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Top tips for conducting a digital interview
The pandemic forced companies to adjust the way they think about the interview process and how they hire new candidates. As in-person interviews were impossible, digital interviews quickly became the norm for hiring managers. Although COVID-19 may be coming to an end, it's likely that some practices, including digital interviews, will continue on in some capacity.
It's exciting to bring new team members into the fold. However, digital interviews can seem daunting for both interviewers and candidates. Let's go over some tips that will help you conduct a digital interview smoothly and successfully. The more prepared you are, the more you'll be able to focus on what truly matters, which is selecting the right person for the right role.
Let's dive in. Here's what hiring managers need to know about digital interviews:
 - What is a digital interview?
 - How to do a digital interview
 - Digital interview questions
 - Digital interview tips for interviewers
 - How is a digital interview different from an in-person interview?
What is a digital interview?
A digital interview is an online, remote interview held between an employer and a candidate. In a live digital interview, the employer and candidate "meet" virtually using a pre-selected video conferencing tool.
A digital interview is conducted similarly to an in-person interview, except that you aren't face-to-face in the same physical space as the candidate. However, with two-way video interview platforms, you can still learn everything you need to know about your candidate as long as you're prepared and ask the right questions.
employee conducting a digital interview
How to do a digital interview
As with any hiring practice, conducting a virtual interview is both an art and a science. Here are five best practices to keep in mind when holding a digital interview:
Prepare your space.
Digital interviews should be treated with the same degree of professionalism as in-person interviews. If you're conducting multiple interviews on the same day, make sure you leave enough time after each call to prepare for the next one.
Select a working space that's well-lit with little noise. Whether you're back in the office or still working from home, make sure whatever the candidate can see is professional and distraction-free. And while it's tempting to opt for a virtual background, try to prioritize a space that's authentic to your current working environment.
Provide clear instructions for candidates in advance.
The hiring process can be a stressful experience for candidates. The more context you provide them ahead of time, the more you set their digital interview up for success. Let the candidate know the interview will be conducted virtually, and provide the amount of time they should expect to dedicate to it. You should also send them clear instructions on how to access the technology.
While you are likely very familiar with your preferred video conferencing technology, keep in mind that your candidate may not have any experience with it. Whether it's Zoom, Skype, or Google Hangouts, provide step-by-step instructions on how to navigate the platform. Doing so will ensure a smoother experience for both parties. Also encourage the candidate to take time to prep the video conference tool on their end.
Know what's important to judge, and when to avoid making assumptions.
Keep in mind, not all candidates are starting on a level playing field. Some may not have access to a webcam, a working mobile device, or stable internet connection. While it can be frustrating to conduct a job interview with unreliable technology, these factors should never be held against a candidate.
You can achieve equitable and inclusive talent acquisition in your organization by judging candidates based on their responses and their character, rather than their access to certain technology.
Double-check technology.
As far as video conference technology has come, glitches still happen from time to time. Prior to the start of the interview, double-check your video and microphone capabilities and request that your candidate does the same.
Even the best-laid plans can go awry, so have a backup interview method in mind. If your technology isn't cooperating, you can opt to conduct a phone interview. While it might not be what you expected, it's better to act swiftly rather than waste time trying to tinker with the technology. Plus, keep in mind that digital interviewing can be especially stressful to candidates, so it's best to remain calm and move forward with your alternative plan.
Follow up with next steps.
Just as you would with an in-person interview, adhere to the best practice of following up with the candidate afterward. Even if you are still conducting first-round interviews or have yet to make a final decision on how to move forward, a simple email providing a status update to candidates will be greatly appreciated.
Digital interview questions
Companies that want to build a truly talent-optimized organization need to align their talent strategy with their business strategy. This boils down to hiring the right people for the right roles. As recruiters and hiring managers know, this is easier said than done, especially when you mix in a pandemic, remote work, and digital interviews.
It's especially critical in a digital interview that you ask the right questions rather than the common interview questions that hiring managers often rely on.
Enter the head, heart, briefcase framework. Use this framework to ask questions that'll speak not just to a person's resume (education, work history, etc.), but to the "whole" person. Let's break it down:
Head Heart Briefcase framework
Head: The head gives insight into a candidate's behavioral drives and cognitive ability and is highly predictive of how well they'll perform in the workplace. Ask questions that gauge how well the person fits the behavioral requirements for the role. For example:
 - Can you describe a time you had to deal with conflict? How did you resolve it?
 - Describe a recent communication breakdown at work. How did you manage the situation? What did you learn about your own communication style from the experience?
 - Share a time you drove a project to completion. How did you approach it?
 - What would your colleagues say is the most rewarding part about working with you? What would be the most challenging aspect?
Heart: The heart helps you understand your candidate's values, interests, passions, and beliefs. This helps you understand how well they'd fit as part of the organization's culture. Questions include:
 - What drew you to this position? Why our organization?
 - What are some of your interests outside of work?
 - Tell me about your career aspirations. What or who has inspired you in your career path?
 - What do you value in a great manager? In a great teammate?
 - Describe your ideal work culture. What qualities and values help you bring your best self to work?
Briefcase: The briefcase is the summation of the candidate's skills, education, and experience. You can gain a thorough understanding of this briefcase by reviewing the candidate's resume, cover letter, and LinkedIn profile, and by asking the following questions:
 - Tell me about your career journey so far.
 - What is your experience with the tools our team uses on a daily basis?
 - What skills have you acquired through previous roles that will be useful in this position?
If you're interested in generating more interview questions that pinpoint job fit, consider software like PI Hire. Using the PI Behavioral Assessment™, you can gain deeper insights into your candidates and what motivates them. Come to an interview with questions designed to address a candidate's behavioral gaps and strong suits—so you can find the right match for the role.
In an in-person interview, you can rely on body language, facial expressions, eye contact, and other forms of non-verbal communication. While video interviewing, it's more difficult to make fair assessments of these nonverbal cues, especially if you or the candidate experience technical difficulties. However, digital interviews are just as valuable as in-person interviews when you ask the right questions. With adequate preparation, and knowledge of the head, heart, and briefcase framework, you can gain a comprehensive understanding of the whole candidate. The clearer that picture, the sooner you can make the right hire—and impact your org for the better.
employee conducting a digital interview
Caraline is a recruiter at PI.
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Description of the relationships between the MRI signal, sequence parameters, and T1, T2, and PD-weighting.
To describe how the NMR signal is recorded
To define the free induction decay
To explain differences between T2 and T2*
To describe the role of the 180° rephasing pulse
To state the stages of a spin echo sequence
To understand the relation between TR, TE and T1-, T2-, and DP signal weightings
To give common values of T1, T2, TR and TE times
Coils are only sensitive to variations of transverse magnetization vector. After a 90° RF pulse, the Free Induction Decay (FID) signal is oscillating at resonance frequency and signal enveloppe is a decay curve described as an exponential curve, depending on tissue-specific spin-spin relaxation and static field inhomogeneities. This decay is characterized by time constant T2*. T2* is always shorter than T2.
The 180° RF pulse reverses dephasing due to static field inhomogeneities (T2* effects) but not random spin-spin relaxation (T2 effects, tissue-specific). Spin Echo sequence requires an excitation pulse (90° RF pulse) and a 180° rephasing pulse. Time between 90° pulse and 180° pulse is TE/2. MR Signal is acquired at echo time TE, when signal of the echo is the strongest. The signal enveloppe joining maximums of echos after 180° RF pulses is corresponding to the pure T2 decay curve.
The 90° - 180° RF pulses sequence must be repeated as many times as the number of lines in the data matrix. The time between each 90° RF pulse (excitation pulse) is called Repetition Time (TR).
You must keep in mind that tranverse relaxation (transverse magnetization decay, producing MR signal) and longitudinal relaxation (longitudinal magnetization recovery) are simultaneous. The longer the TR is, the more longitudinal magnetization will recover.
With a spin echo sequence :
TR modifies T1-weighting : the longer is the TR, the less T1-weigthed the image is
TE modifies T2-weighting : the shorter is the TE, the less T2-weigthed the image is
A short TR and a short TE give a T1-weighted image.
A long TR and a long TE give a T2-weighted image.
A long TR and a short TE give a PD-weighted image.
McRobbie. MRI from picture to proton. 2003:xi, 359 p..
NessAiver. All you really need to know about MRI physics. 1997.
Gibby. Basic principles of magnetic resonance imaging. Neurosurgery clinics of North America. 2005 Jan;16(1):1-64.
Pooley. AAPM/RSNA physics tutorial for residents: fundamental physics of MR imaging. Radiographics. 2005 Jul-Aug;25(4):1087-99.

source: openbmb/Ultra-FineWeb


text:
Definition of Iso-
1. Prefix. equal ¹
2. Prefix. (chemistry) forms terms relating to isomers ¹
3. Prefix. (physics) forms terms relating to isotopes ¹
¹ Source: wiktionary.com
Medical Definition of Iso-
1. A prefix that means equal or like.
2. A prefix indicating isomer of (isomerism); e.g., isocyanate vs. cyanate.
3. A prefix designating sameness with respect to species; in recent years, the meaning has shifted to sameness with respect to genetic constitution of individuals.
Origin: G. Isos, equal
(20 Jun 2000)
Click the following link to bring up a new window with an automated collection of images related to the term: IsoImages
Lexicographical Neighbors of IsoOther Resources Relating to: Iso-

source: HuggingFaceFW/fineweb-edu


text:
This masterclass is designed to enable developers and other entrepreneurs and freelancers in IT by teaching them the dynamics of Mind, Brain and Self.
During this Masterclass you will learn the fundamentals needed to transform mindset into a tool that works for you instead of against you. With these 6 fundamentals, you will understand the dynamics and have enough food for thought to help you take those first steps in order to move forward and thrive.
In this 90min Masterclass you will learn:
- The relationship between mind and behaviour and understand how these dynamics will help you gain control, manage and regain energy so you can accelerate both professionally as well as personal.
- Why Self-Image is a game changer and why it is important to embrace the adventure of being you.
- Why the right environment is key and how it can make you move faster
- Things you can do TODAY to make you move forward.
UpCloud provides the drinks for participants.


