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A new study suggests that not only do smaller islands sustain fewer species than large ones, but the food chains are also smaller.
This implies that plant and animal communities on small islands may work differently from those on large ones.Top predators the first to goWorking across a set of 20 islands off the Finnish coast, a group of Finnish scientists found that a disproportionate number of small islands were lacking the highest levels of the food chain. The results are freshly online in the journal Ecography.
Advertisement"Ecologists have known for decades that less area means fewer species", explains Tomas Roslin, who spearheaded the current analyses. "What we show is that the decrease in species richness with decreasing area gets steeper when you climb up the food chain. That means that when you move towards smaller island size, you run out of top predators before you run out of intermediate predators, and that you lose the last plant-eaters before you lose the last plant." The study comes with broad implications for a world shattered by human activities.
"While we worked on a set of real islands, you can probably think of habitat fragments as 'islands' in a broader sense", says Tomas. "What our results then mean is that if we keep splitting natural habitats into smaller and smaller pieces, we may not only lose a lot of species from the resultant fragments, but also change the structure and functioning of local food webs."Knowing your species the key to insightsTo explore the effects of island size, the research team focused on islands spanning a hundred-fold range in area. On each of these islands, the team took samples of local food chains consisting of four levels: plants, predators feeding on the herbivores, and top predators feeding on the predators themselves. Among predators, the researchers targeted a specific group, i.e. parasitic wasps. "To test ideas about food chain length, you really cannot deal with raw counts of species - instead, you need to know which species form actual feeding chains" says Gergely Várkonyi, an international expert on wasps involved in the project. "Among the wasps encountered on these islands, we were able to pick out the species truly dependent on the lepidopteran herbivores. As we see it, knowing not just what the species are but what they do in their lives is the key to sensible ecology", emphasizes Gergely.Hundreds of species examined"What is unique about our study is that we were able to look at patterns at the level of large species pools across the islands", explains Marko Nieminen, who spent three long summers boating around the islands, sampling insects by light and bait traps. "Where other people have looked at effects of island size on restricted numbers of species or restricted levels in food chains, we did the full thing across four levels", he specifies. "Overall, we dealt with 200 species of plants, 415 species of lepidopteran herbivores, 42 species of parasitic wasps attacking herbivores and 7 species of wasps attacking parasitic wasps."Deliberately keeping things simple"In choosing the islands, we deliberately went for a simple system" says Marko. "Our islands were essentially smallish pieces of rocks with some forest and heathland on them. Historically, they all rose from the sea just some millennia ago, after being submerged and scraped clean of life by the last ice age. This similarity in structure and history allowed us to look at effects of island size, without having to worry about other differences among islands."Maintaining interactions may be trickier than maintaining speciesAll three authors worry about the message laid plain by the study: "What this really suggests is that to save ecological interactions, we may need to conserve much larger areas than for just maintaining e.g. plant diversity. If we keep splitting habitats into ever-smaller pieces, then we will be losing upper links from food chains, and important control functions along with them."


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The Opposable Thumb As A Human Adaptation : Thumb-Taping Lab
In this biology activity, students will first brainstorm and observe how humans use their hands. They will then conduct a short experiment to determine the importance of the opposable thumb to humans. This experiment involves students taping their thumb to render it useless while they proceed to do an everyday activity. In the end students will have the opportunity to reflect on why the opposable thumb is an adaptation important to humans.
Context for Use
Resource Type: Activities:Classroom Activity
Grade Level: High School (9-12)
Description and Teaching Materials
1. Divide students into small groups. They should brainstorm ideas about how humans use their hands versus other animals and especially other primates.
2. Discuss as a class their ideas. Create a class discussion summary on the board or overhead. The term "fully opposable thumbs" should be introduced if it hasn't already.
3. Next they will test a question. This will also allow them to experience the use of their own thumbs, possibly something they never think about, as well as appreciate the shape and design of their own hands.
Question: " Can I tie my shoes faster with or without my thumbs?"
Students should write a lab report that will contain information similar to the following.
TITLE / QUESTION: "Can I tie my shoes faster with or without my thumbs?"
MATERIALS: masking tape, timer or clock, shoe with laces
1. Put students into groups of two. Collect baseline data by having each student tie their shoe while being timed by a partner. This should be done three times to get an average time. Students should put their data in data table in their lab book.
2. Next, using masking tape, tape the thumb down on each hand. For best results, a partner can tape it to the pointer finger to render it useless.
3. Repeat step 1 with the thumbs taped. (NOTE: It is important to follow the same procedure as done in step 1 so that data is consistent.)
4. Have students average their data.
5. Contribute data averages to a class chart.
6. After viewing/discussing the class data, write a conclusion.
1. What is special about the hand of humans?
2. The design of the human hand is an adaptation. How does our hand's design allow us to do so many tasks such as writing, texting, and tying shoes?

source: openbmb/Ultra-FineWeb


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British psychologists such as Hans Eysenck and Jeffrey Gray have been giants in the field of individual differences, offering psychobiological accounts of major personality traits such as extraversion and neuroticism, as well as the cluster of impulsive antisocial sensation-seeking personality facets, marked by Eysenck's psychoticism scale. These theories have stimulated vibrant research programmes worldwide, including several within British psychology departments. This article provides a snapshot of classic and contemporary British research into the affective, behavioural and cognitive processes which characterise personality.
|Number of pages||4|
|Publication status||Published - Jan 2013|


Cooking in Compost: Gross or Handy?
Your backyard compost pile produces enough heat to cook breakfast, lunch, and dinner…eventually. Are you brave enough to cook food in garbage like these folks did?
This egg took 22 hours to cook in a 195-degree spot of a compost heap. Image: Jim French
You could be using your backyard compost pile for more than just garden fertilizer. That heap of table scraps, grass clippings, rotting fruit, and fallen leaves could be the oven that cooks Sunday dinner (if you start on Friday). Who needs an outdoor kitchen?
Steaming compost piles are nature's crock pots; they slow-cook food with heat generated by decomposing organic matter. Once a compost pile gets cooking, temperatures can reach 150 to 180 degrees F, hot enough to cook a roast to medium rare.
All you need to become a compost cook is a few cubic yards of decaying matter and time on your hands: An egg takes at least 24 hours to "hard boil" in compost.
If the idea of cooking in a garbage pile turns your stomach (double-wrapping is the key), you can harness the methane gas that compost piles produce to fuel your boring old range.
As-good-as-mom's chocolate cake
A class of home-schooled kids in Jamaica Plain, Mass., transformed a 20-foot compost pile into a giant Easy-Bake Oven and cooked a chocolate cake.
After performing some calculations on a Sunday afternoon, the kids buried their cake batter about 2 feet deep into a local arboretum's pile. The next evening, they retrieved dessert—a perfect lava cake, crusty around the edges and molten in the middle.
Thanksgiving feast
Malcolm Beck, a Texas organic farmer and author of The Secret Life Of Compost, cooked a Thanksgiving turkey in an 8-foot-high compost pile with a core temperature of 160 to 180 degrees. The secret of Beck's super-hot pile? A spray of water and molasses, and sometimes waste beer from a local brewery.
Beck lowered a double-wrapped turkey into his shredded brush-sawdust-manure compost pile. About 18 hours later, he pulled out a tender, juicy Thanksgiving dinner.
Although the USDA recommends cooking poultry at temperatures no lower than 325 degrees, diehard composters say properly wrapped, low-pathogen local poultry can be slow-cooked safely at much lower temperatures.
Sorry stew
Urban composter Christopher Pepe failed to cook a rice stew in his puny one-third-cubic-yard compost pile. After 24 hours in the pit, the rice was still chewy.
Pepe, however, has high hopes for his new composting system: a full cubic yard of composting material, force-aerated to burn at 145 degrees. He plans to start his compost-cooking career with a baked potato, and then work up to poached eggs in a shell.
Cheese surprise!
Composter Jim McClarin buried two gallons of souring milk into his steaming compost pile, hoping to make yogurt. The next day, he pulled out cheese curd instead.
Through the years, McClarin prepared slow-cooked eggs, roast beef, and even duck a l'orange in his "organic oven." But not every compost-cooking recipe was a success: Pinto beans never progressed past the crunchy stage.
French cooking with methane gas
Jean Pain helped rural families become energy self-sufficient when he piped enough methane gas from a 20-foot compost pile to heat his home in Provence, France, cook his food, and run his car.
When Pain's pile of scrub bush and water cooled off, he fertilized his gardens with the newly formed compost.
Desert dining with methane
Researchers from Israel's Arava Institute for Environmental Studies mixed 25 kilograms of sheep manure with shower grey water to produce enough methane gas to fuel nearly three hours of cooking.
Not only does this manure slurry create cheap fuel for desert families, it also fertilizes the soil and reduces greenhouse emissions that result from cooking over wood fires.
What would you cook in compost? Leave your comment below.


