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Tactical asset allocation (TAA) is a dynamic strategy that actively adjusts the asset weights in a portfolio based on the manager's short term market views. It is normally used as a complement to a strategic allocation in order to improve the risk/return profile of the total portfolio. Historically, TAA provides an efficient and cost effective portfolio solution for managing downside risk. Therefore, following the financial crisis of 2007-2008, there was a renewed interest in these strategies as investors searched for better risk management tools. As shown in Figure 1, median TAA managers helped limit losses during down markets over the last ten years, which led them to outperform the MSCI World Equity Index over the same time period.
Figure 1: Historical Returns of Median Tactical ETF Strategy vs. MSCI World Index
However, individual performance of TAA managers differ significantly. There are big gaps between the best and the worst performers (see Table 1). Given the flexibility of the TAA mandates, a wide range of performance records across managers is expected. To achieve investment success, it is extremely important for investors to select a good manager.
Table 1: Performance of Morningstar Tactical Allocation (12/30/2016)
Most of the TAA managers utilize quantitative model-driven strategies. To evaluate a TAA strategy, investors first need to understand the rationale of the variables used in each manager's model. There are four different types of variables most commonly used in TAA models.
- Business cycle/economic indicators. Asset class performance is related to economic performance. Normally, stock markets perform well during an economic expansion, and bond markets perform well during a recession. Commodity prices rise during inflationary periods, and Treasuries and other fixed income assets rally in the deflationary or disinflationary periods. Numerous economic indicators, such as GDP, CPI, consumer confidence, industrial production, etc., can be used to build models to identify or forecast economic regimes and asset returns in the TAA process. The major drawback of using economic indicators as the only variable is that most are lagging and not very useful in predicting market performance. One has to be very picky when selecting economic indicators.
- Fundamental valuation data. Fundamental stock market valuation metrics like price-earnings ratio (PE) or price-to-book ratio (PB) have a tendency to revert to the mean over the long run. When the market is expensive based on the historical standard, it may decline to become more reasonably priced. However, valuation is generally not a very good timing indicator by itself because the market can stay over or under valued for a long time.
- Market trend and momentum. Financial markets trend up and down, following a boom and bust cycle as the economy moves between expansion and recession, and monetary policies swing from tightening to loosening cycles. Investors tend to under-react or over-react to the market fundamentals, causing market trends to last longer than otherwise. TAA managers use moving average, rate of change or relative strength to model trends. In general, trend-following strategies work well in the long run, but may suffer meaningful losses from time to time when the markets become volatile and trendless.
- Sentiment signals. Market sentiment indicators can be used either as trend confirmation or as contrarian signals. When both market trends are positive and sentiments are improving, investors should feel more comfortable with taking more risk. When the sentiment signals reach extremes, investors may take a contrarian position to benefit from market reversals. Sentiment signals such as credit spread, implied volatility or margin borrowing are used in allocation models. However, it's not easy to determine how extreme the market sentiment can become.
Secondly, investors need to understand the approaches a manager takes in building their models. TAA managers frequently use three approaches or some combination of them to help their investment decisions.
- Forecasting model. The most traditional way to tactical asset allocation starts with a forecast of asset class returns. The manager would overweight the asset classes with the best forecasted returns and under-weight the asset classes with the worst forecasted returns. There are many different ways to forecast asset class returns. Some managers utilize fundamental indicators, some utilize technical indicators, while others utilize both type of indictors in their models. Linear models, as well as, non-linear models are used in forecasting. No matter what variables or what type of the model a manager uses, predicting short-term market returns accurately is such a difficult task that very few can master it.
- Trend-following/momentum model. The trend-following/momentum strategy starts with identifying market trends, then a manager over-weights the asset classes with positive trends and under-weights asset classes with negative trends. Managers can use short horizon, long horizon, a combination of both or a varying-horizon to identify trends. In general, the strategy performs well in the trending markets, up or down, but may underperform in a volatile trendless market.
- Regime switch model. The regime switch model aims to identify market regimes and then overweigh the asset classes expected to perform well in the identified regimes. Like forecasting models, a regime-switch model can incorporate both fundamental and technical indicators. Managers often define regimes differently. Some use two regimes such as "risk on" and "risk off "; some use four regimes like high growth/high inflation, high growth/low inflation, low growth/high inflation and low growth/low inflation. Usually, in a positive or negative economic and market environment, it is easier to identify a regime. However, during the transition or uncertain periods when the signals are mixed, it becomes harder, and thus the strategy could potentially underperform in those periods.
All three approaches have their own pros and cons. Even managers who use the same approach may have very different models. Variables, parameters, investment time horizons can vary significantly. In general, trend following and regime switch models tend to perform well in the trending markets, but underperform in volatile trendless markets. Performance of a forecasting model is more idiosyncratic. One model may perform completely different from the other.
In addition to understanding the rationale, the theory and modeling approach, investors need to evaluate the managers' ability of implementing strategies and delivering strong performance consistently. There are four considerations here.
- Solid track record. A live track record is one of most important things in evaluating tactical managers. Live performance is the only real out-of-sample test of a tactical model. Many TAA models have spectacular back test results, but disappointing live records. This inconsistency between the back test and live record is an indication that the model may over-fit the data, thus have trouble performing in real time. A good model should show comparable results between the back test and live performance records.
- Back tests need to cover various market cycles. Many tactical managers do not have long-term track records; instead they show back-test performance. Drawbacks of back tests such as data-fitting and hindsight benefits need to be well understood. Further, some managers only offer back tested data for short periods of time. This is usually not sufficient to prove the legitimacy of the model. Investors need to see how the model performed over a few complete market cycles and understand when and why the model outperformed, as well as when and why it underperformed.
- Team experience. Many tactical managers, especially some ETF strategists, came to the market without long-term investment management experiences. Although they may be brilliant in developing quantitative models, they might face difficulties understanding why their model underperforms when market conditions start to change. To build long-term success, the TAA models need to continuously improve and adapt to ever-changing market conditions, and in those efforts, experience will prove to be the utmost of importance.
- Research capability. Tactical investing is not an easy task. TAA managers need to constantly improve models and develop new strategies. Firms that allocate more resources to research will have a better chance to deliver superior returns over longer periods of time.
In summary, finding a good manager is critically important for investors to achieve success or expected performance. It is even more true for selecting a tactical asset allocation strategy given the flexibility of the investment mandate and the big disparity of the performance. Understanding the rationale and modeling approach, knowing when and why the strategy performs and finding consistency between back test results and live track records are among some of the important tasks investors need to undertake.


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- A State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO), a Tribal Historic Preservation Officer (THPO), a Federal Preservation Officer (FPO), a scholar, a private owner, or an interested member of the general public, writes a letter of inquiry to the National Park Service.
- NHL staff review the letter to determine if the property appears to meet the criteria for an NHL. If the property has the potential to become an NHL, the staff provides the preparer with detailed guidance as the nomination is written.
- Working with the preparer, staff from the National Historic Landmarks program edit and review the nomination.
- Subject matter experts and scholars from across the nation review the nomination. Their suggestions and assessments are incorporated into the nomination.
- The Landmarks Committee reviews the nomination before making a recommendation to the National Park System Advisory Board.
- The National Park System Advisory Board reviews the nomination before making a recommendation to the Secretary of the Interior.
- The nomination is submitted to the Secretary of the Interior.
- The Secretary considers the recommendations and decides whether or not to designate the property as a National Historic Landmark.
photograph by photoholic1 via Flickr
Roseway (Schooner), MA: This wooden two-masted schooner, built in 1925, is the only known survivor of a type of vessel developed specifically to compete in yearly international races of fishing boats. In 1941, Roseway became a pilot boat in Boston, and during World War II served as a patrol vessel manned by the Coast Guard Reserve.

source: HuggingFaceFW/fineweb-edu


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Excelling in college courses usually requires a different kind of studying than students did in high school. In order to excel, itís critical for students to understand the difference between studying and learning. One of the best ways to make sure that students are learning, and not just studying, is to introduce the concept of metacognition. This workshop walks students through the basics of metacognition. Using language that students will understand, the expert presenter explains how this concept can be integrated into study strategies and ultimately how it can help students move up Bloomís Taxonomy from lower level to higher level learning.
Students will learn:
- The difference between studying and learning
- The basics of metacognition
- How to use metacognition when studying
- The study cycle learning strategy
- How this study cycle can help you move to higher learning levels


