Friday, March 30, 2012
Alpheid Shrimp/Gobbid – The Landlord and his Tennant
Introduction: The Alpheid shrimp its Gobbid (the goby), engage in a very interesting mutualistic relationship. While the shrimp burrows in the sand digging a home for the two, the goby keeps an eye out for predators and any sign of danger. Goby-Shrimp relationships can be found in numerous tropical regions but extensive research has been done in the Red Sea, Japan, and Hawaii. Over 70 different species of gobies have been associated with shrimp so far [1]. Specific shrimp goby partnerships often change. When researchers tagged the shrimp and the gobies, often times individual shrimp goby pairs split up and found new partners [1].
Description of the Relationship: Many researchers have tried to figure out how the shrimp/goby relationship has formed. Most have come to the conclusion that the relationship evolved as a way for both species to avoid predation [1]. Many Alpheid shrimp are nearly blind, so without their goby partner, they are unable to detect predation [2]. The two find each other in different ways. The goby relies on vision to find its shrimp partner, where as the shrimp relies on chemical attractions to the goby[1]. While the shrimp digs through the sand, the goby hangs out behind him looking out for danger. Because the shrimp is nearly blind, he keeps one antenna on the tail of the goby at all times [1]. When the goby detects danger, he slightly flicks his tail, which signals the shrimp to dart into its burrow, with the goby following behind [1]. Because the partnership helps reduce encounters with predators and it does not involve any metabolic processes, this type of mutualism would be considered facultative. Each, individual could live without the other, but when, paired together, it decreases death caused by predators.
Cost/Benefit Analysis: There is a fairly even ratio of cost to benefit in the shrimp/goby interaction. While the shrimp uses a lot of energy to burrow in the sand, he greatly benefits from the protection of the goby because without the goby, the shrimp could not see its predators and would be easy prey. Although the goby acts as a look out for the shrimp, he gets in return a place to hide from predators. The shrimp always keeps his antenna in contact with the goby as to not lose his partner. The shrimp puts more effort into this relationship but also arguably has more to lose without it.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Cactus Wren on Cholla: Best Buddies
Cactus Wren on Cholla: Best Buddies
The Cactus Wren, also known as Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus, is the largest bird found in parts of North America such as Southern California, Southern Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Western Texas, and Northern Mexico [1]. The normal size of a wren is about 8 inches long [1]. Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus is distinguished from other birds because it's belly has spots, and speckled brown, black and white feathers on its back, wings and head. It also has black feathers on its throat and a long stripe of white feathers [1]. Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus lives in desert areas such as a large cactus known as Cylindropuntia, commonly known as 'cholla' [2]. Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus finds its food from the ground using its long bill. They usually eat ants, beetles, grasshoppers, wasps, fruits and seeds. However, it also eats small frogs and lizards. The wren is adapted to the life in the desert and gets most of the water from the food it eats in order to survive [1]. Cylindropuntia are found in North American deserts with more than 20 species found in the Southern America [3]. "Cholla" is the term used to describe shrubby cacti with cylindrical stems that have segmented joints [3]. The cactus wren lives on large cacti like the 'cholla' in order for the cholla to hold its large nests.There is a commensalistic relationship between the cholla cactus and wren.
Commensalism is a relationship in which one of the organism's benefits (gets what it needs) while the other organism neither benefits nor is harmed. In the relationship between the cactus wren and cholla, the cactus wrens build their nests in cholla cacti. The spines of the cactus help by protecting the nest from predators. In this relationship, the cactus wren receives what it needs, i.e. nest protection [4]. The cholla cactus neither benefits nor is harmed by the nests that the cactus wrens form [4].
Cost/Benefit Analysis:
There is no cost in this relationship for the cactus wren. The wren benefits from the cholla by gaining shelter without harming the cholla. The wren builds its nest inside the cholla so that it has a cooler place to live in rather than the hot weather outside in the desert. The cholla also helps the wren by protecting it from predators through its spines. The cholla has no cost because the wren does not harm the cholla in any way. The cholla helps the wren by providing it shelter.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
The Anglerfish and Her Pyrotechnic Display:
The anglerfish is a large group of more than two hundred species of deep sea-dwelling fishes of the order Lophiiforms. Anglerfish are generally less than a foot long, but may reach lengths of up to 3.3 meters [1]. They appear dark gray to dark brown with enormous heads that are loaded will numerous sharp, invisible teeth. One of the most interesting features of the anglerfish is its method of reproduction. The male anglerfish is much smaller than the female and when it encounters a mate, the male anglerfish fastens on by means of its mouth [1]. Gradually, the male is absorbed by the female until the only organ remaining is the testes. This ensures that when the female anglerfish releases her eggs, she will have a ready supply of sperm [1].
These unique fishes are found in the Atlantic and Antarctic oceans in the bathypelagic zone which extends from 1,000 to 4,000 meters below the ocean's surface [2]. The problem that most organisms face at this depth is the limited amount of sunlight that is capable of reaching this layer. Inevitably, this makes capturing prey and avoiding predation a very daunting task. However, Lophius piscatorius is a model species of this large group of anglerfish which utilizes a long, bioluminescent rod that extends from above its mouth found only on the females [1]. This rod, which is actually an extension of a dorsal spine, is home to a colony of bioluminescent bacteria that enable L. piscatorius to easily lure curious prey towards its plethora of razor teeth [3].
Description of the Relationship:
 The relationship between the anglerfish and its bioluminescent bacteria can most clearly be defined as mutualism in which both partners benefit from the relationship. The presence of the internal mutualist bacteria allows the host anglerfish to capture prey more easily, while the so-called fishing rod that houses the bacteria provides a nutrient-rich environment for the bacteria to flourish [4]. Presumably, this organ has openings to the ocean that allows the bacteria to colonize and form a very specific relationship. For example, while it is still unknown which bacteria colonize the specialized dorsal fin of the anglerfish, other relationships between bioluminescent bacteria and deep sea fishes suggest that only one bacterial species is involved [4]. Genetic data provided by Haygood (1993) suggests that the bioluminescent bacteria are most likely from the genus Vibrio which produces bioluminescence through quorum sensing [5].
 Quorum sensing functions to produce bioluminescence in many bacterial colonies by manufacturing the necessary cellular products to generate luminescence only after a particular threshold of bacteria has been established in the colony [3]. Bacteria produce molecules that are released into the environment and by sensing the number of these molecules, they can accurately estimate how many bacterial cells are present. Once that critical number of bacteria is present, the colony of bacteria begins to glow.
 The light organ that houses these bacteria in the anglerfish constantly leaks bacterial cells into the surrounding ocean at a rate of about 107 to 108 cells per hour from colonies of about 1011 cells per milliliter [4]. By leaking these bacterial cells into the surrounding water, the progeny of the anglerfish are able to develop lures with the same bacteria as that of their parents through vertical transmission as well as providing an environmental reservoir [4].
 The relationship between bioluminescent bacteria and fishes is not unique. In fact, there are several examples that include deep sea spookfish and rattails employing Photobacterium phosphoreum and, in shallower water, flashlight fish and pony fish utilizing Vibro fischeri or Photobacterium leiognathi [4]. As mentioned earlier, the


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Minimum inhibitory concentration
Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), in microbiology, is the lowest concentration of an antimicrobial that will inhibit the visible growth of a microorganism after overnight incubation. Minimum inhibitory concentrations are important in diagnostic laboratories to confirm resistance of microorganisms to an antimicrobial agent and also to monitor the activity of new antimicrobial agents.
MICs can be determined by broth dilution methods usually following the guidelines of a reference body such as the CLSI, BSAC or EUCAST. Another, more modern method is the E-test method using strips of a gradient of antibiotic concentration.
Clinically, the minimum inhibitory concentrations are used not only to determine the amount of antibiotic that the patient will receive but also the type of antibiotic used, which in turn lowers the opportunity for microbial resistance to specific antimicrobial agents.
- ↑ Andrews, J. M. Determination of minimum inhibitory concentrations. Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy 48 (Suppl. 1):5-16, (2001). PMID _PHONE_.
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source: HuggingFaceFW/fineweb-edu


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Deciphering the effect of climate change and separating the influence of confounding factors in sediment core records using additive models
Limnol. Oceanogr., 54(6_part_2), 2009, 2529-2541 | DOI: 10.4319/lo.2009.54.6_part_2.2529
ABSTRACT: We describe a new approach to modeling sediment core records, one that uses additive models (AMs) incorporating a serial correlation structure to model residual autocorrelation. Species assemblages, for example, are reduced to ordination axis scores that capture major changes in the data through time. Each set of axis scores is then modeled using an AM, where covariates represent forcing variables (e.g., tree-ring-inferred temperature or proxies for atmospheric deposition) and/or trend and, where necessary, periodic components. The effect of forcing variables on species composition through time can be determined via the contribution each covariate makes to the fitted model, which can be used to separate effects due to competing forcing variables. We illustrate the approach using data from Kassjön, northern Sweden, and Loch Coire Fionnaraich, northwest Scotland.