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Brick Wall Builder:
Brick Wall Builder is a scripted plugin created using 3ds max MCG and as the name tells it creates a various shapes of brick walls with huge amount of flexibility like you can choose multiple kinds of stones and apply a random materials to them in addition to changing the position,rotation and scale uniformly or randomly. It's as simple as just picking the shape and the brick and it will do the rest, and when you are done with distribution you like and thought of changing the shape length do worry also has the ability of maintaining the count and distribution while you are doing so.
The tool is broken into diffirent sections:
-The pick part where you're gonna pick your base shape, bricks and end part.
And you are able to view your bricks and end parts as proxy meshes (which still needs some optimization) in adition to enabling and disabling end parts.
-The General parameters:
I will just heighlight the important stuff here
Strides will allow you to move every other column of bricks up on the Z Axis a brick distance. This will allow you to achieve the normal brick wall shape when you dicrease the gap between the columns.
Z+ will shift your wall orientation either up or down.
Ativating Random Mat IDs will overwrite your mesh setting and give your bricks a random ID numbers from 1 until the Max Mat ID parameter is reached.
The rest of the sections are self explanatory, just a couple of transformation parameters.
Please bear in mind that there is no filtering for the picking part yet so when it say pick a curve do pick a curve and for the bricks part pick a mesh, an one more thing it only supports one welded line and this due to MCG limitation whick I hope it's gonna be fixed in future releases.
-I fixed the straight lines issue (in case your shape was a rectangle with straight angles for example).
-The parameters now in system unit.
-Increased the limits of some spinners.
-Fixed the min and max, so when you put one for min you will get one.
-Be careful if there is no objects in the end part list please do disable the end part check button or else the tool wont update.
-Random scale remapped and goes from 0 to 100 properly now.
-Adjusting the path vertexes on Z axis will mess up the bricks orientation in a weird way, now it's fixed and however you modify it it will stay pointing up.
-The bricks are one unit shifted on z axis when created, it's fixed now.
-Now the tool will preserve your bricks Material IDs and will not overwrite them to (1).
-I removed the proxy feature, it doesn't work as it's suppose to work. Instead you can apply BBox modifier to your brick.
-Since last update Side Shift uses the wrong direction, it's fixed now.
Error message solved : Can't find operator VuTransFormsOnCurve
How to install:
After downloading and unzipping the file go to Scripting menu and choose Install Max Creation Graph. after installing you will find it in command panel creation tab under VFXarabia category.
Requirements: 3ds 2016 Extension1
Direct Download 1.4


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Conservation at Work!
Our mission: To develop leadership, self-confidence, and a strong work ethic in youth and young adults through the active stewardship of Wisconsin's communities and natural resources.
WisCorps, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) conservation corps headquartered in La Crosse, Wisconsin that engages youth and young adults in two areas:
- Conservation Projects throughout Wisconsin and the Upper Midwest.
- Nature education programs for schoolchildren, youth, and adults
Under the supervision of an experienced leader, crews of 4 to 6 Corps Members ages 16 to 25 complete high-quality work as they gain technical skills and expand their knowledge of Wisconsin's natural resources. Corps Members are paid a wage for their work. Projects crews have completed in Wisconsin and throughout the Upper Midwest include:
- trail construction and rehabilitation
- invasive species management
- rock staircase and retaining wall construction
- storm damage cleanup
- prairie restoration
- bridge and boardwalk construction stream bank stabilization
Nature Education Programs
At WisCorps, we believe that environmental and nature education is crucial to the
development of children, youth, and adults through quality learning experiences in nature and with a positive and welcoming atmosphere. Our goal is to foster appreciation and a sense of stewardship for the environment and our natural resources throughout the La Crosse community and surrounding area as a whole. As a result, individuals will develop a deeper understanding of environmental issues and have the skills to make informed and responsible decisions.


Lucifer Crocosmia (Montbretia)
If you are one of those people who is into fiery red, crocosima 'Lucifer' is the plant for you. Wands of eye popping, orange-red blooms are outstanding in the late season garden. Crocosmia is a perennial that grows from a bulb-like structure called a corm. You can usually find the corms in stores and mail order catalogs in spring for planting in summer. 'Lucifer' is the most cold tolerant variety, it is reliably perennial as far north as zone 5. Other varieties are hardy in zones 6 through 10.
Plant crocosmia where they will get plenty of sunshine, but they seem tolerate of a variety of soil conditions. I have clay soil in my garden and they do quite well, and I have also seen them growing in sandy soils.
I also grow a variety called 'Norwich Canary' that has large, cheery yellow flowers. Planted at the front of a flower border it is a wonderful companion to plants such as lantana, gomphrena and angelonia. And I'm not the only one who enjoys the combination, hummingbirds and butterflies can always be found in this corner of the garden!
Crocosmia (Montbretia)
Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora
perennial, sun garden favorite
Bloom Time
late summer


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The full beauty of gazania is apparent on sunny days when the vibrantly coloured flowers open to greet the warmth and light. A perennial in its native South Africa, gazania seldom survives a British winter, needing to be planted anew each spring. It makes up for this by being extremely easy to grow.
The gazania, which is also called treasure flower, is named after a Greek-Italian humanist named Theodoros Gazos, who lived during the 15th century. This composite flower originates in South Africa, and can be found there in some 25 varieties.
Most varieties have glowing gold flowers. The flower can reach a diameter of 10cm. Like all plants of the Compositae family, the flower is made up of many small florets.
Gazanias are often sold in mixtures of different colours. Choose plants with particularly attractive colours and take cuttings from them in September. Overwinter the cuttings in a light, frost-free place.
Each gazania flower has a yellow or orange centre disc, typical of daisies. The ray florets sit around the middle cushion, and their colours can range from white, pink and yellow to orange and chestnut. Many varieties have ray florets, marked with a green or darker patch.
The gazania's vivid flowers add sparkle to the garden, but only when the sun shines.
The ray florets close up early in the afternoon and remain shut until the following morning. On overcast days they do not open at all.
You can use these flowers to provide wonderful splashes of colour everywhere in your garden - on the terrace and by the patio, in pots and borders and next to walls and steps. By planting gazanias along with Chrysanthemum coronarium, C. spectabile, Coreopsis and snapdragons, you can quickly achieve a vibrantly colourful flower group in your garden.
Situation and care
The gazania flowers from June until the end of September. The plant rarely grows taller than 30cm. It prefers a warm, open place, similar to conditions in its native South Africa. Naturally, it needs direct sunlight. The soil should be sandy, rich in humus and nutrients, and well drained.
The plant does not do well in rainy years, when the ground often becomes waterlogged. During dry periods, water regularly and feed with high potash (tomato-type) fertilizer.
It is a good idea to feed the plant with liquid fertilizer every 3-4 weeks.
Growing and propagating
Except in very mild areas, gazania unfortunately does not survive winter in this country, and is usually grown as an annual. Named varieties need to be grown from cuttings, while others should be sown every year.
To start flowering as early as possible, you should sow the seeds at the end of February. You can sow them in a propagator, on the window sill or in a greenhouse. Prick out seedlings early, and pot them into single pots after a few weeks.
The plants need to be hardened off (accustomed to the outdoor climate) during the day. They can be planted out in beds and borders once the risk of night frosts has passed.
The best way to propagate gazania varieties with silvery leaves is usually by taking cuttings.
In early autumn, cut strong shoots off the plants and plant them in pots in a mixture of two thirds rooting compost to one third sand. Keep the cuttings in a light, cool place until they are ready to be planted out in early June.
Three gazania species from South Africa are the basis of the many varieties and hybrids we can choose from. These are Gazania linearis, G. nivea and G. rigens. Some of the most important varieties are 'Ministar' 'Sunshine', 'Minstar Tangerine' and 'Chansonette'. The hybrid 'Harlequin' is particularly eye-catching. Its flowers have white ray florets with a thin, dark red line running through them.

source: HuggingFaceFW/fineweb-edu


Figure 5.
Intron positions of QSOX sequences along the secondary structure. Predicted intron positions in representative QSOX genes are displayed. The QSOX domain organization and secondary structure scheme appears at the top of the panel. Dashed lines represent regions absent in the corresponding QSOX sequence.
Download authors' original image


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Twelve months ago, this was one of our images of 2011.
It's a Flame Shell, a 'cryptic' marine species with bright orange feeding tentacles. It is found only in a a very few west coast locations. This one was photographed in 2011 [© SNH] in flame shell beds in Loch Linnhe in Argyll, during one of 15 marine surveys carried out by Scottish Natural Heritage in that year.
The surveys covered 2,000 square miles of Scotland's seabed – a stunning achievement revealing major Flame Shell beds in Loch Fyne as well as Loch Linnhe and other locations.
Now, a year later, the Flame Shell is back in the news, with the discovery of a massive 75 hectare Flame Shell reef in Loch Alsh, estimated to contain over 100 million examples of the species.
This has come from a survey by Heriot Watt University, commissioned by Marine Scotland and will now be subject to special protection.
Note: The image above of a Flame Shell is © SNH and may not be reproduced without permission.


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We are having a problem with inconsistent wound measurements that involve undermining. Can you offer any tips?
Undermining is tissue breakdown that extends underneath intact skin along wound edges (margins). It is caused by shearing forces and can result in skin breakdown around the entire wound perimeter or at various locations around the wound perimeter. Due to the variable locations where undermining can occur, clinicians should always document and measure the depth and direction of the undermining.
1. Assess for undermining.
- Start at top of wound (12:00). (Consider a wound as the face of a clock, where "12:00" points to patient's head and "6:00" points to the patient's feet.)
- Use a cotton tip applicator and gently probe around wound edges in a clockwise direction. 2. Once undermining has been identified, insert applicator into the area.
3. Grasp applicator where it meets the wound edge using thumb and forefinger.
4. Withdraw applicator while maintaining thumb and forefinger in position.
5. Measure from the tip of applicator to wound position using a centimeter ruler.
6. Measure and document the deepest area(s). (Note there should be a beginning point and ending point.)
7. Document findings by referencing the "Clock System." Examples of documentation:
- Generalized documentation – 4 centimeters (cm) undermining noted from 6:00 – 10:00
- Specific – Undermining noted from 6-10:00, ranging from 2–4 cm, deepest area is 4 cm at 10:00
- More specific – Undermining noted along wound perimeter from 6–10:00; 6:00–2.8 cm; 7:00–2 cm; 8:00–3.6 cm; 9:00–2.5 cm; 10:00–4 cm


