sidney that had never before been edited. with such texts to work with, albert feuillerat was able to produce the first nearly complete edition of sidney ' s works, which appeared between 1912 and 1926. in the same period, malcolm w. wallace published his life of sir philip sidney, which long remained the standard biography. despite advances in biographical and textual scholarship, however, works such as arcadia and the sonnets were not much better understood in 1926 than they had been a hundred years earlier. until the middle of the twentieth century, commentators tended to focus on matters external to the works themselves : sources and influences, sidney ' s life and elizabeth ' s court, renaissance fashions in prose - style and metrics. with a few notable exceptions, such as r. w. zandvoort ' s comparison of the two versions of arcadia, even the finest studies of the romance tended to isolate one of its elements or to study the whole only in relation to larger historical developments. edwin greenlaw, for example, aroused a good deal of interest in sidney ' s use of epicurean philosophy during pamela ' s debate with cecropia in the captivity episode. kaspar brunhuber and herbert wynford hill began systematic examinations of sidney ' s influence on renaissance drama, which have since been greatly extended by m. c. andrews and others. william dinsmore briggs sparked interest in sidney ' s political philosophy, which subsequently developed into a major topic of scholarly investigation that has been carried on more recently by martin bergbusch, roger howell, and martin raitiere. kenneth o. myrick and e. m. w. tillyard made important contributions by recovering renaissance theories of genre and exploring sidney ' s grounding in literary criticism, particularly that of the italian neo - classical movement. not until the advent of new criticism, however, did substantial numbers of scholars begin systematic internal analysis of arcadia. until 1965, the rich inner patterns of sidney ' s poetry likewise remained largely unexplored, though an influential section in hallet smith ' s 1952 book elizabethan poetry made important strides in that direction. smith treated astrophil and stella as a carefully articulated sequence, in which astrophil is a deliberate persona and the structure of the whole is essentially dramatic. most scholarship of the period, however, was concerned with individual poems or with external matters such as sidney ' s influence on later poets, his experiments with classical prosody and continental verse forms, or his adaptation of the conventions of earlier sonneteers.


scholarship of the period, however, was concerned with individual poems or with external matters such as sidney ' s influence on later poets, his experiments with classical prosody and continental verse forms, or his adaptation of the conventions of earlier sonneteers. the most important debate of the period had to do with the relation of the sonnets to sidney ' s own life. the controversy had its origins in the nineteenth - century, when commentators such as edward arber and j. a. symonds read the sequence as a more or less straightforward revelation of sidney ' s unrequited love for lady penelope rich. around the turn of the century, however, sidney lee and others began to dismiss such heavily autobiographical interpretations as romantic excesses. in the 1930s, kenneth myrick contributed to this change in approach by concentrating on sidney ' s self - conscious role as a courtier - poet, and in the 1950s, j. w. lever further undermined the biographical approach by revealing the many ways in which apparently spontaneous and " sincere " sonnets are actually transformations of conventions established by earlier poets on the continent. in the 1960s, john buxton took the last step in this process of dismantling the romantic conception of astrophil by arguing that sidney did not write about lady rich because he loved her but because, like a painter, he needed a model. nonetheless, the autobiographical theory never entirely lost its appeal. it continued to appear in the work of scholars such as mona wilson and patrick cruttwell. in the same period, the defence enjoyed attention of a more systematic sort than either arcadia or the poetry. of particular importance were studies of its historical background. kenneth myrick, for example, proposed a widely influential analysis of its structure based on the outline of a classical oration, and he and others, such as marvin t. herrick, traced its philosophical roots to the literary criticism of aristotle and the neo - aristotelian critics of renaissance italy. in 1940, however, this latter view was challenged by irene samuel, who argued that the primary influence in sidney ' s critical thinking was plato. during the next two decades, the dispute flared into a major point of controversy, with opinion gradually shifting toward plato. at about the same time, however, a third group of scholars began to argue in favor of yet another major source : christian arguments against the arts put forward by cornelius agrippa and echoed in attacks on the english stage by stephen gosson. proponents of this view included jacob bronowski, a. c.


began to argue in favor of yet another major source : christian arguments against the arts put forward by cornelius agrippa and echoed in attacks on the english stage by stephen gosson. proponents of this view included jacob bronowski, a. c. hamilton, and harry berger. the most notable change in sidney studies in the twentieth century took place from the late 1950s to the early 1980s, when the number of publications began to rise exponentially. in that period, scholars recovered more items of sidney ' s correspondence and more manuscripts, including the helmingham hall text of the lady of may and the norwich manuscript of the defence of poetry. they also undertook new and more carefully researched editions of sidney ' s works, including william ringler ' s collection of the poetry, jean robertson ' s text of the old arcadia, katherine duncan - jones and j. a. van dorsten ' s miscellaneous prose, and geoffrey shepherd ' s edition of the defence. scholarly books and dissertations, which once appeared at wide intervals, became an annual harvest, and they tended to concentrate more narrowly on the internal dynamics of sidney ' s works than they had before. even historical scholars tended to shift their emphasis, placing research into sidney ' s political and cultural context at the service of literary criticism rather than the other way around. whatever the ultimate causes of this change - - whether the advent of new criticism or the proliferation of universities in north america, which increased dramatically the number of publishing scholars and so brought about increased specialization and higher rates of publication - - the change was dramatic. in studies of the poetry, it made itself felt in the number of books devoted altogether to sidney and in the effort to interrelate various parts of the canon and to explore a wide variety of critical strategies. robert montgomery ' s work in the late 1950s and early 1960s, for example, considered style and rhythm, imagery and unifying themes, and set forth a theory that the structure of astrophil and stella follows shifts in the psychology of astrophil. david kalstone ' s 1967 book emphasized the role of sonnet conventions, explicated the poems more closely than had earlier studies, and also considered elements common to the sonnets and the poems of arcadia. neil rudenstine worked systematically through the corpus of sidney ' s verse, arguing against major shifts in his style and emphasizing the recurring element of dramatic tension and debate. even more noticeable were changes in the scholarship on arcadia. older varieties of stylistic analysis, which tended to focus on the standard tropes and figures of classical rhetoric


arguing against major shifts in his style and emphasizing the recurring element of dramatic tension and debate. even more noticeable were changes in the scholarship on arcadia. older varieties of stylistic analysis, which tended to focus on the standard tropes and figures of classical rhetoric and to set sidney ' s prose style off against euphuism, gave way to studies of persuasive strategy, narrative tone, and verbal nuance. beginning with the work of walter davis in the 1960s, scholars such as nancy lindheim, elizabeth dipple, and josephine roberts focused on the interrelations between structure, theme, and generic form. there were also numerous studies of the connections between the major parts of the work : the main plot and the comic subplot, the earlier asian adventures of the young heroes and their later intrigues in arcadia, the prose narration and the pastoral eclogues. such scholarship - - represented in the work of arthur amos, jon lawry, franco marenco, and others - - made the coherence of sidney ' s complex design more apparent. as more detailed studies appeared, however, they also left the moral and political principles of the work less certain than they had seemed to earlier generations. the work of richard lanham, robert eril levine, dorothy connell, richard mccoy, alan sinfield, and others placed new emphasis on such things as the irony and the playful unreliability of sidney the narrator, the constant cross - currents of dialectically opposed values in the speeches of his characters, and the difficulty of judging their actions. perhaps for this reason, much criticism of the period turned on morally ambiguous scenes : pyrocles ' s early debate with musidorus about love, the lovers ' conduct on the night of their elopements ( especially in the original version ), and the harsh judgments and extraordinary reversals that they undergo at the end of the book. examinations of moral and philosophical ambiguity also figured prominently in criticism of the defence. the most frequently debated issue was that of philosophical coherence. to the possibility that sidney had not altogether succeeded in reconciling the platonic, aristotelian, and christian elements of his theory were added others : that his mind was deeply divided over the proper relation between sensuous pleasure and moral instruction, between verisimilitude and poetic justice ; that he had no settled standard by which to judge poetry and so created conscious " fictions " in defending it ; and that his main interest lay in rhetorical maneuvers to win the audience rather


instruction, between verisimilitude and poetic justice ; that he had no settled standard by which to judge poetry and so created conscious " fictions " in defending it ; and that his main interest lay in rhetorical maneuvers to win the audience rather than in philosophic coherence. in response, critics offered ingenious defenses of the defence, suggesting, for example, that sidney intentionally assumed the mask of an enthusiastic but philosophically naive orator, or that his arguments derived from intellectual traditions now obscure to us, such as humanist forms of neo - platonism. prominent in the renewed evaluation of sidney ' s philosophical position were forrest g. robinson ' s study of sidney ' s visual epistemology, s. k. henninger ' s studies of his aesthetic and critical assumptions, and andrew d. weiner ' s study of his particular brand of protestantism. it may be that, like the moralist fulke greville or the romantic charles lamb, critics of our own day have refashioned sidney as a mirror to reflect themselves. certainly attempts to portray him as a moral relativist, for example, or as an anti - war satirist or someone torn by existential doubts strike an oddly modern note when applied to the man who defied the earl of oxford on the tennis court, opposed the queen over the french marriage, and rode half - armed into the caliver fire at zutphen. yet it is clear that sidney was a great deal more complex than earlier generations of scholars recognized. the most comprehensive studies of sidney ' s life and works listed here - - works such as a. c. hamilton ' s sir philip sidney : a study of his life and works, dorothy connell ' s sir philip sidney : the maker ' s mind, and katherine duncan - jones ' s sir philip sidney, courtier poet - - paint an extraordinarily lifelike portrait, one that justifies the boundless praise of those who knew the poet personally. as their footnotes attest, however, such books have benefited from the best that has been written in all the periods represented in this volume. if the scholarship of our own day rises above that of earlier generations - - if, using methods such as those of new historicism, feminism, psychological criticism, and other forms of post - structuralist analysis, we come to understand still better the complexities of sidney ' s character and context and the extraordinary richness of his art - - it will be, in part, because the insights on which we


