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IMPORTANCE - Although cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is prognostic in older adults, the effect of CRF during early adulthood on long-term cardiovascular structure, function, and prognosis is less clear.
OBJECTIVE - To examine whether CRF in young adults is associated with long-term clinical outcome and subclinical cardiovascular disease (CVD).
DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS - Prospective study of 4872 US adults aged 18 to 30 years who underwent treadmill exercise testing at a baseline study visit from March 25, 1985, to June 7, 1986, and 2472 individuals who underwent a second treadmill test 7 years later. Median follow-up was 26.9 years, with assessment of obesity, left ventricular mass and strain, coronary artery calcification (CAC), and vital status and incident CVD. Follow-up was complete on August 31, 2011, and data were analyzed from recruitment through the end of follow-up.
MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES - The presence of CAC was assessed by computed tomography at years 15 (2000-2001), 20 (2005-2006), and 25 (2010-2011), and left ventricular mass was assessed at years 5 (_PHONE_) and 25 (with global longitudinal strain). Incident CVD and all-cause mortality were adjudicated.
RESULTS - Of the 4872 individuals, 273 (5.6%) died and 193 (4.0%) experienced CVD events during follow-up. After comprehensive adjustment, each additional minute of baseline exercise test duration was associated with a 15% lower hazard of death (hazard ratio [HR], 0.85; 95% CI, 0.80-0.91; P <.001) and a 12% lower hazard of CVD (HR, 0.88; 95% CI, 0.81-0.96; P =.002). Higher levels of baseline CRF were associated with significantly lower left ventricular mass index (β = -0.24; 95% CI, -0.45 to -0.03; P =.02) and significantly better lobal longitudinal strain (β = -0.09; 95% CI, -0.14 to -0.05; P <.001) at year 25. Fitness was not associated with CAC. A 1-minute reduction in fitness by year 7 was associated with 21% and 20% increased hazards of death (HR, 1.21; 95% CI, 1.07-1.37; P =.002) and CVD (HR, 1.20; 95% CI, 1.06-1.37; P =.006), respectively, along with a more impaired strain (β = 0.15; 95% CI, 0.08-0.23; P <.001). No association between change in fitness and CAC was found.
CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE - Higher levels of fitness at baseline and improvement in fitness early in adulthood are favorably associated with lower risks for CVD and mortality. Fitness and changes in fitness are associated with myocardial hypertrophy and dysfunction but not CAC. Regular efforts to ascertain and improve CRF in young adulthood may play a critical role in promoting cardiovascular health and interrupting early CVD pathogenesis.


_TAG_? 11 Tips for Writing Your _TAG_ Stories
In this piece about the impact of the _TAG_ movement on how and what women write, Leigh Anne Jasheway explores different ways writers can approach sharing stories of sexual harassment and assault.
Publish date:
In this piece, the third installment in a series about the impact of the _TAG_ movement on how and what women write, Leigh Anne Jasheway explores how writers can share those stories proactively and be more open about the impacts of sexual harassment and assault.
Read the first two installments here:
As writers, we understand that whether we write fiction or non-fiction, whether we want our words to jump off the page or the stage, whether we rhyme or rap, pieces of ourselves are the seeds from which every part of our literary garden grows. But trying to put words to our own _TAG_ stories can leave us at a loss. We've been silent for so long. We may doubt ourselves or fear what others may think of us if we share our truths. For most of us, writing about our own traumas, from sexual harassment to catcalling to abuse and assault, is unfamiliar and uncomfortable.
For those of us who are drawn to—or compelled to—write about our own experiences or how we've been affected by the _TAG_ movement, where do we start? I don't pretend to have all or even any of the answers, but here are some steps that helped me and some of the other women (and a few men) I interviewed over the course of this three-part series.
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1. Make a list of your experiences with sexual harassment or assault.
You don't have to use anything from the list in your writing, but simply writing it all down can help you to start a healing process. I know it did for me.
2. Talk.
To people. Not just the people in your head. Many writers tend to keep to themselves, but as we've learned from everything that has happened since the _TAG_ movement took hold last year, there is strength in honesty and in numbers.
3. Become more self-accepting.
Our experiences are much more common than we ever knew. Understanding that millions of others, women and men, have been subjected to the same types of trauma, can help us feel less timid in writing our own stories.
4. Once you feel ready, write something.
Anything. Perhaps explore short form writing such as poetry, a short story, or a song. Start with less traumatic events or even less personal. One of first things I wrote about sexual assault was a song called Mr. Weinstein (to the tune of Mr. Sandman), which is now the centerpiece of my first musical comedy, _TAG_, the Musical. I've also found that when writing about my own experiences, it's been easier to focus on those involving strangers than family members or friends. You don't have to have a goal for this writing right now. Just explore.
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5. As you write, don't hide your true feelings.
If you're angry about your experiences, let your words be angry and don't apologize. If you're confused or feel like an idiot, don't shut down those feelings away either. In my writing classes, rules #1 and 2 are always "Write from your own truth" and "Know what you're feeling and make sure your readers know it too." There is no better subject matter to apply those rules to.
6. Start reviewing your past writing to see if you have done anything to normalize sexual harassment and abuse without knowing it.
Perhaps a good start is simply asking questions such as: "What is the real purpose of this scene or section? Does it feel gratuitous or does it serve a higher purpose in the overall story? Is there another way to approach it? How might this trigger readers?" As we move forwards as a society, we writers need to be more in tune with how our writing is perceived. (Watch almost any movie from the 80s and see if it doesn't make you cringe in light of _TAG_).
7. Evaluate how wed you are to gender stereotypes.
For example, does your writing tend to feature men who are macho, insensitive, and sexually aggressive? Do you focus too much on how women look in your writing? For a fun and educational experiment, try the "Describe yourself as a man would" challenge. No matter what you write, people who are fully drawn in all their complicated nuances are the most engaging to readers and the most true to life.
8. Take a step into fantasy, if only for a quick diversion.
Now might be just the time to write the world you'd like to live in. There is a reason characters such as Wonder Woman and Black Panther resonate deeply with so many of us. Not only do their stories distract us from our everyday lives, they create a world that is more just and compassionate. We feel more hopeful and empowered when we spend a few hours in that world. As you write, think about how you can create a better world that challenges the kind of culture that has allowed sexual harassment and assault to become so common.
9. Or leverage your own experiences.
If you are more comfortable with non-fiction, use your experiences to shine a light on how we can all do a better job of interacting with each other in the real world. A good example of this kind of writing is Joe Samalan's "Why Being a Good Guy Is Not Enough."
10. Become a mentor.
If you have already achieved some level of writing success, consider mentoring a writer from a marginalized community whose voice has not yet been heard. The power of sharing our stories requires that we lift up those who have not yet had our opportunities.
11. Think about how you can use comedy when writing about difficult subjects.
If you haven't already, read a few of the articles from the second part of this series to get a taste of how bringing laughter to strong negative emotions can help both the writer and the readers. For some quick tips on enhancing your sense of humor in your writing, this article can help. Or, you can take Writers Digest's four-week comedy writing class to learn tools that work in any genre. I teach this class and would love to help more people lighten up their writing and their lives.
Writers have more power than we give ourselves credit for. To possess the skills and imagination to release ourselves from past traumas while helping others do the same is truly a super power.
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writer's digest wd presents
WD Presents: _TAG_, Virtual Conference, and New Courses
20 Most Popular Writing Posts of 2020
Carla Malden: Writing With Optimism and Innocence
Greta K. Kelly: Publishing Is a Marathon
Poetic Forms
Mistress Bradstreet Stanza: Poetic Forms
Capital vs. Capitol (Grammar Rules)
On Writing to Give Grief Meaning and Write Out of Challenging Situations


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A recent piece from historian Erik Linstrum over on Aeon may be of interest to AHP readers. In "The Empire Dreamt Back" Linstrum explores the role of psychoanalysis in British colonial rule. The piece begins:
Every state needs to know about the people it rules. Censuses, property surveys and tax records are familiar and tangible expressions of the state's need to maintain power by accumulating knowledge. This is not just a matter of tedious bureaucratic record-keeping: especially when confronted with unfamiliar problems, states often turn to cutting-edge technologies and forms of expertise to make sense of the populations under their authority. In the early 20th-century Age of Empire, when European colonies stretched across the world, psychoanalysis was the novel technique of the moment. In an attempt to better understand their colonial subjects in those years, officials in the British empire undertook a curious and little-known research project: to collect dreams from the people of South Asia, Africa and the Pacific. The results were not what they expected.
Read the full article here.

