"Section 9A" Tax Enquiries
What is a Section 9a Tax Enquiry?
Under the Self Assessment rules, HMRC has the right to make enquiries into any tax return.
This right applies to the original tax return, and to any subsequent amendment to the return made by the taxpayer.
A Section 9a notice informing you that your tax return has been selected for an enquiry isn't the most pleasant of letters.
What you need to do if you get a Section 9a letter?
If you do receive a Section 9a letter, it will inform you what law the Revenue are using to allow them to legally look into your tax affairs. For example, the letter might make reference to a "Section 9A TMA 1970" which is the type of enquiry we'll be looking at in this blog.
Section 9a enquiries must be opened by the Revenue within twelve months of your tax return being filed. Anything later than this and once their error has been pointed out, the Revenue will not be able to take the enquiry any further under Section 9a.
The initial letter that is sent to you will outline the information the Revenue are seeking. It might be the Revenue have just a few specific questions relating to a few aspects on your tax return, or it might be they are raising an enquiry into your whole tax return and are therefore wanting all of your financial documents. If the latter, and if your business is sizeable, the Revenue will arrange for an inspector to visit your business premises to review your financial records. This meeting can take place at our offices.
The Revenue will also give you a deadline for replying and it is important these deadlines are adhered to or, if you have a good reason why you cannot meet the given deadline, you explain to the inspector why you need more time.
What triggers a Section 9a Enquiry?
People who are selected for a Section 9a enquiry want to know what has caused the enquiry. The Revenue do not usually give the reason. Your return might have been picked at random, however the most likely cause is that the Revenue suspect there is an error in your return. The Revenue hope their enquiries will uncover underpaid tax and so they use a variety of methods to detect potential errors on individuals' tax returns. Some of these methods are as follows:-
 1. A tax return might report earnings that appear too low to support the tax payer's lifestyle;
 2. The tax return figures – particularly the ratio of direct costs to sales – might change considerably from year to year. Normally these would stay fairly consistent;
 3. The tax return figures are out of the ordinary – in terms of size, type or profit percentages – when compared to other businesses in the same industry;
 4. Unusual figures in the tax return have caught the Revenue's attention e.g. large "capital introduced" or repairs;
 5. Filing tax returns late can also trigger an investigation.
It can be seen from the above list that in order to help avoid a Section 9A enquiry, it's important you file accurate and complete tax returns on time. There is a box on the tax return in which you can provide additional information. Use this to explain unusual figures in the return, or if your living expenses are funded by means other than your earnings eg your partner helps pay for living expenses, or you receive tax credits or use savings.
A number of self-employed people have investigation insurance to help with the professional fees if they have an enquiry.
We can help


text:
Enfocus Tailor 2.0.8
This allows you to open and edit any PostScript or Encapsulated PostScript file from any source.
Documents appear in the window exactly as they will when printed, and you can manipulate them directly on the screen.
Click and drag to move or resize images, paths or text; open a text line to correct a spelling mistake; use the color mixer to apply a new color. You can move between pages at random, or zoom in to check and edit in detail.

source: openbmb/Ultra-FineWeb


text:
RHCE High Risk Foot Final Report
High Risk Foot – Training of Health Professionals to Assess the High Risk Foot.
WACRH obtained a Rural Health Continuing Education Grant for the High Risk Foot Project to deliver training workshops in rural and remote areas of WA to:
Increase awareness of high risk foot disease
Supply culturally appropriate diabetes foot care patient educational materials
Train health care professionals how to do a foot risk assessment
Supply health professionals with the necessary equipment to do a foot risk assessment
Provide ongoing High Risk Foot education


$u_y$ by an angle of $-\pi/2$ radians.
norm(rotate(diffy(u), -pi/2)-diffx(u))
ans =
We observe that $u_{xx} + u_{yy}$ is a scalar multiple of $u$. We can compare Diskfun's result with the computation $-\lambda u$, where $\sqrt{\lambda} = 7.58834243450380$.
plot(lap(u)), axis off
title('Laplacian of u')
lambda = (7.58834243450380)^2;
norm(-lambda*u - lap(u))
ans =
16.3 Poisson equation
We can use Diskfun to compute smooth solutions to the Poisson equation on the disk. In this example, we compute the solution $v(\theta, \rho)$ for the Poisson equation with a Dirichlet boundary condition: we seek $v$ such that $$ \nabla^2 v = f, \qquad v(\theta, 1) = 1,$$ where $(\theta, \rho) \in [-\pi, \pi] \times [0, 1]$ and $f = \sin \left( 21 \pi \left( 1 + \cos( \pi \rho) \right) \rho^2-2\rho^5\cos \left( 5(t-.11)\right) \right)$. The solution is returned as a diskfun, so we can immediately plot it, evaluate it, find its zero contours, or perform other operations. Currently, Diskfun requires the user to specify the number of 2D coefficients to be solved for; in this case, we choose a coefficient matrix of size $256 \times 256$.
f = @(t,r) sin(21*pi*(1+cos(pi*r)).*(r.^2-2*r.^5.*cos(5*(t-0.11))));
rhs = diskfun(f, 'polar');
bc = @(t) 0*t+1;
v = diskfun.poisson(f, bc, 256)
v =
 diskfun object
 domain rank vertical scale
 unit disk 21 1
plot( rhs ), axis off
title( 'f' ), snapnow
plot( v ), axis off
title( 'v' )
16.4 Vector calculus
Since the introduction of Chebfun2, Chebfun has supported computations with vector-valued functions, including functions in 2D (Chebfun2v), 3D (Chebfun3v), and spherical geometries (Spherefunv, Ballfunv). Similarly, Diskfunv allows one to compute with vector-valued functions on the disk. Currently, there are dozens of commands available in Diskfunv, including vector-based algebraic commands such as cross, as well as commands that map vector-valued functions to scalar-valued functions (e.g., dot, curl, div and jacobian) and vice-versa (e.g., grad), and commands for performing calculus with vector fields (e.g., laplacian).
In this example, we create a diskfun consisting of a difference of two Gaussian functions, and then compute its gradient. The result is returned as a vector-valued object called a diskfunv, with a lower case 'd'.
psi = @(x,y) 5*exp(-10*(x+.2).^2-10*(y+.4).^2)...
 -5*exp(-10*(x-.2).^2-10*(y-.2).^2) + 5*(1-x.^2-y.^2)-20;
f = diskfun( psi );
u = grad(f)
u =
diskfunv object containing
 diskfun object
 domain rank vertical scale
 unit disk 27 18
 diskfun object
 domain rank vertical scale
 unit disk 25 20
The vector-valued function $\mathbf{u}$ consists of two components, ordered with respect to unit vectors in the directions of $x$ and $y$, respectively. Each of these is stored as a diskfun. We can view the vector field using a quiver plot:
plot(f), hold on
quiver(u, 'k'), axis off, hold off
Once a diskfunv object is created, dozens of overloaded commands can be applied to it. For example, here is a contour plot of the divergence of $\mathbf{u}$.
D = div( u );
contour(D,10), hold on
Since $\mathbf{u}$ is the gradient of $f$, we can verify that $\nabla \cdot \mathbf{u} = \nabla^2 f$:
norm( div(u) - lap(f) )
ans =
Additionally, since $\mathbf{u}$ is a gradient field, $\nabla \times \mathbf{u} = 0$.
We can verify this with the curl command.
v = curl(u);
norm( v )
ans =
Diskfunv objects can be created by calling the constructor directly and supplying function handles or diskfuns for each component, or by vertically concatenating two diskfuns. Here, we demonstrate this by forming a diskfunv $\mathbf{v}$ that represents the surface curl for a scalar-valued function $g$, i.e, $\nabla \times [0, 0, g]$.
g = diskfun( @(x,y) cosh(.25.*(cos(5*x)+sin(4*y.^2)))-2 );
dgx = diffx( g );
dgy = diffy( g );
v = diskfunv(dgy, -dgx); % call constructor
norm(v - [dgy; -dgx]) % equivalent to vertical concatenation
ans =
plot( g ), hold on
quiver(v, 'w'), axis off
title( 'The numerical surface curl of g' ), hold off
This construction is equivalent to using the command curl on the scalar function $g$:
norm( v - curl(g) )
ans =
To see all commands available for vector-valued functions in Diskfun, type methods diskfunv in the MATLAB command line.
16.5 Constructing a diskfun
The above sections describe how to use Diskfun, and this section provides a brief overview of how the algorithms in Diskfun work. This can be useful for understanding various aspects of approximation involving functions on the disk. More details can be found in [Townsend, Wilber & Wright, 2016b], and also in the closely related Spherefun part (Chapter 17) of the guide.
Like Chebfun2 and Spherefun, Diskfun uses a variant of Gaussian elimination (GE) to form low rank approximations to functions. This often results in a compressed representation of the function, and it also facilitates the use of highly efficient algorithms that work primarily on sets of 1D functions related to the approximant.
To construct a diskfun from a function $f$, we consider an extended version of $f$, denoted by $\tilde{f}$, which is formed by taking $f(\theta, \rho)$ and letting $\rho$ range over $[-1, 1]$, as opposed to $[0, 1]$. This is the disk analogue of the so-called double Fourier sphere method discussed in Chapter 17 (also, see [Fornberg, 1998] and [Trefethen, 2000]). The function $\tilde{f}$ has a special structure, referred to as a blockmirror-centrosymmetric (BMC) structure. By forming approximants that preserve the BMC structure of $\tilde{f}$, smoothness near the origin is guaranteed.
To see the BMC structure, we construct a diskfun f and use the cart2pol command:
f = @(x,y) cos(2*((3*sin(2*x)+5*sin(y))))-.5*sin(x-y);
f = diskfun(f);
plot(f), axis off
tf = cart2pol(f, 'cdr')
plot(tf), view(2)
title('The BMC function associated with f')
tf =
 chebfun2 object (trig in x)
 domain rank corner values
[-3.1, 3.1] x [ -1, 1] 26 [0.26 0.26 1.1 1.1]
vertical scale = 1.5
A structure-preserving method of GE (see [Townsend, Wilber & Wright, 2016b]) adaptively selects a collection of 1D circular and radial "slices" that are used to approximate $\tilde{f}$. Each circular slice is a periodic function in $\theta$, and is represented by a trigonometric interpolant (or trigfun, see Chapter 11). Each radial slice, a function in $\rho$, is represented as a chebfun. These slices form a low rank representation of $f$, \begin{equation} \label{eq:lra} f(\theta, \rho) \approx \sum_{j=1}^{n} d_jc_j(\rho)r_j(\theta), \end{equation} where ${ d_j }_{j=1}^{n}$ are pivot values associated with the GE procedure.
The plot command can be used to display the "skeleton" of f: the locations of the slices that were adaptively selected and sampled during the GE