hydrology of the bow river there ’ s a word beneath the water, and the bow river belongs to god. have you been listening? a scientific commentary on genesis 7 : 11 although committed to the principle of sola scriptura, calvin recognized that the bible would have been written in terms its original recipients would have understood. calvin inherited the medieval cosmology of his time, a way of viewing the world heavily influenced by greek thought and one which was about to receive shocks from astronomers such as copernicus and galileo. but not just yet. off with their heads the queen had only one way of settling all difficulties, great or small. “ off with his head! ” she said, without even looking round surprised by jack, part 3 : mere depravity “ man is now a horror to god and to himself and a creature ill - adapted to the universe not because god made him so but because he has made himself so by the abuse of his free will. to my mind this is the sole function of the doctrine [ of the fall ]. ” — c. s. lewis scientists tell their stories : george murphy during his seminary education, dr. murphy also gained a deeper understanding of luther ’ s theology of the cross, and he realized that it ’ s really the best way to approach the science and theology dialogue. series : it ' s an old world after all in our sixth biologos videocast, we take a look at the age of the earth. we explain four methods scientists have used to determine that age : tree ring, lake varve, radiometric, and seafloor spread dating, and also offer some theological insight on how an old earth can fit with the first chapters of genesis. series : from the dust in this series, ryan pettey offers several clips from his powerful documentary " from the dust ". this feature - length film is divided up into various sections, each of which wrestles with the difficult problems that arise when reconciling scripture with the theory of evolution. a light of hope dawns on the science - faith conversation, however, as scientists and theologians engage in honest dialogue about tough issues such as the interpretation of genesis, the nature of the fall, and the idea of random design. their profound insights are sure to enlighten all minds, raise deeper questions, and provoke new thought. shaping the human soul, part 5 we need to have an account of sin in terms of habit. a lot of christians today think of “ sins ” and discreet choices, but historically christians


suggest that this argument is in significant ways misplaced. the lyrics begin by painting a picture of the fall as something in which each person has participated : “ the fruit ( of the fall of man ) is seen in every eye and every hand. ” mystery and faith in today ’ s video, michael ramsden discusses the importance and meaning of mystery in the bible. saturday sermon : the failure of religion in the last verses of romans 2, the apostle paul relates the “ failure of religion because of the terrible beauty of the law ” to the need for a regenerate heart. " centered " : the language of science and faith in a recent interview with the sirius xm radio show centered, karl giberson sat down with host don belanus to discuss the book the language of science and faith. life and death if you go back into the genesis account, it says “ now do not eat this or you will surely die ”. there is a whole chain of events that happens when adam and eve decide they want to walk away from god. confidence and slippery slopes in today ’ s video, pastor brian mcclaren notes that the metaphor " slippery slopes " is problematic, because we often assume that we are on the top of the slope to begin with, when in fact changing our views may help us ascend the slope, or to reach a new peak of understanding on the other side.


in journey into the cell, we looked at the structure of the two major types of cells : prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. now we turn our attention to the " power houses " of a eukaryotic cell, the mitochondria. mitochondria are the cell ' s power producers. they convert energy into forms that are usable by the cell. located in the cytoplasm, they are the sites of cellular respiration which ultimately generates fuel for the cell ' s activities. mitochondria are also involved in other cell processes such as cell division and growth, as well as cell death. mitochondria : distinguishing characteristics mitochondria are bounded by a double membrane. each of these membranes is a phospholipid bilayer with embedded proteins. the outermost membrane is smooth while the inner membrane has many folds. these folds are called cristae. the folds enhance the " productivity " of cellular respiration by increasing the available surface area. the double membranes divide the mitochondrion into two distinct parts : the intermembrane space and the mitochondrial matrix. the intermembrane space is the narrow part between the two membranes while the mitochondrial matrix is the part enclosed by the innermost membrane. several of the steps in cellular respiration occur in the matrix due to its high concentration of enzymes. mitochondria are semi - autonomous in that they are only partially dependent on the cell to replicate and grow. they have their own dna, ribosomes and can make their own proteins. similar to bacteria, mitochondria have circular dna and replicate by a reproductive process called fission. journey into the cell : to learn more about cells, visit :


marie vandenbeusch, egyptologist last season, three fragmentary fertility figures were found in house e13. 6, with another four recovered from other houses within the town at amara west. these are all hand - modelled clay objects, mostly rectangular in shape, without a distinct human, or even female, shape, other than an occasional hint of shoulders, pubic triangle or breasts. similar objects have been found in various ancient settlements in egypt and nubia. a few days ago, rizwan safir and vera michel discovered a new fragment in villa d12. 5 ( f2284 ). this figurine is rather different. very fragmentary, it is preserved only from the navel to the upper part of the legs, but preserving rather realistically modelled buttocks. the genitalia are represented by a series of dots gathered inside a triangle. a further detail is the large dot indicating a navel, surrounded by smaller dots that might represent a tattoo. the generous, curvaceous form of the figurine contrasts with the schematic, almost geometric, shapes of the other amara west figures. here the nature and purpose of the figure is more immediately apparent. such figurines of naked women can be modelled in clay, but examples in faience, wood and stone are known, found in settlements, tombs and temples. sometimes referred to as “ concubines of the dead ”, “ fertility figures ” or “ female figurines ”, most scholars believe they are related to conception, rebirth or sexuality. in short, they could clearly be used in life as well as death, sometimes in association with divinities. their purpose was most likely benevolent, and hints at the needs and fears of those living at amara west. leave a comment or tweet using # amarawest


did you know? facts, figures & folklore about christmas dec 15 : 10 days till christmas did you know that the word advent comes from the latin term “ adventur ”, meaning arrival? the advent calendar begins on the fourth sunday before christmas and counts down the 25 days until the holiday ’ s arrival. the tradition of counting down the days until christmas began in the early 19th century in holland, where families marked a chalk line on their front door each day before christmas eve. btw – have you checked out our 2009 advent calendar? a new holiday video each day! christmas is the christian festival celebrating the birth of jesus of nazareth, and is a central part of the winter holiday season. in christianity the holiday marks the beginning of the larger season of christmastide, which lasts twelve days. and although traditionally a christian holiday, christmas is widely celebrated worldwide by many non - christians. popular holiday customs include the playing of seasonal music, gift - giving, the exchange of greeting cards, observing special church celebrations and masses. the display of holiday decorations are common ; including christmas trees, indoor and outdoor lights, garlands, mistletoe, and nativity scenes. santa claus, a popular mythological figure, is also an important part of the celebration and is associated with the bringing of gifts for children. join us for a new did you know holiday fact each day as we countdown to christmas. this year christmas eve will be celebrated thursday december 24, christmas friday december 25. signup for our did you know? holiday countdown emails or follow us on twitter – twitter. com / holidaysnet ( @ holidaysnet )


the portrait of a fly ( part 1 ) : come fly with me for more than a hundred years, scientists have used the fruit fly ( drosophila melanogaster ) to study the fundamentals of developmental biology and genetics. but as biological understanding and techniques have improved, we are now able to do sophisticated genetic experiments in animals further along the evolutionary scale, such as mice. what role, then, for the fly today? at the entrance to the fly facility at the university of manchester, there is a poster on the wall. it proudly proclaims that drosophila ( a genus of fruit flies ) has won six nobel prizes. all were won in conjunction with human collaborators, of course, who took the glory ( not to mention the cash ). the fly facility, which is funded by the university and the wellcome trust, brings together the university ’ s collective expertise in fly husbandry and research techniques. it supports a community of 13 research groups who consider the potential of the fly stronger than ever for informing us not just about basic biology but about human diseases as well. i suspect they dream of one day adding a seventh nobel to drosophila ‘ s trophy cabinet. dr andreas prokop, the head of a laboratory in the faculty of life sciences and an unashamed proselytiser for fruit flies in research, is keen to show them off. he takes me around the fly facility ’ s specialist microscopes and the breeding rooms where the flies are grown. one room is kept at the scientific standard temperature of 25°c, while the other is at 18°c for experiments in which researchers want to slow down drosophila ‘ s usual development cycle ( this works both ways : some experiments are done at 29°c to speed up development ). inside each breeding room, the shelves are full of trays and incubators with different fly stocks. the flies live in plastic vials – one genetic stock per vial – with food and a cotton wool plug to stop them flying away. these are no house flies : each adult fly is only a couple of millimetres long, their bodies are pale with black markings and they have bright red eyes. fertilised female flies can lay hundreds of eggs over several days. embryonic development takes 21 hours ( at 25°c ), at which point each egg hatches to release a drosophila larva. after a few heady days of continuous feeding at the bottom of its vial, the larva wanders up the side of the vial, away


