Definitions for dreamdrim
This page provides all possible meanings and translations of the word dream
Random House Webster's College Dictionary
dreamdrim(n.; v.)dreamed; dreamt, dream•ing
 1. (n.)a succession of images, thoughts, or emotions passing through the mind during sleep.
 Category: Psychology
 2. a particular sequence of such images, thoughts, or feelings:
 a recurring dream about a circus.
 3. an involuntary vision occurring to a person when awake.
 4. a daydream or reverie.
 5. an aspiration; goal; aim.
 6. a wild or vain fancy.
 7. something of unreal or striking beauty, charm, or excellence.
 8. (v.i.)to have a dream.
 9. to indulge in daydreams or reveries.
 10. to conceive of something in a very remote way (usu. fol. by of):
 I wouldn't dream of leaving.
 11. (v.t.)to see or imagine in sleep or in a vision.
 12. to imagine as possible; fancy; conceive.
 to dream away the afternoon.
 14. dream up, to form in the imagination; devise.
 Category: Verb Phrase
 15. (adj.)most desirable; ideal:
 a dream vacation.
 Category: Common Vocabulary
Origin of dream:
bef. 1000; ME dreem, OE drēam joy, mirth
Princeton's WordNet
 1. dream, dreaming(noun)
 a series of mental images and emotions occurring during sleep
 "I had a dream about you last night"
 2. dream, dreaming(noun)
 imaginative thoughts indulged in while awake
 3. ambition, aspiration, dream(noun)
 a cherished desire
 "his ambition is to own his own business"
 4. pipe dream, dream(noun)
 5. dream(noun)
 a state of mind characterized by abstraction and release from reality
 "he went about his work as if in a dream"
 6. dream(verb)
 someone or something wonderful
 "this dessert is a dream"
 7. dream, daydream, woolgather, stargaze(verb)
 have a daydream; indulge in a fantasy
 8. dream(verb)
 experience while sleeping
Kernerman English Learner's Dictionary
 1. dream(noun)drim
 images that you see in your sleep
 I had a bad dream last night.
 2. dreamdrim
 sth you wish would happen
 It was his dream to be a baseball player.; sb's dream vacation/house/car etc.
 3. dreamdrim
 sth that you dreamed of that happens
 Finding this house was a dream come true.
 4. dreamdrim
 indicates you did not believe sth would happen
 Never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd win.
 5. dreamdrim
 in the best possible way
 The car drives like a dream.
 6. dream(verb)drim
 to have a dream while you sleep
 I was dreaming about you.; I dreamt that my grandfather was alive.; Was I awake, or did I dream it?
 7. dreamdrim
 to wish for sth
 She dreamt of winning gold at the Olympics.; I always dreamt that one day I'd live in a big house.
 8. dream(adjective)drim
 of the best kind you can imagine
 the dream team; my dream car/house/vacation
 1. dream(Noun)
 Imaginary events seen in the mind while sleeping.
 2. dream(Noun)
 A hope or wish.
 3. dream(Verb)
 To see imaginary events in one's mind while sleeping
 4. dream(Verb)
 To hope, to wish
 5. dream
 To daydream
 Stop dreaming and get back to work.
 6. dream
 to create an imaginary experience (usually when asleep)
 I dreamed a vivid dream last night.
Webster Dictionary
 1. Dream(noun)
 the thoughts, or series of thoughts, or imaginary transactions, which occupy the mind during sleep; a sleeping vision
 2. Dream(noun)
 3. Dream(noun)
 to have ideas or images in the mind while in the state of sleep; to experience sleeping visions; -- often with of; as, to dream of a battle, or of an absent friend
 4. Dream(noun)
 to let the mind run on in idle revery or vagary; to anticipate vaguely as a coming and happy reality; to have a visionary notion or idea; to imagine
 5. Dream(verb)
 to have a dream of; to see, or have a vision of, in sleep, or in idle fancy; -- often followed by an objective clause
 1. Dream
 Dream is a fictional character and the protagonist of DC Comics' Vertigo comic book series The Sandman, written by Neil Gaiman. One of the seven Endless, inconceivably powerful beings older and greater than gods, Dream is both lord and personification of all dreams and stories, all that is not in reality. He has taken many names, including Morpheus and Oneiros, and his appearance can change depending on the person who is seeing him. Dream was named the sixth-greatest comic book character by Empire Magazine. He was also named fifteenth in IGN's 100 Top Comic Book Heroes list.
The Roycroft Dictionary
 1. dream
 1. A place where the starving feel the pangs of gluttony, and the threadbare wear opera-hats and spats. 2. A magic mirror wherein the dead appear to mock us with their happiness. 3. A cerebral phenomenon caused on upper Fifth Avenue by eating too much, and on the lower East Side by eating too little. 4. The Valhalla and the Welsh Rabbit; the Brocken where the souls of the animals, fish and birds we have eaten hold their revels; a private theater where indigestion is the prompter.
The Foolish Dictionary, by Gideon Wurdz
 1. DREAM
 What a man may call a woman, though a Pill may have suggested it. Sweethearts are dreams because they seldom come true; wives, because they're often a night-mare, and both because they go by contraries.
British National Corpus
 1. Spoken Corpus Frequency
 Rank popularity for the word 'dream' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #2712
 2. Written Corpus Frequency
 Rank popularity for the word 'dream' in Written Corpus Frequency: #2610
 3. Nouns Frequency
 Rank popularity for the word 'dream' in Nouns Frequency: #742
 4. Verbs Frequency
 Rank popularity for the word 'dream' in Verbs Frequency: #612
Translations for dream
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary
thoughts and pictures in the mind that come mostly during sleep
I had a terrible dream last night.
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Showing 1 entry
Keywords: ibm data explorer, parallel performance visualization, scientific visualization, visualization prototyping
Performance visualization is the use of graphical display techniques for the visual analysis of performance data to improve the understanding of complex performance phenomena. While the graphics of current performance visualizations are predominantly confined to two-dimensions, one of the primary goals of our work is the development of new methods for rapidly prototyping next-generation, multi-dimensional performance visualizations. By applying the tools of scientific visualization to performance visualization, we have found that next-generation displays for performance visualization can be prototyped, if not implemented, in existing data visualization software products like Data Explorer, using graphical techniques that physicists, oceanographers, and meteorologists have used for several years now.
Modified: Thu Dec 12 15:58:22 US/Pacific 1996
Created: Thu Dec 12 12:34:50 US/Pacific 1996
Return to the ParaDucks Research Group Publications page.

source: HuggingFaceFW/fineweb-edu


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Creating a Plot Plan in Home Designer Pro
| Reference Number: KB-00576 Last Updated: 05-28-2014 12:57 PM
The information in this article applies to:
I would like to know how to create a plot plan in Home Designer Pro. How is this accomplished?
Once you have created a floor plan, you are probably ready to create your plot plan. Use the following procedure to learn how to create a basic plot plan, then take what you learn and apply it to your own design.
To begin creating a plot plan
- Launch Home Designer Pro, and select File> New Plan.
- Next, select CAD> Lines> North Pointer, then click and drag a North Arrow straight up in your floor plan view.
- Next, select CAD> Points> Place Point, and click one time to place a point to the lower left as a start point for the property line.
The entire property line may be relocated later, so don't worry about exactness at this time.
- Once the point is on the screen (it should look like an x), select CAD> Lines> Input Line to display the New CAD Line dialog.
- Click on the Num Style button to display the Number Style / Angle Style dialog, and make the following changes:
Note: These settings only apply to numbers displayed in the specification dialogs and status bar. They do NOT apply to objects display in plan and other view windows.
- Under Number Style, move the radio button to Decimal Feet.
- Under Angle Style, move the radio button to Quadrant Bearing.
- Click OK to return to the New CAD Line dialog.
- In the End Point section of the dialog, make the following selections:
- Click the radio button beside Relative to Start Point.
- Place a check in the box beside Polar.
- Next, using the numbers that follow, enter the information to define the property line.
Press the Next button to stay in the dialog to enter the next value.
Distance = 122.21', Angle = N82° 49'E
Distance = 98.75', Angle = N2° 17'W
Distance = 143.56', Angle = N87° 47'W
Distance = 122.33', Angle = S12° 20'E
The above coordinates serve as an example only. Use these coordinates to learn how to create a plot plan. Once you understand the process, you can substitute in your own coordinates.
- Press OK after entering in the last value to close the dialog and return to floor plan view, where we can see the polyline we created.
- Next, use the Select Objects tool to select the polyline you created, and click on the Open Object edit too to display the Polyline Specification dialog.
- Go to the Line Style panel, and in the lower right of the dialog in the Display Options category, check the boxes beside Show Length and Show Angle then click the OK button to return to your floor plan view.
Note that it defaults to having lengths of inches and angles in regular degrees. Most property lines are shown in bearings and decimal feet.
To change the display to decimal feet and bearings
- Select Edit> Default Settings.
- Expand the CAD category, select General CAD, and click on the Edit button.
- In the CAD Defaults dialog:
- Under Display Line Angle as, select Quadrant Bearing.
- Under Display Line Length as, move the radio button to Decimal Feet.
- Click OK to apply the change and close the CAD Defaults dialog.
- Click Done to close the Default Settings dialog.
- In Home Designer Pro 2012 and newer, to increase the size of the Length and Angle displayed on your Plot Plan polyline, select Tools> Display Options.
- Navigate down to the CAD, Default layer, click to highlight its name, and use the Text Style drop down menu to select the Plot Plan Text Style and click OK.
Now the property line should display properly.
If you want to add details such as the property offset, now is the time to make these changes.
To create setback lines
- Select Edit> Preferences and under the Edit category, select Behaviors.
- Under Edit Type, move the radio button to Concentric, and in the Jump field, type in the setback distance required by your local planning department, such as 10'.
- Click OK to close the Preferences dialog and return to floor plan view.
- Using the Select Objects tool, click the plot plan polyline to select it, then click the Copy/Paste edit button.
- Place your cursor over a corner edit handle, click and drag towards the center of the polyline until a copy of the polyline appears inside.
- Select the inner polyline and click the Open Object edit button to open the Polyline Specification dialog.
- On the Line Style panel, select a dashed line style from the drop-down list, then uncheck Show Length and Show Angle, and click OK.
- When you have finished creating your concentric copy, select Edit> Edit Behaviors> Default to restore the default edit behavior.
- Finally, select CAD> Points> Delete Temporary Points to remove the point that we started our plot plan polyline from.

source: openbmb/Ultra-FineWeb


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Protect steel, buildings and flooring with impact resistant anti corrosions treatment
In a corrosive or an acid environment, you are always up against the challenge of maintaining your buildings. These buildings are affected by the acid mist and condensation that are the result of the electro-winning process or the result of any acid chemical reaction or environmental factor. Our anti corrosion, acid resistant or acid proof coatings and linings will be effective and beneficial in:
- Absorption Towers
- Masonry and brickwork
These linings or coating can be provided in:
- Corguard range of linings (Vinyl Ester)
- Epoxy floor linings.


