text: An analyte, or component (in clinical chemistry), is a substance or chemical constituent that is of interest in an analytical procedure. Grammatically speaking, experiments always seek to measure properties of analytes—analytes themselves can never be measured. For instance, one cannot measure a table (analyte-component) but, the height, width, etc. of a table can be measured. Likewise, one cannot measure glucose but can measure the glucose concentration. In this example "glucose" is the component and "concentration" is the measurable property. In laboratory and layman jargon the property is often left out provided the omission does not lead to an ambiguity of what property is measured.


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There are limits to the dimensions and tolerances that can be machined along the plane of the metal sheet, since etchants used in the photochemical machining process concurrently etch metals laterally and vertically through the thickness (T) of the sheet.
Because the metal at the surface of a sheet is exposed to etchant longer than the metal at the center of the sheet, the surface of a part etches laterally more than metal at the center. The following planar dimensions are related directly to the thickness of that sheet.
Hole Size/ Slot Width
The smallest hole diameter (D) or slot width that can be produced by the Fotofab process, as a general rule, is 1 times the metal thickness. The minimum practical diameter or slot width that can be machined is.004 inch ( 0.102 mm).
Spacing of metal between the holes and/or slots in a design is not an issue using photochemical machining. However, when a part contains holes and/or slots that are spaced closely together, such as with a fine resolution screen or encoder disc, the width of the metal that remains between them is referred to as the bar width (W).
With metals over.003 inch (0.13 mm) thick, minimum bar widths must generally be at least 0.9 times the metal thickness. With metals at or under.003 inch (0.13 mm) thick, the minimum practical bar width that can be machined is.003 inch (0.076mm).
In the photochemical machining process, all corners in a part, whether within or along an outside edge, will have an associated radius. The examples of various part corners and angles illustrate how we can compensate for some radii, and will help you determine whether these compensations are appropriate for your design.
Example 1: Basic Inside and Outside Corner Radii
The diagram below illustrates various corners that are basic to many part designs. Using the photochemical machining process, the smallest inside radius (R) we recommend for a part design is approximately equivalent to the metal thickness. The smallest outside radius (r) we recommend is approximately equivalent to 0.9 times the metal thickness.
Example 2: Sharp Cornered Objects
For most applications, basic inside and outside corner radii are suitable. If your design requires a sharp-cornered object to fit into a photochemically machined square hole, for example, we can compensate for radii by incorporating corner reliefs as shown here.
Rectangular hole with
0ptional corner reliefs.
Example 3: Corner Radii of a Narrow Lead
The Fotofab Process is well suited for making parts with narrow leads. The following figure illustrates the radii that will result at the base and end of the lead. If the base area of this lead needs to fit flush against another flat surface, we can compensate for the basic radii by providing the base of the lead with "relief radii" on either side.
Lead as etched.
Narrow lead with

source: HuggingFaceFW/fineweb-edu


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Posted on Wednesday 27th July 2011
Professor Carole Torgerson from the School of Education, has led a major evaluation of Every Child Counts (ECC), a numeracy programme that was introduced into English primary schools in 2008. The evaluation project, conducted by Researchers from the Universities of Birmingham, Durham and York for the Department for Education, has shown a positive short term effect on children's numeracy skills and equated the improvement to seven additional weeks' progress in numeracy skills for each child.
Every Child Counts (through the Numbers Count intervention) provides intensive support to the lowest-achieving Year 2 children. Children are taught on a one-to-one basis by a specialist teacher for half an hour a day over the course of a term. The programme is currently being provided to over 20,000 children in about 1700 schools.
A randomised controlled trial (RCT) involving 409 children in 44 schools across England assessed the effect of receiving Numbers Count (NC) teaching compared with not receiving the programme. Children receiving Numbers Count showed a greater level of improvement – when measured using the GL progress in Maths 96) test – compared with control children. This improvement was consistent across all groups irrespective of gender, free school meal status, age, and prior achievement.
Professor Carole Torgerson explained 'We conducted a rigorous evaluation of NC to give a robust assessment of the effect it has on children. Our trial showed that the programme made a moderate improvement in children's numeracy. However, this improvement needs to be assessed in the context of the programme's cost, which was high, and the fact that we don't know if the effect is maintained beyond a single term.
The DfE is to be congratulated for funding a large-scale independent evaluation of ECC using a randomised controlled trial design. Large scale randomised evaluations of educational initiatives have an important role to play in supporting policy in education.'


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Calculates a Spearman rank-order correlation coefficient and the p-value to test for non-correlation.
The Spearman correlation is a nonparametric measure of the linear relationship between two datasets. Unlike the Pearson correlation, the Spearman correlation does not assume that both datasets are normally distributed. Like other correlation coefficients, this one varies between -1 and +1 with 0 implying no correlation. Correlations of -1 or +1 imply an exact linear relationship. Positive correlations imply that as x increases, so does y. Negative correlations imply that as x increases, y decreases.
Missing values are discarded pair-wise: if a value is missing in x, the corresponding value in y is masked.
The p-value roughly indicates the probability of an uncorrelated system producing datasets that have a Spearman correlation at least as extreme as the one computed from these datasets. The p-values are not entirely reliable but are probably reasonable for datasets larger than 500 or so.
x : 1D array
(Spearman correlation coefficient, :


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Sense of Place: How 'The Cedars' got its name
"The Cedars" is located about seven miles north of Cazadero, in the middle of Sonoma County's sparsely populated northwest, one of the most remote places in the region.
It was probably named by the U.S. Geological Survey in the 1940s. Locals have called the area "Red Slide" since the 19th century. "Cedars" refers to the extensive woodlands and pygmy forests of Sargent cypress found there.
This conifer grows only on serpentine soils, which are high in magnesium and iron. Many plants can't survive such conditions; those that can sometimes evolve into new species. Hence The Cedars is home to at least seven plants found nowhere else in the world, including forms of manzanita, fairy lantern and jewel flower.
This island of rare plants and unusual soils points to a rare geologic event. Long ago, the Earth's mantle, which normally lies deep underground, pushed through the crust all the way to the surface, creating thousands of acres of peridotite rock. This peridotite weathered into The Cedars' serpentine soils.
Because of its geology, The Cedars' springs and seeps are highly alkaline (pH 11 or 12) and saturated with methane and hydrogen. Biologists consider them to be one of the harshest environments on Earth and extremely hostile to life.
If The Cedars sounds otherworldly, it is. Conditions in its springs are thought to resemble that of the early Earth and Mars. Amazingly, scientists have found unique microbes living in them — microbes thought to be fundamentally different from nearly all other known life forms. They may provide clues about life on other planets.
Roger Raiche, who has championed protection of The Cedars for many years, calls it "an area of great botanic, geologic, and scenic magnificence." To preserve this hidden jewel, The Cedars is not open to the public, but guided tours can be arranged through _EMAIL_.
You can reach Glen Ellen-based historical ecologist Arthur Dawson at _EMAIL_.


Profile: Central African Republic's Michel Djotodia
 - 11 January 2014
 - From the section Africa
Michel Djotodia (7 January 2013)
A Soviet-trained civil servant who turned into a rebel commander, Michel Djotodia fulfilled his long-held ambition of becoming leader of Central African Republic (CAR) when he overthrew President Francois Bozize in March 2013.
Often seen wearing a turban, he became CAR's first Muslim ruler, plunging the country into a religious conflict between the Muslim minority and Christian majority.
In January 2014, at a meeting in Chad organised by regional leaders to try to end the violence - which was attended by CAR's entire transitional assembly - Mr Djotodia resigned and headed into exile in Benin.
Although Mr Djotodia had officially disbanded the Seleka rebel group that propelled him to power, its fighters have been involved in a vicious cycle of attacks and counter-attacks with Christian militias, known as anti-balaka.
"While Seleka fighters have notional inclinations for political Islam, they share a strong sense of communal identity and a will to avenge previous CAR regimes and their beneficiaries identified as Christians (not much of a discriminating factor, as the CAR population is more than 75% Christian)," says French researcher Roland Marchal in an article published in September.
US anthropologist Louisa Lombard, who was once based in CAR, says Mr Djotodia always pursued his political ambitions "fervently".
"Hearing the stories of his ambition during my research, I almost felt embarrassed on his behalf - he seemed like a Jamaican bobsledder convinced he'd win gold," she wrote when he seized power.
'Russian hunters'
Born in 1949 in what Ms Lombard describes as CAR's "remote, neglected, and largely Muslim north-east", Mr Djotodia led the Union of Democratic Forces for Unity (UFDR) into a coalition with other rebel groups to form Seleka, which spearheaded the offensive to overthrow Mr Bozize.
For Mr Djotodia, this was sweet revenge: Mr Bozize's rebel forces had toppled his political boss, then-President Ange Felix-Patasse, in 2003.
Image caption The fighting has forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee
Image caption The government says Seleka fighters have been integrated into the army
Mr Djotodia had served in Mr Patasse's government as a civil servant in the ministry of planning after studying economics in the former Soviet Union.
According to Ms Lombard, he ended up staying for 10 years in the USSR, where he married and had two daughters.
He became fluent in several languages, "which made him useful when it came to representing the UFDR to foreigners and the media", she says.
"People in Tiringoulou [village in CAR] tell of one day, long before the rebellion, when a plane of Russian hunters unexpectedly arrived. Upon hearing Djotodia's rendition of their language, [they] declared him not Central African but Russian and brought him along for their tour of the country," Ms Lombard adds.
Mr Djotodia also worked in CAR's foreign ministry and was named consul to Nyala in neighbouring Sudan's Darfur region.
He was said to have used his time there to cultivate alliances with Sudanese militias and Chadian rebels in the area.
"It was these fighters from the Chad/Sudan/CAR borderlands who became the military backbone of the Seleka rebel coalition... The UFDR fighters I knew - tough guys, but a bit ragtag, especially compared to their counterparts in places like Chad or Sudan - could have put up a decent fight against the CAR armed forces on their own, but the 'Chadians' were what made them so unstoppable," Ms Lombard says.
Mr Djotodia was jailed in Benin in November 2006 for using the country as a base for his rebellion against Mr Bozize.
Image caption Mr Djotodia (L) was Mr Bozize's (R) defence minister for a short while before ousting him
According to rights group Amnesty International's 2009 report on CAR, Mr Djotodia and another rebel leader, Abakar Sabone were, detained without trial in Benin for more than a year, before being released at Mr Bozize's request in the hope that it would the end the conflict raging at the time.
It was probably Mr Bozize's biggest political mistake, as it opened the way for Mr Djotodia to shrewdly play the dual role of peace-maker and rebel leader until he finally seized power in Bangui.
Around the BBC