source: openbmb/Ultra-FineWeb


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Native to northern India, the drought-tolerant moringa tree is now grown throughout Asia, South America and Africa. As a crop, the moringa tree's durability and rapid growth (up to 10 feet each year!) make it ideal for low-income, rural communities.
Often called "the miracle tree," the moringa is more than your average tree. The wood is soft and doesn't make the best building material but its regenerative bark is perfect for wood-burning stoves. Moringa oil, in addition to being a substitute for vegetable oil, is used in soaps, lamps and as mechanical lubrication for farm and food production equipment. But the moringa's greatest use is nutritional.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, just 25 grams of moringa leaf powder supplies a person with their entire day's calcium and vitamin A needs, half the day's protein and potassium needs and about three-quarters of the day's iron needs. Eaten as a vegetable course during meals, moringa leaves improve childhood nutrition, birth weights and the quality of breast-milk.
The Hunger Project-Benin has had success during the past year with a program called Moringa ++ that promotes the cultivation of moringa trees in epicenter communities as sources of income, environmental sustainability and child nutrition.
Youth groups at Kissamey and Dekpo Epicenters mobilized to plant thousands of moringa, as well as apple, cashew and oil palm trees, which contribute to the overall food security of each community. Additional groups grind and package powdered moringa leaves to be sold and generate income. Combined with other epicenter workshops, this sturdy tree and Moringa ++ are empowering communities to achieve sustainable self-reliance in the areas of health, income, food security and education.

source: HuggingFaceFW/fineweb-edu


Turkish president Erdogan signs decree turning Istanbul's Hagia Sofia into a mosque after court ruling
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has signed a decree opening the world-famous Hagia Sophia as a mosque, after a court ruled that its conversion to a museum in the 1930s was unlawful.
The court ruled on Friday that the 1934 decree converting the ancient Byzantine cathedral into a museum was not lawful. Immediately after the ruling, Erdogan shared a copy of a decree on Twitter, mandating that the site be turned over to the country's religious directorate and reopened for worship.
In a televised address later in the evening, the Turkish leader said that the first prayers will be held in the Hagia Sophia on July 24.
Dating back to the 6th century, the Hagia Sophia is one of the most visited cultural sites in Turkey, as well as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
UNESCO has expressed concern over Erdogan's vision for the historic structure, noting in a statement on Friday that the building has a "strong symbolic and universal value." It called on Turkey to "engage in dialogue" before taking any steps that might impact its universal value.
Also on rt.com 'Threat to Christian civilization': Russian Patriarch warns Ankara against dividing people by turning Hagia Sophia into mosque
Even before his decree was issued, the Turkish president's plan was condemned by leaders of the Russian and Greek Orthodox churches, who warned that it would be seen as an affront to Christians and create a fracture between East and West. Washington has also urged Turkey to maintain the Hagia Sophia as a museum.
Moscow has also highlighted the cultural significance of the building while acknowledging that the matter was an "internal affair" for Turkey.
Erdogan himself said that opening the Hagia Sophia for worship will not prevent local or foreign tourists from visiting the iconic site, which he said is a part of "humanity's common cultural heritage."
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text: Vikings sold cheap copies of their sword called the Ulfberht. Their original Ulfberht was made from steel imported from the Middle East. Apparently they found a market for their swords and made copies from cheaper metal and sold them across northern Europe, where archaeologists would find them around a millennium later. Today the swords are described as having been too soft and as having buckled or broken easily when used in battle. 21st century researchers say that by the 11th century, after the Russians blocked access to the Volga River, it became almost impossible for the Vikings to obtain the higher-quality steel that they used in making their swords.


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Rawalpindi:April 05: Montessori students of Sadeeqa's Learning System (SLS) Montessori & High School marked World Wildlife Day, at the SLS, Peshawar Road, and Range Road campuses, says a press release.
A special morning assembly was arranged for students of Junior, Senior and Advanced Montessori. The audience of students was a sight to see as all of them had their faces painted to represent a certain type of wildlife animal.
Peshawar Road Campus Headmistress Naghmana Anjum gave a brief talk to her students about why this day is celebrated. She highlighted how each one of us can save wildlife, flora and fauna, by protecting natural resources, not wasting water, burning less fuel, by using paper bags instead of plastic bags and by not killing animals for fun or sport. She then invited her students to start the event. As the song "Jungle Rhythm" started playing, students dressed as 'people of the nature' danced a song dedicated to the coexistence of humans with nature. A quiz followed with the audience having to name a wild animal and take out its sound. A poem performance called "Walking through the jungle, what do you see?" had the audience and performers singing together 'spotting' different wild animals. A student of Advance Montessori said a few words on Animals Are Our Friends and how just like us they have a brain and can feel love and pain.
A skit was presented at both campuses to create awareness about not killing the animals for fun or for their skin. Montessori students of the SLS, Range Road campus showed how animals used to live happily and peacefully until the hunters came to hunt them for fun and for their skin. They also cut down trees and destroyed the habitat. The end consequence showed a world without animals and plants and humans full of regret. Students were told that animals cannot speak for themselves so all of us have to be their voice. Range Road Section Head, Irum Jamal spoke about the theme of this year's World Wildlife Day – 'the future of wildlife is in our hands' and urged students and teachers to make kindness to plants and animals a part of their daily life and not just a one day celebration.
Teaching compassion to young students can be a challenging task but with the help of poems, props, costumes and skits, small lessons can be imparted to young minds. World Wildlife Day was proclaimed by United Nations General Assembly in 2013 and is celebrated every year in March.The news.


Saving Data between two Scenes in Unity
Objective: Store the difficulty info(int variable) on the Main Menu and pass it to the Game scene.
Selecting the difficulty on the Main Menu
Requisites: Two scenes and a mechanism to store the difficulty info, in this case pressing a button will make the job. C# fundamentals and Unity PlayerPrefs.
You might be wondering, what is PlayerPrefs? PlayerPrefs is a Unity class that stores Player preferences between game sessions. It can store string, float and integer values into the user's platform registry.
This sounds very complicated but in a practical way, it allows us to carry on some data between the scenes.
In our main menu script on the menu scene, let's say that easy is 0 and hard is 1. We want to store and update the value on the PlayerPrefs when we click on the HARD and EASY button.
We define our int difficulty variable public just for testing purposes
In the Main Menu script, we have one function for each button, let's check the EasyButton PlayerPrefs implementation.
PlayerPrefs implementation on the EasyButton
If we go to the PlayerPrefs definition, we find that every method is static, that will allows us to save the info safely because the stored info will belong to the class and not to the object.
All available static methods from the PlayerPrefs class
What does the PlayerPrefs.SetInt() method we are using says?
Self-explanatory right?
Just in case, we are going to divide it into pieces. This function takes two parameters, a string key and an int value. The string key is the name we are giving to the stored data -> "Difficulty". The int value is the value the difficulty variable is storing depending on what button is pressed.
Now that we know how to store info succesfully in the PlayerPrefs registry, we are done with the Menu scene and we need to retrieve this information like the image above says. PlayerPrefs.GetInt() is the chosen one.
Right into the Game scene, in our GameManager let's define a public difficulty variable that will store the PlayerPrefs info we are going to retrieve.
PlayerPrefs.GetInt() will retrieve the information allocated in the "Difficulty" string and will be stored in the int difficulty variable that can be accessed by any other class.
In our game, we have a SpawnManager class that handles the times between waves, enemies, etc…
Here is a practical use. If difficulty is 0(easy) enemies will have their automatic spawning rate, but if it is 1(hard) it will change drastically the game
And that would be it for this tutorial, instead of retrieving the info once using PlayerPrefs.GetInt() in our GameManager, you can do it directly in any class, that's just how you want to architecture your game.
Passionate Unity developer always looking for new challenges!
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FIFA task force requests stronger sanctions against racism and discrimination
© Foto-net
The newly created FIFA Task Force Against Racism and Discrimination, chaired by FIFA Vice-President and CONCACAF President Jeffrey Webb, held its first meeting today at the Home of FIFA in Zurich. In this first session, the debates focused on the application of sanctions in cases of racist and discriminative acts, specifically studying the proposal to uniformly implement the sanctions that already exist in the FIFA regulations in a stronger and more consistent manner.
The task force made the following proposals, which will be included in a draft resolution to be presented at the FIFA Congress in Mauritius at the end of May:
- Firstly, having an official at the stadium who would identify potential acts of discrimination with the aim of easing the pressure on referees and facilitating the availability of evidence, which is not always easy to obtain, for the disciplinary committees to take decisions;
- Secondly, applying sanctions in two stages, with a list of applicable sanctions for a first or a minor offence, such as a warning, a fine, or the playing of a match behind closed doors, and a list of stronger sanctions for reoffenders or for serious incidents, such as point deductions, expulsion from a competition, or relegation;
- Thirdly, emphasis on the responsibility of member associations and clubs for the actions of their players, officials and supporters, and on the need to implement the existing sanctions in a harmonised way across all confederations, member associations and leagues, with a proposal to request that clubs and member associations provide a concrete action plan showing their intention to fight any forms of racism and discrimination among their supporters.
"We have a special responsibility in the way we can impact football and society," said Webb during his opening remarks. "One of the opportunities this task force has is its vast reach throughout FIFA's 209 member associations, where we can implement the resolutions in every region and every country where football is played, bringing universality to the mechanisms that combat racism and discrimination."
The following people took part in today's meeting, which was opened by FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter: Jeffrey Webb (FIFA Vice-President, President of CONCACAF); Darren Bailey (Director of The Football Association's Football Governance and Regulation) who was representing David Bernstein, President of The FA, for this session; Yury Boychenko (Chief of the Anti-Discrimination Section at the United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner) who was replacing the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navanethem PILLAY; Serey Die (Ivory Coast player at FC Basel); Gianni Merlo (AIPS President); Marcel Mathier (Outgoing chairman of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee); Osasu Obayiuwana (Associate Editor of New African Magazine); Piara Powar (CEO of FARE); Theo van Seggelen (FIFPro Secretary General); Claudio Sulser (Incoming chairman of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee); Howard Webb (FIFA Referee); Véron Mosengo-Omba (UEFA); Dr Thomas Partl (UEFA). The players Jozy Altidore and Kevin-Prince Boateng, who had obligations with their respective clubs, were excused for this first session of the task force.
It should be noted that this is still an open list and additional members may be included in the task force in the future.