7 everyday German words you didn't know you knew
Keen to learn German but not sure where to start? Think of it as a difficult language to learn with no real similarities or links to any other language you speak? Well, that's where you're wrong! Believe it or not, you may be using German every day and not even realise it. No translator necessary. Read on for our list of the top everyday German words you didn't know you knew.
German word 1: über
This German word, which literally means 'over' or 'about', has made its way into English slang in recent years as a way of saying 'very' in front of an adjective. An über-cool development of the English language if you ask me. Not to mention its inspiration for the name of the global taxi service company.
German word 2: Strudel
A classic dessert, which you've probably devoured many a time without knowing you're eating a little slice of Austria. That's right, this delicious pastry dessert originated from the German-speaking country of Austria. Fun fact: 'Strudel' actually means 'vortex'.
German word 3: Angst
In the English-speaking world, we're all familiar with the sensation of angst – a profound feeling of fear or dread. But did you know this English word is in fact borrowed from German, where it has the same meaning?
German word 4: Kindergarten
Particularly common in the US, the word 'Kindergarten' is actually the German word for nursery school. Yet another loan word that has been directly transferred to the English language. The only difference being that in German it is accompanied by the masculine article 'der'.
German word 5: Poltergeist
Got a ghost in your attic that just won't rest? It's most likely a German one. What you probably didn't know is that this word comes from 'poltern' meaning 'to clatter' / 'to make a racket' and 'Geist' which means 'spirit'.
German word 6: Müesli
A popular choice for breakfast around the world. But it actually originated in Switzerland, where it is spelt with an oh-so-German umlaut: Müesli.
German word 7: Gesundheit
Do you live in the USA or like watching American TV programmes? Then you've almost certainly heard this before when someone sneezes. It's a German word which means 'health' and is also commonly used to politely wish someone well after a sneeze.


. They read anywhere from 'Gaia will give you the ripe fruit of your labors', to 'You will have a parting from the {Tôn} companions now around you', and 'You will have a difficult {Ômos} harvest season, not a useful one'.
 "hi! i love your blog and appreciate you answering questions and writing really enlightening posts, so thank you for all that! :) i have two questions that i hope you can answer. i'm agender and was wondering whether agender people (or non-binary people in general) "existed" in ancient greece? like, were they talked about, accepted, not accepted? also, which gods do you think could be associated with something like being agender?"
 Gender was pretty important in ancient Hellas, and no matter how they might have identified, it seems pretty much everyone was forced to assume the role of the gender they were born in. So no, I do not know of any examples of clear agender characters in ancient Hellenis mythology, nor of any real-life examples. You were trained from birth how to behave as a boy or a girl and that path was continued down through the years. There are, however, a few instances of gender switching and other diviations from the traditional binary.
 I must, of course, start with Hermaphroditos (Ἑρμαφρόδιτος), who is the child of Aphrodite and Hermes. He became a minor deity of bisexuality and effeminacy, and was portrayed as a female figure with male genitals. In the myth told by the Roman poet Ovid, Hermaphroditos was born fully male. As a young man, he wandered the lands and encountered a nymph, Salmacis (Σαλμακίς), in her pool. Salmacis fell for the boy right away, tried to seduce him. Hermaphroditos rebuked her, but she still jumped him when undressed for a bath in her pool. As he tried to fight her off, Salmacis cried out for the Theoi to let them stay forever merged–upon which the Theoi agreed: the two fused together, becoming the first hermaphrodite.
 I've mentioned before that Ovid's myths aren't reflective of ancient Hellenic mythology–and in Hellenic myth, Hermaphroditos was either born with both male and female part, or he was simply very feminine in that he had pale skin and was very delicate, while still possessing the strength of a male. Especially in the latter case, there is a beautiful gender duality in Hermaphroditos that I much appreciate.
 Ovid's 'Metamorphoses' is the source for a few other Hellenic-inspired Roman myth: the myth about the immensely strong warrior Kaineus (Καινεύς), for example, who was born as a woman named Kainis, and asked to be transformed into a male after being raped by Poseidon (or Hermes). Poseidon agrees, and makes Kaineus impervious to mortal weapons to boot, making him a capable warrior. Kaineus is mentioned in ancient classics like the Illiad, but without the gender-shift. In the Illiad, he is one of the earlies heroic, and extraordinary, warriors.
 Another of Ovid's metamorphoses happens to Teiresias (Τειρεσίας), the blind prophet from Thebes. There is more Hellenic support for this myth, however. As the story goes, Teiresias was out one day, and came upon a pair of snakes, who were mating in the bush. He swiftly hit them over the head with a stick and killed both of them. Hera witnessed his actions and was not pleased: she transformed Teiresias into a woman. After recovering from the shock, Teiresias accepted her fate and married. She also became a priestess of Hera to make up for her crime. Eventually, Teiresias had children and a decent life. Yet, when he came upon another pair of mating snakes seven years later, he either clubbed them to death again, or left them alone. Either action let to another change of sex: Teiresias was male again. How his husband dealt with this is unclear. In a later myth, Hera blinds the prophet when he is asked to settle a dispute between her and Zeus: who enjoys sex more, male or female. Teiresias, who has experienced both, must side with Zeus: women most definitely enjoy sex more.
 A myth of which only fragments have survived is the story of Siproites of Krete, who saw Artemis bathing in the woods one day, and was changed by her into a woman. Why this exact punishment was placed upon Siproites is unclear.
 The last myth I'll retell is the one about Leucippus (Λεύκιππος), who was born female to Lamprus and Galatea. Lamprus had warned Galatea that he would only accept a male child, so when Leucippus turned out to be female, Galatea hid the gender of the child from her husband and raised Leucippus as male. Of course, once Leucippus reached adolescence, her gender became hard to hide. In some versions of the myth, Leucippus fell for the girl next door, making it even more prudent that Leucippus became the male she wanted to be. And so, Galatea went to the temple of Leto and prayed to turn her daughter into the son she had promised her husband. Leto, moved by the mother's plea, did as she was asked. The people of Phaistos, there the myth took place, honored Leto by her epithet 'Phytia' (to grow, φύω), in reference to Leucippus' newly grown penis. The people of Phaistos also founded a feast called the 'Ekdysia' (undressing, ἑκδύω), because Leucippus was no longer forced to wear women's clothes. It also became custom for the women of Phaestus to lie next to the statue of Leucippus before their wedding.
 I hope this helps some :)
 "i once called myself a hellenic reconstructionist, but it doesn't fit me anymore because i right now don't have the time or energy to be as recon as it takes to call myself that (if that makes sense...). so i'm starting to call myself a revivalist hellenic polytheist ("hellenic revivalist"?). i guess my question is if i can still say i belong in hellenismos? because i like that the religion has a name, but now that i'm less recon i'm not sure if i'm "allowed" to say hellenismos is my religion..?"
 Hellenism is a sort of catch-all for anyone who worships the Hellenic Gods exclusively. The degree of Recon doesn't really change that. Feel free to use the term, as far as I am concerned :) The only terms that I do care about are the level of Recon you would ascribe yourself as it influences practice, viewpoints, and more of those things that would influence the conversation. But one thing is for certain: we all worship the Theoi and to me, that is all that is needed to call yourself a Hellenist!
 Tsk, tsk, tsk, two news items in a row. I know, I know, sorry! But I am invested in this story and I wanted to share it right away. The Central Archaeological Council (KAS) has approved the proposal concerning the in situ preservation of the antiquities, for reasons of public interest, i.e. the preservation and protection of the authenticity of this unique monumental complex. Another reason mentioned is that the monument is facing serious risks because a lot of time has past since its excavation.
 A crash course on the project for those who are new to the blog. In March of 2013, I blogged about an excavation conducted at the Venizelos metro station which brought to light a very well preserved 70-meter section of a marble-paved road, the remains of buildings dating back to the sixth to ninth centuries AD, as well as big public buildings of the 7th century; a rarity for the Byzantine world. Trouble was (and is) that the site of the find is part of a new subway tunnel and platform which are being built to transport 250,000 passengers daily, and thus decrease traffic congestion and air pollution in the city. The entire subway project has a price-tag of 3.5 billion euros (4.6 billion dollars), and was co-financed by the European Union. To keep the road, the entire subway project would have to be abandoned. To save the subway project, the road would need to be moved, or destroyed--the same thing, according to archaeologists.
 By April it looked like Thessaloniki's government and archaeological institutions had found a solution to the problem: they were going to temporarily remove the finds during the station's construction and then restore about 85 percent to 95 percent after the station was completed. The solution proposed had a low cost--0,6 percent to 0.8 percent of the budget--with zero or only a few months delay to the works' completion. Only a 45 square meter space (out of the area's 1.600 square meters) would not be restored, due to the placement of vents and escalators.
 By February of last year, word got out that the removal of


