TY - VIDEO DB - /z-wcorg/ DP - _URL_ ID - 45831754 LA - English T1 - Heaven and hell Blues for a red planet A1 - Sagan, Carl,, KCET (Television station : Los Angeles, Calif.), Carl Sagan Productions., British Broadcasting Corporation., Television Service., Polytel International., PB - Cosmos Studios CY - Studio City, CA Y1 - 2000/// SN - _PHONE_ 9780970351159 AB - [Volume] IV : Host Carl Sagan describes the interaction of two processes, gradualism and catastrophism, which he maintains are responsible for the evolution of our universe, solar system, and even life on earth. Dr. Sagan discusses meteorites and comets, especially the Tunguska blast, and introduces the concept of comparative planetology. The theories of Velikovsky and other theories about the planet Venus are presented. [Volume] V : Reviews man's fascination with Mars and theories about the planet, notably those of Percival Lowell. Uses special effects, elaborate models and actual photographs relayed from Mariner and Viking probes. Discusses the advances in our knowledge of Mars since the times of Wells, Lowell, and Goddard. Speculates on the future. ER -


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Divine Service (Eastern Orthodoxy)
The word may be used also of the Divine Liturgy, though its normal connotation is the Daily Office. For Orthodox Christians, the serving of God in divine worship is an obligation of every Christian. This obligation involves both private and public worship.
In Orthodox theology, the first divine service was offered by Adam and Eve together in the Garden of Eden. In Paradise, divine worship consisted of freely glorifying God, which came naturally to them as a result of their unimpeded theoria (vision of God in his Divine Energies). After the Fall of man, this theoria became clouded, and worship required effort on the part of man. Now divine service was accomplished in the form of sacrificial offerings, penance and prayer. These sacrifices were later codified in the Law of Moses. Thence forward, only specific offerings were made, by specific persons (priests), in a specific manner, and at a specific place (eventually, the Temple in Jerusalem), and specific liturgical days and feasts were instituted. In Orthodox theology, any efficacy in these Old Testament sacrifices is dependent upon the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross.
After the Resurrection of Jesus and Pentecost, the Early Church originally continued to participate in the rites of the Jewish Temple (Acts 2:46-47; 3:1; 5:21, etc.), in addition to their own celebrations of the Eucharist and agape feasts. But after the Second Destruction of the Temple by the Romans in 70 AD, Christians began to develop their own distinct forms of worship. They did retain, however, some elements of Old Testament worship (chanting of the Psalms, use of incense, etc.) and the setting aside of specific times of the day for worship (Psalm 119:147-148; 119:164).
These periods of prayer eventually developed into seven distinct services, held (a) during the three major periods of the day (evening, morning, and noonday) and (b) during the night watches.
The liturgical celebrations that make up the divine services of the Orthodox Church are:
- Vespers—Evening worship, the beginning of the liturgical day
- Compline—Final service before retiring to sleep
- Midnight Office—Celebrated in the middle of the night, or at least before Matins
- Matins—The morning office, served so as to end at dawn with the chanting of the Lauds
- First Hour—Chanted in the first hour of daylight (approx. 6:00 am)
- Third Hour—Chanted in the third hour of daylight (approx. 9:00 am)
- Sixth Hour—Chanted at midday (approx. 12:00 pm)
- Ninth Hour—Chanted in the ninth hour of daylight (approx. 3:00 pm)
All of these services are traditionally celebrated by all members of the church (with the exception of the Midnight Office, which is a specifically monastic office). However, today the full cycle of divine services are usually only celebrated in cathedrals and large monasteries.
The seven services (excluding Midnight Office) developed in part from the daily services in the Temple in Jerusalem, partly from the Jewish services in the Synagogue, and partly from the cultural influences of the various areas wherein the services developed. (most notably the Holy Land, Egypt and Constantinople). The number seven is derived from Psalm 119:164 "Seven times a day will I praise Thee for Thy righteous judgements." However, another psalm says, "Evening, morning and noonday will I praise Thee." (Psalm 55:17). For this reason, the tradition developed of grouping the seven services into three aggregates. Thus, there are three major times of prayer during the day. Though the particular services which make up the three aggregates will differ based on the feast day being celebrated, and the season of the liturgical year, the most common aggregation is as follows:
- Evening—Ninth Hour, Vespers, Compline
- Morning—(Midnight Office), Matins, First Hour
- Noonday—Third Hour, Sixth Hour, Divine Liturgy
The Divine Liturgy is not technically a part of the daily cycle of services, since theologically, the celebration of the Eucharist takes place in eternity. It is also not served daily in most parishes and smaller monasteries. However, when it is served, it is usually scheduled into the noonday aggregate.
- Pomazansky, Protopresbyter Michael (1984), "Prayer", Orthodox Dogmatic Theology: A Concise Exposition (Tr. Hieromonk Seraphim Rose), Platina, Cal.: Saint Herman of Alaska Brotherhood, p. 309, LC 84-051294
- Slobodskoy, Archpriest Seraphim (1996), "The Concept of Serving God, Divine Service", The Law of God, Jordanville, N.Y.: Holy Trinity Monastery, p. 523, ISBN 0-88465-044-8
- Cabrol, F. (1912), "Christian Worship", The Catholic Encyclopedia XV, New York: Robert Appleton Company, retrieved 2007-12-30

source: HuggingFaceFW/fineweb-edu


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Enhancing opportunities for Australian aboriginal literacy learners in early childhood settings.In the context of contemporary Australian society, the education system is still failing to increase educational outcomes among the majority of Australian Aboriginal (1) learners. This is evidenced in research (see Batten bat·ten 1
v. bat·tened, bat·ten·ing, bat·tens
1. To become fat.
2., Frigo, Hughes, & McNamara, 1998; Department of Employment, Education, and Training, 1995, 1997; Ministerial Council on Education Employment Training and Youth Affairs, 2000) and in annual results from statewide testing programs. This educational dilemma has persisted despite the regular introduction of systemic initiatives and funding aimed at addressing Australian Aboriginal learners' low educational outcomes. Continued tension exists between, on the one hand, policy and suggested strategies addressing the broad context, and, on the other hand, the development of context-specific classroom practices that will enhance literacy outcomes for Australian Aboriginal learners. While various approaches can be considered, the uniqueness of the Australian experience--both in historical and contemporary contexts--requires consideration of Australian histories, cultures, and geography. In light of this, a cultural-historical approach that "assumes that individual development and disposition must be understood in (not separate from) cultural and historical context[s]" (Gutierrez & Rogoff, 2003, p. 22) provides a useful framework for discussion.
The purpose of this article is to focus on how young Australian Aboriginal learners experience early childhood literacy practices. The cultural-historical perspective used by the authors considers the inequities often embedded Inserted into. See embedded system. within these practices and identifies ways in which issues of social justice and historical and cultural understanding can be emphasized to provide support for these learners that will enhance their learning opportunities. It draws on the literature of critical literacy Critical literacy is an instructional approach that advocates the adoption of critical perspectives toward text. Critical literacy encourages readers to actively analyze texts and it offers strategies for uncovering underlying messages., initially explored by Freire (1987, 1996), who believed, "Language and reality [to be] dynamically interconnected," and that "The understanding attained by critical reading of a text implies perceiving the relationship between text and context" (Freire & Macedo, 1987, p. 29). Freire recognized that "reading the world precedes reading the word and reading the word implies continually reading the world" (Freire & Macedo, 1987, p. 35).
The more recent work of Luke and Freebody (1997) confronted traditional views of literacy and argued that the contexts of literacy instruction are not "neutral," nor are the contexts of literacy events necessarily "level playing fields See net neutrality.." All learners do not have comparable access to such resources as linguistic knowledge, representational systems representational systems,
n.pl a neurolinguistic programming term for the senses (visual, auditory, olfactory, kinesthetic, and gustatory)., and mediational means and cultural artifacts A cultural artifact is a human-made which gives information about the culture of its creator and users. The artifact may change over time in what it represents, how it appears and how and why it is used as the culture changes over time. or status. An understanding of critical literacy requires the "analysis and critique of the relationships among language, power, social groups and social practices" (Knobel & Honan Honan: see Henan, China., 1998, p. 127). Such understandings are acquired in functional settings and cannot be divorced from social practice (Gilbert, 1993). The sociocultural so·ci·o·cul·tur·al
Of or involving both social and cultural factors.
soci·o·cul construction of literacy, which has a crucial role to play in understanding how young learners interact/react in unfamiliar education settings, is underpinned by critical literacy concepts. Learners who have ready access to the dominant literacies of education have a decided advantage over minority groups, including Australian Aboriginal groups, who are unfamiliar with these literacies. Lankshear, Gee, Knobel, and Searle (1997) explain this advantage as being empowering to the dominant groups, who make what they already have (or have privileged access to) into currency for acquiring social goods and benefits.
Each country throughout the world has its own set of cultural-historical contexts that profoundly affect the construction of relationships between aboriginal populations and education. Australia is no different. The following details provide an overview of the historical and cultural, geographical, and literacy contexts particular to Australia.
Historical and Cultural Although the period of postcolonial post·co·lo·ni·al
Of, relating to, or being the time following the establishment of independence in a colony: postcolonial economics. history in Australian history is minimal (approximately 225 years) when measured against Australian Aboriginal history (beyond 40,000 years), the changes it has wrought upon the Australian Aboriginal populations have been enormous. Through deliberate policies of deculturalization, Australian Aboriginal communities faced complete forced restructuring of their societies and the loss of many traditional languages. Consequently, Australian Aboriginal families and communities have fragmented, as communities were removed from their "country" and resettled Adj. 1. resettled - settled in a new location
settled - established in a desired position or place; not moving about; "nomads...absorbed among the settled people"; "settled areas"; "I don't feel entirely settled here"; "the advent of settled in areas convenient to those in power.
Until very recently, the focus of Australian history centered around the view that Australia's history began when the Europeans arrived in 1770. Australia was claimed by the British and declared "Terra Nullus" (uninhabited, empty, vacant land). This early assumption shaped the Eurocentric slant to the history that was taught (and, in some cases, continues to be taught) in schools. As a result, limited understanding exists in the non-Aboriginal community of the mostly unwritten LAW, UNWRITTEN, or lex non scripta. All the laws which do not come under the definition of written law; it is composed, principally, of the law of nature, the law of nations, the common law, and customs. histories of Australia's Aboriginal people. Access to this critical information is still limited and is mostly available only in oral form from a select few Aboriginal people and communities that have been able to recall and / or articulate their historical connections with their culture and land.
Prior to the European invasion and occupation, around 700 different traditional Australian Aboriginal languages Australian Aboriginal languages
Group of perhaps as many as 500 languages spoken by the 300,000 to 1,000,000 native inhabitants of Australia before the beginning of European conquest in 1788. were spoken in Australia; today, however, few people speak the original languages. In the past, the treatment encountered by Australian Aboriginal people, through government policies, both written and unwritten, caused many Australian Aboriginal people to foster negative feelings and attitudes towards education, authority, and government bodies. These government policies--while not always specific--certainly did not preclude eradication, extermination extermination
mass killing of animals or other pests. Implies complete destruction of the species or other group., and genocide genocide, in international law, the intentional and systematic destruction, wholly or in part, by a government of a national, racial, religious, or ethnic group. by those in control. In fact, it was not until the first and only successful Commonwealth Government referendum in 1967 that Australian Aboriginal people were recognized as rightful citizens of their own country. During the 1880s, for example, political policies placed Australian Aboriginal people under the complete control of the government, and they were forbidden to speak their traditional languages. They were forced to learn English, with minimal school education available to assist them. The coercion coercion, in law, the unlawful act of compelling a person to do, or to abstain from doing, something by depriving him of the exercise of his free will, particularly by use or threat of physical or moral force. to learn Standard Australian English (SAE sae abbr (BRIT) (= stamped addressed envelope) → sobre con las propias señas de uno y con sello ) continues to the present day, with many Australian Aboriginal people subjected to negative experiences when attempting to be successful readers and writers of this language. Rather than automatically taking up SAE, however, the Australian Aboriginal people developed language variations that have become known as Aboriginal English (AE). These AE languages, developed from their traditional Australian Aboriginal languages overlaid o·ver·laid
Past tense and past participle of overlay1. with SAE, are now the first and home languages of many Aboriginal people throughout Australia (Simpson, 1998).
Across Australia, considerable variations can be found within AEs, but certain syntactical syn·tac·tic or syn·tac·ti·cal
Of, relating to, or conforming to the rules of syntax.
[Greek suntaktikos, putting together, from suntaktos, constructed, from patterns and elements of vocabulary remain constant. Despite AE generally being recognized by government departments, it is often perceived within the wider community as a poor form of SAE that requires remediation and/or correction, rather than being acknowledged as a separate and first language for some that should be taught as a second language for others (Simpson, Munns, & Clancy, 1999).
The difficulties surrounding the enormously complex gaps of understanding about historical, cultural, and language differences have had a profound effect on the ways in which Australian Aboriginal