How Can I Produce High-Quality Breathing Air and Save on Energy Costs?
Problem: I need a breathing air system for my business, but I want to make sure my energy costs aren't going to increase. What can I do to keep costs down?
Solution: Pneumatech's Breathing Air Purifiers are built to provide high-quality breathing air while running efficiently to keep energy costs down. The BA Series offers advanced energy management for low operating costs.
How does the BA Series help you save on energy?
 - Compressor synchronization
 - Purge nozzle optimization
 - PDP control - Dew Point switching
Sync your air compressor to the breathing air purifier to ensure that both units are running or not running when needed. Purge nozzle optimization helps reduce the amount of air waste, and PDP control changes dew points as needed depending on the environment and current ambient conditions.
The BA Series also offers best-in-class performance thanks to unique valve and exhaust design (patent pending), lowest pressure drop during drying and lowest purge loss by ensuring maximum purge air expansion during regeneration.
Specially engineered valve manifolds includes the pilot air controlled 3/2 valves with reliable and fast switching helps to reduce the pressure drop to a minimum. This does not only result in a low-pressure drop over the dryer, but also ensures maximum purge air expansion during regeneration. That lowers the purge air consumption drastically. The gas sensors are available as an option to optimize the system further. The possibility to connect the signals to the PureLogic Controller offers optimal control and monitoring.


Explore BrainMass
Business math key concepts
Business Math: discuss how the course has affected you in your professional and personal life, as well encouraging academic success.
Solution Preview
I will discuss key business math concepts such as time value of money, present value, opportunity cost etc.
The basic idea of time value of money is that a dollar today is worth more than a dollar tomorrow. (finance professor, 2009) The investor has time preference of money because he can reinvest the funds, which are received early and can earn additional money. Present value, is the future value being discounted by the rate of interest. This concept is important because the major financial objective of the organization "Wealth maximization" is based on present value concept. Wealth maximization is preferable to profit maximization as it is based on cash flow which is unambiguous and considers time value of money and risk.
Opportunity cost
As per net mba, Opportunity cost is based on what must be given up (the next best alternative) as a result of the decision. Any decision that involves a choice between two or more options has an opportunity cost. Hence opportunity cost is the cost of foregone choice. Example of Opportunity...
Solution Summary
Response discusses business math key concepts


Internet Marketing Acronyms & Definitions
The following are a few of the most common internet marketing acronyms used in the industry today and what they mean for your website's success.
Internet marketing acronyms are about as over-used as government acronyms, and sometimes even more puzzling to an outsider.
The following are a few of the most common internet marketing acronyms used in the industry today and what they mean for your website's success.
Raleigh Internet Marketing Vocab
CPC is short for Cost Per Click. Online advertisement providers use CPC to refer to the amount charged to the advertiser for each click by a site visitor their advertisement image and link. This is different than Cost Per Impression, which is much harder to track and qualify.
Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) is a metric to determine the effectiveness of a website call-to-action. In internet marketing, the goal of CRO can be to convert site visitors to buy a product, download a game, sign up for a newsletter, or request an estimate.
CTR stands for Click-Through Rate and is used to measure advertising. It is calculated by dividing the number of clicks by the number of impressions from a website visitor.
A high CTR means that the ad attracts attention and get clicks often. A low CTR means the ad is under-performing
CTR also can measure the effectiveness of marketing elements on a website. It can be used for example, to determine whether an image placed horizontally on a webpage versus vertically, makes an improvement to visitor conversions and sales.
PPC is a form of online advertising where the advertiser bids on a Price Per Click they agree to pay when a search engine user clicks on their ad. The most popular PPC advertising platform is Google AdWords which displays PPC ads in Google results pages. Other search engines also provide similar services.
Not to be confused with a subset of traditional marketing's Public Relations, PR in internet marketing terms stands for Page Rank. It was actually developed by Google as a way of scoring a website's quality.
Page Rank is based on a scale from 0 to 10 and most internet marketing efforts are focused on improving this score for a website.
Search Engine Marketing is a subset of internet marketing that focuses on techniques that can help increase a website's visibility to search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Bing. It includes both SEO and PPC tactics.
SEO is an acronym thrown around a lot in the internet marketing industry and stands for Search Engine Optimization. It is a tactic used in SEM that focuses on optimizing web properties and building web links with the ultimate goal of increasing a website's visibility in search results.
SERPs is shorthand for Search Engine Results Pages. These are the pages of suggested websites that show up when a search engine runs your search query. So for example, an internet marketing consultant could say "Our SEO tactics have helped your website show up on the first page of the Google and Bing SERPs for x, y, z keywords."
What acronyms would you add to this list? Tell us in the comments below! OR if this whole blog post has left you completely confused, contact the internet marketing experts at TheeDigital in Raleigh, NC at _PHONE_ or schedule a consultation.


The God Concept
, Allie Winegar Duzett, Leave a comment
Some cognitivists out there claim that the "God Concept" comes naturally to children. In their worldview, children come up with the concept of God to explain away things that just don't make sense to their underdeveloped minds. However, as those with children understand, "the 'God concept' is often slow in coming."
These were the words of Dr. Marjorie Gunnoe, a professor of psychology at Calvin College, at a recent Heritage Foundation conference, Religious Practice and the Family: What the Research Says. She told a story about interacting with a five-year-old in her own acquaintance, who, though raised by Christians, still had a difficult time understanding the concept of God. "Who is God?" he asked her.
"Even in the best of circumstances, where children are immersed in religion since birth, they have a hard time figuring out God," she said. "They have a hard time listening to a Bible story and extracting the main point, often latching on to inconsequential elements." For these reasons, she said, "it can be very difficult to measure the direct influence of religion on very small children." So instead, Dr. Gunnoe decided to measure "indicators of the parent-child relationship."
Dr. Gunnoe admitted that the research is "vague," but overall, "adults' religiosity is good for young children." This conclusion may seem "simplistic," Dr. Gunnoe agreed, but it's "important to keep stating." "We hear in the news about religious extremists and homes where religion exacerbates conflict," Dr. Gunnoe said, "but we need to remember that overall, religion benefits families."
One reason Dr. Gunnoe believes that the research is vague today is because of the looseness of the term "religious beliefs." "It is dubious, what passes for religious beliefs in this society," she said, pointing out that most teenagers today completely miss the point of religion. Among hundreds of Christian teens recently surveyed about their Christian beliefs, only six interviewees even mentioned the concept of salvation, and only three mentioned Christianity's foundation of loving one's neighbor. This shows a startling lack of religious understanding even among those who claim to be religious.
"We rely too much on denomination instead of individual religious beliefs," Dr. Gunnoe declared. "We assume that denomination will explain beliefs, but this is not always true." Indeed, within every religion most people are largely unaware of their denomination's specific teachings and doctrines. It is not safe to assume that one's denomination is consistent with one's religious beliefs.
This is a major problem for the scientific community trying to figure out the quantitative benefits of religion on society. "We desperately need some studies that look specifically at very specific behaviors and very specific beliefs," Dr. Gunnoe said. We need to know more about the specifics of religion "and how they impact the family."


text:
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Blue Pencil no. 3.2: Rotunda
Rotunda was a southern European script and it was as popular in Spain as in Italy. Spanish rotunda tends to be narrower, more rigid and more precise than the Italian model. The example here is an undated sheet of parchment—it looks as if it could have been written anytime from the late 15th c. to the end of the 16th c.—which I bought ten years ago in Copenhagen. The writing is on both sides and there is no illumination. In comparing it to the Colonna Missal look especially at the "round" letters cited before and r, long s and x.


