possible to create programs that are much shorter than their JavaScript equivalent. Among the features used here:
 - The notation function with argument-list is a very handy shorcut for calling a function repeatedly, either with unrelated values such as hours,minutes,seconds, or with a sequence such as 0..9.
 - Translations (or rotations) to move shapes or text around in 3D space.
 - Storing and accessing indexed values with the array-like notation currentY[Index]. Note that you could index with integer values like here, but that you could also use discontinuous elements, text indexes or real numbers.
 - Pattern matching and using type differences to deal with different kinds, like initialization for adjust.
Tao3D Libre Edition – Tao is now Open Source
What is Tao3D?
Yeah, but why should I care?
Is the source code any interesting for developers?
2. A compilation strategy based on tree rewrites
// X transforms into 0: Defines X as a variable
// Define a factorial function
0! -> 1
N! -> N * (N-1)!
// Define an 'if-then-else'
if true then X else Y -> X
if false then X else Y -> Y
3. A reactive approach for dynamic events
color "red"
circle mouse_x, mouse_y, 100
4. A real-time code generation using LLVM
Build instructions
cd tao-3D
git submodule update --init --recursive
make install
Fork me on GitHub, and enjoy.
Reminder: What does it do?
Introduction to the Tao language
The video below is a quick introduction to the Tao language:
The source code is accessible on GitHub. You can download Tao Presentations from the Taodyne web site if you want to try it yourself.
Animation and 3D: the web is doing it wrong
La SNCF en flagrant délit d'IP-tracking
La SNCF augmente son prix de 41% en deux minutes
La SNCF augmente son prix de 41% en deux minutes
La SNCF affirme ne pas pratiquer l'IP tracking, J'ai du mal à y croire.
Il y a quelques minutes, ma femme va sur le site Voyages SNCF, et demande un billet Paris-Antibes. Prix du billet: 80€. "Attention, dernières places à ce prix", bien sûr. Mais à un moment, elle fait une erreur, et décide de refaire une recherche sur le même site. Le même billet passe soudainement à 113€.
Je fais un essai depuis un autre navigateur, puis depuis une autre machine dans la même maison (donc même adresse IP depuis l'extérieur). Le billet reste coincé à 113€.
Mais, histoire de vérifier si les billets à 80€ ont vraiment été épuisés (la théorie du blog de la SNCF ci-dessus), je décide de passer par mon smartphone en 3G. Du coup, forcément, changement d'adresse IP. Et là, surprise (pas vraiment, en fait), je retrouve le billet à 80€. Que j'achète.
Le billet acheté: 80€ seulement!
Le billet acheté: 80€
Alor, si la SNCF ne fait pas d'IP tracking, pourquoi ce que je viens de décrire se passe à chaque fois? Ce phénomène ne peut pas s'expliquer par l'épuisement des billets à un certain palier de tarif; parce que les prix affichés sur un même ordinateur dépendent de l'IP utilisée!
Coding a DNA strand in 3D
The whole code is below:
import LuckyStarsTheme
theme "LuckyStars"
picture_slide "Did DNA come from outer space?",
 light 0
 light_position 1000, 1000, 1000
 translate -300, 0, -300
 rotatey mouse_x
 random_seed 12345
 dna_strand with -30.. 30
slide "Arguments in favor",
 * "Tardigrades can live in space"
dna_strand N:integer ->
 translatey 50 * N
 rotatey 10 * N
 rotatey 90
 color "_TAG_"
 cylinder 0, 0, 0, 10, 10, 200
 dna_base_pair random (0, 3)
dna_base_pair N:integer ->
 dna_base_color N mod 4
 sphere 100, 0, 0, 40
 dna_base_color (N + 2) mod 4
 sphere -100, 0, 0, 40
 dna_base_name 140, N mod 4
 dna_base_name -140, (N + 2) mod 4
dna_base_color 0 -> color "red"
dna_base_color 1 -> color "blue"
dna_base_color 2 -> color "green"
dna_base_color 3 -> color "grey"
dna_base_name X:integer, N:integer ->
 text_box X, 0, 40, 40,
 font "Arial", 30
 color "white"
 align 0.5
 vertical_align 0.5
 dna_base_text N
dna_base_text 0 -> text "C"
dna_base_text 1 -> text "A"
dna_base_text 2 -> text "G"
dna_base_text 3 -> text "T"


Making a multilingual site with Next.js - Part 3
- 7 min
If you ended up here for this third part and did not see the first nor the second, I highly suggest you take a look at those first. In the previous section, we dealt with the creation and listing of content for the languages and ended the project there.
However, some commented that it would be interesting to add translated slugs, for example: in English the "about" page open at and its corresponding version open at In this article, I show you how we can create such functionality. Let's start!
But first...
In the previous articles, the function for changing languages was implemented. But when the page was refreshed, it returned to the default language, which caused a certain annoyance. This behavior is not the best, so it is important to solve this issue. Fortunately, it is not difficult at all to implement, with just a few lines of code.
Local Storage
Local Storage is a way that JavaScript provides us to save information in the user's browser, so that it will be available on a next visit. Many use it to make simple authentication or to save options, such as light and dark modes, for example.
The logic used here does not differ from that of a theme change, the change is that language will be saved instead. Small modifications to only two files are needed. The files are: the Header component and theLanguageProvider language context. If you fell from another dimension and did not see the two previous articles and nothing makes sense to you until now, I warned you at the beginning of the article! Go there and check the previous articles, and then come back here!
Here is the code for the Header component:
import { useContext } from "react"
import { useRouter } from "next/router"
import Navigation from "../Navigation"
import Logo from "../Logo"
import { LanguageContext, locales } from "../../intl/LanguageProvider"
interface Props {
 className?: string
 children?: React.ReactNode
const Header: React.FC = ({ className, children }) => {
 const headerClass = className || "header"
 const [locale, setLocale] = useContext(LanguageContext)
 const router = useRouter()
 function handleLocaleChange(language: string) {
 if (!window) {
 const regex = new RegExp('^/(${locales.join("|")})')
 localStorage.setItem("lang", language) // This line saves the language option!
 router.push(router.pathname, router.asPath.replace(regex, '/${language}'))
 return (

 handleLocaleChange("en")}>EN
 handleLocaleChange("pt")}>PT
export default Header
In Header, the method localStorage.setItem ('lang', language) was used to save the language choice by clicking on the corresponding button. What this method does is basically add a 'lang' key with the acronym of the chosen language. You can check this in the Application area of your browser's inspector, in the Local Storage section.
The LanguageProvider is as follows:
import { createContext, useEffect, useState } from "react"
export const defaultLocale = "pt"
export const locales = ["pt", "en"]
export const LanguageContext = createContext([])
export const LanguageProvider: React.FC = ({ children }) => {
 const [locale, setLocale] = useState("pt")
 useEffect(() => {
 if (!window) {
 // Captures the language information saved by the Header component
 const language = localStorage.getItem("lang") || locale
 }, [locale])
 return (

Here the localStorage.getItem ('lang') method captures the saved information from the language choice, and applies it if it exists. Now when updating the page, the language you selected stays there.
Finally... Let's create the translated slugs...
Nothing prevents you from creating files in the /pages folder, with the desired title, such as /kontakt.tsx for a contact page in German. It will work perfectly, but let's be honest: it is not the best way to do the job. We should be able to provide a way for pages to be created dynamically, with a standard template, changing the content and slug according to the language.
If you think about it, a similar thing is done with our posts area in this project. To achieve this, just modify the library we created for the posts (/lib/posts.ts) to include our new translated pages. But avoid duplicate code, instead of creating a /lib/pages.ts file with practically the same content as /lib/posts, I decided to unify everything in a single library that I called lib/files.ts.
The content of this file is as follows:
import fs from "fs"
import path from "path"
import matter, { GrayMatterFile } from "gray-matter"
import remark from "remark"
import html from "remark-html"
const postsDirectory = path.resolve(process.cwd(), "content", "posts")
const pagesDirectory = path.resolve(process.cwd(), "content", "pages")
// Collects all file names in the folders specified with the sctructure ['en/']
export function getAllFileNames(directoryPath: string, filesList = []) {
 const files = fs.readdirSync(directoryPath)
 files.forEach((file) => {
 if (fs.statSync('${directoryPath}/${file}').isDirectory()) {
 filesList = getAllFileNames('${directoryPath}/${file}', filesList)
 } else {
 filesList.push(path.join(path.basename(directoryPath), "/", file))
 const filteredList = filesList.filter((file) => file.includes(".md"))
 return filteredList
// Sorts posts by date
export function getSortedPostData() {
 const fileNames = getAllFileNames(postsDirectory)
 const allPostsData = => {
 const id = fileName.split("/")[1].replace(/\.md$/, "")
 const fullPath = path.join(postsDirectory, fileName)
 const fileContents = fs.readFileSync(fullPath, "utf-8")
 const frontMatter: GrayMatterFile = matter(fileContents)
 return {
 ...( as {
 lang: string
 date: string
 category: string
 return allPostsData.sort((a, b) => {
 if ( < {
 return 1
 } else {
 return -1
// IDs for posts or pages
export function getAllIds(type = "post") {
 const dir = type === "page"? pagesDirectory : postsDirectory
 const fileNames = getAllFileNames(dir)
 return => ({
 params: {
 id: fileName.split("/")[1].replace(/\.md$/, ""),
 lang: fileName.split("/")[0],
// Collects data from the markdown file and makes it available
export async function getContentData(id: string, type = "post") {
 const fullPath = path.join(dir, '${id}.md')
 const frontMatter = matter(fileContents)
 const processedContent = await remark().use(html).process(frontMatter.content)
 const contentHtml = processedContent.toString()
 return {
 ...( as { date: string; title: string }),
I created a type argument in some of the functions that will be used by both posts and pages. This because this argument identifies the directory in which the files will be read. By default, I left it configured to always search for posts. Since the file name has changed and so have the functions, it is necessary to update the imports in the files that use the new library.
Template for the dynamic page
Here is another page with a special name, to create a dynamic route. In this the parameter will be the 'id' of the file, which is captured by the function getAllIds() of the file lib/files. The file will be called [lang]/[id].tsx. Below is the complete code of the file.
import { GetStaticProps, GetStaticPaths, NextPage } from "next"
import { getAllIds, getContentData } from "../../lib/files"
import Layout from "../../components/Layout"
interface PageProps {
 locale: string
 pageData: {
 lang: string
 title: string
 slug: string
 date: string
 category?: string
 contentHtml: string
const SitePage: NextPage = ({ pageData }) => {
 const { title, contentHtml } = pageData
 return (