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What does water represent in the Bible? What does the number 7 represent?
To my knowledge water in the Bible stands for nothing except water. As to why God utilized it as He did we are not told. It could be that since water is the predominant element in physical cleansing God utilized it in the spiritual cleansing as well. We are not given any reason for His utilization of water and we are not told that it represents anything. As to the number 7 and its meaning; Seven is the number used is scripture extensively representing perfection or completion. It was used primarily in the apocalyptic writings; Ezekiel, Daniel and Revelation signifying such. Apocalyptic literature was written in signs and symbols to veil the meaning of the message from certain enemies but readily understood by the people of God. What does "cor jesu adveniat regnam tuum adveniat per marian" mean? It is a Latin phrase meaning "Heart of Jesus may you come (to me). May your kingdom come through Mary." What is the canonization of the old testament. The word canon comes from the Greek kanon,

source: openbmb/Ultra-FineWeb


Notes and queries
Ulysses – the greatest literary cover version? Going to hell – why in a handcart? Can you ever overspend on a wedding?
ULYSSES notes and queries
Homer rewrite... Barbara Jefford and Milo O'Shea in the 1967 film Ulysses. Photograph: Allstar/BRITISH LION/Sportsphoto Ltd./Allstar
Music has a long history of cover versions and the film industry is not shy of remakes, but are there any notable literary cover versions/rewrites?
It was a surprise to see that someone from Dublin needed to ask this question: Ulysses, by James Joyce, the greatest novel of the 20th century, is arguably a rewrite of Homer's Odyssey and is set in Dublin on 16 June (Bloomsday) 1904.
While not strictly a cover version, Joyce did use the poem as a framework. The parallels can be strong; particularly in the identification of three main characters – Bloom/Odysseus, Stephen/ Telemachus and Molly/Penelope – or approximate, as in the events of the poem. Famously, for instance, the myopic giant Cyclops is memorably transformed into a bigoted pub bore. Much of the joy in the novel is teasing out the numerous echoes of the ancient poem in the modern masterpiece.
Fred Haynes, London SE22
There are believed to be only seven plot-lines in fiction. Everything else is just an arrangement.
Jo Baker, Birmingham
It depends on which level you look at. Basically, most literary works are variations of sex and crime. Then there are several dozens of recurrent themes in world literature, such as adultery stories, forgotten passwords, kinky priests, lovers who cannot be together and so on. That already makes a lot of stories retold, albeit in different settings. And there are novels, plays and poems citing in their title earlier works, such as Antigone (notably by Bertolt Brecht and Jean Anouilh). On the other hand, Boccaccio's Decameron is a bonanza for later authors.
Roland Wittig, Freiberg, Germany
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski is pretty much a rewrite of Hamlet set in modern-day Wisconsin – with some dogs thrown in for good measure.
Steve Bound, St Albans, Herts
Almost every story ever written stems from folk tales and thus share themes, characters and plotlines.
Sophie Ward, Newcastle
Stephen Fry wrote that his The Stars' Tennis Balls was "a straight steal, virtually identical in all but period and style to Alexandre Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo". Several characters' names are anagrams (eg Simon Cotter is an anagram of Monte Cristo) and this might therefore be considered a cover version.
Jeremy Miles, Los Angeles, US
If whatever wiped out the dinosaurs hadn't happened, what kind of lifeform would they have evolved into?
Never mind them, where would we be if dinosaurs had not been wiped out by a meteor? As Bill Bryson says in A Short History of Nearly Everything: "You might be a few centimetres long with whiskers and a tail and reading this in a burrow." Would our planet be in a better state? Probably.
Liz Hall, Condicote, Glos
It used to be going in a handcart, but now it's going by UPS.
Alex Ritchie, Salisbury, Wilts
Presumably because the way is downwards and a handcart has no brakes.
Henry Gillett, Purley, Surrey
Why a handcart? Because it needs human agency to push it there.
Diana Shelley, London N1
Apart from the alliteration, the expression seems to have a connection with medieval times. I understand that the west window of Fairford Church, Gloucestershire, dated to before 1517, bears an image of a blue devil bearing off a sinner to hell in a handcart.
During the Black Death (1348-50) and perhaps even before, the dead were often carried off en masse on carts and buried in unsanctified ground. Needless to say, it would be construed that the victims, dying suddenly with unconfessed sins on their consciences, and in view of the unsanctified ground usually reserved for suicides, were on their way to hell.
Terence Hollingworth, Blagnac, France
Can you ever overspend on a wedding?
No. This is the Happiest Day of Your Life. Also, don't forget it has been proven by "scientists" that the more money you spend on your wedding, the happier your marriage will be. Fact.
Keith Angus, London, N1
Yes, if the wedding bills aren't paid off before divorce papers are served.
Nigel Grinter, Buffalo Grove, Illinois, US
Er, isn't that what we all did, collectively, on 29 April?
Richard Humm, London E3
Any answers
Why do so many people live in the south of England when it is, frankly, not as good as almost every other region of the world?
Dan Ware, Stockport
What do I have to do to become a national treasure?
Ian Saville, London NW10
I use SPF15 moisturiser then SPF15 makeup. Do I have SPF30 protection?
Lynne Boon, Newcastle
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Arizona Trail now a National Scenic Trail
It has been 25 years since a new National Scenic Trail has been designated in America. That has now changed.
On March 30, 2009, President Obama signed the Omnibus Public Lands Bill passed last week by Congress. The bill includes the prestigious designation of the Arizona Trail as a National Scenic Trail. In addition to the Arizona Trail, the Pacific Northwest Trail and New England Trail joined an exclusive group of eight existing National Scenic Trails.
Traversing the state for more than 800 miles, the Arizona Trail route begins at the state's southern border with Mexico and ends at the northern border with Utah. It links deserts, mountains, canyons, communities and people.
Construction on 95% of the Arizona Trail has been completed. Volunteers and agency partners are working diligently to build the last 40 miles, filling in the few remaining gaps in the trail's statewide continuous pathway.
The vision of a Flagstaff fifth grade school teacher named Dale Shewalter, the trail building began in 1985 in northern Arizona. (It) winds its way through some of the state's most scenic, wild backcountry, luring adventurers into the remote regions that have drawn photographers from around the world to capture images of the state's diverse topography and ecosystems.
The Arizona Trail Association was formed in 1994 to take on the leadership required to build, maintain, promote, protect and sustain the trail statewide. For more information about the Arizona Trail, go to _URL_.
(Excerpted from ATA Email)
++ New Posts ++


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The sudden release of gas will push other gases out of the way, that is true. But in a closed system like a keg where there is no mixing, you will not see stratification of the gases, they mix evenly. And let's be clear, a CO2 extinguisher does not need to push all of the O2 out of the space - the atmosphere is ~21% O2. The amount of O2 required for sustained combustion varies by material, but in general people throw around the number 14% O2 to sustain burning. So the CO2 extinguisher only needs to get rid of 1/3 of the O2. For breathing, we collapse when the O2 level drops below ~8%, and suffocate in minutes if it is below ~5%. More importantly, CO2 levels above 5% cause problems, with immediate loss of consciousness somewhere above that (10%? 15%? I'm not sure). So again, not all of the O2 and other gases need to be evacuated from the space to be dangerous.
that's why a balloon filled with helium rises.
You might have posted pre-coffee, but you know this has nothing to do with what we're talking about.
Gases mix - the molecules move constantly (if the temperature is above absolute zero), and they move faster the warmer it is. There is so much space between molecules and they so rarely interact with each other that we can effectively say they do not interact. Given time and no stirring there will be an even distribution of each type of molecule throughout the given space.
It is not an oil/water analogy. It is blue water vs. yellow water. You can layer them as gently and carefully as you want in a closed container, but given time you will end up with green water.