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1. Separate the egg yolks and egg whites, place the egg yolks in a mixing bowl add half of the sugar and using a hand blender, beat until the sugar is dissolved.
2. Once done add the mascarpone cheese and mix well.
3. In another bowl beat the egg whites with the remaining sugar, beat until it doubles in volume and stiff peaks are formed.
4. Gently fold the egg whites into the mascarpone mixture, until everything is well incorporated.
5. Soak the lady finger in the espresso and line then in the dish; cover it with the custard, spread evenly.
6. Sprinkle cocoa powder and then arrange the second layer of ladyfinger, follow the same steps, final layer will be of custard and a good sprinkle of cocoa powder.
7. Once done let the tiramisu rest in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours.
8. Serve the tiramisu after a hearty meal.
If you have layered the ladyfinger horizontally in the first layer, then for the second layer arrange it vertically


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I guess the first question to clear up is 'what is a headshot?' For most people there is a tangible difference between a headshot and a portrait, therefore it is important to clarify this at the beginning. The content below is drawn from Wikipedia because I couldn't have put it much better:
A head shot or headshot is a specific type of portrait (usually a photograph) that realistically demonstrates a person's appearance for branding or casting. Many head shots are promotional pictures of actors, models, authors. Headshots could be a portrait of a face or full body with a background that clearly illustrate the personality inside the person photographed.
Modeling head shots or comp cards, sometimes also called tear sheets, are a compilation of images for casting in one sheet with a résumé of work, name and relevant statistics. They are often done in color; however in some jurisdictions, such as the UK, they may be in black-and-white. Models often use them for castings and modeling work applications. A close-up head shot is often required to show a model's skin complexion for beauty work.
Corporate head shots are portraits often produced digitally and used for engaging in social media, the 'about us' page and industry specialty sites. A headshot or head shot is often used for branding and to showcase the business leader's life, style and personality while corporations will use the headshot to merge branding between the people working for them and its agency. Traditional head shots are still taken in a studio setting, though shots "on-location" or "in-the-field" continue to increase in popularity. In both cases, backgrounds tend to be simple. Subjects are often shown head-to-chest or head-to-torso.
Source – Wikipedia
So, in essence a headshot is a subset of portraiture, usually simpler in form, often with a plain background. We shoot both portraits and headshots, occasionally the line between becomes blurred.


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Simultaneous action is designated by replacing the "〜ます" ending of the polite present positive tense of the first verb with "〜ながら". The tense is then determined by the latter verb. Both actions should be performed by the same person.
Those more comfortable thinking in terms of the dictionary form can see this as adding "〜ながら" to the stem of vowel-stem verbs, or the い-row of consonant-stem verbs (e.g. 飲む -> 飲みながら example below).
The irregular verbs are also put in the い-row making them identical to the consontant-stem verbs.
ながら
The tense of the sentence is given with the second verb.


Guest Welcome Protocol
Through age-old paved paths that link forgotten villages together and mountain trails, Abeliona Retreat is your starting point for day trips and visits to cultural treasures and well-preserved ancient sites: the Temple of Apollo Epicurius on the way to the traditional village of Andritsena, the miraculous church of Saint Theodora in Megalopolis, the majestic waterfalls of Neda and Mount Lykaion; known since antiquity, the village of Karytaina with its 13th century Frankish Castle and of course the sacred grounds of Ancient Olympia. Discover something new every day by merely allowing your senses to be your guide.
Visit the Temple of Apollo Epicurius
World Heritage Site by UNESCO and one of the best preserved classical antiquity, the temple of Apollo Epicurius was built in the 5th BC century by Iktinos. The monument can be compared in importance to Acropolis. According to the myth the inhabitants of the area of Fygaleia dedicated the temple to Apollo, when he helped them to overcome a major epidemic. That was the reason why they called him "Epicurius" (for the cure).
Epicurius Appolon
Visit ST. Theodora Church
Legend says that before her death, Saint Theodora begged for her hair to become trees, her blood to shift to river and her body to a church. The small church of the 12th AD century, located in Vasta, has in its roof seventeen trees that pass through the walls and the roof. Even today visitors can see the water gushing from the foundations.
Saint Theodora Church
Discover Neda's waterfalls
Neda is the one and only river in Greece with a female name, which derives from the ancient nymph Neda, one of three nymphs who nursed the god Zeus. The impressive waterfalls falling from a height of 7 meters (the lowest) and 20m (the highest) form a beautiful, turquoise small lakes that-especially in the summer – give visitors the opportunity for a quick refreshing splash.
Neda Waterfall
Wander the medieval town of Karytaina
Karytaina first mentioned in the 13th AD century. Today is characterized as a traditional settlement. The medieval castle and the plethora of Byzantine churches complete the picture. The main attraction is the well preserved Frankish castle, built on top of the hill, which was also used as the base of Kolokotronis activities during the Greek revolution of 1821.
Karitaina Hill
Walk in the backstreets of Andritsaina
It is built on a green slope of Lykaion. Andritsaina is a city which was developed in the 12th-13th AD century. The picturesque village welcomes every year thousands of visitors who come to admire the mansions, the backstreets and the square with tall trees that capture traditional greek villages. The Big Spring (Trani Vrisi), located there, is the oldest of the Peloponnese and was built in 1724.
Andritsaina Village
Organize a trip to Ancient Olympia
The first evidence of human presence in Olympia date back to the 4th millennium BC. This period was the most celebrated sanctuary of ancient Greece and the permanent venue of the ancient Olympic Games. Fair enough, is one of the most famous archaeological sites in the world and this is a reason in itself to visit and feel the special energy.
Ancient Olympia


MouseLeave Event
UIElement.MouseLeave Event
Occurs when the mouse (or the stylus) leaves the bounding area of a UIElement.
Namespace: System.Windows
Assembly: System.Windows (in System.Windows.dll)
public event MouseEventHandler MouseLeave
The MouseLeave event is raised in response to the mouse (or the stylus) leaving the object's bounding area.
You can define multiple MouseLeave events for objects in XAML content. However, if a child object and its parent object both define a MouseLeave event, the parent object's MouseLeave event occurs before the child object's MouseLeave event. This is not a case of a bubbling event; it indicates only that the mouse (or the stylus) has entered both objects, potentially at different times depending on the object layout and composition of the visual tree.
Unlike the MouseEnter event, the MouseLeave event does not provide the mouse (or the stylus) position in event data, because the position of the mouse pointer relative to the object is unknown when it is out of bounds. Because it is always null, you generally should not use the event data from your MouseLeave event handler, although you may still be interested in the sender parameter.
MouseLeave and OnMouseLeave
Controls that inherit MouseLeave can provide handling for the event that acts as handler for all instances, by overriding the OnMouseLeave method. OnMouseLeave can be useful either for setting visual state, or for public or internal state properties. For instance, Slider implements OnMouseLeave in order to check the Thumb element's value for IsDragging (which cancels a particular behavior mode), and also to set visual state. For more information, see OnMouseLeave.
Supported in: 5, 4, 3
Silverlight for Windows Phone
Supported in: Windows Phone OS 7.1, Windows Phone OS 7.0
Community Additions
© 2015 Microsoft


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Baleage vs. Haylage: What's really the difference?
Listen to a discussion of the content in this article on this episode of the BeefWatch podcast. You can subscribe to new episodes in iTunes or paste _URL_ into your podcast app.
Often times the terms baleage and haylage are used interchangeable in conversation due to the state or country of the farm/ranch or simply by the type of operation. So how are baleage and haylage different and why are they used?
The ensiling or fermentation process of preserving forages takes place in both haylage and baleage, hence the names. Baleage can be confused with traditional dry hay because it is still a square or round bale, but it is simply hay that is too moist to store safely as dry hay so it is wrapped or otherwise sealed in plastic. Baleage can be fermented as individual bales or in a tube/inline.
Both baleage and haylage begin with mowing the forage and combining into a windrow typically. The next step is where the differences begin to be more apparent. Haylage is forage chopped using a silage chopper and packed in a bunk, silo, or bag. Some producers may chop right after the mower or allow for some minimal drying prior to chopping to reach a moisture content of 60-70 percent. This is sometimes referred to as the wilt stage and also may be referred to as silage. This is a common moisture for producing haylage although haylage is more commonly chopped at a lower moisture content of 40-60 percent, which also may be called low-moisture haylage. Producing chopped silage is a tried and true method that continues to produce high quality forage with which most producers are knowledgeable or at least familiar. Neighbors or silage crews can usually be found easily and are able to perform all the tasks associated with making silage or haylage. Haylage may not be an option for producers who do not have the equipment needed to feed a silage. In this case, baleage may be a better option, with minor equipment changes needed to feed and with more management flexibility than haylage.
Baleage is partially dried forage, preferably 45-55 percent moisture, which is baled and wrapped with at least 6 layers of 1 mil plastic. Monitoring the moisture content is critical in reducing the risk of spoilage once baled. The process of fermentation in baleage is slower and less complete compared to haylage or silage due to a more loosely packed forage (more oxygen), a larger particle size (less available sugars), and lower moisture, typically. The slower fermentation results in a pH higher than that of haylage. A pH of around 5.0 is present in the bales, which results in more challenging preservation during the fermentation process.
Baleage can create high quality forage if done properly. Some advantages over dry hay include less loss during storage, fewer weather delays at harvest, and faster turnaround from when the forage is down in both regrowth and time on the ground. The equipment changes are not significant but need to be considered. Wrapping equipment is cheaper than a silage chopper, but handling the bales requires different equipment than the classic bale spear or grapple. Disadvantages include getting forage baled at the best moisture content, wrapping within the first 12-24 hours to minimize damage and quality loss, plastic maintenance if holes occur by the environment or animals, plastic disposal, and reduced ability to transport without proper equipment.
Baleage and haylage produce high quality feed when harvested and stored correctly. High quality baleage may be utilized as a cheaper protein supplement alternative on winter range. Each have advantages and disadvantages. While distinct processes result in two different products, the terms haylage, baleage, wet hay, chop, wilt silage, or another are often used interchangeably in conversation. Being clear on the method being discussed is important when attempting to produce a high quality forage for livestock.
Interviews with the authors of BeefWatch newsletter articles become available throughout the month of publication and are accessible at _URL_