Beware of legal lingo
Most people are tricked out of their rights by legalities they did not understand. Beware of legal lingo.
Learn how to avoid the deceptions.
Prerequisite to understanding this essay: Read my blog Your Government's Definition of the Term "must" only some of which is repeated here.
Those who want to play god are always changing pre-existing word definitions. Even the maxim of law that says meanings cannot change, has now changed. It once said:
Maxim of law. A communi observantia non est recedendum. There must be no departure from common usage. Definitions do not change.
But the lawyers changed the definition.
Law dictionary definitions are NOT English dictionary definitions.
THE WORD MUST MEANS MAY. Your Government's definition of the word "MUST" means "May"
You've probably been told that you "Must" file a form, or you "Must" disclose a number. Let's take a closer look.
Caterpillar Tractor Company v. U.S., 589 F.2d 1040 ( Carpenter v. United States, 495 F.2d 175 (5th Cir. 1974); Adler v. Commissioner, 330 F.2d 91 (9th Cir. 1964). And also see GEHL Co. v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue. 795 F.2d 1324):
"Informal publications of IRS all the way up to revenue rulings are simply guides to taxpayers and taxpayer relies on them at his peril."
Brinkley v. Brinkley, 56 N.Y. 192: "Must" as used in statutes has been frequently construed not to be mandatory.
Fort Howard Paper v. Fox River Dist. 26 N.W.2nd 661: The word "shall" in a statute may be construed to mean "may", particularly in order to avoid a constitutional doubt.
Gow v. Consolidated Copper, 165 Atl. 136 (1933): If necessary, to avoid unconstitutionality of a statute, "shall" will be deemed equivalent to "may".
George Williams College v. Village of Williams Bay, 7 N.W.2nd 891: "Shall" in any statute may be construed to mean "may" in order to avoid constitutional doubt.
US Supreme Court, Cairo and Fulton RR Co. v. Hecht, 95 U.S. 168 (1877): As against the government, the word 'shall,' when used in statutes, is to be construed as 'may,' unless a contrary intention is manifest.
Ballou v. Kemp, 95 F.2d 556:
"The word 'shall' in its ordinary sense is imperative. 'When the word "shall" is used in a statute, and a right or benefit to any one depends upon giving it an imperative *559 construction, then that word is to be regarded as peremptory.' But the intent of the act controls, and when the spirit and purpose of the act require the word 'shall' to be construed as permissive it will be done...." [Lewis' Sutherland Statutory Construction, 2d ed., 1904, p. 1155]
"Whether the language of a statute is imperative or merely permissive depends on the intention as disclosed in the nature of the act and in the context. Although the words of a statute are merely permissive, directory, or enabling, they may nevertheless have the force of words of command where the power or duty to which they relate is for the advancement of public justice or the security and protection of public or private rights....
The word 'shall' in a statute may be construed as 'may' where the connection in which it is used or the relation into which it is put with other parts of the same statute indicates that the legislature intended that it should receive such a construction; but if any right to anyone depends on giving the word an imperative construction, the presumption is that the word was used in reference to such right or benefit. 'Shall' ought undoubtedly to be construed as meaning 'must' for the purpose of sustaining or enforcing an existing right, or when a public body is directed to do certain acts." [25 R.C.L. § 15, pp. 767-769]
And just to make things more confusing…
Note how "may" is defined in 34 AmJur, Mandamus, section 72:
"Frequently, however, the word 'may' or the like as used in statutes relating to the duty of public officers is construed as mandatory, and not merely permissive, Anno: 6 L.R.A. 162; 12 L.R.A.(NS) 340, See STATUTES (also 25 RCL p. 750), and when such is the case, mandamus may issue to compel the officer to perform the duty so imposed. Rock Island County v. United States, 4 Wall. (US) 435, 18 LEd,419; Brokaw v. Highway Comrs., 130 Ill482, 22 N.E. 596, 6 L.R.A. 161."
US Supreme Court in Mahler v. Eby 264 US 32:
"It is essential that where an executive is exercising delegated legislative power he should substantially comply with all the statutory requirements in its exercise"
Take a closer look at section 6001 of the Internal Revenue Code. It uses the deceptive terminology "may require" and "or by regulations":
"… Whenever in the judgment of the Secretary it is necessary, he may require any person, by notice served upon such person or by regulations, to make such returns, render such statements, or keep such records, as the Secretary deems sufficient to show whether or not such person is liable for tax under this title."
Concerning the "or by regulations" terminology: This is one of the places where the word "or" really means "and". If you are going to claim that some people are served notice in person, while others are served notice via the publication of regulations, then I demand the equal protection of the law, equal with those who have been served notice in person. [In statutes the word 'or' can mean 'and' unless preceded by a comma.] and of course, "may require" means must require.
LAWS MEAN WHAT CONGRESS INTENDED IT TO MEAN, but cannot exceed a Constitutional purpose.
Justice Felix Frankfurter, in 47 Columbia Law Review 527 (1947), expressed:
"To go beyond [the statute] is to usurp a power which our democracy has lodged in its elected legislature. The great judges have constantly admonished their brethren of the need for discipline in observing the limitations. A judge must not rewrite a statute, neither to enlarge nor to contract it. Whatever temptations the statesmanship of policy-making might wisely suggest, construction must eschew interpolation and evisceration. He must not read in by way of creation. He must not read out except to avoid patent nonsense or internal contradiction.
The word "Include" is an inclusive term. It cannot be expanded to include items outside the category being defined.
Inclusio Unius Exclusio Alterius This Latin phrase means, including one excludes others.
The inclusion of a specific term in a particular context may be safely interpreted to indicate the writer intented to exclude other terms.
For example, if a sentence specifically refers to items in commerce, this rule forbids lawyers and judges from expanding the writer's intent (e.g., the intent of Congress, your state legislature, or even an opposing party).
By referring to commercial purposes only, a sentence may not be "interpreted" as also referring to privately owned items.
It is not the authority of courts to expand what a law or regulation beyond what it specifically says!
If a sentence you encounter at court makes specific mention of "motor vehicles", one is permitted to interpret it as including trucks, buses, motorcycles, automobiles, and other motor-driven vehicles used in commerce.
If a statute makes specific mention only of "commercial use", (your state's jaywalking laws for example) then inclusio unius, exclusio alterius forbids interpreting that sentence to include pedestrians who are not in commerce. (such as jaywalking laws).
The word "include" is from Latin inclaudere to shut in, to keep within. In other words, include means everything within the list excludes anything outside the list.
Every Law Dictionary will tell you:
Black's Law Dictionary did not have the new definition of Include until the 1933 edition. It can now mean "in addition to" or "and".
But the word inclusive still excludes everything else.
U.S. Supreme Court in Colautti v. Franklin:
"It is axiomatic that the statutory definition of the term excludes unstated meanings of that term. Colautti v. Franklin, 439 U. S. 379, 392, and n. 10 (1979). … As judges it is our duty to 485* construe legislation as it is written, not as it might be read by a layman, or as it might be understood by someone who has not even read it." Meese v. Keene, 481 U.S. 465, 484-485 (1987).
Note 10 of Colautti Ibid, reads:
"[10] … As a rule, "[a] definition which declares what a term 'means'... excludes any meaning that is not stated." 2A C. Sands, Statutes and Statutory Construction § 47.07 (4th ed. Supp. 197


Optical Locating
From Mech
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(Target Illumination)
(Target Illumination)
Revision as of 14:03, 11 December 2008
System Design
The system contains the following elements:
 - Eye structure on a 2-DoF gimbal
 - Position-sensing detector
 - Target illumination circuit
 - Optics
 - Phase-sensitive detection circuit
 - Microcontroller
Position-Sensing Detector
Target Illumination
Phase-Sensitive Detection Circuit
The difficulty in trying to identify a target which could be buried within background ambient light is differentiating between the ambient signal and the target signal. The method of achieving that separation that this system uses is called phase-sensitive-detection. Essentially, the circuit uses an active low-pass filter to compare the centroid of light with the illumination on to the centroid of light with the illumination off, by switching from one lead when the illumination is on to the other when it is off. The use of the other lead when the illumination is off allows the filter to compare
One effective way to recover the small signal buried by large ambient noise is to use the so called phase sensitive detector, or lock-in amplifier. A phase sensitive detector achieves narrow bandwidth amplification by reducing the noise content at falling outside the interested bandwidth.
When the noise is white in nature, we can reduce its level of magnitude dramatically by limiting the bandwidth of detection, which includes the frequency occurring to the signal while excludes the frequencies occurring to the noise. Phase sensitive detection enables extremely narrow bandwidth detection (0.001Hz is normal). Typical application scenario is using electric transducers where the amplitude of noise is in mili volts and the signal falls into nano volt region. Sophisticated phase sensitive detector can extract signals buried in noise that is 107 times larger in magnitude.
In this article, we focus on a quick and easy method of building a phase sensitive detector from op-amps and analog switches.
Mathematical model
Consider two signals, f1 and f2, where f1=Asin1t, f2=Bsin(2t + ). Then, the product of f1 and f2 is:
f1 f2 = ABsin1t sin(2t + ) = -0.5AB {cos[(1 + 2) t + ] - cos[(1 - 2) t - ]}
Let's integrate the product over time [0, T): INT(0, T) f1 f2/T = -0.5AB/TINT(0, T) {cos[(1 + 2) t + ] - cos[(1 - 2) t - ]}dt =-0.5AB/TINT(0, T) cos[(1 + 2) t + ]dt + 0.5AB/TINT(0, T) cos[(1 - 2) t - ]dt When T , the first part  0, and the second part  0.5AB, when and only when 1 = 2 and  = 0.
This is the mathematical foundation of phase sensitive detection, because all signals can be broken down in to several harmonic components. And by intentionally modulating the useful signal and do the maths, we can recover the signal from the noise.
(I'll re-type it later using mathtype)
A phase sensitive detection can be split into 6 stages:
1. Modulation: Modulate the signal at a certain frequency.
2. Pre-amplification: A high-speed amplifier required to amplify the signal (along with the noise) to a suitable level for succeeding circuit. We can also stick in a high pass filter (can be a capacitor) after amplification, just to eliminate the DC portion of the noise.
3. Reference circuit: Usually a pulse wave at the modulating frequency, which can be from a function generator, or a 555 timer, or PIC, etc.
4. Multiplier: At this stage, we multiply the pre-amplified signal (along with the noise) with the reference signal. One easy way to do multiplication is suggested here: we use the reference signal to turn on and off an analog switch periodically, and let the modulated input signal pass the analog switch. So when the switch is ON (meaning connected), the output is 'input  1', and when the switch is OFF (meaning disconnected), the output is 'input  0'.
5. Integrator (demodulation): Let the multiplied signal pass through an integrator. The multiplied signal can have a lot of components – almost all of them will become zero after integration (see explanation in the mathematical model), but the one which is the product of the modulated signal and the reference signal will remain, because they are at the same frequency and the same phase angle. This is the essence of phase sensitive detection – only the product of the two signals that are 'in phase' will remain after integration. 'In phase' means the two signals share common frequency and phase angle. We can also do amplification at the integration stage by sticking in a feedback resistor (see the example circuit diagram), just for convenience.
6. Low pass filter: After integration, the signal is recovered and demodulated to a DC output. However, it may not be a perfect DC voltage due to high frequency spikes that still exist. That's why the low pass filter come into play.
Example circuit diagram
The concept of phase sensitive detection has been proved effective in optical tracking with lateral effect photodiode. The following circuit picks up the difference of the two corresponding output pins of the photodiode, in order to tell the position of the centroid of IR light on the photodiode sensing surface. The connection for the Y+ and Y- pins of the photodiode is exactly the same with what's shown here for X+ and X-. The timer is realized by a 555 chip, and the chip for analog switch is Maxim 4056. Schematic of phase sensitive detection.jpg
Commercial phase sensitive detectors
This link below provides some useful information on commercially available phase sensitive detectors, or lock-in amplifiers.
[1]SRS series Lock-in amplifiers
Personal tools


