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Two weeks ago we published a blog post looking at time-of-flight (TOF) laser radar, now in this post, we are going to a look at what happens when you combine this technique with near-infrared (NIR) imaging in order to do active night vision imaging. In all TOF systems distance (or depth) is determined by the round-trip time it takes a laser pulse to travel to the target and back, but with the addition of a camera, this method can be used to produce a hypercube or “point cloud” containing a three-dimensional image of the target. While theoretically this can be done using short pulsed lasers of any wavelength, it is generally preferable to work in the near infrared, and 1.5 microns in particular because it is simultaneously eye safe and invisible.
In order to understand why 1.5 microns is considered to be an eye-safe wavelength, we must first take a look at the absorption properties of water which has a rather high absorption coefficient around 1.5 microns as shown in the plot below. As a result, the liquid inside of the human eye sufficiently absorbs and diffuses the laser light before it is able to damage the retina, making this wavelength ideal for field applications.
While in theory this approach can be utilized for generating time-gated images under any lighting conditions, the most common application of this technique is in night vision surveillance systems. The image below is an example of one such active night vision system which was taken using a q-switched Er:Glass laser at 1540 nm with 10mJ pulse energy and an InGaAs time-gated camera.
At RPMC Lasers we offer a wide variety of q-switched Er:Glass lasers from Optitask which are ideally suited for both active night vision systems and more traditional laser rangefinders. These lasers are available with both diode pumped and flashlamp pumped excitation depending on your pulse energy requirements, and are also available with both active and passive q-switching. This allows you to choose pulse energies between 2mJ and 10mJ, pulse widths from 9ns to 40ns, and pulse repletion rates from 1Hz to 30Hz.
For detailed technical specifications on our Er:Glass lasers click here or talk to one of our laser experts today by calling 1-636-272-7227. | <urn:uuid:86e32023-796f-45c1-afea-e37dd6c87b35> | CC-MAIN-2021-21 | https://blog.rpmclasers.com/lasers-for-active-night-vision-imaging | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-21/segments/1620243991413.30/warc/CC-MAIN-20210512224016-20210513014016-00266.warc.gz | en | 0.933809 | 492 | 2.671875 | 3 |
Head Start, the federal program that provides comprehensive services to low-income children and their families, has had a positive effect on some aspects of school readiness, but not others. A new study shows that a program designed to make it easier to integrate research into the classroom by giving teachers enrichment manuals helped children in both academic and social-emotional areas.
The program, called REDI (for research-based, developmentally informed), was developed and implemented in partnership with Head Start programs in Pennsylvania by researchers at the Pennsylvania State University. An evaluation of the study appears in the November/December 2008 issue of the journal Child Development.
Designed to be integrated into existing Head Start programs, REDI featured a research-based curriculum to foster social-emotional learning and enhance language and emergent literacy skills through interactive reading, sound games, and print center activities. In addition, the program offered teachers professional development support, including workshop training and mentoring, to enhance the quality of language use and social-emotional support in the classroom.
Each week, children took home stickers and handouts to keep parents informed of the topics covered at school. Parents also received videotapes with tips on how they could support the program at home.
The researchers evaluated REDI by following 356 children in 44 Head Start classrooms over the course of a year, some of whom were in classrooms in which REDI was used, some of whom were not. They interviewed parents and children, collected ratings from teachers, and observed children in the classroom.
The study found positive effects in academic and social-emotional areas: Compared with children who were in regular Head Start classrooms, children in REDI classrooms showed greater growth in vocabulary, pre-reading skills, emotional understanding, social problem solving, social competence, and learning engagement. In addition, children in REDI classrooms were less aggressive than children in other Head Start classrooms.
"The results of the REDI program validate the strategy of enriching current Head Start programs with emerging research-based curriculum materials and teaching strategies," according to Karen L. Bierman, professor of psychology at the Pennsylvania State University and the study's lead author.
"Given the limited number of hours in the school day, teachers sometimes feel that they must choose between focusing on the cognitive skills or the social-emotional needs of socio-economically disadvantaged students. These findings demonstrate that a dual-focus, integrated intervention model can effectively and simultaneously promote gains in both academic and social-emotional domains of school readiness."
|Contact: Andrea Browning|
Society for Research in Child Development | <urn:uuid:c8d96087-a817-43ce-a552-112debb03f36> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.bio-medicine.org/medicine-news-1/Research-based-program-found-to-enhance-impact-of-Head-Start-on-school-readiness-29877-1/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783392069.78/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154952-00063-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96482 | 523 | 3.453125 | 3 |
Did you know the COVID-19 pandemic is making the U.S.’ opioid crisis even worse? Newsweek recently released an article that digs into the opioid crisis and how the pandemic is impacting well, pretty much everything.
As if we didn’t hate Corona enough already, there’s something new we can blame it for. The opioid crisis is getting worse. It was bad already, with opioid deaths increasing in 2019 over 2018, but the shelter-in-place orders & other parts of the pandemic seem to be making things even worse.
First Off, What’s An Opioid?
Opiates and Opioids are substances that interact with the opioid receptors in the brain. These terms are often used interchangeably, but there is a slight difference-
Opiates are substances made from natural opium, like what’s found in poppies. Opiates are derived naturally. ex: some heroin, morphine.
Opioids are made at least partly synthetically in order to interact with opioid receptors. ex: hydrocodone, fentanyl.
Is Kratom an Opioid?
Kratom is neither made from opium, nor is it synthetically produced. It is a natural substance, but not from opium, that happens to interact with opioid receptors in the brain.
Unlike opioids, kratom is not synthetically produced, it’s just that the alkaloids present in kratom happen to interact with these receptors. Other natural substances like chocolate and breast milk do the same thing, yet we don’t consider them to be opiates or opioids.
The Opioid Epidemic & The Pandemic
Newsweek’s article states that Shawn Ryan, Chair of Legislative Advocacy for the American Society of Addiction Medicine, has seen a nationwide spike in overdose deaths by almost 15%. In hot-spot states like Kentucky and Ohio, that number is closer to 25%.
Why Would the Pandemic Impact Opioid Use/Overdose Rates?
It turns out, the connection between increasing opioid overdoses and staying home during a pandemic makes total sense. We are dealing with so many things that can influence drug abuse. Things like:
Increase in Stress and Anxiety
Less Social Interaction & Support
Money Problems & Financial Instability
Essentially, if it can make your mental health worse, it can probably make drug addiction & usage worsen as well.
Unfortunately, the opioid epidemic had already been hitting new peaks- 2019 saw a 5% increase in deaths per day over 2018, and much of that is linked to the rise of fentanyl.
What is Fentanyl?
A synthetic opioid crafted for pain relief purposes. It’s like morphine or heroin, but is roughly 50 times stronger. It’s been added into heroin supplies in the U.S. market for the past several years, and the results have been noticeable and serious. Because it’s so strong the possibility of overdose is much higher, but that same strength is why drug dealers won’t stop using it- it’s profitable. The profits selling fentanyl are huge, much more than heroin itself.
What To Do?
As it turns out, there might be something in the works that could help those dealing with addiction. The Newsweek article goes on to discuss a project that’s been in the works for a long time, started by a scientist named Dr. Kim Janda. He came up with the idea- in our opinions, a brilliant one- to develop antibodies that react to drugs. Simply put, antibodies react to and latch onto perceived alien substances in the body like bacteria or viruses. Dr. Janda’s idea was to create an antibody for different addictive drugs. Ideally, these antibodies would latch onto drug molecules and neutralize them.
Some of Janda’s students have picked up where he left off, and they have continued to develop his ideas. They expect that we may see versions of antibody treatments for addiction over the next few years.
Interested in the similarities and differences between kratom & opioids? Read on!
Disclaimer: This article is not intended for medical purposes nor is it making any claims. It is provided as information only. Our products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
Kratom and Opioids | Is Kratom an Opioid
There are similarities between kratom and opioids, but what are they exactly? And what makes kratom and opioids different?
Similarities Between Kratom and Opioids
Kratom and opioids both interact with the opioid receptors in your brain.
When an opioid attaches to an opioid receptor, it blocks the brain from getting pain messages. That’s why opioids are such great pain relievers, because they try to force your brain to stop acknowledging pain.
Kratom alkaloids are much less powerful than an opioid, but they also attach to opioid receptors. That means kratom may block some pain signals. However, kratom probably won’t block all pain signals if the pain is severe, whereas opioids probably would. Kratom is known to potentially provide mild relief from discomfort because of this ability.
Differences Between Kratom and Opioids
As stated above, opioids are way stronger than kratom. While kratom may bind to the same part of the brain, the effects are not as strong as opioids.
The major difference between kratom and opioids is that kratom is a derivative of opium. Kratom trees and their leaves are actually related to coffee plants, not opium plants. That means that kratom is definitely not an opiate, a substance derived from opium.
Some people would debate that because kratom has an impact on opioid receptors it is an opioid. We’d argue that because kratom does this naturally, and not synthetically like most opioids, that kratom is not an opioid either. Also, there are many substances that impact opiate receptors without being an opioid, like dark chocolate. So, is kratom an opioid? No. Not in our opinion, anyway.
Learn more about kratom here
Going through a tough time due to COVID19 and struggling to afford your favorite GRH Kratom products? Send an email to [email protected] to see what we may be able to do to help.
Link to the original Newsweek article: | <urn:uuid:2f796509-ce71-4f7e-a48b-ec9e0ec1cea5> | CC-MAIN-2020-40 | https://grhkratom.com/pandemic-opioid-crisis-is-kratom-an-opioid/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-40/segments/1600400209665.4/warc/CC-MAIN-20200923015227-20200923045227-00747.warc.gz | en | 0.946258 | 1,318 | 2.90625 | 3 |
Topic: BatzB - Graspan
South Africa, 25 November 1899
Graspan, an action also referred to as the Battle of Enslin, was fought on 25 November 1899 (during the Second South African War) by a British force of 8,500 men under Lieut.-General Lord Methuen while attempting to break the Boer siege of Kimberley. After an earlier engagement at Belmont (q.v.), eighteen kilometres to the south along the single-track railway line which formed the axis of the British advance, Methuen found the Boers occupying a line of kopjes (small hills) about 60 metres high to the east of the railway station at Graspan. Information from British reconnaissance parties indicated that only about 400 enemy were present, supported by two guns.
To prevent the enemy escaping as had happened at Belmont, Methuen decided to engage the Boer position first with artillery fire while working the 900 mounted troops available to him around both flanks. Once these were in position, a frontal assault was to be mounted by the small Naval Brigade operating with his force. Unfortunately for this plan of attack, unknown to Methuen - whose scouts were unable to observe into the enemy position from closer than about two kilometres - the original Boer defenders were reinforced late on the afternoon of 24 November by 2,000 Free State burghers under Commandant Jacobus Prinsloo.
Map showing the Battle of Graspan, 25 November 1899
[From: The Times History of the War in South Africa, II, London, 1902.]
When the British field batteries opened up soon after 6 a.m. the next morning, the answering fire from the Boers came from five guns instead of two - not including a Hotchkiss quick-fire weapon and a Maxim machine-gun. Realising that his original scheme was unworkable, Methuen promptly opted for an all-out attack on conventional lines. This effort would pit the Naval Brigade with some infantry detachments against the Boers eastern (left) flank, while the rest of the British force sought to immobilise the enemy elsewhere and prevent reinforcement of the sector under attack. This plan worked, but not before the 245 strong assault force had lost 15 killed and 79 wounded. By the time the crest of the hill was reached, the enemy had all gone except for a small group which resisted until only one man remained alive.
The British could observe the Boris retiring in good order across the plain back into Free State territory, but a shortage of mounted troops meant that a vigorous pursuit was not possible. The British weakness in this regard was graphically demonstrated at one point during the Boer retreat, when a large body of burghers suddenly turned and attempted to ride down the lesser number of British horsemen from the 9th Lancers trying to follow them. The threat was averted by the response of some Mounted infantry who, along with a detachment of 29 members of the New South Wales Lancers under Lieut. S.F. Osborne, occupied a fold in the ground and poured a heavy fire into the advancing Boers. The incident reportedly won for Osborne and his men the nickname of ‘The Fighting Twenty-Nine.'.
The engagement had demonstrated once again that the Boers were more than a match for Methuen despite his numerical superiority. While he responded by complaining about the deficiency in the number of mounted troops available to him, and confirmed his disappointment in the part played by his cavalry by removing the commander of the 9th Lancers, nothing could disguise his own tactical incompetence which saw his force suffer total casualties at Graspan of seventeen dead and 168 wounded. Among the dead of the Naval Brigade was 19-year-old Midshipman C. I. Huddart of Ballarat, Victoria.
[From: Sydney Mail, 13 January 1900, p. 89.]
Extracted from the book produced by Chris Coulthard-Clark, Where Australians Fought - The Encyclopaedia of Australia's Battles, Allen and Unwin, Sydney, 1998, pp. 58-59.
Additional References cited by Chris Coulthard-Clark:
W. Baring Pemberton (1964) Battles of the Boer War, London.
R.L. Wallace (1976) The Australians at the Boer War, Canberra: Australian War Memorial & Australian Government Publishing Service.
L.M. Field (1979) The forgotten War, Carlton, Vic. Melbourne University Press.
Citation: Graspan, South Africa, November 25, 1899 | <urn:uuid:88cc86bb-5b6c-493c-9349-875bb4628c52> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://alh-research.tripod.com/Light_Horse/index.blog/1888308/graspan-south-africa-november-25-1899/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100724.48/warc/CC-MAIN-20231208045320-20231208075320-00237.warc.gz | en | 0.966485 | 933 | 3.328125 | 3 |
This is a quick and easy challenge for you, a quiz that is about communicating FERPA with students and parents. This two question quiz is just a thought provoker to introduce you to the answers provided by some of your industry peers.
Question #1: (Multiple Choice)
How early should administrators begin educating parents about FERPA?
a. During Recruitment
b. During Admissions
c. During Summer Freshman Orientation
d. When classes begin
In her ebook “Why Today’s Parents Clash with FERPA and Best Practices for Communicating with Them” Nancy Mann Jackson dismisses the notion that FERPA is merely a set of rules that students and parents need to follow. See how the philosophy behind FERPA can open a dialogue with parents and students and promote a better understanding of the regulations, and how the concept behind FERPA can aid students in becoming adults and provide clarity for concerned parents about their changing role when they are no longer the “owner” of the student record.
Question #2: (Yes or No?)
Does a post secondary school administrator need to have the student’s consent to disclose information concerning that student’s education records, including financials, to a parent if that student is still a dependent for tax purposes?
#1. The answer is “b” during admissions. Some schools have had success starting as early as High School and the admissions process initiating the FERPA conversation as early as possible between students and families.
#2. The answer is no. Consent from the student is not required as long as the parent is claiming the student as a dependent for tax purposes.
Click here to read Nancy Mann Jackson’s eBook “Why Today’s Parents Clash with FERPA and Best Practices for Communicating with Them”. | <urn:uuid:719493f3-3120-4e48-8c14-b7e634414c57> | CC-MAIN-2018-09 | http://blog.tuitionmanagementsystems.com/communicating-ferpa-a-short-quiz/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-09/segments/1518891813608.70/warc/CC-MAIN-20180221103712-20180221123712-00219.warc.gz | en | 0.961214 | 384 | 2.921875 | 3 |
Displayed in the shape of a rising sun on the wall, the African weapons in the new Hood Museum of Art exhibit, “Art of Weapons,” form intimidating yet beautiful rays. Meant to mimic the grand Victorian style common to elite homes and museums, the exhibit explores themes that include colonialism and gender binaries.
Evoking the Victorian era and the associations it connotes, curator of African art Ugochukwu-Smooth Nzewi said, is key to the exhibit, because one of the major themes of the display is the perception of African masculinity from the point of view of Western collectors.
The majority of the weapons are from the Hood’s collections. In 1885, Rev. Josiah Tyler, son of Dartmouth’s fifth president, Rev. Bennet Tyler, donated several Zulu weapons collected in Natal, South Africa, where he was a missionary from 1849 to 1889. From there, the Hood expanded its collection through various acquisitions and donations.
The objects, Nzewi said, were mostly collected by Western males, missionaries, colonial officers, military officers and big game hunters. These different groups compiled their collections at the height of colonialism and ethnographic anthropology.
The exhibit raises questions about the pieces’ history, Hood coordinator of academic programming Amelia Kahl said.
“Who was collecting these weapons? How come from this time period we have a huge collection of weapons here at Dartmouth and as significant a collection of beautiful African textiles?” Kahl said. “Who was buying these things? Who was attending the College, and who was giving them to us?”
The exhibition underscores that the weapons reflect social constructions of masculinity and explores how they present Western impressions of African masculinity, Nzewi said.
“All the weapons speak to different ideas,” Nzewi said. “For instance, the exhibit is really thinking of the weapons as objects, and hence the title, ‘Art of Weapons.’”
The exhibit, split into offensive and defensive weapons, displays spears, swords, knives and shields, which date from 1850 to the 1930s. They come from more than 40 ethnic groups, drawn from North, Central, Western, South and East Africa, encompassing a geographical spread that includes Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mali, Tanzania and the Republic of Sierra Leone.
The weapons were individually crafted by skilled artisans all over the continent, religion and African and African American studies professor Robert Baum said.
“Often times, the skills to create these weapons were thought to be given to the artisans by spiritual powers or ancestors or deities,” Baum said.
On opposing walls are different shields, including a Gombe shield from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and a Shilluk shield from South Sudan. Crafted from materials such as hippopotamus skin and raphe fiber, the shields form intricate geometric patterns while remaining incredibly tough.
The display relates to the personal relationship between the weapon and its user, Baum said.
The exhibit serves as a counterpoint to a 2008 exhibit called “Black Womanhood,” which explored black women’s history, according to Kahl.
“Art of Weapons” opened on April 23 and will stay open through fall 2014. Nzewi is available for tours and classes by request. | <urn:uuid:b521e0b6-ed57-4191-9402-9a0978556bb8> | CC-MAIN-2015-06 | http://thedartmouth.com/2014/04/27/weapons-show-explores-masculinity/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-06/segments/1422115899686.93/warc/CC-MAIN-20150124161139-00201-ip-10-180-212-252.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957963 | 700 | 2.921875 | 3 |
The Machine in the Ghost
‘The Machine in the Ghost’, the title of both Robin Boast’s talk and his book, (U. of Chicago Press, Reaktion Books, London, 2017), needs some explaining. The ‘ghost in the machine’ was a phrase used by Gilbert Ryle (1900-76) in his critique of Réné Descartes whose disconnect between mind and body the British philosopher refuted. Arthur Koestler used the expression as the title of his 1967 book about philosophical psychology. Reversing the word order, Boast wished to call attention to the oft-ignored fundamentals that make the digital world that we all, willing or not, live in. His subtitle was ‘Digitality and its consequences’.
Boast began at the very beginning, noting that he was only a few steps ahead of his Berkeley Circle audience. But it was soon clear that his were very big steps. He proceeded to show us the point of departure, the key distinction that made the digital age possible, in a word the difference between analog and digital technology. The former leaves a kernel of information or signal in its original form. The latter takes the same signal and turns it into binary numbers. The binary system used in computers and electronics is simple enough considering what can be built with it. The state of anything is represented by 1 or 0, on or off, high or low. These binary numbers are stored and can be called up at in a shape that approximates the original signal. The immense complications, just short of infinity, come afterward.
Boast then took us on a historical excursion. In fascinating illustrations, we viewed the devices that had marked the supremacy of the analog world and the hints they offered of the digital world to come. We were reminded that nothing comes from nothing and that history is inescapable. The underlying technology of the digital age was developed in the nineteenth century. Charles Babbage, born in 1771, is credited with having originated the concept of a digital programmable computer. While this mechanical computer led to more complex electronic designs, all the essential ideas of modern computers are to be found in Babbage's so-called analytical engine.