Repurposed Sensor Allows Smartwatch To Detect Finger Taps and Other Bio-Acoustic Signals
Software Update Could Add New Interface Capabilities
Thanks to new functionality developed by HCII researchers, smartwatches can recognize objects and activities by monitoring vibrations that occur when people hold objects or use tools. It could even be used to help tune a guitar.
A smartwatch can detect and distinguish a variety of taps, flicks and scratches by the hands and fingers, and all that's required is a software upgrade that repurposes the device's existing accelerometer, Carnegie Mellon University researchers discovered.
This functionality enables new applications that use common gestures to control the smartwatch and, ultimately, other objects connected through the internet of things. By monitoring vibrations that occur when people hold objects or use tools, the smartwatch would also be capable of recognizing objects and activities. It could even be used to help tune a guitar, with the smartwatch displaying the note transmitted as the guitarist plucks and adjusts each string. (Learn more in the video below.)
"It's as if you're using your hand as a detection device," said Gierad Laput, a Ph.D. student in the Human-Computer Interaction Institute (HCII), suggesting totally new uses for smartwatches. "The hand is what people use to interact with the world."
This new technology, dubbed ViBand, was developed by Laput and Ph.D. student Robert Xiao — both members of the HCII's Future Interfaces Group — along with their adviser Chris Harrison, assistant professor of human-computer interaction. They will present a paper describing the work at the Association for Computing Machinery's User Interface Software and Technology (ACM UIST) Symposium this week in Tokyo.
Normally, a smartwatch accelerometer detects when a person lifts an arm so the screen can activate, or sometimes to count footsteps. To do so, the accelerometer only needs to take measurements about 100 times a second. But when researchers increased the sampling frequency to 4,000 a second (4 kHz), they found it acted like a vibrational microphone. Rather than detecting sounds transmitted through the air, however, it couples with the body to detect bio-acoustic signals.
"ViBand isn't just a way to control your smartwatch," Harrison said. "It enables you to augment your arm. It's a powerful interface that's always available to you."
A ViBand-enabled watch can tell if someone is tapping on the forearm, or the palm or back of the hand. It can detect finger flicks, scratches and other motions. It can also sense if a person is holding various mechanical and electrical tools, such as an electric toothbrush, power drill or handsaw. Each body tap, device or activity has distinctive bio-acoustic signals.
To increase the frequency of the accelerometer's sampling rate, the research team developed a custom kernel — the core of the smartwatch's operating system. That's the only modification required and can be performed as a software update, Laput said.
The team developed several demonstration apps for ViBand, including using hand gestures near the watch to control its apps. Similar gestures could be used to control remote devices, such as lights, a TV or other appliances connected via the internet of things.
They also showed it could be used for object-aware apps, such as monitoring meal preparations or providing visual feedback while tuning an acoustic guitar.
Finally, the researchers propose an application using what they call a vibro-tag, which is a small object that emits inaudible, structured vibrations that contain data. A vibro-tag on a person's office door, for instance, might transmit information about office hours or alternative contact information.
This research was supported by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, a Google Faculty Research Award and Qualcomm. More information and a video are available on Laput's website.
For More Information
Byron Spice | _PHONE_ |


nag_dummy_vars (g04eac) (PDF version)
g04 Chapter Contents
g04 Chapter Introduction
NAG C Library Manual
NAG Library Function Document
nag_dummy_vars (g04eac)
+ Contents
 1 Purpose
 7 Accuracy
1 Purpose
nag_dummy_vars (g04eac) computes orthogonal polynomial or dummy variables for a factor or classification variable.
2 Specification
_TAG_
_TAG_
void nag_dummy_vars (Nag_DummyType type, Integer n, Integer levels, const Integer factor[], double x[], Integer tdx, const double v[], double num_reps[], NagError *fail)
3 Description
In the analysis of an experimental design using a general linear model the factors or classification variables that specify the design have to be coded as dummy variables. nag_dummy_vars (g04eac) computes dummy variables that can then be used in the fitting of the general linear model using nag_regsn_mult_linear (g02dac).
If the factor of length n has k levels then the simplest representation is to define k dummy variables, X j such that X j = 1 if the factor is at level j and 0 otherwise, for j=1,2,,k. However, there is usually a mean included in the model and the sum of the dummy variables will be aliased with the mean. To avoid the extra redundant argument, k-1 dummy variables can be defined as the contrasts between one level of the factor, the reference level and the remaining levels. If the reference level is the first level then the dummy variables can be defined as X j = 1 if the factor is at level j and 0 otherwise, for j=2,3,,k. Alternatively, the last level can be used as the reference level.
A second way of defining the k-1 dummy variables is to use a Helmert matrix in which levels 2, 3,, k are compared with the average effect of the previous levels. For example if k=4 then the contrasts would be:
1 -1 -1 -1 2 1 -1 -1 3 0 2 -1 4 0 0 3
Thus variable j, for j=1,2,,k-1, is given by where r j is the number of replicates of level j.
If the factor can be considered as a set of values from an underlying continuous variable then the factor can be represented by a set of k-1 orthogonal polynomials representing the linear, quadratic, etc. effects of the underlying variable. The orthogonal polynomial is computed using Forsythe's algorithm (see Forsythe (1957) and Cooper (1968)). The values of the underlying continuous variable represented by the factor levels have to be supplied to the function.
The orthogonal polynomials are standardized so that the sum of squares for each dummy variable is one. For the other methods integer ±1 representations are retained except that in the Helmert representation the code of level j+1 in dummy variable j will be a fraction.
4 References
Cooper B E (1968) Algorithm AS 10. The use of orthogonal polynomials Appl. Statist. 17 283–287
Forsythe G E (1957) Generation and use of orthogonal polynomials for data fitting with a digital computer J. Soc. Indust. Appl. Math. 5 74–88
5 Arguments
1: typeNag_DummyTypeInput
On entry: the type of dummy variable to be computed.
An orthogonal Polynomial representation is computed.
A Helmert matrix representation is computed.
The contrasts relative to the First level are computed.
The contrasts relative to the Last level are computed.
A complete set of dummy variables is computed.
Constraint: type=Nag_Poly, Nag_Helmert, Nag_FirstLevel, Nag_LastLevel or Nag_AllLevels.
2: nIntegerInput
On entry: the number of observations for which the dummy variables are to be computed, n.
Constraint: nlevels.
3: levelsIntegerInput
On entry: the number of levels of the factor, k.
Constraint: levels2.
4: factor[n]const IntegerInput
On entry: the n values of the factor.
Constraint: 1 factor[i-1] levels, for i=1,2,,n.
5: x[n×tdx]doubleOutput
Note: the i,jth element of the matrix X is stored in x[i-1×tdx+j-1].
On exit: the n by k * matrix of dummy variables, where k * = k - 1 if type=Nag_Poly, Nag_Helmert, Nag_FirstLevel or Nag_LastLevel and k * = k if type=Nag_AllLevels.
6: tdxIntegerInput
 - if type=Nag_Poly, Nag_Helmert, Nag_FirstLevel or Nag_LastLevel, tdx levels - 1 ;
 - if type=Nag_AllLevels, tdxlevels.
7: v[×]const doubleInput
On entry: if type=Nag_Poly, the k distinct values of the underlying variable for which the orthogonal polynomial is to be computed. If typeNag_Poly, v is not referenced.
Constraint: if type=Nag_Poly, then the k values of v must be distinct.
8: num_reps[levels]doubleOutput
On exit: num_reps[i-1] contains the number of replications for each level of the factor, r i, for i=1,2,,k.
9: failNagError *Input/Output
6 Error Indicators and Warnings
On entry, n = value while levels = value. These arguments must satisfy nlevels.
On entry, tdx = value while levels = value. These arguments must satisfy tdxlevels.
On entry, tdx = value while levels - 1 = value. These arguments must satisfy tdx levels - 1.
Dynamic memory allocation failed.
The contents of array v are not valid.
Constraint: all values of v must be distinct.
On entry, argument type had an illegal value.
All levels are not represented in array factor.
An orthogonal polynomial has all values zero. This will be due to some values of v being close together. This can only occur if type=Nag_Poly.
On entry, levels must not be less than 2: levels = value.
On entry, factor[0] = value.
Constraint: 1 factor[0] levels.
7 Accuracy
The computations are stable.
8 Further Comments
Other functions for fitting polynomials can be found in Chapter e02.
9 Example
Data are read in from an experiment with four treatments and three observations per treatment with the treatment coded as a factor. nag_dummy_vars (g04eac) is used to compute the required dummy variables and the model is then fitted by nag_regsn_mult_linear (g02dac).
9.1 Program Text
Program Text (g04eace.c)
9.2 Program Data
Program Data (g04eace.d)
9.3 Program Results
Program Results (g04eace.r)
nag_dummy_vars (g04eac) (PDF version)
g04 Chapter Contents
g04 Chapter Introduction
NAG C Library Manual
© The Numerical Algorithms Group Ltd, Oxford, UK. 2012


text:
Department of Computer Graphics and Multimedia
Spider Lawn Mower Automation Design
|Authors:||Plascencia Alfredo C., Beran Vítězslav|
|Licence:||required - no fee|
|Keywords:||lawn mower robot, non-linear control, sensory system, robot navigation|
|This project proposal describes the automation of a four steering wheel lawn mower robot called spider lawn mower SLM robot. The SLM faces four issues studied in this research: slippage conditions and cutting grass edge following, multi-mobile robot formation control, a body detection within the grass in front of the robots path and auto-repeating the same known tasks.|
To this end, a mathematical model that takes into account the kinematics and dynamics of the SLM is proposed: state feedback linearization is designed as a control strategy to tackle the nonlinearities of the system, implemented and tested.


text:
Clarence Joseph McLin Jr. (known as C.J. McLin), was an American politician of the Ohio Democratic Party. He ran for state representative in 1966 following the race riots in Dayton and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. He won the election and served eleven consecutive terms. In 1988 he won a twelfth term but passed away. His daughter, Rhine McLin was appointed to fill his seat. He was the longest serving black legislator in Ohio history. McLin was known for hitting the pavement and passing out pamphlets during reelections by being approachable with the 88th District voters.
McLin was a Dunbar High School graduate who attended Virginia Union University and graduated from the Cincinnati College of Embalming. He worked at the family business, the McLin Funeral Home, founded by his father until his political career began. He was drafted by the U.S. Army and served for three years unit 1949. He was an advocate for the equal treatment of African-American service members. McLin also helped fund the Dunbar House and the National Afro-American Museum.

source: HuggingFaceFW/fineweb-edu


text:
These formaldehyde-free rabbits are available in vacuum packs.
- Mammalian Anatomy
- Formaldehyde-Free Preservation
- Ideal for Student Dissections
The revolutionary preparation used in these specimens is 100% formaldehyde-free. Chemicals used for preparation bind with tissue as non-toxic, cross-linked proteins, so the resulting specimen is free of any formalin.
You can use the preserved materials more comfortably over extended periods of time, making them ideal for student dissections.