source: openbmb/Ultra-FineWeb


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Once the mince pies have lost their appeal and the turkey is gone the one thing left to remind you of a good Christmas is your real tree. But what to do with it once the festive period is over and the needles are starting to drop? Have no fear as you can recycle your Christmas tree at Ogden Water. Each year Calderdale Countryside Services receive thousands of trees, some that have their roots cut off and others potted. No matter what the state of your tree they can use it.
Trees can be left outside the visitor centre/classroom and then a hardy bunch of volunteers work the trees, removing branches down one side and placing the cut trees into a brash layer surrounding the reservoir. This thick layer adds a dash of colour during January, but has a number of other advantages. The layer prevents anyone from accessing the water – helping to keep people safe while still enjoying the site. It also creates a habitat that is used by birds, mammals insects and plants to breed, grow and develop over the coming year.
Any trees that are donated with roots on are planted around the estate in areas that would benefit from wind protection or in need of thickening up with firs & pines. Trees can be dropped off until the end of January and there are a number of days planned for people to help put the trees out around the reservoir, for more details please email _EMAIL_


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Determining Beginning Soil Moisture for Planning Decisions
The current Drought Monitor shows 19% of Nebraska in the "abnormally dry" or "moderate drought" categories and in the shadow of large-scale drought in Kansas (97%) and Colorado (88%). Being curious about beginning soil moisture in non-irrigated situations, we installed Watermark soil moisture sensors in six non-irrigated, no-till locations in Webster, Nuckolls, Thayer, and Clay counties.
This quantitative information can be helpful as growers make planning and planting decisions. Granted, most planting decisions have already been made with inputs already purchased. Spring rains are also typically expected. However, information like this can help a grower be flexible in that planning should anticipated rains not be timely.
- The grower may choose to plant a more drought-tolerant crop like sorghum or a more drought-tolerant corn hybrid.
- A grower with livestock may choose to plant a feed/forage crop.
- A grower may choose to not terminate a growing cover crop such as rye, instead growing it for feed.
Soil moisture sensors were installed at 1-, 2-, 3-, and 4-foot depths in non-irrigated, no-till corn and soybean residue fields near Byron, Superior, Lawrence, Bladen, and Clay Center (Figure 2). The sensors were connected to Watermark dataloggers from the Irrometer company. Because the default soil temperature on the dataloggers is 70°F, a temperature sensor is also installed to ensure correct calibration of the soil moisture. This is because soil temperature during this time is dfferent (much lower) than 70°F.
Any farmer or crop consultant could do the same for his/her fields to determine the same information and wouldn't need the datalogger. Taking weekly readings at the same time each week, or even daily at the same time, would also give one an idea of beginning soil moisture. It's best to allow at least 48-72 hours for the sensors to equilibrate to the current soil moisture conditions. This process is essentially the same as when sensors are installed for irrigation scheduling. The difference is these are non-irrigated fields with no current crop growing. For additional information and videos on using watermark sensors, please see the Nebraska Agricultural Water Management Network website.
Nuckolls County is shown as in "moderate drought" on the Drought Monitor. At the Superior location, we were hoping to also install into actively growing rye and winter-killed forage to determine beginning soil moisture in those conditions. The rye is currently 6 inches tall in the tillering stage and the soil probe wouldn't go in the ground beyond 6 inches, so no moisture sensors were installed. The soil probe would only go in 12 inches in the winter-killed forage consisting of sorghum-sudan and radishes; thus, soil moisture sensors weren't installed in that field either.
Results so Far
During installation, the 3- and 4-foot depths at all locations (only 4-foot at Clay Center) seemed very dry. The soybean residue appeared drier than corn residue. Two sites are located near Lawrence, one in corn residue and one in soybean residue across the road from each other. That data shows differences in moisture between different residue types the most clearly. We were unable to install to the 4-foot depth at the Lawrence soybean residue location. At most other sites, a hammer was used to help install to 4 feet. However, given the difficulty in installing the 4-foot sensor, these graphs do not show them as dry or drier than the 3-foot at any location other than Bladen.
This could be due to several reasons:
- The soil textural properties at 4-foot depth could have more clay and higher soil bulk density in which the drier conditions would not be obvious or easily determined just by installation difficulty.
- There could be a compacted layer.
- The dryness or wetness of any given soil layer at any given time is a function of various factors including the farming history of the field, previous several years of root development in different layers, previous year's precipitation amount and distribution during the season as well as during off-season, evaporation rate, and water uptake pattern of the crop from different soil layers as water update from different soil layers varies and also varies with time during the season.
- The 4-foot layer may not actually be drier than the 3-foot layer.
Because only a few days of data are shown thus far, it is difficult to make a determination at this time. Data will continue to be collected until each field is planted and the results will be posted weekly at _URL_. Additional information regarding each location is in each figure caption.


Top 10 Times People Died During Minor Surgery
When you go through minor surgery, there's nothing major about it. Well, there is—surgery is surgery. But it should be routine, with minimal cuts, maybe a few stitches, and little to no organ rearranging. Most important, you should be able to walk out that outpatient door and recover at home. But sometimes, the best-laid surgery plans don't go as expected.
Whether it's from medical malpractice, freak allergic reactions, or underlying conditions occasionally, people die during the most routine and minor procedures. Death is always a risk with surgery. Still, when it happens in these cases, it's especially surprising. Here are the top 10 times people died during minor surgery.
10 Lidocaine Toxicity
The chance of dying from a local anesthetic is extremely rare, with less than a 1 in 100,000 chance. The local anesthetic in this story is lidocaine. Medical professionals use lidocaine for a variety of procedures, from trigger point injections to dental reconstructions. It is generally safe, but for a select unlucky few, it can be deadly. Chances of death increase if the doctor administering the local anesthetic makes a mistake.
This was the case for a five-year-old girl in 2011. Kensley Kirby's parents took her to Family Medical Clinic in Atlanta, Georgia, after falling and suffering a broken arm. The doctor administered a lidocaine numbing shot while setting her arm, but she did not react well to it. The dosage was fatal. With a broken bone, her body absorbed the nerve blocker quickly. Investigators speculated that the doctor who administered the shot was used to working on adults, not young children. That's still no excuse for someone who knows better than not to adjust the dosage for a little girl.
9 Therapeutic Complications
On September 4, 2014, comedian and fashion critic Joan Rivers died from therapeutic complications of a routine endoscopy. Therapeutic complications are predictable outcomes of therapy or procedure.
While under anesthesia, her vocal cords went into spasm, which blocked oxygen from her brain. Because her throat swelled, doctors couldn't insert a breathing tube in time, resulting in brain damage and respiratory failure. Her heart went into arrhythmia—irregular heartbeat—and eventually stopped beating. Although it's a terribly tragic way to go, heart and respiratory failure—and ultimately brain damage—are rare side effects of anesthesia.
The flip side to Joan's death is that it may not have been entirely the fault of her spasming vocal cords. The doctors conducting the procedure were investigated for malpractice. Besides taking a selfie with Joan (while she was under anesthesia), they had also performed a laryngoscopy, something Joan had not agreed to. The timeline of events also shows that doctors could have avoided Joan's death had they realized her blood pressure and pulse were dropping earlier on.
8 Andy's Gallbladder
Pop art pioneer and cultural icon Andy Warhol led a fantastical Manhattan lifestyle, even making a few enemies along the way. In 1968, radical author and artist Valerie Solanas marched to Warhol's office and shot him twice. The bullets wrecked his organs, including his lungs, and it wasn't clear whether or not he would survive. He even died at the hospital while they were working on repairs. But survive he did! You would think surviving a gunshot wound like that would get you the pass in any other life-threatening situations—but that wasn't the case.
What used to be labeled a "routine" gallbladder surgery by the media is what ultimately killed Warhol. It was not routine, at least, not in Warhol's case. The stress of the recovery, his sustained injuries from the gunshot wounds, a healthy dose of speed every day, and a prolonged sickness were just way too much for his heart. Though he made it through the surgery, he didn't make it out of the hospital.
7 Danger at the Dentist's Office
Nitrous oxide is a safe alternative to pain and anti-anxiety medication during outpatient surgeries. However, if used incorrectly, it could prove to be fatal. In another case of a medical professional not knowing when enough is enough, a young child died due to lack of oxygen during a dental procedure. The boy reportedly had behavioral issues and the surgery to remove four decaying teeth would be painful. When he wasn't responding to the nitrous oxide, the doctor increased the amount of sedative he used.
6 Lack of Wisdom
That isn't the only incident of a young person suffering the worst complications anesthesia can cause. A 17-year-old girl suffered a heart attack during a routine wisdom teeth extraction surgery. Though the doctor eventually revived her and got her to a hospital, she was declared brain dead a week after the surgery. The family sued for malpractice, arguing that there should have been better monitoring and emergency response. There was also evidence that an uncertified dental assistant was partially to blame for the oversight. The family received a $2 million settlement, but no money is enough to make up for the loss of their daughter.
5 Mommy Makeover
A 38-year-old mother of two was on vacation with her family in Tijuana. While there, she decided to travel to Mexico with two other friends and treat herself to a "mommy makeover." The tummy tuck ended up a fatal decision. Sadly, she experienced blood clotting during the procedure and suffered a heart attack. Even after 45 minutes of CPR, the medical team could not revive her. The two other women developed terrible complications.
Most plastic surgery these days is considered outpatient, or ambulatory, surgery. Meaning a patient can arrive in the morning and be recovered enough to leave (with assistance, of course) the same day. Still, it is expensive. The cost of these procedures has increased medical tourism. In medical tourism, people seek out "certified" plastic surgeons in other countries. These surgeons usually charge a fraction of the price they would pay in the US and promise the same results. The issue is that you risk quality, hygiene, and your life with potentially deceptive ads and medical malpractice.
It seems it's best to invest in a certified doctor or not get plastic surgery at all.
4 Bleach in the Line
Not all deaths during medical procedures are accidental. Back in 2012, a Texas nurse, Kimberly Clark Saenz, was arrested and sentenced to the death penalty for murdering dialysis patients during their treatments. People who suffer from chronic kidney disease rely on dialysis to filter and clean their blood, as their kidneys cannot. That said, dialysis patients put a lot of trust into the facility they go to for treatment and one misstep by dialysis technicians could mean some serious health consequences.
Saenz did not care.
In 2008, about a year after Saenz started working at the dialysis center, administrators noticed that more and more patients were falling ill and suffering from cardiac arrest during treatments. In an effort to reduce these numbers, the facility made some staff changes and rearranged nurses. Saenz was reassigned as a patient care technician. Later that day, two patients saw her inject a bleach solution into the IV lines and reported her. She was ultimately fired and an investigation was opened to look into her contact with patients.
Of the five patients who had died that year, all had come into direct contact with Saenz. She was in-saenz.
3 da Vinci Robot
The medical profession has advanced by leaps and bounds in its practices and surgical equipment. What was once considered major, "open you up" surgery, doctors can now do through smaller incisions. They can perform cardiac oblations by threading tools up the femoral artery; they can remove your gallbladder with two small incisions. In gynecology, new technology even helps surgeons perform hysterectomies (the removal of the uterus) similarly. Oh, and you can get a robot to help you out, too.
The da Vinci is that robot! The positives: it's a minimally invasive surgical tool and patients may end up experiencing fewer complications from their surgery. The negatives: it's still fairly new technology, and doctors only receive one day's worth of formal training with it. Unfortunately, one little slip of the robot and technological celebration could turn into a technological tragedy.
In 2012, the da Vinci made a major slip up. As a result, a woman died during her robot-assisted hysterectomy. The robot's arm nicked a blood vessel. This isn't the only incident involving one of these machines, but it is certainly the most tragic.
2 Fat Cells
This plastic surgery death differs from the others on this list because the patient didn't look for a cheap alternative. Traveling to Miami, Florida, from New York, the 46-year-old transgender woman found a clinic specializing in Brazillian butt lifts. She was scheduled to have a completely routine Brazilian butt-lift surgery. Nothing more.
The catch is that as routine as the surgery is, they pose a greater risk than other plastic surgeries. When a surgeon injects fat below the gluteal muscles—your butt muscles—the needle can accidentally penetrate the gluteal vein. This caused the fat to enter the bloodstream, leading to major complications and heart and lung failure. Over the past decade, at least 20 people in Miami alone have died from the surgery.
Unfortunately, in this case, that's what happened to the beloved New Yorker. Her oxygen and heart rate dropped while on the table, the doctor couldn't resuscitate her, and she was declared dead at the hospital. Her death was ruled accidental.
1 A Repeat Offender
People may not see labor as


