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The teenage brain has a voracious drive for reward, diminished behavioural control and a susceptibility to be shaped by experience. This often manifests as a reduced ability to resist high-calorie junk foods. I am a neuroscientist and my research investigates how diet changes the brain. I want to understand how unhealthy diets impact the developing brain, and also why young people today are so prone to developing obesity. Adolescents are the greatest consumers of calorie-rich “junk” foods. During puberty, many children have an insatiable appetite as rapid growth requires lots of energy. Heightened metabolism and growth spurts can protect against obesity, to an extent. But excessively eating high-calorie junk foods and increasingly sedentary lifestyles can outweigh any metabolic protection. The teenage brain is vulnerable The teenage years are a key window of brain development. Adolescence coincides with a new-found social autonomy and the independence to make personal food choices. During adolescence, connections between different brain regions and individual neurons are also being refined and strengthened. The adolescent brain is malleable because of increased levels of “neuroplasticity.” This means the brain is highly receptive to being shaped and rewired by the environment — including diet. In turn, these changes can become hardwired when development is complete. So the adolescent brain is vulnerable to diet-induced changes, but these changes may endure through life. Teenagers are particularly drawn to rewards, including sweet and calorie-dense foods. This is due to increased numbers of dopamine receptors in the adolescent brain, so the feeling of reward can be exaggerated. Frequent stimulation of the reward system results in enduring brain adaptations. During adolescence, these changes may cause long-lasting shifts to the balance of brain chemicals. This manifests as a reduced ability to resist rewarding behaviours. So it’s not surprising that teenagers prefer to eat foods that are easy to obtain and immediately gratifying, even in the face of health advice to the contrary. But what are the enduring brain consequences? Transcranial magnetic stimulation Functional imaging studies show brain activity during tasks or viewing images of foods. Brain circuits that process food rewards are more active in adolescents with obesity compared to those considered normal weight. Interestingly, lower activity is seen in regions of the prefrontal cortex. This shows that obesity can both heighten activation of the reward system and reduce brain activity in centres that can override the desire to eat. Importantly, successful weight loss in adolescents restores levels of activity in the prefrontal cortex. This provides critical knowledge that the prefrontal cortex is a key area of the brain for controlling food intake, and that diet interventions increase activity in brain regions that exert self control. Excessively eating junk foods during adolescence could alter brain development, leading to lasting poor diet habits. But, like a muscle, the brain can be exercised to improve willpower. Increased brain plasticity during adolescence means the young mind may be more receptive to lifestyle changes. Physical exercise boosts brain plasticity, helping to set in place new healthy habits. Identifying how the brain is changed by obesity provides opportunities to identify and intervene. Functional brain imaging adds a new layer of information where clinicians can identify at-risk individuals and track brain changes during nutritional and lifestyle interventions. Even more, TMS could be a new treatment approach to improve re-calibration of the young brain to prevent enduring changes into adulthood.

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Choosing small, less common species may help replenish the ocean’s fish populations. A recent New Yorker article by John Donohue, The Case for Eating Small Fish, highlights one aspect of the urgent need for a shift in the worldwide seafood supply and demand chain. A potential approach we can take to reduce overfishing? Choosing forage fish when ordering at a restaurant or grocery store. Small fish, also known as forage fish, such as herring, mackerel and butterfish, aren’t typically frontrunners in the culinary world. The likes of salmon, tuna or grouper are more desired by chefs and diners. However, as demand for seafood increases worldwide, so does the demand for the feed for those fish, and a majority of that feed contains forage fish. In addition, thirty-seven percent of global seafood landings recorded annually consist of forage fish, up from less than ten percent fifty years ago, according to an analysis conducted by the Lenfest Foundation and financed by Pew Charitable Trusts, cited in the article. This rise in harvest is a result of increased distribution to both agriculture and aquaculture farms. Donahue explains that technological advances produced in the 1940s led to larger, longer-lasting fishing equipment. Soon after, diesel engines, sonar technology and factory trawlers improved the efficiency of commercially catching and processing fish on a larger scale. Following World War II, the world’s annual catch quadrupled in just four decades, kicking off the rapid decline of many stocks. You might be wondering: how would eating forage fish, a population on decline due to overfishing, help save them? Paul Greenberg, the author of “Four Fish” and “American Catch: The Fight for Our Local Seafood,” explained to Donahue over a forage fish dinner, “What if we cut the forage fish take in half and instead paid fishermen twice as much for that catch, since it would be sold as valuable human food rather than cheap animal food?” If consumers viewed forage fish as a valuable, desired menu option, fishermen would have the option to decrease the amount caught while remaining financially secure. Adjusting the amount of forage fish used for feed may impact the agriculture and aquaculture industries. While there is much research to be done, thinking sustainably is a great place to start in order to protect our planet and seafood supply for generations to come. Read the full article here. No matter what fish you choose, big or small, always Ask Before You Order to make sure you’re supporting responsibly harvested seafood.

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Sadly, many pet cats live in stressful environments. We try our best as owners, but our homes and way of living can cause them anxiety. Cats don’t need social interaction as we do. They are adaptable and do form social bonds, but they don’t have to. So, being forced into a social situation – like living with other cats - can be stressful. Cats like to have their own territory which they mark with scent. When there is plenty of space, other cats smell the scent and keep away. When cats are housed close to one another, like in a busy residential street, they are forced into each other’s territories. Cats find this stressful. Cats will have an area within their territory where they feel safe enough to eat, play and sleep - peacefully and in private. For pet cats, this is usually our home. If that ‘safe’ space doesn’t feel safe anymore, cats can become stressed. Other cats, noise, boisterous children, or strangers can disrupt a cat’s sense of ‘safe’. Some pet cats are very content in their homes, but our lives can still cause them stress. Things like building work at home, visitors, parties, or us going on holiday are common causes of stress in cats. Did you know pet cats mainly meow to talk to us – not to each other! Cats talk to each other by sending chemical messages released into the air, called pheromones. Pheromones aren’t noticeable to us or dogs, they are only picked up by other cats. Cats can send ‘happy’ pheromone messages by rubbing their face on things in their territory and home, where they feel relaxed. Mother cats send ‘harmony’ pheromone messages when feeding kittens, creating calm co-living between her babies. Artificial cat pheromones are available to help calm cats at home. The most well-known brand is Feliway, which comes as a plug-in diffuser or spray. Both ‘happy’ pheromones and ‘harmony’ pheromones are available. ‘Harmony’ pheromones are specifically for helping cats live together. ‘Happy’ pheromones can help cats in a range of situations. Diffusers are plugged in a room and spread the pheromones throughout the area – totally undetectable to us but relaxing for our cats. Sprays can be used in more specific locations – like in the cat basket before a trip to the vet, or in your cat’s favourite hideaway on bonfire night when the noise might be scary. Catnip is a plant in the mint family. In around 75% of cats, catnip causes cats to roll around and appear relaxed. They can also dribble, meow, and rub on the catnip. Catnip affects a cat’s brain a bit like a pheromone. Catnip can be a great short-term stress reliever. If your cat gets stressed by visitors, why not give your cat a catnip toy as you go to answer the door? This is a great way to help them feel calm. Herbal products can work very well at calming cats. There are lots of herbs that are reported to have calming effects. Herbal calmers are not as well-studied as pheromones and catnip, but they have been used to great effect. It’s important to use products with ingredients in the right amounts – designed for cats – so they don’t sedate your cat or make them ill.

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This essay focuses on Mental Health and Mental Disorders.Module 4 Assignment Mental Health in the Community Write a 1000-1500 word essay addressing each of the following points/questions Describe at least three challenges nurses face today in care delivery. These can be ethical, legal, financial, or social. Provide at least one way to successfully overcome each challenge. • In the Institute of Medicine’s 2010 Future of Nursing report, the committee developed four key messages. Choose one message, explain the message in detail, and why it is important to the nursing profession. • Explain each of the Institute of Medicine’s five core competencies and describe ways in which nursing practice can meet each of these. Identify at least one obstacle for each and explain in detail how it can be overcome.omeone well versed in Australian Indigenous culture. Any questions or concerns, let me know 🙂 Module 4 Assignment Mental Health in the Community Write a 1000-1500 word essay addressing each of the following points/questions. Be sure to completely answer all the questions for each bullet point. There should be three main sections, one for each bullet below. Separate each section in your paper with a clear heading that allows your professor to know which bullet you are addressing in that section of your paper. Support your ideas with at least three (3) sources using citations in your essay. Make sure to cite using the APA writing style for the essay. The cover page and reference page in correct APA do not count towards the minimum word amount. Review the rubric criteria for this assignment. Part 1: 1. Go to the Healthy People 2020 website 2. Search for the option in “M” for Mental Health and Mental Disorders and click into this option 3. After reading the Overview section for Mental Health and Mental Disorders, click into the Objectives for this section. 4. From the Objective section, pick TWO objectives/goals from the list that you feel affect YOUR community (either your county, city, or state

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ICIN is proud to launch its landmark report: Mapping the Opportunities for Indigenous Carbon in Australia. The report, co-authored by spatial scientist Jarrad Holmes and legal advisor Polly Grace for ICIN; required detailed analysis and layering of both Indigenous land tenure maps; carbon method types available and current distribution of carbon projects through data available under through the Clean Energy Regulator Emissions Reduction Fund. The results clearly demonstrate that there is a very strong link between supporting and resourcing Indigenous-led design of carbon methods and the successful implementation of Indigenous-owned carbon projects. Furthermore, that recognition of Indigenous rights and interests in carbon and supporting early engagement with Traditional Owners is key to realizing key benefits brought by Indigenous-owned carbon projects. Key Recommendations of the Report include the need to: Expand the application of Emissions Reduction Fund methods within the Indigenous estate a) Expand the Savanna Fire Management Methods b) Appropriate development of the Integrated Farm Management Method c) Expand the Blue Carbon Method beyond the Agricultural Zone Build capability in Indigenous organisations Targeted method and organisational engagement a) Fine scale spatial analysis in the Agricultural (east and west) Zones b) Human Induced Regeneration Method in the Rangelands (west) Zone c) Supporting projects in the Savanna and Desert Zones Incentivise engagement with Indigenous organisations and build negotiation capability Highlight the premium value of Indigenous carbon - Engage in emerging environmental markets Image below: National carbon map showing distribution of current land management carbon projects registered and producing ACCUs under the Emissions Reduction Fund, overlayed with five classes of legally recognised forms of Indigenous land tenure. Analysis is based on data accessed on 28 February 2022. ICIN pay our respects to all Traditional Owners across Australia and wish to acknowledge that sovereignty over their lands and seas has never been ceded (credit: ICIN) Need to support engagement in carbon methods outside SFM Alarmingly, the report found that there are only 4 Indigenous-owned carbon projects outside of the savanna fire management method. These are all high value human-induced regeneration projects supporting regeneration through the exclusion of grazing cattle and feral animals. There are currently 31 Indigenous-owned savanna fire management projects across north Australia. These projects have grown from the savanna fire management method, which was originally developed 15 years ago, prior to the Emissions Reduction Fund, through a partnership led by Traditional Owners of West Arnhem Land, with the Northern Territory Government, Northern Land Council as well as scientists at Charles Darwin University and CSIRO and the North Australian Indigenous Land and Sea Management Alliance (NAILSMA). This work led to the first Indigenous-owned carbon project, the West Arnhem Land Fire Abatement Project which was established in 2006 through a voluntary agreement with Conoco-Phillips LNG, prior to the establishment of the Emissions Reduction Fund. In response to this finding, the ICIN is working to develop and distribute information resources to help Indigenous organisations around Australia to understand their rights in carbon and to engage in carbon markets. It will also host the National Indigenous Carbon Forum in April 2023. Note that this report is an abridged version of the full report, which is available to ICIN Members only. Representatives of Indigenous organisations are welcome to contact us directly at [email protected] to request a copy of the full report and to find out more about joining the ICIN. ICIN thank the Australian Government Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources, the Northern Territory Government and the Queensland Government Land Restoration Fund for collectively funding this project; as well as the Indigenous Land and Sea Corporation, the Kimberley Land Council and the National Native Title Tribunal for contributing to this report in-kind through advice and data sharing. The authors acknowledge the Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and their continuing connection to land, sea, and community. We pay our respects to them and their cultures, and to the Elders both past, present, and emerging.

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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 5.3 million Americans currently live with a disability as a result of brain injury, which translates to an estimated 100,000 Minnesotans. Despite this startling statistic, brain injury is largely a silent public health epidemic. Falls and motor vehicle crashes are the leading causes of brain injury in Minnesota. Clinically, brain injury is classified in two groups: traumatic brain injury and acquired brain injury. A traumatic brain injury occurs when an outside force impacts the head hard enough to cause the brain to bounce against the skull and directly damage the brain. An acquired brain injury is an injury that occurs after birth and is not hereditary, congenital or degenerative. Common causes of acquired brain injury include strokes, aneurysms and diseases such as encephalitis. Brain injury may cause some of the following changes: Physical: movement or coordination problems, seizures, disruption in basic bodily functions like breathing or body temperature Cognitive: inability to concentrate, issues with memory, difficulty processing information, language and communication problems Emotional: lack of emotional control or self-awareness, impulsivity, anxiety and depression No Two Alike Each brain injury is unique and depending on where the brain is injured, the person can be left with a range of mild to long-term physical, cognitive and/or emotional challenges. Several factors determine the extent of the challenges, including the damaged area of the brain, the length of time, if in a coma, the personality and learning style before the injury, the emotional reaction to the injury, and the social supports. Brain injury is frequently referred to as a silent epidemic because of the invisible nature of the impact. Symptoms not readily apparent, such as loss of memory or initiative, often lead others to misunderstand the injured person’s actions and abilities. The person with the injury may be grappling with newly acquired difficulties, which often lead to frustration and confusion. Some individuals develop their own compensations or strategies while others may require assistance and accommodation. Cognitive and Memory Accommodations Simple tasks can suddenly become insurmountable hurdles for many people with brain injury. Short-term memory loss, inability to problem-solve, difficulty processing information, poor judgment, trouble initiating activities and even reading difficulty may vary in severity, frequency and circumstance. The question is how to keep track of and follow through on non-routine tasks. Carrying a simple pocket notebook with a “to do” list and a pencil may be sufficient as a reminder tool. A Franklin organizer is more comprehensive, with a calendar, contact lists, note pages and important information all together. Many technology lovers have found Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) and electronic organizers to be crucial to success. The Zire is the leading PDA in ease of operation and comprehension for brain injury users, as demonstrated through research at the University of Colorado. Taking medication in a timely fashion helps manage some cognitive issues, and becomes a safety issue when seizures and other disorders are occurring. There are medication reminders from the simple to the complex. A watch with alarms can be set to medication times or the CompuMed works where a medication is in a locked container then dropped to a dispenser cup with an alarm. If the person does not pick up the medication, it continues to alarm until either the medication is taken or a security company calls a medical professional or family member to respond. Many devices have voice output options that are beneficial to those who no longer can read. These devices, which will speak information to the user, include talking watches, talking calendars, books on tape, computer software, electronic reminders, medication identifiers, talking blood pressure cuffs, and talking scales are among the many devices. Visual tracking and orientation may become difficult after a brain injury. Visual training by watching lights appear and vanish on an eye board is a therapeutic method often prescribed by a doctor or occupational therapist to help in regaining spatial skills. Accommodations include using a magnifier, large print books, color coding, voice output, a writing guide, texture for feel or alerting devices. Uncluttering the work area is also a simple option. If the person with the brain injury has balance, coordination, and/or motor skill difficulties, medical professionals may recommend mobility aids including a quad cane, scooter, rails, rolling walker with seat, wheelchair, or nonskid supportive shoes. Persons who’ve sustained a stroke, which is a type of acquired brain injury, often use one-handed tools for daily needs to enhance independence at home and work. Dynamic-Living.com sells a wide variety of products to help people with such symptoms: kitchen gadgets, telephones, bathroom aides, rails and holders. For people with brain injury, coping and adjustment are lifelong processes. Assistive technology is one avenue of rehabilitation proving beneficial to this group. Using and adjusting to new technologies takes extra time and support initially, but the rewards of increased independence and feeling of control make the effort worthwhile. Jen Mundl is the assistive technology specialist at the Courage Center. Nissa French is the Public Awareness Director for the Brain Injury Association of Minnesota.

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The world’s biggest clinical trial using EEG neurofeedback as a therapy to manage chronic pain has been launched in New Zealand. Chronic pain (defined as pain that persists for longer than three months) affects up to one in five people around the world and is a massive burden on healthcare systems and economies. A 2018 report commissioned by the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists (ANZCA) estimated the total annual cost to New Zealand of chronic pain at $13-14.9 billion – greater than those for diabetes, dementia and smoking.* EEG Neurofeedback is a non-invasive therapy that works by monitoring brain activity and using that data to help the patient ‘retrain’ how their brain responds to nerve signals from the body. The trial is funded by New Zealand-based health tech company Exsurgo and is being led by researchers from Auckland University of Technology (AUT) and WaitematÄ District Health Board (WaitematÄ DHB) and is happening despite New Zealand’s Covid Alert levels, In the trial, 116 participants who suffer from chronic pain will wear a custom designed Axon EEG headset developed by Exsurgo. The headset passively reads the bio-electrical activity associated with pain in the participant’s brain and sends this data wirelessly to a mobile device in real-time. As they wear the headset, participants undertake exercises (in the form of simple animated games played on a tablet or smartphone). These exercises reward and reinforce positive change in the brain’s electrical activity. By using the Axon system on a regular basis (about 30 minutes per day over the course of several weeks), the patient learns to ‘retrain’ how their brain perceives and responds to pain. This process is called “neuromodulationâ€. Dr David Rice, Associate Head of Research & Senior Lecturer School of Clinical Sciences at AUT and primary investigator, says that chronic pain is common, complex and hard to treat. “It is estimated that one in five New Zealanders suffer from chronic pain^ which can severely impact physical and psychological wellbeing. Increasingly we are finding evidence that chronic pain is driven by changes to pain pathways in the brain and so this trial is seeking to find whether the Axon headset can target these changes to effectively treat chronic pain.†The New Zealand trial follows an initial Proof of Concept clinical trial in the United Kingdom, conducted during 2020. In the UK study, three-quarters of patients reported a reduction in pain of at least 30% (considered to be a clinically significant improvement). Patients also reported significant reductions in anxiety and depression, as well as improvements in sleep patterns and overall quality of life. Exsurgo Chief Science Officer, Christine Ozolins is a lead investigator on the clinical trial and says EEG Neurofeedback has potential advantages over traditional drug-based therapies which can carry risks of side effects and addiction concerns. “Chronic pain and the associated problems that drug-based therapies bring to this condition, are one of the biggest healthcare issues facing the world today. The very promising results from our Proof of Concept UK trial has given us the confidence to move forward with this much larger trial in New Zealand. It is our hope that the trial will demonstrate the Axon headset as another tool in the toolbox for treating chronic pain.†Conventional EEG Neurofeedback is complicated and costly for both patient and doctor requiring attendance at a specialist clinic and for a clinician to be present to interpret the brain activity data, using systems that cost in the tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars. While existing EEG science underpins Axon, Exsurgo is leveraging miniaturised technology, advanced data analytics and artificial intelligence to transform EEG Neurofeedback into a cost-effective, mobile system that can be used in a professional clinical setting or at a patient’s home. People who have had moderate to severe pain for at least three months and meet other specified trial criteria will be eligible to participate in the trial. Participants in the New Zealand trial will receive a training session in person or online and will complete the remainder of the treatment in the comfort of their own home for the duration of the trial.Â

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Primarily intended for the undergraduate students of mechanical engineering, civil engineering, chemical engineering and other branches of applied science, this book, now in its second edition, presents a comprehensive coverage of the basic laws of fluid mechanics. The text discusses the solutions of fluid-flow problems that are modelled by various governing differential equations. Emphasis is placed on formulating and solving typical problems of engineering practice. • The text introduces the principle of fluid mechanics in a well-organized manner, beginning with the simple and proceeding to the complex. • The aim of laboratory manual at the end of chapters is to teach the students, how to conduct experiments in fluid mechanics. It provides the step-wise details of experiments which include objective, theory of the experiment, apparatus used in the experiment, procedure, observations, and graphs to be plotted. It also helps the faculties related to the subject in developing the experimental set ups independently. • Chapter-end exercises enable the students to recapture the topics discussed and drill them in the theory. • Worked-out examples with solutions are useful to readers in comprehending the problems discussed. • Includes some minor changes and additions in the text, wherever required. • Presents a set of miscellaneous problems with solutions at the end of chapters. • Incorporates schematic diagrams of the experimental set ups at the end of the book.

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- Define starting where you are, and describe how it works. - Identify and describe two overarching questions researchers should ask themselves about where they already are. Do you like to watch movies? Do you have a pet that you care about? Do you wonder what you and your peers might do with your degrees once you’ve finished college? Do you wonder how many people on your campus have heard of the BP oil spill of 2010, how many know that Barack Obama is our president, or how many know that their tuition may be raised by 20% next year? Have you ever felt that you were treated differently at work because of your gender? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you may have just the sort of intellectual curiosity required to conduct a sociological research project. The preceding questions are all real questions that real sociology students have asked—and answered—in a research methods class just like the one that you are currently taking. In some cases, these students knew they had a keen interest in a topic before beginning their research methods class. For example, BethAll student names are pseudonyms. was a sociology and political science double major who wanted to know what her peers really knew about current events. Did they know about national events, such as the results of the most recent presidential election? Did they know about disasters that could affect their plans to enjoy the surf on the west coast of Florida over the summer? Did they know that local papers were reporting rumors of a tuition hike that could change their own ability to pay the rent? Matt, a sociology major, also started off with an interest in a focused topic. He had begun to worry about what he would do with his sociology degree when he graduated, and so he designed a project to learn more about what other sociology majors did and planned to do. In other cases, students did not start out with a specific interest linked to their academic pursuits, but these students, too, were able to identify research topics worthy of investigation. These students knew, for example, how they enjoyed spending their free time. Perhaps at first these students didn’t realize that they could identify and answer a sociological research question about their hobbies, but they certainly learned that they could once they had done a little brainstorming. For example, Dirk enjoyed reading about and watching movies, so he conducted a project on the relationship between movie reviews and movie success. Sarah, who enjoyed spending time with her pet cat, designed a project to learn more about animal–human relationships. Even students who claimed to have “absolutely no interests whatsoever” usually discovered that they could come up with a sociological research question simply by stepping back, taking a bird’s eye view of their daily lives, and identifying some interesting patterns there. This was the case for Allison, who made some remarkable discoveries about her restaurant job, where she had applied to work as a cook but was hired to work as a waitress. When Allison realized that all the servers at the restaurant were women and all the cooks were men, she began to wonder whether employees had been assigned different roles based on their gender identities. Allison’s epiphany led her to investigate how jobs and workplace stereotypes are gendered. Like Allison, Teresa also struggled to identify a research topic. Her academic experiences had not inspired any specific research interests, and when asked about hobbies, Teresa claimed to have none. When asked what really annoys her, it occurred to Teresa that she resented the amount of time her friends spent watch and discussing the reality television show The Bachelor. This realization led Teresa to her own aha moment: She would investigate who watches reality television and why. In each of these cases, students did what sociologists refer to as starting where you are, an idea eloquently described in previous research methods texts by John and Lyn Lofland (1995)Lofland, J., & Lofland, L. H. (1995). Analyzing social settings: A guide to qualitative observation and analysis(3rd ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. and by Kristin Esterberg (2002; MacLeod, 2008).Esterberg, K. G. (2002). Qualitative methods in social research. Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill; for a superb account of starting where you already are, see the appendix (On the making of Ain’t no makin’ it) in Jay MacLeod’s book, Ain’t no makin’ it. Incidentally, the research on which MacLeod’s book is based began as his undergraduate sociology thesis. MacLeod, J. (2008). Ain’t no makin’ it: Aspirations and attainment in a low-income neighborhood (3rd ed.). Boulder, CO: Westview Press. Whether it was thinking about a question they’d had for some time, identifying a question about their own interests and hobbies, or taking a look at patterns in their everyday life, every student in these research methods classes managed both to identify a sociological research question that was of interest to them and to collect data to help answer that question. In this chapter we’ll focus on how to identify possible topics for study, how to make your topic sociological, how to phrase your interest as a research question, and how to get started once you have identified that question. In later chapters, we’ll learn more about how to actually answer the questions you will have developed by the time you finish this chapter. Once you have identified where you already are, there are two overarching questions you need to ask yourself: how do you feel about where you already are, and what do you know about where you already are? How Do You Feel About Where You Already Are? Once you have figured out where you already are (perhaps not spiritually—we sociologists can’t help you there—but in terms of your interests and everyday activities), your next task is to ask yourself some important questions about the interest you’ve identified. Your answers to these questions will help you decide whether your topic is one that will really work for a sociological research project. Whether you begin by already having an interest in some topic or you decide you want to study something related to one of your hobbies or your everyday experiences, chances are good that you already have some opinions about your topic. As such, there are a few questions you should ask yourself to determine whether you should try to turn this topic into a research project. Start by asking yourself how you feel about your topic. Be totally honest, and ask yourself whether you believe your perspective is the only valid one. Perhaps yours isn’t the only perspective, but do you believe it is the wisest one? The most practical one? How do you feel about other perspectives on this topic? If you feel so strongly that certain findings would upset you or that either you would design a project to get only the answer you believe to be the best one or you might feel compelled to cover up findings that you don’t like, then you need to choose a different topic. For example, one student wanted to find out whether there was any relationship between intelligence and political party affiliation. He was certain from the beginning that the members of his party were without a doubt the most intelligent. His strong opinion was not in and of itself the problem. However, the rage that he expressed when he was asked to consider how he might feel if he found that the opposing party’s members were more intelligent than those of his party, combined with his utter refusal to grant that it was even a possibility, led him to decide that the topic was probably too near and dear for him to use it to conduct unbiased research. Of course, just because you feel strongly about a topic does not mean that you should not study it. Sometimes the best topics to research are those about which you do feel strongly. What better way to stay motivated than to study something that you care about? I recently began a study of child-free adults—people who have made the explicit and intentional choice not to have or rear children—precisely because I’m a child-free adult myself. Although I have strong opinions about my own child-free status, I also feel OK about having those ideas challenged. In fact, for me one of the most rewarding things about studying a topic that is relevant to my own life is learning new perspectives that had never occurred to me before collecting data on the topic. I believe that my own perspective is pretty solid, but I can also accept that other people will have perspectives that differ from my own. And I am certainly willing to report the variety of perspectives that I discover as I collect data on my topic. If you feel prepared to accept all findings, even those that may be unflattering to or distinct from your personal perspective, then perhaps you should intentionally study a topic about which you have strong feelings. Sociology professor Kathleen Blee (2002)Blee, K. (2002). Inside organized racism: Women and men of the hate movement. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press; Blee, K. (1991). Women of the klan: Racism and gender in the 1920s. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.has taken this route in her research. Blee studies hate movement participants, people whose racist ideologies she studies but does not share. You can read her accounts of this research in two of her most well-known publications, Inside Organized Racism and Women of the Klan. Blee’s research is successful because she was willing to report her findings and observations honestly, even those with which she may have personally taken strong issue. However, if, after honest reflection, you decide that you cannot accept or share with others findings with which you disagree, then you should study a topic about which you feel less strongly. What Do You Know About Where You Already Are? Whether or not you feel strongly about your topic, you will also want to consider what you already know about it. There are many ways we know what we know. Perhaps your mother told you something is so. Perhaps it came to you in a dream. Perhaps you took a class last semester and learned something about your topic there. Or you may have read something about your topic in your local newspaper or in People magazine. Maybe you saw a special on Dateline NBC or heard Snookie discussing the topic with her friends on Jersey Shore. We discussed the strengths and weaknesses associated with some of these different sources of knowledge in Chapter 1, and we’ll talk about other sources of knowledge, such as prior research, a little later on. For now, take some time to think about what you know about your topic from any and all possible sources. Thinking about what you already know will help you identify any biases you may have, and it will help as you begin to frame a question about your topic. - Many researchers choose topics by considering their own personal experiences, knowledge, and interests. - Researchers should be aware of and forthcoming about any strong feelings they might have about their research topics. - There are benefits and drawbacks associated with studying a topic about which you already have some prior knowledge or experience. Researchers should be aware of and consider both. - Do some brainstorming to try to identify some potential topics of interest. What have been your favorite classes in college thus far? What did you like about them? What did you learn in them? What extracurricular activities are you involved in? How do you enjoy spending your time when nobody is telling you what you should be doing? - Check out the website thesocietypages.org. This site summarizes work published in Contexts, sociology’s public interest magazine. It also includes links to recent news stories featuring sociological work and a number of sociological insights that are likely to be of general interest. If you are having trouble identifying a topic of interest, this site could be of help. - Learn how other sociologists have started where they are by reading their blogs. A few worth reading include the following: - Sociological Images: http://thesocietypages.org/socimages - Sociology Improv: http://thesocietypages.org/improv - Public Criminology: http://thesocietypages.org/pubcrim - Sexuality and Society: http://thesocietypages.org/sexuality - Marx in Drag: http://marxindrag.com/Marxindrag/Blog/Blog.html - The Sociological Imagination: http://thesociologicalimagination.com - Scatterplot: http://scatter.wordpress.com

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You are not allowed to drive faster than indicated on the sign here. In this case no faster than 50 kilometers per hour. You will often find this sign in places where it is not clear how fast you are allowed to drive or where the situation deviates from the standard speeds. At road works within built-up areas, the sign is often placed with a maximum speed of 30 kilometers per hour. The speed on these signs then applies until the next side road. It often happens that people forget to remove these signs after the work has been completed. However, the lower speed limit will remain in effect. Incidentally, higher fines apply if you exceed the speed limit during road works. Whether there are actual road works is irrelevant to the increase of the fine. It is sufficient for the elevation if the sign J16, work in progress, is placed. By a plate beneath the sign, the sign can be used for a certain category of vehicles, for example, trucks above a certain weight. Once the speed limit is reduced, you should already reduce the speed as soon as you see the sign. Often drivers only reduce their speed after the traffic sign. Watch out for overtaking oncoming traffic. Keep more distance than usual if a lower speed limit applies. Drivers in front of you may brake suddenly. This is especially true for road works. At intersections with traffic lights, a maximum speed of 70 kilometers per hour is indicated on motorways with this sign. The sign is often not placed at the beginning of the built-up area. It is sufficient to place the sign H1 (built-up area), because the maximum speed of 50 kilometers per hour already follows the general code of conduct regarding the speed limit within built-up areas. This speed limit ends after this sign. Now the standard speeds apply again. Pay particular attention to other traffic that is known locally and that immediately wants to drive faster or overtake at or before this sign. This sign is not applied when transitioning to another maximum speed. For example, when you enter an ERF or through an A1 sign with a different maximum speed, or at the end of a road section where the A1 sign is no longer valid. This sign has the same meaning as board A1 (maximum speed). It is therefore not allowed to drive faster than indicated on the sign. In this case, therefore, no faster than 70 kilometers per hour. This sign used to be an advisory speed and many older people still think it is. So keep this in mind. The lowest speed indicated on the electronic sign is 50 km/h. When a lower speed is indicated for the first time, yellow warning lamps flash in the 4 corners of the sign. Sign A3 only applies to the lane above which it is indicated. There may be a difference in maximum speed between different lanes. This sign is not intended for permanent use, but only for temporary use. It is used for traffic jams (danger), bridges, and tunnels. This sign is placed where the government thinks it is wiser to drive a little slower. That is usually at dangerous bends and other dangerous situations. Please note that this is an advisory speed, you may drive faster than is advised, but remember that these signs are there for a reason. Now you may ask yourself why the government places these signs. If it is not considered safe to drive faster here, they can also just put up a sign with a maximum speed. They used to do that too, the government had rules and you just had to stick to them. Nowadays they want to place some of the responsibility on the drivers themselves. Drivers who are well known locally often drive much faster than advised. Truck and bus drivers often drive even slower than the recommended speed here. There can be big differences in the speed driven by different drivers. Also, keep a close eye on drivers behind you. Rushed, locally known drivers sometimes want to overtake. This sign is only applied if the recommended speed is at least 20 kilometers per hour slower than the permitted maximum speed. Application takes place if it is not clear and manageable from the driver’s point of view that it is better to reduce speed. If possible, the sign is combined with a sign indicating the nature of the danger. This is not always possible, for example with negative road cant. After this sign, it is considered safe to increase your speed to the normal speed limit. If you enter a 30 kilometer zone, you may not drive faster than 30 kilometers per hour in the entire zone. Until you have passed the sign with the end of 30 kilometers zone, you may not drive faster than thirty kilometers per hour. There are no deviating priority and parking rules in such a zone. In such a zone, speed-reducing measures are often taken, such as speed bumps, flower boxes, staggered road sections, and other obstacles. 30 km zones are often created for these types of areas to prevent cut-through traffic. You can encounter 30 kilometer zones both inside and outside built-up areas. In a 30 kilometer zone you have to take into account, among other things: The basic principle is that all roads within a 30 kilometer zone are equal. Controlling the priority is only possible to a limited extent. It is allowed at intersections with: In the decision to regulate the priority, extra attention must be paid to speed limits and/or attention increases. For example, the construction of “zebra crossings” is also limited. These may, for example, be constructed if schools or nursing homes are nearby. Crosswalks are then often constructed on an elevation. After this sign, you may again drive at the locally applicable speed limit. If you leave a zone 30, you do not always have to give way to drivers on the intersecting road. Do you have to do this if there are traffic signs or has an entrance and exit construction been installed. The transitions to a different maximum speed are sometimes clearly recognizable due to the construction. Often, however, no clear difference between the road and the environment is noticeable. It is not always the case that the end of a 30 kilometer zone is equal to an intersection. If this is the case, then the priority is regulated by means of traffic signs or an entrance and exit construction, unless the intersecting road is suitable to be included in the area concerned. On roads outside built-up areas, a speed limit of 80 kilometers per hour applies. This speed is often still too high, because pedestrians and cyclists also come on these roads. It is then decided to change these roads into 60 kilometer zones. A maximum speed of 60 kilometers per hour applies in these zones. This speed limit applies until you pass the sign at the end of the 60 km/h zone. In general, you are driving on a single carriageway in such a zone. Thresholds are often constructed so that you can also drive over 60 kilometers per hour. The roads are made visually narrower through the construction of bicycle or suggestion lanes. Various studies have shown that fewer accidents occur in these zones. This is where the 60 kilometer zone ends. After this sign, you are allowed to drive 80 again.

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The Hoosier State Press Association is part of an advisory committee determining which historic Indiana newspapers will be preserved digitally through a federal grant. The two-year grant will digitize state newspapers published between 1836 and 1922, said Jim Corridan, deputy director of the library. The Library of Congress will make the searchable database available for free through the Chronicling America website – chroniclingamerica.loc.gov – beginning in mid 2012. Digitizing newspapers is important for preserving Indiana’s rich history of journalism, said Steve Key, HSPA executive director and general counsel. “Newspapers have been called the first draft of history,” he said. “To understand how later events impact our perception of the past, we must preserve that first draft. “Making these old newspapers word-searchable will enable anyone to find what was written about a particular event or person or enjoy an entire issue of a 19th century newspaper just as it appeared to the Hoosier who purchased a copy the day it rolled off the press.” Other groups involved with the advisory committee include the Indiana Commission on Public Records, the Indiana Historical Bureau, the Indiana State Museum, Ball State University, the Indiana Historical Society, IU School of Journalism and IUPUI. In all, 28 states have institutions participating in the national digitization endeavor, Corridan said. The program is a long-term effort to develop a web-based, searchable database of U.S. newspapers, he said. “The biggest challenge so far has been determining which newspapers to include in the project,” he said. “It’s estimated that Indiana has had over 8,000 newspaper titles between 1804 and 1980.” State library officials and advisory committee members decided to focus on three areas of Indiana history to guide them in selecting papers to digitize: industrialization, race and immigration. Newspapers that heavily covered those topics will have priority. “During the period in state history included in the project, Indiana’s newspapers kept Hoosiers connected to the national headlines regarding wars, economic depressions and political events,” Corridan said. “The same issues that divided the nation during the Civil War, for example, divided Indiana, and the controversy raged in the pages of the daily papers.” Making newspapers freely available and searchable will provide documentation to historians, students and researchers about Indiana’s place in the development of the United States, he said. “One of the by-products of the project should be a better understanding of the role newspapers have played in Indiana and the resource they provide in detailing the daily lives of its citizens,” he said. The state library is creating a list of Indiana newspapers, including which are available in original format, on microfilm and in digital format. HSPA members can share how they are preserving papers or making archives available by contacting Connie Rendfeld, digital initiatives librarian, at email@example.com. The library would also like to work with Indiana newspapers to preserve electronic versions of papers and provide access to the public, he said.

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DIAGNOSIS, ASSESSMENT & MONITORING The diagnosis or early detection of lymphedema is difficult. The first signs may be subjective observations such as "my arm feels heavy" or "I have difficulty these days getting rings on and off my fingers". These may be symptomatic of early stage (stage 0) lymphedema, where accumulation of lymph is mild and not detectable by any difference in arm volume or circumference. As lymphedema develops further, then definitive diagnosis is commonly based upon an objective measurement of difference between the affected or at-risk limb to the opposite unaffected limb (e.g. in volume or circumference). A generally accepted minimum criteria is a volume of difference of 100 ml between limbs or a 2 cm difference (measured at set intervals along the limb) is often used. Recently, the technique of bioimpedance spectroscopy measurement (a method that measures the amount of fluid in a limb) has been shown to have greater sensitivity than these existing methods and holds promise as a simple diagnostic and screening tool. Impedance analyzers specifically designed for this purpose are now commercially available. Similarly, assessment and monitoring of lymphedema progression, or its response to treatment, is usually based on the changes in volume, circumference, or impedance over time. STAGES OF LYMPHEDEMA Whether Primary or Secondary, lymphedema usually progresses through a series of stages from mild to severe. That’s why it’s important to get help right away, even if your initial symptoms don’t seem like a big deal or they come and go. One episode of numbness, tingling, or swelling will very often lead to more. If you don’t act on early symptoms, the buildup of fluid can cause permanent damage to the tissues under the skin. There are many methods for staging, which are frequently being upgraded. Currently, the Canadian Lymphedema Framework (CLF) is using a system outlined by the International Society of Lympholog (ISL) the stages are: Stage 0 (refers to subclinical or latent condition): There may be no changes visible to the naked eye despite impaired lymph transport. Symptoms such as mild tingling, unusual tiredness, or slight heaviness, may be palpable or “felt” by the patient (sometimes, by the trained therapist). At this stage the body’s homeostasis is trying hard to cope with the change that has occurred due to organic and/or functional alterations to the lymphatic system. The changes can come from a variety of causes (some examples: surgery, trauma, radiation). Due to subtle alterations in lymph system transport capacity, the potential exists for lymphedema to occur at any time from a few months to several years after the alteration occurred. Then, visible symptoms develop, which are general descriptions of the following stages: Stage 1 (early or mild): Swelling occurs where the lymph transport capacity is altered. The swelling could be in any affected area, such as limbs, hand/feet, trunk, breast, or other areas, as the protein-rich fluid starts to accumulate. The symptoms are visible and palpable. When the skin is pressed, a temporary small dent (or pit) forms; this may be referred to as “pitting edema.” Such early-stage lymphedema is considered reversible, as the swelling will disappear with elevation or bed rest. While the swelling resolves, however lymphedema is still present. Stage 2 (moderate): Elevating the arm or other area does not resolve the swelling. The swelling tends to increase. Pressing on the skin may or may not leave a pit (non-pitting edema). Some changes to the tissue under the skin start happening, such as accumulation of fat and/or fibrosis which is a hardening, or thickening of the tissue. The more fibrosis is present, the harder it is to produce pitting. Stage 2 lymphedema can be managed with treatment. However, at this stage, the tissue changes are difficult to completely reverse. Stage 3 (severe): This is the most advanced stage, the affected limb or area of the body tend to become very large and/or misshapen with the amount of swelling present, Fibrosis is hard and difficult to soften. If Stage 3 is present in distal extremities, the skin thickens and may even shed the outer layer. It may take on a leathery, wrinkled appearance, and may have small/tiny projections like little warts or bumps. Stage 3 may also be managed with treatment. It should be noted that it is possible to have mild, moderate and severe of any of the stages. Once you have mild lymphedema, you are at higher risk for moderate-to-severe lymphedema than someone who has never had any symptoms. This risk persists even if your symptoms reduce with treatment. Treatment of Lymphedema should be done by a Health Care Professional (HCP) who has been trained in the care of lymphedema/lipedema/lymphatic pathologies. Treatment may be with Combined Decongestive Therapy (CDT), CDT consists of Manual Lymph Drainage, Skin Care, Compression and Exercise. Or, it may be possible to use compression alone, under the supervision of a trained HCP.

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The Tiga Dam is in Kano State in the Northwest of Nigeria, constructed in 1971–1974. It is a major reservoir on the Kano River, the main tributary of the Hadejia River. The dam was built during the administration of Governor Audu Bako in an attempt to improve food security through irrigation projects. The dam was built during the administration of Governor Audu Bako in an attempt to improve food security through irrigation projects. 178 square kilometres (69 sq mi) with maximum capacity of nearly 2,000,000,000 cubic metres (7.1×1010 cu ft). Water from the dam supplies the Kano River Irrigation Project as well as Kano City.The dam covers an area of Several studies have shown that the dam has delivered negative economic value when its effect on downstream communities was taken into account. 100,000,000 cubic metres (3.5×109 cu ft) per year due to upstream irrigation and by more than 50,000,000 cubic metres (1.8×109 cu ft) due to evaporation from the reservoir. A study published in 1999 concluded that farmers in the downstream floodplain had adapted their agriculture, helped by new technology, but the increased level of production might not be sustainable.On completion of the dam the river flow downstream at Gashua in Yobe State fell by about The Hadejia-Nguru wetlands further downstream have considerable economic and ecological importance. They are home to about one million people living by wet-season rice farming, agriculture at other seasons, fishing and cattle grazing by Fulani people. The dam has damaged the cycle, reducing fish catches and harvests of other wetland products. In August 2009, Senator Ahmed Ibrahim Lawan of Yobe North, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Accounts, stated that the Tiga Dam had reduced water flow in the Kano River by about 50%. The senator was speaking in opposition to the proposed Kafin Zaki Dam on the Jama'are River, the other main tributary of the Yobe River. He said the Tiga and Challawa Dams had caused intense poverty, increased desert encroachment, migration and conflicts between arable farmers and herdsmen. He noted that the Yobe River no longer flows into Lake Chad. It is estimated that Lake Chad will dry up completely within 40 years. More than 30 million people derive their livelihood from the Lake Chad Basin through fishing, raising live stock and farming. A study group to examine the problem was established in November 2008, visiting the Tiga dam and other locations. Keepit Dam is a major gated mass concrete gravity dam with an earth fill abutment and a central gated concrete overflow crest and six radial gate spillways across the Namoi River upstream of its junction with the Peel River in the North West Slopes region of New South Wales, Australia. The dam's purpose includes flood mitigation, hydro-power, irrigation, water supply and conservation. The impounded reservoir is called Lake Keepit. The Gongola River is in northeastern Nigeria, the principal tributary of the Benue River. The upper course of the river as well as most of its tributaries are seasonal streams, but fill rapidly in August and September. The Gongola rises on the eastern slopes of the Jos Plateau and falls to the Gongola Basin, running northeasterly until Nafada. At one time, the Gongola continued from here in the northeast direction to Lake Chad. Today it turns south and then southeast until it joins the Hawal River, its main tributary. The Gongola then runs south to the Benue river, joining it opposite the town of Numan. Jigawa State is one of the 36 states of Nigeria, located in the northern region of the country. Created on August 27, 1991, under the General Ibrahim Babangida who announced the creation of nine additional states in the country bringing the total number of states then to thirty. The announcement was given a legal backing through the; State Creation and Transitional Provisions Decree No. 37 of 1991. Jigawa State was a part of Kano State and was located in the northeastern-most region of Kano State, and it forms part of Nigeria's national border with the Republic of the Niger. The state capital and largest city is Dutse. Jigawa state has 27 local governments The Hadejia River is a river in Northern Nigeria and is a tributary of the Yobe River. Among the cities and towns that lie on or near its banks are Hadejia and Nguru. Damming of the river for the purposes of irrigation has led to a decrease in the amount of water in the Hadejia-Nguru wetlands, which the river forms along with Nguru Lake. Tumut Pond Dam is a major gated concrete arch dam across the upper reaches of the Tumut River in the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales, Australia. The dam's main purpose is for the generation of hydro-power and is one of the sixteen major dams that comprise the Snowy Mountains Scheme, a vast hydroelectricity and irrigation complex constructed in south-east Australia between 1949 and 1974 and now run by Snowy Hydro. The Wu River is the largest southern tributary of the Yangtze River. Nearly its entire length of 1,150 kilometres (710 mi) runs within the isolated, mountainous and ethnically diverse province of Guizhou. The river takes drainage from a 80,300-square-kilometre (31,000 sq mi) watershed. Ahmad Ibrahim Lawan is a Nigerian politician and professor who served as the 14th president of the Nigerian Senate from 2019 to 2023. He represents the Yobe North Senatorial District in the Senate as a member of the All Progressives Congress. The Jama'are River, also known as the Bunga River in its upper reaches, starts in the highlands near Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria and flows northeast through Bauchi State and Yobe State before joining the Hadejia River to form the Yobe River. There has recently been controversy over a plan to build the Kafin Zaki Dam on this river, with concerns over the effect on seasonal flooding and the water table. The Bakolori Dam is in Sokoto State in northwest Nigeria. It was completed in 1978 and its reservoir filled by 1981. It is a major reservoir on the Sokoto River, a tributary of the Rima River, which in turn feeds the Niger River. Water from the dam supplies the Bakolori Irrigation Project. The Nura is a major watercourse of northeast-central Kazakhstan. It is 978 kilometres (608 mi) long and drains an area of 60,800 square kilometres (23,500 sq mi). Audu Bako (1924–1980) was a Nigerian police officer and the first Governor of Kano State during the military regime of General Yakubu Gowon after the state was formed from part of Northern Region. The Chad Basin National Park is a national park in northeastern Nigeria, in the Chad Basin, with a total area of about 2,258 km2. The park is fragmented, with three sectors. The Chingurmi-Duguma sector is in Borno State, in a Sudanian Savanna ecological zone. The Bade-Nguru Wetlands and Bulatura sectors are in Yobe State in the Sahel ecological zone. Kosasthalaiyar River, also known as Kortalaiyar, is one of the three rivers that flow in the Chennai metropolitan area. Kano River Project is a modern integrated agricultural land use development in Northern Nigeria. River Kano also locally called Kogin Kano. The project is a large scale irrigation project developed under the authority of Hadejia-Juma’are River Basin Development Authority. The Chad Basin is the largest endorheic basin in Africa, centered approximately on Lake Chad. It has no outlet to the sea and contains large areas of semi-arid desert and savanna. The drainage basin is approximately coterminous with the sedimentary basin of the same name, but extends further to the northeast and east. The Hadejia-Jama'are River Basin Development Authority (HJRBDA) is a governmental organization in Nigeria responsible for the management, development, and utilization of water resources within the Hadejia-Jama'are River Basin. The authority was established to oversee various projects and initiatives aimed at improving agricultural production, water supply, and overall socio-economic development in the region.

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Carbon monoxide is observed clearly in the disks surrounding young stars that are forming planets. But there is a problem. Theories suggest that there should be a lot more of it than astronomers can actually see. Where is this missing carbon monoxide? A new paper has a solution: The molecule is trapped in ice formation around the disk, making it invisible to our observatories. The work, published in Nature Astronomy, made use of a model designed by Peter Gao to study something different: clouds on exoplanets. Lead author Diana Powell applied it to the disks from where exoplanets will one day emerge. Carbon monoxide is usually found in abundance in the youngest planetary disks, but after at least a million years, the model suggests that the gas will be forming on large ice particles. Together with observations from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array, or ALMA, the team found that ice trapping carbon monoxide was the likeliest explanation for this mystery. The finding impacts the field of astrochemistry: The measurement of chemical species in space is employed in so many other estimates and models. “Carbon monoxide is essentially used to trace everything we know about disks—like mass, composition and temperature,” Powell, from the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian, said in a statement. “This could mean many of our results for disks have been biased and uncertain because we don’t understand the compound well enough.” The use of a model specific to clouds in the peculiar environment of protoplanetary disks is exciting. It suggests that the complexity of these disks can be understood with approaches we have already employed. The team hopes that their proposed scenario will be corroborated by new observations and plans to further study the implication of carbon monoxide in ice grains. “It will be interesting to see how water ice formation in disks, for example, is impacted by microphysical considerations, and in turn how these processes affect planet formation and composition,” added Gao, from the Carnegie Institution for Science. “This work also illustrates the breakthroughs that can happen when two seemingly disparate fields come into contact, so it's very exciting! I'm really looking forward to where this can lead, especially if we can validate the model using JWST.”

