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Adaptive Reuse of Transportation Systems to Combat Food Deserts – The Loop
the grocery loop proposal for a better world by design 2010 challenge
A collaborative project by RISD Graduate Students
Erika Tarte _EMAIL_
Beth Weaver _EMAIL_
Lindsay Kinkade _EMAIL_
The Grocery Loop is an innovative design solution to the pressing social problem of limited access to healthy food. Built on the cost-effective and environmentally friendly model of adaptive reuse, The Grocery Loop is a public transportation system that provides access to nutrition, encourages community engagement, and promotes environmental sustainability.
Providence and many other cities are what Michelle Obama's Let's Move campaign calls a "food desert" — a place in which access to affordable, quality, and nutritious foods is limited. Over 30,000 households in the city of Providence live without easy access to healthy food (living over one mile from a grocery store) and although this presents an opportunity to encourage non-vehicular transportation, such a solution neglects the physical and financial limitations of many Ocean State residents.
In a 2010 survey our group conducted of a cross-section of the current RIPTA ridership, interviews revealed widespread frustration with linear routes, the impracticality of riding multiple routes to visit multiple grocery stores, and the lack of proper amenities for transporting food on buses and at bus shelters. Riders favored looping routes, such as the existing Trolley, and expressed a desire for accurate schedules and comprehensive route maps.
The Grocery Loop integrates amenity-based bus lines into the existing Rhode Island public transportation system (RIPTA). These low-emission, hybrid diesel buses run in a continuous loop stopping at a diverse selection of stores — from farmers markets, to specialty shops, to large grocery stores. Both buses and bus shelters provide seating and storage that is optimized for transporting food. Real-time GPS tracking information is displayed to keep riders informed of arrivals and departures. Once riders are on The Grocery Loop, they know exactly where they're going: to the grocery store.
kennedy plaza el rancho grande gr een loop red loop Whole foods
Attentive to the evolving needs of the ridership, The Grocery Loop's routes are informed by rider feedback. The Grocery Loop buses and website give riders the opportunity to suggest routes and schedules that fit into their busy lifestyle. Additionally, The Grocery Loop website allows riders to share recipes, generate grocery lists, suggest and review grocery stores, and connect to their fellow riders through social networking services. To further accommodate rider needs, the website will be optimized for personal computer and mobile use.
The web and mobile component of The Grocery Loop is an incredible opportunity to connect Rhode Islanders to resources about health and nutrition. By creating an engaging online presence, The Grocery Loop aims to keep riders "in the loop" of healthful resources throughout Rhode Island.
This project has received the generous support of RISD with the award of a prestigious Graduate Studies Grant. The grant period has allowed for further design and development of The Grocery Loop's website so that it will son include functional social networking components. Lindsay and Erika will also begin a public outreach campaign to generate community interest and to organize community support.
This ambitious project will require research, prototyping, and a pilot program. We are currently in the first stages; throughout the 2010–2011 academic year, we will focus of research, networking, and moving our project forward with political and commercial stakeholders. We will discuss the particular needs of store owners will be and we'll find out how they will support the system through sponsorship and shared marketing.
This project started in a weekend workshop with Jake Barton, one of the creators of StoryCorps, and principal of Local Projects.


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any American pitcher plant of the genus Sarracenia, having single nodding flowers and leaves modified as pitchers that trap and digest insects: family Sarraceniaceae
/ˌsærəˌsiːnɪˈeɪʃəs/ adjective 1. of, relating to, or belonging to the Sarraceniaceae, an American family of pitcher plants
noun 1. Nathalie [na-ta-lee] /na taˈli/ (Show IPA), (Nathalie Ilyanova Tcherniak) 1900–1999, French novelist, born in Russia. noun 1. Nathalie (natali). 1900–99, French novelist, noted as an exponent of the antinovel. Her novels include Portrait of a Man Unknown (1948), Martereau (1953), and Ici (1995)
noun 1. buckwheat (defs 1–3).
noun 1. French name of Saar. noun 1. the French name for the Saar

source: openbmb/Ultra-FineWeb


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Building State Capacity for Preventing Youth Substance Use and Violence provides a competitive grant to State educational agencies (SEAs) to build and sustain capacity to prevent youth substance use and violence and support collaboration between SEAs and other State agencies that are involved in efforts to prevent these problems. Funds must be used to enhance the capacity of State agencies to support local educational agencies (LEAs) in their efforts to create and sustain a safe and drug-free school environment.