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Return to Mathematics Index
Williams, Gwendolyn D. Paul Robeson High School
To show the ratio of pi by revolving a circle one complete time.
The students will learn why the ratio is true.
To allow the students to do the same independent of the teacher's
You need: Two random size pieces of plexiglass.
One screw (long enough to pass through all thickness of the
pieces you use)
One pair of nuts to hold the screw in place.
One aluminum channel no longer than four feet.
To make the circle, cut either piece first. Draw a circle on the
paper covering of the plexiglass or cut random tangents to a squared
piece until it is it is somewhat round. Drill a hole at the center of
the piece large enough to put your screw through. Finding the center
should not be a problem. Once the "round" piece is ready, sand out
the rough spots. Find a thick piece of wood that you can nail the
circle to. After nailing the circle to the wood, go to the sander
and rotate the plexiglass until the rough spots are gone. Draw an
arrow from the center to the edge of the circle (a radius). The
second piece will be used for the handle and the spacers. Cut three
pieces, two of the same length and long enough to extend from the
center of the circle to the outside and the other about one inch
shorter. The first two pieces should be wide enough to fit
comfortably in your hand as they will be used to guide the circle
through the channel. The third piece will be used for spacers. Drill
the same size hole near the end of the two pieces to be used for the
handle and two holes four inches apart in the piece to be used for
spacers. Do not cut before the holes are drilled. At this point get
help from the shop manager to assist in putting the final product
together. If it is not obvious, the spacers should be cut to fit one
under each handle and flush against the circle to reduce friction when
rotating. Use other scrap pieces to space the edge of the handle that
will be held in your hand. Sand all edges. Use the glue to hold the
spacers in place at the edge of the handle. For the classroom demo,
the aluminum channel will be placed on the desk or table. Stand the
circle on its side, arrow down and perpendicular to the channel. Mark
the origin with a pencil on the channel. Make a complete rotation of
the circle. At the end of this rotation, mark the channel again. To
find this length, do either of two things. Lay the circle on the
channel end over end from the origin to the end of the length at which
time the measure is obvious. Or lay the circle between perpendiculars
for as many times as it takes to cover this length. In either case,
the measure should be 3.14159... or a number very close to that.


Hints Development
 Students of technical courses need to take notes from various sources in the form of bits and sometimes in the form of an outline. These bits and outline have to be elaborated in the form of sentence blocks for their use and record. The exercise on 'hints development' prepares the students to develop their skill in elaborating gists or points into sentences and passages.
Guidelines for Developing the hints:
1. Read the given hints carefully in order to understand the main theme.
2. Follow the outline given. Do not omit any point and keep to the order in which the points are given in the outline.
3. Carefully connect all the points given in the outline and develop the story in a coherent way.
4. Make proper use of connectives for continuity between sentences.
5. Use your imaginative skill to develop the hints.
6. Your language must be simple and direct and verbs must be used in the proper tense forms.
7. Never forget to supply a suitable title to your answer.
 Lifefull of challenges - man accept realities - he to know - weaknesses and strongholds - ignorance of one's weaknesses take him nowhere - knowing and acknowledging this before making use of strongholds or virtues he must get rid of weaknesses - otherwise his voyage be stumbled - he plug the holes lest he be drowned.
 Life is full of challenges. Man has to acept realities in his life. He must know his weaknesses and strongholds for his progress. Ignorance of one's weaknesses takes him nowhere. It will hinder his progress in life. He must be knowing and acknowlwdging this before he goes to make use of his strongholds or virtues for his well-being.
 Man must get rid of his weaknesses otherwise his voyage of life would be stumbled. He is likely to overestimate himself and underestimate others. He must plug the holes lest he would be drowned. If he is to make progress really he must know himself fully.
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When something grows exponentially, its value at each step is the same constant factor times its value at the previous step. 1, 2, 4, 8, 16 is an example in which the constant factor (the "power") is 2. To say that a quantity "grows exponentially" is just to say that its growth over time has this particular quality: a constant ratio of change. Where the power involved is greater than 1, not only does the quantity itself grow without limit, the rate of growth grows without limit, as does the rate of growth of the rate of growth, and so on. If the power is significantly greater than 1, the quantity becomes enormous remarkably quickly.
This association of "exponential" with explosive growth leads people to say—incorrectly and annoyingly—that any sudden or dramatic growth is "exponential." The usage is bothersome in multiple ways. First, not all exponential growth is rapid at first. Where the exponent is just barely greater than 1—let us say, for example, _PHONE_—the quantity involved will grow quite slowly for quite some time. Second, where you have only two data points (small before and large after), almost any function works just as well as an exponential function. You could call it "logarithmic growth" or "quadratic growth" or "sinusoidal growth" and be just as accurate. Calling it any of these names misses the point that you don't have enough information to determine the mathematical quality of the growth.
If you have a series of values that are approximated by an exponential curve, then by all means, go ahead and refer to the "exponential growth." (And if you have a curve that grows exponentially backwards in time, call it "exponential decay.") But if all you have is a sharp increase, find a name for it that doesn't already have a precise mathematical meaning. "Sudden and dramatic growth" is perfectly fine, as is referring to an "x percent increase" for some impressively large value of x But please do not perpetuate the bad habit of referring to every increase as "exponential." Not all crunches are sickening; not all growth is exponential.


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Solar Green Power uses silicic acid – the most available form of silica/silicon - to help build huge stems and strong branches capable of supporting the heaviest fruits and flowers. Silicic acid also improves a plant's immune system - increasing its resistance to pests and diseases, as well as improving nutrient uptake and absorption of CO2.
Solar Green Power contains the most available form of silica - a natural substance found in abundance all over the world and particularly in soil. The form of silica used in Solar Green Power is silicic acid. Silicic acid is vastly superior to potassium silicate, which is used in the majority of silicon/silicate additives. Silica is used naturally by plants to strengthen cell walls, which in turn improves the integrity of their overall structure. This results in fatter stems and stronger branches that are capable of supporting more weight. This improvement in overall structure also helps to secure your plants against attacks from pests and diseases. Bugs find it hard to penetrate plant matter when each individual cell has the protective armour that silicic acid provides.
Silica even assists with the production of chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is the green pigment that is vital to the process of photosynthesis. Without adequate chlorophyll, plants will struggle to use the light energy from your lamp to manufacture the sugars that they need for sustained healthy growth from CO2 in the surrounding air and water. With a healthy supply of silica, you will help to ensure that plants always make optimal use of CO2 in the grow area (whether it be supplemented or brought in from outside via your ventilation system), and in turn, help to ensure that the electricity spent on lighting systems is not wasted.
When supplementing with Solar Green Power, plants lose less water through leaves than normal and will have a much greater resistance to drought and adverse environmental changes. Solar Green Power will help to fully exploit the genetic potential of your plants and maximise the efficiency and effectiveness of your set-up.
Solar Green Power can be used for plants grown in any medium and in any type of grow-system. Silica/silicon is generally used all the way through your plants' life cycle, from veg to flower. Stop using it at least one week before harvest, while performing the final flush. Make up your base nutrients as usual, administer at 0.5ml per litre of nutrient solution.
Hydro/Soil: 0.5ml per litre
Foliar fed: 2ml per litre once a week
*Use from week1 until flush


