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Modeled after the Amber Alert System, this network helps locate wanderers.
Relatives of people with dementia or Alzheimer's disease often have the nagging fear that their loved one might wander away and get lost. It's estimated that more than 9 of 10 people with dementia who leave the house alone are likely to be unable to find their way home without assistance, giving caregivers and other relatives endless moments of anxiety until their loved one is found. The Silver Alert System is designed to provide some reassurance to anxious relatives that their missing seniors can be reunited with them. The Silver Alert is patterned after the Amber Alert system, but instead of missing children this one informs the public about missing seniors with mental impairments.
Silver Alert System: How It Works
On a local level, the Silver Alert System works much like the Amber Alert. The missing person incident is reported to the local police. Personal health information may be necessary, and it should show that the person (age 60 or older) suffers from dementia or is otherwise mentally impaired. Relatives should also provide other details that would help in tracking down the missing senior. After verification, the local police inform the state agency tasked to issue alerts.
A statewide Silver Alert is then issued by the state agency. In many states, it's the Department of Public Safety; in some others, the alert is issued by the State Police, Highway Patrol or Department of Law Enforcement, the State Bureau of Investigation, a State Center for Missing Persons or even the State Attorney General.
Once issued, the alert is displayed on electronic highway signs and broadcast on radio and television. There is one difference, however. In the case of Amber Alerts, alerts of missing children immediately interrupt regularly scheduled programming. As currently implemented in the states that have a Silver Alert System in place, the message does not break into regular programming, but is announced on air only during commercial breaks, which occur every hour or half-hour.
To protect privacy, many states require the personal health information to be deleted once the alert has passed.
Silver Alert System: States Setting The Trend
Silver Alert was started in Colorado in 2006. By the end of 2008, 12 other states had implemented a Silver Alert system: Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Texas and Virginia.
This year, several more states, including Indiana, Michigan, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Washington are considering legislation to set up their own Silver Alert programs.
Success rates have been impressive, although not all states have made their specific results available. Georgia has issued 68 Silver Alerts and all the missing seniors were found. There have been 27 alerts in Florida (which ranks second after California as having the highest population of seniors in the US) and all were found, with six being specifically attributed to the alerts.
Silver Alert System: Going National
Legislation has been filed in Congress that would create a national network for Silver Alerts and provide $10 million in federal funding to help states with their programs. The bill, known as the National Silver Alert Act 2009, was approved by the House last February; it is now awaiting action in the Senate.
Many organizations believe the need for Silver Alerts can only increase in coming years. The proportion of elderly in America will expand as the huge Baby Boomer generation moves into retirement range.
Wandering is one of the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease, which currently affects at least 5.2 million Americans. The Alzheimer's Foundation estimates that at least 60 percent of them—3 million people—are likely to wander in the course of their disease. Further statistics indicate that, among people with dementia who wander, at least 50 percent could suffer serious injury or die if they remain missing for more than 24 hours.
Like a missing child, a missing elder can be a family's worst nightmare. Time is of the essence in these situations. The Silver Alert System is one way to help get seniors back before any harm can come to them.


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(990 lb), a shoulder height of 1.6 m (5.2 ft) and total length of 3.8 m (12 ft). Until it was domesticated into extinction the wild horse (E. ferus) was the largest equid. Domestic horses can reach a maximum weight of 1,524 kg (3,360 lb) and shoulder height of 2.2 m (7.2 ft), probably far greater than the sizes attained by the wild horse. The largest prehistoric horse was Equus giganteus of North America. It was estimated to grow around the same size as the aforementioned domestic horse.
- The largest of the tapirs is the Malayan tapir (Tapirus indicus), the only member of the family outside of South America. Maximum size is about 2.5 m (8 ft) in length, 1.8 m (3.5 ft) tall at the shoulder, and up to 540 kg (1,200 lb) in weight.
- The largest land mammal ever was Paraceratherium or Indricotherium (formerly known as the Baluchitherium), a member of this order. The largest known species (Paraceratherium orgosensis) is believed to have stood up to 5.5 m (18 ft) tall, measured over 9 m (30 ft) long and may have weighed up to 20 tonnes.
- Pangolins (Pholidota)
- The largest species of scaly anteater is the giant pangolin (Manis gigantea), at up to 1.7 m (5.8 ft) and at least 40 kg (88 lb).
- Anteaters and sloths (Pilosa)
- The largest species is easily the giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla). A large adult can weigh as much as 65 kg (143 lb), be over 0.6 m (2.0 ft) tall at the shoulder and measure 2.4 m (8 ft) in overall length.
- The largest living sloths are the Linnaeus's (Choloepus didactylus) and Hoffmann's two-toed sloths (C. hoffmanni), which both can range up to 10 kg (22 lb) and 0.86 m (2.8 ft) long.
- The sloths attained much larger sizes prehistorically, the largest of which were Megatherium which, at an estimated average weight of 4.5 tonnes and standing height of 5.1 m (17 ft), was about the same size as the African bush elephant.
- Primates (Primates)
- The gorillas (Gorilla gorilla & G. beringei) are the most massive living primates. The largest race is the eastern lowland gorilla (G. b. graueri), with males average 140–200 kg (310–440 lb), 1 m (3.3 ft) tall at the shoulder while on all fours and 1.65–1.75 m (5.4–5.7 ft) tall when standing. The tallest wild gorilla (from the Mountain gorilla race, G. b. beringei) stood 1.94 m (6.6 ft) and the heaviest wild one massed 266 kg (590 lb), although heavier weights have been observed in captivity. The great ape Gigantopithecus, which lived in Asia between 1 million and 300,000 years ago, is the largest primate known to have existed. It was estimated to stand 3 m (10 ft) tall and to weigh up to 550 kg (1200 lb).
- The largest of the Old World monkeys is the Mandrill (Mandrillus sphinx) with large males being up to 50 kg (110 lb), 90 cm (3 ft) long and 50 cm (20 in) at the shoulders. The prehistoric baboon Dinopithecus grew even larger than modern Mandrills, weighing as much as a grown man.
- The largest New World monkey is the Southern Muriqui (Brachyteles arachnoides), up to 15 kg (33 lb) and 1.6 m (5.2 ft) in total length.
- The largest lemur is the Indri (Indri indri) which can weigh up to 12 kg (26 lb) and 90 cm (3 ft) in total length, though one fossil lemur, Archaeoindris, was gorilla-sized at 200 kg (440 lb).
- Humans can attain weights of up to 636 kg (1400 lb) as well as heights of up to 2.72 m (8.9 ft), however, these are cases of morbid obesity, tumor, gigantism or other medical malady. However, even when not afflicted with gigantism, humans are the tallest living primates.
- Elephants, mammoths, and mastodons (Proboscidea)
- The African bush elephant, with an average weight of around 5 tonnes, is the largest extant member of the order Proboscidea. Extinct species did not generally dwarf it but some could grow somewhat larger, including the Steppe mammoth (M. trogontherii) of Asia and Elephas recki of Africa, each of these species possibly exceeding a shoulder height of 4.6 m (15 ft) and 12 tonnes in weight.
- Deinotherium giganteum rivaled those proboscideans in size, and was the largest member of its family (Deinotheriidae).
- Rodents (Rodentia)
- The largest living rodent is the capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris), native to most of the tropical and temperate parts of South America east of the Andes, always near water. Full-grown capybaras can reach 1.5 m (4.9 ft) long and 0.9 m (3.0 ft) tall at the shoulder and a maximum weight of 105.4 kg (232 lb).
- The second largest living rodent is the North American beaver (Castor canadensis), which favors water perhaps even more than its larger cousin. Outsized male beaver specimens have been recorded up to 50 kg (110 lb), which is about twice the normal weight for a beaver, and 1.7 m (5.6 ft) in total length. The Eurasian beaver (C. fiber) is close to the same average size, but is known to top out around a mass of 31.7 kg (70 lb). The largest of this family is the extinct Giant Beaver of North America. It grew over 8 ft (2.4 m) in length and weighed roughly 60 to 100 kg (130 to 220 lb), also making it one of the largest rodents to ever exist.
- The largest species in the squirrel family is the hoary marmot (Marmota caligata) of the Pacific Northwest, at up to 13.5 kg (30 lb) and 0.8 m (2.6 ft) long.
- The largest porcupines is are Cape Porcupine (Hystrix africaeaustralis)of Central Africa 63 to 81 centimetres (25 to 32 inches) long from the head to the base of the tail, with the tail adding a further 11–20 centimetres (4.3–7.9 inches). They weigh from 10 to 24 kilograms (22 to 53 pounds), with exceptionally large specimens weighing up to 30 kg (66 lb); males and females are not significantly different in size.
- The largest Muroid is the Gambian Pouched Rat of Africa. It grows up to 1 m (3.3 ft) in total length and can weight up to 4 kg (9 lb).
- The largest known rodent ever is Josephoartigasia monesi, an extinct species known only from fossils found in Uruguay. It was approximately 3 m (10 ft) long and 1.5 m (4.9 ft) tall, and is estimated to have weighed 1.5–2.5 tonnes. Prior to the description of J. monesi, the largest known rodent species were from the genus Phoberomys, of which two species have been discovered. An almost complete skeleton of the slightly smaller Late Miocene species, Phoberomys pattersoni, was discovered in Venezuela in 2000; it was approximately 3 m (10 ft) long, with an additional 1.5 m (5 ft) tail, and probably weighed around 700 kg (1,540 lb).
- Tree shrews (Scandentia)
- The largest of the tree shrews seems to be the common treeshrew (Tupaia glis), at up to 187 g (6.6 oz) and 40 cm (17 in).
- Dugongs and manatees (Sirenia)
- The largest living species in the order Sirenia of dugongs and manatees is the West Indian Manatee (Trichechus manatus). The largest manatees are found in the Florida subspecies. The maximum recorded size of this species was 1,655 kg (3,650 lb) and a total length of 4.6 m (15 ft).
- The extinct Steller's Sea Cow (Hydrodamalis gigas) was the largest