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A prospective review of acute coronary syndromes in an urban hospital in sub-Saharan Africa
Internal Medicine (East Africa)
Objectives: To determine the epidemiology of acute coronary syndromes (ACS) in sub-Saharan Africa.
Methods: A prospective survey was carried out of all patients with a diagnosis of ACS who were admitted to the critical care unit of a tertiary teaching hospital over a 25-month period. Demographics, presentation, management and outcomes were subsequently recorded.
Results: A total of 111 (5.1% of all hospitalisations) patients were recruited, with 56% presenting with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and the rest non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) or unstable angina (UA). Chest pain was the most common presenting symptom, and up to one-third of all STEMI patients did not receive any form of reperfusion therapy, primarily due to late presentation. As in the developed world, diabetes, hypertension and cigarette smoking still account for the most common predisposing risk-factor profile, and the mortality associated with ACS is about six to 10% in our unit.
Conclusions: ACS, contrary to common belief, is increasingly more prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa, with similar risk profiles to that in the developed world. Late presentation to hospital is common and accounts for the increased mortality associated with this condition.
Cardiovascular Journal of Africa
(2012). A prospective review of acute coronary syndromes in an urban hospital in sub-Saharan Africa. Cardiovascular Journal of Africa, 23(6), 318-321.
Available at: _URL_
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 License.


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In response to some serious issues like the energy crisis and environmental problems associated with the conventional compression refrigeration system, thermal air-conditioning systems were therefore developed to overcome the mentioned problems. A completely novel integrated adsorption and absorption (AD-AB) refrigeration system driven by low-grade temperature heat sources is proposed in this investigation. This novel cycle focuses on the inherent characteristics of the adsorption and absorption phenomena. The innovation here is that the generator of the absorption cycle becomes the evaporator of the adsorption cycle. Therefore, the generation and evaporating pressure are associated with the heat source temperature. Moreover, the adsorber in the adsorption system replaces the condenser in the standard absorption system. Thus, the generation pressure is associated with the heat source temperature and can be adjusted according to the solution concentration and generation temperature.
Keywords integrated AD-AB system, absorption, adsorption, COP, low-grade thermal energy, energy Efficiency.


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Research is core of science and improving methodology leads to realistic findings. Assessing the impact of main factors on a given factor is important in various fields of psychological research. There are some methodological and statistical methods to tackle that problem. Recently, other methods and algorithms are being developed for this purpose. One of the methods is Fuzzy Cognitive Maps, which are recurrent neural network for modelling and simulations. The main advantage of this method is that it provides flexibility to model complex systems using causal relationships, thus allowing for what-if simulations. The key purpose of this lecture is to introduce and apply this method in the Psychology field. More explicitly, this paper discusses this model in depth and applies it to a psychological well-being case study.
What will audience learn from your presentation?
- Theory of fuzzy set theory
- Fuzzy cognitive mapping
- Developing FCM
- Testing FCM as an inference fuzzy method
- Being familiar with R package for running FCM