Guaranteed Garden Services Adelaide
5 Gardening Mistakes You Need to Stop Doing!
Gardening is a fine art that should be approached carefully. When it comes to garden maintenance, homeowners usually learn through trial and error. Unfortunately, gardening mistakes are costly. They will cost you time, money, effort and maybe even your plants.
To help you avoid these costly mistakes, Guaranteed Garden Services provides you with professional garden maintenance services in Adelaide. With over ten years of experience, we have seen it all. These are the most common gardening mistakes we have come across:
Wrong Watering Technique
To water or not to water, that is the biggest dilemma in garden maintenance. Over-watering could drown your plants' roots and make them rot. On the other hand, under-watering could dehydrate the plants.
Watering at the wrong time of the day is also a common mistake. If you water when the sun is at its strongest, the water will evaporate quickly, and the water droplets on the plants will act as magnifying glasses for the sun, burning the leaves. The best time to water your Adelaide garden is either early in the morning or late at night.
With the harsh climate conditions of Adelaide, keeping your garden well-hydrated, without flooding it could be tricky. However, with Guaranteed Garden Services' custom-made garden irrigation solutions, you can rest assured your Adelaide plants will get the required amount of water at the right time.
Ignoring Weather Changes
Your Adelaide garden is deeply affected by seasonal weather changes. Some plants, like corn and beans, prefer warm soil, while other vegetables, such as broccoli and kale should be planted in the winter. Therefore, before choosing the plants you want for your Adelaide garden, make sure they are suited for that time of year and can withstand the local weather conditions.
Seasonal garden maintenance is also essential to prepare your plants for the upcoming weather changes. For instance, to protect your young or delicate plants from the windy winter days, you can cover them with a plastic bottle cut in half.
Poor Weeding
Chopping off the top of a weed is not considered proper weeding. To stay on top of the weed situation in your Adelaide garden, you need to uproot those weeds before they intertwine with the roots of your plants. Otherwise, you would not be able to differentiate between the weeds' roots and those of your plants.
Scalping the Lawn
Another common mistake is cutting the lawn too short, especially during hot, dry seasons. It could burn your grass and damage it. During the summer season, it is advisable to let your grass grow longer to keep it hydrated and moisturised.
Too much of anything is wrong; the same goes for fertilisers. Using the right amount of fertilisers will provide your Adelaide garden with the nutrients it needs to flourish. However, over-fertilising could kill your plants.
To help you avoid these mistakes and get the customised garden maintenance your plants need, call us now!


I've noticed that native speakers sometimes make nouns they've already made possessive, possessive again. If this is syntactically sound, I don't understand it.
For example, "her relative was mean" could alternatively be written as: "a relative of hers was mean."
Why isn't it "a relative of her was mean"?
 - There isn't a problem with any number of possessives. For instance, the following is perfectly possible: My father's doctor's aunt's neighbour's dog's vet's wife's son was avoiding me at a recent party. In the sentence, it's her relative—the relative is hers—so it's a relative of hers. I wouldn't say a father of me. I'd say a father of mine. (Although I might say that somebody is a father to me.) – Jason Bassford Jul 19 '19 at 2:49
 - 1
 To confirm, you wouldn't say "a daughter of Brenda," but "a daughter of Brenda's?" – Ella Strange Jul 19 '19 at 3:54
 - 1
 _USER_ maybe a more illuminating comparison would be a father of my since we say "my father" and not "me father" – katatahito Jul 19 '19 at 5:00
 - This question may be helpful. as well as this chart. – katatahito Jul 19 '19 at 5:04
 - _USER_ While a daughter of Brenda is not actually ungrammatical, it has an archaic, Biblical feel to me. I think a daughter of Brenda's is much more idiomatic in modern English. So, yes, I would use the explicit possessive. – Jason Bassford Jul 19 '19 at 5:33
In modern English, of is not commonly used to indicate possession, which perhaps explains Jason's comment that it feels biblical. Relationships are (generally) mutual so examples using relatives make this a little more confusing than it needs to be. If we instead think of possessing an item, like a car, a native English speaker would find the sentence "This is the car of John" strange, archaic or maybe even wrong.
My native feeling for the word of in your question, is more similar to "one of many", as in, she has many cars. "This car is one of hers." Could be short for "This car is one of her cars."
As a final example, let's consider the phrase "a part of her" and compare with "a part of hers". The first phrase says she is composed of parts and we are talking about one of them. The second says that she possesses parts but it's unclear if they are car parts or some other kind of part (like a part of her personality).
 - I understand that it feels archaic, saying, for example, that car of John. And the more I think about it the more it sounds like the car originated from a place called John. But it's technically not wrong, even though a native speaker wouldn't say it? If the consensus is "a relative of her," instead of "a relative of hers," is wrong, why isn't the same true for "a relative of John," instead of a "a relative of John's." You mention your feeling of the operation of "of" in the original example. Can you elaborate on how it's different from the other examples? – Ella Strange Jul 24 '19 at 13:13
 - Good questions! I suppose one of the things I'm trying to get at in my answer, is that the phrases "a relative of John" and "a relative of John's" feel more similar to a native speaker (than the examples I gave) because that kind of possession is mutual. When I try to analyze why they don't feel exactly the same ("a relative of John's" is preferred), my gut tells me it's the role of of. So I would say that these examples aren't different. In each case the doubled possession is preferred because the "of" isn't satisfying a native speaker's desire to communicate possession. – KCE Jul 24 '19 at 13:55
Your Answer


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- Titlelike the quick drawing of a gun, links to extended metaphor (wild west)
- Wild west languagesheriff, boot, saloon, pellet, high noon (argument like a stand off)
- Juxtaposition of languagemodern and old wild west mirrors the opposition of the couple.
- Modern Languagemobile, landline, phone, text (argument over the phone)
- Structurelots of break, mirrors a real argument, increases the pace to create tension and simulate pace of argument.
- Extended metaphorthe wild west, adds visual picture to the poem, exaggerates the fightstill wounds them even though it's a small scale argument.
- Gap in the middle of a sentencemimicking a bullet shooting across the page, emphasises a bullet wound.
Similar English Literature resources:


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Heritage Tour: Betwix The Para Gawler and Light Rivers
These rivers and their plains have a number of historical mysteries. Why was a dozen Methodist churches built here? Why did Penfield disappear? Why did Port Gawler become a major port? How did Buckland Park (17,000 acres) survive subdivision wjen only 25km from Adelaide?
Come along and be surprised as we tour Gawler River, Kangaroo Flat, Redbanks, Mallala, Two Wells, Port Gawler and St. Kilda.


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Project Title: Maximizing the Benefits of International Voluntary Service: Relational Dimensions, Institutional Indicators, and Constructed Narratives
Summary: The goal of this paper is to answer the question: When are long-term immersive international volunteer programs most beneficial to local communities in Latin America? Through considering the different aspects of international voluntary service (IVS), the costs and benefits can be broken down into three frames of consideration. IVS can be thought of through relationship-building, institutional frameworks, and constructed narratives of service. IVS experiences that value relationships, community-building, and work within organizations that provide strong contextual frameworks for service best address the needs of the host community. However, these experiences may be constructed and marketed in many different ways via blogs, websites, and through other forms of social media. In contrast, IVS experiences that focus on the volunteer rather than the host community and have weak organizational structure will cause more harm than good to the host community. This research is critical because IVS is often discussed as having an explicit developmental agenda. Understanding the relationship between IVS and sustainable development will allow for more informed consumption of and participation in long-term international service projects. Guatemala is a host country that frequently receives IVS volunteers. Using Guatemala as a case study allows for an in-depth consideration of what works and what does not in an IVS program, and also opens up conversation for IVS in Latin America as a whole.


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TIGA, the trade association representing the UK video games industry, has commented on the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Committee's report on immersive and addictive technologies.
In December 2018, the DCMS Committee launched an inquiry into the growth of 'immersive and addictive technologies'. The inquiry examined the addictive nature of emerging technologies and operating business models that maximise player engagement; how games companies operate across a range of different social media platforms; and the use of vast amounts of user-generated data. The inquiry also examined the development of technologies such as virtual and augmented reality, and the potential impact that these could have in the worlds of sport, entertainment and news.
The Committee has today published its report that includes the following recommendations:
- The Government should bring forward regulations under section 6 of the Gambling Act 2005 in the next parliamentary session to specify that loot boxes are a game of chance. If it determines not to regulate loot boxes under the Act at this time, the Government should produce a paper clearly stating the reasons why it does not consider loot boxes paid for with real-world currency to be a game of chance played for money's worth.
- The Government should advise PEGI to apply the existing 'gambling' content labelling, and corresponding age limits, to games containing loot boxes that can be purchased for real world money and do not reveal their contents before purchase. In the absence of research which proves that no harm is being done by exposing children to gambling through the purchasing of loot boxes, the Committee believe a precautionary principle should apply and they are not permitted in games played by children until the evidence proves otherwise.
- The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport should immediately update its areas of research interest to include gaming disorder, working with researchers to identify the key questions that need to be addressed and develop a strategy to support high-quality, independent research into the long-term effects of gaming.
- The Government should require games companies to share aggregated player data with researchers and to contribute financially to independent research through a levy administered by an impartial body.
- The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport should immediately establish a scientific working group to collate the latest evidence relating to the effects of gambling-like mechanics in games. The group should produce an evidence-based review of the effects of gambling-like game mechanics, including loot boxes and other emerging trends, to provide clarity and advice. This should be done within a timescale that enables it to inform the Government's forthcoming online harms legislation.
- To provide clarity for policy-makers and the public, the Government should outline in its response to this report how it intends to support independent research into the application, extent and effect of design mechanics used in digital technologies to extend user engagement. Such research should then inform the development of a behavioural design code of practice for online services. This should be developed within an adequate timeframe to inform the future online harms regulator's work around "designed addiction" and "excessive screen time
- The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport should lay out within the next six months how a similar framework to the duty of care practices enshrined and enforced by the governing bodies of other sports can best be applied within esports.
- The Video Recordings Act should be amended to ensure that online games are covered by the same enforceable age restrictions as games sold on disks.
In response to the report, Dr Richard Wilson OBE, CEO of TIGA said:
"TIGA agrees that the Government should urgently carry out research to examine the connection between loot boxes and gambling. This research would recognise that loot boxes take many different forms.
"TIGA reccomends that platform owners and those operating an online game should: disclose the use of paid or hard currency loot boxes (or other paid or hard currency chance systems such as roulette wheels) up front; describe their potential contents; and, clearly lay out the chance of items being included.
"The current PEGI descriptor for in-game purchases does not specifically differentiate between loot boxes and other items. TIGA encourages PEGI to consider should consider explicitly identifying the existence of loot boxes in games by means of one of their descriptors/icons. This would have the advantage of providing consumers with more relevant information so that they can make informed decisions when they access, download or purchase a game.
"TIGA research indicates that most UK game developers do not employ loot boxes. Of a sample of 150 games released in 2018, 89 per cent did not use loot boxes.
"TIGA has previously expressed support for the Government's plan in the Online Harms White Paper to introduce a new statutory 'Duty of Care', ensuring companies take greater responsibility over the safety of their users.
"TIGA agrees with the Committee that research into gaming disorder is scarce and more, high-quality studies are required to fully understand the condition. We also agree that the Government should commission further research into gaming disorder and to ascertain appropriate time limits for playing games. At present, this is unclear. The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health suggests that it is 'impossible' to recommend age appropriate time limits, instead urging parents to 'approach screen time based on the child's development age [and] individual need.'
"To ensure impartiality of research, any studies into gaming disorder should be funded by government and not industry.
Commenting on the report, Jason Kingsley OBE, TIGA Chairman and CEO and Creative Director at Rebellion, said:
"TIGA and our members would like to be able to refer players, parents and guardians to authoritative, independent research and advice concerning appropriate screen time for players. We encourage all members to cooperate with researchers and share data, we also encourage games businesses to consider design features which address the issue of gaming disorder. In our best practice guide, entitled Safeguarding Players, we suggest that games businesses could explore the use of the game mechanics that manage screen time, such as using reminder messages and narrative messages in which characters in the game advise you to take breaks."
TIGA is keen to work alongside relevant parties to find solutions for UK game developers, publishers and platform owners and operators to address the concerns raised in this report, and ensure that players of all ages can enjoy games in a responsible and safe way.


