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SOURCE: RAJESH AHUJA / FOR MY TAKE / IDRW.ORG
UK's envoy to India Alex Ellis in recent media interviews in India tried to justify why British Parliamentarians are wasting more and more of their taxpayer's money on debating Indian laws in their parliaments because according to Alex Ellis, things that happen in India create "ripples" in his country. Ellis's arguments were based on that UK has a large section of the diaspora community that often wants its local parliamentarians to debates from A370, CAA Laws to the recent Farm laws because it affects their loved one directly?.
So Alex Ellis believes that 2.3% of the Indian Community that makes up the British Population some of who now identify themselves as Asians from Punjab have the liberty to debate Indian laws made by the Indian Parliament for Indian citizens just because they think they are not good enough for their folks back home is not only absurd but also reeks British Envoys Colonial hangover that they have some leverage with their Indian counterparts in the diplomatic circle to influence or change some of the Indian laws to avoid ripples in the country.
Mr. Ellis, the big diaspora you talk about are British citizens who moved out of India two to three generations ago and have little or no connections back home to ascertain facts about Indian laws that are made by them in the first place, to begin with. Ellis was not able to justify how somethings happening in India can create ripples in the UK in the first place, even if it can create some law and order situations in their country it is for them to take care of it not that it self should be India's concern.
Ellis says that All e-petitions on the Parliament website that cross the 10,000 signatures mark require the UK government to make an official statement and any petitions that cross 100,000 signatures must be considered for a debate. But are these signatures are verified to be coming from the Indian diaspora alone? as we have seen in past where Pakistani origin British Population have put petitions to debate in British parliaments on Indian laws like Article 370 and Article 35A that are no way are connected to British Pakistani diaspora nor they can claim they have relatives back in Kashmir who are affected by changes in the Indian laws.
What is more absurd are the tone and lunatic presumptions of the British Parliamentarians when these debates do take place, British parliamentarians are either peddling secessionist propaganda or Pakistan's narrative without a basic understanding of the subject they are debating. Much of the arguments put forward in such debates lack logic and largely seem to be done to show India its place and rile up propaganda against the elected government. Many of the British Parliamentarians, run to such debates or sponsor them to satisfy their vote bank and less to do with what is happening in India, most of the time no efforts are made to reach out to the Indian embassy to get their points of views on the subject of such debates.
Blatant disregard for India's laws and its Parliament and continuous interference in India's internal matters with such useless debates only creates grounds for further divisions between Indian and British citizens and attacks on the Indian embassy often by Pakistani backed diaspora are increasing in the last few years and British Parliamentarians often never condemn them nor refuse to take actions against such regular organizers that have dubious links with other countries that have good relations with India.
Disclaimer : Articles published under " MY TAKE " are articles written by Guest Writers and Opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author. IDRW.ORG is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, suitability, or validity of any information on this article. All information is provided on an as-is basis. The information, facts or opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of IDRW.ORG and IDRW.ORG does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same. article is for information purposes only and not intended to constitute professional advice.
Article by RAJESH AHUJA/, cannot be republished Partially or Full without consent from Writer or idrw.org


Cave-Myth Busters: Was There Really a 'Gay Caveman' After All?
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The alleged "gay caveman" that archaeologists recently discovered may not be quite what it seems, say other researchers. (via LiveScience)
When archaeologists uncovered the remains near Prague, the man was buried in a position used to bury females, which led the researchers to say they had discovered an ancient homosexual man. But some reports now indicate that the evidence is not conclusive and that nuances of the discovery extend beyond sexual preferences.
(More on See pictures of archaeology in Jerusalem)
LiveScience reports that Kamila Remisova Vesinova, the archaeologist who headed the discovery, told reporters the man may have belonged to a "third gender," meaning that he could have been transsexual and switched between genders. Many archaeologists speculate that the case has been oversimplified in the craze surrounding the potential discovery of a "gay caveman." The third gender concept is a complex one, and researchers say the case should be studied carefully before conclusions are formed. In fact, there's not even conclusive evidence that the remains in question belonged to a transsexual because traditionally third genders had their own unique burial customs.
Moreover, the remains did not really belong to a "caveman." John Hawks, a paleoanthropologist at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, told LiveScience the use of the word "caveman" does not accurately date the remains and that they actually belong to the "pre-Bronze Age." Just goes to show that if NewsFeed really wanted to see a gay caveman, we could just misinterpret Fred and Barney's bromance on The Flintstones.
(More on Should you eat like a caveman?)
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Marion County. Subsequent surveys (Hrabik, unpublished data) have documented its occurrence in all major tributaries to the upper Mississippi River in northeastern Missouri.
Warmouth and black buffalo are peripheral to the basin. One warmouth was sampled in Fox River near the confluence of the Mississippi River in 1987. Warmouth are taken occasionally by anglers in the upper Mississippi River but are most abundant in the Bootheel area in Missouri. Although black buffalo are widespread in Missouri, they are rare in the upper Mississippi River where its frequency of occurrence declines south to north. One black buffalo was sampled from Fox River in 1941.
Mosquitofish and quillback were not collected by previous investigators, but they were widespread and abundant in 1987. Mosquitofish were not known to northeastern Missouri 15 years ago (Pflieger 1975). Today, this species is found in every major basin in northeastern Missouri (Hrabik, unpublished data). Similar range extensions have occurred in other Midwestern plains streams particularly after introduction (Brow 1987, Lynch 1988). The ecological consequences of introducing this species, and its rapid rate of colonization, are being argued by ecologists. In the Fox River basin and elsewhere in northeastern Missouri, mosquitofish seem to thrive in disturbed areas but are generally excluded in better quality streams (Hrabik, unpublished data).
Quillback were the most frequently collected sucker in the Fox River basin. This fish has probably always been abundant and widespread in the basin and may have been overlooked or misidentified by previous researchers.
Game fishes were well represented in the basin. Most intriguing, however, were the 116 smallmouth bass sampled in the middle section of Fox River. Similar to quillback, smallmouth bass were not recorded from Fox River prior to 1987. Smallmouth bass size structure was poor; the largest individual measured 8.9 inches (age-1+). Young-of-the-year averaged 4.6 inches (N=56) in August. Pflieger (1975) reported age-1 smallmouth bass at 3.5 inches from Ozark populations. The lack of older and larger smallmouth bass was puzzling. Apparently, reproductive habitat is available in the middle portion of Fox River but the fish move out as yearlings, presumably to the Mississippi River. If so, this eliminates smallmouth bass from consideration as the keystone predator in the system.
Channel catfish are the most important game species in the basin. They were collected at 63% of all sample sites and constituted 2.7% of all fishes collected. Substock size fish (<11 inches) dominated the sample, accounting for 84% of the 540 channel catfish captured in 1987 (Figure Bc02). Although sampling gear may have skewed the length frequency histogram somewhat towards smaller fish, the representation of size structure seem accurate for a mid-summer sample.
While the Fox River contained a high number of small channel catfish, its importance as a nursery area for the Mississippi River channel catfish population is unknown. In general, the relationship between channel catfish stocks in the Mississippi River and its tributaries is not well understood. For example, the Fox River channel catfish population is dominated by small fish in mid-summer, even in habitats which seem suitable for large fish. A pressing question is whether this is a static characteristic, or whether seasonal movements of adult channel catfish to and from the Mississippi River are so dramatic that catfish size structure in Fox River and other tributaries is strongly seasonal.
Mean length of 164 channel catfish ages 1-7 were 2.0, 4.8, 7.3, 9.7, 12.1, 14.2 and 16.9 inches, respectively (Table Bc04). This age structure seems consistent with that reported for another northeastern Missouri stream (Purkett 1958).
Only 28 flathead catfish were captured during the 1987 survey, 14 of which were marked with Floy anchor tags and released; there have been no returns. The low number of flathead catfish captured is probably not indicative of its true density in Fox River. Distribution and size structure may be better described by using multiple collection methods at various times of year. A few anglers report good catches of flathead catfish each year from the Kahoka Hills region.
Twenty-four flathead catfish were aged (Table Bc04). Mean length at age 4 was 10.1 inches in Fox River compared to 11.8 inches in Salt River (Purkett 1958). However, the small Fox River sample was inadequate to describe flathead catfish age structure. Fox River may function as a nursery area for the Mississippi River flathead catfish population. It is quite possible among the fish we aged that some of their growth occurred in the Mississippi.
White crappie were usually present in small numbers in pool habitats with cover. However, numerous white crappie from the Mississippi River utilize lower Fox River at various times--often a high proportion of 10-inch and larger fish. Fifty white crappie were collected during the 1987 survey; 82% were 9 inches long. Age 1-4 white crappie averaged 3.9, 8.2, 10.3, and 11.8 inches, respectively, suggesting rapid growth.
No detailed surveys of aquatic invertebrates, including freshwater mussels or clams, have been conducted in the Fox River basin to date. Although invertebrate sampling was beyond the scope of the 1987 survey, mussels encountered inadvertently were noted (Table Bc05).
The winged mapleleaf, Quadrula frigosa, is a candidate for Federal protection. Three specimens were collected by Charles Nelson in Fox River at T65N, R6W, Clark County, probably in the 1920s or 1930s (Dr. David H. Stansberry, Ohio State University, personal communication). This is the only known collection of this species in Missouri. The winged mapleleaf superficially resembles the mapleleaf (Q. quadrula), and may have easily been overlooked in 1987 if it still existed.