25°c ), at which point each egg hatches to release a drosophila larva. after a few heady days of continuous feeding at the bottom of its vial, the larva wanders up the side of the vial, away from its food source, and forms a hard shell called a pupa. at this stage, all of its organs are broken down and restructured in their adult forms. eventually, a mere ten days after the egg was laid, an adult fly emerges from the pupal case. pretty fly with a white eye the first of the drosophila nobels was awarded in 1933 to thomas hunt morgan, whose ‘ fly room ’ at columbia university laid the groundwork for pretty much all drosophila research that has followed. morgan was interested in problems of development and how heredity might help him understand them. he spent two years searching for drosophila with clear, heritable variations in characteristics so that he could start to unpick how the differences had been inherited. at last, in 1909, he found white - eyed male flies among his normally red - eyed stock. crucially, eye colour was a sex - linked variation, which meant the gene responsible had to be on the drosophila sex chromosome ( drosophila have four pairs of chromosomes, whereas humans have 23 ; in both species, the sex chromosomes are either xx for females or xy for males ). it was the first unambiguous link between a chromosome and a characteristic. morgan ’ s style in the lab was democratic. it spawned a school of pupils and collaborators who spread the techniques he developed around the world, training the next generation to do the experiments that would connect characteristics to chromosomes and, in time, to specific genes. one of morgan ’ s proteges was hermann muller. in the 1920s, muller began looking for ways to change genes artificially rather than relying on spontaneous mutations. his research showed that x - rays caused widespread genetic mutation and chromosomal damage. it won him drosophila ‘ s second nobel, in 1946. it was some time before drosophila ‘ s next nobel, but then it won three in the same year. innovations in the 1970s and 1980s meant that dna could now be manipulated directly. using such techniques, ed lewis discovered genes that controlled the fly ’ s ‘ body plan ’, whereas christiane nusslein - volhard and eric wieschaus identified and classified genes that were crucial for early development. at around the same time, studies in other species showed that


genes that controlled the fly ’ s ‘ body plan ’, whereas christiane nusslein - volhard and eric wieschaus identified and classified genes that were crucial for early development. at around the same time, studies in other species showed that these genes had closely related analogues in other vertebrates. such genes are described as being ‘ conserved ’, and it confirmed that drosophila research had direct relevance to human biology. lewis, nusslein - volhard and wieschaus shared the 1995 nobel prize in physiology for their work. as news of their success spread around the world, it ’ s possible jules hoffmann would have taken inspiration from it. in 1995, hoffmann was director of the institute of molecular and cellular biology in strasbourg, part of france ’ s national centre of scientific research. at the same time, he was attempting to unravel the fly ’ s immune system. humans have two lines of defence against infections, one of which is conserved from simpler organisms such as drosophila. this is the innate immune system. hoffmann discovered that a gene called toll is central to the fly ’ s innate immune system, controlling the response to certain bacterial infections. soon, related genes – so - called ‘ toll - like receptors ’ – were discovered in other species, including humans. as well as contributing to our innate immune system, human toll - like receptors activate our second line of defence, the adaptive immune system, which is slower to respond but incorporates components such as antibodies that ‘ remember ’ infections and establish immunity. reflecting on his work at the euroscience open forum conference this summer, hoffmann said that “ no one in the medical field would have believed the systems [ of fly and human ] were so close in evolution ”, but work in both species was needed to uncover the control mechanisms for our immune systems. hoffmann shared the 2011 nobel prize with two of the scientists who had subsequently worked on toll - like receptors in mice and people. despite such an illustrious history, prokop says researchers began to drift away from drosophila in favour of other species, most notably the mouse, in which exciting new techniques were continually being developed through the final decades of the 20th century and into the 21st. as genetics became easier to do in mammals, many scientists thought that experiments should be done in as highly evolved a species as possible. however, prokop thinks there is more to be gained by combining these new molecular and cell biology techniques with genetics in the fly. mice, and indeed humans, tend to have multiple genes with overlapping


done in as highly evolved a species as possible. however, prokop thinks there is more to be gained by combining these new molecular and cell biology techniques with genetics in the fly. mice, and indeed humans, tend to have multiple genes with overlapping functions, so when you ‘ knock out ’ a gene to see the effect on the organism of not having it, the results can be ambiguous. drosophila has little or no such redundancy in its genes, plus the added advantages of having a rapid reproduction cycle and being relatively cheap to maintain. return of the fly prokop ’ s own research focuses on the cytoskeleton : the architecture of actin filaments and microtubules woven into structural networks inside all our cells. far from being static scaffolding, however, these networks are dynamic, constantly rearranging and interacting with other proteins. “ the cytoskeleton is involved in every aspect of every single cellular function you can think of, ” he says. many of its components have been studied for decades but many fundamental questions remain. “ we know what these components do biochemically, but in the cellular context, we are not sure why those interactions are necessary. for example, the protein tau was discovered in 1975. today, we know it has a role in alzheimer ’ s disease, but we still don ’ t really know what tau is doing in the cell in the first place. “ one thing that blocks a lot of this type of research is that we do not have a proper understanding of the cell biology. ” numerous proteins are known to bind to actin and microtubules, which implies some degree of regulation. but how do all these different functions and regulators combine in one coordinated system of cytoskeletal function? prokop ’ s approach to finding an answer is to narrow down the question. he is studying the cytoskeleton in one specific context and, from that, aims to work up a general conceptual understanding that can be tested in other contexts and other species. “ i made three decisions, ” he explains. “ first, study axonal growth. this is the best context for understanding what the cytoskeleton does because we know the principal roles of actin and microtubules, and there are drugs we can use to manipulate axonal growth – there aren ’ t many other places where we can get such meaningful results. ” axons are the wires and cables of the nervous system. they connect neurons, the most important cells in the


there are drugs we can use to manipulate axonal growth – there aren ’ t many other places where we can get such meaningful results. ” axons are the wires and cables of the nervous system. they connect neurons, the most important cells in the nervous system, and carry electrical signals between cells. problems with axonal development lead to impaired cognition ; damage later in life, from strokes or dementia for example, can cause sustained paralysis, permanent loss of basic brain functions such as coordination, or changes in personality. axons grow out of neuron cell bodies, led from the front by specialist structures called growth cones. chemical gradients – varying concentrations of substances that attract or repel the growth cone – determine the direction of growth and help each axon find its target. how these external cues are translated into changes in the behaviour of the growth cone remains unclear. what we do know is that the actin and microtubule structures of the cytoskeleton are constantly rearranging at the axon tip and that they must be regulated in response to certain signals. “ there are probably hundreds of genes that regulate the cytoskeleton, ” prokop says. “ but the really essential ones are relatively few. those genes, and the targets they regulate, present us with a common mechanism dependent on a limited number of factors. focusing our research on these genes and proteins within the context of axon growth is a good strategy for learning about their function in general. it is simpler than trying to tackle the entire cellular machinery. ” laud of the flies his second decision was to work on drosophila, for the usual reasons : “ efficient genetics, low redundancy. if you knock out one gene, there is less opportunity for compensation than there would be in higher species. plus you can take out combinations of classes of genes simultaneously and it would be extremely challenging, even impossible, to do that in the mouse. in flies, it takes between a couple of weeks and a few months, so you can create and generate possibilities, test hypotheses. ” prokop stresses that this is no longer the simple fly genetics of years gone by, when a gene would be knocked out and the gross effects observed. moreover, combined with modern drosophila genetics are other sophisticated techniques, developed and well established in mice, for studying what is going on inside cells. many of these techniques, which have now been adapted for use in fly neurons, visually label specific proteins within cells so that researchers can watch the dynamics of microtub


techniques, developed and well established in mice, for studying what is going on inside cells. many of these techniques, which have now been adapted for use in fly neurons, visually label specific proteins within cells so that researchers can watch the dynamics of microtubules, actin and other proteins as they operate. i see this for myself when dr natalia sanchez - soriano, a postdoctoral researcher in the prokop laboratory, shows me around. as well as looking at neurons in developing fly embryos, they grow drosophila neurons in culture. “ it takes around 30 fly brains to make four cultures, ” she explains, holding out one of many round agar plates, a few centimetres in diameter. “ within six hours, the neurons have grown enough to start analysing them. ” cultured neurons lack the external signals that would normally direct their growth in the fly but their cell machinery is intact and axons grow, although in a less organised way. sanchez - soriano puts a plate under a microscope and focuses on a small area in the middle. at 10x magnification, i can see clusters of neurons on the screen. “ these are young cultures, ” she says, showing me the cell body of a neuron and the axon growing from it. we zoom in. the neurons have been marked with fluorescent markers. “ looking in green light, you see the microtubules. if we look in red, you can see the actin. “ i always find it amazing to look at one of these cultures where they have formed a network, a mature network. it looks very messy because they are cultures but you can see how they connect. now you have this complex neural network with lots of synapses, which are the contacts between the neurons. ” microtubules are found in abundance at synapses, so the fluorescence also reveals the neurons ’ connections. i can see synapses all the way along the axons, not just at the tip, which is how i remember having seen them portrayed in simplified textbook diagrams. we are supposed to be going to lunch with other scientists from the lab. they hover at the doorway, but sanchez - soriano waves them away – she wants to show me one more slide. “ this is a drosophila embryo. it ’ s completely different to the cultured cells – the axons of the neurons are all organised. these axons connect to the muscles ; their cell bodies are in the spinal cord. we can see where these ax