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The Black Stork (Ciconia nigra) is a large wading bird in the stork family Ciconiidae. It is a widespread, but rare, species that breeds in the warmer parts of Europe, predominantly in central and eastern regions. This is a shy and wary species, unlike the closely related White Stork. It is seen in pairs or small flocks—in marshy areas, rivers or inland waters. The Black Stork feeds on amphibians and insects.
Slightly smaller than the White Stork, the Black Stork is a large bird, 95 to 100 cm (37–39 in) in length with a 145–155 cm (5 ft) wingspan, and weighing around 3 kilograms (6.6 lb). Like all storks, it has long legs, a long neck, and a long, straight, pointed beak. The plumage is all black with a purplish green sheen, except for the white lower breast, belly, axillaries and undertail coverts. The breast feathers are long and shaggy forming a ruff which is used in some courtship displays. The bare skin around its eyes is red, as are its red bill and legs. The sexes are identical in appearance, except that males are larger than females on average.
The juvenile resembles the adult in plumage pattern, but the areas corresponding to the adult black feathers are browner and less glossy. The scapulars, wing and upper tail coverts have pale tips. The legs, bill, and bare skin around the eyes are greyish green. It may be confused with the juvenile Yellow-billed Stork, but the latter has a paler wings and mantle, longer bill, and white under the wings.
It walks slowly and steadily on the ground. Like all storks, it flies with its neck outstretched. It has a rasping call, but rarely indulges in mutual bill-clattering when adults meet at the nest.
During the summer, the Black Stork is found from Eastern Asia (Siberia and China) west to Central Europe, reaching Estonia in the north, Poland, Lower Saxony and Bavaria in Germany, Czech Republic, Hungary, and Greece in the south, with an outlying population in Spain. They are nowhere abundant in these western parts of their distribution, but more densely inhabit the eastern Transcaucasus.
Preferring more wooded areas than the better known White Stork, the Black Stork breeds in large marshy wetlands with interspersed coniferous or broadleaved woodlands, but also inhabits hills and mountains with sufficient network of creeks. It does inhabit more areas in the Caspian lowlands.
The Black Stork is a strong migrant, wintering in tropical Africa and India. However, the Iberian population is resident. A broad-winged soaring bird, the Black Stork is assisted by thermals of hot air for long distance flight, altohugh are less dependent on them than the White Stork. Since thermals only form over land, storks, together with large raptors, must cross the Mediterranean at the narrowest points, and many Black Storks can be seen going through the Bosporus. They fly approximately 100 to 250 km a day with daily maxima up to 500 km.
Black Stork parents have been known to kill one of their young, generally the smallest, in times of food shortage to reduce brood size and hence increase the chance of survival of the remaining nestlings. Stork nestlings do not attack each other, and their parents' method of feeding them (disgorging large amounts of food at once) means that stronger siblings cannot outcompete weaker ones for food directly, hence parental infanticide is an efficient way of reducing brood size. Despite this, this behaviour has not commonly been observed.

source: openbmb/Ultra-FineWeb


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So you'd like to dive right into a mystery novel but have no ''clue'' where to start? Mystery fiction is a category of literature which involves solving crimes or puzzles by a process of observation, sleuthing, and the discovery of clues.
Read more about mystery fiction at wikipedia.org
Mystery Fiction Subgenres
* Detective Fiction: features main characters who are either professional private investigators or amateur sleuths.
** Sherlock Holmes novels by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
** Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple novels by Agatha Christie
* Women Detective Fiction: mystery novels in which the protagonists are female.
** Kay Scarpetta novels by Patricia Cornwell
** Stephanie Plum novels by Janet Evanovich
** Kinsey Milhone novels by Sue Grafton
* Cozies (singular: cozy): take place in a small town, country village, or a rural setting.
* Police/Procedural Fiction


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Understanding the main aspects of complex visual analysis
Research Unit 3, SCIoI Project 29
Visual understanding is a key component of biological and synthetic intelligent systems. As visual sensors (of any kind) provide high-dimensional data vectors with structural relationships between vector elements, e.g. multi-channel 2d images, the analysis of visual data unavoidably is a search problem in highly complex spaces. This is especially true if the visual input has a time component as in the visual system of an acting agent. While video data enables the introduction of additional priors and objectives for unsupervised learning it also increases the redundancy in the input space dramatically. This becomes especially visible in the fact that one of the most powerful priors for two dimensional vision problems introduced in recent years, the convolutional neural network, could not be applied with the same success in temporal data (e.g. for action classification).
Most state of the art approaches are based on frame-based encoding of the visual input, which is then fed into a recurrent neural network or an approximation of a Bayes filter to reflect the time component of the problem. Therefore, the goal of this project is to develop a modularized and hierarchical temporal vision system for representation learning as a basis for a closed perception-action loop. The system is supposed to leverage the additional information contained in the time domain, considering multiple frames at once, to compensate for the low information density in video streams and allow unsupervised learning of task-relevant representations.
From a more general perspective, this project tries to ease the visual understanding bottleneck SCIoI example behaviors are confronted with by focusing on its complexity: while other research units make use of gold-standard or easily implemented first approaches to vision problems, it is analyzing principle aspects of the complex video analysis, identifies performance deficits, and suggests strategies for improvement by analyzing the perception-action loop.