source: HuggingFaceFW/fineweb-edu


text:
Definitions of puddle:
- noun: a mixture of wet clay and sand that can be used to line a pond and that is impervious to water when dry
- noun: something resembling a pool of liquid
Example: "His chair sat in a puddle of books and magazines"
- noun: a small body of standing water (rainwater) or other liquid
Example: "There were puddles of muddy water in the road after the rain"
- verb: make a puddle by splashing water
- verb: mess around, as in a liquid or paste
- verb: work a wet mixture, such as concrete or mud
- verb: dip into mud before planting
Example: "Puddle young plants"
- verb: subject to puddling or form by puddling
Example: "Puddle iron"
- verb: wade or dabble in a puddle
Example: "The ducks and geese puddled in the backyard"
- verb: make into a puddle
Example: "Puddled mire"
- verb: mix up or confuse
- verb: eliminate urine
Search for puddle at other dictionaries: OneLook, Oxford, American Heritage, Merriam-Webster
Copyright © 2015 Datamuse

source: openbmb/Ultra-FineWeb


text:
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Imagine Institute will work together to discover and develop medicines with the potential to treat Netherton syndrome, a rare, genetically inherited, severe skin disorder. The alliance will build on the work of Alain Hovnanian, M.D., Ph.D., at the Necker Children Hospital in Paris following new discoveries in the understanding of the underlying disease mechanisms guided by the identification of the disease gene.
Work on the project will be carried out within GSK and both at the Genetics Department and Inserm unit U781 in Necker Hospital, Paris. The collaboration will operate as a single integrated team, combining Prof. Hovnanian's disease and biology understanding with GSK's expertise in drug discovery and development.
"For the patients, this collaboration means the possibility of a novel treatment in an accelerated time frame," comments Dr. Hovnanian, a professor of genetics and of dermatology.
Dr. Hovnanian's team at the Imagine Institute say they have characterized the biological cascade leading to allergy and to abnormal desquamation in Netherton syndrome. The cascade is initiated by kallikrein 5 hyperactivity as a result of defective inhibition by LEKTI, leading to PAR2 activation and TSLP production. The team says that KLK5 is thus a major therapeutic target, and they are currently searching for KLK5-specific inhibitors. Other biotherapy approaches aimed at blocking pro-inflammatory cytokines overexpressed in Netherton syndrome are also being considered.
Imagine Institute is a newly established University Hospital Institute associated with Inserm/ University Paris Descartes. It is a a translational research institute dedicated to genetic diseases.


What is Inert Waste?
Commercial Recycling are operators of large waste disposal facilities which are ideally suited to many sectors, including the construction industry. As such, we typically accept and process over 250,000 tonnes of inert waste each year!
But what actually is inert waste? Read on for the answer, plus more useful information regarding inert waste recycling.
What is inert waste?
Inert wastes are types of waste that are unreactive (biologically and chemically). This means that when inert waste is disposed of, it either takes an extremely long time to decompose or doesn't decompose at all.
What are some examples of inert waste?
Inert wastes are typically produced during construction activities. The most common types include:
 - Concrete
 - Rubble
 - Sands
 - Clay
 - Soil
 - Chalk
Do you have waste materials that you're unsure are inert? Call our helpful team on 01202 331560.
Is inert waste dangerous?
This type of waste does not pose a threat to the environment, animals or human health and will not affect the quality of water sources it may be in contact with.
The main issue inert waste poses to individuals and businesses is what to do with. Because it does not decompose (or takes many years to do so), it can become problematic as it takes up a lot of space.
Can inert waste be recycled?
Yes, inert waste can be recycled. At Commercial Recycling, we actually recycle over 90% of the inert waste that is tipped with us.
One of the primary ways that we do this is by recycling the materials back into quality construction aggregates. For example, we produce recycled 6F5 Crushed Concrete for trench fills and Type 1 Recycled for road and path construction.
Where can you dispose of inert waste?
Currently, we have a site in Dorset and another in Somerset, which are able to accept inert waste.
Our inert waste disposal facilities are:
Pro Tip – Save time by picking up aggregates from us when you're already onsite tipping inert waste at Canford Recycling Centre.
Transporting inert materials to our sites
All of our sites benefit from easy access, hard-surfaces, automated weighbridges and wide turning spaces making them ideal for various vehicle types including vans, cars with trailers, tipper trucks and grab lorries.
If you or your contractor cannot travel to one of our sites, then through our friends at Avon Material Supplies we can arrange for tipper trucks or grab lorries to collect the inert waste from your site.
Contact Commercial Recycling today
If you have any queries about disposing of inert waste with Commercial Recycling, don't hesitate to contact us on 01202 331560.
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Munich Personal RePEc Archive
Electoral Imbalances and their Consequences
Prato, Carlo and Wolton, Stephane (2014): Electoral Imbalances and their Consequences.
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This paper studies the consequences for the electoral process of reputational and partisan imbalance; that is, asymmetries in voters' evaluations of candidates' quality (for example, due to incumbency) and of party labels (for example, due to ideology). Our theory is predicated on the notion that voters are ''rationally ignorant'' as they face cognitive constraints on their ability to acquire and process political information. Our model rationalizes key empirical regularities identified in the literature: the strong effect of incumbency on electoral outcomes, the existence of an incumbency spending advantage, as well as the moderate electoral impact of partisan redistricting. We explain why current methods used to identify the sources of the incumbency advantage are likely to produce biased estimates, and suggest ways to resolve this issue. We also highlight how campaign finance reforms should be precisely tailored to the type and level of imbalance they are meant to address.
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Sculptor Lisa Roet's work has been an evolutionary process in itself. She maintains the school of thought "of the purity of making art". Her fascination with primates spans her entire artistic career where she combines both science and art. She has worked extensively throughout the world in zoos studying monkeys, gibbons, apes and gorillas. Where she considers "what makes "us" primates ", the methods of communication used and our many other similarities. Themes have a common thread and range from "heart and love' "beauty and the beast" "creation vs evolution and "heartbeats". Her body of work includes bronze, stained glass, video, photography, printmaking and recently a new media called "musion" a cutting edge digital type film. Parts of the primates bodies have featured in all media especially the finger, a death mask and primate hands where the palm and finger placement are of real interest to her. Lisa also has a collection of gorilla suits which also feature in her work where she reflects upon the fashion industry. Lisa Roet seems to never tire of her subject matter and is constantly re-invigorating her ideas about nature and our relationship between primates and humans, love and the heart. Her continued versatility and enthusiasm to embrace all materials and explore their possibilities is inspiring.
Roet image 1maxresdefault


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Google Research has just published a research paper detailing a new algorithm that proposes a new way to answer queries. If in the future this algorithm is put into place it will further change the influence of traditional ranking factors for determining what gets ranked. In the short term, this research provides an insight into what Google means when they say that an algorithm update was made to improve relevance.
The New Algorithm in Plain English
Google Research published a new paper at the Sixth International Conference on Learning Representations. The publication was announced via Twitter.
The paper is titled, Ask The Right Questions: Active Question Reformulation with Reinforcement Learning (PDF).
The research paper discusses a way of reformulating queries then presenting those queries to a ranking engine. Query reformulation and stemming are already in use at Google. This is a form of that approach.
What is new is that this is a machine learning algorithm that uses Reinforcement Learning approach. Furthermore, the algorithm has no knowledge of how the ranking system works. It is asking questions from what a black box algorithm then learning. This new algorithm uses a learning system that reformulates the user query, asking the ranking engine many questions, then choosing the best answers from the multiple sets of answers.
How this Algorithm Works
Here is a screenshot of an illustration from the research paper that summarizes how this machine learning algorithm works:
The user asks the question. The machine learning algorithm (labeled as the agent) reformulates that question into multiple questions then submits them to the ranking algorithm. The ranking algorithm returns sets of results and the agent chooses the best answer.
Here is what the research document states:
"In the face of complex information needs, humans overcome uncertainty by reformulating questions, issuing multiple searches, and aggregating responses. Inspired by humans' ability to ask the right questions, we present an agent that learns to carry out this process for the user. The agent sits between the user and a backend QA system that we refer to as 'the environment'.
We call the agent AQA, as it implements an active question answering strategy. AQA aims to maximize the chance of getting the correct answer by sending a reformulated question to the environment.
The agent seeks to find the best answer by asking many questions and aggregating the returned evidence. The internals of the environment are not available to the agent, so it must learn to probe a black-box optimally using only question strings."
Takeaway: Why This Algorithm Matters
This algorithm is a view into a machine learning method called, Reinforcement Learning. Reinforcement learning algorithms have been used to learn how to play Go and can play video games like Doom.
This particular algorithm is interesting to SEO because it shows how an algorithm can sit between a user and the regular ranking algorithm and make the decisions. So instead of the ranking algorithm deciding what to display in search engine results pages (SERPs), this machine learning algorithm is making the decisions.
This kind of ranking is a departure from how the SEO community traditionally believes search engines ranks web pages. The traditional understanding is that ranking factors like links, text in the title tag, anchor text and other ranking factors are the deciding factors for what is ranked one through ten in the search results.
Factors like links are an important ranking factor. But with this kind of algorithm, links contribute to what web pages will be considered for ranking but are not the deciding factor.
It is the job of another algorithm takes those sets of pages and decides what pages answer the question best.
Have you ever seen a web page with less links ranking above other pages with more links? It's likely that there is an algorithm between the user and the ranking algorithm that is deciding that a certain kind of site is a better answer.
What to Do About Ranking Factors?
The ranking algorithm is no longer the decider of what sites will rank in the top ten. This is why ranking factor studies that aggregate millions of search results may not be accurate. Ranking factor studies presume that ranking factors are responsible for the top ten results.
But ranking factors are not always deciding what ranks in the top ten. That is why ranking factor studies may be unreliable.
While this specific algorithm may not currently be in use, there are other algorithms already in place that perform a similar function by setting aside the ranking algorithm results and re-ranking the SERPs using factors that are not ranking factors.
For example, Google has a patent on a way of re-ranking search results called, Ranking Search Results that mentions the use of a modification engine.
"The search system 114 also includes or can communicate with a score modification engine 140 that generates modification factors that are applied by the search system 114 to initial scores generated by the search engine 130 for resources that match the query 110. The score modification engine 140 can generate the modification factors based at least in part on modification data that associates a respective modification factor with each of a number of multiple groups of resources. The modification data is stored in a repository accessible to the system, e.g., a modification factor database 150."
Re-ranking search results is not a new idea. Microsoft published a research paper about re-ranking search results as far back as 2005, in a paper titled, Improving Web Search Results Using Affinity Graph. The purpose of that algorithm was to more accurately serve the user intent for vague search queries.
Takeaway #2: How Does this Affect SEO?
This may affect SEO in the future and the result could be a stronger emphasis on satisfying user intent. This is the kind of improvement that is called improving relevance. So when Google announces an update to relevance, the answers for why a site lost rankings is best found by studying the winners. For these kinds of updates, you likely won't find the reasons for changed rankings by navel-gazing the sites that lost SERP positions.
Images by Shutterstock, modified by Author
Screenshots by Author