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Cape Sable seaside sparrow: Ammodramus maritimus mirabilis
Genus/Species: Ammodramus maritimus
Subspecies: Ammodramus maritimus mirabilis
Common Name: Cape Sable seaside sparrow
Federal Status: Endangered
FL Status: Federally-designated Endangered
FNAI Ranks: G4T1/S1 (Globally: Apparently Secure, Sub sp. Critically Imperiled/ State: Critically Imperiled)
IUCN Status: Not ranked
The Cape Sable seaside sparrow is a secretive bird that is usually heard before they are seen. This species can reach a body length of five inches (12.7 centimeters) with a wingspan of 5.1-7.9 inches (18-20 centimeters) (The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, n.d.). This seaside sparrow has a dark olive-gray colored back, a light gray side with dark olive streaks, and small patches of yellow feathers in front of their eyes and at the bend of their wings.
The diet of the Cape Sable seaside sparrow primarily consists of spiders, beetles, caterpillars, grasshoppers, grass, and sedge seeds.
Nesting occurs from February to August, with most nesting activity happening from April to May. The length and timing of nesting depends on flooding, as nesting will be delayed or terminated if flood waters become too high. Cape Sable seaside sparrows build their nests in clumps of grass that are around six inches (15.2 centimeters) off of the ground. Females lay between three to four eggs per clutch, with two to three nests attempted every year. The rate of nesting success is 40-75%. Eggs are incubated by the female for 12 days. Fledging occurs at 9-11 days olds.
Habitat and Distribution
The Cape Sable seaside sparrow inhabits areas that are periodically burned and flooded. These areas include flooded inland prairies of cordgrass (Spartina), muhly grass (Muhlenbergia filipes), and short sawgrass (Cladium). The Cape Sable seaside sparrow is sometimes known as the "Goldilocks bird" as conditions have to be just right to survive. Cape Sable seaside sparrows can be found only in Everglades National Park and Big Cypress National Preserve in Dade and Monroe counties, as they are the only bird restricted to the Everglades' ecosystem. This species has not been seen in Cape Sable, Florida since the 1970's.
Historically, habitat destruction and conversion to agricultural land has been the major threat to the species (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service 2003). Presently the degradation of habitat is a considerable threat to the Cape Sable seaside sparrow population (Florida Natural Areas Inventory 2001). Improper water regimes in the Everglades can cause delays and even the termination of nesting. Three or more years of low breeding rates can cause critical declines in the Cape Sable seaside sparrow's population, as its lifespan is only around four years. Encroachment of hardwoods and the removal of dead plants can reduce the suitability of the habitat for breeding. Prescribed fire is the usual method to prevent this; however, fire can kill adults, their young, and eggs (National Park Service, n.d.). The population of the Cape Sable seaside sparrow is restricted to South Florida, which makes the species vulnerable to natural catastrophes. South Florida is vulnerable to direct hits from hurricanes, which could significantly reduce the species' population.
Conservation and Management
The Cape Sable seaside sparrow is protected as an Endangered species by the Federal Endangered Species Act and as a Federally-designated Endangered species by Florida's Endangered and Threatened Species Rule.
Federal Recovery Plan
Other Informative Links
Florida Natural Areas Inventory
FWC Species Profile
National Park Service
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology
U.S. Geological Survey
Printable version of this page
Florida Natural Areas Inventory. 2001. Field guide to the rare animals of Florida. _URL_
National Park Service. (n.d.). Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow: In Depth. Retrieved July 6, 2011, from Everglades National Park: _URL_
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology. (n.d.). Seaside Sparrow. Retrieved July 6, 2011, from All About Birds: _URL_
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. (2003, October 8). Cape Sable seaside sparrow. Retrieved July 6, 2011, from Species Conservation Guidelines South Florida: _URL_ elines.pdf
Image Credit Photo by FWC


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Gavin Buckingham, now a postdoctoral researcher at the Centre for Brain and Mind at the University of Western Ontario in Canada, and his PhD supervisor Dr. David Carey, asked leftand right-handed participants to reach first toward a pair of targets with both hands at the same time and, immediately afterwards, toward a new single target with only their closest hand. Just before they began the reach, subjects were given a short vibratory pulse on one of their hands, giving them a clue about where the new target would appear, and hence which hand should perform this second portion of the reach. On a small proportion of trials, the pulse was given to the wrong hand, which meant that subjects had to restrain the reach with this incorrectly-cued hand in order to make the reach with the correct hand.
The right-handed subjects had far greater trouble dealing with this incorrect cue when it was given to their right hands, making more mistakes and taking longer to successfully inhibit the reaches, almost as if the right hand was already pre-selected to carry on during the bimanual reach. The left-handed subjects showed no such asymmetries, suggesting that they are less inherently biased to select one hand over the other.
These findings build on a series of studies from the same researchers which have indicated that right-handers have their attention largely directed at their right hands during bimanual tasks. "One explanation for these data is that hand choice is related to hemispheric specialisation for speech and language" says Dr Carey. "Many left-handed people have "right-handed" brains, which weakens the typical bias towards choosing their dominant left hand."


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The Singapore Armed Forces
(SAF) has two rank structures
One rank structure is similar to that of other military in other country. One major difference is that the SAF uses a unified rank structure, with identical rank names and insignia throughout the Army
, and Air Force
. For example, traditional Navy ranks such as Ensign
have been replaced with Army-style ranks. Only two exceptions exist to the unified rank structure. Firstly, among the flag officer ranks, the Navy retains the Admiral
ranks. The second exception is for the rank insignia for Private
and Private First Class
among the Air Force, and the Army and Navy.
This structure is subdivided for Officer
, Warrant Officers
, and enlisted men.
The other structure is for the Military Domain Experts Scheme (MDES), which comprises eight ranks (ME1 – ME8).MINDEF
, Personnel under this Scheme are collectively known as Military Experts (MEs).
Unlike most Commonwealth countries, the armed forces of Singapore no longer use British-style rank insignia nor many British rank titles. Company officers are represented by bars, field officers by coats-of-arms and flag and general officers are represented by stars, similar to the systems of the Republic of China
, South Korea
, and (in particular) Indonesia
for example. American influence is obvious in relation to the existence of two Rear Admiral ranks.
The SAF rank structure is largely similar to that of the Singapore Civil......

source: openbmb/Ultra-FineWeb


Null safety in kotlin
Null safety
Null Safety in Kotlin
In an effort to rid the world of NullPointerException, variable types in Kotlin don't allow the assignment of null. If you need a variable that can be null, declare it nullable by adding? at the end of its type.
var neverNull: String = "This can't be null"
nullable = null
Here, declares a non-null String variable neverNull. In this case if try to assign null to non-nullable variable like nullable = null a compilation error will produce.
var nullable: String? = "You can keep a null here"
nullable = null
Here, declares a nullable String variable nullable. Sets the null value to the nullable variable. This is OK. No compilation error will produce.
var inferredNonNull = "The compiler assumes non-null"
inferredNonNull = null
When inferring types(inferredNonNull variable), the compiler assumes non-null for variables that are initialized with a value. When trying to assign null to a variable with inferred type, a compilation error is produced.


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In Embedded Learning Strategy Instruction : Story-Structure Pedagogy in Heterogenous Secondary Literature Classes, Michael Faggela-Luby Jean Schumaker, and Donald Deshler examine the problem of uneven learning structures among literature students. Their previous research found that a majority of secondary education level students were reading below the reading comprehension level appropriate for their age level This was attributed to the inability of teachers to find a structure of teaching reading comprehension and story structure in a method that would both allow LD students to comprehend narrative story structures while still challenging higher
level learning students. They present a number of relevant studies done over the years that have presented different story structure learning models to different focus groups of students to examine the results. However, these results are largely inconclusive because some studies failed to produce graphs that explained their results and others did not separate LD students from other students, therefore failing to examine the experimental structures in terms of these two distinguishable groups. Their research attempted to find a reading comprehension structure that could be applied to all levels of students and be used as a universal tool towards learning comprehension and story structure for students of all learning aptitudes and levels
They conducted a research experiment using 79 students to examine the effectiveness of the embedded-story structure. Some students were limited readers, while some were strong readers. Students taught in their regular classrooms with regular materials and were randomly assigned to one of two groups. One group would...


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Nobody has ever seen a live colossal squid swimming so this is a difficult question to answer. The scientists had to look at how other closely related squid swim and come up with a theory about how the colossal squid moves.
See how scientists think the colossal squid moves in this video:
Cranchiids or glass squids
Colossal squid are part of the Cranchiidae family, known as the glass squids. There are many videos of squid species swimming, including the glass squids.
Cranchiids or glass squids have a very different outward appearance, or morphology, to most squid. They have forward-facing eyes which gives them binocular vision. This also means they cannot hold their arms out directly in front as they wouldn't be able to see! Most other squid have eyes on the sides of the head. They do not have to lift their arms out of their field of vision and can swim with their arms flat.
Cockatoo position – or not?
Most of the time cranchiids hold their arms either up over their heads in the 'cockatoo' position, or down in the 'reverse cockatoo' position.
Scientists think that the colossal squid, like other cranchiids, does not usually swim with its arms held flat out. But there is on-going debate about whether the colossal squid swims in the 'cockatoo' position or
The team reasoned that if the colossal squid held its arms up in the 'cockatoo' position, the lower arms would be longer, as they would have to reach further to meet the tips of the upper arms. Careful measurement of the colossal squid's arms showed that the lower arms are longer. The position and direction of the non-swivelling hooks on the arms also suggest that the colossal squid uses the 'cockatoo' position.
However this is all just a hypothesis – until someone sees a colossal squid swimming we won't know for sure. This is the process of science!


During Applied Felts' multi-stage production process, we continually test a number of criteria including density, thickness, fiber distribution evenness, strength and weld-ability of the finished product. Once the liner has been constructed, the material is then coated, using a "single pass" extruded process to ensure there are no pinholes present. During this phase, tests are again conducted to monitor coating uniformity, mass and weight distribution.
Continually checked throughout the process to ensure the product satisfies the specification of your order, the finished liner is then sampled and destructively tested across a variety of quality characteristics, including density at various pressures, tensile strength, coating distribution and more. Finally, samples are cut and tested across several additional criteria to make sure the circumference, density, length, coating integrity, weld strengths and other properties have not been compromised.