Slaven Rezić > Tk > Tk::bind
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Source Latest Release: Tk-804.032_500
Tk::bind - Arrange for X events to invoke callbacks
Retrieve bindings:
Associate and destroy bindings:
The bind method associates callbacks with X events. If callback is specified, bind will arrange for callback to be evaluated whenever the event(s) given by sequence occur in the window(s) identified by $widget or tag. If callback is an empty string then the current binding for sequence is destroyed, leaving sequence unbound. In all of the cases where a callback argument is provided, bind returns an empty string.
If sequence is specified without a callback, then the callback currently bound to sequence is returned, or undef is returned if there is no binding for sequence. If neither sequence nor callback is specified, then the return value is a list whose elements are all the sequences for which there exist bindings for tag.
If no tag is specified then the bind refers to $widget. If tag is specified then it is typically a class name and the bind refers to all instances of the class on the MainWindow associated with $widget. (It is possible for tag to be another "widget object" but this practice is deprecated.) Perl's ref($object) can be used to get the class name of any object. Each window has an associated list of tags, and a binding applies to a particular window if its tag is among those specified for the window. Although the bindtags method may be used to assign an arbitrary set of binding tags to a window, the default binding tags provide the following behavior:
If a tag is the name of an internal window the binding applies to that window.
If the tag is the name of a toplevel window the binding applies to the toplevel window and all its internal windows.
If the tag is the name of a class of widgets, such as Tk::Button, the binding applies to all widgets in that class;
If tag has the value all, the binding applies to all windows descended from the MainWindow of the application.
The sequence argument specifies a sequence of one or more event patterns, with optional white space between the patterns. Each event pat may take one of three forms. In the simplest case it is a single printing ASCII character, such as a or [. The character may not be a space character or the character <. This form of pattern matches a KeyPress event for the particular character. The second form of pattern is longer but more general. It has the following syntax:
The entire event pattern is surrounded by angle brackets, and normally needs to be quoted, as angle brackets are special to perl. Inside the angle brackets are zero or more modifiers, an event type, and an extra piece of information (detail) identifying a particular button or keysym. Any of the fields may be omitted, as long as at least one of type and detail is present. The fields must be separated by white space or dashes.
The third form of pattern is used to specify a user-defined, named virtual event; see Tk::event for details. It has the following syntax:
The entire virtual event pattern is surrounded by double angle brackets. Inside the angle brackets is the user-defined name of the virtual event. Modifiers, such as Shift or Control, may not be combined with a virtual event to modify it. Bindings on a virtual event may be created before the virtual event is defined, and if the definition of a virtual event changes dynamically, all windows bound to that virtual event will respond immediately to the new definition.
Modifiers consist of any of the following values:
 Control Mod2, M2
 Shift Mod3, M3
 Lock Mod4, M4
 Button1, B1 Mod5, M5
 Button2, B2 Meta, M
 Button3, B3 Alt
 Button4, B4 Double
 Button5, B5 Triple
 Mod1, M1 Quadruple
Where more than one value is listed, separated by commas, the values are equivalent. Most of the modifiers have the obvious X meanings. For example, Button1 requires that button 1 be depressed when the event occurs. For a binding to match a given event, the modifiers in the event must include all of those specified in the event pattern. An event may also contain additional modifiers not specified in the binding. For example, if button 1 is pressed while the shift and control keys are down, the pattern will match the event, but will not. If no modifiers are specified, then any combination of modifiers may be present in the event.
Meta and M refer to whichever of the M1 through M5 modifiers is associated with the meta key(s) on the keyboard (keysyms Meta_R and Meta_L). If there are no meta keys, or if they are not associated with any modifiers, then Meta and M will not match any events. Similarly, the Alt modifier refers to whichever modifier is associated with the alt key(s) on the keyboard (keysyms Alt_L and Alt_R).
The Double, Triple and Quadruple modifiers are a convenience for specifying double mouse clicks and other repeated events. They cause a particular event pattern to be repeated 2, 3 or 4 times, and also place a time and space requirement on the sequence: for a sequence of events to match a Double, Triple or Quadruple pattern, all of the events must occur close together in time and without substantial mouse motion in between. For example, is equivalent to with the extra time and space requirement.
The type field may be any of the standard X event types, with a few extra abbreviations. Below is a list of all the valid types; where two names appear together, they are synonyms.
 Activate Destroy Map
 ButtonPress, Button Enter MapRequest
 ButtonRelease Expose Motion
 Circulate FocusIn MouseWheel
 CirculateRequest FocusOut Property
 Colormap Gravity Reparent
 Configure KeyPress, Key ResizeRequest
 ConfigureRequest KeyRelease Unmap
 Create Leave Visibility
Most of the above events have the same fields and behaviors as events in the X Windowing system. You can find more detailed descriptions of these events in any X window programming book. A couple of the events are extensions to the X event system to support features unique to the Macintosh and Windows platforms. We provide a little more detail on these events here. These include:
These two events are sent to every sub-window of a toplevel when they change state. In addition to the focus Window, the Macintosh platform and Windows platforms have a notion of an active window (which often has but is not required to have the focus). On the Macintosh, widgets in the active window have a different appearance than widgets in deactive windows. The Activate event is sent to all the sub-windows in a toplevel when it changes from being deactive to active. Likewise, the Deactive event is sent when the window's state changes from active to deactive. There are no useful percent substitutions you would make when binding to these events.
Some mice on the Windows platform support a mouse wheel which is used for scrolling documents without using the scrollbars. By rolling the wheel, the system will generate MouseWheel events that the application can use to scroll. Like Key events the event is always routed to the window that currently has focus. When the event is received you can use the %D substitution to get the delta field for the event which is a integer value of motion that the mouse wheel has moved. The smallest value for which the system will report is defined by the OS. On Windows 95 & 98 machines this value is at least 120 before it is reported. However, higher resolution devices may be available in the future. The sign of the value determines which direction your widget should scroll. Positive values should scroll up and negative values should scroll down.
The last part of a long event specification is detail. In the case of a ButtonPress or ButtonRelease event, it is the number of a button (1-5). If a button number is given, then only an event on that particular button will match; if no button number is given, then an event on any button will match. Note: giving a specific button number is different than specifying a button modifier; in the first case, it refers to a button being pressed or released, while in the second it refers to some other button that is already depressed when the matching event occurs. If a button number is given then type may be omitted: if will default to ButtonPress. For example, the specifier <1> is equivalent to .
If the event type is KeyPress or KeyRelease, then detail may be specified in the form of an X keysym. Keysyms are textual specifications for particular keys on the keyboard; they include all the alphanumeric ASCII characters (e.g. ''a'' is the keysym for the ASCII character ''a''), plus descriptions for non-alphanumeric characters (''comma'' is the keysym for the comma character), plus descriptions for all the non-ASCII keys on the keyboard (''Shift_L'' is the keysm for the left shift key, and ''F1'' is the keysym for the F1 function key, if it exists). The complete list of keysyms is not presented here; it is available in other X documentation and may vary from system to system. If necessary, you can use the 'K' notation described below to


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In situations when there are higher speed winds and extreme weather, there is a threat of injury to lives and houses and other structures. Any barrier or obstacle in the way of wind helps make the winds alter its program, which raises the stresses on parts of the homes. This combination of increased wind speed and tension changes can result in the constructing to fall or collapse. This is why storm shelters are a have to.
Storm shelters are also acknowledged as secure rooms. They supply area where individuals can survive a storm, hurricane or a tornado safely. It is critical to have all the elements of a risk-free area securely and strongly connected s that it stays intact in situation of higher winds. The components need to also be resistant to the getting into of airborne debris. These are usually constructed in properties to resist damages that can be induced by heavy winds, debris and floods.
For the duration of a storm, the biggest chance is that of injury that is brought on by flying debris. When there are serious and large winds, there are more probabilities of debris to slice the windows, roofs and walls. The strain with which the debris is thrown can slice even the difficult framework of wall. Storm can even trigger the fall of masonry walls, until finally and unless they are developed to resist the influence of storm, they can give safety to the residents. Storm shelters designed to resist these damages and to guard people from injuries.
Even so, storm shelters should be constructed depending on the regions as various areas or areas have different impacts of storms. Some people favor to have under the ground storm shelters, as they feel that they can offer the greatest safety. While some develop over the ground storm shelters
, which can effortlessly be accessed by rescue teams. Researchers recommend acquiring storm shelters that are far more acceptable and suit the area.


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Lobed Brain Coral
Flat Brain Coral, Open Brain Coral, Wrinkle Coral, Meat CoralLobophyllia hemprichiiPhoto © Animal-World: Courtesy Greg Rothschild
The Lobed Brain Coral has everything going for it... very attractive, very hardy, and very reasonably priced!
The popular and durable Lobed Brain Coral Lobophyllia hemprichii is a favorite beginner's large polyp stony (LPS) coral. It is distinct from other Lobophyllia species because of its colorful variations and textures. Colors vary from bright red, orange, blue, green, gray, white, tan, or brown and can be a single color or have a contrasting center. Their large polyps are thick and fleshy with either a smooth or rough surface. Each polyp forms curves, almost like an hour glass shape, but often with a few more curves and an open center.
The Lobophyllia species form massive colonies in the wild, often more than 15 feet (4.5 m) across. A giant colony of L. hemprichii is very impressive. Although this coral is semi-aggressive towards other corals, its colonies are often groupings of multiple individual colonies of this same species. Each individual group will have its own distinct coloration and texture, making a tapestry of color and design.
Lobophyllia colonies are either flat or domed. Typical of many brain corals, the Lobophyllia grows in two basic shapes. They can develop as flabello-meandroid forms, which means there are elongated meandering valleys between separate corallite walls; or they can be placeloid, which means tall separate corallites rising up from the skeleton that are very predominant. They can have polyps on the ends of branches, and these can be very long branches up to 12' (30 cm") in length. Their large prominent polyp tissue usually cloaks the underlying skeleton from view.
The Lobed Brain Coral is one of the easiest of the LPS (large polyp stony) corals to care for, and it easy to propagate. Use moderate lighting and moderate water flow that is turbulent. Since they are found in several lighting environments, watch your coral to see how it responds in your tank and adjust the light accordingly. You can do this by placing the coral higher or lower in the tank. It is best to start at the lowest point and work up.
L. hemprichii has been propagated in captivity with great success. Some of the common names they known for are Lobed Brain Coral, Flat Brain Coral, Wrinkle Coral, Open Brain Coral, and Meat Coral. This genus of corals can be confused with Symphyllia species, however they can be distinguished by the skeletal structure. Symphyllia corals have corallite walls that are joined or fused together rather than separate. They can also be confused with the Scolymia genus when young or just a single polyp, this is just until they develop their curved hourglass shaped polyps.
Distribution / Background Lobophyllia Coral Information: The Lobophyllia genus was described by Blainville in 1830. There are 22 nominal species, 7 of which are true species with 5 being found around Australia. Besides L. hemprichii, the valid species are L. corymbosa, L. costata, L. diminuta, L. hataii, L. pachysepta, and L. robusta. The Lobophyllia genus has been propagated in captivity.
The L. hemprichii was described by Ehrenberg in 1834. Some common names these corals are know for are Lobed Brain Coral, Flat Brain Coral, Open Brain Coral, Wrinkle Coral, Meat Coral, Modern Coral, Large Flower Coral, Carpet Brain Coral, and Brain Root Coral. The L. hemprichii has been propagated in captivity with great success.
Where Lobophyllia Corals Are Found: The Lobophyllia genus are found in the Indo-Pacific and western Central Pacific; in the Philippines and Indonesia, from Japan to Australia, and Mozambique to the Mariana Trench. Lobophyllia hemprichii are found from eastern Africa and the Red Sea to Tahiti and the Tuamotu Archiplego; also around Australia in the Great Barrier Reef, the Coral Sea and Flinders Reef, and south to the Houtman Abrolhos Islands.
Lobophyllia Coral Habitat: The Lobophyllia genus are found in many types of environments, but are most common on upper reef slopes and fore reef slopes. Though colonies are usually in fairly protected areas, they are found in both shaded and brightly lit waters and in both vertical and horizontal orientations. They are found at depths from 10 - 115 feet (3 - 35 m) in various types of water movement. Lobophyllia form massive colonies that can reach over 15 feet (4.5 m) in diameter. They feed at night, extending whitish tipped tentacles. They can be long-lived in captivity, but their actual life span is unknown.
- Lobophyllia corymbosa: Least Concern (LC)
- Lobophyllia diminuta: Vulnerable (VU)
- Lobophyllia hataii: Least Concern (LC)
- Lobophyllia hemprichii: Least Concern (LC)
- Lobophyllia pachysepta: Near Threatened (NT)
- Lobophyllia robusta: Least Concern (LC)
Description What do Lobophyllia Corals look like: The Lobophyllia genus can grow in different colony formations. The colonies can be a branched formation where the corallite (main polyp) walls are tall and separate from the others, coming up from the skeleton of the colony like a single branch. The other formation is when the colony has corallites with long winding valleys, but each corallite or polyp has its own separate walls. The colony is generally flat with the polyps tops being in the same plane.
Two main features of Lobophyllia corals are that the corallites or polyp's walls are not shared with other polyps; and each polyp forms curves, almost like an hour glass shape with a few more curves, without closing in the center. This genus of corals can be confused with Symphyllia species. However the Symphyllia corals can be distinguished by the skeletal structure, they have corallite walls that are joined or fused together rather than separate. Single polyps of the Lobophyllia genus can be confused with the Scolymia genus when young. This is because at that stage it does not have the polycentric (hourglass) shape, but as it grows the shape becomes apparent.
Their large polyps are thick and fleshy with either a smooth or rough surface. Colors can be dark red, green, olive, brown and gray, and can be a combination or monochromatic. Some have contrasting oral disc tissue in blue, white, gray, orange, red and green. At night the Lobophyllia genus extends feeder tentacles.
L. hemprichii or the Flat Lobed Brain Coral forms one of the largest colonies. The polyps can reach 2" (5 cm) and are at the ends of 12" (30 cm) long branches. You cannot usually see the branches since they are hidden by the collection of polyps of the colony. This is the most colorful species. Colors vary from bright red, orange, blue, green, gray, white, tan, or brown and can be a single color or have a contrasting center. The feeding tentacles, which come out at night, are usually tipped in white.
Some colonies of Lobophyllia can reach 15 feet (4.5 m). These coral can be long-lived in captivity, but their life span is unknown.
Difficulty of Care Lobophyllia Coral Care: Like other Mussids, the L. hemprichii is easy to care for, making them an excellent choice for the beginner. Use moderate lighting and moderate water flow that is turbulent. Since they are found in several lighting environments, watch your coral to see how it responds in your tank and adjust the light accordingly, by placing higher or lower in the tank. It is best to start at the lowest point and work up. Like other members of the Mussidae family, the polyps tentacles come out at night to feed.
Foods / Feeding Lobophyllia Coral Feeding: The Lobophyllia genus, like other large polyp stony (LPS) corals, have developed several feeding strategies. Through a symbiotic relationship with a marine algae, known as zooxanthellae, they receive some of their nutrients. They also capture planktonic organisms, food particles from the water column, and can absorb dissolved organic matter.
In captivity, L. hemprichii does well being be fed minced pieces of fish and shrimp flesh as well as mysis, rotifers, newly hatched brine shrimp or Cyclopeeze. Feed once a week or depending on how much the coral is accepting food. Feed at night when tentacles are present, although the tentacles can be seen during the day at times and they may accept food then.
Aquarium Care Typical water changes of 20% a month, 10% biweekly, or 5% weekly are needed. It has been noted that 5% weekly water changes replenish many of the needed additives and it is ultimately cheaper than purchasing additives for the water. With higher concentrations of


