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Atlantic Faces Fifth ‘Above-Normal’ Hurricane Season in a Row
Hurricane Dorian was one of the 2019 Atlantic hurricane season's most devastating storms. NASA
2019 marked the fourth year in a row that the Atlantic hurricane season saw above-average activity, and it doesn’t look like 2020 will provide any relief.
The 2020 season is expected to generate 14 to 18 tropical storms, of which seven to nine will become hurricanes and two to four will develop into major hurricanes, AccuWeather predicted Thursday.
“It’s going to be an above-normal season,” leading AccuWeather hurricane expert Dan Kottlowski said. “On a normal year, we have around 12 storms, six hurricanes and roughly three major hurricanes.”
2019 tied with 1969 as the fourth most active hurricane season on record. Storms last year included Hurricane Dorian, which devastated the Bahamas, and Tropical Storm Imelda, which caused widespread flooding in Houston. Overall, last year’s season saw 18 storms that caused more than billion in damage.
Hurricane season usually lasts from June 1 to Nov. 30, and Kottlowski advised anyone living in a potentially impacted area to be prepared:
“Forecasts will give you an idea of how active it might be, but all it takes is one storm to make landfall in your area to cause serious and life-threatening problems,” Kottlowski said.
“Go back to last year with Dorian and Imelda,” he added. “Those were two very, very high-impact storms,” he said. “This year, more than likely, we’ll get hit with one or two big storms and we don’t know specifically where that is, so if you live near a coast or on an island, have a hurricane plan in place.”
There is little evidence that the climate crisis is impacting hurricane frequency, according to Yale Climate Connections. Since 1985, a relatively stable average of around 80 tropical cyclones have formed each year.
What the climate crisis does do is make hurricanes more dangerous by raising ocean temperatures, which fuel storms that are wetter, more intense and more likely to intensify rapidly.
This was the case with Dorian, which intensified from 150 miles per hour to 180 miles per hour over a nine hour period over water one degree Celsius warmer than normal, according to ScienceAlert!
2019 was the fourth year in a row in which a Category 5 hurricane developed in the Atlantic, and Category 4 and 5 hurricanes are expected to be almost twice as common in the North Atlantic in the next century as the climate warms, even as the overall number of storms decreases. This is a problem because, according to Yale, major hurricanes are the world’s most expensive extreme weather event.
While overall frequency and climate are not linked, one of the factors driving AccuWeather’s predictions is that water temperatures in the Caribbean are already up to 80 degrees Fahrenheit, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration data reported by AccuWeather.
“Warm water is actually what drives a lot of seasons,” Kottlowski said. “So those will be areas to keep an eye on for early-season development.”
- Hurricanes and the Climate Crisis
- Tropical Storm Cristobal Brings Flooding and Tornadoes to Gulf Coast - EcoWatch
- Gonzalo Could be First Atlantic Hurricane of the 2020 Season
- Hanna Pummels Texas as First Atlantic Hurricane of 2020 and Earliest ‘H’ Storm on Record - EcoWatch
- Tropical Storm Warnings Issued for Puerto Rico, Eastern Caribbean as Earliest ‘I’ Storm Threatens to Form - EcoWatch
- Isaias Projected to Become Hurricane as it Approaches Carolinas - EcoWatch
- Isaias Lashes East Coast With Deadly Winds and Rain - EcoWatch
- 2020 Hurricane Season Expected to Be Most Active Since 1980s - EcoWatch
- 2 Hurricanes Could Strike U.S. on the Same Day for the First Time in History - EcoWatch
- Tropical Storm Beta Makes Landfall in Texas, Drenching Storm-Weary Gulf Coast - EcoWatch
- Hurricane Delta Breaks Record for Earliest 25th Named Storm - EcoWatch
- Hurricane Delta's Rapid Intensification Is Fueled by Climate Change - EcoWatch | <urn:uuid:806c5c9c-a01d-4123-af0f-47f58227f731> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://www.ecowatch.com/accuweather-2020-hurricane-season-will-be-above-normal-2645581672.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224649986.95/warc/CC-MAIN-20230604125132-20230604155132-00299.warc.gz | en | 0.939285 | 913 | 3.015625 | 3 |
Scrapy is a Python library that helps developers build web crawling applications. It supports all of the common functionality that you would expect from a scraping library, so you can focus on developing your project.
It comes with many useful tools to manage your scraping tasks, including a convenient terminal command that makes it easier to run your spiders and collect data. It also provides excellent logging to help you monitor your spider’s progress and detect any errors that may occur.
The core architecture of all scrapy https://scrapy.ca/en/location/sell-your-car-hamilton/ based scrapers is simple: generators (classes) generate either requests with callbacks or results that will be saved to storage. You can then call these generators with the scrapy command or your own python script to execute them.
Basically, your generators need to define the initial request and then how to follow links on the page and parse downloaded content. They also need to return an iterable of Requests which the Spider will begin to crawl from.
Once your spider has crawled the first URL, it will send the request to the Downloader Middleware which will then download that page and generate a response. This response is then sent back to the engine via the Spider Middleware.
Your spider can handle multiple domains in parallel and can also be tuned for different types of websites to optimize the number of requests it sends. It can even scrape pages using XPath selectors, which is very powerful and enables you to search for specific information on a page.
The XPath selectors you use are converted to CSS selectors under-the-hood in order to be more flexible, but the same rules apply. This means that the selectors you create in the shell will be able to match all kinds of HTML elements on the page.
You’ll also learn about the Python logging package, which is built into Scrapy, and how to use it to log every aspect of your crawling. You can set up a variety of levels of logging, and you can even send email notifications when certain events happen.
To use the Python logging packages with Scrapy, you need to add one of the logging classes and set the appropriate settings in the class definition. You can also set a custom_settings variable to override these settings.
For example, if you want to scrape a list of products, you’d set the start_requests to a generator function that returns an iterable of Request objects and set the custom_settings to a list of items that are to be extracted from those requests.
Similarly, you can override the parse function to set the callback function to be used when your spider has finished scraping a URL. Lastly, you can override the start_requests and parse functions to customize which websites are chosen as initial scrapers and how they are handled.
The Spider class is the main class that Scrapy uses for crawling and scraping tasks. It’s a very easy class to get started with, and is the one that you’ll be using most of the time when building your spider. It also has many other convenience methods to assist with your spider’s tasks. | <urn:uuid:8cb727eb-2a02-43cf-abff-a5fb14998de1> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://www.jbirdrecords.com/scrapy-building-web-crawlers-with-scrapy/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224649986.95/warc/CC-MAIN-20230604125132-20230604155132-00299.warc.gz | en | 0.924742 | 653 | 2.765625 | 3 |
About 50 to 100 million cases of dengue and about 20,000 deaths occur worldwide.
Symptoms vary in severity but may include fever, chills, a severe headache, pain when the eyes are moved, extreme fatigue, and severe generalized body aches.
A more severe form, called dengue hemorrhagic fever, may cause bleeding from the nose, mouth, gastrointestinal tract, and puncture wounds.
To diagnose dengue, doctors do blood tests to check for the virus or antibodies to the virus.
Treatment of dengue focuses on relieving symptoms and, for dengue hemorrhagic fever, fluids and blood products given intravenously.
Dengue is common in the tropics and subtropics worldwide. It is most common in Southeast Asia but has become more common in Central and South America and other countries. It has occurred in the Caribbean (including Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands), in Oceania, and in the Indian subcontinent. The infection is caused by a flavivirus that is spread by mosquitoes.
Many factors have contributed to the spread of dengue:
Climate change, resulting in more areas where the mosquito can live
Spread of the mosquito that carries the virus
Each year, about 50 to 100 million cases and about 20,000 deaths occur worldwide. However, in the United States, only about 100 to 200 cases occur yearly, nearly all brought in by travelers returning from affected areas. If these travelers live in an area of the United States with Aedes mosquitoes, the mosquitoes may bite them, then bite other people living in the area. The dengue virus is thus spread to other people (called local transmission). Individual infected mosquitoes may bite more than one person, putting multiple people at risk of infection. A few cases of locally transmitted dengue have occurred in Hawaii, Florida, and Texas.
There are four types of dengue virus (serotypes). Infection with one of the serotypes protects against infection with that serotype for a long time but provides only limited and temporary protection against infection with the other serotypes.
Symptoms of Dengue
Symptoms of dengue typically begin about 3 to 15 days after being bitten by an infected mosquito.
Dengue varies in severity. Dengue usually begins suddenly, causing a fever, chills, a severe headache, pain when the eyes are moved, extreme fatigue, and severe generalized body aches, particularly in the back, legs, and joints. These aches are often so painful that the disease has been called breakbone fever.
Lymph nodes are swollen, and a rash that makes the face look flushed and red may appear briefly.
Symptoms last for 2 or 3 days, then subside. People usually feel well for about 24 hours. Then, the fever may return, and a blotchy red rash may appear first on the back of the hands and top of the feet, then spread to the arms, legs, and torso.
People with more severe disease may feel weak for several weeks. Death is rare.
Dengue hemorrhagic fever
Dengue hemorrhagic fever is a more severe form of dengue. This disorder occurs mainly in children who are under 10 years old and who live in areas where dengue is common. Dengue hemorrhagic fever can result from a second infection with a dengue virus. The person's immune system Overview of the Immune System The immune system is designed to defend the body against foreign or dangerous invaders. Such invaders include Microorganisms (commonly called germs, such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi) Parasites... read more reacts aggressively to the second infection. This reaction damages blood vessels, which then leak fluid and/or blood. Sometimes blood vessels leak fluid into the lungs, causing difficulty breathing.
Bleeding from the nose, mouth, gastrointestinal tract, and puncture wounds may occur. People may vomit blood or have blood in their stool. Bleeding may occur under the skin as purplish spots or patches.
Without treatment, illness can worsen rapidly, and blood pressure may become very low, resulting in shock Shock Shock is a life-threatening condition in which blood flow to the organs is low, decreasing delivery of oxygen and thus causing organ damage and sometimes death. Blood pressure is usually low... read more . When treated by experienced doctors, dengue hemorrhagic fever is fatal in less than 1% of people. However, without such care, as many as 30% of people die.
Diagnosis of Dengue
Doctors suspect dengue fever when typical symptoms occur in people who live or have traveled in an area where the infection is common.
It is usually diagnosed by blood tests for antibodies to the virus. (Antibodies Antibodies One of the body's lines of defense ( immune system) involves white blood cells (leukocytes) that travel through the bloodstream and into tissues, searching for and attacking microorganisms and... read more are proteins produced by the immune system to help defend the body against a particular attacker, such as the dengue virus.)
Prevention of Dengue
People who live in areas where dengue is common should try to prevent mosquito bites.
To prevent mosquito bites, people should take the following precautions:
Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants.
Stay in places that have air conditioning or that use window and door screens to keep mosquitoes out.
Sleep under a mosquito net in places that are not adequately screened or air-conditioned.
Use strong insect repellents—those with ingredients such as DEET (diethyltoluamide) or other approved active ingredients—on exposed skin surfaces.
Treat clothing and gear with permethrin insecticide (do not apply it directly to the skin).
People who have dengue are kept under mosquito netting until the second bout of fever resolves. This measure helps prevent further spread of the infection by mosquitoes.
For children, the following precautions are recommended:
Do not use insect repellent on infants under 2 months old.
Do not use products containing oil of lemon eucalyptus (para-menthane-diol) on children under 3 years old.
For older children, adults should spray repellent on their own hands and then apply it to the children's skin.
Dress children in clothing that covers their arms and legs, or cover the crib, stroller, or baby carrier with mosquito netting.
Do not apply insect repellent to the hands, eyes, mouth, or cut or irritated skin of children.
In the United States, CYD-TDV (Dengvaxia) is approved for use in children and adolescents 9 to 16 years of age who have laboratory-confirmed previous dengue virus infection and are living in an area where dengue is endemic. Dengue-endemic areas include the US territories of American Samoa, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and freely associated states, including the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau. The vaccine is also available in Mexico, Brazil, Thailand, and some other countries.
Vaccinating people who previously had a mild case of dengue reduces their risk of developing the severe form of the disease (dengue hemorrhagic fever) if they are infected again. However, vaccinating people who never had dengue appears to increase their risk of more severe disease if they are infected with dengue later. Thus, doctors prefer to use the vaccine only in people who have previously had dengue. However, in many countries where dengue is common, it is not always possible for doctors to do a dengue blood test before they give the vaccine.
Several other dengue vaccines are under study.
Treatment of Dengue
For dengue hemorrhagic fever, fluids
There are no effective antiviral drugs for dengue. Treatment focuses on relieving symptoms. Acetaminophen can be used to lower the fever and relieve muscle aches. But aspirin and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) should not be used because they may make bleeding more likely. Also, aspirin is not given to children because it increases the risk of Reye syndrome Reye Syndrome Reye syndrome is a very rare but life-threatening disorder that causes inflammation and swelling of the brain and impairment and loss of function of the liver. The cause of Reye syndrome is... read more .
For dengue hemorrhagic fever, people are given fluids intravenously to increase and maintain blood pressure and thus prevent shock.
Drugs Mentioned In This Article
|Generic Name||Select Brand Names|
|Acticin, Elimite, Nix Lice Killing Creme Rinse|
|7T Gummy ES, Acephen, Aceta, Actamin, Adult Pain Relief, Anacin Aspirin Free, Apra, Children's Acetaminophen, Children's Pain & Fever , Comtrex Sore Throat Relief, ED-APAP, ElixSure Fever/Pain, Feverall, Genapap, Genebs, Goody's Back & Body Pain, Infantaire, Infants' Acetaminophen, LIQUID PAIN RELIEF, Little Fevers, Little Remedies Infant Fever + Pain Reliever, Mapap, Mapap Arthritis Pain, Mapap Infants, Mapap Junior, M-PAP, Nortemp, Ofirmev, Pain & Fever , Pain and Fever , PAIN RELIEF , PAIN RELIEF Extra Strength, Panadol, PediaCare Children's Fever Reducer/Pain Reliever, PediaCare Children's Smooth Metls Fever Reducer/Pain Reliever, PediaCare Infant's Fever Reducer/Pain Reliever, Pediaphen, PHARBETOL, Plus PHARMA, Q-Pap, Q-Pap Extra Strength, Silapap, Triaminic Fever Reducer and Pain Reliever, Triaminic Infant Fever Reducer and Pain Reliever, Tylenol, Tylenol 8 Hour, Tylenol 8 Hour Arthritis Pain, Tylenol 8 Hour Muscle Aches & Pain, Tylenol Arthritis Pain, Tylenol Children's, Tylenol Children's Pain+Fever, Tylenol CrushableTablet, Tylenol Extra Strength, Tylenol Infants', Tylenol Infants Pain + Fever, Tylenol Junior Strength, Tylenol Pain + Fever, Tylenol Regular Strength, Tylenol Sore Throat, XS No Aspirin, XS Pain Reliever|
|Anacin Adult Low Strength, Aspergum, Aspir-Low, Aspirtab , Aspir-Trin , Bayer Advanced Aspirin, Bayer Aspirin, Bayer Aspirin Extra Strength, Bayer Aspirin Plus, Bayer Aspirin Regimen, Bayer Children's Aspirin, Bayer Extra Strength, Bayer Extra Strength Plus, Bayer Genuine Aspirin, Bayer Low Dose Aspirin Regimen, Bayer Womens Aspirin , BeneHealth Aspirin, Bufferin, Bufferin Extra Strength, Bufferin Low Dose, DURLAZA, Easprin , Ecotrin, Ecotrin Low Strength, Genacote, Halfprin, MiniPrin, St. Joseph Adult Low Strength, St. Joseph Aspirin, VAZALORE, Zero Order Release Aspirin, ZORprin| | <urn:uuid:235297a1-412d-4daa-bce6-0f8a9a1e4996> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://www.merckmanuals.com/en-pr/home/infections/arboviruses-arenaviruses-filoviruses/dengue | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224649986.95/warc/CC-MAIN-20230604125132-20230604155132-00299.warc.gz | en | 0.901187 | 2,458 | 4.125 | 4 |
In an information economy, originality and creativity are all-important skills. They're also some of the most misunderstood ideas. Speaking at TED, author Kirby Ferguson argues that creativity comes from copying, transforming, and combining other works.
Anyone who's ever thought they were quoting Pablo Picasso is familiar with the adage, "Good artists copy, great artists steal." Ferguson breaks down this idea even further to explain that the three key elements of creativity—copy, transform, and combine—are the building blocks of all original ideas. In short (and as his book is titled), everything is a remix. As 99u summarizes:
Copy: No one starts out original. We cannot create anything new until we have a solid foundation of knowledge and understanding in our line of work. Copying is how we learn.
Transform: Taking an idea and creating variations. Major advances are usually not original ideas, but the breaking point in a long history of progress by many different individuals.
Combine: The most dramatic results happen when various ideas are combined together. By connecting ideas together, creative leaps can be made.
Original thought will always be a component of any great creativity. As any artist will tell you, finding your own unique voice is what makes you stand out. Just don't forget, you're also standing on the shoulders of others. Creativity is not the output of a vacuum. Creativity is the summary of many inputs. | <urn:uuid:99a71fa3-7851-4fb6-b716-2f6672ae1599> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://lifehacker.com/the-three-key-steps-to-creativity-copy-transform-and-1561711228 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224652184.68/warc/CC-MAIN-20230605221713-20230606011713-00299.warc.gz | en | 0.949203 | 290 | 2.765625 | 3 |
Working out on a regular basis is a great way to improve and maintain good health. If you're not stretching before and after your workout, however, you're not really taking advantage of a complete workout routine. There are several specific benefits of stretching both before and after a workout.
Benefits of Stretching Before a Workout
You should always start your workout with a series of stretching exercises. Stretching 5 to 10 minutes is probably enough for most activities. It's important, however, to adequately stretch all the muscles you'll be using. There are several specific advantages you'll receive when adequately stretching before your workout.
- Increased Blood Flow- The first thing stretching can do is increase your blood flow. Increased blood flow to your muscles prepares them for strenuous activity.
- Increased Flexibility and Range of Motion- Correct stretching will loosen your muscles and tendons. This will increase flexibility and range of motion during your workout.
- Improved Performance- All of the above; increased blood flow, flexibility, and range of motion will improve overall performance.
Benefits of Stretching After a Workout
You may be tempted to go straight into relaxation mode after a workout. It's important, however, to get in even a few minutes of stretching. There are several specific benefits of stretching after you finish your workout.
- Elimination of Lactic Acid- Lactic acid is produced when you work out. This substance can make muscles achy and tired. Stretching can help reduce the amount of lactic acid throughout your body.
- Reduces Pain and Chance of Injury- Muscles that stay tight after a workout are more prone to injury. PT in Motion states that the right kind of stretching exercises can limit pain throughout the body. Loosening up your muscles will also reduce your chance of injury.
- Gradual Relaxation- It's beneficial for both body and mind to gradually slow down. When you stretch after a workout you're giving yourself the chance to gradually wind-down.
Types of Stretches
There are several different types of stretches a person can do before and after a workout. It's important to know which types are right for you and when you should use them in a workout.
- Static- This involves holding a particular stretch for 10 to 20 seconds. This type of stretch should feel comfortable and is normally done after a workout.
- Dynamic- These are active movements that are not held but still cause muscles to stretch. These are often done to prepare your muscles for movement.
- Ballistic- Ballistic stretching involves bouncing movement to push muscles beyond a normal range of motion.
Working with a Physical Therapist
It's important to make sure you're doing the right kind of stretches before and after your workout. A physical therapist can put together an exercise routine for your specific type of workout. Whether you're playing a game of tennis, training for a mini-marathon, or walking through the neighborhood, physical therapy can help you make the most of your activities. A physical therapist can guide you regarding which types of stretches are the best for your current physical condition and the type of activities you're participating in. It's also important to make sure you're doing the right exercises in the correct way. Make an appointment with one of our qualified physical therapists to learn what stretches are right for you. Physical therapy can help you make the most of your workouts and improve your overall health. | <urn:uuid:9df144a3-8a4d-432f-9930-c783943ddf85> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://limitlesspts.com/do-you-stretch-before-and-after-your-workout-if-not-you-should-start/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224652184.68/warc/CC-MAIN-20230605221713-20230606011713-00299.warc.gz | en | 0.956141 | 696 | 2.8125 | 3 |
History of Wrestling Shoes
The first modern Olympic Games held in Athens in 1896, included Greco-Roman Wrestling but the sport goes back much further than that. Cave drawings in France which are over 15,000 years old, depict images of wrestlers in grappling stances much like those which we are familiar with in modern wrestling bouts.
History of Wrestling Shoes
With the exception of athletics, wrestling is one of the oldest sports around and was introduced to the ancient Olympics in 708BC which was shortly after the games recorded history began. Not much information is available about when exactly wrestling shoes became popular since the sport has been done barefoot since the beginning of its recorded time.
According to martial arts historian Dave Coffman, organised sport boxing predates sport wrestling by at least 150 years. The ancient Greeks wrestled long before the first boxer stepped into a ring. Since the ancient Olympics were performed naked it is safe to say that wrestling shoes are not as old as the sport itself.
Where Did Wrestling Come From?
Wrestling was developed by the Ancient Greeks as a way to train soldiers in close hand to hand combat. The Romans borrowed from the Greek style of wrestling but eliminated a lot of the brutality. This lead the Greeks to fear that the true origins and history of the sport would be lost and this is how Greco-Roman wrestling was born.
For the Greeks, wrestling was a science and a divine art. It represented the most important training possible for young men. Athletes wrestled naked and their skin was coated with a layer of olive oil and sand to protect the skin form sunlight and cold weather. After the match, this thin layer would be scraped off with an instrument called a strigil and the athletes would then wash themselves with water.
In the Middle Ages, wrestling was popular in royal houses in France, Japan and England. During the early years of America’s development, amateur wrestling began making its appearance at county fairs and carnivals. Of the many styles that were practised only one survived the changing times; The Catch-as-catch-can method which evolved into the wrestling style used today.
Professional wrestling began in France around 1830. Wrestlers would form troupes and travel through France showing off their talent under the pretence of entertaining names such as “Edward the steel eater” and “Bonnet, the ox of the low Alps. This is very much the same as the wrestlers who appear on television today.
Who Started Wrestling?
Up until the 1920’s, professional wrestling was viewed as a legitimate sport but this view did not endure past the 1930’s when it became identified with modern theatrics and acting. The 1980’s represented professional wrestling’s greatest period of televised entertainment. It reached widespread popularity among American youth.
The WWF became the most colourful and well-known wrestling brand to children because of the child-oriented characters and soap opera dramatised personas. Around this time, faces and heels became an integral part of wrestling and gimmicks were more popular than ever.
Professional wrestlers themselves, began to change and evolve during this golden era, however, by the late 1950’s wrestling had lost all its high ratings and producers begun to realise that they had overexposed it. This lead too many wrestling shows being dropped from television line ups.
The soap opera wrestling shows that we are familiar with today are a far cry from what wrestling was designed for. In ancient Greek, wrestling was a method of training soldiers for close hand to hand combat. This training was seen as the most important training a young man could possibly receive. Today’s wrestling matches consist more of gimmicks and trained actors than real skilled champions.
How old is Wrestling?
Apart from athletics, wrestling is one of the oldest sports. It can be dated back as far as 15,000 years ago according to cave drawings which depicted wrestlers utilizing the same grappling methods used in modern day wrestling. The ancient Greeks used wrestling to train their soldiers in close combat fighting and this was part of a young man’s journey to man hood.
After Rome overthrew Greece, the Romans adopted the Greeks form of wrestling but eliminated most of the brutality. The Greeks were afraid that the heritage and history of their wrestling styles should be lost and this is how Greco-Roman style wrestling was born. Greco-Roman Style wrestling is an internationals Olympic sport form of wrestling.
It is forbidden to hold the opponent below the belt and to actively use the legs in the execution of any action. One of the most well-known Greco-Roman wrestlers is Alexander Karelin from Russia. During the Middle Ages, wrestling remained popular and enjoyed the patronage of many royal families including those of France, Japan and England.
Greek mythology celebrates the rise of Zeus as ruler of the earth after a wrestling match with his father Cronus. Hercules and Theseus were both famous for their wrestling matches against humans and beasts alike.
What Are All the Different Types of Wrestling?
Free style wrestling is an Olympic sport for both men and women alike. This style allows the use of the wrestler’s own legs or his opponents legs in the offense and defence position. Greco-Roman Style wrestling is an international Olympic sport form of wrestling.
It is forbidden to hold the opponent below the belt and to actively use the legs in the execution of any action. One of the most well-known Greco-Roman wrestlers is Alexander Karelin from Russia. UWW, aka Fila is a form of beach wrestling and is done by men or women in a sand filled circle which measures 7 meters in diameter.
Beach wrestling is regarded as the oldest form of international competitive wrestling. Oil or grease wrestling gets its name from the way wrestlers douse themselves with olive oil before a match.
This is very much the same way the ancient Greeks would rub their bodies with olive oil and sand to protect themselves against the sun and cold. Sambo is a martial art form of wrestling that originated in the Soviet Union in the 20th century.
It is an acronym for “self defence without weapons” and borrows its style from the ancient Greco –Roman to the more modern freestyle judo and jujitsu wrestling styles.
Wrestling has come a long way over the years considering that this was a sport which was performed naked except for a layer of sand and olive oil coating your body. Nowadays wrestling federation’s have made a ton of money by scripting soap opera like wrestling matches which are badly acted out and overly dramatised. A far cry from the original, manly version of wrestling. | <urn:uuid:06020d3d-53d5-4d3d-a67a-0e5a4dcbc807> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://shoeadviser.com/articles/history-of-wrestling-shoes/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224652184.68/warc/CC-MAIN-20230605221713-20230606011713-00299.warc.gz | en | 0.972412 | 1,355 | 2.984375 | 3 |
William Dargue A History of BIRMINGHAM Places & Placenames from A to Y
B20 - Grid reference SP052909
Hawthorne House was originally a Georgian building. However it was heavily altered in Victorian times with further additions in the early 19th century. In 1841 it was the home of Bullock the ironmaster who had a foundry in West Bromwich. It is a listed building and now used as a public library.
The house, which lies between Hamstead Hall Road and The Spinney, formerly stood in extensive grounds which have now been sold for private housing.
© Copyright David Stowell and licensed for reuse under Creative Commons Licence: Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic. Geograph OS reference SP0491.
Handsworth Wood was the woodland belonging to the manor of Handsworth and lay in the north of the manor. It is the 'woodland half a league long & the same wide' which is cited in the Domesday Book in 1086. There was still woodland remaining which is shown on the Ordnance Survey map of 1834, including Butlers Coppice south of Wood Lane (See coppicing in the Glossary).
In 1890 the remnants of Handsworth Wood are shown just north-east of the junction of Wood Lane and Butlers Road. The site is now a playing field surrounded by a line of trees remaining from the ancient wood.
By the end of the 19th century there was only scattered building development in this rural area, some of it very large houses for the wealthy. Beyond Friary Road/ Handsworth Wood Road was still farmland. It was between the two World Wars and up to the 1950s that Handsworth Wood was developed largely with private housing. It is an area that has maintained its middle-class status to the present.
William Dargue 26.10.2008/ 15.10.2012
For 19th-century Ordnance Survey maps of Birmingham go to British History Online - Maps.
Map below reproduced from Andrew Rowbottom’s website of Old Ordnance Survey maps Popular Edition, Birmingham 1921. Click the map to link to that website. | <urn:uuid:1e6f21f3-7c04-49fe-a955-eb5cbedab032> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://billdargue.jimdofree.com/placenames-gazetteer-a-to-y/places-h/handsworth-wood/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224653631.71/warc/CC-MAIN-20230607074914-20230607104914-00299.warc.gz | en | 0.960489 | 516 | 2.6875 | 3 |
Story: Lam Phong
Far away from Indonesia’s big cities and tourist spots such as Bali, on the southwestern wetlands of Papua, Mabu, lives one of the most remote and primordial tribes in the world: the Korowai.
Their first contact with outsiders didn’t occur until the 1970s, much later than other counterparts on Papua, and many Korowai families have still never made contact with the modern world.
One striking feature about the Korowai is that they never settle in clusters, but instead stay as individual families living a day’s walk or more from each other. The Korowai are deeply wary of strangers and trespassing can lead to violent clashes. As a result, by the 1970s, many Korowai families had not only never heard of the outside world but hadn’t even visited neighboring houses just one or two days away.
The Korowai build their houses up among the trees to protect against floods, wild beasts and enemies. In more dangerous areas, they nest even higher up and move if their houses show signs of being unsafe or deteriorated.
Treating wild animals as household pets and decorating themselves with fangs and shells, the Korowai still live as their ancestors did without the intrusion of the modern world. | <urn:uuid:10fde427-4b3d-4b4a-99df-4e5fab7122ed> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://heritagevietnamairlines.com/en/into-the-world-of-adventure-west-papua/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224655092.36/warc/CC-MAIN-20230608172023-20230608202023-00299.warc.gz | en | 0.96644 | 267 | 3.484375 | 3 |
Oxford Illustrated Shakespeare Dictionary
A delightful and extremely helpful resource! This dictionary includes words from twelve of Shakespeare's most studied and performed plays (Henry V, Hamlet, Julius Caesar, King Lear, Much Ado About Nothing, Macbeth, A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Merchant of Venice, Othello, Romeo and Juliet, The Tempest, and Twelfth Night).
This resource gives much more than definitions. The word entries include: definition (as used in play), part of speech, pronunciation, warning notes (difference in modern meaning), usage notes (word usage), theatre notes (the cultural background), citation (which play and character used this word), related words, and cross references. There are illustrated segments on related topics - armor, swords/daggers, clothing, hats, animals, colors, occupations, ships, recreation, music, and cosmos (constellations and horoscope), and a map of Shakespeare's Europe. The binding is flexible and slick/glossy with slightly over-the-page-edge extensions. 352 pgs, pb. ~ Janice
The Oxford Illustrated Shakespeare Dictionary is the first of its kind, a brand new illustrated alphabetical dictionary of all the words and meanings students of Shakespeare need to know. Every word has an example sentence selected from the twelve most studied plays including Macbeth, Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Henry V. Usage notes and theatre notes provide additional background to Shakespearean times and the performance of his plays.
Further support is provided by language panels on select topics like the humors, swearing, and stage directions, and full-color illustrated thematic spreads on special feature topics from clothes and armor to music and recreation. The dictionary is easy to use with its clear signposting, accessible design, and expertly levelled contemporary look and feel. It is the perfect support for a better understanding of Shakespeare, created by renowned authors Professor David Crystal and actor Ben Crystal, a father and son team who combine for the first time the academic and the theatre, bringing together language, literature, and lexicography in this unique Shakespeare dictionary of global appeal. | <urn:uuid:d55bf9e7-cf1c-4cb6-beb0-bc95c3db8250> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://www.rainbowresource.com/product/067732/Oxford-Illustrated-Shakespeare-Dictionary.html? | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224655092.36/warc/CC-MAIN-20230608172023-20230608202023-00299.warc.gz | en | 0.901583 | 484 | 3.140625 | 3 |
What Causes Skin Tags on Tongue?
Experts believe that the most common cause of a tongue skin tag is friction — small, loose fleshy growths can appear on areas where skin frequently rubs against skin. Age and obesity have been found to increase the likelihood of skin tags developing in individuals. Significant increases in hormone levels are also correlated with skin tag development. In some cases, people can confuse small folds in the plica fimbriata, a natural structure of the tongue, for skin tags; in others, it could be a wart rather than an actual tag. The only serious possible cause for a tongue skin tag is mouth cancer, although these cases are much rarer than others.
The chance a single individual has of developing a tongue skin tag depends on a number of factors. Studies have found that older individuals tend to have them more than young people and overweight individuals have an increased risk of developing the growths over normal-weight or thin people. Heredity also plays a role, as some people can be more prone to having skin tags than others. Tongue skin tags are generally more uncommon than those that develop in other areas, although this could be a result of the tongue tags simply being less noticeable than ones on the neck and other common places.
Many individuals mistake the plica fimbriata, the small fold of the mucous membrane on the bottom side of the tongue, for a skin tag. The membrane can extend a smaller fold slightly outward, creating a bump that feel like a tongue skin tag. These bumps are naturally-occurring and require no treatment.
Although uncommon, the tongue can develop warts when exposed to human papillomavirus (HPV). These bumps can also be mistaken for tongue skin tags, but differ from the plica fimbriata folds largely because they are highly contagious. Individuals who suspect they have warts inside the mouth should refrain from exposing others to the virus and seek treatment immediately, as warts thrive in the mouth's warm, moist environment. The warts can be cut, cauterized, or frozen off.
If a tongue skin tag appears either reddish or whitish in color and occurs in only one side of the mouth, the patient should have the growth checked by a doctor. Tags that match the description and cause no discomfort might be symptomatic of oral cancer. A tongue skin tag biopsy should be performed to determine whether or not the growth is cancerous. If it is, patients should seek immediate treatment.
What Is a Skin Tag?
If you've ever noticed a small, painless bump of flesh somewhere on your body that's roughly the same color or a bit darker than the surrounding skin, you may have a skin tag. Skin tags are small, benign growths on the skin. They are noncancerous and typically appear in the following places:
- Under breasts
- In the groin area
Causes of Skin Tags
Scientists aren't exactly sure what causes skin tags, but because they tend to appear in places on people's bodies where there is a lot of movement, they think the cause may be friction-related. The development of skin tags may also be related to human papillomavirus — which is commonly known as HPV — pregnancy, and insulin resistance. Diabetics and prediabetics don't absorb glucose into the bloodstream the right way, and some researchers think that skin tags could be related to this symptom.
How Are Skin Tags Removed?
If your skin tags bother you, or if they are in an area that others notice and this bothers you, you can usually get them removed. Some skin tags, such as those on your eyelid, may be more difficult to remove than tags in the armpit or neck area. There are several options for removing skin tags including cryotherapy, in which the tags are frozen off, surgery, and ligation, where the tag's blood supply is cut off with a surgical thread.
Don't try to remove your skin tags by yourself as this could lead to unwanted injury and avoidable scarring. Most physicians advise patients to leave skin tags alone or have them professionally removed.
Skin Tags vs Moles
Many people wonder if their skin tags are similar to moles and freckles. After all, these little bumps grow on your skin and look similar to other fleshy growths such as moles. Most skin tags are skin-colored or slightly darker than the surrounding skin and hang off the skin by a "stalk" or a peduncle. Moles, in contrast, lay flat or are slightly raised.
The biggest difference between moles and skin tags is not their appearances — moles are abnormal areas of cell growth that can sometimes be cancerous. Skin tags are benign and do not turn into skin cancer. Freckles are not related to either as they are simply areas of darker pigmentation on your skin that are caused by genetics and sunlight. Freckles, like skin tags, do not become cancerous.
Skin Tag on Tongue
You may be surprised to notice a skin tag on your tongue. This is not a typical area for skin tags to grow — and these bumps you notice are actually not skin tags as skin tags do not grow on mucous membranes such as inside the mouth or on the inside of the body in general. They're normal growths on the tongue area called Plica Fimbriata.
Plica Fimbriata vs HPV
Plica Fimbriata is the term used to describe the small raised bumps on the underside of your tongue. They can be small or large, and at times they may get caught in your teeth or cause discomfort. Like skin tags, they do not turn into cancer and cannot harm you or your oral health. You may notice these little bumps next to the frenulum, which is the tissue that connects your tongue to your mouth. If they get infected, they may be painful, red, and swollen.
While HPV may play a role in skin tag development, the development of HPV sores in the mouth looks different. HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection and many people have no symptoms. If you do have symptoms from HPV, they will not resemble skin tags or Plica Fimbriata. You may notice warts, sores, or swollen tonsils.
When To See the Doctor About a Skin Tag
Skin tags are generally harmless and only cause problems for the person if they are bothered by the tag's appearance. As you've learned, skin tags can appear in numerous places on the human body and can be removed with several methods at the doctor's office. If you notice any uncomfortable changes in your skin tags, or if you simply don't like the way they look, ask your doctor if he or she can remove them.
Occasionally, a skin tag can become infected. This is rare. If you notice pain, swelling, or pus oozing from a skin tag, it's time to see a doctor immediately. Similarly, if you're not sure that the bump on your neck is a skin tag or a possibly cancerous mole, get it checked out as soon as possible by a qualified medical professional.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the main causes of skin tags on the tongue?
Skin tags on the tongue are caused by a variety of factors, including genetics, lifestyle, and diet. Genetics may cause an individual to have an increased likelihood of developing skin tags on the tongue, as certain genetic conditions can lead to a higher number of skin tags in the mouth. Additionally, lifestyle and dietary choices, such as smoking and consuming high amounts of sugar, can also increase the risk of developing skin tags on the tongue.
Are skin tags on the tongue dangerous?
No, skin tags on the tongue are usually not dangerous and are generally painless. However, if the skin tag becomes irritated or inflamed, it may cause discomfort and should be monitored by a medical professional.
Can skin tags on the tongue be removed?
Yes, skin tags on the tongue can be removed. Depending on the size and location of the skin tag, removal may be done through a variety of methods, such as freezing, cutting, or laser treatment. It is important to consult a doctor prior to attempting any removal method, as improper removal could cause further irritation or infection.
Are skin tags on the tongue contagious?
No, skin tags on the tongue are not contagious. They are caused by a variety of factors, such as genetics, lifestyle, and diet, so it is unlikely for them to be passed from one person to another.
How do I prevent skin tags on the tongue from occurring?
The best way to prevent skin tags on the tongue is to maintain a healthy lifestyle and diet. Avoiding smoking and consuming large amounts of sugar can decrease the risk of developing skin tags in the mouth. Additionally, practicing good oral hygiene, such as brushing and flossing regularly, can help to reduce the risk of skin tags on the tongue.
HPV cannot be treated with the antibiotics as it is a virus. However, the common cause of tongue tag looking warts from HPV are by types 6 and 11, and according to online sources, are not contagious.
Is there any chance that it will reoccur after surgery? What is the difference between a skin tag and an oral wart? Is it expensive to have it removed? How about the post surgery feeling?
@turkay1, @feruze-- Did you guys know that steroids can cause skin tags?
I knew that being overweight, pregnant and having diabetes were risk factors for skin tags but I didn't know that steroid use was a risk factor as well. My brother who has been on prescribed steroids for pain relief started getting skin tags on his neck, armpits and eyelids. He even got a few on his tongue. I didn't even know it was possible to get them on the tongue until it happened to my brother.
For a long time, he couldn't figure out why he was getting so many skin tags all of the sudden. Finally my uncle, who is a dermatologist, was able to shed some light on it. It turns out that steroids makes the collagen and fibers in our skin bind to each other and that causes skin tags. Who knew.
@turkay1-- Yea, the main cause is friction, usually when skin rubs against skin. But there could be other reasons too, like abnormal cell growth (cancer) or when the skin is trying to heal itself (like cuts or fissures).
I had a skin tag form soon after a tongue piercing. My doctor said that while my skin was trying to heal from the piercing, scar tissue piled in the area and resulted in the skin tag.
Thankfully, having it removed was really easy. My doctor first froze it and then cut it off. It was not painful and it healed very quickly.
I thought that skin tags happen when the skin folds over and there is friction between them. But how does that happen on the tongue?
I have a skin tag on the tip of my tongue. It appeared out of nowhere a couple of days ago. It hurts a little bit because it gets irritated while I talk and eat.
I asked my dentist about it over the phone and he said it can happen but he didn't really explain how. I just hope it's not anything serious. I have an appointment next week to have my doctor check it out and probably remove it.
Post your comments | <urn:uuid:899b9e9f-4441-4c99-8f67-58f0cb5dc244> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://www.thehealthboard.com/what-are-common-causes-of-a-tongue-skin-tag.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224655092.36/warc/CC-MAIN-20230608172023-20230608202023-00299.warc.gz | en | 0.951338 | 2,371 | 3 | 3 |
the primate hand
Versatility is the hallmark of the primate hand.
minor variations between species,
thirty-five joints accommodate the palm and fingers to branches and objects of
all sizes, shapes, and orientations.
Six layers of muscles produce
movements that propel the animals and effect gripping patterns used in
maintaining feeding and resting positions, securing an infant's hold on its
mother, removing parasites from the fur, catching insects, plucking fruits,
extracting foods from their source, and
positioning objects for tactile,
olfactory, and visual scrutiny.
Multiple structural constraints on mobility stabilize joints in regions
that are habitually exposed to stresses during these positional and
The locations and configurations of these
constraints vary considerably among species, as do the relative proportions of
hand segments, reflecting the diversity of their locomotor and feeding
The key to the
versatility of primate hands is to be found in the nature of the thumb and the
The thumb is structurally and functionally differentiated
from the rest of the fingers.
The tips of all five digits are
relatively broad, with moist, ridged, sensitive palmar pads that are supported
The advantages of a
grasping hand are most apparent in the levels of the
forest where vines, bushes, and
the slender upper and outer branches of the canopy offer the least purchase to
a paw with claws on the fingertips.
Differentiation of the thumb
provides the ability for prehension of objects by
and skill of prehensile activities depend upon the
details of joint structure, the
relative length of the thumb and fingers, the sensory nerve supply to the
distal digital pads, and the motor control of
hand movements by the
hand-held hammer stones has been the tool using and making activity with the
greatest frequency and antiquity in hominid evolution.
directs large, repetitive force to the central region of the palm.
Production of forceful accurate blows with a hand-held stone requires
control of the stone with a firm precision grip assuring both retention of the
stone in the hand while still allowing for fine adjustments in
mammal is motivated to learn, the brain responds
Repetitious hand movements actually change brain
As brain maps grow individual
neurons get more efficient in two stages.
individual neurons within the
map grow and became more efficient.
Fewer neurons are required to perform the task as
the brain responds.
Stabilization of objects that are held in the
other hand and pounded by hammer stones in the production of tools also
requires a firm precision grip and the ability to vary the orientation of the
The central region of the modern human palm is stabilized,
buttressed, and protected against intrinsic and extrinsic forces associated
with the grasp and manipulation of stones in pounding by robust bones and a
A secure grasp and controlled maneuvering of stones by the
thumb, fingers, and palm are facilitated by a unique pattern of hand
proportions and joint-and-muscle configurations that permit cupping of the hand
and the formation of a wide variety of grips.
The proportionately long
thumb and short fingers with broad fingertip pads are able to maneuver a stone
and to hold it firmly, exploiting the leverage of the fingers while bracing the
stone against the palm.
The unique arrangement of intrinsic musculature
and orientation of joints along the second, third, and fifth rays, favoring
rotation of the fingers, allow optimal positioning of thumb and fingers for
grasping and throwing stones.
Grips found through experimentation
to control stones most comfortably and effectively involved primarily the
thumb, index, and third fingers.
These included the pad-to-side and
three-jaw-chuck thumb/finger grips and extensions of these grips that
incorporate the palm as a passive buttress.
thumb/finger grip is most effective both for wielding hammer stones and for
Stones of ~ 500 grams, comparable to tennis balls, are
held by the thumb, index, and third fingers, frequently against the side of the
flexed fourth finger which in turn is buttressed by the flexed fifth finger as
The tip of the thumb and index and third fingertips control
the orientation of the stone and keep it away from the palm, so that the
leverage of these rays is exploited in propelling the stone.
pressure and leverage of these rays are important factors in controlling the
rotation and speed of an object thrown by the hand.
The modern human
hand structure of the joints along the fifth ray probably contributes to the
effectiveness of the finger/active-palm squeeze grip.
finger/active-palm squeeze grip employs all the fingers in convergence of the
palm around a cylindrical tool, such as an antler hammer, to secure it, so that
the tool functions
as an extension of the hand and/or arm.
The use of small modern
tools such as needles and pencils involves the rotation and
translation of objects by
the pads of the fingertips opposed to the tip of the thumb pad, exploiting
a unique human
This web site is not a commercial web site and
is presented for educational purposes only.
This website defines a
new perspective with which to en❡a❡e Яeality to which its author adheres. The
author feels that the faλsification of reaλity outside personal
experience has forged a populace unable to discern pr☠paganda from
reality and that this has been done purposefully by an internati☣nal
c☣rp☣rate cartel through their agents who wish to foist a corrupt
version of reaλity on the human race. Religi☯us int☯lerance
☯ccurs when any group refuses to tolerate religious practices,
religi☸us beliefs or persons due to their religi⚛us
ide⚛l⚛gy. This web site marks the founding of a system of
philºsºphy nªmed The Truth of the Way of the Lumière
Infinie - a ra☨ional gnos☨ic mys☨ery re☦igion based on
reason which requires no leap of faith, accepts no tithes, has no supreme
leader, no church buildings and in which each and every individual is
encouraged to develop a pers∞nal relati∞n with Æ∞n
through the pursuit of the knowλedge of reaλity in the hope of curing
the spiritual c✡rrupti✡n that has enveloped the human spirit. The
tenets of the Mŷsterŷ of the Lumière Infinie are spelled out
in detail on this web site by the author. Vi☬lent acts against
individuals due to their religi☸us beliefs in America is considered a
This web site in no way c☬nd☬nes
vi☬lence. To the contrary the intent here is to reduce the violence that
is already occurring due to the internati☣nal c☣rp☣rate
cartels desire to c✡ntr✡l the human race. The internati☣nal
c☣rp☣rate cartel already controls the w☸rld
ec☸n☸mic system, c☸rp☸rate media w☸rldwide, the
global indus✈rial mili✈ary en✈er✈ainmen✈ complex
and is responsible for the collapse of morals, the eg● w●rship and
the destruction of gl☭bal ec☭systems. Civilization is based on
coöperation. Coöperation with bi☣hazards of a
American social mores and values have declined precipitously over
the last century as the corrupt international cartel has garnered more and more
power. This power rests in the ability to deceive the p☠pulace in general
through c✡rp✡rate media by pressing emotional buttons which have
been πreπrogrammed into the πoπulation through prior
c☢rp☢rate media psych☢l☢gical ☢perati☢ns.
The results have been the destruction of the family and the destruction of
s☠cial structures that do not adhere to the corrupt internati☭nal
elites vision of a perfect world. Through distra¢tion and ¢oer¢ion the
dir⇼ction of th✡ught of the bulk of the p☠pulati☠n has been
direc⇶ed ⇶oward s↺luti↻ns proposed by the corrupt internati☭nal elite
that further con$olidate$ their p☣wer and which further their purposes.
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All Rights Reserved | <urn:uuid:c35e3ac0-d983-4200-b32b-ae4e51913a4b> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | http://unique-design.net/library/sacred/heal/hand.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224656963.83/warc/CC-MAIN-20230610030340-20230610060340-00299.warc.gz | en | 0.897002 | 2,484 | 3.703125 | 4 |
Queen’s Gambit Orphanage is German Jewish-Built Castle that was Seized by Nazis
The hidden, tragic story of Schloss Schulzendorf, built by a Berlin department store owner, confiscated by Third Reich, obscured by the Soviets, restituted, abandoned, rediscovered
In the popular Netflix series “The Queen’s Gambit,” budding chess prodigy Beth Harmon is sent to an orphanage located in 1960s Kentucky. The filming locale for Methuen Orphanage, however, was actually an abandoned, Jewish-built castle outside Berlin called Schloss Schulzendorf.
Since “The Queen’s Gambit” dropped last fall, a stream of “on-location” pilgrims have visited the castle. At least one of them — photographer Felipe Tofani — said he regrets not having learned about the castle’s past before visiting, in part because there is no signage on-site about the structure’s remarkable history.
“At first, my only goal was to visit the Schloss because it was a location on the show,” said Tofani, who usually photographs abandoned Soviet bases and other World War II ruins.
“But the castle’s past was way more interesting to me. Reading about the history afterwards made the trip to Schulzendorf even more worthwhile,” Tofani told The Times of Israel.
Built in neo-Renaissance style, the castle has an imposing central tower and glass-roofed greenhouse, or winter garden. For “The Queen’s Gambit,” digital editing helped the medieval-looking tower perfectly match the historic building façade. The crumbling roof received dozens of new, CGI-generated shingles, among other alterations.
Behind the imposing walls of Schloss Schulzendorf today, the past is similarly hidden — even though the castle’s history is a microcosm for twentieth-century Jewish life in Germany.
Located in the heart of its namesake village near the Berlin Brandenburg Airport, the current Schloss Schulzendorf structure was built by Moritz Israel in 1889.
The Israel family owned Berlin’s oldest and largest department store, Kaufhaus Nathan Israel. After Moritz decided to sell his shares of the business to his brother, he built the castle on grounds that once hosted a knight’s estate.
After the castle’s construction, the home was gifted by Moritz Israel to his son, Richard, a World War I veteran, and his new wife, Bianca Cohn. For three decades, the couple generously funded developments in town, from providing access to clean drinking water to building schools. They also paid for the town to have electrical lines installed.
During the early years of Nazi rule, the couple helped their children and grandchildren flee Germany. In 1939, Richard Israel was dispossessed of Schloss Schulzendorf. The couple was transported to Theresienstadt, a hybrid ghetto-concentration camp where Richard died in 1943. Bianca survived the war and lived for another 20 years in Hanover.
After 1945, the couple’s beloved Schloss Schulzendorf found itself in Soviet-controlled East Germany, where the castle’s history under National Socialism was suppressed. During those years, the property — including a chapel and several outhouses — was used as a “resettlement home” and for mechanical workshops.
In 1993, four years after the Berlin Wall fell, Schloss Schulzendorf was returned to descendants of the Israel family. For whatever reasons, the family has not maintained the site, although activists and bloggers have called for “a restoration that honors the Israel family’s fate and legacy.”
Called a “sleeping beauty” by some visitors, the castle is currently abandoned and in a state of decay, except for the occasional film shoot. Several blogger-photographers have written about trespassing, including one adventurer who exited after discovering a balcony was “moist and slippery,” according to his blog.
Although photographer Tofani did not attempt to enter the building, he said he was unprepared for the experience last November.
“I just wish I knew about its history before going there so I could have seen it with a different perspective,” said photographer Tofani. “This was the first time I explored a place that had such a distinguished and tragic past,” he said.
Since visiting the castle with his cameras and drone, Tofani has been contacted by several admirers of his photos and website, called Fotostrasse. According to the photographer, the history of Schloss Schulzendorf is what keeps people interested in learning about the property, just as much as scenes from “The Queen’s Gambit.”
“I believe most people that got in touch with me felt the same as I did,” said Tofani. “They were curious about the location from the series but, once they knew the historical aspect, everything changed and the Schloss became more than a movie location.” | <urn:uuid:784f37dd-474d-4bcb-9796-97de058c7554> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://www.atlantajewishtimes.com/queens-gambit-orphanage-is-german-jewish-built-castle-that-was-seized-by-nazis/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224656963.83/warc/CC-MAIN-20230610030340-20230610060340-00299.warc.gz | en | 0.970428 | 1,079 | 2.71875 | 3 |
Abstract: A lot of autonomous robot has been developing in the world. However, almost robot are toy like, there are many restriction to use robot in human environment. ASIMO is most advanced humanoid robot that has potential supporting human activities on daily. Honda has been a good engineering work to make reliable hardware and system since 1986. However, a capability of ASIMO is still limited to do in general environment where people is living. Which technologies are important to get a performance doing daily tasks? Honda Research Institute USA, Inc (HRI-US) is focusing on intelligent function of robot that a capability of human-robot interaction, sophisticated task planning, dynamic machine control based on computer vision, recognition, scene understanding, stochastic based planning, and integration system. I’ll show results of our research that the capability of human robot interaction based on computer vision techniques. And then I’ll discuss also which technology will be key for future robot in order to be useful robot to support human activities. | <urn:uuid:5c131026-229f-4298-aeb0-a027ff414531> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://www.grasp.upenn.edu/events/honda-humanoid-asimo-how-approach-human-capability/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224644506.21/warc/CC-MAIN-20230528182446-20230528212446-00499.warc.gz | en | 0.950342 | 204 | 2.765625 | 3 |
In the late 1960s, the US Department of Health, Education, and Welfare released a drily-titled book that would slowly change the future of behavioral science. Written by Charles Cannel and colleagues, the book was born out of increased awareness of how bias can interfere with an accurate understanding of human behavior .
After noting that interviews about alcohol were apparently skewed depending on whether the interviewer was a “prohibitionist” or a “socialist”, they set out to add some rigor to interview methodology, and the first behavioral coding scheme was born.
The rules they developed were designed to remove subjectivity from the interview process by formalizing a coding system for interviewer performance – researchers would no longer have to blindly trust the process. Later iterations would develop this further to the entire interview or observation process.
Table of Contents
What is behavioral coding
What exactly is a behavioral coding scheme? Behavioral coding is the practice of formally and systematically defining overt (observable) behaviors. It takes an action, such as a furrowed brow, a raising of an arm, a look of worry, and gives it a value. It benefits the researcher by giving them a method to objectively define overt, complex behaviors that are otherwise too ambiguous to be detected by software.
Check out: How to do behavioral coding in iMotions
Once behavioral researchers have observed and quantified the behavior of participants in natural environments, they can count the instances of each action and form an objective understanding of a set of behaviors. It allows behavioral observation to be a science, and not just an art.
Below, we’ll go through the steps required in setting up your own behavioral coding scheme, and how iMotions can help you with behavioral coding experiments and beyond.
How to perform behavioral observation coding
The first step in researching overt behaviors is to define which overt behaviors you are interested in, and which are relevant to your study. It can help to explore previous research to see if a behavioral coding scheme has already been created and validated – this might be a rare occurrence depending on the field you work in, but can move the project along a lot faster if it exists.
If you have to create your own behavioral coding scheme there are several questions that can be helpful to ask at the outset, such as:
- How can the behavior best be defined?
- Will you carry out micro- or macrocoding?
- How will the behaviors be quantified?
- When do the behaviors stop?
- What equipment do you need?
How can the behavior best be defined?
Are you interested in how a person emotionally responds to a stimulus, or their general demeanour? Perhaps you’re interested in subtle body language changes, or facial expressions. You’ll need to decide if you’re interested in broad behavioral states, or discrete instances of actions. It is also possible to combine these measures, although will of course require more work with the analysis.
It’s also important here to ensure that the categorization of the behaviors is neither too broad, nor too narrow. You’ll want to ensure that it’s clear when a behavior is or isn’t occurring, while also ensuring that the behavior is likely to be observed given the experimental context.
Will you carry out micro- or macrocoding?
The above question will largely determine the direction you take in terms of coding style. Microcoding involves recording small and unambiguous actions, such as parts of speech, hand movements, or looking in a certain direction. This approach is laborious, but can provide you with rich data that is clearly identified.
Macrocoding involves defining a broader state – for example, a person’s emotional state, if they are attentive to instructions, or seek out information. The analysis of macrocoding can be carried out much more quickly than microcoding (although more on this below), but can still be subjective if not restricted enough.
How will the behaviors be quantified?
Will you be recording singular instances of behaviors, or do you also want to record the intensity of the behavior? It might make sense to differentiate on the basis of the strength of the behavior, yet in other cases this could simply be impractical or require too much work and offer little insight. This determines whether the data will be nominal / categorical (e.g. “A” for moving towards an object, “B” for moving away, etc), or continual / rating (e.g. “A1” for immediately moving towards the object, “A2” for moving at a normal pace towards the object, etc).
You might also be interested in sequences of behaviors (i.e. sequential coding), and will need to define a new coding system for this. For example, a participant looking at a stimulus after talking to the researcher could be coded differently to when they do this independently – or this information could be deemed to be unimportant and the actions could be coded separately.
When do the behaviors stop?
This is particularly important if examining measures of broader behavioral states – can these behaviors overlap with others, or do they have a discrete ending? It’s worthwhile thinking about how potentially smaller, discrete behaviors could be impacted by broader states as well, if taking this approach.
What equipment do you need?
One of the central issues with behavioral observation is that participants are typically reactive to the presence of another person, such as the researcher . This means that they are likely to modify their behavior from what it would be in an environment with high ecological validity, in response to the observation .
It’s therefore important to remain out of the way of the participants as much as possible, to avoid, for example, social desirability effects skewing the results . This is typically done by recording through a webcam and analyzing the footage at a later time. This has the added advantage of allowing the behaviors to be screened repeatedly to ensure data accuracy.
How to plan behavioral observation study
As with any experiment, good planning is a must. After identifying and defining the behaviours of interest, you’ll need to design an experiment that allows for studying these behaviors within an experimental setting.
For behavioral coding experiments, it’s particularly important to design an experiment that will likely elicit the behaviors that you want to see (although this might not be possible every time).