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Like humans families that depend on everyone pulling their weight, cichlid fish have arguments when childcare and housework are not shared.
A cichlid fish without babies who wants to be part of a family group must help out with childcare (guarding fry, cleaning eggs) and defending the territory. If they are lazy they may be punished by the dominant breeders or may even be expelled from the territory.
Cichlid fish are cooperative breeders, who resemble humans in some aspects of their social life, and it seems that, like humans families that depend on everyone pulling their weight, cichlid fish have arguments when childcare and housework are not shared. This combination of conflict and cooperation can be seen in various animal families and it is particularly interesting to study in animals who breed cooperatively.
Because individuals in these groups work together to raise the youngsters, which can be hard work even if every member of the groups helps, they depend on each other. They often have to work harder when the group is small or when certain individuals are reluctant to contribute. This can create a situation where some group members get in conflict over the levels of help other individuals should provide. Conflict among siblings, between parents and offspring, and among individuals providing care for the offspring is common and can be surprisingly tough. For example, young hyenas occasionally kill their sibling when food is scarce to monopolise maternal care, and by doing that achieve faster growth rates.
Cooperatively breeding animals live in family groups that resemble the structure and organisation of human families in some important aspects. Often only one male and one female reproduce and all other group members provide help with raising the offspring of the breeding pair. Frequently, but not always, the helping individuals are offspring from previous breeding who have delayed their departure from their parental group, forgo their own reproduction, and assist with providing for and guarding their younger siblings. Other examples in addition to the cichlid fish are meerkats, naked mole-rats, long-tailed tits and some species of bee-eaters. Whereas many of the cooperatively breeding birds live in relatively small groups (often only the pair and one helper), mole-rat groups can reach very large sizes with more than 200 non-reproductive helpers.


News & Announcements
CSU Mayan Archaeologist Available to Debunk 2012 Armageddon Myth
Professor argues that Mayan myth was perpetuated for profit
Cleveland State University Professor Dr. Peter Dunham is a leading archaeologist who has spent much of his career studying Mayan culture and deciphering ancient Mayan inscriptions.
Dr. Dunham specializes in the rise and fall of early civilizations, in particular the ancient Maya. His interests include prehistoric ecology, astronomy, and calendrics. His field research in the Maya Mountains of Belize was supported by multiple major grants from the National Geographic Society. His Ancient Mysteries course (ANT 275) is one of the most popular at Cleveland State, where he debunks many of the extreme claims that have been made about the human past, including the 2012 phenomenon. He also explores why people both invent and embrace such misrepresentations, analyzing the agendas behind them.
Dr. Peter Dunham can be reached at: _PHONE_


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How do uniforms serve as tangible evidence of changes in culture?
Rutgers University Cheerleaders (1976)
"If my uniform doesn't get dirty, I haven't done anything in the... game."Rickey Henderson, former Major League Baseball player
"The costume of woman should be suited to her wants and necessities. It should conduce at once to her health, comfort, and usefulness; and, while it should not fail also to conduce to her personal adornment, it should make that end of secondary importance."Amelia Jenks Bloomer, in a letter to Charlotte A. Joy, June 3, 1857
"Skirts couldn't get any shorter and remain legal."Amy Green, in American Way magazine, June 1970
The Uniform "Fashion Parade"
From the buttoned up look of the Puritans to the mini-skirts of the 1960s, to Ugg boots of the 2000s, fashion has mirrored the time period: politically, socially, and economically. Historically, clothes were often used to create an image of women that society wanted them to fit, with new fashions reflecting the desire to break out of a traditional mold. Women's clothing serves as tangible cultural artifacts that can make a powerful statement about who the individual is and how they want to be perceived. Some styles are practical; some are ridiculous, most, somewhere in between.
School uniforms, while based on the idea of group identity and conformity also reflect the political, economic and social context of a particular time period. While all sports uniforms have changed over time, the cheerleading uniform has undergone dramatic alterations which reflect the process of turning an auxiliary program that cheer for teams, to a sport unto itself. From the bow in their hair, down to the sneakers on their feet, each change is worthy of exploration.
Quoted and/or adapted from:
Beckerman, Ilene. "Life is Sometimes a Fashion Parade." 33 Things Every Girl Should Know About Women's History. Ed. Tonya Bolden. New York: Crown Publishers, 2002. 115. Print.
Scarlet Letter (Rutgers University Yearbook). 1995. 150. Special Collections and University Archives, Rutgers UniversityLibraries. Date Accessed 15 July 2010. Print.
Describe each uniform for each decade. (Note: pay attention to fit, clothing material, layers, shoes, and so on)
How does the uniform reflect the increased athletic ability and skill of cheerleaders over time?
In what ways do the uniforms reflect the political and historical context of the time period?
Have students examine their own school yearbooks to study the styles exhibited by cheerleaders. They should answer the above questions for their school yearbook and compare their findings to the Rutgers University cheerleaders.
Also, students could create a timeline aligning political movements with clothing styles. For example: bloomers, flappers, first ladies, hippies, Madonna, and so on.


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Given by New Mexico in 2005
U.S. Capitol Visitor Center
This statue of Po'pay was given to the National Statuary Hall Collection by New Mexico in 2005.
Po'pay was born around 1630 in the San Juan Pueblo, in what is now the state of New Mexico; his given name, Popyn, means "ripe squash" in the Tewa language. As an adult he became a religious leader and was responsible for healing as well as for his people's spiritual life. He also knew of his people's suffering under Spanish settlers, who forced them to provide labor and food to support the Spanish community. The Spaniards also pressured them to give up their religion and way of life and to adopt Christianity—those found practicing their religion were tortured and sometimes executed.
In 1675 Po'pay and 46 other Pueblo leaders were convicted of sorcery; he was among those flogged, while others were executed. In 1680 Po'pay organized the Pueblo Revolt against the Spanish. According to legend, to coordinate the timing of the uprising, he and his followers sent runners to each pueblo with knotted deerskin strips. One knot was to be untied each day, and the revolt would begin on the day the last one was untied. However, the Spaniards arrested two of the runners, and the pueblos were quickly notified to accelerate the revolt. The attacks began on August 10, two days before the last knot would have been untied. The Spaniards took refuge at Santa Fe; the besieging Indians cut off their water supply but soon permitted them to leave the area. The Pueblo Revolt helped to ensure the survival of the Pueblo culture and shaped the history of the American Southwest.
In 1997, the New Mexico Legislature selected Po'pay as the subject of the state's second statue for the National Statuary Hall Collection and created the New Mexico Statuary Hall Commission, whose members were appointed by Governor Gary Johnson. Four sculptors were selected to create maquettes, and Cliff Fragua was awarded the commission in December 1999. It will be the seventh statue of a Native American in the collection; the others are King Kamehameha I, Will Rogers (who had Cherokee ancestors), Sakakawea, Sequoyah, Washakie, and Sarah Winnemucca.
The seven-foot-high statue was carved from pink Tennessee marble (making it the only colored marble statue in the collection) and stands on a three-foot-high pedestal comprised of a steel frame clad in black granite. Its acceptance marked the first time at which every state in the Union has been represented by two statues in the collection. In addition, Po'pay is historically the first person represented in the collection to be born on what would become American soil.
No image or written description of Po'pay is known to exist. Sculptor Cliff Fragua describes the statue thus:
In my rendition, he holds in his hands items that will determine the future existence of the Pueblo people. The knotted cord in his left hand was used to determine when the Revolt would begin. As to how many knots were used is debatable, but I feel that it must have taken many days to plan and notify most of the Pueblos. The bear fetish in his right hand symbolizes the center of the Pueblo world, the Pueblo religion. The pot behind him symbolizes the Pueblo culture, and the deerskin he wears is a humble symbol of his status as a provider. The necklace that he wears is a constant reminder of where life began, and his clothing consists of a loin cloth and moccasins in Pueblo fashion. His hair is cut in Pueblo tradition and bound in a chongo. On his back are the scars that remain from the whipping he received for his participation and faith in the Pueblo ceremonies and religion.
Fragua, an Indian from Jemez Pueblo, studied sculpture in Italy, California, and New Mexico; he created his first stone sculpture in 1974.


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Sliding Mode Control of an Exoskeleton Robot for Use in Upper-Limb Rehabilitation
Note: The Sliding Mode Control of The Shoulder Rehabilitation Robot project was done during 2011 – 2013 when Madi was a master's student.
In this paper, the mechanical design and control of an exoskeleton robot for shoulder rehabilitation after stroke are presented.
Initially, the mechanical design of a new 3 degrees of freedom (DOF) exoskeleton robot for shoulder joint rehabilitation is presented.
All robot measurements are based on the properties of the upper limb of an adult person.
A new open circular mechanism is proposed for the third joint.
Afterward, direct and inverse kinematics, Jacobian matrix, singular points, and dynamics of the robot are presented.
In order to study the ability of the robot to follow the optimized trajectories, a sliding mode controller (SMC) is proposed to track desired trajectories.
In most rehabilitation robots, the attention is on the robot's mechanical design, so linear controllers are used to controlling the robot.
However, rehabilitation robots are nonlinear in nature and nonlinear control methods are required that can reject uncertainties and are resistant to parameter changes.
SMC is robust due to its nonlinear nature and can reject uncertainties and disturbances applied to the system such as patient's hand tremor. The parameters of the SMC are tuned using a Genetic Algorithm (GA).
The main advantage of this robot compared to similar systems are being low weight, having a special mechanism for the third joint that solves the known issues associated with long wiring and closed mechanisms, allowing translational degrees of freedom of the shoulder, ease of use, comfort for the patient and the tracking performance of the controllers.
- To see the full-text Click HERE
Here are the files to replicate the project:
- The report of the Thesis: Click HERE!
- Design in SolidWorks: Click HERE!
- Shoulder Rehabilitation System (SRS) Dynamics: Click HERE!
- SRS with Inverse Dynamic Controller Tracking: Click HERE!
- SRS with Lyapunov Based Controller: Click HERE!
- SRS PD Control with Gravity Compensation Regulation: Click HERE!
- SRS PD Control with Gravity Compensation Tracking: Click HERE!
- SRS PID Control: Click HERE!