source: HuggingFaceFW/fineweb-edu


Writing an Appeal
Writing an Appeal
Basic Tips for Writing Appeals to Government Officials
 1. Be factual. Refer to the details of the case as outlined by the Urgent Action or Freedom Writers Bulletin. Human rights are based on international laws, agreements and obligations. Effective letters of appeal are based on these obligations as they pertain to the specific concerns of the case. Appeals should not include political judgments or jargon as they are not effective and can sometimes do harm.
 2. Be brief Stay concise to keep the attention of the reader. Usually one page is enough to convey your message.
 3. Be polite. This rule is essential and invariable. Using offensive language is not effective. Governments do not respond to abusive or condemnatory letters, however well deserved.
 4. Show respect. Assume your reader is open to reason and a respectfully worded appeal. When possible, express respect for a country's constitution and judicial procedures and convey an understanding of any current difficulties. This will demonstrate a balanced understanding on your part which will predispose the reader to be more open to suggestions for human rights improvements.
 5. Be explicit in expressing your concern for the victim. Repeat the victim's name throughout the letter to ensure that the official will recognize the name and remember the letters sent on the victim's behalf.
 6. Write clearly AND in English, unless you are completely fluent in the language of the involved country. The recipient must be able to easily read your letter so if you are not typing it, please make sure that your writing is plain and legible.
 7. Be constructive. Try not to focus solely on what the country is doing wrong, and instead offer ways the country can support international standards of human rights.
 8. Be efficient. Do whatever is necessary to make your letter-writing as quick and easy as possible. For example, create and save a generic form letter for each Urgent Action topic of concern and modify as necessary to address individual cases and topics. See our Sample Letters for ideas on how to do so.
 9. Salutations and Closings. There is no standard international code for addressing authorities. Formalities vary according to different government structures in each country. Urgent Actions and the Freedom Writers Bulletin will include suggested salutations for addressing officials but in general, you may safely use the following salutations:
 - Your Majesty - to Kings, Queens, and other monarchs
 - Your Excellency - to all heads of state, cabinet level ministers, ambassadors and governors
 - Your Honor - for judges and procurators
 - Dear Sir/Madam - for local authorities, prison commanders, police chiefs
 - Dear Admiral, General, Captain, etc - for military officials
 Close your letter formally by using:
 - (Yours) Respectfully,
 - (Yours) Sincerely,
 - Yours truly,
 10. Referring to Amnesty International. Amnesty International's name may be used unless the Urgent Action or Freedom Writers Bulletin specifically instructs otherwise. If you do refer to Amnesty International, it may be useful to include a brief explanation of AI's aims and principles. AI seeks to uphold human rights in a manner of impartiality and independence from any government, political faction, ideology, economic interest or religious belief.
 Also indicate, where appropriate, that AI opposes torture and the imposition of the death penalty and seeks a fair and speedy trial in all cases and without reservation. Letters sent in a private or professional capacity, using titles or professional letterheads, may add to effectiveness by impressing authorities and suggesting that the writer is someone of influence.
Sample Messages
The following phrases and sentences are offered to help you write your letter of appeal. Use them as a functional starting point but try to focus on your own heart felt comments and suggestions as those will be more impressive and effective.
 - I wish to appeal to you on be half of __________ who is the subject of my deepest concern.
 - My family and I are very worried about __________ who is said to be unjustly detained in your country.
 - I write to you out of deep concern for the current state of health of recently imprisoned __________.
 - __________ is said to be currently imprisoned in your country. Please investigate.
 - I would like to take the opportunity to call your attention to the case of __________.
 - I am writing to you at this time to seek your assistance in the situation of a detainee, ________.
 - We hope, in the name of all people concerned with human rights, that we will hear from you about this matter at the earliest possible opportunity.
 - I hope to hear from you in the very near future.
 - I, and those who share my concern, would be gratified by a reply from you as soon as possible.
 - Finally, in view of the above mentioned information, we urge you to act quickly to correct this situation and ask that you inform us of the outcome of your investigation.
 - Thanking you in advance for your time on this important and urgent matter, I am respectfully,
 - In awaiting your reply, be assured of my most respectful sentiments.
Death Threats
 I am concerned to learn of recent death threats made to __________, a member of the National Executive of the United Confederation of Workers in Bogota, Colombia on August 4. He was told that he would be killed for his trade union activity. I urge you to ensure that a full and impartial investigation is undertaken into the threats, that the results be made public and those responsible be brought to justice. I also ask that all possible measures be undertaken to protect __________ and save his life.
 I am a high school teacher from the United States and a member of Amnesty International. I have been greatly disturbed by the news of the 'disappearance' of fellow teacher, Mrs. __________ in Ankara on June 7, 1995. I would be grateful if you would inform me of her whereabouts and give assurances that she is well-treated. I would also be grateful for news of her legal status. In this regard, I would respectfully remind you of Article 9 of the UN Declaration of Human Rights which states that 'No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.
Inadequate Medical Treatment
 I write this letter to you as a physician, to ensure that Professor __________, a prisoner held in __________ Prison, is given adequate diet and medical treatment. I have been informed that he is suffering from pneumonia and urgently needs to be transferred to a hopital for immediate attention. My colleagues and I here at __________ Hospital would be pleased to hear from you as soon as you are able to ensure __________ treatment for this serious respiratory illness.
 I am gravely concerned to receive reports of the arrests of University student leaders__________, __________ and __________ during October of 2007. I was particularly concerned that some of the detainees, who are being held at the __________ Detention Center, are reported to have been severely tortured. I seek your assurances that __________, __________, __________ and other detainees being held in detention will be treated fairly and humanely in accordance with international humanitarian and human rights law.
Death Penalty
 As a member of Amnesty International, the organization which opposes the use of the death penalty in all cases on humanitarian grounds, I urgently request that you commute the death sentence of __________, on the basis that his execution would be in violation of the right to life as proclaimed in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. I appeal to you to ensure that no further executions are carried out in your country/state.
Arbitrary Arrest
 It has come to my attention that two well-respected lawyers in Khartoum, __________ and __________ have been recently arrested for their advocacy of the human rights of your citizens. We believe them to be prisoners of conscience, detained because of their work as legal professionals in your country. I strongly urge that __________ and __________ are immediately and unconditionally released. Until then, I ask you to assure their physical safety while in detention and guarantee that __________ and __________ are not subject to torture or other ill-treatment.


AWS Cognito Notes
I'm convinced at this point that AWS has some sort of internal rule that their documentation should be intentionally vague and never include any actual code samples. The goal here is to provide a more clear overview of how Cognito actually works, and provide actual detailed code examples for receiving and exchanging tokens.
We will not be using Amplify here.
Hosted UI Flow
When the user is signing in you can either have them use a custom form that is linked to Cognito on the back end using the Cognito SDK, or you can use the hosted UI, where the registration, login, password reset forms are all handled for you. We will look at the process of using the hosted UI here.
there is actually a third option where you can use Amplify prebuilt components but we aren't using Amplify as it limits flexibility
Let us start with the user signing in using the hosted UI.
cognito hosted ui
user pool authentication diagram
The user submits their email and password to the User Pool, which then authenticates the user and sends back a token.
Response Token from User Pool
📘 AWS Cognito: Handling User Pool Tokens
The User Pool will return to us a token which will be in one of two possible formats
 - token Code
 - Implicit Grant token
The response type is chosen by you in your User Pool settings. You can also enable both methods and then specify which one you want to use by changing the URL of the hosted UI.
The token will be inserted into the URL as a query parameter when you are redirected after a successful user authentication with the User Pool. See just below for examples.
Code Token
Here is an example of a Code Token returned in a URL after using the hosted UI.
This code must be exchanged with Cognito via the SDK to receive further information about the user.
The Code Grant method is the preferred method as it is much more secure. It does not pass any JWT Tokens directly to the client, potentially exposing them.
Implicit Grant JWT Token
Here is an example of an implicit grant JWT Token returned in the url.
Format sample from documentation:
actual returned token:
This is a full JWT token which contains a header, payload and signature. Specifically this is a Cognito ID Token, as opposed to an Access Token or Refresh Token. It is encoded with the RS256 algorithm, however it can be easily decoded using to see what information is contained inside. decoding
So as we can see, this information is not secure if it is intercepted.
If you are going to use the implicit grant method and get the full token back immediately, you must verify the signature of the token to ensure that it was actually issued from Cognito. This is a potential avenue of attack otherwise.
Therefore let us move forward taking the best practice approach, and work only with the code grant method.
Exchanging Code Token
At this point we have received a Code Token from the User Pool. This code, as shown above, is completely useless to us until we exchange it for useful information. But the user has been authenticated and a timed session has been started for this user. Cognito is ready for us to send this code back with a further request for more information.
Note that in a lot of the documentation this Code is referred to as a Token. This is not to be confused with a full JWT Token, which is a full encrypted JSON object. However in an attempt to simplify their documentation AWS will often not specify which of the two methods they are referring to, and will refer to both as simply Token or JWT Token.
So how do we exchange this code for useful information like getting the users profile information?
There are several tools available for this. If you are using Amplify you would use the commands built into the Amplify SDK. We are doing this without Amplify. That means that we will be using the AWS Javascript SDK methods to retrieve our user profile.
Review the following links before continuing.
📘 AWS Cognito API: GetUser
📘 Javascript SDK v3: GetUser
exchanging code token diagram
So we can see that we need to use the Code Token that we got as a parameter in our request, and then use the getUser method to retrieve our user profile information. So we need to follow these steps:
 - scaffold getUser request
 - extract code from URL
 - put code into getUser request parameters
 - send getUser request
 - handle response
Let's walk through all of that now.