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Home > Consumer
Protection > Loans & Mortgages > Forecelosure Prevention > Community Resources > Net Present Value (NPV) Calculator Background and Disclaimer
Net Present Value (NPV) Calculator Background and Disclaimer
This NPV calculator (Calculator) is being made available to the public by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) based on the agency's use of the tool during the resolution of IndyMac Federal Bank, a large mortgage lender. An NPV calculation may assist in evaluating the costs of loan modification compared to foreclosure.
The FDIC has taken reasonable measures to ensure that the Calculator accurately implements certain widely-accepted formulas for calculating net present value. However, the FDIC makes no express or implied warranty regarding such formulas, any information or data used in the Calculator, or any output generated through use of the Calculator, and hereby expressly disclaims all legal liability and responsibility to persons or entities that use or access this Calculator and its content. When properly used, the FDIC NPV Calculator can provide useful information to anyone faced with a decision about whether modification of a loan or foreclosure is the least loss option. Nevertheless, any decision concerning the relative cost of the two options must be based on the particular circumstances of each borrower and any applicable laws and regulations.
Thus, while the FDIC provides the Calculator itself, it provides neither the specific numbers needed for application to a particular case, nor the assumptions underlying the choice of appropriate numbers to input. Those choices are left to the particular user, and the usefulness of the Calculator as a decision-making aid depends on the reasonableness of those choices. The validity of the result is dependent on the accuracy and completeness of the information input into the calculator by the user. The usefulness is also dependent on the applicable law and regulations, and the Calculator does not incorporate those variables. Accordingly, the FDIC IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY RESULTS THAT THE CALCULATOR MAY PROVIDE IN A PARTICULAR CASE OR ANY DECISION BASED ON THOSE RESULTS.
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text:
In this course, you will learn :
- Combine and apply psychological knowledge about detecting deception.
- Create and evaluate an interview strategy.
- When conducting suspect interviews, use a rapport-building psychological model.
- Look into false confessions.
- In investigations, identify potential forms of cognitive bias.
- Use a simulated case study to apply psychological research.
1. Introduction to the case
- Witness interviews.
- Psychological theories and research on detecting deception.
2. Suspect interviews and establishing rapport
- Psychology behind police suspect interviews.
- Examples of difficult conversations.
- Rapport and respectful communication.
- Impact and dangers of interviewing techniques.
- Prioritising lines of enquiry.
4. Conclusion to the case
- Evidence and truthfulness in interviews.
- Closing the case.


text:
Whether they need to simply shed a few pounds, or are recovering
from a near-miss heart attack, many people are under their doctor's
strict orders to get more
exercise. Physical activity prescriptions have become a de
facto medical intervention, a structured counterattack to the
sedentary American lifestyle and fat-fueled diet.
doctors may be able to keep tabs on how well their patients
have heeded their advice on exercise, even when they're miles
apart, thanks to a new remote monitoring device from Alive
There's no clearer example of the divide between our intentions
and actions than the case of a person starting a mandated exercise
routine. Today's scheduled gym time easily becomes tomorrow's
prolonged procrastination when our minds unwisely rationalise that
our daily choices have little effect on our long-term health.
For dire conditions, like those involving the heart where the
exercise prescription is crucial, hospitals and health clinics may
provide cardiac rehabilitation -- an outpatient service much like
physical therapy, where physicians or licensed exercise
physiologists design a custom activity program and monitor the
But people much prefer to get their exercise at home. After all,
who wants to have to drive to the clinic just to have someone watch
you march along on the treadmill?
Doctors are sometime reluctant to allow patients to exercise on
their own, in case something goes awry, like a potentially
heartbeat. Alive Technologies, a company based in Queensland,
Australia, is addressing these concerns with their new Heart and Activity
Monitor, which may jointly satisfy the rigor that physicians
need, as well as the freedom that patients desire.
In a paper published this month in the journal
PLoS ONE, the company tapped researchers from the Institute of Health and
Biomedical Innovation at the Queensland University of
Technology to devise a proof-of-concept study that showed medical
professionals can accurately monitor a person's prescribed exercise
routine even when the patient was not in the clinic.


Trials, Triumphs & Trivialities #53:
Building Blocks: Maps
by Shannon Appelcline
December 13, 2001 – I've now spent a total of three columns studying rooms in pretty painstaking details. First I discussed how to describe rooms. Then I talked about how to detail rooms. Finally, I offered suggestions for how to name details. With all of that said and done, you should be able to write a fairly decent room. Maybe several of them.
This week, I want to approach things from the opposite direction, moving upward instead of down. In other words, I want to offer advice on how you connect multiple rooms into a single cohesive whole. This is: the art of the map.
The following diagram (see left) shows how all of these different components fit together, in brief. We'll be returning to this diagram from week to week as our numbers of building blocks increase.
In reality it's a bit cheeky to suggest that a map is something that's built to connect together existing rooms. If you're designing a cohesive and thematic world you'll actually be doing the opposite. You'll figure out a world that you want to create, then you'll map it, and then, based upon your map, you'll figure out what rooms to create.
Map n.
1. A drawing that precisely represents a real or imagined locale. 2. Online Games. A diagram showing logical connections between rooms.
When I talked about rooms in early November I said that there were two different ways that you could determine room sizes: mechanically or utilitarianly. If you did it mechanically, each room was a specific, set size (i.e. 10'x10'), or a couple of set sizes (i.e., 10'x10' or 20'x20' or 40'x40' or 80'x80'), as is done in The Eternal City. If you select room sizes utilitarianly, each room was the size it needed to be (whether than be 10'x5', 200'x10' or something really weird), as is done in Castle Marrach. Obviously, which of these methods you choose to use has a huge affect on how your maps work.
If you decide to select your room sizes mechanically, creating a map is very simple. You pull out a piece of graph paper and you carefully section out your game world, square by square. Then you figure out which graph squares are equivalent to rooms, and you create those rooms. Very simple, but also a somewhat subpar method in my opinion. The problem is that you waste lots of time describing rooms that are of very little importance, simply because they happen to lie between point A and point B. (And then players have to waste time moving through those rooms.)
If, on the other hand, you decide to select your room sizes utilitarianly, you suddenly have a lot of power. You can shape your overall map based upon the realities of how a game will be played within its confines — you include those rooms which will be used and minimalize those which won't be.
By creating a map based on utilitarian rooms you're engaging in the art of abstraction... and doing so is what the rest of this article is going to be about.
The Art of Physicality
The type of map that you're probably most used to is what we call a physical map here at Skotos. It tends to be a fairly accurate representation of real spatial relationships. There's a scale, that shows the relation of the map's distances to the real world's distances. Likewise, directions are almost totally accurate when compared to the real world. Physical maps are pretty handy things.
And, even though that I argue that you'll eventually need to create that abstract map, which matches up with your utilitarian rooms, you still need to start with a physical map first. You must understand how an area actually fits together, in reality, before you can turn it into an online game world. Otherwise, you can accidently end up with a world that is unrealistic. And players will figure out that your world doesn't neatly fit together — trust me.
When you're designing a physical map for your game, you could approach it from one of two directions. Most likely you'll be creating a totally new world. In that case, go wild. Stay far, far away from graphed or hexed paper and instead draw on nice, blank pieces of tree bark (or computer electrons if you prefer). Tape bunches of paper together if you need to. You don't want your world to be constrained by the sizes of paper or grids you happened to have available when you started drawing.
Alternatively, you might be designing a game based upon some real location. In this case, you'll want to dig up real maps of that location, to help you get started. The research can often be as much work as creating something from scratch.
About a month and a half ago, I started to design a Chat Theatre of The White House. Much to my surprise, it was hard to find a good physical map on the Internet. I located a hard-to-read isomorphic map at, but had to actually go to offline sources to figure out the rest. Here's what I came up with, for a physical map of the first floor of the White House:
Physical Map of the First Floor of the White House
As you can see the first floor of the White House has six main rooms. Taking up the entire east side is The East Room. In the north of the center is the Vestibule (yeah, they do use fancy names in the White House). In the south of the center, running east to west, are three more rooms: The Green Room, The Blue Room, and The Red Room. Finally, taking up the southwest corner of the first floor is The State Dining Room. There is some other stuff there — some stairs, a pantry, a private dining room, a lobby, and an ante room — and you can see it all on the physical map, but it's less important.
The crucial point here is that we've now got a physical map and it shows us what this particularly locale really looks like. And you need to understand reality before you can begin treading through realms of abstraction.
Abstracting Art
When you abstract your physical map you'll be creating something called a logical map. It will contain individual nodes, representing rooms, and lines between those rooms, representing directions of travel. Exact sizes will be lost because, following the utilitarian method of room design, a room is a room. We'll throw out some rooms too, and we'll be pretty free with the directions that we use to navigate between different nodes. The object is to create an in-game location that's easy to traverse.
Here's what my logical map looks like for the first floor of the White House:
Logical Map of the First Floor of the White House
Here's some of the more interesting stuff that I did while creating this map:
 - I dumped a bunch of rooms in the northwest corner which I just didn't think would be interesting to the online White House tourist. They should probably be mentioned in the descriptions of nearby rooms, but they just aren't worth rooms in and of themselves.
 - I took that main corridor and minimalized it as much as possible. Corridors are inherently boring rooms, so you don't want players wasting their times on them. Rather than having three corridor "rooms", one each north of the Red, Green, and Blue Rooms, I instead consolidated them into one room, putting entrances to those rooms at south, southwest, and southeast.
 - I ignored multiple entrances. Sure, there should have been two entrances from the East Room to the Green Room, but that would have just confused things.
 - I made all exits and entrances reciprocal. If you walked southwest to get from the East Room to the Green Room, then you walked northeast to go from the Green Room to the East Room. It might not have matched the physical map perfectly, but it was an acceptable alternative, and it made things easy for the players.
Overall, I followed two basic rules, the same two rules that you should follow whenever you're abstracting a physical map into a logical map: map intuitively and map minimalistically.
Building a Map
Now you've got the basics in hand — an understanding of the differences between physical and logical maps, and some ideas about how you can make a logical map more efficient for your players. Let me offer my own suggestions about how you can build a map for your game, step-by-step. Unlike some of the previous processes I've offered, building a map is a really freeform thing. This is clearly just one of many ways you can do it.
1. Draw your Physical Map
As I've already noted you want to start off with a real, physical map. Draw it by hand, or photocopy it out of your favorite reference, but make sure you understand how your world fits together first.
(In actuality, you'll probably be mapping your world one zone at a time, but we'll discuss that more fully next week.)
2. Determine the Important Rooms
You're not going to want to actually depict every locale from your physical map as an individual room. Instead, you want to make sure that players can enjoy the important rooms and ignore the unimportant ones. So, start off by drawing your important rooms in little boxes on a piece of paper, arranging them in approximate spatial relation to each other.
Remember that some rooms aren't technically rooms. They may be large outside areas, or you may even decide to split up a single "room" into multiple in-game room locations.
After you're done drawing in your important rooms on your logical map, you'll find that there are


