Pter Thanas
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"Maybe Thanas thinks he's being a nice guy, offering to let us into that defense web. But if we split our forces, we've got half tied up for some Imperial desk jockey and only half on alert where they ought to be."
―Han Solo[src]
Pter Thanas was a male Coruscanti Human Imperial Navy commander who defected to the Rebel Alliance after the Bakura Incident during the Galactic Civil War. Thanas was noted as a diplomatic officer of the Imperial Starfleet, known for his ability to rule successfully without using fear as a motivator. Early in his career, he led an Imperial task force against the Crimson Nova pirates on F'Dann IX.
During a tour of duty on icy Alzoc III, he became popular among the native Talz laborers for his progressive policies. By increasing their food budgets, he was able to increase the mine's work output and also win the hearts and minds of the Talz. When a less sympathetic Imperial colonel arrived and reduced their rations to previous levels, this provoked an uprising among the laborers. For refusing to crush the uprising, Thanas was reassigned to the newly occupied planet of Bakura in 1 BBY.
There, he became the commander of the local Imperial naval defense and answered only to the Governor Nereus. In 4 ABY, Bakura was invaded by the saurian Ssi-ruuvi Imperium which quickly wiped out half the garrison and blockaded Bakura. Shortly after the Battle of Endor, a Rebel Alliance fleet arrived to relieve the Imperials after receiving a request for help.
Following the Bakura Truce between the Alliance and the Empire, Thanas cooperated with the Alliance and developed an intimate relationship with Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker. However, with the defeat of the Ssi-ruuk, Nereus ordered Thanas to turn on the Alliance fleet. In the ensuing chaos, Thanas' flagship the Dominant destroyed several Rebel ships. In response, Han Solo attempted to dislodge the Dominant by ramming the cruiser with his starship the Millennium Falcon.
However, Skywalker's communications with Thanas via the Force helped convince him to change sides. As a gesture, Thanas opened fire on the Ssi-ruuvi cruiser Shriwirr and sent a medical team to treat the mortally wounded Dev Sibwarra. With the death of Nereus and the surrender of the Imperial garrison under favorable terms, an awed Thanas defected to his former enemies.
In 12 ABY, he married the Bakuran Prime Minister Gaeriel Captison. Shortly thereafter Captison gave birth to a daughter, Malinza. Three years later, Thanas was diagnosed with the debilitating Knowt's Disease. Thanas suffered through the slow killing illness, and finally passed away in 16 ABY at the age of 64 after Captison's unsuccessful reelection campaign.
Imperial serviceEdit
"What kind of traitor handed over Imperial property and gave Imperial personnel the chance to jump ship? The kind of traitor who still owed Talz slave miners a debt he could never repay. Perhaps the Alliance would be more lenient than that colonel had been back at Alzoc III"
―Pter Thanas' own thoughts and reflections[src]
The Human male Pter Thanas was born and raised on the galactic capital of Coruscant prior to joining the Imperial Navy. His military career was attached to the Carrack-class cruiser Dominant. Early in his career, Thanas led an Imperial task force formed around the Dominant against the Crimson Nova pirates. While the pirates put up heavy resistance against the Imperial forces, Thanas was able to defeat their fleet and destroy their base on F'Dann IX.[1]
Thanas was the commanding officer of a mining operation on Alzoc III when he determined that the enslaved indigenous Talz workers performed at high rates of output when provided greater food rations. By rearranging his budget, Thanas was able to provide more food to the Talz and triple the mining outputs. The Talz repaid his kindness when they saved Thanas from falling down a mineshaft.[6]
When an Imperial colonel arrived six months later to replace Thanas, he immediately returned the Talz's food rations to their previous levels. A Talz leader protested the change, and the colonel ordered Thanas to destroy the Talz village as a demonstration of Imperial will. Thanas refused the order and was summarily reassigned to the newly Imperial-controlled Outer Rim world of Bakura in 1 ABY.[6]
Pter Alzoc
Pter Thanas on icy Alzoc III
At Bakura, Thanas served as the commanding military officer of the Bakuran garrison and the Dominant became the flagship of the defense force. As a relatively strategically unimportant planet, the military garrison at Bakura was equipped with downscaled warships. He oversaw the operations of the minor planetary defenses and was second only to Wilek Nereus, Bakura's Imperial Governor. While Thanas chaffed under the thumb of the Empire, his diligence as an officer may have saved Bakura.[6]
A Common EnemyEdit
"…Alliance battle group, we would be grateful for assistance. I am coding a status report twenty cycles below this frequency."
While the Battle of Endor was taking place in 4 ABY, the saurian Ssi-Ruuvi Imperium invaded the Bakura system, annihilating half of the tiny Imperial-Bakuran defense force and seizing most of the outer system outposts. These saurians hailed from the distant reaches of Unknown Regions and were scouting Imperial space.[6] They brought a sizable fleet with them, including at least one Ssi-ruuvi assault carrier, as well as large numbers of battle droids.[7] An outpost in the sixth planet of the Bakuran system was utterly destroyed and a command signal for Ssi-ruuk droids established in its vicinity. The Ssi-ruuvi fleet then blockaded the space around Bakura.[1][6]
With half of the Imperial fleet destroyed, Thanas quickly ordered a withdrawal of the remaining vessels to Bakura. This decision saved many lives as it allowed the meager Imperial forces to recuperate and hold off against the advancing Ssi-ruuvi fleet. Recovery crew had reported that the Ssi-ruuk had left no survivors or bodies for inexplicable reasons. Later, it was learned that these unfortunate prisoners had been captured by the reptilian Ssi-ruuk and subjected to entechment. The Bakurans also received a transmission from Sibwarra that told them of the fate they soon experience—that of entechment—and although Sibwarra described it as an eternal release, the Bakurans knew that was a lie.[6]
In response to heavy casualties, his superior Nereus sent an antique Message Droid to the forest moon of Endor after failing to contact Imperial Center and the Death Star II, to contact his Imperial superiors and ask for assistance to fend off the invasion force. Endor was the nearest world with a sizable Imperial presence to Bakura as the site of the Second Death Star.[6]
Around the time Bakura was being invaded, Rebel Alliance forces had launched an attack on the Imperial presence as part of a plot to destroy both the second Death Star and the visiting Emperor Palpatine. During the ensuing Battle of Endor, the Alliance succeeded in these goals and scattered much of the Imperial fleet, though they sustained heavy casualties of their own. The following day, the message droid arrived in the Forest Moon of Endor and was retrieved by Alliance forces who proceeded to discover its contents.[6]
Decoding the message drone's coded message, Alliance technicians and slicers learned of Bakura's plight and the potential threat of the Ssi-ruuk to the Galaxy. By conquering Bakura, the Ssi-ruuk hoped to establish a beachhead for an invasion of the known galaxy especially the populated Core Worlds. Despite their animosity towards the Imperials, the Alliance leadership decided to intervene, reasoning that they could get a new planet into their fold, gain access to Bakura's repulsorlift technology, and halt a potential hostile threat. Among their number was the Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker who was urged to attend to Bakura by the ghostly specter of his late Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi.[6]
An Alliance task force was quickly scrambled under the command of Luke Skywalker and the Virgillian Captain Tessa Manchisco. Arriving in the Bakura system, Luke Skywalker made contact with the Imperial Commander Thanas, stating that the Alliance had received Nereus' distress transmission and had come to propose a temporary truce with the local Imperial garrison in order to fight the Ssi-ruuk. Due to their heavy losses, Thanas gratefully accepted the Alliance's offer, and the task force moved to microjump in-system to assist the beleaguered Imperials.[6]
As a confirmation of the agreement, the prototype Battle Analysis Computer's status board on the Flurry turned the Imperial formations from "hostile" red to "friendly" yellow-gold. By this phase, 80% of the Imperial firepower was concentrated on the Thanas' command ship Dominant.One of the first joint military actions between the Alliance and Imperial forces was the deployment of Alliance ships including the Flurry into the gap between the Ssi-ruuvi's three main cruisers to counter the enemy advance at the request of Thanas.[6]
A Tense TruceEdit
"Commander Skywalker, I wonder


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Correct spelling for the English word "OPEA" is [ˈə͡ʊpi͡ə], [ˈə‍ʊpiə], [ˈəʊ_p_iə] (IPA phonetic alphabet).
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Electronic Health Records (EHR) and Practice Management System (PMS) integrations are complex from a technical and business logic layer perspective. Additional systems, such as Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Radiological Information Systems (RIS), and Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (PACS) can add tremendous value but even greater complexity. A GIS is a computer-based system for the capture, storage, retrieval, analysis, and display of spatial data.
The geovisualization of data is an important component of health care IT analytical processes especially as they apply to disease management and surveillance. A Radiology Information System (RIS) is responsible for managing and distributing patient radiological data and imagery. An RIS also possesses patient scheduling, report generation, billing, and image tracking capabilities.
Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (PACS) enable digital storage of radiology images and remote access. These systems can be used to help monitor and manage disease outbreaks, and they can also be used to discern patterns from health data. In this Discussion, you will look at how these systems can monitor health issues related to child abuse. Unfortunately, child abuse is a problem in many countries, and within the United States it is on the rise. It is estimated that more than 4 million cases of child abuse occur each year and many victims are younger than 5 years of age. Common radiological signs of abuse include long bone, rib, and skull fractures, subdural and subarachnoid hemorrhage (blood clots on brain), cerebral edema (brain swelling), and abdominal injury (especially to duodenum and pancreas).
Read Chapter 6 (file uploaded). Number the document from 1 to 5 and answer the following questions:
1. How might a GIS-enhanced RIS platform provide child abuse social service caseworkers with information of value to their work?
2. What value might a GIS-enhanced application provide to a RIS platform?
3. What value would be derived from finding clusters of child-related fractures within a given narrow geography due to a GIS-enhanced RIS application?
4. In what other ways is a GIS-enhanced application valuable within the framework of disease monitoring and management?
5. What IT (information technology) considerations are there with the integration of GIS, RIS, and PACS? Note: Do not write introduction & conclusion. Do not plagiarize. You can research on the Internet or books/journals & you can add additional references.