Interiors: How to create a family friendly living room
When you live alone, decorating your home is a relatively easy process as you only have to take your own wants and needs into account, so keeping everyone happy is far from a challenge. Unfortunately, when you have a family, it's not quite so simple. You have to consider ideas from every person living in your home and do your best to ensure that everyone gets what they want. If you have fairly young children, you also need to pay close attention to safety and any potential risks. The living room is the most sociable area of most family homes, so it's vital that this space works well. Here are ten ways you can create a more family-friendly living room:
 1. Dedicate A Space
Unless you already have a separate playroom in your home, it makes sense to dedicate an area of your living room to your children. If you don't, you could end up with a living space that's cluttered with toys and games, leaving you little room to relax and unwind when you want to. Make sure that your kids have some storage for their toys, whether that be in the form of a toy box or something that fits more in with the decor, and set some clear boundaries for playing.
 1. Clear The Clutter
Depending on the age of your children, you should consider moving or removing some of the ornaments and decorative pieces from your living room. When kids first start learning to walk, they love exploring, which means that your little ones might grab onto the things on your coffee table, lower shelves, and other surfaces. This could leave them hurt and your ornaments broken. It's much better that you move these things now, to avoid any upset either way. Living room furniture sets often come with ottomans or footstools that can be helpful here!
 1. Hide Your Storage
In a family home, there's no such thing as too much storage, so you should incorporate as much into your living room as you possibly can. If you already have shelves, cabinets, and cupboards in your space, and you still don't have enough, then you should consider hidden storage options. For example, you could turn your window seat into a storage chest or buy an ottoman that opens up to put things inside. You could also slide drawers and baskets under your sofa and chairs.
 1. Always Cut Corners
When you have little ones wandering about, you become very conscious of all of the things they could hurt themselves on. In particular, you become very aware of how dangerous the corners on square and rectangular coffee tables can be. Rather than cover these corners with ugly safety bumpers, you should invest in a round option instead. Circle coffee tables and large ottomans both work well in any living room and are much safer for toddlers and small children.
 1. Cushion The Blow
When toddlers first learn to walk, they fall over an awful lot. To cut down on bumps and bruises, you should cushion the blow by placing a large rug in the centre of your living room. Although you could carpet the entire space, this can make cleaning incredibly difficult. It's much better that you have hard floors that you can mop or wipe, and a rug that you can stick in the washing machine. Just make sure that your rug is securely stuck down or it could become a trip hazard.
 1. Durable And Removable
Regardless of their age, children aren't the cleanest of creatures, so you should do everything you can to make cleaning your living room easier. Having a rug instead of carpets is a good place to start, but you should also remember your furniture. The last thing that you want is for sticky hands and muddy feet to ruin your sofa, so consider the kid-friendly options available. Durable materials, like leather, and removable covers are both incredibly sensible ideas.
 1. Stick To Shutters
Choosing window treatments for your home is incredibly tricky when you have children. Blinds, unfortunately, tend to have cords, which can become wrapped around your little ones and cause injury, whereas curtains, depending on the length, can be climbed or pulled down. To avoid any of this, you should head to a site like and buy some shutters instead. These are much less dangerous, don't have any cords or rods to play with, and are incredibly easy to clean.
 1. Display Their Masterpieces
When a child paints you an adorable picture or draws something cool, most parents tend to stick it on the fridge for the world to see. Of course, you could continue to do this, but this can make your kitchen look cluttered and could also end up ruining the masterpiece your little one has created. Because of this, you should stop sticking these pictures on the fridge and frame them instead. This way, you can display them proudly on your living room wall or shelf.
 1. Organise Your Cords
With televisions, games consoles, DVD players, laptops, mobile phones, and more, your living room is full of plug sockets and power cables. For adults, this isn't too much of an issue, but when you have little ones roaming about, they can be incredibly dangerous. To stay safe, you should keep your cords organised, cable tie them together, and secure them to the floor or wall. You can also visit for advice on how to protect your plug sockets.
 1. Opt For Open
Modern family life can be incredibly busy, which means there's often little time to bond as a family. To make this easier, you should create a space that encourages communication and quality time. Creating an open plan living room is an incredibly good idea, as it means that one family member can be in the kitchen, while another is in the living room, but you can still interact with, talk to, and spend time with one another, even though you're doing different things.
Creating a living room that suits your entire family can be tricky, but, hopefully, with these tips, you'll find the process a little easier to handle.
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altered by changes in blood flow ('flushing'), thermoregulation was almost certainly the primary selective factor. However, in some species, flushing occurs in contexts unrelated to thermoregulation, such as during courtship or agonistic encounters. For example, the skin of turkeys becomes redder when courting females and when engaged in agonistic encounters with other males. This suggests that 'flushing' can, for some species and in some contexts, also serve a signaling function. The ability to generate a deeper red coloration or maintain redder coloration for longer periods may be correlated with individual quality if doing so is energetically costly or potentially damaging to the body (Negro et al. 2006).
The colored skin of many birds is due to pigments, molecules that differentially absorb and emit wavelengths of visible light. Carotenoids are the pigments responsible for colorful skin (as well as feathers) in many birds, and typically generate a red, orange, or yellow hue. Birds cannot synthesize carotenoids so must acquire them in their diet. As a result, variation in carotenoid-based skin (or feather) coloration can provide conspecifics with information about individual quality and, specifically, the ability of different individuals to acquire a limited resource (Negro et al. 2002). For example, Red-legged Partridges (Alectoris rufa) have bills and eye rings (bare skin not feathers) that are reddish due to the presence of carotenoids and individuals with redder bills and eye rings are in better physical condition (Pérez-Rodríguez and Viñuela 2008). Similarly, the yellow-orange skin on the legs, feet, and ceres (skin at the base of the upper bill) of European Kestrels (Falco tinnunculus) is due to carotenoids and studies have revealed that male kestrels with more brightly colored skin are better hunters and have better quality territories (Casagrande et al. 2006).
For many birds, skin coloration is the result of optical interactions with biological nanostructures or, in other words, the microscopic structure of skin (Figure 7). Such structural colors occur in the skin, bill (ramphotheca), legs and feet (podotheca) in about 129 avian genera in 50 families from 16 avian orders. Structurally colored skin is present in more than 250 bird species, or about 2.5% of all bird species (Prum and Torres 2003). Examination of the color, anatomy, and nanostructure of structurally colored skin, ramphotheca, and podotheca from several different species of birds indicates that color, including ultraviolet, dark blue, light blue, green and yellow hues, is produced by coherent scattering (i.e., constructive interference) of light from arrays of parallel collagen fibers in the skin (dermis) (Figures 8 and 9). Scattering, in this case, simply means that light deviates from a straight path.
Visible light is, of course, composed of many colors of light with distinct wavelengths. Red light has a long wavelength (~700 nm), whereas violet and blue light has a much shorter wavelength (~400 nm). When visible light encounters particles with the same or larger diameter than its component wavelengths, those specific light photons are reflected. For example, particles that are 400 nm or slightly larger will selectively reflect blue light photons while allowing other light photons to pass. In the skin of birds light is reflected by collagen fibers (long, string-like protein molecules) that are arranged in a much more highly organized manner than in normal skin. For patches of skin that are a particular color (e.g., blue or green) all collagen fibers are the same thickness (Figure 8). As a result, each fiber scatters wavelengths of light that are in phase (Figure 10) and, therefore, are reinforced, producing very bright colors even more saturated than typical pigment-based colors. In addition to the reflection of light of certain wavelengths, skin structural coloration also requires a means to prevent the reflection or scattering of white light by deeper tissues below the color-producing nanostructures. In bird skin, this light-absorbing layer consists of a thick layer of melanin granules (melanosomes; Figure 7).
Figure 7. Light micrographs of structurally colored, white and pigmented bird skin showing differences between structurally colored and non-structurally colored skin in the thickness of collagen layers : (A) Chaemapetes unicolor, dark blue; (B) Numida meleagris, dark blue; (C) Tragopan temminckii, light blue; (D) Opisthocomus hoazin, dark blue; (E) Ramphastos vitellinus, dark blue; (F) Selenidera reinwardtii, green; (G) Procnias nudicollis, white leg skin; (H) Procnias nudicollis, structurally green throat skin and (I) Tragopan temminckii, red, lateral lappet patches. All specimens stained with Masson's trichrome, which stains collagen blue and cells red. All scale bars represent 100 µm, except in C, which represents 50 µm. Abbreviations: c, collagen macrofibrils; cc, collagenocytes; cp, capillaries; e, epidermis; m, melanosomes (From: Prum and Torres 2003).
Figure 8. Transmission electron micrographs showing the very regular nanostructured arrays of dermal collagen fibers from: (A) Oxyura jamaicensis, light blue; (B) Numida meleagris, dark blue; (C) Tragopan satyra, dark blue; (D) Tragopan caboti, dark blue; (E) Tragopan caboti, light blue; (F) Tragopan caboti, orange; (G) Syrigma sibilatrix, blue; (H) Ramphastos toco, dark blue; (I) Philepitta castanea, light blue; (J) Gymnopithys leucapsis, light blue; (K) Procnias nudicollis, green and (L) Terpsiphone mutata, dark blue. All images were taken at 30000 x. All scale bars represent 200 nm (From: Prum and Torres 2003).
Figure 9. Coherent scattering is differential interference or reinforcement of wavelengths scattered by multiple light-scattering objects (x, y). Coherent scattering of specific wavelengths is determined by the phase relationships among the scattered waves. Scattered wavelengths that are out of phase will cancel each other out, but scattered wavelengths that are in phase will be constructively reinforced and coherently scattered. Phase relationships of wavelengths scattered by two different objects (x and y) are given by the differences in the path lengths of light scattered by the first object (x: 1–1') and a second object (y: 2–2') as measured from planes perpendicular to the incident (a) and reflected (b) waves in the mean refractive index of the media (From: Prum and Torres 2003).
Figure 10. Left, In constructive interference (coherent scattering), two light waves (on bottom) are in phase so the combined waveform (top) is enhanced. Right, In destructive interference, two light waves (bottom) out of phase so they cancel out (top). (From: Wikipedia).
In some groups of birds (e.g., Phasianidae, Eurylaimidae, Cotingidae, Paradisaeidae, and Cnemophilidae), sexual selection is likely responsible for the structurally colored skin of males because most species are polygynous. In other groups of birds, including Ardeidae, Cariamidae, Bucerotidae, Ramphastidae, Meliphagidae, and Monarchidae, both sexes have integumentary structural colors, suggesting that such coloration may be important in both interand intrasexual communication (Prum and Torres 2003). Many birds with structurally colored skin are found in rainforests. For example, nearly all species with structurally colored skin in the orders Casuariiformes, Galliformes, Opisthocomiformes, Cuculiformes, Trogoniformes, Coraciiformes, Piciformes, and Passeriformes occur in tropical forests. The quality of ambient light in tropical forest habitats may favor the evolution of communication signals in the shorter wavelength portion of the visible spectrum (blue and green) and, if so, selection might favor structural colors because vertebrates, including birds, have no pigments that generate such colors (Prum and Torres 2003).
Surucua Trogon (Trogon surrucura)
Claws are found at the distal end of all toes of all birds and cover the bones of terminal phalanges. Some birds also have wing claws. The dorsal portion of claws is highly keratinized and calcified and is very hard. Claws are curved to varying degrees because the dorsal portion grows faster than the ventral portion. In addition to variation in curvature, claws also vary in relative length and pointedness (Stettenheim 2000). Among diving and swimming birds with webbed or partially webbed feet, such as gannets, waterfowl, and gulls, claws tend to be small, less curved, and flatter. At the extreme, grebes have very flat


