in many developed cities, longer chain HCs, most likely arising from diesel exhaust emissions, have been poorly quantified and to date, a limited range of HCs from this source has been studied. In this study, transient cycle tests were conducted to collect exhaust emissions from a Euro 3 compliant, 1.6 L test engine fuelled with three diesel fuels (SAM10, PAR10, and EUR10), using portable denuder samplers which were analysed by thermal desorption-comprehensive 2D gas chromatography-time of flight mass spectrometry (TD-GC x GC-TofMS). The SAM10 diesel had the greatest n-alkane emissions with greater emissions observed in the earlier phases (low and medium phase) of the WLTC test cycle. PAR10 diesel had the second highest n-alkane emissions and EUR10 had the lowest n-alkane emissions amongst the three fuels. Substituted alkyl-benzenes were also detected in the gas phase emissions from each fuel. The results showed that long-chain HCs were present at easily detectable concentrations in diesel engine exhaust emissions, which is critical in understanding their contribution to photochemical ozone and informing appropriate mitigation and management strategies.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
All articles are published under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License; copyright is retained by the authors. Readers are welcome to reproduce, share and adapt the content without permission provided the source is attributed.
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The Power of Sport
During the final week of the first semester, through ‘The Power of Sport’ students were introduced to the ‘Power of Athletics,’ a term-long course that focuses on both the impact of being a part of a sporting community on people’s inclusivity within sports and the culture surrounding it. This will cover subjects including diversity, accessibility, and how to overcome the barriers that many people encounter when trying to join a sporting group. Consider the adaptations that have been made to sports to make them more accessible, such as wheelchair sports. Ashley Jenner, SEDA’s Director of Learning Innovations, addressed the subject himself, as shown below:
“Every day, millions of people from all over the world pour their blood, sweat and tears into their sport of choice. This can be as a player, coach, parent, administrator or even just as a fan! What is it about sports that brings out our inner passions, and how is this different for others in our communities and across the world? In The Power of Sport, students explore how elite, grassroots, and modified sports have the power to change lives. They consider common barriers to sports participation and develop programs to help overcome these barriers. They also consider their own focus sports and look at ways to make these more accessible to all people in the community. Finally, they connect with their peers to experience how teamwork and collaboration can lead to improvements in both performance and participation.” – Ashley Jenner, Director of Learning Innovations
As an introduction to the task, students were able to meet and speak to Michael Neroni. Michael runs Novita’s ‘WHEELIENET’ program. This is a service in which they bring wheelchairs to courts to help people develop a better understanding of the concerns and obstacles that individuals with disabilities face in a fun and engaging way. Throughout this day students, all spoke about how positively it affected them. They mentioned how much empathy and respect they had built up for people who were affected by disabilities.
“It was extremely tough to adjust to using a wheelchair, especially in a sporting setting. Hearing [Michael Neroni’s] story was quite inspiring, and it enabled me to let go of some old assumptions that I had bought into.” – Will Emin, Basketball Student
The class was very thankful for the help that the WHEELIENET program was able to provide, as it gave the students a real immersive introduction to their new subject. The subject will cover the term, and students will complete multiple tasks. We look forward to seeing how students approach the upcoming assignments and how they will have developed by the end of the subject.
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US 7552458 B1
An apparatus for the intelligent display of advertisements to a television services user includes a transmitter, a receiver and a display on which an electronic television program guide, television programs, and advertisements are displayed. Advertising and electronic program guide data are transmitted to a receiver used by one or more television service users. The electronic program guide data includes information characterizing television programs listed in an electronic program guide. Similarly, the advertising data includes advertisements and information characterizing the transmitted advertisements. A selection history contains information characterizing those programs selected by a user for viewing. Received advertisements are displayed to the user based upon a comparison between the information characterizing each of the plurality of advertisements and the information in the selection history.
1. A method for broadcasting and displaying advertisements comprising:
receiving program guide data including program attribute information identifying content of each of a plurality of television programs;
receiving advertising data including a plurality of advertisement objects and advertisement attribute information identifying content of each of the plurality of advertisement objects, wherein the advertisement objects comprise a plurality of different versions of an advertisement, and wherein the plurality of different versions of the advertisement comprise advertisements of different display sizes;
maintaining a selection history comprising a user viewing profile that includes program attribute information identifying content of television programs selected by a user;
calculating similarity scores for the plurality of advertisement objects based on one or more comparisons between the advertisement attribute information and the program attribute information of the user viewing profile;
selecting at least one of the advertisement objects to display to the user based on a comparison of the similarity scores to a first threshold similarity score;
selecting a version of an advertisement associated with the selected advertisement object based on a comparison of the similarity score of the selected advertisement object to a second threshold similarity score; and
displaying the selected version of the advertisement associated with the selected advertisement object.
2. The method of
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This application claims priority to U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/126,573, filed on Mar. 29, 1999 entitled “Method and Apparatus for Transmission, Receipt and Display of Advertisements.”
The present invention relates to the provision of television content and advertising to a receiver unit. Television programs are distributed to viewers by a variety of broadcasting methods. These methods include traditional analog broadcast television (National Television Systems Committee or “NTSC” standard), the upcoming digital broadcast television (Advanced Television Systems Committee or “ATSC” standard), cable television (both analog and digital), satellite broadcasting (both analog and digital), as well as other methods. These methods allow channels of television content to be multiplexed and transmitted over a common transmission medium.
Channel numbers are typically used to identify the stream of television content offered by a content provider. Program guide information is typically transmitted along with the television content. The program guide information includes a set of channel definition parameters that define which portions of the transmitted television content are associated with the various channels, and typically also includes schedule information for display on users' televisions. The schedule information informs users what television programs are currently on, and what television programs will be shown in the near future.
It would be desirable in a television broadcast system to be able to broadcast advertisements that are directed only to particular users, with each receiver determining whether the advertisement is appropriate for display based on characteristics such as geographic region of the receiver, subscription information and past viewing history. Specifically, using these characteristics, it would also be desirable that each receiver determines which broadcast advertisements are shown to a particular user, and when and how the broadcast advertisements are shown to that particular user.
The present invention is a method and apparatus for transmitting, receiving and displaying television content and advertising. The apparatus includes a transmission station and a plurality of receiver stations. The transmission station creates program guide data and advertising data that is in an “object” format. The transmission station combines the program guide and advertising objects with digital audio and video television signals, and transmits an output stream to the plurality of receiver stations. Each of the plurality of receiver stations receives the transmitted output stream and identifies the electronic program guide objects and advertising objects within the output stream. Each of the plurality of receiver stations stores the identified electronic program guide and advertising objects.
The present invention varies the display of advertisements in the electronic program guide depending on the user. In the present invention, the receiver identifies the user who is watching, that user's viewing history and preferences, which advertisements have already been shown to that viewer, and which channels the viewer is currently looking at in the electronic program guide, and uses the identified information to determine which advertisements will be shown to that particular user. The receiver also uses the identified information to select the best timing, placement, and size of advertising shown to a particular user. Broadcast advertising which the receiver determines poorly matches a user may be discarded in favor of what the receiver determines better matches that viewer, thereby making better use of the finite memory space available to the receiver, and better use of advertising time and space in the electronic program guide.
Television broadcasting system 20 includes transmission station 26, uplink dish 30, satellite 32, and receiver stations 34A-34C (collectively referred to as receiver stations 34). Transmission station 26 includes a plurality of input lines 22 for receiving various signals, such as analog television signals, digital television signals, video tape signals, original programming signals, and computer generated signals containing HTML content and digital video server signals. Each input line 22 typically corresponds to a single television channel. Transmission station 26 also includes a plurality of schedule feeds 24 and advertising feeds 25. Schedule feeds 24 provide electronic schedule information about the timing and content of various television channels, such as that found in television schedules contained in newspapers and television guides. Advertising feeds 25 provide advertising data and information about the content of individual advertisements. The electronic schedule information from schedule feeds 24 is converted into program guide data by transmission station 26. Similarly, information from advertising feeds 25 is converted into advertising data by transmission station 26.
Transmission station 26 receives and processes the various input signals received on input lines 22, advertising feeds 25 and schedule feeds 24, converts the received signals into a standard form, combines the standard signals into a single output data stream 28, and continuously sends output data stream 28 to uplink dish 30. Output data stream 28 is preferably a modulated signal, which is modulated by transmission station 26 using standard frequency and polarization modulation techniques. In a preferred embodiment, output data stream 28 is a multiplexed signal including 16 frequency bands. Transmission station 26 is described in further detail below with respect to
Uplink dish 30 continuously receives output data stream 28 from transmission station 26, amplifies the received signal and transmits the signal to satellite 32. Although a single uplink dish and satellite are shown in
Satellite 32 revolves in geosynchronous orbit about the earth. Satellite 32 includes a plurality of transponders that receive signals transmitted by uplink dish 30, amplify the received signals, frequency shift the received signals to higher frequency bands, and then transmit the amplified, frequency shifted signals back to receiver stations 34. A total of 32 transponders are preferably used in the present invention.
Receiver stations 34 receive and process the signals transmitted by satellite 32. Receiver stations 34 include hardware and software for separating the electronic program guide data and advertising data from the received signals, and processing both the electronic program guide data and the advertising data. Receiver stations 34 are described in further detail below with respect to
Program transmitting system 44 includes input signal adapters 36A-36D (collectively referred to as input signal adapters 36), analog to digital (A/D) converters 38A-38D (collectively referred to as A/D converters 38), and combiner 42. Input signal adapters 36 are coupled to A/D converters 38, and A/D converters 38 are coupled to combiner 42. Although four input signal adapters 36 and four A/D converters 38 are shown in
Input signal adapters 36 receive input signals from input lines 22, and convert the input signals to a standard form. As mentioned above, signals from input lines 22 include analog television signals, digital television signals, video tape signals, original programming signals, computer generated signals containing HTML content and digital video server signals. Also, input lines 22 can receive signals from digital video servers having hard discs or other digital storage media. Input signal adapters 36 preferably convert the input signals to a high quality analog format. The high quality analog signals are output by input signal adapters 36 to A/D converters 38. A/D converters 38 convert the analog signals received from input signal adapters 36 to digital signals, and compress the digital signals using MPEG2 encoding, although other compression schemes may be used.
During the MPEG2 encoding step, A/D converters 38 also perform a statistical multiplexing operation. During the statistical multiplexing operation, A/D converters 38 determine the amount of bandwidth that each channel will use. The amount of bandwidth allowed for each channel is determined based upon the content of the signal on that channel, and the amount of bandwidth used by other channels. For a program such as the motion picture “Independence Day”, which has a very dynamic picture content with a great deal of movement and numerous bright explosions, the signal can not be compressed as much as a more static video signal like an information channel. The greater the dynamic content of the signal, the less it can be compressed and the greater the bandwidth required.
Typically, 30 Mega bits of data per second are transmitted by uplink dish 30 for each transponder in satellite 32. Each transponder receives and transmits data for about 6 channels. Thus, each channel occupies approximately 5 Mega bits of data per second, on average. During the statistical multiplexing operation, the amount of compression for each channel, and correspondingly the amount of information transmitted for each channel, is adjusted up or down depending upon the amount of available space for each transponder. Combiner 42 feeds back information to A/D converters 38 during the statistical multiplexing operation, informing A/D converters 38 of the amount of bandwidth used by various channels. A/D converters 38 then adjust the amount of compression of a signal based on the information fed back from combiner 42.
The MPEG2 encoded digital data are output by A/D converters 38 to combiner 42. Combiner 42 groups the MPEG2 encoded digital data from each A/D converter 38 into a plurality of packets, with each such packet marked with a service channel identification (SCID) number. The SCIDs are later used by receiver 64 (shown in
Program transmitting system 44 processes audio signals in the same manner as video signals, and combiner 42 combines digital audio signals with the digital video signals. Combiner 42 also receives advertising and electronic program guide data from input lines 58 (as described below with respect to the advertisement program guide transmitting system 46) and adds that data to output data stream 28. The assembly and processing of the electronic program guide data prior to it being sent to combiner 42 is described in more detail below.
Output data stream 28, which is output by combiner 42, is a multiplexed signal that is modulated by combiner 42 using standard frequency and polarization modulation techniques. Output data stream 28 preferably includes 16 frequency bands, with each frequency band being either left polarized or right polarized. Because there are 32 transponders in the preferred embodiment, each of the 16 frequency bands are shared by two transponders. Therefore, transponder 1 is assigned frequency 1, left polarization; transponder 2 is assigned frequency 1, right polarization; transponder 3 is assigned frequency 2, left polarization, etc.
Also shown in
Schedule feeds 24 provide electronic schedule information about the timing and content of various television channels, such as that found in television schedules contained in newspapers and television guides. Schedule feeds 24 also provide HTML content. Advertising feeds 25 provide information describing various advertisements and provide the content for individual advertisements.
Database 48 is a computer-based system that receives data from schedule feeds 24 and advertising feeds 25 and organizes data into a standard format. Program guide data and HTML data may also be manually entered into program guide database 48 through data entry station 50. HTML data can be created with commercially available applications, including Claris software, Microsoft software and Adobe software. Compiler 52 reads the standard form data out of database 48, converts the data into the proper format for transmission to users (specifically, the data is converted into program guide and HTML objects as discussed below) and outputs the data to one or more of sub-databases 54. Compiler 52 includes a filter program for HTML data that makes sure that only the subset of HTML version 4.0 that is defined in receiver 64 (shown in
The program guide, advertising and HTML objects are temporarily stored in sub-databases 54 until cyclers 56 request the information. Each of cyclers 56 preferably transmits objects to combiner 42 at a different rate than the other cyclers 56. For example, cycler 56A may transmit objects to combiner 42 every second, while cyclers 56B and 56C may transmit objects every 5 seconds and every 10 seconds, respectively.
Because receiver 64 (shown in
All of the objects output by the plurality of cyclers 56 are combined by combiner 42. Combiner 42 combines the objects with the digital video and audio data output by A/D converters 38 on output lines 40. Combiner 42 transmits output data stream 28, which includes the advertising data, the program guide data, HTML data and the digital video and audio data, to uplink dish 30.
Prior to transmitting data to sub-databases 54, compiler 52 organizes the program guide and advertising data from database 48 into objects. Each object preferably includes an object header and an object body. The object header identifies the object type, object ID and version number of the object. The object type identifies the type of the object. Various types of objects are discussed below. The object ID uniquely identifies the particular object from other objects of the same type. The version number of an object uniquely identifies the object from other objects of the same type and object ID. The object body includes data for constructing a portion of a program guide or an advertisement that is ultimately displayed on a user's television, and is also used for channel definition parameters.
Prior to transmission, each object is preferably broken down by compiler 52 into multiple frames. Each frame is made up of a plurality of 126 byte packets. Each frame includes a frame header, program guide data or advertising data and a checksum. Each frame header includes the same information as the object header described above—object type, object ID and version number. The frame header uniquely identifies the frame, and its position within a group of frames that make up an object. The checksum is examined by receiver 64 to verify the accuracy of the data within received frames.
The system described herein may use over 15 different object types. The objects that are used for providing channel definition parameters may include boot objects, channel list objects, channel objects and conditional objects. Advertising objects provide the characteristics of advertisements and point to other objects that contain the content of the advertisements. Other objects, such as HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) objects, are used to provide channel and advertisement content. Still further objects, such as general program objects, general schedule objects and master schedule objects are used by receiver 64 to generate a display of a program guide on a user's television.
A boot object identifies the SCIDs where all other objects can be found. A boot object is always transmitted on the same channel, which means that each packet of data that makes up a boot object is marked with the same SCID number. Boot objects are transmitted frequently to ensure that receivers 64 that have been shut off, and are then turned back on, immediately receive information indicating the location of the various program guide objects. Thus, boot objects are sent from compiler 52 to a cycler 56 with a high rate of transmission.
Receiver dish 60 receives signals sent by satellite 32, amplifies the signals and passes the signals on to tuner 70. Tuner 70 operates under control of CPU 74. Tuner 70 is preferably two separate tuners, a first tuner for tuning to digital DSS and ATSC channels, and a second tuner for tuning to analog NTSC channels. The functions performed by CPU 74 are controlled by a control program stored in memory 78. Memory 78 also stores a parameter table, which includes a variety of parameters for receiver 64 such as a list of channels receiver 64 is authorized to process and generate displays for, the zip code and area code for the area in which receiver 64 is used, and the model number of receiver 64. Clock 76 provides the current local time to CPU 74. Interface 82 is preferably coupled to a telephone jack at the site of receiver station 34. Interface 82 allows receiver 64 to communicate with transmission station 26 via telephone lines. Interface 82 may also be used to transfer data to and from a network, such as the Internet.
The signals sent from receiver dish 60 to tuner 70 are digital signals that are grouped into a plurality of packets. Each packet includes a header that identifies the SCID number for the packet, and the type of data contained in the packet (e.g, audio data, video data, advertising data, or program guide data). Tuner 70 includes multiple output lines for transmitting video data, audio data, advertising data and program guide data. As packets are received from receiver dish 60, tuner 70 identifies the type of each packet and outputs each packet on the appropriate output line, as discussed in more detail below. If tuner 70 identifies a packet as program guide data or advertising data, tuner 70 outputs the packet to memory 78. Advertising data is stored in an advertising database in memory 78. Program guide data is stored in a guide database in memory 78.
In addition to the digital satellite signals received by receiver dish 60, other sources of television content are also preferably used. For example, alternate content source 62 provides additional television content to television 66. Alternate content source 62 is coupled to tuner 70. Alternate content source 62 can be an antenna for receiving off-the-air signals NTSC signals, a cable for receiving ATSC signals, or other content source. Although only one alternate content source 62 is shown, multiple sources can be used.
Initially, as data enters receiver 64, tuner 70 looks for a boot object. Boot objects are always transmitted with the same SCID, so tuner 70 knows that it must look for packets marked with that SCID. A boot object identifies the SCIDs where all other objects can be found. The information from the boot object is used by tuner 70 to identify packets of advertising data and program guide data and route them to memory 78.
As program guide data and advertising data are received and stored in the database in memory 78, CPU 74 performs various operations on the data in preparation for displaying a program guide or an advertisement on television 66. These operations include packet assembly, object assembly and object processing.
The first operation performed on the advertising and program guide data stored in the guide database in memory 78 is packet assembly. During the packet assembly operation, CPU 74 examines the stored advertising and program guide data and determines the locations of the packet boundaries.
The next step performed by CPU 74 is object assembly. During the object assembly step, CPU 74 combines packets to create object frames, and then combines the object frames to create program guide and advertising objects. CPU 74 examines the checksum transmitted within each object frame, and verifies whether the frame data was accurately received. If the object frame was not accurately received, it is discarded from memory 78. Also during the object assembly step, receiver 64 discards assembled objects that are of an object type that receiver 64 does not recognize. Receiver 64 maintains a list of known object types in memory 78. CPU 74 examines the object header of each received object to determine the object type. CPU 74 compares the object type of each received object to the list of known object types stored in memory 78. If the object type of an object is not found in the list of known object types, the object is discarded from memory 78.
The last step performed by CPU 74 on received program guide and advertising data is object processing. During the object processing step, the objects stored in the database are combined to create a digital image of a program guide. The objects stored in the database are also organized to create a digital image of an advertisement. The digital image of the program guide or advertisement is later converted to an analog signal that is sent to television 66 for display to a user.
Users select a particular channel to watch on television 66 using remote control 86. Remote control 86 emits infrared signals that are received by infrared (IR) receiver 84 in receiver 64. Other types of data entry devices may alternatively be used, such as an ultra-high frequency (UHF) remote control, a keypad on receiver 64, a remote keyboard and a remote mouse. Channels are preferably selected using remote control 86 to navigate around an electronic television program guide, such as program guide 88 shown in
Program guide 88 includes grid 90, cells 92, channel list 94, scroll buttons 96A and 96B, time indicators 98A-98C (collectively referred to as time indicators 98), jump button 100, time button 102, day indicators 104, information window 106, and category buttons 108A, 108B and 108C (collectively referred to as category buttons 108). The various buttons and cells are highlighted by navigating around program guide 88 using remote control 86.
Grid 90 includes a plurality of cells 92. Each cell 92 includes a program title, and may provide additional information. Channel list 94 includes a list of channel names or channel numbers, or both. Channel list 94 may also include icons, such as icons that represent particular channels. The names and channel numbers for each entry in channel list 94 are obtained from the channel object for that entry. Time indicators 98A, 98B and 98C (referred to collectively as “time indicators 98”) indicate start and end times of the various programs displayed in grid 90. Although half-hour time blocks (a time block is the length of time between two time indicators 98) are shown in program guide 88, other time block lengths may be used. Scroll buttons 96A and 96B allow users to scroll up and down channel list 94 and display different channels. Day indicators 104 indicate the day for which program information is presently being displayed. In
Information window 106 provides additional information about programs displayed in grid 90. The type of information displayed in information window 106 depends on which category button 108A-108C is currently selected. Users select one of category buttons 108A-108C using remote control 86. As shown in
Program guide 88 preferably includes schedule information for numerous channels, including DSS channels, ATSC channels and NTSC channels, regardless of whether the channel content is actually transmitted by television broadcasting system 20. For instance, the embodiment shown in
Advertisements include trademark images, product images, text, or video, alone, or in combination, and can include accompanying audio. Traditionally, advertisements have been part of television content as it is being broadcast. Each television receiver displayed whatever advertisements happen to be broadcast to it in conjunction with the television programs selected for display. Once the television content and advertisements were broadcast to a receiver, there was virtually no intelligence or flexibility with regard to which advertisements are displayed to a television broadcast service user, or when and how those advertisements are displayed to the user.
The present invention provides a system for intelligently and flexibly displaying advertisements. According to the present invention each receiving station will display advertisements that other receiving stations will not necessarily display. In addition, each user of a particular receiver may not see the same advertisements as another user of the same receiver. Television content, program guide data and advertising data are broadcast to receiving stations as described above, receiver 64 monitors both which television programs are selected by a user and which advertisements it has received to tailor which of the received advertisements will be displayed to a user of receiver 64, in addition to how and when the advertisements chosen by receiver 64 will be displayed.
The advertisement display system includes three parts. The first part involves building a database of information regarding what viewing selections an individual user makes. Here, receiver 64 compiles information about the user's viewing history and uses that information to intelligently display advertisements to the user. Receiver 64 preferably tracks the user's viewing history and stores this information in a selection history table in memory 78. The selection history table is initially empty when receiver 64 is first purchased. For each program that is chosen by a user, receiver 64 stores information characterizing the program. The characterizing information is included in the program guide objects broadcast to the receiver as discussed above. When a user selects a program from program guide 88, the characterizing information from the associated program guide object is stored in the selection history table in memory 78.
The characterizing information may be organized into attributes. Attributes include information such as category descriptors that identify the type and category of program, name descriptors that identify the name of the program selected, credits information that identify the names and roles of those involved in the production of the program, and key words and phrases in the description of the program. Category descriptors preferably provide a two-tiered category classification, such as “sports/baseball” or “movie/drama,” although any number of tiers may be used including single tiers.
Attributes also include indicators that the program is one of a particular series or that the program is one of a group of associated programs. For example, each episode of “Star Trek, The Next Generation” will have the same series indicator. The “Star Trek” movies, and various “Star Trek” series will all have the same group indicator, even if they are not part of one particular series. CPU 74 keeps track of the program selections made by users, stores the attributes for selected programs in the selection history table and links the attributes to the current user.