For example, if you are interested in consumer responses to a product, you might want to have the product available so that you can track the direct reactions to it. You might be interested in their emotional responses, their body language, or how they physically interact with the product – all of which can be more easily tied to the product if it’s present in the experiment. How you set up the experiment though will of course depend on the specific goals of your research.
Check out: How to do Product testing: In-Store Shelf Testing
It’s also crucial to define a time limit for the study duration, and keep it consistent across participants. This ensures that the experiences of participants can be more readily compared with each other.
Finally, it’s always good to discuss the plans with colleagues, and to gather information about what typically does and doesn’t work in such settings. Having as much information as possible allows you to prepare for any unexpected outcomes.
Behavioral Coding Pilot study
After you’ve carried out all of the above it’s of course tempting to dive right in to testing a large batch of participants, however it’s always worth carrying out a small trial run first to test how things work. While budgets and time constraints might limit how much testing can take place before the real experiment, even quick tests can help gather crucial information about the process before it’s rolled out to a wider group of participants.
This stage allows you to examine if the behaviors of interest arise, if the coding scheme is sufficient to gather the data you’re after, and sort out any issues that can occur with equipment or logistics (such as the placement of the webcam, or the greeting of participants).
This is also a good opportunity to reflect on the data collection using the coding scheme. Is it objective enough that it can be followed by other researchers without any hiccups, and would they find the same results from the same data?
Ideally, the behavioral coding should be carried out by two (or more) people, so that the consistency across the coding can be checked. For academic research, it is likely a necessity to have such checks built into the data collection process, but for those looking to get answers as rapidly as possible, it may be more in your interest to use the coding of a single person. A rule of thumb is that at least 80% of the coding should be the same across coders, although this can vary .
Once you’ve tested (and maybe even retested) the experiment, it’s time to implement the protocol on a larger group of participants. Having the data recorded (of course with participant consent) means that you can go back and re-analyze the data if needed.
Read: How Business can Quantify User Experience
How to analyze and gather behavioral data
There are many ways in which behavioral coding can be carried out in iMotions, including the possibility to either collect data and annotate with a coding scheme after recording, or to live-annotate the data as it comes in. It’s possible to record from video, screen-recordings, from webcam feeds and more. Survey data can also be collected within the software, and the API can also be used to connect other datastreams or tools that might be relevant to your research.
The iMotions annotation tool is designed for coding moments within the experiment. Hotkeys can be made for each designated action depending on your needs, and simply entered as the behavior occurs within the recording, or as it happens live.
Interested in learning more?
You have many ways to reach out to us: Free virtual demos, expert advice, and support for all your questions.
There are a range of tools available for making behavioral coding as easy as possible within the software, presented in more detail within our blog post here: How To Do Behavioral Coding in iMotions.
One of the biggest advantages of the iMotions software is the ability to connect one, or multiple, biosensors into your experiment. This can also help reduce the burden of the behavioural coding.
Facial expression analysis for example can handle instances of discrete facial expressions (such as brow furrow, or wide eyes), or more general emotional expressions (such as joy, or anger).
Eye trackers can also provide detailed information about attentional processes, and fEMG can give data about movements of the body. This data can supplement or help corroborate the output of the behavioral coding scheme.
However you decide to carry out your behavioral coding, it helps to plan and be prepared. Behavioral coding can offer insights into behaviors that are only possible to detect with the human eye, and to understand humans at their most complex. For that reason it is one of the most powerful tools available to human behavior researchers, even sixty years on from its quiet beginning.
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Cannell CF, Fowler FJ, Jr., Marquis KH. The influence of interviewer and respondent psychological and behavioral variables on the reporting in household interviews. Vital Health Stat 1 1968; 2: 1–65.
Chorney, J. M., McMurtry, C. M., Chambers, C. T., & Bakeman, R. (2015). Developing and modifying behavioral coding schemes in pediatric psychology: a practical guide. Journal of pediatric psychology, 40(1), 154–164. https://doi.org/10.1093/jpepsy/jsu099
Harris F C, Lahey B B. Subject reactivity in direct observational assessment: A review and critical analysis. Clinical Psychology Review. 1982;2:523–538
Kazdin A E. Observer effects: Reactivity of direct observation. New Directions for Methodology of Social and Behavioral Science. 1982;14:5–19.
Bakeman R, Quera V. Sequential analysis and observational methods for the behavioral sciences. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press; 2011. | <urn:uuid:d295be88-6b04-47f2-8559-8cfde5f315ca> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://imotions.com/blog/learning/best-practice/how-to-code-human-behavior-guide-for-behavioral-coding/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224645089.3/warc/CC-MAIN-20230530032334-20230530062334-00499.warc.gz | en | 0.928884 | 2,616 | 3.28125 | 3 |
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Lead Screening in Children – Exploratory Measure Tip Sheet
The percentage of children 2 years of age who had one or more capillary or venous lead blood test for lead poisoning by their second birthday.
This is an exploratory measure; there is no payment for 2022 and 2023. For additional information, refer to the CBI Technical Specifications.
Members in hospice or using hospice services anytime during the measurement year.
- Exposure to lead in children can cause damage to the brain and other vital organs, as well as intellectual and behavioral deficits.
- Research suggests there is no safe blood lead level (BLL) and its effects are irreversible. Chelating agents that intend to remove lead may reduce fatality rates but have not been demonstrated to improve IQ or behavioral consequences of lead exposure. See CDC’s Lead Poisoning Prevention web page yog xav paub ntau ntxiv.
- Children exposed to lead have no obvious symptoms; as a result, lead poisoning often goes unrecognized.
- Elevated blood lead levels primarily affect children with a lower socioeconomic status and from minority communities because of the increased risk of housing-related exposure (U.S. Preventive Services Task Force).
Document in the medical record the date the test was performed and test result or finding.
California law requires a blood lead test for Medi-Cal members at 12 and 24 months of age and requires health care providers performing blood lead analysis to report all results to the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Branch. Provides should perform a catch-up test for children 24 months to 6 years who were not tested at 12 and 24 months.
DHCS also requires that providers give oral or written anticipatory guidance to parents/guardians of a child at each periodic health assessment from 6 to 72 months, which includes information related to the harms of lead.
Network providers are not required to perform a blood lead screening test if either of the following applies:
- In the professional judgment of the provider, the risk of screening poses a greater risk to the child member’s health than the risk of lead poisoning. This must be documented in the medical record.
- If a parent/guardian or other person with legal authority withholds consent to the screening, the provider must obtain a signed statement of voluntary refusal or document the reason for not obtaining a signed statement in the child’s medical record (Example: When services are provided via telehealth modality or party declines to sign).
CPT Code: 83655
Data for this measure will be collected using claims and DHCS Fee-for-Service encounter claims. To find gaps in data:
- Run a report from your Electronic Health Record (EHR) system; or.
- Manually compile patient data (Example: Download the Lead Screening in Children quality report or your Care-Based Incentives Measure Details report on the Provider Portal and compare to your EHR/paper charts).
- Conduct an environmental assessment prior to blood lead screening of children at risk for lead exposure. These assessments can include toys, pottery, cosmetics, folk remedies, food, and candy. In some subpopulations, imported products, foods and folk remedies may be more commonly found and are a more substantial contributor to lead exposure.
- Screening types:
- Initial screen: point of care testing; capillary.
- Confirmatory testing: venous sample.
- CDC recommends screening all immigrant, refugee and internationally adopted children when they arrive in the U.S. due to their increased risk.
- Help parents identify if their child has been exposed or has continuous exposure (paint chips, regular visits to houses built before the 1950s, lead in soil, water, pottery and candies from other countries, etc.) and encourage parents to avoid possible lead exposures.
- Monitor all children with a confirmed BLL ≥5 µg/dL for subsequent increase or decrease in BLL until all recommended environmental investigations and mitigation strategies are complete.
- Primary prevention is the most important and significant strategy for reducing BLLs.
- Provide nutritional guidance and recommend a well-balanced diet. Calcium, iron and vitamin C play a specific role in minimizing lead absorption.
- Accumulation of lead can begin during pregnancy. Conduct initial and follow-up screening of pregnant and lactating persons.
- When interacting with affected families, offer simple information about the meaning of BLL results, and relevant and culturally sensitive messages about the impact of lead levels.
- Alliance interpreting services are available to network providers:
- Telephonic interpreting services are available to assist in scheduling members.
- Face-to-face interpreters can be requested to be at the appointment with the member.
For information about our Cultural and Linguistic Services Program, please call the Alliance Health Education Line at 800-700-3874, ext. 5580 or email us at [email protected].
- Refer patients who have transportation challenges to the Alliance’s Transportation Coordinator at 800-700-3874, ext. 5577. This service is not covered for non-medical locations or for appointments that are not medically necessary.
- County Department of Public Health (CDPH) Blood Lead Testing flyer
- California Management Guidelines on Childhood Lead Poisoning for Health Care Providers
- Standard of Care Guidelines on Childhood Lead Poisoning for California Health Care Providers
- All-Plan Letter 20-16
- The Prevention of Childhood Lead Poisoning: Why Physicians Should Counsel on Lead and Screen for Lead Exposure Webinar Slides
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Cov Lus Nquag Nug | <urn:uuid:7465c69f-1918-45e5-b738-e7983dbba26b> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://thealliance.health/hmn/for-providers/manage-care/quality-of-care/care-based-incentive/care-based-incentive-resources/lead-screening-in-children-exploratory-measure-tip-sheet/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224645089.3/warc/CC-MAIN-20230530032334-20230530062334-00499.warc.gz | en | 0.908639 | 1,212 | 2.9375 | 3 |
Near Brackettville in Kinney County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
Seminole Scout Camp on Fort Clark
Tribal leaders Coacooche (Wild Cat) and John Horse gathered a group of Seminoles in 1850 and left the Indian Territory for Mexico. There, under an agreement with the Mexican government, they settled and fought against raiding tribes along the Rio Grande.
In 1870, the U.S. Army offered the group pay and rations to move to Fort Clark, established in 1852 to protect settlers along the border. The black Seminoles became scouts for the army, serving under such famous officers as Lt. John L. Bullis, during Texas’ Indian Wars. The Seminole-Negro Indian Scouts, as they were known, lived on the fort in a settlement referred to as “the camp.” They built homes in the Mexican jacal style, using wattle and daub construction and thatched roofs. The scouts and their families also
The Seminoles lived on the fort until 1914, when the scouts were disbanded. Some returned to Mexico, many stayed in the Brackettville area and some moved to Oklahoma, where the Seminole Nation was granted sovereignty. Still others remained, buried in the scout’s cemetery (1.5 mi. SW), which was established in 1872. Among those buried there are four scouts who earned Congressional Medals of Honor: Adam Payne (Paine), Isaac Payne, John Ward and Pompey Factor. (2002)
Erected 2002 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 12933.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Wars, US Indian. A significant historical year for this entry is 1821.
Location. 29° 16.824′ N, 100° 25.294′ W. Marker is near Brackettville, Texas, in Kinney County. Marker is on Pecan Road, on the right when traveling north. Marker is located on Fort clark Springs and is accessible to the public. The marker site is in a wilderness area and requires GPS navigation skills to locate, but it will be worth the effort. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Brackettville TX 78832, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Forsyth Bridge (approx. 0.7 miles away); John Horse (approx. 1.4 miles away); Seminole Indian Scouts' CemeterySite of Original Post Cemetery (approx. 1.4 miles away); 1873 Infantry Barracks (approx. 1.7 miles away); Staff Officers' Quarters (approx. 1.7 miles away); Palisado Building Kitchen / Mess Room (approx. 1.7 miles away); U.S. Army Signal Corps Building (approx. 1.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Brackettville.
More about this marker. The marker is located in a picnic grove of ancient Spanish oak and pecan trees adjacent to a pond. Las Moras Creek flows near the site. Pecan Road traverses the length of the Seminole Camp and the marker is actually located at the site of the post vegetable gardens.
1. Seminole Scout Camp on Fort Clark
Subject markers commemorate topics significant in Texas history; the “Seminole Scout Camp on Fort Clark” marker commemorates a particularly significant subject … a community … a community of unique people, people who are the stuff of legend! To be legendary you must have something handed down from an ancestor, a tradition of accomplishments and individuals whose fame promises to be enduring. The Seminole people embody just such a legacy.
In August of 1872 the John Daniels band of Seminole-Negroes, a group whose menfolk were now enlisted in the U.S. Army’s newly formed Seminole-Negro Indian Scout Detachment, moved from Fort Duncan at Eagle Pass establishing a permanent
Bullis and the Scouts were the vanguard for Mackenzie’s Remilino Raid in 1873 and participated in subsequent raids into Mexico with “Pecos Bill” Shafter and S.B.M. Young. The exploits of the Seminole Scouts and their heroic commander in the Lower Pecos and Big Bend region are illustrious. Three Scouts received the Congressional Medal of Honor for rescuing Bullis during a battle with Comanches at the mouth of the Pecos on April 25th, 1875. It was Bullis and his Scouts who first established a road into and out of the Pecos canyon, making a wagon crossing practical and opening the country west of the Pecos. Bullis relinquished command of the Scouts in July of 1881.
Two incidents in time came to tarnish the otherwise peaceful existence of the Seminoles in their camp. On May 19, 1876 former scout Titus Payne and John Horse were attacked by townspeople in a night ambush near the Original Post Cemetery while returning to the camp. Payne was killed, but John Horse, the Seminole patriarch, survived his four wounds. Afterwards many Seminole families returned to Mexico in fear of further troubles. By year’s end the close-knit community was in turmoil. The arrival of wanted fugitives Adam Paine, former scout and Medal of Honor recipient, and a border-area bandit, Frank Enoch, only added to the unrest. On New Year’s Eve the Kinney County Sheriff and his deputy, Medal of Honor recipient Claron A. Windus, learned the wanted men were in the Seminole Camp. In a clearing where the Seminoles were welcoming in the new year of 1877 shots rang out and Adam Paine fell dead, shot in the back by Windus at such close range Paine’s clothes burst into flames. This is the only known instance where one Medal of Honor man killed another.
For forty-four years the Scout Detachment proved a very cost-effective organization for the army as the Seminoles were always producing more scouts! Oral tradition recounts that when a male child was born in the Seminole camp during the time Bullis was in command of the Scouts the child was presented to the lieutenant for him to determine if the boy would ever be a scout. The Scouts usefulness had always been their unequalled tracking skills, stamina on campaign, and fearlessness in combat. With the end of the Indian Wars in the early 1890’s the mission of the Scouts shifted to border security. Although the detachment continued to serve into the new century it was no longer of any practical use to the Army. Having served 37 years at Fort Clark, longer than any other unit, the Scout Detachment was disbanded on September 30, 1914. The remaining eight scouts were “discharged from the Service of the United States” and ordered to move from the Fort Clark Military Reservation with all their stock and belongings; however, twenty-four named members of the “Scout Camp” were, “… permitted to remain and live on the … Reservation until the older people pass away in the course of nature, or until such time as the War Department may see fit to order their removal.” As they had always done the Seminole people persevered, moving to Brackettville where retired Scouts had already established a presence. The last Scout, Curly Jefferson, died in 1959.
— Submitted May 20, 2012, by William F Haenn of Fort Clark (Brackettville), Texas.
Credits. This page was last revised on August 27, 2020. It was originally submitted on May 13, 2012, by William F Haenn of Fort Clark (Brackettville), Texas. This page has been viewed 920 times since then and 47 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on May 13, 2012, by William F Haenn of Fort Clark (Brackettville), Texas. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page. | <urn:uuid:e0cfc93a-3f26-41f8-ab81-8f36d156323e> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=55323 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224646652.16/warc/CC-MAIN-20230610233020-20230611023020-00499.warc.gz | en | 0.966115 | 1,685 | 3.359375 | 3 |
Anthropogenic pressures on the Earth System have reached a scale where abrupt global environmental change can no longer be excluded. We propose a new approach to global sustainability in which we define planetary boundaries within which we expect that humanity can operate safely. Transgressing one or more planetary boundaries may be deleterious or even catastrophic due to the risk of crossing thresholds that will trigger non-linear, abrupt environmental change within continental- to planetary-scale systems. We have identified nine planetary boundaries and, drawing upon current scientific understanding, we propose quantifications for seven of them. These seven are climate change; ocean acidification; stratospheric ozone; biogeochemical nitrogen (N) cycle and phosphorus (P) cycle; global freshwater use; land system change; and the rate at which biological diversity is lost. The two additional planetary boundaries for which we have not yet been able to determine a boundary level are chemical pollution and atmospheric aerosol loading. We estimate that humanity has already transgressed three planetary boundaries: for climate change, rate of biodiversity loss, and changes to the global nitrogen cycle. Planetary boundaries are interdependent, because transgressing one may both shift the position of other boundaries or cause them to be transgressed. The social impacts of transgressing boundaries will be a function of the social–ecological resilience of the affected societies. Our proposed boundaries are rough, first estimates only, surrounded by large uncertainties and knowledge gaps. Filling these gaps will require major advancements in Earth System and resilience science. The proposed concept of “planetary boundaries” lays the groundwork for shifting our approach to governance and management, away from the essentially sectoral analyses of limits to growth aimed at minimizing negative externalities, toward the estimation of the safe space for human development. Planetary boundaries define, as it were, the boundaries of the “planetary playing field” for humanity if we want to be sure of avoiding major human-induced environmental change on a global scale.
Research Professor on society, culture, art, cognition, critical thinking, intelligence, creativity, neuroscience, autopoiesis, self-organization, complexity, systems, networks, rhizomes, leadership, sustainability, thinkers, futures ++
Learning Change Project
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April is National Autism Awareness Month 2014. Autism is a brain development disorder characterized by difficulties with social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication and repetitive behaviors. According to new numbers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, autism now affects 1 in 68 American children, over 2 million individuals in the U.S., and tens of millions worldwide. Rates have increased 10 to 17 percent annually in recent years.
Karen Moss Hale’s 23-year old son Alex was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome, a form of autism, when he was in the first grade. Karen recently recalled for me the meeting with the school psychologist. “The first thing they said was, has anybody ever told you that your child was autistic? And I looked at them and I said, no. I sort of knew what it meant because I remember seeing other t-v programs and sort of hearing about it, reading about it. So I got mad, how could you tell me that there’s something wrong with my child? But in the back of my mind I knew they were probably right.”
In fact, Karen knew something was different about Alex starting when he was just a year and a half old. Karen said, “Alex loved being around people, but when you’d take him out and be around people, the noise would affect him. He’d want to be in outdoor spaces, but then he would cover his ears because the noise was deafening to him. He would want to be around other kids but he couldn’t have more than one or two kids around him. And so he would get all excited about wanting to do normal things, but then as soon as he would be doing those normal things, he would shut down, he would go into melt down.” And as Alex got older, it became more difficult through middle and high school. Karen continued, “He became picked on because the kids understood how vulnerable he was and he became bullied.”
But Alex found an escape from bullies and the bullying when he found his voice and talent for singing. Karen explained, “We got him involved in youth choir because friends of his in elementary school realized he had a great voice and he all of a sudden decided that he enjoyed singing and so we encouraged him to sing.” Eventually, Alex began speaking and singing to raise awareness of autism through the organization, Autism Speaks.
Shortly after I launched my website, NewsForYourSoul.com, I received an email from Karen and here’s the line that caught my attention. “Autism Speaks, Alex Sings and this Mom Nags!” I’m among many she’s reached out to for a platform to share Alex “My Impossible Dream” campaign. During the next 14 to 16 months their goal is to get Alex in front of as many people and different organizations as possible to share his story on autism awareness and anti-bullying and to perform original songs he’s co-producing with his uncle Joel Moss. And at the end of the journey Alex will debut a new C-D of his songs Karen hopes he’ll be able to perform on a national stage. Karen said, “We would love that in 14-16 months when that C-D comes out that he will conclude on Times Square and either Good Morning America or the Today Show will have him there identifying live that this is what America needs to see and America needs to embrace us because autism is not going away.”
Karen shared a rundown of Alex’s recent appearances:
And here’s what Alex has coming up:
Alex explained to me why he decided to call his initiative, “My Impossible Dream”. “The one thing my mom and I keep saying is what can you make from impossible, what two words can you make from impossible? “I’m” – “possible”, Alex said. And that’s their message, that it’s possible to be who you want and accomplish what you want even if you are on the autism spectrum. So when Alex graduates with from Bryant and Stratton College in December 2014, he plans to use his business degree in the music field to pursue his dream of being a singer despite what he was told years ago. Alex said, “It’s been about ten plus years since they told me that you’ll barely get through high school, you’re never going to graduate college, and you’re going to live your days in a halfway house. It was a turning point. I just looked at her and said you are wrong, I’m going to prove you wrong.”
Play the video to watch Alex practice, then perform in front of a live audience his original song, “Walk A Mile”. It will inspire you to believe any dreams you may have are possible too!
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1904: Puerto Ricans Settle in Southwark
Image from the Historical Society of Pennsylvania
In Philadelphia, the turn of the twentieth century saw large numbers of European immigrants settling throughout the city. The Italian, Polish, and German communities of Philadelphia were perpetually growing between the 1890s and 1930s, in a way that overshadowed the growth of other communities—including the city’s Puerto Rican population. Its numbers were much smaller than those of the European immigrant neighborhoods.
Many Puerto Rican migrants worked for cigar manufacturers in the city. Companies like the Bayuk Brothers hired many Spanish-speaking laborers, pulling from the Cuban, Mexican, and Puerto Rican communities for employment. Cigar making was a large factor in the growth of Philadelphia’s Puerto Rican population; cigar manufacturing continued to draw workers from the island into the 1950s. Additionally, the employment possibilities offered by both the sugar trade and the growth of the railroad also influenced migration from the island.
Many Puerto Ricans found both employment and housing in Southwark, which was a primarily working-class neighborhood at this time. As the Puerto Rican community continued to blossom in the city, Southwark became a primarily Spanish-speaking neighborhood. By 1904, the small Latino enclave of Southwark was home to approximately 1,500 individuals—a number that would continue to grow as the decades passed.
Written by McKenna Britton, a public historian living and learning in Philadelphia.
See the Spanish version of this page here.
For more context on this event, see the Geography page.
- Bergquist, James, "Immigration (1790-1860)", The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia
- Ribeiro, Alyssa, "Puerto Rican Migration", The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia | <urn:uuid:2b212e78-db62-404a-aeff-c84a8d79e2c2> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://omeka.hsp.org/s/puertoricanphillyexperience/page/puerto-ricans-settle-in-philly-s-southwark-neighborhood | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224649177.24/warc/CC-MAIN-20230603064842-20230603094842-00499.warc.gz | en | 0.964875 | 363 | 3.4375 | 3 |
For decades, mariners in the United States have depended on NOAA's Tide Tables for the best estimate of expected water levels. These tables provide accurate predictions of the astronomical tide (i.e., the change in water level due to the gravitational effects of the moon and sun and the rotation of the Earth); however, they cannot predict water-level changes due to wind, atmospheric pressure, and river flow, which are often significant.
To better serve maritime community, a new three-dimensional Cook Inlet Operational Forecast System (CIOFS) was developed by the NOAA/National Ocean Service/Office of Coast Survey in a joint project with the NOAA/NOS/Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS) and the NOAA/National Weather Service/National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) Central Operations (NCO) using Rutgers University's Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS). CIOFS generates water level, wind, water temperature, salinity, and current nowcast and forecast guidance out to 48 hours, four times per day. Aerial animations of the Cook Inlet, as well as time series at particular stations or points of interest, are available for over 44 locations for the five parameters (water level, wind, currents, water temperature, and/or salinity). CIOFS will assist U.S. port authorities and mariners in efficiently navigating the Cook Inlet without compromising safety.
CIOFS runs on NOAA's High Performance Computing Systems (HPCS) in a standard Coastal Ocean Modeling Framework (COMF) developed by CO-OPS. As a result, CIOFS has direct access to National Weather Service operational meteorological products that it needs to run reliably.
For more detailed information about CIOFS, please click here.
For more information about ROMS, please click here.
The Cook Inlet Operational Forecast System (CIOFS) has been implemented by NOAA's National Ocean Service (NOS) to provide the maritime user community with short-term predictions of water levels, water currents, and water temperatures in CIOFS model domain. CIOFS uses a numerical hydrodynamic model to generate the nowcast and forecast information; therefore, they should be considered as model-generated nowcast and forecast guidance. For more detailed information related to the OFS disclaimer, please visit at the Disclaimers web page.
During extreme weather conditions, water level forecast guidance data are released for public utility and should be used with appropriate caution. | <urn:uuid:d9a58b3f-069e-4b85-a6ed-6ac6d71b8e5a> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/ofs/ciofs/ciofs.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224649177.24/warc/CC-MAIN-20230603064842-20230603094842-00499.warc.gz | en | 0.891263 | 517 | 2.9375 | 3 |
Ioannina often called Jannena within Greece, is the largest city of Epirus,and also the capital city of Epirus, north-western Greece, with a population of 111.740 (in 2011). It lies at an elevation of approximately 500 meters above sea level, on the western shore of lake Pamvotis . It is located within the Ioannina municipality, and is the capital of Ioannina regional unit and the region of Epirus. Ioannina is located 450 km northwest of Athens, 290 km southwest of Thessaloniki and 80 km east of the port of Igoumenitsa in the Ionian Sea.
Founded by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian in the 6th century AD, Ioannina flourished following the Fourth Crusade, when many wealthy Byzantine families fled there in the early 13th century following the sack of Constantinople. It was the capital of the Despotate of Epirus from 1358 to 1416, before surrendering to the Ottomans in 1430. Between 1430 and 1868 the city was the administrative center of the Pashalik of Yanina. In the period between the 16th and 19th centuries, the city was a major center of the modern Greek Enlightenment. Ioannina joined Greece in 1913 following the Balkan Wars.
The city has both a General and a University Hospital, and is the seat of the University of Ioannina (situated 5 km south of the city, with 17 departments and 20,000 students) as well as several departments of the Τechnological Educational Institute of Epirus, the headquarters of which are located in Arta.
The city's emblem consists of the portrait of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian crowned by a stylized depiction of the nearby ancient theater of Dodona | <urn:uuid:9542afef-688c-4e42-a08f-b84cf3f5cb0f> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://www.traveltill.com/destination/Greece/Ioannina/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224649177.24/warc/CC-MAIN-20230603064842-20230603094842-00499.warc.gz | en | 0.970985 | 372 | 2.75 | 3 |
The present-day topography in Iberia is related to geodynamic processes dealing with lithospheric-scale deformation. However, little attention has been paid to the role of inherited crustal- or lithospheric-scale structures involved in the recent observed large-scale topographic patterns. Whereas the analysis of brittle structures focuses on the evolution of Mesozoic sedimentary basins and their subsequent response to tectonic inversion, their contribution to mountain building has been underestimated. Large numbers of structures, from ductile to brittle, which affected the whole lithosphere, were developed during the evolution of the Cantabrian orocline (ca. 310–300 Ma). The contribution of these Paleozoic post-Variscan structures, together with lithospheric mantle evolution and replacement during orocline development in the Mesozoic and Cenozoic geological evolution of Iberia, remains unexplored. To explore the role of these inherited structures on the final configuration of topography during N-S Pyrenean shortening, we carried out a series of analogue experiments complemented by surface velocity field analyses. Our experiments indicate that strain was concentrated along preexisting crustal- to lithospheric-scale discontinuities, and they show several reactivation events marked by differences in the velocity vector field. Differences in fault displacement were also observed in the models depending upon preexisting fault trends. The obtained results may explain the different amount of displacement observed during the reactivation of some of the post-orocline structures in Iberia during the Cenozoic, indicating the key role of unveiled structures, which probably have accommodated most of the Alpine shortening.
Since the advent of the Wilson cycle concept (Wilson, 1968), reactivation of previous structures represents one of the main controls in the tectonic evolution of continents. When initiating a Wilson cycle by opening new oceans, the reactivation of previous suture zones is likely to nucleate the initiation of new oceanic realms (e.g., Burke et al., 1976; Bailey et al., 2000; Tikoff et al. 2001; Murphy et al., 2006; etc.). Rift initiation through fault reactivation is better understood in segments of orogens depicting a rather linear attitude (Thomas, 2006; Murphy et al., 2006). However, in complex curved orogens, as in the case of the western European Variscan belt, it is still difficult to ascertain (Fig. 1A).
The tectonic evolution of north-central Iberia since the latest Carboniferous includes several deformation episodes postdating the Variscan orogeny: (1) formation of a curved orogen, known as Cantabrian orocline (i.e., Gutiérrez-Alonso et al., 2004, 2008, 2012, 2015; Weil et al., 2010, 2013; Martínez-Catalán, 2012; Pastor-Galán et al., 2016, 2017; Fernández-Lozano et al., 2016; Murphy et al., 2016); (2) opening of the Mesozoic rift-related Bay of Biscay (Sibuet and Collette, 1991; García-Mondéjar, 1996); and (3) the Alpine convergence history (among others, Cloetingh et al., 2002; Vergés and Fernández, 2006; Casas-Sainz and de Vicente, 2009; de Vicente and Vegas, 2009).
However, not much attention has been paid to the putative changes produced in the Iberian lithospheric mantle during orocline development (i.e., Gutiérrez-Alonso et al., 2011a, 2011b), and the meaning and origin of late orocline structures attributed to the tightening of the 180° bend that defines the Cantabrian orocline. These structures, including faults observable at the present-day erosion level, controlled the basement structural grain in northern Iberia (Fig. 1A), and their imprint is noteworthy on the subsequent Mesozoic and Cenozoic belts and basins development, on the Alpine evolution of the northern and central Iberia mountain chains, and probably on the present-day relief of western continental Europe.
One of the consequences of generating 180° curved lithospheric-scale oroclinal bends is that they are not able to be bent any further, and if the strain conditions that caused the orocline persist, additional shortening is assumed by tectonic structures. Previous analogue experiments carried out by Pastor-Galán et al. (2012) suggested that conjugated strike-slip faults (shear zones in depth), which crosscut both parallel limbs of the orocline, develop shortening normal to the orocline axial plane and extension parallel to it (Fig. 1A). Similar lithospheric-scale fault patterns have been described related to the formation of the Himalayas, where lithospheric shortening produced conjugate faults that affected the Eurasian plate. These structures accommodate part of the general N-S–trending shortening caused by the collision of Eurasia with the Indian continent and dividing the Tibet, Tarim, and Tien-Shan realms (i.e., Tapponnier and Molnar, 1979; Tapponnier et al., 1987; Avouac and Tapponnier, 1993; Thatcher, 2007; England and Houseman, 1986; England and Molnar, 2005).
In Iberia, post-Variscan structures have long been described to play a key role during Mesozoic and Cenozoic time. However, difficulties in the recognition of the Alpine evolution and role of the preexisting faults have led several authors to suggest different mechanisms for intraplate mountain building, including: (1) the westward transmission of stress along NW-SE–trending structures (Martín-González, 2009; Martin-González and Heredia, 2011); (2) effective transmission of stress into the plate interior along NE-SW and NW-SE large-scale strike-slip faults (de Vicente and Vegas, 2009); and (3) strain partitioning mechanisms responsible for the observed complex pattern of topography (de Vicente et al., 2009, 2018).
This paper explores the influence of the alleged post-orocline structures together with the thermomechanical variations of the mantle lithosphere caused by the Cantabrian orocline development (Gutiérrez-Alonso et al., 2011a, 2011b). We investigated the contribution of preexisting structures to the present-day topography and the tectonic influence of strain transmission during the N-S Pyrenean orogeny, caused by the relative movement between Africa and Iberia. In order to understand the effects of the possible lateral strength variations caused by the putative differences in the post–Cantabrian orocline lithosphere underlying Iberia, we propose a kinematic model based on an integrated approach that combines analogue modeling, particle image velocimetry (PIV) analysis, and regional geology. Our results shed light on the evolution and kinematics of late orocline structures and lithospheric mantle variations and their contribution to recent deformations and present-day topography in Iberia.
During the final tightening of the Cantabrian orocline, in Permian times, the Variscan lithosphere was fractured into a conjugate system of NE-SW– and NNW-SSE– to NW-SE–trending strike-slip faults (Fig. 1A). This fracture pattern can be identified across central and eastern Iberia and in the French Central Massif (Fig. 1A; Vegas, 1975; Faure, 1995). In Iberia, this conjugate system partially controlled Permian, Triassic, and Mesozoic sedimentation and, subsequently, in many cases, like in the Iberian Chain, localized the position of the Alpine deformation fronts (Arthaud, 1975; Vegas, 1975; Casas-Sáinz and Gil-Imaz, 1994; Doblas et al., 1994; Guimerà et al., 2004; de Vicente et al., 2009). These crustal-scale structures are interpreted to have had horizontal displacements of ∼35–50 km, and, in some cases (Plasencia fault, Vilariça-Bragança fault system, Lower Tagus fault zone), they have reached deep into the lithospheric mantle, leading to the injection of Triassic-Jurassic boundary–age Central Atlantic magmatic province mantle-derived mafic melts (Ribeiro et al., 1990; Vegas, 2000).
According to the different characteristics of the Mesozoic geological evolution of Iberia, two main domains can be defined: The western Iberian Massif, which is devoid of large Mesozoic basins (except for the Lusitanian Basin, the origin of which is related to the opening of the Atlantic Ocean), and the eastern Mesozoic basins (Fig. 1B). The large conjugated strike-slip faults generated after Cantabrian orocline development were reactivated during the Mesozoic and Cenozoic with different kinematic regimes in both regions (Arthaud, 1975; Vegas, 1975; de Vicente et al., 2009). The different geodynamic evolution of these areas during this period has contributed to large lithospheric rheological variations. These thermomechanical differences represent a boundary between a somewhat stable Mesozoic western Iberian Massif, characterized by relatively cold and stable lithosphere, and a thinner, warmer, and younger lithosphere along the extended eastern sector of Iberia (Fig. 1B).
It is widely accepted that these thermomechanical differences between the western Iberian Massif and the eastern Mesozoic basins may have influenced the reactivation and tectonic inversion of late orocline–related faults (de Vicente and Vegas, 2009; Fernández-Lozano et al., 2012). Both domains are described in the following sections, together with a summary of their Alpine (Cenozoic) evolution.
Alpine Tectonic Evolution
The early episodes of the Alpine (Pyrenean) orogeny caused the deformation of the Iberian Massif and inversion of the NE basins and subsequent uplift during the Late Cretaceous–Eocene and the Oligocene–early Miocene, respectively (Casas-Sainz, 1993; Gómez et al., 2002; Guimerà et al., 2004; de Vicente et al., 2009; Teixell et al., 2018). As a result, the main Duero and Ebro continental foreland basins and the Tagus intraplate basin emerged, shaping the current geography of Iberia. Because of the different evolution of the Iberian Massif and the eastern Mesozoic domain, the resulting structures in both of them are significantly different.
N-S shortening was responsible for the building of the Cantabrian Mountains and the uplift of Paleozoic basement along the Iberian Massif and in the Central System (Spanish and Portuguese Central System), with shortening of ∼90 km (Alonso et al., 1996; Gallastegui et al., 2002; de Vicente and Vegas, 2009; Tavani and Granado, 2015; Llana-Fúnez and López-Fernández, 2015; Quintana et al., 2015; de Vicente el al., 2018), and the Cantabrian continental margin, decreasing progressively to the west (Gallastegui, 2000; Gallastegui et al., 2002; Pedreira et al., 2007; Fernández et al., 2015) into predominantly strike-slip displacements (Santanach et al., 1988; Santanach, 1994). These differences are highlighted by strong changes in the depth to the Moho, from 28–30 km offshore to 34–41 km beneath the main mountain uplifts (Montes de León, Spanish Central System, and Cantabrian Mountains, respectively; Pedreira et al., 2007; Díaz and Gallart, 2009; Díaz et al., 2015; Torne et al., 2015). Deformation started in the late Eocene and was well recorded in the Cantabrian continental shelf (Pedreira et al., 2015; Cadenas et al., 2018, and references therein). The cause of this shortening was the underplating of part of the Bay of Biscay crust under Iberian crust, as revealed by seismic data (Alvarez-Marrón et al., 1996, 1997; Gallart et al., 1995; Fernández-Viejo et al., 1998, 2000, 2012; Ayarza et al., 2004; Gallastegui, 2000; Gallastegui et al., 2002; Pedreira et al., 2003, 2007; Pulgar et al., 1996).
Strike-slip fault activity has been broadly constrained for the Cenozoic (mainly Eocene–Oligocene–early Miocene activity) through the use of fission tracks (see above) and ages of syntectonic deposits (de Bruijne and Andriessen, 2000, 2002; Barbero et al., 2005; Martín-González, 2006; Martín-González et al., 2008, 2012; Fillon et al., 2012; de Vicente and Muñoz-Martín, 2012; Fillon et al., 2016). In addition, fault reactivation in western Iberia is suggested by the presence of structural and geomorphological features, including paleostress indicators and the rapid fluvial incision observed since the Miocene in some areas (Antón et al., 2010, 2012). The NNW-SSE fault systems are mainly located in the northwestern part of Galicia, and they are characterized by right-lateral displacements concentrating present-day seismic activity in the western corner of Iberia (Santanach, 1994; Llana-Fúnez and López-Fernández, 2015). This system includes structures such as the As Pontes fault system, which shows compressional step-overs leading to the formation of depressions (Ferrús i Pinyol et al., 2005).
Eastern Mesozoic Basins
The observed differences in tectonic inversion style and the presence of a thick Mesozoic sedimentary cover deposited during an episode of rifting (>8 km of Jurassic and Cretaceous sediments accumulated along E-W basin depocenters; Hernando-Costa, 1973; Alvaro et al., 1979; Raven and van der Pluijm, 1986; Sopeña et al., 1988; Gómez-Pérez et al., 1998; López-Gómez et al., 2002; Aurell et al., 2002; Martín-Chivelet et al., 2002; García-Mondéjar et al., 2005; Omodeo-Salé et al., 2014, 2017) were controlled by the thermomechanical properties of the lithosphere. Crustal extension favored thermal subsidence and established the final configuration of crustal blocks limited by faults across the Basque-Cantabrian and the Iberian Basins.
Present-day crustal thickness ranges ∼36–44 km across the inverted Basque-Cantabrian and Iberian Basins, with a maximum up to 50 km in the central-west Cantabrian area, indicating a strong correlation between uplifted areas and Moho depth (Carballo et al., 2015; Díaz et al., 2015; Guimerà et al., 2016; Torne et al., 2015; Mancilla and Diaz, 2015). The inversion history of the basins started in the late Eocene (Guimerà and Alvaro, 1990; Solo et al., 2011), driven by the large-scale geodynamic configuration established during the Cenozoic convergence between Europe and Africa. N-S compression led to uplift and crustal thickening, and the formation of surrounding foreland basins such as the Duero and Ebro Basins (Millán et al., 1995; Casas-Sáinz and Maestro-González, 1996; Alonso et al., 1996; Casas-Sáinz et al., 2000; Gaspar-Escribano et al., 2001; Suárez-González, 2015). Evidence of Oligocene–early Miocene uplift was recorded by the formation of planation surfaces, which were subsequently captured during the establishment of the present-day fluvial network (Casas-Sáinz and Cortés-Gracia, 2002).
Cenozoic tectonic inversion of the Iberian Basin was associated with strike-slip displacement along NW-SE structures with compressional step-overs, which may have configured the strain partitioning scenario responsible for the mountain uplifts reported in the Iberian Range (de Vicente et al., 2009). In addition, observed E-W thrusts are responsible for fold wavelengths up to 5–13 km affecting the Variscan basement (Guimerà et al., 2004), and NW-SE– and NE-SW–trending faults maintain present-day shallow seismicity (<15 km deep), indicating neotectonic activity.
To explore the role of preexisting Variscan structures during the N-S Alpine shortening, we performed a study based on analogue experiments and surface analyses (i.e., analysis of particle displacement). Surface analyses consisted of a series of images acquired during modeling that were processed to obtain a surface velocimetry model from particle image velocimetry (PIV) analysis (Leever et al., 2011). The results re-create the fault evolution and distribution of strain during the main Alpine intraplate mountain-building episode that gave rise to the present-day topography in Iberia.
These experiments complement previous work carried out by Fernández-Lozano et al. (2011) and Pastor-Galán et al. (2012), wherein they studied the role of shortening during the Alpine N-S shortening phase and after the closure of the Cantabrian orocline. The role of tectonic structures was tested by comparison of two sets of analogue experiments, where strips of weak silicone simulated the preexisting post-Variscan orocline–related fault zones.
The rheological properties of the lithosphere models were based on existing geological and geophysical data from Iberia. Models consisted of two different setups, where rheological differences were tested according to constraints provided by previous field studies (Fig. 2A; Suriñach and Vegas, 1988; Guimerà et al., 1996; Tejero and Ruiz, 2002; de Vicente and Vegas, 2009; Díaz and Gallart, 2009; Jimenez-Diaz et al., 2012; Carballo et al., 2015; Seillé et al., 2015; Torne et al., 2015). The experiments consisted of three layers, characterized by: a brittle upper crust, a ductile lower crust, and an upper lithospheric mantle (Fig. 2B). These layers rested over a high-density asthenospheric fluid inside a Plexiglas tank. A single moving wall deformed the model by 20% of bulk shortening according to rates of shortening suggested by de Vicente et al. (1996), and the side walls were lubricated to avoid side effects. Modeling materials were designed to represent two different types of lithosphere, a relatively hotter and younger lithosphere to the east (Iberian Basin), and a colder and older lithosphere to the west, highlighting the rheological differences in the lithosphere prior to Alpine shortening, i.e., differences that could have been inherited from post-Variscan orocline–triggered lithospheric thinning and delamination and intensely modified in the east due to Mesozoic extension. Details on material properties and scaling parameters are given in Table 1.
In addition to the simplest scenario (model A), characterized by a single weak zone representing a late Variscan structure, we compared the results with a more complex setup implemented with several weak zones (purple silicone strips in Fig. 2) representing the main E-W Late Cretaceous depocenters and large-scale shear zones (model B; de Vicente and Vegas, 2009). Similar setups have been previously implemented to study the effect of inherited heterogeneities in lithosphere-scale analogue experiments by Calignano et al. (2015a, 2015b, 2017). The role of the E-W–trending batholith in central Spain was also investigated according to the effect caused by topography and the rheological differences between the metamorphic basement and the Central System Granites (Martín-Velázquez and de Vicente, 2012). This rheological variation was modeled using a strip of weak silicone to simulate heat transfer from the granite body (see Table 1).
In addition, dynamic similarity was obtained through the dimensional analysis proposed by Ramberg (1967a) and Weijermars and Schmeling (1986), based on the Ramberg (Rm) and Smoluchowsky (Sm) numbers (see Sokoutis et al., 2007).
The analysis of fault kinematics carried out on the model surface was implemented following the methodology described in Leever et al. (2011) and using the open source software MatPIV (Sveen, 2004). Their method is based on study of the particle displacement field performed over the surface of the experiments. The PIV method compares two images within a fixed time interval. The image evaluation is carried out by dividing the PIV recording into several small subareas called “interrogation windows.” The record is measured in picture elements or pixels. Therefore, if small-grain particles are scattered over the model surface, those particles within the interrogation windows will be correlated.
In this way, this method allowed us to study and distinguish among active, reactivated, and nonactive faults. That means that we were able to study regions inside the models where strain localization was taking place during deformation. Moreover, the method provided new insights into the strain distribution and mechanism of partitioning inferred from the particle velocity field.
The rapid evolution of deformation was controlled by the presence of preexisting weak zones and the net discontinuity between both lithospheric types, localizing the strain distribution. The weak zones were immediately reactivated, showing two stages of deformation related to strike-slip displacements followed by thrusting producing between 10% and 15% of bulk shortening (Fig. 3). The surface velocity field calculated with the PIV method implemented by Leever et al. (2011) revealed counterclockwise rotation of velocity vectors caused by displacement along the main fault limiting the two lithospheric types. However, clockwise rotation of slip vectors was also recorded inside the stiffest lithosphere, along and close to the preexisting central weak zone, which was at a large angle to the boundary between the two different types of lithospheric mantle. These changes observed in vector distribution support the notion of different reactivation of crustal heterogeneities during compression according to their initial orientation to the prevailing stress field.
The fault displacement regime was affected by subsequent episodes of reactivation, changing from pure strike-slip to thrust components and leading to topographic uplift (between 5% and 20% of bulk shortening). Back-thrusting occurred at 15% and 20% of bulk shortening in the central part of the model. In addition, non-coeval episodes of thrusting (fore- and back thrust) led to compensation of the observed uplift through a series of triangle zones that accommodated the amount of displacement caused by thrust reactivation. Strike-slip movement was apparently restricted to the main oblique discontinuities deformed under a regime of transpression (i.e., lithosphere boundaries and weak zones). Consequently, a component of transpression was always associated with fault reactivation (compare top-view images with digital elevation models in Fig. 3).
The modeling results show that faulting resulted mostly in imbricated thrusts and back thrusts producing pop-up structures, whereas wide, flat, and highly elevated regions formed between the main thrust systems. Distribution of brittle deformation was focused within strong lithosphere. However, deformation of the weak lithosphere resulted in strain localization along closely spaced thrust systems. It is worth noticing the interference deformation patterns among E-W, NE-SW, and NW-SE crustal structures occurring under unidirectional shortening (coexisting strike-slip and thrusting components), suggesting strain partitioning limited by the previous faults, either crustal or lithospheric. Although strain partitioning seems to have been strongly influenced by the presence of lateral strength variations affecting the lithosphere, the initial position of preexisting weak zones also appears to have played a major role in the mode through which strain was spread over the surface of the model. These weak zones also defined the boundary of different strain transmission domains.
Clear differences in the topographic elevation above the different types of lithosphere are highlighted by the digital elevation models (DEM) shown in Figure 3. The weak lithosphere shows high uplift rates and deep depressions (compare DEMs in Fig. 3). These differences are also observed in the relative magnitude of displacement calculated on the model’s surface. The central part of the model represents a major boundary for displacement vectors, probably associated with the main preexisting zones of weakness (5%, 10%, 15% bulk shortening). Major rates of uplift were found at 20% bulk shortening along the weak lithosphere, as indicated by the position of uplifted areas.
Model B was implemented with four weak zones representing the main Iberian margin conjugated fault system (NW-SE faults comprising the Plasencia, Vilariça-Bragança-Manteigas, and Penacova-Regua-Verin faults and the Lower Tagus fault zone; and the NE-SW system, including the Somolinos, Cantabrian, Ubierna, Pamplona, Demanda, and Altomira faults). Moreover, a weak zone within the model upper crust was used to represent the granitic belt that entirely crosses the Spanish Central System (oriented around 80° with the direction of convergence). It is also important to remark that the main E-W Cretaceous depocenters were also modeled using strips of weak silicone in the upper mantle.
The evolution of the topography in the model was strongly influenced by fault growth. Tectonic thrust structures caused the elevation of the model surface at successive steps (Fig. 4; compare DEMs). Rapid uplift of the model surface was caused first inside the weak lithosphere, following the orientation of the main (E-W) depocenters and the boundary between both types of lithosphere (trending NW-SE) at ∼10% bulk shortening. Uplift along the modeled depocenters was caused by thrusting, whereas dextral strike slip across the lithosphere boundary involved a component of transpression. The analysis of surface displacement of particles indicated a counterclockwise rotation of the vectors along the southern tip of the lithosphere boundary and the presence of oblique velocity vectors around the entire discontinuity. Moreover, the PIV analysis also recorded movement along the preexisting weak zones trending NW-SE, NE-SW, and E-W. No deformation was recorded along structures oriented NNE-SSW within the strong lithosphere. Successive episodes of displacement were observed along NE-SW structures after reactivation during further deformation, finally leading to left-lateral strike-slip movements combined with thrusting (uplift between 5% and 10% bulk shortening). Similarly, the weak zone representing the Spanish-Portuguese Central System granitoids caused an abrupt uplift along two well-oriented E-W thrusts facing north and south, and defining a crustal pop-up structure. This part was reactivated at 10%, 15%, and 20% of bulk shortening (see vectors in Fig. 4). The thrusts’ vergence significantly changed from one lithosphere to another. Generally, north-verging thrusts were characteristic of a weak lithosphere (i.e., facing the moving wall), whereas the strong lithosphere was associated mainly with south-vergent thrusts and pop-ups, as was revealed from displacement vectors (see 15% bulk shortening in Fig. 4). Magnitudes of displacement vectors showed small differences between deformed areas. However, at 15% bulk shortening, a major rate of displacement was observed to occur along the weak lithosphere, probably enhanced by reactivation of NW-SE weak zones. This situation suddenly changed, reaching higher-elevation magnitudes along the moving wall within the strong lithosphere sector, and it is interpreted to be a border effect.
The Mesozoic–Cenozoic tectonic evolution of Cantabrian orocline–related structures remains controversial and varies from east to west Iberia according to variations in lithospheric strength attributed to inheritance from the Mesozoic rifting episode (de Vicente and Vegas, 2009) together with changes in the mantle derived from orocline-triggered lithospheric delamination (Gutiérrez-Alonso et al., 2004). The tectonic inversion style in both regions also differs and was governed by the geometry and location of preexisting conjugate fault sets and the position of depocenters developed during the Mesozoic N-S extension that acted as buttresses (Fig. 5A). Altogether, we propose a new model that represents an analogue of other Alpine settings, including the Himalayas or the Alps (Peltzer and Tapponnier, 1988; Luth et al., 2013), where N-S shortening was accommodated in E-W reverse fault corridors, whereas the conjugate fault system represented by NE-SW to NNE-SSW and NW-SE structures played a scarp-like role as a result of strain partitioning between NE-SW strike-slip fault corridors and E-W thrusts (Fig. 5B). This model of distributed deformation in two sectors of Iberia with different lithospheric characteristics best fits the observed differences between the western Iberian Massif and the eastern Mesozoic basins. While other models based on a large-scale crustal detachment or a combination of lithospheric folding and strain partitioning have been proposed, none of them successfully and independently explain the differences in geometry and tectonic style observed between the Iberian Massif and the eastern Iberian Chain (Warburton and Alvarez, 1989; Cloetingh et al., 2002; Fernández-Lozano et al., 2012; Quintana et al., 2015).
However, our analogue experiments have shown that under N-S shortening, NE-SW structures showed sinistral strike-slip movements. These faults were successively reactivated, and in some cases developed a thrust component. The small displacement shown by NNE-SSW structures could be the result of a distribution of deformation toward the nearby Variscan structures, which was enhanced by the rotation into a NE-SW direction during the development of the Variscan orocline.
Despite the relatively large amount of displacement along NE-SW structures in the analogue experiments, geological evidence in central Spain has shown that displacement rates are low (i.e., <3–5 km for the 550 km Plasencia fault; Villamor-Pérez et al., 2012). These differences might be caused by the presence of minor thrusts affecting the Paleozoic basement next to the fault, which may absorb part of the deformation, or they may be the result of movements in opposite directions along the fault planes that have been obliterated. All in all, the vector field obtained over the model’s surface suggests a large deformation area with limited uplift along these structures when compared with the observations made along NW-SE faults (compare DEMs for models A and B in Figs. 3 and 4).
The heterogeneous crust in the central part of the experiments (weak zone representing granites from the Spanish and Portuguese Central System [SPCS] in model B; Fig. 4) was efficiently reactivated, leading to strain localization and subsequent tectonic uplift (see PIV results in Fig. 4 and DEM results). This weak zone controlled the evolution of the Spanish and Portuguese Central System range during deformation. However, in absence of this heterogeneity, strike-slip faulting provides an efficient mechanism for strain partitioning (compare PIV data from models A and B in Figs. 3 and 4) due to the buttress effect associated with the heterogeneity. Modeling results suggest a similarity with observations made in Iberia. The presence of lateral lithospheric variations in central Iberia may have actively contributed to the tectonic uplift of the Spanish and Portuguese Central System during the final stages of deformation (Oligocene–early Miocene), suggesting that preexisting basement faults may have played a minor role in the evolution of the E-W–trending chain.
In addition, analogue experiments demonstrate the contribution of these fault systems to the overall high topography along the Basque-Cantabrian and Iberian Ranges (Demanda Range). However, the magnitude of displacement rates varies considerably depending upon proximity to the collision border. This is in agreement with the large amount of displacement observed in the natural prototype along the Cantabrian-Ubierna corridor (>40 km) and at Somolinos (>35 km; Bergamin et al., 1996; Tavani et al., 2011).
The modeling of the vector field carried out over the surface of the analogue experiments showed dextral strike slip along the main preexisting faults, and restraining bends laterally developed at the fault tips, leading to E-W thrust faults. Moreover, several episodes of successive fault reactivation occurred during N-S shortening, involving different tectonic regimes (i.e., transcurrent to transpression). Similar conditions have been reported along fault segments in the Iberian Range, where tectonic inversion of preexisting rift-related structures has occurred (Casas-Sainz and Maestro-González, 1996; de Vicente et al., 2009). This complex scenario may explain the observed differences in the present-day topography across Iberia, providing a coherent model for strain distribution during the N-S Alpine shortening event.
Analogue experiments provide new insights into the Alpine evolution of preexisting Iberian structures developed during the formation of the Cantabrian orocline. The raising of the Cantabrian orocline between ca. 310 and 300 Ma led to important crustal thickness variations, injection of magmatic bodies, and widespread faulting along the western European Variscan belt. Analogue experiments showed such rheological variations in lithosphere strength play a key role in the nucleation of new structures. During the final stages of N-S post-Variscan convergence, the orocline was retightened, giving rise to a conjugate system of faults trending NW-SE and NE-SW to NNE-SSW, which accommodated most of the late orocline deformation. These structures strongly influenced the subsequent geological evolution of the western Iberian Massif and the eastern Mesozoic basins during the Mesozoic, as shown by the analogue experiments. The Cenozoic continental convergence between Africa and Iberia led to important geodynamic plate configuration changes that were responsible for simultaneous reactivation and tectonic inversion of previous structures, with the following important tectonic implications: (1) Major strike-slip movements ceased by the final stages of deformation (early Miocene); (2) NNE-SSW–trending structures underwent little displacement, probably absorbed by adjacent reactivation of NE-SW structures; and (3) the latter together with the NW-SE faults had a complex activity, leading to strain partitioning mechanisms that efficiently transferred the Alpine strain from the northern border of Iberia toward the plate interior. The small amount of displacement observed along some preexisting structures can be explained by the observation of movements in opposing directions or a combination of different tectonic movements. The presence of igneous bodies in central Spain may have influenced the formation of E-W–trending structures as a result of thermomechanical variations in lithospheric strength derived from different extension modes in the Iberian Massif and the eastern Iberian basins. These differences may have facilitated fault reactivation and topographic uplift. Our results contribute to clarify the role of late Variscan structures in the final evolution of intraplate mountain building during N-S Alpine convergence, providing new insights into the present-day configuration of topography in Iberia.
This work was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities under the project IBERCRUST (PGC2018–096534-B-100) and by Происхождение, металлогения, климатические эффекты и цикличность Крупных Изверженных Провинций (КИП; Origin, Metallogeny, Climatic Effects, and Cyclical Large Igneous Provinces; 14.Y26.31.0012; Russian Federation) to Gutiérrez-Alonso. Fruitful field discussions with M.I. Benito and P. Suárez-González are greatly appreciated. We are indebted to Daniel Pastor-Galán, the editor, and three anonymous reviewers for comments and suggestions that aimed at improving this manuscript. | <urn:uuid:fe799290-9e90-45a9-b295-397f4d2327ea> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/lithosphere/article/11/5/708/572977/Shaping-of-intraplate-mountain-patterns-The | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224653764.55/warc/CC-MAIN-20230607111017-20230607141017-00499.warc.gz | en | 0.914291 | 8,130 | 2.65625 | 3 |
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Shortage of water and for that matter, shortage of pure water is no longer an issue people are not aware of. Countries across the globe are confronting numerous water issues. What is the solution then? Well, thanks to the technological advancements, different Water Treatment Plants have been invented. These Water Treatment Plants have proven to be the most effective way to utilize wastewater in the best possible manner. Numerous industries are using these Water Treatment Plants for the treatment of wastewater, seawater and even sewage. These Water Treatment Plants are highly efficient and dependable, though they require frequent maintenance. This is where the role of Boiler Water Treatment Chemicals comes into play. The different types of Boiler Water Treatment Chemicals are required to improve the functioning efficiency and life of Water Treatment Plants, Steam Boilers and various other processing systems.