openvpn: TLS: tls_process: killed expiring key « 我爱DIY
openvpn: TLS: tls_process: killed expiring key
时间:12-10-24 栏目:技术 作者:liva 评论:0 点击: 11,118 次
In SSL/TLS mode, an SSL session is established with bidirectional authentication (i.e. each side of the connection must present its own certificate). If the SSL/TLS authentication succeeds, encryption/decryption and HMAC key source material is then randomly generated by OpenSSL's RAND_bytes function and exchanged over the SSL/TLS connection. Both sides of the connection contribute random source material. This mode never uses any key bidirectionally, so each peer has a distinct send HMAC, receive HMAC, packet encrypt, and packet decrypt key. If --key-method 2 is used, the actual keys are generated from the random source material using the TLS PRF function. If --key-method 1 is used, the keys are generated directly from the OpenSSL RAND_bytes function. --key-method 2 was introduced with OpenVPN 1.5.0 and will be made the default in OpenVPN 2.0.
During SSL/TLS rekeying, there is a transition-window parameter that permits overlap between old and new key usage, so there is no time pressure or latency bottleneck during SSL/TLS renegotiations.
OpenVPN uses asymmetric Public Key Encryption (the private key and certificates) to establish a session, and then negotiates a static key between hosts for tunnel encryption. This static key is used because symmetric encryption is much faster. By default, OpenVPN will renegotiate the static key every 60 minutes, although you can change the frequency by using the 3 –reneg-* options. When a renegotiation occurs you will see the message you described above in your logs.
However, the renegotiation doesn't cause OpenVPN to restart; data can still be sent during the negotiation process, and the old key is still valid for a default of 60 minutes and can be changed with the –tran-window option.
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text:
Magpies have a strong bill with a sharp cutting edge, which can be used for cutting flesh, digging up invertebrates, or picking fruit. Their main diet in summer is grassland invertebrates, such as beetles, flies, caterpillars, spiders, worms and leatherjackets.
In winter, they eat more plant material, such as wild fruits, berries and grains, with household scraps and food scavenged from bird tables or chicken runs, petfoods etc. They will eat carrion at all times and catch small mammals and birds. Occasionally, magpies prey on larger animals such as young rabbits.
During the breeding season they will take eggs and young of other birds. We don't know exactly what proportion of the summer diet of urban and suburban magpies these comprise: estimates vary between 3% and 38% by weight, although most estimates are at the low end of this scale. Studies of urban magpies in Manchester showed a summer diet mostly of invertebrates with some field voles and house sparrows.
When food is abundant, magpies hoard the surplus to eat later. They make a small hole in the ground with their beak, place the food in it and cover it with grass, a stone or a leaf. These caches are spread around their territory or home range.


text:
ISBN : 9780878935161
Stephen W. Kuffler was the most dominant figure in experimental neuroscience in the 1960s and '70s. The lessons he taught by example about how to do research and how to interact with one's students and colleagues transcend specific disciplines and are timeless. This volume consists of letters by Steve's former students and colleagues and a biography by the noted biophysicist Sir Bernard Katz. Altogether, they demonstrate the views, achievements, and versatility of this extraordinary scientist, teacher, and friend.
Can Mr. Kuffler Come Out To Play?
The Pied Piper
After the End
Stephen William Kuffler (By Sir Bernard Katz)

source: openbmb/Ultra-FineWeb


text:
(NOTE: All photographic images below can be clicked to view at higher resolution.)
In the last few days some of the first high resolution color images of Mars Rover Curiosity's
deck have been taken. These included some of the best images yet showing the knots visible on the exposed wire and cable bundles.
While a few of the folks here are no doubt aware, it might surprise most people to learn that knots tied in cords and thin ribbons have probably traveled on every interplanetary mission ever flown. If human civilization ends tomorrow, interplanetary landers, orbiters, and deep space probes will preserve evidence of both the oldest and newest of human technologies for millions of years..Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Malin Space Science Systems(Original)
Knots are still used in this high-tech arena because cable lacing
has long been the preferred cable management technique in aerospace applications. That it remains so to this day is a testament to the effectiveness of properly chosen knots tied by skilled craftspeople. It also no doubt has a bit to do with the conservative nature of aerospace design and engineering practices. Proven technologies are rarely cast aside unless they no longer fulfill requirements or there is something substantially better available.
While the knots used for cable lacing in general can be quite varied -- in some cases even a bit idiosyncratic -- NASA has in-house standards for the knots and methods used on their spacecraft. These are specified in NASA Technical Standard NASA-STD-8739.4 -- Crimping, Interconnecting Cables, Harnesses, and Wiring
. As far as I've been able to identify in the rover images below, all of the lacings shown are one of two of the several patterns specified in the standard.
The above illustration shows the so-called "Spot Tie". It is a clove hitch topped by two half-knots in the form of a reef (square) knot. In addition to its pure binding role, it is also used to affix cable bundles to tie-down points, as can be seen in many of the Curiosity rover images below.
Knot history buffs might find it interesting that a "Spot Tie"-like knot, with opposite Clove Hitch end orientation and topped only with a single half-knot was illustrated in 1917 by A. Hyatt Verrill under the name "Gunner's Knot". This was seemingly due to Verrill copying from J.T. Burgess, who had oversimplified "Bowling's" description of what possibly was the first known textual description of the Constrictor knot. But that's a whole different can of worms!
So why has NASA standardized on this knot instead others which might serve the purpose? The following reasons are merely my own musings. I'd be interested to hear others' comments on this knot's strengths and weaknesses.
The Reef Knot and Clove Hitch are extremely ancient. Both were discussed in detail as surgical and orthopedic knots and slings by Greek physician Heraklas
in the 1st Century AD. The Reef Knot is depicted with varying degrees of realism in ancient Egyptian statuary and hieroglyphics as far back as 4000-5000 years ago. I presume there would be little disagreement here that these two knots must be among the oldest of the purposeful, standardized knots used by humans. You simply cannot get more field-tested than this!
But why combine these two well-known old knots in a somewhat novel way that, at first, might seem a bit "belt-and-suspenders"?
The inner profile of the clove hitch is smooth. Both turns bear on the bound object evenly throughout their contact. The contact area is increased by having two turns. When the reef knot is added, the ends are pulled up and away from the object. There is some extra pressure exerted by the reef knot on the riding turn, but this is distributed onto the two underlying turns. Evenness of pressure is important for the same reasons as the next item.
Overtightening of cable management bindings can cause conductor breakage, insulation damage, excessive chafing, and deformations between the conductive, dielectric, and shield parts of a cable, and no doubt a host of other issues. It is one of the classic problems with ratcheting plastic cable ties (i.e. "zipties") that they only have quantized adjustment steps and cannot be easily loosened. While zipties with a metal tooth insert do allow for smoother tightening, the possibility of this tiny metal part coming loose near electronics generally excludes their use. That zipties cannot easily be loosened or adjusted during tightening makes them more prone to being left in an overtightened state. Difficulty of adjustment might also be considered a possible strike against using the Constrictor Knot (and similar knots) for this application.
The clove hitch is not known as a particularly good binder alone, but that may be an advantage in this application. If the clove is initially made too tight it is easily loosened and readjusted. Once the proper snugness is achieved the addition of the first half-knot produces only a small and predictable amount of additional tightening. One thing I did notice in my tests is that if the first half-knot is made in the opposite orientation than shown in the standard, it tends to produce more tightening and also separates the underlying turns of the clove hitch.
- Resilience to errors in tying
As mentioned above, I did some tests tying the knot incorrectly in different ways. While these forms generally seemed inferior to the specified knot, they were not obviously destined to fail. Using these two basic knots in a compound form seems to be a reasonable way to make errors of tying less detrimental to the resulting knot.Image credit: David J. Fred/Wikimedia Commons (Original)
Above is a high resolution photo taken of these Spot Ties made in Gudebrod Nomex
lacing tape. These types of lacing tapes are often coated or impregnated with materials (e.g. synthetic rubbers) to increase their knot-holding properties. I'm not sure what the tapes visible on the rover are made of, but I'd suspect the material was chosen for its behavior at extremely low temperatures and pressures as well as very good UV resistance.
The keen observer may note that some of the Spot Ties in the rover images show the ends perpendicular to the cable bundle and some parallel. Based on general experience with reef and granny knots, one might be tempted to assume the parallel examples are improperly finished with granny knots. Experimentation with Nomex lacing tape seems to show that it's more a matter of the knot preserving the orientation of the ends as the reef knot was tightened. I found that when the Spot Tie is finished improperly in the granny form but with the ends kept perpendicular to the wire bundle they tend to stay that way. While these experiments are hardly definitive, it doesn't seem to me that one can tell from orientation of the ends whether the knot was properly tied or not.
There is also the issue of the handedness of the first half-knot with respect the ends emerging from the Clove Hitch portion. The relative orientation shown in the NASA spec does appear to be preferable to the alternative.
I won't go into much discussion about these stiches for the moment, but I believe the one on the left (the running clove hitches) appears on the extreme right edge of detail image "1" below.
And now for the pretty pictures...Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech(Original)
Multi-image panorama giving context of rover, deck, and its suroundings. The rim of Gale Crater is visible in the distance.Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech(Original)
Annotated context image showing locations of following five detailed images. Outlines do not quite align to following image borders due to panorama projection.1 Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Malin Space Science Systems(Original)
Examples of one of the flat stitching methods (shown above) appear on the extreme right edge of this image.2 Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Malin Space Science Systems(Original)3 Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Malin Space Science Systems(Original)4 Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Malin Space Science Systems(Original)5 Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Malin Space Science Systems(Original)


