text:
- 1 What is dieffenbachia
- 2 Properties of dieffenbachia
What is dieffenbachia
Characterístics of dieffenbachia (Dieffenbachia ssp.)
Scientific noun: Dieffenbachia ssp.
Common noun: Dieffenbachia
Family: Arum family – Araceae
Habitat: Tropical plant that can be found as a cultivated indoor plant.
- Calcium oxalate
Active parts: The juice of the plant, especially in its stems and in the petioles of the leaves.
What is dieffenbachia like?
It is a perennial tropical plant up to 2,5 m.
Erect stems, thick and fleshy with big leaves ending in pointed apex; largely petiolated, marbled with white or yellow.
Flowers in spadix surrounded by a sheath-like leaf; small, white-greenish..
It rarely flourishes when it is cultivated, only sometimes at the beginning of spring when the plant is well grown-up.
Properties of dieffenbachia
Uses of dieffenbachia
- As a toxin to poison the arrows:: The juice of the plant has been used by the native Amazonian people to be part of the preparations with which they poisoned the arrows.
- As a gardening plant : The dieffenbachia is an ornamental plant that is used fundamentally like an indoor plant. (See gardening details)
- As a medicinal plant: Some research is being done to test this plant as an anti-cancer medicine. It is thought that dieffenbachia derivatives can prevent the development of cancer cells.
- As a magical plant: Brasilian people use to include dieffenbachia among those herbs that are considered adequate to expell bad influences
Toxicity of dieffenbachia
Toxicity is medium. The toxicity of this plant is due to its content in calcium oxalates. (Theories exist on the presence of other components, as proteolytic enzymes that propitiate the histamine production)
Its sap is irritating because of the presence of oxalates that appears in form of crystals that damages the skin tissues by contact, when injecting this component.
Calcium oxalate has, also, emetic, irritating and inflammatory properties and it is, together with calcium, one of the main reasons for the production of kidney stones. Calcium and magnesium oxalates are two of the main components of poisonous plants.
Equally the ingestion of this plant produces irritation and inflammation of gastric mucous and it can damage the kidneys, the arteries, or the stomach of those who eat it.
|Being such a habitual plant in our homes, it is advised to be wise in its manipulation. It is convenient to use gloves when one has to cut a leaf and we should care to take it away from the reach of the small children to avoid any possible accident.|
Side effects of dieffenbachia
Poisoning with this plant shows the following symptoms:
- Applied externally: Dermatitis in the skin, with reddening, itchiness or burning pain. More serious symptoms can appear such as bladders or ulcers. In contact with the eyes, it produces irritation and transitory lost of vision.
- When its juice is ingested: It can produce vomits or diarrhea and even big inflammations of the digestive tract, especially in the mouth, the throat and the lips.
Among the most habitual symptoms we found: Swallowing difficulty, salivation, lost of sensibility with tingling sensation in the tongue, itchiness or ulcerations in the lips.
Consequences of eating dieffenbachia
A big ingestion of the plant, something which is not very habitual, can end up producing breathing difficulty. The quick action of the toxins of this plant usually propitiates its spitting what prevents the patient to continue chewing it.
The accidents are usually more common in children who chew the leaves, which produces a quick irritation with inflammation of the mucous membranes and a great salivation.
Although there have been describe some severe cases, it usually gives rise to very painful local inflammations that don't usually affect to the circulatory system or respiratory tract.
How to treat dieffenbachia poisoning?
Dieffenbachia poisoning requires the following medical treatment:
- Mouth rinsing with plenty of water to eliminate the small pieces of the plant that could still remain in the mouth.
- Demulcents to alleviate the irritation and soothe the membranes.
- Immediate medical care with antihistamines and analgesics has to be applied.
Is dieffenbachia toxic to animals?
It is a plant whose ingestion is toxic for domestic animals. There have been registered many cases of intoxication with mortal result in dogs, cats, rabbits and canaries that ate it.
Symptoms in animals are similar to those produced on people.
Species of dieffenchabias
There are about 30 different species approximately. Among all, we would mention the following ones:
More information about plants.
30 November, 2020


Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter/Magic/Skrewt
From Wikibooks, open books for an open world
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter - Magic
Type Animal
Features Stingers or suckers, and apparent explosive propulsion
First Appearance Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Overview[edit | edit source]
Blast-Ended Skrewts are creatures that look like deformed, shell-less lobsters, with no visible head, that periodically boost themselves forwards with an explosion in their tail.
Extended Description[edit | edit source]
Hagrid has somehow secured several hundred of these creatures just after they hatch, and proposes to have Harry's class look after them as they grow. And they do grow through the course of the book, developing shells and bad tempers, though it seems that we never discover what exactly they eat, apart possibly from each other – though we started the year in early September with several hundred, by the end of October they have started killing each other (by Hallowe'en there are only twenty left, in individual boxes), and only three grow to maturity. Of these three, at least one is in the Third Task maze, where it is reportedly over six feet long. One of them evidently does not survive its time in the maze, as later Hagrid asks the Trio if they want to visit the two remaining Skrewts.
The Skrewts come in two varieties: one with an apparent stinger, which Hagrid presumes is male, and one with suckers which might be for sucking blood, which is presumed female.
They have caused many injuries to the students who look after them.
Rita Skeeter describes the Skrewts as "highly dangerous crosses between manticores and fire crabs."
Analysis[edit | edit source]
It is difficult to say exactly what the purpose of Blast-Ended Skrewts is in our story. Largely they seem to be used to highlight the character differences between the Trio, who assist Hagrid in caring for these creatures even as they grow and become more dangerous, and the rest of the class, who cower in Hagrid's hut while Hagrid and the Trio round up escaped Skrewts. They are also used to show Hagrid's continuing child-like enthusiasm for the more dangerous of magical creatures. They provide some insight into the sorts of effort required to determine the characteristics of newly-discovered or newly-created magical species. On a smaller scale, they provide a hook which Rita Skeeter can use to schedule an interview with Hagrid, and also a dangerous creature for Harry to face in the Third Task maze. Of all of these, it seems that the illumination of character is the only one that can be considered useful to our story; Rita could have hung her interview request on pretty much anything Hagrid chose to do, and there were already large numbers of dangerous creatures available to the Tournament organizers.
Questions[edit | edit source]
 1. Did Blast-Ended Skrewts actually exist as a species, or were they the result of cross-breeding by Hagrid alone (as Rita Skeeter seems to imply)?
Greater Picture[edit | edit source]


text:
The dangers of feeding lorikeets
Lorikeet feeding habits
Lorikeets are brightly coloured parrots of the family Psittacidae and sub-family Loriinae (lories and lorikeets). Six species are found in Australia, although further species occur in New Guinea, Indonesia and many South Pacific islands.
The tip of a lorikeet's tongue holds a brush-like appendage, enabling the bird to feed on pollen, nectar and fruits. Because lorikeets are mainly seen feeding on blossoms, it was long thought that nectar was their staple diet. However, studies have now shown that pollen is probably their major food. They also eat insects and insect larvae, together with other invertebrates found in foliage and blossom.
Lorikeets travel in small, swift flocks which attract attention with their piercing calls. The birds locate blossoms by sight and by the calls of other birds already feeding. When food is abundant, large numbers gather in the blossoms and foliage, clamouring noisily.
Lorikeets have a very simple digestive system. Proteins and fats are obtained from pollen and insects, and carbohydrates come from the sugars found in nectar. They spend a large amount of time foraging for food, which indicates that carbohydrates are extremely important to them. Their diet is high in energy, and low in protein.
The dangers of feeding lorikeets
Many people have taken to encouraging lorikeets into their gardens by giving them a variety of alluring foods. These foods are usually based on sugar, honey or jam, which will ensure regular visits to the garden by these wonderfully happy, colourful birds. However, it is this very act of 'kindness' that can cause the death of lorikeets at an unnaturally early age.
OEH officers became concerned at outbreaks of lorikeets dying in large numbers for no apparent reason, and decided to investigate. Autopsies were carried out by NSW Agriculture. With other investigations, these autopsies established that the lorikeets were dying from a disease called necrotizing enteritis. A bacteria called clostridia was isolated as the organism responsible.
Necrotizing enteritis is associated with poor hygiene and an inadequate diet, and it was found that the disease is not normally associated with lorikeets living a natural way of life. The scientists could directly relate the lorikeets' deaths to inadequate artificial diets, and to the unsanitary conditions of trays and other containers from which they were being fed.
Another disease is also having a serious impact on lorikeets. Called psittacine beak and feather disease (PBFD) or psittacine circovirus disease, it is considered the most important viral disease affecting cockatoos, parrots, lories, lorikeets and macaws around the world. Affecting the immune system of the birds, it often results in an AIDS-like condition. The keratin in the birds' bodies breaks down, causing deformed beaks and feathers, and feather loss. The disease is usually fatal, but infected birds may not display symptoms for many months or even years.
Infected birds can drop faeces, which contain the potentially infectious circovirus particles, into the environment to infect other birds. Unfortunately, there is a great potential for the virus to spread at places like feed stations. Clustering in large numbers, many birds may come into contact with contaminated perches and food dishes.
Preventing lorikeet deaths
Obviously the best solution to these problems is to stop feeding the birds altogether. The only feeding method recommended by OEH is to plant a variety of flowering native shrubs, such as grevilleas, callistemon (bottlebrushes) and banksias, around your garden. These plants not only look good; they also provide safe, healthy food for blossom-feeding birds such as lorikeets and honeyeaters.
Page last updated: 15 April 2011

