Datasets:

ohsuz

/

fineweb-edu-2024-10-from-6M-to-7M

like 0

Rule of law cannot exist without an effective justice system. But for many people around the world, access to justice is elusive. The newly published Disparities, Vulnerability, and Harnessing Data for People-Centered Justice: WJP Justice Data Graphical Report Part II examines global access to justice trends. This report is the second in a series released this year. The first report looked at country-level data on the justice gap and barriers people face in their justice journeys. In Part II, WJP research looks at how gender and wealth status influence disparities in access to justice and where informal and alternative dispute resolution mechanisms are being used around the world. The report covers 134 countries using information from the WJP Global Needs Survey and the General Population Poll. KEY FINDINGS ON GENDER While gender is not a determining factor in whether someone is more likely to face a legal problem generally, evidence shows that the type of legal problem faced does often depend on gender and gender inequality in a particular country. In countries where women do not have the same socioeconomic opportunities as men (i.e., countries with high levels of gender inequality), women are far less likely to experience legal issues related to employment, money and debt, and land and property than men. But in three-quarters of the countries surveyed, women were more likely to experience family-related legal issues, regardless of gender inequality level. The data shows that women are less likely to solve their legal problems than men and they face greater burdens due to their legal problems. One reason for this is women frequently lack official documents, like proof of housing, land tenure, or identity. As a result, women are more often denied their legal rights. KEY FINDINGS ON WEALTH INEQUALITY The new report shows that people living in poverty experience more legal problems than those who are better off in 70% of countries surveyed. Additionally, economic status affects a person’s ability to access justice – whether through formal legal processes or otherwise. Like women, people living in poverty experience are more likely to lack proof of housing or land tenure. Such is the case in almost all the countries surveyed (94%). Finally, people who live in poverty frequently suffer greater hardships as the result of their legal problems than people who are not living in poverty. The report shows that these include health issues, economic difficulties, and relationship issues. PEOPLE-CENTERED APPROACH NEEDED This data tells us the scope of the global access to justice problem, but how can these barriers be overcome? Alternative dispute resolution (ADR) and informal justice mechanisms may be one solution for those encountering barriers to formal justice institutions. Results from the 2023 WJP Rule of Law Index show that the effectiveness of civil and criminal justice systems continues to decline globally. This suggests the need for new and innovative people-centered approaches to advancing justice. Further facilitation and analysis of effective people-centered policies will require a collaborative, multi-stakeholder effort.

Steady beat, or pulse, is essential to successful music performance and appreciation. It underpins everything in music and without it we cannot develop our musical skills. However that’s not all. Researchers have found a link between the ability to feel a steady beat and success in reading and speech development. In a Kodály-inspired classroom we are developing and practising steady beat from the very start using songs, rhymes and most importantly movement. One of my favourites is Cobbler Cobbler. A simple and fun song with a solid game to help all children develop this essential skill.

William McEwan, 1827-1913 Brewer and politician, Scotland William McEwan established the Fountain Brewery in 1856, and McEwans remains the best-known of Scottish beers. He entered parliament in 1886, and made major bequests to the National Gallery of Scotland and the University of Edinburgh. He was Deputy Lieutenant of Edinburgh for 30 years, but declined the offer of a title. Thomas Ewing, Jr., 1829-1896 General, lawyer and politician, USA Ewing resigned as Chief Justice of Kansas to raise a cavalry regiment for the Civil War; reaching the rank of Major General in 1865. He declined President Andrew Johnson's offers to become Secretary of War and Attorney General. After serving two terms in Congress from 1877-81, he returned to legal practice. Sir William MacEwen, 1848-1924 William MacEwen was a pioneer of modern brain surgery, bone grafts and hernia treatment. Among other honours, he was knighted for his contribution to medicine in 1902. MacEwen’s sign is a sign used to help to diagnose hydrocephalus and brain abscesses. Sir James Alfred Ewing, 1855-1935 Physicist and engineer, Scotland James Ewing held professorships at Tokyo, Dundee and Cambridge. He developed a new type of seismometer and coined the term hysteresis. From 1903 he was Director of Naval Education, and served as head of Royal Navy intelligence during the First World War. He became Vice-Chancellor of Edinburgh University in 1916 and was knighted in 1911. Walter MacEwen, 1860-1943 Walter MacEwen worked mainly in Europe, being one of the founders of the art colony at Egmond, Holland, keeping studios both there and in Paris. He was awarded the Order of St. Michael of Bavaria and the Order of Leopold II of Belgium in 1909. He was made a Chevalier of the French Legion d'Honneur and an Officier in 1908. James Ewing, 1866-1943 James Ewing helped to found three funds for cancer research, including the American Association for Cancer Research and the American Cancer Society. In 1908 he was president of the Harvey Society. He was an early proponent of radiation therapy, and discovered the malignant bone tumour known as Ewing’s sarcoma. John Blackwood McEwen, 1868-1948 John Blackwood McEwen studied at the Royal Academy of Music. He is best known for compositions on Scottish themes. He invented the term “inflected speech” to describe his version of sprechgesang. His work is still played by orchestras, and his Symphony in A minor premiered in 2008. He cofounded the Society of British Composers in 1905 and was knighted in 1931. Sir Alexander Malcolm MacEwen, 1875-1941 Provost of Inverness from 1925-31, Alexander MacEwan went on to lead the new Scottish Party in 1932. After its merger with the National Party of Scotland in 1934, he became the first leader of the new Scottish National Party (SNP) 1934–1936. He was knighted in 1932. His father was R. S. T. MacEwen, author of several articles about the clan which were collected posthumously as Clan Ewen : Some Records of its History. Sir John McEwen, 1894-1962 Elected to the House of Commons in 1931, he served as Under-Secretary of State for Scotland from 1939-40, and as a Lord of the Treasury from 1942-4. He was created baronet of Marchmont in 1953. John McEwen, 1900-1980 “Black Jack” McEwen was elected to the Australian House of Representatives in 1934, becoming a government minister in 1949. As Minister for Trade and Industry, he pursued a policy dubbed McEwenism, of high tariff protection for the manufacturing industry. He went on to serve as caretaker Prime Minister for three weeks 1967-68. He was made a Companion of Honour in 1969, and was knighted in 1971. Dr. J.W. Grant MacEwan, 1902-2000 Agriculturalist and politician, Canada Grant MacEwan was professor, later Head of Animal Husbandry at the University of Saskatchewan 1928-1946. He was Mayor of Calgary from 1963-5, and Lieutenant-Governor of Alberta 1966–1974. After his ‘retirement’ in 1974, he concentrated on writing books often about figures from Canadian history. Canon Sydney MacEwan, 1908-1990 Singer and priest, Scotland Sydney MacEwan began recording in 1934 while studying at the Royal Academy of Music in London, and was soon touring the world. In 1944, he took up the priesthood, but continued to tour as a singer until 1956. He used his earnings to help fund the building of St Columba's Cathedral in Oban, and the RC church at Lochgilphead on Loch Fyne. Ewen McEwen, 1916-1993 Born in Paraguay, Ewen McEwen claimed descent through MacEwan of Muckley. In 1942, he was a founding officer of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (R.E.M.E.), specialising in tank design. In peacetime he became Professor of Agricultural Engineering at Durham University (1947-54), before taking a succession of top posts in engineering. In 1976, he was appointed President of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.

Hostas, named after the noted Austrian botanist Nicholas Thomas Host, are perennially growing herbaceous plants, which are very popular as garden plants, especially cultivated for their excellent foliage. However, being herbaceous, these plants wither away during the winter months. At other times of the year, hostas provide us with a blend of pleasures and practicalities. The vast range of dissimilar shapes, hues and textures of the hostas plants as well as the different ways of using them provides great excitement. On the other hand, the particularities are derived from the truth that these are exceptionally "sensible" plants. These plants can be utilized to provide the strength of character to the borders in the gardens all through the seasons. Moreover, their growth is so dense that they provide excellent ground cover in places in the shade. Compared to many other plants, hostas do not have a big genus. In fact, this genus comprises roughly 40 species. Then again, several thousand, probably innumerable, cultivars of hostas are in existence, which have been raised in Japan and America. These plants have their origin in eastern Asia - ranging from China to Japan and Korea. Basically, hostas are native to forest lands and they have a preference for growing in light shade. What is amazing about hostas is that these plants grow equally well in moist, marshy lands as well as in extremely arid conditions. 100% natural formula for all your skin problems. Excellent for diabetics. The size of hostas varies greatly. These plants may be tiny, not growing above a few inches in height, to being huge clumps that are about two feet in height - if you include their flowers, the height increases. An individual hosta plant forms dome-like foliage and as the plant matures the foliage spreads, making the dome broader. When you plant hostas in very close vicinity, the individual plants merge to develop into an unbroken and effectual ground cover. Almost all people who cultivate hostas grow them especially for the plants' foliage. The shape of the leaves of hostas also differs considerably - from being slender and thin to some leaves being more or less round in shape. The surface of these leaves is pleated closely, which creates a light and shade play. The margins of hostas leaves also vary - while some are flat, there are others that are crimped. Even the texture of the leaves can be different - from glossy to unexciting. The color variation of the plants is also wonderful. However, the assortment of colors is comparatively restricted. As is the case with all plant foliages, the fundamental element is green - the variety of greens is vast, ranging from pale green to deep green. On the other hand, the leaves' textures have an effect on these colors - for instance, a glossy deep green leaf is somewhat dissimilar to a dull dark green. The best, 100% natural daily treatment to keep your nails in tip-top shape. The hue of the leaves is completely changed due to the white and cream and yellow and gold impact of the foliage. All of a sudden the leaves seem to become livelier. However, the green color is never lost and it continues to linger in the background. This is good for the plant, for in the absence of the green hue of the leaves, it would be impossible for the plants to photosynthesize as well as produce their food. The green leaves of the main plants either have a white or yellow margin. Sometimes, the green itself forms the margin, while the color variation is in the middle. In fact, the variegation may be even or asymmetrical. The leaves are seldom splattered with uneven splashes. At times, the color of the entire leaf is yellow or gold. However, some green is always present in these colors. Even when the leaves unfold as a chaste color, they soon have a green tinge. The hosta leaves only have a genuine color break when they have a blue pigment, which is actually greenish blue, but after all it is blue. While the green leaves may sometimes be glaucous - coated with some kind of delicate grey colored powder, this is most prominent on the leaves that have a bluish tinge. This makes the leaves even more attractive. An advanced, 100% natural revitalizer that will keep your skin glowing and looking young. In their excitement for the plants' foliage, people often overlook the flowers of hostas. In fact, some cultivators even cut off the flowers. Nevertheless, the hosta flowers are extremely beautiful part of the plant. The stems of these plants generally do not have any leaves and they appear well past the foliage. Each of these stems produces a set of pendulous flowers, which resemble those of lily. The color of hostas flowers differs - ranging from white and lilac to somewhat deep blue. When grown in shady or dark locations, the plants do not produce enough or very attractive flowers. However, they flower well when cultivated in partial shade. The flowers' light tinge denotes that they are prominent and beautiful, while several other flowers peter out into the obscure background. The plants start producing flowers from the middle of the summer. Hostas add a lot of value to your gardens. Besides all other things, these plants just look attractive and adjust in various ways with other plants, for instance, roses, tulips and irises. In addition, they also provide a valuable and eye-catching ground cover. They also contribute wonderfully to gardens in other ways - for instance, hostas are wonderful plants for growing in shaded conditions. You may grow them under the shade of trees or in an open shade next to north walls. Many people often ignore one aspect of hostas - these plants grow very well in containers and pots. While the pots and containers may be set in full sunlight outdoors, provided you are watering the plants well, hostas are best suited for growing in shady conditions, especially when it is problematic to find any other suitable plants to grow in containers in such places. You may grow hostas in clumps in the borders of your garden for several years, but then it becomes essential to repot the plants grown in containers once in three to four years. Doing this will help to maintain the fresh appearance of the plants and also check the plants from being pot bound. It is very easy to cultivate hostas. These plants thrive excellently in damp forest land soil, especially soils that contain lots of properly decomposed organic substances. Therefore, it is best to treat the entire border with such compost. However, if the compost is not available in sufficient amounts, you may just treat the spot just about the plants. It has been found that hostas grow most excellently in light shade, but you can also grow these plants in places receiving complete sunlight. However, if you are growing hostas in full sunlight, it is essential to ensure that the soil remains moist, as these plants can endure drought better when grown in shade. Growing hostas in light shade has another advantage. For instance, when the plants are grown under the light shade of trees or shrubs, they are protected from frosts and hail. While this aspect may appear to be insignificant, this may become a very important issue in places that are troubled by summer storms, because they can shred the foliage in a few seconds ruining the plants' entire show. Even strong winds may prove to be a major problem, particularly if they are carrying enough sea salt. The over-hanging shrubs and trees are useful for hostas, as they provide protection to the plants. However, when grown in extreme conditions, it may be essential to provide the plants with additional windbreak. The ideal time for planting hostas is in the fall, when the soil is sufficiently warm to help the roots get established. Alternatively, you may also plant hostas during the spring, when things are just beginning to warm up. While planting hostas outdoors, you should ensure that the plants are planted to the depth that they were in while growing in the pots. Subsequent to the planting, water the hostas properly and also mulch the plants with a view to conserve the moisture in the soil. Ensure that you water the plants every day and, if needed, continue watering daily for about a week or till the plants get established in the new environment. Although growing hostas is easy, many growers are often confronted with a serious problem - infestation of snails and slugs. These are so harmful for hosts that they can destroy the attractive look of any hosta just overnight. Therefore, it is advisable that you go out with a torch in the garden at night and collect as many snails and slugs to reduce their population. People who do not grow the plants organically or use chemicals can get rid of slugs more easily - in fact, this way you can surely get rid of the slugs and ensure complete protection to the foliage. In addition to these methods, growers are advised to adopt various other conventional means to get rid of slugs and snails, including encircling the plants with girt or ashes. However, it has not been found to be very effective in deterring the obstinate slugs. There are some other problems that trouble many people growing hostas. For instance, a frost occurring late or after the last predicted date may ruin the emerging leaves and make them turn mush. When this occurs, the plants generally do not recuperate until the subsequent year. Therefore, this problem can only be solved by closely watching the frost dates and covering the plants using sheets, old blankets, fleece, towels or any other thing you may have to protect the plants. Growing hostas under the shade of shrubs and trees may shield the plants to some extent, but even in this case severe frosts will continue to pose a serious problem. If you are growing hostas in cold regions, it may be necessary to provide the plants with general protection during the winter months. Precisely speaking, hostas are indigenous to the East, especially Japan. When the Westerners first discovered this herbaceous plant, they were somewhat unclear about placing this species correctly in the plant kingdom. A botanist as well as a physician with the Dutch East India Company, Englebert Kaempfer (1651-1715) is said to be the first Westerner to discover a hosta. According to available documents, he was certainly the first Westerner to draw as well as describe the plant. Dr Kaempfer named these plants in the complex or discursive and pre-Linnaean approach. He named one plant as Joksan, vulgo gibbooshi Gladiolus Plantagenis folio (which when translated into English means "the common or regular hosta plant having leaves resembling those of plantains"). He named another plant just Gibbooshi altera (which means "the other hosta"). Carl Thunberg (1743-1828), another botanist and physician employed with the Dutch East India Company and deputed in Japan, rechristened the plants later in the prevailing new Linnaean binomial approach. He named one hosta plant Aletris japonica, and in 1784, he re-classified the plant to the genus Hemerocallis. It was Leopold Trattinick (1761-1848), an Austrian botanist, who was the first to propose the generic name Hosta in 1812. The species has been named after Nicholas Thomas Host (1761-1834), to homer this Austrian botanist. Host authored the book "Flora Austriaca" and did remarkable work on grasses. He was also the royal physician to the Emperor Frances II. Subsequently, German botanist and physician Kurt Sprengel proposed another generic name for the species - Funkia, which was eventually discard as being illegal. Nevertheless, this generic name of the plant passed into several European languages as hostas' common name. In the meantime, the plant itself began arriving in the West. H. plantaginea was the first species that reached Europe. In fact, the French consul based in Macao shipped the seeds of this species to the Paris-based Jardin des Plantes sometime between 1784 and 1789. Soon, thousands of plants of this hosta species, which was initially known as Hemerocallis plantaginea, were grown in several public gardens in France. H. ventricosa, another Chinese hosta species, also reached France soon. Primarily, hostas began arriving in the West approximately four decades after. Actually, Philipp von Siebold (1791-1866), who was one of the many botanists and doctors working in Japan, was responsible for the influx of this plant in the West. In 1829, his maiden shipment of hostas from Japan reached Europe. Soon other well-known plant collectors including Robert Fortune (1813-1880) and the American botanist Thomas Hogg Jr. (1819-1892) also started shipping Japanese hostas to Europe. It is interesting to note that even to this day many people continue to introduce hostas from the country of their origin to the West. In 1985, the US National Arboretum mounted an expedition to bring back two new hosta species - H. jonesii and H. yingeri, from Korea.

On this day in history, 31st May 1577, Sir Martin Frobisher set sail with his fleet from Harwich, England, to Frobisher Bay, Canada. By 31st August 1578, Frobisher and his men had mined 1370 tons of ore, which was loaded onto the ships to take back to England. Unfortunately, no gold or other precious metal was found in the ore. But who was Sir Martin Frobisher? Sir Martin Frobisher was a privateer, explorer and naval commander who was born around 1535. He was born in Altofts, near Normanton, West Yorkshire, and was the son of Bernard Frobisher and Margaret Yorke. After his mother's death he was sent to live with Sir John Yorke, a relative of his mother's, in London. Yorke was a merchant adventurer. Frobisher took part in a voyage to Guinea in 1553 which Yorke had invested in and which was led by Thomas Wyndham. He acted as assistant to John Beryn, Yorke's factor. A fever wiped out over two-thirds of the crew, including Wyndham, but Beryn and Frobisher survived. In 1554, Frobisher took part in a voyage to Guinea led by John Lok and ended up being taken into custody by the Portuguese and being held by them for 2-3 years. In 1559, Frobisher commanded a voyage to Barbary and following that he became a privateer. He was imprisoned in 1563 in Launceston gaol after being involved, with his brother John, in the capture of the "Katherine", a Spanish ship, but was released in 1564. In 1565, the brothers set off on board the "May Flower" bound for Guinea to trade, but were apprehended on suspicion of piracy and imprisoned. Frobisher was free by October 1566 when Cardinal Châtillon issued him with letters of reprisal, i.e. a licence to attack and capture enemy vessels, to attack French Catholic ships supported by the Guises. Unfortunately, Frobisher didn't just attack these ships and so was arrested in the summer of 1569 and imprisoned, first at Fleet and then in Marshalsea. He was released following the intervention of Lord Admiral Edward Fiennes de Clinton and William Cecil. What Frobisher is known for is his three voyages to the New World in search of the Northwest Passage. In 1574, Frobisher and Michael Lok, a merchant adventurer and the London agent of the Russia Company, set about planning a voyage to find the "Strait of Anian", a northwest passage to the Far East, known as Cathay. They set out on 12th June 1576, with Frobisher as commander, after getting the necessary patent from the Russia Company and backing from members of Elizabeth I's privy council, like Ambrose Dudley, Earl of Warwick. Their party consisted of the "Gabriel" and "Michael", 2 small barks, and a 7 ton pinnace. They lost the pinnace in a storm in the Davis Strait, which lies between mid-western Greenland and Canada's Baffin Island, and the "Michael" was forced to turn back, but Frobisher carried on in the "Gabriel" until a falling out with some Inuits, and the abduction of five Englishmen by the Inuits, combined with bad weather forced Frobisher to return home to England. Frobisher's second voyage left England on 31st May 1577. Along with the "Gabriel" and Michael", Frobisher had the "Ayde", a former Royal Navy ship provided by Queen Elizabeth I, and 150 men. This time, the aim was not to find the passage but, instead, to find ore. Christopher Hall, master of the "Gabriel", had found some black ore on what became known as Little Hall's Island on the last voyage and so the plan was to mine for. Nothing was found when the part inspected Little Hall's Island but 160 tons were mined from what became known as the Countess of Warwick Mine, on Kodlunarn Island, in Frobisher Bay. They then returned to England. The hope of finding gold and the need to set up a colony led to a third voyage leaving on 3rd June 1578. This time, Frobisher had a fleet of fifteen ships. The party landed briefly at "Friesland", the southern tip of Greenland, before heading on to the Countess of Warwick Island. What should have been a short journey took four weeks, due to storms, fog and icebergs, and Frobisher's Oxford DNB biographer, James McDermott, notes that it was during this treacherous journey that "elements of Frobisher's fleet became the first English ships to enter what is now Hudson Strait". They finally made it to the island and were able to mine 1370 tons of ore to take back to England. Unfortunately, nothing of value was found in the ore and the colony failed. The enterprise, with all its debts, ground to a halt and Frobisher fell from favour. Frobisher did nothing of note until 1585 when, having managed to get back in royal favour, he was appointed as vice-admiral to Sir Francis Drake for his raiding of Spanish ports and ships in the West Indies. In 1587, he was the commander of a small fleet in the English channel and in April 1588, having been deemed to be one of "those which I think the world doth judge to be men of greatest experience that this realm hath" by Lord Admiral Howard, he was given command of the "Triumph", one of Elizabeth I's navy's four "great ships" against the Spanish Armada. James McDermott writes: "At dawn on 23 July the Triumph and five armed merchantmen were separated from the rest of the English fleet off Portland Bill. Frobisher appears to have intended this. Attacked by the four galliasses of the Armada (probably the best-armed Spanish ships, and highly manoeuvrable in the calm waters of that morning) he conducted a master class in close-in fighting—supposedly the galliasses' forte—which had them fighting in turn for their own survival. Eventually ‘rescued’ by other English ships, Frobisher had in fact achieved the first tactical victory over vessels of the Armada since Drake's seizure of the Rosario two nights earlier." The following day, Lord Admiral Howard chose Frobisher as one of four commanders of the English fleet which had been divided into four squadrons. Frobisher attempted an attack on the "San Martin", the Spanish flagship. Things looked back when a change in wind direction led to the "Triumph" and two other English ships being isolated and then attacked by the Spanish fleet, but another change in the wind and the skills of the English sailors led to them safely returning to the rest of the squadron. Frobisher was knighted the next day on the "Ark Royal", the English flagship. The "Triumph" was also involved in the Battle of Gravelines on 29th July. Frobisher's service in Elizabeth I's navy meant that he became one of the queen's most trusted officers. Later campaigns and voyages included command of squadrons in the Atlantic, with the aim of intercepting and disrupting Spanish trade, and command of the fleet that took Sir John Norreys and the English army to Brittany in 1594. Frobisher was injured in hand-to-hand combat on 7th November 1594 when he led a force against the fortress's main gate at the Siege of Fort Crozon. The injury he sustained was a pistol wound to the thigh. On 22nd November 1594, shortly after the English fleet landed at Plymouth, Frobisher died of gangrene. His entrails were buried at St Andrew's Church, Plymouth, and his body was taken back to London and buried at St Giles-without-Cripplegate. Trivia: Frobisher Bay in Nunavut, Canada, is named after him. Notes and Sources - McDermott, James. “Frobisher, Sir Martin (1535?–1594).” James McDermott In Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, edited by H. C. G. Matthew and Brian Harrison. Oxford: OUP, 2004. Online ed., edited by David Cannadine, May 2015.

What Are the Steps in the Water Treatment Process? There’s nothing quite as refreshing as sipping clean, fresh water from a crisp mountain spring, but unfortunately this usually only happens in bottled water commercials. For most homeowners, the only way to get crisp, good-tasting tap water at home is with a water purifier. But how exactly do purifiers work? Read on to learn about the four main steps in the water purification process, also known as the water treatment process. Step One – Screening The first step in the water treatment process includes straining water through metal screens. This is typically done at the source of the water intake. Step Two – Coagulation/flocculation After the initial screening, a coagulant (thickener) is added and the water is mixed rapidly. The water is then slowed, which allows the particles to come together in clumps known as “flocs.” Step Three – Filtration Next, the water is transmitted through a filter made of materials such as sand, gravel, charcoal, or anthracite. This step of the process helps to remove any remaining particles or microscopic organisms. Step Four – Disinfection After filtration, the water is disinfected using chloramines, which are a combination of chlorine and ammonia. This step of the process helps protect the water by killing any bacteria that remain. Also, during this phase, fluoride is often added to promote good dental health. Contact Us Today To learn more about the steps in the water treatment process, and how a home water filtration system can help dramatically improve the quality of the tap water at your Nashville-area home, contact the home improvement experts at American Home Design. We’ve proudly served homeowners throughout Tennessee and beyond since 1977 and would love to add you to our long list of satisfied customers.

- Methods to Measure Hemoglobin A1c - Erythrocyte Production - Ethnicity and Hemoglobin Variants - Chemically Modified Hemoglobin - Altered Rate of Glycation Click to enlarge the table. Many factors exist that may affect a patient's A1c. When A1c and self monitoring blood glucose (SMBG) results do not correlate, it is especially important to consider these patient-specific factors. The 2015 American Diabetes Association (ADA) Standards of Care state that discrepancies between a patient's A1c and SMBG levels should warrant exploration of the reasons for these discrepancies. Considerations should include testing method, hemoglobinopathies, conditions affecting red blood cell turnover, chemically modified hemoglobin, altered rates of glycation, race, and age. If a healthcare provider decides A1c is unreliable in a particular patient, alternative strategies for assessment of glycemic control should include more frequent or different timing of SMBG and continued glucose monitoring, as recommended by the ADA. In addition, clinicians can consider evaluation of fructosamine, glycolated albumin, and 1,5-AG; however, there are no consensus guidelines for their use. Limitations of A1c Interpretation (Free registration to the site is needed)

Attachments are important because human beings are social beings; therefore, they have to form connections (Firestone, 2013). How someone interacts as a child with parents or guardians greatly affects the way they view romantic relationships. Those who grow up in secure environments, where they are appreciated and loved easily form secure attachments, while those who are neglected might form fearful avoidant associations. Some people are closed off, so they form a dismissive type of attachment. Someone whose attachment style is secure is more content in his/her relationships, compared to other people. When their child is reviewed, it is found that they had secure relationships with their parents where they felt wanted and were able to interact and communicate freely. A person who is secure will find their partner as their support base. Alternatively, they are the support base for their partners. In case they have a problem, they go to their partners and express themselves, and they receive the support they need. On occasion, their partner has a problem, they can easily be approached and the problem sorted out (Miron, Rauscher, Reyes, Gavel, & Lechner, 2012). A secure partner is not restrictive, that is, they trust their partner enough to allow them to move and interact freely with people in their environment, irrespective of their presence. The bond they share is real where their partner fulfils all dimensions of their needs. Anything they do is done with consideration as to how their partner would feel- if it jeopardizes the relationship or strengthens it. This type of attachment is good because people with secure attachments tend to have longer and more secure relationships. - Excellent quality - 100% Turnitin-safe - Affordable prices The second type of attachment is the anxious or preoccupied type. A person who exhibits this can be described as insecure and rarely do they form real bonds. More times than not, they are always desperate to form a type of bond that foregoes acts of real love and opts for a habitual form of connecting, as a way to find reassurance from their partners. Anxious attachment makes people unhappy with whom they are, and as a result, they will always look up to their partner to complete and complement them. While it is human to seek reassurance from a spouse, these people go to extremes when looking for attention, and some of their actions might push their better half off the edge. On an event, this person feels insecure about their spouse’s feelings or feels unsafe; they will become clingy or possessive- especially if their position is threatened. They can easily make the partner to cut off any social relationships since they feel like once he/she starts socializing more; he/she will meet someone better (Gilbert, et al., 2014). People with this type of attachment do not last long in relationships because the partner eventually gets tired and moves on, or if both of them are insecure, the relationship could be disastrous. Thirdly, there is the fearful avoidant type of attachment. As children, people who exhibit this type of attachment were neglected by their parents or guardians, and therefore they grow up not forming any bond with anyone. As adults, they are always too afraid to form any meaningful relationship therefore in relationships; they always have one foot in, and one foot out. Such a person is undecided, that is, they are hot and cold; sometimes they form a really close bond, and sometimes they are detached. They are the type that thinks having feelings is a type of weakness, therefore; they try to keep them buried, which is an impossible task. To them, a relationship is a job where to get your needs met, you have to interact with people, but if you stay too close to people, you will get hurt. These romantic relationships are usually rocky and turbulent because of the pent-up feelings, which can become overwhelming. It is very easy for such a person to end up in an abusive relationship because he/she does not know how to express themselves and may cling on to their partner when they feel rejected or feel trapped when in a relationship (Miron, Rauscher, Reyes, Gavel, & Lechner, 2012). Lastly, there is the dismissive avoidant type of attachment. People with this type of attachment are the hardest to get through because they can completely shut off their emotions. Contrary to common belief, they too have emotions, and crave or form attachments, but prefer not to show it. When in a relationship, they prefer to keep their emotions to themselves, and this can be very frustrating to their partners. Sometimes they might come off as self-centered because they tend to live an inward life, but that is just the way they take care of themselves. On some occasions, they might seem to love their pets and show more emotions towards them than their partners. However, every human being needs to connect with another human being. Therefore, their pseudo-dependence is a façade. They deny their partners the chance to know them at a deeper level. Such people always have emotional and psychological walls which are hard to break. In times of crisis, or arguments, they can remain uncreative and simply choose not to care about the situation. In conclusion, attachment styles play a very important role in the way a person views and act in a relationship. The best form of attachment is the secure type because one is content has complete trust in themselves or their partners. People who do not have this type of attachment can get a partner who is secure and work to better themselves. Dismissive attachment is dangerous because one can easily turn abusive because he/she does not relate to their partner’s feelings. The fearful avoidant type is also not the best form of attachment because such a person might easily be abused in a relationship because of the need to feel loved. Lastly, the insecure form of connection is bad because it tries out the other partner who constantly has to complement and reassure. It is also unhealthy because it has the potential to turn out abusive. - Firestone, L. (2013, July 30). How your attachment style impacts your relationship. Retrieved Sep 9, 2017, from Psychology Today: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/compassion-matters/201307/how-your-attachment-style-impacts-your-relationship - Gilbert, L. R., Dewall, N., Haak, E. A., Widiger, T., Blinco, S., & Keller, P. S. (2014). Narcissism in romantic relationships: a dydic perspective. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology,, 25-50. - Miron, A. M., Rauscher, F. H., Reyes, A., Gavel, D., & Lechner, K. K. (2012). Full-dimensionality of relating in romantic relationships. Journals of Relationships Research, 67-80. - Noyes, Yoo1, S. H., & E., S. (2015). Recognition of facial expressions of negative emotions in romantic relationships. Nonverbal Behav, 1-12.

For nearly 200 years, soft drinks have been part of our lifestyle. In those two centuries, our world has changed dramatically, yet surprisingly, many of today’s soft drinks are the same as the first ones enjoyed in the 1800s. The essence of soft drink production is the creation of a flavored syrup. Each brand has its own proprietary recipe and, as you would expect, each is a closely-guarded company secret. The syrup is mixed with purified water and then carbonated by adding carbon dioxide gas under pressure. This carbonation creates the "tingly fizz" that gives soft drinks a refreshing taste. The ingredients used in soft drinks are approved and closely regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Soft drink production starts with a pure source of water. Regular soft drinks contain 90% water, while diet soft drinks contain up to 99% water. Drinking water often contains trace amounts of various elements that affect its taste. Bottlers use sophisticated filtering and other treatment equipment to remove any residual impurities and to standardize the water used in soft drinks. That's why your favorite soft drink tastes the same in everywhere you go. A colorless and odorless gas, carbon dioxide is the essential characterizing ingredient in all “carbonated” beverages. It is given off when we breathe and is used by plants to When dissolved in water, carbon dioxide imparts a unique taste. For that reason natural sources of carbonated or effervescent mineral waters were once highly prized. These rare mineral waters were also believed to have beneficial medicinal properties. Efforts to make and sell "artificial effervescent mineral water" were well underway in Europe and the U.S. by 1800. It was the innovative step of adding flavors to these popular “soda waters” that gave birth to the soft drink beverages we enjoy today. In the early days of soft drink manufacturing, carbon dioxide was made from sodium salts. This is why carbonated beverages were called “sodas” or “soda water.” Today, bottlers buy pure carbon dioxide as a compressed gas in high-pressure cylinders. Carbon dioxide gas is absorbed into the flavored soft drink in a carbonator machine just before the container is sealed. While under pressure and chilled, the soft drink may absorb up to four times the beverage volume of carbon dioxide. When you open a soft drink bottle or can, the "pop" you hear and the “fizz” you see is the rapid escape of carbon dioxide gas caused by the sudden release of pressure on the beverage. Natural flavors in soft drinks come from spices, natural extracts and oils. Fruit-flavored soft drinks such as orange and lemon-lime often contain natural fruit extracts. Other flavors such as root beer and ginger ale contain flavorings made from herbs and spices. There are also some artificial or man-made flavorings used in soft drinks. Nature just doesn’t produce enough of some flavors to satisfy world demand. Most soft drink bottlers mix many individual flavors to create distinctive tastes. Also, some natural flavors are limited geographically and seasonally.. Believe it or not, color is very important to taste perception. Color affects our psychological impression of food. If you don' believe it, try eating a familiar food in the dark. The colors used in foods and beverages come from both natural and synthetic sources. Caffeine is a substance that occurs naturally in more than 60 plants including coffee beans, tea leaves, kola nuts and coca beans. In some cases, small amounts of caffeine are added to soft drinks as part of the flavor profile. The amount of caffeine in a soft drink is only a fraction of that found in an equal amount of coffee or tea. Caffeine has a classic bitter taste that enhances other flavors. It has been part of cola- and pepper-type beverages since they were first formulated more than 100 years ago and has been enjoyed in coffee, tea and chocolate beverages for centuries. Even though some people feel the effects of caffeine are harmful, scientific research has refuted these claims. The long history of caffeine's use confirms that it is safe when consumed in moderation. For people who wish to restrict their caffeine intake, many caffeine-free soft drinks are available. Similar to fruit juices and many other food products, most soft drinks are slightly acidic. Acidulants add a pleasant tartness to soft drinks and act as a preservative. Some soft drinks contain a small amount of one or two common food acidulants – phosphoric acid and citric acid. Occasionally, other acidulants such as malic acid or tartaric acid are also used. Soft drinks do not normally spoil because of their acidity and carbonation. However, storage conditions and storage time can affect taste and flavor. For this reason, some soft drinks contain small amounts of preservatives that are commonly used in many foods. A freshness date is listed on many soft drink cans, letting you know that for the best taste, drink by that date. Potassium is another essential nutrient found in many natural and man-made food ingredients. Like sodium, potassium exists naturally in drinking water and, therefore, soft drinks. Small amounts of potassium are also found in some of the flavoring agents and other ingredients used in soft drinks. With terms like “soda pop” and “soda water”, many people falsely believe that carbonated beverages contain significant amounts of sodium. Not true. Sodium, in the form of various salts, is present in many natural and man-made compounds. It is an essential mineral nutrient responsible for regulating and transferring body fluids, as well as other important body functions. Although an adequate daily intake of sodium is necessary for good health, excessive consumption has been tied to high blood pressure in some people. Soft drinks are not significant sources of sodium in the diet. In fact, the local drinking water supply used in making soft drinks contributes most or all of the sodium. Small amounts of sodium in some soft drinks can also come from other ingredients. Soft drinks are classified by FDA as “low” or “very low” sodium foods. Even people who are advised to restrict their intake of sodium by their doctor can usually drink and enjoy soft drinks with their doctor’s approval. Sodium-free soft drinks are also available. Non-Diet Soft Drinks Most regular (non-diet) soft drinks are sweetened with either sucrose or high fructose corn syrup, (HFCS). A mixture of these sweeteners may also be used. Sucrose, the familiar sweetener in your sugar bowl, comes from sugarcane or sugar beets. HFCS is a newer and more convenient liquid sweetener, similar to sucrose but made from corn. It is now used in many prepared foods. With either, the amount of sweetener in a soft drink ranges from 7 to 14%, about the same amount as a glass of pineapple or orange juice. Both sucrose and HFCS are easily digested carbohydrates, and carbohydrates are an important part of the diet. They provide calories, which are the source of energy for the body. Sometimes thought to be more fattening than other foods sugar actually contains the same number of calories by weight as protein (4 calories/gram), and less than half the calories of fat (9 calories/gram). Sugars also contain far fewer calories than alcohol (7 calories/gram). Diet Soft Drinks Diet soft drinks are made possible by the intensely sweet substances we refer to as “diet” or “low calorie” sweeteners. While only two sweeteners, aspartame and saccharin, are approved for use in soft drinks today, this is an active area of food research. New diet sweetener innovations are expected in the near future. One such sweetener is Acesulfame-K. After many years of scientific testing, aspartame was first approved for use in some foods in 1981, and for soft drinks in 1983. It has been reviewed and approved, not only by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), but also by the governments of more than 60 countries and the World Health Organization. Aspartame is a “nutritive”sweetener, meaning it is easily digested and provides calories. However, its sweetening power is so great that the tiny amount needed to sweeten a soft drink adds less than one calorie per 12-ounce can. Soft drink companies use slightly different amounts of aspartame in various flavor recipes. Most diet soft drinks are sweetened with aspartame alone, but some many contain a blend of aspartame and saccharin. If aspartame is the only sweetener used, about 15 milligrams per ounce of beverage is added. As other diet sweeteners become available, more sweetener blends are likely to be used. Discovered more than 100 years ago, saccharin is the only non-caloric diet sweetener currently approved for soft drink use in the U.S. Saccharin has many desirable properties that make it a valuable food ingredient. It is extremely sweet – about 300 times sweeter than sugar – and contributes no calories. It is stable in foods and is metabolically inert, which means that it goes through the body without changing. Finally, it is relatively inexpensive. Because of some concerns raised in the late 1970s, labels are required on all products containing saccharin. It is now generally accepted by scientists that there is no risk in consuming saccharin. The many years of saccharin use demonstrate not only its popularity with soft drink manufacturers, but also with consumers. A variety of alternative high-intensity sweeteners are in the developmental stages, or are under review by FDA. Several new diet sweeteners may appear on the U.S. market in the near future. By choosing from a variety of different sweeteners, manufacturers can blend sweeteners to match beverage formulations and better appeal to all consumer tastes and preferences. Acesulfame-K, under the brand name of “Sunette,” is an example of a new diet sweetener recently approved for certain food uses, but not yet for soft drinks. A number of other fascinating low-calorie sweeteners are currently undergoing safety evaluations for future use. Some examples are sucralose, a derivative of sucrose that is 600 times sweeter than sucrose, and alitame, a compound similar to aspartame that is remarkably 2,000 times sweeter than sucrose. Also, various naturally occurring plant derivatives, such as stevia and thaumatin, are being considered as potential sweeteners. Packaging is a very important part of the soft drink industry. Packaging and Recycling Since 1989, soft drink container recycling has risen from 48.7 percent to more than 60 percent — a 23 percent increase. Nearly 48 billion soft drink containers were recycled in 1995. Soft drink containers account for less than 1 percent of the U.S. solid waste stream. Although beverage containers account for less than 20 percent of materials collected in most curbside programs, they generate up to 73 percent of total scrap revenue. Packaging innovations have lightened the weight of soft drink containers by an average of 30 percent since 1972. Nearly 78 percent of soft drinks are packaged, while the remaining 22 percent are dispensed from fountains. In 1995, 62.6 billion soft drinks were packaged in cans, 16.8 billion were packaged in PET bottles, and 3.6 billion were packaged in glass bottles. In 1995, the retail sale of soft drinks totaled more than $52 billion. In 1995, Americans consumed over 51 gallons of soft drinks per capita, a total of more than 13 billion gallons. Soft drinks account for more than 27 percent of Americans' beverage consumption. Ninety-five percent of Americans regularly consume soft drinks. The U.S. market includes nearly 450 different soft drinks. Vending machine crime costs the soft drink industry an estimated $100 million annually. Approximately 500 bottlers operate across the United States. Modern bottling plants can produce more than 2,000 soft drinks per minute on each line of operation. The soft drink industry uses more than 10 billion gallons of water in soft drinks every year.