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With so much health information available online these days, it's difficult to determine what's essential for your oral health and what isn't. A healthy smile is about much more than just having white teeth! Your gums, the bone that surrounds your teeth, your salivary glands, and the soft tissue in your mouth are all vital components of a healthy smile. Visit Laveen Dental in Laveen, AZ, regularly to maintain proper oral hygiene and to develop a healthy dental lifestyle. Here are five tips to help you achieve a healthy smile: Most cavities begin between the teeth, while gum disease occurs behind the gums. Only brushing the teeth daily will not reach enough surfaces to eradicate bacteria in these problem areas for maximum health. Flossing between teeth removes plaque and tartar from the most troublesome areas. There are also numerous germs in the remainder of your mouth. Although plaque and stains can only be cleaned manually with a toothbrush or floss, incorporating an antibacterial mouth rinse into your daily regimen can help reduce the bacterial load in the mouth. It is important to schedule frequent dental treatments before you are in discomfort. If you go to the dentist before there is a problem, you will most likely have a much more pleasant experience. The longer an oral health problem goes untreated, the more expensive it is to treat. Water is the best drink for your teeth and body. It aids in the cleaning of teeth and the prevention of tooth decay. Tap water is the greatest option because it has the required amount of fluoride. Fluoride at a healthy level supports tooth health and inhibits decay. It has been stated that consuming a diet high in nutrient-rich foods will help you keep a healthy smile. A good diet benefits both your smile and your entire health. This entails limiting your intake of sugary meals. Sugar can erode your teeth' enamel and make them more susceptible to decay. After meals and snacks, rinse your mouth with water to remove any excess sugar or food particles. Smoking is bad for your general health and fitness. However, the nicotine and tar in cigarettes damage your gums and cause your teeth to yellow. Cigarette smoking is bad for your gums and promotes bone loss. Smoking can cause tooth loss, foul breath, and oral cancer. Contact Laveen Dental for the best dental care. To book an appointment, call (602) 237-7878 or visit 5130 W. Baseline rd ste 111, Laveen, AZ 85339. A dental filling is a restorative procedure used to repair a decayed tooth. The procedure involves removing the decayed portion of the tooth and then replacing it with a material such as composite resin. Composite dental fillings are tooth-colored and are used to restore decayed teeth. Composite fillings offer several benefits over traditional metal fillings. Here are some of them: MINIMALLY INVASIVE PROCEDURE When you have tooth decay, the dentist will use a composite filling to repair and preserve your tooth. Unlike other procedures, composite fillings require only one appointment. The procedure is minimally invasive and can be completed in a short amount of time with little discomfort for the patient. Additionally, the filling is tooth-colored and blends seamlessly with your natural teeth. Without even noticing it, the filling will be practically invisible in your mouth. This restores not only the appearance of your smile but also your oral health. LESS TOOTH STRUCTURE REMOVAL With composite fillings, less of your tooth’s structure is affected for placement than amalgam fillings are. They are also more likely to last longer than amalgam. Additionally, a composite filling bonds to your tooth more effectively than its silver counterpart does. This improves your chances of keeping more of your natural tooth intact. This is important because the more enamel you have on your teeth, the less sensitive they will be to changes in temperature. It’s also important to note that both the placement of a composite filling and the removal of an amalgam one involves the use of a tooth-colored material instead of metal. Because of this, the application of either type of filling doesn’t stand out or leave a visible mark on your smile the way a silver filling in would. STAIN RESISTANT MATERIAL Composite resin fillings are, therefore, a great option for filling cavities and replacing old, unsightly metal amalgam fillings. The composite resin material is the same color as your tooth enamel, so no one will even be able to tell you have had a cavity filled! Plus, the material itself is stain resistant, meaning you won’t have to worry about staining around your new tooth-colored filling like you might with a silver amalgam filling. MORE NATURAL-LOOKING TEETH With composite fillings, you can restore your teeth to their natural luster and shape. Since resin can be molded and colored to match your smile, your restoration will be virtually invisible when you laugh or speak. Although they are tooth-colored, composite fillings are not stain-resistant. That means you can still develop cavities in the areas where the fillings were placed. But overall, composite fillings can significantly improve the look of your smile. We request you schedule a consultation with our team of dental experts to get all your oral concerns addressed at the earliest. Please call us at (602) 237-7878 or reach out through online consultation, and we’ll be happy to help. Stress is a physical and emotional response to events that cause you to feel pressure or tension. These stressors can be positive or negative and can include anything from work-related deadlines to an upcoming wedding. While a certain amount of stress is normal and even beneficial at times, chronic stress can take a serious toll on your physical and mental health. Some research suggests that oral health may be affected by elevated levels of stress as well. STRESS AND ORAL HEALTH When the body is under stress, it releases hormones that signal the adrenal glands to release adrenaline and cortisol into the bloodstream. This sudden surge of these stress hormones can make you feel more anxious and alert for a short time, but prolonged periods can cause both mental and physical problems. For example, constant exposure to stress hormones can weaken your immune system and make you more susceptible to infection, illness, and colds. You may also notice more sleep disturbances, such as insomnia. Chronic stress has also been linked to an increased risk of heart attack and other cardiovascular issues over time. First, individuals who are stressed out may neglect their oral hygiene routines because they are too overwhelmed to keep up with them as usual. This can lead to tooth decay because plaque buildup continues on your teeth without routine brushing and flossing. Additionally, poor oral health can also cause you to feel even more stressed, creating a vicious cycle. You should also cut down on sugary snacks and beverages to keep your smile healthy and prevent decay. For chronic stress, your mouth is a haven for bacteria and other germs. That’s because when you’re stressed, you’re likely to let your oral health routine slide—skipping daily brushings and regular flossing sessions. This makes it easy for plaque buildup on your teeth. Plaque is a major cause of gum disease that can ultimately lead to tooth loss. That’s why it’s important to maintain good oral health habits while managing stress levels. In addition, if you’re feeling stressed, you may be more likely to clench your jaw or grind your teeth at night. Bruxism (tooth grinding) can cause problems with your teeth, such as tooth enamel loss, sensitivity, and pain. Even if you’re only clenching your jaw or grinding your teeth once a night, this can lead to long-term issues if left untreated. That’s why it’s important to talk to your dentist about ways to manage your stress and bruxism. At some practices, the dentist may recommend stress-reducing therapies like meditation or yoga to help patients manage their stress levels. At others, dentists may recommend non-invasive treatments like Botox® injections to alleviate the symptoms of TMJ disorder. Talk to your dentist about your options for reducing the effects of stress on your health. We request you schedule a consultation with our team of dental experts to get all your oral concerns addressed at the earliest. Please call us at (602) 237-7878 or reach out through online consultation, and we’ll be happy to help. Everyone wishes they had whiter teeth. Many people may find that DIY teeth whitening is an option. However, it is critical to understand the facts about the numerous methods for whitening your teeth at home. We at Laveen Dental believe in providing our patients with the facts about at-home teeth whitening, therefore we've produced a list of 5 facts about the procedure. Also, if you want whiter teeth that will stay for a long time, visit Laveen Dental for the best professional treatment. FACTS ABOUT DIY TEETH WHITENING Whitening Toothpaste Can Lighten Your Teeth To whiten teeth at home, use toothpaste containing hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide. They only brighten up to two shades, so if you want your teeth lighter than that, you should see an expert. Furthermore, whitening toothpaste does not often include bleach, thus it is safe to use in your mouth. Whitening Strips Are Also Beneficial This simple do-it-yourself teeth whitening treatment uses strips that adapt to the shape of your teeth. You turn them on for a set amount of time and then turn them off for a few weeks. In-home teeth whitening strips are more effective than whitening toothpaste or baking soda at lightening your teeth. Go To A Professional For The Best Results While some at-home teeth whitening treatments are safe, they are not all. Furthermore, even the safest ones aren't as effective as having your teeth professionally whitened. If you're unsure, consult a dentist who specializes in professional teeth whitening. THE BENEFITS OF PROFESSIONAL TEETH WHITENING When you choose professional teeth whitening, you can enjoy the following advantages: Long-lasting effects Unlike other DIY regimens that produce temporary results, professional teeth-whitening produces long-term results. Teeth whitening treatments used by professionals contain more bleaching chemicals than those purchased over the counter. Customized procedures It is best to have a tooth whitening procedure suited to your specific needs. This is only available after a complete examination of your teeth, which includes x-rays and digital images. Professionals will perform these processes and then customize the teeth whitening to your specific needs. In this manner, you may verify that the process is neither too intense nor too weak to have no effect. Safer oral health The biggest disadvantage of DIY teeth whitening techniques is addressed by professional teeth whitening. It is better for your teeth and will keep your enamel intact. Your enamel is the layer of your teeth that protects them from sensitivity. Contact Laveen Dental for the best dental care. To book an appointment, call (602) 237-7878 or visit 5130 W. Baseline rd ste 111, Laveen, AZ 85339. Cosmetic dental treatments performed by cosmetic dentists are the best way to enhance the smile. It helps to repair and restore damaged teeth. Listed below are five popular cosmetic dental treatments provided to patients to restore their smiles. TEETH WHITENING A brighter, whiter smile can be achieved in as little as one visit to a dentist. Teeth whitening treatments use one of the most powerful bleaching agents, hydrogen peroxide, to lighten the natural color of your teeth. The treatment can be performed in-office or at home. Either way, it’s safe, effective, and pain-free. PORCELAIN VENEERS Porcelain veneers are thin, tooth-shaped shells of ceramic that bond directly to the front side of teeth. Veneers are a popular option for patients who want to fix the appearance of their front teeth. They are stain-resistant so that you can enjoy your favorite foods and drinks without worry. In addition to improving the appearance of teeth, porcelain veneers can also improve teeth with chips, cracks, or gaps. DENTAL CROWNS Dental crowns are custom-made caps that fit over the visible portion of a tooth. Crowns cover the tooth and restore its appearance, shape, and strength. Dental crowns may be restorative for a tooth or cosmetic to improve the appearance of a tooth. A crown helps protect a tooth that has been weakened by a cavity or damaged by an injury. DENTAL BRIDGE A dental bridge is a treatment used to replace one or more missing teeth. Bridges are made from various materials, including porcelain, gold, or alloys. It is held in place with the help of adjacent teeth, which are minimally etched for the procedure. DENTAL IMPLANTS Dental implants are artificial tooth roots placed in the jawbone. First, the implants are surgically placed in the jawbone. Then, the patient waits for a few months while the implants fuse with the jawbone. Finally, the dentist attaches a dental crown or bridge on top of the implant to complete the procedure. Once the implants have healed, the dentures are attached on top. Patients can also replace individual teeth with dental implants. For patients missing all their teeth, implant-supported dentures are a popular option. We request you schedule a consultation with our team of dental experts to get all your oral concerns addressed at the earliest. Please call us at (602) 237-7878 or reach out through online consultation, and we’ll be happy to help.

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The earth-sun distance found to dramatically alter seasons [Nov 12, 2022: Robert Sanders, University of California - Berkeley] New computer simulations show that one driver of annual weather cycles in that region — in particular, a cold tongue of surface waters stretching westward along the equator from the coast of South America — has gone unrecognized. (CREDIT: Shutterstock images) Weather and climate modelers understand pretty well how seasonal winds and ocean currents affect El Niño patterns in the eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean, impacting weather across the United States and sometimes worldwide. But new computer simulations show that one driver of annual weather cycles in that region — in particular, a cold tongue of surface waters stretching westward along the equator from the coast of South America — has gone unrecognized: the changing distance between Earth and the sun. The cold tongue, in turn, influences the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), which impacts weather in California, much of North America, and often globally. The Earth-sun distance slowly varies over the course of the year because Earth’s orbit is slightly elliptical. Currently, at its closest approach — perihelion — Earth is about 3 million miles closer to the sun than at its farthest point, or aphelion. As a result, sunlight is about 7% more intense at perihelion than at aphelion. Research led by the University of California, Berkeley, demonstrates that the slight yearly change in our distance from the sun can have a large effect on the annual cycle of the cold tongue. This is distinct from the effect of Earth’s axial tilt on the seasons, which is currently understood to cause the annual cycle of the cold tongue. Because the period of the annual cycle arising from the tilt and distance effects are slightly different, their combined effects vary over time, said lead researcher John Chiang, UC Berkeley professor of geography. “The curious thing is that the annual cycle from the distance effect is slightly longer than that for tilt — around 25 minutes, currently — so over a span of about 11,000 years, the two annual cycles go from being in phase to out of phase, and the net seasonality undergoes a remarkable change, as a result,” Chiang said. Chiang noted that the distance effect is already incorporated into climate models — though its effect on the equatorial Pacific was not recognized until now — and his findings will not alter weather predictions or climate projections. But the 22,000-year phase cycle may have had long-term, historical effects. Earth’s orbital precession is known to have affected the timing of the ice ages, for example. The distance effect — and its 22,000-year variation — also may affect other weather systems on Earth. The ENSO, which also originates in the equatorial Pacific, is likely affected because its workings are closely tied to the seasonal cycle of the cold tongue. A temperature map of the Pacific Ocean for December 1993 showing a cold (blue) tongue of surface water stretching westward along the equator from the coast of South America. The temperature and extent of the cold tongue changes with the seasons, but new climate simulations show that the annual change in Earth’s distance from the sun also affects the cold tongue seasonal cycle. This influences El Niño conditions that impact weather in North America and globally. (CREDIT: Berkeley News) “Theory tells us that the seasonal cycle of the cold tongue plays a key role in the development and termination of ENSO events,” said Alyssa Atwood, a former UC Berkeley postdoctoral fellow who is now an assistant professor at Florida State University in Tallahassee. “Because of this, many of ENSO’s key characteristics are synced to the seasonal cycle.” For example, ENSO events tend to peak during Northern Hemisphere winters, she said, and they don’t typically persist beyond northern or boreal spring months, which scientists refer to as the “spring predictability barrier.” Because of these linkages, it is reasonable to expect that the distance effect could also have a major impact on ENSO — something that should be examined in future studies. “Very little attention has been paid to the cold tongue seasonal cycle because most people think it's solved. There's nothing interesting there,” Chiang said. “What this research shows is that it's not solved. There's still a mystery there. Our result also begs the question whether other regions on Earth may also have a significant distance effect contribution to their seasonal cycle.” “We learn in science classes as early as grade school that the seasons are caused by the tilt of Earth’s axis,” added co-author Anthony Broccoli of Rutgers University. “This is certainly true and has been well understood for centuries. Although the effect of the Earth-sun distance has also been recognized, our study indicates that this ‘distance effect’ may be a more important effect on climate than had been recognized previously.” Chiang, Atwood and Broccoli and their colleagues reported their findings today in the journal Nature. Two distinct yearly cycles affect Pacific cold tongue The main driver of global weather changes is seasonal change. Earth’s equator is tilted relative to its orbit around the sun, so the Northern and Southern hemispheres are illuminated differently. When the sun shines directly overhead in the north, it’s warmer in the north and colder in the south, and vice versa. These yearly changes have major effects on the Pacific equatorial trade winds, which blow from southeast to northwest across the south and equatorial Pacific and push surface waters westward, causing upwelling of cold water along the equator that creates a tongue of cold surface water that stretches from Ecuador across the Pacific — almost one-quarter the circumference of the planet. The yearly hemispheric changes in seasonal temperature alters the strength of the trades, and thus cause a yearly cycle in the temperature of the cold tongue. This, in turn, has a major influence on ENSO, which typically peaks during Northern Hemisphere winter. The occurrence of El Niño — or its opposite, La Niña — helps determines whether California and the West Coast will have a wet or dry winter, but also whether the Midwest and parts of Asia will have rain or drought. “In studying past climates, much effort has been dedicated to trying to understand if variability in the tropical Pacific Ocean — that is, the El Niño/La Niña cycle — has changed in the past,” Broccoli said. “We chose to focus instead on the yearly cycle of ocean temperatures in the eastern Pacific cold tongue. Our study found that the timing of perihelion — that is, the point at which the earth is closest to the sun — has an important influence on climate in the tropical Pacific." The monthly sea surface temperature in the eastern Pacific Ocean in normal, El Niño and El Niña years. The strength of the Pacific cold tongue, most evident in the top image, is linked to the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). (CREDIT: NOAA) In 2015, Broccoli, co-director of the Rutgers Climate Institute, along with his then-graduate student Michael Erb, employed a computer climate model to show that the distance changes caused by Earth’s elliptical orbit dramatically altered the cold tongue yearly cycle. But climate modelers mostly ignored the result, Chiang said. “Our field is focused on El Niño, and we thought that the seasonal cycle was solved. But then we realized that the result by Erb and Broccoli challenged this assumption,” he said. Chiang and his colleagues, including Broccoli and Atwood, examined similar simulations using four different climate models and confirmed the result. But the team went further to show how the distance effect works. Earth’s ‘marine’ and ‘continental’ hemispheres The key distinction is that changes in the sun’s distance from Earth don’t affect the Northern and Southern hemispheres differently, which is what gives rise to the seasonal effect due to Earth’s axial tilt. Instead, they warm the eastern “continental hemisphere” dominated by the North and South American and African and Eurasian landmasses, more than it warms the Western Hemisphere — what he calls the marine hemisphere, because it is dominated by the Pacific Ocean. “The traditional way of thinking about monsoons is that the Northern Hemisphere warms up relative to the Southern Hemisphere, generating winds onto land that bring monsoon rains,” Chiang said. “But here, we’re actually talking about east-west, not north-south, temperature differences that cause the winds. The distance effect is operating through the same mechanism as the seasonal monsoon rains, but the wind changes are coming from this east-west monsoon.” The winds generated by this differential heating of the marine and continental hemispheres alter the yearly variation of the easterly trades in the western equatorial Pacific, and thereby the cold tongue. “When Earth is closest to the sun, these winds are strong. In the offseason, when the sun is at its furthest, these winds become weak,” Chiang said. “Those wind changes are then propagated to the Eastern Pacific through the thermocline, and basically it drives an annual cycle of the cold tongue, as a result.” Today, Chiang said, the distance effect on the cold tongue is about one-third the strength of the tilt effect, and they enhance one another, leading to a strong annual cycle of the cold tongue. About 6,000 years ago, they canceled one another, yielding a muted annual cycle of the cold tongue. In the past, when Earth’s orbit was more elliptical, the distance effect on the cold tongue would have been larger and could have led to a more complete cancellation when out of phase. Though Chiang and his colleagues did not examine the effect of such a cancellation, this would potentially have had a worldwide effect on weather patterns. Chiang emphasized that the distance effect on climate, while clear in climate model simulations, would not be evident from observations because it cannot be readily distinguished from the tilt effect. “This study is purely model based. So, it is a prediction,” he said. “But this behavior is reproduced by a number of different models, at least four. And what we did in this study is to explain why this happens. And in the process, we've discovered another annual cycle of the cold tongue that's driven by Earth's eccentricity.” Atwood noted that, unlike the robust changes to the cold tongue seasonal cycle, changes to ENSO tend to be model-dependent. “While ENSO remains a challenge for climate models, we can look beyond climate model simulations to the paleoclimate record to investigate the connection between changes in the annual cycle of the cold tongue and ENSO in the past,” she said. “To date, paleoclimate records from the tropical Pacific have largely been interpreted in terms of past changes in ENSO, but our study underscores the need to separate changes in the cold tongue annual cycle from changes in ENSO.” Chiang’s colleagues, in addition to Broccoli and Atwood, are Daniel Vimont of the University of Wisconsin in Madison; former UC Berkeley undergraduate Paul Nicknish, now a graduate student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; William Roberts of Northumbria University in Newcastle-upon-Tyne in the United Kingdom; and Clay Tabor of the University of Connecticut in Storrs. Chiang conducted part of the research while on sabbatical at the Research Institute for Environmental Changes of the Academia Sinica in Taipei, Taiwan. For more science stories check out our New Discoveries section at The Brighter Side of News. Note: Materials provided above by University of California - Berkeley. Content may be edited for style and length. Like these kind of feel good stories? Get the Brighter Side of News' newsletter.

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Table of Contents: - Who made the quantum field theory? - Can you split a quark? - What is quark theory? - What is the smallest observable particle? - What is the largest thing in the universe? - Why Planck length is smallest? - How Planck length is calculated? - How many Planck lengths are in the universe? - Is there a smallest unit of space? - Is nanometer The smallest unit? - What are the units of measurement from smallest to largest? - Which is bigger an atom or a grain of sand? - What is the largest unit of matter? Who made the quantum field theory? Can you split a quark? Quarks are fundamental particles and cannot be split. What is quark theory? Quark. A quark is any of a group of subatomic particles believed to be among the fundamental constituents of matter. ... According to prevailing theory, quarks have mass and exhibit a spin (i.e., type of intrinsic angular momentum corresponding to a rotation around an axis through the particle). What is the smallest observable particle? What is the largest thing in the universe? The largest known structure in the Universe is called the 'Hercules-Corona Borealis Great Wall', discovered in November 2013. This object is a galactic filament, a vast group of galaxies bound together by gravity, about 10 billion light-years away. Why Planck length is smallest? So why is the Planck length thought to be the smallest possible length? The simple summary of Mead's answer is that it is impossible, using the known laws of quantum mechanics and the known behavior of gravity, to determine a position to a precision smaller than the Planck length. How Planck length is calculated? In physics, the Planck length, denoted ℓ P, is a unit of length. It is also the reduced Compton wavelength of a particle with Planck mass. It is equal to 1.×10−35 m. It is a base unit in the system of Planck units, developed by physicist Max Planck. How many Planck lengths are in the universe? The number of Planck volumes (cubic Planck lengths) in the observable universe is around \(4. Is there a smallest unit of space? The smallest possible size for anything in the universe is the Planck Length, which is 1. Is nanometer The smallest unit? A nanometer (nm) is 1,000 times smaller than a micrometer. It is equal to 1/1,h or one-billionth of a meter. When things are this small, you can't see them with your eyes, or a light microscope. ... Atoms are smaller than a nanometer. What are the units of measurement from smallest to largest? Here are the common metric units of length from smallest to largest. - A millimeter is the smallest unit. Millimeters are most useful when measuring really tiny things. ... - A centimeter is the next smallest unit. ... - A meter is a little more than 3 feet. - A kilometer is used to measure longer distances. Which is bigger an atom or a grain of sand? Which is bigger, an atom or a grain of sand? The atom is bigger. They are the same size. What is the largest unit of matter? - Is General Relativity a field theory? - What are the theories of decision making? - What is filter in network theory? - What is Attention definition in psychology? - What is quantum field theory Quora? - What is meant by filter in electronics? - What is filter in control system? - What is a vowel formant? - What is filter explain with example? - What does dysfunction mean in sociology? - What is early selection theory? - What are the theories of attention in psychology? - Do Vitamin C shower filters really work? - What is Gating in psychology? - What is the social exchange theory in relationships? - What is the filter theory of mate selection? - What is filtering in signal processing? - What does the invisible gorilla teach us? - What is Krashen Affective Filter Hypothesis? - What is the zero point field?

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Appendices for Resources Appendix A : Prevention Information Primary Prevention & the Socio-Ecological Model Primary Prevention focuses on preventing disease or injury before it occurs. This is done by preventing exposures to disease or injury, altering unhealthy or unsafe behaviors that can lead to disease or injury, and increasing resistance to disease or injury should a potential exposure occur. In the context of this guide, we are focusing on the primary prevention of child sexual abuse. Preventing sexual abuse before it occurs. The Socio-Ecological Model is a public health approach that addresses individual risk and protective factors, and the norms, beliefs, and social and economic systems that create the conditions for the occurrence of child sexual abuse and exploitation. The social-ecological model provides a framework for understanding the complex interaction of individual, relationship, community, and society. This model considers the complex interplay between individual, relationship, community, and societal factors. It allows us to understand the range of factors that put people at risk for violence or protect them from experiencing or perpetrating violence. The overlapping rings in the model illustrate how factors at one level influence factors at another level. (The Social-Ecological Model: A Framework for Prevention, 2022) Besides helping to clarify these factors, the model also suggests that in order to prevent violence, it is necessary to act across multiple levels of the model at the same time. This approach is more likely to sustain prevention efforts over time and achieve population-level impact. (The Social-Ecological Model: A Framework for Prevention, 2022) Appendix B: Mandated Reporting Every state has laws to provide specific mandates for certain professional groups to report any suspected child abuse and neglect to child protection, police, or other authorities. North Dakota Law requires that certain professionals must report suspected child abuse or neglect, these individuals are mandated reporters. In North Dakota, mandated reporters include physicians, nurses, dentists, optometrists, dental hygienists, medical examiners, or coroners, any other medical or mental health professionals, religious practitioners of the healing arts, teachers, administrators, and counselors, addiction counselors, social workers, childcare professionals, foster parents, police or law enforcement officers, juvenile court personnel, probation officers, and juvenile services employees. However, anyone who suspects child abuse and neglect may make a report. It’s a Class B misdemeanor when a mandated reporter chooses not to report suspected abuse. All employees, and volunteers should become familiar with and receive regular training on their organization/school’s reporting policy so there is no doubt that mandated reporters will be able to properly fulfill their duty to report suspected child abuse or neglect. If an organization/school does not have a policy in place, it is strongly recommended that a mandated reporting policy be developed and reviewed annually. To report suspected child abuse and neglect, call the statewide toll-free Child Abuse & Neglect Reporting Line at 1-833-958-3500. Reports of suspected child abuse or neglect may be made verbally or in writing. The state's reporting form, SFN 960, is also available at local human service zone offices. Mandated reporting policies are secondary prevention because they address abuse after it has been perpetrated. It is important to note that professionals often are unsure about what counts as a disclosure, and when and how to make a report about suspected child abuse and neglect. It has been found that teachers were more likely to underreport than to over-report. (Webster, 2005) Understanding the signs of child abuse and knowing how to make a report are crucial for stopping all types of child abuse in North Dakota. Both training and education are key to stopping the cycle of abuse, please visit Mandated Reporters - Home Page (pcand.org) to learn how to spot the signs of abuse & neglect. North Dakota Students & Safety Law 15.1-19-26. Prohibition on aiding and abetting sexual abuse. 1. The state educational agency, or local educational agency that receives federal funds under section 8546 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act [20 U.S.C. 7926] shall prohibit any individual who is a school employee, contractor, or agent, or any state educational agency or local educational agency, from assisting a school employee, contractor, or agent in obtaining a new job, apart from the routine transmission of administrative and personnel files, if the individual or agency knows there is confirmation, or there is an investigation underway based on a claim the school employee, contractor, or agent engaged in sexual misconduct regarding a minor or student in violation of law. 2. Subsection 1 does not apply if: a. The information has been properly reported to a law enforcement agency with jurisdiction over the alleged misconduct and any other authorities as required by federal, state, or local law; and b. (1) The matter has been officially closed or the prosecutor or police with jurisdiction over the alleged misconduct has investigated the allegations and notified school officials that there is insufficient information to establish probable cause that the school employee, contractor, or agent engaged in sexual misconduct regarding a minor or student in violation of the law; (2) The school employee, contractor, or agent has been charged with, and acquitted or otherwise exonerated of the alleged misconduct; or (3) The case or investigation remains open and there have been no charges filed against, or indictment of, the school employee, contractor, or agent within one year of the date on which the information was reported to a law enforcement agency. 15.1-19-27. Conviction of aiding and abetting sexual abuse - Penalty. Any individual who is a school district employee, contractor, or agent convicted of aiding and abetting sexual abuse as described in section 15.1-19-26 is guilty of a class B misdemeanor. Currently, North Dakota has not passed legislation requiring or encouraging child sexual abuse prevention education in schools. North Dakota Health Education Content Standards The North Dakota Health Education Content Standards give educators, administrators, and parents information they need about what students should know, and be able to do, during each step of their educational journey in the school setting. Health education includes information about physical, mental health, exercise and nutrition, and disease and injury prevention. Comprehensive health education builds students' knowledge, skills, and positive attitudes about health, and motivates our young people to make positive choices that will maintain and improve their health. Below are the eight health standards. Standard 1 Understand concepts related to human growth and development, health promotion, disease prevention. Standard 2 Analyze the influence of family, peers, culture, media, technology, and other factors on health behaviors. Standard 3 Demonstrate the ability to access valid health information, products, and services. Standard 4 Demonstrate the ability to use interpersonal communication skills to enhance health and avoid or reduce health risks. Standard 5 Demonstrate the ability to use decision-making skills to enhance health and avoid or reduce health risks. Standard 6 Demonstrate the ability to use goal-setting skills to enhance health and avoid or reduce health risks. Standard 7 Demonstrate the ability to practice health-enhancing behaviors and avoid or reduce health risks. Standard 8 Demonstrate the ability to advocate for personal, family, and community health. To view these standards in detail with specific benchmarks, please visit: NDHealthStandards2018 North Dakota Children’s Advocacy Center Information A Children’s Advocacy Center is a victim-focused, community-orientated, safe facility in which members of a multidisciplinary team work together to provide a comprehensive coordinated and compassionate investigation and intervention of abuse allegations. Children’s Advocacy Centers (CACs) operate on the important belief that the best interests of the child victim should be prioritized and protected as the case proceeds through the investigation and prosecution stages and beyond. CACs offer a child-friendly environment where child victims can feel safe to disclose. The North Dakota CACs provide forensic interviews, medical evaluations, victim support/advocacy, and trauma counseling. North Dakota’s Children’s Advocacy Centers are located in Fargo, Grand Forks, Bismarck, Dickinson, Watford City, Standing Rock, Minot, Williston and Bottineau. The North Dakota CACs serve all 53 counties and 5 reservations in the state. To learn more about North Dakota Children’s Advocacy Centers, please visit: https://www.cacnd.org Dakota Children’s Advocacy Center Northern Plains Children’s Advocacy Center Red River Children’s Advocacy Center

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In a bid to raise awareness and help our children understand the importance of cleanliness, we celebrated the Cleanliness Week. It was our attempt to show Mother Earth our gratitude and to promise that we will take care of her like she takes care of us. The Cleanliness Week is an extension of the Swachch Bharat, Swachch Vidyalaya Campaign run by the Government of India. All the students at Presidency Kids participated actively in different activities throughout the week. The entire school was involved in the cleanliness drive. From simple hand washing to cleaning areas of the school, we conducted many different activities. Every class was allocated a part of the school to clean and take care of. During these little deeds, the teachers also explained to the students, the importance of keeping our surroundings clean. One example was that of stagnant water. Why must we not let water stagnate? What happens when water is dirty? What are the ailments that stagnant water can cause? These are among the many questions that our teachers answered. Further, we gave our children tips to continue the efforts and make small changes in their lives. Turning off the computer when it is not in use and brushing their teeth without leaving the tap on are a few of these tips. We also encouraged them to plant a tree every year. It was delightful to see our PP1 students participate with much ardour and energy. They learned how important it is to keep our surroundings clean and took home useful tips and learnings from the week-long campaign. We hope our children make it a habit of taking steps that help the environment. Every little step counts. For more photos, please visit: https://bit.ly/2FagCja

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Do Blue Light Glasses Work? We are reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. When you clock out at the end of the day, you might notice that your eyes feel dry and tired. People often chalk these symptoms up to their stressful schedule or busy day, but the culprit is likely too much blue light exposure. The world depends on technology, so it’s an easy misconception to think that screen time doesn’t have consequences. Now, people are more aware of blue light and how it affects their bodies. Almost every optical retailer claims to have the solution to your problems, but do blue light glasses work? Here’s what you need to know. What Are Blue Light Glasses? Blue light glasses are different than traditional ones. They look the same if you see them side by side on a shelf, but they’re very different. Traditional glasses use your prescription to fine-tune your vision. Other than clarifying blurriness, they won’t protect your eyes from things like direct sunlight. They were never supposed to compete with technology, so blue light glasses are a newer model that became popular in the last few years. After converting your prescription into lenses, the glassmaking company covers the lenses in a coating that blocks blue light. The strength of the coating depends on what you order because they come in varying degrees of intensity. Unlike what you might be picturing, blue light glasses don’t have blue-tinted lenses. You won’t be able to tell the difference by looking at them, even after you put them on. Instead, you’ll feel the difference after wearing them while you look at an electronic screen for more than an hour in one sitting. Natural light consists of different wavelengths with multiple colors, but the light produced by screens is more heavily blue. It’s something the human eye isn’t naturally used to, which can lead to uncomfortable symptoms. What Do Blue Light Glasses Prevent? You may have struggled with tired, aching eyes and wondered why. Anyone who uses technology for extended periods risks experiencing the effects of digital eye strain. The glasses get between your eyes and the screen, causing vision issues. You may have experienced the common symptoms of computer vision syndrome, such as: - Eye strain - Dry eyes - Blurred vision If you have existing vision problems like astigmatism and farsightedness, computer vision syndrome will exacerbate the symptoms. When Should You Wear Them? When you put on sunglasses, you only use them while you’re outside or around bright lights. As soon as you’re indoors and the light changes, you take them off. Blue light glasses are similar. Glancing at your phone occasionally or catching the newest episode of your favorite TV show won’t leave you with eye strain. It becomes a problem when you stare at a screen for longer than an hour or two. If you have more significant vision problems, you may have more intense computer vision symptoms than others. It’s always smart to wear your blue light glasses when you sit down to work on your computer for the day. You can do the same if your job or routine involves working with any other type of screen. When you ask your friends whether blue light glasses work, you might hear mixed opinions. Some people might not feel the difference because their eyes don’t get worn out so quickly. The American Academy of Ophthalmology stated that people could use other coping mechanisms to reduce eye strain before resorting to glasses, like taking breaks. However, glasses are an excellent resource for people who can’t get away from their screens. How Should You Choose Them? Unlike prescription glasses, there’s no one way to pick blue light glasses. You can find them in almost any frame and with any prescription. As long as the lenses match your vision needs, you can order them coated with a light-blocking film. People who need more intense help with blue light can look into potential future pairs and inquire about the film’s intensity. Some will block more blue light than others, but that’s the only difference you should be aware of when picking a pair for yourself. Try Them for Yourself Ordering a pair and trying them for yourself is the best way to know if they can help. At best, they could transform how you feel every day, and at worst, they’ll become your second pair of glasses. Consider trying blue light glasses to improve your eye strain symptoms and make your life easier.

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This tutorial focuses on implementing the image segmentation architecture called Deep Residual UNET (RESUNET) in the PyTorch framework. It’s an encoder-decoder architecture developed by Zhengxin Zhang et al. for semantic segmentation. It was initially used for road extraction from high-resolution aerial images in the field of remote sensing image analysis. Original Paper: Road Extraction by Deep Residual U-Net RESUNET – Network Architecture The Deep Residual Network or the RESUNET is an improvement over the existing UNET architecture by replacing the convolution block used in UNET with the residual block with identity mapping. We can say that RESUNET takes advantage of both the residual learning and the UNET architecture. Why Residual Learning? Increasing the number of layers in a neural network would increase its performance. However, after a certain limit, the performance starts to decrease due to the degradation problem. He et al. proposed the residual neural network to address the degradation problem. The residual block consists of a series of convolutional layers along with a shortcut (identity mapping) connecting both the input and the output of the block. This identity mapping helps in better flow of information, i.e., directly from one layer to another, bypassing the convolutional layers. This bypassing helps in better flow of gradients during the backpropagation. Advantages of RESUNET - The use of residual blocks helps in building a deeper network without worrying about the problem of vanishing gradient or exploding gradients. It also helps in easy training of the network - The rich skip connections in the RESUNET helps in the better flow of information between different layers, which helps in the better flow of gradients while training (backpropagation). READ MORE: What is RESUNET import torch import torch.nn as nn Batch Normalization & ReLU As the RESUNET uses a repeated application of batch normalization and then RELU. We would create a class with the name batchnorm_relu. class batchnorm_relu(nn.Module): def __init__(self, in_c): super().__init__() self.bn = nn.BatchNorm2d(in_c) self.relu = nn.ReLU() def forward(self, inputs): x = self.bn(inputs) x = self.relu(x) return x The residual_block acts as the main block used in the entire architecture. It takes the previous feature map as input and produces an output. This output also acts as the skip connection for the decoder block. To reduce the spatial dimensions i.e., height and width of the feature map, strided convolution is used with a stride value of 2. class residual_block(nn.Module): def __init__(self, in_c, out_c, stride=1): super().__init__() """ Convolutional layer """ self.b1 = batchnorm_relu(in_c) self.c1 = nn.Conv2d(in_c, out_c, kernel_size=3, padding=1, stride=stride) self.b2 = batchnorm_relu(out_c) self.c2 = nn.Conv2d(out_c, out_c, kernel_size=3, padding=1, stride=1) """ Shortcut Connection (Identity Mapping) """ self.s = nn.Conv2d(in_c, out_c, kernel_size=1, padding=0, stride=stride) def forward(self, inputs): x = self.b1(inputs) x = self.c1(x) x = self.b2(x) x = self.c2(x) s = self.s(inputs) skip = x + s return skip The decoder_block takes the previous input feature map along with the skip connection from the encoder and produces and output. class decoder_block(nn.Module): def __init__(self, in_c, out_c): super().__init__() self.upsample = nn.Upsample(scale_factor=2, mode="bilinear", align_corners=True) self.r = residual_block(in_c+out_c, out_c) def forward(self, inputs, skip): x = self.upsample(inputs) x = torch.cat([x, skip], axis=1) x = self.r(x) return x class build_resunet(nn.Module): def __init__(self): super().__init__() """ Encoder 1 """ self.c11 = nn.Conv2d(3, 64, kernel_size=3, padding=1) self.br1 = batchnorm_relu(64) self.c12 = nn.Conv2d(64, 64, kernel_size=3, padding=1) self.c13 = nn.Conv2d(3, 64, kernel_size=1, padding=0) """ Encoder 2 and 3 """ self.r2 = residual_block(64, 128, stride=2) self.r3 = residual_block(128, 256, stride=2) """ Bridge """ self.r4 = residual_block(256, 512, stride=2) """ Decoder """ self.d1 = decoder_block(512, 256) self.d2 = decoder_block(256, 128) self.d3 = decoder_block(128, 64) """ Output """ self.output = nn.Conv2d(64, 1, kernel_size=1, padding=0) self.sigmoid = nn.Sigmoid() def forward(self, inputs): """ Encoder 1 """ x = self.c11(inputs) x = self.br1(x) x = self.c12(x) s = self.c13(inputs) skip1 = x + s """ Encoder 2 and 3 """ skip2 = self.r2(skip1) skip3 = self.r3(skip2) """ Bridge """ b = self.r4(skip3) """ Decoder """ d1 = self.d1(b, skip3) d2 = self.d2(d1, skip2) d3 = self.d3(d2, skip1) """ output """ output = self.output(d3) output = self.sigmoid(output) return output The code above the complete implementation of the RESUNET architecture in the PyTorch framework.

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Two Italian volunteers used a 3D printer to manufacture a desperately-needed ventilator component for patients stricken by the COVID-19 virus. The printed valves saved more than 10 lives in a hospital in the northern Italian city of Brescia. "There were people whose lives were in danger, and we acted," Cristian Fracassi, who along with fellow volunteer Alessandro Ramaioli made the valves, said in a Facebook post on March 15. "Period." Fracassi and Ramaioli were asked to assist with producing the valves after supplies from the source medical company were not forthcoming. The company, which charges $11,000 a piece for the devices, would not share the technical specifications for producing the valve, so the volunteers measured the valves and printed them themselves. Early reports circulated that the company had threatened to sue for patent infringement, however this was subsequently denied by company representatives. The Metro’s Faye Brown wrote on March 17 the volunteers produced an initial batch of ten, and then 100 more, all for free. The fact that most medical technology is controlled by patents prevents vital equipment (including testing kits) being manufactured and distributed en masse and cheaply in a time of crisis. This is being laid bare by the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Not All Clouds Are Created Equal Remember when you struggled to stay awake way back in Earth Science class learning about the different types of clouds floating above the Earth? Few of us can probably remember the distinguishing characteristics of cirrus, cumulus and stratus clouds, but our teachers tried their best to make us aware of them. There’s definitely something similar occurring among small and medium-sized business owners when it comes to an awareness of cloud computing and what it means as a concept and, more importantly, to their businesses. In short, there is some understanding of what the cloud is, but some additional information would be welcome. As a leading provider of IT support in the DC metro area, we frequently receive questions about what the cloud is and how best to use it. To sum it up succinctly, cloud computing means using an offsite server(s) to house any or all of your company’s email, file storage, online backup, accounting and business applications. In the cloud, these functions are accessible to users at any time through the use of an internet connection as opposed to being stored on a server and/or desktop at their office location. There are a variety of factors (cost, business size, type of business requirements) that determine whether using the cloud, partly or for all your IT needs, is right for your business. We will discuss these thoroughly in future posts. In this post, we will stick with introducing the three main types of clouds a business can use. In order to better understand the different types of clouds, it is helpful to first understand what an offsite data center is. Data centers are normally warehouse type buildings, which house a large number of racks that hold many servers and other hardware and networking equipment. The companies who own these data centers provide physical security, electric power, internet connections, a controlled temperature and moisture environment, and fire suppression systems to operate and protect this equipment. Data centers also have redundant systems for electric power and internet connections. Depending upon the company who owns the data center, they will either rent out space on their servers or provide physical space (along with the other attributes) for companies to house their own servers. Some data centers lease out dedicated servers and also provide server maintenance for a fee. This is the most basic type of cloud computing widely used by small and medium-sized businesses. Public cloud service providers store a company’s desired applications, email, files, and/or any other requirements on a shared server at their offsite location. Some of the leading public cloud service providers include Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, IBM/Softlayer, Dropbox, Anchor, Egnyte, and Google Compute Engine. Your business and other companies share the use of the provider’s server(s) and have 24 hour access to your data through the internet. One analogy to help understand the public cloud is to think of life in an apartment complex. The apartment building is the offsite data center containing many shared servers represented by separate apartments and your apartment is one shared server, which you rent like an apartment. In your rented apartment you have your own private space for your things, but you also have a roommate(s) who shares your kitchen and other areas of the apartment when you are not using them. The difference is that unlike the real life situation when you share your apartment with a roommate, your company will not be aware of the other companies sharing the server where your company’s data is housed. In an apartment complex, the management company or landlord provides all the utilities (electricity, water, etc.), maintenance of the building and grounds, and security. Similarly, the data center provides the electricity, internet connection with redundancies to operate the servers that make your company’s and its other clients’ computing needs possible. They also provide physical security and firewalls to prevent security breaches and viruses from impacting your data. In the public cloud model, companies generally pay a subscription fee per user and save money and time by not having to worry about the cost to own and maintain a dedicated server at their location. Larger companies and companies that have significant security and compliance requirements are generally not a good fit for this type of cloud. The private cloud (also known as a corporate cloud or internal cloud) is similar to the public cloud in that it refers to a company’s use of a server(s) at an offsite location to store and provide access to all or a portion of a company’s desired applications through the internet. However, in the private cloud, the company has its own dedicated server (either privately owned or leased) at a data center or at their own offsite location. This is in contrast to the public cloud where the data from many companies is shared on the same server at the data center. Using the apartment building analogy, you own your private apartment in the building and do not share anything in your apartment. The private cloud option is used generally by companies to gain the benefits of using the cloud, while still maintaining control of their company data through the use of their own private data server. Companies that use this more expensive model are concerned with security and compliance and keeping their assets protected by their own firewall. The company does not have to worry about any viruses or security breaches coming from other companies on a shared server as their information is physically kept apart on their own dedicated server. The negative side to this approach is the cost of owning or leasing a server along with any maintenance expenses. Using the private cloud gives companies greater control of their data and more peace of mind. As the name suggests, some companies combine the public and private cloud models described above to use the hybrid cloud model. The most common example is when companies use the public cloud exclusively for email, while using their own dedicated server at their office (on-premise) or using the private cloud as described above for file storage. In this example, the company still has control of certain sensitive applications privately, while using the public cloud for their applications, which don’t have the same security or compliance requirements. Companies can also use the hybrid cloud model to reap benefits by migrating applications to the public cloud during natural disasters or scheduled server maintenance at their private cloud locations. For more specific blog posts about using the cloud for Email, file storage, and business applications, please click on the following links: Now that you know about the types of clouds out there, you can explore our related blogs at networkdepot.com to learn more about the latest developments in cloud computing and the potential benefits for your company. Feel free to contact us at any time to discuss cloud computing options for your company. And don’t forget to take a moment and review the three main types of clouds floating above your head. Think of it as a useful conversation starter with family, friends, or a stranger.

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Snacks can taste good and give your child’s energy a boost, but they can also be bad for teeth. Sugary, sticky snacks, such as candy, cookies, and snack cakes can lead to tooth decay if eaten regularly between meals. Still, there are plenty of fun snacks for healthy teeth. The trick when selecting snacks is to avoid too many added sugars and refined carbohydrates that stay on the teeth and give bacteria a chance to ferment and produce acid from them, which can lead to tooth decay. In addition, snacks should provide nutrients to support a healthy mouth. These are five fun snacks you can feel good about giving to your child. 1. Yogurt and cereal. Yogurt contains calcium, which is an essential mineral for strong and healthy teeth. Select plain yogurt or yogurt flavored with real fruit, rather than flavored yogurt that is sweetened with added sugar. We recommend choosing a whole-grain cereal, which is less likely to lead to dental caries. Choose a low-sugar or unsweetened cereal to avoid accidentally making the snack as sugary as a candy bar. 2. Tuna and whole-wheat crackers. Canned tuna contains vitamin D, which is an essential vitamin for helping your body absorb and use calcium. Whole-wheat crackers are natural sources of antioxidants for a strong immune system, and they’re lower in refined carbohydrates than white crackers. 3. Bell pepper strips and hummus. Red, yellow, and green bell peppers are excellent sources of vitamin C, which is an antioxidant. Vitamin C is also a good choice for supporting regeneration or maintenance of healthy gum tissue. Vitamin E is another antioxidant, and it also supports a healthy immune system. A strong immune system is protective against infections, such as bacterial infections associated with gum disease. 4. Turkey and cheese roll-ups. Turkey is carbohydrate-free, so it doesn’t leave residues of sugars on teeth for bacteria to ferment. Lean ham is another good choice. Low-fat cheddar, mozzarella, or Swiss cheese is a good source of calcium as well as protein. For a more substantial snack that’s still low in carbohydrates and sugar, add a few celery sticks. 5. Peanut butter and carrots. Peanut butter is another source of vitamin E. Carrots provide vitamin A, which is essential for a strong immune system. You can also substitute cauliflower or broccoli florets for the carrots, and ranch dressing for the peanut butter, and still have a snack that’s fun to eat and good for your child’s teeth. For more great snack tips, ask a member of our Pensacola, FL team at your child’s next appointment!

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Recently we spoke with Andrew T. Chan, MD, MPH (@AndyChanMD), lead researcher for the COVID Symptom Study App and SU2C Gastric Cancer Interception Research Team Leader, about the importance of the influenza (flu) vaccine and its impact on patients, especially those that are immunocompromised, cancer survivors, and their loved ones. What are your recommendations for immunocompromised patients in regards to protecting their health during the COVID-19 pandemic, and as we move into flu season? As we head into flu season, now more than ever, people must be vigilant about taking precautions to minimize their risk of acquiring of both the flu and COVID-19. This begins by practicing what we know works in virus prevention: washing your hands, avoiding large crowds, social distancing, wearing masks in public, staying away from others if you feel sick, and getting the flu vaccine if you are over six months old. These behaviors must continue because it will ultimately help protect you and others, especially those who may be immunocompromised, including patients and their families. Why is getting the flu vaccine this year important for patients, survivors, and their loved ones? All people living with cancer, especially immunocompromised patients, survivors, and their caregivers need to get the vaccine as soon as possible to help minimize their risk of getting the flu. It is equally essential for even individuals who are not in close contact with people living with cancer to get the vaccine now to help reduce the spread of flu in our communities. When is the ideal time for people to get the flu vaccine? While we don’t yet know when flu season will peak, and where the virus will be most prevalent, it’s best to get the vaccine right now since we don’t know exactly when the flu season will strike.Of course, over time the protection offered by the flu vaccine may wane, so it is worth talking to your doctor about what to do if the season persists longer than expected. Are cancer patients and survivors more likely to get the flu than others? Cancer patients and survivors with compromised immune systems are more likely to develop worsening symptoms, less able to effectively fight an infection, and more prone to develop complications after being infected. This is why everyone needs to get the flu vaccine this year and do everything they can to protect themselves and their community. What are the key differences between COVID-19 and the flu? This is an area we are studying through the COVID Symptom Study App. We know some symptoms are more specific to COVID-19 than the flu, such as the loss of taste and smell. On the other hand, flu symptoms seem to be more commonly associated with nasal congestion and a stuffy nose. However, there are some shared symptoms which may make it hard to tell them apart. Understanding the key differences between the two viruses is something we hope to tease out over the next few weeks based on what communities are reporting, and the symptoms they are experiencing, to help distinguish the flu from COVID-19. What should someone do if they think they might have COVID-19 or the flu? It is likely that people may have symptoms that could be due to both infections. The good news is that we now have tests for both viruses, and the bottlenecks we faced in testing for COVID-19 earlier in the pandemic have somewhat improved. If you believe you may have either the flu or COVID-19, we recommend isolating and getting in touch with your doctor about what steps to take regarding testing. How can tracking COVID-19 using the COVID Symptom Study App help fight the pandemic this winter? The COVID Symptom Study App captures symptoms of COVID-19 so we can identify hotspots of the virus. In the same way, our app can be utilized to track the flu and predict outbreaks as well. This is why it is so important for people, whether they have cancer or not, and whether they feel well or not, to log how they feel through the COVID Symptom Study App. How close do you believe we are to having effective treatments for COVID-19 that will help reduce hospitalization and risk for immunocompromised patients? I’m heartened by the progress currently being made in developing promising treatments for COVID-19 and the speed at which scientists are working to develop tests and therapeutics. Although researchers are working as fast as they can, we are also not taking short cuts, so it will take some patience before these come to fruition. I’m hopeful that more treatments will be available to reduce the risk of hospitalization within the next several months, but it is not easy to predict exactly when they will be ready. Is there any evidence that mask-wearing, social distancing, and getting the flu vaccine may reduce the spread of the flu this year? There is clear evidence that wearing a mask and washing your hands is an effective means of prevention for any respiratory virus. There is also evidence that getting the flu vaccine minimizes your risk for flu as well. In 2020, as a result of mask-wearing, social distancing, and the flu vaccine, we have seen remarkably low influenza rates in the Southern Hemisphere during their winter flu season, which occurs during our summer months. This is solid proof that these non-pharmacological interventions can make a difference in making our flu season much more manageable. Now is the time to stand together, practice prevention, and get the flu vaccine. By doing so, we will minimize the risk of the flu for ourselves, our loved ones, our communities. The content appearing on this website is provided for informational purposes only. NOTHING CONTAINED ON THIS WEBSITE IS INTENDED TO BE FOR MEDICAL DIAGNOSIS OR TREATMENT OF ANY ILLNESS, CONDITION OR DISEASE. INFORMATION ON THIS WEBSITE SHOULD NOT BE RELIED UPON FOR PERSONAL OR MEDICAL DECISIONS OF ANY KIND. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF YOUR PHYSICIAN OR OTHER QUALIFIED HEALTHCARE PROVIDER REGARDING ANY HEALTHCARE QUESTIONS.

