text:
The Silk Museum in Soufli presents all the phases and the stages of the pre-industrial process of rearing silkworms (sericulture) and of silk processing (silk manufacturing) within the socio-economic context that made the region a major silk-producing centre in Greece (late 19th – mid-20th century).
The Silk Museum's ground floor, where the old exhibition used to be housed, is now dedicated to the section on the history of silk. At the same time, the projected documentaries produced by PIOP help the visitor to put sericulture and silk manufacturing into a specific spaceand timeframe.
On the first floor the exhibition's scenario on sericulture is developed. The visitor's itinerary follows the cycle of sericulture. It begins with the production and hatching of the silkworm seed (eggs), the mulberry and the silkworm. It continues with the silkworm's different stages of development (instars) and the weaving of the valuable cocoon (mounting of the branches and harvesting). This is followed by the cocoons' cleaning and sorting. The silkworm's life cycle ends with the process called stifling. The next section is dedicated to silk manufacturing (reeling, i.e. unwinding the cocoon's silk filament, dyeing and weaving of silk yarn, with particular mention to the Givre silk mills). The authentic exhibits are accompanied by audiovisual material. Lastly, the section «traditional costumes in Soufli» presents unique accessories and items of traditional attire in this region.


Take the 2-minute tour ×
$text_to_search = "example text with [foo] and more";
$search_string = "[foo]";
if($text_to_search =~ m/$search_string/) print "wee";
Please observe above code. For some reason I would like to find the text "[foo]" in the $text_to_search variable and print "wee" if I find it. To do this I would have to ensure that the [ and ] is substitued with [ and ] to make perl treat it as characters instead of operators.
Question: How can I do this without having to first replace [ and ] with \[ and \] using a s/// expression?
share|improve this question
I would say get into the habit of using the qr// construct for regular expressions and escaping special regex chars if literal is needed. Quotemeta will quote ALL special regex chars. If you just want to find a literal string in another, use index() instead. – sln Jan 6 '11 at 17:01
3 Answers 3
Use the quotemeta function:
$search_string = quotemeta "[foo]";
print "wee" if ($text_to_search =~ /$search_string/);
share|improve this answer
Use \Q to autoescape any potentially problematic characters in your variable.
if($text_to_search =~ m/\Q$search_string/) print "wee";
share|improve this answer
++. Merely for completeness: You could use the quotemeta function for a similar outcome: $text_to_search = quotemeta "example text with [foo] and more"; /$search_string/ But this will change $text_to_search, rather than quotemeta'ing only inside the regex. – Hugmeir Jan 6 '11 at 15:20
_USER_: That's why you want to quotemeta the substring to search for instead. See my answer. – Platinum Azure Jan 6 '11 at 15:28
Whoops, yeah, my bad. – Hugmeir Jan 6 '11 at 15:31
As guys already written you can use quotemeta (\Q \E) if you Perl is 5.16+ but if below you can simply avoid using regexp at all.
for example by using index command
if (index($text_to_search, $search_string) > -1){
 print "wee";
share|improve this answer
Your Answer


text:
This article is about monastic cells (living quarters).
The term cell applies to such a living space in a building, usually within a cenobitic monastery, which consists of rooms for each monk or nun, as well as a hermit's primitive solitary living space (possibly a cave, hut in the desert, deep forest, etc.) isolated from monasteries. In a cenobitic setting the building of "cells" also contains communal rooms for eating.
In 2005, the oldest physical example of living quarters for Christian monks was found by renovators who were repairing paintings in a fifteenth-century church at the site of the ancient Monastery of St. Anthony in Egypt, near the Red Sea. The monastery was founded in the mid-fourth century and is located about 100 miles southwest of Cairo, Egypt. These cells date from the fourth and fifth centuries. This archeological find is the first physical evidence that monks lived on the monastery site before the sixth century.

source: HuggingFaceFW/fineweb-edu


【Ingredients】 (６Servings)
tazukuri ingredientsDried Japanese anchovies (カタクチイワシ / Katakuchi iwashi)
(Ones specifically for tazukuri 田作り)……30g
Peanuts (ピーナッツ / Pīnatsu)……30g
Sesame oil (ごま油 / Goma-abura)……1tsp
Sugar (砂糖 / Satō)……2tbsp
Soy sauce (しょうゆ / Shōyu)……1tsp
Water (水 / Mizu)……2tsp
Cayenne pepper (一味唐辛子 / Ichimitōhgarashi)……To taste
【How to Make】
① Add the sesame oil to a frying pan and place over medium heat. Fry the anchovies and peanuts. Use a wooden spatula to stir occasionally to prevent burning. Once you get a prominent savory aroma, transfer everything to a bowl.
② Place the hot frying pan on a damp towel to lower the temperature. Add the sugar, soy sauce, and water place it back over medium heat and evaporate off the water. Once the mixture thickens, add the anchovies and peanuts and mix.
③ Cover a plate with baking paper. Add the cayenne pepper to the mixture in the pan and then transfer everything to the plate with baking paper and let it cool.
④ Once the mixture cools, use your hands to break it up into pieces that are easy to eat.
【Significance as Osechi Ryori
The dried Japanese anchovies referred to above are called "katakuchi iwashi" in Japanese. This term, though, can mean the fish in both fresh and dried forms. Dried, they are also referred to as "tazukuri" or "gomame" in Japanese. Tazukuri or gomame can also mean dishes like that described above, in which the dried fish are caramelized in a mixture that commonly consists of sugar, soy sauce, and mirin. Tazukuri, by the way, refers to the preparation of rice paddies for planting, in part by fertilizing with dried fish. The same fish came to be used in dishes like the one above, and the name stuck.
Tazukuri is an essential element of "osechi ryori," or New Year holiday dishes. The use of dried fish establishes a deep connection to the planting of rice paddies and incorporates a wish for an abundant harvest.
machikotateno osechi
Recipe Developed by: Machiko Tateno


text:
This teacher's edition accompanies Vocabulary Level A. Full-page, full-color reproductions of the student pages are included, with the correct answers overlaid in a hot-pink, italicized font. A page of notes to the teacher include suggestions for presentations, optional plans, rationale, features of the series and more. 46 pages, indexed, softcover. Grade 7.
This resource is also known as Bob Jones Vocabulary Teacher's Edition, Level A, Grade 7, 3rd Edition.
Customer Reviews for BJU Vocabulary Teacher's Edition, Level A (Grade 7), Third Edition
This product has not yet been reviewed. Click here to continue to the product details page.


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I am teaching myself category theory and I am having difficulties identifying the initial and terminal object of the category of $\textbf{FinVect}_R$.
I was thinking that because it is finite vectors then the initial and terminal should be the same object ( since they are finite, we can operate in those vectors until we reached that last one since it is finite).
Any help will be greatly appreciated.
share|improve this question
Is the category $\operatorname{FinVect}_R$ the category of real finite-dimensional vector spaces? If so, could you edit that into your question? I think it would make it a bit clearer and easier to answer. – Potato Jun 8 '13 at 5:13
1 Answer 1
I believe the terminal and initial object are both the zero-dimensional vector space $0$.
There is one map from $0$ to any other vector space $V$, since we must send $0$ to $0_V$. This follows from the definition of a linear map, and linear maps are the morphisms in this category. So $0$ is the initial object.
Similarly, there is exactly one morphism from any vector space $V$ to $0$: the map sending all elements to $0$. So $0$ satisfies the definition of terminal object.
Note that this argument is independent of the base field. So you could consider the category of vector spaces over $\mathbb C$, for example, and the answer would be the same.
share|improve this answer
mmmhhhh, I didnt really thought of it that way but it does makes sense what you are saying.Thank you very much Potato for your answer, I really appreciate it. – debora melcacho Jun 8 '13 at 5:25
_USER_ you might want to peek ahead a bit now and look at the rudiments of the theory of abelian categories, just so you can place this category you are looking at in a broader perspective. – Ittay Weiss Jun 8 '13 at 7:05
Your Answer


text:
Section 7 - people from an ethnic minority
People from an ethnic minority are defined as those from an ethnic group other than 'white British'. They are treated as a particular group for the JSNA because it is important to ensure that the experiences and opportunities that affect people's health and well-being are not dependent on their ethnic background.
The key points from the 2011 JSNA relating to people from an ethnic minority in Herefordshire are as follows:
- Herefordshire has a relatively small, but growing, Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) population: only 6% of residents were from a ethnic group other than 'white British' in 2009, but this is nearly one and a half times as many as in 2001 (compared to a growth of just 3% in the total population). By far the largest minority group (4,300) is 'white other than British or Irish'; which will include some of the county's estimated 800-900 Gypsies, Roma and Travellers as well as migrants who have settled in the county from Eastern Europe. See the ethnicity topic page for more details.
- Increasing numbers of births (200 in 2009) are to mothers born outside the UK, mainly in Poland and other Eastern European countries.
- Herefordshire continues to host several thousand temporary seasonal workers every spring and summer, mainly young men from Bulgaria, Romanian and Poland. Most are accommodated on the farms where they work, and many return year after year.
- Although the educational achievement of Herefordshire pupils is good overall, there are still significant attainment gaps between pupils from different ethnic groups, notably Gypsy, Roma and Traveller (GRT) children.
- A potential need for additional authorised pitches for Gypsies, Roma and Travellers in Herefordshire during the next ten years will require continued working with local communities.
Other relevant findings are:
- A survey of the health needs of over 200 seasonal migrant workers in 2008, mainly young adult males from Poland, Bulgarian and Romania, found that the vast majority (89%) felt they were in good or very good health. Only 5% said they had a disability, long-term illness or health problem which limited their daily activities or the work they could do - although 28% said they had back pain. 20% felt they faced barriers to healthcare - see the full report for more details.
- A similar survey of the health needs of just under 50 Gypsies, Roma and Travellers in Herefordshire found that a third felt their health was bad or very bad, which is much higher than for the general population. Just under half said they had a disability, long-term illness or health problem which limited their daily activities or work. Just over a third felt they faced barriers to healthcare. See the full report for more details.
Last updated: 21 September 2011