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What is the origin of scut in scut work?
According to Merriam-Webster,
scut work: routine and often menial labor
Probably from medical argot, scut meaning 'junior intern'
First known use: circa 1962
Usage example:
... women who generally feel that they are second-class citizens in the medical profession -- unappreciated and directed by (mostly male) doctors to perform largely scut work.
This ngram shows that scut work was not used before 1960 when it took hold as medical jargon. It supports the idea that the term was not already in general use and subsequently popularized in hospitals, rather that it originated there.
Scut work
This returns us to the medical coinage. Could it be related to meaning (2) in the OED?
1. the short tail of a hare, rabbit, or deer.
2. (inf. chiefly Irish) a person perceived as foolish, contemptible, or objectionable.
There is another theory that it is derived from Oxford University servants called scouts, but I consider this unlikely given the US origin of scut work.
share|improve this question
Der... I don't think it's likely to derive from anything other than OED:2, which seems about as transparent as any word usage can be. Possibly that definition itself came from association of rabbits with simpletons (rabbits are dumb), or with lowly peasants (who would eat more rabbit than other meat). – FumbleFingers Jul 28 '11 at 14:23
4 Answers 4
up vote 3 down vote accepted
In the Wiktionary scutwork entry, one of the references, Medical meanings: a glossary of word origins, suggests either scuttle, or OE scitan (excrement) as possible origins of the scut in scutwork. I think scitan is plausible; note from the etymology of shit:
Noun use for "obnoxious person" is since at least 1508
Wiktionary also suggests for scut as "contemptible person" that the etymology may be from the obsolete sense of scout, which Etymonline explains:
"to reject with scorn," c.1600, of Scandinavian origin (cf. O.N. skuta, skute "taunt"), probably from a source related to shout.
I think you're probably right that meaning (2) of scut is more closely related to scutwork, but note that calling someone contemptible doesn't have to be unrelated to meaning (1) as in the quotations in Wiktionary, or, for example, this 1907 story:
"Don't understand me?" roared the farmer. "What have you done to my darter, you scut, sitting there preening of yersel, like a silly peacock in the sun?"
The angry man approached the bed swiftly, and, seizing Aubrey's pyjama-clad shoulder in a massive fist, thrust his hairy face within an inch of his victim's nose.
"What have you been doin' to my lass?" he roared again. "Now d'yew onderstand me?"
"W-what has she been telling you?" Aubrey was horribly frightened.
"Summat that made me sware you shouldn't leave this house till you'm man and wife all raight and praper accordin' to law."
share|improve this answer
I'm quite impressed with wiktionary's entry actually. I like the quotations. Here are two more, from Ulysses: "God speed you, scut!" and "Mean bloody scut." – z7sg Ѫ Jul 28 '11 at 21:15
This is not a definitive answer, because all the sources I checked say the origin is not known. But I suspect it probably comes from scuttle, because doing the dishes is the archetypal form of "scut" work, and as Etymonline shows us:
scuttle (n.) "bucket," O.E. scutel "dish, platter," from L. scutella "serving platter," dim. of scutra "flat tray, dish," perhaps related to scutum "shield" (see hide (n.1)). A common Gmc. borrowing from Latin (cf. O.N. skutill, M.Du. schotel, O.H.G. scuzzila, Ger. Schüssel). Meaning "basket for sifting grain" is attested from mid-14c.; sense of "bucket for holding coal" first recorded 1849.
share|improve this answer
I think the ngram I've posted in the question goes against this theory because scut work only really exists from 1960 onwards. – z7sg Ѫ Jul 28 '11 at 20:32
+1 I strongly suspect it came from coal scuttle. – Brock Adams Mar 17 '13 at 10:07
"Scut work" was in use at least as early as 1950. From The Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine, Volume 22:
... menial tasks commonly known as the "scut work."
Given the general manners of the time, it seems unlikely that this would be used too pejoratively.
James Joyce's, Finnegans Wake (1939) also refers to a character as a "scutfrank" -- which has been interpreted to mean someone who does menial tasks.
share|improve this answer
"Some common unfinished task".
share|improve this answer
Is this a definition from a dictionary? Why else did you use inverted commas? As it is, you haven't provided an answer for its origins. – Mari-Lou A Aug 23 '13 at 22:27
_USER_-LouA It looks as if the quote marks were added by the editor. The author also suggested the (alleged) origin by capitalising the initial letters of each word. While the author has provided no substantiation for this alleged origin, I think your last 2 sentences should be aimed at the editor! – TrevorD Aug 23 '13 at 23:57
protected by RegDwigнt Aug 23 '13 at 20:04
Would you like to answer one of these unanswered questions instead?


text:
New Lab Setup at ECU
The Purpose of this page is to offer the resources necessary to allow each lab supervisor to quickly set up a new lab in compliance with applicable regulations and safety standards. The checklist provides a simple list of the basics necessary to begin a new laboratory at ECU.
New Lab Setup Checklist is currently being updated contact EH&S for more information!
Chemical Hygiene Training
Each lab user (including the principal investigator) must take an ECU Chemical Hygiene Training before beginning work in the lab. This training contains the basic safe lab use standard operating procures that apply to all ECU labs as well as a description of the responsibilities of and resources available lab users. The training may be taken on line. Once the training program and the accompanying quiz has been successfully completed the participant's name will be entered on the University training roster available for view by alphabetically as well as on individual Onestop training records.
Lab Specific Training
Lab Specific Training is provided by the principle investigator to each lab users (Documentation of training must be maintained in the lab). It follows ECU Chemical Hygiene Training.
The minimum training should include:
- Content of the lab safety plans
- Location and basic content of the chemical inventory
- Location and how to use the related material safety data sheets (MSDS)
- Chemical storage plan for the lab
- Location of self inspection logs and assigned responsibility for keeping the log
- Location of hazardous waste storage and waste labels
- Location of drain logs and items approved for drain disposal in the lab
- Location of the emergency call back list (Make sure contact numbers remain current)
- Emergency evacuation procedure for the lab
Links detailing each requirement of the Chemical Hygiene and Lab Specific training can be found on the ECU Lab Safety Page


text:
Controlling accidents in nuclear power plants: researchers test simulation codes for passive safety systems
Nuclear power plants have an extensive repertoire of safety systems. These safety systems ensure that the nuclear power plant will be taken to a safe condition in the event of an anticipated operational occurrence.
Here, a differentiation is made between two kinds of systems: active and passive safety systems. The main difference between the systems lies in the way they operate. Active systems require an electric power supply, e.g. for pumps and valves, to fulfil their function. Passive systems are characterised by the fact that no external energy supply is necessary for their activation or operation. The driving forces rest solely on physical regularities such as gravitation, condensation or evaporation. The safety systems in German nuclear power plants are mainly active ones. The international trend in the development of advanced reactor concepts is towards an increased use of passive systems as these are less dependent on external influences and the operation of necessary additional systems.
Experiments at the largest test facility for passive systems world-wide
At present, researchers from different German institutions are taking a closer look at the passive safety systems within the framework of a research project. An association of five project partners is working on the "EASY - Integral experimental and analytical demonstration of the ability to control design basis accidents solely with passive systems" project:
- Gesellschaft für Anlagenund Reaktorsicherheit (GRS)
- AREVA GmbH
- Technischen Hochschule Deggendorf - Fakultät für Bauingenieurwesen und Umwelttechnik
- Technische Universität Dresden
- Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule (RWTH) Aachen
What is special about this project is that the researchers verify the results of their analyses by comparing them with experiments that were carried out at the INKA test facility of AREVA GmbH in Karlstein. That test facility is the largest of its kind in the world. It allows the testing of the interaction of various different passive components of AREVA's advanced boiling water reactor concept, like e.g. the emergency condenser or the passive core flooding system, on a 1:1 vertical scale under conditions that are typical of an accident. At the heart of INKA are four pressure vessels measuring up to 30 metres in height and having a volume of up to 350 cubic metres.
The simulation codes of GRS: ATHLET and COCOSYS
The aim of the project is to continue developing the demonstration tools for the computation of accidents in nuclear power plants with passive systems and validate them with the help of INKA test results. Here, the researchers also want to test two GRS-developed simulation codes: ATHLET and COCOSYS. ATHLET is a program for analysing the dynamic behaviour of the reactor and the cooling loops of an NPP during events involving leaks and transients. COCOSYS can be used to run extensive simulations of event and accident sequences in light water reactor containments. Both codes are essential elements of GRS's AC2code system and are used e.g. for examining whether certain accidents can be controlled.
Codes – like ATHLET and COCOSYS – were originally developed for reactors with mainly active safety systems. Owing to - amongst other things - the lesser driving forces, passive systems pose a challenge for calculations with simulation codes. Hence the capability of these codes to calculate the characteristics of passive systems (e.g. small differences in temperature or pressure, temperature stratifications in large water pools) has to be developed further and validated. The research project is to clarify how capable the two simulation codes are when it comes to predicting the behaviour of the passive systems in dependence of a large number of continuously changing parameters.
Germany supports the development and use of passive safety systems with its own research projects. Even though passive systems are only used to a minor extent in Germany itself, this research allows Germany to make independent assessments of the safety of nuclear power plants abroad. Furthermore, it increases the general acceptance of the simulation codes developed by GRS and thus their world-wide dissemination.
Find out more


From: Kent Karlsson
Date: Fri, 23 Sep 2005 12:43:03 +0200 (CEST)
Message-ID: <16302.>
To: "Philip Guenther"
Cc: "Mark Davis" , _EMAIL_
> These would appear to outlaw a collation for comparing or ordering
The revision of IEEE 754 (known as 754R) includes a total order
comparison. IIRC the NaNs that happen to have to have the sign
bit set (though there is no such things as negative NaNs) are ordered
"less" than negative infinity, those that do not are ordered
"greater" than positive infinity, negative zero is "less" than zero
(they otherwise compare equal).
There is no change to the ordinary operations that are expected to
surface as "<" etc. operators in programming languages. The total
ordering is a new operation.
I don't right now recall what the suggestion was for decimal base
(new in 754R), where differently scaled, but equal values compare equal
(of course, for the "ordinary" comparison) with regard to this new
total order operation.
So IEEE 754R datatypes (will) have two orders on them, one partial,
and one total.
 /kent k
Received on Friday, 23 September 2005 10:43:08 UTC