While out on a walk, a young man called Fahd Qash from Saudi Arabia came across something peculiar. While walking near a wetland, he came upon a dead eagle with a tracking device fastened to it. Qash was intrigued when he discovered the GPS tracker had an email address printed on it. The gadget was attached to the eagle in Kazakhstan as part of a study on Steppe eagle flight routes. This eagle was one of 20 that had been followed since 2018, and the resulting map of their movements is breathtaking. Surprisingly, they all appear to avoid flying over water, since the Caspian Sea, Red Sea, and Persian Gulf are all devoid of their tracks. Previously, some news agencies reported that the flight route was for one eagle over the span of 20 years, however experts have pointed out that this is almost impossible. For starters, the OrniTrack gadget that the eagle is wearing was not available 20 years ago, and the battery life is far too short. Despite this initial misreading of the study, the map still contains a lot of important information. For one thing, it appears to imply that the eagles follow a distinct aerial roadway during their winter trip. As one commentator pointed out, there would be enough of drinking water on the steppes, eliminating the need to fly across the sea to hydrate. Some traces appear to suddenly end, indicating that some of the eagles, such as the one discovered, perished and ceased travelling. A 2012 research by the organisation British Birds found that eagles can fly up to 220 miles (355 km) in one day and are continually on the move between migrating, nesting, and wintering. In Saudi Arabia, a dead eagle with a GPS tracker was discovered, and when the owner was contacted, the findings were pretty surprising. This map shows the migration routes of 20 eagles that were tracked over the course of one year. h/t: [Bored Panda]

Do your migraines come like clockwork? Do they occur either just before or after your period? During women’s reproductive years, migraine is three times more common than in men of a similar age. Migraine is a predominantly female disorder. Women, compared with men, have a 1-year migraine prevalence nearly 3-times higher and a lifetime incidence more than 2-times higher. Prior to puberty migraines are reported to affect both sexes equally. Migraine in women usually start after menarche and then occur more frequently in the days just before or during menstruation, and often reduce or even disappear during pregnancy and menopause. This hormonal relationship with migraine also extends to include the oral contraceptive pill (OCP) and hormone replacement therapy (HRT). The affect may be positive or negative, depending on several factors, but nethertheless this further confirms the relationship between migraine and female hormones in some female sufferers. So, why do female hormones have this effect for some? To understand the effect of hormones you need to understand the cause. Migraines are known to be a neurological problem and widely believed to be a sensory processing problem. Whilst there is growing evidence that this may be caused by specific changes in the brain, particularly the mid brain, it is known that a significant contributor for many people is dysfunction in the trigeminovascular pathway. This pathway takes sensory information from the face, eyes, ears, teeth and jaw and uses it to assess potential risks to your life. Because of this importance the pathway is hard wired into your flight or flight responses, the stress areas of the brain. In addition, the same nerve also takes input from blood vessels and the coverings around the brain. When this system gets wound up, inflammation occurs at the nerve endings releasing various chemicals, such as CGRP, which sensitize the system. The result for many is the natural beating of arteries in the brain is felt leading to a throbbing headache feeling. How do hormones effect this? There are specific female hormone receptor sites on the trigeminovascular system. It is proposed that when someone already has an irritated mid brain and trigeminovascular system with associated inflammation, female hormonal changes are enough to cause further irritation triggering a migraine. Which hormone affects you is very hard to establish. Estrogen can stimulate these receptors and we tend to see this with women who get migraines just prior to the period. If the change is due to progesterone changes or a significant drop in estrogen, we tend to see migraine occur after the period has started. The timing of menstrual migraines can tell us a lot about which hormone is causing your problems and what needs to be done about it. Diagnosing imbalances is critical to working out the best strategy to correcting migraines. A combined approach of reducing structural irritation on the midbrain and trigeminovascular system, balancing hormonal function and specific biochemical support seems to provide great relief for many people we see. Not sure where to start? Click here to organize an assessment with one of our highly trained team.

A complete monographic treatment of Pterostylis. Covers the historical background, classification, distribution, floral morphology, biology, ecology and phylogeny of Pterostylis. Many features are illustrated using line drawings and scanning electron micrographs. A total phylogenetic analysis based on morphological and DNA sequence data identifies 16 groups in two major lineages with Pterostylis. Detailed drawings are provided for the type species of each genus and a separate drawing shows a longitudinal section of a flower either of the type species or of a species representative of each genus. Contains a synopsis of the new interpretation of the subtribe Pterostylidinae. Complemented with colour plates.

Understanding and Applying the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle This blog entry was authored by SNAICC Secretariat of National Aboriginal & Islander Child Care. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle (ATSICPP) exists as a key measure to ensure connections with family, community, culture, and country are prioritised in legislation, policy and practice. It was founded on an intent of systemic change to counter embedded racism that caused the Stolen Generations by explicitly recognising the value of culture and the vital role of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, families and communities to participate in decisions about the safety and well-being of children. The ATSICPP aims to: - ensure an understanding that culture underpins and is integral to safety and wellbeing for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children is embedded in policy and practice; - recognise and protect the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, family members and communities in child welfare matters; - increase the level of self-determination of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in child welfare matters; and - reduce the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in child protection and out-of-home care systems. - SNAICC – National Voice for our Children has been working to analyse each state and territory’s current compliance with the ATSICPP as measured against the best-practice framework. This work has involved extensive consultation with our members and state peak bodies in order to reflect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community practice experience, and demands for better compliance with the ATSICPP. This work also provides an opportunity to engage with each state and territory’s child protection department in a way that instils a better understanding of the ATSICPP and affects change.As part of SNAICC’s role in supporting the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Working Group formed under the Third Three-Year Action Plan 2015-2018 of the National Framework for Protecting Australia’s Children 2009-2020, SNAICC has worked in partnership with the Working Group and other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leadership to develop a resource to guide the implementation of the ATSICPP. The National Framework is a long-term collaboration between Commonwealth, State and Territory Governments – endorsed by the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) in 2009 – and non-government organisations to promote and enhance the safety and wellbeing of Australia’s children. It is premised on a goal to introduce a public health model to keep children safe and well, focusing on providing the universal and targeted supports that will prevent children entering out-of-home care. Understanding and Applying the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle: A resource for legislation, policy, and program development provides a description of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle and definition of its five core and interconnected elements: prevention, partnership, placement, participation, and connection. To access the principle click here. Presented in a format that is easy to follow and absorb, the resource provides a detailed description of each of the five core elements of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle. The resource also details a best-practice approach to implementing the ATSICPP against the system elements of legislation, policy, programs, processes, and practice. In reviewing best practice to implementing the ATSICPP, the resource examines the intersectionality of the elements, outlining the critical requirement for holistic processes of reform to ensure each considered system (legislation, policy, programs, process and practice) aligns with the ATSICPP. Understanding and Applying the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle was launched in June 2017, being widely distributed and promoted, and has been well received by both policy makers and practitioners. SNAICC plans to develop future resources in this series, including: - Baseline analysis of the progress of States and Territories to implement the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle; and - a resource for child and family services practitioners on applying the five elements of the ATSICPP. SNAICC – National Voice for our Children is the national non-government peak body for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. We work for the fulfilment of the rights of our children, in particular to ensure their safety, development and wellbeing.

Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel and Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute in Australia make discovery which may change the future of heart attack treatment Most heart attack sufferers sustain some level of permanent damage to their heart muscle following a cardiac event. Heart attacks result when a blockage occurs in a vein leading to the heart, instantly causing muscle cells of the heart called cardiomyocytes to start dying. Unlike blood, hair and skin cells, the human heart does not know how to regenerate itself, and the damage is permanent. This may not be the case for much longer, however. Scientists from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel and the Victor Chang Institute in Australia have discovered a way to stimulate heart muscle cells to regenerate by as much as 45 percent. Capable of regenerating everything from a lost fin to a heart, researchers have long looked at the salamander and zebrafish with great interest in understanding the mechanism which makes them capable of heart regeneration. Unlike these unique creatures, the human heart’s ability to regenerate cells is controlled by the hormone neuregulin, which is blunted in infants about a week after birth, ceasing cardiomyocyte regeneration permanently. According to Prof. Richard Harvey of the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, “One thing they do is send their cardiomyocytes, or muscle cells, into a dormant state, which they then come out of to go into a proliferative state, which means they start dividing rapidly and replacing lost cardiomyocytes.” ‘There are various theories why the human heart cannot do that, one being that our more sophisticated immune system has come at a cost, and because human cardiomyocytes are in a deeper state of quiescence, that has made it very difficult to stimulate them to divide’, Harvey told The Guardian. However, recent research on mice has proven positive, showing that, at least in rodents, the regenerative barrier is indeed cross-able. By stimulating a neuregulin hormone pathway in the heart following a heart attack, the heart muscle cells divided, successfully recovering most of the heart muscle tissue in the studied mice. “This is such a significant finding that it will harness research activities in many labs around the world, and there will be much more attention now on how this neuregulin-response could be maximised,” Harvey said. The dream is that one day we will be able to regenerate heart tissue, much like a salamander can regrow a limb if it is bitten off by a predator. Just imagine if the heart could learn to regrow and heal itself. “We will now examine what else we can use, other than genes, to activate that pathway, and it could be that there are already drugs out there, used for other conditions and regarded as safe, that can trigger this response in humans.” Prof. Harvey projected that scientists should be able to determine whether or not these results are replicable in humans within five years of continued research. “The dream is that one day we will be able to regenerate heart tissue, much like a salamander can regrow a limb if it is bitten off by a predator. Just imagine if the heart could learn to regrow and heal itself. That would be the ultimate prize,” Harvey said in a statement from the researchers. The research, conducted at the Weizmann Institute of Science in collaboration with the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, was published in Nature Cell Biology.

Tamilnadu State Board Class 10 English E-mail Writing ♦ E-Mail Writing (Text Book Page No. 139-140) Short form of electronic mail, e-mail or email is information stored on a computer that is exchanged between two users over telecommunications. More plainly, e-mail is a message that may contain text, files, images, or other attachments sent through a network to a specified individual or group of individuals. Draft a Mail : 1. Suppose, you are Sneka. You are very much glad to hear the news of 3G mobile network. You want to share your feelings with your friend. Now write an email about 3G network. |Sub : Details of 3G mobile network. |My dear Karthik, Thanks for your email. You have heard that Bangladesh has been connected with 3G mobile network. It is great news for us! I am really thrilled to hear this news. I think you are also happy. Keep fine and in touch. Hope to see you very soon. 2. Write an e-mail to the General Manager of the Supermarket seeking permission to display the notice and requesting sponsorship for the event. |Sub : Teachers’ Day Celebration Teachers’ Day is around the corner and we, the residents of the South City Complex, would like to express our gratitude to our teachers by hosting a brief cultural program on 5th September between 5.00 p.m. to 7.00 p.m. There are about 25 teachers in our complex and we would be grateful if you allow us the use of the foyer in the Supermarket for the celebration. 3. The sanitary conditions of your locality are in bad shape. Write an email to the sanitary inspector in about 120 words. |Date: 7th March 2019 |From : <email@example.com> |To: sanitarydept @tn.nic.in |Sub: Insanitary conditions Let me bring to your kind notice the in sanitary conditions of Greater Chennai. Sanitary conditions of Urban are in a mess. There are no sweepers worth the name to clear the garbage that lies in heaps and mounds at almost all the places here. The drainages are blocked, water flows on the streets. No one can walk on the roads because of the foul smell coming from the mounds. People are careless and throw domestic waste in open space. This invites the attention of stray cattle, pigs and other animals. People do not make use of their dustbins. As a result, fear of the spread of diseases like cholera and gastroenteritis are possible. There is a great need of the regular visit by the sanitary dept officials. The officials should meet the residents to maintain hygienic conditions all around. 4. You have been gifted a new cell phone which is powered by solar energy. Write an e-mail to your friend describing the phone and all its exciting features. |Date: 7th March, 2019 |From : <firstname.lastname@example.org> |To : email@example.com |Sub : Cell Phone Powered by Solar Energy. I know we meet every day in school but I couldn’t wait till then to tell you this. I bought a solar-powered cell phone today. Air bell has launched this product very recently to promote usage of renewable sources of energy. Its widespread popularity lured me into buying this product. Itis very easy to recharge this cell as our tropical country experiences bright sunlight almost 10 months in a year. It is very handy. Efficient and appealing to the mass as it uses sun as a charger. So, poor people who don’t have access to electricity find it very economical. It also reduces risks of the danger which radiation poses to our sensory organs. Let’s meet up soon today so that I tell you more about its features.

If all the matter within the Universe is nothing more than the debris field of the Big Bang, then what caused the galaxies to form in the first place? I discussed what I believe to be part of the answer to this question in the previous post, finally concluding that Galaxies form at points where Universal Expansion causes spacetime to break down, cavitating into regions of non-flat spacetime. I call this process, Spacetime Cavitation. I submit that most galaxies form as regions of Spacetime Cavitation like this, and quite possibly, all of them. To fully grasp this concept requires that we no longer think of galaxies as collections of matter, but as regions of curved spacetime that happen to contain matter. Galaxies do not begin as regions of coalescing matter, but as regions of Spacetime Cavitation, which are otherwise largely empty when cavitation begins. In fact, this cavitation probably occurs most commonly in regions that are pristinely empty of matter, but I will touch more upon this in the future. As a level-set, the following assertions spell this concept out more succinctly: - Galaxies are large regions of curved spacetime. - Galaxies usually begin at points where Spacetime Cavitation occurs, which is generally caused by the stresses of Universal Expansion. If the matter within galaxies did not originate from the Big Bang, then where did it come from? This leads to the next important part of my hypotheses: I submit that matter forms as a byproduct of Spacetime Cavitation. We are used to thinking of E = mc2 in terms of mass/energy equivalence. The concept of conservation of mass/energy also comes into play here, which tells us that within a closed system, mass is neither created nor destroyed, but only changes state between matter and energy. I believe that this assertion is only partially correct. I submit that matter, whether in the state of mass or energy, has a counterpart within the realms of non-physical Spacetime, which surfaces during Spacetime Cavitation. When subjected to extreme cavitation, an applicable unit of Spacetime is converted into its physical counterpart (mass and/or energy). Said another way: Matter is a byproduct of Spacetime Cavitation. And, the physical product of this event is almost always hydrogen and/or radiation. This assertion meshes very well with the BBC News article about the Star-less Galaxy mentioned in the previous post (and I am compelled to mention again, that this expectation predated my discovery of the article). This star-less galaxy has form and structure - and even rotation - but contains no stars. It contains virtually nothing but hydrogen, the lightest element. If this hydrogen were floating in a region of typically flat, intergalactic space, it would almost certainly continue to do so forever, or until it came into contact with some other influencing factor such as another galaxy (highly unlikely), or simply dissipate. But, at some point in the incomprehensible future, this galaxy will begin to fill with stars, and those stars will pass through their life cycles to produce heavier elements, and within a billion years or so, it will have the appearance of a typical, visible young galaxy, full of incubating stars. These stars would have no chance of forming were it not that this body of hydrogen - by no coincidence - is located within a pre-existing galactic structure. To summarize; with respect to galaxy formation, hydrogen produced as a byproduct of Spacetime Cavitation, which lacks sufficient mass to coalesce into stars by reason of its own gravity when sparsely distributed, reacts to the Gravity Well within which it was produced, spiraling and coalescing to produce stars and other visible objects within galaxies - again, like bits of Styrofoam floating upon a whirlpool of water draining from a kitchen sink. Rather than thinking of the entire Universe as having a fixed amount of mass and energy, it is likely more accurate to think at galactic scales. Once a galaxy forms and matures to the point where Spacetime Cavitation abates, the galaxy will receive no more hydrogen to fuel its physical processes. This means that our current understanding of what galaxies are, should change slightly. Wikipedia defines a galaxy like this: A galaxy is a massive, gravitationally bound system that consists of stars and stellar remnants, an interstellar medium of gas and dust, and an important but poorly understood component tentatively dubbed dark matter. This definition is good, of course, but not entirely accurate. I submit the following definition: A galaxy is a large region of curved spacetime, which typically takes the shape of a spiral, and often contains matter such as stars, stellar remnants, and an interstellar medium of gas and dust. The typical lifecycle of a galaxy is as follows (actually, how galaxies may end their lives is not included here): - Galaxies first appear at points where Universal Expansion stresses the spacetime fabric to the point of cavitation; Spacetime Cavitation. - The region of spacetime where cavitation occurs generally, but not necessarily, responds by taking the shape of a rotating spiral. The non-flat shape of these spirals manifest as gravitation in much the same way that spacetime curvature resulting from the presence of mass also produces gravity. - Matter (usually hydrogen) produced as a byproduct of cavitation, responds to the gravitational influences of locally curved spacetime, naturally collecting within the trenches of the underlying spirals (the spiral arms), where it begins to coalesce into stars. As the stars continue to grow, they produce areas of increased spacetime curvature - localized Gravity Wells - that continue to accelerate their own formation and the birth of Solar Systems. - The birth of new galaxies, encompassing the initial Spacetime Cavitation event, production of matter, and continuing to the point where stars begin to form in earnest, typically spans a period of 200 million years. - Matter continues to follow the gravitational trail from the outer regions of galaxies to eventually form one or more black holes at their centers.

From Robert Louis Wilken, The First Thousand Years: At the end of the first century there were fewer than ten thousand Christians in the Roman Empire. The population at the time numbered some sixty million, which meant that Christians made up one hundredth of one percent, or 0.0017 percent according to the figures of a contemporary sociologist. By the year 200, the number may have increased to a little more than two hundred thousand, still a tiny minority, under one percent (0.36). By the year 250, however, the number had risen to more than a million, almost two percent of the population. The most striking figure, however, comes two generations later. By the year 300 Christians made up 10 percent of the population, approximately six million. All of these figures are estimates. Because there are no hard demographic data, they can be used only with other evidence. They show that in absolute numbers Christianity grew slowly at first, but the pace picked up in the third century, and if one were to draw a graph for the fourth century the line would mount in a steep upward curve. Christians could be found in all the major cities of the empire and in many smaller cities, and it was becoming apparent that Christianity was not a passing phenomenon. What is more, the Church attracted people from all walks of life and from all social classes, and its leaders were well educated, cultured, resourceful, and articulate.

© 2022 All rights reserved As the Texas population continues to grow, its need for basic infrastructure — highways, roads, rail lines, electric transmission lines, gas pipelines, water pipelines, and other public projects — will continue to grow. While some of this growth may be accommodated by updating existing infrastructure, new projects will be needed. If you own commercial, residential, industrial, or rural property, there is an increasing chance your property might be condemned. Eminent domain is the power of the state or federal government and private companies acting under government authority to condemn and force the sale of private property necessary for public use. This process is often called “condemnation,” and it can be a difficult experience for those who have their property taken away. However, eminent domain does serve an important public purpose. The government and private companies must follow very specific rules when exercising their condemnation powers, and they are often limited in how they can use the condemned property. If you are affected by eminent domain, it is important to understand your rights and what you can do to protect your interests. Chapter 21 of the Texas Property Code sets out the rules for eminent domain takings by the government and private entities authorized to exercise condemnation powers. The first step in any condemnation action is determining who will exercise their power of eminent domain – the government or a private company. The property code sets out specific government condemnation rules, requirements, and procedures for: Not all condemnation takings are equal. The government and private entities can condemn property for different types of uses, including: Statutory Takings are the most common type of government taking where the government takes property for a specific public use authorized by statute. Examples include condemnation for new highways and roadways, public utilities, or public schools. Condemnation for public use does not include condemnation for economic development purposes, such as creating new residential or commercial developments. While there are certain instances where an economic development taking may be allowed by statute, it is generally unconstitutional for government entities to condemn property solely for private profit or enhancement of tax revenues. Private companies must also comply with eminent domain statutes when exercising their condemnation powers. These takings may occur if a private company is authorized by statute to condemn property for public use, such as with electric transmission lines or gas pipelines. Regardless of who condemns your property, you are entitled to compensation for its taking. Just compensation includes not only the fair market value of the property but also damages for severance (loss in value to remaining property), relocation expenses, and lost business or loss of access to the property. If your property is subject to condemnation, it is important to understand your rights and protect them throughout the process. This can include negotiating a fair offer before filing, participating in hearings and assessing damages, consulting with experts, and appealing an unfair decision. At OAG, we have the experience and skills necessary to protect your interests throughout the eminent domain process. Contact us today for a consultation! The short answer is Yes. However, while the United States and Texas Constitutions provide for a government’s right to take land, there are specific requirements that must be met. While Texas land owners have every right to negotiate with a authorities without the help of an experienced team, it is not recommended. A group focused on law pertaining to eminent domain will know how best protect your interests during negotiations which could result in less than optimal compensation for what you are offering up front The government has the right to take private property for public use. This includes utility companies, counties and municipal governments amongst others; they can exercise “eminent domain” (the formal name) if it’s in the public interest or need. This means there are some limits on when this law applies! When the state of Texas takes your property through eminent domain, they must have a purpose for taking it. The most common reasons are transportation projects like highways and bridges; water/waste water construction such as dams or treatment plants (which also includes electricity generation); utility work that maintains power supply, and other similar projects.

Blue light emitted from screens can be damaging to eye health when excessive. To prevent these negative side effects of the modern world, follow our tips on how to protect your eyes from screens. With work from home becoming more and more common, we are spending more time in front of screens than ever before. With the relative modernity of blue-light-emitting devices like smartphones and computers, there is limited research concerning their effects. A few small studies have shown blue light exposure may cause photoreceptor and cell damage. On the other hand, research has also shown that blue-light exposure can have positive health impacts. The problem is that we are getting blue-light exposure in excessive amounts. Using digital devices for long periods of time often causes eyestrain. This can lead to headaches, sore and tired eyes, irritated and dry eyes, and even fatigued facial muscles. Overall, evidence suggests we should limit our screen time and protect our eyes when using screens. Excessive exposure to screens is especially harmful to your sleep. Because blue light emitted from screens is similar to the UV rays we get from the sun, your body interprets late-night screen exposure as daytime. This makes it difficult to fall asleep when the time comes, as your body may not release the melatonin needed to induce sleep. This can decrease your quality of sleep and alertness the next morning. It’s best to stay away from screens close to bedtime in order to improve your sleep schedule. Keep reading for our top tips on protecting your eyes from screens and blue light. 1. Get Blue-Light-Blocking Glasses One of the most effective ways to protect your eyes from blue-light exposure is by filtering out the blue light with blue-light-blocking lenses. These can even double as UV ray protection as well. There are loads of blue-light-blocking glasses on the market. Check these out on Amazon**. They are effective, durable, convenient and made sustainably. 2. Give Your Eyes a Break from Screens The American Academy of Ophthalmology recommends the 20/20/20 rule to reduce strain on your eyes when using screens. This is an especially important rule to keep in mind when working a full-time job at a computer. The 20/20/20 rule is simple. While using a blue-light device, look up every 20 minutes to focus on an object that is about 20 feet away. Focus on the object for about twenty seconds. This helps to regulate your eye focus so that your eyes are not consistently straining to focus on up-close work. When you have time, it’s even better to take a slightly longer break. Take a minute to stretch your legs and grab a snack every now and then. 3. Keep Your Eyes Moist As many of the negative impacts of eyestrain come from the lack of blinking we do when looking at screens for to long, it is highly beneficial to keep your eyes moist. You can do this by using artificial tear eye drops. This helps prevent dryness and irritation, especially. 4. Adjust Your Device Settings to Maximize Your Protection from Screens If you have to use screen devices a lot, especially for work, it is definitely worth editing your settings to protect your eye health and comfort. You can do this by adjusting the warmth of your screen and making it more yellow as opposed to blue. You can also take advantage of ambient lighting settings so that your device automatically adjusts to its surroundings. This way, you don’t expose your eyes to even higher amounts of blue light rays than necessary. Been studying for a long time? Check out: 9 Tips For How to Stay Focused While Studying 5. Put Devices Away Before Bed to Improve Your Sleep Of all the tips and tricks to fall asleep, one of the easiest is simply to put away your devices around bedtime. It’s best to cut out your screens about half an hour to an hour before bed. This includes your television, work laptop and smartphone. Set your alarm, put your phone on do not disturb, and do something to calm yourself down and let your body know that it is time to sleep. This may be taking a bath, reading a good book or having tea. Your body will thank you. 6. Keep Your Screens at a Distance When using screens throughout the day, try to be cognizant of how close they are to your face. You may have a bad habit of holding your phone right up to your eyes when in bed, or maybe you are squinting up close to your computer at work. It is best to keep your screens about an arm’s length away in order to reduce the intensity of the blue-light waves. If you have a hard time with this, you may want to consider changing your device settings so that writing is larger and images are clearer. 7. Work in a Brighter Space If you need to be at a computer for work during the day, an easy way to decrease your exposure to blue-light from screens is to simply move to a brighter workspace. Find the brightest room in your home or office and so that you can keep the brightness on your computer lower. On that note, make sure you are starting and ending your day early so that you don’t have to work later into the evening and past sunset, as this can lead to more strain on your eyes. 8. Reduce Screen-time Reducing screen time is the most obvious way to protect your eyes from blue-light exposure. While you probably can’t cut down on screen-time which is a part of your work, you sure can cut out unnecessary time spent binging television series and mindlessly scrolling through Tik Tok and Instagram. By cutting down on your screen-time on time-wasters like these, you can protect your eyes from blue light and make space for other activities in your life as well. Sign up for that book club or gym that you’ve always thought about joining. Your health will improve and you can make some friends along the way. - UVA vs. UVB Rays: How Are They Different? - Itchy Eyes: 5 Home Remedies, Causes, and How to Avoid - How to Improve Concentration: 10 Ways to Focus Better - Taking Time for Yourself: How to Make the Most of Your Me Time Do you like this post?

A potato fork is a utensil designed to make it easier to peel and mash potatoes. It features long tines that reach into the potato, allowing the user to make precise cuts with minimal mess. It can also be used to pick up potatoes, turn them over during cooking, or scoop out the mashed potatoes from the pot. In the past, potato forks were made from wood or metal, but nowadays, plastic and stainless steel forks are the most common. Potato forks can be found in most kitchenware shops and online stores. What is the difference between a pitchfork and a potato fork? The differences between a pitchfork and a potato fork are as follows: A pitchfork is a multi-pronged farming tool which is used to lift hay, straw and other loose material, such as manure. It usually consists of three to four metal tines, which are connected to a long wooden handle. Pitchforks can also be used for other farming activities, such as mucking and spreading hay. A potato fork, on the other hand, has a much smaller head than a pitchfork. It is designed to pick up potatoes without damaging the skin. The head of a potato fork is rounded and slightly curved in design, with three to four tines. Potato forks are often made of stainless steel or a similar material, to resist rust and corrosion. Although both tools have multiple tines, the main distinction is the size of the head, which allows the potato fork to be used for its intended purpose of potato harvesting. To further differentiate between the two, the potato fork is often referred to as a ‘pronged potato fork’ or a ‘digging fork’. How does the potato trick work? The potato trick is a classic trick that dates back to the late 1800s, and it is believed to have originated in Germany. It is an easy trick to perform, and all that is required is a potato. The performer shows the audience a potato, which they then cut into two roughly equal halves. They then cut away the skin of one half and set the other half skin-side down onto the table. They then proceed to make a hole in the center of this half, about the size of their index finger. Next, they place the cut off skin-side down on top of the other half, and place the index finger inside the hole. With the index finger firmly in place, the performer then applies pressure to the potato with their free hand, pressing it together. This pressure causes the potato to form a perfect seal and soon enough you can hear the suction as it suctions around the performer’s finger. At this point, the spectator is then instructed to pick up the sealed potato and try to separate the two halves without breaking it. To the spectator’s amazement, they soon realize that the potato is firmly sealed and cannot be pulled apart. It is only when the performer relieves the pressure that the potato can be separated. This trick has been used by magicians and performers for many years and has been enjoyed by many generations of audiences. It is a great visual trick that never fails to impress. What is the fork that farmers use? The fork that farmers use is a type of tool that is used both in agricultural and gardening contexts. It is an essential tool, used for a variety of purposes, but it is most commonly used for turning and aerating the soil, as well as for moving hay, mulch and other organic matter. The fork, sometimes known as a pitchfork, typically features two curved metal tines that are attached to a handle which can be made of wood or metal. Some forks have a third tine for scooping soil, and some may also have additional tines for more intensive processing. The size and shape of the handle, as well as the length and number of tines, varies between different types of farming forks, such as spading forks, manure forks and compost forks. Whether using it for gardening or farmwork, the fork is an important tool for different tasks and should be used with care to avoid any potential damage. What is the tool to dig potatoes? The tool to dig potatoes is a spade. A spade is a gardening tool with a flat, rectangular blade which is used for digging, moving soil, lifting turf, and other gardening activities. The spade is usually made of metal and has a handle. When digging potatoes, make sure the spade goes deep enough to get to the roots. A good tip is to angle the spade slightly forward, as this will make it easier to extract the potatoes. A shovel may also be used to some degree, as it has a wider and deeper blade than a spade, but it is not as efficient when it comes to well-defined individual potatoes. Always be sure to wear appropriate safety gear, such as gloves, and take breaks when needed. How exactly did a plow work? A plow is an agricultural implement used for turning over soil in preparation for planting and tilling. It typically consists of a metal blade attached to a handle and is used to break up soil, allowing it to be easily turned over. Depending on the size and design of the plow, it may also be used for cutting into the soil, digging furrows, and leveling the topsoil. The most basic plow design is a wooden beam with a metal blade at one end and a handle at the other. When pulled, the blade digs into the soil, turning it over and allowing it to be moved and worked with. In order to increase its effectiveness, the blade may be sharpened or curved to fit the terrain it’s being used in. The plow can also be adapted to work with a variety of livestock; its blade can be used to clear away clumps of dirt and vegetation as a horse, ox, or other draft animal pulls it along. Additionally, it may be fitted with wedges or other cutting edges to increase its power and efficiency. The plow’s versatility has made it an invaluable tool in agricultural endeavors for generations. It can be used to turn soil prior to planting, mixing in necessary nutrients and fertilizers, as well as providing an environment in which crops can grow. It can also be used to manage weeds, level the soil, and cultivate the land. What is a plow and how was it used? A plow is a tool used in agriculture to turn over and loosen soil in preparation for planting seeds or crops. It was an essential tool in early agricultural societies, allowing humans to cultivate land much more efficiently than relying on hand hoes. The earliest plows were most likely wooden or stone blades pulled by oxen or horses. These simple plows were used to cultivate relatively small plots of land. As farming technology advanced, several improvements were made which increased the efficiency of the plow and allowed for the production of greater quantities of crops over larger stretches of land. Later versions of the plow featured improved design with more durable and stronger materials such as iron and steel. The plowshare, the cutting edge at the bottom of the plow, was also improved upon by placing a hard, cast-iron point on the bottom. This helped break and churn the soil more efficiently. The first fully-assembled steel plow was patented by John Deere in 1837 and revolutionized North American farming practices. Today, plows are still commonly used in farming, though most versions are motorized and may employ GPS tracking or other technologies to ensure accuracy. They are also used in construction to excavate or clear land. Plows come in many sizes and varieties depending on the job they are being used for, with larger plows employed to cover larger areas of land.

As a technology charter school, students at Quest are familiar with and successful at using digital resources daily. In the elementary, students participate in weekly computer science courses that foster skills and knowledge in coding/programming, keyboarding, computer / online safety, and in the Google Suite. Additionally, as developmentally appropriate, they learn to research topics and use digital resources to gather and analyze data. As many of Quest’s materials and resources are electronic, educators are also tech savvy. Digital tools are used daily, including iPads, computers, smart TVs, and sound systems. Technology is integrated throughout the day as students access programs that were designed to help students develop skills on their individual levels and access content beyond that which is provided in whole group instruction.

Outside the Box: Deadly viruses are no match for plain, old soap — here’s the science behind it Why does soap work so well on the new coronavirus and, indeed, most viruses? Because it is a self-assembled nanoparticle in which the weakest link is the lipid (fatty) bilayer. That sounds scientific. Let me explain. Soap dissolves the fat membrane, and the virus falls apart like a house of cards and “dies,” or rather, it becomes inactive as viruses aren’t really alive. Viruses can be active outside the body for hours, even days. Disinfectants, or liquids, wipes, gels and creams containing alcohol (and soap) have a similar effect but are not as good as regular soap. Apart from alcohol and soap, antibacterial agents in those products don’t affect the virus structure much. Consequently, many antibacterial products are basically just an expensive version of soap in how they act on viruses. Soap is the best, but alcohol wipes are good when soap is not practical or handy, for example in office reception areas. Soap outcompetes the interactions between the virus and the skin surface, and the virus gets detached and falls apart like a house of cards. But why, exactly, is soap so good? To explain that, I will take you through a journey of supramolecular chemistry, nanoscience and virology. I will try to explain this in generic terms, which means leaving out special chemistry terms. (I must point out that, while I am an expert in supramolecular chemistry and the assembly of nanoparticles, I am not a virologist.) I have always been fascinated by viruses, as I see them as one of them most spectacular examples of how supramolecular chemistry and nanoscience converge. Most viruses consist of three key building blocks: RNA, proteins and lipids.The RNA is the viral genetic material — it is similar to DNA. The proteins have several roles, including breaking into the target cell, assisting with virus replication and basically being a key building block (like a brick in a house) in the virus structure. The lipids then form a coat around the virus, both for protection and to assist with its spread and cellular invasion. The RNA, proteins and lipids self-assemble to form the virus. Critically, there are no strong “covalent” bonds holding these units together. Instead, the viral self-assembly is based on weak “non-covalent” interactions between the proteins, RNA and lipids. Together, these act together like Velcro, so it is hard to break up the self-assembled viral particle. Still, we can do it — with soap! Most viruses, including the coronavirus, are between 50-200 nanometers — so they truly are nanoparticles. Nanoparticles have complex interactions with surfaces they are on; it’s the same with viruses. Skin, steel, timber, fabric, paint and porcelain are very different surfaces. When a virus invades a cell, the RNA “hijacks” the cellular machinery like a computer virus and forces the cell to make fresh copies of its own RNA and the various proteins that make up the virus. These new RNA and protein molecules self-assemble with lipids (readily present in the cell) to form new copies of the virus. That is, the virus does not photocopy itself; it makes copies of the building blocks, which then self-assemble into new viruses. All those new viruses eventually overwhelm the cell, and it dies or explodes, releasing viruses that then go on to infect more cells. In the lungs, viruses end up in the airways and mucous membranes. When you cough, or especially when you sneeze, tiny droplets from the airways can fly up to 30 feet. The larger ones are thought to be main coronavirus carriers, and they can go at least 7 feet. So, cover your coughs and sneezes! Skin is an ideal surface for viruses These tiny droplets end up on surfaces and dry out quickly. But the viruses are still active. What happens next is all about supramolecular chemistry and how self-assembled nanoparticles (like the viruses) interact with their environment. Now it is time to introduce a powerful supramolecular chemistry concept that effectively says: Similar molecules appear to interact more strongly with each other than dissimilar ones. Wood, fabric and skin interact fairly strongly with viruses. Contrast this with steel, porcelain and at least some plastics, such as Teflon. The surface structure also matters. The flatter the surface, the less the virus will “stick” to the surface. Rougher surfaces can actually pull the virus apart. So why are surfaces different? The virus is held together by a combination of hydrogen bonds (like those in water) and hydrophilic, or “fat-like,” interactions. The surface of fibers or wood, for instance, can form a lot of hydrogen bonds with the virus. In contrast, steel, porcelain or Teflon do not form much of a hydrogen bond with the virus. So the virus is not strongly bound to those surfaces and is quite stable. For how long does the virus stay active? It depends. The novel coronavirus is thought to stay active on favorable surfaces for hours, possibly a day. What makes the virus less stable? Moisture (“dissolves”), sunlight (UV light) and heat (molecular motions). The skin is an ideal surface for a virus. It is organic, of course, and the proteins and fatty acids in the dead cells on the surface interact with the virus through both hydrogen bonds and the “fat-like” hydrophilic interactions. So when you touch a steel surface with a virus particle on it, it will stick to your skin and, hence, get transferred on to your hands. But you are not (yet) infected. If you touch your face, though, the virus can get transferred. And now the virus is dangerously close to the airways and the mucus-type membranes in and around your mouth and eyes. So the virus can get in and — voila! — you are infected. That is, unless your immune system kills the virus. If the virus is on your hands, you can pass it on by shaking someone’s else hand. Kisses, well, that’s pretty obvious. It goes without saying that if someone sneezes in your face, you’re stuck. So how often do you touch your face? It turns out most people touch the face once every two to five minutes. So you’re at high risk once the virus gets on your hands, unless you wash off the active virus. So let’s try washing it off with plain water. It might just work. But water “only” competes with the strong “glue-like” interactions between the skin and virus via hydrogen bonds. The virus is sticky and may not budge. Water isn’t enough. Soap dissolves a virus’ structure Soapy water is totally different. Soap contains fat-like substances known as amphiphiles, some structurally similar to the lipids in the virus membrane. The soap molecules “compete” with the lipids in the virus membrane. That is more or less how soap also removes normal dirt of the skin (see graphic at the top of this article). The soap molecules also compete with a lot other non-covalent bonds that help the proteins, RNA and the lipids to stick together. The soap is effectively “dissolving” the glue that holds the virus together. Add to that all the water. The soap also outcompetes the interactions between the virus and the skin surface. Soon the virus gets detached and falls apart like a house of cards due to the combined action of the soap and water. Boom, the virus is gone! The skin is rough and wrinkly, which is why you need a fair amount of rubbing and soaking to ensure the soap reaches every nook and cranny on the skin surface that could be hiding active viruses. Alcohol-based products include all “disinfectants” and “antibacterial” products that contain a high share of alcohol solution, typically 60%-80% ethanol, sometimes with a bit of isopropanol, water and a bit of soap. Ethanol and other types of alcohol do not only readily form hydrogen bonds with the virus material but, as a solvent, are more lipophilic than water. Hence, alcohol does dissolve the lipid membrane and disrupt other supramolecular interactions in the virus. However, you need a fairly high concentration (maybe 60%-plus) of the alcohol to get a rapid dissolution of the virus. Vodka or whiskey (usually 40% ethanol) won’t dissolve the virus as quickly. Overall, alcohol is not as good as soap at this task. Nearly all antibacterial products contain alcohol and some soap, and that does help kill viruses. But some also include “active” bacterial killing agents, such as triclosan. Those, however, do basically nothing to the virus. Alcohol works — to a degree To sum up, viruses are almost like grease-nanoparticles. They can stay active for many hours on surfaces and then get picked up by touch. Then they get to our face and infect us because most of us touch our face frequently. Water is not effective alone in washing the virus off our hands. Alcohol-based products work better. But nothing beats soap — the virus detaches from the skin and falls apart readily in soapy water. Supramolecular chemistry and nanoscience tell us not only a lot about how the virus self-assembles into a functional, active menace, but also how we can beat viruses with something as simple as soap. The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network. The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you. The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.