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Posted on by Dr. Francis Collins
Everybody knows that it's important to stay alert behind the wheel or while out walking on the bike path. But our ability to react appropriately to sudden dangers is influenced by whether we feel momentarily tired, distracted, or anxious. How is it that the brain can transition through such different states of consciousness while performing the same routine task, even as its basic structure and internal wiring remain unchanged?
A team of NIH-funded researchers may have found an important clue in zebrafish, a popular organism for studying how the brain works. Using a powerful new method that allowed them to find and track brain circuits tied to alertness, the researchers discovered that this mental state doesn't work like an on/off switch. Rather, alertness involves several distinct brain circuits working together to bring the brain to attention. As shown in the video above that was taken at cellular resolution, different types of neurons (green) secrete different kinds of chemical messengers across the zebrafish brain to affect the transition to alertness. The messengers shown are: serotonin (red), acetylcholine (blue-green), and dopamine and norepinephrine (yellow).
What's also fascinating is the researchers found that many of the same neuronal cell types and brain circuits are essential to alertness in zebrafish and mice, despite the two organisms being only distantly related. That suggests these circuits are conserved through evolution as an early fight-or-flight survival behavior essential to life, and they are therefore likely to be important for controlling alertness in people too. If correct, it would tell us where to look in the brain to learn about alertness not only while doing routine stuff but possibly for understanding dysfunctional brain states, ranging from depression to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).


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You're reading a web page about penguins written by someone who's really interested in them. The page is explaining penguins scientifically. It says:
Penguins are remarkably well adapted to their icy environment, thanks to millions of years of evolution.
"Remarkably" is a word that means something similar to "very" or "quite". It also expresses a feeling of surprise.
"Remarkably ___ is not as common as "very" or "quite", though. It's mostly used within certain phrases like "remarkably well ___". Some examples of this include:
Plant remains, textiles, leather, and even human bodies have been remarkably well preserved by the dry desert climate.
Your children are remarkably well behaved.
Their meat and vegetable dishes were remarkably well flavored.
"Well adapted", as used in the example at top, is another common phrase used with "remarkably".
To be "adapted to" an environment means to be able to live in that environment well because of certain qualities you have. For example, penguins are adapted to cold environments because they have thick feathers that keep them warm.
People can also "be adapted to" an environment. This can mean either that they are physically adapted, or that they are mentally able to handle a situation.
"Evolution" is a scientific term. It means the way that animals and plants change over time, to become better adapted to their environments. For example, people sometimes like to talk about why humans first started to walk on two feet instead of using all 4 hands like apes do.
Evolution takes a long time to work, so it's common to talk about "millions of years of evolution", or "hundreds of thousands of years of evolution.
Society expects us to control our urges, but you can't fight against millions of years of evolution.
You can say what was responsible for something, or what caused it, using "thanks to ___".
This phrase works best for talking about the cause of something good:
We've raised over $130,000 thanks to your help and donations.
I can watch thousands of movies and TV shows instantly in my living room thanks to this device.
But there are also times when you use this phrase to talk about the cause of somethingbad:
We had to re-do our entire bathroom and hallway floors thanks to that water leak.
We missed the first half thanks to the traffic.
You can use "thanks to ___" to say that a person was responsible, or a thing:
I know how to do it thanks to you.
She's in much better shape now, thanks to the dance classes she's been taking.
(Print this lesson)


The Power of Seed Oils
Have you harnessed the power of seed oils yet?
If not, why not?
Seed oils are packed with antioxidants and nutrients and really are nature's little secret.
If you want to remain to look young and beautiful then seed oils are the answer.
PURU only uses hand-pressed organic seed oils of the highest quality.
A common feature of oils is that they blend with the secretions of the dermal glands so that they can easily remove various impurities without drying the skin.
Absorbing oils form a protective layer on the skin and prevent water's dehumidifying effect of cold, wind and dry air.
Vegetable and seed oils containing the right blend of ingredients should be included in skin creams and lotions as they are able to prevent cell loss of water without inhibiting skin respiration.
Sun protection
Most plant-based oils also protect the skin from the potentially harmful effects of UV rays. Natural sun protection (SPF) from plant waxes and oils is generally considered to be SPF4, while sesame and avocado oils are considered to have a natural SPF of 1-2. (However, in direct sunlight and for light-skinned people, safer protection is also needed).
Seed oils make the skin elastic
Seed oils are also great for pregnancy by helping to loosen the skin and prevent stretch marks. The oils will intensely soften and elasticize the skin.
They soothe and heal
We can count on vegetable-based oils after sunbathing. Shea butter and geranium oil soothe and regenerate sunburned skin.
Oil for oily skin?
Yes. A good blend of oils will normalize sebaceous glands and tighten the broad pores.
Cares for sensitive skin
For the delicate sensitive skin of children then jojoba oil with antioxidant properties is most definitely suitable. PURU Body Butter Seed Oils contains many seed oils that can even help treat eczema, dermatitis and other skin conditions.


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Place lights and Volumetric
Let's put a projector Light
Right click>Lights>Projector Light>Spot Light.
This light type and the directional light are currently the only ones able to generate a shadow map and therefor to cast shadows.
If you expand this newly created light, you'll see that this "spot light" preset will simply create a projector light projection a white uniform with a radial mask to create the Illusion of a round light. Note that you can put anything inside a projector light (Images / videos / compositions) and create some very nice stuff with it.
Now place the Light and set it up like on the screenshot below. As you see vertical/ horizontal frustum is there to set up the angle of view of the projector (as in a camera), in simpler terms: it's width and eight
Place Point Lights
Right click>Lights>Point Light.
Place and set up the Point lights as showed below.
Just a hint : as "Fall off" and some other settings are the same on every lights, configure the first light and then Ctrl+D or Ctrl+drag and Drop in the tree to duplicate them.
And before the next step, let's turn Off the volumetric parameter of theses Point lights so when we'll activate them only the Projector Light will generate a volumetric light. To do so, go into the Point light Advenced parameters and....turn int off :
As you may see, every color parameters (Diffuse / Specular / Diffuse) can be set up independently. Currently we set up the light to have a diffuse light intensity of 0 but we could as well simply had dis-activated the diffuse color.
And now, just add a volumetric Special Layer Right click>Special Layers>Volumetric Light.
And set it up like that :
Brightness is quite an obvious parameter and Quality will drive the number of volumetric samples this effect will use.
Once created, this special layer will generate volumetric from every Lights on which this option is turned on (by default it is on every Light). This layer is placed after the geometries because Smode had tom compute them for the depth buffer to be accurate when it's Volumetric light turn. Try to put this layer after or before the geometries in the tree to understand what it does.


