What are Occupiers really fighting for?
April 18th, 2012
09:55 AM ET
What are Occupiers really fighting for?
Editor's Note: Dr. Maha Hosain Aziz is a Professor of Politics (adjunct) in the Master's Program at New York University, a Senior Analyst at geopolitical consultancy Wikistrat and an Asia Insight Columnist for Bloomberg Businessweek.
By Maha Hosain Aziz – Special to CNN
Occupy Wall Street has been about more than just corporate greed and income inequality. Occupy protesters around the globe may not realize it but, at various points in the past six months, many have been fighting for the same cause as the peasant communities of rural Vietnam during the 1930s - the moral economy.
Theorists have typically used moral economy rhetoric to explain rural movements where protesters felt their basic right to subsistence was being threatened. In the case of Vietnam, the onset of colonial capitalism in the Great Depression contributed to a food crisis for peasant farmers, prompting significant protests. In effect, an informal contract had been broken between the governing power and the governed involving the individual's basic right to feed himself.
Today, a similar "contract" has been broken between governing powers and the governed.
Since its global launch in October 2011, the Occupy movement has effectively evolved to challenge governments for depriving citizens of their basic right to subsistence in the Great Recession (or its aftermath) - to work, afford basic goods, or in some cases keep their homes.
Gradually, with the disbanding of many encampments, some Occupy members are moving beyond the broad focus of corporate greed and income inequality. Instead, using different strategies, they have narrowed in on specific national policies that have hindered their basic right to subsistence, which has been defined by different groups in different ways in their conception of the moral economy.
In the Philippines, for instance, Occupy Mendiola highlighted their subsistence demands in terms of unemployment and rising prices that they felt the Aquino administration failed to tackle with its policies. In early December 2011, student and labor union groups clashed with police officers' batons and water cannons as they marched towards the Presidential Palace in protest. An Occupy offshoot has since strengthened - Kilusang 99% - led by a local Catholic bishop and comprising labour groups, farmers, fishermen and the urban poor. Their emphasis continues to be welfare, particularly in terms of job programs and fair wage policies.
In the U.S., employment emerged as a key subsistence demand in early December. American Occupy protesters took the necessary step to talk to political leaders directly: thousands of unemployed Occupy members demanded meetings with Congress in Washington DC about the jobs bill and unemployment benefits. In early January, hundreds held protests during the Iowa caucuses, challenging both Republican and Democrat parties and presidential candidates on specific employment policies.
Another U.S. subsistence demand surfaced in early December: housing. Occupy Your Home members in over 25 cities rallied to raise awareness about the government's role in the ongoing housing crisis. One estimate suggests that banks have taken over four million homes since 2006. The movement has since bypassed local and national government officials, successfully moving homeless families back into foreclosed houses for short-term relief in various cities, including Los Angeles, Cincinnati and Atlanta. Last week in Miami, an 83-year old woman who defaulted on her refinanced loan was saved from eviction with the help of Occupy members.
In Nigeria, the Occupy members have focused their struggle on the rising cost of basic necessities like food and utilities - triggered in part by the government's decision to remove billions of dollars in fuel subsidies in early January. This caused a dramatic hike in fuel prices overnight from $1.70 to $3.50 per gallon, leading to demonstrations and protests around the country.
Two weeks later, in cities like Lagos, Kano and Abuja, the situation became violent as thousands of protesters sparred with police armed with batons and tear gas. A week later, President Goodluck Jonathan announced an immediate 30% drop in gas prices, which appeared to appease protesters. Last month, however, Occupy Nigeria resurfaced with a public statement to the president about the economic plight of its members.
As the Occupy movement's strategy continues to evolve worldwide, its significant message of a subsistence crisis faced by the average citizen in the Great Recession has crystallized. Short of a dramatic shift in tactic by policymakers, this movement for a moral economy will keep resurfacing around the world.
Post by:
Topics: Ethics • Global • Protests
soundoff (193 Responses)
 1. King
 They're fighting against the corruption. They want their leaders to serve the interests.
 April 22, 2012 at 2:35 pm | Reply
 - James
 Some of the things they protest against they have a point, but what I find funny is there is no real push in the movement to target the Obama Administration for their role. I guess as long as you are left wing it is ok to be on the sides of the banks, etc.
 April 22, 2012 at 6:40 pm | Reply
 2. Testicleese
 What they're really fighting for is just to raise hell. There are protests all over the world about injustices and Americans feel left out. They want a cause and just can't seem to find one, so they make one up.
 April 22, 2012 at 4:45 pm | Reply
 3. Peikovianyi
 Occupy carries the message of 19th Century European mysticism: no one has property rights, all men are agents of history, history is a whim of the universe, the universe is an unknowable dream. They are fundamentally anti-American.
 April 22, 2012 at 5:20 pm | Reply
 - George Gray
 No Peik. Occupy states (in part) that people will no longer work for whatever lousy wages the "employer" whimsically thinks up. This is how the income inequality came about. Nothing mystical about that, my friend.
 April 22, 2012 at 9:18 pm | Reply
 4. 3511danny
 What is he talking about?
 April 22, 2012 at 6:17 pm | Reply
 5. James
 Yeah helping people keep their homes, in cases where the banks are wrong in forclosing I can buy it. But in the case where people made their own bad choices and now can't or won'tpay for their homes, why should they be allowed to keep them? Are we expecting the banks to buy everyone in the country a house? Hey occupiers come talk to my bank so I can have my house for free ok?
 April 22, 2012 at 6:38 pm | Reply
 6. NB
 Lets see how many support _TAG_
 Tweet if u support : _TAG_ :I vote _USER_ for category _TAG_ at _URL_
 Tweet if u dpnt : _TAG_ :I vote _USER_ for category _TAG_ at _URL_
 April 22, 2012 at 6:48 pm | Reply
 - Rod C. Venger
 Tweet _TAG_ if you think OWS is just full of sheep-dip.
 April 22, 2012 at 7:14 pm | Reply
 7. Bill
 I guess they are Occupying for the right to go to the bathroom wherever they please.
 April 22, 2012 at 7:09 pm | Reply
 - RevMum
 Wow, you are gonna be SO sorry someday when you face your Maker...
 April 22, 2012 at 7:42 pm | Reply
 8. Rod C. Venger
 LOL. Only in the US does OWS refuse to take on the Administration. It's all too willing to take on corporations that operate and profit within the law but not so willing to take on a government all too willing to operate outside the law. Cowards and hypocrites, both. These people are parasites. They want the right to basic subsistence, they just don't want to work for it. They live in tents on public property...depriving families of using those public parks...and living on donated food. It seems like they already have what they've asked for. The right to a job? You already have that right. You can have any job you like, so long as you're qualified to do it and the employer has a need for YOUR services. Bear in mind, with sometimes thousands of people applying for maybe 3 or 4 positions, not everyone is going to be hired. Not everyone CAN be hired. No company can be or should be forced to hire people for which they have no use, no can they or should they be forced to hire any specific person...meaning YOU. In case you people didn't know it, there's millions of illegals in this country working in jobs that they have no right to work in. What? Farm labor is beneath your dignity or something? Butchering and processing chicken or beef doesn't sit well with your vegan lifestyle? Tell it to the hand, man. You have the right to life (damn!), liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Note the word "pursuit" in there? It's something to strive for, to work for


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"Stands there" implies that the angry word is present after it has been spoken on account of its severity. It leaves a strong impression on those who have heard it.
As such, I would offer the word "looms" as a synonym that can replace the phrase "stands there" in your passage. Looms has the sense of being ominous and weighty like the impact of the angry word.
looms: To rise before the vision with an appearance of great or portentous size.
"Vision" seems to imply that for a thing to loom it must be visible, but a google search returns examples of "loom" being used to describe an idea or thought.
- "If no vast and terrifying power of evil loomed in our minds..." [The Prince of Darkness: Radical Evil and the Power of Good In History]
- "Loss of prestige also loomed..." ["Evil People": A Comparative Study of Witch Hunts in Swabian Austria"]
The sentence with the synonym would read:
It is much harder to deny having said an angry word. It looms, easily repeated back, hard to disavow totally.

source: openbmb/Ultra-FineWeb


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No disponible en español
- 22 June 2004
- OCCASIONAL PAPER SERIES - No. 16Details
- This paper investigates the potential impact of the growing influence of the opinions of credit rating agencies (CRAs) on market dynamics. This impact can be seen as a consequence of the information content of the ratings themselves or indirectly as a consequence of the "hardwiring" of ratings into regulatory rules, management mandates, bond covenants, etc. Rating agencies who strive to provide credit assessments that remain broadly stable through the course of the business cycle have been themselves affected as the growing reliance on rating mean that they are increasingly expected to satisfy a widening range of constituencies with different and sometimes conflicting interests. They have responded to this challenge largely by adding more products to their traditional product palette but also through modifications in the rating process. It is however too early to say whether these changes mean a fundamental shift in their approach to credit risk measurement.
- JEL Code
- G10 : Financial Economics→General Financial Markets→General
G28 : Financial Economics→Financial Institutions and Services→Government Policy and Regulation
G29 : Financial Economics→Financial Institutions and Services→Other


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Correlate is a new, typically quirky beta service from Google. It's tricky to understand the concept at first, but essentially the service does for data what TinEye does for online images – provides a reverse search mechanism for finding similar data-sets from trends. Correlating one set of information with another.
The idea comes from Google's successful experiment to use the frequency of Google searches for keywords associated with flu symptoms, to provide advanced warning of flu outbreaks.
At the time of writing, Correlate works for two types of information: time-series, and US States. Trends are matched with variations in Google Search keyword frequency over time or by State. You can enter a search term, or upload your own data.
As this is correlation, not cause and effect, it often produces odd results. For instance one of the closest geographic correlations for Facebook is Tapeworm in humans.
Uploading data for hate group numbers per capita, I found a correlation with several dubious searches people are making. For example drivers license templates and Disney Channel Hannah Montana games.