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Pilot Engineering Repository Xsearch
|Investigating resource discovery issues in engineering digital repositories||| Home | About | Deliverables | Links | Pilot ||
Engineering Digital Repositories Landscape Analysis, and Implications for PerX
This paper draws on the experience of compiling a Listing of engineering repository sources and aims to help inform the development of a pilot subject based engineering repository cross search service.
The analysis reviews the landscape in the area of digital repositories within the subject area of engineering, as identified in the Listing. The document provides a synopsis of the current state of digital repository and metadata repository provision (including obvious gap areas) within engineering related disciplines. It proceeds to discuss various issues concerning repository provision and how they might relate to the provision of an Engineering Repository cross search service. The document concludes by considering the implications of the current engineering digital repository landscape for the PerX project.
For the most part, 'closed access' commercially produced repositories which do not currently allow free searching (such as various commercially available full-text and Abstract & Indexing services) are not included in the analysis or discussion. Many of these, such as ScienceDirect, Ei Compendex, Inspec, Technology Research Index, Web of Science, etc., are recognised as being extremely important, in terms of information provision, for the engineering community. However, the primary purpose of this list is to help inform the development of a Pilot Engineering Repository Xsearch service which does not require authentication (i.e. which cross-searches only freely available data or metadata).
Table 2 sums up the status of repository and metadata repository provision uncovered via the Listing of Engineering Repositories exercise;
|Brief Synopsis of Position|
Research Outputs 1: Preprints/Postprints
|Research Outputs 2: Technical Reports||Repositories
A number of UK repository related projects exist which aim to coordinate national access to resources (e.g. ePrints UK, Ethos, IRI Scotland). Additional nationally coordinated UK effort seems logical/possible in the following areas:
From the above synopsis it is obvious that a number of gap areas in the engineering repository landscape exist which include:
Subject Based Access,
Assessment Materials repositories.
These gap areas are discussed further in sections 3.3 to 3.7.
The picture concerning other repository types is fluid and in a state of fairly rapid development. Considerable advances are currently being made in the development and deployment of repositories for learning materials, e-thesis and at the institutional level. Often, coverage in these repositories is multidisciplinary in nature with no means for a subject based service to select subsets based on subject coverage. This presents a considerable challenge for subject based services which wish to cross search multiple resources, and is discussed in section 3.2.
Overall, the level of digital repository provision specifically for the engineering community appears to be relatively low. A considerable number of gap areas have been revealed and there is little in the way of repositories specifically aimed at the engineering community. A growing number of multidisciplinary repository sources will help in the future to improve access to certain content types, but with no specific emphasis on engineering materials. Some are interoperable and others are not.
At the same time, albeit with some notable gap areas, there are numerous metadata repositories of interest to engineering, some of which are already interoperable, others for which interoperable interfaces are in development, and yet more for which the situation is unknown.
This situation will have a bearing on the coverage provided by the Pilot Engineering Repository Xsearch. Inevitably, initial coverage will be very patchy.
A number of multidisciplinary repository sources have been identified with content which would be of interest to engineering (e.g. national repositories of research outputs, e-thesis, learning materials, technical reports and institutional/departmental materials). Clearly, subject based cross search services would wish to include relevant materials from such collections and OAI-PMH sets would seem to offer a mechanism to achieve this. In practice, however, the adoption of subject based sets within repositories is piecemeal in nature with some repositories offering clearly delineated subject groupings, others offering no subject breakdown whatever, and still others offering a more complex picture of many multiple sets (e.g. sets by publication status, sets by type of content (i.e. abstract/full text), sets by originating unit or author etc). The initial impression is that sets are often produced by data providers based upon their particular needs and internal organisational structures rather than the likely needs of service providers.
Examples of Repositories which provide Subject Based Sets
- NASA Technical Report Server (NTRS) -[ListSets]
- Digital Library Network for Engineering and Technology (DLNET) -[ListSets]
- Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) -[ListSets]
- ArXiv.org -[ListSets]
Examples of Repositories which do not provide Subject Based Sets
- Networked Digital Library of Thesis and Dissertations Union Catalog (NDLTD) -[ListSets], Sets provided are based on institution of origin.
- National Engineering Education Delivery System (NEEDS) -[ListSets], No sets provided.
- Council for the Central Laboratory of the Research Councils (CCLRC) ePublication Archive -[ListSets], Sets provided are based on type of content, i.e. metadata or Full text.
- Australian Research Repositories Online to the World (ARROW) -[ListSets], No Sets provided.
Examples of Repositories which provide many multiple Sets
The current picture is therefore one in which the use of OAI-PMH sets to select particular subject groupings is limited to a small number of repositories which provide suitable sets. For others, suitable sets are simply not available or the situation is made prohibitively complex by large numbers of sets and the inability to easily gauge their relevance. In these situations the only current option is to harvest the entire multidisciplinary collection.
Some possible means to address this situation include;
A number of gap areas in repository provision have been identified including; Research data, Technical Reports, Journal Repositories, Subject Access and and Assessment.
Few repository sources were identified for engineering-specific research data. This situation can be contrasted to that of the Social Sciences and Humanities, for which the UK Data Archive provides access to over 5000 computer-readable datasets for research and teaching purposes.
Another gap area is that of UK technical reports. Technical reports from USA are covered well by repositories and metadata repositories, but UK technical reports have few equivalents apart from the CCLRC ePublication Archive. Technical reports are also not particularly well covered by commercially available 'closed access metadata repositories', such as the SIGLE database. The British National Bibliography for Report Literature which included this type of material ceased publication in 2003.
A further notable gap area within engineering is that of journal repositories. Although some initiatives such as Petroleum Journals Online and Hindawi are beginning to make progress, they are relatively small-scale and as yet unproven, and the situation can be contrasted with well established open access journal repositories in some other subject areas (e.g. BioMed Central, and PLOS), and subject areas for which public funding is currently encouraging development. Various journal metadata repositories exist, and there are also major commercially available 'closed access repositories' such as ScienceDirect, and 'closed access metadata repositories', such as CSA Technology Research Database and Ei Compendex. This situation will have a bearing on the content and potential effectiveness, from an information retrieval perspective, of a Pilot Engineering Repository Xsearch service. Coverage of certain resource types will be very patchy.
A major gap area identified is that of subject-based repository access for engineering. No sizeable subject-based repositories exist for engineering and no real community movement is evident which is likely to change this situation. Yet various subject based repositories have been developed which serve other disciplines. Several have existed for some time and have become well-established and heavily used, serving their respective communities. They include:
ArXiv.org (Physics, Mathematics, Non-linear Science, Computer Science, and Quantitative Biology).
Chemistry, Math and Computer Science Preprint Archives (Chemistry, Mathematics and Computer Science)
ClinMed NetPrints (Clinical Medicine and Health Research)
CogPrints (Cognitive Sciences: including Psychology, Neuroscience, Linguistics, and and many areas of Computer Science (artificial intelligence, robotics, vision, learning, speach, neural networks), Philosophy (e.g., mind, language, knowledge, science, logic), and Biology.)
Computing Research Repository (CoRR) (Computing)
Cryptology ePrint Archive (Cryptology)
E-BioSci (Life Sciences)
E-LIS (Library and Information Science)
EPRINT (Natural Science and Technology)
Project Euclid (Mathematics)
PubMed Central (Biomedical and Life Sciences)
Social Science Research Network (SSRN) (Social Science)
In addition to the above, the AMS Directory of Mathematics Preprint and e-Print Servers lists a number of subject repositories in mathematics, and 34 archives participate in the Open Language Archive Community (OLAC).
It is apparent therefore that subject repository services exist for some disciplines but not others,. It has been suggested that "Actually establishing and running a repository calls for a level of infrastructure, maintenance and administration which many subject communities cannot provide." (Hubbard 2005). With respect specifically to the engineering community, is the lack of subject based or journal repositories and the comparative lack of uptake of repositories simply a chicken and egg scenario? In other words, if a well-supported subject based repository were developed for engineering, or if a number of open access journals were initiated for engineering, would there be a resultant increase in uptake by the engineering community? The answer is probably no, or at least not to as great an extent as has happened in some other disciplines.
To explain much of the above, and to understand how repositories fit into the information landscape of engineering


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The Cocoon classroom environment invites children to crawl, hop or observe their surroundings. They wake up and sleep at their own pace, eat and play with friends using their senses to learn. Once the classroom is formed, the children stay together for the full school year providing opportunities to develop intimate relationships with the teachers that care for them.
Parent and grandparent involvement is a fundamental to our program. We encourage family members to visit the classroom and to stay with us a while. We also host Parent-Teacher Conferences to discuss our observations of the infant's developmental growth.
Cocoon Classroom Observation:"As a child woke up from her nap, she looked up and listened to the flute player in her room. She stared and swayed to the sound of the familiar lullabies.


