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Will I Lose Pigmentation with a Total CO2 Face Treatment? I have been told that after a full face co2 treatment that my face would always be white and to never tan my face. Is this true? Doctor Answers (2) CO2 laser skin pigmentation and sun exposure After CO2 laser treatment of the face you will always lose some facial pigment cells. That does not mean you will become white necessarily but definitely lighter in complexion. These pigment cells protect you from sun damage but secreting more pigment when you are exposed to ultraviolet light of the sun. We then call that a tan. Since you would have fewer pigment cells and therefore less natural protection from the sun after the treatment you have to be careful and minimize sun exposure afterwards. Sunscreens will suffice you do not have to stay indoors during the day but then virtually everyone should wear some sunscreen when outdoors anyways. Not only will that prevent skin cancer but it will also keep you looking younger longer. Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon Hypopigmentation and CO2 Laser The CO2 laser used in facial skin smoothing and tightening emits a high energy beam which vaporizes a deep section of the skin AND heats the adjacent area. It is thought that the heat damage to the melanocytes, the skin pigment producing cells, causes skin bleaching or hypopigmentation. No one can predict if you will become pale (hypopigmented) after a CO2 laser treatment but this complication is common enough with CO2 lasers to warrant careful consideration. Maybe you can be treated with ANOTHER laser (Erbium) which does not have such a high rate of hypopigmentation? Peter A. Aldea, MD Memphis Plastic Surgeon 5.0 out of 5 stars 62 reviews
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October is a great time for some hands-on, fun Halloween STEM activities! Find all of our favorite spooky STEM ideas below! Get ready for November with 20 Thanksgiving STEM Activities! Halloween STEM Activities Halloween is a fantastic time to break up your regular routine and do some hands-on learning with STEM activities and projects. The following 20 ideas will have your kiddos loving learning all October! If you’re familiar with STEM activities and projects, you probably know that STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. But around here STEM projects take on a whole new meaning in October! Our Halloween STEM projects stand for: Read on to find 5 slime recipes, 5 tricky treats for some hands-on science in the kitchen, 5 Halloween themed experiments, and 5 monstrous activities! Halloween Stem Activities: S is for Slime There’s no stickier, gooier way to get in some hands-on science than slime! Check out these fun slime chemistry lessons perfect for Halloween! Halloween Spider Slime This purple, glittery, Borax-free slime recipe from the Tip Toe Fairy is equal parts creepy and sparkle! This is exactly what it would look like if Frankenstein sneezed! Find this Borax based recipe on Dream a Little Bigger. Bubbling Fizzing Slime Volcano You’ll feel like a mad scientist in your lab with this cool chemistry experiment from Little Bins for Little Hands. Pumpkin Guts Slime Finally something fun to do with the inside of your pumpkin! Fun idea from Parenting Chaos. Clear slime is the coolest! Check out this fun lesson from Preschool Powol Packets Halloween STEM Activities: T is for Treats The holidays will soon have you cooking up a storm, but these recipes are more than just tacky treats. Measure, combine ingredients, and learn the science behind these creepy treats! Pressed Sugar Candy Make creepy candy with flexible molds and instructions from STEAM Powered Family. Homemade Root Beer Make your own spooky homemade root beer with instructions from Steve Spangler Science. All Natural Color-Changing Witches Brew Surprise your kiddos with a color changing brew, then learn the science behind the experiment! Recipe from Lo Carb So Simple. Gross and Jiggly Halloween Jello Worms Schooling a Monkey does a great job describing the science behind these creepy crawlers. Candy Pumpkins STEM Challenge If you’re not into cooking (or cleaning up), check out this fun alternative – a building challenge with candy pumpkins from Lemon Lime Adventures. Halloween STEM Activities: E is for Experiments Halloween is a great time to experiment with some new bubbling, fizzing, and tricky hands-on science! These dancing worms are sure to give your kiddos the heebie jeebies! Experiment instructions from Playdough to Plato. Make a bubbling wizard’s brew with yeast, hydrogen peroxide, and instructions from Little Bins for Little Hands. Use chemistry to make these ghost rockets fly! Instructions from Growing a Jeweled Rose. Jack-o’-Lantern Optical Illusion This is a cool experiment with no mess! Make a pumpkin turn into a jack-o’-lantern with instructions from Edventures for Kids. Brain Surgery Experiment What mad scientist hasn’t experimented with the brain? Try this cool experiment with directions from Schooling a Monkey. Halloween STEM Activities: M is for Monsters Ready for some creepy, scary, monstrous fun? These activities all about your favorite Halloween monsters will keep you busy all month long! Spiders with Light Up Eyes Use circuits to create a cool spider with creepy light up eyes! Easy-to-follow directions from The Learning Hypothesis. Monster Play Dough Invitation Younger kids will love building and creating their own monsters with this invitation to play with monsters from Fantastic Fun and Learning. Halloween Mystery Boxes Use your sense of touch to figure out what monstrous mysteries are inside the box. Classic Halloween game instructions from Christina’s Adventures. Create your own flying bat with printable instructions from Education.com. Jumping Static Ghosts Learn about the effects of static electricity with this quick and easy static experiment from Science Sparks. What fun Halloween STEM activities are you cooking up this year? Tell us in the comments below! More Halloween ideas from the Resource Room: - 31 days of Friendly Halloween Books for Preschool - Halloween Centers: Hands-on Learning for Preschool & Kindergarten! - Free File Folder Game for Halloween! K-2 - 100 Friendly Halloween Activities, Books, & Crafts for Little Kids! Get ready for next month with our Thanksgiving STEM round up!
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HuggingFaceFW/fineweb-edu
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“If Only You Were Born Now” – Up-and-Coming Identities Originally Appeared on RoleReboot.org. I frequently find myself thinking ‘If only you were born now,’ while working with middle-aged gender variant people. The few times I actually say it out loud, it’s painfully clear how unhelpful it is. A few days ago I found myself trying to explain the concept “genderqueer” to a married, middle-aged natal male who currently identifies as transgender. He was saying he feels part male and part female, not female enough to start hormones or have re-assignment surgery and transition, but not male enough to continue to pass as male. I recall saying something along the lines of “all the college kids are doing it.” To at least a certain subset of 20 year-olds, this man’s problem wouldn’t be perceived as a problem at all. Identities including ‘both male and female,’ ‘neither male nor female,’ ‘third gender,’ ‘non-gendered,’ and ‘androgynous’ have become increasingly easy for young people to conceptualize. “Oh, you’re just genderqueer,” I can imagine them saying. But how does one come out as genderqueer at fifty? How does one explain to spouses, colleagues, children and other relatives who have never considered identities outside the gender binary? There would be very real and potentially serious social consequences to coming out for this person. Even if I could bring him on a fieldtrip down to a local gender studies department or campus LGBT alliance to see first-hand what a genderqueer identity might look like, his peers would still lack any exposure to this concept. Many adults are still struggling with the idea homosexuality, and most would have a difficult time really understanding transgender identity. But at least the ‘one-gender-trapped-in-the-body-of-the-other’ idea fits into the gender binary most people are used do, as does attraction to the opposite gender. Genderqueer is an identity which demands thinking way outside the box, calling into question the very concept of gender as we know it. Even for those transgender folks who have transitioned, there is sometimes a level of generational envy. I have often heard transgender individuals fantasizing about how things might have been different if they were born now, with the availability of hormones, surgical advancements, and the increased awareness of transgender children and teens. Kids now have the option of intervening early enough that puberty never steals their chances of passing as their identified gender. College is, after all, the perfect time to formulate one’s identity. Had this middle-aged man experimented with transgender and genderqueer identities in college and chosen/begun his career and long-term partnership already identifying as such, his life would be very different. College is a safe place and time in which one’s peers are also, in their own ways, testing out different identities. But, as a wise supervisor of mine frequently says, “one can only choose from among the culturally available identities.” For most of the middle-aged people I work with, transgender and genderqueer were not a part of the cultural landscape yet when they were adolescents. A few months ago I attended an Occupy Wall Street rally in New York City. A beautiful, confidant young woman took her place at the “human microphone” in order to speak. She began by saying, “I am a black, pansexual woman.” I remember distinctly the pang of envy I felt. Fifteen years ago I was a gender studies major (back when it was still called women’s studies). I lived in the gay dorm and hung out with the least gender conforming kids on campus. But I had never heard of “pansexual” until a few years ago. It might not have taken me until my 30s to solidify my queer identity if I had. For me, the labels that existed when I was in college didn’t quite fit. In retrospect, this was because they all fit into that traditional gender binary. Lucky for me, dating men and passing as straight fit my identity well enough. I had the privilege of putting the knowledge I was queer on the back burner until an identity that fit me better was imagined by our culture. For others, the feelings of being gender variant are so profound and all-encompassing that life simply cannot go on, at least not without suffering and struggle. I believe this is why so many parents are working to open up space for their children to explore minority sexual and gender identities. Once that stage in life when our identities are naturally in flux has passed, there is no way to get that time back. I often wonder what my life would look like right now if I had had pansexual Identity on my radar in college. It might look exactly the same, but have simply feel more authentic for longer. Despite my envy, I am deeply encouraged by and utterly respectful of the kids that are coming up now. They are fundamentally re-thinking gender and opening up space for fuller and richer lives for those who don’t fit easily within the gender binary (and really, for everyone). That said, we always need to be looking forward, making more space, thinking further outside the box. There are children growing up right now who will live their whole lives in silent desperation because they fit identity categories the culture has yet to offer. Copyright 2012, undercoverinthesuburbs.com, All Rights Reserved. Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2012 Lyla Cicero 3 thoughts on ““If Only You Were Born Now” – Up-and-Coming Identities 1. There need be no correlation between one’s sex chromosomes, one’s genitals and one’s gender identity. Right? Indeed, there are a number of natural human genetic variations that prove this. So why is it so important for some among us to transgender by surgically, changing your genitals and taking hormones to match the opposite sex? I see gender as a more political term and I can’t seem to get over the idea that transgender individuals themselves are have a deep belief in the “binary.” They were just born on the wrong side of it to suit them. Why not get rid of gender identity altogether instead of changing from one side to the other? We’re all a mix of traditionally male traits and traditionally female traits. Why not just claim courage, empathy, assertiveness, sweetness, boldness (etc., etc) as HUMAN traits? • Kathy, I totally know where you’re coming from. I used to feel exactly the same way. I have to say, working with transgender people has changed my view of gender. I believe gender roles are very much socially constructed, but I am becoming convinced that are brains are gendered (or for some people not gendered) in ways outside of socialization. YES, I agree about getting rid of gender, but if it’s encoded in our brains I’m not sure we can get rid of it completely. Some of us may be more wired for gender than others. Honestly, I think it’s easy for us to say those who identify as trans should just step out of the confines of the gender binary, but have we done that, really? We have the privilege as cis-gender women to be able to identify as female and have our bodies match that. Unless we are willing to give up female identity and live as genderqueer, non-gendered, neutrois, etc., how can we ask transgender folk to do so? I still think in a perfect world gender would have way less meaning in society, and gender roles would be all but non-existant, and would some transfolk feel less a need to have reassignment surgery, possibly? But they still have to live in the world as it is now, and should have the same choices as cis-gendered folks. 2. Pingback: Help! There’s a 16 Year-Old Lesbian Trapped Inside My Body, and She Wants Out! | Undercover in the Suburbs Leave a Reply
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mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0
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Congenital cystic adenomatous malformation: a case report and a literature review Background. A congenital cystic adenomatoid malformation (CCAM) is a foetal pulmonary development abnormality caused by airway dysgenesis that is characterized by cystic or adenomatous lesions in the terminal bronchioles. The size of the mass, the degree of the mediastinal shift, and the presence of hydrops and polyhydramnios can all affect the severity of a case. Treatment can be initiated at early stages by applying prenatal and postnatal methods. Because CCAM is a rare pathology that is often only accidentally diagnosed during routine ultrasounds, we would like to share our case report to enrich the literature on this pathology and to present a case successfully treated at our hospital. Materials and methods. A patient with her first multiple pregnancy was seen for prenatal care and her first ultrasound at 17 weeks of gestation. One of the twins was diagnosed with a congenital cystic adenomatoid malformation of the left lung. At 20 weeks of gestation, an enlarged left lung with small cysts, a compressed right lung, a compressed and displaced heart, and oligohydramnios were observed. At 28 weeks of gestation, a fetoplacental circulation disorder appeared. At 32 weeks of gestation, due the unstable condition of the affected foetus, the twins were delivered via a C-section. The treatment of the newborn included antibiotics, caffeine citrate, and breathing therapy. Results and conclusions. CCAM are often diagnosed by accident when performing routine pregnancy ultrasound examinations. CT is the most reliable X-ray-based examination method for confirming a diagnosis. When CCAM is suspected in the foetus, amniocentesis and cariotype identification are performed, but chromosomal anomalies related to CCAM are often not identified. Currently, the best treatment results have been achieved by applying combined prenatal therapy and early surgical treatment. INTRODUCTION Congenital cystic adenomatoid malformation (CCAM), also known as congenital cystic degeneration, is a rare abnormality of foetal lung development. This disease is characterized by benign cystic or adenomatoid lung tumours that grow on the terminal bronchioles and impair their function. It is caused by impaired development of the respiratory tract. According to various research data, the incidence of CCAMs is reportedly between 1:8300 and 1:35000 live births (1). Even though this malformation more commonly affects males, there is no evidence that sex has any effect on the probability of the development of this disease in individuals (2,3). In this article, we present a CCAM case report for a female patient. CASE REPORT A 26-year-old woman with her first multiple pregnancy was seen for prenatal care and her first ultrasound at 17 weeks of gestation. One of female dichorionic diamnionic twins was diagnosed with a congenital cystic adenomatoid malformation of the left lung. In order to determine the possibility of a genetic origin of the disease, tests of the cariotype of the affected foetus, of the 13th, 18th, and 21st chromosomes of the healthy foetus, and of gonosomal aneuploidy were performed. There were no genetic disorders found in either foetus. At 20 weeks of gestation, a second ultrasound was performed. An enlarged left lung with small cysts (Fig. 1), a compressed right lung, a compressed and displaced heart, and oligohydramnios were observed (Fig. 2). Recommendations included: consultation to discuss further prenatal and delivery practices, ultrasound examinations every 3-4 weeks (while monitoring the amniotic fluid levels and the condition of both foetuses), consultations with a paediatric surgeon, and the delivery of the twins in a hospital specializing in high-risk and complicated pregnancies. There were no significant changes in the condition of the affected foetus in subsequent ultrasound examinations. At 28 weeks and 4 days of gestation, a dopplerometric examination revealed a fetoplacental circulation disorder in the affected foetus with increased PI (Pulsatility Index), RI (Resistance Index), and S/D indexes. At 30 weeks of gestation, the pregnant woman came to the emergency room complaining of lower abdominal cramps. A false labour was suspected and an ultrasound showed a 14% difference in growth between the foetuses. Recommendations included outpatient care, a resting regime, monitoring of the foetuses' movements, and hydration (two litres or more per day). The woman was instructed to come to the emergency room immediately in the event of any vaginal blood discharge, reductions in foetal movements, regular labour contractions, or if her waters broke. Another consultation was scheduled 10-14 days later at the Perinatological Coordination Centre of Vilnius University Hospital. At 32 weeks and 4 days of gestation, the lower abdominal cramps returned with no reduction of foetal movements. Due to unequal foetal growth, the unstable condition of the affected foetus and the fetoplacental circulation disorder, it was decided to perform a pulmonary maturation and deliver the twins. Due to the unstable condition of the diseased twin, a C-section was performed. The weight and height of the first female newborn at birth was 1870 g and 45 cm, with Apgar scores of 8/8 at 1 and 5 minutes after birth. The weight and height of the second female newborn at birth was 1320 g and 37 cm, with Apgar scores of 7/8 at 1 and 5 minutes after birth. CPAP therapy was started shortly after birth for both newborns due to progressive respiratory failure, impaired microcirculation, their need for oxygen, and their prematurity. A bell-shaped symmetrical chest, weak breathing sounds in both lungs, and intense movement of the intercostal spaces while breathing were observed in the second newborn. A chest X-ray showed reduced aeration in the left lung, a sharper X-ray image of the right lung, weak differentiation of the left diaphragm vault, and the displacement of the mediastinal organs to the right. The diagnosis was a congenital cystic adenomatosis of the left lung (Q33.0). Because a surgical pulmonary disease was suspected in the second twin, both newborns were transferred to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at the Neonatology Centre of the Children's Hospital. The placenta and umbilical cords were histologically tested and no inflammation was observed. After transferring the newborn to the NICU, her condition was assessed as very critical due to the aforementioned symptoms of respiratory dysfunction. High-frequency oscillating ventilation with an oxygen concentration of 21% was begun. Her skin was marble-coloured with a capillary refill time (CRT) of 4-5 s, the heart was functioning rhythmically, the tones could be heard better on the right side of her thoracic cavity, her pulse was 100-170 bpm, and saturation was 72-92% with a 50% supply of O 2 . The activity of her nervous system was reduced and she was hypotonic. General, biochemical (CRP, electrolytes, glucose) and blood gas tests were performed. Based on the results of these tests, respiratory acidosis was identified: pCO 2 -40.7 mmHg, HCO 3 -22.2 mmol/L, SBE --2.5. The following changes were observed after performing ultrasound and X-ray examinations of the thoracic cavity: non-homogenous, partially hepatised tissue with multiple cysts and blood flow in the left pulmonary area, and uneven aeration of the left lung. A computer tomography (CT) test revealed compensationally increased aeration of the superior and anterior parts of the inferior lobe of the left lung; heterogeneously dense masses with blood flow from the aorta in the inferior part of the cardiodiaphragmal corner and paravertebrally; a slight dislocation of the mediastinum to the right. Despite prematurity and a critical condition, there were no indications for a biopsy or an urgent surgical intervention. Treatment was prescribed for the newborn: penicillin (7 days), gentamicin (7 days), and caffeine citrate (8 days). The newborn's condition stabilized over time and her pH balance normalized. As her condition improved, CPAP therapy was applied on the 5th day of her life. Her breathing therapy ended on the 11th day of her life. After 12 days of treatment at the NICU, the newborn was transferred to the Premature Newborn Division, where she was treated with caffeine citrate, vitamin D, and iron supplements. Due to her good condition and growing weight, the newborn was discharged at the age of 36 days. At discharge, regular follow-up of the newborn's development and health on an ambulatory basis was recommended. DISCUSSION (REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE) Diagnostics CCAM pathology is often diagnosed by accident when performing routine pregnancy ultrasound examinations that allow for the observation of non-specified multiple large (type I) or small (type II cysts (Fig. 2). In the case of type III, the especially small size of the cysts causes ultrasound examinations to reveal homogenous masses (2,4). By observing one-sided cystic pulmonary growths, CCAM can be differentiated from congenital diaphragmatic hernias, oesophageal duplication (doubling), and congenital lobe emphysema. If the CCAM is seen as a solid mass during the ultrasound examination, it should be separated from a pulmonary sequestration (5). Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an equally informative examination method for pregnant women, which helps to diagnose the development of a pulmonary anomaly and to differentiate it from other conditions, especially from congenital diaphragm hernias. In addition, in the cases of obese pregnant women, incorrect foetal positioning, and oligohydramnios, MRIs are often a better examination method than ultrasound tests (2). In an thoracic cavity overview X-ray, the most frequent indication of CCAM is the tissue formed of air-filled cysts. Other typical non-specified indications can include: mediastinum dislocation, exudate in the pleural and/or pericardial spaces, or pneumothorax (2). CT is the most reliable X-ray-based examination method for confirming a CCAM diagnosis. A typical sign is thin-walled and liquid-air-surfaced multifocal cystic growths surrounded by normal pulmonary parenchyma. For more accurate differentiation and typing, high-resolution CT scan can be performed. When CCAM is suspected in the foetus, amniocentesis and cariotype identification are performed, but chromosomal anomalies related to CCAM are often not identified, as was the case in the clinical case described. Risks for the foetus and the outcomes In certain cases, when a macrocystic form of CCAM appears, there is a risk of pulmonary hypoplasia and the development of foetal hydrops due to the compression of the developing lungs by the large cysts (5). Foetuses suffering from CCAM can have various survivability prognoses. They depend on the following factors: the size of the growth, the degree of mediastinal displacement, hydrops and polyhydramnios. Good, moderate, and poor prognosis groups can be identified based on these factors. However, as the number of studies examining CCAM is growing around the world, it is being discovered that many cystic growths regress on their own in the third trimester of pregnancy (5). Treatment Despite the fact that CCAM is a rare and poorly researched anomaly, data from various literature sources suggest that treatment can be started in the initial stages of the pathology development (6). A number of treatment methods have currently been developed around the world that can be applied pre-and postnatally. Prenatal treatment methods include cystic growth aspiration or draining, thoracoamniotic bypass, the injection of sclerosing agents, and foetal surgery (7,8). Combined prenatal treatment is frequently applied, one of the main components of which is thoracoamniotic bypass. The method is based on the principle of constant drainage of the cyst-filling fluid into the amnion sac (2). Macrocystic pulmonary growths are usually bypassed. Research performed to date confirms the effectiveness of bypass when used to avoid pulmonary hypoplasia and the fetal hydrops related to it (9). If there is no opportunity to perform a bypass, the firstchoice alternative is surgical treatment (loboectomy). The successful removal of the anomalous growth provides the right conditions for the continued growth and development of the healthy part of the lung. Another alternative to bypass is cystic sclerosation, which is most effective when there is pleural exudate, cystic hygroma and bronchopulmonary sequestration (7). The continuation of treatment of the foetus after birth is surgery aimed at prevention of CCAM complications (pneumothorax, recurring infections, malignancy) (10). To achieve optimal results, it is recommended to perform the surgery by the age of 12 months. If the affected part of the lung is not removed, there is a chance that it may develop into a pulmonary rabdomyosarcoma in late childhood. Indications for surgical treatment were not observed in the clinical case described, so a conservative treatment method based on antibiotic and oxygen therapies was chosen. CONCLUSIONS CCAM is a benign cystic or adenomatous terminal bronchiole disorder caused by a respiratory tract genesis disorder. Its prenatal diagnosis is confirmed based on MRI data and its postnatal diagnosis is confirmed by indications observed in CT, though its early diagnosis is based on ultrasound examinations of the pregnant woman. Currently, the best treatment results have been achieved by applying a combined prenatal therapy, especially with thoraco amniotic bypass for the foetus, and early surgical treatment for the newborn. In the near future, the greatest successes in CCAM treatment are expected from improving foetal surgical methods.
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allenai/peS2o
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default
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Nhiều người đều nhiệt tình ‘đẩy thuyền’ Song Joong Ki và Jeon Yeo Bin sau khi thấy những tương tác cực ngọt ngào của hai diễn viên trong hậu trường ‘Vincenzo’. Trở lại màn ảnh với ‘Vincenzo’, Song Joong Ki gây ấn tượng vì vai diễn đầy cuốn hút, nhưng chuyện hậu trường của nam tài tử cũng khiến cư dân mạng bàn tán sôi nổi. Song Joong Ki và Jeon Yeo Bin có tương tác cực ngọt ở hậu trường khiến khán giả đều muốn “đẩy thuyền” Trong phim, Vincenzo và Hong Cha Young xây dựng mối quan hệ đồng nghiệp, cộng sự là chính. Mặc dù cả hai đều có tình cảm với nhau nhưng họ luôn giấu cảm xúc vào trong để tập trung cho công việc, cho mục tiêu lớn đang cùng hướng tới. Chính vì vậy, dù phim đã đi đến những tập cuối cùng nhưng tất cả những gì ngọt ngào nhất của cặp đôi này chỉ có nụ hôn sâu ở tập 14. Éo le hơn nữa khi nụ hôn này cũng chỉ là sản phẩm của một màn kịch, cả hai chỉ đang giả làm tình nhân để qua mặt đối tượng họ nhắm tới thôi. Trong phim thì dè dặt và kín đáo là vậy, nhưng ở hậu trường, Song Joong Ki và Jeon Yeo Bin lại vô cùng đáng yêu, thân thiết và không ngại tương tác với nhau. Cả hai hệt như đôi chim non ríu rít mỗi ngày khiến không khí phim trường tươi vui hơn bao giờ hết. Trong những phân cảnh hậu trường đoàn phim tung ra, chàng Song không những rất tươi tỉnh khi ở bên nàng Jeon, đã vậy anh chàng còn có dấu hiệu chiều cô bạn diễn hết mình, bất kể cô nàng muốn gì cũng đều đáp ứng. Khi Jeon Yeo Bin phân tích cảnh diễn, Song Joong Ki lập tức chăm chú lắng nghe. Đến khi diễn thử cũng lập tức hợp tác ngay, bất kể là cảnh đụng chạm tình cảm. Trong hậu trường, Jeon Yeo Bin rất nhiều năng lượng, hay bày trò đùa và Song Joong Ki đương nhiên là sẽ hưởng ứng nhiệt tình, kể cả những trò trẻ con hết sức. Có thể nói, Song Joong Ki rất thân thiết và thoải mái khi ở cạnh Jeon Yeo Bin, thậm chí còn quen thuộc với những hành động của cô bạn diễn. Thân mật như thế, bảo sao fan không ngại “đẩy thuyền” cặp đôi. Là ngôi sao xuất thân từ màn ảnh rộng, Jeon Yeo Bin một khi nhập tâm vào cảnh phim là diễn tới cùng. Đôi khi cô nàng cũng tự thấy mình diễn quá so với yêu cầu, những lúc ấy Song Joong Ki lập tức động viên và phối hợp nhiệt tình. Cảnh Hong Cha Young đặt cằm lên vai Vincenzo ở trong nhà bếp chính là cảnh Jeon Yeo Bin tự thêm vào và hiệu ứng tạo ra vô cùng tốt, mặc dù trong hậu trường, cô nàng tự ví mình “như biến thái”. Chính nhờ sự động viên của Song Joong Ki mà cảnh phim tuyệt đẹp này mới xuất hiện. Phản ứng hóa học cực kỳ tự nhiên và ngọt ngào của cặp đôi được khán giả hưởng ứng nhiệt tình: “Song Joong Ki lúc nào cũng chiều theo những trò đùa của Jeon Yeo Bin”, “Xem hậu trường mà tan chảy hơn cả xem phim”, “Nữ thì đáng yêu, nam thì đẹp trai ga lăng, ngồi xem phim mà xuýt xoa vì quá đẹp đôi”, “Đã đến lúc Song Joong Ki yêu lại được rồi”... - Đan Trường bất ngờ khoe body múi nào ra múi nấy ở độ tuổi 45 - Thùy Dương Next Top được bạn trai 6 múi tổ chức tiệc sinh nhật hoành tráng - Sau 3 tuần xảy ra drama “trà xanh”, Thiều Bảo Trâm gầy đi nhiều nhưng vẫn đẹp, chứng minh một mình không buồn - Vợ cũ Nicole Kidman của Tom Cruise đã lâu mới xuất hiện, làn da trắng như ngọc chiếm trọn spotlight - Diễn viên Kinh Quốc là ai?
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HuggingFaceFW/fineweb-2
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vie_Latn
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Define: Love In mathematics, love is an exponential function With base greater than 1 to the power of time Where your desire for love builds up slowly As time elapse In chemistry, love is the neutron Where two substances meet and cause combustion The heat is the passion And the neutron that unifies the two In biology, love is a by-product Of hormones from both organism Once the hormone stops Then no more enthusiasm can be found In physics, love is projectile Where amount of love you initiate Is the same quantity as the hatred you finish There are no injections and loss during the process In P.E, love is coordination Where your hands and eye need to cooperate In order to aim The imbalance of two leads to failure In Social studies, love is a law That it cannot be shared Nor can it be forced To the set of norms and expectations In English, love is an expression That puts people in fervor No control can be found And say things that sound In home economics, love is food But it's for brain It drives people nuts without it But excess causes pain In accounting, love is a balance sheet Where assets equals to the liability That the presents are the assets And what you promise is the liability In botany, love is a rose That it looks pretty to see And its fragrance entice But it leaves your soul to bleed In My opinion, love is a bitch That changes meager whims To insatiable lust And don't even, for a moment, Think that I'll fall again You can hurt me once But you can't hurt me twice
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Help save Africa’s giants from extinction with DSWT, protecting ecosystems and creating a world where humans and wildlife can live in harmony and thrive together Born from one family’s passion for Kenya and its wilderness, the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust works to build a sustainable future where wildlife and communities can thrive together. Today the DSWT is the most successful orphan-elephant rescue and rehabilitation program in the world and one of the pioneering conservation organisations for wildlife and habitat protection in East Africa. The DSWT runs a number of programs with the goal to complement the conservation, preservation and protection of Kenya’s wildlife. This includes anti-poaching, safeguarding the natural environment, enhancing community awareness, addressing animal welfare issues, providing veterinary assistance to animals in need, rescuing and hand rearing elephant and rhino orphans, along with other species that can ultimately enjoy a quality of life in wild terms when grown. In a three year period from 2010, 100,000 elephants were killed for their ivory. A concerted effort by NGOs and their partners has helped increase global awareness of the illegal ivory trade and its impact on elephant populations. As a result of this attention, and pressure being brought on governments to act, ivory trade bans passed in the USA and India and France and China have committed to banning its ivory trade. Today, the poaching of elephants for their ivory remains a significant threat, with up to 25,000 animals a year still being killed across Africa. However, these domestic bans, coupled with enhanced security at a field level and efforts to reduce demand for ivory are starting to work. The work is not over, but these are positive developments. All the while, there is a quieter threat to elephants, and other wild species: human population growth, which results in human wildlife conflict (HWC). As human populations expand rapidly in Africa, people are moving into areas previously only inhabited by wildlife. Farms, roads and even railway lines are appearing along ancient elephant migratory corridors. Competition for water, between wildlife and livestock is on the rise, as well as competition for food. With this comes conflict – as elephants come across farms of vegetables/fruits in areas where there used to be trees and, not knowing the difference, eat all the crops – potentially destroying a family’s livelihood in the process. Sometimes the conflict costs lives, both elephant and human. In Kenya, more animals were lost due to HWC in 2016 than to ivory poaching. This TIE placement will help the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust create an overarching communications strategy to demonstrate the absolute need for the implementation of programmes to mitigate human wildlife conflict. It will support DSWT in attracting the necessary support to implement the solutions that will protect elephants and all wildlife, while enhancing the livelihoods of local communities. Callum Cheatle from WPP is going to Kenya to work with DSWT. Stay tuned for updates!
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Take the 2-minute tour × In Fast & Furious aka The Fast and the Furious 4. When Dom is out on the road piecing together Letty's accident in his mind... how does he know the color and make of the car she was driving? He obviously wasn't there. share|improve this question "He obviously wasn't there." He's guessing? – Andrew Thompson Nov 30 '13 at 11:57 1 Answer 1 up vote 3 down vote accepted You're right, he wasn't there when the crash or subsequent shooting occurred. During the scene in question, Dom was at the crash site putting the pieces together, I'm not convinced he would have cared what colour the car was. For the sake of the viewer though, rather than narrate what he thought was happening they showed a scene with Letty's car flipping over, since this was shown in a scene and "colourless" isn't possible, the car had to actually be a colour. This scene is purely for the viewer. share|improve this answer Your Answer
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In the late 1890s industrialist Francis Clergue was building his business empire in Sault Ste. Marie when in 1898 a prospector brought a lump of ore to the attention of Clergue’s company and the rest, as they say, is history – albeit one with its share of bumps and bruises along the way and not necessarily a happy ending. In response to the ore discovery, in 1899 Clergue chartered the Algoma Central Railway and built a twelve mile line from a harbour at Michipicoten to the newly established Helen mine, a few miles northeast of what is today Wawa. Another mine (Josephine) was established a couple years later several miles further east. The harbour at Michipicoten featured a large 275′ wooden ore dock with a 600 ton capacity and a long curving approach trestle, as well as a 600′ commercial pier with a large warehouse and passenger station. Steel ore cars built in 1899-1901 were acquired new from the Pressed Steel Car Co. in Pennsylvania. Within a few years however, cracks began to appear in the ACR’s parent company, the Lake Superior Corporation, and in 1903 Clergue’s empire suffered a spectacular financial crash. Most iron mining activities came to a stop and Helen mine was abandoned. Not much happened on the Algoma Central for the next several years, with the railway and other various companies in the Lake Superior Corporation family entering a slow period until about 1909. In 1909-1910, fortunes took a turn for the better. Construction was restarted on the main line from where it had been abandoned in 1903 some 70 miles north of the Sault, and by 1914 had been completed to Hearst. The line to Josephine mine was rebuilt and extended towards what would become Hawk Junction, and a new 9 mile long spur was built in 1910 from a point between Wawa and Josephine to access the new Magpie mine. The ore at Magpie was lower grade than what was mined at Helen, and extensive ore processing facilities were constructed at the mine to upgrade the ore. While Josephine mine seems to have never truly amounted to much, Magpie mine was a strong source of traffic for several years and additional steel ore cars were purchased secondhand from the Duluth & Iron Range Railway in 1916. Also in 1910, an pyrite mine was established by Madoc Mining near Goudreau, north of Hawk Junction with product shipped to the harbour at Michipicoten – mainly in wooden ore hoppers assigned to this service. Ultimately however, Magpie shut down in 1921 bringing an end to iron mining in the Wawa region once again, and in about 1925 the pyrites operation at Goudreau also shut down. Through the rest of the 1920s the railway would be sustained by pulpwood revenues. Coal and Fuel In 1929 the remains of the abandoned ore dock were removed and replaced by a large coal dock with a travelling unloading bridge structure to unload coal from bulk freighters. The majority of the coal brought in to the port would be loaded in CN cars to be shipped to various northern Ontario terminals for locomotive fuel. This traffic would keep the port quite busy and in 1943 the dock was significantly expanded. Dieselization during the 1950s was the death knell for coal being handled via this port, and the traffic declined throughout this decade, eventually ending some time in the 1960s at which point the coal handling equipment was removed. A small Imperial Oil tank farm was built at the habour in the early 1950s to bring in diesel fuel via tanker vessel which maintained some fuel traffic, but a few tank cars was a far cry from train loads (literally) of coal. The Return of Iron Mining In the late 1930s, Algoma Steel began an aggressive expansion and bold moves were made to redevelop the mines in the Wawa area. In 1939, nearly 20 years since that last ore had previously been mined in the area, the mine at Helen was redeveloped and a new ore processing plant was constructed at Wawa. Raw ore was shipped from the mine(s) to the sinter plant, and the processed ore was shipped either by rail to Sault Ste. Marie or to Michipicoten harbour where a large new unloading trestle and loading equipment were built to load ore into lake freighters. Large numbers of steel hoppers were acquired secondhand from various roads in the United States, the railway’s old fleet of 1900-built ore cars being long gone, and would have been massively obsolete anyway by then. Then in that same year Hitler’s Germany invaded Poland, and suddenly a resource hauling railway serving a steel mill became a rather hot property indeed. (It’s entirely possible that the politically savvy head of the Algoma Steel Company, Sir James Dunn, may have anticipated the conflict in attempting to redevelop the Wawa mining industry from 1937-39.) The boost that the wartime revenues gave the railway carried through after the end of the conflict with the railway continuing strong through the 1950s and 1960s. In the early 1960s the principal amount on the construction bonds to build the railway was finally paid off and the company paid a dividend to shareholders for the first time in its entire history. During the early 1940s an attempt was made to redevelop the old Josephine mine as well, with work begun in 1941 on draining a lake and sinking new underground mine shafts. Ore began shipping out of the mine in 1945, unfortunately soon after a collapse of large section of the mine brought a final, permanent end to the works at Josephine. Other mines were developed though, such as the open pit Sir James mine, reached via the three and a half mile Siderite spur and operating through the 1950s. During the 1950s facilities at the Helen mine were significantly upgraded, with a new underground mine shaft being developed at the site (The George A. MacLeod mine). A bucket tramline had been built in the 1940s or early 1950s to carry raw ore from the mine to Wawa and this was replaced later with a high capacity conveyor system that brought the ore directly from the underground MacLeod mine to the sinter plant. The unloading trestle at Michipicoten harbour was also upgraded in the 1950s to a conveyor system from a dumping pit for the railcars. An indication of the importance of the facilities at Michipicoten during the 1950s is that the railway built new diesel locomotive servicing facilites at Brient (the yard for the harbour, just under a mile up the hill), although by the 1970s ore was shipped to Algoma Steel entirely by rail year-round, and the ore handling facilities, as well as the coal dock, the old commercial dock (as pulpwood shipments also switched to an all-rail basis in the late 1950s) and the Brient yard were all abandoned. (The old ore trestle doesn’t seem to have been actually demolished until the late 1980s.) In the early 1970s however, some new traffic began using the former coal dock at Michipicoten: limestone, deposited by self-unloading vessels, would be shipped to Wawa for blending with the sinter. Coke and even some additional grades of iron ore for blending with the Wawa ore were also handled via Michipicoten harbour through the 1980s and 1990s. During the late 1990s however, Algoma Steel began switching over to using higher grades of iron ore mined in the Michigan Upper Penninsula, and in 1998 the mine and sinter plant at Wawa closed down, bringing a final? end to iron ore mining in the area, at least for now. With the sole source of traffic on the branch eliminated, the railway filed for abandonment of the line, and in 2000 the tracks from Hawk Junction to Michipicoten were removed.