source: openbmb/Ultra-FineWeb


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From its birth to the present, the chiropractic profession has been interested in methods to restore normal alignment (structure) to the spinal column, with the ultimate purpose of restoring normal function to the spine and nervous components housed inside. Interestingly, mechanical traction has been used by chiropractors to reduce spinal misalignments, in spite of the fact that chiropractic is a profession founded on the principle of "by hands only" interventions. In this brief treatise, the use of mechanical traction as a means to reduce subluxations of the lumbar lordotic curve is traced from the profession's origin to the modern era.
Lumbar Extension Traction
The use of traction for subluxation correction can be traced to chiropractic's original "mixer" practitioner, Solon Massey Langworthy, D.C., a 1901 graduate of D. D. Palmer's chiropractic school. Langworthy, one of Palmer's original twelve chiropractic disciples, established a thriving practice and chiropractic school (American School of Chiropractic and Nature Cure) in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in the early 1900s. In a recent article published in the journal Chiropractic History, Troyanovich and Gibbons1 recount the important contributions made by this colorful chiropractic pioneer.
One of Langworthy's inventions was known as the "Amplia Thrill" traction table. He received a patent for the device in October of 19082. The device was quite versatile and had the capability of performing both cervical extension traction and lumbar extension traction.
More recently, Steve Foster, D.C., of Greeley, Colorado, has created a device to induce lumbar extension traction in an erect kneeling position, in a method he describes as 5-point traction. His invention was created circa 19953. Our own Roger Coleman, D.C. (yeah, it's a little self-serving—sorry) created a method whereby extension traction of the lumbar spine can be induced in a patient who is standing.4 The Coleman device and method further allow the patient to perform active extension exercises while in the device, which may add to the clinical effectiveness of the method.
Lumbar extension traction has been used from the time of the earliest chiropractic pioneers until the present as a means of restoring normal alignment to the lordotic curve of the lumbar spine. Although founded on the principle that chiropractic is a "hands only" method of care, chiropractic innovators have devised multiple mechanical devices to assist in the reduction of the chiropractic lesion.
In our next column, we'll present a case that demonstrates how some of these devices may be used to reduce pain, restore spinal alignment, and restore spinal function.
Note: This information in not intended as healthcare advice. The determination of the risk and usability of information rests entirely with the attending doctor of chiropractic.
Dr. Roger R. Coleman is a 1974 graduate of Palmer College of Chiropractic, practicing in Othello, WA. He is a member of the Adjunct Research Faculty at Life Chiropractic College West, and on the postgraduate faculty of National University of Health Sciences.
Dr. Stephan J. Troyanovich is a 1987 graduate of Palmer College of Chiropractic, practicing in Normal, IL, and a member of the Adjunct Research Faculty, Dept. of Research, at Life Chiropractic College West. He may be reached at _PHONE_.
1. Troyanovich SJ, Gibbons RW. Finding Langworthy: the last years of a chiropractic pioneer. Chiro History 2003;23:9-17.
2. United States Patent Office letter of acceptance to Solon Massey Langworthy for Patent #901,628, 20 October 1908.
3. United States Patent Office letter of acceptance to Steven K. Foster for Patent #5,575,765.
4. Coleman R. Lumbar traction: a non-science article. Am J Clin Chiro 1999;9:7.

source: HuggingFaceFW/fineweb-edu


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 4. Goguryeo
Concerning the "Northeast Asia Project"
 - "A Research Series on the History and Current Status of the Northeast Borderland," also known as the "Northeast Asia Project," is a research project that was conducted from 2002 to 2007 by the Research Center for Chinese Borderland History and Geography, an institution affiliated with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS). Despite the historical facts, the project incorrectly interprets the history of "Goguryeo" as that of China's, referring to it as "a regional kingdom of an ethnic group of ancient China."
 After the vice foreign ministers of Korea and China reached a verbal agreement over historical issues in August 2004, China has largely met the demands of Korea for the correction of the abovementioned historical content.
 Nevertheless, some of the distorted descriptions of Goguryeo's history remain uncorrected at the local government level. Likewise, new cases of historical distortion have arisen at the central government level. In response, the Korean government continues to request for the correction of these erroneous interpretations.
The Korean Government's Position on Issues Concerning the History of Goguryeo
 - The Korean government considers issues concerning the history of Goguryeo to be a matter of national identity, and thus places such issues among its highest priorities. Accordingly, the Korean government has responded to the distortion of Goguryeo's history with resolution and has, in reference to the 2004 verbal agreement, called for the correction of these distortions of history.
 Despite this, the Korean government believes that the historical issue should not undermine Korea's friendly relations with the Chinese government and its people. As a result, the Korean government also holds the position that it will promote mutual understanding in the field of history by actively seeking academic exchanges with China.


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A PFD – a Personal Flotation Device – is an equipment which serves to prevent an individual from drowning by keeping him or her afloat. Simply speaking, it's what is generally known as a life jacket or a life vest. PFDs are an essential item that needs to be taken at all times when engaging in water-related activities at sea, or farther out in lakes – this includes kayaking, canoeing, boating, etc.
PFD life jackets are divided on the basis of how they are inflated – as self inflating life jackets and manually inflated life jackets. As the terms suggest, the former is automatically inflated without manual intervention (by reacting to water pressure or to water itself, for example), whilst the latter requires manual operation to inflate the jacket (by pulling a cord, blowing into tubes, etc.) Besides this classification, life jackets have also been divided on the basis of the time that rescue efforts will take in case of an emergency, during which time the life jacket has to support the individual in the water and prevent him or her from drowning:
- Offshore Life Jackets/ Type I PFDs – these are built for conditions where the waters are rough or remote, thereby making rescue efforts take a considerable time. As such, they are bulky, but very buoyant – enough to keep even an unconscious person face-up in the waters. They are also built with very bright colours, so that the person may be easily located. These type of PFDs are required when boating activities take place far out in the seas, lakes, or oceans, or when waters are rough.
- Near-shore Life Jackets/ Type II PFDs – these are built for calm waters, which are not too far off from a shore and where rescue will come relatively quickly. They are less bulky than type I PFDs, but also less buoyant. Only some types will keep an individual face up regardless of his status. They are ideal for boating and other water activities which take place in relatively shallow waters.
- Flotation Aids/ Type III PFDs – these are built for shallow waters, where rescue will come very quickly. They are aids – not body suits – and do not restrict movement as much as types I and II. However, they are not very buoyant: they will keep a person above the water, but will require his efforts to remain face-up in the water.
- Throwable Devices/ Type IV PFDs – these are meant only to aid rescue efforts, that is, they are not meant to be singly used by the drowning individual. They are either rings or cushions which are thrown by the rescuers to further help the individual – as such, they require the individual's efforts to keep him afloat.
- Special Use Devices/ Type V PFDs – certain water activities such as canoeing, kayaking and the like have poor compatibility with types I and II life jackets, either because they are bulky and restrict movements, or because they are not buoyant enough. PFDs especially created for specific water activities fall within this last category – they are to be used only for the related activity though.


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In my previous post, I said that the wooden structure was complete, but I forgot to mention that we still needed to install the nose and tail blocks. In a paddleboard, the bow and stern are called the "nose" and "tail". We finished the nose by installing a nose block laminated from pieces of red cedar. We cut across the bottom at the nose to expose the central longitudinal spar and then cut off the end of the spar to expose the underside of the deck at the nose. We took six 1/2 inch pieces of red cedar and laminated them at the nose with thickened epoxy. You could use a single large solid block if you wanted to -- it just happened to be those pieces are what we had on hand. After the epoxy cured we rough cut it to shape with a handsaw then planed it to match the curve of the nose. There are no rules on how to do this. We wanted to keep it simple. You can get creative here with laminating different colors and species of wood.
The process at the tail is similar, but this time we cut across the deck to expose the inside of the bottom and glued a single block across the end.
After the blocks were shaped, we chose to extend the outer layer of the rails around the edges of the blocks. We thought it would be more aesthetically pleasing to have the pattern of vertical rails continuous around the entire board.