text:
With the explosion of smartphones and social network services, location-based social networks (LBSNs) are increasingly seen as tools for businesses (e.g., restaurants and hotels) to promote their products and services. In this article, we investigate the key techniques that can help businesses promote their locations by advertising wisely through the underlying LBSNs. In order to maximize the benefit of location promotion, we formalize it as an influence maximization problem in an LBSN, i.e., given a target location and an LBSN, a set of k users (called seeds) should be advertised initially such that they can successfully propagate and attract many other users to visit the target location. Existing studies have proposed different ways to calculate the information propagation probability, that is, how likely it is that a user may influence another, in the setting of a static social network. However, it is more challenging to derive the propagation probability in an LBSN since it is heavily affected by the target location and the user mobility, both of which are dynamic and query dependent. This article proposes two user mobility models, namely the Gaussian-based and distance-based mobility models, to capture the check-in behavior of individual LBSN users, based on which location-aware propagation probabilities can be derived. Extensive experiments based on two real LBSN datasets have demonstrated the superior effectiveness of our proposals compared with existing static models of propagation probabilities to truly reflect the information propagation in LBSNs.
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Computer Science(all)

source: openbmb/Ultra-FineWeb


2,\dots,g_m)} \define\szorzat{\prod\Sb i=1\endSb\Sp m\endSp \Cal P_i} \define\szorzatk{\prod\Sb l=1\endSb\Sp k\endSp \Cal P_{i_l}} \define\ball{\overline{B}_{\varepsilon_0}(x_0)} \define\qv{(Q,V^+)} \document {\catcode'\@=11\gdef\logo@{}} %\advance\baselineskip 8pt \noindent January 26, 1998 \par \noindent \bigskip \bigskip \centerline{\bf Ball-Avoiding Theorems} \bigskip \bigskip \bigskip \hbox{} \centerline {{\bf Domokos Sz\'asz} \footnote{Research supported by the Hungarian National Foundation for Scientific Research, grants OTKA-16425 and OTKA-26176.}} \centerline{Mathematical Institute of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences} \centerline{H-1364, Budapest, P. O. B. 127, Hungary} \centerline{E-mail: szasz\_USER_-inst.hu} \bigskip \bigskip \hbox{\centerline{\vbox{\hsize 8cm {\bf Abstract.} Consider a nice hyperbolic dynamical system (singularities not excluded). Statements about the topological smallness of the subset of orbits, which avoid an open subset of the phase space --- for every moment of time, or just for a not too small subset of times --- play a key role in showing hyperbolicity or ergodicity of semi-dispersive billiards, in particular, of hard ball systems. Beside surveying the characteristic results, called ball-avoiding theorems, and giving an idea of the methods of their proofs, their applications are also illustrated. Further we also discuss analogous questions (which had arisen, for intance, in number theory), when Hausdorff dimension is taken instead of the topological one. The answers strongly depend on the notion of dimension which is used. Finally, ball avoiding subsets are naturally related to repellers extensively studied by physicists. For the interested reader we also sketch some analytic and rigorous results about repellers and escape times.}}} \newpage \bigskip \bigskip \heading {\bf CONTENTS} \endheading \noindent 1. Introduction. \smallskip \par {\bf I. Weak and Strong Ball-Avoiding Theorems} \smallskip \par \noindent 2. An (Abstract) Weak Ball-Avoiding Lemma \par \noindent 3. Facts from Topological Dimension Theory \par \noindent 4. A Theorem of Smale and Williams for Anosov Diffeomorphisms \par \noindent 5. A Strong Ball-Avoiding Theorem for Hyperbolic Systems (with or without Singularities) \smallskip \par {\bf II. Ball-Avoiding Theorems and Hyperbolic Properties} \smallskip \par \noindent 6. Hyperbolic Properties of Hard Ball Systems \roster \item "{---}" Isometry to Semi-Dispersive Billiards \item"{---}" Local Ergodicity of Semi-Dispersive Billiards \item "{---}" Richness of a Symbolic Collision Sequence \item"{---}" The Role of Ball-Avoiding Theorems in Proving Hyperbolicity or Ergodicity \endroster \par \noindent 7. Interlude: An Instructive Example \par \noindent 8. Results for Hard Ball Systems \roster \item "{A.}" Dynamical Method \item "{B.}" Mechanical Method \endroster \par \noindent 9. Hyperbolic Properties of Cylindric Billiards \par \smallskip {\bf III. Related Directions} \smallskip \noindent 10. Replacing Topological Dimension with the Hausdorff-one \par \noindent 11. Ball-Avoiding in Physics: Open Systems and Repellers \par \noindent \heading 1. Introduction. \endheading \bigskip \bigskip The seminal work of Chernov and Sinai \sc not only established the K-property of \dbs in the general, multidimensional case, but --- through their Theorem on Local Ergodicity for \sdbs --- also opened the possibility to think about showing the K-property of \sdbs. Indeed, by using this fundamental tool, in 1989, A. Kr\'amli, N. Sim\'anyi and the present author \kssw could first show the K-property of a \bil, which was \sdisp but not \disp. Our method, which has later been further developed in a series of works (for a survey of the results see [Sz(1996)]), consists of three essential parts using dynamical--topological, geometric--algebraic, and finally dynamical--measure-theoretic tools, respectively. The dynamical--topological methods of these proofs are distilled in so-called {\it ball-avoiding theorems}, whose content we are just going to formulate, and which will be the content of this survey. Assume $\dina$ is a semigroup of endomorphisms (or $(\bom, \Cal F, S^\br, \mu)$ is a group of automorphisms) of a probability space $\mezo$. For formulating topological statements, we will, in general, assume that $\bom$ is a Riemannian manifold with or without boundary. Most of our methods will use some hyperbolicity and/or mixing properties of the dynamics involved. Fix an arbitrary subset $H$ of $\br_+$ (or of $\br$) and a subset $B \subset \bold M$. For $B$ and $H$ given in this way, the ball-avoiding subset $A_H(B) \subset \bold M$ is defined as follows: $$ A_H(B)= \{x \in \bold M:\ S^Hx \cap B =\emptyset\}. $$ In words, it consists of phase points whose orbits avoid the subset $B$ in prescribed moments of time ($B$, in general, need not be a ball, but often it is, and the term ball-avoiding already has traditions). If $B$ is not too small, e. g. it is open, then $\ahb $, as a collection of nontypical trajectories, is expected to be small. {\it Ball-avoiding theorems} claim that, by assuming that $B$ is not very small and $H$ is unbounded (or semi-unbounded, at least), $A_H(B)$ is small in a well-defined sense (i. e. its topological codimension is at least one or two, and, moreover, $\mu\{A_H(B)\}=0$) --- under weaker or stronger assumptions on the hyperbolic and/or ergodic behaviour of the dynamics. It is worth stressing that, though some general results have only been formulated for semi-dispersive billiards, their validity is wider: they are true for a class of 'hyperbolic' systems with singularities possessing a smooth invariant probability measure. If $\bom$ is a separable and metrizable space, then let $\{B_i:\ i=1, 2, \dots\}$ be a basis of the topology in $\bom $ (then each $A_H(B_i)$ is closed provided that the group $S^\br$ is continuous). Denote $$ ND:=\ \{x \in \bom:\ S^{\br}x\ \text {is not everywhere dense in} \ \bom\} \tag 1.1 $$ Plainly, $ND= \cup_{i} (A_{\br_-}(B_i)\cap A_{\br_+}(B_i))$. If one shows that each $A_{\br_-}(B_i)\cap A_{\br_+}(B_i)$ is a zero-measure subset of codimension two, then $ND$ will necessarily be {\it slim} (for the definition see section 3), i. e. topologically small. Though the question, ball-avoiding theorems answer, is natural, in this form they seem to have not been treated before \kssw. In the particular case $H = \br$ \ the set $A_\br(B)$ is an invariant subset. These sets were used by Smale (cf. [H(1970)]) and later by others to analyze possible dimensions of compact, proper invariant subsets of a hyperbolic diffeomorphism. The difference between their treatment of the problem and between ours reflects the very difference between smooth (Anosov) systems and those with singularities. On the other hand, there is a very active and interesting direction of research investigating, in particular, the same subsets $ND$ from a different point of view. These results generalize a classical theorem of Jarnik, [J(1929)] and of Besicovitch, [B(1934)] claiming that the set of badly approximable (or Diophantine) numbers in the interval $[0, 1]$ has Hausdorff dimension 1. The typical result then claims that the {\it Hausdorff-dimension} of the subset $ND$ is maximal


text:
Instructional strategies that challenge dominant...
|Title||Instructional strategies that challenge dominant pedagogy|
|Author(s)||J. Countryman, L. Rose|
|Journal||Canadian Music Educator / Musicien Educateur au Canada|
|Abstract||The article presents a curriculum of equity, diversity and social justice in music education practice. A delineation of these terms is offered in order to emphasize and direct attention to the goals represented by these ideas such as an equity-educator is more concerned with who participates and who does not. It also offers prompts to help educators develop spaces that nurture independent music practitioners within a peer-oriented environment.|
Using APA 6th Edition citation style.
Times viewed: 95