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It’s that time of year again and Birmingham City Council’s Environmental Health Department (@ehbham on Twitter) have attended a number of schools across the Northfield constituency in the past 2 weeks, regarding presumed outbreaks of norovirus. This includes schools in Northfield, Kings Norton, Rednal and West Heath. Norovirus is commonly known as the “winter vomiting bug” and almost all those affected locally have been experiencing symptoms of vomiting and/or diarhoea. The virus spreads quickly in schools where young children are in close contact with each other and council’s Environmental Health Department are keen to reduce any spread of the virus. They recommend that people check the NHS advice pages on preventing the spread of infection. Key points are: - Wash your hands frequently. - Do not share towels and flannels. - Disinfect any surfaces that an infected person has touched. Also, if your child has suffered any vomiting and diarrhoea, please don’t return them to school until 48 hours after their symptoms have gone. For more advice how to protect yourself and your family against the winter vomiting bug, please visit the NHS advice page for more information and guidance
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The Blogosphere Thursday, November 01, 2012 German Physicist Says CO2 Effecting Climate Change is “Sheer Absurdity” Susanne Posel A paper published in The Holocene shows that 3,200 years ago there were “extraordinary droughts and floods were parts of the [entirely natural] climate variability” in the Northwest region of China. This was during the mid-Holocene Climactic Optimum. It proves that during “safe” Co2 levels, the earth’s climate was erratic; just as it is today. Modern day meteorologists are increasingly denying supposed evidence of global warming by alarmists. Only 19% of professional meteorologists believe in man-made climate change. Klaus-Ekart Puls, physicist and meteorologist is one of those doubtful professionals. At the end of 2011, Puls made a presentation on sea levels at the 4th Climate Conference in Munich. He has come forward to say that the assertion by the UN’s International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that by regulating CO2, we can “regulate” climate change is “sheer absurdity”. Puls recalls that he used to just parrot whatever the IPCC told him, but when he investigated the facts behind their claims, he discovered there was no scientific data to support that CO2 or humans were the cause of climate change. Puls said: “One day I started checking the facts and data, first I started with a sense of doubt but then I became outraged when I discovered that much of what the IPCC and the media were telling us was sheer nonsense and was not even supported by any scientific facts and measurements.” According to Puls, climate change is normal as the planet goes through phases of climate warming “many that even far exceeded the extent we see today. But there hasn’t been any warming since 1998. In fact the IPCC suppliers of data even show a slight cooling”. The IPCC claims that their projecting models indicate that there will be a 0.2 degrees Celsius warming trend per decade to culminate in 2 to 4 degrees Celsius rise by 2100. Puls says that this assertion is based on “speculative model projections, so-called scenarios - and not prognoses. Because of climate’s high complexity, reliable prognoses just aren’t possible”. While the CO2 debate lacks real world data entered into the projection models, the IPCC assumes that global warming is based solely on “speculative amplification mechanisms” which do not take into account actual empirical data. CO2 levels have risen, and yet, the earth is in a cooling phase. Puls agrees that sea levels have risen, however “it’s important to remember that mean sea level is a calculated magnitude, and not a measured one. There are a great number of factors that influence sea level, e.g. tectonic processes, continental shifting, wind currents, passats, volcanoes. Climate change is only one of ten factors”. The IPCC says that the glaciers are melting because of climate change. Puls offers scientific observations that contradict their claims. “...the Antarctic ice cap has grown both in area and volume over the last 30 years, and temperature has declined. This 30-year trend is clear to see. The Amundsen Scott Station of the USA shows that temperature has been declining there since 1957. 90% of the Earth’s ice is stored in Antarctica, which is one and half times larger than Europe”. Puls points out that when climate change alarmists cite the Wilkins-Shelf breaking off, they neglect to mention that this is a segregated area of a peninsula . The area totals less than 1% of the entirety of Antarctica. There are also massive westerly wind storms that plague this area. It is home to some of the most violent storms on the planet. As the planet goes through cycles, ice sheets break off and reform naturally. The Arctic ice has been measured to be melting and reforming for the past 30 years. Its lowest point was in 2007, and the sea levels were not severely affected, as climate change alarmists would have us believe. Puls also notes that the deserts are not expanding, but actually the Sahara has been shrinking as an area the size of Germany has been lost in the Northern parts. While there was devastating famine in Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia, the cause was corporation’s usurpation of the land to grow crops for biofuel for Europe. Warring factions for control over land also played a significant role. When governments and multi-national corporations destroy land, it is convenient to blame global warming on the destruction they cause. When asked if there is anything we can do about climate change, Puls said: “There’s nothing we can do to stop it. Scientifically it is sheer absurdity to think we can get a nice climate by turning a CO2 adjustment knob. Many confuse environmental protection with climate protection. It’s impossible to protect the climate, but we can protect the environment and our drinking water. On the debate concerning alternative energies, which is sensible, it is often driven by the irrational climate debate. One has nothing to do with the other”. Posted on 11/01 at 08:04 AM (1) TrackbacksPermalink Page 1 of 1 pages
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Knapweed May Be Key to Natural Herbicide Published 6:00 pm, Sunday, March 2, 2003 Associated Press Writer An invasive weed that has taken over vast swaths of grazing land in the West may hold the key to creating an effective, natural herbicide. A Colorado State University study found that a chemical compound secreted from the roots of spotted knapweed is toxic to surrounding plants and has potential to wipe out other unwanted weeds. "This is a herbicide that is as potent as a commercial chemical but it comes from a natural plant," said study author Jorge Vivanco, an assistant professor of horticulture biotechnology at CSU. "It's considered an environmentally friendly herbicide." Vivanco's research _ and a separate study at the University of Colorado in which bugs stopped the spread of diffuse knapweed _ are among the latest efforts to find natural ways of controlling invasive plants that have bedeviled farmers and ranchers for centuries. Eric Lane, who carries the unlikely title of "state weed coordinator," says there is a growing emphasis on nonchemical ways to fend off weeds. He called the knapweed study exciting because it would encourage others to try similar efforts. At least three knapweed species are found in Colorado, and forms of the invasive weed have taken over millions of acres in the West. The plant is capable of wiping out all other surrounding plants, effectively ruining grazing lands. Because they are not native to Colorado, they have few predators. Originally from eastern Europe and western Asia, the most common knapweed species in the West are believed to have arrived in the late 1800s in contaminated crop seed or possibly discarded soil from ships. Common forms feature tiny white or purple flowers on spindly, leafed green stalks. Two years ago, Vivanco read about a knapweed species that invades and colonizes by secreting a toxic compound into the soil through its roots. His team tried to become the first to isolate the chemical from spotted knapweed _ a feat complicated by the complex jumble of contaminants, microbes and chemicals found in soil. The team grew spotted knapweed plants in flasks in the lab. The roots were submerged in a water-based solution while the plant floated on top. The plants secreted the toxic chemical compound into the liquid, making it easier for the researchers to isolate each compound in it. They found nearly 30 compounds, including two forms of catechin. One type had antibacterial properties and the other had a toxic effect on other plants. The researchers found that spraying toxic catechin on plants or adding it to soil was as effective against some weeds as common synthetic herbicides, typically killing the plants within a week. Vivanco said no one previously knew about catechin's toxic effect on plants. His findings were published in last year in the journal Plant Physiology. Because there is no evidence that catechin is toxic to humans or animals, Vivanco hopes it will eventually be fast-tracked for approval by the Environmental Protection Agency. CSU has licensed the catechin technology patent to a company, and Vivanco hopes to see it on the market in two or three years. Ragan Callaway, an associate professor of biology at the University of Montana and a plant ecologist who specializes in invasive weeds, said Vivanco's research is exciting but should be carefully studied. "Just because it's produced organically doesn't mean it won't kill you. On the other hand, I think that because Jorge is trying to use natural processes to control how plants interact with each other is fantastic," Callaway said. Vivanco said the discovery has several potential applications as a herbicide. In reduced concentrations the chemical only kills select plants while sparing others. That could allow farmers to protect a crop while killing a weed. Or it could be used as a preventive agent by mixing it with soil before weeds emerge. On the Net: Vivanco lab: http://lamar.colostate.edu/(tilde)jvivanco/ Colorado Agriculture Department: http://www.ag.state.co.us/dpi
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Sunday, March 19, 2006 An interview with Da Vinci I had come a long way to see him, across half of France, to the Castle of Cloux, near Amboise, in the valley of the Loire. He had been living there since 1516, at the invitation of Francis I, king of France. The king likes to surround himself with luminaries -- artists, poets, philosophers, talented people of all sorts. Leonardo's reputation, of course, was known throughout Europe. It was inevitable that the king would draw him to France. When I met him, I asked why he had left Italy. He answered with surprising candor: "I was living in Rome. Michelangelo and Raphael were there also. How was I to compete with those younger men? Those two! And then my patron, Giuliano de'Medici, died. It was the passing of an era, a time of indefinite promise, possibility, experimentation. . ." His thoughts drifted off. He was 66 years old. Within a year he would be gone, although I would not have guessed it then. His face showed age but not infirmity. Long white hair, unkempt, fell about his shoulders. White beard. Thick, downswept brows shaded his eyes like awnings. A strong nose. And of course the mouth, serious yet generous, not unlike the mouth of the Christ he had painted on the wall of the refectory of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan. He received me cordially, invited me to sit with him near the fire. His life at Cloux was comfortable; he lacked for no luxury. He enjoyed the company of artists and musicians, the attention of royalty. I asked him if he was content. He was silent for a long time. "Content is not a word I would use," he said. The corner of his mouth turned up just a little. "So much. So much unfinished." I asked what he meant. "I have been unlucky," he said. "So much of my work destroyed or left incomplete. So many dreams unfulfilled. I fear that when I am gone I will soon be forgotten." He fingered the rich cloth of his garment. "The clay model of my equestrian statue of Ludovico Sforza -- irreparably damaged by soldiers. My fresco of the Battle of Anghiari -- decayed upon the wall before it was finished, the price, I suppose, of experimentation. The Adoration of the Magi, St. Jerome -- mere sketches of the works they might have been." "Why?" I boldly asked. "Why so little to show for so long and rich a life?" I might have guessed his answer. He shook his head and smiled. "One thing led to the next. I would start to paint a human hand -- the hand of Madonna, say -- and the flesh of the fingers would draw me to consideration of the bones of the fingers, and how they are articulated, and this would require dissection of a cadaver. The play of light on the flesh of the fingers would lead me to the study of meteorology, sun, rain. Storm and river. Mountains. How do the crags resist the rain? Why seashells upon the peaks? Each rock, each plant. . ." He paused. Then quietly: "Look at the faces of the men and women in the street, when evening falls and the weather is bad. What grace and sweetness there is in them. How was I to translate what I could see with my eyes into the medium of paint on panel? Painting the flesh is easy, but how does one paint the soul's intention? One thing led to the next, you see. It is all connected." I asked about his many mechanical inventions. "There is nothing to invent that is not already present in nature. The veins of a leaf, the bones that bear the membrane in the wing of a bird, threads of ore within the earth. These motifs recur. There are structural principles that even the Grand Designer must employ. The inventor's task is to discover these principles, exploit them. . ." I said: "I have noticed these similarities in your work -- the curls in the hair of your himan subjects, convolutions of air and water, explosions. . ." "Yes, yes. This is what made it so difficult, so difficult to finish. I wanted perfection. I wanted my work to be animated by the forces and tensions that animate the world. There was simply too much for one man to do. Others will follow. One man will study anatomy. Another the motions of the stars. Another the laws of beams and falling bodies. Another optics. Another the flow of air and water. . ." We stared into the dancing flames. "One day man will take his flight -- that great bird. One day the world will fill with his knowledge and his fame. He will soar, higher than the crags, into the firmament." I asked: "What do you consider your greatest work?" He reflected, then answered: "Perhaps I will be remembered because I have no great work. The painter is not worth praising if he is not a universal man. I sought the universal. I scattered myself too thin." A cryptic smile flickered upon his mouth, a smile I had seen in one of his portraits of a woman. "All connected," he whispered. "All connected." (This "interview" was originally piblished in the Boston Globe in March, 1997. It was inspired by an exhibition of models of Da Vinci inventions at the Boston Museum of Science.) Discuss this essay and more over on the Science Musings Blog.
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Lawmakers seek to curb loud noise in movie theaters Have you ever left a movie theater with a fuzzy feeling in your ears? Or complained to a friend because the previews were too loud? If so, you might find some relief in a recently introduced Connecticut bill. The General Assembly's Public Safety and Security Committee heard a proposal from Connecticut lawmakers which would require movie theaters to regulate noise. The bill would establish a maximum decibel level at cinemas across the state. A decibel is the unit used to measure sound. If passed, this legislation would require movie theaters to keep the maximum volume of films and previews at 85 decibels. So what’s in a decibel anyway? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, noise exceeding 90 decibels will feel loud to the ears. If movie theaters keep the volume at the proposed level, the amount of sound would be similar to the noise produced by heavy city traffic. In comparison, rock concerts today can peak at volumes of 110 decibels and greater. The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders reports that prolonged or repeated exposure to sounds 85 decibels and higher can cause hearing loss. And the louder the sound, the less time it takes for damage to occur. Many individuals don’t realize how loud sounds really are. The hum of a refrigerator slides in at 45 decibels, while a motorcycle circles around 95 and the sirens on emergency vehicles top out at 120. Because of these loud everyday sounds, an estimated 15% of Americans suffer from noise-induced hearing loss. The lawmakers of Connecticut are hoping the proposal limiting high volumes will help curb some of these numbers. What makes this legislation necessary Hearing loss is a serious issue in today’s society. From exposure through work, recreation and household chores, we’ve got dangerous noises all around us. NIHL is an easy thing to prevent. Between limiting exposure to loud noises and wearing the proper protection when you can’t, chances of suffering from NIHL are greatly reduced. NIHL is usually a temporary condition, but can become a permanent issue if subjected to abnormally loud sounds or constant exposure. In Hartford, some movie goers have measured sounds during films at volumes reaching 98 decibels. To put that in perspective, that’s almost as loud as a train passing or an airplane taking off. According to a cinema owner, the proposed level of 85 decibels hovers around the average volume of dialog in movies. Many individuals support this bill, in favor partly because they’ve noticed their ears hurting or vibrating during previews and other action-packed sequences. Additionally, this proposal is receiving support from state representatives and legislators, such as Tony Hwang, who agrees volumes are “exceedingly loud depending on where the individual is sitting.” What makes this proposal unnecessary There are numerous reasons people across the United States are sounding off against sound limits in movie theaters. From worries of too much government involvement to the varying sound levels from one theater to another, some people have concerns about this proposed bill. According to one theater system sound expert out of Massachusetts, creating a maximum noise level for films won’t quite solve the problem. Most theaters have sound systems in place for previews and movies, so by limiting the noise level it could make it difficult to calibrate motion pictures for easy listening when it comes to dialog and other low-volume scenes. And because theaters use different sound systems, it’s also possible that a movie reaching only 85 decibels on a lower-quality system would produce nearly-as-loud effects as a theater using a higher-scale, digital system. Naturally, many cinema owners and executives don’t see the need for a volume limit. In fact, some are worried they’ll receive a negative response on how difficult this will make movies for some individuals to hear. Some experts agree with executives’ worries, citing that most complaints received by consumers aren’t due to volumes that are too high, but rather, the constant variation in sound from one scene to another. This situation would explain why some theaters seem to cause discomfort to the ear, while others do not. Additionally, there’s concern over how this would be enforced., what consequences would be and how this would impact the movie-goers experience. The Motion Picture Association of America opposes the bill, stating it would be in violation of the First Amendment and freedom of speech. Where to go from here Connecticut is the first state to pursue this type of proposal and the results could very well set the precedent across the nation. Because the bill was just recently presented to the safety committee, legislators are still waiting for feedback before proceeding with the proposal. If passed into legislation, this law could go into effect as early as October.
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Unlocking the Mind An eight-year-old informing someone he’s afraid to get on a horse isn’t necessarily extraordinary. But when it happened during a therapy program for children with autism, speech-language pathologist Tina Caswell considered it a breakthrough. “Like many children with autism, the boy was primarily nonverbal,” said Caswell, a clinical instructor in the speech-language pathology and audiology department. “But by using an iPad with a speech-generating application, he was able to touch pictures on the screen to activate a voice that said, ‘Don’t let me fall.’ When we assured him we wouldn’t let that happen, he pressed more pictures on the screen. ‘I will be brave,’ said the voice [from the iPad], and he stayed on the horse.” It was a breakthrough, said Caswell, because the boy did more than convey a want; he interacted. “It was his first access to self-expression, and he used it to go beyond asking for a toy or a drink of water. For the first time, he was sharing his feelings. His parents later told me it was the first time they’d seen their kid have a conversation.” Caswell cites a lot of firsts inspired by the Strides© program, a series of six- to eight-week equine sessions. Designed and developed through a grant awarded to Southern Tier Alternative Therapies, Strides© combines the assistive technology of an iPad app with horseback riding. “Often, it’s the first time the children have ridden a horse,” Caswell said. “It’s the first time many of them have used the speech software, and more important, it’s their first time expressing themselves.” One child communicated his understanding of addition, and his parents were completely unaware that he knew his numbers at all. “Our son is nonverbal, so everything is a challenge,” said Stacy Horton, mother of eight-year-old Luke. “There’s a lot going on inside his head, and it would be great to hear what that is instead of what we think it is. Since Luke’s been in Strides©, he’s using the iPad to do more than just generate individual words. He’s putting together sentences and telling stories. Socialization is a big problem for him, and the program pushes him to interact with Tina and her grad students. But because he’s having a great time on the horse, he doesn’t know he’s being pushed.” “Kids with autism not only have real difficulties developing natural speech; compulsive, repetitive movements like rocking are also common,” said Maritsa Sherenian ’11, M.S. ’13, who, as a graduate student, spent a semester assisting Caswell with Strides©. “But the horse’s gentle gait calms them.” An additional element of horseback riding is the upright posture needed to sit on a horse. This position helps the children breathe deeply, giving them more potential to vocalize. But perhaps the most interesting part about being on a horse is the sense of adventure the experience offers. “What we want to do is motivate the children and get them to enjoy communicating with others,” Caswell said. “If they’re enjoying themselves, they’re more likely to be engaged, which makes them more likely to use the iPad as a conversational tool. Some have even vocalized.” Assistive technology isn’t a new therapy approach for children with autism. Nor is equine therapy. Rarely, though, have they been used in tandem. “Traditional assisted-speaking devices can weigh over five pounds,” Caswell said. “They can be cumbersome, and children get bored with them. But iPads loaded with speech-generating apps only weigh about a pound. Each family in Strides© is given an iPad and is trained by the grad clinicians, so the kids and their families can take what they learn at the sessions and use it at home.” “Since Luke has been in the program, I’ve found out he has a sly sense of humor,” said Stacy Horton. “Getting to know our son like that — I can’t tell you what that means to my husband and me. Because what we really want for him is to be as much of a normal kid as he can. If Luke can use the iPad to tell us what’s going on inside that head of his, the sky could be the limit for him.” “Seeing parents watch their kids be like every other child — that was eye-opening,” Sherenian said. “I’d always pictured speech therapy as sitting in a small room at a table with a client.” Sherenian experienced more eye-opening moments working under Caswell’s supervision as a graduate clinician in IC’s Sir Alexander Ewing Speech and Hearing Clinic, which offers professional therapy services to area residents. In February 2012, two of those residents, Suzie and Jeff Runyan, brought in their 12-year-old daughter Lexi. Afflicted with Rett syndrome, Lexi had never crawled, had never walked, had never run — and had never spoken. “Rett is a rare form of autism that very early on robs children of their muscle control and therefore their ability to move and speak,” said Caswell. “Sometimes people assume children with this disorder have cognitive problems, but the real issue is their physical inability to produce speech.” Lexi’s symptoms began showing up during her first year of life. “While most children could walk, sit, and stand, Lexi’s development was in reverse,” said Suzie Runyan. “She used to be able to hold toys and eat her favorite foods, but as she grew older, those abilities lessened while other children’s her age improved.” By the time she was 18 months old, Lexi had lost both fine and gross motor control. But she could move her eyes, and that’s how her parents reached her. “She’ll look right at what she wants and hold that gaze, and then move her head to see if you understand what she wants,” Suzie said. Before coming to the clinic, the Runyans used two laminated cards, one reading “yes” and the other “no.” Jeff and Suzie would ask Lexi if she wanted a drink of water or to watch a movie, and Lexi would answer by looking at the appropriate card. The system worked well enough for basic wants, but what about communication on a deeper level? “I know there’s so much going on in there,” Suzie said. “You can tell by her eyes.” When Lexi came to the clinic, she was a week away from her 13th birthday. Caswell introduced her to the Tobii Eye Gaze System. “It’s a keyboard displayed on a computer screen,” Caswell said. “To select a key, Lexi looks at it. An infrared camera reads the light from her eyes and forms a dot on that key. To ‘press’ the key, Lexi blinks. Using her eyes, she composes messages that accurately express what she wants and who she is.” “In the two semesters I worked with her, I learned Lexi was a 13-year-old girl who liked to talk about clothes, jewelry, and country music,” said Sherenian. “It turned out, she was a girly-girl like me. We both love to play dress up, and we both like Carrie Underwood. The world had always seen her as some tiny little girl, but she’s a teenager, and she knows exactly what’s going on around her.” “That was our goal,” Caswell said. “To bring Lexi to the point where she’ll be able to communicate socially with her family and friends and generally improve the quality of her life.” Getting to that goal, though, is a work in progress because Lexi is still building her vocabulary. “If we teach her the meanings of more words and how to spell them, she’ll have more options, and that will make her more independent,” Sherenian said. “When the diagnosis was given, there was a whole lot of dire,” said Jeff Runyan. “It was handed to you as, ‘From now on it’s just going to get worse.’ And I’m sure there are cases when it does, but the eye-gaze is opening doors for Lex. We’d like her to be able to have a conversation with anyone who walks into the room. We want her to be able to take a test at school. Lex now has a chance to do those typical things, to be something other than just a girl with Rett.” “I can’t wait until we can show everybody there’s a voice in there,” said Suzie Runyan. “The more it comes out, the more we can try to make as normal a life as we can.” Meghan Kennedy and Shami Chatterjee are also searching for their child’s voice. Five and a half years ago, their newborn son, Oliver, was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, a disorder that impairs muscle control. The effects vary greatly. In Oliver’s case, he’s able to smile and stroke his baby sister’s hair, but he can’t walk or wiggle his fingers. Nor can he speak. “Oliver can’t use his throat muscles and his lips and his tongue to shape sounds voluntarily,” said Chatterjee. “That’s why we’re trying different technology options. The clinic at Ithaca College has been really useful for that.” Oliver was two when his parents first brought him to the clinic in 2010. At that time, they used a whiteboard to communicate. “We had one above his changing table, and we’d write words and letters on it,” Chatterjee said. “Every time we’d change him, we’d play a word game with him. Eventually, we had whiteboards all over the house.” “We discovered he was attracted to big words, like paleontologist,” added Kennedy. “Oliver liked hearing the rhythm of them.” Oliver has used a number of devices since his first session. Recently, one of them was a sheet of foam-core displaying letters and numbers. That previous weekend, at a science fair, he’d been told that dry ice is solid carbon monoxide that can turn into a gas without having to pass through a liquid stage. When Kennedy and graduate clinician Lauren Vollmin ’11, M.S. ’13, put the board within Oliver’s reach and asked him to name that chemical process, he pointed, in sequence, to the letters S-U-B-L-IM- A-T-H-O-N. A correction to the third letter from the end made him smile. “In Oliver’s case, it’s not a question of intelligence or lack of engagement with the world,” Chatterjee said. “It’s about finding the access that allows him to express what’s going on inside him.” Caswell agrees. “We’re trying to find ways for Ollie to overcome the limits of his body and efficiently express what he wants to say. Because his family started communicating with him early in his life, we’ve been able to experiment to see which assistive technology works best.” That includes a range of devices. Some are as high tech as a speech-generating, touch-screen system programmed with word games, activities, and science lessons. Others are as basic as a typewriter keyboard displayed on foam-core. “He’s motivated,” Kennedy said. “He wants to communicate, but it’s getting more frustrating for him as he gets older. He has all those thoughts that he’s struggling to get out.” For example, after Oliver is asked a question, six possible answers appear on a touch screen. “He knows which one is right,” said Chatterjee. “But on the way to it, his finger accidentally brushes one of the wrong choices or overshoots the right one.” Kennedy and Chatterjee have their eyes open to the fact that treatments are always changing, and what’s right for Oliver today may not be right three years from now. But they’re keeping their hearts open as well. “I know one day he’ll be able to get those thoughts out of his head,” Kennedy said. “He’s going to teach his baby sister her numbers and her letters and how to spell. It’s going to be really exciting to know what my son is thinking and what he wants to say.” Oliver, Lexi, and the children in the Strides© program are just a handful of the children who have benefited from the services of the speech pathology program at Ithaca College and the Sir Alexander Ewing Speech and Hearing Clinic, which offers hands-on experience to undergraduate and graduate students. Benefiting from Caswell’s expert knowledge of assistive technology, graduate students in the speech-language pathology and audiology program acquire the clinical skills needed to be effective speech-language pathologists. They also discover there’s more to a successful treatment than mastering switch controls and touch screens. “I learned that every moment someone speaks with you is a moment to be cherished, not taken for granted, because not everyone has a voice,” said Sherenian. To learn more about STRIDES©, visit http://www.statinc.org/about.html View a photo gallery here. For more information on the program, visit ithaca.edu/horsesandipads
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Two things are very important when imbibing—keeping those damn rings off your coffee table and ensuring the beverages continue to flow. So here's something you've always wanted, even if you never knew it— wooden dual-purpose coasters/bottle openers from Brooklyn Brew Shop. It's Friday, and if you're not drinking you will be soon. So why not? A set of four is $30, and they're much cooler—not to mention way more hygienic—than those bro-y bottle opener flip flops. [Urban Outfitters]
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Migratory birds are a welcome sight at the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge, a nearly 10,000-acre refuge and breeding ground for birds and native wildlife. But there’s an unwelcome visitor establishing itself in the refuge in the heart of the Finger Lakes. Common buckthorn, a non-native invasive plant from Europe and western Asia, is a major threat to ecosystems. The plant causes billions of dollars of economic impact across the U.S. each year. At the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge, it is crowding out native species. To help combat this invasive plant, Hubert H. Humphrey Fellows from Cornell volunteered for eradication efforts. A dozen Fellow volunteers took part in the efforts Saturday, April 17 as part of early Earth Day activities promoting the theme “Earth Restoration.” The Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program is Fulbright exchange activity through the U.S. Department of State. Cornell — one of 13 Humphrey Program campuses — provides accomplished professionals from countries with emerging economies a year of professional development with a focus on one of three, often overlapping, areas of interest: agriculture, environment, and natural resource management. The program is based in the Department of Global Development in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Before beginning their volunteer service the Fellows toured the education center where they were introduced to the history of the area and the mission and the goals of the wildlife refuge. First established in 1938, the refuge has been instrumental in successfully rehabilitating the Bald Eagle population in the area, which plunged and was near extinction due to the impacts of the insecticide DDT. Along with Bald Eagles, the habitat supports many migratory waterfowl species as well as endangered fishes. Outside, the Fellows spent the morning using physical control methods to uproot the plant buckthorn and the use of spades. The work quickly showed how difficult it is to control invasive species, and these non-native plants can sometimes threaten native species with extinction. After the invasive plant removal work was completed, the Fellows toured the refuge with a guide who explained wetland restoration in the area and efforts to maintain suitable habitat for wetland species. The Fellows viewed control station operations that are used to regulate the water level for the wetlands system to ensure as much as possible that these wetlands maintain natural habitat. “Volunteer service is not only an excellent way to help a wildlife refuge like Montezuma, but also provides a bit of first-hand experience on local conservation challenges,” said Polly Endreny Holmberg, associate director for Cornell’s Humphrey Program. The Humphrey Fellows learned much more about wetland restoration and management practices applied on a landscape level to benefit both wildlife and conservation. These are methods that could be applied in a Fellow’s home country or provide ideas on managing similar wetlands to restore their health and bring back wildlife in areas that are degraded or have lost the ability to support wildlife well. This experience is especially relevant to climate change. Wetlands around the world are being affected by droughts and overuse of agricultural practices. Restoring and mimicking natural landscapes like wetlands provide bird, fish, and other wildlife with good habitat and maintaining buffer coastal communities against flooding provides suitable habitat for wading birds. Keddy Moleofi is a Cornell Hubert H. Humphrey Fellow.
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Research on Data Management of Power Grid Enterprises Based on Data Middle Platform At present, the construction process of power grid enterprise information system mainly adopts the “vertical integration” system structure, with high construction cost, long period, non-sharing of data and low quality. By introducing the concept of data middle platform.to reaggregate and reconstruct unified supervision of enterprise data, it provides accurate and reliable, shareable and reusable data application services with business logic for front-end business, and realizes intelligent interconnection and data sharing in all aspects of power system. This paper puts forward the idea of data center, and puts forward data management methods from master data, data warehouse and metadata management respectively, so as to provide data service support for the development of power grid business towards intelligent and efficient direction. Introduction The current information construction of power grid enterprises mainly adopts traditional concepts to build big data platforms. Each business system mainly adopts the "vertical integration" architecture [1]. Each system has its own equipment and management methods, resulting in high maintenance costs, difficult reuse, non-shared resources, low data quality. How to get through these data and build them in accordance with the unified standard, so as to achieve the goal of technology cost reduction, application efficiency improvement and business empowerment, is an important problem faced by power grid enterprises [2]. The data middle platform. is to realize the common data capability through the stratification and horizontal decoupling of data, separate the data operation and product technical force from the front desk, establish an independent middle platform, and realize the sharing of business capability through service reuse [3,4]. Compared with the traditional information construction method, the vertical integration architecture is eliminated, and the contradiction between the background with a relatively slow change cycle driven by innovation is solved. It introduces the concept of data middle platform, integrates and reconstructs enterprise data, provides accurate and reliable, shareable and reusable data application services with business logic for the front-end business, and provides construction strategies for realizing intelligent interconnection and data sharing in each link of the power system [5]. 2. The idea of data asset management based on data middle platform. The core idea of data asset management based on data middle platform is to manage data objects as a new form of assets [6]. Its goal is to break down the gap between data and to build the foundation of enterprise data middle platform. The data asset management construction framework based on data middle platform is shown in Figure 1. 1) According to the current existing system source data, the source-end data integration is realized through master data management, a data warehouse is established for light summary, and the entire amount is copied to the enterprise data warehouse through data integration. After cleaning and conversion, the warehouse data model is used to integrate multi-source data, realizing financial sharing and accessing the original system data for supplement and verification. 2) After data collection is completed, logical integration based on metadata management is adopted to realize data application sharing, and metadata management of source system data can also be carried out directly to realize logical integration management. Source-end data integration method based on master data Master data is the core business data of an enterprise and the key to data connection and fusion between different systems. Although a unified master data platform has been built in power enterprises at present, master data is still maintained and used separately by professional parts, and no enterprise-level standard has been formed. Master data will be identified and separated from each business system database and incorporated into the business owner data platform [7]. Maintenance and management will be carried out based on the unified data model. The maintenance, management and use rights of each field in the master data table will be authenticated and shared to each business system for use through the distribution mechanism. Each business system carries out functional transformation. By integrating relevant functions of master data platform, it maintains master data within its own scope of responsibility and degenerates itself into a simple transaction recording system. Master data is not stored redundatively in each system database. The source-end data integration construction strategy based on master data is as follows. 1) Establish enterprise data model standards. The classification framework and catalog index of master data of power grid enterprises are established. The data structure and basic information of each master data are sorted out one by one according to the actual data of each information system, and the data model standard of power grid enterprises is formulated. 2) Improve master data platform. The master data in each information system is identified. The business, management and technical attributes of each master data are sorted out one by one. The business source, maintenance and access rights of each data item are determined, and the master data ledger is established. The master data platform functions have been improved to provide master data management integration services and replace the ledger maintenance functions in various professional systems. 3) Establish data management mechanism The working mechanism of data management is built synchronously, and the data management support platform of power enterprises is built. Data indicators, master data ledger, data sharing, data quality, data security and so on are implemented unified management. Data aggregation, management and application based on enterprise data warehouse The foundation of data warehouse construction is the enterprise-level data warehouse model, which generally adopts topic-oriented or dimensional data model to reconstruct enterprise data. The integration of multi-source heterogeneous data is the key to the success of enterprise database construction [8]. The architecture design of using warehouse data model to integrate multi-source data is shown in Figure 2. Build a data warehouse model According to the enterprise data architecture, the enterprise data warehouse model is built by using the normal form modeling method. Data model verification is carried out to map business data entities and data warehouse models, and verify business data information compliance and business process coverage. [9] The data warehouse model design is carried out and the physical data warehouse is created. This provides a "container" carrier for centralized storage and query of structured data, real-time data, unstructured and external data, and logically solves the problem of inconsistent data models between systems and difficulties in cross-disciplinary data application. 2) Multi-source data integration. The scattered and inconsistent data in the business systems at the source end are reorganized according to the subject area, and the inconsistencies in the source data are eliminated by means of data extraction, cleaning, transformation, summarizing and sorting, so as to ensure that the information in the data warehouse is consistent and global information about the whole enterprise. 3) Provide data operation services. A long-term mechanism to ensure the continuous operation of the enterprise data warehouse has been formulated to support the scientific operation of the enterprise data warehouse from the dimensions of organization, system, process, manpower, technology, etc., continue to expand the scope of data access, and continue to improve the support of data sharing services and analysis applications ability. Logical integration and sharing applications based on metadata management Metadata is essentially the definition of data, describing the structure, connotation, and characteristics of the data. It can express information such as data, association relationships between data, data and business correspondence, data processing logic, etc., and is used to describe enterprise data integration logic [10]. The logic integration and shared application construction strategy based on metadata management is as follows. 1) Establish a data management system. The status quo of the existing data resources of the enterprise is cleared, metadata is collected, and a data management system is established synchronously, including the establishment of a unified data resource target index for the enterprise, sorting out data standards and specifications, carrying out data inventory, formulating a normalized data management system, and building a unified data management platform. 2) Continuous maintenance and management. Ensuring the continuous operation of the enterprise data management system is the focus of construction, which specifically includes building a unified view of enterprise-level data, carrying out source-end data resource monitoring, verifying and managing data quality issues, conducting metadata comparison and maintenance, and establishing source-end data change mechanism in combination with informatization processes and implementation of data life cycle management, etc. 3) Provide data sharing application services. By sorting out the list of enterprise level data sharing directory, carrying out hierarchical management of internal and external data resource sharing, researching and breaking through ubiquitous data access and security control technology, building data sharing ubiquitous service platform, accepting and processing data sharing open requests, etc., provide unified data sharing access service for business applications. Conclusion Through the establishment of the idea of data center and the application of three data management methods on this basis, it is conducive to the realization of data sharing among power grid enterprises, and provides a solid foundation for the future innovative and efficient development of power grid enterprises.
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As delicious as it is, fried food gets a bad rap. But here's some good news for fried food lovers: A new study is claiming that fried foods can be healthier for you than boiled foods. Researchers at the University of Granada in Spain claim that frying vegetables, like tomatoes, eggplant or potatoes, is the healthiest way to eat them—even better than enjoying them raw. The secret? Cooking them in extra virgin olive oil, which contains "at least 30 phenolic compounds." Those compounds are antioxidant powerhouses, lowering the risk of certain cancers and other diseases. After using four different cooking techniques (deep-frying, sauteing, boiling in water and boiling in a water-and-oil mixture), scientists observed that veggies that were fried and sauteed in oil absorbed some of antioxidants found in the oil. There was no change seen in the vegetables that were boiled. More From Woman's Day So does this mean french fries are good for you? Well, yes and no. First, the fries found in most fast food spots are cooked in corn-based oils. In order to reap any health benefits, the oil has to be extra virgin olive oil. (Here's an easy way to make fries at home.) Second, higher antioxidant levels doesn't necessarily mean a food is healthier. As dietitian Angie Murad of the Mayo Clinic explains to WomansDay.com, "The only consideration that must be taken into account is that extra virgin olive oil, or any type of fat for that matter, is a more dense source of calories. You will be consuming more calories overall." With that said, if you're simply looking to boost the antioxidants in your diet, then fry away. Just do so in moderation, keeping the extra fat and calories in mind.
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Magnesium Sulfate as a Second-Line Tocolytic Agent for Preterm Labor: A Randomized Controlled Trial in Kyushu Island Objectives. We evaluated the efficacy of magnesium sulfate as a second-line tocolysis for 48 hours. Materials and Methods. A multi-institutional, simple 2-arm randomized controlled trial was performed. Forty-five women at 22 to 34 weeks of gestation were eligible, whose ritodrine did not sufficiently inhibit uterine contractions. After excluding 12 women, 33 were randomly assigned to either magnesium alone or combination (ritodrine and magnesium). The treatment was determined as effective if the frequency of uterine contraction was reduced by 30% at 48 hours of the treatment. Results. After magnesium sulfate infusion, 90% prolonged their pregnancy for >48 hours. Combination therapy was effective in 95% (18/19), which was significantly higher than 50% (7/14) for magnesium alone. Conclusion. This randomized trial revealed that combination therapy significantly reduced uterine contractions, suggesting that adjuvant magnesium with ritodrine is recommended, rather than changing into magnesium alone, when uterine contractions are intractable with ritodrine infusion. Introduction Acute tocolysis prevents preterm labor for 48 hours, which is the critical period for antenatal steroid administration or maternal transfer to perinatal centers to improve neonatal outcomes. Evidence supporting the effectiveness of magnesium sulfate for tocolysis is currently being questioned. Metaanalysis comparing magnesium sulfate and either placebo, no treatment, or alternative tocolytic agents showed that magnesium reduces the risk of birth within 48 hours by 15%, which is not statistically significant (relative risk (RR) 0.85, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.58 to 1.25) [1]. A more recent report evaluating 19 randomized controlled trials reveals that magnesium fails to reduce delivery rate within 48 hours [2]. However, magnesium sulfate is currently the most commonly used tocolytic agent in America. In 2008, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare of Japan finally approved magnesium sulfate as a tocolytic agent, but its use is restricted to the second-line tocolysis when the effect of a betamimetic agonist is not sufficient to reduce uterine contractions. Here, a question arises as to how we administer magnesium sulfate to these women, that is, to stop the betamimetic agonist and change into magnesium sulfate or add magnesium sulfate to the betamimetic agonist. The efficacy of tocolysis when using a combination of a betamimetic agonist and magnesium sulfate has been investigated, and some retrospective studies have shown that a combination therapy may be effective in prolonging gestation [3][4][5][6][7]. On the other hand, a prospective randomized study showed that such treatment may not improve tocolytic efficacy [8] but produced an unacceptable increase in serious maternal side effects. At present, there are no randomized controlled trials comparing the 2 modes of using magnesium sulfate, either change or addition, as a secondline tocolytic agent in cases where a betamimetic agonist alone is not sufficient to inhibit preterm labor. Since the mechanisms of tocolytic action differ between magnesium sulfate and betamimetics, we hypothesized that adding magnesium sulfate to the treatment would be superior to using magnesium sulfate alone for the inhibition of uterine contractions. We tested this hypothesis in a prospective, randomized controlled trial. Materials and Methods This study was approved by the institutional review board of the University of Miyazaki and all the participating institutions. A multi-institutional, prospectively randomized trial was performed from April 2007 to March 2009. We collected data from 14 institutions: 3 were university hospitals and the remaining 11 were regional referral centers in Kyushu, Japan. Informed consent was obtained in each institution. Inclusion criteria were singleton or dichorionic twin pregnancies with intact membranes, showing clinical signs of preterm labor at 22 to 34 weeks of gestation. The starting point of 22 weeks of gestation was chosen because their survival rate surpasses more than 50% in Japan, and they are legally protected for the chance of survival in Japan. Definition of preterm labor in Japan is different from that of others, that is, as the presence of sensitive uterine contractions (6/hour or more) with the duration of >30 seconds, and changes in cervical dilation or cervical length are not taken into consideration. Dating of pregnancy was confirmed by first-trimester ultrasound fetometry. Study Protocol and Treatment. Since magnesium sulfate is to be used for second-line tocolysis when a betamimetic agonist is not sufficient to reduce uterine contractions, all women received a first-line treatment (ritodrine) before the start of magnesium sulfate. Ritodrine infusion was titrated in the decided manner with a starting dose of 50 micrograms/min and an increment of 50 micrograms/min over 30 to 60 minutes, until the maximum dose of 200 micrograms/min. When uterine contractions were intractable by its maximal dose, magnesium sulfate was given. We applied a simple 2-arm protocol to add the magnesium sulfate infusion ( Figure 1). One arm is to discontinue ritodrine and change into magnesium sulfate with a loading dose of 4 gm over 30 minutes followed by a maintenance dose of 1.0-2.0 gm/hr (magnesium alone), which was titrated as uterine contractions changed. When uterine contraction increased by magnesium alone, attending physicians could resume ritodrine at discretion. The other arm is to continue ritodrine and add magnesium sulfate with a maintenance dose of 1.0-2.0 gm/hr (combination). Both drugs were given with separate infusion pumps, and the total volume of intravenous infusion was limited to 48 hours after magnesium sulfate infusion, when ritodrine alone failed to inhibit uterine contractions. We also found that the combination treatment was more effective than magnesium alone in decreasing uterine contractions. Animal studies have shown that uterine activity is initially inhibited by intravenous infusion of ritodrine for 6 hours, but activity returns to the preinfusion level by 11 to 16 hours despite continuous infusion [10,11]. Previous reports based on in vitro experiments also showed that continuous exposure of myometrium to betamimetic agonists resulted in an initial myometrial relaxation followed by desensitization and return of myometrial contractions [12][13][14]. In the present study, 90% (30/33) of women received magnesium sulfate after 24 hours of ritodrine infusion, suggesting that they became desensitized and uterine contractions resumed, which was inhibited by administering magnesium sulfate. Betamimetic agonists, on binding with beta-2 receptors on the cell membrane, activate adenlylate cyclase to increase the intracellular concentration of cyclic adenosine monophosphate, resulting in decreased availability of free intracellular calcium for actin and myosin, leading to relaxation of uterine smooth muscle. On the other hand, magnesium sulfate acts on the voltage-dependent calcium channels to competitively block the calcium influx, leading to the inhibition of calcium-dependent myosin light-chain kinase phosphorylation. It is logical to speculate that there may be some additive effects that inhibit uterine contractions Historically, the combination therapy may [4][5][6][7] or may not [8] improve tocolytic efficacy. Our results agreed with that a combination treatment is superior to magnesium alone in prolonging pregnancy, even in the stage of desensitization during ritodrine treatment. We used magnesium sulfate for the second-line tocolysis when the betamimetic effect was not sufficient to reduce uterine contractions. This situation is unique because the fact that a betamimetic agonist alone failed to inhibit uterine contractions suggests that the situation is more likely to occur in true labor than false labor, and the placebo effect may not interfere with the results. Under these conditions, the adjunctive use of magnesium sulfate with ritodrine is 15fold more effective in inhibiting uterine contractions than magnesium sulfate alone. This study has several advantages. One is its nature of a randomized controlled trial. Another is the abovementioned study protocol where the placebo effect is taken into consideration. This study also has some limitations. The major problem is its underpowered number and uneven allocation due to incomplete block randomization. Only 3 of the 14 institutions fulfilled the allocated number (n = 6) of data collection, 3 finished the first allocated block (n = 3) with the second block halfway, and 2 institution did not enroll any women. The control center strongly requested for enrollment and extended the study period for 6 months, but no cases were added. Therefore, only 45 women were included, which is much smaller than the required number. Even with this major limitation, our conclusion is of clinical importance that combination of magnesium with ritodrine is 15-fold more effective to inhibit uterine contractions than magnesium alone, in which ritodrine alone is not sufficient to inhibit them. Conclusions This randomized trial revealed that adjuvant magnesium with ritodrine significantly reduced uterine contractions than magnesium alone, when uterine contractions are intractable with ritodrine infusion.