The NH DOE project is based on data from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey and the School Safety Survey which shows that substance abuse and school safety, especially bullying, are extremely important issues in schools and communities today in New Hampshire.
Types of Projects
Projects should: Assist State educational agencies (SEAs) to maintain a State prevention infrastructure, plan strategically for the anticipated change, and build capacity to assist school districts and communitites in responding to this change. States can use these resources to help schools and communitites build or expand existing prevention coalitions, seek other sources of support, and enhance LEAs prevention strategies to ensure a positive school environment. Funds made available under this program will also be used to build or strengthen existing partnerships across the range of State agencies that are involved with preventing drug use and violence among children and youth.
The NHDOE has written for funding and received funding for the following activities:
Please check back for new links
|Bullying and Cyber Bullying|
|Evidence Based Curriculum||Substance Abuse|
|Gun Free Schools Information||Title IV Grant Information|
|Office of Safe and Healthy Students||USDOE Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools|
|Redistribution Grant||USDOE Safe and Supportive Schools|
|Resources||Violence Prevention Safety|
|Safe Schools Laws||YRBS and other Research Data|
Microsoft Word format. You can download a free reader from Microsoft.

source: HuggingFaceFW/fineweb-edu


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How far can a rabbit see? The eyes are positioned high on the skull and to the sides, enabling the rabbit to view almost 360 degrees and well over her head. Rabbits are often farsighted, which explains why they may be startled by an aircraft passing above even though their human partner cannot see it at all.
How do rabbits see humans?
Is it true that rabbits have an excellent memory? 1) Rabbits possess a high level of intelligence. Additionally, rabbits have an excellent memory: they do not readily forget unfavorable events or feelings. To foster a positive relationship with your rabbit, it's critical to keep them at ease at all times.
Do Rabbits Have Good Eyesight – RELATED QUESTIONS
What hue do bunnies perceive?
Rabbits have dichromatic color vision, which means they have two distinct kinds of color sensors in their eyes, called cone cells. While humans can distinguish between red, blue, and green, rabbits can distinguish just two colors: blue and green. That is, by human standards, rabbits are colorblind.
Why do rabbits fix their gaze on me?
If your rabbit lays down and looks at you, this indicates that they are at ease. If your rabbit stands on its hind legs and looks at you, they are attempting to attract your attention. This posture is also associated with food begging. If your rabbit is staring at you with ears erect and nose twitching, they are focused on something.
Are rabbits aware of their owners?
Rabbits form strong bonds with their owners. Ask any bunny owner who interacts with his pet on a daily basis, and he'll tell you that, like dogs or cats, rabbits develop a strong bond with their owners. They recognize them verbally and visually and will even respond to commands.
How intelligent is a bunny?
While rabbits may not have a reputation for intelligence, the reality is that pet rabbits are quite bright. They are capable of picking up tricks, solving riddles, and even acquiring a few words, which makes them excellent companions.
Do rabbits have television sets?
Your rabbit will be glued to the television. Because rabbits are attracted to moving pictures and sounds, television gives cerebral stimulation. Simply keep an eye on the loudness. Rabbits have exceptional hearing, which means that a loud television might cause damage to their ears.
Are rabbits venomous?
Rabbits seldom bite, but if they do, it does not always indicate they despise you. A rabbit may bite for a variety of reasons; for instance, he may bite if you grasp at him or startle him. Additionally, a rabbit may bite you accidently while pulling on your trouser leg.
Are rabbits capable of crying?