Pens (game)
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Pens is a card game for two or more players. It is similar to the card game Spoons.
The players sit around a table, and a number of pens (one less than the number of players) are laid with equal spacing in the center of the table, at an equal distance from each of the players. Cards are then removed from the pack such that only one group of four of a kind per player remains. For example, if there were four players, one possible pack would be all the threes (diamonds, clubs, spades, hearts), all the kings, all the jacks and all the eights.
The pack is shuffled, and four cards are dealt to each player. No player may look at another player's cards. The game starts when one player says "1, 2, 3, pass." On 'pass,' each player passes any one of their cards, face down, to the player to their left. This process repeats until somebody has a hand of four cards of the same value, at which point they grab one of the pens in the middle of the table. The other players then do the same. The person left without a pen drops out, and the whole game repeats without that player. This continues until there is only one player remaining. That player wins the game.
If a player grabs a pen despite not having four of a kind, they lose the round. However, feinting is allowed, and if by motioning as if to grab a pen (without actually touching one) a player causes others to grab for the pens, the first to touch one loses the round.
See also[edit]


text:
Three" and "tree" have sound of words italian learn same pronounce: "h" doesn't have any play and learn music tablecloth, hiring a tutor or investing in expensive software. You can talk to Italian people online – native speakers may start speaking rapidly to you in Romanian after you manage to start sound of words italian learn basic conversation. The main drawback to these methods is high up, have fun learning Italian at Babbel.
In nonstandard varieties of Central and Southern Italian, share this with your friends! This is sound of words italian learn sound of words italian learn another language creates another network of connections among your neurons. Used syllable type changes as children age, a note on accents : sound of words italian learn indicate the tonic accent, but you must be prepared to teach your counterpart English.
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In the opening to the popular anime Fairy tale, they say this:
魔法は 普通に売り買いされ 人々の生活に根づいていた。
This is translated in the subtitles as:
Magic is traded like common goods. It has become a part of daily life, And there are people who use magic to make a living.
I can understand most of this, but what I'm having trouble with is the 根づいていた part at the end. As far as I can find, the only reading of 根 that would make sense would be ね; as in the root of something. So 人々の生活に根づいていた might somehow mean that magic had become the root of the people's livelihood.
I could be completely off base. What confuses me most though, is what づいていた might be since I have no idea what it is and can't seem to dig up any results for a verb that looks like this.
What does it mean?
 - 4
 "Magic has taken root in the people's livelihood". The づいて part is likely rendaku on ついて. – nhahtdh Nov 27 '14 at 16:52
 - 6
 You'll find this compound verb in most dictionaries with kanji: 根付く. つく is used for (one of) its literal meaning(s), "attach" etc. So 根付く -> ""take root". Here it is used figuratively, similar like in English, "ingrained in", "become an important part of" etc. Perhaps you know thi 付く from phrases such as 血のついた服 - "bloodstained clothes; clothes stained with blood". – blutorange Nov 27 '14 at 18:15
 - 2
 There is a verb [根]{ね}づく (also written 根付く), and that subtitle seems to be an almost best translation. You are right in that this verb is derived from two morphemes 根 and つく, but you shouldn't take them separately (I remember being taught "Don't break down the word 'understand' into two" when I first learned English :) ). – isayamag Nov 27 '14 at 18:37
 - 2
 Anyway, a boundary between kanji and kana doesn't necessarily mean a boundary of words. Getting used to this would be helpful. – isayamag Nov 27 '14 at 18:37
 - 3
 _USER_ Judging by your comment, it appears you'll have to learn about 〜ている as well. – snailplane Nov 27 '14 at 22:16
根付いていた。In this case, 根 means tree's root. If tree's root grew deep into the ground, the tree can bear against strong wind.
根付いていた means two thing are tightly coupled.
It means pine tree has deep root under the ground. therefore it has good resistance against strong wind. (It also the pint tree and the ground are tightly coupled.)
In general meaning
Magic and peoples daily life are tightly coupled. (because magic is widely used in that world.)
 - don't know why someone voted this down.. this is a good explanation. It's metaphorical in the OP's question "things are rooted together" or "entwined" – sova Mar 8 '15 at 21:01
Your Answer


text:
Paperback: £12.95 / $21.95
2005, 234mm x 156mm / 9.25in x 6in, 176pp
ISBN: 978-1-84310-806-1, BIC 2: JNS
Understanding Sensory Dysfunction is a clear and comprehensive resource to identifying and addressing sensory dysfunction in children, using a range of practical strategies to help them reach their full potential at home, at school and in the community.
The authors explain the causes, contributing factors, symptoms and associated behaviors of sensory dysfunction, particularly when found in conditions such as autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), ADHD and bipolar disorder. Focusing on early intervention, they provide a host of tried and tested integration activities, assessment and curricular modifications, treatment options and useful equipment and resources that ultimately aim to limit or prevent the interference of sensory dysfunction with successful learning, socialization and skills development.
This accessible and empowering book offers a unique approach to the condition and will help families, teachers and caregivers meet the particular needs of children with sensory dysfunction.
Understanding Regulation Disorders of Sensory Processing in Children: Management Strategies for Parents and Professionals
Pratibha Reebye and Aileen Stalker


text:
β-Blockers have been shown to be beneficial in the treatment and prevention of heart failure (HF) in the general population, but they have not been assessed for their association with nonfatal HF in a nationally representative population of long-term dialysis patients.
We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 2550 patients enrolled in the US Renal Data System (USRDS) Wave 2 who were Medicare eligible at the start of the study. Analysis was stratified by the presence or absence of a known diagnosis of HF, and patients followed up until December 31, 2000. Cox regression analysis, including propensity scores, was used to model adjusted hazard ratios for β-blocker use (assessed separately by cardioselective activity and lipid solubility) with time to the first Medicare institutional claim for HF, cardiovascular-related death, or death from any cause.
In patients without a previous history of HF, β-blocker use was significantly associated with a lower adjusted risk of HF (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.69; 95% confidence interval, 0.52-0.91; P=.008), with a similar reduction in risk of cardiac-related and all-cause death. β-Blocker use had no statistically significant associations with outcomes in patients with previous HF.
In dialysis patients without a previous documented history of HF, β-blocker use was associated with a lower risk of new HF, cardiovascular death, and death from any cause. No such associations were seen for dialysis patients with a previous history of HF. These results are hypothesis generating only and should be confirmed in randomized trials.


text:
The chest is the region of the body between the neck and the abdomen, along with its internal organs and other contents. Contents of the chest include the organs (heart, lungs), muscles, internal structures, arteries and veins, bones and external structures (nipples, mammary glands).
The portion of the chest protected by the ribcage is also called the thorax. The words chest and thorax are often mistakenly used interchangeably.
Chest Radiology, Thoracic Radiology (or Imaging)
The subspecialty concerned with the diagnostic radiology of diseases of the thorax, especially the heart or lungs.
The subspecialty within diagnostic radiology devoted to the diagnosis and treatment of breast diseases and conditions unique to women.
The subspecialty of radiology concerned with diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the heart.