Boyan Slat is a 21 year old student of aerospace engineering who has devised a large scale plan to clean up the oceans. The Netherlands (his place of birth) will be the first place of testing for the Ocean Cleanup’s project. As the name suggests, Ocean Cleanup (founded by Slat) is driven by the core intention of protecting and preserving the sea. Thier methods are particularly interesting, reversing the current methods of waste collection so that no ships are required to go out to sea. If the technology works as intended, floating barriers will collect plastic waste using the currents of the ocean, whilst marine life can freely swim underneath this net-free design. The device uses a conveyor belt 7,900 times faster than methods used at present, for just 3% of the cost. To ensure the durability and effectiveness of the design, a 100 meter barrier will be deployed 23 kilometers off the coast of the Netherlands. Although the contraption has been subject to ‘extensive computer modeling’ and ‘scale model testing’, this will be the first ‘real-life’ test. The main focus of the testing in the North Sea will be to monitor the motions of the ocean, paying particular attention to the natural waves and currents with the use of cameras and sensors. If all goes to plan, the project will move on to the next stage where a 6,560 ft barrier will be deployed in waters between Japan and South Korea, near the islands of Tsushima. This floating device will spend two years in the water, passively collecting garbage before it reaches the island where it will be deployed. Currently, Tsushima gets an astounding 35 cubic feet of ocean waste per each of the 34,000 residents on the island. Eventually, Ocean Cleanup hopes to implement a 62-mile-long system, floating somewhere between California and Hawaii. Their intention is to tackle the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a gyre made up of millions of tons of plastic debris. Such action is in dire need, with approximately 8 million tons of waste being dumped into the oceans every year. The test will be launched in the second quarter of 2016. Ask a question P.O. Box 131 3340 AC Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht Bolidt Innovation Center 3341 LW The Netherlands TEL +31 (0)78 684 54 44

Evaluators have a lot of jargon and in this video, I want to clarify some of it. Here you’ll learn the difference between summative evaluation, formative evaluation, and developmental evaluation. These three types of evaluation differ in their purpose for collecting and using data. You don’t need to know all the jargon related to the different types of program evaluation to improve your ability to use data. But, understanding the basics will not only increase your evaluation capacity / confidence, it will also give you the ability to communicate better with stakeholders and build a shared language. Having a clear understanding of the purpose of the sort of data you are collecting will help you focus on the type of data you should be collecting and the sorts of conversations you should be having when you are making sense of that data. The 3 types of evaluation each have their purpose. Clarifying your purpose is a key part of any evaluation process (even if you don’t know all the jargon). The biggest difference between formative vs summative is that in formative your purpose is to find areas to improve, while in summative you’re seeking to make a judgment. It’s easy to see the importance of formative evaluation because formative assessment strategies help us understand our processes and if we’re headed in the right direction. A lot of organizations spend more time doing a formative evaluation. Alternatively, real summative evaluation (i.e., when we’re making a final decision or judgment) is fairly rare. Developmental Evaluation is a better approach when we’re open to emerging ideas and pivoting to fit our community's needs. This goes beyond identifying improvements because we’re open to alternative approaches to achieving our outcomes. GET THE GUIDE ON MEANINGFUL DATA: http://bit.ly/DataGuide1 TWEET THIS VIDEO: https://ctt.ac/2HgKd

Woolshed Creek, near Mount Dutton 2010 Aquatic Ecosystem Condition Report - Dry in autumn and spring 2010. - Likely to be nutrient enriched when wet due to the surrounding land uses. - Riparian vegetation mostly consisted of introduced grasses and weeds under a canopy of native trees and shrubs. - Steep banks show some evidence of erosion from occasional high flows in this ephemeral stream. About the location Woolshed Creek is a small stream in Eyre Peninsula that rises on the western slopes of the Marble Range and drains in a south-westerly direction before discharging into an intermittent swamp near Mount Dutton Bay East. The major land uses are grazing and cropping, with small areas of native vegetation also present in the upper reaches. The monitoring site was located off Mena Road, about seven kilometres north-west of Wangary. The creek was given a Poor rating because the site showed evidence of major changes in ecosystem structure and moderate changes to the way the ecosystem functions. There was considerable evidence of human disturbance, including the widespread extent of agricultural development in the catchment and the poor aquatic habitats present within the creek. This creek was dry in both autumn and spring 2010, so macroinvertebrate and water quality data were not available for this site. The four metre wide channel was dominated by detritus and clay, with smaller amounts of silt, sand and gravel also present. There was no evidence that the surface sediments were lacking in oxygen. However, the creek would probably become anaerobic when wet due to the decomposition of the large amount of organic matter that is present in the sediments. There were no aquatic plants growing in the channel or on the banks. The only plants growing in the channel were terrestrial grasses and weeds, which indicates that the creek rarely holds water for any extended periods. The riparian zone consisted of introduced grasses and weeds under a well vegetated canopy of gum trees, acacias, sheoaks and pin cushions (Hakea). The surrounding vegetation at the site was cropping land and a few patches of native shrubland. Special environmental features Pressures and management responses |Livestock have direct access at the site and upstream in the catchment, causing sediment erosion and adding excessive nutrients (which leads to habitat disturbance, algal growth and aquatic weeds). The Eyre Peninsula NRM Board promotes managing land to improve water quality. This includes incentives for: |Limited natural riparian vegetation at the site and upstream in the catchment, providing minimal buffer protection from catchment landuses (reducing habitat quality). |Insufficient natural water flows (reducing ecological integrity). |The Eyre Peninsula NRM Board's water resources program regulates the diversion of water from priority catchments on Eyre Peninsula.

Software Development Lifecycle - the foundation of a successful software project. It is a structured approach to building, testing, deploying and maintaining high-quality software solutions. As technology continues to evolve at an unprecedented rate, it is more important than ever to understand and embrace the power of SDLC. There are the following stages of software development: Gathering Requirements: Determining the client's requirements and the project objective is the first step to a successful project. Remember that clear requirements lead to precise and targeted development. Design and Planning: Software structure is designed and suitable technologies are selected. Coding: This phase involves writing clean and quality code. Collaboration between programmers makes this phase more efficient and fun. Quality testing: No software is complete without thorough testing. Continuous testing helps identify and fix bugs, ensure functional accuracy, and improve overall software quality. Deployment: Once the provisioning has been tested, it's time to deploy the software solution. A well-defined deployment strategy and effective customer communication ensure a successful deployment. Technical Support: Software doesn't end with project delivery. By listening to customer feedback and regular maintenance to ensure the smooth running of the software.

For a description of legal training and a general background, see legal profession, legal education, and legal ethics. Articles that delineate the relationship of law to political structures are constitution; ideology; political party; and political system. For articles that discuss the importance of law regarding social justice and other social issues, see human rights; land reform; and social service. For an examination of comparative legal systems and the relationship of the law to the social sciences, see comparative law. For an analysis of the role of law in the administration of government, see administrative law. Jurimetrics is the formal application of quantitative methods, especially probability and statistics, to legal questions. The use of statistical methods in court cases and law review articles has grown massively in importance in the last few decades. Canon law (from Greek kanon, a ‘straight measuring rod, ruler’) is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical authority , for the government of a Christian organisation or church and its members. - These rules enable the translation of the will of the people into functioning democracies. - Civil procedure and criminal procedure concern the rules that courts must follow as a trial and appeals proceed. - The first specialist administrative court was the Conseil d’État set up in 1799, as Napoleon assumed power in France. Law professor and former United States Attorney General Edward H. Levi noted that the “basic pattern of legal reasoning is reasoning by example”—that is, reasoning by comparing outcomes in cases resolving similar legal questions. Supreme Court case regarding procedural efforts taken by a debt collection company to avoid errors, Justice Sotomayor cautioned that “legal reasoning is not a mechanical or strictly linear process”. California bail reform efforts coming up short, according to study by UCLA Law, Berkeley Law Glanville Williams said that the meaning of the word “Law News” depends on the context in which that word is used. He said that, for example, “early customary law” and “municipal law” were contexts where the word “law” had two different and irreconcilable meanings. Thurman Arnold said that it is obvious that it is impossible to define the word “law” and that it is also equally obvious that the struggle to define that word should not ever be abandoned. It is possible to take the view that there is no need to define the word “law” (e.g. “let’s forget about generalities and get down to cases”). Access leading legal scholars in policy and research, attend in-depth seminars and conferences/symposia by renowned experts, and learn from respected practitioners. Roman law was heavily influenced by Greek philosophy, but its detailed rules were developed by professional jurists and were highly sophisticated. In medieval England, royal courts developed a body of precedent which later became the common law. A Europe-wide Law Merchant was formed so that merchants could trade with common standards of practice rather than with the many splintered facets of local laws. The Law Merchant, a precursor to modern commercial law, emphasised the freedom to contract and alienability of property. Determining whether a federal court has subject matter jurisdiction over a non-class action case. Click on Copy Course and you’re all set to share your course with students. Understanding where you are in the procedural history of a case can help you better understand its disposition. Affirmative Action Isn’t Dead Yet — A Commentary by Justin Driver They constantly evolve in order to adapt to new technologies or science . Environmental law is increasingly important, especially in light of the Kyoto Protocol and the potential danger of climate change. Environmental protection also serves to penalise polluters within domestic legal systems. Torts can also involve intentional acts such as assault, battery or trespass. A better known tort is defamation, which occurs, for example, when a newspaper makes unsupportable allegations that damage a politician’s reputation. More infamous are economic torts, which form the basis of labour law in some countries by making trade unions liable for strikes, when statute does not provide immunity. Writing in the early 20th century, Max Weber believed that a definitive feature of a developed state had come to be its bureaucratic support.

Here is how we are taking steps to empower women It is proven with evidence that providing women with access and control over resources can break the cycle of poverty and end global hunger. According to the World Food Programme, “giving women farmers more resources could bring the number of hungry people in the world down by 100-150 million”. It is quite heartening that girls and women are reclaiming their rightful place in the social structure across the globe. Yet, deeply entrenched social stereotypes and biases are still prevalent in many communities leaving women and girls behind. The bias is all-pervasive right from access to education to having control of land resources to household decision-making including in matters of a woman’s personal choices. According to a report by the UN FAO, “compared with their male counterparts, female farmers in all regions control less land and livestock, make far less use of improved seed varieties and purchased inputs such as fertilizers, are much less likely to use credit or insurance, have lower education levels and are less likely to have access to extension services”. “Gender Equality Today for a Sustainable Tomorrow” “Gender Equality Today for a Sustainable Tomorrow” is the theme of the International Women’s Day (March 8). To mark the occasion, a statement by the UN Women said, “without gender equality today a sustainable future and an equal future remains beyond our reach”. Because of the central role women play in improving household level livelihood and food security situation, Rise Against Hunger India has made a conscious choice to make its programs women-centric. Here are some examples of how Rise Against Hunger India is promoting women’s empowerment: - In 2021, over 275,000 women and girls received Rise Against Hunger India’s dry, packaged meals. The proportion of women recipients has been above 50% in all the years. - Total 5,428 (about 65%) of the regular meal recipients are women and girls – means these many recipients are consuming Rise Against Hunger India meals on a daily basis. Out of these, nearly 75% of the meals are served as mid-day meals through partners who are running schools, hostels and other academic programs. Meals ensure that girls are able to complete their schooling and improve their chance of securing better livelihoods for themselves and their families. - Also, Rise Against Hunger India has established partnership with groups (such as Karnataka State Domestic Workers’ union, Sai Seva Sangh, Chaithanya Mahila Mandali, Stree Jagriti Samiti, Indira Vikas Prashiskhan Sansthan etc.) who work exclusively with women and girls. All of them are primary recipients of the food and nutrition support from Rise Against Hunger India. - As part of a special project in 2020, about 300 pregnant mothers received nutritious meals and other support for 9 months – this program ran through the COVID first phase and provided much-needed nutrition to mothers when they were facing serious economic hardship. - Women have been the primary stakeholders in the goat rearing project in Dhar District, Madhya Pradesh. Ten Pashu Sakhis (friends of the animals), who received specialized training on deworming, AI, treatment of goats are all women from the villages where the project was implemented. With the enhanced knowledge, training, tools, techniques, and knowhow, now they are able to take care of their goats and provide service to others around them. Their economic and social standing has gone up in the communities. - In the recently launched SAMBAL Initiative that aims to bring sustainable livelihood and food security in vulnerable households, women have been kept at the center. One of the four characteristics of SAMBAL is: all projects under this initiative must have women as the key decision makers and end recipients of the project outcomes (the other three being: increased production, increased income and increased/diversified consumption). These projects in the first phase had only women farmers as the primary project participants. - In late 2021, a special training-cum-production unit was launched to support 30 physically challenged women who produce leather bags and similar merchandize items to augment their income (average income increase estimated to be between 3000 to 6000 Rupees). - To provide relief during peak summer in Western Odisha, for 3 years consecutively women Self-Help Groups (SHGs) led an initiative to install and run water counters at common points where drinking water was not available in the vicinity. Women members ran these counters and supervised distribution of supplements provided by Rise Against Hunger India. These are some of the efforts Rise Against Hunger India has undertaken to keep women at the front and center of its field projects. Even in its official workforce, the balance is tilted in favor of women now. (One of the departments has 11 women staff out of total strength of 12 ). Social and cultural biases are still entrenched in all parts of the world. It should be everyone’s efforts to develop understanding and appreciation for the role women play in building strong societies. It can start with removing personal biases and gender-stereotypes. This Women’s Day, let us take the pledge to create a world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination; a world that is diverse, equitable, and inclusive. It is time to #BreakTheBias.

The delivery of safe drinking water plays a critical role in the viability, self-determination, and sustainability of First Nations remote communities. Water is core to life and has an important role in connection to Country. Outside of Australia’s capital cities, it can be particularly challenging to deliver water services to remote areas of the country – with incredibly varied landscapes, from desert to tropical savannah, often extreme and robust micro-climates, and the challenge of long transport times through tough terrain. These areas are, however, not empty, and to the members of many small First Nations communities, this is their Country, this is their home, it is not remote. |Many communities report concerns about their water supplies – with taste, smell, odour, contamination. This is backed up by evidence from various reputable health and epidemiological studies, plus water quality reports from utilities and service providers, which reveal that water quality issues are persistent and in some cases getting worse, in remote communities. |Delays in maintenance and poor customer service compound these issues, increasing the cost of living and leading to neglect. Communities report distrusting government, and that people in remote communities prefer to drink bottled water or soft drinks over tap water. Studies by the Productivity Commission (2021) and Infrastructure Australia (2021) have identified shortcomings in provision of services to remote communities, but there is a lack of available and consistent information. |Most of us take safe drinking water for granted; but as a number of reports have noted, Australia is falling short in its delivery of services to First Nations remote communities, as measured against the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 6: Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. Case Studies from the Closing the Water for People and Communities Gap report - Case Study 1: Looking back on the Blanchard Report - Case Study 2: Minimum levels of service - Case Study 3: Stakeholder consultations with Central Australian communities - Case Study 4: The struggle for good quality drinking water in Alpurrurulam - Case Study 5: Concerns over water quality in remote Queensland - Case Study 6: Kwatja Ngkama (Talking Water): a voice to First Nations peoples - Case Study 7: That’s My Water Bush Schools Program - Case Study 8; A successful Aboriginal engagement: the case of Borroloola - Case Study 9: SA Water – Building community resilience - Case Study 10: First Nations engagement and economic participation - Case Study 11: A novel partnership between Power and Water and Water Corporation - Case Study 12: A unique and novel approach to engagement - Case Study 13: The Torres Strait Region - Case Study 14: The story of Kuuku I’yu Northern Kaanju homelands - Case Study 15: Safe and Healthy Drinking Water in Indigenous Local Government Areas Program In 2021, WSAA commissioned Eric Vanweydeveld, who has spent many years working on water quality and First Nations engagement in the water industry, to research and… A review on the management of drinking water supplies in Indigenous remote communities around Australia The full report is available on the WSAA website here…

September 2, 2021 People’s Best Friend When you hear “service dog” what do you think of? I imagine a guide dog helping his owner safely navigate a busy intersection, or those ubiquitous plastic dogs in supermarkets accepting change to support Canadian Guide Dogs for the Blind. But in reality, service dogs fill many roles — some of which may surprise you. Hearing dogs assist people who are deaf or have auditory impairment. These dogs alert their owners to doorbells, fire alarms, smoke alarms, telephones, etc. Seizure alert dogs are not necessarily trained to detect oncoming seizures, but aid people with epilepsy by staying close to prevent injury, fetching medication and a telephone, notifying a caretaker, or activating an emergency call system. Peanut detection dogs can scan environments to alert a person with allergies about traces of peanuts, including sniffing foods, smelling any item entering the home such as library books or toys, and even scanning guests before they enter the house to ensure they are free of any trace of peanuts. The dogs can also perform those same safety checks out in the world. Autism service dogs help people diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder navigate uncontrollable triggers such as loud noises, large crowds, lighting and unfamiliar settings in general. The dogs also help with stress control and can bridge the gap between peers, allowing for greater opportunities for socialization. Service dogs can also help children learn responsibility, empathy, socialization and communication skills. Diabetic alert dogs are specifically trained to alert people with diabetes or their caretakers of oncoming hypoglycemic or hyperglycemic attacks by noticing the change in odour emitted by a diabetic individual. Search and rescue dogs aid police and other responders by searching and locating lost or missing people, as well as evidence. Mobility assistance dogs help people with mobility disorders, such as cerebral palsy, or stroke, by performing everyday tasks like opening and closing doors and lights or picking things up from the floor. PTSD service dogs lessen the impact of PTSD, by helping with daily physical tasks. The dog’s presence and companionship helps mitigate panic attacks, agoraphobia, flashbacks and grey outs, where those with PTSD lose track of where they are or what they were doing. COVID-19 detection dogs may prove to help control the pandemic. There are strong indications that canines can accurately identify COVID-19 infection and scan high-traffic environments such as airports and subway stations faster than conventional testing. September is National Service Dog Month. Let’s take a moment to appreciate how dogs make our community more accessible and help bring all of us a little closer together. President & CEO

Types of Research This brief analyzes the indicators used by the World Bank in its Project Appraisal Documents (PAD) to measure the outputs and outcomes of 44 Water, Sanitation and Hygiene projects in Africa and Asia from 2000-2010. This report details the methods used to collect and organize the indicators, and provides a brief analysis of the type of indicators used and their evolution over time. A searchable spreadsheet of the indicators used in this analysis accompanies this summary. We find that some patterns emerge over time, though none are very drastic. The most common group of indicators used by the World Bank are “management” oriented indicators (28% of indicators). Management indicators are disproportionately used in African projects as compared to projects in Asia. Several projects in Africa incorporate indicators relating to legal/regulatory/policy outcomes, while projects in Asia do not. In recent years, the World Bank has used fewer indicators that measure service delivery, health, and education and awareness. This brief summarizes the literature on caloric and lipid deficiencies and their contribution to nutritional outcomes, and identifies key studies and pieces of literature related to this topic. As part of the Crops & Climate Change series, this brief is presented in three parts: 1) An evaluation of the importance of wheat in SSA, based on production, net exports, and caloric need, 2) A novel analysis of historical and projected climate conditions in wheat-growing regions, followed by a summary of the agronomic and physiological vulnerability of wheat crops, 3) A summary of current resources dedicated to wheat, based on research and development investments and National Adaptation Programmes of Action. Overall, this analysis indicates that the importance of wheat as an imported product remains high throughout SSA, though food crop production and dependence is concentrated in a relatively small area. Wheat-growing regions throughout SSA are likely to face yield decreases as a result of predicted rises in temperatures and possible changes in precipitation. Resources intended to aid adaptation to climate change flow primarily from public sector research and development efforts, though country-level adaptation strategies have not prioritized wheat. As part of the Crops & Climate Change series, this brief is presented in three parts: 1) An evaluation of the importance of Sorghum and Millet in SSA, based on production, net exports, and caloric need, 2) A novel analysis of historical and projected climate conditions in Sorghum and Millet growing regions, followed by a summary of the agronomic and physiological vulnerability of Sorghum and Millet crops, 3) A summary of current resources dedicated to sorghum and millet, based on research and development investments and National Adaptation Programmes of Action. Our analysis indicates that sorghum and millets may become increasingly important in those areas of SSA predicted to become hotter and subject to more variable precipitation as a result of climate change. Although sorghum and millet are currently grown on marginal agricultural lands and consumed for subsistence by poorer population segments, climate change could render these drought- and heat-tolerant crops the most viable future cereal production option in some areas where other cereals are currently grown. Fewer international development resources are currently devoted to sorghum and millet than are devoted to other cereal grains, and current resource allocation may not reflect the increased reliance on these grains necessitated by projected climactic changes. Water supply and sanitation is the responsibility of sub-national state governments under the Indian Constitution. At present, the national government sets water supply and sanitation policy while states plan, design, and execute water supply schemes accordingly. Furthermore, while state governments are in charge of operation and maintenance, they may pass the responsibility to village or district levels. Given the highly decentralized provision of water and sanitation services, there is no autonomous regulatory agency for the water supply and sanitation sector in India at the state or national level. This report reviews literature on India’s urban sanitation policy. The methodology includes Google, Lexis-Nexis, and University of Washington Library searches, searches of two major Indian newspapers, and searches of websites and blogs sponsored by non-governmental organizations. Sources also include the India Sanitation Portal, a forum on sanitation in India used by governmental and nongovernmental organizations, and WASH Sanitation Updates, a sanitation news feed with considerable material on India. We find that urban sanitation policy, as embodied in the National Urban Sanitation Plan of 2008, remains focused on decentralized approaches. Our research reveals no evidence of a change in official policy, nor evidence suggesting that government sanitation programs conflict with official policy. Water is a critical input for significantly enhancing smallholder farmer productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) where less than 5% of farm land is irrigated, and in India where 42% of farm land is irrigated. For many years, donors have invested in human-powered treadle pump technologies as a point of entry for smallholder farmers unable to afford motorized pumps. In spite of some successes in treadle pump promotion, however, there is a widespread perception that as soon as smallholder farmers can afford to they quickly transition to motorized diesel- powered pumps. While diesel pumps substantially ease farmers’ workload, they pollute excessively (both in terms of local air quality and greenhouse gas emissions), pump excessive amounts of water, and put farmers at the mercy of cyclical spikes in fuel prices. This brief provides an overview of state-of-the-art alternative energy pumps, including technologies available and implementation lessons learned from China, India, Africa, South America and other regions. Through a literature review, written surveys and phone interviews with water pump producers and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) we evaluate the availability, affordability, and adoption rates of alternative energy technologies in developing countries. Our findings suggest that no single alternative energy water pumping system is a “silver bullet” for rural smallholder irrigation needs. Biofuels may prove a successful short- to intermediate-term solution for farmers who already have access to diesel pumps, but other problems associated with diesel engines, including high maintenance costs and excessive water use remain even when biofuels are used. Solar systems eliminate pollution almost entirely, reduce water consumption, and eliminate the need to purchase fuels. However solar systems are typically prohibitively expensive for smallholder farmers. Wind powered pumping solutions have not proven successful to date, with high costs and irregular wind patterns (either too little or too much wind) proving substantial barriers to widespread adoption. This presentation reviews and presents definitions and theories around incorporating sustainability into agricultural productivity. We review ecological, social, and economic sustainability and examine agricultural productivity through the lenses of nutrition, gender, environment, and climate change. The annotated bibliography identifies critical work from academic literature to aid in defining sustainable agricultural productivity. The methodology to generate these reports included searching the University of Washington Libraries system, Google Scholar, the University of Minnesota’s AgEcon Search, as well as the websites of the FAO, World Bank, and CGIAR. We also reviewed the most recent (2010) publications of the Handbook of Agricultural Economics and the Handbook of Development Economics. How development organizations, NGOs, and governments can best allocate scarce resources to those in need has long been debated. As opposed to universal allocation of resources, a more targeted approach attempts to minimize program costs while maximizing benefits among those with the greatest need or market opportunity. Drawing on literature from several sectors,this brief presents two categories of beneficiary targeting in the development context: administrative targeting and self-targeting. The paper includes a brief overview of targeting and segmentation in development, a summary of reasons for targeting, theoretical and practical critiques of targeting, and a discussion of targeting methods in research and practice, including examples from the literature. Implementation examples cited in this body of research include food aid program targeting by self-reported household income in Egypt; fertilizer use in low-potential zones of Uganda; and seven strategic initiatives to improve drought and disease resistance in crops in Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. We find that beneficiary segmentation has several theoretical advantages. Improved targeting may increase the efficiency and equity of organizational and program efforts and help better match interventions to recipient preferences, increasing the likelihood of adoption and participation. Development organizations may improve the focus of both their strategic priorities and budgets through customized targeting methods. However, concerns exist regarding the accuracy, reliability, cost, and time-constraints of targeting methodologies. Creating valid and reliable target groups with implementation potential remains a significant challenge. Researchers expect that agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) will experience major impacts from climate change, leaving the already food-insecure region subject to the largest contractions of agricultural incomes and food availability. As part of the Crops & Climate Change series, this brief presents an evaluation of the importance of maize in SSA, a novel analysis of historical and projected climate conditions in maize-growing regions, and a summary of current resources dedicated to maize adaptation. Overall, this analysis indicates that the importance of maize as a food crop remains high throughout SSA. Significant portions of maize-growing SSA will face climate conditions outside the range of country- and continent-level historical precedent. Rising temperatures and changes in precipitation are predicted, and reductions in maize yield and production will likely follow. Resources intended to aid adaptation to climate change flow primarily from public sector research and development efforts. Country-level adaptation strategies are often hampered by lack of funding and insufficient institutional capacity. Strategies for adaptation include improved agricultural practices and technology as well as infrastructure and program investments to absorb the impacts of climate change. Agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa is expected to experience major impacts from climate change, leaving the already food-insecure region subject to the largest contractions of agricultural incomes and food availability. As part of the Crops & Climate Change series, this brief presents an evaluation of the importance of rice in SSA, a novel analysis of historical and projected climate conditions in rice-growing regions in relation to rice's agronomic requirements, and a summary of current resources dedicated to rice. This three-pillared approach serves to identify gaps in resources dedicated to rice productivity in SSA in light of the crop’s resilience to projected changes in climate and increasing importance in the region’s food security. Overall, this analysis indicates that the importance of rice in SSA is increasing even as climate change is projected to have significant effects on the temperature in rice-growing regions. The current resources dedicated to rice research and dissemination of improved methods are insufficient to meet Africa’s rice production needs, and may not reflect the importance of the crop for the region’s food security under the future projected climate.

The Tragedy of the Commons: Balancing Individual Desires and Collective Well-being The Tragedy of the Commons stands as a famous lesson that continues to implement itself through time in the world of human behaviour and resource management. Imagine a pasture shared by a community of 4 men who all relied on the farm for food. Let us say this farm started off with a dozen chickens and they reproduce where for every 2, 1 chick would be added each day. In order for all the villagers to be able to preserve the number of chickens, each villager must only take 1 chicken each day. And if the villagers act on self-interest and take more than 1, the number of chickens, which is our common resource, will be depleted and the initial number will not be able to be revived. Further on, as one individual is acting out on self-interest, others will also seek to maximise their own gains. This results in hunger for the villagers, soil degradation and overgrazing. This is the Tragedy of the Commons. This tale captures a truth — the complex relationship between individual interests and the common good. This concept could be ridiculed as from first thought, you and I assume we would follow the said morally correct path of taking only 1 chicken a day. Yet we are heavily influenced by those around us especially those with more, which in turn fuels our greed. It may be in small doses but in the long-run the change would be prominent. Therefore, the Tragedy of the Commons is not just a concept; it’s a way through which we can understand the intricate link between self-interest and sustainability, and it urges us to explore solutions that lead us to balance the two key areas. The Tragedy of the Commons has developed from minimal observations to an influential framework for understanding a wide array of challenges faced by societies across the globe. From environmental degradation to urban congestion, overfishing to online misinformation, this concept highlights the crucial equilibrium between individual actions and the collective well-being. So, where did this concept arise from? This theory was originally the work of British economist William Forster Lloyd in 1833. Influenced by prominent economists and thinkers of his time, Lloyd made significant contributions to the field through his insightful analyses, which were presented in his essay named “Two Lectures on the Checks to Population”. His work highlights these negative consequences of unregulated individual actions on shared resources. He argues that when individuals act solely in their own self-interest without considering the long-term implications, it can lead to the overexploitation and degradation of common resources. The quote that closely represents this argument below is one that personally stuck in my mind: “The misfortune is that individuals pursuing their own immediate interest often make it the interest of all to do that which is ruinous to the general prosperity” (Lloyd, 1833). This quote highlights the detrimental consequences of unchecked individual actions driven by self-interest, which can lead to the tragedy of resource depletion or degradation that affects the collective. To explain this further, we could use the real-life example of where Tragedy of the Commons has been evidently seen. Traffic congestion is a one example that springs to mind. Let us place a scenario where we are planning a trip to London; while numerous individuals take public transport, each commuter desires a faster, more efficient route to their destination. Often, this leads to the use of personal vehicles. However, when everyone follows this logic, traffic jams arise, causing frustration, wasted time, and environmental harm. In this scenario, the “road commons” suffer from overuse due to the same individual decisions that seem rational at the micro-level. So what are the root causes for this? Well, delving deeper, we find that the Tragedy of the Commons emerges from a mixture of factors. The absence of clear property rights paired with the inability to enforce regulations creates a ground for exploitation by all members of society. Moreover, the short-term gains that individuals want to achieve often overshadow the long-term consequences of their actions. This concept puts forward the links between human psychology, economic incentives, and the pursuit of self-interest. While the Tragedy of the Commons paints a simple picture, it also sparks a call for innovative solutions. Cooperation and collaboration emerge as pivotal strategies to counteract the self-destructive behaviours of society today. Examining successful cases, such as community-managed fisheries and digital collaborative projects, we glimpse the potential of collective action to avert the tragedy. Looking more closely at solutions to counter this concept, the awareness of the consequences of unchecked individual actions on shared resources has prompted policymakers to implement measures aimed at preventing the tragedy and promoting sustainable resource use. One significant area where the Tragedy of the Commons has influenced policies is in the management of fisheries. Overfishing and depletion of fish stocks have been a global concern, and Lloyd’s concept has shed light on the need for regulations to prevent the tragedy. Policies such as fishing quotas, catch limits, and the establishment of marine protected areas have been implemented to control fishing activities and ensure the long-term sustainability of fish populations. Additionally, the concept of the Tragedy of the Commons has influenced policies addressing pollution and the management of common-pool resources. Measures such as emissions trading schemes and regulations to control industrial waste discharge have been implemented to address the negative externalities associated with resource use and prevent the tragedy from occurring. However, this is only a start and it important for those in power to recognise that the Tragedy of the Commons extends beyond a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ situation. We must take into consideration the intricate web of variables that shape our choices. Cultural norms, technological advancements, and systemic policies all play a role in shaping the outcomes we see. Navigating through this carefully is essential in devising strategies that move us towards sustainable and attainable solutions that truly create change. The Tragedy of the Commons is not something set in stone; it’s a challenge that urges us to think critically, adapt, and find balance midst competing interests. This timeless concept remains highly relevant in our modern world as we face numerous challenges related to the sustainable management of shared resources. From overfishing in our oceans and depletion of freshwater sources to deforestation and climate change, the concept finds resonance in various aspects of our lives. As our global population continues to grow, individual actions driven by self-interest can lead to the overexploitation and degradation of vital resources that are essential for the well-being of humanity and the planet. The Tragedy of the Commons serves as a cautionary reminder that without collective action, responsible governance, and a shift towards sustainable practices, we risk depleting the very resources that sustain us. It highlights the need for cooperation, regulation, and long-term thinking to ensure the sustainable use of shared resources for the benefit of current and future generations. Embracing this concept can inspire us to foster a sense of collective responsibility and make informed decisions that prioritise the common good, thereby addressing the pressing environmental and resource challenges we face today.