In compiling a selection history table, receiver 64 preferably filters out programs the user has selected, but viewed for an insignificant time period. CPU 74 of receiver 64 preferably keeps track of the amount of time each program is watched using clock 76 and stores the times in the selection history table. If programs and channels are watched for a time more than a set threshold, 12 hours for example, the attributes for those channels and programs are not stored in the selection history table. If programs are watched for a time that is less than a set threshold, such as 30 seconds, the attributes for those programs are not stored in the selection history table. In this way, programs the user selects when “channel surfing,” or programs displayed when the user has forgotten to turn off the receiver are filtered out of the selection history table stored in memory 78.
In addition, in compiling a selection history table, receiver 64 preferably tracks a plurality of individual users' viewing preferences. When receiver 64 is first turned on, or after receiver 64 has not been interacted with for a predetermined time, receiver 64 prompts the user to identify himself or herself.
When a user enters one of descriptions 112A-112D with remote control 86, a user identification signal is sent to receiver 64. Receiver 64 receives the user identification signal, identifies the user and stores the attributes associated with that user's channel and program selections in a user-specific sub-history within the selection history table. Receiver 64 uses the selections made by each of the plurality of identified users to create and update the list of attributes linked with that user. In this way, the flexible advertising targeting techniques of the present invention can be specific to one of a plurality of users of one receiver 64.
As discussed earlier, advertisements are broadcast to receiver 64 along with television content and program guide data. Each advertisement comprises an advertising object which includes attributes associated with the advertisement and which points to other objects which contain content to assemble the advertisement for display. Receiver 64 determines how well a particular advertisement fits the individual user by comparing the attributes associated with the related advertising object with the attributes stored in the selection history table that are linked to the individual user's viewing history. Receiver 64 then determines which advertisements are assembled and displayed to the user, and when and how those advertisements are displayed to the user.
An example of a static advertisement displayed in program guide 88 is shown in
The second part of the advertising system involves correlating the characteristics of transmitted advertisements with the information compiled regarding individual users' viewing selections. Receiver 64 uses similarity matching to determine how well advertisements fit the information compiled and stored in the selection history table.
Receiver 64 uses a similarity algorithm to compare advertisements to the individual user's viewing preferences as described by the list of common attributes stored in the selection history table. The similarity algorithm used can weight certain attributes in order to calculate a similarity score tailored to a user in specific ways. The amount of weight given to a particular attribute (e.g., name descriptor) effects the relative similarity scores for the advertising objects, and therefore ultimately the priority in which these advertisements are displayed to the user.
For example, a fast food chain may tie certain items it serves to a movie or television program. The fast food chain advertisement that markets the tie-in may have an associated name descriptor that includes the name of the tied movie or television program. If the user has selected the tied movie or television program, the similarity algorithm which heavily weights the name descriptor attribute relative to the other attributes will insure that the fast food advertisement has a relatively high similarity score even though other attributes associated with the advertisement may not match the list of common attributes in the user's selection history. In this way, the user is likely to see advertisements tied to the programs the user has selected, regardless of how few of the advertisement's other associated attributes match the list of common attributes from the user's selection history table. Other similarity algorithms may be used to emphasize other attributes by weighting those attributes to further tailor advertisements to the user in other ways.
The example similarity algorithm explained below in reference to
According to the example similarity algorithm illustrated in
CPU 74 examines the advertisement and the selection history for category descriptors common to both the advertisement and the selection history and calculates a category score (Block 124). CPU 74 counts the number of category descriptors common to both the selection history table and the advertisement and weights the count by multiplying the count by five.
Next, CPU 74 examines the advertisement and the selection history for words common to the description fields of both the advertisement and the selection history table and calculates a description score (Block 126). CPU 74 filters out less significant words such as “and”, “is” and “the” in order to determine a more meaningful description score. CPU 74 counts the number of significant words common to both the selection history table and the advertisement and weights that number by multiplying the count by ten.
Next, CPU 74 calculates a name score by examining the name descriptors in both the advertisement and the selection history table (Block 128). CPU 74 counts the number of name descriptors common to both the selection history table and the advertisement. CPU 74 weights the count by multiplying the count by thirty.
Finally, CPU 74 calculates the similarity score for the advertisement by adding the category score, the description score, and the name score together (Block 130). The calculated score for that advertisement is stored in memory 78 (Block 132) so that CPU 74 can compare the newly calculated similarity score with similarity scores for other advertisements, and later use the calculated similarity score to determine when and how to display the advertisement.
The third part of the advertising system involves using correlations between the characteristics of advertisements and the compiled selection history to display advertisements in an individualized manner suited to each individual user. One example of receiver 64 using similarity scores to match advertisements to an individual user's preferences is to only display those advertisements which have at least a predetermined cutoff similarity score. As shown in
Another similar example of how similarity scores are used is illustrated in
Receiver 64 starts with the list of common attributes from the selection history table for a user as discussed earlier in reference to
CPU 74 compares the similarity score for the newly received advertising object to the lowest similarity score associated with the advertising object among the advertisements already stored in memory 78 (Block 154). If the newly received advertisement's score is lower than the lowest similarity score currently in memory 78, CPU 74 does not save the newly received advertisement in memory (Block 156). If the newly received advertisement's score is higher than the lowest similarity score currently in memory, CPU 74 replaces the advertising object with the lowest similarity score and its associated advertisement with the newly received advertising object and its associated advertisement (Block 158). In this way, receiver 64 assembles and displays advertisements drawn from a pool of advertisements in memory 78 that most closely matches the user's preferences. In addition, the finite space in memory 78 is occupied only by those advertisements that have relatively high similarity scores.
As mentioned earlier, according to the present invention, receiver 64 not only determines which advertisements to display, but also how and when to display the chosen advertisements according to how advertisements fit a user's selection history. For example, an advertising object having a high similarity score would be shown before an advertisement having a low similarity score. Also, an advertisement having a high similarity score would be shown more frequently and prominently on the display screen. In this way, users of the present invention see advertising customized to their interests and advertisements more likely meet an interested audience.
Receiver 64 uses the similarity scores for the set of advertisements to determine which advertisements to display (Block 168). For example, if of the three example advertisements, only the laundry detergent advertisement 160 and the corporate advertisement 162 have similarity scores above a predetermined threshold similarity score, only these two advertisements are displayed. On the other hand, soft drink advertisement 164 is not displayed if its associated similarity score was not at or above the similarity score threshold.
Similarly, receiver 64 uses the similarity scores for the set of advertisements to determine the priority and length of time for displaying the advertisements (Block 170). If, as in this example, the laundry detergent advertisement 160 has the highest similarity score, laundry detergent advertisement 160 is displayed before the corporate advertisement 162 and so on. In this way, the laundry detergent advertisement is most likely to be seen before the user selects a channel or turns receiver 64 off.
Alternative versions of the same advertisement are displayed according to the user's viewing preferences in the present invention. For example, each of the plurality of advertising objects stored in memory 78 can point to a plurality of different images (e.g., a different size, or a different graphic) for the advertisement. Receiver 64 uses the similarity score for each advertisement and determines which advertising image to display based on the similarity score for that advertising object (Block 172). For example, if CPU 74 determines soft drink advertisement 164 has a similarity score greater than a threshold similarity score, receiver 64 assembles and displays larger image 174 rather than smaller image 176 for soft drink advertisement.
Receiver 64 can use similarity scores in alternative ways to determine the image and timing of advertisements. For example, receiver 64 may simply compare the similarity scores of the advertisements currently in memory 78 and display the larger image of those advertisements which have a similarity score a predetermined percentage higher than the average similarity score for all of the advertisements currently stored in memory 78. By using the same techniques, receiver 64 also determines how long and how often to display a particular advertisement according to the similarity score of the associated advertising object for that advertisement.
Another technique for intelligently displaying advertisements according to the present invention is selective retention of advertisements. Receiver 64 retains advertisements that are interesting to an individual user so that the user can later view or interact with the retained advertisements. Each advertisement may have a predetermined viewing lifetime. The viewing lifetime data broadcast as part of the advertising object for that advertisement. CPU 74 uses the advertising lifetime to determine when and how long to display the associated advertisement. For example, an advertising object containing the data for assembling an advertisement for a newly introduced automobile may have a two month viewing lifetime from the date the automobile first becomes available to consumers. With the present invention, advertisements are retained beyond the predetermined viewing lifetime by receiver 64, if receiver 64 determines that the advertisement has at least a predetermined threshold similarity score. In this way, users are less likely to miss an opportunity to view or respond to interesting advertisements.
An example of this is shown in
Another aspect of intelligently displaying advertisements according to the present invention includes the ability of the user to interact with displayed advertisements. User interaction includes manipulating the display of advertisements, and the user requesting more information, or making purchases, in response to an advertisement. In addition, statistical data concerning which advertisements are shown is kept according to the present invention. The statistical data enables a broadcast service provider to collect information related to the advertisements it broadcasts.
One example of a user-manipulation of displayed advertisements is illustrated in
The user controls which image he sees by selecting the advertisement using remote control 86. Remote control 86 may have an array of buttons which allow the user to send an image altering signal to receiver 64.
When the user selects initial image 182A (
Another example of user interaction with displayed advertisements is illustrated in
For example, the user may respond to advertisement 196 for laundry detergent displayed in program guide 88 as shown in
Letters and numbers may be entered into the fields by using the navigation buttons 184A-184D to scroll through the alphabet and by using number pad 192 on remote control 86. Various other fields such as an email address field, receiver number field and receiver model field may be included or substituted for the fields shown on order screen 198. Once the requested information has been entered, the user sends the order by highlighting submit button 202 on order screen 198 and pressing enter button 186 on remote control 86. At any time before submitting an order, a user can return to program guide 88 by highlighting cancel button 204 on order screen 198 and pressing enter button 186 on remote control 86. Other methods of displaying an ordered message may be employed according to the present invention such as simply overlaying the ordered message on the current screen the user is viewing.
After receiver 64 has sent the stored requests to transmission station 26, receiver 64 acknowledges (Block 216) the request. Transmission station 26 sends an acknowledgment signal to receiver 64. When receiver 64 receives the acknowledgment signal, receiver 64 displays an “ordered” message to the user in a request summary screen (Block 218) and deletes from memory 78 the acknowledged requests.
An example of how an ordered message may be displayed in request summary screen 220 is shown in
For example, as shown in
Another feature of the present invention provides for a statistical accounting of the advertisements displayed to a user. The statistics provide valuable information which may later be used by the broadcast provider or advertisers to better target and price advertising. According to the present invention, advertising statistics for a user are reported to transmission station 26. Advertising statistics include the number of times a particular advertisement is displayed to a particular viewer, the number of times a user has selected the advertisement, or which advertisements prompted the user to request additional information such as brochures or samples.
Another aspect of the present invention involves compiling and reporting statistics on what advertisements are shown and reacted to by an individual user. The block diagram in
The present invention provides a method and apparatus to intelligently tailor the display of advertisements to individual users of a television broadcast system. Rather than displaying to the user whatever advertisements happen to be broadcast, the present invention provides for flexibly and intelligently tailoring advertisements to each individual user. The present invention tracks individual users and the programming choices they make and uses that information to tailor what advertisements are displayed to each individual user. The present invention makes it possible for each individual user to have a unique viewing experience both with regard to the programming he or she chooses, and with regard to the advertisements he or she chooses. In addition, advertisers can be better assured that users most interested in particular advertisements actually see those advertisements.
The above examples of intelligently displayed advertising are merely illustrative of the present invention, and are not the only ways in which the present invention may be implemented. Although the present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments, workers skilled in the art will recognize that changes may be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
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Department of Primatology
Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Deutscher Platz 6
phone: +49 (341) 3550 - 200
fax: +49 (341) 3550 - 299
I studied biology at the Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich, focusing on animal physiology, anthropology and biophysics. I started work on nonhuman primates with experimental studies at the MPI for Psychiatry by exploring the physical configuration of vocal and visual signals used by squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus). This work was followed by field studies on the vocal communication of sympatric species of macaques (Macaca silenus, M. radiata) and langurs (Presbythis johnii, P. entellus) in South India. The four species offer an interesting model as they differ in terms of their social systems and in their flexibility to adapt to environmental changes. This work was done in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Science (Bangalore) and led to my PhD at the LM-University Munich.
After finishing my PhD, I moved from the Max-Planck-Institute for Psychiatry to the Max Planck Research Centre for Human Ethology (1989-95). Here I started work on wild bonobos (Pan paniscus) at Lomako. This work was initially funded by the MPI for Human Evolution and later by the MPI for Behavioral Physiology (1996-99). Since 1999, my research is hosted by the MPI for Evolutionary Anthropology. Studies at Lomako continued for eight years and produced the first information from fully habituated but unprovisioned bonobos. This included data on kin relationships of natural communities, the relation between kinship and social ties, and the first detailed information on hunting, meat eating and meat sharing by female bonobos highlighting the role of females in a domain that is usually considered to be dominated by males.
In 2002, a new study site was established for hosting long-term field research on bonobos at LuiKotale. This site is used jointly by the bonobo project and by a long-term project on plant biodiversity directed by Barbara Fruth (http://www.eva.mpg.de/procuv). Initial studies of bonobos at LuiKotale have focused on a complex of related aspects such as feeding behaviour, food processing, nutritional ecology, and forest productivity. Following habituation of the members of one community to close range observations, various behavioural aspects are now being studied by post-docs, PhD and Master students. Meanwhile a second community tolerates the presence of humans which allows expanding research activities of this population.
Ongoing field studies combine behavioural observations with molecular genetics, behavioural physiology, and ecological data. Field work in Congo is complemented by a series of experimental studies on converging topics such as ontogeny, social and environmental stress, nutrition, and energy acquisition.
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All Dual Blades in Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak
This page contains a list of all Dual Blades available in Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak. The main page includes an overview of every single Dual Blade and their relevant stats like rarity, attack, element (if any), affinity, and defense bonus. Click a Dual Blade's name for a detailed page with general information about it, its crafting and upgrade costs, possible rampage skills, and so much more!
The table is sortable by clicking a column header and searchable by using the input field above it.
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Ocycte (Egg) Freezing & Fertility Preservation
Fertility Preservation Oocyte (Egg) Freezing
Women usually do not know they have fertility problems until they try to become pregnant. However, in certain circumstances, a woman may know ahead of time that her ability to reproduce is in jeopardy, allowing her to make the decision to preserve her fertility for the future. A common example of such a scenario is someone about to undergo chemotherapy or radiation treatment for cancer, both of which are known to damage a person's reproductive potential. Oocyte (egg) freezing, through a technique known as vitrification, offers women hope for improving fertility in their future.
Fertility Preservation Before Cancer Treatment
Chemotherapy and radiation can damage eggs or sperm and possibly render a patient infertile. Freezing a woman's eggs, or embryos created with sperm from her partner or an anonymous donor, allows her the chance to have a genetic child in the future. We understand the time constraints and emotional stress of patients facing cancer treatment, as well as the concern over the potential negative impact on future fertility. We offer expedited, compassionate care at a discounted rate for egg or embryo freezing for cancer treatment.
Simulation and Retrieval
Although it is possible to conduct oocyte freezing with immature eggs or even sections of ovarian tissue, the most effective technique for egg vitrification is to induce maturation of the eggs and collect them as would be done for IVF. Fertility medications are used to stimulate the development of multiple ovarian follicles and induce ovulation. Before the eggs can be released from the ovaries they are retrieved using a procedure known as ultrasound-guided transvaginal aspiration. During this procedure, an ultrasound probe is used to see the ovaries and surrounding structures while a very fine needle is guided through the vaginal wall and into each ovarian follicle. Gentle suction is used to remove the egg and fluid from each follicle, and it is then stored in an individual container, where it will be prepared for oocyte freezing.
Egg Freezing and Storage
Once the eggs are collected, they are examined and mixed with a cryoprotectant solution before being rapidly cooled. The traditional method for the cryopreservation of sperm, embryos, and eggs involves a slow freezing technique. This is effective for sperm and embryos, but problematic for egg freezing, as oocytes are large cells that contain a good deal of water and have a tendency to be damaged by the formation of ice crystals. Vitrification, however, is a technique that involves very quick freezing and does not allow ice crystals to form, thereby preventing damage to the eggs. Once the eggs have reached the appropriate temperature, they are transferred to long-term storage, where they will be kept in liquid nitrogen until they are ready to be used.
This advancement has now made this a valid option for women not affected by a medical condition, but also for those women waiting later in life to start a family. Many women with other priorities can now freeze their eggs or embryos, preserving their future fertility for later in life.
The process involves four stages - Ovarian stimulation, egg retrieval and freezing or storage. Thawing of eggs with fertilization, embryo development and intrauterine transfer. To receive addition information please select this link to receive more information.
Thawing and Fertilization
When the patient is ready to use her frozen eggs, they will be retrieved from storage and gently warmed. After thawing, the eggs are examined and those that have survived the oocyte freezing process will be fertilized in vitro or through intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). The resulting embryos are transferred into the patient's uterus as normal.
Reproduction After Oocyte Freezing
Early attempts at egg freezing showed very little promise. The rate at which eggs survived the freezing and thawing process was very low and even lower was the rate of successful conception and pregnancy. Using the vitrification technique, however, fertility experts have seen significant increases in the numbers of oocytes that are viable after being frozen and thawed.
Contact Our Fort Lauderdale, Florida Area Practice
To learn more about oocyte (egg) freezing and how the process of vitrification may improve the chances of IVF success, contact us today at, 888.313.0307, or request an appointment.
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Sources and levels of ambient ocean sound near the antarctic peninsula
Arrays of hydrophones were deployed within the Bransfield Strait and Scotia Sea (Antarctic Peninsula region) from 2005 to 2009 to record ambient ocean sound at frequencies of up to 125 and 500 Hz. Icequakes, which are broadband, short duration signals derived from fracturing of large free-floating icebergs, are a prominent feature of the ocean soundscape. Icequake activity peaks during austral summer and is minimum during winter, likely following freeze-thaw cycles. Iceberg grounding and rapid disintegration also releases significant acoustic energy, equivalent to large-scale geophysical events. Overall ambient sound levels can be as much as ~10–20 dB higher in the open, deep ocean of the Scotia Sea compared to the relatively shallow Bransfield Strait. Noise levels become lowest during the austral winter, as sea-ice cover suppresses wind and wave noise. Ambient noise levels are highest during austral spring and summer, as surface noise, ice cracking and biological activity intensifies. Vocalizations of blue (Balaenoptera musculus) and fin (B. physalus) whales also dominate the long-term spectra records in the 15–28 and 89 Hz bands. Blue whale call energy is a maximum during austral summer-fall in the Drake Passage and Bransfield Strait when ambient noise levels are a maximum and sea-ice cover is amore »
- Oregon State Univ./Cooperative Inst. for Marine Resources Studies/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)/Pacific Marine Environmental Lab., Newport, OR (United States)
- North Carolina State Univ., Raleigh, NC (United States). Dept. of Marine, Earth, and Atmospheric Sciences.
- Univ. of Washington, Seattle, WA (United States). Applied Physics Lab.
- Korea Polar Research Inst., Incheon (Korea, Republic of). Polar Environmental Research Div.
- Virginia Commonwealth Univ., Richmond, VA (United States)
- Publication Date:
- Grant/Contract Number:
- Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- PLoS ONE
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 10; Journal Issue: 4; Journal ID: ISSN 1932-6203
- Public Library of Science
- Research Org:
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Newport, OR (United States)
- Sponsoring Org:
- Contributing Orgs:
- NOAA Ocean Exploration and Research Program; Korea Ocean and Polar Research Institute
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- 54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
- OSTI Identifier:
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When children are being shuffled between divorced parents, they often spend time in two different households. When each family has its own set of rules for the children, it can end up in problems for both the parents and the children. It is best to handle such situations with an easy hand.
The following suggestions can be fruitful for divorced parents as they try and develop a consistent parenting approach for their kids:
Talk to your ex-husband or wife and make sure you both are on the same page regarding basic rules and how they are enforced (e.g., same bedtimes, chore responsibilities, amount of TV and video game time allowed, etc.). Discuss each issue calmly and conclude the discussion with positive approaches for your children.
Don’t let your child manipulate or play you and your ex against each other. For example, if you’ve given your child a “No” answer to a request made while he or she is living with you, and the child calls your ex hoping to elicit a “Yes,” explain that it’s not okay to do that and that your response stands. This might only happen when your child wants to do something u might not consider. Therefore, you and your ex need to be on a unanimous stance.
Along similar lines, it is important to note that many parents don’t know what to do when a child starts seeing one parent as the “good guy” and the other parent as the “bad guy”. When such a situation arises consider the following suggestions:
When the kids come back from staying with your ex, take a moment before they run off to help them get re-acclimated to your home. Remind them that they’re no longer at the other parent’s house, and that what you say goes. IT might be hard for them, but eventually they will adapt to it.
Explain to your kids that how they act and behave at one parent’s house will be different from how they act and behave at the others. Tell them that while both households may have similar expectations and rules (see the earlier tip about being on the same page), they should obey whichever parent they are staying with.
In the end, the better you and your ex can communicate about and establish basic rules in both your homes, the easier it will be for you to parent and for your kids to do what you want. Most importantly, you must remember that regardless of what broke up your marriage, you both will always be united in your love of your children and that they always come first in your lives.
Click HERE to read more from Fashion Central.
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i•Rewards is a fully customizable and flexible player loyalty system. Interactive bonus games and fixed point awards allow for complete control over the promotional budget. With the addition of i•Rewards Snapshot you’ll create more player loyalty than ever before from the players that matter most.
- Interactive bonus games on LED screens allow for increased player/attendant interaction.
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- Integrated text messaging with no additional cost.
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- Reward players based on their actual play and not just time on device.
- Increase player loyalty from the players that matter most.
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To reduce lead exposure to you and your family, you can:
- Let cold water run for 30 seconds before drinking it
- Use cold water when cooking, as hot water absorbs more lead
- Invest in a water filter for your drinking and cooking water
- When mixing formula for infants, use filtered water
- Dust, vacuum and wash toys often if you are renovating or live in a home built before 1978 – as lead travels in dust from soil and paint
If you have any questions or concerns about lead poisoning, consult with your doctor.
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A NEW METHOD FOR THE ANALYSIS OF VITAMIN D
Small Business Information
BOX 293, HWY 13 S, NORTH WEBSTER, IN, 46555-0293
AbstractDESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): After almost a century of research there are still critical questions regarding the role of vitamin D in health and disease. Beyond the well established function of vitamin D in bone health, evidence is emerging that itmay be a risk factor in chronic diseases ranging from autoimmune diseases and cancer to cardiovascular disease and type II diabetes. One complication in ongoing research is the lack of reliable measurement technology with sufficient selectivity and sensitivity to determine physiological levels of vitamin D and its metabolites in tissues, blood, and food. Commercially available kit assays provide high throughput analysis of 25(OH)D, but not of vitamin D, and inter-laboratory performance is poor. Additionally, these kits are unable to accurately and separately measure 25(OH)D3 and 25(OH)D2, as they are confounded by cross-reactivity with catabolic 24,25(OH)2D metabolites. On the other hand, HPLC coupled with mass spectrometry (LC-MS) offers both increased sensitivity and selectivity and minimizes interferences commonly seen from complex food matrices. Several LC-MS/MS methods have been developed for measuring vitamin D metabolites in plasma that reported Limits of Quantification (LOQ) ranging from 0.17 to 6.5ng/mL. While promising, the premature fragmentation of vitamin D molecules in ion sources contributes to the higher variability of these methods and high LOQ. To overcome this problem, a specific vitamin D derivatization reaction based on Diels-Alder cycloaddition was developed. Using PTAD derivatization and methylamine, LOQs of 10 - 20 pg/mL have been accomplished for five vitamin D metabolites. Although a significant improvement, this method does not achieve the sensitivity of immuno- assays and does notallow for simultaneous analysis of multiple samples in a single chromatographic run. A solution to these problems that will be developed in this proposal is to increase both the selectivity and sensitivity with which the components of vitamin D are determined. This will be achieved with a new liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry approach in which the 9,10- secosteroid components of vitamin D are derivatized with a new reagent that both differentially codes components isotopically according to sample origin and greatly increases their ionization efficiency. Taken together this will enable multiple samples to be analyzed simultaneously at the level comparable to immuno-assays (1-5 pg/mL) while still allowing molecular discrimination between vitamin D2, vitamin D3, 25(OH)D2, 25(OH)D3, 1,25(OH)2D2, 1,25(OH)2D3, 24,25(OH)2D2, 24,25(OH)2D3. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: A new quantification strategy and reagents for the analysis of vitamin D and its different forms is being developed that will facilitate broader understanding of the various bio- regulatory functions unique to this hormone-like vitamin.