"Garshana" – Ayurvedic Dry Brushing: How to Do It? Benefits And Reasons
Dry brushing, also called Garshana, is a staple of traditional wellness and a part of Ayurveda.
what is ayurveda
First, we need to back up to understand Ayurveda, where dry brushing comes from. Ayurveda is the ancient life of science that believes that prevention of disease is as important as curing it. Ayurveda is a holistic science of life that works on the principles of balancing the Vata, Pitta and Kapha Doshas that governs our body. It has gained popularity in the west due to its therapeutic efficacy and its ability to cure lifestyle disorders. It has also earned fame in the area of cosmetology and rejuvenation.
What Is Dry Brushing?
Dry Brushing is one of the Ayurvedic detoxification techniques that has been used by people since time immemorial. Ayurveda has described various types of massages and rejuvenation techniques that can be even used today for the treatment of various ailments. "Garshana" (pronounced gar-shun-uh) is a term used in the Ayurveda texts for dry brushing which means "friction by rubbing". Vasant Ritu (Spring season) is the best time for the detoxification of the body and thus Garshana can show its highest efficacy in this season.
Dry brush is known to have numerous health benefits. It is done by rubbing a brush with coarse bristles usually made up of natural-fibres. The rubbing is done in a particular pattern and it works on the principle that rubbing will peel off the dead skin cells and will help in draining the toxins through the pores. It also stimulates the lymphatic system and aids in internal detoxification.
Why To Do Dry Brush?
Dry brushing is a revitalizing treatment. It is mainly used for the pacification of Kapha Dosha. People having Kapha Dosha predominance and aggravated Kapha Dosha must do it. Also, it is said to expel the toxins out of the body through sweat. It is a wonderful exfoliating and skin rejuvenating technique which can open up the clogged pores. Furthermore, the key benefits of dry brushing are briefly discussed below that will provide you with more reasons to do Garashana.
Key Benefits Of Dry Brushing
This ancient practice has a plethora of health benefits. It also adds more beauty to your skin by peeling off the dead skin cells, opening the pores and increasing blood circulation. The key benefits of dry brushing are briefly described below.
1. Kapha Dosha Shaman
Kapha is the Dosha having qualities such as oilyness, sliminess, etc. Feeling of heaviness, lazy, sleepy, etc can be the premonitory symptoms of Kapha Dosha aggravation. Such aggravation can lead to more complex diseases such as high cholesterol, obesity, obstruction in capillaries that can lead to a drug-dependent life.
ayurveda weight loss
"Garshana" can help you to pacify the aggravated Kapha Dosha as it encourages opposite properties to that of Kapha. Dry brushing increases the qualities such as dryness and roughness that nullifies the effects of aggravated Kapha Dosha.
2. Detoxification
The lymphatic system is a network of tissues and organs that helps in the elimination of unnecessary toxins, waste products and transport of the white blood cells throughout the body. Dry brushing stimulates the lymphatic system and helps in draining the lymph from the lymph capillaries towards the lymph nodes. Thus, "Garshana" enables us to expel out the "Ama" i.e. cellular toxins internally as well.
3. Rejuvenates Skin
It is a known fact that our skin sheds its outer layer every 2-4 weeks. Dry brushing our skin sheds the outer layer of our skin cells which mostly contains damaged and dead skin cells. It helps in the growth of fresh skin cells. Garshana also exfoliates the skin cells by opening the pores clogged by dead skin cells, dirt, etc. Massaging the skin with a brush or gloves also increases the blood flow to that certain region, thereby providing you with fresh glowing skin and enhancing the skin tone.
4. Combats Cellulite
Cellulite is an interesting looking dimple-like dent formed on the skin. Typically, you can find it over the hip and thigh regions. It develops when the fat tissue pushes out the covering connective tissue. Often, you will find it more in women than in men, and it is a symptom of increased Meda Dhatu.
Happily, dry brushing or Garshanawill help you to combat the cellulite by dissolving the excess fat tissue in that region and by increasing blood flow. It can also aid in lymphatic drainage which helps in further prevention of cellulite in the prone areas.
Our Recommendations for a Dry Brush
Now, maybe you are wondering, what dry brush do I buy? If you have never purchased a dry brush before, we got you covered. Here is the dry brush (affiliate link) we have been using for years and still love to this day.
check price button
How to Dry Brush?
Dry brushing should be done vigorously over the skin by using a brush having natural-fibers bristles. Alternatively, Garashana gloves are available in the market that can be used for it.
Dry Brushing Patterns
Before performing the dry brushing, know the types of brushing patterns used in it. It includes two types of patterns:
 1. Circular Motion:
 Dry brushing should be performed circularly over the joint areas such as Neck, Elbow, Knee, Wrist, etcetera. The brushing should follow only a unidirectional pattern either clockwise or anticlockwise for better results.
 1. Long Strokes:
 Over the areas of long bones, the dry brushing should be done with long strokes directed towards the heart. It is necessary to perform the brushing towards the direction of the heart to drain the excess lymph.
The dry brushing should be performed in the morning before bath. The skin should be dry and free from any kind of oils or lotions. It is also advised not to perform it in case of any kind of skin disease or pregnancy. Expert advice is highly recommended in such cases.
Dry Brushing in Simple Steps
 1. Start the dry brushing by vigorously massaging your wrists and the tip of your elbows circularly. Then, massage your hands from the base of your fingers towards the upper side in the direction of the armpit.
 1. Do the same on the other hand too. You can take the help of an assistant too if you are not comfortable doing that with your off-hand.
 1. Now, massage your abdomen and buttocks with the brush or gloves in a circular manner. Avoid brushing over the heart and chest area.
 1. Proceed towards your ankles and feet circularly and complete the procedure by massaging the thigh and calves region in long strokes directing towards the heart.
 1. After dry brushing your whole body, take a shower and feel your rejuvenating skin.
Other Notes
You can also perform Garshana on the face. However, it is not recommended as it may also cause serious problems if done incorrectly.
In addition, it should be performed on regular intervals as per one Doshic constitution (Prakriti), Season and Age.
Finally, it is mainly preferred in the Spring season as the all the body is all set for detoxification in this season. However, the person with the vitiation of Vata Dosha (Vata Prakop) should strongly avoid it.
Conclusions on Dry Brushing
Using this ancient cleaning practice to bolster your health and beauty routines can add vitality to both your body and your mind. We recommend starting in the spring, or at any time you need to detox and refresh. Enjoy!
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On the 15th of July, VCE physics students from Leongatha and Korumburra secondary college visited La Trobe University's Department of Engineering to undertake experiments related to the transmission of power. The experiments were conducted by La Trobe University Lecturer Andrew Martchenko. Each group of students were given a board of a scaled down power station with transformers stepping-up the voltage and then stepping-down the voltage over transmission lines before reaching the street lights. Students were required to measure voltages and calculate power losses. Students had to examine the power losses in four experimental setups, two with bypassing the transformers and two with using the transformers. This allowed students to compare results and draw conclusions on the importance of high voltage transmission.
A student from Leongatha SC stated "We live in the La Trobe Valley which generates most of the power for Victoria. I now have a better understanding of how the power is generated and transmitted from a power station to a house. We studied the theory back at school several weeks ago. Being able to conduct hands on experiments such as this one is very important in fully comprehending the material taught."
La Trobe University Lecturer Andrew Martchenko provided the students with problems related to the transmission of power, relating them to real life scenarios which Engineers face in the Electrical industry. "It is important for students to understand how mathematics and physics are applied to solve simple problems which have a great impact on modern society. In Australia, we take much of this for granted because we have world class engineers operating world class facilities. As an end user we rarely question why a blackout has occurred, we simply wait a short period of time, the power comes back and we move on with our lives. The engineer is tasked with resolving such problems but more importantly in preventing them in the near future."
Andrew utilised examples of power grid overloading during summer when most Australians utilise air-conditioning and how this can lead to power outages. Examples were also provided about the illegal taping of power from the grid, predominantly in countries were regulation is difficult due high density populations.
The excursion to La Trobe University concluded with an interactive presentation on engineering careers and a demonstration of student projects. The Department of Engineering also donated a cathode ray oscilloscope to each school which will enable students to take electronic measurements during their studies.
The Department of Engineering at La Trobe University is a leader amongst Victorian Universities in providing high value practical experiments related to Electronics/Electrical, Applications of Physics, Photonics in Communications and much more. To view the full compliment of outreach programs please visit our Outreach page.


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November 22 - December 21
seek meaning in the principles of life:
"Why are we here?"
Appropriate use of Energy:
Misuse of Energy:
Hips, Thighs, Sciatic nerve
Sagittarius is the ninth sign of the zodiac and represents the ninth stage of human evolution. Sagittarius is the first of the "transpersonal" signs, where humans begin to explore their relationship to the larger social structures of society and ultimately of the universe. In Scorpio, we experience the death of the ego when we merge, at least for a brief moment, with another individual on a fundamental and emotional level. We lose all sense of self and we reconnect with our soul memories of being connected to everyone and everything in the universe. At the end of this process, we are reborn, and once again buy into the illusion of separation and of individuality.
Sagittarius begins at this point: we have just been reborn, and we take with us the new understanding that every other individual has similar hopes, needs, dreams, and emotions. This is an eye-opening experience, to say the least! Until this point, we are only marginally aware of other individuals and of our relationships to them. Once we connect on an emotional level through Scorpio, however, we fully understand that we are part of something far greater. Sagittarius wants to explore this, and seeks to discover how we fit in as individuals in the larger scheme of things.
Sagittarius is a mutable fire sign. As a fire sign, Sagittarius is concerned with the question of identity. As a mutable sign, Sagittarius is concerned with healing and completion. In short, Sagittarius is about the completion of our identities. Sagittarius is ruled by Jupiter, the planet of growth and expansion, and Sagittarius is always seeking new experiences and new information. It is important to remember that the mythological figure associated with Sagittarius is the centaur: half-man, half-horse. Part of the process of Sagittarius searching for an understanding of our place in the universe involves reconciling our animal nature with our divine nature. Sagittarius energy is as comfortable exploring philosophy, spirituality, and religion as it is exploring physical pleasure and activity, and ultimately one of the lessons of Sagittarius is to learn how to integrate the two.
Sagittarius is ruled by Jupiter, the planet of expansion, growth, and freedom. Like Jupiter, Sagittarius is only concerned with the Big Picture, and often has little patience for the details. Jupiter's influence makes Sagittarius want to experience the world. Sagittarius loves travel and exploration, and meeting new people. Like Jupiter, Sagittarius tends to absorb new ideas and concepts. Although Sagittarius does have a tendency to be idealistic and quite attached to it's beliefs (an unusual trait for a mutable sign), Sagittarius is also willing to modify and adjust it's belief system to accommodate new information, because this will help Sagittarius get closer to understanding the ultimate truth. Sagittarius energy benefits from Jupiter's influence by demonstrating a tremendous amount of enthusiasm and an overall love (and lust) for every thing that life has to offer.
Sagittarius, however, can tend to be a bull in a china closet, and it's enthusiasm and energy often make it less aware of the needs and feelings of other people. Sagittarius is notorious for it's lack of tact-something that stems from Sagittarius' absolute devotion to the truth. Sagittarius doesn't suffer bruised feelings easily, although it must learn that this is not the case with everyone! Sagittarius also has a tendency to overlook the details, and can become so invested in it's beliefs that it won't even entertain ideas that contradict them. Sagittarius' need for freedom can sometimes manifest as an unwillingness to compromise in order to maintain a relationship. When Sagittarius is confronted with a situation that doesn't conform to it's beliefs, it can be happy to simply leave and go off on it's own, rather than stay and be forced to adjust.
Planets in Sagittarius become both more independent and more changeable. The Moon and Venus in Sagittarius find it very difficult to express compassion; they must learn how to access and express their emotional nature through trial and error. Jupiter and the Sun generally do very well in Sagittarius because of their connection to the exuberance and identity issues of the element of fire.