Chemicals For Water Treatment Plants And Boilers:
There is no doubt that Water Treatment Plants and Boilers are quite compatible to offer the most effective Water Cleaning Solution. However, they also need frequent maintenance. Their maintenance can be ensured by using the different types of chemicals available. Some of the most commonly used chemicals are Boiler Water Treatment Chemicals, Cooling Water Chemicals, Reverse Osmosis Chemicals, Boiler Water Treatment Chemicals and Wastewater Treatment Chemicals. These chemicals are specifically formulated to keep Water Treatment Plants and Boilers unaffected from corrosion, blockage, sludge deposition, malfunctioning, etc.
What Is The Role Of Boiler Water Treatment Chemicals?
Boiler, being an important device for water treatment, requires constant maintenance. Improper maintenance is not only risky but also becomes an obvious reason for accidental consequences. It is imperative that proper measures are taken beforehand. Boiler Water Treatment Chemicals are highly effective to minimize the risk and improve the functioning efficacy of Water Treatment Plants and Boilers. The chemicals reduce the corrosion of Water Treatment Plants, which further results in improved functionality and life. Boiler Water Treatment Chemicals include condensate line treatments, oxygen scavengers, scale and corrosion inhibitors, condensate agents, pH adjusters, filming amines, antifoams and sludge control agents that offer the most reliable maintenance solution.
There are several Water Chemicals Suppliers in India. Most of these entrepreneurs get their offerings registered online. One can browse the Internet and contact them for the desired Boiler Water Treatment Chemicals.
This entry was posted on March, 02, 2012 at 11 : 55 am and is filed under Water Treatment Chemical. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response from your own site. | <urn:uuid:463680c2-1b1f-4003-9cdb-ce34441265ea> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://www.mahirtech.com/blog/what-do-we-exactly-mean-by-boiler-water-treatment-chemicals_1000.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224653764.55/warc/CC-MAIN-20230607111017-20230607141017-00499.warc.gz | en | 0.931479 | 572 | 2.53125 | 3 |
Apple Genetics: A Tasty Phenomena
Using the context of apples, students will apply their knowledge of heredity and genetics to distinguish between sexual and asexual reproduction as they explain how new varieties of apples are developed and then propagated to meet consumer demand for a tasty, uniform, consistent product.
NGSS AlignmentThis lesson helps students prepare for these Next Generation Science Standards Performance Expectations:
- MS-LS4-4. Construct an explanation based on evidence that describes how genetic variations of traits in a population increase some individuals' probability of surviving and reproducing in a specific environment.
- MS-LS4-5. Gather and synthesize information about technologies that have changed the way humans influence the inheritance of desired traits in organisms.
|Science & Engineering Practices||Disciplinary Core Ideas||Crosscutting Concepts|
|Science & Engineering Practices||Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information.
Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information in 6-8 builds on K-5 experiences and progresses to evaluating the merit and validity of ideas and methods.
Gather, read, and synthesize information from multiple appropriate sources and assess the credibility, accuracy, and possible bias of each publication and methods used, and describe how they are supported or not supported by evidence.
|Disciplinary Core Ideas||LS4.B: Natural Selection.
In artificial selection, humans have the capacity to influence certain characteristics of organisms by selective breeding. One can choose desired parental traits determined by genes, which are then passed on to offspring.
||Crosscutting Concepts||Stability and Change.
For both designed and natural systems, conditions that affect stability and factors that control states of change are critical elements to consider and understand.
Cause and Effect. Phenomena may have more than one cause, and some cause and effect relationships in systems can only be described using probability.
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Connections to Engineering, Technology, and Applications of Science
Interdependence of Science, Engineering, and Technology. Engineering advances have led to important discoveries in virtually every field of science, and scientific discoveries have led to the development of entire industries and engineered systems.
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Connections to Nature of Science
Science Addresses Questions About the Natural and Material World. Scientific knowledge can describe the consequences of actions but does not necessarily prescribe the decisions that society takes.
- Apple Genetics PowerPoint Slides
- Apple Genetics worksheet, 1 per student
- Per group of students:
- 1 Paper Plate
- 1 Whole Braeburn Apple
- 1 Whole Royal Gala Apple
- 1 Whole Jazz Apple
- 1 Knife (or apple slicer to cut apple)
Essential Files (maps, charts, pictures, or documents)
allele: a variant of a gene
dominant allele: an allele whose trait always shows up in the organism when the allele is present (written as uppercase letter)
gene: a section of DNA that codes for a certain trait
genotype: an organism's genetic makeup or allele combinations
heredity: the passing of traits from parents to offspring
heterozygous: having 2 different alleles for a trait.
homozygous: having two identical alleles for a trait.
phenotype: an organism's physical appearance or visible trait
probability: a number that describes how likely it is that an event will occur
Punnet Square: a diagram used to predict an outcome of a particular cross or breeding experiment
recessive allele: an allele that is masked when a dominant allele is present (written as lower case letter)
trait: a characteristic that an organism can pass on to its offspring through its genes
Did You Know? (Ag Facts)
- Apples are a member of the rose family.1
- More than 2,500 varieties of apples are grown in the United States, but only the crabapple is native to North America.1
- The average person eats 65 apples per year.1
- Apples are 25% air, which is why they float in water.1
Background Agricultural Connections
Prior to this lesson, students should have a basic understanding of inherited traits and know that all cells of an organism have DNA. DNA is the blueprint providing the organism with coded instructions for proper function and development. Students should also know that genes are sections of DNA that are responsible for passing specific traits from parent to offspring. Students will need to be familiar with vocabulary such as phenotype, genotype, homozygous, and heterozygous to successfully complete the lesson and student worksheet and determine probabilities associated with possible offspring using a Punnett Square. Students will be introduced to several varieties of apples and discover how new varieties can be created through crossbreeding.
Key STEM Ideas
Genetics is the study of heredity, while heredity is the passing of traits from parents to offspring. This lesson will help solidify key genetics vocabulary words.
The main idea of this lesson is to show the application of genetic crossing for the benefit of agriculture by producing apples with a variety of traits.
Gregor Mendel was a priest who worked with the genetic crossing of pea plants. He would cross purebred short pea plants with purebred tall pea plants. Through his experiments he determined that some traits were visible in the plant (dominant traits) while others were not, but were still able to be passed on to future generations (recessive traits). Understanding what we see and what the genetic makeup of an organism is can be quite different. When you look at an organism, its physical characteristics are all dependent on a specific allele combination. This is the difference between phenotype and genotype. Students will use Punnett Squares in this lesson to help determine all the possible allele combinations in a genetic cross and their probabilities.
Crossbreeding allows breeders to create better quality apples by incorporating traits from two parent plants into the seeds of a new generation of plants. Breeders must understand both genotypes and phenotypes to accomplish this task. Breeders must also decide which traits are desirable and should be selected. This is an intensive process that involves breeding successive generations of apples with the preferred traits in order to get the final product. There are several crop modification techniques breeders use to develop new plant/fruit varieties.
Connections to Agriculture
Apples are an important agricultural crop. There are about 7,500 apple producers in the United States. Washington, New York, and Michigan are the leaders in apple production. Growers produce a variety of different kinds of apples. Some apples are better for baking while others are typically consumed fresh. Apples are a good snack choice as they satiate hunger, contain no fat and relatively few calories while being high in fiber and vitamin C.
Apples are grown through a process called grafting rather than being grown from seed. This is done because most apple varieties are self-unfruitful, which means their blossoms must be fertilized with the pollen of a separate variety in order to produce fruit. The fruit has traits from the parent tree, but the seeds inside will be a cross of the two varieties. This mixture of genetic material in the seeds means the grower won’t know what traits a tree grown from these seeds will have and what the resulting fruit will taste like.
To avoid this uncertainty apple growers do not grow new trees from seed. Instead, new apple trees are propagated through a process called grafting. In this process a special cut is made into the rootstock of a tree. Then, they graft or transplant a section of a stem with leaf buds called a scion from a variety that has desirable traits into the cut. In time the two pieces fuse together allowing for growth of the scion. Eventually, blossoms on the scion will be pollinated and will produce a consistent variety of fruit with the desired traits.
The goal of apple breeding is to continuously produce quality apples with desirable traits. Cross breeding and genetic engineering are two methods that have allowed breeders to produce better quality apples. See Crop Modification Techniques)
Interest Approach - Engagement
- Ask students to think about their favorite apple. Ask them why that variety is their favorite. Ask them why they think a green Granny Smith apple is so tart/sour? This should lead to a discussion about various apple traits such as sweetness, tartness, flavors, crunchiness, color, etc.
- Tell students that there are thousands of varieties of apples grown in the United States. Most of the varieties will not be familiar to them because they are only found in orchards grown for research, the development of new apple varieties, or hobby orchards. Challenge students to try to list some of the most commonly sold apples. In the United States those include Red Delicious, McIntosh, Golden/Yellow Delicious, Gala, Granny Smith, Fuji, Braeburn, Pink Lady, Honeycrisp, Empire, Opal, and Jazz. These varieties are more likely to be familiar to your students in addition to other local varieties.
- Ask students if they know how these different apple varieties became available.
- Ask your students to use their understanding of heredity and genetics to explain how apple varieties could be developed. Use student responses to transition to Activity 1.
This lesson investigates the phenomenon of apple taste along with other observed apple characteristics. Natural phenomena are observable events that occur in the universe that we can use our science knowledge to explain or predict.
Phenomenon-Based Question: What makes apple varieties different?
|Question||Science and Engineering Practices||Student Engagement in Practices||Explanation|
||Students carry out investigations to compare the Braeburn, Royal Gala, and Jazz apples. Students ask and refine questions that lead to descriptions and explanations about the different traits found in apples such as color, taste, texture, and size.||The traits found in apple varieties are determined by their genetic makeup, or genotype. Heritable traits are passed from parent to offspring.|
||Students use science to ask and refine questions that lead to explanations about the process of selectively breeding apples to produce new apple varieties with desirable traits.||Apple breeders cross pollinate the flowers of specific apple varieties (sexual propagation) and then plant the seeds to obtain a tree and apples genetically different than the parent trees. It takes hundreds or even thousands of crosses, to find the desirable result.|
||Students can use science to explain that forms of asexual propagation produce genetically identical offspring.||In contrast to apple breeders, apple farmers use grafting to produce new apple trees. This form of asexual plant propagation allows the genetics of each variety of apple to be exact clones, therefore producing a consistent crop of apples for consumers.|
Activity 1: Apple Genetics - Making them Different (Episode Questions 1 and 2)
- Give each student one copy of the Apple Genetics worksheet. Divide the class into small groups of students (2-4).
- Give each group of students the following supplies:
- 1 paper plate (this will be the cutting board as well as an area to keep the apples)
- 1 Braeburn Apple
- 1 Royal Gala Apple (Note: DO NOT hand out the Jazz apple yet).
- 1 knife (or pre-slice apples)
- Have students draw a line down the center of their paper plate and label each side with "Gala" or "Braeburn." The apples will look similar, so it will be important to avoid confusing the two apples.
- Have students complete "Part 1" and "Part 2" of the worksheet and then stop.
- Project the Apple Genetics PowerPoint for students to see. Using slide 2, hold a brief class discussion about the traits they have observed in the apples so far. Draw on the student's prior knowledge of heredity and genetics to conclude that each trait is an expression of its genotype.
- Use slide 3 of the PowerPoint to review vocabulary if needed. Make sure students are familiar with the terms.
- Have students complete "Part 3" of the worksheet to review the possible genotypes of the Gala and Braeburn apples. These genotypes can be found on the worksheet and slide 4-5 of the PowerPoint.
- Once students have finished their Punnet squares, give each group of students a Jazz apple. Students will follow the same procedure and complete "Part 4" and "Part 5" of the worksheet.
- Facilitate a class discussion about the 3 varieties of apple (slide 6). Reveal to the students that the Jazz apple is a cross between the Gala and Braeburn apple. Using slide 7, share a few more facts about the Jazz Apple.
- Talk about the concept of crossbreeding and how it is used to produce better quality organisms (slide 8).
- Explain that the Honeycrisp apple (slide 9) was also developed by crossbreeding, and is a competitor of the Jazz apple.
- Summarize with students by connecting what they know about genetics with what they have learned about apples:
- Genes determine genetic traits found in apples such as color, taste, and texture.
- To develop a new, improved variety of apple, apple breeders cross pollinate apple varieties. This form of sexual reproduction results in an offspring (seed) that is genetically different from the parent trees.
- Scientists use a knowledge of genetics and heredity to cross breed apples and produce new varieties of apples. The Jazz and Honeycrisp apples are examples.
Activity 2: Apple Genetics - Keeping Them the Same (Episode Question 3)
- Ask students if they have ever eaten Jelly Belly jelly beans. Have they ever eaten or heard of the Jelly Belly jelly beans that have "bad" flavors like toothpaste, stinkbug, or stinky socks? (Perhaps in the game Beanboozled.) While this may be a fun game or practical joke, have a discussion with your students about what they (as consumers) want in their food. Conclude that every time they purchase milk, meat, bread, vegetables... or an apple, they want it to taste consistently the same without surprises.
- Students have just learned how new varieties of apples are created. Ask, "How do apple farmers all across the nation grow specific varieties of apple that all taste and look the same? For example, how does a Granny Smith always taste like a Granny Smith and a Gala always taste like a Gala?" Does a [Granny Smith] grown in one region of the country taste the same as a [Granny Smith] grown in another region of the country?
- To discover the answer, show the Have We Engineered The Perfect Apple? video:
- From the video, students should recognize grafting as the answer to the question. Apple farmers do not grow trees from seed, they use a technique called grafting (slide 10).
- Ask students, "What is the genetic similarity of two trees grafted from the same source?" (They are genetically identical clones. Therefore, every apple tree grafted from the same source will produce apples with the same genetic makeup.)
- Summarize with students by connecting what they know about genetics with what they have just learned about apples:
- Grafting, a form of asexual propagation is used by apple farmers to produce the apples we eat. It produces apples consistent to consumer expectations for each variety of apple by eliminating the genetic variability of sexual propagation methods.
|In addition to growing a consistent apple crop, farmers use grafting to propagate apple trees because it is significantly faster than growing a tree from seed. An apple tree grown from seed will take 6-10 years to produce fruit. A grafted apple tree will take 2-3 years depending on the type and size of the graft.|
Concept Elaboration and Evaluation:
After completing these activities, have students create a Venn Diagram to list both the similarities and differences found in sexual and asexual propagation methods. Discuss the benefits and drawbacks of each.
Phenomena Episode Extensions:
Effective phenomena-based instruction continues to evolve as students learn. New questions should arise throughout the learning process. The following questions may arise providing opportunity for other episodes in this storyline:
- Why can other fruits and vegetables be propagated with sexual reproduction (seeds) and produce a consistent crop, but apples cannot?
- Why do most apples get brown after cutting (see the Fruits Gone Bad? Discover Enzymatic Browning activity), but Opal apples and Arctic® apples do not?
- If cut apples are in the room at the end of the lesson, ask students if they see any browning occurring. Discuss what causes this. Teach students about Arctic apples, a genetically modified apple which does not brown. Compare and contrast to the Opal apple, an apple variety selectively bred to be non-browning.
- Watch the Honeycrisp vs Red Delicious - How We Finally Got Good Apples video:
- Listen to the NPR podcast "The Miracle Apple."
Activity 1 was originally written in the lesson "Apple Genetics" written by Kevin Atterberg (Culler Middle School, Lincoln NE), Erin Ingram, and Molly Brandt (University of Nebraska-Lincoln, IANR Science Literacy Initiative). The lesson was updated in 2018 to follow a phenomena-based format.
Ag Fact Sources:
- Apples and More, © 2021 University of Illinois Extension.
Kevin Atterberg, Erin Ingram, Molly Brandt, Andrea Gardner, and Debra Spielmaker
National Center for Agricultural Literacy | <urn:uuid:0572f4fe-a6ec-46ca-971f-452116d36df5> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://www.sciencebuddies.org/teacher-resources/lesson-plans/apple-genetics-taste-punnet-square | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224653764.55/warc/CC-MAIN-20230607111017-20230607141017-00499.warc.gz | en | 0.915606 | 3,734 | 3.859375 | 4 |
Belfast's Gaelic Revival Seeks to Bridge the Divide
In Northern Ireland's capital city, memories and tensions simmer below the surface. Can a shared language repair decades of division?
BELFAST, Northern Ireland -- On the Short Strand, a stretch of land just outside the city center, Belfast's Catholic community has carved out an area where identity means Irish, not British.
Few here have forgotten the Troubles, the brutal, bloody battle between the Protestant unionist and Catholic nationalist communities over the North's constitutional status, which caused what seemed like an irreconcilable schism and spanned almost 40 years, ending with the "Good Friday" Agreement in 1998.
Here, street signs are written in Gaelic and streetlights are topped off by Irish tricolors--a stark contrast with the Protestant region, Newtownards Road, which lies on the other side of the Strand. There, the block loyal to the Queen is accoutered with Union Jacks and vibrant murals that recount the days of the Ulster Freedom Fighters. The immediate overload of unionist imagery, painted in now-chipped bright reds and deep blues, is the Protestant response to the strong Catholic presence.
But on this same street is a budding movement to unite the two sides and tap into a shared heritage. Protestants and Catholics alike are reviving the Irish language--a piece of culture on the brink of extinction in Northern Ireland--in a move to depoliticize a tongue typically associated with the nationalist perspective and forge an identity that transcends religion.
"The Irish language has been used in a divisive way," says Linda Ervine, Irish development officer of the East Belfast Mission on Newtownards Road. "But to me, it has the potential to unite us."
Ervine, a Protestant who grew up in the area where the segregated religious communities meet, or the Interface, helped launch Irish language classes at the mission two years ago after she realized her own ancestors spoke Irish. Since 1985, the mission has served as a Protestant outpost that helps those who live in the inner city, regardless of background or faith.
The language was almost lost by the end of the 19th century because Irish became associated with poverty and Catholicism (particularly during the potato famine, which hit the poor the hardest). During the famine, about 3 million Irish emigrated. But what few Protestants in the neighborhood know, Ervine says, is that Irish, or Gaelic, was saved by a small group of Presbyterians, many of whom were steadfast loyalists.
Part of Ervine's recruiting tactic is telling her fellow Protestants about their religion's role in saving Gaelic in the 1900s. Protestants of different denominations used Irish to proselytize Catholics, and some attempted to preserve it through manuscripts or by promoting it as a living language.
Today, demand for classes is only rising, Ervine says. The mission currently hosts three language classes, but it plans on adding two more in April. And because unionists don't grow up speaking the language, Protestants from all walks of life are taught Irish by Catholic instructors.
"It's an excellent means of reconciliation," she says.
Ervine's efforts coincide with a national initiative--called Líofa 2015, or "fluent" 2015--launched in 2011 by Belfast's Minister for Culture, Arts and Leisure, Carál Ní Chuilín, a prominent Sinn Féin leader and former member of the Irish Republican Army.
The minister has said in the past that she hopes the program will encourage 1,000 people from all religions and political parties to sign up and be fluent in Irish within the next two years; 2013 has been designated as the year of the Irish language, or Bliain na Gaeilge.
"If we are to continue to move towards a peaceful and prosperous society we must work towards reducing distrust and misunderstanding by building understanding of one another's traditions," she said in a March statement.
According to census data, about 10 percent of people in Northern Ireland have any Irish language skills. Perhaps more telling is that around three-quarters of Catholics would like hear more Irish being used, while more than two-thirds of Protestants want to hear less. In the Republic of Ireland, Gaelic is far more common--about 41 percent of people can speak the language, census figures show.
Not all politicians agree that the Irish language can help heal the wounds left by the Troubles. Basil McCrea, a unionist member of the legislative assembly, supported the culture minister's language initiative, but doesn't believe Irish will be depoliticized anytime soon.
McCrea says much of that can be attributed to the way nationalist Sinn Féin politicians like to speak Irish in Stormont, Northern Ireland's legislature--something he calls hijacking the language.
"You know when [Sinn Féin is] annoyed because they respond in a huge amount of Irish," McCrea says. "It's like flying a flag. It's got nothing to do with language and everything to do with politics."
Sinn Féin's stance on the Irish language has long been associated with the saying, "every word of Irish spoken is like another bullet being fired in the struggle for Irish freedom."
McCrea argues that the language is promoted more as a token than as the spearhead of the tolerance movement
Twenty years ago, at the peak of Catholic-Protestant tensions, a unionist named Ivor Reid might have agreed.
Now the 51-year-old sits in a classroom at the East Belfast Mission, reciting terms he's learned in Gaelic alongside his fellow students. He and about a dozen others are enrolled in a beginner's Irish class, where they learn the basics of the language every Wednesday night.
"Conas tá tú? (How are you?)," the instructor asks.
"Tá mé go maith (I'm well)," the students respond.
Reid grew up in a part of town where "everything's British" and murals with painted Union Jacks are inscribed with messages like "The Ulster conflict is about nationality," lest anyone forget.
Reid doesn't buy into the idea that everyone in the city gets along post-peace process, he says, and argues that people take their British pride too far--a reference to the flag protests that took place last fall and still flare up to this day.
"My community, they probably think I'm nuts," he says, taking a swig of his coffee during the class break. "But the people I've met learning the Irish language, they aren't republicans...this is our language, not just republican language."
Reid sees Irish as a way for both sides to communicate and better understand each other, a way to rid the city of an "us and them" attitude.
"It's not sorted out, that's the problem," he says of the enduring societal divisions. "Which is sad, but it's Northern Ireland. The older generation has turned around and said, 'You know, wise up.'"
If the Líofa campaign succeeds and Gaelic becomes commonplace, it won't be the first time language has helped unite a nation still reeling from tragedy and division.
Though Irish was never fully extinct as a spoken language like Hebrew once was, experts draw a parallel between the faded language's resurrection in Israel and the Gaelic revival in Northern Ireland. Paul Frommer, a linguistics expert and creator of the Na'vi language spoken in the movie Avatar, says Hebrew is an example of how language brings people together.
"Every language is a reflection of the culture in which it developed," Frommer says. "The way you speak says an awful lot about who you are and who you identify with."
In the United States, Native American tribes like the Navajo have been reviving their languages because they see it as part of who they are. Similarly, if Protestants in Belfast accept that Gaelic is in their blood, despite their political affiliation, the language could mend decades-old wounds, Frommer says.
Ervine echoes Frommer's sentiments. While she is considered loyalist royalty--her husband, the late Brian Ervine, was a leading unionist politician, as was his brother, David--she believes her students can maintain their religion and political identities while accepting "Irishness." She says her political status helps takes the sting out for Protestants interested in learning Irish.
"This idea that you have to be choose to be one or the other, that comes from politics. That comes from the top," Ervine says. "We are Irish...I feel I'm Irish." | <urn:uuid:f990e5b7-cdf4-4188-9903-f6130e6bf2ea> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2013/04/belfasts-gaelic-revival-seeks-to-bridge-the-divide/275241/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224657144.94/warc/CC-MAIN-20230610062920-20230610092920-00499.warc.gz | en | 0.968481 | 1,775 | 2.8125 | 3 |
Promotion of child health and safety standards are not only important but critical for successful early learning and child care
Child Health Safety and the Environment
Parents and educators want the best for children, but we don’t always know where the dangers lie or what we can do to protect them. The environments in which young children learn, play, and grow contribute in crucial ways to children’s lifelong health trajectories. Providing all children in Canada with an equal opportunity to learn and play in safe, healthy, and sustainable child care environments is a necessary and attainable step. Check out the resources here to find out how you can make an impact in the lives of the children and families.
CHILD HEALTH AND SAFETY Articles
Why do Children Lie? Helping Young Children Tell the Truth
Read more about why children lie, and how adults can help them tell the truth.
Watch the free replay now! Learn strategies in this webinar from outdoor play experts to help think through the risks and benefits involved in outdoor play. Gain confidence in your ability to navigate risky play in your programs.
Please enjoy the free webinar replay on thriving outside.
Take the Child Care Checklist: How Healthy & Sustainable Are You?
Everyday actions like choosing safer cleaning products & toys to composting programs — can help a child care program create healthier spaces for children and staff. Take the checklist today!
Building Resilience: Constructing ECE Knowledge of Trauma-Informed Practice in Early Learning Settings
Read about Mothercraft College of Early Childhood Education and their project team’s determination to build the resilience of infants, young children and ECEs.
Download the Plan: Providing Healthy Sustainable Child Care Environments
Our sector and child care and early learning stakeholders have created a vision to ensure that all children in Canada have the opportunity to thrive in child care settings that are healthy and sustainable. Download the plan.
Children Health and Safety Resources
Advancing Environmental Health in Child Care Settings – A Checklist for Child Care Practitioners and Public Health Inspectors This user-friendly checklist is designed to assist child care practitioners and public health inspectors in identifying practical steps to reduce children’s exposures to toxic chemicals and pollutants in various indoor and outdoor child care settings. Download Resource
Additional resources https://healthyenvironmentforkids.ca/resources/
Enjoy Some Of Our Past Content On Child Health and Safety
- Child Safety Protecting Children against sexual abuse
These guidelines will help parents and educators teach children how to stay safe. Download the copy here
- Fire Safety
It’s important to know what you are going to do when that smoke alarm goes off. You may have less than two minutes to escape before smoke creates life-threatening conditions. Download the copy here | <urn:uuid:e6362536-94e6-4fb0-8d19-29cb7825c042> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://cccf-fcsge.ca/ece-resources/topics/child-health-safety/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224644571.22/warc/CC-MAIN-20230528214404-20230529004404-00699.warc.gz | en | 0.908319 | 575 | 3.90625 | 4 |
The Vitamin D BreakdownPosted by Thomas Macsay on
Image - @purienne
We’ve all heard of Vitamin D, and most of us are probably aware that we don't have adequate levels of it flowing in our body. There is a reason why it is the 3rd most used supplement among global populations, and it’s because most individuals living in the modern world do not receive adequate skin exposure to sunlight nor is their cellular health balanced enough to produce adequate levels of Vitamin D for optimal wellbeing.
It is a common misconception that 15 to 20 minutes of sunlight a day is sufficient enough to keep our vitamin D at a healthy level, but the latest science has revealed that up to 3-4 hours of direct sun exposure to an average skin tone is necessary. Even those who have darker skin are also typically deficient in vitamin D, as melanin absorbs UV light from the sun, preventing it from activating the vitamin D precursor hanging around in the superficial layers of the skin.
Individuals with low vitamin D have consistently been observed as being more susceptible to bacterial and viral infections, poor organ function, as well as poor mental health. There are dozens of diseases such as cancer, heart attacks, and autoimmune diseases that can be prevented by healthy vitamin D levels.
But how exactly does vitamin D work throughout the body to provide the immune, mood, and musculoskeletal health associated with vitamin D? Here, we break down each of the major benefits that one may experience with adequate levels or supplementation.
Cognitive Function & Health
Low levels of vitamin D may be involved in the pathogenesis of depression in several ways. In human beings, the distribution of the vitamin D receptor seems to occur in high concentration in the hypothalamus, the brain center responsible for all autonomous functions of the body. Moreover, the distribution of vitamin D receptors suggest they directly interact with major neurotransmitters, male and female sex hormones, thyroid hormone, and dopamine/serotonin production. All previously mentioned pathways and compounds are directly related to mood and depressive states.
On sunny days, the brain has a marked increase in serotonin production: the brain’s happy hormone that improves your mood and alleviates the severity of anxiety and mild forms of depression. Most commonly associated with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), one of the major reasons a lot of people experience drops in their mood during the year’s colder months is due to a lack of direct sunlight exposure. This takes place due to vitamin D’s role as an enzyme activator in the serotonin production pathway that relies on the conversion of the amino acid tryptophan into serotonin precursor.
Healing Skin Conditions
Topically, sunlight can vastly improve certain skin conditions that otherwise don’t bode a lot of options in finding a cure. Conditions such as psoriasis, eczema, acne and other fungal skin infections can greatly benefit and possibly even fully heal when direct sunlight is applied regularly and intentionally. Many times, a dermatologist will prescribe UV light treatment as a means to heal from uncomfortable aforementioned skin conditions, especially in locations with minimal sunlight throughout the year. Sunlight produces electromagnetic frequencies that damage the DNA and RNA of microbes, yeast, or fungi, killing them and preventing further replication. Under the surface, Vitamin D receptor binding activates white blood cells which aids in clearing pathogenic microbes while regulating the immune response. Still for those in sunnier climates, getting outside and into the direct sunlight can greatly benefit your skin in diminishing the side effects of certain skin conditions, relieving discomfort and clearing up the surface entirely.
Circling back to serotonin and neurotransmitter regulation, getting healthy doses of sunlight tells the brain to produce and release certain chemicals that trigger a lift in your mood as well as better sleep. Sunlight is the driving force for the sleep wake cycle that relies on a spike of cortisol in the morning followed by a gradual decline throughout the day, giving way to serotonin and melatonin at night. Melatonin is a converted form of serotonin, released from the brain in response to darkness or night time. Without direct sunlight to stimulate Vitamin D production and thus the production of serotonin and melatonin in skin cells, the body becomes unable to properly fall into its natural rest cycle at night. This becomes even more problematic with extended blue light exposure into the late hours of the night, preventing melatonin release in the brain.
Multiple studies have been linked with the supplementation of vitamin D and it’s impact on glycemic indices in diabetes. Vitamin D impacts the function of beta-cells by mediating calcium flux, possibly increasing both insulin secretion from the pancreas and insulin sensitivity in tissues throughout the body. Population studies have found that lower vitamin D levels are commonly associated with a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes as well as a number of other metabolic comorbidities as the fragile tissues of the body are easily damaged as cellular function decreases.
There is strong clinical evidence to suggest that vitamin D can prevent and treat certain cardiovascular diseases. It plays a critical role in heart health by quenching inflammatory messengers and compounds that stress the heart and cause vascular damage. These anti-inflammatory properties are also involved as part of its function as an immune system regulator. Vitamin D might also decrease cardiac and vascular remodeling through suppression of the renin gene and suppression of parathyroid hormone which increase blood pressure and contribute to hardening of vessel walls.
Vitamin D in its active form in the body is also referred to as calcitriol and plays an important role in electrolyte balance as it allows for proper calcium and phosphorus absorption in the gut. It also promotes new bone growth and repair, supporting healthy development and proper mineral density. Proper vitamin D levels are necessary for children to develop healthy musculoskeletal structures while also preventing elderly populations from dealing with advanced forms of osteoporosis and arthritis. Rickets is a common disease associated with vitamin D deficiency in childhood as the bones are so soft they begin to bow under the weight of the rest of the body.
Taking a look at all the vital roles that vitamin D plays in the body, it becomes clear that it is an absolutely essential nutrient for maintaining a healthy and balanced bodily ecosystem.
Although low vitamin D levels and lack of healthy sun exposure may seem concerning to some, it is never something to stress over. Vitamin D can easily be supplemented due to the fact that most living organisms on the plant rely on the sun to produce vitamin D.
This means vitamin D can be obtained through diet from other animals, eggs, a number of green vegetables, and mushrooms as well. Mushrooms are actually wonderful at producing vitamin D and are used as the source for many vitamin D supplements on the market today. You may even be taking a vitamin D supplement right now that was sourced from mushrooms or other yeasts.
Studies and research around the world continue to evolve and uncover the ways in which the sun and vitamin D are truly our friends. Soaking in sunlight responsibly and using the right skin products is essential in absorbing all of the sun’s benefits into our bodies and our lives. If a daily dose of sunlight can change our world for the better, why should we hide in the shade? Let’s make friends with the sun and fully embrace it in the way it was intended.
Written by Dr. Thomas Macsay | <urn:uuid:4e31cd05-e244-4965-8aeb-699b8abf498b> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://sunshinerituals.com/blogs/news/vitamin-d-what-does-it-do | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224644571.22/warc/CC-MAIN-20230528214404-20230529004404-00699.warc.gz | en | 0.937949 | 1,515 | 3.28125 | 3 |
If you are not familiar with the place you visit, it will be a problem to get the right directions. Learning the local language and asking is the most effective way to get the right directions. Sometimes map is not useful as the simple words that you speak out. Chinese Lesson
Frequently Used Words and Sentences for Directions
Watch more videos about Chinese culture stories. | <urn:uuid:fbb64729-a056-43ad-9576-bfbd6235e9e8> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/learning-chinese/direction.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224644571.22/warc/CC-MAIN-20230528214404-20230529004404-00699.warc.gz | en | 0.925127 | 75 | 2.703125 | 3 |
6. Exposure Modes
Nature and Landscape Photography- Class Introduction03:10 2
Cameras and Sensors07:03 3
Lenses for Nature and Landscape Photos09:32 4
Tripods and Monopods24:42 5
Exposure and Metering09:20 6
Exposure Modes14:57 7
Focus: Modes, Points and Buttons20:15 8
Mountains and Forests17:39
Macro Shots and Adding a Human Element10:36 10
Elements of Design16:08 11
Timing: Seasons and Time of Day26:16 12
Let's talk about exposure mounts. You know these things that dial on the top, your camera with the pictures on it and the letters, Where should we set that? Well, these little icons down at the bottom of the screen that eyes set up for kind of general basic picture taking. Yeah, it kind of gets you set up in the right areas for certain shutter speeds and apertures in some situations, but it has a lot of child safety locks that don't allow you control. We want to get in and be able to control our camera manually. Now the program mode. Well, the camera is figuring shutter speeds and apertures out, but we can get in there and have some sort of input about what's going on. So the camera's going to figure out shutter speeds and apertures. In case you've ever wondered, What is the program this master programme? What is it? What's the dictating? What's what's the rule of the program? And the rule of the program is don't let this person have to slow a shutter speed. It has no idea that you mig...
ht be on a tripod. It's thinking, Oh, this person's hand holding the camera. We better get him out of 60th of a second or faster. And if you're on a tripod, that would be totally the wrong decision in many situations. So one of the things you have to be careful of in the program mode is that with subtle different composition changes that you might make with the camera and the background changes just a little bit. Your camera could be changing shutter speeds and apertures so you could go well, I like the shutter speed and aperture move the camera one degree and suddenly the numbers are going to change on you. This is one of the reasons why I don't use program mode for landscape photography. All cameras have a system of being able to shift the numbers either flexible program or programs shift or some other name. And what this allows you to do is by turning one of the main control dials on your camera. It allows you to shift both shutter speeds and apertures at the same time, and this is kind of nice. If you said no, I don't really like that combination. Can we try a different number over here? Well, this works out pretty good. But the problem is is that some cameras? I don't remember this, and so you might have it set into something that you really want. And you wait 30 seconds and you come back to your camera and it's gonna reset back to the default setting, and this is just very, very irritating. On the other hand, some cameras stay locked into where they're set at, and you kind of forgot I had it set up for one thing, and I just went over here and randomly took a picture, and it was set up for this past situation. And so the program mode has limitations, and I never use it for this type of photography. Shutter priority, time value. This is where we get to choose the shutter speed, and the camera will figure out the aperture. I'm not a very big fan of this one, either. On this one, we're gonna be able to choose the shutter speed, and the camera will figure out the aperture once again. We have to be careful because the camera will be looking at the background, foreground, everything judging exposure and the numbers we're gonna change on you. According to the light levels. The problem with this motives is very easy to exceed the range of what your camera can handle and what your lens can handle. And so, yeah, you can set in 1/1000 of a second. But that doesn't mean your camera has the right aperture to use with it. And so you have to be very careful when setting extremes on this. It doesn't work out very well. And so I am not a big fan of the shutter priority mode except for in some very particular and unusual situations, because you can exceed the range of the camera one area where it can work out. For instance, if you're doing bird photography and you need to maintain a fast shutter speed. But the birds were flying from the sunlight to the shadows, and they're going all over the place using auto I s a which I'm not a big fan of talk about eso in just a moment, but you could use auto eso and shutter priority combined together for some very random situations, like birds flying in and out of Brighton, bright areas into dark trees, and so that's kind of my one exception on that particular mode setting. I like aperture priority for kind of general photography. I think it's very good for travel photography, where you're not sure what your next shot is going to be set. What you think is gonna be inappropriate aperture. The camera's gonna pick a shutter speed, and there are lots of shutter speeds that the camera gets to choose and any aperture you choose. Undoubtedly in almost all but the most extreme situations, your camera is gonna have a shutter speed that properly matches with that aperture priority. So I think this is a good general purpose mode for many types of things. It is very easy to adjust those apertures because there's really not that many apertures on the camera. But be aware that your camera is constantly adjusting the shutter speed according to what it sees in the frame that may or may not be your subject. If there's a subject in the background that's either darker or lighter, that's gonna throw off your light meter, and so aperture priority is not a bad way to shoot in landscape photography, but my favorite is going full manual. The problem with aperture priority shutter priority in program is that the camera is ultimately deciding how bright or dark your photo is. And so in your viewfinder, your of course, going to see your light meter and the indicator, and it should hopefully be right under the zero as far as the default position. But this is indicating how bright or dark your photographs are. And so in this first photograph in Yellowstone, it should be a very bright scene. But your camera thinks everything in the world is middle tone grey. And so in a scene like this in an aperture priority mode, what you need to do is you need to go to your exposure, compensation dial or button wherever that is on your camera, and you're going to need to brighten this up because snow is brighter than 18% gray. And so you're gonna have to dial this in any time. You have a subject that is brighter than normal. If you go into the forest a forest in case you didn't know it is darker than average 18% gray. And so you're gonna have to go into pictures like this, and you're gonna have to dial down the exposure compensation, perhaps to a minus one level. And so, if you are using aperture priority, get very comfortable using exposure compensation, cause you're gonna need it on a regular basis, whether you're photographing something bright or something dark. And I don't like making these changes, because unless the light on my subject is changing, this just gets to be a lot of fiddle Cem camera work that I don't want to be doing. I do enjoy it for travel photography, and I know there are some people that use this on a regular basis, and that works fully well for them, and that's that's great. But one of the things to note, because one of the tips I gave you earlier is about using the self time remote and using the auto exposure mode. And the self timer mode is a recipe for a problem. Here's the problem. Is that in your camera, the way your camera meters is that your main mirror is a partially silvered mirror, and light bounces down to a light meter in the bottom. If you use a self timer and you are no longer blocking the light coming in, the eyepiece light will stream in from the back of the camera. It will go through the mirror, which is partially silvered, and that light will end up on the light meter in the bottom of the camera. And it's gonna throw off your images because it thinks there's more light coming in. Then there actually is, and your pictures air going to result in being too dark. What can you do about this? Well, some cameras give you eyepiece covers for use. When you're using the self timer, you'll take that eyepiece cover and you'll put it over the eyepiece to block the light coming in while you're doing a self timer shot. So if you were doing a self timer shot, you could clip that little piece on. Now, some of the nice cameras have an actual lever on the back of the camera, right beside the eyepiece, and when you flipped that lever, it drops a blind that covers the eyepiece. And this is kind of the hallmark of a very high end camera if it's got this little convenient switch in there, so this is blocking that extra light, which could throw off your light meter in any of the auto exposure modes. It won't affect the manual mode. It could potentially effect the metering system. So if you were going to set the camera up in a remote location, for instance, and a lot of cameras have a WiFi remote now that you could activate. And if you're gonna put a camera over here and you're not gonna be behind it, you should close that eyepiece blind. You should put the cover over. Or at the very least, put a piece of gaffer tape over the back so that you don't have light streaming in the back of your camera. If you are using any the auto exposure modes. Now let's get to the serious stuff manual full. Manu. This is where I shoot pretty much all my nature and landscape work, and it's pretty simple concept. We have our shutter speeds, we have our apertures, and I'm gonna pick one that I think is most important and I'm going to set it in many cases. I'm setting the aperture first where? Well, that depends on the subject. We'll get to that in a moment, and then what I do is I need to set my shutter speed and I set that by looking at the light meter and just start turning the shutter speed until the light meter hits the center area or wherever. I think it needs to be for that particular type of situation. And then I will commence shooting pictures, lots of pictures in the same area, so long as the scene is not changing in brightness. So let me share with you an experience that I had at Yellowstone this last winter. I went to go photograph old faithful, and I wanted to get lots of different shots in a short two minute period of time, and I knew it was gonna be kind of a light seen. And so when I set up my manual exposure, I exposed a little bit to the right hand side, uh, plus exposure about 1/3 2 3rd of a stop now as the camera. If you could look over my shoulder while I was taking these pictures, the camera was reading much more brightness because there was a different amount of brightness in each of the photographs. But all of these photographs are at the exact same aperture at the exact same shutter speed, and I was in manual. It's just the light meter was saying, Hey, it's getting brighter here And if I had time to talk to the camera, I would have said Yes, it is getting brighter because there's more bright stuff in the frame that's normal for what? What's going on here? If I had had the camera in an aperture shutter priority or a program mode where the camera is figuring out the light, here is what would have happened in that situation. As you can see in this example, it gets darker as we go from left to right, because is actually more brightness in the image, and the camera is trying to compensate for the brightness by making it darker. And this is kind of the problem with any of the auto exposure modes in the camera is that your camera doesn't understand subject content and how bright and reflective it is of the light of the light. And so the camera thinks it's getting the right exposure. But it's not the right exposure at all in cases where you have a lighting that is not changing. So if you have consistent lighting and lighting during this, two minutes was not changing very much. I could set the exact same shutter speed in the same aperture and get nice, even exposures with the best looking hissed a gram possible in each of these cases. And so this is why I shoot manual exposure most all the time. It takes me a few extra seconds to get the first shot, but every shot afterwards comes out much more consistently, much, even much more evenly and much toe a preferred place. Now, one way of ensuring that you got the right exposure is exposure bracketing, and many cameras have this feature, and what it allows you to do is it shoots anywhere from two usually three, sometimes 57 or nine shots at different exposure levels. And this is something that people who shoot HDR photography and they shoot multiple different levels so that they can take this, compress it all into one image and take the best information from each image landscape. Photographers in the past did it because they couldn't see their results on film, and they wanted to make sure that they got exactly the right exposure. It seems to be in much less necessary these days when you can look at the history graham, but I will occasionally bracket just so that I can work with different types of images later on. If you have the featuring your camera, you should definitely be familiar with how to turn it on and off and how to use it, because it can be helpful for making quick decisions out in the field, because the camera will fire through and make the setting adjustments for you much, much faster than you can make him yourself. And perhaps you might want to play with HDR or some sort of exposure blending in the future. And so you're going to use this with scenes that have ah ha, very high dynamic range or very tricky and lighting. These tend to work best in aperture priority because you don't want the depth of field change between the photographs. What the camera is changing when you're an aperture. Priority is it's changing the shutter speed and generally if you're on a tripod, which you should be for being in bracketing because all the pictures need to be framed up exactly the same to have him. The most benefit is that you want to have the same shutter speed or excuse me, you won't have the same depth of field. And the shutter speed doesn't matter because the subjects are not really moving around. Another concept for exposure is the sunny 16 rule. And studying rule was a little bit more applicability back in the days of film. Back in the days we have mechanical cameras or for anybody who happens to have a camera that doesn't have a battery in it, you could set the exposure simply by knowing the sunny 16 rule, which states, if in full sun, the exposure is F 16 and a shutter speed that is the same as your S O. So let's give this a try out on a photograph. Okay, so here's a photograph. It's taken in full sun, right? Well, let's set the exposure using the sunny 16 rule. First off, let's just assume that our eyes so is at 100. That's generally the best setting on most of our cameras. Now what do we set next? Well, it's called the Sunny 16 rules, so let's set F 16 on the aperture. Now. Where do we set the shutter? Speed will, What is our I s O at 100. What's the closest shutter speed do we have to 100. And that would be 1 25 And so that is gonna get us perfect exposure in that situation. Very easy to remember the sunny 16. And you can always kind of double check your own light meter if you are are working out in bright sunshine and so the sunny 16 rule F 16 and a shutter speed that is equal to your S O. | <urn:uuid:db570fc6-c728-48db-8f7f-3a869d28d70c> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://www.creativelive.com/class/fast-class-nature-and-landscape-photography-john-greengo/lessons/exposure-modes | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224645417.33/warc/CC-MAIN-20230530063958-20230530093958-00699.warc.gz | en | 0.966056 | 3,467 | 3.09375 | 3 |
Thousands of books get published each year but only some of them become true hits and are then subsequently translated into other languages and published in different countries as well. Harry Potter is one of these highly successful series. To this day, it was published in over 200 countries. What's more, it was translated into more than 60 languages.
Since J.K. Rowling came up with a lot of her own words in the series that were brand new or inspired by different words and also created multiple puns, it was no easy task for foreign translators to create another version of her stories in different languages. Some of the translations followed the original closely while others came up with their own interpretation. For example, the name for Hogwarts is slightly different in many languages.
The French language isn't easy to learn, but it has a lot of charm thanks to its musical and melodic nature. Hogwarts was then translated as Poudlard. That comes from the phrase 'pou du lard' which means 'lice of fat/bacon'.
While the French name for Hogwarts may sound poetic, it's probably for the best not to think too hard about the meaning of its origin because it is nowhere as lovely.
法语很难学,但法语本身有如诗一般自然,如音乐旋律一般的优美,这让很多人都陶醉其中。Hogwarts在法语中译作Poudlard,源自于短语pou du lard,意思是培根(小伙伴们专注于优美的法文就好,就不要在原意上纠结啦)
The Duch translation of Harry Potter was complicated and in many ways innovative since it chose to use Dutch words different from what J.K. Rowling wrote. For Hogwarts specifically, it meant that the school got a much longer name: 'Zweinstein Hogeschool voor Hekserij en Hocus-Pocus'. That is quite a mouthful.
In English, it can be translated as Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. In the end, the Dutch name is more apt since it clearly suggests that the school's students study magic.
荷兰语的译本在罗琳原著的基础上改动很大(两种语言的相互转换一定会有些不同呀)荷兰的霍格沃茨有着一个很长的名字'Zweinstein Hogeschool voor Hekserij en Hocus-Pocus'.(好高级的样子!)
Italian is a musical language a bit similar to French. However, it chose an approach similar to Dutch. In the Italian Harry Potter translation, Hogwarts became 'la Scuola di Magia e Stregoneria di Hogwarts'.
意大利语和法语十分相像,从长度上看,却和荷兰在一个level上,Hogwarts用荷兰语译作 'la Scuola di Magia e Stregoneria di Hogwarts'.
Again, it's quite a long name but it appropriately describes the curriculum of the school. The Italian name means 'the Hogwarts School of Magic and Witchcraft'. 'Stregoneria' could also alternatively be translated as sorcery or spell but using the word witchcraft probably sounded better to the translator.
这个巨巨巨长的名字(霍格沃茨魔法学校)恰如其分的描述了这所学校教的课程。其中的 'Stregoneria' 也是巫术的意思,但是译成魔法对于读者来说更友好一些,可见翻译家们的用心。
Speaking of musical and melodic languages, Spanish can't be amiss on this list. It's widely used not only in Europe but also in the United States. In Spanish, everyone's favorite magical school got the name: 'Colegio Hogwarts de Magia y Hechicería'. That means 'Hogwarts College of Magic and Wizardry'.
So it's in many ways similar to the previous translation but what's interesting is that the translator decided to use the word college instead of the word school, making it clear that the students attending Hogwarts were a bit older.
绝不允许西班牙语不在我的这份名单中!西班牙语不仅在本国通用,在美国和西欧各国也广泛使用。在西班牙语中,这所人见人爱的学校也拥有了它的名字---'Colegio Hogwarts de Magia y Hechicería',意为霍格沃茨魔法学院。西班牙语的译法值得点赞的是用“学院”一词代替了“学校”,让读者清晰地感受到在霍格沃茨就读的学生都是青年(小孩子上的才是学校)。
Russian translation of Harry Potter was made complicated by the fact that Russian doesn't use the same letters and sounds as English does. For example, Russian doesn't have the same H sound and there's also no letter W in Russian.
Hogwarts was written as 'Хогвартс', and when pronounced, the W inside changes into a V sound. Funnily enough, even though Russian doesn't like to use the H sound at the beginning of words (so Harry, for example, becomes Gary), it did so in the case of Hogwarts since it wasn't a previously existing word like Harry is.
Chinese has multiple dialects and versions so it makes sense there also multiple ways Hogwarts was translated in this language. One of the versions is: '霍格沃茨魔法学校'. Written phonetically, it would be 'Huògéwòcí mófǎ xuéxiào' which means Hogwarts School of Magic.
The Mandarin Chinese dialect in Taiwan has a different name: '霍格華茲魔法與巫術學院' or 'Huògéhuázī mófǎ yǔ wūshù xuéyuàn'. Its meaning is Hogwarts College of Magic and Witchcraft. So from one version to the next, there's an obvious difference in adding the word Witchcraft and switching the word School for the word College.
From all the countries on this list, Ireland is the closest one to the United Kingdom but it still has a different name for Hogwarts in Irish. The Irish version is: 'Scoil chomhoideachais draíodóireachta Hogwarts' which even native English speakers would struggle with pronouncing.
What it means is Hogwarts Co-Educational School of Magic. In case somebody isn't sure what it means, co-educational school is the type of school where both male and female students can study together (not like in many British boarding schools).
爱尔兰语是我们的名单中最接近英语的语种,它也有着与Hogwarts 不同的说法——Scoil chomhoideachais draíodóireachta Hogwarts。哈哈哈这个词也让那些地道的英国佬们觉得非常拗口。它的意思是霍格沃茨综合魔法学校。【科普一下co-educational school:这是一种男女同校的一种办学方式(有别于英国的寄宿学校)。】 | <urn:uuid:4e747f11-5e9f-4021-a000-c66e1b148579> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | http://www.buee.org.cn/article/2792.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224648245.63/warc/CC-MAIN-20230602003804-20230602033804-00699.warc.gz | en | 0.748019 | 3,422 | 2.75 | 3 |
Research and thoroughly explain at least TWO major threats to the organization, discuss why these threats are present, and what can be done to either remove or reduce them.
Think about some of the examples you see every day as you drive around. For example, how many times do you see one gas station on the corner and another gas station right next door or across the street?
This would be considered a threat, since they are competing with each other for customers in that area.
What do you do when the other gas station lowers the price of gas by a nickel or now offers a hot food section?
Write a minimum of at least one full paragraph for each of the threats presented.
For each threat, you need to ensure you use relevant business theories, concepts, and practices that are aligned to support the statements and findings.
Note that bullet points are not acceptable.
Each of these threats must come from a force or forces occurring within a dimension of the general environment within the organization’s external environment (keep in mind a threat can stem from more than one dimension within the general environment).
Be sure to include in your analysis the relevant dimension of the general environment from which each of these forces is derived.
Factors to consider when you think about company threats:
An increased number of new companies offering similar products that shift the customer away from the company’s brand.
The physical environment (Is your building in a growing part of town? Is the bus company cutting routes?).
Changes in the law and government regulations that drive costs of running the business to increase.
Future trends in the economy and changes in the age, race, gender, and culture of those you serve in your area. | <urn:uuid:f185801b-c7c6-49c5-953a-37b79dc94d48> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://collegeeducationtutors.com/research-and-thoroughly-explain-at-least-two-major-threats-to/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224648245.63/warc/CC-MAIN-20230602003804-20230602033804-00699.warc.gz | en | 0.953493 | 348 | 2.953125 | 3 |
Preserving, Properly Transferring Crop Genetic Diversity Could Help Achieve Global Food Security
Inter Press Service: A New Roadmap to Meet Hunger Goals
Ruben Echeverría, director general of the International Center for Tropical Agriculture
“…[A]ccording to new research — the majority of crop wild relatives (that is, wild species related to our food crops that possess diverse traits such as disease and drought tolerance) are not easily available in genebanks. This means that we are limiting the options that our plant breeders have to secure our food supply. … Providing capacity support for conservation initiatives and for plant breeders, particularly those at national institutions in developing regions to collect and preserve the crops found in their region is going to be critical. … But this type of work is long-term, and requires reliable funding and to see it through. The conservation and agriculture communities … need to communicate with each other, to determine the bottlenecks that are hindering the transfer of vitally important crop genetic diversity across the globe and work together to solve them. … If we continue to work together and act fast to close these unnecessary gaps in our genebanks, we stand one step closer to coping with climate change” (3/24).
The KFF Daily Global Health Policy Report summarized news and information on global health policy from hundreds of sources, from May 2009 through December 2020. All summaries are archived and available via search. | <urn:uuid:70caade9-568f-4513-90b4-ff3666840a6b> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://www.kff.org/news-summary/preserving-properly-transferring-crop-genetic-diversity-could-help-achieve-global-food-security/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224649193.79/warc/CC-MAIN-20230603101032-20230603131032-00699.warc.gz | en | 0.91148 | 294 | 3.125 | 3 |
|SAND CAT (Felis margarita)
The true desert regions of Africa and Southwest Asia are home to this little cat. But records are rare, indicating that this species is hard to find and decreasing in population abundance due to habitat destruction. Their thickly furred feet provide them with protection from the scorching sands, and leave virtually no footprints behind. They can also withstand extreme temperature shifts from hot to cold. They get all of their water requirements through their food, which range from small rodents to lizards, skinks, venomous snakes, birds and insects. They are sometimes eaten by snakes in return, as well as jackals and owls.
Sand Cats range from 5 to 10 km every night, looking for food. They are the smallest wild cat, growing to about the size of a house cat. They are found only in areas with loose soil because they burrow into it to escape the heat and cold. They have excellent hearing and smelling in order to find their prey, which is usually underneath the sand or rocks.
Mothers can have between 1 and 8 kittens. They stay with their mothers until they are 6 to 9 months old. Then they will leave to find their own way through the desert.
Because their prey requires some food and vegetation, habitat degradation may put their food sources in danger and reduce overall Sand Cat populations. | <urn:uuid:85da5c0c-3abf-4aee-8dbd-32f3a4a36140> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://creaturon.com/sand-cat/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224650264.9/warc/CC-MAIN-20230604193207-20230604223207-00699.warc.gz | en | 0.953525 | 357 | 3.640625 | 4 |
Journalist Dahr Jamail & Professor Peter Wadhams say the resulting release of methane will lead to massive climate disruption, and that we have reached a point of no return.
Peter Wadhams: “The general assumption was that the West Antarctic ice sheet was very stable and we don’t have to worry about the Antarctic ice sheets and for a long time. If they contain most of the fresh water in the world, and if a major part of the ice-sheet did slide off its base, then there would be a gigantic impact on global sea levels. This study predicts four feet if this large chunk of ice in the West Antarctic came off. It is something that is clearly based on very good research. Its something where we might expect it not to happen within the next few years, but climate change at the moment is so catastrophically rapid that something that is going to happen in a few decades perhaps which is very quick in terms of Antarctic glacial history…It shows that global climate change is much more serious that people thought, because people said we don’t have to worry about the Antarctic ice sheet…If the ice sheet did slide off it means a century of sea level rise in one go.”
Dahr Jamail: “If we are talking about reducing emissions, I think this really puts into perspective really the folly of governments, and particularly that of the Obama administration talking about 30 year and 50 year timelines of a plan they might have of reducing emissions…3% per year up until 2050, or reducing emissions by 20% by 2050. We simply do not have anywhere near that kind of time.”
“Peter, do you think we have past the point of no return in terms of controlling polar ice cap melting?”
Dr. Wadhams: “Yes we have.” | <urn:uuid:d124b0ba-f11e-4d6c-b2bd-831d5aef198c> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://systemchangenotclimatechange.org/article/melting-polar-ice-caps-ticking-timebomb-earths-climate-system/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224650264.9/warc/CC-MAIN-20230604193207-20230604223207-00699.warc.gz | en | 0.971064 | 379 | 3.015625 | 3 |
Sindarin: East Land(?)
A region in the north-east of Eriador, part of the Numenorean realm of Arnor.
Less hospitable and fertile than other parts of Eriador, Rhudaur was bounded upon the north by the troll-infested Ettenmoors, upon the east by the MistyMountains, upon the west by the Weather Hills, and upon the south by the Angle (where the Greyflood forked into the Loudwater and the Hoarwell). At the heart of this land lay the Trollshaws, an outcrop of wooded hilly country between the Loudwater and the Hoarwell rivers.
According to certain sources (see Lalaith'sMiddle-earthSciencePages), some of the earliest settlers of northern Eriador were the Easterlings of Bór and Ulfang, and there is some speculation that this folk, joined early in the SecondAge by their kin from Beleriand, were the ancestors of the mysterious Hillmen who occupied Rhudaur in the Third Age*. The area was under the control of Sauron's forces in the Accursed Years; he may have won the support of some of the inhabitants during this time. (*The entry for Genealogy of Mankind cites the essay "Of Dwarves and Men" from the History of Middle-earth series, in which it is indicated that Hillmen are descended from the folk of Bëor).