* information listed above is at the time of submission.
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Working with Refugees
This page provides a broad overview for effectively working with refugee populations, along with resources to use when working with refugees resettling to the United States. Refugees are processed by the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP), administered by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) in cooperation with the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Health and Human Services.
Refugees arrive to the U.S. having a well-founded fear of persecution and are deemed unable to return to their home countries. Resettlement Agencies (RAs) are funded by PRM to resettle refugees, providing required core services and basic necessities during the refugee’s first 30-90 days in the U.S. through the Reception and Placement (R&P) Program. For more detailed information about specific refugee populations, visit the About Refugees page.
Service Delivery Approaches
The following section identifies two approaches to consider when working with refugee populations: a strengths-based approach and a trauma-informed approach. The information provided is summative and you are encouraged to review resources provided under the Learn More section for each approach. For detailed guidance on delivering effective Cultural Orientation, visit the Provider Onboarding page.
Taking a Strengths-based Approach
Taking a Strengths-based Approach
Implementing a strengths-based approach with refugees can aid in their effective resettlement and longer-term integration. A strengths-based approach refers to policies, practices, and strategies that identify and draw upon the strengths and capacities of individuals and communities instead of focusing on deficits. Deficit thinking centers on shortcomings and failures, instead of strengths and capabilities. Applying a strengths-based approach has the potential to improve self-awareness and develop an individual’s confidence.
- Taking a Strengths-based Approach online course from CORE
- Strengths-based approaches for working with individuals from The Institute for Research and Innovation in Social Services (IRISS)
- Demystifying Strengths-Based Services: Fostering Refugees’ Resilience in Resettlement from Switchboard
A trauma-informed approach recognizes the presence of trauma symptoms and acknowledges the role trauma may play in an individual’s life. The impact of exposure to traumatic events will differ depending on the individual. Some individuals may not display any symptoms of trauma and can cope with difficult experiences in healthy and productive ways. For others, trauma may have a profound and lasting impact on their daily functioning. The intention of a trauma-informed approach is not to treat symptoms or issues related to the trauma; rather it is to provide support services in a way that is accessible and appropriate to those who may have experienced trauma.
- Trauma Informed Care: Movement Towards Practice from Switchboard
- Resource Guide to Trauma-Informed Human services and their Resources Specific to Immigrant or Refugee Populations from Administration for Children and Families
Deepen Your Knowledge
Access the following resources to learn more about specific refugee populations and hear from refugees about their experience resettling to the United States.
Resources for Refugees
CORE’s refugee-facing digital platforms offer more than 500 resources in multiple formats and languages. These platforms and resources prioritize visual simplicity and design clarity, low-literacy and low digital literacy needs, and cultural and linguistic adaptability. If you’re new to CORE, below is an overview of our resources for refugees.
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Antonyms for perseverance are terms or phrases that represent the opposite of persistence, determination, and dedication. These antonyms convey the idea of giving up easily, lacking the resolve to push through challenges, and being easily discouraged in the face of adversity.
Individuals who exhibit antonyms for perseverance may struggle to stay committed to their goals, often abandoning them at the first sign of difficulty. This lack of perseverance can hinder personal growth, prevent the attainment of long-term objectives, and lead to feelings of dissatisfaction and unfulfillment.
Understanding antonyms for perseverance can provide valuable insight into the importance of resilience, tenacity, and grit in overcoming obstacles and achieving success. By recognizing these contrasting characteristics, individuals can reflect on their own ability to persevere and make proactive changes to cultivate a stronger sense of determination and persistence in their endeavors.
35 Antonyms for PERSEVERANCE With Sentences
Here’s a complete list of opposite for perseverance. Practice and let us know if you have any questions regarding PERSEVERANCE antonyms.
|Sentence with Perseverance
|Sentence with Antonym
|She showed perseverance in completing the project.
|She decided to quit halfway through the project.
|His perseverance paid off in the end.
|He felt like giving up after facing repeated failures.
|Despite the challenges, her perseverance never wavered.
|She decided to surrender and gave up on her goal.
|Through perseverance, he overcame all obstacles.
|He chose abandonment when the going got tough.
|Perseverance is essential for achieving success.
|Resignation will only lead to unfulfilled dreams.
|His perseverance and determination inspired others.
|Defeat was inevitable as he lacked perseverance.
|The marathon runner’s perseverance was commendable.
|Finally, he bowed down in capitulation to the challenges.
|The team’s perseverance led them to victory.
|They decided to relinquish their goal and move on.
|Despite the setbacks, she showed great perseverance.
|She chose to give in to the difficulties and quit.
|His perseverance in academics earned him a scholarship.
|He decided to yield to the pressure and dropped out.
|The artist’s perseverance was evident in every brushstroke.
|However, he chose to abandon his passion for painting.
|Through perseverance, she achieved her fitness goals.
|She decided to forfeit her health journey and indulge in unhealthy habits.
|Perseverance is the key to overcoming challenges.
|Renunciation of one’s goals will only lead to regret.
|The project was successful due to the team’s perseverance.
|However, termination was imminent when they lost motivation.
|He demonstrated perseverance by never giving up.
|Eventually, he chose to abandon his dreams.
|Perseverance is essential for personal growth.
|Surrender to difficulties will stunt one’s progress.
|With perseverance, she overcame all obstacles.
|Her submission to challenges hindered her success.
|The athlete’s perseverance led to victory.
|Unfortunately, he decided to relinquish his title.
|Never give up, keep moving forward with perseverance.
|Concede defeat and you will never achieve your goals.
|The student’s perseverance resulted in high grades.
|Whereas, surrender to challenges leads to failure.
|The explorer’s perseverance led him to new discoveries.
|However, abandonment of his journey halted his progress.
|His perseverance in learning new skills was admirable.
|Unfortunately, his submission to failure held him back.
|Through perseverance, she achieved her dreams.
|Yet, capitulation to hardships was her downfall.
|The chef’s perseverance resulted in a five-star dish.
|Nevertheless, he chose to relinquish his culinary career.
|With perseverance, she transformed her life.
|However, she decided to forfeit her progress and revert to old habits.
|Perseverance is the key to achieving your goals.
|Abandon your dreams, and they will remain unfulfilled.
|Her perseverance in the face of challenges was inspiring.
|However, renunciation of her goals dampened her spirit.
|Perseverance enabled him to climb the corporate ladder.
|He chose to yield to pressure and settle for mediocrity.
|The athlete’s perseverance made him a champion.
|Concede to defeat, and success will always elude you.
Final Thoughts about Antonyms of PERSEVERANCE
Having the opposite of perseverance can lead to giving up easily, lacking determination, and faltering in the face of challenges. When perseverance is absent, progress is hindered, success is harder to achieve, and goals may remain unmet. Without perseverance, individuals may struggle to overcome obstacles, lose motivation, and become discouraged easily.
On the other hand, demonstrating perseverance can lead to resilience, tenacity, and ultimately success. By showing persistence, determination, and grit, individuals can overcome difficulties, achieve their objectives, and realize their aspirations. Perseverance is a key trait that drives individuals to keep pushing forward, even in the face of adversity, and ultimately leads to personal growth and accomplishment.
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ExFDO is a portable software tool intended to store, organize and quickly find data and information about any subject you deal with. Stored data could be files, notes, urls, passwords, tasks to do, location of physical objects, and more... The software has also many features like :
- viewing, copying and archiving files,
- cataloguing files from any directory,
- exporting and importing data,
- printing daily tasks list,
- managing data privacy,
- encrypting critical data,
- managing keywords,
- and more...
The main purpose of ExFDO is to get a portable personal data bank in which you can store and quickly find anything you want like files, notes, urls, passwords, tasks to do and objects location. So, you can use ExFDO to organize all your data and physical storages with one software tool.
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- (Amenophis IV)
King 1379-1362 BC.
The son of *Amenophis III and *Tiye, Amenophis IV changed his name to Akhenaten (probably meaning 'Servant of the Aten') in Year 5 of his reign, thus indicating his allegiance to the Aten, the creator-god who was symbolised by the sun's disc.Tuthmosis IV had begun to elevate the Aten many years before and, under *Amenophis III, the god was given special honours. Akhenaten's unique contribution was to ensure that the Aten's cult approached a form of monotheism; the god was regarded as unique and omnipotent, a universal, supreme and loving deity who was symbolised by the life-giving sun. The king, as the god's sole earthly representative, became virtually interchangeable with the Aten and communed with him every day.It is difficult to determine the extent to which these ideas were innovative and revolutionary; they were at least partly a restatement of an earlier belief in a supreme deity which had been represented by the gods Re or Amun. Also, in addition to personal religious motives, Akhenaten was probably prompted by political pressures to try to curb the over-reaching powers of the priests of Amen-Re, by advancing the cult of the Aten. His actions re-established the king's own role as the god's sole representative on earth.Akhenaten's early reign was spent at Thebes. A period of co-regency with *Amenophis III may have occurred, but at Thebes, Akhenaten was already building special temples to the Aten where he and his chief wife, *Nefertiti, worshipped the god. This cult continued alongside the orthodox worship, of the great Theban deity, Amen-Re. In Year 6, he made a clear break with tradition and moved the political and religious capital from Thebes to a new site in Middle Egypt, perhaps because the cult of the Aten could no longer exist alongside the other gods. Akhenaten closed their temples, disbanded their priesthoods and diverted their revenue to the Aten's cult. In addition, the names of all the other deities were officially erased and the Aten became the exclusive royal god.The new capital was called Akhetaten, which meant the 'Horizon of the Aten'. Palaces, official and administrative quarters and temples to the Aten were built, in addition to villas and houses. The modern term of Tell el Amarna or Amarna is often used for the site. Partial excavation of the city and the neighbouring Royal Tomb and courtiers' tombs has revealed much information about this time, often referred to as the Amarna Period. The text of the Great Hymn to the Aten was found inscribed in some of the courtiers' tombs; this provides an outline of the tenets of Atenism and is regarded as a major influence on Biblical Psalm 104. Texts on boundary stelae ,which marked the perimeter of the new capital, describe the royal conditions laid down for the foundation of Akhetaten.Nefertiti (who took the additional name of Nefernefruaten) reared six daughters at Akhetaten. The royal family is frequently represented in the so-called 'Amarna Art' of the period. This type of art, with its distinctive characteristics, was inspired by religious innovations and is exemplified by reliefs and statuary discovered at Akhetaten. Instances also occur at other sites, such as the standing colossi of Akhenaten from the Aten temples at Thebes. The king imposed both the Aten doctrine and its associated art forms; the art emphasises creativity and the naturalistic representation of plants, birds and animals and extols the joy and beauty of life; it also appears to show the king with an abnormal physique. Certain bodily features are emphasised almost to the point of caricature and it has been suggested that such physical abnormalities may have been due to a glandular deficiency, although, since the king's body has never been found, the reasons behind this strange artistic convention must remain speculative. The abnormalities shown in the king's physique became the norm in Amarna art and all other human figures are represented with the same features. At Thebes, the tomb of the courtier *Ramose is decorated with wall-scenes that provide a striking example of both the orthodox and Amarna styles of art.Akhenaten has been blamed for allowing Egypt's empire in Syria to disintegrate while he pursued his religious reforms. In the Amarna Letters (the diplomatic correspondence found at Akhetaten), vassal princes beg in vain for Egyptian aid against the predatory ambitions of other great powers. However, some of the decline in Egypt's interest and influence in this area may already have already begun in *Amenophis III's reign.At home, the internal organisation had begun to crumble, and the counter-revolutionary methods of Akhenaten's successors, *Tutankhamun and *Horemheb, sought to restore the old order. Even his immediate heir, *Smenkhkare, who may have ruled briefly with him, perhaps attempted some restitution of the traditional gods.Akhenaten was first buried in the royal tomb at Amarna; later generations regarded him as a heretic and a disastrous ruler and every effort was made to expunge his name from the records and to return to religious orthodoxy.Modern scholarship has variously interpreted him as a fanatic, a political opportunist, a mystic and a visionary, a prophet before his time, and the first individual in history. It has also been suggested that he was the pharaoh of the Exodus, and Sigmund Freud proposed that he had been the inspiration of *Moses and of Jewish monotheism.BIBL. Aldred, C. Akhenaten, King of Egypt. London: 1988; Davies, N. de G. The Rock Tombs of El-Amarna. (six vols) London: 1903-8; Mercer, S.A.B. The Tell el Amarna Tablets. (two vols) Toronto: 1939; Aldred, C. and Sandison, A.T. The Pharaoh Akhenaten: a problem in Egyptology and pathology, Bulletin of the History of Medicine 36, pp 293-316; Peet, T.E., Woolley, C.L., Frankfort, H. and Pendlebury, J.D.S. The City of Akhenaten. Parts 1-3. London: 1923-51; Martin G.T. The royal Tomb aty El-Amarna: Vol. 2, The Reliefs, Inscriptions and Architecture. London 1974, 1989. Redford, D.B. Akhenaten. The heretic king. Princeton, N.J. 1984; Smith, R.W. and Redford, D.B. The Akhenaten Temple Project. Vol. 1: The initial discoveries. Warminster: 1977.Biographical Dictionary of Ancient Egypt by Rosalie and Antony E. David* * *(reigned c. 1352–1336 BC)Throne name Neferkheperure waenre. Original name Amenhotep IV. Son of Amenhotep III and Tiy. It is probable that he was not the eldest son, as a Prince Thutmose is attested but presumably died young. It is also not clear if there was a coregency between his father and himself or whether he succeeded only upon his father’s death. Akhenaten sought to establish the primacy of the cult of Re-Harakhty in the form of Aten, the sun’s disk. Following opposition in Thebesfrom the followers of Amun, he established a new capital at Akhetaten, now Amarna, and built his royal tomb nearby. His opposition to the older cults gradually grew more intense, and they were eventually proscribed. His religious beliefs have been wrongly described as monotheism, as Akhenaten did not abandon those cults associated with the sun god or with kingship, namely his deified father and himself. His reign is also noted for a revolutionary new art style, which is far freer than older Egyptian conventions and depicted the royal family and he himself in a particular manner. Some have sought to identify a medical problem in this style, but it may simply have been a new artistic convention. His wife, Nefertiti, assumed a prominent role in royal scenes, and it has been suggested that she even succeeded him. The circumstances that ended the reign are unknown. Akhenaten’s eventual successor, Tutankhamun, who may have been his son, abandoned Amarna and reverted to the worship of Amun. Akhenaten’s name and that of his immediate successors were later proscribed.See also Ankhesenamun; Art; Ay; Baketanen; Horemheb; Meketaten; Meritamun; Meritaten-Tasherit; Nefernefruaten; Nefernefrure; Religion; Setepenre; Sitamun; Smenkhkare; Talatat.Historical Dictionary Of Ancient Egypt by Morris L. Bierbrier
Ancient Egypt. A Reference Guide. EdwART. 2011.
См. также в других словарях:
Akhenaten — or Akhenaton [ä΄ke nät′ n] var. of IKHNATON * * * … Universalium
Akhenaten — or Akhenaton [ä΄ke nät′ n] var. of IKHNATON … English World dictionary
Akhenaten — Pharaoh Infobox Name=Akhenaten / Amenhotep IV Alt= Amenophis IV, Naphu( )rureya, Ikhnaton Caption=Statue of Akhenaten in typical Amarna style. NomenHiero=i t:n:ra G25 x:n Nomen= Akhenaten Servant of the Aten or reflection of the wiserClayton… … Wikipedia
AKHENATEN — Amenhotep IV (1372 1354 B.C.) Egyptian King and earliest religious REFORMER known to HISTORY. He sought to weaken the power of the PRIESTHOOD and impose a FORM of MONOTHEISM on his people. After his death the priests regained power and… … Concise dictionary of Religion
Akhenaten — n. Egyptian Pharaoh (who was known as Amenhotep IV at the beginning of his reign) of the 18th dynasty who reigned between approximately 1350 1332 BC, father of Tutankhamen … English contemporary dictionary
Akhenaten — /ækəˈnatən/ (say akuh nahtuhn) noun died c. 1357 BC, king of Egypt c.1375–c.1357 BC; a monotheist who worshipped Aten; founded new capital at Tell el Amarna. Original name, Amenhotep IV. Also, Akhenaton, Ikhanaton, Ikhnaton … Australian-English dictionary
Akhenaten — noun early ruler of Egypt who rejected the old gods and replaced them with sun worship (died in 1358 BC) • Syn: ↑Akhenaton, ↑Ikhanaton, ↑Amenhotep IV • Instance Hypernyms: ↑king, ↑male monarch, ↑Rex … Useful english dictionary
Akhenaten (comics) — Superherobox| caption = Akhenaten , as depicted on the cover of #2 (May 2003). Art by Jim Starlin. comic color = background:#ff8081 character name = Akhenaten real name = Amenhotep IV publisher = Marvel Comics debut = Incredible Hulk #457 (vol. 2 … Wikipedia
Akhenaten, Dweller in Truth — infobox Book | name = Akhenaten, Dweller in Truth title orig = translator = Tagreid Abu Hassabo author = Naguib Mahfouz cover artist = Eric Fuentecilla country = Egypt language = Arabic series = genre = Historical, Novel publisher = Columbia… … Wikipedia
Akhenaten (disambiguation) — Akhenaton or Akhenaten may refer to:* Akhenaten, Pharaoh of the Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt * Akhnaton (play), 1937 play by Agatha Christie about the pharaoh * Akhnaten (opera), a 1983 Philip Glass opera about the pharaoh * Akhenaten (comics),… … Wikipedia
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The exhibition bauhaus imaginista: Learning From explores the role of cultural appropriation at the Bauhaus and in the work of Bauhaus related artists and designers during the 20th Century. It departs from the example of Paul Klee’s 1927 drawing of a carpet that references traditional Maghrebi carpet patterns, which shows a Bauhaus Master’s interest in non-Western cultural forms.
From the mid 1930s onwards Bauhaus emigres, including Josef and Anni Albers, and Marguerite Wildenhain, travelled throughout the Americas observing, documenting and collecting handicrafts produced by pre-Columbian and indigenous cultures. Anni Albers and her fellow weavers, including a younger generation of Fiber Artists looked to ancient Peruvian textiles because of their complexity and the high social value afforded weaving in Inca society. An interest in vernacular handicraft and architecture can also be seen in the work and study of the second Bauhaus director Hannes Meyer and Bauhaus weaver Lena Bergner during the period they spent in Mexico.
The turn to the vernacular and to handicrafts was given a political dimension in post-independence Morocco, where the rejection of a French Beaux-Arts model by Moroccan artists of the early 1960s led to the re-evaluation of local North African crafts and the Bauhaus, both of which were integrated into the curriculum of the School of Fine Arts in Casablanca.
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What are oesophageal strictures?
The oesophagus carries food from the mouth to the stomach after swallowing. Strictures are a narrowing of the oesophagus due to the formation of scar tissue. In dogs, oesophageal strictures occur most commonly secondary to acid reflux during an anaesthetic. In cats, oesophageal strictures are most commonly seen following certain medications which can irritate the oesophagus.
How can I tell if my pet has an oesophageal stricture?
Trouble when eating or drinking is often the main sign of oesophageal disease. Many patients choke when eating certain food types, for instance, struggling with biscuits but managing soft food or water. Regurgitation is also very common in oesophageal strictures – this is where undigested food is brought up shortly after eating (this can sometimes be hard to tell apart from vomiting). Pets with regurgitation can sometimes develop pneumonia, so a cough may be present too.
How is an oesophageal stricture diagnosed?
Plain x-rays may sometimes be suggestive of an oesophageal stricture however it is best diagnosed with a combination of a fluoroscopy visualised swallowing study and endoscopy.
How is an oesophageal stricture treated?
Balloon dilation of an oesophageal stricture is often effective in short-term however recurrence of the stricture is relatively common. The vast majority of patients will require several balloon dilations to be performed. At Fitzpatrick Referrals, we perform oesophageal balloon dilation under fluoroscopic assistance, as it is widely considered that this allows more effective ballooning to be performed. In some refractory cases, an indwelling balloon can be placed for up to six weeks which owners will dilate at home to prevent strictures reforming – our Interventional Radiologist Gerard McLauchlan, has placed several of these indwelling balloons with excellent results.
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Key: "S:" = Show Synset (semantic) relations, "W:" = Show Word (lexical) relations
Display options for sense: (gloss) "an example sentence"
- S: (n) obeche, obechi, arere, samba, Triplochiton scleroxcylon (large west African tree having large palmately lobed leaves and axillary cymose panicles of small white flowers and one-winged seeds; yields soft white to pale yellow wood)
- S: (n) samba (music composed for dancing the samba)
- S: (n) samba (a lively ballroom dance from Brazil)
- S: (n) samba (a form of canasta using three decks of cards and six jokers)
- S: (v) samba (dance the samba)
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Founded during the reign of Edward I in 1284 by Jean de Grailly, his senechal, Monpazier is perhaps the best known and frequently visited of all of the bastides. Its appeal lies in its well-preserved stone buildings, many of which date from the thirteenth century, its old halle sheltering ancient grain measures, a street system of major arteries, minor cross streets, and narrow lanes, extensive remnants of the town wall, and the presence of several of the bastide gates. More
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Here are 5 riddles only smartest people on Earth can solve. Even if you get 3 out of following 5, consider yourself true champion. Look down for answers..
1. A murderer is condemned to death. He has to choose between three rooms. The first is full of raging fires, the second is full of assassins with loaded guns, and the third is full of lions that haven't eaten in 3 years. Which room is safest for him?
2. A woman shoots her husband. Then she holds him under water for over 5 minutes. Finally, she hangs him. But 5 minutes later they both go out together and enjoy a wonderful dinner together. How can this be?
3. What is black when you buy it, red when you use it, and gray when you throw it away ?
4. Can you name three consecutive days without using the words Wednesday, Friday, or Sunday?
5. This is an unusual paragraph. I'm curious as to just how quickly you can find out what is so unusual about it. It looks so ordinary and plain that you would think nothing was wrong with it. In fact, nothing is wrong with it! It is highly unusual though. Study it and think about it, but you still may not find anything odd. But if you work at it a bit, you might find out. Try to do so without any coaching!
THE ANSWERS TO ALL FIVE THE RIDDLES ARE BELOW:
HEY DON'T Cheat - Do you really need to check the answers first?
1. The third room. Lions that haven't eaten in three years are dead. That one was easy, right?
2. The woman was a photographer. She shot a picture of her husband, developed it, and hung it up to dry (shot; held under water; and hung).
3. Charcoal, as it is used in barbecuing.
4. Sure you can name three consecutive days, yesterday, today, and tomorrow!
5. The letter "e", which is the most common letter used in the English language, does not appear even once in the paragraph.
How did you do?