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Access to Culture in Brazil
The links between Culture and human rights, as well as the role of Culture in fighting discrimination, are issues Brazil has been trying to face. Nevertheless, the integration of Culture with other social policies is a recent experience which still calls for improvement.
It is now time to recognize cultural rights as a basic need and a right of citizens and that indicates the need to pursue an agenda integrated to social policies and development policies.
Despite the recent trends, the impacts have not been sufficient to reduce inequalities regarding access to cultural production and, hence it is crucial to pay extra care to prevent economic growth from exacerbating such inequalities even further.
Inequalities in access to cultural production:
- Entertainement: the minority of Brazilians go to the cinema at least once a year. Almost all Brazilians have never been to a museum nor have ever visited an art exhibition. More than 70% to Brazilians have never watched a dance show, although many go out for dancing. The majority of the municipalities do not have a cinema, theatre, museum or multiuse cultural spaces.
- Books and Libraries: Brazilians barely have reading habits. Most of the books are in the hands of only few. Book prices are high if compared to the income of Brazilians belonging to C/D/E social classes. Many Brazilian municipalities have no library, almost all of these are located in the Northeast region of the country, while only two are in the Southeast.
- Access to Internet: A very high percentage of Brazilians have no PC at home, and within that group the majority have absolutely no access to Internet (either at work, or in school).
- Cultural Professionals: Half of the population working in the field of culture are not in regular employment or are self-employed. (Source: Ministry of Culture – IBGE - IPEA).
By focusing cultural policies on the state and local levels, it could be possible to have an assistance in overcoming the inequality on the access to culture and in reinforcing cultural diversity as a relevant factor in the sustainability of development.


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How to Fill a PowerPoint 2007 Shape with Color
A PowerPoint shape or text box is transparent until you add a fill color. Besides colors, you can fill PowerPoint shape with a picture, a gradient, or a texture. To add fill to a PowerPoint shape, follow these steps:
1Click to select the object that you want to apply a fill to.
Clicking anywhere within an object should select it.


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Compartment Pressure Test
Chronic Exertional Compartment Syndrome (CECS) is a condition where exercise induces high pressure within a closed space, which results in decrease tissue perfusion causing symptoms such as pain, cramping, burning, tightness and weakness of the effected lower limb. The reason why this occurs is not known, however four factors are believed to contribute to an increase in compartment pressure.
- Inelasticity of the fascial sheath
- Increase in volume of skeletal muscle secondary to blood volume and edema
- Muscle hypertrophy in response to exercise
- Dynamic contraction factors due to demands in the gait cycle.
Note: Recently the supplement creatine has been implemented as a cause of CECS in athletes due to its effect on fluid retention and increase in muscle size.
Anyone can develop CECS, but it is more common in athletes who participate in sports that involve repetitive movements such as running.
Compartment Pressure Testing is the "Gold Standard" for diagnosis CECS. The test involves inserting a small catheter under local anaesthetic into one of the four well recognized Compartments (Anterior, Lateral, Deep Posterior and Superficial Posterior) of the lower leg.
Along with the history, compartment pressure testing is an extremely useful diagnostic tool to exclude other causes of exercise induced leg pain such as stress fractures, periostitis, Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome various tendinopathies, neurological compression syndromes and infection.


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on the road
When are the peak periods for animal collisions?
Animal collisions on Australian roads are unfortunate but common, particularly outside cities. Both wild and domestic animals can appear on the road unexpectedly – leading to major vehicle damage to vehicles and potentially expensive claims.
Take extra caution when driving in rural areas where animals might be nearby.
Are animal collisions covered by GIO?
If you have an unintentional collision with an animal, GIO Comprehensive Car Insurance may cover damage to your car.
If you instead hold a Third Party Property Damage or Compulsory Third Party (CTP) Insurance policy, you won't be covered for any vehicle damage. However, if you or a passenger are injured due to a wildlife collision, CTP Insurance may offer some cover. Be sure to read the PDS for more information on these policies.
Peak periods for animal collisions
What are the most common times for animal collisions?
Animal collisions occur most frequently at dusk and dawn. This makes sense – the poorer visibility, combined with many animals' natural feeding time, may increase the odds.
In which season are most animal collisions?
Claims data suggests that winter sees more animal collisions on average*.
Low visibility during winter months, as well as slippery roads, can make it difficult to spot animals, and to slow down for them.
Where are animal collisions most likely to occur?
You're more likely to encounter wildlife on country roads, compared to more built-up areas – especially the larger animals, like kangaroos and wombats, that can cause the most serious damage. As such, be extra careful of animals when driving outside of cities and towns. Roads will often have signs that indicate areas where animal crossings are common, but animals don't stick to signed areas – keep an eye out all along our roads to stay safe.
Staying safe on the road
What can you do to avoid animal collisions?
- Stick to the speed limit. It'll be easier to spot animals and slow down if necessary.
- Be extra careful around dawn and dusk.
- Take extra caution when driving through rural and regional areas, and pay close attention to signage.
- Stay alert and aware of what's around and ahead. Seeing one animal, or roadkill, is an indicator of more wildlife in the area – slow down and pay extra attention.
- Never swerve to avoid an animal. Slow down and brake without turning, as swerving can put you at risk of losing control of your vehicle, and lead to collisions with other drivers or obstacles.
What should you do if you hit an animal while driving?
Unfortunately, there are times when avoiding an animal collision isn't possible. If it happens, consider the following:
- Ensure your safety first. Check on you and your passengers, and move off the road if possible. Turn on your hazard lights.
- Check the animal. If it appears the animal has left, thoroughly check your vehicle. The animal may be trapped in your vehicle's grill or engine bay.
- Contact your local wildlife rescue service. Many regional areas have signs with information on who to call.
Need to make a claim?
- your policy number,
- your contact details,
- type of claim,
- date, address and details of the collision, and
- personal details of any other parties involved (if applicable).
Depending on the circumstances of the claim, we may also need to ask for extra details.
- What to do if you've had a car accident
- What is the car repair or replacement process after a crash?
- What you need in your car emergency kit
* Claims data collected from Suncorp Group's network of brands including: AAMI, Suncorp Insurance, GIO, Apia, Shannons, CIL, Vero Insurance, Bingle and Essentials by AAI.
Insurance is issued by AAI Limited ABN 48 005 297 807 trading as GIO Insurance. Consider the Product Disclosure Statement before buying this insurance. The Target Market Determination is also available.
The information is intended to be of general nature only. Subject to any rights you may have under any law, we do not accept any legal responsibility for any loss or damage, including loss of business or profits or any other indirect loss, incurred as a result of reliance upon the information. Please make your own enquiries.