 dangerouslySetInnerHTML={{ __html: contentHtml }}
export const getStaticProps: GetStaticProps = async ({ params }) => {
 // Here is the argument to informa "page" as type,
 // so Next.js can search for page files, ignoring posts.
 const pageData = await getContentData('/${params.lang}/${}', "page")
 return {
 props: {
 locale: params?.lang || "pt",
export const getStaticPaths: GetStaticPaths = async () => {
 const paths = getAllIds("page")
 return {
 fallback: false,
export default SitePage
With this file, it is already possible to support pages created through Markdown. The markdown files use the following structure:
lang: pt
title: "Sobre"
Site made to showcase the creation of a bilingual website using Next.js. The tutorial is in an article on my blog. Feel free to view the source code, fork it, or even use it in your projects.
To better organize the files, I created a directory called /


text:
The Rubjerg Knude Lighthouse is located along northern Denmark's North Sea Coast. Once used to support security in the region, it was first lit in December of 1900. The structure was deliberately built on the slope's uppermost point, precisely 60 meters above the sea level and approximately 200 meters inland. While the erosion could not have been predicted then, these pictures reveal that due to environmental occurrences, it has become dilapidated.
The Denmark landmark is now buried beneath heaps of sand. The passing of decades came with the movement of the sea, bringing the waters closer and closer to the Rubjerg Knude Lighthouse. This movement of the sea was naturally accompanied by heaps of sand, which began to pile up around the base. While efforts were made to remove the sand, it was eventually abandoned. These images reveal what has come of this abandonment, demonstrating the transience of human construction.
Buried Watchtower Photography
2,755 clicks in 54 w
More Stats +/-

source: HuggingFaceFW/fineweb-edu


text:
Quantum communication theory sets the maximum rates at which information can be encoded and decoded reliably given the physical properties of the information carriers. Here we consider the problem of readout of a digital optical memory, where information is stored by means of the optical properties of the memory cells that are in turn probed by shining a laser beam on them. Interesting features arise in the regime in which the probing light has to be treated quantum mechanically. The maximum rate of reliable readout defines the quantum reading capacity, which is proven to overcome the classical reading capacity-obtained by probing with classical light-in several relevant settings. We consider a model of optical memory in which information is encoded in the (complex-valued) attenuation factor and study the effects on the reading rates of thermal and correlated noise. The latter type of noise arises when the effects of wave diffraction on the probing light beam are taken into account. We discuss the advantages of quantum reading over the classical one and show that the former is substantially more robust than the latter under thermal noise in the regime of low power per pulse.
|Titolo:||Quantum reading capacity under thermal and correlated noise|
|Data di pubblicazione:||2013|
|Digital Object Identifier (DOI):||_URL_
|Appare nelle tipologie:||1.1 Articolo in rivista|

source: openbmb/Ultra-FineWeb


text:
PALMDALE – A comprehensive financial analysis by the California State Auditor (CSA) revealed that the City of Palmdale has one of the lowest risks of fiscal distress in California.
Of the 471 cities that were analyzed, Palmdale came in at the 405th lowest risk, putting it in the top 14 percent of California cities.
As part of the CSA's high-risk local government audit program, the Auditor has established a process for determining whether a local government agency is at risk of fiscal distress. The CSA launched its most comprehensive analysis of cities, and for the first time, make public an online dashboard ranking the fiscal health of over 470 California cities from highest to lowest risk, using ten key financial indicators. The dashboard is available at _URL_
For more information, visit _URL_
California State Auditor's Methodology for Ranking California Cities Based on Fiscal Risk
The California State Auditor (State Auditor) analyzed financial information for 471 California cities to identify cities that may be at risk for fiscal distress. They assessed risk by performing various financial comparisons and calculations that they refer to as financial indicators, as discussed in more detail below. They analyzed the finances related to each city's governmental and business-type activities, including the general fund or main operating fund. Their analysis relied upon information from audited financial statements prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) that they obtained through various sources such as city websites, the Federal Audit Clearinghouse, the Electronic Municipal Market Access website, and the California State Controller's Office (State Controller). They also analyzed unaudited pension related information from the California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS) and the State Controller.
They selected a set of 10 indicators that enabled them to assess each city's ability to pay its bills in both the short and long term. Specifically, the indicators measure each city's cash position or liquidity, debt burden, financial reserves, revenue trends, and ability to pay for employee retirement benefits. They used a points-based system to rank and categorize cities as either high, moderate, or low risk for fiscal distress. They weighted the results of the indicators by assigning varying numbers of points to each indicator based on their judgment of each indicator's relative importance. The table below summarizes the financial indicators and maximum points assigned to each indicator.


Picture of Corner Hammock Shelf
Let's make a shelf with chain,
You can store up your books or another small things.
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Step 1: Materials
Picture of Materials
You will need a needle-nose pliers,
thin metal wire,
a scisssors,
chain (about 15 meters) + 2 metal rings
white plumbing pipe (about 30 cm 2 pieces)
and transparent corrugated plumbing pipe
Step 2: Preparing pipes
Picture of Preparing pipes
We need a electric drill to drill the pipe with equal spaces.
Put the pipe within the thicker one and than start to drill.
These holes must be to connect chains each other.
Step 3: Knitting the chains
Picture of Knitting the chains
To start to knit chains, firstly divide 2 pieces equal chain for two sides of shelf.
The first chain piece must open from his unity and connect it with the metal wire to carry it through the pipes.
You must twist the wire after the connection.
And than start to knit the other chain lines toward the center.
Step 4: Knitting
Picture of Knitting
Combining the chains must be diagonal, to combine the chains use the needle-nose pliens. Open its wire and close after the combining. When finish the line connect it metal wire again and pass the other side of pipes.
Step 5: To finish knitting
Picture of To finish knitting
After to finish combining all lines, next step is connecting hanger chains. The wires that we carry them throgh the pipes must connect the hanger chains, and than the connect the rings from appropriate point of the chain. Cover the end of white pipes with strech film to its external appearance.
Step 6: Final
Picture of Final
Now corner hammock shelf is ready for hanging! Hang it on your corner wall and throw away your books on it :)


text:
Projects per year
INTRODUCTION: The uremic toxins indoxyl sulphate (IS) and p-cresyl sulphate (pCS) are absorbed bacterial metabolites of tryptophan and tyrosine respectively and may be predictive of clinical outcome. Long chromatography times, incomplete data on the reference ranges of the free and total fractions and the biological variation limit wider clinical application.
METHODS: An UPLC method with fluorescence detection was developed and reference ranges and biological variation were investigated in healthy volunteers.
RESULTS: Chromatography time was 3 min with excellent linearity, precision and low detection limits (IS of 0.02 μmol/L and pCS of 0.05 μmol/L). Both IS and pCS increased with a decrease in renal function and were moderately correlated with eGFR (R(2) 0.65 and 0.33 respectively). The serum reference ranges were (μmol/L): total IS of 0.7-6.3; free IS of 0.0-0.2; total pCS of 0.0-38.4; and free pCS of 0.1-2.4. The intra individual biological variation was estimated at 35.9% and 50.5% with a critical difference of 3.9 μmol/L (100%) and 20.7 μmol/L (141%) for total IS and pCS respectively.
CONCLUSION: We describe a robust analytical method with a short chromatography time that quantifies both IS and pCS. The data on reference ranges and intra-individual biological variation need to be considered in clinical studies that investigate these uremic toxins.
Nutrition for Chronic Disease and Disability: Research to improve health related quality of life and bring forward the under-represented voice
1/01/14 → 31/08/30


The hidden hazard in that piping-hot cup of tea
For decades, the international medical community pointed to coffee as a major cause of cancer. But our research in Linxian, China three decades ago pointed in a completely different direction
At the time, I was working at the National Cancer Institute (NCI). We chose to conduct our studies on esophageal cancer in Linxian, China because its people were very malnourished, lacking adequate levels of several micronutrients. They also had high rates of esophageal cancer (thankfully rare in the U.S.). So we knew we could observe fairly quickly whether nutritional supplementation would prevent cancer in these people.
Since they were deficient in several vitamins, we actually developed a "factorial design" for the study that allowed us to look at the effects of the different vitamins together, separately, and in various combinations.
This approach got around the dictum of having to study only one vitamin at a time, as if they were drugs. The new factorial design also allowed us to approximate something closer to a real diet.
The effects of the nutritional supplements in China were so dramatic, they reduced overall cancer rates in the entire population and improved general measures of health and nutritional status in the entire community.
But remember — we also wanted to determine why esophageal cancer rates were so high in the first place.
At the time, we felt the evidence pointed to the temperature of their beverages. In fact, people in China drank beverages at very hot temperatures, whether tea or simply hot water (a popular beverage especially in the colder months). You see, heat damages the lining of the upper GI tract, leading to proliferation of cells to repair and replace the damage. This response probably contributes to the promotion of cancer — and may even damage cellular DNA leading to initiation of cancer.
Unfortunately, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), part of the World Health Organization, didn't really buy into our theory. Instead, in 1991, they classified drinking coffee as possibly causing cancer. That incorrect recommendation stood for years, while mountains of evidence piled up on the health benefits of coffee.
Today, IARC is catching up with the science. And it turns out, we were on the right track about beverage temperatures…
Let your hot tea and coffee cool off before drinking it
A group of 23 scientists recently reviewed all evidence on esophageal cancer in the journal Lancet Oncology. The studies reviewed came from China, Iran, Turkey, and South America where they traditionally drink tea or mate (a popular South American herbal infusion) at very hot temperatures (70 degrees C, or 158 degrees F).
The researchers concluded that hot temperatures DO cause an increased risk of esophageal cancer. Furthermore, the hotter the beverage temperature, the greater the esophageal cancer risk. In addition, they concluded that drinking coffee or mate itself is not a risk factor if consumed at a cooler temperatures.
In light of this new evidence, the IARC finally reversed its stance and now accepts the finding that drinking very hot beverages is probably a cause of cancer in humans. Not coffee itself, as they so vigorously stated back in the 1990s.
Indeed, many studies since the 1990s show no increased risk of cancer from coffee drinking. On the contrary, they show reduced risks of liver and uterine cancer. I recently reported on studies showing coffee dramatically reduces the risk of colon cancer as well.
I doubt many people outside of China, Iran and Turkey, and parts of South America drink beverages that are uncomfortably hot. But in any event, when boiling water for tea or herbal infusions, make sure the liquid cools down to a comfortable temperature before you drink it. You will avoid getting burned and getting upper GI cancers. (And McDonald's and Starbucks can avoid those frivolous lawsuits from people who can't handle their drinks!)
Meanwhile, we can see what other health recommendations IARC/WHO has to change as the evidence accumulates over the next quarter-century, like the low-fat myth we reported earlier this week.
"Cancer Risks from very hot drinks, but not coffee or mate," Medscape ( 6/15/2016