a drosophila embryo. it ’ s completely different to the cultured cells – the axons of the neurons are all organised. these axons connect to the muscles ; their cell bodies are in the spinal cord. we can see where these axons are growing, and we can be very specific about developmental time. we can look at embryos after 21 hours of development and the axons are always in these positions, so we can detect tiny changes in axonal growth. “ the beauty of this system is that we can go back and forward all the time between neurons in the organism and in culture, and that ’ s what makes it very attractive for me. and it ’ s easy to have expertise in both. that makes it a really nice model. ” prokop ’ s third decision was which component of cytoskeleton regulation to focus on. he chose a protein called shot, which, he explains, “ sits at the heart of the machine ”. shot is one of a family of proteins called spectraplakins, which have so many different functions that they are sometimes also called ‘ the swiss army knives of the cell ’. in this context, shot regulates microtubules during axonal growth. in a normal growing axon, microtubules are constantly joining together, elongating and pushing against the cell membrane in the direction of growth. actin networks provide some control over microtubules by blocking microtubule extension in the wrong direction. proteins like shot that bind actin and microtubules are therefore likely to be involved in regulating that interaction and, indeed, without shot, microtubules become disorganised and axons are severely shortened ( and when they do grow, it is often in the wrong direction ). the very model of a research model organism having shown that axon growth cone behaviour, cytoskeletal dynamics and the underlying functions of actin and microtubule regulators in drosophila are well conserved with higher animals, prokop ’ s group is using the shot system to discover the mechanisms by which it all hangs together. they work mostly in the fly but regularly do analogous experiments in mice to confirm the general relevance of their findings. they have already begun to show how shot performs its role in cytoskeletal regulation during axon growth. in research published this summer, prokop and his team showed that shot links the tips of microtubules to actin networks, providing a physical connection that points the microtubules in the right direction. it


s intellectual descendants, eager to celebrate the fruit fly ’ s contribution to science and persuade you that it is the pre - eminent model organism. prokop sums up the philosophy : “ the task of drosophila is to produce ideas that can then stimulate research in mammalian systems. that ’ s what it has been doing for a hundred years, and that ’ s what our system can do too. ” in part 2, ‘ fly on the wall ’, i visit a second drosophila lab at the university of manchester to see how the fly is actually used in experiments, and how relevant they can be for understanding human diseases. alves - silva j et al. spectraplakins promote microtubule - mediated axonal growth by functioning as structural microtubule - associated proteins and eb1 - dependent + tips ( tip interacting proteins ). j neurosci 2012 ; 32 ( 27 ) : 9143. bier e. drosophila, the golden bug, emerges as a tool for human genetics. nat rev genet 2005 ; 6 : 9. green m. a century of drosophila genetics through the prism of the white gene. genetics 2010 ; 184 : 3 - 7. “ the nobel prize in physiology or medicine 1933 “. nobelprize. org. 13 nov 2012 “ the nobel prize in physiology or medicine 1946 “. nobelprize. org. 13 nov 2012 “ the nobel prize in physiology or medicine 1995 “. nobelprize. org. 13 nov 2012 “ jules a. hoffmann – biographical “. nobelprize. org. 13 nov 2012


april 23, 2013 last monday, april 15, the national museum of natural history actually did come to life after hours. not with mummies or miniature armies, of course, but with a small group of volunteers, a bunch of fancy - looking equipment and two guys at the forefront of museum digitization. adam metallo and vince rossi, of the 3d lab in the smithsonian ’ s digitization program office, work with laser scanners to create high resolution, three - dimensional digital models of objects and places around the smithsonian institution. last week, they teamed up with curators at the natural history museum for the second of two nights of scanning the dinosaur hall, the museum ’ s iconic galleries that house prehistoric fossils from the ancient seas through the ice age. the hall is scheduled to close in 2014 for a ground - up, multi - year renovation, so metallo and rossi, dubbed the “ laser cowboys ” by their colleagues, were brought in to capture the hall ’ s present arrangement before all the fossils are removed. “ the main purpose of 3d scanning an exhibit like this is to have an archive of what an exhibit of this era might have looked, ” metallo says. “ this is a documentation for folks in the future to know what a museum experience here was like. ” the scanning has immediate uses as well. with accurate digital 3d models of t - rex and his friends ’ skeletons, curators and designers will have a much easier time envisioning the exhibition ’ s future iterations and testing out ideas for optimal arrangements. paleontologists, too, will suddenly have access to fossils anytime, anywhere. “ there ’ s one specimen that ’ s on display two stories up in the air, ” metallo says. “ now, instead of a researcher having to get up on a scissor lift to look at it, we can just email him the digital model. ” and if digital models aren ’ t enough, 3d scanning might soon allow anyone interested in fossils to get even closer to the real thing. “ we ’ re seeing a real democratization of 3d printing along with 3d scanning, ” says rossi. “ there are apps for iphones that allow you to use a camera as a 3d scanning device. pretty much any museum visitor could create a pretty decent model of a museum object, and potentially take that through a 3d printer. there ’ s still a fair amount of expertise required at the moment, but it ’ s going to be a lot more user - friendly in the next two or three years. ” in other words,


, and potentially take that through a 3d printer. there ’ s still a fair amount of expertise required at the moment, but it ’ s going to be a lot more user - friendly in the next two or three years. ” in other words, it ’ s not inconceivable that you could print out your own stegosaurus skeleton for your living room on your home 3d printer someday. ultimately, rossi and metallo dream of digitizing all 137 million of the objects in the smithsonian ’ s collections. because only two percent of the objects are displayed in the institution ’ s museums at any time — and many people never have the chance to see even those in person — precise replicas could be printed and sent to local museums across the country, or viewed digitally on a computer screen anywhere in the world. as for future of the dino hall, matthew carrano, the museum ’ s curator of dinosauria, says his team is still in the early stages of planning exactly how the exhibit will look when it reopens in 2019, but that it definitely will strive to incorporate humans into the dinosaurs ’ story. “ the biggest thing i hope for in the new hall is that a visitor comes here and is inspired, amazed and interested in the history of life on earth, and understands that this history is still relevant to them today, and to the world today, ” he explains. “ there are problems we face as human beings that paleontology can help address. dinosaurs didn ’ t exist by themselves ; they were part of environments and ecosystems just like we are today. and that connection is really important to everything we ’ re going to show in this hall. ” to learn more about 3d scanning and printing at smithsonian, check out metallo and rossi ’ s facebook page, and follow them on twitter @ 3d _ digi _ si. to learn more about dinosaurs, check out the natural history museum ’ s dinosaur page. march 29, 2013 thousands of years old, the ceramics of central america tell us a great deal about the societies who made them. religious beliefs, gender dynamics, societal hierarchies – all of this lies encoded in the sculptural and pictorial choices of the people who made the more than 160 objects that comprise the american indian museum ’ s new exhibition, “ ceramica de los ancestros : central america ’ s past revealed, ” opening march 29 in washington, d. c. sponsored by both the museum and the smithsonian ’ s latino center, the new bilingual exhibition is supported by more than two


ceramica de los ancestros : central america ’ s past revealed, ” opening march 29 in washington, d. c. sponsored by both the museum and the smithsonian ’ s latino center, the new bilingual exhibition is supported by more than two years of research and a thorough investigation of the american indian museum ’ s archaeological collections, some 12, 000 pieces from the region, many of which have never been displayed in public. the show seeks to display the diversity of not only the objects, but also the cultures of central america, and showcases 160 works crafted from gold, jade, copper, marble, shell and stone and dating from 1, 000 b. c. to the present. kevin gover, the museum ’ s director and eduardo diaz, the director of the latino center, write that the materials, “ testify to the complexity of long - lived governments and social systems, and to the importance and sophistication of the art and science in the communities where they were made. they speak of the patience, sensitivity, and innovation of their makers. ” the exhibition will be open through february 1, 2015 at the american indian museum. march 8, 2013 when cyrus the great conquered babylon in 539 b. c., he encountered the same problem many political leaders face today : how do rulers keep the peace? cyrus, the king of persia, was in the midst of building the largest empire that the world had ever seen. by his death in 530 b. c., his reign would extend from present - day turkey to india. for cyrus, establishing control over vast miles of land with peoples of different cultures, languages and faiths created numerous obstacles in unifying his kingdom. the king sought order, not more war. “ it is the first time anyone has had to address that challenge, ” says neil macgregor, director of london ’ s british museum. “ as well as a transport system, as well as an economic system, as well as an administration, you need to have policy, an ideal of what you ’ re trying to do to control this empire, ” he adds. cyrus ’ s solution can be found today on a football - shaped cylinder of baked clay : give people the freedom to practice whatever religion they please. the cyrus cylinder, one of the most significant archaeological artifacts in history, travels here from the british museum and makes its united states debut on saturday, march 9, 2013, at the sackler gallery. inscribed with cuneiform, one of the earliest known scripts, the text denounces na


archaeological artifacts in history, travels here from the british museum and makes its united states debut on saturday, march 9, 2013, at the sackler gallery. inscribed with cuneiform, one of the earliest known scripts, the text denounces nabonidus, the displaced babylonian king, and boasts of liberating cyrus ’ s newly conquered people from religious persecution by restoring their temples, their temple goods and their ceremonial vessels ; and sending prisoners and the enslaved home to worship their own gods. ” [ i ] returned [ the people ] to their settlements, and the gods of the land... i returned them unharmed to their cells, in the sanctuaries that make them happy, ” cyrus declares in the text. “ i have enabled all the lands to live in peace. ” ( see the full translation here. ) cyrus ’ s tolerant approach has had a lasting impact. according to macgregor, “ for europeans and americans in the 18th century, there is only one political problem : how do you avoid the wars of religion that had devastated europe in the 16th and 17th centuries? how do you create a state where people don ’ t kill each other for their faith? everybody goes back to cyrus. ” the exhibition entitled, “ the cyrus cylinder and ancient persia, ” features quotes and historical artifacts that trace the generations of political thinkers inspired by cyrus ’ s philosophy. thomas jefferson studied the life of cyrus ; he owned two copies of a biography of the king. julien raby, director of the sackler gallery, hopes the exhibit will encourage visitors to appreciate how different cultures learn to value objects in different ways. “ there isn ’ t a single story, ” he explains. “ it ’ s actually about looking at the way in which we constantly reinterpret, the way that different eras and different agendas take objects and project onto them. ” macgregor thinks cyrus ’ s legacy is particularly important today. “ we are confronting in every one of our cities, in europe and in america, a new kind of diversity — people of different ethnicities, languages, faiths, traditions trying to live together, ” he says. “ we don ’ t really have a model for this. but we all know that somebody once did. ” “ the cyrus cylinder and ancient persia ” is on view at the sackler gallery from march 9 to april 28, before making a nation - wide tour. for a list of locations and dates, visit the exhibition ’ s website. to learn more about the cylinder itself, watch macgre