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view of the different voltage level at which generators are connected and their maximum generating capacity, this Regulation should make a distinction between different types of generators by establishing different levels of requirements. This Regulation does not set the rules to determine the voltage level of the connection point to which the power-generating module shall be connected.
The connection requirements set out in the NC RfG apply to Power-Generating Modules which are considered significant, unless otherwise provided.
Determination of significance unfolds in accordance with Article 5 of the NC RfG.
NC RfG defines the requirements applicable to Power Generating Modules by placing generators into one of four 'types' A-D.
These categories are based on the maximum capacity of the Power Generating Module and its connection voltage level.
NC RfG defines the limit for maximum capacity threshold of types B, C and D for each of the 5 synchronous areas in Europe.
The capacity thresholds are defined as upper limits of the lower threshold leaving the final determination of this threshold to the national level.
The upper limits have been chosen from an estimation of having sufficient generation capacity of each category and the corresponding capabilities available for secure system operation.
Consequently, the breakdown by type of Power Generating Modules defined in the NC RfG is as follows:
A Synchronous Power Generating Module or Power Park Module is of Type A if its Connection Point is below 110 kV and its Maximum Capacity is 0.8 kW or more.
ENTSO-E FAQ document of 19 June 2012 explains, Type A requirements are the basic level requirements, necessary to ensure capability of generation over operational ranges with limited automated response and minimal system operator control of generation. They ensure there is no wide scale loss of generation over system operational ranges, thereby minimising critical events, and requirements necessary for wide spread intervention during system critical events.
Only essential requirements are included for Type A, limited to those aspects with potential system wide implications. For new installations, there is normally little or no additional cost in complying with these requirements once introduced as part of the standard product. See more on Type A Power Generating Modules
A Synchronous Power Generating Module or Power Park Module is of Type B if its Connection Point is below 110 kV and its maximum capacity is at or above a threshold defined by the relevant TSO and approved by the competent regulatory authority. This threshold must not be above the threshold for Type B Power Generating Modules according to the table below.
Type B requirements provide a wider level of automated dynamic response (generally with settings by the relevant network operator) with higher resilience to more specific operational events to ensure use of this higher dynamic response and a higher level system operator control and information to utilise these capabilities. They ensure automated response to alleviate and maximise dynamic generation response to system events, greater generator resilience of these events to ensure this dynamic response and better communication and control to leverage these capabilities. See more on Type B Power Generating Modules
A Synchronous Power Generating Module or Power Park Module is of Type C if its Connection Point is below 110 kV and its maximum capacity is at or above a threshold defined by the relevant TSO and approved by the competent regulatory authority. This threshold must not be above the threshold for Type C Power Generating Modules according to the table below.
Type C requirements provide refined, stable and highly controllable (real time) dynamic response to provide principle balancing services to ensure security of supply. These requirements cover all operational network states with consequential detailed specification of interactions of requirements, functions, control and information to utilise these capabilities. They ensure real time system response necessary to avoid, manage and respond to system events. These requirements provide sufficient generation functionality to respond to both intact and system disturbed situations, and the need for information and control necessary to utilise this generation over this diversity of situations. See more on Type C Power Generating Modules
A Synchronous Power Generating Module or Power Park Module is of Type D if its Connection Point is at 110 kV or above; a Synchronous Power Generating Module or Power Park Module is of Type D as well if its Connection Point is below 110 kV and its maximum capacity is at or above a threshold defined by the relevant TSO and approved by the competent regulatory authority. This threshold must not be above the threshold for Type D Power Generating Modules according to the table below.
Type D requirements cover a wide area of control and range of operation. They ensure specific needs for higher voltage (equal to or greater than 110kV) networks and their operation and stability over wide areas, allowing the use of ancillary services from generation Europe wide. For this reason the requirements apply also for large generation connected at a lower voltage, but above a given capacity threshold. See more on Type D Power Generating Modules
Limits for thresholds for type B, C and D Power Generating Modules
Article 5 of the NC RfG defines the application of the thresholds contained in Table 1 of that Article based on the capacity of Power Generating Modules.
Article 5 of the NC RfG
Determination of significance
1. The power-generating modules shall comply with the requirements on the basis of the voltage level of their connection point and their maximum capacity according to the categories set out in paragraph 2.
2. Power-generating modules within the following categories shall be considered as significant:
(a) connection point below 110 kV and maximum capacity of 0,8 kW or more (type A);
(b) connection point below 110 kV and maximum capacity at or above a threshold proposed by each relevant TSO in accordance with the procedure laid out in paragraph 3 (type B). This threshold shall not be above the limits for type B power-generating modules contained in Table 1;
(c) connection point below 110 kV and maximum capacity at or above a threshold specified by each relevant TSO in accordance with paragraph 3 (type C). This threshold shall not be above the limits for type C power-generating modules contained in Table 1; or
(d) connection point at 110 kV or above (type D). A power-generating module is also of type D if its connection point is below 110 kV and its maximum capacity is at or above a threshold specified in accordance with paragraph 3. This threshold shall not be above the limit for type D power-generating modules contained in Table 1.
Limits for thresholds for type B, C and D power-generating modules
Limit for maximum capacity threshold from which on a Power generating module is of type B
Limit for maximum capacity threshold from which on a power generating module is of type C
Limit for maximum capacity threshold from which on a power generating module is of type D
Ireland and Northern Ireland
3. Proposals for maximum capacity thresholds for types B, C and D power-generating modules shall be subject to approval by the relevant regulatory authority or, where applicable, the Member State. In forming proposals the relevant TSO shall coordinate with adjacent TSOs and DSOs and shall conduct a public consultation in accordance with Article 10. A proposal by the relevant TSO to change the thresholds shall not be made sooner than three years after the previous proposal.
4. Power-generating facility owners shall assist this process and provide data as requested by the relevant TSO.
5. If, as a result of modification of the thresholds, a power-generating module qualifies under a different type, the procedure laid down in Article 4(3) concerning existing power-generating modules shall apply before compliance with the requirements for the new type is required.
As ENTSO-E guidance document for national implementation for network codes on grid connection, Selecting national MW boundaries, Draft for consultation 1 July -15 August 2016, 30 June 2016, underlines, as part of the national implementation of NC RfG, the relevant TSO of each Member State needs to set banding thresholds within these maximum values – and so have a choice between applying the maximum MW boundaries as defined in the above Table or, where it is reasonable (e.g. to maintain for new generators capabilities which currently already apply to existing generators for reasons of system security), choosing lower values.
Periodical review of thresholds
In order to take into consideration of the evolution of power supply systems and the corresponding change of system characteristics and performance, NC RfG allows to review periodically the threshold points between the types of generators.
The thresholds may change based on the evolution of the system due to different reasons like increasing penetration of renewable energy sources usually combined with a change from bulk generation by synchronous generators at transmission level towards embedded generation at distribution level often connected through power electronics, or increased cross border reliance.
The code sets out that the thresholds cannot be changed more frequently than every three years after the previous proposal.
When such a change is made it will apply by default to new generators going forwards and the date of application to new generators has also to be determined at national level, taking account of the process applied when the code has been introduced.
Changes can also apply retrospectively but only where the process for retrospective application (Article 4(3) of RfG) is followed.
In this case only, and in accordance with Article 4(3), a cost-benefit analysis (CBA) is required, but only to apply any revised requirements to existing generators.
NC RfG vs. ancillary services
The issue whether there are in the NC RfG some important requirements influencing potential generators' revenues from ancillary services has been clarified by the ENTSO-E (answer to FAQ 12) as follows:
"It needs to be well distinguished between mandatory requirements of capabilities and the provision of ancillary services based on these capabilities. ENTSO-E agrees with stakeholders, that the provision of ancillary services is basically a market-related issue which needs to be appropriately remunerated. However, the introduction of remuneration provisions shall be subject to


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Verdun, Treaty of
Verdun, Treaty of, the partition of Charlemagne's empire among three sons of Louis I, emperor of the West. It was concluded in 843 at Verdun on the Meuse or, possibly, Verdun-sur-le-Doubs, Soâne-et-Loire dept., E France. Louis the German received the eastern portion (later Germany); Charles II (Charles the Bald) became king of the western portion (later France); Lothair I received the central portion (Low Countries, Lorraine, Alsace, Burgundy, Provence, and most of Italy) and also kept the imperial title. The Treaty of Verdun represented the beginning of dissolution of Charlemagne's empire into political units that foreshadowed the nations of Western Europe. It was superseded in 870 by the Treaty of Mersen.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
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The objective of the Activate module is to empower students to create campaigns and plan actions that have the potential to raise awareness, influence behaviour and create change. The lessons contain examples of different kinds of activism and teachers are encouraged to supplement these examples with current and relevant examples.
Students will be guided to create action plans, delegate tasks and enact these plans (where possible). If you have limited class time, we recommend that students investigate the examples of "what activism looks like" in Lesson 1, and use these as inspiration for their planning process.
As with all our resources, choose the activities and lessons which suit your needs (and those of your students) the best. The lessons which we consider to be a "core" component of the Passport to Democracy program have been highlighted in red in the downloadable resource.


text: Running is both a competition and a type of training for sports that have running or endurance components. As a sport, it is split into events divided by distance and sometimes includes permutations such as the obstacles in steeplechase and hurdles. Running races are contests to determine which of the competitors is able to run a certain distance in the shortest time. Today, competitive running events make up the core of the sport of athletics. Events are usually grouped into several classes, each requiring substantially different athletic strengths and involving different tactics, training methods, and types of competitors.