How to Build a Yoga Brand That Fits Your Voice
April 25, 2019
Kickin' It Old-School, Sun Salutation Style
April 30, 2019
Bandhas 101: All About the 4 Yogic Body Locks
Dive deeper into the meaning and significance of the various bandhas.
Picture this—it has been drizzling for hours. The mud has accumulated into fragments of dirt everywhere. Suddenly, the drizzle stops and these dirt fragments settle.
A gardener appears and pulls out a water pipe, turns on the tap, presses its tip—waits until the water assimilated on its nozzle before releasing it. The sudden, fat flow of water flushes those dirt balls right off the ground—the mud dissolves and corrodes, while the left over substance vanishes into the drain.
This substance is eliminated by the sudden flush of water. This flush creates pressure that the flow of water or a drizzle is unable to do. This pressure was allowed to build, as the gardener locked the tip of that water pipe between his fingers. Your body has this same 'press and flush' mechanism too.
You have four locks in your body, commonly known as the bandhas in Sanskrit. These locks or bandhas work as pressure points that your body can use to flush away toxins from the internal system.
Mula Bandha – Pelvic Lock
Also known as the root lock as it influences the Muladhara or first chakra. Located in the pelvic region, this bandha is highly advantageous for strengthening the pelvic floor. While it relieves congestion and helps with treating depression, it's also one of the most useful techniques for helping a yogi in activateing the Kundalini energy.
 1. Inhale and contract the pelvic muscle as firmly as possible.
 2. Hold the contraction while taking long, deep breaths.
 3. Concentrate on Muladhara chakra as you perform this exercise.
 4. Repeat up to five times.
Uddiyana Bandha – Locking the Diaphragm
This bandha is dedicated to the awakening of the solar plexus or the Manipura or third chakra. This particular bandha is specifically useful for lowering blood sugar levels and relieving constipation while simulating the intestines. This bandha is also an excellent remedy for dousing irritability and temper.
 1. Sit in a cross-legged position while keeping your spine straight. Lift your diaphragm and push your torso forward. Place both palms over the respective knee.
 2. Expel your breath thoroughly from your abdomen toward your cavity and out of your body. Hold this lock for as long as you can, before releasing it.
 3. Repeat up to five times.
Jalandhara Bandha - Chin Lock
Also known as the top lock or chin lock because it's located in the chin area—Jalandhara bandha plays a prominent role in simulating the Vishuddha or fifth chakra. This bandha is specifically useful for those who suffer from thoracic problems and thyroid gland malfunction.
 1. Take a long deep breath inward and hold it.
 2. Push your chin downward, so it touches the collarbone leading to the firm closure of your windpipe.
 3. Remain in this position for a few seconds while holding the bandha along with your breath.
 4. Release.
 5. Repeat this up to five times.
Maha Bandha – Three Locks Amalgamated
The Maha bandha is the most important out of all bandhas. This lock works toward the overall benefit of the body, mind, and soul. Maha bandha is beneficial in simulating all the chakras, along with exercising the nervous system for heightened capacity of the mind and the functioning of internal organs.
 1. Sit cross-legged. Inhale and exhale a couple of long deep breaths. Expel the breath out.
 2. Place both palms over the respective knee. Lift your torso up and slightly forward, while keeping your shoulders raised.
 3. Perform all three bandhas together in an orderly manner traveling upward—exercise Mula bandha while focusing on Muladhara chakra; Uddiyana bandha while concentrating on Manipura chakra; Jalandhara bandha while concentrating on Vishuddha chakra.
 4. Remain still in this position with all the bandhas, for as long as you can.
 5. Release each bandha in the same orderly fashion as applied.
 6. Repeat this five times.
For maximum benefit, practice these bandhas on an empty stomach. The practitioner is also advised to implement a pranayama or breathing exercise for a stronger hold of the breath, before indulging in any bandha practice. Revitalize energy levels and release all the harmful clogs from the body. Feel free to exercise these bandhas toward the holistic restoration of the body, mind and soul.
Pradip Kumar
Pradip Kumar
Pradeep Kumar is a passionate Yogi, Yoga Teacher, Blogger and a Traveler in India. He provides yoga teacher training in Rishikesh, India. He loves writing and reading the books related to yoga, health, nature and the Himalayas. His strong connection with Yoga and the Himalayas has made him organize yoga, meditation and Ayurveda tours, and retreats in the Himalayas. Connect with Pradip at


text:
Evidence Based Design (EBD) research analyzes the built environment through a very rigorous lens, one that takes its methodology from scientific protocol. Most environmental designers are not well versed in the utility of scientific methodology for demonstrating design efficacy, even though they employ a similar method of questioning. Using a previously published study as a model, an approach to EBD research is outlined that uses shared precepts between these two seemingly disparate disciplines. Design questions are assessed as to their subjective or objective nature and translated into testable hypotheses. Literature reviews aid in understanding where a study fits within a larger body of research and in determining if it will affirm or refute prior findings. Subject populations are assessed and subdivided to best determine the impact of design interventions. Once the subject population is determined, various methods for collecting and analyzing data are used to ensure statistical validity, though the assessment of causality may not be possible or demonstrable.
Davis, D. & Davis, Jr., B. (2011). "A Design-Based Approach to Collecting Evidence: Translating Design Investigation into a Valid Research Model". Perkins+Will Research Journal, Vol. 3 No. 2, pp. 7-15. _URL_