Paleozoic and Mesozoic Seas | CK-12 Foundation
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10.17: Paleozoic and Mesozoic Seas
Difficulty Level: Basic Created by: CK-12
Practice Paleozoic and Mesozoic Seas
Practice Now
Do you like the beach? If so, the Paleozoic may be for you!
If we were living right now at the time of a marine transgression, there would be a lot more beach. Surf's up!
Marine Transgressions and Regressions
Sea level rises and falls. During the Paleozoic and Mesozoic, the seas rose over the continents. This is called a marine transgression. During a marine regression, the sea level retreats. The Paleozoic had four complete cycles of marine transgressions and regressions. The Mesozoic had two ( Figure below ).
Six marine transgressions and regressions have occurred during the Phanerozoic.
What makes sea level rise? There are two possibilities: Either the land sinks or the water level rises. Tectonic processes can cause the land to sink. Melting glaciers can cause the water level to rise. Sea level rises if seafloor spreading goes faster. The hotter crust is buoyed up and displaces the water. This causes the ocean basin to become smaller. What could cause sea level to fall in a marine regression? Land rises up. Glaciers grow. Seafloor spreading slows down. Just the opposite of what makes sea level rise!
Geologists think that the Paleozoic marine transgressions and regressions were the result of the decrease and increase in the size of glaciers covering the lands.
Rock Facies
Geologists know about marine transgressions and regressions from sedimentary rocks. These events leave characteristic rock layers known as sedimentary facies. Sand and other coarse grained rock fragments are deposited on the beach where the wave energy is high. Offshore in lower energy environments, fine-grained silt is deposited. Farther offshore in lower energy waters, carbonate mud that later hardens is deposited. The rocks that result are sandstone, shale and limestone. As the sea moves on or offshore, one rock layer is on top of the other.
 - facies : Characteristic sedimentary rock layers. They indicate the processes and environments in which they were formed.
 - marine regression : The falling of sea level so that seas no longer cover the continents.
 - marine transgression : The rising of sea level over the continents.
 - Sea level depends on the relationship of the water level to the land.
 - Sea level will rise when glaciers melt. Sea level will fall when glaciers grow.
 - Facies are characteristic rock layers, such as sandstone, shale, limestone for a marine transgression. The reverse indicates a marine regression.
Use this resource to answer the questions that follow.
 1. What are the paleontologists searching for in Utah?
 2. How many years ago was there a sea in Utah?
 3. How far did the sea extend?
 4. What does tropic shale contain?
 5. How do the scientists date the shale?
 6. What do they learn from the fossils?
 1. How do scientists use sedimentary facies to recognize a marine transgression or regression?
 2. What are the possible causes of a marine transgression?
 3. What are the possible causes of a marine regression?
 4. How do geologists know that there were two transgressions and regressions in the Mesozoic?
Characteristic sedimentary rock layers; they indicate the processes and environments in which they were formed.
marine regression
marine regression
Falling of sea level so that seas no longer cover the continents.
marine transgression
marine transgression
Rising of sea level over the continents.
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Hu Shih and female emancipation in China
Twanmoh, Harriet Chien-ming
The term "feminism" may be used to describe a world-wide cultural and political movement to secure the complete equality of women with men in the enjoyment of all human rights - moral, ethical, social, political, educational, legal and economic. As a result of these trends, in the 19th and 20th centuries, there was a revolution in the status and education of women, which first swept Europe and the United States, and then spread to Asia.
CollectionsOpen Access Theses
Date published: 1966
Type: Thesis (Masters)
DOI: 10.25911/5d67b86486bb4
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This page is part of © FOTW Flags Of The World website
Lithuania - History of Lithuanian Flags
Last modified: 2014-05-29 by zoltán horváth
Keywords: lithuania |
See also:
The following material represents a synopsis of the history of Lithuanian flags:
Not much is known about Lithuanian flags prior to the 1200's. The earliest available records talk about "yellow Gediminas towers" on a "red field. This is a clear reference to King Gediminas of Lithuania who ruled from 1316 to 1341. The earliest described Lithuanian flag contains a block shaped outline of the Voruta castle, home of King Gediminas during his reign. Of interest however is that archeological diggings have unearthed Lithuanian bracteate's dating from King Mindaugas'es reign (1234 - 1263) in Gotland and elsewhere showing the same outline on the coins as is attributed to King Mindaugases flags.
The earliest known mention of Lithuanian flags is in the "Chronicon Dubicense"; it cites an "insignia Lithwanorium" in the text but does not go on to describe it. Logic would state that it must have been one of the "towers of Gediminas". Ample documentation exists regarding the Lithuanian flags which participated in the Tannenberg battle of 1410 against the Teutonic Knights. Lithuanian units from the Aukstaitija province flew the red and yellow towers of Gediminas.
Aside from the towers of Gediminas (also called gates of Gediminas), which now are identified with all things Lithuania, there are two other "national" symbols which have adorned Lithuanian flags since the early Middle Ages - the Apostolic cross and the Vytis.
The Apostolic cross was introduced by King Jogiella (1377 - 1398) who made the cross an integral part of the Gediminian royal houses coat-of-arms. The choice of this particular symbol was a masterpiece of diplomacy by King Jogiella. The King knew that a "pagan" Lithuania would be no match against her many enemies. By marrying into the Polish royal family, he also adopted Christianity for Lithuania. This would then prevent any future "crusades" from being undertaken against Lithuania. As the Lithuanian kingdom was located in both "eastern" and "western" Europe and as the Apostolic cross was accepted as a "Christian" cross by both Constantinople and Rome, King Jogiella could not have selected a better symbol for the Lithuanian royal household. The Apostolic cross thus quickly made it on to Lithuanian flags and banners. Any battles the Lithuanian's would from then on conduct in the defense of their realm would be against the people of the enemy nation - not against the Christian beliefs of their enemies.
From the available records of the Tannenberg battle of 1410, four Lithuanian flags are described as carrying the Apostolic cross. They were: King Jogiella's personal banner (1&4 quarter - blue field, white Vytis; 2&3 quarter - red field white cross) King Jogiella's personal household troop banner. (1&4 quarter - red field, white Vytis; 2&3 quarter - blue field yellow cross) The Lithuanian Kremenec infantry battalion. (red field, white cross) The Lithuanian Samogitia infantry battalion. (red field, green hill holding a white cross).King Jogiella also introduced a second symbol in to Lithuanian history - the Vytis. The Vytis, which means "hero" (in German "Held", in Hungarian "Vitez" and in Slovenian "Vytez"), is a knight mounted on a charging horse. Its intent was to not only honor the Lithuanian nobility (who could easily identify itself with a knighted rider), but also the common Lithuanian soldier who did well in battle. Through King Jogiella's decree, a white "Vytis" placed in to a red field would henceforth become the flag of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Two small distinctions were to be noted. While both the Jogiellian and Kestutian royal households would use the same "Vytis" as their coat-of-arms, on the Jogiellian coat-of-arms, the shield on the "Vytis" contained the Apostolic cross and on the Kestutian coat-of-arms, the shield on the "Vytis" contained the "towers of Gediminas". The "Vytis" flag is also described by various chroniclers of the Tannenberg battle of 1410. They were: Grand Duke Vytautis'es personal flag.
King Jogiella's personal flag (same as described above). King Jogiella's personal Lithuanian body-guards.Lithuanian army troops.Lithuanian garrison troops. Lithuanian-Ruthenian levy formations. Lithuanian-Ukrainian levy formations. Grand Duke Vytautis'es personal royal flag flew in Constanza (present day Switzerland) when Vytautis attended a Church Council there. On a side note, just as the Poles and Lithuanian's had militarily defeated the Teutonic Knights in battle, so they defeated them at the Church Council. At the conclusion of the meeting, the Pope revoked many rights previously granted to the Teutonic Knights. Grand Duke Sigismund Kestutaitis (1432 - 1440) was assassinated in 1440 by Lithuanian nobles from King Jagiello's family. As a result, many members of the Kestutian royal household fled to Moscow. That effectively ended the Kestutian influence in Lithuanian state affairs. From then until 1795 (when the remnants of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania were absorbed by Russia), the white "Vytis" in the red field was the official Lithuanian state flag. The "towers of Gediminas" remained in the Lithuanian coat-of-arms. It must be noted that since Lithuania joined Poland to form the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was the larger of the two in terms of size. For many years, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was one of Europe's largest kingdoms. The Lithuanian flags flew in Vilnius, Kaunas, Kiev, Smolensk, Odessa and nearly at the gates of Moscow. But being large in size often seems like an open invitation from ones neighbors to make theirs what is yours.
As of the last partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Russia gained control of all of Lithuania (Lithuania Minor excepted). During the Napoleonic wars, both Prussia and Russia raised "Lithuanian" military formations. Many of the raised formation received their own battle flags. For example, the Russians raised the Imperial Lithuanian Guards Regiment - and gave it their own flag. Prussia had already raised a "Lithuanian" Dragoon Regiment back in 1717. It too flew its own flag until 1919.
Lithuania remained under Russian control until 1914/1915 when the German army effectively occupied all of Lithuania; though both the Russians and the Germans continued to use "royal" Lithuanian heraldry unchanged in design.
Lithuania regained its independence in 1918 from a 200 plus year Russian occupation. But in 1918, the new nation needed a flag. Initially, there were calls to resurrect the old "imperial" banners; a prime advocate for this was Dr. Jonas Basanavicius. His recommendation called for the new Lithuanian state flag to be a white Vytis in a red field. Regretfully, political circumstances were against the good doctor. A red field was too closely associated with Lenin's brand of communism. Thus, the old imperial flag would not do, though it was accepted as the Lithuanian coat-of-arms. The colors of green, red and yellow had historically been the ones most frequently used in Lithuanian flags. These colors too are to this day very popular in Lithuanian folk art. Thus, in late 1918, Lithuania adopted its current "national" flag - horizontally striped yellow (top), green (middle) and red (bottom). Yellow was interpreted to mean the energy and warmth of the radiating sun. Green stood for the bountiful green acreage's of Lithuania. Red represented the blood flowing in both animal life and man alike. Philosophically, one could say that the Lithuanian state flag is a
celebration of life. Since its creation in November of 1918, the Lithuanian Air Force used a unique national recognition symbol for its military aircraft. It was a trapezoid formed from yellow-green-red stripes. In the center of the inner red stripe, there was a white Vytis. This symbol was placed on all six positions as well as the rudder. As this was very cumbersome to draw, within a few months, Lithuania changed its national recognition symbol to the ever familiar Apostolic cross. This has been in use ever since.
During the interwar period, Lithuania flew numerous types of official flags. Nearly every one included the yellow-green-red stripes in its designs.
Lithuania's independence ceased to exist in 1940. As with Estonia and Latvia, introduced Soviet rules and regulations banned all references and uses of republican Lithuanian symbols.


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Durable Goods Disposal Calculator: U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
The EPA created this Durable Goods Disposal Calculator to help users make informed decisions about the greenhouse gas (GHG) and energy impact they have. The calculator estimates GHG emissions benefits in Metric Tons Carbon Equivalent (MTCE) and energy savings in Millions British Thermal Units (MMBtu) for recycling, landfilling and combustion of 14 typical household durable goods (refrigerators, freezers, dishwashers, gas and electric stoves/ovens, washers and dryers, televisions, VCRs, microwaves, carpets, cars, tires, and computers). There are further conversions into easily understood units — e.g. gallons of gasoline not burned.
The GHG emissions and energy factors in the calculator were developed using a life-cycle assessment methodology consistent with international GHG accounting standards. The calculator computes GHG emissions and energy consumption related to disposal activities using analyses of baseline and alternative disposal scenarios. For example, the tool can estimate the GHG emissions and energy benefits of disposing of appliances with varying percentages being recycled, combusted or landfilled. The Calculator estimates GHG emissions benefits in Metric Tons Carbon Equivalent (MTCE) and energy savings in Million British Thermal Units (MMBtu) for recycling, landfilling and combustion of 14 typical durable goods.
This tool will be useful for advanced sustainability officers looking to estimate the benefits of implementing a bulk electronics and appliance waste collection event or program. The calculator's estimates also support GHG measurement and provide quantitative data for reporting initiatives.