source: HuggingFaceFW/fineweb-edu


Skip to content
Switch branches/tags
Latest commit
Git stats
Failed to load latest commit information.
Latest commit message
Commit time
Public Transport Accessibility Index
Development of Transit Score measure for CANUE - Canadian Urban Environmental Health Research Consortium.
The Public Transport Accessibility Index (PTAI) was calculated based on the method described by Saghapour, 2016[1] to measure the access level to public transport for each census tract in different metropolitan areas of Canada. This approach consists of two main procedures. The first of them relates to the distances from points of interest and their closest stops/stations. The second one includes walking catchments and CTs population densities proportions calculations. The PTAI was calculated for each census tract. In addition, the access level was calculated for each DA. In this case, the proportions between population densities in different geographic levels were not considered. A flow chart is attached to visualize the algorithm.
Input Data
The input data for calculating the PTAI are as follows:
1. Geographic data at Census Tract (CT) level
This is a shapefile contains geographic features at CT level in cencus year 2016. CT are small, relatively stable geographic areas that have a population of less than 10, 000. It's downloaded from Statistics Canada.
2. Geographic data at Dissemination Area (DA) level
This is a shapefile contains geographic features at DA level in cencus year 2016. DA are small, relatively stable geographic unit composed of one or more adjacent dissemination blocks with an average population of 400 to 700 persons. It's downloaded from Statistics Canada.
3. Postal Code Conversion File (PCCF)
The PCCF provides a correspondence between the Canada postal code and geographic areas.
4. Road network data
This is transportation feature of topographic data at the scale of 1:50 000, in 2017.
5. General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) data
A series of text files collected in a ZIP file. Each file models a particular aspect of transit information: stops, routes, trips and other schedule data.
6. Population data
This is an excel table contains population information in census year 2016. It's downloaded from Statistics Canada.
Preprocessing Steps
The preprocessing steps are as follows:
1. Divide the CT and DA data into provinces/territories and project them to North_America_Albers_Equal_Area_Conic
Because the size of the dataset for whole Canada is large, it's easier to work with data at province/territory level. Projecting to the equal area coordinate system is because this coordinate system preserves areas and we will calculate area in the following steps.
2. Create population data table for each province/territory
3. Table joint between DA data and population data, calculate and add population density, population as new fields in DA attribute table
4. Create a summary table to calculate the population in each CT
5. Table join between CT and the summary table from step 4
6. Calculate the population density for CT, add population density, population as new fields in CT attribute table
7. Project DA and CT data to North_America_Equidistant_Conic
Later we will calculate distance, projecting to this coordinate system will get a more accurate result of distance.
8. Create CT and DA for cities using "select by attribute"
9. Create PCCF point feature and clip by the CT boundary
10. Create roads network for cities
 - Project the input data to North_America_Equidistant_Conic coordinate system
 - Clip the roads segment data using CT for cities boundaries, get roads line feature for cities
 - In Catalog, right click the roads line feature, click "New Network Dataset", and notice that the network dataset can be only created based on shapefile.
11. Download GTFS data for each city
This step can be done either by the script or manually, but it's important to check the format and the name of the files.
Steps (Demonstrated by the flow chart)
1. Estimation of the Service Frequency (SF) at each public transport access point from the timetables of each mode during the morning peak hours from 7 am to 9 am.
2. Walking Time (WT) calculations from the POI to the closest Service Access Point (SAP).
3. Calculating Total Access Time (TAT) that combines the WT and the Average Waiting Time (AWT).
4. Calculating Equivalent Doorstep Frequency (EF) for each point by dividing 30 (minutes) by TAT.
5. Estimation of the Weighted Equivalent Frequency (WEF) as a sum of all EDFs with a weighting factor in favour of the most dominant mode.
6. Calculation of the ratios between population densities in walk catchments areas and CT.
7. Calculate the PTAI
No description, website, or topics provided.
No releases published
No packages published
Contributors 4


text: Simultaneous positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provide complementary structural and functional information. Recent developments in continuous infusion functional PET (fPET) have shown promising results to track dynamic changes in brain metabolism. Although fPET provides opportunities to investigate functional metabolism in the brain, the temporal resolution still remains a major challenge compared to functional MRI (fMRI). In this work, we use anatomical MRI information modeled as a Bowsher prior to improve the sensitivity of fPET at higher temporal resolution. We validate our MRI-assisted fPET analysis framework using both in-silico and in-vivo experiments.

source: openbmb/Ultra-FineWeb


text:
.41667 octave:5> volume = (houseside_length + creekside_length) * width * height volume = 13.333
The compost box is 6' x 4' and currently holds eight inches of usable compost.
octave:6> box_width = 6 box_wight = 6 octave:7> box_depth = 4 box_depth = 4 octave:8> compost_height = 8/12 compost_height = 0.66667 octave:9> compost_volume = box_width * box_depth * compost_height compost_volume = 16
Oh no, we have just dug our own grave. We have got enough compost! What about taping the match on the VCR?
Until now we have not exploited where computers are really good at: repetitive work.
Say we got a long receipt from the grocery store. [Your ad here!] How can we get the VAT in Dollars on each item given the gross amount and the VAT rate in percent? The formula
vat_percent / 100 vat = --------------------- * gross_amount 1 + vat_percent / 100
is trivial, but we want to save us repeated typing.
The list of all gross amounts in the receipt forms what numerical programs call a vector. Vectors are built from values by enclosing these values in square brackets and separating them with commas like this:
octave:1> gross = [1.49, 4.98, 0.79, 5.49, 0.96, 0.96, 0.96, 0.96] gross =
1.49000 4.98000 0.79000 5.49000 0.96000 0.96000 0.96000 0.96000
The vector is built from left to right using our supplied numbers in the same order that we enter them.
Wouldn't it be wonderful if we simply wrote:
(vat_percent/100) / (1 + vat_percent/100) and get the VAT of each item?
It really is that simple.
octave:2> vat_percent = 7 vat_percent = 7 octave:3> a = (vat_percent/100) / (1 + vat_percent/100) a = 0.065421 octave:4> vat = a * gross vat =
0.097477 0.325794 0.051682 0.359159 0.062804 0.062804 0.062804 0.062804
Wow -- it works! For the first time we have really gained convenience and expressiveness: a single multiplication sign performs eight multiplications in a row.
What has happened?
vat_percent is a single value, which is
called scalar in numerics to distinguish it from vectors. Well, if
vat_percent is a scalar, then
1 + vat_percent/100, and
a are scalars, too.
a must be multiplied with vector
gross. What we wanted and what happened was that
multiplied in turn with every element of
gross. This holds for
every operator, not only multiplication! In general
vector op scalar
scalar op vector
apply scalar to every element in vector according to operation op. In our example, this is as if we had written the following
vat(1) = a * gross(1) vat(2) = a * gross(2)... vat(8) = a * gross(8)
where we have introduced a new piece of syntax: vector indexing. Each
element (a scalar) of a vector can be accessed by its index, which is
the number of it's place in the vector. The index is written in parenthesis
after the vector. For example, to get the second element in
gross, we write
octave:5> gross(2) ans = 4.9800
Elements in vectors can be assigned to with the same syntax. Just place the
indexed vector to the left of the assignment sign, for example,
What else can be thought of as a vector of numbers besides our receipt? Any series of values! Most of the time the values will be related, like the temperature measured each day at 8am, the diameters of a batch of metal rods, the velocities of all westbound traffic across Buffalo Street at the corner of West Clinton Street on Wednesday April 18, 2001. As we are living in the Digital Age, many more series of data fit the notion of a vector: every piece of music on a CD is a vector of sound amplitudes and the indices mark discrete moments in time.
sin, can be used on vectors.
v = [0.12, 0.89, 0.78, 0.10] sin(v)
sin([0.12, 0.89, 0.78, 0.10])
gross = #(1.49, 4.98,..., 0.96).
gross. Warning for C programmers: Though the square brackets look like C, the lowest index always is 1.


Examples of FULL VIDEOS
Why do we Study Management ?
- Theme : Management
- Contributor : David Marker
David Marker is a well known professor in Management and Human Resources. He did his Masters and PHD degrees in Kansas USA and has taught and worked in the Management sector for over 20 years.
- Video Summary
This video discusses the importance of studying management and looks at the reasons why more and more institutions are offering Masters degree in Management.
Traditional management is about planning, directing and controlling an entreprise. A more contemporary approach is the organisation of people and processes and all the interdependancies that this may demand.
- Learning Objectives
- understand the importance of studying management.
- the importance of management to a company and society.
- managing interdependancies of people and processes.
- trusting the manager.
Marketing a Product Abroad
- Theme : Marketing
- Contributor : Geoff Heels
Geoff Heels is a UK graduate and a French post-graduate in International Business. He is a former export manager and international business consultant and educator. He is currently Director of the International Business School at Blaise Pascal University in Clermont Ferrand, France and is also a visiting professor in many universities worldwide.
- Video Summary
Taking a simple product from a domestic market and selling it in a foreign country can be far from easy.
This video explains the main steps to follow in internationalising a company's activities.
- Learning Objectives
- Understand the internationalisation process
- Appreciate the complexities of selling abroad
- Be aware of international and external constraints
Documents joints


text:
Holly's Wastewater Treatment Plant"s (WWTP) primary responsibility is to safely transport and treat wastewater before returning it to the area waterway. The goal of wastewater treatment in any community is to eliminate disease-causing bacteria and to protect the environment for human and aquatic life. Before modern methods of wastewater treatment were introduced, the spread of life-threatening diseases was common in most communities across the country. Holly's WWTP is to ensure that our streams, rivers and lakes are free from disease-causing bacteria and viruses that are harmful to the public health.
As we have learned more about the importance of protecting our natural resources, wastewater treatment has become an obvious defense against water pollution. Wastewater treatment has been called the "last line of defense" against water pollution.
Holly Wastewater Treatment Plant
Awards & Recognition
1987 – Award of Excellence – US Environmental Protection Agency for Outstanding Operation and Maintenance of the Water Pollution Facility
1989 – Award of Excellence – US Environmental Protection Agency for Outstanding Operation and Maintenance of the Water Pollution Facility
1990 – National 2nd place Award from the US Environmental Protection Agency for Outstanding Industrial Pretreatment Program
1991 – Wastewater Utility of the Year from Michigan Rural Water Association


text:
Press Release, News
By far the most common energy source for remote, off-grid base stations for mobile telecommunications is diesel generators - a solution that presents a number of economic, logistical, and environmental challenges. Thus, demand for reliable, non-diesel-based energy sources for such facilities is growing. Though this market is small when compared with grid-tied base stations, so-called "green base stations," which utilize renewable, battery, and fuel cell technologies, are starting to see real market traction. According to a new report from Pike Research, a part of Navigant's Energy Practice, annual deployments of off-grid power supplies, using renewable or alternative energy sources, for remote mobile base stations will grow from fewer than 13,000 worldwide in 2012 to more than 84,000 in 2020. In all, more than 390,000 such base stations will be deployed from 2012 through 2020, the study concludes.
"The combination of increased energy costs and expanding policy directives from governments is creating pressure on the system," says research director Kerry-Ann Adamson. "And the system is reaching a tipping point, where the new technology offerings in remote base stations could become the industry norm within 10 years. Adding these factors to the high anticipated growth rates in off-grid base station deployments creates the potential for a high-uptake industry to evolve in a very short period of time, if companies can produce product at a volume that works in the local environment."
Because most off-grid base stations are in remote parts of the developing world, the market for off-grid base station power is also one area where the traditional early adopter nations, the United States, Japan, and Germany, lag behind nations such as China, Zambia, South Africa, Kenya, and Indonesia. Africa, a continent with rapidly growing telecom infrastructure, will account for more than 23,500 deployments in 2020 - 28 percent of the world total, according to the report.