Oldest Human Footprints Outside of Africa Found
By Carl Engelking | February 7, 2014 1:28 pm
Researchers discovered the oldest human footprints outside of Africa in Britain.
View of footprint surface looking north. Credit: Simon Parfitt
Citizens of Britain can now trace their origins several large steps backward in time. Archaeologists recently discovered the oldest set of human footprints outside of Africa along the eastern coast of Britain.
Rough seas last summer in the village of Happisburgh, Norfolk, washed away portions of the shore revealing a set of about 50 footprints. Researchers estimate the prints are between 800,000 and 1 million years old, which is now the oldest evidence of early humans ever found in northern Europe.
Footprints' History
Due to the various sizes of footprints, researchers believe a mixed group of at least five adults and juveniles were walking along mudflats of what was then the Thames River estuary. Based on the size of the prints, researchers believe the group was related to Homo antecessor, or "Pioneer Man," which died off some 800,000 years ago. The group was likely scouting the area for food, and could have been related.
Researchers found 50 footprints from a group of five adults and juveniles.
Prior to the Norfolk find, the oldest human remains found in Britain were a set of tools dating back 700,000 years. Older human evidence tends to be found in southern Europe where researchers, for example, have unearthed 780,000-year-old skull fragments in southern Spain.
The Norfolk find sheds new light on the tenacity and adaptability of northern Europe's earliest human ancestors, Chris Stringer, an archaeologist with the project, told the Associated Press:
A Rare Find
The discovery is significant to our understanding of human origins, but it's also incredibly lucky. Finding preserved footsteps is difficult, given the punishing forces of erosion along seacoasts. Previously, the record for the oldest set of footprints in Britain was 7,500 years old, which pales in comparison to the Norfolk find. The Norfolk team called the Happisburgh prints a "one in a million" find.
Fortunately, archaeologists captured plenty of photographic evidence to study Britain's oldest footprints in May 2013, because what the sea gives it also takes away. Most of the ancient footprints have already disappeared due to erosion. However, researchers are optimistic that the same forces could someday unveil new evidence, as well.
CATEGORIZED UNDER: Living World, top posts
MORE ABOUT: human origins
 - Wayne
 Where are the dinosaur prints?
 - Astrodwarf
 - Michael Cadotte
 The dinosaur footprints and human footprints were found together along the Mississippi
 - Wayne
 Oh, I forgot about that. I think mama grizzly from Alaska was the one who discovered them. You betcha!
 - SixSixSix
 No those were Texas Republican prints, they only act like dinosaurs.
 - Lee Dwyer
 Are they that evolved?
 - Claudia Gibson
 No, they're only acting!
 - SixSixSix
 Well, pond scum would get insulted, so we have to compare them to extinct life forms.
 - Phinneus
 Of course the dino prints were probably 30-40 million or so years older than the hominind prints. You never really believed Ally Oop and Dino did you? The two species never remotely inhabited the Earth at the same time..
 - Claudia Gibson
 Hahahaha, boy did I need that laugh!
 - Cindy Leah Gordon
 Simply amazing!
 Someone should share this with Ken Ham, then step back because his head will explode!
 - Nátán Ailín Ó Duinn
 were you there to observe???? hmmm???? lol
 - SixSixSix
 Yes. I am older than dirt and fossils. Just ask my kids, they will tell you.
 - StanChaz
 It's not in his "book". Poor boy.
 - kandy830
 a computer. try this FiscalMaze.ℂom
 - nestazhe265
 My Uncle Harrison recently got Infiniti Q50
 - naedrdmk
 A million years ago? Somewhere, a creationist just said, "Dammit!"
 - Claudia Gibson
 I freakin love science!
 - jhnycmltly
 No pyramids?
 - Bear Eggers
 Not only were hominids walking around Britain 800,000 years ago, if you look closely at the picture you can see evidence they using Japanese cameras. Amazing.
 - Lee Dwyer
 Yes I would have lined a clearer photo sobs perhaps a ruler as a scale A lense cover? Really. Maybe it is evidence of prehistoric Japanese tourist footprints! Taking photos of dinosaurs!
 - _URL_ William Stolley
 Obviously wearing some sort of sandal/boot as well; footwear inspired by aliens no doubt.
 - SixSixSix
 Yes, yes. Right after teaching them how to smash with jaw of a wild animal (how 2001 and Cain like, wow science (fiction) and religion (fiction) together!).
 - Texan4Peace
 The first line of the article is misleading; as it states later, these "early humans" are most likely NOT the direct ancestors of any human living today (all of whom are presumably descended from a more recent migration out of Africa, about 70,000 years ago), but rather a line that died out.
 - uncommonsense2010
 I'm not going to argue with you. but the fact is, no matter how much we think we know scientifically. It always gets proven wrong.
 The only thing I can say is use current data / methods (even if flawed) write as many books using those, swear it's all true, make a living pushing whatever current truth there is.
 After all a candle in a glass once filled it with a chemical called Phlogistin that extinguished the flame. THEN later after people were rewarded for those discoveries did we discover it was actually the lack of O2 to oxidize the hydrocarbons.
 Truth is, most science has flaws including evolutionary man. But don't let that stop any of us from trying to make bank off it while people still believe it.
 - _URL_ Peter French
 All science can do is theorize from the evidence available. Until there's new evidence that disproves the theory, it's the best there is. Is that flawed? I don't think so. You might say the existence of a chemical known as Oxygen is just a theory, but it works better than Phlogiston.
 - Phinneus
 One of the problems is that most of the'writers' that
 pen these accounts do not have a clue, and make dumb statements and assertions…and many will now swear by them.
 - Emkay
 come on now…is it Phlogiston, or Phlogistin?
 - Herne Webber
 1) Did H. antecessor interbreed with or evolve into H. neanderthalensis? Because otherwise it would be hard to say we descendants of the Brits have the prior as Ancestors. Possible, but hard. If they did not become or interbreed with Neanderthals, their descendants could also have bred with early modern humans in one of the earliest of those expansions, but, ahem, 'proof, please.'
 2) Okay, did NOBODY think to put down something to fix the prints before they *could* be eroded!?!?!?!? Did ANYBODY take casts? Where were the archaeologists?
 - MsColleen
 They made casts, AND they took extensive high-quality photos. They also mapped the footprints in the same way any modern archaeological dig is mapped.
 - manjeetchaturve
 So many people walked about 8,00,000 years ago. Where are they?
 - Irwell Pete
 They all died
 - manjeetchaturve
 Yeah,but when we die there will be carbon footprints left.
 - Cheffy
 Ha, Ha – good one! How refreshing!
 - Njovu
 Do i see a footprint?? guess it takes a scientist to figure out a footprint from this mesh.
 - WSBK
 Are they sure it wasn't just college kids partying on the beach last summer?
 - Blake Roberts
 Gross! Why didn't they stay on the sidewalks instead of trudging through the mud?
 - StanChaz
 What happened to create/preserve such footprints? And not have them eroded after zillions of years….
 - uncommonsense2010
 There was an early dinosaur called the Hoaxasaurus. It walked everywhere.
 - Cheffy
 Why is this question asked so often??? They did say it was a one in a million kind of find…. Dinosaur footprints have been found in Utah that have since been wiped away by erosion. It may have taken 50 or 100 years, but that's about a day's worth of erosion by the sea for a sandstone outcrop (or metamorphosed sandstone) on a sand beach. Same idea as 15th century ships being unearthed along a coast due to conditions


text:
ILEARN helps you learn! The primary goal of education is to assist children in learning. ILEARN (Illinois Local Education Agency Retrieval Network) was created to provide information on how the business of education is conducted. By using ILEARN you can access information about a specific county, a certain school district, region or area within the state. ILEARN gives you one easy location to navigate rather than searching the web. With ILEARN you can compare your child's school district to a similar district or region of the state. You can gain an understanding of the mystifying world of school finance by entering a few simple keystrokes. ILEARN's purpose truly is to help you learn about the education system within Illinois as we work toward making Illinois education Second to None.
In Illinois, as in most other states, education is financed through a combination of state, local, and federal monies. The below chart depicts the support levels and the relative share for public elementary and secondary education.