for all who make decisions that affect the mathematics education of students in pre - kindergarten through grade 12 ” ( p. ix ). nctm is an organization of over 110, 000 mathematics educators concerned with pre - k – 12 mathematics education. this update of the nctm ' s three previously developed sets of standards for curriculum, teaching, and assessment is intended to establish a curriculum framework to bring focus and coherence to k – 12 mathematics. the document was developed through an extensive and inclusive process that engaged a wide spectrum of experts on issues concerning mathematics education. as such, principles and standards represents a negotiated position about appropriate content for school mathematics to which educators should give careful consideration. the developers offer the standards as a guide for ensuring quality, developing goals, and promoting change by suggesting common language, examples, and recommendations to engage people at state, provincial and local levels in conversations about mathematics education. the document is intended to ( p. 6 ) : set forth a comprehensive and coherent set of goals for mathematics for all students that will orient curricular, teaching, and assessment efforts. serve as a resource for teachers, education leaders, and policymakers to use in examining and improving the quality of mathematics instructional programs. guide the development of curricular frameworks, assessments, and instructional materials. stimulate ideas and ongoing conversations about how best to help students gain a deep understanding of important mathematics. principles and standards is built on the following vision ( p. 5 ) : in this changing world, those who understand and can do mathematics will have significantly enhanced opportunities and options for shaping their futures. mathematical competence opens doors to productive futures. a lack of mathematical competence keeps those doors closed. nctm challenges the assumption that mathematics is only for the select few. on the contrary, everyone needs to understand mathematics. all students should have the opportunity and the support necessary to learn significant mathematics with depth and understanding. there is no conflict between equity and excellence. to fulfill this vision, the document describes what mathematics in pre - k – 12 school programs should look like including how mathematical ideas should be developed across five content areas and five process domains. the standards present a deeper look at the mathematics within each of four grade - level bands, pre - k – 2, 3 – 5, 6 – 8, and 9 – 12 ; they also suggest how mathematics should grow


everything in moderation, right? also : be sure to read mike ' s " fats, cholesterol and the lipid hypothesis " article for more information on foods to avoid. you can eat anything as long as it ’ s in moderation. how many times have you heard this statement? or better yet, how many times have you made that statement? i will not deny that there are some foods you can eat in moderation that are not considered health foods but still have some nutritional benefits. pizza, chocolate and ice cream are three of the most common examples, as long as they ’ re made with whole, natural ingredients. the problem we americans face is that most of the foods we eat are not only lacking any nutritional value, they are made with ingredients that have serious health consequences. the following are some of the worst foods and ingredients we need to stay away from, in no particular order. when it comes to these items, there is no moderation. sources : this garbage is found in everything from soda to cereal. it ’ s literally in thousands of products. read your labels. the “ fat carb ” has been in our food supply for more 35 years. we ’ ve been led to believe that fructose from high fructose corn syrup ( hfcs ) is akin to naturally occurring sugar, the same that ’ s found in fruit. nothing could be further from the truth. the fructose from hfcs is not the same as the molecule from sucrose ( table sugar ), or fruit leveulose. is it any wonder they have worked so hard to link hfcs to something natural and healthy like fruit? the problem is our bodies metabolize hfcs differently than sucrose or fruit leveulose. when we consume sucrose, our bodies convert it into glucose, which raises our blood glucose levels. we then get an insulin spike to shuttle the glucose where it ’ s needed. when we consume hfcs, unlike natural sugar, it is metabolized in the liver and produces high triglyceride levels which are linked to heart disease. in addition, hfcs does not induce insulin secretion, nor does it boost leptin production, both of which are key signals for decreasing hunger. hence, the name “ fat carb. ” eat it, get fat. eat more, get fatter. russ bianchi, a pharmacologist and toxicologist, explains : “ there is no safe form of fr


decreasing hunger. hence, the name “ fat carb. ” eat it, get fat. eat more, get fatter. russ bianchi, a pharmacologist and toxicologist, explains : “ there is no safe form of fructose available from any source, unless already existing in an unprocessed apple or other piece of fruit. the science is known and epidemiologically proven. ” if you follow the obesity epidemic in the u. s., you ’ ll find that americans are eating less fat. in 1965, men ate an average of 139 grams and women 83 grams of fat per day. in 1995, men ate 101 grams and women ate 65 grams of fat per day. with the way fat has been demonized over the last four decades, you ’ d expect an increase in fat consumption to be the main cause of the obesity epidemic, yet it ’ s not. what does mirror the increase in fat americans is the consumption pattern of hfcs. between the years of 1970 and 1990, hfcs consumption increased 1000 % and today represents 40 % of the sweeteners added to foods and beverages. in fact, hfcs is the sole caloric sweetener in soft drinks in the united states. is it any wonder that obesity is an epidemic? one of the main ingredients in our food supply not only converts to fat when we consume it, it facilitates fat storage. and americans as a whole are eating more and more and more. sources : corn oil, soy oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil, cotton seed oil, walnuts, flax oil, hemp oil, herring, salmon, sardines, mackerel. technically called lipids, fats and oils are made up of many different types of fatty acids. fatty acids are the same whether they come from plants or animals. oleic acid that is found in olive oil is exactly the same as the oleic acid found in lard ( pig fat ). it ’ s the proportions of fatty acids that will vary from plant to plant, from animal to animal and from plant to animal. safflower, corn, sunflower, soybean and cottonseed oils all contain more than 50 % of the highly unstable fatty acid omega - 6 and should never be used in cooking, frying or baking. heating these oils causes oxidation and produces large amounts of free radicals. we have been force fed a load of crap concerning the virtues of polyunsaturated fats.


omega - 6 and should never be used in cooking, frying or baking. heating these oils causes oxidation and produces large amounts of free radicals. we have been force fed a load of crap concerning the virtues of polyunsaturated fats. we ’ ve been told relentlessly that polyunsaturated fats are good for our health and to increase our consumption. unfortunately, polyunsaturated fats cause many health problems. one of the biggest reasons polyunsaturated fats are so unhealthy is because they are very susceptible to becoming oxidized or rancid when exposed to heat and light. the polyunsaturated oils you buy in grocery stores are already rancid. the extraction process is the problem : | throughout the entire process, these oils are exposed to oxygen. | 1. the oil is extracted with mechanical pressing and heated to 230 degrees. 2. then a chemical solvent is used to get what oils are left. 3. the solvent is then boiled off, gain exposing the oils to heat. 4. because these oils become rancid, they are treated with deoderizers to get rid of the horrible smell. 5. finally, most oils are then bleached to give them eye appeal. americans love the light golden color. now, you go to the store to purchase soy oil, which has been touted as super healthy, not knowing that you ’ re actually purchasing a free radical cocktail that, over time, causes serious health problems. free radicals, or “ chemical marauders ” as some scientists refer to them, reek havoc on our bodies. they have been linked to problems ranging from wrinkles to premature aging to cancer. sources : any foods containing “ shortening, ” “ partially hydrogenated vegetable oil ” or “ hydrogenated vegetable oil ” in the ingredients list. these manmade fats, like fructose, are in thousands of products. i cannot stress enough the importance of reading food labels. however, do not be fooled by products that claim “ zero trans fat ”. showing the power the edible oil and processed food industries have, the fda agreed to allow food labels to list trans fat as zero if it contains a half a gram or less. and yes, small amounts of trans fat will yield negative consequences over time. decades of research show the consumption of trans fats to be detrimental to health. as early as the 1940s, researchers found a strong correlation between cancer, heart disease and the consumption of hydrogenated fats.