text:
Katharine Meyer Graham
When Katharine Meyer Graham succeeded her husband as publisher of The Washington Post and the top executive of Washington Post Company, she became one of the most powerful women in business. But before Graham reached the height of her profession, she gracefully overcame circumstances that would have caused most people — men included — to cry uncle.
Her story began like a fairytale: Graham was the daughter of a multimillionaire. In 1933 her father purchased The Washington Post at a bankruptcy auction. Her mother, a lover of knowledge, art and political activism, worked as a journalist. Graham began working for the Post in the late 1930s and married Harvard Law graduate Philip Graham in 1940. When her father died, he bequeathed the Post to Phillip. But Phillip was plagued by alcoholism and mental-health problems and committed suicide in 1963.
After her husband's death, Graham gained leadership of the company and the Post. She also chaired the board of directors from 1973 through 1991. Under her remarkable leadership, the Post adopted a higher standard of investigative journalism and changed history by unearthing the Watergate scandal. The Post was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for its coverage of Watergate. Graham earned a Pulitzer of her own for her autobiography, Personal History.


spacer.png, 0 kB
Welcome to the Story of Bodie
"The Story of Bodie - Stereoscopic Archiving" is our project for our multimedia graduate degree. We created a 3D immersive environment using stereoscopic HD video to tell the story of the infamous ghost town of Bodie, California.
The creation of a stereoscopic archive for future generations is in its conceptual phase and the "Story of Bodie" is the first step into the embryonic stage. Video by itself is insufficient in capturing the personal motivations and passions of those who once inhabited Bodie, so interactive narrative is integrated into the project. The history of the buildings and their former occupants is woven into a rich tapestry that tells the story of a bygone era in such a way that it captures the heart and soul of its former community.
Users discover and experience this unique ghost town, that is presently in a perpetual state of "arrested decay", in a new and different way. They are immersed into Bodie via the three-dimensional imagery captured with an adapter-equipped digital camera and displayed via a stereoscopic visor that is worn by the users during their immersion into the environment.
This allows the users to have a more realistic, spatial feel for Bodie and keeps their interest while touring the town. Not only do users get a better view of the architecture and surrounding area but they also get a better feel for its eerie atmosphere through the use of an appropriate soundtrack, which accompanies a corresponding audio track that describes each building, artifact or location along their journey.
Foley sounds are also added to the soundtrack and correspond to each particular area that a user is seeing as well as to the ground where the user is walking. For example, if a user walks into the store with a wooden floor, the echo of footsteps is heard. Likewise, if the user walks past a sawmill, the whirring sound of blades planing the lumber into boards is heard.
The addition of lively conversation near a saloon, horses neighing and the "hustle and bustle" of everyday life enriches the user's experience. This not only give users a feel of how life actually was once in Bodie but it also creates an auditory spatial reference with which to associate, in case they decide to walk back through an area again. There is a continuous soundtrack in the background that reflects the current desolate mood of this town.
spacer.png, 0 kB
spacer.png, 0 kB
free joomla templates Joomla tutorials joomla themes


text:
According to a recent study by researchers at Brown University, Forsyth Institute and HarvardUniversity, the health of your mouth could potentially be linked with pancreatic cancer.
The study proved that the oral bacteria Porphyromonas gingivalis is linked with nearly doubling the risk of getting pancreatic cysts and pancreatic cancer. The study included using the health history of more than 405 people with pancreatic cancer and 416 people without pancreatic cancer. Blood samples were drawn from each person and researchers measured the antibodies from 25 different kinds of bacteria.
Research showed a strong link between increased amounts of antibodies against Porphyromonas gingivalis and pancreatic cancer, leading them to believe that cancer was not causing the high antibody levels. The high amount of antibodies against Porphyromonas gingivalis were present for years before the patient developed pancreatic cancer, showing a direct link between poor oral health and pancreatic cancer.
In addition to finding the link between high amounts of antibodies against Porphyromonas gingivalis and pancreatic cancer, researchers also found that there was a 45 percent reduced risk of developing pancreatic cancer if participants had high antibody levels against harmful oral bacteria.
Oral Health Tips
1. Brush your teeth twice a day
2. Practice good technique – Hold your toothbrush at an angle so the toothbrush is pointed towards the area where your tooth meets your gum.
3. Don't skimp on flossing – Make sure you use at least 18 inches of floss and take it one tooth at a time when flossing.
1 Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, BrownUniversity, Box G-S121-2, Providence, RI02912, USA and2.
2 Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, ImperialCollege, LondonW2 1PG, UK


text:
RF filter design basics
- basics of RF filter design indicating basic calculations and methodologies required..
RF filter tutorial includes:
RF filter design involves a number of different stages and decisions
The exact filter design parameters are dependent upon the type of filter used. However the basic methodology and parameters used within RF filter design have a common approach whatever form of filter used.
RF filter design basics
In general terms, filters modify the amplitudes and phases of sinusoidal waveforms that pass through them. This change varies according to the frequency of the individual sinusoids within the overall waveform.
Most filters are what is termed linear filters. As such they have no non-linear actions in which the response is proportional to the input. Instead the signals pass through and their amplitude and phase is altered in a linear fashion according to their frequency.
From this it is possible to determine some of the key RF filter design parameters which are the factors by which the signal is changed, namely the gain, G and the phase shift θ. As both the gain G and the phase shift θ are dependent upon the frequency, i.e. they are functions of frequency, they can be expressed as follows:
These two functions represent the magnitude response (often referred to as the frequency response) and the phase response of the filter respectively.
These two functions govern the major features that need to be known about the filter. In being able to determine the functions it is possible to design the RF filter.
Normally the example of the low pass RF filter design is used in the first instance and then this is expanded to include other forms of filter. Accordingly we will look at low pass filter design first.
Real and ideal filters
When designing an RF filter it would be ideal if the filter would allow signals within the pass-band through without any change in amplitude or phase. Filters like this could have a rectangular response, falling straight to their stop-band and giving the required level of stop-band attenuation.
Unfortunately it is not possible to design RF filters like this, and real RF filter designs can only approximate to the ideal response curves and parameters. These approximations can then be used as the different types of filter that exist. These include the Butterworth, Bessel, Chebyshev, Elliptical, Gaussian and many more.
Using a mathematical approach for RF filter design, it is possible to use a mathematical relationship. It can be proved that the square of the response for all realisable filters can be expressed as the ratio of two even, i.e. rational polynomials. This means that a generic mathematical expression for all RF filter designs is:
Key filter RF design parameters
There are a number of key parameters that are of great importance for RF filter design. These are some of the highlight requirements for any RF filter design.
- Pass-band: This is the region in which the signal passes through relatively un-attenuated. It is the band in a low pass filter, extends up to the cut-off frequency. For high pass filters it is designated as the band above which signal pass through, or for a band pass filter, it is the band between the two cut-off frequencies.
- Cut-off frequency: This is normally taken to be the point at which the response of the filter has fallen by 3 dB. With certain filters, typically equi-ripple types such as the Chebyshev or inverse Chebyshev, the cut-off point has to be defined differently. It is often designated fc.
- Ripple band: Within the pass-band, the filter response may show variations in its response - ripples. The variation is known as the ripple band
- Transition band: Once the RF filter response has gone beyond the cut-off point, the response falls away in a region known as the transition band. It is the region between the pass-band and the stop-band. This region is also sometimes referred to as the "skirt."
- Stop-band: This is the band where the filter has reached its required out of band rejection. The stop-band rejection may be defined as a required number of decibels.
- Number of poles : A pole is a mathematical term. There is one pole for each capacitor or inductor in a filter.
- Roll-off : Each filter has an ultimate roll-off rate. It is governed by the number of poles in the filter. The ultimate roll-off is 6⋅n dB where n is the number of poles. Different types of filter may reach their ultimate roll off rate at different rates, but they all reach the same ultimate roll-off.
- Phase shift: The phase shift is another important factor for any RF filter design. It is accommodated into the overall response of the filter by considering the calculations for H(s) where s = jω. The phase response can be of importance to a waveform because the waveform shape will be distorted if the phase changes within the pass-band. A constant time delay corresponds to the phase shift increasing linearly with frequency. This gives rise to the term linear phase shift referred to in many RF filter designs.
- Impedance: Filters have a characteristic impedance in the same way that as an antenna feeder. For them to operate correctly the input and output must be properly matched.
RF filter design & normalisation
While relatively straightforward equations are available for Butterworth filters, other forms of filter require more complicated calculations. The approach to RF filter design that has been used for many years uses what are termed normalised filters. A normalised filter would have a cut-off frequency of 1 radian per second, i.e. 0.159Hz and an impedance of 1Ω. It was then possible to tables of pre-calculated values which could then be scaled for use at the required frequency and impedance. In this way the tedious and involved mathematics required for RF filter design was reduced to little more than determining the requirements and then finding the relevant table of values.
The requirements that first need to be chosen include parameters such as the filter type (Butterworth, Chebyshev, etc.), level of ripple, etc, filter order (i.e. the number of inductors and capacitors), etc.
Once these are chosen the relevant table can be found and the values for the elements in the filter determined.
RF filter design & scaling
Once the filter design has been realised in its normalised form, it is then necessary to transform the values to the required frequency and impedance. In the normalised format the filter design has a cut-off of 0.159 Hz, i.e. 1 radian per second and it is designed to work into a load resistance of 1 Ω.
C = real capacitor value
L = real inductor value
Cn = normalised capacitor value
Ln= normalised inductor value
R = required load resistor value
fc = required cut-off frequency
RF filter design process
There are a number of steps or stages in the RF filter design process. Following these in order helps the RF filter to be designed in a logical fashion. These steps are for the low pass filter design - further stages for transferring this to a high pass or band pass filter are given on the following pages.
While some computer programmes may allow direct design, often design using tables, etc. is still widely used. If a computer programme is used, the filter design process can be modified accordingly.
- Define response needed: the first stage in the process is to actually define the response required. Elements such as cut-off point, attenuation at a given point, etc..
- Normalise frequencies: In order to be able to use the various tables and diagrams of filter curves, it is necessary to convert all frequencies so that the cut-off point is at 1 radio per second and any other points are relative to this.
- Determine maximum pass-band ripple: One of the major steps in the RF filter design is to understand how much in-band ripple can be tolerated. The more ripple, the greater the level of selectivity that can be obtained. The greater the selectivity the faster the transition from pass-band to ultimate roll off will be.
- Match required attenuation curves with those from filter: With a knowledge of the characteristics, both in terms of ripple and rejection required at particular points, it is possible to determine the filter type and also the order or number of elements required within the filter design.
- Determine element values: Using the relevant look up tables the normalised filter component values can be determined
- Scale normalised values: Finally the values need to be scaled for the required cut-off frequency and resistance.
Filter values and curves can be found in a number of filter design books including "handbook of Filter Synthesis" by Zvrev, pub Wiley. Later we hope to develop some curves and tables ourselves.
Read more popular RF filter tutorials.....
|• Filter basics||• Filter design||• HPF design|
|• Simple LPF||• Simple HPF||• Simple BPF|
|• Butterworth||• Chebyshev||• Bessel||• Elliptic / Cauer|