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Abstract: Playing with Dolls: Little Girls, Nymphs and Sexuality in Ancient Greece
Lecturer: Ann Marie Knoblauch
Nymphs, semi-divine creatures of mythology, represent an unusual class of females of ancient Greece. They were ubiquitous and widespread. They were worshipped by humans, and they themselves served the gods. The nymphs therefore bridged the worlds between the mortal and the divine. Modest young girls in art and poetry desired to model themselves after the nymphs, because their goal was to "become nymphs" as they took the steps towards marriage preparation. Nymphs were accessible and sympathetic archetypes for a young girl preparing for the most important transition of her life.
Nymphs, however, had one characteristic that set them apart from other women, particularly modest mortal women: nymphs were allowed to be sexually promiscuous. Sometimes they were chosen by gods for sexual partnerships, sometimes they chose mortal men as their partners, and sometimes they slept with their mythological counterpart, the semi-divine satyrs. While a nymph was unlikely to refuse a deity, and a mortal was unlikely to refuse a nymph, nymphs are frequently seen rejecting the satyrs.
As female figure who were allowed (in myth) a certain amount of sexual autonomy, this lecture examines the relationship between young mortal women in ancient Greece, suggesting the popularity of the nymph in ancient Greece was based in part on the variety of levels at which she could be interpreted. For a young girl preparing for marriage and motherhood, the nymphs represented models of behavior that reflected a young girl's ambivalence towards her own sexuality.
Short bibliography and/or website on lecture topic:
Larson, Jennifer, Greek Nymphs (New York: Oxford University Press: 2001)
Ellen D. Reeder, Pandora: Women in Classical Greece (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press
On Ancient Greek Weddings: _URL_


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Mission Statement and Aims
The Dartmouth-Hitchcock Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship Program's mission is to provide substantial clinical experience in all phases of recovery from addictive disorders across a variety of settings (academic, acute inpatient care, residential care, intensive outpatient care, office-based care, emergency care, and community care) and health-care systems.
The program aims for the fellows are as follows:
- Expert evaluation and management of both common and less common addictive disorders.
- Competent and effective consultations for non-specialist and non-psychiatry providers.
- Comfort using and citing primary sources for delivery of evidence-based care.
- Education of learners at various levels of training, including 3rd and 4th year Geisel medical students, DHMC and UVM psychiatry residents, internal medicine residents, pain medicine fellows, headache/neurology fellows, social work interns, psychology interns, and nursing students.
- Achieving competence at delivery of medication-assisted therapy including methadone at opioid treatment centers, office-based buprenorphine treatment, monthly injectable treatment including naltrexone and buprenorphine, and medications for treatment of alcohol use disorder.
- Managing withdrawal of addictive substances with both pharmacological and non-pharmacological support.
- Developing competence and confidence at diagnosis and treatment of co-occurring psychiatric disorders.
- Delivering evidence-based group therapy. Leading a multi-disciplinary team of providers in delivery of addiction services.
- Engaging in scholarly projects in coordination with the program director and appropriate faculty mentors.
- Developing confidence and competence in meeting the needs of adolescents with addictive disorders and co-occurring psychiatric illness.


to left. This reading order typically leads to right-aligned text and mirror-imaging of things like page and table layout. You can set the default alignment and ordering of page content to right to left by simply including dir="rtl" in the html tag.
The direction set in the html tag sets a base direction for the document which cascades down through all the elements on the page. It is not necessary to repeat the attribute on lower level elements unless you want to explicitly change the directional flow.
Embedded text in, for example, Latin script still runs left to right within the overall right to left flow. So do numbers. If you are working with right to left languages, you should become familiar with the basics of the Unicode bidirectional algorithm. This algorithm takes care of much of this bidirectional text without the need for intervention from the author. There are some circumstances, however, where markup or Unicode control characters are needed to ensure the correct effect.
Give me more background
Creating HTML Pages in Arabic, Hebrew and Other Right-to-left Scripts provides a gentle introduction to the basics of handling right-to-left text in HTML. The principles are similar for other markup languages.
What you need to know about the bidi algorithm and inline markup provides a gentle introduction to the basics of handling inline bidirectional text.
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We have recently published a Getting Started page to help you find information on the site. The Getting Started page points to a series of articles that are underway, and that provide newcomers with a gentle introduction to key internationalization topics and point to basic information on the site to get you going.
By: Richard Ishida, W3C.
Valid XHTML 1.0!
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Encoded in UTF-8!
Content first published 2006-02-24. Last substantive update 2009-05-16 13:01 GMT. This version 2010-10-06 13:22 GMT
For the history of document changes, search for article-quicktips in the i18n blog.


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Beta Hone ki Dua in Quran: The birth of a child, particularly a son, is a cherished desire for many parents. In the Islamic faith, children are considered a blessing from Allah (SWT), and the arrival of a son is often seen as a source of joy and continuation of the family lineage.
While the gender of a child is ultimately in the hands of Allah, Muslims are encouraged to supplicate and seek His blessings for a son through dua (prayer). This article explores the concept of beta hone ki dua in the Quran and provides guidance on the significance of this prayer in Islamic tradition. Let's delve into the importance of this dua and its role in seeking Allah's blessings for the birth of a son.
The Significance of Children in Islamic Faith:
Children hold a special place in the Islamic faith as a means of carrying on the family legacy and contributing to society. Both sons and daughters are considered a gift from Allah, and their arrival brings joy and fulfillment to parents. While the desire for a son is natural, it is essential to remember that the ultimate decision lies with Allah, who knows what is best for His creation.
The Power of Dua in Islamic Practice:
Dua, or supplication, is an integral part of Islamic practice. It is a means of communication between believers and Allah (SWT), allowing them to express their desires, seek guidance, and seek His blessings. Muslims are encouraged to engage in dua regularly, acknowledging their reliance on Allah's mercy and seeking His intervention in various aspects of life. Dua serves as a powerful tool to establish a connection with the Creator and seek His favor and blessings.
Beta Hone Ki Dua in the Quran:
Although there is no specific dua mentioned in the Quran for the purpose of having a son, believers can turn to various verses for guidance and inspiration. The Quran encourages Muslims to seek Allah's favor, mercy, and blessings in all matters of life. When desiring the birth of a son, individuals can recite heartfelt prayers in their own words, seeking Allah's guidance and His blessings for the gift of a righteous and pious son.
Emphasizing Trust and Acceptance:
While desiring a son is natural, it is crucial to approach beta hone ki dua with trust and acceptance of Allah's decree. Muslims should remember that Allah's plan is perfect, and His wisdom surpasses human understanding. Therefore, it is important to trust in His divine wisdom and embrace His will, knowing that He knows what is best for His creation. Expressing gratitude for whatever blessings Allah bestows is a testament to one's faith and submission to His guidance.
Strengthening the Relationship with Allah:
The Beta Hone ki Dua in Quran allows Muslims to strengthen their relationship with Allah (SWT) and surrender their desires to His divine will. By engaging in this supplication, believers demonstrate their trust in Allah's plan and their reliance on His mercy and guidance. It is an opportunity to deepen one's faith, seek spiritual growth, and develop a closer connection with the Creator.
Desiring the birth of a son is a common aspiration for many parents, and in the Islamic faith, dua plays a significant role in seeking Allah's blessings and guidance. Although there is no specific dua mentioned in the Quran for having a son, Muslims can turn to the teachings of the Quran for inspiration and guidance in their supplications.
It is essential to approach beta hone ki dua with trust, acceptance, and gratitude, knowing that Allah's plan is perfect and His wisdom is beyond human comprehension. Let us embrace the power of dua, seeking Allah's blessings and mercy in all aspects of our lives, including the desire for the birth of a son, and


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University of Minnesota and University of Michigan, University of Michigan, University of Illionois at Chicago
The GeoWall project offers 3D scientific visualization tools to aid in the understanding of spatial relationships. The site provides details on the hardware specifications and software requirements for building and using projection systems which visualize the structure and dynamics of the Earth in stereo. The site also features various earth science data sets and links to web pages offering a number of practical applications and current uses of geowall, including lessons and laboratory activities.
This description of a site outside SERC has not been vetted by SERC staff and may be incomplete or incorrect. If you
have information we can use to flesh out or correct this record let us know.
Part of the Cutting Edge collection. The NAGT/DLESE On the Cutting Edge project helps geoscience faculty stay up-to-date with both geoscience research and teaching methods.


text:
Q: How to avoid problems with include files?
A: If you declare a class in your code the compiler normally needs to know some information about the used class like e.g. size. But if you just uses a pointer or a reference, the compiler doesn't need to know those information at that point since pointers or references are always the same size (4 bytes on a windows system). So you just need to tell the compiler that there will be a class - in this case called 'CSomeClass' - which will be used later by that declared pointer or reference. In this case you can use the so-called 'forward declaration'...
In this example you would need to provide the complete definition of'some_class' since 'foo' will create one instance of it. Therefore the compiler needs to know the exact size of the class and how it looks like...
In this case you only have a pointer to'some_class'. Since the size of a pointer is independent from the size of the object it is pointing to the compiler just needs to know that there is somewhere a class named'some_class' is defined...
Most of the time forward declarations are used to prevent circular includes. Consider this
In this case you will end up with circular includes. While compiling the 'one.hpp' header file the header file 'two.hpp' will be included. While compiling 'two.hpp' header file the 'one.hpp' will be included. While compiling...
This will give problems even if you use inclusion guards like
Therefore it is not necessarely a good idea to include all the needed header files within your header file. Using forward declarations will avoid those circular includes...for additional information about the whole subject take a look at the following FAQ...
// Your class declaration