It was post-WWII that the digital changeover gained speed. Computer systems began to do mathematical calculations previously done manually. The introduction of transistors, silicon as a semi-conductor and single-chip microprocessors opened the way for the microcomputer revolution of the 1970s. Home computers and video game consoles appeared. The switch from analog record-keeping increased as business completed its move to digital. At the turn of the century cell phones, constantly improved, were everywhere together with textual messaging. In the next decade tablet computers and smartphones surpassed personal computers as a means to tie into the Internet
Will this breakneck trajectory continue? Will there, in other words, be a post-digital age? At present, it seems unlikely that the pace of development could decelerate and the digitality that has engulfed us morph into something else, another age. Or was it our fate to go forward forever on our deceptively simple but incredibly fertile binary way? Boast refused to play the prophet. For the moment he was satisfied to help Berkeleyites limp out of pre-digital times.
Robin Boast’s e-science interests have a remarkable scope. They touch the sociology of scientific knowledge, museum studies and, intriguingly, the “the ethnographic gaze of indigenous partners”. The Berkeley Circle hopes he will pay us another enlightening visit. | <urn:uuid:5b64c253-3b77-4281-8b33-417913b3e10c> | CC-MAIN-2023-06 | https://www.theberkeleylecce.com/copy-of-san-francisco-in-the-hot-se | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-06/segments/1674764500304.90/warc/CC-MAIN-20230206051215-20230206081215-00093.warc.gz | en | 0.961321 | 733 | 2.984375 | 3 |
Is Social Media Damaging Your Eyes?
Over-use of digital devices can cause macular degeneration. Opticians have spoken out against over-exposure to screens on devices such as smartphones and tablets. A recent survey has shown that under-25s check their phone at least 32 times a day, and many people report feeling unsettled and anxious if separated from their phone. Most adults spend as much as seven hours a day in front of a screen. As a culture we spend a vast amount of time checking social media sites like Facebook and Instagram, and some see this as an unhealthy form of addiction.
Negative Effects of Blue Light
The blue light emissions (also known as HEV or high-energy visible light) from screens are responsible for damage to the eyes, and modern small-screen devices tend to be held much closer to the face than is recommended. See http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/26780069/smartphone-overuse-may-damage-eyes-say-opticians for a more detailed discussion of this.
Deterioration of Vision
It’s sometimes referred to as digital eye strain or computer vision syndrome, and there are a number of early warning signs which if treated early could save your sight. Symptoms such as dry eyes, watery eyes, headaches and light sensitivity can be early warning signs of permanent damage or macular degeneration. This can eventually lead to blindness. Short-sightedness can also be caused by working on screens too close to the face.
How to Protect Your Eyes from Screen Damage
In order to avoid straining the eyes, opticians recommend taking frequent breaks from screens and making sure you blink enough whilst using screens. It is also crucial to get your eyes tested regularly to pick up any early signs of damage.
Opticians can take the strain off their patients when it comes to remembering their eye check, however. Many now use optician software to automatically recall and remind patients to attend an appointment. Another advantage of some specialist optician software is that it contains built-in lifestyle questionnaires which could help practitioners to identify patients particularly at risk from the effects of extensive screen time.
Millennial Generation Are High-Risk
A report by the Vision Council found that 37% of Millennials (born after 1980) were spending more than nine hours a day on screens. This trend is fuelled by social media addiction and is thought to be responsible for the worldwide epidemic of short-sightedness. | <urn:uuid:0d584d18-d941-45de-a680-077d33d3929a> | CC-MAIN-2022-49 | https://therecreationplace.com/reviews/is-social-media-damaging-your-eyes/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-49/segments/1669446710916.70/warc/CC-MAIN-20221202215443-20221203005443-00498.warc.gz | en | 0.953127 | 510 | 3.1875 | 3 |
What makes us who we are?
Our culture! And as the world becomes more interconnected, cultures mix, mingle and swirl to create sub-cultures and each of us arguably has a unique sub-sub-culture.
My (awesome) principal a few years ago introduced the culture wheel assignment to us teachers during the orientation/prep week prior to the beginning of the school year. It was an almost entirely new staff, and by drawing and writing about our own personal cultures—and then presenting them to the group and discussing them—we all got to know each other well and quickly formed strong bonds. In September, I asked my three co-homeschooled/fifth grade students to each create one of their own as well.
Here is an example:
Other categories could be sports, nature, cooking, language, religion, personality, humor, and so on. Then, write a brief essay explaining why you chose each category and assigned it the piece of the pie that you did.
What makes me me?
What is my personal culture?
What/who/where influences me and affect my day to day life?
How does it influence me? | <urn:uuid:7c0e38fc-a8a9-470d-9b9f-7fa9952db4f6> | CC-MAIN-2022-21 | https://yogafreedom.blog/2015/10/10/the-culture-wheel/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-21/segments/1652663016373.86/warc/CC-MAIN-20220528093113-20220528123113-00327.warc.gz | en | 0.963204 | 240 | 2.5625 | 3 |
Good nurses are truly inspiring because they are responsible for the wellbeing of their patients and they contribute to the success of healthcare institutions. But being a nurse is also a tough job that requires long hours, patience and willingness to serve others.
Since the beginning, nurses have to study at a healthcare nursing college to get their degree. They need to know how to take care of sick people and how to help healthy people by offering them preventive healthcare information.
It’s a common misconception that being a nurse is only about learning how to take blood pressure and sticking needles on patients’ arms. In fact, Nursing colleges will teach you a variety of skills that include:
In Malaysia, for example, one need to study three to four years in order to get your diploma in nursing.
But being a nurse is more than just medical knowledge and good skills. It is a service more than a job. Check out some of the common attributes of a good nurse. If you do not have all of them, it does Not mean you are not fit to be a nurse. More often than not, these attributes might just come along as you go through the training, and learn more about patient needs and other related knowledge.
Nurses should really and truly care for their patients. In fact, they are the ones who comfort people who are sick, vulnerable or scared.
They need to take the time to know how to comfort and support their patients, which can create a special bond between them.
Another attribute of a great nurse is patience, because taking care of the sick is not always an easy job.
For example, patients with disabilities require more care and attention, and nurses will need to invest a lot more time and energy to learn exactly what their patients need.
A good nurse need to respect others and the rules. It is the law to honour confidentiality to the patient.
A good nurse should also respect different traditions and cultures and remain impartial.
To a lot of people, being in the hospital every day is not a pleasant experience. And that’s why good nurses need to be able to empathize with their patients.
Nurses should always put themselves in the patient’s shoes and give them not only medical support but emotional too. Keep in mind that nurses can really change a person’s life.
In order to be a good nurse, you need to be emotionally stable. This is especially true because of the stressful job they have. Nurses are human beings, and they have to deal with their personal problems and emotions too. But since they have a responsibility with their patients, personal emotion should not affect their work.
It’s a good idea to have someone to talk to after a long day at work. Also some healthcare colleges in Malaysia provide free mediation courses, which are great for relaxing and relieving stress.
If you want to be a good nurse, you should have great attention to detail. Mistakes in this job involve life and death consequences. Pay attention to everything from medication, to post operation procedures. Most nursing programs in Malaysia place a strong emphasis on this.
A good nurse must know how to communicate with their patients, colleagues and doctors. Nurses also need to speak clearly so their patients understand what is going on.
In addition, nurses need good interpersonal skills to be able to communicate with different people.
Every day is different, and if you are a nurse you will notice this pretty soon. You never know what is going to happen, and you need to be prepared for everything. And this is the reason why a good nurse needs to be adaptable and be able to act quickly.
As you can see, being a nurse is no easy job, but if one has the skills and proper education, he or she can become very successful at this job, a job that not only offers job security, but also the opportunity to serve and help others. | <urn:uuid:7422e164-49c5-4524-ae33-899a83dce2d9> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | http://www.ramsaysimedarbycollege.edu.my/news-and-events/top-8-qualities-of-a-good-nurse | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141716970.77/warc/CC-MAIN-20201202205758-20201202235758-00465.warc.gz | en | 0.977379 | 796 | 2.796875 | 3 |
E-Cigarette Use Among Teens Doubled in One Year
Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) have been touted recently as an aid to stop smoking, but one new study suggests that e-cigarettes might lead young folks to smoke the real thing.
Even Before COPD, Smokers Exercised Less
Plenty of smokers also exercise and try to stay fit. But researchers behind a new study found that they still might not fare as well as non-smokers.
Kicking the Habit and Being Happier For It
Smoking is clearly tied to negative physical health effects, but what about mental health? Researchers behind a new review set out to explore this topic.
Fifty Years Later, Work Remains to Curb Smoking
Fifty years ago, the US Surgeon General first warned of the dangerous effects of smoking. On the anniversary of that announcement, the current Surgeon General has released new data.
More Americans Dropping the Habit
The risks of smoking are well established, but that doesn't mean it's easier to quit the habit. Yet, more Americans are skipping the smokes these days.
Testing Rx Combo to Help Smokers Be Smoke Free
Smoking causes one in five deaths in the US. Varenicline and bupropion are approved to help smokers quit, but are only partly effective. Using both medications together might work better.
Tobacco Controls Saved Millions of Lives
Anti-smoking efforts ramped up after the surgeon general's first report on the health consequences of smoking. According to a recent study, those efforts have saved millions of lives.
Quitting Smoking Lowered Risk for Cataract Removal
Smoking can contribute to the development of many health issues, including vision problems like cataracts (causes cloudy vision), but research is showing that quitting can help to lower that risk.
Smoking Bans Worked Inside and Outside the Home
A smoker can’t totally kick the habit by only smoking occasionally. Researchers have found that public — and private — smoking policies may work in much the same way.
It's Not Too Late to Quit Smoking After Cancer Diagnosis
It's never too late to quit smoking, even after a cancer diagnosis, according to recent research. | <urn:uuid:bc171b05-2535-49d6-a0f0-694e34e3d9fb> | CC-MAIN-2019-51 | https://rxwiki.com/articles/news_story/field_conditions/smoking-cessation-689?page=11 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-51/segments/1575540490743.16/warc/CC-MAIN-20191206173152-20191206201152-00163.warc.gz | en | 0.946395 | 459 | 2.53125 | 3 |
It’s Friday the 13th in New Zealand – it will come to your place in the next few hours if it hasn’t already arrived.
Friday the 13th is the most widespread superstition in the Western world. Some people refuse to go to work on Friday the 13th; some won’t eat in restaurants and many would not consider setting this as a date for a wedding or other large celebration.
According to our good friend Wikipedia “The fear of Friday the 13th is called friggatriskaidekaphobia (Frigga being the name of the Norse goddess for whom “Friday” is named and triskaidekaphobia meaning fear of the number thirteen)” So we have a name for this phobia.
But from where did this superstition arise? The number 13 has been considered unlucky for centuries. Some say the superstition began with 13 people who attended the Last Supper, but ancient Babylon’s Code of Hammurabi omits the number 13 in its list of laws, so the superstition dates back to at least 1700 BC.
It appears that Friday’s bad reputation goes all the way back to the Garden of Eden. Apparently it was a Friday when Eve tempted Adam with the forbidden fruit. We are told that the Great Flood began on a Friday; God tongue-tied the builders of the Tower of Babel on a Friday; and it was on a Friday that the Temple of Solomon was destroyed. And Friday was the day of the week on which Christ was crucified.
In pagan Rome, Friday was execution day and later Hangman’s Day in Britain | <urn:uuid:478a0594-5b08-4573-9d2e-843a63b3af18> | CC-MAIN-2017-30 | https://growingyoungereachday.wordpress.com/2012/01/13/friday-the-thirteenth/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-30/segments/1500549425117.42/warc/CC-MAIN-20170725082441-20170725102441-00253.warc.gz | en | 0.965812 | 342 | 2.765625 | 3 |
(Last Updated on : 14/07/2012)
Role of B.R. Ambedkar in drafting Indian constitution has been immense. With the independence of India on 15th August 1947 the leadership of Indian national congress invited Dr Ambedkar to serve for the nation as the first law minister - which is gladly accepted. Few weeks later he was also appointed as the Chairman of the Constitution Drafting Committee, charged by the Assembly to write India's new Constitution.
Many well-known scholars have defined the Indian constitution in their own way like Granville Austin has described the same as "first and foremost a social document". The majority of India's constitutional provisions are either directly arrived at furthering the aim of social revolution or attempt to foster this revolution by establishing conditions necessary for its achievement."
The text that was prepared by Dr B.R. Ambedkar
also offered constitutional assurances and security for a wide range of civil liberties for individual citizens, which included freedom of religion, the elimination of untouchability and the banning of all types of discrimination. B.R. Ambedkar also worked for widespread financial and social rights for women society, and also won the support of Assembly for bringing in a system of job reservations in the Indian Civil Services
, schools and colleges for members of planned castes and scheduled tribes, a system similar to positive action. Lawmaker's of India wished to get rid of the socio-economic inequalities and be deficient in of opportunities for India's miserable classes through this way. The Constitution of India
was adopted on 26th November 1949 by the Constituent Assembly.
In 1951, B.R. Ambedkar at last submitted his resignation as a member of the cabinet, following the standing in parliament of his draft of the Hindu Code Bill that required explaining gender equality in the laws of inheritance, marriage and the economy.
In the year 1952, Dr Ambedkar independently contested an election to the lower house of parliament, the Lok Sabha
, but lost the contest. He was appointed to the upper house, of parliament, the Rajya Sabha
in March 1952 and would remain as member till death | <urn:uuid:e54fcf32-557c-4e6c-ae43-3754ce1a02a1> | CC-MAIN-2020-05 | https://www.indianetzone.com/61/role_b_r_ambedkar_drafting_indian_constitution.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-05/segments/1579250606269.37/warc/CC-MAIN-20200122012204-20200122041204-00190.warc.gz | en | 0.966189 | 432 | 3.984375 | 4 |
In the U.S., reminders to be happy accost us wherever we go. Right now, you can hear that meassage loudest and clearest whenever you turn on the radio and Pharrell Williams' annoyingly catchy "Happy" starts playing, as, inevitably, it will. Even if you don't listen to the radio, "Happy" is inescapable. Cute dogs, the U.N., Star Wars characters—it seems like everyone is in on this.
Pharrell didn't invent this sentiment, of course: America has long been a land rife with smiley face logos and refrains of "Don't worry, be happy!" The underlying message seems to be that if you're not happy, there is something wrong with you. Psychologists from Victoria University of Wellington recently explained this phenomena in a paper:
A common view in contemporary Western culture is that personal happiness is one of the most important values in life. For example, in American culture it is believed that failing to appear happy is cause for concern. These cultural notions are also echoed in contemporary Western psychology (including positive psychology and much of the research on subjective well-being).
However, as the researchers go on to point out, for many people and cultures across the world, this smiley outlook is not the norm. "For some individuals, happiness is not a supreme value," they write. "In fact, some individuals across cultures are averse to various kinds of happiness for several different reasons."
Take people living in the Middle East, near Iran, for example. If things get too good for them, traditional superstitions state that the evil eye will be cast upon them, and they will fall into misfortune. Being happy—but not too happy—is therefore the safest route.
In countries such as Japan, on the other hand, individual pursuit of happiness can be seen as being at odds with the good of society, and people who put their own feelings first risk being perceived as selfish. Even in the West, the authors found, some people share a similar mentality, feeling that people who are overly happy come across as boring and shallow.
So next time some guy tells you to smile or asks you why you're not being chirpy enough, feel free to inform him that plenty of people have an aversion to extreme happiness. There's nothing flawed or out of the ordinary about that. And if that wipes the smile off his face, well, good. | <urn:uuid:484760a8-6d13-42e9-b5f5-8b2213d2e4da> | CC-MAIN-2015-32 | http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/not-everyone-thinks-extreme-happiness-ideal-state-being-180950223/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-32/segments/1438042989042.37/warc/CC-MAIN-20150728002309-00230-ip-10-236-191-2.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966887 | 499 | 2.5625 | 3 |
Parents who entrust the education of their sons to Saint Ambrose College have the right to expect a rigorous, challenging and authentic Religious Education. Education of students in Catholic belief and practice is a core of the College’s curriculum. The term Theology, defined as “Faith seeking understanding” most accurately describes the work of the Faculty. Boys are encouraged to acquire a deeper knowledge and understanding of their faith, and to consider the impact of their faith in guiding their values and decisions. Parents of boys of other traditions or faiths can be sure that the integrity of their son’s conscience will be respected. Boys are assessed on their knowledge and understanding of the Catholic faith, not on their beliefs or practice.
Key Stage 3
in Years 1 and 2 follow a scheme of work based upon the nationally developed ‘People of God’ framework, which is mapped against the Religious Education Curriculum Directory for Catholic Schools in England and Wales. A different module is studied each half-term, with an extended written assessment at the end of each topic. The life of Blessed Edmund Rice and his legacy are explored throughout the year to give an understanding of the College’s unique ethos and spirit, summarised in the Eight Essentials of an Edmund Rice Education. In their 1st Year boys study a module on Sikhism, and enjoy a half-day visit to a local Gurdwara. In their 2nd Year boys study Islam, and enjoy a visit to Altrincham Mosque. All 1st Year boys also attend a retreat during their first half-term, as part of their induction and spiritual formation.
Key stage 4
GCSE Religious Studies is a core subject taken by all boys at GCSE following the AQA syllabus. This will involve the study of Catholic Christianity (75%) and Judaism (25%). Our GCSE results are consistently outstanding, indicating the commitment and enthusiasm with which boys approach the subject. Advanced Level Religious Studies
KEY STAGE 5
A Level is a popular option at Sixth Form. Students follow the Edexcel scheme, which allows them to study the Philosophy of Religion, Religious Ethics and New Testament studies. All students take part in a weekly General RE programme, examining the social teaching of the Church. The course is assessed internally through a series of student led research projects.
Why study Religious Studies at A Level?
A Level Religious Studies (Edexcel) Aims of the course:-
• To develop an understanding and appreciation of religious thought and its contribution to individuals, communities and societies.
• To allow students to treat the subject as an academic discipline by developing the knowledge and understanding appropriate to a specialist study of religion.
• To develop transferable skills for progression to higher education.
• To develop the moral and spiritual appetite of each student.
Knowledge and understanding - key concepts such as doctrines, teachings, principles, ideas and theories. Key skills - ICT, communication, problem-solving, lateral thinking and more. Analysis and evaluation - interpret, evaluate and analyse religious and philosophical ideas and issues. Spiritual, Moral and Cultural development - learning about our faith and learning about their own faith, belief and culture.
Many employers and universities will be impressed by this choice of subject since it will present the profile of a student who possesses a logical and analytical approach to situations; who can apply lateral thinking to a challenge and who offers his own informed opinion whilst respecting the views of others. It also shows a person who has developed an ethical and moral maturity beyond that of many of his peers. | <urn:uuid:c3718f4c-e104-4dfc-9ce5-0575180355e3> | CC-MAIN-2020-45 | https://www.st-ambrosecollege.org.uk/page/?title=Theology+%26amp%3B+Religious+Education&pid=168 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-45/segments/1603107889173.38/warc/CC-MAIN-20201025125131-20201025155131-00645.warc.gz | en | 0.947477 | 719 | 3.015625 | 3 |
Jan 10, 2014 · This is right, but it's not the whole picture. The umbilicus (belly button) is also connected to other things as well, such as the falciform ligament which runs to the liver and the medial umbilical ligaments as well. Like most things that attach to the belly button, these structures were useful in utero but aren't anymore. Mar 18, 2015 · The belly button, also known as the navel or umbilicus, can sometimes produce a bad odor and in some cases, is accompanied by discharge. There are a number of causes for this, ranging from common to rare. Most cases of belly button odor and discharge are not life-threatening and can be remedied with proper hygiene and.