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The Train Station
The building of the railroad that ran through Pocantico Hills began in _PHONE_. The railroad, planned as a direct route from New York City to Montreal, was completed only as far as Carmel, New York.
Originally the railroad crossed a swampy area which is now the larger of the two Tarrytown water supply lakes. It stretched over a large trestle that held it high above the swampland. The trestle began at East View and lowered to the ground to go through the Pocantico Hills Rock Cut which is now closed to the public because of falling rocks.
The train station was built where the Tarrytown skating shed now stands. Pocantico Hills became a thriving business community because of the railroad. It consisted of two livery stables, two grocery stores, a butcher shop, two apartment houses, a post office and two hotels.
Mr. Rockefeller found the presence of the train objectionable. Bothered by the noise and dirt, he had to wear goggles while playing golf. Eventually, Mr. Rockefeller Jr. paid to have the railroad moved to Briarcliff so he would not suffer. Many people sold their houses to him so that the railroad could be relocated.
This marked the end of the railroad's running through Pocantico Hills. It took twenty-five years and five million dollars for Mr. Rockefeller to achieve his goal.
By Regina Bergen
Train Station Constructed By:
Back to the Past


Amsterdam makes formal apology for slavery past | THE DAILY HERALD
Minister Kajsa Ollongren speaking at Thursday's Emancipation Day commemoration at the Oosterpark in Amsterdam. (Dutch government photo)
AMSTERDAM/THE HAGUE–Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema on Thursday, Emancipation Day, made formal apologies for the city's role in the transatlantic slave trade. For the Dutch government a formal apology is a step too far, but caretaker Minister of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Kajsa Ollongren did acknowledge the pain and suffering that were caused to enslaved people.
 Ollongren and Halsema were both speakers at the annual so-called Keti Koti (Break the chains) commemorative event in Amsterdam. The event was not open to the public due to the pandemic, but was broadcast live on national TV. Among the selected few invited guests was St. Maarten Minister Plenipotentiary Rene Violenus.
 July 1 is the commemoration and celebration that the Netherlands officially abolished slavery in Suriname and the Netherlands Antilles in 1863, even though slavery did not really end until 1873, because people still had to work on the plantations for 10 more years.
 "We can only look at the slavery past with repugnance, regret and shame. It is a past that we are all connected to, consciously or unconsciously, clearly or not clearly hidden in an unknown family history. It is not a sign of weakness to give accountability for that. This is how democracy shows its power. By acknowledging our past, we can change the future. That is not a luxury, but a necessity," said Ollongren.
 She spoke of the immense pain and suffering that was caused by slavery. "I realise that the pain that the irons caused has not disappeared, that the wounds have not healed as yet. It is a process that takes many generations. Philosopher Augustine wrote more than 1,600 years ago: "Hope has two beautiful daughters, anger and courage. Anger about the way things are and courage to believe that they won't remain so."
 Ollongren said that to move forward together there needs to be room for both anger and courage – "Room for anger about a shared past, for anger about the inequality that still exists, for anger about the changes that happen too slowly. But there is also courage – courage to recognise the anger and sadness of others, courage to recognise a shared past and to talk with each other."
 Prior to the national commemoration, she received from Committee Chairperson Dagmar Oudshoorn the final report of the Advisory Committee Dialogue Group on Slavery Past titled "Chains from the past".
 Along the lines of recognition, apologies and repairs, the Advisory Committee asked for attention and action. The Committee advised making the slavery past an integral part of the Dutch collective memory by, among other things, researching the role of the national government, through education, by setting up a national slavery museum and by establishing Emancipation Day as a formal commemoration day. The Committee also advised that the Dutch government make a formal apology.
 Ollongren acknowledged the committee's findings, but did not make a formal apology. "These pieces of advice are important and straightforward. We can't ignore that. They relate to the urgency that I feel," she said.
 Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Utrecht already did historic research, she said. The Hague is planning to do the same. Aldermen of the four large cities also made a unified call for a national day to commemorate slavery past.
 "By remembering, we can look ahead and connect to a society in which there is no place for racism and inequality. However, looking back means more than researching the past; it also means taking responsibility," said Ollongren.
 Mayor Halsema, on behalf of the City Council, offered apologies for the slavery past at Thursday's commemoration. "For the active involvement of the Amsterdam City Council in the commercial system of colonial slavery and the international trade of enslaved people, I am offering apologies, on behalf of the mayor and the aldermen."
 Halsema noted that while no inhabitant of Amsterdam was to be personally blamed for the slavery past, the city had been involved in the slave trade on a large scale, and for a longer period. According to her, it is time to "incorporate the great injustice of the colonial slavery in the identity" of the Dutch capital "with a royal and unconditional recognition."
 Amsterdam is the first city in the Netherlands to make a formal apology. The other three large cities, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht, are contemplating doing the same. British cities such as London and Liverpool, and US cities like Chicago, Illinois, and Charleston, South Carolina, already did so.
 The city Amsterdam was one of the shareholders of the Suriname Society, a company that was engaged in the transatlantic slave trade. Amsterdam managed the colony Suriname to which it transported thousands of enslaved African people. Aside from Suriname and Curaçao, Amsterdam also had a vested interest in the slave trade in Indonesia, Taiwan, South Africa and Brazil. In this manner, the city directly profited from the slave trade. Individual mayors at that time also took part in the slave trade.
 There is a large, increasing call for formal apologies from the Dutch government, but so far this has not happened. Then-Minister of Education Rogier van Boxtel came close to an apology during Emancipation Day in 2001 by expressing "deep regrets" about the slavery past and Vice Prime Minister Lodewijk Asscher made a similar statement in 2012.
 Caretaker Prime Minister Mark Rutte said last year that the time was not right for a formal apology. Doing so would only make the differences in opinion worse. Also, there is a fear of the consequences – the paying of reparations.
St. Maarten Minister Plenipotentiary Rene Violenus attended the Emancipation Day commemoration in Amsterdam. (NOS still image)
Source: The Daily Herald
 1. Let's talk money! What is this apology worth?
 Or otherwise, what does this municipality think slaves are worth?
 Or when we talk about slavery reparations payments is there nobody at home in this municipality office?
 What if for every descendent of a slave a certain amount has to be paid? And that should include all slaves, ever abducted by the dutch (including flemish as former part of the Netherlands) and also for all transports by dutch ships under other flags, whether countries or piracy. Somewhere between 0.5 and 1 million slaves were abducted by and for the dutch. How many descendents? How many millions? And should that amount be multiplicated with an amount of xxxxxxxx euros/dollars, does that municipality has the amount of billions of euros/dollars available?
 If so, that fund could diminish the poverty, etc. of our islands.
 But I do not think that apology is worth something. The green left and d66 criminals are as much part of the colonial regime as is knops, rutte, and all the murderers of the past centuries.
 2. And why is no one speaking out about all the schools, streets, etc. on our islands with the names of slavers, plantation owners, governors who killed black and red enslaved people?
 3. We see all employees of the welfare departments (sociale diensten) who organize the Participation Law, as well as all so-called 'people's' representatives who let any budget pass where the implementation of this Participation Law is agreed, as enemies of the oppressed. They will be held accountable for these crimes against humanity. And the responsibility for these crimes will never be limited in time. Whether in months or years, they will pay to the community for their crimes. As these crimes against humanity are universal, so are the prosecutor activities. So when on holiday in any other country, expel to one of the countries who prosecute these crimes may be done.
 Till the end of times.
 4. It is all fake! And free, gratis, without costs.
 Slavery has always been part of the Dutch economy. Way back, more than 1200 years ago it was already so that people were slaves or horigen in a slightly different meaning. During the middle ages slavery was common. The renaissance passed the country without doing anything for the oppressed. And when America was being colonized, starting in the 16th century, the dutch commercialized slavery by the triangular trade. Many enslaved people lost their lifes because of the dutch treat. It is written that the dutch weren't the biggest slavers, but due to the treaty of Tordesillas and Spanish laws and rules of the Casa de Contratación, other countries weren't allowed to trade in that region, so the Dutch slavery went under the flag of the Spanish.
 When slavery was abolished in 1863, it wasn't actually abolished. Only the slavers got a compensation and many had to work for tens of years without or with small payments.
 At the end of the 19th century, trade unions tried to better the position of the poor, but the dutch government and the capitalists fought with excluding strikers from work, income and housing. In the 20th century, colonies still existed and many non-whites died in revolts against the dutch white oppressors. Still the six islands form part of that regime. And in the Netherlands, in 2015, they invented the Participation Law,


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A trailing drawdown is a drawdown that is pegged to your positive account performance. That means that if you increase your profit by $1.00, then your trailing drawdown will also rise by $1.00. All rules, including trailing, use closed and open equity intraday.
For example, in a $25,000.00 account your starting trailing drawdown is $23,500.00.
On your first trade as you make $100.00 in profit bringing your account balance to $25,100.00. This correspondingly raises your trailing drawdown to $23,600.00.
This continues until your trailing drawdown reaches the starting balance of your account, or in this case $25,000.00, at which point the drawdown will no longer trail above $25,000.00.
You can check your current maximum drawdown in R | Trader Pro's Trader Dashboard by looking at the Auto Liquidate Threshold Value column. It'll tell you exactly what balance your account is liquidated at.
The trailing limit changes based on account type: _URL_