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Every day, people all over the world are pitching ideas, putting together proposals and presenting their work. Often, countless hours go to compiling the most compelling ideas, insights, and suggested improvements, while little attention is paid to presentation. Whether its pressing deadlines or a lack of experience, people fail to package their work, so it makes it past the front door.
But in an age of images, choosing the right visual elements to complement your content is crucial.
We teamed up with our friends over at Qorus to compile some practical tips for building beautiful, compelling documents in Word for Office 365. This gives you an idea of what to expect if you download the e-book.
Having a good grasp of design elements helps designers create more visually appealing work. When it comes to proposals and presentations, the more attractive your content, the better.
Here are our 5 tips for creating compelling documents:
1. Using contrast
Designs look more appealing when two elements contrast with each other. You can achieve contrast in a number of ways using color, size, shapes, and positioning.
Color. Using a color wheel is the easiest way to determine which colors will work best for your proposal template. Contrast can be achieved by using colors close to each other, giving the viewer a sense of harmony and continuity. Colors further apart introduce a sense of tension.
Size. Introducing one element that is distinguishably larger than anything else creates contrast. Larger elements indicate that they are also important to the reader.
Shapes. Different shapes are used to lead your reader's eye or organize information. For example, squares represent honesty, stability, uniformity, and rigidity. Because squares represent uniformity to the eye, most text is often presented in block format. By introducing a different shape, say a circle which represents peace, protection, and infinity, you achieve contrast.
Position. Contrast can be achieved by making one element appear out of alignment with everything else on a page.
Using repetition creates a feeling of harmony and balance, which is due to the consistency of certain design elements. You can achieve repetition using a particular background, consistent typography, or solid blocks of colors when introducing new sections of content.
As you design your proposal, aim to align your text in a uniform fashion throughout your document. This creates a sense of harmony with the reader.
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Proximity relates to the placement of elements in relation to each other. For example, the closer a heading is to the paragraph below, the more it communicates to the reader that the heading and paragraph directly relate to each other. A good use of proximity also makes the reading experience more pleasurable.
5. White space
There's always a lot of important information to add to a proposal, but remember to use a generous amount of white space to create balance.
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Measurement and Proportion in Hindu Temple Architecture
Author: Meister, Michael W.
Source: Interdisciplinary Science Reviews, Volume 10, Number 3, September 1985, pp. 248-258(11)
Publisher: Maney Publishing
Abstract:Proportion and measure interacted in the evolution and construction of the Hindu temple from the 5th through the 15th century AD, but, throughout this history, proportion dominated as the tool to give the monument both validity and form. This review analyzes the ritual force of proportion and its function in the planning of temples by architects. The diagrams that accompany the article are the result of field research and the analysis of built structures.
Document Type: Research Article
Publication date: 1985-09-01


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Pupil resistance to their schooling experience
The thesis explores the nature of pupil resistance; it investigates what constitutes it and how it can be explained. Various ethnic and national group, male and female working-class resistance if analysed in two secondary schools in Birmingham (England) and one school in Sydney (Australia). It focuses on the pupils' experience of school. 'Compressed ethnographies' (Walford and Miller, 1991) were conducted in each school to examine pupil resistance. The research found that structural societal state factors, regional, community and formal, informal and physical characteristics of each school, together with the teachers and pupils characteristics and background all influence resistance. The class, gender, ethnic and national identity of each pupil shapes resistance. In all three schools that were involved with the research, girls were more likely to exhibit overt, collective forms of resistance, whereas lads were more likely to operate alone. Islander pupils in Sydney and African-Caribbean kids in Birmingham were more likely to display engaged forms of resistance. Girls tended to show more engaged forms compared to their male counterparts across all ethnic and national cultures. Resistance is complex and dynamic, the definition alters depending upon context. Dimensions of resistance are developed; including overt, covert; individual, collective; intentional, unintentional; engaged and detached forms. Resistance operates within a structure and agency framework, the pupils can shape their own schooling experience mediated within the structures of their school, community and society. Some pupils manage their resources and the structures better than others; how the pupil manages and operates within the structures influences their resistance response. Resistance is contradictory and can reinforce the status quo. To fully understand resistance, it must be contextualised.


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The Ellenville Downtown Historic District in the Village of Ellenville in the town of Wawarsing, Ulster County, New York contains visible geographical and architectural elements that represent its origins as a commercial and industrial crossroads during Ulster County's early 19th century development. Associated with events that reflect a broad pattern of state and national history such as the early westward expansion and settlement, the economic development that followed major transportation improvements (the Delaware and Hudson Canal), the growth and diversification of commercial centers and the role of the summer resort economy in areas outside major American urban centers, the Ellenville Downtown Historic District developed around a nucleus that was already present in 1858. The district also encompasses the physical evidence of growth and development-from early Jewish settlement in the region to the heyday of the "Borscht Belt" resort area following the Second World War. Ellenville, located in the valley between the Shawangunk and Catskill Mountains, did not develop until after the Revolutionary War, as clashes between Native American Indians and early European settlers' limited development in the region. It was the construction of the D&H Canal, began in 1823, that spurred further transportation improvements and fostered significant settlement within the village---it is to this period that the earliest of the district's buildings date.
Read the full file on Ellenville Downtown Historic District.
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to our photostream on Flickr.
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Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infection Prevention in our PICU and PCCC
Central lines are IVs that are placed into large veins of the body. They are often used to give medicines for long periods of time. Because central lines usually remain in place for weeks or months, they are at risk for infections. Central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) can make children sicker, extend hospital stays and require treatment with antibiotics. These are all important reasons why we strive to reduce the risk and rate of these infections in our Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) and our Pediatric Cardiac Care Center (PCCC).
We implemented a set of best practices, called bundles, to minimize the risk of these infections in our PICU and in the PCCC.
Our goal is to maintain infection rates lower than the national median with an ultimate goal of zero.


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What is Twice a Stranger?
'Twice a Stranger' is a cross media project about the greatest forced migrations of the 20th century, when millions of people were uprooted and moved to new homelands.
Based on oral video testimonies, rare film archives and photos this project brings visitors face-to-face with the survivors of these traumatic events. From the Greek-Turkish exchange in 1922-24, 'Twice a Stranger' travels to the German-Polish forced migration at the end of WW II, to the Partition of India, and to the Cyprus crisis' in the 1960's and 70's.
'Twice a Stranger' is distributed online and via a multi-media exhibition, hosted at the Benaki Museum in Athens, the Leventis Municipal Museum in Nicosia and the Istanbul Bilgi University.
The project is accompanied by educational programmes, storytelling sessions, documentary screenings, a children's book, culinary nights, music events, community and outreach events.
See our CALENDAR for a detailed list of scheduled events.
"Twice a Stranger" is funded with the support of the European Commission (Culture Programme). It is created by Anemon, co-organised by the University of Oxford (Refugee Studies Centre), the Benaki Museum, the Leventis Municipal Museum, the Istanbul Bilgi University and Tolle Idee!, in partnership with ERT, the A.G.Leventis Foundation, the Goethe-Institut, the British Council, the Megaron Athens Concert Hall, the Greek Council for Refugees and the Centre for Asia Minor Studies.


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Our assignment
Nordic gender equality cooperation has continued for over 40 years and has produced good results. Nevertheless, many challenges remain to create a sustainable future. Through continued Nordic cooperation in the field of gender equality, we can learn from each other and help increase gender equality in the region.
Nordic information for gender knowledge, NIKK, will contribute to such shared learning by strategically supply research, policy, practice and other relevant information on gender equality and gender equality work in the Nordic countries.
Responsibilities of NIKK:
NIKK will:
 1. Gather and strategically disseminate research, policy, knowledge and practice in the area of gender equality in a Nordic and cross-sectoral perspective.
 2. Represent MR-JÄM in various forums and has a particular responsibility to disseminate information about MR-JÄM's work.
 3. Assist MR-JÄM, EK-JÄM (Nordic Committee of Senior Officials for Gender Equality) or the Presidency by coordinating activities and projects and support these by sharing its expertise, experience, contacts and communication channels of relevance to the Nordic cooperation.
 4. Contribute with ideas and material for new prioritisations, activities and projects in connection with the development of Nordic sector, action and cooperation programmes within the field of gender equality.
 5. NIKK may accept assignments from the rest of the Nordic Council of Ministers provided additional resources are allocated.
 6. NIKK administers MR-JÄM's funding scheme The Nordic Gender Equality Fund in accordance with applicable guidelines.
Guiding NIKK:s operations are also the priorities that are set in the Nordic cooperation program for gender equality 2019-2022 and in the sector programs for gender equality each year.
NIKK's current mandate extends through 2022.


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Pyrolysis is the thermal Decomposition reactionA decomposition reaction is a thermally induced reaction of a chemical compound forming solid and/or gaseous products. decomposition of organic compounds in an inert atmosphere.
During pyrolysis, solid, liquid or gaseous products can be generated. If gases are released from the sample during pyrolysis, the changes in mass can be detected by TGA (thermogravimetry). The evolved gases can be identified by EGA (evolved gas analysis). Pyrolysis studies are often carried out on polymers, coal, biomass or organic compounds. Residual masses can be indicative of additional components.
The figure below shows the pyrolysis of PVC in a nitrogen atmosphere. The Gram Schmidt signal depicts the change in intensity caused within the FT-IR by the infrared-active gases released. Individual gaseous products can then be identified by database comparison. Measurement conditions: RT–800°C, 10 K/min, 40 ml/min nitrogen, sample mass 10 mg