Apr 21, 2011 · From what kind of germs live in your belly button (navel) to whether you get belly button lint, here is everything you never knew about your belly button. MD, including how the scar attaches. The belly button marks the area your umbilical cord attaches to your navel at one end and your placenta—a mass of blood vessels attached to the wall of your mother’s uterus—at the other Author: Alexa Erickson.
Belly Button⢠specializes in maternity bands focusing on allowing you to wear your regular pants longer during pregnancy. The Belly button was designed to make you more comfortable throughout your pregnancy when you pants become to tight.Applied Discount: $0.00. Aug 28, 2017 · An epigastric hernia usually causes a bump to occur in the area below your sternum, or breastbone, and above your belly button. This bump is caused by Author: Diana K. Wells. | <urn:uuid:2a7dbf74-b947-4174-a619-13a5fc951a4b> | CC-MAIN-2020-05 | https://testtherest.info/adult/adult-belly-button-attaches-to.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-05/segments/1579250605075.24/warc/CC-MAIN-20200121192553-20200121221553-00009.warc.gz | en | 0.953825 | 356 | 2.671875 | 3 |
You can know whether you have attention deficit hyperactivity. Noticing the symptoms of ADHD is hard because they are less obvious. There are specific symptoms that show in children who have ADHD. For example these children are a short attention. These children also get distorted very easily. When it comes to schoolwork these children always keep making careless mistakes. Children who suffer from ADHD also keep losing things because they can’t remember where they kept them. Children with ADHD cannot stick to duties that are tedious and time consuming. Children with ADHD keep changing activities and tasks.
Another common symptom of ADHD is that children appear unable to listen to what they are being told. You can got these children any instructions because they can’t even listen to what they are being told. Organizing tasks is also hard for children with ADHD. Teenegers with ADHD are always unable to sit still. In this case they cannot stay in an environment that is very quiet. Fidgeting is another common symptom of people with ADHD. People with ADHD are always unable to concentrate on simple duties. Another common symptom of ADHD is that patients have excess movements. This simply means they can’t stay in one place.
Another symptom of ADHD is that patient’s keep talking. These people also find it very hard to wait for their turn during a conversation. Patients with ADHD do not think a situation through before acting. This is very dangerous because it can lead to accidents. Another common symptom of people with ADHD is that they keep interrupting conversations. People with ADHD also have little or no sense of danger. This makes them always find themselves in dangerous situations. This can be a great problem for children especially in school. They are unable to have a healthy conversation with other students in school. They will always find themselves discipline cases all the time.
Another symptom of ADHD is that it causes people to be depressed. Depression can be bad because it may make you feel suicidal. Anxiety disorder is another symptom of patients with ADHD. This will make the patient to always stay worried and nervous. People with anxiety disorders have increased heartbeat, sweating and dizziness. People with ADHD don’t find sleep easily. At night they are always unable to sleep. They also have irregular sleep patterns which can be very dangerous. Patients with ADHD also have conduct disorder. In this case patients always have antisocial behavior. This means a patient will always be caught fighting, stealing and harming other people or even animals. ADHD is also characterized through oppositional defiant disorder. This makes patients have a negative and disruptive behavior. This is especially towards people with authority like parents. People with ADHD sometimes suffer from epilepsy. There are learning difficulties experienced by people with ADHD. Knowing whether can be hard but these symptoms may suggest you have ADHD. | <urn:uuid:9fa4d4d4-e0bd-4d04-86b5-d4ba50dd69ad> | CC-MAIN-2018-47 | http://aioaio.info/5-takeaways-that-i-learned-about-tests/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-47/segments/1542039741660.40/warc/CC-MAIN-20181114062005-20181114084005-00503.warc.gz | en | 0.975559 | 559 | 2.765625 | 3 |
The Natural Resources Defense Council's purpose is to safeguard the Earth: its people, its plants and animals and the natural systems on which all life depends.
We work to restore the integrity of the elements that sustain life -- air, land and water -- and to defend endangered natural places.
We seek to establish sustainability and good stewardship of the Earth as central ethical imperatives of human society. NRDC affirms the integral place of human beings in the environment.
We strive to protect nature in ways that advance the long-term welfare of present and future generations.
We work to foster the fundamental right of all people to have a voice in decisions that affect their environment. We seek to break down the pattern of disproportionate environmental burdens borne by people of color and others who face social or economic inequities. Ultimately, NRDC strives to help create a new way of life for humankind, one that can be sustained indefinitely without fouling or depleting the resources that support all life on Earth. | <urn:uuid:b7ae60e1-7d27-44ac-bf6d-6d567e4d0e55> | CC-MAIN-2018-13 | https://www.crowdrise.com/teamnaturalresources | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-13/segments/1521257647498.68/warc/CC-MAIN-20180320150533-20180320170533-00390.warc.gz | en | 0.899804 | 199 | 2.59375 | 3 |
Problems with the minute ‘factories’ that yield energy for cells — the mitochondria — contribute to learning problems and other traits of fragile X syndrome, a new study suggests1. The findings also unexpectedly implicate huntingtin, the protein mutated in Huntington’s disease, in fragile X.
Fragile X syndrome is the most common inherited form of intellectual disability and single-gene cause of autism. It stems from mutations that silence the gene for a protein called FMRP. The absence of this protein alters the production of many others, with consequences trickling down to affect the form and function of neurons.
One such consequence, the new study suggests, is faulty, fragmented mitochondria.
Mitochondria fuse to create larger units during times of high energy demand, such as cell growth. This mitochondrial fusion is decreased in neurons deprived of FMRP, the researchers found. Enhancing the fusion in a mouse model of fragile X normalizes neurons’ form and function, and improves the mice’s learning and behavior.
“This is a new mechanism, and I think it’s only a part of the bigger picture of what happens in fragile X,” says lead investigator Xinyu Zhao, professor of neuroscience at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. But it gives scientists a clear therapeutic target, she says. “It’s very exciting because it suggests we don’t have to touch every single knob in order to treat the symptoms.”
Researchers have for years attempted to find treatments for fragile X. But many candidates that showed promise in animals failed in people. As a result, researchers are seeking new targets to explore.
“This is an exciting new avenue to be pursued for development of therapeutics,” says Mark Bear, professor of neuroscience at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who was not involved in the study.
Mouse neurons lacking FMRP don’t mature properly. They have shorter and fewer dendrites — the branch-like protrusions that receive signals from other cells — than usual, the team found in the new study.
The researchers saw the same stunted dendrites in neurons from people with fragile X after transplanting immature versions of the cells into the brains of live mice. They also saw another telling defect: The transplanted cells show high levels of a marker for oxidative stress, a sign of metabolic problems.
To find the source of the problems, the researchers analyzed gene expression in the neurons. They found unusually low expression of two genes that induce mitochondria to fuse.
Treating the neurons with a compound called M1, which promotes mitochondrial fusion, normalizes the dendrites. (The drug has no effect on typical neurons.) Given to mice lacking FMRP, M1 improves the animals’ learning and memory and social interaction, and it eases their hyperactivity.
The merged energy factories may be needed for the maturation of dendrites, says Elizabeth Jonas, professor of internal medicine and neuroscience at Yale University, who wasn’t involved in the study.
FMRP does not seem to directly regulate mitochondrial fusion, Zhao says; none of the 40 common targets of FMRP are among the 519 genes with altered expression in fragile X mouse neurons.
But a database of protein interactions revealed that 18 of the 40 target genes interact with some of the 519 genes. One interacts with mitochondria-related genes exclusively: huntingtin, which underlies the degenerative condition Huntington’s disease.
“We just stumbled on huntingtin, which was a big surprise,” Zhao says.
People with Huntington’s disease produce an abnormally long version of huntingtin. The protein is of normal length in the fragile X mice, but there is too little of it. Boosting the protein’s levels restores mitochondrial function in fragile X neurons from mice; it also normalizes the dendrites.
“This provides support that huntingtin is actually a mediator of FMRP’s regulation of mitochondria,” Zhao says. The work appeared 11 February in Nature Neuroscience.
The role of mitochondrial functioning in brain development is poorly understood but gaining attention. Several conditions, such as Rett and Down syndromes, are linked to problems in mitochondria, and scientists have identified genetic changes that affect mitochondria in people with autism.
In fragile X research, too, mitochondrial function is an emerging new direction, Jonas says. In her unpublished work, she has found another problem with mitochondria in fragile X that leads to inefficient energy production, protein overproduction at synapses — the junctions between neurons — and poor maturation of neurons.
Zhao’s team, meanwhile, is exploring dietary supplements and medications that enhance mitochondrial function as possible treatments for fragile X syndrome. | <urn:uuid:c7eb7b19-0dd9-43e4-8d55-1a1aba93ecc7> | CC-MAIN-2021-43 | https://www.spectrumnews.org/news/faulty-mitochondria-may-fuel-features-fragile-x-syndrome/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-43/segments/1634323585121.30/warc/CC-MAIN-20211017052025-20211017082025-00567.warc.gz | en | 0.917772 | 991 | 3.328125 | 3 |
There are a lot of educators and scientists talking about Deep Time these days. Maria and Mario Montessori worked on developing this big worldview into a curriculum for young children in the 1940’s …and probably for some time before. If you’d like some background info on the Montessori perspective, you can read all about it in Children of the Universe: Cosmic Education in the Montessori Elementary Curriculum by Michael and D’Neil Duffy.
Fossilicious got started as we worked on designing curriculum and materials to go with this study. We wanted to put meaningful activities into the hands of children at the precise time their interest in the magnitude of the earth and all its history, science, and culture are at its peak: throughout the ages of 6 through 12.
If you’re a Montessori elementary teacher, you can just skip the next few paragraphs of explanation and return at the subtitle; this is all familiar territory for you. If you’re not, you may want to read on…
The Montessori method of teaching involves telling a story and then providing materials to enhance independent study guided by the child’s interests. All of the learning materials found at www.fossilicious.com have been developed for this purpose. We’ll use these learning materials as an opportunity to more deeply integrate the curriculum with math and language. This series of articles will explore a few ways that a teacher can use the materials to extend into these subject areas.
The first Great Lesson in Montessori is called The God with No Hands. There’s a pretty nice write-up of the story, along with photos of the impressionistic charts that illustrate parts of the story, a list of experiments, and some directions for giving the presentation at Montessori Commons (http://montessoricommons.cc/story-of-the-god-with-no-hands/).
This first story tells about the creation of the universe. It is designed to impress the child with the huge power of the natural forces that resulted in our magnificent solar system and our planetary home. The story fills the children’s imaginations with wonder, while the experiments are the start of exploration into some of the earth’s guiding principles. Shortly after this impressionistic story follows a lesson called the Clock of Eras. This lessons shares the passage of time since the Big Bang compared to a clock to give a visual representation and thee first experience with the geology time groups of Eras: Hadean, Archaean, Proterozoic, Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic.
We call this the Clock of Eras and you can download a copy of the chart and some related activities here: https://www.fossils-facts-and-finds.com/clock_of_eras.html
The booklets we’ve written to accompany the clock tell the story of each era in greater detail. This is where the extensions for math and language can really be put to use. Each booklet gives an idea of what was happening during that particular chunk of time on the clock. I’ll use just one of these booklets to share a few ideas for extending the information into mathematical realms.
Math and the Hadean
For the youngest students, the immense size of the numbers used to express time is a point of interest. This is a great time to investigate writing numbers: place value, hierarchies, and patterns. Here are some sample activity titles to develop for the six and seven year olds:
These can become increasingly complex as the students get older and more experienced.
Once you feel you’ve exhausted all the ways to play with large numerals, you can use these same numerals to practice all the operations. (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division) The level of difficulty will be modified by the age and ability of the student, but there are many ways to integrate these math problems into the science or history curriculum. Here are a few examples of problems you could make up.
This simple series of relatable math activity is only limited by your imagination and creativity as a teacher. In reading through each booklet, you can easily create a group of math problems…or make them up on the spot, just to fit that particular student’s needs.
Coming next time: Language skills with the Era’s booklets.
these eras are constantly evolving, for the purpose of the young
child, these distinctions align closely with the current time
distinctions, although scientists now use a more refined and
detailed system of time classification. You can find a chart of this
Check out some of the Educational Materials for sale on our sister site fossilicious.com.
Geologic Time Geologic Time LineProterozoic Era | <urn:uuid:4c9eda2e-ff89-4439-810c-d8a72487f2ce> | CC-MAIN-2023-06 | https://www.fossils-facts-and-finds.com/math-cosmic-education.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-06/segments/1674764500303.56/warc/CC-MAIN-20230206015710-20230206045710-00084.warc.gz | en | 0.930621 | 1,029 | 3.546875 | 4 |
Creatine is a naturally-occurring substance that's found in meat and fish, and also made by the human body in the liver, kidneys, and pancreas. It is converted into creatine phosphate or phosphocreatine and stored in the muscles, where it is used for energy. During high-intensity, short-duration exercise, such as lifting weights or sprinting, phosphocreatine is used as a source of ATP, a major carrier of energy within the human body.
Creatine supplements are popular among body builders and competitive athletes. It is estimated that Americans spend roughly $14 million per year on creatine supplements. The attraction of creatine is that it may increase lean muscle mass and enhance athletic performance, particularly during high-intensity, short-duration sports (like high jumping and weight lifting).
However, not all human studies show that creatine improves athletic performance, nor does every person seem to respond the same way to creatine supplements. For example, people who tend to have naturally high stores of creatine in their muscles don't get an energy-boosting effect from extra creatine. Preliminary clinical studies also suggest that creatine's ability to increase muscle mass and strength may help fight muscle weakness associated with illnesses, such as heart failure and muscular dystrophy.
Most human studies have taken place in laboratories, not in people actually playing sports. Preliminary studies show that creatine supplements improve strength and lean muscle mass during high-intensity, short-duration exercises, such as weight lifting. In these studies, the positive results were seen mainly in young people, around 20 years old. Researchers aren't clear on how creatine supplementation improves performance. But it may allow the body to use fuel more efficiently during exercise and increase muscle production. More research is needed.
Creatine does not seem to improve performance in exercises that requires endurance, like running, or in exercise that isn't repeated, although study results are mixed.
Creatine is not banned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) or the International Olympic Committee, but using it for athletic performance is controversial. The NCAA prohibits its member schools from giving creatine and other muscle-building supplements to athletes, although it doesn't ban athletes from using it.
Creatine appears to be generally safe, although when it is taken at high doses there is the potential for serious side effects, such as kidney damage. High doses may also stop the body from making its own creatine.
Some creatine supplements may be marketed directly to teens, claiming to help them change their bodies without exercising. However, one survey conducted with college students found that teen athletes frequently exceed the recommended loading and maintenance doses of creatine. Creatine has not been tested to determine whether it is safe or effective in people under 19.
Preliminary studies suggest that creatine supplements may help lower levels of triglycerides (fats in the blood) in men and women with high concentrations of triglycerides.
In a few studies of people with heart failure, those who took creatine in addition to receiving standard medical care, increased the amount of exercise they could do before becoming fatigued, compared to those who took placebo. Getting tired easily is one of the major symptoms of heart failure. One study of 20 people with heart failure found that short-term creatine supplementation in addition to standard medication helped to increase body weight and improved muscle strength. Other studies, however, showed no improvement.
Creatine has also been reported to help lower levels of homocysteine. Homocysteine is associated with heart disease, including heart attack and stroke.
Preliminary studies suggest that creatine may have anticancer properties.
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
One study found that people with COPD who took creatine increased muscle mass, muscle strength and endurance, and improved their health status compared with those who took placebo. They did not increase their exercise capacity. More research is needed.
People who have muscular dystrophy may have less creatine in their muscle cells, which may contribute to muscle weakness. One study found that taking creatine led to a small improvement in muscle strength. However, other studies found no effect.
People with Parkinson disease (PD) have decreased muscular fitness, including decreased muscle mass, muscle strength, and increased fatigue. One study found that giving creatine to people with PD improved their exercise ability and endurance. In another study, creatine supplements boosted participants' moods and reduced their need for medication compared to those who didn't take creatine. However, other studies suggest combining creatine and caffeine (i.e. taking / ingesting both) could make PD worse. More research is needed.
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease)
Creatine appears to slow the progression of ALS and improves patients' quality of life. More research is needed.
Because of the potential for side effects and interactions with medications, you should take dietary supplements only under the supervision of a knowledgeable health care provider.
Side effects of creatine include:
- Weight gain
- Muscle cramps
- Muscle strains and pulls
- Stomach upset
- High blood pressure
- Liver dysfunction
- Kidney damage
Most studies have found no significant side effects at the doses used for up to 6 months.
Rhabdomyolysis (breakdown of skeletal muscle tissue) and sudden kidney failure was reported in one case involving an athlete taking more than 10 grams daily of creatine for 6 weeks.
People with kidney disease, high blood pressure, or liver disease should not take creatine.
Taking creatine supplements may stop the body from making its own natural stores, although researchers don't know what the long-term effects are. The Food & Drug Administration recommends talking to your doctor before starting to take creatine.
There have been reports of contaminated creatine supplements. Be sure to buy products made by established companies with good reputations.
Some doctors think creatine may cause an irregular heartbeat or a skin condition called purpuric dermatosis in some people. More research is needed to know for sure.
If you are being treated with any of the following medications, you should not use creatine without talking to your doctor first.
Non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
Taking creatine with these pain relievers may increase the risk of kidney damage. NSAIDs include ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil) and naproxen (Aleve).
Caffeine may make it hard for your body to use creatine, and taking creatine and caffeine may increase the risk of dehydration. Using creatine, caffeine, and ephedra (now banned in the U.S.) may increase the risk of stroke.
Diuretics (water pills)
Taking creatine with diuretics may increase the risk of dehydration and kidney damage.
Taking creatine while taking Tagamet may increase the risk of kidney damage.
Drugs that affect the kidneys
Using creatine along with any medication that affects the kidneys may raise the risk of kidney damage.
Taking creatine while taking probenecid, a drug used to treat gout, may increase the risk of kidney damage.
Adhihetty PJ, Beal MF. Creatine and its potential therapeutic value for targeting cellular energy impairment in neurodegenerative diseases. Neuromolecular Med. 2008;10(4):275-90. Epub 2008 Nov 13. Review.
Aguiar AF, Januario RS, Junior RP, et al. Long-term creatine supplementation improves muscular performance during resistance training in older women. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2013;113(4):987-996.
Beck TW, Housh TJ, Johnson GO, Coburn JW, Malek MH, Cramer JT. Effects of a drink containing creatine, amino acids, and protein combined with ten weeks of resistance training on body composition, strength, and anaerobic performance. J Strength Cond Res. 2007;21(1):100-104.
Bender A, Koch W, Elstner M, et al. Creatine supplementation in Parkinson disease: a placebo-controlled randomized pilot trial. Neurology. 2006;67(7):1262-1264.
Bender A, Samtleben W, Elstner M, Klopstock T. Long-term creatine supplementation is safe in aged patients with Parkinson disease. Nutr Res. 2008;28(3):172-178.
Benzi G. Is there a rationale for the use of creatine either as nutritional supplementation or drug administration in humans participating in a sport? Pharmacol Res. 2000;41(3):255-264.
Cancela P, Ohanian C, Cuitiño E, Hackney AC. Creatine supplementation does not affect clinical health markers in football players. Br J Sports Med. 2008;42(9):731-735.
Candow DG, Vogt E, Johannsmeyer S, Forbes SC, Farthing JP. Strategic creatine supplementation and resistance training in healthy older adults. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2015;40(7):689-694.
Carvalho AP, Rassi S, Fontana KE, Correa Kde S, Feitosa RH. Influence of creatine supplementation on the functional capacity of patients with heart failure. Arq Bras Cardiol. 2012;99(1):623-629.