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Topical Symposium 4
Semiconductor photocatalysis is becoming a popular method for surface depollution and decontamination in the 21st century. A photocatalytic process can be defined as the acceleration of a photoreaction in the presence of a catalyst. Practical applications of photocatalysts include water splitting and green solar fuel production, chemical synthesis, and the degradation of organic pollutants and surface disinfection. The photocatalytic phenomenon is often also associated with the development of photoinduced superhydrophilic properties, which provides a ‘self-cleaning’ effect at the surface, which has been exploited in, for example, large area glazing applications.Titanium dioxide remains the most studied and practically used photocatalytic material, owing to its chemical and biological stability, low cost and non-toxicity. However, for practical exploitation of the photocatalytic process to real-life processes, the quantum efficiency of pristine titanium dioxide may not be sufficient. Solving this issue is one of the main objectives in modern photocatalytic research, where the proposed techniques range from modifications of titanium dioxide (via metal and non-metal doping, coupling with another semiconductor, or the introduction of crystal lattice defects) to the use of alternative, non-titania, semiconductors with higher quantum efficiency. This Topical Symposium will address: Industrial applications of photocatalytic and superhydrophilic materials; Water splitting applications and characterisation; Chemical synthesis via photocatalysis; Measurement of photocatalytic activity and superhydrophilic behavior; film and particle characterisation techniques; Production techniques for photocatalytic thin films and particles; Alternative materials and new applications.
TS4. Invited Speakers:
- Josef Krysa, University of Chemistry and Technology, Czech Republic, “Hematite and Titania Thin Films: Energy and Environmental Applications”
- Suresh Pillai, Centre for Precision Engineering, Materials and Manufacturing Research & Nanotechnology and Bio-Engineering Research Division, Ireland, “Industrial Applications of Photocatalytic and Superhydrophilic Materials”
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Humble releases a Linux filled Bundle! Steam teaches the DualSense to swipe left, Radeon RX 6800 benchmarks, and Vulkan powered War Thunder. Then Butcher faces, the CahirQAsition. All this, plus your hate mail.
09:12 PS5 DualSense updates
12:01 Mangohud Proton hacks
14:16 Proton 5.21 GE
18:11 Warthunder Vulkan support
21:41 Eight Dragons refresh
24:21 Fantasy Ground Unity
27:06 Shameless self-promotion
31:16 Radeon RX 6800 benchmarks
35:46 NVIDIA 3060Ti performance leaks
39:01 NVIDIA 455.45.01 and CUDA
41:00 D3D12 API Trace
43:38 Humble Farm Bundle
46:09 OpenMW summer review
49:44 Review: Butcher
01:00:49 Hate mail
Colour key: Venn Jordan Pedro
- Now all we need is Tinder for Steam.
- It’s probably gonna be really handy for visual novel games
- Those folks ain’t using tinder
- The icons in Big Picture Mode have also been updated with the white circles and grey symbols like they appear on the controller itself.
- Which means if you have a low contrast screen, you’re going to have issues telling one from the other.
- Ah the growing pains of switching to containerized runtimes.
- Step one, make sure teh stuff you need is in your container
- Or in this case, make sure your container has read access to the relevant libraries.
- Steam, start packing in the Mango.
- Now even the eggrolls need mango hax.
- Gave this a shot w/lutris and vkd3d-proton. No luck yet
- Does that mean I can actually play Borderlands 3 now?
- I would also like ProtonGE to go back to using the Proton fullscreen hack which actively stops Windows games from trying to set exclusive fullscreen and, more often than not, fuck my 144Hz refresh rate.
- The flickering on Serious Sam 4 is fixed, which makes the game markedly more playable
- Native vulkan is also working for SS4 on nvidia, which is nice. I should check and see which performs better now
- More and more fixes for BG3 make me continue to meat sweats
- They’re trying to see if they can get it ready for the 2.0 release.
- The Linux server has the Vulkan bits enabled
- Would probably install it again to try with Vulkan.
- 33GB of tanks, damn.
- Switched to the test client and it does indeed show Vulkan.
- Averaged 181 on Pacific War (day)
- Only using around 30/40% of the GPU.
Steam: Game Updates
- Now with a fresh coat of arcade.
- Bonus dash.
- Since when does making something blurry make it look extra nice?
- Can you still turn off the screen effects?
- Still gotta remote play your way baby.
- If they patched in some network multiplayer i’d actually be willing to give this another shot. SoR 4 is fun with friends and we need more of that
Steam: New Games
- Figure I’d give this a mention cuz some folks like using FG to play all sorts of tabletop RPGS
- This is the unity one. Previous versions only worked in wine, so it’s nice to see that they moved to something a little more cross platform
- Usually I recommend roll20 cuz this one follows the train stimulator model and can get real pricey REAL quick
- Wendell threw some Linux native games and VFIO at the 6800 and according to him this is the best AMD launch experience on Linux.
- So I suppose it figures that it would be the one which would release at the worst possible moment in history.
- I would have liked if the 6800 was £399, as it stands, they can stuff them.
- Having release driver support is a nice touch. I suppose it’s architecturally similar to the the 5000 series that the drivers just work
- Let’s hope AMD can keep that up for their newer HW releases
- 8GB Boourns!
- If that price holds, and once the scalpers/bots move on to something else, I might just get that one.
- Now the people who forked out for the 2080TI can feel the pain!
- If it can legit match the 2080 Super for sub 400 that’s still a good deal.
- I didn’t see it in the announcement but this restores CUDA with 5.9 kernels.
- Even fixed two Linux games.
- The Graphics Drivers PPA takes some time to catch up to releases these days
- It works, running 5.9 on the Threadbooper.
- It aspires to trace the rays.
- It also helps getting the valhallas running, so I guess I’m waiting on the new vkd3d-proton release
- The article is a huge deep dive, so it’s definitely worth the read if this kind of stuff interests you
- Still, now that capture and replay capabilities exist, we should start seeing a lot more progress on the dx12 linux front. Which is the future.
- And also what I need to play damn games that come with my motherboard
- Out there looks real cool, and you can get it for dirt cheap
- Sigma theory is the only linux game on the over the $15 tier
- You can back it at the $15 level and get a Hat in Time without burning a heretic purchase.
- Which is the cheapest I’ve seen it at.
- Picked it up for Superhot.
- Asynchronous physics.
- Better animations
- Better TES3MP support
- Better SSE engine level support for extracting the LZ4 files like the one Skyrim SE and Fallout 4 use.
- I still want that OpenObv with Fallout 3/New Vegas support
- I’ll do a New Vegas stream beginning to end with it when it works.
- Automated build coverage is nice. If they can get an automated testing framework in place, that could really help speed up development.
- Still, not having to build it yourself is nice
Devel: Transhuman Design / Crunching Koalas
Price: $10.37 (UK) / / (currently 75% off)
Wazzat: BUTCHER is a fast-paced 2D shooter game and a blood-soaked love letter to the early 90s. As a cyborg programmed to eradicate the last remains of humanity, your sole purpose is to well… annihilate anything that moves.
Mandatory Disclosure: Was free on GOG
- Have you ever wanted to play a 2D DOOM inspired bullet-hell action pew pew game?
- Bitch, you like pixels?
- Well damn, do I have just the game for you!
- Step right up and try and figure out which brown blob is your own silly ass.
- Straight out of 2016 and oh boy, does that Linux port ever show.
- Slammed right into my left most monitor and activated smurf mode.
- I was able to grab the window, scoot it across, and Alt Tab into the game.
- But hey, at least the controller works.
- Man, do those chonky brown pixels look crisp at 2160p.
- And those nonstops screams, the sweetest of all background music.
- But you whisper venn, is it fun?
- Yeah, it’s alright in a this motherfuck*r would be rated NC17 if it weren’t for those cutesy pixels.
- Because like it or not, evisceration by chainsaw is FSM damn adorable if it’s pixelated.
- At the end of the day it’s a 2D arena shooter that works with a controller and despite the damn near perma character blindness it’s a fun little pick up.
- Hell, I like it enough to buy a copy.
- Launched out of the box on both Nvidia and AMD
- AMD fucks up a little on the first launch, so you gotta restart the game but after that is fine
- Also yeah, starts up on the wrong monitor
- Dualshock straight up doesn’t work. Switch pro-controller can move around in menus and fire, but not move. Hmmmmm
- The default controls are…a little bad. Up is not jump
- You can remap everything though and it does work
- Oh dear lord the character blindness
- The soundtrack is bumpin’ though
- I can see how this could be fun. Once you unfuck the controls, it plays like a doom schmuping platformer
- Which I guess is okay I guess, I’d just like to know where my character is at a given moment
- If you’re going to do hipster pixelly games like this, your dude needs to look distinct and clear amidst a myriad of effects and entities. This game’s colour palette is red and brown, which doesn’t really lend itself to that
- Running around and shooting people to death is fun, up until you lose yourself
- But yeah, you either gotta have real good reflexes or memorize enemy spawns, kinda just like Doom. It’s definitely got the difficulty down
- It might be a fitting tribute to Doom, but it doesn’t really do it for me.
- Launched out of the box
- Went to the wrong screen
- Hung around the dark blue screen of nope for a bit
- I really don’t miss old Unity.
- It did hold 144Hz at 2560×1440
- Didn’t try the controller
- You can really hear in exactly how much pain the not quite dead enemies are when you shoot half of their body off.
- The Doom inspired music certainly fits the theme they’re going for.
- The theme here being, what if old Doom but 2D platformer.
- There’s wearing your inspiration on your sleeve, and then there’s what Butcher is doing.
- The difficulty curve is more of a hockey stick.
- The tutorial and first set of levels are very easy and then it immediately ramps up like crazy.
- The gameplay on screen if you’re watching the video version is from the second set of levels.
- The AI is damn merciless.
- The good thing is, those levels are pretty short so if you die and have to go back to the start it’s not a big issue.
- It’s also a very good pick up randomly and then ragequit back out game.
- I’m not sure I’ll keep playing it but it is an alright game.
- They’re not choosing.
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The Supreme Court’s decision on the constitutionality of PPACA included a shocking 7-2 ruling on the Medicaid expansion, which had been widely viewed on the right as the weakest argument advanced before the Court, but nonetheless resulted in a victory for federalism. States can now reject the Medicaid expansion mandated under Obamacare while retaining their original funding stream. Dan McLaughlin:
“The Court has warned for years that, while Congress could attach strings to federal spending, it could not simply coerce states into doing its bidding. Chief Justice Roberts, joined by Justices Breyer and Kagan and with the agreement of the four Republican-appointed Justices, finally put some teeth in this warning, holding that the size of Congress’ threat amounted to “a gun to the head” of the states that Congress could not be permitted to use. But Roberts, joined by Breyer and Kagan, concluded that Congress could reasonably threaten to withhold only the funding for the expansion of Medicaid and not pre-existing funding for the entire program. That split decision may allow some governors the wiggle room, if they want it, to say no to Congress, but it allows the budget-busting expansion of Medicaid to go forward in any state that accepts the new rules.”
The effect will likely massively increase the deficit, as it will allow states which pass on the implementation of an exchange (as many as 30 states as of this writing) to shift people in the 100-138 FPL category onto the federal docket. Avik Roy explains:
“Democrats structured the law this way because Medicaid is much less expensive, on a per-person basis, than are the subsidized exchange plans. In addition, Medicaid is partially funded by the states. However, now that states can opt out of the law’s Medicaid expansion, states that currently cover people above 100 percent of FPL with Medicaid now have a significant financial incentive to shrink Medicaid eligibility down to 100 percent of FPL, and let the federal government (read: taxpayers in other states) pay for the rest. This, again, will lead to substantially higher costs for the federal government, because exchange subsidies are much more generous than Medicaid is.”
This now combines with the exchange implementation discussion, and it will be the number one issue debated among state legislators in the next few months. Already fifteen states have suggested they will pass on the Medicaid expansion.
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Cash Advance (CA), Cash in Advance (CID), Telegraphic Transfer (T/T)
100 Piece Per Week
Sample costs shipping and taxes has to be paid by the buyer
Asia, Australia, Central America, North America, South America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Middle East, Africa
Human Heart model use the study physiological and pathological mechanism of the heart diseases, such as arrhythmias, atrial, and ventricular fibrillation, and hence to help improve their diagnosis and treatment.
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SEBASS: Nevada Test Site craters
Infrared Remote Sensing of Mars and Earth
Aerospace/LPI Remote Sensing Team
THIS SITE DESCRIBES:
1. Research in identification of materials using infrared spectroscopy on Mars and the Earth, at:
The Lunar and Planetary Institute, a non-profit NASA research group, and
The Aerospace Corporation, a non-profit lab managed by the Dept. of Defense.
2. Open visible/infrared spectral
organized as a community service.
Lunar and Planetary Institute
3600 Bay Area Blvd., Houston, Texas 77058-1113
Office (281) 486-2112; Fax (281) 486-2162
Recent Mars Analog Work:
Coso Hot Springs
China Lake Naval Air Weapons Station
A unique Mars analog location:
A portion of the Coso Hot Springs is shown above (click on the picture to enlarge). Coso Hot Springs are at the China Lake Naval Air Weapons Station, CA. In June 2005, we measured airborne infrared hyperspectral images covering the spectral ranges from 0.35-2.5 microns, 2.5-5 microns, and 7-13 microns. Concurrent with the airborne flights, we measured ground hyperspectral imagery.
What makes Coso Hot Springs an important Mars analog site.
1. The community needs analog sites to learn how to find past or current near-surface hydrothermal activity on Mars.
2. Restricted access has maintained this site for study.
3. The geology differs from other hot spring areas used for Mars analog work.
4. We have unique, high quality hyperspectral data (ground, airborne, and lab) to use to unravel matching data of Mars.
Neat Pictures! (Click to enlarge)
The hot springs come in various colors, including gray and bright red (image above). Some springs are quiet, and other bubble violently. Some vents do not currently have liquid water, but steam. The image below left shows hot spring overflow remnants. Below center shows an overview of the site during the airborne campaign. Below right shows temperature measurements of one of the gray springs.
Mars Analog Work:
Nevada Test Site Explosion Craters
Manmade explosion craters at the Nevada Test Site are unique Mars analog locations. We recently imaged craters there using airborne ("SEBASS") and rover-analog instruments ("RamVan"). Abstracts that discuss the work are in the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, Jan 2005:
LPSC abstract: Airborne work
LPSC abstract: Rover analog work
Craters can create windows into sub-surface geology. Hydrothermal alteration products that correlate with ejecta from small craters (<100 m deep) can flag possible near-surface hydrothermal activity. A region with such activity is a highly prized target for Mars exploration. These abstracts describe a unique airborne (satellite analog, see image at the top of this web site) and rover analog study that identified mineral indicators of hydrothermal activity exposed by manmade explosion craters in a basalt flow. This field development work draws mainly on operational expertise from outside NASA. One goal is to develop the operational foundation for routes to discovery for Mars.
Looking inside the explosion crater "Buckboard 12":
Opal coating exposed on ejecta at Buckboard 12
A Fine Surprise for the Opportunity Mars Rover:
Boulder coated with fine-grained hematite.
Preprint of our Geophy. Res. Letters Jan, 2004, now published.
The Mars rover has found no evidence of coarse (gray) hematite. Instead, the data point toward fine-grained, consolidated hematite such as the mock specularite shown here:
Ruler is 6"
Discovery.com article about the fine surprise.
Christensen et al. (JGR 105, 9632, 2000) conclude that coarse hematite (also called "gray hematite" or "specularite") is the only possible match to TES data. They stated any form of fine hematite (including fine hematite coatings) was not a possible match. Excitement over implied longstanding water to form the rare, coarse crystals led to selection of that site for the Opportunity rover.
The fine surprise: Spectra of fine-grained hematite match the TES data better than coarse (gray) hematite.
Our group has shown since 2001 that
spectra of fine-grained, consolidated hematite match
the TES signatures, and match them better than coarse hematite has been demonstrated to do. Our publications demonstrated the consistency at visible wavelengths, where consolidated, fine-grained hematite can be red or black. Forms of consolidated hematite include coatings, ferricrete (cemented hematite), compacted by pressure, or anything that places the fine crystals closer together than ~wavelength of the light. The rover is bearing out our predictions that the hematite is probably fine-grained (composed of material with <10 micron crystal size).
Fine-grained hematite matches Meridiani. Oops!
Why the grain size matters:
(1) It is unknown whether fine-grained hematite implies abundant water;
(2) It is unknown whether the fine-grained hematite formed any differently than elsewhere on the planet, or instead whether consolidation is what is rare at Meridiani. Fine-grained, unconsolidated hematite that is thought to be common on Mars, and to give it is rusty color.
(3) Consolidated hematite (e.g., coating, ferricrete) may explain the non-detection of coexisting aqueous alteration minerals and the lack of hematite wind streaks;
(4) Current "hematite abundance maps" may instead map the surface texture;
(5) Coatings may be of great astrobiology interest;
(6) Studies are needed to determine whether visible-infrared spectra can definitively distinguish fine-intimate from coarse hematite.
Additional details are in our GRL preprint.
An article about the fine surprise at Discovery.com.
Infrared stealthy surfaces:
Why TES and THEMIS may miss substantial mineral deposits on Mars
Large mineral deposits with rough surfaces can remain undetected (e.g., "White Rock").
Previous researchers used laboratory spectra of pure, smooth-surfaced minerals to conclude that the current Mars infrared instruments (TES, THEMIS, and the rover MiniTES) will detect any mineral deposit that covers ~10% of a pixel. In contrast, we use real-world data to demonstrate that optically rough surfaces can remain undetected, including well-crystalline, regional mineral deposits, and rock outcrops at 100% exposure. Such rough materials are referred to as "infrared stealthy". Terrestrially, the most commonly observed infrared stealthy deposits are the most water soluble (e.g., carbonate, sulfate), while silicates are not typically infrared stealthy.
Three cases of spectral behavior impact current Mars interpretations:
Case 1: The minerals present remain undetected ("infrared stealthy"). White Rock is an example. This case impacts interpretations when minerals that are present are interpreted as absent.
Case 2: Variations in surface texture and abundance commonly have a similar impact on the spectral signature. The commonality confounds abundance mapping. For example, it is unknown whether "hematite abundance maps" reflect variations in abundance or surface texture. Increasing surface smoothness mimics increasing abundance.
Case 3: Physical effects alter the spectral band shape. This impacts all current compositional interpretations.
The 10% detection threshold that was once stated for TES/THEMIS is an idealized lower bound. Optically smooth materials will be well-represented in TES/THEMIS/Mini-TES identifications. Other materials will be comparatively underrepresented or missed. Surface roughness occurs on three broad scales, and roughness at the grain scale can be a primary variable in whether a mineral is detectable.
The results mean that interpretations that built on non-detection (e.g., as for "White Rock") will require reassessment. The impact on future measurement strategies (including Mini-TES) should also be openly assessed.
Authors: L. E. Kirkland, K. C. Herr, and P. M. Adams
Click here for a preprint (as Adobe PDF file)
His eminence was due to the flatness of the surrounding landscape. -John Stuart Mill
Some of Our Group
Our research focus:Low ambiguity identification of surface materials in the field without ground truth (without physical sampling). This requires development of the foundation of the physics of spectral behavior through:
Our research includes effects in the field that are rarely if ever reproduced in the laboratory environment, including from surface roughness, reflected downwelling radiance, and mixing.
- (1) Methodical measurement and analysis of field, airborne, and satellite spectrometer data
- (2) Supporting analysis of laboratory spectra and sample characterization
- (3) Analysis of the measurement protocols and instrumentation necessary for low ambiguity identification
Our unique range of instrumentation provides the greatest depth of data sets available for this research:
(1) unique airborne hyperspectral imaging using
(2) the only thermal infrared imaging
field spectrometers (hyperspectral).
(3) laboratory spectrometer (hyperspectral) measurements.
- (1) 1969 Mariner Mars Infrared Spectrometer (IRS)
- (2) 1971 Mariner Mars Interferometer Spectrometer (IRIS)
- (3) 1989 Phobos 2 Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (ISM)
- (4) 1996 Mars Global Surveyor TES
- (5) We do not typically use multi-spectral (radiometer) data, such as the 2001 Mars Odyssey
We also examine the calibrations, recover missing data and documentation, and make all recovered information publicly available to help open these investigations to all interested researchers.
More details on these data sets.
-March 16th, 2004: Community Lunch at LPSC-
Where and When it was Held:
Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (LPSC), Tuesday, March 16th, at the conference site. It was a chance for people to meet and to discuss issues of concern to the community, over sandwiches and soft drinks. The meeting was open to all interested researchers, and students were particularly encouraged to attend.
Approximately 110 people attended. This included many students, who were introduced to the full group at the start of the meeting
Topic: Moessbauer spectroscopy
Each of the Mars rovers carries a Moessbauer spectrometer, a multispectral visible imager, and a thermal infrared spectrometer. A basic understanding of Moessbauer spectroscopy will facilitate the community's capability to correlate results from visible-infrared data sets with Moessbauer interpretations.
Darby Dyar presented a tutorial and discussion of Moessbauer spectroscopy. Additional details are at the community meeting web site.
LPI sponsors these workshops to benefit the Mars spectral community. If you are interested in convening a workshop related to instrumentation, data sets, or research related to remote sensing of Mars, please contact
Laurel Kirkland ([email protected]), 281-486-2112.
Mars Infrared Spectroscopy Community Meeting: LIBS and Raman
Mars Infrared Spectroscopy: Laboratory and Field Community Data Sets
Infrared Spectroscopy of Mars: From Theory and the Laboratory to Field Observations
Spectroscopy of the Martian Surface: What Next?
Proponents...sometimes cite the example of the academic community, where competing scholarship supposedly thrives in an honest marketplace for the truth. ... [That] is based on a misunderstanding of the nature of scholarship. Truth in scholarship depends on a combination of individual integrity and genuine insight. It thrives not because universities offer an exceptionally effective marketplace for ideas. Rather, it thrives because senior scholars occasionally have the integrity and self-confidence to encourage younger scholars to do innovative and creative work, sponsoring them rather than competing with them. -William Odom, in Fixing Intelligence.
Society for Applied Spectroscopy
NASA Astrobiology Institute newsletter
Lunar and Planetary Institute home page
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When someone prepares for a trip to a remote, rugged part of the world, he would be wise to do some research so he can know what to expect. He’d look up the country on the internet or read some books, and he’d make a checklist of key survival tips.
Forming a stepfamily through marriage or remarriage is much the same. Yet it’s amazing how many couples travel to this foreign country of stepfamily living with little or no preparation. Consider the following your survival companion for the early years of stepfamily life.
1. Consult a travel agent. Before going to the foreign land of stepfamily living, find out as much as you can about the culture, social expectations, spirituality, relationship rules, and expectations of those who live there. Keep in mind that you will not be a visitor but a new citizen, so you will need to understand life as it is. The more you know, the better you’ll be able to navigate the terrain. (Browse through our resources on remarriage and stepfamilies.)
2. Keep perspective. Traveling to a foreign country will require emotional adjustment and many transitions on your part. And you will find yourself in unfamiliar territory many times.
- Expect to feel lost and don’t panic when you do!
- Learn to find your way around even when anxious, ask lots of questions, and listen to the replies of those traveling with you. Remember, they are not your enemies (even though you may be traveling in different directions at times). Learn how to “cook” a stepfamily.
- Eat slowly. Foreign foods often make your tummy upset. Don’t expect perfection from your family; do expect burps in your home life. Try not to overreact.
3. Nurture your marriage. All stress in a stepfamily, even if it begins with ex-spouses or children from another home, eventually ends up in your marriage. The key antidotes for stress are:
- Take a communication and conflict-management skills course in your church or community. A study I completed with Dr. David Olson found that communication and conflict resolution skills are the number two and three (respectively) predictors of highly satisfied couples. When you make this aspect of your marriage work in your favor, you build a shield against divorce and distress!
- Keep having fun! Make sure you keep the fun-factor alive in your marriage. A healthy leisure component in marriage is the number five predictor of a great marriage in stepfamilies.