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Hearing Assistive Technology (HATS) for Children
Are there special considerations for children?
Yes! It is well documented that for children, typical language development, speech development, social skills, and academic achievement depend on the ability to hear. HATS maximize children's hearing and learning capabilities.
FM systems, because of their flexibility, mobility, and sturdiness, are among the most common HATS used with children. FM systems have wide application in educational settings. This is because of the long-recognized benefits that this technology provides in noisy and reverberant child care, preschool, and classroom environments.
Think of where and how your child spends the day. It is then easy to realize how HATS provide benefit in noisy play areas or in acoustically poor classrooms.
Studies have shown that FM systems have the best results when implementation is made early in the amplification-fitting or cochlear implant process. In fact, as a matter of routine, audiologists fitting hearing aids for children make sure the aids are prescribed with:
- "T" (telecoil/telephone) switches
- "M/T" (microphone/telecoil) combination switches
- Direct audio input (DAI) capability that allows connection with assistive listening systems
If you have a child who needs a hearing aid, be sure the device comes with the above features.
What do FM systems do for children in schools?
- They allow the child to hear the teacher's voice at an appropriate and constant intensity level. The sound level is consistent regardless of the distance between the child and the teacher.
- They allow the teacher's voice to be heard more prominently than background noise, such as toys, papers, chairs scraping, whispering, pencils being sharpened, and feet shuffling. This is true even when the background noise is closer to the child than the teacher's voice. This is referred to as a good signal-to-noise ratio (S/N ratio).
- They allow for self-monitoring of the child's own voice through the conventional hearing aid microphone.
- They allow for the conventional hearing aid microphone to be turned off. This enables the child to concentrate only on the teacher.
Are there other HATS used in schools?
Yes. Children with sensorineural hearing loss receive the most benefit from personal FM systems. However, there are other systems, called sound-field systems, that assist listening for all children in the class. Using this technology, the teacher speaks into a microphone transmitter. The teacher's voice is projected through speakers mounted around the classroom. This arrangement assists in overcoming the problems of distance. However, these systems should not be used in classrooms that have heavy reverberations. For any sound-field system to work effectively, good classroom acoustics are essential.
Sound-field systems have been found to benefit typically hearing children and children with hearing loss, as well as those with other auditory and learning problems. Sound-field systems may help those with:
- Minimal hearing loss
- Conductive hearing loss
- Fluctuating hearing loss associated with otitis media
- Unilateral hearing loss (hearing loss in one ear)
- Central auditory processing disorder
- Learning disabilities
- Developmental delays
- Attention deficits
- Language delays
- Articulation disorders
These systems are also helpful for those learning English as a second language.
Who is qualified to determine if my child needs HATS?
The ability to select, evaluate, fit, and dispense FM systems should be managed by a certified audiologist. Many school districts employ certified audiologists who specialize in educational-setting issues. Their expertise includes the evaluation, selection, procurement, and monitoring of HATS used in schools by children. Furthermore, audiologists guide and instruct teachers, speech-language pathologists, and students in making the best use of HATS.
Is there legislation that supports the provision of HATS to children?
Increased availability and usage of FM systems are due in large measure to legislation that mandates access to technology for persons with hearing and other communication disabilities: the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. Under IDEA, consideration of assistive technology for any child with a disability must take place as part of the development of the individualized education program. Each act in some way deals with the issue of access to instruction. Of course, for the child with hearing loss, "access" means being able to hear instruction!


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board that fits across the applicable Arduino pins to mount the level converter and also moved the input diode D1 and the battery monitoring voltage divider resistors R1 and R2 to this board as shown below. For reference, here's also a copy of the updated schematic.
Here is the complete operational software source for this robot:
Here are some more detailed notes about the software:
The TRAVEL constant defines the maximum distance in millimeters that the robot's body moves in the translate mode (square button on the remote). Check out the translate_control() routine – the right joystick will allow the robot's body to move up to +60mm (2*TRAVEL) and -60mm (-2*TRAVEL) forward and backward as well as right and left, and the left joystick will allow the robot's body to move up to 30mm (TRAVEL) in the down direction and 90mm (-3*TRAVEL) in the up direction. In translate mode, think of it like the feet stay planted at the same points on the floor, and the body moves around within the capabilities of the legs to reach. Note that the IK computations prevent the legs from going where they can't reach, so the commanded travel is potentially limited at some point.
The A12DEG and A30DEG constants are integer shortcuts to aid in the sine and cosine computations in the rotate mode (circle button on the remote). A12DEG is 12 degrees in radians times 1 million. That's 12 x pi/180 = 0.209440 times 1 million = 209440. A30DEG is 30 degrees in radians times 1 million. That's 30 x pi/180 = 0.523599 times 1 million = 523599. These are multiplied by a million to make the radian value an integer so the Arduino map() function works with sufficient precision at the beginning of the rotate_control() routine. The resultant mapped integer is divided again by a million to make a floating point radian number and then the sin() or cos() function does the trigonometric computation. In the rotate_control() routine, the rotation inputs from the right joystick will allow the robot's body to rotate up to +/-12 degrees in X and Y and inputs from the left joystick will allow the robot's body to rotateup to +/-30 degrees in Z. Again, think of it like the feet stay planted at the same points on the floor, and the body moves around within the capabilities of the legs to reach.
If you want to use my software with a hexapod with different body or leg part lengths, you'll need to change a few things:
- COXA_LENGTH, FEMUR_LENGTH, and TIBIA_LENGTH are the constant lengths are in millimeters between the servo pivot points. You can see how they are measured in the design pictures above – they are in red font in the diagrams.
- BODY_X, BODY_Y, and BODY_Z will need to change to match your robot's body center-to-coxa servo distances. See this design picture from above – the body center to coxa servo distances are shown in red. So for example, the front right leg's coxa pivot point is 110.4mm forward of the body center and 58.4mm to the right of the body center. I considered my robot's body center to be at the same height as the coxa servo centers, so the Z value is 0.0 for all of these.
- HOME_X, HOME_Y, and HOME_Z will probably need to change to match your robot's desired 'resting' stance. This is the default startup and not-moving positions of each of the toe tips. So again, for example with the default values in the code, the front right leg's toe is at 82.0mm forward, 82.0mm to the right of, and 80.0mm below (the value is actually -80.0) the body's center. Another example. the right middle leg's toe is at 0.0mm forward, 116.0mm to the right of,and 80.0mm below (the value is actually -80.0) the body's center.
COXA_CAL, FEMUR_CAL, and TIBIA_CAL are values you can use to correct for servo centering errors. When you put your robot together, you'll want to be sure that the servos are centered at 90 degrees before assembling the legs. The legs joints need to be assembled so that the servos are in the 'straight' or center position shown in this design picture from above. The 'select' button on the PS2 controller provides a convenient way to set the outputs to all the servos to 90 degrees, which is the center value. The coxa servo center is just where you'd think it would be – with the bracket facing directly outward for each leg. You'll probably find that you can't get the servos exactly at 90 degrees because of the way the servo horns attach to the servos – they usually have a 25 spline shaft which can make precise alignment impossible. The CAL values allow you to add small offsets (units are degrees) to adjust the alignment to be exactly 90 degrees. The default values in the code are the ones that my robot uses – you should set these all to 0.0 for starters and then you can play with them once you get your robot working.
I previously kept my hexapod on display on top of a small wooden box, but decided it deserved a stand that matches its 3D printed aesthetic. The stl files for the stand are available on Thingiverse. This stand will hold the robot high enough so that when it turns on the feet don't touch the ground in the default startup stance. However, the feet can be translated down in the Z direction, and if the 'capture offsets' function is engaged the hexapod can be made to walk off the stand.
It was also very convenient to hold the robot up like this during the software development and testing of the inverse kinematic algorithm, so you may find it useful if you're making modifications to my hexapod software.
gray PLA with no support material necessary. The stand is assembled with eight small screws. Be careful when assembling each leg/screw pair to keep the leg from twisting or else the leg could snap off. Also be careful to not let the legs twist relative to each other as the screws are tightened down, causing the stand to skew out of shape. You may find it helpful or necessary to first drill out the holes in the legs to resize them to be just a tiny bit smaller than the screws used to assemble the stand.


Daily Skimm: COVID-19 and Native Americans, Economists on the Hill, and "Legally Blonde 3"
Published on: May 20, 2020fb-roundtwitter-roundemail-round
A Navajo woman carries wood to heat her rural mobile home during the coronavirus pandemic in Cameron, Arizona.Getty Images
Nation in Crisis
The Story
A Native American reservation is dealing with the highest coronavirus infection rate in the US.
What's going on?
The Navajo Nation – the largest reservation in the US – now has a higher infection rate than New York and New Jersey. Out of the roughly 173,000 people that live there – spread across Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah – more than 4,000 people have been infected and 142 have died. This brings the infection rate to nearly 2,300 out of every 100,000 people. For context, NY's rate is at 1,800.
Why is it so bad?
A lot of reasons. Minority groups have been hit disproportionately hard by the outbreak. And in the Navajo Nation, there are high rates of pre-existing conditions, like diabetes and heart disease – which can put people at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19. More than 30% of residents don't have running water, making it harder for people to frequently wash their hands and prevent spread. Communication can be a challenge too, with reportedly more than half the people there lacking internet access. Many families also live in multigenerational homes, making it harder to social distance. And the reservation is a "food desert," meaning there are only a handful of grocery stores, raising the likelihood that they'll be crowded.
What's being done about this?
The Navajo Nation's enacted one of the strictest stay-at-home orders in the country. That includes weekend lockdowns, when people can only leave home for emergencies or if they're essential workers. Last month, Doctors Without Borders sent a team of health care workers to help – the first time the nonprofit dispatched medical workers within the US. The Nation's also recently stepped up testing. The reservation's president said one of the reasons the infection rate is so high is because it's testing its "citizens at a greater rate per capita than any state in the entire country."
Where's the federal gov in all this?
Navajo officials say it's been slow to help. But that earlier this month, the reservation received $600 million from the March stimulus bill.
As states across the US move toward reopening, some communities are still struggling to fight the coronavirus outbreak – and the Navajo Nation is particularly vulnerable. But as the reservation's president said, the Navajo people have overcome many adversities and "will overcome this as well."
And Also...This
What had money on the mind...
This congressional testimony. Yesterday, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell testified (virtually) in front of the Senate Banking Committee to give an update on the economic response. Here's how things went:
 - For Mnuchin: He said there could be "permanent damage" to our country if the shutdown continues for months. And defended the Trump admin's plans to reopen the economy against accusations that this put workers' lives at risk, saying the admin provided "enormous amounts" of protective equipment.
 - For Powell: He seemed to reiterate a call for Congress to pass more aid, implying that states and businesses still need a financial assist. And said that economic recovery depends on how well the virus is controlled and whether people feel safe to go back to work.
Psst...while the gov figures out its next move, check out our tips for saving and spending smarter during COVID-19.
Where people are talking about LGBTQ+ rights…
Hungary. Yesterday, the country's parliament voted to ban people from legally changing their gender assigned to them at birth, effectively ending the legal recognition of trans people. The move – pushed by PM Viktor Orbán's right-wing party – would apparently clear up how courts and authorities interpret the definition of sex. And the gov says people will still have the "right to freely experience and exercise their identities as they wish." But the bill received condemnation from human rights groups and activists who worry the bill will lead to an uptick in discrimination and say this takes the country back toward "the dark ages." It's expected to be signed into law.
What's saying 'humans are the problem'...
This report. Yesterday, scientists published a study showing that daily global greenhouse gas emissions dropped by 17% between January and April. The sharp decrease was linked to the pandemic's stay-at-home orders, which have forced millions of people to stop traveling (think: less car and plane pollution) and many factories to close. If restrictions continue, they could put 2020 on track for a 4-7% drop in carbon emissions, potentially the biggest decrease since World War II. But experts say this is still just a drop in the ocean when it comes to fighting climate change.
Skimm More: This Skimm Special podcast ep explains what the pandemic can teach us about tackling climate change.
When someone says 'endorphins make you happy'…
So does this movie.
live smarter.
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Roger's Science of Unitary Human Being's was created by Martha Roger's whose view of human beings were that they "are dynamic energy fields who are integral with the environment and who are continuously evolving" (Creasia & Friberg 2011) This theory puts forth the idea that illness arises because an individual or groups' patterns of living are no longer in harmony with the environment's patterns. A chronically mentally ill person may not take the best actions for themselves and other's because of an altered view of reality that clashes not only sociologically with others, but could be of harm to their physical health through lack of being unable to recognize that which will keep or make them healthy. Different holistic environments and treatments could be created to promote a mental pattern that would be more in tune with a... [continues]
Cite This Essay
(2012, 02). Two Vulnerable Populations and Two Nursing Theories. StudyMode.com. Retrieved 02, 2012, from _URL_
"Two Vulnerable Populations and Two Nursing Theories" StudyMode.com. 02 2012. 02 2012 .
"Two Vulnerable Populations and Two Nursing Theories." StudyMode.com. 02, 2012. Accessed 02, 2012. _URL_