The UMAP Credit Transfer Scheme (UCTS) was developed to simplify the process of transferring credits earned in overseas exchange programs to the students' home universities.
UCTS uses the 60 credit point scale originally developed for the European Credit Transfer Scheme (ECTS). These points can be applied to both trimester-based and semester-based academic years.
The UCTS credit point scale facilitates the conversion of credits between different grading systems. It is not intended to supplant the existing credit point scales (or other measures of student workload) used by the host and home universities, nor is it meant to replace universities' regulations and autonomy in terms of assessing students' learning outcomes.


text:
A layer structural complex magnetic refrigerant, which is suitable for the Ericsson cycle, satisfying the Carnot principle, has been investigated. Above ∼15 K, since the thermal agitation energy and the lattice entropy increase considerably, the ferromagnetic material has to be used for the refrigerant in the magnetic refrigeration. However, the variatio of the magnetic entropy of the ferromagnets is not ap propriate to the Ericsson cycle in which the entropy difference ΔSJ between two kinds of the iso-magnetic field processes should be constant in the refrigeration range. In order to make the refrigerant having constant ΔSJ mentioned above, we made the layer structural sin tered material composed of four kinds of ferromagnets ErAl2.2, HoAl2.2, (DY0.5Ho0.5)Al2.2 and DyAl2.2, and investigated its entropy experimentally. As the result, it is verified that the layer structural magnet material is one of the most promising refrigerant for the Ericsson cycle.
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering


How to Adjust the Temperature on a Moen Anti-Scald Shower Faucet
Hunker may earn compensation through affiliate links in this story.
You can adjust the temperature on a Moen anti-scald shower faucet.
Image Credit: LOOK Photography/UpperCut Images/GettyImages
Moen is well known for its high-quality, affordable faucets for the kitchen and bath. The company offers a line of anti-scald faucets that allow the user to set and control the temperature of the shower to avoid accidentally turning water to uncomfortably hot temperature.
As the weather changes throughout the year, it may be necessary to change the settings on these anti-scald faucets. Although a hot water heater stays at a stable temperature, the incoming cold water to the house varies in temperature as seasons change, meaning these settings may have to be adjusted for winter and summer usage.
Adjusting Moen Faucet Water Temperature
The Moen Posi-Temp line for showers uses a pressure-balanced system to specifically control the temperature range; their Moentrol line has a similar application but lacks the precise control of the Posi-Temp.
These controls work by using (different) mechanisms to prevent the full opening of the hot water line. This protects the user from accidentally reaching uncomfortable and potentially dangerous hot temperatures in the shower.
Adjusting this mechanism changes the balance of hot and cold water, which adjusts the water temperatures accessible by the Moen anti-scald faucet. It isn't necessarily difficult to adjust this stop, although details vary, depending on the model of faucet in the shower.
Preparing the Faucet
First, purge the line of cold water. Open the Moen faucet handle to the hottest position and allow the water to run until hot. Shut off the water to the faucet using the supply valves; these are usually behind the shower wall.
If these aren't accessible, you may need to shut off water to the entire bathroom. Figure out the most appropriate access point and be sure the water is shut off by opening the faucet to let the line completely drain.
Next, remove the handle from the faucet. Depending on the model, the set screw for the handle may be hidden under a decorative cap; some set screws need a Phillips screwdriver, while others require an Allen wrench. Remove the set screw and pull the handle off the wall.
Adjusting the Set Point
With most models, the cartridge stop ring will be visible. Sometimes there is another screw that you will need to remove with a Phillips screwdriver. Beneath this you should find the limit stop ring, which you can pull out just enough to disengage with the teeth beneath.
To decrease the set temperature (for cooler water), turn the ring or knob counterclockwise. Small increments can make a big change, so turn less than a quarter-turn at first before checking the water temperature.
To increase the set temperature (for warmer water), turn the ring or knob clockwise a small increment. Insert the stop piece back into the sleeve.
Reassembly of the Faucet
Reinstall the outer piece and tighten the set screw. Slide the handle back onto the stem and secure its set screw in place. Turn the water supply back on, run the shower as normal and then test the temperature to make sure the adjustment is sufficient. Repeat steps as necessary until you find the perfect temperature range.
If the shower hasn't been used in a while and you're seeing only hot or only cold water, the entire cartridge may need to be replaced as the inner pieces can get stuck during nonuse. Try to run the shower at least once a week for at least five minutes to prevent this from happening.
Danielle Smyth is a writer and content marketer from upstate New York. She holds a Master of Science in Publishing from Pace University. She owns her own content marketing agency, Wordsmyth Creative Content Marketing, and she enjoys writing home and DIY articles and blogs for clients in a variety of related industries. She also runs her own lifestyle blog, Sweet Frivolity.
View Work


Battle of Covadonga
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Battle of Covadonga
Part of the Muslim conquests and the Reconquista
Don Pelayo.jpg
Pelagius, victor at Covadonga and first King of Asturias.
Date Summer of 718 or 722
Location Picos de Europa near Covadonga, present-day Spain
Result Decisive Asturian victory
Emblema del Reino de Asturias.svg Kingdom of Asturias Umayyad Flag.svg Umayyad Caliphate
Commanders and leaders
Pelagius of Asturias Munuza
Al Qama
300[1] 800 - 1,400 (modern estimates)
187,000 (medieval estimates)
Casualties and losses
289 dead[1] 124,000 killed (medieval estimates)
The Battle of Covadonga was the first significant victory by a Christian military force in Iberia following the Muslim Moors' conquest of that region in 711. It was fought at Covadonga, most likely in the summer of 722. It assured the independence of the Kingdom of Asturias and, in the longer term, the survival of a Christian stronghold in northern Iberia. It was from there that the return of Christian rule over the entire Iberian peninsula began, so that the battle is in retrospect regarded as the beginning of the Reconquista.[2]
According to texts written by Mozarabs in northern Iberia during the ninth century, noble Visigoths in AD 718 elected a man named Pelagius (681-737) as their leader. Pelagius, a son of Favila, who had been a dignitary at the court of the Visigoth King Egica (687-700), established his headquarters at Cangas de Onís, Asturias and incited an uprising against the Umayyad Muslims.
From the beginning of the Muslim invasion of Iberia, refugees and combatants from the south of the peninsula had been moving north to avoid Islamic authority. Some had taken refuge in the remote mountains of Asturias in the northwestern part of the Iberian peninsula. There, from among the dispossessed of the south, Pelagius recruited his band of fighters. His first acts were to refuse to pay the Jizya (tax on non-Muslims) to the Muslims any longer and to assault the small Umayyad garrisons that had been stationed in the area. Eventually, he managed to expel a provincial governor named Munuza from Asturias. He held the territory against a number of attempts to re-establish Muslim control, and soon founded the Kingdom of Asturias, which became a Christian stronghold against further Muslim expansion.
For the first few years, this rebellion posed no threat to the new masters of Hispania, whose seat of power had been established at Cordoba. Consequently, there was only a minor perfunctory reaction. Pelagius was not always able to keep the Muslims out of Asturias but neither could they defeat him, and as soon as the Moors left, he would always re-establish control. Islamic forces were focused on raiding Narbonne and Gaul, and there was a shortage of manpower for putting down an inconsequential insurrection in the mountains. Pelagius never attempted to force the issue, and it was a Umayyad defeat elsewhere that probably set the stage for the Battle of Covadonga. On July 9, 721, a Muslim force that had crossed the Pyrenees and invaded the Kingdom of the Franks was defeated by them in the Battle of Toulouse, in present-day France. This was the first serious setback in the Muslim campaign in southwestern Europe. Reluctant to return to Cordoba with such unalloyed bad news, the Ummayad wāli, Anbasa ibn Suhaym Al-Kalbi, decided that putting down the rebellion in Asturias on his way home would afford his troops an easy victory and raise their flagging morale.
In 722, forces commanded by the Umayyad commanders Al Qama and Munuza, accompanied by Bishop Oppas[3] of Seville, brother of the former Visigothic King Witiza, were sent to Asturias. As Al Qama overran much of the region, Oppas attempted to broker the surrender of his fellow Christians, but he failed in the effort. Pelagius and his force retreated deep into the mountains of Asturias, eventually retiring into a narrow valley flanked by mountains, which was easily defensible due to the impossibility of launching a broad-fronted attack. Pelagius may have had as few as three hundred men with him.
Al Qama eventually arrived at Covadonga, and sent forward an envoy to convince Pelagius to surrender. He refused, so Al Qama ordered his best troops into the valley to fight. The Asturians opened fire from the slopes of the mountains, and then, at the climactic moment, Pelagius personally led some of his soldiers out into the valley. They had been hiding in a cave, unseen by the Muslims. The Christian accounts of the battle claim that the slaughter among the Muslims was horrific, while Umayyad accounts describe it as a mere skirmish. Al Qama himself fell in the battle, and his soldiers fled from the battlefield.
In the aftermath of Pelagius' victory, the people of the conquered villages of Asturias now emerged with their weapons, and killed hundreds of Al Qama's fleeing troops. Munuza, learning of the defeat, organized another force, and gathered what was left of the survivors of Covadonga. At some later date, he confronted Pelagius and his now greatly augmented force, near the modern town of Proaza. Again Pelagius won, and Munuza was killed in the fighting. And although the Muslims in their own histories called Pelagius and his men "thirty Infidels left, what can they do", they never again seriously challenged the independence of the Kingdom of Asturias. The battle is commemorated at the shrine of Our Lady of Covadonga.
 1. ^ a b Neither army strengths nor casualties are known with certainty. Asturian accounts stated that only 10 men survived with Pelagius.
 2. ^ Ring, Trudy, Robert M. Salkin and Sharon La Boda, International Dictionary of Historic Places: Southern Europe, (Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, 1995), 170.
 3. ^ Archer, Thomas Andrew and Charles Lethbridge Kingsford, The Story of the Crusades, (G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1895), 25.
Coordinates: 43°18′32″N 5°03′20″E / 43.30889°N 5.05556°E / 43.30889; 5.05556