The Healthy Feet Class
Because feet aren't supposed to hurt!
Intrinsic foot muscles are too important!
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This morning I came across the following in 'Essential Clinical Anatomy,' one of the standard anatomy textbooks used by first year medical students:
The muscles of the foot are of little importance individually because fine control of the individual toes is not important to most people. Rather than producing actual movement, they are most active in fixing the foot or in increasing the pressure applied against the ground by various aspects of the sole or toes to maintain balance
Little Importance? I was shocked by the first sentence. Most people can't even name a single muscle of the foot nor do they realise that their feet are anatomically designed to be nearly as dextrous as their hands. We may have bound our feet in tight shoes all our lives and lost touch with their potential for fine motor function but this doesn't mean the muscles have no individual importance. It doesn't mean the potential isn't still there. I'm on a mission to educate people on the importance of maintaining strong, mobile and healthy feet so this one paragraph in this one anatomy book prompted me to ask the question: why are the muscles of the feet important?
intrinsic muscles of the feet
Three layers of muscles of the soles of the feet
A few foot facts
There are two types of muscles of the foot, extrinsic and intrinsic. Extrinsic muscles have at least one attachment on the leg. They connect the leg to the foot. Intrinsic muscles have both attachments within the foot itself. It's the intrinsic muscles I'll be discussing here. There are 20 intrinsic muscles of the foot which are layered and compartmentalised. 14 of those muscles are located on the plantar aspect (plantar means the sole of your foot), 2 are on the dorsal aspect (dorsal means the top of your foot) and 4 are in between (intermediate). Plantar muscles are also grouped into four layers within four compartments.
Muscles of the feet have long names that can be a bit off-putting at first. Names like flexor digiti minimi and extensor hallucis brevis are quite a mouthful. However there is a method to the madness that can easily be deciphered. The first word refers to the action of muscle and you have a few basic choices: Flexion (curling your toes) Extension (straightening the toes) Abduction (spreading the toes) and Adduction (drawing the toes together). The second word tells you which toe the muscle is moving and you have three choices: Hallucis (refers to the big toe), Digitorum (refers to the middle three toes) and Digiti Minimi (refers to your pinky toe) Some muscles will have the word Brevis (short) attached to their name. This is just to differentiate them from the extrinsic muscles that perform similar actions on the same toe. (Extrinsic muscles are the ones that attach to the leg and are sometimes suffixed with 'longus' – 'cause they're long, right?)
So now when you hear the words 'Extensor Hallucis Brevis' you'll know exactly what this muscle does, right? How about your flexor digiti minimi?
Let's now move on to a few reasons your intrinsic foot muscles are very very important.
Important function #1 – Fine Motor Skills
If you read the previous two paragraphs you now have a better understanding of the musculature of your feet than most people on this planet. You're beginning to have an awareness of just how intricate the design of the foot is and perhaps you're suspecting that those tired old dogs might be capable of much, much, more. If so, check out the video below of Sarah Kovac knitting – with her feet. Sarah was born with a rare disability that has left muscles in her hand virtually useless. Consequently, she has developed what some would call super-human feet except that her feet are not super-human. They are anatomically just like mine and yours.
Important function #2 – Pronation Control
Common understanding is that despite their compartmental and layered arrangement the plantar muscles act mainly as one unit maintaining the arches of the foot while walking and standing so traditional treatment of conditions like plantar fasciitis, flat feet, and over pronation has been through the use of orthotics and other support rather than strengthening the muscles of the feet. However, there is a growing awareness amongst podiatrists and other health professionals that while orthotics might be helpful in the short-term they are not a long-term solution and in fact may actually worsen certain conditions. If you are having problems with your feet related to atrophied, under-used muscles the solution is to start gradually and gently using those muscles again.
You have an abductor hallucis. In fact you have two. This muscle connects the heel and the big toe, is an abductor (that means it pulls the big toe away from the other toes) a weak flexor and helps to maintain the arch of the foot. I also came across this from the Evidence Based Fitness academy.
The function of this muscle is in supinator of the 1st metatarsal, invertor of the heel bone, evertor of the tibia and supporter of the medial arch. Or in other words, this muscle helps resist excessive foot pronation during midstance!
So if you've been prescribed motion controlling running shoes or an orthotic your problem might not be over pronation but rather poor pronation control. Feet were designed to pronate in order to safely move over rugged terrain. You just need better muscle control to stabilise natural pronation.
Important function #3 – Arch support
When researching the individual bones of the foot the most common function tagged onto the end of the list of amazing feats performed by each of these tiny muscles is "and supports the arches of the feet". So here's a very simple exercise you can start doing now to re-awaken the individual function of these muscles:
Toe Lifts
Perform this exercise barefoot, either seated or standing.
 1. First lift the big toe, trying to keep the other toes as relaxed and motion-less as possible. Hold for four seconds and lower.
 2. Next try spreading your big toe away from the other toes. Hold for four seconds.
 3. Next, practice lifting each toe one by one, again keeping the other toes as relaxed and motion-less as possible. Hold each toe for four seconds. Move from toe to toe keeping each one raised as you go.
 4. Then lower each toe one by one.
Eventually you can try lifting each toe while keeping the others on the ground. This may be very hard at first but you will slowly see those neuro-muscular pathways re-awakening. If Sarah Kovacs can knit with her feet you can learn to lift your toes, right?
Important function #4 – Balance, proprioception, gait
In addition, the intrinsic muscles of the foot must fine-tune the stability and support of the foot as it moves through the heel-touch to toe-off phase of the gait pattern, modulating the amount and position of force placed over the architecture of your foot as you move from standing to walking, propelling you forward from the toes when in toe-off.
When people start working more with their feet one of the things they remark on is how much they can feel with their feet now. They are much more aware of textures of the surfaces they're walking over, much more conscious of how their feet move to propel them forward from heel to toe. They have a different relationship with their feet and appreciate them much more as feeling, sensing, dynamic organs.
Evaluate your own involuntary foot muscles
 1. Stand facing a wall with fingers lightly touching the wall for balance and stability
 2. Notice how stable you feel on your feet, the height of your arch etc
 3. Lift one foot off the floor and hold for 30 seconds
 4. Observe any small wobbles or corrections that occur in the muscles of your feet. Notice how the height of your arch changes
If this exercise is difficult for you, or if you notice a lot of movement in your foot then you could do with some work on your intrinsic foot muscles. Start with the toe lifts above.
Important function #5- Circulation
There is one last thing you need to understand about your feet. They are very far away from you heart. You didn't know that did you? This means that they are more prone to having circulation problems due to the sheer effort of getting de-oxygenated blood and waste products (via the lymphatic system) back up the leg. Luckily the body doesn't only rely on the heart to pump blood up and down the limbs. The process of venous return is largely aided by the movement of muscles of the feet and legs acting as a pump, sending deoxygenated blood back up to the heart to be re-loaded with oxygen and nutrients. However, the trick about venous return is that you need to move your muscles for it to work efficiently. Movement is medicine! Research has shown that walking and other exercise that contract the plantar muscles (even just the weight of your body) help pump blood back up the foot and leg. Good circulation leads to good waste removal by the lymphatic system, healthy nerve fibers and healthy muscles. So you need to move the muscles of your feet in order to stay healthy. For me, that's enough in itself to suggest that the muscles of the foot are fairly important.
How important are your feet?
If you're still reading, well done! I'm assuming I've convinced you that there's a lot of really


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Ancient rainforests resilient to climate change
Climate change wreaked havoc on the Earth's first rainforests but they quickly bounced back, scientists reveal today. The findings of the research team, led by Dr Howard Falcon-Lang from Royal Holloway, University of London, are based on spectacular discoveries of 300-million-year-old rainforests in coal mines in Illinois, USA. _URL_
I am not so sure what they are saying is truth, climate change isn't the problem it is clear cutting like they are doing in Brazil and the Amazon.


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Literally "song" in Italian, the canzone is a lyric poem originating in medieval Italy and France and usually consisting of hendecasyllabic lines with end-rhyme. The canzone influenced the development of the sonnet.
Originally appeared in Poetry magazine.
This poem has learning resources.
This poem is good for children.
This poem has related video.
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Office of Independent Education & Parental Choice
Home Education is a parent-directed educational option that satisfies the requirement for regular school attendance. Florida Laws protecting home education became effective in 1985. Parents have the freedom to determine their child's educational path and the plan for reaching their goals. Students have the opportunity to explore and learn at their own pace, in any location or at any time. Home education students are able to enter institutions of higher learning and are eligible to participate in the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program. More than 60,000 students in approximately 42,000 families are in Home Education Programs throughout Florida.
- Choosing to begin a Home Education Program
- Summary of Home Education Program requirements
- Home Education FAQs (PDF, 106KB)
- Home Education and Bright Futures
- Home Education and ESE Services FAQs (PDF, 23KB)
- Home Education and Dual Enrollment FAQs (PDF, 28KB)
- Private School and Home Education Transfer of Credits FAQs (PDF, 41KB)
Support for Home Education Programs
The Department of Education provides technical assistance and information to school districts and parents. Each district has a home education contact who works with homeschooling families regarding home education programs. Many independent organizations also provide resources and support for home educators.
- Home Education contacts by school district
- Florida Parent-Educators Association (FPEA) is an independent organization that exists solely to serve home education families in Florida.
- Home Education Foundation (HEF) is a corporation established to raise support and direct the lobbying for home education in Florida.
- Learning is for Everyone is an inclusive state support and networking group for home and alternative learners.
- American Homeschool Association was created in 1995 to network homeschoolers on a national level.
- National Home Education Network exists to encourage and facilitate the work of state and local homeschooling organizations and individuals.
Home Education News and Notes
The Literacy League book club is a new reading initiative designed to connect Florida's middle school students with their favorite authors in modern and innovative ways.