Manganese (Mn) - horses Manganese (Mn) is the mineral that has the highest occurrence within the liver of the horse. It stimulates enzymes in the bone- and fat metabolism and is essential for the function of the ovaries. Nevertheless, manganese is needed to produce cartilage. A deficiency of manganese can cause enlarged hocks and affect the growth plate. In addition, it can cause lameness and poor coordination of movement in young horses. In case of a serious deficiency, it can lead to the breakdown of bones in the womb, increase the risk of rejection of the unborn foal and irregular cycle in the mare. However, shortages of manganese do not occur very often.

by Heather Clark When studying a new language, your cognitive abilities will rise. For example, when memorizing words, you will train your memory. In addition, you can learn indirectly and other languages without studying them. You can deal with the general concepts of languages and intuitively understand others (not only phonetically, but also structurally). Massachusetts University in 2007 conducted a study and concluded: children who study the second language, even when taking into account that they sacrifice the time of learning mathematics, increase their mathematical abilities. If you just think about it, the output suggests itself - learning the language involves your structural and logical processes in the brain, which is the same as mathematics. That is, the math itself will still have to be learned, however, the brain will be more located to it if you are learning other languages. This is a wonderful skill that we need always and everywhere. If you think, you can see in any situation an advantage to listen to a person without interrupting (Carnegie in his book paid the whole chapter's question). When studying a new language, you have no other way out than to listen to a person carefully, try to catch his emphasis and meaning. In addition, you just can't kill a person, because you do not particularly understand the new language. This allows you to develop empathy. And also when you start write in foreigh language you became more accurate and confident, but I know how sometimes it is so hard to write my paper, so I use homework help services. It is almost impossible to learn a new language and I am constantly distracted. In order not just to learn, but also to realize the new rule, understand the offer, you need to remain focused (as well as when studying any new skill). You will understand that the slightest distraction can destroy the successes you have achieved in the last minutes. What will automatically show you the detriment of the included mobile phone and other stimuli? When we put in any goal and achieve it, it inevitably leads to an increase in self-confidence. So the man works. Surely you read the advice of some productive people who wrote that if something does not work with you, do what it turns out - Communicate on the table, wash the dishes, throw away the garbage. Such minor successes instantly launch a chain of success in your head and increase confidence. When we manage to conduct a dialogue for 30 seconds in an unfamiliar language, it gives huge energy, our perception increases at times. It is important that you noted our little successes. If you can not rejoice in the little victories, the brain will not be encouraged and quickly gets up. We are accustomed to thinking that preventing a variety of physical problems - sports lot. The study of the new language can stop the appearance of dementia and Alzheimer's disease by 4.5 years, which is significantly more, which are capable of modern medicines. The bottom line is that multilingual people in the brain create more nervous paths, which in turn allows the brain to not scroll through the same thoughts and patterns (which often becomes the cause of schizophrenia). Is it worth saying that the study of the second language allows you to look at your native and start noting to notice those things about which before and there were no thoughts? An intuitive understanding of the language is perfect, but it is not a path leading up. Any linguist or writer will tell you that in your native language there are different levels of understanding and that the same artistic text is perceived differently, given your level. Learning a language is like an assembly of all pieces of one puzzle. In one sentence you can know half of the words, and about the second half guesses from the context. Besides, when you talk to the carrier of the language, which is learning, your brain begins to bewilder to get out of the awkward situation, change the design to another, look for synonyms of the word you have forgotten. All this helps to become inventive. When each of us is moving to the wall, amazing things begin to occur. The bottom line is that the carrier of the new language for you is a direct embodiment of the culture of your country. Viewing a movie with a mass of dialogs will tell you less about the culture of this country than the usual dialogue with its inhabitant. It makes you diverse as a person and avoids many conflicts, because you begin to study other cultures, other psychology, and take the best. We came to globalization, and then the Internet appeared. According to different statistics, the knowledge of two languages adds you from 10 to 15% of your salary. And with proper use, it can turn your life. If you want to do business, it is extremely important not to close a single door for me - any of them may be a great opportunity. There is nothing worse than the offer of new work with an increase in the salary several times, subject to knowledge of which you do not know. This is not a simple journey for you, this is a trip to the country whose language you know. A wonderful feeling when the awkwardness of staying in someone else's country, which you have not felt before, is erased. Yes, you are not like a root inhabitant of this country, but people will be happy to have a deal with you, learning that you first visited this state and you have the right accent. People with a funny accent people cannot perceive adequately, nothing can be done here. If you are lucky (although anyone is looking for) to find the second half in the country, whose language you are studying is extremely important to please the parents. Parents always appreciate the right accent and competent speech of the second half of their Chad, especially when they are first acquainted when the official part is very important. The next time you will be attended by thoughts on the senselessness of further learning language, remember these advantages. For motivation, it is always important to repeat yourself, why are you doing what you are doing and not limited to one phrase. When you learn the language and at the same time you understand that it develops memory and makes you creative, you kill three hares at once and it becomes warmer on the soul and from somewhere there are forces Writing systems | Language and languages | Language learning | Pronunciation | Learning vocabulary | Language acquisition | Motivation and reasons to learn languages | Arabic | Basque | Celtic languages | Chinese | English | Esperanto | French | German | Greek | Hebrew | Indonesian | Italian | Japanese | Korean | Latin | Portuguese | Russian | Sign Languages | Spanish | Swedish | Other languages | Minority and endangered languages | Constructed languages (conlangs) | Reviews of language courses and books | Language learning apps | Teaching languages | Languages and careers | Being and becoming bilingual | Language and culture | Language development and disorders | Translation and interpreting | Multilingual websites, databases and coding | History | Travel | Food | Other topics | Spoof articles | How to submit an article Why not share this page: Note: all links on this site to Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.fr are affiliate links. This means I earn a commission if you click on any of them and buy something. So by clicking on these links you can help to support this site. If you're looking for home or car insurance in the UK, why not try Policy Expert?

Knowing what portion size you should be having of each food type is a huge problem when it comes to monitoring your diet, particularly if you are trying to lose weight. In our supersized society, where we are actively encouraged to buy large for only a small extra charge, it is no wonder that obesity levels have risen and we are left completely clueless about how much should actually be on our plates. There’s not many of us who can spare the time, or quite frankly the bother, to weigh out food to ensure it meets the current recommended guidelines, which is why new graphics have been released that enable us to think about our portion sizes in a brand new and easier way. We have long been familiar with the Food Standards Agency (FSA) ‘eat well’ plate, which offers a visual representation of portion sizes on a plate and is based on the 5 main food groups of: - Fruit and vegetables - Protein – meat, fish, eggs, beans etc. - Fatty and sugary foods/drinks - Milk and dairy products - Starchy foods – bread, potatoes, rice, pasta etc. But that still doesn’t offer us much help with how much we should actually be eating of those foods, just simply that we should be having, for example more fruit and vegetables than we should of milk and dairy foods. The idea behind the new graphic is to relate a food type to an everyday object in order to give people a visual clue as to the actual size. Food scientists have spent a long time researching and experimenting with different foods in order to come up with the new guide, with the hope that if we can get our portion sizes under control, obesity levels may start to decrease too. The impact of how portion control can make a difference to your waistline is highlighted in Martin and Marian Shirran’s book The Gastric Mind Band. They say, “Spread butter on your toast, but be aware that a teaspoon of butter is 37 calories, but a tablespoon is three times as much (111 calories). Put dressing on your salad, but learn to weight the vinegar in favour of the oil. A teaspoon of oil may be 45 calories, but a tablespoon is 135. That one extra tablespoon of oil every day amounts to a stone weight gain over a year. Switch to sweetener in your tea or coffee. Cutting out two spoons of sugar in your tea three times a day creates an annual calorie deficit of 37,000 calories, which could be enough to shed more than 11lb. Have ice cream occasionally, but just one scoop (about 150 calories) and never eat it straight from the tub. Enjoy a few nuts with a drink, but stop at one or two (a small 4oz bag will set you back 600 calories).’ It really is the small changes that can make a huge difference in the longer term and learning to cut down our portions to a more sensible level could be one of the solutions to the obesity crisis. So, let’s take a look at what the recommended portion sizes are and the new images that are connected with each one: - 1 portion of rice or pasta (150g) = size of a tennis ball - 1 portion of grapes (15) = size of a lightbulb - 1 portion of cheese (30g) = size of a standard matchbox - 1 portion of lean meat/oily fish/poultry (80g) = size of a deck of cards - 1 portion of white fish (150g) = size of a chequebook - 1 portion of potatoes (180g) = size of a computer mouse - 1 portion of crisps (25g) = should fit in a standard sized mug - 1 portion of raisins (30g) = size of a large egg Although this, without doubt, helps our understanding of how much we should be eating of certain food types each day, how can we be sure that food manufacturers are following the same guidelines? In an ideal world we would all be cooking from scratch each day, avoiding processed foods and our meal plans would be completely planned out for the week, but many of us lead hectic lives, where sometimes convenience beats homemade hands down. One company, who is taking portion control seriously is Nestlé. Nestlé has made the commitment to provide portion guidance on all of their children’s and family products by the end of 2015. Alongside this they are also developing new tools and types of packaging, which will help educate consumers about what a portion size should look like. One way in which they have trialled this in Canada is by partitioning a 45g box of Smarties into three parts, each containing 15 Smarties, which amounts to 70 in total per portion. The theory is that by creating a physical disruption to your eating pattern it will make you think twice before over eating. Here are some simple steps you can take to manage your portions and to regain control over your eating habits: Size up your food Use the visual guide above to help regulate your portion sizes. Portion out large packets. We all know it is cheaper to buy larger packets of food, but that doesn’t mean you have to eat it all in go. Get into the habit of dividing the packet up into portion controlled containers, which will not only save you money, but will also mean you eat less. Read food labels Food packaging has undergone a lot of change in more recent times and by law they must contain key information such as nutritional values. Pay particular attention to the number of servings contained in the package, along with the calorie and fat content. Share a meal Some restaurant portions can be HUGE! If you are going out somewhere that you know serves up mammoth portions, then consider sharing the meal, for example order one main course to share along with some healthy side orders of vegetables or salad to bulk the meal up. Or if you are someone who doesn’t feel like a meal is complete without a dessert, order one between you and ask the waiter for extra forks – romantic and healthy all rolled into one! Don’t always feel you have to finish your meal If you are in a restaurant and there is just way too much on your plate, don’t feel as though it would be rude not to finish everything on it. It is perfectly acceptable to ask whether they can package it up for you to take home. Use a smaller plate Research has proven that if you eat from a smaller plate it tricks the brain into thinking you are eating more than you actually are, because the plate looks fuller. It takes 20 minutes for your body to feel full, so if you scoff back your food without coming up for air you are going to end up eating more than you need, as you have not given your body enough time to tell you it doesn’t need any more food. Chew slowly, placing your cutlery down in between mouthfuls and you will be surprised at how much less food you will end up eating.

In this chapter, you will learn about the key objects in linear algebra, such as vectors and matrices. You will understand why they are important and how they interact with each other. Many machine learning algorithms boil down to solving a matrix-vector equation. In this chapter, you learn what matrix-vector equations are trying to accomplish and how to solve them in R. Matrix operations are complex. Eigenvalue/eigenvector analyses allow you to decompose these operations into simpler ones for the sake of image recognition, genomic analysis, and more! “Big Data” is ubiquitous in data science and its applications. However, redundancy in these datasets can be problematic. In this chapter, we learn about principal component analysis and how it can be used in dimension reduction.

If you have ever tried to change a school menu, you know how challenging it can be to get the kitchen staff to alter the carefully prepared menu fearing dietary regulations. As school gardens become more and more prevalent, the questions arises what to do with all of that healthy, organic produce. Sharing it with families and feeding it to children are obvious work arounds to school lunch regulations, but isn’t the point to supplement the unhealthy meals served in the kitchen? HealthyCal.org explains the problem facing schools: With escalating obesity rates and growing interest in “eating local,” many schools are looking to add their schoolyard harvest to cafeteria lunches. But school administrators may be wary of the prospect, citing concerns about food safety, sanitation, and state and federal rules about school meals. The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) even issued an official memo several years ago, stating that its school cafeterias can’t use school garden produce because the food doesn’t come from an “approved source.” The district’s claim, however, was based on a misreading of state law, and relied on an outdated provision in the first place. In fact, the state code the district cited only requires that fresh produce come from sources that “comply with all applicable laws.” Even if the provision did apply, it would be easy to meet just by transporting any school garden produce in leak-proof, washable containers. We have faced similar opposition from the previous administration at my school when local farmers tried to donate extra organic produce to the school. You simply can’t replace that fruit serving of ketchup with organic Asian pears. Such fears are misguided, as HealthyCal.org continues: In California, school cafeterias are governed by what’s known as the California Retail Food Code (part of the state’s Health and Safety Code), designed to ensure that food provided to consumers is “safe, unadulterated, and honestly presented.” It requires that produce from any source be washed thoroughly to remove soil and other contaminants, and that any chemicals used to wash or peel produce meet certain requirements. But as long as proper handling requirements are followed, there is nothing stopping the use of produce from a school garden. What’s more, the federal government actually encourages garden-to-cafeteria programs. Congress recently made a strong show of support for garden-to-cafeteria programs when it passed the “Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act” in December 2010. If you face similar obstacles at your child’s school, ask to see the policy on school gardens. Only a local policy could prohibit the usage, as found in Chicago. Our kids deserve to eat what they have grown. It sends a horrible message of distrust of fresh food to tell children they can’t be served at lunch what they grow. To say the processed mystery fish sticks are alright over garden produce is insane. From planting to harvest to consumption, eating the food grown in a school garden is an integral part of the curriculum. Image: Some rights reserved by Pink Sherbet Photography

Shackleton Gives The Order To Sail The Lifeboats The Endurance Expedition – Voyage to Elephant Island Begins “Many of the important events of our Expedition occurred on Sundays, and this particular day was to see our forced departure from the floe on which we had lived for nearly six months, and the start of our journeyings in the boats.” Ernest Shackleton – “South” Chapter VIII – Escape From The Ice On Saturday April the 8th 1916, the ice floe upon which Shackleton and his crew had established Patience Camp, suddenly split in two, and spurred the men into readiness for evacuation. “At 6.30 p.m. a particularly heavy shock went through our floe. The watchman and other members of the party made an immediate inspection and found a crack right under the James Caird and between the other two boats and the main camp. Within five minutes the boats were over the crack and close to the tents. The trouble was not caused by a blow from another floe. We could see that the piece of ice we occupied had slewed and now presented its long axis towards the oncoming swell.“* The following morning April 9th, Shackleton had hoped that the south-south-westerly and south-easterly breezes would drift the precarious floe nearer to Clarence Island, making its attainment easier, but the ice was soon breaking up with alarming frequency beneath them, and they were soon forced to set sail. “I had decided to take the James Caird myself, with Wild and eleven men. This was the largest of our boats, and in addition to her human complement she carried the major portion of the stores. Worsley had charge of the Dudley Docker with nine men, and Hudson and Crean were the senior men on the Stancomb Wills.” ** As to where they should go was the subject of much deliberation, but with temperatures below -30 C , and the starving men being regularly soaked by the frigid sea, as they navigated through the treacherous ice filled waters, the immediate concerns were those of keeping the boats afloat and trying to keep all three within sight of each other. On April 12th, which was three days after they had been forced to sail, Shackleton noted that the question of their destination was still demanding consideration, after Worsley had detected that they had been drifting south-east. They had occasionally found a floe large enough to accommodate the cooking of some food, and in an effort to maintain the morale of the weary crew, Shackleton was scant in his provision of information, on their progress. Eventually it became apparent that their best option, given the brutal conditions, was to head for Elephant Island. On April 16th the three lifeboats, having been separated off the coastline the previous night, landed on a narrow beach, to much jubilation and relief, though it soon became clear, due to high tide markings that the beach could not be used as a long term camp. Wild then took the Stancomb Wills and located a suitable site, and after they relocated there, they named it Point Wild. Tom Crean & The Stancomb Wills The three lifeboats had earlier been named after the chief financial backers of the expedition. Shackleton took command of the largest of the lifeboats, the James Caird, the Dudley Docker was commanded by Worsley , and Hubert Hudson took command of the Stancomb Wills. However it was soon Tom Crean who assumed command of the Wills, as Hudson’s physical and mental condition had deteriorated, after months on the ice. Tom Crean heroically kept the Wills afloat, sailing through a labyrinth of ice and battling the rough sea, whilst all the time the boat was taking on water, and constantly needed to be bailed out. Conditions on the boats were appalling as the soaked and hungry men suffered from seasickness and diarrhoea, and of course the freezing temperatures. At night the men would huddle together to generate heat, and would awake covered in permafrost. On many occasions the Wills was almost lost, as it was battered by enormous waves, on one occasion being as good as sunk by a giant wave which filled it almost completely with water, before amazingly the next big wave to slam into them, tilted the boat enough to almost empty it.

A Remembrance of the Past; Building for the Future." ~ Eve Eckert Koehler Remembering Our Danube Swabian Ancestors Together with the Different Denominations by Peter Lang Translated by Brad Schwebler With this chapter I don’t want to make any false introduction. When reading about Rev. Weber’s battles for the rights of the Protestants, we can be led to believe that the Protestants had suffered from the Catholic people. That is not true. German Catholics and German Protestants tolerated each other very well in the whole land. That a shepherd wanted to keep his flock together and thereby fit certain methods is a matter of course and cannot be seen as hostility. intolerance came from Croatian nationalism. But because the Croatians could not operate on national motives considering the Hapsburgs, they resorted to religious motives. This understanding was substantiated by the fact that the Slovakian Evangelicals remained unbothered

Text to Columns When you import a text file into Excel the Text to Columns Wizard should appear automatically. If this wizard does not appear then change the file extension to ".txt". It is possible to bypass this wizard by holding down Ctrl when you open the text file. You can split a column of data into several columns using the (Data > Text to Columns) command. This wizard allows you to control exactly how exactly how Excel will display a text file The advantage of this being a wizard and displaying a preview of the data at all three stages means you can simply go back and change the settings if the preview is not how you want the data to be displayed. You can decide which character or combination of characters to use to delimit the columns as well as the type of the data in each column. You can also exclude one or more rows at the top of your file. Fixed Width or Delimited ? Excel will also try to determine whether the data is delimited or whether it has fixed widths. If your data has a fixed width then the preview will display a ruler at the top and you can change the widths by dragging the column divide with the mouse. If your data is fixed-width, be sure to check the data preview window. You can create a column break by clicking with the left mouse button at the desired position. You can remove a column break by double clicking on the desired line with the left mouse button. You can move a column break by dragging it by holding down with the left mouse button. If you are expanding a block of cells you must select the block of cells first, the current region is not assumed. Choosing the Delimiter If your data is delimited (i.e. separated) with a character then you can select which character you want to use to separate the columns. You can also select more than one check box if your data is delimited by multiple characters. If multiple characters are selected then a new column will be started where any of the characters occur. Formatting your columns This allows to specify how you want the columns to be formatted. General - Text is left aligned and numbers are right aligned. Text - All data is treated as text including any numerical data. If your data contains numbers that exceed 15 digits then they must be formatted as text. © 2024 Better Solutions Limited. All Rights Reserved. © 2024 Better Solutions Limited TopPrevNext

Austria is a landlocked country of roughly 8.3 million people in Central Europe, bordering Germany and the Czech Republic to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west. The majority of the population speaks German, which is also the country’s official language. Other local official languages are Croatian, Hungarian and Slovenian. The capital is the city of Vienna on the Danube River, with a population exceeding 1.6 million, Austria’s largest city. The territory of Austria covers 83,872 square kilometres (32,383 sq mi), and has a temperate and alpine climate. Once the centre of power for the large Austro-Hungarian Empire, Austria was reduced to a small republic after World War I, and a constitutional law declared the country’s “perpetual neutrality” as a condition for Soviet military withdrawal. Today, Austria is a parliamentary representative democracy comprising nine federal states, which joined the European Union in 1995. Austria’s past as a European power and its cultural environment have generated a broad contribution to various forms of art, most notably among them music. Austria has been the birthplace of many famous composers such as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Joseph Haydn, and Franz Schubert.

Hydraulic hand pumps are indispensable in various industries, offering compact yet potent solutions for generating hydraulic power through manual operation. This comprehensive article delves into hydraulic hand pumps’ mechanics, applications, and advantages across different sectors, highlighting their versatility and efficiency. Hand-Operated Fluid Power At the heart of hydraulic hand pumps lies hand-operated fluid power. These pumps harness the manual force operators exert to generate hydraulic pressure, providing a practical means of converting human energy into mechanical power. Unlike electric or engine-driven hydraulic systems, hand pumps offer a self-contained and portable alternative, making them ideal for applications where mobility and accessibility are paramount. Compact Hydraulic Actuation Because of their compact design, hydraulic hand pumps can be used in various settings with restricted space or difficult accessibility. Their small footprint allows for installation in confined spaces, enabling hydraulic power generation in environments where larger equipment may not be feasible. Whether used in automotive repair shops, construction sites, or agricultural settings, compact hydraulic actuation provided by hand pumps ensures efficient operation without compromising performance. Human-Powered Hydraulic Tools Hydraulic hand pumps are the driving force behind many human-powered hydraulic tools, ranging from jacks and presses to spreaders and cutters. These tools find applications across automotive, construction, agriculture, and emergency response industries, allowing users to lift, compress, cut, or spread with precision and control. The synergy between human effort and hydraulic power facilitated by hand pumps enhances productivity and efficiency in various tasks. Manual Fluid Pressure Creation Manual fluid pressure creation lies at the core of hydraulic hand pump functionality. Operators engage the pump mechanism by exerting force on the pump handle, which pressurizes the hydraulic fluid stored in the reservoir. This pressurized fluid is then directed through valves to the desired outlet, performing the intended work, such as lifting a heavy load or compressing material. The manual nature of fluid pressure creation offers operators precise control over hydraulic systems, allowing for nuanced adjustments and tailored performance. Mobile Hydraulic Pumping One of the critical advantages of hydraulic hand pumps is their mobility and portability. Unlike stationary hydraulic systems that rely on external power sources, hand pumps provide a mobile hydraulic pumping solution that can be deployed wherever needed. This mobility makes them invaluable in field operations, remote locations, and emergencies where access to electricity or other power sources may be limited or nonexistent. Reliable hydraulic power is ensured by mobile hydraulic pumping, made possible by hand pumps, in both disaster zones and agricultural fields. Ergonomic Hand Pumping Systems The ergonomic design of hydraulic hand pumps, especially those from PULLERTOP, enhances user comfort and efficiency during prolonged operation. Manufacturers prioritize ergonomics in pump handle design, ensuring a comfortable grip and optimal operator leverage. This ergonomic approach minimizes fatigue and strain, allowing users to maintain consistent performance over extended periods. Whether used by mechanics, farmers, or emergency responders, ergonomic hand-pumping systems enhance productivity and operator satisfaction. Versatile Manual Hydraulics In summary, hydraulic hand pumps epitomize versatility in manual hydraulics, offering compact, portable, and efficient solutions for generating hydraulic power across diverse applications. These pumps are indispensable tools in various industries, from lifting heavy loads to compressing materials and aiding in rescue operations. Their ability to harness human energy to create hydraulic force underscores their significance as reliable and versatile components of hydraulic systems, ensuring continued utility and relevance in an ever-evolving technological landscape.

Pastoral nomadism provokes highly contrasting images. The romantic image of the nomad as a free spirit, untrammeled by the restrictions of sedentary life - such as the desert Bedouin - is strongly represented in Western literature while portraits of tall, haughty Masai leaning on their spears surrounded by cattle compete for our attention on the glossy pages of coffee table books. In some instances, nomads are sometimes seen as ignorant, lazy, overbearing, and unproductive agents waiting to destroy agricultural villages and civilized life. These views are not mutually exclusive. The Arab social historian Ibn Khaldun praised the Bedouin way of life as a more virtuous one than that found in cities, yet condemned their invasion of North Africa as mindlessly destructive. In ecological terms nomads are both condemned as creators of wasteland by overgrazing and praised for the productive use they make of large semiarid regions. In the political realm, sedentarization policies have often been pursued without regard for their economic consequences. The question of whether nomadic pastoralists have a future in the modern world is strongly influenced by long-standing attitudes toward them rather than by an objective analysis of the facts. As the articles in this issue illustrate, the problems that face nomadic pastoralists in the modern world are complex. Solutions to problems in one part of the world are not necessarily applicable elsewhere. Yet in spite of the differences of individual cases they have one thing in common: nomadic pastoralists exist as parts of larger political and economic systems. They cannot be understood as isolated peoples. What is nomadic pastoralism? This basic question is not as easy to answer as it might seem. In general, societies specializing in animal husbandry requiring periodic movement are called pastoral nomads. This excludes such groups as hunter-gatherers, Gypsies, migrant farm workers, or corporate executives who are nomadic but not pastoral. It also excludes Wisconsin dairy farmers or Texas cattlemen who are pastoralists but not nomadic. We often think of traditional nomadic pastoralists as people who live exclusively off their animals in isolation from the rest of the world. This is not the case. We find pastoralists who also farm, trade, work as soldiers, smuggle, or drive trucks, to mention just a few occupations. In general, nomadic pastoral societies are those in which animal husbandry is viewed as an ideal way of making a living and in which movement of all or part of the society is considered a normal and natural part of life. This cultural aspect is vitally important, for while economic analysis of some groups may show that they earn more from non-pastoral sources, the concept of nomadic pastoralism remains central to their own identities. These societies are built around a pastoral economic specialization, but imbued with values far beyond just doing a job. This distinguishes them from American ranchers who likewise have a particular economic specialization but identify culturally with a larger society. Today nomadic pastoralists are faced with three major problems: (1) erosion of their resource base, (2) changes in their economic relationships within regional contexts, and (3) domination of political relationships by central states. Whether traditional pastoralism actually destroys the resource base on which it depends is the most critical, yet least researched problem concerning nomads. In a highly influential article Garret Hardin argued that individual ownership of animals and communal ownership of pasture inevitably leads to the "tragedy of the commons." Drawing on historical data from England he showed that individuals attempting to maximize their personal gain stocked far too many sheep on commonly held pasture which eventually became so degraded that no one could use it. Since nomadic pastoralists generally employ some form of communal pasture, Hardin's analysis convinced many analysts of the dangers of herders' ways. In the English case, sheep raising became a profitable business, to the extent that farmland was converted to pasture. More sheep meant more money. The commons, however, had been designed to meet the limited livestock needs of local villagers who also engaged in farming. Thus it was not traditional sheep raising, but new commercial forms of livestock production that wreaked havoc with the system of commonly held pasture. Most studies of pastoralism do not clearly show whether pressure on rangeland is a long-term consequence of traditional techniques or a function of innovations that have disrupted an established balance. The picture is complicated by defining just who has access to "common" pasture in pastoral nomadic societies. In practice common pasture may be open only to a limited number of people in order to prevent its overuse. Among the Basseri in Iran, pasture was periodically redistributed by a chiefly khan to bring herd population and size of pasture into line. In East Africa herders exchanged animals with people from other areas to diminish the effects of periodic drought. In northern Iran and northern Afghanistan, pasture is privately owned and surpluses rented to other pastoralists. Among many Bedouin tribes pasture is common to all - but wells are not - so that pasture use can be indirectly controlled by restricting access to water. When outside factors inhibit overgrazing, changing them can cause unintended consequences. For example, bore wells in the Sahel permitted the raising of more cattle in arid regions, putting extreme pressure on pasture that had been scarcely used when water had not been available. Similarly, the Syrian government was forced to regulate pasture use when the widespread use of trucks to move livestock and water began to cause the degradation of pasture. The most serious charges of ecological damage have been leveled at the nomads of the Sahel, where the Sahara is moving south and engulfing formerly prosperous villages. Many believe that this desertification is a consequence of overgrazing. To stop the spread of the deserts, these analysts assert, pastoralists should be removed or severely controlled. This argument, however, is confusing. Nomads inhabit arid and semi-arid regions. If the desert advances they will be the first victims, but that does not mean they cause the problem. Some French researchers suggest that the Sahara may advance and retreat as part of a long-term rain cycle - in times of increased rainfall both pastoralists and farmers move north; decreased rainfall forces them south. Drought brings massive hardship and displacement. The worst hit areas are those used by pastoralists because the areas they use are marginal regions. Nevertheless the sight of a goat stripping the last tree on the edge of an advancing sand dune is usually enough to convince most that nomads are responsible. Without good data on how and why the desert shifts we may be blaming the victim. In some cases, because of new technologies such as bore wells, people may simply stay too long in an area that they formerly would have abandoned. This accelerates the spread of deserts. Nomadic pastoralism is of far greater importance to many economies than the relatively small number of nomads would imply. Nomads produce valuable products like meat, hides, wool, and milk. Traditional pastoralism turns grasslands to economic advantage. In developing countries there is an increasingly strong demand for meat for which pastoralists are a domestic source. Because traditional pastoralists do not use grain to raise animals, meat production supplements agricultural production. Many countries even rely on pastoralists to produce meat, hides and wool for export. For example, in the 1970s, pastoralists accounted for 30% of Afghanistan's foreign exchange. These official figures excluded the hundreds of thousands of animals smuggled to neighboring countries. Even in oil-rich Iran, pastoralism has always ranked next to agriculture in importance for domestic production. There is a clear distinction in the organization of pastoral production between sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East. African pastoralists have been more isolated, politically and socially, than their Middle Eastern counterparts. Therefore, African schemes of development focus on increasing production and convincing pastoralists to become more fully integrated in the cash economy. Marketing links between producers and urban consumers are relatively weak, and pastoralists show a tendency to maintain large herds rather than sell them. In the Middle East, where pastoralists have long had close trade ties with urban populations, the situation is different. Pastoralists traditionally supplied camels for the caravan trade and sheep or goats for meat markets. In the Middle East the idea of seeing animals as money on the hoof has developed over thousands of years and is well established. In Africa, pastoralists have traditionally been more self-sufficient, often producing their own grain. Cattle are used for complex marriage exchange payments, rituals, and prestige. While urban centers have created large markets for African pastoralists, in historical terms, these are quite recent. The conflict between new economic demands and the more traditional systems of pastoralism remains one of the key problems of development in Africa. The cash economy has had a more immediate impact on Middle Eastern pastoralism. Increases in animal prices have had a direct impact on production. For example, in Afghanistan, the central Asian Arabs responded to a sudden increase in prices by reorganizing their care of sheep in order to increase production. Even the Kirghiz in the remote Pamirs took large herds of animals to Kabul where prices were highest. There is a tendency to generalize about nomads in a way that obscures very different social, political and economic contexts. Those who are familiar with the Middle East take sophisticated marketing systems and sharp trading for granted; those familiar with Africa assume all nomads resist marketing their animals as they consider them more valuable than money. Politics cannot be separated from the economic and ecological problems facing pastoralists in the modern world. The most severe and immediate problem nomads confront is their relationship to modern, centralized states. Governments are strongly prejudiced against pastoral nomads who traditionally have had little respect for arbitrary political boundaries, and who have been centers of opposition to state power. As tribally organized societies, they do not fit smoothly into bureaucratically organized states. The history of opposition between governments and nomads is quite old. Living in marginal areas of desert, steppe, or mountain, nomads were usually beyond direct control of sedentary states. Their military power was such that they often became rulers of states. The Islamic conquests, the Mongol Empire, and the Ottoman Empire all began with nomadic bases. When threatened with political domination nomads simply moved their society and economy to new areas. Where successfully encapsulated by a state, nomads usually came to some peaceful accommodation with their neighbors, but in border regions nomads often raided one territory and sought protection in another. Nomads along China's frontier could always run back to the steppe, while nomads in Turkestan raided Iran in the 19th century for slaves they sold in Khiva and Bukhara. Invariably, nomads who caused the most trouble figure most prominently in history. Those who came to establish more peaceful, mutually beneficial relations with their neighbors were often more important but less well remembered. Modern weapons, and then rapid ground and air transport, ended the nomads' advantage. Many governments forcibly sedentarized nomads whose loyalty they distrusted. In Iran under Reza Shah the pastoral economy collapsed under such measures. In the Soviet Union attempts at forced collectivization led pastoralists to destroy their herds. Between 1929-34 the number of sheep in Kazakhistan declined from 27.2 million to 2.3 million. But not all governments saw tribal nomads as enemies. The Bedouin tribes, for instance, were recruited into the Jordanian army and Saudi Arabian National Guard because they were staunch defenders of the monarchies. The type of relationship nomads have with modern states depends in part on their own political organization. In Iran, tribal leaders, khans, were part of the traditional elite. They acted as political brokers between the tribal nomads and the state. Similarly, prominent families could be found among the various Bedouin tribes. This traditional organization has persisted because it still serves a vital function, though such families may not be officially recognized. Complex smuggling operations which require mobility, tight organization, and political influence have created new riches for many of these groups in the modern economy. For nomads like the Rwala Bedouin this political structure has been a major asset in dealing with the various governments of the region (Syria, Jordan and Saudi Arabia) and maintaining their tribal autonomy. Many African pastoralists find themselves at a comparative disadvantage because they lack indigenous leadership at the state level. This type of representation can be vital in protecting land rights against confiscation by the state. Without some form of supra-tribal leadership it is difficult to get land rights recognized. Farmers can show planted land as evidence of ownership, and governments usually will issue title. Pasture land is often assumed to be "undeveloped" and hence owned by the state to be used as it sees fit. In the past only nomads utilized such land and therefore formal title was not at issue. Today the land is coveted by agricultural tribes, who either take it spontaneously or are given the land as part of government projects. The persistent idea that pastoralists are less productive than farmers puts them at a disadvantage in protecting their resource base. Good pasture often falls prey to marginal agriculture which is made possible by extensive tractor plowing. In semi-arid regions without irrigation, pastoralism may be more efficient in preventing erosion and in increasing overall production. But the preservation of a pastoral base large enough to support herds is essential for the continuation of pastoral life. Should governments, out of ignorance or bias, destroy this base it will destroy nomadic pastoral societies, and with them both a valuable economic resource and an important cultural legacy. Article copyright Cultural Survival, Inc.

A Day in the Life of a Data Scientist: What Does a Career in Data Science Look Like? Data science is a rapidly growing field that is changing the way companies do business. But what does a career in data science actually look like? In this post, we will take a closer look at the day-to-day activities of a data scientist and explore the various roles and responsibilities that come with this exciting career. 1) Collecting and Cleaning Data A large part of a data scientist's job is to collect, clean, and organize data from various sources. This can include data from internal systems, external sources such as social media or public datasets, or even scraping data from the web. Data cleaning is a crucial step in the data science process, as it ensures that the data is accurate and usable for analysis. 2) Exploratory Data Analysis Once the data is cleaned and organized, data scientists use various techniques to explore and understand the data. This can include visualizing the data using charts and graphs, identifying patterns and trends, and building statistical models to make predictions. This step is crucial for identifying insights and understanding the data's story. 3) Building Models Data scientists use various machine learning and statistical models to make predictions and identify insights. This can include unsupervised learning or supervised learning, such as linear regression, decision trees, and clustering algorithms. Data scientists also use these models to test hypotheses and identify patterns in the data. 4) Communicating Findings Data science is a team effort, and data scientists often work closely with other departments and stakeholders. This means that they must be able to effectively communicate their findings and insights to non-technical team members and stakeholders. This can include creating visualizations, creating reports, and giving presentations. 5) Implementing Solutions Once a data scientist has identified insights and identified a solution, they work with other teams to implement it. This can include working with IT teams to implement machine learning models, creating dashboards to visualize data, or automating processes to make data collection more efficient. 6) Continual Learning Data science is a rapidly evolving field, and data scientists must be willing to continuously learn and adapt to new technologies and techniques. This can include keeping up with the latest developments in machine learning, staying current with new data visualization tools, or learning new programming languages. A career in data science is dynamic and challenging but also extremely rewarding. Data scientists play a vital role in helping companies make data-driven decisions and stay competitive in today's fast-paced business environment. With the right skills and approach, a career in data science can be both exciting and fulfilling. Stay connected with news and updates! Join our mailing list to receive the latest news and updates from our team. Don't worry, your information will not be shared. We hate SPAM. We will never sell your information, for any reason.

Discrimination or harassment at work has many negative effects, including creating a hostile work environment, job loss and decreased productivity. Unfortunately, discrimination and harassment in the workplace happen all too often. How does work harassment occur? One way discrimination and harassment can occur in the workplace is when an employer makes job decisions based on an employee’s race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age or disability. This can happen when an employer assigns certain tasks only to employees of a certain protected class, or when an employer refuses to hire or promote someone because they are a member of a protected class. Another way it can occur is when an employee is subjected to unwelcome comments or conduct based on their protected status. This can include things like offensive jokes, name-calling, physical assaults and threats of violence. Last but not least, when an employee is retaliated against for complaining about discrimination or harassment, this can also constitute work harassment. What can you do when work harassment occurs? If you experience discrimination or harassment at work, there are a few things you can do. First, try to resolve the issue informally by talking to the person who is causing the problem. If that doesn’t work, or if you don’t feel comfortable doing that, you can file a complaint with your employer’s human resources department or with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. This is a federal agency that enforces discrimination laws. You may also consider consulting with an employment discrimination professional to discuss your legal options. Discrimination and harassment in the workplace can have a profound effect on an individual’s ability to do their job and feel safe at work. If you have experienced discrimination or harassment at work, it is important to take the appropriate steps not only to protect yourself but also to ensure that it doesn’t happen to anyone else.