The Role of Finance is to Drive Organisational Growth
The Role of Finance is to Drive Organisational Growth
November 26, 2018
Cloud Software Provider BlackLine's Senior Vice President of Asia Pacific & Japan Terry Smagh shares his thoughts on why true automation is the only way to drive future growth in any organisation.
By Terry Smagh
Healthy organisations regularly evaluate the risks associated with changes in process, technology, and people. Assessing timing, effort, cost and return on investment is all part of robust risk management.
However, how often does an organisation evaluate the risk of not changing?
Rarely is sticking with the status quo still seen as the lower risk approach. Doing things "the way they've always been done" may be cumbersome, slow, or frustrating, but it's a safe bet—with a (usually) known outcome. And many accounting professionals take pride in their effort and output.
Change, on the other hand, is the great unknown and therefore inherently risky.
In Singapore, the primary changes in the accounting sector are pertinent to the country's vision to become the leading global accountancy hub by 2020, hence the establishment of related government and industry bodies, in addition to the implementation of a number of policies to support the progress. Among these is the Accountancy Roadmap. It targets an annual growth of 5.6% to reach SGD 2.03 billion in nominal value-add, and create 2000 new PMET jobs.
Taking that into account, technology is surely becoming an essential factor in Singapore's ability to accomplish the goal. It is helping the shift into accounting automation and creating the opportunity for accountants to play a larger role.
Change is the New Norm
Change itself is the new normal, and avoiding change exposes organisations to more risk—not less.
Doing things the way they've always been done is no longer a formula for success, but a surefire strategy for falling behind. And this has never been truer than for today's accounting and finance professionals, who are needed for their strategic—not their spreadsheet—skills and capabilities.
Status Quo Cripples Execution
While innovation and creative thinking may drive the front office, the status quo still often rules the back office. The result is a crippling disconnect between the ideal and the reality, between strategy and execution.
To stay both competitive and compliant, modern organisations must have real-time insight from data—and that starts with an agile finance function. However, accounting and finance professionals are still mired in manual work and legacy processes that leave little time for the analysis that is so desperately needed.
The Risks of Legacy
So what really happens when accounting professionals use legacy, manual processes to support a growing, changing business? Manual accounting processes, which rely on human accuracy, are prone to error. And gathering the right information to close books or in the event of an audit, takes longer without systems that easily provide the right information.
According to Deloitte, Finance's most important role today is "driving business decisions and preparing the organisation for future growth." Manual, status quo processes hamper the very transparency, efficiency, and access to data that finance must have to provide analytics and drive strategy.
For instance, manual processes guarantee that accountants spend their days searching for discrepancies and entering data, instead of analysing that data to drive the business forward. Limited time for analysis can also result in late or unexpected adjustments.
From Fear to Readiness
In the face of resistance, how can accounting and finance organisations transform the fear of change to readiness? The accounting professionals can be better prepared in embracing change when organisations consider implementing these practical ways:
 1. Invite people to change— don't impose it—and involve them in the process. Communicate early and often about what is being proposed. Buy-in is easier to gain if stakeholders have time to ask questions, offer feedback, and participate in how and when the change is implemented.
 2. Use data and KPIs to convey the benefits. Help those most affected by the change understand how it will benefit them directly. Demonstrate how much time accountants will save, how the change will enable more analysis or other value-added work, and other concrete and tangible benefits.
 3. Reassure accountants that they will still be relevant. Emphasize that technology is changing and elevating accounting and finance roles, not eliminating them. Highlight the fact that instead of spending days on data entry and manual tasks, accountants will have more time for meaningful work—around strategy, analysis, and other key business activities.
 4. Create champions for change. Find those excited about the change and involve them in implementation and rollout. Make it easy for these champions to share their enthusiasm with the rest of the organisation
 5. Provide training early. Champions for change drive interest and excitement. When training is provided for everyone, it nurtures buy-in and adoption across the organisation. It's more of cascading adoption nurture—start with a few, build out to the others with training.
 6. Design an achievable implementation and rollout plan. Mitigate internal disruption by streamlining implementation. Take the time to design a well-thought-out plan with achievable milestones. Engage a cross-functional internal team to ensure configuration and rollout works for the entire organisation.
 7. Emphasize the necessity of change. The reward for sticking with the status quo isn't success or longevity. It's irrelevance. A lack of visibility, efficiency, and accuracy, plus little access to real-time data will impede growth, increase the likelihood of undiscovered fraud, and elevate the risk of business failure.
Change Creates Creative Solutions
For accounting professionals, change offers the chance to be more creative, come up with new solutions, and grow both personally and professionally. For organizations, change necessitates agility and flexibility, qualities crucial to thriving in the future economy.
Transitioning from a traditional, labor-intensive, record-to-report process to tools that enable Continuous Accounting is useful to both the business and accountants. Organisations benefit from increased visibility, real-time data that drives smart (and timely) decisions, improved analysis and insight, and a clear ROI, with less burnout and turnover.
Moving beyond the manual and transactional enables accountants to spend more time on meaningful work. Instead of entering and aggregating data, accounting professionals can finally elevate their roles within the organisation.
They become trusted business partners that are looked to for more than just last month's data. They have a 'seat at the table,' and are known as capable analysts, forecasters, and subject matter experts, helping the entire business succeed, now and into the future.
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text:
In addition to fresh foods, many canned foods also provide nutrient-dense dietary options, often at a lower price, with longer storage potential. The aim of this study was to compare nutrient-dense food group intake and nutrient intake between different levels of canned food consumption in the US. Consumption data were collected for this cross-sectional study from 9761 American canned food consumers (aged two years and older) from The NPD Group's National Eating Trends®
) database during 2011–2013; and the data were assessed using The NPD Group's Nutrient Intake Database. Canned food consumers were placed into three groups: Frequent Can Users (≥6 canned items/week); n
= 2584, Average Can Users (3–5 canned items/week); n
= 4445, and Infrequent Can Users (≤2 canned items/week); n
= 2732. The results provide evidence that Frequent Can Users consume more nutrient-dense food groups such as fruits, vegetables, dairy products, and protein-rich foods, and also have higher intakes of 17 essential nutrients including the shortfall nutrients—potassium, calcium and fiber—when compared to Infrequent Can Users. Therefore, in addition to fresh foods, diets higher in nutrient-dense canned food consumption can also offer dietary options which improve nutrient intakes and the overall diet quality of Americans.
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License
which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited


zbMATH — the first resource for mathematics
Contact-line dynamics of a diffuse fluid interface. (English) Zbl 0984.76084
From the summary: An investigation is made into the moving contact line dynamics of a Cahn-Hilliard-van der Waals (CHW) diffuse mean-field interface. The interface separates two incompressible viscous fluids and can evolve either through convection or through diffusion driven by chemical potential gradients. The purpose of this paper is to show how the CHW moving contact line compares to the classical sharp interface contact line. It therefore discusses the asymptotics of the CHW contact line velocity and chemical potential fields as the interface thickness \(\varepsilon\) and the mobility \(\kappa\) both go to zero. The CHW and classical velocity fields have the same outer behaviour but can have very different inner behaviours and physics. In the CHW model, wall-liquid bonds are broken by chemical potential gradients instead of by shear, and change of material at the wall is accomplished by diffusion rather than by convection. The result is, mathematically at least, that the CHW moving contact line can exist even with no-slip conditions for the velocity.
76R50 Diffusion
76D99 Incompressible viscous fluids
76M45 Asymptotic methods, singular perturbations applied to problems in fluid mechanics
82B24 Interface problems; diffusion-limited aggregation arising in equilibrium statistical mechanics
Full Text: DOI