windows explorer. Says file is invalid.
 I've downloaded it several times, same error every time.
 I'll see if I can find another utility to try.
 - vote
 Okay, curious problem here – downloads fine on Firefox, fails on IE. The file saved from IE is missing the header, the one saved from Firefox is complete. Sounds like a problem with my web host.
 It will work if you use Firefox, alternatively i'll be happy to e-mail you the working ZIP file.
 2. vote
 Great program.
 I have managed to implement it. I do have one question though: when running the program is there a way to prevent the nodes disappearing off the screen when the algorithm starts. It only seems do do it when there are a lot of nodes and i cant seem to figure out how to always make the nodes central to paint screen.
 Also have you had a look at and what are your views on this program and how it differs to yours?
 - vote
 Thanks, Eaxrl1 🙂
 Due to the initial, random placement of the nodes when the algorithm starts, the first few cycles of the simulation result in very rapid movements as the forces compete and begin to reach equilibrium; it's natural for clusters of nodes to push away from the rest of the diagram during this initial phase, since the forces acting on them are greater than on the others.
 There are a few solutions you could look at. You could change the initial placement of the nodes so they follow a more uniform distribution. For diagrams with large numbers of nodes, you could increase the spacing between them (by increasing the bounds that the random placements are restricted to). You could also look at modifying the constants for attraction, repulsion, damping and spring length – the default values I provided are optimised for diagrams with a smaller number of nodes. Finally, you could simply shift the rendering origin each time you display the diagram – in my implementation, this is done only after the layout is finished, but it could be done after each iteration.
 The link you provided shows an implementation that is not all that different to mine. The underlying principles are certainly the same, and his videos simply show what I described earlier; with a shifting origin during rendering. He's confined himself to the simple case where he's only drawing trees; more complex diagrams are possible (with both implementations, if some tweaking were done), where each node could be connected to several other nodes. But, yeah, a very similar implementation.
 3. vote
 Cheers Bradley,
 I will have a go at shifting the rendering origin if i can figure out how. I am very new to programming so learning as i go. I am using the force-directed algorithm concept as part of a much bigger program of random discontinuous fibres embedded in a cell (think loft insulation or textile materials). So your program is very useful, got a long way to go though.
 - vote
 That sounds like quite an exciting application for the algorithm; using it for its basis in physics rather than simply taking advantage of the physics for more mundane purposes 🙂
 You can center the origin during each iteration by making one simple change to the Arrange() method in the Diagram class; you just need to move this block of code (at the bottom of the method):
 // center the diagram around the origin
 Rectangle logicalBounds = GetDiagramBounds();
 Point midPoint = new Point(logicalBounds.X + (logicalBounds.Width / 2), logicalBounds.Y + (logicalBounds.Height / 2));
 foreach (Node node in mNodes) {
 node.Location -= (Size)midPoint;
 …into the loop immediately above it (just before the exit conditions).
 4. vote
 Ha, well that was simple, now i feel a bit dense.
 Once again thanks i would have ended up spending a lot of time figuring it out. If i manage to get the program working i will upload a video. Thanks
 5. vote
 I had a go with your source in ANIMATE mode and was a bit curious why the graphs all seem to move towards the top left then back to the center, when there is no initial momentum in the system to make things move (on average) at all. I reviewed the code and found that you are consistently using the Math.Tanh method (hyperbolic tanget), where you really need to be using Math.Atan (arc tangent) or better yet Math.Atan2 so you can remove all of the angle range checks. Upon making these changes, the graphs almost always stay in the visible area of the canvas and the center of gravity stays near the middle. The final layouts also seem more intuitive (to me anyway), considering the forces you are modelling.
 Really nice work – I've always had a desire to play with force-directed placement and your project is a great starting point. I've begun to add some simulated-annealing effects to solve the local minimum issue that often arise in systems like these.
 - vote
 Thanks a lot for the tips – it's always great to get feedback from someone who is a little stronger in their mathematics than I am 🙂 I'm quite curious to implement those changes and see the results for myself!
 6. +1
 Many thanks for this post! it is very useful to understand concept of layout arrangments. Agree with Bradley Smith :))
 - 0
 For the purpose of the simulation, all nodes are regarded as point sources rather than considering their size or shape. For circular nodes, all you have to do is set the scaling factor accordingly. There is no easy way to handle oblong or rectangular nodes without introducing some potential overlap.
 7. vote
 With a very large number of nodes I wanted to see the layout zoomed. Possibly adding some scroll bars.
 I set the diagram bounds large and as expected the diagram is centred off the viewport, but unexpectedly it does not seem to draw almost to the edges of the supplied bounds as it does if one provides bounds the same or a little smaller than the viewport. Consequently it is not as zoomed as one would like, but is about the same size on a very large canvas so to speak.
 Do you know the reason for this? Is there perhaps a built in maximum size for the diagram? Is the bounds for each node set according to the available diagram bounds or perhaps based on the number of nodes?
 Is there a way to resolve this?
 - vote
 My best guess is that this is due to the diagram scaling not taking into account the size of the nodes themselves, only the bounds of the connectors. You would need to modify the GetDiagramBounds() method to consider the size of each node.
 The code provided is intended to be a proof-of-concept only; features like a scrollable viewport are fairly easy to implement on top of the existing code. You simply draw the diagram with larger bounds and clip to the bounds of the viewport when displaying it.
 8. vote
 Hi Bradley,
 great work and many thanks for uploading your work.
 I've been studying it a bit and came to some conclusions that I cannot really explain.
 First of all, I needed the algorithm to produce graphs that intersect very rarely, possibly never.
 With your constants and a random graph that produced more than 40-50 nodes it often intersects.
 This might seem odd, but changing the constants like this:
 private const double ATTRACTION_CONSTANT = 0.3; // spring constant
 private const double REPULSION_CONSTANT = 400; // charge constant
 private const double DEFAULT_DAMPING = 0.85;
 private const int DEFAULT_SPRING_LENGTH = 200;
 private const int DEFAULT_MAX_ITERATIONS = 100;
 and in the CalcRepulsionForce method changing the Coulomb's Law
 from: -(REPULSION_CONSTANT / Math.Pow(proximity, 2))
 to: -REPULSION_CONSTANT/proximity
 I noticed a significant improvement in avoiding intersections.
 There is some clustering side effect in the nodes that are in the end of branches, but that I don't mind. Also, significantly less iteration is needed to get the wanted result.
 There is an obvious connection between the REPULSION_CONSTANT and proximity, but I haven't been able to set the constant to achieve a similar result as with changing the Coulomb's Law. Not squaring the proximity is significant only to the first few iterations, as the number of iterations grow, it can be changed back to original square.
 Do you have any idea why the algorithm appears to work better with these changes and is there something else that I'm missing? I am a computer science student and I would really appreciate your help if you have some opinions about this topic.
 In addition, I included some pictures of graphs that I created using the initial settings and my settings:
 - vote
 Hi, your findings are rather interesting! The spring and charge constants provided in my example are certainly not the optimal values; in some respects, the ideal values for these constants depend upon the scale and complexity you are using for the nodes of the diagram. However, once you've found the optimal settings for a given type of diagram, these values should remain constant. The damping and spring length can (and probably should) vary for individual diagrams; they are intended to be variables in the equation.
 The problem with changing the way that repulsion is calculated is that the forces are no longer properly balanced. Repulsion is supposed to follow the inverse square law, and by making it a linear relationship, nodes which are very far apart are more likely to influence each other. Now, this may be desirable in certain


This comes from BWV 847 (the C minor fugue from the Well Tempered Clavier).
Look at the third beat from measure 28.
I can't help but hear an A flat minor chord here, that is Eb, Cb, Ab. Especially when playing with an "organ" sound on a synthesizer or something rich (because of the harmonics of the Eb at the bass, I suppose). Try to add the Eb above middle C to the chord to see what I mean.
I know that the harmony is supposed to be a G dominant over the Eb (that is a vanilla V/I movement over the Eb), and you can suppress any tentative to think otherwise by adding the D to the chord (I even have an edition at home which suggest that there is at least one manuscript where the copier added this D).
Am I the only one to hear this "C flat"? Is there any actual example of chromatic mediant movement in Bach by the way? Would you add the D to the chord?
EDIT: here I can hear it a lot :
(at 3:28)
enter image description here
 - Did you mean an Abm chord? – Tim Nov 8 '18 at 19:40
 - _USER_ Yeah, of course. Fixed. – Alexandre C. Nov 8 '18 at 19:50
 - What's the difference between Cb and B? Shouldn't they be the same with well temperament? – Eric Duminil Nov 9 '18 at 9:25
 - 1
 _USER_ the question is whether you hear a G dominant over the Eb, or something stranger (Ab minor chord). In the second case, the B would have been noted CB instead. To hear the difference, play the circled chord adding respectively the D or the Eb above middle C. – Alexandre C. Nov 9 '18 at 12:54
Sure, if you listen to this chord out of context, it sounds like a 2nd inversion Ab minor chord. But in context, at least to me, the chord and its resolution on the second eighth note seem to be a perfectly straightforward, and typical for Bach, dominant to tonic motion, where the dominant is a dimished seventh chord (missing its third and fifth), and the tonic is in the first inversion and anticipated in the bass.
And there's no room for a D in the chordthis is a three voice fugue.
 - Yeah, it's a 3 voice fugue, but if I were to disambiguate, that's what I would do (adding F to the chord would imply resolving onto a doubled Eb -- not good). – Alexandre C. Nov 8 '18 at 19:52
 - 1
 _USER_. - yes, adding a D to the chord would strengthen the dominant feeling. But it would disrupt the fugue. – Scott Wallace Nov 8 '18 at 20:11
 - _USER_, if I follow your answer, the essential harmony at the part circled in red is V-V4/2-i6, right? The B natural is then a suspension/retardation and the A flat above an appoggiatura? – Michael Curtis Nov 13 '18 at 20:07
 - 1
 _USER_ - the way I hear itand this is of course subjectiveis that the part circled in red is a dominant, in the form of a diminished seventh chord, very typical for Bach, which would be completely spelled out as B-D-F-Ab, but in this case, is missing the third and the fifth, but is also complicated by its resolution to the tonic being anticipated in the bass, in the first inversion. But there's such a thing as getting too wound up in analysis. – Scott Wallace Nov 14 '18 at 18:01
The way you've phrased your question is a little strange, since the only possible answer would be "no, you are undoubtedly not the only one."
I hear it a little differently from Scott, but it doesn't really make sense as a full chord. I hear the B and the Ab as simple accented non-chord tones, with a chromatic rise (B-C) and descent (Ab-G) to the expected i6 chord.
That seems fairly clear to me on reading it, and is also how I hear it when performed:
 - It depends on the instrument. Eg. youtube.com/watch?v=3ceiQadblRQ (at 3:28) – Alexandre C. Nov 8 '18 at 19:50
 - 1
 _USER_. I just listened to your recording. If anything, it seems even more startling there. It feels too out of place to be a fundamental harmonic idea. That's NCT territory :) – Ben I. Nov 8 '18 at 20:15
 - 1
 _USER_ Ah, I see. For some reason, I didn't catch that from your answer. Then we are in total agreement, because the two NCTs are certainly dominant-ish :) – Ben I. Nov 8 '18 at 20:16
 - 1
 BenI, _USER_ Of course, being non-chord tones, this is not a "strict" chromatic mediant movement or anything like that, and the voice movement is what it is : B goes to C. But I definitely hear something funny in the organ version, and adding the D (using an organ sound on my keyboard) does change completely the quality of the chord to me. But maybe it's because of the repeated listening. Anyway thanks for taking the time to listen to this. – Alexandre C. Nov 8 '18 at 20:28
 - 1
 _USER_. - I can't argue with that, and after repeated listenings, I too managed to hear an Ab minor chord there. I'm sure my perception is also colored by the fact that I've played this piece many times, and tend to hear Bach along the lines I'm accustomed too. And thanks for pointing this outit's interesting in any case. – Scott Wallace Nov 9 '18 at 10:38
There is no c-flat in the key of c minor, and that's what key we're in here.
The b-natural has a scale-degree function to move to c, and that's what it does here. C-flat doesn't have that role.
There is no harmonic function of a-flat minor in this spot. B and a-flat are non-harmonic tones resolving to c and g in the c minor triad in first inversion.
For those reasons, I'd say Bach notated this correctly.
 - There is absolutely no question that the intended harmony requires B -> C (V to I, over a pedal of Eb, if you want). Moreover, an accidental Cb would have to go down to Bb. This is only a matter of acoustics -- the chord sounds like an Ab minor chord (and thus a "chromatic mediant" movement) when played on an organ. – Alexandre C. Nov 14 '18 at 19:44
Your Answer