4. Connect in. Focus on activities that build relationship between “insiders and outsiders” (steprelationships). Be sure to take advantage of the natural connecting points (interests and activities) that people in your stepfamily share.
5. Connect out. Don’t become isolated from outside support:
- Keep old friends and social connections alive.
- As a couple, create new friendships with other married couples.
- Be part of a family of faith. Connect, if necessary, to church and stepfamilies on a similar journey. Utilize our small group DVD resource to guide your study together.
- Find a mentor couple or educational group that can encourage you along the way with words of wisdom.
6. Remember the value of traditions. Keep some old ones (for the sake of the kids) and create a few new ones over time (to give the family a new sense of identity).
7. Help the kids.
- Biological parents should spend one-on-one time (even if it’s just 15 minutes) with their children weekly the first year and regularly thereafter.
- Tell children to expect to feel a variety of emotions—from anger to fondness—and help them to articulate them to you. Be a resource to them; don’t make them afraid to tell you how they feel. Remember, they are in foreign territory, too.
- Talk about what terms you will use to refer to one another. Agree how you will introduce each other in public (see The Name Game).
8. Be a team. Parents and stepparents should find consensus in family rules and how they will work together. This will require many ongoing conversations.
- Have lots of ”parental business meetings” to become a united front.
- Focus your efforts the first few years on building relationships with your stepchildren rather than trying to become their authority. Be sure to move at their pace.
9. Be considerate in how you deal with the “other home.” Ex-spouses are part of your expanded stepfamily system; when you attack them, you attack yourself. Learn more about co-parenting.
- Keep visitation schedules for children consistent; try not to make radical changes after the wedding.
- If you are a stepparent, communicate a “No threat” message to the biological parent in the other home. The purpose is to reduce the amount of fear they have toward you, and therefore, the amount of animosity they throw at you. Here’s a brief script: “Hi Tom/Betty. I just wanted you to know that I realize that I am not your child’s parent—you are. I will never try to take your place (and couldn’t even if I wanted to). You hold a very special place in your child’s heart and I will always honor that. I am simply an added adult-figure in your child’s life. I will try to bring good things to your child’s life and offer guidance as one of their teachers or coaches would. If you ever have any questions, please let me know. Thank you for your time.”
10. Buy a souvenir. Purchase something as a family that marks your new identity and begins building memories. It could be a new house, a new pet, or a new dining room table (where people will sit frequently while enjoying meals together). Find something you can call “ours.”
Copyright © 2013 by Ron Deal. All rights reserved. Used with permission.
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Game Questions & Answers (Q&A) service lets you ask questions about video games for game consoles or PC games. So ask your Very Simple Game question for iPhone - iPod and get answers from real gamers or answer questions and share your insights and experience with the rest of the gaming community. Note: This apple iPhone game app may also be compatible with the game app for apple iPad.
Question & Answers
What is the pattern for number 2?
Ive completed number 1: memorise the number of finger held before but what about number two? plz help!
Answer from: Qtk
It's 2 behind on that 1 :-)
Answer from: Anon
Subtract 2 from what he's showing ;-)
Answer from: Tess
On level two how it shows 1-5 then it shows one the first number is for because it showed four 2 behind it so 4,5,1 two behind one is four so the # it shows two numbers it showed before that is the answer and then on level 3 it shows 4,5,1 again then when it shows 1 it's three before that so whatever # it showed three before that number is the answer
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Introduction to Survival and Bushcraft
The introduction to survival and bushcraft course starts with a short safety brief and then you will get straight into action. First up is a session on how to safely and efficiently use the cutting tools supplied by us, this leads into some wood carving work to get you used to using an outdoor knife and folding saw. Shelter building is up after which is hard work but great fun and highly rewarding. As you are constructing your shelter you will be taught about the importance of protecting yourself from the elements. When the shelters are complete it will be time to stop for a lunch break
After lunch we will concentrate on fire lighting skills where you will get the chance to light fire by friction. The importance of water will be linked into this session where you will learn how and where to acquire it and make it safe. Next there will be a guided forage through the woodland where you will learn about edible and medicinal plants and which plants to avoid due to their poisonous nature. Finally we will cover some aspects of navigation without a compass which will bring us to the close of the course.
This course will take place at the Cotehele National Trust site in Cornwall
Start time 9am
Finish time 4.30pm
**Under 17’s to be accompanied by a paying adult.
Introduction to Survival, Bushcraft and Wilderness Skills Course kit list
- Practical outdoor clothing (WATER PROOFS)
- Walking boots or similar (Wellies will do if we’re in for a wet day)
- A coat (Ideally water proof)
- Packed lunch
- A mug or cup to drink from (hot drinks will be supplied)
- A filled water bottle (to drink)
- Anti-bacterial wipes
- A notebook and pencil
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Firstly some questions to ask yourself:
- How dark is your child’s room?
- How noisy is your child’s room?
- How warm is it?
- Do they have a TV, mobile phone, tablet or computer in their room, if so what are the rules for there use?
- How old is their bed? Does it ever gets used as a trampoline?
- Is your child sharing with a disruptive sibling?
- What sort of pillow are they sleeping on? How old and clean is the pillow?
- What sort of bedding are they using?
- How is the room in the dark, are there any potentially disturbing shadows?
With the answers to these questions in mind, here are some tips and kids’ bedroom ideas to help create a bedroom environment designed for sleep.
- Sleeping Environment – A child’s bedroom is often using for more than sleeping, it can be their playroom, study and living room. It is important to remember the primary purpose of the bedroom is for sleeping, so ideally time in the bedroom is kept tranquil and restful, especially prior to bedtime.
- Colours – Forget blue for boys and pink for girls, there are other colours and combinations that may be better suited for your child. Tailoring a room to your child’s needs shows them that it is important. Maybe consider dividing the room into zones, with different colours or designs for different activities. Pale shades of pink help send a child off to sleep and green helps them feel refreshed in the morning.
- Lighting – Children and Adults, sleep better when it’s dark. So where possible you want to prevent natural light coming into the room with the curtains closed. Some children may be afraid of the dark so using a night light can help, ideally with a green not yellow glow and something that doesn’t shine directly in a child’s eyes,
- Temperature – Research has shown that both adults and children sleep better in a cooler room. Your should be aiming for around 16-18 degrees Celsius where possible.
- Noise – Generally toddlers tend not to be as distracted by noise as adults once they have gone to sleep. This means you don’t need to be creeping around the house trying not to make a sound, the more they get used to background noise when sleeping the less likely they will be disturbed when older.
- Smell – A clean fresh-smelling bedroom is a much nicer sleeping environment, any air freshener should be used sparingly and not to disguise smells that need to be dealt with in the bedroom, i.e. rotting food or dirty clothes. Open a window every day can help keep the air fresh.
- TV, Mobile Phones and Computers – In general it is better not to have these in a child’s bedroom or their use restricted where possible. Reading a book is a much better aid for a good night’s sleep.
For more kids bedroom ideas and advice for helping your child sleep see The Good Sleep Guide Kids Edition. You might also want to take a look at our Slim Pillow if your child needs a replacement pillow.
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Know Your Weed:
Indica and sativa are both strains of the cannabis weed, commonly referred to as marijuana. The difference between the two lies not only within its plant structure, but also its chemical properties as well. The sativa plant grows thinner, taller, and its leaves have a smaller span. Sativa plants can grow remarkably tall, some even reaching a soaring height of up to twenty feet. This type of cannabis typically takes between ten to sixteen weeks until it fully matures. Sativas are known to give off a far more pungent aroma than that of an indica, but yields significantly less flowers per plant. When smoking a sativa, the high is very cerebral. You get a rush of energy and a buzz in the body, a great way of getting work done without being sucked into your couch. The sativa high is thought of as being uplifting and optimistic. It is also said that since sativas contain a very high THC content, they are best for dealing with certain pain symptoms.
The indica variety is a short plant that typically does not reach over eight feet in height. Its marijuana leaves are usually dark green and have short, wide fingers. Upon maturity, one would expect short branches, laden with thick and dense marijuana buds that mature about four weeks earlier than sativa buds. Indica strains are known to give off a stinky smell. Its smoke is very thick, which could catch the novice smoker off guard and induce fits of coughing. The indica strains possess a relaxing body high that allows the user to gain a sense of his or her environment, rather than deep thought or analysis of the experience. Indicas are great for relaxation purposes, stress relief, and for an overall sense of serenity and tranquility.
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Platygyra is a genus belonging to the Merulinidae family of stony corals. These are often called maze brain corals due to their external walls and valleys which resemble the shape of a brain. These are some of the most recently evolved coral species, with many species being as of yet difficult to distinguish due to their varied habitats and thus region-specific characteristics.
The Platygyra genus has been described for the first time in 1834 by Ehrenberg. There are 26 species, 9 true species. Representatives of this genus are sometimes called by different names such as brain corals, closed brain corals, ridge corals or maze corals. These corals form huge colonies, many of which are shaped as domes or flat. The corallites share their walls, although, contrary to other corals, these walls are curved, forming twisted valleys and ornaments resembling the brain cortex. The septa of the corals do not have protruding walls. The coralittes walls have teethed septa. Typical colors for the walls are dark brown, pink, green, cream or even bright hues.
Maze brain corals can be found predominantly in the Indo-Pacific region. Habitats extend from the Red Sea to Madagascar, Indonesia and Australia. Some species also live off the coasts of Japan as well as near Sri Lanka and Papua New Guinea. Coral colonies can be found at depths ranging from 3 to 40 meters. These usually lie on reef flats or in backwater regions.
Notable Platygyra corals include P. lamellina, P. daedalea, P. sinensis and P. pini. P. lamellina is perhaps one of the most commonly found species, especially in the shallow waters. The shared corallite walls have twists and turns which can even encrust nearby surfaces. Its colors range from brown to gray or green, with mostly dark hues. P. daedalea is perhaps the most diverse in terms of habitat. The encrusting valleys are usually between 2 and 3 centimeters long. Colonies usually achieve 1 meter in diameter or even more. P. sinensis exhibits valleys that are much shorter and narrower than in the case of other species. Colors range from dull to bright, with wide range of color combinations. P. pini resembles P. sinensis with the difference that it has rounder and fleshier corallite walls with even smaller valleys. Colors vary from yellow to cream and brown.
Most of the nutrients are obtained from the zooxanthellae that live within the polyps. The polyps provide these tiny unicellular organism with elevation and thus more light while they get the light needed to perform photosynthesis which results in organic carbon. The corals may also feed by preying on small plankton organisms with their tentacles during the night when only these are extended.
These corals can reproduce asexually and sexually. The polyps are hermaphrodites release eggs and sperm during mass spawning events. Planula are formed through external fertilization and they will settle to form other colonies. Asexual fertilization can occur through intra- or extratentacular budding, fragmentation, as well as polyp bailout, meaning that the Platygyra detach themselves from the colony and form new ones.
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What would you do if the world you knew wasn’t what you thought? What if that animal and those plants don’t exist, or at least they don’t exist in the way you think they do?
We, as humans, are much more than what we appear to be on the outside, inside there is a vast, beautiful array of potential and depth that is beyond words. So why can’t nature be the same way? Why can’t there be more to nature than what we see with our physical eyes?
I watched a video on YouTube called the Holographic Universe, and it shows how quantum physics proves that what we see with our eyes is nothing more than a hologram, meaning that what we see is only a projection and not real, although the energy they contain is real.
Next time you see nature, look at what lies within, instead of seeing just a plant, or a tree. Even in nature there is more than meets the eye.
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|Online Judge||Problem Set||Authors||Online Contests||User|
How much does winning ACM depend on practice?
We assume that p, the probability that a given team will win a given contest, is related to n, the number of practice problems solved by the team prior to the contest. This relationship is modelled by the logistic formula
log(p/(1-p)) = a + bn ,
for some a and b. Your job is to find a and b such that the formula most accurately reflects a set of observed results.
Each observation consists of n and w. n is the number of practice problems solved by some team prior to a contest, and w is 1 if the team wins the contest, 0 if it does not.
Given a, b, and n the formula above may be used to compute p, the estimated probability that w = 1. The likelihood of a particular observation is p if w = 1 and 1-p if w = 0; The likelihood of a set of observations is the product of the likelihoods of the individual observations.
You are to compute the maximum likelihood estimate for a and b. That is, the values of a and b for which the likelihood of a given set of observations is maximized.
The input contains several test cases followed by a line contatining 0. Each test case begins with 1 < k <= 100, the number of observations that follow. Each observation consists of integers 0 <= n <= 100 and 0 <= w <= 1. The input will contain at least two distinct values of n and of w.
For each test case, output a single line containing a and b, rounded to four digits to the right of the decimal.
20 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 2 0 2 0 2 1 2 1 3 0 3 1 3 1 3 1 4 1 4 1 4 1 4 1 0
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Technical Tutoring Home · Technical Tutoring Blog · Site Index · Advanced Books · Speed Arithmetic · Math Index · Algebra Index · Calculus Index · Trig Index · Chemistry Index · Gift Shop · Keeping it Clean! · Amazon Fire Tablets, Kindle E-Readers and Accessories · Winnie-the-Pooh DVDs, Videos, Books, Audio CDs, Audio Cassettes and Toys · STAR WARS DVDs and VHS Videos
Ideal Gas Law · Density · Boyles and Charles Law · Ideal Gases II · Recommended Books
The Ideal Gas Law
Of the three phases of matter, gases tend to exist at relatively high temperatures and low pressures. Decrease the temperature enough and the gas will condense into a liquid or sublime into a solid. Likewise, increase the pressure enough and condensation or sublimation will happen. Gases are different from solids and liquids (which are referred to as "condensed matter") in that there is room between the molecules. Typically, the space between molecules in the gas phase is large compared with the size of the molecules.
Consider a sample of gas inside a piston cylinder (a cylinder with one movable end cap so the volume inside the piston can be changed). The gas evenly fills the volume of the cylinder (the defining property of gases). If the piston is held at a fixed position, then the gas sample has the following important properties:
For the purposes of this discussion we will limit ourselves to measuring pressures in atmospheres. Later, we'll do some calculations with torr. There are many other pressure units in use, particularly pounds force per square inch (psi) and Pascal = Newton per meter squared.
For most gases at temperatures near (or above) room temperature (298 K = 25o C) and near (or below) room pressure (1 atm = 760 torr), the ideal gas law adequately describes the behavior of the gas:
Where R = 0.08206 L atm mol-1K-1 is a constant of nature called the ideal gas constant.
Example (standard temperature and pressure)
What is the volume (in L) of 1 mole of an ideal gas at standard temperature (273 K) and pressure (1 atm)?
Solve the ideal gas law for the volume and plug in the numbers
Example (find temperature)
0.105 moles of an ideal gas occupy 5.00 L at a pressure of 0.975 atm. What is the temperature of the gas in K and oC?
Solve the ideal gas law for the temperature and plug in the numbers
Which is the answer in K. To get oC, use the formula
Note: Temperatures in K can never be negative, but temperatures in oC can.
Example (find moles)
How many moles of an ideal gas take up 35L of volume at 25oC and 1.5 atm?
First, convert oC to K, 25 oC +273 = 298 K, then solve the ideal gas law for moles and plug in the numbers
Example (find pressure)
2.39 moles of an ideal gas at 300 K occupy 29.0 L. What is the pressure?
Solve for the pressure and plug in the numbers:
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Gases aren't very dense compared to solids and liquids, but they still have a density. Density is defined as mass per volume, and the relation between mass and moles of course is the molecular weight, Mw. The reader may have noticed that in the examples above, we really didn't care which ideal gas we talked about, just that it was ideal. Usually with density calculations, we need to know what gas we are talking about so we can calculate its molecular weight and thus put mass into the calculation.
Recall the molecular weight of a sample of a chemical is defined as
Where Mw is the molecular weight in grams per mole (g mol-1), m is the mass of the sample and n is the number of moles. Solving this for the mass gives
Density is usually given the symbol r? (Greek rho), so from the definition
Example (density of an ideal gas)
What is the density of helium at room temperature and pressure?
Helium is a monatomic gas, so purists would insist that we say atomic weight rather than molecular weight, but we aren't going to be so finicky. From a periodic table, Mw (He) = 4.00 g mol-1. The pressure is 1.00 atm (standard room pressure) and the temperature is 298 K (standard room temperature). Plugging these into the density equation gives
Example (density of air at room temperature and pressure)
Air is approximately 21.0 mol % oxygen and 79.0 mol % nitrogen. What is the density of air at room temperature and pressure?
This is an example of a problem where we use the composition of the mixture of gases to come up with a "molecular weight" for the mixture. Since the two %ages above add up to 100 %, we can use their fractional equivalents to get an average molecular weight for the mixture of gases in a pretty obvious manner:
(beware - you cannot always do this - it depends on the specific situation). Plugging this number in gives
Note that air is 1.18 / 0.164 = 7.2 times denser than helium, which is why helium balloons rise in air.
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Before and After: two different states of the same gas - Boyles and Charles Law
A very common problem in chemistry is to take a sample of gas, perform some process on it (like compressing or expanding it) and then ask what changed during the process. Before the process happened, the gas was in its initial state. After the process, the gas is in its final state.
Suppose we take the sample before we did the process and put "1" labels on every property of the gas:
Then do the process, and write the ideal gas law again, this time putting a "2" label on every property of the gas:
Now, solving for R on both sides,
This is a slightly generalized version of the equation in most chemistry books, which covers the case when even the moles are allowed to change. If the moles are constant,
in other words, when we are talking about the same sample of gas before and after (no addition nor removal of gas), then n1 = n2 and the equation is called the combined law of Charles and Boyle
Example (using combined Law of Charles and Boyle to find temperature)
We start with a sample of 13.2 L of ideal gas at 1.34 atm and 244K. If we compress the gas so the new volume is 5.43 L and the pressure is 1.88 atm, what is the new temperature?
We are looking for the temperature after the compression, so we solve the combined law for T2
Example (using combined Law of Charles and Boyle to find volume)
Using the same initial conditions as the previous example, what is the final volume if the final pressure is 3.11 atm and the final temperature is 323K?
Solve the combined law for V2 and plug in the numbers
A very similar calculation can be done for the case where the pressure is the number to be found.
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Schaum's Outline of Theory and Problems...
$14.35 · The classic chemistry problem book - very light on theory, plenty of problems with full solutions, more problems with answers
College Chemistry Crash Course : Based...
$8.05 · A simplified and updated version of the classic Schaum's Outline. Not as complete as the previous book, but enough for most students
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Definition - What does Finger mean?
Finger is a networking tool and one of the earliest computer networking programs that enabled a user to view another user’s basic information when that user used that same computer system or was logged on in the same network. The program can determine user identity though an email address and determine whether that user is currently logged in, as well as the status of their log sessions.
It was originally created by Les Earnest in 1971 and later became a standard part of BSD UNIX, and was commonly used by Windows users. This was later interfaced by David Zimmerman with the Name program to become the Name/Finger Protocol in 1977.
Techopedia explains Finger
Finger was duly named for the act of pointing, as it points to a person as well as to different information regarding that user. When invoked, Finger displays information including the user’s real name, office location, phone number, and even their last log-in time, although the information displayed can be modified depending on the data maintained by the user in the computer system.
To be able to finger another Web user, the program must be installed in the user’s computer or access a finger gateway and type the user’s email address. The server at the other end must be able to handle finger requests too.
Malicious Software: Worms, Trojans and Bots, Oh My!
Join thousands of others with our weekly newsletter
The 4th Era of IT Infrastructure: Superconverged Systems:
Approaches and Benefits of Network Virtualization:
Free E-Book: Public Cloud Guide:
Free Tool: Virtual Health Monitor:
Free 30 Day Trial – Turbonomic:
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English Course Book 6
How Cultural Competency and Geoleadership ...
Core Competencies Assessment
MSU Extension Cultural Core Competency ...
Nakisa - Advanced Competency Management
ACGME Core Competencies
Ten Steps - Step 4 ...
Qualifications and Competencies in Education
Clifford Chance: Our competencies explained
What's your Core Competency"
BUILDING LITERACY COMPETENCIES IN EARLY ...
1.3 Using unfamiliar words in speech/writing.
1.4 Locate words and meanings in the dictionary
1.5 Identifying words related to the home and immediate surroundings
2.5 Identifying the elements in a sentence.
2.6 Differentiating transitive and intransitive verbs,
2.7 Defining the elements of a sentence
2.8 Generating more sentences in each pattern (SV/SVC/SVO)
3.2 Listening to the teacher's instructions and carrying them out.
4.3 Answering common questions in the class room/from real life.
5.4 Scanning a text for specific information.
6.2 Writing a parallel paragraph.
7.2 Abstracting the given information.
9.1 Preparing for a lesson in advance
© Headrun 2012 -
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- These bamboo toothbrushes are an ideal replacement for your plastic toothbrush and help combat the issue of waste in the environment
- Make your switch today to begin your plastic free journey
- Why choose a bamboo toothbrush? Bamboo is the worlds fastest naturally renewing resource which is also inherently anti-microbial, anti-fungal and anti-bacterial
- Bristles derived from 63% plant material (castor oil) and nylon
- You might even begin to feel a sense of relief knowing you are postively contributing to safeguarding and protecting the environment in which we all need to live
Beautiful Soft Bristle Bamboo toothbrush, Single Adult brush, Light Purple with Soft bristles."Magnificent Mauve"
- Fair Trade
Bamboo handle and head with nylon bristles from 63% plant based material
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Centro Style provides a wide and exhaustive range of quality hinges used by top frame manufacturers. They are created by processing them with NC machining centres to guarantee the correct size when making the joints and metric thread.
A varied product offer with specific features based on the type of spectacles on which they need to be applied: hinges for metal frames and hinges for plastic ones.
They are made with two different materials, nickel silver and titanium, to guarantee a different performance based on resistance and the application method:
- Nickel silver, a material commonly used to make hinges and ideal for application through soldering.
- Titanium, an anallergic technological material used for highly resistant hinges with a minimal design.
Packaging: The hinges come in modular containers that can be coupled together. They have an integrated lid reporting information on their use to make it easier to organise the laboratory and quickly look for a component, while the internal label is ideal to re-order products without making mistakes. The barcode makes it easier to manage stocks.
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Modern activism comes in many forms. In 1997 Julia Butterfly Hill ascended into the branches of an old growth Redwood Tree named Luna and would remain there for over two years. This kind of activism was part of the movement for peaceful protest against clear-cutting the redwood forest, what Butterfly did was called a "tree sit." The video above was filmed at HSU in 2000 and contains interviews with Butterfly about her experiences in activism.
Loggers, too, continued to lobby for their rights. When the Redwood Park Expansion was proposed loggers in Northern California went to Washington D.C. in protest. They felt that the importance of commercial development was being lost in the overzealous efforts of activist groups. The video below follows the Eureka truckers as they trek to D.C.
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A stepper motor is an electromagnetic actuator that converts a digital input pulse into a rotary or linear incremental motion. Each step of the pulse motor is stepped by one step angle increment. The total angle of rotation of the motor is proportional to the number of input pulses, and the corresponding speed depends on the input pulse frequency. Stepper motors are one of the key components in mechatronics and are often used for position control and constant speed control. Stepper motor has low inertia, high positioning accuracy, no cumulative error, and simple control. Widely used in electromechanical integration products, such as: CNC machine tools, packaging machinery, computer peripherals, copiers, fax machines, etc.
When selecting a stepper motor, first ensure that the output power of the stepper motor is greater than the power required by the load. When selecting a power stepping motor, the load torque of the mechanical system must first be calculated. The torque frequency characteristic of the motor satisfies the mechanical load and has a certain margin to ensure reliable operation. In the actual working process, the load torque at various frequencies must be within the range of the moment frequency characteristic curve. Generally speaking, a motor with a large maximum static torque Mjmax has a large load torque.