Date of Award Open Access Dissertation College of Social Work Aidyn L. Iachini Despite the important role public schools serve in students’ lives, schools are at the center of racial, socio-economic, and political divide and the epicenter of traumatic events for students who are marginalized based on their racial or ethnic identity. While ample research has demonstrated educational inequities for these students, no study to date has examined the impact of teacher racial bias on the quality of student-teacher relationships within the context of the United States (US) pre-Kindergarten through twelfth grade (PK-12) schools. A cross-sectional convergent mixed methods study was conducted to examine interpersonal racism in the classroom, and to specifically answer the following research questions: 1) Do PK-12 US teachers’ perceptions of their own implicit and explicit racial bias predict the quality of their relationships with students? 2) Does teacher-student racial mismatch moderate the relationship between US teacher perceptions of implicit and explicit racial bias and the quality of student-teacher relationships? 3) What are teachers’ perceptions of how students’ racial or ethnic identity influences the development and maintenance of student-teacher relationships? Current teachers (N = 124; nquant = 115; nqual = 100) representing 29 states responded to an online computer survey during Fall of 2022, which included measures of explicit racial bias, implicit racial bias, teacher-student racial mismatch, the quality of student-teacher relationships, and demographics. Quantitative data were analyzed using multiple linear regression in SPSS. Qualitative data were analyzed using a qualitative content analysis approach in MaxQDA. Results show teachers’ explicit racial bias was a statistically significant predictor of the quality of student-teacher relationships with higher levels of racist attitudes predicting lower quality student-teacher relationships. Teacher-student racial mismatch, however, did not moderate this relationship. Qualitative data indicated that teachers primarily described strategies for developing and maintaining interpersonal relationships with students from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds. However, two-thirds of teachers reported they “treated every student the same” when working with students from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds. Implications are discussed related to advancing school social work and educational research and practice to create more equitable student outcomes for students from marginalized racial and ethnic identities. Childs, T. M.(2023). A Mixed Method Study of How Teachers’ Racial Bias Relates to Student-Teacher Relationships. (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/7335

It’s week 4 of school for us and it’s a four-day week due to an in-service day on Friday! Week 4 means we are continuing ABC BOOTCAMP, continuing to refine our center routines including adding our ten frames and count the room math centers, , continue with Number Bootcamp, five senses, our district-mandated requirements, and our foundational skills curriculum. This year, my goal is to show you that you can use our TKS resources along with required curriculums so you’ll see that happening throughout the school year! - We are required to wear masks indoors but not at recess. - We can have shared supplies and centers while maintaining 3 feet of distance when possible. - We are keeping our enhanced cleaning procedures (wipe down surfaces throughout the day, steam sanitize the room daily, hand sanitizer/hand washing throughout the day, steam mop the floors daily, etc) As always, you can download our weekly lesson plans by clicking on the image! You can get our EDITABLE lesson plan template by clicking on the image below: We continue ABC BOOTCAMP this week and I am so excited to be doing it in-person this year! This year, our district is mandating a foundational skills curriculum. We are completing our district-required skills curriculum and doing ABC BOOTCAMP. We have a 45-minute block for foundational skills. We have found that these lessons are taking about 25-30 minutes. That leaves 15-20 minutes for ABC BOOTCAMP. The circle charts take 10-15 minutes so that will be perfect for that block. Handwriting and hats will be done in our afternoon PLT block which is 45 minutes. ABC BOOTCAMP is research-based and aligned to best practices. ABC BOOTCAMP is aligned to the science of reading and has been since it was created! After 26 days, we have 80% mastery of all letters and sounds! And it’s fun and developmentally appropriate! For each sound and letter, we make a circle chart. We introduce the sound first and then we introduce the letter as how we spell the sound. Once we introduce the sound, students generate the words and I draw the picture. YES! YOU HAVE TO DRAW THE PICTURES! It’s more fun than using clipart and it makes for a personal experience that activates the brain’s emotional areas, which improves learning! This year we are following the order of our foundational skills curriculum. This week is S-F-V-Z! After we complete the circle charts, we make our famous silly hats. These hats are great for vocabulary and language development and reviewing the sound of the day. Also, making the hats gives us 26 days of dedicated fine motor practice! This week our hats are: starfish, frog, vampire and a zipper! For all of the details and information on how we do ABC BOOTCAMP, visit the post linked at the end of this blog post! Sight Word 60! This week we are continuing Sight Word 60! After spending the summer learning more about the science of reading, we are continuing with Sight Word 60. We have always had decoding and encoding (writing) of the words as part of Sight Word 60 so we will continue that and will increase the amount of decoding and writing. We will also use orthographic mapping and we’re changing our order of sight words to align to the 109 most frequent words (even though we do 100 words…). You can learn all the details of how Sight Word 60 works on the linked blog post and you can get everything you need for Sight Word 60 in our Sight Word 60 creation! Research Projects: Five Senses This year our district has adopted a new curriculum. We are being required to use the curriculum, but we will continue to add in our own fun, creative lesson plans, ideas, and resources. And we will continue to bring the FUN to kindergarten! We will read the book, My Five Senses We will do I know/I can chart, we will do a sensory game that is similar to quiz/quiz/trade and we will use our senses to explore sensory jars. On Thursday, we switch to our second five senses book and we do anchor charts for listening and hearing. This week we’re also using our Five Senses Research Project to create circle charts and word webs for things we see, hear, touch, taste, and smell! We will also be making our five senses art project or better known as Potato Head! And Mr. Greg will play the part of Potato Head! We are continuing with NUMBER BOOTCAMP! I’ve seen great growth in their one-to-one correspondence, number recognition, and answering how many! As part of our Number Bootcamp, we learn to explicitly write the numbers! This week we’re working on counting, one-to-one correspondence, and using ten frames to count. We’re using tasks from our district and adding our own spin and fun to them. I’m excited to try some new activities while also using some of our favorite games and lessons! This week with our Cookie Counting creation, we will show a plate of cookies (ya’ll, I’m using REAL COOKIES!). The students identify how many cookies and put the correct number of cookies on their ten frame! We will also be doing a partner game to match equal sets. (I will be adding the cards to the cookie creation so stay tuned!) We’re also doing counting bags. Students will choose a bag, count the objects and write the number on their whiteboard. Mad Science Thursday This is our first Mad Science Thursday of the year! We always start with our Magic Potion experiment from our Mad Science creation! And yes, I dress the part! If you’re keeping track, that’s two costumes in a four day week!!

Mapping Needs & Assets Learn about potential partner schools and communities Whether you are a school or a partner organization, learning about students and their communities is a vital step to planning for partnership. By researching the community’s needs, resources, strengths, history, and culture, school and organization leaders can better understand the context from which students come. Understanding the goals of the school can help partners assess whether a partnership will be a good fit. Documenting existing resources is important, as this will show what is already working, prevent overlap in services, and assist with identifying gaps. Use these tip sheets and tools to do background research and prepare for an initial meeting with a potential partner.

Learn How To Plait A Basket In This Simple Tutorial Basket making is a craft that can be both decorative and functional. In this tutorial, we will teach you how to plait a basket using simple materials and techniques. By the end, you will have a beautiful basket that you can use for all sorts of purposes. No prior experience is required; just follow along and you’ll be plaiting like a pro in no time! What is Plaiting? Plaiting is a popular hairstyle that can be done with any type of hair. It is a simple way to make a complex hairstyle appear easy. This tutorial will show you how to plait a basket using basic techniques. Steps to Plait a Basket If you’re looking for a fun and easy project to work on, plaiting a basket is perfect! In this tutorial, we’ll walk you through the basic steps needed to plait a basket. First, gather your supplies. You’ll need: yarn, a crochet hook, and some scissors. Next, create a ring with your yarn by holding one end of the yarn in each hand and crocheting around the center. Make sure the stitches are tight enough so the ring won’t unravel when you start plaiting. Now it’s time to start plaiting! Start by placing one end of the yarn inside the ring you just created, and then bring the other end up through the top of the ring and pull tight. You now have one strand of yarn stretched between both hands. Do this again, but this time make sure that the second strand goes over and under the first strand twice. Now you have two strands stretched between your hands. Take care not to twist either strand as you continue plaiting; just keep them parallel to each other as you go. Plait until you reach the end of your rope (or desired length). To finish off your basket, cut off any excess yarn at either end of your basket (be careful not to cut yourself!). Tips for Plaiting a Basket In this tutorial, you will learn how to plait a basket using simple steps. Basket weaving is an ancient craft that dates back centuries. The origin of basket weaving is unknown, but it is believed to have originated in Mesopotamia. Today, there are many variations of basket weaving, including plaiting. Plaiting is the process of interweaving two or more strips of fabric together to form a pattern. You can use any type of fabric for plaiting a basket, but cotton is the easiest to work with because it doesn’t fray. To plait a basket, begin by cutting a length of fabric about 30 inches long and width of about 2 inches. Next, fold the fabric in half so that the long edge is now on one side and the short edge is now on the other side. Now open up the folded piece so that the long edge is now on top and tuck it underneath so that it forms a loop. Do the same thing with the short edge, only tucking it underneath so that it forms another loop. Next, take the top loop and put it over the bottom loop, pulling tight to create a knot. Do this with both loops, then do the same thing with the other two loops. Finally, pull everything tight again to form a knot inside each loop. Continue doing this until you have plaited a total of eight loops. To finish your basket weave, cut off all eight loops except for one at each end which

There is less fighting among young people in countries where there is a complete ban on all corporal punishment of children, according to a new study of more than 400,000 youth in 88 countries. The findings report 31 percent less physical fighting in young men and 42 percent less physical fighting in young women compared to countries where laws permit corporal punishment both at school and at home. In countries where there is a partial ban on corporal punishment (such as in Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom—where corporal punishment is not banned at home), the level of violence in young men is similar to that in countries with no bans, while the level of violence in women is lower (at 56 percent). Previous studies have shown a clear relationship between childhood spanking and a host of negative outcomes later on ranging from aggression to mental health problems. In this case, however, the researchers caution that they see an association rather than a causal relationship between legal bans on corporal punishment and violence in youth. What’s going on at home? “All we can say, at this point, is that countries that prohibit the use of corporal punishment are less violent for children to grow up in than countries that do not,” says lead study author Frank Elgar of McGill University’s Institute for Health and Social Policy. “At this point we are simply taking a stratospheric view of the issue at an international level and note the correlation. To be able to show an effect of bans on youth violence, we will need to go back in 4-8 years after more data has been collected. We will also need to ask children and youth more questions about what’s going on at home, something that researchers have typically been shy to do,” Elgar says. The researchers note two takeaways from the study: - Frequent fighting was generally more common in young men (close to 10 percent) than in young women (about 3 percent). - Fighting varied widely from one country to the next ranging from under 1 percent in Costa Rican young women to close to 35 percent in Samoan young men. Associations between corporal punishment and youth violence remained, even after potential confounders were taken into account such as per capita income, murder rates, and parent education programs to prevent child maltreatment. Number of fights Researchers used data that the World Health Organization Health Behaviour in School Aged Children (HBSC) study and the Global School-Based Health Survey (GSHS) athered from adolescents in 88 countries around the world. Youth responded to survey questions at varying ages about how often they got into fights. The researchers correlated the information with data from each country about the prohibition of corporal punishment. Researchers grouped countries into several categories: those with a complete ban on the use of corporal punishment at home and in schools (30 countries, the majority of which are in Europe, as well as a smaller number in Latin America, Asia, and Africa); those with a ban in schools but not in the home (38 countries, including China, the US, UK, and Canada); and those with no ban on corporal punishment (20 countries, including Myanmar and the Solomon Islands). The research appears in BMJ Open. The Canadian Institutes for Health Research, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, and the Canada Research Chairs Program funded the work. Source: McGill University

There are two graving (or dry docks) on the western side of the Main Basin. The smaller dock was built in 1818 and was used for repairing small vessels that travelled along the River Severn. The larger drydock was built in 1853 to service the larger ships that made their way to Gloucester via the Gloucester Sharpness Canal. Water has been drained out of the gravings in a variety of ways over the years. During the early days of the dry dock, water drained naturally into the river. When river levels were high, eight men were required to pump the water manually. Steam driven pumps powered from the nearby engine house were then used, before modern electronic centrifugal pumps were installed below the west quay for today’s operations. The award-winning T. Nielsen & Company have been operating the drydock since 1988 and are highly regarded for their work building or restoring vessels from skiffs to tall ships. They were responsible for building or renovating a number of craft that were involved in Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee River Pageant, including the Royal Barge, Gloriana. Share your view of Dry Dock on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook & use #GlosTour T. Nielsen & Company won the contract to renovate Admiral Nelson’s famous flagship, HMS Victory. The team of shipwrights have been working on the iconic vessel since December 2012. Previous5. Gloucester Lock What's Next7. Llanthony Bridge Estimated time: 2 minutes Find out how to get from Dry Dock to the next location:Get Directions

Especially during cold and flu season and this era of COVID-19, we need to be washing our hands thoroughly all through the day – every day. But the first full week of December is designated National Handwashing Awareness Week, which presents and excellent opportunity to provide reminders about good hand hygiene and washing tips to keep in mind. Okay, so we missed that week for posting this blog. Sorry. Here are some tips and recommendations to remember during National Handwashing Week and all throughout the year. Benefits of Proper Handwashing Germs are frequently spread by people touching surfaces and bodily fluids. When you wash your hands with soap, you remove germs and reduce the spread of food-borne illnesses. Lingering bacteria has less of a chance of survival when they can’t live on your hands for long periods of time. You can help prevent infections by washing your hands, especially if you are prone to touching your eyes, nose, and mouth throughout the day. All of these benefits can help fight the rise in antibiotic resistance, which makes common winter sicknesses more difficult to treat. Good Handwashing Tips To really kill germs with your handwashing technique, you may need to take a little extra time and care. Wet your hands with warm water and scrub your hands with soap until you reach a good lather. Rub them together for 20 seconds, which may feel long to you if you have slipped into bad handwashing habits. Then, rinse your hands with warm water to remove all the soap and dry your hands. Now that they are clean, don’t dirty them back up again by immediately touching surfaces. Instead, use a cloth or paper towel to turn off the faucet and open the bathroom door if you’re in a public bathroom. Natural Handwashing Products Just like not all handwashing practices are the same, nor are all handwashing products. To avoid adding more chemicals and toxins into your life, consider using a natural handwashing soap that is paraben-free, organic, and made with all-natural and sustainably sourced ingredients. There are many commercially made hand soaps that fit these characteristics and that leave common soap ingredients out of the equation, such as sulfates, synthetic fragrance, and polyethylene glycol. Alternatively, you can make your own hand soap at home for a fun winter activity and so that you know exactly what is in your soap. Read more here: Common Ingredients in Hand Soap and How to Make Your Own at Home Other Ways to Stay Healthy This Winter In addition to good handwashing, you can keep yourself healthy during the winter by adjusting your diet for the winter, focusing your diet on in-season fruits and vegetables, and taking all-natural supplements to make up for dietary deficiencies. Good hydration, continued exercise, getting plenty of sleep, and limiting alcohol can all go a long way in helping you prevent winter illnesses as well.

Benjamin Franklin large character jug produced by PY in Japan for William MacLean of New Hope, Pennsylvania, in 1956. Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) was born in Boston, Massachusetts. This renowned American scientist, inventor and statesman started his career as a printer and journalist. In 1752 he demonstrated that lightening was a form of electricity by flying a kite in a thunderstorm with a key attached, from which he obtained sparks, leading to his invention of the lightening conductor. He also invented the Franklin stove, bi-focal glasses and a glass harmonica. An original leader of the colonial revolution, Franklin was an active participant in the deliberations resulting in the Declaration of Independence in 1776. He also helped frame the United States Constitution. As his country's first minister to France, he ingratiated the French people to the fledgling America's cause and negotiated the peace with Great Britain. Great Americans Character Jugs

澳洲10开奖历史结果全国统一查询 Mayflower 400 Southampton Southampton was one of 12 partners delivering Mayflower 400 – an international programme of cultural and heritage activities in the UK, US and Netherlands inspired by the 400th anniversary of the ship’s sailing and successful settlement in the US. The Mayflower and her sister ship, Speedwell, set sail from West Quay, Southampton, on 15 August 1620, carrying 102 passengers. They settled in what had been the Native American village of Patuxet. The village had been abandoned by the Wampanaog people who lived there after the death of the majority of its inhabitants in a ‘great plague’ (1616 – 1619), brought by English and European invaders. In Southampton we approached the anniversary through the lens of migration. The Mayflower is one of many thousands of migrant, transmigrant and refuge ships that have left from or arrived in Southampton during the past seven centuries. As a result, 148 languages are currently spoken in the city. The anniversary was an opportunity to reveal this rich and diverse history, and to encourage communities to tell their stories, many of which will have previously been hidden. You can read about the wider international programme on: https://www.mayflower400uk.org Mayflower 400 was due to run throughout 2020, but due to the Coronavirus Covid-19 pandemic, experienced delays and extensions through into 2021. In Southampton, our programme launched in March 2020 with 1000 young people taking part in Southampton Music Hub’s, A Musical Odyssey, presented in partnership with Mayflower Theatre. There was then a pause during lockdown, but we picked up again in time for the August 2020 anniversary and ran through till June 2021. On this website you will find an account of all the fantastic projects delivered across the city during this time. This includes large scale art, music and dance commissions, a community heritage programme, videos and digital materials, educational and learning materials, art exhibitions, and much more. There are still plenty of activities for you to do at home or in the school room, as well as videos for you to learn about Southampton’s rich history and that of our partner’s the Wampanoag people. You can also download a migration trail so you can walk the city’s streets and understand it like never-before. The city came together to produce a fantastic array of exciting and creative work which engaged 150 artists, more than 2,000 participants in over 100 engagement sessions, and reached over 50,000 audience members. Close working with representatives of the Wampanoag people for two years ensured that their voice was embedded within at points throughout the programme. In particular, working with Paula Peters and her team at SmokeSygnals, we created a wide range of digital content and produced the first ever Mayflower’s school pack co-written by Native American and UK scholars. We were the first UK city to take part in Native American Heritage month, when we released a number of new films sharing aspects of Wampanoag culture, their take on Thanksgiving, as well as resources charting Southampton’s many links with Native American traders throughout the centuries. As part of the programme, a new plaque was installed on the Mayflower Memorial remembering the Wampanoag people who died in the Great Plague. Also, thanks to our partnership with The Box, Plymouth, we were able to host the newly-made Wampum Belt in the city for three months. Events & Workshops Projects supported by a Mayflower Community Heritage Grant Southampton City Art Gallery: Open Exhibition 2020, Young People's Open, Shadows and Light

Learning about Anxiety Anxiety is a feeling that affects all of us. It can be helpful, and even has an evolutionary component. If we did not fear anything, we could easily get ourselves into situations that are dangerous and we could not handle. But when anxiety starts to overcome us or pops up when there is no real threat to ourselves, it starts to become a hinderance. For some people, anxiety is expereinced around a few specific issues or experiences like talking in front of a group, taking tests, or meeting new people. For some, it is experienced as a more intense, panic-like feeling, also called a phobia like to spiders, flying, or public speaking. Still others feel more of a generalized, constant anxiety to several different things. Children may expereince separation anxiety when caregivers leave, it is time to go to school, or at bedtime. Others may feel a constant feel of dread as if something bad is about to happen. Anxiety can take many forms, but what it always includes is avoidance. Avoidance feels good in the moment, and solves the issue of anxiety momentarily. If we just do not have to fly, then we can avoid the panic feeling. Or if we an just avoid the park in the mornings when there are a lot of dogs, then we are fine and don’t need to worry about our fear or dogs. The problem with avoidance is that it only serves to reinforce our fear. If we never face our fear and realize that we can experience the unpleasant feeling of anxiety, yet survive and come out okay on the other side, then we only continue our fear. This might not be too difficult to understand, but it certainly is difficult to carry out. If you find yourself avoiding situations or experiences due to anxiety, it might be time to confront your fear. If you feel like you can’t do it all at once, try it in small steps. If you want some direction or feel like you can’t do it alone, therapists experienced in treating anxiety can help you to determine the steps, and teach you skills to help keep yourself calm when you are confronting, and eventually, conquering your fears.

We might take access to computers, the internet and technology in general for granted—but imagine if you were growing up in a town or community where such access was scarce or non-existent. If you were a child or young adult in such a place, you would be at high risk of being left behind in today’s digital world. Unfortunately, this is a more common reality than we would like to accept. According to The International Telecommunications Union much of the world’s population still doesn’t have direct access to some of the most basic forms of technology and it estimates that at the end of 2019 53.6% of the world population were using the internet. This is just one indicator, but it suggests that almost half of the world population is offline. This is a concern because a lack of digital access to certain parts of the population, particularly those in the developing world, is contributing to widening inequalities. Those without access do not have the opportunity to develop key skills which are required in the modern world. Therefore, digital access inequalities are preventing parts of populations (poor, remote, elderly, disabled and a range of others) from having the same opportunities. Our Solar Community Labs (SCL) formerly Solar Learning Labs (SLL) were created as a way of bringing technology to areas of the world without access to digital technology. They are built from reused shipping containers and are solar-powered computer labs, with an innovative design that creates a welcoming teacher centre space; insulated from the environment to keep a cool temperature when open and a secured and safe storage space to store technology when closed at night. This means they are self-sufficient and can be placed just about anywhere. With the help of our local partners, Solar Community Labs provide an opportunity for young learners to benefit directly from the expertise of in-country trainers and gain first-hand experience with technology and the Internet. Why South Africa? We have chosen South Africa because our programs can help realise current education priorities and overcome challenges to development, there is a national commitment to improving ICT for Education in schools but a shortage of training-capacity and equipment. Our commitment to this mission enabled us to work in 9 different locations across the country identifying and addressing challenges particular to each case, assessing and improving the efficacy of our model and its impact, and providing long-term support and results-led lesson sharing. According to the World Bank, South Africa is the most economically unequal country in the world, the legacy of apartheid still prevails. Previously disadvantaged South Africans hold fewer assets, have fewer skills, earn lower wages, and are still more likely to be unemployed, a 2018 World Bank report on poverty and inequality in South Africa found. We aim to work in line with the National Development Plan on poverty reduction and closing the gaps of inequality through the development of 21st century skills creating spaces to foster innovation and creativity providing ICT training that can translate in better life opportunities. The Mamaila Tribal Authority is located in the Greater Letaba Municipality, which itself is located in the Mopani District of South Africa’s Limpopo province. The municipality is the smallest of five municipalities in the district and is made up of 131 rural villages – of which the Mamaila Tribal Authority contains six villages. These are Mamaila Kolobetona, Lemondokop, Sephukubje, Roerfontein, Chabelane and Vaal Water (Senwamokgope). Over 60% of the households are headed by females, while 48% of the households are child headed (these could be headed by either female or male children). Female- and child-headed households generally experiencing higher levels of poverty than male-headed households due to ongoing gender-based income disparities, fewer employment opportunities for females than males (due to gendered employment practices), and the limitations of the child grant. About 47% of the population have completed grade 9 or higher, with grade 12 being the highest qualification for 30% of the population. Less than 5% of the population has completed higher education. Education is however considered important enough by the local community for them to have supported the opening of two private schools in order to be able to offer quality education to local children. The establishment of local private schools - with fees of R800 per month - is remarkable in a context in which the state provides ‘no fee’ public schools. This most likely speaks to the community’s opinion of local public-school education, social (or class) ambitions and aspirations, and the local community’s ability to choose to financially support such initiatives. This point above is important as it shows that the local community will support initiatives that they deem to be valuable. Unemployment rates in the area are 70%, while the average annual household income is R14 600 - or less than R1 300 per month per household. The main economic activity in the region is farming, however this does not account for main household income generation, which also includes social grants, and piece work (irregular wage labor). Interestingly, there is a strong, growing phenomenon of locally owned small businesses which help support and maintain the local economy. These include accommodation businesses, food or catering, and a host of services. It is unclear however if these businesses are registered and therefore recognized within the official un/employment figures. The planning and construction of a local mall is also underway - this is viewed as a step towards increasing local economic development. There is a thriving social / cultural system of savings or loans in the community called stokvel. Stokvel is a type of credit union in which a group of people (often friends) enter into an agreement to contribute a fixed amount of money to a common pool weekly, fortnightly or monthly. Each member of the stokvel is then able to periodically withdraw a lump sum of money from the pool on a rotational basis. This is used to cover short-term expenditure requirements (such as groceries, household appliances, school fees, weddings, burials and business start-ups) or to put money away for saving or investment purposes. Stokvel is an ‘informal’ system of savings or loans, in that it exists outside of formal institutions. Most stokvels do however require bank accounts to operate, and the banks require members to draw up a constitution in order to open a relevant account. Stokvels in the Mamaila community are used widely and successfully by many people and are a vital resource to manage and mobilize funds when these are required by its members. In terms of stokvels, it should be understood that the prevalence of this system may offer locals access to capital for any training that they feel may have a material impact on their lives - i.e., that may improve their lives or livelihoods. With regards to connectivity, mobile coverage via 2G / 3G and 4G exists in the area from operators such as MTN, Cell-C and Vodacom. The quality of this connection can however be poor and irregular. Data costs range from R85 – R99 for 1Gig of data (at a cost of around R0.06 - R0.09 per MB), although most people can only afford cheaper data bundles which charge higher rates per MB (<R0.25 per MB). Connectivity and barriers to affordable and reliable internet access therefore remain major local challenges. The Zuri Foundation are currently installing local internet infrastructure in the community in order to begin to solve these issues. Mamaila Tribal Authority, Limpopo, South Africa (Rural area) Location: 23°23'6.16"S 30°10'21.39"E Partner: Zuri foundation/ Mamaila Community Network Population: 30,000 (Estimated) The Zuri Foundation The Zuri Foundation is a registered Not for Profit Organization (NPO) based in the Greater Letaba Municipality in Mopani District Municipality, Limpopo province. Their main objectives are to deploy community-based telecommunications infrastructure and provide capacity building interventions, for the purpose of empowering communities to meaningfully participate in information and communications technologies (ICTs) ecosystems, as well as participate to a great extent in the digital economy. This is done through the creation and expansion of local WI-FI hotspot services, the provision of digital skills development courses and related educational content aimed at rural communities. Zenzeleni Community Networks Award winning not for profit company that supports two community-based Internet Service Providers and a SLL to operate in rural Eastern Cape. Zenzeleni Networks NPC also engages in policy advocacy and supports and collaborates with numerous communities to develop community networks and deepen their impact. The Zuri Foundation has managed to secure a space granted by the Mamaila Tribal authority they have come onboard as supporters and facilitators of the program. Project development team visit Our Project Manager and Project Coordinator visited the site on the 16th of November to oversee the development of the program, meet the community leaders and check program planning. Manual for training and operation We have created a manual for training and operations with support from our local partners and recipients of Solar Community Hub in Mankosi. Zenzeleni Community Networks are acting as advisors for this new site, using their experience to contribute to this project and make it a success. Community expectations and support Zuri Foundation is a widely known and respected organization founded by Kgopotso Magoro, her mom and four sisters aiming to give back to the community, Kgopotso is a living proof of what access to technology can enable, having understanding how important was to be IT literate and how job opportunities were plentiful in the digital world she decided to learn HTLM by herself using online free tools enrolling into education at night and seizing every opportunity of accessing the internet, which she recall sometimes she will have to wait 5 hours in order to have just 30 minutes of access at a local shop despite the challenges she managed to learn web development and when she built her confidence she applied for a government position as content developer at 25 years old and pregnant she was offer the job and spent her four months maternity leave studying, because as she said she was hired to fulfil a job she was not fully trained for, but she succeed and now after almost 10 years working for the government and having scaling many ranks internally and even obtaining a PHD she has never forgotten her roots and is giving back to her community by helping people get access to those learning opportunities using technology that changed her life for the better. Zuri Foundation has a strong support from the Mamaila Authority which has not only avail a piece of land for the foundation and for the upcoming Solar Community Hub but also by taken an active role in every step of the project implementation process. Villages and schools around the area also aware of the opportunities the SCH would bring for them and they have already manifested their interest in being part as beneficiaries of the program. The Limpopo solar community hub will become the perfect place to access the network we are establishing and learn key skills needed to take advantage of the opportunities available, using ICDL methodology, establishing an accredited centre for this internationally recognised IT skills certification body. We will have 2 ICDL trainers constantly present. School children from the Mamaila community will be able to attend classes at the lab to train up to 1,500 students yearly. The SCH is made from 2 shipping containers converted in a space with a capacity of 51 devices with 11 Dell thin client desktops and 40 laptops. The intended purpose of the project is to enable accessible services and activities to all community members and bring change to their lives on a community level. It is being jointly funded by the SITA ATC Foundation and Dell Technologies. As part of the programme, SITA BV SA through their B-BBEE initiatives is providing extra funding for the certification of 320 students increasing the total to 520 ICDL certified beneficiaries We are convinced this new Solar Community Hub will enrich learning resources, build local institutional capacity and provide access to 21st-century skills for the local population Current Status and Next Steps - Container conversion in progress - Technology is already in Johannesburg and expected delivery to Cape Town next month - The Solar Community Lab is expected to be deploy early next year in February 2022 - Four trainers have been selected by the Zuri Foundation and will be undergoing training early next year - Final version of the manual for training and operations is ready - People expected to access the lab: 2000+ - People to be trained under ICDL methodology: 1500

The Art of War – Sun Tzu “The Art of War” is widely known as the masterpiece of the Chinese general and philosopher Sun Tzu. The book is a highly acclaimed tutorial for managing conflicts and winning battles, not only in the military meaning, but also in career and life management. Sun Tzus theories are extremely popular among politicians and leaders in marketing and communication. The Art of War Available at amazon.com and other venues. Chapter summary of The Art of War (from Wikipedia): Detail Assessment and Planning (Chinese: 始計，始计) explores the five fundamental factors (the Way, seasons, terrain, leadership, and management) and seven elements that determine the outcomes of military engagements. By thinking, assessing and comparing these points, a commander can calculate his chances of victory. Habitual deviation from these calculations will ensure failure via improper action. The text stresses that war is a very grave matter for the state and must not be commenced without due consideration. Waging War (Chinese: 作戰，作战) explains how to understand the economy of warfare and how success requires winning decisive engagements quickly. This section advises that successful military campaigns require limiting the cost of competition and conflict. Strategic Attack (Chinese: 謀攻，谋攻) defines the source of strength as unity, not size, and discusses the five factors that are needed to succeed in any war. In order of importance, these critical factors are: Attack, Strategy, Alliances, Army and Cities. Disposition of the Army (Chinese: 軍形，军形) explains the importance of defending existing positions until a commander is capable of advancing from those positions in safety. It teaches commanders the importance of recognizing strategic opportunities, and teaches not to create opportunities for the enemy. Forces (Chinese: 兵勢，兵势) explains the use of creativity and timing in building an army’s momentum. Weaknesses and Strengths (Chinese: 虛實，虚实) explains how an army’s opportunities come from the openings in the environment caused by the relative weakness of the enemy and how to respond to changes in the fluid battlefield over a given area. Military Maneuvers (Chinese: 軍爭，军争) explains the dangers of direct conflict and how to win those confrontations when they are forced upon the commander. Variations and Adaptability (Chinese: 九變，九变) focuses on the need for flexibility in an army’s responses. It explains how to respond to shifting circumstances successfully. Movement and Development of Troops (Chinese: 行軍，行军) describes the different situations in which an army finds itself as it moves through new enemy territories, and how to respond to these situations. Much of this section focuses on evaluating the intentions of others. Terrain (Chinese: 地形) looks at the three general areas of resistance (distance, dangers and barriers) and the six types of ground positions that arise from them. Each of these six field positions offers certain advantages and disadvantages. The Nine Battlegrounds (Chinese: 九地) describes the nine common situations (or stages) in a campaign, from scattering to deadly, and the specific focus that a commander will need in order to successfully navigate them. Attacking with Fire (Chinese: 火攻) explains the general use of weapons and the specific use of the environment as a weapon. This section examines the five targets for attack, the five types of environmental attack and the appropriate responses to such attacks. Intelligence and Espionage (Chinese: 用間，用间) focuses on the importance of developing good information sources, and specifies the five types of intelligence sources and how to best manage each of them. (The text of the last section was taken from a Wikipedia entry and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.) Publisher’s Note: This book is printed and distributed by Createspace a DBA of On-Demand Publishing LLC and is typically not available anywhere else than in stores owned and operated by Amazon or Createspace.

Researchers from Cornell Social Media lab and ReImagination Lab have studied the social media application platform Snapchat in hopes of learning how its unique design features affect our relationships with technology and with each other. The study, co-authored by Prof. Dan Cosley, information science, Prof. Natalya N. Bazarova, communication, Pamara Chang and Bin Xu, grad students and Christopher Welker ’18, found that Snapchat’s ephemerality contributed to its acting as a medium for everyday, informal communication between smaller, closer networks. “Because of this feature of ephemerality, it allows people to be more informal, losing inhibition with content sent to close friends,” said Pamara Chang, a fifth-year PhD candidate and co-author to the study. “Whereas there’s this notion of impression management and self-presentation concerns with other applications like Facebook or Twitter where you do have a larger audience.” Unlike originally text-based platforms like Facebook or Twitter, Snapchat is a mobile application primarily based in sending image and video content. Users can add friends and send photos or videos, called “snaps”, to whoever they select in their network. They can preselect a set amount of time between one and ten seconds that a recipient will be able to view the content before it auto-deletes. This feature highlights the unique transient design of the app and could explain its popularity, especially among college students. In the study, researchers interviewed undergraduate students who were regular Snapchat users to see how this ephemeral feature of the app’s design would affect user communication. The short lived nature of content transmitted through the app affected the content people felt they could share. Researchers found that people were more likely to share goofy, unfiltered content or content not related to tasks through Snapchat. In addition to set viewing windows and auto-deletion of content, users can see if and when the recipient has viewed the content, and if they took a screenshot of the content. The reassurance that content will quickly disappear permanently from both the sender’s and receiver’s phones appeases a user’s typical concerns of privacy when it comes to social media. The study also found that the relatively small network on Snapchat versus that of Facebook or Twitter influenced user communication with similar effects. “The network is a lot smaller, and a lot closer,” said Chang. “On larger platforms, you have this large diverse group of friends. On Snapchat, it’s very few and it’s very selected. It would be your closest friends rather than a larger network of professors and other students that you met once in a class.” The study reflects that the app is most popular between close friends or romantic interests, that is, relationships that are close enough that both parties feel comfortable sharing everyday, mundane communication. However, many users also enjoy the larger communities created by Snapchat’s location specific features like geographic filters or the Ivy League snapstory. The geofilters allow users to overlay snaps with a design indicating their location and the Ivy League story incorporates snaps from users across universities in the Ivy League. “The stories are super fun,” Paroma Chakravarty ‘16 said. “I like to compete for the Ivy League story.” While these features are favorable components of the app, users do not feel as connected to larger communities included in these features as they do to their smaller networks of friends. In sharing content rather than simply showing it, Snapchat’s design uniquely couples clear digital ownership and close feelings of connectedness. As Bin Xu, a fourth-year PhD. candidate in the department of information science and co-author to the study puts it, this feeling of “knowing people in the moment” is fostered by Snapchat’s design as a mobile application and the ephemerality of snap content. While taking a screenshot of a sender’s snap was considered a default “norm violation” for archiving what was meant to disappear, the study finds this practice is accepted between users who are close friends or in cases when the shared content is out of the ordinary. Chang and Xu say this exception to the temporary nature of the app’s content provokes questions as to whether users want more or less ephemerality in their social networks. The study was published and presented at the Computer-Supported Cooperative Work and Social Computing journal proceeding conference in San Francisco from Feb. 27 to Mar. 2. Social media industry representatives also attended the conference and in response to the study, raised questions about a possible trend toward ephemerality and whether it should be integrated into larger platforms. “It’s an interesting perspective for social media designers to think about,” said Xu. “What are the benefits and the costs to having ephemeral features?” It is evident that other developers are taking note of the app’s unique features. Xu cited an new communication app, Telegram, as an example that takes Snapchat’s appeal into account. The app deletes transmitted messages after a certain amount of time. While the study finds that ephemerality encourages close relationship maintenance, it does not conclude whether this feature of design would be as successful or popular integrated into other platforms. Xu said that answering this question would require “a more comprehensive comparison between Snapchat and other social media”. Studies like this pave the way for future exploration into human-technology interaction and how technology and design influence human communication. Research into the effects of social media design provoke questions as to the implications of text versus image and video-based applications or the extent of influence of design trends like ephemerality. By studying the intersection of social media platform design and human communication and interaction, the authors hope to promote further explorations into ephemeral features and interdisciplinary research on digital sociality.

Visually enhanced occupational therapy services means that evaluation and intervention looks at how your child’s eye are moving and how that impacts their functional vision skills needed for academic success, navigating the environment, and participating in leisure activities. A vision screening is conducted as part of the occupational therapy screening to determine if there are functional visual deficits that may be impacting your child’s academic success. This is NOT a test of visual acuity (how clearly your child sees). This screening evaluates your child’s eye movements (ocularmotor skills) and how well your child’s eyes are working together to perform such skills as scanning a page, shifting attention to copy from the board, focusing on tabletop work, and filtering out visual distractions. Monitoring the development of these skills has become extremely important as the amount of screen-based learning and play has increased, affecting the amount of time children spend in activities that support development of ocularmotor skills such as outdoor and ball play.

By Ivan Reutener, smart mobility and intelligent transport systems specialist at Royal Haskoning DHV Electric vehicles (EV) have the potential to be so much more than a way of getting from ‘A’ to ‘B’ – they could help their owners reduce transport costs, and in the future, even help contribute to their income or reduce household energy costs. While buying an EV currently is an expensive outlay upfront, their lower running and maintenance expenses mean that they cost less than internal combustion engines over time. What’s more, if South Africa’s regulatory environment follows trends elsewhere in the world, they could help reduce household energy costs and even earn their owners some income. If you’re wondering how any of this is possible, now’s the time to start thinking differently about cars by changing your idea of a vehicle as an engine-driven mode of transport that guzzles expensive fuel, to it being a battery-powered, multi-purpose part of your lifestyle. Let’s get the basics out of the way: electric vehicles have fewer moving parts, they don’t need to be serviced as often as internal combustion engines do, and they don’t burn expensive petrol, which is expected to rise drastically from August. This means that EVs are cheaper to run, freeing up families’ cashflow for essentials other than transport, and they don’t spew out pollutants into the environment every time you go somewhere. It’s when we start thinking of an electric vehicle as more than just a car that things really start getting interesting. Research at the Delft University of Technology suggests that cars powered by fuel cells could be used to power households, meaning that they won’t have to draw energy from the grid – a great way to overcome the inconvenience of load-shedding, which is all too well-known in South Africa. These cells are so powerful that a parking lot filled with them during the day could offer as much energy as a power station – meaning that power utilities wouldn’t need to build as many expensive power stations to provide energy to citizens. For those concerned that load-shedding would impact their ability to charge their electric vehicle’s battery – or that the electricity used to do so would be more expensive than fuel – planning charging time strategically could address this. Choosing to charge your vehicle’s battery in off peak times means that you’ll pay less to charge your battery, while also reducing your demand on the grid during peak times. When the changes in regulations around independent power producers announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa come into effect, it could even be plausible for electric vehicle owners to charge their vehicles in low-peak times, and then to sell energy back into the grid to recover some of their energy costs. These are all possibilities that require some changes to how the electric vehicle sector is regulated and managed in South Africa – but there’s even more potential for growth and development if these changes are implemented. More electric vehicles on the roads mean more demand for batteries, which means opportunities for the manufacturing, sale and distribution of these batteries. Just like there are petrol stations along the country’s main roads, there could also be battery charging stations, or even outlets that swop flat batteries out for charged ones, so that people on the move don’t have to stop and wait for their battery to be charged. There are whole industries that are possible around second life car batteries that don’t hold sufficient charge any more to run a car, but that could be used as storage in part of a solar or wind installation. These facilities could in turn sell energy back into the grid, helping relieve pressure on the country’s power utility which is currently not able to build more costly new power stations, and in turn, keep the country’s lights on.