Rabbits cry when they are in pain, fearful, or on the verge of death. Additionally, newborn rabbits (kits) cry when they are hungry. While rabbits make sobbing sounds, they do not shed tears. If your rabbit's eyes are moist or crying, she might be suffering from a dental problem, allergies, or infection.
Do rabbits pine for your company?
This indicates that rabbits do retain memories of their humans. When a rabbit is rehomed, the new owners may be bewildered and disoriented for a while. Because rabbits thrive on regularity, a rehomed rabbit will mourn its previous owner. Comforting will be the emotions and behaviors of a prior person.
Do rabbits recognize their own names?
Pet bunnies are capable of learning their own names. Over time, rabbits might develop an association between noises and certain instructions. This involves approaching an owner when its name is called. Rewarding a rabbit with food, stroking, or other positive rewards on a frequent basis can assist it in memorizing these instructions.
Which color does a bunny despise?
When rabbits and other animals are deprived of frequent contact with the outside, they clearly prefer to lay on the red. In contrast to red, blue is a cooling color. It calms and relaxes, acting as an antidote to an excess of red.
Are rabbits nocturnal?
Bunnies are "daytime" sleepers, averaging between six and eight hours a day. Bunnies, like deer, are crepuscular, meaning they are most active between dark and morning. (In case you were unaware, the term "crepuscular" derives from the Latin crepusculum, which translates as "twilight.")
Are rabbits capable of hearing?
Surprisingly, a rabbit's hearing range is 360 to 42,000 hertz, compared to the typical human's range of 64 to 23,000 hertz. Second, a rabbit's ears emit heat from their bodies through a huge number of blood veins, much like a dog does when it puffs and pants.
Are rabbits envious?
Rabbits exhibit a variety of emotions, including envy, wrath, fear, sadness, love, impatience, and insecurity. Understanding what is really going on in the mind of any given rabbit may take months or even years of attentive observation, especially if you do not know the rabbit's whole history from birth.
Why does my bunny constantly lick me?
Licking and grooming are normal rabbit behaviors and are often used as expressions of love. When rabbits feel secure and comfortable, they often lick and groom one another. To demonstrate their devotion, happy bunnies may attempt to lick you. This is one of the ways in which rabbits communicate their happiness or safety.
Does my rabbit keep an eye on me while I sleep?
While your rabbit is resting, they will be able to notice changes in the light around them, and their third eyelid will give the appearance of being awake to any possible predators. Not every rabbit sleeps in this manner. Some people will gladly shut their eyes completely.
Is it possible for rabbits to have a favorite person?
As a sociable animal, a rabbit will really depend on having a favorite human. Through frequent contacts, it will learn to identify its owner. As long as these encounters are beneficial and the rabbit's love is reciprocated, the relationship will build and expand.
Do rabbits like being held?
When approached properly, the majority of rabbits like being caressed and stroked. Few people like being hugged or carried because they feel uneasy being so high off the ground; nevertheless, many would cheerfully sit on your lap or snuggle up next to you for a cuddle.
Are rabbits aware of your voice?
While rabbits are capable of learning words and recognizing voices, this does not necessarily suggest they comprehend human language. Rabbits are clever animals, yet they have their own language. While it may seem so, rabbits do not really acquire knowledge of the meanings of words and gestures.
Do rabbits have a memory for you?
Rabbits retain memories of the individuals with whom they spend the majority of their time, which includes their owners and carers. They have evolved neurologically as prey animals, with a high long-term memory for locations and habits. You may utilize these connections to assist your rabbit's memory of you become stronger.
How long do rabbits retain their owners' memories?
Generally, your pet rabbit's short-term memory is limited to around 5 minutes. However, when it comes to essential knowledge or someone they care about, their memory may remain longer.
Are rabbits fond of mirrors?
Mirrors – in situations when rabbits must be housed separately, a mirror may provide some comfort, especially for females. However, since the benefits are temporary, it is only indicated for usage to ease loneliness momentarily. If mirrors are provided, ensure they are properly fixed to prevent harm.
When are rabbits the most active?
Given that rabbits are most active at dawn and night, let them out exclusively during the day is not ideal.