text: In 1990, Dave Kaufman decided to explore Peachtree Creek from its headwaters to its confluence with the Chattahoochee River. For thirteen years he paddled the creek, photographed it, and researched its history as the Atlanta area's major watershed. The result is ""Peachtree Creek"", a compelling mix of urban travelogue, local history, and call for conservation. Historical images and Kaufman's evocative color photographs help capture the creek's many faces, past and present. Most Atlantans only glimpse Peachtree Creek briefly, as they pass over it on their daily commute, if at all. Looking down on the creek from Piedmont or Peachtree Roads, few contemplate how it courses through the city, where it originates and flows to. Fewer still - many fewer - would ever consider paddling down it, with its pollution and flash floods. Through his expeditions down Peachtree Creek and its five tributaries - North Fork, South Fork, Clear Creek, Nancy Creek, and Tanyard Creek - Kaufman takes readers through such places as Piedmont and Chastain Parks which, aside from the polluted water, are beautiful, even bucolic. Other stretches of creek, like those draining Midtown and Atlantic Station, are channeled into massive culverts and choked with discarded waste from the city. One day, floating past the Bobby Jones Golf Course, he surprises a golfer searching for his stray ball along the creek bank; another he spends talking to a homeless man living under a bridge near Buckhead. Kaufman reveals fascinating aspects of Atlanta by examining how Peachtree Creek shaped and was shaped by the history of the area. Street names like Moore's Mill Road and Howell Mill Road take on new meaning. He explains the dynamics of water run off that cause the creek to go from a trickle to a torrent in a matter of hours. Kaufman asks how a waterway that was once people's source of water, power, and livelihood became, at its worst, an open sewer and flooding hazard. Portraying some of our worst mishandling of the environment, Kaufman suggests ways to a more sustainable stewardship of Peachtree Creek.


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Education is at the heart of The Heritage Councils work programme. With knowledge comes a greater sense of responsibility and appreciation of the value of Heritage as it contributes to our quality of life.
Under the Heritage Act, 1995 [PDF 96KB], the Heritage Council's role is "to promote interest, education, knowledge and pride in, and facilitate the appreciation and enjoyment of the national heritage". Education is therefore at the heart of the Heritage Council's work programme and we work with a variety of stakeholders such as public authorities, educational bodies, private organisations and individuals to generate, coordinate, support and promote initiatives that will educate about our national heritage.
National Heritage Week The Heritage Council coordinates and promotes National Heritage Week. In 2012, over 600,000 people attended a record 1,500 events around the country during the week in August. It involved over 900 event organisers from community groups and volunteers, cultural institutions, and state agencies.
Natural England is a Public Body responsible to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs in the UK. Their purpose is to protect and improve England's natural environment and encourage people to enjoy and...


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Some of the most dangerous truck crashes are underride accidents. These arise when a passenger car strikes a truck and then slides underneath its carriage. The resulting injuries may require a lifetime of care or a lengthy rehabilitation period. Our truck accident attorneys can help residents of Miami and other South Florida communities who have been hurt in an underride accident. At the Law Offices of Robert Dixon, we are dedicated to fighting for the compensation that injured individuals and their families deserve.Holding a Negligent Driver Accountable for an Underride Accident
These types of collisions may occur either when a vehicle rear-ends a truck, causing it to slide underneath the back, or when a vehicle strikes a truck's side and then slides underneath it. Many factors can play a role in causing an underride accident, including:
- Improper lighting on a truck, such as broken tail or brake lights;
- Slow moving trucks, or those failing to use emergency flashers;
- Improper turns, such as a driver's failure to use signals; or
- The failure of an underride guard.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration requires trailers and semi-trailers to install working underride guards to protect drivers and passengers of other vehicles from these kinds of accidents. However, the regulations allow some vehicles to be exempt from the guardrail requirement, a regulatory gap that may result in severe injuries or even tragic deaths.
Underride accidents are often the product of negligence by the truck driver. Someone who is hurt as a result may pursue damages for both economic and non-economic costs and losses, including medical expenses, property damage, loss of income and earning capacity, and pain and suffering. To recover damages, the plaintiff must establish that the defendant acted negligently by showing that four elements were present.
The defendant must have owed the plaintiff a duty of reasonable care, which is always found to apply to anyone operating a motor vehicle. The duty must have been breached, and the crash must have been a direct and foreseeable result of the conduct that breached the duty. In other words, for a victim to be eligible for damages, the accident must have been something that would not have happened if the trucker had met the applicable standard of care. The final step consists of identifying damages that are reasonably quantifiable and not too speculative.
While many truck drivers have limited assets and insurance policies, the companies that employ them usually have more resources with which to compensate victims. In some situations, the trucking company may be held directly liable for causing a crash, such as if it hired a driver who was unfit for the job or if it failed to ensure that the driver was following industry regulations. However, even if the trucking company did not breach its duty of reasonable care, it often may be held vicariously liable for a crash if its driver was acting in the course and scope of employment at the time.Seek Guidance from a Miami Attorney for a Motor Vehicle Collision Case
If you have been hurt or lost a loved one in a motor vehicle collision in Miami or the surrounding area, our lawyers can explore the details of your case and discuss your options with you. At the Law Offices of Robert Dixon, we can offer seasoned and compassionate legal guidance for truck accident victims in Fort Lauderdale and other cities throughout Broward, Palm Beach, and Miami-Dade Counties. Call _PHONE_ or contact us online for a free, no-obligation consultation about your case.


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News - Oct 7, 2012
October 7th, 2012
We humans have the largest brain relative to body weight, compared to all other animals. On average the human brain is three times the size that of our nearest primate relative, the chimpanzee. Why is this so? In a think piece in last week's edition of the journal Science, Michael Balter summarizes some of the hypotheses.


Clonal mollies
Same genes, same environment, different personality: Is individuality unavoidable?
IGB Berlin
01-JUN-2017 - Genetically identical Amazon mollies raised individually and under identical environmental conditions, nevertheless develop different personality types. Additionally, increasing the opportunity for social interactions early in life appears to have no influence on the magnitude of personality variation.
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A recent study by the Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB) sheds a new light on the question of which factors are responsible for the individuality of vertebrate animals.
Both the genetics and the environment have an effect on the individual behavior of animals – or at least that is the common doctrine. But what happens when individuals whose genes are identical are raised in environments that are identical – do they then develop identical behavioral patterns?
A team headed by IGB researchers Dr. David Bierbach and Dr. Kate Laskowski investigated this question in a study and was able to show for the first time that genetically identical animals develop different types of personality even if they are raised under almost identical conditions.
The Amazon molly reproduces clonally so that each offspring is an exact genetic copy of her mother
Investigation of activity and exploratory behavior
The IGB team used the Amazon molly, a livebearing Poecilid species. These animals are natural clones, meaning all the offspring of one mother have exactly the same genetic material. Newborn Amazon mollies were placed in three different experimental setups: In the first treatment the animals were kept individually from and under identical conditions from birth. In two other treatments the fish lived for one or three weeks, respectively, in groups of four individuals and were then later separated. After seven weeks, the researchers examined all the Amazon mollies to determine whether and how the individual fish differed in activity and exploratory behavior.
Distinct personality differences
"We were very surprised to find such distinct personality differences in genetically identical animals that grew up under nearly equal environmental conditions", says Dr. David Bierbach, behavioral ecologist at the IGB and one of the two leading authors of the study.
The fish which developed initially in small groups, also showed behavioral differences of nearly the same degree - no matter whether the development phase with social interactions lasted one or three weeks.
Study indicates that individuality may be inevitable
"Our results suggest that other factors must influence the development of personality in a more substantial way than previously thought: potentially minute differences in environmental conditions, which are impossible to remove completely from any experiment, or potentially epigenetic processes, i.e. random changes of chromosomes and gene functions. Altogether our results suggest that these factors deserve closer inspection as causes of personality variation in future work", explains behavioral ecologist Dr. Kate Laskowski. The IGB study suggests that the development of individuality in vertebrate animals may be an inevitable and ultimately unpredictable result of the developmental process.
Text: IGB-Berlin
Photos: David Bierbach (lead photo: clonal mollies)
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About 50 years ago, over 15,000 families in the Kaiser Permanente Health Plan joined the Child Health and Development Studies, a landmark study of pregnancy and child development. Today, families continue to participate in the CHDS, allowing scientists to discover how disease starts even before birth - not just by genes, but also through social, personal, and environmental surroundings.
Our goal is to learn enough to prevent diseases before they happen, including widespread health conditions like obesity, diabetes, asthma, heart disease, cancer, learning problems and mental illness. Learn more.
Breast cancer and the environment: Women's exposures early in life could unlock mysteries. Read more.