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Wednesday, July 22, 2020 Impetigore Review: A Creepy, Tension-Filled Homecoming Release date: July 23, 2020 Running time: 106 minutes Starring: Tara Basro, Ario Bayu, Marissa Anita Maya with her best friend, Dini, are struggling in the city. However, a strange encounter with a random creep shakes her and causes her to think about going somewhere new. After the encounter, she realizes that she might inherit a property from her rich family, but has to go back to her home village far away from the big city. Maya returns to the village with Dini, but as soon as they return strange things begin to happen to the pair. Impetigore does a lot right. The film doesn't pile on too much and uses its creepy music, lighting, and effects perfectly. Although the film starts with a dramatic scene, it then slowly builds the unease as the girls learn more about the village's dark past and strange curse. The movie slowly reveals things to you, which is an absolute must in a horror movie, and keeps you guessing all the way to the end. Impetigore does a good job with creepy sound design, lighting, and scenery to make you think something is happening. You will catch a glimpse of something briefly, be cued in by a strange sound, or see something happen only for you to realize nothing was there. It really raises the tension and keeps you on edge. And when the film gets to the more dangerous parts for the friends, it really does a great job of imposing the sense of dread. However, although Impetigore does so much right, it does make a few mistakes here and there. For one, the film does a great job of keeping a lot from the viewer, but then reveals the bulk of the story cheaply. It tells you what was going on, but I would have rather that the film reveal more to the viewer over the course of the encounter, rather than all at once. And this film does such a good job of building up the dread and keeping the audience guessing, only to have an unsatisfying ending. Maybe it was a cultural thing, but I did not understand the reasons for certain things to happen at the end, and the ultimate conclusion felt odd. It's a shame because the movie does so much right and really keeps the audience on edge, but feels like maybe the filmmakers couldn't find a way to transition so went with an easy solution. In any event, there is a lot to appreciate about Impetigore and it should make for a scary night time watch. Impetigore's creepy music, fantastic lighting, and sense of tension will keep viewers on edge during this trip to a mysterious secluded village. Rent it. No comments: Post a Comment
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Mobile First – Cloud First Simplified (2 of 3) Continuing the simplification of mobile first, cloud first from the previous post Let’s highlight the two big objectives that are achieved by separating core business services and platforms specific client in the last post: • Platform and device outreach – HTTP being understood by all modern devices, makes your service consumable by any device that can host a client application and understand the language of the web. • Heavy lifting done on the server – With the separation between a client app and business as a service running on a server somewhere, all the heavy lifting is done on the server where as the user’s device is doing mostly the user interaction. The heavy lifting work is generally referred to complex computations that consume a lot of hardware resources like CPU, RAM which is generally a limitation on small mobile devices. Now let’s talk a little about the server. Is your application business ready or feature ready? So now we have built our application in a restful manner to reach a broad spectrum of devices and we moved the heavy lifting on the server. At this point our business idea can either take off or send us back to the drawing board. In either case the load on the server that is doing the complex operation is going to fluctuate. The question here is – is the application infrastructure elastic enough to support that... or is such increase and decrease in the infrastructure going to come with a heavy cost? It is a difficult question to answer for any developer – how many users (or traffic) would the current server infrastructure be able to hold? The best answer that you will get would be a very careful calculation based on perhaps stress testing, overly padded with seasoned wisdom. In fact, in case of a new application or a rewritten application with the newer frameworks, it is very difficult to evaluate the ideal infrastructure requirement until the rubber hits the road. To be on the safer side, every team tends to overestimate. Cloudy with heavy awesomeness Moving the infrastructure to cloud will help you achieve such elasticity. You do not need to worry about contacting data centers really, you can spin off new servers and shut them down when not needed, using a few lines of scripts. Depending on the service you are using, you could do many infrastructure operations using a self-service portal and be charged for only the infrastructure you use, for the duration you used it. Suppose after we launched our application, we found that out target customers are in a specific geographic location like the east coast or some other part of the world that our analysts never imagined. Can you quickly respond to the new found opportunity? Most cloud service providers will allow you to select the geographic location of your infrastructure, allowing to place more servers closer to the customer for optimized user experience. Global cloud providers are large organizations that have heavily invested in the infrastructure over the years thus providing you high security and availability. Therefore, there are many benefits that your business gets by moving to the cloud that might be difficult to estimate beforehand.
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How do we increase our self-esteem, and how do raise children with high self-esteem? Many self-help books try to answer questions like these. So, the pursuit of self-esteem is a central preoccupation in our modern culture. Self-esteem is a popular topic within psychology. Some psychologists believe that self-esteem is a universal human need (see Allport, Baumeister, Maslow, and Rogers). On one side, psychologists have positive beliefs about high self-esteem and its effects on behavior, on the other side, psychologists argue that the benefits of high self-esteem are small and limited: “... a recent and extensive review concluded that high self-esteem produces pleasant feelings and enhanced initiative, but does not cause high academic achievement, good job performance, or leadership ...” (Crocker & Lora, 2004, p. 2). The benefits of self-esteem have been the primary foci in the literature, but the pursuit of self-esteem can be destructive as well. Jennifer Crocker and Lora Park (2004) emphasize the fact that when we become what we want to be, we get satisfied, at least temporarily, but when we fail, we experience many negative emotions such as anxiety and shame. So, the pursuit of self-esteem can have huge emotional costs. The authors further argue that the pursuit of self-esteem can harm people’s physical health: “People concerned about how they are perceived and evaluated by others tend to consume more alcohol, smoke, sunbathe, diet excessively, undergo cosmetic surgery, use steroids, drive recklessly, and engage in unsafe sex” (p. 23). So, other people’s approval of us boosts our self-worth, meaning that we derive value from other people’s judgement of us. OK. That’s all right. But if our self-worth relies too much on other people’s judgment of us, we may experience more negative emotions when we fail to live up to others’ expectations. Please consider this scenario: If all people lost their ability to show their approval of you, you would be in a very unfortunate situation if your self-worth relied solely on them. You would probably feel insignificant. Luckily, we derive our self-worth from many sources, e.g. love, friendships, joy and values, and these sources may not have the same mental costs as the pursuit of self-esteem. That being said, I don’t suggest that we should give up our pursuit of self-esteem as it can motivate us in many circumstances, but I think that the benefits of the pursuit of self-esteem have been overemphasized in the literature.
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The House Was Scary the house was scary The House Was Scary The house was scary. Too scary. It was at the end of a long gravel path, the path that old Robby Blankins supposedly rode down in the old days. Ugly trees, black as loneliness, surrounded the house like old soldiers, ready to reach out their old tendrils at any trespasser who had the nerve of walking up to the front door– or what remained of it, anyways. The house was a wreck. There were old tree branches strewn all over the lawn, the cornfield out in the front was withering away, and the once white siding was chipping off like nail polish on a girl’s fingernail. The house used to be a nice place. Becky Miller remembered when her Mama would bake pies for the old woman who used to live there... what was her name? Oh, that’s right. Barbara White. She had died a couple of years ago from a devastating fire, or so they say.... Legend has it that Barbara White disappeared one night after bandits had raided her house, taking her with them. Either way, it seemed to Becky that once Barbara was gone, the house went up and died just like she did. That was why Becky wondered why she found herself at what once was the front door stoop of the house. Was it just out of pure curiosity, or was something else under that roof beckoning Becky closer...? All she knew was that she had to get into that house, no matter what dangers might be lurking behind that door.... We'd love to hear from you! Say something here: You are commenting using your account. Log Out / Change ) Google+ photo Twitter picture Facebook photo Connecting to %s
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The Patagonian Coast Viedma is near the estuary of the Rio Negro river in Argentina. This river originating from the Andes, brings 2000 M3/S of sweet water and it mixes with the salty seawater 30 km from Viedma. Nature thrives in this place where sweet and salty water mixes. Patagonia is know for being windy. Depending on the direction from where it blows, it brings cold from Antarctica, or warmth from the north. In the photos you can see birds, sea lions and people sharing the same water of the Atlantic ocean. The flora and the fauna is very rich and adapted to the dry environment. Although Viedma is know amongst ornithologists, for its Burrowing Parakeets (Loro Barranquero), there are many other species to observe. The Burrowing Parakeets make their burrows in the cliffs. From there they strike out to the farmlands and the water holes in the fields, but they deserve a separate post. Because these photos are taken in autumn there are very little people on the beach, however in summer half the town of Viedma moves to the beach.
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Take the 2-minute tour × Is there a reason to wear special nice clothing on Hanukkah? I would guess not as since there is no festive meal, it doesn't seem like it is a festive day. Ideas anyone? share|improve this question 2 Answers 2 up vote 3 down vote accepted The Kaf HaChaim http://hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=14422&st=&pgnum=340 says that there are 3 levels of nicer clothing. The nicest ones are for Yom Tov, the next level is for Shabbos, and the lower level is for Chol HaMoed, Rosh Chodesh, Chanuka & Purim. share|improve this answer Darkei Chaim Veshalom writes that the Michas Elazar would wear his Shabbos clothing and Shtreimel from before he lit Chanuka candles until he went to sleep. However, Chabad custom is to wear normal(weekday) clothing even when lighting. share|improve this answer Your Answer
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A light earthquake magnitude 4.5 (ml/mb) strikes Mid-Indian Ridge (0 miles) on Thursday. All ids that are associated to the event: us20008sqr. Unique identifier: us20008sqr. Exact location of earthquake, longitude 66.4822 East, latitude -10.4789 South, depth = 10 km. The 4.5-magnitude earthquake was detected at 23:19:27 / 11:19 pm (local time epicenter). A tsunami warning has not been issued (Does not indicate if a tsunami actually did or will exist). The earthquake was roughly at a depth of 10 km (6 miles). Global time and date of event 09/03/17 / 2017-03-09 19:19:27 / March 9, 2017 @ 7:19 pm UTC/GMT. There are an estimated 13,000 light earthquakes in the world each year. In the past 24 hours, there have been one, in the last 10 days one, in the past 30 days one and in the last 365 days three earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or greater that have been detected nearby. Earthquakes 4.0 to 5.0 are often felt, but only causes minor damage. How would you describe the shaking? How did you react? Was there any damage to buildings? Leave a comment or report about shaking, activity and damage at your home, city and country. This information comes from the USGS Earthquake Notification Service. Read more about the earthquake, Seismometer information, Date-Time, Location, Distances, Parameters and details about this quake, recorded: Mid-Indian Ridge. Copyright © 2017 earthquakenewstoday.com All rights reserved.
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- The act of grasping. - usage: "he released his clasp on my arm"; "he has a strong grip for an old man"; "she kept a firm hold on the railing" - A tense critical situation. - usage: "he is a good man in the clutch" - A number of birds hatched at the same time. - A collection of things or persons to be handled together. - synonyms: batch - A woman's strapless purse that is carried in the hand. - synonyms: clutch bag - A pedal or lever that engages or disengages a rotating shaft and a driving mechanism. - usage: "he smoothely released the clutch with one foot and stepped on the gas with the other" - synonyms: clutch pedal - A coupling that connects or disconnects driving and driven parts of a driving mechanism. - usage: "this year's model has an improved clutch" - Take hold of; grab. - usage: "The sales clerk quickly seized the money on the counter"; "She clutched her purse"; "The mother seized her child by the arm"; "Birds of prey often seize small mammals" - Hold firmly, usually with one's hands. - usage: "She clutched my arm when she got scared" - usage: "Fear seized the prisoners"; "The patient was seized with unbearable pains"; "He was seized with a dreadful disease" WordNet 3.0 © 2006 by Princeton University |APA||WordNet. (2010). clutch. Retrieved August 21, 2017, from http://smartdefine.org/clutch/definitions/1202745| |Chicago||WordNet. 2010. "clutch" http://smartdefine.org/clutch/definitions/1202745 (accessed August 21, 2017).| |Harvard||WordNet 2010, clutch, Smart Define, viewed 21 August, 2017, .| |MLA||WordNet. "clutch" 23 October 2010. Web. 21 August 2017. |
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The fundamental principles of the United States were honored and extended by Frances Perkins, who was “The Woman Behind the New Deal: The Life and Legacy of Frances Perkins – Social Security, Unemployment Insurance, and the Minimum Wage” (ISBN: 9781400078561). A tireless worker for justice, Perkins has too long been hidden from history. Kirstin Downey seeks to remedy the oversight in her fascinating book. A great deal of what Americans take for granted today can be traced back to February of 1933, when a middle-aged woman named Fannie Coralie Perkins presented president-elect Franklin Delano Roosevelt with a list of her priorities if she was going to accept his offer to become the first woman member of a presidential cabinet. She ticked off the items: a forty-hour workweek, a minimum wage, worker’s compensation, unemployment compensation, a federal law banning child labor, direct federal aid for unemployment relief, Social Security, a revitalized public employment service, and health insurance. As author and historian Kirstin Downey writes, “The scope of her list was breathtaking.” Not only was Perkins’ plan a sweeping realization of the bright and shining America that was envisioned by our founding fathers, but it was so right, so just, and so fair that everyone knew it would face fierce denunciation and obstruction from greed-obsessed troglodyte conservatives in business and government. Of all the heroes in America’s past who have been overlooked by the history books, perhaps the most egregious is that of Perkins. Very few people have accomplished as much without having statues erected in their memory across the land. If not for Frances Perkins, our nation would be in far worse shape than the regressive forces want it to be. In Kristin Downey’s “The Woman Behind the New Deal,” the battle against the evil of conservatism is presented in fascinating chapters that are full of human touches as often as they are filled with facts. Fighting the Wrongs of the Right When Frances Perkins took over the Department of Labor, things were not just a mess, they were moribund — “the agency had gone nearly dead under Republican control during the 1920s.” As history shows, that’s almost always what happens to human values under Republican administrations. Perkins not only had to clean house, she also had to insist on desegregating the lunch facilities in the building. For much of FDR’s presidency, democracy was under attack by the Axis powers, just as democracy is continually under attack from conservatives. Today we see the odious techniques of Ted Cruz and Darrell Issa, which many think are based on the 1950s approach of the disgusting Joseph McCarthy. Actually, these have their genesis in some of the attacks on Perkins, a few examples of which appear in the book. Downey also makes many observations that should more often appear in today’s media, such as “In every country that Hitler invaded, the Nazis destroyed trade unions as a first priority.” Notes on the Male Mind America has always had to contend with enemies both foreign and domestic but Perkins had a special battle because of her gender. No matter what she did to deflect public attention, Frances’s unique place in American history guaranteed that the fifty-two-year-old Cabinet secretary was scrutinized wherever she went. Casual observers continued to comment on her appearance, her clothing, and her speech, often noting that she appeared far more attractive in person than she did in photographs. Her lack of conventional beauty remained a recurring theme in her life, another cross for a woman to bear that men do not face. Sad to see how little has changed. Perkins attempted to fight back on every level, both political and personal. One of her ways to combat some aspects of the misogyny directed against her was sartorial: ...she began to dress and comport herself in a way that reminded men of their mothers, rather than doing what women usually like to do, which is making themselves more physically attractive to men. She even kept notes on her exchanges with men, including revealing letters that she found humorous, and placed them in a red envelope that she kept with her. She called these observations “Notes on the Male Mind.” Legacy of Liberalism The accomplishments of FDR and Perkins’ Labor Department were enormous. Together, they helped bring the country back from the depths of the Republican Depression, placing more than 25 million Americans in jobs. They did even more than put America back to work; they increased economic security for workers, retirees, children, and seniors. Consider just one of their efforts to grow the middle class: The United States offered loan insurance through the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), which meant that private lenders could once again loan money for home purchase or remodeling with confidence that they would be repaid — if not by the borrower, then by the government. The program introduced a concept that would revolutionize home purchase: 20 percent down payment, fixed rate mortgages, payments lasting twenty years. The risky interest-only loans of the 1920s almost disappeared. While the Right wants us all to forget the imposing and long-lasting successes of the Public Works Administration, in this day and age it may be more important than ever to recall that the PWA built: thirty-four thousand projects, including the Grand Coulee Dam on the Columbia River, the All-American Canal in Southern California, the Triborough Bridge and the Lincoln Tunnel in New York City, the road linking the Florida Keys, the Blue Ridge Parkway from the Shenandoah to the Great Smoky Mountains, and scores of hospitals and public schools. It helped create the infrastructure that allowed the U.S. economy to expand dramatically in future years. Obstructionism is a Constant There was one constant in all of this success: rabid and virulent Republican obstruction to any and all progress on behalf of the fundamental principles of America. Sad to see how little has changed. Thanks to Perkins, the Roosevelt administration brought to life fundamental human values by letting capitalism work with and control socialized principles. The result was a steady rise in the common good. As can now be seen in Congress and in statehouses across America, the battle for the common good is a conflict that continues today. This book reiterates how we could all take heart from the ideals, tactics, and tenacity of Frances Perkins. Reading about her in “The Woman Behind the New Deal” is continually compelling and her successes will often have you shouting for joy. More information: http://knopfdoubleday.com/book/42522/the-woman-behind-the-new-deal/ Kirstin Downey interviewed on Democracy Now about “The Woman Behind the New Deal” — * * * This original review is Copr. © 2015 by John Scott G and originally published on PublishersNewswire.com – a publication of Neotrope®. All commercial and reprint rights reserved. No fee or other consideration was paid to the reviewer, this site or its publisher by any third party for this unbiased article/review. Reproduction or republication in whole or in part without express permission is prohibited except under fair use provisions of international copyright law.
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Cách tải về và cài đặt Redfinger Cloud Phone Cách 1 là tải ứng dụng tại cửa hàng Google Play; Mở cửa hàng Google Play rồi tìm từ khóa "điện thoại đám mây Redfinger" hoặc "Redfinger", nhấp vào "Cài đặt" là có thể cài đặt ứng dụng Redfinger vào điện thoại của bạn một cách dễ dàng và nhanh chóng. Cách 2 là tải xuống từ website chính thức của Redfinger: vn.cloudemulator.net; Sau khi vào website, nhấp vào "Tải xuống cho Android" để tải và cài đặt. Sau khi cài đặt thành công, hãy nhấp vào "Bắt đầu" hoặc trở về màn hình điện thoại nhấp vào ứng dụng Redfinger đã cài đặt, bắt đầu hành trình trải nghiệm điện thoại đám mây Redfinger của bạn.
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The national quality infrastructure (NQI) is the institutional framework that establishes and implements standardization, including conformity assessment services, metrology, and accreditation. Governments play a crucial role in designing, developing, and implementing an effective NQI. Developing an NQI begins with an assessment of the current system and identification of areas where reforms are required. The legal framework should establish transparent, independent institutions within a national structure that can work with international organizations such as the World Trade Organization (WTO). The World Bank and other donor agencies are assisting a number of countries in the development of NQIs in order to encourage industrial development, reduce barriers to trade and entrepreneurship, and facilitate global technical cooperation. Download the report from the World Bank website.
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Emerson in Context: Transcendentalism - Emerson is primarily remembered as a key figure in the development of transcendentalism. - What is transcendentalism, and how does it relate to self-reliance? - Transcendentalists access truth through intuition, they reject both faith and empiricism. - Self-Reliance is making an argument, but it is conspicuously devoid of the things people usually use to make arguments: he gives no evidence and makes no appeals to authority ("The Bible tells me so"). There isn't even much of a logical progression to the essay, it's more of a series of comments. - Truisms are self-evident "beautiful sentiments" that are either believed or disbelieved intuitively. - Society restricts the individual and hinders the search for truth, which lies within. - "These are the voices which we hear in solitude, but they grow faint and inaudible as we enter into the world. Society everywhere is in conspiracy against the manhood of every one of its members. Society is a joint-stock company, in which the members agree, for the better securing of his bread to each shareholder, to surrender the liberty and culture of the eater. The virtue in most request is conformity. Self-reliance is its aversion [...] Whoso would be a man must be a nonconformist." Pantheism & the Goodness of Nature - Transcendentalists escape the artificial confines of society by spending time alone in nature. - Divine truth is not learned from the church or from sacred texts, man is born with truth inside of him and all around him. Emerson and "The Age of Reform" - Emerson was associated with the abolitionist movement and other liberal causes, but was less interested in political issues than most of his peers. - He subscribed to the Great Man theory of history, and seemed to admire strength and determination for their own sake. - The only mention of abolitionism in Self-Reliance is a dismissive one: "Good and bad are but names very readily transferable to that or this; the only right is what is after my constitution, the only wrong what is against it. [...] If an angry bigot assumes this bountiful cause of Abolition, and comes to me with his last news from Barbadoes, why should I not say to him, 'Go love thy infant; love thy wood-chopper: be good-natured and modest: have that grace; and never varnish your hard, uncharitable ambition with this incredible tenderness for black folk a thousand miles off. Thy love afar is spite at home.' Rough and graceless would be such greeting, but truth is handsomer than the affectation of love." 1. “The ‘word made flesh’ for Emerson is best exemplified in the self-made American hero, the youthful entrepreneur who creates himself as he goes along: ‘A sturdy lad from New Hampshire or Vermont, who in turn tries all the professions [...] and always, like a cat, falls on his feet” (Joswick 522). How do Emerson’s ideas about “self-reliance” interact with archetypes in American literature? Consider characters that predate the essay (who is more deserving of the title “self-made man” than Catalina de Erauso?) but also later ones (Jay Gatsby, for example). What in American history or culture accounts for the literary prevalence of the self-reliant “rags to riches” hero who “creates himself as he goes along”? 2. Are Emerson’s ideas actually useful to people outside of his narrow environment? He is convinced that society is holding him back in some way, but he seems unaware that his intellectual achievements are only possible because of his privileged status in society. Who can afford to eschew conformity in 1841, or today?
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Grief is the price we pay for love. – Queen Elizabeth II We tend to think of grieving as an emotional experience. However, grief is a traumatic experience which radically effects all of who we are as a human being. It is a holistic experience. - Feelings (emotions) - Physiological (physical) - Cognition (thought patterns) - Spiritual (religious) - Behavioral (social) Trauma is “an experience that produces psychological injury or pain”; “a powerful shock that may have long-lasting effects”; “a sense of psychic wound, unpleasant experience which causes abnormal stress” according to Dictionary.com. When a loved one dies, the bereaved person’s world is shattered — reference points are obliterated. One is in a strange new world without a map or compass or guide; literally not knowing which way to turn. Grief is a state of chaos. The way one grieves (and mourns) is highly influenced by one’s culture, religious/spiritual beliefs, general psychological condition, personality, physical circumstance, age, availability of a support system and one’s ability and willingness to utilize that support, as well as other factors. Normal grief, sometimes referred to as “uncomplicated grief”, encompasses a broad range of feelings and behaviors that are common after a loss. Statistically, approximately 80% of a bereaved population copes with their grief journey without professional assistance. “Complicated grief” occurs when a bereaved person is affected by internal and/or external factors that interfere with their ability to experience grief and/or can hamper their ability to mourn. There are many factors that can complicate grief, and it is beyond that capacity of this course to adequately deal with this less common experience of grieving. Generally, if one is not, or believes one is not, able to function successfully in one’s life, there may be complications to the grief that may require the help of a trained professional grief counselor or psychiatrist. There is no “right” or “wrong” way to grieve; there is no time-frame or pace; there are no “stages” to go through; there is no “goal” to attain; there really is no “end” to grief, as we truly grieve for a lifetime. One’s grief, however, changes and softens over time and effort — doing one’s “grief work”, which is arduous work indeed. Each person’s experience of grief is unique, different from others, wholly his or her own. And an individual’s grief experience will be unique from different types of losses, such as that of a parent, child, spouse, etc. And yet there are similarities and common aspects to all experiences of grief. Here are some of the ways that grief can manifest to an individual, and to those around him or her. This list is not exhaustive, and a grieving person will generally manifest some but not all. There is nothing “wrong” with these manifestations. They are simply ways grief can appear to one’s self and others. They may be brought on by any number of stimuli, or no apparent stimulus — what is called a “grief burst” that can happen seemingly “out of the blue”. Normal Manifestations of Grief (2) Note: If any of these manifestations persists for a significant length of time and/or interfere with one’s ability to live an engaged life, it is recommended to seek professional assistance. - Shock– occurs most often in the case of a sudden or unexpected death and is typically the first emotion experienced after a loss; may last for weeks or months in a gradually milder form. - Numbness– a “lack of feeling” often felt early on which may last for weeks or months. - Sadness – may be expressed with or without tears; it may look like depression but usually is not. - Anger– may be directed towards anyone — the deceased, the self, a family member, medical professionals, God. It can be one of the most confusing feelings a griever may experience. It is sometimes accompanied by guilt. - Guilt or Self-Reproach– for many reasons, such as “I could/should have prevented the death.” “If only....” - Anxiety– can range from a sense of insecurity to a panic attack. - Fear– of what may happen to me now; often experienced by children who lose a parent who may fear losing the remaining parent. - Loneliness– missing the loved one, feeling desperately alone. - Helplessness– powerlessness, feeling unable to cope with the loss. - Relief– often experienced after a protracted terminal illness of the loved one; may be accompanied by guilt. - Emancipation– a sense of freedom; may be a positive feeling; may be accompanied by guilt. - Tightness, constriction in the chest and/or throat. - Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath, especially in the first moments to days after learning of the death, or when the event is remembered. - A decrease in blood pressure which could cause fainting or swooning. - Hollowness or emptiness in the stomach. - Dry mouth. - Over-sensitivity to noise or light. - A sense of depersonalization or “unreality”. - Weakness in the muscles. - Fatigue, lack of energy, listlessness, apathy, difficulty performing routine tasks, even getting out of bed. Thoughts – (cognition, patterns of thought) - Disbelief– often the first to appear upon hearing of the death of a loved one, especially if it is sudden and/or unexpected, and can remain for many months, even years with less intensity. - Confusion– often in the first months; can experience not being able to get thoughts in order, difficulty concentrating, remembering, disorientation. - Preoccupation– very often in the beginning; obsessive or constant thoughts about the deceased. - Sense of Presence– the cognitive counterpart to the emotion of yearning. Some report visual and/or auditory experiences or vivid dreams of the deceased, which may be beneficial, calming, comforting, or unsettling. These are considered by some to be examples of the phenomenon called After Death Communication (ADC), where the deceased is present in some substantial way to the bereaved. - Crying– from weeping to uncontrollable moaning, even wailing. - Sleep Disturbances– either more or less sleep, especially in early experience of grief; usually sleep patterns return to normal over time (if not, it could be an indication of something more serious occurring and the need for professional or medical care). - Appetite Disturbances– especially in the beginning; loss of appetite or over-eating. These patterns return to normal over time (if not, it could be an indication of something more serious occurring and the need for professional or medical care). - Social Withdrawal– often in the beginning; loss of interest in the outside world; withdrawal from support network (if this persists it can deter friends and family from offering needed support). - Avoiding Reminders of the Deceased– avoiding places or things that trigger painful feelings. - Searching or Calling Out– akin to yearning; sometimes imagine one sees the deceased in a crowd or expect the deceased to walk through the door, etc. - Restless Over-activity– hyperactivity; not wanting to be still; can be an indication of anxiety or avoidance; can be a coping strategy. - Visiting Places– that remind the bereaved of the deceased, such as a favorite restaurant or visiting the gravesite. - “Linking Objects”– carrying or wearing objects that remind the bereaved of the deceased or belonged to the deceased; fashioning articles from deceased’s clothing, memorabilia, etc. Spiritual or Religious Beliefs - May be strengthened or weakened. - Might be helpful (can be comforting) or a hindrance (can create anxiety) to grieving. - Can be used to avoid experiencing grief. The way one grieves and mourns is highly influenced by one’s culture, religious/spiritual beliefs, general psychological condition, personality, physical circumstance, age and availability of a support system and our ability and willingness to utilize that support, as well as other factors. Some of this we will address in the next lesson on mourning. (2) Worden, J. W. Grief Counseling and Grief Therapy, Third Edition, New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company; 2002. P. 25. Take some quiet time to reflect on the following questions and write down your responses. - Write down 2-3 manifestations of your grief experience in each of the 5 categories: emotionally, physically, cognitively, spiritually and behaviorally. - Did you allow yourself to feel and express them, or did you try to suppress them? In either case, what was the effect on your mourning? - How have others you have known manifested their grief differently from you?
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Nevada National Parks Map National Park Service Sites in Nevada This is one of the most distinguished national parks in the United States. The park is located within California and Nevada, along the Sierra Nevada mountain range. This zone is where you will find the Mojave deserts and the Great Basin, which is one of the aridest landscape in the United States. It contains Badwater Basin, which is the lowest point in North America. It also holds the record for the highest verified recorded temperature on Earth. The landscape in Death Valley National Park is dominated by sand dunes, badlands, canyons, valleys, and mountains. There are also several species of plants and animals that inhabit this region, all of which have adapted to the harsh environment. Located in White Pine County in Nevada, the Great Basin National Park is another entry to the list of national park service sites in Nevada. It was established in 1986 and derived its name from the Great Basin, which is a dry and mountainous region in Nevada. As of now, the park covers up to 77,180 acres of land area. The most notable feature of the park is the ancient bristlecone pines that are considered as the oldest non-clonal organisms in the world. As of 2015, there is an average of over 116,000 tourist visits in the Great Basin National Park per year. The visitor center is located in Baker, which is accessible via Nevada State Route 487. This national recreation area is shared with Arizona and follows the Colorado River until the boundary of the Grand Canyon National Park. The main feature of the site is the titular Lake Mead. Other notable features in the NRA are Lake Mohave and the surrounding wilderness and desert terrain. There are over 6 million tourists who visit Lake Mead on an annual basis. This is partly due to the fact that there are plenty of tourist activities in the area such as swimming, fishing, boating, and other water recreation. Lake Mead National Recreation Area is managed by the US National Park Service and Department of the Interior. This national monument is also one of the national park service sites in Nevada. The entire land area measures at 22,650 acres and is located close to Las Vegas. The Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument was established in 2014 in order to preserve the Ice Age paleontological artifacts in Lake County, Nevada. The Tule Springs, to which the monument is named after, is also preserved as part of this property. The declaration of the site as a national monument was partly due to the concerted effort of a local campaign to protect its surrounding landscape. In addition, it is also an important archaeological site with some of the fossils recovered including camelops, American lions, and Columbian mammoths. View all the National Park Service Sites in neighboring states, including: National Parks in Arizona, National Parks in California, National Parks in Idaho, National Parks in Oregon, National Parks in Utah Book Your Trip Book Your Accommodation Booking.com is hands-down the best way to book accommodation—it offers the lowest rates, and the massive community of user reviews helps you decide on the exact right place to stay, from high end hotels to budget hostels. Rent a Car The U.S. is a big place and renting a car is the best way to explore and enjoy off-the-beaten path recommendations. I’ve used RentalCars.com for more than a decade to find the best rental car rates—it’s an aggregator that scours the web for the most competitive prices. Find Interesting Things to Do Viator, a TripAdvisor property, offers tours all over the world. I also love GetYourGuide, a scrappy booking engine with great prices and a wide selection of tours on every corner of the earth. If you’re keen to take a multi-day tour, I’ve been on more than a dozen G Adventures tours and highly recommend the company. Protect Yourself With Travel Insurance Travel insurance is the single best way to protect yourself and your trip from unforeseen complications, illness, theft, and more. Whether you’re planning a domestic road trip or an international adventure, book travel insurance with a trusted company. International Medical Group (IMG) offers great prices for domestic travel, particularly for families and seniors. World Nomads is a great option for international travelers on adventurous trips to the U.S. The EE team has used both for more than a decade and highly recommends choosing the one that best fits your next trip.
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Studying has never been easy or cheap, but with today’s economy, it has become a herculean task for most people on the low end of the income pyramid. In an effort to save money, time and resources, and trying to juggle classes with working and family, some of you might turn to the Internet for help. Here are some tips on how to study online without murdering your wallet in the process. If you aim to get a college degree or you just wish to take a particular class on a specific subject for personal or professional reasons, studying online has become a growing trend in the last few years. Online classes are offered more and more frequently by an expanding list of colleges and schools. According to a study by the Babson Survey Research Group, there has been a steady increase during the last nine years on this kind of education. Studying online saves you one of the biggest hurdles of having to actually go to class: the distance. If you are lucky, you might have your educational center within driving distance, or convenient to a public transport system. If not, the expense having to move out of town, state or even country for that desired education can turn it into an unachievable goal. With online classes however, all you need is a steady Internet connection, saving you money on gas or transportation, time, having to eat outside, and better off yet, getting up too early. One of the benefits of studying online is the possibility of finding true goldmines of free resources. Blogs, fire-sharing sites, student forums and plenty of colleges and libraries offer their material to share with you, from textbooks online to videos, podcasts, audio material, tutorials and student’s very own notes. With a bit of research, you can find almost all the material you need to study without having to pay hundreds or even thousands of dollars on books and reading material. Tutorials and Other Unofficial Courses If your budget is very tight and not even online college is an option, don’t give up yet, there is hope for you. Plenty of public institutions and foundations offer free online courses to pick from, and they will give you an official diploma or certificate after completion so you can prove your accomplishments. On the other hand, if what you care about is learning per se, you can find resources almost everywhere. Tutorials on blogs, full courses, tips, eBooks, videos, graphs, free-source software; with all of this posted up on blogs, websites and specialized sites, you can build yourself your own personalized curriculum and learn exactly what you want, at your own pace, and be able to combine it with your other responsibilities. There might be no certification or diploma at the end of the year, but you can learn a set of impressive skills all the same and make yourself shine without spending a penny; and accomplishing that is pretty smart on its own. sponsored guest post
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Introduction to the Maximum Equity Allocation Approach To determine your maximum equity allocation, we start from the premise that, in the long-term, equities are the best performing asset class. Thus the objective is always to maximize equity allocation. However, we are also cognizant that you should not bite more than what you can chew. You simply do not want to be forced to sell at loss if you happen to be caught in a bear market or a correction. You need to have the luxury of time to wait until markets recover their losses, which they always do. Otherwise, paper losses become permanent losses. We suggest two steps for determining your Maximum Equity Allocation: The first step is to decide on a time horizon for dealing with volatility. This is the number of years that you think you need to wait for, for the market to recover. For most investors, we suggest five years (this is the default option in the questionnaire if you fail to answer this question). In other words, you do not invest any money that you might need in the next five years. Now, why five years and not more or less? This is the historical median length of bear markets. In other words, most bear markets have historically cleared within a five-year time frame. You might argue: what if I am unlucky and the next bear market takes longer? The answer is: it can happen. So choosing the right time horizon really depends on your personal risk tolerance and thinking. It also depends on market valuation and where we are in the cycle. A mature bull market has more downside than a mature bear market. Also, a market trading at an average P/E of 20 times or 25 times has more downside than a market trading at a P/E of 10 times or 12 times. For example, if you are in the middle of a bear market that you think is about to end, you might be comfortable with a five-year time horizon, unless you really are very risk averse and you prefer to maximize safety. If you are the risk-averse type, you would be more comfortable with a longer period, like seven years. You have the flexibility for such option. And, if you really want to be ultra conservative, you can even go for 10 years. Just be cognizant of two things: first, you can only contain risk in the case of a market crash but cannot totally eliminate it; second, if you go for seven or 10 years, your Maximum Equity Allocation will be lower and therefore your long-term returns will probably suffer. The second step is to determine how much cash you need to spend over the next five years (assuming you chose five). For that, we provide you with a simple calculator to help you identify and aggregate all your income sources and expenses to determine your annual cash needs for the period, including an allowance for contingencies. This will determine your minimum cash needs and cash allocation. Your maximum equity allocation is the difference between total portfolio and minimum cash. As an example, if Investor Joe is retiring on $1,000,000 and he needs to spend $60,000 each year, he should not invest more than $700,000 in equities. That will be 70% of his portfolio. If Investor John has a similar profile but is retiring on $2,000,000, he can allocate $1,700,000 to equities, i.e 85% of his portfolio. This is a major improvement on standard asset allocation models in terms of grannularity. Here, you may have two people with the same degree of confidence in the market, the same risk tolerance profile and the same time horizon. Yet, their percentage of equity allocation would significantly differ, depending on how much money they have each. Please keep in mind this does not mean that Joe will or should invest 70% in equities and John 85%. It only means that this is the maximum equity allocation that they should not exceed. The final allocation depends on other factors, such as how much should each of them invest in bonds or other asset classes. Did you find this article useful? Thank you for the feedback!
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Rivals Kareena and Bipasha kiss and make-up After kissing and hugging Kareena, dressed in bright yellow saree Bipasha Basu shifted towards Saif Ali Khan and both shared a warm hug and a kiss. The media present at the event did not miss the golden chance to capture the friendship in their lens. The two stars had a bitter past. Their rivalry all started on the set of ‘Ajnabee’ and since then the duo has maintained a safe distance from one another. Bips also rumoured to be dating Saif at that point of time. Initially, Bipasha and Kareena stood at the extreme position on the dais but later they shifted position, came closer and seen chatting. The event was also attend by Madhuri Dixit and Anil Kapoor.
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THE SECRET IN THE SOIL – MEET DR. CLAUDIA GOYER OF THE POTATO RESEARCH CENTREPart of the "Under the Microscope" Series admin December 12, 2014 “Consumers are picky,” says Dr. Claudia Goyer, a bacteriologist at the Potato Research Centre at AAFC, gesturing to the potato on her desk. It is covered with common scab, a disease that forms ugly legions that make the affected potato unsuitable for sale. “If you look at an infected field, it all looks okay,” says Goyer. “It’s only when you harvest your crop that you suddenly realize that a significant portion of it can’t be sold.” The disease affects the bottom line of growers everywhere, and Dr. Goyer and her colleagues are working toward solutions. Common scab is a soil born disease and is very persistent once it is established in a field. There is currently no chemical way to control it. “It’s a disease we still have to learn about,” says Goyer. “We don’t understand very well when and why in certain fields you have lots of it, and in others you don’t”. Dr. Goyer says the keys are in the soil, and is concerned more specifically with the communities of bacteria present in the soil. She and her team are working with industry partners in the Atlantic region to compare soil conditions between infected fields and healthy fields. Her team’s experiments are designed to uncover which factors allow a pathogen to establish in a particular field and not in another. The goal is to learn which types of bacteria supress the presence of common scab, and to find ways to help growers change a field’s bacterial community to facilitate a healthy crop. Dr. Goyer and her team are also part of a project exploring biopesticides that can be used to combat common scab. Dr. Goyer uses her microbiology expertise to partner with her colleagues at the Potato Research Centre. Dr. Goyer is collaborating with fellow AAFC researcher Dr. Bernie Zebarth on a project to improve potato yields. She is exploring what types of bacterial communities promote growth, protect from pathogens, and affect other changes. Goyer also works with potato genomics research scientists Dr. David De Koeyer and Dr. Helen Tai. She uses the tools they are developing to understand how pathogens affect gene expression. Although Dr. Goyer lends her expertise to many agricultural issues and projects, she is a plant pathologist at heart. “It’s the interaction between microorganisms and plants that is fascinating to me”, says Goyer. “It’s a war, where each organism is constantly evolving to infect and resist one another.” Dr. Goyer wants the community know that the Potato Research Centre is open to collaboration. “If there are issues facing the industry, we have the expertise here to find solutions.” Dr. Goyer’s focus is disease, and she is looking to learn more about our region’s fields to help make them healthy.
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My Father is suffering from bronchiectasis from last four month...he is continues taking medicine but things are not improving...he is also having high diabetic ..currently in Manipal hospital ....please suggest its very urgent. 44 Views v Answers (1) Like the answers? Chat privately with the doctor of your choice doctor profile image Dr. Amruth Sindhu Pulmonologist 7 yrs exp Bangalore Free 3 day follow up Chat Now ₹200 for 24 hrs Hi. I understand your concerns. Bronchiectsis is a chronic disease. He is suceptable for recurrent respiratory infections. Depends on severity and cause of bronchiectasis. And diabetes should be well controlled. Hope your questions were answered. thanks. Flag this Answer Flag this answer Let others know if this answer was helpful Was this answer helpful?
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Teachers Are Idiots Too: Chem Prof Plays With Fire, Sets Off Sprinklers (VIDEO) When you play with fire, you either get burned or burn the house down in more ways than one. Especially if you don't know what you're doing. That's what happened recently to a chemistry teacher who was attempting to show how to do a natural gas test to his students. I emphasize 'attempt' here, because his efforts went horribly wrong. Things got too hot to handle pretty fast and eventually, he set the ceiling on fire, setting off the sprinklers shortly thereafter. Suffice to say, everyone in the class was soaked and countless gadgets were probably fried in the process. Everyone in attendance was laughing their asses off, but I don't think the prof will be doing much laughing when he's called in to explain what the hell happened in his class... One lesson I'm sure everyone learned is this: Don't trust your teacher, because they can be idiots, too. Tagged in: Videos, Humor Around the Web
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Friday, April 5, 2013 So Caring... previous post: Caged Visual 1. SLUT! 2. Dear Steeeever^^, Does it make you happy sitting on websites all day..everyday..waiting to get the first comment with a 1st grade type signature? 3. No one is too stupid to insult. 4. Steeeever should get a medal for sitting all day, waiting, y’know. He’s worked hard for it. 5. Why doesn’t this bitch just admit she did something wrong and feels bad about it, instead of getting drunk and trying to use every excuse in the book to justify what she did. I realize some women are attracted to married men, and some married men don’t understand commitment, but fuck, so what if they’re horrible people that are made for each other. That doesn’t make it right. 6. I clicked the thumbs up for Danielle. Only later did I see the comment from John. God knows I need friends like her. 7. hannibal-lecture she did the right thing 8. I know I should say something about the slutwhore Danielle but... John. ‘literally’. Really? How fucking hard is it to use the word ‘literal’ in the correct context? Fuck you and your bullshit excuse for not being able to come up with a halfway decent ‘insult’. 9. hannibal-lecture Maybe John is flirting with her. Leave a Reply You must be logged in to post a comment.