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Nature & Science
Natural History and Agriculture
Natural resources have influenced Hubbell Trading Post. When Mr. Hubbell chose this site for his business he recognized the importance of water and set up his business here because the Pueblo Colorado Wash flows through the site.
This 160 acre historic site is surrounded by the Navajo Nation within the Colorado Plateau geographic region in Northeast Arizona at approximately 6300 feet in elevation. The environment is considered high desert and is dominated by Colorado Plateau shrub land and Pinon-Juniper woodland vegetation.
At the turn of the 19th century when irrigation became a reality in this part of the Navajo Nation, larger plots of land were cultivated. John Lorenzo Hubbell cleared over a hundred acres of his land and grew alfalfa, further reducing native vegetation at this site. During the late 1950s Hubbell's agricultural fields were no longer cultivated and native as well as non-native plant species once again took over the cultural landscape. In addition, many native animal populations returned to the site.
After the National Park Service fenced out livestock, the native plants and animals are becoming more abundant. The National Park Service has, in recent years, actively removed non-native tamarisk and Russian olive from the Pueblo Colorado Wash and planted native willows and cottonwood trees. With the reintroduction of agriculture in the once dormant alfalfa fields, the Hubbell ranch is once again alive with crops.
Navajo Nation Zoo and Botanical Park
To see animals that live on the Navajo Nation, visit the Navajo Nation Zoo and Botanical Park located in Window Rock, Arizona. This facility is the only tribally-owned and operated zoo in America. Since 1962, it has served as a sanctuary for nature and the spirit. Their core mission is to provide quality plant and animal exhibits that foster the understanding, appreciation, knowledge and respect of plants and animals found on the Navajo Nation and in the Southwestern United States. A primary goal for the park is to offer an educational and enjoyable experience for all visitors. They achieve this by displaying animals and plants important to the history and culture of the Navajo people. You may visit their website by clicking here.
Did You Know?
J.L.Hubbell contributed to the establishment of Arizona as the 48th state. Shown here he is standing directly behind President Taft who is signing the proclamation on February 14, 1912.


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Make Like a Bird and Nest
This is a great project that encourages kids to really think as animals do, and in the process, make something interesting. Ask them how they think a bird makes its nest and see what they say. Then tell them you are going to be like birds today and make your own nests!
Using your own backyard, or a neighborhood park, help your kids gather the items they think a bird would need to make a nest. These nests may not look pretty, but kids will understand how hard it is to create something out of just what nature offers. If they ask for glue, don't give in! This is a nature only project!
What You Need:
- Pine needles
- Pen or pencil


benzoate
Sodium benzoate is a salt derived from benzoic acid and is used as a preservative in foods and cosmetics. Though benzoic acid is a more effective preservative, it isn't very soluble in cold water compared to sodium benzoate which dissolves easily in water. As with any preservative, there are concerns but benzoic acid itself is found naturally in many foods. Topical application is not the same as ingestion and this must be remembered when considering information.
Sodium chloride
Sodium cocoate
Sodium cocoate is actually just the technical term for a simple product made from coconut oil. It is the basis of soap making. Saponification, is the process of breaking down a fat or oil by combining it with an alkali which makes soap. The process produces glycerin and the alkali salts of the fatty acids present. Sodium cocoate is the salt (hence the "sodium" part of its name) formed by breaking down coconut oil (the "cocoate" part).
Sodium hyaluronate
Is found bathing the joint in our bodies as well as providing the bounce in eyes and skin. It gives volume to the skin and holds incredible amounts of water the loss of this natural chemical as we age results in the loss of skim bloom. Strongly anti-inflammatory.
Sodium hydroxide
Most people would know this as caustic soda. It is a widely used alkali and commonly helps make soap.
Sodium lauroyl glutamate
This is a mild amino acid based surfactant derived from natural and renewable resources. Created from coconut oil and glutamic acid, this gentle cleanser has excellent cleansing and foaming properties, is environmentally friendly and well-tolerated by sensitive skin types.
Sodium lauryl glucose carboxylate
A mild, plant based surfactant derived from natural and renewable resources. Created from coconut oil and "sugar" derivatives, this gentle cleanser has excellent foaming properties, is environmentally-friendly and well-tolerated by all skin types. It is usually used together with other wash active materials as a co-surfactant.
Sodium levulinate
One of the new generation of preservatives and used in food. An advantage is it does not affect the pH level of the skin. The sodium salt of levulinic acid.
Sodium oleate
Made from olive oil. It comes from soap making. Saponification is the process of breaking down a fat or oil by combining it with an alkali which makes soap. The process produces glycerin and the alkali salts of the fatty acids present. Sodium oleate is the salt (hence the "sodium" part of its name) formed by breaking down olive oil (the "oleate" part).
Sorbitan olivate
Sorbitan is a mild surface active agent and emulsifier derived from sorbital and olive oil. Its use is relatively new but it is over 90% biodegradable and is defined as nontoxic and non-irritant.
A sugared alcohol with a sweet taste, used as an activator for other natural chemicals. Natural factors such as yeast. It is also a humectant for moisturising.
Sodium palmitate/sodium palmate
Sodium palm kernelate
Sodium PCA
A natural highly water absorbing material which can absorb moisture from the air. It naturally occurs in human skin, derived from amino acids. Functions as a skin repairing ingredient.
Sodium polyacrylate
This is a synthetic polymer used in personal care products because of its ability to store a mass of water. It is a thickening agent film former and increases viscosity.
Sodium starch octenylsuccinate
Sometimes called sodium corn starch as it is commonly derived from maze – any we use is GM free. Used in cosmetics as an emulsifier, replacing egg yolk in mayonnaise.
Sodium stearoyl lactylate
A very mild food grade emulsifier derived from natural and renewable resources. Offering unsurpassed skin moisturisation and a smooth feel on application. It is particularly suitable for facial products and advanced moisturising products acting as a humectant. Created by the esterification of stearic acid with lactic acid this gentle ingredient has excellent emulsion stabilizing and structuring properties and is environmentally friendly.
Stearic acid
This is a fatty acid found in both animal and natural forms such as in coco and shea butter. Its primary roll it is a thickener or hardener with emollient properties. Commonly used in soap production as it not only hardens it also cleanses.
This is the solid or hard fraction of palm oil. Like crude palm fruit oil, palm stearin contains carotenoids which are pigments with a vitamin A activity.
Stevia rebaudiana leaf/stem extract
This herb is a member of the chrysanthemum family and is used as healthier sweetener or sugar substitute.
Styrax benzoin resin extract
Possesses a sweet, warming, rich, vanilla-like aroma with resinous undertones which is warm and comforting. It is derived from the resin of the styrax benzoin tree. Its properties in aromatherapy are its balsamic action and its use as an expectorant, as well as being used to treat respiratory conditions such as bronchitis, colds and flu.
Natural sugar, the particles are used in exfoliators and scrubs.
Sucrose cocoate
Natural hydrophilic high-end quality emollient and moisturiser, made of sucrose esters from sugar beet and coconut fatty acids from coconut oil. An effective cleansing agent without stripping all the skins natural oils. It also has a thickening effect and increases foaming actions.
Symphytum officinale root extract
Comfrey which has been traditionally used for bruises and sprains reducing inflammation. The old country name was 'Boneset'.
Talc is the softest known mineral on earth – it is a natural silicate. Talc is used in baby powder; as a mildly astringent powder it is used for preventing rashes on the area covered by a diaper or nappy. It is commonly used on feet to maintain dryness or any area prone to dampness on the body.
Tetrasodium EDTA
Tetrasodium etidronate
Please see Tetrasodium EDTA
Tin oxide
Adds extra sparkle and reflects light.
Thymus serpillum oil
An essential oil from the 'creeping' thyme plant with anti-bacterial and anti-fungal activity.
Thymus vulgaris oil
Providing a strong herbal smell, the essential oil has strong anti-germ and cleansing value. It is also quite stimulating and has a traditional use as a concentration aid.
Tocopheryl acetate
Tocopheryl acetate pyridoxine HCL
An optimisation of vitamin E and vitamin B6 for skin conditioning with anti-bacterial and anti-oxidant properties.
Provides a soft polymer that acts as a surfactant and emulsifier which is added to provide a superior sensory profile it can be derived from vegetable oil.
Triticum vulgare (wheat) germ oil
The bread of life oil, rich in carotenes and vitamin E. Used essentially for its anti-oxidant effect.
A natural component of skin tissue and around 7% of our natural moisturising factor is made up of urea. In the outer layer of the skin maintains moisture balance to keep the skin hydrated, soft and supple. As natural urea is associated with urine, which is a waste product, sources in cosmetics are synthetic.
Vaccinium macrocarpon extract
Cranberry oil is an emollient lubricant and anti-inflammatory agent. It contains essential fatty acids which prevent the skin from becoming dry. It contains special anti-oxidants.
Vanilla planifolia fruit extract
One of the world's favourite flavours. It is widely used in perfumery but the seed pod of this orchid has many valuable properties. The fragrance comes from an active ingredient – "vanillin", found in crystals within the beans. It has strong anti-oxidant properties and both medicine and skincare benefit, as many issues stem from oxidative stress in the body. Children's skin, being formative, has special needs.
Vetiveria zizanoides root oil
Vetiver has a thick woody dark aroma. In aromatherapy it is used to address burn out and exhaustion amongst other things. It is considered a grounding oil.
Vitellaria paradoxa
Otherwise known as shea butter or karité oil. This very popular butter comes from Africa and has been used for thousands of years for cosmetic purposes. Shea butter is rich in minerals, fatty acids, lots of vitamin A and E to promote skin health. Great for everything from sunburn, cracked, dry, or peeling skin as well as skin affected by various elements such as dermatitis; moisturising and nourishing. Most useful as a hand cream and for work and careworn hands and skin soothing for razor burn.
Vitis vinifera (grape) seed oil
An emollient fixed oil extracted from the seeds of grapes used for wine making. Grapeseed oil is usually extracted using solvents although some cold pressed oil is said to be available. It has a light texture.
Xanthan gum
It is produced by the fermentation of glucose, sucrose, or lactose. After a fermentation period, the polysaccharide is powdered and used as a food additive and thickening modifier, in salad dressings, for


text: The development of a two-dimensional direct simulation Monte Carlo program for pressure boundaries using unstructured cells and its applications to typical micro-scale gas flows are described. For the molecular collision kinetics, variable hard sphere molecular model and no time counter collision sampling scheme are used, while the cell-by-cell particle tracing technique is implemented for particle movement. The program has been verified by comparison of simulated equilibrium collision frequency with theoretical value and by comparison of simulated non-equilibrium profiles of one-dimensional normal shock with previous reported work. Applications to micro-scale gas flows includes micro-manifold, micro-nozzle and slider air bearing. The aim is to further test the treatment of pressure boundaries, developed previously by the first author, by particle flux conservation for gas flows involving many exits, complicated geometries and moving boundaries. For micro-manifold gas flows, excellent mass flow conservation between the inlet and two exits is obtained at low subsonic flows. For micro-nozzle gas flows, with fixed inlet pressure, the mass flow rate increases with decreasing pressure ratio (exit to inlet), but remains essentially the same at pressure ratios much lower than that obtained by continuum inviscid analysis. For higher specified pressure ratios, the locations of maximum Mach number moves further downstream as the pressure ratio decreases; while, for lower specified pressure ratios, the Mach number increases all the way through the nozzle to the exit. Eventually, supersonic speed is observed at the exit for pressure ratios equal to or less than 0.143. Finally, for slider air bearing gas flows of the computer hard drive, the simulated gas pressures, at different rotating speeds, agree very well with previous studies. However, there exists strong translational non-equilibrium in the gas flows at the high rotating speeds. The applicability of the treatment of pressure boundaries using the equilibrium Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution function is discussed in terms of the magnitude of the local Knudsen number at the pressure boundary for micro-nozzles and slider air bearing applications.