text:
Luomala, Harri (2004) Exploring origin of food as a source of meanings for Finnish consumers: A qualitative comparison of meanings in Swedish, German and French food. In: Report from NJF seminar 366, Nordic Association of Agricultural Scientists, pp. 53-55.
The findings show that Finnish consumers attach partly overlapping partly distinct cognitive, affective, and normative meanings to Swedish, German, and French food. Swedish and French foods are perceived healthier than German food. Finnish consumers also think that Swedish and French food is of high quality, safe and pure while in the case of German food consumers were more doubtful.
|EPrint Type:||Conference paper, poster, etc.|
|Type of presentation:||Paper|
|Keywords:||origin, food, consumers|
|Deposited By:||Koistinen, Riitta|
|Deposited On:||02 Sep 2009 10:26|
|Last Modified:||12 Apr 2010 07:39|
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How are consciousness and energy related?
 1. May 26, 2005 #1
 I just read this and I wondered about it
 How are consciousness and energy related? We have three options:
 (1) Consciousness is a physical form of energy (even if it is very, very subtle energy);
 (2) Consciousness is a non-physical form of energy;
 (3) Consciousness is not any form of energy.
 (1) Consciousness as a physical form of energy: If we say that consciousness is a form of energy that is physical, then we are reducing consciousness (and spirit) to physics. And few of us, unless we are materialists, want to do that.
 (3) Consciousness is not any form of energy. Our third alternative is to say that consciousness is not a form of energy at all—either physical or nonphysical. Unlike energy, which is some kind of "stuff" that spreads out in space, consciousness isn't made of "stuff," and is not located in space. If this is true, then consciousness would not only be different from energy, it would be nonlocated.
 2. jcsd
 3. May 26, 2005 #2
 User Avatar
 Science Advisor
 Homework Helper
 Consciousness is a state of mind, as in being aware of ourself. It is indirectly related to energy, in that we require energy to be alive, which is requisite to be conscious.
 (Perhaps this thread would be better under the topic of psychology)
 Last edited: May 26, 2005
 4. May 27, 2005 #3
 Consciousness is based on the phenomenon of transduction; we know our relative position in our environment based on the energetics of our environment. Light, heat, even the collisions of molecules making air give us an idea of displacement. Secondly there is a molecular basis of consciousness as it is an amalgamation of protein interaction within us, to understand it is rather complex. I would suggest you look at the two major views in psychology on consiousness; one that it is an integration of various subsystems that work together inorder to process information; the second that its a continually flowing mechanism that is higly volatile and therefore is never constant. Both of these views are somewhat rejected in the current opinions of psychology as now the focus is on the molecular basis of consciousness rather than the aesthetic understanding of it. I feel that it has a direct correlation with energy as firstly you cannot think unless your using energy, secondly our responses and perception is based on the dynamics of various forms of energy. Both of these are important components of what we call consciousness; i.e. the input and processing of information.
 5. May 27, 2005 #4
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 Staff Emeritus
 Gold Member
 Dearly Missed
 I think that the only answers that are appropriate to consider here are the ones to option (1). Basically the energy used in your brains is chemical or electric; and the chemical is fundamentally electronic - swapping electrons between molecules. The subject called "Neural Correlates of Consciousness" discusses research programs for accounting for consciousness in terms of physical energy flows. Google should give you plenty of stuff to look at.
 6. May 27, 2005 #5
 consciousness is best studied in chordates rather than neochordates, its a more simplified expression. However as descartes put it that cognition is extremely mechanistic and that animals are also capable of cognition however we, human beings have much more complex features that make the "operating system" of our persons. Of course the idea is not empirical, yet it appeals to me lol.
 7. Jun 10, 2005 #6
 Wow! Y'all are hittin' on all the biggies of the philosphical questions! What fun!
 Consciousness is what distinguishes organic life from all else. Organic life doesn't mean consciousness, but, in relation to EVERYTHING else, only organic life, as far as we know now, is capable of consciousness. What is it? Partially, it is the ability to distinguish self from non-self - or distinguish at all. Is it significant? Significant to what? All else? Yes. Consciousness is very unique and as such might be the most important thing in existence. Volumes of such questions can be written. But the question of consciousness leads to among the most important of all philosophical questions.
 Simply, consciousness refers to a being's awareness of self and non-self. What one does with that knowedge and capability is the real quest of life, eh? I say we all work together for the benefit of consciousness development and that is our guide.
 Peace & love,
Similar Discussions: How are consciousness and energy related?
 1. The Conscious! (Replies: 9)


text:
This work presents the design, analysis and implementation of the first sub-linear searchable symmetric encryption (SSE) protocol that supports conjunctive search and general Boolean queries on symmetrically-encrypted data and that scales to very large data sets and arbitrarily-structured data including free text search. To date, work in this area has focused mainly on single-keyword search. For the case of conjunctive search, prior SSE constructions required work linear in the total number of documents in the database and provided good privacy only for structured attribute-value data, rendering these solutions too slow and inflexible for large practical databases.
In contrast, our solution provides a realistic and practical trade-off between performance and privacy by efficiently supporting very large databases at the cost of moderate and well-defined leakage to the outsourced server (leakage is in the form of data access patterns, never as direct exposure of plaintext data or searched values). A key aspect of our protocols is that it allows the searcher to pivot its conjunctive search on the estimated least frequent keyword in the conjunction. We show that a Decisional Diffie-Hellman (DDH) based pseudo-random function can be used not just to implement search tokens but also to hide query access pattern of non-pivot, and hence possibly highly frequent, keywords in conjunctive queries. We present a formal cryptographic analysis of the privacy and security of our protocols and establish precise upper bounds on the allowed leakage.
To demonstrate the real-world practicality of our approach, we provide performance results of a prototype applied to several large representative data sets.