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Xem thêm: Cô gái xăm hình Phật Tổ Như Lai kín lưng: Đẹp nhưng coi chừng rước họa vào thân Giám đốc đuổi việc kiều nữ gạ quan hệ, đại gia nào dám chi nửa tỉ mua dâm á hậu? Sau lên giường, PG ngưỡng mộ doanh nhân giữ trinh tiết 3 năm cho bạn gái xinh Á hậu Thái Mỹ Linh rời Sài Gòn sau nghi án bán dâm ngàn đô Sự rung lắc nghi động đất diễn ra chỉ khoảng thời gian ngắn ở Hà Nội nhưng cũng đủ khiến dân tình hoang mang. Nhiều người đang làm việc trong văn phòng công ty ở Hà Nội đứng dậy bỏ chạy ra ngoài vì hiện tượng này. Sau đó, họ lại quay trở lại chỗ cũ làm việc bình thường. Theo TS Nguyễn Xuân Anh, sáng 8.9 có xảy ra động đất ở Hà Nội chứ không phải chỉ là tin đồn trên mạng. 5 dân mạng ở Hà Nội cho biết có hiện tượng rung lắc hay động đất. TS Nguyễn Xuân Anh cho biết một số khu vực của Hà Nội bị ảnh hưởng bởi trận động đất với cường độ khá lớn từ tỉnh Vân Nam, Trung Quốc. Thời gian xảy ra khoảng 9 giờ 31 phút 28 giây sáng 8.9 ở Hà Nội khiến người dân các khu vực nhà cao tầng cảm nhận thấy sự rung lắc. Đại gia nào dám chi 25.000 USD mua dâm á hậu? Theo luật sư, chỉ những kẻ làm ăn bất chính và giàu bất thường mới không tiếc tiền chi 25.000 USD mua dâm á hậu. Xem thêm: Lộ ảnh Á hậu Thư Dung ở khách sạn, người quản lý còn lên mạng mời khách Dân mạng đăng ảnh tố Á hậu Thư Dung bán dâm dù người quản lý phủ nhận Nhảy khi ô tô chạy như Ngọc Trinh, cô gái bất ngờ cởi áo che ngực Dàn nữ sinh Hà Nội mặc áo yếm lộ nội y khi múa ngày khai giảng Clip cận cảnh xăm hình trên ngực gái xinh, ninja cầm chim điêu lái xe như bay Thực hư ảnh ba chân dài mặc váy hở ngực đến lớp ngày khai giảng? Nhân Hoàng Cảm ơn bạn đã gửi ý kiến. Bạn đã gửi ý kiến cho bài viết này.
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Farijan Woodworker The Fariyîn or Gettaniyan Nomads were a number of nomadic tribes in the eastern parts of An-Balkumagan. Ancestors of the Fariyîn first migrated to the Tûlwang region during the early second age, and brought with them a series of religious beliefs derived from a sacred text called the Kîrab-Sarâda. The "cult of Sarâda" as it became known, taught the existence of thousands of gods and spirits, but also taught a negative view of life and the after-life. The later Fariyîn continued to practice this cult, which had now been overtaken by Sauron and his followers. Fariyîn nomads mainly inhabited the desert regions which their more civilized Etûlian cousins had long abandoned. They lived in a very traditional society in which slavery was widely practised and women were expected to be obedient to their husbands. Fariyîn women, like their Harûze cousins, were considered among the most beautiful in the world. Original form :Farijin =Fariyîn
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Population 236,738 (UA) The city has Roman, Saxon and Viking origins. Modern research (2004) into the history and archaeology of Derby has provided evidence that the Vikings and Anglo-Saxons probably co-existed, occupying two areas of land surrounded by water. By Dan Foy from Derby, England - Flickr, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3195098 Derby and Derbyshire were centres of Britain's Industrial Revolution. In 1717, Derby was the site of the first water powered silk mill in Britain, built by John Lombe and George Sorocold. Derby was awarded city status on 7 June 1977 by Queen Elizabeth II to mark the 25th anniversary of her ascension to the throne. The Queen presented the "charter scroll" or 'letters patent' in person on 28 July 1977 on the steps of the Council House to the then Mayor Councillor Jeffrey Tillet (Conservative). Until then, Derby had been one of the few towns in England with a cathedral but not city status. Pray for staff in order to do outreach to Skaters/BMXers. Pray for DTS staff and a BLS Leader to train in urban outreach environments. Pray for a YWAM local schools outreach team leader. Pray for development of local church / YWAM partnership outreaching into multi-cultural schools.
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Childhood osteomyelitis: imaging characteristics Background The purpose of this review is to illustrate the imaging findings of childhood osteomyelitis. The diagnosis of childhood osteomyelitis can be challenging. Clinical presentation and laboratory results can differ and are relatively unreliable. To date, its role in the assessment of treatment efficacy is not yet clear. Methods This review article provides an overview of the different imaging modalities and imaging characteristics of childhood osteomyelitis. Levels of evidence for different modalities are presented. Results Paediatric radiology plays a pivotal role in the diagnosis of childhood osteomyelitis and can also be used to guide therapy and intervention. Conclusion Although imaging is essential in the diagnostic process, cooperation between the physician and radiologist remains the cornerstone in accurately diagnosing childhood osteomyelitis. Main Messages • Imaging plays a pivotal role in the diagnosis of childhood osteomyelitis. • Cooperation between the clinician and radiologist is a very important aspect of making the diagnosis. • The initial imaging modality in childhood osteomyelitis is conventional imaging. • Normal conventional imaging does not exclude osteomyelitis. Introduction Childhood osteomyelitis can be a challenging problem to both the clinician and the radiologist as the clinical presentation can be variable in severity, and laboratory results are relatively unsupportive in the diagnostic workup. Radiology plays a pivotal role in its diagnosis and can also be used to guide therapy and intervention. This review discusses the pathophysiology of childhood osteomyelitis and the clinical presentation. With respect to radiological imaging, it will focus on the application of radiological techniques in the diagnosis of childhood osteomyelitis and the reported levels of evidence for the use of these techniques (Table 1). Pathophysiology Osteomyelitis is defined as an infection of the bone, bone marrow and surrounding soft tissue. In childhood the most common route of infection is haematogenous spread of a microorganism. Secondary spread by contiguity and direct spread of infection, for example due to direct penetration e.g. in cases of comminuted fractures, are seen less often [2,3]. Osteomyelitis can also follow after trauma, where a metaphysical haematoma can function as a focus of infection [4]. Osteomyelitis as a result of vascular insufficiency, e.g. as commonly seen in adult diabetic patients, is seldom seen in childhood and will therefore not be discussed in this review. In order to understand the clinical and radiological findings in childhood osteomyelitis, it is important to recall the anatomy of the paediatric skeleton. In growing bone the diaphysis and metaphysis share the same nutrient arteries and veins. These arteries and veins form a fine network of arterioles and venules in the metaphysis, which leads to the formation of so-called sinusoidal lakes. These sinusoidal lakes can act as pools where microorganisms can accumulate, thus leading to a focus of osteomyelitis. In contrast to the adult situation, in young children the epiphysis has its own nutrient vessels. After 12 to 18 months of age, these transphysial vessels disappear. As a result the physis acts as a natural border and prevents the spread of osteomyelitis from the metaphysis to the epiphysis. Spread to the epiphysis and joints is less common. Neonates are more prone to osteomyelitis. Because of a less developed immune system, osteomyelitis can be caused by less virulent agents and tends to present fewer clinical signs. The combination of unclear symptoms in neonates and the presence of transphysial vessels can lead to indolent infections that are often discovered at a late stage [3,4]. The reported annual incidence of childhood osteomyelitis is 3 to 20 per 100,000. For acute osteomyelitis the incidence is 8 per 100,000 and for sub-acute osteomyelitis 5 per 100,000 [2,3,5,6]. The incidence is higher in children below 3 years of age, with a peak incidence in children below 1 year of age. Acute osteomyelitis occurs more often in boys, with a reported male-female ratio of 1.9 to 1.0 [2,3,[5][6][7]. The most common site of infection is the long bones, especially the femur and tibia. Most infections are monoostotic, but polyostotic involvement of up to 6.8 % is reported in infants, and even 22 % in neonates [6]. Risk factors for osteomyelitis include trauma, sickle cell disease, immunodeficiency, sepsis, minor trauma in combination with bacteraemia, an indwelling vascular catheter and chronic vascular lines, for example in case of haemodialysis [4,7]. The differential diagnoses based on radiological features for acute and chronic osteomyelitis are summarised in Table 2. Clinical findings and laboratory tests Clinical presentation can be diverse and therefore confusing. Usually pain and reluctance to move limbs are present. Also fever, swelling and tenderness can be present. Acute haematogenous osteomyelitis (AHOM) is defined as the presence of complaints for fewer than 14 days, whereas the subacute form persists longer than 14 days. In osteomyelitis with anaerobic organisms, even the presentation can be without symptoms or just mild systemic symptoms such as low fever can be present [8]. A study by Riise et al. showed that an erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) of more than 40 mm/h has the highest predictive value (26 %) [6]. All other tests had a lower predictive value. Blood cultures were only positive in 26 % of cases of acute osteomyelitis and negative in 100 % of cases of sub-acute osteomyelitis. Other authors report a higher percentage of positive blood tests [9]. The white blood cell count can be normal, whereas C-reactive protein (CRP) and ESR levels are raised in most cases [6]. In recent years the prevalence of methycillin-resistant Staphylococcus areus (MRSA) osteomyelitis has increased. MRSA leads to more aggressive cases of osteomyelitis, also with a higher prevalence of abscess formation and other complications such as myositis and pyomyositis [11]. Specific pathogens strongly depend on age, the immune status of the patient and the geographic location for endemic diseases, such as tuberculosis [12]. Since the introduction of the Haemophilus influenza type b vaccination in the national vaccination programs, the incidence of septic osteomyelitis and arthritis due to this organism has been significantly reduced. Nevertheless, this organism should be kept in mind as a causative agent in areas without a vaccination programme and also in possible cases of failure of the vaccine [8,13]. In sickle cell disease the diagnosis of osteomyelitis can be more challenging, and in these patients clinical signs and laboratory testing can be misleading. Pain in joints and bones can be a sign of a sickle cell crisis/ osteonecrosis but also of osteomyelitis. Interpretation of imaging, especially MR, as discussed below, can be challenging when differentiating between osteomyelitis and sickle cell crisis/osteonecrosis [14]. Complications and outcome A complication of osteomyelitis can be the development of an abscess, typically known as Brodie's abscess. Also the development of sequesters, fistulas and sinus tract lesions can be seen. Although CT and MR imaging is useful in delineating the extension of abnormalities, it is difficult to differentiate between an active or an inactive focus of osteomyelitis. In these cases, PET-CT, which has a high sensitivity for disease activity, might play a role [15]. Other reported complications are septic arthritis, slipped epiphysis, damage of the physis causing early closing of the physis and eventually leading to growth retardation, or angulation deformation in the long bones [16]. Principles of treatment Ideally treatment is based on the isolation of the pathogen from the focus of infection or blood. If this is not possible, empirical treatment, consisting of intravenous antibiotics in haematogenous osteomyelitis, should be started. Once the pathogen is known, treatment should be changed if needed. This approach has been shown to be effective, resulting in a cure rate of over 95 % [17]. In a systematic review, no significant difference was found between a short (less than 7 days) and a long (1 week or longer) course of intravenous antimicrobial therapy when the clinical cure rate at 6 months was the primary outcome variable [18]. Surgical intervention is used as an adjunct to antibacterial treatment. The aim of surgery should be to drain intraosseous abscesses, removal of sequestra and debridement of adjoining infectious foci. Interventional radiology plays a role in percutaneous drainage of soft-tissue abscesses. Duration of therapy depends on the effect of therapy and surgical intervention [16]. For the latest standard in osteomyelitis treatment, the reader is referred to Up-to-Date [7]. Poly-microbacterial infections give rise to more complications. Response to treatment is often monitored by ESR and CRP. Follow-up imaging may be used to evaluate complications [19]. Imaging techniques Conventional imaging Conventional radiography is the initial modality of choice to evaluate osseous changes. In the majority of cases it will be the only imaging technique used in the diagnosis and treatment of childhood osteomyelitis. The ease of access and the relatively low radiation dose make it an ideal imaging tool for skeletal pathologies. Also it is possible to exclude other pathologies such as malignancies and fractures. However, conventional imaging should not be used to exclude osteomyelitis in the first 10 days of symptoms [4,20]. Karmazyn et al. advise performing at least two orthogonal views of the body part of interest [19]. Comparison with radiographs of the opposite limb is seldom useful, and therefore they should not be routinely obtained. Ultrasound (US) Ultrasonography, especially in children, is a very useful and versatile modality. It allows correlating the physical exam with US findings and comparing the affected side with the opposite side [3,21,22]. It is important to use a linear high-frequency transducer. US has a high reported sensitivity for detection of subperiostal abscesses and fluid collections [3,22], also complications such as soft tissue abscess, sequesters, fistulas and Fig. 1 Ultrasound-guided biopsie needle aspiration of a subcutaneous pre-sternal abscess sinus track formation can be evaluated by US. Furthermore, it is possible to perform direct intervention, such as aspiration or drainage of an abscess or joint effusion (Fig. 1). A drawback of US is the inability to evaluate bone marrow involvement and the operator dependency. The sensitivity of US in osteomyelitis is reported to be 46-74 %, with a high specificity of 63-100 % (level of evidence: III) [21,23]. Computed tomography (CT) In the acute workup of osteomyelitis, computed imaging plays no role. In chronic osteomyelitis, it is more useful and superior to MR in detecting cortical destruction, air and sequesters [3,4,19,20,[24][25][26]. The main advantage of CT is the high spatial resolution of bony structures and surrounding soft tissue, and can also be used in the diagnostic workup of CT for image-guided aspiration/intervention (Fig. 2). A major disadvantage of CT is the relatively high amount of radiation; therefore, CT should be used according to the ALARA principle (As Low As Reasonably Achievable) [27]. No specific literature was found on the sensitivity and specificity of CT in detecting acute osteomyelitis and its complications. Based on a systematic review, the sensitivity and specificity of CT in chronic osteomyelitis were found to be respectively 67 % and 50 % (level of evidence: III) [28]. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) After conventional imaging MRI is the most important imaging modality for the evaluation of osteomyelitis. MRI not only allows excellent delineation of the osseous component but also soft tissue extension, joint effusion and complications of osteomyelitis such as abscess formation, especially in case of failure to respond to therapy [25]. In young children the main disadvantage of the use of MRI is the long scan time during which the patient has to remain immobile. This leads to the need for general anaesthesia (intubation) or sedation in young children. Other approaches, such as immobilisation with for example a vacuum mattress or a feed and swaddle protocol, have been advocated, thus obviating the need for general sedation [29]. For older children having enough time and patience to make the child feel comfortable and cooperative is mandatory. Adaptations to the environment, such as the use of an open MRI, the presence of parents or distraction during imaging, can also be helpful. First of all, it's important to choose the appropriate coil for the maximum zone of interest and adequate details. There always needs to be a balance between the signal-to-noise ratio and image resolution. In children, it is wise to start with the most important sequences, in case the examination has to be stopped before the end of the planned scan. Long sequences should be avoided, but if really needed, they can be separated in contiguous series. The most important sequences for the diagnosis and follow-up of osteomyelitis are summarised in Table 4 [30]. The use of gadolinium-enhanced MR is still under debate, especially when unenhanced series are normal. Nevertheless, research by Kan et al. shows that the sensitivity of contrast-enhanced MR is higher for abscesses than that of non-enhanced MR. Indications for using contrast are spinal osteomyelitis and cases where the initial studies are inconclusive and clinical symptoms persist [4,31]. MRI has a high sensitivity for detection of osteomyelitis of 82-100 % and high specificity of 75-99 % (level of evidence: III) [3,19,24]. In cases of multifocal sites or if the localisation of the symptoms is doubtful, a whole-body MRI can be performed, although there is poor evidence (level of evidence: IV). Nuclear imaging Bone scintigraphy can play a role when localisation of osteomyelitis, based on clinical information or other radiological methods, is not possible [32]. However, in the last few years nuclear imaging has increasingly been replaced by whole-body STIR MRI, thus allowing for one-stop-shop imaging. The use of FDG-PET CT in the diagnosis of osteomyelitis has mainly been reported in adults [33]. For paediatric use a drawback is the high effective radiation dose, which can be in the range of 5-18 mSv [34]. Although limited evidence is available on paediatric osteomyelitis, PET CT can effectively differentiate between an active and inactive focus of chronic osteomyelitis [19]. Literature on the use of FDG PET in adults shows a sensitivity of 94-100 % and a specificity of 75-99 % (level of evidence: IV) [19]. Strategy The different modalities and their advantages and disadvantages are discussed above. The imaging strategies for these modalities in the setting of acute and chronic osteomyelitis are summarised in a flowchart (Fig. 3). Acute osteomyelitis Acute haematogenous osteomyelitis is typically seen in young children and is clinically characterised by a rapid onset of complaints after contact with a pyogenic bloodborne organism. Its typical localisation is the metaphysis of the tibia and femur. Through the transphyseal nutrient vessels, spreading to the physis, epiphysis and joints is possible. Fig. 5 a A 3-month-old girl with tenderness of the right leg and fever. Imaging shows soft tissue swelling around the tibia. The periostium of the proximal metaphysis is slightly irregular (arrow). b Ultrasound with Doppler shows infiltration of the subcutis, hyperaemia and a long subcutaneous fluid collection (arrow). c Subperiostal fluid collection/ abscess (arrow shows uplifted periostium). Surgically the abscess was drained and the patient received antibiotics In children, compared to adults, the periostium is loosely attached to the bone, and in case of infection it can easily be lifted, thereby creating a space for pus collection. Multiple foci of osteomyelitis can be seen in children with sickle cell disease, diabetes mellitus and chronic granulomatous disease [20]. Subacute osteomyelitis An osteomyelitis with symptoms longer than 2 weeks is defined as subacute osteomyelitis and shows more classical signs on conventional imaging, including single or laminated periostal reactions, and well-circumscribed metaphysical lucency in the long bones, also known as Brodie's abscess (Fig. 4) [20]. Fig. 7 a Same patient as in Fig. 4 was treated with antibiotics for 1 month. Because of low-grade fever, ultrasonography was repeated. A rest of the abscess was seen as well as extensive cortical destruction at multiple locations (arrow shows one). b Conventional image was performed to evaluate the extensiveness, showing complete involvement of the tibia, with fracture lines in the proximal and distal metaphysis, and mid diaphysis Imaging findings Conventional imaging In the first 48 h, deep soft tissue swelling in the metaphyseal region and loss of fat planes can be visible on conventional imaging (Fig. 5). Several days after the onset of symptoms, periostal reactions can be seen (Figs. 6 and 5), and after 7 to 21 days lytic lesions can be seen in affected bones (Figs. 6 and 4). Eventually, this can lead to marked destruction of the bone with extension into the cortex ("endostal scalloping"). Bone destruction can appear as lucency but also in a permeative pattern. Destruction can be limited to the metaphysis, but can also, in rare cases, if misdiagnosed or left untreated, extend into the physis and epiphysis (Fig. 7). This can be very difficult to diagnose on conventional radiographs because in children the epiphysis is not yet ossified [3,4,6,19,26]. The presence of a joint Fig. 8 a A 3-month-old boy with a fever and reluctance to use his right limb. Physical examination shows a swollen, red hip. Conventional imaging shows extensive destruction of the proximal right femur and swollen soft tissue. b Ultrasound of the right hip shows cortical destruction, the formation of a subperiostal fluid collection/abscess and infiltration of soft tissue. c-d Coronal T1 STIR and axial PD images show cortical destruction and fluid collection/abscess formation in bone marrow. No contrast-enhanced imaging was performed in this case. e Axial T2 FS image confirms the fluid/abscess collection with extension outside the bone effusion can be a helpful clue, although plain radiographs have a low sensitivity for detecting joint effusion (Fig. 8). Ultrasound US allows evaluation of soft tissue swelling due to oedema or fluid collection, and hyperaemia can be detected using Doppler techniques. Also periosteal thickening and sub-periostal collections are seen. These findings can precede abnormalities on conventional imaging in the first week (Figs. 5 and 7). In more extensive cases, cortical defects can also be detected (Fig. 8). It can be useful for detecting foreign bodies, especially non-radioopaque foreign bodies such as wood splinters as a causative agent. Sometimes it is possible to image formation of a sequesters, especially when surrounded by pus (Fig. 9). Fig. 10 a A 9-year-old girl from Ethiopia, with cervical lymph nodes and weight loss, under suspicion of having tuberculosis. Fluid collection was seen on ultrasound at level II and the patient underwent CT to exclude a retropharyngeal abscess. CT showed multiple cervical and mediastinal lymph nodes, but also destruction of the end plate of the corpus of C2 with a fragment dislocated anteriorly (arrow). b CT in the soft tissue kernel clearly shows a prevertebral fluid collection with rim enhancement, but also posterior extension in the spinal canal, with enhancement. The diagnosis is a tuberculous spondylodiscitis. c On the sagittal T1 contrastenhanced fat-saturated image, one can clearly see the anterior abscess, but also the intraspinal extension of the abscess in the spinal canal Fig. 9 a A 3-month-old girl after treatment for osteomyelitis. In the follow-up, there was the suspicion of a sequester in the proximal metaphysis. Ultrasound was performed, which showed hyperechoic fragments in a surrounding fluid collection, suspicious for a small sequester (arrow). b CT confirmed the presence of a small sequester (arrow) Computed tomography CT is useful in the evaluation of bony destruction (Fig. 10) and in cases with complications such as abscess, fistula or sequester formation (Fig. 9). Intravenous contrast agents can be useful for the evaluation of soft tissue extension, although MRI has a higher sensitivity for the evaluation of soft tissue involvement (Fig. 10). Magnetic resonance imaging After 3-5 days of onset of infection, MRI can detect osteomyelitis [35]. MRI is the best technique available to evaluate changes in the bone marrow/water content of bone marrow. Alteration of bone marrow signal intensity can be visible 1 or 2 days after the onset of infection (Figs. 6 and 8) [3]. MRI criteria for diagnosis are low signal intensity on T1, high signal intensity on T2/STIR, and enhancement of (subperiosteal) bone and/or soft tissues and abscess/collections after contrast administration [36]. MRI is also useful for evaluation of complications such as (subperiosteal) abscesses, joint effusions and soft-tissue extension that would require surgical treatment (Figs. 8, 10 and 11) [19]. Nuclear imaging Acute osteomyelitis on a three-phase bone scintigraphy can show increased blood flow and blood pool activity, and positive uptake on 3 h images in areas of osteomyelitis. However, at this time blood pool flow and pool activity can be normal or photon deficient because of devascularisation of the periostium due to rapid raising of the periostium [4,37]. PET-CT will show high uptake in areas of osteomyelitis, in bone marrow and in soft tissue. Differential diagnosis ( Table 2) Since defining a differential diagnosis solely based on imaging characteristics can be very difficult, clinical and laboratory parameters and communication with clinicians remain very important in the diagnosis of osteomyelitis. In cases of doubt, fine-needle aspiration or an image-guided biopsy will eventually be necessary to determine the definitive diagnosis. Patients without infectious parameters In patients without any infectious parameters, the differential diagnosis is mainly based on disease of vascular origin, neoplasm or trauma. This group without infectious parameters can be the most challenging for the differential diagnosis. Patients with a history of use of medications such as corticosteriods or for example patients with sickle cell disease must raise the suspicion of vaso-occlusive disease. Imaging will show typical serpentinous sclerotic lesions on conventional imaging, whereas MR imaging will show linear hypointense T1-and T2-weighted changes in the meta-and epiphysis [26]. Ewing's sarcoma produces a large soft tissue mass without calcifications or bone matrix in the tissue. Onion-skin periostitis on conventional imaging is typical. Osteosarcoma shows a lesion usually in the diaphysis with signs of aggressive (cortical) bone destruction and periostic reactions such as Codman's triangle and sunburst spiculated periostitis. In a patient with a history of trauma, stress fractures will show linear, hypointense changes on T1-weighted imaging, without enhancement. Bone marrow oedema can be visible on STIR imaging. When imaging shows an osteolytic lesion with a central nidus surrounded by a sclerotic margin in a patient with a typical history of night pain relieved by use of NSAIDs, one should consider the diagnosis of osteoid osteoma. In patients with suspicion of haematologic malignancy such as ALL, diffuse infiltration of the bone marrow can be seen. Imaging will show diminished signal intensities on T1 In young children with a red painful or asymptomatic lesion on the sternum with or without infectious parameters, one should consider a self-limiting sternal tumour of childhood (SELSTOC) [38]. Ultrasound in these patients will show a dumbbell-shaped lesion extending to the area behind the sternal bone. No additional imaging will be needed in these patients. Patients with or after a period with infectious parameters In patients with infectious parameters in combination with backache, one must consider a spondylodiscitis. Imaging shows low signal of the disc with surrounding fluid/abscess with destruction of the vertebrae and rim enhancement after gadolinium administration (Fig. 10); Pott's disease in tuberculosis will be more pronounced in the facet joints. After a period of septicaemia, such as a fulminant meningococcemia, septic emboli can occur. This can lead to partial premature closure of the physis leading to joint deformities (Fig. 12). Chronic osteomyelitis Chronic osteomyelitis is defined as a persistent or recurrent low-grade bone infection. Usually this occurs in older patients after trauma or surgery. Conventional imaging Conventional imaging will show the same features as in acute osteomyelitis, although more extensively (Fig. 7). Complications such as fractures or sequester formation can be seen. Computed tomography CT plays an important role in the diagnosis and analysis of chronic osteomyelitis. Imaging of complications of osteomyelitis such intraosseous abscesses, sequesters, and fistulas or cloaca formation is important (Figs. 8 and 9). Soft tissue extension can be evaluated, but to a lesser extent compared to MR. Imaging characteristics are comparable to those for acute osteomyelitis. Magnetic resonance imaging MR can show soft tissue extension and abscess. Also intraosseous abscesses and fistulas can be seen. Imaging characteristics are comparable to those of acute osteomyelitis. Use of total body STIR can exclude multifocal disease. PET PET scans will show uptake in the area of osteomyelitis. It can exclude multifocality. Differential diagnosis (Table 2) The main differential diagnosis of chronic osteomyelitis consists of neoplasms. In Ewing's sarcoma a large soft tissue mass without calcifications or bone matrix in the tissue can be seen. Onion-skin periostitis is typical. LCH can be difficult to differentiate from multifocal osteomyelitis. LCH typically produces punched-out lesions on conventional imaging. Therefore, conventional imaging can provide a valuable clue. Bone metastases are usually multifocal. In this diagnosis also the clinical parameters are important signs; in most cases, there are no signs of inflammation. Chronic recurrent multifocal osteomyelitis (CRMO) can be part of SAPHO syndrome (synovitis, acne, pustulosis, hyperostosis, osteitis). It is a very uncommon condition, of unknown aetiology, with a peak incidence between the ages of 4-14 years. Characteristically, there are multiple locations, but only one is symptomatic [39]. The imaging strategy usually has a symptomatic focus, as in acute osteomyelitis, but multiple lesions will be shown. Especially MR and PET can be used to analyse multiple lesions. STIR and T2 series show multiple spots of high signal intensity and series after contrast show enhancement. Imaging characteristics are comparable to those of Fig. 14 a A 6-week-old boy with fever. X-ray shows extensive cortical destruction of the proximal metaphysis with surrounding soft tissue calcifications and periostal reaction. This was proven to be septic osteoarthritis. b At age 7 years X-ray shows (acquired) deformity of the caput femoris, with luxation acute osteomyelitis. The focus of osteomyelitis and symptoms can change over time (Fig. 13). Follow-up To date no data have been published on the use of follow-up imaging in childhood osteomyelitis. In a retrospective study by Kowalski et al. on the use of follow-up MRI for the prognosis of spinal osteomyelitis, they found that the most valid parameter on follow-up MRI was a change in soft tissue involvement. The authors concluded that only in selected cases were MR findings of additional value [40]. Only data of small-group studies on follow-up of osteomyelitis with bone scintigraphy and FDG-PET are available. These studies suggest that in the follow-up of osteomyelitis, FDG-PET and bone scintigraphy can be useful to analyse the activity of osteomyelitis and that FDG-PET is superior to MRI. Activity can be a parameter to determine the time for termination of therapy [19,41]. Unique to childhood are the late complications of osteomyelitis due to the growth and developmental disturbances of the affected bone. These developmental changes can involve malformations of the joints (Figs. 12 and 14), leading to e.g. contractures or loss of functionality, or whole segments of bone, e.g. non-development as a result of osteonecrosis. These possible serious long-term consequences of childhood osteomyelitis indicate that these children should undergo clinical and radiological follow-up at some point in time. Conclusion Osteomyelitis in childhood can be a challenging diagnosis. Imaging plays a vital role in the diagnosis of childhood osteomyelitis, and the imaging findings are pivotal in the treatment decision. As in all clinical cases the most important aspect of the diagnosis of childhood osteomyelitis lies in good cooperation among the paediatrician, paediatric orthopaedic surgeon and paediatric radiologist. Open Access This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits any use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and the source are credited.
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Online Head Shop The Simplicity of Ordering from an Online Head Shop Why should you purchase from an head shop? Why not in your local brick and mortar stores? There are various factors that make purchasing from an online head shop a lot more convenient than your local physical stores. To answer your question, here are the following factors most online head shops can offer: 1. Wide array of selection Have you read more Sport Lawyer Dedicated services of a qualified Sport Lawyer worldwide
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Monday, 18 July 2011 What's in my picnic basket Hampstead Heath, our favourite picnic spot (when the sun is out!) Although it seems that Summer is nearly over, without having really arrived, the idea of a picnic in the park always lifts our mood. In the middle of the week, I had it all planned in my mind. One of the highlights in the picnic basket was going to be a mini frittata. But on Friday night I learnt that it would rain the whole weekend. How frustrating, a Summer that longs for the sun! Having cooked mini frittatas many times before, I decided to make them on Saturday anyway, and instead of a picnic in the park we had a picnic on the rug (so to speak). This dish is like a little ray of sunshine on a plate. The ingredients minus spring onion fill the muffin cases with the egg mixture the baked mini frittatas My mini frittata resting on a rocket nest. Pea, feta and potato muffin fritatta They are the perfect size for any situation. If you want a small lunch, you can have them with a side salad; if you have an unexpected guest, they are also a great solution. It’s a good snack alternative, packed with protein and omega 3. How I made it Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C. Line your muffin tins with muffin cases. I boiled 500g new potatoes with skins. When they were ready, I mashed them roughly. Then I beat together 6 eggs and mixed the potatoes, 100g peas, 1 spring onion sliced finely, 150g grated parmesan cheese (I also use feta cheese when available), a handful of shredded mint leaves (you can also use dried mixed herbs instead). Season with sea salt and pepper. With a ladle, pour the mixture into the muffin cases, add a cherry tomato to each case, if you wish, and bake them for 20-25 minutes or until cooked through. Serve hot or cold with a salad Some of the ingredients and their healthy benefits Egg: is a fantastic and inexpensive source of protein. It contains Lecithin which helps the body to break down fat and cholesterol. Lecithin is also a source of the B vitamin-like, Choline which is necessary for the brain development, at pregnancy, and also a necessary nutrient in preventing fatty liver (Choline is an important neurotransmitter involved in many functions including memory and muscle control). It contains also Biotin, another B vitamin-like, which is very important for the digestion of fat and protein and essential for the health of hair, skin and nails. Egg also contains an antioxidant called Glutathione which prevents the formation of free radicals. It is very rich in Omega-3 fats, which prevents diabetes, obesity and depression. Contains vitamin A and E, Folic acid and Lutein (an antioxidant in the carotenoid family that helps keep the eyes healthy and safe from oxidative stress). Parmesan cheese: is an excellent source of protein, calcium, phosphorus and magnesium, vitamins A, B2 and B12 and D. Parmesan cheese is high in sodium (so, careful with the amount of salt you add in your meals when cooking with it). Studies have shown that Parmesan cheese has the ability to promote the development of the "good" bacteria Bacillus Bifidus, which is responsible for the good maintenance of a healthy gut. Therefore pParmesan cheese is easy to digest. It doesn't contain lactose and so some people who are intolerant to dairy cheeses may be able to tolerate Parmesan cheese. Parmesan cheese is not only nutritious but a very enjoyable food. Peas (Pisum sativum): It is a source of protein, carbohydrate and fat. It is a mildly laxative. Strengths the splees-pancreas and stomach and harmonizes digestion. Peas contain B vitamins, Vitamin C magnesium, Vitamin K, potassium, iron and carotenes. Till next week! 1. This recipe sounds so good! I'm definitely going to try it. 2. Thanks Olga! I hope you enjoy it! There will be more recipes like this one to come.
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Lines of conflict had existed since the time of the Revolution, between those supporting federal government leadership of the young nation, and those in favor of greater self-determination by the states. In the South, climate conditions led to dependence on agriculture, the rural economy of the southern states producing cotton, rice, sugar, indigo and tobacco. Colder states to the north tended to develop manufacturing economies, urban centers growing up in service to hubs of transportation and the production of manufactured goods. In the first half of the 19th century, 90% of federal government revenue came from tariffs on foreign manufactured goods. Most of this revenue was collected in the South, with the region’s greater dependence on imported goods. Much of this federal largesse was spent in the North, with the construction of railroads, canals and other infrastructure. This debate over economic issues and rights of self-determination, so-called ‘state’s rights’, grew and sharpened in 1828 with the threatened secession of South Carolina, and the “nullification crisis” of 1832-33, when South Carolina declared such tariffs unconstitutional, and therefore null and void within the state. The Encyclopedia Britannica entry in the subject includes a Cartoon from the time depicting “Northern domestic manufacturers getting fat at the expense of impoverishing the South under protective tariffs.” Chattel slavery existed from the earliest days of the colonial era, from Canada to Mexico, and around the world. Moral objections to what was really a repugnant practice could be found throughout, but economic forces had as much to do with ending the practice, as any other. The “peculiar institution” died out first in the colder regions of the US and may have done so in warmer climes as well, but for Eli Whitney’s invention of a cotton engine (‘gin’) in 1792. It takes ten man-hours to remove the seeds to produce a single pound of cotton. By comparison, a cotton gin can process about a thousand pounds a day, at comparatively little expense. The year of Whitney’s invention, the South exported 138,000 pounds a year to Europe and the northern colonies. Sixty years later, Britain alone was importing 600 million pounds a year, from the American south. Cotton was King, and with good reason. The stuff is easily grown, is more easily transportable, and can be stored indefinitely, compared with food crops. The southern economy turned overwhelmingly to this one crop, and its need for plentiful, cheap labor. The issue of slavery had joined and become so intertwined with ideas of self-determination, as to be indistinguishable. The first half of the 19th century was one of westward expansion in the United States, generating frequent and sharp conflicts between pro and anti-slavery factions. The Missouri compromise of 1820 was the first attempt to reconcile these factions, defining which territories would be slave states, and which would be “free”. The short-lived “Wilmot Proviso” of 1846 sought to ban slavery in new territories, after which the Compromise of 1850 attempted to strike a balance. The Kansas Nebraska Act of 1854 created the territories of Kansas and Nebraska, basically repealing the Missouri Compromise and allowing settlers to determine their own way through popular sovereignty. This attempt to democratize the issue instead had the effect of drawing up battle lines. Pro-slavery forces established a territorial capital in Lecompton, while “antis” set up an alternative government in Topeka. In Washington, Republicans backed the anti-slavery forces, while Democrats generally supported their opponents. The standoff resulting was soon to escalate to violence. Upwards of a hundred or more would be killed between 1854 – 1861, in a period known as “Bleeding Kansas”. The town of Lawrence, Kansas was established by anti-slavery settlers in 1854, and soon became the focal point of pro-slavery violence. Emotions were at the boiling point when Douglas County Sheriff Samuel Jones was shot trying to arrest free-state settlers on April 23, 1856. Jones was driven out of town but he would return. On this day in 1856, a posse of 800 pro-slavery forces closed around the town, led by Sheriff Jones. Cannon was positioned to cover the town, and detachments of troops were posted to prevent escape. They commandeered the home of the first governor of Kansas, Charles L. Robinson, and used it as their headquarters. The town’s two printing offices were sacked, the presses destroyed, and the type thrown into the river. The posse next set about to destroy the Free State Hotel, which they believed had been built to serve more as a fort than a hotel. They may have been right, because it took the entire day with cannon shot, kegs of gunpowder and incendiary devices, before the hotel was finally reduced to a roofless, smoldering ruin. There was looting and a few robberies as the men left town, burning Robinson’s home on the way out. There was only one fatality; a slavery proponent who was killed by falling masonry. In the next few days, a group of unarmed men will be hacked to pieces by anti-slavery radicals. Four months of partisan violence and depredation ensued. Small armies formed up across eastern Kansas, clashing at Black Jack, Franklin, Fort Saunders, Hickory Point, Slough Creek, and Osawatomie A United States Senator will be beaten nearly to death on the floor of the Senate, by a member of the House of Representatives. The 80-year-old nation would forge inexorably onward, to the Civil War that would kill more Americans than every war from the American Revolution to the War on Terror, combined.
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|Name of the song||Artist||Link suggested by| Goldberg Eileen O. Bolton Lillian O. Paul Warren A. Manning Karen A. Clarke Mark L. Piano sheets artist George Gershwin George Gershwin was an American composer and pianist. Gershwin's compositions spanned both popular and classical genres, and his most popular melodies are widely known. Among his best known works are the orchestral compositions Rhapsody in Blue and An American in Paris, as well as the opera Porgy and Bess. Born in Brooklyn in 1898 to Jewish immigrant parents from Odessa, Ukraine (then part of the Russian Empire), Gershwin studied piano under Charles Hambitzer and composition with Rubin Goldmark and Henry Cowell. He began his career as a song plugger, but soon started composing Broadway theatre works with his brother Ira Gershwin and Buddy DeSylva. He moved to Paris to study with Nadia Boulanger, where he began to compose An American in Paris. After returning to New York City, he wrote Porgy and Bess with Ira and the author DuBose Heyward. Initially a commercial failure, Porgy and Bess is now considered one of the most important American operas of the twentieth century. Gershwin moved to Hollywood and composed numerous film scores until his death in 1937 from a brain tumor. Gershwin's compositions have been used in numerous films and on television, and several became jazz standards recorded in many variations. Countless singers and musicians have recorded his songs. Top viewed piano sheets! Bruno Mars - When I Was Your Man Leonard Cohen - Hallelujah Justin Bieber - Beauty and a Beat Les Miserables - On My Own Macklemore - Thrift Shop (feat. Wanz) The Beatles - Let It Be Emeli Sande - Read All About It (Part III) Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody Henry Mancini - The Pink Panther Theme Song Labrinth - Beneath Your Beautiful Alicia Keys - Girl on Fire Alladin - A Whole New World James Bond 007 - James Bond Theme Song Imagine Dragons - Radioactive Rihanna - Stay Sinead O'Connor - Nothing Compares 2 U Whitney Houston - I Will Always Love You Les Miserables - Castle on a Cloud Hear and Play: The Gift of Playing the Piano by Ear Have you ever heard a really nice song that got you so captivated that you just wish you can play it in the piano right away? Playing the piano by ear appears to be a gift, a talent of hearing music once or twice, and then once you have your hands on the keys, the magic begins. As easy as it may sound, hearing the music and playing it at once is not just pure genius. It requires a little background and familiarity with the piano scale and some piano lessons. Some people may not be able to read sheet music but knows the sound of each keys. That is the key to hearing and playing music. But others are born artists of piano. Surely, it would be great that even without music sheets, one can play music beautifully and can share his or her ow...Continue reading Hear and Play: The Gift of Playing the Piano by Ear
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Some 55 percent of families with kids on SNAP have jobs — they just don't earn enough to live on. Pantries in southwest Virginia will take whatever they can get to stock bare shelves. Some also offer help with health care and job training. Food banks are increasingly saying no junk food donations. Some schools are sending healthier donations by salvaging uneaten foods in cafeterias. Simply shuffling the shelves may be a powerful way to help those living in poverty choose healthier options, a nationwide study of food banks suggests. New research has brought to light significant concerns about the way food pantries handle food and keep up to date with recalls. The number of food banks serving students on college campuses has climbed in recent years as more students seek a road out of poverty. Last November, food assistance recipients saw across-the-board cuts, causing more to turn to food banks to fill the gap. Food pantries are serving more recipients across the nation this season after SNAP cuts took affect November 1. Recent studies published by the USDA and Feeding America find that food insecurity has increased in the United States.