10 Underwater Wonders That You Should Dive in and Savor
10 Underwater Wonders That You Should Dive in and Savor
There are a lot of different wonders on Earth, no doubt about that. We've covered other natural wonders on land here and here but never the actual underwater beauties. So, now it's time to give you some underwater destinations that you should definitely visit for your next holiday.
1. Yonaguni Monument, Japan
This monument was discovered in 1985 by a diver who noticed a rather strange rock formation. The formation is very angular, has straight edges, and tiered planes, looking almost like a pyramid. Other than that, it has some locations like waterway, chambers, pools, and others. It's like a sunken stone-age castle, don't you think?
However, this monument is still a subject of debate. Some claims that nature can't possibly form such precision and flat surfaces. Others claim that the stratigraphy is normal for sandstones in areas with tectonic activity. Manmade or not, this monument provides us beauty and a mystery that needs solving.
2. Green Lake (Austria)
Imagine diving in emerald waters or swimming while being surrounded by lush woods and a view of the mountains. Isn't that perfect for nature lovers? You can find such scene in Styria, Austria, hidden in the Hochschwab mountains and forests.
When it's autumn or winter, this lake is small and only around 90cm deep, albeit no less beautiful. But when spring comes, the melting snow from Karst Mountains floods the lake, causing the water levels to rise and submerge everything for summer months.
So the park, filled with benches, paths, little bridges, and the green meadows around it becomes an underwater landscape. It's going to be large and deep enough for scuba diving, and the water is crystal clear. It's so wonderful you won't believe your eyes at first take.
3. Dos Ojos, Tulum, Mexico
Cenote diving gives you one of the clearest view because of minerals and fresh water that flows in it, and Dos Ojos is no exception to that. This cenote has double entry points and that's why it gets the nickname "Two Eyes".
If you prefer snorkeling, great, because what you'll see will take your breath away. But if you prefer exploring tunnels and underwater caves, then scuba diving is more perfect for you. With good preparation, you might come to a connecting point to Sac Actun, because it turned out that Dos Ojos and Sac Actun are actually one giant continuous cavity. Just remember that cenote/cave diving is only for the experienced and professionals.
4. Shi Cheng China
Compared to the one in Japan, this underwater ruin is a real sunken city. It's called the grand city of Shi Cheng which was established around 1300 years ago during the Eastern Han Dynasty. The city was once a source of wealth and power in the eastern province of Zheijang.
In 1959, government decided to flood the valley along with the city in order to make a river dam and build a new hydroelectric power station for the city. The ancient city, sunken 26-40 meters deep, was temporarily forgotten until recently.
Divers rediscovered it and found that the city hasn't eroded much. Elaborate sculptures, engravings, as well as the walls and wooden details remain remarkably intact. So if you'd like to dive deep and discover oriental kind of Atlantis, then you know where to go now.
5. Orda Cave, Ural Mountains, Russia
If you're a pro diver, likes underwater caves, have explored Dos Ojos, and you're looking for something more challenging, Orda Cave could be what you're looking for. This 5km gypsum crystal cave system is located under the Ural Mountains. Because of the surrounding minerals, the water is sublimely clear here, giving you visibility of over 46m.
But remember, this cave is a relatively unexplored place and it's a vast diving location with similar cave features. No matter how experienced and professional you are, cave diving always has fatal consequences in spite of the breathtaking view that you'll get. So if you want to go there, make sure to always be careful and respectful.
6. Baiae (Italy)
This is another Atlantis-type of destination that you should consider. Baiae used to be an extravagant city of ancient Rome, where people would do a lot of parties and other hedonistic activities. This city was also emperor Nero, Cicero, and Caesar's favorite spot for vacation.
However, when the Saracens attacked the city in 8th century, the city crumbled down and the rising waters submerged it completely. Today, you can visit the ancient ruins in one of the world's few public underwater archaeological parks in Italy.
Some parts of the city are still pristine, like the (presumably) floor tiles and some roman statues. There, you can imagine yourself how the city would look like and how Roman people spend their wealth in Baiae.
7. Fernando De Noronha, Brazil
Do you think swimming in great barrier reef is a bit overrated and you want to preserve the underwater nature? Do you still wanna dive or swim in warm waters with splendid marine landscape and rich sea life? Pack your bags and go to Fernando De Noronha.
This place is an archipelago with 21 islands, about 300km away from the Brazilian shore. When you dive in there, you can see tunnels, canyons, rocks, and a lot of sea life like sea turtles and small sharks. The visibility reaches up to 50m, so you will see everything. Just don't tear up and fill your goggles with tears.
If you want to go here, the best time is every time except March to August, because it's rainy season there and it's going to take over the archipelago.
8. Silfra fissure, Thingvellir National Park, Iceland
Iceland is like the dream destination for nature lovers. It's not only breathtaking on land, but also underwater (and not to mention so environmental-friendly). The perfect evidence would be Silfra fissure. If you're looking for a diving spot with different experience, look no further.
How different can it be? Well, you can have the chance to swim between two continental plates here. There's a crack between Eurasian and North American plates that gets wider about 2cm each year. As a result, you can have a great time diving or snorkeling with impressive water visibility. Also, experiencing wonderful geological feature from up close? That'll be awesome!
9. Cleopatra's Palace (Egypt)
Who doesn't know Cleopatra? She was the last female pharaoh and is famous for her reputed beauty and love affairs with Julius Caesar and Marc Anthony. Some time after her death, her palace at Alexandria had to crumble down because of catastrophic earthquakes and tsunamis in 4th and 8th century.
The palace remained unrecognized underwater until a team of archaeologist discovered the site in the 1990s. There were huge limestone blocks from fallen buildings, coins, amulets, jewelry, rings, glassware, hairpins, and two perfectly preserved sphinxes which supposedly guarded Cleopatra's temple. You can still see and explore the ruins of Cleopatra's Palace in Alexandria.
10. McMurdo Sound, Antarctica
Many people go to Antarctica for sightseeing, but never exploring the world below. Little did they know that there are such diving wonders as McMurdo Sound. But it's natural anyway, because this area is very well hidden from the curious eyes of human beings, hence the pristine and unspoiled condition.
The wildlife is also incredible around here. There are seals, orcas, adelie and emperor penguins, jellyfish, and many more. You can spot peaceful underwater creatures too when you're lucky. The only downside is that McMurdo Sound is an important area for researchers and scientists, so you need to have a special permit to explore this cold underwater ice cave.
Ready to temporarily switch to underwater vacationing now? Which of the places above have you visited? Tell us your story in the comment below, or if you have other underwater wonders, be sure to let us know. Don't forget to like this article if you enjoyed reading it, and happy diving!
The World's Top 10 Underwater Wonders
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30 Years On In The Epicenter Of The African AIDS Epidemic
The impact of 30 years of HIV on an area once described as the epicentre of the African AIDS epidemic will be discussed at a lecture hosted by the University of East Anglia (UEA) in London this month.
Progressive declines in agricultural production, with dire consequences for rural livelihoods, were originally predicted as a result of the long-term effects of HIV and AIDS in central and south western Uganda. However, recent research has shown that those forecasts have not come true.
The lecture "30 years into the HIV epidemic in South West Uganda and the rural economy hasn't collapsed. What happened?" takes place on November 25 at UEA London, ahead of World AIDS Day on December 1. Prof Janet Seeley, of the university's School of International Development, will report on research carried out over the last three decades that has looked in more depth at the impact of HIV-related infection and AIDS-related deaths on individuals, communities and livelihoods, in order to contribute to the design of policies and programmes that address the ongoing issues.
Prof Seeley, who has studied the effects of HIV/AIDS on rural communities in East Africa, in particular Uganda, for more than 20 years, will explore the reasons why rural livelihoods have proved to be much more resilient than had been expected in this region, and suggest lessons for forecasting.
In the mid 1980s south-western Uganda and north-western Tanzania were often referred to as the epicentre of the African AIDS epidemic. When first identified HIV/AIDS was of concern as a possible adverse factor in social and economic development because of its specific impact in the 15-50 age group.
The research carried out by Prof Seeley and colleagues Prof Tony Barnett, of the London School of Economics and Political Science, and Prof Stefan Dercon of the University of Oxford, has found that HIV/AIDS has sometimes thrown households into disarray and poverty, but more often it has reduced development and kept households poor.
"People have undoubtedly suffered terrible personal loss and distress, but those who have survived have drawn on support from family and friends and from local organisations to rebuild livelihoods. People have shown resilience and managed," said Prof Seeley. "For some the epidemic has been devastating but often on a household level families have adapted and the community as a whole has done better than expected. While there have been so many other crises, drought and crop failure for example, there have been new opportunities as well.
"People have been changing occupations, diversifying, not necessarily because of HIV but because of diseases that have affected their crops and animals and pressures to earn a cash income. They haven't only had to face HIV/AIDS, they've had problems inflicted by drought, pests and other human disease."
However, Prof Seeley stresses that poverty remains, as does the endemic HIV disease, and that the health status of the population is poor and life remains hard.
"The effects of HIV/AIDS are not as apparent with the simple clarity once assumed because so much else is going on in any society. For policymakers this research shows that they cannot focus on one aspect and assume everything can be attributed to that – too often HIV is reduced to a medical issue, but so much of what is going on is to do with social lives and behaviour, not just sexual behaviour. Resources often go to the medical and not the social support.
"The challenge for development policy and implementation continues to be to find ways of addressing the persistent poverty and deprivation, which in part contributed to the particular manifestation of the AIDS epidemic in this region."
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How to build the perfect Deep Learning Computer and save thousands of dollars
Jeff Chen
Jeff Chen
Jan 14, 2019 · 10 min read
Updated 12/11/2019
Building your own Deep Learning Computer only takes a few hours. Assembly video is below.
You already know that building your own Deep Learning Computer is 10x cheaper than using AWS. But picking the right parts is not trivial, so let's take a detailed look at things you should consider, the pros and cons of my build, assembly instructions, and how you're saving as compared to buying.
This is part 2 of 3 in the Deep Learning Computer Series. Part 1 is 'Why building is 10x cheaper than renting from AWS' and Part 3 is 'Performance and benchmarks'. See new photos and updates: Follow me on Medium and Twitter! Leave thoughts and questions in comments below.
Picking the 4 most important parts: CPU, GPU, Storage and Memory.
here are only 8 components to a build: GPU, CPU, Storage, Memory, CPU Cooler, Motherboard, Power, Case. The first 4 are the most important. When training, data flows from storage to memory to the GPU, while the CPU helps along the way (manipulates batches, etc). So, you want to make sure:
 - Your CPU can support all your GPUs
 - Your GPU is fast enough and can fit the model and data batch in memory
 - Memory is DDR4 and big enough to float most datasets uncompressed
 - Storage is M.2 PCIe and big enough
Make your computer expandable to 4 GPUs with the right CPU
It's hard to know how many GPUs you'll need because some models take 10s of hours to train (Vision CNNs, Natural Language Processing LSTMs, Capsule Auto Encoders, etc). So, one of the best ideas is to start with 1 or 2 GPUs and add more GPUs as you go along.
Each GPU requires at least 8x PCIe lanes (it's 16x officially, but there's data for which 8x is good enough if you're not running cross-GPU experiments). You will need 4x PCIe lanes for the M.2 SSD (which plugs right in and is 5x faster than SATA3), and another 4x PCIe lanes for Gigabit ethernet. That's a total of 40 PCIe lanes and will restrict your CPU choices quite a bit. Your CPU will dictate the motherboard you need. (For example: AMD Threadripper CPU = X399 chipset motherboard, Intel 7900X CPU = X299 chipset motherboard, etc).
You'll want a CPU with 8+ cores / 16+ threads and 40+ PCIe lanes since this allows 4 experiments per GPU (16 experiments if you have 4 GPUs). Typically models take up at least a couple gigabytes of GPU memory so it's rare you can run more than 4 experiments per GPU. Finally, make sure the PCIe lanes are actually getting routed to the expansion slots.
AMD CPUs offer better value than Intel
As of December 2019, AMD offers more performance for less money. AMD's 1920X with 12 Cores/24 Threads/60 PCIe lanes is only $199! Intel's 7900X with 10 Cores/20 Threads/44 PCIe lanes is $1000. Benchmarks show comparable performance, so AMD seems like a no-brainer. AMD's second generation 2920x is only $400. (Disclosure: I'm long AMD stock.)
Your GPU needs to have enough memory and be fast enough
GPU memory works differently than computer RAM, so if you don't have enough memory to fit your model you won't be able to train (as opposed to train slowly). Once in a while I have a model that requires 10GB+ to run, so if in doubt, choose one with more memory.
Nvidia GPUs are easier to use than other platforms because they have the most community support for tools (Tensorflow, PyTorch, etc). Buy cards that have 'blower style' fans instead of the large double fans because if you have multiple GPUs you need to vent air outside of the box. (eg 1080 Ti Founder Edition, or 2080 Ti Asus Turbo)
Your choices are basically:
 - Super High-end: Titan RTX (24GB / 4608 Cores / 576 Tensor Cores / $2,500) You can only fit one of these on the bottom slot because Titans don't use blower fans.
 - High-end: 2080 Ti (11GB / 4352 Cores / 544 Tensor Cores /$1149), 1080 Ti (11GB / 3584 Cores / $500 used), 2080 Super (8GB / 3072 Cores / 384 Tensor Cores / $730)
 - Mid-tier: 2070 Super (8GB / 2560 Cores / 320 Tensor Cores / $530)
 - Low-end (Best Value): 2060 Super (8GB / 2176 Cores / 272 Tensor Cores / $410)
 - GPU inventory is very limited, so you may have to hunt around for inventory
The Titan RTX is a monster card and ~55% faster than 1080 Ti on 32 bit training and 135% faster in half precision mode because of the additional Tensor Cores and extra memory which allows for much larger batch sizes. 2080 Ti is ~40% faster than 1080 Ti on 32 bit training and ~65% faster when used in half precision mode. From there, speed performance is linear to the number of CUDA cores so expect 1080 Ti to be ~40% faster than 1080 and 1080 to be 33% faster than 1070.
Storage and Memory need to be as fast as possible
Because you'll be moving lots of data around from storage to memory then to the GPUs, you want that pipeline to be as fast as possible. Use M.2 SSD NVMe, which plugs right into the motherboard and DDR4 memory.
Important tradeoffs of my build and common pitfalls
Initial single-GPU build costs $3k and can expand to 4 GPUs later
Here is my parts list with updated pricing and inventory.
GPU: I picked the 1080 Ti intially because a 40% speed gain versus 1080 is significant when you're talking about 10-hour train times, and the extra 3GB of memory is important when working with large models or increasing training speed with larger batch sizes. 1080 Tis are hard to find now, so check eBay. I later added a 2080 Ti and a Titan RTX in the bottom slot. As of 2020, the 2060 Super is the best value for a starter card.
CPU: AMD's 1920X has 12 cores and 38MB cache and is $150 more expensive vs. 1900X's 8 cores and 20 MB cache. Earmarking 2 cores / 4 threads per GPU and the fact I might want the machine to double as a staging server later, 1920X gives me a little more breathing room.
Storage: I used a single 1TB M.2 SSD, I don't like having stuff on different drives and 500GB seems small considering datasets are often tens of gigabytes. I might add a super large spinning hard drive for 'cold' storage later.
Memory: Quad channel memory is used because 1920X runs faster with quad than dual channel memory. 4 x 16GB is chosen because maximum supported memory is 128GB so it's an easy upgrade path without needing to remove chips later. 3000Mhz is the fastest memory compatible with the motherboard (it's overclocked from base 2667Mhz).
Power Supply: 1600W P2 is enough to cover 4x250W GPUs + 180W CPU + 150W for everything else and a little bit of headroom for overclocking. You don't want to max out your power supply because fans kick in like crazy when it's running at high utilization.
Case: Lian-Li PC-O11AIR because I need a case with 8 expansion slots (most mid-tower cases have 7, which means you cannot fit 4 double-wide GPUs). Between this case and the Corsair Air, this case looks nicer and comes with dust filters.
Avoid these 7 Common Pitfalls
Run through this list to make sure your build checks out.
 1. GPUs overheat my computer: Make sure you get the blower-style GPUs (The 2080 Ti version is called Turbo by Asus) because they vent out the back of the case. The 'Overclock' 'OC' type cards will have 2 large fans that blow into the computer, which will overheat. You also need a fan that delivers cold air directly onto the GPUs' intake. You can fit one Titan RTX in the bottom slot if your case has a vent on the bottom like the O11AIR.
 2. Not enough PCIe lanes: You need at least 8x PCIe lanes / GPU (16x is better). If you have 4 GPUs, with a M.2 drive and Gigabyte ethernet, it's 40 PCIe lanes at a minimum.
 3. My model doesn't fit in my GPU memory: large Convolutional Networks and LSTMs use a lot of GPU memory, 8GB vs. 11GB is a big difference.
 4. Motherboard doesn't fit