Fri, 06 Aug 2021
 - Alcoholics anonymous turn 75 this year.
 - The organisation has assisted many in recovering from alcohol addiction during that time.
 - South Africa ranks in the top ten countries for the consumption of alcohol.
Over the years, this organisation has "saved the lives" of many thousands of people in South Africa, a country that ranks in the top 10 in the world when it comes to the consumption of alcohol.
A shocking statistic is that South Africa has the highest incidents of foetal alcohol syndrome in the world - led by De Aar in the Karoo. Other facts about our alcohol consumption are equally frightening, including that it contributes to one-quarter of all emergency room admissions, one-third of all suicides, and more than half of all homicides and incidents of domestic violence in SA.
Heavy drinking also contributes to illness in each of the top three causes of death: heart disease, cancer, strokes. Almost half of all South African traffic fatalities are also alcohol-related, and around 170 people die every day of alcohol-related illnesses in the country.
The negative impact of an alcoholic in the family is no less troubling. According to AA, for every one alcoholic, 16 people's lives are adversely affected. Nearly 20% of children under 18 live with a parent (or responsible adult) who drinks heavily or has an alcohol problem. Many children of alcoholics behave in socially unacceptable ways and more than 50% of juvenile delinquents come from alcoholic homes.
ALSO READ | What experts say you should know about alcohol
"In AA we know all about the problems, because we were once part of the problem," said chair of the Board of Alcoholics Anonymous, known as Irene F.
"We prefer to focus on the solution. One alcoholic working with another, showing her or him how to stay sober one day at a time," she told News24 in an exclusive interview.
What is an alcoholic according to the AA?
"Alcoholism is an incurable, progressive, fatal disease, and the biggest sign of alcoholic drinking is that once an alcoholic has one drink, they lose all control. They don't have a stop switch and their drinking is usually accompanied by a negative outcome," said an AA spokesperson known as Ray G.
Both the American Medical Association and the British Medical Association regard alcoholism as an illness - they term it "Alcohol Use Disorder".
ALSO READ | SAB quits alcohol-harm-reduction nonprofit
The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. There are no fees - the service AA provides is always free. The organisation accepts no contributions from non-alcoholics - it is fully self-supporting.
How does AA help an alcoholic?
Once an alcoholic has been sober for a time, they are capable of helping other alcoholics by becoming "a sponsor". Once a person has fully accepted they are an alcoholic, their sponsor (a sober alcoholic) will help them take AA's 12-point plan, known to alcoholics as the 12 steps. Sacrosanct to the very principle of AA helping people is maintaining absolute confidentiality at all times.
These steps for each person include working out why and when they started drinking and how to manage the emotions and feelings that sparked drinking sprees.
"AA is about finding a new lifestyle - one that does not include drinking alcohol. It also involves regular attendance at AA meetings. There are open meetings where members share their experience and members may bring friends or family, but there are also closed meetings which only alcoholics may attend," said Irene F.
Why Anonymous?
"Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of our fellowship," Irene F explained. "It reminds us to place principles before personalities."
On a personal level, anonymity provides protection for all members from identification as alcoholics - a safeguard often of special importance to newcomers who are worried about stigma and potentially losing their jobs.
Where did AA originate?
It was started in 1935 by a New York stockbroker and an Ohio surgeon who were "hopeless drunks", and has grown exponentially across the world since then. In South Africa, the organisation was started with Solomon M, a black translator at the Johannesburg Law Courts living in Alexandra township. He was jobless and penniless when he found and read a story published in the Reader's Digest in 1946. He contacted AA New York and soon had a copy of an AA pamphlet. He followed the directions and sobered up.
The second founder in South Africa was Sister Maxwell, a Catholic sister and nurse who ran an alcoholic ward at the Johannesburg General Hospital. AA grew from there to now having meetings in all nine provinces. Coinciding with the Covid-19 lockdown, AA launched a public campaign which led to a steep rise in new members seeking help.
The first online AA Zoom meetings were held and other social media platforms like WhatsApp became "safe places" for new meetings as a result of the Covid-19 lockdown.
"It was a positive time for AA because Zoom and WhatsApp groups, blossomed since we could not meet in person," explains Ray G, giving Kokstad in KwaZulu-Natal as an example where there had never been an AA meeting, starting with one lady needing help and quickly growing.
"The perception that alcoholism was a 'white old-man's disease', has changed dramatically in the past 75 years," Ray G added.
He said Soweto has the most vibrant meetings, with never fewer than 40 to 60 attendees, consisting mainly of young women building a new and sober life. Meetings are also conducted in English, isiZulu, isiXhosa and Afrikaans in various parts of the country.
The 75th Jubilee will be celebrated throughout the country from October 2021 to October 2022, but given the anonymity of the fellowship, most of the events will be for members only.
Source: News24
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notam - definition and synonyms
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 1. From our crowdsourced Open Dictionary
 notice to airmen; an official announcement circulated to the aviation industry warning them of new high structures, such as cranes, that are being built
 If you want to erect a crane in London of any significant height... there is something called a Notam (Notice to Airmen)... it's a known value that the crane is there, they don't just erect them.
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Rediff News All News » Getahead » GRE 2014: The 10 questions you need to master
GRE 2014: The 10 questions you need to master
January 08, 2014 19:11 IST
GRE 2014: The 10 questions you need to master
GRE 2014 is your gateway to your overseas post-graduate dreams.
If you are among the many aspirants who are looking to crack the GRE, here is the key to answer these seemingly simple questions
In the last post, we told you how you can strategise your preparation time for the Graduate Record Examination.
This time around, we'll help you identify and analyse the different type of questions that appear in the exam.
As is the case in any competitive examination, for GRE too, you need to take a spiral look at the contents, possibly identifying two to three questions on each theme.
These are obviously simple questions, but the idea is you need to crack them in the least possible time, say 30 to 45 seconds each.
To make your task easier, we present you a selection of 10 such questions you need to identify at the start of the exam and tell you how to approach them.
1. What prime numbers lie between 80 and 100?
(The idea is you get to know what a prime number is, and also memorise all prime numbers upto 120)
2. What is the sum of factors of 24?
(See, this is a speed question -- you should be able to correctly list all factors and add them up, in flat 20 seconds...Keep on practising, maybe factors of 36, of 60, of 25, of 100)
3. What is the remainder when 2000 is divided by 17?
(The idea is all tables 12 to 19 are learnt thoroughly, and you can manage divisions comfortably)
4. A does a job in 10 days, B in 15 days and C in 24 days. Together they shall do it in how many days?
5. I buy something of for $35. I incur $3 on packaging costs. What should be my selling price if I wish to make a profit of 15 per cent?
(Again, the idea is you can compute 20 per cent, 25 per cent, 5 per cent, etc profits/ losses on cost price...all in 20 seconds)
6. To 18 ml portion of 32 per cent pure alcohol, how much water shall I add to get 12 per cent pure alcohol?
7. What should be added to 650 to get a perfect square?
(All squares of numbers 1 to 30 and cubes of numbers 1 to 12 should be learned by rote)
8. What is the average of 240, 320 and 560?
(You think this should happen in how much time? 15 seconds?)
9. I go at 24 kmph and return at 36 kmph. What is my average speed for the whole journey?
10. On a clock, I connect 4 O' Clock point with the 9 O' Clock one. I also connect the 6 O' Clock point with 3 O' Clock. What is the angle of intersection of the two chords?
(You need to grasp what a chord is, interpret the basic geometry of a circle, and crack such a problem within 45 seconds)
Image: The Graduate Record Examination is a computer-based multiple-choice entrance test to determine student's skills for graduate schools in English speaking countries.
Photographs: Rohit Gautam/


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ET Display Screens
Official clubs and organizations of the Ira A. Fulton College of Engineering and Technology and BYU may advertise on the screens in the Clyde and Crabtree building lobbies. The purpose of the digital signage is to inform students, faculty and staff of relevant information in a professional manner. Digital signage is an efficient and cost-effective alternative to printed materials such as posters and flyers in the lobby areas.
To submit an advertisement for the digital display:
Timeline and Schedule
Allow three business days for us to post your slide. *Please take into account that the preferred running date is usually up to one week before your event date. Plan ahead.
Email your advertisement to _EMAIL_
To expedite the posting of your advertisement, be sure it meets the following criteria:
- Saved as a.jpg file (please send the original file also)
- Size: 1920 x 1080 pixels
- Resolution: 150 ppi (If using PowerPoint to create your ad, change the dimensions under page setup to 26.67 in. x 15 in. before designing.)
- Images: Please use high resolution photos and artwork so images do not appear stretched or pixelated.
- Use copyrighted materials only with permission.
- Keep in line with BYU standards.
- Information is relevant to the college of engineering and technology.
- Error free. Double-check spelling, dates, times and locations.
- Templates: PowerPoint, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Illustrator
- Avoid clutter.
- Keep it simple. Avoid using too much text--each slide is displayed for approximately 10 seconds.
- Use 1-3 fonts and keep sizes consistent. Do not use anything smaller than 14 pt. font.
- Limit color use, but use bold, eye-catching colors.
- Use design elements such as color and size to create a hierarchy of important information.
Editing & Prioritizing
The college's communications department reserves the right to edit images and/or text on submitted advertisements. It also reserves the right to prioritize which slides will run as space is limited on the display.
Email _EMAIL_ with questions concerning your advertisement.


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To get started recording magic wand gestures:
- Upload the Magic Wand Capture sketch to an Arduino Nano 33 BLE Sense board
- Connect to the board using the Bluetooth button below.
- Wave the wand to make gestures. They'll be recorded and displayed on the right.
- Review the gestures, add labels by clicking on the '?', and remove mistakes.
- Download the gestures as a JSON data file, ready for model training.