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Heroin is a strong opiate with a serious impact on the mind's rewarding system. By influencing the production of happy chemicals in the brain, such as dopamine and endorphins, Heroin falsifies this reward system. One of the drugs that people get dangerously addicted to more than others is Heroin. It's additionally a moderately cheap drug, yet the dependent individuals can waste several hundred pounds a day on their habit. The chemicals in the brain affected by the drug are normally released when carrying out survival activities like eating or managing pain. Statistics have shown that a quarter of all the people who are first time Heroin users will become addicts to the drug. Heroin is able to quickly form a link to the brain and trick the awakening of these chemicals that are produced every day. In the end, the user grows into addiction and can't work without the drug. This, together with the withdrawal signs of Heroin, makes it difficult for addicts to stop using by themselves. The possibility of addiction to Heroin increases considering the way in which synthetic drugs are abused. Intravenous use of Heroin started for some people when they were using the same technique to use grinded painkillers. Some changes showing that an addiction has developed include : Persistent usage throughout Heroin-linked problems Failure to stop or lower intake Needing to use Needing higher and higher Heroin dosages Strong signs of addiction include requiring higher dosages or beginning to inject Heroin to get high. Once dependent, what looked like an easy and cheap way to enjoy spare time now becomes an expensive habit that is mandatory for every day functions. Heroin is processed from Morphine that is derived from the poppy plant; it is an incredibly addictive pain reliever. The word opiate is used to describe drugs processed from the poppy plant's seeds because they are used to make Opium. Heroin and Morphine are examples of opiate drugs. Slang or street names for Heroin are Smack, "H" or Junk. Street Heroin is frequently mixed with harmful additives like Morphine or the robust pain reliever Fentanyl. Nearly four million Americans have dabbled with Heroin at least once in their whole life. Intense itchiness, depression and collapsed veins are all included in the symptoms of extended Heroin use. How Does Heroin Appear Heroin is not always in the same form. Smoking, injecting and snorting are among the most common ways of abusing Heroin in it's various forms. The Effects Of Heroin Feeling great is what addicts have to say about the intoxicating effect of Heroin. Injecting Heroin commonly results in a "rush" when the drug efficiently reaches the brain. Injected Heroin only provides a two minute rush for users. The please of the rush from users that inject Heroin have compared the feeling to that of an orgasm. The high lasts for four to five hours, as Heroin passes through the bloodstream. What people feel after taking Heroin include: Relief of tension Lack of interest Effects of Heroin can often be seen as innocent and painless to people who are first starting to use the drug. These effects seem to provide satisfaction, although it may also produce dizziness and drowsiness. First time users are attracted to Heroin because there usually isn't a "hangover" phase, like you would usually get with alcohol and ecstasy. What at first seems like an enjoyable experience will often result in an addiction to the drug as the body's tolerance to Heroin can build rapidly. In the course of time, without taking the drug, the user doesn't feel normal as their brain cannot produce natural amounts of dopamine on its own. A very real danger of dying from Heroin overdose comes with every increased dosage intake. What to look out for to spot a Heroin overdose: Empty and hollow breathing Very small pupils Unusually slow pulse Blue coloured lips Other Drugs And Heroin Abusers of painkillers are at a greater risk of experimenting with and becoming addicted to Heroin. With the same effect on the brain's receptors as Heroin, OxyContin, a synthetic drug, is listed as an opioid. Painkillers have comparable impacts to Heroin; however these pills can be costly and difficult to gain. Users addicted to painkillers commonly find Heroin as an alternative because it is cheaper to purchase and more convenient. Almost half of the youth addicted to Heroin admitted to moving on from pain relievers previously. Heroin is more readily available than painkillers according to some people. Abusing Heroin And The Figures Trying to single-handedly overcome dependence on Heroin is practically impossible because of the degree of addiction to it. If you or somebody you think about is experiencing Heroin dependence, call 0800 772 3971 to discover treatment and support that can assist you.
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Mobile Phone Etiquette Intermediate B1 level To provide clarification and practice of modals of obligation in the context of modern manners To provide fluency and accuracy pronunciation and speaking practice in a conversation in the context of manners with using modals of obligation To provide deduction reading practice using a text about mobile phone etiquette Procedure (42-56 minutes) Check the projector and materials to be ready. Ask Ss how they feel today. Project the slideshow and ask Ss to read the introduction they see on the slideshow and try to guess the meaning of etiquette. Nominate and elicit the meaning of etiquette. Model and drill pronunciation of etiquette. Tell Ss that they will read the text and discuss some questions with their partners. Pass out HOs both reading and questions(a) at the same time. Ask Ss to discuss their with their partners. Nominate Ss to get FB. Ask them to pick up a paper and form the groups according to the colors of the paper they picked up. Pass out the A3 size text and ask Ss to match the meanings with highlighted sentences in the text. Ask Ss to check their answers by looking at other group's work. Ask Ss to check their answers by looking at the slideshow Ask Ss to focus on the slideshow. Write the forms by eliciting Ss Write key words and ask Ss to discuss in pairs on matching. Clarify the meaning bu eliciting Key words: Rule/Law, Unnecessary, Good Manner, Advice Write "should" on the board. Nominate two Ss to pronounce it. Model and drill it. Explain what silent consonant means. Tell Ss that they will work in pairs and cross out the silent letters Give Ss one copy for two. Give Ss 3 mins. If you have time, let Ss compare their answers to other group members' answers. Play the audio and ask them to look at the answer key on the slideshow Write "I saw a black cat" and "an apple" on the board. Model and drill. Tell Ss that they listen and repeat the sentences on HOs Pass out the HOs and play the audio. Tell Ss that they will read the definition of manners and make sentences using should/ shouldn't, must/ mustn't / have to according to the sentence. Pass out the HOs Model the first one and ask Ss to work in pairs. Then ask Ss to discuss in groups.
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Letter Requesting Reduced Instalments on a Debt Most people have debts of one kind or another, and manage to pay off what they owe month by month, but trouble arises when unexpected new expenses come up or when our stream of income is reduced for whatever reason. When this happens, it can be hard to pay off debts as they fall due, leading to further financial woes. Here at Law on the Web, we strive to help people to express their legal rights, which is why we offer this document template. If you are making repayments towards a debt but for any reason you are experiencing difficulty in meeting these payments, you can use this letter to request that your creditor considers accepting reduced installments until you are in a better financial position. If you're having trouble meeting your debt obligations, this could be just what you need. It only takes a few moments to fill out, so give it a try today.
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By Kate, Gabi, and Emilie Plot Summary Pandora was brought down to Earth and was very beautiful. She ended up marrying Epimetheus, and she was mostly happy with her new husband, but her curiousity told her to open the jar she had gotten from Zeus. Finally, her curiousity got the best of her, and she opened the jar. Little did she know that the jar was filled with miseries and evil things, and she had let them all out. She closed the jar just in time to seal Hope from coming out. All the miseries turned everyone evil, except for someone named Deucalion. Why was it important This story was important because it shows the reason we have bad things in the world. It also shows us that not all pretty things stay perfect or make good choices. What Kind of Myth? This myth was a why myth because it explains why we have bad things in the world today.
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Installation Help slack/390 logo General Info Get Slack/390 Install Help System Req. Software Sets Boot Disk Other Sites 0. Checking System Requirements You need to make sure your computer meets the minimum requirements for running Linux/390. 1. Obtaining The Software Sets Once you have decided to install Slack/390, you will want to choose the software sets you want to install. 2. Selecting A Boot Disk Slack/390 Linux comes with several precompiled installation kernels to use during the installation process. You want to choose one that best fits your environment. 3. Partitioning Your DASD volumes or minidisk(s) Before running the setup program you need to define the Linux partition(s) on your DASD volume(s) or minidisk(s). 4. The Setup Program The last step is running the setup program and completing all the steps within it. The program is menu-driven and easy to understand. Slackware® is a registered trademark of Slackware Linux, Inc. hosted by ibiblio Valid HTML 4.01! Valid CSS!
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Obama To Visit Aging KY Bridge For more than a decade, community leaders have been trying to make the case that replacing the aging Brent Spence Bridge is critically important for the entire nation, not just Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. They’ll get that chance next week, when President Barack Obama visits the bridge to tout the importance of it and other infrastructure projects.
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It’s still unclear if it was all about a stellar meal or if it was simply gas, or some other relatively unimportant phenomena that awoken the sleeping giant, but for the first time, astronomers have observed the awakening of a sleeping supermassive black hole. The sleeping giant It appeared to be a day just like any other when David Burrows of Penn State University in University Park and his colleagues reported observing the burst, which continued for more than 30 days. They declined any interview, because they submitted the article to Nature and it hasn’t yet been published, so there is still a lot of uncertainty surrounding this find. NASA’s Swift spacecraft first spotted the fireworks, surprising the effect just minutes after it took place and at first thought it was a gamma ray burst, but a gamma ray burst lasts only for a few hours. As time went on and the energetic emissions associated with the March 28 outburst continued, Burrows and his collaborators say they became convinced that a quiescent black hole – in an similar way to what you would expect from the black hole at the center of the Milky Way. It is believed that a turn on such as this can only be the cause of a massive stellar meal, but since there is so little we still understand about it, researchers cannot make any conclusions. What they do believe, however, is that as the food source went faster and faster towards its center, the black hoel started emitting x-rays stronger and stronger. Even this is not certain however, as alternative theories have been proposed, even though they appear less likely. How to wake up a black hole “The paper makes a very convincing case that a massive black hole was indeed activated,” comments theorist Zoltán Haiman of Columbia University. Monitoring the star for several years should reveal the origin of the fuel, he adds. If the black hole swallowed a single star, the jet will dim, but if the object suddenly gained access to a large reservoir of gas, the jet could stay bright for more than a thousand years. An interesting (but unpleasant to hear about) scenario was theoretized by astronomers: the possibility of the supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy to wake up in the same way. In the case of that event, the Earth would experience a jet 40 times stronger than any solar flare ever recorded, and would be heavily ionized, significantly harming life on the face of the planet. However, researchers say there is absolutely no need to be alarmed about this, because the odds are astronomical.
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Is the L.A. of 2014 driving around on a road network built for the L.A. of the 1980s? That's one conclusion two researchers at Arizona State University draw from their above data visualization, which uses building records from the Los Angeles County Assessor's Office to infer the age of the metropolis' roads. Green represents the oldest roads, red the newest. The animation by doctoral student Andrew M. Fraser and professor Mikhail V. Chester tracks the steady growth of L.A.'s road infrastructure through the city's prewar boom and its postwar suburbanization. After 1955—the cutoff point between green/yellow and orange/red—the growth slows. It then more or less stops by 1990, when the county was home to nearly one million fewer people. In an email message, Chester alludes to that disconnect: By the late 1980s nearly 99% of all lane miles that exist in LA County today had been deployed. Demand (measured in Vehicle Miles of Travel, VMT), however, continued to increase until the the early 2000s. This rise in demand without equivalent increases in the supply of transportation infrastructure may have contributed to the growing levels of congestion experienced in Los Angeles. That's not earth-shattering news to anyone who's spent a long afternoon on the 405, but the pair's research could provide a data-driven rationale for rethinking how Angelenos get around. Chester continues: We are investigating whether the saturation of infrastructure supply has contributed to the leveling off of VMT in the region over the last decade. In short, the roadway infrastructure in Los Angeles may have reached a capacity limit for vehicle travel which, combined with population growth, may lead to decreasing levels of personal mobility if the current transportation and land use paradigm remain [emphasis added]. Check out Fraser's and Chester's full report for more, including an explanation of their methodology.
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952,000 people with diabetes in the UK, 34% of the nation's total, keep their condition a secret. They could be seriously risking their physical and emotional health by doing so, according to a survey carried out by Diabetes UK, a leading health charity. 49% if those who keep their diabetes a secret say it has affected how they manage their illness, while 39% believe it has impacted on both their physical and emotional health. 27% say that fear of bullying or discrimination drove them to secrecy. 59% of them kept their diabetes a secret from work colleagues and bosses, while 56% had not revealed their health status to friends. Fear of poorer employment opportunities was also a factor, as well as not wanting people to assume that an unhealthy lifestyle caused their condition. CEO of Diabetes UK, Barbara Young, said: "We have to ask why so many people with diabetes keep it a secret. Learning to live with and managing diabetes is challenging enough without the physical and psychological impact of such a burden. It is hugely concerning that the health and well-being of so many people could be at risk as a result of discrimination or prejudice." Some measures to avoid drawing attention to themselves include skipping insulin injections or postponing blood glucose testing - both of which can raise the risk of long-term diabetes complications, such as limb amputation, blindness, kidney disease, heart disease and stroke. There is also a higher risk of short-term complications, such as hypoglycemia and diabetic ketoacidosis. Both these conditions can be life-threatening if not treated immediately. Barbara Young said: "There are 2.8 million people diagnosed with diabetes in the UK who need friends, family, employers and the public to understand how common diabetes is becoming and how serious it can be if people aren't supported to manage their condition. We believe all people should receive enough support to help them manage their diabetes and that's why services such as our Diabetes UK Careline are so vital. Simply knowing you have someone to talk to when you need it most can make all the difference to help people better manage their diabetes and reduce their risk of developing devastating complications." The survey also revealed that: - 28% of men and 39% of women with diabetes keep their condition a secret - 48% of 17 to 21 year-olds keep their condition a secret - 41% of individuals with diabetes would welcome more psychological support - 48% of children under the age of 16 have kept their condition a secret at school Source: Diabetes UK Written by Christian Nordqvist
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The Red Earl's Hall is the archeological remains of the oldest building in Galway City. Built in the 1200s, it is linked to the De Burgo family, who built and controlled the city until the 15th century. The remains of the original de Burgo Hall were uncovered in 1997 when work began on a proposed extension to The Custom House. The hall was originally a church like structure with large, round headed windows and opposing entrances in its south-eastern end. In essence, it acted as medieval equivalent of a tax-office, courthouse and town-hall rolled into one. It is thought the hall was probably abandoned towards the end of the 15th century when the 14 ‘tribe’ families of Galway usurped the De Burgo’s influence over the town. The hall was reported to be in a ruinous state by the middle of the 16th century while the famous 1651 map of Galway certainly shows it as that. Galway Civic Trust has presented the Hall to the public since moving to its new offices in 2009.
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Nov 06 2011 8 Reasons I suppose it would be extremely hard for a Christian to understand why atheists exist in the same way that we cannot understand how someone would believe in a blatant lie. I suppose it’s even harder for Christians to understand what goes through the minds of Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists and even Jews when they reject the (to the Christian at least) truth of the existence of Jesus as the son of Jehovah who was sacrificed in a convoluted plot to rid mankind of the mythical sin that stems from the acquisition of knowledge/the innate sinful nature of mankind. We as atheists all know that, but do Christians understand why we are “Apostate”? Of course not, to them atheism and indeed apostasy is this horrid problem. It is a combination of a fear that atheists are harder to stamp out these days and that they are losing their protected status in society. So they come up with reasons such as those written by the Reverend Michael Bresciani which draws lines in the sand marking out the true believers and the CINO (Christians in Name Only). It’s a stupid idea and a poorly executed one at that. A CINO argument is basically a statement that any behaviour that is not in line with your beliefs can be dismissed as being the behaviour of a false Christian. So with this argument you can rule out paedophile and rapist priests, Hitler and all the people whose views you don’t like. It is then you realise why the idea of Christian Persecution exists. CINO rules out Christians who read the wrong bible, who may be of different denominations and whose views you plain disagree with. After all to someone such as Bryan Fischer, only a CINO would want gay people to have equal rights. I skipped lunch! I totally understand your plight! So despite Michael’s relatively comfortable lifestyle in the USA, a nation which gives inordinate protection to the Christian faith, you see the idea that somehow he is under threat and that the suffering of Christians in Islamic nations and in China somehow apply to him because they believe in the same fairy tale. This is like suggesting that we understand the horror of starvation because we consume food much like a famine stricken Somali. And Michael naturally utilises this perceived persecution complex to blame the CINOs and indeed secularists with his lovely piece which reads like the angry rant of a 8 year old who just got told that he couldn’t eat more than one chocolate bar. So let’s start at the bottom and work our way up as these were listed in descending order of importance. Untold millions have begun to reject Christianity for its exclusivity. A generation long effort by proponents of the great political correctness movement, and comparative religion courses; have emerged triumphant in the lives of many. In the Occupy Wall Street demonstrations the effects of years of that kind of gobbledygook is apparent. Religious leaders can be seen wearing collars and religious garb with sashes imprinted with the symbols of many different religions. Taking over the world through the power of the leg drop, power bomb and suplex. We start at No. 8 where he assumes that the Hindus and Muslims of the world reject Jesus out of spite rather than that they believe in their own fairy tales in much the same way that Michael rejects the Vedas or the Koran. He regards their faiths as somehow inferior because they don’t require their god to go through a hilarious song and dance about non-existent sin. Not to mention the difference between Judaism and Christianity is the difference between animal sacrifice (the Scapegoat) and human sacrifice (Jesus). I as an atheist don’t believe in God because there is no proof of one existing let alone it being a Christian god. And the moment someone says New World Order, I can only really think about Hulk Hogan. You got to have faith! In Jesus! Number 7 reads like the ranting of a crazy person. But it’s religion so it’s very hard to tell the difference. Religion is a culturally acceptable delusion. If the voice in your head is called God then it is perfectly normal but if it’s called Sam then you aren’t considered sane. The prophecies in Revelations read like a bad cheese dream rather than the writings of the sane and lucid. Of all the movements on earth attempting to create a homogenised and engineered society none have even come close to Christianity. The destruction of local beliefs and cultures, is not the work of secularists but the work of Christians. The missionary and the destruction of indigenous culture goes hand in hand, particularly the usage of technology to amaze poorly educated and naive people to believe in your faith. The history of “rice conversion” is quite well known in Asia particularly in places such as Korea where Christianity was spread under the guise of charity. Although the bible does declare that God is willing to bestow his own with plenty of this worlds materials for their journey, the excesses found in the over emphasis of that teaching are doing inestimable damage to the gospel. Ministries that pound away at what has come to be known as the prosperity gospel are seen as misguided money mills that should be avoided at all cost. Perception may sometimes overtake reality but in fact nothing takes precedence over the preaching of the gospel. Number 6 has him complain about all the hypocrisy in prosperity gospel. We are more interested in the hypocrisy of its followers. Of people who speak out against the destruction of marriage, not due to their own actions which often involve rape, paedophilia or cheating on their spouses but because gay people can get married. Number 5 shows the selective blindness of faith and segues into a terrorism rant. The attack on the 11th of September, 2001 was not done as a strike against Christianity but as a strike against the USA in order to create a new Holy War which would drive up Al-Qaeda recruitment and fulfil Bin Laden’s (who arguably is a MINO or a Muslim in Name Only) desire for Jihad against the Great Satan. If he really wanted to screw over Christians he would have carried out massacres in all the arab countries and staged attacks on the Vatican, but so far his attacks have been on secular nations. Not Christian ones. From the 11/9 attacks, to Madrid to the London bombings, every single one has targeted people who lived in secular nations. To claim that these were attacks on Christianity is to take persecution to an entirely new level. These were attacks on people for reasons we ill understood. The average American didn’t understand why Bin Laden hated America, and indeed that is part of the problem. The average American’s lack of interest in world affairs allows people like the staff of Fox News to take advantage of them. It allowed a lot of blind flag waving which politicians utilised to drag the USA into two tar pit wars. It allowed the politicians to cover up deaths, to utilise the actions of brave men and women to boost their own ratings and to deny people the reality of the suffering of everyone involved. These were not attacks on Christianity any more than they were attacks on Tall buildings or Aircraft. This was an attack against an enemy whose ethics stood against the teachings of Wahaabist Islam. You can call these men dicks, douche bags or unbelievable motherfuckers, but frankly one of the few terms that cannot be applied to them is coward. The day we start denigrating our opponents is the day we underestimate them and it is the day we are sorely surprised by their actions. Islamic terrorists value the same ideals that we value in our soldiers, Courage, Obedience, Heroism, and Skill but with the added caveat that they must believe in a twisted version of Islam. Christianity is assumed to be anti-science and against seeking knowledge. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact Christianity encourages all disciplines that aid mankind and promote the well being of our species. To be more specific the secular world despises what they perceive to be Christianity’s narrow mindedness about evolution. Not only does the Bible declare hundreds of times that God alone is responsible for creation but the theory of evolution cannot stand on its own evidence. Centuries from now Jurassic Park will be creationist literature. At number 4 we have this ludicrous defence of creationism as a reason why we hate Christianity. This is true; we are sick and tired of Christians trying to flog bullshit as science. This is particularly evident in the link he provides on his article from the Institute of Creationist Research which claims to be Biblical, Accurate and Certain while sprouting such nonsense such as the claim that Dinosaurs ate Modern Rice, rather than Dinosaurs eating a rice like ancestor. To the creationist the very history of mankind is denied as is the reality that wi ld rice still exists to this very day. I will give them that; I don’t want my hypothetical children to learn creationism as fact. I would want them to learn science and reality. To live in the real world and utilise fantasy as a cloak that one can don to enjoy books, videogames and movies. To me fantasy is a sign of creativity, to be able to create worlds and scenarios of your own choosing. Be it the imaginary friend of the child or the escapism of a movie, or a good book. If you have an imaginary friend as an adult however, you are not considered sane you are considered to be quite mad. But I don’t hate Christians, I hate creationists. I hate the people who try and lever faith into science and then expect science to hold back and give faith the free ride it gets in other aspects of life. I don’t like Hindu creationists, I don’t like Muslim creationist. I am an equal opportunity hater of creationism. It’s just that Christian creationists are a lot more vocal and organised on the internet and we have bigger drives by Christians to force our kids to learn nonsense on an equal footing as science than by Muslims. I am sorry! The woman isn’t wearing a veil and the man is not in a tuxedo. This marriage is null and void. Number 3 has him portray Christianity as a bastion of morality against abortion and homosexuality while completely forgetting its protection of rapists, paedophiles, racists, wife beaters and child abusers. It’s a telling argument because of its anti-progressive nature, it doesn’t matter that homosexuality doesn’t harm anyone and that marriage as a concept has been damaged more by the actions of people like Britney Spears and the celeb du jour. In fact gay marriage is pretty much the epitome of marriage ideal, that you as a human being chose to spend your life with someone else and they agree with you. You hope that this commitment will last and it’s a promise of that hope that you undergo a ceremony of your choosing, be it the spectacle of an Indian wedding or the sombre austerity of the western ideal or the more ludicrous of weddings. Each of these things mean something different to different people and arguing that the state not accept a marriage because it doesn’t conform to a judeo-christian ideal means that my marriage as an atheist and indeed as someone who comes from a Hindu cultural background is not acceptable in their world view since it won’t fit the logic behind an abrahamic marriage. Yes, if you apply the CINO principle then obviously no one likes Christians since only real Christians are anti-feminist homophobes. Any Christian who accepts that abortion is a necessary part of female health and indeed recognises that abortion for most people is not taken lightly and is done with massive consideration of the issues involved is not a true Christian. Any Christian who accepts that homosexuals aren’t child bumming bogeymen but are people just like us isn’t a true Christian. Number 2 involves Israel as some sort of hated international figure for no reason apart from its unwillingness to accept Palestine as a genuine nation which would prevent it from building settlements and indeed force it to stop utilising the holocaust as an excuse for its treatment of Palestine. Being the chosen of God doesn’t give you free right to behave like arseholes. And the Christian right’s habit of supporting Israel no matter their behaviour is not encouraging. Palestine’s support for fundamentalists is not acceptable, that’s for sure. But one has to realise that the fundamentalists have such support because of Israel’s behaviour, because Israel validates their actions. The Palestinians live in an apartheid society. To them Hamaas and the PLO were not terrorists but freedom fighters. The moderates were pushed to the side because Israel showed no actual progress in dealing with the problem instead pushing settlements and displacing Palestinians until they snapped. Number 1 deals with the ludicrous hoops that one has to dance through over sin as if the whole complicated song and dance is something we actually care about. My issue with biblical ideas of sin is that it is designed to make everyone feel guilty all the time and scare people into belief through fear of punishment. Half the stuff mentioned in the bible are natural thoughts and half the stuff not mentioned as sins are degrading. The first sin in the bible is the acquisition of knowledge. It’s telling that the deadliest thing to all Abrahamic faith is knowledge. That and this is perhaps my Hindu upbringing shining through as Hindus revere knowledge as something vital, going so far as to place teachers above God and actually praying over books. During the Saraswathi festival, I still give my grandmother a book so that she can bless it despite not believing in it because it makes her happy. Compare this to the biblical take on rape or the biblical take on genocide and you realise that biblical morality is far behind the achievements of ours. I too am like a Vampire in that I sparkle in the sunlight. I also have a killer tan. The reason atheists despise Christianity is that it is bullshit. There is no proof of a god existing let alone the Christian flavour of that god. We don’t like any faith because we see it as a force that blinds its believers from reality, promotes bigotry and harms progress. We don’t like the fact that the simple ability to read poetry to an imaginary friend means that we have to call Michael a “Reverend” rather than “A fucking nutcase” and indeed this applies to all priests. We don’t like the fact that the simple belief in an imaginary friend means that Priests get a free ride for molesting children. We don’t like the fact that we have to tolerate stuff we know is weapon’s grade nonsense because it’s culturally acceptable to believe in imaginary things. We don’t like the fact that religious people get to decide what we should teach in our schools, what we should wear and what marriage means to us. And most of all we don’t like the fact that a deeply held religious conviction is a perfectly acceptable reason to be a complete arsehole to people Leave a Reply
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For decades, the multi-billion-dollar cruise industry has transported passengers from the mundane reality of their lives into a carefree fantasy world of luxury. Destinations dot the map, with journeys lasting anywhere from a week all the way up to a year (is a lifelong option far off?). There’s but one certainty of every such voyage ... the return port waiting at the end, and of course ... reality. Nevertheless, 24.2 million passengers chose to ‘get away from it all’ by taking a cruise in 2016, with skyrocketing popularity amongst younger demographics. On March 13, 2016, Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, USA, set a world record with eight cruise ships and 54,700+ passengers embarking and disembarking in a single day. I was there, in a condo overlooking the narrow channel as the behemoths departed. Passengers waved from their balconies to celebrate the launch of the cruise. Cruise ships are a weekly occurrence, and each launch draws large crowds of locals who gather to admire the spectacle and grandeur of the ceremony. Seeing-off these floating palaces is not only exciting, but rather addictive. Over a span of nearly two years, I captured more than 7,000 images of cruise ships departing through our channel and the many passengers who took to their balconies to wave goodbye to all their worries. Using a telephoto lens, I captured an intimate look into these travelers’ lives without even being noticed. I had no preconception of how this project might evolve. Moreover, I was unable to frame or to see what I was actually shooting. That was my choice. It was more a repetitive process of blind registration or candid-camera portraiture. The ‘Crops’ and ‘Blow-ups’ would come later. Much like the photographer from Antonioni’s movie, Blowup (1966), I was making my discoveries in the days after the shoot. The photos prompted many questions: Why do some people on ships look like they are drifting numbly in a state of psychosis? Why are their faces painted with uncertainty, misery, and dread? And why do so many passengers (couples and singles) look so lonely? What is actually wrong with these people who seem condemned to have a good time? Intrigued by the mystery, I took a cruise myself. It was a transatlantic journey which lasted 2 weeks. Only after being onboard was I able to interpret the pictures I had captured from the shore. I finally understood that the cruise ship was just an iron vessel transporting people from one physical destination to another with several stops – nothing more. The experience was a collective delusion, passengers surrendered to a well-structured and commercially-viable form of collective time-killing and ‘managed fun’. I found it impossible to ignore the unbearable sadness that permeated the entire experience. The nature of this complex feeling was clearly described in the post-structuralist essay by David Foster Wallace, “A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again” (1995). It is a detailed and meticulous deconstruction of Wallace’s own cruising experience: From the thousands of candid shots that I captured, I am featuring those which reveal the same transcendent feeling that Wallace so deftly described, and that I too experienced while cruising the ocean blue.
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All these books are available through your local computer book store, at least if they're still in print. Brian W. Kernighan and P.J. Plauger (McGraw-Hill, 1974, 1978). A guide to writing more readable computer programs, illustrated with examples of Fortran and PL/I programs from earlier programming textbooks. This classic pioneered the term “programming style.” Brian W. Kernighan and P.J. Plauger (Addison-Wesley, 1976). Describes a number of small programs made popular by the UNIX operating system. Contains complete source code of all the programs in Ratfor, a structured dialect of Fortran that strongly resembles C. This classic pioneered the term “software tools.” Brian W. Kernighan and P.J. Plauger (Addison-Wesley, 1981). A reprise of Software Tools (see immediately above) in Pascal. Describes a number of small programs made popular by the UNIX operating system. Contains complete source code of all the programs. P.J. Plauger (Prentice-Hall, 1992). Describes all the library functions needed for a complete implementation of Standard C, including complete source code and direct quotes from the ISO C Standard. The definitive treatise on designing and implementing a full function library for a procedural language. P.J. Plauger (Prentice-Hall, 1993-1994). A set of three books that reprise most of the columns Plauger wrote for Computer Language between 1986 and 1993. Volume I is subtitled “Essays on Software Design,” Volume II is “Essays on Software People,” and Volume III is “Essays on Software Technology.” The books reflect over twenty-five years' experience working as a programmer manager of programmers, and software entrepreneur. P.J. Plauger (Prentice-Hall, 1995). An early description of the library portion of the ANSI/ISO draft C++ Standard. Contains complete source code for all classes and functions in the library, and direct quotes from the draft C++ Standard. P.J. Plauger and Jim Brodie (Prentice-Hall, 1989, 1992, 1996). A complete reference to the Standard C programming language and library, including official clarifications, corrections, and amendments to the C Standard through 1995. The included code diskette provides a comprehensive on-line reference manual in HTML. P.J. Plauger, Alexander Stepanov, Meng Lee, and David R. Musser (Prentice-Hall, 2001). A definitive description of the Standard Template Library as it has been standardized as part of the ANSI/ISO C++ Standard.
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Modern Man’s Response to the Emergence of the Goddess Here is a passage from my book The Translucent Revolution. I just finished leading five exquisite days of silent retreat for a group here in Nevada City. I am bursting with excitement to share with you the fruits of this adventure, and, at the same time, at a loss for words to talk about five days where there were no words. Silence has always been, for me personally, the greatest teacher. Sounds paradoxical, doesn’t it? You think of a teacher as giving you messages, insights, guidance...how can silence do that? When I look back on my life, it was from discreet periods of silence that the greatest creative flow emerged. It was from discreet periods of silence that the greatest blessings flowed, synchronicity just happened, and things fell together in the outer world. It was following silence that opportunities flowed into my life most easily. Looking Beyond Enlightenment There is an important distinction to be made between translucence and traditional understandings of “enlightenment.” Very few of the people I have talked to would seriously label themselves as “enlightened.” At the same time, the overwhelming majority said that they were no longer seeking a state of enlightenment, although many had done so previously. Most said they no longer had any idea what the word was supposed to mean. This is in sharp contrast to the atmosphere of spirituality that existed even fifteen years ago, when most spiritual people were still following a guru, trying to win the cosmic jackpot. Musician and songwriter Peter Makena and his wife, Aneeta, exemplify this change. They were both disciples of the controversial Indian teacher Bhagwan Rajneesh in the 1970s. (He has been known simply as Osho since a few months before his death in 1991.) Now Peter is less sure what the “E” word means: “ ‘Enlightenment’ used to have an elusive meaning, something like the Holy Grail. It represented a final end point, in my idealistic and dreamer-like search, of what human potential could be. Today my sense of that potential is more of a finger pointing, a hint, a direction, with no final product.”
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American Football Team Cowboys begin using drones at practice Drones being one of the most recent technology trends, most organizations are eager to try out this technology to innovate their businesses. American Football Team is the next to make good use of drones. According to the head coach Jason Garrett, film is very important in recording the end zone shots and the sideline shots. Most teams use handheld cameras and Joe Pole for a higher ground angle view but with the drones, you can clearly see all 11 guys on offense and all 11 guys on defense in a game from all angles and get to see the shots. This will also make it easier for the coach to easily coach and train the players. Crime fighting drones for the City of Cape Town Drones have been extensively used in different fields to increase efficiency. In Cape Town, drones are now being used as surveillance devices in the fight against crime. Recently, Cape Town tested the surveillance drones in a police drug bust in Cape Flats. These drones provide an aerial support similar to a helicopter at significantly less cost. The surveillance drones give the police or investigation team clear view of the crime scene, making it easier to identify any suspects who fled, hid, or threw weapons or drugs away. This has resulted in an increased demand for surveillance drones. Whales enter the drone zone at Piedras Blancas Studying and identifying different sea animals takes time and a lot of research. And sometimes that means divers need to dive into the sea to perform those studies; Wayne Perryman, veteran leader of the Cetacean Health and Life History Program for National Oceanic Center, is using drone pictures or drone’s photogrammetry to identity individual whales and accurately estimate the physical characteristics of the whales. Photographic drones have in the past been in tracking animals such as penguins in the Antarctic, orcas off British Columbia and blue whales in Chilean waters, but there have never been a drone being used in gray whale counting. One challenge facing the implementation of this idea is that there are rules controlling drone deployment, especially for federal officials flying them over a national marine sanctuary which could affect the use of drones in whale counting project. Source: sanluisobispo.com • Information Technology quotes Rob Charter • Kate Vinton • Lori MacVittie • Michael Chui • Mark Templeton ModuleDNN - Responsive Social Share
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I'm going to muscle my way in on the quiz action with the following quiz about the island of Great Britian (hopefully not too hard): 1) What is the name of the archetypal country gent, often depicted as wearing a waistcoat with the Union Jack emblazoned on it, used to represent England in poltical cartoons (esp. in the late 19th and early 20th centuries)? 2) St. George is the patron saint of England since the 14th century, but who was generally regarded as the patron saint of England before him? 3) More patron saints: which part of Great Britain is St. Pirian the patron saint of? 4) Who according to legend lies asleep under a hill in Glastonbury ready to awake in Britain's hour of need? 5) Rhys ap Gruffyd, King of Deheubarth in Wales was the ancestor of which line of English monarchs? 6) Which queen of England (not always listed) reigned for only 8 days? 7) Who was the last independent Prince of Wales? 8) Which Scottish King was, according to legend, inspired to to retake his throne by a spider? 9) Welsh, Cornish and Breton are examples of which type of Celtic language? 10) The 'Stone of Scone' was brought to Scone at the joining together under one kingdom of which two peoples?
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What is SEN? The definition of SEN ‘A child or young person has SEN if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for him or her. A child of compulsory school age or a young person has a learning difficulty if he or she: a) Has a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age; or b) Has a disability which prevents of hinders him or her from making use of facilities of a kind generally provided for other in the same age in mainstream schools of mainstream post-16 institutions. (SEN: Code of Practice 2014 p14) The definition of disability Many children and young people who have SEN may also have a disability under the Equality Act 2010 – that is...’a physical or mental impairment which has a long-term and substantial adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.’ This definition provides a relatively low threshold and includes more children then many realise: ‘long term’ is defined as a ‘year or more’ and ‘substantial’ is defined as ‘more than minor of trivial’. (SEN Code of Practice 2014 p5)
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The Alexander Technique was developed by Frederick Matthias Alexander, an Australian actor and reciter, who was born in Tasmania in 1869. During the early days of his Shakespearean acting career, Alexander experienced periods of chronic hoarseness during his performances. When medical experts could not offer him a long-term solution, Alexander set out to solve his problem on his own. With the use of mirrors, Alexander noticed that while reciting, he pulled his head back, putting pressure on the larynx and the spine and tightening the neck muscles. He discovered that the way the head was balanced upon the spine and the relationship between the head, neck, and back, had a profound effect on the efficient functioning of the whole body. Over almost a decade of self-observation and experiment, Alexander developed a fuller understanding of the mind and body as a psycho-physical entity; that thought processes and physical activities function in harmony as an integrated whole. Alexander began teaching his technique in Melbourne in the 1890s, helping people with vocal and breathing problems. Physicians witnessed improvement in Alexander’s students and encouraged him to go to England, where they knew he would get the acclaim he deserved. In 1904 Alexander moved to London, where his work attracted the attention of many well-known physicians, academics, and celebrities who showed great interest in his work. Alexander started a school for children in London in 1924. The children were between three and eighteen and all had different reasons for being there – for example asthma, scoliosis, or reading difficulties. F M Alexander wrote many articles and four books describing his technique. In 1932 Alexander started the first three-year training school in London to train teachers. He continued to teach and develop the Technique until his death in 1955. Today there are over a thousand Alexander Technique teachers and many training courses throughout the world. Teachers may be found in many countries, Alexander Technique teachers are employed in many music and drama schools, and research into the value of the Technique is growing.
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Sunday, January 23, 2011 Easy data caching in Rails 3 Three common forms of caching There are 3 types of caching that are very commonly talked about in the rails community; page caching, action caching, and fragment caching. All of these are well documented and are great ways to cache varying amounts of content for your pages. Is that all the caching I need? Caching at the view level is great but it isn't necessarily the best fit for every situation. In some cases it may be easier to cache data at a lower level. Perhaps you want to cache the results of an external data request for a given period of time. None of the view caching methods would be a really great fit. Lower level data caching Rails 3 actually has a great method for caching data at a lower level than the view. It even uses the same caching store as action and fragment caching. ActiveSupport::Cache::Store allows you to store any serializable Ruby object. Rails even provides an already initialized cache store via Rails.cache. Example usage and code I used this on to cache METAR queries. I was using current_metar a gem I built that pulls metar data from ADDS. I made a model called CachedMetar to return cached results to the rest of my application. Code walk through This model basically returns the result of the block argument to Rails.cache.fetch the first time it is called. Any time it is called within the next 5 minutes it returns the value that was cached the first time. Everywhere I had previously been calling CurrentMetar::Metar.get_metar("ICAO code") I switched to call CachedMetar.metar("ICAO code") and that was all it took. Testing is actually surprisingly easy. I used shoulda and mocha and here is what I ended up with. Nate said... Just to make a note: This feature has been documented and available in Rails (specifically, ActiveSupport) since version 2.1.0. Sally Campbell said... Thanks for sharing. It is a worthwhile read for any app developer melbourne. jamesdaugherty said... Nice information. Thank you for the explanation. It makes caching more understandable to us lay people. James Daugherty Nani Babu said... Nice information. Thank you for the explanation. cheap web hosting india digital marketing Brisbane
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International Phonetic Alphabet In last week’s post I provided phonetic transcriptions of some example words using the International Phonetic Alphabet, or IPA for short. I thought it would be helpful to follow that up with some information about what the IPA is, and how to read it. And as a bonus, after learning about IPA transcription you will be able to better read pronunciation guides on Wikipedia. You have probably seen many phonetic transcriptions before - especially as pronunciation guides in dictionaries. In dictionaries it is common to see a transcription convention that uses English spelling conventions to represent sounds. For example, the word “elucidate” might be transcribed as (ee-LOO-suh-date). That system is handy because it is immediately familiar to anyone who has experience reading stuff in English. But it has drawbacks too. There are a few main problems that are especially important for linguists; there are lots of linguists all over the world who are used to languages with entirely different spelling conventions. For example, the sound in English that is represented as “y” - the consonant, not the vowel - is written in Icelandic as “j”. There are also a lot of languages with sounds that just don’t exist in English. Linguists need to be able to transcribe those sounds; but since they don’t exist in English there is no spelling convention to represent them. In fact there is no one language with enough spelling conventions to represent every sound in every language in the world. And finally, English spelling is ambiguous, as is the spelling of almost any language. That is already demonstrated by the need to add a note to distinguish “y” the consonant from “y” the vowel or any of the other vowel sounds represented by “y”. To solve all these problems, a group of linguistics developed the International Phonetic Alphabet in the late nineteenth century. The first standardized version was created in 1888. But it has been revised somewhat since then. The purpose of IPA is to provide a standard set of symbols that are used to represent sounds so that the same symbols always represent the sounds, even to people from different language backgrounds. Using the IPA it is theoretically possible to represent every sound in every language in the world. Though occasionally a new language is discovered with a new sound that we didn’t know anything about before, which has to be quickly added to the IPA. IPA was originally developed by French and British linguists, so it uses characters derived from the Latin alphabet and symbols are matched to sounds in a ways that are generally familiar to Europeans. But even in the Western world people have different ideas about how to spell things, so the IPA adopts some different phonetic conventions from different languages. For example, I mentioned earlier that the sound represented by “y” in English is spelled “j” in, among others languages, Icelandic; and in fact the symbol for that sound in IPA is [j]. Here is the complete IPA chart in its most recent revision. And by the way: in IPA, the word “elucidate” is transcribed [i’lu.sə.deɪt]. The sound an IPA symbol represents is described by the place of articulation of the sound, an the manner of articulation. When you voice a consonant you, you press your tongue against the roof of your mouth, or in some cases you press your lips together or put the tip of your tongue between your teeth. The exact spot on where you press your tongue is the place of articulation. For example, when you say [t] you press the tip of your tongue against a spot towards the front of your mouth called the alveolar ridge; whereas when you say [k] you press the back of your tongue against your soft palate, which linguists call the velum. [t] and [k] have the same manner of articulation - they are both plosives, which means that they are articulated by completely stopping air from flowing out of the mouth for a moment. But they have different places of articulation. Early on in a linguist’s career he learns all about the structures of the mouth, throat, and nose to learn how each can be used to produce various sounds. I will explain some of the details in future articles; in the meantime it would probably be easiest to look up IPA symbols using this IPA chart on Wikipedia, which is specially designed for English speakers and provides example words to illustrate each sound. Wikipedia provides the transcription for the English “r” as [ɹ]. This is the most technically correct transcription, since in IPA [r] represents a rolled “r”, which is heard in Spanish. In linguistics speak, [r] is a trill and [ɹ] is a liquid. However, English doesn’t have a trill, so people transcribing English often use [r] instead of [ɹ] because the former is more familiar - and easier to type. It is considered acceptable to make substitutions like that in cases where readers are unlikely to be confused by the switch. So when I transcribe an English word using [r] instead of [ɹ] I’m not actually trying to make you practice pronouncing trills. As an aside, the rolled “r” in French is not the same sound as the rolled “r” in Spanish. The French “r” is transcribed [ʀ]. Both sounds are trills, so they share the same manner of articulation; but they have different places of articulation. [ɹ] is alveolar, meaning that to pronounce it the tip of the tongue is positioned on the alveolar ridge, in the same spot it is placed when pronouncing [t]. The sound is produced by vibrating the tongue against the roof of the mouth, which is what makes it a trill. To pronounce [ʀ], the back of the tongue is placed against the uvula and vibrates against that. To make the alphabet more flexible, IPA employs a number of diacritics. Diacritics are small marks placed above or below a character. In IPA they are used to describe characteristics of a sound that differ slightly from the sound usually represented by a bare character. Last week I talked about consonants that are used as syllable nuclei, which are called syllabic consonants. Syllabicity is considered a phonological feature, so it is indicated with a diacritic. For example, the syllabic version of [n] is [n̩]. Another example of a diacritic is h, which is used to indicate aspiration. Did you know that the letter “p” in English is used to represent two different sounds? The “p” sounds in “pull” and “stop” are slightly different. You can tell if you put your hand in front of your mouth, less than an inch away, and say each word. You will feel a puff of air on your hand when you say the “p” in “pull”; there is a puff when you say “stop” too, but it is not nearly as strong. A sound that makes that strong puff of air is said to be aspirated, and is marked with a diacritic that looks like a superscripted “h”. So the IPA representation for an aspirated “p” is /ph/ and an unaspirated “p” is simply /p/. Even though they are technically different sounds, English speakers treat /p/ and /ph/ as being the same. So they are written with the same letter. And in IPA they are usually both transcribed as [p] for simplicity. But on occasion it is important to have the ability to distinguish the two. The difference between sounds that are exactly the same and sounds that are treated as the same by language speakers is a very important consideration in linguistics - and it has to do with the sudden switch from square brackets to slashes surrounding the transcriptions above. I will talk about that in a future article too.