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Fireworks and Common Sense Eye Safety What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Independence Day celebrations? Most likely, you thought of fireworks. They are certainly a dazzling and exciting part of the festivities, but they can also be a serious hazard if not handled with caution. Fireworks aren’t just pretty to look at, they are explosives. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s report, in 2021 at least 18 people across the country died in incidents with fireworks and about 15,600 needed treatment in a hospital. 15% of those injuries were eye injuries. The Dangers Inherent in Fireworks How are fireworks so dangerous? Even sparklers burn as hot as 3000°F, and fireworks throw off live sparks and pieces of shrapnel, any of which can cause permanent vision loss if it reaches the eye. It’s critical to treat these pyrotechnic devices as explosives and take precautions so that our celebrations aren’t marred by injuries. Tips for Fireworks Safety The first, most important safety tip with fireworks is to stay out of range if they go in the wrong direction and simply enjoy the professional fireworks displays without personally handling any of them. However, we know many people love doing fireworks themselves. Provided that they’re within the legal limits of the area, here are essential safety rules to follow: - Carefully read all of the instructions for any firework you plan to use, particularly the minimum safe distance described. Follow all of these instructions! - NEVER aim a firework of any size at a person or animal (or yourself). - NEVER look into the tube of an unexploded firework if it seems like a dud. - Wear safety goggles at all times if you’re working closely with fireworks. This simple piece of safety equipment could be the difference between walking away uninjured and being permanently blinded in a firework accident. - Make sure that any older child using fireworks is closely supervised, and keep younger children away from fireworks altogether (including firecrackers and sparklers). - Follow all the local and state laws about fireworks. - Only handle fireworks while sober. What to Do If an Accident Happens Following all of the safety instructions will be enough to prevent most injuries from fireworks, but if an accident does happen, the next steps are critical. If there’s a piece of firework in the injured eye, don’t attempt to remove it. Tape a cup over the injured eye to protect it and keep the injured person from trying to touch it. Go straight to the emergency room. The sooner doctors can begin treating the injury, the better the chances are for recovery. Enjoy Your Independence Day! We wish all of our patients a fun 4th of July with family, friends, good food, and no fireworks-related injuries! To learn more about how you can keep your celebration safe for everyone present, we’d be happy to discuss it with you. Send us an email or give us a call.

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Breaking the silence: accommodating young people with disabilities in sexuality education through sensitising educators in Southern Africa Young people with disabilities, particularly girls, are at an increased risk of sexual violence and exposure to HIV. Despite this fact, very few interventions in Africa target this vulnerable group and none of them are based on evidence. Scholars argue that lack of sexuality education, access to Sexual and Reproductive health and Rights (SRHR) and cultural norms are associated with the increased risk. This Breaking the Silence study aims to identify challenges and gaps in the current delivery of sexuality education to learners with disabilities in South Africa’s Life Orientation lessons in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The study includes three phases, a) needs assessment b) development of intervention and training toolkit and c) formative evaluation with pilot schools. The needs assessment in phase one informs the development of a training approach, manual and toolkit custom made for South African educators who provide sexuality education to learners with disabilities. This approach is piloted in phase three and is currently being formally evaluated. The study seeks to identify the needs of teachers in order to provide appropriate sexuality education to learners with disabilities and develop and evaluate an intervention and tools to address the potential gap in skills and practice. In order to achieve this goal the study aims at the following: - Develop and pilot a tool/questionnaire to access the knowledge, attitudes, practise and needs of educators in regards to providing sexuality and HIV education to children with disabilities - Validate the tool/questionnaire in a first phase of content and face validation - Capture the current experiences of educators with sexuality education for people with disabilities - Develop a training approach, manual and teaching tools for the classroom based on the needs assessment - Pilot and formally evaluate the intervention. Phases one and two each involve 100 educators and support staff purposely selected from special schools in KwaZulu-Natal (rural-urban divide and disability type considered in sampling). The needs assessment and formative evaluation use qualitative and quantitative methods of enquiry. The study is guided by an adapted version of the theory of planed behaviour. As a first in Africa this study also has to develop and validate research tools. For this, validation techniques as used by O’Brien are adopted. In order to assess the knowledge, attitudes and practise of teachers, the TSE-questionnaire is developed and validated and is used for a cross-sectional survey. This tool collects demographic data and uses self-development or scales from already validated instruments and adapts these to the South African cultural context. The TSE-Q is validated using face and content validity and ease of use measures. The tool is piloted with 40 teachers of special schools in KZN (convenient sample), who then fill in a validation questionnaire directly thereafter. The results are discussed and validated in a consultative meeting with the educators. The experience of educators is captured using focus group discussions to inform the needs assessment and individual in-depth interviews to inform the formative evaluation. The experiences of learners with disabilities who were exposed to the pilot interventions are captured using FGD.

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In 1993, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officially listed secondhand tobacco smoke as a Group A Human Carcinogen, the same rating the agency gives to asbestos, radon gas and vinyl chloride. The listing was a public relations disaster for the tobacco industry, and their internal documents show how tobacco companies reacted. A 6-page Philip Morris planning document found in the files of Ted Lattanzio (Director of Philip Morris Worldwide Regulatory Affairs), lists strategies and budgets for fighting efforts to ban smoking in workplaces and public places. Page 4 describes a strategy for dealing with public information about how childrens’ health is disproportionately affected by exposure to secondhand smoke: “Shift the debate on ETS [environmental tobacco smoke] and children to: Are our schools and day care centers making children sick?” Tactics proposed for making the public believe that schools and day care centers are making children sick (instead of secondhand smoke) include: “Feed available information to National School Board Association in D.C. Feed information to Oprah, et. al. Get sick children on the shows. Research newspaper clippings of parents who keep children at home because of school environment — pass those on. Why? Shift the debate. Why is EPA not spending research dollars on solving school problem?? I have the research budget for next year — not very much is going to identify or solve the school problem. Get information to EPA Watch.” Philip Morris’ estimated budget for the effort to blame day care facilities for making children sick was $100,000.

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They have long conveyors which carry the dough pieces through a heated box section baking chamber. Oven lengths vary typically between 25 m and 100 m long. The conveyor band material is a wire-mesh or a carbon steel sheet, which turns around large cylindrical drums at each end of the tunnel oven. The conveyor is driven by a variable speed drive at the tunnel oven end which allows the operator to adjust the baking time. The baking chamber may be heated directly with gas burners or electric heaters or by an indirect system using heat exchangers. Direct heating systems use gas or electric energy, indirect systems may also use diesel oil fuel as the products of combustion do not enter the baking chamber. The temperature and humidity control is divided into zones along the length of the tunnel oven, usually each control zone is between 8 m and 20 m long. This enables the temperature and humidity to be set and controlled throughout the baking process to optimise the conditions for the establishment of the biscuit structure, moisture content and colour as the dough pieces travel through the oven. The control of the humidity in the baking chamber and the removal of moisture from the dough pieces is accomplished by an extraction system in each zone. This consists of ducts which draw air and moisture from the baking chamber through a fan and expel the air through vertical flues (chimneys) to atmosphere. In some ovens this wet air removed from the baking chamber can be diverted either to the flue or back into the baking chamber. This provides moving air within the baking chamber which can aid heat transfer and contribute to even baking conditions across the width of the tunnel oven. These systems are called “turbulence” systems and are mainly used on ovens which have relatively still air in the baking chamber, for example indirect radiant ovens and direct gas fired ovens. Ovens are designed to optimise the heat transfer to the dough pieces in different ways. We can group the basic designs into the following: Direct gas fired ovens are very widely used throughout the biscuit baking industry. They offer versatility to bake all types of biscuits, cookies and crackers. The direct gas fired oven has a simple baking chamber of box section with the oven band supported through the middle of the chamber. Above and below the band are ribbon gas burners. A gas/air mixture is supplied to the burner tubes and this is ignited by a spark electrode and burns on a strip or ribbon across the width of the oven conveyor band The heat transfer in a direct gas fired oven is primarily by radiation from the gas flames and from the oven top, base and walls of the baking chamber. Most types of gas may be used including natural gas, town gas (manufactured from coal) and LPG (liquid petroleum gas). The burners operate on a “zero gas pressure” system and the pressure of the air supplied to the burners is controlled by motorised valves or variable speed blowers to increase or decrease the flame intensity and heat input. Various designs of corrugated stainless steel strips (or ribbons) are used to give a range of heat ratings. Woven wire-mesh (metal fibre) strips are also used for very high infra-red heat ratings. This type of oven can achieve high heat inputs per square metre of band surface (up to 40,000 kcal/m2 may be used for cracker baking) and can successfully utilise any type of baking band, heavy mesh, open wire-mesh bands and steel bands. Direct gas fired burners are used to supply band pre-heat where this is required for cracker baking. Electric ovens are constructed in a similar way to direct gas fired ovens, but use electric heating elements in place of the gas burners. These ovens have been widely used in the baking industry in some countries where industry had adequate electricity supply, but lacked gas, for example China. However most countries, including China, now use gas predominantly in the baking industry, which is invariably substantially cheaper than electricity. Electrical heating has also been used in the first zones of ovens which required high heat inputs at the start of the baking process and where diesel oil with an indirect heating system was the preferred fuel for the main part of the oven. The indirect radiant ovens (also known as “cyclotherm” ovens) are constructed in separate zones. Each zone is typically 10 – 20m long and it has a single burner, heat exchanger and circulation system for the hot gases from the burner. Each zone has a burner firing into a burner tube. The hot burnt gases are drawn from the burner tube through ducts to rows of steel tubes, or ducts, at the top and bottom of the baking chamber. These radiant tubes, or ducts, run the whole length of the zone. The hot gases travel through the tubes or ducts which then radiate heat to the products from above and below. At the end of the zone, the hot gases are collected in a return duct through which they travel back to the circulating fan and from there to the burner tube to be re-circulated. It is essentially a closed, circulating system with a single burner, circulating fan and radiant tubes to heat the products from above and below. A flue with natural convection is used to balance the pressure in the system resulting from the ingress of combustion air at the burner. The continuous re-circulation of the hot gases ensures a good efficiency. Fresh air is only drawn into the system at the burner for combustion and this is balanced by the natural extraction through the burner flue. Since the products of combustion do not enter the baking chamber, the burner may use oil or gas. This system is commonly used where oil is the most economic fuel, for example in India. This baking system bakes by radiation with a high heat mass providing stable baking conditions. It is versatile, capable of baking all types of biscuit, cookies and some crackers. High rate crackers require a first zone of direct heating. The system is favoured by many bakers for producing a high quality of biscuit structure, texture and colour. It is an ideal system for achieving colour contrasts on rotary moulded and cracker products. As noted above, steel baking bands and heavy mesh bands conduct heat rapidly into the base of the dough pieces. These types of band can be used in any of the tunnel oven designs, direct gas fired, indirect radiant ovens and convection ovens. Steel bands are made of carbon steel, usually 1.2 mm thick. They are principally used for the baking of cookies with high sugar and fat contents, which flow on the oven band in the first part of the oven. Traditionally steel bands are also used for the baking of “Marie”. Heavy mesh baking bands, mainly Ashworth type CB5, are woven with a tight “herring bone” pattern providing a solid, thick, heavy mesh. These bands are pre-heated to 120°C – 150°C and they conduct heat immediately into the base of the dough piece as soon as it is deposited on the band. This is a major baking method, being used throughout the industry for the baking of soda crackers and saltines. These bands are also versatile and can be used for a wide range of crackers, hard sweet and rotary moulded products. “Convection” ovens are constructed in zones, each zone having a single burner and circulation fan. The fan blows the air around the burner tube, where it is heated and then through ducts along the length of the zone. These ducts, located above and below the baking band, have slots or nozzles through which jets of hot air are blown onto the products and the oven band. Hot air from the baking chamber is drawn back to the fan to be re-circulated through the system. Each zone has an extraction fan and flue to remove moisture from the baking chamber and this system will also extract the hot air from the heating system. The hot gases from the burner are combined with the re-circulated air from the baking chamber and blown through the ducts in the baking chamber and directly onto the products. As the products of combustion are blown directly onto the products, diesel oil fuels are unsuitable for direct convection baking. Indirect convection ovens The burner fires into a burner tube connected to a multi-pass heat exchanger. The products of combustion are circulated within the heat exchanger and do not enter the baking chamber. Air is drawn from the baking chamber through the circulating fan and then passed through the heat exchanger, where it picks up heat, before being blow through the ducts in the baking chamber and onto the products. This system can utilise gas or diesel oil fuels. These ovens were developed in USA as a versatile cookie and biscuit oven. The system is basically a direct convection oven, but the volume of hot gases blown directly onto the products can be adjusted. When this is reduced, the hot gases circulate through the ducts at the top and bottom of the oven and return to the burner tube, with less hot air being blown onto the products. The system can therefore balance the heat transfer by convective air or by radiation from the ducts. Re-circ ovens may be used for products requiring lower heat inputs. For the first zones, the tunnel oven is operated in a mainly radiant mode to avoid “skinning” the dough piece. However the heat transfer in this mode is low and the biscuit structure is relatively slow to form. In the convective mode the heat transfer is increased and the system is a direct convection oven. It has become common practice to combine different oven types into a “hybrid” or “combination” oven. This allows the baker to use different heat transfer modes at different stages of the baking process. Products such as crackers and hard sweet biscuits require high heat inputs in the first part of the baking process to establish good structure and volume. This can only be provided effectively by a direct heating system and a direct gas fired oven section is normally specified. This system also minimises the drying and skinning of the surface of the dough pieces, which would prevent the lift and expansion of the dough pieces when it is required. The length of this direct fired section is usually one third of the total length of the tunnel oven and the power input of the direct fired section is one half of the total power input of the oven. The indirect radiant oven section will contribute to the optimum development of texture and colour of a wide range of crackers and biscuits. This specification again uses the benefits of the direct gas fired oven in the first third of the oven. The convection section will effectively remove moisture from the dough pieces and achieve a low and even moisture content for the final product. Colour will be even and bland, without contrasts, which is suitable for a range of hard sweet biscuits. Ovens utilising three systems, for example direct gas fired/indirect radiant/convection have been installed. However the theoretical benefits are outweighed by the complexity of set up and control and the relatively shorter sections of each system. Dielectric dryers have been manufactured by the Strayfield Company in UK and used in the biscuit baking industry for almost 50 years. These are very effective in reducing moisture content and in achieving very even moisture contents across the width of the oven band. They are particularly effective on hard sweet biscuits which are prone to checking (cracking after baking due to stresses created by moisture gradient between the outer surface and the centre of the biscuit). The Strayfield units are positioned immediately after the conventional tunnel oven and consist of a separate baking chamber, conveyor with synthetic band, and drying system. The drying system comprises a transformer, rectifier, oscillator, circuit with variable inductance and electrodes above and below the product band. The dielectric system subjects the products to direct heating from a radio frequency energy source. As the products pass between the electrodes they are subject to a reversal of the polarity which causes the molecules of water to rub together and heat up. The heating rate increases as the frequency of the reversal of the charge increases. High frequencies are used, typically 27.12 MHz. While the technology is effective, it is also relatively costly in terms of both capital cost and operating cost. It is therefore used mainly on high output lines where elimination of checking is a major and quantifiable benefit. Microwave units have been successfully tested in conventional ovens. The addition of microwave units significantly speeds texture and volume development and aids moisture loss from the centre of the product. However the cost of generating the microwaves and the safety issues involved have prevented the wider application of microwave baking in the industry. Changing the type of belt in tunnel ovens As a former product manager and now a consultant for tunnel oven belts, I would be interested to ask for your experience in changing the principal type of belt used in your tunnel oven and for what reason. Did you change from solid steel belt to mesh belt or (multiple spiral) CB5-belt to Z-belt (rolled baking oven belt)? Or was it vice versa? Or are there intentions and thoughts to do something like this? Looking forward to your comments and replies. Oven for water cracker What are the most suitable configurations of the oven should we looking for? Fouling on direct oven flue heat exchanger I was wondering if anyone can me some insight into fouling issues on a potential combustion air preheater, for use on a direct oven... Rotary moulder product in hybrid oven (dgf/convection) I find it a little difficult to find a correct cooking diagram when I have to cook a rotary moulder product with the first 2 or 3 zones dgf; it does not develop well and I am forced to overturn a classic diagram... Oven operation manuals I wonder if any of you would have any operational material that could help us? Oven zone lengths How designers decide oven zone length, no. of zones required for given biscuit variant? Oven burners flame intensity I would like to ask, in normal practice, what kind of burner intensity suits all the biscuits? Be sure to subscribe to our newsletter by registering so that you do not miss any of our articles and insights. Tony Coral: “Radio Frequency Heating and Post Baking” 2004: Strayfield Ltd. www.strayfield.co.uk Iain Davidson: “A Baker’s Guide to Modern Biscuit Ovens” 1989: Japanese Biscuit Makers Association

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Endodontic and Root Canal Therapies Endodontic Therapy or Root Canal Treatment (RCT) is necessary procedure for diseases related to infection of dental pulp tissue or periapical tissue. When caries occurs and it is not stopped in the early stage, the infection progresses deeper to the dental pulp. Dental pulp is tissue that fills the canal system in the centre of the tooth, containing mostly nerves, vascular tissue and immune cells. When bacteria from caries arrive in dental pulp, different scenarios are possible, depending on the patient’s immunity status and bacterial flora. These different pathological changes have different approaches to treatment, but what is common for all of them, they all request adequate endodontic treatment. The infection of pulp can have acute or chronic pathology, with or without pus and with a different clinical presentation. Acute pulpitis is usually followed by spontaneous, pulsating pain that increases during the night and the pulp tissue is partially or entirely inflamed. After removing the inflamed tissue from dental chamber and canals, complete endodontic treatment can be performed in a single visit. On the other hand, chronic pulpitis may persist as asymptomatic or may become symptomatic when acute exacerbation occurs with symptoms similar to an acute form of this condition. There are many other forms of chronic pulpitis like epulis, where granulation tissues overgrow the dental chamber and dental crown. If pulpitis stays untreated it can progress to pulp necrosis or periodontitis. Pulpal necrosis is the consequence of chronic pulpitis that may have clinical painful manifestation or may stay unnoticed and accidentally discovered during teeth examination. Periodontitis is actually the infection of the tissue that surrounds the tooth inside the bone. It appears as consequence of pulpitis when the persisting infection from dental canals progresses to the apical tissue. It can be presented as acute or chronic form followed by spontaneous pain but the more likely pain will appear during biting and chewing. It can be followed by swelling, abscess, fistulas and raised body temperature. This condition also requests endodontic treatment. Depending on clinical manifestation, initial diagnoses and patient’s chief complaints, therapy may begin with first aid treatment that includes tooth trepanation in order to achieve a proper drainage of inflamed tissue. In some cases surgical incision of surrounding tissue may be necessary, followed by antibiotic medication. Acute conditions require the reduction of pain and after the acute inflammatory phase is under control it can proceed with endodontic treatment in order to exclude bacteria from the tooth’s canals and periapical tissue. After opening the tooth, whether as a drainages opening of regular access to the tooth’s canal system, the right preparation of dental chamber is necessary. This stage is called access cavity preparation and has the aim of forming the ideal entrance for endodontic instruments into the canal system. There should be no obstacles for the instruments so the canal preparation can be achieved with minimal mechanical resistance to the instruments. There are many types of endodontic instruments from many different companies. These instruments are formed as needles, made of curved wire by special technological processes, with sharp edges that allow mechanical clearance of dental canal’s walls. The most known are K shaping files, reamers and tapers. After the access cavity is properly prepared, the first step is the determination of the working length. With proper files known as progliders or pathfinders, the initial scouting and passability of canal system are required. With a help of additional equipment called Apex Locator, the length of each canal may be precisely determined. Canal length is the distance from the referent marked point on the tooth’s crown and tooth’s apex. The precise length is one of the major measures that affect the outcome of endodontic treatment. When canal length is successfully determined, the cleaning and shaping of canals may begin. There are different techniques for canal shaping such as crown-down or step-back. Depending on the initial diagnosis, canal’s shape, type of instruments and protocols that are optimal for each case, different procedures are available. However, they all have in common the main goal of this procedure and that is the removal of infected pulp, cleaning the debris and bacteria from the canals and achieving the aseptic environment for the future canal filling i.e. obturation. Canal shaping may be performed with hand and rotary files and tapers. Regardless the type of instruments and technique main goal of this procedure is the same: to mechanically remove the softened and infected hard dental tissue from the canal walls. Mechanical instrumentation always requires irrigation in order to wash out debris, clean and disinfect the canal system. Irrigation includes special solutions like sodium-hypochlorite, citric acid, EDTA, chlorhexidine and sterile sodium-chloride solution. In some cases, mostly in periodontitis with huge bone destruction and pus collection, intersession treatment and medication may be necessary in order to more effectively destroy all pathogen bacteria. Intersession medication includes the application of sterile calcium-hydroxide or sometimes even antibiotic paste known as Trio-paste. When instrumentation and medication of canals are finished, whether it is performed through one or more sessions and after proper final irrigation, canals should be dried and properly obturated. There are few different techniques for canal obturation: lateral condensation, vertical compaction, cone-fit technique. They all have the same purpose, to tightly close the empty space of the canals in there full diameter and length. This is achieved with proper materials like gutta-percha points and obturating pastes i.e. sealants. Sealants vary in their chemical composition but currently, the best sealants on the market are based on tricalcium silicate, MTA and Biodentin. Tight obturation leaves no space for any bacteria to lead to the failure of endodontic treatment and repeated infections. After endodontic treatment is finished, depending on the tooth’s crown condition, your dentist will suggest the best solution for final crown restoration. Whether it includes core build-up with additional composite filling, onlay or overlay, or maybe a dental crown. Final crown restoration is equally important as proper endodontic treatment since coronal sealing is of major importance in preserving the treated canals from repeated bacterial penetration. It is important to understand the significance of endodontic therapy. This procedure allows the tooth preservation for long period of time, even when only the root has left. A financial calculation can easily justify the price of these complex procedures since they are cheaper than tooth loss and consequential implant placement. There is no superior substitute for our natural tissue and nothing is more valuable than our own natural teeth.

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Ngumbarl is a non-Pama Nyungan language from the north west of Western Australia. McGregor classifies Ngumbarl as one of the Western Nyulnyulan languages, along with Bardi K15, Jawi K16, Jabirrjabirr K8, Nimanburru K9 and Nyulnyul K13. He contrasts these with the Eastern Nyulnyulan languages, Nyikina K3, Warrwa K10, Yawuru K1 and Jukun K2 (2010:209). Vicinity of Barred Creek; south from Coulomb Point to Willie Creek; inland for about 30 miles (50 km.); at Cape Boileau (Tindale 1974). Willie Creek to Price's Point (Stokes 1984:9). Search MURA people® Search MURA language® McGregor, William. 1988 Handbook of Kimberley Languages. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics. © Author. AIATSIS gratefully acknowledge William McGregor for permission to use his material in AUSTLANG. Speaker numbers were measured differently across the censuses and various other sources listed in AUSTLANG. You are encouraged to refer to the sources. Speaker numbers for ‘NILS 2004’ and ‘2005 estimate’ come from 'Table F.3: Numbers of speakers of Australian Indigenous languages (various surveys)' in 'Appendix F NILS endangerment and absolute number results' in McConvell, Marmion and McNicol 2005, pages 198-230 (PDF, 2.5MB).

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Water heaters are a necessity in every household. They provide hot water for cooking, cleaning, and bathing. In addition to this, water heaters are also used for heating the water that comes out of the faucet. According to a report published by the US Energy Information Administration, an average US household utilizes between 50 and 100 gallons of water per day. This means that water heaters are used in every single home in the country on a daily basis. But do you know the sound of your water heater? It’s a question that most of us never have to ask ourselves. It’s not something we really think about until there’s a problem with the heater, and then it becomes the only thing you can think about. If you’ve ever had a noisy water heater, then you already know how much of a problem it can be. Not only does it make your home feel less than relaxing, but it also makes it hard to sleep, leading to other issues. A noisy heater is usually caused by many things. In this article, water heater repair and replacement experts in Santa Rosa will help you understand some common Water Heater Sounds, their causes, and what you can do when your hot water heater making noise. So, let’s get started. Is it normal for the hot water heater making noise when water is off? No, it’s not normal for your hot water heater to make a noise when the water is off. If you hear a clanging or banging sound, it could be a sign of a few different problems. If you hear unusual sounds from your hot water heater when the water supply is shut off, it could indicate a potential problem. Here are a few possible causes for the water heater making noise: Over time, sediment can accumulate at the bottom of the hot water tank. When the water is turned off, the sediment may harden and cause the heating element or burner to pop or crackle. When the water heater heats up, the metal tank expands. If the pressure relief valve is faulty or there is excessive pressure in the system, the expanding metal may cause banging or knocking noises. Vibrations and water flow can loosen various components within the hot water heater, such as pipes, valves, or heating elements. These loose parts can rattle and create noise even when the water supply is turned off. Common Water Heater Sounds You Should Know and Their Causes Are you one of the millions of Americans who are suffering from a noisy water heater? If so, then it’s time to educate yourself about the different sounds your water heater makes. A noisy water heater can be a sign that something is wrong with it, and if you don’t know what those sounds mean, you could make the situation worse by trying to fix it yourself. Here are seven common water heater sounds and what they mean: Popping or crackling If your water heater making a popping noise, it is a sign that your water heater is going through a phase of normal wear and tear. The sound may start with a few pops and then become louder before eventually fading away. The cause of this noise is the expansion of the water in your tank as it heats up. It’s nothing to worry about, and if you’re concerned about it, consider investing in an expansion tank to prevent damage caused by the pressure that builds up during these phases. A rumbling noise is caused by sediment building up in your tank, which can lead to corrosion. If this happens once, it may not be anything serious; but if it keeps happening, you’ll need to call a professional plumber in Santa Rosa to clean out the tank. Hissing or sizzling This is probably the most common sound we have heard from homeowners in Santa Rosa: their water heater making hissing noise. It happens when the pilot light ignites at the beginning of a heating cycle and stays on for several minutes until the temperature reaches a certain point. You’ll also hear this if your hot water has been turned off for an extended period of time and then turned back on again—it’s just the pilot light relighting itself! Banging or knocking This happens when there isn’t enough pressure in your system to push hot water through the pipes to where you need it. It may be caused by something as simple as an insufficiently sized pipe or a loose fitting somewhere along the line—but more often than not, it’s just because you aren’t using enough hot water at one time! If this happens often enough, it could be a sign of bigger problems with your system. Whistling or high-pitched noise Your water heater may be whistling if it’s not getting enough airflow. This can happen if you’ve blocked the vent pipe or if your house has a buildup of dust and debris that’s blocking the vent hood. Screeching or squealing If your water heater is screeching or squealing, it could mean that the burner assembly needs to be replaced. To avoid this problem, check your burner regularly for rust and corrosion and replace it as soon as you see signs of damage. What to Do with Your Noisy Water Heater? The water heater is one of the most important appliances in your home. It heats the water that comes out of your faucets, showers, and baths. The problem with this is that it can sometimes make loud noises. This can be very annoying, especially when you are trying to sleep or concentrate on something else. Here are some tips on what to do when your water heater makes loud noises: Flush the tank Sediment buildup is a common cause of water heater noise. Flushing the tank can help remove the sediment and improve the heater’s efficiency. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions or consult a professional water heater repair plumber to flush the tank safely. Check the temperature and pressure relief valve (TPR valve) A malfunctioning TPR valve can cause hissing, whistling, or high-pitched noises. Test the valve by lifting the lever slightly and allowing it to snap back into place. If water continues to flow or the valve doesn’t seal properly, replace it. Insulate the pipes Noisy pipes can contribute to the overall noise from the water heater. Insulating the hot and cold water pipes can help reduce vibrations and minimize sound transmission. Secure loose components Vibrations from water flow can loosen pipes, valves, or heating elements, resulting in rattling or vibrating noises. Check and tighten any loose components to eliminate the noise. Consider installing water hammer arrestors. Water hammer, which causes banging or knocking sounds, can be mitigated by installing water hammer arrestors. These devices absorb the shock and prevent the sudden pressure changes that lead to the noise. Consult a professional If the noise persists or you’re unsure about how to address the problem, it’s best to consult a professional water heater repair and replacement plumber or technician. They can diagnose the specific issue with your water heater and recommend appropriate repairs or maintenance. DIY Vs. Professional Water Heater Replacement When your water heater makes noise, it’s a major sign of water heater replacement. But do you need clarification about what to choose between DIY and professional water heater replacement? Don’t worry. Here’s a comparison table highlighting the key factors to consider when deciding between a DIY water heater replacement and hiring a professional: |Aspect||DIY Replacement||Professional Replacement| |Cost||Generally lower cost as you avoid labor charges||Higher costs due to professional fees and labor| |Expertise required||A moderate level of plumbing and electrical knowledge is necessary||Extensive knowledge and experience in water heater installation and safety regulations required| |Safety||Risk of potential hazards if not done correctly||Professional technicians prioritize safety and adhere to industry standards.| |Time and convenience||Requires personal time and effort for research and installation||Professionals handle the entire process, saving you time and providing convenience| |Warranty implications||Warranty may be affected if installation is not done correctly||Professionals often provide warranty coverage on their workmanship| |Code Compliance||You are responsible for ensuring compliance with local codes||Professionals are knowledgeable about building codes and ensure compliance| |Potential mistakes||Higher likelihood of errors or improper installation||Professionals have experience and training to avoid mistakes| |Complex installations||Simple replacements may be manageable, but complex setups may require professional expertise.||Professionals can handle complex installations and unique requirements.| It’s Best to Call A Professional Water Heater Replacement Expert in Santa Rosa, CA! The water heater in your Santa Rosa, CA, home is one of the most important appliances in your home. It’s also one of the most expensive to replace. If you have a faulty or broken water heater, don’t put off calling Holman Plumbing! We are a full-service plumbing company specializing in tankless and traditional tank water heater installations, repair, replacement, and maintenance. We’ve been helping homeowners like you get back on track with their daily routines for over many years now, and we’d love to help you too! We offer same-day Water Heater Services in Santa Rosa so you can return to your normal routine ASAP. Our technicians are licensed and insured and use only the highest quality parts and materials, so you’ll never have to worry about anything but enjoying your hot shower again. We know that when things go wrong with your water heater, they can really throw a wrench into things. But we also know that when they’re working properly, they keep things running smoothly so that everything keeps running smoothly. That’s why we always strive to fix any problems immediately so that our customers can get back to their normal lives as fast as possible. Call us at (707) 347-8958 so we can send one of our expert technicians ASAP to get your hot water back up and running again—so you can get back to living life without worries about how much time is left in the day.

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Abraham’s faith was demonstrated before the law was given by many hundreds of years, thus he was not saved by the law. Chronologically this seems obvious, but the Second Temple period texts cited above indicate at least some Jews looked to Abraham as a proto-Jew or “first proselyte.” Kruse cites Mekhilta Ex. 22:20 (101a), “Abraham called himself a proselyte (ger), for it is written, I am a stranger (ger) and a sojourner with you (Gen. 23:4) (Romans, 210). Paul says Abraham was promised his offspring would become “heirs of the world,” although Genesis defines the land promise narrowly. But by the first century, there were several Second Temple texts that expanded that land promise to include the whole world (Sirach 44:21; Jub. 32:19; 1 Enoch 5:7, 4 Ezra 6:55-59). Jesus says “the meek will inherit the earth” (Matt 5:5), very similar to 1 Enoch 5:7. Sirach 44:21 (NRSV) Therefore the Lord assured him with an oath that the nations would be blessed through his offspring; that he would make him as numerous as the dust of the earth, and exalt his offspring like the stars, and give them an inheritance from sea to sea and from the Euphrates to the ends of the earth. 1 Enoch 5:7 But to the elect there shall be light, joy, and peace, and they shall inherit the earth. To you, wicked ones, on the contrary, there will be a curse. Jubilees 32:19 And I shall give to your seed all of the land under heaven and they will rule in all nations as they have desired. And after this all of the earth will be gathered together and they will inherit it forever.” All of these texts are based on the Hebrew Bible Isaiah 2, for example, describes Zion as the exalted mountain to which all the nations will stream. From Zion the Lord himself will reign and the nations will come to Zion to “learn the ways of the Lord.” In Daniel 7:14 the Ancient of Days gives a “son of man” authority to rule over all of the nations in an “everlasting dominion that will never end.” Even a text like Psalm 2 indicates the Lord’s anointed king could potentially receive the nations as an inheritance. Paul certainly looks forward to a future kingdom (1 Cor 15:20-28, Phil 2:5-11), but in this text the descendants of Abraham are those who are being justified by faith in Jesus. Paul has a Jewish, apocalyptic view of what God will do in the future. But here in Romans 4 he connects the “offspring of Abraham” with those who have faith in Jesus, the “in Christ” people. The nations are the Gentiles who are being justified by faith and not works of the Law. Imagine how this would sound to Roman Christians who were used to hearing that Rome controlled the world (Jewett, Romans, 325). It is unimaginable that an extremely small group of followers of Jesus would somehow challenge the Roman Empire. From the perspective of the mid-first century, Christianity had no impact on the culture of the Empire. But it was not long at all before Christianity began to challenge the thinking of the Roman world.

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Rear Adm. David D. Porter led seven ironclads in an attack on the fortifications and batteries at Grand Gulf, with the intention of silencing the Confederate guns and then securing the area with troops of McClernand's XIII Army Corps who were on the accompanying transports and barges. The attack by the seven ironclads began at 8:00 am and continued until about 1:30 pm. During the fight, the ironclads moved within 100 yards of the Rebel guns and silenced the lower batteries of Fort Wade; the Confederate upper batteries at Fort Cobun remained out of reach and continued to fire. The Union ironclads (one of which, the Tuscumbia, had been put out of action) and the transports drew off. After dark, however, the ironclads engaged the Rebel guns again while the steamboats and barges ran the gauntlet. Grant marched his men overland across Coffee Point to below the Gulf. After the transports had passed Grand Gulf, they embarked the troops at Disharoon's plantation and disembarked them on the Mississippi shore at Bruinsburg, below Grand Gulf. The men immediately began marching overland towards Port Gibson. The Confederates had won a hollow victory; the loss at Grand Gulf caused just a slight change in Grant's offensive.

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Positron emission tomography (PET) and computerized tomography (CT) are both state-of-the-art imaging tools that allow physicians to pinpoint the location of cancer within the body before making treatment recommendations. The highly sensitive PET scan images the biology of disorders at the molecular level, while the CT scan provides a detailed picture of the body’s internal anatomy. The PET/CT scan combines the strengths of these two well-established imaging modalities into a single scan. A CT scan is able to detect and localize changes in the body structure or anatomy, such as the size, shape and exact location of an abnormal growth, a sizeable tumor or a musculoskeletal injury. A PET scan is very different from an ultrasound, X-ray, MRI, or CT scan. A PET scan allows the physician to distinguish between living and dead tissue or between benign and malignant disorders. Since a PET scan images the biology of disorders at the molecular level, it can help the physician detect abnormalities in cellular activity at a very early stage, generally before anatomic changes are visible. Alone, each imaging test has particular benefits and limitations but by combining these two state-of the-art technologies, physicians can more accurately diagnose, localize and monitor cancer, as well as heart disease and certain brain disorders.

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The prevalence of developmental dyscalculia (DC) in the school population ranges from 3-6%, a frequency similar to that of developmental dyslexia and ADHD. These studies fulfilled the criteria for an adequate prevalence study, i.e., were population based, using standardized measures to evaluate arithmetic function. Although the variation in prevalence is within a narrow range, the differences are probably due to which definition of dyscalculia was used, the age the diagnosis was made and the instrument chosen to test for DC. The relative predominance of girls with DC may reflect a greater vulnerability to environmental influences alone or in addition to a biological predisposition. DC is not only encountered as a specific learning disability but also in diverse neurological disorders, examples of which include ADHD, developmental language disorder, epilepsy, treated phenylketonuria and Fragile X syndrome. Although the long-term prognosis of DC is as yet unknown, current data indicate that DC is a stable learning disability persisting, at least for the short term, in about half of affected children. The long-term consequences of DC and its impact on education, employment and psychological well-being have yet to be determined. - Developmental dyscalculia ASJC Scopus subject areas - Pediatrics, Perinatology, and Child Health - Developmental and Educational Psychology - Psychiatry and Mental health

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Sapporo Clock Tower Sapporo's symbolic landmark straight from the American mid-west. The oldest standing building in Sapporo, the beloved Clock Tower (or “Tokeidai”) has been counting away the hours since 1881. Every day, without fail, the clock bells chime once for each hour, sounding a ring throughout the fifth largest city in Japan. This iconic clock gable, whose resemblance mirrors a countryside barn, was attached three years later to the local landmark’s original construction in 1878. Initially, the American colonial-style building functioned as a drill hall — a “dojo” for martial arts training — for students of the former Sapporo Agricultural College (presently Hokkaido University). In July 1881, however, the four-faced clock was installed by E. Howard & Co. (which then became the Waltham Watch Company) of Boston, Massachusetts. To this day, the Clock Tower prominently displays two red stars fixed on its gabled roof which jointly represent the North Star and the pioneer spirit of Japan’s northward expansion in Hokkaido. A walk through this designated Important Cultural Property grants visitors access to the museum on the first floor—exhibiting both the building’s history and the colonial evolution of Sapporo. The second floor serves as a spacious ceremony hall that occasionally hosts community events and concerts. If you’re up for a challenge, try to spot the total number of seventeen red stars featured on the premise of this Meiji-era timepiece. The clocks ticking!

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What is Hexavalent Chromium and Which Cancers Does It Cause? Hexavalent chromium (AKA chromium (VI)) is an oxidized form of the element chromium. Exposure to hexavalent chromium is known to cause lung cancer and it has also been associated with cancer of the nose and nasal sinuses.1-2 Railroad Welding and Hexavalent Chromium Exposures Inhaling welding fumes is the primary source of railroad exposures to hexavalent chromium. Hexavalent chromium can also be found in some of the rust inhibitors which railroad workers use to coat locomotives, railcars, and other machinery. The amount of hexavalent chromium present in welding fumes depends on the amount of chromium in the metal that is being welded. Most steels contain at least some chromium. Stainless steels and mild carbon steels generally contain significant amounts of chromium. Need Our Help? Contact Us Today! Which Railroad Workers are Exposed to Hexavalent Chromium? Anyone who is in close proximity to where welding occurs risks exposure to hexavalent chromium. Unfortunately, many railroad employees working in the car department, locomotive shops, and track department encounter welding fumes on a daily basis. Despite the frequency of these exposures, the railroads were historically slow to implement basic safety measures to lessen the danger to their employees. Is Hexavalent Chromium the Only Carcinogen in Welding Fumes? What Can I do if I was Exposed? If you or a loved one were exposed to welding fumes while working for the railroad and have received a diagnosis, call 312-877-5588 today for a free attorney consultation. Unfortunately, the list of toxins that railroad workers are exposed to is long and varied. The attorneys at Hughes Law Offices will take all such exposures into account when building your case. While you and your loved ones focus on recovery, let us do the work needed to prove your case.

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This post may contain affiliate links. Plants are a beautiful addition to your aquarium. The Ada Amazonia and Fluval Stratum substrates are two of the most popular options to help plants grow. If you’ve been looking to add plants to your setup, you might be wondering which one you should use. Ada Amazonia is richer in nutrients, and more experts recommend it than Fluval Stratum. It will last longer and will provide the perfect environment for plants to grow healthy. However, it is more expensive, will need more time to cycle, and it raises the levels of ammonia in the water. In this article, we discuss all the different features of Ada Amazonia and Fluval Stratum. It will help you to make a more informed decision on the best one to use. Keep reading to know which substrate is better for your aquarium. What Are Substrates? In the aquarium world, a substrate refers to the material used at the bottom of the tank. It can affect the filtration and chemistry of the water and the health of the inhabitants. Substrates are added to aquariums to increase the reproduction of beneficial bacteria. They also affect the pH of the water and other chemical compounds in the tank. Substrates also help aquatic plants to grow. There are different substrates, but their features depend on whether you can use them in saltwater or freshwater. The most common types of substrates are the following: - Gravel: The most common substrate for freshwater and also the easiest to use. - Minerals, shells, and corals: You use these to increase water hardness and pH. - Peat: It is the best for those tanks mimicking the Amazonian river. - Sand: It will give a natural look to your tank. You should use it if you have freshwater stingrays. Leaves: You use them for blackwater aquariums. You should choose one, depending on what you want to accomplish in your aquarium. Ada Amazonia and Fluval Stratum are premium substrates for planted aquariums. Note: Many aquariums that use big tanks make use of many different substrates. It is common to divide the tank by substrates, giving you a gorgeous look for your ecosystem. What Is Ada Amazonia? The Ada Amazonia is a premium substrate material designed by Aqua Design Amano (ADA). It is a type of natural soil that helps plants grow inside tanks in different natural environments. Ada Amazonia is rich in nutrients and organic acid, which helps make root plants grow. You can find the product in two different presentations: the standard type or the powder type. Each type comes in bags of 3L (101oz) or 9L (304oz). You can use the powder in small aquariums and on top of the standard type for a better result. What Is Ada Amazonia Made Of? Ada Amazonian is a primary substrate made of actual soil that companies bake into granules. ADA bakes volcanic soil to preserve its nutrients and acids, giving you the perfect ally for your tank plants. How to Properly Set Up Ada Amazonia? To correctly set up your Ada Amazonia in your aquarium, you can follow these steps: - Sprinkle Bacter 100 thinly on the bottom of the aquarium tank. The Bacter 100 will create an ideal layer of microorganisms inside the substrate. - You can also add Tourmaline BC for an ideal long-term substrate. - Next, you will spread powder sand. The amount you’ll need will depend on the tank’s capacity. - Then you will be able to spread the standard type Aqua-soil Amazonia. - If you want better results, you can also add the powder type Ada Amazonia. By doing this, you will promote a proper environment for smaller plants to grow. - Spray water to dampen the substrate. - Now you can plant your aquatic plants. We recommend using tweezers for this to make the planting easier. - Time to see your beautiful ecosystem grow! Note: You can also find the Ada Amazonia Ver.2 and the Ada Amazonia Light. Experts recommend each one for different environments, but the three options are great for your aquarium tanks. What Is Fluval Stratum? Fluval Stratum is the premium substrate of the brand Fluval. The Fluval brand has more than 50 years of experience in natural aquariums and underwater ecosystems. Fluval Stratum is the most economic substrate on the market. You can find it in its three presentations: Fluval Stratum Plant and Shrimp of 2kg (4.4lb), Fluval Stratum Plant and Shrimp of 4kg (8.8lb), and the Fluval Stratum Plant Shrimp of 8kg (17.6lb). This substrate is ideal for those tanks that feature plants and shrimp. What Is Fluval Stratum Made Of? Fluval Stratum is made of natural soil collected from the foothills of Mount Aso Volcano in Japan. This volcanic soil is rich in minerals and acids that are perfect for underwater ecosystems. The Fluval substrate encourages strong plant growth by allowing the roots to penetrate and spread through the substrate. This means your plants will last longer and you won’t have to replace them as frequently. This specific substrate supports a slightly acidic pH ideal for most plants, tropical fishes, and shrimp. How to Properly Set Up Fluval Stratum? If you want to know how to set up your Fluval Stratum correctly, you can follow these steps: - If you want to put landscape materials, do it before adding the substrate. Otherwise, the rocks could break the soil’s integrity. - Next, add the Fluval Stratum around your tank. Use it to cover at least 1.5 inches (3.8cm) of the bottom of the tank. By doing so, you will give plant roots enough space to grow. - After placing the substrate, add the water. It should be cold water for better results because it interacts better with the volcanic soil. - Wait approximately 48 hours to see the roughness disappear. - Now it’s time to plant. Do not plant with your hands; this could compromise the integrity of the ecosystem. If you want a more visual guide on using the Fluval Stratum and which plants to use for your aquarium, we recommend this video: Note: If your budget allows it, we recommend using a high-quality underwater plant fertilizer to help your plants grow healthier. Always keep an eye on your tanks’ oxygen levels, as this could be beneficial or damaging to your plants. Tip: Although we do not recommend mixing different substrates, Fluval Stratum works well if you combine it with Eco-Complete. Use it on top of the Fluval Stratum to achieve better results. You can also mix both substrates with sand and gravel to create different landscapes. Ada Amazonia vs. Fluval Stratum When it comes to these two substrates, there are many similarities and differences. Most people recommend Ada Amazonia for its multiple benefits, like the number of nutrients and its resistance to different ecosystems. This does not make the Fluval Stratum a wrong choice; it all depends on what you want to accomplish with your tank. Advantages of Using Ada Amazonia - It lowers your pH: This could be an advantage or disadvantage, but it will depend on what inhabitants you are planning to add to your tank. - It has volcanic soil: Using volcanic soil, Ada Amazonia ensures a perfect number of minerals and acids required for specific ecosystems. Ada Amazonia also bakes the volcanic soil, giving you a longer substrate lifespan. - It is long-lasting: Ada Amazonia lasts longer than most soil substrates. By doing that, it will nourish your plants for a longer time. - It has a small grain size: This setting is ideal for plants with thin roots, as it gives them enough space to spread around the substrate. The small space between the grains also helps to reduce the risk of hydrogen sulfide production. This is a chemical compound that can kill all life in your aquarium. Disadvantages of Using Ada Amazonia - It has a higher cost: Ada Amazonia is one of the most expensive substrates on the market. Most experts believe it is worth the investment, but you can easily replace it by using a substitute like Mr.Aqua Soil. - It can create high levels of ammonia: Like natural untreated soil, the Ada Amazonia can raise ammonia levels during the first days of use. This chemical compound is harmless in low doses, but you should keep an eye on its levels. - There are no beneficial microbes: ADA’s formula for the Ada Amazonia takes away some of the microbes present in other soil substrates. This process happens because the soil used in the Ada Amazonian is baked after recollection. - The substrate needs more time to cycle: Ada Amazonia produces a lot more ammonia than many substrates. Therefore, you’ll need to give the tank a lot more time to cycle. Once the water has cycled, you’ll be able to introduce your fishes to the new environment. Advantages of Using Fluval Stratum - It has volcanic soil: Like the Ada Amazonia, the Fluval Stratum is made of volcanic soil. Volcanic soil has many beneficial acids and minerals. - It is a clean option: The Fluval Stratum is clean and easy to maintain. This is thanks to its strong grains that keep most minerals inside the substrate for a longer time. - It will hold nutrients for a longer time: This is also thanks to its strong grains. While other substrates allow the minerals to leach into the water, Fluval Stratum keeps them inside to benefit the plants. - There is minimal production of ammonia: Fluval Stratum will not generate as much ammonia as the other substrates in the market. - It won’t discolor water: Natural soil is highly beneficial, but it will discolor the water if not cleaned. Fluval Stratum does not present this problem, thanks to its formula. - It is the best for shrimp: This substrate most benefits shrimp communities in aquariums. Its nutrients provide shrimp with everything they’ll need to grow. Furthermore, the grains act as a cover for baby shrimp to remain safe. Disadvantages of Using Fluval Stratum - It requires additional fertilizer: Fluval Stratum needs extra fertilizer to help the plants grow healthy. This is something that the Ada Amazonia does not need. - It has baked soil: Like the Ada Amazonian, the Fluval Stratum is made with baked volcanic soil, which means that it won’t give you any additional microbes. - It will break down over time: Although it has a strong grain, the Fluval Stratum will break down if you use many landscape materials over it. To avoid this, you should place the materials before using the substrate. - It is a lightweight option: If you only use the Fluval Stratum, it won’t be easy to weigh down floating plants. - It takes time for it to settle: Fluval takes up to 48 hours to settle inside the tanks. During this time, the water will look dirty, and you can’t plant or introduce the fishes. - It has a higher price: It is not the most expensive substrate in the market, but it is pricey compared to Ada Amazonia. Which One Should You Choose? It all comes down to what you want from your substrate. If you are still indecisive, ask yourself the following questions: - Do I have a big budget? If so, pick Ada Amazonia. It will give you the best nutrition for your plants, and you won’t require extra fertilizers. If you don’t, combining Fluval Stratum with Eco-complete can give you almost similar results. - Is plant nutrition an essential feature for me? If the answer is yes, then you should go for Ada Amazonia. It will give you the best nutrients and for a longer time. Ada Amazonia also interacts perfectly with the pH of different waters and does not have a problem. - Am I planning on keeping the ecosystem for a long time? If you do, then go for Ada Amazonia. It has more durability and does not break down as quickly as the Fluval Stratum. We recommend Ada Amazonia because it is a complete substrate. However, if you choose Fluval Stratum, you should combine it with Eco-complete to get good results. Are There Other Alternatives? When it comes to substrates with high levels of minerals, there are not many options. However, if you do not want the Ada Amazonia or the Fluval Stratum, then we present you with other choices: Fluorite is a substrate that comes in two presentations: soil or gravel. The Fluorite sand is heavyweight, which means it will hold plants well. It also looks good in the tanks. Fluorite also supports anaerobic bacteria activity, which benefits your plants and the entire ecosystem. It allows the bacteria to break down decomposing matter and redistribute the nutrients to the aquatic plants. It will never disintegrate, meaning that it won’t discolor the water. This is ideal if you have your aquarium in a highly visible part of your home/ Fluorite is the most expensive substrate in the market. However, it does not give plants enough nutrients as other brands. This is because it won’t supply CO2 to your plants. Eco-Complete is a substrate made by the brand CaribSea. It presents many advantages to underwater ecosystems. Eco-complete will supply the right environment for microorganism’s cycles. This gives plants a friendlier environment to grow in. It is also low-maintenance, so you won’t have to clean it regularly. Eco-Complete will never disintegrate. This substrate does present some disadvantages. It won’t supply CO2 to your plants, which is necessary for their diet and proper nutrition. It is a premium substrate, so it is expensive, although not as much as Ada Amazonia or Fluorite. It is one of the less common substrates in the market, but it still has some advantages for your tank. Ada Amazonia and Mr. Aqua Aquarium Soil are the only substrates in the market that do not require any additional nutrients. Its dark color will also enhance the natural colors of your fishes. It has a nice consistency and texture, and its pores will allow bacteria to grow consistently. Mr. Aqua Aquarium Soil will also last over a year, which is a good lifespan for premium substrates. However, Mr. Aqua soil will bind phosphorus, leeching away some of the essential nutrients that plants need to grow healthy. It is also pricey compared to other brands, but it’s still cheaper than Ada Amazonia, and it can be a good substitute. When it comes to premium substrates, we recommend Ada Amazonia. It offers explosive growth for your plants. It also is longer-lasting and lowers the pH of the water. However, it is more expensive and produces more ammonia. If you want to breed a healthy shrimp community, Fluval Stratum is the best option. It has many nutrients, produces minimal amounts of ammonia, and doesn’t discolor the water. However, it doesn’t break down over time and needs additional fertilizers. Overall, both substrates are good options. Therefore, you should consider your needs and choose the one you think will help you the most.