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RAS highlights concerns about over-reliance on student choice to determine higher education provision and about the international competitiveness of UK PhD degrees.
The House of Commons Education and Skills Committee is investigating the future sustainability of the higher education sector in England and the impact of the Bologna Process viz.
'Higher education institutions (HEIs) are semi-autonomous institutions which largely define their own purpose or purposes. Nevertheless, it is appropriate for a government spending over £7.5 billion on HE to clearly identify what it wants from universities in return for this level of public investment. In moving further towards a high-skill economy, an increasingly international HE sector, an era of mass-participation in HE, and a possible future market in fees after 2009, this inquiry will investigate questions of first principles in HE: what is the role of universities, what should the principles of funding be, and what should the structure of the HE sector look like or be shaped by?'
In tackling these issues the Committee will consider, among others, the following questions :
- What do students want from universities?
- What do employers want from graduates?
- What should the government, and society more broadly, want from HE?
- Is the current funding system fit for purpose? Is the purpose clear? What are the principles on which university funding should be based?
- Should central funding be used as a lever to achieve government policy aims?
- Is the government's role one of planning, steering, or allowing the market to operate? Should there be areas of government planning within HE – e.g. for strategic subjects?
- What are the implications of the Bologna process for the UK Higher Education sector?
The RAS submission makes the following points
- unless there is a reversal in the significant falls in the numbers of students opting for physics, mathematics, chemistry and engineering, attempts to improve the UK's productivity and competitiveness could be undermined.
- the decline in the number of physics departments, and in the number of geophysics courses offered by other departments, shows that to rely on current student choices to determine the long-term supply of qualified scientists needed by the UK economy could prove costly
-only the government can afford to take a long term view and ensure the survival of strategically important subjects until such times as other measures have reversed the decline in secondary school students studying science
- the short duration of UK PhD training could be undermining the ability of UK PhD graduates in physics and astronomy to compete scientifically with their peers from other countries
The full RAS submission can be read here


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- Poster presentation
- Open Access
Detecting parallel bursts in silico generated parallel spike train data
BMC Neuroscience volume 16, Article number: P134 (2015)
Neurons process stimuli as joint groups. With multi-electrode arrays being capable of recording hundreds of channels in parallel the need for computational methods arises to efficiently find hints for such groups in the recorded data. Enumerating all possible subsets of neurons becomes quickly unfeasible if not virtually impossible to do. Therefore, we developed methods for efficiently finding so-called assemblies of synchronously firing neurons in spike train data [2, 3]. However, these methods only consider nearly synchronous single activations of neurons and ignore the non-stationary firing rates. It has been shown that the bursting behavior of neurons is a different mode of communication between neurons and has to be considered in the analysis as well [4, 5].
Our method builds upon a previously released algorithm that was intended to find synchronously activated neurons in parallel spike train data. This method uses dynamically placed windows, centered on each single spike, to detect episodes of increased synchrony among the spike trains. By calculating the amount of overlap between a single spike train and the complete set of spike trains new features can be generated. These features allow to identify groups of neurons that show an increased amount of synchronous activations compared to what would be expected under the assumption of independence. By allowing the algorithm to utilize information obtained from the burst detection process (e.g. [6–10]) we can efficiently and effectively identify those groups of neurons that show increased synchronous bursting behavior.
Using artificially generated data we are able to test our method on a multitude of data sets for which we actually know the true assembly structure. The spike trains are generated in such a way, that their statistical properties match those of in vitro recordings of embryonal cortical slices, i.e. the inter-burst interval and intra-burst inter spike interval distributions match. With this setup we test our algorithm on different assembly numbers and sizes. We are then able to distinguish between non-related and related neurons as well as to separate the related ones into different assemblies.
Hebb DO: The Organization of Behaviour. 1949, 62-
Borgelt C, Braune C: Prototype Construction for Clustering of Point Processes based on Imprecise Synchrony. 8th conference of the European Society for Fuzzy Logic and Technology (EUSFLAT-13). 2013
Braune C, Borgelt C, Kruse R: Behavioral Clustering for Point Processes. Advances in Intelligent Data Analysis XII. Springer. 2013, 127-137.
Kaneoke Y, Vitek JL: Burst and oscillation as disparate neurophysiologic properties: Method of detection. J Neurosci Meth. 1996, 68: 211-223.
Froemke RC, Dan Y: Spike-timing-dependent synaptic modification induced by natural spike trains. Nature. 2002, 416 (March): 433-438.
Bakkum DJ, Radivojevic M, Frey U, Franke F, Hierlemann A, Takahashi H: Parameters for burst detection. Front Comput Neurosci. 2013, 7 (January): 193-
Chen L, Deng Y, Luo W, Wang Z, Zeng S: Detection of bursts in neuronal spike trains by the mean inter-spike interval method. Prog Nat Sci. 2009, 19: 229-235.
Chiappalone M, Novellino a, Vajda I, Vato a, Martinoia S, van Pelt J: Burst detection algorithms for the analysis of spatio-temporal patterns in cortical networks of neurons. Neurocomputing. 2005, 65-66: 653-662.
Cocatre-Zilgien JH, Delcomyn F: Identification of bursts in spike trains. J Neurosci Methods. 1992, 41: 19-30.
Gourévitch B, Eggermont JJ: A nonparametric approach for detection of bursts in spike trains. J Neurosci Methods. 2007, 160: 349-358.
About this article
Cite this article
Braune, C., Kruse, R. Detecting parallel bursts in silico generated parallel spike train data. BMC Neurosci 16 (Suppl 1), P134 (2015). _URL_
- Spike Train
- Assembly Number
- Cortical Slice
- Interval Distribution
- Single Spike