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Ancient Platiana (Tipaneai or Aipy)
(37.57 km – approx. 45 mins from Katakolon)
The remains of the ancient city (Tipaneai or Aipy) are located on a hill of the Lapitha Mountain, South of the village called Platiana (district of Olympia). This fortified, oblong city (max length: 600m, width: 200 m) is surrounded my walls, which probably date to the 4th or 3rd century BC and are preserved in quite good condition (reaching 5m in height in some places). Three large gates are set in the North-West, South-West and East side of the walls-the latter being the main gate. There are also several square or trapezoidal defensive towers. The walls are built of large blocks in polygonal masonry.
One of the terraces is occupied by the theatre, whose stage-building and cavea are partially preserved. On the other terraces one can see: a) the "Acropolis", b) the "Agora" with a large cistern carved in the natural limestone rock, c) the retaining wall of the "Temple". In the East part of the city are the foundations of several different buildings, which may be houses of distinguished persons of the city.
Systematic works at the acropolis were conducted during 2002-2003 by the 7th Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities.


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Background: Autologous fat grafting is currently undergoing a renaissance. However, fat grafts are limited by unpredictable survival. Poloxamers can act as tissue surfactants. These nonionic surfactants have been shown to stabilize the membranes of damaged cells and to protect against injury and apoptosis in numerous models. This study was designed to investigate the ability of poloxamers to protect harvested adipocytes and to increase fat graft survival.
Methods: Lipoaspirate was obtained from surgical patients. Samples were washed in normal saline, centrifuged at 200 g, treated with various poloxamers or poloxamer components for 30 minutes, centrifuged at 200 g, and implanted into the flanks of nude mice in 1.0-cc, 1.0-g lobules. The grafts were explanted serially for 10 days and at 6 weeks. Endpoints were weight, apoptosis, cell viability, DNA content, and histology.
Results: Grafts treated with poloxamers P188, F108, and F127 demonstrated increased graft survival by weight. Fat grafts treated with poloxamers L64 and P188 demonstrated improvement in cell viability, and those treated with poloxamers L64, P188, and F38 demonstrated improved histology. P188-treated grafts demonstrated a 50 percent reduction in apoptosis compared with saline-treated controls (p < 0.05) and an overall 72 percent survival by weight at 6 weeks. P188 demonstrated statistically significant improvement by weight, DNA content, histology, and cell viability (89 percent versus 33 percent).
Conclusions: The authors demonstrate that poloxamers, with membrane-sealing capability, can increase graft survival. Among these poloxamers, P188 demonstrated statistically significant improvement in apoptosis, graft survival by weight, cell viability, DNA content, and histology.


Story by
Tia Ghose
A little randomness in deploying Border Patrol agents might work best to prevent illegal border crossings, according to a study from the RAND Corp.
The study, which was funded by the Department of Homeland Security's Science and Technology Directorate, found that combining historical data on illegal crossings with a bit of unpredictability would nab the highest fraction of border crossers.
The U.S.-Mexico border spans nearly 2,000 miles. Given its vastness and varied terrain, there is simply no way to saturate every mile with enough agents to catch every illegal immigrant or smuggler, said Joel Predd, study co-author and a researcher at RAND. The Border Patrol therefore must develop effective strategies to deploy a limited number of agents, he said.
In the past, the Border Patrol stationed agents by relying heavily on historical trends of where border crossers were apprehended, said Randy Capps, a senior policy analyst at the Migration Policy Institute, a think tank that studies worldwide migration patterns.
"As it has been, it's pretty predictable where resources are going to be deployed. They announce an operation, they do an operation, and they stay there a long time."
The trouble with that strategy is that once crossers notice increased enforcement, they might alter their routes and actually have a higher rate of success in unpatrolled areas.
For instance, after the Border Patrol launched Operation Gatekeeper in 1994 to halt the flow of traffic through San Diego, illegal entries there plunged, but overall apprehensions continued to climb. In general, rising apprehension numbers could mean better enforcement, higher overall traffic or some combination, Predd said.
The RAND researchers conducted field interviews with agents to learn about illegal crossing trends, staffing levels, patrol strategies and past deployment patterns. They created simulations of individual Border Patrol agents and crossers and modified where agents were placed using past patterns in illegal crossing, random distributions or a combination of both. They also drew from real data to create comparisons and metrics for different stations across the border.
A mix of strategies worked best to catch the highest fraction of crossers.
"We looked at thousands of scenarios based on the number of zones, number of patrol agents, the daily rate of illegal smuggling," Predd said. "The idea that you should combine the two and shouldn't really use them in isolation is really robust across a wide range of values."
The study had a few limitations. For instance, it didn't address the geographic conditions that constrain crossers' ability to shift their routes, Predd said. Some remote, mountainous regions of the border are almost impossible to cross, while others are close to urban centers and transportation routes. Weather and seasonal conditions also might prevent crossers from changing their routes.
The Border Patrol claims that increased and more effective border enforcement already has caused the number of illegal crossings to plummet. The agency nearly doubled [PDF] the number of agents from 2005 to 2011 and has built hundreds of miles of fencing and sensors.
In the same time span, the number of illegal immigrants apprehended [PDF] dropped from 1,189,075 people to 340,252, with most of the decline occurring in the years after the recession started in 2007.
While beefed-up enforcement might have deterred some would-be crossers, Capps said other factors may have more impact on border-crossing trends. The U.S. economy has floundered since the recession, while the Mexican economy has done relatively well, reducing the incentive to make the arduous journey, he said.
Demographics also might play a role.
"The birth rate has been low there for a number of years," Capps said. "This large pool of people who could potentially migrate to the U.S. from Mexico is just much smaller than it was even five to 10 years ago, and it's going to continue to decline."
"You have less incentive, more opportunities at home, and it's harder," he said.


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Multimedia, magic and the way students respond to a situated learning environment
Herrington, J. and Oliver, R. (1997) Multimedia, magic and the way students respond to a situated learning environment. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 13 (2). pp. 128-144.
*Subscription may be required
Interactive multimedia is a relatively new educational innovation in primary, secondary and tertiary level classrooms. While the educational community has enthusiastically embraced its potential, relatively little is known about how students learn from multimedia, and the design features of the software itself that promote effective learning. This article describes results associated with a qualitative study into how students use an interactive multimedia program designed according to a situated learning model.
|Publication Type:||Journal Article|
|Publisher:||Australian Society for Educational Technology|
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Next:, Previous:, Up: Revisions [Contents][Index]
4.4 Tags–Symbolic revisions
The revision numbers live a life of their own. They need not have anything at all to do with the release numbers of your software product. Depending on how you use CVS the revision numbers might change several times between two releases. As an example, some of the source files that make up RCS 5.6 have the following revision numbers:
ci.c 5.21
co.c 5.9
ident.c 5.3
rcs.c 5.12
rcsbase.h 5.11
rcsdiff.c 5.10
rcsedit.c 5.11
rcsfcmp.c 5.9
rcsgen.c 5.10
rcslex.c 5.11
rcsmap.c 5.2
rcsutil.c 5.10
You can use the tag command to give a symbolic name to a certain revision of a file. You can use the '-v' flag to the status command to see all tags that a file has, and which revision numbers they represent. Tag names must start with an uppercase or lowercase letter and can contain uppercase and lowercase letters, digits, '-', and '_'. The two tag names BASE and HEAD are reserved for use by CVS. It is expected that future names which are special to CVS will be specially named, for example by starting with '.', rather than being named analogously to BASE and HEAD, to avoid conflicts with actual tag names.
You'll want to choose some convention for naming tags, based on information such as the name of the program and the version number of the release. For example, one might take the name of the program, immediately followed by the version number with '.' changed to '-', so that CVS 1.9 would be tagged with the name cvs1-9. If you choose a consistent convention, then you won't constantly be guessing whether a tag is cvs-1-9 or cvs1_9 or what. You might even want to consider enforcing your convention in the taginfo file (see taginfo).
The following example shows how you can add a tag to a file. The commands must be issued inside your working directory. That is, you should issue the command in the directory where backend.c resides.
$ cvs tag rel-0-4 backend.c
T backend.c
$ cvs status -v backend.c
File: backend.c Status: Up-to-date
 Version: 1.4 Tue Dec 1 14:39:01 1992
 RCS Version: 1.4 /u/cvsroot/yoyodyne/tc/backend.c,v
 Sticky Tag: (none)
 Sticky Date: (none)
 Sticky Options: (none)
 Existing Tags:
 rel-0-4 (revision: 1.4)
For a complete summary of the syntax of cvs tag, including the various options, see Invoking CVS.
There is seldom reason to tag a file in isolation. A more common use is to tag all the files that constitute a module with the same tag at strategic points in the development life-cycle, such as when a release is made.
$ cvs tag rel-1-0.
cvs tag: Tagging.
T Makefile
T backend.c
T driver.c
T frontend.c
T parser.c
(When you give CVS a directory as argument, it generally applies the operation to all the files in that directory, and (recursively), to any subdirectories that it may contain. See Recursive behavior.)
The checkout command has a flag, '-r', that lets you check out a certain revision of a module. This flag makes it easy to retrieve the sources that make up release 1.0 of the module 'tc' at any time in the future:
$ cvs checkout -r rel-1-0 tc
You can also check out a module as it was at any given date. See checkout options. When specifying '-r' to any of these commands, you will need beware of sticky tags; see Sticky tags.
When you tag more than one file with the same tag you can think about the tag as "a curve drawn through a matrix of filename vs. revision number." Say we have 5 files with the following revisions:
 file1 file2 file3 file4 file5
 1.2*- 1.2 1.2 -1.2*-
 1.3 \- 1.3*- 1.3 / 1.3
 1.4 \ 1.4 / 1.4
 \-1.5*- 1.5
At some time in the past, the * versions were tagged. You can think of the tag as a handle attached to the curve drawn through the tagged revisions. When you pull on the handle, you get all the tagged revisions. Another way to look at it is that you "sight" through a set of revisions that is "flat" along the tagged revisions, like this:
 file1 file2 file3 file4 file5
 1.1 1.3 _
 1.1 1.2 1.4 1.1 /
 1.2*----1.3*----1.5*----1.2*----1.1 (--- <--- Look here
 1.3 1.6 1.3 \_
 1.4 1.4