When selecting a stepper motor, the step angle should be matched to the mechanical system so that the pulse equivalent required by the machine can be obtained. In order to make a smaller pulse equivalent in the mechanical transmission process, the lead of the screw can be changed, and the second can be done by the subdivision drive of the stepping motor. However, subdivision can only change its resolution without changing its accuracy. Accuracy is determined by the inherent characteristics of the motor. When selecting a power stepping motor, the load inertia of the mechanical load and the starting frequency required by the machine tool should be estimated to match the inertial frequency characteristics of the stepping motor with a certain margin, so that the highest speed continuous working frequency can satisfy the machine tool. The need for fast moving.
The following calculations are required to select a stepper motor:
(1) Calculate the reduction ratio of the gear
According to the required pulse equivalent, the gear reduction ratio i is calculated as follows: i=(φ.S)/(360.Δ) (1-1) where φ---stepping angle of the stepping motor (o/pulse)
S --- screw pitch (mm)
(2) Calculate the inertia Jt of the table, the screw and the gears converted to the motor shaft.
Jt=J1(1/i2)[(J2 Js)W/g(S/2π)2](1-2) where Jt --- is converted to the inertia on the motor shaft (Kg.cm.s2)
J1, J2 --- Gear inertia (Kg.cm.s2)
Js ---- screw inertia (Kg.cm.s2) W---table weight (N)S --- screw pitch (cm)
(3) Calculate the total torque of the motor output M
M=Ma Mf Mt(1-3)
In the formula Ma --- motor starting acceleration torque (Nm) Jm, Jt --- motor inertia and load inertia (Kg.cm.s2) n --- the required speed (r / min) of the motor T -- - Motor speed up time (s) Mf = (uWs) / (2πηi) × 10 ˉ 2 (1-5)
Mf---rail friction is converted to the torque of the motor (N.m)
u---coefficient of friction
Mt---cutting force is converted to motor torque (N.m)
Pt---maximum cutting force (N)
(4) Load start frequency estimation.
The starting frequency of the control system of the CNC system is closely related to the load torque and inertia. The estimation formula is fq=fq0[(1-(MfMt))/Ml)÷(1 Jt/Jm)] 1/2(1- 7) where fq---loading starting frequency (Hz) fq0---no-load starting frequency Ml---motor output torque (Nm) determined by the moment frequency characteristic at starting frequency, if the load parameter cannot be accurately determined, then Can be estimated by fq = 1/2fq0.
(5) Calculation of the highest frequency and acceleration time of the operation.
Since the output torque of the motor decreases as the frequency increases, at the highest frequency, the output torque of the moment frequency characteristic should be able to drive the load with sufficient margin.
(6) Load torque and maximum static torque Mmax.
The load torque can be calculated according to formula (1-5) and formula (1-6). When the motor is at the maximum feed speed, the motor output torque determined by the moment frequency characteristic is greater than the sum of Mf and Mt, and the margin is left. In general, the sum of Mf and Mt should be less than (0.2~0.4) Mmax.
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The metallic cartridge case underwent significant – though difficult to see – changes in the period between 1860 and 1945. Case metallurgy, manufacturing methods, priming configurations, and even the basic configuration of the metallic case changed and matured during those years. One of the now antiquated methods for making cartridge cases is the subject of a recent Historical Firearms Blog post, featuring plates illustrating the process of drawing brass from a disk into a tubular cartridge case:
In today’s post, we will look at how brass centerfire cartridges were manufactured in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The process we will look at was what was used at Kynoch, a large British manufacturer of ammunition. The brand name “Kynoch” is still used today to sell cartridges, even though they have been merged into a larger company.
The Kynoch factory during this time period, was located in Witton, an inner city area of Birmingham, England. The factory had several hundreds of machines in a single building, turning out cartridges of many shapes and sizes. The machinery used there can be considered as the latest technology for that era.
The process we will study today is what was used to manufacture solid-drawn brass cartridge cases. The first step in the process is to make flat sheets of a type of brass called “cartridge brass”. The brass sheet metal is then taken to a machine that punches out circular blanks from the sheet.Public domain image.
The image above shows a blank to be used to manufacture cartridges for a Mauser rifle. The next step is to put the blank threw a drawing machine, where it is forced through a die with a tapering aperture by a ram under high pressure. This produces an object that is shaped somewhat like a cup or a thimble, as shown below:Public domain image.
Naturally, the pressure applied when shaping the cups puts stress on the metal. Therefore, the cups are then annealed. Annealing is a process of heating the object until it is glowing hot and maintaining the temperature for a while and then letting it cool back slowly to room temperature in a room with no breeze blowing. This softens the metal and removes the internal stresses caused by the shaping process.
Mentioned in the post is the fact that some manufacturer’s still make cartridge cases this way. One such manufacturer is the German company RWS, about which the Field Sports channel made an excellent video showing how they make ammunition (including cases):
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Pedestrian / Train Accidents ("Trespassing")
Unsafe railroad crossings present a serious danger to pedestrians much like they do to vehicles. Though the danger of an unguarded, poorly maintained railroad crossing receives some public attention, railroads have, by and large, succeeded in maintaining an impression that any instance of a pedestrian hit on railroad tracks is a case of careless trespassing or suicide. Though these two issues certainly are very real and cost many lives each year, not every pedestrian accident fits one of these categories.
While railroads have attempted to enforce the notion that no pedestrian should ever be found near railroad tracks, they often somehow neglect to take into account the obvious fact that not everyone owns a car. In short, their policies often fail to take into consideration the poor who cannot afford vehicles but live near tracks, the young who cannot drive a vehicle, the elderly, and the disabled. This obvious blind spot nevertheless is very much operative in the thinking of railroad companies.
Skilled train accident lawyers can demonstrate when, where, and how railroads are at fault for such accidents. It is not uncommon, sadly, for trains to fail to blow their whistle when approaching a crossing, making a crossing with limited visibility an increased danger for pedestrians. In addition, areas marked as pedestrian crossings are sometimes improperly maintained, and accidents due to unsafe conditions cannot simply be blamed on the victims before facts are taken into consideration. What is needed is greater efforts to promote pedestrian safety, rather than blatant, callous disregard and the accusation of victims. Our train accident lawyers are well versed in this area of law and offer their wealth of knowledge, experience, and dedication if you have been a victim.
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ALTERNATIVE SCHOOLS. The alternative-schools movement began in the 1960s, when parents began to demand choices in the schooling of their children. Specifically, alternative schools were institutions, often not state-accredited, serving the traditional school population but privately controlled and supported because the traditional systems were not meeting the needs. Cleveland has had several alternative schools. In 1968 Rev. and Mrs. J. David Brostrom started the Calvary Neighborhood School in the Calvary Lutheran Church, using the Montessori approach, with 2 preschool classes serving 50 children. Tuition and funds from the AHS FOUNDATION and Hudson Montessori Ctr. provided financial support. In 1969 these 2 classes, along with an additional class in the Chambers area, incorporated to form United Independent Schools of E. Cleveland (UISEC). Its goals were to develop independent learners and social awareness. By the fall of 1972, there were 7 classes, ages 3-10. The 141 students were predominantly black but integrated economically, socially, and racially from the suburbs and inner city. The Urban Community School, located on the near west side of Cleveland, educated multiracial and multicultural inner city children growing up in a poor environment with substandard housing. It was founded in 1968 when St. Patrick's and St. Malachi's merged into an independent, nonprofit, interdenominational community school. In the public and parochial schools these children, some with learning and emotional problems, faced language barriers and overcrowded classes. In contrast, UCS provided a creative, experimental education, using the near west side community as a learning resource. UCS was nongraded, but primary, intermediate, and junior-high levels were maintained. Many children were Puerto Rican and Appalachian. Children were admitted on a first-come basis, with tuition on a sliding scale. Initially, UCS was operated by the P.M. Foundation, Inc., and supported mainly by a single benefactor. It was still in existence in 1993.
The Street Academy came about as a response to the high number of dropouts in Cleveland's lower-income neighborhoods. The URBAN LEAGUE OF CLEVELAND decided to replicate the street academy program that was operating in New York City. The program had 3 stages: street-academy level, which emphasized basic skills; transition level, which presented a more formalized style of learning; and precollege level, which focused on college preparation. In Mar. 1970, with funding from 3 major foundations and community organizations, the first street academy was opened in GLENVILLE. By November, 2 street academies, a transition academy, and the Circle Prep Academy were in operation. Because of financial difficulty, the Street Academy consolidated in 1972 into 1 site at E. 83rd St. and Euclid Ave. Although the Street Academy lacked state accreditation, diplomas were granted through St. Joseph's High School. The program was structured to provide maximum individual experience, enabling students to graduate in half the required time by eliminating study halls, by requiring only those courses necessary for graduation, and by offering a full summer program and counseling. The Street Academy was absorbed by the CLEVELAND PUBLIC SCHOOLS in 1975 and in 1978 was merged into the work-study program at the Woodland Job Ctr.
The Cleveland Urban Learning Community (CULC) was an alternative school approved through St. Ignatius High School. CULC was known as a "school without walls" because of its philosophy that learning should take place in the community. Fr. Thos. Shea, SJ, was its first director. The main objectives of CULC were to develop more self-direction, responsibility, and an increasing ability to make independent decisions. Working with a resource person, students designed their own courses around real interests, needs, and state requirements. CULC was located on E. 4th St., central to the library, transportation, and other resources. Students were chosen on a lottery basis and did not pay tuition. The school closed in 1982 because of lack of funds and interest. In 1970 a group of Cleveland Hts. professional parents, in the belief that the public schools were inflexible, founded the Friends' School on Cornell Rd. The school developed to serve nonconforming students who were ill served by the existing public schools. There was an individualized approach, with small classes of about 8 students. Later the school moved to Magnolia Dr. and became known as the School on Magnolia. In 1982 it became part of Child Guidance Services, and in 1984 it was renamed the Eleanor Gerson School in a new downtown location at 2055 E. 22nd St. It served emotionally disturbed youth and worked with parents to develop student responsibility for learning. In addition to these schools, there were others that were less successful. The Sunrise Community School opened in 1971, serving 25-40 children with a focus on open classroom, individualized instruction, and an interdisciplinary approach. The Learning Community school also opened in 1971, with a focus on open classroom and individualized instruction, serving about 35-40 students.
Alternative schools gained initial support from foundations and tuitions. Sustaining this financial support became a problem. Furthermore, interest in alternative schools waned as the country became more conservative, causing many to close, though some programs were adopted by public schools. As an offshoot of the alternative-schools movement, some public schools developed alternative programs, or schools within a school. Examples of these were the Concept I program at Beachwood High School, the Roaring 100s at Berea High, Education through Inquiry at Parma High, the New School at Heights High, and Catalyst at Shaker Hts. High. These programs provided alternative choices where students and teachers worked as communities and took more responsibility for learning, and where out-of-school experiences and interdisciplinary programming were encouraged. They also provided excellent models.
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What is lymphedema?
Lymph is a high-protein fluid in the body which flows between soft tissues. Edema is the scientific term for swelling. Lymphedema, therefore, is a high-protein swelling resulting from fluid build-up in soft tissues, which then forms a solid mass.
How common is this condition?
The overall incidence of chronic lymphedema is estimated at 0.13 to 2% worldwide. There are two types: primary and secondary lymphedema. The former occurs from birth; the latter can occur after surgery for removal of lymph nodes, after radiation therapy for the treatment of certain cancers or after parasitic infections.
What are the symptoms?
Symptoms of lymphedema include heavy, tight and achy limbs, with swelling and decreased movement around the affected joints. The skin in the area becomes hard and thickened.
What treatments are available?
Physiotherapy can be useful for the management of lymphedema; techniques include laser therapy, therapeutic massage, compression garments, manual lymph drainage and specific exercises. Your physiotherapist is also able to assist with advice to help manage the condition.
How can you help yourself?
- Educate yourself on the condition: look up as much information as you can in order to better inform yourself of what you can expect. However, be wary of those selling products as their information may be biased. Unregulated industries also have fewer restrictions on what they are allowed to say or promise when promoting their products.
- Look after the affected limb: make sure the skin is kept clean and dry, with breathable clothing and ventilation.
- Get regular exercise: daily exercise is important to help maintain a healthy lifestyle.
- Eat a well-balanced diet and maintain adequate hydration levels.
- Surround yourself with people you are comfortable with. None of the information in this newsletter is a replacement for proper medical advice. Always see a medical professional for advice on your individual condition.
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Definition of Flu
Flu: Flu is a colloquialism for influenza. The flu is an acute respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses A or B . Most people who get the flu recover completely in 1 to 2 weeks, but some people develop serious and potentially life-threatening medical complications, such as pneumonia. Much of the illness and death caused by influenza can be prevented by annual influenza vaccination.Source: MedTerms™ Medical Dictionary
Last Editorial Review: 5/13/2016
Medical Dictionary Definitions A - Z
Search Medical Dictionary
Cold and Flu Resources
- Allergy Relief: Antihistamines vs. Decongestants
- Are We Close to a Cure for Cancer?
- Is It a Sore Throat, Strep or Tonsillitis?
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Pacific – Silicon Chips and Surf Boards, Coral Reefs and Atom Bombs, Brutal Dictators, Fading Empires and the Coming Collision of the World’s Superpowers
Simon Winchester, a skilled, graceful non-fiction writer, is no stranger to complicated subjects. Still, in Pacific he has set himself a daunting challenge: writing a mid-length, one-volume book exploring a body of water that makes up one-third of the earth’s surface, contains the “ring of fire,” presses against the deepest ocean floors, canyons, and mountain ranges, and laps up against four continents containing five of the world’s most powerful nations and billions of people. How does Winchester make sense of this bewildering complexity? Imperfectly and incompletely to be sure; nevertheless, he writes with verve and is seldom dull.
Winchester’s approach in Pacific is to select ten topics beginning with the Pacific’s experience of thermonuclear paroxysms circa 1950. Then, in chronological order he moves to other diverse and apparently arbitrary topics including Sony Corporation, surfing, the sinking of the Queen Elizabeth, super cyclone Tracy, and ends with the growing confrontation between China, the rest of Pacific Asia, and the U.S. The French and American wars in Viet Nam receive only brief attention. Since he is more interested in science than politics, the high-temperature vents in the Pacific floor command more space. Because those vents are connected to the creation of life on earth, his emphasis on them reflects his justifiable concern with what is more important in the grand scheme of things.
For each topic, Winchester is careful to provide context for and links to his overarching themes of which there are at least three. One is that the geopolitical center of gravity has shifted 180 degrees since 1945 from Greenwich, England to the International Date Line. A second is that the Pacific Ocean is the earth’s primary climate engine (think El Niño and La Niña). Finally, in the last seventy years, humanity’s impact on the Pacific, and by extension the whole earth, has been increasingly destructive. Global power politics and Promethean technologies have combined to produce widespread displacement of indigenous peoples, accelerate global climate change, intensify economic use, and to make international political and economic competition more stressful.
Pacific lacks the intense exploration of personalities found in my favorite of his books, The Professor and the Madman. Despite Pacific’s big pictures themes, it lacks a consistent intellectual or historical approach. consequently, the book doesn’t have the cohesion one may find in his other books, but it is an absorbing companion-piece to Atlantic that he wrote several years previously. – Neal Ferguson
Also available by Simon Winchester: The Professor and the Madman, Krakatoa, The Map that Changed the World; The Men Who United the States; The Man Who Loved China; A Crack in the Edge of the World; The Meaning of Everything; Skulls; Outposts; The Alice Behind Wonderland; Atlantic, Great Sea Battles; The River at the Center of the World; Bomb, Book & Compass; The Fracture Zone; When the Earth Shakes; Pacific Nightmare; The Man with the Electrified Brain; The Kindness of Strangers; By Rail and Sea.
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Defines a variety of Pygments lexers for highlighting IPython code.
- IPythonLexer, IPython3Lexer
- Lexers for pure IPython (python + magic/shell commands)
- IPythonPartialTracebackLexer, IPythonTracebackLexer
- Supports 2.x and 3.x via keyword python3. The partial traceback lexer reads everything but the Python code appearing in a traceback. The full lexer combines the partial lexer with an IPython lexer.
- A lexer for IPython console sessions, with support for tracebacks.
- A friendly lexer which examines the first line of text and from it, decides whether to use an IPython lexer or an IPython console lexer. This is probably the only lexer that needs to be explicitly added to Pygments.
Partial lexer for IPython tracebacks.
Handles all the non-python output. This works for both Python 2.x and 3.x.
IPython traceback lexer.
For doctests, the tracebacks can be snipped as much as desired with the exception to the lines that designate a traceback. For non-syntax error tracebacks, this is the line of hyphens. For syntax error tracebacks, this is the line which lists the File and line number.
An IPython console lexer for IPython code-blocks and doctests, such as:
.. code-block:: ipythonconsole In : a = 'foo' In : a Out: 'foo' In : print a foo In : 1 / 0
Support is also provided for IPython exceptions:
.. code-block:: ipythonconsole In : raise Exception --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Exception Traceback (most recent call last) <ipython-input-1-fca2ab0ca76b> in <module>() ----> 1 raise Exception Exception:
Initialize the IPython console lexer.
python3 : bool
in1_regex : RegexObject
in2_regex : RegexObject
out_regex : RegexObject
Generator of unprocessed tokens after doing insertions and before changing to a new state.
Parses the line and returns a 3-tuple: (mode, code, insertion).
mode is the next mode (or state) of the lexer, and is always equal to ‘input’, ‘output’, or ‘tb’.
code is a portion of the line that should be added to the buffer corresponding to the next mode and eventually lexed by another lexer. For example, code could be Python code if mode were ‘input’.
insertion is a 3-tuple (index, token, text) representing an unprocessed “token” that will be inserted into the stream of tokens that are created from the buffer once we change modes. This is usually the input or output prompt.
In general, the next mode depends on current mode and on the contents of line.
The regex to determine when a traceback starts.
Primary lexer for all IPython-like code.
This is a simple helper lexer. If the first line of the text begins with “In [[0-9]+]:”, then the entire text is parsed with an IPython console lexer. If not, then the entire text is parsed with an IPython lexer.
The goal is to reduce the number of lexers that are registered with Pygments.
Builds IPython lexers depending on the value of python3.
The lexer inherits from an appropriate Python lexer and then adds information about IPython specific keywords (i.e. magic commands, shell commands, etc.)
python3 : bool
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International Flag Of Planet Earth Which Represents Us In Space
Current exploration in outer space use different national flags depending on which country is funding the exploration. The space travelers are more than just representatives of their own countries. They are representatives of Planet Earth.
Purpose Of The Flag
1. Used for representing Planet Earth.
2. To remind the people of Earth that we share this planet, no matter of national boundaries. That we care of each other and the planet we live on.
As shown in above image. This proposal is accurate according to the regulations regarding flags.
To design this flag two study are used:
- Vexillology – This is scientific study of Flags including its history, colors, and symbolism.
- Vexillography – Practice of designing Flags.
Centered in the flag, seven rings from a flower. This represents life on Earth. The rings are linked to each other, which represents how everything on our planet, directly or indirectly, are linked. The blues field represents water which is essential for our life, also as the oceans water covers most of our planet surface area. The flower in outer rings from a circle which could seen as a symbol of Earth as a planet and the blue surface could represents the universe.
There are so many facts which don’t hear about before. I will try my best to introduce you with in my future posts…..
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Leaders resemble vessels. We have a limited capacity (yes, it is true!). Consider a ten-ounce bowl. It is impossible for it to contain eleven ounces of water. Once that bowl reaches capacity, additional water forces some to flow over the edge. The same is true of our leadership capacity. While some individuals possess a higher capacity than others, everyone has limits.
In many cases, ministries, programs, and organizations stall when they reach the capacity of their leaders. New people may come, new programs may start, but like the water flowing over the edge of a 10-ounce bowl, something is lost and growth withers. New growth requires additional vessels. Some ministries and organizations resort to hiring additional staff, which is an effective strategy, but still inherently possesses growth limitations. As leaders, the only way to empower continual growth is through the engagement of your people, also known as volunteers.
In leadership, it is easy for us to rely on our own abilities. We know we are committed. Anyone who has worked with volunteers knows the frustration of waiting for someone to show up, finishing a project someone else agreed to do, or jumping in to help when a volunteer is ill-equipped for his or her task. While there are some less-than-committed volunteers, most people do not offer to give of their time and energy unless they truly want to help. In some cases, the frustrations surrounding volunteer issues reflect on our failure to structure a vibrant volunteer culture. So, how do we effectively engage individuals whose skills and contributions will expand the capacity of our vision?
1. Communicate clearly and consistently the vision/mission of your organization or program. People must understand what they are joining or committing to when they agree to volunteer! Failure to effectively understand the true heart or reality of the ministry can result in disillusionment and disengagement for volunteers when they get into their role. If the presentation of your mission is authentic and consistent, volunteers will know if it resonates with their own passion before committing, and will be reminded of why they are participating when they get discouraged. Note: Because it is close to our heart, we often feel we are doing a good job communicating our vision. I encourage you to ask your volunteers to write down the mission/vision of the ministry. If the answers are inaccurate or diverse, you may need to change your communication strategies!
2. Develop a thorough and informative volunteer application process. When we are desperate to fill volunteer positions, we sometimes simply put warm bodies into open slots. While this is okay as a temporary solution to urgent needs, it cannot be our long-term plan. People remain committed and passionate when their gifts, interests, and passions are being used effectively. The volunteer application process should be informative for everyone involved. As the leader, you need to understand the best place for an individual to serve and be fruitful. A gifts inventory, personality assessment, or other resource might help with this process. As the applicant, potential volunteers should receive information regarding expectations and responsibilities so they know whether the role is a good fit for them.
3. Celebrate and affirm the contributions of volunteers. Gifted and committed volunteers have many choices regarding the investment of their time and skills. When they choose to dedicate those resources to your vision, it is important for you to communicate consistently the significant contribution they are making. Most volunteers only see a small piece of the big picture: the faces of babies they care for in the nursery, the designs they create for the website, or the meals they make for the sick. It is validating and encouraging when they hear how their role contributes to the whole and know they are appreciated.
4. Cultivate a healthy volunteer team. Leaders who cultivate healthy relationships with volunteers, rather than seeing them as tools to accomplish a task, will see much greater commitment. Leaders who develop healthy teams also empower volunteers to support one another. Someone assigned to usher is less likely to miss church on a weekend if they have a relationship with other ushers and feel like part of a team. No one wants to disappoint friends, and showing up when others care about you as a person, versus as the role you will fill, is motivating.
5. Equip and empower your volunteers to grow and contribute. Volunteers can easily become discouraged if they lack the skills or freedom to fulfill their roles effectively and improve their areas of service. Provide resources, training, and coaching as needed to help volunteers be their best. It is also important to recognize that while individuals may be volunteers in your program, they are most likely professionals, experts, or leaders in some capacity elsewhere. Provide opportunities for them to give input, exercise creativity, and take ownership in the work they are doing. When the vision becomes theirs, their commitment will be the strongest! Note: This often requires the leaders to let go, make concessions, and allow some imperfections.
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FWF Stand-alone Project P30867-B26
Project start: not started yet
New germline mutations are directly transmitted to our children, and therefore have profound consequences for future generations, but we still know surprisingly little about germline mutation processes. Recent advances in individual genome sequencing showed that the majority of de novo mutations (DNMs) originate in the male germline, and firmly established that the rate of DNMs increases with paternal age. To date, however, we lack information on individual mutagenic events necessary to study a unique type of mutagenesis— the selfish expansion of driver mutations in the male germline— due to the limitations of current technologies in studying DNMs. As a result, only a handful of driver mutations are known and characterized so far. This is unfortunate, as these might represent the tip of an iceberg given that in cancer hundreds of driver mutations are found within single genes. Moreover, they cause congenital disorders, self-propagate, are highly recurrent, and drastically increase with paternal age.