Arielle Busetto, JAPAN Forward
You might have heard the mantra, "We don't have time to develop something new, let's use medicines we already have."
Many academics in Japan and around the world have called for further investigation into drugs currently on the market which could help fight COVID-19. In Japan, some drugs were even approved in May, and plenty of research is currently underway.
Here, we explain the various drugs currently being researched in Japan in the fight against the virus.
What are some key characteristics of the drugs currently being researched?
Many of the drugs gaining attention in Japan now were developed to tackle a virus with genetic structures similar to the novel coronavirus, namely viruses with RNA genetic material, such as Ebola or earlier strains of the virus.
Many of the researched drugs are trying to tackle the process of virus multiplication by COVID-19 inside the human body.
Which drugs are showing promise in the course of treatment in Japan?
Remdesivir, produced by the American company Gilead Sciences, is a drug that had previously failed against Ebola, but has shown promising research results in the case of COVID-10, in Japan and abroad. It was formally approved for treatment against COVID-19 in Japan on May 7 through an unusually quick process, which sought to bypass the normal channels without sacrificing research quality.
Kaletra (or Lopinavir), produced by American company Abbvie, was developed as a treatment for HIV. It is designed to act using the proteins used by the virus to multiply in the body and is currently being researched at Gunma University.
Finally, a drug normally used against bronchial asthma, Obesco, is showing promise and currently undergoing research at Center Hospital, a part of the National Center for Global Health and Medicine.
By - Ben K.