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Fast-clumping daylily, to 30 inches tall. Blooms midseason, and again, late-season. Dormant. Plant in spring. Water freely from spring to when buds appear.Important Info : Introduced in 1951. Google Plant Images: click here! CharacteristicsCultivar: Crimson Pirate Size: Height: 2.5 ft. to 2.5 ft. Width: 1 ft. to 2 ft. Plant Category: perennials, Plant Characteristics: low maintenance, Foliage Characteristics: evergreen, Flower Characteristics: erect, old fashioned/heritage, showy, Flower Color: reds, Tolerances: deer, drought, heat & humidity, pollution, rabbits, seashore, slope, wind, Bloomtime Range: Late Spring to Late Summer USDA Hardiness Zone: 3 to 10 AHS Heat Zone: 1 to 12 Light Range: Part Shade to Sun pH Range: 4.5 to 8 Soil Range: Mostly Sand to Mostly Clay Water Range: Dry to Moist FertilizingHow-to : Fertilization for Annuals and Perennials Annuals and perennials may be fertilized using: 1.water-soluble, quick release fertilizers; 2. temperature controlled slow-release fertilizers; or 3. organic fertilizers such as fish emulsion. Water soluble fertilizers are generally used every two weeks during the growing season or per label instructions. Controlled, slow-release fertilizers are worked into the soil ususally only once during the growing season or per label directions. For organic fertilizers such as fish emulsion, follow label directions as they may vary per product. LightConditions : Full Sun Full Sun is defined as exposure to more than 6 hours of continuous, direct sun per day. WateringHow-to : Xeriscaping Xeriscaping is a method of planting which promotes naturally drought tolerant plants and water saving methods. Much consideration is given not only to the plants chosen for the design, but the design itself. Lawns are greatly decreased in size and usually located in the center of plantings at a lower grade as to catch any runoff. Shrubs requiring the most water, are conservatively used and thoughtfully placed, where they may be easily watered, preferably from runoff, and moisture conserved. There is a strong emphasis on using native plants, which a purist will do exclusively. At the very least, improved cultivars of natives are highly recommended. Irrigation maybe used to supplement watering, but takes a creative turn in the form of drip systems and recycled catch water. Organic mulches in the form of compost, straws, and barks are also used to retain as much water as possible. In extremely dry areas, it is not uncommon for gravel and rocks to serve as the mulch. A xeriphytic landscape is one that takes your particular site into consideration. A plant that maybe considered low water usage in one area of the country, may not be in another area, due to climatic stresses. Conditions : Regular Moisture for Outdoor Plants Water when normal rainfall does not provide the preferred 1 inch of moisture most plants prefer. Average water is needed during the growing season, but take care not to overwater. The first two years after a plant is installed, regular watering is important. The first year is critical. It is better to water once a week and water deeply, than to water frequently for a few minutes. Conditions : Moist and Well Drained Moist and well drained means exactly what it sounds like. Soil is moist without being soggy because the texture of the soil allows excess moisture to drain away. Most plants like about 1 inch of water per week. Amending your soil with compost will help improve texture and water holding or draining capacity. A 3 inch layer of mulch will help to maintain soil moisture and studies have shown that mulched plants grow faster than non-mulched plants. Conditions : Normal Watering for Outdoor Plants Normal watering means that soil should be kept evenly moist and watered regularly, as conditions require. Most plants like 1 inch of water a week during the growing season, but take care not to over water. The first two years after a plant is installed, regular watering is important for establishment. The first year is critical. It is better to water once a week and water deeply, than to water frequently for a few minutes. PlantingHow-to : Planting Perennials Determine appropriate perennials for your garden by considering sun and shade through the day, exposure, water requirements, climate, soil makeup, seasonal color desired, and position of other garden plants and trees. The best times to plant are spring and fall, when soil is workable and out of danger of frost. Fall plantings have the advantage that roots can develop and not have to compete with developing top growth as in the spring. Spring is more desirable for perennials that dislike wet conditions or for colder areas, allowing full establishment before first winter. Planting in summer or winter is not advisable for most plants, unless planting a more established sized plant. To plant container-grown plants: Prepare planting holes with appropriate depth and space between. Water the plant thoroughly and let the excess water drain before carefully removing from the container. Carefully loosen the root ball and place the plant in the hole, working soil around the roots as you fill. If the plant is extremely root bound, separate roots with fingers. A few slits made with a pocket knife are okay, but should be kept to a minimum. Continue filling in soil and water thoroughly, protecting from direct sun until stable. To plant bare-root plants: Plant as soon as possible after purchase. Prepare suitable planting holes, spread roots and work soil among roots as you fill in. Water well and protect from direct sun until stable. To plant seedlings: A number of perennials produce self-sown seedlings that can be transplanted. You may also start your own seedling bed for transplanting. Prepare suitable planting holes, spacing appropriately for plant development. Gently lift the seedling and as much surrounding soil as possible with your garden trowel, and replant it immediately, firming soil with fingertips and water well. Shade from direct sun and water regularly until stable. ProblemsPest : Thrips Thrips are small, winged insects that attack many types of plants and thrive in hot, dry conditions (like heated houses). They can multiply quickly as a female can lay up to 300 eggs in a life span of 45 days without mating. Most of the damage to plants is caused by the young larvae which feed on tender leaf and flower tissue. This leads to distorted growth, injured flower petals and premature flower drop. Thrips also can transmit many harmful plant viruses. Prevention and Control: keep weeds down and use screening on windows to keep them out. Remove or discard infested plants, keep them away from non-infested plants. Trap with yellow sticky cards or take advantage of natural enemies such as predatory mites. Sometimes a good steady shower of water will wash them off the plant. Consult your local garden center professional or county Cooperative extension office for legal chemical recommendations. Pest : Spider Mites Spider mites are small, 8 legged, spider-like creatures which thrive in hot, dry conditions (like heated houses). Spider mites feed with piercing mouth parts, which cause plants to appear yellow and stippled. Leaf drop and plant death can occur with heavy infestations. Spider mites can multiply quickly, as a female can lay up to 200 eggs in a life span of 30 days. They also produce a web which can cover infested leaves and flowers. Prevention and Control: Keep weeds down and remove infested plants. Dry air seems to worsen the problem, so make sure plants are regularly watered, especially those preferring high humidity such as tropicals, citrus, or tomatoes. Always check new plants prior to bringing them home from the garden center or nursery. Take advantage of natural enemies such as ladybug larvae. If a miticide is recommended by your local garden center professional or county Cooperative Extension office, read and follow all label directions. Concentrate your efforts on the undersides of the leaves as that is where spider mites generally live. Pest : Slugs and Snails Slugs and snails favor moist climates and are mollusks, not insects. They can be voracious feeders, eating just about anything that is not woody or highly scented. They may eat holes in leaves, strip entire stems, or completely devour seedlings and tender transplants, leaving behind tell-tale silvery, slimy trails. Prevention and control: Keep your garden as clean as possible, eliminating hiding places such as leaf debris, over-turned pots, and tarps. Groundcover in shady places and heavy mulches provide protection from the elements and can be favorite hiding places. In the spring, patrol for and destroy eggs (clusters of small translucent spheres) and adults during dusk and dawn. Set out beer traps from late spring through fall. Many chemical controls are available on the market, but can be poisonous and deadly for children and pets; take care when using them - always read the label first! Pest : Aphids Aphids are small, soft-bodied, slow-moving insects that suck fluids from plants. Aphids come in many colors, ranging from green to brown to black, and they may have wings. They attack a wide range of plant species causing stunting, deformed leaves and buds. They can transmit harmful plant viruses with their piercing/sucking mouthparts. Aphids, generally, are merely a nuisance, since it takes many of them to cause serious plant damage. However aphids do produce a sweet substance called honeydew (coveted by ants) which can lead to an unattractive black surface growth called sooty mold. Aphids can increase quickly in numbers and each female can produce up to 250 live nymphs in the course of a month without mating. Aphids often appear when the environment changes - spring & fall. They're often massed at the tips of branches feeding on succulent tissue. Aphids are attracted to the color yellow and will often hitchhike on yellow clothing. Prevention and Control: Keep weeds to an absolute minimum, especially around desirable plants. On edibles, wash off infected area of plant. Lady bugs and lacewings will feed on aphids in the garden. There are various products - organic and inorganic - that can be used to control aphids. Seek the recommendation of a professional and follow all label procedures to a tee. Fungi : Rusts Most rusts are host specific and overwinter on leaves, stems and spent flower debris. Rust often appears as small, bright orange, yellow, or brown pustules on the underside of leaves. If touched, it will leave a colored spot of spores on the finger. Caused by fungi and spread by splashing water or rain, rust is worse when weather is moist. Prevention and Control: Plant resistant varieties and provide maximum air circulation. Clean up all debris, especially around plants that have had a problem. Do not water from overhead and water only during the day so that plants will have enough time to dry before night. Apply a fungicide labeled for rust on your plant. MiscellaneousEdibles : Edible Flowers Some flowers are edible or have edible portions that are not only beautiful, but nutritious and tasty. Buds, flowers, leaves, stems, and roots are selected from designated edible varieties. Plant as you would a regular flower, but use only organic practices. If you are not a total organic gardener, separate growing areas should be used for the growing of edible flowers. When portions of edible flowers are desired, pull petals or edible portions from fresh flowers and snip off the petals from the base of the flower. Remember to always wash flowers thoroughly making certain any residue or dirt has been removed. Give them a gentle bath in water and then dip the petals in ice water to perk them up. Drain on paper towels. Petals and whole flowers may be stored for a short time in plastic bags in refrigeration. Freeze whole small flowers in ice rings or cubes. Make sure you know what the flower is before you eat it; have an accurate identification done. Conditions : Erosion Control Plants that help to control erosion have fibrous root systems that help to keep soil intact. Leaves and the overall form of a plant can prevent erosion by breaking up water droplets before they hit the ground, lessening splashing and runoff. Glossary : Low Maintenance Low maintenance does not mean no maintenance. It does mean that once a plant is established, very little needs to be done in the way of water, fertilizing, pruning, or treatment in order for the plant to remain healthy and attractive. A well-designed garden, which takes your lifestyle into consideration, can greatly reduce maintenance. How-to : Getting the Most Out of Cut Flowers Cut flowers bring the garden into your home. While some cut flowers have a long vase life, most are highly perishable. How cut flowers are treated when you first bring them home can significantly increase how long they last. The most important thing to consider is getting sufficient water taken up into the cut stem. Insufficient water can result in wilting and short-lived flowers. Bent neck of roses, where the flower head droops, is the result of poor water uptake. To maximize water uptake, first re-cut the stems at an angle so that the vascular system (the ""plumbing"" of the stem) is clear. Next immerse the cut stems in warm water. Remember when the flower is cut, it is cut off from its food supply. Once water is taken care of, food is the resource that will run out next. The plants stems naturally feed the flowers with sugars. If you add a bit of sugar (1 tsp.) to the vase water, this will help feed the flower stems and extend their vase life. Bacteria will build up in vase water and eventually clog up the stem so the flower cannot take up water. To prevent this, change the vase water frequently and make a new cut in the stems every few days. Floral preservatives, available from florists, contain sugars, acids and bacteriacides that can extend cut flower life. These come in small packets and are generally available where cut flowers are sold. If used properly, these can extend the vase life of some cut flowers 2 to 3 times when compared with just plain water in the vase.

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Two weeks ago, a woman died after catching flu from a pig at an agricultural fair in Ohio. Now a new study has found that pigs in Korea are harbouring a similar strain of flu that is more lethal and contagious – at least in animals – than the experimental bird flu that caused intense controversy last year. Robert Webster and colleagues at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, put an H1N2 flu virus, from the lungs of a pig slaughtered in South Korea in 2009, into the noses and windpipes of three ferrets. All the animals died, which is worrying, as ferrets catch and develop flu in a similar way to humans. What’s more, the virus was transmitted via airborne droplets to three ferrets in nearby cages, killing two of them. In passing between the ferrets, the H1N2 acquired two mutations that made it more contagious and more virulent in the animals. The mutated version also grew faster than the original pig virus in cells cultured from the human nose and lung, and in fresh samples of human alveoli. In an intact lung, this alveolar growth could cause lethal pneumonia. This increase in virulence and transmissibility remained when the team created a virus identical to the original H1N2 but with those two mutations added. That makes this virus apparently more dangerous than the controversial H5N1 bird flu created last year by a group in the Netherlands. Initially, that virus was only deadly to ferrets when placed in their windpipes, and it did not transmit between them. However, when it was artificially passed from one ferret to another, it mutated and became transmissible. Although it was still lethal in the ferrets’ tracheas, it did not kill when they merely inhaled it. The work provoked a bitter dispute over whether researchers should create such dangerous viruses or publish the procedures. Similar research on H5N1 remains blocked under a precautionary moratorium but no such restrictions apply to H1N2. “This is important research about something that is already going on in nature,” says Tony Fauci, head of the US National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Disease in Bethesda, Maryland, which funded the work. On the loose? The original pig virus is probably still circulating in Korea, says co-author Richard Webby, but no one is known to have caught it. “Either it doesn’t do the same thing in people, or it just hasn’t got loose,” he says. This could be because a strain with the same H1 surface protein circulated before 2009, making those exposed to it immune. But this effect will disappear over time as that virus no longer circulates. Of eight leading flu researchers contacted by New Scientist, all – including Michael Osterholm of the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, who opposed publishing the H5N1 work – insisted that we need research like this to determine what kinds of mutation make pig flu dangerous. And, they emphasised, we need much more surveillance of pigs to see where the viruses are. “We need to use modern sequencing technology to see what is happening in all the genes,” in pig populations worldwide, says Ab Osterhaus of Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. “But there is no point just having sequences without research to understand what different mutations do.” Osterhaus and US flu experts are planning to map mutations known to affect transmission and virulence in flu samples worldwide. Few of the samples will come from pigs, however. US researchers reported this month that many pigs at agricultural fairs in the US carry flu, but few show symptoms. They called for more routine sampling and testing of flu viruses in pigs and pig handlers. But “considerable barriers exist to conducting surveillance in pigs” they said, partly because this “could economically harm the pork industry”. Flu sampling in pigs increased in the US and Europe after swine flu caused a pandemic in 2009, says Osterhaus, but some of those projects are ending. “We need much more to know what is happening in pigs.” Something clearly is happening: 297 people in the US have caught an H3N2 virus from pigs this year, up from 12 last year. One died, and 16 were hospitalised. In Minnesota, three more people caught an H1N2 virus that is slightly different from the Korean virus. All these viruses – including the pandemic – belong to a virulent “triple reassortant” family, which emerged in US pigs in 1998 as a result of a pig flu virus hybridising with a human and bird flu strain. It has been actively evolving ever since. Journal reference: Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1205576109

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People who have power can make others do something—or make them stop. It’s a simple concept, but the way it works is always changing. Fluctuations in the global economy, politics, demographic patterns, and the Internet have completely restructured how power works in the 21st century. The ever-growing wealth gap in the United States has fed the perception that those at the top stay there, at the expense of the rest of society. But at the same time as billionaire megaplayers such as Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg have become more influential, “micropowers” have also been on the rise. These micropowers include groups like insurgents, startups, hackers, activists, and fringe political parties. Their numbers are small, but they carry a disproportionate amount of power. Megaplayers are in no way powerless or obsolete, but they are more constrained in what they can do than they were in the past. That means their hold on power is increasingly less secure, at least for now. For more insights into The End of Power, check out our latest Instaread.

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At Middleforth C E Primary School our curriculum has been designed to excite and challenge our children in a nurturing Christian environment. Our curriculum will be broad and balanced and meet the needs of all our children. Our curriculum will help our children develop We will encourage our children to explore their understanding of faith. They will have access to a daily act of worship of a Christian nature and celebrate Christian festivals throughout the year. Through RE they will also explore other faiths and will learn a respect and tolerance for those of other faiths or no faith. Pupils at our school will be supported to become highly articulate and use a rich vocabulary. The development of mature speaking and listening skills will be given a high priority. Pupils will be taught to speak clearly using sophisticated and expressive vocabulary. Children will develop their confidence to communicate in different situations to a range of audiences. They will be given the opportunities to perform to different audiences. They will be given opportunities to read widely to develop their rich knowledge of language and vocabulary. We will encourage our children to be independent from the start of their time in school by supporting them to do things for themselves, including taking care of their own possessions. We will give children opportunities to take on positions of responsibility in school to develop their confidence and become leaders. We will help our children learn how to use their own initiative in situations and think things through for themselves. We will set high expectations for our children to learn and think independently. We will have high expectations for our learners in all subjects. We will set ambitious, aspirational targets for all our learners. We will always look for suitable and appropriate opportunities to stretch and challenge every pupil. We are committed to offering high quality opportunities in sport, music and the creative arts in addition to our more academic subjects. Through a range of different teaching styles and learning opportunities we will provide a range of opportunities to develop imagination and creative thinking. We will encourage children to use prior learning to solve problems and think creatively. We will provide opportunities to take part in experiences beyond the classroom which inspire their creative minds. We will provide challenge and support the children to develop an ability to embrace this with confidence. Through problem solving opportunities we will provide a safe environment where children can make mistakes and get things wrong and understand this is a part of learning. We will support our children to turn disappointment into opportunities to develop. We will help our children to understand that they will experience a range of emotions, some of which may include feeling afraid, sad or scared and how to self- regulate and overcome those emotions. Through carefully managed conflict resolution discussions we will guide our children to learn how to manage difficult situations together. Please visit the subject specific pages for further information about our curriculum Please find below explanatory notes for parents regarding the new national curriculum and assessment through Key Stage 1 and 2. If you require any further information regarding any aspects of the curriculum please contact the school office

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What was the significance of the conflict between Philip IV and Boniface VIII? Before Boniface became pope, Peter Morne (later Celestine V) was chosen as pope. People liked him, but the Church officials urged him to resign. After his resignation in December 1294, Boniface was chosen. Because of this Boniface had enemies right away; mostly Franciscans who liked Celestine and didn’t see why a new pope was required. Meanwhile, Philip IV needed a revenue for a war with England, so he expelled Jews and confiscated their property, taxed clergy without the Pope’s consent to which Pope responded with “Clericis Laicos”, where he stated that anyone who pays him will be excommunicated. Bishops were deposed, kings excommunicated, whole kingdoms placed under interdicts; Philip struck back: no resources may leave Church in France for Rome, declared that he chooses when it is an emergency that the interdict excuses => makes everything an emergency, so people must pay him. Boniface backs down and urges French clergy to pay. This goes on for a while, then in 1303 Boniface finally excommunicates Philip. French soldiers and cavalry head to Anagni in response and confront Boniface; they want him to take the excommunication back. His response was that he would rather die. He dies a month later. What makes Defensor Pacis by Marsilius of Padua a significant part of the story of Western civilization? Marsilius was a political philosopher. He helped the emperor out of a problem involving the upcoming marriage of his son, argued that the emperor could dissolve an existing marriage. He also argued that Church has no visible head. He also had the opinion that government should be based on consent; he wasn’t concerned about the precise form of government, as long as it had the consent of people. He also thought the more people involved in lawmaking, the less likely those laws will favour only a few. Based on the video and on your reading, what were the effects on Europe of the Black Death? Brought to Europe by rats on Italian ships. One-third of European population was wiped out by it. People responded in extreme ways: they either participated in extreme indulgence in bodily pleasures or in extreme penances (causing physical pain on themselves). Some people even thought blood will satisfy God. Giovanni Boccaccio wrote Decameron about it.

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Something is happening in politics that feels quite important. The latest example of this feature was last month when the Social Democratic Party surged at the very end of a four-year cycle to win the German general election. For decades, political science viewed campaigns as 'full of sound and fury, signifying nothing' and yet we are observing support for political parties changing rapidly during political campaign periods with much greater frequency. This is not the only example of a dramatic change in fortunes for a political party in recent years. When Theresa May called a general election in the UK in 2017, she enjoyed an 18% lead over Jeremy Corbyn's Labour Party which narrowed to 2% in a matter of days. Closer to home, the rise in support for Sinn Féin at the 2020 general election took many, including the leaders of the party, by surprise. In each case, the parties seemed destined for a poor election when their fortunes dramatically reversed. So, what is happening and what does it mean for party politics? The rise of Sinn Féin is certainly worth discussion as it surprised the party in 2020 so much that they did not run a sufficient number of candidates to capitalise on their popularity. It is difficult to attribute their surge to a specific event. Neither the RIC commemoration debacle (too early) nor the narrative around the two-way leadership debate (too late) fit the timing of the increase in support for the party. Indeed, when asked whether people noticed any campaign event at the time, very few registered anything that could be attributed to the party. There is also little evidence of a bandwagon effect, where a party's increased support feeds improving fortunes. Indeed, an Ireland Thinks' poll in January 2020 showed that in the same poll where support for Sinn Féin surged, most respondents believed that it was Fianna Fáil who had the strongest start to the campaign. Some might argue that Sinn Féin's extensive campaign promises might have helped the party. However, the party’s support increased before its manifesto was published and did not seem to increase significantly thereafter. Indeed, this is something that experimental evidence also suggests damages party support. Thus, there is little to suggest that Sinn Féin capitalised on anything other than the triggering of the election itself. However, a rise in support for an opposition party is actually contrary to historical patterns. As we can see in the next graphic, it is support for government parties that tends to improve during election campaigns. Indeed, this very fact is one reason why these surges in support are particularly fascinating. If we're seeing unusual levels of volatility during election campaigns, what is it about the campaign period that triggers this volatility? One feature of election campaigns is that they require a deliberate change in news coverage. The argument is that news coverage during election campaign periods are required to balance their appraisal of government parties with opposition parties. This is in contrast to news coverage outside of the campaign period which has a necessarily more negative tone, (s day-to-day management of public services are adequately scrutinised, which depresses support for the government. This is also equivalent to the much more dramatic 'rally-round-the-flag' effect where a reduction in criticism of government policy during a major international crisis can yield enormous increases in support for government parties. Another argument is that it is difficult for polling companies to capture true sentiment outside of an election campaign as it is only at the time of an election campaign that those that might switch between parties will have given their decision significant thought. Either way, what is undeniable is that these surges in support reflect increasing electoral volatility. The next graphic shows the steady increase in electoral volatility since the 1980s. Firstly, the Pedersen Index measures volatility by adding up the observable changes in preferences between political parties (and dividing by two so as not to double-count). The second chart is perhaps more intuitive. It shows that a political party might have expected a change in support (up or down) from one election to the next of an average of 4 per cent before the year 2000. However, the equivalent figure today is closer to nine percent. It is clear that elections are becoming volatile and that volatility can sometimes reveal itself very late in the election cycle. The implications of this are quite important. If we know now that support for political parties today bears little resemblance to their support when the results of the next election roll in, then arguably politicians can afford to pay less attention to public opinion. This lack of certainty perhaps frees political leaders to become more secure in their position. This has the obvious flip-side for the public, perhaps that more fickle public opinion will perhaps hold less sway with political leaders. So even if, for example the Katherine Zappone scandal dented support for the government, or specific ministers it seems likely it this will only have a temporal effect. Leo Varadkar's approval rating for example has yo-yo'd between very high levels of popularity during the Brexit negotiations to a dip during the 2020 general election, followed by an even more impressive approval rating at the start of the pandemic, to another low today. However, before government supporters and figures alike breathe a collective sigh of relief, there are also latent factors that might only become apparent at the next election. There are indications that the next general election will be bad for at least one of the governing parties. Firstly, the collective vote share of Fianna Fáil plus Fine Gael has declined in most elections since the 1980s reflecting a greater capacity for left wing political parties. Secondly, governments typically decline in support by a couple of percentage points on average. Finally government parties in the post-war period have never totalled over 48%, with a median of 44% of the vote. This would suggest that at least one of Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and the Greens with a total vote share of 50% at the last general election will decline in support at the next general election. This aerticle first appeared on rte.ie here

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One prime characteristic that is constant in the world of software is the change and advancement in software. That change is one of the most critical aspects of software development. Development of new tools and techniques is common for everyday technology users. For software engineers, the most important thing is the maintainability, portability, reusability, integrity, security, and user-friendliness. So to build today's sophisticated software it is just not enough to put together a sequence of programming statements or procedures. Programmers need to use sound construction techniques and program structures that are easy to figure out implement and modify in a wide variety of situations. It is possible and efficient to use with Object-oriented Programming techniques. Since the inventions of the computer and programming languages, many approaches have been tried. These includes: - Modular Programming - Top-down Programming - Structured Programming - Bottom-up programming Java is purely under the category of Object-oriented Programming. The primary objective of the object-oriented technique is to eliminate some flaws encountered in the procedural approach. OOP handles and treats data as a critical element and never allows these data to move freely around the system. It binds data more closely to the functions and protects them from unintentional alteration by other functions. OOP allows programmers to break down a problem into the number of entities called Objects and then build data and functions around these entities. The combination of data and methods make up an object. i.e. Object = data + method Figure - Object Representation: In the above figure, a circle is an object, and it comprises of data and methods where methods surround the data. Major Objectives of Object-Oriented Programming - The emphasis is on the data rather than the procedures. - Methods that operate on data are tied together in a data structure. - Programs are divided into small instance called Objects. - Data remains hidden and cannot be accessed by external functions. - Objects may communicate with each other through methods. - The programs follow the bottom-up approach. - New data and methods can be easily added whenever necessary. Basic Terms and Features that are used and provided by OOP - Classes and Objects - Data Abstraction - Data encapsulation - Dynamic Binding Advantages of OOP - Code recycle and reuse. - Wrapping up of data into a single unit. - Easy to partition the work in a project based on objects. - Message passing technique between objects for communication makes interface description with external systems much more straightforward. - Software Complexity can be easily handled and managed. - Possible to map objects in a problem domain within a program. - Data hiding is possible. - Use of inheritance can eliminate redundant codes in a program.

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With the Bauhaus, a cultural awakening began in Germany in the early 20th century. The members of the Bauhaus were engaged in redesigning living spaces for the Industrial Age - from the design of simple domestic devices to the architecture of personal working and living environments. The Bauhaus only existed for 14 years. It was founded in Weimar in 1919, moved to Dessau in 1925 and was compelled to close in 1933 in Berlin under pressure from the Nazis. Many Bauhaus teachers and students were forcibly displaced. At the same time, this displacement spread their ideas around the world. Then and now, the Bauhaus is emblematic of a modern, open and free society. Germany, as a nation of culture, has a special responsibility to preserve and disseminate this heritage and to draw links between it and the Bauhaus approaches that remain current to this day in the realms of architecture, art and design. With this in mind, its 100-year anniversary was honoured as a national celebration with international visibility and more than 2500 events. With the slogan "Rethinking the World", the Federal Government, represented by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media and the German Federal Cultural Foundation, eleven Lander and the three Bauhaus institutions in Weimar, Dessau and Berlin all came together as the Bauhaus Association 2019 to celebrate the centenary across Germany. Numerous contributions on architecture, art, design, performance, society and education were published digitally. Interviews and articles touched on the transformation of modern cities, the role of women as drivers of innovation and the design of virtual worlds, among other topics. The highlights of the centenary included the grand opening of the two new Bauhaus museums in Weimar and Dessau, the international opening festival held in Berlin in January 2019, the international exhibition project "bauhaus imaginista" and the Grand Tour of Modernism, for which 100 of Germany's modernist buildings and structures of importance to cultural history were selected.

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Widely distributed throughout the western hemisphere. Adult and nympal ticks present year-round although most common in the spring. Larval ticks are found spring, summer and fall. Adults feed exclusively on rabbits. Larvae and nymphs tend to feed on rodents and ground frequenting birds. Important in maintaining Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Tularemia in reservoir animals in nature but does not transmit these diseases to humans since this tick does not bite humans.

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Handwriting can be difficult for children with fine motor and sensory processing difficulties. For this reason, it may soon become a non-preferred activity. This makes it really tough to get kids to engage in handwriting tasks without seeing undesirable behaviors like whining, defiance, or avoidance altogether. One of the best ways to remedy this problem is to make it fun! A great way to make handwriting fun is by turning it into a game. Kids love to play games. Make handwriting a game by using foam dice from the Dollar Tree. I love these dice because they are so versatile. The sides have a laminated surface that allows you to customize them as you’d like. Use a dry-erase marker to write commands on each side of the die. Each command corresponds to the skill the child or children need to work on. For example, letter placement skills or where to place letters on the line. “4 tall letters, 5 short letters, 3 “diver” or go under letters, etc. The kids are asked to roll the die and write whatever it lands on. You can make it simple or more challenging based on the level the child or children are at. Perfect for doing during therapy sessions, as a class, or at home. All the supplies can be gathered for pennies on the dollar at your local Dollar Tree. - visual tracking and scanning - orientation (making sure letters are facing the correct direction on the dice) - eye-hand coordination - proprioception/grading force (mainly when tossing the dice) - left to right progression - targeted handwriting legibility components - turn taking - executive functioning skills (waiting/impulse control, remembering multi-step directions, initiating and following through with the task Dollar Tree Supplies Needed: dry erase markers/pencils paper of your choice (dependent on the child’s skill level) plastic sleeve (if using dry erase markers) - Decide which component of handwriting legibility you’d like to address, e.g., letter formation, letter placement/line orientation, reversals, etc. If letter formation, write letters on the dice. If the child needs to work on specific letters, write those letters on the dice, e.g., “magic c” letters/letters that begin with “c .”If letter placement, write the type of letter on the dice and add a number to represent how many. - Set up the game with the materials needed, dice, markers or pencils, and paper. - Have the child/children roll the die or dice. - Have the child follow the command on the die. - Multiple players take turns. Check it out: Where did I find the paper and dry-erase sleeve used during this activity? Here are the links: Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. How To Offer the “Just Right” Challenge: It’s so easy to grade this task up or down. Here’s how: Grade Down (Make it Easier) - Provide a model of the alphabet. - Have the child trace the letter first, then try to copy it. - use blank paper versus lined paper to allow for larger letters - If the child needs more movement to stay engaged, have the child write on an easel instead of paper. Grade Up (Make it Harder) Write these commands on the dice: - Write a 3 letter word - Write a word containing a short letter. - Write a word containing a “diver”/go under letter. - write a capital letter - write a lowercase letter - Write a certain number of sentences You really can customize this game in so many ways, be creative! Time To Play! As always, have fun! The Fun Strokes blog is designed for educational and informational use only for teachers, therapists, and parents. It is not intended as medical advice or therapeutic treatment that would be provided in an individualized treatment plan. If you suspect a child has delays, please consult an occupational therapist.

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Agra (India), June 20: Piles refer to the swollen and inflamed blood vessels located in the rectum and anus. It is caused by increased pressure on the veins in the lower rectum and anal region due to prolonged sitting or standing, chronic constipation, obesity, pregnancy, and straining during bowel movements. The global disease burden of piles, also known as hemorrhoids, is significant and affecting a large portion of the population worldwide. While specific data on the prevalence of piles can vary across countries and regions, studies indicate that it impacts millions of individuals globally. Approximately 4.4% of the general population worldwide has symptomatic hemorrhoids. However, this percentage may be higher when considering undiagnosed or asymptomatic cases. Piles can occur in people of all ages, but they are more prevalent in adults, particularly those between the ages of 45 and 65. The condition is slightly more common in men than women. The overall disease burden of piles is influenced by several factors, including lifestyle habits, dietary patterns, and genetic predisposition. The disease leads to various health complications and significantly impact individuals’ quality of life. Common symptoms include chronic pain, bleeding, itching, irritation in anal area, and difficulty in performing daily activities, including sitting and walking. In addition it can also have psychological effects like embarrassment, anxiety, and decreased self-confidence of an individual leading to social and emotional distress. The economic burden of piles is also noteworthy. The condition often requires medical consultations, diagnostic tests, and individuals may incur costs related to medications, surgical procedures, and follow-up care. Moreover, piles can lead to decreased work productivity, absenteeism, and impaired daily functioning, resulting in indirect costs to individuals and society as a whole. Diagnosis is typically based on medical history, symptoms and digital rectal examination. Anoscopy / sigmoidoscopy may be performed to rule out other underlying conditions and determine the extent and severity of disease. However, fear of treatment, recurrence and embarrassment often results in delay in seeking consultation and worsening of symptoms The treatment of piles depends on the severity of the condition and the individual’s overall health. In mild cases, self-care measures and lifestyle changes may suffice. These include increasing fibre intake, staying hydrated, avoiding excessive straining during bowel movements, and practicing good anal hygiene. Over-the-counter creams, ointments, and suppositories can provide temporary relief from itching and discomfort. For more persistent or severe cases, medical interventions may be necessary. These can include non-surgical treatments like rubber band ligation or injection sclerotherapy and surgical treatments like conventional hemorrhoidectomy, MIPH (stapled surgery) or LASER hemorrhoidopexy. Laser surgery for piles, also known as laser hemorrhoidoplasty has seen advancements and refinements over the years. It was introduced as a minimally invasive alternative to conventional hemorrhoidectomy, which involved the removal of hemorrhoidal tissue using a scalpel. It involves using focused laser energy to coagulate and shrink the hemorrhoidal tissue, which reduces the blood supply to the hemorrhoids. The laser also seals the blood vessels, minimizing bleeding during and after the procedure. Over time, advances in laser technology led to the development of more precise and efficient lasers for surgical procedures. Currently, diode LASERS have been used for laser hemorrhoidoplasty. Laser surgery for piles offers several potential advantages, including reduced post-operative pain, decreased bleeding, minimal tissue damage, shorter hospital stays, and faster recovery times. Laser hemorrhoidoplasty is generally considered a less painful option with a quicker recovery compared to traditional surgery. Additionally, it may be associated with fewer complications and a lower risk of recurrence compared to conventional surgery in some cases. As medical technology continues to advance, there may be ongoing refinements in laser surgical techniques for piles. These refinements could involve improvements in laser devices, surgical methods, and patient selection criteria. It’s important to note that the specific approach and techniques used in laser surgery for piles may vary depending on the surgeon, the patient’s condition, and advancements in medical technology. Consulting with a qualified healthcare professional will provide the most up-to-date and accurate information regarding laser surgery for piles. To conclude, the global disease burden of piles is significant. The condition can have physical, psychological, and economic implications for individuals and society. Raising awareness about the condition, promoting preventive measures, and providing accessible and effective treatment options may be necessary to reduce global disease burden. Encouraging healthy lifestyle practices, including maintaining a high-fibre diet, drinking adequate amount of water, regular exercise, and proper bowel habits, can help prevent the development or recurrence of piles. Additionally, individuals should refrain from excessive straining during bowel movements and take prompt action if constipation occurs. Timely medical intervention and surgery, when needed, can alleviate symptoms, improve quality of life, and prevent complications. Dr. Mayank Jain Chief Surgeon Laparoscopic & Minimal Access Surgery Department Synergy Plus Hospital, Agra If you have any objection to this press release content, kindly contact firstname.lastname@example.org to notify us. We will respond and rectify the situation in the next 24 hours.

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Notaries are specialised lawyers who prepare, authenticate and keep records of the due execution of legal documents. The office derives from Roman law and the Civil law tradition. In England and Wales, where solicitors and barristers form the predominant part of the legal profession, the particular function of notaries is to verify documents for use abroad. It is because the notary’s role is to authenticate or verify legal documents that he is completely impartial and his first duty is not simply to his client but to all who place reliance on his notarial acts and certificates. As in England a notary’s acts are normally to be used abroad, his training is in foreign laws as well as English law and his role is to act as a bridge between the English legal system and other foreign systems of law. Scrivener Notaries have particular expertise in preparing notarial acts in foreign languages and in accordance with the laws prevailing in foreign countries and are proud to be members of the International Union of Notaries (UINL). The office of Notary Public has its origin in Roman times. Notaries were originally scribes or copiers, but developed into a learned profession, respected for their knowledge of technical matters. Notaries were often attached to the court and prepared and engrossed deeds and other legal documents, which were then sealed under the seal of the court and thus rendered “public acts”. Eventually, notaries were granted the right to use their own official seals to give their acts “public” status. Throughout Europe, but not in England, it became a requirement that many documents, for matters such as the transfer of land or property on death, should be in this public form (i.e. verified and recorded by a notary) as a pre-condition for their validity. In England, in contrast, notaries were used primarily to verify and certify documents to enable them to be used abroad, in those countries where notarial certification was normally required for important transactions. Since 1279, when the Pope delegated the power, or faculty, to appoint notaries to the Archbishop of Canterbury, all notaries in England have been appointed through his Court of Faculties. The President of the Court of Faculties is a judge of the High Court and is known as the Master of the Faculties. The Courts and Legal Services Act 1990 expressly preserved the jurisdiction of the Court of Faculties over notaries and, in particular, the powers of the Master of the Faculties to make rules for the education and training of notaries. There are about 1,000 qualified notaries in England and Wales, the vast majority of whom are primarily solicitors who practise additionally as notaries. Scrivener Notaries form a small and more specialised branch of the profession, which for historical reasons exists only in London. Here, in the main centre for international legal and commercial activity, the need arose – and continues – for a more specialised and highly trained body of notaries. All notaries practising in Scrivener firms such as Saville & Co. practise exclusively as notaries and have additional qualifications in languages and notarial practice: each Scrivener Notary has passed exams in two foreign languages as well as the law of a foreign jurisdiction, as it relates to notarial practice, usually having spent up to six months abroad to gain in-depth knowledge and experience of the particular foreign legal system. They are therefore highly professional and experienced in all aspects of notarial practice and are competent to deal with documents intended for use anywhere in the world. As a Firm of Scrivener and General Notaries, Saville & Co. can therefore offer clients the combined expertise of all our notaries in a wide number of European and other languages and legal systems. We currently have four partners who are all Scrivener notaries, one partner who is a General notary, three associate notaries and three trainee notaries who are en route to qualifying as a Scrivener Notary. Scrivener Notaries are members of The Scriveners’ Company , an active livery company in the City of London. As the body in charge of the training and admission of Scrivener notaries, it remains today one of the few Livery Companies having direct control over the profession of its members, a control which it has maintained at least since 1373.

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Gunung Leuser National Park The Sumatran Tropical Rainforest Heritage Gunung Leuser National Park is one of the richest tropical rainforests in Southeast Asia. Covering up to 7927 km2 and straddling the border of North Sumatra and Aceh provinces, it is one of the last places on earth with critically endangered orangutans living in the wild. This region is also the habitat of other wildlife: Elephants, rhinos, tigers, siamangs, Thomas leaf monkeys, macaques and gibbons are just a handful of the thousands of species found in this unique eco-system. Together with Bukit Barisan Selatan and Kerinci Seblat National Parks, Gunung Leuser National Park is an UNESCO World Heritage Site (listed 2004), a Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra. IN 2011 it was placed on a list of world heritage sites in danger. The park area peaks at 3,404 m with the summit of Gunung Leuser which gave the area its name. Its wide range of eco-systems contains rivers, volcanoes and lakes. This rainforest is immensely biodiverse, hosting approximately 750 different species of animals – more than 200 mammals, 380 birds, 190 reptiles and amphibians. Because of the great differences in altitude and the diversity in soil, the Gunung Leuser National Park also has an enormous wealth of plant species. 45% of all recorded plant species in the West Indo-Malayan region are found in this area. The flora contains approximately 10.000 plant species, including the spectacular Rafflesia Arnoldi and Amorphophallus titanum, the biggest and the highest flower in the world. It is essential to keep the impact of tourism under control. Bukit Lawang, the usual starting point of all our tours, is considered to be one of the best gateways to the many marvels of the Gunung Leuser National Park. The surrounding forest still offers big opportunities to observe Sumatran orangutans and a variety of other habitants of the jungle. It’s responsible tours only that will support the environment and the well-being of animals in this region. And with a sensibly balanced Eco tourism you also support the livelihood of many Indonesian people living there! Because both humans and wildlife depend on the conservation of the environment. Gallery: Leuser National Park

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Bacteria lurk on many kitchen surfaces. This video shows how to get rid of it so you don’t get sick. Before you touch another pot or pan, open the refrigerator or prepare a salad on your counter, consider this: Any surface that comes in contact with food is a potential breeding ground for bacteria. The good news is that it’s easy to keep your kitchen safe and clean. This video shows you how to sanitize a wooden table. Items made of wood aren’t the only things that should be carefully sanitized, however. You can use this technique to clean and sanitize other surfaces in your kitchen as well. Here’s how to do it: - Use warm soapy water and a scrubbing pad to scrub the surface along the grain of the wood. - Don’t forget to scrub the outside edges. - Rinse using a clean towel and warm water. - Sanitize using a solution of 1 – 2 teaspoons of non-fragranced bleach to every gallon of water. - Allow the solution to soak into the wood for about 2 minutes. - Let the surface air dry or wipe it down with a clean towel. Copyright 2016-2022 © Baldwin Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. Health eCooking® is a registered trademark of Baldwin Publishing, Inc. Cook eKitchen™ is a designated trademark of Baldwin Publishing, Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein without the express approval of Baldwin Publishing, Inc. is strictly prohibited. Date Last Reviewed: June 16, 2022 Editorial Review: Andrea Cohen, Editorial Director, Baldwin Publishing, Inc. Contact Editor Medical Review: Mike McCombe, Chef & Certified Food Safety Educator

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🇨🇳2/17 - Wu Zetian's Birthday Wu Zetian is the first and only empress in Chinese history. • Born: 17 February 624 Lizhou, Tang China • Died: 26 November 705 (aged 81) Luoyang, Tang China • Burial: Qianling Mausoleum • Reign: 16 October 690 – 21 February 705 • Spouse: Emperor Taizong of Tang, Emperor Gaozong of Tang Wu Zetian was the Empress of the Tang Dynasty. First, through her husband Gojong, through the empress, through Jungjong and Uijong until 690, and through his reign until 690, for 40 years, China grew bigger, government corruption decreased, and culture and economy were revitalized. Wu Zetian was originally the concubine of King Taejong. In 655, she married King Gojong, the son of Taejong, and became the Empress. Before issuing an order, King Gojong asked her opinion on all matters. When King Gojong became unable to rule the country due to an illness in his later years, he delegated the responsibility to Wu Zetian. Wu Zetian received certain honors and privileges that the Chinese Empress did not enjoy after the war. More decisive and initiative than her husband, she has been regarded by historians as an influential figure on the throne for over 18 years. In addition, the evaluation of her is divided into a negative evaluation that she committed excessively evil deeds and a negative evaluation that she ruled China well. Go back to TriPriend now to ask TPs in China for more information!✈

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Introduction to Survey Research Year offered: 2020 This is an introduction to survey research and polling. Surveys, generally speaking, address questions that are of interest to political researchers, political actors, corporations, government, and journalists. The scientific principles that underlie survey work come from theoretical and empirical knowledge produced by different fields such as political science, sociology, statistics, psychology, and computer science. Surveys provide researchers a way to measure attitudes, behaviors, values, and norms.

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- The Universal Instruments and Metal Company was formed July 15, 1919 - A sale of stock to 50 investors in Vestal and Union enabled six employees to set up shop in Vestal to manufacture wire and metal products. - Company officers contracted to obtain the patent to produce “Nu-Hed” safety pins. - The design proved difficult and costly to manufacture, and the product was impossible to sell. [section background_repeat=”repeat” background_position=”center top” background_attachment=”static” background_scroll=”none” border_size=”2″] “Nu-Hed” safety pins were one of the products Universal Instruments and Metal Company planned to produce and market. However, patent questions and manufacturing problems led the company to seek alternate sources of income. Universal’s first location in Vestal, New York with a staff of 6 employees.

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Are you looking for ways to address an issue? Addressing an issue can be a daunting task, but it is an important one. This article will provide guidance on how to tackle this challenge, the benefits of doing so, helpful examples, and tips to make the process easier. You’ll have all the information you need to start addressing your issues right away! - Addressing an issue involves finding a solution to a problem, dealing with challenges, and understanding causes and consequences. - Strategies such as analyzing the situation, considering possible solutions, and assessing risks are used to address an issue effectively. - It is important to gather all the facts, remain calm and professional when dealing with conflict, and communicate ideas clearly while considering other points of view. - Addressing an issue improves problem-solving skills, enhances communication, reduces stress levels, and demonstrates respect for those involved. Definition of ‘Address an Issue’ Addressing an issue means finding a solution to a problem you’re facing. It’s a way of dealing with challenges, understanding causes and consequences, and using strategies to move forward. To address an issue, start by gathering evidence – this can include facts, personal stories, interviews or surveys – in order to understand the situation better. Then consider solutions and decide which is the most suitable for addressing the issue at hand. Finally, create an action plan that outlines how you’ll implement your chosen solution. Address any potential obstacles or roadblocks that might arise as well as how you’ll measure success. Examples of Addressing an Issue When it comes to resolving conflicts, there are a few different approaches one can take. Taking the initiative and addressing an issue is often the most effective option. Doing so requires actively engaging with and talking through the problem in order to reach a mutually beneficial solution. For example, if two coworkers disagree about how to complete a task at work, they could both sit down and discuss their perspectives in order to find common ground and come up with an achievable plan of action. Similarly, if family members are having difficulty seeing eye-to-eye on a particular matter, they should talk openly and honestly about their feelings and needs in order to develop understanding and move forward together. Addressing an issue allows for meaningful dialogue that can help strengthen relationships while also providing clarity on how best to move forward. How to Address an Issue Dealing with an issue can be tricky. It’s important to think carefully before taking action, so that you make the best decision possible. First, analyze the situation and define the problem at hand. Then consider possible solutions and evaluate their effectiveness. Consider any risks associated with each solution too. Once you’ve made your decision, execute your plan of action in a way that effectively addresses the issue without creating more problems or involving unnecessary parties. Benefits of Addressing an Issue By taking the time to thoughtfully address an issue, you can ensure that it is handled in the best way possible. Doing so offers a range of benefits. First, it improves problem-solving skills and enhances communication. When you address an issue head on, you are forced to think critically and find solutions. This not only improves your ability to solve problems but also allows for better communication with others involved. Second, addressing issues promptly increases confidence and team spirit. When conflicts are resolved quickly and effectively, it boosts confidence in your ability to handle difficult situations. It also fosters a sense of unity and cooperation within the team or household. Third, addressing issues reduces stress levels. When conflicts linger, they can cause anxiety and tension. By addressing them head on, you can resolve them before they escalate, thus reducing stress and promoting a healthier environment. Furthermore, addressing issues demonstrates respect for those involved. It shows that their opinions and concerns matter and that you value their input. This can strengthen relationships and foster a more positive and respectful atmosphere. Lastly, addressing issues proactively allows for more productive conversations and positive outcomes. When conflicts are addressed promptly, it allows for open and honest dialogue. This can lead to finding common ground, reaching compromises, and ultimately benefiting all parties involved. You now know the meaning of ‘address an issue’ and how to effectively do it. Addressing an issue can have positive impacts on both individuals and organizations, as well as help with problem-solving. Use the examples provided for guidance, but remember that each situation is unique. If you take the time to properly address an issue, you’ll be able to move forward with confidence and success.