Outline of Nicaragua
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 (Redirected from List of Nicaragua-related topics)
Jump to: navigation, search
The location of Nicaragua
An enlargeable map of the Republic of Nicaragua
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Nicaragua:
Nicaraguasovereign, representative democratic republic and the most extensive nation in Central America.[1] It is also the least densely populated with a demographic similar in size to its smaller neighbors. The country is bordered by Honduras to the north and by Costa Rica to the south. The Pacific Ocean lies to the west of the country, while the Caribbean Sea lies to the east. Falling within the tropics, Nicaragua sits 11 degrees north of the Equator, in the Northern Hemisphere.
The country's name is derived from Nicarao,[citation needed] the name of the Nahuatl-speaking tribe which inhabited the shores of Lago de Nicaragua before the Spanish conquest of the Americas, and the Spanish word Agua, meaning water, due to the presence of the large lakes Lago de Nicaragua (Cocibolca) and Lago de Managua (Xolotlán), as well as lagoons and rivers in the region.[2]
At the time of the Spanish conquest, Nicaragua was the name given to the narrow strip of land between Lake Nicaragua and the Pacific Ocean. Chief Nicarao ruled over the land when the first conquerors arrived. The term was eventually applied, by extension, to the Nicarao or Niquirano groups that inhabited that region.
The Nicarao tribe migrated to the area from northern regions after the fall of Teotihuacán, on the advice of their religious leaders. According to tradition, they were to travel south until they encountered a lake with two volcanoes rising out of the waters, and so they stopped when they reached Ometepe, the largest fresh-water volcanic island in the world.
General reference[edit]
An enlargeable relief map of Nicaragua
Geography of Nicaragua[edit]
An enlargeable topographic map of Nicaragua
 Honduras 922 km
 Costa Rica 309 km
 - Coastline: 910 km
Environment of Nicaragua[edit]
An enlargeable satellite image of Nicaragua
Natural geographic features of Nicaragua[edit]
Regions of Nicaragua[edit]
Administrative divisions of Nicaragua[edit]
Departments of Nicaragua[edit]
Municipalities of Nicaragua[edit]
Demography of Nicaragua[edit]
Government and politics of Nicaragua[edit]
Main article: Government of Nicaragua and Politics of Nicaragua
Branches of the government of Nicaragua[edit]
Executive branch of the government of Nicaragua[edit]
Legislative branch of the government of dicksa[edit]
Judicial branch of the government of Nicaragua[edit]
Foreign relations of Nicaragua[edit]
International organization membership[edit]
The Republic of Nicaragua is a member of:[1]
Law and order in Nicaragua[edit]
Military of Nicaragua[edit]
Main article: Military of Nicaragua
History of Nicaragua[edit]
Main article: History of Nicaragua
Culture of Nicaragua[edit]
Main article: Culture of Nicaragua
Art in Nicaragua[edit]
Sports in Nicaragua[edit]
Economy and infrastructure of Nicaragua[edit]
Main article: Economy of Nicaragua
Education in Nicaragua[edit]
See also[edit]
 1. ^ a b "Nicaragua". The World Factbook. United States Central Intelligence Agency. July 7, 2009. Retrieved July 23, 2009.
 2. ^ "Origen del nombre de Nicaragua:" (in Spanish). Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Nicaragua. Retrieved 2007-08-21.
External links[edit]
Wikimedia Atlas of Nicaragua


text:
Bluebird Nemesia features dainty spikes of lightly-scented lilac purple pea-like flowers at the ends of the stems from late spring to late summer. Its small pointy leaves remain green in color throughout the season.
- Mature Height: 12 inches
- Mature Width: 6 inches
- Sunlight: Sun, Part Sun
- Soil Conditions: Moist (Typical)
Plants are constantly growing, ever-changing, and therefore unique. The plant you receive may vary from the photo, but rest assured, holds the same glorious potential!


text:
- Open Access
- Total Downloads : 4
- Authors : Riya Vincent, Mrs. Naganibha A. S, Athul Anand T. M,
- Paper ID : IJERTCONV3IS19165
- Volume & Issue : ICESMART – 2015 (Volume 3 – Issue 19)
- Published (First Online): 24-04-2018
- ISSN (Online) : 2278-0181
- Publisher Name : IJERT
- License: This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
Dumb Aid Mobile Communication System with Hand Gesture Recognition using Neural Network
Department of Electronics and Communication,
T. John Institute of Technology, Bangalore, karnataka, India,
Mrs. Naganibha A. S.,
Department of Electronics and communication,
John Institute of Technology, Bangalore, Karnataka, India.
Athul Anand T. M., Project Manager-Embedded, Arvin Technologies, Kalamassery,Kerala,India.
AbstractDumb aid mobile communication system with voice transmission is a complex electronic device that can help to provide power of speak to a dumb person. With this device a normal man can easily communicate with a dumb person with a hand held device. The proposed system is a transmitter and a receiver coupled device in which one end will have a normal person and a dumb man in the other end.This system is a process of recognizing hand gestures captured using video camera and a standard consumer personal computer, developed and implemented using the MATLAB mathematical environment. A pattern recognition system will be using a transform that converts an image in to a feature vector, which will then be compared with feature vectors of a training set of gestures. Computer recognition of hand gestures may provide a more natural-computer interface, allowing people to point, or rotate a CAD model by their hands. One of the most structured set of gestures belongs to sing language. In sign language, each gesture has an assigned meaning(or meanings)or corresponding voice produced using MATLAB algorithms.The gesture voice is transmitted via DTMF coder/or an application MODEM. A default number will be configured; in addition with manual dialing using a graphical user interface designed using MATLAB. The receiver side person can hear voice of dumb person through this system. This system is going to implemented using Raspberry Pi, a capable little computer. This system also provides normal person make call to communicate to dumb person. Hence two way communication is possible.
Keywords—Neural network,SAD,GPU.
One can create life but no one has the rights to destroy it. The saying goes like this. Though some humans are physically challenged, but this doesnt mean they have to be avoiding of all worldly pleasures, fun, etc. Here in our project we are going to take up this issue to build a mobile communication system which can interpret the sign language by dumb people into speech output. It has the capability of capturing human hand signals and produce speech (voice) output accordingly. Sign language is an expressive and natural way for communication between normal and dumb people (informations majorly conveys through the hand gesture).The intension of the sign language translation system is to translate
normal sign language into speech and to make easy communication with the dumb people. In order to improve the life style of the dumb people the proposed system is developed. Sign language uses both physical and non-physical communication. The physical gesture communication consists of hand gesture that convey respective meaning, the nonphysical is head movements,facial appearance body language and this is different from country to country in orientation and position. Sign language is not universal. America developed American sign language, Britain developed British sign language system and Thailand developed Thai sign language system Different approaches are image processing and data glove. The image processing techniques uses a camera to capture the image/video and analyses the data with static images and recognize the image using algorithms and produce voice signals as output. Vision based sign language recognition system mainly follows the algorithms are hidden markov mode,Artificial neural Networks(ANN) and Sum of Absolute Difference(SAD) Algorithm use to extract image and eliminate the unwanted background noise. Current techniques using super gloves for hand gesture image capturing have disadvantages. It requires a specially designed glove which is an additional hardware. Moreover, there is a delay between input and output too. In order to overcome such drawbacks a device based on neural network is build. This will have the features of efficient generalization ability, tolerance to input noise by hand color detection, reduced delay
,parallel processing,and mathematical modeling is not required.
HAND GESTURE RECOGNITION USING NEURAL NETWORK
Hand gesture recognition is not limited to a paper or digital surfaces. It is also extended to the third dimension. Several researches and attentions are given to this topic because of the difficulties in computational capabilities, learning algorithms and camera performance. Rapid improvements are achieved over the past few years. Complications are made from the static gesture detection. Gesture detection is the combination of different figure states, angles of fingers and its orientations.
Here gestures are recognized by using neural network
.This is an information processing paradigm, inspired by the biological nervous system. For example, it works like how a human brain processes the information. The key element is the novel structure of the information processing system. It solves a specific problem by working large number of highly interconnected processing element together. Like people, it learn from examples. The remarkable advantage is that it can detect gestures effectively than humans or by other computer techniques even if it is complex trained neural network can be called as an expert in the category of information it has been given to analyze. It solves the problem by itself and this cause the problem of unpredictability which is one of the disadvantage.
Hand colour detection
One of the major problems in hand gesture recognition is the background noise. If the dumb person is in a public place such as airport, railway station etc. the background noise will also get converted to voice output. This will create difficulties in the communication. To avoid this, skin colour detection can be used. The skin colour of the dumb person can be extracted from the image taken by camera. By doing this accurate result can be produced. Another approach involves finding the boundary contours of the hand and it is robust in scale, translation and rotation, yet it is extremely demanding computationally. In a multi-system camera is used to pick the center of gravity of the hand and points with maximal distances from the center provide the locations of the finger tips, which are then used to obtain a skeleton image, and finally for gesture recognition for particle filters
Many technological products were developed to comfort and ease the lives of the dumb people. In the case of glove based technique it requires a specially designed glove to be worn by the user. The gestures are recognized only if the glove is used. This becomes an additional hardware requirement and sometimes adds to the discomfort of those people, moreover there is a delay between input and output too. In order to overcome such drawbacks, we have in here a solution using new system to overcome all the short coming of previously proposed system.
A dumb aid mobile communication system is to be designed for providing better communication among dumb and normal person. The design is modeled and simulated using MATLAB and implemented using Raspberry Pi. Raspberry Pi is a credit card sied computer which can do many of the things that your desktop PC does. It can also play high definition video. This contains an ARM1176JZFS, with floating point, running at 700Mhz;and a video core 4 GPU. The GPU is capable of BluRay quality playback, using H.264 at 40MBits/s. It has a fast 3D core accessed using the supplied OpenGL ES2.0 and OpenVG libraries. The performance of the operation of the proposed system should
satisfy the theoretical specifications and can be verified by the simulation results.
Phase I: Image capturing
When the user gives the command by using his hand, the gestures are captured by a video camera. This shall be developed in MATLAB.
Phase II : Image processing
A pattern recognition system will be using a transform that converts an image into a feature vector, which will then be compared with the feature vectors of a training set of gestures.
Phase III: The Gesture Recognition
Gestures are recognized by using neural network. Artificial neural network are generally presented as system of interconnected neurons which can compute values from inputs and are capable of pattern recognition.This is developed in MATLAB environment.
Phase IV: Voice Transmission
The gesture voice is transmitted via DTMF coder/or an application MODEM. A default number will be configured; in addition with manual dialing using a graphical user interface designed using MATLAB. The receiver side person can hear voice of dumb person through this system.
Phase V : Implementation
The system shall implement in Raspberry Pi using openCV language.
Provides a platform for Interaction between a dumb and a normal person who doesnt know the sign language.
Applicable in media for sign language translation.
Dumb aid telephone system with video conferencing facility
Use of same device by multiple people.
The recognition of moving gestures can be resolved using accelerometer sensor at wrist for full capture of the wrist movement changes
Meenakshi Panwar, Hand Gesture based Interface for Aiding Visually Impaired, Centre for Development of Advanced Computing Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India, 2012 International Conference on Recent Advances in Computing and Software Systems.
simulation of real time hand gesture recognition for physically impaired. international journal of advanced research in computer and communication engineering vol. 2, issue 11, november 2013.
Higgins, E.L., & Zvi, J.C. (1995). Assistive technology for postsecondary students with learning disabilities: From research to practice. Annals of Dyslexia, 45: 123-143.
Wetzel, K. (1996). Speech


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Problem Identification: Fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) is prevalent among people with cancer; therefore, it is important to determine whether interventions offered to this population are effective in alleviating FCR. This review summarizes randomized, controlled trials in the literature about the effect of psychosocial interventions on FCR in people with cancer.
Literature Search: A systematic review of the literature was conducted using PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library.
Data Evaluation: Extracted data included cancer type, number of participants, intervention type and duration, follow-ups, and primary and secondary outcomes.
Synthesis: 10 studies met inclusion criteria. Types of interventions included mindfulness-based therapy (n = 3), cognitive behavioral therapy (n = 4), psychoeducational interventions (n = 1), gratitude interventions (n = 1), and communication interventions (n = 1).
Implications for Practice: Psychosocial interventions are beneficial for alleviating FCR and positively affect depression, anxiety, and quality of life in people with cancer.