Chilibeck PD, Chrusch MJ, Chad KE, Shawn Davison K, Burke DG. Creatine monohydrate and resistance training increase bone mineral content and density in older men. J Nutr Health Aging. 2005;9(5):352-353.
Cornelissen VA, Defoor JG, Stevens A, et al. Effect of creatine supplementation as a potential adjuvant therapy to exercise training in cardiac patients: a randomized controlled trial. Clin Rehabil. 2010;24(11):988-999.
Cornish SM, Candow DG, Jantz NT, et al. Conjugated linoleic acid combined with creatine monohydrate and whey protein supplementation during strength training. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2009;19(1):79-96.
Deldicque L, Francaux M. Functional food for exercise performance: fact or foe? Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2008;11(6):774-781. Review.
Eckerson JM, Stout JR, Moore GA, et al. Effect of creatine phosphate supplementation on anaerobic working capacity and body weight after two and six days of loading in men and women. J Strength Cond Res. 2005;19(4):756-763.
Groeneveld GJ, Beijer C, Veldink JH, Kalmijn S, Wokke JH, van den Berg LH. Few adverse effects of long-term creatine supplementation in a placebo-controlled trial. Int J Sports Med. 2005;26(4):307-313.
Gualano B, de Salles Painelli V, Roschel H, et al. Creatine supplementation does not impair kidney function in type 2 diabetic patients: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, clinical trial. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2011;111(5):749-756.
Hass CJ, Collins MA, Juncos JL. Resistance training with creatine monohydrate improves upper-body strength in patients with Parkinson disease: a randomized trial. Neurorehabil Neural Repair. 2007;21(2):107-115.
Kingsley M, Cunningham D, Mason L, Kilduff LP, McEneny J. Role of creatine supplementation on exercise-induced cardiovascular function and oxidative stress. Oxid Med Cell Longev. 2009;2(4):247-254.
Kley RA, Tarnopolsky MA, Vorgerd M. Creatine for treating muscle disorders. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2013;(6):CD004760.
Korzun WJ. Oral creatine supplements lower plasma homocysteine concentrations in humans. Clin Lab Sci. 2004;17(2):102-106.
McMorris T, Harris RC, Swain J, et al. Effect of creatine supplementation and sleep deprivation, with mild exercise, on cognitive and psychomotor performance, mood state, and plasma concentrations of catecholamines and cortisol. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2006;185(1):93-103.
Metzl JD, Small E, Levine SR. Gershel JC. Creatine use among young athletes. Pediatrics. 2001;108(2):421-425.
Patra S, Ghosh A, Roy SS, et al. A short review on creatine-creatine kinase system in relation to cancer and some experimental results on creatine as adjuvant in cancer therapy. Amino Acids. 2012;42(6):2319-2330.
Persky AM, Rawson ES. Safety of creatine supplementation. Subcell Biochem. 2007;46:275-289. Review.
Sheth NP, Sennett B, Berns JS. Rhabdomyolysis and acute renal failure following arthroscopic knee surgery in a college football player taking creatine supplements. Clin Nephrol. 2006;65(2):134-137.
Simon DK, Wu C, Tilley BC, et al. Caffeine and progression of Parkinson disease: a deleterious interaction with creatine. Clin Neuropharmacol. 2015;38(5):163-169.
Sullivan PG, Geiger JD, Mattson MP, Scheff SW. Dietary supplement creatine protects against traumatic brain injury. Ann Neurol. 2000;48(5):723-729.
Tarnopolsky MA, Beal MF. Potential for creatine and other therapies targeting cellular energy dysfunction in neurological disorders [Review]. Ann Neurol. 2001;49(5):561-574.
Tyler TF, Nicholas SJ, Hershman EB, Glace BW, Mullaney MJ, McHugh MP. The effect of creatine supplementation on strength recovery after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction: a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial. Am J Sports Med. 2004;32(2):383-388.
Willer B, Stucki G, Hoppeler H, Bruhlmann P, Krahenbuhl S. Effects of creatine supplementation on muscle weakness in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatology. 2000;39(3):293-298.
Witte KK, Clark AL, Cleland JG. Chronic heart failure and micronutrients. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2001;37(7):1765-1774. | <urn:uuid:b52ea4c8-379d-448a-83b4-8695866561cf> | CC-MAIN-2017-51 | http://pennstatehershey.adam.com/content.aspx?productId=107&pid=33&gid=000297 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948596051.82/warc/CC-MAIN-20171217132751-20171217154751-00144.warc.gz | en | 0.892787 | 3,029 | 3.375 | 3 |
As I thoroughly believe that the key to successful education is engagement, I was fascinated by Appleman’s argument that multicultural literature assists in the understanding of similarities and differences in perspectives of students. I think we knew this, but to argue that Marxist criticism is a lens to facilitate that type of discussion with students who may not agree was new to me. I was fascinated by the real-life example and made immediate plans to include such an activity in my unit on identity.
I was equally excited about feminist theory, which I had never heard described as “read[ing] texts and worlds more carefully as they become aware of the ideologies” surrounding them (Appleman, 76). If our goal as teachers, which mine is, remains to demonstrate how and encourage students to investigate and form their own opinions, how could any classroom be complete without examining as many viewpoints as possible? Feminist theory fits right in.
I think that use of theory will broaden the perspectives of students, like those in Appleman’s Marxist example. My biggest concern would be the same as Tyson’s: fighting the stereotypes which surround theory, especially feminism. Yet, the simple facts could be engaging. Drug testing on males only?? (Tyson, 85) I’m pretty sure there are some opinions about that one.
Needless to say, my unit will incorporate as much theory as time will allow. Introducing it quickly will prevent boredom and using activities to illuminate questions will keep my personal views to a minimum. At the moment, my actual activities are vague or borrowed. Can we brainstorm any plans for units which are specific theory-based activities? | <urn:uuid:081531a2-e293-483f-b301-59e399e81169> | CC-MAIN-2018-22 | https://elateach.wordpress.com/2007/10/09/theory-in-my-classroom/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-22/segments/1526794870771.86/warc/CC-MAIN-20180528024807-20180528044807-00611.warc.gz | en | 0.978324 | 334 | 3.359375 | 3 |
Lesson ideas for a popular book with English Literature classes for pupils aged 11-14.
DIALOGUE AND EXTENDED discussion play an important part in cognitive and social development. However, it is apparent that such verbal activity is often neglected in mathematics classrooms. There are a number of reasons for this:
1. The mistaken view that mathematics is an instrumental activity.
2. The lack of subject expertise on the part of the teacher
Philosophical inquiry aims to develop a community of enquiry in which individuals are respected and their ideas are considered with care. At the same time there is an ethos of questioning, exploration and the search for truth and meaning. The medium of inquiry is a combination of constant questioning and conceptually-rich dialogue. Regular inquiry will have benefits in many subject areas when pupils are expected to think for themselves and explore meaning. In all subjects, philosophical inquiry will encourage higher levels of curiosity, collaboration and conversation. | <urn:uuid:78847911-1be5-4699-899e-fee0493e6f2a> | CC-MAIN-2022-27 | https://p4c.com/topic/p4c-pathways/subjects/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-27/segments/1656104215790.65/warc/CC-MAIN-20220703043548-20220703073548-00413.warc.gz | en | 0.945773 | 196 | 4.34375 | 4 |
in Nature Medicine, researchers have been able to use stem cells to make intestinal organoids with functional nerves. This research paves the way for advancement in both the research and treatment of Hirschsprung’s disease, a serious intestinal nerve disorder. The authors believe the work will aid medical science in using pluripotent stem cells as a therapy in regenerative medicine and organ transplantation. The research is outlined in the following video.
"One day this technology will allow us to grow a section of healthy intestine for transplant into a patient, but the ability to use it now to test and ask countless new questions will help human health to the greatest extent," said the co-lead study investigator Michael Helmrath, MD, surgical director of the Intestinal Rehabilitation Program at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.
The investigation of disease mechanism at the molecular level is aided tremendously by the use of a functional, three-dimensional model, especially one that can be tailored to a specific patient. This technology allows researchers to create such models from cells taken from individual patients and test therapeutics there, before taking them to clinical trials in people.
"Many oral medications give you diarrhea, cramps and impair intestinal motility. A fairly immediate goal for this technology that would help the largest number of people is as a first-pass screen for new drugs to look for off-target toxicities and prevent side effects in the intestine," explained co-lead investigator Jim Wells, PhD, director of the Pluripotent Stem Cell Facility at Cincinnati Children's.
Wells builds on his 2010 work
that demonstrated the first creation of human intestinal organoids in a lab. The researchers started in the same way for this work. They added in another component, nerve cells, still at the embryonic stage, called neural crest cells. They then identified the right conditions under which the cells were to be added to the intestinal organoids in order to create an innervated nerve network.
"We tried a few different approaches largely based on the hypothesis that, if you put the right cells together at the right time in the petri dish, they'll know what do to. It was a longshot, but it worked," said Wells. The right mix resulted in intestines and enteric nerve precursor cells growing together in a way that was similar to the development of the intestine in the fetus.
To determine how these organoids grew and functioned, they had to be transplanted into a live animal; for this the researchers utilized mice with suppressed immune systems. The tissues performed very well, with robust growth, nutrient processing and peristalsis – wavy muscle contractions that push food down the digestive tract.
The researchers also used this remarkable model to study the progression of Hirschsprung's disease, a developmental disorder in which the colon and rectum don’t have a functional nervous system, resulting in the buildup of waste. When a mutation causative for Hirschsprung’s in the gene PHOX2B was used with the model, serious problems were indeed seen in the intestinal tissues.
Wells and Helmrath suggested that the manufacure of this type of functional human intestine in the lab opens up an array of new opportunities. It will now be possible to conduct more in-depth research of many subjects like nutritional health, diabetes, severe intestinal diseases, and the biochemical consequences of gastric bypass surgery.
via Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
, Nature Medicine | <urn:uuid:f841d67f-bc83-4c35-9ca9-25b6fba3d80f> | CC-MAIN-2021-31 | https://www.labroots.com/trending/cell-and-molecular-biology/4643/engineered-intestinal-tissue-functional-nerves-aid-research | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-31/segments/1627046152144.81/warc/CC-MAIN-20210726152107-20210726182107-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.937942 | 707 | 3.515625 | 4 |
APPLES – Astringent, carminative, digestive, diuretic, emollient, laxative, tonic. A highly digestible alkaline food, apples have a high water content (around 85%), which quenches both immediate and cellular-level thirst. All apples, especially green apples, cleanse the liver and gallbladder and help soften gallstones. TIP –Helps to clean the teeth and exercise gums when eaten raw.
CAYENNE - Cayenne pepper is concentrated with vitamins, minerals and phyto-nutrients. It is a rich source of Vitamin C that boosts the immune system. It is also one of the richest sources of Vitamin A. The spice contains very high levels of essential minerals such as iron, copper, zinc, potassium, manganese, magnesium and selenium. It also contains potassium, an important electrolyte in the cells. Cayenne peppers are also rich in b-complex vitamins such as niacin, vitamin B-6, riboflavin and thiamin. These peppers are beneficial for colds, coughs, and congestion. TIP: For travelers, a small container of cayenne pepper is a sensible protection against dysentery.
FIGS – Figs are a densely mineralized sweet fruit. They contain one of the highest concentrations of calcium of any food. The tiny seeds in figs are not only packed with nutrients, but they help draw out and dissolve waste, parasites, and mucus in the intestines. TIP-a great laxative.
HAZELNUTS – Hazelnuts contain the minerals magnesium, phosphorous, zinc, copper, iron, manganese, calcium and selenium. This nut also contains vitamin K in the form of ascorbic acid, folate, thiamin, alpha-tocopherol and niacin. Additionally, the nuts contain potassium and vitamin E. fiber and mono-unsaturated and poly-unsaturated fats. TIP- Hazelnut Milk is a, nutritious drink that can be purchased at selective grocery stores.
GRAPES – Grapes are called “the queen of fruit” because of their excellent cleansing properties, and they rank among the most potent of all medicinal foods. Grapes offer a natural combination of fruit acid, natural sugar, and various bitter-astringent properties that will help keep your cellular network cleansed. They are also a fine source of Vitamin C, A, K, B-complex and carotenes. TIP: Grapes contain a small amount of natural sugar that will give you energy and a boost during the day without the calories.
TOMATOES – Tomatoes are low in calories, fat content and have zero cholesterol levels. They are an excellent source of antioxidants, dietary fiber, vitamins and minerals. Fresh tomatoes contain high levels of Vitamin A and C, as well as a rich source of potassium and the phytochemical lycopene. TIP: Heirloom varieties tend to produce more flavorful fruit. | <urn:uuid:81d3d023-7f9d-43b1-83d5-6b36bd359f5c> | CC-MAIN-2022-49 | https://www.joeandmoni.com/blog/six-beneficial-foods-we-recommend/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-49/segments/1669446710503.24/warc/CC-MAIN-20221128102824-20221128132824-00082.warc.gz | en | 0.901838 | 630 | 2.578125 | 3 |
OK, folks. Let’s talk turkey. As Thanksgiving Day approaches, many people have plans to sit down to a traditional Thanksgiving feast. For most, that means turkey. As I was thinking about turkey (as I so often do), I had a startling realization. I have no idea what a turkey egg looks like.
I mean, turkeys are birds. Obviously. So they lay eggs. But what do those eggs look like? And where are they? I don’t know about you, but I have certainly never seen a turkey egg in a grocery store. And so, I set out to discover the answer to what is maybe the most bizarre question I’ve ever asked myself: What do turkey eggs look like?
What do turkey eggs look like?
In this, the age of the Google search, it wasn’t difficult to find an answer to my question. As it turns out, turkey eggs look a lot like, you know, eggs. They are slightly larger than chicken eggs and typically have brown speckles. Check out the picture above so you, too, can know what a turkey egg looks like.
According to Modern Farmer, the shells of turkey eggs are slightly tougher than the shells of chicken eggs. The membrane between the egg and the shell is also a bit thicker. On average, a turkey egg is between 2 and 2.7 inches long and can weigh between 66 grams and 110 grams. So, that answers my first question. I think we can all agree the next question is obvious.
Can you eat turkey eggs?
Yes! You can eat turkey eggs! You can use them instead of chicken eggs for baking, too. In most cases, you can substitute two turkey eggs for three chicken eggs. They reportedly taste very similar to chicken eggs. Which, now that I think about it, isn’t that surprising. What else would they possibly taste like?
So then, why don’t we eat turkey eggs?
Who knew we’d all be learning so much about turkey eggs today? Anyway, we know what turkey eggs look like, and we know they’re edible, so why aren’t we eating them? As it turns out, getting turkey eggs into the egg market would be both complicated and expensive. First of all, while a chicken usually lays one egg every day, a turkey only lays about two eggs per week.
Turkeys also require more food and more space than chickens (because they’re usually bigger than chickens). And while chickens start laying eggs when they are 5 months old, turkeys don’t start laying until they hit about 7 months. All of these factors combined mean that turkey eggs are just all-around more expensive to produce than chicken eggs.
According to the American Farm Bureau Federation, conventionally produced chicken eggs cost $1.25/dozen. Obviously, this price varies depending on where you buy them, and on whether you are willing to shell out (get it?) for organic/free-range/cage-free eggs. Turkey eggs, on the other hand, cost approximately $3... each.
No one wants to spend $3 for an egg that is basically just a bigger, speckled chicken egg. Thus, it makes more sense for turkey farmers to focus on fertilized eggs that turn into actual turkeys (which, in turn, become Thanksgiving dinner). So there you have it. That’s everything I know about turkey eggs. Now you know it too! | <urn:uuid:933fd3cd-e52f-4f6c-ab93-b906d9a1efc6> | CC-MAIN-2020-29 | https://www.distractify.com/p/what-do-turkey-eggs-look-like | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-29/segments/1593655908294.32/warc/CC-MAIN-20200710113143-20200710143143-00408.warc.gz | en | 0.97259 | 721 | 2.609375 | 3 |
Mighty Magnets introduces kids to the fundamentals of magnetic fields and how they occur. In this mini-course, kids will go on a magnetic scavenger hunt, play a Make-a-Magnet board game, measure the strength of different magnets and learn how to graph their data, and finally, make their own compass and treasure map!
Curious about magnets and how they stick together? What about how they make some things move? Mighty Magnets from Be Naturally Curious introduces kids to the fundamentals of magnetic fields and how they occur. In this mini-course, kids will go on a magnetic scavenger hunt, play a Make-a-Magnet board game, measure the strength of different magnets and learn how to graph their data, and finally, make their own compass and treasure map!
Mini-course is provided as a 29-page PDF including a separate Science Tool Kit PDF to collect your badges.
Course Contents for Mighty Magnets
- Story: Magnets. Learn what makes a magnet different from other objects. Did you know that the Earth is a giant magnet?
- Activity 1: Ferromagnetic Scavenger Hunt. What is magnetic in your home?
- Activity 2: Investigating Your Magnets! Measure the strength of your magnet and find out which objects can affect it. Learn to graph your data!
- Activity 3: “Give Me a Magnetic Moment” Card Game. Collect enough cards and be the first player to turn your game board into a magnet.
- Activity 4: Let Your Magnet Show the Way! Build a compass with just a bottle cap and needle. Use it to become a cartographer and make a map of your home.
- Curiosity Connector. Use these links to learn more about the properties of magnets and find other cool online magnet activities.
- Tools for Your Tool Kit. See if you can answer all the questions about magnets and magnetic fields to earn Tools for your Science Tool Kit.
- Glossary. Learn scientific terms used to describe magnets and their actions.
Strong horseshoe magnet (roughly 4 inches in length), medium-sized bar magnet (roughly 2.5 inches in length), small, bendable refrigerator magnet, compass, large shallow dish (such as a pie pan), plastic cap (from a milk or water jug), long sewing needle (check that it is ferromagnetic), at least 6 paper clips (jumbo size works best), Scotch tape, ruler or tape measure, scissors, pencil, blank paper for drawing, small plastic bag
Homeschooling Science? Here are some great articles to help.
Check out these other unit studies from Be Naturally Curious.
In addition to Mighty Magnets, You Might also like:
SEA Homeschoolers Gear is for secular homeschooling kids & parents alike. It is perfect for park days! The t-shirts and magnets have the tree logo that was specially designed for the group Secular Eclectic, Academic Homeschoolers. The design represents a phylogenetic tree showing the evolution of learning as something that is holistic and reflective of the many different types & styles of learning. Blair Lee, evolutionary biologist, chemist, & founder of SEA Homeschoolers, commissioned artist Don McIntire to create this logo. The tree is symbolic of SEA Homeschoolers tagline, “An Evolution in Homeschooling.”
Check out all the SEA Homeschoolers merchandise. | <urn:uuid:872e1055-30c2-4f97-95f6-7b34c18fd544> | CC-MAIN-2021-43 | https://seculareclecticacademic.com/product/mighty-magnets/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-43/segments/1634323585178.60/warc/CC-MAIN-20211017144318-20211017174318-00327.warc.gz | en | 0.904881 | 697 | 3.96875 | 4 |
This week, we will be discussing a token that has been catalogued as one of the top ten Blockchain projects by the China Center for Information and Development (CCID).
BitShares is a Cryptocurrency created in the middle of 2014.It is also an efficient blockchain platform based on the innovative graphene technology (developed by Cryptonomex), a variation of Ethereum classic Blockchain
As aforementioned, BitShares is based on graphene technology and uses a DPoS (delegated Proof-Stake) consent algorithm as well as EOS and Steem. This means that voting on consensus issues can be democratically exercised by all token holders.