Saturday, June 26, 2010
I recently bought a 6-meter FM mobile transceiver that I often use at home with a simple dipole...
Q Phil Speer, KF4VSK, asks, "I recently bought a 6-meter FM mobile transceiver that I often use at home with a simple dipole about 18 feet off the ground. When working simplex it seems that my maximum range is only about 20 miles. Shouldn't I be able to do better than this on 6 meters?"
A Yes, you can do better, but there are a number of factors at play. The principal factor is terrain. If your home is surrounded by hills, mountains or other obstacles, your simplex range on 6 meters will be limited. In addition, you're not using a gain antenna (such as a Yagi) that would focus your power and provide greater range.
Despite all this, you should be able to work hundreds or even thousands of miles when the band is open. Spring and summer are among the best times for sporadic E band openings. Since your radio is FM only, I'd suggest that you leave it on 52.525 MHz, the national 6-meter FM simplex calling frequency. Just turn up the volume and close the squelch. If there is a band opening, you're likely to hear FM simplex activity on this frequency. In addition, the next year or two will likely yield some F-layer skip, which can carry your signal over huge distances. Watch the propagation forecasts and keep your ear to your radio! See Feedback in July 1999 QST.
From QST June 1999
Can you describe how a trap dipole works?
Q Can you describe how a trap dipole works?
A The traps in a trap dipole are parallel-resonant tuned circuits that "trap" an RF signal to prevent it from passing beyond a specific point on a conductor (a wire, a metal tube, etc). At some other frequencies, however, the traps no longer act like "traps" and instead allow the RF to pass.
An antenna trap is designed for a particular operating frequency, and there may be several traps in the overall system, each designed for a specific frequency. Therefore, a 40- through 15-meter trap antenna, like the trap dipole shown in Figure 3, might contain traps for 20 and 15 meters. When you're operating on 15 meters, the 15-meter traps effectively "shorten" the antenna by blocking the RF from traveling beyond them. If you switch to 20 meters, the 15-meter traps suddenly become transparent to the 20-meter RF, effectively "lengthening" the antenna. The 20-meter traps, however, are a kind of impedance roadblock to RF, keeping the signal from traveling farther. On 40 meters, all of the traps are "absorbed" into the system to become part of the overall 40-meter dipole antenna.
Because of the loading effect of the traps, the 40-meter portion of the antenna will be somewhat shorter than a full-sized 40-meter dipole without traps. The effective bandwidth on each band will be narrower than that of a standard dipole, too.
A trap-style antenna is not quite as efficient as a full-size dipole, but if the traps are well designed, the losses are not significant. Most hams consider the losses a fair trade-off for the convenience of having an antenna that presents a 50-Ω match to coax on several bands.
Figure 3—A typical 3-band trap dipole antenna. The traps block RF at a specific frequency, or allow it to pass. From an electrical standpoint, this effectively lengthens or shortens the antenna.
From QST June 1999
What does the "Relay" in "American Radio Relay League" mean?
Q There has been some discussion lately about changing the name of the ARRL. As a new member I'm curious: What does the "Relay" in "American Radio Relay League" mean?
A In the early days of the League, hams (and everyone else) used frequencies at or below 200 meters (roughly 1500 kHz). The frequencies above 200 meters were considered useless, but hams were to disprove that quaint notion within another decade or so. Because of the limits of equipment and propagation at 200 meters and below, hams passed messages over great distances by relaying them from one station to another. This was one of the chief activities of amateurs in those days and it helped solidify Amateur Radio as a viable public-service network. So, it's understandable that the founders of our organization would choose a name that reflected the nature of Amateur Radio at that time. If you want to read more about the early days of our hobby, I highly recommend 200 Meters & Down by Clinton DeSoto, W1CBD. See the ARRL Bookcase in this issue, or order on line at
From QST June 1999
I'd like to homebrew a 5-V, 1-A dc power supply...
Q I'd like to homebrew a 5-V, 1-A dc power supply that Ican use with a frequency counter as well as some other projects. Can you suggest something that's compact, inexpensive and uses easy-to-find components?
A If you're going to challenge the Doctor, you have to do better than that! But seriously, take a look at the diagram in Figure 2. This little 5-V supply should give you decent regulation. It meets your cheap-and-easy test, too.
Figure 2—This little 5-V power supply is simple to build and should supply up to 1 A of current. Make sure you put a heat sink on U2, the voltage regulator. RadioShack part numbers are shown below.
 - C1, C2—0.01 mF, 2000 V ceramic disc capacitors (272-160)
 - C3—1000 mF, 35 V electrolytic capacitor (_PHONE_)
 - S1—SPST toggle switch (275-602)
 - T1—120/12 V transformer (_PHONE_)
 - U1—Bridge rectifier module (_PHONE_)
 - U2—7805 5-V voltage regulator (_PHONE_)
From QST June 1999
When I contact a DX station and he tells me to 'QSL VIA CBA...
Q Ron Vlach, WA0QMP, asks, "When I contact a DX station and he tells me to 'QSL VIA CBA.' What does that mean?"
A "CBA" means Callbook Address. He is saying that you can send your QSL card to him directly by looking up his postal address. The Callbook is the Radio Amateur's Callbook, which used to be a telephone-directory style publication, but is now available on CD-ROM only. The term is rather generic, though. (Like saying, "Please give me a Kleenex" when you really just want any brand of tissue.) When DX stations tell you to send cards to their "CBA" addresses, they often mean the addresses shown in any number of DX address databases, not necessarily the Callbook alone.
From QST June 1999
When my shack computer is booting up a quick message flashes by concerning my hard drive...
Q When my shack computer is booting up a quick message flashes by concerning my hard drive. It is something about my drive being SMART compatible. What does this mean?
A SMART stands for Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology. It is a feature of the hard drive that allows it to give advance warning of certain types of failures. Think of it as the hard drive reporting on the state of its health. The SMART concept seems terrific, until you realize that the drive manufacturers set the SMART parameters. That is, they decide how the relative health of the hard drive will be judged and reported. It isn't in their best interests to have hard drives calling in sick, so to speak, at the drop of a hat. The Doctor has seen some very sick hard drives reporting 100% health, so the value of SMART is questionable at best. If your BIOS supports SMART you can usually enable it in your SETUP, but I wouldn't expect too much. A religious devotion to backing up your drive on a regular basis is still the best insurance. After all, there are only two types of hard drives—those that have failed and those that haven't... yet.
From From QST June 1999
I added a temporary radial to the six I already had and found the change in signal strength...
Q This is a follow-up to my question about a homebrew vertical in your column in November 1998 QST. Following your advice, I added a temporary radial to the six I already had and found the change in signal strength was so slight that I didn't bother to add any more radials. Then, a few months later in another magazine, I saw a column by a writer who bills himself as the "Kaped Krusader." He labeled your advice as "more antenna hogwash." Who am I to believe?
A Old Doc saw that column too and wondered aloud: "Where has civil discourse gone?" Doc's only human, though, and there are times when he is sorely tempted to put on his own cape and reinvent himself as the "Caped Curmudgeon." But then civility and sensibility returns to Doc's placid soul and he takes a deep breath and vows to remain positive, practical and helpful.
You wanted to gauge how much effort it would take


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Alternate Job Titles: Intermediate Level Safety Representative, Safety Representative II
How much does a Safety Representative II make? The median annual Safety Representative II salary is $67,488, as of August 03, 2017, with a range usually between $58,108-$77,835, however this can vary widely depending on a variety of factors. Our team of Certified Compensation Professionals has analyzed survey data collected from thousands of HR departments at companies of all sizes and industries to present this range of annual salaries for people with the job title Safety Representative II in the United States.
This chart describes the expected percentage of people who perform the job of Safety Representative II in the United States that make less than that annual salary. For example the median expected annual pay for a typical Safety Representative II in the United States is $67,488, so 50% of the people who perform the job of Safety Representative II in the United States are expected to make less than $67,488.
Source: HR Reported data as of August 03, 2017
This chart describes the expected percentage of people who perform the job of Safety Representative II that make less than that salary. For example 50% of the people who perform the job of Safety Representative II are expected to make less than the median.
Source: HR Reported data as of August 2017
Outlines and implements training programs to educate and inform workforce on work safety, environmental safety, and accident prevention regulations and procedures. Develops and distributes educational materials including videos, guides, and posters. Tracks and documents accidents to understand causes and recommend changes to prevent future accidents. Performs inspections and audits of facilities, equipment and processes recommending corrections or additional precautions to ensure compliance to established regulations. May participate in the training of workplace safety officers. Has a broad and current knowledge of all government and applicable industry safety regulations. Typically requires a bachelor's degree or its equivalent. Typically reports to a supervisor. Gaining exposure to some of the complex tasks within the job function. Occasionally directed in several aspects of the work. Typically requires 2 to 4 years of related experience. View full job description


My watch list
Kerosene, sometimes spelled kerosine in scientific and industrial usage,[1] is a flammable hydrocarbon liquid. The name is derived from Greek "keros" (κηρός wax).
It is commonly called paraffin oil or paraffin in the UK and South Africa (not to be confused with the waxy solid also called paraffin wax or just paraffin); the term kerosene is usual in much of Canada, the U.S., Australia, and New Zealand.[2]
Its heating value, or heat of combustion, is around 18,500 Btu/lb, or 43.1 MJ/kg, making it similar to that of diesel. It is widely used to power jet-engined aircraft, but is also commonly used as a heating fuel.
Kerosene is a thin, clear liquid formed from hydrocarbons. Kerosene is obtained from the fractional distillation of petroleum between 150 °C and 275 °C, resulting in a mixture of carbon chains containing 12 to 15 carbon atoms.
Heating and lighting
At one time the fuel was widely used in kerosene lamps and lanterns. These were superseded by the electric light bulb and flashlights powered by dry cell batteries.
Kerosene is widely used in Japan as a home heating fuel for portable and installed kerosene heaters. In Japan, kerosene can be readily bought at any filling station or be delivered to homes.
The Amish, who limit use of electric appliances for religious reasons, rely on kerosene for lighting and often purchase kerosene-powered versions of appliances such as refrigerators.
More ubiquitous in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, kerosene space heaters were often built into kitchen ranges and kept many farm and fishing families warm and dry through the winter. At one time citrus growers used smudge pots fueled by kerosene to create a pall of thick smoke over a grove in an effort to prevent freezing temperatures from damaging crops. "Salamanders" were kerosene space heaters used on construction sites to dry out building materials and to warm workers. Before the days of blinking electrically lighted road barriers, highway construction zones were marked at night by kerosene fired pot-bellied torches. Most of these uses of kerosene created thick black smoke because of the low temperature of combustion.
A notable exception, discovered in the early 19th century, is the use of a mantle above the wick on a kerosene lamp. Looking like a delicate woven bag above the woven cotton wick, the mantle was a residue of mineral material (thorium dioxide) which glowed white hot as it burned the volatile gases emanating from the blue flame at the base of the wick. These types of lamps are still in use today in areas of the world without electricity.
Kerosene is also used for fire performances such as poi and staff because of its low flame temperature when burnt in free air, making the fire low risk, should the performer come in contact with the flame.
Today, kerosene is mainly used in fuel for jet engines (more technically Avtur, Jet-A, Jet-A1, Jet-B, JP-4, JP-5, JP-7 or JP-8). One form of the fuel known as RP-1 is burned with liquid oxygen as rocket fuel. These fuel grade kerosenes meet specifications as to smoke points and freeze points.
In the early 20th century, kerosene was used as a cheap fuel for tractors. The engine would start on gasoline, then switch over to kerosene once the engine warmed up. A "heat valve" on the manifold would route the exhaust gases around the intake pipe, heating the kerosene to the point where it can be ignited by an electrical spark.
Kerosene is sometimes used as an additive in diesel fuel to prevent gelling or waxing in cold temperatures.
Kerosene has been used to treat pools of standing water to prevent mosquitoes from breeding, notably in the yellow fever outbreak of 1905 in New Orleans. It can also be used to remove lice from hair, but this practice is painful and potentially very dangerous. Also, this would wash out all natural oil & fats from the hair and scalp.
Since kerosene is chemically stable, it is used to store substances with redox tendencies within to prevent unwanted reactions, such as alkali metals. Kerosene is also used in the packaging and storage of White Phosphorus to prevent immediate combustion on contact with oxygen.
Kerosene can be used to store crystals. When a water-soluble crystal is left in air, dehydration may occur slowly. This makes the colour of the crystal become dull. Kerosene can therefore prevent the crystal contacting with air.
It is used as a solvent and in conjunction with cutting oil as a thread cutting and reaming lubricant. When machining aluminium and its alloys, kerosene on its own is an excellent cutting lubricant.
Kerosene is often used in the entertainment industry, as a fuel for fire dancing. Kerosene is not usually used as a fuel for indoor fire-dancing as it produces an unpleasant odour which becomes, in sufficient concentration, poisonous. In general such use of fire indoors is not common. Methanol is often used instead, but it can be a more dangerous fuel because of its lower flash point, and it also produces less "impressive" flames.
In Sri Lanka, it is also used to help ignite firewood stoves, power electric generators, wash tar and grease from vehicles or hands, remove stains from clothes, and as a rust-loosener and creeping oil.[citation needed]
See also
 1. ^ Webster's New World College Dictionary, kerosene.
 2. ^ Oxford English Dictionary, kerosene.
 3. ^ Zayn Bilkadi (University of California, Berkeley), "The Oil Weapons", Saudi Aramco World, January-February 1995, p. 20-27.
 4. ^ OFTEC fact-sheet about kerosene
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Kerosene". A list of authors is available in Wikipedia.