source: HuggingFaceFW/fineweb-edu


Walling blocks are ideal for creating a raised bed, enclosing a patio area, garden steps or building a bbq. Terracotta bricks can also be used to create paths and border edging. You may also want to consider using Oakstone timber planter sections to create a raised bed.
The construction of a small garden wall is well within the capabilities of the average DIY kind of person, but do seek professional advice if you are planning on building a retaining wall higher than 600mm or for any wall higher than 900mm.
Here are 5 handy tips to help guide you through the process:
1. Dig the foundations. Dig a trench 200mm deep and 300mm wide, where the wall will be. Remember the blocks will be laid in the centre. Use wooden pegs and string to mark out the trench and to check levels. Use a sprit level to ensure the tops of the pegs are level.
2. Prepare the foundations. Infill the trench with a 100mm layer of compacted hardcore and then make up the rest with concrete. A standard concrete mix of 6 parts ballast to 1 part cement.
3. Build one course at a time. Stretch a building line ( or length of string pulled really tight) from one end of the foundations to the other. Using a trowel, spread mortar ( 4 parts building sand to 1 part cement) evenly over the foundations and then over the blocks of each course. The mortar should slightly exude from between the joints (10mm) and any surplus should be removed with the trowel. Fill vertical joints as you go by applying mortar to one end of the block before positioning it adjacent to the previously laid block. Build one course of bricks at a time, checking with a spirit level vertically, horizontally and diagonally. Remove excess mortar so it does not stain the face of the block.
4. Laid in a stretcher bond. The blocks should be laid in a stretcher bond using half blocks at the end of each course. Our walling blocks can be cut using a chisel and hammer or an angle grinder.
5. Top the wall with matching coping. Using a pointer trowel, smooth and finish the mortar joints.


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Georgia's breakaway republics of South Ossetia and Abkhazia marked four years of de facto independence on August 26.
In South Ossetia, parliamentary speaker Stanislav Koriev referred to the region's "unbroken spirit" and called its people citizens of a "heroic nation."
President Leonid Tibilov handed out awards to "citizens who made contributions to the establishment and strengthening of sovereignty" in South Ossetia.
In Abkhazia, Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Chirikba warned that the conflict with Georgia, which still claims both republics as part of its territory, was not finished.
August 26 is the day the Russian Federation recognized Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent nations.
Only a few nations have followed Moscow in recognizing the two republics as independent countries.
Based on reporting by ITAR-TASS and Interfax


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Among several theories explaining the pathogenesis of endometriosis, Sampson's theory seems to be the most reliable and popular. However, this theory does have some problems. First, the onset of endometriosis is not as common as retrograde menstruation. Second, the surface of the peritoneum is capable of preventing the adhesion of foreign bodies such as endometrial cells. Regarding the first problem, several studies on immunosurveillance have been reported. The second problems has not yet been clarified, Therefore we investigated the problem in the present report.Methods:
Levels of CD44 and tenascin in both menstrual and peripheral blood were assayed in 19 healthy volunteer women in the first experiment. In the second experiment, the effects of tenascin on the activity of MMP-9 were investigated, because the invasive ability of endometriotic cells is known to be due to MMP activity.Results:
CD44 and tenascin concentrations were significantly higher in menstrual blood than in peripheral blood. Since CD44 is a specific hyaluronic acid receptor, CD44 in menstrual blood was demonstrated to be a specific matchmaker of adhesion between the endometrial cells and the peritoneal surface. Tenascin in menstrual blood and endometriotic cells up-regulated MMP activity and promoted the invasive action of endometriotic cells.Conclusion:
The present study clarified that adhesion of endometrial cells in menstrual blood on adhesion-preventive peritoneal surface was achieved by a mediator, CD44, in menstrual blood and that the ability of endometriotic cells to invade, induced by MMP, was achieved through up-regulation of MMP activity by the mediator tenascin.


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Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Japan's funerals deep-rooted mix of ritual, form
Funerals in Japan incorporate a unique mixture of religion, tradition, culture, ritual and geography that to the outsider may appear perplexing.
Following are questions and answers about funerals in Japan and related activities:
Do funerals generally have a religious context?
With regard to rituals, most Japanese partake in a mixture of Shinto and Buddhism, with the latter customarily focused on funerals and the departed.
According to a Tokyo Metropolitan Government survey in fiscal 2001, 85 percent of 453 respondents said funerals they have participated in were Buddhist in nature, 4 percent were Shinto and 3 percent Christian. A further 4 percent said they have been involved in nonreligious funeral ceremonies.
How does a typical Buddhist funeral ceremony proceed?
The immediate family first keeps a night vigil, or wake, over the deceased on the day of death and generally holds the funeral the following day. Participants can attend either the wake or the funeral, or both.
During the wake and funeral services, participants who are not among the next of kin customarily offer money to the bereaved and burn incense to pray for the soul of the deceased at a temple or other venue where a monk chants sutras before an altar.
After the ceremony, the deceased is often carried in an ornate hearse to a crematorium.
After the cremation, the family and close friends use special chopsticks to collect bone fragments for a cinerary urn, which is traditionally placed in a family grave within 49 days after the funeral.
Rituals can vary, depending on the branch of Buddhism dealing with the deceased.
In recent years, ceremonies have generally tended to become simpler.
Why are rites performed at both the night wake and the funeral the following day?
They are different rituals.
The wake is the last occasion for the next of kin to spend time with the deceased, and the funeral is a ceremony of departure.
Wakes are believed to have originally been gatherings of pupils who talk all night about the lessons from the Buddha when he passed away. These days, relatives and friends stay all night in a lighted room with the deceased, at least as per the practice of the Jodo sect of Buddhism, according to its Web site.
Wakes are also nowadays more convenient for working people to attend than funerals.
Why do participants offer money to the next of kin, and what is the general amount?
It is customary for people to make a monetary offering to those holding ceremonies, including funerals, to ease the financial burden of such events.
The amount paid often depends on how close the contributor was to the deceased and how old the person is. When a colleague dies, the amount can range from ¥3,000 to ¥20,000. When parents and siblings die, family members may pay more.
Part of the custom also entails a return thank-you gift for the offering, in many cases a designer towel or dish.
What is the proper attire for attending a funeral and proper way to burn incense?
Basic black suits, dresses, ties and shoes are the norm, and accessories are kept to a minimum. Wearing gray clothing at a wake is acceptable because it is considered a gesture that the attendant felt the death was unexpected.
At many ceremonies, a tray is passed around with incense powder and a flame. The usual practice is for attendants to hold up a small amount of incense and then put it in the flame bowl, repeating the drill one or two more times, depending on the Buddhist sect.
What happens after funerals?
The next of kin and close friends traditionally hold memorial services on each seventh anniversary of the death up until the 49th, although not everyone strictly adheres to this. Similar services are even held one year, two years and six years after a death.
At a gathering at the home of the deceased or a close relative, a monk will chant sutras in front of the family Buddhist altar and then dinner follows.
Cleaning family grave plots on the anniversary of the death or during the weeks of the vernal and autumnal equinoxes are common, as well as during the Bon holiday in August, when people who do not live near their family graves have time off work to make the trip.
Why is cremation the norm here?
Cremation in Japan springs from Buddhist tradition. The practice is based on the legend that the Buddha's body was burned and his soul transmigrated, unlike the belief of Christians, Jews and Muslims in the Resurrection.
The first recorded cremation in Japan was in 700 and coincided with the arrival of Buddhism in the sixth century. But in the early years, only monks and high-ranking people were cremated because the wood to make the fires was too costly, according to the book "Sekai no Soso" ("World Funerals"), compiled by monk Kodo Matsunami.
The custom spread nationwide only after the war, because of the limited land in urban areas and for sanitary reasons.
Before and during the war, burials were the norm.
By fiscal 2007, cremation accounted for 99.8 percent of all those who died, according to the health ministry.
Big metropolitan areas, particularly Tokyo and Osaka, have local ordinances that require cremation for the sake of public health and because there is not enough land to allow burials.
Rural, remote areas aren't always so restrictive.
Do Japanese Christians seek to bury their dead like many of their Western counterparts, who believe the body is needed for resurrection to occur?
Cremation is the norm for Japanese Christians.
Citing the nation's regulations, the Rev. Tomeyuki Naito, general secretary of the United Church of Christ in Japan, said, "As for us, almost all are cremated."
Although Muslims here are few in number, they have a cemetery that accepts burials in Yamanashi Prefecture run by the Japan Muslim Association.
How much do funerals and related services cost?
The costs average ¥2.31 million, including ¥1.42 million for funeral-related fees and ¥401,000 for catering to attendants and ¥549,000 for monks, according to a survey published by Japan Consumers' Association in 2008.
But the costs depend on the size of the ceremony. Two out of the 314 respondents of the survey said they spent ¥200,000 to ¥300,000, the lowest amount, which another two shelled out more than ¥10 million, the highest.
Are all ceremonies expensive?
No, and the trend is to spend less.
"In recent years, we see the trend because many people become more practical and do not spend wastefully," Kamakura Shinsho, which publishes funeral-related dictionaries, says on its Web site.
An increasing number of funerals are held only by the next of kin. Some go for unconventional funerals and forgo the typical, and pricey, Buddhist trappings.
Some gatherings will play the favorite music of the deceased. Others may show photographs of the dead.
Even the family plot may no longer be the final resting place. Some people want their ashes scattered at sea or from an airplane.
Other Japanese have opted for much pricier excursions, having their remains sent into space, Kamakura Shinsho notes.