In the late SeA, Elendil established the Numenorean Realm in Exile of Arnor, and the lands that would become known as Rhudaur lay within its bounds. But few of the Dúnedain came to live there. In 861, owing to disputes among the sons of the High King Eärendur, the realm of Arnor was divided, and Rhudaur became a kingdom in its own right. Relations among the three kingdoms (Arthedain, Cardolan, Rhudaur) were fractious, particularly between Rhudaur and Cardolan, who contested Amon Sûl and the Weather Hills (because of the palantir that was kept there). From 1050, Hobbits of the Harfoot and Fallohide strains passed through the region, settling in Cardolan; Stoors settled in the Angle in 1150.
Over time, the more numerous Hillmen came to dominate the Dúnedain of Rhudaur: the latter were either killed or driven off. Around 1300, the Witch-king established the realm of Angmar and began to wield his influence, and the quarrel of the Hillmen with Arthedain and Cardolan intensified. In 1356, they slew the High King Argeleb in battle; the Stoors (fearing Angmar) fled south into Dunland, or east over the mountains into the Vale of Anduin. Angmar invaded in 1409, and possibly secured an alliance with Rhudaur at this time. For the next 450 years, Rhudaur was constantly at war.
The Great Plague of 1636 devastated Eriador, and Rhudaur would not have been left unscathed. But the most telling blow was struck in the year 1975. Arthedain and Cardolan had fallen to the combined hosts of Rhudaur and the Witch-king the previous year, but these hosts were themselves wiped out by a combined army of Gondor and Lindon. The Witch-king fled the North, and the Hillmen vanished from the histories of Middle-earth. As far south as the Great East Road, Rhudaur became troll-country; travellers along the Road generally hurried along their way and avoided the Trollshaws.
Of course, Rhudaur had not been entirely abandoned. Rangers kept watch over these lands in great earnest, particularly in the last millenium of the ThirdAge, because it was along this front that the chief threat to the peace of old Arnor lay: from trolls, but also from Orcs which were returning in strength to the Misty Mountains. Indeed, southern Rhudaur--the Angle--appears to have been where most of the Dúnedain of the North lived in the later ThirdAge (Tolkien apparently confirmed this); the Angle lay in the sphere of influence of Rivendell, where the Chieftains of the Dúnedain were based . But northern Rhudaur remained wild and dangerous for the rest of that Age: Arador was slain here by hill-trolls in 2930, and his son Arathorn II fell in battle with Orcs in 2933. And in 2941, trolls captured the Company of Thorin.
See the following essays by Michael Martinez on the history of Rhudaur and the presence of the Dúnedain in the Angle in the later Third Age:
|Notes and Contributions|
- At the time of the WotR, Rhudaur was probably less dangerous than it had been. The events of 2941 led to vast increase in traffic along the Great East Road, as Dwarves and their wains passed between Erebor and their mines in the Blue Mountains. The passes of the MistyMountains had for the most part been cleared during the War of the Dwarves and Orcs (2793-99), and after the Battle of Five Armies the Beornings of Wilderland kept open the High Pass to Rivendell. Aragorn led the hobbits into the Trollshaws to evade the Black Riders, but he did not seem concerned about running into any trolls. He wished to avoid leading the party into the "troll-country" of the Ettenmoors, but mostly because this route would take them too far north of Rivendell, and they had a depleted food supply and a seriously wounded hobbit to consider.
FolderRealms FolderLocations FolderCompendium | <urn:uuid:012d02f7-047d-44da-b349-21f5f60b6624> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | http://www.thetolkienwiki.org/wiki.cgi?Rhudaur | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224652235.2/warc/CC-MAIN-20230606045924-20230606075924-00699.warc.gz | en | 0.971192 | 1,214 | 2.609375 | 3 |
Prolog's grammar rules provide a convenient notation for expressing definite clause grammars, which are useful for the analysis of both artificial and natural languages.
The usual way one attempts to make precise the definition of a language, whether it is a natural language or a programming lanaguage, is through a collection of rules called a "grammar". The rules of a grammar define which strings of words or symbols are valid sentences of the language. In addition, the grammar generally analyzes the sentence into a structure that makes its meaning more explicit.
A fundamental class of grammar is the context-free grammar (CFG), familiar to the computing community in the notation of "BNF" (Backus-Naur form). In CFGs, the words, or basic symbols, of the language are identified by "terminal symbols", while categories of phrases of the language are identified by non-terminal symbols. Each rule of a CFG expresses a possible form for a non-terminal, as a sequence of terminals and non-terminals. The analysis of a string according to a CFG is a parse tree, showing the constitutent phrases of the string and their hierarchical relationships.
Context-free grammars (CFGs) consist of a series of rules of the form:
nt --> body.
where nt is a non-terminal symbol and body is a sequence of one or more items separated by commas. Each item is either a non-terminal symbol or a sequence of terminal symbols. The meaning of the rule is that body is a possible form for a phrase of type nt. A non-terminal symbol is written as a Prolog atom, while a sequence of terminals is written as a Prolog list, whereas a terminal may be any Prolog term.
Definite clause grammars (DCGs) are a generalization of context-free grammars and rules corresponding to DCGs are referred to as "Grammar Rules". A grammar rule in Prolog takes the general form
head --> body.
meaning "a possible form for head is body".
Both body and head are
sequences of one or more items linked by the standard Prolog
Definite clause grammars extend context-free grammars in the following ways:
. If the terminal symbols are ASCII character codes, such lists can be written (as elsewhere) as strings. An empty sequence is written as the empty list (
;(semicolon) as in Prolog. (The disjunction operator can also be written as
!(exclamation point) may be included in the right-hand side of a grammar rule, as in a Prolog clause. The cut symbol does not need to be enclosed in curly brackets. The conditional arrow
->can also be used in grammar rules, without the curly brackets. However, all other control predicates,
repeat/0for example, can only be used within curly brackets. If you use the goal
repeat/0without the brackets it will be taken to be a non-terminal symbol. | <urn:uuid:9b10e51b-3fbf-4a96-8a9d-976126be64e2> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://quintus.sics.se/isl/quintus/html/quintus/ref-gru-dcg.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224653930.47/warc/CC-MAIN-20230607143116-20230607173116-00699.warc.gz | en | 0.897288 | 666 | 3.890625 | 4 |
What are AB 1953, S.152 and AB 715?
The damage to public health that is a result of exposure to lead may be among the most well-documented of any toxic contaminant in existence with children being the most prone to the effects of lead exposure and lead poisoning. The state governments in California and Vermont have taken action to reduce the incidence of lead exposure by regulating home water fixtures and fittings, with each state passing similar legislation that is aimed at halting the use of lead in the manufacture of these items with Assembly Bill 1953 (AB 1953) will go into effect in California in January 2010, and Senate Bill S.152 will follow suit and become law on the same date. Both pieces of legislation mirror one another and require that water pipes, fixtures and fittings contain no more than 0.25% weighted average of lead – which can be marketed as "lead free". As shocking as it may seem, current laws regarding the use of lead in home plumbing allow as much as 8% lead – which is far beyond safe levels. These laws have great implications for both residential and commercial plumbing customers who plan to install new kitchen or bathroom faucets, water fixtures, or fittings – and those who plan to replace plumbing lines after January 2010. Some manufacturers have jumped on the bandwagon to get in compliance with the law early – others are expected to follow if they plan to sell their wares in these two states. Leading environmental and public health organizations as well as the California Metals Coalition supported the AB 1953, which was just recently signed by Governor Schwarzenegger.
Frequently Asked Questions about AB 1953 (FAQs)
Who will be affected by AB 1953 and S.152?
All consumers and businesses that purchase or distribute plumbing products in the states of California and Vermont are affected by these two laws.
Which products will be affected by these laws?
All products that are intended to dispense water for human consumption are affected by the new mandates, including kitchen faucets, bathroom faucets, bar faucets, lavatory faucets, bubblers, glass fillers, pot fillers, and supply stops. Shower faucets, laundry faucets, service sinks or laboratory sinks and their fittings are not affected. Products that are not compliant with the criteria of the law may not be sold in California or Vermont.
Does this legislation apply to homeowners only?
No. The legislation applies to both residential and commercial plumbing.
How can consumers determine if a product meets the new specifications required under law?
A third-party testing organization will certify products to make sure that they meet the requirements of being lead free and are compliant with the specifications set out by the new laws, and these third-party organizations will be able to provide the documentation that the product is up to code.
What makes AB 1953 different from NSF61, Section 9?
AB 1953 is not a replacement for NSF61, Section 9 – which is a performance standard that is used to measure the amount of lead or other metals that may contaminate water at its point of use. AB 1953 will specifically address the lead content used during the manufacturing process and ensure that products contain no more than 0.25% lead.
AB 715 for California
Phases in requirements that water closets and water-using urinals have lower flush volumes, requiring manufacturers to produce an increasing percentage of high-efficiency models until 2014 when all new water closets and urinals would have to meet the high-efficiency definition.
Specifically the new law requires all water closets installed or sold in the state to use no more than 1.28 gallons per flush. | <urn:uuid:6db689aa-db5d-4c78-a204-f9940342cc2a> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://www.faucetdepot.com/ab1953-plumbing-laws.asp | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224653930.47/warc/CC-MAIN-20230607143116-20230607173116-00699.warc.gz | en | 0.960252 | 742 | 2.765625 | 3 |
Forest deadwood on ICP-Forest Level I - subplot 2
Published: 28 April 2018| Version 1 | DOI: 10.17632/wj854sh6nw.1
The present dataset provides information on forest deadwood collected on 3243 plots among 19 European countries. Information are related to standing dead trees (SDT), lying dead trees (LDT), coarse woody debris (CWD), snags, and stumps. Additional information like e.g. decay status, forest management and European Forest Type are also provided. The volume of each component, expressed in cubic meters, have been summed up at plot level. The dataset is coupled with an R file containing some basic analysis.
Steps to reproduce
Steps to reproduce analysis are provided in the associated R file.
Spatial Analysis, Ecosystem Diversity, Forest Ecosystem | <urn:uuid:76b1126b-2b19-4365-b7c7-561733dc6329> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://data.mendeley.com/datasets/wj854sh6nw | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224655244.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20230609000217-20230609030217-00699.warc.gz | en | 0.837892 | 191 | 2.734375 | 3 |
Hong Kong (CNN) – Even in a country known for its huge, record-breaking infrastructure, this project is an eye-catcher. At 24 kilometers long and eight lanes wide, with artificial islands and an underwater tunnel, China’s $6.7 billion Shenzhen-Zhongshan Bridge is ambitious.
To much fanfare in the country’s state media, bridge builders recently set a new world record by laying more than 22,600 square meters of asphalt in a single day, the equivalent of more than 50 basketball courts.
Although it sounds strange, it is not the longest sea bridge in the world. That honor goes to its 54-kilometer neighbor, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, just 32 kilometers away.
Some observers see the building of these giant bridges so close together as a testament to China’s growing ambitions on the world stage and the problems it faces in making them a reality.
Like its Hong Kong sibling, when the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Bridge opens to traffic next year after eight years of construction, it will be a pillar of China’s master plan to transform the Great Bay, one of China’s largest and most populous bridges. world, in an economic and technological center capable of rivaling San Francisco, New York or Tokyo.
It is ambitious and, like the bridges themselves, is simply colossal. The Greater Bay Area is home to 68 million people, occupies 35,000 square kilometers and includes 11 cities: Hong Kong, Macao and nine other cities, including Zhongshan and Shenzhen. Shenzhen alone is home to more than 12 million people, not to mention dozens of multi-billion dollar companies like drone maker DJI and social media company Tencent, which have helped earn it the nickname “China’s Silicon Valley.”
Beijing hopes the bridges will help unite cities physically and conceptually in this huge and diverse region. Travel times between Zhongshan Airport and Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport – the third busiest in China, handling more than 37 million passengers in 2019 – are expected to drop from two hours (using existing highways).
But many observers believe the bridges are also meant to serve another political purpose, merging what are now vastly disparate regions — Hong Kong a former British colony, Macau a former Portuguese colony — into a single Chinese identity. According to some critics, the scale of this project dwarfs even that of Bridges.
The new bridge will undoubtedly bring “real economic value” by significantly reducing travel times between cities and traffic, says Austin Strange, a specialist in Chinese foreign policy at the University of Hong Kong.
But he added that there is a secondary dimension as well, which is comparing it to China’s efforts with the Belt and Road Initiative, in which Beijing spends billions financing infrastructure projects such as ports and highways in countries around the world.
This project is seen as an attempt by China to increase its economic and political influence on the world stage, and some critics accuse it of pressuring smaller countries by giving them loans that it cannot repay.
Although the bridges, which are being built on Chinese soil, do not raise debt problems, observers say the scale of the project sends a message.
“It is clear that the Chinese government is heralding the bridge as a world-class achievement,” Strange says. “Infrastructure is a key part of China’s reputation in global development, and it is also a key link between how China handles domestic and international development.”
However, the profound impression the bridge makes on the rest of the world will depend in part not only on its size, but on its success and popularity among travellers.
Otherwise, you risk exposing yourself to a criticism often leveled at some of the largest Belt and Road projects: You are dealing with an expensive white elephant.
Finance professor He Zhiguo of the University of Chicago said that like the bridges connecting the shores of San Francisco Bay, the Chinese megaproject is likely to reduce travel times dramatically.
However, only the citizens of Zhongshan would benefit, as the quiet city, which is neither a commercial center nor a tourist area, offers little incentive for others to visit.
He also said that estimates of the impact on travel times and costs needed to be taken into account, as projects could easily be inflated. “That’s my concern. But without knowing more, I think it’s not a bad idea,” he said.
Bridges over murky waters
Despite Beijing’s ambitious vision of the Greater Bay Area, many bumps in the road have already arisen.
The idea was first mooted in 2009, but experts say development has been hampered by the disparate nature and barriers between some of the cities involved.
The region has three borders: mainland China and the former colonies of Hong Kong and Macau, which are now semi-autonomous special administrative regions of China, each with separate immigration systems, legal systems, and even currencies.
In addition, residents hold three different passports and ID cards, and speak two different forms of Chinese (Cantonese and Mandarin).
They even drive on different sides of the road, presenting endless obstacles for those hoping to take a carefree road trip with one another.
Critics say some of those problems came to the fore when Shenzhen-Zhongshan Bridge’s sister project, the $20 billion Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, opened in 2018.
This bridge connects Zhuhai, in mainland China, with Macau, the gaming hub, and Hong Kong, the major financial hub.
Even in 2019, a year after its launch, it was still struggling to attract traffic, logging just 4,000 trips per day, according to the Hong Kong Department of Transportation. (For comparison, Europe’s Channel Tunnel, which connects France and Britain, attracted an average of more than 8,000 vehicles per day in March this year, according to its website.)
Experts attribute the tepid response to the need for travelers to obtain various visas and vehicle registrations to travel between the three locations, especially since high-speed ferries already criss-cross the three cities on a daily basis and leave central stations more often. From the border areas where the bridges begin.
Traffic on the Hong Kong Bridge was reduced to just hundreds of vehicles a day during the Covid pandemic as each of the three districts closed their borders as part of a strict “zero Covid” policy, though usage has increased since then. During the Labor Day weekend this month, state media reported as many as 9,000 vehicles crossing daily.
Meanwhile, the debate over bridges goes beyond purely financial issues.
Some see the bridges as a political act. Opponents criticize the Hong Kong Bridge as a way to force assimilation and impose control on the city, which was rocked by pro-democracy protests in 2014 and 2019.
Don’t worry, there will be traffic jams.
However, bridges also have their fans.
Xiao Geng, director of the Institute of Policy and Practice at the Shenzhen Campus of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, says the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Bridge will help level the two areas.
“The western part of the coast is not as developed as the eastern part, and there is also a large discrepancy in real estate prices between the two,” Xiao said.
He also said that the bridge is different from its predecessor, which was surrounded by “fundamentally different” systems for the three sites, which held people back by increasing travel costs.
He said the latest bridge would connect two mainland Chinese cities that were already subject to the same regulations.
“Don’t worry. There will be traffic jams,” he said.
Additional reporting by CNN’s Sarah Lazarus.
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Rules of Procedure Presentation
Rules of Procedure are to be used to facilitate the business of the meeting, not to obstruct it. Common sense will be used in the application of the rules. Delegates trying to use the rules to obstruct business need not be recognized.
These Rules of Procedures were developed to assist the Chair and the Parliamentarian in the performance of their duties and to make available to delegates a ready reference to the rules of debate.
PIPSC is not a debating society, nor is it a business organized for profit. To control the meeting, the Chair will apply the rules with discretion and will be influenced by the principle involved rather the letter of the law. Delegates should be familiar with the rules so that they may cooperate with the Chair in maintaining orderly debate and in expediting the business on the agenda.
It should be possible to conduct the meeting without reference to any parliamentary guide. In all matters of procedure not covered by the Institute By-Laws, these Rules of Procedures shall apply. In cases where these procedures do not make adequate provision, then and only then, may reference be made to the most recent edition of The American Institute of Parliamentarians Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure.
Parliamentary law is the code of rules and ethics for working together and provides the means for translating beliefs and ideas into effective action. It is essentially common sense used in a gracious manner. The basic principles to remember are:
1. Courtesy and justice for all
2. Only consider one thing at a time
3. The minority must be heard
4. The majority must prevail
5. The opportunity for full and free discussion of every motion should be provided
6. All delegates have equal rights, privileges and obligations
7. Every delegate has the right to know the meaning of the motion and the effect it will have.
The purpose of following proper procedures is:
- To keep the meeting orderly
- To permit the issues to be clearly stated
- To have a conclusion reached
- To finish dealing with matters that are raised.
BASIC RULES FOR PROCESSING A MOTION
a) A delegate obtains the right to speak by sending a request through the online platform. When the Chair has recognised someone to speak, that delegate will be allowed to unmute their microphone and speak.
b) The item of business is introduced by making a motion “I move.” Another delegate seconds the motion which then opens the question for discussion.
c) The Chair regulates debate and then puts the motion for a vote. Once the vote has started there shall be no interruptions. The Chair declares the result as motion carried or motion defeated.
d) If a delegate feels the decision of the Chair is not correct, then a count may be requested. Such a request is not in order when the vote has been taken and tabulated electronically.
a) Each delegate is entitled to speak once to a question. At the discretion of the Chair, a delegate may speak more than once but only after all other delegates who wish to speak, have had the opportunity to do so.
b) The Chair will make an effort to balance the discussion rather than permitting several consecutive speeches on the same side of the question.
c) Speeches shall be limited to three (3) minutes. This shall not apply to the spokesperson for a committee when speaking to a motion on behalf of a committee. Extensions may be permitted by the Chair.
d) The proposer of a motion has the privilege of opening and closing debate on that motion.
e) A delegate, if called to order while speaking, shall relinquish the microphone until the question of order has been decided.
f) Delegates must not indulge in personalities and should avoid reference by name.
g) Delegates must always speak through the Chair. If they wish to ask a question, it is done through the Chair. Delegates must not ignore the Chair and the speakers list in order to debate an issue directly with another delegate.
h) The Chair must remain strictly neutral and must vacate the Chair to a deputy to take part in the debate on any question. They do not return to the Chair until the pending question is voted upon.
a) To enforce the observance of all rules for the orderly conduct of the meeting.
b) To exercise judgment and tact at all times.
c) To give every delegate present and so entitled, reasonable opportunity for participating in the discussion of the question before the meeting. The Chair has the discretion to recognize an observer and to permit that person to speak. Any observer so recognized is required to adhere to the basic rules of debate.
d) To refuse the right to any delegate to engage in a discussion of political or religious matters unless such subjects have a direct bearing on the immediately pending question.
e) To preserve order and, if necessary, request any disorderly person to retire from the meeting. The Chair shall not proceed with the meeting until this has been complied with.
f) To protect the assembly from annoyance by any delegate proposing a motion that is evidently frivolous or designed to cause delay. In such cases, the Chair shall refuse to entertain the motion.
g) To ensure that each motion is clearly stated as it comes before the meeting. If a motion requires a seconder, the Chair shall not state the motion until it has been seconded.
h) To put to a vote every motion when the debate on the motion is complete, and to declare whether the motion has been passed or defeated.
i) To expedite business in a manner compatible with the rights of the delegates.
j) To perform such other duties as the meeting may properly direct or the Rules of Procedure may require.
k) To abstain from expressing a personal opinion on any matter under discussion save when such matter pertains directly to a question of order.
l) To have in their possession an agenda for the meeting.
m) To ascertain that the quorum is present at the start of the meeting.
n) To call the meeting to order on opening and to adjourn it when business is completed or when, for some reason, it cannot be further proceeded with.
Where a vote is conducted using electronic means, the vote is a counted vote and the results of the counted vote are recorded in the minutes.
Delegates are to keep their voting credentials issued to them confidential at all times. Delegates may only use the voting credentials issued to them. Misuse of any voting credentials will result in the loss of voting rights.
Voting delegates are called by name and the result of the vote recorded. As this is a time-consuming action, it will only be done after a motion to do so has been passed by the assembly. This motion must be made prior to the Chair asking for a vote and will be dealt with immediately.
The Chair can only vote once.
In the event of a tie, the Chair may use their vote if the Chair has not already voted. If the Chair does not vote, the motion is defeated as it does not have a majority in favour.
The Chair cannot be compelled to vote on any question.
Delegates who do not vote have consented to allow the will of the organization to be expressed by those voting. The delegates who do not vote are not counted for the purpose of a majority or two-thirds (2/3) majority vote.
1) Introduction of new business
The main motion is a self-contained proposal drafted in such a way as to clearly state what action is to be taken and worded so that a decision can be made at the meeting. The “whereas” is not considered part of the motion, so the motion itself must be understood without the “whereas” clause(s). It is a motion that does not take precedence over any other motions.
The following rules govern: requires a seconder; is debatable; can be amended; a majority vote is required; can be reconsidered; cannot interrupt a speaker.
A primary amendment is an amendment to a motion; a sub-amendment is an amendment to the amendment. The Chair shall not recognize an amendment to a sub-amendment, yet may recognize an amendment by substitution which, if agreed to, would become a sub-amendment. An amendment must be relevant to the subject being amended. Amendments are voted in the reverse order in which they were proposed. If an amendment or sub-amendment is defeated, another may be moved. When all amendments have been decided, the original motion, modified by any amendment(s) which may have been carried, shall be put to a vote.
An amendment must be relevant to, and have a direct bearing on the subject of the pending motion.
An amendment may be hostile. That is, it may be opposed to the actual intent of the original motion. An amendment that merely changes an affirmative to a negative is not in order, e.g., a motion to “endorse John Smith” may be amended to “endorse Jane Doe”, but it cannot be amended to “to NOT endorse John Smith”.
Amendment by substitution
This is used when it is better to reword the motion instead of proposing several amendments. An amendment by substitution can be amended (a sub-amendment). An amendment by substitution to a main motion, if carried, still requires a vote on the motion as amended as the substituted motion becomes the main motion.
The following rules govern amendments: requires a seconder; is debatable; an amendment may be amended but a sub-amendment cannot be amended; a majority vote is required; may be reconsidered but only up to the time when the motion which it amends is put to a vote by the Chair; cannot interrupt a speaker.
All amendments to resolutions will need to be submitted by email to members of the By-Laws and Policies Committee by email to the BLPC at (address to be displayed on screen). Members of the BLPC will assist with clarity of wording and intent.
The amendments will then be provided to the translators. Once translated, the amended resolutions will be projected on the screens and will be debated. The debate on the original motion may be continued or tabled if required to give sufficient time to get the amendment up on the screens.
A delegate may interrupt debate at any time by addressing the Chair and stating the desire to raise a point of order. Such action is only taken to ensure orderly procedure.
A point of order may refer to such matters as a breach or violation of the Rules of Procedure or of the By-Laws. It may be raised when a speaker is not confining their remarks to the motion before the assembly.
A point of order is not to be used to interrupt when you do not like what a speaker is saying or, for that matter, when you do not like the speaker. It is not to be used to try and give advice to the Chair. When a point of order is being considered by the Chair, the only valid additional point of order would be when the Chair is not dealing with the first point of order.
The following rules govern: does not require a seconder; is not debatable; cannot be amended; is not put to the vote; cannot be reconsidered; may interrupt a speaker.
4) Move the question (close debate)
The purpose of this motion is to bring the pending motion or motions to an immediate vote and thus it ends debate, if passed.
Unless the motion to close debate is qualified it applies to the immediately pending motion only. If a motion, an amendment and a sub-amendment are pending, only the sub-amendment would be affected unless the others are mentioned in the motion to close debate.
To call out “Question” without obtaining the floor is out of order when it interrupts a speaker or when others wish to speak.
The Chair has the right to not recognize “the question” when both sides of an issue have not been heard. Inversely if the Chair feels that both sides have been heard they can request the delegates to indicate if they are ready to vote.
The following rules govern: requires a seconder; is not debatable; cannot be amended; requires a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote; cannot interrupt a speaker.
By this motion a pending motion is referred with or without instructions to a committee or individual. The motion should indicate when the committee or individual shall report back to the general body. Referral of the main motion would include any amendment and sub-amendment.
The following rules govern; requires a seconder; is debatable provided the main motion is debatable; can be amended; a majority vote is required; may be reconsidered if work has not started on the referred motion; cannot interrupt after debate has been entered into. Amendment and debate is restricted to selection, membership or duties of the committee, or instructions to the committee or individual.
6) To table (Dispose of without a Direct Vote)
This motion postpones debate on all motions (main and amendments) that are currently being debated. It can be untabled by motion at the same meeting provided no other business is before the assembly when proposed.
The following rules govern: requires a seconder; is not debatable; cannot be amended; requires a majority vote; cannot be reconsidered; cannot interrupt a speaker.
Requires a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote when it would suppress a motion without further debate.
7) To table (postpone to a certain time)
The purpose of this motion is to put off debate, or further debate, of all motions (main or amendments) currently being debated or about to be debated, and to fix a definite time or point in the meeting for consideration. At that time, it has priority over all other motions except privileged motions. A certain time means to a specific time or point in this meeting or to another meeting that has already been scheduled, e.g., to table until 2:00 p.m. this afternoon OR to table until after Motion P3 and P4 have been dealt with.
It cannot be postponed to a meeting that has not already been scheduled or to any time that would be too late for the proposed motion to be effective.
The following rules govern: requires a seconder; debate is restricted to brief discussion on the reason for, or time of, postponement; amendment is restricted to time of postponement; requires a majority vote; cannot interrupt a speaker.
8) To untable (resume consideration)
The purpose of this motion is to restart debate of motions that were tabled during the same meeting.
The following rules govern: requires a seconder; is not debatable; cannot be amended; majority vote required; cannot be reconsidered; cannot interrupt a speaker.
Leave to withdraw a motion may be requested as follows;
The mover may withdraw their motion without the consent of anyone, provided that no one else has started to debate the motion, and may request leave to withdraw it after debate has started but before a vote is taken on the motion, provided no member objects.
If an objection is made, a delegate may move that permission to withdraw be granted, in which case the following rules govern: requires a seconder; is not debatable; cannot be amended; requires a majority vote; can interrupt a speaker.
The purpose is to divide a motion that is composed of two or more independent parts into individual motions that may be considered and voted on separately.
Each independent part must be properly worded to make sense by itself. This does not mean that the second part could not be redundant or out of order if the first part fails.
The following rules govern: no seconder required; is not debatable; no vote required; cannot interrupt a speaker.
11) Appeal from the decision of the Chair
If a delegate disagrees with a ruling of the Chair, they may appeal the decision of the Chair. An appeal cannot be made when another appeal is pending but must be made as soon as possible after the Chair has announced their decision and before debate on the pending motion has been resumed. If the business of the meeting has been proceeded with, no appeal should be recognized.
In appealing the Chair’s decision, a delegate shall rise and address the Chair thus: “I appeal the decision of the Chair.” This appeal may be made without waiting for recognition by the Chair. The Chair will then ask if the appeal is supported. If the appeal is supported by at least one other delegate then the Chair will state the motion in the following or similar terms: “There is an appeal of the decision of the Chair.” The delegate appealing may then state, if they so desire, their reason for the appeal. The Chair may then state, if they so desire, their reason for the decision. The Chair shall then put the question to a vote: “Those supporting the decision of the Chair.” The Chair will then follow with: “Those against the decision of the Chair.”
The following rules govern: requires a seconder; is debatable; cannot be amended; requires a majority vote in the negative to reverse the decision of the Chair; cannot be reconsidered; is in order when another speaker has the floor but not after debate has resumed or other business has proceeded.
12) Request for information (parliamentary enquiry)
The purpose of this request is to enable a member to ask the Chair a question related to procedure in connection with the pending motion or with a motion the member may wish to bring before the assembly immediately, or for information on the meaning or effect of the pending question
It is not to be used for the purpose of giving information.
A request for information may interrupt a speaker only if it requires an immediate answer. No delegate should interrupt a speaker with an enquiry if it can reasonably wait until the speaker has finished speaking.
A request for information is always addressed to the Chair and is answered by the Chair. If a speaker is interrupted and the Chair decides that an immediate answer is not required, the speaker will be told to continue and the question answered after the speaker is finished.
The Chair should never allow a request for information to be used as a method of annoying a speaker and should refuse recognition to any delegate who is using it to harass or delay.
The following rules govern: can interrupt if it requires an immediate answer; does not require a seconder; is not debatable; cannot be amended; does not require a vote.
The following rules govern: requires a seconder; is not debatable; cannot be amended; requires a majority vote; cannot be reconsidered; cannot interrupt a speaker. Passing of the motion will cause the following actions: Chair’s closing remarks; President’s closing remarks; announcement of election results, if an election year; and, adjournment of meeting.
A motion to recess suspends the meeting until a later time. This differs from a motion to adjourn which terminates the meeting. When the assembly reconvenes following a recess, it resumes the meeting at the point where it was interrupted by the motion to recess.
The following rules govern: requires a seconder; debate is restricted to a brief discussion on the time, duration or need of recess; amendments restricted to the time or duration of recess; requires a majority vote; cannot interrupt a speaker.
Both the meeting itself and each of the delegates have certain rights with respect to safety, comfort, dignity, reputation and freedom from disturbance. Raising a question of privilege is a method by which a delegate directs the attention of the meeting to a situation that interferes with any of these rights.
The following rules govern: does not require a seconder; is not debatable; cannot be amended; is not put to a vote; cannot be reconsidered; can interrupt a speaker.
16) Limit debate / extend debate
The purpose of this motion is to limit or extend the time that will be devoted to the discussion of a pending motion or to modify or remove limitations already imposed on its discussion, e.g., limit each speaker to one (1) minute: limit debate on the question to one hour; extend the time of the speaker by five minutes or limit discussion to three more speakers.
The following rules govern: requires a seconder; debate is restricted to type and time of limitations; requires a two- thirds (2/3) majority vote; cannot interrupt a speaker.
The purpose of this motion is to enable the assembly to set aside a vote on a main motion taken at the same meeting and to consider the motion again as though no vote had been taken on it.
A motion to reconsider cannot be moved after the motion to which it refers has been acted upon. It cannot be applied to vote immediately, to adjournment or to any other subsidiary motion. A motion to reconsider is out of order if a similar motion has been previously applied to the main motion. The motion to reconsider must be moved at the same meeting as the original motion.
The following rules govern: requires a seconder; is debatable; cannot be amended; requires a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote; cannot interrupt a speaker.
This motion is used to rescind, cancel or repeal a motion previously adopted. It can be proposed at any meeting. If the motion previously adopted has been executed, to rescind it is out of order. The motion to rescind usually applies to motions dealt with at past meetings because the motion to reconsider applies to motions which have been dealt with at the current meeting.
The following rules govern: requires a seconder; is debatable; cannot be amended; majority vote required; cannot interrupt a speaker.
At times it may be necessary in cases of urgency to suspend the rules for the purpose of enabling a particular motion to be made, but this procedure is not encouraged. It may be moved at any time when no motion is pending or while a motion is pending provided it is for a purpose connected with the motion.
The following rules govern: requires a seconder; is not debatable; cannot be amended; requires a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote; cannot be reconsidered; cannot interrupt a speaker.
There are times when it is desirable to have discussion of a problem or an issue prior to the proposal of a motion concerning it so that some agreement may be reached on the type and wording of the motion. There are also times when it is wise to set aside the formal rules governing discussion and debate. Both of these objectives may be achieved by a motion to consider informally.
The following rules govern: requires a seconder; is not debatable; cannot be amended; requires a majority vote; cannot interrupt a speaker.
The purpose of this motion is to restrict the people who are allowed to hear and participate in debate on a motion or motions. It is usually used when the subject to be discussed is confidential.
Unless specified in the motion, only delegates and those required to run the meeting (recording secretary, interpreters, etc.) are allowed to remain during a closed session.
Only passed motions will be recorded in the minutes. No record of the discussion will be made. The minutes of the closed session may have restricted distribution.
The following rules govern: can interrupt; requires a seconder; is not debatable; cannot be amended; requires a majority vote.
A closed session is ended by a motion to move out of closed session.
A privileged motion is one that, while having no relation to the pending question, is of such urgency or importance as to require that it shall take precedence over all other motions.
- Question of privilege
A subsidiary motion is one that may be applied to the main motion, and to certain other motions, for the purpose of amending them, delaying action upon them, or otherwise disposing of them.
- Table (dispose of without a direct vote)
- Move the question
- Limit / Extend debate
- Table (postpone to a certain time)
A main motion is one that brings before the assembly a particular subject for discussion. It cannot be made while another motion is pending.
- Introduction of new business
This classification includes the following motions:
An incidental motion is one that arises out of another question which is pending, or has just been pending. It shall be decided before the pending question, or before other business is taken up. Incidental motions have no fixed rank but take precedence over questions out of which they arise, irrespective of whether those questions are main, privileged, or subsidiary motions.
- Appeal from a decision of the Chair
- Consider informally
- Closed session
- Suspension of rules
- Point of order
- Split the motion
- Request for information
- Withdrawal of a motion
The following motions will be ruled out of order and will not be accepted.
1) Postpone indefinitely - motion to table accomplishes the main purpose of this motion.
2) Point of information - this has been misused to try and give information. Giving information is just speaking to the motion. A request for information is a separate motion.
For the purpose of these procedures, a resolution is a main motion. The By-Laws state that a resolution must be submitted in writing.
A resolution from the floor may be dealt with immediately given the agreement of two-thirds (2/3) of the delegates that the issue is an emergency. | <urn:uuid:580f85fd-4884-4969-9150-e2a064de4980> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://pipsc.ca/about/governance/agm/2020/rules-procedure | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224645810.57/warc/CC-MAIN-20230530131531-20230530161531-00099.warc.gz | en | 0.951723 | 5,280 | 3.15625 | 3 |
Cars are made for motion, but much of their lives are spent sedentary. Either out in the elements or guarded in a garage, automobiles need a place to park. Most often in a city that means a parking garage. Building Collector reader Howie G. sent me a tip about The National Building Museum’s new exhibition, House of Cars: Innovation and the Parking Garage. Exploring the integration of parking into our cities and towns over the past century, the exhibit invites us to look more closely at parking issues as we plan our future communities. A showcase for innovation; a training ground for the 20th century's best-known architects; and now, a new direction for sustainable city planning; the parking garage tells many stories. The exhibit challenges this notion using examples of well-designed garages that add a creative tapestry to our streetscapes. It concludes with the question, "What does the future hold for parking?" and invites visitors to think about new types of parking solutions. Photographs and architectural drawings documenting the changing structures we have built to store cars, from the 1905 Garage de la Société Ponthieu in Paris to a LEED-platinum certified sustainable garage in Florida built just this year. Objects as varied as a wind-up parking garage toy, a 1930s guidebook advertising safe parking garages for African Americans, a 1950s parking garage time stamp machine and a translucent model of a proposed parking structure in Chicago, as well as art photography and sculpture inspired by the parking garage, round out the display. Very early parking garages were at gas/service stations. In cities, "car Jockeys" parked cars using turntables or elevators in tall garages. In the 1920's, the self-parking ramp-style garages emerged and became popular. Check out the exhibit if you’re in the D.C. area. NPR's All things Considered also did a report about the exhibit - listen to it here. A question I have about parking garages is - why do they have to be ugly monoliths? Here are some photos of buildings whose architects who thought outside the concrete parking garage box and built innovated and pleasing parking structures. One place featured in the Building Museum’s exhibit was Marina city: the city within a city. The duel cylindrical towers in Chicago were built with the first 19 floors form an exposed spiral parking ramp operated by valet with 896 parking spaces per building. Marina City is a mixed-use residential/commercial building complex occupying an entire city block on State Street in Chicago, Illinois. The complex consists of two corn cob-shaped 65-story (including 5-story elevator & physical plant penthouse), 587 foot (179 m) tall residential towers, a saddle-shaped auditorium building, and a mid-rise hotel building all contained on a raised platform cantilevered over defunct railroad tracks adjacent to the river. Beneath the raised platform at river level is a small marina for pleasure craft. The Marina City complex was designed in 1959 by architect Bertrand Goldberg and completed in 1964. When finished, the two towers were both the tallest residential buildings and the tallest reinforced concrete structures in the world. The complex was billed as a "city within a city", featuring numerous on-site facilities including a theatre, gym, swimming pool, ice rink, bowling alley, several stores, restaurants, parking and a marina. Originally rental apartments, the complex converted to condominiums in 1977. Marina City apartments are unique in containing almost no interior right angles. On each residential floor, a circular hallway surrounds the elevator core, which is 32 feet (10 m) in diameter, with 16 pie-shaped wedges arrayed around the hallway. Apartments are composed of these triangular wedges. Bathrooms and kitchens are located nearer to the "point" of each wedge, towards the inside of the building. Living areas occupy the outermost areas of each wedge. Each wedge terminates in a 175-square-foot (16.3 square meter) semi-circular balcony, separated from living areas by a floor-to-ceiling window wall. Because of this arrangement, every single living room and bedroom in Marina City has a balcony. InfocusTech makes a replica of Marina city. This pewter replica building stands 4-5/8 inches tall and is finished in new pewter. InfocusTech also makes replica of the Carew Tower Complex is located at 441 Vine St. in Cincinnati Ohio. Completed in 1931. the building was designed by Walter W. Ahlschlager and Delano & Aldrich. The complex as designed consisted of the 49 story 574' Carew Tower, the 31 story 372' Netherland Plaza Hotel, and the 27 story 342' Carew-Netherland parking garage. The garage, demolished in the late 1980's was the tallest building ever built devoted entirely to automobile parking. This pewter replica stands 4-1/2 inches tall and is finished in new pewter with brown stain. The garage stood 342 feet with 27 floors. There are a few other souvenir buildings which include a parking garage as part of the structure and replica. A Texas Banthrico Bank is a 1960's pot metal bank replica if the Dallas office tower and an adjacent parking garage. The First National Bank of Amarillo, Texas Banthrico coin bank has an attached 7-story parking garage. The Joliet Federal Savings and Load Association replica has a garage next door and you can you can see the rooftop parking spaces in the pewter miniature. Do you know of any other miniature building replicas of parking garages? Checkout this amateur video (below) during the filming of a commercial for All-State Insurance of a call falling from the Marina City parking garage.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
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Post a Comment | <urn:uuid:bdb332d1-492a-421f-842b-b48c6546ea0a> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | http://www.buildingcollector.com/2009/11/house-of-cars.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224647459.8/warc/CC-MAIN-20230531214247-20230601004247-00099.warc.gz | en | 0.952527 | 1,212 | 2.75 | 3 |
Quickly assessing the business value of a company can be a daunting task, but with a little guidance it can be done quickly and easily. In this article, we will discuss ways to assess business value using determinants of success, Net Present Value, and internal rate of return. By understanding these important factors, you can quickly determine the worth of a company or project.
What are the determinants of success?
There are many factors that contribute to success, but some of the most important include:
– Having a strong vision and mission
– Developing well-executed plans
– Focusing on key metrics
– Making smart decisions
– Determining the right people to lead the company
– Balancing risk and reward
There are many other factors that contribute to success, but these are some of the most important. Every business is different, so it is important to assess what each company’s specific determinants of success are. Once you have identified these factors, you can use them to help evaluate a company’s business value.
What is Net Present Value?
There are a few ways to calculate Net Present Value (NPV). NPV is simply the Present Value of all future cash inflows, minus all past cash outflows.
NPV calculations can be done quickly and easily by using a calculator or financial spreadsheet. The most important thing to keep in mind when calculating NPV is to recognize that not all cash inflows are created equal.
NPV can be used to assess the viability of a business investment. By understanding how a project will generate cash flows in the future, you can make an informed decision about whether it’s worth investing in.
When calculating NPV, it’s important to consider the following factors:
1. Earning power – How secure will the company’s earnings be in the future?
2. Time horizon – How long will it take for the cash inflows to come in?
3. Rate of return – What % should the company expect to earn on its investments?
4. Risk – What are the potential risks associated with the investment?
5. Cash flow – How much cash will be generated each year by the project?
6. Final value – What will be the total value of all cash inflows at the end of the project?
7. Net present value (NPV) is simply the Present Value of all future cash inflows less all past cash outflows.
NPV is an important tool for valuing a company’s future profits. By understanding how a company will generate cash flows in the future, you can make an informed decision about whether it’s worth investing in.
There are a few different methods for calculating NPV, but the most common is called Payback period method. The payback period method calculates NPV by dividing the total cost of investment by the expected annual net cash flow from the investment. This calculation helps you determine how long it will take for the investment to pay off.
When calculating NPV, it’s important to remember that not all cash inflows are created equal. You need to consider earning power, time horizon, rate of return, and risk when assessing a project’s potential net present value.
What is the internal rate of return?
The internal rate of return is a metric used to compare the profitability of different investments. It can also be used to assess the success of a company’s investments. The internal rate of return is calculated by dividing a company’s net present value (NPV) by its invested capital. NPV represents the present value of all cash inflows, less any cash outflows, over a given period of time. NPV is a good indicator of whether an investment is profitable.
When assessing different investment options, analysts often look at NPV as a measure of attractiveness. The higher the NPV, the more profitable the option appears to be. In addition to assessing the profitability of investments, NPV can be used to compare the investment options available to a company. For example, if two companies have the same invested capital but one company’s NPV is higher, that company may have more appealing investment options.
NPV can also be used to assess the success of a company’s investments. If a company has made a lot of money with its previous investments, its NPV will be high. This indicates that the company has made good choices in terms of which projects to invest in and which risks to take on. The higher the NPV, the more successful a business appears to be.
How can you use these metrics to assess the business value of a company or project?
When assessing the business value of a company or project, it is important to consider the determinants of success. The determinants of success can help you understand what makes a company or project successful. They can also help you determine if a company or project is worth investing in.
One determinant of success is Net Present Value. Net Present Value measures the present value of future cash flows from a business or project. It tells you how much money the business or project will be worth in the future, based on current market conditions.
Another determinant of success is internal rate of return. Internal rate of return tells you how much money the business or project is earning on its investments over time. It can help you determine whether a business or project is profitable.
Both Net Present Value and internal rate of return can help you assess the potential of a company or project. They can also help you determine if a company or project is worth investing in. By using these metrics, you can quickly determine if a company or project is worth investigating further.
The article provides a useful guide for quickly assessing the business value of a company or project. Whether you are looking to buy, sell, or invest in a company, these metrics can be a helpful guide in making a decision.
- “3/4s of Americans say they can’t afford health care.”3/4 of American adults believe that they can’t afford health care, and the cost of health care is quickly becoming an insurmountable burden for many people. This is a problem because without adequate health care, Americans can suffer from serious medical issues and even death. If you’re one of the 3/4 Americans who struggle to […]
- The Critical Role of the Competitive Environment in a Company’s FutureCompetition is essential to any company’s growth and success. However, not all companies are able to thrive in a competitive environment; in fact, some may even fall by the wayside. This article discusses the different factors that play into a company’s ability to compete and why it’s important, providing examples of both successful and unsuccessful […]
- Stop Swiping and Start Studying: The Benefits of TextbooksAre you tired of flipping through textbooks, scanning through pages, and never really getting to learn the material? Well, according to a recent study, switching to textbooks can actually improve your learning. By using textbooks, students are more engaged with the material, have better recall of information, and better understand concepts. So if you’re looking […]
- The 3 Most Important Factors in Determining the Value of a BusinessOften, the valuation of a business is based on its revenue, its profitability, and its asset base. However, there are additional factors that can influence the value of a business. In this article, we will discuss the three most important factors in determining the value of a business. RevenueRevenues are the most important factor in […]
- When to use an appraisal for estate planningMany people believe that appraisals are only necessary when the estate is worth more than the current market value. However, experts say that appraisals can be a useful tool for estate planning, even if the estate is worth less than the current market value. Appraisals can be used when the estate is worth more than […]
- How to calculate your company’s strategic valueAre you struggling to determine whether it’s worth pursuing a merger or investment? Check out this guide to calculating your company’s strategic value. By understanding your strengths and weaknesses, you can make informed decisions about where to allocate resources. Introduction There is no one-size-fits-all answer to the question of how to calculate a company’s strategic […]
- How to Measure and Optimize Your Company’s Strategic ValueWondering how to measure and optimize your company’s strategic value? Wondering what factors are important to consider when determining a company’s worth? Look no further than this article! By understanding and incorporating key metrics into your business planning, you can ensure that your company’s true value is realized and maximized. What is your business’s strategic […]
- 5 NPV Calculations You Can Do in MinutesDo you want to make informed investment decisions? If so, you need to learn how to do NPV calculations. These calculations can help you assess the potential returns on an investment over time. In this article, you will learn how to do five NPV calculations in minutes. So take a few minutes and read through […]
- How to make the most of your financial spreadsheetIf you’re like most people, you use a financial spreadsheet to keep track of your expenses and investments. But there’s one big problem: your spreadsheet isn’t helping you save any money. In this article, we’ll show you how to make your spreadsheet work for you, so you can save money and grow your wealth. How […]
Leave a Reply | <urn:uuid:2d034c35-b931-45a4-bbba-b383a0d9e382> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://www.bvchallenge.org/how-to-quickly-assess-your-business-value/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224647459.8/warc/CC-MAIN-20230531214247-20230601004247-00099.warc.gz | en | 0.932034 | 1,993 | 2.609375 | 3 |
Every living organism is composed of certain substances such as DNA, RNA, and proteins. Closely related organisms generally have a high degree of agreement in the molecular structure of these substances, while the molecules of organisms distantly related usually show a pattern of dissimilarity. Molecular phylogeny uses such data to build a "relationship tree" that shows the probable evolution of various organisms. Not until recent decades, however, has it been possible to isolate and identify these molecular structures. That it is now possible to do so can be seen by the ever more popular use of genetic testing to determine a child's paternity, as well as the emergence of a new branch of criminal forensics focused on genetic evidence.
The effect on traditional scientific classification schemes in the biological sciences has been dramatic as well. Work that was once immensely labor- and materials-intensive can now be done quickly and easily. As a result many branches of the phylogenetic tree have been disassembled and reassembled into patterns based on molecular identification rather than on the previous system of taxonomy based on morphology.
Because it is now possible to infer a gene's relationships by the existence of molecular similarities between it and other genes, it is also possible to use that information to determine the relationships of organisms based on the presence or absence, and the DNA sequence, of various genes.
See also: phylogeny--Molecular evolution
An excellent summary of the state of the art can be found at Gary Olsens Molecular Phylogeny website: http://www.bact.wisc.edu/MicrotextBook/ClassAndPhylo/molPhylogeny.html | <urn:uuid:4867ba75-bff3-4b9a-8914-394ff1f686a8> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | http://www.fact-index.com/m/mo/molecular_phylogeny.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224648465.70/warc/CC-MAIN-20230602072202-20230602102202-00099.warc.gz | en | 0.933796 | 332 | 3.734375 | 4 |
Last week we discussed the need for employees to feel safe to fail in the workplace, and how management can create a positive environment in light of an employee making a mistake. This week, we will further discuss the types of errors that occur in the workplace, and how management can navigate through them for the overall success of the organization.
To break it down, there are mainly two types of failure on the job: Simple Failures and Complex Failures. (more…)
A holiday that many look forward to every year, Halloween gives children and adults alike an opportunity to kick back and enjoy dressing up and have a good time. In the workplace, many organizations allow their employees to participate in the holiday, granting exceptions to existing policies pertaining to attire and appearance. When it comes to costumes and dressing up in the workplace, it is important to find a balance between allowing your employees to enjoy themselves and have a good time, while maintaining company standards. Here are a few guidelines to help you find that balance: (more…)
“Your attitude towards failure determines your altitude after failure.” – John C. Maxwell
Failure, like success, is a part of life. And it is most definitely plays a huge role in the workplace. However, rather than viewing failure as a setback to the success of the organization, there are ways to use failures for the benefit of your business by learning how to “fail up”–towards success. In doing so, you can create a workplace where managers and employees alike feel safe to fail because there is always the opportunity to use failures as a stepping stool towards success.
In the workplace, failures are expected. Much like trial-and-error, we often need to fail in order to succeed. In the event an employee commits an error, it is management’s job to foster an environment that doesn’t punish failure, but rather coaches through failure–thus, “failing UP.” Employees are often punished for their mistakes, rather than mentored through them; punishing failure does not lead to overall success. By punishing employees for making mistakes, managers can unintentionally create a hostile environment for their employees, who, in turn, lose respect for their management team which can lead to a laundry list of negative effects for the organization. It is indeed important for employees to be held accountable for their failures, but it is just as important to encourage them to learn from these setbacks and teach them how to not make the same errors again. Instead, teach employees that while they are fully responsible and accountable for their own errors, reassure them that there is a safety net of mentoring and training–an opportunity to learn and grow towards success from such mistakes. In a nutshell, employees need to feel that it is safe to fail in their workplace.
Employees and managers alike wish to work in an environment where they feel empowered and respected. As managers, it is our responsibility to create a safety net for our employees so that when things go awry at the office, employees don’t dread “the talk” with management, but rather look forward to learning about their specific mistakes and have the opportunity to be mentored by the more experienced members of the company. Such treatment of “failures” in the workplace build stronger Manager-Employee relationships that, in turn, build a stronger and more successful organization. Helping your employees feel safe to “fail up” is a win-win for everyone.
Join us next week as we discuss the specific types of errors and failures that can occur in the workplace, and how managers can handle them with respect and dignity for the benefit of both parties.
Effective January 1, 2015, employers will be required to report whether they offered health insurance to their full-time employees, and, if so, which form(s) of health insurance they offered. Organizations with over 50 full-time employees will be required to submit the required data for the 2015 plan year in early 2016. Employers should start compiling the required data in January to ensure that all required data is tracked for 2015. (more…)
Have you ever been in a situation when someone with authority walks in and your “hackles” raise? The feeling of dread instantly overwhelms you as the boss walks in the door. You just know they are going to get on you because the last project wasn’t done to their impossible standards. They are the type of boss whom you can never do right by. This reaction causes your flight or fight response to kick in. Most managers have some sphere of control, but can you tell if you’re the “Big Bad Wolf”? (more…) | <urn:uuid:846a2257-77bc-48ea-8c36-cfd43b1c862e> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://hrcentral.com/2014/10/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224649302.35/warc/CC-MAIN-20230603165228-20230603195228-00099.warc.gz | en | 0.968332 | 957 | 2.53125 | 3 |
It all started with an old computer mouse I found while decluttering the drawers of the computer desk. I was about to put it in the “donate” bag, when I saw its bigger potential.
Kids love taking things apart, and mine are no exception. Dead batteries? They go running for small screw drivers, excited at the possibility to unscrew the object to remove the batteries. I knew they would love taking the old computer mouse apart!
That was just the beginning of taking apart electronics with kids.
The rest of the day was spent taking apart computer parts and other electronics in their new favorite upcycled STEM activity. After all, not all STEM activities have to involve building something; you can learn a lot from taking things apart, too!
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Taking apart computer parts and other electronics can be lots of fun, but you also want the kids to be safe, which is why I strongly suggest that parents supervise the activity closely.
You’ll also want to provide kids with safety glasses — you never know when small springs and other parts may go flying. Also, consider removing all batteries ahead of time as well as power cords.
Upcycled STEM Activity: Taking Apart Electronics
Old, out-dated computer parts, like that old computer mouse, floppy disk drives and old CD-ROM readers are perfect for this activity.
If you don’t have any on hand, you probably know someone who would gladly give you these old parts. You can also find parts at places like the Goodwill store.
Old televisions, microwaves, and cell phones should not be used for this as they contain a lot of glass components.
Broken electronic toys are also fun to take apart.
My daughter got a kids’ sewing machine as a gift, but it didn’t really work. Instead of donating it somewhere and making another child frustrated by its inability to actually sew, she decided to take it apart.
She had fun dismantling it and learning what was inside, including a small motor. Checking out all the tiny gears and seeing how they connected was truly fascinating.
Once they started this upcycled STEM activity they just couldn’t stop!
We found an old floppy disk drive and out-dated CD-ROM player to take apart next.
When taking apart electronics, having a variety of small screwdrivers is a must.
You may also want wire cutters, needle nose pliers and tweezers on hand to help with tiny parts, plus a tray or bowl to hold small parts.
Why should you let your kids take apart electronics?
First of all, it’s in their nature to learn about the world around them by exploring. By letting children take apart old computer parts they are fulfilling that natural desire while learning about what makes those parts work.
They will find small springs, motors, and magnets to explore and learn about.
For older kids you can easily find information about how those pieces work together. (Try typing in “what’s inside a ______” or “how does a ______ work” into your search engine.)
Another reason to encourage your child to take apart old electronics is that while they are removing all those tiny screws and components your child will be improving their manual dexterity, fine motor skills, and hand-eye coordination.
And finally, you should let your child take electronics apart because it’s fun!
Seriously, you will find yourselves fascinated by the tiny components inside.
Those parts may even inspire new dramatic play ideas and upcycled crafts. (We have a small box of components the kids are itching to build with in the future.)
Taking apart electronics with kids may just become your favorite STEM activity too.
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You’ll also enjoy these STEM activities:
- Purify Water with a Solar Still
- Make Yummy S’Mores with a DIY Solar Oven
- Design a Boat That Floats
- Create a Cardboard Tube Marble Run
- Classic Egg Drop STEM Challenge | <urn:uuid:22d7c6da-e996-4ff8-a652-ab2f6e31fbd7> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://theresjustonemommy.com/taking-apart-electronics-with-kids-upcycled-stem/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224650620.66/warc/CC-MAIN-20230605021141-20230605051141-00099.warc.gz | en | 0.954519 | 862 | 3.109375 | 3 |
|Mustard spinach Quick Facts|
|Scientific Name:||Brassica rapa var. perviridis|
|Major nutrients||Vitamin C (216.67%)
Vitamin A (106.00%)
Vitamin B9 (59.50%)
Japanese mustard spinach scientifically known as Brassica rapa var. pervirdis is a leaf vegetable. Commercially, it is cultivated in Taiwan and Japan. Also known as komatsuna, the name is derived from Japanese komatsuna which refers to the greens of Komatsu, Komatsugawa village where it was cultivated heavily during Edo period. Leafy greens are cooked or also consumed fresh. It is pickled, stir-fried, boiled, added to soups or used in salads. It is regarded as an excellent source of calcium. Komatsuna leaves could be consumed at any stage of its growth. In mature plant, they are dark green having slender light green stalks which are about 30 centimeters long and 18 cm wide. It is found in spring and autumn and it could not sustain extreme heat and cold for long time period.
- Young leaves are added to salads or stir-fries.
- Leaves (from older plants) can be simmered, steamed, braised, stir-fried and pickled in salt. | <urn:uuid:773e44c9-84f8-44f7-85e5-614336841fdc> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://www.healthbenefitstimes.com/mustard-spinach/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224650620.66/warc/CC-MAIN-20230605021141-20230605051141-00099.warc.gz | en | 0.85623 | 499 | 2.78125 | 3 |
Antimicrobial resistance is arguably the most serious public health threat of our time. Previously we have been able to combat resistance by developing new drugs. But now we are facing a dry pipeline of new antibiotics – that means infections that are treatable will once again kill. Preventing infection through improved sanitation and hygiene is one of five objectives in the Global Action Plan to Combat Antimicrobial Resistance.
Learn more on WHO’s work on sanitation and Antimicrobial Resistance:
- Infographic on sanitation and Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)
- A short interview on the links between WASH and AMR
- World Antibiotic Awareness Week.