text: The objective of the present study was to report the occurrence of Trypanoxyuris in owl monkeys, using data from clinical and haematological examinations, as well as clinical chemistry (blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST)) of infected and uninfected animals. Twenty animals in apparently good clinical health were studied. The coproparasitological examinations showed eggs compatible with Trypanoxyuris sp. in 50% of animals. The number of red blood cells, haematocrit and haemoglobin levels were significantly higher in the males, compared to the females, irrespective of parasitism. However, comparing segmented neutrophils in infected males and females, a significant difference (P < 0.05) was observed. All blood chemistry values were considered normal for the species pattern, even though significant differences were observed for BUN and ALT in infected males. The infection by Trypanoxyuris sp. did not appear to interfere with the clinical condition of animals.


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Discovery of the yellow pimpernel
Prescribed burns are an integral part of the restoration plan for oak savannah on the Nature Conservancy of Canada's (NCC's) Hazel Bird Nature Reserve. As part of the burning process, NCC staff set up plots to monitor short and long-term changes in the habitats.
Many of the property's savannah areas have not been burned in decades. In pioneer times and prior, fires had moved across uninhabited lands, maintaining the savannah. With a lack of prescribed fires, the habitat will fill in with plants, blocking out the sunlight and reducing the population of native savannah plants.
Today, fire is used as a stewardship tool on the nature reserve. Savannah seeds and plants are often suppressed by invasive and native non-savannah plant species. With prescribed burns, the populations of native, fire-adapted plant species are enhanced while other species are reduced. The burns also increase light levels at the ground level, thereby increasing the native plants.
During a recent inventory of the property, NCC staff identified the presence of the uncommon, beautiful delicately flowered yellow pimpernel. Staff discovered that the population had increased after prescribed burns, helping to demonstrate the success of this restoration technique.
Yellow pimpernel is a member of the carrot family. This perennial plant is 30 to 90 centimetres tall and grows in open woodland and savannah habitat, where the light levels are high. Leaves are entire and alternate, with the lower leaves often double to triple compound with three to five leaflets.
The flowers, which are difficult to photograph, are small, bright yellow on delicate stalks in a grouping of 12 to 15 flowers called umbels. The plant blooms in late May to mid-June. A source of nourishment to pollinators, the pimpernel's bright yellow flowers stand high above other woodland species.
Future burns will be planned based on the results of post-burn monitoring of the property. It is expected that the population of the yellow pimpernel and other savannah plants will increase in this unique and globally rare habitat. Staff are optimistic that new populations of savannah species will be found during future monitoring.


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A plantation is a large farm which is specialized on farming one type of crop. Plantations grow cash crops, mostly for export, and less for local use. Crops grown on plantations include banana, sugarcane, coffee, tea, cotton and tobacco.
Some of the problems with plantations come from the fact that they are monocultures, that is there is only one kind of crop that is grown there. This makes them vulnerable to pests, for example. Among the earliest examples of plantations were the latifundia of the Roman Empire. They produced large quantities of wine and olive oil for export. Plantation agriculture grew rapidly with the increase in international trade and the relative decline of subsistence farming. Like every economic activity, it has changed over time. Earlier forms of plantation agriculture were associated with large disparities of wealth and income, foreign ownership and political influence, and exploitative social systems such as indentured labor and slavery.


Using Lucid in Context, Part 1
Here I'm assuming you have followed the previous post and have a project set up and ready to go. This post will take you through using Lucid with Fluent and also talk a little bit about how you write your TDL and some of the considerations that go into that. This will be a fairly comprehensive post, attacking along a few different lines of thought.
The Basis of Lucid
Proponents of tools like Cucumber often say that "it's not a testing tool." Well, I believe that testing is a design activity. Therefore, for me, Lucid is a testing tool. But it's not just a testing tool. By itself Lucid will never even touch your application. Instead, Lucid will delegate that work off to a human or to an automated testing tool. Lucid is really about using tests as a communication mechanism and promoting the idea I just stated: that testing is a design activity.
One of the guiding principles here being that if you make a genuine effort to write requirements-as-tests (i.e., test specifications) and if those artifacts work as documentation for technical and non-technical stakeholders on your team or user base, you'll find that you are talking with those stakeholders and users about what "acceptable behavior" means for the application. You will begin to build up a shared notion of quality. And you will be doing all this with a shared language that matches the business domain. Those conversations will reveal insights about their understanding of the problems that need to be solved as well as the possible solutions that can solve them.
For those of you that like to say you "follow ATDD", well, this is how the "acceptance" part of that fits in. Acceptance testing is built in at the front, not tacked on at the end. But note that when I say "acceptance testing", the discussions and collaborations I just mentioned are testing.
From Lucid's perspective, the executable tests are in some ways epiphenomenal; the real value lies in the knowledge you discover during those conversations and how the test specs can become living documentation. Just as the tests themselves are epiphenomenal, so too are the tools used to execute those tests. Lucid simply acts to make sure there are guidelines in place for writing tests (encapsulated in a Test Description Language) and that those guidelines allow the tests to be executed both manually and/or via an automated testing solution.
So with that bit of context in mind, let's get started doing some work.
First, make sure you grab the Triangle Web app that was covered in Using Lucid on Web Apps. There are directions in that post for how to run the file, but basically just make sure you have Sinatra:
$ gem install sinatra
You can run the application with this:
$ ruby triangle_web_app.rb
Then you can browse to http://localhost:4567/ to see the app in action. You might want to get a feel for the application, just by playing around with it for a bit. It's not that complicated and its operation should be pretty clear.
Also make sure you have generated a project as detailed in the last post with this command:
$ lucid-gen project tutorial-web
You are ready to go!
Test Spec and Test Matchers
First create a file in your specs directory called triangle_fail_test.spec. Put the following in that file:
Feature: Parsing Triangle Test Results
 As a test evaluator
 I need the app to indicate a score of zero
 so that I can determine if a candidate has tried no conditions
 Scenario: No Conditions Tried
 Given the triangle test app
 When no conditions are tried
 Then the user receives a score of "0"
That's all pretty standard stuff. We have a specific feature ("Parsing Triangle Test Results"), we have a feature injection template saying what we are testing in this spec file, and then we have a scenario delineating a particular test and data condition ("no conditions tried").
If you want to try this out in the sample application, this would be akin to calling up the app and immediately clicking the 'Evaluate Data Conditions' button.
The Test Description Language
Keep in mind that what you put in the spec file is your TDL — your Test Description Language. The Given/When/Then are structuring elements provided by the Gherkin API. But everything else is whatever domain language you wish to use to describe the feature, ability, or business need that you are specifying.
It's important to be clear on the concept of a TDL. For those of you who have been in the industry awhile, you'll probably remember the concept of PLanguage (popularized mostly by Tom Gilb) that was part of Competitive Engineering. The idea of a TDL is sort of an outgrowth of that, applied to behavior-driven development and domain-driven design. Most everyone reading this has probably heard of design patterns in relation to programming, right? Well, TDL is one of the ways to apply design patterns to tests. In fact, a TDL is a test pattern.
Modern test design and writing is becoming predicated upon the idea of a what people like to call a "business readable DSL." This is the case whether or not you ever consider introducing automated testing into the mix. (Don't get hung up on the term "DSL" and think of it only in a programmatic context.) The idea of "business readable" means that your tests are written in a way that, at a certain level of approximation, the tests are the requirements. Or the requirements are the tests, if you prefer. (See Tests and Requirements, Requirements and Tests: A Möbius Strip.)
All of that is easy to say. It's not always easy to do. So before you even consider a TDL as part of your work process, you should first embark on understanding how everyone can work together to bridge creative, innovative, exploratory test thinking with the need to also have tests that are scripted, that can be effectively referenced, and that can be efficiently maintained.
As with all such similar tools, Lucid wants you match up your domain phrases with matchers. Cucumber calls them snippets and SpecFlow implements them as attributes but essentially we're all doing the same thing. You can either put the matchers in yourself manually or have Lucid help you determine what they are. Try to run Lucid:
$ lucid
Now create a file in your steps directory called triangle_steps.rb and put the following matchers in place:
Note here that for my Then matcher I changed the default argument name that Lucid provides (arg1) to one that is more in line with what I'm capturing (value). This is not necessary but it's something I like to do.
The Domain Specific Language
These are your test definitions and they are pretty much sitting between your TDL and your DSL. Wait, what DSL? Well, that's the trick isn't it? You don't have one yet. But you do want one. Currently test definitions are written in Ruby and they translate each step in your scenarios into concrete actions in Ruby code.
The DSL comes in because you don't necessarily want someone to have to write massive amounts of in-depth Ruby code within your test definitions. You want to keep those clean and lean. Or, at least, that's my contention. Specifically what you want to do is what's called "pushing the how down" or "pushing how down the stack." The idea here is that you should not think of test definitions as functions or methods — even though they kind of are. Rather you think of test definitions as the translation layer that connects your Gherkin (TDL) to your automation code (DSL). The only job of the test definition is to make this connection.
So what I feel you want is a DSL that can work alongside — but not be part of — Gherkin. That's part of what Fluent provides but it's by no means the only tool or approach that could do so. You'll see more about this as we go on.
So far the test definitions are exactly like what you've done in previous posts. A difference however is that now we are using Fluent and it's going to allow you to do things a little differently to allow you to adhere to that separation I just mentioned between TDL and DSL. One approach towards this goal is that Lucid and Fluent working together encourage you to adhere to the page object pattern. What that means is that the test definitions are going to delegate all of their work to specific page objects.
By this point you probably know that Lucid itself is written in Ruby. While you do not need to know Ruby in order to execute Lucid or write test specifications, you will need some Ruby knowledge to write some of the test definition matchers. Although, as you've seen, Lucid will usually provide these for you. If you plan to use an underlying automation library (whether Fluent or something else, like Capybara) then you will need Ruby skills to write page definitions as well as any test helpers. That being said, the DSL part of this comes in once again by making even that process as easy as possible, which I hope to show as we go through this post.
Page Definitions
In your pages directory create a file called triangle.rb.
Any files in the pages directory are expected to be page definitions. The important thing is that page definition files will generally contain a class (template) that represents a page in the application being tested or, at the very least, some part of a page. I say they will "generally" do that but page definitions can also provide a more abstract notion of something within the application. For example, let's say you had a navigation bar that was common to every page on your site