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What is a SOUNDwalk? In a SOUNDwalk, the listening "audience" moves through a place and the environment "performs." The walking listener and the environment create a unique piece together that can only occur during the time of the walk. In a SOUNDwalk we take the time to hear the environment: we are its true ear witnesses. And like any musician, the environment offers us its sounds for our consideration.
NAISA commemorates World Listening Day and the birthday of R. Murray Schafer each year with SOUNDwalks.
No upcoming events programmed yet. Please check later for updates.


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Your story is more important than you may realize and is certainly suited
for a book. What you might consider mundane details, your loved ones will consider captivating. The
best part of creating a Forevernote is strengthening personal bonds between you and your loved ones.
For example, users have shared memorable stories around:
- Their favorite family traditions
- How they met their childhood best friends
- Fads they explored in their youth
Contact us and we can discuss how best to begin the process with your story!


text: Peptic ulcer disease is commonly complicated by perforation. Mortality and morbidity arising out of these perforations can be high. Factors that influence outcome in patients with peptic ulcer perforation include treatment delay, ASA class of the patient at the time of operation and presence of shock. Of these treatment delay is most important and modifiable. This book reviews delay and how it affected outcome in patients treated for perforated peptic ulcers at the Kenyatta National Hospital, Nairobi, Kenya. In this book Patient's files for the period January 2002 to December 2008 were reviewed. Data sought included patient demographics, clinical presentation, time from symptom onset to presentation at emergency department, time from presentation at emergency to surgical treatment and the treatment outcomes. The data is analyzed, results presented. And conclusions made. This should provide an interesting read for surgeons at various levels of training and practicing alike.


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Does Cultural Sensitivity Matter to Maintaining Business Relationships in the Export Markets?: An empirical investigation in the Norwegian seafood industry
MetadataShow full item record
The aim of this study is twofold. The first aim is to develop the cultural sensitivity concept. A review of literature, including literature focusing on international business, marketing, and adaptive selling, has provided the basis from where the cultural sensitivity concept has been developed. This study proposes a model of the concept as multi-dimensional. Cultural sensitivity is perceived as a competence, held by a person responsible for sales in the export markets. Experience is viewed as essential to advance a salesperson's cultural sensitivity. The dimensions, and thus the variables composing cultural sensitivity, are as follows: international experience, country experience, open-mindedness, adaptive business style, and ongoing business experience. The measurement scales were adopted from previous research, but were accommodated to the context studied. The second aim of this study is to investigate the extent to which the various dimensions of cultural sensitivity are important to the maintaining of business relationships in export marketing channel contexts. The empirical setting is the Norwegian seafood export industry with selected business partners in the export markets. The sample consists of 111 cases, and regression analyses were conducted to test 12 hypotheses. The conceptual model proposes that the five variables that compose cultural sensitivity have different roles. International experience, country experience and open-mindedness are hypothesised to have an impact on relational qualities (trust between exchange partners and exchange of information) indirectly through adaptive business style. The findings give support to this view. These three variables do not have significant effects on trust and exchange of information directly. The findings show that country experience and open-mindedness have positive and significant effects on an adaptive business style. The findings show that adaptive business style does not have a significant impact on trust between exchange partners. Adaptive business style has a significant impact on exchange of information, though only at a p <.10 level. Ongoing business experience is viewed as a moderator variable. It is expected to strengthen the relationship between adaptive business style and trust, and the relationship between adaptive business style and exchange of information. The results show that the former relationship is strengthened from a non-significant to a significant relationship. The significance is though only at a p <.10 level.
SeriesSeries of Dissertations


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Scientists can look to tree rings to supplement the history of an area, but for David Milarch, the entire tree is significant.
Milarch founded the Champion Tree Project with his sons, Jared and Jake, 20 years ago to create living libraries of the 846 species of trees in the United States. In 2009, the three men decided to give their organization a new name, Archangel Ancient Tree Archive, and to expand it globally.
Based in Traverse City, Mich., the Archangel Ancient Tree Archive's mission is to archive the genetics of ancient trees in living libraries around the world by propagating old-growth trees and using their offspring to reforest.
"We need to archive the genetics of the remaining old-growth trees that are growing on Earth," said David Milarch. "Here in the United States, 98 percent of all the old-growth trees have been cut down. In California, about 96 percent of all Coast Redwoods have been cut down.
"Why is that a tragedy? Because we never even studied them before we cut them down, we didn't know what roles they played in the ecosystem."
Milarch believes that the genetics of long-living trees should be studied to understand how they have managed to survive and thrive. One reason may be due to better immune systems, which would make their genetics vital to successful reforestation.
Working with a range of sources, from professional tree finders to big-tree lists,
When planting, Archangel recommends that no more than 10 percent cloned trees are used for reforestation to maintain genetic diversity and to also allow their genes to mix with the existing trees. The goal is to strengthen the forest overall. Care is given to the selection of the site where the trees are to be planted and why. Sites may be selected in order to aid in phytoremediation, erosion control, runoff management and habitat settings.
Volunteers with the Milarchs' nonprofit organization give their time to assist in all areas of the process, from gathering samples for Archangel's nurseries to planting new trees. Schoolchildren in New York, Michigan and Northern California have also become part of the organization's outreach, helping to plant trees in the thousands.
David Milarch's great-grandfather was a nurseryman, and his passion became a family business. Traverse City is known for its large cherry production, so the Milarch family began growing shade trees for the fruit trees in the area. Milarch's grandchildren mark the sixth generation living on the same land.
"We're tuned into nature," Milarch said. "With that many generations, you have a pretty good grasp of what makes trees tick. "
Milarch and his tree archive caught the attention of New York Times science writer Jim Robbins 11 years ago. After his first story about the project, Robbins continued to follow and write about Milarch's efforts. Last April, "The Man Who Planted Trees: Lost Groves, Champion Trees and an Urgent Plan to Save the Planet" (Spiegel & Grau, $25) was published. It includes information Robbins has gained from his talks with many scientists about trees.
"People are amazed at some of the latest science on what trees really do. Most people don't know that trees communicate with each other. Trees feel pain and when a tree feels pain, it puts out signals and other trees in the area go into a protection mode. Trees emit aerosols out of their leaves and out of their roots that are natural antibiotics and natural disinfectants," Milarch said.
Milarch credits Robbins' book to helping raise awareness about Archangel, which in turn has helped with getting funding. Most recently, the organization planted an old-redwood forest in Oregon from cloned trees. It is looking for sites to plant two old-growth groves in California, in an arboretum or on a large parcel of unused land. The group is also seeking donations to create a living archive in Ireland.
Milarch hopes that the work Archangel is doing can serve as a model for others around the world to follow and lead to more reforestation.
"All is not lost. We can put the trees back for our children and grandchildren," he said. A clone of a 3,000-year-old tree can be cloned again and again, "and with the science and with our work, the great trees and the genetic lineage of those trees never has to die. "


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What are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Gypsum Board?
Gypsum board is the common name among all the panel products. They are consist of primarily gypsum, non-combustible core, and a paper surfacing on the face, back side and long edges. All gypsum panel products mainly contain gypsum cores. Also, they can be confronted with a variety of different materials such as paper, fibreglass mats.
Gypsum board system is often known as drywall, plasterboard or gypsum wallboard. Gypsum board panel system completely differs from other types of panelling material such as fiberboard, hardwood and plywood. Due to non-combustible core and paper facers of gypsum board, they are more popular where fire resistance is required.
Also Read: Blockboard: All You Need To Know!
Advantages of Gypsum Board:
Gypsum board panels installed on walls or ceilings can have a number of notable advantages:
- Various element designs of architectural requirements can easily be achieved with gypsum board.
- Due to primary qualities such as performance, availability, ease of application, ease of repair, and their adaptability in all forms of decoration; gypsum boards are incomparable to any other surfacing products.
2. Ease of Installation
- Installation process of drywall or gypsum wallboard is much faster & easy.
- They are available in lengths of 8, 10, or 12 feet and in width of 48 inches so best known to cover the large area of either drywall or ceiling compared to other materials.
- They can be cut with either knife or a saw. During the installation process, only a few tools are required as it can be attached with a variety of fasteners, which includes nails, screws and staples.
- Gypsum board sheets are lightweight materials so they can also be adhesively attached to many surfaces.
- Due to light weight and large sizes available only few workers can handle the panels so labour cost gets decreased.
3. Fire Resistance
- They are proven to be outstanding fire-resistive building material.
- Their non-combustible core restraints chemically combined water around 21%, as a result, when heat is high it releases steam. Consequently, where fire resistance classification is required, it is the most commonly used interior finish.
- The study shows that steam will not exceed 100 degree Celsius providing under normal atmospheric pressure. This characteristic helps in retarding the transfer of heat and spread of fire.
- Research conducted by gypsum board manufacturer in accordance with ASTM E 84 shows that it has a low flame-spread index and a low smoke-density index. This means gypsum board adequately protect other structural elements from fire for certain period of times.
4. Sound Isolation
- Installing gypsum board on drywalls & ceilings effectively help in controlling sound transmission.
- The designer of the building should consider the intended activities of the occupants, for instance, office space adjacent to manufacturing unit needs more noise reduction features than the ordinary buildings. Hence, installing gypsum board system can be a key consideration in preventing the transfer of unwanted sound and noise to adjoining areas.
High-quality walls constructed with gypsum boards can be recognised as drywall. They can also be used in ceilings and they provide excellent dimensional stability and durability. Gypsum board can be easily decorated and refinished.
- They are readily available in various sizes & easy to apply either on wall or ceiling.
- It is relatively cheap wall surfacing & ceiling covering material that provides a fire resistant interior finish.
- Installation/ labour cost for the whole building system is comparatively low, which makes this system more preferable.
Disadvantages of Gypsum Board:
- Maintaining temperature for both the mechanical & adhesive application of gypsum board is a bit of hassle.
- It is not mandatory however always read the manufacturer manual for maintaining temperature during joint treatment, texturing & decoration.
- Always maintain adequate ventilation during installation and curing period in the working area.
- Where exposure to moisture is extreme or continuous, never use gypsum board on that area.
- Exposing gypsum board at high temperature for extended periods is high.