- Additional information on sanitation in health facilities
Photo credit: National Institutes of Health (NIH) via Foter.com / CC BY | <urn:uuid:7298dd2a-0942-476f-a35e-ff0b82cd22b4> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://archive.worldtoiletday.info/2016/what-is-antimicrobial-resistance/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224652569.73/warc/CC-MAIN-20230606114156-20230606144156-00099.warc.gz | en | 0.923667 | 162 | 3.515625 | 4 |
Singapore is a unique country compared to the world. While the world is still figuring how to do contact tracing, Singapore has managed to come up with various solution to do contact tracing on a national level.
There are generally 2 ways Singapore has done contact tracing. The first method is the use of “Safe Entry” QR code to allow people to “Check-in” into places and the use of tracetogether for contact tracing. This sort of allow authorities to be able to still track Singaporeans in different places.
Safe entry is a QR Code that links the browser to a website with a particular location. Singaporean can check in with their particulars. This works by scanning a QR code using a QR code scanner or Singpass app. The whole process takes less than 10 seconds to complete.
Alternatively, for the less savvy Singaporean, they can also check in by using their identity card (NRIC). Business can simply download the Safe Entry app and scan for people.
This has been mandated by the Singapore Government as everywhere has adopted it. Furthermore, most places also check your temperature and verify that you have checked in before you can enter the particular place. This has seen great success in Singapore as it looked less invasive.
Another way of implementing traceTogether is to leverage on mobile phones. Apple and Google have both provided API for contact tracing but it seemed to have limited uses for Apple devices as the app doesn’t run in background. As a result, most countries dare not mandate the use of such mobile apps including Singapore.
The app has been made available to the public for a long time but many people do not want to use. Not only does it drains the battery from the use of bluetooth, there is also a fear of Government tracking our movement.
The Singapore Government manage to overcome this limitation by developing a separate bluetooth dongle that can replicate the function of the traceTogether app. This is a low-cost dongle that was mass-produced and will be distributed to all Singaporean.
At the start, it was stated that this would not be a compulsory item for Singapore but subsequently, the Government has announced that the use of traceTogether token will be compulsory for a certain location.
It does make sense for this to be implemented in a certain location with a large group of people especially when certain activities up to 100 people are allowed. This allows authorities to be able to do better contact tracing rather than doing a swab test for 100 people if there are any suspected case.
The government has also put in efforts to inform people that the device does not track the location by publicising on most platform.
I’m sure there is something called “location beacon” that collects and record the whereabout of Singaporean when they walk past the beacons with the traceTogether token.
The Singapore Government has done a good job and there are also many other initiatives that were not mentioned. The Safe Entry and TraceTogether has allowed the Singapore Government to be able to do contact tracing more efficiently compared to other countries. However, this is only possible within a small country and may not be possible in a larger country.
I will continue to give my support to the Singapore Government by continuing to scan the Safe Entry as well as carrying my traceTogether dongle wherever I go.
I’m an open book that Government can read. Googles knows more about me than any Government. You just need to be aware to not let secrets go to the online world. | <urn:uuid:9714b25c-6b87-4fcb-80f1-579e28415fb5> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://lifeissinple.com/2020/10/27/contact-tracing-in-singapore/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224652569.73/warc/CC-MAIN-20230606114156-20230606144156-00099.warc.gz | en | 0.9619 | 728 | 2.796875 | 3 |
FEEDING GUIDES DETAIL
Shrimp, Crayfish, & Crabs
General Information Freshwater Shrimps, Crayfish (“Lobsters”), and Crabs, also referred to as crustaceans, have gained popularity among aquarists in recent years and more species are now available to the hobby than ever before. They are an interesting addition to aquariums that typically only contain fish. Although some Crabs prefer a small area of exposed driftwood, rock, or other substrate to periodically climb on, they are all bottom-dwelling species. All are either predators or opportunistic scavengers and most are omnivores. Crustaceans are covered with a hard shell (exoskeleton) that they shed as they grow larger. It is typical for inexperienced aquarists to see this discarded exoskeleton on the bottom of the tank and suspect that their Shrimp or Crab has died!
Aquarium Care & Feeding Freshwater crustaceans will typically eat any variety of food that falls to the bottom of the aquarium, including flakes, pellets, and frozen foods. The aquarist should provide rocks, plants, and/or other decor that provide hiding spaces for these species. It is not advised to keep small fishes with clawed Crabs or Crayfish, as they might become a quick meal. Be sure to check our our specially-formulated sinking Shrimp Wafers for freshwater Shrimps!
We recommend the following Ocean Nutrition™ products for Shrimps, Crayfish, Crabs: | <urn:uuid:1852d131-0ff2-4fec-ac6b-2dd320fa79b7> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://oceannutrition.com/feeding-guide/shrimps-crayfish-crabs/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224652569.73/warc/CC-MAIN-20230606114156-20230606144156-00099.warc.gz | en | 0.94579 | 340 | 2.78125 | 3 |
According to science, we have entered a new geological era in which man, by altering the balance of the global ecosystem, acts as a real force of nature. This era has been called the Anthropocene, and its characteristics are known to all: pollution, uncontrolled exploitation of resources and alteration of the balances that regulate natural ecosystems.
As in any historical phase undergoing radical changes, even in this era never experienced before, all the more so, where it is man who dominates to the point of altering natural laws, entirely new problems and reflections are emerging, and with them a series of ethical responsibilities involving our societies at all levels.
We are faced with an unprecedented situation in which we have an extraordinary opportunity to affect the environment: for the bad, as we unfortunately know, but also for the good. And this is precisely the positive side of the Anthropocene: a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in which each of us, based on our own possibilities, skills and power, can intervene to rethink and improve our relationship with the environment and nature. | <urn:uuid:0a588719-bbf1-49cf-a3f6-febb4cdcebc6> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://altacucine.com/en/new-regenerative-relationships-alta-cucine-at-fuorisalone-2022-2/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224654016.91/warc/CC-MAIN-20230607211505-20230608001505-00099.warc.gz | en | 0.962124 | 212 | 2.515625 | 3 |
There are many factors to consider when it comes to reporting news. These factors include selection, impact, and timeliness. While many things in the world make news, not everything is newsworthy. For example, a 90-year-old man still taking the bus is not newsworthy. However, a newsworthy story can have a great impact on the reader.
If you are interested in a career in journalism, you may want to take the course “Reporting news.” The class is designed to teach students about the responsibilities and ethics of journalism. It uses reading materials, discussions, and practical exercises. It incorporates the Associated Press Stylebook and Carole Rich’s textbook. In addition, students read The Washington Post and The Ombudsman.
The process of selection of news in a newspaper is subject to a variety of external and internal influences, including access to sources, meeting deadlines, and competition for exclusives. In addition, the media’s editorial board, proprietors, and advertisers may have some say in which stories are published. Journalists’ beliefs may also play a role in the selection process.
News stories have an emotional impact on the audience. The more prominent they are, the more likely they are to be cited in related articles, receive high placement in search engine results, and have higher source credibility. According to one study, the prominence of news increases recency and source credibility by 62 percent. This effect is particularly pronounced when the news is attributed to powerful individuals.
The timeliness of news is an important element in the news-production process. It has long been a central concern, particularly in newspapers, which rely on timely accounts to engage their audience. The process of making news more timely has been shaped by socioeconomic and political factors.
The reliability of news sources is an issue that entails a lot of consideration. Many sources can be trusted – and others cannot. But there are some rules that can help us determine the reliability of news sources. First, we need to define what the term “reliability” means, and we should understand what it means for a source to be reliable.
Reliability of sources
There are many facets to consider when assessing the reliability of sources in the news. One of the most important factors is the level of accountability. While bylines and signed-off content from news organizations show responsibility, anonymous discussion board content has little to no accountability.
Quality of stories
The quality of news stories has many components. One of these is the narrator. News stories need to be succinct, clear, and easy to follow. A good story is well-paced, coherent, and well-written. | <urn:uuid:98be5b55-76d0-4a88-a344-f837eec55779> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://middletonbrewing.net/factors-to-consider-when-reporting-news/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224654016.91/warc/CC-MAIN-20230607211505-20230608001505-00099.warc.gz | en | 0.961737 | 557 | 3.34375 | 3 |
Humanities and Social Sciences is the study of human behaviour and interaction in social, cultural, environmental, economic and political contexts. The humanities and social sciences have a historical and contemporary focus, from personal to global contexts, and consider challenges for the future.
In the West Australian Curriculum, the Humanities and Social Sciences learning area comprises four subjects: History, Geography, Economics and Business, Civics and Citizenship. Each of these subjects is studied by students for one term from Years 7 to 10.
In Senior School the Humanities and Social Sciences Department offers both ATAR and General Courses. Modern History and Geography are offered as both ATAR and General Courses, while Psychology is offered only as a General Course. All of these courses focus on building and improving students analytical and critical thinking skills.
Through studying humanities and social sciences, students will develop the ability to question, think critically, solve problems, communicate effectively, make decisions and adapt to change. Thinking about and responding to issues requires an understanding of the key historical, geographical, political, economic and societal factors involved, and how these different factors interrelate.
The humanities and social science subjects provide a broad understanding of the world in which we live, and how people can participate as active and informed citizens with high-level skills needed for the 21st century. | <urn:uuid:7df4a832-4cc7-4eb1-9da0-be70c71f9527> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://www.govo.wa.edu.au/senior-school-humanities-and-social-sciences/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224654016.91/warc/CC-MAIN-20230607211505-20230608001505-00099.warc.gz | en | 0.943289 | 270 | 2.90625 | 3 |
Joined: 24 Feb 2009
Location: near Arbroath Angus
|Posted: Tue Oct 14, 2014 9:33 pm Post subject: Long Range Desert Group / SAS
|The Courier & Advertiser for 2 August 2014 reports :
Plan to honour who nurtured SAS:
A small Scottish village could become home to a new memorial honouring one of the most heroic groups of servicemen in British History.
The men of the LONG RANGE DESERT GROUP (LRDG) were key in helping the fledgling SAS flourish and transported the elite troops through the desert in daring raids in North Africa during the Second World War.
The group was founded by DAVID STIRLING , and the SAS Regimental Assoc wants Stirling Council to grant permission for a new memorial at the site of his statue in DOUNE, Perthshire .
A spokesman for Stirling firm Twenty Ten Architecture, which submitted the application on behalf of the SAS Regimental Assoc said, " Such a memorial is long overdue and is fitting at this time. Not only would it be paying tribute to their expertise in desert craft but also their pivotal role in helping the fledgling SAS in 1940.
"In North Africa the LRDG vehicle patrols transported the men of the SAS on raids against enemy airfields deep behind enemy lines . The SAS owes a great debt of gratitude to those men ." he added.
Currently , there is only one DESERT GROUP MEMORIAL in Great Britain , at the West Cloisters of Westminster Abbey.
The new Memorial in DOUNE would comprise three HUGE STONES near the path leading to the David Stirling statue .
The first stone , which would weigh 1.5 tonnes and stand more than 4ft high , would be inscribed with the words " THE LONG RANGE DESERT GROUP - They showed us the way ".
The second stone would have tracks along its length representing the long , arduous journeys made by the LRDS vehicles across the dangerous desert terrain.
The final stone would be made fro Corennie granite and be inscribed with the dates 1940 -1945 and the names of the fallen.
The stones are so large they would have to be installed by specialist crane operators .
Stirling's statue was erected in 2002 near his family Park of Keir estate .
His memorial , which carries the names of 307 SAS members killed in he WW2 was targeted by thieves earlier this year and two bronze plaques were stolen from its plinth .
(Patrick W Anderson ) | <urn:uuid:901dcc4f-f923-48ae-8bfb-7a44491b8f54> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | http://warmemscot.s4.bizhat.com/warmemscot-post-65999.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224655446.86/warc/CC-MAIN-20230609064417-20230609094417-00099.warc.gz | en | 0.962867 | 537 | 2.515625 | 3 |
GUEST POST by Ty Ross
The Corps of Engineers dates back to President Thomas Jefferson and has provided specialists in various areas of engineering that have been a backbone of this country and its growth. I’m sure you may have heard of the popular TV Show Gold Rush? Taking place in the Klondike, those seeking fortune come from all over to mine for gold. In 1942, the Army Corps of Engineers built the roads and thoroughfares leading to the Klondike, allowing direct access between the lower 48 states and this mineral rich area of the country.
This field is home to 18 different Military Occupational Specialties, including the Army 12G Quarry Specialist, whose highly trained individuals provided the foundation for getting the roads built to the Klondike. In this article I will provide you an overview of the occupation and the qualifications, training and benefits of choosing the 12G MOS.
What is a Quarry Specialist?
Quarrying Specialists are the rock crushers. They are trained to operate heavy machinery in the construction of airfields, roads and dams. Crushing and cleaning rock that is then reduced even further for construction. Army construction projects are in constant need for gravel and dirt. Air compressors, hydro-powered rock drills and rock crushers are just a few of the machines Quarry Specialists use. But they do so much more than simply provide the foundation for building things. They also receive combat engineer training, giving them the knowledge and expertise to build shelters used to protect them, laying minefields and building wire obstacles. Quarry Specialists also load, transport and detonate explosives.
Minimum General Maintenance score of 95 on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, ASVAB for short. The tests that make up the ASVAB are used to determine what Military Occupational Specialties a recruit is qualified to do and are used as a predictor of a successful military career.
While some MOS’s only require a candidate pass the red/green color test, normal color vision is required to qualify for Quarry Specialist. The safety aspect of the job and being able to distinguish between things like indicator lights means there is no exception to this qualification.
Due to heavy lifting that may be required, a strong physical profile is a must. Requirements for the categories in the physical profile are :
- Physical Capacity – 2
- Upper Extremities – 2
- Lower Extremities – 2
- Eyes – 2
- Hearing and Ears – 2
- Psychiatric – 1
With 1 being the highest level and 2 being next to the highest, allowing for only the slightest physical impairment it is important to be strong and fit to qualify for this MOS and perform your duties to the highest possible military standard.
After graduating from BCT, 5 weeks of Advanced Individual Training begins. AIT is where new Soldiers receive a combination of classroom instruction and field training to prepare for the next step in their military career, giving them the skills necessary to perform their job. For Quarry Specialists that means 5 weeks of Engineer School to prepare them for their new career.
One of the most rewarding benefits of being an Army 12G Quarry Specialist is getting to serve your country. Being a Reserve specific position you get the opportunity to do your duty as an American citizen, while maintaining the flexibility to attend school or use your training and skills in the civilian workforce.
Now that you have an overview of the Army 12G Quarry Specialist MOS, you’re ready to begin. Being a Quarry Specialist in the Army Reserves will not only give you vital skills and training crucial to Army construction, but those skills will allow you to embark on a successful civilian career with building contractors or in other areas of construction. Not to mention the pride and respect that comes when serving your country.
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5 thoughts on “Army 12G Quarry Specialist MOS: An Overview”
I’m sorry but as a current 12G, I can tell you it’s not the least bit as lucrative as this article sounds. Golfs do not receive any combat engineer training and definitely don’t even look at a minefield or build shelters. You might blast 1 time in your entire enlistment at your unit. MIGHT.
Thanks for sharing that. I will say that it is good experience for future civilian work.
You’re very right Greg! I believe the Quarry Specialist is a great recruiting MOS. It shows that being valuable in times of war isn’t just about being in the trenches and fighting hand to hand, but all those involved along the way. Having a way to get crucial supplies, weapons and food to our troops in a safe and timely manner is important. And the civilian possibilities are ENDLESS!
An excellent overview Chuck. I believe every Army recruiter across the country would enjoy having this post to show possible Army recruits. As a young person, I would strongly consider this as my MOS. The reason is, you are still involved when it comes down to war. You are helping to build infrastructure for the United States, and you are building experience for a civilian job when you leave the military.This is another great post. I wonder how many recruiters are using your website.
I must apologize Ty, I just noticed you are the one who posted this overview of the Quarry Specialist.
I wonder how many roads and infrastructure across the United States was actually done by these Army soldiers. I would bet there is a lot of infrastructure that we think was done by others and it was actually built by the Army Corps of Engineers.
Do you or Chuck know any of these figures Ty? It would be interesting to know. | <urn:uuid:7e6428b4-6fbd-4a26-b9ff-740e792f602e> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://www.part-time-commander.com/army-12g-quarry-specialist-mos-an-overview/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224655446.86/warc/CC-MAIN-20230609064417-20230609094417-00099.warc.gz | en | 0.955247 | 1,234 | 2.953125 | 3 |
Year 3 Dahl – Short Burst Writing
This week we have been learning how to create atmosphere and describe a setting through the use of senses. We have read lots of different extracts and generated some fabulous word banks which helped us to write a setting description today, where we focussed on using adjectives, prepositions and reference to different senses. Using a picture of a setting as stimulus, the children independently wrote some fantastic setting descriptions based on what could be seen, as well as what might be heard or smelt if you were to walk through or visit that setting. We hope you enjoy some of our examples below.
Keep up the good work Dahl! | <urn:uuid:a892f6d8-962f-435b-988c-33d7159df9d6> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://simondesenlisblogs.org/2021/05/20/year-3-dahl-short-burst-writing/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224657735.85/warc/CC-MAIN-20230610164417-20230610194417-00099.warc.gz | en | 0.965258 | 136 | 3.671875 | 4 |
Architectural design is one of the most important parts of any construction process. Before a building can become a reality, there are certain functional and aesthetic aspects that need to be considered from every angle. Using design software, the final vision can be created and scrutinised long before anyone steps foot on site.
How does architecture design software work?
Architectural design software offers a platform on which to create visual representations of various components and elements of a proposed structure. It shows how all of these parts interact and also focuses on the details that are necessary to make it all come together.
Considerations to make
There are many software options available for creating architectural designs. But they aren’t all created equally and some will offer more benefits than others, depending on your requirements. When considering a software package, it isn’t enough to simply go for the most expensive or the latest release. You need to think about how you work and the types of projects that you are working on.
You can get the desired results in many different ways, but it may take you a lot longer with one program than another. And all of this isn’t to say that one is necessarily better—although there are some standout leaders in this field—some simply might not suit your style and thought process in quite the same way.
Let’s take a look at some of the things to consider before committing to a particular suite of tools.
Cost is certainly one of the most important factors that will help you make your decision. Obviously, there are cheap or even free design packages that can get you off the ground, but these will only offer the basics. If you’re serious about producing designs for clients, you will need to bite the bullet and invest a little money. Top packages can cost nearly £2,000 per year for a subscription. And then there are other tools and plugins that you may wish to add on to the product. So if you are looking for a fantastic all-rounder that won’t cause as much financial damage as AutoCAD, for example, you might want to take a look at other available options such as SketchUp Pro.
2D modelling requirements
Some packages will offer a range of tools to help assist with floor plans and other layout projects. If this is an integral part of your workload, then make sure that the software you choose has the functionality you need. Similarly, if it isn’t a pressing requirement, then there’s no need to spend a great deal of extra money on a product that provides tools you won’t use.
3D modelling requirements
Producing 3D models is, inevitably, going to play an important role in any architect’s office. 3D models provide a visualisation from various angles that will benefit everyone concerned. Clients need to see exactly how a finished product will look and feel in the chosen surroundings. Plus, they are a vital part of presenting and marketing a construction opportunity. Photorealistic rendering will also need to be applied to designs, so consider which software products are able to make use of plugins and other tools.
There will be several people working on a project at any one time. And knowing how everybody is able to collaborate is a key consideration. Some architectural software packages make it very simple to use cloud-based storage and offer access to anyone that needs it. You might also want to think about how workflow management programs can be integrated into the system.
Ease of use
Learning how to use any suite of architectural design tools will take time. However, some may seem unnecessarily convoluted for your needs. If you can’t find a simple path to the solution you’re looking for, then it may prove to be more trouble than it’s worth.
Scalability (extensions and plugins)
As mentioned before, there are many plugins and extensions available to assist in the overall design process. Even though you may not need certain add-ons right now, it is worth looking to the near future and how your requirements may evolve.
Future of architecture design software
One area in which architectural design software will begin to grow and develop in the future is in creating conceptual design drawings for the initial stages of a project. Rather than going back and forth between meetings and creating schematic drawings that need to be reevaluated each time, it will be possible to produce these early designs with the client. Many weeks and months of delays can be avoided if these early-stage details are agreed in just one or two meetings.
Deciding which architectural design software is right for you is certainly a matter of preference. There is no one-size-fits-all option and it will take a little time to reach a conclusion. Many packages offer a lightweight version for you to try for a heavily reduced price or even for free. So you may want to consider trying out a few options before choosing a final product.
Read more: How are IoT architecture and its Benefits for Enterprises? | <urn:uuid:22da665e-2cef-4c71-8ae7-398d36b22291> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://techsprohub.com/what-to-look-for-in-an-architectural-design-software/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224657735.85/warc/CC-MAIN-20230610164417-20230610194417-00099.warc.gz | en | 0.949676 | 1,029 | 2.734375 | 3 |
We have examples of outcomes of rewilding. We do not really have to speculate much. Take the European bison, which was even closer to extinction than its American cousin when it was saved.
A successful breeding program was instigated and the population has grown to more than 4000. They are all semi-tame animals, dependent on and accustomed to humans. They have been distributed to several countries, but there is little room for them in today’s European landscape (the reason they almost went extinct in the first place).
So, every herd needs a reserve with appropriate habitat for wood bison, i.e. a forest with sufficient open spaces as well as large territories for old, solitary bulls. These can either be already existing reserves or reserves created specially for the bison.
As it turns out, the needs of the bison and interest in having them result in creation of wild areas that would otherwise continue to be farms and/or forests managed for timber. In other words: rewilded areas. Even though the bison are not truly wild, have a limited genetic base, a short natural history and are dependent on humans, their existence doubtless has positive outcomes for a host of species also found in the reserves, as well as feel-good effects on those of us humans lucky enough to have seen them. | <urn:uuid:dd2f8db5-be88-4258-94a5-51119a8c482c> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://humansandnature.org/the-european-bison-a-case-for-rewilding/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224643388.45/warc/CC-MAIN-20230527223515-20230528013515-00300.warc.gz | en | 0.982569 | 270 | 3.671875 | 4 |
New international research has revealed who is at higher risk of developing long COVID-19 symptoms.
The UK study suggests older people, women, smokers, people with higher body mass index and pre-existing medical conditions including anxiety, depression, asthma, diabetes and immunosuppression are more likely to develop the long-term illness.
It also found COVID-19 patients who were hospitalised or in ICU were at more than double the risk of developing long COVID-19.
Long COVID-19 occurs when someone has ongoing symptoms of the illness more than four weeks after the infection.
Symptoms include fatigue, shortness of breath, problems with memory and concentration known as brain fog, a cough, headaches, changes in mood, taste and smell and many more.
Researchers said the results strengthened the hypothesis that women were more at risk of long COVID-19 which may be due to hormones and antibody production.
The study included more than 860,000 patients to find who was at the highest risk of developing long COVID-19.
Intimate look at frontline COVID-19 workers reveals pandemic reality
It found vaccination with two doses for the virus lowered the risk of developing long COVID-19.
“The results of our study showed that vaccination for COVID-19 has a protective role against PCC (long COVID-19), with vaccinated individuals having a significantly lower risk compared with unvaccinated individuals,” the study found.
Long COVID-19 can have damaging effects with researchers finding 15 per cent of sufferers are absent from work due to the illness.
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Last modified: October 10, 2022
Haz más posts como este✅🤗 | <urn:uuid:e13e8c54-6e00-4914-b1ca-915c47f8fad1> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://muanao.com/25490/women-more-at-risk-of-developing-long-covid-19-research-finds/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224643388.45/warc/CC-MAIN-20230527223515-20230528013515-00300.warc.gz | en | 0.962151 | 384 | 3 | 3 |
I) Simple rate of return :
– Express average annual net income as % of the initial amount invested in the projet.
SRR = Y-D / I
where , Y = Average annual net income
D= Annual depreciation
I= Initial investment
SRR> required rate of return , project accepted.
ii) Pay back period :
– Length of time required to recover the initial investment .
Pay- back period = Initial investment / annual cash flow.
– Shorter the pay back period , project is beneficial , hence accepted.
a) Simple in both concept an evaluation.
b) Rough and ready method for dealing with the risk.
a) Fails to reconsider time value of money.
b) Ignores cash flow beyond pay back period.
Iii) Proceeds per unit of outlay :
Proceeds per unit of outlay = Total value of incremental production/ Total amount of investment
iv) Break even analysis :
– Point at which , company is neither at profit nor at loss. | <urn:uuid:34afae60-f9bf-41d7-85be-9f4f800f5965> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://www.braimy.com/courses/learn-agricultural-and-environmental-economics-b-sc-agriculture/lesson/non-discounting-criteria/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224643388.45/warc/CC-MAIN-20230527223515-20230528013515-00300.warc.gz | en | 0.820958 | 224 | 2.890625 | 3 |
Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) is often associated with young energetic boys who are often getting into trouble. However, ADHD is a disorder that can affect all genders and all ages. Symptoms of ADHD may worsen with age, especially for seniors, due to the aging of the brain and how ADHD is affected by cognitive decline. ADHD affects the brain and thus when cognitive function worsens, so do the symptoms associated with ADHD. Non-medical strategies that assist those with ADHD, such as exercise, sleep, and structured routine are all affected by aging and retirement. Therefore, ADHD symptoms can present more strongly in seniors, despite how underdiagnosed it is in that age bracket.
ADHD affects brain functions and because the brain changes throughout one’s life, from babyhood to puberty to adulthood and into the twilight years, ADHD symptoms will also change with age. Each person with ADHD will have a unique experience, but the overarching symptoms of ADHD in seniors are the following:
ADHD profoundly affects memory, often creating gaps in memory which creates a ‘Swiss Cheese’ effect. It may feel like your mind is a sieve with the sieve only catching part of the memories. Therefore, a senior with ADHD has an unreliable memory, which can be frustrating when trying to navigate daily life and important tasks such as doctor’s appointments and medication times.
ADHD also affects working memory, which is the memory function that people use on a moment-by-moment basis. Unlike long-term memory, where memories are stored in the hippocampus, working memory is the cognitive function of holding a thought in one’s head while applying it to another. Think about when you have tried to remember someone’s name during a conversation – at the moment, it can be difficult to hold onto the name of the person while also thinking about what they are saying and your response. This difficulty means that seniors will often struggle with their day-to-day tasks and remembering how to complete even simple chores. It also means that they can be easily thrown off course and are often distracted mid-task due to their lack of working memory.
Memory issues also lead to more functional problems such as misplacing important items, and not remembering important dates or appointments. They may forget words or names and feel that their mind is ‘blanking’. Nobody’s memory is perfect and these are common enough examples that all people may relate, however those with ADHD struggle far more and it impacts their life far more severely than the average person. The average person may forget a hair appointment but those with ADHD may forget vital doctor’s appointments.
Seniors with ADHD may also struggle with social skills and may not pick up on social cues that may seem obvious to other neurotypical people. Talking too much and interrupting others are common symptoms of ADHD and may come off as rude or obnoxious to neurotypical people. Those with ADHD have difficulty following conversations or instructions due to poor working memory. This means that they can often be distracted or forgetful even when you were speaking to them and this can give the impression that they are ignoring you or do not care. This is simply not the case – those with ADHD do care but struggle to maintain focus and remember many details all at once. They also struggle with maintaining social relationships when they are not in the same home. Due to their forgetfulness, they will often forget for long periods to reach out to their friends and family and may find it stressful when they do remember. This can lead to their loved ones feeling neglected or unappreciated, however, it is not coming from a place of apathy that seniors with ADHD do not reach out to. Memory loss is a tricky thing and it is often stressful to forget to reach out and then seniors with ADHD may feel embarrassed to do so after such a long period of time.
Struggle with Daily/Important Tasks
Seniors with ADHD will also feel embarrassed due to their struggles with even simple daily tasks. Often, seniors will feel overwhelmed by the hyperactive thoughts running through their heads and the stress of forgetfulness. This coupled with their executive dysfunction which hinders their ability to get tasks started and finished will usually lead to a messy and disordered house and life. This can lead to shame as their homes are often more messy, cluttered, and dirty than the average senior. This may stop them from reaching out to loved ones because they do not want to invite them over to a messy house. As well, those with ADHD often struggle with finances due to their forgetfulness to pay bills on time and impulse control issues which lead to overspending. Seniors with ADHD have been often saddled with years of poor financial choices and often struggle to dig themselves out of their debt. It may be difficult for seniors with ADHD to make ends meet. This can also lead to shame and embarrassment because they may not be able to go out to eat or attend events as often as if they would like due to financial difficulties.
Being a senior with ADHD should not be a source of shame, however, after years of discrimination against those with mental disorders and disabilities, it can feel embarrassing to reach out for help. This shame comes from the social stigma of having an atypical brain and should be combatted with compassion, assistance, and understanding. Those with ADHD are often kind, creative, and brilliant thinkers however they are also forgetful, have challenges with executive function and have difficulty with social cues. Seniors with ADHD are worthy of love, and knowledgeable assistance regarding their ADHD symptoms. Contacting a doctor to discuss medication or holistic strategies would be an effective measure to give them control over their lives. As well, those with ADHD are often in need of some assistance, such as help organizing their calendar, and tangible reminders when to take important medication or attend important appointments. They may benefit from hiring a personal care worker to help them to do chores around the house because those with ADHD are often capable of doing chores but struggle to do them independently. Hiring a personal care worker can ensure that your senior with ADHD is taking their medication on time and staying safe, while also empowering them to tackle the difficult challenges in their day with someone who can help them when they get stuck with executive dysfunction. Seniors with ADHD are capable of independence with a few tangible strategies and a little bit of help to set them up for success.
If you found this article helpful, we also recommend you check these related posts in our Home Care Services blog: | <urn:uuid:1636a75c-c6c6-422a-80fe-fb83d5ca5288> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://www.carefecthomecareservices.com/adhd-in-seniors/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224643388.45/warc/CC-MAIN-20230527223515-20230528013515-00300.warc.gz | en | 0.977212 | 1,331 | 3.390625 | 3 |
A Workers’ Bill of Rights Passed at the AFL-CIO 2017 Convention
At the 2017 AFL-CIO Convention, the delegates passed a resolution calling for the creation of a Workers’ Bill of Rights. Speaking in support of the resolution, President Richard L. Trumka said:
Sisters and brothers, working people need a bill of rights.
A collective bargaining agreement for America.
This will serve as a platform for our members to rally around. It will give prospective members a clear statement of our values. And it will provide political candidates and elected officials with a litmus test for our support.
We simply refuse to accept the reality of struggling to make ends meet in the richest country in the world at its richest point in history. And so we demand rights that ensure we are able, through our work, to lead better lives.
Here’s what working people said should be in a Workers’ Bill of Rights:
Here are the key components of the Workers’ Bill of Rights:
- A Good Job with Fair Wages: Everyone who wants to work has the right to a good job where we earn a fair return on our work and receive a wage that allows us to support ourselves and our families.
- Quality Health Care: Regardless of income, job or a pre-existing condition.
- A Safe Job: Free from harassment and violence.
- Paid Time Off and Flexible Scheduling
- Freedom from Discrimination: In hiring, firing and promotions.
- Retire with Dignity: And financial security.
- Education: Public K-12, higher education and career training that advances our knowledge and skills without leaving us in debt.
- Freedom to Join Together: To negotiate with our co-workers for better wages and working conditions, whether we are in a union or not.
- A Voice in Democracy: To freely exercise our democratic voice through voting and civic participation so that we can make sure our government stands up for this Workers’ Bill of Rights.
Wed, 10/25/2017 – 10:57 | <urn:uuid:5c92f5bd-d55c-4f03-8dc4-5e56475be212> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://www.d70iam.org/news/afl-cio/a-workers-bill-of-rights-passed-at-the-afl-cio-2017-convention/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224643388.45/warc/CC-MAIN-20230527223515-20230528013515-00300.warc.gz | en | 0.926927 | 429 | 2.625 | 3 |
The Market System can be defined as any systemic method enabling many markets to bid and ask, helping buyers and sellers interact and make deals. It is an economic system that relies upon markets to allocate resources and determine prices.
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Markets alone are used to allocate scarce resources of land, labour and capital. In solving the problem of scarcity three questions are always asked, what to produce, how to produce it and for whom to produce. Scarcity occurs because consumers have an unlimited want and the resources available cannot satisfy these wants as the resources are limited.
The main economic systems are the free economy, the command economy and the mixed economy. In the command the state controls all of the resources while in the mixed economy the resources are owned by both the state and the private sector.
In the free economy market all resources are privately owned. The government has no say in what is produced. In this market there is consumer sovereignty, which means that consumers demand acts as a signal to suppliers indicating what should be produce. Consumer decisions about what to buy and more important about what not to buy are essentially important to the market system. The market system is based on the supply and demand of products. The necessary mechanism for the administration of an idealized free market includes the complete absence of artificial price pressures from government taxes, subsidies, tariffs or regulation.
There are some advantages associated with the free market. A free market economy allows competition. Without competition, prices would be a lot higher. Competition allows goods to be produced at a high quality and sold at affordable prices. Companies compete for more customers and a sure way of gaining customers is to lower the price of goods and services. Consumers have a choice as to what company they should purchase from.
In order to operate effectively and efficiently the market system is dependent on a number of factors:-
The profit motive is an incentive for a reward for being in business
Both producers and consumers have access to the same information
Reflected in the price is the benefits and cost of production and consumption
Resources move effortlessness to different users
At the core of the market system is the motivation to earn profit. Entrepreneurs who organize resources into production are enthused to take risks. They produce goods and services with the hope of gaining returns on their labours. Maximising revenue and reducing cast to a minimum creates supernormal profit.
In order to maximise revenue and reduce costs, firms rely on information that is of a high quality. This enable them to access supplies and find resources at minimum cost and establish ways of manage production in the most resourceful way. Equally, consumers obtain guidance about what they are getting for their money and also what is available based on the information that is available to them.
The market would achieve equilibrium without any government intervention. There will also be increase employment.
There are some disadvantages also associated with a market system.
Unsupervised management could result in a loss of profit.
Demerit goods and serviced will be available to the consumers.
Prices could increase thus causing demand to fall.
In such a market a positive investment climate is more or less dependent upon the individual as Government interference in the economy is kept to an absolute minimum. A favourable investment climate gives confidence to businesses to increase productivity and improve efficiency in order to increase revenues earned and capital available for investment. It also provides investors with market confidence and persuades them to invest more capital.
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Based on the state of the economy, firms evaluate investment opportunities and relate them to government policies to ascertain what is the general economic conditions affecting the financial markets. A good investment climate will reflect a low crime rate, a skilled labour force and low corporate taxes. Confidence in businesses will encourage investment. If confidence among business falls firms may be reluctant to invest. This will be an indication if the economy will grow or shrink. It will cause uncertainty in the economy.
The main aspect is not what firms are saying but what firms are doing and experiencing. The business mood can change positively or negatively by various developments in the economy. When it is negative or on a down slope, or in other words when the market fails this is when the government needs to intervene and promote strength and trustworthiness of the economy which are critical elements of a sound investment climate.
Word Count: 773 Word | <urn:uuid:0765a2dc-a805-40f5-a127-95fa152577e6> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | http://ca.paper-market.com/free-essays/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-different-market-systems/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224644817.32/warc/CC-MAIN-20230529074001-20230529104001-00300.warc.gz | en | 0.950889 | 953 | 4.0625 | 4 |
Have you been told that a compromised immune system is simply something that “comes with” a chronic illness diagnosis? In a “which came first” scenario, the compromised immune system goes hand-in-hand with chronic illnesses such as fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, diabetes, arthritis, and more.
But … what’s behind a compromised immune system?
The following risk factors round out the top 10 issues linked to a weakened or compromised immune system. Some may surprise you. They’re listed in reverse order from the least discussed to the most commonly discussed.
#10 — INACTIVITY (lack of a physical fitness program or daily body movement – this prevents the body from being able to detoxify … among other things)
#9 — DEHYDRATION (lack of proper hydration inhibits healthy digestion, nutrient absorption, and detoxification … among other things)
#8 — DETRIMENTAL COPING MECHANISMS (such as alcohol, smoking, repeated use of over the counter medications, and/or “recreational” drugs)
#7 — PRESCRIBED MEDICATIONS AND VACCINATIONS (while your medication protocols should always be reviewed by you and your personal physician, note that many common pharmaceuticals [such as antibiotics and steroids] depress the immune system)
#6 — RECENT DENTAL WORK (dental health/hygiene is very closely related to digestive, heart, and immune system health)
#5 TOXINS (toxin exposure – both external and internal – can suppress and compromise the immune system)
#4 MALNUTRITION (diets that are deficient in essential nutrients are linked to poor digestive health and a compromised immune system – NOTE: undernourishment does not necessarily relate to weight)
#3 HIGH SUGAR & PROCESSED FOODS DIET (while this is linked to risk #4, it deserves its own category as sugar is particularly damaging and destructive to the immune system)
#2 SLEEP (lack of sleep does more than just make you cranky; it leads to many chronic health challenges including a depressed immune system)
And the #1 risk factor linked to a depressed immune system?
#1 CHRONIC STRESS (this doesn’t really surprise you, does it?)
So – there you have it. These are the top 10 risk factors that can sabotage your body’s ability to fend off infection and to stay strong and healthy. Of course, there’s much more to discuss.
Once the immune system is compromised, the effects compound over time. It gets worse and worse. One cold or infection per year turns into one per quarter (or more). One diagnosis turns into multiple diagnoses.
But, I want to hear from you! How many of the above factors are your greatest issues? Which would you say is your TOP RISK FACTOR?
It’s time to CAST YOUR VOTE!
Enter your #1 risk factor below, and I’ll go into more detail in future posts on the ones that receive the most comments. And … don’t forget to share this post with others who would like to chime in!
Want to learn more about Chronic Stress and how it affects you? Pick up your free Is Stress Making You Sick guide! Be sure to register for the free Adrenal Summit 2014 — going on NOW! You’ll find out how to pick up my free guide from my interview which is featured next week.
Do you know why breakfast has the greatest potential to contribute to your PAIN? Grab your free Stop Feeding Yourself PAIN guide here, and learn why!
Chronic stress is #1 for me! I am major caregiver for my 91 year old mother who is suffering from dementia, blindness, deafness, incontinence, etc. I also have fibro, osteoarthritis, colitis, Periphial neuropathy, and pernicious anemia. I am not exercising at the time, but hope to. Every time I do a lot physically, I seem to “pay for it” later 🙁
As I reread this, I sound like a a MAJOR complainer, a hypochondriac. Regrettably, I have been diagnosed with all those illnesses. But why do I feel guilty?
Janice, to detail the issues that concern you is NOT complaining. If you don’t list them or share your concerns, how else would anyone be able to support you? The guilt and feelings of being a hypochondriac are unfortunate side-effects of everything else. No one can tell you how you “should” or “shouldn’t” feel. I’m so glad you shared here!
I realize I was to include all that were issues for me…can I say all of them? Sleep is another major issue, lack of exercise, sugar craver, major dental work (implants). I have no alcohol, drug, or smoking issues.
Janis — I hope you can see how these are all tied together. If we have an impaired immune system, then we’re likely to have several of these issues and they’ve likely been problematic for quite some time.
Hi Sue, What an eye-opener of an article! Certainly explains why I feel the way I do. After 4 operations in under 1 year, lots of medication and lack of activity, I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. Nearly every year following, have been in hospital for colon investigation, gall bladder removal and the list goes on. No wonder why I haven’t been able to boost my immune system. My mental health issues gained momentum and have seen so many professionals who obviously prescribed more medication. Last year I had enough and started to drink aloe vera which helped with IBS and more. I now take various vitamins & minerals to help boost my immune system, brain function etc. There is improvement and am happy to report that by reducing my prescribed medication (with approval from my GP) my body is slowly mending. Your article has made me look back over the past 10 years and really see how much my mind, body plus my friends & family have been through. My #1 risk factor is definitely Chronic Stress.
Alison — you’re on the EXACT path you need to be on to heal! Awareness and looking back is a fabulous way to figure out what hasn’t worked — so we can all figure out what DOES work!
Numbers 1,3, and 8 do it for me. Thanks for the free download; have changed some things already and ordered your book, “FibroWHYalgia. Had a major flare on Sunday and am still recovering. Tired of feeling bad.
Sarah — I’m so glad you’re finding benefit here. There are over 200 free posts here on lots of topics. I’m VERY grateful for your book order, too. Let me know how you’re doing!
Chronic stress for sure. I used to think I didn’t have much stress because I am a pretty laid-back person, but it has gotten worse lately and I can feel it in my guts and in my aches and pains.
Thanks for the tip, Carly! It’s SO important to point out that NO ONE knows what’s going on inside someone else’s head. They may look calm, cool, collected, and content. But inside, there maybe more chaos than calm. Dealing with and addressing stress is definitely a primary part of what I do with clients 😉
Chronic stress definitely gets my vote! I didn’t even realize just how much stress I was really under until I got rid of some of it, by learning how to say no and sticking by that. It was then that I started to feel better, and to take better care of myself in the other areas in my life.
That’s a perfect scenario, Natasha and thanks for sharing. This community is built on sharing great ideas of how to heal collectively 😉
Hi Sue, As it relates to the entire body, immune system, overall functioning–thinking that all combined contribute to making:
#1 Chronic Stress -definitely Number ONE! For the past 7 years literally its been non stop for us. The PTSD with Fibro/cfs does not show mercy with stress or how how it impacts the physical, emotional, overall well being.
In addition to and perhaps directly induced by or perhaps hindered as causally relevant, are instances listed in order of occurrence:
#7-Toxicity/adverse medication reaction started the ball rolling with secondary conditions(ibs, gut)
#5- Mold Exposure, Soot inhalation, Heavy Metal toxicity (water, soil) High Electro Magnetic Field exposure, mercury exposure (dental or unknown origin) surgical post op adverse medication & anesthesia reaction. Effected-respiratory, adrenal exhaustion and much more (#2 sleep disorder, dyspnea, blood production) Successful alternative medicine w/supplemental treatments were effective until became unaffordable.
#2-intermittent resource dependent on food pantries- for the most part (before recent updates of healthier donations for distribution) the carbohydrate diet was the staple. (rice, pasta, bread, beans)
#4 -malnutrition with malabsorption
Knowing that our immune systems have been compromised on top of already being compromised is quite disheartening. The medical maze and journey though coming a long way, has been overwhelming.
Great analysis, Michele! It’s so interesting to see how these individual factors work together and how they cascade from one to the next. Thanks for sharing!
#6 for me would be dental work. I have needed dental work for some time and since everything is interrelated in the body, I have seen some of the effects of not taking care of it earlier. The signs are always there, we just need to pay attention. I knew it and ignored the issue! Hence the emergency visit to my environmental dentist!
Excellent article and comments!
Debra – thanks so much for joining in the conversation! I need to have some dental work done, too. I try to space it out so it’s just done a little at a time 😉
Best thing that was discovered for me was that I was vitamin D deficient. Supplimenting that seemed to largely solve my immunity issues. The other thing is looking for joy every day and ruminating on that. It saved my life.
Annette — perfect additions to the conversation. Thanks so much! Love the attitude 😉
Toxins and processed food. I had severe fibromyalgia and debilitating chronic fatigue syndrome. I recovered after I got rid of toxic chemicals in my environment, stopped eating processed food, and started eating whole foods rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory nutrients. Since implementing theses changes, I have been symptom free for one year four months and two days. It is possible to recover from chronic illness!
Kathy — thanks so much for sharing! Cleaning up my nutritional input also made miraculous changes for me. So glad you can help to inform others in this community who may still be struggling!
Well, I could pick stress, sleep, inactivity, medication, needing dental work. Chronic stress from being the material, physical and mental support for 2 chronically ill adults (my mom and daughter – age 38, and a handicapped 20 yr old grandson. I do my best to take care of my self but….
Terrie — thanks for bringing that up. Others here have also commented on being carers for others. That’s a BIG topic here. Taking the time to care for yourself likely falls to the end of the list (if it makes it on the list at all). I’ve addressed quite a bit of this in a course on Stress that I’ve written. It’ll be released soon so look for info on that. Thanks again!
For me it all started with dental work and went downhill from there with more and more problems following. Ok, the bulk of it started there but there were issues even before that.
Now that the dental work is long past my #1 risk factor for feeling worse is Diet choices -processed food and gluten.
Julie – I think a lot of people are completely unaware of the connection between dental health and whole body health. It creates a wellspring of opportunity for infection and inflammation. Of course, the food sensitivity issue plays into that as well. I appreciate your candid response as I know it helps us all here!
Definitely chronic stress is my #1 issue. Lots of life issues. Emotional and mental abuse has played a part and am trying to redefine my thinking of myself. Loss of my oldest son 5 years ago. Aging parents with my mom in a nursing home and my father passed away in Feb. Also, family disputes over the estate. I’m learning to take better care of myself and make that a priority and balancing that with serving others. I’m also starting my own business as a Health Coach which has been a huge challenge for me in the business realm. I have cleaned up my diet greatly and have come a long way in healing. Consistency with movement is a challenge for me with fatique and some back pain. All 10 points have played a part. And through the years I’ve used supplemental and dietary means in a NRT program that has helped me so much. Your advice is so right on and what I see is vital to good health. Thanks for the encouragement!
Kathleen – thanks so much for your input, and let me first say that I’m so sorry for your losses. You’ve dealt with grief and sadness on levels that most of us couldn’t imagine. I’m so very sorry. You sound to me like someone who has waded through the challenges and has come up with your own path to success. I’m sure it’s not without it’s cost, but the rewards are great. I’m happy to hear of your new career and I wish you the absolute best!
#1 is at the top of the list, more in the past. I am 72 yo with a lifetime of psoriasis, dental caries and stress. Did not discover gluten sensitivity until I was in my late 50’s. Allergies to onions, garlic and chives at 11yo. RN working part-time with 3 children – high stress, fallen arches, weird hours, and painful joints. Found that joint pain could be controlled by going off of nightshades. Now I am on a fruit and vegetable diet with small portions of meats,Still eat cheese but need to go off of that. for fatigue. Hope that works. Any help you can give me will be appreciated. Was on Cortisone oint. for continued psoriasls but had a reaction and am now just applying lotion several times a day.
Janet — you’re singing my song! It’s clear that you’ve already done lots of research and have fine-tuned what works for you (as well as what doesn’t). You’re on the right path. One way to speed up results, is to tackle the issue of stress head-on. Most important, is how we react to stress. How do we internalize it? How does our body metabolize our foods due to stress? How do we physiologically carry our stress with us in everything we do? Food sensitivities do cause stress on the body, but in an inverse way, our stress levels also exacerbate our sensitivities. That might sound like a lose/lose concern, but really, it’s not. Since stress is at the root of everything, then it gives us one main topic to address. What are you doing (regularly!) to address your stress? I’d love to hear more…
I wish I could name my number 1 but I seem to have all these symptoms and more!
I try to eat healthily but not easy when I cannot stand for more than a few minutes so it is easier to pop something in the oven and have with chips!
I am unable to stand, or do very much, for long due to chronic back pain. I had a spinal fusion done in November last year but this wasn’t a success and I have to have another spine operation. This second operation should have been done already but I had a brain aneurism on New Years Eve which took a long time to understand why me? Now I can’t have the spine operation until I get the all clear from my neurosurgeon. The NHS in UK is very slow so who knows when this will happen.
I just wish I knew what is going on with my body, the worst being the chronic pain and chronic fatigue. Most days I feel like a really lazy slob but just walking from my lounge to the kitchen is debilitating.
I would be really grateful for any advice you could give me. Linda
Linda – I’m so sorry to hear all that you’ve been going through! When you’re under as much stress (and pain) as you are, it’s not easy to cook food for yourself or shop for healthier foods. Do you have anyone who can support you in your health goals? It really helps to have someone with whom to share your concerns. Your circumstances would be daunting for anyone to deal with. It’s hard to be objective about your own health, but I hope you can see how you have a right to rest and heal. You’re not lazy at all. Your body is compromised and needs time, patience, kindness, and other healing practices as well as good nutrition. I look forward to chatting further via email and thanks so much for sharing!
Mine is #5
Thanks for sharing!
#2 is my vote, but in reality I would bet I have #4, I don’t care enough to eat and if I eat I gain weight. I always want to tell myself that if I could just rest long enough I would feel better– I know that isn’t true. I was found to have Hashimoto’s disease, an autoimmune disease, 19 years ago. Then I was Diagnosed w/Fibro about 17 years ago, right after I gave birth to my daughter. Her birth was very difficult- lots of trauma to me-but she came out ok. I did not think I could have children, but I got one! At least the Hashi’s can be tested and medicated w/hormone, but my body has killed my thyroid almost completely, I was 30 before they found it, but how long have I been sick? I take amitryp’ before bed and refuse anything stronger for fibro. My two biggest triggers are weather and overworking myself. I can get cold just by the air movement created simply by walking briskly. When I get cold I hurt-bottom line. We live outdoors (in Minnesota btw) we love to be outside. In the summer, I can tell when the temp drops below 80, time for sweatshirt and pants, it’s that sensitive! I am sure that some day they will link Fibromyalgia and thyroid problems together and I will have 1 large thing wrong instead of these random odd things nobody knows how to cure, because I do not believe that people can claim to “cure or end” a disease that medical science can not tell you what caused it in the 1st place. All these scammers claiming to sell pills to end your suffering should be prosecuted, imho.
Gail — thanks SO much for your input! And, yes, fibro and autoimmune conditions are definitely linked. They begin from the same root causes of chronic health challenges in general. Some of those root causes lead to thyroid and hormone dysregulation, fibro, diabetes, CFS, arthritis, asthma, lupus, and much more. We’re all unique, so we each process the root causes differently and present with different health challenges. I grew up in the Midwest and feel that the factors that contributed to my health challenges came from multiple vaccinations as well as the environmental toxins (herbicides, pesticides, agricultural runoff, and livestock / bio-medical runoff. This is just PART of what I experienced and part of what I feel contributed to my health challenges. I too have ultra-sensitivity to cold. The good news is that what’s healing to our thyroids is also healing to fibromyalgia in general. Supporting our bodies with healthy foods, daily body movement, and emotional wellness activities can go a LONG way toward healing. And, that’s the exciting part!
Comments are closed. | <urn:uuid:d36e285b-de67-4d7f-84c3-f43f8433cbfe> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://rebuildingwellness.com/immune-system-risk/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224644817.32/warc/CC-MAIN-20230529074001-20230529104001-00300.warc.gz | en | 0.96083 | 4,388 | 2.8125 | 3 |
Percentage of patients 18 years of age and older who were treated with antidepressant medication, had a diagnosis of major depression, and who remained on an antidepressant medication treatment. Two rates are reported.
- Percentage of patients who remained on an antidepressant medication for at least 84 days (12 weeks).
- Percentage of patients who remained on an antidepressant medication for at least 180 days (6 months).
Depression affects over 17 million adults in the U.S. (NIMH, 2021) and is estimated to affect nearly a quarter of adults in their lifetime (Burcusa & Iacono, 2007). Symptoms of depression include disturbances in appetite and sleep, anxiety, decreased concentration, and suicidal ideation (NAMI, 2017; Charbonneau et al. 2005). Evidence has shown that increased risky behaviors among individuals with depression (e.g., physical inactivity, smoking, excessive drinking and insufficient sleep) are strongly related to the occurrence of many other chronic diseases, such as diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease and asthma (CDC, 2012).
The American Psychiatric Association (APA) recommends use of antidepressant medication and behavioral therapies, such as psychotherapy, for the treatment and management of depression (APA, 2010). For the past 60 years, antidepressant medication has proven to be effective, especially for patients with more severe symptoms (Fournier, 2010). However, studies analyzing adherence to antidepressant medications found that prevalence of nonadherence was high, ranging from 13 percent to 55.7 percent (Sansone, 2012).
Clinical guidelines for depression emphasize the importance of effective clinical management in increasing patients’ medication compliance, monitoring treatment effectiveness, and identifying and managing side effects. If pharmacological treatment is initiated, appropriate dosing and continuation of therapy through the acute and continuation phases decrease recurrence of symptoms. Thus, the evaluation of the duration of pharmacological treatment serves as an important indicator in understanding patient compliance with establishing and maintaining an effective medication regimen.
Clinical Recommendation Statement
American Psychiatric Association (2010):
- “An antidepressant medication is recommended as an initial treatment choice for patients with mild to moderate major depressive disorder [I: Recommended with substantial clinical confidence] and definitely should be provided for those with severe major depressive disorder unless electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is planned [I: Recommended with substantial clinical confidence].”
- Patients should be given a realistic notion of what can be expected during the different phases of treatment, including the likely time course of symptom response and the importance of adherence for successful treatment and prophylaxis [I].
- During the acute phase of treatment, patients should be carefully and systematically monitored on a regular basis to assess their response to pharmacotherapy, identify the emergence of side effects (e.g., gastrointestinal symptoms, sedation, insomnia, activation, changes in weight, and cardiovascular, neurological, anticholinergic, or sexual side effects), and assess patient safety [I].
- “During the continuation phase of treatment, the patient should be carefully monitored for signs of possible relapse [I: Recommended with substantial clinical confidence]. Systematic assessment of symptoms, side effects, adherence, and functional status is essential [I: Recommended with substantial clinical confidence], and may be facilitated through the use of clinician- and/or patient-administered rating scales [II: Recommended with moderate clinical confidence]. To reduce the risk of relapse, patients who have been treated successfully with antidepressant medications in the acute phase should continue treatment with these agents for 4–9 months [I: Recommended with substantial clinical confidence].”
Department of Veterans Affairs, and Health Affairs, Department of Defense (2016):
- ”In patients at high risk for recurrent depressive episodes and who are treated with pharmacotherapy, we recommend offering maintenance pharmacotherapy for at least 12 months and possibly indefinitely.” [Strong For]
- “After initiation of therapy or a change in treatment, we recommend monitoring patients at least monthly until the patient achieves remission. At minimum, assessments should include a measure of symptoms, adherence to medication and psychotherapy, and emergence of adverse effects.” [Strong For]
- “In patients with MDD who achieve remission with antidepressant medication, we recommend continuation of antidepressants at the therapeutic dose for at least six months to decrease risk of relapse” [Strong For] | <urn:uuid:6ce43583-4021-4967-ad71-a35f867e2cf5> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://mdinteractive.com/mips_quality_measure/2023-mips-quality-measure-009 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224646076.50/warc/CC-MAIN-20230530163210-20230530193210-00300.warc.gz | en | 0.906173 | 884 | 2.53125 | 3 |
Web Resources on Knowledge and Religion
I don’t do much with this AOK but here are two activities I have done that overlap well with RKS.
Translation and Religious Text
After having them discuss the section of the podcast, I give out a worksheet on different Bible translations. My school is in New York City and most of the kids are not religious (and I’m not a Christian) so it is safe for me to have the kids discussing Bible verses though you may not be in such a situation. I’m not quite sure where the idea came from but it is a very interesting activity and the kids get a lot out of it. Students look at competing translations of the same verse of the Bible, John 3:16 (that’s the only specific verse I’ve heard of because write the name of the verse on banners and display it at American Football games for some reason). They consider the subtle linguistic differences and discuss the impact of those differences. Students often notice that the most popular English translation, the King James Version, is the most different from the others which raises interesting questions for discussion.
Download Compare and Contrast John 3 16
There are so many further places you can take this discussion. Muslims (most? many?) believe that the Quran should be read in Arabic. Translations are allowed but that the original Arabic is the official Quran. Why might this be the case?
You can explore the importance of Latin to Catholics and the controversies around doing mass in vernacular languages. John Wycliffe’s story is also fascinating. In the 1300s he promoted radical ideas about the Church. He produced the first complete English translation and was ultimately branded a heretic by the Church. He was ahead of his time particularly when we see the issue of vernacular languages was a core issue in what became the Protestant Reformation. Why all this fuss about language? Really fascinating topics to explore.
Evolution and Creationism
I have my students read this as part of our unit looking at Natural Sciences. This was adapted from a larger reading discussing the nature of scientific knowledge and how it contrasts with a religious approach to knowledge. Though it doesn’t necessarily cast creationism in a positive light, it does a good job laying out some fundamentally different approaches to knowledge. | <urn:uuid:79f9d4c9-7a5d-4beb-9638-a98ccb3947f0> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://toktopics.com/religious-knowledge-systems-materials-handouts-activities/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224646076.50/warc/CC-MAIN-20230530163210-20230530193210-00300.warc.gz | en | 0.956575 | 473 | 3.171875 | 3 |
Oh, I know you missed it. Really, it wasn't your fault. Pi day fell on a Sunday, so how are you supposed to have pi-day activities in class? Don't let it stop you. You are better than that. Do the activity anyway. What to do? Here are some suggestions. (Suggestions aimed mostly at the high school level)
Plot Diameter vs. Circumference
This is a great one. Let your students find as many round things as they can (cylinders work the best - or flat stuff). Measure the circumference (you can use a string or a tape measure) and the diameter. Since the relationship between these two is:
A plot with circumference on the vertical axis and diameter on the horizontal axis should be a straight line with a slope of Pi. The great thing about this activity is that students can get a feel for where pi comes from. There are two many students that just think it is a number invented by mathematicians to make things more complicated and cool sounding.