has not high accuracy. Suitable for simple measurements.
Therefore, the cost of an analog multimeter is also lower than that of a digital multimeter.
Digital multimeter.
digital Multimeter
Digital multimeter also knew as DMM, DVOM
All measurements are displayed on an easy-to-read LCD surface
Although it functions similarly to an analog multimeter, the digital multimeter is more accurate. Suitable for high precision measurements.
The price of a digital multimeter is also higher than that of an analog multimeter. However, depending on the needs of use, we should choose the right watches at reasonable prices. as it has different basic and advanced types.
A high-end digital multimeter can measure the following values:
 - AC (alternating current) voltage and amperage
 - DC (direct current) voltage and amperage
 - Resistance (ohms)
 - Capacity (farads)
 - Conductance (siemens)
 - Decibels
 - Duty cycle
 - Frequency (Hz)
 - Inductance (henrys)
 - Temperature Celsius or Fahrenheit
Essential Things To Bring For An Overnight Camping In The Forest
camping clothes
In addition to checking in at luxurious hotels, camping in the forest is also an experience that you should try once in your life.
For the first time, you will be confused about what to bring camping? What is the preparation for overnight camping?
Therefore, today I am going to answer the questions "what to bring when go camping" so that you can refer to and update a lot of useful information.
camping tips
Essentials things for a camping trip in the forest
Important gear
The first item you need to prepare for a picnic is the tent. However, for safe and convenient camping, you should choose a tent that is resistant to water and insects (if camping site is in mountain forests or wilderness).
When camping outdoors, especially at night, your body temperature will be lowered, so you need to prepare a waterproof sleeping bag, able to hold heat well. Besides, you should also pay attention to choose the type of sleeping bag material that is hypoallergenic and compact so that it can be carried easily.
forest camping
Ropes, sheets, wingking parachutes, pots and pans, mini cookers, forest knives, lighters, flashlights, compasses, etc. are also definitely indispensable items.
Camping mostly uses light from nature, there is no electric light so you need to determine the location of camping quickly and set up the tent when there is enough sunlight/light. Do not set up the tent too late, lacking of light might lead you to many difficulties. In addition, you should find places near the water source to be able to facilitate personal hygiene and living offline.
Bring food for the camping trip
You can rely on the camping time to bring the right amount of food and drink accordingly. Dry foods, canned foods such as sausages, dried food, dried shrimp, dried beef, shrimp noodles, packaged dried vegetables, sweets, cookies, etc. will always be preferred because they can be stored. for a long time. Refrain from bringing too much fresh food, because there is no refrigerator to preserve, if the weather is too hot like summer, the food is easy to smell and spoil.
In addition, water is an indispensable important thing. You should bring water rather than bring fresh water, it will make you more thirsty. Absolutely should not drink water in rivers and streams where you camp without knowing whether the water is safe or not.
Medical supplies
Medical equipment is also one of the essential items to prepare for camping. By camping, food poisoning falls, bumps, illnesses, etc. are unpredictable. Therefore, you need to bring some basic first aid and common medicines such as bandages, urgo, pain relievers, colds and flu, headache, medical cotton, alcohol, insect repellent, medicine mosquito repellent,…
Choose a comfortable outfit
Going camping in the forest takes a lot of effort, so you need to bring simple, spacious and comfortable clothes, so bring a bag with lots of bags. Also, do not forget to bring a jacket outside, in case insects bite as well as trees scratched into the woods. The shirt also helps you not to catch a cold, avoid the forest breeze. You should bring soft canvas shoes, sole to easily move as well as avoid slipperily.
You should choose to buy a backpack with a waistband to specialize in the forest, fixed to the body, avoid swaying and help you move more easily.
camping clothes
Final words
Above is a list of essentials for camping that I share with you. Hopefully, this article will help you have the most fun and comfortable travel and camping.
Camping Guide For Beginners
10 tips for beginners longboarding
10 tips that will help you as a beginner longboarder
number one is what's pushing Mongo
well there's a lot of memes and stuff about pushing Mongo on the internet
now what it is is essentially when you push with your front foot on the ground so your back foot is on the board
there's an unwritten rule in skateboarding and by pushing Mongo, if you push Mongo you're a beginner or you're considered a noob
and that's why they're quite a lot of memes about it and people on the Internet's making fun of people push Mongo
number two always brings a skate tool like a skate tool is one of the most essential things
you can have as a skater or longboarder and you never know when you need it so it's a really good habit to always bring it with you in your backpack anywhere you go
just in case there's something that you need to fix or a friend of yours has to fix something or a random person on the streets
whatever I've asked people for skate tool and lots just randomly on the streets and it's really handy
number three is a really big one I think and it's be active on social media
this is a longboarding tip
trust me it is because there are a lot of advantages I'm posting your stuff on social media
first off you can start building following even if you're a beginner longboarder
if you start when you start longboarding like I did you don't grow rapidly like crazy but you do already start building up the following
if there is a time when you're like okay I got some skills
tip number four and that's learn how to pick up your board properly
one of the easiest ways to spot beginner longboarder is one that you see them pick up the board by bending over and grabbing boards while the board is still on the ground
that's one of the easiest giveaways of really really beginner longboarder
it's a cool thing to learn in the beginning how to properly pick up your board
tip number five
that we've learned how to pick up our boards when we stop
we might grab it wrong so this is about mall grabbing so this is also a really hard topic on social media etc
number six
this will be a controversial topic
cause it's safety
it's really hard and really scary topic to talk about because people have a strong opinion about it
I still don't want to leave it out because I think it's really important
Even though I might get some heat for this
safety always the thing is wearing helmets
wearing helmets a lot of communities don't accept people who don't wear helmets especially in a downhill community just like if you post something without a helmet you will get bashed on for sure like 100%
and I support that I don't support bashing on people but I do support pushing towards
the fact that people should wear helmets for me
I'm really scared about talking about this because I don't want to come across as a hypocrite
I don't wear a helmet myself I do want to say and that's like the point
seven is a really quick one and it's making sure that your trucks are tightened to your boards
these tricks are not tightening to his boards
if that's the case and these nuts that go through your boards and trucks will vibrate a lot while longboarding
vibrations will cause a lot of stress on those points
they will make bigger holes out of it well
this is the most vulnerable spots on your boards
number eight is how to get off curbs
curbs can be your enemy if you are beginner longboarder your cruising around in the city
suddenly there's a curb got to get off if you don't want to step off your boards every time you come across a curb now luckily
there's a really easy way to get out of those curbs and I'm gonna tell you
another way to move on a the city is use a bicycle, you can find the best hybrid bike under 1000 and readmore
number nine is also really practical tip and it's learning how to jump on your boards
this is one of the coolest ways for sure to get on your boards works practicing essentially
it's a really easy thing you just grab your boards
you walk with your boards next to you and then you let loose with your boards you step on your boards and that's it now this sounds easy
it's not that hard either but it does take some practice for a lot of people
a couple of tips first off take it easy there's no need of really rushing it
you don't have to do akamikamiyaa jump and then get on your board
there's no need
you can just relax let loose of your board chill and then as you see your board getting on the ground
you step on it with your front foot and your back foot follows and then once you get more and more comfortable with the movements


text:
In this paper, published in The Cryosphere, we used Raman spectroscopy to trace carbonaceous material from the shoreline to the furthest reaches of the East Siberian Arctic Shelf.
Raman spectroscopy uses laser light to determine the molecular structure of a wide range of materials. During my PhD, I showed that Raman could be used to probe individual particles of organic carbon to show whether they were disordered, like coal, or crystalline sheets of graphite. This collection of carbon particles, known as carbonaceous materials, are particularly hardwearing and resistant to breaking down during erosion and transport. During my post-doctoral research, I then used a range of organic geochemistry techniques to investigate the transition from terrestrial to marine carbon across the East Siberian Arctic Shelf, showing that coastal erosion and river erosion were both supplying organic matter to the ocean.
This study uses the Raman technique on those same Arctic Shelf sediments to look at the sources and distribution of carbonaceous material on the shelf. The samples used in our paper were collected from close to the mouths of some major rivers, from areas experiencing rapid coastal erosion, and from hundreds of kilometres offshore.
The hardest work, collecting over 1400 Raman spectra, was carried out by two undergraduate students, Melissa Maher and Jerome Blewett, who are co-authors on the paper. The collected spectra were then analysed using an automated peak fitting script, and grouped according to the shape of the fitted peaks. This provides an unbiased method for determining whether a carbon particle is highly graphitised, mildly graphitised, disordered, or somewhere in between. For each of the sites on the shelf we collected spectra from up to 30 particles, and looked at how many fitted into each group. Statistics were then used to spot patterns across the shelf.
Our first finding is that the relative proportion of "disordered" and "intermediate" carbon particles varies, and that there are patches with more of one or the other group. At the coastline these patches align with two of the major rivers (Kolyma and Indigirka) and areas of rapid coastal erosion. Surprisingly, the patches can then be traced all the way across the shelf. We would have expected the currents in the ocean to have mixed the particles together further offshore, and in the biomarker studies we've done before we did not spot this kind of pattern. This means that Raman is a great way to trace the different sediment and carbon sources on the shelf.
Our second finding is that the amount of "highly graphitised" carbon particles is highest in the furthest offshore samples. These very crystalline flakes of graphite are behaving differently to all the other carbon particle groups. It's not clear exactly why this is, but one option is that everything else is breaking down and degrading before getting that far offshore. Or, the graphite particles could be so light that they sink very slowly, floating out to the shelf edge much easier than the other types.
This problem has implications for the global carbon cycle. These carbon particles have been released from permafrost on land and transported for hundreds of kilometres offshore, a trip that has taken thousands of years. If all of the carbonaceous material can survive the journey, it means that this fraction of the organic matter is not at risk of being degraded and released to the atmosphere as greenhouse gases. Burying it in the ocean provides protection from degradation for thousands or millions of years. Future studies should look at just how well the carbon particles can survive erosion and burial.
In summary, carbonaceous material is resilient to degradation and can be used to trace sediment sources across the Arctic shelf.
The Cryosphere, 12, 3293-3309, 2018


text:
One of KPLAB's members, Fredrik Heintz, has created a framework for developing RoboCup agents called RoboSoc. It is designed to encourage and simplify the modification, extension and sharing of RoboCup agents and is used in the AI Programming undergraduate course. The students taking the course develop and experiment with their own RoboCup simulation league teams, which would not be possible to do in such a limited timespan without the use of a framework.
Read more about RoboCup activities and the teams that have represented Linköping University in RoboCup competitions at Fredik Heintz' webpage.
Find out more about RoboCup at the official webpage.
RoboSoc a System for Developing RoboCup Agents for Educational Use.
Master's thesis (Examensarbete), Department of Computer and Information Science, Linköping university, Sweden, March 2000.


text:
NORFOLK — Babies and toddlers in Hampton Roads are healthier than those born 10 years ago, but the region still fares worse than the state in most categories - including the number of babies who die before reaching their first birthday.
Those were the results of a study released Tuesday by Square One, a regional initiative to improve the health of children up to age 5. The data aren't new, but Square One leaders want to give a big picture of the region's progress and talk about solutions that could improve that picture.
"Too many children in Hampton Roads are not getting a good start, which means they're in jeopardy of not succeeding throughout their lives," said Joseph Galano, an associate professor of psychology at the College of William and Mary who collected data for the report.
The Hampton Roads Partnership, an economicdevelopment coalition, is financing Square One to help children do better in school and future jobs.
Hampton Roads compares badly with the state on prenatal care, infant mortality, low-birth-weight babies and immunization rates. The study found that one in four children starts kindergarten without the skills to learn to read, such as vocabulary and the ability to identify sounds. That rate is about the same as the state's.
Hampton Roads also lags two other leading regions, Northern Virginia and Greater Richmond, in most categories. Galano said one likely factor was a lack of money for prevention programs such as parenting classes, which cover everything from nutrition to the importance of reading to toddlers.
Another factor is demographics, especially in comparison with Northern Virginia. Hampton Roads has a higher poverty rate and a more-mobile population, which means that more parents are isolated from their extended families and could be under greater stress. Poverty is a risk factor for health problems.
So what are some solutions?
Galano used Hampton as an example of what could happen with better efforts to prevent problems. Under the city's Healthy Families Partnership, for example, mothers get prenatal care and home visits from professionals that can last until the child goes to kindergarten.
Hampton still has a lot of work to do, Galano said, but the city's infant mortality rate has dropped nearly 50 percent during the report's time frame, which tracks data to 1991.
Cases of child abuse and neglect also fell faster than in the rest of the region, he said.
Hampton Roads needs to extend those kinds of programs to more parents, and politicians need to finance them, Galano said.
The state also needs to direct more resources to child care, said Keith Sykes, director of Square One. Virginia's child-care workers are the nation's lowest-paid, a study by Action Alliance for Virginia's Children and Youth found. The average pay is $6.22 an hour, and turnover is high.
Square One is supporting a program that gives child-care workers scholarship money in exchange for staying in the field for a certain number of years.
Other Square One efforts include putting up billboards on the importance of reading to children and starting a Web site - _URL_ - as a resource for people working in early child health and development.
"We have great challenges, but we also have great resources," Sykes said.
Hampton Roads did make some progress between 1991 and 1998, Galano's report said. The percentage of pregnant women getting early prenatal care rose from 75 percent to 81 percent. The infant mortality rate fell from 1.3 deaths in every 100 live births to about one death in every 100.
But more babies were born weighing less than 5 pounds, 8 ounces -Eputting them at risk for delayed physical and intellectual development. One reason for the increase might be a growing number of women who use fertility drugs, which increases the chance of multiple births, Galano said.
The latest research on the human brain indicates that the first years of life are more critical than scientists thought. Parents should read aloud to their children starting at 6 months, said John Simpson, superintendent of Norfolk public schools.
Also on Tuesday, the Mayors and Chairs Caucus of the Hampton Roads Partnership declared 2001 "The Year of the Young Child." Educational activities will promote healthy births and school readiness.
First-trimester prenatal care
Percent of pregnant women getting prenatal care
Percent of babies of low birth weight
Deaths per 1,000 children younger than 1 year old
Greater Richmond 1088
Percent of babies who had a good birth weight, scored well on a health checklist taken right after birth, have mothers who got early prenatal care and were carried to full term
Greater Richmond 70%70%69%
Percent of 2-year-olds with recommended immunizations
(The national target is 90%.)
Greater Richmond 66%
Sources: National Center for Health Statistics, Center for Pediatric Research and Virginia Department of Health
* Overall trends in Hampton Roads, 1991-98
- Improved: prenatal care, infant mortality rate, healthy births
- Stayed about the same: reading readiness
- Worsened: low-birth-weight babies
* Hampton Roads vs.
- About the same: reading readiness
- Worse than state: prenatal care, low-birthweight babies, infant mortality rate, immunization, healthy births
Source: Square One. For more information on Square One, call _PHONE_.
Alison Freehling can be reached at _PHONE_ or by e-mail at _EMAIL_