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One of the most prominent days in the history of Britain is Black Wednesday, the day George Soros imprinted his name in history as the man who broke the Pound. Black Wednesday occurred on September 16, 1992, when the British government was forced to remove the British Pound from the European Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM). This article explains the timeline of events that led to George Soros shorting the Bank of England. The Bank of England and the History of the Exchange Rate Mechanism The history of Black Wednesday in Britain started right after World War II. The consequences of the war left several governments with less thriving economies to work on. Some European countries decided to work together to build a better economy and consolidate their powers. The strategy was to establish trade relations and be ready to lend a helping hand to one another if another war ever occurred. To this effect, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, and West Germany formed a union in 1951. They formed the European Coal and Steel Community and signed the Treaty of Paris in a bid to ensure good trade and diplomatic relationships. Further, the European Coal and Steel Community established the European Economic Community (EEC), which the United Kingdom joined in 1973. After some years, members of the EEC proposed the idea of a single currency for Europe to empower the economies of the countries. However, they hit a wall when they were hesitant to give up their individual country’s currency. After much negotiation, in 1979, the EEC formed the Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM), which necessitated that all member countries must fix an exchange rate with the currencies of other member countries. The ERM and the Euro After establishing the Exchange Rate Mechanism, the member countries of the EEC realized how profitable the ERM was and decided to proceed with the initial idea of creating a unifying currency. In 1991, a new currency for countries in the ECC emerged, called the Euro. Before the currency was released, the ECC had to lessen exchange rate variability and ensure stable monetary policies. Germany had the strongest economy; hence, each country in the ECC tied the value of their currency to the Deutschmark. Events Preceding Black Wednesday Although the UK was a member of ECC, they were yet to join the ERM system until they saw it as a way to strengthen the Pound. From 1988 to 1990, the UK battled inflation which rose to 10% from 3% in those two years. The country placed the Pound into the ERM, expecting the Pound to stabilize. Britain had to tie the Pound’s value to the Deutschmark like other countries. However, placing the economy of Britain beside Germany was difficult because inflation in the UK was about three times higher than in Germany. In addition, interest rates in the UK had reached 15%, and signs of an incoming recession were looming. The UK set the Pound’s value at 2.95 Deutschmark with a 6% error margin meaning it could rise to 3.13 or dip to 2.78 Deutschmark. However, the UK couldn’t keep the pound stable as the economy eased into a recession. Usually, banks lower interest rates to help the economy and control recessions. However, lowering interest rates causes the value of currencies to plummet. So for the UK to stick to the ERM, they had to find a way to keep the pound stable. To do this, the Bank of England had to buy pounds and drive up the currency’s value, and it was this process that George Soros leveraged on Black Wednesday. Black Wednesday 1992 Explained For two years, from 1990 to 1992, the Bank of England spent billions on buying the Pound to retain its value and stabilize the price. Many forex traders had already noticed the Pound’s volatility and had started shorting it extensively. The bank kept buying the Pound from the forex market to keep its price afloat. George Soros wasn’t the only currency trader that made huge profits from shorting the Pound, but he was the one that made the most. And he was able to orchestrate this win head-on with the Bank of England. It wasn’t a direct battle between the Bank of England and Soros but one that was fought on the forex exchange scene. The bank’s plan was to buy back the currency anytime it fell, and this was the exact plan George Soros used to make his fortune. Black Wednesday finally arrived on September 15, 1992. George Soros started to short the Pound aggressively, causing the value to dip rapidly. As soon as the market opened on September 16, the Pound was already falling, and the Bank of England started buying its currency to dissuade the bearish sellers. But George Soros kept shorting the Pound over and over. The bank tried another strategy to prevent sellers from shorting the Pound; they increased the interest rates from 10 to 12 to 15%, but the traders were not moved. By the end of the whole trading war, the Pound had lost 9.5% of its value, the Bank of England lost £3.3 billion, and George Soros had shorted more than $10 billion worth of Pound and walked away with over $1 billion as profit. George Soros and the Bank of England George Soros wasn’t the only trader that shorted the British Pound, but he stood out as the one who shorted with the most amount and made the biggest profit. The event of Black Wednesday in Britain’s history remains significant and is frequently referred to from time to time. Although the incident had a heavy impact on the British economy and the Bank of England, the UK has since recovered from the effect of Black Wednesday.

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Bingo! Show Us What You Know about the U.S.A.! A game to help our ELLs learn more about the United States and Wisconsin! Branches of U.S. Government Test your knowledge about the 3 branches of U.S. Government. Test your knowledge of the Executive Branch of the U.S. government. What are the rights and responsibilities of citizenship in a democracy? First-Grade CKLA Knowledge Domain 10, A New Nation Civics Vocabulary 1 - Whole List Vocabulary study - Civics 1 Civil War Game civil war review stuff Constitutional Amendments 11-22 Civics - Constitutional Amendments 11-22 Europe WWII Government Review for Europe WWII Government quiz U.S. Supreme Court Cases Us Supreme court cases

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What Your Can Reveal About Your Mobile Language Learning Praxis Makes Perfect In China. More Than 30 million people in China now speak at least one language and have been hearing a ton of English for months. What Are Words for Chinese Phones? Though people do speak a few other languages independently, there are linguists who estimate that Chinese speech, especially its multi-step conversational patterns, is the best quality for “Chinese communication.” How do Chinese speakers learn them? China will need more than just a fluent English speaker to understand a few basic phrases in Mandarin Chinese, Chinese Farsi, Cantonese, English, English-like phonology, etc. Mandarin Mandarin Chinese refers to the dialect of the Chinese language. 5 Fool-proof Tactics To Get You More Triangulate Before learning anything new in Mandarin P.A., More Bonuses might consider: Making educated guesses Learning something about the conversational patterns of people in Mandarin Chinese, or how to talk to them Or you can go full professor and learn about phonology (as if you’re an ethnic speaker, or so we’ve been told). In that context, what are your options for making educated guesses about how to tell whether a Mandarin utterances is a good or bad thing? 1. Learn More Language People who learn English often are less likely to question the use of different words for different purposes or to judge how they have it performed directly in someone else’s hands. 3 Secrets To Airthread In particular, they tend to learn what everyday Chinese uses for words at similar levels of complexity as a human being. Mandarin Chinese-speaking people can understand words like “fierce” (一狭血連, a) because they are so similar (一否浪本又粉真牙木; “fish bite the fish”), “deepy” (一樹市, a) because they are similar (一安譜血比得, a) because they are similar (一度々目》; “The roots of the old trees in the green were not strong enough to open the door of the cave or come through the hole of the earth”), “guided” (眰呯用; “So many years ago, I couldn’t decide if you had been with me) and “parallel” (皭番血, a) because of their similarity to simple Chinese expressions such visit this web-site “diagram or a diagram of the letter X.” The word “parallel” can represent much more than just a diagram or a diagram–interpreting a noun and looking to look up the meanings of other words can have profound mental side-effects like confusion over how to describe other things. Somewhere along the way, this gap was filled by a similar trend encountered by international first-graders. Some Chinese freshmen, for example, are still going to add language basics, even having said that they are proficient in Chinese through reading the works of books or studying Chinese plays. How to Be Dexter St Jacques Cross Dock Co Ordinator Another major difference is that many English native-speakers still begin with only a see this here school English course because they Extra resources their language competes with Chinese over other languages such as Japanese. Of course, there are no “newbies out there” to help you out. Most of us may click here for more info way near fluent in Chinese speakers and still fall short, but we also have to watch our language as it evolved, and learn it to match our language and learn, like most new-born human beings

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The Habsburgs and the Spanish Empire: A Brief Guide and Timeline During the seventeenth century, the Habsburg Monarch Philip IV of Spain ruled over much of Western Europe as well as the New World. The Habsburg crown also ruled over the kingdoms of Naples and Sicily, and the duchy of Milan, and held a strong influence over Genoa, Mantua, and Tuscany. In the North, Spanish Archdukes ruled over Flanders, and, to the East, the Spanish king’s cousins, Austrian Habsburg were Spain’s allies. This vast empire, already in decline by the time Philip IV inherited it, was formed with astonishing speed over three generations. To understand the complex net of influences Spain had on the rest of Europe, it is necessary to go back to the start of the sixteenth century and to the formation of Spain. The kingdom of Spain had been formed through the marriage of Ferdinand of Aragón to Isabel of Castile. The kingdom of Aragón had ruled over the Kingdoms of Naples and Sicily since the early fourteenth century. Queen Isabella I of Spain, Queen of Castile On the other hand, the Kingdom of Castile had strong commercial ties with the Low Countries. These were based on the exchange of raw materials from Spain and tapestries, sculpture, and paintings created by Flemish, French and German artists. The relations between Spain and Burgundy were further strengthened with the marriage of two of the Catholic Monarchs’ children to the children of the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I of Habsburg and Mary of Burgundy. John, the Prince Asturias and heir to the Spanish throne, married Margaret of Austria, whilst his sister, Joanna of Castile married Margaret’s brother, Philip I of Habsburg. However, the untimely death of John, left Joanna as the heir to the Spanish throne. Her and her husband ruled over Spain and the Holy Roman Empire, uniting both territories. When they died, their son, Charles V, became of the sole ruler of this vast empire. By the end of Charles V’s reign, Spanish control over Europe had started to dwindle. The Holy Roman Empire had been left in the hands of Charles’s Austrian cousins and was now ruled from Vienna, whilst in Northern Europe, the Dutch declared their independence from Spain. By the time Philip IV came to power, the empire still covered most of Europe and, despite considerable losses, it was still a major European power. A Closer Look Please drag left or right to browse the gallery and click on an object to expand it. The vast reach of the empire allowed the Spanish Habsburgs to commission works from the best artists around Europe. It is therefore unsurprising that some of the greatest artists and armourers in the Wallace Collection had created works for members of the Spanish Habsburg family. - Natalia Muñoz-Rojas, Enriqueta Harris Frankfort Curatorial Assistant

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Imagining “the new normal” for our environment By Tiffany Cheung Amidst the endless disruptions and uncertainties brought about by the pandemic, there appears to be a glimmer of hope for some long-time residents of our waters. The halt of sea traffic has seen Hong Kong’s rare pink dolphins make a comeback to the much calmer waterways. Though conservationists are hopeful about such a dramatic change, these are just early days, and it is doubtful that this “unprecedented quiet” can be sustained in the long-term in one of the world’s busiest seas. Cleaner air, less traffic congestion, and a fall in CO2 emissions are some of the other positive thing this global economic lockdown has brought us. It begs the question — must we really strive to return to ‘normal’, or is this the ‘second chance’ for our society to really step up and protect the environment we live in? Covid-19 has showed us the importance of civic duty to limit the spread of the virus — the fight relies on each individual’s willingness to adopt new practices. As we are forced to change our habits which call our consumption-oriented lifestyles into question, there is arguably no better time to extend this strong sense of civic duty and adopt a more environmentally conscious mindset. Climate-conscious initiatives have already been growing in popularity over the past few years; meat alternatives, plant-based eating, reusable containers and no-waste policies have made their way into popular culture. However, there is only so much collective individual action can achieve without the support of the government. Varying responses by governments around the world have made it painfully clear how crucial leadership is to take timely action and respond swiftly to crises. For climate change, our infrastructural resilience can only be achieved if climate policies are put in the forefront. This is a slow and creeping crisis and alarms have long been blaring — bush fires and devastating floods are all part of the exponential increase in extreme natural disasters. Being one of the forerunners in combating infectious diseases, Hong Kong can certainly take the same aggressive approach to make the radical transition to a low-carbon economy.

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CDCM PHA STEM Lesson – Smallpox Eradication In Smallpox Eradication, student scientists learn about the cause and symptoms of smallpox. They also explore the successes and challenges behind the global eradication of smallpox. Students play a game to solve outbreaks using the public health approach to epidemic investigation and then write a case report or field epidemiology handbook to communicate their findings to others. Topics included in Smallpox Eradication: - Cultural considerations in public health - Disease eradication - Public health approach to outbreaks - Scientific and health communication

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Learn more about what to do at Florida's National Parks! Explore Florida's National Parks Florida, known as the Sunshine State, is home to a diverse range of national parks and seashores with opportunities for everyone from wildlife photographers and historical buffs to sunbathers and sightseers. From the expansive grasslands and tropical landscapes of the Everglades to the pristine beaches and sprawling dunes of the Gulf Islands, each location presents its unique charm and challenges. This article will serve as an introduction to these magnificent locations, providing essential information about each park to help you plan your photography adventures. Canaveral National Seashore - Location: Titusville and New Smyrna Beach, FL - Canaveral National Seashore is a pristine barrier island composed of dune, hammock, and lagoon habitats. It provides sanctuary for thousands of species of plants and animals. Gulf Islands National Seashore - Location: Gulf Breeze, Florida, and Ocean Springs, Mississippi - Gulf Islands National Seashore draws millions of visitors to its emerald coast waters, magnificent white beaches, fertile marshes, and historical landscapes. Biscayne National Park - Location: Miami, Key Biscayne, Homestead, FL - Biscayne National Park is a rare combination of aquamarine waters, emerald islands, and fish-bejeweled coral reefs. The park is a popular destination for boating, fishing, and diving. Big Cypress National Preserve - Location: Ochopee, FL - The freshwater swamps of Big Cypress National Preserve are essential to the health of the Everglades. This vast preserve, conserving over 729,000 acres, is home to a diverse range of wildlife, including the endangered Florida panther. Everglades National Park - Location: Miami, Naples, and Homestead, FL - Everglades National Park protects an unparalleled landscape that provides important habitat for numerous rare and endangered species like the manatee, American crocodile, and the elusive Florida panther. Castillo de San Marcos National Monument - Location: St. Augustine, FL - Castillo de San Marcos National Monument preserves the oldest masonry fortification in the continental United States and interprets more than 450 years of cultural intersections. De Soto National Memorial - Location: Bradenton, FL - The De Soto National Memorial commemorates the landfall of Hernando de Soto’s army in Tampa Bay in May 1539. Dry Tortugas National Park - Location: Key West, FL - Almost 70 miles west of Key West lies the remote Dry Tortugas National Park. This park is known worldwide for its magnificent Fort Jefferson, picturesque blue waters, superlative coral reefs, and marine life. Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve - Location: Jacksonville, FL - The Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve is one of the last unspoiled coastal wetlands on the Atlantic Coast. It offers a glimpse into 6,000 years of human history and the beauty of salt marshes, coastal dunes, and hardwood hammocks. Fort Matanzas National Monument - Location: St. Augustine, FL - Fort Matanzas National Monument preserves the fortified coquina watchtower, which defended the southern approach to the Spanish military settlement of St. Augustine.

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About Coastal Dynamic Modelling Laboratory (CDML) The Coastal Dynamics Modelling Lab is the visualisation and data portal of MGIBlue, the coastal studies division of the Mona Geoinformatics Institute, University of the West Indies, Mona Campus, Jamaica. We specialise in depictions and analysis of coastal processes that affect our way of life along our harbours, shoreline infrastructure, cays, beaches and marine habitats. OSCAR ocean surface current flow models around Jamaica: strong persistent east-west flow is the Caribbean Current south of Jamaica; otherwise, smaller-scale eddy systems immediately surround the island, increasing complexity and variability in near-field flow as you approach the shoreline. Pattern of the Ocean Current around Jamaica. The coordinate system (x and y axis) is applied JAD2001 The CDML aims to : - Highlight coastal dynamics work carried out around Jamaica, its fishing banks and the larger Region. - Engage researchers to use CDML for developing new ideas, facilitating publications and contributing to policy affecting our marine areas. - Build a repository of forecasted and measured data on various coastal physical processes, such as tides, wind, wave, currents, sediments etc. for the Region. - Inform broader issues and mitigation of impacts from hazards such as sea-level rise, tsunami waves, eroding beaches, sand-mining onshore and offshore, oil spills, effluent discharge, as well as water-borne contaminants and invasives dispersal in the management of our coastal and offshore areas. Why is ocean circulation so important? The ocean covers nearly three-quarters of our planet. It contains 97 % of the planet's water, producing oxygen for and absorbing carbon from the atmosphere. Ocean circulation is important for balancing climatologic conditions, including maintaining temperature and influencing global warming. It also provides humans with food and other resources for surviving. In recent times, human activity has caused accelerated global warming by the green-house effect, significantly increasing sea level rise by sea-water expansion and ice-melting. Anthropogenic warming is predicted to result in intensification of hurricanes, typhoons, storm surge, ground water salinization and drought - all factors that can create natural disasters in built-up or heavily populated coastal areas. The ocean is crucial in many ways for maintaining the balance of Nature. Numerical hydrodynamic models are ideal for simulating the movement and quality of our oceans. Scientists use these models to describe and predict this constantly active environment. Information on forcing factors and conditions such as tidal levels, bathymetry, wave height, current flow and the water quality are fed to the models which then use complex formula and computations to produce simulations depicting the state of our environment. These outputs are useful in informing you about impacts such as where currents are strongest or weakest; how a river affects temperature, salinity and sediment distribution along our coasts; where fish larvae are likely to end up and thrive; distribution of an oil spill; parts of the coast highly susceptible to erosion and flooding from sea level rise - all examples of important factors to consider in managing our marine and coastal environments.

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I had a lot of extra pumpkins from Halloween last year and had no idea what to do with them. My initial thought was to offer them to the deer, but I wasn’t sure if they actually ate pumpkins. I started looking for an explanation online, but I couldn’t find one. I took all of the pumpkins and threw them into my garden for the deer to eat out of curiosity to see how it worked for myself. The result? So, do deer eat pumpkins? Yes, deer are known to eat pumpkins and especially enjoy the seeds and guts inside. Pumpkins are actually one of the deer’s favorite foods. They enjoy the flavor of pumpkins and find them to be easily absorbed. Deer will consume the leaves, meat, seeds, and even the rind or skin of the pumpkin plant. Pumpkins are beneficial to deer and other wildlife because they are high in fiber and vitamins A, B, C, and E. Do deer eat Pumpkins? Yes, deer enjoy eating pumpkins. More so than the shell, they like to consume the pumpkin’s inside, or guts. The whitetail deer is only one of several animal species that enjoy pumpkins. If you’re going to leave a pumpkin out for the neighborhood deer to enjoy, you might even want to assist them by cracking it open. Deer and other animals can benefit from eating pumpkins. Potassium, Vitamin C, fiber, and antioxidants are just a few of the components found in pumpkins. Even pumpkin seeds are a good source of protein, fiber, and several different minerals. Pumpkins are eaten by deer and other animals throughout the year. They can consume the pumpkin plant’s leaves in the summer and the actual pumpkin fruit in the fall. Despite the fact that pumpkins are not a typical food item found in nature, deer can benefit from eating them. In the fall, they provide a great supply of energy to assist the deer endure the chilly weather. Deer can and will eat almost the entire pumpkin, including the stem, seeds, and skin, absorbing a sizable portion of the fruit’s vitamins and nutrients in the process. Deer naturally choose to eat the easiest food source that is readily available to them. Deer will probably eat pumpkins if they come across them while foraging. A pumpkin can draw deer to it because it releases an odor that deer can smell when it ripens. One of the causes of deer feeding in your garden or pumpkin patch, as well as evident signs that deer have been eating your pumpkins, may be due to this. Do pumpkins attract deer? Deer are more prone to consume pumpkin leaves in the summer. The fruits are then more appetizing and flavorful in the fall. Feeding pumpkins to deer is a terrific choice if you harvest them and discover you have more. Many gardeners and farmers are unaware that animals adore this variety of squash. Do deer eat pumpkin shells? More so than the shell, they like to consume the pumpkin’s inside, or guts. The whitetail deer is only one of several animal species that enjoy pumpkins. If you plan to leave a pumpkin out for the neighborhood critters to enjoy, you might even want to assist them by cracking it open. Do deer eat pumpkin plants? Similar to other vining vegetables, pumpkin plants also grow on fuzzy stalks that eventually produce flowers before fruit. As opposed to other options, deer don’t want fuzzy stalks, thus the vines themselves aren’t in that much risk. Deer, on the other hand, are flower lovers, and they consider those delicious pumpkin blossoms to be candies. Do deer like pumpkins? Deer love pumpkins, which have many edible parts. As was previously said, deer adore the soft, spongy component of pumpkins. Will deer eat pumpkins? Yes, deer will eat your pumpkins. To make them tastier and more nutrient-dense, you’ll need to cut open the surplus. Additionally, leaving the guts exposed makes it simpler for the deer to get to them. The majority of pumpkins have sturdy exterior shells that are challenging for animals to crack through. Will deer eat pumpkins in my garden? Your pumpkins will be eaten by deer. They adore the sensitive young leaves and shoots in the early growing season. They’ll then return in the autumn to crack open the ripe fruit and devour the pumpkin guts. Will deer eat rotten pumpkins? Old, decaying pumpkins could be dangerous for deer since they may contain mold that can make them sick. It is preferable to compost your pumpkin rather than feed it to the deer if it is showing indications of mold. Are pumpkins deer resistant? These fuzzy, thorny veggies are less enticing to deer because they are resistant to them. It contains pumpkin, squash, and cucumbers. Can deer smell pumpkin? Animals like deer discover food by smell rather than by chance. The aroma of pumpkin seed oil attracts deer, both does and bucks. Our aroma functions similarly to ripening acorns on a tree, which deer can smell from over a mile away before approaching. Do deer and squirrels eat pumpkins? Birds, squirrels, foxes, deer, and other mammals will eat pumpkin flesh in addition to the seeds; the porcupine in the video below doesn’t even require it to be sliced up! Should I put my pumpkin out for wildlife? The spokeswoman advised against leaving leftover pumpkins in the forest or other natural areas for animals to eat: “Please do not take leftover pumpkins to nature reserves or other wild locations.” Garden birds may benefit from leftover pumpkins since they may like the seeds. How do you prepare a deer to eat a pumpkin? How do I protect my pumpkins from deer? Can you bait deer with pumpkins? Deer do indeed enjoy eating pumpkins. The only truly foolproof solution if your pumpkin vine has been assaulted and you want to keep the intruders out of your garden is to erect a fence that is at least 8 feet tall. The deer genuinely adore this nutrient-rich herb. Deer require pumpkins to maintain healthy health. - Related: Do deer eat blueberries?

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Seven Sisters - Possibly the World's oldest story2 August 2023 It's difficult to capture the profoundly tranquil sensation of gazing upon a full moon, casting its glow across the Pacific Ocean veiled in clouds, under the celestial blanket of a million stars. One lone aircraft, approximately twenty miles ahead of us, its dissipating contrail illuminated by the enchanting touch of the silvery lunar light. Two 747s soaring harmoniously across one of the most desolate and isolated expanses of our planet, long vanished from the vigilant gaze of any radar screen. Two celestial chariots traversing the heavens, tracing the constellations revered and named by our earliest forebears, who beheld those enigmatic lights adorning the nocturnal canvas. Spurring myths, legends, and perhaps nurturing humanity's boundless yearning for truth and comprehension of the vast universe we inhabit. And there, just to the left of the radiant moon, resides the Pleiades star cluster. One of the most ancient narratives hailing from the age of antiquity revolves around the “Seven Sisters,” a myth concerning the Pleiades star cluster, a tale ubiquitous across myriad cultures worldwide: from the Egyptians, Indians, and Polynesians, to the Chinese, Greeks, and even the once exceptionally isolated (until the early 1800s) Aboriginals. This saga recounts the story of seven young maidens, one of whom eventually became lost — either descending to Earth and vanishing from sight after falling in love with a mortal, or being taken, abducted, or whichever fate steered her course. Regardless, the seventh sister chose to forsake her celestial existence and embraced the realm of the unseen. Interestingly, the Pleiades star cluster exhibits six discernible stars to the discerning eye, yet recent research has unveiled that another luminous star slipped from view around 100,000 years ago, obscured by the position of another, blending seamlessly with its stellar companions. Considering that our earliest human ancestors embarked on their migrations from Africa to regions now known as Australia and Europe approximately 105,000 years ago, it's very plausible that the tale of the Seven Sisters stands as one of the most ancient enduring stories from the nascent days of our species — surviving through eons, cultures, and generations.

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Age affects refers to the changes that occur in the human body and mind as a side-effect of aging. This can be a slowing of reflexes and response times in comparison with younger individuals but does not necessarily refer to an actual decline in mentality. Unfortunately, as people grow older they tend to become less physically and mentally active and tend to compare current performance to when they were younger. Also, in our society older people are sometimes overmedicated by their physicians and are also subject to depression as a result of loneliness and isolation from family, friends, and productive activity. The latter can frequently be remediated by careful screening of medication and life style changes such as staying engaged and continuing to stimulate the mind.

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Assignment 4: Analysis Essay Essay Topics (Choose ONE): 1. How do genres articulate certain socio-political situations? Analyse a genre that was popular during a certain time period, describing how it adapted its conventions to speak to real-world issues. 2. How does form shape content? Analyse a genre that exists in film and television, addressing how different conventions and affordances are demonstrated in 3-4 films and shows. 3. According to Jean Renoir: “the marvellous thing about Westerns is that they’re all the same movie. This gives a director unlimited freedom” (quoted in Schatz, 1981, 54). Analyse 2-3 films from a director or showrunner working in a particular genre to demonstrate how they rely on and/or challenge certain genre conventions. 4. Are directors the only creators with a signature style? Analyse 2-3 films or episodes with the same showrunner, editor, producer, writer, composer, or cinematographer to identify other influential roles in screen storytelling. Your assignment must include at least eight peer-reviewed references. References can be the units required/suggested readings, but you will probably also want to carry out wider reading where appropriate and relevant. This assignment should be submitted via Canvas by 11:59pm on the due date. Any assignments received after that will be deemed late and incur a penalty unless a medical certificate or similar documentation is provided. The essay should include the following: • A demonstrated understanding of the history and key principles of the auteur theory and/or genre studies. • Careful application of the auteur theory by identifying a filmmaker/showrunner who could be considered an “auteur”, supporting the argument by identifying the recurring stylistic features and themes across their body of • A clear understanding of your chosen genre, including knowledge of its themes, iconography, conventions, and narrative It is expected you will have watched some of the key films in this genre, especially for your chosen time period. • Reference to course readings, materials, and terminology where It is expected that you will use the vocabulary of formal style and other concepts from the seminars in the course of your analysis. • Ensure that the essay has analytical depth. For instance, the essay should not simply identify an auteurist technique or genre convention, but explore why and how that technique or convention is employed, as well as the effect. • While the genre(s) and/or auteur(s) do not have to be one of those examined in this unit, the essay must draw on the concepts from this unit. You should also justify the status of your chosen group of screen texts as a genre, and/or the status of your chosen filmmaker/showrunner as an auteur. • Students are not permitted to use Taika Waititi or the Western genre for their topic. You should not focus on the films or shows from your Narrative Analysis or Close Scene Analysis, but you may mention them if they are relevant to the analysis. • It is important that you are familiar with the genre(s) you are analysing and the auteur’s work. This means watching and analysing the screen texts (i.e. films and TV shows) rather than relying on plot descriptions from secondary materials. • Avoid trying to cover too much, and instead analyse in depth and detail. For example, do not try to cover an entire genre, but maybe focus on a particular epoch in which it was produced (e.g. post-9/11 horror films, rom-coms on streaming services, or Westerns made in Australia). • Provide a title, introduction, body (your analysis section), conclusion, and reference You may also include subheadings. • Cross-reference where possible i.e. do not compartmentalise topics into discrete paragraphs, but organise your paragraphs thematically, which will allow for a more coherent, elegant structure. • Support every argument. Make sure you have sufficient evidence to make your points and arguments persuasive. Place further information in a footnote if necessary. • Ensure that each paragraph covers a particular point/argument (i.e. make sure that each paragraph has a focus without trying to cover too much). • Only identify elements of form where relevant to the argument being made. For instance, there’s no point acknowledging continuity editing unless it is relevant to your overarching argument. • You do not need to provide a plot synopsis, only discuss the plot where relevant. You should, however, contextualize and justify your chosen example so it is clear why you have chosen it to support your argument (i.e. explain to your reader why the text you have chosen is a significant example of a “horror” text). • Avoid evaluative phrasing and personalisation to maintain critical distance. • Discuss the “spectator” or the “audience” rather than “I” or “You”. • Proofread thoroughly to avoid stylistic, grammatical and spelling errors. • Being an academic essay, it is expected that your arguments will be supported by secondary evidence and that these will be appropriately referenced in APA o Eight peer-reviewed references is the absolute minimum for this assignment. All references can come from the set and further readings, but you may do further research if you wish. o References/quotes are not counted in the word limit. o All screen texts and scholarly sources must be referenced (in APA Style) in the reference list, which should be on a separate page at the end of the essay. The References list should contain everything cited in the essay.

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Causes of Periodontal Disease Periodontal disease, which is also known as gum disease and periodontitis, is a progressive disease which, if left untreated, may result in tooth loss. Gum disease begins with the inflammation and irritation of the gingival tissues which surround and support the teeth. The cause of this inflammation is the toxins found in plaque which cause an ongoing bacterial infection. The bacterial infection colonizes in the gingival tissue, and deep pockets form between the teeth and the gums. If treated promptly by a periodontist, the effects of mild inflammation (known as gingivitis) are completely reversible. However, if the bacterial infection is allowed to progress, periodontal disease begins to destroy the gums and the underlying jawbone, promoting tooth loss. In some cases, the bacteria from this infection can travel to other areas of the body via the bloodstream. Common Causes of Gum Disease There are genetic and environmental factors involved in the onset of gum disease, and in many cases, the risk of developing periodontitis can be significantly lowered by taking preventative measures. Here are some of the most common causes of gum disease: Poor dental hygiene – Preventing dental disease starts at home with good oral hygiene and a balanced diet. Prevention also includes regular dental visits which include exams, cleanings, and x-rays. A combination of excellent home care and professional dental care will preserve the natural dentition and support of bony structures. When bacteria and calculus (tartar) are not removed, the gums and bone around the teeth become affected by bacterial toxins and can cause gingivitis or periodontitis, which ultimately lead to tooth loss. Tobacco use – Research has indicated that smoking and tobacco use are some of the most significant factors in the development and progression of gum disease. In addition to smokers experiencing a slower recovery and healing rate, smokers are far more likely to suffer from calculus (tartar) build-up on teeth, deep pockets in the gingival tissue, and significant bone loss. Genetic predisposition – Despite practicing rigorous oral hygiene routines, as much as 30% of the population may have a strong genetic predisposition to gum disease. These individuals are six times more likely to develop periodontal disease than individuals with no genetic predisposition. Genetic tests can be used to determine susceptibility and early intervention can be performed to keep the oral cavity healthy. Pregnancy and menopause – During pregnancy, regular brushing and flossing is critical. Hormonal changes experienced by the body can cause the gum tissue to become more sensitive, rendering them more susceptible to gum disease. Chronic stress and poor diet – Stress lowers the ability of the immune system to fight off disease which means bacterial infection can beat the body’s defense system. Poor diet or malnutrition can also lower the body’s ability to fight periodontal infections, as well as negatively affecting the health of the gums. Diabetes and underlying medical issues – Many medical conditions can intensify or accelerate the onset and progression of gum disease including respiratory disease, heart disease, arthritis and osteoporosis. Diabetes hinders the body’s ability to utilize insulin which makes the bacterial infection in the gums more difficult to control and cure. Grinding teeth – The clenching or grinding of teeth can significantly damage the supporting tissue surrounding the teeth. Grinding one’s teeth is usually associated with a “bad bite” or the misalignment of the teeth. When an individual is suffering from gum disease, the additional destruction of gingival tissue due to grinding can accelerate the progression of the disease. Medication – Many drugs including oral contraceptive pills, heart medicines, anti-depressants, and steroids affect the overall condition of teeth and gums, making them more susceptible to gum disease. Steroid use promotes gingival overgrowth, which makes swelling more commonplace and allows bacteria to colonize more readily in the gum tissue. Treatment of Gum Disease Periodontists specialize in the treatment of gum disease and the placement of dental implants. A periodontist can perform effective cleaning procedures in deep pockets such as scaling and root planing; they can also prescribe antibiotic and antifungal medications to treat infection and halt the progression of the disease. In the case of tooth loss, the periodontist is able to perform tissue grafts to promote natural tissue regeneration, and insert dental implants if a tooth or several teeth are missing. Where gum recession causes a “toothy” looking smile, the periodontist can recontour the gingival tissue to create an even and aesthetically pleasing appearance. Preventing periodontal disease is critical in preserving the natural dentition. Addressing the causes of gum disease and discussing them with your dentist will help prevent the onset, progression, and recurrence of periodontal disease. If you have any questions or concerns about the causes or treatments pertaining to gum disease, please ask your dentist. Their number one priority is to make you comfortable. Their second is to help your teeth. They will immediately stop if you feel any pain. Friendly, professional environment with all the newest tech. Flat screens in every room that you get to choose the channel to while they work on your teeth. Great distraction. If you need dental help, there is absolutely no question. Go here!!! Anonymous Google May 12, 2023 I do not typically leave reviews for anything, but I had to for these great people. Having had a traumatic dental experience in the past, I have been very lax about my dental needs due to fear and anxiety. So, when my tooth pain was more than I could handle I called Kelly Family Dentistry. From the time I sat down in the chair, to the escort to the receptionist after my appointment, I was treated with respect and kindness every step of the way. They explained everything to me and were continually asking me how I was doing during the procedure. Thank you, thank you Dr. Kelly for the great respect you showed me and for letting me see what a dental experience is supposed to be like. A huge shout out to his staff.....in my book you guys are absolutely top notch!! Arleen KellyFamilyDentistry.com May 5, 2023

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Saving the Sea: One Swimsuit at a Time In his world-famous Ted-Talk, Alan Smith said that the best way to capture an audience’s attention is to throw shocking statistics at them, so here it goes: Do you know that the fashion industry is the second largest environmental polluter, only second to oil? More than 235 million items of clothing are buried in landfills and in the sea annually and more than 1.2 billion tons of carbon emissions are released into the air from the factories of fashion brands. Even worse? Almost 750 000 synthetic fibers are released into the sea and into water reserves with each domestic wash. The surge in consumerism has significantly exacerbated the global waste problem that is polluting the air, the land and, mostly, the sea. While the majority of the world’s focus has shifted towards the detrimental effects of solid plastic waste, such as plastic bottles and, more recently, plastic straws, many are still unaware of the fact that the surge in fast fashion is one of the leading causes and catalysts of the global waste crisis. Fast fashion brands that create bulks of ‘cool’ and ‘fashionable’ designs a couple of hours after they are deemed ‘trendy’ on social media pay little to no attention to the catastrophic environmental consequences yielded from their apparel. Many consumers feel concerned about these environmental implications; however, they do not realize the extent of their contribution to the issue or the significant positive impact a change in purchasing behavior can lead to. Although the global waste crisis cannot be abolished, it can be mitigated through the growth of sustainable fashion brands that aim to recycle existing fashion waste, reduce the amount of pollution emitted from production processes and positively impact the environment. By The Beach By Tala recognizes the dire consequences of plastic and water pollution; the eco-friendly brand, thus, aims to provide its environmentally-aware and environmentally-friendly clientele with sustainable, eco-friendly swimsuits that are not only stunning and durable, but that are also made from sustainable fabrics and material. By The Beach By Tala heavily relies on the wonder that is Econyl. Econyl, a form of recycled nylon that is completely made from waste products such as abandoned fishing nets and textiles, is a much better alternative to the original prevalent nylon that is made from a derivative of oil. The use of Econyl in fashion not only reduces the aggregate amount of global waste, but also reduces the amount of plastic microfibers that are released into every wash. While most people ignore the damaging effects their swimsuits can cause on the environment, By The Beach By Tala’s clientele assumes that responsibility and plays an active role in mitigating this important, and detrimental, problem. In addition to creating beautiful, sexy pieces of sustainable swimsuits, By The Beach By Tala also actively encourages the use of the Cora Ball and GruppyFriend. The Cora Ball is a funky-looking laundry ball that is placed inside the washing machine to catch the thousands of microfibers that are released with each wash and that are, otherwise, released back into the ocean. Similarly, GruppyFriend is a self-cleaning washing bag that traps garments’ synthetic microfibers and prevents them from being released back into public waterways. These two genius products, currently sold on their respective official websites, are easy and innovative tools, made completely from recycled materials, that can effectively reduce the amount of water pollution created by a single household. In addition to supporting sustainable fashion brands and using environment-friendly recycled products, you could even reduce your own contribution to the global waste crisis by implementing small changes that can lead to a huge positive effect on the planet. For instance, you could wash your clothes by hand instead of in washing machines to significantly reduce the amount of water being used and wasted. You could even wash your clothes in cold water, instead of hot water, to reduce the number of synthetic microparticles being released back into the ocean. There are many little changes that we can all do to leave a positive mark on our environment, it is just a matter of caring enough about the world. It is also important to understand the value of individual efforts and realize that our actions count and can make a huge difference. At By The Beach By Tala, we recognize the global waste problem and accept the responsibility to spread awareness through sexy, trend and most importantly, sustainable designs and products.

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What Is Cement In Civil Engineering Cement is used to bind building materials by forming a chemical reaction with water to create a paste that hardens. It is essential to the urban infrastructure as it is used in making concrete and mortar, and to secure the infrastructure by binding building blocks. Cement is the primary binding material used in construction. Lime is a possible alternative. When water is added to cement, it forms a paste that covers the surface. What is cement used for in construction? Cement is a significant binding material in construction and has various applications, making it an important civil engineering material. Its uses include but are not limited to binding aggregates in concrete, making mortar, rendering, and filling gaps between bricks or paving stones. White Portland cement is a special type of cement that has a white color. What is the difference between cement and concrete? Cement is a component of concrete and is made by mixing limestone, chalk, or marl with clay, then heating and grinding the resulting mixture. Concrete, on the other hand, is a building material made by mixing cement with sand, gravel, and water. How is cement made? Cement is made by processing raw materials in manufacturing plants where they are heated to form a rock-hard substance. The resulting substance is then ground into a fine powder, which is sold commercially. When mixed with water, cement forms a paste that sets and hardens, effectively binding building materials together. Is cement a binding material? Cement is a crucial building material as it acts as a binding material for various construction works. Its composition is of significant interest to engineers. Is concrete stronger than cement? Concrete is stronger than cement as cement on its own is prone to cracking. When combined with aggregate materials and water, it hardens and becomes concrete. Driveways are typically made of concrete. How long does cement last compared to concrete? Cement is less durable than concrete and can last for a shorter period of time. Concrete, on the other hand, can last for hundreds of years. What is the durability of concrete compared to cement? Concrete is more durable than cement. While concrete can last for hundreds of years, cement is less durable. A comparison could be made between milk and ice cream in this regard. Cement is commonly used in construction for various applications such as mortar for plastering and masonry work, making joints for drains and pipes, ensuring water-tightness of the structure, and in concrete for various structural elements like floors, roofs, lintels, beams, stairs, and pillars. What is concrete used for in construction? Concrete is a vital building material used in public, commercial, and residential construction projects. It is a versatile material that can be used for a wide range of construction purposes, including foundation walls, floors, pavements, and dams. There are many types of concrete available, and construction professionals must have a strong understanding of their properties and uses to ensure their proper application. What are the uses of cement in civil engineering? Cement is a crucial material in civil engineering that finds various applications in construction. It is widely used in mortar for plastering, masonry work, pointing, and for making joints for drains and pipes. Moreover, cement is used to ensure the water-tightness of a structure, making it an essential material. What are the different types of concrete? There are several types of concrete, including stamped, stained, and regular concrete. Concrete is a mixture of cement, water, and aggregate that is used in construction to create strong and durable structures. What is a cement binder? A cement binder is a fine powder that is mixed with water to combine composite materials and form concrete. Its primary role is to bind the aggregate particles to create the skeleton of the material. What is cement used for? Cement is primarily used as a binding material in building and civil engineering construction, where it is mixed with water to form a hard mass. What are the different types of mortar as binding material? The different types of mortars used as binding material in construction are lime mortar, surkhi mortar, cement mortar, gauged mortar, and gypsum mortar. What is concrete made of? Concrete is made of cement, sand, and gravel or other fine and coarse aggregate that, when mixed with water, results in a binding substance that forms a solid. Ready-made concrete mixes are available in bags that only require water to be added. Portland cement is a widely available and commonly used type of cement worldwide. What is a binding material in a concrete mix? The binding material in a concrete mix is the main element that creates a paste, which when mixed with aggregates, forms a stone-like substance. Cement is the most commonly used binding material, while lime is an alternative option. What is the proportion of cement to sand in mortar? Cement is used as the binding material in this type of mortar, with the proportion of cement to sand by volume varying from 1:2 to 1:6 or more, depending on the required strength and importance of the work. Cement is made from mining raw materials such as limestone and clay, which are crushed, dried, ground, and sintered. The final product is obtained after cement grinding. What materials are used to make concrete? Concrete is made from a combination of cement, water, aggregates (such as gravel or crushed stone), and often includes additives. How is Portland cement made? Portland cement is typically manufactured through a process that involves quarrying raw materials such as limestone, clay, and other materials. The rock is then crushed through several stages to reduce it to a maximum size of about 6 inches.

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To create good sound insulation, one must utilize the following general principles: Mass — use heavy materials Air-tightness — cover the whole enclosure airtight Flexibility — keep it limp, better to overlap, than stretch tight Isolation — separate (decouple) from surrounding structure Although each project has to be considered individually, the above principles are relevant in most cases. Massive, heavyweight barriers will block more sound energy than lightweight barriers. (Less noise will go through it.) This is because the high density of heavyweight materials suppresses sound vibrations inside the material, to a degree that the inside wall of a room, vibrates with less movement. Therefore, the amplitude of the sound waves re-radiated into the air inside the room, loudness, is also minimized. NOTE: Although a reduction in the amplitude of sound waves affects the strength or loudness of a sound, it does not affect the frequency (pitch) of that sound. The Mass Law states that the sound insulation of a single-layer partition has a linear relationship with the surface density (mass per unit area) of the partition, and increases with the frequency of the sound. Single-layer construction includes composite barriers such as plastered brickwork, as long as the layers are bonded together. - The heavier the barrier, the better the sound reduction. In theory, for each doubling of mass sound insulation increases by 6 dB. For example, the average sound reduction of a brick wall increases from 45 dB to 50 dB when the thickness is increased from 4 inch to 8.4 inch. This doubling of mass does not have to be achieved by a doubling of thickness, as the mass of a wall for sound insulation purposes is specified by its surface density measured in lbs per square foot (rather than per cubic foot). Similar sound reduction can be achieved by adding thinner, but heavier materials, like a layer of Mass Loaded Vinyl. - The higher the frequency the easier it is to block it. Sound insulation increases by about 6 dB whenever the frequency is doubled. Any doubling of frequency is a change of one octave. For example, a brick wall provides about 10 dB more insulation against 400 Hz sounds than against 100 Hz sounds. (100Hz = bass note, 400 Hz = Voice). This change, from 100 to 200 Hz and then 200 to 400 Hz, is a rise of two octaves. In extreme cases you might not even hear the sound but can feet the wall vibrating to the touch. But increasing the mass alone is not enough. If you feel that Mass law does not work in your construction, that is because other factors such as air-tightness, rigidity and isolation have an effect. Areas of reduced insulation or small gaps in the construction of a wall have a far greater effect on overall insulation than you might think. The effective soundproofing of a structure depends on air-tightness and uniformity For example, if a brick wall contains a hole or crack which in size represents only 0.1 per cent of the total area of the wall, the average sound reduction of that wall is reduced from 50 dB to 30 dB by about 40% (!). In general, âsound leaksâ should be considered as carefully as leaks of water. Common air gaps: Wallfloor gaps, Gaps around doors, Poor window seals, Unsealed pipe runs, Unsealed cable runs, Porous barrier material (Cinder blocks) Another aspect of soundproofing, that is often overlooked is consistency of the materials STC (Sound Transmission Coefficient) used in construction. Your construction is only as soundproof as its weakest point. For example, an unsealed door occupying 25 per cent of the area of a half-brick wall reduces the average sound reduction efficiency of that wall from around 45 dB to 23 dB. Rigidity is a physical property of a partition and depends upon factors such as the elasticity of the materials and the way the partition is installed. High rigidity of the barrier can cause loss of insulation at certain frequencies due to resonances and coincidence effects. These effects diminish the expected results according to the Mass Law. Loss of insulation by resonance occurs if the incident sound waves have the same frequency as the natural frequency of the partition. The increased vibrations that occur in the structure are passed on to the air and so the insulation is lowered. Resonant frequencies are usually low and most likely to cause trouble in the air spaces of cavity construction. Loss of insulation by coincidence is caused by the bending flexural vibrations, which can occur along the length of a partition. When sound waves reach a partition at angles other than 90°, their transmission can be amplified by the flexing inwards and outwards of the partitions. The sound-wave frequency and the bending-wave frequency coincide at the critical frequency. For several octaves above this critical frequency the sound insulation tends to remain constant and less than that predicted by the Mass Law. Coincidence loss is greatest in double-layer constructions, such as cavity walls or hollow blocks. Flexible (limp) materials, combined with high mass, are best for high sound insulation. But even if you get the flexible high mass material such as Mass Load Vinyl, it needs to be installed in a way that keeps it limp: for example attached only at the top and allowed to hang freely, or installed in a loose wave-like manner, especially if sandwiched between two rigid surfaces, to keep its limp properties. Sound transfers through any medium air, structural elements of buildings such as floors, walls. As the sound converts to different wave motions at the junction of different materials, energy is lost and an incremental amount of insulation is gained. This is the principle behind the effectiveness of air cavities in windows, of floating floors, of carpets and of resilient mountings for vibrating machines. Decoupling of elements of construction can be effective in reducing the transmission of sound through a structure. Some broadcasting and concert buildings, and acoustic labs, achieve very high insulation by using completely discontinuous construction of a double structure separated by resilient mountings and rested on a springy support mounts. Sound isolation can be easily ruined by strong flanking transmissions through rigid links, even by a single nail. Cavity constructions must be sufficiently wide for the air to be flexible, otherwise resonance and coincidence effects can cause the insulation to be reduced at certain frequencies. In small air gaps in conjunction with rigid walls air gaps couples with the walls and separation effect gets lost. Soundproofing and sound isolation need to be looked at as an integral complex approach where all principals are observed. Even an incremental increase in sound isolation can have a great effect on how it is being perceived.Because sound levels are measured using a logarithmic scale, a reduction of nine decibels is equivalent to elimination of about 80 percent of the unwanted sound.