Call Break Card Game Rules | How To Play Call Break Card Game
how to play call break card game rules
In this step-by-step call break rules for solo, online, and multiplayer, we will teach you how to play call break like a pro!
At first glance, Call Break looks like a complicated card game with many rules. But, I assure you, it is a piece of cake.
When you understand the basic rules, all you need to do is practice. You can practice by playing solo or online. So, download our free call break card game for android now or play it online on your browser.
Like other card games, if you want to become a pro player, you might need to remember cards and learn to trick opponents. You will learn this skill with experience. So, before you start playing with your friends, we recommend you to practice the rules in offline single-player mode.
With our app, you will become habituated to the rules in no time. Then, you can play the multiplayer mode.
Before we jump into the rules of the call break game, let me warn you. Callbreak has interesting gameplay, so can be very addicting.
Important Call Break Card Game Rules
These are the main callbreak rules that you should remember.
 1. Spade is the trump suit of the game.
 2. A spade card will defeat any card of other suits– no matter the rank. For example, 2 of Spade has more power than Ace of any other suit.
 3. The game is played in 5 rounds. The players take turns to deal the card. Usually, each player picks a random card from the deck to decide the first dealer. The one who gets the lowest card should shuffle and deal the first round in clockwise direction.
 4. The player sitting left to the dealer should make the first call. However, in some parts of Nepal, the game is played counter clockwise direction. So, the player right to the dealer starts the game.
 5. The dealer makes the last call.
 6. A set is completed when each player throws one card each. The player with highest card wins the set. The winning player collects the cards in each set. The total number of cards is counted at the end of the round to determine the points. Usually, the game is won after 5 rounds. Players can also decide the number of rounds with mutual understanding.
 7. When a player throws a card, the other player must throw a higher card of the same suit. If they don't have a higher value card of the same suit, they are free to throw any card of the same suit.
 8. When a player doesn't have any card of the suit being played, he must throw a spade card. If he doesn't have any spade card, he can then throw any card of his choice.
 9. A round should be re-dealt in the following cases: a) If one of the players doesn't get any spade suit (trump) card. b) If one of the players doesn't get any face card (J, Q, K, A) of any suit. c) The sum of the individual calls (bet) is less than 8.
Why Is The Game Called Call Break?
Call break is a game of collecting the highest amount of points in the defined number of rounds.
Since players receive negative points if they fail to reach their called bet, trying to break opponents' Call is one of the winning strategies of this game.
If someone gets negative points, it's very hard to recover. So, in a game, other players often use tricks to break the call of the leading player.
The game is called Call Break because of this strategy. The negative marking feature of the game appeals even to experienced players.
How To Play Call Break Card Game– Game Play, Game Economics, and Objectives
Call break is a 52-cards game. It is played among four players. Each player gets 13 cards each, in each round. It is a turn-based game. In Nepal and some parts of India, the game is played in an anti-clockwise direction. However, these days, the game is also played in the clockwise direction similar to other card games. It is also called call bridge in some part of India.Our call break app uses a clockwise turn.
The game starts when a dealer distributes the cards turn-by-turn to every player. The player with highest points wins the game.
TRUMP CARD: Spade suit is the trump card in every call break game.
Total Time Needed :
Total Cost:
Required Tools:
– A Computer or an Android phone
Things Needed?
– Our call break Android app or our online game.
– 30 minute of your time
How to play callbreak game step-by-step:
select dealer callbreak
1. Selecting Dealer in Call Break
The first dealer is usually selected by picking a card from the deck. Each player picks one card, and the player with the lowest value card deals the first round. The first dealer can also be selected by flipping a coin or randomly.
The player sitting left to the dealer has to deal the card in the next round. Each player takes turns to deal the cards.
The dealer has to deal the card one at a time to each player until everyone receives 13 to change this text.
call points call break
2. Call and Card Confirmation
When all the cards are dealt, the player sitting left of the dealer starts the call. Call is the possible number of hands one can win in a round. Players should hide the cards from each other because call break is a game of tricks and deceits.
All 4 players strategically call the number of sets they think they can win in the round. The minimum amount of calls is 1. So, no matter what kind of card you get, you must at least call 1 point.
Remember, if you bet (call) higher, there is the risk of negative points.
After everyone makes their bet, the sum of the call is calculated. If the total call is less than 8, the cards are re-dealt.
Also, if someone didn't receive a Face card (J, Q, K, A) of any suit, they can ask the dealer to redistribute the cards. The cards are also redistributed if any one of the players doesn't get a spade card of any rank.
call break game play
3. The Game Play
The first card is thrown by the player sitting next to the dealer. If you are playing in Nepal or some part of India, the first bet is made by the player sitting counter clockwise to the dealer. In other places and in call break apps or online call break games, the game is started from the left-hand side of the dealer.
The first person can play card of his choice. The following players then should place the same suit card of higher value than the lead card. For example, if the first player throws '9' of Hearts, the next player should throw '10' or higher card of Hearts, and the third player should also throw a higher card of the Hearts, and so on. If the subsequent player doesn't have a higher card, he can throw any card. But, the card should be of the same suit.
However, if any player doesn't have the suit being played, he can throw a spade card. The spade card triumphs over any cards of other suits. Furthermore, if the players don't have a trump suit as well, they can throw any card of their choice.
When a trick is won, the player who wins the set starts the next bet by throwing a card of his choice.
The game set continues until all 13 cards are played. When all cards are played, it is called a round. The points are then calculated. We will talk about the points in the game economics
Callbreak card games are usually played for 5 rounds.
game play callbreak
4. Objective of Call Break Card Game
The main objective of each player is to get the most points at the end of 5 rounds. The players should always try to win the exact number or higher number of sets as per the Call at the start of the round.
For example, if a player called 3 on the round, he should win at least 3 sets. Otherwise, he will get a score of '-3'.
game economics
5. Game Economics – Evaluation Of Points
When all the 13 cards are played, one round is completed. Points are calculated at the end of each round. The points are evaluated based on the number of calls they make at the start of the round.
Points are equivalent to the calls. If a player wins a lower number of sets than the Call, he gets negative points equivalent to the Call. If someone scores more sets than their call, they get extra 0.1 points for each extra set they win.
For example, if player A calls 3 and wins 3 sets, he gets 3 points. If player B calls 4 and wins 6 sets, he will get 4.2 points (4+0.1+0.1). If player C calls 4 as well but wins only 2 sets, he will get -4 points.
When a round is complete, the points are evaluated and allocated to the players. Whoever gets the highest points at the end of the game, wins the game. The game can be 5 rounds long, or as long as the players want.
Many online callbreak


text:
From the 1870s the government was New Zealand's main provider of surveying and mapping services. Surveyors measured points and distances on the ground and staked out areas, so settlers could buy land, and accurate maps could be made.
In the late 19th century, the most accurate way to survey and map the land was by first establishing a triangulation network – a network of triangles that covered the whole country. Other points could be located in relation to these.
However, a major triangulation was slow and expensive. Instead the government divided the land into areas called meridional circuits. These had one known point within them, from which other surveys could be done.
The great triangulation
At the start of the 20th century, the government decided they needed a national triangulation network. They did a triangulation of the North Island between 1909 and 1938, and of the South Island between 1938 and 1942.
Aerial photography made it much faster to map the land than surveying it on the ground. From the 1930s, the government made a series of topographical maps – maps that show the contours of the land – covering all of New Zealand. A technique called photogrammetry allowed staff to view aerial photos as if they were three-dimensional, and make accurate topographical maps.
Aerial photos have distortions in them, because of the curve of the earth's surface and the angle of the camera. Orthophotos are aerial photos with the distortions corrected. Other information such as property boundaries can also be added.
Types of maps
A range of different types of maps have been made in New Zealand.
- Travel maps show the country's roads – they became more important as more people owned cars.
- Street maps of towns and cities were published by the government and private companies.
- Atlases included school atlases, national atlases and a historical atlas.
From the 1970s, satellite images of New Zealand were produced. Global positioning systems (GPS) are used to locate points on the earth in relation to satellites.
Land information today
In the 1980s, the government's surveying, mapping and land information services were combined in the Department of Survey and Land Information. In 1996, this was split into two organisations – Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) and Terralink.


MomentJS - Date Validation
MomentJS handles date validation in an easy way. You need not write lots of code to validate date. isValid() is the method available on moment which tells if the date is valid or not. MomentJS also provides many parsing flags which can be used to check for date validation.
Parsing Flags
MomentJS provides the following parsing flags in cases where the date given is considered as invalid −
overflow − This will occur when the month given is 13th, day is 367th in an year or 32nd in a month, 29th for Feb on a non-leap year etc. Overflow contains the index of the invalid unit to match towards invalidAt. Note that -1 means no overflow.
invalidMonth − It shows an invalid month name. It will give the invalid month string or null.
Empty − When an input is given which is not a date. It gives a Boolean.
nullInput − A null input, like moment(null);It returns a Boolean.
invalidFormat − When the format given is empty such as moment('2018-04-25', []). It gives Boolean back.
userInvalidated − A date created explicitly as invalid, such as moment.invalid(). It returns Boolean.
meridiem − Indicates the meridiem (AM/PM) parsed, if any. It returns string.
parsedDateParts − It returns an array of date parts parsed such as parsedDateParts[0] as year, parsedDateParts[1] as month and parsedDateParts[2] as day. If no parts are present, but meridiem has value, date is invalid. It returns an array.
Consider the following example to understand date validation −
var a = moment("2018-18-10T10:20:25");
The invalidAt gives the output as 1, which points to the month as the month value is greater than 12 and it overflows. If there is an overflow, invalidAt will give the output as shown in the table given here −
0 years
1 months
2 days
3 hours
4 minutes
5 seconds
6 milliseconds
If there are multiple overflows in the date given, it will be an output for the first overflowed index.


text: A classic of reportage, Oranges was first conceived as a short magazine article about oranges and orange juice, but the author kept encountering so much irresistible information that he eventually found that he had in fact written a book. It contains sketches of orange growers, orange botanists, orange pickers, orange packers, early settlers on Florida's Indian River, the first orange barons, modern concentrate makers, and a fascinating profile of Ben Hill Griffin of Frostproof, Florida who may be the last of the individual orange barons. McPhee's astonishing book has an almost narrative progression, is immensely readable, and is frequently amusing. Louis XIV hung tapestries of oranges in the halls of Versailles, because oranges and orange trees were the symbols of his nature and his reign. This book, in a sense, is a tapestry of oranges, too—with elements in it that range from the great orangeries of European monarchs to a custom of people in the modern Caribbean who split oranges and clean floors with them, one half in each hand.