We have adapted a new ultra-sensitive sequencing technology with extremely low error-rates to identify accurately DNMs in selected candidate driver genes in sperm that can then be analyzed by our high-throughput digital PCR method. By combining these technologies, we have, for the first time, the capability to study DNMs in candidate driver genes, and investigate their expansion and increase with paternal age in the male germ line. Using our unique expertise in ultrasensitive methodologies to detect rare mutations, in this project we propose to 1) sequence exons of driver genes to discover high frequency DNMs; 2) test selection by examining the spatial expansion of the discovered DNMs in dissected testes, and 3) analyze their increase and transmission patterns in sperm of differently aged men. We envision that this project will generate a comprehensive and powerful analysis of driver mutations in the male germline, and establish a basis for understanding this type of mutagenesis and the associated risks of delayed parenthood in our society.
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21.05.2015France A gold rush ? – Geophysical surveys in France
As part of the preliminary phase of exploration in relation to a mining research license in France, SIXENSE Geophysics was mandated to carry out geophysical measurements, in parallel with geochemical studies of soils and water analysis.
The ground in certain regions of France could contain between four and ten grams of gold per ton of rock, a fortune!
This license covers a territory of 47 km² in the department of La Creuse.
The aim of our study was to determine changes in the ground to clarify the geometry and extension of ‘rich’ structures discovered during previous work.
SIXENSE Geophysics therefore implemented different methods to measure the resistivity and magnetic field of the ground, as well as potential hydrothermal alteration zones.
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The question is, why don’t we use all our brain cells?
Well guess what– we actually do. We just don’t use them all at the same time.
There are three main reasons for that.
The first being that there are two major types of brain cells. The first are neurons. These cells are the ones we traditionally think of as existing in the brain. They communicate with each other and help us perform all the tasks we normally perform during the day, like talking, learning, listening.
Now, there’s another type of cell in our brain that we don’t think about as often. Those cells are called glia. These glia are there to help the neurons do their daily tasks. So when neurons are talking to each other and doing their normal activities to help us do our normal activities, they’ll sometimes create waste, and glia will help clean up that waste. Another example of what glia do is that when the neurons are injured– say you bump your head and get a concussion– the glia will become activated and help fix the neurons so your brain can function properly again. We use all of our cells but we don’t use all of them at the same time. You wouldn’t use those repair cells unless there was something to repair.
The second example, is that we need lots of different parts of our brain because we do lots of different things with our brain. To help us walk, we need our motor cortex and it controls our feet, and our legs, and it helps us walk in the proper pattern, and control our muscles. To learn and form a memory, you need a totally different brain area called the hippo campus. That brain area takes in outside information and packages it into a pretty little package so that we can remember that memory from now until forever. Now of course when we’re walking, we’re not going to want to use all our memory cells to control our legs and so even though we’ll use our memory cells and our motor cells, we’ll use them at different times for different activities.
The third thing is that the brain functions a lot like a computer. If we think about a computer having bytes where we’re going to store memory, imagine if you used up all your bites just by turning on your computer and saving one single file. That would be a very inefficient computer because you’d have to have a new computer for every document you produced. Now think about your brain. If you used every cell for a single memory, you’d need a new brain for every memory and that is just not possible.
So to answer the question, it’s actually a rumor that we don’t use all our brain cells. We use them all– we just don’t use them all at the same time.
This article, “Why don’t we use all of our brain cells?”, is a derivative of “#askMIT: Why don’t we use all of our brain cells?” by MITK12Videos, used under CC BY 3.0 US.
“Why don’t we use all of our brain cells?” is licensed under CC BY 3.0 US by Matthew Sayle d/b/a The Tenth Yard.
Changes Made: Video translation to American English text and loosely structured for added readability. Screenshot images also added under CC BY 3.0 US
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Several different things can cause an annoying and sometimes really painful sore throat — bacteria, viruses, bacteria, allergens and fungi to name a few.
Here, a physician offers some information about how healthcare providers figure out if your sore throat is caused by one of the nastiest reasons of all: strep.
The question, and what the doctor says
The question: I took my daughter to the doctor with a fever of 99 degrees Fahrenheit and a sore throat, and they didn’t test her for strep throat. Why is that?
Throat swab tests and other signs of strep
Dr Gerhart answers: The practice of doing a throat swab for sore throat varies among urgent care centers and clinics. Some centers test any child with a sore throat, which is likely over-testing, while other centers have the health care provider first look at the throat and assess the child’s symptoms before deciding on testing.
When people use the term strep throat, they are usually referring to an infection caused by group A streptococcus, a type of bacteria responsible for up to 30 percent of sore throats in kids. Most of the other 70 percent of sore throats are caused are viruses.
When assessing your child for strep throat, physicians are taught to follow the “Modified Centor Criteria,” clinical factors that predict the likelihood of a strep infection. These factors are:
Absence of cough
Swollen and tender lymph nodes
Temperature greater than 100.4 F
Swollen tonsils or white/red dots on the tonsils; these are called tonsillar exudates
Each of these factors is given one point. A cumulative score of zero or one is considered “low risk,” with only 1 to 10 percent of these cases having a group A streptococcal infection. Chances are that these patients have a viral illness causing their sore throat, and they do not need strep testing.
On the other hand, 11 to 35 percent of people with a score of two or three do have a group A strep infection, and should be tested. Those with a score of four or five have more than a 50 percent chance of strep infection, and may be treated with antibiotics without testing.
There are two main types of strep tests.
The first is the “rapid antigen detection test” (a version of which is shown at right), which usually is back in about five minutes. This test is positive in about 90-99 percent of group A strep cases.
If the rapid test is negative, your doctor usually orders the sample to be cultured — a second round of testing. Sometimes the rapid test is falsely negative, and the culture comes back positive in 24 to 48 hours.
Not everyone needs to be treated
So why not test and treat everyone? Well, the justification to treat group A strep is not just to help you feel better — it’s actually to prevent complications of the infection.
Most strep throat infections are self-limited, and get better within five to seven days without treatment. Antibiotics shorten symptom length by only about 16 hours, and often give only mild relief of symptoms during that time. Plus, widespread use of antibiotics may cause the bacteria to become resistant to that antibiotic, giving us fewer options with which to treat it in the future.
However, often day care centers and schools will not let kids return until they are on antibiotics and considered “not contagious,” usually 24 hours after starting antibiotics.
Perhaps the larger reason to use antibiotics for strep is to prevent complications like an abscess in the tonsils, infection in the kidneys, or rheumatic fever. Rheumatic fever — a big concern in earlier decades — was caused by an untreated strep infection, and resulted in scarring of the heart valves. Now that we are treating strep with antibiotics, rheumatic fever is very rare.
So testing for strep depends on your child’s symptoms (or lack of symptoms), age, condition and your physician’s own practice.
In general, if your child has a fever and a sore throat without any other symptoms of a cold (cough, runny nose, congestion), your provider will likely test him or her. You should let your child’s doctor know if the symptoms are not improving after five to seven days, regardless of treatment.
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Passive Homes are greener, more energy-efficient, and more sustainable than normal homes. But how do we achieve these benefits? We follow these core design concepts:
- Energy Reduction
- Air tightness
- Ventilation with Heat Recovery
- Thermal Bridge Reduction
- Highly Efficient Windows
- Solar Orientation
- Innovative Heating Technologies
- Energy Balance
- Mold Reduction
With occupant comfort and energy savings as our primary goal, we incorporate Passive Home Standards which are comprised of several strict performance requirements and personalized equations for each new home construction. Together, these result in a roughly 75- 90% reduction in heating and cooling energy costs. The result is a beautiful home that provide fresh, high quality indoor air (free of mold and other indoor air contaminants that are typically found in standard homes and buildings), year around climate comfort, and significant energy savings over the life of your home.
Insulation minimizes heat loss. A Passive House will minimize thermal gains and losses through super insulation. Insulation is rated by its ability to resist heat traveling through it, so we use a multi-layer, highly rated product that covers the entire structure—including under the footing. The insulation is applied to the outside of the framing (rather than just between studs, which is standard in most conventional home building) with an outward facing water/wind membrane with a special siding to cover and protect the membrane. This design significantly reduces the heat transfer through walls, roof and floors—which is common with traditional building. This specific insulation and design also prevent fluctuating temperatures inside and eliminates drafts.
In order to achieve optimum efficiency, the house must be like an air-tight envelope. Through strategic testing, we ensure that your home is a leak-free enclosure that maintains a constant temperature with minimal effort.
Ventilation with Heat Recovery
Optimum efficiency is achieved when a home is heated solely through the hygienically supplied air from a heat recovery ventilation (HRV) system. HRV provides a consistent supply of filtered, fresh outdoor air while pumping out the old, stale air from inside through a heat exchanger. This technology has been used for over 20 years and keeps the indoor climate steady year around while reducing energy costs.
Design Avoiding Thermal Bridges
A Thermal Bridge is a break in the insulation surrounding the house—like porches, ceiling rafters and overhangs—which can lead to massive heat loss. Other sources of loss can be junctions between walls, the concrete foundation, or a balcony slab where there is an interruption of the insulation layer and the use of construction material that conducts heat. Our homes are built with thermal bridge free construction.
Highly Efficient Windows
Windows and doors are the weakest links in a home’s thermal defense system. Air travels both ways—letting the comfortable, internal ventilation escape and the outside climate seep in. The result is costly and inefficient. Triple pane windows and other high-performance windows and doors are chosen meet the needs of your climate zone.
The form and function of your home will determine the best design and orientation to optimize solar power. A well-balanced solar design will allow excellent natural lighting throughout your living space.
Innovative Heating Technology
Photovoltaic (PV) technology is a conversion of sunlight to electrical energy. Each PV cell can produce approximately 1-2 watts of power. The cells are made of semiconductor materials that can be less than the thickness of a few strands of hair, but can stand up to outdoor elements when sandwiched between specially designed glass and/or plastic protective materials. The PV cells are connected together to form larger units and can be connected to the electrical grid to complete a PV system. Each system is built to meet the unique need for each home. In addition, heating demand is met through “passive” sources like solar or by the heat emitted by the home occupants or appliances.
Energy Balance is the most important component of the Passive house—it is the primary reason for building this type of efficient home! identifying passive gains and passive losses allows us to optimize energy flow through the home in different seasons and in different climates. We use the PHPP Energy Balance Equation to determine your annual heat demand and useful cooling demand and then create a matrix to determine the variables such as solar heat gains, internal heat gains, transmission heat losses and ventilation heat losses. Together these give us your unique energy usage in minute detail.
When a Passive Home is properly designed and balanced, there is a reduction in moisture and mold risks, an increased life of the structure and less required maintenance. For example, specific wall designs will allow for proper moisture management, which results in a healthy home. Passive House Standards repel mold and mildew growth better than traditional homes.
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Robotic milking systems are becoming more popular. The obvious potential benefits of these systems include reduced labor expenses, additional milking frequency for higher milk yield per cow, and improved precision of feeding from the robot’s grain feeder. Robot grain feeding recommendations vary, and some people wonder what the best strategy is for farms. For the most part, it depends on the dairy.
Grain offered in “free-traffic” robotic milking systems is intended to attract the cow into the robot to be milked, but cows can go eat at the feedbunk at any time without going through the milking robot. In “forced traffic” (also called guided flow) robotic milking systems, cows must go through the milking robot in order to reach their ration in the feedbunk. Cows may or may not actually be milked each time they pass through the robot so, hopefully, they still go to the feedbunk at least nine times per day.
Depending on cow comfort and social issues, there may be more concerns with total eating time, slug feeding, and lying time in “forced traffic” robotic milking scenarios.
As we develop feeding plans for robotic dairies, we need to remember to not let robots change what we know to be nutritionally correct. Because the rumen microbes are digesting feed and multiplying on a minute-by-minute basis, we still need to strive to reduce the number of hours per day in which the rumen is acidic. Subclinical acidosis can limit milk production because of reductions in fiber digestion and microbial protein production.
Rumen health is best if cows eat many small meals per day of both grain and fiber. When you feed a total mixed ration (TMR), every mouthful is supposed to be a balanced ration. Such a ration controls rumen pH because grain is not being slug fed and chewable fiber is eaten throughout the day.
Most robotic dairies include some grain with the forage in the feedbunk making a partial mixed ration (PMR). The rest of the cow’s grain is provided at the milking robot, potentially raising daily minutes of rumen acidity.
In one study at the University of Wisconsin, it was found that farms that offered higher levels of grain in the robot tended to produce less milk. With a low nutrient balance in the PMR, a cow that doesn’t eat all of its allowance of grain in the robot will have lower total nutrient intake and milk production will suffer.
Grouping strategy also affects robot grain feeding. One-group systems, where cows in various stages of their lactation are grouped together, would likely feed more grain in the robot as it is their only option for target-feeding cows.
The great question
How much grain should be in the PMR versus in the robot to attract cows in to be milked at least three to four times per day yet not cause excessive rumen acidity? Feeding management, dietary starch, and fiber, as well as cow comfort, will determine the risk of rumen acidosis.
What we don’t fully know is how much of a positive effect robotic milking systems have on lying time and meal size at the feedbunk. There should be some rumen health advantage since cows don’t have to stand in a holding area three times per day. Perhaps that advantage can make up for some of the disadvantages of feeding grain separately in the robot.
In a recent Journal of Dairy Science review on feeding strategies and economics of robotic milkers, it was pointed out that with a typical milking time of 7 minutes and an eating rate of 0.55 to 0.88 pound per minute, a cow that is milked three times per day can eat a maximum of 18.5 pounds of grain per day at the robot.
Despite this, the authors recommended a maximum of 9 pounds of grain per day fed in the robot. In a trial where 6.5 versus 17.6 pounds of grain per day were offered in the robot, there was no difference in voluntary visits by the cows.
In robot herds, many factors affect milking frequency, including social issues between cows, barn design, flooring, cow health, stage of lactation, and the ration (PMR) in the feedbunk.
One robotic dairy producer (averaging more than 90 pounds per cow per day) who feeds a fairly nutrient-dense, higher grain PMR told me that his high-producing cows just want to be milked regardless of the grain in the robot.
This is the same producer who stressed that he wanted maximum free-flow in his system with no one-way gates that cows had to go through.
He also said heifers must be in a separate pen from mature cows. In his herd, barn design and social issues were not limiters to milking frequency that otherwise might have needed to be overcome by utilization of grain in the robot to attract cows there.
At the same time, I know another excellent robotic dairy producer with 60 cows in one group. He feeds his top cow a maximum of 18 pounds of grain per day through the robot. He insists that if he raises the amount of grain in the PMR and reduces the amount of grain fed through the robot, milking frequency drops.
It must also be recognized that some farms will tolerate higher rates of fetching than others, mainly because of differences in labor availability. Farms that don’t want to fetch cows tend to feed more grain through the robot. It is likely that these farms have slightly more rumen acidosis risks as they feed more grain in the robot. Either that or they simply feed less grain and make less milk. But, in their situation, it may be the best management strategy for economic success.
What’s the right grain?
The physical form and palatability of grain in the robot are important. Generally, a pellet is preferred over a meal feed, and fines should be avoided as much as possible as they will reduce intake.
Flavoring agents have had mixed success in promoting robot visits in research situations. Two grains available in the robot, one more nutrient dense than the other, may help to supply needed nutrients to early lactation cows and reduce energy intake for late-lactation cows to control body condition.
Early-lactation, high-producing cows generally benefit from additional starch, fats, and animal proteins. These ingredients can negatively affect palatability or pellet quality. This could be a good reason to group cows according to production and then rely more on the PMR for these ingredients rather than grain fed through the robot. If more nutrients are in the PMR, then the robot grain can be a highly palatable, more fibrous pellet that will entice cows to visit the robot for milking yet not create as much acid in the rumen.
So, what is the best grain feeding strategy for robot dairies? It depends! If your goal is primarily to reduce labor expenses, all cows are in one group, and you don’t want to push for high milk production, it probably makes sense to rely more heavily on the robot grain.
But in larger herds with multiple groups and higher average milk production, it may be advantageous to put more nutrients into the PMR and feed a smaller amount of robot grain to encourage cows to visit the robot milker. As always, visit with your consultant team about your ideas. Any changes should be made very slowly, making sure that cows maintain daily milk production and visits to the robot.
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Spinal Decay Poster
Spinal Decay X-ray Poster Shows 3 Phases of Subluxation Degeneration
"Patients relate to the decay concept on this X-ray chart."
This x-ray poster introduces spinal decay. It suggests neglect. It’s something that requires attention. It’s something that patients understand. It works for dentists. Put it to work in your practice! (Learn why we don't call it Subluxation Degeneration.)
Our Spinal Decay Chart is an essential tool for your examination and report rooms. Have the patient compare their lateral views with the examples printed here. Have them tell you what phase of spinal decay their spine is in. Sure, it’s more expedient to just tell them, but they’ll more likely "own" their problem when you have them tell you!
Crystal clear cervical spine X-rays, thoracic spine X-rays and lumbar spine X-rays make the job easy. And the three-phase approach makes the distinctions between each phase great enough that a lay person can see the spinal degeneration changes. (Which, after all, is the point, isn't it?)
Frame and mount one copy so patients are facing it as you take their neutral lateral views. Have a second copy ready for comparison where you give your report of findings. (Choose between right- and left-facing X-rays to match your technique.)
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Medtronic Cardiac Rhythm Management (CRM) has tracked lead survival for over 39 years with its multicenter, global chronic lead studies.
Leads Performance Analysis
Implanted leads operate in the challenging biochemical environment of the human body and the body’s response to foreign objects. Implanted leads are also subject to mechanical stresses associated with heart motion, body motion, and patient anatomy.
In this environment, pacemaker and defibrillation leads cannot be expected to last forever. While IPGs and ICDs have a battery that will deplete after a predictable length of time, a lead’s longevity cannot be predicted easily based on mechanical measurements, nor are there simple indicators that a lead is approaching the end of its service life. Therefore, regular monitoring while implanted, and evaluation of lead integrity upon IPG or ICD replacement, is necessary to determine if a lead may be approaching the end of its service life.
Shortfalls Of Using Returned Product And Complaints To Estimate Lead Performance
Leads and lead segments returned to Medtronic are analyzed to determine whether or not they meet performance limits established by Medtronic. Although returned product analyses are valuable for gaining insight into lead failure mechanisms, this data cannot be used by itself for determining the survival probability of leads because only a small fraction of leads are explanted and returned for analysis. Some leads are modified due to adverse device effect, however may not be explanted. Additionally, those leads that are returned cannot be assumed to be statistically representative of the performance of the total population for a given lead model. Partial or total lead extraction can result in significant damage to a lead, making a definitive analysis of a suspected failure, and its cause, impossible.
To account for the under reporting inherent with lead survival analysis based solely on returned product, some manufacturers add reported complaints where adverse product performance is evident but the product itself has not been returned. The improvement to the accuracy of survival estimates depends on the degree to which all complaints are actually communicated to the manufacturer. Since not all complaints are communicated to the manufacturer, adding complaints to the survival analysis does not completely solve the under reporting problem.
Lead survival probabilities are more appropriately determined through a prospective clinical surveillance study that includes active follow up with the patients. Although Medtronic monitors returned product analysis and complaints, these are not used to determine lead survival estimates.
Medtronic consolidated all cardiac rhythm surveillance registries into the PAN Registry. The PAN Registry is a patient centric surveillance platform which follows patients implanted with Medtronic cardiac rhythm product(s). The Product Performance Report (PPR) tracks PAN Registry enrolled patients to monitor lead performance status in vivo. The PAN Registry is designed to record clinical observations representative of the total clinical experience. Lead survival estimates include both lead hardware failure and lead-related clinical events that are classified as product performance events, and do not differentiate a lead hardware failure from other clinical events such as Failure to capture, perforation, dislodgement, or concurrent pulse generator failure.
Medtronic has been monitoring the performance of its cardiac therapy products with a multicenter study since 1983 and has evaluated the performance of more than 131,000 leads, with data reported from countries around the world. Throughout this time period, Medtronic has continually worked to adapt systems and processes to more effectively monitor product performance following market release. The following summarizes current registry requirements.
Medtronic’s product surveillance registry is a world-wide study that has a prospective, non-randomized, observational design. A key purpose of the registry is to provide continuing evaluation and periodic reporting of the long-term reliability and performance of Medtronic market-released cardiac rhythm therapy products. Product-related adverse events, indicating the status of the product, are collected to measure product survival probabilities. The data gathered may also be used to support the design and development of new cardiac therapy products. The registry is designed to continue indefinitely, encompassing new products as they become commercially available.
To ensure a sufficiently large and representative source of data, participating clinical sites must meet pre-specified selection criteria. Patients are enrolled upon implantation of a Medtronic Cardiac rhythm product. Every effort is made to ensure participants are representative of the range of clinical environments in which Medtronic cardiac rhythm products are used. Eligible products for enrollment include Medtronic market-released cardiac rhythm therapy products for which additional information to further characterize product performance following market release is desired. Number of enrollments is reviewed regularly to ensure adequate sample size is obtained for each individual product. Enrollment may be capped and follow-up discontinued when sufficient duration and precision is achieved to effectively characterize product survivability.
Enrolled patients are followed in accordance with the standard care practices of their care provider from their implant date until they can no longer be followed (e.g., death, lost to follow-up, etc.). However, to ensure regular patient status assessments are completed, follow-up windows consistent with typical care practices have been established with a minimum annual follow-up requirement. Product-related adverse events, system modifications and changes in patient status (e.g. death and withdrawal from the study) are required to be reported upon occurrence. This active surveillance model ensures a robust dataset for effectively monitoring product performance.
Patients are eligible for enrollment if:
- Patient is intended to be implanted or has been implanted with a Medtronic market-released cardiac lead connected to a market-released CRT, ICD, or IPG device, and the lead is used for a pacing, sensing, or defibrillation application, or
- Patient participated in a qualifying investigational study of a Medtronic cardiac rhythm product that is now market-released; complete implant and follow-up data are available; and the data can be appropriately and legally released
Each site is required to inform Medtronic whenever a lead event has occurred, a lead is modified, or when a patient is no longer participating. Timely, accurate, and complete reporting and analysis of safety information for surveillance is crucial for the protection of patients, clinicians, and the sponsor. Medtronic continually evaluates the quality and integrity of the data through a combination of on-site and centralized monitoring activities.
Chronic lead performance is characterized by estimating lead related complication free survival probabilities. For analysis purposes, the complication criteria, which align with the AdvaMed ‘Industry Guidance for Uniform Reporting of Clinical Performance of Cardiac Rhythm Management Pulse Generators and Leads’, are defined below. These criteria do not, however, enable a lead integrity or "hardware" failure to be conclusively differentiated from other clinical events such as an undetected lead dislodgement, perforation, or concurrent pulse generator failure manifested as a sensing or capture problem.
All reported lead-related adverse events are classified by the reporting investigator and are adjudicated by an independent event adjudication committee1. A lead-related event with at least one of the following classifications that is adjudicated by the committee as a complication and occurs more than 30 days after implant is considered a product performance event and will contribute to the survival analysis endpoint. Events with an onset date of 30 days or less after the implant are considered procedure related and therefore are not included as product performance events.