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Part IV: Social PrinciplesThe United Methodist Church has a long history of concern for social justice. Its members have often taken forthright positions on controversial issues involving Christian principles. Early Methodists expressed their opposition to the slave trade, to smuggling, and to the cruel treatment of prisoners.
A social creed was adopted by The Methodist Episcopal Church (North) in 1908. Within the next decade similar statements were adopted by The Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and by The Methodist Protestant Church. The Evangelical United Brethren Church adopted a statement of social principles in 1946 at the time of the uniting of the United Brethren and The Evangelical Church. In 1972, four years after the uniting in 1968 of The Methodist Church and The Evangelical United Brethren Church, the General Conference of The United Methodist Church adopted a new statement of Social Principles, which was revised in 1976 (and by each successive General Conference).
The Social Principles are a prayerful and thoughtful effort on the part of the General Conference to speak to the human issues in the contemporary world from a sound biblical and theological foundation as historically demonstrated in United Methodist traditions. They are a call to faithfulness and are intended to be instructive and persuasive in the best of the prophetic spirit; however, they are not church law. The Social Principles are a call to all members of The United Methodist Church to a prayerful, studied dialogue of faith and practice. (See ¶ 509.)
Preamble | The Natural World | The Nurturing Community | The Social Community | The Economic Community | The Political Community | The World Community | Our Social Creed


onian. a serious disease that affects the lungs and makes it difficult to breathe
carriagen. a large vehicle with four wheels that is pulled by a horse and that carries people
drawingn. a picture, image, etc., that is made by making lines on a surface with a pencil, pen, marker, chalk, but usually not with paint
leafn. one of the flat and typically green parts of a plant that grow from a stem or twig
laddern. a device used for climbing that has two long pieces of wood, metal, or rope with a series of steps or rungs between them
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The Natural Resources Workgroup will focus on identifying important natural resource and environmental features that could be impacted by sea level rise or other coastal hazards.
Impacts to natural resources are important to consider because they not only jeopardize habitats and species, but they can also threaten public health (e.g., water quality), various economic sectors (e.g., agriculture, tourism and fishing), and quality of life (e.g., access to natural landscapes and recreational activities).
This workgroup will examine issues of concern that may include wetlands, agricultural areas, protected natural areas, wildlife refuges, threatened and endangered species, water bodies, cultural or historic sites, fisheries, shorelines and more.
Natural Resources Workgroup Meeting Notes & Documents
- Natural Resources Workgroup Members
February 15, 2011 Meeting
March 15, 2011 Meeting
April 28, 2011 Meeting
May 19, 2011 Meeting


Masonic Cemetery: Some Are More Equal Than Others in Death | Truthstream Media
Masonic Cemetery: Some Are More Equal Than Others in Death
Grave site highlights the status and power of the secret society in public life.
Even in small town Texas, being a Mason and part of the power structure gives distinction even in death. A Masonic cemetery right next to an ordinary cemetery reveals a much different status for those included in the secret rite and those who are just part of the general unwashed masses.
All the more preference is shown in life, as its members frequently include judges, mayors, congressmen, bankers, industrialists and other individuals with positions of power. Lower level Masons remain in the dark about the organization's compartmentalized participation in the larger agenda to manipulate society and steer its development for the benefit of a few.
Here's a few of the symbols and interesting features in the cemetery:
[slideshow_deploy id='3416′]
Aaron and Melissa Dykes
 1. The probable reason for the discrepancies in burial status is that the Eagle Lake Community Cemetery was originally called the Farmers Improvement Society Cemetery. Hence it was closed to the public until its later acquisition. Give it some time and it too will fill out.
 Freemasonry teaches people the art of governing themselves, it is called the Royal Art. The sun, moon, and stars are the varying degrees of enlightenment that preserve man on his path for this very purpose.
 And thus, the goal of true Freemasonry is to enable humanity to attain its liberty through applied Christianity, the proliferation of the teachings of Christ, and the enlightenment of reason: to unite the world and humanity, separated by diverse institutions, into a single family and to bring about the kingdom of the just and the virtuous. However, since hitherto no human invention, be it ever so holy and honorable, has remained free from desecration, Freemasonry consequently suffered the same fate. Men who were already on the path of light, were accepted into this holy society, but strayed from this so well-begun path through their own adverse behavior fell upon the mad idea of using the incomplete knowledge gathered in the Sanctum's vestibule and deceiving the expectations of others with similar, borrowed traditions, using them for their own, often shameful purposes as tools of their selfishness and ambition: since in these institutions of theirs, the foundation was not laid on solid ground, so it could have an effect on the corrupted world, since the final purpose and the secret was still hidden from them and they had prepared their followers for great expectations none the less, their devised various schemes, from a lack of the better and to postpone the discovery of their deceit. They invented degrees on top of degrees: they endeavored at last to incite man's natural inclination for the mysterious, to stir his imagination, and to numb reason. Now persons, who conducted themselves very poorly toward others, even pretended to be in close contact with invisible beings. One spoke of intuitions, revelations, and rapture. One tore persons who already were unmindful toward the present away from these matters to look into the future: Even the most devastating of all tendencies, the source of insatiable wastefulness, moral corruption, and unsocial, malicious miserliness, the greed for gold, was stirred: all sorts of ancient material was sought out and nothing was left untried to spread irrationality, superstition, folly and immorality, to impede good workers and numb humanity toward its own misery and misfortune by a kind of anesthesia. Had not the noble ones and the elect stood in the background, resisted the encroaching perdition, and supported the tumbling, sinking building on their shoulders, new corruption would have fallen upon the human race; regents, priests, and Freemasons would have banished reason from the earth, which would have been flooded with tyrants, hypocrites, murderers, ghosts, corpses, and human-like animals instead of human beings. And although these patrons of darkness are plotting our demise, they have strengthened the Legion of the Elect all the more by concealing the only entrance from curiosity and infiltration by and persecution from the unholy even further. However, one would be very mistaken in the belief that this is the only advantage our society and the world can draw from these excremental procreations. They prepare the way, even though they do not arrive at the goal. They awaken a new interest: they open up new, hitherto unknown prospects, and these awaken the spirit of invention and the expectations of human beings; they make people more indifferent toward the interests of the state, and they bring people of different nations and religions together under a common bond, drawing the most capable minds away from the endeavors of the state, bringing people together who did not know one another before and perhaps would have never known one another; they undermine the state by this, even if it is not their purpose; they bump into one another, rub against one another, teach human beings the power of joining forces, to discover the imperfection of their previous constitutions, causing their opponents and the public government to harbor no mistrust toward them, due the imperfect, so often published parts of their institutions: they serve as a mask for a better, wiser institution, all the while placing us in a position of uniting their better people, who have been led by the nose for so long, in our midst and lap, once we have prepared them properly. They therefore weaken the enemy, even if they do not defeat him right away, and they decrease the number and zeal of his champions. They scatter his horde to prevent the attack: and as these new connections are bolstered in numbers and wisdom at the expense of the old, they must gradually crumble on their own. Furthermore, since this yearning for secret, better connections are founded on our unceasing drive for happiness and in the flaws of all prior, old systems and naturally and necessarily was born from it, so all the princes' efforts to hamper its progress is entirely futile. This spark may glimmer for a long time under a blanket of ashes: but it is certain that one day, it will erupt into bright flames: for nature tires of forever repeating this old game, and yet, the greater the oppression and persecution become, the more people will feel it and seek to bring about change: and they will seek it with even greater finesse. This seed of a new world has now been cast among men. It has taken root, and it has spread too widely that a violent extermination could prevent the harvest. All that can happen at this time is that the harvest is postponed further. Perhaps, centuries or millennia will pass over this: but sooner or later, nature must finish its days' work at last, and our race will be elevated to the dignity, for which it was predestined from the very beginning. But in this process, we conduct ourselves as spectators and tools of nature, refrain from accelerating its success, and allow ourselves no other means than spreading enlightenment, benevolence and morality among men: and assured of certain success, we abstain from all violent means, and we are content to foresee the distant joy and happiness for the world that is to come, for which we have laid the foundation by the most innocent means. In this, we calm our consciousness against any accusation that we cause the overthrow and demise of nations no more than the statesman is the cause of his country's collapse, because he believes it is not possible to save it. As diligent and exact observers of nature, we follow and admire its majestic progress, rejoice in our race, wishing one another the good fortune of being humans and children of God.
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Regarding the downcomer duct, similar factors need to be taken into account as with the gas cooling tower. Owing to the smaller cross-sections and the higher velocity that results, the evaporation time is reduced compared to the gas cooling tower. The required outlet temperature and the available evaporation distance determine the amount of water required and the droplet size necessary for complete evaporation.
Complete evaporation is required to prevent material build-up and to ensure the durability of the downstream fan. Due to the higher gas velocity and the resulting decrease in evaporation time, finer droplets are required. This is why almost exclusively twin-fluid systems are used. In order to provide the perfect solution, we configure the systems according to your process data and duct dimensions.