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The Rosen Method with
Initial Session $225
(Sliding Scale available)
The Rosen Method combined with Somatic Experiencing (SE) is a holistic approach that addresses trauma and helps to reclaim physical, spiritual, and emotional healing. The Rosen method with SE is a body centered therapy that uses gentle touch and deep listening to make a space of safety in which you experience and connect with yourself from deeply within. As a Rosen and Somatic Experiencing practitioner, I use heart centered presence and touch to calm your nervous system, while we approach with gentle curiosity the places in your body and mind where traumas and beliefs have been stored. This non-judgmental attention meets and melts the hold of those old patterns, inviting an experience of wholeness and sense of security which was not available before. As each layer of constriction peels away, you begin to transform from who you learned to be for survival, to who you truly are.
Rosen/SE is for you:
*if you feel stuck, wishing to shed old patterns, and habits.
*if you have a history of trauma and wish to live more fully in your body with ease and enhanced vitality.
*if you long to discover healthy touch and safe boundaries.
Ongoing Clients Experience:
* The ability to break free of limiting patterns.
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* Increased honesty and joy in relationships with self and others.
* Less physical pain and more flexibility.
* The courage to face fears and allow them to dissolve.
* The skill to make more fulfilling choices in life, career, and love.
The Rosen Method Bodywork is a unique and powerful mind-body practice that uses touch and responsive words to allow the nervous system to deepen awareness of our living body from within. We learn it is possible to really listen to ourselves and to fully "show up" with others. This gentle and profound work of Marion Rosen, a pioneer in the field of body-oriented therapies, can lead to freedom from emotional and physical discomfort and pain. This ease allows more creativity, passion, and the clarity to make important life decisions. On its own or in conjunction with talk therapy, Rosen Method has a transformative effect on body and mind, and brings balance and ease into one's life.
Somatic Experiencing (SE), developed by Peter Levine, author of Waking the Tiger – Healing Trauma, is a multidisciplinary body oriented approach to the healing of trauma and other stress disorders. It utilizes physiology, psychology, ethology, biology, neuroscience, indigenous healing practices, and medical biophysics. SE is a body first approach to dealing with the problematic (and, oftentimes, physical) symptoms of trauma. This means that therapy isn't about reclaiming memories or changing our thoughts and beliefs about how we feel, but looking at the sensations that lie underneath our feelings, and uncovering our habitual behavior patterns to these feelings. It uses a framework to assess where a person is "stuck" in the fight, flight or freeze responses and provides clinical tools to resolve these fixated physiological states
Julia is a Certified Rosen Method Bodywork Practitioner, Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, Conscious Uncoupling Coach, and Rosen Method Movement Teacher. She has over 20 years of experience as a somatic bodyworker supporting people to grow and flourish through life's challenges. In her Rosen Method/Somatic Experiencing sessions she uses heart centered presence and touch to calm your nervous system, while approaching with gentle curiosity the places in your body and mind where traumas and beliefs have been stored. As each layer of constriction peels away, you begin to transform from who you learned to be for survival, to who you truly are. In the Conscious Uncoupling Coaching journey she brings her many years of body awareness to midwife individuals thru the trauma of broken relationships.
Please contact Julia directly for a free initial phone consultation to see if the work is appropriate for you. or _PHONE_


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TITLE: PLOTTING A HURRICANE USING LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE AUTHOR: Kathy Mendoza, Redemptorist High School, LA GRADE LEVEL/SUBJECT: 9 - 12 OVERVIEW: It is important for students to be able to read maps and understand the purpose of maps. Map skills support instruction in geography by helping students understand the role played by location. PURPOSE: This map skills lesson is to be used in the early part of the school year. It is designed to help students learn how to use the grid system to locate areas on a map and to help students understand that geography puts emphasis on "place." OBJECTIVES: Students will be able to: 1. Define "absolute location." 2. Define latitude and longitude. 3. Use the grid system. 4. Locate on a map or globe the Earth's poles, circles, tropics, and beginning points of measurements for latitude and longitude. 5. Use Cardinal and intermediate directions as well as latitude and longitude to locate places on a map. RESOURCES/MATERIALS: Atlas, map and worksheet handouts, colored pencils ACTIVITIES AND PROCEDURES: Have students practice using latitude and longitude. 1. Discuss in class and have students write in their notebooks the meaning of the following terms: absolute location intermediate directions parallels Antarctic Circle International Date Line Prime Meridian Arctic Circle relative location latitude Cardinal directions location scale Equator longitude South Pole grid meridian hemisphere Tropic of Cancer Tropic of Capricorn North Pole 2. On a world map handout have students label global reference points such as the Equator, Prime Meridian, the Cardinal directions, the North and South Poles. 3. Have students construct a page-size grid system in their notebooks using ten degree intervals and locate coordinates written on the blackboard. 4. Using an atlas and maps and worksheets from geography workbooks or worksheets constructed by the teacher students will: a. practice locating places on a map using latitude and longitude b. list the latitude and longitude of various locations on a map TYING IT ALL TOGETHER: Plot a tropical storm or hurricane using the latest coordinates from the morning newspaper and news reports. Students will have their own personal hurricane map. If there is more than one storm or hurricane to plot use different color pencils for each one. If there is no storm to plot, make one up.
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In coding theory, one typically maps a string to a code such that with some small amount of error in the code one can still recover the original string. What if the amount of error is too much to give a unique decoding? In the 1950s Peter Elias suggested the idea of list decoding, coming up with a short list of possibilities one of which is correct.
Madhu Sudan showed that list decoding can be achieved in scenarios where one cannot do unique decoding.
In this paper Sudan gives a polynomial-time list-decoding algorithm that can deal with errors in the code beyond what regular codes can handle. Later Guruswami and Sudan give a polynomial-time algorithm that handles what is believed to be the best possible amount of error.
List-decodable codes have had applications to many areas including pseudo-random generators, extractors, hard-core predicates, probabilistically-checkable proofs and a neat result by Sivakumar on the implications of SAT being membership-comparable.
We've seen many other important papers in coding theory from computer scientists over the last decade. Besides the work on list decoding I should also mention Spielman's breakthrough result showing linear time encodable and decodable codes building on the initial work of using expander graphs for codes developed by Sipser and Spielman.


Monday, May 5, 2014
A Triangular Shaped Head Does Not Mean A Snake is Venomous (or Poisonous)
This is the head of a venomous Cottonmouth.
Compare it to the Cornsnake below.
 We've all heard it. If a snake has a triangle or diamond-shaped head, it is venomous (or poisonous), right? Wrong. This trick just doesn't work and we should stop using it.
 Environmental educators: don't tell people this is a good way to tell whether a snake is venomous or not.
 Everybody else who isn't already good at identifying snakes: just because a snake has a triangle-shaped head doesn't mean it is venomous.
 Here's the thing. If you have seen a lot of snakes and are really good at identifying them, you probably have no problem recognizing that vipers do have a characteristic and relatively triangular head shape. But let's admit it-that's not how you identified the snake in the first place. You probably used your overall impression of the animal to determine the species and only even considered the head shape if you weren't confident in your identification. For example, maybe you were looking at a poor quality photograph and had trouble recognizing the snake.
This harmless Cornsnake's head is
about as non-triangular as they come.
 If those of us that are snake experts don't use head shape to help with our identifications, why should we tell other people to do it?
 There are a number of problems with using head shape to determine if a snake is dangerous. Most snakes have a head and jaw structure that is at least vaguely triangular and that's just because of basic snake morphology. Snakes have vertebrae, ribs, and a skull, and they give the animal its shape. Even though a snake doesn't have legs doesn't mean it's just a tube with a mouth! Many people that encounter an unidentified snake in their yard haven't spent a lot of time looking at snakes and without that experience it is very easy to imagine any snake's head as one that is triangle-shaped.
 Cornsnakes and Racers have some of the least triangle-shaped heads that a snake could possibly have. Yet, people frequently kill these animals because they think their heads look triangular. If people consider these species to have triangle-shaped heads, they could do the same for any snake in the world. And that means using head shape to determine if a snake is venomous is a trick that is no good.
Harmless Watersnake. Photo Sean Graham
 As if identifying snakes based on their head shape wasn't hard enough, many completely harmless snakes actually make their head appear more triangle-shaped when they are feeling threatened! One reason they might do that is so that potential predators think the snake is venomous and leave it alone. Hognosed Snakes and Watersnakes are notorious for this defensive strategy. I have seen some snakes perfect the behavior to the point that I feel I could have taken out a protractor and confirmed that their head was a perfect isosceles triangle. This doesn't make them dangerous.
 Another problem is that by stressing that snakes with triangular shaped heads are venomous, it is possible for people to forget that this "rule" applies only to vipers. Snakes within the Elapidae family (e.g., cobras and coral snakes) are also venomous but don't have a triangular shaped head at all!
Harmless Hognosed Snake.
 Many harmless snakes are being killed because their heads
appear triangle-shaped. This is bad for snakes, obviously, but it also leads people to exaggerate the danger that snakes pose to them. This doesn't help reduce conflicts between humans and wildlife, it exaggerates it. Unfortunately I don't think the solution is necessarily easy. But, I think we need to move away from emphasizing tips and tricks and encourage a more comprehensive understanding of the wildlife around us.
 Check out the comments below for a few more great pictures of non-venomous snakes with triangular-shaped heads.
 What do you think? If you agree, please use the icons below to share this post on Facebook, Twitter, etc. Disagree? Let me know why below.
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Caister Academic Press
CIMB Abstract
Curr. Issues Mol. Biol. (2020) 38: 163-196.
Exploring Microbial Activity in Low-pressure Environments
Petra Schwendner and Andrew C. Schuerger
The importance of hypopiezophilic and hypopiezotolerant microorganisms (i.e., life that grows at low atmospheric pressures; see section 2) in the field of astrobiology cannot be overstated. The ability to reproduce and thrive at Martian atmospheric pressure (0.2 to 1.2 kPa) is of high importance to both modeling the forward contamination of its planetary surface and predicting the habitability of Mars. On Earth, microbial growth at low pressure also has implications for the dissemination of microorganisms within clouds or the bulk atmosphere. Yet our ability to understand the effect of low pressure on microbial metabolism, growth, cellular structure and integrity, and adaptation is still limited. We present current knowledge on hypopiezophilic and hypopiezotolerant microorganisms, methods for isolation and cultivation, justify why there should be more focus for future research, and discuss their importance for astrobiology.
Access full article: free download