Oh - as a bonus, students get to practice making graphs and finding the slope. I would recommend doing this one on real graph paper (and not in a spreadsheet).
Rolling vs. Distance
Really, this is the same thing as the activity above - but it looks different. Take a cylinder and roll it. Count the number of revolutions and measure the distance it rolled. Plot distance on the vertical axis and the number of revolutions on the horizontal axis. Here is the relationship between the two.
LEGO Estimation of Pi
I just thought of this one and have not actually tried it. Archimedes estimated Pi by drawing two 96-sided polygons inside and outside of a circle. He could then determine an upper and lower bounds for the value of Pi. You could try to reproduce this Lego pieces. Make an n-sided Lego polygon both inside and outside of a circle. Compare the perimeter of the polygons to the radius of the circle.
I might make this a future post, but if you try it out, let me know how it works.
Monte Carlo Estimation of Pi
I had a more detailed post about this method for estimating Pi. But maybe you don't want to look back - so here is the short version. If you randomly put points in a 1 x 1 square, some will be more than 1 units from the corner and some will be less. Here are some random dots.
Since the dots that are less than 1 from the lower left corner make up 1/4th of a circle, the ratio of red dots to total dots should be:
So, this is pretty straight forward. But how could you do this? I made a program in Scratch as well as python. You could use anything that has a random number generator. Here is a version in google docs:
I didn't finish it, well mostly I did - but you would need to do some more work on it to finish. If you wanted, you could have groups in the class calculate the average for 100 points and then take the average average for all the groups.
Non-Computer Monte Carlo
Maybe you think computers will one day rule the world and you would rather not use them to calculate Pi. I can understand that. You could drop something so that it has a random distribution on a 1 x 1 square and then count the number in and outside of a circle. Maybe find some way to drop sand on a square paper? Make sure that sand is falling outside of the paper also, or it likely will not be randomly distributed.
How Accurate can you get Pi by Measuring?
What if you used the plot of circumference vs. diameter from above? How accurate of a value of Pi could you get?
There are tons of great Pi sites out there. Here are just a few:
- The Joy of Pi - tons of good stuff here.
- Wikipedia's Pi page
- The history of Pi
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I do that first activity, plotting diameter v circumference on the second day of HS physics class, to practice good graphing, to look at the format of writing a lab report, and because the slope is Pi! I love that lab.
I'm not sure what you're thinking of with the lego activity, but I can't think of a way it would work.
If you're simply placing rectangular bricks on a flat base, the perimeter of the circular shape will be 4*D, the perimeter of a square with side length D equal to the circle diameter. The perimeter is independent of the number of bricks used because of the "stair-step" shape of the curve.
You might use technic beams and rods to make a better approximation to regular polygons, but then you'd have to figure out some way to ensure they conform to a circular shape, which seems like more trouble than its worth.
I think you are correct - didn't think about it that way.
I have loved the Monte Carlo method since I was taught it in High School at a Cal Tech Saturday Science Program in the late 'seventies. I programmed it in assembler on an IBM 360.
Now it is my second practice program after "hello world." My next one will be in Apple Cocoa.
If I understand the LEGO activity correctly, I have done one using power point slides with triangles, square, pentagon, hexagon, septagon, octagon and dodecagon. | <urn:uuid:6901baa4-c358-4466-a845-48b1eee03224> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://scienceblogs.com/dotphysics/2010/03/14/activities-for-pi-day | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224647525.11/warc/CC-MAIN-20230601010402-20230601040402-00300.warc.gz | en | 0.960026 | 1,134 | 3.640625 | 4 |
Units Sold: 26
A mathematical, hands-on exploration of concepts of probability using a variety of games.
Probability is one of the most fun topics in all of mathematics – and one of the most useful to understand out in the real world! But sadly, when the academic standards were revamped a few years ago, probability was moved out of the elementary grades and into middle school math. Mr. Arrowsmith is on a mission to bring this awesome topic back to Bryant!
Participants will learn basic probability concepts, such as describing chance and calculating it with fractions and percents, then test our theories through hands-on experiments. We’ll explore the math behind flipping coins, rolling dice, spinners, drawing from a bag, a deck of cards, and more. It’s a math class with no tests or grades, designed for curious minds who enjoy critical thinking and learning by doing. It’s also a great way to improve understanding around fractions, a notoriously tricky concept.
How many tries will it take you to draw one of the three blue marbles out of the bag? Are you more likely to flip tails three times in a row or roll “snake eyes”? Come join us to find out! In fact, Mr. Arrowsmith has already calculated the probability that you’ll sign up for this class. (The odds look good.)
Due to the advanced nature of the math involved (fractions, percents, basic multiplication and division), this course is recommended for students grades 3-5, but open to 2nd graders who are up to the task.
Instructor: John Arrowsmith
Day of Week: Fridays
Time: 2:30 pm to 3:40 pm
Dates of classes: 10/18, 10/25, 11/1, 11/8, 11/15, 11/22, 12/6, 12/13 (8 classes)
Location: Room 307
John Arrowsmith is a 2nd grade teacher at Bryant Elementary, where he has taught for 13 years. His passion is math, and he loves creating engaging activities that promote critical thinking.
There are no reviews yet. | <urn:uuid:b0560b27-4a3a-4a6d-a2a6-9c88029e6beb> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://www.seattlease.org/classes/chance-champs-fall-2019-20/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224647525.11/warc/CC-MAIN-20230601010402-20230601040402-00300.warc.gz | en | 0.934429 | 472 | 3.125 | 3 |
Some technologies mimic nature in the case of how spring water becomes structured. Structured water technology varies. Some companies use magnets, some use crystals or other forms. Below are some of the popular ways and companies that create water structuring devices.
What Is Structured Water Technology
Structuring water is diverse. Some technologies emulate nature by copying vortexing nature of water as it flows through a river or down a waterfall. Some natural crystals to transfer the subtle energies into water that cause it to restructure. While some invoke the sacred geometry to influence and life force into the water.
Read – What Is Structured Water?
Natural Action Technologies and UMH combine the above methods in their different ways to make structured water. On the other hand some use Electrical Field Entrainment Technology, magnets to make structured water while some use naturally occurring mineral deposit, biotite.
Structured Water Manufacturers & Products
There are countless structured water manufacturers and products on the market today. Here you will find a resourceful list of different structured water products from different manufacturers.
Manufacturers use varying structured water technology but in the end produce a product, a unit, a device that restructures water. Restructured water is ultimately water with life force energy, water that has been revitalized also often called living water. Also see Analemma coherent water.
The products or units or devices also vary in their uses and applications. Some are portable devices making it easy to carry them around such that you can use it whenever you want to drink water. And it makes structured water readily available.
Some devices are designed to be installed either on the main pipe line or somehow. This can be at the sink or on a pipeline such that structured water is available in the whole house.
Natural Action Technologies
The Natural Action Technologies, founded by Clayton Nolte, is US based company that manufacturers water structuring units that mimic the action of rocks on water in nature. When water travels along in a river or flowing down a hill it gets tossed around, swirling, vortexing and spinning. As this happens it gets structured naturally. At the same time these water vortices are also cleaning the water.In other words this behavior gives flowing water the ability to self clean itself, re-energize itself and the environment. This is a natural process how nature designed it. Mimicking it would produce similar results.
Clayton Nolte and his team designed and emulated this vortexing through their products. Natural Action utilizes a specific geometric flow form that balances the vortex motion with in the water. Not only that, they have also implemented rare and proprietary materials with in the flow form. All matter in nature has a vibration, each vibration being unique to a particular material.
It is through these vibration inherent to all matter that their life supporting properties are transferred into water without physically adding anything to the water. This is called “passive water treatment” and it effortlessly changes the organizational structure of water to a more organized structure. This organized structure subtly alters the energies and properties in the water to improve and restore natural functions.
Also see Structured Water For Agriculture
UMH Umwelttechnologien is an Austrian company that also applies the same principle of nature in structuring water. Their Austrian-German engineering water structuring technology copies the principles of nature via resonant frequencies.
Water structuring is not only reliant on vortexing from hitting against but also on the vibrational frequencies of the materials it comes in contact with. In other words storing water or making come in contact with a certain material can also structure it, the same way vortices would. What will differ is the level of structuring that would be achieved from such a method.
Like Natural Action Technologies, UMH technology use vortex motion of water (double helix flow pattern), sacred geometry and a careful selection of materials to enhance structuring. The UMH structured water technology is influenced by one of the pioneers in structured water research, Viktor Schauberger.
UMH structured water devices are made from and use 24k Gold, Quartz crystal, borosilicate glass and more other patented components. The water flows into the device and out the other end as spring quality water ideal for human, plant and animal consumption. The UMH water structure devices cover a wide range of uses for every day use in personal, home, work, industrial and agriculture. | <urn:uuid:c4834409-e02b-4f8b-a2fd-af6b563bdf7d> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://aquapond.site/structured-water-technology/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224648635.78/warc/CC-MAIN-20230602104352-20230602134352-00300.warc.gz | en | 0.931234 | 906 | 2.71875 | 3 |
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Leo is the fifth sign of the zodiac.
Leo is latin for lion.
Its symbol is ♌.
The traditional Western zodiac associates Leo with the period between July 23 and August 22, and the sign spans the 120th to 150th degree of celestial longitude.
People born under the sign of Leo are natural born leaders. They are dramatic, creative, self-confident, dominant and extremely difficult to resist, able to achieve anything they want to in any area of life they commit to. There is a specific strength to a Leo and their “king of the jungle” status. Leo often has many friends for they are generous and loyal. Self-confident and attractive, this is a Sun sign capable of uniting different groups of people and leading them as one towards a shared cause, and their healthy sense of humor makes collaboration with other people even easier.
Leo is associated with fire, accompanied by Aries and Sagittarius, and its modality is fixed.
Its representation as a lion is usually linked with the Nemean lion slain by Heracles (Hercules).
The Nemean lion was a vicious monster in Greek mythology that lived at Nemea. It was eventually killed by Heracles. It could not be killed with mortals’ weapons because its golden fur was impervious to attack. Its claws were sharper than mortals’ swords and could cut through any armor. In Bibliotheca, Photius wrote that the dragon Ladon, who guarded the golden apples, was his brother.
Leo constellation lying between Cancer the crab to the west and Virgo the maiden to the east. It is located in the Northern celestial hemisphere.
Egyptians worshipped the constellation, which they referred to as “Knem”, because it was present during the flooding of the Nile River. This event signified plentiful harvests for the upcoming year, and the people
interpreted it as a gift from the earth. Ruler of Egypt, Tutankhamun’s gold throne features lion heads where the seat and front legs meet, as well as clawed feet at the end of each leg, symbolizing power and royalty.
One of the 48 constellations described by the 2nd-century astronomer Ptolemy, Leo remains one of the 88 modern constellations today, and one of the most easily recognizable due to its many bright stars and a distinctive shape that is reminiscent of the crouching lion it depicts. The lion’s mane and shoulders also form an asterism known as “The Sickle,” which to modern observers may resemble a backwards “question mark.”
Leo contains many bright galaxies – Messier 65, Messier 66, Messier 95, Messier 96, Messier 105, and NGC 3628 are the most famous, the first two being part of the Leo Triplet.
Leo also contains many bright stars, many of which were individually identified by the ancients.
Leo was one of the earliest recognized constellations, with archaeological evidence that the Mesopotamians had a similar constellation as early as 4000 BC. The Persians called Leo Ser or Shir – the Turks, Artan – the Syrians, Aryo – the Jews, Arye – the Indians, Simha, all meaning “lion”.
Some mythologists believe that in Sumeria, Leo represented the monster Humbaba, who was killed by Gilgamesh.
In Babylonian astronomy, the constellation was called UR.GU.LA, the “Great Lion”; the bright star Regulus was known as “the star that stands at the Lion’s breast.” Regulus also had distinctly regal associations, as it was known as the King Star.
In Greek mythology, Leo was identified as the Nemean Lion which was killed by Heracles (Hercules to the Romans) during the first of his twelve labours. The Nemean Lion would take women as hostages to its lair in a cave, luring warriors from nearby towns to save the damsel in distress, to their misfortune. The Lion was impervious to any weaponry – thus, the warriors’ clubs, swords, and spears were rendered useless against it. Realizing that he must defeat the Lion with his bare hands, Hercules slipped into the Lion’s cave and engaged it at close quarters. When the Lion pounced, Hercules caught it in midair, one hand grasping the Lion’s forelegs and the other its hind legs, and bent it backwards, breaking its back and freeing the trapped maidens. Zeus commemorated this labor by placing the Lion in the sky.
The Roman poet Ovid called it Herculeus Leo and Violentus Leo. Bacchi Sidus (star of Bacchus) was another of its titles, the god Bacchus always being identified with this animal. However, Manilius called it Jovis et Junonis Sidus (Star of Jupiter and Juno).
The Leonids occur in November, peaking on November 14–15, and have a radiant close to Gamma Leonis. Its parent body is Comet Tempel-Tuttle, which causes significant outbursts every 35 years. The normal peak rate is approximately 10 meteors per hour. | <urn:uuid:49516216-3605-48ab-af28-7cecd31ee0ad> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://justfunfacts.com/interesting-facts-about-leo/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224648635.78/warc/CC-MAIN-20230602104352-20230602134352-00300.warc.gz | en | 0.979045 | 1,097 | 2.765625 | 3 |
What does Dispossessed mean?
Definitions for Dispossessed
This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word Dispossessed.
dispossessed, homeless, rooflessadjective
physically or spiritually homeless or deprived of security
"made a living out of shepherding dispossed people from one country to another"- James Stern
The Dispossessed (in later printings titled The Dispossessed: An Ambiguous Utopia) is a 1974 anarchist utopian science fiction novel by American writer Ursula K. Le Guin, one of her seven Hainish Cycle novels. It is one of a small number of books to win all three Hugo, Locus and Nebula Awards for Best Novel. It achieved a degree of literary recognition unusual for science fiction due to its exploration of themes such as anarchism and revolutionary societies, capitalism, utopia, and individualism and collectivism. It features the development of the mathematical theory underlying a fictional ansible, a device capable of faster-than-light communication (it can send messages without delay, even between star systems) that plays a critical role in the Hainish Cycle. The invention of the ansible places the novel first in the internal chronology of the Hainish Cycle, although it was the fifth published.
The numerical value of Dispossessed in Chaldean Numerology is: 4
The numerical value of Dispossessed in Pythagorean Numerology is: 9
Examples of Dispossessed in a Sentence
We have everything to dread from the dispossessed.
Celebrating Australia Day on January 26th is offensive, to celebrate an invasion which has seen our people dispossessed, displaced and oppressed for some 230 years, is plain offensive.
We announce we are entering those municipalities hardest hit by violence, it's a huge challenge in terms of restitution and we will do justice in the heart of areas where people were forced to abandon their lands and were dispossessed of their lands by the FARC.
In the height of thy prosperity expect adversity, but fear it not. If it come not, thou art the more sweetly possessed of the happiness thou hast, and the more strongly confirmed. If it come, thou art the more gently dispossessed of the happiness thou hadst, and the more firmly prepared.
It was a march of an entire civilization that had been uprooted, freed slaves and a lot of dispossessed whites. And that's what interested me, because during the course of that -- people changed.
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Translations for Dispossessed
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You need to be logged in to favorite. | <urn:uuid:7d68e909-1d13-4edc-93e1-fc7715c9bead> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://www.definitions.net/definition/Dispossessed | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224648635.78/warc/CC-MAIN-20230602104352-20230602134352-00300.warc.gz | en | 0.893566 | 1,372 | 2.65625 | 3 |
All you need is eggs, veggies, and spices! These cold bath dyeing recipes are very simple and kid-friendly. Hard-boil eggs using your normal recipe or our recipe!
1. To hard boil, bring a pot of water to a boil.
2. Once the water is at a rolling bowl, gently at the eggs and boil 5 minutes.
3. Then remove the eggs and place them in an ice bath until cool.
National Co-op Grocers sent out a fantastic guide that is easy to follow to dye eggs: https://www.welcometothetable.coop/food-lifestyle/cooking/naturally-dyed-eggs. For white and light green eggs all the colors will work. If you have brown eggs, stick to the darker colors like purple, blue, green, and black tea. We used brown, green, and white eggs and the cold bath method;
1. Choose your dyeing ingredients. We used turmeric, onion skins, black tea bags, purple cabbage, spirulina, and pomegranate juice.
2. Measure out your ingredients and boil in a pot of water. We made about 2 cups of each dye, which needed; 4 tea bags, 3 onion’s skins, 2 tbsp turmeric, 2 tbsp spirulina, and 1/2 a small cabbage. Boil your ingredients for about 30 minutes, the longer you boil, the brighter the colors will get!
3. Next, you need some art supplies. We used rubber bands, a small piece of cheesecloth, some beeswax (or a crayon), grains (rice), and leaves and flowers from our garden!
4. Decorate your eggs however you like, wrap in cheesecloth if needed, tie closed with rubber bands or string, and leave in the dye for about 30 minutes.
Our cheesecloth are plastic, as opposed to the cotton or linen ones. Thus, it made a design on our eggs. Cotton or linen cheesecloth should not have any effect on the design!
Written by Madison Suoja, Education and Outreach Specialist | <urn:uuid:d81ac07c-f02a-4265-ae70-aa999214a399> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://davisfood.coop/natural-egg-dyeing/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224649343.34/warc/CC-MAIN-20230603201228-20230603231228-00300.warc.gz | en | 0.908675 | 447 | 2.515625 | 3 |
Exporting Synonyms & Definitions
Synonyms are words that have the same or almost the same meaning and the definition is the detailed explanation of the word. This page will help you out finding the Definition & Synonyms of hundreds of words mentioned on this page. Check out the page and learn more about the English vocabulary.
• ExportingDefinition & Meaning in English
- (p. pr. & vb. n.) of Export
• ExportDefinition & Meaning in English
- (n.) The act of exporting; exportation; as, to prohibit the export of wheat or tobacco.
- (n.) That which is exported; a commodity conveyed from one country or State to another in the way of traffic; -- used chiefly in the plural, exports.
- (v. t.) To carry away; to remove.
- (v. t.) To carry or send abroad, or out of a country, especially to foreign countries, as merchandise or commodities in the way of commerce; -- the opposite of import; as, to export grain, cotton, cattle, goods, etc. | <urn:uuid:2d9ae5ea-6223-436b-a389-0b2764337de9> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://hamariweb.com/dictionaries/synonyms-and-definitions.aspx?eu=exporting | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224649343.34/warc/CC-MAIN-20230603201228-20230603231228-00300.warc.gz | en | 0.841904 | 229 | 2.78125 | 3 |
There are many brands of automotive batteries and what brand you buy is dependent on where you get the battery replaced. Some popular brands include DieHard, sold at Sears; Autocraft, sold at Advance Auto Parts; Interstate, sold at Interstate Batteries; and, Everstart, sold at Walmart.
Lead-acid batteries are made up of plates of lead and separate plates of lead dioxide, which are submerged into an electrolyte solution of about 35% sulfuric acid and 65% water. This causes a chemical reaction that releases electrons, allowing them to flow through conductors to produce electricity. As the battery discharges, the acid of the electrolyte reacts with the materials of the plates, changing their surface to lead sulfate. When the battery is recharged, the chemical reaction is reversed: the lead sulfate reforms into lead dioxide and lead. With the plates restored to their original condition, the process may now be repeated.
People who have recreational vehicles (RVs) and boats are familiar with deep cycle batteries. These batteries are also common in golf carts and large solar power systems (the sun produces power during the day and the batteries store some of the power for use at night). If you have read the article How Emergency Power Systems Work, then you also know that an alternative to gasoline-powered generators is an inverter powered by one or more deep cycle batteries.
Typically, a deep cycle battery will have two or three times the RC of a car battery, but will deliver one-half or three-quarters the CCAs. In addition, a deep cycle battery can withstand several hundred total discharge/recharge cycles, while a car battery is not designed to be totally discharged.
Both car batteries and deep cycle batteries are lead-acid batteries that use exactly the same chemistry for their operation (see How Batteries Work for more information). The difference is in the way that the batteries optimize their design:
A car's battery is designed to provide a very large amount of current for a short period of time. This surge of current is needed to turn the engine over during starting. Once the engine starts, the alternator provides all the power that the car needs, so a car battery may go through its entire life without ever being drained more than 20 percent of its total capacity. Used in this way, a car battery can last a number of years. To achieve a large amount of current, a car battery uses thin plates in order to increase its surface area.
A deep cycle battery is designed to provide a steady amount of current over a long period of time. A deep cycle battery can provide a surge when needed, but nothing like the surge a car battery can. A deep cycle battery is also designed to be deeply discharged over and over again (something that would ruin a car battery very quickly). To accomplish this, a deep cycle battery uses thicker plates.
Battery recycling of automotive batteries reduces the need for resources required for manufacture of new batteries, diverts toxic lead from landfills, and prevents risk of improper disposal. | <urn:uuid:9dd2edd3-ca5e-4f73-956c-ddaa24341fbe> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://www.vglorylibattery.com/an-automotive-battery-is-a-type-of-rechargeable.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224649343.34/warc/CC-MAIN-20230603201228-20230603231228-00300.warc.gz | en | 0.957106 | 615 | 3.046875 | 3 |
How to Calculate MOCP
MOCP (maximum overcurrent protection) refers to the maximum allowable circuit breaker of a particular electrical unit that will correctly shut off power to equipment that is malfunctioning. MCOP is most commonly calculated for electrical heaters that are going to be installed in homes or buildings. Accurately computing MOCP values is an important safety protocol in the event of an electrical failure or problem. People near the electrical wiring or equipment could be hurt if the MOCP values of the equipment were incorrectly determined, resulting in an ineffective circuit breaker. Calculating MOCP values requires the identification of several variables usually included in the electrical heater instructions and procedures manual. They can also be obtained by calling the manufacturer.
Determine whether the electric heater has field-installed electric heat or has single point power (contains electric heat). The formulas for the two variations are different.
Multiply the full load amps of the indoor fan motor by 400 percent for a single-point power unit.
Add the resulting number to the full amp loads of the heater. This will give you the MOCP for a unit with single-point power.
Multiply the heater full amp loads by 150 percent and subtract the resulting number from 125. The end number will be the MOCP for a unit with field-installed electric heat.
- If you do not know whether your electrical unit is a single-point power unit or a unit with field-installed electric heat, consult the instructions manual or call the manufacturer.
James Wiley graduated from Providence College in 2009 as a double major in global studies and Spanish. Wiley's capstone thesis paper was published in the Providence College database. He has also competed in international script-writing competitions and coauthored a pilot which placed in the top 15 percent of international entries over the past year. | <urn:uuid:96c0c415-d9db-4842-a298-ae17ffeef94a> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://homesteady.com/how-5981072-calculate-mocp.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224651325.38/warc/CC-MAIN-20230605053432-20230605083432-00300.warc.gz | en | 0.9123 | 397 | 2.6875 | 3 |
20 years ago, what did the experts think was important to do in order to secure US leadership in space in the 21st-century? How have things progressed so far?
This article examine the recommendations from the 2002 Commission on the Future of the United States Aerospace Industry.
Commission on the Future of the United States Aerospace Industry
Congress established the Commission on the Future of the United States Aerospace Industry in Section 1092 of the fiscal year (FY) 2001 National Defense
Authorization Act (PL. 106-398). The Commission was established as a Federal Advisory Committee under the Executive Office of the President, National Science and Technology Council. The purpose of the Commission is to “study the issues associated with the future of the U.S. aerospace industry in the global economy, and the industrys future importance to the economic and national security of the United States.” The twelve commissioners, appointed by the President and the Congress, are experts representing the breadth of aerospace issues and stakeholders. The President designated the Honorable Robert S. Walker as Chairman.
The Commission defines the U.S. aerospace sector as the sum of those activities needed to develop, oper-ate, and/or use aerospace capabilities, including the activities of commercial enterprises and govern-ment-from general aviation to space exploration, and from civil transport to national security. The human capital, national infrastructure and research needed to support these activities were also considered to be key elements of the sector.
From November 27, 2001, through November 18, 2002, the Commission held six public meetings, received public testimony from over 60 witnesses, and issued three interim reports outlining its preliminary findings and recommendations. The Commission visited Europe and Asia to meet with leaders from their aerospace sectors and learn about their issues and future plans.
The Commission staff gathered information about the aerospace sector from over one hundred govern-ment, industry, labor, university and non-govern-mental organizations. The Commission also created a website to share information about the Commission with the public. It received over 150,000 inquiries during the life of the Commission.
What did they say and how are we doing?
The following presents the executive summary of the 2002 “Final Report of the Commission on the Future of the United States Aerospace Industry”, specifically related to Space. Commentary is provided for each section regarding state of the space industry in 2022 versus what the experts felt was important to achieve.
Executive Summary Section on Space
The Commission concludes that the nation will have to be a space-faring nation in order to be the global leader in the 21st century our freedom, mobility, and quality of life will depend on it. America must exploit and explore space to assure national and planetary security, economic benefit and scientific discovery. At the same time, the United States must overcome the obstacles that jeopardize its ability to sustain leadership in space.
Achieve Breakthroughs in Propulsion and Space Power
The ability to access space and travel through the solar system in weeks or months instead of years would help create the imperative to do so.
Propulsion and power are the key technologies to enable this capability. Future progress in these areas will result in new opportunities on Earth and open the solar system to robotic and human exploration and eventual colonization. The nation would benefit from a joint effort by NASA and DoD to reduce significantly the cost and time required to access and travel through space.
Develop a Next Generation Communication, Navigation, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Capability
The nation needs real-time, global space-based communications, navigation, surveillance and reconnaissance systems for a wide range of applications. These capabilities will provide the military with the ability to move its forces around the world, conduct global precision strike operations, defend the homeland, and provide for planetary defense. The civil and commercial sectors will also benefit from these capabilities for air transportation management, monitoring global climate change, weather forecasting and other applications. The federal government needs a joint civil and military initiative to develop this core infrastructure.
Revitalize the U.S. Space Launch Infrastructure
NASA and DoD must maintain and modernize their space launch and support infrastructure to bring them up to industry standards. They should implement our recommendations contained in Interim Report #3 concerning federal spaceports, enhanced leasing authority, and utility privatization and “municipalization.” We recommended that DoD and NASA should:
- Investigate the feasibility of establishing a national spaceport structure at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) under a single management system; and
- Seek Congressional approval for enhanced leasing authority that allows them to lease real property at fair market value and retain lease proceeds to cover the total costs incurred at KSC and CCAFS; and
- Privatization of NASA utilities at KSC and CCAFS to overcome the budget burdens associated with capital improvements to outdated infrastructure.
In addition, NASA and DoD need to make the investments necessary for developing and supporting future launch capabilities. NASA should also consider turning over day-to-day management responsibilities for its field centers to the respective state governments, universities, or companies.
Provide Incentives to Commercial Space
Government and the investment community must become more sensitive to commercial opportunities and problems in space. Public space travel may constitute a viable marketplace in the future. It holds the potential for increasing launch demand and improvements in space launch reliability and reusability. Moreover, it could lead to a market that would ultimately support a robust space transportation industry with “airline-like operations.” The government could help encourage this by allowing NASA to fly private citizens on the Space Shuttle.
Sustain Commitment to Science and Space
The U.S. government should continue its long-standing commitment to science missions in space and focus on internationally cooperative efforts in the future.
The Commission recommends that the United States create a space imperative. The DoD, NASA, and industry must partner in innovative aerospace technologies, especially in the areas of propulsion and power. These innovations will enhance our national security, provide major spin-offs to our economy, accelerate the exploration of the near and distant universe with both human and robotic missions, and open up new opportunities for public space travel and commercial space endeavors in the 21st century. | <urn:uuid:6bb81a2a-4301-4628-b194-ff45eba244db> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://newspaceeconomy.ca/2022/12/27/us-and-space-2002-looking-into-the-21st-century/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224652959.43/warc/CC-MAIN-20230606150510-20230606180510-00300.warc.gz | en | 0.933025 | 1,274 | 2.546875 | 3 |
Two tortoise species native to the American southwest have experienced significant habitat loss from development and are vulnerable to ongoing threats associated with continued development. Mojave desert tortoises Gopherus agassizii are listed as threatened under the US Endangered Species Act, and Sonoran desert tortoises G. morafkai are protected in Arizona (USA) and Mexico. Substantial habitat for both species occurs on multiple-use public lands, where development associated with traditional and renewable energy production, recreation, and other activities is likely to continue. Our goal was to quantify development to inform and evaluate actions implemented to protect and manage desert tortoise habitat. We quantified a landscape-level index of development across the Mojave and Sonoran desert tortoise ranges using models of potential habitat for each species (152485 total observations). We used 13 years of Mojave desert tortoise monitoring data (4732 observations) to inform the levels and spatial scales at which tortoises may be affected by development. Most (66–70%) desert tortoise habitat has some development within 1 km. Development levels on desert tortoise habitat are lower inside versus outside areas protected by actions at national, state, and local levels, suggesting that protection efforts may be having the desired effects and providing a needed baseline for future effectiveness evaluations. Of the relatively undeveloped desert tortoise habitat, 43% (74030 km2) occurs outside of existing protections. These lands are managed by multiple federal, state, and local entities and private landowners, and may provide opportunities for future land acquisition or protection, including as mitigation for energy development on public lands. | <urn:uuid:2e72be43-b0ec-455a-914a-2525293a2635> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/70211358 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224652959.43/warc/CC-MAIN-20230606150510-20230606180510-00300.warc.gz | en | 0.922599 | 325 | 2.921875 | 3 |
Biological drugs, also known as biologics, are medications derived from living organisms. Unlike traditional small molecule drugs, which are chemically synthesized, biologics are produced using biotechnology methods, such as recombinant DNA technology or protein engineering. They are used to treat various medical conditions, including autoimmune diseases, cancer, and rare genetic disorders. Biologics are often administered through injection or infusion, and they have become an increasingly important part of modern medicine.
In general, therapeutic proteins exhibit high molecular complexity, making them sensitive to various environmental factors, such as temperature, light, and pH. Even minor changes can cause the biologic to become unstable, leading to decreased efficacy or harmful side effects. Therefore, proper analytical characterization and usage of state-of-the-art techniques allow for mitigating potential risks.
Mass spectrometry (MS) has become an essential tool for characterizing proteins in modern biotechnology and pharmaceutical research. This technology is based on the principles of ionization and mass-to-charge (m/z) separation. It allows researchers to identify and quantify the individual components of a protein sample with a high degree of accuracy and precision. Undoubtedly, MS is a valuable tool for confirming the primary structure of a protein and identifying any post-translational modifications that may affect its function.
Primary structure determination
Primary structure confirmation using mass spectrometry allows for identifying and confirming a protein’s amino acid sequence. It involves breaking down the protein into its constituent peptides and analyzing these peptides to determine their mass-to-charge ratio (m/z). The first step is to cleave the protein into smaller peptides using a protease enzyme, such as trypsin or others. The resulting peptides are then purified and separated using liquid chromatography. The complex peptide mixture can be separated by a nano-LC system where the separation of the analytes takes place into capillary columns to enhance sensitivity. Next, the peptides are ionized using an electrospray ionization source and introduced into the mass spectrometer. The difficulty of obtaining complete coverage of the protein sequence using MS alone is probably the main limitation of this technique, especially for larger proteins. Additionally, some amino acids may be challenging to detect using MS, such as those that are modified or have unusual chemical properties. Therefore utilization of MS-based analysis requires thorough experience.
Modifications of proteins
One of the key applications of mass spectrometry in protein characterization is the identification of post-translational modifications (PTMs). PTMs are chemical modifications that occur after the translation of a protein and can significantly alter its biological activity and function. Almost all proteins, whether produced as recombinant proteins or isolated from natural sources, will carry, to some degree, modified amino acids. Modification may also occur during the sample handling process. Therefore, they need to be monitored to ensure the consistency of production batches. Modifications, like deamidation, oxidation, pyroglutamate formation, etc., may affect protein functionality. Hence, identifying protein modifications and their position is essential in protein characterization.
Among others formation of disulfide bridges significantly influences protein structure and function. Incorrectly paired disulfide bonds result in changing protein properties. For that reason, their mapping is a significant step for confirming proper tertiary structure. Mass spectrometry can be used to identify the specific sites of PTMs, such as phosphorylation or glycosylation, and to determine their abundance. The glycosylation-related heterogeneity of proteins arises from the differences in localization and occupancy of the glycosylation sites and the diversity of the glycan structures expressed on a specific site. To address both levels, glycopeptides analysis and site occupancy evaluation should be utilized.
Aggregation and oligomerization
Oligomers, aggregates, and fragments are biologically active protein proteoforms and common product-related impurities in biopharmaceuticals that impact efficacy, safety, and stability. Identification of low-level impurities may involve labor-intensive chromatographic fraction collection and follow-up experiments. In addition, a significant part of the total protein aggregates can be caused by non-covalent molecular interactions, which are dissociable in denaturing buffers and cannot be characterized by conventional mass spectrometry. Using ammonium acetate solution for SEC allows for preserving non-covalent protein interactions and registers them by MS with high sensitivity and accuracy.
Besides the assessment of biomolecule size variants, native MS allows the characterization of charge heterogeneity through the combination of ion exchange chromatography and native MS. Characterization of variants such as deamidation, which are traditionally unattainable by an intact mass due to their minimal molecular weight differences, can be measured unambiguously by mass and retention time.
Conformational dynamics analysis
Hydrogen–deuterium exchange mass spectrometry (HDx-MS) allows insight into the behavior of the protein in the solution and the correlation of HDx with the structure and dynamics of the molecule. The technique enables the analysis of proteins in terms of interactions with ligands/drugs, other proteins, and lipids or the study of the effect of mutations and post-translational modifications under the same experimental conditions in solution. The main application of HDx-MS is the comparative analysis of different protein conformers. HDx-MS is a complementary method to 3D static structures, allowing for a “dynamic” image of a protein that can explain many biological processes.
In conclusion, mass spectrometry is a powerful tool for the characterization of proteins in modern biotechnology and pharmaceutical research. It allows for identifying post-translational modifications, protein-protein interactions, and quantifying protein abundance, among other applications. With ongoing advances in mass spectrometry technology and sample preparation techniques, mass spectrometry will continue to play a critical role in protein characterization and the development of new therapeutics.
For more information visit our website: https://selvita.com | <urn:uuid:71799643-4911-4cf1-be78-b20ad71ce049> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://writeupcafe.com/mass-spectrometry-analytics-for-biologics-selvita/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224652959.43/warc/CC-MAIN-20230606150510-20230606180510-00300.warc.gz | en | 0.91539 | 1,233 | 3.34375 | 3 |
Why should I study a second language?
Canada is not only a bilingual country but also a multilingual and multicultural country.
Think of all the great places you can visit and the new people you can meet when you can understand and speak other languages.
* Geological, geophysical, mining and petroleum companies
* Business community
* Health and education
No previous knowledge of this language is required. The classroom emphasis will be on oral communication. You will also learn the fundamentals of written Spanish and explore diverse aspects of Spanish culture in the world.
Spanish 20 continues to expand on the vocabulary and grammar introduced in Spanish 10. The emphasis is on sentence and paragraph construction in the past tense.
Spanish 30 is the final course in this three- year series. The emphasis is on developing basic oral and written communication skills. | <urn:uuid:ce2e8fd4-ba14-436b-b163-3070d0d16dda> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://www.exploresachs.com/spanish | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224652959.43/warc/CC-MAIN-20230606150510-20230606180510-00300.warc.gz | en | 0.916089 | 192 | 2.53125 | 3 |
An elegantly engraved and highly detailed map of Maryland and Delaware, with a large inset plan of Baltimore.
The map is based upon Tanner's work in the early 1840s. Shows counties, towns, roads, canals, lakes, etc.
While often referred to as the German Mitchell, this characterization is unfair, as the work appears to be a collaborative effort which predates the sale of Tanner's plates to SA Mitchell. Of great interest is the suggestion that the work was published in Hildburghausen, Philadelphia and Paris, although no evidence of a French edition is known to us. The engraving quality on this fine item surpasses its American counterpart.
Joseph Meyer (1796-1856) was a German publisher who released Meyers Konversations-Lexikon, a German-language encyclopedia in print from 1839 to 1984. Meyer was born in Gotha and educated as a merchant in Frankfurt, an important city in the book trade. He traveled in London in 1816 and was back in German in 1820, where he began to invest in textiles and railways. He opened his publishing operation, Bibliographisches Institut, in 1826. His publications each had a serial number, a new innovation at the time. He was best known for his atlases and the Meyers Universum (1833-1861), which featured steel-engravings of the world. The Universum stretched to 17 volumes in 12 languages and was subscribed to by 80,000 people all over Europe. Thanks to his publishing success, Meyer moved the Institut from Gotha to Hildburghausen in 1828. Meyer died in the latter city in 1856. | <urn:uuid:fef96249-1eb3-448d-868d-c2f49b9e5444> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://www.raremaps.com/gallery/detail/71380 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224652959.43/warc/CC-MAIN-20230606150510-20230606180510-00300.warc.gz | en | 0.977367 | 347 | 2.59375 | 3 |
Shading refers to the depiction of depth perception in 3D models (within the field of 3D computer graphics) or illustrations (in visual art) by varying the level of darkness. Shading tries to approximate local behavior of light on the object's surface and is not to be confused with techniques of adding shadows, such as shadow mapping or shadow volumes, which fall under global behavior of light.
Shading is used traditionally in drawing for depicting a range of darkness by applying media more densely or with a darker shade for darker areas, and less densely or with a lighter shade for lighter areas. Light patterns, such as objects having light and shaded areas, help when creating the illusion of depth on paper.
There are various techniques of shading, including cross hatching, where perpendicular lines of varying closeness are drawn in a grid pattern to shade an area. The closer the lines are together, the darker the area appears. Likewise, the farther apart the lines are, the lighter the area appears.
Powder shading is a sketching shading method. In this style, stumping powder and paper stumps are used to draw a picture. (This can be in color.) The stumping powder is smooth and doesn't have any shiny particles. The paper to be used should have small grains on it so that the powder remains on the paper.
In computer graphics, shading refers to the process of altering the color of an object/surface/polygon in the 3D scene, based on things like (but not limited to) the surface's angle to lights, its distance from lights, its angle to the camera and material properties (e.g. bidirectional reflectance distribution function) to create a photorealistic effect.
Shading is performed during the rendering process by a program called a shader.
Shading alters the colors of faces in a 3D model based on the angle of the surface to a light source or light sources.
The first image below has the faces of the box rendered, but all in the same color. Edge lines have been rendered here as well which makes the image easier to see.
The second image is the same model rendered without edge lines. It is difficult to tell where one face of the box ends and the next begins.
The third image has shading enabled, which makes the image more realistic and makes it easier to see which face is which.
When a shader computes the result color, it uses a lighting model to determine the amount of light reflected at specific points on the surface. Different lighting models can be combined with different shading techniques — while lighting says how much light is reflected, shading determines how this information is used in order to compute the final result. It may for example compute lighting only at specific points and use interpolation to fill in the rest. The shader may also decide about how many light sources to take into account etc.
An ambient light source represents an omni-directional, fixed-intensity and fixed-color light source that affects all objects in the scene equally (is omni-present). During rendering, all objects in the scene are brightened with the specified intensity and color. This type of light source is mainly used to provide the scene with a basic view of the different objects in it. This is the simplest type of lighting to implement, and models how light can be scattered or reflected many times, thereby producing a uniform effect.
Ambient lighting can be combined with ambient occlusion to represent how exposed each point of the scene is, affecting the amount of ambient light it can reflect. This produces diffused, non-directional lighting throughout the scene, casting no clear shadows, but with enclosed and sheltered areas darkened. The result is usually visually similar to an overcast day.
Light originates from a single point and spreads outward in all directions.
Models a spotlight: light originates from a single point and spreads outward in a cone.
Light originates from a small area on a single plane. (A more realistic model than a point light source.)
A directional light source illuminates all objects equally from a given direction, like an area light of infinite size and infinite distance from the scene; there is shading, but cannot be any distance falloff. This is like the sun.
Theoretically, two surfaces which are parallel are illuminated virtually the same amount from a distant unblocked light source such as the sun. The distance falloff effect produces images which have more shading and so would be realistic for proximal light sources.
The left image doesn't use distance falloff. Notice that the colors on the front faces of the two boxes are exactly the same. It may appear that there is a slight difference where the two faces directly overlap, but this is an optical illusion caused by the vertical edge below where the two faces meet.
The right image does use distance falloff. Notice that the front face of the closer box is brighter than the front face of the back box. Also, the floor goes from light to dark as it gets farther away.
Distance falloff can be calculated in a number of ways:
During shading a surface normal is often needed for lighting computation. The normals can be precomputed and stored for each vertex of the model.
Here, the lighting is evaluated only once for each polygon (usually for the first vertex in the polygon, but sometimes for the centroid for triangle meshes), based on the polygon's surface normal and on the assumption that all polygons are flat. The computed color is used for the whole polygon, making the corners look sharp. This is usually used when more advanced shading techniques are too computationally expensive. Specular highlights are rendered poorly with flat shading: If there happens to be a large specular component at the representative vertex, that brightness is drawn uniformly over the entire face. If a specular highlight doesn't fall on the representative point, it is missed entirely. Consequently, the specular reflection component is usually not included in flat shading computation.
In contrast to flat shading where the colors change discontinuously at polygon borders, with smooth shading the color changes from pixel to pixel, resulting in a smooth color transition between two adjacent polygons. Usually, values are first calculated in the vertices and bilinear interpolation is used to calculate the values of pixels between the vertices of the polygons. Types of smooth shading include Gouraud shading and Phong shading.
Phong shading is similar to Gouraud shading, except that instead of interpolating the light intensities the normals are interpolated between the vertices and the lighting is evaluated per-pixel. Thus, the specular highlights are computed much more precisely than in the Gouraud shading model.
Deferred shading is a shading technique by which computation of shading is deferred to later stage by rendering in two passes, potentially increasing performance by not discarding expensively shaded pixels. The first pass only captures surface parameters (such as depth, normals and material parameters), the second one performs the actual shading and computes the final colors.: 884
Both Gouraud shading and Phong shading can be implemented using bilinear interpolation. Bishop and Weimer proposed to use a Taylor series expansion of the resulting expression from applying an illumination model and bilinear interpolation of the normals. Hence, second-degree polynomial interpolation was used. This type of biquadratic interpolation was further elaborated by Barrera et al., where one second-order polynomial was used to interpolate the diffuse light of the Phong reflection model and another second-order polynomial was used for the specular light.
Spherical linear interpolation (Slerp) was used by Kuij and Blake for computing both the normal over the polygon, as well as the vector in the direction to the light source. A similar approach was proposed by Hast, which uses quaternion interpolation of the normals with the advantage that the normal will always have unit length and the computationally heavy normalization is avoided.
|Uses the same color for every pixel in a face – usually the color of the first vertex||Smooth shading uses linear interpolation of either colors or normals between vertices|
|Edges appear more pronounced than they would on a real object because in reality almost all edges are somewhat round||The edges disappear with this technique|
|Same color for any point of the face||Each point of the face has its own color|
|Individual faces are visualized||Visualize underlying surface|
|Not suitable for smooth objects||Suitable for any objects|
|Less computationally expensive||More computationally expensive|
In computer vision, some methods for 3D reconstruction are based on shading, or shape-from-shading. Based on an image's shading, a three-dimensional model can be reconstructed from a single photograph. | <urn:uuid:05841849-19d2-4b6d-92e6-518689d2487a> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://db0nus869y26v.cloudfront.net/en/Shading | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224654031.92/warc/CC-MAIN-20230608003500-20230608033500-00300.warc.gz | en | 0.927023 | 1,857 | 4.15625 | 4 |
Rescue of the Bounty : disaster and survival in Superstorm Sandy / Michael J. Tougias and Douglas A. Campbell.
Book | Henry Holt and Company | 2022 | Young Readers edition, First edition.
Show fewer items
|Windsor, Main Library - Children’s New Materials||J910.916348 TO||Check Shelf|
Young Readers edition, First edition.
190 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 24 cm.
Tougias, Michael J., 1955- True rescue (Series)
Ages 9-13 years Henry Holt Books for Young Readers
Grades 7-9 Henry Holt Books for Young Readers
"The sixth book in the True Rescue series for young readers-a riveting account of the HMS Bounty's deadly journey through Hurricane Sandy. On October 23, 2012, with Superstorm Sandy fast approaching, Captain Robin Walbridge made the fateful decision to sail the HMS Bounty from New London, Connecticut to St. Petersburg, Florida, believing the wooden ship, a replica of the original, famous Bounty, would fare better at sea than at port. He told the crew that anyone who did not want to come on the voyage could leave the ship and there would be no hard feelings. No one took the captain up on his offer, and this decision would have fatal consequences. Four days into the voyage, Superstorm Sandy made an almost direct hit on the Bounty-sending the crew tumbling into the ocean filled with crashing thirty foot waves. Some were swept far from the ship, others found themselves tangled in the rigging, while others were trapped below the surface by the masts and spreaders. What ensued was one of the most complex, dangerous, and massive Coast Guard rescue missions in history. Rescue of the Bounty is gripping, inspiring, and unforgettable-the perfect choice for young adventure-seekers, as well as fans of I Survived, Torpedoed, and Grenade"-- Provided by publisher. | <urn:uuid:5741ddcb-8545-46b3-b9f6-857203fd2236> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://lci-mt.iii.com/iii/encore/record/C__Rb2895856__SSearch%20and%20rescue%20operations%20%20%20%20North%20Carolina%20%20%20%20Atlantic%20Coast%20%20%20%20Juvenile%20literature.__Orightresult__X3;jsessionid=40C553EDE208626E85B872ACAA47C752?lang=eng&suite=cobalt&ivts=mJvvlk4mVfB4UlGUczbDxA%3D%3D&casts=q%2FLnVqbmNvxvudPGh1a4pA%3D%3D | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224654031.92/warc/CC-MAIN-20230608003500-20230608033500-00300.warc.gz | en | 0.911168 | 497 | 2.9375 | 3 |
Countries all over the world have created tax systems with which individuals, companies, and investors must comply. These tax systems are intended to generate revenue for the countries’ respective governments.
Taxes which are typically imposed in most countries include:
Indonesia’s tax system contains a wide variety of taxes imposed on individuals, goods, and companies. One such tax is Value-Added Tax (VAT).
What is Value-Added Tax in Indonesia?
Value added tax (VAT) is the consumption tax imposed on each production stage of both goods and services until the final product sales. The usual VAT rate in Indonesia is 11% and is imposed on most goods and services in Indonesia.
Business owners in Indonesia must be fully aware of the VAT system as it affects their business activities all over the country. There are 3 components for VAT:
1. VAT Collection
VAT collection is based on the accrual principle which states that VAT must be collected at the time of delivery of taxable goods and services. Delivery refers to the transfer of ownership and risks of goods and takes place when service delivery income can be reliably measured.
Income or receivables are acknowledged when a transaction occurs even if a payment has not yet been received. Recognition of revenue or receivables is acknowledged by the issuance of a commercial invoice, which serves as a source document for this recognition and a basis for its recording.
2. VAT Filing
VAT filing in Indonesia is to be completed monthly. The payment must be made, and filing must be done on or before the last day of the month following the taxable delivery.
According to the Directorate of General Taxes, tax bases may include any of following:
3. VAT Refunds
VAT refunds may also be claimed in Indonesia. It is the sole responsibility of the Directorate of General Taxes to make decisions regarding VAT refunds. Such decisions usually depend on the VAT audit which is conducted within 12 months of receipt of refund applications.
Applications may also be approved if there are no decisions made by the DGT. After the application, companies are then required to submit supporting documents within a month to the Directorate of General Taxes.
Why Indonesia Requires Value Added Tax
The introduction of VAT in Indonesia has brought about many benefits to the country. Some of the benefits are:
Items Unaffected by Value Added Tax in Indonesia
Several goods and services are exempted from VAT in Indonesia. Exempted goods include:
Services which are exempt from VAT in Indonesia include:
How to Stay Tax Compliant in Indonesia?
It is necessary for individuals and companies planning to set up businesses in Indonesia to be fully aware of the VAT system in place. Failure to comply with VAT laws is a tax crime in Indonesia and punishable by law.
Businesses must also be always legally compliant with regard to VAT filing in Indonesia. The provision of false information will cause severe punishments to be imposed.
Although it may appear to some that VAT is a burden in and of itself, it is important for the economy of any country including Indonesia by contributing to the country’s economic growth and facilitating the conducting of business activities there.
Indonesia has the biggest economy in South East Asia, this means that there is potential in the economic growth. Thus, Indonesia has a wide range of goods and services along with better standards of living.
In the city of Jakarta and Bali, there is a large expat community as it is popular amongst tourists and travellers alike.
Late returns or payments may subject the individual to a 2% surcharge of the amount of VAT due or a fine of IDR 500,000. In the case of serious fraudulent activates, criminal liabilities may be applicable.
VAT is a crucial component of revenue generation for any country’s economy. Its proper enforcement can bring about significant growth to the economy. The VAT which has been collected by the Indonesian government has similarly caused economic growth to take place. This economic growth has in turn encouraged many people to choose to start a company of their own in Indonesia.
For most who live in Indonesia today, the cost of VAT is affordable. Thus, most goods and services are affordable as well. Therefore, the cost of living in Indonesia is not excessive because of the reasonable cost of VAT. | <urn:uuid:1a1ed3c3-a420-4755-bda9-08ff2bf1cddb> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://www.paulhypepage.co.id/value-added-tax-in-indonesia/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224654031.92/warc/CC-MAIN-20230608003500-20230608033500-00300.warc.gz | en | 0.960713 | 875 | 2.765625 | 3 |
Gabriel’s Angels’ volunteer pet therapy teams use “animal assisted activities” to promote improvement in a child’s confidence, compassion, and best behaviors. Animal assisted activities are fun goal-related activities that focus on teaching attachment, self-regulation, affiliation, empathy, tolerance, respect, confidence, and/or humane education through the human-animal bond. Examples of animal assisted activities include children walking a dog on a leash, with the help of the handler, or bringing a pet water and/or rewarding the pet with treats for obeying basic obedience commands. The latter activity allows the child to experience positive control and heightens their self-esteem/confidence when the pet listens and responds. These represent part of the many ways our pet therapy teams interact with the children. | <urn:uuid:62c5aa15-b231-4997-afd7-391edc780580> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://www.gabrielsangels.org/faq/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224656675.90/warc/CC-MAIN-20230609100535-20230609130535-00300.warc.gz | en | 0.913996 | 161 | 2.859375 | 3 |
Newsflash: there are bears around.
This, of course, is nothing new. Bears have always been around.
But, like everything else, social media turns every bear sighting now into a circus. You don’t need to post photos on local Facebook pages every time you see a bear, unless there’s an immediate danger to the public.
In most cases, if you leave them alone, they’ll leave you alone and we’ll all get along fine.
It may seem like there are more bear sightings than usual, but there’s some good reasons for that. Humans, naturally, factor in all of them.
If you’re leaving garbage out around your house and live in a semi-secluded or rural area, it’s going to act as an attractant to bears. You need to lock up your garbage and bears will move on to find their usual food sources in the wilderness.
The second factor is habitat. More development on our surrounding hillsides and forests, in particular, is encroaching on the bears’ territory so you have to expect to see more bears in those situations.
Bears are common around B.C. trails at certain times of the year so everyone just needs to use caution if you encounter one in the vicinity.
There are many other locations around B.C. where it’s common to find bears. Running up to them or trying to get closer to them to take a photo is never a good idea. Keep your distance and don’t provoke a bear by calling attention to yourself.
There’s a growing concern among the public that reporting bear sightings leads to them being euthanized when conservation officers are called in. According to protocol, that could very well be the case depending on the situation if officers determine the public could be at risk.
We’re hearing time and again how relocation away from human populations is not an option with most, if not all, bears.
So the best thing to do is leave them alone, and they’ll go home dragging their tails behind them.
You can’t blame bears for getting riled up sometimes. With all those annoying phones around, would you want your picture taken all the time? | <urn:uuid:316df6d3-69fb-4295-b34d-81c819b2df49> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://www.trailtimes.ca/opinion/bear-sightings-regular-occurrence/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224656675.90/warc/CC-MAIN-20230609100535-20230609130535-00300.warc.gz | en | 0.949312 | 468 | 2.53125 | 3 |
I’ve been an online school teacher at a public high school for the past five years, and I’ve seen first-hand the social impact of technology on the younger generation. Technology has the power to connect our world in ways that were not previously possible. It also has the potential to help equalize the playing field by giving access to information to an entire world. But, in the recent years, I’ve begun to see and experience some of the aspects of technology that disrupt our lives and bring us further from a global society.
1. Interpersonal Connections
I’ve recently been re-watching some Star Trek episodes (yes, I’m a nerd), and I’ve noticed how technology is used in the show. Despite the networked computer systems they have access to, the device is secondary to and supportive of human interaction. When crew members interact, they put down their pads and give their full attention to the interaction they are involved in. Yet I often find students and parents fiddling with and even answering their phones while they are meeting with me.
I find it bizarre that people find it acceptable to text on their phones while we are having an intervention meeting on their behalf. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve fallen into the pattern of relying too much on my phone. I’ve had moments during a conversation where I said, “let me google that,” before realizing that pulling out my phone took away from the connection of the moment. I also rely on my phone as a planner, often putting reminders into it while having a conversation about what needs to get done. Is that use really any different from my students? Although my use of my phone is in support of the conversation, it still results in a shift of my attention. At what point does our constant connection to the internet begin to disrupt our interpersonal connections and eventually change the nature of society?
A recent info graphic from Assisted Living Today explains how social networking releases the same hormones we normally get from face-to-face interaction while also releasing addictive amounts of adrenaline by bombarding us with constantly changing material. This addictive combination could impact our ability to deal with stress, conflict, and social interaction. These are experiences that exists in society and the working world, and we need to be able to process them to become a global society.
I recently watched a video of Lori Deschene (founder of Tiny Buddha) speaking at the Wanderlust Festival. During the talk, she recalled a recent experience in the airport. She had purposefully set herself up to be in the airport without access to a distraction. Her initial reaction was a moment of panic, realizing she was going to be waiting in this line with nothing to do. I instantly connected with this experience. How many gadgets did I have to keep myself occupied while eating dinner alone or waiting for an appointment? And I understand precisely her moment of panic, the same as if when I got to a restaurant for dinner and realized I did not have my iPad to watch a TV show or read a book while I ate.
But when Lori moved through that distress into acceptance, she began to realize how disconnected everyone around her was. No one in that airport was connecting with each other. All these people on one place, and they had all found ways to distract themselves from the people around them. Sometimes, it’s important to have nothing to do. Sometimes, it’s important to be with yourself. And sometimes it’s important to be with those around you. Our difficulty with being present in the moment is dangerous sign of the social impact of technology.
2. Attention Span
Nicholas Carr wrote a popular article titles, “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” When I first read his article, I felt an immediate connection. He was describing something that I had been feeling under the surface: the disappearance of my endurance. Carr describes his quickly fading attention span. Where he once could bury himself in a book, now his “concentration often starts to drift after two or three pages.” I felt his pain.
Earlier today, I found myself deeply intent on a book. I reveled in some of the first fiction I had read in months. All seemed good. And then a character shift came. I had been following the main character for several chapters, but now the story shifted to his brother. I was immediately affected by the change and found myself distracted, eventually putting the book down.
What had happened to me? This was not how I read before. When I picked up a story I could bury myself into, I would keep going, sometimes even at the expensive of things I needed to get done (partly why I’d left this reading until my vacation).There is value in multi-tasking. I make use of the ability to handle a wide variety of tasks at work—it makes me good at what I do—but it is equally important to have focus. In fact, the last week before my vacation, I struggled with a task at work because I could not seem to stay focused on the task at hand. Somewhere, I had lost my focus and I needed a way to re-cultivate it.
Technology also allows us to rely less and less on our own brain power. More and more I see students that can’t troubleshoot when something does not work as expected on their computer. And worse than that, they have no skills to assess what is wrong and thoroughly document it so that they can get the help they need. This lack of problem-solving skills is another indicator of the social impact of technology.