text:
This Common Shrub is Highly Fatal to Horses
The laurel plant is a common shrub, mainly found in the Southeastern United Sates in open wooded areas, mountainous areas, and in both dry and wet land areas. All types of laurel are toxic to horses, with the severity of the reaction based on the health of the horse. The age and size of the horse are also components of the type of reaction that can be experienced. Hydrogen cyanide, the active ingredient that is found in the laurel, can be fatal to even the healthiest of horses and so cases of poisoning should be diagnosed as soon as possible to ensure survival of the horse. Prompt care is essential for a full recovery.
The leaves of the laurel are thick and a bit rubbery in texture, with clusters of white to pink flowers when in bloom. The taste of the plant is bitter, so instances of poisoning are relatively few. Horses typically will not eat from this plant unless there is a lack of other grasses to graze on, or the laurel is growing amongst other grazing plants.
Symptoms and Types
- Quickened heart beat
- Slowed heart beat
- Difficulty breathing
- Weakness - Difficulty performing natural amounts of work
- Loss of condition
- Cardiac failure
- Respiratory failure
Laurel toxicity occurs following ingestion of leaves, stems, or flowers from the laurel shrub. Hydrogen cyanide poisoning, the toxic ingredient, combines with hemoglobin and oxygen to prevents oxygen from being distributed to the cells. Systemic poisoning often results in poisoning of the heart muscle.
It can be difficult to figure out what is wrong with your horse during the earliest stages of laurel poisoning. The diagnosis of this condition often comes post-mortem, which is why it is so important to ensure that horses do not have access to laurel bushes or anything that may have parts of laurel bush in them. A veterinarian should always be consulted when laurel poisoning or any type of poisoning is suspected in your horse.
Since laurel poisoning affects a horse in much different ways than other types of plant poisoning the methods of treatment are often much different. Artificial respiration is the first and most common step for treatment of this condition; a high concentration of oxygen is the best method for increasing the chances of survival.
Living and Management
The unfortunate reality of laurel poisoning is that many horses do not survive it. When the diagnosis is made most horses that have ingested laurel bushes are either recovering from the effects of the toxicity or have passed away from it. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of treatment. Before you place your horse on land, you must ensure that all toxic plants, including laurel, have been removed entirely. Frequent property checks for new plant growth, and making sure that your horse is well fed and has plenty of healthy grass to graze on are also important for ensuring that your horse will not feel the need to graze on toxic plants.
The protein that moves oxygen in the blood
The act of feeding animals with a range or pasture
The eating of grasses and plants that are low to the ground


Hello! I have troubles understanding this statement :
If one, in an attempt to factorize a composite number n, finds two squares a and b at random such as a^2 - b^2 \equiv 0 \pmod{n}, then taking the greatest common divisor of a \pm b with n yields a nontrivial factor of n with probability \frac{1}{2}.
I don't understand why there is 0.5 probability to find a nontrivial factor of n, since if we call p one factor of n, then if we find a nontrivial factor, p must divide a \pm b, and so there are \frac{n}{p} possibilities that this happens, whether if we find a trivial factor of n, then n \ | \ a \pm b, and there are infinitely many numbers a and b that satisfy this condition. So it should be very likely that we find a trivial factor of n with a difference of squares, which is not true.
Can somebody explain to me where I went wrong in my reasoning? Thanks!


Dictionary.com Word FAQs
What is the difference between rack, wrack, wreak, and wreck?
To wreak is to inflict vengeance; to wreck is to damage or destroy. Wreak is not found often in English except in the idiom wreak havoc. Wrack as a verb is obsolete but means 'to avenge or revenge; to punish', 'to undergo ruin'. Rack as a verb is used figuratively to mean 'to chalk up; to achieve' and 'to torture; to cause severe pain' (as in the rack as an instrument of torture). It is also used to mean 'to obtain through coercion or intimidation'. Examples: She racked up points in the pool game. Pain racked his body. He racked his brain for the answer. Wrack as a noun means 'destruction' and occurs mainly in wrack and ruin. The word rack is a variant and can be used in that phrase.
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The 3 Effective Ways For A Woman To Survive The Air National Guard
The training to become an Air National Guard is difficult. There are a lot of men who fails due to the tedious kind of training that they have to go through. If you will think about it, it is much harder to pass the training if you are a woman. Don't worry because here are some useful ways on how a woman can ace the training and survive to be the next Air National Guard. Check it out.
1. Start physical training ahead of time
It is a must if you want to make things easier for yourself once you are in the training proper. Do push ups and sit ups. The more you can do the better. It is because when you are in training, there will be a lot more of that. Most of the time, it is unexpected as one team member may have done something wrong, but all of you will be punished.
2. Practice more water intake
When you start with the training, there will be no juice or soda available. Almost all of the time, they will tell you to drink water. It will happen before meals, while you are eating and after eating. It could also happen when you are about to start with some of the exercises. Drinking lots of water may be though for some who is not used to drinking a lot. Practice makes you better so start preparing.
3. Practice eating fast
Some women often take time when eating but once you are on the training ground, every second count. You need to be able to eat fast so you can keep up with the others. If you can't eat fast enough, it will result to low energy on your part because you will not be able to finish your food.
Just take note of the three effective ways, and you will have no problem in completing the training with flying colors.
The 4 Steps On How To Be A Pilot For Air National Guard
Individuals who join the Air National Guard often have a dream to be flying one of the aircraft used by the reserve force. However, it is not easy as there are a lot of things that you have to do. Check out the steps on how you can be one of the pilots for the Air National Guard of the United States.
1. Complete the preliminary requirements
There are various things that you have to prepare as the first step to becoming a pilot. One of them is that you should have gone through the training to be a pilot even before you reach thirty. There is a physical exam that you need to pass. Aside from that, you should be a four-year degree holder. You should also possess an experience when it comes to flying.
2. Take all the necessary tests needed
If you want to be a pilot for the Air National Guard, the passion you have for flying is not enough. There are a couple of tests that needs to be completed. You need to take AFOQT or Air Force Qualifying Officer Test. It will test your academic skills though it is more inclined on the technical aspect. Aside from that, you also need to pass the Test of Basic Aviation Skills. It is like a practical exam, and there will be just a couple of question in the end.
3. Get your PCSM
You will not be able to get this Pilot Candidate Selection Member number if you fail the Basic Aviation Skills test. Through this number, your performance during the training will be assessed.
4. Find a unit and apply
Among the three steps indicated, finding a group seemed to be the easiest, but it's not. There are a lot of people applying for the position, and that means the competition is fierce. It is highly recommended to apply for different units, so you will have a better chance of getting hired.
If you can complete all these steps, you are one step closer to your dream in becoming a pilot for the Air National Guard.
The 3 Great Tips That You Should Follow Before Your Military Training
If you have decided to join the military, expect that it will not be an easy path. There will be a lot of things and hardships that you will have to go through. If you want to succeed, check out these great tips that you can follow before you start your training with the military.
1. Do not be the center of attention
When you get ready for the military training, make sure to pack all the things that you would need in basic colors. It could either be black or brown, and that's it. You do not want to get to do push-ups on the first time you meet your instructor, right? Make sure to keep a low profile. Aside from that, the branded things are a big no. You should be able to blend in.
2. Mark your things
In a military training facility, it is common that there are a lot of stuff that would go missing. It is due to a lot of things. The best thing that you can do is mark your belongings with a black marker with your name. Luck may be on your side, and you will always know which your belongings are.
3. Quit your vices
Start preparing yourself even before you set foot in the training camp. If you are a chain smoker or a heavy drinker, better start quitting as soon as possible as it is for your benefit. There is no smoking and drinking allowed in training camp, so better have all the withdrawal issues while you are still out rather than having it as a problem when you start your training.
These are the three tips that you should follow if you want to achieve success in military training. Following these tips will also make your life easier while you are in the training facilities.