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require a variety of tools. Which specific tools are required for a certain implementations is dependent on the scope, requirements and objectives of the MDM initiative. These are the tools which may be used during an MDM implementation:
ETL Tool: This will be used for the data integration part of the implementation to acquire, transform, standardise and load the data into the MDM data hub. Some MDM vendors have the ETL toolset bundled into their MDM application, whilst others have it as a separate application which can be integrated with the MDM tool.
Data Quality Tool: The Data Quality tool should not be confused with ETL tool. Even though ETL tools come with features which can cleanse and standardise data similar to data quality tools, ETL is more about data integration/migration i.e. moving data from one or more sources to one or more destinations. Data quality tools will help to profile, cleanse, standardise, parse and enrich source data. Data quality tools can integrate with external data service providers such as Dun & Bradstreet to enrich, validate and cross-reference source data.
Data Profiling Tool: If the MDM implementation is using a Data Quality tool then a separate Data Profiling tool should not be required. However, it is still mentioned here as part of the MDM tool set in case a Data Quality Tool is not used. This may be the case if the data quality is of an acceptable standard (most likely this will not be the case).
Database: This is probably the most important core component which will store the master data.
Core MDM Data Hub with Matching Component: This is the MDM data hub which will support the linking and matching of entities, support hierarchy management, versioning etc.
Enterprise Information Integration (EII) Tool: Depending on the MDM architecture style, an EII tool may be required particularly in case of the Registry Style or Co-existence Style (a.k.a. Hybrid or Reconciliation Style). EII tools are capable of aggregating distributed, small amounts of data which is in a non-persistent format or memory. With the Registry and Hybrid Style if a lot of complex queries are made from multiple source systems then this will impact the performance. To avoid this, EII tools should be used.
Web Server: The Core MDM Data Hub and other custom-built applications will sit on a web server.
Messaging Server (Enterprise Service Bus): If the MDM solution requires messaging and data synchronisation in real-time then an ESB component will be required as part of the MDM solution architecture.
Test Management Server: This is used to create the test cases to test the MDM solution, execute the test cases and manage defects.
Workflow Tool: For data governance purposes and business process management, the MDM system must be capable of being integrated with a workflow tool. Some MDM tools come with a built in workflow tool. It is therefore worth comparing the MDM tool's workflow capabilities against the existing one. If the workflow tool inside the MDM tool is better compared to the existing tool, then the next question will be how easily and quickly the existing workflows can be migrated to the new workflow.
The data is profiled, acquired, cleansed and transformed using Data Integration/Consolidation and Data Quality tools.
On the other hand, the data must be delivered from the MDM Data Hub to the consuming systems and applications. The data delivery component includes interfaces to facilitate communication between the MDM Data Hub and consuming applications and systems.
MDM Data Hub
The MDM Data Hub sits between the Data Acquisition and Delivery component. It includes the following capabilities: Reference Master Data, MDM Architecture, Master Data Model, Hierarchy Management, Business Rules, Metadata Management and the Master Data Repository. The business rules ensure consistency and completeness of the master data. Some MDM tools come with a pre-configured data model, but in most cases requires customisation specific to the requirements.
This component ensures that master data can only be accessed by authorised users, systems and applications.
Master Data Services
The MDM Data Hub offers a number of data services which can be accessed by the downstream systems. Examples of such master data services include Update customer name, Deactivate customer account etc.
Data Governance and Stewardship
The overall MDM solution is supported by Data Governance and Stewardship to manage and monitor the quality of data and resolve any data quality issues when required.
This is one of the most important capabilities MDM has and ensures ensures that data is kept in synch between the MDM Data Hub and upstream and downstream systems.
The purpose of this blog is for the author to share his knowledge and experience in various Data Management domains with the aim of helping readers to learn/expand on their existing knowledge in the area. This blog shares knowledge on Master Data Management, Data Quality, Data Governance, Data Integration, Data Analysis, Data Profiling, Data Warehouses, Data Marts, Data Modeling, Data Architecture, Metadata Management etc.
I am Manjeet Singh Sawhney and work as a Information/Data Architect, Manager for Direct Line Group in London and Bromley (UK). Prior to this, I have worked for Accenture, Tibco Software, Initiate Systems (now IBM) and Tata Consultancy Services. My areas of expertise are Master Data Management (Customer, Product, Reference), Metadata Management, Data Governance, Data Quality, Data Integration, Data Migration, Data Warehouses, Data Marts, Data Modeling, Data Architecture, Data Profiling and Data Analysis. I am using this blog to share my knowledge and experience in these areas and hope that you will find it useful.
If you wish to advertise (banner or text links) on this blog or sponsor any blog posts then contact the author using the 'Contact the Author' form below. Please include some details about your advertisement / sponsorship request and a response will be sent to you within 24 hours.


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Sumatran Tiger Cub Born at Sacramento Zoo
This male Sumatran tiger cub was born at the Sacramento Zoo on March 3, 2013. Its species is critically endangered.
CREDIT: Sacramento Zoo
What weighs 3 pounds, has its eyes closed and is striped?
A newborn male Sumatran tiger cub, born at the Sacramento Zoo on March 3, stands to be a boon for the critically endangered species.
The as-yet-unnamed cub was born to mom Bahagia at 2:55 a.m. and weighed 3 pounds (1.4 kilograms), a good size for a Sumatran tiger cub, which are usually only 2 pounds at birth. Both mother and baby tiger are in good health, the zoo noted in a release.
Tiger cubs are born with their eyes closed and rely completely on their mothers, the release said. This cub and Bahagia are being kept inside their den inside their den, away from the public, while the cub grows a bit stronger and bigger. The zoo said it expects mother and cub to be on display by late May or early June.
A camera in the den is allowing zookeepers to keep tabs on mom and baby.
Tigers worldwide are in trouble, with their numbers plummeting 95 percent over the last century and the big cats occupying just 40 percent of their former territory. Sumatran tigers are the smallest of the tiger subspecies and are found only on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. They are listed as critically endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species. Fewer than 500 Sumatran tigers are thought to exist in the wild and about 200 live in zoos, according to the release.
The cub was born as part of the Sumatran Tiger Species Survival Plan® (SSP), coordinated by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Such plans are designed to maintain genetic diversity in an endangered species
The tiger cub's father, Castro, was diagnosed with lymphoma in February. He and Bahagia have had five offspring.
MORE FROM LiveScience.com


Training Your Team to Water Properly
Bill Calkins
The importance of watering cannot be overstated. It's one of the fundamentals of greenhouse production and something that involves just about every member of your team, from the office to the greenhouse floor.
Pictured: This water knowledge pyramid is your cheat sheet to watering success.
Ball Horticultural Company's Senior Technical Manager Dr. Will Healy has been on a mission to help educate growers about the importance of watering for many years, but most recently has presented a plan to greenhouse professionals at industry conferences, video training and in podcasts. His mantra is: "Fish grow in water; roots grow in air." This means that a grower's job is NOT to water. Read that again—NOT to water. The most important thing to remember is a grower's job is to dry the soil to the correct moisture level because this is where healthy growth begins.
He takes it a step further by suggesting that owners shouldn't pay production teams to water, but rather pay them when the soil hits the established dry target. Obviously, he's being facetious, but you get the point.
The language of watering
It's critical to approach watering from both qualitative and quantitative strategies. Qualitative is the easy one and you've most likely been doing this for years. It's the opinion-based approach. You look at a crop or perhaps pick up a few pots and decide if it's time to turn on the hose or boom. You may even know what the soil should look like when at an optimal water level for healthy growth. The question is do all members of your team have the same opinions? Doubtful.
The second method is quantitative and takes data into account. More and more growers are weighing trays, pots and baskets to determine exact weights that correspond to water levels. Both approaches can work and work well—as long as everyone is speaking the same language.
Will and his team have developed a visual and tactile way to determine when plants are wet or dry, and have created levels to help educate growers:
Level 5: Saturated soil, resulting in water freely dripping from the soil
Level 4: Saturated with water easily squeezed out
Level 3: Will drip if squeezed tightly
Level 2: On the dry side with the plant just starting to wilt
Level 1: Dry as a bone with soil blowing off and plants completely wilted
Each of these levels has a result in production, positive or negative. Your goal is to water to a level 4 and then let the crop dry down to a level 2 before applying water again.
Pictured: Be sure your entire production team is aligned on these water levels.
Watering by weight is an effective strategy used by growers who want extra attention to detail and the ability to use hard data to make decisions. It requires recording and plotting daily container weights (more attention), and takes into account daily water use and (even more importantly) night losses. The weight of pots or trays is recorded before and after watering, and the subsequent loss is also recorded since the last watering, giving growers insight into how quickly crops are drying down. The only tool required is a kitchen scale that measures grams.
As you record and plot the data, you'll quickly be able to determine your best watering strategy and share this information across your production team. The impact of as little as 100 grams of water in a plug tray is dramatic and can be the difference between a saleable tray and a dumped tray.
Where to water
Will makes the point that the soil in which roots grow is three-dimensional space and must be considered as such. There's an edge (by the sides of the pot or cell), the middle, and the depth or bottom. Water must permeate all areas to be effective in developing a vigorous root system. This also relates to the levels mentioned above. Rotating between levels 2 and 3 throughout the soil mass results in a highly branched root system, i.e., optimal crops, whereas level 5 at the top and 2 at the bottom creates horizontal roots at the top, which isn't at all what you want. Watering to a level 4 is sufficient to permeate the soil column and achieve some drip out of the pot or tray.
Pictured: Water levels involve multiple senses. Conduct hands-on training for best results.
Growers who are especially heavy with the hose might end up with pots that are a level 4 at the top and 5 at the bottom, which results in water roots that aren't healthy and are especially susceptible to disease, leading to many problems, including plant loss. Similarly, watering to a level 3 at the top and 5 at the bottom creates vertical roots and equally bad results in terms of plant loss and problems that you'll have to go back and solve. Fixing problems caused by poor watering can not only be challenging, but also very costly.
One way to maximize your potential for success is choosing your tools carefully. There are many types of hose and boom nozzles to choose from and knowing how much water to apply to achieve the desired water level is critical when selecting them.
Does everyone on your team water at the same speed or pace? Doubtful. The volume of water and speed of application has clear impacts on how much water is in different parts of the pot or tray. Take some time to review nozzle selection and watering speed with your production team to get everyone on the same page. Do this as often as possible to build consistency.
Will reminds growers who germinate seeds, watering starts with your watering tunnel. Uniform watering is imperative, and this comes down to pressure and gallons per minute per nozzle and the number of nozzles used. How much do you know about your nozzles? Maybe it's time to look at them again.
More on the process
According to Will, drying out of cells or pots is due to evaporation of the water from soil. This can be calculated when watering by weight. He also explains that water loss is sigmoidal over time. That's a weird word that basically means when water loss is graphed, it creates an "S" shape. To put it into greenhouse terms, water loss is slowest at levels 5 and 1 and much more even at levels 4 to 2. Healthy plants grow when the graph is linear.
Pictured: Water application has dramatic effects on root growth. Here's a visual way to see the benefits of following strict protocols.
We already learned that the most water is lost from evaporation, but transpiration also drives water loss. Consider the acronym "ET"—evaporation and transpiration. When you weigh trays or pots, the change in weight will predict the ET rate. Once you start collecting data, you'll observe the trends. This means you must weigh the same containers in the afternoon (after your greenhouse is put to bed for the night) and again in the morning (before watering). If, for instance, you lose 200-plus grams of water overnight, Will says this is quite rapid ET. If you lose 100 to 200 grams, your crops are in an ideal cycle. At 50 to 100 grams lost overnight, the crops are too wet. And if they lose less than 50 grams, you're running the risk of tip abortion. He suggests tracking Night ET (afternoon/morning) and Day ET (morning/afternoon) for the most useful data.
Watering success
Will always reminds growers that whatever method you use, qualitative or quantitative, be sure your teams speak the same language when it comes to watering. Communicate your approach and remind growers often. Consistency is key. Be sure to set wet and dry targets, and stick with them. Over time, they'll become ingrained.
Pictured: A 100-gram water difference may seem insignificant, but it can make or break a crop
When watering, drive the roots down using appropriate methods and tools. Examine root systems to make sure this is happening. Consider the stage of the plants and adjust accordingly, and remember that VPD (vapor pressure deficit) drives water loss, underlining the importance of your greenhouse climate when setting targets and measuring success.
The best irrigation methods help to draw roots to the bottom of a container. Your goal is to saturate to a level 4 (where water is starting to drip from the bottom of a pot or cell) and then dry to a level 2. If you can train your team to water in this 4-to-2 pattern using visual (qualitative) methods or data-driven (quantitative) methods, you're on the path to success. Remember, it's the drying that improves rooting. GT
For more on watering from Dr. Will Healy, check out Ball Tech On Demand at _URL_.