Sales Management Digest
Create a Disaster-Recovery Plan for Customer Service
Matt Lautz
Businesses need to be prepared for when external dynamics challenge their foundations. This is especially true when it comes to their first line of defense: customer service.
Unexpected situations can result in the flooding of customer service departments by angry customers. No matter how well customers have been treated in the past, the way customer service handles unexpected situations can make or break a business.
Sales leaders should make every effort to prepare for the worst-case scenario so they aren't taken by surprise. That way, they can still aim to appease customers with excellent service during times of distress. When preparing for emergency situations, an on-guard mentality can help businesses ensure that customer interactions are as seamless as possible. Here are four tips to help your company mitigate the impact of unexpected events:
 1. Create a customer service disaster recovery team. Businesses often have operational or IT disaster recovery teams, but don't forget about customer service. Identify your strongest customer service representatives based on response time and their ability to handle difficult situations while staying calm under pressure. Be sure that there's a strong leader involved to help direct traffic. This team should be in place in advance so you know who's capable of delivering the best customer service possible in an emergency situation.
 2. Consider all crisis scenarios. Discard the "it can't happen to us" mentality. Ask yourself whether you have considered all situations in which your customer service team might receive an influx of requests. While it's difficult to do, try to think out of the box when envisioning how you would handle natural disasters, data breaches, or product recalls in ways that suit your business's crisis-resolution philosophy.
 3. Have a disaster-recovery plan in place. You can never prepare too much when it comes to handling customer needs. Create a disaster-recovery plan that addresses various scenarios, identifies your disaster-recovery team, and outlines the various steps and protocols that would ideally take place before, during, and after the event. When you are confident that your plan of action encompasses an optimal approach, conduct drills to test it, such as role-playing with your customer service team. Also, distribute the plan of action throughout the company to ensure that, in the event of a disaster, leaders of all departments are on the same page.
 4. Implement a CRM solution. In order for businesses to make the most of every customer interaction, solid customer relationship management (CRM) tools should be in place to allow for a timely, personalized response. Many CRM platforms provide multiple outlets for providing customer service â€"case-management tools, email responses, live-chat integration, and social-media capabilities â€" that will allow you to reach your customers through any channel of support. Look for one that offers unified communications capabilities or integration with your phone or contact-center systems.
Whatever your business, unexpected events can potentially have a serious negative impact on your company. While we can't predict the next threat, we can do our best to predict how we will react. Protect your business, customers, and revenue by creating a best-in-class, well-prepared customer service team.
Matt Lautz is president of CorvisaCloud, the cloud-based contact center solution provider.
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What Is a Leasehold?
A leasehold is an accounting term for an asset being leased. The asset is typically property such as a building or space in a building. The lessee contracts with the lessor for the right to use the property in exchange for a series of scheduled payments over the term of the lease. Renting space in an office building for a company's use or renting a building to be used for a retail store are two examples of a commercial leasehold arrangement.
Key Takeaways
 - A leasehold is an accounting term that refers to an asset or property that a lessee (tenant) contracts to rent from a lessor (property owner) for an agreed-upon time in exchange for scheduled payments.
 - Owners of retail stores often use leasehold arrangements for their businesses rather than constructing their own buildings.
 - The leasehold contract for commercial properties can be complex agreements that stipulate such things as the payment structure, breach of contract clauses, and leasehold improvement clauses.
 - The contract will stipulate which party is responsible for making leasehold improvements, which might include such things as building walls and partitions, adding lighting fixtures, or constructing shelves.
 - The IRS does not allow leasehold improvements to be deducted. However, the improvements are subject to depreciation.
Understanding Leaseholds
A leasehold contract will stipulate the terms of the agreement between the lessee (tenant) and the lessor (property owner or landlord). The contracts for commercial properties—such as space in an office building—are generally complex agreements that stipulate landlord responsibilities, tenant responsibilities, security deposits, breach of contract clauses, and leasehold improvement clauses. Larger tenants may be able to request more favorable terms in exchange for leasing more space for a longer time. Leases for commercial properties typically run from one to 10 years.
Types of Leaseholds
There are different types of leaseholds, including tenancy for years, periodic tenancy, tenancy at sufferance, and tenancy at will.
Tenancy for Years
A tenancy for years is a type of contract in which the details are spelled out, including the duration of time a renter will reside in the property and the payment that is expected. The contract could last for days or years, but is characterized by a specific starting and ending date.
Periodic Tenancy
With a periodic tenancy, the renter's time in the property is contracted for a non-specified period of time, with no agreed-upon expiration date. The terms of the rental were initially specified for a certain period of time, but the end date continues until the owner or renter gives a notice to terminate. For example, a yearly contract might end, but then evolve into a month-to-month contract, in which only one month's notice is needed to terminate.
Tenancy at Sufferance
A tenancy at sufferance is when the renter's tenant has expired, but the renter refuses to vacate the property, and is therefore staying without the owner's consent. Typically, this results in the owner instigating eviction proceedings. However, if the landlord accepts a rent payment after the lease has expired, the property is considered to be leased again on a month-to-month basis.
Tenancy at Will
A tenancy-at-will is a type of leasehold that can be terminated at any time by either the owner/landlord or the tenant. The arrangement does not include the signing of a contract or lease and generally does not specify the length of time a tenant will use the rental or any specifics about payment. The agreement is governed under state law, with varying terms based on the state. Federal law is applicable in cases of discrimination.
Leasehold Improvements
After a lease agreement has been finalized, the lessee, or tenant, begins to build out the space for its purposes to the extent allowed by the contract. Work on walls, ceilings, floor space, lighting fixtures, additional plumbing fixtures, shelving, and cabinets represent leasehold improvements that are recorded as fixed assets on a company's balance sheet.
Depending on the contract, leasehold improvements might be paid for by the tenant, the landlord, or a combination of both. Some landlords may agree to pay for leasehold improvements in order to entice a new tenant to sign a lease. However, when demand is high for a building or office space, the landlord may not be willing to incur the additional expense for leasehold improvements. Leasehold improvements that are permanently affixed to the building often remain the property of the landlord even after the lease ends.
Leasehold improvements are made to the interior of a building; modifications made to the exterior of a building are not considered leasehold improvements.
Example of a Leasehold
Leaseholds are most common for brick-and-mortar retailers. Best Buy Co., Inc. is an example. The company leases a majority of its buildings and makes leasehold improvements that suit its standardized interior functional and aesthetic design. Most of the company's leases contain renewal options and escalation clauses, as well as contingent rents based on specified percentages of revenue, which is a common clause in lease agreements for retailers.
Rent expense is recognized on a straight-line basis to the end of the initial lease term, and any difference between straight-line expense amounts and rent payable is booked as deferred rent. For some retailers, leasehold improvements are a significant portion of gross property and equipment expenses.
Leasehold Interest
A leasehold interest is a contract in which an individual or entity, or in real estate terms, a lessee, leases a parcel of land from an owner or lessor for a set period of time. The lessee has the exclusive rights to possess and use as an asset or property for the specified period of time. There are four types of leasehold interests, as mentioned above: tenancy for years, periodic tenancy, tenancy at sufferance, and tenancy-at-will.
Leasehold interest most often refers to a ground lease and tends to therefore last for multiple years. For example, an individual might lease a lot from an owner for 40 years and choose to build a property on the grounds. That individual could then rent out the property and earn rental income, but still has to pay the owner for the right to use the lot.
A leasehold interest differs from a freehold interest, or fee simple interest, in which an individual or entity has total ownership over the land or property and can use it in whatever way they see fit.
Leasehold FAQs
What Is a Leasehold Estate?
A leasehold estate is an agreement that a tenant can use an owner's property for a set period of time. The estates are often backed up by contracts or lease agreements that lay out the duration of the rental, the terms and conditions of use, the payment required, and the landlord's obligations to the tenant.
How Do You Depreciate Leasehold Improvements?
The IRS does not allow leasehold improvements to be deducted. However, since improvements are part of the building, they are subject to depreciation. Leasehold improvement depreciation should follow a 15-year schedule that has to be re-evaluated each year based on its useful economic life.
Which Type of Leasehold Has a Definite Beginning and Ending Date?
A tenancy for years, in which the contract is specified, including a clear beginning and ending date.
The Bottom Line
A leasehold is an asset being leased, such as a building or unit in a building. A renter makes a contract with the owner or landlord to use the property in question, in exchange for a series of payments over the duration of the lease. A commercial leasehold involves renting space for the purpose of operating a store, doctor's office or other business, and a residential leasehold is for a property to be occupied for personal use.


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What is Peak Demand?
When temperatures are extremely hot, increased demand for electricity can cause Firelands' power supplier, Buckeye Power, to reach a new peak in demand for power. Peak electric loads mean increased costs for all consumers. Electricity costs more during the summer, due to the peak demand for electricity in hot weather. This is reflected in Firelands' summer rate schedule (June through September), which is higher than the rate for the rest of the year.
A PeakBuster is a load management device that allows Buckeye Power to remotely control and reduce the electric demand during peak demand periods. Members who participate in Firelands' PeakBuster program are eligible for special incentives and rebates offered by the co-op. PeakBuster control devices are installed for water heaters, central air conditioners, heat pumps, and geothermal systems to help reduce costly demand during peak times — 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on very hot summer afternoons.
When demand for electricity is likely to reach record levels, we ask memembers to help lower demand by reducing use of electricity and avoid using major appliances during 'peak' demand times and RAISE your cooling thermostat four degrees.
Peak alert bulletins are posted on our website, Facebook and Twitter pages; and also via text and email alerts to members. Peak Alert messages are broadcast on local radio stations ONLY during the most extreme weather conditions. Click here to learn more about levels of electricity demand and ways to reduce peak.
Thank you for helping us manage peak demand!
Buckeye Power is a member of the PJM Interconnection, which coordinates the movement of electricity through all or parts of Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia. The PJM region has an area of 168,500 square miles, a population of about 51 million and a peak demand of 144,644 megawatts.
Because of the large geographic area served by the PJM Interconnection utility group, there is a greater potential for summertime demand peaks to occur involving Buckeye Power and Firelands. Even though very hot weather may not be present in Ohio, Firelands members may be affected by load management efforts to reduce high demand elsewhere in the PJM Interconnection utility group to keep power costs as low as possible for all consumers in the group.
Peak demand is very costly and continues to be a growing concern for all electric utilities. New generation facilities are needed, but what will they cost? Global climate change issues and greenhouse gas laws require special treatment and scrutiny for any new power plants. This means the cost of constructing future new generation facilities will be extremely expensive, and whatever the cost, consumers will pay the bill.
Cooperative electric loads have grown to the point that the excess generation capacity built decades ago has been used up. Buckeye Power's current generation mix includes base load coal-fired generation, natural gas-fired peaking units, hydroelectric generation, livestock waste digesters producing bio-gas for generation, and a wind turbine farm. This generation portfolio helps ensure that Ohio co-op members will have sufficient power supply beyond 2020.
Like those co-op members in the 1970s who paid for generation capacity they "grew into" over several decades, we take advantage of opportunities today to ensure our power supply for tomorrow and for the next generation. "The power we generate at our own plants is less expensive than power we may have to buy from the energy markets," said Firelands General Manager April Bordas. "If we can keep our energy demand lower, we don't have to buy the 'high-priced stuff' from outside markets, and we all save money."
Ohio's electric cooperatives offer load management programs to encourage their members to help reduce high demand during very hot, humid summer weather and at other times when high demand occurs. In addition, Buckeye Power continues to investigate various renewable energy options to add to its generation portfolio.