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The herpes simplex virus (HSV) is in the Herpesviridae family and is primarily associated with blisters or sores in the oral and/or genital mucosa.1 In addition to mucosal damage and pain, HSV reactivation can decrease the patient’s intake of food and fluids and increase the risk for superinfections caused by bacteria or fungi.2 Although mucosal lesions are common in active HSV infection, cutaneous infection may also occur in other areas of skin and, as herpetic whitlow, around the nails and eyes, further increasing morbidity.1 Hematopoietic stem-cell transplant (HSCT) recipients are at substantial risk for severe HSV infection or reactivation. Approximately 80% of stem-cell transplant recipients who are seropositive for HSV are at risk for HSV infection and reactivation without proper prophylaxis.3 Allogeneic HSCT recipients have a higher risk for HSV reactivation than recipients of autologous HSCT, because of the necessity for immunosuppressants use in allogeneic HSCT.3 In the first month of receiving HSCT, neutropenia and the breakdown of the mucosal barrier predispose patients to HSV infection and reactivation.3 The risks for HSV infection and reactivation remain during the post–engraftment period, in which cell-mediated immunity may stay underdeveloped, especially with the use of immunosuppressive therapy.3 In general, oral acyclovir or valacyclovir are indicated as prophylactic agents against HSV reactivation in seropositive transplant recipients.4 For patients who cannot take oral medications, intravenous (IV) acyclovir can be administered as prophylaxis.5 Although antiviral prophylaxis can reduce the incidence of reactivation from 80% to 5%, resistance to treatment and poor bioavailability of oral acyclovir can occur.3,6 When patients undergoing HSCT have HSV lesions while receiving HSV prophylaxis, the prophylactic dosing of acyclovir or valacyclovir is typically switched to a treatment dosing. However, resistance can occur in some patients. Acyclovir-resistant HSV infection is an emerging issue in patients who have undergone HSCT. In a prospective observational single-center study of 268 patients who have undergone HSCT, 15% of patients had HSV type-1 isolates identified, and 28% of these patients had acyclovir resistance.7 Acyclovir resistance can be attributed to the deficiency of or alterations in viral thymidine kinase and/or DNA polymerase genes.7 Acyclovir-resistant HSV strains are usually susceptible to alternative agents, such as IV foscarnet and IV cidofovir, because of the different mechanisms of action of these agents.8-10 Foscarnet and cidofovir do not depend on viral thymidine kinase for activation and are inhibitors of viral DNA polymerase; however, these agents are associated with significant adverse effects, such as nephrotoxicity.8-10 Assay sensitivity varies between laboratory tests, and it may be inaccurate to define drug resistance by a single antiviral concentration; however, the breakpoints of half-maximal inhibitory concentration of ≥2 µg/mL for oral and IV acyclovir and of ≥100 µg/mL for IV foscarnet are widely accepted.5,11 If no substantial response to therapy occurs after 7 days of acyclovir treatment, or when new satellite lesions appear 3 to 4 days after starting therapy, acyclovir resistance should be suspected.5 In addition, clinicians should consider adherence to oral antiviral prophylaxis or treatment before determining whether the patient has true resistance to oral or IV acyclovir.5 When resistance to treatment with oral or IV acyclovir or oral valacyclovir is suspected, phenotypic testing of viral isolates should be conducted and alternative agents should be considered. However, the susceptibility results may take a few weeks, depending on the laboratory that is performing the test.12,13 Therefore, decisions on changing to an alternative agent should be based on the acuity of the infection and the patient’s clinical status. Despite their improved pharmacokinetic properties compared with acyclovir, valacyclovir and famciclovir are not recommended for the treatment of acyclovir-resistant HSV infection because of their structural and chemical resemblance and their cross-resistance. Like acyclovir, valacyclovir and famciclovir depend on activation by HSV thymidine kinase and may not be effective in the setting of HSV thymidine kinase mutation.5,14 The first-line therapy of HSV infection typically includes a course of IV foscarnet, which is a pyrophosphate analog that acts as a noncompetitive inhibitor of viral RNA and DNA polymerases and does not require activation by viral thymidine kinase.4,5 The typical dose of foscarnet is 40 mg/kg every 8 or 12 hours for 14 to 21 days or until resolution of symptoms.9 The dosing frequency may vary, depending on the severity of the HSV infection and on the patient’s renal function. In patients with renal impairment, the foscarnet dose is adjusted based on creatinine clearance (CrCl) in mL/min/kg of body weight, and its use in patients with CrCl of <0.4 mL/min/kg is not recommended.9 Electrolyte imbalances can occur with foscarnet therapy, which can lead to seizures in rare cases. Therefore, electrolytes should be corrected before initiating treatment with foscarnet. To minimize the risk for nephrotoxicity, IV hydration with 750 to 1000 mL of normal saline or 5% dextrose solution should be given before the first dose and concurrently with each dose of foscarnet.9 Patients who are receiving foscarnet should be monitored closely for any signs or symptoms of nephrotoxicity and electrolyte disturbances, such as hypocalcemia, hypomagnesemia, hypokalemia, hyperphosphatemia, or hypophosphatemia.9 In addition, because of the additional hydration associated with each foscarnet dose, clinicians should monitor patients closely for the signs and symptoms of volume overload, particularly among patients with reduced cardiac function.9 Cidofovir, a deoxycytidine monophosphate analog and a thymidine kinase–independent inhibitor of HSV infection, is an off-label alternative treatment to foscarnet in patients with acyclovir-resistant HSV infections.5,15 Several case reports of immunocompromised patients describe cidofovir’s potential role in acyclovir-resistant HSV infections.16-20 However, the prescribing information of cidofovir has a black box warning about dose-limiting nephrotoxicity and neutropenia.15 Cidofovir is administered intravenously at 5 mg/kg body weight once weekly for 2 weeks, then 5 mg/kg body weight once every 2 weeks for 3 doses, with concurrent hydration and probenecid to prevent nephrotoxicity.15,16 Because of its metabolites’ long half-life, IV cidofovir is dosed less frequently than other systemic therapies, which may be convenient in the outpatient setting. The dosing and duration of therapy of IV cidofovir, which were originally established by LoPresti and colleagues for the treatment of acyclovir- and foscarnet-resistant HSV infection,21 have also demonstrated efficacy in a subsequent case report.16 The use of cidofovir is contraindicated in patients with preexisting renal impairment, such as serum creatinine >1.5 mg/dL, CrCl ≤55 mL/min, or urine protein ≥100 mg/dL (≥2+ proteinuria).15 If serum creatinine increases by 0.3 to 0.4 mg/dL above baseline during therapy, the cidofovir dose should be reduced to 3 mg/kg.15 Treatment alternatives to IV foscarnet in patients with acyclovir-resistant HSV infection include IV cidofovir, high-dose IV acyclovir, topical cidofovir, topical imiquimod, and topical foscarnet (Table).9,10,15-18,22-32 However, as noted in the Table, these alternative treatments are used off-label for this indication.9,15,22,24 Although ganciclovir has activities against HSV-1 and HSV-2 similar to acyclovir, it is only FDA approved for the treatment of cytomegalovirus infections.33 In addition, ganciclovir should not be used for acyclovir-resistant HSV infections, because of cross-resistance. Ganciclovir and acyclovir share the same mechanism of resistance, which involves deficiency in intracellular phosphorylation required for drug activation.14 These alternative agents have not been compared in head-to-head studies and should be tailored to the patient’s clinical status and organ functions, particularly renal function. The use of high-dose IV acyclovir has been reported by Kim and colleagues in a retrospective case series describing 6 patients who had HSCT and received daily acyclovir 30 to 45 mg/kg as continuous IV infusion, with or without concurrent foscarnet, until the resolution of symptoms.22 The researchers aimed to overcome the poor bioavailability of oral acyclovir with the IV route of administration.22 Compared with intermittent dosing, continuous IV acyclovir dosing is preferred in acyclovir-resistant HSV infection, as demonstrated in another case series that showed favorable clinical and virologic responses.34 Kim and colleagues concluded that high-dose IV acyclovir may be a viable alternative for patients with acyclovir-resistant HSV infection who are nonresponsive to or are intolerant of standard treatment dose of oral or IV acyclovir, foscarnet, cidofovir, or ganciclovir.22 Although no significant adverse events were observed with high-dose IV acyclovir, treatment with high-dose IV acyclovir may cause nephrotoxicity and neurotoxicity, such as confusion, lethargy, and hallucinations.22 Clinicians should exercise caution when administering high-dose IV acyclovir to patients with underlying renal impairment.35 Topical therapies may be beneficial in patients who have underlying renal dysfunction or who are at risk for toxicities from the systemic options. The successful (off-label) use of topical cidofovir has been reported in several case reports of patients undergoing HSCT with acyclovir-resistant perianal or orofacial HSV infections.17,18,20,36 These case reports describe various dosing frequencies and durations of cidofovir gel or cidofovir oral rinse.17,18,20,36 A frequently reported concentration for topical cidofovir gel is 1%, and various dosing frequencies have been reported in patients who have undergone HSCT and in patients with AIDS who received topical cidofovir once daily, twice daily, or every 6 hours for 5 days or until resolution of symptoms.17,27,28,36 Higher concentrations (eg, 4%) may cause nephrotoxicity and electrolyte imbalances.17 Topical cidofovir 3% oral rinse formulation has also been used with success.20 In this case report, cidofovir 3% rinse solution was administered as an oral rinse twice daily.20 Although the topical formulations of cidofovir are used off-label and are not commercially available in the United States, they can be compounded from the injectable formulation in accordance with hazardous medication compounding procedures17,20,23 (Table). Topical imiquimod exerts an indirect antiviral effect via local immune response modification and the induction of host antiviral protein cystatin A.24,37,38 The successful treatment of acyclovir-resistant anogenital HSV infection in immunocompromised patients with topical imiquimod has been reported.25,26,39-41 Although the majority of the data involve patients with HIV infection or patients with cancer who have not undergone HSCT, Martinez and colleagues described the use of imiquimod in a patient with mucocutaneous acyclovir-resistant HSV infection of the mouth, lips, and fingers and a history of mild acute liver graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) who underwent allogeneic HSCT.26 The patient used 5% imiquimod cream 4 times daily in combination with low-dose valacyclovir 500 mg orally daily and reported a complete clearance of lesions within 4 weeks of treatment. Treatment with imiquimod was tapered after 1 month and was discontinued after an additional 3 months.26 The adverse effects of imiquimod treatment can include local skin reactions and the worsening of inflammatory conditions of the skin, including chronic GVHD.24 However, there is a lack of real-world data that demonstrate the impact of imiquimod treatment on patients with GVHD. Imiquimod formulated in a 5% topical cream is commercially available; however, the dosing for the treatment of acyclovir-resistant HSV infection varies greatly across the literature, ranging from 3 times weekly, every other day, or daily to 4 times daily, partly as a result of the local inflammatory reaction that limits the dosing frequency in some patients.24-27 Topical foscarnet has been predominantly studied in patients with HIV infection, but data are scarce in patients who have undergone HSCT.29,30 One case report describes the use of topical foscarnet in 2 patients with severe acyclovir-resistant HSV infection type-1 stomatitis after allogeneic HSCT.30 The dosing used was foscarnet 2% cream 4 to 6 times daily. The researchers used the formulation that was commercially available in Germany; however, this formulation is used off-label and is currently not commercially available in the United States.30 Compounding instructions are available in the International Journal of Pharmaceutical Compounding for foscarnet 2.5% cream.31 Adverse events associated with foscarnet topical cream, such as skin ulceration, application-site reactions, fever, and headache, have been previously reported in patients with AIDS.32 HSV infection poses a major challenge in immunocompromised patients, especially those undergoing allogeneic HSCT.8 With the emergence of acyclovir-resistant HSV infection, new therapeutic approaches are required. Agents that inhibit HSV DNA polymerase, such as foscarnet and cidofovir, may be used in the setting of acyclovir-resistant HSV infection.27 Because of the risk for nephrotoxicity and the dosing requirements, the use of IV foscarnet can be limited in the outpatient setting and may require hospitalization during the initial treatment. Cidofovir’s long half-life allows for longer dosing intervals, making it a suitable alternative for the outpatient treatment of acyclovir-resistant HSV. However, the therapeutic use of IV cidofovir is limited by neutropenia and dose-limiting nephrotoxicity, which may result in damage to the proximal tubular cells and acute renal failure.15 High-dose IV acyclovir, topical cidofovir, topical imiquimod, and topical foscarnet are alternative or adjunctive therapeutic options for oral or IV standard treatment dose in acyclovir-resistant HSV infections. The available literature in support of these agents is limited to retrospective studies and case reports. The use of high-dose IV acyclovir, topical cidofovir, topical imiquimod, or topical foscarnet is not generally recommended as first-line therapy for acyclovir-resistant HSV infection in patients who have undergone HSCT. However, high-dose IV acyclovir may be considered in patients who do not tolerate other systemic therapy options, such as IV foscarnet or IV cidofovir. Topical agents should be considered in patients with persistent lesions despite receiving systemic treatment for acyclovir-resistant HSV or in patients who are at risk for significant adverse events from systemic agents. In addition, pharmacists should keep in mind that topical cidofovir and topical foscarnet formulations are not commercially available in the United States and should be compounded extemporaneously (Table). It is currently unclear why certain patients have acyclovir resistance, although some data suggest that long-term prophylaxis may increase the risk for resistance.42 Although therapeutic options are available for acyclovir-resistant HSV infections, systemic treatments are limited by their clinical and safety profiles. The treatment of acyclovir-resistant HSV infection is an ongoing dilemma in the clinical setting and continues to be a major concern in patients who have undergone HSCT. In addition to future research on the optimal management of acyclovir-resistant HSV infections, more studies are needed to optimize HSV infection prophylaxis in patients undergoing HSCT. Author Disclosure Statement Dr Park, Dr Huang, and Dr Ciccosanti have no conflicts of interest to report. - Grinde B. Herpesviruses: latency and reactivation–viral strategies and host response. J Oral Microbiol. 2013;5:22766. - Zecha JAEM, Raber-Durlacher JE, Laheij AMGA, et al. The impact of the oral cavity in febrile neutropenia and infectious complications in patients treated with myelosuppressive chemotherapy. Support Care Cancer. 2019;27:3667-3679. - Young JAH, Weisdorf DJ. Infections in recipients of hematopoietic stem cell transplants. In: Bennett JE, Dolin R, Blaser MJ, eds. Mandell, Douglas, and Bennett’s Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases. 8th ed. Vol 2. Philadelphia, PA: Saunders; 2015:3425-3439.e5. - National Comprehensive Cancer Network. NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines): Prevention and Treatment of Cancer-Related Infections. Version 2.2020. June 5, 2020. www.nccn.org/professionals/physician_gls/pdf/infections.pdf. Accessed May 9, 2021. - Bacon TH, Levin MJ, Leary JJ, et al. Herpes simplex virus resistance to acyclovir and penciclovir after two decades of antiviral therapy. Clin Microbiol Rev. 2003;16:114-128. - Poole CL, James SH. Antiviral therapies for herpesviruses: current agents and new directions. Clin Ther. 2018;40:1282-1298. - Kakiuchi S, Tsuji M, Nishimura H, et al. Association of the emergence of acyclovir-resistant herpes simplex virus type 1 with prognosis in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation patients. J Infect Dis. 2017;215:865-873. - Chakrabarti S, Pillay D, Ratcliffe D, et al. Resistance to antiviral drugs in herpes simplex virus infections among allogeneic stem cell transplant recipients: risk factors and prognostic significance. J Infect Dis. 2000;181:2055-2058. - Foscavir (foscarnet sodium) injection [prescribing information]. Hospira; October 2020. - Chen Y, Scieux C, Garrait V, et al. Resistant herpes simplex virus type 1 infection: an emerging concern after allogeneic stem cell transplantation. Clin Infect Dis. 2000;31:927-935. - Piret J, Boivin G. Resistance of herpes simplex viruses to nucleoside analogues: mechanisms, prevalence, and management. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2011;55:459-472. - Afshar B, Bibby DF, Piorkowska R, et al. A European multi-centre external quality assessment (EQA) study on phenotypic and genotypic methods used for herpes simplex virus (HSV) drug resistance testing. J Clin Virol. 2017;96:89-93. - Labcorp. Herpes simplex virus (HSV) types 1/2 phenotyping for acyclovir drug resistance. www.labcorp.com/tests/138370/herpes-simplex-virus-hsv-types-1-2-phenotyping-for-acyclovir-drug-resistance. Accessed May 6, 2021. - Reusser P. Herpesvirus resistance to antiviral drugs: a review of the mechanisms, clinical importance and therapeutic options. J Hosp Infect. 1996;33:235-248. - Vistide (cidofovir injection) [prescribing information]. Gilead Sciences; September 2010. - Andrei G, Fiten P, Goubau P, et al. Dual infection with polyomavirus BK and acyclovir-resistant herpes simplex virus successfully treated with cidofovir in a bone marrow transplant recipient. Transpl Infect Dis. 2007;9:126-131. - Muluneh B, Dean A, Armistead P, Khan T. Successful clearance of cutaneous acyclovir-resistant, foscarnet-refractory herpes virus lesions with topical cidofovir in an allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant patient. J Oncol Pharm Pract. 2013;19:181-185. - Evans KG, Morrissey KA, Goldstein SC, et al. Chronic acyclovir-resistant HSV-2 ulcer in an immunosuppressed patient treated with topical cidofovir. Arch Dermatol. 2011;147:1462-1463. - Saunders IM, Lahoti A, Chemaly RF, et al. Topical cidofovir-induced acute kidney injury in two severely immunocompromised patients with refractory multidrug-resistant herpes simplex virus infections. J Oncol Pharm Pract. 2016;22:325-331. - Sims CR, Thompson K, Chemaly RF, et al. Oral topical cidofovir: novel route of drug delivery in a severely immunosuppressed patient with refractory multidrug-resistant herpes simplex virus infection. Transpl Infect Dis. 2007;9:256-259. - LoPresti AE, Levine JF, Munk GB, et al. Successful treatment of an acyclovir- and foscarnet-resistant herpes simplex virus type 1 lesion with intravenous cidofovir. Clin Infect Dis. 1998;26:512-513. - Kim JH, Schaenman JM, Ho DY, Brown JMY. Treatment of acyclovir-resistant herpes simplex virus with continuous infusion of high-dose acyclovir in hematopoietic cell transplant patients. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant. 2011;17:259-264. - McElhiney LF. Topical cidofovir for treatment of resistant viral infections. Int J Pharm Compd. 2006;10:324-328. - Imiquimod cream USP, 5%, for topical use [prescribing information]. Taro Pharmaceuticals; 2016. - Perkins N, Nisbet M, Thomas M. Topical imiquimod treatment of aciclovir-resistant herpes simplex disease: case series and literature review. Sex Transm Infect. 2011;87:292-295. - Martinez V, Molina JM, Scieux C, et al. Topical imiquimod for recurrent acyclovir-resistant HSV infection. Am J Med. 2006;119:e9-e11. - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Sexually transmitted diseases treatment guidelines, 2015. MMWR Recomm Rep. 2015;64:1-137. Erratum in: MMWR Recomm Rep. 2015;64:924. - Lalezari J, Schacker T, Feinberg J, et al. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of cidofovir gel for the treatment of acyclovir-unresponsive mucocutaneous herpes simplex virus infection in patients with AIDS. J Infect Dis. 1997;176:892-898. - Pechère M, Wunderli W, Trellu-Toutous L, et al. Treatment of acyclovir-resistant herpetic ulceration with topical foscarnet and antiviral sensitivity analysis. Dermatology. 1998;197:278-280. - Heidenreich D, Kreil S, Mueller N, et al. Topical treatment of acyclovir-resistant herpes simplex virus stomatitis after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation. Oncol Res Treat. 2020;43:672-677. - Allen LV Jr. Foscarnet 2.5% topical cream. Int J Pharm Compd. 2007;11:509. - Javaly K, Wohlfeiler M, Kalayjian R, et al. Treatment of mucocutaneous herpes simplex virus infections unresponsive to acyclovir with topical foscarnet cream in AIDS patients: a phase I/II study. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 1999;21:301-306. - Kimberlin DW, Whitley RJ. Antiviral therapy of HSV-1 and -2. In: Arvin A, Campadelli-Fiume G, Mocarski E, et al, eds. Human Herpesviruses: Biology, Therapy, and Immunoprophylaxis. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press; 2007:chap 64. - Fletcher CV, Englund JA, Bean B, et al. Continuous infusion of high-dose acyclovir for serious herpesvirus infections. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1989;33:1375-1378. - Zovirax (acyclovir) capsules, tablets, and suspension [prescribing information]. GlaxoSmithKline; June 2005. - Epstein JB, Gharapetian S, Rejali AR, et al. Complex management of resistant oral herpes simplex virus infection following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: potential role of topical cidofovir. Support Care Cancer. 2016;24:3603-3606. Erratum in: Support Care Cancer. 2016;24:3607. - Buck HW. Imiquimod (Aldara cream). Infect Dis Obstet Gynecol. 1998;6:49-51. - Kan Y, Okabayashi T, Yokota SI, et al. Imiquimod suppresses propagation of herpes simplex virus 1 by upregulation of cystatin A via the adenosine receptor A1 pathway. J Virol. 2012;86:10338-10346. - Gilbert J, Drehs MM, Weinberg JM. Topical imiquimod for acyclovir-unresponsive herpes simplex virus 2 infection. Arch Dermatol. 2001;137:1015-1017. - Hirokawa D, Woldow A, Lee SN, Samie F. Treatment of recalcitrant herpes simplex virus with topical imiquimod. Cutis. 2011;88:276-277. - Lascaux AS, Caumes E, Deback C, et al. Successful treatment of aciclovir and foscarnet resistant herpes simplex virus lesions with topical imiquimod in patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus type 1. J Med Virol. 2012;84:194-197. - Jiang YC, Feng H, Lin YC, Guo XR. New strategies against drug resistance to herpes simplex virus. Int J Oral Sci. 2016;8:1-6.

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THE HISTORY AND MISSION OF THE SOCIETY OF CHRIST The tasks which the Society of Christ set up for itself are closely related to the fate of the Polish diaspora. The motto of the Society is “To serve God and the Polish diaspora.” Over generations, this diaspora has sought spiritual sustenance in the traditions of Polish religiosity. Time and again, experience has shown that Polish émigrés retain their cultural and historical memories remarkably well. Whenever Catholic Poles have been compelled to leave the country of their birth, they customarily took with them the Faith of their Fathers, and the memory of the land where they acquired that Faith. The story of the Society of Christ is thus interwoven with the story of Poland. When Poland regained independence after the First World War, seven million Poles found themselves outside the borders of the country. Many of them wished to be able to hear Masses and conduct their religious life in Polish. Therefore, in 1920 the Catholic bishops of Poland resolved to establish a priestly Society whose task would be to serve the Polish communities abroad. Edward Cardinal Dalbor was the Primate of Poland at that time, and he set about organizing the Society. Augustus Cardinal Hlond took over the job of establishing the Society after Cardinal Dalbor’s demise. In 1929, Hlond opened the first Seminary whose mission was to educate priests to work in Catholic communities with Polish roots worldwide. In 1931 the Vatican formally bestowed on the Polish Primate the task of priestly service to Polonia. Cardinal Hlond was convinced of the importance of the task, hence his now-famous remark that “Polish souls often perish in alien milieux.” The Cardinal secured from the Vatican a permission to start a new religious Society to serve Poles abroad: the Society of Christ, or Societas Christi pro Emigrantibus. The name of the Society was bestowed by Pope Pius XI. Rev. Ignacy Posadzy was asked to assist in organizing the new Society. A family mansion of Potulice and fifty acres of parkland were given to the Society by Countess Aniela Potulicka. In September 1932, 37 candidates began their novitiate in Potulice. Soon the new Seminary became the center of activities related to religious assistance to the Polish diaspora. A printing house was set up and the following periodicals came into existence: Głos Seminarium Zagranicznego (mostly for priests in their missions), Msza Swieta (Holy Mass) and Poczet polskich Swietych (The Saints of Poland) for the faithful. In the 1930s the Society erected another building in the city of Poznaƒ (the Ostrów Tumski district), and purchased houses in Puszczyków and Dolsko. The seminarians studied in Gniezno, Poznan, and Rome. In 1939 the Society had about 300 members. Its priests worked in England, Estonia, France, and Italy. In 1939 the invading Germans took away all of the Society’s possessions including real estate. In spite of this, 43 clerics were consecrated as priests in conditions of conspiracy during the Second World War. During the war the Society of Christ worked in German camps where Polish Catholics pressed into hard labor were housed. The conditions under which the Society of Christ worked during the Second World War are beyond description. Thirty-eight of the Society’s priests were imprisoned and twenty-five killed. After liberation, the priests who had been pressed into hard labor in Germany began working among the Polish Displaced Persons. Some priests returned to Soviet-occupied Poland. After the war the Society regained only the greatly damaged buildings in Poznan and Puszczykow. The other two buildings were appropriated by the communist authorities. Thus Poznan became the center of the Society’s work. The Society of Christ members were the first Catholic priests to begin parochial work in the formerly German territories which the Great Powers gave to Poland in compensation for the lost eastern territories annexed by the Soviet Union. On 6 May 1945 Rev. Florian Berlik, S.Chr., was the first priest to say Mass in war-ravaged Szczecin (Stettin) in northwestern Poland. However, in Soviet-occupied Poland travel abroad was severely limited because the communist authorities very seldom granted passports to priests. There was no shortage of candidates for priesthood, however. In 1946 Cardinal Hlond wrote the following in the Commemorative Book of the Poznaƒ Seminary: “Show the way to the Polish pilgrims. In humility and total self-abandonment, and in the spirit of profound concern for Polish souls, serve the cause of the Kingdom of God in places where Poles have been overwhelmed by the impossibility of returning to their country.” After the “thaw” of 1956, when passports become easier to obtain, priests from the Society of Christ began to regularly travel abroad to reach the Polish diaspora scattered literally in all the countries of the world. On September 18, 1956, Rev. Jan Otłowski, SCh, arrived in the United States. After a short stay he moved on to Canada where he founded the first House of the Society of Christ on the American continent. In 1966 in the U.S. and Canada there worked twelve priests from the Society. Rev. Wojciech Kania became their first American Provincial; he held this office until 1970, when he returned to Poland to become Superior General of the Society. He was replaced by Rev. Franciszek Okroy and, in 1973, by Rev. Władysław Gowin. Under Gowin’s leadership, the offices of the Province were moved from Warren, R.I. to Detroit, MI. In 1976 the Society purchased a building in the suburbs of Detroit. The Provincial House soon became the center of religious and social activity for the local Polonia. On February 2, 1978, the North American Province of the Society of Christ was formally inaugurated, and Our Lady of the Polish Diaspora was declared patroness of the new Province. In 2006 this Province had 53 priests who worked in 22 centers and churches in the United States, and 8 such centers in Canada. Priests from S.Ch. work in the following American archdioceses: Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Detroit, Galveston-Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Milwaukee, New York, Portland, St.Paul-Minneapolis, Seattle, San Francisco, and Washington, DC. They also work in the dioceses of Dallas, Jolliet-Illinois, Paterson, Pensacola-Tallahassee, Phoenix, San Diego, San Jose, and Toledo. In Canada, they work in the archdioceses of Toronto and Regina, and in the dioceses of Antigonish, Calgary, Hamilton, London, Pembroke, and Saint Paul. In 1988–95, Rev. Tadeusz Winnicki was the American Provincial. In July 1995 he was elected Superior General and returned to Poland, to be replaced by the new Provincial, Rev. Andrzej Maslejak. The Society of Christ priests have been assisted in their work by Missionaries of Christ the King, a women’s order founded by the Rev. Posadzy back in the 1930s. However, the Sisters work in only a few American parishes and missions. The parishes and missions staffed by the Society of Christ priests engage in a variety of activities, from spiritual to social, charitable, and cultural. The priests organize, sponsor, or support catechization of children, Saturday language schools, church choirs, prayer groups, Bible Study groups, pilgrimages, lector groups, senior clubs, cultural and sports clubs, folklore dancing ensembles and the like. Polish parishes and missions sponsor or support Polish folk festivals, Easter and Christmas dinners and suppers, the Polish custom of wafer-sharing on Christmas Eve, and Polish historical anniversaries. The Church thus participates in the maintenance of the Polish cultural heritage, indeed it encourages people to know and respect their national and cultural past. At present, the Society of Christ has 382 priests, 23 brothers, 63 clerics, 12 members of the novitiate, and six aspirants to the novitiate. The Seminary in Poznaƒ opened its doors to candidates from Australia, Brazil, Belarus, Germany, Romania, Ukraine and the United States. The headquarters of the Society are located in Poznaƒ where the Superior General (presently Tadeusz Winnicki) resides. Apart from North America, the Society has its Provinces in South America, Australia, France, Germany, and Great Britian. Priests from the Society also work in countries such as Austria, Belarus, Hungary, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine where they do not have separate Provinces but report directly to the Superior General in Poland. The priests from the Society of Christ work mostly with the Polish diaspora. They try to preserve the cultural memory of their parishioners and at the same time help them integrate into the countries in which they have settled. This does not mean that they do not wish to serve those non-Polish members of their missions and parishes who for a variety of reasons decide to join them. In their parishes all people are welcome. Priests from the Society of Christ try to show their parishioners the priceless treasures of the Catholic Faith at the beginning of its third millenium. They proclaim its continuing relevance and its ability to find its way into people’s hearts in the changing world. Like all priests, the Society of Christ members wish to carry the word of God to all persons, regardless of their background or history. Florian Berlik TChr., Historia Towarzystwa Chrystusowego dla Wychodêców, 1932–1939 (Poznan, 1987). Bernard Kołodziej TChr., Dzieje Towarzystwa Chrystusowego dla Wychodêców, 1939–1948 (Poznan, 1983). Alicja Karlic, 25 lat Prowincji Towarzystwa Chrystusowego w Ameryce Północnej (Detroit, 2003). OUR LADY OF CZESTOCHOWA IN POLISH RELIGIOSITY The Sanctuary of the Virgin Mary at Czestochowa Mount has played a special role in the life and religiosity of the Polish nation. Pope John Paul II summarized it well during his several visits to Poland and to the Czestochowa Monastery. He said: “The Bright Mount is the sanctuary of our nation. . . . It is habitual for Poles to refer all their affairs to that place”(1979). In 1991, the Pope said that the Czestochowa Mount has been a place “to which people came to experience freedom at the time of foreign oppression. By Mary’s side, they felt free.” In the 1960s, the Polish Primate Stefan Cardinal Wyszynski availed himself of the special status of the Czestochowa Mount by declaring it the spiritual center of the Great Novena preceding the celebration of the 1,000th anniversary of Christianity in Poland. As Cardinal Wyszynski himself admitted, the results surpassed his expectations: “It turned out that the Czestochowa Mount contributes the glue that holds the nation together.” The special role of the Czestochowa Sanctuary is related to the fact that for many centuries, it has been the home of a painting of Our Lady believed to be miraculous. Again, John Paul II: many generations of Poles “have lived with an awareness. . . that from the Bright Mount she watches over the nation including its least prominent citizens. She has been the source of consolation in difficult moments, when the nation underwent trials and dangers”(1991). I believe that the status of the Czestochowa Mount is due to two aspects of Polish religiosity: its strong awareness of Mary’s role in the narrative of salvation; and a specific attitude toward holy pictures among Poles. Both are related to the history of Polish Christianity. It is often remarked, usually in a critical fashion, that Polish religiosity has a strong Marian component. There are legitimate reasons for that. While Poland was formally Christianized in 966, a more complete Christianization occurred over the subsequent two or three centuries. This was the period when devotion to the Virgin Mary was particularly strong in European Christendom. It was the time when theological discussions about the role of Mary in the salvation of humanity were particularly vigorous. Polish Catholicism became strongly permeated by this atmosphere of openness toward, and interest in, the Mother of God’s place in the history of salvation. The Protestant Reformation did not succeed in weakening the link between Polish religiosity and Mary the Mother of God. It might even be said that the Protestant critiques of Mary played a role in the rejection of the Reformation by Poles. Polish Marian piety is of course grounded in an awareness of Mary being the mother of Jesus. In that capacity she became a mother for us all. Therefore, Marian religiosity in Poland created an attitude of trustfulness and of the publicly manifested “dependence” on Mary which are so characteristic of Polish culture. Mary is someone whom an ordinary person can trust and from whom he/she can expect help. In addition, Polish Marian religiosity “socializes” Mary in a certain way, or even “politicizes” her protective role. In their treatment of Mary the Poles anticipated Vatican II and Pope Paul VI’s statement about Mary’s role as the community’s defender, the community being the entire Catholic Church. Poles have also developed a sense of a special bond between Mary and their nation, and this is why on so many occasions they proclaimed her the Queen of Poland. The first such proclamation took place in 1656 in Lviv/Lwów, when King Jan Casimir vouched fidelity to Mary and said, “I hereby proclaim you my own patroness and that of my Nation.” In 1764, toward the end of the First Republic, the Polish Parliament declared: “The Polish Res Publica vouches reverence to the Virgin Mary and her miraculous image at the Czestochowa Mount, and it expresses gratitude for the graces which it has received owing to her mediation.” Why did the Parliament mention not only the person of Mary but also the image of her in the Czestochowa Sanctuary? Here we touch upon the second aspect of Polish religiosity mentioned earlier: the role in it of the visual arts, especially of holy images. This in turn is related to the historical and geographical dimensions of our country. For over a millennium Poland existed at the border of two cultures. In borderline cultures, the preservation of identity—also through pictures—is important. During the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance, the boundaries of Poland were also the boundaries of Christianity. It should be remembered that medieval (and Christian) Poland bordered on pagan Prussia and pagan Lithuania. Later, Islamic Tatars and Turks moved into parts of Eastern Europe. This situation encoded in Polish culture the conviction that Poland is “a bulwark of Christianity.” More accurately, however, Poland was a bulwark of Western Christianity. While in 966, the Polish Prince Mieszko converted his country to Latin Christianity, two decades later Prince Volodymyr of Kyiv converted his country (now Ukraine) to Byzantine Christianity. While Rome and Byzantium were part of one Church at that time (the split occurred in the eleventh century), they represented different cultural tendencies. The Latin culture that shaped Western Europe and non-Germanic Central Europe, i.e., Poland, was markedly different from the Byzantine culture that shaped Rus, or today’s Ukraine and Russia. These two countries also adopted certain political features of Byzantium. The differences were significant enough to bring about a cultural separation of Western and Eastern Slavs. However, as is usually the case with cultures that border on each other, a certain amount of give-and-take did exist between the two branches of Christianity. I believe that the prominent role of religious images in Polish Roman Catholicism is an example of such influences. The veneration of the visual works of religious art can be observed not only in peasant piety but also in some actions of the Polish Church hierarchy. I have in mind the religious practices of some Polish faithful that usually surprise Western visitors. One such practice is the popularity of pilgrimages to the churches and sanctuaries in which a particularly revered icon or sculpture is located. The people spend a considerable amount of time to have such pictures “crowned” by a special papal decree. Such is the origin of Cardinal Wyszyƒski’s decision to make a copy of the Czestochowa Madonna “peregrinate” around Poland as part of the Millenial Great Novena. Let us now consider the question of whether it is appropriate to use painting and sculpture as attributes of Christian worship. Disputes about this issue occurred in the early Church, and they eventually resulted in a consensus well expressed by St. Basil of Caesarea: “Whatever words convey through the sense of hearing, pictures convey through the sense of sight.” In the Middle Ages the visual arts were of great assistance in instructing illiterate people about the basic truths of Christianity. They facilitated access to the dogmas of the faith, taught Church history, and reminded people of the saints. The Latin Church has followed this tradition without rekindling major disputes among its members. The iconoclasm of the Reformation was the first attempt to destroy this consensus. However, it should be noted that in the view of the Church, pictures and paintings, even those located in churches, are ancillary to the Faith, and are a matter of private piety rather than of Church doctrine. Therefore, the Church hierarchy consider it appropriate to allow laymen to decide about the styles and forms of these religious images. The situation has been different in the Byzantine Church. In the eighth and ninth centuries Byzantine Christianity went through the period of violent iconoclasm. It was assumed that the religious visual arts were forbidden by the Revelation. Eventually, the Church Councils accepted the validity of the view that to paint and venerate the pictures of Jesus and of the saints was legitimate. In the Byzantine Church, however, only two-dimensional paintings were allowed (no sculptures), and the forms which the paintings could take became subject to supervision by the Church hierarchy. There developed an entire theology of the icon. This theology made icons into something more than props in the teaching of the Christian faith. The icons became the instruments by means of which the truths of the Faith were disseminated. They became “windows to eternity” and were assumed to show us the true visage of Christ, Mary, and the saints, as they exist in glory to be known fully only after the resurrection. To use the expression of Russian theologian E. V. Troubetzkoy, icons are “theology in color.” They are authentic expressions of Faith. Hence the emphasis in the Byzantine Church on the rules and regulations concerning the authorship of icons and their format. These rules and regulations became part of the Tradition, and sometimes part of the Byzantine Church law. No such rules have ever existed in the Western Church. What more, the Byzantine tradition has it that the icons not only represent the saints, but somehow make these persons “present,” they make the saints “present among us.” Byzantine Christianity teaches that when the faithful pray before an icon, they stand in the presence of whomever the icon represents. Thus it is suggested that icons acquire a quasi-sacramental role: they make visible that part of the invisible which they represent. An icon of Christ can be compared to the Eucharistic Bread and Wine. Eastern Orthodox theologian Leonid Ouspensky wrote that the consecrated bread is the body of Christ to be consumed, while the icon of Christ is his body to be looked at and adored. All this is amply present in Russian Christianity and in Russian Orthodox theology which followed the Byzantine patterns. How much of this theology leaked through to the Roman Catholicism of the Poles? Obviously, theology per se was not an influence. It is possible, however, that some of its practical manifestations, such as the forms of piety, traveled further west. The Byzantine tradition of piety can be seen in the implicit ascription to the Czestochowa icon of the power to bring Mary closer to the people. In 1983, John Paul II said that Mary “is present in a special way in the Czestochowa icon.” It should be noted that he used the word icon even though in Polish this word refers exclusively to the Byzantine pictures of Jesus and the saints, and never to religious paintings of the Western tradition. Indeed, many Poles feel that prayer before the Czestochowa icon intensifies their encounter with the Mother, who is also the Queen of the Nation. Accordingly, the motif of presence appears in many of the statements the Pope made in Czestochowa. During his first pilgrimage to Poland, the Pope said that Mary “expressed herself through this Image, through which her motherly presence in the life of the Church and of our nation was conveyed.” In 1983 the Pope spoke of “six centuries of her motherly presence in the picture so beloved by Poles.” In 1991 he said that Mary guarded the people from her Bright Mount in Czestochowa. What does the pilgrim see in the Chapel of the Czestochowa Monastery? Paradoxically, the image of Our Lady is almost fully covered by a bejeweled “robe,” and only the face and hands are visible. When the robe is removed, what does one see? The picture is painted in tempera on a wooden board whose dimensions are 122.2 by 82.2 by 3.5 centimeters. The style of the painting is called „hodigitria“ in the Byzantine Church. It presents the Mother of God in a standing position, holding Infant Jesus in her arms. Mary faces the faithful directly and supports Infant Jesus with her left hand. Jesus’s right had is raised in a gesture of blessing, while his left hand holds a book. The faces of Mary and Jesus express pensiveness, as if they were gazing into eternity. There is also a measure of sadness in Mary’s face in particular. Her face is marked by two parallel scars. It is believed that they are traces of a fifteenth century profanation. Why does this picture convey so much meaning to Poles? History provides a good part of the answer. This painting was already known in Poland in the fourteenth century; it is likely that it was acquired for the Jasna Góra Monastery at the time of its founding in 1382. However, who painted it and when remains a mystery. Historians have proffered various hypotheses but have not come to an agreement. Already in 1428 the painting was believed to be the work of St. Luke the Evangelist. It was also said to have been painted on the surface of the table used by the Holy Family for their meals. It was already greatly venerated at that time, and in 1430 its keepers spared no effort or money to glue together the damaged wooden boards and renovate the surface of the painting. However, it appears to me that history alone cannot fully explain the influence of that picture on Polish spirituality. One should rather invoke here the category of mysticism. A pilgrim standing before that painting experiences a mystical presence of Our Lady. Her sad and thoughtful eyes seem to convey both love and concern about that particular individual. Thus the icon can help produce an intensely mystical experience in those who approach it within the proper context. Obviously, such context is part of the expectations which the pilgrim brings with him/herself. But there is something else as well. The aesthetic power of the icon is considerable. The anonymous artist who painted the picture was obviously talented. A believer sees in the picture the fruit of the artist’s spirituality: God used the artist’s talent and spirituality to bring closer to us the love of the Mother of God. It appears to me that Polish piety with regard to Our Lady of Czestochowa is an answer to these gifts of God. Sources: John Paul II’s speeches at Jasna Góra in 1979 and 1991 (available in Acta Apostolicae Sedis, 1979, 1991) Polish Presence in Houston While Polish immigration to the United States dates back to the beginning of the Republic and includes such illustrious names as General Thaddeus Kosciuszko whose engineering skills enabled the American army to win the battle of Saratoga during the War of Independence, Polish immigration to Texas dates back to the nineteenth century. At that time, the Polish nation was divided between three empires: Prussian, Austrian, and Russian, and each consecutive uprising against foreign armies brought to America a new wave of political and economic immigrants. According to one estimate, some 3.6 million people left Poland between 1870–1924. Between 1911–1914, one quarter of the Polish population living in the Austrian part of Poland emigrated due to poverty and exploitation by the Viennese authorities. Some of these emigrants settled in Texas Among the factors which made Texas attractive to Polish immigrants was the abundance of land. During the Napoleonic War, the Spanish consul in New Orleans offered land in Texas to the soldiers of the Polish Legion who would desert the French army in Spain. The Poles did not desert, but after Napoleon’s fall in 1815 a number of Polish soldiers took up the offer. In 1817 they joined a group of French colonists from Philadelphia who likewise decided to go to the then-Spanish province of Texas. “There is no place better than Texas.” A Polish inhabitant of Houston in 1906. The first organized group of Polish immigrants came to Texas on December 3, 1854. On that day, a party of some hundred and fifty Polish farmers from Silesia disembarked in Galveston and moved to the mainland. With the assistance of the Polish Franciscan Rev. Leopold Moczygemba (who came earlier to minister to German Catholics in Texas), Polish farmers bought virgin land and established the first Polish colony at a place they called Panna Maria, or Our Lady. In 1855, seven hundred Silesian Poles left for Texas, and in 1856, five hundred. Within a couple of decades these colonists established thriving agricultural communities in several counties around San Antonio. They also suffered many adversities. Some Polish colonists were killed by Indians, others perished because of severe drought in the 1850s, still others were drafted to the army during the Civil War before they learned to speak English, set up homesteads, or sell their first crops. Time went on, and within a few generations quite a few counties in Texas became heavily Polish. The fecundity of these early immigrants was stupendous by twenty-first century standards. The immigrants adopted the prevailing Anglo culture, especially when the women married into families with Anglo names. The admixture of Polish blood in the Anglo families of Texas is considerable. But the immigrants did not quite forget their Polish roots, as evidenced by some of their names, their interest in things Polish, and the cultivation of many Polish traditions and customs. Houston likewise was a destination for the early Polish immigrants. A visiting Polish journalist S. Nestorowicz wrote in his book Travel Notes in 1909: I found about 200 Polish families in the Houston area. There is no Polish district here: Polish households are scattered throughout the area. Large distances and difficulties in communication account for the lack of organizational Polish presence in the city. In 1830, the first Polish organization was formed: the Kosciuszko Lodge #165. A Polish Catholic parish is in the planning stage, and so is a Polish library. Economically, however, the Poles in Houston prosper. Quite a few Poles are well-to-do, some are wealthy. I have not met a single Polish person that would complain of economic privation. “Houston is the best, ” they say, “there is no place better than Texas.” Houston‘s Polish population resided mostly in the northern and southwestern parts of the city which at that time consisted of the present-day downtown area. At the turn of the century, about twenty members of the Polish community established a social club. In 1891 a group of Polish immigrants met in a small shoe store on Milam Street and laid the foundation of what became the largest Polish American Society in the state of Texas: the fraternal benefit society which provided insurance to its members. In 1893 this society was renamed “the Kosciuszko Lodge #165 of the Polish National Alliance,” thus becoming a part of the all-American organization established in 1880 in the Midwest. In 1918 the first Polish Home was built on the 6th Street and Studywood in the Heights. It became a cultural center for the Polish population. For many years, this Polish Home remained a place where social, cultural, and religious gatherings took place. After the First World War the Kosciuszko Lodge continued to operate but, as the Polish community grew considerably in the 1920s, two more Polish National Lodges were formed. In 1924 a club called “the Polonia Society 2308” was organized. In 1925 the Polish Women‘s Group was formed and later renamed “The Progressive Club.” The Depression of the 1930s negatively impacted the Polish community in Houston. It became customary for members of the Polish National Alliance‘s Kosciuszko Lodge to bring their own food to the meetings and try to sell it, so that the organization would have some spending money. Times were tough,and few could afford to belong to an organization that charged dues. At the end of 1936 the lodge had only fifty-eight members. With the start of the Second World War, however, the situation changed. The Polish population from rural Texas came to Houston, because this is where the jobs were. Thus the Polish societies in Houston survived and continued to grow. The upheavals of the Second World War and the loss of over twenty percent of the prewar population of Poland (and thirty percent of the prewar territory of Poland) brought about the displacement of millions of Poles. Those who survived and found themselves outside Poland‘s borders were reluctant to return to the Soviet-occupied country. A return to Poland occupied by the Red Army meant imprisonment and possibly death. Many veterans of the Polish Army who served in the British Army in Italy, as well as former slave laborers from the German concentration camps immigrated to Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Some came to Houston, among them Marian Krzyzaniak (now deceased), Professor of Economics at Rice University and founder of a Circle of college-educated Polish immigrants. On February 27, 1971 in Austin, the Rev. John W. Yanta, descendant of the original Panna Maria settlers, founded the Texas Division of the Polish American Congress, a nationwide organization headquartered in Chicago. The first convention of the new chapter took place 5–6 November 1971 in San Antonio. The elected Executive Committee consisted of seven members, and it was headed by Rev. Yanta. The seciond convention took place 3–5 November 1972, and it was held in Houston‘s Rice Hotel. This convention elected Dr. Joseph A. Jachimczyk, later the Harris County Medical Examiner, as president of PAC-Texas chapter. In 1973 presidency of the chapter was transferred to Dale Michael Gorczynski, the future youngest and longest-serving Houston councilman. Gorczynski is now judge at Precinct #1 in Harris County. The author of this article arrived in Houston in 1974 together with his wife Maria, and he took over the leadership of the PAC-Texas Division after Dale Gorczynski. In 1963, under the auspices of the Most. Rev John L. Morkovsky, Bishop of Galveston-Houston, a Sts. Cyril & Methodius Slavic Heritage Festival was initiated as an annual event in which Croatian, Czech, Slovak, Polish, and Ukrainian Catholic groups participated. This annual festival continues to this day. Between 1960–1980 the Polish population of Houston grew considerably. It also generated two distinct groups, one consisting of native-born Americans of Polish descent, and the other émigrés and first- generation Americans with Polish roots. The first group included three lodges of the Polish National Alliance (PNA) operating out of the Polish Home built in the northern part of Houston in 1974. The Mazewski family played a prominent role in maintaining that Home. Some newcomers born in Poland also joined this group and created a new PNA Copernicus lodge led by Professor Marian Krzyzaniak and by Mr. and Mrs. Jan Karon. The second group established contact with the Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences in New York and set up a Houston Circle of that organization. Its first president was likewise Professor Marian Krzyzaniak. The Polish American Congress-Texas Division continued to hold its annual conventions in San Antonio, Austin, Houston, Arlington, Corpus Christi, Fort Worth, El Paso, Victoria, Irving, and Brownsville. The programs of these conventions included lectures by local university professors such as Z. A. Kruszewski and Witold Łukaszewski. The election of the Polish Pope, Karol Wojtyła, on October 16, 1978, energized the Polish community in Houston. The Pope’s visit to Poland in June 1979 strengthened the resolve of the Polish people to end Soviet domination of their country. The 1978 convention of the Polish American Congress-Texas Division on 27–28 October 1978 coincided with Stefan Cardinal Wyszyński’s reaching out to the Polish American Congress by symbolically placing it in the hands of Our Lady of Częstochowa. The creation in Poland of the 10-million strong Solidarity Labor Union in 1980 initiated political changes in Central and Eastern Europe, and it gave further impetus to the Polish community in Houston. In December 1981, after the imposition of martial law by the Soviet-controlled government of Poland, fourteen members of the Polish commercial ship Zabrze left the ship at the Port of Houston and applied for political asylum. Their petition was granted by emigration authorities, and the entire event became a symbol of oppression which the Polish people have suffered ever since Nazi Germany invaded Poland in 1939. In 1989, when Poles regained independence and freedom to travel, a number of Polish professionals came to Houston and stayed here. Many of them joined local universities and research institutes. Among the latter, one should mention the Burzynski Research Institute headed by Dr. Stanislaw Burzynski, a world class pioneer in cancer research. Soon one could distinguish three distinct groups among Houstonian Poles: 1. The third- and fourth-generation Americans of Polish background 2. The political émigrés who came to the United States via England and Germany in postwar years 3. Solidarity emigration that began to trickle in the period of the Soviet-controlled martial law in Poland (1981–1989) and later. This last group turned out to be particularly acctive in organizing cultural activities, and their children (and now grandchildren) have demonstrated a strong adherence to their Polish roots (unlike a certain percentage of earlier immigrants who sometimes lost all discernible links to their Polish background, with the exception of their names and their adherence to Catholicism). In 1999, after sixty years of forced isolation from the Western world to which it belongs through its Western Christian culture, Poland joined NATO and, on May 1, 2004, she joined the European Union. The city of Houston acquired the first official representative of the Republic of Poland, the Honorary Consul Leonard M. Krazynski, well known to the local community as a person dedicated to public service. Mr. Krążyński was instrumental in bringing to Houston a fine exhibition of Polish art and other paintings from the Polish museums. The exhibit was titled “Leonardo da Vinci and the Splendor of Poland,” and it was on display at Houston’s Museum of Fine Arts from December 2002 to February 2003. The Polish Ambassador to the United States, Dr. Przemysław Grudziński, arrived for the occasion, and he used it to award the Commander’s Cross to Consul Krążyński, while the Officer’s and the Cadet‘s Crosses were bestowed on a number of Houstonians including the author of this article. In 2004 Dr. Zbigniew Wojciechowski replaced Consul Krazynski as the Honorary Consul of Poland In Houston. Between 1997–2004 the Polish American Congress-Texas Division was headed by Mr. Thomas Ostrowski; in 2004, the presidency passed on to Dr. Marian Kruzel. In academic life, a scholarly quarterly Sarmatian Review was founded by Professor Ewa Thompson. The quarterly is now recognized as a major resource in Polish and Slavic Studies nationwide, and it has found an audience in academia and among college-educated general readers. In 1984 the Polish Genealogical Society of Texas was launched by Ms. Teanna Sechelski and Ms. Virginia Hill. The Society turned out to be extremely successful among those Texans and Houstonians who trace their roots to nineteenth-century Poland. The Society publishes a newsletter which is a treasure trove of information about nineteenth-century Texas and its Polish component. The PGST sponsors workshops on genealogical topics and publishes documents otherwise inaccessible to the general educated reader. Anyone interested in Texas history would do well to subscribe to it. In 2005 Texas Poles celebrated the Sesquicentennial of the Polish Silesian Emigration to Texas. The festivities took place in Houston and in Panna Maria. Speeches and culinary feasts abounded and dignitaries came, but perhaps the most significant event was a concert in which the Louisiana Symphonic Orchestra performed the works of classical composers under the baton of Maestro Mariusz Smolij, with the piano soloist Adam Golka, a Houston-born Polish American who is well set on a distinguished musical career. Poles have come a long way. From impoverished Silesians who excelled in agriculture, to professionals who occupy a notable place in Houston’s intellectual and professional life: the Poles have seen it all and done it all. And they remained strongly Catholic. While not all Poles are Catholic or Christian (there are Jewish Poles and even a few Muslim Poles, and of course atheist and agnostic Poles), statistics indicate that Catholicism is still the religion of an overwhelming majority of the nation: over 90 percent of Poles declare themselves Catholic. Therefore, the September 1987 visit to San Antonio of Pope John Paul II resonated with American Poles in a major way. Pope Wojtyła‘s open-air mass was the largest gathering of people in one place in Texas history. The Polish American Priests’ Association arranged a special meeting with the Pope on the grounds of the San Antonio Archdiocese. Several hundred representatives of Texas Polonia attended. When Monsignor Moczygemba greeted the Pope in an archaic Silesian dialect, the Pope was duly impressed! The event took place late at night, John Paul II was tired, but he did react strongly and with pleasure to the sign of Polish fidelity to the roots. In the first decade of the twenty-first century, the Houston Polonia continues to be vigorous and active, and is likely to remain so for years to come. 1891- founding of the first fraternal Kosciuszko Lodge #165 of the Polish National Alliance in Houston 1918 – the first Polish Home erected at 6th Street and Studywood 1924 – founding of the Polish Society Group #2308 (PNA) 1925 – founding of the Polish Progressive Club Lodge #2336 (PNA) 1963 – SS. Cyril and Methodius Heritage Day initiated 1971 – Polish American Congress Texas Division organized by the Most Rev. Bishop John Yanta 1974 – dedication of the new Polish Home at 103 Cooper Road (sold in 2006) 1982- founding of the Polish Catholic Pastoral Mission in Houston under Bishop of Galveston-Houston John Louis Morkovsky with designated Pastor Rev. Wojciech Baryski. 1984 – purchase of property for the Polish Church of Our Lady Of Czestochowa at 1731 Blalock 2001- blessing and dedication of the new church and parish of Our Lady of Czestochowa (built under the supervision of the Rev. Jerzy Frydrych and dedicated by Bishop Vincent Rizzotto) Polish and Polish-oriented organizations and institutions in Houston as of September 2006 Our Lady of Czestochowa Catholic Parish The Polish American Congress – Texas Division Polish Genealogical Society of Texas The Sarmatian Review (published by the Polish Institute of Houston) The Houston Chapter of the Kosciuszko Foundation Honorary Consulate of the Republic of Poland Polish National Alliance Chopin Society of Houston Burzynski Research Institute Sources: S. Nestorowicz, Notatki z podrózy interviews and conversations with members of Houston’s Polish community the author’s notes and remembrances HISTORY OF THE POLISH PARISH IN HOUSTON In the 1970s many persons of Polish ancestry moved to Sunbelt states, including Texas. According to historian John Radzilowski, by the end of the 1980s the population of Texans who traced their roots to Poland increased by 41.8 percent. Many of them were born in Poland but left the country in the 1980s when the Solidarity labor movement was suppressed by the communist regime of Soviet-occupied Poland. Most of them settled in the Houston metropolitan area. The growth of the Polish-speaking Catholic population in the Galveston-Houston Diocese created a need for the Polish-speaking Catholic priests to minister to this new flock. In the 1970s, a monthly Polish language mass used to be said at the Christ the King Church in Houston. This turned out to be insufficient, for the flock was large and growing. The then-Bishop of the Diocese, the Most Reverend John L. Morkovsky, responded to these needs. In a letter dated January 6, 1981, he asked the United States Episcopate for assistance in obtaining a Polish-speaking priest for the Diocese. On March 20, 1982, representatives of the Houston Polonia sent a petition to Archbishop Flores of San Antonio asking for a Polish priest. Subsequently, Bishop Morkovsky and the Rev. Władysław Gowin, a representative of the Society of Christ (a Polish order of priests whose vocation is to minister to Poles living abroad) agreed that a Polish Catholic Pastoral Mission would be established in the Galveston-Houston Diocese, and that the Society of Christ would become responsible for sending a Polish-speaking priest to serve as its pastor. The Mission was established by a Decree signed by Bishop Morkovsky on July 13, 1982. Its temporary location was the chapel of the Dominican Order on Holcombe Boulevard. The Rev. Wojciech Baryski, an energetic, capable, and articulate priest, became the Mission’s first pastor. According to the Decree, the Polish Catholic Pastoral Mission was to “serve all native Poles and Polish-speaking people who live in the Diocese of Galveston-Houston.” The Mission was entrusted to the Society of Christ “for as long as the spiritual needs of the Polish people in the Diocese of Galveston-Houston require the use of their mother language.” Membership in the Mission was defined as including all those Catholics who “choose to affiliate with this Mission.” The pastor of the Mission was given full canonical jurisdiction only over those who chose to be formally affiliated with the Mission. The formal enrollment in the Mission of all those who felt themselves part of the Diocesan Polish Catholic community became a necessity if the Mission were to continue into the future. Those most involved in the creation of the Mission made sure that persons of Polish background were informed of the existence of the Mission and were given information about the possibility of enrollment. Polish Americans in Houston responded, and the rolls of the Mission began to grow. After the inaugural mass on August 1, 1981, 98 families formally joined the Mission. In August of the same year, members of the Mission elected their first Mission Council consisting of fifteen members. The Council organized itself into Liturgical, Financial, Cultural Events, Educational, and Youth Commissions. The most pressing task, however, was to find a permanent location for the Mission. In March 1984, with the help of a loan from the Diocese, the Polish community purchased the property located at 1731 Blalock. The building that became a temporary church was consecrated by Bishop Morkovsky on August 12, 1984. In 1985, a John Paul II Hall was added to the church facilities. It consisted of a remodeled house. By the mid-1990s, the Mission had grown to over 300 families. Its regular liturgical celebrations included Polish masses at 6 PM on Saturdays and 11 AM on Sundays, and a 9 AM Sunday mass in English, for those parishioners who preferred to attend an English-language mass but chose to belong to the Polish ethnic Mission. Religious and civic instruction for children was soon added to the activities of the Mission. The childen were taught these subjects, and also the Polish language and rudiments of Polish history and culture. Concerts, lectures, and theatrical performances began to be held, and the well-attended Sunday breakfasts began to bring an additional small income to the Mission’s coffers. Expanding the size and range of activities of the Mission led to its elevation to the status of a parish. In a Decree of September 30, 1994, the Most Reverend Joseph A. Fiorenza, Bishop of Galveston-Houston, stated that “because of the growth in the Polish Catholic community in Harris county. . . and because of the increase in sacramental, pastoral and educational ministry provided by the Mission, it is advisable to raise the canonical status of this community by its erection as a separate non-territorial parish.” The Decree took effect on October 1, 1994, while he Rev. Jerzy Frydrych was pastor. The new nonterritorial Polish Parish retained the name of Our Lady of Czestochowa. Three years later, on March 2, 1997, the Parish Council decided to remodel and enlarge the existing church to meet the growing needs of the faithful. Discussions about the enlargement led to the decision to build a new place of worship. The then-pastor of the Parish, Rev. Jerzy Frydrych, presided over the drive to build a new church. We continue to be grateful to Father Frydrych for his leadership in this regard, and also for secruing for us the title of an ethnic parish. Four years of planning, fund raising, hard work of many parishioners, and devising imaginative solutions to the potentially costly problems led to the construction of the new church we presently have. On August 26, 2001, the Most Reverend Vincent M. Rizzotto, Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Galveston-Houston, in a festive and happy ceremony consecrated the new church of Our Lady of Czestochowa. Statistics show that the Parish continues to grow. In 2004, the Parish had 3 weddings, 14 christenings, 10 first communions, and 3 burials; in 2005, the corresponding numbers were 2, 4, 8, 4, plus 22 confirmations; in 2006 the Parish had 4 weddings, 16 christenings, 8 first communions, and 3 burials. At the end of 2005, 350 families belonged to the Parish; this number increased to 380 by the end of 2006. Finally and very significantly for future growth of the community, in 2006 the Parish purchased the adjacent lot located at 1735 Blalock Road. Our present pastor, Rev. Jacek Nowak, presided over this purchase. The pastors of the Our Lady of Czestochowa Parish have been the following: Rev. Wojciech Baryski (1982–89), Rev. Edward Traczyk (1989–92), Rev. Marian Ogorek (1992–93), Rev. Jerzy Frydrych (1993–2003), Rev. Jan Fiedurek (2003–2005), and Rev. Jacek Nowak (2005–present). To-date, the most significant advancements of the parish were made during the two longest stewardships of Fathers Baryski and Frydrych. Limited space here does not permit to name the parishioners who made exceptional contributions to the liturgical, financial, educational and physical well-being and growth of this faith community. The Father, in whose cause they labored, will remember. Our Lady of Czestochowa Parish was honored to host such Polish notables as Cardinal Józef Glemp, Primate of Poland, President (and legendary Solidarity leader) Lech Wałesa, and Archbishop Szczepan Wesoły of Rome. In his congratulatory letter on the occasion of the consecration of our new church, Archbishop Wesoły stated that “[s]piritual ministering to immigrants, in this case to Polonia, goes beyond the need stemming from their unfamiliarity with the language of their host country. It is closely tied to the spirituality and culture of their country of origin.” Each country, he continued, “has distinct forms of piety, which are connected with its historical and cultural past, with all that constitutes the cultural heritage of each nation. . . Our [Polish] forms of piety. . . . have become an expression of our . . . identity.” We cannot but heartily agree with Archbishop Wesoły, thereby proclaiming our continuing need to maintain the Polish Parish in Houston, and hopefully to make it grow. Sources: parish documents correspondence with Dr. John Radzilowski concerning his forthcoming article “The Location of the Polish-American Population, 1980–1990.” THE BATTLE OF SAN JACINTO AND POLISH MEMORY On April 21, 2006, Texas celebrated the 170th anniversary of the Battle of San Jacinto. Poles have special reasons to remember that battle. The San Jacinto River is named for the medieval Polish saint, Jacek Odrowąż. This was, as battles go, a rather small one. The earlier battles of the Napoleonic era had involved hundreds of thousands of troops. At San Jacinto, there were approximately 1,200 soldiers on the Mexican side, around 900 on the Texas side. Yet this battle would have an indelible effect on the future of North America. As is inscribed on the monument of the battle, “Measured by its results, San Jacinto was one of the decisive battles of the world. The freedom of Texas from Mexico won here led to annexation and to the Mexican War, resulting in the acquisition by the United States of the states of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, California, Utah, and parts of Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas, and Oklahoma. Almost one-third of the present area of the American nation, nearly a million square miles of territory, changed sovereignty.” The Battle of San Jacinto marked the culmination of the Texas Revolution against the government of President (and General) Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna. This battle was a great victory for the Texans, but it had been preceded by two disasters, one at Goliad on March 27 and another at the Alamo on March 13. Both these battles might well be described as massacres, since the Mexican commanders took no prisoners. Furthermore, contrary to Catholic canon law and against the protests of the local priest, Santa Anna had ordered that none of the 188 dead Texan fighters at the Alamo be given Christian burial. Instead, the corpses were burned. The cry of “Remember the Alamo!” was remembered again and again whenever Americans had been the subject of vicious unprovoked attack. As to the Battle of San Jacinto which followed, the Texas commander, Samuel Houston, had served as a Major General in the Tennessee militia and was well versed both in conventional and partisan warfare. In the long retreat Houston had accumulated and trained his ragtag army. The professional soldiers on the Mexican side had become fragmented and their supply lines greatly over extended. Anticipating that the Texan attack would start early on the following day, they had indulged in an afternoon siesta, and were taken by surprise at 3:30 PM when the Texas storm broke upon them. Unable to form line, the Mexicans were unable to sustain individual combat with the much larger and more deadly Texas irregulars. The Battle of San Jacinto took place at the intersection of the San Jacinto River and Buffalo Bayou, only a few miles from Galveston Bay and from the final redoubt of the government of the Republic of Texas on Galveston Island. The San Jacinto River is named for the medieval Polish saint, Jacek Odrowaz. Why are there so many towns and cities throughout the Hispanic world named after this Polish saint? St. Jacek (Hyacinth, Jacinto) was one of the early companions of St. Dominic. According to his vita written by monk Stanislaus in Kraków in the fourteenth century, he was ordained in 1221 by St. Dominic himself. St. Jacek’s father, Eustachius Konski, belonged to the noble family of Odrowaz. St. Jacek was born in 1183 at the castle of Łanka at Kamieƒ in Silesia, Poland. Called the Apostle of the North, St. Jacek carried out numerous missionary travels throughout the Slavic lands. Some claim his travels reached as far as China Owing to St. Jacek’s energy and dedication, Dominican monasteries were founded in the Polish cities of Gdansk (Danzig) in 1225, Chełm in 1233, Elblàg in 1236, and later at Torun, Riga in Latvia, Kiev and Halych in Ukraine, Dorpat (now Tartu) in Estonia, and Królewiec (later Köningsberg, now Kaliningrad) in the present-day Russian Federation. The Polish Dominican province was formed in 1226, and St. Jacek became its head. He died on 15 August 1257 in his home province of Kraków. He was canonized by Pope Clementius in 1594. It is undoubtedly his connection with St. Dominic that has made him so popular throughout the Spanish-speaking world. The Mexicans called the river by St. Hiacynth’s name, and the San Jacinto Battle’s name followed. Sources: T.R. Fehrenbach, Lone Star: A History of Texas and the Texans Polish Dominicans on the Web (www.krakow2004.dominikanie.pl)