cells to take up fat from the bloodstream and store it, rather than breaking it down for energy. So, there's the link – eat too much sugar, and you risk putting on weight by storing fat. There is an even clearer link between the intake of sugar and tooth decay. Sugar in the mouth is an ideal source of food for the bacteria that normally live there, in the moist film of saliva covering the teeth and gums. These bacteria, which form a layer called plaque, produce lactic acid and enzymes that digest proteins. The plaque can keep the acid in contact with the tooth surface for up to two hours before it is neutralised by the saliva. Over time, the acid gradually dissolves the calcium salts in the tooth enamel, and the enamel protein is destroyed by the bacterial enzymes. Despite the resistance of the enamel, eventually the surface is breached and the underlying softer dentine is dissolved and cavities form in the teeth. The problem is made worse by 'snacking' on sugary items between meals. This increases the amount of time that the teeth are surrounded by sugar which the plaque bacteria can feed on, leading to tooth decay.
5 Salt makes food taste good We have now looked at all of the items that are usually on a food label except salt. Why does salt get a special mention? There appears to be a link between high salt intake and high blood pressure in some people. If there is too much salt in the diet, the body tends to retain too much water, the volume of blood increases and this raises the blood pressure. High blood pressure is linked with a higher risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke. As people get older, a small increase in salt intake seems to have a greater effect on blood pressure than it does in younger people. Reducing the salt intake over several weeks can reduce blood pressure. A small amount of salt is essential for a healthy body but there is plenty in the foods we eat without adding any. Yet we do add salt to lots of our food because we like the taste of it. We have receptors on our tongues that detect salt – alongside the ones that detect sugar – and many people like the taste of salty things. Our taste buds get used to the salty taste. Over time, it is possible to get used to a diet containing less salt. However, the taste buds take time to adjust and for several weeks food without salt will not taste so good. The advice in the UK is that you should eat no more than 6 g (about 1 teaspoon) of salt each day. However, the average salt intake is around 9 g each day. This may be much higher if you eat a lot of ready-prepared food. To make the amount clearer on food packaging, the 'traffic-light system' shows red if there is more than 1.5 g of salt per 100 g of the food, amber for between 0.3 g and 1.5 g and green for less than 0.3 g (Figure 12).
Figure 12 Nutrition label warning, with a red square, that the food contains more than 1.5 g of salt per 100 g An image of a food label on a pack of ham. It shows the amount in grams and as a percentage of RI per slice of energy, fat, sats, sugars and salt.
The chemical name for salt is sodium chloride. You may see 'sodium' on some packaging, rather than 'salt'. You can convert sodium values to salt values by multiplying by 2.5; for example, 0.5 g of sodium is 1.25 g of salt. Another substance similar to sodium is potassium. Studies have shown that potassium has the opposite effect on blood pressure to sodium: the higher the potassium intake, the lower the blood pressure. In 2013, the World Health Organization issued the first guidelines on potassium intake. Adults should consume more than 4 g of potassium a day. The best sources are fruit, particularly bananas, and vegetables. As you will discover later in the course, there are additional health benefits to increasing fruit and vegetable consumption. You might like to look at food labels and the range of salt values. What is the highest value you can find in a portion of food? How much of your daily intake would that be?
6 Vitamins and minerals Vitamins and minerals are needed in our diet in very small quantities. They are called micronutrients and normally there is enough of each one in a balanced and varied eating pattern. (Figure 13).
Figure 13 Nutrition label listing vitamins and minerals An image of a food label showing quantities in mg and percentage of NRV of various vitamins and minerals.
As well as sodium and potassium, numerous other minerals are needed for good health. For example, iron is needed to prevent anaemia, calcium for bones and iodine for thyroid functioning. There are two main groups of vitamins: fat-soluble ones – vitamins A, D, E and K water-soluble ones – the B group (B1, B2, etc.) and vitamin C. Foods such as breakfast cereals often have extra vitamins added. They are described as 'fortified'. If you want to know more, here is a fascinating resource about vitamins and minerals.
7 Where can you find fibre? In the next activity you will test your knowledge about fibre (Figure 14).
Figure 14 Salad onions, tomatoes and lentils – are they high in fibre or not? An image of a bowl of lentils on a table with spring onions and tomatoes.
Activity 3 Fibre content Allow approximately 15 minutes. Look at some of the food labels you have collected. See if you can identify which sorts of foods are high in fibre. What is the highest amount of fibre per 100 g of the product that you can find? Write two or three sentences in the box below. Click 'Save' when you are satisfied with what you have written.
7.1 The benefits of fibre Foods that are classed as high in fibre must have at least 6 g of fibre per 100 g. In Activity 3, you probably found that many breakfast cereals fall into this category (Figure 15).
Figure 15 Breakfast cereal is usually high in fibre An image of uncooked rolled oats in a wooden bowl, with wheat laid down on the left hand side of it, and some scatted uncooked rolled oats above it.
Fibre – also called 'roughage' – is one of those 'foods' that you eat but don't digest. It contains no useful calories. It goes through your digestive system largely unchanged. But it helps the food to move along through your digestive system, so that constipation is less likely. Nearly all of the fibre we eat comes from plant sources, such as fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds. Some food labels separate fibre into insoluble and soluble fibre, and beta glucan, which is a special type of soluble fibre. Insoluble fibre is mostly cellulose. As you learned when you read about carbohydrates, cellulose is the most abundant large molecule made by living organisms on Earth. It is in the walls of all plant cells, so fruit and vegetables contain large amounts. Soluble fibre is found particularly in peas, beans, lentils and oats. It is soluble because it dissolves in water, although it is still not digested. Beta glucan is a type of soluble fibre found particularly in oats. It seems to play a role in lowering the level of cholesterol in the blood. When it dissolves inside the gut, it appears to form a thick gel, which binds substances such as cholesterol and prevents them from being absorbed into the blood. There are other health benefits of fibre in the diet. A diet rich in soluble fibre in particular has been reported to reduce the incidence of bowel cancer, gallstones, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), heart disease and diabetes. There is also some evidence that increasing the fibre in your diet can lead to weight loss, although the mechanisms that cause this are not entirely clear. It may simply be that, because the fibre makes you feel 'full' for longer, it means you eat less. Higher fibre intake also changes your gut bacteria in a positive way. It can help you metabolise your food better and reduce the risk of bowel cancer.
8 This week's quiz Check what you've learned this week by taking the end-of-week quiz. Week 1 quiz Open the quiz in a new window or tab (by holding ctrl [or cmd on a Mac] when you click the link), then return here when you have done it. 9 Summary This week you looked at the basics of food. You learned about how your body responds to hormones such as ghrelin. You also learned about the role of nutrients such as proteins, fats and carbohydrates in your body. You should now be able to understand: why we eat and the factors that affect hunger the different macronutrients and their function in the human body the different micronutrients and their function in the human body. Next week, you will look at what happens to your food after eating it. You will look at the path your food travels through your body and how it is broken down inside your body. You will also have the opportunity to carry out a fun experiment before examining how nutrients are transported around your body. You can now go to Week 2.
Week 2: What happens to the food we eat? Introduction Welcome to Week 2 of the course. This week, you will find out what happens to food after you eat it. By the end of this week's study you should be able to understand: the journey of food through the digestive system how different foods are broken down to allow their absorption what each food group does in the body for


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Reviews for Josephine's Dream
Library Media Connection Reviews 2008 April/May
Powerful is the first word that comes to mind as you read this fictionalized account of the story of Josephine Baker. It shows the significance of one black woman in the 20th century, but Stuchner's words are just as commanding as the story itself. This book emphasizes how Baker went about achieving her dream, similar to Martin Luther King, Jr., but how she realized another dream in the process. Through the repetition of such phrases as "sang, danced, crossed her eyes, knocked her knees, and made crazy funny faces" and "encore" we are taught about reaching our dreams, civil rights, and World War II. More importantly, the reader is taught about values, especially the significance of family. Stuchner takes us from St. Louis, Missouri, where Baker was born, to Paris, France, where she accomplished her dream. Walther illustrates her journey in colorful pictures that complement the text. This book is great for character education or for a lesser-known story about achieving a dream. It belongs in every picture book collection and will make a very worthy addition to Black History titles. Highly Recommended. Stacy Rosenthal, Librarian, Council Rock High School South, Holland, Pennsylvania © 2008 Linworth Publishing, Inc.
School Library Journal Reviews 2008 August
K-Gr 2-- Josephine Baker rose from an impoverished childhood in St. Louis to become a well-known performer in 1920s Paris. Due to the mores of American culture before the Civil Rights Movement, she was forced to go abroad to realize her full artistic potential. In France, she was lauded for her talent and honored for her work in the Resistance during World War II. Stuchner's fictionalized account of Baker's life does not do justice to this complex and talented woman. For example, the text explains that she "sang, danced, crossed her eyes, knocked her knees, and made crazy funny faces." This leaves readers with a skewed idea of the performer's talent. The stylized color illustrations capture some sense of the eras Baker's career spanned but lack any kind of depth. Alan Schroeder's Ragtime Tumpie (Little, Brown, 1989) gives a better sense of Baker's childhood.--Joan Kindig, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA [Page 103]. Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.


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Brief SummaryRead full entry
Tegenaria agrestis, known in the United States as the Hobo Spider, is native to Europe but is now well established in the Pacific Northwest of the United States and spreading eastward (Baird and Stoltz 2002). Hobo Spiders are medium-sized brown spiders that build funnel webs and resemble many other agelinid spiders. Beginning in the late 1980s, the claim was made that this spider was responsible for necrotic skin lesions seen in the Pacific Northwest that had previously been attributed (without justification) to the Brown Recluse (Loxosceles reclusa) (Vest 1987a,b; Vest et al. 1996), although the Brown Recluse (the bites of which can indeed produce necrotic skin lesions) is absent from or extremely rare in the Pacific Northwest (Vetter 2008). Although Brown Recluses clearly cannot be responsible for the symptoms in question in this region, the claim that Hobo Spider bites are instead responsible has been seriously challenged (Binford 2001; Vetter and Isbister 2004, 2008; Gaver-Wainwright et al. 2011), although this question may not yet be fully resolved. Many serious conditions having nothing to do with spiders can produce necrotic skin lesions. For example, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacterial infections are a potentially very serious cause of skin and soft tissue injury and are often presented by patients as spider bites. Suchard (2011) found that the great majority of patients seeking medical attention for a "spider bite" were actually suffering from skin and soft-tissue infections. Misdiagnosis as "spider bite" can lead to delayed or inappropriate treatment (Vetter and Isbister 2008).
The Hobo Spider is one of two European agelinid spiders that became established in the Pacific Northwest of the United States early in the 20th century. The first of the two aliens to be noted, the Giant House Spider (T. duellica) has been considered harmless in both its native range and in North America. In Europe, the Hobo Spider, like the Giant House Spider, has been considered medically benign and, as noted above, recent investigations have suggested that despite repeated assertions that Hobo Spiders in North America are not so benign, it now appears likely that in fact North American Hobo Spiders are generally as harmless as those from European populations. Both the Hobo Spider and Giant House Spider have expanded their ranges and occur together in some areas, although the Giant House Spider is still mainly restricted to the Pacific Northwest west of the Cascades (Vetter et al. 2003).