What do liberals and conservatives look for in a date?
September 10, 2013 in Other Sciences / Social Sciences
For their study, titled "The Dating Preferences of Liberals and Conservatives," the research team randomly sampled 2,944 profiles from a popular Internet, and examined the dating preference of users who identified as either liberal of conservative. The data allowed them to compare the way each dater described themselves on a number of dimensions, including race and ethnicity, religion, and the desire to have children, to the characteristics of their ideal date. Overall, regardless of ideology, daters want a partner that shares their characteristics.
Klofstad says that the to seek out partners that are like us could contribute to the increasing political divide between liberals and conservatives. "Parents pass their on to their children. So, if we are more easily able to find someone like ourselves by'shopping' for a partner online, Internet dating could hasten this process of. Of course, this process would occur over, not overnight."
Other findings:
Few individuals were willing to express a definitive political preference. The majority of online daters, 57 percent, reported that their politics are "middle of the road" rather than liberal or conservative. When asked to describe their body type, a larger proportion of daters voluntarily described themselves either "heavy set," having "a few extra pounds" or "stocky" than listed "politics" as one of their interests.
Conservative daters are more likely to be males and are less likely to belong to a racial or ethnic minority group. Liberals are younger, less likely to have been married, and less likely to have children. While liberal daters are better-educated than conservatives, this does not translate into any detectable income disparities between the two groups.
By and large, liberals and conservatives do not differ in their tendencies to seek out a partner that shares their characteristics. There are some notable exceptions, however. Overall, conservatives appear to be somewhat less accepting of dissimilarity. For example, conservatives are more likely than liberals to desire a date who shares their current relationship status, and conservative males are more likely than liberal males to want to date a female of their own race.
Provided by University of Miami
"What do liberals and conservatives look for in a date?" September 10, 2013 _URL_


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Below is the transcript of the video:
Hello, I am Anca Haiduc. I am an analytical scientist at Philip Morris working in Neuchatel Switzerland. Welcome and thank you for joining me for this presentation in which I will talk about the scientific substantiation of the absence of combustion in a novel heated tobacco product.
We all know that the toxicants released when combusting tobacco are the primary cause of smoking-related diseases. Heated tobacco products (HTP) are designed to heat the tobacco without combustion, in order to generate nicotine-containing aerosols instead of smoke.
HTPs are a category of products. They use different technologies. They heat at different temperatures, use different tobacco blends and processing methods for the tobacco. Therefore, each product needs to be scientifically assessed.
The aim of this current presentation is to present evidence that we have generated from the scientific assessment of a new HTP to substantiate the absence of combustion and the significant reduction in the levels of harmful and potentially harmful chemicals, called HPHCs, in this HTP aerosol relative to cigarette smoke.
This new heated tobacco product or HTP is an electronically heated product that uses an electrically controlled metal pin to heat the tobacco. It has a specifically designed tobacco stick which is inserted in the heating device and the device contains this electronically controlled metal pin that is acting as the heat source for the tobacco.
In order to substantiate the absence of combustion, the temperature of tobacco was measured at three points. First, the contact point between tobacco and heater, then the farthest end from the pin heater in the tobacco plug, and then the middle point between these two points that we described before.
Additional tests were performed under oxidative and non-oxidative atmospheres and the chemical analysis of the aerosol was also done, to assess the potential difference in the emissions between these 2 environments. In case of combustion, a difference in the aerosol composition would be measured.
Finally, a targeted aerosol chemistry analysis was performed in order to evaluate the levels of HPHCs in the generated aerosol in comparison with the smoke generated in the combustion of a 1R6F reference cigarette. The graph shows you the results that we have obtained. So first for the temperature of the tobacco the maximum temperature that was reached by the pin heater is 345 degrees Celsius, well below the level needed for combustion.
The maximum temperature of the tobacco reached 309 degrees Celsius, at the point of contact with the pin heater, and then it decreased with increasing distance from the pin. The observed drop of the temperature during puffs is an additional confirmation that no self-sustained combustion occurs. It is also interesting to note that as soon as the heating source is turned off the tobacco cooled rapidly. In addition, the tobacco is not consumed, and no smoke or ash are formed.
The second part is the results obtained under the oxidative and non-oxidative atmosphere. It can be seen from the table that the aerosol composition under these two environments is not changing, demonstrating that oxygen is not playing any significant role. The levels of CO, NO, and NOx are the same in the aerosol generated under these two atmospheres and they are massively inferior to the levels found in cigarette smoke.
Overall, this demonstrates that oxygen does not play an important role in the functioning of this novel heated tobacco product.
For the third part, we will look at the aerosol chemistry that was obtained on this product. A targeted aerosol chemistry analysis was performed to evaluate the levels of HPHCs emitted by the electronically heated novel tobacco product in comparison to the reference cigarette smoke. This analysis showed significantly lower levels of all measured HPHCs in this novel tobacco product aerosol compared to reference cigarette smoke.
To conclude, the evidence presented here scientifically substantiates that there is no combustion occurring in this new heated tobacco product. The main findings of the studies are the following:
By heating the tobacco instead of burning it, the HTP emits an aerosol with significantly reduced levels of HPHCs relative to cigarette smoke.
Thank you for joining me today I hope you enjoyed my presentation.


Premiere: 19. February 2015 at Dschungel Wien
Everything should be wider, higher, bigger and somehow more.
What is it that pushes us forward and allows us to advance? What are our wishes? What urges and desires do we have? How much of these impulses comes from ourselves and where do we run after heteronomous trends? When do we need a push, that leads us to leave the beaten path and to outgrow ourselves? And when do we transgress limits? Using contemporary and urban movement material, the dancers explore the push-and-pull of daily routine, one's own impuls, the manipulation of the other and being pushed.
They also explore the balance between safety and risk, positive and negative consequences and the attention we crave amidst the mental capitalism.Coproduction from SILK Fluegge & DSCHUNGEL WIEN
Choreography: Silke Grabinger
Choreographic Assistent: Olga Swietlicka Stage, Light Design: Jakob Wiesmayer Dramaturgy: Marianne Artmann Lights: Sebastian Meyer Dancers: Jerca Rožnik Novak, Maartje Pasman, Matej Kubuš
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The two different types of steroids for cats are anti-inflammatory steroids and anabolic steroids. These steroid treatments can be administered intravenously or orally in pill or liquid form. Steroids like prednisone, methylprednisolone, and dexamethasone make up the group of common anti-inflammatory steroids and are used for conditions involving swelling and inflammation. Other types of steroid medication, like stanozolol and nandrolone or nortestosterone, are anabolic steroids that help adrenaline and other hormone problems. Both kinds of steroids for cats can cause adverse side effects, so veterinarians should monitor their use and make adjustments or prescribe a different medication if required.
Anti-inflammatory steroids perhaps are the most common steroid medication, among both humans and animals. Vets often prescribe anti-inflammatory steroids for cats to treat various causes of swelling and inflammation. Examples include conditions that cause inflammation of the stomach and intestines, sinuses, and the lungs and bronchi, which are the tubes that allow air to travel to and from the lungs. Certain conditions that cause brain and spinal swelling react well to anti-inflammatory steroids. Other common uses of steroids for cats include arthritis and tendonitis, allergies, and diseases that attack the immune system.
Although they are well-known for their abuse among some weight lifters, body builders, and athletes, anabolic steroids provide immense health benefits for cats. For instance, veterinarians might prescribe anabolic steroids for cats who suffer from anemia and need to rebuild their red blood cell count. Cats with conditions that have prevented them from being active and led to atrophied muscles can benefit from the muscle-strengthening properties of anabolic steroids. These steroids can also stimulate bone marrow, as well as act as hormone medication. For example, some feline urethra problems respond well to testosterone hormone treatment provided by anabolic steroids.
Just as they can with human use, the side effects of steroid treatment among cats vary from mild to severe. Some cats experience an increase in appetite and thirst, weight gain, and sodium and fluid retention. Other cats experience personality changes and may become more aggressive or irritable than usual. Certain side effects, like difficulty breathing and the onset of kidney or liver disease, can seriously affect the cat's quality of life or even be fatal. If a veterinarian prescribes a steroid treatment for a cat, he should closely monitor the cat's positive and negative reactions to the treatment and adjust or discontinue the medication as necessary.
One of our editors will review your suggestion and make changes if warranted. Note that depending on the number of suggestions we receive, this can take anywhere from a few hours to a few days. Thank you for helping to improve wiseGEEK!


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Joint attention is the ability to shift your attention between an object or event and your communication partner. For example, if a little girl notices an ice cream truck coming down the street, she may look at it, then turn to her father with a hopeful smile before turning back to stare at the ice cream truck. Or, a little boy may be spinning an empty water bottle on the floor, enjoying the movement and shifting colors as the bottle spins. He may look up at his mother and point to the bottle, sharing his enjoyment with her.
Many autistic children do not develop joint attention skills on their own. Their parents often describe them as being "in their own world," absorbed in playing with whatever has caught their attention, and seeming oblivious to everything else around them.
But if kids are only focusing on one thing at a time (typically an object rather than a person), they're missing out on so much! They aren't learning to communicate with others about shared experiences. They aren't learning the new vocabulary and concepts that they could if they were paying attention to others during a shared experience. They aren't learning to read facial expressions and understand gestures. They aren't learning about other people's emotions.
That's why it's so crucial to help autistic kids develop their joint attention skills. Studies show that young children's joint attention skills greatly impact their future language skills.
How can you start helping autistic kids learn to shift their attention between an object/event and a person? Here are some easy, fun ways to work on early joint attention skills:
- Do goofy, unexpected actions with toys. For example, if they're playing with matchbox cars, take one that they're not using, and pop it on your head. Tilt your head back as you dramatically pretend that you're about to sneeze: "Aaah, aaah, aaah…" then suddenly pop your head down and let the car fall off into your lap as you "sneeze" with a loud "CHOO!" Then hand the car to the child.
- Pretend to eat some of the child's food. During snack or meal time, hold out your hand to ask for a little bit of food, then pretend to eat the food. Be very loud and exaggerated: "YUM YUM YUM YUM!!" while smacking your lips and making fake chewing sounds. Then hand the food back, intact, to the child.
- Introduce toys that the child needs help with. Bubbles and balloons work great for this. Blow up a balloon, pinch it tight, and say, "Ready, set…GO!" and release the balloon. It will fly quickly around the room, making noise as the air is expelled. The child will typically not be able to blow up the balloon. Help them learn to give it to you. As you blow up the balloon again, blow slowly, waggle your eyebrows, and take breaks to hold out the balloon and admire it ("Wow! Look! It's big!") before continuing to blow it up. (Note: please make sure the child does not have a latex allergy before trying balloons.)
Remember, your goal is to show the child that YOU are just as fun and engaging as his toys! The more fun you are, the more readily the child will switch focus, back and forth, between the object and you. Success!
Want to learn more? There are many books that are good resources for learning more about how to develop joint attention skills. Two of my favorites are An Early Start for Your Child with Autism (Rogers, Dawson, & Vismara) and More Than Words: Helping Parents Promote Communication and Social Skills in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (Sussman).