Phrenology Mind, Body and Spirit
Phrenology is the "science of the mind." It's the science of examining the physical characteristics of a person's skull, by feeling the surface of one's head to evaluate one's personality and traits. All these abilities and attributes revealed from the examination can give one insight into how to pursue his or her best potential.
Phrenology began in the 19th century by Austrian physician Dr. Spurzheim, where he traveled to the U.S. on a lecture tour, making it very popular with the Americans. A man named Orson Fowler attended Dr. Spurzheim's lecture in Boston, MA, where he became so fascinated with the theories and philosophy from the lecture, he ditched his previous career goals and pursued an internationally successful career as a Phrenologist.
Orson Fowler's career soon made Phrenology so popular in
19th century America, that among his clients were President James Garfield and fifteen year old Clara Barton, who became the future founder of the American Red Cross. Phrenology's attributes to the medical field helped shape psychology by the use of measuring and analyzing individual differences, and have also helped pave the way for mainstream science to accept the brain as an organ of the mind being composed of multiple distinct, innate faculties. But, what does Phrenology have to do with Octagon Houses?
Orson S. Fowler became well known in the 19th century as a Phrenologist, and seemed to be ahead of his time in the field of alternative and holistic health.
As a firm believer in advocating fresh air, exercise, early rising, good hygeine, a largely vegetarian diet, and refraining from alcohol, coffee, tea and tobacco, his enthusiasm for the health of the body and the power of the mind, coupled with his Phrenological expertise, drew him into a new interest of designing houses using the Octagon Model of home design.
The Octagon Design was a superior model to that of the common rectangular build, because the "angles" of the octagon allowed for extra sunlight and better ventilation throughout the house, making it a healthier choice than the common housing model.
Orson's passion for phrenology and holistic living led him to feel that a person's home should correspond with one's unique and special characteristics and traits, and therefore the houses they design and build should allow a person to improve oneself and quality of life. Mr. Fowler traveled giving lectures, publishing books and articles promoting his theories and plans for building Octagon Houses to improve our health and quality of life.
For over 10 years, Octagon Houses have flourished as a major 19th Century novelty throughout the United States, and although they have become very rare and exotic today, they are uniquely American in their architectural form.
 - Throughout history, various cultures and religious institutions used geometry as a sacred form of architectural design, among these shapes is the Octagon.
 - The basic rendering of the Octagon is composed of combining 2 squares = one being straight and the other on top rotated into a diamond shape. The 2 squares combined have complimentary functions: the diamond shape evokes feelings of activeness, and the square shape evokes stability or conservation.
 - The greek philosopher Pythagoras believed the "eightness" of the Octagon was the Embracer of Harmonies and linked it to safety, steadfastness and everything that was balanced in the universe.
 - The Octagon was a common preferred architecture for Arenas and Educational Establishments: within the Octagon's shape, there is a "common arena," where there is a field of awareness of experiences which must be balanced, absorbed and learned inside the constraints of meaning and purpose.
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The trivial ring, or zero ring, is the ring with a single element, which is both and. We usually denote the trivial ring as or, even though or would make as much sense. It is the only ring in which, by the proof
x = 1 x = 0 x = 0.
The trivial ring is the terminal object in Ring. It is both terminal and initial (hence a zero object) in the category of nonunital rings, but it is not initial in itself (defined as the category of unital rings and unital ring homomorphisms). In fact, there are no unital ring homomorphisms from the trivial ring to any nontrivial ring!
The trivial ring is an example of a trivial algebra.


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The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University is a popular museum on Philadelphia's cultural boulevard and the oldest natural history museum in America. The first part of this two-part series focused on the Academy's public role as museum and educational institution. In this, the second part, also taped on-site, scientists at the Academy of Natural Sciences discuss its collections and its role as a center for scientific research. Paleontologist Ted Daeschler, Associate Curator of Vertebrate Zoology and Vice President of Systematics and Library, displays Thomas Jefferson's personal collection of fossils, presented to Jefferson in 1808 by explorer William Clark. Daeschler notes that the Academy holds some 18 million fossil specimens. He also displays the focus of his current research, the skull of a lobe-finned fish found in the Canadian arctic, one of the first limbed animals and a key piece of evolutionary history--a bridge between fish and mammal. Entomologist Daniel Otte, Curator of Entomology and an expert on crickets and grasshoppers, speaks of describing new species of crickets and notes that there are many species of insects that remain undescribed. A highlight of Otte's presentation are the beautifully detailed drawings from his books on North American grasshoppers. Ending the segment, biogeochemist David Velinsky, Vice President of the Academy's Patrick Center for Environmental Research, discusses the pioneering work on stream health of ecologist Ruth Patrick, the scientist for whom the Center was named. Velinsky also speaks of his current and controversial research on the ecological problems resulting from natural gas drilling in Pennsylvania. This episode features video of display cases filled with fossils, seashells, giant insects, birds, and other specimens from the Academy's "library of life," as well as shots of its famous dinosaur skeletons.
Visit the Website: _URL_
Episode #207 / Length: 26 minutes


Palo Alto URL Filtering Order
What happens when a URL matches multiple patterns (multiple custom URL filtering categories and allow/block-list) within a URL filtering profile?
When that happens, the category chosen is the one that has the most severe action defined below (block being most severe and allow least severe).
1. block
2. override
3. continue
4. alert
5. allow
For example, if * exists in MyAlertList and MyBlockList simultaneously) within the same URL filtering profile the URL, the action will be "block" and the category name will be "MyBlockList". This is similar to the original behavior between "allow-list" and "block-list" in that the block-list will be checked BEFORE the allow-list if a URL matches both "allow-list" and "block-list".
The priority for URL filtering is:
1. block list
2. allow list
3. custom categories
4. cached
5. pre-defined categories
Above I'm pointing out in bold red that "custom categories" have a higher priority than the "pre-defined categories". This is important to know when building out your URL Filtering profiles.
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Purchasing Hardware Software


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Social Norms Influence Food Choices, Meta-Analysis of Eating Habits Reveal
People use food to shape their social identity and diners feed off information provided to them by one another when making food choices, according to a new meta-analysis of 15 scientific studies.
Lead investigator Eric Robinson from the University of Liverpool and his colleagues conducted a systematic review of the studies, which were published in 11 different journals. Each of the studies in the analysis examined whether or not providing information about other peoples' eating habits influenced peoples' food intake or food choices. Eight of the studies examined how information about food intake norms influenced food consumed by participants, and seven others reported on the effects of how food choice norms influence how people decide what to eat.
By synthesizing the results of all these studies, Robinson and his team found consistent data revealing that when people were given information on when their dining companions were making high-calorie or low-calorie dining choices, it significantly increased the likelihood that participants made similar choices.
The meta-analysis also revealed that social norms influence how much food is eaten and that if it was suggested that people eat a larger portion of food then they typically would.
"It appears that in some contexts, conforming to informational eating norms may be a way of reinforcing identity to a social group, which is in line with social identity theory," Robinson said in a statement. "By this social identity account, if a person's sense of self is strongly guided by their identity as a member of their local community and that community is perceived to eat healthily, then that person would be hypothesized to eat healthily in order to maintain a consistent sense of social identity."
Additionally, the analysis revealed that the social mechanisms that influence what we decide to eat and drink are in place even when people are alone.
"Norms influence behavior by altering the extent to which an individual perceives the behavior in question to be beneficial to them. Human behavior can be guided by a perceived group norm, even when people have little or no motivation to please other people," Robinson said. "Given that in some studies the participants did not believe that their behavior was influenced by the informational eating norms, it seems that participants may not have been consciously considering the norm information when making food choices.
"The evidence reviewed here is consistent with the idea that eating behaviors can be transmitted socially," Robinson said. "Taking these points into consideration, the findings of the present review may have implications for the development of more effective public health campaigns to promote 'healthy eating.' Policies or messages that normalize healthy eating habits or reduce the prevalence of beliefs that lots of people eat unhealthily may have beneficial effects on public health."
Robinson and his colleagues published their work in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.