According to experts of the sector, graphene technology is much more efficient than all existing analogues and, thanks to this technology, BitShares is theoretically capable of performing a maximum of 100.000 transactions per second with a block time of 1.5 seconds.
Bitshares is a token that cannot be mined and distributed in the exchanges, the total offer is 3,600,570,502 BTS.
The Bitshares wallet
Operations of the BitShares platform is controlled by a decentralized autonomous company (DAC), an innovative structure that has brought a new way of doing business and managing them. A DAC permits BitShares holders to contribute and ultimately decide on future policies. BTS itself is actually a DAC and represents the beauty of Blockchain technology and decentralization in its purest form. The BitShares platform is programmed in such a way that there is a budget for workers who updates and develops the platform.
The best aspect of BitShares is that the address of your wallet consists of your chosen user name, which is much more effective than the long strings of letters and characteristic numbers of the Cryptocurrencies purses.
BitShares was created in 2014 by the American programmer and businessman Daniel Rimer, who was also responsible for the creation of the Steem Blockchain and is currently working on the EOS project. Although Dan Rimer is not as famous as Vitalik Buterin of Ethereum or Charlie Lee of Litecoin, he remains a pioneer in the world of Cryptocurrency, seen as a rare visionary who is mainly concerned about the content of the project and not merely for the fund-raising.
Bitshares created the BitAssets
BitShares competes with traditional banks by issuing collateralizing BitAssets, i.e., stable assets linked to currencies and raw materials, such as BitUSD, BitGOLD and BitCNY. This means 1 BitUSD today will have a value of 1 dollar within a week, a month or a year from today. The BitAssets minimizes volatility-related risks in the Cryptocurrency market by linking BitAssets values (BitUSD, BitEuro) with the most common fiduciary currencies, such as USD, Euro, etc.
Smart Coins are expendable, divisible without any restriction and considered as a valid tool that can be used by everyone, from speculators and savers to traders and entrepreneurs.
Bitshares, a very interesting token
Price-anchored Smart Coins (BitAssets) have almost 4 functions which are as follows:
- A relatively reliable solution for predicting the future value of a token,
- A stable predictable price with reduced volatility,
- Coverage against Cryptocurrency markets and,
- A separate account unit of financial assets with capital gains or losses (taxable).
Bitshares was launched in mid 2014 with a value of 0.023 USD: It remained stable for years, until June 2017 when it reached the ceiling at 0.46 USD (10/06/2017), and then the absolute maximum of 0.87 USD (01/03/2018). Later, it made another relative maximum of 0.37 USD (03/05/2018) and then followed the downward trend of the Cryptocurrency market right up to the current minimum values of about 0.1 USD.
Also for BTS, as to all the most important Cryptocurrencies, we can expect another possible minimum period (absolute or relative) by the end of this year, but then it should (conditional is obligatory) starts another important and lasting bull market period.
Currently (13/11/2018), the price of BTS is 0093 USD. Market capitalization is over 248 million dollars (Source: CoinMarketCap.com), placing BTS 35th by market capitalization. In the medium/long term (12-60 months), BTS is without a doubt a very suggestive token given the excellent technical characteristics and originality of the project at a global scale. As a result, even your quotation should be considerably appreciated once this recession is over. Since the project is well known, it is now possible to buy BTS in many exchanges (Binance, Poloniex, Livecoin, Huobi, ZB.COM, BTC-Alpha, etc.).
Do you want to invest in cryptocurrencies?
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Past performance is no guarantee of future results and the value of such investments and their strategies may fall as well as rise. | <urn:uuid:3afb8b71-8d1b-4a40-aeee-813725a97d61> | CC-MAIN-2020-10 | https://www.cryptocurrency10.com/en/blog/cryptocurrencies/what-is-bitshares-bts | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-10/segments/1581875145897.19/warc/CC-MAIN-20200224040929-20200224070929-00135.warc.gz | en | 0.944787 | 1,253 | 2.5625 | 3 |
Astrogeology Research Program
The Mars Global Digital Dune Database presents data and describes the methodology used in creating the database. The database provides a comprehensive and quantitative view of the geographic distribution of moderate- to large-size dune fields from 65° N to 65° S latitude and encompasses ~ 550 dune fields. The database will be expanded to cover the entire planet in later versions. Although we have attempted to include all dune fields between 65° N and 65° S, some have likely been excluded for two reasons: 1) incomplete THEMIS IR (daytime) coverage may have caused us to exclude some moderate- to large-size dune fields or 2) resolution of THEMIS IR coverage (100m/pixel) certainly caused us to exclude smaller dune fields. The smallest dune fields in the database are ~ 1 km2 in area. While the moderate to large dune fields are likely to constitute the largest compilation of sediment on the planet, smaller stores of sediment of dunes are likely to be found elsewhere via higher resolution data. Thus, it should be noted that our database excludes all small dune fields and some moderate to large dune fields as well. Therefore the absence of mapped dune fields does not mean that such dune fields do not exist and is not intended to imply a lack of saltating sand in other areas.
Where availability and quality of THEMIS visible (VIS) or Mars Orbiter Camera narrow angle (MOC NA) images allowed, we classifed dunes and included dune slipface measurements, which were derived from gross dune morphology and represent the prevailing wind direction at the last time of significant dune modification. For dunes located within craters, the azimuth from crater centroid to dune field centroid was calculated. Output from a general circulation model (GCM) is also included. In addition to polygons locating dune fields, the database includes over 1800 selected Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) infrared (IR), THEMIS visible (VIS) and Mars Orbiter Camera Narrow Angle (MOC NA) images that were used to build the database.
The database is presented in a variety of formats. It is presented as a series of ArcReader projects which can be opened using the free ArcReader software. The latest version of ArcReader can be downloaded at http://www.esri.com/software/arcgis/arcreader/download.html. The database is also presented in ArcMap projects. The ArcMap projects allow fuller use of the data, but require ESRI ArcMap® software. Multiple projects were required to accommodate the large number of images needed. A fuller description of the projects can be found in the Dunes_ReadMe file and the ReadMe_GIS file in the Documentation folder. For users who prefer to create their own projects, the data is available in ESRI shapefile and geodatabase formats, as well as the open Geography Markup Language (GML) format. A printable map of the dunes and craters in the database is available as a Portable Document Format (PDF) document. The map is also included as a JPEG file. ReadMe files are available in PDF and ASCII (.txt) files. Tables are available in both Excel (.xls) and ASCII formats.
Download the Readme file for a fuller description of the project files (Dunes_ReadMe.pdf; 152 kB).
Readme file in ASCII, a plain-text version (Dunes_ReadMe.txt; 64 kB).
Mars Global Digital Dune Database includes the following .zip compressed files of directories and subdirectories:
ArcMapProjects -- Contains ArcMap projects and "Layers" folder (included in "Entire File Collection" linked below)
ArcReaderProjects -- Contains all projects described above in .pmf format. The free software, ArcReader will open these files (included in "Entire File Collection" linked below)
Documentation.zip -- Contains the following documentation: Database_Map (a 1:95,000,000 scale), ReadMe_Abstract_Purpose_Process, ReadMe_GIS, ReadMe_Softcopy, and References (10.4 MB)
Geodatabase.zip -- Contains two folders, each containing one geodatabase: Geocentric and Sinu (8.8 MB)
GML.zip -- Contains a geocentric Geography Markup Language (GML) version of the 9 layers in the database (3.3 MB)
Images -- Contains all the images projected and available in the above described ArcMap and ArcReader projects (included in "Entire File Collection" linked below)
Metadata.zip -- Contains Metadata files for the database layers in text and HTML formats. These files describe the layers and their associated fields (144 kB)
Shapefiles.zip -- Contains background shapefiles that are not part of the dune database and shapefile versions of the dune database (57.8 MB)
Tables.zip -- Contains Excel and tab delimited text formats of the dune database attribute table (336 kB)
of2007-1158.zip -- This large file is the entire publication with all of its folders and data as a single download (1.76 Gigabytes)
For questions about the content of this report, contact Rosalyn Hayward
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This report is available only on the Web | <urn:uuid:3ec98883-52a3-4ebf-bbbd-4eef6af05a83> | CC-MAIN-2015-40 | http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2007/1158/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-40/segments/1443736676381.33/warc/CC-MAIN-20151001215756-00036-ip-10-137-6-227.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.867876 | 1,175 | 3.125 | 3 |
Feeling down from time to time is normal, but then if you are sad and feeling hopeless all the time, it may be a sign that you are in a depression. Depression makes it tough to function and enjoy life every day. But no matter how depressed you are, you can get better.
Symptoms of depression
The symptoms of depression vary from person to person, however, there are some common symptoms. The more symptoms you have, the stronger they are, and the longer they have lasted the more likely it is that you are dealing with depression. But, you need not worry as there are much good homeopathic medicines for depression, which is highly effective. Some of the symptoms are:
Feeling of hopelessness- The feeling that nothing will get better and there is nothing that you can do to improve your situation.
Loss of interest- Nothing interests you anymore. You don’t want to get indulged in any activities. Even your hobby doesn’t make you happy.
Appetite or weight changes- significant weight loss or weight gain.
Sleep changes- Insomnia, or oversleeping, or waking in the early hours of the morning often is a symptom of depression.
Anger or irritability- If your tolerance level is low and you feel agitated, violent, or restless.
Loss of energy- If you continuously feel fatigued, sluggish, or physically drained then you may be suffering from depression.
Self-loathing- a strong feeling of worthlessness & guilt and being highly critical of yourself.
Concentration problems- Trouble focussing, making decisions, or remembering things
Unexplained aches and pains- An increase in physical pain such as headaches, back pains, aching muscles and stomach pain.
What you can do to feel better
Feeling better takes time, but then you can make positive choices for yourself. Here are some of the things that you can do:
Reach out to people- Isolation fuels depression, so it is better that you reach out to your friends and family. Talking to close friends and family proves to be of great help.
Exercise- Regular exercise can be as effective as antidepressant medication in countering the symptoms of depression. Take a short walk or put some music on and dance around. Start with small activities and build up from there.
Meditation and yoga- Meditation and yoga are proven to be of great help. They make you refreshed both mentally and physically.
Eat a mood-boosting diet- Eat mood-enhancing nutrients such as Omega-3 fatty acids. Avoid caffeine, sugar, & refined carbs.
Medication: You can always take medication for the same. Homeopathy medicines for depression are highly effective. They target the root cause, so it takes the time to cure. They do not have any side effects. However, you should always consult a homeopathic doctor before taking any medicines. | <urn:uuid:b15a596d-2ae2-4607-907d-916195d9a8b8> | CC-MAIN-2022-40 | https://www.schwabeindia.com/blog/depression-symptoms-remedies/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-40/segments/1664030337631.84/warc/CC-MAIN-20221005140739-20221005170739-00459.warc.gz | en | 0.943567 | 598 | 2.53125 | 3 |
WITH the world facing an unprecedented mass extinction of species, conservationists trying to stem the loss are still struggling to answer some basic questions. Where do most of the world's plants and animals live? And where should we spend our time and money if we are to save as many species as possible?
For many conservation groups, the answer is to focus on so-called biodiversity hotspots - areas where the greatest number of species are under imminent threat. This week, the leading proponents of this approach have published an updated classification of the world's hotspots that will set their conservation priorities for years. But even as they do so, others are saying that the whole idea of hotspots should be discarded.
The hotspot approach was proposed in 1988 by ecologist Norman Myers. To qualify as a hotspot, Myers argued, a region must meet two criteria: it must contain a large ...
To continue reading this article, subscribe to receive access to all of newscientist.com, including 20 years of archive content. | <urn:uuid:358fc251-c56f-4c55-b4d8-38e5dbadc6c4> | CC-MAIN-2013-48 | http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg18524854.200 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-48/segments/1386163826391/warc/CC-MAIN-20131204133026-00054-ip-10-33-133-15.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959025 | 206 | 3.90625 | 4 |
A recent Harvard Medical Study indicates once again a relationship between studying music and the development of our brains.
Earlier studies have shown that adult musicians have different brains to adult non-musicians. But the latest results settle arguments about whether the brain differences were there from birth, or developed through practice.
“This is the first paper showing differential brain development in children who learned and played a musical instrument versus those that did not,” says Gottfried Schlaug of Harvard Medical School.
Article in New Scientist posted 13 March 2009 | <urn:uuid:c2596c2f-8dfb-4d46-8bc2-71a252ef3810> | CC-MAIN-2018-30 | http://bcacms.bc.ca/music-lessons-provide-a-workout-for-the-brain/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-30/segments/1531676591543.63/warc/CC-MAIN-20180720061052-20180720081052-00435.warc.gz | en | 0.952419 | 107 | 2.984375 | 3 |
This species has an extremely large range, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the range size criterion (Extent of Occurrence <20,000 km2 combined with a declining or fluctuating range size, habitat extent/quality, or population size and a small number of locations or severe fragmentation). Despite the fact that the population trend appears to be decreasing, the decline is not believed to be sufficiently rapid to approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population trend criterion (>30% decline over ten years or three generations). The population size is extremely large, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population size criterion (<10,000 mature individuals with a continuing decline estimated to be >10% in ten years or three generations, or with a specified population structure). For these reasons the species is evaluated as Least Concern.
AERC TAC. 2003. AERC TAC Checklist of bird taxa occurring in Western Palearctic region, 15th Draft. Available at: #http://www.aerc.eu/DOCS/Bird_taxa_of _the_WP15.xls#.
Cramp, S.; Perrins, C. M. 1977-1994. Handbook of the birds of Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The birds of the western Palearctic. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
del Hoyo, J.; Collar, N. J.; Christie, D. A.; Elliott, A.; Fishpool, L. D. C. 2014. HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge UK: Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International.
The global population is estimated to number c.2,200,000-2,500,000 individuals (Wetlands International 2006), while national population sizes have been estimated at c.10,000 individuals on migration and <c.10,000 wintering individuals in Korea and <c.100 breeding pairs and c.1,000 wintering individuals in Japan (Brazil 2009).Trend justification
The overall population trend is decreasing, although some populations may be stable and others have unknown trends (Wetlands International 2006).EcologyBehaviour
Northern populations of this species are highly migratory (Scott and Rose 1996, Snow and Perrins 1998), with those breeding in the milder parts of western or southern Europe (Snow and Perrins 1998) being sedentary (del Hoyo et al.
1992, Scott and Rose 1996, Snow and Perrins 1998) or only making short-distance dispersal movements (del Hoyo et al.
1992, Scott and Rose 1996, Snow and Perrins 1998) governed by harsh weather conditions (Scott and Rose 1996). The spring migration may occur as early as February in mild winters, with the main migration occurring from March to early-April (Scott and Rose 1996). The breeding grounds are reoccupied from the early-March (in the south) to early May (in Siberia) (Scott and Rose 1996) with breeding starting from April-May (del Hoyo et al.
1992). The species mainly moults on the breeding grounds before the autumn migration, becoming flightless for a period of 3-4 weeks (Scott and Rose 1996). The autumn migration to wintering grounds peaks between late-September and November (Scott and Rose 1996), females migrating slightly later than the males (which results in a segregation of the sexes in the wintering range: males further north and females further south) (Snow and Perrins 1998). The species breeds in single pairs or loose groups (del Hoyo et al.
1992) and travels in small parties on passage (Snow and Perrins 1998), sometimes gathering in flocks of many thousands during the post-breeding moult period (Snow and Perrins 1998). During the winter it becomes highly gregarious, gathering in flocks of many thousands of individuals (Madge and Burn 1988, Scott and Rose 1996, Snow and Perrins 1998). The species can be crepuscular in the winter, and often feeds by night (Kear 2005b) by bottom-feeding and diving (Snow and Perrins 1998) (most foraging being done at depths of 1-3 m) (Johnsgard 1978). Habitat
The species requires extensive areas of nutrient-rich open water less than 6 m deep (Scott and Rose 1996) that is uncluttered with floating vegetation (Snow and Perrins 1998) but has abundant submerged macrophytes (Madge and Burn 1988, Kear 2005b), surrounding emergent (Madge and Burn 1988) vegetation and/or animal food (e.g. Chironomid larvae) (Kear 2005b). Breeding
In its breeding range the species inhabits base-rich (e.g. saline, brackish or soda) lakes (Kear 2005b), eutrophic freshwater lakes, well-vegetated freshwater or brackish (Johnsgard 1978) marshes with areas of open water, swamps (del Hoyo et al.
1992, Scott and Rose 1996) and slow-flowing rivers (Madge and Burn 1988, del Hoyo et al.
1992, Scott and Rose 1996). Although it shows a strong preference for inland wetlands (Snow and Perrins 1998), the species will shift to coastal habitats such as sheltered coastal bays (Kear 2005b) when driven by frost or other compelling factors (Snow and Perrins 1998). Non-breeding
During the winter the species frequents similar habitats to those it breeds in, including large lakes (Brown et al.
1982, del Hoyo et al.
1992, Scott and Rose 1996), slow-flowing rivers (Madge and Burn 1988, del Hoyo et al.
1992, Scott and Rose 1996), reservoirs (Brown et al.
1982, Madge and Burn 1988, del Hoyo et al.
1992, Scott and Rose 1996), brackish waters, marshes, weirs (Africa) (Brown et al.
1982) and flooded gravel pits (Fox et al.
1994). As in the breeding season, the species will shift to coastal habitats such as brackish lagoons (del Hoyo et al.
1992, Scott and Rose 1996), tidal estuaries (Madge and Burn 1988, del Hoyo et al.
1992, Scott and Rose 1996) and inshore waters (Madge and Burn 1988, Scott and Rose 1996) (where it associates with sewage outfalls) (Kear 2005b) when driven by frost or other compelling factors (Snow and Perrins 1998). Diet
The species is omnivorous, its diet consisting of seeds (del Hoyo et al.
1992, Kear 2005b), roots (del Hoyo et al.
1992), rhizomes (Kear 2005b) and the vegetative parts of grasses, sedges and aquatic plants (Johnsgard 1978, del Hoyo et al.
1992, Kear 2005b), as well as aquatic insects and larvae (del Hoyo et al.
1992) (e.g. midge and caddis fly larvae during the summer) (Johnsgard 1978), molluscs, crustaceans, worms (del Hoyo et al.
1992)(oligochaetes) (Marsden and Bellamy 2000), amphibians (del Hoyo et al.
1992) (e.g. frogs and tadpoles) (Brown et al.
1982) and small fish (del Hoyo et al.
1992). Breeding site
The nest is a depression (del Hoyo et al.
1992) or shallow cup (Kear 2005b) in a thick heap of vegetation (del Hoyo et al.
1992) positioned on the ground (Madge and Burn 1988, del Hoyo et al.
1992) (usually within 10 m of water) (Snow and Perrins 1998), in shallow water (Madge and Burn 1988, del Hoyo et al.
1992) (c.30 cm deep) (Johnsgard 1978), concealed in thick waterside vegetation (Madge and Burn 1988, del Hoyo et al.
1992) (e.g. reedbeds) (Johnsgard 1978), or on floating mats of reeds of other vegetation (Johnsgard 1978). In years of high water levels when there are few emergent reedbeds or floating mats the species may nest in sedge tussocks, in flooded fields, or under bushes on hummocks (Johnsgard 1978). Management information
In the Trebon Basin Biosphere Reserve, Czech Republic, it was found that artificial islands and wide strips of littoral vegetation are the most secure breeding habitats that can be created for the species (nest survival in littoral habitats was improved by reduced nest visibility, increased water depth, and increased distance from the nest to the habitat edge, and nest survival on islands was improved with increased distance to open water) (Albrecht et al.