In a perspective piece published on 15 March in The New England Journal of Medicine, researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine in California warned about the ethical implications of using machine-learning tools in making healthcare decisions, particularly when used at a large scale. Among the concerns raised by the authors: - Data used to create algorithms may contain biases that are reflected in the algorithms, and in the clinical recommendations they generate: “The algorithms being built into the healthcare system might be reflective of different, conflicting interests”, explains David Magnus, PhD, senior author of the piece and director of the Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics. “What if the algorithm is designed around the goal of saving money? What if different treatment decisions about patients are made depending on insurance status or their ability to pay?” - Physicians must adequately understand how algorithms are created, critically assess the source of the data used to create the statistical models, understand how the models function to avoid becoming overly dependent on them, and guard against the misinterpretation of data that could adversely affect care decisions. - Information collected on the basis of artificial intelligence data “needs to be heavily weighed against what they know from their own clinical experience”. The human aspect of patient care must always be taken into account. - Clinical guidance based on machine-learning introduces a third party into the physician-patient relationship, turning it into a relationship between the patient and the healthcare system. It could challenge the dynamics of responsibility in the relationship and confidentiality. “We need to be cautious about caring for people based on what algorithms are showing us”, says Danton Char, assistant professor of anaesthesiology, perioperative and pain medicine, who is doing research funded by the National Institutes of Health on the ethical and social implications of expanded genetic testing of critically ill children. “The one thing people can do that machines can’t do is step aside from our ideas and evaluate them critically.” He feels that “society has become very breathless in looking for quick answers”, and that caution and reflection are needed in developing artificial intelligence applications for health data. Medical Press, Patricia Hannon (15/03/2018)

Save a Child thru Farm Safety Education Programs Did you know that about every 3 days a child dies due to an agriculture-related incident, while every day around 33 children are injured in these incidents? From animals and ATV/UTVs to tractors and machinery, many of these incidents could have been prevented with safe practices in place. We’ve compiled a group of farm safety organizations to share tips on organizing and promoting educational programs, resources to use with youth or adults, and alternative delivery ideas. The Progressive Agriculture Safety Day (PAF Safety Day) program provides an age-appropriate, hands-on experience where youth learn to be safer and healthier. Participants will be introduced to the Progressive Agriculture Safety Day program’s three unique delivery modes, learn how to get involved, and provide an overview of training, planning, curriculum, and other resources. The National Farm Medicine Center, Iowa Center for Ag Safety and Health, and Upper Midwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center will also be involved in the seminar and will send you home ready to protect your farmers and youth from farm accidents.

On this day in Tudor history, 29th November 1528, in the reign of King Henry VIII, Anthony Browne, 1st Viscount Montagu, was born. Montagu began his court career with the help of his father in Henry VIII's reign. He was made a Knight of the Bath when Edward VI became king, served as a privy councillor in Queen Mary I's reign and died a natural death in Queen Elizabeth I's reign. Montagu even survived being implicated in a rebellion! Who was Anthony Browne, 1st Viscount Montagu, and just how did he manage to not only have an excellent court career, but leave a fortune to his grandson, when he was a Catholic in Elizabeth I's reign? Find out all about him...

Abstract: This paper describes a real-time soil monitoring for the agriculture farmlands to provide optimal and integrated data collections. Real- time monitoring provides reliable, timely information of crop and soil status plays an important role in the decision making in the crop production improvement. Agriculture depends on many parameters such as inter and intra variability of plants to give better yields such as soil parameters, climatic parameters and so on. Here the system is designed to collect the data set for major parameters such as temperature, humidity, soil pH, soil moisture, light intensity and carbon-dioxide of the fields. The system consists of an ATmega 328 microcontroller, DHT11 Sensor, soil hygrometer, light intensity sensor, soil pH sensor, MQ-135 sensor and DC motor. Data sets collected were used for the analysis of selection of crops and their vulnerabilities for regulating the irrigation parameters which will be of help in the agricultural practices, it will make easy way for farmers to take decision on planting a crops, watering and fertilizing them by avoiding the interference of hydro geologists and soil scientists by giving precaution. The obtained results were compared with the standardized optimum values for the particular crops and based on the differences inputs for the crops are varied. The automated watering helps the crops to get flow of water to fields based on the parameters, which is controlled by the DC motor. Multi sensor implementation for acquiring primary parameters essential for plant growth is the main aim of the paper. Easily available sensors were a motivation for the development of this project. Keywords:ATmega328 microcontroller, DHT11 sensor, soil hygrometer, light intensity sensor, soil PH sensor, MQ-135 sensor and moisture sensor. | DOI: 10.17148/IJARCCE.2022.114198

Building a strong barrier The Skin Microbiome The human skin is the body’s largest organ and the primary interface between our bodies and the surrounding environment. It is crucial in maintaining our physical well-being. As a barrier tissue, our skin plays a vital function in maintaining our health by carefully controlling the passage of important substrates and defending us from external dangers. Each of us has a unique skin microbiome – home to millions of naturally occurring bacteria, fungi, and viruses. A balanced skin microbiome is essential for maintaining a strong skin barrier. The skin microbes also secrete several molecules that help keep the skin healthy. The skin microbiome is involved in ensuring optimal barrier function and skin homeostasis and protecting the skin from potential pathogenic microorganisms. [ihc-hide-content ihc_mb_type=”show” ihc_mb_who=”2,4,6,7,5″ ihc_mb_template=”3″ ] “Leaky skin” refers to the degradation of the skin’s barrier function as a result of a dysbiotic skin microbiome. This microbial dysfunction compromises the integrity of the skin barrier, rendering it vulnerable to infiltration of external pathogens into the body. Leaky skin can also drive activation of the body’s immune system. This activation subsequently triggers systemic inflammation, which expedites the aging process and increases the risk of health issues that extend beyond the skin. Aging of the skin is also affected by leaky skin. Aging leads to a degeneration in the skin’s natural barrier function. Leaky skin accelerates skin aging due to its negative impact on skin function. Restoring and maintaining a healthy skin microbiome can help mitigate the effects of aging and promote healthier, more youthful-looking skin. Leaky Skin and Aging As we age, our skin undergoes various changes: thinning epidermis and dermis layers, reduced collagen and elastin production, decreased oil production, and the inability to hold in moisture. Aging causes a decrease in the skin’s natural and protective barrier function. The skin microbiome undergoes changes as well, leading to a disrupted and dysfunctional microbial community, resulting in fine lines and wrinkles. Mechanisms involved in leaky skin as an accelerant of skin aging: Leaky skin compromises the skin’s ability to retain moisture- leading to dryness and dehydration, imbalance triggers chronic inflammation, compromising the skin’s ability to repair itself and maintain optimal function and inflammation promotes the breakdown of collagen and elastic fibers, which are essential in maintaining the skin’s elasticity and firmness. Aging leads to a degeneration in the skin’s natural barrier function, and leaky skin accelerates skin aging due to its impact on proper skin function. Restoring and maintaining a healthy skin microbiome can help mitigate the effects of aging and promote healthier, more youthful-looking skin.

The resource-based view (RBV) is a model that sees resources as key to superior firm performance. If a resource exhibits VRIO attributes, the resource enables the firm to gain and sustain a competitive advantage. What is a resource-based view? RBV is an approach to achieving competitive advantage that emerged in the 1980s and 1990s after the major works published by Wernerfelt, B. (“The Resource-Based View of the Firm”), Prahalad and Hamel (“The Core Competence of The Corporation”), Barney, J. (“Firm resources and sustained competitive advantage”) and others. The supporters of this view argue that organizations should look inside the company to find the sources of competitive advantage instead of looking at the competitive environment for it. The following model explains RBV and emphasizes its key points. According to RBV proponents, it is much more feasible to exploit external opportunities using existing resources in a new way rather than trying to acquire new skills for each different opportunity. In the RBV model, resources are given the major role in helping companies to achieve higher organizational performance. There are two types of resources: tangible and intangible. Tangible assets are physical things. Land, buildings, machinery, equipment and capital – all these assets are tangible. Physical resources can easily be bought in the market, so they confer little advantage to the companies in the long run because rivals can soon acquire identical assets. Intangible assets are everything else that has no physical presence but can still be owned by the company. Brand reputation, trademarks and intellectual property are all intangible assets. Unlike physical resources, brand reputation is built over a long time and is something that other companies cannot buy from the market. Intangible resources usually stay within a company and are the main source of sustainable competitive advantage. The two critical assumptions of RBV are that resources must also be heterogeneous and immobile. Heterogeneous. The first assumption is that skills, capabilities and other resources that organizations possess differ from one company to another. If organizations had the same amount and mix of resources, they could not employ different strategies to outcompete each other. What one company would do, the other could simply follow and no competitive advantage could be achieved. This is the scenario of perfect competition, yet real-world markets are far from perfectly competitive and some companies, which are exposed to the same external and competitive forces (same external conditions), are able to implement different strategies and outperform each other. Therefore, RBV assumes that companies achieve competitive advantage by using their different bundles of resources. The competition between Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics is a good example of how two companies that operate in the same industry and, thus, are exposed to the same external forces can achieve different organizational performance due to the difference in resources. Apple competes with Samsung in tablets and smartphone markets, where Apple sells its products at much higher prices and, as a result, reaps higher profit margins. Why does Samsung not follow the same strategy? Simply because Samsung does not have the same brand reputation or is capable of designing user-friendly products like Apple does. (heterogeneous resources) Immobile. The second assumption of RBV is that resources are not mobile and do not move from company to company, at least in the short-run. Due to this immobility, companies cannot replicate rivals’ resources and implement the same strategies. Intangible resources, such as brand equity, processes, knowledge or intellectual property, are usually immobile. (Please visit our article on VRIO framework for more information.) Although having heterogeneous and immobile resources is critical in achieving competitive advantage, it is not enough alone if the firm wants to sustain it. Barney (1991) has identified a VRIN framework that examines if resources are valuable, rare, costly to imitate and non-substitutable. The resources and capabilities that answer yes to all the questions are the sustained competitive advantages. The framework was later improved from VRIN to VRIO by adding the following question: “Is a company organized to exploit these resources?” VRIO framework adopted from Rothaermel’s (2013) ‘Strategic Management’, p.91 Question of Value. Resources are valuable if they help organizations to increase the value offered to the customers. This is done by increasing differentiation or/and decreasing the costs of production. The resources that cannot meet this condition lead to competitive disadvantage. Question of Rarity. Resources that can only be acquired by one or a few companies are considered rare. When more than a few companies have the same resource or capability, it results in competitive parity. Question of Imitability. A company that has valuable and rare resources can achieve at least temporary competitive advantage. However, the resource must also be costly to imitate or to substitute for a rival if a company wants to achieve sustained competitive advantage. Question of Organization. The resources itself do not confer any advantage for a company if it’s not organized to capture the value from them. Only the firm that is capable to exploit the valuable, rare and imitable resources can achieve sustained competitive advantage. Difference between resource-based and industrial organization views RBV holds that sustained competitive advantage can be achieved more easily by exploiting internal rather than external factors as compared to industrial organization (I/O) view. While this is correct to some degree, there isn’t a definite answer to which approach to strategic management is more important. The chart below shows how industry, firm and other effects explain a firm’s performance. From ~30% to ~45% of superior organizational performance can be explained by firm effects (resource based view) and ~20% by industry effects (I/O view). This indicates that the best approach is to look into both external and internal factors and combine both views to achieve and sustain competitive advantage. - Rothaermel, F. T. (2012). Strat.Mgmt.: Concepts and Cases. McGraw-Hill/Irwin, p. 5 - Barney, J. B. (1991). Firm Resources and Sustained Competitive Advantage. Journal of Management, Vol. 17, pp.99–120.

By Asher Moses Google Earth has made the hostile Afghan terrain far more navigable for a group of Australian archaeologists, who have used the program to uncover hundreds of previously unknown sites in the war-torn country. Project leader David Thomas, a PhD student at La Trobe University in Melbourne, said he believed his project was the first time anyone in the world had published archaeological research using data from Google Earth. Thomas and three colleagues - Claudia Zipfel and Suzanna Nikolovski of La Trobe and Fiona Kidd from the University of Sydney - have used the Google Earth images of Afghanistan to glean new details from already discovered sites, map known sites that don't have any drawn plans and, most significantly, uncover hundreds of sites that were previously undiscovered. And the best part is they could do it all from the comfort of their armchairs, without shouldering the costs of travelling to Afghanistan and the threats posed by gangs of Taliban militants. Before Thomas's project there was only one known site in the Registan desert region of Afghanistan and the last time a researcher visited the area was in the 1970s. Using Google Earth, Thomas's team have managed to catalogue 450 sites in the area, dating back centuries if not millennia. "Even in the 70s when it was possible to go to Afghanistan it was quite a tribal area, quite an inhospitable area ... and to be quite frank there are easier areas to work than in the middle of the desert," Thomas said. In Google Earth's satellite images of the Registan, which lies on the border between the Helmand and Kandahar provinces, Thomas and his team found deserted villages, camp sites, small fortresses, cemeteries, reservoirs and underground water channels. This month, Thomas presented a poster containing detailed new plans of the citadel of Bust to the World Archaeological Congress in Dublin, Ireland. Bust was the tenth to twelfth century Ghaznavid dynasty's winter capital and stretches over seven kilometres along the Helmand river. French archaeologists worked on the site in the 40s and 50s but the sheer scale of the remains meant large areas went unsurveyed, Thomas said. "Only 130 of the 1286 known archaeological sites [in Afghanistan] have plans," Thomas said. "A lot of the sites are in very remote areas. They haven't been excavated properly or even visited in detail, so what we've done is we found that about 250 of those sites fall within high resolution areas in Google Earth, and we've been focusing on the medieval sites and drawing plans based on the Google Earth images." Thomas said although archaeologists had leapt on Google Earth for use in their lectures and visual presentations, they had been lazy about using the potential data it contains for research. While many archaeologists buy highly detailed satellite images of areas they are studying for hundreds of dollars, Google Earth is free and has built-in measurements, making it far easier to sketch plans. "The most important aspect of the work is that we'll be able to go to the Afghan archaeological institute and say these are the sites in this area, if you've got guys down there you can either go and visit them or you can at least start thinking about trying to protect them," Thomas said.

Wilmington is a city in the state of Delaware, located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. The area that is now Wilmington was originally inhabited by the Lenape Native American tribe, and the first European settlement in the area was established by the Dutch in the mid-17th century. In the late 17th and early 18th centuries, the area was part of the Pennsylvania colony and was known as "New Sweden" due to the Swedish settlement that had been established there in the mid-17th century. In 1739, the area was incorporated as a town and named after Spencer Compton, the Earl of Wilmington. During the American Revolution, Wilmington was an important center of trade and industry, and the city played a significant role in the war effort. After the war, the city continued to grow and prosper, becoming an important center of manufacturing and commerce. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, Wilmington was home to a number of important businesses and industries, including the DuPont Company, which was founded in the city in 1802 and became one of the largest chemical companies in the world. Wilmington was also an important center of shipbuilding, with many shipyards located along the Christina River. In the mid-20th century, Wilmington experienced significant social and economic changes, as many of its manufacturing industries declined and the city's population became more diverse. Today, Wilmington is home to a number of important cultural and educational institutions, including the Delaware Art Museum, the Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts, and the University of Delaware's Wilmington campus. Wilmington Top Tourist Attractions - Brandywine Park: This 178-acre park is located along the Brandywine River and features walking trails, picnic areas, playgrounds, and a number of gardens and historic sites, including the Rockford Tower. - Nemours Estate: This 300-acre estate was built in the early 20th century by Alfred I. du Pont and features a 77-room mansion, formal gardens, and a collection of antique cars. - Delaware Art Museum: This museum features an extensive collection of American art, including works by Andrew Wyeth and John Sloan, as well as European art from the 19th and 20th centuries. - Hagley Museum and Library: This museum is located on the site of the original DuPont gunpowder works and features exhibits on the history of the DuPont company and the development of the American industrial revolution. - Delaware Museum of Natural History: This museum features exhibits on the natural history of Delaware and the surrounding region, including displays on dinosaurs, birds, and other wildlife. - Grand Opera House: This historic theater was built in the late 19th century and features a variety of live performances, including concerts, plays, and dance performances. - Delaware Children's Museum: This interactive museum is designed for children and features exhibits on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) as well as art and culture. - Wilmington Riverfront: This area along the Christina River features a number of restaurants, shops, and entertainment venues, as well as walking and biking paths and a seasonal farmer's market. - Old Swedes Church: This historic church was built in the mid-17th century and is one of the oldest surviving buildings in Wilmington. It is also known for its unique wooden altar, which was carved in the mid-18th century. - Rockwood Mansion and Park: This 72-acre park features a historic mansion and gardens, as well as walking trails, picnic areas, and a playground. The mansion was built in the mid-19th century and is known for its Gothic Revival architecture. Wilmington has a humid subtropical climate, with hot and humid summers and cool to mild winters. The city experiences all four seasons, with temperatures ranging from an average high of around 85°F (29°C) in July to an average low of around 25°F (-4°C) in January. Summer months in Wilmington are typically hot and humid, with temperatures often reaching into the 90s°F (32-37°C) and high levels of humidity. Thunderstorms are common during the summer, and the city can occasionally be affected by hurricanes and tropical storms. Winters in Wilmington are generally cool to mild, with temperatures averaging around freezing point. Snowfall is common during the winter months, with an average annual snowfall of around 20 inches (50 cm). Spring and fall are mild and pleasant, with comfortable temperatures and generally pleasant weather conditions. However, spring can be quite rainy, and fall can bring occasional storms and strong winds. Overall, Wilmington's climate is influenced by its location in the Mid-Atlantic region, which experiences a mix of continental and oceanic weather patterns. Wilmington is located in New Castle County, in the northern part of the state of Delaware, in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. The city is situated on the banks of the Christina River, which flows into the Delaware River and ultimately into the Atlantic Ocean. Wilmington covers an area of approximately 17 square miles (44 square kilometers), with a population of around 70,000 people. The city is the largest in the state of Delaware, and serves as an important economic and cultural center for the region. The landscape of Wilmington is characterized by rolling hills and forests, with many parks and natural areas located throughout the city. The Brandywine Creek State Park, for example, is located just north of Wilmington and features hiking trails, picnic areas, and a nature center. The city is also home to a number of historic sites and landmarks, including the Old Swedes Church and the Delaware Historical Society, both of which are located in the downtown area. The Wilmington Riverfront, located along the Christina River, is a popular area for shopping, dining, and entertainment, and features a number of restaurants, shops, and attractions. Overall, Wilmington's geography is shaped by its location along the Christina River and its history as a center of industry and commerce in the region.

It is well known that physical fitness indicates getting healthy. But what exactly is health and fitness? It is an significant matter as it impacts every factor of your health through your personal connections to your specialized versions. Listed below are many ways for having a suit human body: If you liked this short article and you want to obtain more info relating to detox supplements https://weightloss.shopping i implore you to check out the web site. Health and fitness represents a medical condition of wellness and well being and, more importantly, your ability to perform different parts of activities, athletics as well as other activities. Ideally, health and fitness is designed to hold you far from disease and enables you to take pleasure in your lifetime to its maximum. Fitness and health ought to be included not merely into the way of living but will also into the selection of lifestyle as such. Proper nourishment, standard modest-severity exercising, sufficient rest and satisfactory supplements assist accomplish this. Aerobic health and fitness includes several cardiac routines for example exercising, fast taking walks, swimming, cycling, rowing or stair climbing up. These routines might be combined with resistance training to enhance lean muscle durability and build stamina. The usual pieces of an effective aerobic process involve stable-state or rhythmic exercising (stationary, similar movement on the exact pace), a enough intake of ample water and adequate levels of calories from fat. Aerobic routines boost beats per minute, improve lymph bloodstream circulation, improve and overall tone the muscular tissues, develop immune system functionality, develop digestion productivity, enhance weight loss, lower blood pressure levels, lower cholesterol levels, lessen potential risk of cancer malignancy, enrich cognitive purpose, enhance sleep excellent and speed up the recovery from traumas. Moreover, aerobic routines have been found to decrease the danger of heart stroke, diabetes, coronary disease, and other health conditions linked to bad aerobic overall health. Anaerobic health and fitness, however, will involve a mixture of cardio workouts with training for strength (e.g., weightlifting) that create and conserve purposeful energy even though muscle building large. It is usually called “hybrid workout” because it all at once develops the main element popular features of cardio workouts even though building up muscles which are not used in the course of exercise. Anaerobic exercise routines can be carried out by players and inactive persons. In addition they might be recommended for those who have joint or back again issues that have an impact on remarkable ability to take part in regular exercise. Core muscular tissues are the types that assist maintain the body’s composition and stabilize. Those are the muscle tissues that are used to preserve normal entire body movement, keep common seated and walking healthy posture and keep ordinary neck area and travel alignment. While key muscle tissue are crucial for over-all health and fitness, some have suggested they are over highlighted and not powerful ample in promoting healthy unwanted weight decline and achieve. Core workouts, like be placed ups, are standard center workout routines. The first kind relies much more about beats per minute and the latter on muscle tissue power. That’s there are also specific key workouts for rehabilitation and damage protection. All the difference somewhere between anaerobic and aerobic conditioning. Aerobic health and fitness depends much more on the quantity of days you engage in aerobic pastime. However, as the volume of your coronary heart is better than for each minute improves, so does the volume of power required to proceed your entire body. So as to accomplish the workout, this greater energy requirements better energy and motion. Thus, you can certainly see how the variations among aerobic and anaerobic physical fitness could happen. It is necessary for an individual to acquire knowledge of how to get the most beneficial fitness level. This involves you to require a close take a look at way of living and then make changes in which necessary. In the event you cigarette smoke or consume alcohol, it is imperative that you end, as an example. While there are many different sorts of exercise programs available, from walking around the obstruct to doing exercises at the health club, it can be in the end your own personal lifestyle that can determine ways to progress to acquiring greater general health. If you find that you are having difficulty with any feature in your life, take action to treat the problem. No matter the style of health and fitness training curriculum you ultimately choose, your quality of life and your fitness level will develop in case you try to continually do the exercise routines and maintain your wholesome diet plan. For anyone who is presently in an aerobics course and other exercising, make certain you always apply that which you found out. Occasionally, you might want to adjust what you are actually undertaking. Keep in mind that with any fitness plan, it is vital to continue to help make moderate alterations in satisfy new aims or to enhance with exactly what you have before accomplished. Be inclined to try out distinct solutions to obtain your workout goals. A lot more you modify and change your programs, the more effective you are going to turn out to be. If you have any thoughts concerning the place and how to use https://weightloss.shopping, you can get in touch with us at our website. If you are interested in this content on this content, here are a couple far more internet pages with similar written content:

Graphics files come in many different formats, such as PNG, EPS, and JPEG. Unfortunately, there is no single graphics file format that meets all needs. HTML output files require bitmap graphics such as PNG or JPEG. Some browsers are beginning to accept SVG (scalable vector graphics), but support is not universal. XSL-FO processors generally accept bitmap graphics and vector graphics, but not all of them accept all formats. If you are publishing only HTML output, then you just need to convert your pictures to one of the common bitmap formats such as PNG, GIF, or JPEG. All graphical browsers support these formats. But if you need to produce both HTML and print output from the same DocBook documents, then you may need more than one format. The formats you choose will depend on the type of illustration and the XSL-FO processor you use. If you are using a screenshot, then a bitmap graphic can work for both HTML and print output. That's because the original screen itself was a bitmap display, so it will look good in HTML. It also will not improve or degrade when used in print. You still may want to scale the graphic differently for the two outputs. If you are using a drawn illustration, you probably want to generate two graphic files derived from the same source drawing. Computer drawings use vector graphics, which produce smooth lines when reproduced at high resolution, such as in print. They can also be rendered at lower resolution if needed. But most HTML browsers do not accept vector graphics at all. So a typical solution is to produce two versions of the same picture, using a vector graphic format for print, and a bitmap format for HTML. All drawing programs provide several output formats to choose from, so check your software documentation to see which formats it can export to. You also need to check the documentation of your XSL-FO processor to see what graphics file formats it supports. The following is a list as of this writing. Table 18.1. XSL-FO processor supported graphics formats PNG JPEG GIF TIFF BMP SVG PDF EPS EMF WMF CGM PNG JPEG GIF TIFF BMP PNG JPEG GIF TIFF SVG PDF EPS An EPS graphic requires a PostScript interpreter to display its vector artwork. XSL-FO processors, PDF browsers and many printers do not contain PostScript interpreters, and will only display the low resolution bitmap image that is often embedded in an EPS file. Generally SVG gives better results with PDF and print output. If you have EPS graphics, you can convert them to SVG using Adobe Illustrator (not free) or Ghostscript (free). Once you have determined which graphics formats are supported, you can convert your graphics to those formats and save the files with the appropriate filename extensions. Then you can create your mediaobject elements with multiple formats. See the section “Stylesheet's selection process” to see how a given format is chosen. What if you have a graphics file format that is supported in your output but is not supported by the stylesheets? For example, the Macromedia Flash Movie file format has a format of SWF. This file format is supported in browsers with the Flash plugin. To add a graphics format to the list of supported formats in the HTML stylesheet, copy the template named html/graphics.xsl to your customization layer. Add your new format to the xml:if statement, as in the following example: <xsl:if test="$format = 'SVG' or $format = 'PNG' or $format = 'JPG' or $format = 'JPEG' or $format = 'linespecific' or $format = 'GIF' or $format = 'GIF87a' or $format = 'GIF89a' or $format = 'BMP' or $format = 'SWF'">1</xsl:if> Now you can add a format="SWF" attribute to a videodata element in your DocBook file. You will likely have to do some further customization of the videodata template to output the correct HTML to support Flash movies, though. You may also want to add a new graphics format when your XSL-FO processor upgrades to support a new format before the DocBook stylesheet distribution can catch up. In that case, copy the same template from the fo/graphics.xsl stylesheet file to your customization layer and add the new format name. |DocBook XSL: The Complete Guide - 4th Edition |PDF version available Copyright © 2002-2007 Sagehill Enterprises

When people ask Dr. Karen Litwa what she does for a living, her response is unique. “I say that I’m a brain builder,” she says through a smile. Litwa, an assistant professor of anatomy and cell biology at East Carolina University’s Brody School of Medicine, studies the mechanisms by which the brain cells form connections with one another to share information with each other. In order to do that, her team grows mini brains in culture dishes. “We can take a sample from a tissue bank, usually connective tissue from a skin biopsy, and make it into a pluripotent state, which just means it has the capacity to become any type of cell,” Litwa explained. “Then using different growth factors, we make these into little spheres that contain the neurons that we’re interested in studying.” The mini brains that Litwa grows lack blood vessels and are only about two millimeters in diameter, but they are able to replicate the stages of human fetal brain development, specifically the outer cortex of the brain. The mini brains recently grown by Litwa’s team originated with tissue samples from individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders, such as autism spectrum disorders, so the team could explore how their brains develop differently from people who don’t have autism.

I find the 1950s to be a fascinating decade. They have become largely misunderstood, in large part because they came before the 1960s which accelerated profound and dramatic changes in civil rights, women’s rights, and youth culture Browse byERAS & EVENTS OR TOPICS ERAS & EVENTS - African American - child removal - Chinese history - Cold War - global South - Jim Crow filter by medium Examining how vital information about John Brown has been twisted or omitted in response to oppressed peoples’ response to him may help us to more truthfully “remember John Brown” and connect him with other “immortal raiders” and activists who have fought white supremacy. And while it may be easy to assume that historians, artists, and everyday people have grown more sympathetic toward John Brown over time, the contested memory of Brown challenges the myth that Americans have become more progressive on racial politics and education. During World War II, many Japanese business owners traumatically lost their businesses and property without the chance to be compensated, despite expressing loyalty to the United States or holding U.S. citizenship. The Role of The Daily Californian as an Advocate for Japanese Americans at UC Berkeley During World War II The Daily Californian, the student-run newspaper at UC Berkeley, was heavily involved in aiding Japanese American students during World War II. The editors used the publishing platform to help students protest, find safe storage for belongings, fundraise, and even to find a new home for a student’s pet dog before she had to evacuate to… MORE

Gas Bubble Could be an Effective Alternative to Chemotherapy Wednesday, April 20, 2016 Gas Bubble Therapy Scientists from Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore, have invented a new way to deliver drugs deep into tumour cells using gas bubbles. The invention could help do away with the complications of chemotherapy. The micro-sized gas bubbles are coated with cancer drug particles and iron oxide nanoparticles wherein scientists use magnets to direct these bubbles to gather around a tumour. Thereafter ultrasound is used to vibrate the microbubbles providing them with the energy to penetrate into a targeted area. These microbubbles were successfully tested in mice. Chemotherapy drugs at present are largely non-targeted i.e. the drug particles flow into the bloodstream damaging both healthy and cancerous cells. Moreover, these drugs are flushed away quickly in organs such as lungs and liver thus limiting their effectiveness. The remaining drugs are also unable to penetrate deep into the core of the tumour which leaves behind some cancer cells alive. This could lead to resurgence in tumour growth. The magnetic microbubbles soon after entering the bloodstream gather around a tumour with the help of magnets. This ensures that healthy cells are not damaged. The drugs in turn are able to penetrate a depth of 50 cell layers or more – twice the width of a human hair. This allows the drugs to reach both the surface and core of the tumour.

10 Fascinating Facts About Burmese Cats All You Need to Know About Burmese Cats Welcome to the insider’s guide on everything you’ll ever want to know about Burmese Cats! This beloved feline breed is known for its elegant looks, endearing personality, and rich history. Whether you’re considering bringing one home or love learning more about these magnificent creatures, this comprehensive listicle will enrich your knowledge of Burmese cats. So, grab a cozy spot, perhaps with your furry friend cuddled by your side, and let’s dive into the enchanting world of Burmese cats! 01. Boasting a Long-Ancestral Line Burmese cats have captivated pet lovers for centuries. These Southeast Asian domestic cats have a long and storied past. However, their journey to international fame is rich in culture, class, and companionship. The Burmese Beginnings The roots of the Burmese cat can be traced back to the wondrous land of Burma, now known as Myanmar. They were once the sacred companions to the high priests and eventually became the beloved pets of the elite. The cats have long been revered for their golden coats, which were thought to mirror the shimmering aura of the Buddhist temples. Bridging the East and West In the late 19th century, the cats caught the eye of British soldiers returning from the region. Their beautifully colored, friendly faces won the hearts of many, leading to their introduction to the Western world. Over the years, the breed was refined, and its presence outside Asia grew. 10 Fascinating Facts About Burmese Cats 02. The Physical Splendor of the Burmese The Burmese are a sight to behold, with features that stand out even in a crowd of cats. Every aspect is a testament to their charm, from their striking gold eyes to their sleek, muscular bodies. A Coat Fit for Royalty One of the first things you’ll notice about a Burmese cat is its luxurious coat. The breed is known for its short, satin-like fur, which lays close to the body and requires minimal grooming. The coat comes in several colors, including sable, champagne, blue, and platinum, adding to the breed’s beauty. A Regal Figure The Burmese cat is medium in size, with a muscular and stocky body. Its rounded head features expressive, large gold or yellow eyes full of curiosity and warmth. They possess a perpetual ‘smile’ on their round face, giving them an endearing and approachable look. Their paws are dainty yet surprisingly powerful, well-suited for their love of climbing and play. Recommended Food products : 03. The Burmese Personality Profile Burmese cats are renowned for their generous and loveable nature. Their personalities are as delightful as their appearances, making them a popular choice for many households. The Social Butterfly If you crave the affection of a pet that’s more like a companion, the Burmese cat is an ideal choice. They are highly social and are not known for being solitary creatures. They’ll likely follow you from room to room, ‘talk’ to you with gentle meows, and curl up on your lap at every opportunity. Burmese cats are brilliant and love to entertain. They will often amuse themselves with toys or playmates but are happiest when they can engage with their human family members. Their need for interaction makes them quite talkative, but their voice is soft and pleasant. 10 Fascinating Facts About Burmese Cats 04. The Frequented Veterinarian – Health and Well-being Like all breeds, Burmese cats have their vulnerabilities regarding health. Being informed about common health issues can help you navigate their care regimen more effectively. Burmese cats are prone to hypokalemia, also known as low blood potassium. This can lead to muscle weakness, so it’s crucial to monitor their diet and ensure proper nutrition. They also are more susceptible to certain heart conditions, so regular vet check-ups are essential. Longevity on Average With good care and a healthy lifestyle, Burmese cats typically live between 10 to 17 years. Focusing on maintaining their health can increase the likelihood of your cat enjoying a longer life. Recommended Health Supplies products : 05. The Grooming Regimen – Looking After Your Burmese Beauty The Burmese cat’s coat is relatively low-maintenance, but that doesn’t mean they don’t enjoy a good grooming session. Brushing and Combing Regular brushing is essential to keep their coat in top condition, prevent matting, and reduce shedding. A soft brush or grooming mitt is usually required to keep your Burmese looking its best. Nailing the Nails Trimming your Burmese nails every couple of weeks can prevent them from becoming too long and causing discomfort or, in some cases, even injury. Recommended Litter products : 06. Training Tactics and Exercise Excellence Burmese cats are intelligent and alert, making them quite receptive to training. Incorporating light exercises into their routine can help keep them happy and healthy. The Basics of Training Utilize positive reinforcement techniques to train your Burmese. They respond well to rewards for good behavior and quickly learn tricks, which can provide mental stimulation and keep them out of trouble. 10 Fascinating Facts About Burmese Cats Play and Stay in Shape Interactive toys and regular play sessions are crucial for keeping a Burmese cat mentally and physically active. Consider setting up a cat tree or condo to cater to their climbing instincts. 07. The Cat-Friendly Home Environment Creating a home suitable for your Burmese cat’s needs will result in a fulfilling and harmonious life for you and your feline friend. Providing the Right Digs Burmese cats appreciate a cozy spot to call their own. A warm bed, a perch by a window, and a selection of toys will make your cat feel secure and entertained. Ensure your home is free of hazards, especially if your cat is a curious climber. Keep all harmful plants and substances out of reach, and secure windows and balconies. 08. Making the Big Decision – Adopting a Burmese Cat Deciding to bring a new pet home is a significant commitment. When adopting a Burmese cat, there are a few key steps and considerations to remember. Finding a Feline Friend Seek out reputable breeders or adoption centers that specialize in Burmese cats. Take your time to research and visit different places to find a cat that’s the perfect match for you and your family. Preparing for the Transition The transition into a new home can be stressful for any pet. Take the time to prepare a designated space with all the comforts your new Burmese cat will need and allow them to acclimate at their own pace. 09. Notable Noses – Famous Burmese Cats Burmese cats have left their mark on history and popular culture, with some notable felines gracing the spotlight over the years. The Cat Who Followed in Puss’s Paws Many famous figures, such as Audrey Hepburn and the poet T.S. Eliot, have owned Burmese cats. They are also well-represented in literature and film, famously the cat of choice for typical ‘wicked witch’ characters – a stereotype broken by the Burmese’s sweet nature. 10 Fascinating Facts About Burmese Cats In the digital age, Burmese cats continue to gain followers and fans for their photogenic qualities and magnetic personalities. There’s a good chance your favorite internet cat is a Burmese or has a little charm in their lineage! 10. A Lifetime of Love – The Burmese Conclusion Burmese cats bring warmth, joy, and a healthy dose of elegance to any home. Their intelligence, sociability, and ability to bond with their human family make them a treasure to cat lovers worldwide. If you’re ready to commit to the demands and delights of a feline friend, consider adding a Burmese cat to your life. Remember, a cat is not just for the sake of itself – it’s an exchange of love and companionship that can last a lifetime. In summary, the Burmese cat is an enchanting breed, full of charm and grace. From their silky coats to their loving personalities, they are extraordinary creatures that deserve all the pampering and care you can provide. If you’re considering bringing one home, take the time to prepare, learn, and, most importantly, enjoy the company of your new feline friend. 10 Fascinating Facts About Burmese Cats

Seth DeLand explores the intersection of AI and simulation Today, the capability and reach of artificial intelligence (AI) is continually expanding as the technology grows in complexity. As a result, engineers are faced with new challenges as they are tasked with integrating AI into systems. Part of the complexity stems from the recognition that AI models are only as effective as the data they’re trained with – if that data is insufficient, inaccurate, or biased, the model’s calculations will be too. At a high level, there are three key ways AI and simulation are intersecting. The first has to do with addressing the challenge of insufficient data, as simulation models can be used to synthesise data that might be difficult or expensive to collect. The second is the use of AI models as approximations for complex high-fidelity simulations that are computationally expensive, also referred to as reduced-order modelling. The third is the use of AI models in embedded systems for applications such as controls, signal processing and embedded vision, where simulation has become a key part of the design process. As engineers are finding new ways to develop more effective AI models, this piece will explore how simulation and AI combine to solve challenges of time, model reliability, and data quality. Challenge 1: data for training and validating AI models The process of collecting real-world data and creating good, clean, and catalogued data is difficult and time consuming. Engineers also must be mindful of the fact that while most AI models are static (they run using fixed parameter values), they are constantly exposed to new data and that data might not necessarily be captured in the training set. Projects are more likely to fail without robust data to help train a model, making data preparation a crucial step in the AI workflow. ‘Bad’ data can leave an engineer spending hours trying to determine why the model is not working, without the promise of insightful results. Simulation can help engineers overcome these challenges. In recent years, data-centric AI has brought the AI community’s focus to the importance of training data. Rather than spending all a project’s time tweaking the AI model’s architecture and parameters, it has been shown that time spent improving the training data can often yield larger improvements in accuracy. The use of simulation to augment existing training data has multiple benefits: - Computational simulation is in general much less costly than physical experiments - The engineer has full control over the environment and can simulate scenarios that are difficult or too dangerous to create in the real world - The simulation gives access to internal states that might not be measured in an experimental setup, which can be very useful when debugging why an AI model doesn’t perform well in certain situations With a model’s performance so dependent on the quality of the data it is being trained with, engineers can improve outcomes with an iterative process of simulating data, updating an AI model, observing what conditions it cannot predict well, and collecting more simulated data for those conditions. Using industry tools such as Simulink and Simscape, engineers can generate simulated data that mirrors real-world scenarios. The combination of Simulink and MATLAB enables engineers to simulate their data in the same environment that they build their AI models, meaning they can automate more of the process and not have to worry about switching toolchains. Challenge 2: approximating complex systems with AI When designing algorithms that interact with physical systems, such as an algorithm to control a hydraulic valve, simulation-based model of the system is key to enabling rapid design iteration for your algorithms. In the controls field, this is called the “plant model”, in wireless area it is called “channel model”. In the reinforcement learning field, it’s called the “environment model”. Whatever you call it, the idea is the same: create a simulation-based model that gives you the necessary accuracy to recreate the physical system your algorithms interact with. The problem with this approach is that to achieve the “necessary accuracy” engineers have historically built high-fidelity models from first principles, which for complex systems can take a long time to both build and simulate. Long-running simulations mean that less design iteration will be possible, meaning there may not be enough time to evaluate potentially better design alternatives. AI comes into the picture here in that engineers can take that high-fidelity model of the physical system that they’ve built and approximate it with an AI model (a reduced-order model). In other situations, they might just train the AI model from experimental data, completely bypassing the creation of a physics-based model. The benefit is that the reduced-order model is much less computationally expensive than the first-principles model, meaning that the engineer can perform more exploration of the design space. And, if a physics-based model of the system does exist, the engineer can always use that model later in the process to validate the design determined using the AI model. Recent advances in the AI space, such as neural ODEs (Ordinary Differential Equations), combine AI training techniques with models that have physics-based principles embedded within them. Such models can be useful when there are certain aspects of the physical system that the engineer wishes to retain, while approximating the rest of the system with a more data-centric approach. Challenge 3: AI for algorithm development Engineers in applications such as control systems have come to rely more-and-more on simulations when designing their algorithms. In many cases, these engineers are developing virtual sensors, observers that attempt to calculate a value that isn’t directly measured from the available sensors. A variety of approaches are used including linear models and Kalman filters. But the ability of these methods to capture the nonlinear behaviour present in many real-world systems is limited, so engineers are turning to AI-based approaches which have the flexibility to model the complexities. They use data (either measured or simulated) to train an AI model that can predict the unobserved state from the observed states, and then integrate that AI model with the system. In this case, the AI model is included as part of the controls algorithm that ends up on the physical hardware, which has performance/memory limitations, and typically needs to be programmed in a lower-level language such as C/C++. These requirements can impose restrictions on the types of machine learning models that are appropriate for such applications, so the engineers may need to try multiple models and compare trade-offs in accuracy and on-device performance. At the forefront of research in this area, reinforcement learning takes this approach a step further. Rather than learning just the estimator, reinforcement learning learns the entire control strategy. This has shown to be a powerful technique in some challenging applications such as robotics and autonomous systems but building such a model requires an accurate model of the environment, which may not be readily available, as well as the computational power to run a large number of simulations. In addition to virtual sensors and reinforcement learning, AI algorithms are increasingly used in embedded vision, audio and signal processing, and wireless applications. For example, in a car with automated driving capabilities, an AI algorithm can detect lane markings on the road to help keep the car centred in the lane. In a hearing aid device, AI algorithms can help enhance speech and supress noise. In a wireless application, AI algorithms can apply digital predistortion to offset the effects of nonlinearities in a power amplifier. In all these applications, AI algorithms are part of the larger system. Simulation is used for integration testing to ensure the overall design meets requirements. The future of AI for simulation Overall, as models grow in size and complexity to serve increasingly complex applications, AI and simulation will become even more essential tools in the engineer’s toolbox. Industry tools like Simulink and MATLAB have empowered engineers to optimise their workflows and cut their development time by incorporating techniques such as synthetic data generation, reduced-order modelling, and embedded AI algorithms for controls, signal processing, embedded vision, and wireless applications. With the ability to develop, test, and validate models in an accurate and affordable way, before hardware is introduced, these methodologies will only continue to grow in use. Seth DeLand is with MathWorks

Role of physical fitness in maintaining a healthy lifestyle- By Dr. C. K. Ameta Published: Sep 14, 2022 03:42:42 PM IST Updated: Sep 16, 2022 02:12:55 PM IST Physical fitness is a state of health and well-being attributed to various conditions such as endurance, stamina, physical strength, and muscular abilities; and can be achieved through proper nutrition, and moderate to vigorous physical exercise. It involves certain activities that stimulate various systems of the body and maintain physiological health. It is imperative to stay fit and healthy in all stages of life, regardless of age, sex, and BMI. A sedentary lifestyle and the rapid growth of legions of video games, social networking, and over-the-top media have resulted in poor musculoskeletal health leading to decadence, social isolation, and mental health atrophy. Therefore, it is necessary to incorporate exercise into our daily routine to keep ourselves fit. People of all age groups are benefitted from exercising. Daily workouts and exercising can reduce the risk for various health disorders like obesity, hypertension, heart diseases, diabetes, and even cancer. A healthy lifestyle and regular exercising keep all types of illnesses and diseases at bay, which take a toll not only on health but also on the financial condition of an individual thus affecting the overall standard of living. Being physically active can increase life expectancy, improve mental health, strengthen bones and muscles, and enhance the ability to do everyday activities. Recent researches have proved that adults who sit less and do any amount of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity gain several health benefits. Even children who are engaged in physical activities are less prone to various health issues in their later life. Thus, we can say that physical fitness is crucial for leading a healthy and happy life.Issued in Public Interest by Dr.Reddy's Laboratories LTD The pages slugged ‘Brand Connect’ are equivalent to advertisements and are not written and produced by Forbes India journalists.