AskPatty Certified Female Friendly Logo
Underneath is Often Overlooked: Check the Vehicle Chassis
Published Apr 18th 2007, 1:58pm by Jody DeVere in Featured Articles
Ap_ac_delco_logo Courtesy of AC Delco
Preventive maintenance typically implies looking under the vehicle's hood; often, though, it's the chassis underneath the vehicle that's overlooked.
According to the Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers Association (AASA), underperformed vehicle maintenance in the American automotive aftermarket industry is more than $50 billion annually. Brakes, shocks and struts, and chassis components -- all located under the vehicle -- are among the most neglected parts and, if not properly maintained, can contribute to wheel alignment problems.
Ap_ac_delco_undercar_tech And, considering the cost of tires and fuel today, proper wheel alignment can be a real money saver as well as a safety precaution. That's why ACDelco has teamed up with Scot Manna, owner of MB Automotive in Des Plaines, Illinois, and winner of ACDelco's 2006 Technician of the Millennium IV competition, to discuss why owners shouldn't overlook their vehicles' chassis and alignment.
Q: Do vehicle owners tend to neglect the warning signs of chassis wear more than other more apparent problems, like worn brakes or engine performance?
A: Yes. Chassis parts are out of sight and out of mind to most vehicle owners. Sometimes it's not until a noise is unusual that it tends to get the motorist's attention and motivate him / her to have the vehicle checked. But noises should not be overlooked because bigger trouble can follow.
Ap_ac_delco_examining_tires_tech Q: Much is written about the importance of a vehicle being properly aligned. Why is it that significant?
A: Proper wheel alignment reduces tire wear and helps provide improved fuel economy and vehicle control and handling. Most drivers think about wheel alignment only if their car pulls to one side while driving, but severe tire wear can result from improper wheel alignment and yet the vehicle can still drive straight. The only way to know if the alignment is correct is to have it checked.
Q: How often should a vehicle owner have his car or truck checked for excessive chassis wear?
A: Most repair shops visually inspect for chassis wear during routine oil change service, but a thorough chassis inspection should be performed according to the manufacturer's suggested interval. Independent service centers typically will offer vehicle inspections either in the fall, because road conditions are at their worst during the winter and it is a bad time to be stranded with a broken tie rod or ball joint, or in the spring, to assess if any corrosion or damage from curbs and potholes has occurred.
Q: What can vehicle owners do to avoid damage or unnecessary repairs to their vehicles' chassis?
A: Follow the manufacturer's recommendations for chassis inspection, wheel alignment and routine maintenance.
Drivers are encouraged to get regular vehicle inspections and get their vehicles serviced at a service center that has ASE-certified technicians.
To find an ACDelco parts retailer near you, log on to or call 1-800-ACDelco.
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Sunday, December 18, 2016
Gcode: Getting Started
G-coding K40-S & LaserWeb
Getting started with numerical coding languages......
G-code (or G programming language) is the street name for the most widely used numerical code programming language. Utilized mainly in automation, G-code is sometimes called G programming language. Very simply, G-code tells computerized machine tools - like laser systems - what to do and how to do it. For example, how fast to move, what path to take, etc.
M-code (for'miscellaneous function') is an auxiliary command; descriptions vary. Many M-codes call for machine functions like 'open workstation door,' which is why some say "M" stands for "machine", though it was not intended to.
A good starting point:
A good starting guide for CAD-CAM:
Gcode references:
Gcode's are somewhat universal in definition but various legitimate flavors exist depending on what software is injesting them and what machine they are controlling.
This post focuses on Gcoding that is compatible with the K40-S + LW configuration
What follows does not attempt to recreate the definitions in the links above, rather to document the differences. Refer to the references for complete treatments other than the changes outlined below.
Gcode Simulators/Editors;
For learning and developing Gcode these tools are useful:
Although Gcode is a standard for talking to CNC devices the implementation and interpretation of these codes can vary. This is clearly a case of "your results may vary". The best approach is to create a series of tests that emulate the Gcodes you plan to employ and see how they react.
For example and in the case of a laser cutter, the way the laser cuts is different than a mill therefore to control power a parameter for setting the lasers PWM is needed. In the K40-S that parameter is the "S" value.
You must understand the adaptations your machines interface software (LaserWeb) and firmware (Smoothieware) have made to properly control the target machine.
Gcode hand coding:
I have found these conventions to be useful in G-coding in a way that is universally interpreted correctly. This is especially true in LaserWeb.
 - Put each Gcode and its parameters on a separate line
 - Use capital letters for parameters i.e. X,Y,Z,F
 - Use at least one decimal place on numbers I.E. G1 X1.0
 - Absolute positioning (G90) is less confusing than incremental positioning (G91) and less likely to run gantries into the stops.
Special K40-S Gcode formats
Adapted Gcodes for K40-S follow.
The G01 command
G01
 - X- x position
 - Y- Y position
Currently Unsupported LaserWeb Gcodes
Mcodes (Machine options)
Coordinate systems:
Coordinate systems in CNC can be very confusing but in 2D laser systems they are the simplest. In fact when using software like LaserWeb the complexity of the coordinate systems is transparent to the user.
However there are advanced times when you want to understand the machines movements within the context of the coordinate systems so here is some information.
WCO: Work coordinate offset.
When using your K40 the WCO and MCO aren't important as LW hides this complexity and describes positions within one system.
There are six user-definable work coordinate systems (WCS) available that are selected with the G54-G59 commands (Note that if using Carbide Motion it seems to store position information in G54 and will over-write any user setting). These are modal, meaning that once you select a WCS all following commands will reference that coordinate system until you select a different one. They are also persistent, meaning that they will be stored between resets and power cycles.
MCO: Machine coordinate offset.
Machine coordinate system. The systems initial home at power on.
Enjoy and comment,
Maker DON


text:
Supersymmetric Objects) experiment is a direct dark matter search experiment that is located at SNOLAB in Canada. It uses bubble detectors with Freon as the active mass. PICASSO is predominantly sensitive to spin-dependent interactions of WIMPs with the fluorine atoms in the Freon.
A bubble detector is a radiation sensitive device that uses small droplets of superheated liquid that are suspended in a gel matrix. It uses the principle of a bubble chamber but since only the small droplets can undergo a phase transition at a time the detector can stay active for much longer periods than a classic bubble chamber. When enough energy is deposited in a droplet by ionizing radiation the superheated droplet undergoes a phase transition and becomes a gas bubble. The PICASSO detectors contain Freon droplets with an average diameter of 200 µm. The bubble development in the detector is accompanied by an acoustic shock wave that is picked up by piezo-electric sensors. The main advantage of the bubble detector technique is that the detector is almost insensitive to background radiation. The detector sensitivity can be adjusted by changing the temperature of the droplets. Freon-loaded detectors are typically operated at temperatures between 15°C and 55°C. There is another similar experiment using this technique in Europe called SIMPLE.
PICASSO reports results (November 2009) for spin-dependent WIMP interactions on 19F. No dark matter signal has been found, but for WIMP masses of 24 Gev/c2 new stringent limits have been obtained on the spin-dependent cross section for WIMP scattering on 19F of 13.9 pb (90% CL). This result has been converted into a cross section limit for WIMP interactions on protons of 0.16 pb (90% CL). The obtained limits restrict recent interpretations of the DAMA/LIBRA annual modulation effect in terms of spin dependent interactions.
See also
- Massive compact halo object (MACHO)
- Higgs boson
- Micro black hole
- Robust associations of massive baryonic objects (RAMBOs)
Theoretical candidates
- H.V. Klapdor-Kleingrothaus, Double Beta Decay and Dark Matter Search - Window to New Physics now, and in future (GENIUS), 4 Feb 1998
- M. Kamionkowski, WIMP and Axion Dark Matter, 24 Oct 1997
- V. Zacek, Dark Matter Proc. of the 2007 Lake Louise Winter Institute, March 2007
- K. Griest, The Search for Dark Matter: WIMPs and MACHOs, 13 Mar 1993
- Griest, Kim (1991). "Galactic Microlensing as a Method of Detecting Massive Compact Halo Objects". The Astrophysical Journal 366: 412–421. Bibcode:1991ApJ...366..412G. doi:10.1086/169575.
- C. Conroy, R. H. Wechsler, A. V. Kravtsov, Modeling Luminosity-Dependent Galaxy Clustering Through Cosmic Time, 21 Feb 2006.
- The Millennium Simulation Project, Introduction: The Millennium Simulation The Millennium Run used more than 10 billion particles to trace the evolution of the matter distribution in a cubic region of the Universe over 2 billion light-years on a side.
- F. Ferrer, L. Krauss, and S. Profumo, Indirect detection of light neutralino dark matter in the NMSSM. Phys.Rev. D74 (2006) 115007
- K. Freese, Can Scalar Neutrinos Or Massive Dirac Neutrinos Be the Missing Mass?. Phys.Lett.B167:295 (1986).
- Merritt, D.; Bertone, G. (2005). "Dark Matter Dynamics and Indirect Detection". Modern Physics Letters A 20 (14): 1021–1036. arXiv:astro-ph/_PHONE_. Bibcode:2005MPLA...20.1021B. doi:10.1142/S0217732305017391.
- N. Fornengo, Status and perspectives of indirect and direct dark matter searches. 36th COSPAR Scientific Assembly, Beijing, China, 16–23 July 2006
- "Key to the universe found on the Iron Range?". Retrieved December 18, 2009.
- CDMS Collaboration. "Results from the Final Exposure of the CDMS II Experiment". See also a non-technical summary: CDMS Collaboration. "Latest Results in the Search for Dark Matter"
- The CDMS II Collaboration (2010). "Dark Matter Search Results from the CDMS II Experiment". Science. doi:10.1126/science._PHONE_.
- Eric Hand (2010-02-26). "A CoGeNT result in the hunt for dark matter". Nature News.
- CoGeNT collaboration (C. E. Aalseth (2011). "Results from a Search for Light-Mass Dark Matter with a P-type Point Contact Germanium Detector". Physical Review Letters 106 (13). arXiv:_PHONE_. Bibcode:2011PhRvL.106m1301A. doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.106.131301.
- A. Drukier, K. Freese, and D. Spergel, _URL_ Detecting Cold Dark Matter Candidates], Phys.Rev.D33:3495-3508 (1986).(subscription required)
- K. Freese, J. Frieman, and A. Gould, Signal Modulation in Cold Dark Matter Detection, Phys.Rev.D37:3388 (1988).
- Bubble Technology Industries
- PICASSO Collaboration; Aubin, F.; Auger, M.; Behnke, E.; Beltran, B.; Clark, K.; Dai, X.; Davour, A. et al. (2009). "Dark Matter Spin-Dependent Limits for WIMP Interactions on 19F by PICASSO". Physics Letters B 682 (2): 185. arXiv:0907.0307. Bibcode:2009PhLB..682..185A. doi:10.1016/j.physletb.2009.11.019. Unknown parameter
Further reading
- Bertone, Gianfranco (2010). Particle Dark Matter: Observations, Models and Searches. Cambridge University Press. p. 762. ISBN 978-0-521-76368-4.


text:
Not even the British spy agencies that inspired James Bond can solve the mystery of a secret World War II message recently found on the skeleton of a carrier pigeon in a house chimney.
The meaning of the encoded message apparently died about 70 years ago with the wayward pigeon that David Martin found in his smokestack in Bletchingley, Surrey County, England.
Martin recently discovered the bird's remains with the surprisingly intact message inside a small red canister attached to a leg bone.
The only hope appears to be curators at the Pigeon Museum at Bletchley Park who are now trying to trace the origins of two alpha-numeric identifiers for the pigeon that were also written on the message, the U.K. intelligence agency GCHQ said this week.
"If they are identified and their wartime service established, it could help to decode the message," the agency said about the pigeon's identity numbers.
To the casual reader, the message is indecipherable.
Hand-written on a small piece of paper labeled "Pigeon Service," the note consists of five-letter words. Those words don't make sense: the jumble begins with "AOAKN" and "HVPKD." In all, the message consists of 27 five-letter code groups.
Deciphering the message requires codebooks and possibly a "one-time pad" encryption system, and those materials "will normally have been destroyed once no longer in use," the agency said. There is a small chance that a codebook survived.
"Without access to the relevant codebooks and details of any additional encryption used, it will remain impossible to decrypt," the agency said.
The one-time pad encryption gave the note added security. A random key is used to encrypt only one message.
"The advantage of this system is that, if used correctly, it is unbreakable as long as the key is kept secret," the agency said. "The disadvantage is that both the sending and receiving parties need to have access to the same key, which usually means producing and sharing a large keypad in advance."
Heightening the mystery are three other issues: the message is undated, the meaning of its destination of "X02" is unknown, and analysts can't identify the sender's signature or his unit.
"Unfortunately, much of the vital information that would indicate the context of the message is missing," the intelligence service said.
The sender's sign-off appears to say "Sjt W Stot," using an abbreviation for "serjeant," an old-fashioned spelling for "sergeant," the agency said.
The use of "Sjt" links the message to the army, the spy agency said.
"If 'Sjt Stot' and addressee X02 could be identified, it could give us a better idea of where to look for the information," the agency said.
About 250,000 pigeons were used during World War II by all branches of the military and the Special Operations Executive, the U.K. intelligence agency said.
Flying from mainland Europe to Britain, the birds heroically delivered all sorts of messages through a gauntlet of enemy hawk patrols and potshots from soldiers.
"Although it is disappointing that we cannot yet read the message brought back by a brave carrier pigeon, it is a tribute to the skills of the wartime code-makers that, despite working under severe pressure, they devised a code that was undecipherable both then and now," said GCHQ, one of three U.K. intelligence agencies.


CH391L/S13/Molecular Gastronomy
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Molecular Gastronomy
Nicholas Kurti
Nicholas Kurti
Herve This
Herve This
Molecular gastronomy is a culinary science in which the chemical and physical properties of different foods are used in the creation of innovative and artistic foods. Though not necessarily the first scientists to use molecular gastronomy, physicist Nicholas Kurti and chemist Herve This were the first to name this culinary art form "molecular gastronomy" in 1992. Other common names for molecular gastronomy include culinary physics and experimental cuisine.[1][2]
Nicholas Kurti was known as the "physicist in the kitchen". His main science was physics and taught at Oxford University in the UK. Kurti's favorite hobby was cooking. Kurti especially enjoyed pushing the limits of the culinary art with science. Herve This is a French physical chemist whose main research involves molecular gastronomy.[1][2]
Marie-Antoine Carême was one the first well respected culinary masters and recipe writers in France during the 1700s. She recognized important chemical and physical properties of foods when cooking. In the earlier ages of molecular gastronomy, around the 1700s, the coagulation of proteins, optimal heating rates, absorption of flavors, and other cooking techniques were observed and studied. Texture and flavor are directly affected by these different techniques. In modern times genetic engineering has become a means to manipulate the way food looks and tastes. Genetic engineering is tangentially related to molecular gastronomy in that both techniques manipulate food in to affect appearance and taste.
Genetic engineering was first introduced by Gregor Mendel in the 1900s. Mendel's experiments with crossbreeding pea plant is now iconic and a classic example of genetic engineering by crossbreeding. More advanced genetic engineering involves genetic manipulation in a lab setting rather than naturally by crossbreeding plants. A tobacco plant in Belgium was the first genetically modified food to have antibiotic resistance in 1983. The first commercially available genetically modified organism was a tomato in 1994. In following year of 1995, a series of other genetically modified crops were created by the company Monsanto and were approved by the FDA for marketing. Early GMOs were mostly engineered to be insect resistant and virus resistant. Today, GMOs are also engineered to be more aesthetically pleasing and tasty.
Cooking Techniques
Basic spherification involves the creation of a thin membrane around a gelatinous liquid recipe. Sodium alginate is the main ingredient that gives the gelatinous properties to a liquid. When the globular thick liquid has been dipped into the sodium alginate solution, it is then transferred to a calcium bath. The calcium bath cures the membrane creating a thicker, tougher gelatinous membrane around the globular paste recipe. Sodium alginate is a tasteless thickener and an emulsifier often used in food industry which is derived from certain brown algae. Sodium alginate is known for reducing appetite and is a common diet ingredient. [3]
Molecular Gastronomy Pesto Noodles
Molecular Gastronomy Pesto Noodles
Reverse spherification is similar to basic spherification. A liquid food is frozen into spherical molds then placed into a sodium alginate bath and transferred to a calcium bath creating a gelatinous membrane about the frozen sphere. The membrane forms about the frozen sphere before it is able to melt. The result is a water balloon-like product that can be seasoned a variety of different ways and even colored with food coloring. [4]
Various shaped gelatinous containing pockets can be created using molds. Noodles, raviolis, and any other shapes can be created out of various soups or other liquid recipes using sodium alginate and calcium. Molecular gastronomy kits are sold for making various shaped gelatinous membranes about foods. Molds hold food into a specific shapes, such as a ravioli, and are placed in a sodium alginate bath, transferred to a calcium bath, and allowed to cure. The result is similar to a ravioli made of pasta however instead of pasta, a clear membrane forms composed of sodium alginate.
Esterification using soy lecithin is another molecular gastronomy technique. Soy lecithin can be added to any juice and rapidly mixed to produce a thick foam. Flavored foams can be used as a topping on deserts for example. Similar to sodium alginate, no heat is required for this process.
Other techniques include the use of dry ice, tapioca maltodextrin, and ascorbic acid. Dry ice can be placed recipes to spread the aroma of the food. Some alcoholic beverages have dry ice added for visual effects although this has proven dangerous due to the occurrence of accidental burns. Tapioca maltodextrin and salt are used to transform high-fat liquids into powders. For example olive oil, caramel, or even Nutella can be turned into a powder by this method but will melt back into oily substance if water comes in contact with the powder. Ascorbic acid is used in bakeries to prevent apples from oxidizing on pies and such.More simple examples of molecular gastronomy are alcoholic drinks which can be separated into colorful layers based on the density of various alcohols in a drink. [5][6][4]
Examples of foods made by molecular gastronomy techniques:
Liquid Pea Ravioli
Liquid Pea Ravioli
Sweet Proteins
Brazzein sweet protein crystal structure
Brazzein sweet protein crystal structure
 - Brazzein
Brazzein is a protein that resides on the extracellular matrix of fruit cells and was first discovered in 1989 in West Africa. Benefits of brazzein include heat resistance, low caloric content, pH stability, solubility in water, and the similarity in profile to sucrose. [7][8]
 - Curculin
Curculin protein is found in Malaysia in the plant Lumbah (Curculigo latifolia). Curculin is similar to miraculin in that is causes sour foods to taste sweet however curculin is sweet alone unlike miraculin. In comparison to sugar, curculin is approximately 2,000 times sweeter on a weight basis. Curculin is not a good candidate for an alternative baking sweetener due to its degradation above 50°C. [8]
 - Mabinlin
Mabinlin is a protein was discovered in the Mabinlang seed (Capparis masaikai) in China. On a weight basis Mabinlin is only 10 times sweeter than sucrose however mabinlin protein has many advantages such as high heat stability due to disulfide bridges and solubility. [8]
 - Miraculin
Miraculin is found in Miracle Fruit (Synsepalum dulcificum) in West Africa. Miraculin is not sweet alone but when exposed to sour foods that have a low pH, the glycoprotein will cause the sour foods to taste sweet. In acidic conditions miraculin undergoes a shape change activating sweet receptors. This effect does not occur in basic conditions with bitter foods. Miraculin is heat sensitive and pH sensitive. This makes miraculin a difficult protein to cook and bake with. [8]
 - Monellin
Monellin is a sweet tasting protein first discovered in West Africa in the 1960s. The protein originates from the Serendipity Berry (Dioscoreophyllum cumminsii). Monellin is a relatively large molecule and is especially sensitive to chemical modification. At high pH levels monellin looses its sweetness however is able to retain sweetness at a pH level as low as 2. [9][8]
 - Thaumatin
Thaumatin is a sweet tasting protein and was discovered in 1989 in Africa. Thaumatin is found in Katemfe Fruit. Benefits of thaumatin include stability in acidic conditions, heat stability, and solubility. Unlike sugar, thaumatin is approximately 2,000 times a sweet as sugar according to weight. The sweetness of this protein lasts much longer than sugar and tastes like licorice. [8][7]
 - Petadin
Petadin is a sweet tasting protein derived from (Pentadiplandra brazzeana) found in Africa. Petadin is about 500 times the sweetness of sugar on a weight basis. [7][8]
Molecular Gastronomy by Genetic Engineering
OSGATA vs. Monsanto
Genetically Modified Tomato by Monsanto
Genetically Modified Tomato by Monsanto
iGEM Projects
Harvard iGEM
A BioBrick compatible strategy for genetic modification of plants. [15][16]
 7., H. va. der, Larson, G., Hladik, A., Hladik, C. M., Hellekant, G., & Glaser, D. (1989). Isolation and characterization of pentadin, the sweet principle of Pentadiplandra brazzeana Baillon. Chemical Senses, 14(1), 75–79. doi:10.1093/chemse/14.1.75
 8., H., & Loeve, K. (1972). Isolation and Characterization of Thaumatin I and II, the Sweet-Tasting Proteins from Thaumatococcus daniellii Benth. European Journal of Biochemistry, 31(2), 221–225. doi:10.1111/j._PHONE_.1972.tb02522.x