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Capricorns are not usually found at Lake Lakira, but you are making your way there today to play with some hatchlings. Newborns are left here, because until their horns harden and grow, they can't defend themselves against some of the more dangerous sea creatures. When older, they will accompany their parents foraging or be left behind at home. For now, they'll eat the tufts of grass around the lake, what their parents bring back, or some of the treats you've brought for them. As you near the edge of the lake, a few capricorn hatchlings spot you and make their way over. Extracting a couple carrots from your satchel, you sit down and feed them, smiling at their enthusiasm. While you watch the little ones eat their treats, you absentmindedly scratch their heads, paying special attention to where their horns are coming in. Right now, there are bright colored nubs, but they are quickly growing. Soon these hatchlings will be able to join their parents foraging.
Long ago it was believed that for every animal on land, there was a similar one in the seas and oceans. While this notion is no longer a widespread belief, the oceans do yield creatures much like those found on land. A capricorn can seem like an ibex at first glance, but a second look assures you there are several obvious differences. A strong tail takes the place of hind legs, and these animals appear in many colors, much like hippocampi. Although capricorns can breathe above water for a few hours, they usually remain beneath the waves, surfacing only occasionally to feed. They do not travel in packs, but mate for life and are found in pairs and raise their young to adulthood. Their eggs are very well hidden and extremely difficult to obtain. Capricorns live far at the bottom of oceans, where they reside among the peaks of watery mountains. Their curved horns are all the protection they need against beasts foolish enough to challenge them.


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Let's think together:Every week the World Bank team in Tanzania wants to stimulate an evidence-based debate by sharing data from recent official surveys and ask you a few questions. These posts are also published in the Tanzanian newspaper The Citizen every Sunday.
Reducing the distance between people, markets, services and knowledge – or simply 'getting people connected' – is a great part of what economic growth is all about.
Although virtual connectivity has become increasingly important today with the emergence of new communication avenues, a good and reliable transport network remains vital. There is a very strong positive correlation between a country's economic development and the quality of its road network. Yet, by 2011, Tanzania was still lagging behind Uganda and Kenya in terms of the development of its road network as seen in the following facts:
- The road network in Tanzania is three times less dense, as given by the number of kilometers of road per 1,000 sq km - of land mass, than in Uganda and Kenya.
- There are 7.5 km of paved road per 1,000 sq km of land mass in Tanzania, while this ratio is 82 and 19.7 for Uganda and Kenya respectively.
- Only 5.8 per cent of the national roads network is considered in good and reliable condition in Tanzania as opposed to 20.7 and 11.0 per cent in Uganda and Kenya respectively.
Not only is the road coverage in Tanzania insufficient, but where they do exist they are either in poor condition or are totally impassable especially during the rainy season. As a result, households, especially those in remote areas, experience difficulties transporting their goods, travelling from one point to another within the country or even catching up on new developments.
This lack of mobility is illustrated by the fact that only one household out of five was within 2 kilometers of or had access to a paved road in the Kilimanjaro region as recently as 2009. And in the poorer Ruvuma region, access to a paved road was as low as 5.6 percent.
The Government has nevertheless made significant efforts to improve the road situation as seen in the increased amounts allocated to the sector over the past few years. The total budget for roads increased from Sh491 billion in 2007/8 to over Sh2.1 trillion in 2011/12. This latest figure is equivalent to the amount spent on Education and twice as much as the Health budget.
- Should the Government spend more on roads - even at the expense of the Education and Health sectors?
- What kind of roads should the country prioritize – paved or feeder roads?
- Should Tanzania invest in rural or urban transport? In which priority regions?
- In view of the massive financing needs, should alternative funding mechanisms be considered, for example, private sector partnerships for large roads or international corridors; or community driven initiatives for feeder roads? Should users pay for roads?
- To what extent can other transport modes such as water or rail be alternatives to road transport?
Note: The statistics are extracted from the Kilimanjaro and Ruvuma Panel Surveys (2003 and 2009) and the CIA Factbook. Both are publicly available.


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Chapter V-G. Lectern or Place from Which the Word of God is Proclaimed
272. The dignity of the word of God requires the church to have a place that is suitable for proclamation of the word and is a natural focal point for the people during the Liturgy of the Word.
As a rule the lectern or ambo should be stationary, not simply a movable stand. In keeping with the structure of each church, it must be so placed that the ministers may be easily seen and heard by the faithful.
The readings, responsorial psalm, and the Easter Proclamation (Exsultet) are proclaimed from the lectern; it may be used also for the homily and general intercessions (prayer of the faithful).
It is better for the commentator, cantor, or choir director not to use the lectern.


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We know that once we enable debug mode via "Ctrl+Alt+Shift+P", this setting will be persisted: even if you turn off your laptop and launch the application tomorrow, the debug mode will still be there.
In Chrome development tool, there is an Application tab which records this setting via key value pair using Local Storage.
As usual we can still use debug to investigate what has happened when the checkbox "Use Debug Sources(reload)" is clicked.
In Chrome development tool Elements tab, click the small arrow icon to enter the element inspection mode, then click the checkbox, then its html source code will be automatically navigate.
Perform global search via keyword "useDbgSources", and then we can find the event handler onUseDbgSources for debug mode set:
Set a breakpoint on this function, then mark the checkbox in UI, breakpoint is triggered as expected:
Within the function, we can know the debugging flag is set via localStoage API: window.localStorage.setItem
This API will change the following file in my laptop:
If I open the changed file via some SQLite management tool, I can find the corresponding entry with key sap-ui-debug and value 'X' set:


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Background: Falls are common in older people and may lead to functional decline, disability, and death. Many risk factors have been identified, but studies evaluating effects of nutritional status are limited. To determine whether nutritional status is a predictor of falls in older people living in the community, we analyzed data collected through the Survey of Health and Living Status of the Elderly in Taiwan (SHLSET). Methods: SHLSET include a series of interview surveys conducted by the government on a random sample of people living in community dwellings in the nation. We included participants who received nutritional status assessment using the Mini Nutritional Assessment Taiwan Version 2 (MNA-T2) in the 1999 survey when they were 53 years or older and followed up on the cumulative incidence of falls in the one-year period before the interview in the 2003 survey. Results: At the beginning of follow-up, the 4440 participants had a mean age of 69.5 (standard deviation = 9.1) years, and 467 participants were "not well-nourished," which was defined as having an MNA-T2 score of 23 or less. In the one-year study period, 659 participants reported having at least one fall. After adjusting for other risk factors, we found the associated odds ratio for falls was 1.73 (95% confidence interval, 1.23, 2.42) for "not well-nourished," 1.57 (1.30, 1.90) for female gender, 1.03 (1.02, 1.04) for one-year older, 1.55 (1.22, 1.98) for history of falls, 1.34 (1.05, 1.72) for hospital stay during the past 12 months, 1.66 (1.07, 2.58) for difficulties in activities of daily living, and 1.53 (1.23, 1.91) for difficulties in instrumental activities of daily living. Conclusion: Nutritional status is an independent predictor of falls in older people living in the community. Further studies are warranted to identify nutritional interventions that can help prevent falls in the elderly.
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes


are the fit of the bag, what clothing one wears to bed, and the type of sleeping pad used. All of these factors play key roles in calculating real world performance. Wind and dampness are additional factors that can greatly affect a quality night's sleep.
My research seems to indicate that the EN standard for sleeping bag temperature rating is helpful, but only if used properly. My take is that one must understand the rating system, specifically the range of ratings, and then use it as a baseline to compare sleeping bags against each other. Reality means that it might take a few failures on our end before we find a bag that is tailored to how we sleep and intend to use it.
My conclusion is that we need to look at a sleeping bag as part of a total sleeping package. This package should include several factors, but starts with the combined performance of the sleeping bag and the mattress pad. Continuing down this path, it is critical to evaluate the fit of the bag. To tight and you compress the insulation and reduce its insulating capabilities. To loose and energy is wasted heating the dead space.
Another component of the sleeping system is clothing. Is there a dedicated set of sleep clothing, or do you utilize part of your outerwear to dial your system in? The final piece of the puzzle is the style of shelter (i.e tent, tarp, hammock, bivy, etc.) as the EN testing process assumes the sleeping bag is used in a tent. All of these factors combined make up your total sleeping package.
 - Sleeping Bag
 - Mattress Pad
 - Overall fit of the bag
 - Clothing worn in the bag (or not)
 - Shelter Style
As we build this package it is easy to see the potential for variances. Each trip might require a custom tailored total sleep package based on the multiple variables each adventure requires. The weather and altitude are examples of external variables to consider as we build our system. Using the results of the tests, and comparing how manufactures use these results, helps us understand the baseline upon which to build a system. Nights in the bag prove our system and help us to better understand how the sleeping bag temperature rating can work for us, and in the conditions we use our system in.
In a follow up article I will explain how I used the results of my research to build my different sleep systems and how I tailor each of them to the adventure at hand.
You can comment on this article or ask Matt questions here. (Be sure and subscribe to that thread at "Thread Tools" top of post to receive a notification when part II publishes.)


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From June until August, the great yellow gentian makes an impressive sight standing tall in alpine pastures. Many members of the gentian family are subtle and discreet, producing small, delicate, purple-blue flowers. Not this one! It grows over a metre high and gives a dazzling display of bright yellow blooms.
Throughout history, the roots have been used to make both medicinal tonics and bitter liqueurs.
The plant is known for its bitter roots, which are used to make Suze, a bitter French aperitif made in the Pyrenees since 1889. The drink shares its yellow colour with the flowers and is definitely an acquired taste. Made from a mixture of wild and farmed gentians, the process involves macerating the roots in alcohol for over year before pressing them in a factory designed by Gustav Eiffel.
The Gentiana lutea and the gentian family take their names from King Gentius, who used the plant's medicinal properties to cure his army of a plague. Gentius was the last king of the Ardiaei, a tribe in Illyria, from 181-168BC. Illyria was the name given by the Romans and Greeks to the western region of the Balkan peninsula. The lands of the Ardiaei extended through modern-day Albania and Montenegro at the start of Gentius' reign. Although initially a successful military leader, Gentius' alliance with Macedon against the Romans led to his downfall. After his defeat in 168BC, Southern Illyria came under Roman rule while Gentius and his family lived out their days as Roman prisoners in Iguvium.
This tall plant has large, ribbed leaves which grow in pairs from a straight central stalk. The plant typically grows up to 1.2 metres high. The flowers are grouped in rings around the bases of the upper leaves.
It is found in meadows up to 2500 metres of altitude across the Alps and other mountain ranges of central and southern Europe.
Before flowering it can be confused with the poisonous White False Helleborine (Veratrum album). This latter plant has similar large ribbed leaves, but they grow alternately rather than in pairs. After flowering the green blooms are quite different from the yellow ones of the gentian. The Helleborine's toxins were once used to produce poisoned spear heads, so confusing it with gentian root could be a deadly mistake.