text:
The Pentagon Problem
Stephanie J. Morris
The "Pentagon Problem" begins with any pentagon. A second pentagon,
in blue, is formed by connecting the midpoints of each side of the first
pentagon. A third pentagon, in green, is constructed the same way by connecting
the midpoints of pentagon 2.
"As long as each side of the two smaller pentagons
are formed by joining the midpoints of the next larger pentagon,
the two ratios of the areas will always be equal, and the two ratios of
the perimeters will always be equal, no matter what shape the largest pentagon
Do you think that this conjecture is valid? Why or why not?
When I first read this conjecture, I thought that it seemed pretty "logical"
that the conjecture was a valid one. I believed that after several constructions
of various pentagons and the comparisons of the above mentioned ratios,
that I could come up with a proof of this conjecture.
However, after I began investigating the conjecture with the Geometer's
Sketchpad, I soon learned that maybe my own assumptions of the conjecture's
validity and its proof were not so logical after all.
Investigation of Pentagons:
I began with an arbitrary pentagon, i.e. it is not a regular pentagon. I
then constructed the other two pentagons according to the guidelines of
the problem. The original pentagon, pentagon 1 is in red. Pentagon 2 is
in blue and pentagon 3 is in green.
At first glance, it seems that the conjecture just might be true. There
appears to be a constant ratio between the Area of the Pentagon and the
area of the pentagon from which it was constructed.
Area Pentagon 3 =.65 Area Pentagon 2 =.65
Area Pentagon 2 Area Pentagon 1
After seeing this, I conjectured that the same ratio would hold when comparing
the area of pentagon 3 and the area of pentagon 1. I thought that it would
hold since pentagon 3 is constructed from pentagon 2 which is constructed
from pentagon 1. It seemed that since pentagon 3 is indirectly constructed
from pentagon 1, that they would be related in the same way also.
Area Pentagon 3 =.42
Area Pentagon 1
After seeing that the ratio did not hold, I realized that it did not make
sense for it to hold. I conjectured that the ratio would not be constant,
but that perhaps there would be a constant relationship between the areas
of pentagon 3 and pentagon 1. For instance, a fractional relationship. Maybe
I would discover this when I changed the shape of the original pentagon
later in my investigation.
Next, I decided to look at the ratios of the perimeters of pentagons 1,
2, and 3.
Perimeter 2 =.80 Perimeter 3 =.81
Perimeter 1 Perimeter 2
These ratios were very close, but not exactly equal. It seemed
likely that the minute difference could be attributed to the way that the
measurements were rounded off by Geometer's Sketch Pad. I decided that the
next pentagons that I looked at would not have measurements rounded off
until the thousandths place. I was curious to see what the ratio would be
between the perimeter of pentagon 3 and the perimeter of pentagon 1.
Perimeter 3 =.64
Once again, this comparison yielded a ratio that was not the same as the
ratios between the other pentagons when they were compared.
I was beginning to doubt the validity of the original conjecture. The ratios
were "approximately equal", but not exactly equal. Exactly equal
seemed to be what the conjecture called for.
The next thing that I decided to do was to change the shape of the original
pentagon from which the other two pentagons were formed. I wondered what
the effects would be on the area and perimeter ratios.
In this investigation, note that all measurements are measured to the thousandths
place. I did this so that I could see just how close the ratios are to being
equal. I was suspicious that some of the ratios might appear to be equal
when in fact, they may have been rounded-off and not equal at all. In doing
this, my suspicions were somewhat confirmed. For area, the ratios were very
close, but not truly equal. So, rounding-off the measurements does make
a big difference.
However, the perimeter ratios were not even close to being equal.
Area 3 =.655 Area 2 =.656
Area 2 Area 1
Area 3 =.429
The perimeter ratios were very surprising and very contradictory to the
Perimeter 3 =.823 Perimeter 2 =.649
Perimeter 2 Perimeter 1
Perimeter 3 =.534
In this pentagon, the perimeter ratios were nowhere close to being constant.
Changing the shape of the original pentagon seemed to make the ratios become
even further apart. This seemed to be a strong counterexample to the conjecture.
I continued changing the shape of the original pentagon. In some cases,
it remained a pentagon and in other cases I changed it to a quadrilateral
or a triangle. The results were the following:
In this figure, the ratios of area between 3 and 2 and 2 and 1, were approximately
equal, but not exactly equal. The ratio of area between 3 and 1 is not close
to being the same. The same results were true for the perimeter ratios.
In this figure, I changed the pentagon to a quadrilateral.
The ratios here seem to be even further apart than before. For area, the
ratios that we are looking for to be constant differ by.02. In perimeter,
the ratios differ by.038! It seems that changing the shape of the original
pentagon does nothing to validate the conjecture, but rather it only casts
more doubt about its validity. I was convinced that the ratios were not
constant, and thus, that the conjecture is false. However, I wasn't sure
why the ratios were so close, yet unequal.
I decided to compare a few more figures before I made an "official"
decision about my thoughts on the conjecture.
I changed the original pentagon to a quadrilateral, but one of a different
shape than in the above example. The differences in the ratios that were
"supposed" to be constant continued to become larger.
Here, the original pentagon was changed to a triangle. The results are consistent
with what I had found before. The ratios just were not constant.
While I had long since decided that the conjecture could not be true, there
was one more approach that I wanted to try, just to see what would happen.
I constructed a fourth pentagon in the same manner that I had constructed
pentagons 2 and 3.
Doing this, I had a lot of ratios to compare. I will discuss the area ratios
and the perimeter ratios separately. When I compared the area of the pentagon
and the area of the pentagon that it was constructed from, e.g., the area
of pentagon 3 and the area of pentagon 2, the ratios were all very close
to being equal. (See ratios 1,2, and 3.) However, when I compared the ratios
of the areas of a pentagon and a pentagon that it was not directly constructed
from, but certainly a consequence of, the ratio ws not similar to the above
mentioned ratios. For example, ratio 4 is not close to ratios 1-3, but upon
constructing ratio 5, I saw that ratio 4 and 5 are very close. Ratio 5 is
the same type of comparison as ratio 4. Ratio 5 is comparing the area of
pentagon 4 to the area of pentagon 2. Pentagon 4 was not directly constructed
from pentagon 2, but it is a consequence of pentagon 2 at the very least.
This was another relationship between the areas that needed to be explored.
A final ratio was constructed. Ratio 6 is the comparison of the area of
pentagon 4 and the area of pentagon 1. Again, pentagon 4 was not directly
constructed from pentagon 1, but pentagon 1 was certainly necessary in the
construction of pentagon 4. Again, the ratio was not approximately equal
to any of the other ratios that I had found
I went on and constructed a fifth pentagon from the fourth pentagon to see
what the ratios would turn out to be. The ratio of pentagon 5 to pentagon
1 was not close to the other ratios. This was not a surprising result since
pentagon 5 is not directly constructed from pentagon 1. This is the same
relationship that I discussed in the previous figure when comparing pentagon
4 to pentagon 1. Pentagon 1 is 3 pentagons "ahead" in the construction
than pentagon 4. I found the ratio of pentagon 5 to the pentagon that it
is 3 "ahead" of in the construction, pentagon 2.
Area p5 =.2798 Area p4 =.276 (3 apart)
Area p2 Area p1
This ratio is approximately the same as the ratio between pentagon 4 and
pent


Skip to Main Content
The Keyword
Say G'day to Aussie AR Animals
Say G'day to Aussie AR Animals
Koala in AR search
Australia is home to some of the most magnificent creatures in the animal kingdom: birds that laugh, duck-billed monotremes and marsupials that smile, hop and sleep for ~20 hours a day. They can't be found in the wild anywhere else in the world. Until now.
With AR on Google, you can meet eight life-sized Aussie animals up close and bring them into your backyard, living room, classroom—or take them on your adventures. Just search for koala, kangaroo, quokka, wombat, platypus, emu, kookaburra or echidna on your mobile browser (Android or iOS) or in the Google App and tap "View in 3D."
You'll be able to see their life-size scale, detail, movement—and even hear their sounds on Android devices (sounds are coming soon to iOS too). You'll also be able to capture content of these Aussie icons.
Woman looking at a koala in AR
Our fascination with Aussie creatures, especially koalas, has been on the rise this year. During Australia's devastating bushfires—which endangered thousands of koalas—search interest for koalas hit an all-time high globally in January and we even worried they may be extinct (thankfully, we can confirm they aren't).
Here's a list of the top worldwide trending questions this year so far for the Aussie AR animals you'll now get to meet in Search:
 1. Are koalas extinct 2020?
 2. What does a baby platypus look like?
 3. Can an emu fly?
 4. How many koalas have died?
 5. How big are wombats?
 6. Are koalas friendly?
 7. How do koalas drink water?
 8. What does the inside of a kangaroo pouch look like?
 9. Can koalas be pets?
 10. How are baby kangaroos born?
While most of us can't travel to the Aussie outback right now, you can learn about these animals from the comfort of your couch or picnic rug. Search for these Aussie AR animals on your mobile or tablet today so you can paddle with a platypus, cackle with a kookaburra and meet your new mARsupial mates!


text:
Boscardin, M. L. (2005). The administrative role in transforming secondary schools to support inclusive evidence-based practices. American Secondary Education, 33(3), 21-32.
The role of secondary administrators, including but not limited to principals, guidance directors, curriculum supervisors, department chairs, and special education directors, is important to the success of students with disabilities. Administrators equipped with the knowledge and skills to support the implementation of evidence-based practices of teachers in inclusive and accessible instructional environments are poised to be effective advocates of improved educational outcomes of all students. In this paper, we examine two ways in which administrators facilitate the development, adoption, use, and evaluation of evidence-based educational interventions within secondary schools. One considers refocusing the administrator role from one of manager to one of effective instructional leader. The other focuses on key leadership strategies for improving the instructional practices of teachers and the educational outcomes of students with disabilities.


text:
1) Using 'File' option located at the top of the browser's menu bar (figure 1). You can not print any Section of an Act, Ordinance or President's Order with footnotes (if any) through this option. To print with the footnotes, click on any footnote mark (usually marked with the Section details) and you will see the footnote(s) at the bottom of the page (Figure 3). Then click 'File' option and select 'Print' option from the browser menu (Figure 1, & 2) to print.
2) After you browse any Section of an Act, Ordinance or President's Order, chose 'PRINT VIEW' option (shown with printer icon) from the browsing page (figure 1). The "PRINT VIEW' will display the text as well as the footnotes (if exist under that section) as shown in Figure 3. Then click 'File' option and select 'Print' from the browser menu (Figure 1, 2) to print.


text:
During the 18th century, many maritime technologies, including the chronometer used by Captain Cook and the full-rigged ships that Christopher Newport sailed to Jamestown, allowed explorers to travel to even greater distances. Increased globalization followed, along with the contact of cultures from near and far. Rezin Gist experienced first-hand the importance of ships during the War of 1812. Others were explorers in their own right, such as Pius Mau Pailug, who relied on ancient traditions and later revived the knowledge of Polynesian wayfinding to navigate the waters for many generations to come.
The Age of Sail encompasses a wide-range of explorers who witnessed a world of change, over land and sea.


Product Description
Aqualens Daily Disposable Contact Lenses (30 Lenses/Box)
Omafilcon A material in Aqualens Daily Disposable 30 Lens Pack) makes these one of the healthiest contact lenses which allow 4 times more oxygen for all-day comfort. With 58% water content, these lenses can be comfortably worn for 10 to 12 hours.
Features :
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 4. * Try not to blink or move your head, move the lens toward your eye, gently placing it on your eye.
 5. * Blink a couple of times to fix the lens in eyes.
Removal of contact lens
 1. * For removal of contact lens, pull your lower eyelid with your index finger.
 2. * Gently slide the lens down while looking up.
 3. * Avoid using your fingernails or pinching the lens while removing your lens.
 4. * Place the lens in your contact lens solution or discard the lens if it is past its use date.
 5. * Repeat the same for the other eye as well.
Frequently asked questions by customers-
 1. 1. Will putting contact lenses in my eyes scratch the eyes or get stuck in them?
 Relax. Inserting and removing lenses might make you nervous at first, but as awkward as it may seem, there is no need to be afraid to touch your eye as long as your hands are clean. Plus, the inside of your eyelids are connected to the back of your eye, so your lenses can't possibly slip into an abyss.
 2. 2. Are these clear or colored lenses?
 These are clear lenses. You can click on this link if you are looking for colored lenses:
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 You will find 30 lenses in the box which means 15 pairs of lenses.
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 7. 7. Is it safe to buy lenses online?
 Yes, it is absolutely safe to buy lenses online. Though, it is highly recommended to consult your eye care practitioner before buying lenses online.
 8. 8. What is the expiry date of these lenses?
 These lenses come with a shelf life of around 5 years but please check the expiry date printed on the box.
 9. 9. Does this have a cylindrical power as well?
 These are the spherical ones. You can buy toric lenses for cylindrical power.
 10. 10. What is the diameter of these lenses?
 14.2 mm
 11. 11. How is water content in lens helpful in contact lens?
 High water content helps content lens remain hydrated which gives refreshing feel to the eyes.
Country of Origin: Malaysia
Technical Information
Brand NameAqualens
Manufacturer DetailsSupervision Optimax Sdn Bhd
Country of OriginMalaysia
Model No.Aqualens Daily 10 Hours (30 Lens)
Base Curve8.7 mm
Diameter14.2 mm
Lens MaterialOmafilcon A
Packaging30 Lens Box
Usage Duration1 Day
Water Content55%