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Durham, NC — Coyotes today are pint-sized compared to their Ice Age counterparts, finds a new fossil study. Between 11,500 and 10,000 years ago — a mere blink of an eye in geologic terms — coyotes shrunk to their present size. The sudden shrinkage was most likely a response to dwindling food supply and changing interactions with competitors, rather than warming climate, researchers say.
In a paper appearing this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers studied museum collections of coyote skeletons dating from 38,000 years ago to the present day. It turns out that between 11,500 and 10,000 years ago, at the end of a period called the Pleistocene, coyotes in North America suddenly got smaller.
"Pleistocene coyotes probably weighed between 15-25 kilograms, and overlapped in size with wolves. But today the upper limit of a coyote is only around 10-18 kilograms," said co-author Julie Meachen of the National Evolutionary Synthesis Center in Durham, North Carolina.
"Within just over a thousand years, they evolved into the smaller coyotes that we have today," she added.
What caused coyotes to shrink? Several factors could explain the shift. One possibility is warming climate, the researchers say. Between 15,000 and 10,000 years ago, global average annual temperatures quickly rose by an average of six degrees. "Things got a long warmer, real fast," Meachen said.
Large animals are predicted to fare worse than small animals when temperatures warm up. To find out if climate played a role in coyotes' sudden shrinkage, Meachen and co-author Joshua Samuels of John Day Fossil Beds National Monument in Oregon measured the relationship between body size and temperature for dozens of Ice Age coyotes, and for coyotes living today, using thigh bone circumference to estimate body size for each individual.
But when they plotted body size against coldest average annual temperature for each animal's location, they found no relationship, suggesting that climate change was unlikely to be the main factor.
If the climate hypothesis is true, then we should see similar changes in other Ice Age carnivores too, Meachen added. The researchers also studied body size over time in the coyote's larger relative, the wolf, but they found that wolf body sizes didn't budge. "We're skeptical that climate change at the end of the Pleistocene was the direct cause of the size shift in coyotes," Meachen said.
Another possibility is that humans played a role. In this view, coyotes may have shrunk over time because early human hunters —believed to have arrived in North America around 13,000 years ago — selectively wiped out the bigger coyotes, or the animals coyotes depended on for food, leaving only the small to survive. Stone tool butchery marks on Ice Age animal bones would provide a clue that human hunters had something to do with it, but the fossil record has turned up too few examples to test the idea. "Human hunting as the culprit is really hard to dispute or confirm because there's so little data," Meachen said.
A third, far more likely explanation, is dwindling food supply and changing interactions with competitors, the researchers say. Just 1000 years before the sudden shrinkage in coyotes, dozens of other species were wiped out in a wave of extinctions that killed off many large mammals in North America. Until then, coyotes lived alongside a great diversity of large prey, including horses, sloths, camels, llamas and bison. "There were not only a greater diversity of prey species, but the species were also more abundant. It was a great food source," Meachen said.
While coyotes survived the extinctions, there were fewer large prey left for them to eat. Smaller individuals that required less food to survive, or could switch to smaller prey, would have had an advantage.
Before the die-off, coyotes also faced stiff competition for food from other large carnivores, including a bigger version of wolves living today called the dire wolf. After bigger carnivores such as dire wolves went extinct, coyotes would have no longer needed their large size to compete with these animals for food.
The findings are important because they show that extinction doesn't just affect the animals that disappear, the researchers say — it has long-term effects on the species that remain as well.
"In a time of increasing loss of biodiversity, understanding the degree to which species interactions drive evolutionary change is important," says Saran Twombly, program director in the National Science Foundation (NSF)'s Division of Environmental Biology, which supported the research.
"Species interactions are delicate balancing acts. When species go extinct, we see the signature of the effects on the species that remain," Meachen said.
CITATION: Meachen, J. and J. Samuels (2012). "Evolution in coyotes (Canis latrans) in response to the megafaunal extinctions." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The National Evolutionary Synthesis Center (NESCent) is a nonprofit science center dedicated to cross-disciplinary research in evolution. Funded by the National Science Foundation, NESCent is jointly operated by Duke University, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and North Carolina State University. For more information about research and training opportunities at NESCent, visit _URL_.
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.


text:
Miss Rumphius Literature Guide
What is our responsibility in the world? To Alice Rumphius, her responsibility was to do something to make the world more beautiful. But what does that mean to her and what does it mean to you? Making the world a more beautiful place may seem like a big task, but small simple gestures may have a bigger impact than you imagine. This book inspires the reader to think of small ways to do something for the common good. What will you do to make the world more beautiful?
ASK: What can you do to make the world a beautiful place?
SHOW: Look at the pictures throughout the book. Notice that the character goes to faraway places and grows older.
CONNECT: This is a story that tells about one person from when she is a child to a very old woman. There are three things she wants to do in her life. Let's find out what they are.
ASK: What are the three things Miss Rumphius wants to do?
SHOW: What job does she have? Where does she travel? How does she feel about other people?
CONNECT: What do you think she will do to make the world beautiful? What would you like to do to make the world beautiful in your lifetime?
ASK: What does the young Alice at the end of the story say she wants to do in her life? Why do you think she wants to do the same thing as her great aunt?
SHOW: Look at the final pictures of the children enjoying the company and flowers of Miss Rumphius. What does that tell you about Miss Rumphius?
CONNECT: Although Miss Rumphius seems to be alone her whole life, she is part of several different communities. What are the different communities? What different communities do you belong to? (A community is a group of people coming together for a common purpose or in a common place.)
- Design and carry out a plan to make the world a more beautiful place. Ideas include cleaning up a park, planting flowers, and organizing a recycling effort.
- Think of several examples of beauty in the world. Sort your ideas into different lists, such as natural things/made by humans or big/small or things to see/actions.
- Think of several examples of things in the world that could be made beautiful. List the steps to make one thing beautiful.
- Brainstorm a list of possible jobs for yourself and other family members. Look at the jobs in the book, jobs of people you know, and jobs related to current interests. When you are ready to choose a job for yourself (as a grown up), what do you think are the important things to consider? Why do you think Miss Rumphius chose the job she did?
- Design a seed packet for one kind of flower. Include labels, pictures, and descriptions. Use words that would appeal to Miss Rumphius.
- Observe a flower carefully. Then do one or more of the following:
- Use a ruler to measure it.
- Write a careful description of the flower.
- Draw a detailed picture of it.
- Write a poem about the flower using descriptions related to several of your senses.
- Discuss the meaning of the word philanthropy (the giving or sharing of one's time, talent, or treasure of the sake of another or the common good). Talk about how philanthropy is related to the story of Miss Rumphius. Talk about ways that your family is/can be philanthropists with time, with talent, and with treasure. Here are some ways other people are philanthropic:
- Jerry and his mother spend every Thanksgiving at a local soup kitchen helping to serve meals to the homeless.
- Mr. Roberts' class goes outside once a week to pick up trash around a local neighborhood.
- Bobby gives half of his allowance each week to an organization to support homeless people.
- Sheila baby-sits for her little cousin once a week so her Aunt can study and finish college.
- Katrina and Troy visit an area nursing home once a month to visit the elderly residents and give them seasonal cards and decorations.
- Lakeside Elementary has a mitten and sock clothesline at school to provide new mittens and socks for homeless children