2006). In the UK (Salford docks, Manchester) the species prefers to feed in waters heavily polluted with sewage that are devoid of aquatic vegetation but hold high densities of oligocheates and other pollution-tolerant organisms. The species may therefore suffer from plans to improve water quality in the docks (e.g. modernising sewage treatment systems and oxygenating water) (Marsden and Bellamy 2000). The cyclical removal of adult fish from an artificial waterbody (gravel pit) in the UK attracted nesting pairs to the area by causing an increase in invertebrate food availability and an increase in the growth of submerged aquatic macrophytes (Giles 1994). The removed fish (dead or alive) were sold to generate funds (Giles 1994).Threats
The species is threatened by disturbance from hunting (del Hoyo et al.
1992, Evans and Day 2002, Kear 2005b), water-based recreation (Fox et al.
1994, Kear 2005b) and from machinery noise from urban development (Marsden 2000). It is also threatened by habitat destruction (del Hoyo et al.
1992) on its wintering grounds due to eutrophication (partially as a result of nutrient run-off from agricultural land) (Kear 2005b). The species suffers from nest predation by American mink Mustela vison
in Poland (Bartoszewicz and Zalewski 2003), and adults are poisoned by ingesting lead shot (Spain) (Mateo et al
. 1998) and drowned in freshwater fishing nets with mesh sizes greater than 5 cm (China) (Quan et al.
2002). The species is also susceptible to avian influenza, so may be threatened by future outbreaks of the disease (Melville and Shortridge 2006). Utilisation
This species is hunted in Northern Island (Evans and Day 2002), Spain (Mateo et al
. 1998) and Italy (Sorrenti et al.
2006), and the eggs of this species used to be (and possibly still are) harvested in Iceland (Gudmundsson 1979). The species is also hunted for commercial and recreational purposes in Gilan Province, northern Iran (Balmaki and Barati 2006).
Albrecht, T.; Horák, D.; Kreisinger, J.; Weidinger, K.; Klvana, P.; Michot, T. C. 2006. Factors Determining Pochard Nest Predation Along a Wetland Gradient. Journal of Wildlife Management 70(3): 784-791.
Balmaki, B.; Barati, A. 2006. Harvesting status of migratory waterfowl in northern Iran: a case study from Gilan Province. In: Boere, G.; Galbraith, C., Stroud, D. (ed.), Waterbirds around the world, pp. 868-869. The Stationary Office, Edinburgh, UK.
Bartoszewicz, M.; Zalewski, A. 2003. American mink, Mustela vison diet and predation on waterfowl in the Slonsk Reserve, western Poland. Folia Zoologica 52(3): 225-238.
Brazil, M. 2009. Birds of East Asia: eastern China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, eastern Russia. Christopher Helm, London.
Brown, L. H.; Urban, E. K.; Newman, K. 1982. The birds of Africa vol I. Academic Press, London.
del Hoyo, J.; Elliot, A.; Sargatal, J. 1992. Handbook of the Birds of the World, vol. 1: Ostrich to Ducks. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain.
Delany, S.; Scott, D. 2006. Waterbird population estimates. Wetlands International, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
Evans, D. M.; Day, K. R. 2002. Hunting disturbance on a large shallow lake: the effectiveness of waterfowl refuges. Ibis 144(1): 2-8.
Fox, A. D.; Jones, T. A.; Singleton, R.; Agnew, A. D. Q. 1994. Food supply and the effects of recreational disturbance on the abundance and distribution of wintering Pochard on a gravel pit complex in southern Britain. Hydrobiologia 279/280: 253-262.
Giles, N. 1994. Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula) habitat use and brood survival increases after fish removal from gravel pit lakes. Hydrobiologia 279/280: 387-392.
Gudmundsson, F. 1979. The past status and exploitation of the Myvatn waterfowl populations. Oikos 32((1-2)): 232-249.
Johnsgard, P. A. 1978. Ducks, geese and swans of the World. University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln and London.
Kear, J. 2005. Ducks, geese and swans volume 2: species accounts (Cairina to Mergus). Oxford University Press, Oxford, U.K.
Madge, S.; Burn, H. 1988. Wildfowl. Christopher Helm, London.
Marsden, S. J. 2000. Impact of Disturbance on Waterfowl Wintering in a UK Dockland Redevelopment Area. Environmental Management 26(2): 207-213.
Marsden, S. J.; Bellamy, G. S. 2000. Microhabitat characteristics of feeding sites used by diving duck Aythya wintering on the grossly polluted Manchester Ship Canal, UK. Environmental Conservation 27(3): 278-283.
Mateo, R.; Belliure, J.; Dolz, J. C.; Aguilar-Serrano, J. M.; Guitart, R. . 1998. High prevalences of lead poisoning in wintering waterfowl in Spain. Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 35: 342-347.
Melville, D. S.; Shortridge, K. F. 2006. Migratory waterbirds and avian influenza in the East Asian-Australasian Flyway with particular reference to the 2003-2004 H5N1 outbreak. In: Boere, G.; Galbraith, C., Stroud, D. (ed.), Waterbirds around the world, pp. 432-438. The Stationary Office, Edinburgh, UK.
Quan, R. C.; Wen, W.; Yang, X. 2002. Effects of human activities on migratory waterbirds at Lashihai Lake, China. Biological Conservation 108: 273-279.
Scott, D. A.; Rose, P. M. 1996. Atlas of Anatidae populations in Africa and western Eurasia. Wetlands International, Wageningen, Netherlands.
Snow, D. W.; Perrins, C. M. 1998. The Birds of the Western Palearctic vol. 1: Non-Passerines. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
Sorrenti, M.; Carnacina, L.; Radice, D.; Costato, A. 2006. Duck harvest in the Po delta, Italy. In: Boere, G.; Galbraith, C., Stroud, D. (ed.), Waterbirds around the world, pp. 864-865. The Stationary Office, Edinburgh, UK.
Further web sources of information
Detailed regional assessment and species account from the European Red List of Birds (BirdLife International, 2015)
Detailed species account from Birds in Europe: population estimates, trends and conservation status (BirdLife International 2004)
Explore HBW Alive for further information on this species
Search for photos and videos, and hear sounds of this species from the Internet Bird Collection
Text account compilers
Ekstrom, J., Butchart, S., Malpas, L.
IUCN Red List evaluators
Butchart, S., Symes, A.
BirdLife International (2015) Species factsheet: Aythya ferina. Downloaded from
http://www.birdlife.org on 04/08/2015.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2015) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from
http://www.birdlife.org on 04/08/2015.
This information is based upon, and updates, the information published in BirdLife International (2000)
Threatened birds of the world. Barcelona and Cambridge, UK: Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International, BirdLife International (2004)
Threatened birds of the world 2004 CD-ROM and BirdLife International (2008) Threatened birds of the world 2008 CD-ROM. These sources provide the information for species accounts for the birds on the IUCN Red List.
To provide new information to update this factsheet or to correct any errors, please email BirdLife
To contribute to discussions on the evaluation of the IUCN Red List status of Globally Threatened Birds, please visit BirdLife's Globally Threatened Bird Forums.
Additional resources for this species | <urn:uuid:f2801303-28bf-4651-be61-a67c6d8bdb16> | CC-MAIN-2015-32 | http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/species/factsheet/22680358 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-32/segments/1438042991951.97/warc/CC-MAIN-20150728002311-00257-ip-10-236-191-2.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.770978 | 3,806 | 2.8125 | 3 |
by Kathleen Belanger
Sometimes we talk of poverty as if it were a tangible item—a stain, an illness, or a backpack filled with burdens. We think about programs to relieve that burden—cures for poverty, wars on poverty.
In reality, poverty is probably more like missing pieces in the quilt of well-being and prosperity that should surround our children and families. Children and families need food and safe homes. They need nourishment for the mind—good schools and teachers, books, libraries, and Internet access to find information. They need accessible health care in or near their own communities, and the means to access more specialized care in other communities when necessary. They need people to support them and give them good advice, as well as to help them make choices, learn from mistakes and connect with other resources. They need dreams and hopes to fill their spirits. They need independence, but also interdependence in community, including the ability to help others. And they need jobs—employment to provide the food, housing, safety, independence and well-being to sustain a family. These are pieces that make the fabric of well-being and prosperity.
Many of us live in areas where these resources are readily available. But many families, particularly rural families, do not. According to the Economic Research Service, while 27% of urban African-American families are poor, an additional 10%, or 37% of African-American rural families, live in poverty. More than half (56%) of female-headed rural households with children are poor (compared with 46.5% for their urban counterparts), and almost one-third (30.3%) of all rural children under the age of six are poor, compared with 23.9% of urban children. More than one in four, or 27.6%, of all rural children are poor.
In other words, almost a third of all rural young children and more than a fourth of all rural children are missing large pieces of the quilt of well-being and prosperity. This puts them at risk of poor outcomes and public dependence as adults. They are missing important pieces of the quilt that makes a community strong: education, health, employment and human services.
Rural schools have long been the centerpiece of rural communities, particularly the smallest communities. And yet 50 rural schools in Maine alone have closed their doors since 1996. In fact, rural schools face so much pressure to consolidate that The Rural School and Community Trust has its own Consolidation Fight-Back Toolkit. The rural school provides not only quality education with often better student outcomes, but is a key rural employer, a repository and conduit of community values and history, a gathering point for recreation, and a central point in the quilt of well-being and prosperity.
According to the National Rural Health Association, when rural hospitals close, health suffers, sometimes catastrophically, as depicted by the press covering recent deaths attributed to rural hospital closures. But rural hospitals provide more than critical care. They increase the overall presence of health care professionals, access to doctors, and earlier detection and treatment of disease. In addition, when rural hospitals close, the economy shrinks. The hospital is an excellent employer, with a range of salaries, stable positions, and opportunity. Hospitals encourage higher education, support other human services in the community, and often serve as the anchor for hospice services, health fairs, and rural health internships. Finally, rural hospitals also infuse funds from the federal government (Medicare dollars, etc.), providing further financial stability. Rural hospitals, by providing healthcare and economic opportunity, are another critical piece of the fabric of rural well-being and prosperity.
Rural America needs jobs. According to Rural America at a Glance: 2014 Edition, while urban employment has recovered from the 2007 recession, rural employment has not, and rural residents are much more likely than urban ones to be receiving Social Security Disability Insurance. At the same time, payment for work is substantially lower. Employment also relates to family structures, modeling of workforce participation, and to self-esteem and independence. Work helps provide a positive self image, increases in knowledge and skills, and family stability. Work connects us to others and challenges us to solve problems. Finally, without work, people have to struggle to survive in other ways—ways that may not contribute to society, such as relying on government dependence, or harmful survival strategies, including crime. Employment is an essential part of the fabric of rural communities.
Rural Human Services
Human services, the assistance children and families need when they face barriers or challenges beyond their own capacities, brings together health, education and employment in communities. It allows those without access to find access to all three, and it helps those in crisis to find their own strengths and the strengths in their families and communities. While not the major pieces of material in the quilt, rural human services are perhaps the connecting strips and the stitching that pulls the material together. However, human services have also been centralized over the past several years. Social security offices in rural areas have closed, and with them goes not only the service they provided but the quality stable jobs. Rural post offices have closed, and are continuing to close. State jobs continue to decline, and with them services, information, connections, and employment. There are many counties with no social services provided, no child welfare specialist, no employment office, no personnel to assist with applications for social services assistance.
Repairing the Quilt of Well-being
Valuing rural children and families requires looking beyond each sector’s economic issues to view the losses and gains by the whole community and all those contributing to it. Our rural schools could not only be a center for elementary education, but could also be satellite sites for college, decreasing the gap between rural and urban college attainment. Rural hospitals, clinics, and emergency services stabilize the rural economy, bringing higher salaried providers into small towns, helping them to prosper. The essence of preserving small towns requires filling the gaps of unemployment by creating and maintaining jobs. The Children’s Defense Fund suggests strategies to reduce child poverty such as creating subsidized jobs for those who are unemployed or underemployed, providing child care subsidies to families below 150% of poverty, and increasing the Earned Income Tax Credit for lower income families with children. Repairing the state and federal employment infrastructure would help increase employment, probably decrease federal dependence in other programs, and provide income for struggling families and communities. Finally, creating stable human service positions in rural communities would help hold the fabric together, be a conduit for the disproportionately smaller philanthropic dollars invested in rural communities, and maximize volunteer participation.
Locally provided education, health, and employment —connected and enhanced by human services—can replace the gaping holes of poverty with the warm quilt of well-being and prosperity for our children and families, a worthy investment in the country’s future.
Kathleen Belanger, Ph.D., is Professor of Social Work at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas, and is a member of the RUPRI Human Services Panel, and recipient of CWLA’s Champion for Children award in 2005 for her work in rural child welfare. Belanger has published and presented on rural human services issues in a variety of publications and forums. In addition, she has worked for more than 20 years with rural communities, where she has helped found several non-profit organizations and advocated for rural resources.
Opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Rural Health Information Hub. | <urn:uuid:b4fac805-e25c-499c-92f6-d00515f82fc7> | CC-MAIN-2020-05 | https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/rural-monitor/from-rural-poverty-to-rural-prosperity/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-05/segments/1579251728207.68/warc/CC-MAIN-20200127205148-20200127235148-00121.warc.gz | en | 0.963415 | 1,552 | 2.875 | 3 |
Yesterday, a significant temperature gradient was observed along the Po Valley in N Italy. The strong pressure gradient between central Europe and the Mediterranean has caused a significant foehn effect across the Alpine region, leading to a sharp increase in temperatures in the afternoon over SE France, NW Italy and S Switzerland.
Looking at the temperatures (Figure 1) we can see that most of the areas downwind the NW’ly flow observed values above 20°C.
Some temperatures have broken the all time records, like in Turin (27°C, which is 20°C above the climatological average).
These extremely high temperatures were caused by unseasonably mild air coming from the mid-Atlantic/N Africa combined with the catabatic wind (i.e. foehn) flowing down from the Alps towards W Po Valley, Ticino and SE France. Thus, being the temperature at 850hPa (1500m a.s.l.) very mild (around 12/15°C), the warming effect of the air flowing down the mountains slope (1°C every 100m) has caused temperatures to reach 20/25°C in these areas, as well as clear conditions.
On the central/E part of the Po Valley the NW’ly wind wasn’t powerful enough to ‘clear’ the layer of fog/low clouds lying on the area for several days (Figure 2). Thus, in cities like Venice and Trieste, maximum temperatures barely reached 10°C (though being still 2/3°C above the climatological average).
Today’s satellite image (Figure 1) shows widespread clouds over the continent. This is caused by a Tropical Maritime air advection (TM) along the N flank of a High over Spain. All the moisture and warm air is pushed over the Mediterranean region and central Europe. Meanwhile, a deep low over the Atlantic brings unsettled and windy weather across the British Isles. On the E side of the continent cold air flows S from Siberia, though mitigated as it reaches E Europe/Russia.
The temperatures observed at 12UTC today (Figure 2) are significantly above the climatological average for this time of the year across most of the continent.
Indeed, temperatures between 10/15°C are observed over the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Iberian Peninsula (here with peaks of 20/22°C along the E coast). Also in the Balkans and Greece temperature are very mild (between 15/20°C in S Greece).
Only in Russia and Central/N Scandinavia wintry conditions are observed, with values below freezing. However, these temperatures are still ‘mild’ compared with the climatology (e.g. in Moscow 0°C, but it should be -9/-4°C).
The next few days will see a further increase in temperature over all W Europe, with risk of some record-breaking values in France/Spain/Italy (possible peaks above 20°C) in some areas. This is caused by a northward shift of the Jet Stream over W Europe combined with the strengthen of the High over Iberia. Only from next week, the Jet Stream will push S towards central Europe causing a drop in temperatures (but there is still some uncertainty about its effects on a local scale).
This week is seeing very mild and settled conditions over most of the continent due to a strong high pressure set over central Europe.
If we look at the daily maximum temperatures (Figure1), we can see that mostly everywhere (except few areas in N Scandinavia and Russia) positive values are observed, with temperatures above 10 °C from the UK to the Balkans. Peaks above 15 °C are observed in France, Spain, Italy and SE Europe, with 20 °C reached in Spain.
Looking at the satellite image (Figure2) the weather patterns over Europe are still the same of last week: clear sky (except some local fog) due to the strong high pressure over central-southern Europe, fronts moving quickly along the edge of the ridge between the UK and the N Atlantic and a low between Scandinavia and Russia causing snow in some places.
Unfortunately the synoptic condition won’t change later this week, with the ridge on W Europe moving north towards Scandinavia and pushing mild air from N Africa and the mid-Atlantic.
Only from the weekend, cold air from Russia will move SE towards the E Mediterranean leading to a drop in temperatures and snow at sea level between E Europe and the Balkans, but elsewhere it will be still mild and sunny.
It’s likely that February will end with dry and mild conditions in many areas, and it will be interesting to see the temperatures anomalies observed overall in this month over the continent.
Regardless of the ‘significance’ of the anomaly, February 2019 won’t certainly be remembered as a cold month in many areas.
This week a strong high pressure system has set over central western Europe, causing sunny days and mild temperatures. Today, maximum values are far above the average mostly everywhere in Europe, with temperatures reaching 20 °C in the Iberian peninsula (Figure1).
Temperatures between 10/15 °C are observed in all the Mediterranean region, France, the UK and Germany. Moving eastward values are lower but still above the average of February. Only in Russia and north Scandinavia temperatures are below 0 °C.
The weather today (Figure2) has seen bright skies over all W Europe and central Mediterranean region, with only some local fog at the lowest levels (mainly in the morning). At the edges of the high-pressure ridge, clouds and band of rain are observed in the north Atlantic and E Mediterranean, instead over N Russia and Finland snowfall is occurring.
This weather condition won’t change during the next weekend, with still dry and mild conditions in central/southern Europe. Colder air will reach tomorrow the E Mediterranean, though without ‘freezing’ temperatures. From Sunday, colder and moister air from the N Atlantic will try to push the anticyclone eastward, causing unsettled and ‘colder’ weather over the UK, France and Spain. We will see next week if there is going to be a change in the weather patterns, though it seems likely that the high pressure will be still steady for the next few days.
In this article I am going to analyse the temperatures observed in some cities in Europe during January 2019. A former analysis made two weeks ago had shown that the first two weeks of the year have been cold (and snowy) in Southern and Eastern Europe, with observed temperatures lower than in NW Europe.
Now that January has passed, we can see if the trend observed at the beginning of the month has occurred also throughout the last two weeks or if it has changed.
In Figure1 I have plotted the average daily temperatures observed in 17 cities in Europe.
We can see that E Europe and N Europe have observed the lowest average temperatures (Moscow is the coldest: -7 °C). Moving westward and southward temperatures rise, with positive values mostly everywhere (except in the Balkans: Bucharest -1 °C). The warmest cities have been Lisbon, Athens and Instanbul.
Regarding the anomalies of the average temperatures compared with the long-term average (1981-2010), in Figure2 I have plotted the results, in order to determine where it has been colder than the average and where it hasn’t.
We can see how the most significant anomalies (in absolute values) have been observed in Scandinavia (colder temperatures) and E Mediterranean (warmer temperatures). Warmer than the average also in Germany, Iceland and Ireland (though the anomalies are mostly between +0.2/+1 °C). In southern Europe little negative anomalies are observed.
This ‘picture’ is different than what seen two weeks ago, when significant negative anomalies were observed in SE Europe and ‘warm’ conditions were observed in the north (especially in Iceland, UK and Germany).
In conclusion, January has been ‘mild’ in some places (i.e. in central/western Europe, Iceland and SE Europe) and cold (compared with the average) in Scandinavia and Mediterranean region, though in both cases, the anomalies have’t been too significant.
The last two weeks have seen frequent snow showers in many areas in the UK, with several centimetres of snow at the higher levels. These episodes have occurred after a long period of frequent rain and mild temperatures throughout the first month of the winter season.