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Posts Tagged 'order'
Let me suppose God is Oneness of Things. Perhaps from working out broadly how our endeavours work out we may get a glimpse of His working. In an earlier post I showed how our individual goodness or virtue seems to strike a wrong note when we consider it in terms of the whole.(ref: paradox of thrift)
Let me use analogy of music to explain Oneness of Things. There are several parts written for a choir. Music of the Spheres keeps the celestial part, and we of the earth have also parts written. If virtue of each in this earthly choir sings out of tune what creates perfect harmony finally? If one can understand how, perhaps we may know the Being and how He works. Here alas, I have simplified since I cannot find no other way to explain. Thus I use after the similitude of human understanding to speak of God and His Ways. God as the Genius behind the music blends it here a little and there a little till nothing of dissonance that we made remains. Everything has been rendered subservient to the music. Plans of Mice and Man, on account of this go awry every time.


Thursday, April 20, 2017
Barnegat Before Bayocean
When T.B. Potter created Bayocean Park in 1907 (see The Bayocean Story In Brief) he imagined it becoming a Pacific Coast version of Atlantic City. As it turns out, Potter wasn't the first person to be reminded of east coast beaches by the spit.
Photos of Webley and Mary are from the
Tillamook County Pioneer Museum
Webley Hauxhurst was the first white settler on the mainland section of Bayocean Park, now known as Cape Meares. The Dictionary of Oregon History says Webley moved there from Salem with his Yamhill Indian wife Mary (Wat-Tiet ) and their four youngest children in 1867 because it reminded him of Long Island, New York, where he grew up. He filed Homestead Claim # 843. The patent was eventually granted to Mary after Webley died in 1874.
In the fall of 1948, Jack Medcalf, a Salem artist and teacher, who was a native of Tillamook, built a small cabin on Bayocean by himself and lived there through the winter. His writings of that experience are held by the Tillamook County Pioneer Museum. Jack seemed to enjoy listening to Mrs. Mitchell talk about the Bayocean she knew back in 1907. She told him the area was then known as Barnegat, which meant "place of peace" and that "Webley Hauxhurst built his house down near the cape with a view of both the ocean and the bay through the meadows...that it was a large house, sprawling out but two stories. A large fireplace was of rock mortised with clay obtained in the banks of the bay over by Pitcher Point."
Cropped from the survey map published in Cape Meares And Its Sentinel by Clara
M. Fairfield and M. Wayne Jensen, Jr. (2000, Tillamook County Pioneer Museum)
In June 1886, US Army Corps of Engineers Captain Charles F. Powell surveyed the area near Cape Meares in preparation for building the lighthouse. He showed the "Hoxie" house about 3/4 mile north of the cape. This places it at the south edge of Bayocean Park, halfway between today's Bayocean Park Rd. and Pacific Ave about 1000' off the modern dune ridgeline. Perhaps you stand under it as you chase the retreating waves on low tide. Note Henry Sampson's house also shown. It's most likely the smaller house still standing up close to the cape in the photo in my story on the Steinhilber house sliding to the sea in 1899.
A.B.Hallock: OrHi 9824
Oregon Historical Society
Portland builder and civic leader A.B Hallock began visiting the spit just before Webley died (Absolom Hallock papers, Mss 92, Oregon Historical Society), retired there at the end of 1880, and filed Homestead Claim # 2517, which included what would eventually become the heart of Bayocean Park. Hallock built a cabin at the south end of his claim, on the bay side of the spit, just north of what would later be called "Jackson Gap." He reported "Ben Hoxie" herding cattle past his place on a regular basis and seemed fond of Mary who he visited regularly. Journal entries in Mss 92 indicate neighbors were getting their mail at Hallock's cabin by 1890, which he'd pick up for them on occasional trips to Hoquarton (later called Lincoln, finally Tillamook). The June 12, 1891Tillamook Headlight announced: "Capt. Hallock has received his commission as postmaster at Barnegat." On August 27 they reported Barnegat locals paying George Handley (grandson of Daniel Bayley who founded Garibaldi) to deliver the mail each Monday until the U.S. Postal Service established a contract.