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In this case study, AFS applies the company's problem-solving ethos of "Measure. Model. Solve." to determine the potential for emulsions to form in a field under realistic operating conditions.
An emulsion risk was identified in a greenfield production fluid. However, the initial emulsion tests were performed in a lab with very high shear rates. The high shear rates did not represent realistic field conditions, yet the implications for operations were severe if these tests had been taken at face value.
AFS was tasked with assessing emulsion risks under more realistic operating conditions.
In the AFS laboratory, the production fluid was first mixed with water at varying watercuts and stirrer rates with larger stirrer rates correlating to a larger shear placed on the oil / water mixture. After mixing for a set duration, the samples were each allowed to sit to determine if a stable emulsion had formed. For each watercut, the critical stirrer rate at which stable emulsions would form was found in RPMs.
Figure 1: Experiments to determine when emulsions form
Next, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations were used to determine the average shear rates experienced by the oil / water mixture based on the stirrer rates used in the lab tests. AFS created CAD drawings of the lab equipment and ran CFD simulations in-house.
Figure 2: Shear rate contours on various surfaces and planes
Finally, once the average shear rate was determined from CFD, this was compared with the results from a hydrodynamic pipeline simulator. At this point the critical shear rates required for stable emulsions to form could be compared to the expected shear rates in the field under operating conditions. After doing this, an assessment could be made of the likelihood of emulsions to form in the field.
A total of 10 wells were assessed as part of the study and only 2 were shown to have shear rates large enough to produce stable emulsions during operations. This is a far different outlook than initial lab data indicated, which was overly conservative. As a result, AFS was able to help the client significantly reduce costs that would have been associated with handling emulsions across all 10 of the wells. Being able to combine laboratory testing with advanced modeling was extremely important for this study and is made possible at AFS with the holistic principle of Measure. Model. Solve.


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Wizards, Witches and Beings: I
Inigo=Medieval Spanish form of Ignatius; the name of a famous seventeenth
century British architect. Ignatius is derived from 'Ignis,' the Latin word
Imago=Latin for image, likeness (i.e.:, a picture, statue, mask, an apparition, ghost, phantom).
Norwegian poet of the 1400s whose verse includes references to Quidditch (QA8).
Most likely a witch, since her surname has a feminine ending in a a part of the world where surnames are modified by gender.


's all about the NZ's climate as well as the geographical aspect of the country. It has fertile soil, excellent rainfall and abundant sunshine thus making it ideal for dairy farming. New Zealand is one of few places globally where cows can graze outdoors almost all year round and does not get confined by cubicles. Cubicles can be bad for 'cows happiness index' because it is not just small but can be harsh on them too. Animals do get depressed if they don't get to step outside for a long period of time. Being able to graze outdoor freely means they are able to eat only high-quality fresh grass; and this translate to better quality milk!
Yes, there are dairy cows out there that only feed on grains instead of grass, but the latter condition is always the more superior and better option for the cows. I also found out another very interesting fact about outdoor grazing cows. As a result of spending 90% of the time outside on sunny days, these grass-fed cows seem to receive a higher level of vitamin D and because of that, their milk has a higher amount of that vitamin D compared to cows that spent time being confined indoors. Grass-fed cows are also healthier as they'll have a better fat profile (less fat in the body).
Fernleaf UHT Milk contains goodness from New Zealand!
Letting the cows graze happily in the open field of New Zealand lush pasture also bring about many other good benefits. For example, the milk produced by them contain the richest natural food source of bio-available calcium. Not just that, the milk also contains high-quality protein, vitamin A and vitamin D that is definitely good for the health!
Note: Bio-available calcium refers to a part of dietary calcium that is potentially absorbable and the incorporation of the said nutrient into your bone. Cow milk generally has about 30-35% of good bioavailability of calcium.
Fernleaf UHT Milk (Low Fat Variant)
🐄 What is a Naturally Produced Milk?
Fernleaf UHT milk is sourced from grass-fed cows that produce milk naturally; which means NO booster is used to increase the milk production. Its all done by giving the cows the best environment possible, including high-quality grass, comfortable climate, as well as clean air and water! That does make sense, right? I mean, a high-quality working environment does produce high-quality workers. These cows are happy thus they are super productive. They don't do drugs (booster) because they don't need to either. They are well loved and well taken care of. LOL.
🐄 What is a UHT Milk?
I've gotten curious on what exactly the term UHT means as I am writing this post, so I decided to make a quick research. According to Wikipedia, UHT or Ultra High-Temperature Processing is a method used to sterilise liquid food, mainly milk by heating it above 135-degree Celcius in order to kill off the spores in milk. This process, also known as Ultra Pasteurization or Ultra Heat Treatment usually takes only 1-2 seconds to be done. The absence of spores allows the milk to have a longer unrefrigerated shelf life to up to six to nine months as long as the milk is stored in a sterile and unopened container.
Such an interesting fact right? We are so lucky to have this technology created! Less spoilt milk, more spoiled us. Hihi.
There are so many ways you can choose to enjoy the Fernleaf UHT Milk. For me, I actually went for a quick brunch picnic with Eros + his brother Euri this weekend at the Perdana Botanical Garden. We just want to go and chill around, and planned to probably take time snapping some pictures for the 'gram'. But us being us, the picnic plan turned more elaborate as times goes by, and the more we plan, the more it becomes something bigger than 'chilling around'. In the end, we actually decided to colour coordinate our outfit! Yes, we're extra like that and I don't mind it. Since we brought together some Fernleaf UHT Milk to enjoy with some snacks and fruits that day, we decided to go for a sunny, yellow and happy concept to match Fernleaf's happy vibe.
Are you team Milk+Bread or Milk+Cereal
The day was beautiful, there were not many people at the Botanical Garden so we had a great time munching foods, drinking milk and of course snapping pictures. If you've read Eros's blogpost's on the picnic, you'll know that one of conversation that came up between us was whether we like drinking milk with cereal or with bread. It was really hard for us to decide, so we unanimously agree that they're great for both! I mean, how can we choose? We're a bunch of people who love foods so much. *giggles*
Fernleaf UHT Milk only uses milk from grass-fed dairy cows!
Anyway, although I am the type who is not so 'big' on chocolate, I personally really like the Fernleaf UHT milk in the same flavour. It's very smooth, not powdery despite is formulated from NZ's milk powder ( made with 100% milk from New Zealand). It is also just nice, not too sweet for my taste buds. The full cream milk is amazing + creamy too. I ended up getting myself the Fernleaf UHT Low-Fat type afterwards too since the first two are super delishh! It was at a great timing as well since I've been wanting to restock the milk in our home fridge. All of the three flavours doesn't have any overwhelming flavour so I think everyone from children, adult and elderly will enjoy drinking it. I gave some of the extra Ferleaf UHT chocolate milk that I have to my brother and he seemed to like it as much as I do!
So yeah, it's been a fun weekend for me with Fernleaf UHT Milk! I hope this post managed to show you different ways to enjoy milk and the fact that you can bring it everywhere doesn't give you an excuse not to drink milk at all! They're good for you so make sure to drink at least the bare minimum. For milk lovers like me, I am sending you a virtual high five. For those who are reading this, I hope you'll try having a milk picnic like us too. It's totally fun! Except we would advise you to check the weather first before going or you'll end up drenched in the rain halfway through like we did! It was a great memory though, a funny one in a way; or like how Fernleaf always says, it was totally 100% Mmmmm.
Fernleaf UHT Milk is now available in major supermarkets and convenience stores nationwide. Make sure to give it a try. It's super yummy, healthy and affordable! Learn more about Fonterra, Fernleaf, their visions and more by visiting Fonterra website, Fernleaf Malaysia Facebook Page or Fonterra Malaysia Instagram.
Till next post, toodles~! ♥ミ
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favor because they created large shadows. The ever higher buildings of the 19th and early 20th century often resulted in one half of the street being well-lit while the other half was in total darkness. The large territories of shadow-and-light created zones beyond the control of the city manager; creeping grins leered at the upstanding citizens on evening strolls from across the road, and hideous creole cackles rang through the darkened half-streets of industrial towns up and down the Mississippi Valley.
The lights were phased out and the streets more evenly lit by pedestrian poles topped with new electrical incandescent lamps. Nonetheless, it is encouraging that these effects are being brought back into public spaces. Not every place needs to be domesticated by a pedestrian scale lamp, bathed in light and scaled to the human body. While landscape architects have traditionally been consumed with the creation of the perception of safety and control, we like to think there is room for the lunatics who roam the shadows, ebbing and flowing with the light of the moon [1, 2]. Because landscape practice not only establishes a territory and formalizes methods of control, it also generates the conditions for deterritorialization, speculating on ways that those boundaries might be transgressed and how one might embrace the bigness and wildness of it all.
[New Orleans used a moonlight tower in the 1880s and 90s along the levee at Canal Street. The all night light and shadow enabled industry, commerce, and recreation to continue throughout the night in the French Quarter.
* it appears that they are metal halide from a brief on the ground inspection; in fact they may be another type of lamp for all we know
1- the term "lunatic" can be traced back to the latin "luna" for moon, from the belief that periods of insanity were related to the cycles of the moon.
2- we don't mean to imply too strongly that MVVA is very concerned with the lunatics and operations of deterritorialization. In fact, they are one of the best at gentrifying derelict urban zones through landscape design, working almost exclusively for the bourgeioise. But they also do some interesting work that transgresses their own control mechanisms, and the lighting in Brooklyn Bridge Park may prove to be an example of this. Regardless, it is far superior and more apt to use tall lights at the waters edge in NYC than it is to put those ridiculous pedestrian poles that line the riverfront promenades on the west side.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
The Darien Gap
The American frontier is sharply distinguished from the European frontier- a fortified boundary line running through dense populations. The most significant thing about the American frontier is that it lies at the hither edge of free land.
- Frederick Jackson Turner, "The Significance of the Frontier in American History." 1893.
[the Pan American Highway running through the Peruvian desert]
The Pan American Highway is a sprawling infrastructural remnant of the independence revolutions, American hegemonic sentiment, and World War defense logistics. It is a continuous road connecting the southern tip of Patagonia to the far northern reaches of Alaska save one exceptionthe Darién Gap
The Pan-American Highway began in earnest in 1923, spurred on by the construction of the Panama Canal in 1914. The segment of the highway connecting the Canal to North America was a defensive strategy to protect North American commercial interests from German U-boats. It aimed to connect the commercial shipping centers in the US with Mexico City, capital cities in Central America and the Panama Canal. To the south, the Darién Gap stayed on the periphery and the Pan-American Highway remained incomplete. Since that time significant efforts have been made to complete the road in support of commercial interests and increased the mobility of regional populations.
[the Inter American Highway connecting the Panama Canal, the capital cities of Central America, and Interstate 35 in Laredo, Texas]
[the construction of the locks of the Panama Canal; image source]
The Darién Gap exists between the Panamanian settlement of Aviza and the Colombian town of Cúcuta. It is 87 kilometers of jungle highlands and swampy delta along the border of Panama and Colombia and is purportedly a haven to the biodiversity of the isthmus, the indigenous Kuna people, and FARC operatives. Despite its strategic location at the crossroads of North and South America and the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, the geography of the Gap has defied attempts at European settlement owing to the difficulty of the terrain.
In recent years environmental interest groups have joined forces with indigenous peoples and the powerful Panamanian beef lobby to argue against the completion of the road. Panamanian ranchers maintain that the Gap provides a biological buffer preventing the spread of hoof-and-mouth disease from Colombia in to Central and North America. This confluence of immense potentiality, bigness of the terrain, contested commercial interests, and difficulty in establishing new settlements is a historical fact dating back at least to the beginning of European colonization.
[the Isthmus of Panama, the Darien Gap is at the very southern edge of Panama]
[an admittedly ambiguous close up of the Darien Gap; the Atrato River creates a massive swampy delta in the Darien lowlands before pouring in to the Caledonia Bay to the North; the swampy conditions made North European agricultural practices impossible and bred sickness that undid the Caledonia Colony]
In the late 17th century the major European powers had established important colonies, trade routes and treaties throughout the Americas. During the frothy expansion of European colonialism Scotland was inspired by entrepreneur William Patterson to try and establish a commercial colony on the Isthmus of Panama from where they could control trade between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The area was a de facto Spanish domain but uncontested as its difficult geography, low indigenous populations, and lack of mineral wealth left it outside of the imperial regime, a situation the Scots hoped to take advantage of.
In 1698 they marshaled most of the capital in the country through public stock offerings and the Darién Company launched a settlement expedition with the intent to establish the Colony of Caledonia. It was known that the region of Caledonia offered a natural harbor with the promise of shelter and a chance at success. Their demise was immediate, at one point dying at a rate of 10 per day due to sickness and the unsuitability of the land to Northern European agricultural practices. By 1700 the colony was done and the survivors were ushered out by a cluster of armed Spanish ships. The loss of most of the Scotland's capital was an important factor in Scotland's union with England in 1707. As part of the union England agreed to repay Scotland's wealthy citizens the money they had lost on the venture plus 5% interest. It proved enough to buy them off. The modern day Darién Gap is still inhabited by the Kuna people, explored by intrepid adventurers and tourists, exploration expeditions are occasionally mounted, and the FARC slides in and out remaining out of reach of Colombian authorities.
[the Darian Gap on the Panama Isthmus connecting North and South America, the object of Scotland's colonial desires]
Frederick Jackson Turner's characterization of the frontier was important in recognizing its importance in shaping American societies. We would extend this to all of the Americas, arguing that the frontier condition existed throughout the continent. The frontier was also non-directional. It was a heterogeneous and uneven agglomeration of difficult and contested territories where myriad indigenous and divergent colonial interestsScotch, Spanish, English, French, Dutch, and Portuguesewere smashing into one another over and over. That is, the land wasn't totally open as Turner suggested, but rather the jurisdictional administration was ambiguous, and this generated the potentiality which the Scottish recognized in the Darien Gap, the United States recognized in the Southwest, and the French saw in the Mississippi Valley. The frontier was endemic to the American landscape, marked by difficult terrain, a tantalizing mix of potential commercial success and imminent disaster, and overlapping and ambiguous jurisdictions. The Darién Gap, in short.
 [the 1960 Trans Darien Expedition: 134 days to cross, 500 kms of trails, 180 river crossings, 125 log bridges built, 3 automobile rollovers, malaria, 544 kilos in cargo, 1 capstain winch per vehicle, 52 HP engine, 104 liters of gas; image source]
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Housekeeping on the Frontier
After taking a month break we are back here at FASLANYC headquarters and it's only fair to take care of some housekeeping first. Of note in the last month, Places has been running a series on fiction, and Mammoth is wrapping up one of the longest blog series of all time on floods and the Mississippi River. We've forgotten why it started, but it is definitely worth perusing, especially now as it wraps up. Brett Milligan of F.A.D. has been documenting the second edition of the "Goats on Belmont" project in Portland, Oregan.
In NYC related news, Geoff Manaugh and Nicola Twilley are moving to town to run Studio-X and will presumably be crossing swords with the Friends of the Pleistocene, who just released their "Field