text:
Australian Monthly Climate Summary: October 2006
Thursday 9 November, 2006
The severe drought which has been affecting large parts of Australia continued in October. The all-Australian average rainfall was 52% below normal for October, the 11th lowest on record. Only widespread rain in the last week through the largely unpopulated interior of Western Australia prevented October from being Australia's driest on record.
It was a warm October through most of Australia, with both daytime maximum temperatures (anomaly +1.80°C) and minima (+1.07°C) the sixth-highest on record. Maximum temperatures were especially high in much of the south-east, with anomalies exceeding 2°C over most of Victoria, inland New South Wales, eastern South Australia and southern inland Queensland, and reaching 5°C in parts of southern inland New South Wales between Wagga Wagga and Canberra. It was the warmest October on record over an area extending through central New South Wales from the northern to southern border, north-east and western Victoria, and south-eastern South Australia.
The southern two-thirds of Western Australia was also very warm, with anomalies widely in the +2 to +3°C range and a few records in the area east of Perth. Below-normal maxima were largely restricted to the area north of 20°S and the Queensland coast, and were only significantly below normal in northern Queensland, reaching −2°C around Burketown.
As in the last two months, the warmest minima occurred in the belt between 20 and 30°S. Except on the east coast, minima were generally 1−3°C above normal in this region, and up to 4°C in the Uluru region of the southwestern Northern Territory. Record high values were scattered through this area. It was cool in the north and south-east. Northern Queensland and the Northern Territory were particularly cool, with anomalies near −2°C in places, and record low values around Darwin and on the Cape York Peninsula.
The other notably cool region was southern New South Wales and Victoria, with anomalies widely between −1 and −2°C. Record low values occurred east and north-east of Melbourne, and over the state as a whole mean minimum temperatures were the second lowest on record (at the same time as maxima were the highest on record). There were numerous severe late-season frost events in this region, and a provisional Australia record low for October (−12.0°C) was set at Charlotte Pass on 30 October.
* Anomaly is the difference from the long-term average
Eastern Australia was especially dry, with New South Wales recording its driest October on record (86% below normal), Victoria its second driest (−87%), and South Australia and Queensland both in the bottom 10 years, 70−80% below normal. The vast majority of this region had less than 20% of normal October rainfall, except for a relatively small part of northern Queensland around and inland from Cairns, which approached or exceeded normal October rainfall.
It was the driest October on record in most of the southern half of South Australia, much of southern inland New South Wales, and the south coast of New South Wales, as well as a few scattered locations in south-eastern Queensland, and around Kalbarri and Esperance in Western Australia. October was in the driest 10% of recorded years in these areas, as well as almost all of Victoria, northern Tasmania, most of New South Wales except the north-east corner and south-eastern Queensland, and also the Top End of the Northern Territory and parts of the south-west of Western Australia.
Rainfall was well above normal in most of the northern half of Western Australia, although most of this region is climatologically dry in October, and monthly totals only exceeded 50 mm in a relatively small area centred on Meekatharra and Wiluna in the central part of the State. A few locations in this area had their wettest October on record.


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text:
Obsession with cleanliness 'could be making people depressed'April 20th, 2011 - 2:55 pm ICT by ANI
London, April 19 (ANI): Scientists have claimed that a growing obsession with cleanliness could be making people depressed.
They believe that eliminating bacteria and viruses has actually made our immune systems weaker, and this in turn has affected the functioning of our brains.
Scientists have long blamed our overly sterile environments for increases in asthma and allergies. They say some bacteria are necessary for bolstering our immune systems, and without them our bodies over-react to dust and pollen, resulting in an allergy.
But now researchers believe that this over-reaction may also impair the brain's ability to produce certain chemicals that make us happy - such as serotonin - and this leads to depression.
Researchers in Atlanta, Georgia, have studied how this over-reaction, or inflammation, affects the brain by recruiting a group of 27 patients taking drugs to treat hepatitis C - which causes similar reactions.
They believe certain reactions may affect the brain's ability to produce certain chemicals including serotonin, known as the "happy hormone".
"We believe the immune system is causing depression," the Daily Mail quoted Dr Andrew Miller, one of the scientists, as saying.
"As people develop and grow up, their immune system develops. If they are exposed to more bacteria and parasites, they are able to better control the inflammation.
"Nowadays people's environment is much cleaner and hygienic so our immune system never really learns how to deal with infectious agents. We are overactive because our immune system has not been trained," added Miller.
The study has been published in the journal Molecular Pyschiatry. (ANI)
- Cleaning obsession could be making us more depressed - Apr 19, 2011
- Source of happiness may lie in your gut - Jun 13, 2012
- Biological changes in depressed patients - Nov 30, 2010
- Over cleanliness could wreck immune system! - Mar 23, 2012
- Catching flu early can protect you from asthma later - Dec 15, 2010
- Is depression byproduct of our ability to fight infection? - Mar 02, 2012
- Cell component that triggers cat allergy identified - Mar 10, 2011
- Inflammation drug promising in depression - Sep 04, 2012
- Rogue DNA could trip the heart - Apr 26, 2012
- 'Allergies linked to lower risk of brain tumours' - Aug 06, 2012
- Mice study finds link between depression and inflammatory response - Dec 21, 2010
- Encounter with bugs gears infants against allergies - Nov 03, 2011
- Poor brain connectivity behind many faces of depression - Feb 28, 2012
- Blood test to tell whether anti-depressants work - Dec 16, 2011
- Why some people are apple-shaped and others pear-shaped - Mar 10, 2011
Tags: allergy, andrew miller, atlanta georgia, bacteria, brains, cleanliness, daily mail, dr andrew, hepatitis, hepatitis c, immune system, immune systems, infectious agents, inflammation, obsession, parasites, pollen, serotonin, sterile environments, taking drugs


text:
Lecture by Prof.Suzanne Haber
- Monday, 16th April, 10:30-
- Tamagawa University, Building Nr.8, Second floor, Meeting Room Nr. 2 > GoogleMap
We will hold a lecture by Prof.Suzanne Haber at Tamagawa University.
Speaker; Dr. Suzanne Haber (Professor, University of Rochester Medical Center, School of Medicine and Dentistry)
Title: Circuits of reward and decision-making: linking monkey anatomy to human imaging to understand psychiatric disease and effective neurotherapeutic targets.
The prefrontal cortical (PFC) and the rostral striatum are composed of multiple areas that support a wide range of functions (emotion, motivation, and higher cognition).These areas, along with the white matter bundles that connect them, are associated with several psychiatric illnesses including depression, anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, (OCD), and addiction. To understand how information from different functional regions is combined to mediate complex and flexible behaviors, we sought to identify specific regions within the PFC and striatum which are in a position, based on their connections, to integrate information. We refer to these areas as hubs. Importantly, areas of PFC use specific white matter bundles to reach their terminal fields. This talk will first address the location and composition of hubs within the PFC and striatum. Secondly, it will demonstrate the location of fibers from specific PFC areas within white matter. We combine data from conventional anatomical experiments with state-of-the-art imaging first in nonhuman primates and then in normal human subjects to transition cross species. We then use these results to understand abnormalities grey and white matter in psychiatric disease and potential therapeutic targets.


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George Siemon is an organic pioneer and the co-founder and former CEO of CROPP/Organic Valley. In September 2022, George was one of the recipients of the 2022 Honorary Recognition Award from the University of Wisconsin-Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. The Honorary Recognition Award recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to their professions, their communities and the university. Tune in to learn more about:
- George's path into organic farming;
- His involvement in pioneering organic standards for livestock;
- How organics has proven that it can feed the world;
- How a stable price helped organic family farms;
- About alternative ownership models, like co-ops and trust ownerships;
- The art of governance and why it is important that we learn how to work and get along together.


all connection operations to the transaction's coordinating server. This routing can be expensive. You may see better performance if you optimize your applications to run directly on the coordinating server if possible, and optimize your applications to use connection instances that are directly hosted on the coordinator.
For client applications that begin a transaction, the coordinator of transaction is the first WebLogic server the client calls under the transaction (any RMI, EJB, JDBC, or JMS call). In the JMS case, this is the server that hosts the client's JMS connection, which is not necessarily the same as the server that hosts the JMS destination.
For server side applications, the coordinator of the transaction is the local server if a local resource is invoked first (including JMS destinations and JDBC connections) unless a remote server is called first (any remotely hosted JDBC connection, EJB, RMI call, or JMS connection). This includes remote servers in other clusters or domains.
Varied Performance for Read-Only Operations Through an LLR Data Source
The LLR optimization provides a significant increase in performance for insert, update, and delete operations. However, for read operations with LLR, performance is somewhat slower than read operations with XA. For best performance, you may want to configure a non-LLR JDBC data source for read-only operations.
Dedicating LLR Tables by Data Source
To improve performance in environments using Oracle RAC, you can specify a LLR table for each data source instead of for each server to better utilize the local node caches in Oracle RAC clusters.
Use the following system property to set the specification of a LLR table by data source when starting a WebLogic Server instance:
where: datasourcename is the name of a data source and tablename is the name of the LLR table that maps to datasourcename.
For example, using the system property:
When the server starts:
 - a INFO message is written to stdout
 LLR data source LLRDS1 using LLR table myllrtable1
 - All LLR entries for the server that use data source LLRDS1 are stored in the LLR table named mylltable1.
Define one table for each data source on each server on which the data source is targeted. The same table cannot be shared by different WLS instances. If LLRDS1 is targeted to two WebLogic Server instances S1 and S2, then create two tables: S1_LLRDS1 and S2_LLRDS1, and specify the proper system properties for each server.
For example:
For instance S1, use -Dweblogic.llr.table.LLRDS1=S1_LLRDS1
For instance S2, use -Dweblogic.llr.table.LLRDS1=S2_LLRDS1
In the next WebLogic Server release, the node-id will automatically be captured in an extended LLR table allowing data to be partitioned to the respective WebLogic Server node without needing to manually allocate a table per data source.
JTA service migration does not support LLR tables that are dedicated by data source.