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In software development, a test suite, less commonly known as a validation suite, is a collection of test cases that are intended to be used to test a software program to show that it has some specified set of behaviours. A test suite often contains detailed instructions or goals for each collection of test cases and information on the system configuration to be used during testing. A group of test cases may also contain prerequisite states or steps, and descriptions of the following tests.
Occasionally, test suites are used to group similar test cases together. A system might have a smoke test suite that consists only of smoke tests or a test suite for some specific functionality in the system. It may also contain all tests and signify if a test should be used as a smoke test or for some specific functionality.
In Model-based testing, one distinguishes between abstract test suites, which are collections of abstract test cases derived from a high-level model of the system under test and executable test suites, which are derived from abstract test suites by providing the concrete, lower-level details needed execute this suite by a program. An abstract test suite cannot be directly used on the actual system under test (SUT) because abstract test cases remain at a high abstraction level and lack concrete details about the SUT and its environment. An executable test suite works on a sufficiently detailed level to correctly communicate with the SUT and a test harness is usually present to interface the executable test suite with the SUT.
A test suite for a primality testing subroutine might consist of a list of numbers and their primality (prime or composite), along with a testing subroutine. The testing subroutine would supply each number in the list to the primality tester, and verify that the result of each test is correct.
See also
- Hakim Kahlouche, César Viho, and Massimo Zendri, "An Industrial Experiment in Automatic Generation of Executable Test Suites for a Cache Coherency Protocol", Proc. International Workshop on Testing of Communicating Systems (IWTCS'98), Tomsk, Russia, September 1998.
|This software engineering-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.|


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Rather than encouraging people to become better citizens, rewards and fines can actually reduce peoples' natural tendencies to do the right thing by others. from, CC BY-ND
Voter turnout at New Zealand local elections keeps falling, but paying people to vote could backfire
Last week, voter enrolment for the 2019 local government elections closed in New Zealand and concerns about low voter turnout resurfaced. During a panel discussion run by Auckland Council, the idea was raised to pay people to vote to encourage participation.
The concerns about low voter turnout are well founded. Voting rates in local government elections have been falling for at least 30 years and voter participation now rests around 40% – almost half that of general elections.
The idea that we should be paying people to cast their vote in New Zealand isn't new. But the notion ignores the evidence that using explicit monetary incentives to induce pro-social behaviour can be counterproductive.
Read more: FactCheck Q&A: how unusual is compulsory voting, and do 90% of New Zealanders vote without it?
Homo economicus
The suggestion to pay people to vote rests heavily on the assumption that people subscribe to the self-interested motivations of Homo economicus: the idea that people make decisions purely on extrinsic motivations often determined by financial incentives.
This type of thinking has guided political theorists and constitutional thinkers since the late 18th century; influencing policy and causing laws to be designed to induce people to act as if they were civic minded, rather than explicitly encouraging the cultivation of civic virtues.
But this approach to policy making ignores the fact that we frequently observe people making choices in the best interests of society, rather than solely on what might best financially benefit themselves. These decisions are understood to be guided by intrinsic motivations, as opposed to extrinsic motivations.
Read more: Bungled NZ census highlights need for multiple voting options to raise Māori participation
The crowding out paradox
The issue is that in situations where intrinsic motivations are ignored and substituted for market mechanisms, such as rewards or fines, we can "crowd out" intrinsic motivations. In other words, rather than enhancing pro-social behaviour, rewards and fines can actually reduce peoples' natural tendencies to be good citizens.
Perhaps the most well known illustration of crowding out was a controlled behavioural experiment in Haifa, Israel, where parents who were late picking up their children at the end of the day were fined. Parents responded to the fine, but not as the daycare centres had hoped. Rather than encouraging cooperative behaviour the fine appeared to undermine the parents' sense of personal obligation to avoid inconveniencing the teachers, and late pick-ups more than doubled.
Another well known example found that paying people to give blood in the United Kingdom caused donations to go down, while another study found that paying people to collect money for charity caused the volunteers to collect fewer donations.
In each of these cases, peoples' natural tendencies to do good were crowded out by fines, bonuses or other incentives that put a price on their civic behaviour, and left them less inclined to act in a pro-social and generous way.
Message for policymakers
Voter turnout rates help to show how citizens feel about government, both in terms of their confidence in political institutions and whether their participation can make a difference. Because of this, the long-term trend in local government voter engagement should be raising red flags among decision makers in New Zealand.
So what to do? Although there is unlikely to be a panacea for increasing turnout, a mix of strategies that integrate structural reform with behavioural tools, such as requiring voters to opt out rather than opt in or offering "I voted" stickers, could offer incremental improvements. Likewise, investing in civic education could stimulate long-term changes in beliefs and norms, thereby increasing the scope of citizens' intrinsic motivations and levels of voter engagement.
Read more: How lowering the voting age to 16 could save democracy
Whatever the strategies explored, policymakers need to be aware that fines, bonuses or other incentives have the potential to compromise peoples' pre-existing civic values and intrinsic motivations. Subsequently, New Zealand decision makers need to take a comprehensive view of the things that motivate people to act when considering ways to increase voter engagement at the next election.
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Iodate Refuses to Intimidate
NOVEMBER 11, 2011
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For the first time, scientists were able to determine why iodate ions reside in water: The iodine atom's positive nature allows it to draw in three water molecules and these additional water molecules in turn allow the iodate ion to fit within water's structure. Image from Marcel D. Baer et al., J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 2, 2650 (2011). ©2011 American Chemical Society.
Whether creating a catalyst for petroleum-free fuel or designing better drug therapies, scientists need to control ions' actions in water. To do this, the actions must be accurately characterized. A new study by researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and Argonne National Laboratory, aided by the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne, answers a fundamental question about the behavior of large, negatively charged ions with multiple atoms, called polyoxyanions.
Like a bull in a china shop, a massive, iodine-based ion called "iodate" found within water's molecular structure should by rights disrupt the surrounding water molecules until it is forcibly expelled.
But it doesn't.
Now, the PNNL and Argonne scientists have discovered the secret. Their research has revealed that the iodine atom's positive nature attracts three water molecules that allow the iodate ion to fit within water's structure.
While the iodate ion is huge and surrounded by negative oxygen atoms, its central iodine atom takes on a positive character, or becomes a cation. The iodine's cationic behavior strongly attracts the negative oxygen atoms on the three nearby water molecules. By tightly surrounding itself with water, the iodate is able to blend into the water.
"To our knowledge, this is the first time anyone has [achieved] microscopic insight into the solvation of a polyoxyanion," said Chris Mundy, a physical chemist at PNNL who co-authored the study that appeared in The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters.
When examining the behavior of large ions in water, the conventional wisdom is that large anions — negatively charged ions, such as iodate (IO3-) — should disrupt the ordered structure of water. For example, iodide (I-) creates cavities within the water and is eventually expelled to the surface.
"The puzzle was why iodate did not behave like its slightly smaller cousin, iodide," said Mundy.
The research team took on that puzzle by integrating computer simulations and experimental studies with iodate. The simulations determined that the central iodine atom is positively charged, even though the ion has a negative charge. The simulations were density-functional-theory-based molecular dynamics simulations run on a powerful computing system, known as NWIce, at the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory at PNNL.
"I would usually expect every water molecule to point a hydrogen at the anion," said Marcel Baer, of PNNL who worked on the study. "The structure was surprising to me…very unexpected."
The simulations were confirmed by x-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy studies carried out at the X-ray Science Division 20-BM beamline at the Advanced Photon Source, where the team used x-rays to examine the structure of the ion in water. This work is one of several such studies carried out by this group at beamline 20-BM, aimed at understanding the solvation structure of ions under ambient as well as super critical conditions. In this particular case, the work involved looking at multiple edges of Iodine ( K, L3, L2 and L1) all of which could be accessed at 20-BM.
"This one is not the same as the pure hydration that would normally be seen with a cation. It has its own structure," said Van-Thai Pham, a postdoctoral researcher at PNNL who worked on the spectroscopy investigations at the light source.
The researchers are further delving into the mysteries of iodate. The team is looking into the water surface to see if iodate is absorbed or if the water shell that is formed rejects the ion at the surface. In addition, team members are studying how other ions behave in water. They are focusing on ions based on positively charged cesium, bromide, and rubidium. A better understanding of these ions and others has implications for applications from alternative energy sources to new drug therapies.
See: Marcel D. Baer1, Van-Thai Pham1, John L. Fulton1*, Gregory K. Schenter1**, Mahalingam Balasubramanian2, and Christopher J. Mundy1***, "Is Iodate a Strongly Hydrated Cation?," J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 2, 2650 (2011). DOI: 10.1021/jz2011435
Author affiliations: 1Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, 2Argonne National Laboratory
Correspondence:***, **,
This work was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Division of Chemical Sciences, Geosciences and Biosciences. PNNL is operated for the Department of Energy by Battelle. Use of the Advanced Photon Source was supported by the DOE Office of Science under Contract No. DE-AC02-06CH11357).
Based on a press release from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (news : web)


Injury type: Chronic
Category: Medical Options
Rating: Promising
What is it?
Radiofrequency neurotomy is a procedure which aims to disrupt the nerve supply to the joints in the spinal column. These joints are called facet joints. The disruption of the nerve supply is called denervation. In this process an electrode or a probe is inserted via a needle under local anaesthetic and using X-rays. When the probe is close to the nerve, heat is generated which interrupts the nerve conduction. Therefore, the nerve supply to the facet joint is interrupted.
How does it work?
Radiofrequency neurotomy works on the premise of disrupting the conduction of pain signals from the facet joints by interrupting its nerve supply. By interrupting the nerve supply, the pain signals are not carried to the brain and hence the perception of pain is reduced.
Is it effective?
This is an emerging area of practice and, as such, the evidence is limited. There are some high quality publications which support the use of radiofrequency neurotomy for patients suffering from long term whiplash injuries. The reported benefits include pain relief, range of motion, muscle strength and psychological well being. In some instances the benefit lasted up to a year. These findings, however, seem to be specific to patients with whiplash whose symptoms primarily arise from facet joints.
Are there any disadvantages?
During the procedure, it is possible that patients may receive a number of medications. These can have side effects such as drowsiness, temporary numbness, weakness and soreness. The area where the needle placement occurred can also be painful. These and other symptoms must be reported to the health professional for regular monitoring.
Where do you get it?
Radiofrequency neurotomy can only be undertaken by a registered medical health professional who is a specialist in this field (such as a radiologist).
There is an emerging body of evidence to suggest that radiofrequency neurotomy may be beneficial for patients with whiplash injuries whose signs and symptoms are as a result of facet joint problems and of a longstanding nature. However, it is unclear how often radiofrequency neurotomy can be repeated for patients with whiplash. More research is required to identify if this treatment will be beneficial for all patients suffering from long term whiplash symptoms.