I have analysed and plotted the temperature anomalies observed in December 2018 and January 2019 in London Heathrow. The anomalies are computed considering the long-term averages (1981-2010), which, for London are: December (+8.3/+2.7 °C) and January (+8.07/+2.3 °C).
This analysis is simply focused on having a general overview of the observed temperatures, and on a local area; thus, it can’t be used to determine a wider analysis for the whole country. I haven’t plotted the rainfall, but data can be found in the references.
In Figure1 we can see the daily maximum and minimum temperatures anomalies observed during the last two months.
Most of December has been mild, especially in the minimum temperatures, with positive anomalies close to +10°C during the first week (when frequent rainfall has occurred). During the second week, colder and drier air has caused a decrease in temperatures (especially in the maximum values) though only for few days. Indeed, the last two weeks of December have shown mostly mild temperatures (and frequent rain) with only two days with negative anomalies (one of them it’s Christmas). No snow has been observed throughout the month.
January, instead, has shown a decrease in the positive anomaly (especially in the maximum temperatures), with colder and drier air after new year’s eve. The second week has shown settled weather, and temperatures above the average (+3/+5 °C the anomaly in the minimum values). However, from the 15th colder air (both polar maritime and arctic depending on the episode) has reached the UK, causing a strong decrease in temperatures and the first snow of the season in many areas (also in London) between the 21-23 of January and again, after few days with warmer temperatures, on the 31st and 1st of February. The last few days of January have been the coldest of the season so far, with the lowest temperatures observed before the snowfall in the morning of the 31st.
Considering the monthly analysis, thus comparing the anomaly observed in the minimum and maximum average temperatures in December 2018 and January 2019 with the historical period 1981-2019 (Figure2), we can see that December has observed a significant positive anomaly especially in the minimum values (+3.1 °C), instead January has seen values very close to the average, with a slight negative anomaly in the maximum temperatures (-0.62 °C) and positive in the minimum (+0.28 °C).
Overall, December 2018 is one of the hottest since 1981 (3rd for the maximum temperatures and 2nd for the minimum); instead, January has been roughly on average (27th for the maximum and 21st for the minimum temperatures).
In conclusion, even if numerous news had claimed that ‘freezing’ conditions have occurred this winter (especially in January), the actual analysis has shown that it has been a ‘warm’ winter so far, with few cold episodes mainly occurred during the last two weeks.
We will see how February will end in order to sum up the overall winter analysis.
During the last two weeks wintry conditions have occurred in numerous countries, both in W Europe and E Europe. Very cold temperatures were observed in Scandinavia and Russia and snow has fallen in many areas between central Europe, the UK and the Mediterranean region.
However, these weather conditions are changing, with milder air coming from mid-Atlantic and N Africa. Indeed, already today higher temperatures are observed (Figure1) with values above 10 °C in many areas in S Europe (especially S Spain, Italy and E Mediterranean region) and above 0 °C mostly everywhere, except in the Alpine region, Scandinavia and N Russia.
The satellite imagery (Figure2) shows the main features of the weather conditions over the continent.
A high-pressure is setting on W and Central Europe, with bright conditions in Spain, S France and central/N Italy and fog/low clouds between Germany and Poland. Between France, the UK and the N Sea a (weak) low pressure system is causing showers across England and Benelux.
Moving eastward, warm air from N Africa is causing settled and mild conditions in the E Mediterranean and convection is occurring between S Italy and Greece. This is due to a (weak) low-pressure system positioned close to Sicily which is leading to a temperature contrast between the (relatively) cold air from central Europe and the mild air from N Africa. Thus, convective cells are forming on the sea, causing numerous thunderstorms in the area.
Finally, in E Europe and Scandinavia cold temperatures are still observed, with snowfall between Finland and Russia.
The weather conditions for this week will see an increase in the strenght of the high-pressure in central/southern Europe with settled conditions and relatively mild temperatures (though fog/low clouds are possible in the valleys limiting the increase in temperatures). In fact, from Tuesday possible peaks of 20 °C are expected in S Spain, Portugal, S Turkey and Cyprus. Temperatures between 10/15 °C are expected in S France, Italy and the Balkans and close to 10 °C in the UK and Central Europe. In addition, during the night temperatures will be close or slightly below 0 °C especially in the valleys (and in case of clear sky),causing a strong temperature gradient between day and night.
Only in E Europe and Scandinavia it will be still cold, though with values above the average.
On Thursday, colder air from N Atlantic should cause a slight decrease in temperatures (with frequent showers) in Central Europe, though with no snow or ‘freezing’ conditions. However, only from next week (so in 7 days) a more significant change in the weather conditions should be observed, though it is still too early to talk about its possible effects. | <urn:uuid:8c610f94-9e31-46a0-a29f-6a5a0e34ab7d> | CC-MAIN-2020-10 | https://weathermeteo.org/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-10/segments/1581875145500.90/warc/CC-MAIN-20200221080411-20200221110411-00135.warc.gz | en | 0.94454 | 2,987 | 2.984375 | 3 |
Radiation Therapy for Ovarian Cancer
by Jondavid Pollock, MD, PhD
Radiation therapy uses high energy x-rays to destroy cancer cells and shrink tumors. In general, radiation therapy is not used as much as it was in the past for treating ovarian cancer. However, it may be used after surgery to try to make sure all cancer cells are destroyed. This is because small amounts of ovarian cancer cells that have spread to lymph nodes or nearby structures may remain undetected with normal testing. Radiation therapy may also be used to ease pain or other symptoms caused by tumors in other areas of the body.
External Beam Radiation Therapy
In external beam radiation therapy, radiation is produced by a machine positioned outside the body. Short bursts of x-rays are directed at the cancer to affect as much cancer as possible. The radiation oncologist will determine how many treatments you will receive. Generally, external beam radiation only takes a few minutes. For ovarian cancer, external beam radiation therapy is given 5 days a week for 3-5 weeks.
A newer type of 3-dimensional (3-D) technology may include intensity modulated treatment (IMRT) radiation therapy. The beams surround all sides of the tumor. This allows for more intense radiation to be delivered to the tumor. It also decreases the amount of damage to surrounding healthy tissue and related side effects. IMRT is still being studied and may not be available in all areas.
Intraperitoneal Radiation Therapy
Intraperiotoneal radiation therapy uses a catheter to deliver radioactive material directly into the abdominal cavity. The liquid coats the cancer cells that are in the abdominal cavity and kills them. It may be an option for women with advanced or recurrent ovarian cancer that is not responsive to chemotherapy.
Whole Brain Radiation Therapy TOP
Craniospinal radiation is a special type of radiation that treats the whole brain and spinal cord. This is done when ovarian cancer has spread to the meninges (layers of tissue that cover the brain and spinal cord) or cerebrospinal fluid.
Side Effects and Management TOP
Complications of radiation therapy may include:
A variety of treatments are available to help manage side effects of radiation therapy, such as dry, irritated skin, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and fatigue due to anemia. Sometimes adjustments to treatment doses may also be possible. The earlier side effects are addressed, the more likely they will be controlled with a minimum of discomfort.
Chundury A, Apicelli A, DeWees T, et al. Intensity modulated radiation therapy for recurrent ovarian cancer refractory to chemotherapy. Gynecol Oncol. 2016;141(1):134-139.
Ovarian cancer. EBSCO DynaMed Plus website. Available at: http://www.dynamed.com/topics/dmp~AN~T900705/Ovarian-cancer. Updated November 17, 2017. Accessed January 29, 2018.
Ovarian cancer. Merck Manual Professional Version website. Available at:
...(Click grey area to select URL)
Updated March 2017. Accessed January 29, 2018.
Radiation therapy for ovarian cancer. American Cancer Society website. Available at: https://www.cancer.org/cancer/ovarian-cancer/treating/radiation-therapy.html. Updated February 4, 2016. Accessed January 29, 2018.
Treatment option overview. National Cancer Institute website. Available at: https://www.cancer.gov/types/ovarian/patient/ovarian-epithelial-treatment-pdq#section/_156. Updated October 13, 2017. Accessed January 29, 2018.
Last reviewed December 2017 by EBSCO Medical Review Board Mohei Abouzied, MD, FACP
Last Updated: 11/17/2016
EBSCO Information Services is fully accredited by URAC. URAC is an independent, nonprofit health care accrediting organization dedicated to promoting health care quality through accreditation, certification and commendation.
This content is reviewed regularly and is updated when new and relevant evidence is made available. This information is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with questions regarding a medical condition.
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Johann Salomo Christoph Schweigger
Johann (Johan) Salomo Christoph Schweigger, (April 8, 1779-September 6, 1857) was a chemist, physicist, and professor of mathematics at the Gymnasium of Bayreuth in 1803, at the Polytechnic School of Nuremberg in 1819, and the University of Halle, Germany, sometime in 1820. The first galvanometer was built in Germany by Johann S. Schweigger in 1820. He used Oersted's discovery of electromagnetism for his invention. Schweigger developed the galvanometer as a tool for measuring the strength and direction of electric current. Schweigger named this instrument in honour of Luigi Galvani. It is the first sensitive instrument for measuring and detecting small amounts of electricity.
Additional recommended knowledge
Schweigger was born in Erlangen, Bavaria, Germany, on 8 April 1779. He was educated at the University of Erlanger, where he received his PhD degree in 1800. His PhD thesis was on the subject of Homeric Odes. Schweigger's PhD thesis was carried out under the philosopher Franz August Wolf. Schweigger was, however, later converted to a career in science and mathematics by the chemist/physicist Georg Friedrich Hildebrandt, the mathematician/engineer Karl Christian Langsdorff, and the astronomer Johann Tobias Mayer. His major academic career was served at the University of Halle between 1820 and 1857. He started the Journal for Chemistry and Physics (Jahrbuch fur Chemie und Physik) in 1811, and continued coediting it until 1828 (54 volumes) when he changed its title to Annales de chemie et de physique. He published several critiques of Volta's theory of metal contact in animal electricity in the journal.
In 1811 Johann Schweigger proposed name "Chlorine." The halogen Chlorine was discovered by Humphry Davy on July 12, 1810, but it was called "Humphry Davy" that time.
|This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Johann_Salomo_Christoph_Schweigger". A list of authors is available in Wikipedia.| | <urn:uuid:6f0e72ea-e0ed-480a-9fe6-ba5c7a4cee15> | CC-MAIN-2020-34 | https://www.chemeurope.com/en/encyclopedia/Johann_Salomo_Christoph_Schweigger.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-34/segments/1596439738964.20/warc/CC-MAIN-20200813073451-20200813103451-00546.warc.gz | en | 0.926261 | 542 | 2.875 | 3 |
Movie of the 2011 Japan earthquake and its aftershocks
On March 11, 2011 a magnitude 9 earthquake occurred off the coast of Japan, generating a massive tsunami that caused major damage to infrastructure and loss of life. The magnitude 9 earthquake was followed by thousands of smaller earthquakes known as aftershocks in the hours after the earthquake. The magnitude of aftershocks is known to decreases exponentially after the main shock and can be seen in the data set, as shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1. Screen shot of the earthquake movie . The map on the left plots earthquakes at the end of March 11, 2011. Circles are sized by magnitude and colored by depth in kilometers. The plots on the right show the earthquake magnitudes plotted over time, colored by depth. The top figure spans the entire day, where as the lower figure shows a zoomed-in view of the 5th through the 10th hour of the day.
Interestingly, the earthquake magnitudes fluctuate over time. Omi et al. note this behavior and model it in their paper "Forecasting large aftershocks within one day after the main shock". | <urn:uuid:effd5929-160c-40cb-80af-9cee6ede03c2> | CC-MAIN-2018-43 | http://geodesygina.com/japan_eq.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-43/segments/1539583516892.84/warc/CC-MAIN-20181023174507-20181023200007-00532.warc.gz | en | 0.940485 | 229 | 3.453125 | 3 |
Results for 'size'
- Length: 4 characters
- Syllables: 1
Results for word: size
- One of the 850 words in Basic English
- In the top 2,000 words in the Brown Corpus
- Common word- this is one of the thousand words most frequently used in English.
- A list of about 3,000 words defined as easy for the Dale-Chall Readability Formula
- Nouns are words giving names to objects and things, which can be physical or concepts, etc
Related Glossary Definitions:
Definitions of Size:
Cambridge Dictionaries |
New Zealand |
Similar Words (using 'size' as word stem):
Prefix + 'size'
assize, biosynthesize, capsize, deemphasize, downsize, emphasize, fantasize, hypothesize, midsize, outsize, overemphasize, oversize, pagesize, photosynthesize, pintsize, reemphasize, resize, resynthesize, supersize, synthesize, undersize,
'size' + Suffix
sizeable, sizeably, sized, sizer, sizers, sizes, | <urn:uuid:e8d31c49-8fb3-4584-87cc-df429f0a2109> | CC-MAIN-2015-48 | http://www.usingenglish.com/resources/wordcheck/size.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-48/segments/1448398447860.26/warc/CC-MAIN-20151124205407-00060-ip-10-71-132-137.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.709254 | 247 | 2.734375 | 3 |
In the heart of the Sérère culture, the Xoy Ceremony of Divination and Prediction occurs every year in Fatick, where Senegalese President Macky Sall was born. The Xoy ceremony consists of a ritualistic procession that brings together the past, present, and future. The Xoy generally lasts days, where the initiated deliver their predictions to the society about meteorological, political, and economic phenomena. In the past, it was forbidden for the non-initiated to attend these ceremonies. Dating back to the 14th century, the general public was forbidden to attend the ceremony; only the initiated had the right to participate in these sessions of divination or predictions.
The ceremony is controlled by the saltigues of the spiritual great masters gathering the initiated saltigué, Traditionally, Sérères believed in a creative God called “Roog” or “Roog Sen,” which means omniscient and almighty God. The Sérères bless Roog directly but can also pass them through ancestors (pangols) that are symbolized by objects that are unique to each family: the foot of trees, rivers, the sea, a pestle (drumstick), etc. The prayers are then sent to the pangols, who are the intermediaries between the land of the living and the divine. This ensures sérères remain faithful to the ancestral spirituality and the soul of the sanctified ancestors.
Saltigués: Great Masters of Divination
Saltigués are priests and sérères are priestesses who preside over the religious ceremonies and over the business affairs of the sérère community, such as the ceremony of Xoy, which is the major event for the sérère. The titles “saltigués” and “sereres” are generally inherited at birth paternally from old sérères families.
Men and women can be introduced in the secret order of saltigué. According to the religious Sérère doctrine, to become a spiritual elder (saltigué), it is necessary to be particularly introduced to the the mysteries of the universe and the invisible world, which is reserved to a few people. Nowadays, even though most of them were converted to Islam, saltigués continue their practices.
Saltigués used to serve as advisers on the weather to “sérères governments,” with saltigués informing the government whether it would rain enough to cover the season for agriculture. Their role was — and is always — to contribute to the prosperity of the country. As such, they were also in charge of predicting the future of kings as well as any natural or political disaster that could happen in the country.
Saltigués Challenge Future with Xoy Ceremony
Xoy is a very special religious ceremony in the Sine-Saloum region and a special event in the religious calendar of sérères, with thousands of people coming from all over the continent. Held mainly every first Saturday of June, it is the moment when 500 male and female saltigués, agents of knowledge for the ancestors, take part in the divination to predict the future in front of the community.
Impressive in their suits with accessories decorated by pieces of mirror, gri gri, and other diverse objects, they meet at the Experimental Center, where Fatick’s traditional medicine can be found, in conclave during the night. The next day, they return, marking the official ceremony.
The Saltigue parade to deliver their messages, and from time to time, they present challenges to the public.
For example, in years past, the saltigue predicted that a Fulani would become president of Senegal one day, and so it was with President Sall. Then last year, they predicted bloodshed during the local election of June 29th and announced that a journalist will be killed.
At the end, Saltigues’ recommendations are offered and then followed by consultation sessions and the sale of mystic products and traditional medicine.
This practice or science, which values the authentic knowledge of the ancestors, fell in to the public domain in the 14th century, when the royal dynasty gelwaar visionary has guest les Saltigués to express himself in the open living spaces, for the biggest property of the social group.
Watch a Xoy Ceremony for yourself here:
Face2face Africa invites you to join us for our annual Pan-African Weekend July 25-27 in NYC, honoring Dr. Mo Ibrahim, Alek Wek, Femi Kuti, Masai Ujiri, Bethlehem Alemu, and Dr. Oheneba Bochie-Adjei. Click here for more details and register to attend. | <urn:uuid:e01cb5fc-a237-45af-ac05-2ffbea4ec079> | CC-MAIN-2021-39 | https://face2faceafrica.com/article/xoy-ceremony | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-39/segments/1631780058263.20/warc/CC-MAIN-20210927030035-20210927060035-00550.warc.gz | en | 0.937229 | 992 | 2.53125 | 3 |
The Baath party has governed Syria for almost half a century. The law appears to ban parties created on the basis of religion, or tribal or regional affiliation.The Baath party banned opposition groups in Syria after the military coup in 1963 that brought it to power. Under the constitution, the Baath “leads society and state”.
“The government adopted a draft law regarding political parties in Syria as part of a programme of reform aimed at enriching the political life, creating a new dynamic and allowing for a change in political power,” the official news agency Sana said.
Political parties have to follow the “democratic principles”, the state agency said.
Syria has seen four months of protest against the ruling President Bashar al-Assad. Human rights groups say that about 1,400 civilians and 350 security forces personnel have died in the four months of protest. On Friday, tens of thousands of Syrians again took to the streets in protest across the country, in defiance of a widespread crackdown.
The government blames the unrest on “armed criminal gangs” backed by a foreign conspiracy.
- Syria to ‘allow political parties (bbc.co.uk)
- Syria endorses law to allow political parties (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
- Mass Syrian protest against Assad regime adds to death toll (guardian.co.uk)
- The Ba’ath Has Outlived Its Usefulness: (brothersjuddblog.com)
- Mass Syrian protest against Assad regime adds to death toll – The Guardian (news.google.com)
- Syrian president called ‘liar’ by protesters (cbc.ca)
- Syria: Hope For Reform After Hama Violence (news.sky.com)
- Hama Protests Swell in Syria (online.wsj.com)
- Hama Protests Swell in Syria – Wall Street Journal (news.google.com)
- Morocco prepares for legislative elections (moroccotomorrow.org) | <urn:uuid:ee31e4df-9f70-4d36-ac07-9ba226f283fb> | CC-MAIN-2014-35 | http://easternspectator.wordpress.com/2011/07/25/syria-to-open-up-for-political-parties/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-35/segments/1408500824990.54/warc/CC-MAIN-20140820021344-00447-ip-10-180-136-8.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.936767 | 421 | 2.71875 | 3 |
Ritual, Liturgy & the Body
This strand of the project is led by Professor Brian Cummings at York. In it we analyse the body and performance as sites of remembrance at both the personal and communal level.
Medieval Latin liturgy was suffused with bodily rituals, many of which were treated with suspicion by Protestants as signs of superstition or idolatry. Yet the reformed also appealed to gesture, emotion and the senses as proof of sincerity in the expression of ‘feeling faith’. In this strand of the project we investigate the reformation of ritual and ceremony in the early modern world, both in the public performance of religion in the guise of the liturgy (the Book of Common Prayer) and in private devotion and worship ranging from recusant to puritan. We consider the critical role of repetitive practices in the constitution of memory, and attend especially to the affective dimensions of these mnemonic processes — the role of song and sound, as well as gesture and text, in transmitting memory. | <urn:uuid:463fec2f-3d7d-47af-a281-45b992fd0832> | CC-MAIN-2018-09 | https://rememberingthereformation.org.uk/theme/ritual-liturgy-body | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-09/segments/1518891814105.6/warc/CC-MAIN-20180222120939-20180222140939-00250.warc.gz | en | 0.958656 | 207 | 2.71875 | 3 |
The human body is a microcosm of the earth and just as the earth has its seasons, so does our body. While the female body prepares itself for conception every month, there occurs a parallel internal seasonal change.