text:
Group Activity Cards
Use groups of 4.
Materials: Grid paper, straightedges
| Do You See Your Reflection?
Each group member graphs a figure on one quadrant of a coordinate plane. The figure must include at least one point on the y-axis and one point on the x-axis.
Trade papers with another group member. Reflect the other group member's figure over the x-axis, and then reflect the entire design over the y-axis.
Share your work with the other groups.


Paediatric radiology
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
For the journal, see Pediatric Radiology (journal).
Paediatic radiology
Paediatric radiology (or pediatric radiology) is a subspecialty of radiology involving the imaging of fetuses, infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. Many paediatric radiologists practice at children's hospitals.
An example of a child friendly x-ray room
To successfully diagnose a paediatric condition, high quality images are needed to give a diagnosis. To achieve this requires creating an environment where a child is comfortable. This is one of the most essential elements to paediatric radiology. For imaging departments which specialise in paediatric radiology, this is very easy as rooms can be tailored to suit a child's needs. For example bright wall designs, visual stimulation and toys. These can be permanent fixtures as the department wouldn't need to cater to any other age range. For departments which only see children occasionally, creating a 'child friendly' environment is more difficult. It is usually achieved by creating one room a 'child friendly room' where murals / stencils can be painted on the wall. Modern children's hospitals are now designed with lots of glass to allow as much natural light in as possible, the Evelina Children's Hospital being one of these.
A child-friendly MRI scanner
Paediatric radiology comes with many challenges. Unlike adults, children cannot always understand / comprehend a change of environment. Therefore staff are usually required to wear colourful uniforms, usually'scrubs', as opposed to a normal hospital uniform. It is also important to recognise that when a child is unwell, they follow their instincts, which is usually to cry and stay close to their parents. This presents a huge challenge for the radiographer, who must try to gain the child's trust and gain their co-operation. Once co-operation has been achieved there is another big challenge of keeping the child still for their imaging test. This can be very difficult for children in a lot of pain. Coercion and support from parents is usually enough to achieve this, however, in some extreme cases (such as MRI and CT), it may be necessary to sedate the child.
Another challenge faced is the radiation difference between an adult and child.
Medical Use of Radiation: Medicine has used ionizing radiation for decades to help diagnose or treat children (and adults). There is no doubt that this imaging has saved lives. Medical imaging use has grown exponentially in the past few years, particularly the use of CAT Scans (also called CT scans). There are approximately 65 million CT scans done in the United States annually with an estimated 8 million in children. However, there is a much higher radiation dose from CT scans than from the traditional radiographs and fluoroscopy tests that radiologists perform and interpret. CT scans provide much more information about the anatomy and diseases in the body. To do this, though, they may expose a person to 100 to 250 times the radiation dose compared to a chest x-ray.[1]
Radiation Safety Issues: There are risks from ionizing radiation that are comprehensively studied in the survivors of the atomic bomb in Hiroshima in 1945. Longitudinal studies led by the National Academy of Sciences in the United States have shown increased cancer rates in this population that are dose dependent. From these data, modelling research suggests that even at the lower doses used in medical imaging, there may be an added risk of cancer.[2] Last year, two medical physicists suggested that the increasing use of CAT Scans in the United States may increase cancer incidence in the future.[3]
Paediatric Radiation Protection Issues: Children are more radiosensitive than adults. They also have a longer life expectancy over which they may develop cancer from exposures to ionizing radiation. The paediatric radiology and medical community has long had an awareness of this issue and has developed radiation protection policies and practices that reflect this. With the increased use of imaging and in particular, CT scanning, there is increasing attention to this issue by the entire medical and radiology communities.An educational resource for health care providers as well as patients and parents is the Image Gently web site started in 2008.[1] There is collaboration by several radiology, medical physics, paediatrics, and governmental organizations to increase awareness of radiation safety issues in children and to provide education to all stakeholders caring for children on ways to decrease the ionizing radiation exposure in children [2]. There is information for parents that include basic information brochures that can be printed or downloaded that describe what is an xray, what are the risks and benefits, and what can be done to decrease these risks [3].
Some equipment adapted for use in paediatric radiology includes:
 - Artificial Windows / light panels
 - Positioning equipment such as sponges, weights.
Most equipment is the same used for adult imaging, but using lower dose and exposure setting adapted for children.
Paediatric radiology training[edit]
In many countries, paediatric radiology does not officially require a specific training. Where there is, paediatric radiologists have usually completed a diagnostic radiology residency, then complete one or two more years of subspecialty fellowship training before they are eligible to take the board examination for official subspecialty certification (e.g. Canada, UK, Switzerland). This then qualifies them in the specialised area of paediatric radiology.
Common paediatric pathologies requiring imaging[edit]
See also[edit]
 1. ^ Lee CI, Haims AH, Monico EP, Brink JA, Forman HP (May 2004). "Diagnostic CT scans: assessment of patient, physician, and radiologist awareness of radiation dose and possible risks". Radiology 231 (2): 393–8. doi:10.1148/radiol._PHONE_. PMID _PHONE_.
 2. ^ Biological Effects of Ionizing Radiation (BEIR) VII
 3. ^ Brenner DJ, Hall EJ (November 2007). "Computed tomography--an increasing source of radiation exposure". The New England Journal of Medicine 357 (22): 2277–84. doi:10.1056/NEJMra072149. PMID _PHONE_.
External links[edit]


text:
The Many Roads to Japan
Originally an English textbook for Japanese university students, "The Many Roads to Japan" tells the story of the adventures of a Vietnam War conscientious objector who had to follow many twists and turns in his life journey before finding his niche in Japan. Suitable for low intermediate and above students. Excellent resource for peace studies. Good story for native speakers of English, too.


text:
- The definition of a vine is a plant with long stems that grow along the ground or climb a support structure.
- An example of a vine is a grape plant.
- An example of a vine is honeysuckle.
Rows of grape vines.
- any plant with a long, thin stem that grows along the ground or climbs a wall or other support by means of tendrils, etc.
- the stem of such a plant
- grapevine (sense )
Origin of vineMiddle English ; from Old French vine ; from Classical Latin vinea, vine ; from vineus, pertaining to wine ; from vinum, wine, akin to Classical Greek oinē, vine, oinos, wine, probably a loanword from a pre-IE language of the Pontus region (from source Classical Hebrew (language) yayin)
- a. A weak-stemmed plant that derives its support from climbing, twining, or creeping along a surface.b. The stem of such a plant.
- a. A grapevine.b. Grapevines considered as a group: products of the vine.
intransitive verbvined, vin·ing, vines
Origin of vineMiddle English, from Old French, from Latin vīnea, from feminine of vīneus, of wine, from vīnum, wine.
- the climbing plant that produces grapes
- any plant of the genus Vitis
- (US) by extension, any similar climbing or trailing plant
vine - Computer Definition
A mobile video sharing app that takes six-second videos for posting on Facebook and Twitter. Vine was founded in 2012 and acquired by Twitter that same year. The first app debuted in 2013 for the iPhone and iPod touch. See Twitter.