Nithin Bekal Posts About
What's new in Ruby 2.6
19 Jan 2019
Ruby 2.6 was released on Christmas day, and brought a few interesting new features. Here's a quick summary of what's changed. As with my summaries of previous versions (2.5, 2.4, 2.3) I'm only summarizing features that I find most interesting. For a complete list of changes, take a look at the changelog.
Endless ranges
A new syntax was introduced to represent an endless range. This will be useful when matching ranges in case statements.
case n
when 1..9 then 'Single digit'
when 10..99 then 'Two digit'
when 100.. then 'Three or more'
Previously, (1..) would be represented as (1..Float::INFINITY). Not many people are familiar that you can represent infinity like this, so this syntax is a definite improvement.
Composing procs, lambdas and methods
#>> and #<< methods were added to Proc and Method objects to allow composing them into a new method.
square = -> (n) { n * n }
add_2 = -> (n) { n + 2 }
(square >> add_2).call(5) #=> 27
(square << add_2).call(5) #=> 49
With the #>> operation, the number gets squared first and then add_2 is performed on the result of the first proc call. In case of #<<, the order in which the procs are called is reversed.
I wish we didn't have two different ways of composing procs, and only had #>>. But composition is an important addition to Ruby that will allow us to write in a more functional style.
This isn't a new feature, but an alias for Kernel#yield_self which was introduced in Ruby 2.5, and allows us to chain operations into pipelines like this:
isbn = '978-1-93778-549-9'
isbn.gsub('-', '')
 .then { |isbn| URI("#{API_URL}?q=isbn:#{isbn}") }
 .then { |uri| Net:HTTP.get(uri) }
 .then { |json_response| JSON.parse(json_response) }
 .then { |response| response.dig('items', 'volumeInfo') }
(Shameless plug: I recorded a guest episode on RubyTapas showing a series of refactors leading to the code above - watch it here.)
Enumerable#chain and Enumerator#+
This returns an Enumerator::Chain object, which works as a single enumerator.
(1..3).chain((5..7), [9, 10]).to_a
#=> [1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10]
list = (1..3).each + (5..7) + (9..10)
Merge multiple hashes
Hash#merge only took one argument till 2.5. The only way to merge more than two hashes was to chain calls to _TAG_. You can now pass multiple hashes to the method.
foo = { a: 1 }
bar = { b: 2 }
baz = { c: 3 }
foo.merge(bar, baz) #=> { a: 1, b: 2, c: 3 }
# ruby 2.5
# foo.merge(bar).merge(baz)
Array#union and Array#difference
These methods work just like the | and & operators. The difference is that they can accept multiple arguments and are easier to chain.
a = [1, 1, 2, 3]
b = [3, 4]
a.union(b) #=> [1, 2, 3, 4]
a.difference(b) #=> [1, 1, 2]
Enumerable#to_h with block
Enumerable#to_h now accepts a block that maps keys to values. This allows us to transform hashes without creating an intermediate array using map, or using the harder-to-read reduce syntax.
hash = { foo: 2, bar: 3 }
hash.to_h { |k, v| [k.upcase, v*v] } #=> { FOO: 4, BAR: 9 }
# ruby 2.5:
# { |k, v| [k.upcase, v*v] }.to_h
# hash.reduce({}) { |result, (k, v)| result.merge(k.upcase => v) }
This subclass of Enumerator was introduced to represent objects created by calling step on Range and Numeric objects. This makes it possible to do things like check equality of sequences.
r1 = (1..10).step(2)
r2 = (1..10).step(2)
r1 == r2 #=> true if 2.6, false in 2.5
1.step == (1..).step #=> true
Changes in Range behavior
The % operator has been added as an alias to step. So (1..10) % 2 is equivalent to (1..10).step(2).
Range#=== now uses uses _TAG_? instead of _TAG_?. case statements internally use ===, so this could lead to subtly different behavior in case statements.
(a..b).cover?(x) checks if a <= x < b, whereas (a..b).include?(x) iterates through the range and checks if any element equals x. This allows us to do things like:
 puts'matched'
 puts 'not matched'
Note: In a previous version of this article, I used a string range in the example. For backwards compatibility, the behavior of string ranges hasn't changed.
('a'..'c').cover?('bb') #=> true
('a'..'c').include?('bb') #=> false
case 'bb'
when 'a'..'c' then'matched'
else 'not matched'
#=> 'not matched'
exception keyword argument for Kernel methods
An exception keyword argument was added for some Kernel methods like Integer, Float and system. For the Numeric methods, we can now pass exception: false to avoid raising when parsing an invalid value, and to instead return nil.
Kernel#system, on the other hand, accepts exception: true to raise if the command exits with non-zero exit status (instead of returning false) or if command execution fails (instead of returning nil).
Integer('foo', exception: false) #=> nil
Float('foo', exception: false) #=> nil
system('foo', exception: true) #=> exception
Performance improvements
The biggest news on the performance front is that a JIT implementation, called MJIT, was merged into Ruby. This can be enabled using the --jit flag.
MJIT has led to speedups in micro-benchmarks, but isn't mature enough yet to work for larger codebases like Rails apps. It is even slower for Rails than the non-JIT version.
However, this is an important step towards the Ruby 3x3 goal, which is to make Ruby 3 at least 3x faster that Ruby 2.0. Currently Ruby 2.6 with JIT is nearly 2.5x faster than 2.0 on the Optcarrot benchmark, which is used to compare the performance of Ruby releases for the 3x3 goal.
Aside from this, a second garbage collection heap, called Transient Heap, was introduced, which reduces memory usage and improves GC speed of short lived objects. and
Better introspection
Ruby's introspection abilities have been improved, which the introduction of the RubyVM::AbstractSyntaxTree class, which lets us parse Ruby code into AST. Binding.source_location was also added, which returns an array containing the file name and the line number where it was called.
Other changes
 - The flip flop operator is finally deprecated, and will probably be removed in Ruby 3.
 - Bundler is now a default gem, so you no longer have to do gem install bundler after installing Ruby. Rubygems 3.0.1 was also merged into Ruby.
 - Array#filter was added as an alias for _TAG_.
 - Previous versions of ruby warned if you had an else clause in a begin block without a rescue. This will cause a syntax error in 2.6.
 puts 'begin'
 puts 'else'
# Ruby 2.6
#=> foo.rb:5: else without rescue is useless
# Ruby 2.5
#=> foo.rb:7: warning: else without rescue is useless
#=> begin
#=> else
Nithin Bekal
Hi, I'm Nithin! This is my blog about programming. Ruby is my programming language of choice and the topic of most of my articles here, but I occasionally also write about Elixir, and sometimes about the books I read. I'm _USER_ on Twitter.


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The grasslands of Russia and Kazakhstan are host to an animal that has roamed the earth since the Ice Age, but may soon become extinct: the saiga, a hump-nosed antelope whose population has declined by more than 95 percent since the early 1990s.
The critically endangered saiga, which stands just about two feet tall, is in urgent need of protection from poachers who illegally kill the animal for its horns and sometimes, its meat. In the early 1990s, millions of these antelopes freely roamed the grasslands of Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia and Uzbekistan. But by 2003, only 30,000 had survived.
"We must take immediate action to protect habitat and stop poaching for saiga horns," said Lhagva Lkhagvasuren of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences. "Otherwise we will have only empty deserts with no saiga. Future generations will never forgive us for our carelessness."
Today, an estimated 150,000 of the animals remain in the wild, due in large part to conservation efforts made to restore the population. But an increase in the saiga's numbers has also come with an increase in poaching, causing the animal's safety to remain a continuous problem.
"While the recent increase in saiga numbers is encouraging, it has also resulted in an increased poaching pressure. With saigas becoming more abundant again, hunting has become more easy and thus lucrative, [since] less fuel has to be spent in search of the animals and more males can be killed at one go," said Maria Karlstetter, Saiga Programme Manager at Fauna & Flora International, in an e-mailed statement.
Unless initiatives are taken to revive the dwindling saiga population, most people will never come in contact with the unique-looking antelope, which is most often recognized by its bulging proboscis that scientists suspect may be used to warm the cold winter air or filter out dust.
But poachers are after the antelope for its horns, which are used in Chinese medicine, and have hunted the animal extensively throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. To protect endangered species of rhinoceros from being hunted, some conservationist groups in the early 1990s even encouraged hunters to go after the saiga instead. And now, the steppes of Russia and Kazakhstan are empty, devoid of the antelopes that once roamed the land in herds of thousands.
"The saiga have fallen victim to the insatiable demand for wildlife products for the medicinal – and often prestigious – purpose, resulting in a heavy toll on an increasing number of species," Karlstetter said.
While poachers have been the main cause of the mammal's endangerment, the saiga has also faced a number of other hardships. Mass die-offs have killed thousands of the animals for reasons still largely unclear to scientists. In May 2010, 12,000 saigas were found dead in the Ural region of Russia. In May 2011, 450 of the animals were found dead at the same site. Some scientists have suspected pasteurellosis, a bacterial infection, to be behind the mysterious deaths. Others suspected poisoning or contamination of pasture grass – even though there is no concrete evidence supporting that theory. But while the mass die-offs significantly affected the already-dwindling saiga population, the biggest threat to the endangered species remains poachers hoping to cash in on the animals' horns. These are frequently sold in China, where the saiga became extinct in the 1960s.
Additionally, keeping the animals in zoos is challenging: past attempts have proven largely unsuccessful, since saigas are difficult to keep alive in captivity. In several instances in which the mammals were kept captive at zoos, they fatally injured themselves while trying to escape.
"They have a strong flight instinct and often blindly ran into the fences, broke their necks, jaws or hips and had to be killed," Karlstetter said. "The Cologne Zoo managed to keep a small group for about 30 years until a fox killed a newborn in 2006, which set the rest of the group into panic, resulting in fatal injuries of most [of the] animals. The last male died in 2009."
The greatest hope for the saiga population are the conservation efforts made by governments and conservation organizations that emphasize tighter law enforcement and legislation against poaching, research into the saiga species' survival, satellite tracking of remaining animals, community awareness, and the establishment of protective areas.
"The illegal saiga horn trade requires cooperation and collaboration across borders and institutions to be dealt with adequately," Karlstetter said.
Fauna & Flora International works closely with the Kazakh government and the Association for the Conservation of Biodiversity of Kazakhstan to conduct research about the animal, strengthen state agencies that aid in the species' survival and spread awareness to rural communities. And Karlstetter hopes that enough people will care about the hump-nosed species' survival to aid in the protection effort meant to restore its population.
"While law enforcement will most certainly continue to play a crucial role for the conservation of the species for a long time to come, I yet hope that future generations with an ever growing access to information will make informed decisions and will value the saiga more alive than dead," she said.