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The People of Central Scotland at Home and Abroad, _PHONE_ (Paperback)
Central Scotland includes the counties of Stirlingshire and neighboring Clackmannanshire, which stretch from Loch Lomond and the Trossachs to the upper reaches of the River Forth. The region is partly in the Highlands and partly in the Lowlands. Most of the early emigration from Central Scotland was by individuals or family groups, but in 1773 the Arnprior Emigration Society formed by farmers in west Stirlingshire organized an emigration to Vermont. In the early 19th century three other emigration societies in Stirlingshire"""Alloa in 1817, Balfron in 1821, and Deanston in 1821"""organized groups of emigrants bound to Upper Canada. The entries in this work, to some extent, enable family historians in the Americas, Australasia, and other locations to link with their kin who remained in Scotland. The Statistical Account of Scotland (OSA), compiled between 1791 and 1799, and the New Statistical Account of Scotland (NSA), compiled between 1832 and 1845, are especially helpful for understanding Scottish society of the period. These can be consulted in major libraries, such as the National Library of Scotland, or online. In the late 18th century, the regional economy was based on farming, textiles, and mining. The existence of iron and coal enabled industrialization to occur relatively early. Coalmining rapidly expanded due to domestic demand and industrial expansion, especially the adoption of the Bolton and Watt steam engines in Scottish textile mills. Supplies of flax were imported from the Baltic, and the linen manufactured became an important export for Central Scotland. The nearly simultaneous Agricultural Revolution caused the merging of small farms, creating a rural labor surplus that either moved to the burgeoning factory towns in the Lowlands or emigrated.


Selected Works
Yael Shachar was born in 1974, lives and works in Israel.
Shachar is an interdisciplinary artist working mostly with photography and documentary cinema. A graduate of the 'Musrara' School of photography in Jerusalem, completed with Honors, (2001).
"In my work I often depict people that are a part of my everyday life, while observing the various coping mechanisms with issues such as sexuality, culture, gender and taboos. My work often deals with the wide connotations these everyday dealings bring forth and the conflicts they induce. One of the dominant themes is the unique fabric and social climate of Israel and the way it reacts to the Americanisation process and the capitalist influences. This process where movies and narratives intertwine in local culture and become an integral part of it, plays a large role in aesthetics. These elements both mask and reveal signifiers such as commerce and violence as they reveal inner complexes regarding access and void.
I attempt to capture the abnormalities that occur within known conventions that are an inherent part of the immediate surroundings. The work is often visually seductive and uses techniques of photography that are part of these conventions, but are used to draw the viewers away from their comfort zone. My work is often an ongoing process that contains following prominent female figures in my life. The series 'Sisters,' which I started in 1997, follows a set of women who are part of my immediate circle of friends and my family. The work observes the boundaries between the natural and the theatrical of performance aspects of femininity."


Do Drywall Screws Rust?
Screws are screws right? Believe it or not there are many different types of screws that are used for certain projects or situations. This means that they are made from different materials and configured differently in order to get their specific job they are designed for done in their own special way.
In this article we will be specifically talking about the drywall screw. Just like the name gives away it is typically used to hangup sheets of dry wall to wall studs or ceiling joists.. I know, mind blowing stuff right? So one question we may ask ourselves related to drywall screw is… do drywall screws rust? Even though the black phosphate outer coating will help prevent rusting of a drywall screw, these screws will eventually rust. Since after awhile drywall screws will rust, they are typically only used for indoor projects. If used outdoors it can cause them to rust since they would be exposed to the elements.
If you want to find the best Drywall Screws, click here.
What is a Drywall Screw?
A drywall screw are the standard screw used to secure sheets of drywall. Many people will also use drywall screws for other projects because they are inexpensive and the heads on these screws are flat, meaning they will keep from sinking into the wood. This means there is less of a chance of splitting the wood. You need to be careful using a drywall screw for non drywall projects because they are very brittle and can snap easily.
What Causes Rust?
Rust is a natural process where the iron in metals comes into contact with oxygen and water. This then causes it to corrode and deteriorate. Since oxygen and iron have opposite charges they are attracted to each other. So when they combine it causes oxidation and the reaction then creates rust.
Rusting causes issues because it looks gross and makes the metals become weak by causing decaying. This causes major problems because you expect metal to be a strong and durable metal but if rust is occurring that once strong object could become weak and nimble and cause serious problems with the functionality.
What To Do If Your Screw Rusts
If you have a screw that is deeply rusted it is important to fix this asap. If left you never know when it will snap and whatever it was holding up could crash and fall. The first thing we want to do is remove the rusted nail.
Steps to remove a rusted screw:
 1. Apply a product such as WD-40 that will help dissolve the corrosion on and around the screw. Things such as hydrogen peroxide, lemon juice, or cola can also be used.
 2. Gently tap the head of the screw with a hammer. This will cause vibrations which will allow the solution to work its way through the threads of the screw.
 3. Try to unscrew to remove the screw. If it's still stuck then try again.
 4. Clean the area where the screw was.
 5. Replace with a new screw.
Always keep an eye out for rusted screws in the home. It is vital to always replace them if they are found. We do not want to wait until it is too far gone.
The Make of a Drywall Screw
Drywall screws are inexpensive and can be bought in huge tubs because for any drywall project you are going to need a plethora of screws to get the job done. So what makes a drywall screw different than other types of screws?
The drywall screw is a threaded screw from the head to the bottom. It is coated in zinc or phosphate. The phosphate coating, which gives it its black color, is what makes it more rust resistant. This doesn't mean its rust proof though and is still not recommended for using on any outdoor projects.
Sizes Drywall Screws
Drywall screws come in many different sizes. They can range from 1-8 inches long because building materials range in thickness. Materials would range from metal sheets to wood beams.
Today's typical home will consist of 1/2 inch thick drywall, but the thickness can range from home to home. It is important to know the thickness of the drywall so you can choose the right size of drywall screw to get the job done.
 - 1/4 inch drywall: Use 1 inch to 1 1/4 inch drywall screws
 - 1/2 inch drywall: Use 1 1/4 inch or 1 5/8 inch drywall screws
 - 5/8 inch drywall: Use 1 5/8 inch or 2 inch drywall screws
Thread Types: Coarse or Fine
Drywall screws can have one of two thread types. Each are used for a very specific reason and need to be considered before buying the right one. It is important to know what your studs are made of before picking the right thread type for your drywall screws.
 1. Coarse: Used for drywall and wood projects. Have wide threads in order to grip to the wood and pull the drywall against the studs as close as possible.
 2. Fine: Used for installing drywall into metal studs. These drywall screws work great with metal because they are self threading.
Now we know if your studs are made of wood, use coarse, if made of metal, lets go with the fine thread.
Drywall Screws vs. Wood Screws
Obviously the number one use for drywall screws is to be used for putting up sheets of drywall in the home. They can either be attached by screwing into wood or metal studs.
Some DIYers use drywall screws for building projects, which I would not recommend. Drywall screws are brittle and do not bend easily, which means at any moment they could snap, especially if used in hardwood. If they snap then it leaves the shaft in the wood with the head gone… pretty hard to remove a screw with no head. Drywall screws are hardened so Phillips slots wont strip out under high stress from power tools. Wood screws are thicker and made of a softer metal making them more snap resistant. Lets make sure we use wood screws over drywall screws when we are doing any wood working.
Wood and drywall screws also have different thread patterns. Wood screws are smooth right under the head and not threaded. This part ensures the top part of the screw slides in the wood makes it easier for the lower part of the screws threads to clamp on the wood.
Drywall screws are threaded all the way to the head. Which means when two pieces are attached together sometimes it could keep them apart unless the two pieces are clamped together in the beginning.
Final Thoughts
Dry wall screws are made for a very specific job. To hang up sheets of drywall. This means if used for this specific job you probably do not have to worry about them rusting. However, if you choose to use this screw for it not intended purpose or outside, it is highly likely the phosphate covering will deteriorate over time and the drywall screws will indeed rust.
Related Questions
What type of screws are rust resistant? Any stainless steel screw are the most rust resistant.
Will zinc screws rust? Zinc screws will rust. They are corrosion resistant but will rust if the coating deteriorates or exposed to a wet environment.
Can I use drywall screw outdoors? You should not use drywall screws outdoors. The elements of the outdoors will deteriorate the phosphate coating and cause the screw to rust quickly.
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