text:
track" switch on the
2.4m control panel means "drive the telescope in HA
to follow the stars."
- Note that the radiobuttons do not initiate the
action you want -- they only select what will
happen when you push Start.
If you select the Expose radiobutton under the Guide
and hit Start, then:
- A single full-frame picture is taken and displayed
in a separate window;
- The software automatically finds the brightest
star in the picture and enters its coordinates in the
Guide star X and Y
boxes. If you don't like the star it selected, you
can click on another star with the mouse, and its
coordinates will be entered into the boxes. (Note:
I believe the integer pixel you click is selected --
it doesn't centroid the image, unfortunately.)
- Note that the Expose action under Guide resets the
fiducial XY location of the guide star. This
will be necessary when you set up on your first night,
but you probably do not want to do this more
than once -- there is much to be gained by keeping the
guide star fixed.
In the Options menu (right side of the box)
there's a control for Track box size.
64 pixels seems to be a good option. The track
box needs to be contained entirely within the image, so
the guide star can't be close to the edge of the field.
Now you can move on to the Calibrate
button. This automatically establishes the scale, orientation,
and parity of the camera image, and the sensitivity
of the guide buttons, so that the program knows what
buttons to push to bring the star back when it drifts.
Note that you probably only need to do this at the
start of your run; you may even be able to skip this
if you know nothing changed since the last observer.
- First, go into Settings; under
X Axis and Y Axis, set the
Cal time settings both to 5.
- Hit Start and sit back -- After a while
a little red line appears by your guide star, the guide
star moves over, then it moves back, and then it does
the same thing in a perpendicular direction. The
program has mashed the guide buttons and watched the
star, then figured out the guide speeds and
directions! If you now look in Settings, in the
manual calibration section, you'll see
numbers for X speed, Y speed, and
angle -- the program has just set all these
for you. [With the 2.4m and the RA and dec guide rates
set to the default value of 2, the numbers should
be something like: X speed = -8, Y speed = +8,
angle = -90 degrees..]
- If you rotate the instrument (very
seldom done on the 1.3m) you should
not need to do the calibration rigamorole every
time you rotate -- simply set the Angle parameter
in Maxim DL to include the rotation. The formula is
angle = -90 - [rotator setting].
For example, with the rotator at +45, the guider
wants an angle of -135 degrees; with the rotator
at -30, the guider wants -60. [You can't choose
a more convenient quadrant; Maxim-DL unfortunately
insists on an angle between +180 and -180.]
- Once you have the calibrations, you'll want to
write them down. Unless you change the guide rates
on the TCS, or rotate the instrument, they should
be good for the rest of your run.
You're finally ready to guide!
- Select the Track radio button.
- For Aggressiveness, enter something like
5 in both axes -- the guider will then try to correct
50 percent of the image decentering.
- With the guide star somewhere near its fiducial position,
hit Start. A little postage stamp
around the guide star will be displayed in the
guider image window (you can blow this up and
stretch it to your heart's content); the guide
star should walk to the middle of the box, and
you're off and running.
Establishing Offsets at the Start of the Run.
Here's a procedure to get you going.
- Turn to one of the main Linux computers (not the
guider PC), and bring up JSkyCalc24mGS or
JSkyCalc13mGS (depending on your telescope).
There's a manual for JSkyCalc24mGS here.; if the link doesn't work, look
at the mountaintop web page.
- Point at a bright star, or some other unmistakable
target, and find it with your
science instrument. Focus the telescope on your
- Load the exact coordinates of the bright star (or target) into
JSkyCalc24mGS. The entry boxes are in the main window, with the
Dartmouth-green bar; to make this easier, hit "Stop Update"
and then "Resume Update" when you're done. Don't forget
the equinox. Hint: Change the "sleep for" field to 30 seconds
(instead of the default 15), and you'll be a lot happier.
[It's highly recommended that you load the coordinates from an
list, using the Object Lists facility of JSkyCalc.]
- Click on the Guide Stars button at the
bottom of the main JSkyCalc window. This brings up
the guide star selector, which looks like this:
- Verify that the coordinates in the upper right
corner of the guide cartoon are appropriate, and that the
Rotator angle is set correctly.
- Select a guide star by clicking on it -- a little
blue box appears around it, and its particulars are reported.
Guide stars in the range 10-14 work well.
[Sometimes the thread that updates the guider cartoon
stops. If this happens, you need to press "Read Guide Stars"
to force an update.]
- Press Move guide probe to move the guide
star to the star's expected location in the focal plane;
it won't move until you confirm it.
- Once the probe is in position it'll report its position
in the xmis window on the main computer, as shown below:
Ignore the little red circle in the guider cartoon --
it should indicate the guide probe position, but
it's often way off for reasons as yet undiagnosed.]
- In Maxim DL, select the Expose tab and
hit the Start button. You should see the guide star
(see below if you don't).
- Focus the guider using the little rocker switch
(for now, this may change when the MIS is overhauled).
If the guider focus reaches the end of its travel without
getting into focus, you're not dead - Maxim DL guides
amazingly well on out-of-focus images.
- The guide star
won't necessarily be exactly centered (that's ok).
If your guide star has little friends bright enough to
be in UCAC3, you may see them -- the pattern will be
rotated 90 degrees from the JSkyCalc diagram.
- Stop exposing, then go to the Guide tab
and select the Expose radiobutton.
- Hit Start -- a single image will be taken
and the coordinates of the brightest star in the
field -- hopefully your guide star -- will appear in
the Guide Star X and Y fields.
WRITE THESE DOWN.
- Grab the mouse and draw a nice box around the
star -- this will be useful later.
Now you're all set up.
A Protocol for Acquisition.
- Be sure JSkyCalc has your target's coordinates
in the RA and dec window. [This is easiest if you
read them from a list.]
- Set the telescope on your object's coordinates.
- If you have rotated the instrument, be sure that
the exact rotation angle is entered in the box in the
guide star selector window.
- If the JSkyCalc guide star selector tool is not
open, open it using the Guide Stars button
at the bottom of the JSkyCalc window.
- Look at the JSkyCalc guide star selector cartoon.
Select a suitable guide star, and move the guide
probe into position as described earlier.
- In Maxim DL, select the Expose tab, and
press the Start button. The image should
- Find the guide star in the image. You may
have to paddle around a little. If the
rotator is at zero, the image
has north at the top and east to the left.
[If you're trying to match the pattern in the
guide star cartoon, note the directions indicated
in the cartoon.]
- Using the hand paddle, move the telescope to
put the guide star in the box you marked earlier.
- If you're concerned that you may not have
the right guide star, you can select another
guide star and move the guide probe to it.
It should land right in the box.
- Once you're confident of your centering,
stop taking exposures with the Maxim-DL Stop
button, select the Guide tab, and
the Track radiobutton; then press Start
to start guiding.
- If there is fine adjustment to be done -- e.g.
for getting a star into a spectrograph slit -- then
it can be done using the dx: and dy:
entry boxes in xmis. Note that the OSMOS
has an elaborate centering sequence built around this.
Miscellaneous oddities etc.
Guide star coords are not with respect to full frame. I've seen
Maxim get into