text:
The science team that oversees the imaging system on board NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) has released the highest resolution near-global topographic map of the Moon ever created.
This new topographic map, from Arizona State University in Tempe, shows the surface shape and features over nearly the entire Moon with a pixel scale close to 100 meters (328 feet). A single measure of elevation (one pixel) is about the size of two football fields placed side-by-side.
Although the Moon is our closest neighbor, knowledge of its morphology is still limited. Due to instrumental limitations of previous missions, a global map of the Moon's topography at high resolution has not existed until now. With the LRO Wide Angle Camera (WAC) and the Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA) instrument, scientists can now accurately portray the shape of the entire Moon at high resolution.
"Our new topographic view of the Moon provides the dataset that lunar scientists have waited for since the Apollo era," says Mark Robinson, Principal Investigator of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) from Arizona State University in Tempe. "We can now determine slopes of all major geologic terrains on the Moon at 100 meter scale, determine how the crust has deformed, better understand impact crater mechanics, investigate the nature of volcanic features, and better plan future robotic and human missions to the Moon."
Called the Global Lunar DTM 100 m topographic model (GLD100), this map was created based on data acquired by LRO's WAC, which is part of the LROC imaging system. The LROC imaging system consists of two Narrow Angle Cameras (NACs) to provide high-resolution images, and the WAC to provide 100-meter resolution images in seven color bands over a 57-kilometer (35-mile) swath.
The WAC is a relatively small instrument, easily fitting into the palm of one's hand; however, despite its diminutive size it maps nearly the entire Moon every month. Each month the Moon's lighting has changed so the WAC is continuously building up a record of how different rocks reflect light under different conditions, and adding to the LROC library of stereo observations.
The LROC (WAC) has a pixel scale of about 75 meters (246 feet), and at the average altitude of 50 km (31 miles) a WAC image swath is 70 km (43 miles) wide across the ground-track. Since the equatorial distance between orbits is about 30 km (18 miles) there is complete overlap all the way around the Moon in one month. The orbit-to-orbit WAC overlap provides a strong stereo effect. Using digital photogrammetric techniques, a terrain model can be computed from the stereo overlap.
The near-global topographic map was constructed from 69,000 WAC stereo models and covers the latitude range 79*S to 79*N, 98.2% of the entire lunar surface. Due to persistent shadows near the poles it is not possible to create a complete stereo based map at the highest latitudes. However, another instrument onboard LRO called LOLA excels at mapping topography at the poles. Since LOLA ranges to the surface with its own lasers, and the LRO orbits converge at the poles, a very high resolution topographic model is possible, and can be used to fill in the WAC "hole at the pole." The WAC topography was produced by LROC team members at the German Aerospace Center.
"Collecting the data and creating the new topographic map was a huge collaborative effort between the LRO project, the LOLA team, the LROC team at ASU and in Germany at the DLR," says Robinson. "I could not be more pleased with the quality of the map -- it's phenomenal! The richness of detail should inspire lunar geologists around the world for years to come."
Shaded relief images can be created from the GLD100 by illuminating the "surface" (in this case the shape model) from a given Sun direction and elevation above the horizon. To convey an absolute sense of height the resulting grayscale pixels are painted with colors that represent the altitude. Visualizations like these allow scientists to view the surface from very different perspectives, providing a powerful tool for interpreting the geologic processes that have shaped the Moon.
The current model incorporates the first year of stereo imaging; there is another year of data that can be added to the solution. These additional stereo images will not only improve the sharpness (resolution) of the model but also fill in very small gaps that exist in the current map. Also the LROC team has made small improvements to the camera distortion model and the LOLA team has improved our knowledge of the spacecraft position over time. These next generation steps will further improve the accuracy of the next version of the LROC GLD100 topographic model of the Moon.
# # #
The LRO spacecraft is managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington.
Related story and imagery from Arizona State University: _URL_


text:
Figuring out function from bacteria's bewildering forms
The constellation of shapes and sizes among bacteria is as remarkable as it is mysterious. Why should Spirochaeta halophila resemble a bedspring coil, Stella a star and Clostridium cocleatum a partly eaten donut? No one really knows.
A new report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences by Indiana University Bloomington scientists answers that form-and-function question for one bacterium, the aquatic Caulobacter crescentus, whose cells are anchored to solid objects by conspicuous and distinctive stalks.
"We've found the bacteria can take up nutrients with their stalks," said microbiologist Yves Brun, who led the study. "This is the first example that we know of in which a major feature of a bacterium's shape can be tied to a specific function."
Despite their tiny size and readiness for laboratory study, far less is known about the physiological utility of bacterial shapes than, say, the streamlined forms of fish, sharks and dolphins, or the elongated spires of pine and redwood trees.
Brun said C. crescentus' stalk acts as a sort of antenna that amplifies the uptake of organic phosphate from the surrounding environment. The narrow stalk adds little volume to the cell, and incoming nutrients diffuse toward the cell's main body, where nutrients are quickly assimilated by metabolic processes. Phosphate is an important molecule to all organisms. It is involved in DNA repair and duplication, the expression of DNA, the regulation of protein action, membrane synthesis and the transfer of energy within cells.
The scientists used fluorescence microscopy to see where organic phosphate enters C. crescentus cells. As a gram negative bacterium, C. crescentus has two membranes -- an outer membrane and an inner membrane, with a space called the "periplasm" in between. Experiments demonstrated initial entry of organic phosphate across the entire cell surface, including the stalk. Once across the outer membrane, the organic phosphate is converted to inorganic phosphate and diffuses from the stalk toward the periplasm. When the phosphate reaches the cell body periplasm, the phosphate is taken across the inner membrane and into the central part (cytoplasm) of the cell.
"The stalk essentially increases the cell's reach into the environment but without the cost of increasing the cell's volume and surface area, which would be expensive from an energetic standpoint," Brun said.
Using mathematical models, the scientists showed that absorption of a nutrient using an antenna was a far more efficient morphology for nutrient uptake than alternate cell shapes in which the stalk plays no special role. The models assume the bacteria encounter nutrients via diffusion from their surrounding medium.
"Our report makes the point that in calm aquatic environments where there is no mixing of the liquid and therefore the motion of nutrient molecules is dominated by diffusion, it is the cell's length that is the most important parameter for nutrient uptake," Brun said.
"Imagine the nutrient molecule as a tiny tennis ball undergoing diffusion, that is bouncing back and forth off other molecules in random directions. It is easy to imagine that the tennis ball will be just as likely to make contact with a baseball bat as it will a tennis racket. And the longer the baseball bat, the larger the number of diffusing tennis balls that will make contact. That's why the stalk seems to be so advantageous for the cell. This is in contrast to cases where there is mixing of the liquid and where total surface area -- not length -- becomes more important. The stalk shape is advantageous in both situations because it increases surface area with minimal increase in volume, and at the same time it can be 15 or more times longer than the cell body."
The implications of the group's discovery are two-fold, Brun said. If stalks improve the efficiency of the uptake of other nutrients, the structures and appropriate transport proteins could be added to bacteria commonly used in drug production and toxic spill clean-ups. Bacteria are often used as workhorses in the mass-conversion of one molecule to another. Improving the speed of uptake of a substrate molecule by the bacteria could hypothetically speed drug production. "If we could figure out how to get the bacteria used in bioremediation to make stalks, we could improve their ability to take up pollutants and up their efficiency," he said.
But Brun also says the discovery has ecological significance. "Bacteria with stalks and other prostheses are ubiquitous in all the earth's aquatic environments," he said. "Phosphorus is a limiting nutrient in determining the productivity of lakes and oceans. The stalked bacteria are central players in scavenging phosphorus in oceans and lakes, and reintroducing it into the food chain."
C. crescentus is an unusual bacterium whose lifespan encompasses two phases: a mobile "swarmer" phase, in which the cells have a single flagellum, and a sedentary "stalked" phase in which the cells shed their flagella, affix themselves to rocks or pebbles (or the sides of water pipes) with the help of a very sticky adhesive, and then grow a stalk.
In April, Brun and colleagues from Brown University reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that the polysaccharide adhesive C. crescentus uses to affix itself to solid objects appears to be the strongest glue produced in the natural world.
IU Bloomington biologists Jennifer Wagner, IUB physicist Sima Setayeshgar and IUB chemists James Reilly and Laura Sharon also contributed to the current PNAS report.
Source: Indiana University


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Rationale for Change
Although the field of medicine continues to attract some of the brightest and most capable people who go on to lead impactful and meaningful careers as physicians, it became clear that medical education was in need of change and reform. With the exponential expansion of scientific knowledge, medical education needed to do its part in developing a student's ability and desire for lifelong learning.
Historically, medical education has focused on developing a competent clinical practitioner, and this rightly remains one of the most fundamental goals of medical education. However, the complexities of the modern health care system have gone beyond individual clinical practice.
Medical education must prepare students for practice in this complex, team-based, interdisciplinary setting. Not only must these students prepare to practice in these settings, they must also be the ones who influence the creation of new settings as the field of medicine responds to the needs of society.
The faculty at UMMS identified 5 reasons for change:
- Our discipline is growing exponentially with regard to knowledge, skills, and attributes – far exceeding what could be covered within the confines of a medical school curriculum.
- Medical education programs are structured in serial silos; yet development must be integrated and longitudinal.
- Assessment tools are inadequate and incomplete with regard to what students will be expected to do.
- The intensity of the practice environment and its associated requirements are disconnecting our instructors and assessors from our learners.
- Society is asking for a different kind of health system and health practitioner.
In our commitment to educate these future physician leaders, the University of Michigan Medical School took the lead on transforming medical education.
Every graduate of the University of Michigan Medical School leaves with a duty to be a change agent in society. Students must be able to work in teams and develop, implement, and disseminate projects that impact health while they are in school so that they are fully equipped to create meaningful change when they leave medical school.
Our goal was to create a curricular program that would be transformative and improve the health of patients.