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Hanukah Décor Ideas
Hanukah, the festival of lights, is a time for celebrating the fact that anything is possible. Bring that sense of joyful magic to your home in a fun, elegant way by with your original Hanukah décor.
Hanukah Colors and Themes
Most families in the U.S. consider blue and white to be the official colors of Hanukah. Common variations of this palette include blue and silver or blue and gold. While these are all wonderful choices for Hanukah decorating, the American tradition of blue and white for Hanukah originates from of the colors of the Israeli flag rather than from anything particular to Hanukah itself. So when it comes to Hanukah colors, feel free to stick with American tradition or branch out and try something completely different!
Hanukah has a number of signature themes. You'll want to include some or all of these in your holiday design:
- Stars of David
- Hanukah gelt (gold or silver coins)
- Doves of peace
- Potato latkes
- Images of Jerusalem.
Many families also include gifts, snowflakes, snowmen or "Hanukah bears" in their holiday decor.
Hanukah Displays and Centerpieces
Dress up your shelves, accent tables and mantle for Hanukah with some of these simple approaches:
- Hanukah village: Create a mantle or tabletop miniature village in blue and metallic gold or silver with little houses, people, Hanukah bears, dreidels, gelt and a central menorah.
- Gelt centerpiece: Start with a white plate and place a white votive candle in a class candleholder in the center. Surround with chocolate covered gelt coins.
- Dreidel flower centerpiece: Place a decorative dreidel with a detachable top in a dreidel stand. Remove the top and fill bottom part with water and fresh cut flowers (if the dreidel is waterproof material) or faux blossoms.
- Dreidel centerpiece: Coat a collection of plain wooden dreidels in gold, silver, iridescent white or colorful glitter. Arrange sparkly dreidels in a glass bowl or an apothecary jar.
When decorating your shelves and other surfaces, don't forget to display your menorah!
The Element of Light
Since Hanukah is the festival of lights, light plays a huge part in dressing your home up for the holiday. Here are a few ways to bring light to your Hanukah design.
- Hurricane lamps: Cut and measure blue craft paper to fit around a Mason jar or hurricane vase. Use a Japanese hole punch to punch out a Hanukah design such as a menorah, dove or Star of David. Wrap vase or jar with paper and attach with craft glue. Place a tea light candle inside for a soft glow. For variations on this theme, use decoupage, glass etching or glass paint to create gorgeous Hanukah luminaries from vases and Mason jars.
- Candles: Use blue, white or Hanukah-themed candles around the home, and of course, light the menorah! When fire safety is an issue, you may want to use LED or electric candles.
- Holiday lights: Brighten up your home by adding strings of blue and white lights to the perimeter of rooms, around banisters and railings, in windows and around large plants. In addition to plain bulbs, you can also find Hanukah-themed light strings that look like menorahs, dreidels and Stars of David.
Hanukah Bush and Dreidel Tree
Many families like to add to the holiday fun with a Hanukah bush or dreidel tree. You've got lots of options to create one that fits your family's personality:
- Arrange some pre-lit branches in a vase with blue glass beads. Hang a gold dreidel or a piece of gelt from each branch with a blue ribbon.
- Use a miniature white, blue or purple Christmas tree for your Hanukah bush. Top it with a Star of David and hang Hanukah-themed ornaments from the branches. You can also add strings of blue or white light.
- Decorate a living dwarf tree with Hanukah ornaments..
- Personalize your tree or bush by adding homemade ornaments or ornaments that reflect the interests and hobbies of family members.
Hanukah Walls and Windows
Get your walls and windows into the holiday spirit with some or all of these easy ideas:
- Replace your usual framed artwork with Hanukah or winter-themed prints.
- Make your own tissue paper dreidel or menorah sun catchers for the windows.
- Create a display of Hanukah window clings. Some really pretty ones are available these days!
- Purchase or design a Hanukah wall hanging with pockets for each of the eight nights of Hanukah. You can put small gifts in the pockets for children (or adults) to discover each night.
- Hang homemade Hanukah garlands with paper or cloth dreidels, menorahs or gelt.
Your Hanukah Table
Make Hanukah meals special by decorating your table for the holiday. You might want to try:
- A blue tablecloth with a silver table runner
- Coordinated Hanukah-themed placemats and tableware
- A floral centerpiece of white carnations
- Place cards shaped like dreidels
- Blue and gold beaded napkin rings with Hanukah charms
- Table favors such as tiny gifts, velvet bags of gelt, or decorative dreidels tied with a blue ribbon.
- Gold metallic doilies under each plate
- Handmade Hanukah etchings in glass tumblers and stemware.
Taking the time to add holiday touches to your home adds beauty and spirit while creating happy memories and family traditions. Get yourkidsinvolved and design decorations you can bring out with joy year after year.