To maintain the health of the female body, it is imperative to understand and honor its internal seasonal changes. Failure to do so, results in hormonal changes in the body, resulting in conditions like PMS, PCOD, PCOS and even some types of cancers.
The 3 seasons of the Female Cycle Explained
- The Kapha Season (The Spring time) – This is the first phase of the female cycle and begins at the end of menstruation when you stop bleeding. The Spring time in the universe is marked as a period of regrowth, resurrection and rejuvenation. It is a period when the earth is wet, seeds are planted and flowers bloom. Similarly, after one menstrual cycle, the body prepares itself again to receive and sow the seeds of creation. There is a surge in hormones leading to the production of fluid filled follicles that contain the female eggs and the endometrium lining in the womb thickens. This is a time when a woman develops an inherent glow and feels grounded naturally. The Kapha predominance also makes her gentler and more tolerant. But when not honored with the right foods and lifestyle, a woman may experience sluggishness and lethargy during this season of her cycle.
- The Pitta Season (The Summer) – This is the period when the earth gets warm and the fruits ripen. Correspondingly, the internal summer begins in the women with ovulation. There is yet another surge of warmer hormones leading to the maturation of the female egg and the engorgement of the endometrium. The body is now ripe to receive and this is known as the ideal time for conception. Dominated by Pitta, the female body may produce a certain smell which may naturally attract the opposite sex. This is the time when the mind feels sharp, decisive and can be a great time to get things achieved. When not honored with the right foods and lifestyle, agitation and excess heat may build up.
- The Vata Season (Autumn and Winter Season) – When the summer ends and the earth approaches winter, there are destruction and havoc. The animals hibernate and the earth slows down. This cycle of creation must end or become dormant before the new one begins. Likewise, when the egg fails to mature, the lining in the womb breaks and the woman begins her Raja Pravrutti or menstruation. This is dominated by Apana Vata or downward moving wind. The body must undergo this season carefully, so that the next one can begin well. This happens when the Vata acts up and presents itself with cramps, bloating and anxiety. In order to allow the Vata to work effectively in the downward direction, rest, slowing down and a Vata pacification diet is a must.
As menstruation ends, another seasonal cycle begins. If these cycles are followed with respect to their dominant doshas, you will not only be able to minimize your PMS symptoms but also attain a healthy body and mind.
Steps to Understanding and Honoring your Seasons
- Live and Eat According to the Season – Once you understand the three dominant seasons as explained above, you can easily make a mindful effort to live and eat accordingly. During the Kapha phase of your cycle, follow a Kapha pacifying diet and make sure to keep yourself active. This is a great time to make internal resolutions and commitments. During the Pitta phase, a Pitta pacifying diet of cooling foods should be consumed. Coconut water and rice can be added to your diet during this time. Even before the Vata phase begins, one must focus on slowing down and shifting to a Vata pacifying diet and lifestyle. Avoiding salads, cold and light foods are a must. Make sure to get enough sleep and consume warm, nourishing foods. As the menstruation begins, understand that a windy storm is brewing the body. Menstrual symptoms may naturally begin to subside as you begin to live according to the internal seasons.
- Understand your Dominant Dosha – Even though the actual menstruation phase itself is dominated by Vata and Pitta to a certain extent, your personal constitution will certainly contribute by displaying its own distinctive property to your menstrual flow.
Kapha – If your dosha is Kapha, your cycle may be heavier and potentially longer with premenstrual bloating, water retention, and a dull, achy pain. Emotions experienced can include sadness and depression. Emotional eating may be a tendency.
Steer away from sweets and baked goods. Herbs like ginger and black pepper may help stimulate the digestion and help to push the Vata downwards. Even though you need rest during this time, avoid excess sleep and day time napping. Anulom Vilom Pranayam will help to regulate the doshas.
Pitta – If your constitution is Pitta, your periods are probably more regular, with yellowish or red blood. They can be intense, hot, profuse with fleshy/foul odor. Symptoms can include burning, acne, headache, nausea, vomiting and emotions of anger and irritability. Avoid tea, coffee, spicy food, oily/greasy foods and chocolate. Focus on cooling foods and spices such as coconut water, rice, mint, basil and coriander. Sitali pranayam is recommended for internal cooling.
Vata – If your constitution is Vata, your flow may be irregular. The flow may be dry, dark, thin, frothy, clotted and lighter. Symptoms may include constipation, pain (spasmodic cramps often in the lower back and lower abdomen). Emotions experienced may be nervousness, anxiety, poor concentration and fear. A Vata pacifying diet that includes warming, grounding, cooked foods with ghee is recommended. Anulom Vilom pranayam will help to regulate the Vata significantly. Consuming celery seeds (ajwain) with black salt after meals and a 1/2 tablespoon of castor oil at night can provide dramatic relief.
3) Follow the Universal PMS Guidelines – There are certain universal guidelines to be followed a week before the expected period date. These minimize the PMS Syndrome and provide for a smooth period.
- Do not consume excess sugar or caffeine as these aggravate Vata and may give rise to painful cramps and anxiety.
- Avoid excessively salty foods as they can lead to water retention, making the flow more sluggish.
- Fried, Spicy and Junk foods should also be avoided as they aggravate Pitta making the periods more intense and hot. They can also lead to mood swings and a general feeling of anger and discontentment.
4) Upon the Start of your Menstruation – Once your period starts, the Pitta begins to settle and the Vata creates havoc.
- Get plenty of sleep at night and sip on teas made from dried ginger, dandelion and gingko biloba.
- Keep hydrated and avoid cold, and light foods.
- Follow the Vata Internal Season guidelines mentioned above.
- Avoid long walks and strenuous exercise as they interfere with the direction of Vata. You may perform gentle forward bending yoga asanas such as paschimottasan, janu sirsana.
Modern life has made it very easy for us to neglect our internal seasonal changes by popping a tablet to tune out of the events in our body. But only when we slow down and truly align our lifestyle with the needs of our body, can health be achieved.
Independent Ayurveda wellness coach based in the US | <urn:uuid:0add807a-240f-41d1-ace7-b7cddee6e94d> | CC-MAIN-2018-26 | http://ayurvedamagazine.org/cramps-cravings-mood-swings-and-more/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-26/segments/1529267864019.29/warc/CC-MAIN-20180621020632-20180621040632-00230.warc.gz | en | 0.931265 | 1,600 | 3.1875 | 3 |
The New York Times has an interesting article today about the rising specter of deflation — in which a lack of demand causes prices to fall. Falling prices sounds like a good thing for consumers who have been battered with rising costs over the past year — but experts agree — deflation is nothing but bad news.
From the NYT:
Deflation accompanied the Depression of the 1930s. Persistently falling prices also were at the heart of Japan’s so-called lost decade after the catastrophic collapse of its real estate bubble at the end of the 1980s — a period in which some experts now find parallels to the American predicament.
“That certainly is the snapshot of the risk I see,” said Robert J. Barbera, chief economist at the research and trading firm ITG. “It is the crisis we face.”
With economies around the globe weakening, demand for oil, copper, grains and other commodities has diminished, bringing down prices of these raw materials. But prices have yet to decline noticeably for most goods and services, with one conspicuous exception — houses. Still, reduced demand is beginning to soften prices for a few products, like furniture and bedding, which are down slightly since the beginning of 2007, according to government data. Prices are also falling for some appliances, tools and hardware.
The new worry is that in the worst case, the end of inflation may be the beginning of something malevolent: a long, slow retrenchment in which consumers and businesses worldwide lose the wherewithal to buy, sending prices down for many goods. Though still considered unlikely, that would prompt businesses to slow production and accelerate layoffs, taking more paychecks out of the economy and further weakening demand. | <urn:uuid:7bb2927d-1e73-42da-86d8-24ed48ecaee8> | CC-MAIN-2014-52 | http://consumerist.com/2008/11/01/whats-worse-than-inflation-deflation/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-52/segments/1418802768529.27/warc/CC-MAIN-20141217075248-00162-ip-10-231-17-201.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960906 | 349 | 2.515625 | 3 |
First, here's how they are alike: baking powder and baking soda are both leaveners: that is, both help baked goods rise.
Baking soda (bicarbonate of soda) is four times as strong as baking powder and is actually an ingredient in the more mild-mannered baking powder. To make baked goods rise, it's usually about 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda for 1 cup of flour, where it takes a full teaspoon of baking powder, according to food scientist Shirley Corriher. But it doesn't really work to just substitute one for the other in these amounts: the best choice really depends on the other ingredients in the recipe.
Baking soda is usually a better choice when the recipe includes acidic ingredients like buttermilk, yogurt, sour cream, citrus juice, molasses and brown sugar. Always mix it with your dry ingredients first: as soon as baking soda hits moisture, it begins to react. That's also why you don't let a batter made with baking soda stand–get it in the oven right away.
Baking powder is made from a combination of baking soda, an acid like cream of tartar, and cornstarch to absorb moisture. Baking powder is perishable and should be stored on a cool, dry place. (Check the expiration date on the can). To test if it is still good, add 1 teaspoon to 1/3 cup hot water–it should bubble up like it's at a party.
Recipe: Mummy's Brown Soda Bread | <urn:uuid:024497c6-095e-4fb0-9956-74fad3241f6e> | CC-MAIN-2015-27 | http://www.myrecipes.com/m/how-to/cooking-questions/difference-between-baking-powder-baking-soda | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-27/segments/1435375097710.32/warc/CC-MAIN-20150627031817-00199-ip-10-179-60-89.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946526 | 310 | 2.59375 | 3 |
Neuroscience and Multiple Intelligences
In his landmark book, Frames of Mind (Basic Books, 1983), Howard Gardner identified neuroscience evidence as an essential feature of Multiple Intelligences theory. This was a unique addition to the scientific literature. Due to our limited understanding of the brain’s structure and processes at that time only two or three neural regions were identified for each intelligence. See introduction Neuroscience and Multiple Intelligences
The M.I.S.T. Project
Despite tremendous advances in neural imaging and many sophisticated research efforts worldwide, the neural evidence for MI theory has not been systematically re-evaluated since its introduction. Until now. I initiated the M.I.S.T. Project (Multiple Intelligences as Scientific Theory) in 2015 in order to determine if there is coherent evidence that each intelligence has its own unique neural systems and circuits.
The M.I.S.T Project has reviewed over 500 neuroscientific studies and resulted in the publication of seven papers in journals. See titles: MIST Publications. Journals include : Psychology and Neuroscience; Roeper Review; Journal of Intelligence; Trends in Neuroscience and Education. The goal of this investigation has been to bring the existing body of neuroscience evidence into the public domain to facilitate an open and informed discussion of the evidence.
Is MI Just a Fad or a Scientific Verity?
The validation of a novel idea as a legitimate ‘scientific theory’ is not a quick or easy process. This is as it should be. Nobody wants to build a school on a conceptual foundation that is shaky. In 2008 during a symposium examining the status of MI theory my presentation was entitled: After 25 Years is MI Theory Just a Fad or a Scientific Verity that Will Stand the Test of Time? It is now nearly 40 years since MI launched a worldwide discussion regarding the nature of intelligence and its implications for teachers, school administrators and governmental leaders. It is time for an in-depth review and evaluation of the evidence from numerous perspectives. Perhaps most importantly, what we need is a careful examination of what neuroscientific researchers have revealed about the thinking brain, defined broadly.
THINKING AND THE BRAIN
The brain consists of about 80 – 100 billion neurons. Each neuron has a multitude of connections to other neurons and their patterns of activation are what make thinking and behavior possible. We are each born with unique neural structures and processes that are continually changing in response to environmental stimuli. As a general rule, “neurons that fire together, wire together.” This means that repetitive use or, conversely, disuse changes these activation patterns. We know that a memory is an enduring activation pattern among a constellation of neurons that is easily generated. The same is thought to be true for our skills and abilities.
Why is it Important that MI is Based on Neuroscience?
There are several reasons for knowing that MI is rooted in evidence from brain science.
- Your Brain is unique! Use strengths to maximize success.
- Educators need to design instruction and curriculum that focuses on students’ unique abilities.
- Build your Intrapersonal intelligence for lifelong happiness.
- Connect your MI strengths to specific careers to promote achievement and happiness.
- Nobody is perfect. We have strengths as well as limitations.
- Every brain is embedded in an environment and culture that influences development.
- Leverage your MI strengths to promote your academic success. | <urn:uuid:59938106-9f0d-463e-9eef-65c70623804e> | CC-MAIN-2022-40 | https://miresearch.org/neuroscience/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-40/segments/1664030337446.8/warc/CC-MAIN-20221003231906-20221004021906-00308.warc.gz | en | 0.94349 | 696 | 2.9375 | 3 |
This story originally appeared on Houston Public Media.
Our story starts not in Houston but in Phoenix. It’s where the American Meteorological Society held its annual meeting earlier this year.
Public health researcher Kathryn Conlon told an audience about a project funded by NASA that looked at Houston.
“Houston is particularly interesting. Houston is located in a very hot, moist part of the United States,” Conlon said in her presentation.
Conlon found that in coming decades, Houston might see far more days when that heat and humidity could combine to drive the so-called “heat index” to the danger level of 108 degrees or higher. This extreme heat can be especially dangerous to the young, the old, and the sick.
Last week, we tracked down Conlon in Atlanta where she works for the Centers for Disease Control.
“In present day, we would roughly expect to see about six days that would be above that threshold of 108 degrees for two consecutive days and by mid-century our study shows we’d see about 25 days above that threshold,” Conlon said.
But why more extreme heat in Houston?
“We found that the combined effect of both land use and climate change will affect how populations are exposed to heat in Houston,” Conlon said.
Here’s what she’s talking about: as one of the fastest growing cities in the nation, thousands of acres of what had been tree or brush covered land continues to be cleared — especially on the fringe of Harris County — to make way for new homes, commercial buildings and parking lots. All these things heat up more under the sun than fields and forests.
“When you lose vegetation you do see an increase in temperature,” Conlon said.
Conlon used data showing where development is taking place, combined it with climate change projections for heat and humidity, and arrived at the finding that we could be dealing with four times as many heat index advisory days by 2050.
Olga Wilhelmi is also studying extreme heat in Houston.
“It presents a very interesting case for looking at how people adapt to extreme heat,” Wilhelmi said. She works for the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado.
She surveyed 900 households across Houston and found that not all Houstonians are able to comfortably cope with extreme heat even inside their homes.
“Quite a big percent of our respondents said that they feel too hot inside their homes. It’s surprisingly hard to escape from heat,” Wilhelmi said.
Wilhelmi found that over a third of Houstonians said they couldn’t keep their houses cool enough, citing unaffordable electricity bills or a lack of air conditioners. And it wasn’t just a nuisance: some 20 percent of people surveyed said the heat made them dizzy, tired, nauseous, even caused them to faint.
So what if we have even more extreme heat days in coming years? It’s what Jennifer Ronk is working on at theHouston Advanced Research Center.
“Not only do we have the heat issues now, but they’re going to be getting worse here as well,” Ronk said.
Ronk points to data showing that in the extreme heat of 2011, 46 people died from it in Texas, more than in any other state. She’s advising local governments on what to expect: higher costs for air conditioning, more strain on public health services and lower productivity from some workers.
“For people who work outdoors it’s really going to require people to take longer and more frequent breaks so they can safely get the job done. And just means the time it takes to do various sorts of outdoor activities will take longer,” Ronk said.
Of special concern are newcomers to Houston.
“That large influx of people potentially coming from less-warm areas might make them more at risk during extreme heat events,” said researcher Kathryn Conlon.
Laura Spanjian, Director of Houston’s Office of Sustainability, told us in an email:
“The City of Houston is looking at and taking these heat impacts seriously, for example the City’s Department of Health and Human Services has a heat emergency plan that goes into affect if the heat index is over 108 degrees, providing services for residents.” | <urn:uuid:f05e1e21-1d02-4f39-9431-dfbd0b6abab6> | CC-MAIN-2021-04 | https://www.texasstandard.org/stories/houstons-population-growth-could-mean-an-increase-in-extreme-heat/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-04/segments/1610703519883.54/warc/CC-MAIN-20210120023125-20210120053125-00213.warc.gz | en | 0.957547 | 910 | 3.640625 | 4 |
by Craig Lindley
There has been a lot written about the design and implementation of digital
filters over the years and I periodically survey the literature to try and keep
up with it. It seemed the right time to look around again when I decided to
build a digital color organ which would require digital filtering. During
this latest survey, I came upon Lattice Wave Digital Filters (LWDFs) which
I was not familiar with. These filters piqued my interest as they had
intriguing properties directly applicable to my application.
Typically, when I find a technology that interests me, I go overboard in my research and spend
lots of hours playing with it in order to
understand it. LWDFs were no exception. This article, and the accompanying design tool, were a result of my
investigation into LWDFs which were
just too cool to pass up. We will get to
LWDFs shortly, but first a little context.
There exists two major classes of
digital filters referred to as Infinite
Impulse Response (IIR) — sometimes
called a recursive filter — and Finite
Impulse Response (FIR) or convolution filters. Both of these filter types
have advantages and disadvantages
which make them each suitable for a
variety of applications.
IIR filters might be used, for
example, in applications where cost is
a concern because they can be
implemented using a minimum of
hardware/software resources. FIR
filters would be used in applications
where linear phase response is
required such as in high end audio
applications, the processing of sensor
data, or possibly radio telescope
data. FIR filters use more resources to
implement to the same order as an
equivalent IIR filter.
68 November 2007
Typically, IIR filters are not as
stable as their FIR counterparts. This
fact is reflected in their names. Infinite
Impulse Response filters will typically
ring for a period of time after being
subjected to an impulse waveform.
Finite Impulse Response filters are
better damped and any ringing of the
filter will be of much shorter duration.
IIR filters also have sensitivity to
word length limitations and coefficient
round off errors which makes their
implementation tricky. All this is to say
that testing is very important for any
digital filter you design (regardless of
topology) to make sure it is performing per your requirements.
IIR filters were appropriate for the
application I had in mind because of
their inherent efficiencies, but only
if their stability issues could be
controlled or eliminated. This is where
LWDFs came into play.
All of the information I found on
these filters indicated they were
extremely stable, had a large dynamic
range, and weren’t sensitive to either
limited word lengths or round off
errors. LWDFs don’t correct the
erratic phase response of classic IIR
filters but phase response is not
important in my application.
LWDFs were first proposed by
Professor Alfred Fettweis in 1971 and
are backed with an extensive amount
of complex network theory which one
does not need to understand to apply.
A lot of information can be found on
the Internet describing these filters.
The Resources sidebar details some of
the most useful papers I found.
Specifically, the TI application note
and the paper by Gazsi were the most
helpful to me and my understanding
of this technology.
LWDFs are a cascade of first and
second order all pass filter sections.
Each all pass section is made up of a
two port adapter (picture a little box
with two inputs in1 and in2 and two
outputs out1 and out2) along with a
one sample delay element. Every
adapter has a gamma value (gamma
values range in value between -1 and
+1) which controls the response of the
all pass section. Adapters are
implemented in software using a set
of network formulas which require
a single multiplication and three
The LWDFs we are discussing use
four types of adapters as filter building
blocks. The number and the variety of
adapters used along with the gamma | <urn:uuid:ed2b0e75-807d-46e3-9e93-8eaa0114ecb5> | CC-MAIN-2019-35 | http://nutsvolts.texterity.com/nutsvolts/200711/?folio=68 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-35/segments/1566027320156.86/warc/CC-MAIN-20190824084149-20190824110149-00185.warc.gz | en | 0.939596 | 908 | 2.609375 | 3 |
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