_USER_ {1696, title = {Modeling the uncertainties in renewable generation and smart grid loads for the study of the grid vulnerability}, booktitle = {2016 IEEE Power \& Energy Society Innovative Smart Grid Technologies Conference (ISGT)}, year = {2016}, month = {09/2016}, pages = {1 - 5}, publisher = {IEEE}, organization = {IEEE}, address = {Minneapolis, MN, USA}, abstract = {
The uncertainties of power systems are becoming more and more important due to power systems restructuring and ever increasing renewable generation integration into the grid. In the literature several uncertainty modeling approaches have been proposed to facilitate decision making process for efficient operation of power systems. These approaches mainly focus on deriving a statistical representation for different sources of uncertainty such as load, generation, and line capacities. However, there is a need for an uncertainty model which can capture the frequency components of uncertainty signals for applications such as voltage control, frequency control/ stability, and grid vulnerability analysis. In this paper we proposed an uncertainty modeling approach that captures the high dynamics of renewable generation uncertainty and smart grid loads and reveals their frequency domain characteristics. We tested the proposed model on IEEE 300 bus system to evaluate the impact of uncertainty on line flows.
}, keywords = {RM14-003}, doi = {10.1109/ISGT.2016._PHONE_}, author = {Mir Hadi Athari and Zhifang Wang} }


text:
This is Science Today. A new study has found ergonomically
correct tools - such as computer keyboards - benefit
workers a little later than previously thought. David
Rempel, the director of the University of California's
Ergonomics Program, says this study, which was done
in connection with researchers at the Lawrence Livermore
National Laboratory, concluded that people using such
tools shouldn't decide whether they work based on
Rempel: The value of a study like this is,
for the first time it looks like a relatively simple
intervention - making a small change in the keyboard
which doesn't significantly impact the cost of the
keyboard - might have some health value.
Narrator: While their work did find ergonomically
correct keyboards very beneficial, Rempel recommends
other activities as well.
Rempel: Limit the number of hours on the computer,
make sure they're adequate work breaks and make sure
that the whole workstation is set up properly for
the person's body size.
Narrator: For Science Today, I'm Larissa Branin


text:
Alabama Bronze Map
A Guide to the Images of the Bronze Map on the Lawn of the Alabama Department of Archives and History
33. King Cotton
Because cotton was Alabama's major cash crop from the antebellum period until well into the twentieth century, Alabama became known as the Cotton State.


Military Doctrine
Authored by: Harald Høiback
Routledge Handbook Of Defence Studies
Print publication date: February 2018
Online publication date: February 2018
Print ISBN: 9781138122505
eBook ISBN: 9781315650463
Adobe ISBN:
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Military doctrine may be defined as the shared software of the military mind. Doctrine makes it possible for huge groups of people to cooperate efficiently in complex and fast-changing environments. Doctrine gave the Roman legions their fighting edge and made Lord Nelson's fleet invincible. Despite its crucial role in war, the concept of doctrine is strangely underexplored in military literature and textbooks. One of the reasons for this academic neglect is that doctrine has a sinister ring to it. This chapter explains what military doctrine actually is, why doctrine has got undeservedly bad publicity, and why doctrine is still crucial for future military success, particularly in times of peace and in coalitions and alliances. Modern communication technology has increased, not reduced, the need for viable military doctrine.
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Office of University Communications
From Martha Mitchell's Encyclopedia Brunoniana:
Gymnastics became important in 1891, when Lyman Gymnasium was built and Dr. Fred E. Parker was appointed director of physical culture. Regular classes for students included instruction in Indian clubs, dumb-bells, single-sticks, and foils. A demonstration of physical training by six hundred students in Infantry Hall on March 3, 1898 was the first of the annual gymnastic demonstrations. In 1914 a varsity gym team coached by Lucien Joseph Gay was successful in its two meets with Harvard and Haverford. The next year the team lost to Harvard and Yale, defeated Dartmouth (in the first athletic contest since Brown and Dartmouth severed athletic relations in 1907). and participated for the first time in the annual intercollegiate meet at Columbia. Team captain Edward Hincks '15 was prevented by an injury from participation in that meet, and Brown came away scoreless. In 1916 Hincks coached the team through a longer season of three losses and four wins, team captain Ernest Mattison '16 amassed fifteen first places during the season, and Brown was second in the intercollegiate meet at Philadelphia. The gym team disappeared after the season of 1917, during which it defeated Harvard and Haverford and tied with Dartmouth.
Jackie Court has coached women's gymnastics since from 1970. The team had its first winning season, 6-4, in 1979 and a better season, 10-1, in 1980, followed by an undefeated season in nine dual meets in 1980-81. The team finished third in the Ivy League in 1986 and 1988. In 1990 Brown hosted the Ivy tournament and won the championship with a school-record 175.80,.05 of a point ahead of Yale. Funding for women's gymnastics as a varsity sport was withdrawn in 1991 as part of the University's budget reduction.
The above entry appears in Encyclopedia Brunoniana by Martha Mitchell, copyright ©1993 by the Brown University Library. It is used here by permission of the author and the University and may not be copied or further distributed without permission.


Do zero onset syllables in English start with a glottal stop?
asked 2015-09-02 10:34:46 -0500
MariaJoy gravatar image
My Arabic professor was explaining how there are no zero-onset syllables in Arabic because if they don't start with another consonant, they at least start with a glottal stop. He said we do the same thing in English -words like 'Alison' and 'Ian' and 'outside, etc. all start with a glott stop, but we aren't trained to hear it. Is this true?
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substituted taxa names as explained below.
Among all the hits obtained for a given read, first the LCA of the taxon names corresponding to the top two scoring hits is obtained. This LCA is identified as the first candidate ancestor. The hit with the next highest score is then added to the previous hits considered, and the combined LCA of the corresponding taxa names is obtained from these hits. If this LCA is not the same as the one obtained earlier, it is added to the existing set of candidate ancestors. In this way a set of candidate ancestors for a given read is obtained by traversing the entire list of hits till the last hit is reached.
Step 2. Obtaining distances between candidate ancestors and hits
In this step, distances are calculated between the candidate ancestors and the set of taxa corresponding to the hits. The level of a taxon in the NCBI taxonomy tree denotes the distance traversed in terms of the number of edges from the root to that taxon. This level information is used for obtaining distances between any two taxa. If the taxon corresponding to a hit is a child node of a candidate ancestor, then the distance between the candidate ancestor and that taxon is equal to difference of levels between them. If the taxon corresponding to a hit is not a child node of a candidate ancestor, then the LCA of the candidate ancestor and that taxon is obtained, and the distance between them is subsequently calculated using the following formula:
Step 3. Assignment of reads to the 'Most Probable Ancestor'
In this step, the 'bit-score/distance' ratio between a hit and a candidate ancestor is obtained by dividing the bit-score of the hit by the distance of its corresponding taxon from the candidate ancestor (obtained as described in the previous step). These ratios are obtained considering all the hits and the candidate ancestors. For each candidate ancestor, the 'bit-score/distance' ratios obtained with each of the hits are then summed. The candidate ancestor with the highest sum, referred to as the 'Most Probable Ancestor' (MPA), is selected, and the read is assigned to the taxon corresponding to this candidate ancestor.
Step 4. Re-classifying assignments to isolated taxa
The objective of this step is to reduce the number of misclassified sequences. For this purpose, all assignments to isolated taxa are re-analyzed using the work-flow illustrated in Figure 2. Isolated taxa are defined as those taxa to which the number of reads assigned is less than a given threshold. This threshold is hereafter referred to as 'Isolated Taxon Size'.
In this step, reads assigned to each isolated taxon are reassigned to the taxon corresponding to their immediate phylogenetic ancestor, if the cumulative number of reads assigned to the latter taxon is greater than the Isolated Taxon Size. If this cumulative number does not exceed the Isolated Taxon Size, the above mentioned step is iterated for progressively higher taxonomic levels (up to the level of super-kingdom). This iteration is performed till an ancestor taxon is found for which the cumulative number of reads assigned exceeds the Isolated Taxon Size. However, if the cumulative number of reads for any of the ancestor taxa does not exceed the 'Isolated Taxon Size', reads assigned to the isolated taxon are categorized as 'unassigned'.
In the present study, an 'Isolated Taxon Size' of 300 or 1% of the total number of reads (whichever is less) was used. A value of 300 was used keeping in mind the presence of rare organisms in typical metagenomic samples. This value ensured that reads originating from rare organisms or organisms with small genome sizes are not unnecessarily reassigned at non-specific taxonomic levels. For example, the value of 300 ensures that an organism having a genome length as low as 0.6 Mb and also with extremely low coverage (as low as 0.5X, 0.2X, 0.13X and 0.05X, for read lengths of 1000 bp, 400 bp, 250 bp and 100 bp, respectively) is not picked up as an isolated taxon.
Consequently, reads belonging to this organism are not re-assigned at non-specific taxonomic levels during the reclassification step.
Strategy for evaluating the binning time
In order to evaluate the binning time achieved using the 'bit-score/distance ratio approach' (adopted by DiScRIBinATE) as compared to the 'orthology based approach' (used by SOrt-ITEMS) and standard LCA-based approach (used by MEGAN), the time taken by DiScRIBinATE, SOrt-ITEMS and MEGAN for binning 100000, 200000, 500000 and _PHONE_ sequences was determined. These tests were performed on a work station with Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU, 1.86 GHz processor.
Data sets used for evaluating binning accuracy and specificity
Thirty-five completely sequenced bacterial genomes belonging to diverse taxonomic clades were downloaded from NCBI website _URL_ webcite. Using MetaSim, four data sets were created namely, Sanger, 454-400, 454-250 and 454-100. Each data set consisted of 35,000 reads (1000 reads from each genome) simulating the typical read lengths and errors models associated with Sanger (read lengths centred round 800 base pairs), 454-Titanium (400 bp), 454-FLX (250 bp), and 454-GS20 (100 bp) respectively.
Database variants used for evaluating binning accuracy and specificity
To validate the performance of DiScRIBinATE, with respect to the assignment of reads originating from 'known' as well as 'unknown' organisms, input reads were queried against the following three variants of the nr database.
a. 'Species unknown'
nr database where sequences belonging to the query species are absent. This scenario mimics a scenario wherein the read sequences belong to an unknown species.
b. 'Genus unknown'
nr database where sequences belonging to the query genus are absent. This scenario simulates a situation wherein read sequences originate from an unknown genus.
c. 'Family unknown'
nr database where sequences belonging to the query family are absent. This scenario simulates a situation wherein read sequences originate from an unknown family.
Categorization of taxonomic assignments
To quantify the accuracy and specificity of assignment of reads, the results obtained for the four validation data sets against the three database variants (mentioned above) were categorized as follows:
a. Correct assignments
Assignment of a read to a taxon that lies in the path between the root and the taxon corresponding to the source organism of the read was categorized as 'correct assignment'. For example, if the read originated from Burkholderia ambifaria AMMD, then its assignment to any of the taxa mentioned below was categorized as a correct assignment.
root; cellular organisms; Bacteria; Proteobacteria; Betaproteobacteria; Burkholderiales; Burkholderiaceae; Burkholderia; Burkholderia cepacia complex; Burkholderia ambifaria; Burkholderia ambifaria AMMD.
To quantify the specificity, the 'Correct assignments' were sub-grouped into the following categories:
1. Higher (or Non-Specific) level: Correct assignments of the reads at the level of root or cellular organisms or super-kingdom.
2. Intermediate levels: Correct assignments of the reads at the level of phylum or class or order.
3. Specific levels: Assignments of the reads at the level of family or below.
b. Wrong assignments
Assignment of a read to a taxon that does not lie in the path between the root and the taxon corresponding to the source organism of the read was categorized as 'Wrong assignment'.
Those reads for which none of the hits had a bit-score greater than or equal to 35 and/or an alignment length of greater than 25 were classified as 'Unassigned'.
d. No hits
All reads with no BLAST hits were categorized as 'No hits'.
Results obtained using DiScRIBinATE were categorized into the above classes and were compared with corresponding results generated by the SOrt-ITEMS and the MEGAN program. Both SOrt-ITEMS and MEGAN were run using a "minimum bin-size" threshold of two. Results obtained for DiScRIBinATE after applying the reclassification step were compared with those obtained with SOrt-ITEMS and MEGAN.
Comparative evaluation of binning time
As shown in Figure 3, DiScrIBinATE takes just half the time (similar to MEGAN), as compared to SOrt-ITEMS, for binning an equivalent number of reads. This is expected since the 'bit-score/distance ratio' approach adopted in DiScRIBinATE is an alignment-free method and involves simple mathematical calculations, as against the orthology step (involving alignment of sequences) used in SOrt-ITEMS.
Figure 3. Comparative evaluation of binning time. Plot comparing the time taken (in minutes) by DiScrIBinATE (black-solid line), MEGAN (grey-solid line) and SOrt-ITEMS (grey-dotted line) for binning 100000, 200000, 500000 and _PHONE_ metagenomic reads. The tests were performed on an Intel (R) Xeon CPU workstation (with a 1.86 Ghz processor).
Comparative evaluation of binning accuracy and specificity
Figure 4 and Additional file 1 summarize results obtained