I can’t tell you how often I get an email or a call from a student saying simply “Aventa won’t let me do my classes.” From experience, I know a statement like that can mean anything from the student has forgotten their login to they don’t know how to open a class to they can’t figure out how to load their homework into the system. And when I question them further, the most often response to my questions is “I don’t know.”
Such indifference in resolving their own problems is an epidemic that could greatly impact our society. As more and more jobs are being outsourced, it is becoming more and more important to develop a workforce that can be self-reliant. The jobs that are available require skilled workers who can work independently and solve problems they encounter. Self-reliance on technology will deeply impact our future work force.
The question of the social impact of technology on our world is an important one. Clearly Gene Roddenberry’s vision was not for technology to replace our connections, but to build on them. So the question remains, can we reach Roddenberry’s dream or will technology lead to our eventual downfall? I have hope for our society, but what do you think? | <urn:uuid:3e32fae4-b2e1-42f5-93cb-2d99409944ae> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | http://jonanscher.com/2011/social-impact-of-technology-humans-vs-the-machine/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224643462.13/warc/CC-MAIN-20230528015553-20230528045553-00500.warc.gz | en | 0.979455 | 1,438 | 2.53125 | 3 |
It’s amazing how a small spark of miscommunication or defiance can trigger an explosion in families, especially those living with ADHD. For kids who struggle with executive functioning challenges including working memory, behavioral control and emotional regulation, parents aren’t often sure how to prevent or subdue these fires, symptoms of ADHD and anger, consistently. Instead, you end up playing whack-a-mole–going from one crisis to another and feeling increasingly burned out by the stress from these intense interactions. How can you prepare for the unpredictable nature of angry outbursts, without also resorting to unproductive threats, fruitless punishments and yelling?
Step One: Understand the Root of the Anger
The first thing you need to do is look at the process of anger instead of focusing on its content. Your kids can push your buttons like nobody else. It’s almost as if they are wired to know what triggers you and sets things off. You do the same for them. Whether it’s conscious or out of our awareness, family members irritate each other. During this time of hybrid or remote learning with extended and increased family time, everybody’s fuses are short. As parents, we may forget that kids with and without ADHD annoy us and push back for several reasons:
- To get what they want.
- Because it can be fun to see you get upset.
- In an effort to create space or separation
- When they feel upset and can’t contain their feelings
- To demonstrate independent thinking or actions
Kids with ADHD, because of their slower-to-mature executive functioning skills, may engage in these behaviors with more frequency and intensity than their neurotypical peers. We have to help them learn to manage better by monitoring ourselves first.
Step Two: Know the Parents’ Role
As parents, our job, regardless of how provocative our children and teens may be, is to stay steady, centered and neutral. Of course, it’s tough to be calm when your son is cursing at you because you told him to stop gaming now or your daughter is crying because she’s exceeded her time limit on her phone and wants more. Most of us just want the arguing and tears to stop. So we do whatever it takes to make that happen–even if it means giving in to their demands, backtracking on what we say we were going to do or screaming louder to dominate and frighten them. These solutions will not improve your situation.
Step Three: Give Kids the Tools to Manage Emotions
Kids with ADHD need tools to manage the big, tidal waves of emotion that threaten to swallow them up. Sometimes, they will keep on arguing and pushing you even though they know things will end poorly.Marla, age 14, told me: “I don’t want to give in or I can’t give in. Then I’ve lost.” Letting go seems like another failure. Delay tactics, avoidance, and denial are all methods to distract you from holding onto yourself and choosing a different response.
When young male deer or elk come of age, their antlers are covered in velvet. These bulls need to remove this velvet and they rub against trees to do this. They eat, drink, frolic with comrades and continue to come back to the tree for respite and aide. They need assistance taking off their velvet and transitioning to adulthood. Our children do the same. We are the tree: we stay rooted, we weather storms, we offer protection, we may be punctured by a sharp poke from an antler. But we are steady, dependable and strong. The tree never yells at the elk and tells them to back off and go away. The tree may lack the necessary bark to help with the removal of the velvet and may not be able to meet the buck’s needs. That is okay. The bull can roam elsewhere, eventually returning for another attempt to rub away the remnants of adolescence with the bark of that familiar tree.
Now I’m not saying parents should be silent trees, absorbing abuse from their children. Rather, I’m advocating a position of self-Control rooted in self-awareness and patience. Of course, you have to set limits about inappropriate language, aggression and harmful behaviors. You are still responsible for the health and welfare of your son or daughter and your own sanity matters. What I’m suggesting is that you use this example as a metaphor: to actively say to yourself when your child is having a meltdown (as one of my clients does), “I’m being the tree. I’m being the tree instead of exploding.” You use it as an affirmation, as an image of strength, as a comfort that this too will pass.
Step Four: Practice the 4 P’s.
Kids have told me over and over that they don’t like conflict in the family any more than their parents do. This is your golden ticket to reducing arguments with them. Follow these steps to change your approach and respond differently when anger rears its ugly head:
Although each situation may vary, the process of how your child or teen responds when they are angry is more consistent. What are the types of responses you notice? How were these issues resolved? Jot down some of your ideas. Then schedule a calm time to discuss the anger pattern with your son or daughter using neutral statements such as “I’ve noticed…” or “It seems like…” Share a few observations about your reactions too.
Preparation leads to success. No, you can’t plan for every situation or eventuality but you can have a basic, consistent approach for when someone is showing you with their bodies, words or actions that they are triggered and losing it. Use Stop, Think, Act (see resources) and plan for a Time-Apart until things cool down. Together, make a list of soothers (activities that settle someone down) to assist with this process.
Collaborate on how you’ll decide to call for a Time-Apart and which activity to use. Set a time-limit for this period of regrouping. Remember that it takes the nervous system at least twenty minutes to recover from an acute stress reaction which includes intense anger. New skills and patterns require a lot of repetition and scaffolding for them to take hold. Stay patient and take the long view.
If what you are doing in a given moment to respond to a face-off isn’t working, pivot and try something else. Think outside of the box and leave yourself reminders on your phone or Post-its so you don’t have to come up with something when you’re stressed. You want to let your child or teen know that you mean business without yelling or escalating. To that end, make sure you’ve agreed to a fall- back plan that everyone agrees to. The aim of the agreement is collaboration towards changed family dynamics. Set up a non-cooperation clause from the start.
Good luck, breathe deeply and remember: stay rooted to rise up.
Read more blog posts:
- Tone of Voice Awareness in Neurodiverse Families: How to practice self-regulation in family conflicts
- ADHD and Anger in the Family: Manage Outbursts with STOP-THINK-ACT
- ADHD and Negativity: Why ADHD kids and teens say “No” and how to help them communicate
Watch on YouTube:
- ADHD and Oppositional Defiance (ADDitude Mag Q&A with Dr. Saline)
- Anger Management with ADHD (ADDitude Mag Q&A with Dr. Saline)
- How to Get Your Teens to Open Up (WWLP 22 News interview with Dr. Saline)
Home Study Seminar: What Your Child With ADHD Wishes You Knew and How You Can Help | <urn:uuid:af385624-29c9-40dc-b7f0-95e565f6db9c> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://drsharonsaline.com/2020/10/14/adhd-and-anger-tools-for-reducing-family-conflict-by-starting-with-yourself/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224643462.13/warc/CC-MAIN-20230528015553-20230528045553-00500.warc.gz | en | 0.947188 | 1,673 | 2.75 | 3 |
Mathematics education in East Africa : Towards harmonization and enhancement of education quality
Institute for Educational Development, East Africa; Office of the Provost
In the increasingly global and technological world mathematics is seen as a significant gatekeeper of opportunities for social and economic advancement and mobility. Hence, countries and development agencies in the broader sub-Saharan Africa region are looking towards increasing access to relevant and high-quality secondary education as a lever towards economic development. Policy makers and other key decision makers in education look towards improvement in mathematics teaching and learning as a key focus in education reform. In the East Africa region also a number of initiatives have been taken at the national level in the respective countries to improve the quality of mathematics education. This book provides an in-depth comparative analysis of the developments and issues in mathematics education in Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Uganda, and advances our understanding of the state of secondary mathematics education in East Africa.
SpringerBriefs in Education-Springer
Tennant, G. D.
(2016). Mathematics education in East Africa : Towards harmonization and enhancement of education quality. SpringerBriefs in Education-Springer, i-80.
Available at: https://ecommons.aku.edu/eastafrica_ied/69 | <urn:uuid:f9301ade-7949-4a82-81f2-690e21d4ba99> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://ecommons.aku.edu/eastafrica_ied/69/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224644855.6/warc/CC-MAIN-20230529105815-20230529135815-00500.warc.gz | en | 0.901956 | 277 | 2.59375 | 3 |
Does speaking more than one language confuse your child?
No. Linguistic research has long established that switching or speaking more than one language at home does not cause confusion. Children can learn languages easily and it doesn’t do them harm. Mixing languages (also called code-switching) is natural in a bilingual way of living. The more your child hears the different languages you speak, the more he will learn something out of it. | <urn:uuid:bf29717b-4e4c-4b08-99f9-443936c0734b> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://redllama.biz/blogs/hola-red-llama-spanish-dual-immersion-support/does-speaking-more-than-one-language-confuse-your-child | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224644855.6/warc/CC-MAIN-20230529105815-20230529135815-00500.warc.gz | en | 0.949614 | 91 | 2.90625 | 3 |
Opportunities - Virtual Reality as a Teaching Tool for Patients with Diabetes
Virtual Reality as a Teaching Tool for Patients with Diabetes
Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Alberta
Imagine putting Virtual Reality (VR) goggles on and in moments you are immersed in a three-dimensional world. As you enter your vision begins to blur, dark spots appear in front of you. These effects, that demonstrate a variety of visual impairments, progress rapidly. What you are seeing is a simulation of the potential vision loss diabetes can cause.
Diabetes is a leading cause of blindness and visual impairment, and in North America is the fastest growing medical disorder. Some patients with Diabetes are not aware that their lifestyle choices can affect their vision. VR can help patients visualize the possible progression of vision loss. Early detection and treatment is critical in conserving vision with the added benefit of saving the health care system money and specialist’s time.
A high resolution, realistic, VR experience would be an extremely valuable tool for education, awareness and prevention. Viewing the world through affordable Virtual Reality (VR) technology is as close to real world as can be achieved. VR puts people in controlled, safe environment that creates connections on an emotional level that is not possible using any other medium.
Health care professionals could also use the VR tool to educate patients and their care partners of the type and degree of impairment their patients are experiencing in an effort to help create empathy and understanding for their condition.
Roles and Responsibilities
This opportunity is looking for participants living with diabetes to view either traditional educational materials (videos, pamphlets) OR traditional materials and the STRATOS Virtual Reality Diabetic module. All participants will then be asked to complete a short questionnaire regarding their experience.
The current phase of the study will be conducted in person at our Edmonton and Calgary testlng locations.
Each participant will be scheduled for 1 session that will take about 20 minutes.
Participation is voluntary.
For more information or to apply please connect with
Rita Whitford Saeed Toghi | <urn:uuid:87808fea-dbe1-4b91-a7b0-1873b9d1134b> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://app.betterimpact.com/PublicOrganization/25809ea0-7311-40db-bfac-aaa0e28ba518/Activity/2c8c5c24-3721-4368-809e-c8b80fd311b4/1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224646144.69/warc/CC-MAIN-20230530194919-20230530224919-00500.warc.gz | en | 0.915587 | 434 | 2.859375 | 3 |
Sakha Republic is a federal subject of Russia. The republic is also called Yakutia and is inhabited by Yakuts and Russians. Located in northern central Asia, it is the largest subnational governing body by area in the world. But it has only a population of lessthan one million people.
Sakha has huge deposits of various raw materials. Almost 50% of the gross national product is stemming from mineral exploitation. The soil contains large reserves of oil, gas, coal, diamonds, gold, silver, tin, and tungsten. Most impressive is the diamond production, which equals 99% of all Russian and 25% of the world's diamond production. | <urn:uuid:91e71314-746a-4566-b703-ab24ec04ff96> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://showcaves.com/english/ru/region/Sakha.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224646144.69/warc/CC-MAIN-20230530194919-20230530224919-00500.warc.gz | en | 0.957988 | 137 | 2.59375 | 3 |
Dr. Helen Barrett's Site on Digital Storytelling in ePortfolios
This website supports a series of Webinars and Workshops on Digital Storytelling
This series of webinars will introduce you to the tools and processes for building simple digital stories, provide you with access to free desktop or web-based tools, and enable you to share what you have learned from your participation in the Teach21 program. In the process of creating your own digital stories, you will learn how your students can do the same to enhance their learning.
What is a digital story (or narrative)? A digital story is a a 2-to-4 minute digital video clip, most often told in first person narrative, recorded with your own voice, illustrated mostly with still images, and with an optional music track to add emotional tone. Digital narratives can be powerful tools for reflection, told by students or programs.
Digital Storytelling is the modern expression of the ancient art of storytelling. Digital stories derive their power by weaving images, music, narrative and voice together, thereby giving deep dimension and vivid color to characters, situations, experiences, and insights. --Digital Storytelling Association | <urn:uuid:4fb0f3d0-c87b-46e7-8a8f-a531374fa4bf> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://sites.google.com/site/digitalstorysite/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224649348.41/warc/CC-MAIN-20230603233121-20230604023121-00500.warc.gz | en | 0.909656 | 250 | 3.875 | 4 |
Everything You Need to Know About Probiotics
In our ever-evolving, health-conscious culture, probiotics have become very popular over the last several years. We see probiotic labels on everything from yogurts and cereals to supplements and energy drinks. Probiotics aren’t just prevalent at the supermarket — they’ve even made appearances in the pop culture scene. Hollywood celebrities like Halle Berry, Demi Lovato, and Madonna have all publicly said that they swear by probiotics to keep their food cravings in check and their fitness goals on track.
So if you’re wondering what’s so cool about probiotics, why people take them, and if you should be adding them to your own personal diet — well then read on, because you’ve come to the right place. Let’s unpack the plethora of information on probiotics pinch by pinch.
What Are Probiotics?
Probiotics are made up of good bacteria (yes, there is such a thing as good bacteria) and yeasts that naturally live inside your body. In fact, our bodies are made up of both good and bad bacteria. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but when your body starts to produce more bad bacteria than good, this puts your system out of balance — and it’s also what can cause infections. Good bacteria comes to the rescue like the superhero that it is and restores balance once again, helping you to feel a whole lot better.
Probiotics have the ability to bring back good bacteria to the body; in fact, probiotics can keep your body working well and in optimal health in the first place, keeping that undesirable bacteria at bay. When it comes to bacteria and your body, health experts say that probiotics are actually part of a bigger picture. They refer to it as your microbiome, meaning the microorganisms inside your body.
So how do probiotics even work? When someone is feeling ill or they are exposed to harmful bacteria, this particular bacteria can offset the balance in our digestive system. As described, the good bacteria steps in to get working on fighting off this harmful bacteria and bring back balance. To be more specific, probiotics also support the cells that line the gut and help with the body’s absorption of vitamins.
Your Guide to Taking Probiotics
So who should be taking probiotics? While we’ve all gotten infections at some point in our lives, there are specific signs that probiotics could help improve your digestive system.
Medical experts say that consistently having an upset stomach is one the most obvious signs that there is an issue with our digestive system. Having an upset stomach could range in the realm of having gas, bloating, constipation, diarrhea, or heartburn. Studies have shown that more than 70% of Americans commonly experience at least one or two of these symptoms.
Unfortunately, if you have a particularly sweet diet — or one that is high in processed food — these kinds of foods can lower the good bacteria in the gut. Doctors say that the imbalance can create even more sugar cravings, causing a vicious cycle that further harms the intestines. What’s more, consuming refined sugars like corn syrup, which is especially high in fructose, has been linked to instigating inflammation in the digestive system.
This one might sound surprising, but if you’ve had drastic changes in weight (either by gaining or losing a lot of pounds) in a short period of time without having made changes to your diet, this could also be a sign of some digestive problems. Medical experts say that imbalance in our bodies hurts its ability to process nutrients, regulate blood sugars, and also to store fat. Doctors say that the weight loss could be the result of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, known as SIBO.
If you do decide to take probiotics — and of course, please make sure to consult with your family physician before making the decision to take probiotics or any other dietary supplements for that matter — how much of it should you take?
It’s important to understand that probiotics come in much larger doses than most other nutrients and supplements out there. While dosages can certainly vary, American Family Physicians recommend that adults consume 10 to 20 billion colony-forming units (CFU) of probiotics per day. Be sure to check in with your own doctor regarding the right dose for you!
Where Can Probiotics Be Found?
The beauty about probiotics is that they come from all sorts of sources. They’re plentiful in a wide variety of foods and come in scores of supplements. Probiotics are even available in a host of beauty products — they’re called “probiotic cosmetics” and topical applications include formulas that help with skin hydration, acne, rosacea, as well as anti-aging!
Of course, probiotic health supplements can be easily found in the vitamin section of your local pharmacy or supermarket, or at any health food store.
Best Sources of Probiotics
When it comes to food sources, probiotics are best found in fermented foods. At the top of the probiotic list is — you guessed it — good old yogurt. The reason for this is that yogurt is made from milk that has actually been fermented by probiotics such as lactic acid bacteria and bifidobacteria. Even if you’re lactose-intolerant, the good news is that yogurt should still be suitable for you. The reason for this is because the bacteria turns some of the lactose into lactic acid, which is actually what gives yogurt its sour taste.
Don’t rule out other dairy: traditional buttermilk, which is leftover liquid from making butter in India, Pakistan, and Nepal contains a good dose of probiotics as well.
Kimchi, a fermented, spicy Korean side dish made with cabbage and other vegetables, is also high in probiotics, and very pleasurable to eat. Kimchi contains lactic acid bacteria which is great for digestive health.
Additionally, kombucha — a fermented black or green tea beverage — is also plentiful in probiotics. This popular Asian tea drink is fermented by a friendly colony of bacteria and yeast.
Tempeh, a fermented soybean product and also a great source of protein, is high in probiotics. Tempeh has a firm texture and the flavor is best described as rather nutty, earthy, and even similar to the taste of mushrooms. Tempeh’s origins are in Indonesia and it has become quite popular all over the world as a substitute for meat products.
Speaking of soybeans, you may also have heard of miso. This Japanese seasoning is traditionally produced by fermenting soybeans with salt and a fungus called koji, but it can also be made from mixing soybeans with either barley, rice, or rye. The paste is regularly used in miso soup, which is a very popular breakfast staple in Japan. You can buy miso in a variety of colors such as yellow, red, brown, and white.
Last but not least, we have to give it up for good, old-fashioned gherkins, also referred to as pickles. These cucumbers have been preserved in a salt and water solution are left to ferment for a period of time, so they use their own natural lactic acid bacteria.
Benefits of Probiotics
Probiotics supplements can be superheros when it comes to gut health because they work by changing the composition of the bacteria in our gut or the metabolic activity of existing bacteria. The beauty about probiotics is that they push out the bad bacteria in our intestines to stop it from increasing and causing inflammation and infection. Scientists say that probiotic supplements can also help alleviate antibiotic-associated diarrhea because antibiotics kill much of the natural bacteria in our gut — again shifting the gut balance and allowing bad bacteria to thrive.
Research also suggests that probiotics can help fight Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and reduce gas, bloating, constipation, diarrhea, and similar symptoms.
Read on to learn how probiotics can be of more specific aid and nutritional help depending upon your biological gender.
Probiotic Benefits for Women
Women can greatly benefit from taking probiotic supplements or incorporating probiotic foods into their diets for a variety of reasons. For starters, not only do probiotics restore good bacteria and keep organs and the gut in healthy order, they can also prevent urinary tract infections (UTIs) and treat vaginal infections.
Probiotics can also boost immunity and improve fertility. Plus, it can improve skin — in fact, many skincare products are promoted as having probiotics in the ingredients list. Bonus: probiotics are touted for being able to prevent travelers’ diarrhea.
Probiotic Benefits for Men
Men can also benefit from probiotics in a myriad of ways. As we already know now, probiotics replenish the good bacteria in the gut and can help with digestive disorders like diarrhea. But did you know that there is evidence that probiotics can support mental health? Research indicates that probiotic bacteria helps to produce and metabolize the signals that are sent to the brain from the bloodstream. Medical experts say that the composition of gut bacteria can influence the messages that get sent to our brain and impact our mental wellbeing.
Men can look to probiotic support to improve and promote their metabolism, liver health, immune health and physical fitness. Taking probiotics can also help with weight loss and of course, boost immune system health.
Side Effects of Probiotics
While probiotics are safe for the majority of the people out there, they are not without side effects altogether. Medical experts advise that the most common side effect is a temporary increase in gas, bloating, constipation, as well as thirst. It isn’t known exactly why some people experience such symptoms, but the good news is that these symptoms do typically and naturally subside within a few weeks of continued use of probiotics.
There is also a chance that some people may react negatively to the naturally-occurring amines in probiotic foods or even the ingredients used in probiotic supplements. If symptoms are especially bothersome or persist for too long, please make sure to make an appointment with your doctor to address any issues.
Find the Right Probiotics for You on Vitabox
Check in with your medical professional to understand if adding probiotics can be beneficial for you personally. When you’ve got the all-clear, head on over to Vitabox to find the right probiotic supplement for you. We have probiotics in gummy, capsule, and tablet form to suit any supplement style including:
- Vitafusion Probiotic Gummies Dietary Supplement
- Nature's Blend Probiotic Blend Capsules
- Nature's Bounty Acidophilus Probiotic Supplement Tablets
Vitabox has all of your over-the-counter health needs all in one place so that you can shop with efficiency and ease. | <urn:uuid:3bfcb802-ed1b-4288-9dee-8225ef096caa> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://www.vitabox.com/blogs/vitabox-blog/everything-you-need-to-know-about-probiotics | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224649348.41/warc/CC-MAIN-20230603233121-20230604023121-00500.warc.gz | en | 0.951543 | 2,253 | 2.546875 | 3 |
Information Possibly Outdated
The information presented on this page was originally released on May 12, 2011. It may not be outdated, but please search our site for more current information. If you plan to quote or reference this information in a publication, please check with the Extension specialist or author before proceeding.
MSU Extension plans for children in shelters
MISSISSIPPI STATE – Children displaced by natural disasters have unique needs, and the Mississippi State University Extension Service has trained key personnel to set up child-friendly spaces in evacuation shelters.
Melissa Tenhet, project director for the Mississippi Child Care Resource & Referral Network, said emergency responders will help affected communities provide safe, fun and educational activities at shelters. Her staff has been trained in the Child-Friendly Spaces Program and the Incident Management System.
“The Child-Friendly Spaces Program was developed by Save the Children and has been used all over the world,” Tenhet said. “It’s designed for children who are toilet-trained through age 12, but older children can participate by assisting staff. Infants and toddlers are welcome in the care of their parents. We supply kits with materials for registering and identifying children who participate, resources for different activity stations, and policies and procedures to follow.”
One key aspect of the training is the recognition that children in distress respond differently from adults and may display unusual behaviors.
“Children may withdraw, have trouble sleeping, suffer from headaches, display aggression, feel helpless or be easily irritated,” Tenhet said. “They also may regress in their behaviors, from bed-wetting to thumb-sucking. The Child-Friendly Spaces Program is designed to help children cope by providing structure, familiar activities and interaction with other kids.”
Tenhet said that the program is not a replacement for child care.
“Parents cannot leave the premises,” she said. “Child-Friendly Spaces provide a place for children to play safely while their families register for disaster services, work with on-site personnel or engage in disaster-related activities related to rebuilding their lives.”
While parents are busy at the shelter, children receive attention from adults trained to help them through this traumatic time. It is fun, but it also has a deeper purpose.
“Play is therapeutic for children,” Tenhet said. “Whether they use their imaginations in make-believe scenarios or enjoy games with new friends, children benefit from the activities in the Child-Friendly Spaces. They feel like they are in control of something, when everything else in their lives has been out of control. It’s a step forward in the healing process.”
At the event, Tenhet and her team trained representatives from nine organizations so early childhood advocates statewide would be able to deliver services should the need arise.
“The Mississippi Department of Human Services, Division of Early Childhood Care and Development is working with local, state and federal agencies to establish Child-Friendly Spaces in American Red Cross shelters,” said Laura Dickson, director of the policy unit for the MDHS Division of Early Childhood Care and Development. “At a time when children and families have lost so much, having a place to play and relieve stress is important.
“People trained to implement Child-Friendly Spaces have backgrounds in child development and are well-equipped to support children as they cope with the fear and anxiety of relocation. Our goal is to provide Child-Friendly Spaces for every child in an American Red Cross shelter for as long as possible,” she said.
With the recent tornadoes and ongoing flooding, trained child advocates have had opportunities to put this training into practice.
“We recently sent staff to Aberdeen in Monroe County to assist the Gilmore Foundation in caring for children impacted by the tornadoes,” said Louise Davis, MSU Extension child and family development specialist. “We anticipate being mobilized within the next week to work with families evacuated because of flooding.”
Released: May 19, 2011
Contact: Melissa Tenhet, (662) 325-3083 or Dr. Louise Davis, (662) 325-3083 | <urn:uuid:10f0481c-f492-4001-bd4e-d2f8f3c182a1> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | http://www.ext.msstate.edu/news/feature-story/2011/msu-extension-plans-for-children-shelters | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224651815.80/warc/CC-MAIN-20230605085657-20230605115657-00500.warc.gz | en | 0.952189 | 867 | 2.953125 | 3 |
The Determinant of a Matrix
The determinant of the matrixcan be written whereis any permutation ofandif the permutation is even and -1 if the permutation is odd, and matching raised and lower indices indicate summation.
In the last line 123,231,312 are even, and are added.
132, 213, 321 are odd and are subtrated.
This result can be generalised.
For a square matrixof order | <urn:uuid:7699e328-9c74-4436-9611-7b17aa25664b> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://astarmathsandphysics.com/university-maths-notes/tensors/2104-the-determinant-of-a-matrix.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224651815.80/warc/CC-MAIN-20230605085657-20230605115657-00500.warc.gz | en | 0.795297 | 96 | 2.515625 | 3 |
Photo by Karolina Grabowska from Pexels
As the world becomes more conscious of the impact of human activity on the environment, more and more homeowners are turning to sustainable living practices to reduce their ecological footprint. From installing solar panels to composting, there are many simple and effective ways to make your home more environmentally friendly.
Check out these five sustainable home ideas that will inspire you to make a positive impact on the planet.
1. Install Solar Panels
Solar panels are photovoltaic modules that generate electricity by converting sunlight into usable energy. By harnessing the power of the sun, you can reduce your reliance on traditional energy sources and save money on your utility bills.
In addition to cost savings, solar panels also have a positive impact on the environment. They produce clean, renewable energy and help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
If you’re considering installing home solar panels, there are a few things to keep in mind. First, it’s important to ensure that your home is a good candidate. You’ll need to have a roof that receives plenty of sunlight throughout the day. And you have to work with a reputable installer to ensure that your solar panels are installed safely and correctly.
2. Raising livestock
Raising livestock has become increasingly popular among homeowners seeking a more sustainable lifestyle. If you’re considering doing this, one of the most important investments you can make is in high-quality poultry netting.
Poultry netting is a type of fencing designed to keep livestock safe and secure while also allowing them to roam freely. It protects them from predators such as raccoons, foxes, and birds of prey, as well as prevents them from wandering into neighboring yards.
Raising livestock provides an opportunity to produce your own food, such as fresh eggs, milk, or honey, which can reduce your reliance on store-bought products that have traveled long distances and consumed a lot of energy in the process.
3. Rainwater Harvesting
This involves collecting rainwater from your roof or other surfaces and storing it for later use. A rainwater harvesting system is an excellent way to conserve water and reduce your overall water usage. You’ll be surprised at how much you’ll save on your water bills.
To implement this, you’ll need to install a system for collecting and storing the water. This can be as simple as using a rain barrel or as complex as installing a full rainwater harvesting system that includes gutters, pipes, and storage tanks.
The collected rainwater can be used for a variety of purposes, including watering plants, flushing toilets, and even washing clothes. You have to make sure that the water is properly filtered and treated before use, since the rainwater from your roof may contain debris, pollutants, and contaminants.
4. Practice Composting
Another way of making your home sustainable is by composing. This involves the process of breaking down organic matter, such as food scraps, yard waste, and other biodegradable materials, into a nutrient-rich soil amendment.
Composting reduces the amount of waste that goes into landfills, improves soil quality to support a healthy garden, and reduces the need for chemical fertilizers.
To start, you’ll need a compost bin or pile. Avoid placing the bin near your house or outdoor seating areas since they attract insects and produce foul odors. Composting requires a balance of “brown” and “green” materials. Green materials include food scraps and grass clippings, while brown materials include dry leaves and wood chips.
Photo by Phenyo Deluxe from Pexels
5. Invest in Energy-Efficient Appliances
An appliance is considered energy-efficient when it uses less energy than its traditional counterparts to perform the same function. This is typically achieved through the use of advanced technology, such as improved insulation, high-efficiency motors, and optimized design.
When shopping, look for the ENERGY STAR label. This label indicates that the home appliance meets strict guidelines set by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Common household appliances that can be replaced with energy-efficient versions include refrigerators, dishwashers, washing machines, and dryers. Upgrading can result in significant energy savings over time.
In addition to purchasing these kinds of appliances, there are other steps you can take to reduce your energy usage at home. These include turning off appliances when not in use, and using a programmable thermostat to regulate heating and cooling.
Incorporating these practices into your home can have a profound impact on both the environment and your own lifestyle. Each of these home ideas is a step in the right direction towards a more sustainable future. As homeowners, you have the power to make positive changes in your own communities and contribute to a cleaner, healthier planet.
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Four Mucket mussels being used in an eDNA shedding experiment
So I haven't been keeping up with posts (since last year....). Here I will attempt to at least make a backyard biodiversity post once a month ... this one is supposed to be January's so as you can see, I am still behind....so lets get started.
At work we are currently developing environmental DNA detection methods for freshwater mussels.
What are freshwater mussels and why are we interested in them? You are probably familiar with oysters or scallops or blue mussels found in the salty waters of costal areas, but there is also a large group of these bivalve animals that are found in freshwaters such as lakes and rivers. There are many groups of mussels that live in freshwater, and several families of these are found in the United States and North America. For today’s post however I am focusing on the mussels found in the taxonomic order Unionida or Unionids for short (though that is really not any shorter). Unionids are found worldwide in freshwater ecosystems. But what makes them so neat is that they are one of the few groups of animals (along with salamanders and a few other things) that have their highest diversity in terms of number of species, in the temperate regions of the world, such as in North America, as opposed to the tropics.
Unionid mussels burrow partially into the substrate of the river pumping water through openings in their body and filtering out phytoplankton and other small, microscopic organisms in the water. The soft tissue of these animals that contains their organs are enclosed in a shells made of two halves or “valves” (thus the name bivalve). The shell develops from material secreted by the soft body tissue and the two halves are connected together by a ligament tissue. Unlike other mussels which attach themselves to the substrate with fibrous threads called byssal, Unionids have a muscular foot that allows them to move through the substrate and dig down.
Unionids also have a special way of reproducing. After males spawn and the released sperm is taken up by the female, tiny baby mussels or larvae called glochidea develop. The female releases these larvae onto a host fish, where the little bivalves clamp on to the fish’s gills and parasitically live on the fish until they reach a large enough size to live on their own. Then they fall off the fish and are now free living mussels, now capable of filtering water to obtain their microscopic food, rather than living off of the fish. If this wasn't cool enough some species have elaborate ways to entice their host fish. Females of some species have specialized tissue lures that can trick a fish into thinking it is a tasty bit of worm or fish, thus drawing the predatory fish nearby, at which point the mussels can catch the fish in its shell and inoculates the fish with the baby mussel larvae. The fish is then let go and is left to unknowingly help feed the baby mussels. (Check out this video, it is amazing!
Freshwater mussels unfortunately are in danger of extinction. In fact 88 of the 298 describes species in North America are currently listed as federally endangered or threatened in the U.S. Because of their aquatic lifestyle and the fact that they filter water removing detritus, pathogens, and pollution from our drinking water, they are good indicators of water quality. It has been estimated that an adult mussel can filter 15 gallons of water a day. Their aquatic lifestyle, however, also makes them more prone to water pollution. Chemical spills in water ways can kill off healthy mussel’s beds and chronic water pollution can stress mussel populations, making them more susceptible to disease or other stressors. Other stressors are also suggested for reasons why populations appear to be declining, including a warming climate, changes to the water flow in a stream that may be caused by a dam, and loss of a host fish species. Recently large mussel declines have been observed, biologists are still trying to understand the cause.
Given their incredible diversity in form, unique natural history and importance to cleaning our waters we should all give Unionids a second look and help them out. Check out some more links:
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Nipah virus (NiV) is a zoonotic virus, which means it can be transmitted between animals and humans. Fruit bats, often known as flying foxes, serve as the natural reservoir for NiV. The Nipah virus is also known to infect humans and pigs. NiV infection is related with encephalitis (brain swelling) and can result in mild to severe sickness and death. Almost yearly outbreaks occur in regions of Asia, especially Bangladesh and India.
It is possible to prevent Nipah virus infection by avoiding ill pigs and bats in places where the virus is present and by avoiding drinking raw date palm sap, which may be contaminated by an infected bat. In hospital settings, regular infection control procedures can assist prevent transmission from patient to patient during an outbreak.
- The clinical manifestations of Nipah virus infection in humans range from asymptomatic illness (subclinical) to acute respiratory infection and deadly encephalitis.
- The estimated case fatality rate ranges from 40% to 75%. Depending on local capacities for epidemiological surveillance and clinical management, this rate can vary by outbreak.
- Nipah virus can be spread to humans by animals (such as bats or pigs) or contaminated food, as well as directly between humans.
- Nipah virus naturally infects fruit bats of the family Pteropodidae.
- There is no available cure or vaccine for humans or animals. Humans are primarily treated with supportive care.
- The 2018 annual evaluation of the WHO R&D Plan list of priority diseases indicates that Nipah virus research and development must be expedited immediately.
Structure of Nipah Virus (NiV)
- Nipah virus (NiV) is an RNA virus that belongs to the family Paramyxoviridae (Order Mononegavirales), genus Henipavirus, and is closely linked to the horse-infecting Hendra virus.
- Nipah virus is an enveloped virus that ranges in size from 40 to 600 nm and is pleomorphic. The Nipah virus genome is a single-stranded, nonsegmented negative-sense RNA.
- The genome is 18,2 kilobytes long and contains six genes that correspond to structural proteins. It is composed of nucleocapsid (N), phosphoprotein (P), matrix protein (M), fusion protein (F), glycoprotein (G), and polymerase (L).
Genome structure of Nipah Virus (NiV)
- Single-stranded negative sense RNA of 18246 and 18252 base pairs (Malaysian isolate) (bngladesh isolate)
- There are six transcriptional units and six structural proteins in the genome. It is composed of nucleocapsid (N), phosphoprotein (P), matrix protein (M), fusion protein (F), glycoprotein (G), and polymerase (L)
- Genome-associated protein: large (L) protein and phosphoprotein (P)
- Fusion protein (F) and attachment glycoprotein protein are viral proteins (G)
- Phosphoprotein (P): its function as a polymerase cofactor, boosting polymerase processivity and permitting the encapsulation of newly synthesised viral genomes and antigenomes.
- Nipah virus phosphoprotein plays an additional role in immunosuppression by inhibiting interferon signalling by binding to host STAT-1.
The genetic makeup of the Nipah virus (NiV) is made up of a single-stranded RNA that is negative-sense, non-segmented, and has a genome size of approximately 18.2 kilobase pairs. This RNA codes for six structural proteins, namely nucleoprotein (N), phosphoprotein (P), matrix protein (M), fusion protein (F), attachment glycoprotein (G), and the large protein or RNA polymerase protein (L). In addition to these six proteins, the P gene is responsible for coding three nonstructural proteins through a process called RNA editing (V and W proteins) or an alternate open reading frame (C protein).
Epidemiology of Nipah Virus (NiV)
The initial occurrence of the Nipah virus outbreak happened in Malaysia-Singapore in the years 1998-1999. During the period of September 1998 to June 1999, there were 94 patients who had close contact with the swine population, and they were diagnosed with severe viral encephalitis. This showcased that the virus was directly transmitted from pigs to humans.
In Singapore and Malaysia, 246 patients were reported to have febrile encephalitis due to NiV between 1998 and 1999, and the mortality rate was around 40%. The second outbreak of the virus was reported in the non-contiguous area of Meherpur district in Bangladesh and Siliguri city in West Bengal, India, in 2001. Until the year 2010, there were nine outbreaks of the NiV reported in Bangladesh.
In the year 2011, another outbreak occurred in Bangladesh, which resulted in the deaths of 15 individuals due to the Nipah virus infection. Epidemiological investigations have confirmed that the NiV virus has spread throughout Asia, Africa, and the South Pacific Ocean, causing sporadic outbreaks through both human-to-human and zoonotic transmissions. It has caused hundreds of human deaths in the past two decades, posing a significant threat to both humans and domestic animals.
Transmission of Nipah Virus (NiV)
NiV is a zoonotic virus that can infect asymptomatic animals such as pigs and fruit bats (family Pteropodidae). It is now established that fruit bats belonging to the species Pteropus (also known as flying foxes) are the indigenous carriers of Nipah virus. Infected fruit bats release a virus in their saliva, urine, or other body secretions, which infects pigs and other domestic animals. Humans become infected by coming into close touch with these animals.
- Nipah virus is transmissible from animals to humans:
- By intimate contact with sick bats, pigs, and/or humans (NiV infected people).
- Infection by respiratory droplets, nasal or pharyngeal secretions of infected animals.
- Consuming contaminated fruits and juices containing animal secretions. Bat faeces frequently contaminate raw date palm sap (toddy), which is a substantial danger factor when consumed. It is known that bats drink toddy gathered in open containers and occasionally urinate in it, contaminating it with the virus.
- Person-to-Person transmission by direct contact with infected individuals, most usually among the patient’s family and carers.
Nipah virus’s natural hosts are fruit bats of the family Pteropodidae, notably species belonging to the genus Pteropus. Fruit bats do not appear to have any visible diseases. The geographic distribution of Henipaviruses is thought to overlap with that of the Pteropus group. Henipavirus infection in Pteropus bats from Australia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Madagascar, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Thailand, and Timor-Leste provided support for this concept. Antibodies against Nipah and Hendra viruses were detected in African fruit bats of the species Eidolon, family Pteropodidae, indicating that these viruses may be present within the geographic distribution of Pteropodidae bats in Africa.
During the initial Malaysian outbreak in 1999, outbreaks of the Nipah virus in pigs and other domestic animals such as horses, goats, sheep, cats, and dogs were initially documented. In pigs, the virus is highly contagious. During the incubation period, which lasts four to fourteen days, pigs are contagious. Some infected pigs have acute feverish sickness, difficulty breathing, and neurological symptoms that include trembling, twitching, and muscle spasms. Mortality is generally low, with the exception of young piglets. Nipah virus should be detected when both pigs and humans have a peculiar barking cough or encephalitis.
Replication of Nipah Virus (NiV)
- The initial stage of viral infection is attachment/adsorption, wherein the virus affixes itself to the host cell through the viral glycoprotein G with the B2 receptor, and then fuses the viral membrane with the host membrane.
- Subsequently, the negative RNA genome serves as a template for the transcription of viral mRNA, which is then translated into viral proteins. The vRNA also functions as a template for the synthesis of cRNA(+), which further serves as the template for the synthesis of vRNA. Furthermore, the viral proteins perform a role in interferon signaling. The F proteins are also internalized and matured within the cells.
- The assembly process is primarily accomplished by the M protein, with N, P, C, M, F, and G incorporated in the virions.
- Finally, the virions bud through the host membrane that contains G proteins on its surface and are released from the cell.
Pathogenesis of Nipah Virus (NiV)
- NiV can be detected in the epithelial cells of the bronchiole in the initial stage of illness in humans.
- Viral antigens are present in bronchi and alveoli, mainly in the epithelium of bronchi and type II pneumocytes in experimental animal models.
- Inflammatory cytokines are induced due to infection of the respiratory tract epithelium, which recruits immune cells and leads to acute respiratory distress syndrome-like disease.
- Inflammatory mediators such as IL-1α, IL-6, IL-8, G-CSF, CXCL10, etc. are induced when smaller airway epithelium gets infected.
- The virus is disseminated to the endothelial cells of the lungs in the later stage of the disease, and it can enter the bloodstream and infect other organs, including the spleen, kidneys, and brain, leading to multiple organ failure.
- NiV can infect leukocytes and cause lethal infection in hamsters.
- Monocytes, natural killer cells, and CD6+ CD8+ T lymphocytes are infected in pigs.
- The virus can enter the CNS through the hematogenous route or anterogradely via olfactory nerves.
- Infection of the CNS by the virus disrupts the blood-brain barrier, induces IL-1β and TNF-α expression, and leads to the development of neurological signs.
- Infected CNS in humans may show inclusion bodies and plaques in both gray and white matter, along with necrosis.
- In several experimental animal models, the virus can directly enter the CNS via the olfactory nerve.
- NiV can infect the epithelial cells of the bronchiole in the initial stage of the disease.
- NiV antigen can be detected in bronchi and alveoli.
- Inflammatory mediators are activated due to infection of the airway epithelium, leading to the recruitment of immune cells and development of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)-like disease. Symptoms in humans include IL-1α, IL-6, IL-8, G-CSF, CXCL10, etc.
- In the later stage of the disease, the virus is disseminated to the endothelial cells of the lungs.
- The virus enters the bloodstream followed by dissemination, either freely or in host leukocyte bound form.
- NiV can reach the brain, spleen, and kidneys, leading to multiple organ failure in humans.
- There are two pathways for viral entry into the central nervous system (CNS): via hematogenous route or anterogradely via olfactory nerves.
- The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is disrupted, and IL-1β along with tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α are expressed due to CNS infection by the virus, ultimately leading to neurological symptoms in humans.
Clinical Manifestations of Nipah Virus (NiV)
Infection with Nipah virus (NiV) can result in mild to severe illness, including brain swelling (encephalitis) and even death.
Typically, symptoms emerge 4-14 days after contact to the virus. Initial symptoms include fever and headache for three to fourteen days, and respiratory symptoms like as cough, sore throat, and difficulty breathing are frequently present. A phase of brain swelling (encephalitis) may ensue, with symptoms such as tiredness, disorientation, and mental confusion, which can proceed swiftly to coma within 24 to 48 hours.
Initial symptoms may include one or more of the following:
- painful throat
- Trouble in respiration
Serious symptoms may ensue, including:
- Disorientation, fatigue, and/or confusion
- Brain swelling (encephalitis)
Mortality is possible in 40-75% of cases. There have been reports of survivors of Nipah virus infection experiencing recurrent convulsions and personality alterations.
Infections that cause symptoms and occasionally mortality months or even years after exposure (known as latent or dormant illnesses) have also been described.
Diagnosis of Nipah Virus (NiV)
- Laboratory tests: NiV can be detected by various laboratory tests such as enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and virus isolation.
- Imaging studies: Imaging studies such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) scans can help detect neurological symptoms associated with NiV infection.
- Serological testing: Serological testing can be done to detect antibodies against NiV in the blood.
- Clinical presentation: The clinical presentation of NiV infection includes symptoms such as fever, headache, muscle pain, and respiratory distress, which can aid in the diagnosis of the disease.
- Contact tracing: Identifying and tracing contacts of infected individuals can aid in the diagnosis and prevention of further spread of the disease.
Treatment of NiV
- Supportive care: There is currently no specific antiviral treatment for NiV infection, so supportive care is the primary mode of treatment. This includes management of fever, respiratory distress, and neurological symptoms.
- Intensive care: Patients with severe respiratory distress or neurological symptoms may require intensive care, such as mechanical ventilation and hemodynamic support.
- Experimental treatments: Some experimental treatments, such as monoclonal antibodies and antiviral drugs, are being studied for their potential use in treating NiV infection. However, their effectiveness has not yet been established in clinical trials.
- Infection control measures: Preventing further spread of the disease through infection control measures, such as isolating infected individuals and using personal protective equipment, is crucial in the management of NiV outbreaks.
Prevention and Control of NiV
- Limiting exposure: The best way to prevent NiV infection is to limit exposure to infected animals, such as bats or pigs, and their contaminated products, such as raw date palm sap or meat.
- Personal protective measures: People who are in close contact with NiV-infected individuals or animals should wear personal protective equipment, such as gloves, gowns, and masks, to prevent transmission.
- Infection control measures: Isolation of infected individuals and proper disposal of contaminated materials, such as syringes or needles, is essential to prevent further spread of the virus.
- Public awareness: Raising public awareness about the risks and transmission routes of NiV infection can help prevent outbreaks and improve early detection and control.
- Vaccination: Currently, there is no licensed vaccine for NiV, but research is ongoing to develop effective vaccines for use in at-risk populations.
What is Nipah Virus (NiV)?
Nipah Virus (NiV) is a deadly zoonotic virus that can cause severe respiratory illness and encephalitis in humans and animals.
How is NiV transmitted?
NiV can be transmitted through direct contact with infected animals, consumption of contaminated food or water, or person-to-person contact through respiratory secretions or bodily fluids.
What are the symptoms of NiV infection?
Symptoms of NiV infection can include fever, headache, dizziness, drowsiness, confusion, and seizures.
Is there a vaccine for NiV?
Symptoms of NiV infection can include fever, headache, dizziness, drowsiness, confusion, and seizures.
How is NiV diagnosed?
NiV can be diagnosed through laboratory tests that detect the virus in blood or other bodily fluids, or through imaging tests that show characteristic changes in the brain.
Is there a specific treatment for NiV infection?
There is no specific treatment for NiV infection, but supportive care can help manage symptoms and complications.
Can animals transmit NiV to humans?
Yes, animals such as pigs, bats, and horses can transmit NiV to humans through direct contact or consumption of contaminated products.
What measures can be taken to prevent NiV infection?
Measures to prevent NiV infection include avoiding contact with infected animals or their bodily fluids, practicing good hygiene such as washing hands frequently, and avoiding consumption of raw or undercooked fruits and vegetables.
Where is NiV commonly found?
NiV is commonly found in Southeast Asia, particularly in Bangladesh and India.
Are there any ongoing research efforts to better understand and treat NiV?
Yes, there are ongoing research efforts to better understand the transmission, pathogenesis, and treatment of NiV, including development of vaccines and antiviral therapies.
- Banerjee S, Gupta N, Kodan P, Mittal A, Ray Y, Nischal N, Soneja M, Biswas A, Wig N. Nipah virus disease: A rare and intractable disease. Intractable Rare Dis Res. 2019 Feb;8(1):1-8. doi: 10.5582/irdr.2018.01130. PMID: 30881850; PMCID: PMC6409114.
- Sun B, Jia L, Liang B, Chen Q, Liu D. Phylogeography, Transmission, and Viral Proteins of Nipah Virus. Virol Sin. 2018 Oct;33(5):385-393. doi: 10.1007/s12250-018-0050-1. Epub 2018 Oct 11. PMID: 30311101; PMCID: PMC6235768.
- Hauser N, Gushiken AC, Narayanan S, Kottilil S, Chua JV. Evolution of Nipah Virus Infection: Past, Present, and Future Considerations. Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease. 2021; 6(1):24. https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed6010024
- Saxena, S.K., Maurya, V.K., Kumar, S., Bhatt, M.L.B. (2020). Nipah Virus. In: Malik, Y.S., Singh, R.K., Dhama, K. (eds) Animal-Origin Viral Zoonoses. Livestock Diseases and Management. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-2651-0_3
- Jensen, Kenneth & Adams, Ricky & Bennett, Richard & Bernbaum, John & Jahrling, Peter & Holbrook, Michael. (2018). Development of a novel real-time polymerase chain reaction assay for the quantitative detection of Nipah virus replicative viral RNA. PLOS ONE. 13. e0199534. 10.1371/journal.pone.0199534.
- Singh, Raj & Dhama, Kuldeep & Chakraborty, Sandip & Tiwari, Ruchi & Natesan, Senthilkumar & Khandia, Rekha & Munjal, Ashok & K, Vora & Latheef, Shyma & Karthik, Kumaragurubaran & Malik, Yashpal & Singh, Ravpreet & Chaicumpa, Wanpen & Mourya, Devendra. (2019). Nipah virus: epidemiology, pathology, immunobiology and advances in diagnosis, vaccine designing and control strategies – a comprehensive review. The Veterinary quarterly. 39. 26-55. 10.1080/01652176.2019.1580827.
- Reddy, KR. (2018). Nipah Virus (NiV) Infection: An Emerging Zoonosis of Public Health Concern. Journal of Gandaki Medical College-Nepal. 11. 10.3126/jgmcn.v11i02.22897.
- Hayman, D. T. S., & Johnson, N. (2014). Nipah Virus. The Role of Animals in Emerging Viral Diseases, 293–315. doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-405191-1.00011-9
- Rollin, P. E. (2014). Nipah Virus Disease. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 175–184. doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-416975-3.00013-3 | <urn:uuid:b2742f21-a4a4-4537-9716-b0db2405997b> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://microbiologynote.com/nipah-virus-niv-definition-structure-genome-replication-transmission/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224653071.58/warc/CC-MAIN-20230606182640-20230606212640-00500.warc.gz | en | 0.90399 | 4,736 | 4.15625 | 4 |
Reflection and Questions
Posted by JL, KG, RW and DG
It’s interesting that John Dewey wrote Experience and Education in the 1930s, and yet many of his observations feel crisply relevant today. His writing may not employ all of today’s educational terminology, but he’s writing about some of the same things we’ve been discussing in class - learning that is grounded in authentic experience and applicable to real-world problem setting and solving. We’ve outlined the entire 91 pages, to help you out a bit, and I’ve included a link to a helpful 500-word summary I found on the web. Those will follow in a moment, but first I’ll post the questions we’d like you to address on the blog:
Question 1: Visit the link below, and take a quick look at any one of the frameworks for any subject matter for any grade level.
Pick any one (or more, if you like) concept/s that students in that grade in Massachusetts schools are required to learn. Now imagine that you are a teacher in an ordinary school with a usual mix of students and typically limited resources. Describe a project or activity that you are going to ask your students to do to ensure that they master the required concept you’ve selected. Keep Dewey’s ideas about progressive education in mind, and try to incorporate some of the best practices we’ve been talking about in past weeks. Try to design your activity to include some of them: situated cognition, intrinsic motivation, authentic learning, transferable knowledge, student group collaboration and communication, etc. Describe your activity, how long it takes, what’s involved, etc. Give as much detail as you like. So, what’s your plan, teacher?
Question 2: Dewey has shown us that it is not enough to propose a new system by rejecting the “aims and methods” of the one we want to supplant. Since we have already critiqued traditional schooling systems, we ask you to do the same sort of critique of “progressive education” schooling systems. Specifically, what are the main dangers of these newer educational systems? Have you studied in a “progressive education” setting, or do you have friends that have? Tell us about those experiences, good or bad, if you like.
Our Outline for Dewey, J. (1938). Experience and Education.
Chapter 1: Traditional vs. Progressive Education
The history of educational theory is marked by disagreement about whether education is about the development (of natural abilities) from within or the formation (of disciplined habits of mind over natural inclinations) from without.
Traditional education imposes on children adult standards, subject matter and methods that are beyond the capacities and experience of children. The gap is so wide, it prevents much active participation by young pupils in what is taught.
The differences between traditional education and progressive education are:
- imposition from above vs. expression and cultivation of individuality
- external discipline vs. free activity
- learning from texts and teachers vs. learning through experience
- learning isolated skills and techniques by drill vs. learning for meaningful ends
- preparation for a remote future vs. seizing present opportunities
- static aims and materials vs. embracing a changing world.
The philosophy of progressive education is based on a relationship between education and experience. A challenge for progressive education is the place and meaning of subject matter and organization within experience.
Progressive education shouldn’t reject the principle of organization (in education). It should be a positive philosophy, not just a negative rejection of traditional education. When external authority and control (of pupils by schools) are rejected, there is a need to search for a more effective source of authority and control.
Basing education on personal experience may mean more contact and guidance between the mature (teachers/mentors) and the immature (students), not less. New-style schools that eschew organized subject matter, proceed as if any form of direction and guidance by adults were an invasion of individual freedom, and as if education should be concerned with the present and future only, not the past, are simply reacting negatively to traditional schools and may be as dogmatic in their own way.
Chapter 2: The Need of a Theory of Empiricism
The new philosophy of education is committed to an empirical and experimental philosophy.
The belief that all genuine education comes about through experience does not mean that all experiences are genuinely or equally educative. In fact some experiences can be mis-educative if they have the effect of arresting further experience, or engendering callousness or a lack of sensitivity to different experiences. Experiences can be so disconnected, that even when enjoyable, they don’t add up to learning, and do little to foster self-discipline.
Traditional schools offer many mis-educative experiences, and have rendered many students callous to ideas, unable to transfer skills learned by rote, likely to associate learning with boredom, and unable to apply what they learn in school to life outside of school.
Education based on experience depends on the quality of the experience. The quality has two aspects: whether or not it is pleasant, and its influence on later experiences. Every experience lives on in further experiences. The central problem of an education based upon experiences is to select the kind of present experiences that live fruitfully and creatively in subsequent experiences. There is a principle of the continuity of experience or the “experiential continuum”.
Just because traditional education was a matter of routine in which the plans and programs were handed down from the past, it does not follow that progressive education is a matter of planless improvisation. Revolt against the kind of organization characteristic of the traditional school requires a (new) kind of organization based upon ideas.
Progressive education demands a philosophy of education based upon a philosophy of experience. A coherent theory of experience, affording positive direction to selection and organization of appropriate methods and materials, is required to give new direction to schools.
It is a more difficult to work out the kinds of materials, methods and social relationships that are appropriate to the new education than is the case with traditional education.
Failure to develop a conception of organization upon the empirical and experimental basis in progressive schools gives educational reactionaries a too easy victory.
Chapter 3: Criteria of Experience
In this chapter Dewey refers to experience as the relation between two complementary principles: continuity and interaction.
- Continuity: Experiences are connected to each other. Therefore present experiences result from experiences which have gone before, and affect experiences which come after.
- Interaction: Experiences result from the transaction between internal and external conditions. The internal refers to the individual needs, desires and purposes. The external refers to the physical and social environments.
Chapter 4: Social Control
- When education is based upon experiences and educative experience, it becomes a social process.
- Schools should be structured with social control, where all individuals have an opportunity to contribute and to which all feel a responsibility.
- The teacher losses the position of external boss and instead becomes a leader of group activities.
- However, teachers now have a greater responsibility in planning in advance and being aware of the capabilities and needs of the students.
- Planning must be flexible enough to permit free play for individuality of experience and yet firm enough to give direction towards continuous development of power.
Chapter 5: The Nature of Freedom
- The main freedom of importance is “freedom of intelligence” and “freedom of observation and judgment”
- The commonest mistake about freedom is to identify it with freedom of movement (external/physical activity)
- But physical freedom cannot be separated from the internal side of activity of thought, desire, and purpose
- “Thinking is thus a postponement of immediate action, while it effects internal control of impulse through a union of observation and memory, this union being the heart of reflection”
Chapter 6: The Meaning of Purpose
- Big idea: “Student need self-motivated purpose”
- Formation of purpose:
- observation of surrounding conditions
- knowledge of what has happened in similar situations in the past
- judgement which puts together what is observed and what is recalled to see what they signify
- Desire + impulse = the force to plan and act
- Teachers need to exercise the pupils’ intelligence by making suggestions to what they should do
Chapter 7: Progressive Organization of Subject-matter
Anything which can be called a study, whether arithmetic, history, geography, or one of the natural sciences, must be derived from materials which at the outset fall within the scope of ordinary life-experience.
The achievements of the past provide the only means at command for understanding the present.
The educator cannot start with knowledge already organized and proceed to ladle it out in doses.
It is critical that educators view teaching and learning as a continuous process of reconstruction of experience.
Here’s the link to the helpful online summary:
- Neill, James. “500 Word Summary of Dewey’s “Experience & Education”.” October 1, 2005.
Happy reading of this classic work of educational theory!
DG, JL, KG, and RW
Student Reading Responses
In the following postings, quoted excerpts from the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks are courtesy of the Massachusetts Department of Education.
Posted by JC
The topic I chose was Science and Technology/Engineering. I would ideally want a group of high school students who have taken a basic programming concepts class; they would likely be at least juniors before getting into a programming concepts class. I expect this to be targeted towards seniors.