NDI Discovery and Registration
Sending and receiving video streams across an IP network requires applications supporting video to be able to discover receiving applications that are looking for video. NDI resolves host names to IP addresses over the local area network (LAN) and does so automatically. When you start an application that sends NDI, the devices that can receive NDI become aware instantaneously. While this is a typical function on almost all networks, there are some cases where it is important to know how this works in order to properly configure networks utilizing managed data flows and QoS protocols.
NDI utilizes mDNS (multicast Domain Name System)[1] to create the zero configuration environment for discovery. This service sends an IP multicast message that asks the host to identify itself. The target machine then multicasts a message that includes its own IP address. This multicast is seen by all NDI receiving machines on the subnet, which then use the information in that message to update their own caches. These multicast queries are sent to a multicast address and as a result, no single device is required to have global knowledge. When a service or device sees a query for any service it recognizes, it provides a DNS response with the information from its cache
[1] Apple's mDNS is published as a standards track proposal (RFC 6762)
The primary benefits of using mDNS is that it requires little or no administration to set up. Unless the network is specifically configured to not allow mDNS, NDI sources will be discovered. This format works when no infrastructure is present and can span infrastructure failures.
The mDNS Ethernet frame is a multicast UDP packet that broadcasts to[1]:
 - MAC address 01:00:5E:00:00:FB(for IPv4)
 - IPv4 address
 - UDP port 5353
Because mDNS uses a link-local multicast address, its capacity is limited to a single physical or logical LAN. If the networking reach needs to be extended to multiple subnets or to an environment consisting of many different networking technologies, an mDNS gateway is implemented. An mDNS gateway provides a transport for mDNS packets across Layer 3 boundaries by filtering, caching, and redistributing services from one Layer 3 domain to another. This is a process that is managed in Layer 3 capable networking switches (refer to documentation provided from the switch manufacturer).
Figure 1. Sample Networking Scenario. For example, if the mDNS gateway functionality is enabled on the router in this figure, then service information can be sent from one subnet to another and vice-versa. For example, the NDI discovery information being advertised in the network with IP address (left) is redistributed to the network with IP address (right) and learned by the mDNS-enabled hosts and devices in that network.
On Windows devices in particular, choosing the network location type is critical for the successful discovery and registration of NDI. Typically, the first time a Windows machine is connected to a network, a dialog window appears that allows the user to choose the network location type: Home, Work, Public, or Domain. By default, Windows sets a new network location to Public. This location is designed to keep machines from being visible and responding to broadcast pings. This location type also affects mDNS responses and, in turn, keeps NDI video streams from being discovered and registered on the network. For successful discovery and registration of NDI, network locations should be set to Work or Home.
The Domain network location is used for domain networks, such as those at enterprise workplaces. This type of network location is controlled by the network administrator and cannot be selected or changed. In this type of configuration, mDNS discovery must be allowed at the domain level.
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Secrets of the Wood Comb
Discover the healing power of using wood combs for massage and more
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Taiwanese craftsman Xianyi Chan makes his seemingly simple wood combs using traditional techniques. But there's more than meets the eye with this elegant instrument of personal care. They are sold today under the brand M Comb, and the inspiration for their design and use goes back centuries.
Song Dynasty poet Su Dongpo combed his hair one hundred times each night before bed.
Flying bugs dance to greet the moon,
I let my hair down in front of moon-lit windows.
A thousand combs quickly wake up the skin and stimulate the bones,
Energy nourishes the roots like dewdrops.
Su Dongpo romanticized the ritual of the comb in ancient Chinese life. A modern person might wonder why. Was it because he didn't have a television to watch? Or was there something about the ritual that today's people don't know?
Meet the M Comb, a wooden masterpiece
Xianyi Chan has loved wood from a young age. He and his brother used to make wood hair clips and hairpins for money. One day, a customer said, "Before putting on hairpins and hair clips, we have to comb our hair. Why don't you make us some combs?" The brothers thought it was a great idea, so they added wood combs to their product line.
About ten years ago, Chan got a terrible toothache. He saw a dentist who sent him to a neurologist, who discovered a tumor in his ear. Even though it was benign, it was big enough to affect his trigeminal nerve, and Chan needed a surgery that had only a 50 percent chance of survival. After a 15-hour operation, Chan made it through, but his facial nerves had been damaged. He lost motor function completely in half of his face. He even had to tape his eye shut in order to sleep.
wood combs in the M Comb collection
The M Comb comes in multiple designs, each with its own unique functions and features. Photography by Tiana Wang
As part of his physical therapy, Chan received massages. The woman only used her hands, but it triggered a memory. He recalled a teacher by the name of Mula.
"Mula told me of the wood comb's many functions. Many of my customers who bought my combs took lessons with Mula. She taught them how to use the wood combs for massage."
The benefits of wood comb massages
After learning Mula's wood comb massage technique, Chan taught it to his masseuse. From that point on, Chan would bring his own comb to the salon when he got his daily 30-minute massage. Four months later, he was brushing his teeth when he noticed his mouth twitch. At first, he thought his mind was playing tricks, but he wiped the mirror and looked again. "I saw my face really twitched. I was so happy. I felt like I had just won the lottery."
After six months of wood comb massages, Chan regained 100 percent of his facial functions. His doctors were amazed.
People say "wood comb massage," but that's actually a misnomer, he says. The goal of massage is generally for blood circulation and muscle relaxation, whereas wood combing focuses on adjusting the body's qi or energy. The theory makes sense from both a traditional Chinese perspective as well as modern medicine, which has come to embrace the old ways more and more.
"It's not only our nose and mouth that breathe. All of our sweat pores breathe. When people have a cold, they feel miserable because they lack energy. The same is true when your sweat pores are congested, especially the sweat pores on your head, which are the greatest in number."
Chan says that people sometimes feel energized after combing their head because the qi congested under the skin gets expelled through the sweat pores. Once the qi is smoothed out, a person experiences a renewed sense of wellness.
Wood combs can also be used to massage other parts of the body. Chan combs his entire body every day. Qi can become murky and hover around, causing inflammation. A wood comb can expel that murky qi while stimulating fresh qi.
"The best part is that, unlike with medication, this method has no side effects. Wood combs are completely natural. It combs your energy and makes it flow so as to relieve pain and other symptoms."
Even knowing that Chan is a true lover of wood combs and a gifted artisan of many years, it's still surprising to discover that his process for bringing a comb into the world takes more than a hundred steps.
"Anything handmade has a heart. When there's a heart, there is feeling, and it has power."
Handmade quality
Chan's wood combs are always handmade. The wood is selected according to weight, colour, and aroma. Wood type is also important. One of Chan's most popular choices is the black and purple sandalwood.
The first step is to cut the wood into blocks. Chan will wait months, sometimes years, for the blocks to air dry. Once completely dry, the wood retains its shape and resists warping. Only then can it be used for production. Many manufacturers use heat to speed up the drying process. Chan believes this method alters the fibre, drains the resin, and altogether damages the wood.
After drying, patterns are drawn onto the blocks, and a thread saw is used to cut out the comb. A person then manually sands the comb until each tooth is cone-shaped with a pointy tip and thick base. This design ensures optimum energy flow. Chan got the idea from the shape of a boat. The comb moves energy like a boat moves water.
"Machine-made teeth are straight and easy to make," he says. "Mine are cone shaped, and the process involved is much more complicated. Only handmade teeth feel smooth on the body."
wood combs being made for the M Comb collection
Every M Comb is crafted by hand from a single piece of wood, creating an elegant form and natural strength.
Wood combs made with love
Chan requires his artisans to leave their problems at home and maintain a positive mindset while making his combs. He believes that the emotions of the craftsman live in the craft. "Anything handmade has a heart. When there's a heart, there is feeling, and it has power."
Chan's process is one of intimacy. He says he notices nuances that others don't. "It's just like dating someone you love. You want to know everything about her, her family, her everything. That's why I say I've been in love with my combs all my life."
Chan believes virtue is the most important thing in a person's life. Without it, one doesn't have blessings or fortune. A tree also has virtue. Its virtue starts from being a seed. It falls into soil, grows downward to find its base in the earth, and wraps around the earth with its roots. It then grows upward, taking in light and giving out pure oxygen that refreshes us all. It blooms into flowers, bears fruit, and becomes a tall tree that protects and provides.
wood combs in the M Comb collection
The wood blocks used to create the M comb are air-dried without heat to preserve the natural fibres, resins, and energy of the wood. Xianyi Chan instructs his artisans to leave their problems behind when creating the combs, so only positive energy goes into every product. Photography by Tiana Wang
"A tree doesn't take much from this world but offers a great deal. It's very quiet but always devoted. Even after it dies, we still use its body. I hope when people use their wood combs, they feel the virtue in the wood and are grateful."
Here's what Chan suggests: Every morning and every night, spend three to five minutes combing your hair. Start from the top of the head and comb downward in all directions. You'll smooth out the congested qi and let out the negative energy. Relax and enjoy the therapeutic process.
"In the old days, combing hair was a daily routine, a very natural thing to do," he says. "Modern people don't pay attention to it and have lost it. It actually has a great impact on our health. People say you can assess a person's success from his daily routines. This success might not be monetary. If you routinely smoke, then your lungs will not be successful. If you routinely comb your hair, your health will be very successful."
The M comb will be launched at in Jan 2021.
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Kaohsiung J. Med. Sci. 13: 36-41 (1997)
Origin and morphogenesis of neurons in the frog cardiac ganglion.
R. D. Heathcote
This paper reviews the cellular events underlying the formation of the cardiac ganglion in the frog. The first neurons become postmitotic at the end of embryogenesis and begin differentiating in a functioning heart. Neuronal precursors in the heart continue dividing and differentiating at least through the beginning of metamorphosis. Since cell death is not a characteristic of early cardiac ganglion development, proliferation and differentiation alone regulate the addition of neurons to the heart. As new neurons are added, their position is unique and reflects their time of origin. The developmental addition of new neurons to the ganglion is neither time nor stage dependent, but matches the size of the growing heart, even into adult life. During this period, the shape and polarity of cardiac neurons is established through elimination of supernumerary axons that initially extend throughout the heart. The temporal and spatial accumulation of cardiac SIF cells occurs in parallel with cardiac neurons and may indicate a common mechanism underlying the origin of these neural crest derivatives. These studies contribute to our understanding of the cellular processes underlying the development of this important autonomic control mechanism and provide the background for current studies on the regulation of cardiac neurogenesis.