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Buckwheat Spinach Bake Humble flavors that make the perfect comfort food. Baked potatoes and spinach enveloped in a healthy sauce of buckwheat. Healthy, wholesome and delicious. 1. Mix butter salt pepper and spread on the baking dish 2. Heat buck wheat till dark brown and then blend with milk 3. Sauté garlic and spinach. Add wheat and milk mixture. Stir till it attains a thick consistency 4. Pour over mashed potatoes 5. Sprinkle cheese and bake in the oven for 15mins. Monish Gujral Leave a Reply Close Bitnami banner
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Blembic – Documentation for Developers Link to Thread about Blembic on blenderartists.org: What is it good for? Blembic is a Mesh Cache system which makes it possible to exchange mesh geometry with varying vertex count from one 3D programm to another one. A Mesh Cache system creates one single mesh per frame, writes this to an individual file in one 3D program and streams these files into another 3D program. So whenever you change a frame the 3D program will load the relevant file and show it in the viewport. When you change the frame again it will remove this file and load the next file, so that you see a consistent stream of meshes. This is usefull for the exchange of all kinds of animations, especially ones such as fluid or particle simulations where it is the norm that vertex count varies from frame to to frame. There are a lot of other mesh cache formats such as MDD or PC2 but they only work for meshes that have a consistent vertex count and order over the range of the whole animation. Efficiency through binary files Simulations such as fluids often involve very large meshes with very many vertices and polygons which means that the import and export has to be very efficient. As far as I can tell it is not possible to efficiently stream mesh caches with regular text based formats such as obj. The import simply takes too long. Therefore it is a lot better to use binary files. Binary files might sound a bit daunting at first but actually they are very simple to understand. Creating a binary files actually only means that a script (in this case our exporter) translate numbers and letters which can be easily read by humans into letters and numbers which can be easily read by computers. Since the exporter does this translation for us the importer is able to read the incomming files a lot faster. How it works – The Blembic exporter moves to the first frame the user wants to export. – It creates a file in a folder the user has declared. – Blembic analyses the Mesh – It reads parameters such as vertex count and material IDs and writes it in to the file – Blembic closes the file and saves it. – Blembic moves to the next frame and does the same until all frames are exported. Since this whole format is still in development the structure might change in future releases breaking support for older exporters. The structure is relatively simple. The exporter reads and writes in the following order: 1. Number of vertices (1 integer) 2. Vertex position (3 floats per vertex) 3. Number of vertices (1 integer) 4. Number of faces (1 integer) 5. Vertex index number of which each face is made up of (3 integers per face) 6. Number of (Split) Normals (1 integer) 7. Vector of each normal (3 floats per normal) 8. MatID per face (1 integer per face) 9. Number of MatIDs (1 integer) 10. Number of UV Maps (1 integer) 11. Number of Vertices in UV Map (1 integer) 12. UV vertex position (2 floats per vertex in UV Map) 13. Number of Faces in UV Map (1 integer) 14. UV vertex index number of which each UV face is made up of (3 integers per UV face) Creating binary files with Python Creating a binary file with Python is simple. You open a file (if it doesn ́t exist Python will create it automatically) If you want to be able to write in binary you have to add “wb”. myFilePath = "C:\\myTestFolder\\myfile.BBCTEST" myTestFile = open(myFilePath, "wb") In order to write a number in binary you first have to pack it. This is done with the struct.pack function. Inside the brackets you have to declare what kind of number you want to pack. In our case we will be packing an Integer so the first thing in the bracket is “i”. The second thing in the brackets is “9” which is the number that will be translated into binary: myTestStruct = struct.pack("i",9) myTestStruct = struct.pack("i",9) And finally we close the file For a more in depth explanation refer to struct page of the Python manual. It also explains how to open and unpack a binary file. Python Struct Reference Writig an exporter in Python So all we have to do now is collect the relevant data mentioned under Belmbic Structure and pack it into our binary file. How collecting this data works depends on the 3D program you are using and you have to look that up in the 3D programms reference manual. It is possible that the 3D program you want to write an exporter for doesn not support Python or has better access to other script languages. The exporter I wrote for 3ds Max for example uses MaxScript. The syntax is obviously different but the principle should be the same. open file -> get data -> pack to binary -> write to file If you have any questions feel free to contact me via email, the Blembic thread on blenderartists.org. Titel: Blembic Documentation Language: Exporter 3ds Max -> Maxscript, Exporter Houdini (in development) -> Python, Importer -> Python
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Why do parasites harm their hosts? Classic evolutionary theory predicts that parasites become more virulent because they must transmit themselves between hosts, yet scientists have found little data to support this idea, until now. Led by Emory University researcher Jacobus de Roode, PhD, a team of scientists has uncovered evidence that natural selection selects for harmful parasites by maximizing parasite fitness. De Roode and co-authors Andrew Yates, PhD, Emory University; and Sonia Altizer, PhD, University of Georgia, studied monarch butterflies Danaus plexippus infected with parasite Ophryocystis elektroscirrha and observed that higher levels of replication within the host resulted in both higher virulence and greater transmission of the parasite. The study is published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. “A fundamental evolutionary question is why parasites that depend on their hosts for their own survival and fitness hurt or even kill them,” says de Roode. “According to theory, parasites face a trade-off between the benefits of increased replication, the transmission to new hosts and the costs of host mortality, resulting in the highest fitness at intermediate parasite replication. During the past 30 years there has been very little experimental evidence that this trade-off actually exists. This is one of the first demonstrations that really shows that this trade-off model applies. “These findings support the idea that selection for parasite transmission can favor parasite genotypes that cause substantial harm,” he says. In natural populations, D. plexippus become infected as caterpillars after they ingest spores of O. elektroscirrha that are scattered onto eggs or host plant leaves by adult butterflies. The parasites then penetrate the gut wall and replicate, forming spores around the scales of the developing butterflies. “Greater parasite replication reduced host survival to the adult stage, with fewer monarchs emerging successfully from their pupal cases,” says de Roode. “Among female monarchs that survived to the adult stage, higher parasite loads reduced mating success, in part by reducing the female lifespan. “Harmful effects from the parasites on the host may appear maladaptive,” says de Roode. “But high parasite loads were necessary to increase transmission.” Because the parasites affect the butterflies’ lifespan, their ability to fly, and whether they can migrate and reproduce, de Roode says he and his colleagues are now studying how the parasites’ virulence level varies among monarch populations and whether migration patterns and length affect the parasites’ virulence level. The research was supported by Emory University, the University of Georgia, Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research TALENT fellowship, a Marie Curie Outgoing International Fellowship, and a National Science Foundation grant.
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Handwriting Practice Handwriting practice doesn't have to be dreaded by your homeschooler! Although it can be challenging to make worksheets fun, I've tried to incorporate color and creative activities for more enjoyable interaction with your child. A lot depends on you. After a child completes a practice worksheet or two, try to incorporate an enjoyable activity that reinforces the letter. One easy way to do this is by breaking out colorful Play-Dough so your child can pat and roll the dough into letter shapes. This gives your child a fun, sensory stimulation task which will reinforce the lesson just learned. Handwriting Practice Sheets The worksheets below introduce writing the Alphabet to your child. There is one line of Uppercase letters and one line of Lowercase letters for your child to practice. At the bottom, there is a simple activity that incorporates letter identification with colors or matching and other concepts. I'll cover these activities below. letters Aa handwriting practice letters Bb handwriting practice letters Cc handwriting practice letters Dd handwriting practice letters Ee handwriting practice letters Ff handwriting practice Activity Instructions Underneath the practice space there is a short activity covering each letter. For the most part, they are pretty self-explanatory, but if you need help, here's a quick overview of each. A--There are six different ants at the bottom. Each one is carrying an egg with a letter on it. Have your child circle each ant that is carrying the letter A--look for both upper and lowercase versions. B--Pretty much the same as the above task. Each balloon has a letter on it. Your child needs to identify and circle all of the balloons with a B or b on it. C--Still circling letters. This time both C and c appear together on the cars. D--Changed it up a bit. Color the dogs that have a Dd near them. E--On each elephant's foot there is a letter. Color in the elephants that have E and e on their feet. F--Name the objects in the picture. If it begins with the letter F, color it in. For more practice with handwriting or to learn more about the alphabet, try the lessons below. The animal flash cards are a fun way to learn about letters, plus creating the flashcards is a great fine-motor activity that you can do with your child. alphabet worksheets animal flash cards 00 handwriting worksheets G-L printable handwriting sheets › Letters Aa-Ff New! Comments Have suggestions or requests for a worksheet? Let's Talk! get worksheets on facebook get worksheets on pinterest worksheets rss feed Educational Resources
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Online Resources for Jewish Learning List compiled by Jonathan Kligler Rabbi Shefa Gold is the author of Torah Journeys. Her approach is summarized by the subtitle of her book: “The Torah is the map. You are the territory.” The Torah is the map we follow for our own spiritual and personal development. Rabbi Goldie Milgram has created a website with weekly Torah commentaries and with excellent guidance on how to create your own D’var Torah. When you open the home page, click on “Torah Commentary & Guides to Writing Your Own.” The Reconstructionist Movement’s site for Divrei Torah. The Reform Movement’s site for Divrei Torah. The Conservative Movement’s site for Divrei Torah. The Orthodox Union’s site for Divrei Torah. A brief overview on the nature of Torah commentary. Excellent, extensive library of Divrei Torah from all over the Jewish world. The Chabad website offers Hasidic commentaries, as well as an excellent sampling of commentaries and midrashim from throughout the ages. Make sure in particular to click on “In-Depth Parshah Overview with Selected Commentaries”. Also includes a “library of classical texts” with translations of several classics. Orthodox website with extensive and well-organized commentaries on the weekly Torah portion. Massive index and links of Divrei Torah from across the Jewish spectrum. Don’t get overwhelmed! Torah commentary based on the writings of Rav A. I. Kook, the first Chief Rabbi of Palestine in the early 20th century and a much-loved mystical teacher. Torah commentary based on the teachings of the Hassidic master Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav. Chassidic teachings on the weekly portion. Useful entry-point into the Chassidic approach. Jewish mysticism and thought, based on the teachings of HaRav Yitzchak Ginsburgh. Very thorough, hold on to your hat! Rabbi Simon Jacobson presents teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe. The “Adult Centre for Liberal Jewish Learning” in Toronto, Canada. Click on the link for “Weekly Parasha.” Animated and sometimes musical Torah interpretations!
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Ruins of Empúries The ruins of the Greek and Roman city of Empúries are near to the summer resort of l'Escala. Three different civilizations settled here, the Indigetes, the Greeks and the Romans. It is the only Greek city west of Italy that can be seen more or less as it used to be due to the fact that it has been excavated intensively. Part of the immense sea-wall of the old Greek port can still be seen. The remains of the Greco-Roman city cover an area of 40 hectares and are the archaeological site most visited in Catalonia. Its privileged situation made Empúries the gateway chosen by the Greeks to the peninsula as well as witness of the arrival of the Olympic flame for the Games in Barcelona 1992. Archaeological museum of Cataluña - Empúries 17130 L'Escala (Alt Empordà) Tel: (+34) 972 770 208
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Bridging the gender digital divide in the Arab Region This article is part of the publication "The Future of Work in the Global South" "Mentoring and guiding Arab women is essential for their upskilling to fit into the larger sustainability industries and for creating jobs in this new Machine Age" Mainstreaming gender in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, and creating greater economic opportunities for Arab women are due to compelling economic reasons. Gender inequalities in the Arab Region impose development costs on the society. Some barriers may be obvious, such as affordability, lack of access to ICT services, financial decision-making or cultural norms and social restrictions on women’s physical and social mobility.
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789BET © 789bet login Tặng code khởi nghiệp, Slot 789bet tỷ lệ bóng đá trực tuyến. Do đó, bên cạnh việc tiếp tục ưu tiên đầu tư ngân sách cho y tế, Sở Y tế Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh kiến nghị một số cơ chế, chính sách nhằm thu hút nguồn lực xã hội, nhất là hệ thống y tế tư nhân tham gia phát triển thêm các bệnh viện đa khoa và chuyên khoa kỹ thuật cao. XEM THÊM: – Link vào Mobile mới nhất 05/2023 789BET Riêng tại sân bay Köln/Bonn, do làm việc theo ca, cuộc đình công tại sân bay này đã bắt đầu từ đêm 16/3. Ông Jaluria cho rằng Copilot sẽ thúc đẩy việc sử dụng Microsoft Office nhiều hơn và tăng sự khác biệt so với các đối thủ cạnh tranh. 789BET, Cùng với đó, ngành công nghiệp sạc điện bao gồm việc sản xuất, lắp đặt các trạm sạc điện, dịch vụ thu phí sạc điện và các dịch vụ khác đang tăng lên nhanh chóng và phát triển theo hai mô hình cơ bản do các công ty ôtô xây dựng trạm sạc của riêng hãng và mô hình còn lại do các công ty chuyên về các trạm sạc. 789bet login Chiều tối 15/1, Chủ tịch Quốc hội Vương Đình Huệ và Đoàn công tác tới thăm, tặng quà gia đình Anh hùng Lực lượng vũ trang Nguyễn Văn Hòa (phường Kim Tân, thành phố Lào Cai). Đoàn đã cấp phát thuốc, chia sẻ, hỗ trợ người dân và lực lượng chức năng của phía bạn. Các thành viên trong đoàn tự nguyện quyên góp được 4.000 USD hỗ trợ người dân địa phương mua lương thực, thực phẩm... 789bet login, Theo phóng viên TTXVN tại Jakarta, ngày 6/1, Bộ trưởng Tài chính Indonesia Sri Mulyani Indrawati bày tỏ tin tưởng rằng nền kinh tế của quốc gia này sẽ không rơi vào suy thoái trong năm nay bất chấp nguy cơ căng thẳng chính trị trong nước leo thang trước thềm cuộc tổng tuyển cử đầu năm 2024 và khó khăn kinh tế của các cường quốc toàn cầu vốn là đối tác thương mại lớn nhất của Jakarta. Slot 789bet Trước đó, Tổng thống Assad cho rằng Syria và Thổ Nhĩ Kỳ chỉ có thể bình thường hóa quan hệ nếu Ankara chấm dứt hành vi chiếm đóng và chính sách hỗ trợ “khủng bố,” ám chỉ những nhóm vũ trang đối lập với Damascus. Slot 789bet Nếu như thông tin trên được xác thực, đây sẽ là vụ tấn công đầu tiên của ADF nhằm vào thành phố Kasindi giáp biên giới Uganda kể từ khi nhóm này gia tăng các vụ tấn công trong khu vực vào năm 2014. – Link vào Mobile mới nhất 05/2023 – Link vào Mobile mới nhất 05/2023 Bà Rozentsvet cho rằng Tổng sản phẩm quốc nội của Nga sẽ tiếp tục giảm trong năm nay, ước tính giảm 4-6% trong 6 tháng đầu năm và sau đó đà giảm sẽ chấm dứt và nền kinh tế có thể bắt đầu phục hồi trong nửa cuối năm nay. Thực hiện phương châm “nhà nhà đều có Tết, người người đều có Tết,” từ nay đến ngày 21/1 , Hội Chữ thập đỏ các cấp tiếp tục vận động và hỗ trợ các gia đình khó khăn trên địa bàn tỉnh có thêm điều kiện để vui Tết, đón Xuân mới. " Người thực hiện: Xuân Lộc – 789BET
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Curiosity spotted on Mars and more space exploration (photos) Summary: Here's an update on the journey of the newest Martian inhabitant, the rover Curiosity, including a photo of it from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Plus, more space shots. Topics: Innovation Related Stories The best of ZDNet, delivered Subscription failed.
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Common questions in the Emergency Medicine Board Review describe a patient's presenting complaint, his vitals, some history and the initial examination findings. Based on this information, answering the question involves selecting the most likely diagnosis or the most appropriate next step in management or initial therapy. Drug interactions, the implications of treatment being received for other medical conditions and exacerbating environmental factors are often built into complex situational descriptions requiring analysis to correctly answer the question.Continue Reading Choosing the optimal treatment option from among those provided for a metabolic allergic emergency or to identify the steps to be taken in the event of possible exposure to rabies are typically found on the Emergency Medicine Board Review. Similarly, based on information provided, answering a question regarding burns may require the identification of the factors involved in determining if a burn is a minor or major burn and selecting the appropriate course of treatment, including pain control. A question requiring a judgement regarding the gastrointestinal, respiratory and cardiovascular clinical findings related to a diagnosis of anaphylaxis is another common type of question. Usually multiple choice, questions can range from distinguishing between the implications of bradycardia, tachycardia and pulseless arrest algorithms or identifying varying signs and symptoms of basilar skull fracture, as opposed to a temporal bone fracture or head injury.Learn more about Colleges & Universities
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Justin Bieber compares himself to Timberlake Justin Bieber says his new more mature sound shows who he is as a person right now and has compared it to Justin Timberlake's musical transition Justin Bieber Justin Bieber Justin Bieber has compared his musical transition to Justin Timberlake. The 21-year-old singer has returned to music with a more grown up sound and says it is similar to when Timberlake ditched his boy band roots for his 2006 record ' FutureSex/LoveSounds'. He told BBC Radio 1 Breakfast Show host Nick Grimshaw: "Look at Justin Timberlake. You know, he was in NSYNC and of course they had an amazing sound but it was also, it was young. It was for teenagers. "And I feel when he transitioned and started making 'Sexy Back' and stuff, he really found something that was unique to what he was feeling and what he wanted to do. So I think it takes time as an artist to develop your style and develop what you like and what you don't like." Justin will release his new LP 'Purpose' on November 13 and chose that name as he wants to inspire people. He explained: "You know, I named the album 'Purpose'. And the reason why I named it 'Purpose' was because for a while there I feel like I lost my purpose/ And I feel like I found my purpose again. So just maybe that message to say, no matter how far you feel like you're away from yourself or you feel like you don't have your purpose or you don't know what your purpose is or you feel like you lost your purpose, there's always room to find that purpose again." Post a comment
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The Mental Health and Wellbeing of University Students: Acceptability, Effectiveness, and Mechanisms of a Mindfulness-Based Course Mental health problems are relatively common during university and adversely affect academic outcomes. Evidence suggests that mindfulness can support the mental health and wellbeing of university students. We explored the acceptability and effectiveness of an 8-week instructor-led mindfulness-based course (“Mindfulness: Finding Peace in a Frantic World”; Williams and Penman, 2011) on improving wellbeing and mental health (self-reported distress), orientation and motivation towards academic goals, and the mechanisms driving these changes. Eighty-six undergraduate and post-graduate students (>18 years) participated. Students engaged well with the course, with 36 (48.0%) completing the whole programme, 52 (69.3%) attending 7 out of 8 sessions, and 71 (94.7%) completing at least half. Significant improvements in wellbeing and mental health were found post-intervention and at 6-week follow-up. Improvements in wellbeing were mediated by mindfulness, self-compassion, and resilience. Improvements in mental health were mediated by improvements in mindfulness and resilience but not self-compassion. Significant improvements in students’ orientation to their academic goal, measured by “commitment” to, “likelihood” of achieving, and feeling more equipped with the “skills and resources” needed, were found at post-intervention and at 6-week follow-up. Whilst exploratory, the results suggest that this mindfulness intervention is acceptable and effective for university students and can support academic study. Introduction A growing proportion of the population is benefitting from the social, occupational, and academic opportunities offered by higher education. In recent years, there has been a three percent increase in higher education enrolments across both undergraduate and post-graduate university students, with larger numbers of ethnic minority students and students registering with a disability [1]. For many, higher education is a major transition met with increasing social, academic, and financial demands [2,3]. Rates of mental health difficulties amongst university students are noteworthy. A global survey of 13,984 students found 35% reported at least one DSM-IV mental disorder [4]. Rates of self-reported depression and anxiety in the United Kingdom are greater than the age-matched United Kingdom general population [5]. A growing body of research suggests that mental health difficulties worsen throughout the degree programme [6][7][8]. Whilst an increase in symptoms may not be caused by higher education itself, it is frequently suggested that the daily stressors associated with university life are a significant contributing factor [7]. Post-graduate students are burdened with additional daily stressors, including difficulties in the supervisory relationship and isolation [9]. The negative impact of having a mental health problem during university is broad, impacting the quality of life. Specifically, the presence of depressive symptoms in university students has been associated with role limitations due to physical health problems; while anxiety symptoms have been related to bodily pain; and both depressive and anxiety symptoms have been associated with reductions in general health, energy/fatigue, social functioning, as well as psychological distress, and lower psychological wellbeing [10]. It has also been observed that mental health problems during university affect academic performance [11] and the likelihood of dropping out [12]. Recently, UK Universities called for universities to transform institutions into "mentally healthy universities" that place the mental health and wellbeing of staff and students as foundational for all aspects of the university system [13]. The strategic framework developed by UK Universities outlines university-wide systematic changes which can be made across different domains (e.g., learning, support, etc.). For example, under the 'learn' domain, universities must make sure assessments "stretch and test" learning without imposing unnecessary stress. The 'support' domain focusses on implementing, in consultation with staff and students, safe and effective mental health interventions that are regularly audited for safety, quality and effectiveness [13]. Whilst cognitive, behavioural and mindfulness-based interventions have been found to effectively reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression in university students [14], the implementation of such interventions should be conducted in collaboration with university students to ensure that there is a demand for such programmes and that interventions are acceptable and accessible for all [13]. Over the last decades, there has been a growing interest both nationally and internationally in mindfulness-based programmes (MBPs) in higher education institutions [15]. Mindfulness is a natural, trainable capacity, which encourages people to approach experiences with attitudes of curiosity and care, and in ways that support overall wellbeing, and general functioning [16,17]. By training 'mindful awareness', MBPs aim to promote a conscious shift away from automatic, habitual responses that may increase distress towards greater self-regulation [17]. As well as cultivating mindfulness skills, the psychoeducational content within MBPs can be tailored to the target population whilst promoting an understanding of psychological processes at the core of distress and wellbeing [18]. A meta-analytic review of MBPs implemented in universities found overall improvements in depression, anxiety and wellbeing for students post-intervention, with lasting effects (>3 months) on distress [19]. MBPs should be further tested for their appropriateness with a student population, ensuring people across the spectrum of wellbeing can make use of them and at a level of intensity that balances accessibility with potency [20]. One example of an MBP is the "Mindfulness: Finding Peace in a Frantic World" course (M-FP) [21], which was adapted from Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) [22] to be an accessible universal MBP. The course is developed for a non-clinical population and participants learn skills they can use in their daily lives to break the cycle of anxiety, stress, and exhaustion, as well as promote mental health and wellbeing [21]. M-FP themes include psycho-education, waking up from autopilot, how to respond to negative thoughts and difficult feelings, and self-care. Delivered in a university context, M-FP aims to support students to develop sustained awareness of the different aspects of daily living. Students are then encouraged to apply mindfulness skills to manage emotions, as well as academic and social pressures that may occur in day-to-day university life. A self-guided version of the M-FP course in a university sample had positive effects on depression, anxiety, stress, satisfaction with life, mindfulness and self-compassion, with good acceptability [23]. A pragmatic randomised control trial using the instructor-led version of the M-FP course for university students alongside 'mental health support as usual' evidenced significant improvements in mental health difficulties in comparison to a control group [24]. Students also report both direct and indirect improvements in study skills and behaviour, including greater analytical thinking and memory capacity, increased enjoyment of studying, and reduced procrastination [25] following the M-FP course. Students report-ing higher levels of mindfulness engage more with autonomous academic goals that are intrinsically motivated than students with lower levels of mindfulness [26], which is a consistent predictor of academic achievement across different educational contexts [27]. These findings are particularly relevant considering the disproportionate number of students with poor mental health who drop out of university or perform less well academically compared to those without mental health problems [11,12]. By providing students with internal resources to support wellbeing, mindfulness programmes could alleviate some of the disadvantages related to studying with poor mental health whilst potentially promoting positive academic behaviours. Trait mindfulness and behaving in accordance with intrinsic values are also related to greater wellbeing [28]. This is in line with Self-determination theory, which suggests that the relationship between mindfulness, intrinsic motivation and wellbeing is driven by greater awareness of self, leading to the choice of behaviours that are consistent with individual interests, values, and desires. It follows that awareness, cultivated through MBPs, may improve academic outcomes. Exploring the effects of the MF-P on students' motivations towards academic goals is an aim of the current study. Whilst the effects of MBPs on mental health and wellbeing are widely researched [29,30], the mechanisms through which these improvements are facilitated remain unclear. There is growing evidence to suggest that both mindfulness and self-compassion may be important mechanisms of change [31,32]. For example, in a study of an instructor-led M-FP tailored for secondary school teachers, there was reduced stress and increased rates of wellbeing, mindfulness and self-compassion [33]. Additionally, mindfulness and self-compassion have been shown to mediate improvements in wellbeing [34], stress, burnout and mental health [35]. The relationship between mindfulness and self-compassion is complex. Initially, it was conceptualised as a bidirectional relationship with each enhancing the other [36], but emerging research suggests that mindfulness and self-compassion improve mental health and wellbeing independently [37]. The delivery of the MBP may also impact these mechanisms for change, with the instructor-led delivery of the M-FP program indirectly improving wellbeing, mental health and burnout in secondary teachers by significantly enhancing mindfulness and self-compassion compared with the self-taught M-FP program [20]. Such mechanisms are also yet to be tested in a university student population. Resilience is another key mechanism of change in MBPs [38]. Resilience refers to positive adaptation in the face of stress or trauma [39], a skill which is of particular importance to university students, who are faced with a number of novel challenging experiences (e.g., increased academic and financial demands). Drawing upon clinical models depicting mechanisms of change, the cultivation of mindfulness skills is thought to enhance self-regulation skills, promoting the psychological resilience that supports mental health and wellbeing [40]. This is supported by cross-sectional and experimental research, revealing a partially mediating serial relationship between mindfulness, resilience and subjective wellbeing in community, and university samples [38,41]. In a recent crosssectional study of general population participants, significant direct effects of mindfulness, self-compassion and resilience on anxiety and depression symptoms were observed, and also indirect effects of mindfulness and self-compassion through resilience on depression symptoms were found [42]. An improved understanding of the mechanisms of change for MBPs would enable further refinement of these programmes, thereby optimising individual outcomes. Mindfulness, self-compassion, and resilience are likely to be important mechanisms in MBPs for improving wellbeing and mental health outcomes in students. Based on the literature presented, Figure 1 shows a proposed model whereby there is a sequential relationship between mindfulness, self-compassion, resilience, mental health, and academic outcomes. Testing this model is beyond the analytic and methodological capacity of this paper but forms the theoretical basis of the analyses conducted. MBPs for improving wellbeing and mental health outcomes in students. Based on the literature presented, Figure 1 shows a proposed model whereby there is a sequential relationship between mindfulness, self-compassion, resilience, mental health, and academic outcomes. Testing this model is beyond the analytic and methodological capacity of this paper but forms the theoretical basis of the analyses conducted. Study Aims The present study explores engagement with acceptability and effectiveness of the instructor-led M-FP course [21] in improving mental health and wellbeing in university students. Second, the impact of the M-FP course on the students' orientation and motivation towards their academic goals is also explored. Finally, three mechanisms of change were independently explored in relation to mental health and wellbeing: (1) mindfulness, (2) self-compassion, and (3) resilience. Study Design The study was conducted at the University of Oxford and utilised an open pre-posttest intervention design with a 6-week post-course follow-up. Participants gave informed consent and completed self-report questionnaires online of the outcomes and mechanisms. The questionnaires were administered using Qualtrics software (Qualtrics, Provo, UT). Acceptability was assessed through both bespoke questions as well as engagement with the programme monitored by the M-FP teachers. Participants and Procedure Participants were undergraduate and post-graduate students (aged ≥18 years) who signed up to an 8-week group-based mindfulness course offered by the Oxford Mindfulness Centre and volunteered to participate in the study. Prior to course enrolment, participants self-assessed the suitability of the mindfulness course based on information supplied by the Oxford Mindfulness Centre [43], including a statement on contraindications (such as serious mental or physical health concerns or recent bereavement) to the mindfulness course. Expression of interest for the present study occurred between October 2017 and April 2019, and therefore participants were consecutively recruited during this time. The research team contacted those who expressed an interest, provided them with information about the study and an opportunity to ask questions. Participants were then sent a link to consent to the study via an online form. During the study period, 200 and 96 students took part across 10 mindfulness groups, each group following the 8-week mindfulness-based programme. Of these, 86 students (29%) consented to participate in the study. Data was collected pre-intervention, one week prior to the first-course session (T0), post-intervention, at the end of the 8-week course (T1), and at a 6-week follow-up after Study Aims The present study explores engagement with acceptability and effectiveness of the instructor-led M-FP course [21] in improving mental health and wellbeing in university students. Second, the impact of the M-FP course on the students' orientation and motivation towards their academic goals is also explored. Finally, three mechanisms of change were independently explored in relation to mental health and wellbeing: (1) mindfulness, (2) self-compassion, and (3) resilience. Study Design The study was conducted at the University of Oxford and utilised an open pre-posttest intervention design with a 6-week post-course follow-up. Participants gave informed consent and completed self-report questionnaires online of the outcomes and mechanisms. The questionnaires were administered using Qualtrics software (Qualtrics, Provo, UT, USA). Acceptability was assessed through both bespoke questions as well as engagement with the programme monitored by the M-FP teachers. Participants and Procedure Participants were undergraduate and post-graduate students (aged ≥18 years) who signed up to an 8-week group-based mindfulness course offered by the Oxford Mindfulness Centre and volunteered to participate in the study. Prior to course enrolment, participants self-assessed the suitability of the mindfulness course based on information supplied by the Oxford Mindfulness Centre [43], including a statement on contraindications (such as serious mental or physical health concerns or recent bereavement) to the mindfulness course. Expression of interest for the present study occurred between October 2017 and April 2019, and therefore participants were consecutively recruited during this time. The research team contacted those who expressed an interest, provided them with information about the study and an opportunity to ask questions. Participants were then sent a link to consent to the study via an online form. During the study period, 200 and 96 students took part across 10 mindfulness groups, each group following the 8-week mindfulness-based programme. Of these, 86 students (29%) consented to participate in the study. Data was collected pre-intervention, one week prior to the first-course session (T0), post-intervention, at the end of the 8-week course (T1), and at a 6-week follow-up after completion (T2). Participants received £20 after completing the first 2 time points and an additional £10 for continued participation at T2 (a maximum of £30 in total) as a reimbursement for their time. The payment was not conditional on attendance at the mindfulness course. A risk and safeguarding protocol was implemented to protect participants' safety. Those reporting significant distress were provided with information on sources of support. Additionally, participants who reported suicidal ideation were contacted for further assess-ment and, when appropriate, the student's college nurse was informed. The University of Oxford Research Ethics Committee approved the study (R52786/RE004). Mindfulness-Based Programme The MBP used for the intervention was the M-FP [21]. The course is an adaptation of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) [44] and includes 8 in-person weekly 90-min sessions of reduced-intensity MBCT with a focus on reducing general distress and improving wellbeing [21]. The main themes include "waking up to the autopilot," "keeping the body in mind," "the mouse in the maze," "moving beyond the rumour mill," "turning towards difficulties-from reacting to responding," "practicing kindness," "when did you stop dancing?" and "your wild and precious life." Students paid £65 to take part in the MBP, which was the standard price of the course, a cost unrelated to the study. Each of the 10 mindfulness groups that did the 8-week programme consisted of up to 30 participants (M = 29.6, SD = 0.97). Students were recommended to engage in daily home practice from the course books audio files and activities, such as mindful walking and eating, amongst others. All groups were taught by a qualified mindfulness teacher from the Oxford Mindfulness Centre, who met the good practice guidelines developed by UK Network for Mindfulness-Based Teacher Training Organizations (http://mindfulnessteachersuk.org. uk/#guidelines, accessed on 2 June 2021). The mindfulness teachers were not involved in the research study and were unaware of which students were study participants. Measures 2.3.1. Demographic Information At baseline (T0), participants were asked to provide information on their age, gender (Male, Female, Other, Prefer not to say), ethnicity (White British; White Irish; Any other White background; White and Black Caribbean; White and Black African; White and Asian; Any other mixed/multiple ethnic backgrounds; Indian; Pakistani; Bangladeshi; Chinese; Any other Asian background; Caribbean; African; Any other Black/African/Caribbean background; Arab; Any other ethnic origin group; Prefer not to say) and education (Bachelor's degree, Master's degree, Doctorate degree, Other). Participants were additionally asked whether they were currently suffering from a mental health disorder or had previously received a diagnosis of a mental health disorder and were asked to specify their diagnosis. Furthermore, we collected information on the students' previous experiences with meditation in the format of an open answer question. Expectation of Benefit, Engagement and Programme Acceptability At T0, participants were asked to report how much they expected to benefit from the mindfulness course on a Likert scale ['not at all' (0) to 'very much' (10)]. Following the mindfulness intervention (T1), participants were asked to report on the number of mindfulness sessions they had attended (0-8) and the number of days and minutes they had practiced mindfulness at home during the eight-week course. Course acceptability was assessed using four statements, which the participants rated from 0 to 10: "How much do you feel that you benefitted from the course?"; "Please rate the quality of teaching," "Mindfulness courses should be made widely available to students at the University of Oxford," and "How likely are you to use mindfulness in the future?" A mean of these four statements was used to calculate a "total acceptability score." The internal consistency of these four statements was good in the current sample (alpha = 0.78). Wellbeing At all three time points (T0, T1 and T2), the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (WEMWBS) [45] was administered. The WEMWBS is a psychometrically robust 14-item measure, assessing wellbeing over the past two weeks. Upon being presented with a statement (e.g., I have been feeling good about myself), participants were asked to score each item on a 5-point scale ["none of the time" (1) to "all of the time" (5)], yielding a total score ranging from 14 to 70. A higher total score indicated greater wellbeing [45]. Internal consistency in the current sample was good (T0 alpha = 0.86; T1 alpha = 0.87; T2 alpha = 0.90). Mental Health The Clinical Outcomes Routine Evaluation-10 (CORE-10) [46] is derived from the 34-item Clinical Outcomes Routine Evaluation-Outcome Measure [47] and was used as a measure of psychological distress at all data collection time points (T0, T1 and T2). This questionnaire consists of 10 statements about thoughts and feelings (e.g., "I have felt tense, anxious, or nervous"). Participants were asked how often they felt this way over the past week, using a 5-point Likert-type scale, ["not at all" (0) to "most or all of the time" (4)]. The total score ranges from 0 to 40; a score of 11 or higher is considered clinically significant. The CORE-10 has shown good validity, internal consistency, and sensitivity to change [46]. The internal consistency in the current sample was good (T0: alpha = 0.84, T1: alpha = 0.81, T2: alpha = 0.82). Self-Compassion The present study used a short-form version of the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS-SF) [51] to measure self-compassion at all 3 time points (T0, T1 and T2). With 12 items rather than 26 [51,52], this measure has good convergent validity and reliability [51]. Participants were presented with a statement (e.g., "When I'm going through a very hard time, I give myself the caring and tenderness I need"), which they rated in terms of the frequency of this experience, using a five-point scale ["almost never" (1) to "almost always" (5)]. We used a total score of self-compassion [53] that ranged from 1 to 5, with higher values indicating greater levels of self-compassion. Internal consistency in the current sample was good (T0 alpha = 0.84; T1 alpha = 0.81; T2 alpha = 0.82). Resilience The Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) [54] is a 25-item measure of resilience and coping. At all three time points (T0, T1 and T2), resilience was assessed using a shorter 10-item version (CD-RISC-10) [39], which has a stable factor structure, good reliability and validity [39]. Participants rated each item (e.g., "I believe I can achieve my goals, even if there are obstacles") for their "truthfulness" over the past month on a 5-point scale ['not true at all' (0) to 'true nearly all the time' (4)]. The total score can range between 0 and 40, with a higher score indicating greater resilience [39]. Internal consistency in the current sample was good (T0: alpha = 0.88, T1: alpha = 0.89, T2: alpha = 0.90). Academic Goals The 'Measure to elicit positive future goals and plans' (MEPGAP) [55] has been adapted in previous research to measure conditional goal setting [56,57]. For the purpose of the present study, we further adapted this measure to assess students' academic goals. At each time point, participants were asked to generate their most important "academic goal," defined as "something that they would like to happen or to be true of their academic life in the future." Subsequently, participants were asked to rate (1) the likelihood of achieving this goal, (2) the extent to which they felt that they have the skills and resources necessary to obtain this goal and (3) how committed do they felt to attaining this goal on a scale of 0-10. Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation towards achieving this goal was measured by asking participants to rate the following two statements (1) "I am pursuing this goal because someone else wants me to, or because I will get something from somebody if I do. I probably wouldn't pursue it if I didn't get some kind of reward, praise, or approval for it" and (2) "I am pursuing this goal because I really believe that it is an important goal I have. I endorse it freely and value it wholeheartedly." from ("not at all because of this reason" 0 to "completely because of this reason" 10). Each subscale (i.e., likelihood, skills and resources, commitment, intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation) was treated as a separate measure of academic goal pursuit, with a higher subscale score indicating greater orientation towards academic goals on that specific domain. Data Analyses 2.4.1. Participant Characteristics Baseline socio-demographic characteristics were described using means (SDs) for continuous data and frequencies (percentages) for categorical data. Associations between socio-demographic characteristics and research attrition were analysed at post-test and follow-up, using odds ratios obtained from bivariate logistic regression analyses. Expectations of Benefit, Engagement in and Acceptability of the Course We used the mean (SD) to describe expectations of benefit from the mindfulness course. The engagement was presented in terms of the number of sessions attended, using frequencies (percentages), and the rates of home practice during the programme, using medians and interquartile ranges (IQRs). Participant ratings of acceptability were described using means (SDs). Using bivariate linear regression analyses and standardised beta coefficients (β), we explored the possible relationships between baseline characteristics and the number of sessions attended, as well as between course acceptability and pre-post differential scores in outcomes. Effectiveness of the Mindfulness Intervention The primary analysis was carried out for the main outcomes of wellbeing and mental health at post-test (T1) and follow-up (T2), using intention-to-treat analysis (ITT). We used mixed linear regression analyses in which time was entered as the independent variable, and within-person variance was captured by the random part of the model. We used the restricted maximum likelihood algorithm (REML) to obtain less biased estimates of parameters given the small sample size [58]. We calculated unstandardised regression coefficients (B) from complete cases for our primary analyses. Secondarily, we developed sensitivity analyses carrying out adjusted-controlling for previous experience of mindfulness or meditation and expectancy at baseline-and imputed models. Imputed models used linear multiple imputations of 20 datasets based on chained equations to address missing data at post-test and follow-up in the main outcomes (i.e., distress and wellbeing), considering: (a) those variables included in the primary outcome analysis; (b) variables significantly related to, or potentially related to, non-response (see supplementary materials Table S1); (c) variables that explained a significant amount of variance in the main outcomes (see supplementary materials Tables S2 and S3 for a list of the included variables). Additionally, we calculated the possible "time × current diagnosis of mental health problems" and the "time × previous diagnosis of mental health problems" interactions on distress. We also estimated the effect of time on the mechanistic variables of mindfulness, self-compassion, and resilience, and the effect of time on the secondary outcomes (i.e., the student's orientation towards their academic goals). We reported within-group effect sizes (ESs) from the marginal means by correcting for the dependence of the repeated measures [59]. For the proposed interactions, we computed ESs for pairwise comparisons, using the pooled pre-test standard deviation to weight the differences in the pre-post marginal means and to correct for the population estimate [60]. Standardized ESs of d ≤ 0.20 are considered small, d = 0.50 as medium, and d ≥ 0.80 or more as large [61]. Engagement during the Programme and Outcomes Using Spearman's correlations, we explored the possible relationships between the number of mindfulness sessions attended as well as the amount of practice during the programme-calculated as the multiplication of the number of days practiced and the estimated mean practice duration per day-and the pre-post changes in each outcome. Additionally, we also completed these same analyses on a subset of participants with current mental health difficulties. Mediating Role of Mindfulness, Self-Compassion and Resilience To test the possible mediating effects of mindfulness, self-compassion, and resilience, we used an exploratory within-participant path-analytic framework [62,63]. Firstly, we developed a post hoc power analysis for participants with complete data. Assuming a partial mediation scenario, we estimated the product of the tests of paths "a" and "b," which closely estimates the power of bootstrap estimates [64,65] for a large effect in both paths "a" and "b" (i.e., a standardised path-value of 0.40 each) and an intermediate effect in path "c'" (i.e., the direct effect after conditioning on the indirect effects, with a path-value of around 0.30) of the mediation models. Secondly, we evaluated the correlations between pre-post-intervention changes in mindfulness, self-compassion, and resilience, with preintervention to follow-up changes in the primary outcomes of wellbeing and distress. Finally, we explored the relationships between time (i.e., the independent variable), the pre-post-intervention changes in the mediators (i.e., mindfulness, self-compassion, and resilience), and the pre-intervention to follow-up changes in the main outcomes (i.e., distress and wellbeing), using ordinary least squares (OLS) analyses. For these analyses, we used unstandardised path estimates from the regression coefficients and developed independent models for each tested mediator (i.e., mindfulness, self-compassion, and resilience) and main outcome (i.e., distress and wellbeing). Thus, we entered 'time' as the independent variable (X), the mindfulness (or self-compassion or resilience) pre-postintervention change scores as a possible mediator (M), and the pre-intervention to followup change scores for wellbeing (or distress) as a dependent variable (Y). The simple within-group path mediational model followed is graphically depicted in Figure 2. We calculated the unstandardised regression coefficients and the corresponding standard errors for bootstrapped indirect effects. We present the 95% bias-corrected confidence interval based on 10,000 bootstrap samples to overcome possible problems of asymmetry in the distribution of the indirect effects. Indirect effects are considered statistically significant when their 95% confidence interval does not include zero [66]. Finally, we used the multiple determination coefficient (R 2 ) to calculate the ESs for the mediation models (i.e., values of 0.00 = null effect, 0.14 = small effects, 0.39 = medium effects, and 0.59 or more = large effects) [67]. Figure 2. The independent variable is the repeated-measures factor (e.g., time: X). M is the prepost difference in the corresponding mechanistic variable. The dependent variable is the prefollow-up difference in the corresponding main outcome (Y). "a*b" = indirect effect through the mediator. "c'" = direct effect after adjusting for the mediating effects. An overall 2-sided α level of 0.05 was used. We did not correct for multiple testing, given the exploratory nature of the present study [68]. Analyses were performed using STATA v17.0 (StataCorp. College Station, TX, USA) and IBM SPSS v27.0 (IBM Corp. Armonk, NY, USA). Table 1 provides an overview of the participant characteristics at baseline, and a flowchart of participants can be seen in Figure 3. Research attrition was predicted by age, the current presence of a diagnosed mental health problem, as well as baseline levels of mindfulness, self-compassion, distress, and the secondary outcome of commitment towards academic goals (see supplementary materials Table S1). No other variables were involved in the missing data pattern. Table 1 provides an overview of the participant characteristics at baseline, and a flowchart of participants can be seen in Figure 3. Research attrition was predicted by age, the current presence of a diagnosed mental health problem, as well as baseline levels of mindfulness, self-compassion, distress, and the secondary outcome of commitment towards academic goals (see supplementary materials Table S1). No other variables were involved in the missing data pattern. Expectations of Benefit, Engagement in and Acceptability of the Course The expectation of benefit was M = 7.09 (SD = 1.64). Of the 74 participants who completed T1 measures, 36 (48.0%) participants attended the whole M-FP programme, and including these, 52 (69.3%) attended seven out of eight sessions, with 71 (94.7%) attending half or more of the programme (Figure 3). The median number of days participants reported practising mindfulness meditation during the programme was 5 days per week (IQR: 3-7), and on these days, they reported engaging in mindfulness practices for a median of 10-15 min per day (IQR: 5-10 to [15][16][17][18][19][20]. Participant ratings of acceptability, following the intervention, were as follows: "the intervention was beneficial", M = 6.93 (SD = 1.90); "the intervention should be made widely available", M = 9.12 (SD = 1.21); "quality level of the teaching," M = 8.05 (SD = 1.97); "likelihood of using mindfulness in the future," M = 8.12 (SD = 1.99). The total acceptability score had a mean value of M = 8.06 (SD = 1.40). Expectations of benefit from the mindfulness course was not a predictor of completion of the programme (β = 0.17; p = 0.148). However, participants classified as 'White,' including 'White British, 'White Irish, any 'Other White' ethnicity, were significantly associated with a higher number of sessions attended compared with other ethnic groups (β = 0.28; p = 0.019), and thus, ethnicity was a predictor of completion of the programme. The expectations of benefit from the mindfulness course was significantly related to the total acceptability score (β = 0.50; p < 0.001), while the total acceptability score was significantly related to pre-post improvements in mindfulness (β = 0.29; p = 0.012), self-compassion (β = 0.25; p = 0.030), resilience (β = 0.39; p = 0.001) and wellbeing (β = 0.40; p < 0.001). No other significant relationships were found between expectations of benefit, total acceptability score and pre-post differential scores in other outcomes. Expectations of Benefit, Engagement in and Acceptability of the Course The expectation of benefit was M = 7.09 (SD = 1.64). Of the 74 participants who completed T1 measures, 36 (48.0%) participants attended the whole M-FP programme, and including these, 52 (69.3%) attended seven out of eight sessions, with 71 (94.7%) attending half or more of the programme (Figure 3). The median number of days participants reported practising mindfulness meditation during the programme was 5 days per week (IQR: 3-7), and on these days, they reported engaging in mindfulness practices for a median of 10-15 min per day (IQR: 5-10 to [15][16][17][18][19][20]. Participant ratings of acceptability, following the intervention, were as follows: "the intervention was beneficial", M = 6.93 (SD = 1.90); "the intervention should be made widely available", M = 9.12 (SD = 1.21); "quality level of the teaching," M = 8.05 (SD = 1.97); "likelihood of using mindfulness in the future," M = 8.12 (SD = 1.99). The total acceptability score had a mean value of M = 8.06 (SD = 1.40). Expectations of benefit from the mindfulness course was not a predictor of completion of the programme (β = 0.17; p = 0.148). However, participants classified as 'White,' including 'White British, 'White Irish, any 'Other White' ethnicity, were significantly associated with a higher number of sessions attended compared with other ethnic groups (β = 0.28; p = 0.019), and thus, ethnicity was a predictor of completion of the programme. The expectations of benefit from the mindfulness course was significantly related to the total acceptability score (β = 0.50; p < 0.001), while the total acceptability score was significantly related to pre-post improvements in mindfulness (β = 0.29; p = 0.012), self- Table 2 shows that there were significant improvements in the main outcomes of wellbeing and distress, following the intervention at T1 (WEMWBS: B = 2.08; p < 0.001; CORE: B = −2.63; p < 0.001) with moderate effects, and at T2 (WEMWBS: B = 2.09; p < 0.001; CORE: B = −2.39; p = 0.001), with moderate and low-moderate effects, respectively. Adjusted models and analyses using imputed data reinforced these results, with significant but reduced slopes (see supplementary materials Table S2). As can be seen in Table 3, there was an interaction effect between time and current mental health problems on distress at post-intervention and follow-up, with large effects. Furthermore, the analyses revealed a significant interaction effect between time and previ-ously diagnosed mental health problems on distress at post-intervention and follow-up, with moderate to large effects. Those participants suffering from a current or previous history of mental health problems showed significantly more improvements in distress than those without a current or a previous history of mental health problems. These results were replicated when using adjusted models and imputations, although ESs were reduced when using imputations (see supplementary materials Table S3). There were significant pre-post-intervention and pre-intervention to follow-up improvements in the mediators, including mindfulness, self-compassion, and resilience, with moderate effects (Table 4). Furthermore, the analyses revealed significant pre−postintervention and pre-intervention to follow-up improvements in the secondary outcomes, including the domains of likelihood, skills and resources, and commitment towards achieving one's academic goals, with moderate to low effects. Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation did not show significant changes at any time point (Table 5). Engagement during the Programme and Outcomes The number of mindfulness sessions attended during the programme was not significantly related to improvements between time points across all measures. However, the amount of home practice during the programme (calculated as the multiplication of the number of practice days and the estimated mean time practiced each day) was significantly related to pre-post-intervention improvements in wellbeing (R = 0.28; p = 0.017), mindfulness (R = 0.23; p = 0.045) and self-compassion (R = 0.27; p = 0.021). Although the amount of home practice during the programme was not significantly related to pre-post-intervention improvements in distress (R = −0.04; p = 0.716) and resilience (R = 0.12; p = 0.327), intermediate effects were observed in a sub-group of students, who reported current mental health problems (n = 16; distress: R = −0.36, p = 0.169; resilience: R = 0.33, p = 0.207). Mediating Role of Mindfulness, Self-Compassion and Resilience Firstly, we computed bivariate correlations between pre-post-intervention differences in mindfulness, self-compassion, and resilience and pre-intervention to follow-up differences in wellbeing, and distress (see supplementary materials Table S4). The shared variance between pre-post-intervention changes in mindfulness and self-compassion was 36%; between mindfulness and resilience, the shared variance was 30%; between selfcompassion and resilience, it was 19%, and it was 29% between pre-intervention to followup changes in wellbeing and distress. The path analysis results are presented in Tables 6-8 and illustrated in Figure 2. SE: standard error. 95% CI ( † 95% confidence interval; ‡ 95% bias-corrected bootstrap confidence interval for the indirect effect using 10,000 samples). "a*b" = indirect effects through mindfulness (see Figure 2). Path "c" refers to the unadjusted direct effects of X on Y. *** p < 0.001. * p < 0.05. SE: standard error. 95% CI ( † 95% confidence interval; ‡ 95% bias-corrected bootstrap confidence interval for the indirect effect using 10,000 samples). "a*b" = indirect effects through mindfulness (see Figure 2). Path "c" refers to the unadjusted direct effects of X on Y. *** p < 0.001. ** p < 0.01. * p < 0.05. SE: standard error. 95% CI ( † 95% confidence interval; ‡ 95% bias-corrected bootstrap confidence interval for the indirect effect using 10,000 samples). "a*b" = indirect effects through mindfulness (see Figure 2). Path "c" refers to the unadjusted direct effects of X on Y. *** p < 0.001. ** p < 0.01. * p < 0.05. We observed that participants reported significant improvements in mindfulness at post-intervention (a = 3.80; p < 0.001) and that these improvements predicted changes in wellbeing (b = 0.29; p < 0.001) and distress (b = −0.42; p < 0.001) at follow-up (see Table 6). The 95% bias-corrected bootstrap confidence intervals for the interaction effects on wellbeing (0.38−2.05) and distress (−2.65 to −0.69) did not cross zero, indicating a possible mediating effect of mindfulness on both wellbeing and distress. This mediating effect explained 56% of total effects in wellbeing and 75% of total effects in distress, with small to medium ESs (Table 6). Furthermore, participants reported significant improvements in self-compassion at post-intervention (a = 0.38; p < 0.001), and these changes predicted improvements in wellbeing (b = 2.57; p = 0.005) at follow up (see Table 7). The 95% bias-corrected bootstrap confidence intervals for the interaction effects on wellbeing (0.22 to 1.98) did not cross zero, indicating a possible mediating effect of self-compassion on wellbeing, explaining a 51% of total effects, with a small ES. The possible mediating effect of self-compassion on distress was not significant (Table 7). Finally, participants reported significant improvements in resilience following the intervention (a = 2.07; p = 0.004), and these improvements predicted changes in both wellbeing (b = 0.25; p = 0.013) and distress (b = −0.33; p = 0.033) at follow−up. The 95% bias-corrected bootstrap confidence interval for the interaction effects on wellbeing (0.12-1.10) and distress (−1.59 to −0.07) did not cross zero, indicating a possible mediating effect of resilience on wellbeing and distress, explaining a 27% and 33% of total effects respectively, with small ESs (Table 8). Discussion This study explored the acceptability and effectiveness of the 'Mindfulness: Finding Peace in a Frantic World' course [21] in a university student population. Exploratory investigations were also conducted into changes in attitudes and motivation towards a self-selected academic goal. Preliminary explorations were conducted into the mediating role of mindfulness, self-compassion, and resilience for wellbeing and mental health (self-reported distress) independently. Results suggest that university students engaged with the M-FP course and reported high rates of acceptability. In addition, there were significant improvements in wellbeing and decreased mental health difficulties following the intervention and at 6-week follow-up, despite just under half of the sample attending all eight sessions. Improvements in wellbeing were significantly mediated by mindfulness, self-compassion, and resilience, whilst reductions in mental health problems were mediated by improvements in mindfulness and resilience, but not self-compassion. Further exploration revealed significant improvement in perceived "commitment" to, "likelihood" of achieving, and feeling more equipped with the "skills and resources" required to accomplish a self-selected academic goal at post-intervention and at 6-week follow-up. No improvements were revealed for intrinsic or extrinsic motivation towards academic goals. The M-FP course had a moderate effect in improving wellbeing and decreasing mental health problems at post-intervention, with moderate-low effects at 6-week follow-up, which reflects similar findings from recent meta-analyses and systematic reviews exploring university student samples [19,69]. Consistent with previous research, improvements in wellbeing were associated with more time engaging in home practices [70]. Engagement, by M-FP course attendance, was higher than alternative MBPs offered to university students [23], and slightly lower in comparison to a secondary teacher sample [20]. Engagement by home practice was lower than the recommended practice duration within the 8-week M-FP course (20 min per day) [21], but it was within the previously reported total range of home practice for MBPs in university student samples [23,24]. Thus, universities might be implicated in improving student well-being by enhancing mindfulness home practice (e.g., making available tools that facilitate practice such as online platforms with tutorials, audios, videos, etc.). Participants perceived the course to be beneficial and useful, and many had intentions to continue using mindfulness in the future. Ethnicity was a significant predictor of completion of the programme, and those who categorised themselves as being of white ethnicity attended significantly more sessions than other ethnic groups, although we recognise this is a small sample (Table 1). This raises an important perspective on the inclusivity and accessibility of mindfulness interventions for individuals from minority ethnic backgrounds. Similar studies in the area [23,24] have not reported the relationship between ethnicity and attendance but have similar percentages of ethnic diversity in their participant groups. In a systematic review of Mindfulness and Meditation-Based Interventions (MMBI), only 24 out of 12,265 studies were identified as 'diversity-focused' [71]. Research efforts, therefore, need to be made to ensure such courses are accessible, acceptable and effective to people across a range of ethnic backgrounds at the stage of both design and delivery. The present student sample reported moderate (26%) rates of current mental health problems in line with recent student population estimates [4,10,72]. Commonly, mindfulness practitioners advise against participation in MBPs if a potential participant is experiencing severe psychological distress, current depression, mania, or recent bereavement. In the present study, participants who reported experiencing current or past mental health problems reported significantly greater reductions in distress compared to those without current or past mental health problems. This reflects similar evidence from Galante et al. [23], which found that baseline levels of distress moderated the benefit obtained from an MBP in a university student population. These findings could have important implications for the implementation and benefits of MBPs with vulnerable students and should be explored in further research. There is preliminary evidence to suggest that MBPs implemented in a student population can impact academic outcomes and behaviour [23,25]. Whilst academic outcomes were not measured in the present study, we found an effect of time on students' orientation towards their most important academic goal, suggesting the M-FP may have facilitated a more positive orientation towards academic goals. Intrinsic motivation is widely considered an important determinant for academic success [27] and is associated with trait mindfulness [73]. However, the present study did not find any significant changes in intrinsic and extrinsic motivation towards obtaining an academic goal following participation in the M-FP course. This finding is likely the result of ceiling effects, as much of the study sample reported very high levels of intrinsic motivation and very low levels of extrinsic motivation at baseline. This may arguably be characteristic of the present sample, comprising of students who have met the high entry requirements for studying at Oxford University [74]. Future research would benefit from a more diverse sample representative of a broad university student population. However, this result could also be derived from the instrument that was used, which only included one single item to measure each academic goal domain. Nevertheless, these preliminary findings contribute to our understanding of the effectiveness of the M-FP course on improving students' orientation towards their academic goals and may form the basis of future investigations. In line with systematic reviews and meta-analyses exploring mechanisms of change in MBPs [31,32], mindfulness, resilience, and self-compassion were found to be significant mediators for pre-post-intervention changes in wellbeing. Furthermore, whilst improvements in distress were mediated by resilience and mindfulness, self-compassion was not found to significantly mediate improvements in distress in the present sample. This finding is consistent with previous findings from a study with a sample of secondary school teachers that found mindfulness, but not self-compassion, mediated changes between the frequency of mindfulness practice during an MBP and mental health outcomes [20], suggesting that improvement in mental health symptoms and wellbeing may be driven by different pathways of change. Recent cross-sectional evidence from general population participants also found significant direct effects of mindfulness, self-compassion, and resilience on anxiety and depression symptoms, with indirect effects of mindfulness and self-compassion through resilience on depression symptoms [42]. Thus, in order to optimise outcomes and delivery of MBPs, the disparity between mechanisms underpinning improvements in wellbeing and mental health symptoms, including distress, should be investigated further. The findings are interpreted in the light of several limitations. Given the exploratory nature of our study, we did not control for multiple comparisons, possibly leading to false-positive findings. The study is characterised by a small sample size and large rates of attrition. Although statistical techniques were employed to address these characteristics, it may not have sufficient power to fully investigate all the questions proposed with the potential to lead to false-negative findings. Therefore, it is important that these findings are considered preliminary and that future research aims to formally test these observations in larger university student samples. The absence of a control condition means that it is unclear whether improvements in wellbeing, distress, mediators and the students' orientation towards their academic goals can be attributed to their participation in the M-FP course or the passage of time. Students' orientation towards their academic goals is a new line of enquiry. Thus, it is currently unknown how academic goal orientation (i.e., commitment to, likelihood of achieving, and having the skills and resources to achieve the academic goal) may fluctuate during the academic year. The present study did not explore the mechanisms through which the observed changes in academic goal orientation were facilitated to avoid over-testing. Future research may wish to explore these longitudinal changes by combining self-report measures of academic goal orientation with objective measures of academic achievement and study behaviour. As mentioned, the academic goal findings may also be derived from the instrument that was used, which only included one single item to measure each academic goal domain, and future research should improve the quality of the measures used in this regard. In addition, whilst the M-FP course was found to be particularly effective for students with mental health problems, these findings can also be explained by the observation of regression to the mean, as students reported high levels of mental health problems at study entry [75]. Finally, opportunity sampling was employed, whereby students, who were already considering partaking in the M-FP course, were recruited. Hence, participants may present with characteristics (e.g., financial resources to afford course participation), which differ from the general student population at large, limiting the generalisability of the present findings. In this sense, we observed that ethnicity predicted completion of the programme, and that raises questions of inclusivity. For example, marginalized identities (rather racial, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, migrant, etc.) may play a role in the outcomes and would require special consideration, as findings may be differential based on students' identity. Conclusions Whilst the findings are exploratory in nature and must be considered preliminary, they highlight possible avenues for future investigations. Considering the limitations, the M-FP course was found to be acceptable and effective in the university student population. Students who undertook the course showed improvements in wellbeing and distress over the study period. Whilst this may also be the result of regression to the mean, mindfulness, self-compassion, and resilience were found to mediate changes in wellbeing, while changes in distress were mediated by mindfulness and resilience. Such mediation effects would be expected of active intervention. Further, to our knowledge, this study is the first to suggest that participation in the M-FP course may improve students' orientation towards their academic goals (i.e., the perceived likelihood, commitment, and skills and resources of achieving their goal). Given the exploratory nature of this study, future research should aim to formally test these observations in larger student samples, using randomised controlled trial designs and combining more robust self-report measures of academic goal orientation with objective measures of academic achievement, and study behaviour. In light of the corresponding relationship between ethnicity and completion of the intervention, it is pertinent that barriers to attendance and engagement for students from ethnic minority backgrounds are explored. To optimise outcomes of the M-FP course for university students, the disparity between mechanisms underpinning improvements in wellbeing and distress should be investigated further. The results merit future investigation whilst having implications for public health and calls for universities to further support and promote positive mental health in their students. Supplementary Materials: The following are available online at https://www.mdpi.com/article/10 .3390/ijerph18116023/s1, Table S1: Baseline variables predicting completion at post-test and followup. Table S2: Adjusted and imputed analysis of primary outcomes. Table S3: Adjusted and imputed analysis of the interaction effect between the time and mental health problems (current or previous) on distress (CORE-10) scores. Table S4: Correlations between the pre-post-treatment changes in the proposed mediators and pre-intervention to follow-up changes in the main outcomes (n = 60). Funding: This research was funded in whole, or in part, by the Wellcome Trust WT104908/Z/14/Z and WT107496/Z/15/Z and supported by the NIHR Oxford Health Biomedical Research Centre. For the purpose of Open Access, the author has applied a CC BY public copyright licence to any Author Accepted Manuscript version arising from this submission. The Wellcome Trust and NIHR Oxford Health Biomedical Research Centre had no role in the design and conduct of the study; collection, management, analysis, and interpretation of the data; preparation, review, or approval of the manuscript; and decision to submit the manuscript for publication. Institutional Review Board Statement: The study was conducted according to the guidelines of the Declaration of Helsinki and approved by the University of Oxford Research Ethics Committee (protocol reference code: R52786/RE004; date of approval: 16 October 2018). Informed Consent Statement: Written Informed consent was obtained from all subjects involved in the study. Participants could withdraw from the study at any time after they had filled out the questionnaires on request. Data Availability Statement: Following the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), all of the individual anonymized and completely de-identified participant data are available for any analytical purpose that is related to achieve aims in the present study upon reasonable request to researchers (a) who provide a methodologically sound proposal and (b) whose proposed use of the data has been approved by an independent ethical review committee. The data and codebook will be provided by the corresponding author (willem.kuyken@psych.ox.ac.uk) to interested researchers that meet the aforementioned criteria.
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- HEIGHT: 12.2–14.2 hands - PLACE OF ORIGIN: Northern England - SPECIAL QUALITIES: Effervescent ponies of great presence with brilliant high action and excellent stamina - BEST SUITED FOR: Fine harness, pleasure and roadster driving The Hackney Pony resulted from the efforts of one British breeder, Christopher Wilson of Westmoreland. He wanted to create a small animal with all the brilliance of a good Hackney Horse but with distinct pony character. He began in 1872 with a brown roadster pony stallion named Sir George, foaled in 1866, that carried both Norfolk and Yorkshire blood and was said to be an exceptionally good-looking pony. He crossed this animal primarily on Fell Pony mares but also tried a few crosses on Welsh Ponies. Sir George, who stood just under 14 hands, seems to have contributed speed and elegance, while the Fell Pony side of the family added high knee action and substance. Wilson’s ponies were an immediate success. They were fancy, fast trotters that made quite an impressive sight when hitched to light carriages, and prices soared for the best ones. According to the Hackney Horse Society in England, Mr. Wilson believed in maintaining the hardiness of the ponies by leaving them to fend for themselves on the moors over the winter. He may also have used wintering on the moors to limit the height of his ponies, which means they didn’t eat very well when they were turned out. Nonetheless, they survived and sustained their abilities as wonderful driving ponies. Hackney Ponies have been exported to many countries. After World War II, they began to be bred almost exclusively as show ponies. Because of their brilliance and snappy movement, they are always show-stoppers in fine harness, pleasure, and roadster classes. In shows in the United States, Hackney Ponies are divided by size as well as activity. Ponies measuring 50 to 56 inches are known as Cob-Tails and compete in fine harness with docked tails, a tradition that goes back to their early days in England. Cob-Tails must exhibit very high action and are shown pulling formal, four-wheeled driving vehicles. Smaller ponies, 50 inches and under, are shown with full-length tails. There is also a pleasure pony division in which ponies of any size may be shown. In these classes, the manes and tails are long but the required action is not quite as extreme as in the more formal classes. The pleasure vehicles are two-wheeled. Hackney Ponies, particularly those that lack the brilliant action needed for the show ring, often find their way into other lines of work where they have proved to be first-rate jumpers; good trail, hunter, and event ponies; successful Western contest ponies; superb pleasure driving ponies; and generally fine athletes. The Hackney Pony is prized for its high flashy action, dazzling show presence, and athletic good looks. The Hackney Pony stands between 12.2 and 14.2 hands. It has a light, somewhat long head with a straight or slightly convex profile and large, expressive eyes. The ears are small and pointed. The arched, muscular neck is set smoothly onto the shoulders, which are muscular and sloping. The back is short and straight, the croup long and slightly rounded with a tail that springs from high up. The tail is carried gaily. The legs are slender but very strong, with good joints and hard feet. Known primarily for their outstanding action under harness, Hackney Ponies also perform well as hunter/jumpers and trail and event ponies, and even in Western competition. The Hackney Pony was created as a separate breed in the 1870s from trotting breeds like the Norfolk and Yorkshire crossed on Fell Pony and Welsh mares. Most Hackney Ponies are bay, brown, or black, with minimal white markings. Hackney Ponies are almost always bay, brown, or black. Chestnut occurs rarely but is allowed, as are roan and gray. White markings are permitted but usually consist of only a narrow blaze, snip, or strip, and white not much higher than the fetlocks. BREED ASSOCIATION FACTS AND FIGURES According to the Hackney Horse Society (incorporated in 1891): • The Hackney Pony does not have its own studbook but is registered in the same book as the Hackney Horse. • The database does not include an actual count of all animals registered. • Four hundred to 500 new animals are registered each year, of which 90 percent are Hackney Ponies. • Hackney Ponies are most popular in the Midwest, especially in Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois.
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(Website nhà tài trợ: công ty kiến trúc nhà) Quỷ đỏ được loan báo mang những tiến triển thương lượng Zinedine Zidane về thay Solskjaer ngồi ‘ghế nóng’ ở Old Trafford, làm thầy CR7 và Varane một lần nữa. bong da truc tuyen k+ Theo thông tin trong khoảng nhà báo Pedro Almeida của tờ Manchester Evening News, Man U đang với các đàm phán với cựu thuyền trưởng real madrid, Zinedine Zidane giữa những lời triệu tập sa thải Solskjaer. Theo thông tin từ nhà báo Pedro Almeida của tờ Manchester Evening News, Quỷ đỏ đang mang các giao dịch sở hữu cựu chuyến lượt gia real madrid, Zinedine Zidane giữa các lời kêu gọi sa thải Solskjaer. Và nguồn Record Sport với tới tin vui cho các fan Man United lúc tuyên bố, Zidane từ chỗ không có kế hoạch phục vụ ở Anh hiện cảm nhận bị chú ý hơn với ý tưởng dẫn dắt Manchester United, nơi mà ông sẽ mang dịp tái ngộ CR7 và Raphael Varane. tuy vậy, nguồn này cũng nói thêm, bà phường của huyền thoại đá banh Pháp, Veronique Zidane vẫn thích chồng nghỉ ngơi thêm. Về phía Mu, HLV Solskjaer sau khi về Na Uy ‘lánh nạn’ – tận dụng gia hạn nghỉ quốc tế, đã quay trở lại trên sân Tập Luyện cộng các học sinh. Hiện thời chưa sở hữu tín hiệu cựu chân sút bị sa thải, nhưng ko đảm bảo được tương lai nếu nửa đỏ thành manchester không cải thiện tình hình.
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With who knows what going to happen over the next few days I'm going to describe things in terms of how many classes from today things will be happening. Adjust and prepare accordingly. AP English III I hope that you felt prepared and successful on the test on The Crucible today. You have some online and group collaborating to do over the weekend to prepare for next class's priority - the group allegory presentation. Remember, make a point through the art of allegory. The thing you have to remember is that you have to be specific; a point to point comparison is needed so that the audience can make sense of how they line up and what the point is. You should prepare a script, I'd share a Google Doc, and prepare for about 3-5 minutes of length. One scene or two short scenes. In two classes we're going to have our monologue presentations and collection of rhetorical analyses on the monologues. You have the rubric, and if you don't come get it tomorrow while we're at school or email. Remember that in the rhetorical analysis you're focusing on explaining how the author is conveying an argument through this monologue. That argument should be one of the main ones of the whole play too. Look at language - get your hands dirty - and remember that these are plays. They've been spoken and presented. YouTube it. Tone is a key element of how authors make arguments. You have a day before we collect, so come in for a conference! Lots of fun today for the review game - there was only one question that couldn't be answered! Tehran! Remember to use your study guides and prepare for what we have next class. The Persepolis unit exam is going to have everything that we did today - characters, plot, culture, vocabulary, and writing. Please do keep looking at your personal narratives and working on them (especially if we have some time to do it). We'll build in a bit of class time to do that too, and soon!
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Bar Blu Welcome to Bar Blu for an alternative vodka experience. With the largest selection of vodka cocktails from around the world and celebrity cocktail bartenders to keep you in the mood, Bar Blu is the trendiest place on your mobile Dynamite Pro Football 2010 Goal! Pass, shoot, and score your way to victory as you compete to prove your team to be the best in the world! IQ Funny Dog If you love dogs but you don't have the time and space to own a pet, you can now keep it in your mobile phone. And if you think dogs are messy, then you will love this one - it even cleans your phone's display Millionaire City Welcome to Millionaire City, where you can become a powerhouse CEO and watch the money roll in all from the convenience of your android Phone Dj Mix Tour Make a name for yourself and become a popular DJ in the hottest nightclubs around Vườn Thủy Cung - Xứ Sở Thần Tiên Bạn là một nhà làm vườn thực thụ. Bạn đã quen với việc “trồng rau” với những game nông trại hay những tựa game nổi tiếng như “Khu vườn trên mây”. Vậy bạn đã bao giờ nghĩ mình sẽ trải nghiệm mới - “trồng rau” ở dưới nước ngay trên điện thoại?
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#022bb4 Color Information In a RGB color space, hex #022bb4 is composed of 0.8% red, 16.9% green and 70.6% blue. Whereas in a CMYK color space, it is composed of 98.9% cyan, 76.1% magenta, 0% yellow and 29.4% black. It has a hue angle of 226.2 degrees, a saturation of 97.8% and a lightness of 35.7%. #022bb4 color hex could be obtained by blending #0456ff with #000069. Closest websafe color is: #0033cc. • R 1 • G 17 • B 71 RGB color chart • C 99 • M 76 • Y 0 • K 29 CMYK color chart #022bb4 color description : Strong blue. #022bb4 Color Conversion The hexadecimal color #022bb4 has RGB values of R:2, G:43, B:180 and CMYK values of C:0.99, M:0.76, Y:0, K:0.29. Its decimal value is 142260. Hex triplet 022bb4 #022bb4 RGB Decimal 2, 43, 180 rgb(2,43,180) RGB Percent 0.8, 16.9, 70.6 rgb(0.8%,16.9%,70.6%) CMYK 99, 76, 0, 29 HSL 226.2°, 97.8, 35.7 hsl(226.2,97.8%,35.7%) HSV (or HSB) 226.2°, 98.9, 70.6 Web Safe 0033cc #0033cc CIE-LAB 26.835, 44.318, -73.638 XYZ 9.125, 5.035, 43.668 xyY 0.158, 0.087, 5.035 CIE-LCH 26.835, 85.946, 301.041 CIE-LUV 26.835, -9.971, -90.075 Hunter-Lab 22.439, 33.323, -99.675 Binary 00000010, 00101011, 10110100 Color Schemes with #022bb4 Complementary Color Analogous Color Split Complementary Color Triadic Color Tetradic Color Monochromatic Color Alternatives to #022bb4 Below, you can see some colors close to #022bb4. Having a set of related colors can be useful if you need an inspirational alternative to your original color choice. Similar Colors #022bb4 Preview Text with hexadecimal color #022bb4 This text has a font color of #022bb4. Text here #022bb4 background color This paragraph has a background color of #022bb4. Content here #022bb4 border color This element has a border color of #022bb4. Content here CSS codes .text {color:#022bb4;} .background {background-color:#022bb4;} .border {border:1px solid #022bb4;} Shades and Tints of #022bb4 Shade Color Variation Tint Color Variation Tones of #022bb4 A tone is produced by adding gray to any pure hue. In this case, #565860 is the less saturated color, while #022bb4 is the most saturated one. Tone Color Variation Color Blindness Simulator Below, you can see how #022bb4 is perceived by people affected by a color vision deficiency. This can be useful if you need to ensure your color combinations are accessible to color-blind users. • #2e2e2e Achromatopsia 0.005% of the population • #252d49 Atypical Achromatopsia 0.001% of the population • #00478a Protanopia 1% of men • #004b77 Deuteranopia 1% of men • #005054 Tritanopia 0.001% of the population • #004377 Tritanomaly 0.01% of the population
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presence of comorbidities Summer is the best time to enrich your diet and lose weight without diets. In addition, summer activities – swimming, walking, rollerblading, cycling, etc. together with proper nutrition will help to become slimmer and lighter without forced diets and tedious classes in the gym .. In summer it is easy to arrange fasting days – there are enough vegetables, fruits and greens at reasonable prices. Fasting day must be correct Before you change your diet and arrange fasting days, it is important to consult with a nutritionist. Continue reading Milk is a useful product that contains calcium, various vitamins and minerals, rich in proteins and fats. However, milk is not always useful for children, and in some babies (about 10% of the total) milk allergy is present. How to understand that this problem is just about your child? Why is there an allergy to milk protein? The protein that is part of the cow’s milk, falling into the body, breaks down into separate elements, which are usually well digested. However, in children, the digestive system is immature, and they may not have the necessary enzymes to split the protein. Continue reading Summer, like spring, is the season of flowering of many plants. It is pollen in most cases that causes pollinosis — an allergic reaction to pollen from flowering herbs, flowers, shrubs, etc. When breathing on the mucous membrane of the nose of a person suffering from allergies, pollen stimulates the immune system. For immunity allergy pollen is perceived as a foreign aggressor and the immune system begins to actively produce antibodies to fight it. Some foods, spices, household items, smells, etc. may further enhance the effect of allergens. The main culprits of summer pollinosis Continue reading
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Global Environmental Warriors I have been spending a lot of time working on things that actually matter to me. Over the last 8 months a lot has changed. I know find myself working with a few solid people who are creating their own #smallsteps movement to do our part in sav..preserving the Earth and our environments. As hard as I know it is for people to step away from the brain damaging effects of Facebook, there are better alternatives. Although I am pretty sure not many will even read this, I feel like it’s still worth my effort to try. Come find me at Global Environmental Warriors. Leave a Reply You are commenting using your account. Log Out / Change ) Google photo Twitter picture Facebook photo Connecting to %s Create a website or blog at Up ↑ %d bloggers like this:
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Customs Tariff - Tares Person vor dem Bildschirm mit geöffnetem Tares. All merchandise must be declared in accordance with the customs tariff upon importation and exportation. This also applies to private goods not transported in personal luggage or a private vehicle. The Swiss customs tariff, like most customs tariffs worldwide, is based on the internationally valid Harmonized System (HS). The first six digits of the 8-digit Swiss tariff headings correspond to the HS. The Swiss Federal Customs Administration makes the customs tariff (Tares) available on the Internet free of charge ( After selecting the date, the country of origin or destination, the direction of transport (im-port/export), the 8-digit tariff heading, and any applicable statistical key, a click on the magnifying glass symbol displays the possible customs rates (normal customs rate and customs rates granted for certain uses under spe-cific conditions or if a valid certificate of origin is available), additional fees or taxes, licence requirements, and other information. The application also links to additional information: e.g. D.4 (Tariff classification decisions), D.6 (Explanatory notes to the customs tariff, providing a detailed description of which goods correspond to which tariff codes), and Remarks (General remarks, Notes on Free Trade Agreements, Customs Quotas, Trade Statistics, Customs Privileges, Taxes, mport and Export Licences and special provisions). "Help" leads to an online manual, answers to frequently asked questions and the hotline addresses. Electronic Tares training and the option of printing a list of Tariff Headings as a PDF document round off the Internet offerings. Estimating the cost of personal goods:
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Municipalities dump more than a half billion gallons of sewage mixed with untreated stormwater into the creek annually. That putrid cocktail has fouled the creek’s water in a variety of ways. Sludge composed of decaying human feces and other contaminants is up to five feet deep in places along the creek bottom. Fecal bacteria is present at levels up to 20 times higher than what’s considered safe for recreational use. And if that’s not enough, the Scajaquada empties into the Black Rock Canal, which is used by boaters, fishermen and crew teams. “There’s no doubt that Scajaquada Creek is probably a horror story of what not to do to a creek,” said Jill Jedlicka, executive director of Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper. Indeed, the Scajaquada is a man-made disaster, and has been for more than a century. A 3.7 mile stretch through Cheektowaga and the east side of Buffalo was covered in the 1920s because the water was rank from sewage and industrial pollution. Wetlands that used to filter pollution have been largely built on and paved over. “You can’t do much more to a creek that we have done as a society to Scajaquada,” Jedlicka said. Investigative Post interviewed nine sources with knowledge of the Scajaquada and obtained a half-dozen reports and hundreds more pages of documents, some through the state Freedom of Information Law. These interviews and documents underscore not only the problem, but the daunting challenge municipalities face since the federal Clean Water Act was adopted in 1972, which made most of these sewer overflows illegal. Although work and planning is underway to significantly reduce the sewer overflows, it may be decades before cities, towns and villages comply. The 15-mile creek originates in Lancaster from a natural spring and meanders west through Depew, Cheektowaga and Buffalo, where it flows into the Black Rock Canal and Niagara River. Thirty more natural underground springs, including the city’s original water supply Jubilee Springs, recharge the creek in Forest Lawn Cemetery. Burying the 3.7 mile stretch of the creek in Cheektowaga and East Buffalo in the 1920s was followed by more modifications, including diverting and straightening about a third of the creek in the 1970s, to control flooding. The Army Corps of Engineers warned before the work started that it would “destroy and disturb the natural terrestrial and aquatic ecosystem, have long-lasting effects upon the environment and encourage further floodplain development” according to a Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper 2002 report. That it did. Sprawl has wiped out most of the Scajaquada’s wetlands that previously filtered out contaminants in the same way a Brita pitcher cleans tap water. The biggest culprit was the construction of Walden Galleria, the region’s largest shopping mall that opened in 1989, destroying 65 percent of the creek’s wetlands. Now, only 2 percent of the creek’s 18,590-acre watershed are wetlands, according to a Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper report, well below what’s considered an acceptable threshold. “The wetlands were seen as a nuisance and they were either filled in, dredged out or paved over,” Jedlicka said. Sewage dumped into creek The biggest reason the Scajaquada is so badly polluted these days is because Cheektowaga, Buffalo, and to a lesser degree, Depew, dump more than a half-billion gallons of untreated sewage mixed with dirty stormwater into the creek every year. These overflows usually happen when rain or snow melt overtaxes the sewer systems. Buffalo’s system, called a combined sewer, collects stormwater, sewage, and industrial wastewater in the same pipe for treatment. These types of sewer systems are no longer built. I found that the amount of E. coli in the water was astounding. —Alberto Rey, artist and professor In Cheektowaga and Depew and most other local suburbs, sewage and industrial wastewater are separated from stormwater, which is never treated but rather routed from street drains into the nearest waterbody. Regardless of the type, “these systems were designed intentionally to overflow sewage into our waterways so they don’t back up into basements or into businesses,” Jedlicka said. Overflows happen frequently—283 times in Cheektowaga over 12 months ending this past May. That’s more often than any similar sewer system in the state, according to data collected under the Sewer Pollution Right to Know law. Cheektowaga last year reported 487 million gallons of sewer overflows, more than two-thirds of which reached the Scajaquada. Depew reported 5 million to 10 million gallons of sewer overflows into the creek. Cheektowaga contracts with the Buffalo Sewer Authority to treat most of its sewage. Experts interviewed by Investigative Post weren’t sure how much, if any, of the town’s overflows are prevented from reaching downstream by the city’s complex sewer system. Sewer Authority officials refused to answer questions. These overflows are illegal under the Clean Water Act, but they occur frequently in this region. Thus, 10 municipalities in Western New York are under enforcement orders with the state Department of Environmental Conservation to develop plans and timelines to stop the overflows, including Cheektowaga and Depew. In addition, the number of overflows from a single pipe in Buffalo can reach 65 a year. The volume spewed is nearly 270 million gallons of raw sewage from one pipe alone in Forest Lawn Cemetery. In addition, four more pipes downstream spew raw sewage into the creek at far lesser volumes. Left behind is an unmistakable odor in the cemetery that offends visitors. “The creek has an ability to calm and soothe, and in a cemetery those are very important qualities,” said Joseph Dispenza, president of Forest Lawn Cemetery. “And when one approaches the creek and finds an odor offensive, it detracts from the soothing, healing, cathartic environment.” Sludge and other pollutants The sewage pollution has landed the Scajaquada on the DEC’s impaired waterways list—a designation assigned to only six percent of the total river and stream miles assessed by the department. This means the creek does not meet water quality standards and is regarded as too polluted for recreation. The Scajaquada is the only waterway in the Niagara River watershed deemed unfit for aquatic life by the DEC. Sewage sludge up to five feet deep blankets portions of the creek’s bed, according to a DEC memo from August 1993. The fecal bacteria levels can be so high in portions of the creek that water testing devices are maxed out. “I found that the amount of E. coli in the water was astounding,” said Alberto Rey, a SUNY Fredonia professor and artist whose Scajaquada Creek exhibit this spring at the Burchfield Penney drew wide acclaim. The sludge provides an excellent medium for the avian botulism toxin. Although this version of the toxin does not pose a danger to humans, it kills infected waterfowl. Before death, the birds are so sick that their necks go limp and their legs are paralyzed, forcing them to walk with their wings. DEC officials reported hundreds of dead birds in both Cheektowaga and Buffalo since the 1970s, with major outbreaks in the 1990s. Smaller numbers of dead birds suspected of botulism pop up almost annually, Jedlicka said. I think there’s a general feeling that we can’t treat creeks like trash dumps anymore. —Margaret Wooster, author and environmental activist The “hot spot” in the creek spreads a third of a mile from a point near Hoyt Lake to a section in Forest Lawn Cemetery just past Delaware Avenue, according to a DEC memo. The only way to get rid of the toxin is to dredge. That’s exactly what the DEC ordered the Buffalo Sewer Authority to do in November 1993 by emergency order. But the sewer authority never performed the work. “I believe the reason was that removal was to [sic] costly for the City to undertake,” wrote DEC’s senior wildlife biologist Kenneth Roblee in a July 1996 email. Buffalo Sewer Authority officials, including General Manager David Comerford, refused numerous interview requests regarding the Scajaquada. In addition to botulism outbreaks, a 1996 study found the now-banned chemicals PCBs in creek fish. Young fish in the Scajaquada had the highest levels of PCBs in the Niagara River watershed, the report said. The amount was enough to pose a “severe threat to fish-eating consumers.” Federal and state regulators have been slow to enforce anti-pollution laws and regulations, but some improvements are in the works. “I think there’s a general feeling that we can’t treat creeks like trash dumps anymore,” said Margaret Wooster, author of the book “Living Waters-Reading the Rivers of the Lower Great Lakes” and an environmental activist involved with research and cleanup efforts on the Scajaquada for 25 years. Updating sewer systems to stop overflows is a national dilemma, especially in the Great Lakes states, which need an estimated $100 billion in fixes. A third of that is needed in New York. After 15 years of negotiations with the Environmental Protection Agency, the Buffalo Sewer Authority agreed to an enforcement order to spend $380 million on sewer projects over the next two decades. About $91 million will be spent on fixes for the Scajaquada, with one-third going to experimental green infrastructure projects, such as rain gardens and pavement that allows water to pass through, to keep millions of gallons of stormwater from reaching the sewer system. But the three projects with the biggest impact on preventing overflows into the Scajaquada aren’t scheduled to be finished for 13 to 16 years. Even with the work, an estimated 52 million gallons of sewer overflows a year are expected to flow into the Scajaquada, according to the sewer authority’s plan. Meanwhile, Cheektowaga officials say they are still waiting on the DEC to approve its engineering plans. “The town has filed a report approximately 4 years ago and are waiting for a response,” said Cheektowaga Supervisor Mary Holtz in an email. However, a spokesman for the DEC said in an email Wednesday that the department informed Cheektowaga officials in August 2010 that the town’s plan “was not acceptable.” Still, the town recently spent about $1 million on a project that prevents 3.4 million gallons of sewer overflows from reaching the creek, among other work. “I could have the most optimistic approach, but it boils down to financing, your ability to afford it and keep taxes realistic,” said Cheektowaga Town Engineer William Pugh. All this means the Scajaquada faces the prospect of several more decades of harm before it might see cleaner waters. Until then, Wooster will continue to refer to the creek as a “Frankenstein monster.” “Yet it is amazingly still alive,” she said.