trans fat will yield negative consequences over time. decades of research show the consumption of trans fats to be detrimental to health. as early as the 1940s, researchers found a strong correlation between cancer, heart disease and the consumption of hydrogenated fats. what are trans fats? they are poison in our food supply. “ the latest government study confirms that trans fat is directly related with heart disease and increases ldl cholesterol. because of that, the institute of medicine, a branch of the national academy of sciences, declared there is no safe amount of trans fat in the diet. ” “ there should be a warning on food made with this stuff like there is on nicotine products. it ’ s that bad for you, says dr. jeffery aron, a university of california at san francisco professor of medicine and one of the nation ’ s leading experts on fatty acids and their effect on the body. poison is the most appropriate description of trans fat i can think of. these manmade fats are literally toxins in our bodies. trans fat is produced through the process of hydrogenation. this process turns polyunsaturated oils into fats that are solid at room temperature, which are used to make products like margarine and shortening. you talk about the ultimate junk food. doughnuts are the king. it is said this tasty treat has been around since the colonial times. in the middle of wwi, millions of american soldiers were fed doughnuts by women volunteers. these soldiers were nicknamed “ doughboys. " despite its history, the doughnut is by far one of the top three worst foods you can eat. made from enriched white flour, sugar, and other nutrient - free ingredients ( depending on the type of doughnut ), they are then fried in partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. the donut is a nutrient - free, calorie - dense food full of free radicals and trans fat. below, you ’ ll find some nutritional information from krispykreme. com. the average krispy kream doughnut yields : 200 to 380 calories 12 to 20 grams of total fat with 4 to 7 grams being trans fat 10 to 27 grams of sugar. in 1960, the average american consumed about 81 pounds of fresh potatoes and four pounds of frozen french fries. in 2000, health conscience as we are, we consumed about 50 pounds of fresh potatoes and 30 pounds of frozen fries. and mcdonald ' s is happy to help meet that demand. they are the number one purchaser


four pounds of frozen french fries. in 2000, health conscience as we are, we consumed about 50 pounds of fresh potatoes and 30 pounds of frozen fries. and mcdonald ' s is happy to help meet that demand. they are the number one purchaser of potatoes in the u. s. the popularity of mcdonald ' s french fries is legendary. their fries used to be made from scratch every day and fried in beef tallow. this, despite what ’ s been shoved into our heads over the years, is the best / healthiest way to make fries outside of frying them in coconut oil. then, in the early ' 90s, because of the cholesterol scam and vegetarian wackos, mcdonald ' s switched to pure vegetable oil. polyunstaturated fats and trans fat, ummmmmmm yummy. nutritional information from mcdonalds. com : | total fat | | trans fat | nutritonal information from burger king : | total fat | | trans fat | the next time you make fries at home, because i know you won ’ t be eating fast food varieties, cut a few sweet potatoes to the size you like. fry them in a pan of organic virgin coconut oil and salt to taste. you ’ ll be pleasantly surprised at how good these fries are, and they ’ re much healthier for you. as stated earlier, fructose is the sole sweetener of soft drinks in the u. s. children and adolescents in the u. s. are increasingly choosing soft drinks rather than milk or juice. the usda ’ s economic research service found that the consumption of soft drinks increases as a child becomes older. on average, for every one ounce reduction in milk consumption, a child consumes 4. 2 ounces of soft drinks. just what a growing child needs. between the years 1970 and 2001, per capita consumption of carbonated soft drinks more than doubled. by 2001, per capita milk consumption had dropped to 22 gallons, while soft drink consumption soared to 49 gallons. should we be worried about this shift in drink consumption? you bet. one can of soda has 10 teaspoons of sugar in the form of manmade fructose, and if this isn ’ t bad enough, soft drinks also contain high levels of phosphates. these higher phosphate levels have been alleged to cause osteoporosis in adults and impaired calcification in the growing bones of children. “ soft drinks have long been suspected of leading to lower calcium levels and higher phosphate levels in the blood. when


these higher phosphate levels have been alleged to cause osteoporosis in adults and impaired calcification in the growing bones of children. “ soft drinks have long been suspected of leading to lower calcium levels and higher phosphate levels in the blood. when phosphate levels are high and calcium levels are low, calcium is pulled out of the bones. the phosphate content of soft drinks like coca - cola and pepsi is very high and they contain virtually no calcium. ” we have been led to believe that soy is a health food. however, contained in the united states food and drug administrations poisonous plant database, which contains references to the scientific literature describing studies of the toxic properties and effects of plants and plant parts, under soy there are 288 records. the deleterious effects soy has on our bodies are caused by several different substances - - we ’ re going to go over just a few. one of the substances contained in soybeans is goitrogens. these are naturally occurring and interfere with the function of the thyroid gland. goitrogens get their name from the term “ goiter, ” which means enlargement of the thyroid gland. other foods that contain goitrogens include : broccoli, cabbage, mustard, peanuts, turnips, brussel sprouts, and others. however, unlike soy, the goitrogens in these foods are easily neutralized by cooking or fermentation. heat, pressure or alkaline solutions will neither deactivate nor remove goitrogens from soy. they are virtually in all soy foods, with the highest concentration being in products that are not fermented like tofu and soy sauce. another nasty substance found in soy that can inflict damage upon your body is phytoestrogens. isoflavones are examples of phytoestrogens and are in many plants, with the highest concentration being in soy beans. phytoestrogens, although not hormones, are very similar and can bind to estrogen receptor sites and have been shown to cause negative effects. phytoestrogens ' ability to decrease testosterone has been shown in several studies. [ 14 - 16 ] in fact, as long ago as 164 bc, monks included tofu in their diet as an aid to spiritual enlightenment and abstinence. they found the more tofu they consumed, the lower their libido. the following is an excerpt from a letter written by scientist to the fda concerning soy ’ s health benefits approval. the fda ’ s own researchers raise valid


abstinence. they found the more tofu they consumed, the lower their libido. the following is an excerpt from a letter written by scientist to the fda concerning soy ’ s health benefits approval. the fda ’ s own researchers raise valid concerns about the safety, let alone the health benefits, of soy. public health service food and drug administration national center for toxicological research jefferson, ark. 72079 - 9502 daniel m. sheehan, ph. d. director, estrogen base program division of genetic and reproductive toxicology and daniel r. doerge, ph. d. division of biochemical toxicology dockets management branch ( hfa - 305 ) food and drug administration rockville, md 20852 to whom it may concern, we are writing in reference to docket # 98p - 0683 ; " food labeling : health claims ; soy protein and coronary heart disease. " we oppose this health claim because there is abundant evidence that some of the isoflavones found in soy, including genistein and equol, a metabolize of daidzen, demonstrate toxicity in estrogen sensitive tissues and in the thyroid. this is true for a number of species, including humans. additionally, the adverse effects in humans occur in several tissues and, apparently, by several distinct mechanisms. our conclusions are that no dose is without risk ; the extent of risk is simply a function of dose. these two features support and extend the conclusion that it is inappropriate to allow health claims for soy protein isolate. additionally, isoflavones are inhibitors of the thyroid peroxidase which makes t3 and t4. inhibition can be expected to generate thyroid abnormalities, including goiter and autoimmune thyroiditis. there exists a significant body of animal data that demonstrates goitrogenic and even carcinogenic effects of soy products ( cf., kimura et al., 1976 ). moreover, there are significant reports of goitrogenic effects from soy consumption in human infants ( cf., van wyk et al., 1959 ; hydovitz, 1960 ; shepard et al., 1960 ; pinchers et al., 1965 ; chorazy et al., 1995 ) and adults ( mccarrison, 1933 ; ishizuki, et al., 1991 ). the health labeling of soy protein isolate for foods needs to be considered just as would the addition of any estrogen or goitrogen to foods, which are bad ideas. estrogenic and go


ishizuki, et al., 1991 ). the health labeling of soy protein isolate for foods needs to be considered just as would the addition of any estrogen or goitrogen to foods, which are bad ideas. estrogenic and goitrogenic drugs are regulated by fda, and are taken under a physician ' s care. patients are informed of risks, and are monitored by their physicians for evidence of toxicity. there are no similar safeguards in place for foods, so the public will be put at potential risk from soy isoflavones in soy protein isolate without adequate warning and information. daniel m. sheehan daniel r. doerge the following is a list of myths and truths about soy taken from westonaprice. org. myth : asians consume large amounts of soy foods. fact : average consumption of soy foods in japan and china is about 10g ( about 2 teaspoons ) per day. asians consume soy foods in small amounts as a condiment, and not as a replacement for animal foods. myth : soy foods provide complete protein. fact : like all legumes, soy beans are deficient in sulfur containing amino acids methionine and cystine. in addition, modern processing denatures fragile lysine. myth : fermented soy foods can provide vitamin b12 in vegetarian diets. fact : the compound that resembles vitamin b12 in soy cannot be used by the human body ; in fact, soy foods cause the body to require more b12. myth : soy formula is safe for infants. fact : soy foods contain trypsin inhibitors that inhibit protein digestion and affect pancreatic function. in test animals, diets high in trypsin inhibitors led to stunted growth and pancreatic disorders. soy foods increase the body ' s requirement for vitamin d, needed for strong bones and normal growth. phytic acid in soy foods results in reduced bioavailabilty of iron and zinc which are required for the health and development of the brain and nervous system. soy also lacks cholesterol, likewise essential for the development of the brain and nervous system. megadoses of phytoestrogens in soy formula have been implicated in the current trend toward increasingly premature sexual development in girls and delayed or retarded sexual development in boys. myth : soy estrogens ( isoflvones ) are good for you. fact : soy isoflavones are phyto - endocrine disrupters. at dietary levels, they can prevent o


the document agenda 21 of the united nations on sustainable development in chapter 14 calls for " major adjustments in agricultural, environmental and macroeconomic policy " and for the integration of different policies. a great number of similar calls can be found in documents of other international organisations ( fao, oecd, council of europe, eu etc. ). still, it seems that no real progress has been achieved so far in reforming agricultural policies and in integrating different policies. the author believes that the main reason of this situation is the prevailing false concept of agriculture and rural areas which is a result of the disintegration and substitution processes in the development of industrialized agriculture. disintegrating agriculture from its natural environment and the rural area in which it was operating, the substitution of industrial inputs for natural resources became an aim just for its own sake to make agriculture more “ modern ” or more “ industry like ”. finally, agriculture and rural areas became just mere receptacles or markets for products and services of industrial companies located in towns and industrial centres. the utilisation of local natural and human resources decreased, less and less value added was produced by agriculture. in this way its contribution to the maintenance of rural areas decreased rapidly. this so called “ development ” proved clearly not being sustainable. in order to have a really sustainable agricultural development a radically new approach is needed. agriculture has to be reintegrated with its natural resource base and with rural areas. the main objective of sustainable agriculture has to be the production of the greatest amount of value added by the efficient utilisation of local natural and human resources. to translate this new concept of agriculture into practice a radical reform of agricultural policy and intensive research to find new possibilities to utilize local resources is needed. the paper explains in more detail the non sustainable " industrial input transforming " and the sustainable " resource utilizing " concept of agriculture. the need for a real progress towards sustainable agricultural and rural development the agenda 21 document of the united nation on sustainable development declares that " major adjustments are needed in agricultural, environmental and macroeconomic policy at both national and international levels. " it also stresses the need to integrate different policies into " a coherent national policy framework ". a great number of similar statements and declarations can be found in the documents of other international organisations. there is also a vast number of books and journal articles on different aspects of sustainable agriculture and the relationships between agriculture and rural areas. here only a few examples can be mentioned. oecd has paid increasing attention to agricultural policy reform during the last two decades