text:
| Rattle on the Stovepipe
Download PDF (D6 tuning: a, d, f#, b)
Download PDF (C6 tuning: g, c, e, a)
This lively traditional Canadian melody is fun to play and full of teaching opportunities. Below is a point-form guide to teaching this arrangment to your class.
- The major scale (click here for ideas)
- Dotted rhythms
- Use Uke II as a sight-reading exercise. It's very repetitive and, for the most part, uses open strings.
- Assign Uke II to beginner-level students. (Note: this part can only be played as written using ukuleles with a low 4th string. For more information on tuning options, click here.)
- Prepare Uke I by reviewing the D major scale (C major scale for ukuleles tuned g, c, e, a). Play the scale in using a variety of different rhythms.
- Vocalize the rhythm in m. 1: sing "rat-tle on the stove-pipe" in rhythm. Have students clap as they sing.
- Don't prepare students for the accidental in m. 9. Sight-read it and let them make a mistake, if necessary. Then fix the problem.
- Define "D. C. al Fine": Play again from the beginning and stop where you see the word "Fine" (which means "end" in Italian).
- This is, essentially, a three-chord song. The chord in m. 15 can be played either as a 7 chord (as written) or as a regular major chord. Try it both ways: which do your students prefer? Why?
- Strumming: have students try an on-beat strum (strum on beats 1 and 3) and an off-beat strum (strum on beats 2 and 4). Which do they prefer? Why?
Additional Suggestions and Comments:
- Rattle on the Stovepipe essentially modulates to a new key in measures 9-16. This departure makes the main theme sound fresh on the repeat.
- Challenge your advanced students to create a harmony part above the melody.
- Challenge advanced students to create their own variation on the melody of Rattle on the Stovepipe.
If you like the material in this free lesson you might also like Ukulele in the Classroom, a series of ukulele method books by James Hill and J. Chalmers Doane. Click here for free samples and additional information.


Take the 2-minute tour ×
I have a one dimensional gird. its spacing is a floating point. I have a point with floating point coordinate as well. I need to find its distance to the closest grid point.
For example:
 0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5
The result would be -0.02 since the closest point is behind it.
However if it was
-1 -0.8 -0.6 -0.4 -0.2 0
The result will be 0.06. As you can see its in floating point and can be negative.
I tried the following:
float spacing =...;
float point =...;
while(point >= spacing) point -= spacing;
while(point < 0) point += spacing;
if(std::abs(point - spacing) < point) point -= spacing;
It works, but I'm sure there is a way without loops
share|improve this question
Is the spacing linear? – GWW Dec 1 '11 at 18:46
In his examples it is linear. – GWW Dec 1 '11 at 18:56
_USER_: its linear, just not constant (its parameter) – Dani Dec 1 '11 at 19:00
_USER_: its linear – Dani Dec 1 '11 at 19:00
add comment
5 Answers
up vote 6 down vote accepted
Let us first compute the nearest points on the left and right as follows:
leftBorder = spacing * floor(point/spacing);
rightBorder = leftBorder + spacing;
Then the distance is straightforward:
if ((point - leftBorder) < (rightBorder - point))
 distance = leftBorder - point;
 distance = rightBorder - point;
Note that, we could find the nearest points alternatively by ceiling:
rightBorder = spacing * ceil(point/spacing);
leftBorder = rightBorder - spacing;
share|improve this answer
Could you please include an explanation of the code? – N.N. Dec 1 '11 at 20:04
Thanks for the suggestion. I modified the variables to make it self-expressive. Should I add more explanation? – petrichor Dec 1 '11 at 20:10
An explanation in natural language would only make your answer better so go for it! – N.N. Dec 1 '11 at 20:11
I added some sentences in the natural language :) – petrichor Dec 1 '11 at 20:18
add comment
std::vector spacing =...;
float point =...;
float result;
Since you say the spacing isn't (linear), I would cache the sums:
std::vector sums(1, 0.0);
float sum=0;
for(int i=0; i::iterator iter;
iter = std::lower_bound(sums.begin(), sums.end(), point);
Then find the result from there:
if (iter+1 == sums.end())
 return point-*iter;
else {
 float midpoint = (*iter + *(iter+1))/2;
 if (point < midpoint)
 result = point - *iter;
 result = *(iter+1) - point;
[EDIT] Don't I feel silly. You said the spacing wasn't constant. I interpreted that as not-linear. But then your sample code is linear, just not a compile-time constant. My bad. I'll leave this answer as a more general solution, though your (linear) question is solvable much faster.
share|improve this answer
The spacing is constant inside invocation, its not constant between invocations... – Dani Dec 1 '11 at 18:59
add comment
Here is my first blush attempt, note that this is not tested at all.
float remainder = fmod(point, spacing); // This is the fractional difference of the spaces
int num_spaces = point/spacing; // This is the number of "spaces" down you are, rounded down
// If our fractional part is greater than half of the space length, increase the number of spaces.
// Not sure what you want to do when the point is equidistant to both grid points
if(remainder >.5 * spacing)
float closest_value = num_spaces*spacing;
float distance = closest_value - point;
share|improve this answer
In his comment to your answer he says it is constant within invocations. – Craig H Dec 1 '11 at 19:01
_USER_: No he states that it isn't constant. – GWW Dec 1 '11 at 19:01
_USER_: I didn't state its not linear, I just state its not 0.1 always. (its a parameter) – Dani Dec 1 '11 at 19:01
_USER_: I misinterpreted the comment. My bad. – Mooing Duck Dec 1 '11 at 19:03
add comment
You should just round the number using this:
float spacing =...;
float point =...;
(point > 0.0)? floor(point + spacing/2) : ceil(point - spacing/2);
share|improve this answer
The spacing isn't constant – Dani Dec 1 '11 at 18:40
_USER_: I clarified how it can be done with non-constant spacing. – Mooing Duck Dec 1 '11 at 19:02
floor and ceiling round to the nearest integer, not the nearest step value. – Craig H Dec 1 '11 at 19:08
add comment
Much, much more generally, for arbitrary spacing, dimensions, and measures of distance (metric), the structure you're looking for would be a Voronoi Diagram.
share|improve this answer
add comment
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There are more than 17 million multifamily households nationwide, yet they remain a significant and mostly untapped opportunity for energy efficiency gains. Many cities and states that have embraced energy retrofitting as a job creator and boon to both the environment and economy have yet to address potential savings in multifamily properties, primarily because of obstacles not faced by single family and commercial properties. This paper discusses two barriers -- a lack of information and financing -- that stand in the way of multifamily energy retrofits.
This Guide is designed to help state and local policymakers to take full advantage of new policy developments by providing them with a comprehensive set of tools to support launching or accelerating residential energy efficiency programs. The Guide focuses on four categories of policies that have proven particularly effective in providing a framework within which residential energy efficiency programs can thrive: incentives and financing, making the value of energy efficiency visible in the real estate market, data access and standardization, and supporting utility system procurement of energy efficiency.
This paper, which is based on detailed case studies of nine existing state and local programs, presents recommendations for energy upgrade programs to facilitate industry growth and support contractor business models.
This presentation provides an overview of New Jersey Clean Energy's approach to contractor engagement, including contractor participation requirements, procedures for quality assurance and quality control, production incentives, training procedures, and an online contractor portal.


text:
Hindi and Urdu are two Indo-Aryan languages that both developed from Sanskrit in Northern India beginning some 2700 years ago.
While both Hindi and Urdu exists in many dialects, there were no distinction between them up until the 19th century. Before then, they were referred to as "Hindustani" which was a language derived from Sanskrit, but with Arabic, Persian, and to some extent, Turkic influences and loan-words.
Hindi and Urdu are essentially the same languages. The main difference is that Urdu is written with the Arabic script whereas Hindi is written in the script originally used for Sanskrit, Devanagari. Urdu has a lot more Persian and Arabic loanwords than Hindi, but these are almost exclusively used in formal speech and the two languages remain completely mutually intelligible. Today, Urdu is the main language of Pakistan and is perceived as a language spoken by Muslims, while Hindi is spoken mainly in India, and is the language spoken by Hindus and non-Muslims.
Hindi VS Urdu – What's The Difference Between The Hindustani Languages? – AutoLingual
Urdu and Hindi are two variants of the same language. Although they are relatively the same language, they have two distinct writing systems.
Both Urdu and Hindi have the same language origins. They came from the Indo-European and Indo-Aryan language families. Both languages are derived from Sanskrit. Because of this they have the same Indic base and have similar phonology and grammar. They also share the same region (South Asia) where they are predominately spoken.
The main difference between the two languages is their association. Hindi is a language used and spoken by Hindi people, the native and leading population of India. On the other hand, Urdu is associated with Pakistan and Muslims.
Difference Between Urdu and Hindi Urdu vs Hindi Urdu and Hindi are two variants of the same language. Although they are relatively the same language, they have two distinct writing systems. Both Urdu and Hindi have the same language origins. They came from the Indo-European and Indo-Aryan...