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CRAFT: File Folder Story
Before class: Make copies of Reproducible 10e.
The children may need more than one page if they usethe same character more than once in their file folder story.
- Give each child a copy of "File Folder Story" and an unused file folder.
*You could also use two pieces of construction paper, cardstock, or regular paper taped together.
o Make a title page for the story on the front cover of the file folder.
o On the inside of the file folder, make 4 different scenes:
1. Peter and John see the man lying on the cot and heal him.
2. Peter and John tell the crowd how the man was healed.
3. The leaders put Peter and John in prison.
4. The leaders let Peter and John go because the crowd had seen the miracle and wanted them released.
o On the back of the file folder, write our Bible verse: "As for us, we can't stop speaking about what we have seen and heard." Acts 4:20
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These nonnative vines are well known for both their food value and their aggressive growth. Himalayan blackberry spreads over other plants or buildings and can form dense, thorny thickets. Native blackberries also grow in this region, but they are a much rarer sight.
Himalayan blackberry is a mostly evergreen perennial with nearly erect stems that clamber and sprawl when they grow long; they can reach up to 35 feet in length. Stems have strong, broad-based spines that hold on tenaciously and older stems are five-angled. Leaves usually have five oval leaflets, bright green above and gray to white beneath. Small flowers are white to pinkish. The fruit is a juicy, edible blackberry up to half an inch thick and is the most common wild blackberry harvested in western Washington.


Central America
People and Culture of Central America
The Unique Culture of Central America
demonstration of a Mayan Ritual competition in Iximche, Guatemala.
Demonstration of a Mayan Ritual competition in Iximche, Guatemala.
Most of the people of Central America are either Native American or a mix of Native American and Spanish. The predominant religion is Roman Catholic, mainly due to the Catholic missionaries that arrived with the Spanish Conquistadors in the 15th century. Over half of Central America is considered poor and almost all of the indigenous people of the region live in poverty.
While each country has its own distinct heritage, there are different influences in each country. For example, Belize is the only country without Spanish as its national language due to the fact that it was a colony of England until a few short decades ago. In every country you will be able to find traditional foods like masa, pozole, and sopes prepared with maize – or, corn – considered the most important crop of the region historically. Today, bananas, cotton, coffee, and sugar are the main export crops of the region.
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« · »
Exploration 19.3: Calorimetry
mass = kg
initial temperature = K
Please wait for the animation to completely load.
When two objects at different temperatures are in thermal contact with each other, they will eventually reach the same temperature. Heat will flow from the warmer object to the cooler one until they are at the same temperature (temperature is given in kelvin and heat is given in joules). Using the equation for heat absorbed or released with a temperature change, Q = mc (Tf - Ti), where Q is the heat, m is the mass, c is the specific heat, and T is the temperature (with subscripts indicating final and initial temperatures), we can determine the specific heat of an object. Restart.
In the animation a piece of metal at a high temperature is placed in water at a lower temperature and, if the water is well insulated so we can assume essentially no heat loss to the environment, the final temperature of the water/metal combination depends on the mass of the water, the mass of the metal, and the specific heat of each. Try changing the initial temperature of the metal and the mass of the metal. By equating the heat lost by the object to the heat gained by the water, we can calculate the specific heat of an unknown object or the final temperature of the system. There are 10 kg of water, and the specific heat of water is 4.186 kJ/kg·K. The specific heat of the block is 0.39 kJ/kg·K.
 1. For a 1-kg block and an initial block temperature of 800 K, use the equation above to calculate the heat absorbed by the water and the heat released by the block when they reach the final temperature.
 2. What is the scale for the heat on the bar graphs? In other words, what unit of heat does each mark correspond to (10 kJ, 100 kJ, 200 kJ, etc.)?
 3. If m = 3 kg and the initial temperature of the block is 1000 K, equate the heat released to the heat absorbed to predict the final temperature. Run the animation to check your prediction of both the final temperature and the heat released and absorbed.
Download PDF Worksheet
Exploration authored by Anne J. Cox.
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Open Source Physics - Tracker - EJS Modeling
Physlet Physics
Physlet Quantum Physics


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February 6 2013 4 06 /02 /February /2013 17:08
Lachrymatory agents, normally called tear gases, are a group of chemicals that cause non-lethal and temporary irritation of the eyes and respiratory passages.
One of the most common tear gases is the often reddish-colored OC (Oleoresin Capsicum), although it is more often called "pepper spray". It is the least toxic and most potent member of the tear gas group, and it has replaced other gases in hand-held spray containers. In those containers, it is good for personal defense and targeting aggressive individuals, but it is not as good for dispersing an unruly crowd. OC does not evaporate or dissolve in water. There is no effective neutralizer. Copious flushing with cold water is the normal decontamination procedure.
 My experience with pepper spray
CS gas is what most people think of as tear gas. It is a colorless solid at room temperature that is either placed in solution and dispersed as an aerosol or placed in a pyrotechnic device and dispersed as a smoke. It has very similar effects as pepper spray, and is only mildly toxic. CS can be neutralized by a solution of sodium bisulfite.
Egypt's regime is well known for using tear gas on protestors, with the tear gas being made in the United States. Here is an article by Russia Today about it: _URL_ Here is a picture of the MADE IN USA label. _URL_
Here are military servicemembers going through NBC training, in which they breathe in CS gas:
CN is an older tear gas which has pretty much fallen out of use. It is more toxic and less effective then CS. It used to be dissolved in a hydrocarbon solvent and sold as "Mace". Mace now sells "Triple Action Sprays" which contain CN as well as OC.
There are several other tear gases that are less commonly used, such as adamsite, a highly toxic arsenic-containing irritant gas developed during World War I, and xylyl bromide. Some new tear gases synthesized from tear-producing onions are also coming into use as a less-toxic alternative to CS and CN.
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What is author impact data?
The Author impact is a summarized view of the impact data collected from all the articles you have published and linked to your Frontiers profile.
It is an aggregation of the total number of article views, downloads and citations.
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You find the number under the Impact tab: