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- Get Involved
The Toledo Zoo Education department offers fun programs and services for learners of all ages; check out the programs below for more information.
We have a variety of fun courses for children six months to four years old and also for the whole family. Our programs are offered on weekdays and weekends and feature a variety of fun learning experiences at the Toledo Zoo.
Summer Safari Camps
These wildly popular summer programs let kids have fun, hands-on learning at the Zoo and beyond! Campers make enrichment items for Zoo animals, take special tours, make crafts, play wild games and so much more!
Nature's Neighborhood is the Zoo's year-round children's zoo where kids learn through play. Each day Nature's Neighborhood has great opportunities for fun, learning, and exploration! (free with regular Zoo admission)
Toledo Zoo Preschool
Your 3 or 4-year-old will love coming to the Zoo each day; or certified teachers have great lessons and activities waiting for your child.
Our programs, offered throughout the school year, help homeschool students meet academic standards. Programs fill up quickly, so register today.
Our teachers bring live animals, biofacts and animal expertise to your location for a wild lesson. Programs for convalescent centers, libraries, hospitals, senior centers, and special-needs organizations within Lucas County are free. Sign up today—programs fill quickly.
Our Discovery Box collection has great learning tools to enhance your lessons for students of all ages. Discovery Boxes can be checked out and used at the location of your choice.
Scout Badge Programs
Do you have Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts in your family? Check into our seasonal badge programs offered at the Zoo.
This overnight program at the Zoo offers a one-of-a-kind experience. Ideal for school classes, scout troops, clubs, home school groups, church groups and more.


Hello there! Im currently making a 5 color print in illustrator and i got a few questions:
1) how bad is that my color layers are overlapping, like for example i got a yellow wall and above is layer with green and orange tree leaf, how will it turn out when screen printed?
2) how colours are counted, like if i have brown normal colour and brown with opacity 50% and multiply mode does it count as 1 colour and can they be on same layer?
3) i would like to have a detailed screen printing preparation guide with cmplicated design example.
Thank you whoever answers me )
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Who was Halime Hatun and When Did She Die?
Interesting Historical Facts about the Mother of Osman Gazi
Halime Hatun's death continues to be investigated by people who are curious about historical details. Halime Hatun, the wife of Ertugrul Gazi and the mother of Osman Gazi who founded the Ottoman Empire, has begun to be on the agenda recently as a popular historical figure with her death.
The lady that gave direction to the history was buried in Ertugrul Gazi Tomb in Söğüt district of Bilecik and gave birth to three sons. Who was Halime Hatun (also known as Halime Sultan) and how did she die? Here are the details of the topic.
Halime Hatun, the wife of Ertugrul Bey, was also the mother of Osman Bey who is the founder of the Ottoman Empire. The grave of Halime Hatun, who has a very important role in the development and growth of Kayı Tribe which is the origin of the Ottoman Empire, is located in the tomb of Ertugrul Gazi in Söğüt district of Bilecik. So, who was Halime Hatun and how old was she when she died? Here is the detailed information about the important historical figure.
Halime Hatun is mentioned by more than one name in history, as Halime Sultan and Haime Hanım. Although there is no information about her date of birth, Halime Hatun is known to have passed away in the year 1282.
Halime Hatun was the wife of Ertugrul Gazi, the leader of Kayı Tribe and the son of Suleyman Shah and his wife Hayme Hatun.
Halime Hatun and Ertugrul Bey had three sons. Their names were; Saru Batu Savcı Bey (died in 1287), Gündüz Alp (died in 1306), and Osman Gazi (_PHONE_).
The grave of Halime Hanim, who passed away in 1281, is in the garden of the tomb of her husband Ertugrul Gazi in Sogut. It was built by Osman Gazi.
Where was Ertugrul Gazi and Halime Hatun Buried?
Ertugrul Gazi Mausoleum is the tomb of Ertuğrul Bey and it was built in the late 13th century and its exact construction date is not known. It was first built as an open grave by Osman Bey and later turned into a tomb by Mehmet Çelebi I.
In 1757, the tomb was renovated by Sultan III. Mustafa and the initial construction plan of the tomb were changed. In 1886, it was restored by Abdulhamid II. and a fountain was added beside it.
The tomb of Ertugrul Gazi has a hexagonal plan, covered with a dome, and is accessed after a rectangular entrance. There are two windows next to that entrance. The walls of the tomb are built of one row of stones and two rows of bricks. Rectangular windows were opened on the west and southeast walls inside the tomb where the coffin is located.
Who was Halime Hatun and When Did She Die?
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History of Thyme
The Latin name is Thymus vulgaris (Thymus common). It is found in the southern and Mediterranean regions of Europe, in various parts of Asia and is grown in North America.
Other names are thyme, savory and melitzini. It is a small shrub whose height does not exceed 40 cm. Its color is grayish. Its stems are woody, upright, well branched, square. Leaves small, oval, plush underneath. Flowers small and rosy. It is excellent bee plant. Bees in spring are by tens on each bush sucking nectar to produce amazing honey thyme.
The Egyptians used it for mummification and for aromatic uses. Dioscorides recommended it as a disinfectant for various diseases from the 1st century AD. Pliny recommended it as an antidote for snake bites, againt the poison of the "sea creatures" and headaches.
The Romans burned the plant believing that the smoke was repelling scorpions and used it in their baths to gain vigor and energy. In the Middle Ages women embroidered branches of thyme for wandering knights for the same reason. During the 16th century was established as a medicine in Europe.
In folk medicine used thyme to cure scabies. Solutions of thyme soap was used by surgeons to disinfect hands.
In Crete appreciated from the old times thyme's antiseptic and antimicrobial properties. Cretans chewed flowers or rub their gums to make strong teeth. Rubbed also with flower pustules of smallpox not to leave marks. The thyme oil with other flavoring oils was used against rheumatism.


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The fire in the Public Record Office complex in the Four Courts during the Irish Civil War (_PHONE_) resulted in the severe damage and destruction of records. Although not all records from the Chief Secretary's Office in Dublin Castle survive, especially from the period before 1836, sufficient material has survived to make the transportation records held in the National Archives a major source for Australians researching Irish convict ancestors. Penal transportation to Australia (and later to Bermuda or Gibraltar) covered the years 1791 until 1853 when the sentence of penal transportation was commuted to a prison sentence in Ireland.
For information on transportation sources, please consult the following pages on our site:
- Ireland-Australia transportation database (.pdf version)
- 'Sources in the National Archives for research into the transportation of Irish convicts to Australia (_PHONE_)' by Rena Lohan (.pdf format)
- Frequently Asked Questions on transportation to Australia
Transportation records of interest include the following:
- Transportation Registers (_PHONE_)
- Prisoners' Petitions and Cases (_PHONE_)
- State Prisoners' Petitions (_PHONE_)
- Convict Reference Files (_PHONE_: _PHONE_)
- Free Settlers' Papers (_PHONE_)
- Male Convict Register (_PHONE_)
- Register of Convicts on Convict Ships (_PHONE_)
Microfilms containing full copies of the the above records are available in the Reading Room and the index and microfilms are also available in libraries in Australia. If the search of the microfilms has been successful, there may be enough information to pursue the search in other National Archives' sources such as the Chief Secretary's Office Registered Papers and Outrage Reports or in newspapers held in the National Library of Ireland.

source: HuggingFaceFW/fineweb-edu


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This textbook and clinical guide is ideal for veterinary nurses and technicians in training. It offers a concise yet comprehensive resource for veterinary students and practitioners desiring a review of anesthesia and analgesia with step-by-step guidelines. A wealth of illustrations illustrate the theory in practice.
Table of Contents
1. Principles of Anesthesia and Analgesia 2. Preparing the Patient for Anesthesia 3. Anesthesia Machines and Equipment 4. Anesthesia Drugs 5. Monitoring the Anesthetized Patient 6. Support of the Anesthetized Patient 7. Pain and Analgesia: Importance of Analgesia and Adding Analgesia to Anesthetic Protocols 8. Anesthesia Step-by-Step 9. Specific Cases 10. Treating Complications and Emergencies 11. Anesthesia in Horses 12. Anesthesia for Pocket Pets
The authors are all members of the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences at Washington State University, USA.

source: openbmb/Ultra-FineWeb


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Henry and the Bully
When a bully starts stealing Henry's soccer ball at recess, the little mouse doesn't know what to do. He tries to ask his teacher for help, and his mom, too. But soon Henry realizes he's got to find his own way to solve his bully problem.
Classroom favorite Nancy Carlson encourages young readers to use creativity and empathy to tackle one of school's toughest challenges.
To keep up-to-date, input your email address, and we will contact you on publication
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In this research we studied the 12 tone equal temperament (TET) which consists
of the modern music system, and investigated the mathematical properties of it. Furthermore, we explored the possibilities of developing new music systems beyond the 12 TET. There are constraints in realizing the new music system. Since existing musical instruments have been designed for the 12-TET, it would require much effort and time to modify them for a new music system. However, it is possible to develop new music systems using present computer software due to the advancement of the IT industry and computer science. We can integrate music theory with mathematics by studying these new music systems. Musicians would be able to play current string instruments under new music systems because strings can hit a continuum of notes. We would also be able to sing songs composed under the new music systems. Further development in this area may drive the music industry to produce modified instruments, such as the wind instruments and the piano, compatible with new music systems. Possible consequences may include the discovery of exotic music systems, a renaissance within the music industry, and a myriad of new jobs within the industry.


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Growing Bromeliads at Home
Find out how easy it is to bring winter color to your home with tips from Garden Expert Sonia Uyterhoeven at The New York Botanical Garden.
To induce flowering, increase the light level. Most bromeliads flower in the winter. If you are having a difficult time getting a mature plant to flower, you can force it by placing a fruit bowl with apples next to the plant for 7 to 10 days. The ethylene gas produced by the fruit will help to encourage flowering, although you need to be patient.
Flowers of bromeliads in the genus Aechmea have colorful bracts that hold their color for several weeks to several months.
Shown here:Aechmea fasciata
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Thomas Broomé Only Uses Words to Make Rooms in 'Modern Mantra'
By: Alexander Lam - Published: • References: & designtaxi
Using only words, artist Thomas Broomé created a series of uber-descriptive room drawings called 'Modern Mantra.' Each room that Broomé drew is composed only of words and nothing else. Furniture, walls and rooms were all drawn using the words that describe them. For example, the table was drawn using the word 'table' while the walls were drawn with the word 'wall.' With this restriction, Broomé went to create detailed rooms with lighting and perspective.
The amazing illustrations in 'Modern Mantra' were created with only ink and paper. As a result, each drawing is monotone. However, Broomé still managed to make his drawings realistic with varied spacing between words to show differences in light. The words for the wall were spaced apart while the words on the tapestry were clustered closely together. Stats for Literal Room Illustrations Trending: Older & Chilly
Traction: 926 clicks in 82 w
Interest: 1.6 minutes
Concept: Modern Mantra
Related: 87 examples / 67 photos
Segment: Neutral, 18-55
Comparison Set: 32 similar articles, including: fun-loving villain illustrations, fairytale college student cartoons, and typographical pun illustrations.


text: CQ inhibited the colony formation of GBC cells combined with 5-FU. (A) The analysis of changes in cell cycle was quantified by flow-cytometry after PI staining in SGC-996 cells and GBC-SD cells treated without or with 5-FU for 48 h after 12 hours pre-treatment without or with CQ. Values were given as mean ± SD. Treatment of GBC cells with 5-FU alone resulted in increased intra-S arrest, but the G1 arrest was potentiated by CQ-pretreatment. Meanwhile, G2/M progression of GBC cells was blocked by the treatment with 5-FU alone, and it was potentiated by the 12 hours pretreatment of CQ. (B) The colony formation assay was used to assess recovery GBC cells treated without or with 5-FU for 48 h after 12-h pretreatment without or with CQ (100 μM). Values were given as mean ± SD. Single treatment of 5-FU or CQ alone resulted in a delay and slight inhibition of the colony-forming ability, at day 13 of culture most cells were recovery and had formed colonies. However, pre-treatment of cells with CQ prior to exposure to 5-FU resulted in enhanced inhibitory effect on the colony forming ability, which was recovery lower than 50% of control untreated cells at day 13 (*, p < 0.05 vs. control, n = 3).


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I have a good understanding of the system objects available to protect the counter variable above. This example comes from a larger system. Adding one line of code, would take months to rebuild, retest, redeploy.
In a finite system such as computer programming, I am trying not to assume anything. I am trying to figure out if the above assuptions are the only possible influences on the counter variable (comment about printf statement noted).
A colleague insists that at one time or another the variable could contain a "garbage" value. I tend to insist that the value x will always clearly reflect the number of operations performed - (minus) the number of times the race condition is hit.
Anybody willing to take sides?
Last edited by RwAA23; March 30th, 2009 at 04:39 AM.
>> Anybody willing to take sides?
The actual answer depends on the CPU architecture and the assembly instructions generated by the compiler (which could easily change with the change of a compiler option...).
The general answer has been given. Anything can happen - meaning any value read from x can be considered "garbage".
Ok, thanks again for the posts. I get the feeling that I'm going wrong somewhere and if anybody has the patience to go back to basics to find out where, please let me know.
I start with x=x+1 which (to me) means read x, add 1 to it, write x.
For me, adding concurrency means that if a thread is interrupted between the read and the write, then both threads "think" they've incremented x; so you can never be sure that x is reflecting a correct value for whatever this program is doing; thus the need to protect access to it.
What I am getting back on these posts is that there is a possibility to interrupt threads during the read and write operations, does this mean the value of x can be partially written while being read? That's what I am having a difficult time with.
Or maybe another possibility, could some OS architectures require more than one operation to read or write; meaning that they can be interrupted between operations rather than during?
>> does this mean the value of x can be partially written while being read?
>> require more than one operation to read or write; meaning that they can be interrupted between operations
There are many ways un-synchronized access to shared to shared memory can break your code:
* re-ordering of program-order memory accesses by the compiler
* re-ordering of inter-thread memory accesses by CPU cache-coherency and speculative execution algorithms of the HW
* all the various interleavings of threads executing non-atomic instructions
If you want to tell us the CPU, OS, and compiler you're using, then one could speculate as to what could actually occur when multiple threads execute "++x". In general it's a LOAD, INC, STORE - each of which may or may not be atomic.
Last edited by Codeplug; March 31st, 2009 at 02:52 PM.
For the value of x, I think I can put it to rest. Without synchro, the value can be anything at any given time.
Just one last question, could you briefly explain or give an example to what you eluded to in ticket 6? IS this relating to a "bad" value of x being passed further down the line and having a bug appear elsewhere? Or, is there some other black voodoo magic dangerous to the real world ;-) about having two thread both read and write to the same static memory location?
Or, is there some other black voodoo magic dangerous to the real world ;-) about having two thread both read and write to the same static memory location?
It's totally black voodoo magic. Either that or experience.
In simple MT programs, race conditions can be tracked down relatively easily. An experience [mt] developer can usually spot the problems with a quick code inspection and may even be able to predict the type of failure(s).
However, when the complexity of the system goes up, it becomes more difficult to understand or predict how or in what module the program will fail.
Depending on the programmers style, it may be difficult to isolate these issues. For example consider a style where global variables are shared between threads (not an approach I recommend) in a complex program. If any unprotected access is made to the shared variable you will have unpredictable results which may manifest themselves in behaviors that aren't at all expected. Sure, when you track the issue down you can usually explain the behavior such that this unprotected global had a race condition that led to this, then this, and finally this. However, not always can the resultant behavior in complex systems be explained by immediately understanding that it's caused by an unprotected variable.
As I said, I wouldn't recommend sharing a global variable between threads. I prefer to provide some isolation and encapsulation with data shared between threads. For example, I would create a class containing the data and create some synchronized accessors that read and write the data. The different threads that consume the class, don't need to worry about the synchronization chores - they simply call the accessors (and the synchronization happens within the class).
Another synchronization approach that I follow is to use the RAII (Resource Aquisition Is Initialization). I use a couple of synch wrapper classes that wrap a critical section, mutex, and reader writer lock implementation and then a 'locker' class that provides the RAII support. The locker class provides the RAII by simply obtaining a lock in the ctor and automatically releasing it in the dtor. This ensures that a lock is always released and greatly simplifies the code.
I mentioned earlier that I don't sweat knowing the atomic operations specific to a platform. The code I wrote isn't usually platform specific so I don't what to get into maintaining special cases as to whether I require synchronization on this platform or that. My general rule is that if I am sharing a variable across threads, then I synchronize access. The exceptioin to this is when the data in the variable is created prior to being accessed by the multiple threads and as a result is only ever read-only. Of course, part of getting good performance with regard to multithreading is to wisely choose the proper synch primitives (cs, mutex, etc.).
>>Am I right to expect that both threads may (from time to time) print the >>message for the same 100 operations?
Theoretically its possible that it may not print anything at all..
Consider this scenario.
when x was just evaluating 99. Thread one kicks in and makes it 100, thats allright. But before it could do x%100, thread 2 kicks in and increase it to 101. Now ++x%100 will evaluate 1 and hence would not print.
SO theoretically it may happen that it never print.
Dont forget to rate my post if you find it useful.
Thanks to everyone, I really enjoyed this discussion and I fully agree that failure to protect shared variables is normally bad form, sloppy and / or lazy. That can lead to "dangerous" situations since garbage values are not always expected nor are they handled safely. It is far better to avoid the garbage values rather than let them happen and have to defend against them later.
I'll come clean. I started thinking about the consequences of this race condition as I was writting a quick program to diagnose something. The program had something like heartbeats, with a tolorance to miss one (or two in a row (which would have happened if the race condition was hit)). I knew it was a patch job, and couldn't be bothered adding sychronisation. Even adding one line of code with a "auto" critical section (similar to what Arjay explained with a lock & unlock in the ctor & dtor) add a dependancy to another class or library.
Thanks again for the discussion, I wouldn't mind having you all over to my place sometime. I run a pretty tight ship. Heck you can almost eat off the floor. But I'll tell ya a little secret, I once left meatloaf in my fridge for over a month ;-)
It should be pointed out that not all race conditions are capable of generating garbage, and not all race conditions are---strictly speaking---bad. But they're important to be aware of.
Let's say that Event A and Event B occur in different threads. They access some of the same information, but are not strictly reliant on one or the other happening first. So long as that information is properly protected by a critical section, there's no danger of garbage being introduced. However, a race condition still exists; and if at some future point the ordering of A and B becomes relevant, this would need to be addressed.


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Spanning trees are special subgraphs of a graph that have several important properties. First, if T is a spanning tree of graph G, then T must span G, meaning T must contain every vertex in G. Second, T must be a subgraph of G. In other words, every edge that is in T must also appear in G. Third, if every edge in T also exists in G, then G is identical to T.
Spanning trees are important in path-finding algorithms such as Dijkstra's shortest path algorithm and A* search algorithm. Spanning trees are calculated as sub-parts in those algorithms. It is also used in network routing protocols. The spanning tree protocol is one example.
There are a few general properties of spanning trees.
- A connected graph can have more than one spanning tree. They can have as many as where is the number of vertices in the graph.
- All possible spanning trees for a graph G have the same number of edges and vertices.
- Spanning trees do not have any cycles.
- Spanning trees are all minimally connected. That is, if any one edge is removed, the spanning tree will no longer be connected.
- Adding any edge to the spanning tree will create a cycle. So, a spanning tree is maximally acyclic.
- Spanning trees have edges, where is the number of vertices.
Different types of graphs have different numbers of spanning trees. Here are a few examples.
1) Complete Graphs
A complete graph is a graph where every vertex is connected to every other vertex. The number of spanning trees for a graph G with vertices is defined by the following equation:.
2) Connected Graphs
For connected graphs, spanning trees can be defined either as the minimal set of edges that connect all vertices or as the maximal set of edges that contains no cycle.
A connected graph is simply a graph that necessarily has a number of edges that is less than or equal to the number of edges in a complete graph with the same number of vertices. Therefore, the number of spanning trees for a connected graph is.
If a graph G is itself a tree, the only spanning tree of G is itself. So a tree with vertices is defined as.
4) Complete Bipartite Graph
A bipartite graph is a graph where every node can either be associated with one of two sets, or. Vertices within these sets only connect to vertices in the other. There are no intra-set edges. A complete bipartite graph then is a bipartite graph where every vertex in set is connected to every vertex in set, and vice versa.
The number of spanning trees for a bipartite graph is defined by.
5) General Graph
To calculate the number of spanning trees for a general graph, a popular theorem is Kirchhoff's theorem.
To perform this theorem, a two-dimensional matrix must be constructed that can be indexed via both row and column by the graphs' vertices. The cell in the row and column has a value that is determined by three things. If, then the value in the cell will be equal to the degree of. If and are adjacent, then the value will be. Otherwise, the value will be.
From here, an arbitrary vertex is chosen and its corresponding row and column is removed from the matrix. The determinant of this new matrix is a spanning tree.
Spanning trees can be found in linear time by simply performing breadth-first search or depth-first search. These graph search algorithms are only dependent on the number of vertices in the graph, so they are quite fast.
Breadth-first search will use a queue to hold vertices to explore later, and depth-first search will use a stack. In either case, a spanning tree can be constructed by connecting each vertex with the vertex that was used to discover it.
Unfortunately, these search algorithms are not well suited for parallel or distributed computing, an area in which spanning trees are popular. There are, however, algorithms that are designed to find spanning trees in a parallel setting.
For complete graphs, there is an exact number of edges that must be removed to create a spanning tree. For a complete graph G, a spanning tree can be calculated by removing edges. In this equation, is the number of edges, and is the number of vertices.
Minimum spanning trees are a variant of the spanning tree.
A minimum spanning tree for an unweighted graph G is a spanning tree that minimizes the number of edges or edge weights.
A minimum spanning tree for a weighted graph G is a spanning tree that minimizes the weights of the edges in the tree.
These two images show the difference between a spanning tree and minimum spanning tree. The edges that are grayed out are left out of their respective trees, but they're left in the images to show their weights.
Minimum spanning trees are very helpful in many applications and algorithms. They are often used in water networks, electrical grids, and computer networks. They are also used in graph problems like the traveling salesperson problem, and they are used in important algorithms such as the min-cut max-flow algorithm.
There are many ways to find the minimum spanning trees, but Kruskal's algorithm is probably the fastest and easiest to do by hand.
1. Find the minimum spanning tree for the graph below. What is its total weight?
The minimum spanning tree is shown below. Its total weight is 31.
- Eppstein, D. Spanning Trees. Retrieved April 10, 2016, from _URL_
- Benbennick, D. Wikipedia Complete Graph. Retrieved May 21, 2016, from _URL_
- A, L. Wikipedia Connected Graph. Retrieved May 21, 2016, from _URL_
- A, L. Wikipedia Tree. Retrieved May 21, 2016, from _URL_
- A, K. Wikipedia Complete Bipartite Graph. Retrieved May 21, 2016, from _URL_


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|01-08-2012, 04:57 AM||#1|
Join Date: May 2011
Mysterious Radio "Blast" Before Colorado Massacre
The GWEN tower network (Ground Wave Emergency Network) was a command and control communications system intended for use by the United States government to facilitate military communications before, during and after a nuclear war. Specifically, GWEN was constructed to survive the effects of a high-altitude nuclear explosion electromagnetic pulse to insure that the United States President or his survivors can give a launching order to strategic nuclear bombers.
GWEN transmitters were placed 200 miles apart across the US to allow specific frequencies to be tailored to the geomagnetic-field strength in each area, allowing the magnetic field to be altered. They operate in the Low Frequency (LF) range, with transmissions between LF 150 and 175 KHz. They also emit waves from the upper VHF to the lower UHF range of 225 - 400 MHz. The LF signals travel by waves that hug the ground rather than radiating into the atmosphere.
A GWEN station transmits in a 360 degree circle up to 300 miles, the signal dropping off sharply with distance. The entire GWEN system consists of from 58 to 300 transmitters spread across the US with the largest concentration of them being in Colorado and Pennsylvania. Each tower is 299-500 ft high having 300 ft copper wires in spoke-like fashion fan out from the base of the system underground, interacting with the Earth, like a thin shelled conductor, that radiates radio wave energy for very long distances through the ground.
The GWEN system was banned by the US Congress in 1994 over fears it could be used for "mind control" of the American population though many of its existing towers (including the one in Pueblo, Colorado) still exist and are said to be tasked with different missions.
The most outspoken critic of the GWEN system was Dr. Andrija Puharich (_PHONE_) [photo bottom left] who as a US Army officer in the 1950's participated, and frequently oversaw, what are known as The Edgewood Arsenal Experiments (also known as Project 112) said to be related to or part of CIA mind-control programs after World War II, such as MKULTRA.
American journalist Linda Hunt, citing records from the US National Archives, revealed that eight Nazi German scientists worked at Edgewood, under Project Paperclip: see "Secret Agenda: the United States Government, Nazi Scientists and Project Paperclip" St. Martin's Press, 1991; ABC PrimeTime Live, Operation Paperclip, 1991, and hearings before the House Judiciary Committee, 1991. The experiments were performed at the Edgewood Arsenal, northeast of Baltimore, Maryland, and involved the use of hallucinogens such LSD, THC, and BZ, in addition to biological and chemical agents.
Dr. Puharich presented to US military and political leaders in the early 1960's the potentially catastrophic mental effects of ELF waves on human minds, but it is said they did not believe him. He then gave this information to certain dignitaries of other Western nations who then passed it on to the former Soviet Union who used it against the US Embassy in Moscow on 4 July 1976 when they bombarded it with electromagnetic-waves (known as the "Russian Woodpecker Incident"), varying the signal, including focusing on the 10 Hz range said to cause the most instability in the human mind.
Important to note about Dr. Puharich is that he is credited with starting what is now known as the "psychedelic age" when during a 1961 broadcast of the popular American television programme on the paranormal One Step Beyond he conducted an experiment on that shows host John Newland using hallucinogenic mushrooms. (See video of show:
In his 1974 book The Sacred Mushroom: Key to the Door of Eternity, Dr. Puharich explained that 7.83 Hz (Earth's pulse rate) made a person feel good, producing an altered-state, 10.80 Hz causes riotous behavior and 6.6 Hz causes depression.
This report further states that a review of this mysterious frequency "blast" showed it having appeared only once before on 8 January 2011 when the GWEN tower in Phoenix, Arizona was "activated" at nearly the same time Jared Loughner killed 6 people and wounded 14 including US Representative Gabrielle Giffords.
To if these mysterious "blasts" can be conclusively tied to these mass shootings this report doesn't say. What is important to note, however, and as we noted in our report Colorado Massacre Linked To Historic Bank Fraud, the US government has long been suspected of using these types of horrific incidents to institute major policy and/or law changes designed to disarm the American people.
As the chief suspect in the Colorado massacre, James Holmes is reported to have written and worked on mind control projects and is presently claiming amnesia as he has no knowledge of his actions, all signs pointing to this being a false flag operation appear to be worth additional investigation..
With the Democrat allies of President Obama slipping a new gun control law into the cybersecurity bill late last night, and due to be voted on soon, the "real reason", perhaps, for this latest shocking massacre may be in plain sight. Unfortunately, and as is always the case, the American people still prefer their simple "mainstream" news fictions rather than the most always more complicated truth.
Source url: _URL_
|01-08-2012, 10:01 AM||#2|
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Over the hill and round the bend
The SOD's sacred muchrooms appear to be nuclear!
And who can say if that is the real James Holmes? His family is involved according to info on the DI site!
When you know who you're not allowed to criticize, you know who is in control! Points taken!
|colorado massacre, elf waves, mind control, obama, ordo ab chao|


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Tropical and subtropical mangroves
support adjacent marine communities and ecosystems, including seagrass beds and coral reefs. However, little is known about the intra-wetland processes that regulate those interactions and how they are affected when the coastal zone is altered by eutrophication.
The objectives of this study are to determine the patterns of nutrient limitation across mangrove forests in Bocas del Toro and the effects of nutrient availability of plant growth, within-plant nutrient conservation mechanisms, litter turnover rates, soil chemistry, and primary consumption.
This study is part of our effort to understand general patterns of nutrient availability in mangrove ecosystems. Our goals are to compare plant growth, photosynthesis, nutrient cycling processes, and animal-plant interactions in response to nutrient enrichment in mangrove forests.
We propose to investigate patterns of aboveand below-ground growth, faunal composition and abundance, herbivory patterns, soil chemistry, and nutrients cycling that occur in the ecotones connecting the open water mangrove forests with the interior mangrove forests at Bocas del Toro. Data from this experiment will be compared to other ongoing fertilization experiments in mangrove forests elsewhere in the Neotropics and in Australia.
These experiments are fundamental to understanding the role of mangroves in absorbing and capturing nutrients in eutrophying systems and the impact of nutrient enrichment on these systems.


Rad-X (Fallout 3)
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For the Rad-X that appear in the Fallout series, see Rad-X.
FO3 Rad-X
Icon Rad-X
effects25% Rad. Res. for 4 min.
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Rad-X is a chem in Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas.
Rad-X is an anti-radiation chemical that can significantly reduce the danger of irradiated areas. When combined with an advanced radiation suit, Rad-X can create near-immunity to radiation, even at moderate medical skill levels.
Rad-X is reasonably common and can be used frequently. Like stimpaks and RadAway, Rad-X is non-addictive, and its effectiveness is controlled by the Medicine skill. Taking multiple doses of Rad-X does not increase the total radiation resistance (the effects do not stack). Instead, the drug's active time is lengthened (the effective time stacks).
Medicine skill effectEdit
10+30 % Radiation resistance for 4m
20+35 % Radiation resistance for 4m
30+40 % Radiation resistance for 4m
40+45 % Radiation resistance for 4m
50+50 % Radiation resistance for 4m
60+55 % Radiation resistance for 4m
70+60 % Radiation resistance for 4m
80+65 % Radiation resistance for 4m
90+70 % Radiation resistance for 4m
100+75 % Radiation resistance for 4m
Notable locationsEdit
Fallout 3Edit
Fallout: New VegasEdit
No combination of Rad-X and radiation resistant clothing will grant a total immunity to radiation, as Radiation Resistance caps off at 85%. Any irradiated area will, at the very least, have a persistent +1 rads effect even at the highest levels of radiation resistance, meaning the player will never be able to survive longer than 16 minutes and 40 seconds without the use of a radiation removal item (or 17 minutes 32 seconds with the Rad Absorption perk).
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Ecosystem stability: How a Plant Community Blows Off Wind Pressure
This research paper aims to understand how Aruba's plant ecosystem is shaped and affected by the constant wind pressure present on the island. This was achieved by evaluating and comparing multiple variables related to ecosystem stability, resilience and service provision with wind exposure (leeward and windward) and wind strength through data collection and analyses and a literature review. Results showed leeward sides present higher plant population, density and species richness, while windward slopes present higher biodiversity. Furthermore, the slopes with the highest wind strength were found to have the highest variations between exposure and the lowest values. These results point to the wind having an apparent hindering effect on plant population, richness and cover while showing that biodiversity is a more robust characteristic and could thus remain unchanged under environmental stress. Defining which slopes present higher stability and resilience cannot be concluded, but windward slopes, which present plant deformation and patchy distribution, could be better adapted to stronger winds that could occur with climate change, than leeward slopes, which have vegetation that is less affected by current conditions.


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In one-of-its-kind effort to conserve the snake from extinction, the Jim Corbett National Park has made mandatory for the forest department employees to adopt the methods to curb the declining number of snakes in the state.
As per the directive issued by the Chief Wildlife Caretaker, Dr Srikanat Chandola, forest department employees including the security staff will have to go through training sessions at Corbett Training Centre, Kalagarh to learn the procedures followed in protection of snakes.
Considered as the most persecuted of all animals, snake killing fails to come to a halt. With the destruction of habitat due to urban sprawl, deforestation and pollution, the snake count has drastically reduced leading to the extinction of its several species.
Gauging the importance of this carnivorous reptile in maintaining a healthy ecosystem, the caretaker has resolved to make training as a compulsory part of the curriculum. Under this, lessons and practical training will be given to forest police for controlling snake killings in the state.
Along with this, departmental officers and workers will be taught about the ways to prevent killing of snakes.
It is worth mentioning that out of 270 species of snakes in the country, 70 are found in Uttarakhand. Snakes are the indicators of the healthy ecosystem. They help to control rodent pests from destroying crops and helps in preparing life saving drugs.
However, following the lack of awareness amongst the masses, Additional Chief Forest Conservator, Jai Raj, in the year 2008, took an initiative in this direction. Helpline numbers were launched and NGOs were involved in the rescue operation. In this effort 94 workers of 37 departments were trained to protect snakes.


Picmonic NCLEX® Question of the Day
Today, the nurse on the pediatric unit has a 12-year-old, male patient who is newly diagnosed with sickle cell anemia. The parents of the patient are asking the nurse for more information on why anemia occurs in patients with this disease. Which of the following statements made by the parents indicate that teaching was successful?
"Anemia is an autoimmune reaction."
"Anemia results from hemolysis of red blood cells."
"This disease is characterized by sickle-shaped white blood cells."
"Anemia is caused by deoxygenated blood cells."
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text:
Essay Topic 1
Chapter 1, "The Library," establishes that young Mr. Vane, an orphan and recent Oxford graduate, has an interest in the metaphysical. Discuss the following:
1. Define the term "metaphysical."
2. Discuss what elements of the metaphysical appear in Lilith, e. g.: What elements of Lilith seem outside the five senses? Give examples. What things that happen cannot be proved by normal scientific methods?
3. What challenges are there in reading a novel that is based in metaphysics?
Essay Topic 2
Obviously, much of Lilith is grounded in Judeo-Christian traditions and writings. Discuss one the following:
1. Discuss five images that arise out of the Torah/Old Testament. What does each image mean in the Torah/Old Testament? How is the meaning of the image similar in Lilith as in the Torah/Old Testament? How is the meaning different?
2. Discuss five images that arise out of the Christian text called The New Testament...
This section contains 2,654 words
(approx. 9 pages at 300 words per page)


Saturday, May 20, 2017
Decrypting a SAML Assertion in OpenSAML v3
As you probably should know at this point, the SAML Assertion contains the description of a authenticated user and how it was autheunticitoted. The assertion is generally signed to prevent manipulation but there are also cases where you would want to encrypt the assertion to prevent someone to see the information within. For example the assertion can be used to communicate personal information about the user such as social security number and adress.
As most people reading my blog seem to be on the SP side of SAML I will explain how to decrypt an assertion.
The general method of encryption and subsequent decryption of a assertion uses two keys, one symetric and on asymetric.
The symtric key is generated during encryption and used to encrypt the actual assertion data. A asymetric key, generally a SP key contained in the metadata, is then used to encrypt the symetric key which is then stored in the XML together with the ecrypted assertion.
To decrypt the reverse of this is done. The asymmetric is used to decrypt the symmetric key, which is then used to decrypt the assertion.
Now for the OpenSAML part.
First we get the assertion from the XML. The assertion is stored in a EncryptedAssertion object and is retrieved with the method getEncryptedAssertions() on the response instead of getAssertions() which is used otherwise.
StaticKeyInfoCredentialResolver keyInfoCredentialResolver = new StaticKeyInfoCredentialResolver(SPCredentials.getCredential());
Decrypter decrypter = new Decrypter(null, keyInfoCredentialResolver, new InlineEncryptedKeyResolver());
In this example a StaticKeyInfoCredentialResolver is used to point out the key that is used for decryption, in this case I have stored it in the static class SPCredentials. The InlineEncryptedKeyResolver is used to tell the decryptor that the symmetric encryption key can be found in the XML next to the encrypted assertion.
The decryptor returns a decrypted Assertion object.
Some NameID value
 1. Hi Stefan,
 I have bought your book and with the help of that, i could integrate my web application using openSaml version 3.
 Now i have a different use case to implement, my company has a desktop application implemented in.Net, we want to enable SAML based sso for this application as well, i googled various sources but neither helped me. So we have arrived at our ow n idea to implement this.
 With the help of the already implemented web app, we are going to open an embedded browser from desktop which calls the url in which we create SAML request, once the IDP responds back with assertions we will return an loginid to the desktop app to authenticate. I will use the same saml request servlet and saml response consumer servlet for both web app and desktop, but for desktop i will redirect to another servlet which writes loginid in servlet response. So basic thing i need is a way to send a saml resuest with an identifier identifies application and the same identifier responed back by IDP in Saml response ( may be SAML request with assertion attribute and the same returned by IDP in saml response)
 WebAPP --> SAML request xml (without identifier )--> SAML repsonse(without identifier) <--IDP
 Desktop --> WebApp --> (SAML request xml (with identifier as from desktop ) --> SAML response ((with identifier as from desktop) <--- IDP
 Here the identifier may be custom assertion/any saml request attribute which can be send as it is from IDP in response
 1. Sound like you could set a RelayState parameter on the SAML request URL going out. This should be echoed back in the response.
 However you should think twice on you acrobatics with the second servlet where you take in a assertion and return user id in the servlet response.
 If you blindly trust what is returned in the response it might be easy to by pass the authentication by just inserting another user id.
 2. Thanks Stefan,I will try relaystate and let you know. By the way the loginid mentioned is not user ID it's a n encrypted id which includes various other parameters which is specific to application
 3. Hi Stefan,
 I bought your book yesterday and following it with the sample project given in the book as well. Could you please let me know if there is a separate book from IDP point since it's not covered here. If not any other sources, sample projects you can redirect me to is greatly appreciated
 1. Hi, Im sorry, I do not have any other book on the subject and Im not aware of any sample project. Sorry hope you find what you need
 4. Hi Stefan -- I'm using this sample code to decrypt an assertion from okta and it's not working out. would you have any advice?
 1. oh - got it solved by using a chaining resolver. though I'm not fully sure what happened.
 2. I have a similar issue on my system on my unit tests. I changed it to add the chaining resolver, but I still have the same error. Are you using the same key for both encryption and decryption like Stefan's example on the book?


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In this Voices from the Field post, we archive the presentations from day 2 of the NCII 10-year celebration of the implementation of intensive intervention. On this day, panelists shared stories focused on preparing in-service and pre-service educators and leaders to implement intensive intervention.
In this Voices from the Field post, we archive the presentations from day 1 of the NCII 10-year celebration of the implementation of intensive intervention. On this day, panelists shared stories focused on creating the systems to support implementation of intensive intervention.
These three videos highlight key resources available to support families of students with the most intensive needs at home and as they transition to and from in-school services during the COVID-19 pandemic. The videos speak directly to parents and recommend that parents share the videos (and the mentioned resources) with the team of educators and other professionals working with their child. An easy-to-share handout is included for each of the videos. These handouts identify and link the spotlighted resources that educators and parents can turn to in planning for and supporting children's virtual learning or return to in-school learning.
This three-part Voices from the Field video series profiles how Education Service Center (ESC) 15 in Texas approached implementing the DBI process in San Saba Independent School District (ISD). In these videos, Dedra Carter and Valerie Moos from ESC 15 and Jenna McSherry from San Saba ISD, discuss their experiences and recommendations for other districts implementing DBI.
Staff from the Exceptional Children department in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools convened a group of their teachers in Spring 2020 to share their perspectives and ideas. This advisory group includes approximately 20 teachers of exceptional children across Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. In this Voices from the Field video, the National Center on Intensive Intervention spoke with four teachers in the advisory group about their work during COVID-19 restrictions.
This series includes video examples and tip sheets to help educators and families in using the NCII reading and mathematics sample lessons to support students with intensive needs. These lessons provide short instructional routines to encourage multiple practice opportunities using explicit instruction principles. The videos and tip sheets describe how educators can use the sample lessons to support instruction in a virtual setting, how educators can share these lessons with parents, and how parents can also implement the lessons to provide additional practice opportunities.
These videos and tips are part of a series of products to support students with intensive needs in the face of COVID-19. These videos illustrate how parents and grandparents can implement the NCII reading and mathematics sample lessons to provide additional practice. In addition to the video examples, a tip sheet is available to help parents implement the lessons. Implementation of Reading Lesson: Parent Example
This video and tips are part of a series of products to support students with intensive needs in the face of COVID-19. The series illustrates how educators can implement the NCII reading and mathematics sample lessons through virtual learning and provide tips for there use. These lessons provide short instructional routines to encourage multiple practice opportunities using explicit instruction principles. Tips for how educators can share these lessons with parents and families and video examples of family members implementing the lessons to enhance practice opportunities are also available.
This fourteen minute video shares Wyoming's journey in building the capacity of educators to implement data-based individualization (DBI) to improve academic and behavior outcomes for students with disabilities as part of their state systemic improvement plan (SSIP). Wyoming administrators, teachers, parents and students from Laramie County School District # 1 and preschool sites share how DBI implementation impacted teacher efficacy, team meetings, quality of services, student confidence, and state and local collaboration.
In this video, Lindsay Jones the CEO of the National Center on Learning Disabilities, shares some considerations and strategies that educators can use to support partnering with families of students with intensive needs.


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Taking prenatal vitamins appears to lower autims risk by 60 percent. A new study finds prenatals have a protective benefit especially for women with a high risk genetic make-up.
Doctors say the extra B-vitamins in them are crucial for brain development.
They say women should take them three months before pregnancy and at least one month after.
Scientists say this study suggests a gene environment interaction may be a contributing factor to autism.
Click here to read more about this study


Ball bearings are made by letting spherical drops of molten metalfall inside a tall tower -- called a shot tower -- andsolidify as they fall.
(a) If a bearing needs 5.0 s to solidify enough for impact, how high must thetower be?
1 m
(b) What is the bearing's impact velocity? (Take up to bepositive.)
2 m/s


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workmans comp fraud is a serious crime. It is also a popular crime. According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, workers compensation fraud is the fastest growing insurance fraud scam in the United States. Workers' comp fraud is estimated to cost insurers approximately $5 billion per year. This cost is passed on to the public, through increased policy premiums that lead to increased cost of doing business and higher prices.
Worker's Compensation Fraud Cases
workers compensation reporting fraud can take many forms. In general, any action designed to obtain money from insurance workers compensation that is not a legitimate recovery for injury or damages incurred, is a form of worker's compensation fraud. Common examples of worker's compensation fraud include:
- Exaggerating the severity of an injury: Worker's compensation benefits can include short term or long-term disability claims for workers' who are unable to work. Some workers' exaggerate the severity of their injury in order to obtain these benefits.
- Staging an Injury:Some worker's pretend to be injured on the job, or cause an injury on purpose in order to collect worker's compensation benefits.
- Failure to disclose pre-existing conditions: While an injury at work that exacerbates an existing medical problem is compensable, if you were already injured and your job didn't contribute in any way to that injury, you cannot recover.
- Claiming personal injuries as labor injuries: If you get hurt at home or during your free time and that injury is unrelated to work, you cannot recover worker's compensation benefits for it. Some worker's will attempt to pretend that the injury occurred at work in order to recover
- Working illegally while collecting worker's compensation benefits: If your doctor restricts you from work and you collect worker's compensation benefits, you are not allowed to work at any other job. If you are working at another job, your benefits should cease, as you are no longer disabled under the terms of the statue.
Workers Compensation Employer Fraud
- Underreporting the number of employees: Premiums for worker's compensation insurance policies are charged based on the number of worker's. In order to save money, some employers lie about the number of workers they have, or lie about the types of job their worker's are doing.
- Lying to employees: Some employers will lie and tell an injured employee that he or she is not entitled to benefits, in order to preclude a legitimate worker's compensation claim form being filed.
Why Does This Happen and How?
Worker's compensation is a no-fault system, which makes it ripe for abuse. Since employees do not have to prove employer negligence to recover for injuries, it can be easy to stage an injury or falsify a claim.
Some lawyers and doctor's have created "Claim Mills" which are illegal schemes designed to perpetuate fraud in the worker's compensation industry. These lawyers recruit worker's to become "injured." The worker's then go to clinics where the doctor's are also "in on" the scheme, and the doctors pronounce them injured or disabled. These schemes exist because of the potential for large settlements inherent in worker's compensation claims.
Investigating Worker's Compensation Fraud
Worker's compensation fraud is often discovered by surveillance tapes or from an investigation by the workers compensation bureau. Employees who claim to be injured may be observed engaging in sports or other physical activities that suggest that they are exaggerating the severity of their injuries.
Many states have also established investigation departments designed to combat worker's compensation fraud. For example, in California the "Underground EconomyStrike Force" is dedicated to discovering employer premium fraud.
Read more on Health Insurance Fraud.
Consequences of Worker's Compensation Fraud
In most cases, the consequences of worker's compensation fraud can be quite severe. Possible penalties include large fines and jail time. Restitution (return of money obtained as a result of fraud) is also required.In some states, worker's compensation fraud is a felony with severe penalties. In California, for example, Senate Bill 1218 made Worker's Compensationfraud a felony, and 527 people were convicted during the year 2007-2008.
Insurers are required to report cases of suspected fraud to district attorneys and other government agencies designed to investigate worker's compensation fraud.
Getting a Lawyer Involved
If you are accused of worker's compensation fraud, it is essential to speak with workmans comp lawyers immediately. Because of the severe potential penalties, it may be advisable to consult with a criminal attorney who specializes in worker's compensation fraud.


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There is an ancient mystical tradition that each character in the Hebrew alphabet also has a meaningful numerical equivalent. This tradition is called Gematria. It stands to reason that if a letter can be translated into a number, then that number can be given a chromatic value as well. By mapping each character's position in the Hebrew alphabet to correspond with a color on the visible spectrum, we can translate these chromatic values from the text. We can translate the text into light.
Gonsher, Ian, "Translating the Torah into Light" (2018). Scholarly Research. 3.


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The Magic Square: Patterns That Connect
9 AM PST, Noon ET, 5 PM London (England)
- Starts Feb 5Starts Feb 5
- 49 US dollars$49
- Online Session
120 Minute Zoom Class. In ancient times, Emperor Yu danced a mystic diagram—a magic square—to invoke the power of the Big Dipper constellation. As a result, the great flood waters receded and formed the original rivers and landscape of China. That same magic square is used in martial arts training, in interior alchemy (to create the inner elixir of longevity), and as a formula for I Ching divination. Equally important learning the magic square helps you access a way of being and understanding that is at the root of Taoism, a pre-technological worldview shaped by a deep appreciation of the interconnectedness of all phenomena: as above, so below; what is inside is also outside, or in traditional Taoist terms, Tian Ren He Yi "Heaven and Human Harmonized as One." Class will not be recorded or available for replay.


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The Gloucester and Sharpness Canal or Gloucester and Berkeley Canal is a canal in the south west of England, between Gloucester and Sharpness; for much of its length it runs close to the tidal River Severn, but cuts off a significant loop in the river, at a once-dangerous bend near Arlingham.
It was once the broadest and deepest canal in the world. Conceived in the 'canal mania' period of the late 18th century, the 'Gloucester and Berkeley Ship Canal' scheme (as it was originally named) was started by architect and civil engineer Robert Mylne. In 1793 an act of parliament was obtained authorising the raising of a total of £200,000.
The project rapidly encountered financial difficulties - to such an extent that Mylne left the project in 1798. By half way through 1799 costs had reached £112,000 but only 5½ miles of the canal had been completed.
Robert Mylne's role was taken over by James Dadford who had originally been engaged as resident engineer on the project in 1795. Lack of funds resulted in the company ceasing to employ Dadford in 1800.
Between 1800 and 1810 various attempts were made to raise money to allow further building but they came to nothing. Moneys from tolls and rents allowed for some improvements to be made to the basin at Gloucester in 1813.
From 1817 onwards the Poor Employment Act meant it was possible for the company to loan money from the Exchequer Bill Loan Commission. This along with further share issues provided enough money to bring the scheme to completion.
After these significant delays, the canal opened in April 1827.
In the course of its construction the canal had cost £440,000
As opened the canal was 86½ feet wide 18 feet deep and could take craft of up to 600 tons. The longer of the two locks onto the canal proper was 115 feet long.
By the middle of the 19th century it proved possible to pay a small dividend; the dept to the Exchequer Bill Loan Commission having being repayed with the help of a loan of £60,000 from the Pelican Life Assurance Company. In 1871 the last of the debts incurred in the course of funding the canal includeing the Pelican Life Assurance Company loan were paid off.
In 1905 traffic exceeded 1 million tons for the first time.
The canal was nationalized in 1948. At the same time the Sharpness Dock Police which had policed the dock since 1874 were absorbed into the British transport police.
In 1955 the board of survey of canals and inland waterways released a report that among other things described the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal as carrying substantial traffic and offering scope for commercial development.
In 1909, following a collapse in the bank of the river, the Canal Companies chief engineer Mr A. J. Cullis called for old vessels to be run aground along the bank of the Severn, near Purton, to create a makeshift tidal erosion barrier to reinforce the narrow strip of land between the river and canal. Barges, trows and schooners were "hulked" at high tide, and have since filled with silt. More boats have been added, including the schooner "Katherine Ellen" which was impounded in 1921 for running guns to the IRA, the Kennet Canal barge "Harriett", and Ferrous Concrete Barges built in World War II.
In 2010 British Waterways took control of the site in an attempt to protect it.
Today the canal can be used by boats up to 64m in length, 9.6m in beam and 32m in height. The maximum draft is 3.5 m.
By the mid 1980s commercial traffic had largely come to a halt with the canal being given over to pleasure cruisers with the exception of a few passages by grain barges. The oil trade ceased in 1985 with the closure of the petroleum deport at Quedgeley.
In order to allow the A40 south-west bypass to be built the canal had to be diverted. The new section of channel was opened on 6 May 2006.
In January 2009 a project began to replace the Patch Bridge swing bridge with a motor powered design instead of the current hand cranked system. The canal links directly to the Stroudwater Navigation at Saul junction.


Google Research
BeyondCorp 6: Building a Healthy Fleet
;login:, vol. 43 (2018)
What does a healthy fleet look like in a modern enterprise? How does one go from an unhealthy, or unknown, fleet to a healthy fleet? What tools and policies are essential? We dive into these topics as they formed a core part of our BeyondCorp journey at Google.
Learn more about how we do research


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I have read here, that $\frac{1}{2}mv^2$ must not be applied on a photon ever.
If i want to calculate escape velocity $v_e$ i need to use $\frac{1}{2}mv^2$ because we say that kinetic energy (positive) must be same or larger than gravitational potential (which is negative) in order for an object to escape. It is done like this:
$$ \begin{split} W_k + W_p &= 0\\ \frac{1}{2}mv_e^2 + \left(-\frac{GMm}{r}\right) &= 0\\ v_e &= \sqrt{\frac{2GM}{r}} \end{split} $$
Than we say if there is a black hole inside certain radius we call Schwarzschield radius $r=R_{sch}$ not even light can escape because its escape velocity is smaller than needed to escape. At the border of the sphere with $R_{sch}$ light can barely escape, so it must hold that $c$ equals escape velocity $v_e$. So we write down the equation below and derive $R_{sch}$.
$$ \begin{split} c &= \sqrt{\frac{2GM}{R_{sch}}}\\ R_{sch} &= \frac{2GM}{c^2} \end{split} $$
This is a well known equation, but it is derived allso using $\frac{1}{2}mv^2$ for light (photons). This is in contradiction with 1st statement in this post. So is the last equation even valid???
share|improve this question
$\frac{1}{2}mv^2 = \frac{p^2}{2m}$ isn't even generally correct for massive particles: in only applies where $v \ll c$. For high velocities it is mandatory to use the correct relativistic expression $\sqrt{m^2c^4 + p^2c^2} - mc^2$. Obviously $c \not\ll c$ so you get $\sqrt{0 + p^2c^2} - 0 = pc$. – dmckee Jan 18 '13 at 15:38
It's a random coincidence. In particular, your derivation doesn't change if the "black hole" is spinning, but in full general relativity, you'll have $R = \frac{G}{c^{2}}\left(M + \sqrt{M^{2} - \frac{J^{2}c^{2}}{G^{2}M^{2}}}\right)$, where $J$ is the angular momentum of the black hole. – Jerry Schirmer Jan 18 '13 at 16:23
Indeed it is coincidence. See also my answer to this question – Chris White Jan 18 '13 at 17:13
Our professor derived it like this. Furthermore he didnt even warn us the derivation is WRONG! But i am amazed! What a coincidence indeed :) – 71GA Jan 18 '13 at 19:21
_USER_ Congrats. I never managed to catch my professors on any errors more serious than flipped signs or the like. :) – Dan Neely Jan 18 '13 at 20:49
2 Answers 2
up vote 5 down vote accepted
This is one of those cases when the ends do not justify the means... Just because you get a result that is true, from laws that aren't supposed hold in that situation, doesn't mean that the laws can be used there.
If you're asking about whether there is a deeper connection between using $\frac{1}{2}mv^2$ and getting the radius, to the best of my knowledge, there is none: it just happens to be a coincidence that they match.
Like Michael Brown said, the Schwarzschild radius can only be derived from GR, in which the Schwarzschild metric \begin{align} ds^2 = - (1-2GM/r) dt^2 + (1-2GM/r)^{-1}dr^2 + r^2d\Omega^2 \end{align} is the unique maximally symmetric solution to Einstein's equations in vacuum. (I've set $c = 1$) here. Note that something interesting is happening when $r = 2GM$, and one can go on to show that $r = 2GM$ happens to be the boundary of the causal part of the future null infinity, which we identify as the event horizon.
share|improve this answer
Missing those factors of 2 perhaps? – Chris White Jan 18 '13 at 17:10
ahha yes. i'll edit my post, thanks – nervxxx Jan 18 '13 at 17:12
The short answer is: no, $\frac{1}{2}mv^2$ is never valid for photons. A photon's energy is given by $$ E = h f = \hbar \omega = \frac{h c}{\lambda} $$ always. The derivation of the Schwarzschild radius you mention is an incorrect one that happens to give the right answer accidentally. The correct derivation requires general relativity.
share|improve this answer
Your Answer


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Persian/ Urdu Alal, Allal, in 12th century Persia was believed to be one of the names of the queen of the full moon, princess of hearts, or mother of the sky.
The legend of Alal is celebrated across south Iran and parts of the Middle East.
There are a range of Myths that portray Alal to be the Greek Aphrodite or the Roman Venus, Goddess of Love. She was believed to be the daughter of a wine merchant who ran away to a nearby river and fell in love with nature. Alal was known to be the symbol of charisma and love. She was described to have a voice that was flowing and musical along with eloquence and affection.
The Alal was typically described to be crowned with dark hair, large lustrous eyes and a round doll-like complexion. Many of the antique Persian miniatures often outlined her certain characteristics. The 17th and 18th century Persian court poets, described her to be a beautiful yet mysterious socialite that possessed a heart of gold with extreme radiance. She was known to be a rare and striking beauty, too glorious to live on Earth, and was moved to the Sky, where she resides in her palace amongst the stars, and became as we know her today, the Moon.


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Step 1: Map your value chain
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Identify the focus of your assessment and gather data to help you draw up a value chain map.
The mapping process will provide a holistic view of your entire value chain. This requires identifying multiple factors, such as where your suppliers get their materials (your upstream value chain), how your product or service is purchased, and what happens when your customers have finished using it (your downstream value chain).
Step 1 will provide you with visual and/or data driven diagrams and images that summarise your value chain and will allow you to assess risks and opportunities in Step 2.
 Action Points
 - Identify areas of focus
 Start by looking at areas of high risk (e.g. stakeholder concern around labour related issues in manufacturing or reliance on petrochemical derived materials), major spend or the most critical issues or products.
 - Define your scope and stay within it
 Decide which area to focus on and what within this area should be included in this mapping exercise and what should be excluded. Some great examples of scope are seen in our case studies and exemplars:
 - Toyota chose to focus on its energy use within New Zealand.
 - Wellington Zoo mapped the value chain of two of its critical animal feeds.
 - Ideas Shop mapped its communications service.
 - New Zealand Post mapped the value chain of its staff uniforms.
 - Visualise your value chain
 Build a rough value chain using visual and data-driven diagrams and images (see template).
 - Gather data
 If required gather and collate data to help define issues and opportunities. Use of a Life Cycle Assessment at this stage can provide robust environmental data if this is required.
 - Test assumptions
 Test the assumptions about your value chain with staff and external parties (such as suppliers, NGOs and peers). A workshop is a useful forum to facilitate discussion.
 - What is required?
 Explore what is required to produce your product or service. Listing these down on the value chain diagram template can be useful:
 - What raw materials are used to make your product – list these down, how are the sourced, by who, and where are they sourced from?
 - Where, how and by who are the materials processed and what's involved?
 - Where, how and by who is your product manufactured?
 - How is it bought?
 - Where or how do you purchase materials, products or services?
 - Who supplies your suppliers?
 - Where or how do your customers buy your product or service?
 - How is your product or service used?
 Think about how your customers use your product or service. Does it require other resource use e.g. water, fuel or electricity, will it require regular maintenance?
 - What happens once it's finished?
 What do your customers do with your product or service once they have finished using it, or parts of it? Does it have further value e.g. is it reused or recycled?
 - How is it moved?
 How is your product or service transported throughout each value chain stage? E.g. how does it get from manufacturers to consumers?
 Tools & Resources


Fill-in-the-Blank Reward System
This class-wide motivation tool provides constructive feedback to the entire class and allows opportunities for the class to earn a reward for positive behaviors. A word or phrase is indicated by "blanks" and displayed in the classroom. Each time the class meets a set expectation, they earn a letter or word to fill in one of the blank spaces. When all the blanks are filled in and the word or phrase is complete, the class receives a reward.
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ExampleFill-In-The-Blank Reward System
Teachers Shown
Demery Bader-Saye
3rd grade Elementary teacher.
NYOS Charter School, Texas
Alicia Contreras
Middle School Math teacher.
Austin ISD, Texas


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Dynamic voltage and frequency scaling (DVFS) is an essential mechanism for power saving in smartphones and mobile devices. Central processing unit (CPU) load based DVFS algorithms are widely used due to their simplicity of implementation. However, such algorithms often lead to a poor response time, which is one of the most important factors of user experience, especially for interactive applications. In this paper, the response time is mathematically modeled by considering the CPU frequency and characteristics of the running applications based on the Linux kernel's completely fair scheduler (CFS), and a Response time constrained Frequency & Priority (RFP) control scheme for improved power efficiency of smartphones is proposed. In the RFP algorithm, the CPU frequency and priority of the interactive applications are adaptively adjusted by estimating the response time in real time. The experimental results show that RFP can save energy up to 24.23% compared to the ondemand governor and up to 7.74% compared to HAPPE while satisfying the predefined threshold of the response time in Android-based smartphones.
Bibliographical notePublisher Copyright:
© 2017 The Institute of Electronics, Information and Communication Engineers.
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Hardware and Architecture
- Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering
- Artificial Intelligence


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I read that some consonants such as ㅈ are aspirated at the beginning of a sentence or phrase or something. However, I can't really find the explanation for this particular scenario where they sound aspirated.
For the first one ㅈ, I see a ㄱ before it, but I can't find the pronunciation rule for it.
I found this on Korean Phonology: When the second and third consonants are homorganic obstruents, they merge, becoming fortis or aspirate, and, depending on the word and a preceding |l|, might not elide: |lk-k| is [lk͈].
However, I don't really understand.


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They also note that only about 25 percent of Marin's greenhouse gas emissions are caused by electricity use, while cars and other vehicles account for 62 percent of the emissions.
Prior to the formation of the Marin Energy Authority, the county of Marin compared Marin Clean Energy's potential for cutting greenhouse gases to existing alternatives. These included: changes in county building codes that require the use of energy-saving designs and equipment; Marin Energy Watch Partnership, a program funded by California utility ratepayers that
All of these efforts combined would cut Marin's greenhouse gas emissions by just 17,908 tons per year by 2019, the analysis showed. That compares with between 237,374 tons per year and 534,000 tons per year under Marin Clean Energy.
John Dalessi, a director in Navigant Consulting's energy practice, said Marin Clean Energy's biggest cuts in greenhouse gases would come with construction of its own renewable electricity
"Short-term, it's more of an accounting exercise," Dalessi said. Navigant Consulting helped write the Marin Clean Energy business plan.
Marin County Supervisor Charles McGlashan, who serves as chairman of the Marin Energy Authority board, said, "The elegance of Marin Clean Energy is that it takes no general fund, taxpayer money. In a pain-free manner for ratepayers, we redirect revenue and get an enormous reduction in greenhouse gas."


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Participants consider the water features they might enjoy at a community park — a pond, brook, water playground (or "sprayground"), or pool, — and what happens to thewater over time. 0
Check It Out
How-to Video Implementation Guide Provides extensive background information, facilitation outline, materials shopping list, extended supporting media suggestions, correlations to national standards, and more. Teacher's Guide Provides classroom connections, key concepts, connections to science standards, and additional resources.


Write Shop Fold-N-Go Grammar Pack
Grammar will soon become your children's favorite subject when you introduce them to Fold-N-Gos! With the Level 1 Fold-N-Go Grammar Pack, you'll make 10 lapbook-style grammar and writing folders, each devoted to a different skill. Each colorful page presents simple rules, engaging examples, and practice exercises that make learning or reviewing grammar fun. At the end of Level 1, kids will have their very own set of portable reference guides, along with matching bookmarks for quick review.
Printed on brightly colored paper, Level 1 Fold-N-Go Grammar covers punctuation, self-editing, seven different parts of speech, and using references. Fold-N-Go Grammar can be used to supplement or reinforce a more comprehensive grammar program, or you can use it as a gentle, stand-alone introduction. Ages 8-11.
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The impacts of climate variability and extreme weather events are becoming a concern to the Republic of Mauritius, including Rodrigues, St Brandon and Agalega. The climate of the South West Indian Ocean (SWIO) small island states is influenced by large ocean-atmosphere interactions such as trade winds. They are often affected by tropical cyclones and other extreme weather. Some of them like the Saint Brandon or the Cargados Carajos Shoals and Agalega Islands are threatened by sea-level rise as well.
Current Situation and Challenges
Though the GHG emission of Mauritius is insignificant, warming of our climate and its effects on our natural and ecological system are unavoidable and already palpable. Analyses of temperature recorded at Mauritius and its outer islands show a definite warming trend. Average temperature at all stations is rising at the rate of 0.15 °C per decade and has risen by 0.74 – 1.2 °C when compared to the 1961-90 long term mean. At some urban stations the temperature has risen by even greater amounts.
Similar warming trends have also been observed at the outer islands like Rodrigues, St Brandon and Agalega. The last two of these islands are 1.5 km2 and 70 km2 in area, at about 2 m above mean sea level at their highest point and a variable population of less than 100. The temperature at Agalega is rising at the rate 0.11 °C per decade with an average rise of 0.62 °C during the last ten years when compared with the 1961-90 mean. Temperature at St Brandon and Rodrigues has warmed up by 0.5 – 1.0 °C.
IPCC 2007 report concludes that average ocean temperature from surface to a depth of 700 meters has warmed up, though land surface temperature has increased more than ocean water temperature.
Sea levels in the southwest Indian Ocean based on reconstructed tide gauge data and Topex/Poseiden altimeter for the period _PHONE_ shows a rise of around 1.5 mm/yr at Port Louis and 1.3 mm/yr at Rodrigues, (Church, et al., 2006). Analysis of Port Louis data for the period _PHONE_ gives a mean rise of 2.1 mm/yr for the last 10 years. This slightly higher rise is consistent with IPCC WGII AR4 conclusions, although longer period of measurements are necessary for reliable conclusions.
Warming of the atmosphere has also impacted the hydrologic cycle over the southwest Indian Ocean. Long-term time series of rainfall amount over the past century (1905 to 2007) show a decreasing trend in annual rainfall over Mauritius. In fact the average rate of decrease per decade is around 57 mm. The total decrease during the last ten years is about 8% when compared to the 1950s.
Annual rainfall over the outer islands indicate significant variation from year to year but long-term analysis do show decreasing rainfall trend, though lesser than the main island Mauritius.
Other observed impacts are:
- A lengthening of the intermediate dry season, the transition period between winter and summer, has been observed.
- There has been a shift in the start of the summer rains. This shift in the onset of the rains is highly significant as it translates into much pressure on the water sector to meet increasing demands of the agricultural, tourism, industrial and domestic sectors.
- The number of consecutive dry days is increasing while the number of rainy days is decreasing.
- Even though the number of rainy days is decreasing, heavy rainfall events leading to numerous flash floods and temporary interruption of certain socio-economic activities during the summer months of February and March has increased
- The frequency of extreme weather events, heavy rains and storms of tropical cyclone strength or higher, has increased significantly over the last two decades.
Analysis of data from Mauritius Meteorological Services does not show any increase in the number of storms in the SWIO tropical cyclone basin. However, a plot of the number of storm formations over the last 32 years (1975- 2008) clearly shows an increasing trend in the number of storms reaching tropical cyclone strength (winds above 165 km/hr). Furthermore, since the last decade observations indicate rapid or even explosive intensification of tropical storms.
The SWIO Islands countries are realizing the tough realities of the effect of climate variability and climate change now occurring at a faster pace than ever before. Mauritius has recognized that much effort is needed to reduce the impacts of climate change on the natural and human environment of the country. A stakeholder's consultation exercise including the community at grass root level, NGOs and public and private sector identified those areas exposed to the highest risk. The following sectors were identified as most vulnerable to climate-related events are:
- Coastal zone
- Water Resources
- Human health
- Marine Resources
Concrete actions taken and progress achieved
Climate change activities in the Republic have been consistent towards sustainable development goals. The concept of a sustainable island is clearly defined in the "Maurice Ile Durable" programme presented in Parliament in June 2008. Since then both public and private sectors are making efforts to integrate climate change in new developments strategies.
Climate change and sea level rise monitoring has been enhanced in the following ways:
Network of an increased number of automatic weather stations
Installation of a new tide gauge at Agalega and another one at Blue Bay to monitor sea level
Sea surface temperature is being monitored at Blue Bay as well as from ship reports in the Indian Ocean
To meet our objectives under the UNFCCC, the following reports have been published:
United States Country Studies Programme (USCSP) on Inventory of GHG and Vulnerability and Adaptation
Climate Change Action Plan
Initial National Communication
Vulnerability and Adaptation of the sugar cane crop
Economics of GHG limitations
Vulnerability of coastal zone
Technology Needs Assessment
National Capacity Needs Self-Assessment
Stocktaking and Stakeholder consultation
The Second National Communication.
Conclusion and way forward
Public and private sectors of the economy and the population of the Republic of Mauritius in general, are gradually becoming aware of the threat posed by climate change and climate variability. Some concrete efforts have already been made to mitigate GHG by integrating climate change issues into new development strategies. There is strong political will to further enhance the existing policies as to develop resilience to the adverse impacts of climate change and to ensure the achievement of sustainable developments goals


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- How is condensation made?
- How do you get condensation out?
- Is condensation water coming out of the air?
- Is condensation distilled water?
- Why do AC give out water?
- Does low pressure cause condensation?
- How long should a dehumidifier last?
- Can you drink rain water?
- Can you fix window condensation?
- How do I fix condensation in my watch?
- Is Sweating an example of condensation?
- Is condensation water safe to drink?
- Can you drink water from a dehumidifier?
- Can dogs drink water from a dehumidifier?
- Can you get condensation out of double glazing?
- What are the 4 types of condensation?
- Can air be turned into water?
- What is the condensation of water?
- What happens during condensation?
- What is condensation in bio?
How is condensation made?
Condensation is the change of water from its gaseous form (water vapor) into liquid water.
Condensation generally occurs in the atmosphere when warm air rises, cools and looses its capacity to hold water vapor.
As a result, excess water vapor condenses to form cloud droplets..
How do you get condensation out?
Five Quick DIY Fixes for Window CondensationBuy a dehumidifier. Dehumidifiers remove moisture from the air and keep moisture off of your windows. … Move your houseplants. … You can try a moisture eliminator. … Make use of your fans when you're showering. … Don't air-dry your clothes indoors.
Is condensation water coming out of the air?
(3) Condensation is water coming out of the air. … (11) If the relative humidity of the air is 100%, then water will not evaporate into the air.
Is condensation distilled water?
Yes, as long as what's condensed was water vapor. The thing that forms in the process of condensation is called the condensate. Distilled water is condensate that's been collected. This is not just academic.
Why do AC give out water?
Your AC's inside unit contains the evaporator coil (pictured on the right) that cools the warm air blown over it. This causes condensation (moisture) to form on the coil, just like how water droplets form on a cold glass of water on a hot day.
Does low pressure cause condensation?
Just as the plane starts to lift off the ground condensation can be seen. … I am guessing this is caused by low air pressure over the wing causing water in the humid air to momentarily condense into visible vapor.
How long should a dehumidifier last?
five to 10 yearsThe lifetime of dehumidifiers usually ranges from five to 10 years. To maximize the lifetime, it's important to care for your dehumidifier. Be sure to regularly change the air filters, clean the condensing coils and exhaust grilles, and empty and clean the water bucket.
Can you drink rain water?
Most rain is perfectly safe to drink and may be even cleaner than the public water supply. Rainwater is only as clean as its container. Only rain that has fallen directly from the sky should be collected for drinking. It should not have touched plants or buildings.
Can you fix window condensation?
The only way to rid a thermal window of condensation is removing the moist air between the panes and replacing it with dry air. And there's a professional service based on this very technique.
How do I fix condensation in my watch?
How To Remove Condensation From A Watch – Fix A Watch Filled With WaterUse uncooked rice. … Cat litter is made to absorb moisture. … Silica Gel removes moisture. … Use the sun. … Use a blow dryer. … Remove the back of the watch. … Use a fan to allow air flow over the watch for a few days.More items…•
Is Sweating an example of condensation?
Condensation is the change from a vapor to a condensed state (solid or liquid). Evaporation is the change of a liquid to a gas. Microscopic view of a gas. … Example: Water vapor condenses and forms liquid water (sweat) on the outside of a cold glass or can.
Is condensation water safe to drink?
The water that drips from air conditioners is probably even safe for drinking. (It's certainly more potable than the drinking water in many countries.)
Can you drink water from a dehumidifier?
The water the dehumidifier collects is actually very clean water; comparable to distilled water. … The condensed water is pure because when the water originally evaporated into the air, it left its impurities and minerals behind. So providing your coils are clean, you could collect the dripping water and drink it.
Can dogs drink water from a dehumidifier?
1 Answer. Would it be safe to use the water I take from my dehumidifier and give it to my pets? No. The typical collection tank from a residential dehumidifier is not a safe source of potable water, and certainly isn't up to the quality of commercially-distilled water.
Can you get condensation out of double glazing?
Use a hairdryer to remove condensation in double glazing Instead, as a small house hack, use your hairdryer to remove any condensation build-up around your double glazing. Please bear in mind that this is only a short-term fix and should only be treated as one.
What are the 4 types of condensation?
After condensation the water vapour or the moisture in the atmosphere takes one of the following forms — dew, frost, fog and clouds. Condensation takes place when the dew point is lower than the freezing point as well as higher than the freezing point.
Can air be turned into water?
Air-to-water technology is the process of converting water vapor in the air (humidity) to water. Akvo atmospheric water generators replicates this natural process of condensation by simulating the dew point, which allows it to make water continuously, even in low humidity conditions.
What is the condensation of water?
Condensation is the process by which water vapor in the air is changed into liquid water. … As condensation occurs and liquid water forms from the vapor, the water molecules become more organized and heat is released into the atmosphere as a result.
What happens during condensation?
Condensation is the process where water vapor becomes liquid. It is the reverse of evaporation, where liquid water becomes a vapor. Condensation happens one of two ways: Either the air is cooled to its dew point or it becomes so saturated with water vapor that it cannot hold any more water.
What is condensation in bio?
Condensation has multiple meanings in the field of biology. A condensation reaction is when two smaller molecules join to form a larger one by removing functional groups that form a small molecule, often water.