Take the 2-minute tour ×
I am trying to understand why the order of the stabilizer group of a body diagonal of a cube is 6 rather than 3. It is clear to me that rotations about that diagonal stabilize the diagonal, by definition, and the order of this group is 3 (including the identity). So that means there must be 3 other, non-identity, rotations that stabilize this diagonal. I am terrible at geometry and I cannot think of what these others would be. I don't think that any of the rotations about $i$, $j$, $k$ can stabilize the diagonal, and I can't see 3 elements of order 2 doing this either. But then there are no elements left to consider! I am confused.
share|improve this question
There is a "swap the poles" symmetry (180 degree rotation that swaps the two ends of the body diagonal), and if you allow reflections, the "inversion" should also work. (A good answer should have a picture too :-) – Jack Schmidt Oct 17 '12 at 19:29
have you considered rotary reflections? – user39280 Oct 17 '12 at 19:32
_USER_ and dado, does the "swap the poles" symmetry correspond to a "double-rotation" about the $i$, $j$, and $k$ axis (st order of these guys is 2)? Or am I misunderstanding you? – tacos_tacos_tacos Oct 17 '12 at 20:17
_USER_: $(i,j,k) \mapsto (-j,-i,-k)$ or $a\mathbf{i}+b\mathbf{j} +c\mathbf{k} \mapsto -b\mathbf{i}-a\mathbf{j}-c\mathbf{k}$ is the rotation in terms of the coordinates. The cube itself is all $(a,b,c)=a\mathbf{i}+b\mathbf{j} +c\mathbf{k}$ such that $|a| \leq 1$, $|b|\leq 1$, $|c|\leq 1$. I still think a good answer deserves a picture, but if no-one will post one, I'll write up the linear algebra version. – Jack Schmidt Oct 17 '12 at 23:38
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text:
VB.Net provides several mechanisms for gathering input in a program. A Windows Forms ListBox control displays a list of choices which the user can select from.
You can use the Add or Insert method to add items to a list box. The Add method adds new items at the end of an unsorted list box. The Insert method allows you to specify where to insert the item you are adding.
The SelectionMode property determines how many items in the list can be selected at a time. A ListBox control can provide single or multiple selections using the SelectionMode property.
If you want to retrieve a single selected item to a variable, you can code like this
Dim var As String var = ListBox1.SelectedItem
If you change the selection mode property to multiple select, then you will retrieve a collection of items from ListBox1.SelectedItems property.
ListBox1.SelectionMode = SelectionMode.MultiSimple
The following VB.Net program initially fill seven days in a week while in the form load event and set the selection mode property to MultiSimple. At the Button click event it will display the selected items.
- Visual Studio IDE
- How to Create a vb.net Windows Forms Application
- Label Control
- Button Control
- TextBox Control
- ComboBox Control
- Checked ListBox Control
- RadioButton Control
- CheckBox Control
- PictureBox Control
- ProgressBar Control
- ScrollBars Control
- DateTimePicker Control
- Treeview Control
- ListView Control
- Menu Control
- MDI Form
- Color Dialog Box
- Font Dialog Box
- OpenFile Dialog Box
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- KeyPress event in VB.NET
- How to create Dynamic Controls in VB.NET?
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- Timer Control - VB.Net


text:
Remarkable effect of π-skeleton conformation in finitely conjugated polymer semiconductors†
The structure–property relationship of finitely conjugated polymer semiconductors is underdeveloped to date. Herein, we report three novel tetrafluoroethylene-containing finitely conjugated polymers, PNBDO-T, PNBDO-BiT and PNBDO-TriT, containing electron-donating units of thiophene (T), 2,2′-bithiophene (BiT), or 2,2′:5′,2′′-terthiophene (TriT), respectively. All three polymers showed ambipolar charge transport characteristics under ambient conditions. PNBDO-BiT with a centrosymmetric BiT unit exhibited a maximum electron mobility of 4.15 cm2 V−1 s−1, much higher than the mobilities of 1.01 × 10−2 and 0.052 cm2 V−1 s−1 of PNBDO-T and PNBDO-TriT, respectively, with axisymmetric T or TriT units. Meanwhile, PNBDO-BiT formed more ordered and crystalline molecular aggregation than the other two polymers. We attributed the differences to their π-skeleton conformations induced by the centrosymmetric or axisymmetric electron-donating units in these polymers. The results show that the construction of linear π-skeletons is of great importance in the development of high-performance finitely conjugated polymer semiconductors.


Oct 15, 2019
To help the modular system play in musical tune, I decided I wanted a Quantizer module. After significantly longer development time than I anticipated, the result is this two-channel Quantizer in 10hp Eurorack format.
Quantizer module with printed wooden front panel
In its simplest form, a quantizer is a module that takes in a control voltage, and outputs the same voltage rounded to the nearest note. In the usual V/Oct tuning system, and assuming we use just tuning, that means rounding to the nearest 1/12th of a Volt.
An obvious extension to such a basic quantizer is to have adjustable scales, where some of the 12 notes are disabled and hence will never be output. For example a quantizer could be set to a major scale to make sure the VCOs will always play only notes from that scale.
In my Quantizer I chose to have completely flexile scales, defined by 12 illuminated push buttons that are toggled on and off by pressing them. This allows any custom scale to be programmed, or for example only a subset of a scale to get more control over the resulting music. I often find enabling only 3 or 4 notes gives more useful results than a traditional 7-tone scale.
User interface
Rather than the traditional piano keyboard layout, I ended up with a circular layout of the scale buttons that is comparable to the concept of bracelets. This layout is to me more intuitive compared to the piano keyboard - for example transposing the scale is just rotating the notes on the ring. As shown below, on the front panel layout I still made shaded regions to indicated the black keys on the piano keyboard for reference.
Front panel layout
Below the scale buttons are function buttons, including two buttons to rotate the scale clockwise or counterclockwise, allowing one to easily change the key. Using the shift button in combination with the scale buttons more advanced options can be changed, such as different variations on transposing one or both channels. The operation of all functions is explained in detail in the user manual.
Each of the two quantizer channels has obviously an input and output jack. The Gate output (and corresponding LED) go high whenever a new note is quantized, and can be used for example to trigger envelopes. Finally, each channel has a Trig input, which can optionally be used to trigger the quantization at desired times. When nothing is connected to the Trig input, the quantizer goes to a new note whenever the input voltage changes to the next note.
Finally there are two assignable CV inputs A and B. In my first prototype these inputs were absent, but after playing with rotations and transpositions for a few minutes it became blatently obvious that these functions should be sequenceable with CV. The CV inputs can be assigned to almost all functions, such as changing key, transposing one or both channels, adjusting gate lenght or even loading a completely different scale from memory.
Hardware design
Quantization is inherently a digital operation, and it is no surprise that this module is implemented digitally. While quantizers made up of only discrete logic chips exist (notably Ray Wilson's MFOS Voltage Quantizer), a microcontroller makes the implementation both a lot simpler and more flexible. The venerable ATMega328P is a good match for the complexity of this project, and makes the Quantizer programmable in the Arduino IDE which hopefully lowers the barrier to firmware development if anyone is interested in that.
A key component of a quantizer is a digital-to-analog converter (DAC), which should be highly linear to ensure all quantized notes are in tune. Rather than a fancy DAC chip I went with filtered pulse-width modulation (PWM). While PWM has limitations, it gives excellent linearity since the output voltage steps are derived from the accurate timing of the crystal oscillator. Filtering the PWM signal properly is challenging, but using a 4th order buffered passive filter the results were satisfactory.
A more detailed description of the hardware as well as schematics are available in the build document. The hardware part of this module is not open source, but like with my other designs personal, non-commercial use is allowed.
Software design
The firmware of the Quantizer is written in the Arduino IDE, and made available open-source such that anyone can make modifications or alternatives if desired. Due to the limited resources on the 8-bit microcontroller, hardware and software are fairly tightly knit together. If you fancy developing the firmware for this module, the comments in the code give the best starting point. Also feel free to get in touch, I am happy to help where I can.
Building the Quantizer
Are you intersted in a Quantizer for your own system? I recommend first reading the user manual to see if the Quantizer fits your needs, and then have a look at the build document for building information.
I offer PCBs and front panels for sale, and generally also pre-programmed microcontroller chips if you don't fancy programming it yourself. The build involves a few 0805 and SOIC-size SMD components, but is mostly through-hole. While the component count is high compared to my other modules, there is nothing particularly difficult in the build.
All documentation can be found on Github.
The short demo video below demonstrates some of the Quantizer features. The Beatstep Pro drives a slow 4-note sequence which is fed to the CV A input and set to change the Rotation of the Quantizer. This creates a simple chord progression.
The melody voice comes from Quantizer channel 1. It's input is a free-running LFO, and the trigger is provided by a second channel of the Beatstep Pro. This combination creates quantized pseudo-random melodies, which follow the key of the chord progression.
The chords are made up by two VCOs. One comes from channel 2 of the Quantizer, also fed by the same LFO, but triggered only on quarter notes. The second VCO plays the root note directly from the Beatstep Pro.
 1. Would good add short video (or not short), if it not difficult.
 2. Awesome.. after skimming through the documents.. Jaw droppingly awesome!
 3. Is there any way to get the LEDs to flash in the pitch that is happening? Kind of like the uScales does.
 BTW I love the module!
 1. Something like this could be implemented. The LEDs are not PWMed (to avoid possible interference), so they can't flash brighter, but they could for example flash off briefly.
 4. This looks great. Would it ever be possible to purchase a kit?
 1. Hi! Both Thonk and Synthcube are working on kits for this module. I don't know when they will come out, best ask from the stores directly.
 5. Nice! I really like the trig-in kinda s&holding on incoming pitch cv function and the freely assignable a/b inputs (chord progression/key change).
 One question: 2 voices would be a little limiting in my setup; is there a way to have two quantizers (4 channels) working together sharing the same scale settings/ chord progression infos coming from one a/b cv in without having to program each quantizer/synch them?
 Thanks and big ups for this awesome piece of work!
 6. The two color switches are sold out.
 Do I miss anything by getting a single color version?
 1. Hi! The Quantizer uses normally single color switches, so that's fine! Dual color switches work also as a backup (only one color is used).
 Some videos show a mix of red and green switches, since I did not have enough of any single color during prototype development
 2. Thanks for the super fast reply.
 I will then order the color of my choice. Too bad TME doesn't seem to have any of them in stock, except for the silver ones.
 7. Hello Caspar,
 I'm wondering if microtonal scales could be somehow implemented. As this is based on coding, maybe it could work?
 1. Hi! The voltage output is based on PWM where 1 lsb change of the output is exactly 1/12 of a volt. This provides very good linearity (hence easy calibration), but does not allow for microtonal scales.
 2. Hi and thanks for the answer!
 I'll keep enjoying it as it is ;)