Homestead Land Claim map pre-Bayocean, scribbles by author
In Oregon Geographic Names Lewis A. McArthur discredited reports that Hallock had named the post office after a childhood home on New Jersey's Barnegat Bay because he found no mention of this in Hallock's journal. He attributed the naming to Thomas Sutherland who claimed to have dubbed the alcove nearby as Barnegat Bay prior to Hallock's arrival. However, all newspaper referenced to the area called it "the spit" until the post office was established.
When Hallock died in 1892 his duties were transferred to Mrs. Bert Biggs according to McArthur, who noted that she was one of Webley Hauxhurst's daughter. Bigg's Homestead Claim # 3471 surrounded Pitcher Point, explaining why the coordinates provided by and other websites refer to that location. The name of the post office was changed to Bayocean in 1909, but the 1910 Federal Census still used Barnegat to identify the precinct.
To find stories about the earlier use of the spit by Tillamook Indians, and its exploration by earlier white men, see the Index page.


n''x''n'' matrix is written instead of only the head element. You can also write the full matrix to a binary file with ''OUT=BIN''. An expression like ''A:u{0..2,0.01},MB=100,OUT=4'' defines one job which can be followed by additional expressions each defining one job.
* ''SUSCEPR'': Calculation of the renormalized susceptibility. Spin, k points and frequencies are defined as in ''SUSCEP''. Additionally you can specify a TDDFT kernel as in ''SUSCEPR A:{0..2,0.01},KERN=ALDA,MB=100''. As spin labels only ''ud'', ''du'' and ''+'' are allowed where the latter is the default. The former spin indices require a TDDFT kernel.
* ''DIELEC'': Calculation of the dielectric function. K points and frequencies are defined as in ''SUSCEP''. A spin index cannot be specified.
* ''SCREEN'': Calculation of the screened interaction. Syntax as in ''DIELEC''.
In the case of an "empty" job definition (''JOB''), Spex will do basic checkings and then stop. (This is useful, e.g., for a simple Wannier interpolation or P/DOS calculation.)
Output files
The main results of the Spex calculation is written to standard output ([[SpexOutputFile|output example]]). You should pipe the output to a file (e.g. ''spex > spex.out''). The spectra are written to separate files:
* ''suscep'': Susceptibility head element.
* ''suscep.XXX.YYY'': Susceptibility ''XXX/YYY'' matrix element (key: ''OUT=NNN'' and ''XXX,YYY'' {$\le$} ''NNN'').
* ''suscep.bin'': Binary output of the susceptibility matrix (key: ''OUT=BIN'').
* ''suscepr'': Renormalized susceptibility head element.
* ''suscepr.XXX.YYY'': Corresponding matrix element.
* ''suscepr.bin'': Binary output.
* ''dielec'': Head element of the dielectric matrix (dielectric function).
* ''dielec.XXX.YYY'': Corresponding matrix element.
* ''dielecLF'': Dielectric function with local-field effects.
* ''screen'': Screened interaction head element.
* ''screen.XXX.YYY'': Corresponding matrix element.
* ''screen.bin'': Binary output.
If more than one job is defined, the job number is appended to the file names (before the dot), e.g. ''suscep001.bin''.
There are a number of additional files which can be written during the program run (''WRITE INFO'') and which tell you more about intermediate results. Some of them are numbered, such that files are never overwritten. From time to time you should remove them from disk, because the highest file count is ''NNN=999'', and they clog up directory listings.
* ''spex.sf.NNN'': If projections ''MB=...'' or ''PW=...'' are used, these files contain the spectral function on the mesh given by ''FSPEC'' for any '''k''' point projected on {$exp(ikr)$}. Column 1: Frequency, column 2: value. The files are useful to check whether the mesh is dense enough and whether the spectral function approaches zero quickly. If it does not, ''GCUT'' might be underconverged or you must use ''MINCPW''.