is also a vast number of books and journal articles on different aspects of sustainable agriculture and the relationships between agriculture and rural areas. here only a few examples can be mentioned. oecd has paid increasing attention to agricultural policy reform during the last two decades. ministers of agriculture of the oecd member countries adopted a set of policy principles in march 1998 including the need of governments " to take actions to ensure the protection of the environment and sustainable management of natural resources in agriculture ” ( oecd, 2001 ). this most recent report concludes that agricultural policies have not changed enough and calls for integrating the different, sometimes contradictory policies ( i. e. agricultural, environmental and other policies ). the situation is similar in the european union, however the need for policy integration and for a radical reform of the cap is well recognized. the often cited cork declaration in point 2 calls for an integrated approach to rural development. it would be too long to overview the great number of statements and declarations of eu leaders and politicians which all call for more reform of the cap in order to move agriculture towards sustainability and to ensure a greater contribution of it to rural development. franz fischler ( 2001 ), the commissioner responsible for agriculture and rural development, declared : “ common agricultural policy has also changed, but not enough ”, and : “ we must ensure that the much - touted sustainability is translated into practice ”. molterer ( 1998 ) for example emphasizes that the european modell of agriculture is a sustainable and multifunctional agriculture in which the different functions must not be separated but have to form a whole ( i. e. should be integrated ). the committee on agriculture and rural development of the parliamentary assembly of the council of europe has also been intensively working on the problems of sustainable agricultural and rural development and has produced a major document, the “ european charter for rural areas ” ( council of europe, ( 1996 ) ). in spite of all these works and declarations no real progress has been achieved yet. the carpe ( common agricultural and rural policy for europe ) concept presented by a group of experts during the discussions on the agenda 2000 document ( european commission, 1997 ) in which the removal of all the subsidies coupled with production was finally rejected by the european council ( berlin, march 1998 ). willis and bryden ( 1999 ) in their analysis of agenda 2000 drew the same conclusion : “ when compared to the vision expressed in the cork declaration on living countryside, what is called rural development in agenda 2000 seems better described as agricultural policy paying lip


willis and bryden ( 1999 ) in their analysis of agenda 2000 drew the same conclusion : “ when compared to the vision expressed in the cork declaration on living countryside, what is called rural development in agenda 2000 seems better described as agricultural policy paying lip - service to rural development ”. these few examples show that sustainable agriculture and rural development are mostly just a fashionable topic for scientific discussions and declarations of politicians rather than a concept realized in practice. it seems to be right time now to try to answer the question : why has so little progress been achieved in “ translating sustainability into practice ”? 2. the present situation : non - sustainable agriculture as a result of disintegration and substitution processes in the course of the development of agriculture it has become separated from its natural environment, and from the rural areas in which its operates. different branches of production has become specialised and separated from each other. food processing was removed from rural areas into towns. in this way, value added produced by food processing has also been removed from rural areas. parallel to this disintegration process, industrial means of production and industrial inputs have been substituted for natural, human, farm produced and other local resources to an ever increasing extent. in this way, the scope of agriculture has been narrowed to transformation of industrial means of production and inputs into some fresh food and raw materials for industries located in towns. agricultural labour, natural resources and other local resources has become less and less important and for this reason they have got devaluated or completely lost their value while industrial inputs are relative more and more expensive ( i. e. the well - known problem of price disparity ). the relative role of agriculture in the national and rural economies has decreased dramatically. rural people were forced to move to towns to find jobs, depopulation of rural areas in some cases reached a frightening level. while specialisation and the use of more productive means of production can be justified to a given extent by the need of feeding more people but later on, the use of more and more industrial inputs, larger and larger machines, more and more industrially processed feeds for animals, substituting artificial resources for natural ones has been continued just for its own sake following the directives of the prevailing economic development and modernisation theories according to which agriculture is just one among the other branches of industrial activities, and farms have to be organised and operated as business enterprises. as a result of this so called “ development ” or “ modernisation ”, agriculture and rural areas have become just mere receptacles or absorbing


among the other branches of industrial activities, and farms have to be organised and operated as business enterprises. as a result of this so called “ development ” or “ modernisation ”, agriculture and rural areas have become just mere receptacles or absorbing markets for industries located in towns. the only function of agriculture and rural areas is to take up the maximal possible amount of industrial products for consumption or to transform them into agricultural products even if there is an overproduction of these products and the natural environment and rural areas are deteriorated or destroyed. we call this concept of agriculture “ industrial input transformer agriculture ”. this kind of agriculture and the rural areas housing it are just auxiliary to towns and industries and they are clearly not sustainable. the eu is still following this “ modernisation ” concept and try to help and force the candidate countries to follow the same direction in spite of the nice talks about rural development and agricultural environmental programs. the internal relations among the element of this “ non - sustainable ” concept of agriculture and rural areas can be summarized as it is show by figure 1. this system is not sustainable because sooner or later it would completely exhaust its rural base. this is very vaguely recognised in the concern about the maintenance and development of rural areas. but still there is not strong enough political will to break up this system in which subsidies intended to help farmers are in fact supporting the industries located in towns and causing further decline of rural areas. agricultural policies which keep up this mechanism including the cap of eu are deemed as typical cases of “ government failure ” by some authors in environmental economics. ( see for example : turner et al., 1994. ) 3. the concept of sustainable resource utilising agriculture to achieve any real progress towards sustainability we have to depart from the above described concept of agriculture and modernisation. an integrated and multifunctional agriculture has to be developed. the main function of this type of agriculture is to utilise the human, natural and other local resources available in rural areas to produce a diverse mix of products and services in order to supply the highest amount of added value for the maintenance of rural areas. this means that the disintegrated parts of agriculture have to be reintegrated, agriculture has to be reintegrated with its rural and environmental base, and its dependency on external input and output markets has to be decreased. farming has to be based on the creation, modernisation and efficient utilisation of local resources. industrial means of production and inputs are to be used only as auxiliary factor to such extent


its dependency on external input and output markets has to be decreased. farming has to be based on the creation, modernisation and efficient utilisation of local resources. industrial means of production and inputs are to be used only as auxiliary factor to such extent necessary to increase the productivity of local resources, but not for the sake of substituting them. in short, the traditional exogenous way of “ modernisation ” which is forced on agriculture from outside has to be changed into endogenous type of development. this concept of agriculture can be termed as “ resources utilising agriculture ” which is sustainable because it is built on the maintenance and development of its own local resource base. the system of this resource utilising agriculture is summarized in figure 2. this “ new concept ” of agriculture is really very old and the one which had existed before “ industrialised ” agriculture became dominant. it can be realised only if radical changes in agricultural policies can be achieved. first of all, farmers have to understand that present agricultural policies ( including the cap ) in fact are not supporting them but subsidies finally go to industries. secondly, the politicians forming agricultural policies have to be persuaded that agricultural policy supporting “ resource utilising agriculture ” is much cheaper than the present system in which first industrial input intensive agricultural production is subsidized, then a great amount of money is spent on repairing environmental damage caused and on rural development. subsidizing agriculture to produce more value added from its local resource base simultaneously help to maintain viable farms, to protect the environment and to develop rural areas in one coherent supporting system. in this way, integration of different policies called for in agenda 21 can be realized. besides, taxpayers ’ money could be saved and the agricultural policy would be more efficient. we can just regret that the basic problem of the concept or the definition of agriculture and rural areas is given very little attention in discussion on sustainable agriculture and on agricultural policy reforms. still, it has been encouraging to find a similar approach in a recent presentation of van der plough and rooij ( 2001 ). they use the term “ capitalist commodity production ” for the type of non - sustainable agriculture in which even labour is used as a commodity, and “ petty commodity production ” for the “ resource utilizing agriculture ” outlined here. they contrast industrialization with repeasantization as alternatives of agricultural development. but “ repeasantization ” might easily be rejected as being old fashioned and regress. while the concept of integrated, multifunctional and resource utilisating agriculture is a