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What does outer space feel like?Date: Mon Oct 25 02:37:18 1999 Posted by Malcolm Guess Grade level: nonaligned School: none City: Los Angeles State/Province: CA Country: USA Area of science: Astronomy Space doesn't feel like anything, because there is nothing to feel! Space is a vacuum (or near enough). It's a common question to ask how hot space is (or how cold), but space itself has no temperature. However, the Sun is hot, and radiates that heat in the form of light. You absorb that light and feel heat. Near the Earth, a person floating in space would actually not receive enough light to keep from freezing! You yourself would radiate away your heat, and that's why spacesuits have heaters in them. It's a common misconception that people would explode if exposed to vacuum. That's not true! Exposed to a vacuum, your lungs would very quickly blow all their air out (if you tried to hold your breath you would actually do more damage to your lung tissue). You would not be able to breathe back in because there's no air to breathe! You would pass out quickly due to loss of oxygen. You'd have a couple of minutes before brain damage occurs, so you'd better hope someone else is out there with you! Surprisingly, the worst thing that might happen is that you'd get a bad sunburn. Without the Earth's protective ozone layer between you and the raw sunlight, the ultraviolet light from the Sun could give you a nasty sunburn in just a few seconds! If you're an astronaut doing a tricky maneuver, better pack the sunblock! For more about temperatures and space, check out my website's page why we have seasons (which discusses how much heat we receive from the Sun). For a bit more about space and what happens to the body, check out the urban legends archive.
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Describing data with XML has become very popular, and now all types of data are being represented using XML's familiar tag-based language. We’ll look first at how you can use special characters such as ampersands in an XML document. Then, we’ll explain how to parse a Document Object Model (DOM) using Sun’s JAXP parser. The ampersand pitfall Some pieces of data can have problems when represented using XML. Let’s examine a couple of these pitfalls. And and and... The ampersand is a very common character in the English language. Many companies use ampersands in their corporate and product names. Unfortunately, XML views the ampersand differently than it does other characters. To the XML parser, the ampersand indicates that what follows is an entity that needs to be parsed into some other piece of data. As a result, a "naked" ampersand cannot be reliably employed within XML-tagged content. Let’s look first at how the ampersand is used to divide content and descriptor tags within XML. Then, we’ll illustrate how you can successfully display ampersands within content data. The most common applications of ampersands are to provide the capability to include greater-than and less-than characters in the XML data. For example, suppose our XML data contains a string that looks like this: This is obviously the DOS command for performing a directory listing. It's possible that this piece of data would be included in an XML-based DOS tutorial document. If we put this into an XML context now, we end up with something like this: Because the data contains a greater-than character, the parser may get confused as to which greater-than character is the true terminator of the DirectoryCommand tag. The way to get around this problem is to use an "escape sequence" that will describe the greater-than character without actually putting one in the XML. This is accomplished using the ampersand. When the XML parser finds an ampersand in the XML data, it expects to find a symbol name and a semicolon following it. The symbol name provides a symbolic reference to another entity or character such as the ampersand, greater-than, and less-than characters. The symbolic name for greater-than is gt and for less-than it’slt. So to include a greater-than character in the XML data, you must use the following syntax: As you can see, the ampersand and the semicolon encase the name of a symbol used in the data. We can now apply this approach to our directory command above. The proper format for this data in an XML document looks like this: This is conspicuously more difficult to read than the previous syntax; however, it clarifies to the XML parser which part of the code is the content and which part is the tag. Other character references Escape sequences that represent single characters are actually called character references in XML. There are a handful of predefined character references that you can use when working with XML. Table A shows these character references. Working with XML data is sometimes challenging, and there are usually certain caveats to be aware of. Using characters such as ampersands and greater-than symbols can cause your XML parser to fail, even though the data appears correct. Fortunately, you can rely on predefined character references to avoid problems with special characters. DOM parsing with Sun's JAXP Every XML implementation must be able to parse XML documents. For developers creating applications in Java, Sun Microsystems provides the Java API for XML Processing (JAXP). Here’s a quick look at how you can use Sun's JAXP parser to create a DOM object from XML documents in Java. A simple example We'll start by defining a simple XML document type definition (DTD) and document. Our example will show a customer record in XML. Listing A shows the DTD, and Listing B shows the sample document. Creating a DOM Document Now that we have the document and its associated DTD, we can begin using the JAXP parser. The first thing we need to do is create a Document object using the DOM engine from the JAXP parser. We'll begin by reading the sample document into a string variable and then parse the string into a document object, as shown in Listing C. As you can see, the MyParser class contains three simple methods. The main() method is called when the class is run from the command line; when this occurs, main() calls the FileToString() method to read the XML file into a string buffer and then calls the StringToDocument() method to parse the XML string from the buffer into an XML document object. If the parse is successful, the resulting object is a functional DOM object.
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This article is written by Aayushi Gupta of Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law, Punjab. This article deals with the status of women representation in the political sphere, causes for less representation, main women leaders, need for more women leaders and Women Reservation Bill, reforms and suggestions. Over the past two decades, the rate of participation of women in the National Parliaments worldwide has incremented from 11.8% in 1998 to 23.5 in recent times. But we still have a long way to go to ensure equitable and fair representation to women. Women leadership in Indian politics When we talk about the participation of women in Indian Politics, it usually reverberates with misogynist rants proscribing women and their leadership skills. They are often seen as irrational, indecisive, and even imprudent. And yet, women are marking their presence felt in national and international politics. At a time, when politicians like Jacinda Ardern, PM of New Zealand, are marking their presence by transforming the world opinion, Indian politics still remain within the clutches of misogynist men who refuse to share the limelight with women. She has offered an effective and powerful model of leadership incorporated with compassion and strong political determination. Within the span of a week, she was able to amend the gun laws in the country in the wake of a mass shooting at Christchurch, while also showing sensitivity and support to the wounded communities. There are immense examples of women nailing at this job. Much of the credit for the removal of Sudanese Dictator Al-Bashir, goes to women who played distinguished roles in the uprising against him. There are several women, who didn’t participate in electoral politics directly but made a profound impact on the political system. For example, Medha Patkar, who led the Chipko movement, made a tremendous impact on the political system, by leading a women-dominated social movement. Vandana Shiva is one such woman, who is attributed to the promotion of eco-feminism and food sovereignty in India. She started Navdanya as a program for the Research Foundation for Science, Technology, and Ecology (RFSTE), which provided direction and support to environmental feminism. Wangari Maathai was an infamous Kenyan social, political, and environmental activist and the first African woman to be bestowed with the Nobel Prize. The participation of women as political leaders is not only low in India but around the world. As of now, only 24% of the global legislative members constitute women. And India, out of 193 countries, stands on 150th position in having the total percentage of women as legislators. In the lower house, women constitute 12.6% of total members and in the upper house, they constitute 11.5% of total members. What is more surprising is the fact that the least developing countries like Bangladesh stand in a better position than developed and developing countries like India in giving leadership to women. Rwanda tops the table with 62% of its legislators as women while India languishes at the bottom spots just above Liberia. What is more striking is that barely a decade after the genocide in Rwanda, women constitute more than 50% of its total legislators, in contrast to India, which was actually the world’s second state to have a woman as the Head of the State. Even after being elected to prominent positions, women’s political skills and competency are questioned repeatedly. The number of women elected in the Lok sabha has grown over the years, from 52 women in the 15th Lok Sabha to 78 women in the current one. But what is significant is that the numbers are growing eventually, but it is not changing on a very positive note. A country like India which has had a significant history of women leaders in the national movement is performing only slightly better than countries like China and Hungary. While the world boasts of many great leaders like Jacinda Ardern, yet women don’t seem to be present in sufficiently large numbers in electoral politics and representative institutions. What could be the reasons? - Lack of political knowledge: Most of the women are unable to participate in politics is due to the fact that they don’t possess adequate knowledge for the same. States like Uttar Pradesh present alarming figures that around 85000 women are unable to vote in each constituency as they aren’t registered as voters. Most of the women in the country don’t know how politics work, how the institutions govern the people and themselves. - Household and marital barriers- Women’s voices are left unheard of in their own households. Technical and other ancillary works are supposed to be done by men while women are supposed to perform only the household chores. And most of the women are not allowed to work after marriage. In fact, even in the usual course, they are denied the basic opportunity to work. While even in household chores, they don’t receive help from their relatives, so they are left with no time to do anything. Generally, women in India experience varying degrees of exclusion because they are forced to succumb to the societal norms of marriage and motherhood and also due to obstructions imposed by the lack of access to public life. - Safety issues- Women, most of the time, don’t feel safe to work outside because of the safety issues. Most of the news that we hear, regarding the alarming number of rape, eve-teasing cases, makes the women feel unsafe to work outside. - Religion- Even our religious practices are reflective of our male-dominated political system. The politics is supposed to be a male-dominated area and women are not supposed to participate in state affairs. The word Politics draws its roots from the Greek word polity, which has often been presented as a male-dominated affair or gathering. - Socio-cultural norms and traditional structures- Another set of obstructions is presented by the entrenched social and traditional structures that create certain patterns of disempowerment and privilege like caste, gender, religion, sexuality, disability, and many more. Despite several provisions like the universal adult franchise, reservations, and limited opportunities, these long-held social, cultural, and traditional norms bar the women from participating in the electoral process-both as contesting candidates and voters. These discriminatory laws, practices, and structures discourage women to participate and become leaders. And also the disproportionate effect of poverty on women is one of the reasons. - Political Parties- They tend to ignore the hard work of women party workers, who work at the grassroots level, setting aside most of their time, performing tasks like door-to-door campaigning, community networking, and that of organization. What happens after that is when it comes to choosing the face of the party and leaders, the women tend to get belittled and they are not elected for the same, as the face of the party and the leader should be masculine. It is unfair that parties draw upon the diligence and labour of female party workers while excluding them from contesting elections and getting a shot at positions of power. - Structure of the institutions- The institutions, be it private or public, tend to be discriminatory. Women are often not given proper medical attention. And what is scarier is that in many of the states girls are actually killed in the mother’s womb or after their birth, let alone the opportunity for political representation. Women are not provided with good educational opportunities as well. And even political institutions and structures are exclusionary and discriminatory. Indian women face many obstacles while making their presence felt in the Indian political system. The institutions- be it in the private or public sphere such as family, educational and religious institutions, and even the courts- regulate women’s way into the political arena. It is also because of the gendered nature of violence and politics that women are not given enough opportunities. The gendered nature of violence even on digital platforms and social media inhibits women from seeking or gaining representation in the political sphere. - Lack of incentives or role models- It is also due to the fact that women are not given enough incentives to participate in the electoral process. Lack of awareness and incentives leads to low women participation. And also, there are not enough role models who can inspire women to participate in the political field. - Lack of resources- Indian women- like any other women in different parts of the world- have less time and fewer resources than the other gender due to the gendered division of reproductive as well as domestic labour. Even when women are able to access formal political power, it is not always coupled with considerable political participation. This is because the informal homosocial networks remain strong and constantly work to keep women out of the political reach. India is far behind these countries like Bangladesh and Rwanda in the total percentage of women legislators. Despite these countries being less developed and having had a recent history of violence, as in Rwanda, these countries have more women legislators as compared to developed and developing countries like India and China. India has had a glorious history of women leaders in the national movement, but it performs significantly poorer than these countries. It’s not that women are incapable or indecisive to perform in politics. It’s just that they aren’t given enough opportunities to represent themselves as leaders. When women are given opportunities, they perform differently and even make some prominent changes in the system as well as in society. It’s mainly the political work of women that have contributed to the expansion of women’s rights in countries around the world over the years. When it comes to Indian women’s political role, the movement against dowry deaths, domestic violence, custodial rape still serve as important milestones for the nation. Numerous women political workers and activists have led campaigns for better health, sanitation, and education in the country. The landmark 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendment Acts that provide for 33 per cent of reservation of seats for women in the local government institutions have opened up large possibilities for women to participate in the political processes in the country. Over a million women were able to join formal political processes for the first time ever. The participation of women in the processes has been accompanied by a refreshingly different approach to the work and it is also seen that they have set different agendas that proved to be more relevant to the lives of the citizens. The inclusion of women in these institutions has reported timely and efficient working, better tax collection, greater attention to development work, and so on. But this also reported a problem. While the men tend to get their wives elected as the representatives, they worked in place of them and women remained as mere nominal figures. Yet, all these instances prove that women can work wonders when provided with adequate opportunities. History has stood the brilliance of women in politics, time and again. Even our country has had a long history of women leaders during the national movement. Women like Rani of Jhansi, Begum Hazrat Mahal, Kasturba Gandhi, Rani of Ramgarh, Savitri bai Phule, and other women made an impeccable impact on our society, and even our present times are replete with examples of women leaders in our politics. - Sucheta Kriplani was the first head of the Women’s department of the Congress Party. She also spearheaded the Quit India Movement with Aruna Asaf Ali and other women. Gandhi was highly impressed with her political dedication and helped in her appointment as the Organizing Secretary of the Kasturba Gandhi National Memorial Trust in 1946. This year proved to be life-changing for her as she was elected as a member of the Constituent Assembly with the task of laying down the Charter of the Indian Constitution. In 1949, she was chosen as a delegate to the United Nations General Assembly. Later, she fought her way into becoming the first-ever woman to occupy a position in the Indian political sphere, by becoming the first woman Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. - Indira Gandhi was a politician and a central figure of the Indian National Congress. She was the first and to date only female PM of India. She served as the Prime Minister of the nation from 1966 to 1977 and again from January 1980 till her assassination in October 1984, making her the second-longest-serving PM of India after her father, Jawaharlal Nehru. While she was the PM of the nation, she launched some radical programs for the poor and she also nationalized 17 of the banks. She was also known for her political obstinacy and unprecedented centralization of power. She went on war with Pakistan in support of the independence movement for East Bengal which led to the formation of present-day Bangladesh. This step increased the regional influence of India to the point where it became the leading power of South Asia. She also instituted a state of emergency from 1975 to 1977, where civil liberties were suspended and the press was censored. It is said that it was a harsh period of atrocities. But in 1984, she was assassinated by her own bodyguard after she launched the Operation Bluestar. The southernmost Indira point is named after her and the international airport at New Delhi is named after her. The largest university in the world, Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), is in her honour. - Pratibha Patil served as the 12th President of India from 2007 to 2012. A member of the Indian National Congress, she is the only woman to hold this office. She has also served as the Chief Minister of Rajasthan from 2004 to 2007. She has been felicitated with Mexico’s highest Civilian honour Order of the Aztec Eagle in 2019. - Sushma Swaraj was a politician and government official who served in various legislative and administrative posts at the national and State level, Haryana. She even served as the leader of BJP in Lok Sabha. She was seven times a Member of Parliament and three times a Member of the Legislative Assembly. She was also the Union Minister Of External Affairs of India and became the second woman to do so after Indira Gandhi. With her tremendous work, she has actually helped many Indians and other foreign nationals to get back to their home country. - Nirmala Sitharaman is an Indian politician serving as the current Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs of India. She has been a member of the Rajya Sabha since 2014. She formerly served as the Defence Minister of India, thereby becoming India’s second female defence minister and also the second female finance minister after Indira Gandhi, and first full-time serving Finance Minister. Prior to that, she has served as Minister of Commerce and Industry under Independent charge and has also been a spokesperson of BJP. Forbes magazine ranked her 34th among the 100 most influential women around the world in 2019. - Sheila Dixit was a politician and stateswoman. She was the longest-serving chief minister of Delhi as well as the longest-serving female chief minister of any Indian state. She served for a period of 15 years beginning in 1998. She led the Congress party to three consecutive electoral victories in Delhi. She also received an award by the Indo-Iran society for her outstanding performance. - Mamata Banerjee has been the Chief Minister of West Bengal since 2011 being the first woman to hold the office. She founded the All India Trinamool Congress in 1998. She has previously served twice as Minister of Railways, the first woman to do so. She was also the first female Minister of Coal, and Minister of State for HRD, Youth Affairs, sports, Women and Child Development in the cabinet of the Indian government. She has also been named as one of the most influential women in the world. She is a self-taught painter and a poet. She also received the Skoch Chief Minister of the Year award. - Vasundhara Raje Scindia is also one of the most influential political leaders of India. She is currently serving as the National Vice-President of the Bharatiya Janata Party. She also held the post of 13th Chief Minister of Rajasthan from 2013 to 2018 and previously from 2003 to 2008, becoming the first woman to hold this post. She is also the head of the royal Dholpur family. In 2007, she received the Women Together Award by the UNO for services rendered towards the self-empowerment of women. - Agatha Sangma is a Member of Parliament of India. She represented the Tura constituency of Meghalaya. She was the youngest Minister of State in the UPA 2 Manmohan Singh’s cabinet. It’s not just these women, there are many other women like Ambika Soni, Supriya Sule, Jayalalitha, Sonia Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, Mayavati who are counted as the most influential women in Indian Politics. Their political brilliance and schemes have been appreciated by many and at the same time criticized. However, their political contributions to the development of the country and its citizens cannot be left unnoticed. Need for more women leaders When asked the question, “what should be the position or status of women in politics?”, we come across several misogynistic rants denouncing women as indecisive or incompetent. Even in the previous times, the contribution of women keeping the polis together was left unnoticed. But when women were given opportunities in the political arena, they did wonders. When women started working in these Panchayati raj institutions and local self-government, their contributions were left unaccounted for. Even when women became top political leaders, their political capabilities and skills were questioned at each level. This discouraged women from even participating. There is clearly a dire need for more women leaders in the political arena. The first purpose which electing more women leaders will serve is the shattering of the age-old stereotypes and prejudices. Women are always seen as indecisive, irrational, and incompetent for such works. But when more women leaders will be elected, this will definitely shatter all these stereotypes and will surely encourage more women to participate. Also, women don’t participate in the political arena because of the lack of role models. There are only a few women leaders who can be looked up to by other women as role models. So, if there are more women leaders out there in the field, other women will become more aware of such opportunities and it will inspire them to aspire for such positions. Having more women representation in the political bodies is pivotal for many reasons, besides serving as a source of role models for other women. Elected women representatives in the political bodies tend to bring a sharper focus on what is termed as women’s issues. Generally, these issues are left unheard of when men are in power. It is generally perceived that when women are engaged and represented in significant leadership roles in a meaningful way, fruitful and more inclusive outcomes follow. The all-embracing and impartial representation of women in public life is a quintessential element to building and sustaining vibrant and strong democracies. More political participation of women also helps advance gender equality and also have a positive effect on the range of policy issues and the solutions advanced. There is also strong evidence that as more women are elected to political bodies, there is a parallel increase in policymaking emphasizing quality of life and also prioritizing family, racial, ethnic, and women related issues. Women, more than men, tend to be highly responsive to constituent concerns and they also help secure lasting peace among the members. Active participation of women in the political sphere tends to generate higher citizen confidence in democracy, by way of their own participation. Women are also seen to work more across party lines and they also prioritize health, sanitation, education, and other crucial factors. Women’s political participation is also seen as a decisive factor for the development of an all-inclusive, approachable, and transparent democracy. Women must be encouraged and empowered to become a strong and decisive community and political leaders in order to fulfil the worldwide development goals and also to build strong and sustainable political systems. Women reservation bill The obstructions and barriers to entry for women legislators are much higher as they contend with several social, cultural, economic, institutional, and structural issues. One way to overcome these challenges is through quotas or reservations. In 1994, India ratified the 73rd and 74th Constitutional amendment, granting women 1⁄3 or 33 per cent reservation of seats in the rural and urban local self-governments. This provision opened up a number of possibilities for women to participate in the political process. Over a million women were able to participate in the political process with refreshingly different approaches leading to development. It was also noticed that these local governments reported better time efficiency, more focus on developmental goals, better tax collections, and greater equality. But this wasn’t enough because it had its own problems. The bigger problem was that there was no reservation of seats for women in the State and the national Legislatures. Subsequent to these amendments, the Women’s Reservation Bill was introduced in 1996 which had the provision of reservation of 33 per cent of seats in Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Parliament, and the State Legislative Assemblies on a rotational basis. This bill was initially introduced in the Lok Sabha on September 12, 1996, by the United Front government of HD Deve Gowda. The main aim of this bill was to reserve 33 per cent of seats for women in Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies. The seats will be reserved on a rotational basis as per the bill. The seats would be ascertained by a draw of lots in such a way that a seat would only be reserved once in every three consecutive general elections. It sought to reserve 1⁄3 of the total number of seats for women from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. The Vajpayee government pushed for the bill in Lok Sabha but it still hasn’t passed. A Joint Parliamentary Committee chaired by Geeta Mukherjee reviewed the 1996 bill and made several recommendations. Five of these recommendations were included in the 2008 Bill. These recommendations were: reservation for a period of 15 years, quota-within-quota for Anglo-Indians, reservation in cases where the state has less than three seats in Lok Sabha, reservation for the Delhi Assembly and changing “not less than one-third” to as “nearly as one-third”. Two of the recommendations which stated the reservation of seats in Rajya Sabha and Legislative Councils and sub-reservation of OBC women were not included. The Congress-led UPA-I government again introduced this bill in May 2008. The 2008 bill was referred to the Standing Committee on Law and Justice. The committee failed to reach a consensus but had three recommendations. The recommendations were that every political party must distribute 20% of its tickets to women, the reservation must not exceed 20% of the total seats and also introduced quotas for OBC women. They also considered two other methods of increasing representation. First was that the political parties were to nominate women for a minimum number of seats and the second was that there should be dual-member constituencies, where women should contest for one of the seats. But the reservation of seats in Rajya sabha is not possible as it elects on the basis of a single transferable vote, which makes it impossible to reserve seats. After its reintroduction, the 108th Constitutional Amendment bill was passed by Rajya Sabha on March 9, 2010, but it is still pending in Lok Sabha. Political personalities like Lalu Prasad Yadav, Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik, Chirag Paswan have been some of the vocal opponents of the Women’s Reservation Bill. Currently, the bill is still pending in Lok Sabha. It will only be passed if the ruling government pushes for the bill, as they are in the majority. It continues to languish even after 24 years of its introduction. The Women’s Reservation Bill certainly looks promising and its attempt to address the internal intricacies within the category of women by recognizing their deprivation points are bound to bear fruitful results. Such a bill would make sure that their narratives are voiced out, which are left unheard otherwise. Need for the bill Since the introduction of the bill, there has been absolutely no concrete effort made for the political inclusion of women. As per the data by the Inter-Parliamentary Union and UN Women, India stands on 148th position out of 193 countries in terms of representation of women in politics. Since then, the government has not made sincere efforts for the larger participation of women. Also, the Committee for the Empowerment of Women has a restricted ordinance and doesn’t perform any other function besides suggesting minor improvements to the already existing welfare programs. Women’s percentage in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha is 11.6% and 11% respectively, which is lower than almost all the nations. This bill is the need of the hour to further improve the political participation of women. It is imperative many of the nations have made legislative and constitutional reforms to ensure greater participation of women and they have been successful. So, the passing of this bill would surely help women to come out in the political arena and have a positive impact. The lack of political representation of women in powerful positions in the National or State Legislatures hampers the focus required on women’s financial independence or their education, which may have helped them to break from succumbing familial or social ties. This bill certainly makes sure that unheard deprivation or narration of women is voiced out and gets placed in the open. Also, the greater participation of women in the political sphere would lead to a gradual breaking of a patriarchal mode of production, where men materially gain from the subordination of women in the private as well as the public sphere. The Women’s Reservation Bill is imperative for a more egalitarian and gender-just society, though we know that we have to walk many more miles before we dream of it. Reforms and Suggestions These quotas allow women to get access to positions of power, but some may say they also go against the spirit of merit-based elections in a democracy. In the bill, there is a provision of reservation of seats for SC and ST women, but there is no similar provision for OBC women, despite recommendations. Also, the reservations in local government may force the women to run for elections because of the pressure from the relatives to gain a position material benefit. Their spouses, the panchayat patis, often control the position, wielding power through their wives’. One of the reasons for the greater inhibition of women in the political system is the prevailing institutional structure. Political parties often tend to ignore the grassroots and ground-level work that women members do by sacrificing their time. But often their work is minimalized and left unaccounted for. And women are also not seen as the face or the leader of the party. It is pretty unjust to draw on women’s labour while excluding them from electoral politics. The political parties must also realize their role as protectors of women’s interests. Rudimental reforms at the party level will serve as an important and strategic complement to the Bill. Women joining politics in India are drawn from diverse sections of society. While some are highly qualified and professional, on the other hand, some are poor and have no education at all. Thus, a one-size-fits-all approach will not work in strengthening women’s role in politics. Women are not a homogenous group- women belonging to different caste, religion, social and economic backgrounds, women with disabilities, and trans women have different experiences and have different impacts on the approach to politics. The Indian Parliament, in order to be truly representative, needs to draw more female members from the wide-sections of society. Also, a change in people’s attitudes and social structure can help women get free from these historically entrenched barriers. Even women who are educationally or economically backwards can be provided with awareness or micro financial facilities to be uplifted. More self-help groups of women can help encourage and aware women regarding the political system and what opportunities it upholds. The main problem with lesser participation of women in the political sphere is exhaustive familial ties. They will be able to take their rightful place in these political institutions when Indian men change their attitudes towards the other gender, recognize them as distinct persons and start sharing the household responsibilities with them. Perhaps, capacity-building workshops for men in this area would be a substantial way to bring about a qualitative change in women’s political participation. It is apparent that reservations are a great deal to increase the participation of women in electoral and representative institutions, but a positive enabling environment coupled with gender equality in terms of access to power and opportunities, and distribution of resources is fairly important. Even when women get elected their abilities and skills get questioned. The liberty to take action without pressure and work independently will make a great impact on their performance and will bring about a transformation in every sense. This can only come through ‘Awareness, Recognition and Demand” of the women, by the women and for the women. There have been several efforts made for higher inclusion of women in the political leadership, but till the men are not sensitized and the social and institutional barriers are not shattered, there is still a long road ahead for their representation. 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GameVui ©2021 Công ty Cổ phần Mạng trực tuyến META Địa chỉ: 56 Duy Tân, Dịch Vọng Hậu, Cầu Giấy, Hà Nội. Điện thoại: 024 2242 6188. Email: [email protected] Giấy phép cung cấp dịch vụ trò chơi điện tử trên mạng số 107/GCN-PTTH&TTĐT. ovelar Đứng lại! ovelar Kỳ quái, đêm qua trước khi ra ngoài vẫn tốt, tại sao trở về lại thành như vậy? Lão gia tối hôm qua sau cùng cũng không dùng gia pháp? Trong lòng Tiểu Bích thực khó hiểu. ovelar Hừ! Dám lừa ông à?! Huynh đệ nhà ta hẹn nhau ở khách điếm này làm sao không thấy tăm hơi đâu? ovelar “Thế nào, bốn vị sư phụ thích chơi trốn tìm với bổn công tử sao?” Lý Cáp tiếp tục cao giọng nói. fernandoCác ngươi xong chưa? fernandoNho sam văn sĩ chém tay xuống dưới nói: fernandoThiên Tú vẫn nhìn thẳng vào Lý Cáp. fernandoTử Nghiên chỉ bĩu môi, thản nhiên nói: fernandoLý Cáp vỗ trán, nhớ ra rằng bắn tên là phải hướng lên trời, lại cướp một cây trường thương, bắn ra. Lần này trường thương bay lên trời, đúng một đường cong, rồi mạnh mẽ đâm xuyên cả người lẫn ngựa một tên người Hồ. ovelar Trong lòng Lý Cáp biết lời của hắn không phải là thật lòng. Ngược lại với hắn, Lê Bố là người sinh ra vì quân đội cùng chiến tranh. Hắn khát vọng mang theo quân đội của mình dong ruổi sa trường. ovelar Bởi vì ta gặp nàng, mẫu thân Nguyệt Nhi. ovelar Căn cứ theo tất cả những dấu hiệu thì chín phần chính là Thiên Thiên. ovelar Lý Cáp phát hiện, ba đại hán này từ lúc đi lên đây, căn bản không thèm nhìn người xung quanh một lần, chỉ lúc mình mời bọn họ ăn, họ mới nhìn mình một lần, ngay cả tuyệt sắc mỹ nữ Diễm Nhi bên cạnh mình cũng không thèm để ý, mà bọn họ không giống như hoạn quan hay là ‘đoạn tụ chi phích’(3), chẳng lẽ là anh hùng thực sự không gần nữ sắc hoặc là ba tên đại ngốc không hiểu được mỹ sắc? Xem ra dạng người sau có khả năng cao hơn. ovelar Đây là... fernandoLý Cáp nhẩn tò te: fernandoMột đời đại tướng Hồ tộc, bị chết uất ức không cam lòng như thế. fernandoChớ nói các ngươi gặp ta, hiểu chưa? fernandoQuả thực đôi khi nàng nghĩ đi theo bên cạnh Lý Cáp đôi khi còn thoải mái hơn khi còn làm tiểu thư nhà Âu Dương. fernandoLần trước đi Lý phủ, nàng cũng đã gặp qua Thiên Thiên cùng Diễm Nhi , liền ngọt giọng kêu "Thiên Thiên tỷ tỷ" "Diễm Nhi tỷ tỷ" . ovelar Một tên áo lam liền rút đao đâm thẳng vào bụng Doãn Tiếu một nhát. Đao đâm vào bụng hắn không tránh cũng không kêu, trái lại còn phá lên cười ha ha. ovelar Bạch y nữ tử im lặng không nói. ovelar Lý thái sư, Lý Minh, huynh muội Lê Bố cùng với một ít đại thần trong triều tiễn đưa bọn họ đến tận cửa kinh thành. Ngay cả Đằng Lăng Vương Hàn Bình cũng đích thân đến. Nhưng mà trừ huynh muội Lê Bố, đối với những người khác, Lý Cáp cũng chỉ khách sáo vài câu rồi đuổi đi. Dù sao bọn họ cũng không thật lòng tới tiễn đưa. ovelar Ha, ngươi là ai? Là người của U Minh thiên cung sao? ovelar Âm tiết cuối cùng đánh ra, Lý Cáp mở hai mắt, mỉm cười nhìn về phía Thiên Thiên, rồi khen ngợi: "Thiên Thiên thật sự là bảo bối của ta! Quá hay! Sau này nàng nhất định sẽ trở thành một tuyệt thế cầm sư." Hắn thật sự khó có thể tưởng tượng, tiếng đàn tuyệt vời dễ nghe như vậy, tự nhiên xuất từ đôi tay nhỏ hắn của một nữ hài mười tuổi. Mặc dù khúc 'phượng cầu hoàng' này nghe không giống với khúc nhạc cùng tên ở kiếp trước của hắn, nhưng là do Thiên Thiên đàn, so với bản ở kiếp trước càng u mỹ rất nhiều. fernandoLý Cáp!
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HuggingFaceFW/fineweb-2
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vie_Latn
| 0.0775
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By Dr. Mirta Roses Periago, NTD Special Envoy Monday marked the three-year anniversary of the last reported polio case in India — a landmark achievement for a country that reported the highest number of polio cases in the world in 2009. A formal declaration of India as polio-free is expected later this year by the World Health Organization (WHO). According to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, India was once thought to be the most difficult country in which to achieve polio eradication. Today, 71 percent of children in India have received the polio vaccine, and India has become one of the world’s largest donors to global polio eradication as reported by Time magazine. India’s successful polio eradication program illustrates the leadership role that India can take in the global effort to control and eliminate neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). Similar to polio eradication programs, successful NTD control and elimination programs rely on well-organized and large-scale mass drug administration and surveillance activities. India’s national lymphatic filariasis elimination program reaches more than 300 million people each year, making it the world’s largest NTD program. India has a long history of ending the suffering caused by many communicable diseases, including smallpox, guinea worm and yaws. These remarkable achievements have been possible because of the concerted efforts and commitment of leaders in the Indian government and across civil society. Despite these successes, India needs to do much more to achieve national and global NTD control and elimination goals. India accounts for 35 percent of the global burden of all NTDs, and currently less than half of the population living at risk for these diseases is being reached by mass drug administration programs. India must reinforce its commitment to eliminate NTDs like lymphatic filariasis, trachoma, kala azar and leprosy, and ensure that the necessary resources and capacity exist to scale-up and sustain operations until control and elimination goals are met. Three years polio-free demonstrates that India has the expertise, capacity and resources to be a world leader in ending the burden of NTDs. There will be human and financial resources freed up from this victory ready to be channeled with renewed enthusiasm and determination to the fight against NTDs. India is a striking demonstration that elimination is possible. By reducing the NTD burden within its borders, India can contribute to a big reduction in the global NTD burden and its example will be an extraordinary push for all the countries still affected. As we celebrate India’s contribution to the global fight against polio, let’s also encourage continued leadership and success on NTDs to reach the World Health Organization 2020 goals.
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HuggingFaceFW/fineweb-edu
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A DETENTION centre to house suspected criminals brought in from surrounding areas could be built in Runcorn. Cheshire Constabulary has earmarked the town as a possible location for the controversial centre -which could house as many as 30 offenders - to help cope with demand after the modernisation of existing cells in police stations was dismissed as impractical. The purpose-built centre would be staffed round-the-clock by teams of custody staff and investigators. Civilian escorts could be used to transport detainees to the holding cells, freeing up police patrol teams to remain on the beat. Suspects would be brought into the town from Widnes and Warrington as well as Runcorn, and the centre could be up and running by April 2005. Council planning officers are expected to give their verdict on the proposals within the next few weeks, but similar centres in Middlewich and Blacon in Chester have already been given the thumbs up by their local authorities. However, the plans are expected to spark controversy, with residents living near to the other two sites already expressing concerns about procedures relating to the release of suspects after questioning. But Cheshire's chief constable Peter Fahy defended the proposals in a joint statement with Cheshire Police Authority chairman Peter Nurse. He said: 'The proposed new custody facilities will provide purpose built accommodation where detainees can be held safely and securely while investigations are carried out. More cells will be available so that the constabulary can undertake more initiatives to reduce crime without the risk of overwhelming the system. 'However, it is natural that people may have concerns over what happens when detainees are released. While we understand the concerns, we will take whatever measures are necessary to ensure that problems do not occur. For example, if detainees are charged with the more serious offences, or if they are likely to commit more crime, they will not be granted bail. If they are vulnerable because of their age or medical condition, they will be taken home. Others will be collected by friends or relatives or will use public transport. For the remaining few, we will take the appropriate steps to ensure there is no opportunity to commit crime in the local area.' He added that the new custody facilities were demonstration of the constabulary's commitment to improving policing services in towns like Runcorn.
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mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0
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National Screening Urged to Detect Eye Disease in Blacks FRIDAY, March 16 -- Middle-aged black people may benefit from a routine national glaucoma screening program, according to new research. A computer-based mathematical model found routine screening could make a modest reduction in the number of people who go blind or become visually impaired from the eye disease. Glaucoma is a chronic, degenerative disease that affects more than 2.2 million Americans and nearly 2 percent of Americans older than age 40, according to the study authors. There are several types, the most common of which is open-angle chronic glaucoma, which occurs when pressure builds in the eye and puts pressure on the optic nerve. Yet, many cases go undiagnosed. "The high prevalence of undiagnosed glaucoma contributes to visual loss, an outcome that is disproportionately common in African American individuals," the authors wrote. Using data from the Eye Diseases Prevalence Research Group and Baltimore Eye Study, researchers from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School simulated what the effects would be of a national glaucoma screening policy for black people. The researchers found that a universal, community-based glaucoma screening program for black people aged 50 to 59 without glaucoma would reduce the prevalence of undiagnosed glaucoma over their lifetime from 50 percent to 27 percent. The analysis also found the program would reduce glaucoma-related visual impairment from 4.6 percent to 4.4 percent, and glaucoma-related blindness from 6.1 percent to 5.6 percent. The study was published in the March issue of the Archives of Ophthalmology. For every 58 people screened, one person would be diagnosed with glaucoma, according to the study, while 875 people would need to be screened to prevent one person from becoming visually impaired. Researchers estimated costs at about $80 for each person screened and examined to confirm a diagnosis. They did not, however, factor in the cost of visual rehabilitation, disability or long-term care in patients with blindness. "We conclude that routine screening for glaucoma in African American individuals is a potentially clinically effective and economical method to reduce the burden of glaucoma-related visual impairment and blindness, though its absolute benefit is likely to be modest," the authors wrote. "Future studies should also consider long-term costs associated with treatment and the impact of delaying visual impairment on health-related quality of life." The U.S. National Institutes of Health provides more information on glaucoma. Posted: March 2012
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HuggingFaceFW/fineweb-edu
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Energy can neither be created nor destroyed. This principle, called conservation of energy, is one of our most cherished laws of physics. It governs every part of our lives: the heat it takes to warm up a cup of coffee; the chemical reactions that produce oxygen in the leaves of trees; the orbit of Earth around the sun; the food we need to keep our hearts beating. We cannot live without eating, cars do not run without fuel, and perpetual-motion machines are just a mirage. So when an experiment seems to violate the law of energy conservation, we are rightfully suspicious. What happens when our observations seem to contradict one of science’s most deeply held notions: that energy is always conserved?
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HuggingFaceFW/fineweb-edu
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