Product performance events include, but are not limited to:
- Failure to capture
- Failure to sense/undersensing
- Elevated pacing thresholds
- Abnormal pacing impedance (based on lead model, but normal range is typically 200 - 2,000 ohms)
- Abnormal defibrillation impedance (based on lead model, but normal range is typically 20 - 200 ohms)
- Lead Insulation breach
- Lead Conductor fracture, confirmed electrically, visually or radiographically
- Extracardiac stimulation
- Cardiac perforation
- Lead dislodgement
- Structural Lead Failure
Data Analysis Methods
The performance of leads is expressed in terms of lead survival estimates, where "survival" refers to the function of the lead, not the survival of the patient. These survival estimates are intended to illustrate the probability that a lead will survive for a given number of years without a chronic lead-related complication.
Active surveillance normally begins at the time of implant and continues until a product performance or censoring event occurs. In some cases, in the PAN Registry, active surveillance of a device starts after the device was implanted. The survival probability of such device is conditional on survival to the time when the device enters the Registry. This phenomenon is called Left-truncation2. PPR lead survival analysis is estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method, a statistical method to incorporate data from these retrospectively enrolled devices, left-truncated data, was applied. The statistical technique uses data from existing devices while appropriately adjusting the device survival curves for the time the device was not actively followed in the registry. Thus, in some cases sample sizes may fluctuate from one time interval to the next interval.
The survival estimates is the probability that a lead is free of a product performance event at a given time point. For example, if a survival probability is 95% after 5 years of service, then the lead has a 5% chance of experiencing a lead-related complication in the first 5 years following implant.
The data in the tables is rounded to the nearest tenth of one percent. Occasionally, a graph may show 100% survival, but have one or more complications. This occurs because even with the complications, the data rounds to 100%.
The survival curves are statistical estimates. As sample size increases and performance experience accumulates, the estimation improves. Confidence intervals are provided as a way to indicate the degree of certainty of the estimates. Greenwood’s formula is used to calculate the standard errors, and the log-log method is used to produce the 2-sided 95% confidence bounds.
Since the survival estimate can become very imprecise with small effective sample sizes, Medtronic truncates the survival curve when the number of leads entering an interval is less than 50 leads. When the number of leads entering an interval reaches 50, the next data point is added to the survival curve. For those lead models that do not have sufficient sample size, a survival curve will not be presented.
Definition of Analysis Dataset
The survival estimates are derived from all device components successfully enrolled as of the data received cut-off date (e.g. date of data entry at a study site). The number of enrollments is listed for each lead model.
This sample is considered to be representative of the worldwide population, and therefore the survival estimates shown should be representative of the performance worldwide of these models.
Criteria for Model Inclusion
Survival probabilities and the associated study information for a model or model family will be published when more than 100 leads have been enrolled and no fewer than 50 leads followed for at least 6 months. Medtronic, at its discretion, may stop providing updated performance information on lead models that received original US market-release approval 20 or more years ago.
Returned Product Analysis Results
Although the returned product analysis data is not used to generate the survival estimates, the data provides valuable insight into the causes of lead malfunction.
For reporting returned product analysis results, Medtronic CRM considers a lead as having malfunctioned whenever the analysis shows that any parameter was outside the performance limits established by Medtronic while implanted and in service. To be considered a malfunction for returned product analysis reporting, the lead must have been returned to Medtronic and analyzed.
The results of the analysis are presented in four categories. The lead reporting categories are:
Conductor Fracture: Conductor malfunction with complete or intermittent loss of continuity that could interrupt current flow (e.g., fractured conductors), including those associated with clavicle flex fatigue or crush damage.
Insulation Breach: A malfunction of the insulation allowing inappropriate entry of body fluids or inappropriate current flow between the conductors, or between the conductor and the body. Examples include cuts, tears, depressions, abrasions, and material degradation.
Crimps/Welds/Bonds: Any malfunction in a conductor or lead body associated with a point of connection.
Other: Malfunctions of specific lead mechanical attributes, such as sensors, connectors, seal rings, or malfunction modes not included in the three categories above.
A lead subject to a safety advisory is not considered to have malfunctioned unless it has been returned to Medtronic CRM and found, through analysis, to actually have performed outside the performance limits established by Medtronic.
For leads designed for either ventricular or atrial use, the numbers listed in the Returned Product Analysis tables include both.
The numbers of malfunctions listed in the Returned Product Analysis tables are the actual numbers confirmed in the returned product analysis. The numbers of complications listed in the complications tables are the actual numbers observed in the PSR centers around the world.
US Reports of Acute Lead Observations (Occurring within First Month of Service)
In the first weeks following lead implantation, physiologic responses and lead performance can vary until long-term lead stability is attained. Acute (defined as the first month after implant) lead performance may be subject to a number of factors, including patient-specific anatomy, clinical conditions and/or varying implant conditions/techniques. After a period of time, the implant and the lead performance stabilizes. It is for this reason that the Product Surveillance Registry results, which are intended to measure long-term performance, do not include complications that occur within the first 30 days after implant.
Information about the clinical experience in the first month of service is included in our reporting. The source for this information is Medtronic‘s complaint handling system database. The information is summarized in tables titled "US Reports of Acute Lead Observations."
Each Event Report received by Medtronic’s complaint handling system is assigned one or more Reason for Report codes based on the information received. The Reason for Report codes have been grouped into Acute Lead Observation categories. The categories used for this product performance reporting are drawn from the "FDA Guidance for Submission of Research and Marketing Applications for Permanent Pacemaker Leads and for Pacemaker Lead Adapter 510(k) Submissions." The categories are:
- Cardiac Perforation
- Conductor Fracture
- Lead Dislodgement
- Failure to Capture
- Failure to Sense
- Insulation Breach
- Impedance Abnormal
- Extracardiac Stimulation
Although multiple observations are possible for any given lead, only one observation is reported per lead. The observation reported is the observation highest on the list. For example, if an Event Report includes observations for both Lead Dislodgement and Failure to Sense, Lead Dislodgement is reported.
The lead event reported to Medtronic may or may not have involved clinical action or product returned to Medtronic. The lead may have remained implanted and in service.
Estimated Number of Implanted and Active Leads in the United States
In addition to providing the number of leads enrolled in the PSR, we also provide the number of leads registered as implanted and the number remaining active in the United States based on the status recorded in the Medtronic Device Registration Tracking Application (DTrak).
1During the evolution of SLS, event adjudication was transitioned from a Medtronic technical review committee to an independent event adjudication committee in 2011. Data analyses include adjudication using both methods.
2Klein, John P., Moeschberger, Melvin L. Survival Analysis Techniques for Censored and Truncated Data, New York: Springer-Verlag New York, Inc., 1997.
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| < October >
|Normal Max/ High Temperature
|Min/ Low Temperature
|Average Daylight per day
|Sun altitude at solar noon on the 21st day.
- The average temperature in Mount Clemens Ang Base, Mi in October is quite mild at 10.6 °C (51.08 °F).
- Afternoons can be very mild with average high temperatures reaching 15.3 °C (59.5 °F).
- Overnight temperatures are generally cool with an average low of 5.7 °C (42.3 °F).
- The average diurnal temperature range/ variation in October is 9.6 °C (17.3 °F).
- The weather in October is slightly dry. Only 52.8mm (2.1in) of liquid is dropped.
- The shortest day is 10:15 long and the longest day is 11:40 long with an average length of 10:56.
Check the distance to and compare the Mount Clemens Ang Base, Mi October averages with somewhere beginning with:
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | All
Weather Trend Graph for October in Mount Clemens Ang Base, Mi, Usa
Navigate to October Weather in Locations Surrounding Mount Clemens Ang Base, Mi:
- East Tawas, Mi, Usa - 147.6 kms (91.7 miles) NNW
- Alma, Mi, Usa - 162.6 kms (101.1 miles) W
- Owosso, Mi, Usa - 95.7 kms (59.5 miles) W
- Flint/ Bishop, Mi, Usa - 61.1 kms (38 miles) W
- Detroit, Michigan, Usa - 89.5 kms (55.6 miles) SSW
- Adrian Ne, Mi, Usa - 138.1 kms (85.8 miles) SW
- Ann Arbor, Mi, Usa - 138.1 kms (85.8 miles) SW
- Toledo/ Express, Oh, Usa - 169 kms (105 miles) SSW
- Wauseon, Oh, Usa - 186.7 kms (116 miles) SSW
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Bring Your Fashion Design Ideas to Life with These Free Clothing Design Software!
Fashion is an expressive and holistic way to convey the latest trends through one’s fashion choices. The industry is constantly evolving based on customer demands, making fashion designers more innovative with each passing day. They aim not only to create comfortable and stylish looks but also to incorporate a range of elements that appeal to customers!
Advantages of Using Clothing Design Software
Clothing design software allows one to create patterns, manage workflows better, and efficiently view multiple projects simultaneously. Clothing design is a highly visual industry. Most top clothing design software solutions are cloud-based, so that one can use them from anywhere without spending excess money on maintenance or server space. With a suite of fully customizable templates designed for easier operation and compatibility with most operating systems, using design software only requires users to sign up, install, and log in! Also, taking advantage of ready-made templates can help save one’s time, as creating designs from scratch requires significant time and effort. Seeing the changes made before starting work means no wasted materials!
8 Best Free Clothing Software for 2022
A fashion design software helps sketch designs for fashion projects faster than old methods, such as manual designs. Here are some of the best cloth design software with a dedicated free version or a free trial.
Valentina offers a tailor-made solution that improves the design process, bringing elegance to clothes and accessories. It is specifically made for small designers who have creative talent but lack the technical know-how to bring their vision to life. Thanks to open-source software, Valentina’s free clothing design software allows one to trace patterns precisely, judge color matches between materials, visualize an intended result, and anticipate manufacturing challenges. The software has many positives that make it popular among users. Its interface is simple and understandable, and it allows beginners to create everything they desire freely with minimal effort in the shortest time possible.
- Valentina is a free clothing design software that makes it quick and easy to create professional patterns for clothing, fashion accessories, and more.
- It is compatible with various platforms such as Windows, Mac OS, FreeBSD, Mageia 6+ (.rpm), Fedora (.rpm), OpenSUSE (.rpm), Debian (.deb), Ubuntu PPA (.deb), and AppImage package (.AppImage)
- A supporting forum
- Syncing is simple
- The innovative design layouts are easy to manufacture
- Patterns are simple to download, test, and develop.
The 3D simulation facility at Tailornova’s free clothing design software allows one to start creating unlimited designs faster. Sketching customizations and diverse templates will enhance even a non-creative person’s creativity measurably. Since this app is web-based, it is easy to set up and use. One can organize their designs using the user-friendly interface by clicking the patterns that appeal to them.
- Modification with simplicity
- Templates can be merged
- Ten lengths of templates
- 2D flat vector sketches
- The pattern fits you perfectly
Browzwear is an excellent free clothing design software that allows users to create designs. It gives them the freedom to create silhouettes that any fashion-savvy individual will be proud of. It has a lot more to offer than just style and shape creation. It also provides editing capabilities for collections and alters them according to requirements. This program can generate beautiful renders and make adjustments per piece rather than wasting time in blocks. Staying true to its target audience, Browzwear makes sure that amateurs and experts can visualize without much hassle!
- Technology that is breaking new ground
- 3D visuals that are true to life
- A dashboard that is both flexible and powerful
- Allows one to experiment with various styles and designs
- Smart design allows one to design for manufacturing, etc.
Blender is a 3D modeling tool that individual designers and fashion design studios use. This application simplifies the sculpting, editing, and creation of fashion models and their rendering.
- Multiple modes are available such as edit mode, object mode, weight painting, etc.
- Motion tracking
- It is a free and open-source fashion design software.
- It runs on most operating systems such as Linux, macOS, Windows, Android, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD, DragonFly BSD, Haiku.
5. CLO 3D software
CLO 3D software allows clothing designers to turn their designs from paper into life-size models. With language options in Hindi, Russian, Chinese, French, Spanish, etc., it is easy for designers with varying experience levels to make the most of this product.
- 3D modeling and layering
- Sewing in segments
- Pattern design in two dimensions
- The ability to combine patterns
- Make as many graphic placements as you like, etc.
6. Digital Fashion Pro
Digital Fashion Pro is an open-source clothing design software that allows anyone to experiment freely with creating amazing clothing designs without being well-versed in or familiar with the different ways of designing and manufacturing. With the help of this free clothing design software, users can create amazing clothes in a flash by following the step-by-step digital instructions for clothing designs.
- The textile pattern design
- Fashion illustrations
- 3D designs
- Design export
- Customizable templates
- It works with Mac, Windows, and Chromebooks.
7. Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Illustrator is a beneficial tool for those who need to create fashion designs and sketches. However, it doesn’t stop here. With presentation boards, one can make great layouts for product meetings and buyer presentations, including catalogs that can be used as reference guides by others working on a user’s team. Callouts are another helpful feature that allows marking important details during a meeting or presentation!
- Incorporate fashion doodles
- Brush in a zigzag pattern
- Factory with a Flat Surface
- Artistic/graphic design
- Pattern size, color, and orientation may all be changed
8. Vogue Runway
It is an application that helps designers draw inspiration from new collections from various designers. The users can have unlimited access to multiple shows with clips that capture the closeups of every collection. Its archive has more than a million runaway pictures from over 12000 fashion shows.
- Save collections and various looks to a mood board
- Thousands of street-style photos
- Runway alerts
- Reviews by internationally recognized writers
- Runway shows live streams for the front-row experience
- The application is available for free on Google Play or the Apple store
- Subscription begins at INR 891.60 per year for both print and digital Vogue Runway platforms
So, these were some free cloth designing software that a designer can use to amp up their fashion projects.
Fashion is an art that tends to change over time based on the times and trends of a particular period. It is important as a fashion designer to understand what people want and need at any given point and use that knowledge while designing. There are significant advantages to getting clothing design software. It gives them the chance to be more competitive and helps them grow in ways their competitors can’t.
When you need design and sourcing help for your fashion brand, Fashinza can assist you. We work with fashion brands like yours and connect you with fantastic apparel manufacturers in the industry to stay ahead of the curve. If you’re looking to manage your design process, we can help with that too! Our skilled team takes ownership of the complete production, from design through delivery, to ensure you always get what you pay for and much more for your orders.
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Eight poets share tanka poetry written as part of a self-discovery practice. Commonly written as a five lined poem, tanka is an ancient form of Japanese poetry that pre-dates haiku. The author describes tanka practice and invites the reader to begin their own. By writing tanka in the morning and then again in the evening, the poet works to clarify and deepen his or her perception. Primarily a collection of tanka poetry written with this purpose, Tanka Practice also sets in relief the discoveries of eight friends who chose a life of mindfulness.
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3D Design Services
Many people are excited about the potential to use 3D printing but have little to no experience with the process of creating a 3D model that is 3D print ready. This limitation can make it difficult for some people to justify the use of 3D printing. Here at 3D NYC Lab we have experience with a wide range of 3D modeling software such as Maya, Rhino, AutoCAD and ZBrush that we can use to help create beautiful, 3D print ready digital models for your project.
3D modeling can be a difficult and time consuming process depending on the desired outcome. It is crucial that any model destined for 3D printing be seamless and adhere to specific geometrical requirements of the 3D printer being used. When creating 3D designs we take all of these best practices into account to ensure that our clients end up with a model that they can easily print with us or through any other 3D printing service available.
If you would like to learn more about 3D modeling and design, a good place to start would be Google Sketchup, a free piece of modelling software that is great for beginners.
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Esports Betting: The Rise of Competitive Gaming Wagers
Betting can be an exciting and potentially profitable endeavor, but it’s essential to understand the fundamentals before diving into the world of gambling. In this article, we will provide a beginner’s guide to betting, covering key concepts, popular betting markets, and tips for responsible gambling.
Odds are a crucial aspect of betting and represent the probability of an event occurring. They can be presented in different formats, including decimal, fractional, and moneyline. Understanding how to read and calculate odds is essential for making informed betting decisions.
Different Types of Bets:
There are various types of bets available, depending on the sport or event. Some common types include moneyline bets (betting on the winner), point spread bets (betting on the margin of victory), over/under bets (betting on the total score), and prop bets (betting on specific outcomes within the game). Exploring the different types of bets allows bettors to choose the ones that suit their preferences and strategies.
Bankroll management is crucial for long-term success in betting. It involves 먹튀폴리스 a budget for betting, determining the size of each wager, and sticking to a disciplined approach. Proper bankroll management helps control losses and ensures that betting remains enjoyable without risking significant financial consequences.
Research and Analysis:
Successful betting requires research and analysis. Bettors should gather relevant information, such as team/player statistics, recent form, injuries, and other factors that may influence the outcome of an event. Analyzing this data allows for informed decision-making and increases the chances of making profitable bets.
Emotional control is essential in betting. Winning and losing streaks are common, and it’s crucial to avoid making impulsive decisions based on emotions. Sticking to a strategy, avoiding chasing losses, and maintaining a rational mindset are key to long-term success.
Responsible gambling is of utmost importance. Bettors should set limits on their gambling activities, both in terms of time and money. They should be aware of the signs of problem gambling and seek help if needed. Responsible gambling ensures that betting remains an enjoyable and controlled activity.
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Substitution matrices are the key component of
protein-alignment methods. We developed a new structural alphabet substitution matrix (SASM) for 3D-BLAST. The
SASM is similar to BOLSUM 62 in BLAST for protein sequences search. The SASM
matrix (23¡Ñ23) offers insights about substitution preferences of 3D segments between homologous
structures with low sequence identity. The highest substitution score in this
matrix is for the alignment of an alphabet ¡§W¡¨ with an alphabet ¡§W¡¨, in which
the sharp of the representative segment is similar to
b-turn that that allow
the peptide backbone to fold back and bear great significance in protein structure and function.
This value is 11. In total, most of these segments (95.25%) in ¡§W¡¨
are the b-turn
based on the tool PROMOTIF. The substitution scores are high when two identical
structural alphabets (e.g., diagonal entries) are aligned. For example, the
alignment scores are high if ¡§I¡¨ and ¡§S¡¨ are aligned to ¡§I¡¨ and ¡§S¡¨,
respectively. Most of the substitution scores are positive if two structural
alphabets in the same category, e.g., helix alphabets (A, Y, B, C, and D), are
aligned together since the sharps of their representatives are similar.
On the other hand, the lowest substitution score (-15) in this SASM matrix
is for the alignment of the ¡§Y¡¨ (a helix alphabet) with the ¡§E¡¨ (a strand
alphabet). All of the substitution scores are low when the helix alphabets (A,
Y, B, C, and D) are aligned to strand alphabets (E, F, and H). The above
relationships are well known, showing that the SASM embodies conventional
knowledge about structure secondary conservation in proteins.
Structural alphabets substitution matrix (SASM) of 3D-BLAST. The
scores are high if similar alphabets are aligned, e.g., helix alphabets (A, Y,
B, C, and D) are aligned to helix alphabets. In contrast, the scores are low
when helix alphabets are aligned to strand alphabets.
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Posted by Rick MG at 10:19, 21 Mar 2012
- CGI fake or the real deal? Flying Dutchman flaps mechanical wings.
- Live pilot recordings of UFO encounters in Chile.
- UFO photo that mysteriously vanished from British MoD office.
- There's a UFO flap high in Arizona's Mojave County.
- Europa's icy oceans may be too acidic to harbour life.
- James Cameron prepares for his rocket plunge into the ocean.
- I bet Jim won't be using the Fluid Breathing System.
- All aboard the 32,000-km-per-hour express elevator to low-orbit!
- Hillary Clinton announces a new search for Amelia Earhart.
- Norway wants Canada to return Roald Amundsen's ship The Maud.
- Norway officially approves Sami shamanism as a religion.
- Parallelism in Sioux & Sami shamanic traditions.
- The Amazon's last uncontacted tribes (Amazon US, Kindle, UK).
- Missing explorers & the Lost City of Z (Amazon US, UK).
- Amazonian plant may be painkiller breakthrough.
- Noise pollution changes the behaviour of plants, not just animals.
- Bird brains: feathered friends that boast incredible memories.
- Death and Return in the myth of Demeter and Persephone.
- The return of Persephone & other Spring transitions.
- The Hero's Journey: a mythological story we all take part in.
- Is our greatest desire to be conscious creators?
- Claims that NDEs are just lucid dreams deserves skepticism.
- More evidence that meditation strengthens the brain.
- The Dog Particle: teaching relativity to dogs (Amazon US, Kindle, UK).
Quote of the Day:
The power of imagination makes us infinite.
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IKIM has obtained the Quality Management System MS ISO 9001:2015 and Qulaity Management System Shariah Based MS 1900:2014. The scope of certification is "Research and Resource Centre for the Understanding of Islam". This certification contributes towards an efficient and effective delivery of the Library's services.
IKIM Library plays an important role in supporting IKIM ‘s role as an outstanding research centre which conducts these activities:
- Conducting research and consultancy;
- Organising conferences, seminars, expert consultations, workshop trainings and the like at national and international levels;
- Publishing books, journals and magazines;
- Disseminating Islamic understanding through print and electronic media such as writings in the local press and websites as well as broadcasts on Radio IKIM and tIKIMtv; and,
- Fostering relations and cooperation with related institutions and organisations to share experiences and resources in order to promote Islam as a universal religion and bears goodwill.
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(2) Romano. Romano cheese is a very hard cheese which may be made
from the milk of a goat or a ewe. In the United States it is made from cow's milk. It is
usually made round, about 10 inches in diameter and 6 inches thick, and weighs
between 15 and 20 pounds. Manufacture of Romano cheese is similar to Parmesan
cheese and after curing for about a year can be used as a grated cheese. It can be
used as a table cheese after curing only 5 to 8 months.
c. Hard. Hard varieties of natural cheese contain a higher moisture content
than very hard cheeses. Hard cheese may be eaten fresh or after it has been cured. If
hard cheeses are made from unpasteurized milk, they must be cured at least 60 days at
a temperature of not less than 35F (2C) before they can be marketed. "American" is a
descriptive term used in the dairy industry to denote such hard cheeses as Cheddar,
Colby, Granular, and Soaked Curd.
(1) Cheddar. Cheddar cheese, which originated in Somersetshire, England,
and which is made from whole fresh milk, accounts for about 75 percent of all cheese
manufactured in the United States. One step in the manufacture of Cheddar cheese is
to mat the curd by stacking curd upon curd and allowing them to knit together. This
process is called cheddaring. After the curd is cheddared, it is milled, salted, hooped,
pressed, and ripened (cured) for varying periods of time.
(2) Granular (stirred) cheese. Granular or stirred curd cheeses are similar to
Cheddar except the curd is not matted or milled. The curd is cut, stirred, and heated (as
in Cheddar); then the curd is alternately stirred and drained. The curd is salted and
continuously stirred until it is of the proper texture. It is then hooped and pressed like
(3) Colby. Colby cheese is similar to Cheddar and Granular types.
However, it has a softer body and more open texture than Cheddar. The steps in
manufacturing are similar to Granular cheese. The one major difference is that cold
water is added to the Colby cheese to cool the curd after part of the whey has been
(4) Swiss. Swiss cheese is a hard cheese with characteristic gas holes or
"eyes." Swiss cheese is usually made in "wheels" about 36 inches in diameter, 6 inches
thick, and 185 to 210 pounds in weight. Several types of organisms are used in the
starter with propionic acid-forming organisms responsible for the formation of the
characteristic gas holes. After the milk has been inoculated with the starter, it is allowed
to set about 30 minutes. The creamy layer on top is then pushed back and mixed with
the curd at a later time. The curd is cut, forked, cooked, stirred, and dipped out of the
kettle in a large cloth. The curd is then hooped and pressed. Special temperatures are
used for curing to produce proper eye formation. The kettles used by the Swiss are
usually made of copper because the cheesemakers in Switzerland consider copper
necessary in the production of Swiss cheese. However, excellent Swiss cheese can be
made in stainless steel kettles.
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