industrialization with repeasantization as alternatives of agricultural development. but “ repeasantization ” might easily be rejected as being old fashioned and regress. while the concept of integrated, multifunctional and resource utilisating agriculture is a “ modern ” concept in the real sense which is using any kind of “ high tech ” means of production but only to increase the efficiency of mobilizing, maintaining and utilising local resources. the issue of the need to redefine the meaning of agriculture has already been raised in some other publications but there has been almost no response from agricultural experts and researchers. ( see for example : szakal ( 1997 ) and szakal ( 1999 ). ) according to general economic or modernisation theory, agricultural development means the substitution of industrial means of production and inputs for local human and natural resources. as a result of this kind of “ development ” agriculture and rural areas became just mere receptacles and transformers of industrial products and inputs. it we want to move towards sustainability the concept of agriculture has to be redefined. in contrast to the industrial input transformer concept, the basic function of agriculture should be the utilisation of the human and natural resources available in rural areas to produce marketable goods and services in order to contribute to rural development with the maximum possible amount of values added. to develop such a “ resource utilising agriculture ”, which would be really sustainable, agricultural policies have to be changed accordingly. - council of europe ( 1996 ) : recommendation 1296 ( 1996 ) on an european charter for rural areas, strasbourg - european commission ( 1997 ) : towards a common agricultural and rural policy for europe. european economy, reports and studies, no. 5. eur - op, luxembourg - fishler, f. ( 2001 ) : the cap after agenda 2000. the achievements and challenges. opening address for international green week, berlin, 18 january 2001 - molterer, w. ( 1998 ) : statement at the congress of european agriculture, ljubljana, 30. sept. – 2. oct. 1998. proceedings of the congress, 31 - 35 p. - oecd, ( 2001 ) : improving the environmental performance of agriculture : policy options and market approaches, paris, 51. p. - plough, van der, j. d. and rooij, de, s. ( 1999 ) : agriculture in central and eastern europe : industrialization or repeasantization? in : rural development in central and eastern europe, proceeding of research conference,


van der, j. d. and rooij, de, s. ( 1999 ) : agriculture in central and eastern europe : industrialization or repeasantization? in : rural development in central and eastern europe, proceeding of research conference, 6 - 9 december 1999, podbanske, slovakia, 45 - 53 p. - szakal, f. ( 1997 ) : the need to redefine the meaning of “ agriculture ”. information document. committee on agriculture and rural development, parliamentary assembley of the council of europe, strassbourg, doc. no. as / agr. ( 1997 ) 7. 12 p. - szakal, f. ( 1999 ) : a fenntarthato mezogazdasag es szerepe a videki tersegek fejlodeseben, a falu, xiv. evf. 2. sz. 23 - 37 p. - turner, r. k., pearce, d. and bateman, i. ( 1994 ) : environmental economics, harvester wheatsheaf, hemel hemtead. 328 p. - willis, p. and bryden, j. ( 1999 ) : the implementation of agenda 2000. in : rural areas of eastern and western europe. the arkleton trust, eston, oxon, 35 p.


applied mathematics department secretary : tel : 01 69 33 46 01. fax : 01 69 33 46 46. scientific computing is the art of the engineer devoted to producing numerical simulations based on a scientific analysis and with computers. most of problems that can be formalised with mathematical equations lead to problems too complicated to be solved with elementary methods or with methods of formal calculus. the objective of scientific computing is to propose approximate numerical solutions for problems that can be modelised with a mathematical equation. the development of scientific computing is related to the increasing of computer power. it is an applied science in continuous evolution. the industries that use and develop scientific computing are first the main partners of state technical administrations in charge of the conception and development of complex systems : space and aeronautics, nuclear, automotive industry, petroleum industry, civil engineering. reduced to amount development and the certification of complex systems only few years ago, the numerical simulation allows the reduction of important development times on conception cycles and the production of more sophisticated products. the option " scientific computing " is devoted to students needing training in scientific computing, either for the analysis of an industrial problem, or the initiation to scientific research, whatever can be the future choice in terms of career orientation. for those who wish to enter the master program " mathematical modeling " in applied mathematics of the ecole polytechnique ( co - organised with paris 6 university ), the training period can be an important first step. examples of subjects studied in recent years - adaptive and multi - scales methods. assessment and design of optical fiber systems. inverse problem in electromagnetism. requirements : some knowledge of numerical analysis and / or optimization. evaluation mechanism : written report and oral defense last modification : monday 8 april 2013


want to know how to conquer kids ' learning obstacles? if after every lesson your kids can say, " we came, we saw, we heard, we touched, " they ' ll also be able to say, " we conquered! " kids experience their world through their senses, and each child has a favored sense that sends more information to the brain than the other senses. the three primary perceptual preferences or " learning styles " are visual, auditory and kinesthetic. by understanding these three learning styles, you can create lessons that ' ll give all your children a better chance of * characteristics - visual learners need to see or observe things closely. visual learners recognize words by sight, remember faces but forget names, take notes, make lists, have vivid imaginations and think in pictures. visual learners express emotion through facial expressions. jonna is a visual learner. she ' s distracted by visual disorder or movement and prefers a neat, meticulous environment. she doesn ' t talk at length and becomes impatient when she has to listen for a long time. while her teacher lectures, jonna will stare, daydream * lesson design - in every lesson, provide pictorial or graphic representations and demonstrations. allow visual learners to read and look at illustrations, charts and other visual aids. don ' t just tell kids about a topic, but allow them to also read * characteristics - auditory learners learn best by reading aloud or listening. auditory learners remember things they hear better than things they see. these students move their lips or subvocalize as they talk out situations and problems. they hum and are easily distracted by sounds. they remember names by auditory repetition but forget faces. auditory learners express emotion verbally through changes in tone, volume and pitch of voice. brad is an auditory learner. he often talks to others during class because, even though he enjoys listening, he can ' t wait to talk. brad enjoys the sound of his own voice. * lesson design - provide opportunities for kids to listen to oral reading or a taped presentation. ask questions and form group discussions to get these kids talking. encourage dramatic presentations or role - plays. always read aloud any * characteristics - kelly is a kinesthetic learner. she sits at the front of a group so she can touch the object of the lesson. in a line, kelly is frequently told to " keep your hands to yourself! " kinesthetic learners enjoy touching or doing things. these children aren ' t attentive to visual or auditory presentations and so seem distracted. kin


- about us - sw climate february 2012 la nina drought tracker february 08, 2012 / vol. 2 / issue 3 / drought tracker / a publication by climas after a wet december, more typical, dry la nina conditions returned in january. across arizona and new mexico precipitation generally was less than 50 percent of average, with large swaths of both states experiencing less than 25 percent of average ( top figure ). most of the west also experienced scant rain and snow, including the mountains of the upper colorado river basin, where about 70 percent of the water in the colorado river originates. in many la nina winters, the impacts of dry conditions are minimized by average or above - average snow in these mountains, which was the case last winter. this year, however, storms have been pushed farther north than typical by a dome of high - pressure off the northwestern coast. the pacific northwest, for example, which typically bares the brunt of winter storms during la nina, was exceptionally dry for most of december and january. warm conditions also accompanied january ’ s scarce precipitation. january temperatures were between 2 and 6 degrees f above average ( supplemental figure 1 ), which helped drive a precipitous decline in mountain snow. most of the country also experienced unseasonably mild temperatures, and many scientists point to the arctic oscillation ( ao ) as part of the cause. the ao describes changes in surface pressure in and around the arctic ( supplemental figure 2 ) that intensify or slacken the winds circulating the polar regions. in the positive phase of the ao, fierce winds prevent the frigid air from flowing south, while the reverse occurs during the negative phase. up until mid - january this winter, the ao was positive ( supplemental figure 3 ). historically, the confluence of a positive ao and la nina tends to bring warmer conditions to the southwest ( supplemental figure 4 ), jiving with temperatures in the region in the past month. the ao recently switched to negative and may help bring colder conditions in coming weeks ; the ao was negative during february 2011, when several cold snaps froze the region. drought conditions are still widespread and extend into mexico ( supplement figure 5 ). the soggy december spurred only minimal drought improvements because wet conditions did not persist. with a recent return of dry weather, moderate drought expanded in arizona by about 13 percent since january 3, most notably in central arizona ( bottom figure ). abnormally dry conditions or a more severe drought category currently cover more than 92 percent of both arizona and new mexico. forecasts


weather, moderate drought expanded in arizona by about 13 percent since january 3, most notably in central arizona ( bottom figure ). abnormally dry conditions or a more severe drought category currently cover more than 92 percent of both arizona and new mexico. forecasts also suggest la nina will continue through the february – april period ( supplemental figure 6 ), likely bringing more dry weather. source : national resources conservation service - the amount of water contained in the snowpack, or snow water equivalent ( swe ), was largely below average in arizona and new mexico on february 6 ( left ) ; swe in southern mountains dropped by more than 50 percent from one month ago. - winter storms were few and far between in the upper colorado and rio grande basins in january. as of february 8, swe in these basins were reporting less than 80 percent of average ( supplemental figure 7 ). - early streamflow forecasts suggest only a 50 percent chance that the april – june flow into lake powell will be above 64 percent of average ( supplemental figure 8 ) ; streamflow forecasts progressively become more accurate as the winter advances. - the precipitation outlook for february – april calls for increased chances for below - average precipitation in all of arizona and new mexico ( right ). odds for below - average precipitation are 50 – 60 percent in the southern tier of arizona and new mexico ( right ). there is greater than a 40 percent chance for below - average precipitation in all of arizona and new mexico for the february – april period. - the february – april outlook calls for increased odds of above - average temperature in all of arizona and new mexico ; odds for above - average temperatures are greater than 40 percent in all of new mexico and in eastern arizona ( supplemental figure 9 ). la nina conditions were present 16 times between 1950 and 2008. in this period, precipitation during the february – april period was often 0. 2 – 2. 7 inches below average in most of arizona and northern new mexico ; central arizona experienced the most precipitation deficits ( supplemental figure 10 ). two inches is about 25 percent of the total winter precipitation in many areas. - the seasonal drought outlook calls for drought to persist or intensify in all of the southwest during the february – april period ( supplemental figure 11 ). this forecast is influenced by expectations for below - average precipitation and the continuation of la nina. - a looping jet stream, which often accompanies la nina events, combined with a negative arctic oscillation that allows cold polar air to waft south, could begin to ferry colder air