Home >Bestiary >(Bestiary) By Type >Animals >
Lich Newt
Two sharp ridges of bone run along the back of this foot-long, black-and-white speckled newt.
Lich Newt CR 1/4
XP 100
N Tiny animal (aquatic)
Init +1; Senses low-light vision; Perception +4
hp 5 (1d8+1)
Fort +3, Ref +3, Will +1; +2 vs. disease and poison
Defensive Abilities paralyzing mucus
Speed 15 ft., swim 20 ft.
Melee slam –2 (1d2–4 plus poison)
Special Attacks poison
Str 2, Dex 12, Con 13, Int 1, Wis 12, Cha 5
Base Atk +0; CMB –1; CMD 5 (9 vs. trip)
Feats Skill Focus (Perception)
Skills Perception +4, Stealth +13, Swim +9
SQ amphibious
Paralyzing Mucus (Ex)
A lich newt secretes poison from its skin, and any creature that successfully hits it with a natural weapon or unarmed strike must immediately attempt a save against its poison.
Poison (Ex)
Slam—injury or contact; save Fort DC 11; frequency 1/round for 2 rounds; effect 1d2 Str damage; cure 1 save.
Environment temperate marshes or plains
Organization solitary, pair, or ning (3–12)
Treasure none
Named for their distinctive black-and-white coloration and their opportunistic scavenging, these large amphibians live all along polluted rivers. A lich newt's defenses include bony ridges growing along either side of their foot-long bodies and a poisonous mucus that causes numbness and muscle spasms. Some humanoid tribes trap these amphibians and refine their poison into weapon blanches and drugs. The desperate even eat lich newts; their poison breaks down if their meat is cooked in vinegar as part of a tough, gamy, but relatively sustaining stew.
After battles waged by warring armies or mercenary bands, lich newts often swarm the rotting corpses, feasting on the softening flesh and hunting the various insects attracted by the carrion. As a result, many believe the newts to be bad omens or otherwise associated with necromancy.
Lich newt familiars are popular with wizards and witches who care more about the creatures' reputation than their true nature as bottom-feeders and scavengers. An arcane caster who selects a lich newt as his familiar gains a +2 bonus on Fortitude saves against disease and poison.
Section 15: Copyright Notice
Pathfinder Adventure Path #115: Trail of the Hunted © 2017, Paizo Inc.; Authors: Amber E. Scott, with Crystal Frasier, Luis Loza, Ron Lundeen, Tonya Woldridge, and Linda Zayas-Palmer.


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|Short Description:||Fundamentals of Prof Studies A|
|Faculty or Section :||Faculty of Business, Education, Law and Arts|
|School or Department :||Faculty of Business, Education, Law and Arts|
|Student contribution band :||Band 1|
|ASCED code :||079999 - Education not elsewhere classi|
|Grading basis :||Pass/Not Pass|
Pre-requisite: Students must be enrolled in the Doctor of Professional Studies program (DPRS)
Students will require access to e-mail and have reliable internet access for this course.
Computer literacy is now expected as part of professional life, and is an integral element in the studying and learning process associated with this course. The course makes significant use of the internet and online environment, and students are required to participate in the online environment throughout the course. As such students are required to have substantial and reliable access to a computer and the internet.
This course ensures that students enrolled in the Doctor of Professional Studies program gain a critical understanding of its theoretical underpinnings and those within their area of practice. It ensures that the principles adopted in the USQ approach to enhancing professional practice are systemically interpreted in order to ensure that the benefits of work-based learning are optimised in achieving practitioner expertise. It also prepares and equips students with the necessary knowledge and skills to ensure that their progression through the program is seamless and sufficiently self-directed so as to culminate in the level of autonomy and specialisation that is expected from completing the program.
By completing the course, students will:
i) be introduced to and critically evaluate the theoretical body of knowledge that supports professional development within the context of work-based learning,
ii) develop a high level of cognitive capability in optimising their reflective practice skills and cognitive skills demonstrating intellectual independence, self-awareness and providence,
iii) critically evaluate the location(s) of their practice in a theoretical body of knowledge relevant acknowledging the likely transdisciplinary nature thereof,
iv) develop a high level of communication and collaboration skills especially within the workplace, online and academic contexts amongst their colleagues and peers, and
v) develop a clearly articulated learning program outlining learning objectives and conceptualising original research pathways in achieving these.
By completing the course students will understand the theoretical, professional and academic standards associated with the Doctor of Professional Studies program and the levels of support/guidance that they can expect.
Students will also have completed rigorous work associated with enhancing their reflective practice. Students will also have located their practice in the broad theoretical disciplines underpinning their transdisciplinary professional work-based activities. The course outcomes will also include the agreed professional, academic and organisational development objectives (learning contract) associated with their learning and research project plans.


of vectorspaces: all kernels exist (nullspaces), homsets are themselves abelian groups (or even vectorspaces), et.c. With the correct amount of richness, the category is called an Abelian category, and forms the basis for homological algebra, where techniques from topology are introduced to study algebraic objects.
One of the core requirements for an Abelian category is the existence of zero objects in it: if a category does have a zero object 0, then for any Hom(A,B), the composite A\to 0\to B is a uniquely determined member of the homset, and the addition on the homsets of an Abelian category has this particular morphism as its identity element.
Pointless sets and generalized elements
Arrows to initial objects and from terminal objects are interesting too - and as opposed to the arrows from initial and to the terminals, there is no guarantee for these arrows to be uniquely determined. Let us start with arrows A\to 0 into initial objects.
In the category of sets, such an arrow only exists if A is already the empty set.
In the category of all monoids, with monoid homomorphisms, we have a zero object, so such an arrow is uniquely determined.
For arrows 1\to A, however, the situation is significantly more interesting. Let us start with the situation in Set. 1 is some singleton set, hence a function from 1 picks out one element as its image. Thus, at least in Set, we get an isomorphism of sets A = Hom(1,A).
As with so much else here, we build up a general definition by analogy to what we see happening in the category of sets. Thus, we shall say that a global element, or a point, or a constant of an object A in a category with terminal objects is a morphism x:1\to A.
This allows us to talk about elements without requiring our objects to even be sets to begin with, and thus reduces everything to a matter of just morphisms. This approach is fruitful both in topology and in Haskell, and is sometimes called pointless.
The important point here is that we can replace function application f(x) by the already existing and studied function composition. If a constant x is just a morphism x:1\to A, then the value f(x) is just the composition f\circ x:1\to A\to B. Note, also, that since 1 is terminal, it has exactly one point.
In the idealized Haskell category, we have the same phenomenon for constants, but slightly disguised: a global constant is 0-ary function. Thus the type declaration
x :: a
can be understood as syntactic sugar for the type declaration
x :: () -> a
thus reducing everything to function types.
Similarly to the global elements, it may be useful to talk about variable elements, by which we mean non-specified arrows f:T\to A. Allowing T to range over all objects, and f to range over all morphisms into A, we are able to recover some of the element-centered styles of arguments we are used to. We say that f is parametried over T.
Using this, it turns out that f is a monomorphism if for any variable elements x,y:T\to A, if x\neq y then f\circ x\neq f\circ y.
Internal and external hom
If f:B\to C, then f induces a set function Hom(A,f):Hom(A,B)\to Hom(A,C) through Hom(A,f)(g) = f\circ g. Similarly, it induces a set function Hom(f,A):Hom(C,A)\to Hom(
B,A) through Hom(f,A)(g) = g\circ f.
Using this, we have an occasionally enlightening
Proposition An arrow f:B\to C is
 1. a monomorphism if and only if Hom(A,f) is injective for every object A.
 2. an epimorphism if and only if Hom(f,A) is injective for every object A.
 3. a split monomorphism if and only if Hom(f,A) is surjective for every object A.
 4. a split epimorphism if and only if Hom(A,f) is surjective for every object A.
 5. an isomorphism if and only if any one of the following equivalent conditions hold:
 1. it is both a split epi and a mono.
 2. it is both an epi and a split mono.
 3. Hom(A,f) is bijective for every A.
 4. Hom(f,A) is bijective for every A.
For any A,B in a category, the homset is a set of morphisms between the objects. For many categories, though, homsets may end up being objects of that category as well.
As an example, the set of all linear maps between two fixed vector spaces is itself a vector space.
Alternatively, the function type a -> b is an actual Haskell type, and captures the morphisms of the idealized Haskell category.
We shall return to this situation later, when we are better equipped to give a formal scaffolding to the idea of having elements in objects in a category act as morphisms. For now, we shall introduce the notations [A\to B] or B^A to denote the internal hom - where the morphisms between two objects live as an object of the category. This distinguishes B^A from Hom(A,B).
To gain a better understanding of the choice of notation, it is worth noting that |Hom_{Set}(A,B)|=|B|^{|A|}.
Passing mark requires at least 4 of 11.
 1. Suppose g,h are two-sided inverses to f. Prove that g=h.
 2. (requires some familiarity with analysis) There is a category with object \mathbb R (or even all smooth manifolds) and with morphisms smooth (infinitely differentiable) functions f:\mathbb R\to\mathbb R. Prove that being a bijection does not imply being an isomorphisms. Hint: What about x\mapsto x^3?. Wikipedia definition of smoothness: [9]. Moral of the definition is that all derivatives and derivatives of derivatives, et.c. are everywhere finite and continuous.
 3. (try to do this if you don't do 2) In the category of posets, with order-preserving maps as morphisms, show that not all bijective homomorphisms are isomorphisms. See the notes for Lecture 1 for details on posets and order-preserving maps, as well as wikipedia links.
 4. Consider the partially ordered set P as a category. Prove: every arrow is both monic and epic. Is every arrow thus an isomorphism?
 5. What are the terminal and initial objects in a poset? Give an example each of a poset that has both, either and none. Give an example of a poset that has a zero object.
 6. What are the terminal and initial objects in the category with objects graphs and morphisms graph homomorphisms? Definition of a graph and a graph homomorphism occurred in Lecture 1.
 7. Prove that if a category has one zero object, then all initial and all terminal objects are all isomorphic and they are all zero objects.
 8. Prove that the composition of two monomorphisms is a monomorphism and that the composition of two epimorphisms is an epimorphism. If g\circ f is monic, do any of g,f have to be monic? If the composition is epic, do any of the factors have to be epic?
 9. Verify that the equivalence relation used in defining subobjects really is an equivalence relation. Further verify that this fixes the motivating problem.
 10. Describe a representative subcategory each of:
 - The category of vectorspaces over the reals.
 - The category formed by the preordered set of the integers \mathbb Z and the order relation a\leq b if a|b. Recall that a preordered set is a set P equipped with a relation \leq that fulfills transitivity and reflexivity, but not necessarily anti-symmetry.
 11. * An arrow f:A\to A in a category C is an idempotent if f\circ f = f. We say that f is a split idempotent if there is some g:A\to B, h:B\to A such that h\circ g=f and g\circ h=1_B. Show that in Set, f is idempotent if and only if its image equals its set of fixed points. Show that every idempotent in Set is split. Give an example of a category with a non-split idempotent.