text:
The phrase 'philanthropy in Africa' has often tended to conjure up two quite diverse images. On the one hand, there are the well‑intentioned multi‑million dollar budgets of large (often international) foundations. On the other, the well‑established cultures and practice of small grassroots‑contributions and systems of social solidarity at the community level – the significance of which has never really been tapped by the formal development sector.
Across the continent, however, a new generation of local philanthropic institutions is emerging, some seeded with money from outside the continent, others entirely home‑grown – and all seeking to draw on local resources and tap into different forms of wealth, which include cash but also include other, less tangible, forms of social capital such as trust and credibility. These organizations seek to occupy the spaces between large, formal philanthropy and more local level mobilization of communities and their assets, and to build bridges between the two. At the same time they also promote a form of development which is community‑led and community‑owned.
Although the first self‑described 'community foundations' may only have been established in Africa in the late 1990s, the idea was not falling on fallow turf but rather offered a more formalized framework for naturally occurring traditions of giving and sharing. Those traditions are well encapsulated in the African philosophy of Ubuntu, defined by Liberian peace activist, Leymah Gbowee, as 'I am what I am because of who we all are.' The idea of Ubuntu means that you are known for your generosity. Instead of thinking of ourselves as individuals, separated from one another, we are connected and what anyone does affects the whole world. Generosity spreads outwards in a ripple that benefits the whole of humanity.
Africa is a continent rich with traditions of solidarity and reciprocity. In Kenya, for example, the practice of harambee as a form of local fundraising to cover the costs of funerals, weddings and school fees, was well‑established and drew heavily on a local culture of giving which had a social as well as a financial aspect.6 And in Southern Africa, ilima (coming together to help those without) was a mechanism for the sharing of communal labor for harvesting and house‑building.
A recent report by Jenny Hodgson and Barry Knight, "Mapping a Baseline of African Community Foundations" focuses on this group of institutions. They include community foundations, other types of community philanthropy institutions and local foundations – all operating throughout the African continent.


text:
is 3.7 children out of 1000 which is 0.37% being very low and 10 times better than cambodia. Both countries have dropped their child mortality rate but even now in Cambodia, many children are losing their lives. 3.3% may look like a small number but it is basically 1 person dying out of 30 people and this is not a very low rate. Again, the more money a country has, the lower the mortality rate is and the higher the chance that a baby can survive to the age above 5.
My third point is the crude birth rate vs the income per person. This is an interesting graph as: the lower the income per person it is, the higher the birth rate is. Many LEDC's such as Cambodia is more of an agricultural country and they crop food and do farm work. Since they do these kind of jobs, lots of people would be needed to be involved in the work. Due to this, many parents in LEDC's purposely give birth many times so they can have more children that can help them work. This is one of the major reasons Cambodia's birth rate is high. On the other hand, Switzerland is not a agricultural country and for the adults, they do not need many children working with them and helping them to work. This is why many MEDC's have low birth rates. Comparing Cambodia and Switzerland, the difference is large and Cambodia during the 1800, had a birth rate of 48 children out of 1000 and Switzerland only having 30 children out of 1000. As time passes, the birth rate decreases, however Cambodia still being high, being 24 children out of 1000, and Switzerland being 10 children out of 1000. The difference is huge and even now, Cambodia has 2.5 times more of birth rate compared to Switzerland.
My fourth point is very similar to the crude birth rate. The fourth point is about the fertility rate. Like the birth rate, in LEDC's the fertility rate is higher than the MEDC's. This is the same reasons as I said about the birth rate and the agricultural problem. In 1800, Cambodia's fertility rate was really high, in average a single woman having 7 children. Currently many people may have sisters and brothers but in Cambodia that time, in a single family, there were 7 brothers/sisters. At the same time, 1800, Switzerland's fertility rate was 4.1. Currently, that may be a lot but during the 1800, the fertility rate of 4.1 was pretty low. As time went, both countries fertility rate decreased. Cambodia has decreased a lot and currently the fertility rate is 2.8 which is a little bit high at this time. Switzerland is on average being 1.6 children out of 1 woman. The graph is very similar to the birth rate and now I will show you the crude birth rate vs fertility rate.
My bonus graph is fertility rate vs mortality rate. On this graph, the graph is going diagonally, right-up. This means that the more child mortality is high, the higher the total fertility. This is because if the child mortality is high, basically many children die when they are still young. By this, after parents give birth but the baby dies before 5, the parents would want the baby again and they would give birth again. Basically the higher the child molarity is, the more parents give birth to babies if their baby dies before 5. As I said before and before, Cambodia generally has a higher fertility rate compared to Switzerland because of farming and agriculture so in the graph, we can see the difference between Cambodia and Switzerland again.
These were my 4 indicators I was going to show you in the video and one extra fertility rate vs mortality rate and I compared the differences of Cambodia, a LEDC, less economically developed country and Switzerland, a MEDC, more economically developed country. I hope you enjoyed the video and learned about the differences.


text:
IZA DP No. 4057: The Impact of Education on the Subjective Discount Rate in Ugandan Villages
published in: Economic Development and Cultural Change, 2010, 58 (4), 643–669
Heterogeneity in time discounting may reinforce the existing barriers to save and invest faced by rural populations in developing countries. We elicit a subjective discount rate for a varied sample of Ugandan villagers. In accordance with other studies, we have found the discount rate to decrease with education. We examine this correlation further by testing the causal effect of education and exploit two different sources of its variation: school frequency across villages and the number of the respondents' school-going years that overlap with the era of the dictator Idi Amin's rule. For men, we find that education has a significant impact on their discount rate, similar in magnitude for both types of instruments and robust to observable characteristics. This finding highlights the importance of education in development.


text:
Nitrate vs Nitrite
Both nitrate and nitrite are oxy anions of Nitrogen. Although they both seem to look alike, there are differences between them. These differences can be with respect to their structure, bonding, geometrical shape, oxidation state of Nitrogen, chemical reactivity, uses of them and etc. These differences are mainly discussed here.
NO3- ion is the conjugate base of HNO3 (nitric V acid) which is a strong acid. It is a planer molecule with sp3 hybridization in Nitrogen atom. All three oxygen atoms are equivalent. There are 24 electrons in the valence shells. NO3- ion has the molecular weight of 62.004 g mol-1.
NO2- ion is the conjugate base of HNO2 (nitric III acid) which is a weak acid (pKa=3.5). It is also a planer molecule with sp2 hybridization. In the valence shells, there are only 18 electrons. NO2- ion has the molecular weight of 46.006 g mol-1.
When the bonding in both the ions are considered, in NO3- ion the pi bonding involves four 2pz atomic orbitals (one orbitla from N and three orbitals from 3 oxygen atoms). These four atomic orbitals form 4, four-centred pi molecular orbitals. The molecular orbital with the lowest energy is the bonding orbital. The orbital with the largest energy is the anti-bonding orbital. Other two orbitals are degenerate (equal in energy) which are non-bonding orbitals. In the case of NO2- ion, the pi bonding involves only three 2pz atomic orbitals. Here, the orbital with the lowest energy is the bonding orbital, the middle one is the non-bonding orbital, and the other one is the anti-bonding orbital. In both the ions, the bonding orbitals involve in making the σ-bond (sigma-bond) and non-bonding orbitals involve in making π-bonds (pi-bonds). Therefore, in NO3- ion each bond has a bond order of 11/3. 1 from σ-bond and 1/3 from the π-bonds. In NO2- ion, the bond order is 11/2. 1 from σ-bond and 1/2 from the π-bonds.
Although, both the ions are from the same electronic geometry, as the bond order is different, their geometrical shapes are also different. The NO3- ion has a shape of planer triangular and the NO2- ion has an angular shape (or V shape). The bond angles are also different. ONO bond angle of NO3- ion and NO2- ion are 1200 and 1150 respectively. The oxidation state of Nitrogen in both NO3- ion and NO2- ion are +5 and +3 respectively. Because of these reasons (especially the difference in bonding), the chemical reactivity (such as basicity, oxidizing/reducing ability, products of thermal decomposition of the compounds consist of these ions) is also different.
In practice, NO2- ion is a weaker base while NO3- ion is a very weaker base. When the oxidation state of Nitrogen atom in these ions is taken in to consideration, NO2- ion can act as a reducing agent as well as an oxidizing agent while NO3- ion can only act as an oxidizing agent.
The examples for products obtained from thermal decomposition of NO3- and NO2- ions containing compounds are given below to show the difference in reactivity.
Even, when they form complexes with metal ions they behave in a dissimilar manner. That is, NO2- ion acts as a monodentate ligand while NO3- ion acts as a bidentate ligand.
These differences in chemical reactivity help us to differentiate the uses of them. For example, nitrites are generally used in the processing of meat (sometimes nitrates are also used), and nitrates are used for producing of explosives. Nitrates are naturally occurring and are cancerous. But Nitrites are not cancerous.