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|World of Roger Tory Peterson|
Born in Jamestown, New York, to working-class immigrant parents, Roger was a self-made man who made a successful livelihood by single-mindedly following his guiding passion for birds. In books, articles, lectures, films, and, above all, in his revolutionary field guides, he showed countless readers and listeners how to see and observe nature. His impact lives on in the modern-day proliferation of field guides, nature books, and nature education programs. It lives on in the popularity of bird watching as a recreational pastime. It lives on, too, in the environmental protection laws that stem in part from his advocacy and education work. For Roger, passion, joy, and commitment all flowed from the same source, from the world of wings he first discovered in the woods and fields of Jamestown.
Roger well knew the value of education—he always remembered how his seventh-grade teacher, Blanche Hornbeck, helped introduce him to the wider world of nature through the Junior Audubon Club she founded. As an adult, Roger lectured ceaselessly for the National Audubon Society and other organizations, produced educational pamphlets that reached millions of schoolchildren, and wrote articles and books that inspired countless readers. But his greatest contribution to a more widespread public understanding of the natural world lies in his development of practical, user-friendly guidebooks. His A Field Guide to the Birds, published in 1934, introduced simple, reliable identification techniques that can be used by anyone.
That first, wildly successful guide led to others. Roger wrote and illustrated some, and edited many more. The Peterson Field Guide Series now numbers over fifty titles that describe practically all readily observable facets of nature, from fishes to mushrooms to clouds and the stars above. "In this century," wrote the ecologist Paul Ehrlich, "no one has done more to promote an interest in living creatures than Roger Tory Peterson, the inventor of the modern field guide."


Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca
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Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca
Pseudotsuga glauca treeUSDA.jpg
Rocky Mountain Douglas-fir, Colorado
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Pinophyta
Class: Pinopsida
Order: Pinales
Family: Pinaceae
Genus: Pseudotsuga
Species: P. menziesii
Variety: P. menziesii var. glauca
Trinomial name
Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca
(Mayr) Franco
 - Pseudotsuga menziesii var. caesia (Schwer.) Franco
 - Pseudotsuga taxifolia var. caesia (Schwer.) Asch. & Graebn.
 - Pseudotsuga taxifolia var. glauca (Beissn.) Sudw.
Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca, or Rocky Mountain Douglas-fir, is an evergreen conifer native to the interior mountainous regions of western North America, from central British Columbia and southwest Alberta in Canada southward through the United States to the far north of Mexico.[2] The range is continuous in the northern Rocky Mountains south to eastern Washington, eastern Oregon, Idaho, western and south-central Montana and western Wyoming, but becomes discontinuous further south, confined to "sky islands" on the higher mountains in Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico, with only very isolated small populations in eastern Nevada, westernmost Texas, and northern Mexico. It occurs from 600 m altitude in the north of the range, up to 3,000 m, rarely 3,200 m, in the south. Further west towards the Pacific coast, it is replaced by the related coast Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii), and to the south, it is replaced by Mexican Douglas-fir in high mountains as far south as Oaxaca. Some botanists have grouped Mexican Douglas-fir with P. menziesii var. glauca,[3] but genetic[4] and morphological[5] evidence suggest that Mexican populations should be considered a different variety.[6]
Rocky Mountain Douglas-fir is most commonly treated as a variety (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca),[3][7] but has also been called a subspecies (Pseudotsuga menziesii subsp. glauca)[8] or more rarely (mainly in the past) a distinct species (Pseudotsuga glauca).[9] The strong ecological and genetic differentiation with intergradation limited primarily to postglacial contact zones in British Columbia[10][11] supports infraspecific groupings. Some botanists have further split Rocky Mountain Douglas-fir into two varieties,[12] but these are not widely acknowledged and have only limited support from genetic testing.[8][10][11]
Rocky Mountain Douglas-fir is a large tree, typically reaching 35–45 m in height and 1 m in diameter, with exceptional specimens known to 67 m tall, and 2 m diameter. It commonly lives more than 500 years and occasionally more than 1,200 years. The bark on young trees is thin, smooth, gray, and covered with resin blisters. On mature trees, it is moderately thick (3–6 cm), furrowed and corky though much less so than coast Douglas-fir.
The shoots are brown to gray-brown, smooth, though not as smooth as fir shoots, and finely pubescent with scattered short hairs. The buds are a distinctive narrow conic shape, 3–6 mm long, with red-brown bud scales. The leaves are spirally arranged but slightly twisted at the base to be upswept above the shoot, needle-like, 2–3 cm long, gray-green to blue-green above with a single broad stomatal patch, and with two whitish stomatal bands below.
The male (pollen) cones are 2–3 cm long, and are typically restricted to or more abundant on lower branches. Pollen cones develop over 1 year and wind-dispersed pollen is released for several weeks in the spring.
Rocky Mountain Douglas-fir cones
Left: Shuswap Lake, British Columbia, Canada
Right: Chiricahua Mountains, Arizona, U.S.
The mature female seed cones are pendent, 4–7 cm long, 2 cm broad when closed, opening to 3–4 cm broad. They are produced in spring, purple (sometimes green) at first, maturing orange-brown in the autumn 5–7 months later. The seeds are 5–6 mm long and 3–4 mm broad, with a 12–15 mm wing. Both coast Douglas-fir and Rocky Mountain Douglas-fir produce abundant crops of seed approximately every 2–11 years. Seed is produced annually except for about 1 year in any 4-to-5-year period.
Douglas-fir, British Columbia
Rocky Mountain Douglas-fir grows more slowly than coast Douglas-fir and is also much more cold tolerant. Tolerance of different environmental conditions varies among populations of Rocky Mountain Douglas-fir, especially among populations from the northern and southern Rockies.[13] However, even nearby populations can differ in cold hardiness.[14]
Root morphology is variable, but when unimpeded, a taproot forms within several years. "Platelike" root morphologies occur where growth is impeded. The most prominent lateral roots begin in the 1st or 2nd year of growth. Most roots in surface soil are "long ropelike laterals of secondary and tertiary origin". Fine-root production is episodic in response to changing environmental conditions; the average lifespan of fine roots is usually between several days and several weeks.
Rocky Mountain Douglas-fir reaches reproductive maturity at 12–15 years. It has winged seeds that are dispersed primarily by wind and gravity. In western Montana clearcuts, seeds were dispersed up to 250 m (820 ft) uphill from their source, but seedfall between 180–250 m (590–820 ft) was only 7% of that found in uncut stands. Other studies determined that seedfall in clearcuts beyond 80 m (260 ft) from seed trees was about 3% of seedfall in uncut stands where seed trees are close together. Well-stocked stands have resulted from seedfall from sources 1–2 km (0.62–1.24 mi) distant, but most Douglas-fir seeds fall within 100 m (330 ft) of their source. Small amounts of seed are dispersed by mice, chipmunks, and squirrels. Rocky Mountain Douglas-fir seeds are disseminated about twice as far as seeds of ponderosa pine.
The oldest accurately-dated Rocky Mountain Douglas-fir, 1275 years old, is in New Mexico. This longevity is apparently uncommon; growing on a relatively barren lava field has protected it from fire, animals, and humans. Growth typically slows dramatically between 90 and 140 years of age.
In the dry-belt forests of central British Columbia, ages can exceed 500 years on sites normal for the region. The oldest accurately-dated growth ring available for the region is 1475; dates in the 1500s and 1600s are more common for remnant patches that have escaped logging, fire, and other disturbances.
Rocky Mountain Douglas-fir and ponderosa pine, Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah
Rocky Mountain Douglas-fir grows on a variety of sites across its wide geographic range. It grows at lower elevations adjacent to and within bunchgrass communities and is also found in upper-elevation subalpine forests. It tends to be most abundant in lowand middle-elevation forests, where it grows over a wide range of aspects, slopes, landforms, and soils.
In spring and winter (in British Columbia, Idaho, and Montana) elk browse on southand southwest-facing Rocky Mountain Douglas-fir and ponderosa pine stands, particularly when shrubs and/or grasses are productive. In summer, elk generally are found at higher elevations (outside the Rocky Mountain Douglas-fir and Pacific ponderosa pine zones). During fall, elk use stands of Rocky Mountain lodgepole pine, subalpine fir, western larch, or grand fir with high canopy cover.
In parts of Yellowstone National Park, elk browsing is so intensive that young Rocky Mountain Douglas-fir are stunted at 1–1.5 m (3.3–4.9 ft) in height, with live branches trailing very close to the ground, and branches on the upper two thirds of the tree dead. Low-elevation and south-facing open-structure Rocky Mountain Douglas-fir types are often important winter range for white-tailed deer and mule deer. Moose winter in low-elevation Rocky Mountain Douglas-fir types in areas where willow thickets, the preferred winter habitat, are lacking; in such areas Rocky Mountain Douglas-fir is an important moose food.
Chipmunks, mice, voles, and shrews eat large quantities of conifer seeds from the forest floor, and clipped cones are a staple and major part of storage of red squirrels. These animals store a large amount of