most effective drugs.
Feces sample collection
The 181 human feces samples used in this population-based study were collected by Sigma-Transwab (Medical Wire). Feces were temporarily stored at 4 °C before DNA extraction. The exclusion criteria were age less than 10 years, a history of gastrointestinal tract surgery, and hospitalization or antibiotic treatment within the past 2 months. Of the resulting study cohort of 181 individuals, 106 provided complete information on the questionnaire and 75 omitted some information.
DNA extraction
In this case study, fresh feces were obtained from participants, and DNA was directly extracted from stool samples using the QIAamp DNA Stool Mini Kit (Qiagen). A swab sample was vigorously vortexed and incubated at room temperature for 1 min. Then, the sample was transferred to a microcentrifuge tube containing 560 μl Buffer ASL, vortexed, and incubated at 37 °C for 30 min. Following this, the suspension was incubated at 95 °C for 15 min, vortexed, and centrifuged at 14,000 rpm for 1 min into pellet stool particles. Extraction was performed following the protocol of the QIAamp DNA Stool Mini Kit. The DNA was eluted with 50 μl Buffer AE and centrifuged at 14,000 rpm for 1 min, after which the DNA extract was stored at −20 °C until further analysis.
Library construction and sequencing of the V4 region of the 16S ribosomal DNA
The PCR primers F515 (5′-GTGCCAGCMGCCGCGGTAA-3′) and R806 (5′-GGACTACHVGGGTWTCTAAT-3′) were designed to amplify the V4 region of the bacterial 16S ribosomal DNA as described previously [21]. PCR amplification was performed in a 50-μl reaction volume containing 25 μl 2X Taq Master Mix (Thermo Scientific), 0.2 μM of forward and reverse primer, and 20 ng DNA template. The reaction process increased the initial temperature to 95 °C for 5 min, followed by 30 cycles of 95 °C for 30 s, 54 °C for 1 min, and 72 °C for 1 min as well as a final extension of 72 °C for 5 min. Next, amplified products were checked by 2% agarose gel electrophoresis and ethidium bromide staining. Amplicons were purified using the AMPure XP beads (Agencourt) and quantified using the Qubit dsDNA HS Assay Kit (Thermo Fisher Scientific), all according to the respective manufacturers' instructions. For V4 library preparation, Illumina adapters were attached to the amplicons using the Illumina TruSeq DNA Sample Preparation v2 Kit. Purified libraries were processed for cluster generation and sequencing using the MiSeq system.
Filtering 16S rDNA sequencing data for quality
Sequencing reads from different samples were identified and separated according to specific barcodes at the 5' end of the sequence (two mismatches allowed). The FASTX-Toolkit was employed to process the raw read data files. There were three steps used for sequence quality processing: (i) The command was "fastq_quality_filter –Q33 − q 20 − p 70." "−q 20" meant that he minimum quality score to be maintained is 20. "−p 70" meant that the minimum percent of bases must have "−q" quality over or equal to 70%. (ii) The command was "fastq_quality_trimmer − t 20 − l 100 − Q33." "−t 20" meant that bases with lower quality (<20) would be trimmed (checking from the end of the sequence). "−l 100" meant that the minimum acceptable length of sequence was 100 after trimming the sequence. (iii) Sequences were retained if both forward and reverse sequencing reads passed the first and second steps.
Taxonomy assignment for bacteria 16S rDNA sequence
To generate taxonomy assignment, the collection of 16S rDNA sequences was retrieved from the SILVA ribosomal RNA sequence database (release 115) [22]. These sequences were extracted using V4 forward and reverse primers. Then, UCLUST was used to create representative sequence clusters over or equal to 97% similarity [23]. Bowtie2 was used to align sequencing reads against the clusters of the V4 sequence. A 97% similarity standard was applied to the V4 sequence clusters.
Bacterial community analysis
After taxonomy assignment, an OTU table was generated. To normalize the sample size of all samples, a rarefaction process was applied to the OTU table. There are three steps in deciphering the enterotype of stool samples [24]. The first step is to calculate the distance matrix of β-diversity. R package "vegan" [25] and Python software "Pycogent" [26] were employed to calculate nine types of matrices, namely Alternative Gower, Bray Cutris, Jaccard, Kulczynski, Chebyshev, Pearson, Horn, Euclidean, and Weighted UniFrac. The second step is to use these matrices as the input data for three cluster algorithms: HC, k-means clustering, and PAM methods. For PAM, there were two types of inputs: one was the distance matrix of β-diversity and the other was the point information of XY axes that were transformed from the distance matrix. R package was also used to perform the clustering process. The third step is to evaluate the quality of clustering results. Silhouette score was calculated by R package "clusterSim" [27]. A higher score represents better quality of clustering results. To explore the association between bacterial community and factors related to individuals, which were extracted from the questionnaires, weighted α-diversity (Shannon index), chi-square test, and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were performed with R package. There were three criteria for identifying significant bacteria in the groups: the first was relative abundance > 1% in at least one group, the second was fold change in relative abundance between two groups ≥ log2(3) or ≤ log2(1/3). The third was p value ≤ 0.05. In order to construct a predictive model for classifying the three enterotypes of the stool samples, 181 stool samples were separated into two sets: the training set contained 106 samples, which were from individuals who provided complete information on the questionnaire, and the independent testing set contained 75 samples, which were from those who did not provide complete information. The decision tree, which was a rule-based machine learning method, was used to construct the predictive model for the three enterotypes. C4.5, which is a well-built decision tree package, was employed to perform this modeling process [28]. Tax4Fun was adopted to the pathway enrichment analysis with ANOVA [29].
We would like to thank the Come True Biomedical Inc. (CTB) for sharing their pearls of wisdom with us during the course of this research.
This article has been published as part of BMC Genomics Volume 18 Supplement 1, 2016: Proceedings of the 27th International Conference on Genome Informatics: genomics. The full contents of the supplement are available online at _URL_
This project was funded by the Ministry of Science and Technology of the Republic of China [MOST _PHONE_-B-009-001-MY3, MOST _PHONE_-M-009-008-, MOST _PHONE_-B-400-002, MOST _PHONE_-I-009-509, MOST _PHONE_-B-009-003, MOST _PHONE_-B-195-014] and by the Ministry of Health and Welfare of the Republic of China [MOHW105-TDU-B-212-134002]. We also thank Veterans General Hospitals and University System of Taiwan (VGHUST) Joint Research Program [VGHUST 105-G1-4-2]. This paper is particularly supported by "Aiming for the Top University Program" of the National Chiao Tung University and Ministry of Education, Taiwan, R.O.C. The source of funding for the publication of the study is MOST _PHONE_-B-009-001-MY3.
Availability of data and materials
The datasets supporting the results of this article are included within the article and its Additional files 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5.
Authors' contributions
HDH, CL, and HCT designed the study. HCT, SLW, CTW, KYL, and CHC lead the clinical study and sample collection. WCW, CMC, JYC, and HMW processed the samples and generated the sequence data. HDH, CL, WCW, and HMC analyzed and interpreted the data. HDH, WCW, THC, and HMC wrote the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Authors' information
Not applicable.
Competing interests
The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
Consent for publication
Not applicable.
Ethics approval and consent to participate
Participants were recruited at Tseng Han-Chi General Hospital (Nant


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In its first report on the use of "geosocial" or location-based services, the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life project finds that 4% of online adults use a service such as Foursquare or Gowalla that allows them to share their location with friends and to find others who are nearby. On any given day, 1% of internet users are using these services.
Location-based services such as Foursquare and Gowalla use internet-connected mobile devices' geolocation capabilities to let users notify others of their locations by "checking in" to that location. Location-based services often run on stand-alone software applications, or "apps," on most major GPS-enabled smartphones or other devices.
Key findings include:
- 7% of adults who go online with their mobile phone use a location-based service.
- 8% of online adults ages 18-29 use location-based services, significantly more than online adults in any other age group.
- 10% of online Hispanics use these services – significantly more than online whites (3%) or online blacks (5%).
- 6% of online men use a location-based service such as Foursquare or Gowalla, compared with 3% of online women.
Read the full report Four Percent of Online Americans Use Location-Based Services on the Pew Research Center's Internet and American Life Project Web site.


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I would swear that years back I saw a definition of the word bury and it contained a noun, not only a verb. If my memory serves me well, the noun meaning was associated with church. Today I cannot find even a trace of a noun bury — only verbs. Could anyone definitely confirm or deny such noun exists, please?
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The suffix -burg in Old English signified a habitation like a town or village and would have been pronounced -bury, which is how Cantwaraburg became Canterbury. – Robusto Nov 6 '12 at 20:46
_USER_ In Swedish, a close relative of English, a similar thing happens. The cider called Kopparberg almost sounds like 'Kopparbarry' on a Swede's tongue. I live in a city called Edinburgh, which in Scotland we call 'Edinburra'. – Iain Elder Nov 7 '12 at 2:10
_USER_ without looking up the history, I'd suspect that most English-Scandinavian language cognates are loan words retained from the several generations prior to the Norman Conquest that southern England was dominated by Norse speaking invaders and not due to shared word origins from proto-germanic languages in the much more distant past. – Dan Neely Nov 7 '12 at 13:54
4 Answers 4
up vote 10 down vote accepted
For the noun bury, wiktionary shows "A borough; a manor". The OED shows similar meanings: "A manor-house, or large farm ; a specialization of the OE burh, byrig 'an enclosed or fortified place' which still survives in many local names..."."
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I just leafed through several pages of Google Books results for a bury and the bury, but I never saw a single instance of this usage. I did find a preponderance of rabbit/ferret references though, so I've extended my answer... – FumbleFingers Nov 6 '12 at 22:07
Among other interesting answers, this one corresponds with what I've remembered. Thank you all for your insights! – Artur Nov 6 '12 at 23:04
Dictionary.com lists one noun for bury:
Nautical. housing (def. 8a, b)
So it's listed as a synonym for a nautical term: housing.
Here's the definition for housing :
(8.) Nautical.
a. Also called bury. the portion of a mast below the deck.
c. the doubling of an upper mast.
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I'm reading a book entitled At Home in France by Ann Barry, and there is a reference to a letter by the former owners of the house identifying some of the furniture and items left in the house after it sold to Ms. Barry. One item is an "Eton bury" and it is later defined as an oak cabinet with a top drawer. Perhaps because you can secretly hide things inside, hence "bury" them?
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