Hello! We were inspired by the current spread of corona virus to create a strategic game to visualize how one's body combats the spread of disease within their lungs.
What it does
It is a RTS-inspired game where the player must allocate white blood cells to first stop the spread of the disease, then eradicate it entirely. In order to do this, the player must first identify which areas are infected and quarantine them before slowly choking it out.
How I built it
Unity 2D and Photoshop
Challenges I ran into
We ran into the challenge of mapping mouse clicks to specific regions that weren't rectangular shaped as Unity is not geared towards creating 2D games. We spent a lot of time figuring out the best way to register mouse clicks and then debugging the code afterwards.
Accomplishments that I'm proud of
We managed to create a successful and functioning game that checked off all of our original goals. We are extremely happy with our end product and plan on improving upon it further.
What's next for Cure Inc
Improve the visuals and GUI
 --We have cut out images of a more damaged version of the lungs to overlay when health reaches a certain point.
 -- Planned the creation of red dots where the virus is present to more clearly indicate infected regions.
 -- "Hidden" system: viruses "hide" until they reach a certain number
 ----Planned to add a red alert bubble when they are first discovered in an area.
Add audio
 -- Background music
 -- Other SFX
 --Assets can be found in the github.
"Evolution" system
-- Upgrade certain stats, reminiscent of Plague Inc.
 ---- White Blood Cell Resistance to Infection: remove receptors viruses use
 ----Amount of Viruses White Blood Cells can kill before dying: stronger digestive enzymes
 ---- White Blood Cell Spawn Rate: body notices, sends more blood to infected area
Try It out
c#, photoshop, unity
Devpost Software Identifier


text:
For more than 5 years Playscan AB has been actively providing Responsible Gambling solutions. Professor of Clinical Psychology at Stockholm University, Per Carlbring, with his extensive expertise within online-based self-help programs, has received funding for an independent evaluation of Playscan™.
– Playscan is a very interesting tool and we need to evaluate and analyze the true value of Playscan™ as a proactive Responsible Gambling Solution. We need to find out if and in what way it works, says Carlbring.
Per Carlbring states that it is vitally important to evaluate the effectiveness of Responsible Gambling solutions to understand the social gains and impact it might have. We need to deepen, Carlbring continues, our knowledge and methods about how to reduce the negative effects of gambling.
The Playscan CEO Ann-Sofie Olsson welcomes the evaluation and thinks that we all gain valuable information through new scientific research on how to prevent unhealthy gambling behavior. She says:
– We do recognize the importance of an independent evaluation to diagnose the reliability of what we do and understand after our 5 years in this field.


text:
Non-Instrument Weather Forecasting
Before the invention of modern weather instruments, seafarers relied on observations of nature to predict weather; today, while weather station and buoy reports, National Weather Service forecasts, and satellite photos are excellent sources of weather information, a mariner should also understand seasonal weather patterns and be able to read signs in the environment both before and during a trip: the wind, sea state, clouds, appearance of celestial bodies, smells, and animal behavior contain clues to current and approaching weather. The art of non-instrument weather forecasting can be used to confirm weather reports or to predict weather when instruments and reports are not available.
The appearance and movement of clouds are used to forecast weather. Photo by Sam Low
Basic to any observation of weather for sailing is knowing the direction and strength of the wind. Face the wind: when the pressure is even on both cheeks and ears, you are looking directly at the wind. You can tell direction also by watching in which direction the clouds are moving, the leaves of the trees are streaming, or the ripples on the ocean are running. Wind strength can be determined by feeling the wind, by watching the speed of clouds or the bend of trees and branches, and by observing the sea state (See "Wind Speed Tables" on what signs indicate what wind velocity.) But remember: the wind on land is affected by the land and may not be from the same direction or of the same strength as the wind at sea; you must be able to observe the sea or get a report from a vessel or buoy at sea to get an accurate reading of conditions at sea. Also, when you are on a moving vessel at sea, the true wind is different from the apparent wind: the apparent wind (the wind you feel) is a combination of the true wind, plus the wind your vessel is creating by moving.
Knowing the direction of winds around high and low pressures systems can help a mariner understand wind patterns. The winds around high pressure systems move clockwise and outwards in the northern hemisphere and counterclockwise and outwards in the southern hemisphere.The winds around low pressure systems move counterclockwise and inwards in the northern hemisphere and clockwise and inwards in the southern hemisphere.
In Hawai'i the prevailing ENE wind, called Moa'e or A'eloa, is generated by a high pressure system that is generally located to the N or NE of the islands. Hawai'i is situated toward the bottom edge of this system (called the North Pacific High), where the clockwise winds are blowing easterly. These so-called trade winds average about 14 knots, but may gust well over gale force, particularly when they are funneled through channels or mountain gaps. Wind strength is determined by (1) the strength of the high pressure; and (2) the steepness of the pressure gradient (the closer together the isobar lines are, the steeper the pressure gradient). The greater the pressure and the steeper the pressure gradient, the stronger the winds. The trade winds are the steadiest during the summer months, from May to September; during the winter months, the high pressure systems moves farther to the east, and the trade winds weaken, from October to April; however, migratory highs can bring strong and gusty easterlies during these months: "Winter months have the strongest trade wind episodes because of the passages north of the Islands by these highs but the average wind speeds do not reflect this-the average wind speed in summer is higher than that of winter in Hawaiian waters" (Haraguchi 12). When the high is centered directly over the islands, winds become light and variable. "The area under the center has light winds and low-height clouds with little precipitation outward to within about 300 miles of the center" (Haraguchi 12).
Shifts in wind direction may indicate changes in weather. As low pressure systems travel from west to east, pushed along by the jet stream north of Hawai'i, or when low pressure systems form west of Hawai'i, the prevailing winds may shift southerly. Low pressure systems that remain stationary to the west of the islands bring warm, humid air from the south, and we experience a period of mugginess called Kona weather.
As low pressure systems pass north of Hawai'i, cold fronts (cold air wedging under warm air) may sweep over the islands. At the leading edge of a cold front, the winds are southwesterly; rain and blustery winds often accompany these fronts. As the cold front passes, northerly winds fill in behind it, bringing dry cold air. As the cold front moves away from the islands to the east, the ENE trades may return.
Ocean Surface-Swells, Seas, Currents
Navigator Nainoa Thompson explains the difference between swells and seas, or locally-generated waves: "Swells are big waves generated by pressure systems far beyond the horizon, and they maintain their direction for long periods of time [and travel in the general direction of the winds generating them]. Seas are generated by local winds. Seas generally come downwind, but they may vary by as much as 30° on either side of the wind. When the wind changes, the seas become more of a mish-mash" (Kyselka 167-8).
The height of swells depends on the strength of the wind generating them (velocity), the distance over which the wind is blowing (fetch), and the duration of the wind (time). Given a particular wind velocity, swells grow to a maximum size as the fetch and duration increase; they may persist for several days. "A 20-knot wind might make waves of some 6 to 8 feet ('significant wave height,' meaning the average height of the highest one-third of all the waves), if the wind blows for a day or so, over a distance of about 100 miles" (Burch 36). A diminishing swell indicates the wind generating it is diminishing. The farther away the wind generating the swell, the rounder the swells will appear, and the greater the distance between the swells. A 7-8 second interval between swells indicates a well-established wind pattern far off. Shorter intervals and steeper swells indicate that the wind system is closer.
Major swells in Hawaiian waters include an ENE Swell generated by the trades; a North Swell, generated by winter storms in the North Pacific; and a South Swell, generated by southern hemisphere winter storms (bringing summer surf to the northern hemisphere).
While not directly related to weather, currents affect the sea state: "A strong current flowing against the wind causes an enhanced chop and steepness to the seas, whereas a current flowing with the wind diminishes the seas just as dramatically. To recognize the effect, however, requires some experience at sea, since you must be able to conclude that the seas are not consistent with the wind" (Burch 132).
Grimble notes that navigators in the Gilbert Island observe the ocean surface to determine the strength of currents before departure: "Before setting sail in the fair weather season, a Gilbertese mariner will sometimes spend several days in looking at the sea. If it is streaked in places with calm patches of an oily appearance he will refuse to start until these disappear, for they speak to him of strong currents" (238).
David Seidman writes, "Clouds are the harbingers of weather. Their shape, height, color, and sequence foretell coming events."
"High clouds are associated with the upper atmosphere and distant weather systems up to six hours away. If they are wispy and white, the weather will be fine. Lower clouds relate to the current weather or that which is soon to come. If they are dense and dark, change is imminent, usually for the worse. Notice if clouds are lowering or lifting, and if they are gathering or dispersing. Lowering or gathering usually brings wet weather. Lifting or dispersing means the weather will improve. A cloud's color seems obvious: the darker, the more dangerous. And a sharp-edged dark cloud is the most dangerous of all. In shape, flat clouds are characteristic of stable air, while lumpy, well-rounded clouds live in unstable air" (166).
Satawal navigator Mau Piailug desribes how to read an approaching squall or squall line: "If the rain cloud is black, the wind isn't strong. If the cloud is brown, the wind is probably strong. If the cloud is high, there's not much wind, but maybe a lot of rain. If it's low, probably lots of wind. [As the clouds approach, if the ocean surface beneath the clouds] is black, you know it is a real strong wind. If it's the same color as the ocean near you, then it is not a strong wind. If the water is bumpy [beneath the cloud]you know there's a strong wind" (Kyselka 145). Dark, "bumpy" water (i.e., water full of ripples and small waves, which create shadows) is a sign of a strong local gust of wind; to anticipate such gusts, an experienced sailor watches for dark patches of water moving across the ocean surface. When the sun is relatively low on the horizon (e.g. in the afternoon), the ripples caused by a local gust may reflect sunlight and the patches of wind glitter with light.
The following classification of clouds and information about the significance of types of clouds are from Weather for the Mariner by William J. Kotsch.
Meteorologists classify clouds by the heights at which they appear: high clouds (above 18,000 feet); middle clouds (7,000 feet to 18,000 feet); low clouds


text:
Program/Track C/C.2.3/The Markov Model for a Multiphase Security System with the Partial Concurrent Service
The Markov Model for a Multiphase Security System with the Partial Concurrent Service
A cryptographic protocol is not only an algorithm but also a procedure for exchanging data between different network subscribers, associated with the message exchange at different levels. In this case, the problem of minimizing the number of protocol implementation levels depending on the task size is relevant. The algorithm graph for finding the state probabilities of the multiphase mixed-type queuing system is derived. The characteristic parameters are determined: performance, downtime rate, and balancing rate. The example of calculating system performance is considered.