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Idea for corporation governance:
- Employees vote on policy.
- Googlers wouldn't have backed Google+ Real Names.
- Googlers wouldn't have allowed ten messaging apps to develop and fester.
- Eventually, policy is codified in such a way that we can use machine learning algorithms to develop expert systems that also vote on policy.
- These expert systems are also trained on strategies from history, codified in such a way to be understood as equivalent to the corporate-level strategy that the company needs.


text:
very large; huge: a gigantic statue.
of, like, or befitting a giant
Origin: 1605–15; Related forms
< Latin gigantgiant
1. enormous, immense, prodigious, herculean, cyclopean, titanic. Gigantic, colossal, mammoth, monstrous are used of whatever is physically or metaphorically of great magnitude. Gigantic refers to the size of a giant, or to size or scope befitting a giant: a gigantic stalk of corn. Colossal refers to the size of a colossus, to anything huge or vast as befitting a hero or god: a colossal victory. Mammoth refers to the size of the animal of that name and is used especially of anything large and heavy: a mammoth battleship. Monstrous means strikingly unusual or out of the normal in some way, as in size: a monstrous blunder.
is always a great word to know.
So is quincunx. Does it mean:


What is the prevalence of antichlamydia immunoglobulin M (IgM) in sexually active adults and what does it suggest?
Updated: Sep 25, 2018
 - Author: Shahab Qureshi, MD, FACP; Chief Editor: Michael Stuart Bronze, MD more...
 - Print
Antichlamydia immunoglobulin M (IgM) is uncommon in adults with genital tract infection. The prevalence of antichlamydial immunoglobulin G (IgG) is high in sexually active adults, even in those who do not have an active infection, and it likely is due to past infection. A statistically significant association exists between chlamydia-specific serum immunoglobulin A (IgA) and active disease.
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Hyperparameter Ensembles for Robustness and Uncertainty Quantification
Florian Wenzel · Jasper Snoek · Dustin Tran · Rodolphe Jenatton
Ensembles over neural network weights trained from different random initialization, known as deep ensembles, achieve state-of-the-art accuracy and calibration. The recently introduced batch ensembles provide a drop-in replacement that is more parameter efficient. In this paper, we design ensembles not only over weights, but over hyperparameters to improve the state of the art in both settings. For best performance independent of budget, we propose hyper-deep ensembles, a simple procedure that involves a random search over different hyperparameters, themselves stratified across multiple random initializations. Its strong performance highlights the benefit of combining models with both weight and hyperparameter diversity. We further propose a parameter efficient version, hyper-batch ensembles, which builds on the layer structure of batch ensembles and self-tuning networks. The computational and memory costs of our method are notably lower than typical ensembles. On image classification tasks, with MLP, LeNet, ResNet 20 and Wide ResNet 28-10 architectures, we improve upon both deep and batch ensembles.
Author Information
Florian Wenzel (---)
Jasper Snoek (Google Brain)
Dustin Tran (Google Brain)
Rodolphe Jenatton (Google Brain)
More from the Same Authors


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Yes, there are many algorithms that solve
cryptarithms, all of them implemented by computer
programs called "solvers".
In the Web you find four major online solvers:
- Truman Collinsīs "Alphametic Puzzle
- Jorge Soaresīs "Alphametic Puzzle
- IREAD.IT Alphametic Solver
Israel's "The Alphametic Applet"
Solvers #1 and #2 tackle additions only, whereas solvers #3 and #4 solve 5 types of
arithmetic operations: addition, subtraction, multiplication, division and exponentiation.
Fortunately, for solving a puzzle by hand there is not
such an universal algorithm. There are only some hints,
rules, strategies, etc., and oneīs sheer basic knowledge
of arithmetic and logical reasoning. This human and
challenging process of solving cryptarithms by hand is
just what gives us zest, exhilaration and that final
enjoyment when we "crack the code" getting the


text:
Yin and Yang are cold and hot; soft and hard; wet and dry. Too hot or too cold are not comfortable to human. If a person was born in the hot summer daytime, then the person's internal body is too hot and dry. The person will have better health, better mood, better energy and better luck during the winter time. This is the Yin Yang Balance theory for Chinese astrology.
Yin and Yang are everywhere from sky download to the ground. All animal have female and male. Plants have small and tall. Sky has moon and sun. Time has night and day. Weather has winter and summer. The seasons between winter and summer are names spring and fall.


text:
Large Dish Depicting Fish
The dish displayed here was used to serve fish. Fish were important symbols to Romans, Christians, and Jews in the ancient world, and the act of eating fish could therefore take on a degree of symbolic significance. Jews ate fish at the beginning of the Sabbath in this period in anticipation of the meal to be served at the start of the Messianic Age, when the faithful would dine on the flesh of the sea monster Leviathan. And within the Christian tradition, in the earliest depictions of the Last Supper the main course was fish.
- Culture: Coptic
- Medium: Pottery with paint
- Dates: 6th century C.E.
- Period: Coptic Period
- Dimensions: 4 3/4 x 18 11/16 in. (12 x 47.5 cm) (show scale)
- Collections:Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art
- Museum Location: This item is not on view
- Accession Number: 42.408
- Credit Line: By exchange
- Rights Statement: Creative Commons-BY
- Caption: Coptic. Large Dish Depicting Fish, 6th century C.E. Pottery with paint, 4 3/4 x 18 11/16 in. (12 x 47.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, By exchange, 42.408. Creative Commons-BY
- Record Completeness: Good (65%)


audio to another user. This indicates that the snap has been successfully sent. The red square appears when you receive a snap (picture/video) that does not contain audio. This helps the user know if they need to mute their speakers or not.
The red empty arrow indicates that the snap has been viewed by the person.
Purple square / full arrow / empty arrow
Similarly, when you send a video with audio you receive a purple arrow when it goes through. The purple square appears when you receive a snap that contains audio. This helps the user know if they need to mute their speakers or not.
The empty purple arrow indicates that the snap has been viewed by the person.
Blue square / full arrow / empty arrow
Blue indicates text (not video or picture). A blue arrow appears when you send a text message to a user. The blue square appears when you receive a text message from a person.
When the user opens the message to read it, the arrow will turn empty.
We hope this article has helped you better understand Snapchat and what goes on in the app. If you have any queries, feel free to reach out in the comments below.
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Why Call It 'Performance Capture'?
Why Call It 'Performance Capture'?
Just because a director or computer animator can change a performance digitally, doesn't mean the work didn't originate from a uniquely valuable place.
Motion capture is one of the more rigorous performance types because in addition to requiring the full range of human emotion, a performance capture artist may have to learn fighting or dance skills, not to mention the physicality that goes along with simply wearing "the suit."
Add to that the challenges of reacting, and hitting your marks, when your only references may be a green screen and a monitor, and you can see why this type of work is special.
So much so that SAG recently created a Performance Capture Committee, which will begin raising awareness of Screen Actors Guild's contributions to the art in the coming months. Stay tuned.


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Did you miss our G+ Hangout with a National Geographic inventor? Watch our video, then check out TH Culhane's blog for detailed instructions on how to make your own motor and generator!
What could you make with a scouring pad, a paper towel, drain cleaner, and an aluminum can tab?
How about enough electricity to power a flashlight?
Join us for our next Google+ Hangout with NG Explorer and Google Science Fair judge TH Culhane at his laboratory in Germany for a do-it-yourself build-along event! In support of Girlstart's DeSTEMber focus on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, we're building an electric motor, a lemon battery, and a soda can tab that produces electricity with materials mostly found at home. The best part? You can build along with TH!
Here is the list of what you will need to get beforehand:
Safety First… Gloves and goggles!
1. Super Simple Electric Motor
C cell battery (any battery will do, AA, or AAA or D, but C is easy to hold)
A dry wall screw
A round neodymium magnet (get the big one, splurge, they only cost 3 bucks but they spin better)
A piece of wire
2. Lemon Battery
A penny (for copper)
A nail (for zinc)
Various low voltage LEDs
3. Joule Thief
A Blue or White LED (Other colors are fine, too)
2N3904 Transistor or equivalent
1k Resistor (Brown-Black-Red)
Thin wire, two colors (magnet wire works,.6mm)
Alligator clips and/or a breadboard
4. Electricity From a Soda Can Tab
Aluminum can tab (or aluminum foil)
Stainless steel scouring pad
A paper towel or a thin cleaning sponge to separate the stainless steel and the aluminum
Some drain cleaner


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Documentary sheds light on local civil rights activist Anne Braden
Anne Braden preferred not to talk much about herself. Part of this was modesty, but mostly she was just far too busy devoting time to her tireless life's mission of civil rights and social justice.
Fortunately for those who did not know Braden, she opened herself up in the last years of her life to detail her amazing journey, from a privileged childhood in the segregated South to a legacy as one of the most important white leaders of the civil rights movement.
Mimi Pickering — who with Ann Lewis directed the Appalshop documentary "Anne Braden: Southern Patriot," which has its Louisville premier Sunday — says Braden shared her life story with students, historians and the filmmakers in order to make such a path accessible for those who followed her.
"She was seeing that by telling her story, it was really a way to engage new generations and new communities in the history that she had been involved in," Pickering tells LEO. "That her story could be a lens to these events and help to inspire people to keep on the fight."
In 2004, Pickering and Lewis began interviewing and filming Braden, who died in 2006 at the age of 81. Though the duo was unable to film as much as they'd hoped, fellow filmmakers generously donated additional Braden interviews, which are supplemented with archival footage from the many social justice movements to which she was devoted.
The result is a film that shows the life of an unapologetic radical activist in an ugly time and place in American history — someone who sought to make those with privilege confront injustice around them, regardless of whether they wanted to hear such uncomfortable truths.
Anne Braden moved from Alabama — where she was raised and later worked as a newspaper reporter — to Louisville in 1947, hoping to escape the ugly segregation and racial hatred of the South. But what she found in Louisville was not much better, with segregated housing and some hospitals not taking black patients.
After she and her husband Carl, a fellow journalist and activist, immersed themselves in the labor and desegregation movement, the events of 1954 made them national figures — or from the perspective of the U.S. government and many whites in the South, dangerous public enemies.
The Bradens bought a home in a Shively suburb for the family of Andrew and Charlotte Wade, African-Americans who had been unable to purchase a house in the all-white neighborhood. What followed from the Wades' angry white neighbors were bricks and bullets through their windows, a burning cross on their lawn, and, ultimately, a dynamite explosion that occurred while they were out.
While the bombers were never caught, the Bradens and five of their white friends were charged with sedition. In the era of McCarthyism and the Red Scare, they were accused of engineering a communist plot to segregate the neighborhood, even planting the bomb, and supposedly "exposed" as owning Russian and Marxist books. Carl Braden was convicted and sentenced to 15 years, and though the Supreme Court exonerated him eight months later, the Bradens were blacklisted for many years.
While Pickering notes that the story of Anne Braden usually ends there, the film delves into the wealth of important work she did over the next 50 years. Braden edited the Southern Patriot, a vital newsletter documenting civil rights struggles, and organized white supporters of the movement under the Southern Conference Education Fund.
One such effort — organizing poor whites in Appalachian Kentucky — earned her a spot on Gov. Louie Nunn's platform (to run her out of Kentucky) and yet another wildly unconstitutional arrest and charge of sedition.
Much of the film focuses on her work for racial equality in Louisville, where she lived the rest of her life. Some scenes of protests during the 1975 battles surrounding school integration and busing — with a crowd of white people chanting vile racial slurs — are a shocking reminder of just how contentious the struggle was in this city.
The film also details the many civil rights leaders Anne Braden mentored and inspired, such as Martin Luther King, Jr. and Louisville movement icons Mattie Jones and Bob Cunningham.
"We were just really honored to be able to tell her story, to know her for the time that we did know her," Pickering says. "And we just hope that she can provide an example of a role model and inspiration for new generations of organizers, activists and citizens."