Table of Contents - The Impact of Kaitkrems Leaks: Unveiling the Power of Whistleblowing - The Rise of Kaitkrems Leaks - The Significance of Whistleblowing - The Consequences for Organizations - The Broader Implications for Society - 1. What is the role of whistleblowers in society? - 2. What are the benefits of whistleblowing? - 3. What are the consequences for organizations involved in leaks? - 4. What are the broader implications of leaks like Kaitkrems? - 5. How can consumers and investors contribute to promoting ethical practices? Whistleblowing has long been a powerful tool for exposing corruption, unethical practices, and wrongdoing within organizations. In recent years, the rise of digital platforms and social media has made it easier for individuals to share information and blow the whistle on misconduct. One such example is the case of “Kaitkrems leaks,” which has garnered significant attention and sparked important conversations about transparency, accountability, and the role of whistleblowers in society. In this article, we will delve into the impact of Kaitkrems leaks, exploring the significance of whistleblowing, the consequences for organizations involved, and the broader implications for society. The Rise of Kaitkrems Leaks Kaitkrems leaks refers to a series of leaked documents and information shared by an anonymous whistleblower, Kaitkrems, who exposed a wide range of unethical practices within a prominent multinational corporation. The leaks, which were made available to the public through various online platforms, included internal memos, emails, financial records, and other sensitive information that shed light on the company’s fraudulent activities, environmental violations, and mistreatment of employees. The impact of Kaitkrems leaks was immediate and far-reaching. News outlets around the world picked up the story, leading to widespread public outrage and calls for accountability. The leaked information provided concrete evidence of the company’s wrongdoing, forcing it to confront the allegations and take action to address the issues raised. The Significance of Whistleblowing Whistleblowing plays a crucial role in holding organizations accountable for their actions. It serves as a mechanism for exposing corruption, fraud, and other forms of misconduct that may otherwise go unnoticed. Whistleblowers act as catalysts for change, often risking their own personal and professional well-being to bring important information to light. One of the key benefits of whistleblowing is its potential to prevent harm. By exposing unethical practices, whistleblowers can help prevent further damage to individuals, communities, and the environment. In the case of Kaitkrems leaks, the information revealed not only protected employees from mistreatment but also raised awareness about the company’s environmental violations, prompting regulatory bodies to take action. Moreover, whistleblowing can lead to systemic change within organizations. When misconduct is exposed, it often triggers internal investigations, reforms, and changes in policies and procedures. This can help create a culture of transparency and accountability, ensuring that similar unethical practices are not repeated in the future. The Consequences for Organizations When a company is exposed through leaks like Kaitkrems, the consequences can be severe. The public backlash and damage to the company’s reputation can result in financial losses, decreased customer trust, and even legal repercussions. One of the most notable consequences of Kaitkrems leaks was the significant drop in the company’s stock value. As news of the leaks spread, investors reacted by selling their shares, causing a sharp decline in the company’s market capitalization. This financial impact served as a wake-up call for the organization, highlighting the importance of ethical conduct and the potential consequences of unethical behavior. Legal consequences are also a possibility when whistleblowers expose illegal activities. In some cases, regulatory bodies may launch investigations and impose fines or other penalties on the organization involved. This not only holds the company accountable but also serves as a deterrent for others who may consider engaging in similar misconduct. The Broader Implications for Society The impact of Kaitkrems leaks extends beyond the specific organization involved. It has broader implications for society as a whole, highlighting the need for stronger whistleblower protection laws, increased transparency, and ethical business practices. Firstly, the case of Kaitkrems leaks has sparked discussions about the importance of whistleblower protection. Whistleblowers often face significant personal and professional risks when exposing misconduct, including retaliation, job loss, and even threats to their safety. Strengthening whistleblower protection laws can encourage more individuals to come forward with valuable information, knowing that they will be safeguarded from reprisals. Secondly, the leaks have shed light on the need for increased transparency in corporate practices. The public has become more aware of the potential for unethical behavior within organizations, leading to demands for greater transparency and accountability. This has prompted companies to reevaluate their internal processes, implement stronger compliance measures, and improve their reporting mechanisms. Lastly, the case of Kaitkrems leaks has served as a wake-up call for consumers and investors. It has highlighted the importance of conducting due diligence and supporting companies that prioritize ethical practices. Consumers are increasingly demanding transparency and ethical behavior from the brands they engage with, leading to a shift in consumer preferences and purchasing decisions. 1. What is the role of whistleblowers in society? Whistleblowers play a crucial role in society by exposing corruption, fraud, and other forms of misconduct within organizations. They act as catalysts for change, often risking their own personal and professional well-being to bring important information to light. 2. What are the benefits of whistleblowing? Whistleblowing has several benefits, including preventing harm, promoting transparency, and triggering systemic change within organizations. By exposing unethical practices, whistleblowers can help prevent further damage to individuals, communities, and the environment. 3. What are the consequences for organizations involved in leaks? Organizations exposed through leaks can face severe consequences, including financial losses, decreased customer trust, and legal repercussions. The public backlash and damage to the company’s reputation can have long-lasting effects on its operations and profitability. 4. What are the broader implications of leaks like Kaitkrems? Leaks like Kaitkrems have broader implications for society, including the need for stronger whistleblower protection laws, increased transparency, and ethical business practices. They spark discussions about the importance of whistleblower protection and prompt companies to reevaluate their internal processes and compliance measures. 5. How can consumers and investors contribute to promoting ethical practices? Consumers and investors can contribute to promoting ethical practices by conducting due diligence, supporting companies that prioritize transparency and accountability, and demanding ethical behavior from the brands they engage with. This shift in consumer preferences can incentivize companies to prioritize ethical practices and improve their overall conduct. The impact of Kaitkrems leaks has been significant, highlighting the power of whistleblowing in exposing corruption and unethical practices within organizations. Whistleblowers play a crucial role in holding organizations accountable, preventing harm, and triggering systemic change. The consequences for organizations involved in leaks can be severe, including financial losses and legal repercussions. However, the broader implications for society are equally important, as leaks like Kaitkrems spark discussions about whistleblower protection, transparency, and ethical business practices. Consumers and investors also have a role to play in promoting ethical practices by demanding transparency

Running head: CRIMINAL INJUSTICE IN THE UNITED STATES Criminal Injustice in the United States: The Case of Minority GroupsMCJ 5532February 8, 2016 The Injustice system and how it affects the minority groups in the United States 1 CRIMINAL INJUSTICE IN THE UNITED STATES 2 IntroductionAfter Emancipation Proclamation, one hundred and fifty years later, the statistics fromthe progress made by the minority groups in the United States is undeniable as stated by (Boothand Seligson) In contrast, the statics about the number of minority groups that are incarcerationis, however, alarming. From the 2011 statistics, it is evidenced that the number of minoritygroups that were in prison at that time or rather “under the watch” of the justice system was morethat that enslaved in the year 1850 within the United States. The essay survey sets out to studysome of the minority groups (African-Americans and Latinas). The findings are to be comparedwith what the native-Americans are being subjected. In the course of the discussion, fewquestions are asked to pose key elements that shall shape the course of the study.African-Americans and the Criminal Injustice systemThere is a claim among the majority that racism within the United States ended with theCivil Rights Movement of the 1960’s. What is contradicting, however, is the fact that the legaciesof slavery that dominated U.S in the past still continue to affect the U.S society to alarminglevels. There are disproportionate levels of imprisonment of the African-Americans that is fueledby being robbed the fundamental civil rights, imprisonment by the racist drug laws and denial toaccess of educational and economic benefits that are obtained by the majority of the AngloAmericans.The criminal justice system in the U.S is therefore highly influenced by racism. Theresulting criminal injustice system results in a probability of one out of the four AfricanAmerican residents going to prison compared to one out of 23 for the whites.Latinas and the Criminal Injustice System CRIMINAL INJUSTICE IN THE UNITED STATES 3 The Latinas represent one of the most rapidly growing minorities within the UnitedStates. It can also be noted they form one of the most formidable social and political class.Despite the fact that their influence has grown in the southwestern United States, they are stilltreated as foreigners and outsiders by much of America. Racist, anti-Latina statements can beheard in the majority of the public statements, legislation process in making key policies and inthe political rhetoric. The high levels of discrimination and mistreatment have raisedfundamental concerns among the residents as observed by Booth and Seligson (2005). TheLatina residents are plagued by different issues that include unemployment, poverty and minimaleducation opportunities.Native-Americans and the Criminal Injustice SystemThere is still a fevered paced incessant racism that once destroyed the native-Americanpopulations. The current case is that majority of the native-Americans are facing high rates ofunemployment as well as decline levels of life expectancy when compared to the nationalaverage (“Punishment And Inequality In America”). The conditions are unwelcome whencompared to the financial capabilities of the U.S as well as milestones the country is to make inissues to do with human rights. Correctional supervision of native-Americans has been pegged attwice compared to whites that are once. Continued supervision of the natives has been enhancedby the criminal injustice system in place.Survey questions1) Why are a disproportionate number of African-Americans incarcerated by the America’scriminal justice system?2) Why the disproportionate benefits by the African-Americans as compared to the whites? CRIMINAL INJUSTICE IN THE UNITED STATES 4 3) Why are a majority of “aliens” (92%) apprehended by the INS (Immigration andNaturalization Service)?4) Why does the statistics by the INS indicate that only 54% are arrested in contrast of the92%?5) Why do 24% of African-Americans not graduated from college who are above 25 yearsas compared to 16% of whites6) Why is the life expectancy of the native-Americans below that of the whites by fiveyears?7) Why do a large proportion of the native-Americans (34%) live below the poverty linecompared to 16% of the whites?8) What is the proportion of crime subjected to the different groups within the U.S?9) What is the proportion of the drug users as per the identified classes of groups above?10) Are the laws repressive to the minority groups within the U.S as claimed? Research methodologyThe study will employ the use of a case study approach rather than making a sweepingstatistical survey. A detailed contextual analysis of a few issues and the existing relationshipsshall make it possible for getting the vivid details of the study according to the provisions byJohnston (2011). The study shall be based on a choice of three states that shall be chosen bypurposive sampling, and the states shall have the above-stated groups. There shall be a collectionof both primary and secondary data. Primary data shall be gathered through the use of CRIMINAL INJUSTICE IN THE UNITED STATESquestionnaires, and personal interviews shall also be used. The interviews also make it possiblefor getting data from those who cannot interpret the questionnaires.Purposive sampling is the non-probability type of sampling that makes it possible forgathering the characteristics of interest from the population. The particular type of sampling thatshall be used is homogenous sampling where people will be identified as having the specifictraits for the study and the questionnaires administered. The respondents shall be assured of thehighest level of privacy with the information they provide. References”Punishment And Inequality In America”. Choice Reviews Online 44.07 (2007): 44-4178-444178.Booth, J. A., and M. A. Seligson. “Political Legitimacy And Participation In Costa Rica:Evidence Of Arena Shopping”. Political Research Quarterly 58.4 (2005): 537-550. 5 CRIMINAL INJUSTICE IN THE UNITED STATES 6 Johnston, Brenda. “Action Research In Teaching And Learning: A Practical Guide To ConductingPedagogical Research In Universities”. Journal of Further and Higher Education 34.3(2010): 467-473. Professor Feedback:You need to describe in detail your data collection process for the surveys and the interviews.You also need to discuss how you will secure the data during the collection and analysisprocess and how you will destroy the data at the conclusion of the study.

Drift scan method Beam maps are produced from drift scans performed periodically on Cygnus A (CygA hereafter). Cyg A is chosen for the drift scans since it is one of the brightest compact radio sources in the northern sky, with a brightness of 1589 Jy (Birzan et al. 2004) an extent of approximately 5′ at 1.4 GHz, which makes it an unresolved continuum source for a single WSRT dish. During the drift scan measurement the PAF is at a fixed position on the sky and Cyg A drifts through the field of view in a straight line. The separation between the drifts is 0.1 degrees in declination. This is then repeated 31 times to cover the whole field of view of the 40 Apertif beams. Figure 1 illustrates this process. Drift scan observations are scheduled using the aperdrift code : https://github.com/kmhess/aperdrift Figure 1. Illustration of drift scan observations. The dots represent the beam centres of the 40 Apertif beams, and the lines represent individual drifts across the field of view of the Apertif footprint. The auto correlation data from the drift scans is used to construct fits images of each beams response to Cyg A. Then we perform a 40 times 40 pixel spline interpolation for each beam to minimise the distorting effect of bad data (e.g. RFI) to the beam map. For this, we use the scipy package interpolate.RectBivariateSpline, which performs a bivariate spline approximation over a rectangular mesh to smooth the data. Once the fitting is done, we write out the resulting beam maps into a csv table and also into 9 times 40 fits files corresponding to 9 frequency bins for all 40 beams. We divide the 150 MHz bandwidth into 10 frequency bins when extracting the auto correlation data from the drift scans. From these we construct beam models at 9 different frequencies (chan 1-9). We do not use the first frequency bin (chan 0) because it is always badly affected by RFI. The code to produce the beam maps is available at: https://github.com/apertif/aperPB Figure 2. Beam maps for all 40 apertif beams reconstructed from drift scans. Contour levels are: 0.1, 0.2, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6, 0.8. Red contours highlight the 10% and the 50% sensitivity level. These drift scans were measured in September 2019 and channel 9 corresponds to a frequency of ~ 1.399 GHz. Beam weights are measured at the start of every imaging observing run and are typically used for 2 weeks in a row. The beam weights define the shape of the compound beams. They depend on the quality of the beam weight measurement, (e.g. RFI at the time of the measurement) and also on the health of the system (e.g. broken elements on the PAFs, dysfunctional antennas). Drift scans are typically measured once per month due to the time intensive nature of the measurement. The beam models derived from drift scans observed at different times typically vary by a few percent (rms of the difference). Figure 3. Normalised distribution of the pixel by pixel difference between beam maps observed in September 2019 and in October 2019. The rms of the distribution is 0.018. Beam shapes and sizes change across the field of view of Apertif with the central beams being more symmetric and the beams along the edge of the field of view more elongated. Figures 4 and 5 show the average beam size (FWHM), and the FWHM along the x and y axis as a function of beam number. Figure 4 shows the beam size for frequency bin 7 (1.363 GHz) and Figure 5 shows the same for frequency bin 9 (1.399 GHz). Figure 4. FWHM as a function of beam number for channel 7 (1.363 GHz). The black line shows the average FWHM when fitting a 2D Gaussian function to the beam maps. The blue line shows the FWHM of the 2D Gaussian along the x-axis (r.a.) and the orange line shows the FWHM along the y-axis (dec). The shape of the CBs is not perfectly Gaussian, but a 2D Gaussian function is a good approximation for the beam shapes within a few percent. Figure 5. FWHM as a function of beam number for channel 9 (1.399 GHz). The black line shows the average FWHM when fitting a 2D Gaussian function to the beam maps. The blue line shows the FWHM of the 2D Gaussian along the x-axis (r.a.) and the orange line shows the FWHM along the y-axis (dec). Beam sizes change linearly with frequency. The frequency dependence is on average: -2.108e-08 · freq [Hz] + 63.47. This is based on fitting a 2D Gaussian to each beam map at each frequency, taking the average FWHM from the 2D Gaussian fit and then fitting a first order polynomial to the FWHM vs. frequency for each bin. The results were then averaged for 14 different drift scan measurements. Figure 6 shows the average beam size for each 40 beams as a function of frequency bin for a set of drift scans (grey lines). The dashed black line shows the average fitted line to the data. Some of the beams occasionally show non smooth variation with the beam size (for example beam 7, see also in Figure 4, 5). The cause for this in most cases is due to the effect of RFI in certain frequency bins. Figure 6. FWHM of CBs as a function of frequency bins. We divide the 150 MHz bandwidth into 10 frequency bins when constructing the CB maps. The grey lines show the average FWHM from the 2D Gaussian fit to each CB, while the dashed black line shows the average fitted line (a and b are the parameters of the line).

Evolution Of The Engagement Ring The tradition of a man presenting his intended bride with an engagement ring upon acceptance of his marriage proposal has been around for far longer than you would think. Anthropologists have estimated that this practice started with the Ancient Egyptians, and later more formally as a Roman custom where wives would indicate their husbands’ ‘ownership’ by wearing a ring attached to a small key. The idealistic Victorians set the way for ornate engagement ring designs, mixing diamonds with other gemstones and precious metals, and commonly mounted in filigree settings. These rings were often crafted in the shapes of flowers and therefore referred to as ‘posy rings’. With the “A Diamond is Forever” campaign in 1947, De Beers spurred even more sales as this slogan implied the durability of a diamond and the reference that marriage is forever. AN AGE-OLD TRADITION Engagement rings have established their worth with every style statement throughout the ages, the compositions changed to adapt to society and status but eventually reverted to the classics. See our breakdown of the evolution of Engagement Rings below: The Ancient World (1600-1000 BC) We find that wedding rings date back to Ancient Egyptian times where they were first given as a sign of lifelong commitment to love. These Egyptians were also the first to wear the ring on the left hand’s fourth finger as they believed it was connected to the heart by the Vena Amoris (Vein of Love). Ancient Rome (500 BC) In Roman times, husbands would usually give their betrothed two rings: a gold ring on the proposal of engagement (to symbolise the wealth of the man), and an iron ring after the wedding (representing the wife’s contractual blood). Medieval Europe (1200 – 1400 AD) ‘Poetry’ rings were quite popular, worn in stacks that were added on throughout a long-term romance. These rings usually had short statements of love engraved in either French or Latin. The Renaissance (1400 – 1600 AD) In 1477 the Archduke Maximilian of Austria presented what was considered the first prototype of an engagement ring to Mary of Burgundy. (See our March blog for more information). The Victorian Era (1832 – 1900) Whimsical designs and patterns including flowers, bows, and hearts set the standard during this period and reflected the romance between Queen Victoria and her husband Albert. During this time, Tiffany & Co. also developed a classic six-prong technique which raised the diamond or gemstone above the setting to show it off even more. Edwardian Era to Today (1900 – present) The 1920s experienced the rise of geometric cuts and ring designs, moving away from the traditional stones and including more rubies, sapphires and birthstones. The preferred metal was also now platinum, with white gold following due to shortages of platinum during WWII. As the 1970s were characterised by more radiant and square cuts, this shifted trend again during the 1980s with the sapphire ring presented to Princess Diana. Popular diamond cuts during the last century: The most famous cut has always been the round brilliant, followed by the oval and emerald cut and the cushion cut gaining favour thereafter. 1920s – Emerald and Asscher cut 1930s – Round diamonds 1940s – Round diamonds 1950s – Pear cut 1960s – Asscher cut 1970s – Emerald cut 1980s – Round diamonds 1990s – Marquise cut 2000s – Princess cut 2010s – Cushion cut Times have changed since the standard was for a man to purchase an engagement ring with a diamond setting. Tradition has evolved to include other precious stones, matching ring styles, ethically sourced stones and completely custom designs. We hope this evolution has inspired you to dream up a unique engagement ring, and Déonne le Roux Jewellers is expertly experienced to help you create the ring you deserve and to infuse your style and personality. Check out some of our Custom Design rings for even more inspiration and ideas and make sure to contact us today! Click below to view our Engagement Rings and our Custom Design process.

With energy prices at record levels, it is important to make your home as efficient as possible while also ensuring that it is a healthy environment for your family. Ventilation in the home is essential. Aside from keeping the air inside your house fresh and preventing the build up of pollution, good ventilation also reduces condensation and stops moisture in the air causing problems with damp and mould. A concern that many people have when it comes to ventilation is that the air that is removed from the house takes heat with it. During colder times of the year, when heating bills are at their highest, finding ways to reduce heat loss means that bills can be reduced. Good insulation and draught-proofing around windows will stop some heat loss, but ventilation systems that expel air directly from your home will result in some loss of heat, but thankfully there are ways to mitigate this. The amount of heat lost from your home through mechanical ventilation is proportionate to the power of the fan and the temperature of the room. Building specifications for ventilation in a bathroom require a minimum of fifteen litres of air per second of ventilation. In a bathroom of 30 Cubic Metres, this means that it would take more than half an hour to remove all the air. Although air from the rest of your home will be drawn into the bathroom to replace any extracted air, which minimises the heat loss in that one room. While the overall amount of heat loss in your home through using an extractor fan for half an hour is limited and will only have a small impact on your heating bill, there are some things you can do to minimise it and make your home more energy efficient. It is important to use the extractor fan in your bathroom when bathing or showering. Without good airflow, he high levels of water vapour that are released into the air can reach high levels and quickly lead to the development of mould on walls and ceilings. Running your extractor fan during and for a brief period after your bath or shower removes the moisture from the room and stops condensation. By ensuring that the bathroom door is closed while the extractor fan is running, you prevent warm air from being drawn into the room from elsewhere in your home. Older extractor fans would run for a fixed length of time, which means that they might continue to operate even when the moisture levels are low. This wastes electricity and could mean more heat is lost than necessary. The EnviroVent Cyclone 7 features a powerful fan that reduces humidity quickly and is controlled by a moisture sensor. This means that when the amount of water vapour in the air is low, the fan automatically stops to prevent unnecessary heat loss while also preventing condensation. Single room and whole house ventilation systems with heat recovery are available. These prevent heat loss by capturing the warmth of the air being expelled and using it to heat incoming air. These are known as MVHR systems (Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery). MVHR systems use a highly efficient heat exchanger to remove the heat from the outgoing air and are more than 85% efficient at recovering energy. Single room systems such as HeatSava can be installed in place of a conventional extractor fan in bathrooms or other wet rooms in your home, while more complex whole house systems are normally fitted with a central unit as part of a larger renovation. EnviroVent have ventilation experts across the country who can provide you with advice about the latest energy efficient fans and heat recovery ventilation systems for your home. To find your local specialist and arrange a free home survey, simply enter your postcode below. One of our local experts will contact you to learn more about your problems, offer free expert advice and make recommendations for a permanent solution. During the free survey we will © EnviroVent Ltd 2024. All right reserved. Part of S&P Group.

Melinoe was a goddess of ghosts. She wandered the earth followed a ghosts and brought madness and nightmares to men. Melinoe was the daughter of Persephone, who was visited by Zeus disguised as her husband Hades. In some version Hades is described as her father. In Greek mythology, Melinoe is described as being half dark and half light because she was daughter of Zeus(light) and Persephone(dark) or Hades(dark) and Persephone(light). Melinoe had the power to turn any mortal insane with her ghostly phantoms. She leads the restless spirits of the underworld to haunt the living during the night. This is said to be the reason why dogs howl at night. Zeus and Persephone

A large waterfowl in the Anatidae family. A gander is a male goose. Young birds are called goslings. A group of geese on the ground is a gaggle; when in flight, they are called a skein, team, or wedge; when flying close together, they are called a plump. Geese are larger than ducks and smaller than most swans.

Access your Pro+ Content below. The ultimate guide to data preparation Sponsored by TechTarget ComputerWeekly.com Poor data equates to wrong decisions, bias in the AI algorithm and flawed decision-making. What's more, data that personally identifies an individual can only be used in very specific ways, as stipulated by GDPR. Read about data preparation in this e-guide. This is the process of gathering, combining, structuring and organising data so it can be analysed as part of data visualisation, analytics and machine learning. Table Of Contents - Definition: Data preparation - The evolution of the data preparation process and market - Users find data preparation tools vital to BI strategies - Data preparation for machine learning still requires humans More CW+ ContentView All

Please select a subject tab below to view related questions. The entire listing of the questions and their answers can be viewed here. Alternatively you can view a full listing of the Haemophilia - General Questions questions and their answers here. What is haemophilia? Haemophilia is a lifelong condition and without proper treatment, can be life threatening. It is a blood clotting disorder where there is not enough clotting factor VIII (8) or IX (9) in the blood. A clotting factor is a protein in the blood that helps control bleeding. Haemophilia is a hereditary genetic condition and occurs in families. However in 1/3 of cases it appears in families with no previous history of the disorder. This is called a 'spontaneous mutation' and occurs when there is a gene mutation or alteration during reproduction. The gene alteration causing haemophilia is passed down from parent to child through generations. Men with haemophilia will pass the gene alteration on to their daughters but not their sons. Women who carry the gene alteration can pass it on to their sons and daughters. Sons with the gene alteration will have haemophilia. Most women and girls who carry the gene alteration do not have bleeding symptoms. However, around 20-30% have bleeding problems related to haemophilia. Their factor levels can be low enough to be classified as having haemophilia, usually mild haemophilia. In a few very rare cases girls and women can have extremely low factor levels and have severe haemophilia. Read the HFA Haemophilia booklet for more information about haemophilia, treatment and living well [PDF, 2.5 MB] How many people have haemophilia in Australia? Currently in Australia there are more than 3,100 people diagnosed with haemophilia of varying degrees of severity. More than half have mild haemophilia and around 30% have severe haemophilia. Current information on haemophilia statistics and treatments is available in the Australian Bleeding Disorders Registry (ABDR) Annual Report. Can girls have haemophilia? Females can ‘carry’ the gene alteration responsible for haemophilia. Most females do not have symptoms of a bleeding disorder, but around 20-30% have reduced factor levels and bleeding problems. These females used to be described as ‘symptomatic carriers’. If their factor levels fall in the range for mild haemophilia, they are now recognised as having mild haemophilia. In very rare cases, some females have particularly low factor levels causing them to have moderate or severe haemophilia. Some females with factor levels at the lower end of normal also experience abnormal bleeding. Read more - can females have haemophilia? How is haemophilia inherited? Haemophilia is a hereditary condition and occurs in families. However in 1/3 of cases it appears in families with no previous history of the disorder. The gene alteration causing haemophilia is passed down from parent to child through generations. - Men with haemophilia will pass the gene alteration on to their daughters but not their sons. - Women who carry the gene alteration causing haemophilia can pass it onto their sons and daughters. - Sons with the gene alteration will have haemophilia. - While most females who carry the gene alteration have normal clotting factor levels, around 20-30% have reduced factor levels and may have haemophilia The diagrams below may assist in understanding inheritance in haemophilia. - The solid red males have haemophilia - The red and dark blue females carry the gene alteration and may also have haemophilia. Are there different types of haemophilia? Yes. Each 'type' refers to the lack of a specific clotting factor. - Haemophilia A is caused by a deficiency in factor VIII (8) - Haemophilia B is caused by a deficiency in factor IX (9) Haemophilia can be mild, moderate or severe, depending on the degree of the deficiency (ie how much factor is missing). Mild haemophilia - 5-40% factor VIII or IX activity Moderate haemophilia - 1-5% factor VIII or IX activity Severe haemophilia - Less than 1% factor VIII or IX activity Don't people with haemophilia bleed to death if they get scratched? People with haemophilia have blood that doesn’t clot properly but with specialised treatment their bleeding can be controlled. Some have treatment to prevent bleeding and rarely have bleeding problems. Without treatment a person with haemophilia does not bleed any faster than anyone else, but bleeding can continue for longer and result in poor healing. Minor cuts and scratches on the skin are not usually a problem. They can be treated by putting on a Band-Aid® and some pressure over the site of the bleeding. If the bleeding does not stop, specialised treatment will be needed so blood can clot normally. Can you tell me about bleeds? People with haemophilia can have bleeding episodes, called 'bleeds'. Without treatment, people with haemophilia can have prolonged bleeding after medical or dental procedures or surgery or with deep cuts or wounds. Bleeding can occur internally in any part of the body, including muscles and joints, particularly after an injury or surgery. In some cases it can occur without an obvious cause - this is more common in severe haemophilia. If internal bleeding is not stopped quickly with treatment, it will result in pain and swelling. Some people have treatment to prevent bleeds. Women and girls may have heavy and/or long menstrual periods. Some women may have heavy bleeding for a long time after childbirth. The person with the bleeding disorder will often be able to tell they are having a bleed before signs are visible. They get to know the way a bleed 'feels'. There are many signs of a bleed. These include but are not limited to: warmth, swelling from the affected area and bruising. Over a period of time, repeated bleeding into joints and muscles can cause permanent damage, such as arthritis in the joints, and chronic pain. Bleeds into the head, spine, neck, throat, chest, stomach or abdominal area are much less common but can be life-threatening. If this happens, the person with haemophilia should attend an emergency medical centre immediately and their Haemophilia Treatment Centre should also be contacted. Is haemophilia a Royal Disease? Haemophilia is caused by an alteration in the factor VIII (8) or IX (9) gene and can occur in any family. Haemophilia has often been associated with European royal families and is sometimes called ‘The Royal Disease’. This is because several members of the European royal families had haemophilia or carried the gene alteration in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Queen Victoria of England (1819-1901) carried the factor IX gene alteration causing haemophilia B. One of her sons had haemophilia and the gene was passed on through some of her children to the English, Prussian, Russian, and Spanish royal families. A famous example of Queen Victoria's decendants with haemophilia was Prince Alexei Romanov, son of the Russian Tsar Nicholas II, and great-grandson of Queen Victoria. No living member of the current royal families of Europe is known to have haemophilia or carry the gene alteration for it. Can people with haemophilia play sport? Yes. People with haemophilia can safely participate in a wide range of sports. Regular exercise and sport can strengthen muscles and protect joints, preventing injuries and bleeding episodes. As for everyone, physical activity can help people with haemophilia feel better generally, be with friends and have fun. Likewise, it is important that everyone uses the protective equipment that is appropriate to the sport. Generally, it is recommended that people with haemophilia do not do high contact sports like boxing. They can discuss their sporting goals with their Haemophilia Treatment Centre and work together on their chosen sport. Should a child with haemophilia wear protective gear? Current treatments mean that protective gear for everyday living is not necessary. Wearing appropriate protective gear with some activities is recommended for everyone - whether they have haemophilia or not. Examples of standard protective gear are helmets for cycling and motor bike riding, shin pads for soccer, helmets and pads for cricket and mouthgards for water polo and basketball. Do people with haemophilia die young? No, not any more. Treatments currently available in Australia allow people with haemophilia born today to live a normal lifespan. Can people with haemophilia travel? Yes. They just have a little more organising and packing to do. They need to contact their Haemophilia Treatment Centre to organise enough treatment product and equipment for the time they are away. They also need to find out where the nearest Haemophilia Treatment Centres are to where they will be staying. They may also need documentation to carry medication and treatment equipment through security and customs - it is important to talk to their Haemophilia Treatment Centre about this well in advance and allow plenty of time to prepare the documentation. Click here for more detailed information about travel Should I tell my friends that I have haemophilia? That's something you might want to talk to your parents about or your Treatment Centre, but it is your choice. Sometimes the best explanation is for you to tell them, but you could also ask the nurse from your Treatment Centre to go to the school and talk to your teachers and/or the kids in your class. Can I go on school camp? Yes. When your teachers are planning the camp or any excursions they will speak to your parents about any help you might need while you are away. Before you go away your Haemophilia Treatment Centre can write to the nearest hospital or GP in the area that you are going to, to explain what care you might need while you are there. You can take your treatment product and sterile supplies with you and the GP or a doctor at the hospital can give you your treatment or contact your Haemophilia Treatment Centre if they have any queries. Sometimes your mum and dad might come on the camp to help out as one of the parent helpers. What is a "port"? A port or infusaport is a special device that is put under the skin on your chest. It has a tube that goes into one of your big veins in the neck. You can use this port for your treatment instead of seeking out a new vein in your arm. You need a small operation to have the port put in. Does it hurt when you use the port? No. When you have your treatment through your port we put "magic cream" or special numbing cream on the skin that is over the port so you don't feel the needle. Sometimes you can feel a little pushing when the needle goes in, but that doesn't hurt. Can I play football? Yes, you can play non-contact football. It is good to learn skills and how to play safely. Talk to your Haemophilia Treatment Centre about it. What happens if I have a bleed when I have exams at school? Usually schools are very helpful about rescheduling exams if medically necessary. They will probably need a letter from your doctor and an estimated time as to when you will be back at school. In the senior years at high school you can apply for consideration of disadvantage in advance so that, should you need it, arrangements are made on your behalf. What is von Willebrand disease (VWD)? Von Willebrand disease (VWD - also known as von Willebrand disorder) is a bleeding disorder in which people do not have enough of a protein called von Willebrand factor in their blood or the von Willebrand factor does not work properly. Because of these problems, it takes longer for bleeding episodes to stop. Von Willebrand disease occurs in both males and females. It occurs when there is a change in a person's von Willebrand factor (VWF) gene affecting their blood clotting and causing VWD. VWD is usually inherited and a person is born with it. Bleeding from VWD often involves the mucous membranes, the delicate tissues that line body passages, such as the nose, mouth, uterus, vagina, stomach and intestines. VWD symptoms vary, even in the same family, and may include frequent nose and gum bleeds, easy bruising, heavy menstrual periods, prolonged bleeding after injury and trauma, childbirth, dental extractions and surgery. When people have the severe form of VWD, they may also have bleeding into joints and muscles. Many people have a mild form with few symptoms. However, with all forms of VWD there can be bleeding problems. Some people with a mild form of VWD bleed quite often, eg with nosebleeds, bruising and heavy periods. A smaller number of people have the severe form of VWD and as mentioned above, may also experience joint and muscle bleeds, similar to haemophilia. Current information about von Willebrand disease, statistics and some brief information about treatments is available in the Australian Bleeding Disorders Registry (ABDR) Annual Report. Read the HFA booklet A guide for people living with von Willebrand disorder for more information on VWD, inheritance, treatment, living well and special issues for women and girls How common is VWD? VWD is the most common type of bleeding disorder worldwide. Most people with VWD have a mild form with few symptoms. In comparison to the number of people with the mild form of VWD, the form of VWD causing moderate bleeding is uncommon, and the severe form is rare. If VWD is so common, why haven't I heard of it? More than 2,450 people have been diagnosed with VWD in Australia but many others are thought to be undiagnosed. Because most people with VWD have the mild form, they may not be aware they have VWD until they have a serious injury, surgery or dental extractions, or serious bleeding after childbirth. Heavy menstrual bleeding is a common symptom in females but may not be recognised as VWD until other bleeding symptoms are investigated. VWD can be difficult to diagnose and repeated testing may be needed to confirm the diagnosis. Understanding the laboratory tests is complex and needs to be done by specialists with experience in VWD. Is von Willebrand disease only an inherited condition? There is not always a family history. Some people have VWD because there was a mutation or change in the von Willebrand factor gene during their foetal stage. When this happens, the gene change can be passed on from the person to their children like someone who has inherited the condition. VWD can also be acquired rather than inherited, but this is very rare. Can women get VWD? Yes. Because the VWD gene is linked to an autosome (a chromosome that is not a sex chromosome), not an X or Y chromosome, both females AND males can carry and be affected by VWD. For more information about VWD inheritance, click here. I'm a woman with VWD. Can I have children? What is von Willebrand factor and what does it do? When blood vessels are damaged, platelets (tiny particles in the blood) clump together at the site of injury; von Willebrand factor is like glue that makes these platelets stick to the areas of blood vessel that are damaged. Von Willebrand factor also acts as a protector of clotting factor VIII. This means some people with von Willebrand disease may also have a lower amount of factor VIII. What are the types of von Willebrand disease? VWD is divided into "types" according to whether a person has a low amount of von Willebrand factor or has a type of von Willebrand factor that does not work properly, or both. Knowing the type of von Willebrand disease helps the doctor decide what kind of treatment would be best for that person. - Type 1: This is the most common form of von Willebrand disease. A person with type 1 von Willebrand disease has low levels of von Willebrand factor (VWF) but the von Willebrand factor present functions normally. Symptoms are usually mild. However, some people with type 1 can have very low levels of VWF and have severe bleeding problems. People with type 1 make up more than 80% of cases of this disorder. - Type 2: A person with type 2 often has a normal amount of von Willebrand factor in their blood but has an irregularity in the von Willebrand factor they produce. This type is divided into sub-types 2A, 2B, 2M and 2N. Certain sub-types might require different treatment, which makes knowing the exact type of VWD you have very important. - Type 3 is very rare. People with type 3 VWD have very little or no VWF in their blood and also have low factor VIII (8) levels. Bleeding can occur often, be more severe and can also include joint and muscle bleeding. Nevertheless, it is important to remember that there can be bleeding problems with all forms of VWD and any bleeding that occurs with VWD needs to be assessed and treated. Why is the condition called VWD? VWD was discovered in 1925 by, and named after, the Finnish doctor Erik von Willebrand. Professor von Willebrand described this new type of bleeding disorder after observing families living on the Aaland Islands between Sweden and Finland who had bleeding problems. It is also known as von Willebrand disorder. Does everyone with the gene change causing VWD have bleeding symptoms? No. Many people who have the gene change causing VWD carry it without symptoms. In fact, they may not even realise they have it. However, the condition can still be passed on to children. Do I have VWD? A few bruises do not necessarily indicate the presence of VWD. However, if you think you may have VWD, talk to your doctor about your concerns. What about surgery? Surgery, including tooth extractions, can cause bleeding for people with VWD. It is important you tell your surgeon you have VWD well before your surgery date so they can work with your haematologist and other key staff to ensure you receive the best possible treatment and care. Don’t bleeding disorders just affect males? No. All bleeding disorders can affect females as well as males. Which bleeding disorder most commonly affects women? Von Willebrand disease (VWD) is the most common bleeding disorder worldwide. It affects males and females equally, though women tend to have the added issue of heavy bleeding with menstruation (heavy periods) and sometimes after giving birth. For more information click here. Can females have haemophilia? Many girls or women who carry the gene alteration causing haemophilia do not have symptoms of a bleeding disorder. But around 20-30% have reduced factor levels and bleeding problems associated with haemophilia. In the past they were described as 'symptomatic carriers'. - If their factor levels fall in the range for mild haemophilia (5-40% of normal clotting factor), they are now recognised to have mild haemophilia. - In some very rare cases girls and women have particularly low factor levels causing them to have moderate or severe haemophilia. - Some women with factor levels at the lower end of normal (40-50%) also experience abnormal bleeding. If further investigation indicates this bleeding is related to a factor VIII or factor IX deficiency, they will be treated as having haemophilia but diagnosed as a 'symptomatic haemophilia carrier'. NB. In genetics, all females who have the gene alteration causing haemophilia are described as 'carriers'. For more information click here For more about diagnosing haemophilia in women and girls, bleeding symptoms (and why your symptoms might be different to others in your family), factor level and genetic testing, read our booklets: Haemophilia testing in women and girls: a guide (shorter/simpler) Haemophilia testing in women and girls: your questions answered (comprehensive) Important Note: This information was developed by Haemophilia Foundation Australia for education and information purposes only and does not replace advice from a treating health professional. Always see your health care provider for assessment and advice about your individual health before taking action or relying on published information. This information may be printed or photocopied for educational purposes.