How To Make Cat Toys Out Of Household Items
perro Editorial How To Make Cat Toys Out Of Household Items
One of the common problems that are experienced by indoor-only cats is a lack of environmental enrichment. Cats benefit from adequate physical and mental stimulation. Thus, cat parents should make an effort to enrich their pets' indoor environment by providing lots of opportunities for physical and mental stimulation. Cats that don't have something to do can become bored; and when boredom sets in, it can pave the way for the development of undesirable habits and behaviors which are fueled by the cat's pent-up energies.
There are many ways to keep your cat busy, active, and away from mischief. Cat toys don't have to be expensive or bought from stores. But if you do have the budget, why not? There's a huge range of toys designed for cats such as cat condos, feather teasers, scratchers, and catnip-filled plushies. Just make sure that you are buying cat-safe toys.
How to make cat toys
If you are feeling crafty and resourceful, there are lots of things around your home that can be recycled. Homemade DIY cat toys are an inexpensive way to keep your furball entertained for hours.
Here are two popular DIY cat toys to entertain your pet cat for hours:
DIY Cat Scratching Post
Making a scratching post is much easier than most cat parents think. There are different types of scratching posts so it is a good idea to have a design of what you want to make for your furball. Once you have the design, the next step is to acquire all the materials, some of which you can find in your home.
 - Plastic or cardboard tubes - should be strong enough to hold the entire structure and keep it stable.
 - Soft cloth
 - Rope
 - Padding
 - Wood slabs
 - Wood glue
 - Screws
 - Brackets
 - Upholstery stapler
 1. Fix the tube to the base of the scratching post by installing the brackets and securing it with screws.
 2. Line the tube with rope. Start by spreading glue on the tube and winding the rope tightly at each turn.
 3. After lining the tube, assemble the scratching post by fixing the tubes securely to the wooden slabs.
 4. For the base of the structure, you can use thick cloth or carpet. Cover the soft parts of the scratching post with pieces of cloth.
DIY Cat Mouse Toys
 - Wool felt
 - Floss for embroidery
 - Stuffing
 - Dried catnip (optional)
 - Pins
 - Needle
 - Scissors
There are many DIY websites where you can download a mouse-shaped pattern for cat toys. Just be sure to print the pattern at 100% to get the accurate measurements.
Once you have printed out the pattern, follow the templates when cutting up the pieces so that you have two pieces for each side of the mouse, two ears, a bottom piece, and a tail. You can use one color for all pieces or use several colors.
Start by attaching the mouse ears to the pointed side of a side piece. Secure the ear using the floss and a backstitch. The same step is done on the other side piece, making sure that both sides will match.
The next step is to sew the sides of the mouse together. Start at the part where the nose is and across the back with embroidery floss (at least three strands to make it durable) with a running stitch. Don't forget to insert the tail between the two side pieces.
Next, stitch the bottom part of the mouse starting from the nose and work toward the back on each side. Use three strands of embroidery floss and a running stitch. Stitch the other side and don't forget to stop about an inch from the tail of the mouse so you still have an opening to fill the mouse with stuffing or dried catnip. Close the opening with a running stitch, making sure to go back and fill the gaps with running stitches. Secure the stitches with a strong knot that is hidden between the felt layers.
DIY Sock Fish Cat Toy
This is one of the easiest cat toys to make. All you need to do is stuff a sock with packing paper. As your cat plays with the sock, they will love the crinkling sound made by the packing paper. Make the sock more appealing to your cat by adding some catnip to the stuffing. You can find the instructions here.
DIY Catnip Yarn Balls
Balls of yarn are your quintessential cat toys. Cats love the yarn's texture because they can hold on to it. Although it's not an expensive toy, yarn balls can actually entertain cats for hours. Here's an easy way to make catnip-infused yarn balls. All you need are yarn, glue, catnip, and styrofoam balls to make these simply attractive toys.
DIY Treat Puzzles
Treat puzzles are excellent ways to provide both physical and mental stimulation to pet cats. It requires your furball to "work" for the goodies that are placed inside the toilet paper rolls. All you have to do is simply glue the empty toilet paper rolls together to form a puzzle. You can get the detailed instructions here.
DIY Catnip Pillow
One of the favorite things cats love to do each day is sleep and just laze around. They are actually wired to sleep and rest during the day so they will have lots of energy to hunt at night. This is part of the predator instincts they have inherited from their ancestors. Having a catnip-filled pillow will be stimulating for cats. Here is an easy way to make a catnip pillow.
If you have the time, talent, and resources to make your pet's toys, there are many easy DIY cat toys resources online. Here are simple DIY cat toys ideas from YouTube on how to make a pom pom for cats, a DIY tent for cats, a DIY cat hammock, and a DIY yarn wrapped cat toy.
 Read more: The Cat Toys Handbook
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Teaching A Lesson Before Dying: Part 2
March 31, 2012
Justice, Injustice, and Places of Meaning
A Lesson Before Dying
Cover of Gaines' A Lesson Before Dying
As the students entered for the next session, I directed their attention to the board, where I had written "New Criticism," "New Historicism," and "Deconstruction," as well as the names of important theorists associated with these critical approaches to literature. In applying these critical theories to Gaines' novel, I explained, we would abandon neither feminist nor Marxist approaches, as the novel provides plenty of examples of extremely strong women and of economic inequities that reflect the Marxist critique of capitalism. But these additional critical tools, I assured the class, would enrich their understanding of Gaines' Lesson by complementing feminist and Marxist perspectives and by providing a fuller sketch of critical thought in the twentieth century. These varied perspectives, I said, would also help us to see the connections between our theme on "Marriage, Family, and the American Dream" and our theme on "Justice and Injustice."
Aristotelian Communication Triangle
Aristotelian Communication Triangle (Source: The Basics of Effective Technical Communication)
Pointing to the Aristotelian communication triangle I had written on the board, I encouraged students to think of New Criticism as focused on the literary work itself, the center of that triangle. Often associated with its Southern practitioners, Cleanth Brooks and Robert Penn Warren, New Criticism, I explained, dominated American critical thought at mid-century for over three decades. Rejecting critical approaches unduly focused on the writer's intentions (one corner of Aristotle's triangle), the reader's responses (another corner), or literary history (another corner), the New Critics, I further explained, insisted on an "objective" reading of a work, a "close reading" that savors the ironies and ambiguities of a given poem or fiction but finds and defends the "organic" unity of its imagery and structure. We would practice this New Critical approach, I said, as they shared their thoughts on the study questions I provided.
Continuing my sketch of critical currents, I explained that by the 1980, influenced by French theorist Michel Foucault and his concern with the "discourse of an era," scholars such as Louis Althusser declared themselves New Historicists, critics who employed New Critical close-reading strategies but extended their analysis beyond the work itself to the cultural practices that shape a given work and define its "situatedness." To reinforce this dual focus of New Historicism, I pointed again to the triangle, to the work in the center and to the "situation" at the 'real-world' corner. We would practice New Historicism, I said, when we discuss the character Grant, who, like the author, grew up in a Louisiana share-cropping culture in the 1930s; who, like the author, attended elementary school in a one-room plantation church; who earned a university degree in California, just as the author did; who returned to Louisiana, just as the author did, because of the irresistible pull of this very real place he is "unable to leave" (102), and because of his outrage over the racial injustices that defined it in the 1940s, the historical setting of the novel, two decades before the emergence of Dr. King and the civil rights movement.
Concurrent with the New Historicists, I continued, the Deconstruction critics emerged, following the thought of Russian dialogic theorist Mikhail Bakhtin and French theorist Jacques Derrida. Also deploying New Critical close-reading strategies, these critics reached decidedly un-New Critical conclusions about literature, arguing that no work possesses unity, either as a free-standing work or as a reflection of its cultural situation. Instead, I explained, Deconstruction critics argue that every "text" contains a line of interpretation that undercuts another reading, so that no fixed meaning can ever be discovered. While New Critics talk about ambiguities worked out via art into a unified meaning, I clarified, Deconstruction critics argue that the flux of a text, like the flux of life, can never be fixed, never settled beyond dispute. We would see this flux, I said, in trying to assess Grant's teaching, his resistance to authority figures, and his relationship with Vivian.
A Lesson Before Dying
Having completed this description of critical trends and their relationship to Gaines' novel, I divided the students into three groups, assigned each group five of the study questions I had asked them to consider as they read, and then asked them to collaborate on answers, grounded in evidence from the novel, that they would share with the whole class. I explained that they had 20 minutes to do their work, after which each group would have 15 minutes to report their findings to the other two groups. Though the students had already experienced peer-response groups, they had never worked together on an interpretive problem. Nevertheless, the pressure of the time limit seemed to distract them from anxieties over this charge to construct meaning communally; as they got to work, I roved, listening to their tentative answers, watching them scramble for evidence.
After 20 minutes, I interrupted them, telling them that they need not worry if they had not finished their task, that we would go ahead and see what each group had discovered. I then called for a report from group one, reminding them that we wanted evidence, including page numbers, not just general answers, to the questions below:
1. How does the defense attorney's case affect your feelings for Jefferson (pages 7-8)?
2. How do you explain Grant's anger—as a black man and as a teacher—when Miss Emma's face (12) and Tante Lou's words (13-14) urge him to talk to Henri about visiting Jefferson?
3. How do Grant's feelings for Vivian and for the town (29) explain his reluctance to intervene in Jefferson's case?
4. Describe Grant's teaching and disciplining methods. Do they seem effective? Explain. How do Grant's situation and the students' lives influence and explain Grant's harshness (29)?
5. What similarity do you see between the attorney's defense of Jefferson (chapter 1) and the way Mr. Pichot and Sheriff Guidry treat Grant (chapter 6)?
New Historicists at Work
Group 1: New Historicists at Work
Group one began by responding to #1 and #5 together, saying that they felt great sympathy for Jefferson and Grant. When I asked for their evidence, they referred to page eight, where Jefferson must endure the remarks of his attorney, who 'defends' him in front of the all-white jury by calling him a "hog," not a man, a beast capable in his panic of looting the liquor store cash drawer, but incapable of thought and therefore incapable of planning the murder of the store owner. They reported sympathy, too, for Grant, a black man with a university education, who must endure the arrogance of Sheriff Guidry and Henri Pichot, powerful white men who keep him waiting for hours when he comes to ask permission to visit Jefferson in jail. "But what difference do you see between Jefferson and Grant in the way they deal with the insults?" I asked. Laureta, a member of group one, quickly observed that Jefferson keeps his head down and remains silent, but Grant reports that he has waited "two-and-a-half hours" and offers no smile, knowing that the white men expect a smile and a "not long" in response to their question, "Been waiting long?" (47) "Did you notice Grant's verbs?" I asked her. Laureta then pointed to his saying "doesn't" instead of the ungrammatical "don't," revealing his defiance of these white men, who expect Grant to show his subservience by using dialect (48).
Some of this sympathy and admiration for Grant melted away, however, when the group responded to questions 2-4. They reported understanding Grant's anger when his Tante Lou demands that he visit Jefferson in jail, that he teach Jefferson to feel like a man, not a hog, before he dies in the electric chair, but they argued that Grant shows too little respect for Miss Emma, Jefferson's godmother, when he tells her that he can't make Jefferson a man, that he can only "keep others from ending up like this" (14). They also reported understanding why Grant would want to move with Vivian to someplace where he could feel alive, less stifled (29), but they had no respect at all for his use of foul language and his whining tone, especially when he says, "I'm supposed to make him a man. Who am I? God?" (31). They said, too, that they understood why Grant would be frustrated with his one-room school and inattentive students, but they roundly condemned Grant's cruelty to his students, releasing his own stress by shouting in their faces and hitting them with a ruler for lapses in concentration, for writing crooked sentences on the board and for playing with bugs (35-41).
Congratulating this group on their excellent work, I called on group two. Apologizing for coaxing the first group into answering their question on Grant's use of language to assert manhood, I asked for their comments on questions 7-10:
6. How does Grant use language to assert his manhood in chapter 6?
7. At the top of page 62, Grant compares the "old men" laborers to the student