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A British report suggests a link between radiation exposure and heart disease for workers at nuclear power plants.
A research team studied nearly 65,000 workers at four British power stations and found nuclear plant workers were more likely to die of a heart attack than of cancer caused by occupational radiation, The Daily Telegraph reported Tuesday.
The finding, published in the International Journal of Epidemiology, said the incidence of heart attacks and other problems were highest among workers with the highest levels of exposure. Researchers, however, said the study did not rule out the possibility that diet, exercise, socioeconomic status, shift work and stress may also be a factor.
The Guardian newspaper said some of the workers began work in the industry as far back as 1946, with those who worked at nuclear sites before 1980 exposed to higher levels of radiation.
Copyright 2008 by United Press International
Explore further: Survey points out deficiencies in addictions training for medical residents


Internal Spermatic and Peripheral Vein Plasma 5-Hydroxytryptamine Concentration Levels in Patients With Varicocele
INTRODUCTION: The purpose of the study was to compare the 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) plasma levels of the internal spermatic vein and peripheral vein for patients with varicocele and infertility with a comparison group of fertile patients needing scrotal surgery for other reasons, and to examine the correlation between the 5-HT levels and semen parameters.
METHODS: Participants were 30 patients with varicocele and infertility and a comparison group of 30 fertile patients with inguinal hernia, hydrocele, or epididymal cyst. Their ages ranged from 24-35 years. Patients with varicocele received at least 2 semen analyses before surgery. Spermatic vein blood samples were taken intraoperatively and peripheral vein blood samples were taken preoperatively from all patients. Computer-assisted sperm analysis (CASA) was used for semen analysis; the enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method was used to measure blood plasma 5-HT levels. Analysis of variance and Spearman's rank correlation tests were used to analyze the data.
RESULTS: The plasma free serotonin concentration of the internal spermatic vein was significantly higher than the concentration in the peripheral vein for patients with varicocele (P <.01), and significantly higher than the spermatic vein concentration of the comparison group (P <.01). In the comparison group, no statistically significant difference was found between the plasma free serotonin concentration of the spermatic and peripheral veins (P >.05). There were significant negative correlations between the plasma 5-HT levels of the internal spermatic vein and sperm density (Spearman r = -0.465, P =.0097) and sperm motility (Spearman r = -0.539, P =.0024) in the patients with varicocele.
CONCLUSIONS: Patients with varicocele have elevated free 5-HT plasma concentrations in the spermatic vein that may be a cause of fertility decline.
KEYWORDS: Varicocele; 5-hydroxytryptamine; Internal spermatic vein; Peripheral vein; Semen parameters.
CORRESPONDENCE: Salifou Issiaka TRAORE, MD, PhD. Wuhan University Zhongnan Hospital, Department of Urology, Wuchang East Lake Road No. 169, Wuhan City, P.O. Box 430071, China () or Professor Zheng Xin-min ().
ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS: 5-HT, 5-hydroxytryptamine; 5-HT2R, 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor type 2; CRF, corticotropin releasing factor; ISVD, internal spermatic vein diameter; OD, optical density; WHO, World Health Organization.
Varicocele is the enlargement and dilatation of the pampiniform plexus and internal spermatic vein within the spermatic cord. It occurs most often on the left side and is associated with testicular dysfunction [1-3]. Varicoceles have been ranked on the first line of the World Health Organization (WHO) list of infertility diseases, with a 15% incidence in the general population and nearly a 40% incidence among infertile patients [4].
Pathophysiological findings [5,6] have proven that defective valves in the internal spermatic vein allow backflow and stagnation of renal blood containing high levels of waste products into the testis. This renal blood is mainly responsible for testicular damage. The mechanisms underlying varicocele involvement in male infertility are not yet fully understood. Different hypotheses have been used to explain how the varicocele affects testicular function, but no single hypothesis has been fully accepted [7-9].
Although fertility improvement after varicocelectomy has been reported frequently, there is still a debate about the effectiveness of surgical treatment [10,11]. Therefore, further research is needed to clarify the contribution of varicocele to infertility mechanisms and to improve treatment outcomes. The purposes of the present study were: (1) to compare the 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) plasma levels of the spermatic vein and peripheral vein for patients with varicocele and infertility with a comparison group of fertile patients needing scrotal surgery for other reasons, and (2) to examine the correlation between the 5-HT levels and semen parameters
Study Design
The investigation was a prospective study with a comparison group. It was approved by the author's institutional ethics committee. All participants provided written informed consent.
The participants were 60 patients from the urology and general surgery departments of Wuhan University Zhongnan Hospital. They were evaluated between February, 2007 and January, 2008. Exclusion criteria were: (1) patients with abnormal platelet count, arteriosclerosis, or chronic renal failure; (2) patients taking drugs (eg, sertraline, paroxetine ) that could influence blood 5-HT levels. The patients were assigned to one of 2 groups, based on their diagnosis.
Group 1: experimental group (n = 30). Patients in group 1 had varicocele and infertility. Varicocele was confirmed through color Doppler ultrasound [12]. Patients had internal spermatic vein diameter (ISVD) ≥ 2.0 mm with time of reflux ≥ 1 s under normal respiration, or blood backflow or ISVD evident enhancement during the valsalva test. Infertility was defined as the inability to achieve conception after at least 1 year of unprotected sexual intercourse with a gynecologically normal partner. The primary symptoms of these patients were 3-6 months of scrotal and/or lower abdominal pain or discomfort. Twenty patients had grade II varicocele, defined as a moderate varicocele with enlarged veins that are palpable even when the patient does not perform a valsalva test; 10 patients had grade III varicocele, defined as a large varicocele with dilated veins that are directly visible through scrotal skin. Varicoceles were bilateral in 11 patients and unilateral in 19 patients. According to the WHO 1999 standard [13], all patients presented various degrees of semen impairment and were candidates for inguinal or palomo varicocelectomy. The choice of open varicocelectomy was made by the patients after counseling.
Group 2: comparison group (n = 30). Patients in group 2 did not have a varicocele and had a recent (ie, approximately 1 year) history of fertility. These patients were candidates for scrotal surgery because of inguinal hernia (n = 18), hydrocele (n = 8), and epididymal cyst (n = 4).Table 1 contains the means and standard deviations (SD) for age, weight, height, and body mass index of both patient groups. Patients in the experimental group had a mean age of 29.5 years (range, 24-35 years; patients in the comparison group had a mean age of 29.4 years (range, 23-35 years). There were no significant group differences for any of the characteristics.
Specimen collection and measurement. The semen of the patients with varicocele was analyzed at least 2 times before surgery. The semen samples were taken following masturbation, after 2-3 days of sexual abstinence. The samples were put into a clean tube and kept at 37ºC. A computer-assisted semen analysis (CASA) was conducted within 60 minutes of collection.
Peripheral vein blood samples were taken preoperatively and spermatic vein blood samples were taken intraoperatively for all patients. Each blood sample was 4 mL. The blood was put into a clean test tube containing heparin and carried immediately to the laboratory for centrifugation (3000 rotations/minute for 5 minutes). Aliquot supernatant plasma was then retrieved. A total of 0.5 mL of this plasma was put into a test tube containing 0.5 mL of 4% ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA). It was then centrifuged at 3000 rotations/minute for 5 minutes. The supernatant poor platelet plasma was retrieved and frozen at -20ºC. Afterwards, 5-HT levels were measured using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit number QRCT-548751ELA/UTL (Shanghai Tian-cheng Ltd; Shanghai, China).
Experimental procedures. The steps of the experimental procedures were: (1) place 100 μL of diluted sample (1:100) and 100 μL of standard solution into different wells of a coated microtitration strip, incubated at 37ºC for 30 minutes; (2) empty the strip, wash it 3 times, and dry it with absorbent paper; (3) add 100 μL of enzyme conjugate solution to each well and incubate at 37ºC for 30 minutes; (4) empty the strip, wash it with rinsing buffer 5 times, and dry it with absorbent paper; (5) add 5 μL of substrate from the patient to each well and incubate at 37ºC for 15 minutes; (6) at the end, add 50 μL of stop solution to each well and use the WeScan-MK2 (Denley Dragon; Finland) to read the optical density (OD) value at 450 nanometers wavelength; (7) draw a standard curve on linear graph paper by