Aging: Sociological Concept
Sociological Imagination and Its Use by Sociologists
Sociological imagination is the capacity to understand the connection between personal life, and the results of large social powers. Sociological imagination helps us to understand the bad historical scene and the relationship that exists between people in society and enables us to make sense of the social condition by showing how our troubles affect or are influenced by public issues. Sociological imaginations help us address social problems which exist in society. For example, there is the debate on the link between power and social knowledge, where companies that gather more information about the habits and preference of consumers, can gain too much power and control of the market (Puga & Easthope, 2017).
Differences and Similarities of Controlling Image and Stereotypes
According to Organista, Marin & Chun (2010), the controlling image refers to adverse ethnic and gender stereotype aimed at lesser marginalized groups, to justify and uphold the norms and powers of a central group. Controlling images are similar to stereotypes because it targets lesser groups like blacks, and women, and affirms the powers and norms of the dominant group. In Vietnam and Korea, control imaging negatively affected how women constructed and enacted gender in their daily lives, while in America, black men have been stereotyped as neglectful, deviant and irresponsible in their family and social roles. However, controlling images can be different from stereotypes because it aims at dehumanizing and controlling specific minority groups by gender or race, while stereotypes aim at bringing better treatment and quality care, in a therapeutic relationship, thus help to meet needs of specific clients who need help.
Importance of Historical and Social Context on Age Gendering
Human actions transcend differences in race, gender, age, culture, and the social and historical circumstances; therefore, the historical and societal background is vital in understanding age gendering because they have the cognitive ability to make sense of another person's action. The social and historical context integrates behavioral facts and knowledge about the sociocultural settings which are necessary for offering explanations of why people cry (Repko, Newell & Szostak, 2011).
According to Higgs & Gilleard (2017), social and historical context is crucial in offering an understanding gendering of age because it mediates issues which prove problematic to women, within which midlife women engage with the health problems they experience.
Ageism refers the stereotypical construction and prejudices against an age group, which manifests as behaviors attitudes and institutional practices and represents discrimination of old people, by the middle-aged group. In the United States, ageism has been attributed to the prejudice of one group against the other, specifically by the young people towards the old. For example, the United States of Administration on ageing indicates that a large percentage of the elderly is marginally poor, or economically vulnerable. Moreover, there is an ageist stereotypical perception that older women who sit on rocks and knit all days continually complain about their ailments (In Ayalon & In Tesch-Römer, 2018).
Social Construction of Age
Social construction is the impression where individuals and groups produce their perception of knowledge and reality. It also refers to how people's expectations influence the available opportunities open to individuals as they group old. Age is socially constructed through shaping the meaning and experience of aging to include the expectations and assumptions of those around us, about how we should behave, whether we are like, what we can do, and what we should be doing at different ages (Morgan & Kunkel, 2007).
Application of Aging in Sociological Thoughts of Relational Power
Infeld (2002) outlined that aging has helped sociologists accept that power is relational because it increases our thoughts of the spiritual and religious wellbeing, of old American worshippers engaging in Judeo-Christian tradition faith-based sects. Aging has enabled sociologists to hold conceptualization regarding how religiosity diverge from a biblical perspective, and the limited investigations about the aspects of religious activities like gender relations or power on the probable health profits of spiritual behavior. Moreover, aging helps us understand spiritual actions through exploring a concert ritual which has a particular salience on old people, as a figurative illustration of power among the elderly. A better understanding of the ritual supports the representation and the reproduction of power of elderly such as the rural Japanese society because they are located in an age grade structure which is the portion of the political association of the area.
Higgs, P., & Gilleard, C. J. (2017). Rethinking old age: Theorising the fourth age.
In Ayalon, L., & In Tesch-Römer, C. (2018). Contemporary Perspectives on Ageism.
Infeld, D. L. (2002). Disciplinary Approaches to Aging: Biology of aging. Taylor & Francis.
Morgan, L. A., & Kunkel, S. (2007). Aging, society and the life course. New York: Springer.
Organista, P. B., Marin, G., & Chun, K. M. (2010). The psychology of ethnic groups in the United States. Los Angeles, Calif: SAGE.
Puga, I., & Easthope, R. (2017). The Sociological Imagination. Macat Library.
Repko, A. F., Newell, W. H., & Szostak, R. R. (2011). Case Studies in Interdisciplinary Research. Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications.


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Dagiz, a WomenOwned Social Enterprise is driven by a social cause from its inception, by empowering women and embracing family values.
Offering parents especially women to balance between their career aspirations and their desire and need to be with their children is what we consider truly important.
Seeing the impact on our team's lives, we have expanded the reach and connect with more people and more hearts by –
- Enabling and empowering other social organizations and their beneficiaries by providing them a free stage for representation.
- Providing a digital representation of the business to encourage the social organizations to upscale their skillset in technology.
- Providing the flexibility of remote working through a digital platform helping them achieve a better work life balance.


How Many Eyes Do Bees Have? Hint it's more than two!
Bee vision is one of the wonders in the natural world. Bees are actually able to see color much faster than a human being and differentiate individual flowers even when flying at a high speed. They can see in three dimensions, assess depth, and evaluate a distance.
Their unique ability to see ultraviolet light helps them to distinguish flowers with ease, which assists them in seeking out nectar. Amazingly many patterns on the flowers that aren't able to be seen by humans are visible to honey bees. Bees are especially attracted most to purple, blue, and violet colors.
This brings us to our question, how many eyes do bees have?
Bees have five eyes, two large compound eyes, and three simple eyes called ocelli. The ocelli, are on top of the bee's head in a triangular pattern. The compound eyes are on each side of their head and have thousands of tiny lenses (facets). Facets help the bees to detect color, patterns, and movements.
Bee have 5 eyes
Three simple eyes on top of the head and two large compound eyes
But wait; do bees see all the colors that we see? Do they see at night? Do they see shapes? Read on to discover more about these amazing and extraordinary creatures.
The Eyes of a Bee
As indicated earlier, bees have two sets of eyes. The simple eyes collect and focus light through a single lens. The bees use ocelli to orientate themselves towards the sun. The simple eyes also help to evaluate the magnitude of light and to maintain stability while navigating.
Studies show that the lense of a simple eye is more sensitive than a single ommatidium of a compound eye. Although they are single-lensed, they have many sensory cells.
The two large compound eyes are the most visible, located on the sides of the bees head. Each compound eye consists of lots of individual lenses (ommatidia) which lie at different angles. Their numbers range between 1000 and 16000 depending on the bee species.
The video below has some great vision of a bees compound eye under a microscope. You can see the individual facets making up the compound eye.
It is important to note that a larger eye can have more ommatidia, with larger facets than a smaller eye. Each ommatidium has its lens, cones, and cells that collect information about the bees surrounding at slightly different angles. They act as separate sensory devices.
Bees see the world differently than we see. The ommatidia contain three types of photoreceptors, which can see blue-green and blue-violet colors. They are also able to recognize ultraviolet light, which humans can't. Bee's cant however see the color red, it actually appears black to them.
Ultraviolet patterns on flower petals act as visual guides for bees to direct them where the nectar is. Like bees, human beings also have three receptors, which allow them to see blue, green, and red.
Bees' eyes also have a unique ability to detect movements. They can identify movements as quickly as a 1/300th of a second. Humans can only recognize movements divided by 1/50th of a second. However, the bees compound eyes are nowhere near as good as human eyes at picking up details from the same distance. They see these objects as mosaic images.
In addition to their ultraviolet vision, the bee's compound eyes are also able to detect polarized light. This helps them to navigate using the position of the sun. Surprisingly the bees can use polarized light to find direction even in the absence of the sunshine.
According to Karl von Frisch's studies on the navigation of a honey bee, he established that the sun is the favorite way for the bees to find direction. They navigate by the polarization pattern or by the Earth's magnetic field only when the sky is cloudy or inside a dark hive. Other insects with five eyes include wasps, dragonflies, and glass hoppers.
Do Bees See at Night?
Most people tend to think that all bees are only active during the day. This is far from the truth! Although most bees are diurnal, some species mainly in the tropical areas start their day after sunset. Examples of these are Apidae and Genus Apis. Both species are honey bees and can forage all night in the presence of an adequate moon.
For the nocturnal species, the simple and compound eyes have evolved to become relatively larger due to limited light available at night. The latter also contains larger numbers of ommatidia than their diurnal relatives.
Some species like the giant Indian carpenter bee can forage at very dim light levels due to their supersized eyes. Apart from their giant ocelli, they have huge ommatidia facet lenses and huge photo photoreceptors.
Why do some bees become nocturnal? In areas where you find these species, many plants or trees species have flowers that open at night. Another reason is due to low competition from other bees and insects at night. Nocturnal bees can see polarized light and detect the landmarks around the surrounding.
Bees Ability to Detect Polarized Light
Polarized light from the sky displays a vast pattern, which is linked to the sun's position. Honey bees are capable of detecting the skylight polarization and adopt it as a guide in their foraging errands. They will then communicate to other bees about a food source.
When a honey bee discovers flowers with nectar, she returns to the hive, performs a special dance (waggle dance) to inform the other bees where it is by analyzing polarized ultraviolet light.
Interestingly, the waggle dance informs of both the direction and the distance to the flower. The distance is conveyed by the duration of the dance. By dancing more slowly, the bee implies that the distance is greater!
But, what happens when it is cloudy? They still navigate through by use of special photoreceptors in their eyes. Real flower petals display polarized patterns that are invisible to humans but are visible to the bees. This helps them to identify such flowers. About half of the flower species face downwards, so their polarized areas are well visible to the bees.
Do Honey Bees See Moving Objects Better?
Have you ever wondered why bees are more likely to attack those who are running? Honey bees can detect moving objects better than static ones, unlike humans who see stationary objects better.
They are also able to judge distances better while flying. This is because their vision is blurry. Their clarity is 1/60th of human eyesight. They see human faces in a fragmented and blurred way.
They are more likely to visit flowers that are being shaken by the wind. They can recognize 3D images in flight. Bees also detect the slightest movement in 360 degrees and will percieve any looming danger around them. Human beings are only able to see in 180 degrees.
How Do the Hairs on Bees Eyes Help Them?
Bees' eyes are encircled by a dense layer of hair. These help them to steer in windy weather. The nerve extensions within the hair help to sense even the slightest force of the wind and relay the information to the brain, enabling them to move in the right direction.
As they forage, their bodies get covered with pollen grains, which is one of their methods of collecting pollen. The hairs on their eyes also get covered with pollen, these hairs protect the eyes from direct contact with pollen, which can impair their vision.
They can't however, fly and navigate their way back to the hive with pollen on the hairs. What do they do? They remove the pollen from their hair by transferring it to the pollen baskets situated on their hind legs. Amazing!
The Wrap Up
Bees are crucial to an ecosystem and are considered as keystone species due to their role in pollination. This is made possible by the extraordinary eyesight that they possess. Their five eyes, both the simple and compound eyes play unique roles in the bee's navigation and identification of flowers and nectar.
Although bees may not be able to see more detailed information that we do, their eyes excellently serve their needs and the needs of the environment.
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CBD also has potential to treat chronic wounds
Another study proving the therapeutic potential of cannabinoids (CBs) for human disease is published by a group of scientists in America.
Scientists suggested that the application of topical cannabinoids would be beneficial for wound healing. Cannabinoids modulated key molecular pathways of wound healing, and notably, CB1R agonism at the non‐healing edge of chronic wounds improved healing via inhibition of the characteristically hyperproliferative keratinocytes found therein.
This could be combined with CB2R agonism in the wound bed to ameliorate the dysregulated inflammatory microenvironment, namely through reduction of pro‐inflammatory cytokines, regulation of MMPs, and shifting from M1 (pro‐inflammatory) to M2 (anti‐inflammatory) macrophage tone.
CBD also has potential to treat chronic wounds, as it exerts generally anti‐inflammatory properties, appears to inhibit the proliferation of hyperproliferative keratinocytes, and has been observed to decrease expression of MMP‐9.
CB2R agonism may be of benefit in acute wound healing by speeding wound closure and reducing fibrosis to potentially lessen or eliminate scarring. Finally, CB2 agonism promotes the survival, proliferation and anti‐inflammatory activity of MSCs which may prove beneficial for acute or chronic wounds.
Weigelt MA, Sivamani R, Lev-Tov H. The therapeutic potential of cannabinoids for integumentary wound management. Exp Dermatol. 2021 Feb;30(2):201-211. doi: 10.1111/exd.14241. Epub 2020 Nov 27. PMID: 33205468.