题库> 逻辑 CR> CR-742wsh
Large national budget deficits do not cause large trade deficits.If they did, countries with the largest budget deficits would also have the largest trade deficits.In fact, when deficit figures are adjusted so that different countries are reliably comparable to each other, there is no such correlation.
If the statements above are all true, which of the following can properly be inferred on the basis of them?
【选项】When countries are ordered from largest to smallest in terms of population, the smallest countries generally have the smallest budget and trade deficits.
 - 所属科目：逻辑CR
 - 题目来源1：PREP07 Test 2-60
 - 题目来源2：OG18-语文分册-126


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After you read the author's opinion blogs, write a 1– to 2–page paper in APA format that includes a brief explanation of the overall problem discussed throughout these blogs.
Read the following blogs and consider the author's opinions:
Challenging Medical Racism and Physicians' Preference for White Patients
Four Ways Racism Continues to Influence Modern Medicine
The Hidden World of Medical Racism in the United States
Bias, Black Lives, and Academic Medicine
After you read the author's opinion blogs, write a 1– to 2–page paper in APA format that includes a brief explanation of the overall problem discussed throughout these blogs. Find your own academic sources using the WCU library that helps you explain why this problem might exist. Come up with a five-point action plan to reduce racism in the field of medicine. Justify your plan. Make sure to explain how you would teach each of the five points to those currently working in the health care field. (When you do this, think about what you have learned throughout the course about education, racism, and other areas that may affect your program.)
PLACE THIS ORDER OR A SIMILAR ORDER WITH US TODAY AND GET AN AMAZING DISCOUNT


text:
Alone in a world of circles and squares, Restibo seeks out the seven keys needed to
unlock the dark planet core. Scattered amongst the hanging blocks are Voids, floating
circles that nullify gravity and contain items like feathers, springs, spikes, claws,
and bubbles. These items help Restibo advance through the layers of the atmosphere,
flinging from one block to the next to reach larger and more intricate Voids.
Restibo is a game of exploration and physics puzzles. It takes place on the surface
and seven atmospheric layers of a long-locked planet.


text:
I had some great feedback from my 'Pet Questions from You' post, and wanted to go into more detail with shelter/rescue terms. Below are some of the commonly used terms in a shelter or rescue environment:
Feral cat: A feral cat is the offspring of a domestic stray cat, born in the wild. Because of their lack of human interaction, feral cats often appear unfriendly to humans.
Feral cat colony: A group of feral (and sometimes stray) cats that live together in a certain area (ex. Apartment complex, neighborhood, behind stores or restaurants, etc).
TNR: Trap-Neuter-Return is a method of catching feral cats and sterilizing them (spay/neutering) so that they cannot reproduce.
Ear crop/Ear Tip: Part of some TNR programs will include cutting a small part of the cats' ear, so that they can be easily identified as sterilized (spay/neutered).
Stray: A domestic animal that is lost or wandering at large.
Open Admission: A shelter/rescue that is open admission means that they will not turn away any animal that comes into its doors, regardless of breed, health status, temperament, or any other classifications. The Oakland Pet Adoption Center is open admission.
Euthanasia: the act of humanely putting an animal to death. Other euphemisms for euthanasia include 'put to sleep', 'put down', or 'lay down'. There are several different methods of euthanasia, the most common being intravenous injection and inhalants. The use of inhalants has been banned in many US shelters, so intravenous injections are by far the most utilized.
DSH (Domestic Short Hair), DMH (Domestic Medium Hair), DLH (Domestic Long Hair): These are different breed classifications of cats by terms of fur length.
No Kill:The most widely accepted definition of a no-kill shelter is a place where all adoptable and treatable animals are saved and where only unadoptable or non-rehabilitatable animals are euthanized (according to _URL_)
I hope that the definitions of these terms has helped provide some clarification. If there are any other terms you've heard that are not mentioned here, please comment with them!


text:
Click on the elements of interest for more details,
or make a new query.
The numbers that are shown in the parentheses indicate how
many of your word queries appear in each category.
- gods and goddesses from Latin and Greek myths: words from mythology (two matching results)
- -mancy, -mancer (Greek: divination, prophecy) words: belomancy to cheiromancy, part 2 of 9 (two matching results)
- The planet earth, words from myths (one matching result)
- philo-, -philia (love, fondness for, attraction to) words: tandentrophilist to zoophilous, part 10 of 10 (one matching result)
- scroto-, scrot- (Latin: the pouch that holds the testes; a purse; probably a variant of scortum, a skin, hide, or of scrautum; a leather bag for holding arrows; akin to scrupus, a sharp stone) (one matching result)
- Luna, the earth moon, words from myths (one matching result)
- Apollo, god of the Sun, words from myths (one matching result)


text: (GRB) out on both polar areas of its rotational axis. Calculations show that the deposited energy of such a GRB impacting the Earths atmosphere would be equivalent to one kiloton of TNT per square kilometer over the entire hemisphere facing the star with ionizing radiation depositing ten times the lethal whole body dose to the surface. This catastrophic burst would probably not hit Earth, though, because the rotation axis does not currently point at us. If Eta Carinae is a binary system, this may affect the future intensity and orientation of the supernova explosion that it produces, depending on the circumstances.


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Simplifying Vaccination Stock Management in The Gambia To Reach Every Child with Vaccines
Today, almost 85% of children worldwide receive the vaccinations they need to protect themselves from diseases (WHO, 2018). However, in the last few years, the progress of expanding global immunisation coverage through global initiatives, like the Expanded Programme on Immunisation, has stagnated. (WHO, 2018). What about the 15% of children who do not receive the vaccinations they need? How can organizations, governments, and health clinics ensure that these children also receive the help they need? There are many ways to ensure that every child receives the vaccinations they need. One way is to simplify vaccination stock management for health workers.
It is truly important that stock management and request processes for vaccines are simple and accurate. Although it may sound uninteresting, these processes are important because they can either simplify or complicate a vaccination programme. Ideally, stock management processes should help health workers keep track of their vaccines and supplies stock. Keeping track of stock is necessary because it can help health clinics predict and decide how many vaccines and supplies to order each month.
Ordering vaccines is a tricky business. If a health clinic orders too many vaccines, they risk having to throw out expired vaccines. If a health clinic does not order enough vaccines, they risk having a stock out. This is where proper stock management comes into use. The more stock information health clinics have when preparing vaccine orders, the better chance the health clinics have at ordering the right amount of vaccines and supplies.
One of the major weaknesses in stock management systems is that calculations are done manually by health workers and are recorded in heavy ledgers. This is common practice in many health clinics and it is time-consuming and prone towards human error. Public Health Officer (PHO) Jainaba Sarr, at the Serrekunda Health Centre in Western Region 1 in The Gambia, explained what the health workers had to do in the manual process in stock management. Jainaba declared, "We had to do a daily summary of the children that we vaccinated and the vaccines that we used. After that we did a weekly summary and from the weekly summary we did a monthly summary, thereby calculating everything on our own." Creating these summaries manually by health workers is time-consuming and decreases health counseling time with each child. The human error in these summaries also creates a weak determination of how many vaccines should be ordered at health clinics each month. The photograph below displays an example of how manual stock management systems can be inaccurate and prone towards human error.
Shifo Foundation (Shifo) is an organisation that focuses on strengthening health management information systems including stock management systems. Shifo has put great effort into understanding current health processes in the countries they work with. This is so that Shifo and their partnering countries can find weaknesses within health processes and create solutions to improve them. Therefore, Shifo has included a stock management component to their own innovation called MyChild Solution based on Smart Paper Technology. MyChild Solution is a health management information system used by health clinics.
Some health workers in The Gambia are currently using MyChild Solution for stock management instead of the former manual process. When these health workers use MyChild Solution's stock management system, they only have to report how many vaccinations and supplies they have at the beginning and at the end of each month. Then, MyChild Solution will use this information in combination with visit information to calculate the following:
- The opening balance for the upcoming month.
- How many doses were used during the month. This includes both doses given to children as well as doses that were wasted.
- How many doses were administered to children.
- The vaccine wastage rate of vaccines and supplies.
With MyChild Solution, health workers do not need to keep track of as many calculations as they did before with the manual stock management process. This is important because the risks for calculation errors are significantly smaller when using a digital system than with a manual system. Also, it saves time for health workers so that they can spend more time providing health services to children and their families. Health workers in The Gambia have affirmed that MyChild Solution saves them more time. Public Health Officer and nurse-in-charge at Serrekunda Health Centre Tida Darboe proclaimed, "We're spending less time at the clinic than with the normal [manual] routine. Our vaccine stocks are monitored so we know the number of vaccines we have at the end of the month, and we know that we need to request a particular amount of vaccines for our clinic instead of calculating our stock".
With MyChild Solution, health facilities can simplify vaccination and stock management systems. When health workers can reduce their time spent on stock management and increase time spent on children and their families, they have more capacity to give health care to every child. When there are appropriate stock levels of vaccines and supplies, key actors who are working to ensure every child is fully vaccinated will be one step closer to reaching this goal.
WHO. (2018). Immunization Coverage. Retrieved from _URL_