_USER_ {15510, title = {Automatic assignment algorithms for loading double stack rail cars}, journal = {Transportation Research Record}, volume = {1511}, year = {1995}, month = {01/1995}, pages = {10-18}, chapter = {10}, abstract = {
The development of two automatic suggestion algorithms (ASAs) for loading containers onto double-stack railcars is described. A container-oriented ASA (COASA) considers each arriving container and selects a loading position (LP) on the train. A location-oriented ASA (LOASA) considers each loading position and selects a container from the arrival pool (the containers at the terminal entrance queue). Both approaches use heuristics to improve train loading quality. A well-loaded train has a high load factor, low center of gravity, and uniform load distribution along the length of the train. Metrics were developed for each of these measures of performance. The loading strategies are tested using the Monte Carlo method based on historical container arrival data and typical train configurations. The performance of the LOASA improves when the pool size is increased, with the greatest improvement occurring when the pool size increases from one to two. For pool sizes greater than two, the COASA and the LOASA have similar performance. A simplified algorithm also was tested and evaluated. That algorithm produced load factors similar to the LOASA and the COASA, but did not perform as well according to the other metrics.
}, keywords = {Algorithms, Containers, Heuristic methods, Loads, Monte Carlo method, Performance evaluations, Railroad cars}, issn = {0361-1981}, url = {_URL_ author = {Jahren, Charles T. and Rolle, Stephen S. and Spurgeon, Lawrence E. and Palmer, Richard N. and Newman, Ronald R. and Howland, David L.} }


Busy Bees Benefits: How to Implement an Employee Benefits Strategy
When your employees are happy at work, they are more engaged, which boosts productivity levels. Not only this, but engaged and motivated employees can also have a positive effect on your recruitment strategy, with "brand ambassadors" doing wonderful things for your company reputation.
Offering a relevant employee benefits package can improve your business's bottom line while attracting new talent, engaging with your workforce and boosting productivity. However, understanding where to start can be difficult, especially if you are a small business or start-up.
This process has three important steps:
 1. Implementation
 2. Communication
 3. Update and Develop
Find out more about these three steps and implement an employee benefits strategy that makes an impact.


So the thing is that I found the next sentence:
I understand the whole sentence and all, but that 「目を合わせて逸らさない」is troubling me.
I asked what it meant, and it was something like "To make eye contact and not look away", but then, does the tense of the last verb not affect the former one?
Maybe is it some kind of expression?
 - Can you elaborate on what is troubling you about the tenses? It's not clear at the moment. – user3856370 Mar 20 at 10:56
If you're asking if the negative form of the verb 逸らす would also affect 合わせる, it would not. "To make eye contact and not look away" is correct. If you want both to be negative, you would have to say "合わせないで逸らさない" (although, it makes no sense in this context).
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text:
KES Competency Committee
SAU 16 Vision For Our Graduates...
A Compass to Guide Our Work
Each graduate demonstrates engaged learning and citizenships through the ability to solve problems independently and collaboratively with perseverance and resilience, and communicates solutions with confidence and empathy.
Statement of Purpose
The KES Competency-Based Learning Committee seeks to support Kensington Elementary School in the on-going exploration and implementation of competency-based learning practices by nurturing a collaborative network of educators, students, parents, and other community members ; as well as, to foster a culture of school engagement and lifelong learning throughout the Kensington community.
Our activities may include, but are not limited to: facilitating communication between the school community and the broader Kensington community; educating community members about competency-based learning and its application at KES; and soliciting ideas and feedback from community members.
The committee's mandate is not tightly scripted, rather it remains fluid so that the committee is able to respond to the emerging needs of educators, students and the community as the school's engagement with competency-based learning deepens. (November 17, 2016)
What is Competency Based Education?
Competency Based Education is a system of academic instruction, assessment and reporting that focuses on students' ability to demonstrate and apply their knowledge across content areas. Competency Based Learning is personalized as it allows students to progress at their own pace once they have shown mastery of skills.
Why the shift to Competency Based Education now?
All of the schools in SAU 16 are committed to making the shift towards Competency-Based Learning, which is now a component of New Hampshire's Minimum Standards for Education. Specifically, RSA 193-C:3, III states that local school boards shall require no later than July 1, 2017 that in each school there is :
1) A broad and well-balanced elementary school curriculum that outlines district competencies for the K-8 program.
2) An instructional program that includes:
a. Procedures for diagnosing learner needs, learning styles, and interests;
b. Methods and strategies for teaching students;
c. Research-based learning opportunities;
d. Techniques for the evaluation of student outcomes, including performance assessments of district competencies and;
e. Provision of differentiated instruction for students based on learning styles, needs, and interests.
For more information, please review the New Hampshire's Department of Education Competency Statements.


cloud base planes
To see the field from the air, and to get a sense of the scale of clouds in relation to things on the ground, I went gliding.
Glider pilots pay great attention to cloud formations because they reveal movements of air. They estimate the cloud base, the level at which rising air condenses in the atmosphere. This is usually a flat plane and, as my instructor's ten year old son explained, with experience you can judge its height even from the ground. In my painting it turned out to be between two and three thousand feet - typical for this kind of weather in the East of England around midday to early afternoon.
The cloud base can provide an organising plane in the sky, heightening a sense of scale and distance, like perspectival floors in Rennaissance painting.
cloud base plan
texture gradient plan on paper
The clouds are regular, fair weather cumulus humilis, flattened slightly at the tops because of a temperature inversion just above them.
cloud appearance factors
- horizontal lines represent angles above the horizon from the spectator's view point
- the ping pong balls show the fall of sunlight across a regular object at 30 degree intervals from the sun
- yellow lines are the direction of sunlight
- red arrows are wind direction
texture gradient with disc elements
art and science
Calculating the size, shape and position of clouds on this plane can change how you see outdoors. For example, the central foreground cloud turned out to be about four kilometres away - about two kilometres beyond the horizon. If this cloud fell to earth in the foreground it would cover the entire field! The shock I felt when I realised this seemed to be a good measure of the difference between how things are and what we comfortably (and practically) assume.
By consciously planning and painting these relations, and to some extent internalising them, I gently shifted my feelings about flat landscapes. I began to see the spatial relationship between land and sky more clearly, and to feel more 'at home' between them.
Insofar as this emotion can be sensed in the painting, this is a an example of how scientific knowledge, including calculation, can add emotion to art.
Phone: +44 (0)1353 667014
Copyright © 2020 Stephen Taylor Paintings. All rights reserved. Website by Infiniti Graphics


Now I have pleiades raster (img.tif) and a RPC model (rpc.XML). In the rpc.XML, there are the following lines which can be used to reset geo information.
And I use the following code to reset geo info of img.tif with the value below.
xmin = 7.393918390116374
ymin = 46.89414037853461
xmax = 7.531577540047203
ymax = 46.98982504658424
first_col = 1
last_col = 18665
first_row = 1
last_row = 19676
def set_geo_info(in_path, out_path, xmin, ymin, xmax, ymax,
 first_row, first_col, last_row, last_col, *args):
 xmin, ymin, xmax, ymax are the longitude and latitude.
 print('Set Geo Information...')
 xres = (xmax - xmin) / (last_col - first_col + 1)
 yres = (ymax - ymin) / (last_row - first_row + 1)
 ds = gdal.Open(in_path)
 band = ds.GetRasterBand(1)
 arr = band.ReadAsArray()
 [y, x] = arr.shape
 driver = gdal.GetDriverByName("GTiff")
 outdata = driver.Create(out_path, x, y, 1, gdal.GDT_UInt16)
 outdata = None
 arr = None
 band = None
 ds = None
The result is kind of correct, but not entirely.
Position shifting wrt shapefile (WGS84)
As you can see, the red line is a shapefile (EPSG21781), while the railway in the result is not entirely overlap with shapefile. The distance of shifting is not consistent for this whole image. The displacement is larger near the edge of this image.
My questions:
 1. Am I heading the right direction to reset geo information?
 2. If 1. is correct, I guess the value which I fed into the gdal is wrong. How do I find the correct value from RPC model (rpc.XML)?
 3. If 1. and 2. is wrong, how do I do it in a right way?
 - Why downvote? Please criticize so I can improve my asking skill. – Lion Lai Jan 18 '19 at 18:14
You can warp the image using the RPCs directly with GDAL, e.g.
gdalwarp -r cubic -to RPC_DEM=my_dem.tif -rpc -t_srs epsg:4326 my_DIMAP_file.XML my_dimap_file_warped.tif
In order to get a good result it is advisable to use a high resolution DEM. You can do the same programmatically if you prefer by using gdal.Warp()
 - Thank you. It works, although there's still small displacement, but it's better than before. I use python elevation packge to download DEM. I think it's the reason why there is still small displacement in the output. – Lion Lai Jan 29 '19 at 13:53
 - I don't know the details of the product that you have, but it is quite possible that it is a so-called "Ortho-ready" product ( see orfeo-toolbox.org/CookBook/recipes/… ) which means the RPCs were created by projecting to a constant height instead of a DEM. In that case the positional accuracy that can be achieved would indeed be limited. – Markus M. Jan 30 '19 at 6:08
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