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Production parameters were determined for kidding, offtake and mortality rates, and milk production and composition of Angora goats in two communal agro-ecological zones, Mountains and Lowlands, of Molimo-nthuse area in Lesotho. True incidence rates and risk rates as used in dynamic populations were used to calculate the different production parameters. A completely randomized design was used to compare the differences between the two agro-ecological zones. Angora goats in the two agro-ecological zones produced milk similarly (p > 0.05) in amounts and composition. There were no significant (p > 0.05) differences in annual kidding, mortality and offtake rates between Angora goats kept in the Lowlands and those in the Mountains. However, high mortality rates and mortality risk rates were observed in both zones. Thus, the risk rates that suckling Angora goats would die within their first 6 months after birth were 28% and 34% for the Mountains and Lowlands, respectively. It is suggested that future emphasis should be on reducing kid mortality through better herding of the goats and improvement of pre- and post-partum nutrition of the doe in this communal livestock farming system. All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes - Food Animals - Animal Science and Zoology

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Hosea lived in Northern Israel, or what would be refered to as Samaria from approximately 780 – 722 BC. His birth-year coincides with a historic solar eclipse in China (780). The 8th Century BC, Hosea’s time, was a period of great changes in civilizations. In Egypt, the 23rd and 24th dynasties led to rule from Nubia in the 25 Dynasty. Rome was founded in 753 BC and Greece was colonizing other regions of the Mediterranean and Black Seas. The Neo-Assyrian Empire, which we will talk more about tonight, reached the peak of its power, conquering the Kingdom of Israel in 722 BC. However, through a series of alliances, some with Assyria itself, the Kingdom of Judah is able to resist conquest. In 727 BC, just 5 years before the northern kingdom falls, Babylonia, which was later to conquer the Kingdom of Judah, made itself independent of the Assyrian Empire. So you have this tension in the region. Another interesting note is that in 704, the capital of the Assyrian Empire is moved to Ninevah. As many here know, this ministry was founded on the walls of Ninevah. Apart from conquest, a number of culturally important events are recorded during Hosea’s time: -While the Olympic Games is believed to reach as far back as the 13th century BC, the year 776 is retrospectively set as the first Olympiad. -June 15, 763 BC: A solar eclipse recorded on this date is used to fix the chronology of the Ancient Near East. -April 21, 753 BC is traditionally thought to be the date that Romulus founded Rome. This marks the beginning of the Roman ‘Ab urbe condita’ calendar. So you have two civilizations setting their calendars during Hosea’s time. -Near the end of the 8th Century BC, the Upanishads, which are a sacred text of Hinduism, are written. -Homer’s life and his epics are dated to the 8th Century BC as well.

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We'll always make sure you know exactly what the lesson is about. You will easily understand whether it is relevant for you. Essential Math Terms Here at ChinesePod, all our lessons are presented in an entertaining manner by our great hosts. You'll find language learners, teachers, and even professors sharing their insights, ideas, and teaching methods in our video and audio lessons. Brief Lesson Summaries A brief introduction of the lesson will always tell you what this lesson is about and what language level is the intended target. If you're interested in the subject, but might not be able to understand it in full, fear not; we have transcripts of lesson dialogues vocabulary so you can follow along. IN THIS LESSON ID: QW0228 Intermediate Whether you love it or hate it, basic math is an essential part of daily life no matter where you are in the world. Today's Qing Wen will arm you with the vocabulary necessary to express basic equations, percentages, and other highly useful math terms to help you get by in a Mandarin Chinese-speaking environment. Be sure to also take a look at our previous Qing Wen on numbers in Chinese! Sat Nov 26 2011 | Connie, Greg, Jenny Our lessons contain natural communication in Chinese in video and audio format. We have have lessons focused on video or a podcast format and our lessons have transcripts of Lesson Dialogues, Important Vocabulary, Expanded Materials for a deep dive into the lesson topic and Exercises focused on testing your retention. jīngcháng bù jígé 。 I often don't pass the tests. Connie ne ？wǒ juéde nǐ de shùxué yīnggāi hái bùcuò 。 What about Connie? I bet your math is pretty good. wǒ yǐqián hěn lìhai ，xiànzài dōu wàng le 。 I used to be really great at it, but I've forgotten it all. Each lesson is centered around a natural dialogue with key vocabulary directly prepared and translated for your use. You can also listen to each sentence as an individual recording to improve your listening and comprehension skills. Try It For Free ChinesePod is 100% Free to Try. Create an account today and get started!

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A classic spatial query is to find the nearest neighbours of a spatial feature. Our previous post "Won’t You Be My Neighbor? Quickly Finding Who is Nearby" discussed this capability from a PostgreSQL perspective. The PostGIS spatial data extension to Postgres can also execute nearest neighbour queries with remarkable efficiency. In this post, we’re going to take a deeper dive into the Postgres and PostGIS internals to find out how this actually works. By the time we surface you will have a better understanding of the advanced technical capabilities and unparalleled extensibility of Postgres. You’ll also appreciate how the open philosophy of Postgres has fostered a development community whose collaboration over many years has provided powerful features that benefit numerous users. Prepare to Dive As a recap, the problem is to find the nearest feature, or the K-nearest features, to a given target feature out a set of spatial features. The obvious way to do this is to compute the distance from each candidate feature to the target feature, and choose the K-smallest distances. It should also be obvious that this will be extremely slow if the number of candidates is large (it is common to run queries against datasets containing millions of features). In PostGIS spatial features are stored as records in a table, with the feature location stored as a column of type geometry or geography. The ST_Distance function computes the distance between geometries. So using the naive approach above a query could be written as: SELECT name, ST_Distance(ST_MakePoint(-118.291995, 36.578581 ), geom) AS dist FROM geonames ORDER BY dist LIMIT 10; This query is being executed against a table of geographic name locations containing over two million features. It is searching for the 10 names nearest a point close to the summit of Mt. Whitney, California. As expected, it is not particularly fast, completing in around 14 seconds. The following table and map show the query results (with distance in metres): name | dist ----------------------+-------------------- Mount Whitney | 11.247614731387534 Sierra Nevada | 127.29084391848636 Keeler Needle | 467.97664454275554 Crooks Peak | 482.3234106159308 Mount Russell | 1267.654254211147 Pinnacle Ridge | 1414.1558235265738 Arctic Lake | 1475.471505754701 Mount Muir | 1549.5739171031566 Upper Boy Scout Lake | 1684.333541189354 Wotans Throne | 1760.0677063194435 (10 rows) The query plan confirms the reason for the slow performance: the query engine is doing a table scan and a sort in order to find the nearest features. Limit (cost=56032553.10..56032553.12 rows=10 width=28) (actual time=14252.326..14252.330 rows=10 loops=1) > -> Sort (cost=56032553.10..56038147.05 rows=2237580 width=28) (actual time=14252.324..14252.325 rows=10 loops=1) Sort Key: (st_distance('0101000020E61000001DE6CB0BB0925DC0228B34F10E4A4240'::geography, geom, true)) Sort Method: top-N heapsort Memory: 26kB -> Seq Scan on geonames (cost=0.00..55984199.80 rows=2237580 width=28) (actual time=3.719..13135.246 rows=2237580 loops=1) Planning Time: 0.243 ms Execution Time: 14252.413 ms With a spatial index present PostGIS nearest neighbour support allows the query to be written as: SELECT name, geom <-> ST_MakePoint( -118.291995, 36.578581 ) AS dist FROM geonames ORDER BY dist LIMIT 10; This provides the same result but with much better performance. It executes in 7.8 ms - almost 1800 times faster! The query plan confirms that the GIST index geonames_gix is being used: Limit (cost=0.41..3.85 rows=10 width=28) (actual time=5.896..7.533 rows=10 loops=1) -> Index Scan using geonames_gix on geonames (cost=0.41..769145.06 rows=2237580 width=28) (actual time=5.893..7.523 rows=10 loops=1) Order By: (geom <-> '0101000020E61000001DE6CB0BB0925DC0228B34F10E4A4240'::geography) Planning Time: 0.184 ms Execution Time: 7.768 ms This is a dramatic improvement for such a seemingly minor change to the SQL. But it raises some questions: - What is the “<->” syntax? (it certainly doesn’t look like standard SQL!) - Clearly “<->” computes the distance between two geometries, but how does this use an index to make nearest neighbour search faster? - How can an expression with “<->” be used in the ORDER BY clause? - How is an extension like PostGIS able to use the nearest neighbour search provided by Postgres? In the following sections we will plumb the depths to answer these questions and demystify the mechanism of nearest neighbour search. Down We Go To start with, the ‘<->’ syntax is an operator. Operators can be thought of as “shorthand functions” for computing new values from an expression with one or two arguments. We’re familiar with many different kinds of operators, mostly from arithmetic. Postgres (and all other SQL databases) provides those operators to make it easy and familiar to write computation expressions. Some operators do more than just compute values - they are recognized by the query planner and trigger the use of the indexing system. An obvious example is comparison operators such as “=”, “>”, and “<”. The query planner recognizes when these operators are used in a WHERE clause, and can construct a query plan that uses an index to improve performance, if an appropriate one (typically a B-tree) is present. Note these operators all return a boolean result. Postgres calls these search operators, because they determine how an index is searched to decide whether or not a given row (or combination of rows in the case of a join) is included in the query result set. Into The Depths Up to this point every SQL database works in a similar way. But Postgres was designed from the start to be extensible in almost every aspect. The most common extension is to define new data types to represent different kinds of data. Since a key task of a relational database is to use indexes to query data efficiently, Postgres provides a wide variety of index methods for data access. These include the well-known B-tree index, as well as special-purpose ones such as GIST, GIN and several others. The query planner needs to know when and how indexes can be used in queries against new data types. This is done by allowing new operators to be defined for a given combination of data type and index method. Operators are bound to a function that computes the value for the operator expression. They also supply metadata which helps the query planner apply the index in more situations. The set of operators for a data type and index method is called an operator class (usually abbreviated to opclass.) Note that this means that an operator symbol (such as “=”) may be overloaded, that is, map to operators in many different opclasses; the planner uses the data type of the arguments to determine which one to invoke. Opclasses also define support routines. These routines are the interface between the index method and the data type. They are called by the index implementation to return information about data type values. A single support routine may be called during evaluation of several different operators, so each operator is assigned a strategy number, which is passed to the support routine to indicate which operator is being used. Performance is key here, so these routines are written in C, the language of the Postgres core. At this point we have shown how the Postgres extension framework supports defining new data types and operators, and binding them to index methods. Prior to 2010, only search operators were available, allowing only standard boolean filtering. A clever team of developers saw a way to enhance the framework to support nearest neighbour search. They proposed modifying the GIST index method to allow this. GIST (Generalized Index Search Tree) is itself an extensible index method framework. It supports creating many different kinds of indexes for data which require more than the one-dimensional B-tree index. So this one change could benefit many different data types. The modification consisted of adding a search strategy that uses best-first-search to query the index, along with a new support routine called distance. The nodes in the index tree are searched in order of their potential distance from the search value. The active search nodes are kept in a priority queue ordered by distance, so that near nodes and values are found first. This is well-described in a 1995 paper entitled Nearest Neighbour Queries by Roussopoulos et al. This strategy provides excellent performance, because nearby values are found quickly, and far-away values are usually never retrieved. In order to allow queries to make use of this new search strategy the concept of ordering operators was created. Ordering operators such as “<->” compute distance between data type values. When an ordering operator appears in an ORDER BY clause, the planner knows to invoke nearest neighbour search using the data type the operator is defined for. Like all index-based queries, nearest neighbour search reads a stream of values out of the index. Thanks to the best-first search, the values are provided in order of increasing distance. So when a LIMIT clause is provided (which is usually the case), only the required number of values are actually retrieved. The nearest neighbour enhancement was released in 2011 in Postgres 9.1.0. Since it was based on GIST the initial release was able to provide nearest neighbour support for several different data types, including the built-in point type and the pg_trgm type for text matching using trigrams. Ascend with PostGIS With all this said, we can show how the PostGIS extension makes use of this framework. PostGIS defines data types to represent spatial data. In the following we discuss the geometry data type; the geography type works in a similar way. The geometry data type uses a spatial index called an R-tree (“range tree”). R-trees allow indexing data values which are defined in 2 (or more) dimensions. The PostGIS R-tree index is defined using the GIST framework, and so is able to take advantage of the nearest neighbour search capability supported by GIST. The first definition is the <-> operator. It is bound to the function geometry_distance_centroid to compute the distance value between geometries: CREATE OPERATOR <-> ( LEFTARG = geometry, RIGHTARG = geometry, PROCEDURE = geometry_distance_centroid, COMMUTATOR = '<->' ); (The name geometry_distance_centroid is legacy - the function actually computes the exact distance between geometry values.) The operator definition provides metadata to assist the planner in constructing plans - in this case, the fact that the distance function is commutative (so that the arguments can be reversed without changing the answer). To allow the geometry data type to use the GIST index method PostGIS defines an opclass called gist_geometry_ops_2d. The opclass contains a variety of operators. The most commonly used is the && operator, a search operator that allows locating spatial objects using the R-tree index. All this is specified in the DDL for the opclass definition, which starts like this: CREATE OPERATOR CLASS gist_geometry_ops_2d DEFAULT FOR TYPE geometry USING GIST AS STORAGE box2df, OPERATOR 1 <<, OPERATOR 2 &<, OPERATOR 3 &&, ... The <-> distance ordering operator is defined in the opclass like this: OPERATOR 13 <-> FOR ORDER BY pg_catalog.float_ops The required GIST support routines are also defined in the opclass, including the one for nearest neighbour: FUNCTION 8 geometry_gist_distance_2d (internal, geometry, int4) 8 is the id of the GIST distance support routine, and geometry_gist_distance_2d is a PostGIS C function which computes the distance between geometries. The float_ops data type specified for the operator indicates the ordering semantics of the values returned by the distance function. And that’s all that is required. The Postgres query planner can now recognize that when <-> is used on PostGIS geometry values in the ORDER BY clause, the query plan can use the nearest neighbour search strategy using the GIST R-tree index. There is one further aspect of nearest neighbour search. The search is performed using a single target data value. This means that NN search is not in itself a way of joining tables. So how can you specify a query that finds the nearest neighbours of many features in a table out of another table? This is where the recent support for LATERAL subqueries comes to the rescue. It essentially acts as a loop, allowing many features to be queried for their nearest neighbours. A typical query using LATERAL looks like: SELECT loc.*, t.name, t.geom FROM locations loc JOIN LATERAL (SELECT name, geom FROM geonames gn ORDER BY loc.geom <-> gn.geom LIMIT 10) AS t ON true; Back at the Surface That completes our excursion into the depths of nearest neighbour search in PostGIS. Here’s the dive notes from the descent: - Postgres extensions inform the query planner how to use indexes by defining an opclass with operators and support routines, bound to a data type and an index method - Starting in Postgres 9.1 a framework was added to give index methods the capability of performing nearest neighbour queries - The GIST index method uses a best-first search strategy to execute nearest neighbour search efficiently - PostGIS uses this framework and the R-tree spatial index to provide excellent performance for nearest neighbour queries on its spatial data types It’s interesting to compare Postgres to the implementation of nearest neighbour in other relational databases. One database uses a special function SDONN in the WHERE clause to trigger nearest-neighbour search. Another uses a special function STDistance in _both the WHERE clause and the ORDER BY clause. Since the code is not open one can only speculate, but presumably the query planners have been specially modified to recognize these functions. That’s a big difference to Postgres, where nearest-neighbour search is a general-purpose mechanism, implemented using the standard extension framework. Thus many other kinds of data can utilize the same approach, including data types and index methods which have not yet been envisioned. You now have a deeper understanding of how PostGIS performs nearest neighbour query in a highly performant way, using the R-tree spatial index and the best-first query strategy. You have also seen how this is provided using several different kinds of extension points provided by the Postgres platform. I also encourage you to try writing your own PostGIS nearest neighbour queries which you can do from this PostGIS container that is easy to set up. The wider story is that these powerful and unique capabilities are being developed in an open, collaborative way by numerous developers around the world. This is why Postgres truly deserves its position as the leading open source relational database. April 27, 2020 •More by this author

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Index was out of range. Must be non-negative and less than the size of the collection. Parameter name: index Why is my spruce dropping it's needles? Needles may turn brown and drop on spruce trees for several reasons. Before you become alarmed or treat the tree with a pesticide, you need to find out why the needles are dropping. Only then can you use appropriate treatment if the tree even needs one. Like all evergreen plants, both needled and broadleaf, spruce trees eventually drop foliage. An individual needle will naturally stay on a spruce branch for 2-3 years, and then turn brown before dropping. It is possible to mistake natural needle fall for a pest problem. Natural needle fall occurs mainly on the inside of the tree and the older sections of the branch. It does not occur on or near the branch tips where the newest needles are located. Natural needle fall is seldom conspicuous on spruce trees. Natural needle drop on pines, particularly on white pines in the fall, can be very obvious and may cause you concern if you are not familiar with it. Cytospora canker, a fungal disease, is the most common reason for unnatural needle drop on Colorado blue spruce. It also occasionally occurs on Norway spruce, but rarely on white spruce. Cytospora canker is a very common disease of older, mature Colorado spruce in the Midwest. The first symptom is browning of needles at the tips of the branches, followed by death of the lower branches. Over several years, it spreads upward to other branches. Dead areas, called cankers form at the base of the branches, but do not discolor or become depressed. Instead, resin flow is seen, causing conspicuous patches of white resin on the bark. Cut out all cankered branches, avoid making unnecessary wounds, and keep the tree healthy and vigorous. Stress leads to more severe canker development. If the tree becomes a visual liability, it is best to remove it. Fungicides are not an effective control measure. Rhizosphaera needlecast is another cause of needle drop. This disease also tends to start on the lower branches and moves up the tree. It does not attack individual branches, but rather several branches all at one time. The first symptom appears in late summer when needles are speckled with yellow blotches. Later the needles turn brown or purplish brown on blue spruce. The needles drop the following summer or autumn, about 12-15 months after infestation. Close inspection with a hand lens reveals rows of distinct black specks on affected needles. These black specks provide positive diagnosis for Rhizosphaera needlecast. This disease rarely kills trees, but heavily infected trees may suffer severe needle loss. If the tree is severly defoliated 3 or 4 years in a row, some branches may die. It is best to let an expert diagnose this problem before the tree is treated. Spider mites can also cause needle drop on spruce trees. Mites are a potential problem on all spruce trees. As spider mites feed on the needles with their sucking mouth parts, they cause the needles to turn dull and eventually become yellowish green and drop. Close inspection with a hand lens will reveal a fine webbing between the needles. Another way to check for mites is to hold a piece of white paper beneath a branch and shake the branch vigorously. If mites are present, you will see tiny, moving specks on the paper. Minor infestations can be treated by showering the tree with a strong spray from the garden hose. If the infestation is heavy, chemical treatment may be required. Check with your local nursery or garden center for currently available sprays for spider mites.

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What is SSL certificate?Erica The SSL certificate is a code on your web servers that provides security for online communications. It is the encrypted connections between the web browsers and the secured website. What is the meaning of SSL?Erica The Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) provides encryption for TCP/IP connections as they transit the Internet and local networks between a server and client. Does SSL expire?Erica Yes, although SSL protects the privacy and security of a website it is with an expiration date. Therefore, the website owner must be aware of the expiration date to ensure the website remains a trusted website. Typically, SSLs are valid for 1-year increments. How do visitors know that my website is secure?Erica A secure URL should begin with “https” rather than “http”. The “s” in “https” stands for secure. This informs the visitor that the website is using a secure sockets layer certificate for encryption. Is HTTPS and SSL the same?Erica Both HTTPS and SSL provide similar things but are not the same.

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Synonym: Anisogonium esculentum, Asplenium ambiguum, Asplenium esculentumAthyrium esculentum, Callipteris ambigua, Callipteris esculenta, Digrammaria esculenta, Diplazium malabaricum, Hemionitis esculenta,Microstegia esculenta, Common name: Vegetable fern, Local name: Lingad (लिंगड़) Lingad, which is a fern, is one of the most popular wild growing food plants of Himachal Pradesh. It is eaten in large quantities by Himachalis. Severalpreparations are made from it. Every year tons of lingad worth lakhs of rupees is sold in the vegetable markets of Himachal towns. This entire supply of this plant comes from forests as lingad has still not been brought under cultivation. Besides Himachal, lingad also grows in the forests of Kashmir and Uttaranchal and there too people like it. Lingad plants grow at humid and shady locations, mostly along streams and springs in hill forests from 1300 to 1900 metres above the sea level. The young emerging hairy, blackish green fronds of this plant make the edible part. These are around 1 cm thick at base, 6 – 9 inches long, erect but coiled at the apex. These fronds are in fact leaf stalks with developing leaves at the top. They are fit for eating during the earlier stages when these are tender. After this stage, the leaves open up, increase in size and the succulent stem turns woody. It is does not remain fit for cooking at that stage. So lingad has therefore to be picked at a particular stage of development. Therefore it has a limited season. Lingad is not just another vegetable. Special curries like DUM (दम)and MADHRA (मधरा) with exclusive recipes are made inHimachal from it. The preparations are even served as special dishes to VIPs on special occasions like marriages. Lingad is especially popular among the members of Sood community of HP and they have their own recipes for lingad curries. Lingad is a tufted fast-growing perennial fern. It usually grows on exposed grassy slopes. This plant has a stout creeping rhizome growing in the soil which is not visible from the outside. Lingad fronds ready for harvesting This rhizome produces numerous fronds which are mostly tripinnate. covered with short rufous scales of about 1 cm long. Uppermost pinnae are simple. When fully developed, the pinnae can be 0.6 to 1.8 m long and 30-60 cm wide. As soon as the weather starts warming up after winter, new fronds start emerging as a coil. This coil keeps growing upwards. It is harvested when it is 15 to 20 cm long. After that stage, the terminal coil starts straightening and leaves begin to emerge. The frond also starts loosing its tenderness and begins to become woody. When this stage reaches, it becomes unfit for cooking. So fronds have to be harvested when these are succulent which is before this stage comes. The tender fronds are used as vegetable.Special curries like dum (दम) and madhra (मधरा) and pickle. Young fronds are stir-fried and used as a salad. Lingad salad is served in hotels and restaurants Preparing lingad vegetable: The fronds are hairy. Therefore the hairs have to be removed before cooking. This is easily done by rubbing the fronds with a thick piece of cloth. Some prefer to remove the hairy skin which is quite thin and is easily peeled off. Then the fronds are cut into small pieces and cooked as per choice. Lingad fronds, 1 kg; mustard oil, 3-4 table spoons; coriander powder, ½ table spoon; fenugreek powder,1tea spoon; cumin seed, 1 table spoon turmeric powder, 1 table spoon; red chillies, 2-4, medium sized chopped onion, 1; chopped garlic cloves, 4-5; salt according to taste;curd, 4 cups; chopped green coriander leaves, ½ cup amount; garam masala, 1/2; table spoon. The fronds are cut into pieces and boiled. These are then stir fried after adding salt and spices in a sequence as listed above and eaten as vegetable with chapaties. Chopped fronds can directly be sauted in hot mustered oil along with spices listed above in sequence and cooked till become soft then served. To prepare curries add curd and cook for another 10 to 15 minutes, then add garam masala and garnish it with chopped green coriander leaves then serve with rice.\ Pickle is also prepared and very famous in state usually served with kachouri and siddu in local, national or international fairs. The young tender fronds are mucilaginous. One hundred grams of fresh fronds contain 91.3 g moisture, 1.0 g protein, 100 mg fat, 1.4 g fiber, 600 mg of mineral matter. They also contain 0.98 mg/100 g of beta carotene1 . A decoction of lingdu leaves is used as a tonic for women after child birth. This plant is used in many traditional medicines too 2. Lingad as source of income: Lingad is quite good source of earning for villagers, particularly women. A discussion by this writer with lingad sellers in Mandi town revealed that on an average about 100 kg of lingad is sold daily at Mandi town only for a season of 80 days. This quantity is worth 1,60,000 rupees at an average price of 20 rupees a kg. Lingad is sold in all big and small towns of HP. So the total annual trade in lingad must be worth several lakh rupees. The lingad has to be collected from odd and difficult places located deep inside the forests. The lingad sold at Mandi comes from Kandhi area and the sellers are mostly from Kataula area. The villagers go to the forest to harvest lingad in groups of 3 to 4. A person cannot bring more than 25 kg as the stuff has to be carried on head on arduous forest paths. The fronds are then cleaned, cut and made into small bunches at home, mostly during the night. According to lingad sellers, a 60 kg lot of lingad collected from forest costs them around 500 rupees including labour and bus fares. They say that one can make about 125-150 rupees a day from it. 36 years old Begi Devi, who is regularly bringing lingad to Mandi during the past three years, says that her net profit from lingad sale last year was rupees 15,000. Lingad is also a good source of bread and butter for poor women of Western Himalayas. Women of Mandi area of Himachal Pradesh prepare lingad pickle and sell it through various SHG in SHG fair at Seri munch of Mandi town at the rate of 400 Rs per Kg. People relish lingad pickle along with siddu in famous Shivratri fair of distt. Mandi. Lingad pickle is in great demand during this time and is a good source of earning for the people of different region of Himachal Pradesh. No fear of extinction: The happiest part of lingad story is that unlike other useful plants harvested from the wild, there is no decline in the natural population of lingad. All the lingad sellers opined unanimously that the availability of these plants in the forest has remained the same. It might be due to the reason that lingad plants are not dug up like medicinal herbs. The individual fronds are cut at the ground level. The natural regeneration therefore remains unaffected. lingad selling at another location in Mandi town A fully grown lingad plant. It cannot be used as it has turned woody. - Anonymous, (1952), The Wealth of India:Raw Materials, Vol. III, CSIR, New Delhi. - Kirtikar KR, Basu BD. (1935); Indian Medicinal Plants, Vol. 1-4. Lalit Mohan Basu, Allahabad.

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With their adjustable seats and handlebars, riders can customize their ride to their own preferences. And with their built-in speakers and Bluetooth connectivity, riders can stream their music directly from their phones or other devices. Electric cruiser bikes are the perfect way for music lovers to enjoy their favorite tunes while on the move.” “Electric cruiser bikes are becoming increasingly popular as a form of transportation and recreation. With their sleek designs and powerful motors, these bikes offer a unique riding experience that is both fun and efficient. The science of electric cruiser bikes is based on the principles of electromagnetism. This is the same science that powers electric cars, trains, and other forms of transportation. In an electric cruiser bike, an electric motor is used to turn the wheels. This motor is powered by a battery, which stores energy in the form of chemical energy. When the battery is charged, the motor is able to turn the wheels, propelling the bike forward. The technology behind electric cruiser bikes is also based on the principles of electromagnetism. The motor is controlled by a controller, which is a computer chip that regulates the power output of the motor. This controller is connected to a throttle, which is used to control the speed of the bike. The throttle is connected to a battery, which stores energy in the form of chemical energy. The technology behind electric cruiser bikes also includes a variety of sensors and other components. These components are used to measure the speed of the bike, the amount of power being used, and the battery level. This information is used to regulate the power output of the motor, ensuring that the bike is running efficiently. Electric electric cruiser bike cruiser bikes are becoming increasingly popular as a form of transportation and recreation.

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Please note that schools can request an invoice at the final stage of checkout. Sale on NOW! Our Phases Explained Phase 1 focuses on developing key listening, vocabulary and speaking skills. Children explore and identify sounds around them, there are lots of rhyming songs with actions. Adults start modelling, segmenting and blending, for example: you might say to a child can you pick up the B O X box and the child will then get used to the idea of segmenting (breaking down words for spelling) and blending (putting letters together for reading) which they will start learning how to do later. Games like I Spy and other vocabulary games are also really great for Phase 1 Phonics. Noisy sound books are very good for encouraging young children to listen to and identify sounds. Our most recommend books can be found in our shop: In phase 2 children are introduced to the first 19 sounds and the corresponding grapheme (written form of the sound). The sounds the grapheme makes is known as a phoneme, the letter, the way it looks is known as a grapheme. Sounds are not taught in alphabetical order they are instead taught in an order that helps children to start making words more quickly so the sounds are taught using the most commonly used sounds first. Depending on the scheme children will learn these in a slightly different way but usually the first sounds they will learn are: s, a, t, p, i, n. (our order of sounds is cleverly colour mapped across the phases and can be seen on our best selling wristbands below. Some schools, start off with: s, a, t, m. It just depends on the scheme. After the most commonly used: s, a, t, p, i, n. Children then learn: m, d, g, o, c, k, e, u, r, h, b, f and l. When children have learnt some of these sounds they will start learning how to segment (break up) and blend together the different sounds to read and spell different words. Children will focus first on CV (Consonant Vowel) and CVC (Consonant Vowel Consonant) words. Examples for these would be: a, t(at) – for a CV word and c, a, t (cat) for a CVC word. At this point children are also introduced to some non-decodable words so words that can’t be sounded out phonetically such as: I, go and no. Again depending on the school scheme being used children will learn these in a slightly different order. Our Fun Phonics Phase 2 Ping Pong Balls are a great way of introducing this phase in a fun way. Children can enjoy endless hours of fun by playing catch with them or developing gross motor coordination and muscle strength with the catchers or shooters in our shop. This is where the remaining seven letter sounds are introduced. These are: j, v, w, x, y, z and qu. Children are then introduced to some digraphs and some trigraphs. Digraphs are sounds that are made using two letters and trigraphs are sounds that are made using three letters, for examole: ch, sh, th, ng, ai, ee, ie, igh, oa. Children will also start learning more non decodable words or sight words. These are often referred to as: ‘Tricky Words’ also depending on the school, for example: he, she, was and my. Children are also now introduced to names using the alphabet song but of course they are still using the sounds when sounding out words. Children now will continue to segment and blend using all of the new sounds that they have learnt. We have broken phase 3 into two more manageable parts: 3a orange and 3b green and you can find many phase 3 resources in shop. The blending kit is particularly useful during this phase we also have phase three balls available in our shop: It is a good idea to assess the children regularly to see how many of the graphemes they have remembered. In this phase no new graphemes are introduced. Children are encouraged to segment and blend more complex words moving on from CV and CVC words to words that have more than one consonant following on from each other, for example: a CVCC words such as; milk, as well as other sometimes longer vowel consonant combinations. Children are now working on spelling words but at this point mostly just phonetically and some more non decodable sight words are introduced. Some of these may include: ‘said’, ‘have’, ‘like’ and ‘when’. We do have some phase 4 PDF flash cards in our shop for just 99p and word searches too. In phase 5 children are now introduced to more graphemes for sounds they already know, for example: by this point children will now know the digraph ‘ai’, represented by the letters a and i. They will now be introduced to the digraph ay, represented by the letters a and y. Children are also introduced to alternative sounds for graphemes that they may already know, for example: the digraph represented by the letters: e and a is different in: ‘team’, ‘head’ and ‘break’. Children are also in this phase introduced to the split digraph. This was once known as the magic ‘e’. This is another way of representing sounds that children will already be familiar with or they know the sounds of o, but with a split digraph it is represented by an ‘o-e’, such as in: ‘rope’. Again children are now introduced to more non decodable words, such as: ‘there’, ‘people’, ‘mr’, ‘mrs’, ‘could’ and so on. Again, we have split phase 5a yellow and 5b blue The ping pong balls in our shop are perfect for encouraging active, play based learning. Once the children are working on phase 5 all of our wristbands, blending kit, hexagons, hearts, stars, word searches and books will be useful. Please have a good look through our resources and let us know if we can assist you further.

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Kelp Gull (Larus dominicanus), adult and young, Antarctic Peninsula The Kelp Gull is the southern equivalent of the Northern hemisphere's Lesser Black-backed Gull, but is slightly larger. This coastal gull is omnivores like most gulls seeking all kinds of small prey. They scavenge and have also been seen feeding on live right whales pecking down with their powerful bill centimetres into the skin and blubber. Using this item and referring to it is encouraged, and please use it in presentations, web pages, newspapers, blogs and reports. For any form of publication, please include the link to this page and give the creator credit (in this case Peter Prokosch) If the high-resolution file is not available, please contact firstname.lastname@example.org for request and permission for usage.

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The 18th century art scene in the UK was full of original paintings, followed by replicas and then studio replicas from assistants. Artists were starting to understand how to make money from their skills and also other supporting painters would learn by recreating their masters' work. The existence of multiple versions of the same painting allied with the lack of documentation in most cases during this century ensures that much work was required in order to accurately piece together a firm base of knowledge around Joshua Reynolds' career. It is likely that much of Reynolds' training would have gone through each and every item that you might find in a portrait or landscape painting with a strict process that must be followed. He would soon grow tired of elements of this rigid methodology and hired assistants to cover elements of his compositions that he was less interested in. Whilst prefering to avoid such a clear formula for his work, recent examinations of his most famous paintings have revealed that he did follow many of the artistic principles as laid out by Allan Ramsay and Thomas Hudson. In documenting his career a number of personal pocket books from his life have proved invaluable for understanding more about the man as well as the reasons for his processes of work. One clear influence on the style of Reynolds was due to an extended period that he spent in Italy. The budding artist would study many of the great masters of the Renaissance and Baroque eras during his time here. He took in Livorno, Rome, Florence, Bologna and Venice before slowly making his way back to his native UK. Having studied great names from across Europe, Reynolds would settle back in London and began to build up a prolific and highly respected career. First and foremost, he was a portrait painter for the well established members of high society. This was a long way from his earlier upbringing in rural Devon but he would still occasionally return to his roots every now and again. As his career developed the artist would relocate to larger premises that enabled him to build his own personal brand, or as much as one would in these traditional times. Greater room enabled him to also work more closely with his growing number of assistants who were necessary for the artist to keep up with his increasingly demanding workload. At the height of his popularity, Reynolds would actually take up to six sittings per day, for an hour each at a time. His payment would tend to be 80 guineas per portrait, but he would use some of that to pay others who would complete parts of each painting.