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This GBCA Safety Toolbox Talk discusses ladder safety. Specifically, this toolbox talk provides tips and reminders of things to check when using straight fixed and extension ladders. Click below to download the Toolbox Talk as a handout (includes Sign-In Sheet).
Straight Fixed and Extension Ladders
Straight fixed ladders and extension ladders are two of the most commonly used ladders in construction. Unfortunately, they are often used incorrectly, leading to serious injury. Straight fixed and extension ladders are leaned against a fixed point, such as a wall, roof line, or platform. They can have specialized attachments for poles as well as bridging for stability.
Always Check the Following Before Using a Ladder:
- Be sure there are no electrical hazards where you will be using the ladder before you set up. If there is, STOP and get your supervisor.
- Check the ladder's label and rating to be sure that the ladder is rated for what you need.
- Inspect the ladder for defects. Do not use defective ladders. Alert your supervisor immediately, (tag as defective) or remove from the site.
- Do not set up a ladder in doorways, behind doors, or in areas where traffic (walking or otherwise) can hit the ladder.
Correct Use Requires the Correct Angle:
- The right pitch for a fixed or extension ladder is 75.5 degrees from the wall or surface.
- The 4-1 Rule: For every 4 feet up, the ladder's base should be 1 foot out from the wall.
- The Standing Test: Stand and place your toes against the erected ladder's rails. While standing straight up, extend your arms straight out. The palms of your hands should touch the top of the rung at shoulder level.
Things to Check After Setting Up the Ladder, and Before Use:
- Secure the base of the ladder and make sure that it does not move.
- Secure the top of the ladder.
- The ladder rails MUST extend at least 3 feet above the intended exit point.
- Be sure the rungs, as well as the bottoms of your shoes, are not slippery.
Reminders for When Using the Ladder:
- Always face the ladder when ascending or descending and use 3 points of contact.
- Center yourself (belt buckle to the center of the ladder).
- NEVER carry tools or equipment up a ladder. Use a line or safety bucket.
Remember to record the attendees of your toolbox talk!


text:
|(QMI Agency files) |
Extreme temperatures during heat waves and cold spells may increase the risk of dying prematurely of heart disease, according to new Australian research published in an American Heart Association journal.
"The findings are important because of how the body responds to temperate extremes, the growing obesity trend and the Earth's climate changes," said the study's lead author, Cunrui Huang of Queensland University of Technology (QUT) in Brisbane.
Researchers compared data on daily temperatures between 1996 and 2004 with documented cardiovascular-related deaths for the same period.
The risk of premature CVD death was even higher when extreme heat was sustained for two or more days, the researchers found.
This might be due to greater strain on the heart, co-author Prof. Adrian G. Barnett said, citing previous research that has shown exposure to extreme temperatures can trigger changes in blood pressure, blood thickness, cholesterol and heart rate.
Did you find what you were looking for on our website? Please let us know.


text: The purpose was to determine if waist placement of the pedometer affected accuracy in normal, overweight, and obese children, when attaching the pedometer to the waistband or a belt. Methods: Seventy-seven children (ages 10-12 years) wore 5 pedometers on the waistband of their pants and a belt at the following placements: navel (NV), anterior midline of the right thigh (AMT), right side (RS), posterior midline of the right thigh (PMT), and middle of the back (MB). Participants walked 100 steps on a treadmill at 80 m · min–1. Results: The RS, PMT, and MB sites on the waistband and the AMT and RS sites on the belt produced the least error. Conclusions: Of these sites, the RS placement is recommended because of the ease of reading the pedometer during activity. Using a belt did not significantly improve accuracy except for normal weight groups at the NV placement site.


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Ask Marilyn: When You're Twice As Old As Your Child
Kelly Buch of Darien, Connecticut, writes:
Marilyn: I read the question regarding being twice as old as your child. (November 4, 2012) The question was, "There is only one time in your life when you're twice as old as your child. When is that?" Your response was, "When the child reaches the age you were when he or she was born." Actually, there are two different times in your life when you're are twice as old as your child, if you round to the year.
Here's an illustration: I was born the day before my mother's birthday. She was 28 then and turned 29 the next day. In four years, I will turn 28. On my birthday, my mom will be 56—twice as old as me. The next day, she will turn 57. When I turn 29 the following year, she will still be 57, turning 58 the next day—again twice my age. This will stay true until my next birthday. So there are two time periods during which my mom will be twice as old as I am.
Thank you, Kelly. Readers, it's correct that there's only one time when you're actually twice as old as your child—when the child reaches the exact age you were when he or she was born. But when you round to the year, it happens twice, as Kelly demonstrates. The two periods will always add up to about one year. (I say "about" to forestall getting letters about leap years!)


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NRA PPIH Course Goal: To develop in the students the basic knowledge, skills, and attitude essential to the safe and efficient use of a firearm for protection of self and family, and to provide information on the law-abiding citizens right to self-defense.
Lesson # 1 – Introduction to Defensive Shooting
Explain the importance of using a firearm responsibly and ethically for personal protection.
Explain the importance of developing the proper mind set for using a firearm for personal protection and facing a life-threatening encounter.
Explain and evaluate their state of mental awareness using the four levels of awareness.
Explain the importance of mental preparation and physical training for a potentially life-threatening confrontation.
Lesson # 2 – Basic Defensive Pistol Skills
Explain and demonstrate the fundamentals of defensive marksmanship.
Explain defensive accuracy.
Shoot targets in the center of mass using aimed shots from a two-handed standing position.
Explain the differences between cover and concealment, and identify examples of each.
Shoot targets in the center of mass:
* Using a flash sight picture
* Using cover and concealment
* From a kneeling position
* At close range using point shooting
Lesson # 3 – Firearms and the Law: Possession, Ownership, and the Use of Deadly Force
Explain key provisions of the law pertaining to the purchase, transfer, and possession of pistols.
State key provisions and restrictions within the law pertaining to the use of deadly force.
Explain potential criminal and civil legal actions that may be taken against them subsequent to a defensive encounter.
Explain where they may find detailed legal information for their specific jurisdiction.
Lesson # 4 – Strategies for Home Safety and Responding to a Violent Confrontation
Explain strategies and methods to enhance their personal safety at home.
Describe strategies for responding to a potentially life-threatening encounter.
Explain the importance of mentally preparing for the aftermath of a violent confrontation.
Explain methods of safely storing a personal protection pistol.
Lesson # 5 – Selecting a Pistol for Self-Defense
Identify the criteria for selecting a pistol and ammunition suited to their individual self-defense needs.
Identify the major cartridge designs available for practice and personal protection and explain the use, advantages, and disadvantages of each type.Lesson # 6 – Sport Shooting Activities and Training Opportunities
Identify organizations, associations, clubs, and businesses that may help them hone, enhance, and expand their personal protection skills.
Explain methods and precautions for dry-fire practice.Course Review and Examination
Successfully complete the NRA Personal Protection in the Home Course written examination.
* Grade and discuss any wrong answers to the 25 questions
* Graduation (distribute certificates and discipline patch)


phrases, sayings, proverbs and idioms at
The meaning and origin of the expression: Donkey's years
Browse phrases beginning with:
Donkey's years
Other phrases about:
What's the meaning of the phrase 'Donkey's years'?
A very long time.
What's the origin of the phrase 'Donkey's years'?
It turns out that, although Donkey's years is now the more commonly used slang term when meaning 'a long time', donkey's ears, has been used that way too (although not very often) since at least the early 20th century. The English humorous writer Edward Verral Lucas used the phrase that way in his novel Vermilion Box, 1916:
The clue there seems to be that Lucas write comic stories. 'Donkey's ears' wasn't used until well after the date that 'donkey's years' had become established in the language and was only ever a jokey alternative form.
So, having found 'donkey's ears' to be a side-show, we now come to when and how did 'donkey's years' originate? It is now used as Cockney rhyming slang and the assumption that is made by many is that the expression was coined as such, making the rhyme between 'ears' and 'years'. That assumption is very likely to be wrong. Three things count against it.
1. It isn't backed by any known evidence.
2. The expressions use as Cockney rhyming slang is long predated by it being used in being used with no CRS connection. The first example of the expression 'donkey's years' that I can find in print is from The Salisbury Times, July 1876:
Didn't you ask him how long it had been in his possession?
I can't recollect that. I might have done so.
Didn't he say for years and years and donkey's years?
This is getting on for a hundred years earlier than any use of 'donkey's years' as rhyming slang, which isn't found in print with a rhyming slang connection until the 1950s.
'Donkey's years' is certainly in use as Cockney rhyming slang now but the evidence points to it being a back-formation, that is, an existing phrase that got taken up as rhyming slang later.
Donkey's yearsDonkey's years may have been chosen as a synonym for a long time simply because donkeys are long-lived animals. Lively Laddie, a donkey who had lived up to his name for many years while plying his trade on Blackpool Pleasure Beach was, until his death at age 62, a contender for the 'oldest living quadruped' title.