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What is a Sunburst Diagram,alternative to sunburst chart,sunburst chart generator,sunburst chart example,sunburst chart python,sunburst chart js,interactive sunburst chart,sunburst chart r,excel sunburst chart order,
What is a Sunburst Diagram?
As known as a Sunburst Chart, Ring Chart, Multi-level Pie Chart, Belt Chart, Radial Treemap.
This type of visualisation shows hierarchy through a series of rings, that are sliced for each category node. Each ring corresponds to a level in the hierarchy, with the central circle representing the root node and the hierarchy moving outwards from it. Rings are sliced up and divided based on their hierarchical relationship to the parent slice. The angle of each slice is either divided equally under its parent node or can be made proportional to a value. Colour can be used to highlight hierarchal groupings or specific categories.
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issue that comes up a lot with RPG mysteries, is that there is a perception that one solution solves the mystery. That makes sense doesn't it? I mean, when it's a whodunit, there is only one 'who', right.
Now, unless you are very good at planning out mystery games, and your players are very good at solving them, you are banking on the fact that a group of people are going to randomly guess the guilty party you are imagining in your head as GM.
This is a bad idea.
First, we're all geeks, and we all think we've got some genius story or adventure concept that is going to WOW our players, so we come up with a murderer or criminal mastermind who is SO PERFECTLY OBVIOUS if you just put the pieces together.
Is there any guarantee that will happen though?
Don't put money on it.
Make the mystery, and the solution to it, more flexible.
So what can you do about it?
#1. Recommendation One: Leave clues damn it!
If you are going to go the traditional route with mysteries, leave clues PCs can find. Consider what means they have to notice and discover things, not what means you wish they had.
Vary the sources of evidence. Depending on the nature of the crime or incident, consider whether there is physical evidence, visual or audio recordings, witnesses, or specialist available to consult on the matter.
#2. Recommendation Two: Be challenging, not unfathomable.
Don't use your extensive knowledge of 15th century painters and your skill at word play to create a clue that only you and ten other people in the world are going to get. That is freaking obnoxious. Make it relatable and accessible to your players' knowledge base, not yours.
#3 Recommendation Three: Do Mysteries Differently
I can't stress this one enough.
I don't usually build my mysteries the way most people do unless I am dealing with someone else's setting, and I know the mysteries need to have specific answers to solve them.
When creating my own mysteries, I set up a situation, provide the actions of NPCs, and perhaps a little background for motivations. Then, I use alternative mystery models described in games such as InSpectres and Gumshoe.
Basically, I as GM, provide the crime, and all the pieces needed to commit it and solve it, but I don't solve it myself.
Let me reiterate that.
I create the mystery, but not the solution.
I get the players, through their PCs, to investigate, add ideas, suggest clues, provide rationales, and point the investigation towards an ending that I am challenged to figure out. It's not my mystery that they have to solve so much as our mystery that I have to logically solve based on what the players said and did.
I could really go on and on with this for pages and pages, but it's getting late and both you and I have stuff to do.
In conclusion, if you can not lay out a mystery in a way that it can actually be investigated and deduced, don't use mysteries so much. Ease off a bit.
If you are going to use them, figure out what model you want to use, and then adhere to the basic tenets of that approach. If players need to assemble a number of clues to determine what happened and who's behind it, provide clues, as well as direct evidence and NPCs who can provide Intelligence. If you are using the 'players build the mystery' approach, do a little reading on that style before hand, and run some practice scenarios over in your mind. If can be tricky, so be prepared.
Good luck, and remember, it's elementary Watson. Elementary.
Barking Alien
* By the way, don't forget to check out Dyvers The Great Blog Roll Call 2014.
This list is awesome.
Seriously, Charles has done us all a great service by checking out all of these blogs, enabling the rest of us to more easily find the ones we'll like. Browse his comprehensive list of blogs so you can figure out what is out there and which ones pertain to your areas of interest. Find old favorites, make new ones and see what blogs are right for you.
Thank you Dyvers!
Monday, June 9, 2014
ReBoot Hill
In a manner of speaking, a reboot of Boot Hill.
All-Star Western and Western Comics from DC Comics
Bonanza (Television Series)
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (Motion Picture)
Fistful of Dollars (Motion Picture)
Gunsmoke (Television Series)
Lone Ranger (Radio and Television)
Rawhide (Television Series)
The Magnificent Seven (Motion Picture)
Barking Alien
Wednesday, June 4, 2014
Not To Scale
I've been debating doing an irregular series of posts entitled, "What Other GMs Do Wrong".
Unfortunately, that would make me out to be a real jerk, right?
Probably a bad idea. Yeah.
What Other GMs Do Wrong: Scaling
One issue I encounter often when I play as a player (and I rarely play as a player, so...) that makes me oh so happy I GM more than 95% of the time is Scaling.
Yes, Scaling.
Most Gamemasters can't ^#*_USER_ Scale.
Now, before I make comments and give some advice on what to do to remedy this problem, let me talk about what Scaling is in the context of this post.
Scaling is adjusting your adventure, be it store bought or homebrewed, to be challenging, but not too hard or too easy. Specifically, in this case, I am referring to adjusting it either on-the-fly, or with only a short amount of prep time.
If you have plenty of prep time and you still can't Scale your game properly, take up stamp collecting before you hurt yourself, or one of your players does.
You will notice on the classic Advanced Dungeons & Dragons adventure module pictured above, the adventure is designed for 'CHARACTER LEVELS 10-14'.
OK, cool. Thanks. That's actually quite helpful.
How many characters levels 10-14? If two 12th level characters go on this adventure, neither one a Cleric, does either of them have better than an ice cube's chance on the Sun of survival?
I seriously can't tell you how many times over the last 37 years I've been in games where the GM didn't have a handle on adjusting a game to fit the players and characters involved.
Scaling is necessary for any number of reasons.
Perhaps you planned out the adventure for set number of PCs, with a certain skill and ability make up, and the entire group didn't show up for game night as expected.
Maybe you've got a player who is really new to gaming and just doesn't yet have the mind set the veterans have.
Maybe an extra player showed up, a friend you haven't seen in a while, who just happens to be one of the best damn players you know, and he knows this adventure backwards and forwards.
Oh, I can hear the laments of the old school GMs now:
"Why should we adjust for them? It's our game! If they can't hack it, they deserve to have their characters die!"
"How dare you doubt the wisdom of professional game designers from the earliest days of the hobby! If the book says the encounter is X, than it's X! No ifs, ands or buts."
"By my mighty neck-beard! It's all been worked out mathematically on a calculated probability, bell-curve algorithm."
I have no clue if that last one makes a lick of sense. I am allergic to math and don't go near the stuff.
The point is, sometimes what's on the page, be it pre-made by the pros or homemade by you,* isn't quite right for the group you're playing with and you'll need to customize it right there on the spot.
I played a Pathfinder game not too long ago (Remember how I said I don't like D&D? Yeah. That includes Pathfinder. Maybe more so), in which none of the 'level appropriate' PCs - a Rogue, a Warrior, and an Alchemist - could score a single hit against our opponents - two lizard/snake people - in our first four attempts. Each. That's right, 12 swings, 12 misses. So fun. An NPC needed to help use to avoid a TPK at the very start of an 'Adventure Path' (whatever the heck that is).
Now, that can happen in an RPG. You can have a streak of bad luck and just roll poorly all session. However, when three players roll badly the entire game, and the GM rolls well the entire game, and the numbers in many instances don't look all that different, one may assume the baddies are a bit higher level/hit dice than your PCs are. Maybe their Armor Class is comparatively high. Whatever.
As it turn out, the same NPC was needed to help us in nearly every encounter we had.
This game and it's encounters were not scaled properly.
What it boils down to is this:
When designing an adventure, the typical Gamemaster (I'm guessing) writes a script and some notes indicating what the PCs are going to encounter that session (or over the course of several sessions for a large dungeon or whathaveyou), and where they will encounter it.*
For Example:
Level 6, Room 20a: This room was very likely a wash room or bathhouse. There is little to no standing water


text:
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Review Papers | Dental Science | India | Volume 7 Issue 1, January 2018
A Detailed Study on the Role of Photographic Objective in Dental Photography
Shamphavi.S | Aphara.S
Abstract: At present, photography plays a critical role in dental practice. Dental photography assists dentists in treatment planning, communicating with patients and to keep a track on treatment proceedings. To achieve the expected results in each of the above stage, it is important to capture the images with better resolution. The resolution depends upon the selection of lens. Even with best camera and good photographic skills, dental practitioners wont be able to produce a good image without a right lens. This article emphasizes the significance of lens in dental photography. At present, lens plays crucial part in determining the image quality. Recently, lens-less camera which could produce a 3-D image was developed. This study also covers the future of lens-less camera in dental photography.
Keywords: Dental, Photography, Resolution, Camera lens, lens-less camera
Edition: Volume 7 Issue 1, January 2018,
Pages: 2030 - 2032


Something hard to break - Crossword Clue
Below are possible answers for the crossword clue Something hard to break.
5 letter answer(s) to something hard to break
 2. excessive use of drugs
 3. a distinctive attire worn by a member of a religious order
 4. put a habit on
 5. attire that is typically worn by a horseback rider (especially a woman's attire)
Other crossword clues with similar answers to 'Something hard to break'
Still struggling to solve the crossword clue 'Something hard to break'?
If you're still haven't solved the crossword clue Something hard to break then why not search our database by the letters you have already!


Since the School Climate Improvement Resource Package (SCIRP) includes a breadth of resources to meet the needs of a variety of States, districts and schools, this tool will help you identify which SCIRP items may be most helpful to you. Below is a list of 5 basic questions. After submitting responses to the questions, a list of SCIRP items and/or sections of items will be generated for you to explore. You will be able to save the list so you can share it and/or reference it later.
1. Are you aiming to make school climate improvements as a… [Check all that apply.]
2. Is your district/school administering a school climate survey? [Select one.]
3. What are you interested in learning about? [Check all that apply.]
4. Is your school/district wanting or needing to focus on a specific school climate topic area? [Check all that apply.]
5. Do you need the basics or comprehensive information on improving school climate? [Select one.]


text:
Grids for Kids: Level 3
75 page PDF file
Recommended age: 9 and up
In Level 1 and Level 2, the puzzles each contained three categories with three items in each category. Now, in Level 3, all puzzles contain three categories with four items in each category. This allows for greater variation in the types of clues available. Towards the end of the book, the increase in complexity is noticeable.
When you purchase Level 3, you will receive a.PDF file and the right to make as many copies as you wish within your immediate family or, if you are a teacher, within a single classroom.


text:
States and Provinces
Sonora and ''the Green Revolution''
- Technical Specifications
||During the 1940s, the state of Sonora was greatly aided trough great hydraulic works in the area of irrigation as well as the establishment of programs such as ''the Green Revolution'' and allocation of land programs in the Yaqui and Mayo valleys. In the long run, it suffered the effects of the various economic crises that began in the 1970s, which also affected livestock raising and mining. This period's major issues are centered on phenomena such as migration and the establishment of border-area maquiladoras, which began transforming the state's production profile beginning in the seventies. The end of this era would be marked by the death of Sonora's Luis Donaldo Colosio in 1994.
|| Juan Prieto Molina
|| Olga Cáceres
||Guión: Olga Cáceres
Editorial Clío, Libros y Videos Copyright © 2010


text: Short for geosynchronous, or geostationary, earth orbit, a satellite system used in telecommunications. GEOs orbit the earth at 22,300 miles above the earth's surface. They are tied to the earth's rotation and are therefore in a fixed position in space in relation to the earth's surface. The satellite goes around once in its orbit for every rotation of the earth. The advantage of a GEO system is that the transmission station on earth needs to point to only one place in space in order to transmit the signal to the GEO satellite. GEO systems are used for transmissions of high-speed data, television signals and other wideband applications.


text:
In the past couple of decades, society has progressed a lot in terms of gender equality. However, there is still no denying the fact that men and women differ from each other – biologically and behaviorally.
Those slight differences affect many aspects of our lives, including the way we play poker download games. How exactly are men and women different when it comes to the thinking process? What else can cause both genders to act differently at the poker tables? Now is your chance to find out which physical elements can affect your ability to play poker online!
The Female vs. Male Brain
For many years, scientists have been fascinated with the way the male brain works in comparison to the female brain. According to Northwestern Medicine, the part of the brain in charge of math problems, judging speed and estimating time is larger in men.
Also, men use more grey matter in the brain – which makes them better at task-oriented assignments. On the other hand, the female brain relies more heavily on white matter, which is why they are better at multitasking and learning languages.
On top of that all, the female brain has better connections between hemispheres, resulting in better analyzing skills and intuitive thinking. Men, however, have better connections between the front and the back of the brain. That heightens their perception and motor skills.
Understanding those differences can help you figure out your opponents' weak spots. While male poker pros can be hyper-focused and calculated when playing games, they might be less able to adjust to constant changes. Female poker pros, on the other hand, might rely too heavily on their gut feeling when making poker-related decisions.
How Hormones Affect Your Poker Play
The brain is not the only thing that differentiates men from women, as hormones play a big part in this equation as well. It is a known fact that men have higher testosterone levels in their bodies than women. But does it affect their thinking process?
In a study published by the NIH in 2016, researchers wanted to test the effects of this hormone on female poker players. In this game, female poker players played a game of bluff poker, where two main principles collide: the desire to win big or maintaining a respectable status.
In this game, the best strategy to maximize profits requires random bluffing – whether you have a good hand or not. Also, players shouldn't call the bluffs of other players if they want to make a profit.
But this strategy doesn't suit people who care more about their status than winning. First of all, being caught bluffing when they have a weak hand can hurt their reputation, as they will be seen as deceptive people. Also, not calling other people on their bluffs might seem too submissive for their taste.
The researchers recruited 20 female volunteers who agreed to play the game on two separate occasions. Before their first game, they have received testosterone, and in the second - they got a placebo dose. Their playing tactics were watched closely and analyzed, and the researchers came to an interesting conclusion.
As it turned out, when the players were under the influence of testosterone, they were less inclined to bluff randomly – especially when they had weak hands. Moreover, they called others on their bluffs more often. That served to show that instead of encouraging materialistic behavior, testosterone causes people to seek dominance and worry about their status.
In turn, those findings serve to show that male players often care more about their image than the outcome of the game. That makes their gambling patterns rather predictable, and it can be used against them.
Both male and female poker pros can be highly successful. However, their playing tactics can differ due to biological differences. And if you're aware of those small distinctions, you might be able to use this knowledge to your advantage when you play!


text:
Teaching quality has a significant impact on academic access, retention and performance. Yet many teachers in sub-Saharan Africa, conditioned by male-dominated values in their communities, employ teaching methods that do not provide equal opportunity to participation for girls and boys. Neither do these methods take into account the individual needs of learners, especially girls.
FAWE developed the Gender-Responsive Pedagogy (GRP) model to address the quality of teaching in African schools.
The model trains teachers to be more gender aware and equips them with the skills to understand and address the specific learning needs of both sexes. It develops teaching practices that engender equal treatment and participation of girls and boys in the classroom and in the wider school community.
Features of FAWE's GRP model
The GRP model trains teachers in the design and use of gender-responsive:
- Teaching and learning materials.
- Lesson plans.
- Language in the classroom.
- Classroom interaction.
- Classroom set-up.
- Strategies to eliminate sexual harassment.
- Management of sexual maturation.
- School management systems.
- Monitoring and evaluation.
Gender-Responsive Pedagogy was initiated in 2005 and has been introduced in Burkina Faso, Chad, Ethiopia, The Gambia, Guinea, Kenya, Malawi, Namibia, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.
Impact of FAWE's GRP model
- Improvement in girls' retention and performance.
- Greater participation of girls' in the classroom.
- Improved gender relations within schools.
Over 6,600 teachers have benefited from FAWE's GRP training since 2005.


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The reciprocal regulation of phosphoprotein phosphatases (PPPs) by protein kinases is essential to cell cycle progression and control, particularly during mitosis for which the role of kinases has been extensively studied. PPPs perform much of the serine/threonine dephosphorylation in eukaryotic cells and achieve substrate selectivity and specificity through the interaction of distinct regulatory subunits with conserved catalytic subunits in holoenzyme complexes. Using a mass spectrometry-based chemical proteomics approach to enrich, identify, and quantify endogenous PPP holoenzyme complexes combined with kinase profiling, we investigated the phosphorylation-dependent regulation of PPP holoenzymes in mitotic cells. We found that cyclin-dependent kinase 1 (CDK1) phosphorylated a threonine residue on the catalytic subunit of the phosphatase PP2A, which disrupted its holoenzyme formation with the regulatory subunit B55. The consequent decrease in the dephosphorylation of PP2A-B55 substrates promoted mitotic entry. This direct phosphorylation by CDK1 was in addition to a previously reported indirect mechanism, thus adding a layer to the interaction between CDK1 and PP2A in regulating mitotic entry.
Copyright © 2020 The Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of Science. No claim to original U.S. Government Works.


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Coloring materials chemical compounds are called, which have the characteristic to color other materials. According to DIN 55934 there is such color means, which are soluble in their application medium. Unsolvable color means are called pigments.
Coloring materials, which are used to color food are called food colors and are food additives.
One divides the coloring materials also into animal, vegetable, i.e. organic and inorganic coloring materials. A further organization differentiates between synthetic and natural coloring material-synthetic coloring materials is for example the Azofarbstoffe.Tieri coloring materials is coloring materials, which are produced by animals. Those are for example hemoglobin (the coloring material of the blood) and magenta (of the magenta snail). Vegetable coloring materials are coloring materials, which are produced by plants, for example Indigo, chlorophyll or Carotin (from the carrot). Inorganic coloring materials are coloring materials without carbon compounds, for example ochers.
As standard work the Colour index is considered to coloring material chemistry, therein all well-known color means is specified and characterized.
Color means (thus soluble coloring materials and insoluble pigments) are already used in the primeval times of mankind for the most diverse causes and operational areas.
One of the colors used for primeval times was the white and one of the first used weiss-Pigmente was the calcium oxide (CaO), which by burning from limestone is won, see also Kalkfarbe.In of the painting finally was long time white lead (Pb (OH) 2 2 PbCO3) the only available white color, to this at the beginning 19. Century one replaced by the zinc white (ZnO), which was preferred to white lead because of its smaller toxicity. Today almost exclusively the only in the last century developed titanium white (TiO2) is used. White soluble coloring materials are however physically impossible.
One of the most expensive colors was up to 18. Century the blue, for which there was the half jewel at the time at that time beside the synthetically manufactured Smalte pigments only Lapislazuli as raw material, which results in the Ultramarin after a labor intensive process then.
The oldest well-known organic coloring material is the Indigo, which already 2000 v. Chr. in Egypt use found. In Europe this coloring material from the was won. Beyond that and a set of coloring materials from plants is won. A composition of is in the article useful plants.
The most expensive coloring material of all times is the genuine magenta. It can be won from the color glands of the magenta snail, which occurs at the coast of the eastern Mediterranean. For 1 g of the coloring material approximately 8000 snails are needed.
Only by the development of the synthetic coloring materials in the center 19. Jh. increased the number of available colors and rose their durability strongly.
The first synthetic coloring material is here the Mauvein discovered by William Henry Perkin, which it center 19. Jh. with experiments with tar components found.
White light (spectrum within range 380-780 Nm) is a mixture of light with most diverse wavelengths. The chromatic spectrum is enough here from long-wave red light (approx. 780 Nm) up to shorter-wave violet light (approx. 380 Nm).
The impact of coloring materials is based now to absorb certain parts flash spectrum. The complementary color of the absorbed wavelength is the color, in which the coloring material appears.
The absorption of electromagnetic radiation, to which also light belongs, is based thereby on the rise of the energy level of electrons in molecules or atoms (increase of the distance between electrons and the atomic nuclei). Those for this necessary energy is taken from the incident electromagnetic radiation, the light.
Since these procedures on the quantum level take place, this absorption is not continuous, but effected only in certain stages, which correspond to the energetic difference between/the electrons before and/or after the absorption. This energy difference is in reverse proportionally to the absorbed wavelength of the incident light and certainly thus the color, in which the coloring material appears. A list of of some substances is under absorption values of chemical substances.
see also: Solvatochromie
If only simple \ sigma connections arise in the regarded molecules or atoms, then the energy is, is needed around the appropriate \ sigma electrons on a higher energetic level to lift too largely, it could come to a level increase by the visible part of the electromagnetic spectrum. Generally takes place here an absorption within the range UV light or the x-ray, so that this kind connections normally are unsuitable as coloring material. More easily succeeds the suggestion of the electrons, which arise to e.g. insatiated connections in \ pi connections so mentioned. These absorb already electromagnetic waves within the range of the long-wave UVrange-arrange one several such insatiated connections (Mehrfachbindungen) alternating with simple atomic bonds, then it comes to a Delokalisierung \ of the pi electrons, whereby the distance between the lively and the initial state is again reduced. A shift of the absorbed wavelengths corresponds to that to larger wavelengths. Generally applies here that the absorption region is shifted all the more upward, the number of these insatiated connections is the larger. A further rise can be achieved, in which such materials with particularly suitable other atomic's groups or atoms are combined, which function as electron acceptors or electron donors and/or are As Auxochrome (electron donors) or Antiauxochrome (electron acceptors) the for example following functional groups use can find:
The effect of these Auxo and/or Antiauxochrome is based thereby on a polarization of the molecule and a shift of the existing delokalisierten electrons following from it, which are available by the insatiated connections in the remainder of the molecule. The groups, which make appropriate delokalisierte electrons available, are called also Chromophore. How can be derived from the explanations above, primarily the Chromophore and its frequency, with which they occur in the regarded molecule, are responsible for the colour of a coloring material. The following functional groups can function for example as Chromophore:
\ pi overlay of aromatic rings and a Azogruppe by the example of the Aminoazobenzols.
Here represented \ the groups of pi of the molecule parts involved as structural formula and 3D-Modell.
Unfortunately the benzene rings are satisfied represented with this 3D-Bild. In the 2D-Darstellung carries each ring carbon only a hydrogen atom. Otherwise none are formed \ pi connections. Polarization and charge transfer in the Aminoazobenzol. The NH2-Gruppe works with its free pair of electrons still colordeepening.
The designations such as Chromophore and Auxochrome originate from the coloring material theory from Otto Nikolaus Witt.
We found here 102 articles.
» Brilliant-black BN
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|Magenta (coloring material)|
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» Nature coloring material
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|Vat dyes||Yellow orange S||Zinc oxide|


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Single Women: An Alienated Social Group in Nepal
Women are considered to be a significant contributor in building a culture of peace and nurturing cultural practices. However, being a patriarchal society, it is no surprise to see single women living a dejected life ignoring every reason to be happy as if they have committed a sin. In Nepal, single women are also known as marginalized group (Regmi 2001), who are forced and sometimes prefer to live alone without men. Although single women are the bread winner and active decision maker (Women Human Right Defenders [WHRD] 2005-2006), they are alienated from the community because they deny to follow the social norms. Widows, badi, divorced, and unmarried women are categorized under single women. Moreover, widows and badi situations are more exacerbated than divorced and unmarried women.
Issues of Single Women in Nepal
In Nepal, widows contain 99% of single women who are shunned by the society (Burathoki 2009). After the death of their husbands, their freedom is taken away by the society. Women for Human Rights reported that 67% of widows resulted from 10 years long armed conflict. Additionally, widows are merely between 20-35 years of age with 3-4 children (Luitel 2009). The status of widows in the country is very depressing because they are shunned by our society. Widows are not allowed to wear colorful dresses, participate in special occasions such as wedding ceremony and religious festival. Moreover, there is a believe that if people see widows while walking on the street for any new work, they will immediately post pond their job because looking widows face before their new work is considered to be a bad luck. Especially young widows are assumed to be witches and are blamed for the death of their husbands.
On the other hand, widows are the ones who are blamed for their own condition. Although their husbands have been killed in the war or an accident, most of them think that their husband died because of their misfortune. They are most likely to become the victim of human trafficking because they have lack of education and skills to work and survive (Thapa 2007). On July 15, 2009, Nepal's government introduced a new incentive to give Rs. 50,000 cash as a reward for marrying a widow (Joanna 2009). The government has brought the program from the suggestion of economists for social security, but offering cash to marry widows only emphasize the fact that, women cannot be empowered until and unless they have husbands (Basnet 2009).
Badi are the women who came to Nepal from northern India to entertain people by dancing, singing and making madals, a musical instrument, in 1890s. However, later in 1950s, they lost their customers so sex work became their main income (Gurung 2002). After having frequent unprotected sex, the women are giving birth to children whose fathers are unknown. Those children have to face poor nurturing and social insecurities after their birth because of their unidentified fathers. Similarly, citizen certificate is impossible for those children, although Nepal citizenship act (2006) defines "Any person born at the time when his father or mother is a citizen of Nepal, shall be a citizen of Nepal by descent" (Nepal citizenship act 2006). However, it has been practiced only in the name of father. Additionally, marriages with badi are against the social norms in the country because people think that all badi are involved in sex work although there are some young badi who are not involved in sex work (Cox 1992). Ultimately, widows and badi who are involved in sex work to survive have a high risk of HIV and AIDS as well as many other diseases that are found in the country. Thus, the government should bring new incentives to empower them through education, vocational courses and employment oriented training so that they could earn a livelihood with a healthy life.
Divorced and Unmarried Women
In Nepal, there are many women who are aware of their rights but are not satisfied with their marriage for various reasons and get divorced. However, about 465 Muslim women are forcefully thrown out of the house by their husbands without any support (Parajuli 2008). Likewise, unmarried women who are above 35 years age are also known as single women. There are some feminists, who prefer to stay alone and call themselves as 'single women' to remove the discrimination against single women (Women for Human Rights 2003). However, both of them are being gossiped and criticized by society for refusing the social norms. Thus divorced and unmarried women are less exploited than others.
There is a famous quote of Mahatma Gandhi that says "If the women of Asia wake up, they will dazzle the world" (V Mohini n.d.). Thus, the government of Nepal should not delay to recognize the rights of single women, and the women should be considered to be the assets of the country.
Basnet, Sunita. (2009, July 28). Marriage or sales advertisement. Retrieved November 28, 2009, from World Pulse website _URL_
Burathoki G, Kanchan. (2009, August 10). Marriage incentive riles single women. Retrieved December 8, 2009, from Republica Social Affairs website _URL_
Cox, Thomas. (1992, January). The badi-prostitution as a social norm among an untouchable caste of west Nepal. Retrieved December 6, 2009, from Scribd website _URL_
Giri, V Mohini. (2000). Transforming approached to conflict resolution. Retrieved November 25, 2009, from CAPWIP: Center for Asia-pacific Women in Politics website _URL_
Gurung, Trishna. (2002, July 05-11). Badi women must now contend with vigilante. Retrieved December 1, 2009, from Nepali Times website _URL_
Jolly, Joanna. (2009, July 16). Nepal widows dismiss marriage incentive. Retrieved November 25, 2009, from BBC NEWS website _URL_
Luitel, Anjana. (2009, June 24). International widow day. Retrieved on November 30, 2009, from World Pulse website _URL_
Nepal citizen act 2063 (2006). (2006, November 26). An act enacted for amendment and integration of matters relating to Nepal citizenship act. Retrieved December 6, 2009, from British Citizen website: _URL_
Parajuli, Kalpit. (2008, December 1). Nepal: Muslim women in the street against 'talak' divorce. Retrieved December 7, 2009, from Women living under Muslim laws website _URL_
Regmi, Chandra Shibesh. (2001, March). A marginalised group: listening to badi community. Retrieved December 6, 2009, from ActionAid Nepal: western regional office, Nepalgunj website _URL_
Thapa, Lily. (2007, December 8). Nepal's widow : 16 days against gender violence. Retrieved November 24, 2009 from Opendemocracy 50.50 inclusive democracy website _URL_
Women for Human Rights (WHR). (2003, June 9-11). Single women empowerment workshop in Dang. Retrieved December 8, 2009, from Friedrich Ebert Stiftung website _URL_
Women Human Right Defenders (WHRDs). (2005-2006). Urgent: badi women human rights defenders attacked and detaine. Retrieved December 6, 2009, from Women's rehabilitation center (WOREC) website _URL_


Mothers Who Make
Mothers Who Make
Lizzy Humber Producer MWM
 Mothers Who Make is a growing national initiative aimed at supporting mothers who are artists - professional and/or passionate – writers, painters, actors, dancers, musicians, film-makers....every kind of maker is welcomed, and every kind of mother.
MWM was born in London in 2014 with Theatre Maker and Improbable Associate Director, Matilda Leyser. The initiative grew from Leyser's sense of there being experiences and challenges specific to being both a mother and an artist. She noticed many parallels between the two roles: both are concerned with creativity and play, both require stamina, patience, sensitivity, both keep her up at night. At the same time she was struck by the strength of the cultural assumption that the two were incompatible: she was told she must compromise on either her creative work or her mothering. She wanted to challenge this. She put out an invitation to mother-artists, across art forms, to join a peer support group to which they could also bring their children of any age. The response has been extraordinary.
MWM has rapidly spread across the country. There are currently regular peer-support groups meeting at 22 major arts-related venues in different regions, with more groups in the process of starting across the UK in 2019.
How does MWM work?
MWM meetings take place monthly in an arts-related venue. It is critical that the meeting is given the status of a participatory workshop, a rehearsal or class. A local mother-artist acts as a facilitator and participants are supported to exchange and work in a variety of ways. They explore emergent themes in their mothering and their making, points of connection between the two roles, points of dissonance, particular challenges, helpful resources. Examples of recent themes include: how to change and maintain your practice; the positive impact of motherhood on your work; housework – who does it?!
Every MWM meeting models a rare space in which participants are recognized and valued equally in their dual roles of mother and artist. The sessions are adult-centred but children are welcome to attend. Each MWM group shares a common ethos and practice but is able to grow and develop in response to the needs and interests of the regional artists that attend it. We want as many people as possible to be part of the unfolding MWM conversations. We do not seek to define who is a'mother' or an 'artist'. Our reach is across generations and artforms - we are thrilled by the plurality of voices that are part of this discussion.
United Kingdom
Organization Website
info, "Mothers Who Make," Artist Parent Index, accessed May 15, 2021,
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Solar System Allegedly Formed In 200K Years As UK Aims To Harvest Solar Power In Space
Through science and technology, scientists are trying to determine how long ago the solar system formed. In many cases, researchers and scientists mention the cosmic timescale. It is human nature to view a decade as a significantly long time. Ten years or one hundred years, on a cosmic timescale, is s significantly small time.
Notably, cosmic timescales are measured in billions or millions of years. Recently, the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory scientists said that it is likely the solar system formed in 200,000 years or less. On a cosmic scale, that is quite fast. Analysts and researchers made that decision after analyzing the isotopes of the element molybdenum present in meteorites.
That material makes up the sun and the solar system in general. It came from the collapse of a big gas and dust cloud that happened almost 4.5 billion years ago. By reviewing several other solar systems that formed like the one that we are on, astronomers managed to estimate the timescale.
They said that it might have taken between 1 and 2 million years for the collapse of this cloud and the eventual ignition of a star.
The Study Of The Solar System
Before the study, scientists believed that the solar system formation timeframe was not entirely known. This new research indicates that the gaseous cloud collapse that resulted in the formation of the solar system happened rapidly in below 200,000 years.
To put it into perspective, scientists on the project believe that if it is taken in comparison with human pregnancy, that pregnancy would last just 12 hours instead of nine months. Calcium-aluminum-rich inclusions (CAIs) are the oldest dated solids in the solar system.
The samples offer a direct record of the formation of the solar system that we live in. CAIs are micrometer two centimeter-sized inclusions together with meteorites that developed in high temperatures of more than 1300 degrees Kelvin which nears the young sun.
These CAIs were then moved outward to space where carbonaceous chondrite meteorites developed. Most of the CAIs formed 4.567 billion years ago within a period of 40,000 to 200,000 years. By determining the amount of trace element and molybdenum isotopic compositions of different Calcium-aluminum-rich inclusions from carbonaceous chondrite meteorites.
The research team discovered the unique isotopic compositions of these CAIs cover the whole range of surface material within the protoplanetary disc as opposed to a small slice. Thus, it can be said that the inclusions must have formed at the same time when the cloud collapsed.
UK Government Aims To Harvest Solar Power In Space
Gravity is not a limitation to human activity. For many years now, scientists and astronauts have been looking beyond the skies to study the solar system. Some of them are taking it further. The UK government said that it has commissioned and launched research into space-based solar power (SBSP) systems.
The UK sees the possibility of an unlimited clean source of power using considerably large solar power satellites and systems. If successful, the system can beam energy to ground-based receivers integrated into the national grid. This idea to create the SBSP system arises from science-fiction writer Isaac Asimov. He wrote in one of his books about this concept in 1941.
This idea was quite futuristic and it is about time that technology and economics need to catch up with it. Lightweight solar panels, low-cost commercial space launches, and advances in wireless power transmission are some of the components that will make this idea a reality.
The sun never sets in space which might prove advantageous to the UK economy if they manage to launch the SBSP program. Sources say that the commissioned study aims to discover if SBSP is sustainable, viable, and safe. The Frazer-Nash Consultancy will assess the project from an economics and engineering standpoint.
The biggest challenge that is already foreseen for this project is to assemble the massive satellites in space. It will be beyond the scale of anything ever seen before. SBSP is projected to launch its operations by 2050. But for now, the consultancy must ensure that the project offers more benefits than most of the other viable types of renewable energy.
Safety is also of major concern since the project might involve a high-frequency high-energy radio wave beam sent from space to earth. Also, many wonder whether hackers could redirect these beams and wreak havoc upon their targets at speeds of light.
Last year, the UK recorded a critical milestone in the generation of electricity. It produced more electricity from different low carbon sources including solar, wind, and nuclear power than it generated from fossil fuels.
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The Picts were master craftspeople. They created many intricately carved symbol stones. People at the time would have understood the symbols and figures carved on the stones. Their meanings have been lost over the centuries. Today there is much debate about the meaning of some Pictish symbols.
Early symbol stones were rough, undressed boulders; later stones were carefully shaped and dressed.
The earliest stones show incised animals and geometric shapes unique to Pictish culture like the crescent and v-rod, the double disc and the serpent and z-rod.
Later stones were sculpted in relief, allowing the elaborate designs to stand out from the background. Designs include incised Christian crosses and biblical scenes.
Some Pictish stones have written inscriptions. Pictish letters - called 'ogam' - had no curves, so were well suited for carving on stone. The language the Picts spoke has been lost.
More than 250 symbol stones have survived. They are monuments to the skills of Pictish artists and sculptors, but their meanings are still mysterious.
Click on the image to view a larger version.
Listen to Veni Redemptor, a 5th-century hymn by Ambrosius, Bishop of Milan, played on the Pictish harp.


What does ous mean?
ous meaning in General Dictionary
An adjective suffix indicating high in abounding in having possessing the characteristics of like as in gracious abounding in elegance difficult full of ardor bulbous having light bulbs bulblike riotous poisonous piteous joyous an such like
Sentence Examples with the word ous
Ducts, one right and one left, continu ous with the tubular branches of the gonads.
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What Is Marketable Surplus?
by Ronald Kimmons
By describing something as "marketable," people in the business world mean that it is fit to sell on the market. Surplus is the amount of product that a company manufactures or produces in excess of what is necessary to continue operations. Marketable surplus is a term that agriculturalists use to refer to a specific type of surplus that farmers and ranchers deal with.
Farming requires investment. Farmers must make financial investments in labor, tools, fertilizer and land. They must also invest in seeds. If it is the farmer's first year to grow a certain crop, he probably has to purchase seeds from someone else. A farmer must also invest in the form of personal labor. The marketable surplus for an agricultural entrepreneur is the surplus of produce that exists after the point at which he can make back any money he paid to laborers or used to buy tools, fertilizer and land. If he takes some of the crop for his own family's consumption and to use as seed for the next year, he must account for this as well before calculating the marketable surplus. In this way, marketable surplus is what a farmer makes for his personal labor.
Marketable surplus is the portion of a harvest that a farmer can sell on the market to earn a profit. With this profit she can reinvest into farming operations by purchasing more land or better farming equipment. She may also simply save this profit or use it to purchase personal items.
In agriculture, farmers and ranchers can never know exactly how much product their efforts will yield for a particular season until it is over. For this reason, a farmer may not know what his marketable surplus will be until he actually harvests his fields. This uncertainty of the size of a crop's marketable surplus lends a certain level of uncertainty to the farmer's income expectations.
Marketed Surplus
Another term that closely relates to marketable surplus is marketed surplus. In some cases, these terms may be interchangeable. The principal difference is time perspective: marketable surplus is produce that a farmer currently has on hand to take to market to earn a profit, while marketed surplus is what she has already taken to market to earn a profit.
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