bash-0.1.8: Bash generation library.
Safe HaskellNone
Types and functions for generation of Bash scripts, with safe escaping and composition of a large subset of Bash statements and expressions.
This module is meant to be imported qualified -- perhaps as Bash -- and contains everything you need to build and render Bash scripts. For examples of usage, look at Language.Bash.Lib.
data Annotated t Source
The Annotated type captures the annotatedness of a tree of Bash statements. It is Foldable and a Functor.
annotation :: t
statement :: Statement t
literal :: ByteString -> Expression tSource
Escape a ByteString to produce a literal expression.
data Identifier Source
The type of legal Bash identifiers, strings beginning with letters or _ and containing letters, _ and digits.
identifier :: ByteString -> Maybe IdentifierSource
Produce an Identifier from a ByteString of legal format.
data SpecialVar Source
The names of special variables, with otherwise illegal identifiers, are represented by this type.
data FuncName Source
Bash functions can have surprising names. Once the word containing the name of the function has been identified by the Bash parser, the only constraint as of this writing is that it not be all digits and contain neither quotes nor dollar signs. Thus the following are all callable functions:
 function { curl -sSfL"$1" ;}
 function 123.0 { echo 123.0 ;}
 function + { echo "$@" | sed's/ / + /g' | bc ;}
Yet a function name may only be parsed if its surroundings constitute a valid function declaration. So we are not able to declare these functions:
 function par()ens { echo '(' "$@" ')' ;}
 function (parens) { echo '(' "$@" ')' ;}
(The parser thinks the parens are there to separate the function name from the function body.)
Some functions can be declared but not called. For example:
 function for { echo for ;}
 function x=y { echo x is y ;}
Calling the former results in a syntax error. A call to the latter is parsed as an assignment.
It is possible to override important builtins with function declarations. For example:
 function set { echo Haha! ;}
 function declare { echo Surprise! ;}
Overall, Bash function names are quite flexible but inconsistent and potentially a cause of grave errors.
funcName :: ByteString -> Maybe FuncNameSource
Produce a FuncName, choosing the Simple constructor if the name is a simple identifier.
data Redirection Source
Redirection "directions".
Input redirection, <.
Output redirection, >.
Appending output, >>.
newtype FileDescriptor Source
A file descriptor in Bash is simply a number between 0 and 255.
FileDescriptor Word8
builder :: PP t => t -> BuilderSource
data PPState Source
State of pretty printing -- string being built, indent levels, present column, brace nesting.
render :: PPState -> State PPState () -> BuilderSource
Produce a builder from a pretty printer state computation.
nlCol :: Word -> PPStateSource
Pretty printer state starting on a new line indented to the given column.
script :: Annotation t => Statement t -> BuilderSource
Produce a script beginning with #!/bin/bash and a safe set statement.
script_sha1 :: forall t t'. (Annotation t, Annotation t') => ByteString -> Statement t -> Statement t' -> BuilderSource
Produce a script beginning with #!/bin/bash and some (optional) documentation. Cause the script to be scanned for SHA-1 hash of the setup (first statement argument) and main (second statement argument) before running the safe set statement and running the second argument.


The History of the Mastiff Breed – A Guide to Mastiff History
Guides to English Mastiffs
Origin of Mastiff
Mastiffs existed a long time ago and often referred to as dog-like beasts. They were better known as Molossus and eventually just dogs. These dogs can be seen in the ancient images relating to Babylonian relics way back in 2200 BC. During these times, the dogs we commonly used during wars. There are drawings dating back to 650 BC which featured mastiff-like dogs sculptured in Assyria. It is not known how these giant canines were bred, or if they evolved and matured on their own. The Romans transported them to Rome for entertainment purposes, by using them in organized fights with bears and lions in pack.
All large dog breeds were referred to as Mastiffs, which is a term derived from 'Mastin' in French language, meaning a watchdog. They were also commonly used as guardians for livestock and homes, particularly protecting them from bears and various other wildlife that roamed freely in the forests and wilderness back then.
It is, however, well-established that mastiff's ancestors arrived in Britain from Central-Asia, and the Phoenician traders were responsible for it, way back in 500 BC or over 2000 years ago. The British were in awe of this breed simple due to their massive size and powerful display of strength. It is for these reasons that the mastiffs got commonly engaged in organized fights with animals, including other dogs and bears, in medieval England in 1500/1600s.
During the 1800s, they were primarily used for guarding and as companions, given their loyal and courageous behavior towards their owners. They could be spotted on large properties and were renowned for their gentle and composed temperament.
One of the most authoritative texts written on Mastiff history is called 'The History of the Mastiff by M.B. Wynn, which first got published in 1886, and till date, is one of the most authoritative works on this enigmatic dog breed.
From Ancient Times to the Early Nineteenth Century
The ancestors of modern Mastiffs can be traced back to those large dogs shown as figurines and in bas-reliefs from 6th century BC in Assyria, during the reign of King Ashurbanipal. There is, however, no genetic evidence or established historical link to affirm this, and it is mere speculation. A similar figurine from same region during the Kassite period is also traced as mastiff's ancestors, which was over a thousand years earlier. The presumption is that mastiffs may be related to the dogs that combated with lions, tigers, bears, and gladiators in arenas in ancient Rome.
The Pugnaces Britanniae that was in existence during the conquest of Britain by Rome is meant to have a confirmed trace in the formation of English Mastiff.
The Greek historian Strabo had reported about the export of dogs from Britain for game hunting, and used often by the Celts during wars. The Pugnaces Britanniae is meant to have descended from dogs that the British brought by the Phoenicians during the 6th century BC. Caesar also wrote about them in England during 55 BC during his invasions. A lot of these dogs were sent to Italy and during Roman Empire they assumed the role of fighting dogs and with AKC recognition happening in 1885.
The Alaunt is likely to have been another genetic predecessor to the English Mastiff. Introduced by the Normans, these dogs were developed by the Alans, who had migrated into France (then known as Gaul) due to pressure by the Huns at the start of the fifth century. Intriguingly they were known from the Romans to live in a region (the Pontic-Caspian Steppe) about 700 km to the north of the region where the Assyrians once lived. Again, any canine connections are speculative.
The term "Mastiff" has an unclear origin and is meant to have evolved from Anglo-Saxon term "masty", which means "powerful". Oxford English Dictionary proclaims it derived from the French term "Mastin'. The very first compilation of dog breed names in English were found in The Book of Saint Albans, which was attributed to Prioress Juliana Berners, published in 1465, and includes a reference to "Mastiff ".
In 1570, Conrad Heresbach, in his Latin work called Rei Rusticae Libri Quatuor, referred to "the Mastie that keepeth the house". This writing was then later translated after a few years into English by Barnabe Googe and that work was know as Foure Bookes of Husbandrie. These texts from the Roman to Medieval times capture the fact that Mastiff-like dogs were commonly used for blood sports that included bear-baiting, bull-baiting, lion-baiting, and dog fighting, and also for hunting and guarding properties and persons.
Then there were dogs which were referred to as Bandogs that used to be tied and hence bound close to people's properties, and these were also of Mastiff types. In 1570, these dogs were described by John Caius as "vast, huge, stubborn, ugly, and eager, of a heavy and burdensome body".
In 1666, Christopher Merret, who was a naturalist, wrote in his work called Pinax Rerum Naturalium Brittanicarum regarding a list of British canines that had 15 types of dogs, including a "Molossus, Canis bellicosus Anglicus, a Mastif". This was probably the first interchangeable use of the dog breeds Molossus and Mastiff.
Sir Peers Legh, in 1415, got wounded in the Battle of Agincourt. During this battle, his Mastiff stood the ground bravely and protected him for several hours whilst the battle was ongoing. He was later sent back to Legh's home and became the foundation of Lyme Hall Mastiffs. 500 years later, this pedigree played a vital role in the evolution of what is now the modern breed. Some of the other well known aristocratic seats where Mastiffs were kept are Elvaston Castle (Charles Stanhope, 4th Earl of Harrington and his ancestors) and Chatsworth House.
Mastiffs have also featured at Hadzor Hall, which was owned by members of the Galton family, as well as renowned industrialists and scientists, such as Charles Darwin. There is also evidence to suggest that Mastiffs first came to USA on the Mayflower, however, their subsequent documented entry to USA suggest that they did not arrive in the country until the late 19th century.
Mastiff A book illustration
A book illustration. Date: 1820
Roman Mastiff War Dog
Dogs have an established history of being used in warfare, starting during the ancient times. They have adopted and evolved in various roles such as combat trained, scouts service providers, sentries and trackers. They have fulfilled multiple roles and still continue to play a key role in modern military usage.
The Romans particularly found the mastiff to be very intriguing, and during their most powerful times during the Roman Empire, they afforded the mastiff with a lot of respect primarily due to its role as a war-dog and fighting dog.
When the Romans occupied Britain (55 BC – 415 AD), they also exported lots of dogs from there to Rome. These dogs were left to fight for themselves and their meals during their long and multiple expeditions. There was no animal cruelty or safety laws back then. In fact, it was quite the opposite, as the dogs were left to fight the lions in arenas for pleasure and entertainment. Regardless, the Romans have always glorified the mastiffs in their history records. Some of the roman officers also honored themselves by owning mastiffs. They used to train them for war purposes and for their personal protection. This beast of a dog weighing 100+ kgs with the right training and an aggressive and ferocious temperament would prove to be violent and much feared canine to tackle. Mastiffs have also sacrificed their lives for their masters in a military battle and thereafter, became heroes for life. Cesar's favorite dog was reportedly a mastiff as well.
The Molossus (as it was known in Rome) was renowned all over the ancient world for its size and ferociousness. The ancient literature by renowned writers such as Aristophanes, Aristotle, Grattius, Horace, Lucan, Lucretius, Martial, Nemesianus, Oppian of Apamea, Plautus, Seneca, Statius, Suda and Virgil have all mentioned about mastiffs in one context or the other. The Molossians even issued a silver coinage that carried an image of a Molossus as part of their emblem.
Molossians kept two distinct types of dogs a hunting dog with a wide muzzle which is commonly quoted as the ancestor to the modern type of mastiff, and the second was a large guardian dog to protect livestock.
Aristotle in his History of Animals wrote that mixed breed dogs that are produced by a Molossian and the Laconian, stand out for their courage, resilience or hard labor.
History of the Standard
The breeding standards of a mastiff were first published in 1859 by 'Stonehenge' (Dr John Henry Walsh) in 'The Dog in Health & Disease' which provided certain points of the Mastiff vis-à-vis its body parts, colors, character and symmetry.
The mastiff was referred to or defined as follows: "A head of large size between that of the bloodhound and bulldog in shape having