it still leaves one pondering while they go through the effort clearly indicating a male sex by depicting penises (phalloi even), but leaving no equally clear hint at female individuals (if they wanted to).
 2. The logic lies in analogical reasoning here: If the figurines are clearly distinguished male and female individuals, but only the males are wearing belts, it seems likely to assume these belts are characteristic attributes of male individuals.
 3. True. But in the cases discussed, the phallus is pretty much emphasised.
 4. Anatomically for sure, both are humans after all. But if specific sexual characteristics are emphasised and even exaggerated, this might seem to mean something, doesn't it?
 4. Claas Kazzer
 Hi there,
 Jens, your notion on masculinity of the pilar beings seems to make immediate sense and I've read it before in other places (loin cloths etc.). Yet, I think Alice Starr Dworkin makes a very good point! Why should sculptures occasionally adorned with ithyphallic beings be male? The central part of the "composite sculpture" depicted above is sometimes interpreted as woman giving birth. Since it is incomplete but must have been somehow associated with the T-shaped beings, this would make it another associated female being.
 - Jens Notroff
 As I said in my earlier comment to Alice, the emphasis and exaggeration of certain specific sexual characteristics seem to imply an intention. That does, of course, not mean these 'composite sculptures' have to exceptionally be interpreted in that way. It's in particular their composite character which opens up a much wider possibility in interpretation – thus the possible female link as suggested. Not excluding it at this moment, not at all. But as I said in the article, there's much more research necessary to really prove this point.
 5. Steve Symonds
 I haven't read the articles on this site extensively, so apologies if this is already covered elsewhere, but the human form seems to be generally abstract (the pillars) and the animals seem to be carved to represent their actual form. If this observation is correct, is there considered to be some significance to this distinction?
 Is it more common for humans to be depicted in abstract forms than animals at other sites and/or other periods?
 Thank you.
 6. Steve Symonds
 Thank you, Jens, for your answer and taking the time to include the links.
 It is so tempting to speculate on the relative contributions of production, function and symbolic meaning but I shall resist! I shall just hope that as the evidence is evaluated and new finds are discovered you all get closer to the answers to these tantalising questions.
 Instead, at the risk of imposing on your time again, I have a follow-up question.
 From what I have read so far there seems to be human, animal, abstract patterns and hybrid (human/animal) sculptures. I think I also read that there were some features that could potentially be the sun and/or moon.
 Are there any sculptures of flora or geological features (mountains/rivers)?
 Do you have some similar links that discuss this in relation to other archaeological sites and why these subjects may not be portrayed, if they are not?
 Thank you again.
 7. Finn Sivert Nielsen
 First of all, thanks for your wonderful research and the exemplary effort you put into documenting it – in text and pictures – for a broader, non-specialist audience. I have enjoyed many hours browsing your website, being inspired both by the esthetical dimensions of your findings, by the vast perspectives they open up onto our deep past, and (it must be admitted) by the limitless space for speculation they offer. So here, for what it is worth, is one bit of speculation that occurs to me:
 Regarding the above discussion of gender, it strikes me – as a social anthropologist – that the possibility seems not to have been considered that some of the figures in question might be engaged in homosexual intercourse.There exists a sizable literature on ritual homosexuality in connection with male initiation in a number of Melanesian tribes (see for example Gilbert Herdt (ed.) "Ritualized Homosexuality in Melanesia"). Since I am not at all a Melanesianist, I must be cautious in how I express myself, but it is apparently considered essential in several of these groups that grown men inseminate young initiates (e.g. by fellatio, cf. the Kilisik sculpture?), or else their masculinity will not grow and mature in them and they will remain children (or perhaps become a kind of stunted women?).
 Obviously, it's a long way from 20th century AD Melanesia to 10th milennium BC Anatolia, but since (a) sexuality (in various forms) is a human universal, which (b) cross-culturally is very often tied to ideas of fertility and authority, it would seem at least possible – (c) in a society undergoing fundamental change (from hunting to agriculture), in which (d) male authority positions might as a result be perceived as under threat – that ritual homosexuality as a component of male initiation could play a role in mitigating that threat (male initiation being, if I have understood correctly, one (of several) possible functions that you are considering for the Göbekli Tepe site). If this were the case, it might conceivably also contribute to an understanding of why the imposing structures were (suddenly?) abandoned and backfilled when the transition to agriculture was seen to be inevitable and new gender roles had been successfully adopted.
 Best wishes, pardon my convoluted syntax, and keep up the good work!
Leave a Reply
© 2021 Tepe Telegrams
Theme by Anders NorenUp ↑


text:
A topo study of the crater ocean area.
1. I was thinking a 100m difference between yellow and green, but only a 10m or less between greens, and yellow browns.
2. Think massive waterfalls on the edge of the large crater, flowing down into lush tropical forests below.
3. Think temperate (north america) climate for the yellow and higher altitudes, giving way to oak trees, aspen forests, etc, and very hot and dense jungles below...this continent is near the equator, and at the crosspoints of several major weather patterns on the planet.


Archon Medical Technologies
Johns Hopkins University, 2012 - $14,400
Approximately 9-19% of the 4-5 million open abdominal surgeries in the US each year result in postoperative complications, which together cost the health care system $2.5 billion. The main cause of these complications is the improper closure of the fascia, a layer of muscle underneath the skin that protects the internal organs. Currently, fascia closure is performed with the traditional combination of suture and needle. This method poses two problems: first, surgeons have to roughly estimate suture placement across the incision, which can lead to uneven placement and compromise closure integrity; second, the internal organs are exposed to the sharp needle, increasing the chance of bowel puncture and laceration, both of which require additional surgeries to repair.
This E-Team is developing the QuickStitch, a device that will help surgeons close fascia more safely, easily, and consistently. QuickStitch is a plier-like device that can drive and transfer a needle across its jaw. To use it, the surgeon places the fascia between the jaws of the device, squeezes the handle, and toggles a switch to transfer the needle across the layer. The needle is protected in the process, eliminating exposure to the intestines. QuickStitch also improves placement with a built-in visual guide to help surgeons place sutures at regular intervals.


text:
AMERICAN ENGLISH AND BRITISH ENGLISH
General ambiguity and vaguenessThe terms British English and American English are used in different ways by different people for different purposes. They may refer to: (1) Two national varieties, each subsuming regional and other subvarieties, STANDARD and NON-STANDARD. They do not extend beyond the frontiers of their states, but within those frontiers everything is included. (2) Two national standard varieties, each excluding the national non-standard varieties, but to some extent merging with at least some of these. Each is only part of the range of English within its own state, but the most prestigious part. (3) Two international varieties, focused on particular nations, but each subsuming other varieties in a more or less ill-defined way. Each is more than a national variety of English. (4) Two international standard varieties that may or may not each subsume other standard varieties. Each serves in a more or less ill-defined way as a reference norm for users of the language elsewhere. Furthermore, whether BrE and AmE are understood as national or international varieties, there is so much communication between them that items of language pass easily and quickly from one to the other, often without clear identification as primarily belonging to one or the other, or to some other variety.
Lexicographical ambiguity and vaguenessThe ambiguity of the terms is reflected in dictionaries. When a dictionary labels something BrE, users can safely assume that it has more currency in Britain than in the US, but cannot be sure whether it is restricted to Britain or is used elsewhere, as for example in Australia or New Zealand. Often enough, the lexicographer using the label does not know either. The vagueness due to the easy passage between the two varieties is also reflected in dictionaries, by the tendency to qualify the labels with some such word as chiefly or especially, a tendency that appears to be increasing as communication between AmE and BrE increases: the 1st edition of the American Heritage Dictionary (1969) used both British and Chiefly British as labels, but the 2nd (1982) uses Chiefly British only. The use of qualifiers with BrE and AmE is in sharp contrast to their non-use with labels of certain other types: an item may be labelled Slang or Archaic, but not *Chiefly slang or *esp archaic. An item labelled Chiefly BrE or esp BrE is not more likely to be used in, say, Australia: it is more likely to be used in the US. Similarly, an item labelled Chiefly AmE or esp AmE is not more likely to be used in, say, Canada: it is more likely to be used in Britain. In this respect, qualifiers like Chiefly and esp loosen the national restrictions on BrE and AmE, but do not affect their international range, which is already rather ill defined.
National standardsIn the following discussion, the emphasis is first on AmE and BrE as two national standard varieties and then on their differences rather than their similarities. Paradoxically, the desire for a discussion of British/American differences reflects an underlying confidence that the similarities between them are greater: even if Americans and Britons are said to be 'divided by a common language', the language remains essentially common, especially in terms of standard usage. The two standard varieties are contrasted below in terms of spelling, pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, and idioms.
SpellingMost spelling differences between BrE and AmE do not signal differences in pronunciation. Rather, they serve as emblems or shibboleths of linguistic nationalism. It is primarily spelling that indicates whether a text is British or American in origin. By and large, the adoption of certain spellings in AmE has impeded their use in BrE or hastened their decline if they were used in that variety: such AmE -or spellings as color were once freely available alternatives to -our in BrE. However, when spelling is 'normalized' to one or other print standard, it may no longer be possible to identify the source of a text. It was once common to change the spelling of American books published in Britain, but in recent years the practice has been less common. This may mean that British linguistic nationalism is waning, or simply that the practice costs less, but since it also makes American texts easier to identify in British editions, it may slow down the adoption of expressions and constructions identified as AmE in those texts. There are two ways in which the orthographic differences can be classified: systemic or non-systemic; exclusive or non-exclusive:
1. Systemic or non-systemic differences.If a difference is systemic, it affects large classes of words; if non-systemic, it affects only one word or a small group of words. By and large, the difference between BrE colour, AmE color is systemic, affecting such words as hono(u)r, favo(u)r, neighbo(u)r, vigo(u)r (but note languor, stupor, torpor, etc., in both varieties). The BrE variant gaol (by contrast with the common jail) is non-systemic, affecting only one word and its inflections (gaols), derivatives (gaoler), and compounds (gaolbird). Occasionally, variants exist in both varieties: the optional e in abridg(e)ment, acknowledg(e)ment, judg(e)ment can be found in both AmE and BrE.
2. Exclusive or non-exclusive differences.When writing colo(u)r, either a BrE or an AmE spelling must be chosen; there is no international alternative. In the case of gaol/jail, however, there is a choice between local gaol and international jail. In the case of ax(e), an international variant axe coexists with an ax that is now AmE, though it was once used in BrE: in 1884, the Oxford English Dictionary favoured this spelling, but in 1989 the 2nd edition has changed to axe. There seem to be no cases of an international spelling variant coexisting with a marked BrE variant on one side and a marked AmE variant on the other.
All permutations and combinations of the two categories are possible: colour/color, systemic exclusive variants; the suffixes -ise/-ize, systemic non-exclusive variants in BrE; gaol/jail, axe/ax, non-systemic, non-exclusive variants in BrE and AmE respectively; in banking, cheque/check, non-systemic exclusive variants. Among the principal systemic variants are:
1. The colo(u)r group.Most words of the type color/colour are from Latin or French: arbo(u)r, armo(u)r, endeavo(u)r, favo(u)r, flavo(u)r, hono(u)r, humo(u)r, labo(u)r, odo(u)r, rigo(u)r, savo(u)r, tumo(u)r, valo(u)r, vigo(u)r. In Latin, their forms are uniformly -or (arbor, odor) and in Modern French their cognates may have -eur (couleur, honneur). Some, however, are Germanic in origin (harbo(u)r, neighbo(u)r) and seem to have picked up their u by analogy. The BrE u is not used in words, other than neighbo(u)r, that readily refer to people: actor, author, emperor, governor, survivor, tenor are the same in both varieties, though especially during the 16–17c such spellings as emperour, governour occurred. In such cases, the -or is generally interpreted as an agent suffix like the vernacular -er: author is as invariable in its spelling as writer. There are, however, a number of anomalies: such words as error, mirror, pallor, terror, tremor have no u in BrE, and in AmE the spellings glamor, savior, savor are nonexclusive variants, coexisting with the international glamour, saviour, savour. Saviour appears to be the last surviving -our agent suffix referring to a person. In AmE, the colo(u)r group has -or-in its inflections (coloring), derivatives (colorful, coloration), and compounds (color-blind). BrE derivatives are more complex. Before vernacular suffixes, the u is retained: armourer, colourful, flavoursome, savoury. It is also kept before the French suffix -able: honourable. Before Latinate suffixes, however, it is dropped: honorary, honorific, humorous, humorist, coloration, deodorize, invigorate. In such cases, AmE and BrE spellings are the same. Even so, there are some residual anomalies: BrE keeps the u in colourist and AmE can have the u in savoury and appears to be more likely than BrE to have a u in glamo(u)rize and glamo(u)rous.
2. The centre/center group.In words of this type, BrE has -re and AmE -er, and the difference is exclusive. The chief members are of non-Germanic origin and are: centre/center, fibre/fiber, goitre/goiter, litre/liter, meagre/meager, mitre/miter, sabre/saber, sombre/somber, spectre/specter, theatre/theater. The agent suffix -er (as in writer) and comparative ending -er (as in colder) are unaffected. Many words in both varieties have -er (banter, canter) and -re (acre, lucre