- Throughout the course of the semester long class, we would investigate the current state of automobile transportation. Students are all familiar with cars; this would give them a common starting point and familiar topic to discuss.
- Start by investigating how vehicles are becoming smarter in order to better serve the driver. Students could chose to look at any aspect of the vehicle they would be interested in: internal user comfort, automatic pilot, back-up safety devices, hands-free entertainment, etc.
- Group the kids by area of interest. Throughout the semester, they will experience individual tasking, small group work, and large group work.
- Divide the class into general steps. Incorporate aspects of the recommended and necessary engineering design principles. Note that the phases will overlap; and there will be continuous learning spirals: imagine, create, share, play, reflect.
- Research the brainstormed areas of interest; determine how they are addressed today (eg. hands free voice commands for music)
- Imagine ways to expand these areas of interest in intelligent ways (how to make the car work for you); e.g. change window tinting based on level of sunshine
- Investigate any research/other work today that may influence how the brainstormed advancements may be implemented
- Quickly make a scoped plan of attack to try creating towards the decided advancement
- Each group collaborates; share with the other groups periodically
- Their areas of interest would likely require them to make use of knowledge obtained in other classes (math, physics, programming); and likely to learn new concepts
- Play with the implementation
- Figure out what worked, what didn’t, and what to try out next
- Go to step 4 and repeat; it is expected the students will hunt for inspiration and ideas throughout the course of the create-share-play-reflect cycle. They will also need to communicate with their groups on a frequent basis; and the large group on a period basis.
- Invite professionals, former students, college students, parents, etc. to come in and work with the groups from time to time (offer advice, guidance, bounce ideas off of, help with technical problems, etc.)
- Prepare a final set of products (e.g. paper, poster, demo, etc.); bring in parents/others for a show and tell day at the end
- This type of class/long workshop would employ such concepts as: intrinsic motivation, authentic learning, transferable knowledge, student group collaboration and communication.
- The teacher becomes a project lead at this point and full supporter of the class/team. This is a concept Dewey had discussed.
- Note I am glazing over some serious detail and logistical challenges (eg. time to organize this, disposable funding to quickly purchase materials to support the groups’ implementations, etc.)
I didn’t grow up in a “progressive education” environment (or at least I don’t think I have). As an adult, I have participated in informal and formal environments that implemented progressive education methods. However, here are my critiques regarding progressive education:
- I personally need some structure/direction/etc. when I’m learning something new. So perhaps a blend of traditional methods and progressive works for me.
- The logistics of implementing a progressive class (like the one I outlined above) would be resource (time and money) intensive.
- Dewey mentioned teachers becoming knowledge workers (and project leaders) and being paid accordingly in order to support them in running progressive classes. I completely agree with this. And have no idea how our current tax based income flow for schools can support this.
- Progressive education is not going to be cheap, easy, and who knows how reproducible. There’s a reason people gravitate towards standards - networking standards, radio communication standards, etc. People know what to develop towards: they know what to say, how to say it, and when to say it. Once the standard is set, it is cheaper to implement.
- Assembly lines and standards make efficient use of time and resources; products are predictable and pumped out on a predictable basis. People are unfortunately not cookie-cutter products.
- Dewey brought up the issue that a whole new approach to evaluating whether progressive education methods are making any impact. We can barely justify structured, traditional methods in a reasonable manner; we’d need to start over with a fresh perspective on the evolving progressive methods.
I think I have typed far too much……Go Packers :)
Posted by FG
I love how thoroughly you have thought through your proposed activities - contrary to myself:).. This activity is in fact ‘ready to go’, with its various steps already all laid out. Just one thing - I personally would not have been interested in the state of the automobile industry. I have zero knowledge of cars, compared to most people, in the sense that we never had a car in my parents’ home. So perhaps it’s a little hasty to assume that most students’ families would have a car and/or would be familiar or interested in automobiles. I would also assume that the topic would attract most boys’ attention, but that this wouldn’t be the case for most girls. Such an outdated, gender-based division of interests might be regrettable, but it is the reality I think.
I guess finding a topic that is likely to interest everyone, across gender, class, culture, etc. is a challenge too.
I have to say that I applaud your mentioning of parents and inviting them, together with other adults, in the students’ activities. For anyone who has read through my initial diatribe on the need to engage parents in their children’s education, even if the latter is now supported by a host of cool communities and high-tech tools and service. Parental nurturance and feedback are irreplaceable in my opinion. As I wrote, they seem to have received so little attention in our talks in class and posts here, that this was a nice surprise.
So on the whole I would think that your proposed activities to teach this scientific/engineering topic would be very successful in productively engaging participants, once the hurdle of a topic that may not interest everyone has been overcome.
As for your critique of the progressive systems of education, I appreciate very much your taking into account economic considerations such as costs, which are often overlooked in the waves of positivism about the new systems. Here, on Dewey’s proposal to pay educators and ‘knowledge workers’ according to their input - this reminds me of a recently proposed regulation that would pay teachers according to their student’s grades reports and the ‘results’ of their teachings - which can of course be very vague and subjective. As far as I know, the proposed measure was very unpopular among the teachers’ communities nationwide.
In any case, I agree that such economic, pragmatic considerations should be taken into account in any new progressive educational system.
And I think that developing standards and principles for this new system is also important. We cannot do without values.
Posted by JC
FG, thank you for the feedback on the proposed activity. I agree that it may be a little gender biased; I honestly have no proof either way. I just picked a topic I would be interested in. Ideally, there would be room for discussion when deciding the topic.
Posted by DG
The topic I chose was the 6th Grade section on Europe. The framework contains the following:
Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Channel Islands (U.K.), Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar (U.K.), Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Vatican City, Yugoslavia
On a map of the world, locate the continent of Europe. On a map of Europe, locate the Atlantic Ocean, Arctic Ocean, Norwegian Sea, and Barents Sea. Locate the Volga, Danube, Ural, Rhine, Elbe, Seine, Po, and Thames Rivers. Locate the Alps, Pyrenees, and Balkan Mountains. Locate the countries in the northern, southern, central, eastern, and western regions of Europe.
Use a map key to locate countries and major cities in Europe. (G)
Explain how the following five factors have influenced settlement and the economies of major European countries (G, E)
absolute and relative locations
major physical characteristics
major natural resources
Optional Topics for Study
Describe the general level of education in selected countries in Europe and its relationship to the economy. (G, H, E)
Describe the political and social status of women in selected countries in Europe. (G, H, E)
Describe major ethnic and religious groups in various countries in Europe. (G, H, E)
Explain why Europe has a highly developed network of highways, waterways, railroads, and airline linkages. (G, H, E)
Describe the purposes and achievements of the European Union. (H, E)
Identify the countries that were once part of the Soviet Union in the Baltic area, Central Asia, Southern Russia, and the Caucasus, and compare the population and size of the former Soviet Union with that of present day Russia. (H, G)
Explain the sources and effects of the massive pollution of air, water, and land in the former satellite nations of Eastern Europe, in the countries once part of the Soviet Union, and in Russia. (H, G)”
I think that using a computer based trading based game would be the best way to teach these topics. Allow the players to start off in different cities, and the properties of the cities are based on the political, ethnic, and religious groups in those countries. Through playing the game and a desire to get better at it, the students understand when to use highways, railways, waterways to ship goods from one point to another, and to understand the needs and natural resources found in the various countries.
Through either temporal progression or events, certain facts and dynamics can be explored. If we want students to learn the locations of certain key locations, we can refer to them frequently. I also think that vague descriptions that require underlying knowledge encourages the students to learn more. For instance, one could say in the next 3 rounds countries/cities primarily focused on agriculture will be more productive.
I think that a system like this allows the students to dive into areas that they find most interesting, and allows them to determine their level of involvement. I’m against making students create deliverables that have little to no bearing on the tasks at hand. For instance making posters, writing reports, etc on what they have learned is a great way to drain any enthusiasm that may have been built up. Instead, I think a better approach would be for the game to be changed and become team based where each team develops a guide/poster to share their strategies/knowledge with new team members. The team has 1 hour before the game starts to review their strategies and be briefed on each others ideas. In this way there is a reason for them to write clearly and succinctly - they must convey their knowledge to their teammates.
My thoughts on progressive education, are that it seems like a good idea - I didn’t really experience it. In general though it seems like it might be extremely expensive, and I think that we already spend too much on education as a country. I think that the best way to learn is to jump right in and struggle to survive, the teacher is the lifeguard - they’ll help you out when you really need it. Progressive education seems like a great idea, and is definitely better than traditional education. However, there are some drawbacks that need to be weighed against it.
Posted by JC
I like how you have designed an activity intending to learn about areas of Europe through the use of a game. In my humble opinion, this would be far more interesting that memorizing statistics and reiterating them on paper tests. This would definitely allow the student to explore avenues of interest as he/she happens to come across them. I agree that allowing the student to explore their interests will lead to more permanent learning.
On a side note, I had an art history course (many actually) in my undergrad days. The prof wanted us to ultimately know the names, locations, artists, etc. for pieces of artwork in Europe. The task was to plan a “vacation” around 20+ pieces (any we wanted). This was obviously a paper-based task, but was engaging in that I got to daydream an art history type vacation. I ended up learning about various cities and countries as a side effect. I still have that vacation plan today, waiting to be executed.
Posted by JL
I really like your suggestion in creating a game to learn about Europe. I will admit that i had no idea where the countries were in Europe. It wasn’t until i studied abroad in Europe that I learned exactly which country was where. Children need some sort of experience and context to gain knowledge. Too bad we can’t send all of them to Europe for a month or two…
Posted by VC
Question 1: Designing a project or curriculum
I chose Nutrition from the Comprehensive Health strand:
“Grade 5: Identify the connection between food served in the home with regional food production.”
I would like to create a project where kids visit a local farm and see what kind of produce is being grown at a given time and then develop a 2 or 3-course meal around those types of produce. Recipes can come from home, or they can research them themselves.
Here’s how I would think about it:
- Contact a local farm and see what kind of produce/other animal products are being grown.
- Split kids up into groups (~5 kids/group) and have them pick their ingredient.
- Have kids research about that ingredient-what kind of nutrients does this provide? how is it grown? What kind of recipes is this used for? If everyone has some sort of plant, maybe have them try growing that plant themselves.
- Bring kids to the farm and have them either see for themselves how it’s grown. I would specifically ask that the kids see how the plant is being harvested or how the cow is being milked, so they understand the labor that goes into it. Perhaps we could get the school to help us buy some of the produce for the final activity.
- Have kids cook 3 different recipes using the item they chose, encouraging them to think about the health benefits of the food and also about making different types of foods (not all dessert, please!). Kids should cook enough to share with the class and be prepared to share what they’ve learned!
*Note: this is probably something that would work better at a fairly well-funded school where there are lots of parent volunteers, but I don’t think it’s totally impossible under other conditions.
Question 2: A criticism
I did my undergraduate work at Brown University, which I would say follows the progressive education model fairly closely. At Brown, we had an open curriculum, which means we had no distribution requirements. To graduate with a Brown degree, you have to finish all the requirements for a concentration (that’s usually about 10-11 courses) and pass 30 classes. If you take 4 classes per semester, you’ll take 32 classes, which means they even give you the option of failing 2. The atmosphere at Brown was very self-driven-no one was making you take anything, so there the idea that you should use your freedom wisely and learn what intrigues you prevailed. I think everyone I knew there truly believed that the experience of education was highly valuable.
I absolutely loved my time at Brown and would not have traded that experience for any other college experience, but I recognize that there were many shortcomings to giving people that much freedom. I don’t know anyone who wasn’t thoughtful in planning their college experience there, but I think giving people the option to not take any classes in one or another subject area meant that people received very lopsided educations. I heard rumors of one girl who was part of the PLME program (which admits you to Brown Med at the time you’re admitted as an undergrad) who took all her med school prerequisites pass/fail and only took dance classes outside those requirements. I have friends who would freeze up every time they saw numbers because they actively avoided math and friends who couldn’t write grammatically correct sentences because they eschewed writing-intensive classes. One of my friends dated a girl who attended some NY prep school with a Brown-style open curriculum before attending Brown. He claims that she was brilliant and exceptionally knowledgeable about literature, but actually couldn’t multiply numbers.
It’s possible that these problems were actually problems with guidance, but I think the advising program was fine, at least within concentrations, and we were encouraged to take our freedom seriously. As I said before, I wouldn’t trade my time at Brown for anything, but I am also glad that my awesome college experience was preceded by a more traditional K-12 approach because it’s allowed me to be a higher-functioning member of society than the girl who couldn’t multiply.
Posted by JC
I concur with EL [posting removed due to copyright restrictions] by loving the nutrition/cooking class. There is a gap in appreciation of where your food actually comes from. I would have loved to take this class; probably would today. The logistics of making this class happen would be challenging, of course.
I also agree with your discussion of too much freedom in learning. People are going to be drawn to what is comfortable or familiar; unless they have an over-riding drive for learning. Not everyone has this drive of course. I would like to think this freedom should be permissible at the undergraduate level, but perhaps even that is too soon (as you pointed out).
Posted by MN
I think a combination of visiting a farm, cooking, and sharing meals are great activities for education about nutrition. Not only is it experiential but it also combines different concepts from biology, sociology, teamwork, and community. In order to make sure these concepts and knowledge get across in an impactful way, I think it would be the teachers job to make sure there is enough preview and reflections before and after the exciting events.
Posted by SL
I’d like to start this post by complaining that both the blog this week and the reading had too many words. Uncle uncle uncle! I am overwhelmed by the number of words. I am intimidated and discouraged by the number of words. I don’t want to read all of these words. And in the case of Dewey, the language is outdated and difficult to slog through. (That being said, when you do finally reach his points, his words are very relevant.) ok, that’s the end of my rant. I’m over it. Just consider me clew-less. This week’s reading did not match my learning style, but I did learn in a traditional kind of tortured way.
Q1: I’ve chosen Engineering Design for Grades 6-8 for my concept module.
“Engineering design is an iterative process that involves modeling and optimizing to develop technological solutions to problems within given constraints.”
Form small teams of 3 or 4 students who choose a project that they want to design and prototype-engaging to them personally or relevant to a community challenge that they want to undertake. Create the fiction that the project will need to be presented to the “client” in the form of a portfolio and sales pitch- the class represents the client who needs to understand the technical and financial challenges of the project before approving it.
“2.1 Identify and explain the steps of engineering design process”
Students identify a project that they are engaged with, something that they want to make for themselves or for the community. Have them research the problem together online and, time permitting, through other resources (like library, professionals, etc.). Have each student come up with a solution, and have the team discuss each possible solution and assess the advantages and disadvantages of each solution. Prototype the solution, using the tools and materials at hand, and as a group iterate prototypes. The teacher will have to provide guidance and some design specificaions/constraints that the project needs to meet.
“2.2. Demonstrate methods of representing solutions to a design problem”
Have the team come up with different methods of representing their design after exposing them to professional standards of representation with concrete examples. This will become part of their presentation portfolio.
“2.3 Describe and explain the purpose of a given prototype”
Communication about the project and the prototype become part of the proposal presentation.
“2.4 Identify appropriate materials, tools and machines needed to construct a prototype of a given engineering design.”
Based on internet research, have the team come up with a list of potential materials and costs, and a plan for fabricating their prototype. If time permits, have the team prototype in a few different materials. Or have them test a small set of different materials, on the machines to see what different physical properties each material manifests.. This information becomes part of the presentation portfolio.
“2.5 Explain how such design features as size, shape, weight, function and cost limitations would affect the construction of a given prototype.”
See notes on 2.4 above.
“2.6 Identify the five elements of a universal systems model: goal, inputs, processes, outputs, and feedback.”
In group discussion have each team describe their process, and guide the class to the five elements of a univerisal systems model.
I think this module would incorporate many of the issues and practices we’ve been discussing, and those that DG, JL, KG, and RW mention above: situated cognition, intrinsic motivation, authentic learning, transferable knowledge, student group collaboration and communication, etc.
Q2: I have no experience with progressive education, but my instincts lead me to a model that combines elements of both traditional and progressive methods. Dewey definitely sobered my ideas about experience-based learning a bit. I worry that too much is expected of teachers in too progressive an environment, and that too much freedom and too little direction and guidance will lead to student boredom, lack of challenge, lack of discipline (in manners and in learning), and lack of knowledge. It could also affect how students learn later in life, as Dewey suggests, in how they pursue knowledge and seek to learn more.
P.S. Apologies for all these words!
Posted by FG
After checking the link here below, I could identify a couple of core competencies taught in school that interest me, but I am not sure I can say that I am able to develop a whole new, pioneering activity around them, especially as the proposed methods and activities of the Massachusetts Dept of Elementary and Secondary School are not bad in themselves and already cover a lot of ground. Rather, I can provide some thoughts of where I would take them, and suggest some types of activities, but I would rather leave the door open for modifications.
I have selected reading [and perhaps one could say by extension writing and reading comprehension/analytical skills dependent on language learning] at the Kindergarten level. Kindergarten experiences interest me most since I myself never went to Kindergarten due to a parental choice, and started school only at 6. I believe social and emotional health and especially family life also come into play in my proposal for an improved method of learning these skills, so I include them here.
My interest in these competencies and how they are being taught and are now under scrutiny for possible reform springs from an observation I just made regarding our readings and discussions of them on the Blog and in class so far. To take this week’s readings, John Dewey’s Experience and Education and K. Sawyer’s The Schools of the Future: here are two more texts by scholars who seem to seek to engage a whole series of people in designing and implementing the new system of education they propose: teachers, tutors, educators, monitors, ’learning scientists,’ ’educational psychologists,’ education contractors, software designers and other technologists, among others, but seem to leave parents out of the picture. Sawyer mentions “collaboration with families” and just once the word ‘parents’ in the conclusion - “Parents, politicians and schoolboards must be convinced that change is necessary,” but he doesn’t go on to specifying how parents could become involved in their children’s education.
Likewise, I find that our own conversations in class, although ultimately rich in new ideas, have somewhat disregarded ways for parental involvement in curriculum design and learning techniques in general. We have stressed the importance in a new reformed model of learning of community, friends, classmates and fellow learners, peers neighbors and other people in one’s close-by communities - entire categories of people who are not necessarily directly related to or familiar with the child/teenager/student/learner, while leaving those who know him/her best out. I might be drawing an extreme picture and this may not have been so so strictly speaking, but by and large, this is how I feel.
It seems we are ready to entrust our children’s education to all and sundry as long as they have a cool-sounding name or qualification, such as the “learning scientist” and “educational psychologists” used by this week’s authors, and of course as long as new technological devices are being used. It seems to me that by the time a child reaches the age of entering kindergarten, and thus the educational system, parents drop our of the picture. With the slew of extracurricular activities, sports, workshops, summer camps and numerous other leisure-time occupations children are encouraged to engage in when not in school, the time they spend with their parents has dwindled to a ridiculous amount, let alone quality, discussion and learning time.
I find this rather surprising since our parents are our very first teachers, and successful ones at that, since they teach us essential skills such as walking, speaking, emotional processing, exploring one’s immediate environment, etc. in a most natural, seamless manner, embedding this knowledge acquisition into the child’s daily life at home. In short, it doesn’t feel like learning. Perhaps educators and the educational systems could take a page out of parents’ book for seamless, instant learning and try to replicate those processes for the skills and subjects they want to teach in a school setting or its new, reformed equivalent.
Now that parents are grappling with new technologies, trying to catch up as well as monitor their children’s activities on the Net, now might be a good time to finally involve them in their children’s new forms of Internet-enhanced/computer-aided learning in schools and extracurricular workshops and activities.
So this is my proposal for a kindergarten activity or new approach to teaching basic skills such as reading and writing to young children: develop it in a way that engages the parents. Physical limits should not be applied to the task, so that it can be conducted at home in the form of homework in which parents are required to contribute to and given specific tasks, as well as in class/in the workshop. Parents, or if not available due to working schedules, another caring adult/family member could also be invited to the school so as to engage in the child’s classroom activities.
In fact, one activity started in class should be pursued at home and vice versa, in such a way that it becomes an ongoing, boundless experience. Perhaps a task can even be performed on the way to school. The idea is to make the assignment and learning experience in general a seamless activity between home and school.
I chose reading skills because this is actually the way I myself learned reading, before entering the school system at age 6. When I entered my first year of primary school, I knew how to read, contrary to many pupils who had attended kindergarten. The formula was simple: as soon as we were big enough, my mother would teach my brother and I how to read signs on posters, in shops’ windows, street signs and other urban displays and surfaces on each of our outings, be it on foot or by car, teaching us to recognize and pronounce the different letters. Most of the time this turned into a little game. There were also plenty of games with letters, words and later, expressions during our daily mundane activities such as getting dressed or helping her with cooking and other domestic tasks. We had to look for synonyms, antonyms, guess a word, etc. We learned new words, increased our vocabulary, and in the end performed the same kind of language skills exercises that one finds in the GRE test for verbal competency. This was a fun and natural process, which is why I would recommend engaging in this type of activity with young children both at home and in more formal learning settings such as school or whatever shape the learning environment of the future will take, and involving all adults in the process.
It goes without saying that reading to children is also essential, and my mother used to read to us bedtime stories. Here too, this activity could be made more flexible, perhaps with children reading to each other, or telling in class about what their parents read to them and vice versa.
This may all sound too simple, but I would indeed simply advocate a more integrated, seamless teaching approach that involves all people and all places in the process, and last but not least, which seeks to add the use of Web services and technological devices in the process, so that everyone is on the same page, parents [or a child’s primary care provider] included.
Question 2: Criticisms
I and my friends have studied in the traditional system, so here are just a few criticisms of the progressive system, at the top of my head:
- The progressive system and its learning activities seem to instill a belief that everything in life is ‘fun’, while clearly it isn’t. Also, it doesn’t really teach how to deal with difficult, unpleasant leaning situations or negative elements that may come in the way, preferring to focus on the pleasant and positive moments. Thus, John Dewey’s idea of focusing on pleasant experiences is sure to yield great results in children’s and adults’ learning of new skills, but is not very reflective or real life. Learning in a “humane, democratic” cocoon, as Dewey calls for, is not going to prepare children to navigate the real world, which can be harsh and autocratic. But I do not argue that Dewey’s model is what we should strive for.
Also, embedding the ‘real life’ experience at the core of the pedagogy, rather than the theory of the traditional system, fails to take into account that not every experience is a good one. People may have a difficult family/personal/professional background and would rather forget the bad moments. If one has such bad ‘real life’ experiences, it will not be productive to use the learner’s personal experiences in the learning activity.
- By extension, basing the study of a skill, subject or whole filed on one real-life experience or concrete case study only may be reductionist, as the learning will apply only to this situation and the learner may not know how to apply his new skill to other areas.
- It presumes that there will always be a nearby, accessible community of co-learners, or people to fall back on for support, feedback and positive energy or simply interested in the learning experience and its result - while again, this is not always the case in real life. People may find themselves having to learn something new alone for all sorts of reasons. They must be able to do so, and without the support and feedback from others. In real life, these are not a given.
- Dewey argues that certain tasks taught in the traditional systems are so out of touch with reality and such complex concepts that they are ‘beyond children’s capacities’ for learning them. I do not agree with this: nothing is beyond children, they are in essence sponges and readily absorb any kind of knowledge or practices offered to them. An extreme negative example if how children in some developing nations are being taught how to kill [as when involved in wars], or are indoctrinated with a certain sets of beliefs as in some Islamic societies. It’s really up to us what we teach them. But it’s my belief that taught at the appropriate level for their age, nothing is ‘beyond’ or too difficult for them.
- Dewey argues that traditional education rigidly relies on organized systems and institutionalized habits, but the new communities of learners who advocate a reformed system of learning have also developed their own sets of rules and practices and codes of behavior and do’s and don’ts. They are different, for sure, but they do exist.
- Dewey argues against the focused study of fixed knowledge, especially of past, existing body of works by established, classic authors in any field. But how can you innovate in a given area if you don’t know what came before, if you are not aware of the advances that were made in your field? If we are going to engage in new, concrete real life experiences, shouldn’t we know about the experiences of those who came before us? In fact, these concrete real life experiences of the past soon become ‘fixed knowledge’ themselves!
- Traditional education is the great equalizer: no matter how bad/unpleasant/unproductive your personal/academic/professional/real life experiences may be, in the traditional school environment, everyone start from scratch, on the same footing - since those experiences do not come into play. They are disconnected from the material taught and everyone is being given ’new’, disconnected material that stands on its own by being detached from each learner’s personal experiences. In that sense, the traditional system seems as if it treats everyone more equally.
Of course this might be in appearance only, and it may not necessarily be a good thing. In any case, it does not seem to exclude those with negative experiences or poor background, as Dewey suggest should be done on pages 56-57. There, he suggests that one doesn’t spend too much time on children with difficult backgrounds or social delays and learning difficulties, as these represent exceptions, he writes. Perhaps this was the case in his time, but I don’t think it is still true today.
Thus, the traditional system teaches skills and subjects to everyone equally, regardless of past experiences (their quality, quantity, etc.), it gives a chance to everyone and does not depend on real life experiences or anything else. It functions by itself. Again, the merits of this are highly debatable.
- Finally, the argument for a new participatory and reformed system as our authors support are based on a whole set of broad assumptions, such as that participants will automatically enjoy the group-based activities, the sharing, constant communicating, etc. It fails to take into account various individual traits, personalities and learning styles and preferences, such as being introvert, an autodidact, a self-starter, etc.
Posted by DL
Science and Technology/Engineering Framework
Bigger projects such as a unit or semester final project tend to give teachers more flexibility to apply concepts of differentiating instruction in an mixed-ability classroom. It is also easier given that teachers have already covered many basic concepts and tools, and it is just a matter of having students apply those skills in their projects. with this example, one can easily imagine a teacher creating a list of maybe 4-6 different options for a final project that draws upon different student personal interests and experiences, but are able to assess their learning equally (the last option being that they may design a final project that is completely original or a combination of the other options-but must have approval of the teacher). What is most important is to present students with a clear grading rubric before they even start on the project so that a fair assessment can be made.
However, I think it’s much harder to be thinking of ways to design activities when students are just learning the basic concepts of science. I imagine that there will be more (time and budget) constraints placed on the teacher as to how “far-out” these small daily activities can be. I guess, if I was being really practical, I would just take an activity that public high schools usually have and budget for, and just add one extra dimension to it to make it more “progressive”/differentiated.
Let’s take the forensics (DNA fingerprinting/electrophoresis) lab, where students usually learn how to make gels, run DNA samples, and analyze the gels to solve a crime. Rather than just having all the students do the same thing and have them solve a crime, I would give students the option of either solving the crime or creating the crime. For students who want to “create the crime” they will have to come up with the story first, then translate that into a digest pattern that works with their story, and then mix the DNA/enzyme samples so that it works.
I guess what I’m saying is that, given all the things we ask public teachers to do, I don’t think the onus should be completely on the teacher to come up with ways to make learning progressive while structured. I think the difficulty is that teachers simply don’t have the time (they are pulled in too many directions doing things that they don’t need to be doing) to apply their creativity, especially when schools are practically telling them to just teach to the test. Given this situation, the best you can ask for are teachers that try to adapt activities that they already have and have budgeted for. Change really needs to come from the top. Instead of directing our activities at teachers and scratching our heads at why we have made so little progessive, these activities may be better directed at policy makers and universities (teacher education programs) to illustrate how change can be made.
Posted by SK
I have so much more appreciation and sympathy for K-12 teachers after browsing through these “learning frameworks.” Not because the standards are particularly onerous or restrictive, but because they are written in such dry, matter-of-fact language that brings to mind Dewey’s comments about “traditional education” experiences leading students to associate learning with boredom. If we’re expecting teachers to inspire and motivate students, these documents are rather demoralizing and work directly against that goal.
Here is a “learning scenario” from the Arts framework about “playing in ensembles”:
“Members of a high school band develop a repertoire of classical, jazz, popular, folk, and contemporary works. Under the direction of their teacher/conductor and advanced musicians, players practice individually and in small instrumental groups, and rehearse in a large group. In rehearsals, the conductor elicits individual and group feedback about how to improve the level of accuracy and the quality of expression.
Student instrumental players are assessed according to their individual ability to read and play music accurately and expressively, their ability to improve their playing through rehearsal and reflection, and their ability to play as a member of an ensemble.”
Being in a band was perhaps the coolest thing I could think of doing when I was a teenager. This scenario makes being in a band sound like a formulaic activity centered around an authoritative conductor who is present primarily for the purpose of constantly assessing you.
The funny thing is, I thought that the premise of the arts frameworks was actually quite good:
“In dance, music, theatre, and the visual arts, people express ideas and emotions that they cannot express in language alone. In order to understand the range and depth of the human imagination, one must have knowledge of the arts.”
From this perspective, I would ask my students to re-express these expressed-in-boring-language standards using the arts. Of course, we wouldn’t start out by reading these documents - we would begin by brainstorming ideas about why we feel the arts are important, what function they play in our society, and what techniques are required to make art. We would discuss examples relevant to the students lives which I would expect to be primarily contemporary pop culture works. From these examples and with the guidance of the teacher, I think a class would come up with nearly all the concepts listed in this document. From there, I would ask students to choose a topic and create work about it, either by themselves or in groups. The role of the teacher would be to provide historical context (as Dewey emphasizes is important for even progressive education), provide technical instruction when needed, suggest works by practicing artists to study, and facilitate collaboration between groups as much as possible. The students projects could span the entire length of the course (and hopefully longer!) with interim and final performances. Evaluation and assessment would be done primarily amongst peers which I believe is a far more authentic experience in the arts. I would then document the students’ work, categorize loosely according to the state framework, and republish it so that no art teacher would ever have to navigate the sections and subsections of Massachusetts Arts Curriculum Framework again. Instead, they would get to watch videos of student music ensembles rocking out with alternatively monophonic and polyphonic texture.
One of the big concerns I have with Dewey’s formulation of “progressive education” is that he makes it seem necessary for all teachers to be constantly mindful of the progressive philosophy he attempts to outline in this long text. He glibly states “I think that only slight acquaintance with the history of education is needed to prove that educational reformers and innovators alone have felt the need for a philosophy of education” (29). All others, he argues, continue to provide the same old experiences as before. His solution seems to be that all teachers should be far more intentional with their methods to provide the “correct” experiences. This would be nice, but unfortunately I don’t believe the nature of those who enter the teaching profession is going to change overnight. Instead of merely defining what a progressive education looks like or even providing examples of how to implement it, I would prefer to see suggestions for embedding these ideals within the school system such that even teachers blindly following precedent wind up providing good experiences. He says that “A philosophy of education, like any theory, has to be stated in words” (28) and I thoroughly disagree - I believe interactive artifacts like the Scratch programming environment embed philosophies of education within their structure by design. The danger I see in Dewey’s method is that it might create only small, local impacts. Leading students to experiences within a classroom is one thing, but designing a system to encourage those experiences is potentially more powerful.
Posted by JC
SK, I enjoyed reading your discussion about the approach to arts/music. I like how you incorporating students owning the direction of the course and being responsible for the evaluations. The teacher definitely becomes more of a project leader, as Dewey recommended, rather than a dictator.
Posted by SL
SK, I had the same reaction when the frameworks page loaded in my browser. “Ugh! This is a miserable document!” I love your idea of taking progressive steps in the classroom and then having student-created content feed back to the upper level, strategic frameworks. This is the kind of feedback and reflection that should be a part of the educational process. Dewey didn’t exactly deal with this in the reading, but this kind of reflection and re-framing is critical to the continued growth and relevance of curricula in general.
I also support your approach to assessment, encouraging students to participate in the evaluation of performances of understanding. These performances, based on authentic, personally-motivated activities are far more meaningful assessment methods than standardized testing as they truly demonstrate proficiency, understanding, and include peer review and reflection- all relevant to professional communities in general.
Posted by JP
SK, I have also the same opinion. I heard that teachers in public schools generally had additional works other than simply teaching. To be promoted in current school system, teachers need to work for tremendous school managements, educational material, professional qualifications and finally the frame work material like teaching tutorials. I guess that it is critical to provide a teaching environment where teachers can focus only in teaching.
[Posting about homeschooling and arts curricula removed due to copyright and privacy restrictions]
Posted by SL
It seems that homeschooling in many ways is a terrific instantiation of progressive education. There is so much care and attention paid to the personalization of your children’s education. This is the kind of guidance that Dewey pointed to in his description of the teacher’s role in progressive environments. But this must take an enormous amount of time and energy on your part, and you only have two children to educate. What happens when we extend the same personalization approach to a classroom of 10, 20, 30 students? I think it isn’t a reasonable, scalable approach. So does this mean that progressive schooling for public schools isn’t possible? If traditional schooling is a failure and progressive schooling isn’t scalable, we are presented with a rather discouraging prospect for education if you look at it from a black & white perspective. A hybrid approach, combing elements of both progressive and traditional methods, as promoted by several others in this week’s blog may be the only reasonable way to improve education.
The assessment issue you raise in homeschooling is a very good one. There is an excellent educational program called the International Baccalaureate, which might serve as partial model for assessment in a progressive environment. The program uses a combination of:
- paper-based tests (limited multiple choice tests) that map to international standards and test understanding and applicability
- externally assessed essays on the Theory of Knowledge, extended essays and world literature assignments
- teacher assessments related to a student’s “oral work in languages, fieldwork in geography, laboratory work in the sciences, investigations in mathematics, and artistic performances.”
See their Diploma Programme assessment methods page.
The combination of external and internal examiners, combined with oral, written, and practice-based assessment is a rigorous and strong approach worthy of consideration in progressive learning environments.
Posted by DL
I don’t know much about the details of what goes into homeschooling, besides the basic concept, but I have always been drawn to the idea; it seems like a great step towards progressive learning. However, I’ve always wondered about the inconsistent outcomes with homeschooling across different people/families; am I correct to assume that the quality of homeschooling is solely based on how “capable” (however you want to define it) the parent is? How is this issue resolved in the home-school community? Or is it even a problem?
Posted by DG
I’ve seen home schooling work well and not so well. One of my best friends growing up was home schooled.
I think the outcome of all education is heavily parent dependent. In the case of home schooling, of course, it is even more so since the student has less access to outside instructors.
I think the most disastrously successful version of home schooling would be John Stuart Mill.
Posted by ZH
From the Arts Curriculum Framework:
“Arts Curriculum Framework: Visual Arts Grade 12
1.9 Demonstrate the ability to create 2D and 3D works that show knowledge of unique characteristics of particular media, materials, and tools
1.10 Use electronic technology for reference and for creating original work
1.11 Explore a single subject through a series of works, varying the medium or technique
2.10 For shape, form, and pattern, use and be able to identify an expanding and increasingly sophisticated array of shapes and forms, such as organic, geometric, positive and negative, or varieties of symmetry. Create complex patterns, for example, reversed shapes and tesselation
2.11 For space and composition, create unified 2D and 3D compositions that demonstrate an understanding of balance, repetition, rhythm, scale, proportion, unity, harmony, and emphasis. Create 2D compositions that give the illusion of 3D space and volume”
The activity what I will set is that I will ask student to go to the park to sketch some plants first. Based on these 2d drawings, they will simply them, remain the key character. From those simplified organic shape, students will divide into groups to use different materials to build it. I think ideal materials could be folding paper, clay, foam and all kinds of things. Once they have their unit models, the big challenge for them is how they will aggregate them considering the space order. I think this activity will last for half semester.
Actually each step requires different skills and ability to finish it, for example, collaboration in a team, sharing, observation, analysis, experimenting and so on. Actually this process is also used in professional design area: designers always need to have inspiration from the nature and then get the elite part of it (authentic knowledge).
I think the problem of the progressive learning is that, it still very hard to develop knowledge systematically. Dewey mentioned the continuity of the experience, but I still think it is extremely hard to structure our knowledge systematically. It is true that we will learn something easily through activities. However, the problem is that what we learned is also limited to the activity itself. Furthermore, it is hard for people to imagine a big map of the entire problem.
in addition, since the activity experience people will gain is highly based on their previous experience. So it is hard to design a perfect activity to an entire class and the requirement for the teacher as a leader of the activity is too high.
In my experience, before studying architecture design at MIT, I had an extremely traditional education. Here, the design studio is the core class for architecture curriculum. It requires you tons of time to develop your own project. In terms of the design ability, I learn most from it. However, since it is highly self developed, although the professor will criticize your work very often, what I learned is somehow up to what kind of things i decide to design. For example, last semester, some students decide to use computation scripting to generate the form, thus what they learn more is about scripting skills. But actually last project is about designing a library. From their computation view, they lose a lot of chances to learn more about the other important issues, for example, how to introduce the day light into the library.
Posted by JP
I picked a Foreign Languages subject yet I looked the material in a way that I could teach programming language in the perspective of a foreign language teaching. I found this core concept in the Massachusetts Foreign Languages Curriculum Framework and liked it so much.
“Language learning is never just about words. Language is the medium in which human beings think and by which they express what they have thought. The study of language - any language - is therefore the study of everything that pertains to human nature, as humans understand it.”
I slightly manipulated in this way:
“(Programming) Language is never just about syntax. (Programming) Language is the medium in which computers behave and by which they can communicate with human beings. The study of (Programming) language - any language - is therefore the study of everything that pertains to computation nature, as computers understand it.”
One main goal is developing a way to teach programming concept without computer. In one hand, there are many schools to provide computer equipped class rooms, on the other hand, most of common programming concepts, such as variables, conditions, loops and recursive, can be taught without computers and may be effective without computers. I imagine a computational drawing class in which students read short codes and draw repetitive patterns described in that codes. In that class, students write some short codes with which they stack wood blocks following the codes they made or other children made. This method may match with the during state 1 in which students “use selected words, phrases, and expressions with no major repeated patterns of error.”
The Foreign Language Frameworks cover classical languages, heritage languages, modern languages, target language and target culture. I loved the idea of differentiating foreign languages and using them in teaching appropriately. I would use the same concept in teaching programming languages. I may start with introduction of Assembly and C. I switched to C++ and Java. I do not really intend to teach those languages, rather introduce them in form of comparative studies.
I guessed that I had a similar one after I graduated from college, yet I don’t have any experience with the progressive education during my childhood. I discussed an issue whether children were self-disciplined or self-motivated learner or not during the last week’s class. I always wanted to see children as self-oriented beings. However I had the opposite experience. When I was in elementary school, I had a nature to say “No” to every single thing my parents said without any thinking. I remembered that my parents had a tough time to teach me swimming, playing tennis and piano. They never allowed for me to stop learning for several years and finally let me finish when I entered a middle school. Quite long time later, I became enjoyed swimming and playing tennis, but I never became fluent at playing piano.
After grown up, I regretted that I did not learn play piano hard. It became so difficult to make time to learn piano and my learning speed was not as fast as when I learned in early age. It was long time later that I knew that learning piano could become a strong foundation in music and could accelerate learning other instruments.
As an educator, I wished to see children as self-directed beings. However as a father in the near future, I will see my children who are not capable of doing by themselves and will force them to learn something until they prove themselves as self-motivated, self-controlled beings.
[Posting on the elementary school framework for History and Social Science removed due to copyright and privacy restrictions.]
Posted by JC
I like your approach to the history and social science areas. I was not a fan of those classes as a child do to the mundane fact memorization; and I won’t list what I’ve forgotten. Honestly, moving out to the Boston area has spurred my interest in American History because I’m now living around it. I wish there was a way to have gotten engaged in history as a child.
I hadn’t thought of the relocation issue when discussing progressive learning. Current education standards theoretically allow schools to be interoperable. This would have to be considered during evolving progressive education settings. I can’t think of any way to address this at the moment.
Posted by SK
I think that history is perhaps one of the fields where “experience” is most underrepresented in schools. The nature of the subject is the stories of peoples’ experiences from the past, yet the emphasis is somehow on “knowing” what happened. Where you might be able to “know” a topic in math and experience simply helps make this knowledge more relevant, the nature of history seems to be more one of understanding. Understanding only comes from experience.
I think the activities you’ve proposed would give students experiences that put them along the road to better understanding the meaning of the Oregon Trail, not just “what happened.” That’s the way I wish I had learned history!
To add to your list of activities, I remember the first time I rode my bike from Boston to Concord. Somewhere along the way is a historical marker at the spot Paul Revere was thought to be captured. Traveling the distance of this historic ride suddenly put it in so much more perspective and captured my interest unlike reading any book on the topic could.
Posted by VC
In 3rd grade, we did a similar activity to your Oregon Trail game, except we were pretending to colonize the US. I don’t exactly remember how the game worked, but there was a gridded map of the 13 colonies on the bulletin board and somehow we had to figure out how to populate the colonies. There was some sort of mechanism to simulate different events-things like natural disasters or bountiful harvests. I’m not exactly sure what specific knowledge I gained from these activities, but I do remember getting really excited every day for the activity. I think games and simulations are a great way to get kids invested in the narrative (and really, what is history but a narrative anyway?)
I think the relocation question is a good one. When I was doing work in Providence, relocation was a huge problem we had to deal with. I can’t find the graph that illustrates this, but basically, only a disastrously low number of students stayed in the same school system for all years of K-12 schooling, and there was this constant moving in and moving out. Apparently this changeover is a real, consistent problem in low-income urban communities and the experts attribute it to job instability (and how it affects the ability to pay rent, etc). How can you ensure that students can get any sort of education in schools if they’re always behind in some way?
Posted by JP
SK, I have also the same opinion. I heard that teachers in public schools generally had additional works other than simply teaching. To be promoted in current school system, teachers need to work for tremendous school managements, educational material, professional qualifications and finally the frame work material like teaching tutorials. I guess that it is critical to provide a teaching environment where teachers can focus only in teaching.
Posted by MN
Subject: Math/ Number Sense and Operations Strand
Grade level: 3rd grade
Concept: Locate on the number line and compare fractions (between 0 and 1 with denominators 2, 3, or 4, e.g., 2?3).
Activity: Divide the class in teams of six. Provide each team with large single sheet of paper that will be laid on the floor. One person is the captain who is in charge of folding the paper in two or three, according to the instructor, at each round. The goal of the remaining five will be stand on the paper and make sure that no one falls out as the paper gets folded each round and the area for them to step on shrinks. The last surviving team win.
Analysis: Now, the team will take the folded paper and mark the folded lines with colored pencils. How many times did the paper get folded? Taking the horizontal side, how much has each folding resulted in the length to shrink? Learn 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, etc. through analyzing the fold.
Connection to reading: This is, in a way, an example of progressive education in that the students learn through experiential group collaboration, the game brings intrinsic motivation of the students, and the teacher becomes a “leader” who exerts “social control” instead of taking up the traditional role as a “boss” or an authentic figure.
I think I experienced, as most of us probably have, some mixture of both traditional and progressive education. I agree with the importance and effectiveness of the experiential learning as Dewey suggests- although it is impossible to build a successful curriculum entirely based on the empirical and experimental philosophy, I do think that much of the condense theorical teaching should incorporate more intuitive and experiential excercises. Nonetheless, as we discussed in the class last week, it very often depends on the brilliance of the teacher. Some have the ability to bring the driest concepts into life without avoiding the authoritarian status and wasting time coming up with activities whose effectiveness is difficult to grasp.
Posted by KA
I designed an activity for English Language for the 3rd Grade students. Please assume that this activity is for your native language. For example, if it is in MA it is for English class, but if you are a student in Japan you are supposed to do this activity in Japanese.
Activity title: “Discovery Journal”
By writing “Discovery Journal”, students will discover that the daily-world where he/she lives is full of wonders, and will discover themselves as well!
What? Write short journals everyday about what you discovered. Students choose what they want to write and tell readers. It would help students to recognize what are their intrinsic motivations. (E.g., Flowers were bloomed in your yard, a dead butterfly on the way to school, mixing color of red and blue makes color of purple, the balance of water in a glass was reduced 1 inch within 3days, why is the sky white today, not blue? etc.)
How? Their own blog, or hand writing then scanning to upload to free Web site such as Google sites. (Transferable knowledge to others, and also him/herself in the future)
When? Ideally everyday to at least 3 times per week. Continuous writing experience gives students awaking about how they write differently compare to the first day. Self-awaking could be one of the best confidence and motivation for students.
Who involved? Teacher, parents or classmates give 1 line comment on each journal in order to motivate students’ continuous writing. With getting comments, students can learn how readers see his/her perception.
My “progressive education” experience was KUMON.
“The heart of the Kumon learning system is a curriculum of more than twenty clearly defined skill levels and hundreds of short assignments spanning material from preschool all the way up to college. With each assignment, your child advances in small, manageable increments.”
KUMON helped me to learn Math & Reading at my own pace. I started KUMON when I was 5 years old from the very beginning like drawing lines, writing numbers correctly. When I became 4th grade at school, at KUMON I almost finished 9th grade Math and Reading. KUMON was not rough studying time for me. I just enjoyed learning new things at my own pace, with someone’s recognitions at my progress such as from my parents and the teacher at KUMON.
It worked very well for me. Only thing I, as a 4th grade student, had to take care of was that I needed to pretend not knowing advanced knowledge in front of teachers at school. I already noticed that most of them doesn’t like that students show advanced knowledge BEFORE they teach students. I think it is somehow more obvious in Japan. I guess it is because of teachers’ pride.
Posted by JL
I also did KUMON (or should I say my parents forced me to go), but I did not have such a positive experience. I took KUMON for math, and I disliked all the worksheet that were involved. Yeah there were only 5 problems per page but the worksheets came in a bundle! It was like a booklet of problems. I did not enjoy doing them, but I have to admit that it was the reason why I excelled in math. | <urn:uuid:f2610953-69af-4ba8-afcd-80e727c88e8e> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/mas-714j-technologies-for-creative-learning-fall-2009/pages/readings/supporting_communitie/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224653071.58/warc/CC-MAIN-20230606182640-20230606212640-00500.warc.gz | en | 0.966711 | 15,494 | 3.125 | 3 |
Coaching in a business environment is a training method in which a more experienced or skilled individual provides an employee with advice and guidance intended to help develop the individual’s skills, performance and career. Coaching is distinguished from similar HR competencies of mentoring and counseling (as a step in a progressive discipline system). Coaching may be one of the means used for management development, but it is broader in application than just management training.
Coaching is a highly individualized process that depends on both the nature of the client and the coach’s knowledge, skills and abilities. However, coaches have several recognized techniques and tools to draw on in almost any coaching situation.
As organizations have come to recognize the many purposes and benefits of coaching, the field has grown dramatically, and some organizations actively work to create a culture of coaching. A coaching culture within an organization includes more than formal coaching; it is a culture in which coaching behaviors are used as a means of communicating, managing and influencing others. It is also an environment that values learning and the development of employees. See Putting Humanity into HR Compliance: Creating a Coaching Culture—Doing vs. Understanding.
Coaching should be approached like any other strategic goal. Successful execution requires commitment from the organization and the person being coached, a plan to obtain results, qualified coaches and a follow-up evaluation. Today, it is possible to obtain training and certification in the coaching field. As a career path, coaching usually involves independent consulting, although some large organizations employ coaches on their regular staff.
The hallmarks of coaching are that it is personalized and customized and that it is usually done one-on-one and over a period of time, and with a specific business objective in mind. Coaching is similar to, but distinct from, mentoring. The latter is a career development method whereby less experienced employees are matched with more experienced colleagues for guidance either through formal or informal programs. Coaching is frequently used to assist individuals as they prepare for or move into new assignments, improve work habits, adapt to a changing environment or overcome specific obstacles. See Coaching in the Workplace: It’s Different from Traditional Managing.
As used in this article, coaching is not counseling as a step or technique in a progressive discipline system, nor is coaching teaching or instruction; it is a process of guiding the person being coached from one level of competency to another.
Fundamentally, coaching is a business relationship between the organization, the coach and the person being coached, and it involves a tailored approach to fit the client. Depending on the position of the person being coached and the purpose of the coaching, different approaches are called for.
Coaching is a commonly used method of employee development that has generated positive business outcomes. A strong coaching culture has been linked to better talent and business outcomes, according to a 2019 survey from the International Coach Federation (ICF) and the Human Capital Institute (HCI).1
According to the ICF/HCI survey, respondents with a strong coaching culture reported higher outcomes in the areas such as:
- Customer satisfaction.
- Regulatory compliance.
- Talent attraction.
- Shareholder value.
- Labor productivity.
- Large-scale strategic change.
- New product/service development and delivery.
However, coaching is not for everyone. Some individuals are not open to feedback, and some are unwilling to change. This is a problem with the person being coached, not a deficiency in the tool of coaching. Even a stellar employee can benefit from having a personal coach help him or her solve problems and excel even more. For those who make a commitment, coaching can open a whole new world in terms of greater candor, more respect from staff at all levels, professional alliances and relationships, and better skills to achieve strategic goals.
Techniques and Tools
At its best, coaching is about partnering rather than about one person being “the expert” and lecturing the other. The client is the expert in the organization; the coach helps the client develop a higher level of expertise. The coach can use a variety of methods to facilitate the coaching process:
- Using data from anonymous 360-degree surveys or climate analysis surveys to identify objective behaviors that can be linked with business outcomes. CEOs are very often shocked at the disparity in their rating and their subordinates’ ratings of them. This might be the first awareness that they are out of touch.
- Using personality and behavioral assessments to diagnose which traits and behaviors are dominant or lacking, and which might be easy or difficult to change.
- Listening actively; the coach does not solve the client’s problems—the client solves his or her own problems.
- Helping clients distinguish what is important from what is not.
- Leading clients outside of their comfort zone.
- Acknowledging the client’s accomplishments and empathizing (not sympathizing) when the client is down.
- Providing perspective based on the coach’s own experiences.
- Helping the client set goals, develop an action plan for moving ahead, and anticipate and overcome potential obstacles.
- Recommending specific books or other sources of learning.
- Encouraging journaling to gain awareness of emotions and behaviors and to track progress toward goals.
- Participating in role-playing and simulations to promote skill practice.
- Meeting on a regular basis, with on-the-job “homework” assignments between meetings.
- Managing the confidentiality of the coaching partnership. In most cases, the official client is the organization paying the coaching invoice, yet the true client is the individual being coached.
- Designing systems to track the return on investment of coaching.
The GROW model was popularized in the coaching industry by Sir John Whitmore in his 1992 book Coaching for Performance: GROWing Human Potential and Purpose. Whitmore’s acronym stands for:
Reality, or current reality.
Way forward, or what you will do.
The growth of the corporate coaching industry has been rapid. Similar to personal training in the private realm, coaching in the business environment is quickly becoming mainstream and branching out to all areas of organizational management. Coaching can be an effective tool in meeting numerous organizational needs. See Do You Want a Coach or a Mentor or Both?
Executive coaching, sometimes introduced to address senior leadership’s disruptive or ineffective behavior, can also help a capable executive perform at an even higher level. It is also useful for developing high-potential prospects for purposes of succession planning. Many organizations are looking toward the future and considering global expansion, which has brought into focus the need for new global leadership skills and more deliberate and structured pipelines of future leaders. See How to Maximize Your Executive Coaching ROI.
Current executives. As coaching clients, CEOs, in particular, may be unaware that the competencies that have gotten them to the top may not be the ones that will ensure their continued success. Moreover, CEOs tend to be very dynamic people who are not always receptive to unsolicited feedback. Staff members may avoid saying what needs to be said, fearing a “kill the messenger” response, reprisal or exclusion from the inner circle. If C-suite occupants perceive coaching as a practice that comes with the territory, they may be more likely to be receptive to it, making it an effective tool in addressing their development.
Executive coaching is a practical, goal-focused form of one-on-one development. C-suite coaching clients are typically looking for a thinking partner with whom to discuss decision options, expand perspectives, balance work and home activities, and strategize through difficult or unusual circumstances. Strategic coaching should integrate organizational and personal needs. Each engagement should be custom-designed, focusing on a leader’s particular development goals. The CEO typically needs six to eight months of one-on-one coaching to ingrain new behaviors. Practice, observation and feedback are key to changed behaviors.
Potential executives. Many individuals who currently hold executive-level positions are nearing retirement. Organizations want changes in leadership to occur with as little disruption as possible. To increase the chances of a smooth transition, companies are using coaching as a means of developing the next generation of leaders. Factors such as an individual’s outstanding achievement of development objectives, positive assessment from the coach, and the coached individual’s ability to take on new tasks are also recognized benefits of executive coaching. In light of this looming change in executive-level positions, the funding traditionally directed toward senior leaders has begun to shift to first- and mid-level management. See Developing Organizational Leaders.
Supervisors and managers are on the front lines of organizational performance and need to develop skills to motivate collective effort. Sometimes, supervisors and managers lack necessary people skills, such as skills in setting goals, delegating, providing accountability, delivering effective performance reviews and even coaching itself. Coaching can help them develop such skills. See Virtual Coaches Give Managers Leadership Advice at Scale.
A manager probably has succeeded at a supervisory level and been promoted or hired into a higher level. Accordingly, the manager may benefit from coaching on big-picture issues or may need polishing in a particular area such as delegating work, time management, team-building, performance management, hiring, or communication or negotiation skills. Similarly, a supervisor is often a person promoted from the rank-and-file and, as such, may benefit from coaching on how to effectively transition to the new role of being a boss. See What tips can we offer for new managers who were formerly peers?
DEVELOPMENT FOR HR PROFESSIONALS
Coaching can be an important developmental approach for HR professionals. Perhaps the most pressing reasons HR professionals seek coaching are to help them become more effective in:
- Demonstrating their value to the organization’s bottom line.
- Making the case for the importance of HR programs.
- Strategic planning.
- Showing return on investment.
- Institutionalizing HR initiatives.
- Corporate communications.
- HR can Learn from Executive Coaching
DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION COACHING
Coaching can also be an effective tool to support an organization’s diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, although organizations must take care that such efforts do not amount to unlawful discrimination. Diversity-based coaching activities might focus on:
Awareness and inclusion. Coaching can be used to sensitize individual employees who may have exhibited or been accused of inappropriate, discriminatory or harassing behaviors. The objective would be to help them see things through the eyes of persons who are different from them in terms of gender, race, religion or other characteristics and to respond effectively in a business environment. (This is distinct from any disciplinary remedy that may be called for.)
Generational differences. Coaching can assist older and younger workers in understanding the differing world views and skills of the various generations, learning how their different experiences affect the way they view the workplace and discovering how they can most effectively work together to achieve organizational goals. Coaching can also help identify and eliminate generational stereotypes.
Behavioral and personal styles. Coaching can help individuals better understand how their business counterparts are similar and different from them and how to interact effectively with individuals with different styles.
As the business world continues to evolve in a global marketplace, executive coaching takes on a new dimension: cross-cultural perspectives. Whether company leaders are dealing with cultural changes through mergers or acquisitions or working with a workforce of different ethnic and national viewpoints, values and expectations, coaches can be effective in helping executives navigate cross-cultural environments.
In this age of consumer-directed health care, health coaching is taking on a more prominent role in educating and empowering employees to make smart health care purchasing decisions—and smarter decisions about their own health. Studies show that individuals who participate in health coaching are better able to navigate health care services and ultimately reduce health care spending.2 See Crafting Wellness Efforts for Those Most in Need of Them.
Coaching can also be applied to a variety of other situations, including internal transitions such as:
- An employee’s first international assignment.
- An expat repatriation.
- After an employee’s promotion.
- Following a merger or acquisition.
- After an employee’s role has changed significantly in scope or scale.
- After an employee is assigned to a task force or key initiative.
- Accelerating a high-potential employee’s development.
- Part of succession development and/or development of the organization’s leadership pipeline.
Training and Certification
A successful coaching career requires a combination of skills, credentials, experience and business acumen. To qualify for a regular position as an executive coach, a person might well need to have a graduate degree in organizational development or leadership development.
Numerous organizations provide certification in the coaching competency:
For HR professionals with the right background and credentials, coaching can present significant opportunities. Coaching careers usually involve external consulting. Getting one’s foot in the door for independent consultants is an exercise in self-marketing, networking, website establishment, credibility establishment with the corporate community and an ever-expanding list of coaching success stories that one can write about and share with prospective clients.
Virtually all coaches offer additional services such as consulting and training. While the profession continues to grow, it has currently outpaced its research base demonstrating the return on investment (ROI) and return on expectation (ROE) delivered from professional coaching services. The development of consistent metrics that clearly communicate the value of the services is currently one of the challenges to the growth potential for the profession.
While most coaches are external contractors, internal coaches are becoming more common, especially for mid-level employees. Some large organizations employ coaches on their regular staff.
Book: A Manager’s Guide to Coaching
Book: The Coaching Companion: Get the Most from Your Coaching Experience
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