Peripheral Nerve Blocks Specialist
Nebraska Pain Institute
Pain Medicine Physicians located in Lincoln, NE
Peripheral Nerve Blocks Q & A
What are peripheral nerves?
The peripheral nervous system is composed of 43 motor and sensory nerves that connect the body to the spinal cord and brain. They control the functions of movement, motor coordination, and sensation. If these nerves become damaged or stop functioning properly, they can cause pain, tingling, or numbness called peripheral neuropathy. Peripheral neuropathy can be caused by a variety of conditions including:
 - Alcoholism
 - Autoimmune diseases
 - Medications
 - Trauma
 - Diabetes
 - Vitamin deficiencies
What is a peripheral nerve block?
Peripheral nerve blocks can be both diagnostic and therapeutic. Your doctor will target the specific nerve that is likely causing the pain. The anesthetic medication alleviates nerve pain rapidly while the steroid medicine reduces inflammation and can provide long lasting relief. The steroid medication can take 2-3 days up to a week to fully work. Your initial response to the injection can provide useful information regarding the location of your pain.
If you receive temporary relief from the nerve block, but no long-term relief, then peripheral nerve stimulation could be an option for you as determine by your doctor.


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Camp Crew - Camp RIO (Immediate Opening)
Camp RIO is an outdoor education facility that operates nearly 100% outdoors. Interested candidates should be willing and able to work outside in a variety of weather conditions. Visit _URL_ to learn more.
Mission: The Camp Crew member will be responsible for operating a clean, safe, sustainable, high quality facility by working with the camp staff to enhance the camp environment and exemplify IDEA's commitment to excellence. This position performs a variety of responsibilities including custodial, carpentry, small machine maintenance and repair, event set up and tear down, wildlife management,
Operate a clean and healthy environment that guarantees an enhanced learning environment.
- Clean the restrooms and headwaters building daily
- Clean the pavilion weekly
- Clean all areas of camp to standards outlined in daily duty chart
- Conduct regular sweeps of buildings and activity areas making notes of where we can improve
- Conduct regular sweeps of trails and teambuilding areas noting anything that needs attention
- Set up and maintain water jugs throughout program days
- Remove trash after meals and take to dumpster and recycling container
Operate a safe camp environment that fosters a sense community
- Operate and maintain camp tools safely
- Ensure that all trails are clear of debris and overgrowth
- Keep maintenance area neat and clean at all times
- Responsible for locking facility areas at the end of the day.
- Immediately report any malfunctioning or broken tool, equipment, or part of the facility
- 90% of SafeSchools training done before end of fiscal year
- Lead students when necessary
- Maintain a positive attitude as a role model for campers
Serve as a substitute when needed
- Learn the different skills that an Instructional Guide knows so that they can act as a substitute
- Retain key knowledge of the activities
- Develop a working relationship with the guides and campers
- Interact with campers on a personal level
- Remain flexible to be able to step in as needed
Assist Operations Manager with Camp Projects
- Spread mulch on trails and roadways as needed
- Move camp furniture to set up for activities and events
- Build camp furniture/items as needed for activity areas
- Work on additional projects as deemed necessary by the Operations Manager.
- Ability to be at work every day
- No more than 5 tardy arrivals and always punctual
- Ability and availability to work longer hours as needed to meet the mission goal
- Capable of adapting to the camps' ever changing needs by demonstrating determination to meet its needs.
We look for Team and Family who embody the following values and characteristics:
- Believes and is committed to our mission and being an agent of change: that all students are capable of getting to and through college
- Has demonstrated effective outcomes and results, and wants to be held accountable for them
- Has a propensity for action, willing to make mistakes by doing in order to learn and improve quickly
- Works with urgency and purpose to drive student outcomes
- Thrives in an entrepreneurial, high-growth environment; is comfortable with ambiguity and change
- Seeks and responds well to feedback, which is shared often and freely across all levels of the organization
- Works through silos and forges strong cross-departmental relationships in order to achieve outcomes
- We believe in education as a profession and hold ourselves to high level of conduct, professionalism and behaviors as models for our colleagues and students.
- Assure campers are properly supervised at all times.
- Develop relationships with campers that promote communication, respect, involvement, and empowerment.
- Instill respect for environment, self, and others.
- Reinforce IDEA's mission of College for All Students.
- Maintain high levels of health and safety in all activities for campers and staff.
- Participate in development and implementation of program activities within the mission and outcomes.
- Willingness to learn and teach a variety of disciplines to varying grade levels.
- Be a role model to campers and staff in both attitude and behavior.
- Openness to observation and critical feedback
- Work duties on camp including maintenance and cleaning duties as assigned.
- Be on time to all scheduled trainings and work days.
- Excitement about working for a school system that is changing the status quo of education in Texas.
- Responsible for equipment maintenance and supplies for assigned activity areas.
- Flexibility handling changes in schedules and activities as required to maintain a high performing program.
- There are no minimum educational requirements for this position
- Working knowledge of power tools and hand tools is preferred.
- Direct work with school age children preferred.
- Custodial experience is preferred
Knowledge and Skills:
- Proven ability to work well with a team, as well as be counted on to complete individual tasks as necessary.
- Proven ability to work well with all age levels (campers ages 6-17 and adults).
- Salaries for this role typically fall between $13.00 and $14.95 per hour commensurate with relevant experience and qualifications.
IDEA Public Schools does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, sex or disability, in admission or access to, or treatment of employment in its programs and activities. Any person having inquiries concerning the organization's compliance with the regulations implementing Title VI of Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VI), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504), or Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), may contact IDEA Human Resources at _PHONE_.


Pelletized Biosolids:
Biosolids pellets provide slow-release nutrients meaning that it takes microbial activity in the soil to release the soluble forms of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) that plants can absorb.
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Ammonia Sulphate
The primary use of ammonia sulfate is as a fertilizer for alkaline soils. In the soil, the ammonia ion is released and forms a small amount of acid, lowering the pH balance of the soil, while contributing essential nitrogen for plant growth. Ammonia sulfate has several benefits in addition to providing quick grass growth and reducing soil pH levels in alkaline lawns. It is easy to store and does not melt in high humidity like ammonia nitrate, another high nitrogen fertilizer.
Peak Compost
As the compost comes from Source Separated Organics, it contains an abundance of nutrients to perfectly complement the soil and meet horticultural needs.The slow release of nutrients ensures that your soil amendments continue to be powerful with the strong holding capacity to provide long-term growth. Produced and Sold in Calgary, AB. _URL_
Originating from the Cargill Carbonatite-phosphate Complex located near Kapuskasing Ontario, this product is currently the only North American sourced igneous rock containing apatite (phosphorus source). VolcanoPhos meets the National Organic Program requirements for use on certified organic farms as a clean mineral source to aid as a soil amendment. Typically applied at a rate of 200 to 1000 lbs per acre.
Lifecyle Pelletised Compost:
Lifecycle Pelletised Compost is a Source Separated Organic compost and soil fertilizer supply company located in Southern Ontario, expanding product lines and locations within Ontario and Canada


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This is a analysis of the book: "Brave New World". The analysis is looking at the syntax used by the author Aldous Huxley. The goal here was to interpret the authors use of certain syntax elements.
Brave New World has a consistent syntax theme throughout the book. The consistency helps define the setting throughout the book. Aldous Huxley has certain breaks on pages to put emphasis on certain parts of the story, and italicizes many different words and phrases throughout the story as well. One example of how Huxley will use breaks to emphasize something in the story is when referring to a passage in a book is read out loud. "And suddenly there were more words. When he is drunk asleep, or in his rage or in the incestuous pleasure of his bed…" (Huxley 133). This example is from whenever John reads out loud from Shakespeare and the words are separated from the regular paragraph and are italicized.
Another syntax element that Huxley uses is the emphasis of signs or writings on walls and pretty much anything that is broadcasted for someone to read. He makes clear distinction so that the reader knows he/she is not reading regular text from the author or dialogue. He does this by making the sign in all capital letters. An example of this is from whenever John went to the "feelies" with Lenina and the title introduction to the movie had letters on the screen. "The house lights went down; fiery letters stood out solid and as though self-supported in the darkness. THREE WEEKS IN A HELICOPTER. AN ALL-SUPER-SINGING, SYNTHETIC TALKING, COLOURED, STEROSCOPIC FEELY. WITH SYNCHRONIZED SCENT-ORGAN ACCOMPANIMENT" (Kass 167). This shows that the character in the book was reading something that was presented to them.
An additional use of italics that may be the most commonly noticed use of italics would be for the word: "Soma". The author uses italics for "soma" ever since it has been initially introduced to the reader."What I had to suffer — and not a gramme of soma to be had. Only a drink of mescal every now and then, when Pop'e used to bring it" (Huxley 120). He also italicizes other intoxicating elements introduced in the story. I think it is used to emphasize how much the drug is in use throughout the story. Also it will let the reader know how widely accepted soma is throughout the society portrayed in the story.