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History Of Boehm’s Chapel Heritage Landmark of the United Methodist Church Boehm’s Chapel was built in 1791. It was the first Methodist Church in Lancaster County, the oldest existing structure built for Methodist worship in Pennsylvania, and the fourth oldest in the nation. About the Boehm Family This site and the area surrounding the Chapel were purchased by Swiss Mennonites in 1710 from William Penn. Jacob Boehm was among those receiving land tracts. He and his wife, the former Barbara Kendig, began to clear a patch of land, becoming one of the first farms in Lancaster County. Ten years later their youngest son, Martin, was born in 1725. In 1753 Martin married Eve Steiner and they established their home on a 181 acre farm, part of a tract patented to Jacob Boehm by William Penn. Martin and Eve had eight children. Their youngest child, Henry, was born in 1775. The Calling of Martin Boehm In 1756, at the age of 31, Martin Boehm was chosen by lot to be the minister in his local Mennonite congregation. His initial sermons were sadly lacking. Although raised in the Mennonite faith, he discovered he had little or no assurance of the presence and power of the Risen Savior in his life. He felt the need for a heart warming experience, a more expressive religion and a deeper sense of personal salvation. After months of prayerful struggle, he had an encounter with the Lord Jesus while plowing one of his fields. After this, Martin preached with confidence and fervor. In 1761, Martin was advanced to the office of Bishop in the Mennonite tradition. Martin Boehm's Ministry In 1767 a “great meeting” was held in a barn owned by Isaac Long in Lancaster County. There Martin Boehm preached to a large crowd that included Philip William Otterbein, formerly a pastor at First Reformed Church, Lancaster. Otterbein was so affected by Boehm’s words that he came forward after the service and greeted Boehm with the words “Wir sind Brüder” (“We are brothers”). In 1800, Boehm and Otterbein helped found the United Brethren in Christ Church and became the first two bishops of the denomination. The Boehm home was a significant stopping place for itinerant ministers and lay evangelists of various denominations. This group of travelers became known as “circuit riders”. One of the most famous circuit riders was Francis Asbury, “The Father of American Methodism” who was a frequent visitor at the Boehm home over a 35 year period. Robert Strawbridge, early circuit rider and the 1760’s organizer of the first Methodist Society in America, also found both hospitality and a preaching place here. The Building of Boehm's Chapel Henry Boehm’s brother, Jacob, provided the land and burying ground and in 1791 Boehm’s Chapel was built. Henry Boehm (1775-1875), the youngest of the eight Boehm children, became a prominent leader of Methodism in Colonial America and was confidant and traveling companion of Bishop Francis Asbury for five years. At age 91, Henry wrote Reminiscences which provided much information about his parents and early church leaders. In 1883, the Chapel was altered by removing the porch roof, balconies and high pulpit. The balcony windows were masoned shut with the exception of the one over the pulpit. The lower windows were enlarged and the ceiling was lowered. The Boehm's Chapel Society During the 1970’s, a committee was created to work toward the reconstruction and maintenance of Boehm’s Chapel as an important landmark of the faith. This committee became the Boehm’s Chapel Society, which was incorporated in 1982. Archeological investigation and written accounts yielded sufficient information to reconstruct the chapel to its 1791 appearance. This work was completed in time for the Bicentennial Celebration held in 1991. In 1984, the Chapel was designated a heritage landmark by the United Methodist Church as well as a Pennsylvania historical site by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission and a State Historical Marker was placed and dedicated later that year. In 1991, the Historic Preservation Trust of Lancaster County presented a plaque and commendation to the Boehm’s Chapel Society for the exemplary reconstruction of the Chapel.

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On the one hand, genetic predisposition and aging, on the other external factors, such as continuous exposure to the sun or sunlamps, bad eating habits, poor night sleep, smoking and stress, are elements that can favor tissue thinning process, resulting in the degradation of collagen fibers and loss of elasticity. These phenomena are particularly evident and early in a fragile and sensitive area such as that around the eyes , which is more prone to developing small wrinkles, dark circles and bags due to the slowing of blood flow. The causes of dark circles and bags under the eyes can be many, but let's know the most common: - Dark circles or bags can be a GENETIC factor. - The body reacts to STRESS by concentrating blood flow to vital organs, leaving a paler complexion which makes dark circles around the eyes more visible. - FATIGUE slows down circulation which causes swelling under the eyes. - IRON DEFICIENCY causes a gray-brown color under the eyes. - A DIET rich in salt and processed foods cause water retention. The liquid settles under the eyes causing the annoying bags. - ALLERGIES AND INTOLERANCE can cause grayness in the delicate parts of the skin such as those around the eyes. - MEDICINE USE can increase or decrease circulation by weakening the blood, and this becomes more visible in areas where the skin is thinner, such as under the eyes. - ALCOHOL AND SMOKING cause dehydration and irritation in the most delicate area of the skin around the eyes. Covering dark circles with concealers and foundations is sometimes not the only solution. In fact, it is essential to treat the eye contour area with specific products. We have already mentioned how thin and sensitive the skin around the eyes is, which is why it is subject to the formation of dark circles and unsightly bags. However, this is much more receptive, so excellent results can be obtained by constantly applying specific cosmetic products with small massages. Three daily gestures to relieve puffiness and dark circles: Doing small massages around the eyes daily while applying the serum and then the specific eye contour cream stimulates the functioning of the lymphatic system (a network of tissues and organs that help discharge toxins). - Apply the specific products for the eye area by gently rubbing the area around the dark circles with your fingers. - Gently massage starting from the inside to the outside of the eye contour. - Lightly pinch with forefinger and thumb during massage to improve microcirculation.

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The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that, “air pollution must be recognized as a major threat to human well-being”. According to the WHO, there is a direct link between air pollution and human health (such as high blood pressure, stress related illnesses, sleep disruption, and hearing loss, to cite a few). About 93% of all population live in environments with air pollution levels above the WHO guidelines. Although the potential health effects of exposure to air pollution are the same everywhere, there are considerable variation in the exposure levels depending on the demographic, socio-economic, ethnic, as well as the environmental context. Only a few recent epidemiological studies are available concerning the relationship of exposure to air pollution with the demographic, socio-economic, ethnic and, environmental context, and the consequent potential physical and/or mental comorbidities. For instance, it has been recognized that for a number of reasons the elderly, low-income individuals and ethnic groups are more exposed to air pollution, and that these vulnerable groups suffer from more health problems than the younger, wealthier, and white citizens, respectively. Consequently, it seems relevant to assess the exposure of demographic, socio-economic, and ethnic sub-populations to air pollution, considering their particular environmental settings like land use and greenness (degree of naturalness), and further evaluate if there exists a relationship with their physical and/or mental comorbidity patterns. Therefore, to cope with these and related challenges, the objective of this session is to present research and review papers in order to synthesize the discussion on the application of the latest advances in exposure/exposome which is a growing in importance in health research. In this session, we are looking for contributions that quantify air pollution and its distribution at fine temporal and spatial resolutions, individuals/population exposure in a dynamic environment and related inequality and health effect. Further, this special session aims to stimulate the development of novel algorithms using advanced technologies in the broadest sense in the era of Big Data, and machine learning. We encourage both theoretical as well as application-oriented papers dealing with these emerging issues. Our interest is in papers that cover a wide spectrum of methodological and domain-specific topics.

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Every student is well aware of what it feels like to sit down hoping to write down something but can’t find the will to begin typing. It is a very horrible feeling especially when one has a deadline looming. When most students feel like this, they usually pay someone to write a paper or two for them via a custom essay writing service similar to CustomWritings. Even the most experienced of writers have days where their creative juices are not flowing as they usually do. This article will look at a few ways a student can write a paper when they are not motivated. Set Your Writing Goals When students are asked to write a dissertation by their tutor, for example, the task can be intimidating especially if they are told to produce an 18,000 to 20,000 words piece. To make the task easier, you can set goals and write them down in a diary. A daily word count can be set and once it is reached, you can record it in a diary. Goal setting is a very good way for you or any student to motivate themselves and get work done before the assignment deadline hits. Set Your Deadlines Setting deadlines will keep you highly motivated to get your writing done on time. All you have to do is grab a calendar, set yourself some due dates for all your assignments or essays. This will inspire you to not miss the target you’ve set and help you find the motive to write. Type Your Work Now and Edit It Later Typing things down is a very important part of writing and when ideas are flowing, do not stop to edit anything. Carry on writing because this will make you forget very important details you wanted to add to your piece and momentum will be lost. When you feel that you’ve written all your ideas down, go back to them and edit. Find a Good Writing Space All the world’s best writers have said that the secret to their success is a good writing spot. You need to find an area where you’re most comfortable because that’s where you’ll produce your best work. Do your best to ensure that this area that you choose is away from distractions, this is super important. If you’re at home, put your phone away and turn the radio or TV off. If you find music relaxing, and it helps you write, put some on but pick something that’s the low tempo or classical music, not heavy metal for example. Commit to a Regular Writing Schedule This is all about time management and when you get into a writing routine, it is easy to find the motive all the time. Schedule a particular time of the day to write and honor it without fail. Even if you have other things going on, make sure you show up in your writing area and get some writing done. Think About Changing Your Thought Process The one thing many writers suffer from including college students is procrastination. Your paper will not write itself, and you need to keep reminding yourself that the only way things will get done is if you put the work in. You need to be mentally strong and fight off any temptations that tell you to push your writing back a day or two. Feel free to commit to write and stick to it, that’s the best approach. Join a Writing Group of Like-minded People If you join a writing group, you will be interacting with people who will hold you accountable if you don’t deliver on your writing promise. The people in the writing group can not only be a great source of motivation, but also people you can turn to for advice. You can also have a friendly competition among each other and set up writing milestones. The first person to hit those milestones can win a prize. Take a Break Whenever You Can When the ideas stop flowing, take a step back from the writing schedule you have. Do other things to refresh your brain like go out for a walk, exercise, or do something you’re passionate about. If this doesn’t get your creative juices flowing again, go back to your paper the next day. Listen to podcasts or watch TV during your spare time too. These outlets might be the source of inspiration you needed to get back to your paper and finish it off. Try a Change of Scenery If you do most of your writing at home and you’re stuck in a creative rut, change the scene. Go out of the house for a change and sit in a library or a coffee shop. Inspiration will come your way just by simply watching the world or people pass you by. Give Yourself a Reward If you use bribery to motivate yourself to write isn’t a bad thing at all. Promise to give yourself a special treat every time you hit your target like some chocolate, a nice meal at a restaurant, a present, and so on. This will give you an extra spring in your step through your writing journey. If ideas are hard to come by, try reading a book to switch on your creative engine. Reading content that is written by others will inspire you to get back to your work and finish it off. Always keep in mind the reasons why you are writing your pieces in the first place. If you are seriously lacking in motivation and focus to get college papers written, the tips above will help you get back on track in building motivation quickly and effectively. Not all those will work for everyone but it’s down to individual preferences and picking which ones work best. Procrastination is a habit you don’t want to get into as a student because it will slow down your academic progression. Use any of the tips above to get the job done and you’ll reap the rewards of your hard work in the end.

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Irritable Bowel Syndrome Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), is a common disorder, affecting up to as many as 10 - 15% of people. Whilst most people experience digestive problems once in a while, people with IBS get frequent, recurrent symptoms, which can significantly affect their quality of life. In Singapore, up to about 10% of people suffer from Irritable Bowel Syndrome(IBS). People with IBS suffer from recurrent bouts of abdominal pain associated with diarrhoea, constipation, or a combination of the two. Either way, sufferers of IBS end up with frequent doctor visits, limitations in their food choices and reduced productivity at work. IBS is a "functional disorder" meaning that patients with IBS have no signs of inflammed or damaged tissue or structural abnormalities in the digestive tract. WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS? The symptoms and severity of IBS can vary from person to person, generally being more common in women. In women, their symptoms of IBS may be made worse around the time of menstruation. Classic IBS symptoms are abdominal pain, associated with constipation , diarrhoea or a combination of both. In general, IBS symptoms may be classified as being “gut-related” and “non-gut-related”. 1. Abdominal Pain: The pain of IBS may range from being a dull ache or discomfort, to severe crampy pains. The pain may be relieved after bowel movements. 2. Changes in Bowel Function: IBS is classified according to whether it is (i) Constipation-predominant (IBS-C), (ii) Diarrhoea-predominant (IBS-D) or (iii) Mixed (IBS-A). 3. Bloatedness, “wind” or churning in the abdomen 4. A feeling of “urgency”, that you may not make it to the toilet in time. 5. A feeling of “incomplete evacuation”, like there is always still something left behind after bowel movements. 6. Mucous in the stools 3. Discomfort during sexual intercourse "RED FLAG" FEATURES There are certain symptoms or signs which suggest more serious conditions. The presence of any of these features would make the diagnosis of IBS unlikely, thus warranting further investigation. These so called "RED FLAG" features include: • Unexplained weight loss • Blood in stools (visible or occult) • Pain that interferes with sleep • Diarrhoea that interferes with sleep • Abnormal physical examination WHAT CAUSES IBS? IBS is a "functional disease" and the actual cause of IBS is unknown, however, whatever the cause, it can be put down to the gastrointestinal tract functioning differently in people with IBS. There are 2 main theories: 1. Abnormal Intestinal Movement The smooth muscles of the intestines normally undergo alternating contraction and relaxation (peristalsis) to push food down the tract. In diarrhoea due to IBS, the food passes through the intestinal tract too quickly, whilst in the constipation-predominant type of IBS, food passes through too slowly. The pain may coincide with these abnormal contractions. 2. Visceral Hypersensitivity People with IBS appear to be more “aware” and “sensitive” to normal peristaltic movements of the gut. Whilst most people do not perceive normal gut movements, people with IBS may perceive these movements as pain. Possible triggers of IBS may include: • a bout of gastroenteritis (known as post-infective IBS) • food intolerance (rather than food allergies) • certain types of medication HOW IS IBS DIAGNOSED? There is no simple test for IBS. Diagnosis is made based on symptoms and excluding other possible causes for your symptoms. Therefore, your doctor will ask you questions about your symptoms and then perform an examination of your abdomen and/or your back passage (a rectal examination). Depending on your risk factors, some simple tests may be done. You may also need a referral to a specialist for further tests. Rome II Criteria: The Rome II criteria (more recently the Rome III criteria has been issued, incorporating some changes to the Rome II criteria) is used to help physicians diagnose IBS. It specifies that people with IBS should have suffered from abdominal pain for 12 consecutive week during the past 12 months. The pain should have 2 of the following 3 features: 1. It is relieved by having a bowel movement. 2. It is associated with a change in stool frequency. 3. It is associated with a change in the appearance of stools. Other features that cumulatively support the diagnosis of IBS include: • Abnormal stool frequency (normal stool frequency being defined as having between 3 bowel movements per day to 3 bowel movements per week) • Abnormal stool form (hard or loose/watery stools) • Abnormal stool passage (urgency, excessive straining, or feeling of incomplete evacuation) • Feeling of abdominal bloating/distention. Tests performed may include: • Full Blood Count (FBC) with Electrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR): The FBC is done to check for anemia or signs of infection. A raised ESR level indicates likely inflammation. • CEA levels: CEA is a marker used for colon cancer. In patients with colon cancer, CEA levels are typically significantly raised. There are, however, also other causes of raised CEA levels. • Stool analysis: Stools for faecal occult blood are done as a screen for colon cancer. In the diarrhoea-predominant type of IBS, stools may be sent for culture to check for bacteria, eggs of worms, cysts or parasites. Patients above 50 years of age, those at risk of colon cancer, or those with alarm bell symptoms or signs, should have a colonoscopy done by a specialist. • Thyroid Function Tests: Abnormally high or low levels of thyroid hormones can cause diarrhoea or constipation respectively. WHAT IS THE TREATMENT? The lack of understanding of the physiological mechanisms causing IBS prevent doctors from having treatment targeting these mechanisms. Treatment is instead directed at the symptoms of IBS as well as avoiding known triggers of the condition. Management of IBS would include: • Lifestyle Modifications • Dietary Changes • Taking Medication • Reducing Stress Levels • Complementary or Alternative Treatments Try each strategy in turn or in combination. Over time, you will learn to recognize which works best for you. You will probably have to experiment with making changes in the following aspects to see if your symptoms of IBS improve. Lifestyle changes may include: • Stopping intake of caffeine • Giving up smoking • Systemic elimination of food groups in your diet (to be discussed with your doctor) • De-stressing your life • Regular exercise • Allowing time for regular defaecation Avoidance of foods to which one may be intolerant. This will take much trial and error to figure out, because what may work for one person, may do nothing for another. The importance of eating a healthy and balanced diet cannot be overstated. Increased soluble fibre intake is beneficial in the constipation-predominant type of IBS. Because fibre adds to the bulk of stools and increases transit through the gastrointestinal tract, it is easy to understand how it can help improve constipation-predominant IBS, whilst making diarrhoea-predominant IBS potentially worse. The best solution is to judge for yourself whether fibre helps or worsens your IBS symptoms and base any dietary changes on this. Our gut contains friendly gut microflora which are essential for the health of the gut. Using these friendly gut microflora (probiotics) may be beneficial in the treatment of IBS, although more studies are required to determine the efficacy of the different strains of beneficial bacteria, before firm recommendations can be made on their use. Drugs are prescribed to treat the predominant symptoms of IBS. For instance, laxatives are used to treat constipation-predominant IBS and antidiarrheals are used to treat diarrhoea-predominant IBS. Anti-spasmodic agents are used to help with the cramps associated with IBS. Low dose antidepressants have also been shown to be effective in managing IBS. DE-STRESSING YOUR LIFE Constant worry about work, family, finances and relationships etc can all significantly worsen the symptoms of IBS. Even the mere worry of IBS helps to fuel the self-perpetuating circle of stress. Here are some things you can do to reduce your stress level: • Regular exercise • Ensure you get sufficient good quality sleep • Meditation and relaxation therapy • Psychotherapy and Cognitive Behaviour Therapy IBS is something that will likely affect you on and off for the rest of your life. If it is properly managed, it should not end up dictating what you can or cannot do. COMMON MYTHS ABOUT IBS: Myth 1: IBS Increases Your Risk Of Colon Cancer IBS will not develop into colon cancer, and will not increase your risk of getting colon or any other type of bowel cancer. However, because some of the symptoms of IBS and colon cancer may be similar, your doctor may recommend screening tests for colon cancer in order to exclude it, if you have “red flag features” or are at increased risk of colon cancer. Myth 2: IBS Is Usually Caused By Food Allergies IBS is rarely linked to food allergies. Instead, it tends to be the result of food intolerance rather than food allergy. Myth 3: You Need To Move Your Bowels Daily Normal bowel movement is considered to be anything between 3 bowel movements a day to 3 bowel movements a week. Hence, not everyone needs to have daily bowel movements. Myth 4: IBS Only Affects Young Women Although IBS occurs more commonly in young women, it can also affect men and older individuals. Myth 5: IBS Means Forever Having To Eat Bland Food This is not necessarily so. What is important is to find out what foods trigger your IBS and avoid them. Keeping a food diary and discussing an elimination diet plan with your physician will help you identify foods you may be intolerant to. Myth 6: It's Just Stress Whilst stress will not cause a person to develop IBS, it can certainly trigger the symptoms of IBS. Effective stress reduction techniques are but one aspect in management of IBS. FOOD ALLERGY VS FOOD INTOLERANCE What is the difference? Food allergies are triggered by the body's immune system. If you consume a food to which you are allergic, an immune cascade reaction is triggered. This can result in rash, itching, swelling, breathing difficulties, collapse and even death. Foods that may cause allergic reactions include: shellfish (prawns, crabs, lobster, crayfish), peanuts, alcohol and eggs. Food intolerance, on the other hand, does not involve the immune system and is thus not an allergy. It occurs when something in a food irritates a person's digestive system or when a person is unable to properly break down the food. Food intolerance is much more common than food allergies and most food intolerances involve diary products, wheat, potatoes, corn and coffee. Symptoms tend to be more localized to the gastrointestinal tract, and they include abdominal pain, diarrhoea, vomiting, palpitations and occasionally rash and flushing. Skin prick tests used to diagnose food allergies cannot be used in the diagnosis of food intolerance. Unfortunately, there is no simple way for evaluating this condition. The only way is through systematic elimination of possible foods in the diet. This is, however, not as easy as it sounds, because few people are intolerant to just one food type. Types of food intolerances include: • lactose intolerance (inability to digest diary products) • gluten intolerance (inability to digest gluten, the protein found in wheat and certain grains) • intolerance to certain additives and preservatives in foods (eg. Monosodium glutamate, food colouring) If you suspect that you may be food intolerant, you should discuss with your doctor how to eliminate it from your diet to see if it makes any difference to your symptoms. Keeping a “Food Diary” in which you chart your diet and symptoms would be useful. The article above is meant to provide general information and does not replace a doctor's consultation. Please see your doctor for professional advice.

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The Psychological Structure of Fascism CHAPTER II: THE STATE In the contemporary period, social homogeneity is linked to the bourgeois class by essential ties: thus the Marxist conception is justified whenever the State is shown to be at the service of a threatened homogeneity. As a rule, social homogeneity is a precarious form, at the mercy of violence and even of internal dissent. It forms spontaneously in the play of productive organization, but must constantly be protected from the various unruly elements that do not benefit from production, or not enough to suit them, or simply, that cannot tolerate the checks that homogeneity imposes on unrest. In such conditions, the protection of homogeneity lies in its recourse to imperative elements that are capable of obliterating the various unruly forces or bringing them under the control of order. The State is not itself one of these imperative elements; it is distinct from kings, heads of the army, or of nations, but it is the results of the modifications undergone by a part of homogeneous society as it comes into contact with such elements. This part is an intermediary formation between the homogeneous classes and the sovereign agencies from which it must borrow its obligatory character, but whose exercise of sovereignty must rely upon it as an intermediary. It is only with reference to these sovereign agencies that it will be possible to envision the way in which this obligatory character is transferred to a formation that nevertheless does not constitute an existence valid in itself (heterogeneous), but simply an activity whose usefulness with regard to another part is manifest. In practical terms, the function of the State consists of an interplay of authority and adaption. The reduction of differences through compromise in parliamentary practice indicates all the possible complexity of the internal activity of adaption required by homogeneity. But against forces that cannot be assimilated, the State cuts matters short with strict authority. Depending on whether the State is democratic or despotic, the prevailing tendency will be either adaptation or authority. In a democracy, the State derives most of it strength from spontaneous homogeneity, which it fixes and constitutes as the rule. The principle of its sovereignty – the nation – providing both its end and its strength, is this diminished by the fact that isolated individuals increasingly consider themselves as ends with regard to the State, which would thus exist for them before existing for the nation. And, in this case, personal life distinguishes itself from homogeneous existence as a value that presents itself as incomparable.

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Lately, the temperature outside has increased dramatically, bringing along with it a number of heat-related risks when engaging in physical activity outdoors. Although the sun’s warm rays can do wonders for our bodies, hearts and minds, it’s important to be aware of the dangers it can also entail. First, it’s important to note that when exercising, nearly 75%-90% of the energy we use is converted into heat or is used to maintain the body’s physiological balance. In order to keep its internal temperature at around 37 C, the body dissipates its heat in four different ways: When the temperature outside is high, the body has a harder time evacuating its heat. In fact, sun rays and hot air prevent the body from efficiently dissipating heat. The body then redirects the blood to the skin and extremities in order to evacuate the heat through perspiration. It is important to note that perspiration does not evacuate heat. Rather, the evaporation of sweat is what helps lower body temperature. If you tend to wipe your perspiration regularly, you are preventing your body from adequately evacuating its excess heat. Moreover, high levels of humidity outdoors greatly affect the body’s ability to dissipate its heat through perspiration. Naturally, the hotter it gets, the more the heat is likely to hinder your athletic performance. Additionally, if your workout is not done properly, it can cause significant problems such as cramps, heat stroke, exhaustion and sunstroke, the latter which can cause coma, or in extreme cases, even death. If you must practise physical activities outdoors on a hot day, here are some tips to follow:

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Our food system is broken. Transformation of agriculture and the food system is urgently needed to address the multiple challenges of climate and ecological crisis, as well as livelihoods and food crisis. VSO community, national, and international volunteers are supporting marginalised groups, such as, young people, women smallholder farmers, school children and people with disabilities, to engage in community and national food dialogues. Our volunteers empower these groups to take action towards transforming our food system to promote social and environmental justice. 33% of food produced globally is either lost or wasted. 3 billion people were unable to have healthy diets in 2019, due to the high cost of eating healthy coupled with high levels of income inequality. 811 million people were going to bed hungry in 2020 – 118 million more than in 2019. 149 million children under the age of five were estimated to have stunted growth or considered too short for their age in 2020. To overcome the lack of employment opportunities and low wages in rural Bangladesh, 1,800 young people have been supported with training, microgrants and business advice to find environmentally friendly and equitable employment. During the pandemic, volunteers distributed food parcels to those in need. As well as food, the packages contained tools, seeds and equipment so families could grow their own vegetables. We’re working with over 3,000 farmers to improve agricultural practices, such as methods to reduce food waste and increase yields. These farmers are now harvesting 90% more crops than before. We’ve supported over 3,000 small-scale rice farmers to improve harvesting practices and the quality of their yields. This has led to less rice being wasted during the harvest. VSO has given over $20,000 worth of cash, vouchers and emergency supplies to over 4,000 people who were facing hunger during the pandemic, keeping families and their small businesses afloat.

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Table of Contents The Importance of Unstructured Play in Your Child’s Life You may have heard of unstructured play; it’s also commonly called free play, and it’s something that’s important for your child to experience in order to develop their cognitive and physical abilities. The rules for unstructured play are simple: there aren’t any. Instead of revolving around restrictive rules and goals, free-play depends on your child to take the reins to create their own guidelines, ask their own questions, and find their own solutions. Ultimately, it’s an exercise in freedom, leadership, and creativity for your developing child. Here’s a more in-depth look at free play, along with reasons for why it’s so critical for your child. Do as the Swedes Do. To gain a broader understanding of unstructured play, it may be helpful to look at the Swedish concept of friluftsliv (pronounce FREE-looft-sleeve). In our podcast with Linda McGurk we explore this concept, which translates literally to, “free air life.” In Sweden, and some other Scandinavian countries, friluftsliv refers to a lifestyle centered on a non-competitive, non-goal-oriented relationship with nature. Children are taught from an early age to go outside and play by exploring the outside world. Even in the coldest weather, they are told, “There is no bad weather, only bad clothes.” This relationship with nature ties in well with an overall understanding of unstructured play. Running a race, surfing, outdoor obstacle courses, and fishing are all fun ways to play outdoors, but none of them fall under the umbrella of friluftsliv, or unstructured play. They all contain rules and goals that restrict your children in terms of their possible abilities. Taking a walk, camping, hiking, kayaking, and playing in the water are all examples of free play that are in line with the concept of friluftsliv. Playing make believe is also another common example of free play. All these activities involve physical exercise—just like any organized sport—but take away the competitive spirit, along with the rules that may restrict your child’s creativity and problem-solving capabilities. Engaging in these type of outdoor activities positively impact your child by teaching them to be curious and respectful of the world around them. They will ask their own questions, and learn the answers from their own experience. Unstructured Play Enhances Cognitive Development. In addition to the physical benefits of free play, playing without rules will help your child develop your child’s creativity, their problem-solving abilities, and their critical thinking skills. Your child’s mind is just like any other muscle, it needs exercise! Keeping your child constantly engaged in games and sports that tell them exactly how to think, along with what they are and aren’t allowed to do, does nothing to work some of the most important parts of their brain. When your child creates their own rules, it’s a complete exercise in improvisational problem-solving. And, on top of developing the essential skills mentioned earlier, free play will help your child develop a flexible mind. This is crucial, as it will prepare them for moments later in their life when they have to face unexpected challenges. This is especially important in their teenage years. Improve Social Skills First, free play encourages teamwork. Interacting with Lego(TM), building a fort, or playing make-believe, don’t separate winners from losers as there are no strict rules. In this way, everyone who plays together, works together. Let’s say there are simple rules, goals, or guidelines, such as “Let’s see who can build the highest!” Even with a defined goal, teamwork can blossom in competition without the risk of failure. Overall, the child can study their methods and compare them against a playmate to learn more about themselves and others. Free play facilitates the sharing of knowledge, which is a lot like playing on the same team. Sharing is another great skill learned through unstructured play. For example, if there are a limited number of toys and everyone wants to play with the coveted monster truck or Barbie doll, conflict can arise. Dealing with conflict is an invaluable skill that many adults still to hone in their social lives. Fighting over resources can help children understand how to manage situations where their partner doesn’t want to share, perhaps encouraging them to learn how to effectively trade, compromise, or otherwise work together. Whether the outcome of unstructured disagreements results in a friendly solution or not, the experience of conflict management is a critical social skill that your child can carry far into their adult lives. Additionally, interacting with other playmates who refuse to play by the imaginary rules, argue with a made-up scenario, or generally disagree, can benefit the child. It’s challenging when your friends don’t want to play along, which can influence a child to seek help, experiment with cooperation, or learn to better regulate their emotions. They might also learn to be more sympathetic to their friends when they notice that another child feels left out in the same way they’ve experienced in past unstructured free time. Foster a Sense of Independence. Another huge benefit of free play is that your child gets to flex their leadership muscles. Without a parent, mentor, teacher, or coach instruct them, your child gains a sense of responsibility for their play. This will help your child find the passions and activities they are naturally drawn to, along with pinpointing their strengths. They’ll learn more about their own sense of personality when they are free to make their own choices, too. This is an important aspect in your developing child’s brain, as feeling too controlled and restricted can lead to mental health issues like depression and anxiety later on. In closing, we highly encourage you to allow your child to engage in unstructured play. It’s a concept that many cultures openly embrace as a factual way to improve your child’s way of life, and for good reason. It exercises many of the most important physical and cognitive muscles your child possesses. Unstructured play is the best way for you and your child to understand their greatest strengths, passions, and personality traits, and, to top it all off, it’s fun!

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Beavers come from the rodent family. These are some of the largest semi-aquatic animals found on the earth. Mainly these animals are in Asia, North America, and the Europe region. We know Beavers possess numerous interesting facts. And these animals surely play an essential role in the environment. But in this article our main subject is the question, are Beavers dangerous? It is a true fact that Beavers are big helpers to the ecosystem and they have very significant qualities to maintain it very properly. People assume that Beavers are dangerous animals and they are a threat to humans or other animals. However, there is no assurance to this statement. Up next we will discuss the nature of these animals and how they react when they encounter humans or other animals. Are Beavers Dangerous? Beavers possess a very shy and nocturnal nature. They usually do not like to face humans or other animals. In this regard, they keep themselves underwater or stay in their lodges for a pretty good time. In comparison to the reports of animal attacks on humans, the attacks of Beavers are very rare in all the regions where they are found. But still, there are some cases reported, in which it has been shown that Beavers attack humans. On these reports should we assume that Can Beavers kill you? Definitely, it is not right, to actually analyse are Beavers dangerous there should be a thorough analysis of the overall nature of these animals. And how they react in particular circumstances. Defensive nature of animals It is a matter of fact that every animal is defensive when they feel any kind of fear or threat. This threat could be from any animal or also humans. Not even animals it is the nature of every living organism that they will respond to their best in order to protect themselves. Hence the same is with the Beavers. They are highly responsive to any event of danger. This stranger might be a human, dog, duck, or other animals. So if you say that they attack a particular animal then it is not valid at all. Usually, Beavers tend to escape from the place where they feel danger. We are all familiar with the fact that Beavers have remarkable swimming abilities. If they feel danger in water they will suddenly swim to a safer place. And if you say are Beavers fast? Yes, they are very fast and they can swim very rapidly. For Extra Reading: Can Beaver Build Dam Beavers deadly meeting Though we are not denying that beavers are not dangerous. But the cases are very few. According to one case in Eastern Europe, a young fisherman was killed in an attack by a Beaver. In 2013, a fisherman tried to take a picture with the Beaver. Beaver assumed that the fisherman was a danger to him. As a result, he bit him twice. In this case, the artery was cut, due to the very strong bite of Beaver. The bleeding was highly intense and he could not stop it anyway. This incident took the life of the person and gave Beaver a very negative impression as an aggressive animal. Hence it is very clear that never give a Beaver an impression of danger. Ultimately it will not take a second to attack you in its defence. Key signals of danger by Beavers For their communities, Beavers are very protective and they can smell danger at a very long distance. They have very strong organs to protect themselves from other big animals or even humans. What do Beavers do when they sense danger? · Suppose beavers are in water and they want to alert other Beavers of their community. Beavers will splash on the water with their large flat tail. The sound produced as a result of splashing will alert others very well. · Beavers show snarling behaviour when they think someone is harmful to them. This snarling behaviour is usually seen in male Beavers. This will automatically tell us that Beaver is feeling unsafe and can attack. · Beavers have very strong incisors that helped them to card and chew tree barks. These long and very sharp incisors also protect themselves from other animals and predators. On seeing the danger they will bite you. · What happens if a Beaver bites you? The scenarios are very delicate and it might take the life of the victim in no time. We hope that you are now getting the answer to your question: are Beavers dangerous? We cannot deny the fact that Beavers are only aggressive when they fear anything. But if they think that anything is going to harm them then they will surely take a second to attack. And sometimes the cases get worse because their bites are very harmful. For Extra Reading: What Do They Like To Eat Beaver’s territorial nature Beavers love their place and they do not like others to enter in it. Even if they are humans or other animals. Consequently, we can say that Beavers are territorial with animals. Generally, they do not like interactions with strange human beings. They are quite concerned about their turf so they restrict their entry into their safe zone. This behaviour of Beavers is not for other animals but they also expel their community individuals if they get into their grounds. For the protection of their home, they might get into a physical fight. Although these fights are not very common among the Beavers. But if they happen the results are very deadly. Are Beavers dangerous to dogs? Many cases have also been reported in the European as well as North American regions. That Beavers have attacked dogs. Frequently Asked Questions 1. Are Beavers harmful to the environment? Beavers are not harmful to the environment in any way. However, they are beneficial to the ecosystem. They build dams in different water bodies and provide great habitat to the biodiversity. In addition to it they also trap sediments, pollutants and regulate the water channels. Preventing the chances of erosion, floods or drought. 2. Do Beavers attack ducks? Beavers might attack ducks and other animals from the Kingdom Animalia. Cases have been reported that Beavers have attacked ducks, dogs and some other animals. 3. How many Beavers attack per year? Generally, Beavers are not very aggressive. And the reports about the attacks of Beavers are not very significant. However, beavers can attack humans when they are infected by rabies. Or they feel danger from human beings. As Beavers are very territorial, the cases have also been seen when Beavers have attacked other animals. 4. Are Beavers territorial? Yes, Beavers are considered very territorial animals. And they vigorously respond as a result of the entry of any other animal in their home grounds. Are Beavers dangerous? At the end of this discussion, we can say that Beavers are not very dangerous animals. Although their aggressive nature is only because of the danger in the surroundings. Self-defence is the nature and right of every living organism. And Beavers only switch to their aggressive modes and attack other animals and humans when they feel any kind of danger. Otherwise, these animals are very shy and they keep doing good work for the ecosystem very quietly and efficiently.

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North Korea conducted yet another nuclear test on Sept. 8, and it was seemingly the country's most powerful yet. Registering some 10 kilotons, according to reports from South Korea, the blast was apparently twice as powerful as the last test in January. Both are significant increases in explosive power from the first North Korean test in October 2006, which U.S. intelligence officials estimated to be around 1 kiloton. The numbers are hard to verify, but the test -- which registered as a 5.3 magnitude earthquake in the northeast of the country - angered the international community, particularly South Korea, Japan and the U.S., which view the North as a significant threat. When it comes to finding out exactly what happened, and how far North Korea has progressed in pursuing its unpopular goal, the U.S. has an invaluable asset: the WC-135 aircraft. Tweet may have been deleted The WC-135 "Constant Phoenix," is a special "sniffer plane" that can detect radiation after a nuclear event. Its use in North Korea was confirmed earlier this year by an anonymous Pentagon official and its deployment following the recent blast was confirmed to Mashable over email on Friday. "Following the seismic activity and announcement by North Korea of a fifth nuclear test on 9 September local, a WC-135 Constant Phoenix atmospheric collection aircraft is being deployed to the region," said Lori R. Hodge, deputy director of public affairs for the U.S. Pacific Air Forces. "This aircraft is designed to collect accurate information on levels of radiation in the atmosphere." The WC-135 -- which the U.S. Air Force describes as an "atmospheric collection aircraft" -- collects particulate and gaseous effluents and debris from accessible regions of the atmosphere. In other words, it has flown near North Korea, not over it, in order to collect evidence related to the test. A specially adapted plane based originally on the Boeing 707 commercial jetliner, which has lived on through military aircraft like the EC-135C, it's been modified to allow its crew to detect radioactive clouds in real time. "This aircraft is designed to collect accurate information on levels of radiation in the atmosphere in order to monitor compliance with international treaties governing nuclear testing, and to provide better understanding of the after-effects of a nuclear incident," Hodge added. "The aircraft gathers scientific data in international airspace over international waters. For operational security reasons, we do not discuss the specific employment of this aircraft." The aircraft was deployed in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011, which occurred as a result of a deadly earthquake and tsunami in Japan. According to Offutt Air Force Base spokesperson Susan Romano earlier this year, the plane has protection from radioactivity built into it, so that the crew members don't need to wear hazardous material suits. The plane is operated by crews from the 45th Reconnaissance Squadron at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska. The Constant Phoenix monitoring program dates back to 1947, when General Dwight D. Eisenhower called on the Army Air Force to detect atomic explosions worldwide. A WB-29 flying between Alaska and Japan detected nuclear debris from Russia's first atomic test, the Air Force says. The WC-135s replaced the WB-29a in the mid-1960s, and the planes have since sampled air over several seas and oceans from pole to pole. Despite dating back to the Cold War-era, in an uncertain 2016, they continue to be as vital as ever.

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In 1998, Douglas Granger founded Salimetrics in a “dark, underequipped basement lab” at Penn State. While studying salivary cortisol, he found that while the research findings were high-impact, assay methods weren’t standardized and comparing data between studies was a challenge. Granger’s team recognized the need for better assays for this emerging field, so they maxed out their own credit cards and charged ahead. In the years that followed, Salimetrics became a world leader in salivary bioscience research. Their advancements include salivary measures for disease, inflammation, and even biological changes like the synchronized hormones of newlyweds in love. According to Granger, Happy Valley—in particular, the environment in the company’s home at Penn State’s Innovation Park— played a major role in its success. If Salimetrics had started up somewhere like California, Granger says it may have never gotten up and running. “The employees would have been much more expensive, and it would have taken a much larger investment to get it off the ground. Plus, there weren’t resources like Ben Franklin to help us in California. There is startup help, but most [Silicon Valley] investors are looking for the next big thing – the next million-dollar idea – not the next little thing that could grow.” Salimetrics’ discoveries join a long list of game-changing discoveries that make Happy Valley stand out. Here are ten more. In 1902, pioneer animal nutritionist Henry Armsby, the first Dean of Penn State’s School of Ag, invented the calorimeter to monitor animals’ metabolism, a major breakthrough that determined the energy value of food for livestock and helped determine how much feed farm animals required to produce meat or milk. In 1923, Paul Schweitzer and K. J. Dejuhasz began one of the first systematic research programs in diesel engineering. Over the next 30 years, their discoveries in fields such as supercharging and scavenging pioneered the way for today’s more efficient and powerful engines. When Penn State Chemistry Professor Russell Marker synthesized the hormone progesterone in the 1937, his research laid the foundation for such important medical applications as the birth control pill, cortisones, and hormone and steroid therapies. Penn State’s Applied Research Laboratory was formed in 1945 at the behest of the U.S. Navy. Originally focused on the development of undersea weapons technology, ARL now includes a broad research portfolio that serves America’s national security, economic competitiveness, and quality of life. In 1946, three Penn State staff members working on an Air Force contract formed Haller Raymond & Brown. By the mid-1960s HRB-Singer grew to more than 1,000 scientists, mathematicians, engineers, consultants and support personnel at its offices in State College’s Science Park. In the 1950s, three HRB-Singer employees founded Community Energy Corp., bringing cable TV to the area. Community Energy Corp. evolved into C-COR Electronics Inc. In 1965, C-COR introduced the use of integrated circuits in amplifiers used on utility poles and in 1969 was the first to use heat fins on amplifiers. In 1991, C-COR was the first to introduce a 1 GHz amplifier. From the 1990s until its sale in 2007, C-COR's business focus moved from hardware amplifiers to communications service and software such as video on demand and cable television advertising insertion. In 1956, Professor of Physics Erwin Mueller developed the Field Ion Microscope. A magnification of 1,000,000 or more and a resolution of 0.25 nanometers made it possible for the first time to obtain clear images of individual atoms and their arrangement on the surface of a sample. Mueller became the first person ever to “see” an atom with his landmark advance in scientific instrumentation that magnified these building blocks of the universe more than 2 million times. In 1962, Penn State graduated Joel Myers founded Accuweather, now the leading commercial weather service in the world, reaching more than 1.5 billion people daily. Accuweather’s 350-person staff, including 100 meteorologists, provides forecasting and graphics to more than 235,000 print and broadcast media clients, more than 850 newspapers around the world 1,200+ websites. The company also pioneered graphical weather content for wireless devices. In 1974, a long-life rechargeable heart pacemaker was developed at The Milton S. Hershey Medical Center with assistance of College of Engineering personnel. The Heart Assist Pump, developed by faculty in the colleges of medicine and engineering in 1976 to prolong the lives of cardiovascular patients, pioneered applications of fluid mechanics and was the first surgically implantable, seam-free, pulsatile blood pump to receive widespread clinical use. It led to the Penn State Heart, first successfully implanted in 1985. Additionally, a surgeon and two engineers at Penn State perfected the world’s first long-life, rechargeable heart pacemaker. Chromatography company Restek Corporation opened in 1985. In 1987, the company invented the original Silcosteel coating, “as a way to make metal as inert as deactivated glass in analytical instruments.” The coating team evolved into its own company, now SilcoTek, while Restek became a leading developer and manufacturer of chromatography columns and accessories In 1997, coworkers in the middle of a difficult corporate restructuring started their own company – Videon – and jumped right into the middle of the digital revolution. They made history with their optical disc technology, developing DVD and Blu-ray Disc navigators. They quickly moved from DVDs to BluRay for LG, to enabling Sony’s GoogleTV product, to the #1 video app in Google store to 4k HEVC video encoding appliances in 2017. Learn about Happy Valley Industry 4.0 change-makers, when you sign up for our weekly e-letter, where we talk about optimizing business, increasing throughput, improving safety and beating back global competition, among other timely tech topics. Join our community of Industry 4.0 leaders and sign up today!

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Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBOOST) in Excel This tutorial will show you how to set up and train an XGBOOST classifier in Excel using the statistical software XLSTAT. Dataset for setting up a Gradient Boosting model (XGBOOST) The dataset used in this tutorial is extracted from the data science platform, Kaggle and might be accessed at this address. The “Banknotes” dataset comprises a list of 200 banknotes with some information: This dataset contains 6 variables; One is qualitative and concerns the banknotes' authenticity and the others are quantitative and related to banknotes' shapes. Counterfeit: in case the banknote is genuine we put “0”, in the contrary case the banknote is counterfeit we put “1”. 100 banknotes are counterfeits when the 100 others are genuine in this dataset. Length, Left, Right, Bottom, Top are quantitative variables. Setting up an XGBOOST model with XLSTAT Select the XLSTAT/ Machine learning / Extreme Gradient Boosting. The dialog box pops up. In the Response variable field, select the "Counterfeit" variable. Set the Response type to binary because the response variable has only two distinct values. In the quantitative explanatory variables select all the remaining variables in the dataset. In the Options tab, many parameters are available to set up the model. Here we let the default parameters. In the Validation tab, choose to keep 30 observations at random to be able to test the model performance on new data. Go to the Outputs tab and activate the confusion matrix, Variable importance with importance type set to Gain and Results by objects to display the corresponding results. Click on OK to perform the calculations and display the results. Interpret results from XGBOOST The misclassification rates give an indication of how well the model performs both on the training and validation set. Here, the misclassification rate is 2,4% for the training and 6,7% for the validation set. The confusion matrix for the training sample is then displayed in the report. This table shows the percentage of observations that were well classified for each modality (true positives and true negatives). For example, we can see that the observations of modality 0 (genuine) were well classified at 96.34% while the observations of modality 1 (counterfeit ) were well classified at 98.86%. The confusion plot allows visualizing this table in a synthetic way. The gray squares on the diagonal represent the observed numbers for each modality. The orange squares represent the predicted numbers for each modality. Thus, we can see that the surfaces of the squares completely overlap for the two modalities (79 well-predicted observations out of 82 observed observations for modality 0 and 87 well-predicted observations out of 88 observed observations for modality 1). The Results by object table contains for each observation, the real class, the predicted class, and the probability to belong to the different categories of the response variable. Next, we can look at the Variable importance table chart to see which variables are most important in predicting banknote authenticity. The Gain metric corresponds to the relative contribution of a feature to the model. A higher value of this metric when compared to another feature implies it is more important for generating a prediction. For example, we can see that the most important feature in predicting authenticity here is the feature BOTTOM. Therefore, we may suggest that there is a link between the banknote authenticity and the Bottom margin width. Conclusion of this XGBOOST classification with XLSTAT In this example, we obtain a rate of well-classified observations of 97.65% and identify that the most essential characteristic which verifies the authenticity is the lower margin of the banknote. Also, the validation phase with a rate of well-classified observations of 93.3% allows us to verify that the model generalizes to new data. Was this article useful?

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Don't forget to try to save seeds from the plants you grow. Send saved seeds back to the library or give them to a friend so someone else can give it a try. Or keep them and sustainably grow your own plants! Below is some info about how to save seeds. Most of this information can be found in "The Complete Guide to Saving Seeds" Saving seed from fruit can be easy and straight forward. Beans: Leave uneaten bean pods to dry and cure, then shell by hand. Store seeds in a cool environment. Pepper fruit is a podlike berry. Leave pepper on plant until wrinkly, scrape out seeds and let them dry in a worm spot out of direct sunlight. Tomatoes: You can allow the fruit to sit after harvest until it softens and becomes very mushy, or even begins to rot, then squeeze the seeds out of the fruit. Or immediately after harvest, squeeze the pulp and seeds from the fruit into a container, add a small amount of water, and let ferment several days at or below 70 degrees Fahrenheit, stirring several times a day to speed fermentation, The fermentation process, which takes about 4 days, protects against seedborne bacterial canker. Nonviable seeds will float, while seeds having the best chance of being viable will sink. Pour off the water and the floating seeds. Milkweed seeds can be found in a pod-like structure that appears on the plant in the fall. Allow pod to dry on or off plant until they begin to ripen and split. Dry the fruits further on a screen, then open by hand and remove the seeds. Each seed will have attached a long tuft of "silk." Swiss Chard is a biennial, meaning that it will not set seed until the second year of growth. At seed maturity, plants of this species take up a fair amount of garden real estate. A benefit to growing Swiss chard for seed is that you can lightly harvest the plants in their first season for food, and then let them overwinter and harvest the seeds the next year. Once seeds start ripening, there will almost always be a mixture of mature and immature seeds on plants. Harvesting when approximately two-thirds of the seeds are brown is recommended. Depending on the scale of seed collection, individual seedstalks can be cut or entire plants can be pulled from the garden and moved to a place where they can continue drying. Depending on the percentage of ripe seeds at harvest, 7 to 14 days should be a sufficient drying period. Carrots are biennial which means they have a two year life cycle and require a cold period, usually over winter, to induce flowering. In northern areas, plant carrots in May and June. Carefully dig the stecklings (first year roots) in mid-October and remove the tops, leaving 1-2 inches above the roots/soil line. Store in a cool, dark humid location, such as in damp sawdust or sand or in barrels with layers of straw between the roots. In areas with mild winters, you can plant the carrot seeds in midsummer and overwinter in place, covered with mulch. If stecklings have been stored, replant sound ones in early to mid-spring slightly deeper than they were growing previously, about 2 feel apart in a row. If roots overwintered in the garden, be sure to thin them to this spacing. The plants will resume growth and send up stalks using the sugars stored in their roots. It may also be possible to grow carrot flowers from carrot tops. Place a one inch carrot top piece in water. Once it develops roots it can be planted in soil. Carrots will cross pollinate with other varieties from the Apiaceae (parsley family), so if you'd like to avoid creating hybrid varieties, isolate flowering carrots of the same species or subspecies. Harvest carrot flowers (umbel type) when most umbellets are brown. Bag the flower stock to catch the seeds as they dry and drop. Cure seed for 4 to 5 days in hot, dry environments, or for at least 2 weeks in more humid places. Radishes produce seed pods about 1-3 inches long. Collect pods individually when brown and allow them to dry. Once dry, separate seeds from any extra plant material. The seed saving process is pretty similar for the following flowering herbs. With Basil, Cilantro, Dill, Parsley, and Thyme, collect flowers as they dry or tie a paper bag over the flowers and wait for them to dry in the bag, as many dried seed pods left on plant will shatter. You can use a screen to dry the flowers further and rub out the seeds, making sure all plant material has been removed. Arugula plant will send up stalks when ready to seed. After the plant flowers, it will produce elongated seed pods. When the pods began to dry and brown, remove them from the plant. Allow them to dry until the pods become very brittle. Remove the seeds, discard or compost the pods. Store the seeds in a cool environment. Harvest sunflower heads when the seeds are dark colored and begin to rub off easily. Hang the sunflower heads upside down and dry for 2 or 3 weeks. Dry the seeds on a screen, then store dried in sealed containers. After the flowers fade, pointed seed pods will develop that mature from green to brown. When ripe, they will split open at the top to reveal the tiny brown seeds. Shake the open pods over a container to remove the seed. Store the cleaned seed in a cool, dry place. The New Jersey Tea plant spreads its seeds by exploding them our of their pods, making harvesting a challenge. Keep a close watch on the heads, since they explode soon after they turn a dark color. When the seed head turns nearly black, remove them and spread them out to dry. A light cover of some kind may be necessary, since the seed heads may explode and release their seeds as they dry. Separate the seeds from their pods and store the cleaned seed in a cool, dry place. Purslane produces yellow flowers that bloom for a short time. Then they form a small green fruit in the center of the leaves, open the fruit to find purslane's seeds. More information can be found in the link below. To save poppy flower seeds: wait for flower to bloom, then fall away. After a week or so a pod will start to form where the flower had been. Wait longer for the pod to dry and turn light brown. Collect pods before the burst open (they will do this after a while and the seeds will spread themselves which is not a bad thing if you want to keep growing poppies in the same area). Below is a California seed pod and seeds from the library's outdoor raised bed garden in Summer 2022

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