Taking the Mystery Out of Healthy Fingernails Fingernails come in handy when you have an itch to scratch. But you may not know very much about them. This tough and hardy tissue protects your fingers and toes. Nails help you grip and manipulate small objects. Imagine peeling an orange or unwrapping a gift without them. But what makes for healthy fingernails? Nails are very useful, but a bit mysterious. These curious clutches can give you valuable information about your health and nutritional status. Signs from your fingernails can alert you to nutrient deficiency and tell you when your diet is top notch. Healthy fingernails reflect a healthy body. Look closely at your claws to see what your body is telling you. Solving the mystery starts with anatomy. Your fingernails have been growing since before you were born. And they’ll be with you throughout your entire life. But fingernails are more than meets the eye. They are a complex hybrid of the cells and protein that constitute skin and hair. Learning the following terms will help you understand how your fingernails are structured. - Stratum corneum: The outermost layer of your epidermis (skin). The stratum corneum is full of the protein keratin, which gives fingernails their firm texture. - Nail plate: Your fingernail. The nail plate is made of keratin that hardens and gives your fingernails structure and rigidity. The underside of the nail plate is full of ridges. These adhere to the nail bed below. - Nail bed: The area upon which the fingernail grows. The nail bed is vascular and has grooves that complement the ridges underneath the nail plate. This allows the nail bed and nail plate to stick together. - Lunula: The half-moon shaped, white arc at the base of your fingernail. The lunula is white due to the high concentration of nuclei in the nail matrix underneath. - Nail matrix: The nail matrix lies below the lunula and is the source of keratinization—the process where the proteins in fingernails are assembled in the nail matrix. - Cuticle: The cuticle is a layer of skin that grows over the base of the nail plate. This protects the nail plate from damage or infection. The Lifecycle of Healthy Fingernails Nail development begins during the ninth week of pregnancy. By week 16, fingernails are visible on a growing fetus. From birth and beyond, nails grow between three and four millimeters every month. This continuous growth can be attributed to the cells that make up the nail. Fingernails are primarily comprised of the protein keratin. This structural protein is produced in large quantities by skin cells, and is also found in your hair. Since the rate of skin-cell turnover is high compared to other cells in the body, the supply of keratin is always being replenished. The keratin in your nails originates in the stratum corneum and is assembled at the nail matrix. Your nails grow from the nail matrix at the base of the nail bed to the ends of your fingertips. The nail plate covers the nail bed and protects the delicate skin and blood vessels underneath. The nail plate stays tightly bound to the nail bed through matching ridges and grooves that fit snuggly together. Cuticle tissue seals the gap between skin and nail and prevents germs and microbes from infecting the skin. Each piece of your fingernail performs an important function. It is necessary to keep your nails in good condition so they can best serve you. Think of your fingernails as a dynamic timeline. From the fingertips to the base of the nail bed, your fingernails store valuable information about your health and diet. This information updates as your nails grow—so be on the lookout for changes. Things Your Nails May be Telling You Healthy fingernails are tough and strong. But when nutrition is lacking or another concern is present, this isn’t always the case. Be aware that changes in your fingernails could be signaling a change in your overall health. Weak nails are brittle and split or crack easily. This can be a symptom of dehydration. Since nails and skin are similar in their cellular makeup, their care is, too. When dryness is an issue, moisturizing is an excellent remedy. Applying lotion to the skin and nails after a shower or bath is a great way to lock in moisture beneath the surface. In addition to moisturizing, steer clear of things that dry out your nails. The acetone in fingernail polish remover is an often-overlooked culprit. To reduce any damage done to your nails by removers, limit yourself to changing your nail polish twice a month. Avoid exposing your fingernails to household cleaners and detergents. The chemicals in these products dry skin and nails out quickly. Shielding your hands with a pair of rubber gloves could be the solution to dry and brittle nails. You can maintain strong fingernails by getting B-vitamins in your diet. Biotin (a B-vitamin) has been linked to maintaining nail strength when taken as a dietary supplement. Taking biotin can have similar effects on your hair and skin, as well. There is preliminary evidence to suggest that biotin supplementation supports the thickness of hair and maintains a healthy-looking complexion. Eating Well for Healthy Fingernails A nutrient-rich diet can promote the color and shape of healthy fingernails. Eating foods rich in iron—like green veggies, lean red meat, and peanut butter—can supply your body with the iron it needs for smooth operation and beautiful nails. When diet alone is not enough to supply iron needs, supplementation may be necessary. Zinc is another important nutrient to maintaining healthy nails. This mineral can be obtained through a diet that includes beef and seafood, as well as zinc-fortified cereal. This important mineral is also a common component of multivitamins and immune-support supplements. 5 Tips for Healthy Fingernails You use your fingernails all the time, so it is important to take care of them. There are a lot of things you can do to develop happy, healthy fingernails: - Keep your hands clean: Washing your hands often has the added bonus of maintaining nail health. Keeping your fingernails clean and dry helps protect your nails against potential pathogens. Follow a hand wash with a good moisturizer. Rubbing lotion into your nails and nail beds can strengthen them and keep them from splitting. - Stop biting your nails: Using your teeth to cut your nails invites germs to set up shop in or around your fingernails and mouth. Nail biting can also hinder your nail’s ability to grow evenly and may lead to deformities. Yoga and meditation are two great ways to relax and may help reduce the urge to chew your nails. If you need more immediate relief from nail biting, try applying bitter-tasting nail polish or lemon juice to your fingertips. The unpleasant taste could help you (or your kids) break the habit. - Cut your nails correctly: When you clip your nails safely and correctly, you can avoid painful ingrown nails and hang nails. Start by trimming long nails straight across. Then file the edges so they are slightly rounded. When nails snag or break, try to trim them quickly to avoid any additional injury. - Get professional nail care: A manicure or pedicure session can be relaxing. Just be sure that the tools used are properly maintained and sterilized. This minimizes the spread of germs. If you are unsure of your favorite salon’s equipment handling, ask if you can provide your own. Remember to never remove your cuticles. Cutting your cuticles removes important protection for your nails. If you polish your nails frequently, opt for non-acetone-based nail polish removers. Acetone can weaken and dry out nails over time. - Prep your body with quality nutrition: Fuel your body with the nutrients it needs to maintain healthy fingernails. Check your diet for adequate amounts of iron, zinc, and biotin. Supplement your diet with vitamins, minerals, and nutritionals that promote healthy, beautiful nails. About the Author Sydney Sprouse is a freelance science writer based out of Forest Grove, Oregon. She holds a bachelor of science in human biology from Utah State University, where she worked as an undergraduate researcher and writing fellow. Sydney is a lifelong student of science and makes it her goal to translate current scientific research as effectively as possible. She writes with particular interest in human biology, health, and nutrition.

by Analytics Insight February 26, 2022 The strong knowledge of programming languages is driving the tech field efficiently It is essential to have a clear understanding of programming languages and the concepts to be in the tech field for a long time. Yes, it is overwhelming for aspiring programmers, coders, or other job roles in artificial intelligence, machine learning, robotics, data science, and cloud to decide which programming language is mostly preferred by tech companies. This article is here to help you to know the top five programming languages that you must know in this tech-dominated field as well as tech-driven future. Python is a general-purpose programming language that empowers developers to use several different programming styles (i.e., functional, object-oriented, reflective, etc.) when creating programs. Several popular digital tools and platforms were developed with Python, including YouTube, Google Search, and iRobot machines. SQL is a special-purpose programming language used to interact with databases. It works by analyzing and understanding databases consisting of fields of data within tables. Many fortune 500 companies have built their high-performance database systems, using SQL to query data and perform analysis. It is the low-level programming language that makes it easier for developers to interact with a computer’s hardware assembly language. This programming language, unlike machine language, includes hexadecimal and binary characters designed to be readable. CSS, or cascading style sheets, is usually applied in conjunction with HTML and governs the site’s appearance. While HTML organizes site text into chunks, CSS is responsible for determining the size, color, and position of all page elements. R was designed by statisticians and was specialized for statistical computing, and thus is known as the “lingua franca of statistics”. This language is not only open source but also comes with cross-platform compatibility and a community with over 6 million repositories on GitHub. Share This Article Do the sharing thingy More info about author

Persuasive essay samples for middle school. from the period spanning the late essays to 1965, persuasive. Which middle of sample do for prefer for yourself.. Persuasive essay samples for middle school >>>CLICK HERE<<< Carefully acquaint with the list and try to avoid repeating them. (Interestingly, this last item is the one most often forgotten ... Examples of persuasive essays for middle school Limitations of the study in research proposal templateAn essay about myself business plan for a consulting firm why students should have less homework cnn how to analyse quotes in an essay examples of persuasive essay outlines parts of business plan and examples. It business plan presentation. Persuasive Essay Examples Middle School | Paper Writing Service Persuasive Essay on Bullying in schools: Stop Cyber Bullying A Plethora Of Writing Examples For Middle School (& High School) Expository writing examples for middle school. Below are several sources of expository writing samples for middle school students. The Write Source Expository Writing Samples; Holt, Rinehart, Winston Expository Essay Models; Finally, here is an article in the New York Times that will help you teach your students real-world expository writing skills. How to Write a Persuasive Essay for Middle School | Synonym The introductory paragraph clearly introduces the essay's topic and in most middle school essays, it ends with a thesis sentence stating the writer's position on the topic. For example, the thesis might say "Middle school students should be provided cafeteria lunches that appeal to the tastes of young teenagers and provide a nutritious meal." Persuasive Essay Examples - PrimePapers.Net Persuasive essay examples for middle school introduces the middle school students with special skills for analysis, understanding and reasoning. Persuasive essays are meant to convince the reader on a particular way of doing things giving room for middle school students to expound on the essay focus. Homework Center: Writing Skills: How to Write a Persuasive Essay A persuasive essay is an essay used to convince a reader about a particular idea or focus, usually one that you believe in. Your persuasive essay could be based on anything about which you have an opinion or that you can make a clear argument about. Examples of Persuasive Essays, free Samples Paragraph Examples - Narrative, Persuasive, Descriptive and ... How to Write a Persuasive Essay for Middle School | Synonym The introductory paragraph clearly introduces the essay's topic and in most middle school essays, it ends with a thesis sentence stating the writer's position on the topic. For example, the thesis might say "Middle school students should be provided cafeteria lunches that appeal to the tastes of young teenagers and provide a nutritious meal." Persuasive Essay Examples - PrimePapers.Net Student Writing Samples Archives - Empowering Writers Often persuasive writing assignments and test prompts concern contemporary issues, for example: "The school board is debating on whether or not to ban cell phone use in school. Write an essay convincing the board to adopt your position." As shown in this persuasive writing prompt, the main purpose is not to inform,... Persuasive Essay Examples Middle School | The Best Service Get Essay Writing Help from The Best Service for Students Persuasive Essay Examples Middle School Once uploaded, few friends will comment about the post, which should give them a character limit of 8000 characters. Know exactly what has been changed, paraphrased, or copied between two textual documents. 33 Argumentative Essay Topics for Middle School ... Argumentative essays tend to require a little more research and logic than their cousin, the persuasive essay—but your middle school students will enjoy the opportunity to argue convincingly to readers all the same. Middle School Persuasive Writing - Varsity Tutors For example, if the assignment is to create a persuasive podcast, criteria such as articulation, communication, sound effects, and audio clarity may be added. You may also adapt the criteria to make it more rigorous for advanced learners and less stringent for lower level learners. PERSUASIVE ESSAY EXAMPLES - Progress Essays We write different types of persuasive essays: persuasive essay s for high school and middle school. We have a page of persuasive essay examples for middle school and high school. This is specially set aside for students at high school and the middle school. In conclusion, a persuasive essay still remains the most liked. good persuasive essay topics for middle school. persuasive ... how to write a persuasive essay template persuasive speech essay example. persuasive essay thesis statement examples the sample commemorative speech can help you make a professional . If you're in want of a persuasive speech for college, faculty or work, right here is an instance of a persuasive speech. Persuasive Essay Samples Since that is

You may have a small garden or a lifestyle that involves moving home regularly. Perhaps you have a paved courtyard area that you would like to ‘soften’ with a tree planting. These are opportunities for growing trees in containers. Many plants can be grown in containers provided that they are supplied with essential nutrients and sufficient water, so why not trees? A group of trees in containers of different height, artfully placed are a delight. In frost prone areas, trees that would otherwise be damaged or die may do well if taken inside to see out those crucial cold months. A group of trees in containers of different height are a delight. Orangeries were a feature of some large country mansions in the 17th and 18th centuries, before glass manufacture on a large scale was developed and conservatories were built to house plant collections. An orangery would have floor to ceiling glazed doors to let in as much light as possible. Citrus trees, oranges in particular, because their fruit was exotic and costly, were grown in containers so that they could be moved inside the orangery when cold weather threatened. Large boxes made from hardwood, concrete containers and half barrels are ideal. The size of the container limits tree size and your ability to move it. You can be creative here and use some unlikely containers to add interest. Large trees require a lot of water and nutrients and it is better to move them to a permanent site when they become too large to be repotted. You need to root prune them from time to time to limit growth. Slow growing trees are a better option and it is better not to overfeed and to limit growth. Deep containers are best, to allow good root development, especially if the tree is to be replanted in someone’s garden. A shallow rooted tree is susceptible to wind toppling. A potting mix with a large percentage of organic matter is preferred, to hold as much water as possible. Regular watering is essential as trees will give off large quantities and water stress invites disease. Take care not to overestimate your strength and underestimate the weight when moving containers. Enlist some help or borrow a sack truck. Back injuries take a long time to heal, if ever.

The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) was for many years of interest only to pharmacologists and toxicologists. However, this protein has fundamental roles in biology that are being revealed through studies in diverse animal species. The AHR is an ancient protein. AHR homologs exist in most major groups of modern bilaterian animals, including deuterostomes (chordates, hemichordates, echinoderms) and the two major clades of protostome invertebrates [ecdysozoans (e.g. arthropods and nematodes) and lophotrochozoans (e.g. molluscs and annelids)]. AHR homologs also have been identified in cnidarians such as the sea anemone Nematostella and in the genome of Trichoplax, a placozoan. Bilaterians, cnidarians, and placozoans form the clade Eumetazoa, whose last common ancestor lived approximately 600 million years ago (MYA). The presence of AHR homologs in modern representatives of all these groups indicates that the original eumetazoan animal possessed an AHR homolog. Studies in invertebrates and vertebrates reveal parallel functions of AHR in the development andfunction of sensory neural systems, suggesting that these may be ancestral roles. Vertebrate animals are characterized by the expansion and diversification of AHRs, via gene and genome duplications, from the ancestral protoAHR into at least five classes of AHR-like proteins: AHR, AHR1, AHR2, AHR3, and AHRR. The evolution of multiple AHRs in vertebrates coincided with the acquisition of high-affinity binding of halogenated and polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons and the emergence of adaptive functions involving regulation of xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes and roles in adaptive immunity. The existence of multiple AHRs may have facilitated subfunction partitioning and specialization of specific AHR types in some taxa. Additional research in diverse model and non-model species will continue to enrich our understanding of AHR and its pleiotropic roles in biology and toxicology. Is Version Of: Revised version of OCTOX_2016_40 2017 Elsevier B. V. Hahn, Mark E., Sibel I. Karchne, Rebeka R. Merson. "Diversity as Opportunity: Insights from 600 Million Years of AHR Evolution." Current Opinion in Toxicology, 2 (2017): 58-71. Print

Choosing the right features is one of the most important steps in developing a successful machine learning model. The features you choose will have a significant impact on the accuracy and performance of your model, so it is important to carefully consider the characteristics of your data and the problem you are trying to solve when selecting features. Here are some tips to help you choose the right features for your machine learning model: - Start with domain knowledge: Before you start looking at your data, think about the problem you are trying to solve and what information would be most relevant to that problem. This can help you identify which features are likely to be the most informative and provide you with a starting point for your feature selection process. - Remove irrelevant or redundant features: Features that are irrelevant or redundant to your problem will not contribute to the accuracy of your model and may even harm its performance. You can remove these features by using techniques like feature correlation analysis, or by using domain knowledge to identify and eliminate features that are unlikely to be useful. - Use feature scaling: Machine learning algorithms are sensitive to the scale of your features, so it is important to scale your features to a common range. This can be done by normalizing or standardizing your data. - Feature engineering: Creating new features based on existing features can sometimes lead to better performance. Feature engineering can involve transforming existing features, combining multiple features, or creating new features based on domain knowledge. - Select features using feature selection techniques: There are many feature selection techniques that you can use to determine the most informative features for your model, such as decision trees, random forests, chi-squared test, and mutual information. These techniques can help you identify which features are the most relevant to your problem, so you can focus on those features in your model building process. - Consider dimensionality reduction techniques: High dimensional data can be difficult to process and can lead to overfitting, so it may be necessary to reduce the number of features. Dimensionality reduction techniques, such as principal component analysis (PCA) or linear discriminant analysis (LDA), can help you reduce the number of features while preserving the important information in your data. - Evaluate your model performance: Finally, it is important to evaluate the performance of your model after each iteration of feature selection. This can help you determine whether the features you have selected are providing the accuracy and performance you need, or whether you need to modify your feature selection process. In conclusion, choosing the right features for your machine learning model is an iterative process that requires careful consideration of the characteristics of your data and the problem you are trying to solve. By following these tips and using feature selection techniques, you can help ensure that your model is built on the most relevant and informative features.

HLA in Anthropology: The Enigma of Easter Island. Sanchez-Mazas A, Thorsby E. Clinical Transplants 2013, Chapter 19 In this article, we first present four significant cases here human leukocyte antigen (HLA) studies have been useful for the reconstruction of human peopling history on the worldwide scale; i.e., the spread of modern humans from East Africa, the colonization of East Asia along two geographic routes, the co-evolution of genes and languages in Africa, and the peopling of Europe through a main northward migration. These examples show that natural selection did not erase the genetic signatures of our past migrations in the HLA genetic diversity patterns observed today. In the second part, we summarize our studies on Easter Island. Using genomic HLA typing, we could trace an introduction of HLA alleles of native American (Amerindian) origin to Easter Island before the Peruvian slave trades; i.e., before the 1860s, and provide suggestive evidence that they may have already been introduced in prehistoric time. Our results give further support to an initial Polynesian population of the island, but also reveal an early contribution by Amerindians. Together, our data illustrate the usefulness of typing for HLA alleles to complement genetic analyses in anthropological investigations.

When your child falls or bangs their head, many of us mums simply pick them up, brush them off and send them back out to play after giving them a quick check. However, would you know if they were concussed or if they needed medical attention? When it comes to the head and the brain we need to be extra careful and vigilant as any injuries can affect your little one significantly. What is a Concussion? A concussion is an acquired brain injury. Just like people, every concussion is unique. Each person will have different affects from the concussion. A brain injury can have wide-ranging physical and psychological effects. What are the signs of a Concussion? - Tiredness or listlessness - Irritability or crankiness - Changes in eating - Changes in sleep patterns - Changes in the way the child plays - Changes in performance at school - Lack of interest in favourite toys or activities - Loss of new skills, such as toilet training - Loss of balance or unsteady walking What should you do if your child has a concussion? If after resting the head and your child still doesn't feel well, you should see a doctor. Remember – when in doubt, check it out! How can you protect your child's brain? - Wear a seatbelt in the car - Wear a helmet on your bike or board - Wear Hi Visibility Jackets when walking to and from school

- Have you ever wondered why most of our Amateur Radio equipment is designed for 50 Ohm transmission lines? The following graph was originally produced by two researchers, Lloyd Espenscheid and Herman Affel, working for Bell Labs in 1929. The graph shows the power handling and voltage handling ability of various coax impedances. The characteristic impedance of coax cable formed by two concentric conductors can be calculated using the following formula ZO=138.16/√ε .Log D/d. Where D is inside diameter of the outer conductor d is the outside diameter of the inner conductor and ℰ is the dielectric constant of the medium between the two conductors, for air ℰ is equal to 1. As you can see from the graph different impedance’s values are optimum for different parameters. For minimum attenuation the best Impedance is 77Ω and for best power handling 30Ω is best, but for voltage handling ability 60Ω is the impedance to use. 77Ω air line was initially selected for systems where low loss was the major consideration, however power handling ability is way less than 50% of a 30Ω line. 50Ω sits about halfway between giving us reasonable attenuation and good voltage handling characteristics and reasonable power handling. An interesting fact to note is that if a 77 ohm air line is filled with polypropylene with a dielectric constant of 2.3 the impedance is reduced to 51 ohms. So as for most things in life it appears that 50 ohms is simply just another compromise. With the power levels used by amateurs and dipoles exhibiting impedance’s around 70 ohms with an swr of somewhere near 1.5:1 on a 50 ohm system it could be wise for the frugal amateur to transfer the mismatch from the antenna end to the transceiver end of the coax and consider using 75 ohm RG6 cable that is available for vastly less than RG213 with about the same attenuation characteristics.

Babies do a lot of cute stuff in their first year. But that awkward little flappy move that means they’re saying hello or bye-bye takes the cake. In addition to being so stinking cute, it’s one of the first signs that your baby is becoming a sociable human, interested in participating in one of the world’s most universal greetings. And once a baby learns how to wave, it’s basically game over: They know it gets a big reaction — from you, from Grandma, even from the random person in the drive-thru lane. Pretty soon, half their day will be spent waving at anyone, anytime, anywhere. But when does your baby go from confused-about-the-world caterpillar to socially outgoing butterfly? Here’s when you can expect your baby to start waving, along with what it means about their development and what comes next. Most babies start waving around 9 months old, though some will do it a little earlier and some a little later. There’s actually research suggesting that “imitation skills,” like waving, may be tied to your baby’s weight at birth. Case in point, a Whenever your baby starts waving, it probably won’t look very sophisticated in the beginning. Your baby may just flap their arm up and down, curl their fingers into a fist, or simply rotate their wrist. With a little practice, though, all those random movements will eventually turn into a unique wave that reflects your baby’s personality. If your baby is getting the hang of their motor skills in other ways, you can begin showing them how to wave. These other skills might include: - putting food or toys in their mouth - grasping objects for extended periods of time - holding their own bottle Most babies will pick up this milestone just by watching others wave and then trying to imitate it. You can also help baby out by gently waving their hand for them when greeting or saying goodbye to someone. Make sure you pair the motion with a verbal cue, so your baby learns that the words “hi” or “hello” and “bye-bye” or “goodbye” mean it’s time to start waving! Well, gross motor skills, for one — being able to make their bodies do what they want in a coordinated way is an important milestone for babies. And it’s one that seems like it should be easy but still takes some practice! There’s also some hand-eye coordination involved, though less than there is with clapping and pointing. Finally, there’s nonverbal communication. It may be several more months until your baby starts talking, so finding ways to communicate with body language is hugely important to your baby’s development and overall sense of happiness. Other hand movements, like clapping and pointing, often go along with waving. Typically, waving happens first, but it’s no big deal if your child claps first and then starts waving a few weeks later. Your baby may also be able to: - transfer objects from one hand to another - grab onto things while being carried - pound, slap, smack, and bang objects (yes, highchair time can get loud!) At this age, your baby may also start: - sitting up unassisted - bearing weight on their legs with your help - crawling or rolling their way across a room In other words, if you haven’t babyproofed yet, now is the time. If your baby is meeting other common milestones for their age but isn’t waving yet, it’s probably not a cause for concern. It just means the little switch in their brain that connects “hi” or “bye-bye” to a waving hand motion hasn’t been flipped yet. Don’t worry — it will happen! But only when your baby is ready. Meanwhile, keep imitating waving and giving them a physical assist when appropriate to encourage the connection. Again, one delayed milestone typically isn’t cause for concern. But if your baby is missing multiple milestones, it may be time to talk with your doctor. An 8-month-old baby who doesn’t wave and can’t roll from side to side, sit up unassisted, or reach for objects — or one who appears to have low muscle tone or excessively tight muscles — may have a gross motor or neurological condition. Similarly, if your baby can’t wave yet and also shows signs of a social-communication delay, they could have a developmental disorder. This type of delay might show up as a baby who doesn’t: - smile socially - seek attention or affection - engage in any kind of babbling This shouldn’t be the first thing you assume if your little one is around 8 months old and not yet waving. However, if not waving is one part of a larger picture of delays, concerns, or atypical behaviors, it’s wise to get professional input. It’s important to attend all recommended well visits, so your pediatrician can monitor baby’s development. Once your baby starts waving, it’s a sign that they’re about to make leaps and bounds in their gross motor skills — and their social development, too! All babies meet milestones on their own time, but you can safely assume that your baby will probably start doing the following things sometime in the next few months: Waving is often an early sign that your little baby is inching closer to becoming a toddler: They understand social cues and have the gross motor skills to show them off! All babies move at their own pace, but many babies start showing off a “hello” or “goodbye” wave around 7 or 8 months. If your baby hasn’t waved yet but is meeting their other milestones, give it time and keep practicing — they’ll get there. And once they start, you won’t be able to stop them!

The Peacemakers (Painting) Artist George Healy completed his painting The Peacemakers in 1868. It depicts the historic March 27, 1865, strategy session by the Union high command on the "River Queen" near Richmond, Virginia, during the final days of the Civil War. It was the only three-way meeting, during the war, between President Abraham Lincoln, General-in-Chief Ulysses S. Grant, and Major General William Tecumseh Sherman (also present was Rear Admiral David Dixon Porter). Though the artist was not present at the meeting, he had previously painted portraits of the four men. To create the rendering of the event, he obtained information directly from Major General Sherman. Artist: George Healy Original medium: Oil on canvas Image restored & enhanced by Rebel Seed Studio

Puppets At Large By Linda Bentley Puppets as partners in learning and teaching in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). A step-by-step guide to using puppets with young children. This book shows you why practitioners need puppets; describes how to prepare successfully; demonstrates situations in which puppets can be used effectively; explains how to breathe life into your puppets and links into the areas of learning at foundation level. The book is illustrated throughout with original and inspirational colour photographs showing a cast of puppet characters in a range of imaginative settings which can be used as starting points for you and your children. “I don’t know what we’d do without this book in our class. The puppets’ adventures, miseries and hopes mesmerize all of us.” Format: A4, 80 page, full colour paperback. For essential open training courses for positive behaviour, social skills, SEAL, emotional well-being, self-esteem CLICK HERE. To book Jenny Mosley for your school or early years setting CLICK HERE. For all training enquiries, phone 01225 767157 or email firstname.lastname@example.org

It's a coin that proved problematic to produce, but was all the more beautiful for the time it took to bring into being. But what's the whole story behind the $10 Indian Gold Eagle? President Theodore Roosevelt felt that American coins were uninspiring and run of the mill. He was determined to produce American coins which had artistic merit, like the high relief coins of ancient Greece that he so greatly admired. So Roosevelt was instrumental in ensuring leading sculptor August Saint-Gaudens was commissioned to come up with new coin designs - designs which were to be utilized in the $10 Indian Gold Eagle Gold Eagle. Saint-Gaudens depicted Liberty wearing an Indian headdress -- again at the insistence of Roosevelt -- who felt such an adornment "was distinctly American and very picturesque." It was a decision which was to cause outrage amongst numismatic historians for being "absurd" and historically inaccurate - yet what mythical figure is historically accurate? Whatever your view, it's certainly a coin which strikes a fresh and distinctive note from those American coins that went before it. Along with the idiosyncratic portrait of Liberty, you'll see 13 stars symbolic of the original states of the union above the headdress, while the year of issue is placed below the portrait. Your coin will be from a random and common year of issue, with a mint state of 62. The reverse design features a left-facing bald eagle standing on arrows and an olive branch, representing that America is a peace loving country, but one prepared to defend itself. It's a design which is evocative of the coins of the ancient Ptolemaic Kingdom. Curving around the top of the design is the country of issue UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, while to the right of the eagle is the phrase E PLURIBUS UNUM, which was taken from the great seal of the United States and means "Out of many, one." The origins of this motto can be traced to Greek philosopher Heraclitus, who coined the phrase "The one is made up of all things, and all things issue from the one." Variations of this phrase were then used in a number of contexts, before being recommended by Pierre Eugene du Simitiere for inclusion on the great seal in 1776. Below the bald eagle the denomination of TEN DOLLARS is positioned. The motto "IN GOD WE TRUST" was not included in the original design of the coin, but was integrated into the design from 1908 onwards. Though Roosevelt may have felt it wasn't seemly to mention God's name on coinage, the public did not agree, and Congress swiftly passed a bill which meant the motto had to be included on all coinage. The design of this Gold Eagle is completed with raised stars around the edge of the coin. The $10 Indian Gold Eagle is struck from .900 fine gold, composed of 90 percent gold and 10 percent copper, with a weight of 16.7200g and a diameter of 27mm. The Indian Gold Eagle was a coin that proved problematic to produce in the original high relief design intended, so modifications were made so that it was flatter and possible to produce in a single strike. When the motto was added in 1908, further modifications were made by Chief Engraver Charles E. Barber. Indian Gold Eagles were struck annually between 1907 and 1916, and then intermittently until 1933. However, Executive Order 1602 meant their production ceased altogether. It was a decision which was to bring to an end the production of eagles for public circulation which had first begun in 1795. Be a part of this grand tradition and treasure your very own $10 Indian Gold Eagle. Overview of the Common Date $10 Indian Gold Eagle MS62: Mint state of 62 90% gold, 10% copper Designer: Augustus Saint-Gaudens Orders placed for products that are not a specific year will be fulfilled with coins of any date, based on availability. Orders of multiple coins may be filled with the same year or a variety of years.

There were two main university reforms that influenced on the development and continuity of the University of Alcala in general way and of the College of Santas Justa y Rufina community College, well-known as the College of the Sevillians in specific way. The first reform was made between 1663 and 1666 by Garcia Medrano, who led the reorganization of smaller schools, possessions and constitutions. This reform did not affect in Santas Justa y Rufina community college. The second one was made by Pedro Díaz de Rojas in 1775, and was part of the university reform plan ordered by the King Carlos III for his possessions in Spain and the colonies. For University of Alcalá, this reform marked the beginning of its decline and disappearance. According to Enlightenment thinkers, the reasons that led to the decline of this Hispanic university felt upon the Society of Jesus due to they were trying to control all levels of education as well as the collegiate institutions itself which represented a corporatist soul. This statement had the purpose of distribute the government and management positions in civil and ecclesiastical institutions. In 1842, the colleges were closed and their assets were transferred to the Central University of Madrid. |Título traducido de la contribución |The university of alcalá and the college of sevillanos, the disappearance of a university |Número de páginas |Publicada - 2016 - Community College

For centuries, smoking fish and meats has been a process of preserving meat. It is said that people from ancient times discovered the benefits of smoking many different types of foods. Smoking foods helped preserve the meats for long winters, thus ancient people began to smoke their salmon in order to preserve the fish. With modern refrigeration, there is no longer a need to smoke simply for preservation, however the unique flavor and texture of smoked salmon makes it a popular choice for people all over the world. Numerous cultures and people from different time periods have been smoking salmon for thousands of years. The Greeks and Romans thoroughly enjoyed smoked salmon, often serving it at their parties and lavish festivals. The native Americans had a great respect for salmon. They believed that if a person were to mishandle the fish, intense consequences would derive from the great spirits, driving the salmon away from the waters. In the 19th century, the Americans began to smoke salmon, beginning on the west coast, where wild pacific salmon was caught from spring to fall. During WWII a method of smoking was developed in order to further preserve the salmon, even longer than it was maintained for years before. This particular kind of smoked salmon, was called ‘Lox’. Lox was invented to further preserve the salted fish, allowing it to last longer and travel farther without going bad. Lox became so popular that many of the people in America today call all types of smoked salmon ‘Lox’, even though this traditional method has largely gone to disuse. The invention of the railroad greatly expanded the market for smoked salmon, allowing it to travel farther east than ever before. After the world wars, a boom in European immigration to America occurred. This immigration boom brought with it many different cultures, along with different and ancient traditions of fish smoking. In the 1960’s the industry received an even greater boom, with the invention of refrigerated rail cars. Since then, smoked salmon has become a fundamental part of the American diet, and a thoroughly popular breakfast and lunch item.