Vietnam faces 3 major challenges at UN
Vietnamese Ambassador to ASEAN Nguyen Hong Thao
After successfully assuming the role of chairman of the UN Security Council for the term 2020-2021, Vietnam once again held this role in April 2021.
Ambassador Nguyen Hong Thao shared with the Laws of Ho Chi Minh City newspaper that: Vietnam plays an important role at the UN Security Council in the context of a lot of tension in the world. This is both a challenge but also an opportunity to play a growing role in the international arena.
 1. Be smart in the US-China conflict
Reporter: How do you Ambassador rate the US-China hotspot, which is two of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, when Vietnam once again assumed the role of chairman of the UN Security Council in April?
Vietnam faces three major challenges at the United Nations
Ambassador Nguyen Hong Thao: In March, the key event in US-China relations was the official high-level meeting of the US and China in Alaska. China wants the US to completely lift sanctions and anti-China measures, especially for high-tech companies launched under President Trump. The US denounces that China has ambitions to rise to the top of the world; suppress ethnic people in Xinjiang, violate human rights; intellectual property fraud; using coercive measures in relations with small countries, causing a negative impact on the world order.
This meeting marked a new turning point that the two countries officially declared war on a world order actively shaped by the parties. The US still wants to maintain the old world order established by the UN Charter since 1945 while China wants to establish a new world order, reform the UN, and divide its interests.
America is still the number one superpower, but its role is significantly reduced because it falls behind itself. There are elements of an alliance consisting of Russia and China dealing with the US. Meanwhile, the US and Chinese economies are still interdependent, the US still needs China in solving major world problems such as climate change.
How does this affect Viet Nam's activities at the UN?
+ The US-China competition will directly affect the operation of the Security Council in April and the month that Vietnam is the chairman. It can be expected that the documents submitted to the Security Council will be difficult to have consensus results. Vietnam needs to wisely choose the issue, not get caught up in long and ineffective debates, and negatively affect future relations with other countries when it expires in the UN Security Council.
 1. Promote the Iran nuclear deal
In the Middle East, Russia continues to expand its air attacks on armed groups (opposing the Syrian regime) supported by Turkey. Meanwhile, the US-Iran relationship has not yet been resolved. How do you evaluate the situation of the Middle East in the month of Vietnam as chairman of the Security Council?
The Russian attacks in Syria are aimed at reinforcing the role of the Syrian government, while at the same time restraining Turkish ambitions here. If these wars do not affect US-backed forces, the US will not extend its intervention by withdrawing its troops from Syria and keeping only the main oil fields.
Two Chinese representatives (left) met two US representatives in Alaska in March 2021 (NIKKEI ASIA)
The hot spot in the Middle East remains US-Iran relations and the nuclear deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). After issuing the statements and the move affirming its determination to pressure the US to change policy and demand the lifting of sanctions before negotiating back to JCPOA, so far Iran has shown signs of reducing the tense tone. If Iran follows the commitments in the JCPOA, the US will do the same. This was supported by the European allies. Russia and China also agreed to lift the embargo.
It is possible for the parties to refrain from and soon return to the negotiating table for the implementation of the JCPOA. The US also wants a good deal with Iran as a model for North Korea and elsewhere. Countries in the region, especially Israel, want to be part of the JCPOA negotiating component to remove doubts about Iran and really strengthen regional security.
In such a context, how can Vietnam promote the role of the chairman of the Security Council?
As the chairman of the Security Council, Vietnam can play a catalytic role to promote the parties to consider early cooperation and implementation of the Iran nuclear agreement. This is an opportunity when most stakeholders agree that there should be a legal framework governing the nuclear issue in Iran, disagreeing only on the extent of restoring the old JCPOA or expanding negotiations for a new agreement.
 1. Myanmar Conflict Mediation
In Asia, the hottest spot is the Myanmar situation. How do you evaluate the Myanmar situation in the month of Vietnam as chairman of the Security Council?
+ The situation is out of control and may cause concerns, affecting the maintenance of international peace and security, forcing the Security Council to act. The US and China both calculate the Myanmar "card" to serve their interests. The US considers this a human rights issue, seeking to intervene to prevent Myanmar from falling into the hands of China. The US may condemn and impose sanctions, but it will not intervene militarily to avoid the quagmire lesson in the Middle East.
For China, Myanmar is an important stop on the road to the Indian Ocean, a factor in the Belt and Road strategy. Beijing cannot let the US punish the military regime because if the United States does it, it will become a precedent for the Xinjiang problem, intervening in China's internal affairs. Nor did the Chinese military and military authorities foresee a strong response from the democratic movement in Myanmar and the Chinese campaign to destroy the cultural and economic bases there. Therefore, China calls for preventing further casualties, defusing the situation, intensifying diplomatic reconciliation, and promoting a conciliatory dialogue in Myanmar.
Both the US and China need a mediator and both must take into account ASEAN's role in finding a solution to the Myanmar problem. However, ASEAN is also in a dilemma. This bloc has to ensure the general operating principle of the bloc (that is not to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries) and does not want the situation to explode, affecting security, politics, and relations between countries members and economic development of the bloc. It is difficult for the current chairman of Brunei to settle a settlement. Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia all have internal problems similar to Myanmar and could break out. Myanmar's military government also wants to find a way out of honor and guarantee its rights instead of constantly using military means against the people.
What should Vietnam do in this context?
+ Vietnam has emerged as a very good mediator. First, Vietnam has a reputation when completing the past ASEAN presidency. Second, Vietnam has a good relationship with Myanmar and can balance the US and China. Third, Vietnam will be chairman of the Security Council next month. We can take the initiative of a new UN resolution on Myanmar after consulting the parties.
Can you tell me more about this resolution?
The resolution should emphasize the requirement to immediately end the violence, stabilize the situation, and ensure the safety of civilians. The resolution will call on the parties to exercise maximum restraint and conduct a dialogue towards a satisfactory solution in accordance with Myanmar's constitution and laws and the will and aspirations of the people. Organize early elections with the oversight of ASEAN and the United Nations as observers, ensuring fair, democratic elections can be the target of the parties.
Thank you, ambassador. (Translated)
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The Dark UI Side: Why People Love Dark Themes
The Dark UI Side: Why People Love Dark Themes
Designing for the user is a practice widely accepted and followed in the design community, and while it seems to be a fairly straightforward declaration, diving into it proves that that task is substantially more daunting than it seems.
Users everywhere have different tastes, different expectations, different reactions to certain stimuli, different environments et al, and when these factors come into play, the playing field gets more complex.
However, first impressions are lasting ones, and one of the first observations that the user makes, immediately after clicking the icon, is the theme of the app, i.e., whether it follows Light UI principles or Dark UI ones. Depending on a number of factors, the app's theme may appeal to the users or furrow their brows, and in the case of power users, it's more often the former than the latter. Why, you ask? Well, here are the major factors,
Dark interfaces, for the most part, sport white text and icons on dark gray or black surfaces, and the subsequent contrast ratio proves to be easy on the eyes, especially on AMOLED displays with black pixels being turned off, allowing for "infinite contrast". As a result, the readability of interfaces becomes vastly easier, reducing the amount of strain that the retinas are subjected to, proving especially beneficial in dark environments and at night, since unnecessary dilation of the pupils can prove strenuous over longer periods of time when constantly switching between a dark room and the bright screen, and is also one of the factors behind the belief that using screens just before heading to bed may interfere with your sleep cycles.
When questioned regarding their staunch support of all things Dark UI, numerous users also cited aesthetics as one of the deciding factors behind their preference. From adjectives like "sleek" and "cool" to "serious" and "pleasing", the general consensus was that dark interfaces are miles ahead in the aesthetics department, at least among power users. When pressed for more details pertaining to what held the aesthetic appeal, a few users also went on to associate it with fictional digital and sci-fi interfaces, pointing out the scores of homescreen themes that derived inspiration from them.
Coming as no surprise in the age of battery saving, from users with devices sporting AMOLED displays, one of the major reasons why power users lean towards Dark interfaces, especially completely black ones like TRDS, is the advantages they hold in terms of battery consumption. These displays can turn off individual pixels, as opposed to whole backlight powering the pixel matrix in LCD displays, thereby significantly reducing power consumption with most of the screen being off, a technique infamously used by Active Display.
The other side of the fence
While Dark UI has its own set of doggedly loyal supporters, especially among power users, the droves on the other side are increasing day by day, their numbers seeing a sharp upturn since the launch of Material Design, and not without reason. Supporters of light interfaces opine that light text on dark backgrounds often causes afterimages and banding (and the infamous "purple ghosting" of AMOLED screens), often hampering readability and interfering with the user's sight, and a good number even state that light interfaces seem more natural and in sync with the paper paradigm.
Do you agree with the above arguments? Or are you a firm believer in the Dark Side? Sound off in the comments section below!
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Faiz Malkani
Faiz Malkani