5 Ways to Encourage Someone in Need
What do i know about encouragement? Well, I have been at the receiving end of heaps of it this year so i can tell you just how powerful it is.
The word encourage comes from the Old French word encoragier, meaning "make strong, hearten". Have you ever thought of how meaningful the gift then is? You have the ability to help strengthen someone. That is amazing! There have been so many expressions and variations of this that i have experienced recently. It has taught me a huge lesson. One worth remembering and spurring me on to be more purposeful in encouraging others in my life.
Here are 5 ways of encouraging someone who really needs it…and truthfully you might just end up feeling encouraged yourself.
1. When you find yourself thinking of someone, tell them! That might seem like i'm stating the obvious, but how often do you think, "i really need to send a note to _____ (fill in the blank)" and then two weeks later you realize you haven't done it. In the day of texting, it's as quick as picking up your phone and sending a message that you are thinking of them RIGHT NOW. I cannot tell you how many texts and emails i received that had ironic and beautiful timing. You never know when your words will be received at just the necessary time.
2. Meet a practical need. Sometimes life's circumstances make even the simplest tasks overwhelming. That's where we can all step in. Help by either asking specifically what needs to be done or filling a need that you know might lighten the load. One way my "load" was literally lightened was in the laundry department. For the four weeks following surgery, i had my laundry picked up, cleaned and returned…might i add smelling better and folded more perfectly than i had ever done myself!
3. Handwrite a note. Such a lost art that is highly treasured now. Putting something on paper allows the receiver to keep your words close at hand and be able to re-read when they need an instant pick-me-up. There is something special about receiving a sealed envelope with your name on it (other than a bill or junk mail!!). I actually keep handwritten notes in a shoebox and refuse to get rid of them. They have too much value.
4. Time is a gift that cannot be replaced. We all know this but often fail at the execution (i'm talking to myself here!). Just being in the presence of someone you love can bring comfort. Our oldest daughter, Lexi, gave this gift to me. Shortly after i was diagnosed, she began to ask me to watch some tv with her each evening. It was a time where we lost ourselves in a bit of mindless tv…together. 6 months later it is a routine now. Even if it's only for 10 minutes. It's our time together. Companionship often requires no words…just company.
5. Build into the lives of their loved ones. I am so overwhelmed at the love that our kids have received. Countless people…family members to school mates to our friends to their sports/dance teams… filled in the gaps in an effort to keep all three kids lives as normal as possible. Lincoln's hockey team embraced him this season and kept him happily busy on the ice. They also acknowledged what was going on in his life by taping their sticks with pink tape. It was a safe place for him. And any mom out there will agree that is a gift that can't be given a value. Knowing that he had his hockey "family" looking out for him was hugely encouraging to me!
We all have different ways that we feel more comfortable "putting ourselves out there"… so i hope one of these five tips speaks to you. I should add that it's also totally acceptable to go beyond your comfort and reach out in ways that might stretch you beyond that! I need to work on this. One thing is for sure: encouragement gives hope and helps us through challenging times. I know it to be true.


text:
Associate professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Clarkson University, Potsdam, NY
Geotechnical engineer, Gannett-Fleming Geotechnical Engineers, Harrisburg, PA
A review of various criteria that have been proposed to identify collapsible soils and test techniques, which are used to quantify the amount of collapse, is presented. The results of a series of laboratory single and double oedometer collapse tests conducted on three metastable loess soils are presented to illustrate problems associated with investigating collapse behavior of soils. Guidelines are proposed for developing a standard test procedure.
Paper ID: GTJ10003J


work :)
must then call C to make a single
C function directly, it could also start an idle watcher
to give the embedded loop strictly lower priority for example).
You can also set the callback to C<0>, in which case the embed watcher
will automatically execute the embedded loop sweep whenever necessary.
Fork detection will be handled transparently while the C watcher
C on the embedded loop.
portable one.
=head3 C and fork
While the C watcher is running, forks in the embedding loop will
however, it is still the task of the libev user to call C
as applicable.
=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
=over 4
=item ev_embed_set (ev_embed *, struct ev_loop *embedded_loop)
Configures the watcher to embed the given loop, which must be
invoked automatically, otherwise it is the responsibility of the callback
=item ev_embed_sweep (loop, ev_embed *)
similarly to C, but in the most
appropriate way for embedded loops.
=item struct ev_loop *other [read-only]
The embedded event loop.
=head3 Examples
loop is stored in C, while the embeddable loop is stored in
C (which is C in the case no embeddable loop can be
struct ev_loop *loop_hi = ev_default_init (0);
struct ev_loop *loop_lo = 0;
ev_embed embed;
loop_lo = ev_embeddable_backends () & ev_recommended_backends ()
? ev_loop_new (ev_embeddable_backends () & ev_recommended_backends ())
: 0;
if (loop_lo)
ev_embed_init (&embed, 0, loop_lo);
ev_embed_start (loop_hi, &embed);
loop_lo = loop_hi;
Example: Check if kqueue is available but not recommended and create
C. (One might optionally use C, too).
struct ev_loop *loop = ev_default_init (0);
struct ev_loop *loop_socket = 0;
ev_embed embed;
if ((loop_socket = ev_loop_new (EVBACKEND_KQUEUE))
ev_embed_init (&embed, 0, loop_socket);
ev_embed_start (loop, &embed);
if (!loop_socket)
loop_socket = loop;
C). The invocation is done before the event loop blocks next
and before C watchers are being called, and only in the child
after the fork. If whoever good citizen calling C cheats
of course.
=head3 The special problem of life after fork - how is it possible?
Most uses of C consist of forking, then some simple calls to set
up/change the process environment, followed by a call to C. This
sequence should be handled by libev without any problems.
This changes when the application actually wants to do event handling
when I the parent I the child process continues.
signal watchers).
C followed by C.
signal watchers.
=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
=over 4
=item ev_fork_init (ev_fork *, callback)
=head2 C - even the best things end
Cleanup watchers are called just before the event loop is being destroyed
by a call to C.
watchers provide a convenient method to install cleanup hooks for your
loop when you want them to be invoked.
can call libev functions in the callback, except C.
=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
=over 4
=item ev_cleanup_init (ev_cleanup *, callback)
Initialises and configures the cleanup watcher - it has no parameters of
any kind. There is a C macro, but using it is utterly
pointless, I assure you.
cleanup functions are called.
static void
program_exits (void)
ev_loop_destroy (EV_DEFAULT_UC);
atexit (program_exits);
=head2 C - how to wake up an event loop
In general, you cannot use an C from multiple threads or other
asynchronous sources such as signal handlers (as opposed to multiple event
for example because it belongs to another thread. This is what C
watchers do: as long as the C watcher is active, you can signal
it by calling C, which is threadand signal safe.
This functionality is very similar to C watchers, as signals,
C calls). In fact, you could use signal watchers as a kind
signal, and C to signal this watcher from another thread,
even without knowing which loop owns the signal.
=head3 Queueing
C does not support queueing of data in any way. The reason
need elaborate support such as pthreads or unportable memory access
=over 4
=item queueing from a signal handler context
an example that does that for some fictitious SIGUSR1 handler:
static ev_async mysig;
static void
sigusr1_handler (void)
sometype data;
// no locking etc.
queue_put (data);
ev_async_send (EV_DEFAULT_ &mysig);
static void
mysig_cb (EV_P_ ev_async *w, int revents)
sometype data;
sigset_t block, prev;
sigemptyset (&block);
sigaddset (&block, SIGUSR1);
sigprocmask (SIG_BLOCK, &block, &prev);
while (queue_get (&data))
process (data);
if (sigismember (&prev, SIGUSR1)
sigprocmask (SIG_UNBLOCK, &block, 0);
(Note: pthreads in theory requires you to use C
instead of C when you use threads, but libev doesn't do it
=item queueing from a thread context
static ev_async mysig;
static pthread_mutex_t mymutex = PTHREAD_MUTEX_INITIALIZER;
static void


text:
This gilded wooden statue of Tutankhamun depicts the pharaoh wearing the following items:
--A headdress: possibly a cloth Nemes Headdress with a uraeus (cobra) on the front. The uraeus is a symbol of nobility and is a common addition to any of the various royal headdresses.
--A wide collar that is most likely created through intricate beading. These collars, generally, were not solid pieces of metal as they appear.
--A pectoral: a large amulet or pendant necklace that generally carried religious significance.
--A schenti: a wrapped linen skirt. It is possibly pleated.
--An apron: this is depicted with a large triangle. They could be heavily decorated with jewels, and were most likely ceremonial rather than functional.
--Sandals: possibly made of papyrus or rushes (reed-like plants) and gold.