Take the 2-minute tour ×
Let $E$ be a smooth complex vector bundle over a smooth compact manifold $M$ and let $H$ be the $Z_{2}$-graded (with the $Z_{2}$-grading given by even/odd forms) Hilbert space of $L_{2}$ (with respect to some fixed metrics on $M$ and $E$) differential forms with values in $E$ which is naturally a $\Omega^{\bullet}(M)$-module. A connection $\nabla$ on $E$ by definition satisfies $[\nabla, \omega]=d\omega$, where $\omega$ stands for the action of the form $\omega \in \Omega^{\bullet}(M)$ on $H$ and the commutator is graded. So, in particular $\nabla$ satisfies $$[\nabla, d\omega]=0$$
My questions is: Do there exist examples of odd operators $P$ on $H$ which
(1) satisfy that last equation, i.e. $[P, d\omega]=0$ for every $\omega \in \Omega^{\bullet}(M)$ and
(2) which at the same time behave like elliptic operators in the sense that they have compact resolvent.
Or is there any reason to think that such operators do not exist?
By "operator" I mean any densely defined closed operator on $H$, it doesn't need to be a differential operator. A pseudodifferential operator or something even more general will do.
share|improve this question
Your Answer
Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.


text:
A non-contact and simple interferometric technique has been used to measure the refractive index variation of gamma irradiated CR-39 polymer samples. Six samples of thickness (750 μm) and dimensions of 1.5 × 3 cm2, have been irradiated with gamma radiation doses in the range from zero to 600 kGy. It is observed that the refractive index increases by increasing the dose and reaches its maximum value at 40 kGy dose, and then starts to decrease again. This means that the gamma radiation deformation in the CR-39 polymer is a chain scission effect. This interferometric technique could make a contribution to recombination and degradation mechanisms on CR-39 polymer. Copyright © 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd.
Mendeley saves you time finding and organizing research
Choose a citation style from the tabs below


text:
In partnership with Xavier University, the Freedom Center has been working with an undergraduate course around the exhibition Women Hold Up Half the Sky. This course takes a pedagogical approach to topics of sociology, human trafficking, maternal health and domestic violence. Students will gain a deeper understanding of sociological practice through a marriage of theoretical knowledge and practical experience. In collaboration with the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center this course includes a service learning component and emphasizes theory as a tool to understand activist experiences, and practice. The students started the course with intense study of the content of the exhibition to prepare them for the experience.
Starting on Saturdays beginning March 1st from 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. the students will begin their experience as tour guides in the exhibit.
As part of the internship period each week the students will write a reflection blog about their experiences, interaction with public, and their personal thoughts about the content. This week's blog is titled Why does Half the Sky Matter?
We hope that you will check back each week for a new blog entry and get involved in the conversation.
Manager of Content Development & Interpretation
Why does Half the Sky matter?
As I sat in the maternal health section of the Women Hold Up Half the Sky exhibit last Saturday, I looked at a bright green homemade banner that read "We lost our only surgeon". The story was of a thirty-four year old woman and successful surgeon in Uganda who lost her life in childbirth. Though she gave birth in a hospital, there were not enough nurses to attend to her, and she died without any doctors or nurses around.


Why do ships use "port" and "starboard" instead of "left" and "right"?
Since port and starboard never change, they are unambiguous references that are independent of a mariner's orientation, and, thus, mariners use these nautical terms instead of left and right to avoid confusion. When looking forward, toward the bow of a ship, port and starboard refer to the left and right sides, respectively.
Source: NOAA
_TAG_ _TAG_ _TAG_ _TAG_


text:
Kemet: Ancient Egypt, Africa Workshop 2
Lecture: biological anthropology and Ancient Egypt
with Dr Shomarka Keita
Saturday 16th February 2008
Were the ancient Egyptians Black?
Why is Egypt not seen today to be part of Africa by some people?
The Fitzwilliam Museum, Department of Antiquities through the work of Dr Sally-Ann Ashton Senior Assistant Keeper and with the support from Dr Stephen Quirke Curator of the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology organised free workshops consulting communities who were invited to raise important questions and issues with key African intellectuals. Saira Law was the Project Coordinator and Chair of each workshop. This work was funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund.
Our aim is to allow community and student groups the opportunity to ask questions about the ethnicity of the ancient Egyptians and to obtain an understanding of how Egypt fits into African cultural heritage, now.
Dr Shomarka Keita is a biological anthropologist and medical doctor. For a long time he has been interested in human variation, especially in Africa. He has published widely on a variety of subjects related to these areas, including ancient Egyptian skeletal biology, the connection between biology, language and archaeology in the study of population history and the history of ideas about race and identity. Currently a Senior Research Associate at the National Human Genome Centre at Howard University and Research Associate in the Department of Anthropology at the Smithsonian Institute.
To download, right-click on any of the following links, and choose save or save-as:


text:
Seaweed fertiliser is one of the cheapest and most effective organic plant-nourishing agents the New Zealand gardener can lay his or her hands on. In this article we'll show you why seaweed fertiliser is so good, how to use it and even how to make your own.
Time Tested Fertiliser
Seaweed fertiliser has been used for centuries. As far back as the Celts, people were gathering up the abundantly available weed they found on the shore and using it to promote healthier, quicker growing crops.
Commercial seaweed fertiliser comes in liquid, powdered and granular forms. The liquid varieties can be used both for root and foliar (through the leaf) feeding.
Seaweed has a broad and well-balanced range of nutrients. And not only is it packed with plant nourishment, the nutrients are easy to get at too. Unlike land plants, seaweed isn't built from cellulose and so breaks down rapidly in the compost heap, releasing its goodness and encouraging the breakdown of other compost material.
Seaweed Fertiliser Advantages
One of the greatest advantages of seaweed fertiliser is that it's all-natural, you can use it in your garden confident that you aren't spreading a cocktail of dangerous chemicals. But there are plenty of other reasons to use it too.
Seaweed contains complex carbohydrates. These stimulate microscopic soil fungi and microbes. These little garden helpers increase the availability of soil nutrients and they also play a significant role in defending against soil-based diseases.
The nutrients in seaweed fertiliser promote early flowering, stronger crops, and increased sugar content in fruit.
Acid and Iron
Seaweed contains mannitol and alginic acid both of which acidify the soil and help plants absorb nutrients.
Seaweed also adds iron to the soil, so plants that like both an acid soil and iron (e.g. gardenias, camellias, azaleas etc.) will thrive with seaweed fertiliser.
The natural plant hormones in seaweed like betaines encourage chlorophyll production, the germination of seeds and the growth of roots.
Use seaweed fertiliser to counter the effects of "transplant shock" whenever you uproot and replant. Use it on cuttings, too, to help them establish themselves more quickly.
Seaweed hormones increase the thickness of plant cell-walls, thereby creating stronger plants with greater structural integrity, pest resistance and frost endurance.
Good for Us Too
Seaweed supplies selenium and iodine, both nutrients which our New Zealand soil is poor in. The addition of these elements to food crops results in plant foods with higher nutritional value.
By weakening nematodes and retarding their ability to breed, seaweed protect plants against attack from this pest.
Homemade Seaweed Fertiliser
If you have a readily available supply of seaweed it is a simple matter to make your own liquid fertiliser, just follow the steps below.
Note: Before you go gathering seaweed, check with your local council. Taking seaweed maybe illegal in some areas and may also harm delicate shoreline ecosystems.
- Gather your seaweed.
- Hose it down thoroughly to remove all salt deposits.
- Place seaweed in a large, topless drum with an equal amount of fresh water.
- Allow to sit for 8 weeks, stirring every 3 days.
- Decant the resulting liquid.
This fertiliser is very strong and can burn plants if not diluted well. Use 1 cup of fertiliser to a bucket of water.
Gift from the Sea
If you want stronger, faster-growing plants that germinate and root more effectively, produce sweeter fruit and higher yields and are more resistant to pests and disease, you can't go far wrong with seaweed fertiliser.
To learn more about making your own seaweed fertiliser check out this video.How to Make and Use Seaweed Fertiliser,


text:
- Latin Name
- Digitaria Eriantha
- It is a palatable grass that is regarded as one of the best natural and cultivated pastures (the best known cultivar is Smuts finger grass) in southern Africa. It remains palatable until late in the winter and is often utilised as standing hay.
- Length up to 1.8 m. Tufted perennial with 14 mm leaf blades. An inflorescence with 3 to 15 spikes, in one or two whorls, can be seen at the culm tip. The lower part of the plant is usually hairy.
- Common Finger Grass grows in sandy and gravelly soil in the more arid parts and in damp soil such as beside vleis in areas with a high rainfall. Can be found in the Northern Province and the Kruger National Park.
- January - April