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Effects of the Mono Winds
August 30, 2012
Tioga Road near Mono Pass Trailhead
Dramatic evidence of the regional phenomenon known as the Mono Winds can be seen just off the Tioga road near the Mono Pass Trailhead. Numerous trees are down in this area, having been blown down last winter. When a high pressure system is over the Great Basin, the clockwise movement of air pushes up and over the Sierra and picks up speed as it rushes down the western slopes. The rugged topography funnels some of that air, further increasing the speed and intensifying localized effects. The Mono Winds can easily reach 50 mph and in extreme cases exceed 100 mph. It is likely that the wind that knocked these trees down was funneled by the Tioga pass and continued down the Tioga road. Most of the downed trees are near the road and lying parallel with the road. The weather patterns that cause the Mono Winds occur from October to April but are most common in December and January.


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Looking for Cramster? Cramster is now Chegg Homework Help. Learn More
Magnetic Field 2
A uniform ion beam of radius R consists if N' ions per meter ofmass
m, speed v, and charge q. Find the Lorentz force (due toboth
E and B) on an ion at the edge of the beam. At whatspeed
would the force become zero?


process it nor prevent access. The class's reason to be is "Store data". So make it store some data and leave it at that.
share|improve this answer
True. I suggested this in the answer above. However an object with data usually does something with the data, by [Information Expert](_URL_(object-oriented_design). – hiwaylon Sep 12 '12 at 12:10
I can't do that, because the class does a bit more than just storing data. One thing is that the getters should not just return the requested style of the current object. If the requested style equals NULL (or some other initialization value), the getter should return the value of the parent style, which should in turn return the value of its parent style if its value equals NULL, etc. So basically I need to use methods. – Frog Sep 12 '12 at 13:01
I smell an attribution list. I agree you should set format and get format, except I would use a list. A bit mask even if your attributes allow. Otherwise just keep an array of formatter objects which use IOC to format there field if possible. forgive me, I don't know c++
Public abstract class IFormatter
. public abstract void FormatText(TextField* fieldToFormat);
Public class BoldFormatter : IFormatter
Public class TextField
. public void AddFormatter(IFormatter* formatterToAdd)
. {...}
. public IFormatter[] GetFormatters()
. {...}
. public void Render()
. {
. foreach(IFormatter formatter in formatters)
. { formatter.FormatText(this); }
share|improve this answer
I find it a bit hard to understand what you're saying. Are you suggesting I create a class for every style property, and in the styles save a list of those styles, which I can look through? If so, wouldn't that be overkill? – Frog Sep 12 '12 at 13:10
You would never need to "look through" that list, this is where the dependency inversion principle comes in: You have to have logic somewhere that knows how to do each individual type of formatting, why not have each individual formatter class do this, and then the text field will just have a list of formatters which you add to or remove from, and when it needs to render it tells all it's formatters to go to town on it. No need to pay attention to what formatters are there. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dependency_inversion_principle – Jimmy Hoffa Sep 12 '12 at 13:56
I understand it! And it's actually a really smart idea! But wouldn't it be overkill for such a simple situation? – Frog Sep 12 '12 at 14:03
_USER_ Maybe? It depends on how many formatters you have, and what you define as "overkill"? That's why I prefaced to mention the opposite end solution which is the simplest: a bit mask. Unfortunately with a bit mask you need the formatter logic for each individual formatter all bundled together somewhere which parses that bit mask (same if you used any other const form factor that didn't encapsulate the logic for formatting). If you only have 3 or 4, then all you need is a single byte and some router method that pulls it apart at render time to identify which are there. Less extensible though. – Jimmy Hoffa Sep 12 '12 at 14:59
Okay, I understand it. Thank you for the diverse answer! – Frog Sep 12 '12 at 15:06
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Global Spectator, by Andrés Ortega
Why people join ISIS
Esta entrada también está disponible en: Spanish
Estimated number of ISIS's foreign fighters in Syria and Iraq, by country of origin in 2015. Source: The Soufan Group, 2014 and 2015 via European Parliament Research Service. Elcano Blog
Why do young European-Arab Muslims, and converts, go to join the Islamic State (ISIS or Daesh) to fight or sacrifice themselves, in Syria, Iraq and Libya, among other places, and, when they return, in Europe itself? It is essential to find out. The explanation frequently comes more from anthropology and psychology than security experts, who are increasingly incorporating such disciplines.
The summary that follows is taken from a range of sources, but principally from the research and writings of Scott Atran, an anthropologist who has carried out a great deal of fieldwork in the combat zone, has testified to the US Congress, is Research Director at the CNRS in Paris and Professor at the University of Oxford, and was recently in Madrid; and Nafeed Hamid, a cognitive science researcher and specialist in radicalisation and terrorism, who has co-written various highly interesting articles with Atran. A starting point, however, is that there is no single cause that can account for this complex phenomenon.
Some 5,000-6,000 young people (others speak of 3,000) have left Europe, predominantly from France, Germany and the UK. This sounds like a lot in absolute terms, but in relative terms it is not. According to the French Prime Minister, Manuel Valls, it accounts for 0.03% of the Muslim population in France (0.14% in Belgium). The hubs of radicalisation vary: in some cases districts and prisons, as in France, or universities in the case of the UK.
Spiritual force
The indigenous ISIS fighters are significantly less brave than the foreigners, who exhibit more passion. As one of them says, 'Better an end to the suffering inflicted by the status quo, with the hope of something better, whatever suffering and horror it takes', which is an apocalyptic view to say the least. The ISIS fighters and terrorists have a 'spiritual force' (which is not the same as a religious force) that their enemies lack, and it drives them to make sacrifices. On the opposing side, only the Kurds, who have a conviction of their 'Kurdishness', and the much less numerous Yazidis, have a comparable force.
Many feel marginalised. They feel neither Arab –they speak the language poorly– nor from the country of their parents or grandparents, nor the country where they live. They do not come from the middle classes, like the founders of al-Qaeda –made up mainly of engineers–. Although the recent arrest in Pinto (Madrid) of Aziz Zaghnane, a Moroccan marketing director and headhunter, accused of being a talent-spotter for ISIS and of organising a Jihadist recruitment cell, may indicate a change, at least in the elite. ISIS is redeploying its leaders in Europe with the greatest capacity for attracting new recruits. ISIS knows very well how to convert the feeling of unhappiness that arises from a sense of marginalisation into anger and subsequently into a thirst for revenge and violence. The thirst for vengeance is of great importance for ISIS.
Adventure and romanticism
The search for adventure, mixed with a certain romanticism and the idea of having a meaning in life is what sets these young people off.
They are getting progressively younger: teenagers and post-adolescents. The group that is growing fastest is aged between 11 and 17.
This also motivates them. ISIS pays them little, but it pays.
Friends first
The network of friendships is the number one factor: 80% are recruited through groups of friends, whether physical or virtual on the Internet. Also significant in some cases are educational environments. The family, including of course the parents, count little, although in some networks the role of mothers is growing.
Sexual relations
For men, the promise that they will be given women, whether as wives or as mere sex slaves, is also an important factor for the youth who join ISIS to fight in the Middle East.
More women
The number of women joining ISIS is growing all the time. They account for one out of every eight fighters leaving Europe. They do so for the same reasons as men, as well as humanitarian reasons (they want to act as doctors, nurses, etc.). And they want to turn into soldiers, combatants, although on arriving they often find they are used for other purposes. They are essentially post-feminist and post-adolescent.
Religion is not the main factor
Jihadists do not usually have a profound religious training, nor are they regular mosque-goers. Many were not even believers prior to joining their networks, in which however they become a species of born-again Muslims, with a highly simplified and radical idea of Islam. And there are more and more converts of a non-Arabic and non-Muslim background (6% of Belgian fighters).
France is setting up Jihadist de-radicalisation centres. They are not easy or quick to get up and running, but more important would be to implement policies tackling the frustration of these young people, which provides the breeding ground for a minority of violent radicals. The election of the Labour candidate Sadiq Khan, the Muslim son of Pakistani immigrants, to the mayoralty of London, is a step in the right direction and a promising sign.