text: This paper explores the possibility that utilizing the firm's knowledge resources to complete important tasks can backfire and undermine competitive performance. Drawing on organizational capabilities and knowledge sharing research, we develop a situated performance view that holds that the value of obtaining and using knowledge within a firm depends on the task situation. Using a data set of 182 sales proposals for client work in a management consulting company, we show that sales teams that had varying needs to learn and differentiate themselves from competitors derived different levels of value from obtaining and using electronic documents and advice from colleagues. Highly experienced teams were more likely than inexperienced teams to lose the sales bids if they utilized such knowledge. Teams that had a high need to differentiate themselves from competitors also had a lower chance of winning if they utilized electronic documents. There were situations, however, where teams performed better if they utilized the firm's knowledge resources. These results suggest that competitive performance depends not on how much firms know but on how they use what they know.


text:
- Statistical RNA Secondary Structure Sampling Based on a Length-Dependent SCFG Model (2012)
- One of the fundamental problems in computational structural biology is the prediction of RNA secondary structures from a single sequence. To solve this problem, mainly two different approaches have been used over the past decades: the free energy minimization (MFE) approach which is still considered the most popular and successful method and the competing stochastic context-free grammar (SCFG) approach. While the accuracy of the MFE based algorithms is limited by the quality of underlying thermodynamic models, the SCFG method abstracts from free energies and instead tries to learn about the structural behavior of the molecules by training the grammars on known real RNA structures, making it highly dependent on the availability of a rich high quality training set. However, due to the respective problems associated with both methods, new statistics based approaches towards RNA structure prediction have become increasingly appreciated. For instance, over the last years, several statistical sampling methods and clustering techniques have been invented that are based on the computation of partition functions (PFs) and base pair probabilities according to thermodynamic models. A corresponding SCFG based statistical sampling algorithm for RNA secondary structures has been studied just recently. Notably, this probabilistic method is capable of producing accurate (prediction) results, where its worst-case time and space requirements are equal to those of common RNA folding algorithms for single sequences. The aim of this work is to present a comprehensive study on how enriching the underlying SCFG by additional information on the lengths of generated substructures (i.e. by incorporating length-dependencies into the SCFG based sampling algorithm, which is actually possible without significant losses in performance) affects the reliability of the induced RNA model and the accuracy of sampled secondary structures. As we will see, significant differences with respect to the overall quality of generated sample sets and the resulting predictive accuracy are typically implied. In principle, when considering the more specialized length-dependent SCFG model as basis for statistical sampling, a higher accuracy of predicted foldings can be reached at the price of a lower diversity of generated candidate structures (compared to the more general traditional SCFG variant or sampling based on PFs that rely on free energies).


text:
WASHINGTON - Maryland health officials reported the first hypothermia-related death of the winter Thursday.
The man died in Frederick County and was at least 65 years old. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner confirmed the cause of his death during the past week.
State health officials released no other details.
Fifteen hypothermia-related deaths were reported last winter. One death had been reported by this time in December 2011, according to the medical examiner's office.
With winds gusting Thursday and another round of snow headed for the region this weekend, health officials remind Marylanders to bundle up before heading outside.
"A few extra moments to prepare could keep you safe as we head into the coldest months," said Laura Herrera, a deputy secretary with the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
Hypothermia occurs when the body temperature drops below 95 degrees. Frostbite destroys frozen body tissue. Areas most likely to freeze are toes, fingers, ears, cheeks and the tip of the nose, the health department says.
Those with poor circulation, the elderly, very young children and anyone who stays outside for prolonged periods of time are at greater risk for these conditions. Staying outside while wet increases the danger, the health department says.
The health department offers these tips to stay warm in cold weather:
- Cover your head to retain body heat.
- Wear several layers of lightweight, loose-fitting clothing. The air between the layers help insulate you from the cold.
- Cover your mouth with a scarf. Also cover your ears and the lower part of your face.
- Wear mittens instead of gloves as the close contact of fingers keeps your hands warmer.
- Wear warm leg coverings and heavy socks or two pairs of lightweight socks.
- Wear waterproof boots or study shoes to keep your feet warm and dry.
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(Copyright 2012 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)
How did a photographer get an inside view of a bear's mouth? (Video)
Conn. zoo officials don't know how this baby came to be born.
More cursing happens in Maryland than across the Potomac River.
How much did a painting of a topless "Golden Girl" fetch?


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Purpose of the FLEX
Bold developed the FLEX (Flare Extinguisher) as a solution to decrease emissions on H2S treating locations during preventative maintenance or any upset scenario. The FLEX is a trailer mounted horizontal treater filled with a static bed of SGT-281. The FLEX can be included as part of the initial installation at the production facility or can easily be transferred in and out as needed.
Preventative maintenance is needed periodically on all equipment operated with non-regenerative H2S scavengers to remove byproducts and any contaminants from the vessel. Routine preventative maintenance also ensures maximum treating efficiency throughout operations. Our team has optimized the time between maintenance specifically for our equipment. The frequency between maintenance dates is based on the pounds of sulfur produced by the well and size of Bold's Continuous Treating Systems (CTS) or other H2S scavenging equipment that is treating the gas.
Bold forecasts maintenance dates based on operating conditions, which helps our customers with budgeting for the year. At the time of maintenance, the FLEX is mobilized to location, if not already installed, and placed in series to Bold's permanent H2S treating vessel, the CTS. The sour gas flows through both the CTS in series with the FLEX. Once the FLEX bed temperature is equalized with the CTS bed temperature, the CTS is bypassed and treating continues through the FLEX. The CTS is then depressurized, and the preventative maintenance process begins. Once completed, the process is reversed, the CTS is put back in service, and the FLEX is bypassed.
Impact of the FLEX on Customers
When a traditional preventative maintenance is needed, the customer must bypass the H2S treating vessel and send the sour gas to flare. Our FLEX solution allows customers to continue to sell gas throughout the maintenance process without sending sour gas to flare. This accomplishes four things:
- Increased revenue from selling gas during maintenance
- Decreased emissions
- More predictable production forecast
- Savings on permits needed to flare gas
Below is an example of a Bold treating application with the simulated emissions eliminated. The operating conditions and gas analysis used in the simulation are from one of Bold's treating sites in the Permian Basin.
Table 1. A treating application for Bold
|Gas flow rate||1.5 MMSCFD|
|H2S concentration||3,800 ppm|
|Bold's leased equipment||72" CTS|
|SGT-281 pump rate||473 gallons per day|
Bold's 72" CTS can remove 25,000 pounds of sulfur from a gas stream before needing maintenance. In this application, the 72" CTS would need maintenance approximately every 2 months assuming no production upsets or other downtime from the well or pipeline.
A typical maintenance of a 72" CTS takes 12-48 hours. This entire maintenance period lasted approximately 24 hours from initial bypass into the FLEX to bringing the CTS back into full service. The simulated emissions assumed a flare combustion rate of 98%. Without the FLEX, the gas would be sent to flare which would result in the following emissions:
Table 2. Emissions Saved using the FLEX
|Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)||535||Lb/day|
|Greenhouse Gases (GHGs)||2.433 * 105||Lb/day|
The total emissions eliminated using the FLEX was 245,552 lbs. for this maintenance cycle.
Assuming 6 preventative maintenance events throughout the year, this results in 736 tons of emissions saved per year.
Other than decreasing emissions, the FLEX also increases revenue from selling gas during maintenance. At $4 / MMBtu and a gas flow rate of 1.5 MMSCFD, the FLEX resulted in $6,240 of revenue in additional gas sales for that 24 hour maintenance period.


text:
While three-dimensional printing has come a long way, engineers still struggle with fabricating objects smaller than a quarter. In those small structures, the upper layers crush and distort the weak lower ones. To solve this problem, researchers at the University of Illinois have come up with a novel solution: print out a flat sheet, and then fold it, origami style, into the desired shape. Creating this origami crane as proof of concept, the researchers have hit upon a technique that could produce any number of microscopic medical or mechanical devices through folding, rather than layered printing.
The researchers start by printing out a flat sheet of titanium hydride. Normally, this material is too rigid to fold, but the printing process imbues the "ink" with a number of solvents that soften it up enough for manipulation. In the case of the crane, it took 15 steps to go from a flat sheet to a finished bird.
This material is malleable enough to fold, but strong enough to retain its shape once the folding process is complete. Additionally, titanium hydride can be treated after folding to become pure metallic titanium. That way, a potential medical device could be folded into the desired shape, and then transformed into a substance that the body wouldn't reject.
The scientists have just begun to explore the implications of this technique, so it might be a while before a doctor actually uses a stent or implant created by folding titanium hydride. However, Japanese legend holds that if someone folds 1,000 origami cranes, a real crane will grant their wish. So all the researchers need to do is fabricate 999 more of these, and just wish for a practical application for this technology to arrive within a year. Easy!
Five amazing, clean technologies that will set us free, in this month's energy-focused issue. Also: how to build a better bomb detector, the robotic toys that are raising your children, a human catapult, the world's smallest arcade, and much more.