text: The Internet technology encourages electronic commerce between people and/or organizations that are physically distributed in different locations, which makes it difficult to trust each other. The existing work of electronic trades have proposed protocols and mechanisms with mediation by Trusted Third Parties (TTP), on the assumption that the third parties could be trusted without reservation by each party on a trade. Such an assumption, however, is sometimes not applicable to businesses via the Internet where various parties are trading each other, and it is not practical to give infinite trust to the parties regardless of the scale or period of trades. This paper proposes the degree of trust which limits the amount of money or goods that can be sent at one time according to the risk of the parties on trades. Each of risk limits is assumed to be determined through information from credit facilities or by the decision of each party. Then we discuss the feasibility of transactions within given credit limits and propose algorithms to judge the feasibility.


text:
East Lancashire Inclusion Partnership (ELIP) is a teaching school alliance made up of partners from across the Early Years, Specialist, Primary, Secondary and Further Education phases of education, led by Tor View Specialist Learning Community, a National Teaching School and National Support School.
ELIP is governed by a strategic board with representatives from each of our strategic partner schools. There are two operational groups whose role it is to implement the 'Big 6'. All schools are welcome to join the operational groups:
School Improvement and Development Operational Group:
- Continuing Professional Development
- Research and Development
- Leadership and Succession Planning
- School to School Support
- Specialist Leaders in Education and Specialist Practitioners in Education
School Direct Operational Group
- Responsible for all aspects of Initial Teacher Education
We communicate funding opportunities funded by the Teaching School Council through the operational groups and welcome innovation and creative input from all partners.
Further information on each of our Strategic Partners partners can be found on their respective websites by following the links below. Our vision is clear, to improve outcomes for pupils by raising standards of teaching and learning through high-quality training and development of the next generation of teachers.


Shoe Sizes: EU vs US vs UK, How To Know What Fits?
Hello Shoe Lady,
My shoe size in The Netherlands is 43. My search for really nice shoes has taken me far beyond the borders, to the US. I found different size conversion charts, resulting in conversion of my european shoe size to US size somewhere between 10.5 and 12.5. What is the right US shoe size for me?
Hope you can help me out!
Dear Elis,
I am so glad you found me! I am continually MORTIFIED by the bad information given out to women "who leave a larger footprint" by people in the shoe industry who should know better!
The short answer: US size 11.
Here's a little more information:
Take a look at the international size chart here:
Some of the confusion might be that Great Britain uses a women's shoe measuring system similar to that of the USA. Except different. A Euro size 43, US size 11 women's shoe in Great Britain is a UK 9.
Another source of confusion is that one of the most common sizes in the US is size 8. It is close to (actually a bit smaller than, but wider than a US medium so feels about the same) an EU size 8. So shoe people, who should know better, assume if US 8 equals EU 38, then US 9 equals EU 39 and US 11 equals UK 41. On the surface this sounds logical. But it is so wrong. Here's the mathematical back story. In 1374 the King of England decided to base shoe sizes on the length of a barleycorn. Each barleycorn represents a jump from one size to the next. This was refined in 1880 in the USA when Edwin Simpson got all scientific with the inch (I know everyone on the metric system will laugh at this, as silly as barleycorns) and set the standard for US sizing, In his system, still used, 1/3 of an inch equals one full (not half) size difference. But wait, there's more! Unlike EU sizes which have a standard, proportional width that runs comparable to a US wide, US shoe sizes also come in width measurements, narrow, medium, wide, extra wide.
Your best size may be size 11M ( M equals Medium), but I think you need to know more! I strongly suggest you read up on Measuring Your Feet and Understanding Shoe Sizes ( so you will be able to pick the right length, width and shoe shape for your feet. You want to get the right size the first time when you are ordering from another country!
Thanks for asking!
The Shoe Lady


Take the 2-minute tour ×
Any way to have a NSButton title to wrap when it's width is longer than the button width, instead of getting clipped?
I'm trying to have a radio button with a text that can be long and have multiple lines. One way I thought about having it work is to have an NSButton of type NSRadioButton but can't get multiple lines of text to work.
Maybe my best alternative is to have an NSButton followed by an NSTextView with the mouseDown delegate function on it triggering the NSButton state?
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Read the Apple Human Interface Guidelines, they should give some insight as to how to deal with the need for descriptive choices. – dreamlax Mar 23 '09 at 23:07
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3 Answers
up vote 7 down vote accepted
I don't believe you can. You'd have to subclass NSButtonCell to add support for this.
That said, it's typically a bad idea to have multiple lines of text on a button. A button label should concisely represent the action performed:
The label on a push button should be a verb or verb phrase that describes the action it performs—Save, Close, Print, Delete, Change Password, and so on. If a push button acts on a single setting, label the button as specifically as possible; "Choose Picture…," for example, is more helpful than "Choose…" Because buttons initiate an immediate action, it shouldn't be necessary to use "now" (Scan Now, for example) in the label.
What are you trying to do?
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I'm with Sören; If you need a longer description, think about using a tool tip or placing descriptive text in a wrapped text field using the small system font below the radio choices if the descriptive text is only a few lines. Otherwise, you could provide more information in a help document.
Figuring out a way to say what you need to say in a concise way is your best bet, though.
share|improve this answer
I absolutely need to show the associated text with each radio button option "as is", each is a possible answer to a question shown on top, all coming from db and resuming is not an option. I ended up adding a wrapped text view on the right of each radio button and controlling the height dynamically. – Carlos Barbosa Mar 24 '09 at 20:50
Ah, context. That makes a lot more sense! – Wevah Apr 21 '09 at 20:48
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Well here's my excuse for needing multiline buttons: I'm writing an emulator for an IBM 701, complete with front panel, and, bless their hearts, the designers of that front panel used multi-line labels. Here's my code. You only have to subclass NSButtonCell (not NSButton), and only one method needs to be overridden.
// In Xcode 4.6 (don't know about earlier versions): Place NSButton, then double-click it
// and change class NSButtonCell to ButtonMultiLineCell.
_USER_ ButtonMultiLineCell : NSButtonCell
_USER_ ButtonMultiLineCell
 NSAttributedString *as = [[NSAttributedString alloc] initWithString:[title.string stringByReplacingOccurrencesOfString:@" " withString:@"\n"]];
 NSFont *sysFont = [NSFont systemFontOfSize:10];
 NSMutableParagraphStyle *paragraphStyle = [[[NSParagraphStyle defaultParagraphStyle] mutableCopy] autorelease];
 [paragraphStyle setAlignment:NSCenterTextAlignment];
 NSDictionary *attributes = [NSDictionary dictionaryWithObjectsAndKeys:
 sysFont, NSFontAttributeName,
 paragraphStyle, NSParagraphStyleAttributeName,
 NSSize textSize = [as.string sizeWithAttributes:attributes];
 NSRect textBounds = NSMakeRect(0, 0, textSize.width, textSize.height);
 // using frame argument seems to produce text in wrong place
 NSRect f = NSMakeRect(0, (controlView.frame.size.height - textSize.height) / 2, controlView.frame.size.width, textSize.height);
 [as.string drawInRect:f withAttributes:attributes];
 return textBounds; // not sure what rectangle to return or what is done with it
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Your Answer


Message Translator
Camel supports the Message Translator from the EIP patterns by using an arbitrary Processor in the routing logic, by using a bean to perform the transformation, or by using transform() in the DSL. You can also use a Data Format to marshal and unmarshal messages in different encodings.
You can transform a message using Camel's Bean Integration to call any method on a bean in your Registry such as your Spring XML configuration file as follows
 .bean("myTransformerBean", "myMethodName")
Where the "myTransformerBean" would be defined in a Spring XML file or defined in JNDI etc. You can omit the method name parameter from beanRef() and the Bean Integration will try to deduce the method to invoke from the message exchange.
or you can add your own explicit Processor to do the transformation
or you can use the DSL to explicitly configure the transformation
You can also use Spring XML Extensions to do a transformation. Basically any Expression language can be substituted inside the transform element as shown below
Or you can use the Bean Integration to invoke a bean

You can also use Templating to consume a message from one destination, transform it with something like Velocity or XQuery and then send it on to another destination. For example using InOnly (one way messaging)
If you want to use InOut (request-reply) semantics to process requests on the My.Queue queue on ActiveMQ with a template generated response, then sending responses back to the JMSReplyTo Destination you could use this.


text:
NRG says the system differs from Scada systems, which use sensors to detect component faults but often require trained maintenance staff to understand the data. TurbinePhD instead uses digital signal-processing techniques to detect component wear before a fault develops. Sensors with embedded processors use algorithms to diagnose problems and then transmit data to a secure website.
"Our system borrows technology from the aerospace industry to diagnose early-stage wear - months in advance of a fault - and then to accurately estimate the remaining useful life of each component," said Eric Bechhoefer, chief engineer at NRG Systems. "We also eliminate the need for a diagnostic engineer by integrating data into a single, readily understandable health indicator for each component. The data can be read and acted upon by anyone."
NRG says the system integrates multiple condition indicators into this single health indicator, eliminating the need for the engineering interpretation required by traditional systems. These indicators are accessible online, along with all of the data supporting the diagnosis. The product, which is currently in beta testing, is set to be launched in the summer.
The news came as NRG chief executive Jan Blittersdorf was recognised by the US White House as one of 10 Champions of Change for renewable energy.