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. 34–41). For imagine that the benevolent demon Jerry Garcia wants Frank to play the banjo at the relevant time. Jerry would much prefer that Frank play the banjo on his own. But worried that Frank might elect not to play the banjo, Jerry covertly arranges things so as to manipulate Frank if the need arises. If Frank should show any indication that he will not play the banjo, Jerry will manipulate Frank so that Frank will play the banjo. Hence, when Frank does play the banjo uninfluenced by Jerry's possible intervention, he does so of his own free will. But he has neither regulative control, nor does he seem to be reasons-responsive, with respect to his banjo playing. Due to Jerry's presence, he cannot but play the banjo even if Jimi Hendrix were to ask Frank to play his guitar.
To alleviate the tension between a reasons-responsive theory and Frankfurt examples, Fischer argued that reasons-responsive compatibilism can be cast in such a way that it involves only guidance control. Consider the example with Frank, Jimi, and Jerry. Frank did not have regulative control over his playing the banjo since Jerry's presence ensured that Frank play the banjo even if Jimi were to ask Frank to play his guitar. The scenario in which Jimi asks Frank not to play his banjo is one that Frank normally would find to be a compelling reason to refrain from his banjo playing. Hence, by his own lights, Frank would find Jimi's request compelling. Yet, due to Jerry's presence, Frank is not responsive to such a weighty reason. What would be required to illustrate responsiveness would be to subtract Jerry from the scenario. This would do the trick. So suppose that Frank plays the banjo of his own free will, even with Jerry passively standing by. How can it be shown that Frank's conduct was, in some manner, reasons-responsive? How can it be shown that what he actually did was in response to a reason? Well, if Jimi Hendrix had asked Frank not to play the banjo but the guitar instead, and if Jerry's presence were to be subtracted from the situation, then Frank would respond to Jimi's request and play the guitar and not the banjo. This shows that Frank does play the banjo of his own free will even in the actual situation in which Jerry is passively standing by.
5.5.3 A Mechanism-Based Reasons-Responsive Theory
Illustrating reasons-responsiveness in a Frankfurt example does require recognizing counterfactual conditions in which an agent acts otherwise in response to reasons. But in a Frankfurt example, one has to subtract from those conditions the presence of the ensuring conditions (the counterfactual intervener) designed to guarantee that the agent not act otherwise. How can this move be legitimate? How is it not just an arbitrary addendum to cram together two compatibilist themes that otherwise appear to be at odds (reasons-responsiveness and Frankfurt examples)? It is not arbitrary, and here is why. Think about what happens in the actual scenario of a Frankfurt example. As things unfold, the demon is inactive. The agent acts for her own reasons. But now, focusing solely on what the agent does in this actual scenario, and the reasons that give her a basis for doing what she does, consider what deliberative features of her agency played the casual role in the actual sequence of events bringing about her action. To capture what features of deliberative agency do play a role in the actual causal sequence of an agent's action, not every element of the agent seems to be involved in the process. For instance, in the example above, in playing the banjo of his own free will, Frank might have a large range of beliefs and desires that is entirely irrelevant to the range that did play a causal role in his action. Frank might have believed that chickens are both feathered and not toasters, and he might have desired that his toenails be painted purple. But neither of those elements of his psychological state needed to play a role in the sorts of factors that did lead him to play the banjo. So, just fix upon whatever constitutes that narrower range of agential characteristics within the wider spectrum of all of the features that made up Frank Zappa, the agent. Since it is only that narrow spectrum that we shall now identify with the causal production of Frank's conduct, just call it the mechanism of his action.
Once we have located the mechanism of action that is at work in the actual causal sequence of a Frankfurt example, we can turn our attention to understanding the dispositional features of it as a casual mechanism. If other reasons bear upon it, then it would be sensitive to some of those reasons. It would produce different conduct in some reasonable range of cases. If it would, then that very mechanism is responsive to reasons. Confirming that that very mechanism is responsive to reasons would not merely illustrate that, in scenarios other than the actual, the agent acts upon a mechanism sensitive to reasons. It would also illustrate that in the Frankfurt scenario in which the agent really does act, what does play a role in the actual causal sequence of her action is some feature of her agency (a mechanism) that itself is in fact a response to a reason.
Fischer offers an actual-sequence, mechanism-based, reasons-responsive analysis of guidance control. He maintains that his analysis of guidance control is compatible with determinism. According to Fischer, an agent, and the mechanism of her action, can be entirely determined in the actual sequence of events in which she acts. Yet the actual manner in which her mechanism responds to reasons could be appropriately sensitive to reasons such that, if different reasons were to bear upon it, it would respond differently, and the agent whose mechanism it is would act differently than she does act.
5.5.4 Assessing Reasons-Responsive Compatibilism
How might a reasons-responsive approach compare with a view like Frankfurt's hierarchical model? To demarcate the relevant wants issuing in freely willed conduct, Frankfurt needed to postulate a higher order of willing into which effective desires meshed. Only then could Frankfurt help compatibilists distinguish freedom-undermining wants (such as those involved in compulsive conduct) from freedom-conferring wants. Reasons-responsiveness attempts to fix this sort of problem by different means. Instead of postulating a hierarchical relation between different sorts of wants or desires, it instead gives a dispositional analysis of the wants' or desires' (the reasons') sensitivity to rational considerations. The differences might well yield different ways of treating some cases. For example, a willing addict would not be reasons-responsive and so would not take the drug of her own free will according to a reasons-responsive compatibilist. But according to Frankfurt, a willing addict does take the drug of her own free will.
How might a mechanism-based reasons-responsive theory satisfy a source model of control? A view such as Fischer's might be at a disadvantage. It is possible that a reasons-responsive mechanism could be unhitched from the agent whom it affects. So it is an open question whether or not Fischer's compatibilist position offers as rich an account of the source of an agent's action as does a real self view such as Frankfurt's. Of course, if Fischer is able to advance an ownership condition that does anchor an agent's reasons-responsive mechanism to the agent's self, then Fischer's view will not only do the work that Frankfurt's does in accommodating a source model of control (linking a freely willed action to a real self), it will also do the sort of work Wolf's does. That is, Fischer's view will then show how, as a source of her conduct, a morally responsible agent can be tightly linked to reasons (reasons Wolf identifies under the heading, "the True and the Good").
How does Fischer's view stack up against the Source Incompatibilist Argument? The challenge Fischer faces here is the same as that faced by Frankfurt and Wolf. The source incompatibilist maintains that it is a necessary condition of free will that one be an ultimate source of her action, and determinism is incompatible with one's being an ultimate source of her action (see section 2.2). The compatibilist's task is to show that her treatment of the source of an agent's conduct is sufficient for free will. But the source incompatibilist will point to manipulation cases that suggest that some causal histories giving rise to compatibilist-friendly psychological structures, such as reasons-responsive mechanisms, are freedom and responsibility undermining. If so, then why is determinism any different from a manipulation case? The burden, it seems, is on the compatibilist to show how it is that manipulation cases differ from a normal deterministic history. The compatibilist's only other strategy is simply to deny that the pertinent manipulated agents are not free and morally responsible.
For further treatment of the reasons-responsive approach, see sections B and C of supplement
It would simply be misleading not to mention Strawsonian compatibilism amongst the views characterizing contemporary compatibilism. The secondary literature devoted to it proves that it is still alive and well in contemporary debate.
Several contemporary philosophers have advanced Strawsonian themes. For instance, John Martin Fischer and Mark Ravizza hold that an account of guidance control aids in providing the conditions of application for the concept of moral responsibility, a concept that they maintain is Strawsonian (1998, pp.1–27). Fischer and Ravizza intend their Strawsonian theory as an amendment to Strawson's suggestion that moral responsibility is to be associated with the reactions of those within the moral community to members of the community. Fischer and Ravizza advise that moral responsibility be developed by thinking in terms of the propriety conditions for the morally reactive attitudes. This amendment would have it that a moral community could respond to a