Research Topics
Some of the images below are interactive. Hover over them for instructions.
Computational Real Algebraic Geometry
The basic elements of study in real algebraic geometry are semi-algebraic sets; sets defined by polynomial equations and inequalities over \(\mathbb{R}^n\). One fundamental problem is the connectivity problem: determining whether two given points lie in a same connected component of a given semi-algebraic set S. We want to develop an algorithm to solve the following problem.
Input: \(f \in \mathbb{Z}[x_1, \dotsc, x_n]\)
\(p_1, p_2\), two points in \( \{ f \neq 0\}\)
Output: True, if and only if \(p_1\) and \(p_2\) are in a same connected component of \( \{ f \neq 0\}\).
Here, \( \{ f \neq 0\}\) is shorthand notation for the set \(\{ (x_1, \dotsc, x_n) \vert f(x_1, \dotsc, x_n) \neq 0\}\). For example, suppose \(f(x_1, x_2) = x_1^2 + x_2^2 – 1\) where \(S = \{ f \neq 0\}\). We show the set S as the white region below. The black curve is the complement of the set S, the set of points on the unit circle centered at the origin. The points \(p_1\) and \(p_2\) are the blue and green point, respectively. Notice, that the black curve splits \(\mathbb{R}^2\) in to two distinct regions which we call (semi-algebraic) connected components.
Drag the blue and green points around. Notice how the answer changes when the points are in different regions.
The interactive demo above shows we can solve a very simple instance of this problem. However, solving this problem for more interesting sets S is a very active research area. Many important or non-trivial problems in science and engineering can be reduced to the problem of deciding connectivity properties of semi-algebraic sets. The original motivation came from robot motion planning where one tries to decide collision-free motions for a robot in an environment filled with obstacles. The free space in which the robot can move can be modeled as a semi-algebraic set. Then one wants to know whether a robot can move from an initial configuration (a starting point) to a final configuration (an ending point) within the free space in a continuous motion. If this is true, one must find such a continuous trajectory. Motion planning problems show up in other diverse contexts such as computational biology, virtual prototyping in manufacturing, architectural design, aerospace engineering, and computational geography.
My thesis provides correctness results for a method which solves the problem above. The method first creates a "skeleton" of the set \(\{ f \neq 0\} \), called a connectivity path, illustrated in red in the figure below. Here, we are using \(f(x_1, x_2) = x_1^3 -x_1^2 + x_2^2\).
To develop this connectivity path, we create a function g, called a routing function, and connect a particular subset of the critical points of g, called routing points (red points), using trajectories of \(\nabla g\). In my thesis I develop an algorithm to create a routing function in finite time and show the connectivity path is connected in each connected component of \(\{ f \neq 0\} \). Since the connectivity path is connected in each component, a connectivity query can be answered by connecting the input points to the connectivity path using trajectories of \(\nabla g\). The trajectories of \(\nabla g\) for two sample input points (in blue and green) are shown in the left figure below. I illustrate a path connecting the input points (in blue and green) in a connected component using the connectivity path in the right figure below. We expect the length of this path to be finite.
I am interested in several questions related to this algorithm.
 - What is a "good" upper bound on the length of the shortest path connecting the input points in a connected component using the connectivity path? A pessimistic upper bound on the length of this path is given in the thesis.
 - How do we trace these trajectories rigorously? Imagining the connectivity path as a graph G, whose vertices are the routing points and whose edges are the trajectories of \(\nabla g\), the connectivity matrix of g is the reflexive, symmetric, transitive closure of the adjacency matrix of G. We desire to solve the following problem.
 Input: g, a routing function.
 Output: M, connectivity matrix of g.
 A possible approach to this problem is to design an algorithm that utilizes interval arithmetic to create a path of interconnected boxes bounding the connectivity path. Labeling the routing points of g as \(r_1, \dotsc, r_7\), we illustrate such a path in the figure below along with the corresponding connectivity matrix.
 A necessary first step would be to implement a rigorous ODE solver in C++ using the Boost library and then run computational tests.
 - I am also interested in questions about classification of routing functions and studying properties of routing points.
Symbolic Computation
Over several summers, I mentored three graduate students, each covering different problems in the field of symbolic computation. The first student studied root separation bounds.
Input: \(f = a_d \prod_{i=1}^d (x- \alpha_i)\).
Output: \(B \geq 0\) such that for all \(i \neq j\), \(\lvert\alpha_i – \alpha_j\rvert \geq B\).
A future goal is to obtain a bound B which behaves well under root translation, root scaling, and polynomial scaling. A second goal is to create tighter bounds. Some bounds are too small to be practical, so their use is generally restricted to complexity analysis.
The second problem, related to cyclotomic polynomials. Let g(f) denote the maximum of the differences (gaps) between two consecutive exponents in a polynomial f. The problem is to come up with "nice" expressions for \(g(\Phi_n)\) and \(g(\Psi_n)\) where \(\Phi_n\) and \(\Psi_n\) denote the n-th cyclotomic polynomial and n-th inverse cyclotomic polynomial, respectively. Previous work has been done on the case when n is a product of odd primes. Certainly much more research can be done for other choices of n.
The third problem related to computing derivatives of an implicitly defined function. The problem is, given \(f(x, y) = 0\), give a closed form expression for \(\frac{d^ny}{dx^n}\) in terms of the derivatives of f. Despite being a longstanding problem, a solution was first presented in 2012. A future goal is to come up with a simpler closed form expression than the one presented in that paper.
During my Master's degree, I studied the nonlinear resource allocation problem.
\min &{\displaystyle f(x) := \sum f_i(x_{i})} &\\[1.25em]
\textrm{subject to} &{\displaystyle g(x) := \sum g_i(x_i) \leq b}, & \\[1.25em]
& \ell_i \leq x_i \leq u_i, &i = 1, \dotsc, n,
where x, \(\ell\), and u are n-vectors of real numbers, b is a real scalar, and the functions \(f_i\) and \(g_i\) are
convex and twice differentiable on an open set containing the interval \([\ell_i, u_i]\). This problem has a long history and diverse applications. Moreover, this problem often serves as a subproblem that is integrated into a much larger model and solved numerous times. Hence, the development of efficient algorithms for this problem is extremely important. A fast method for solving this problem was presented by myself and a coauthor. There are several avenues for future research.
 - We can study the specialized problem when the variables are integral, and compare the various branch-and-bound methods which can be applied to this problem.
 - We can identify other optimization problems whose optimality conditions can be simplified algebraically in a way similar to the nonlinear resource allocation problem. These simplifications will then be integrated into an interior point method.
Technology in the Classroom
Currently, I assign Mathematica labs that must be graded by hand. I believe a future improvement would be the inclusion of automated grading with immediate feedback. At North Carolina State University they have a program called eMarker, originally called eGrader. This is a neat bit of software that randomly generates Maple assignments based on a template, then automatically grades the submitted worksheet and, most importantly, gives immediate feedback on any errors. The eMarker software seems to be well received by the students at NC State. I believe a similar bit of software that uses Mathematica as the back end would be much more powerful and would allow for better types of assessment than the Maple version.
I am currently investigating what makes a "good" instructional video. For example, I will be studying whether students prefer a video that include the instructors face or not, or whether they prefer pauses in a presentation.


The Open XML SDK 2.0 Community Technology Preview (CTP) is here!
You can find the documentation for it here and the SDK download here.
Zeyad Rajabi, a Program Manager for the Open XML SDK, has begun a series of posts covering the Open XML SDK design goals and architecture, sprinkling in some sample code as he goes along.
Also, Eric White, a Microsoft Technical Evangelist, has a great write up on the new version of the SDK.
This new version of the SDK is an amazing leap forward.The Open XML SDK version 1 greatly simplified working with packages. Developers could manipulate Open XML file format compliant documents at the package and part levels using strongly typed.NET classes. To access the file formats at the element level, you still had to work directly with the underlying XML.
In the Open XML SDK version 2, the development team has taken most of the elements in the various schemas for the Open XML file formats (WordprocessingML, SpreadsheetML, PresentationML, etc., etc.) and made first-class managed objects out of them. Not to mention the fact that they've "linq-ified" the entire API so you have the power of Linq, as well.
This makes things much easier if, like me, working with XML directly isn't your strong suit. With the Open XML SDK v2, I can work with objects that represent the XML elements instead of having to work in the underlying XML itself (although the SDK also supports LINQ to XML, as well). For instance, suppose I needed to locate the first table in a Word document. I could easily locate the first table present in the document with code like this:
 1: using (WordprocessingDocument theDoc = WordprocessingDocument.Open(location, true))
 2: {
 3: MainDocumentPart mainPart = theDoc.MainDocumentPart;
 5: Table theTable = mainPart.Document.Descendants().First();
You can see the advantage of using this new version of the SDK in line 5 of the code snippet where, by specifying that I want to filter for descendants of the Document object (which represents the element in the Microsoft implementation of the Open XML WordprocessingML) where the descendant is of type Table (that is, I want all elements), I can immediately get to the tables in my Word document. Then, by using the First() extension method, I can select the first table element in the returned list of descendant table elements. All without having to do the detailed work of traversing the underlying XML directly; the API handles the XML work for me.
Or how about trying to get to the text in a specific cell in the Word 2007 table? I'm simplifying things a great deal, but let's assume I know which cell has the data I want (the cell in the 2nd row and 1st column):
 1: TableRow theRow = theTable.Elements().ElementAt(1);
 3: TableCell theCell = theRow.Elements().ElementAt(0);
 5: string cellText = theCell.InnerText;
 7: Console.WriteLine("The 2nd row, 1st cell text is {0}", cellText);
So here I just use the same technique that I used above to find elements of a given type (by using the provided generic methods) in order to find the 2nd row of the table (().ElementAt(1)) and the first cell (().ElementAt(0)). Then I just pull the value of the Cell object's InnerText property and it's done! Although there are other ways to use the SDK to get the same data, you can still see that with only a few lines of code, I'm able to do quite a bit without working directly in the underlying XML. And remember, we can do this type of manipulation WITHOUT running the client application (in this case Microsoft Word 2007).
The Office Client Developer Content team (my team) has some great examples on the MSDN web site here. Check it out!


text:
D.A.R.E. stands for Drug Abuse Resistance Education. It is a drug-abuse prevention program that began in Los Angeles in 1983. It is designed to give students knowledge about drug abuse, the consequences of abuse and skills for resisting peer pressure to experiment with drugs, alcohol and tobacco.
In Loudoun County, the D.A.R.E. program is taught in fifth grade by deputies from the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office.A bonus for the program is that the deputies get to interact with students in the cafeteria and on the playground., This gives students the opportunity to interact with law enforcement officers in a positive way. That interaction builds a trust with students and allows them to easily approach law enforcement officers.
The D.A.R.E. program had been matched to Virginia
's Standards of Learning. This allowed the program to be cut from 18 to 10 weeks without a duplication of effort.
Visit the official D.A.R.E.
website to learn more about this program.


text:
ASEN-1400 (3) Gateway to Space
Introduces the basics of atmosphere and space sciences, space exploration, spacecraft design, rocketry, and orbits. Students design, build, and launch a miniature satellite on a high altitude balloon. Explores the current research in space through lectures from industry. Formerly ASEN 2500. Same as ASTR 2500. Prerequisites: Restricted to students with 0-26 credits (Freshmen) Aerospace Engineering (ASEN) majors only.