* '''': Correlation self-energy on the imaginary frequency axis (only for ''CONTINUE''). Column 1: imaginary frequency, column 2: fitted value (real part), column 3: fitted value (imaginary part), column 4: numerical value (real part), column 5: numerical value (imaginary part).
* ''spex.sec.NNN'': Correlation self-energy on the real frequency axis. Column 1: real frequency, column 2: (fitted) value (real part), column 3: (fitted) value (imaginary part).
* ''spex.head'': Head element of screened interaction on imaginary axis.
Other output files written during the run are
* ''spex.dos.NNN'': (Partial) density of states (keyword ''BANDINFO'').
* ''bands'': Wannier-interpolated band structure (written after the Wannier construction and if ''KPTPATH'' is defined).
* ''hamiltonian_r'': Wannier Hamiltonian at all R points defined by ''BZ'' (if ''bands'' is written).
* ''hamiltonian_k'': Wannier-interpolated Hamiltonian at k points defined in the file ''klist'' (if ''bands'' is written).
For certain keywords in ''spex.inp'' there are special output files that can be used for subsequent calculations.
* ''spex.mb'': Mixed product basis (keyword ''RESTART'').
* ''spex.core'': Core susceptibility (keyword ''CORES'', unmaintained).
* ''spex.cou'': Coulomb matrix (keyword ''RESTART'').
* ''spex.cous'': Special Coulomb matrix for calculation of spectra (keywords ''RESTART'' and ''NOSTORE'').
* ''spex.cor'': Renormalized dielectric matrix for correlation self-energy (keyword ''RESTART'').
* ''spex.spc'': Susceptibility/dielectric/etc. matrix for calculation of spectra (keyword ''RESTART'').
* ''spex.sigx'': Exchange self-energy (HF) matrix elements (keyword ''JOB... FULL'', can be used with ''RESTART SIG'').
* ''spex.sigc'': Correlation self-energy (GW) matrix elements (keyword ''JOB... FULL'', can be used with ''RESTART SIG'').
* ''spex.qsgw'': QSGW (or HF) self-energy matrix (keyword ''JOB... FULL'') for a subsequent self-consistent-field run (''gw=3'' in the FLEUR inp file).
* ''spex.qp'': Quasiparticle energies and amplitudes (keyword ''JOB... FULL'').
.. note:: ''spex.set.NNN'': Correlation self-energy for any quasiparticle state on the imaginary time axis (only for ''CONTINUE'' and ''IMAGTIME''). Column 1: imaginary time, column 2: interpolated value, column 3: numerical value. :)
.. _theory:
.. _gw:
''GW'' calculations
The ''GW'' approach has become a routine method to calculate quasiparticle spectra from first principles. It is based on many-body perturbation theory, in which the Dyson equation (here in simplified notation)
:math:'{\displaystyle G(\omega)=G_0(\omega)+G_0(\omega)[\Sigma^{\mathrm{xc}}(\omega)-v^{\mathrm{xc}}]G(\omega)}'
links the interacting Green function :math:'{G}' to the non-interacting one :math:'{G_0}'. (A non-magnetic system is considered in this section for simplicity.) The latter is obtained from a mean-field solution with frequency-independent potential :math:'{v^{\mathrm{xc}}}', which in the case of a KS system would correspond to the local exchange-correlation potential (the nonlocal Hartree-Fock exchange potential and the ''hermitianized'' self-energy of QSGW are other examples). The self-energy :math:'{\Sigma^{\mathrm{xc}}}' connects the non-interacting mean-field system to the real interacting system and thus accounts for the many-body electronic exchange and correlation effects. It is not known exactly and must be approximated in practice. The most popular approximation to the electronic self-energy is the GW approximation,
:math:'{\displaystyle\Sigma^{\mathrm{xc}}(\mathbf{r},\mathbf{r}';\omega)=\frac{i}{2\pi}\int_{-\infty}^\infty G(\mathbf{r},\mathbf{r}';\omega+\omega')\,W(\mathbf{r},\mathbf{r}';\omega')e^{i\eta\omega'}\,d\omega'\,}'
which has been shown to yield accurate band structures for a wide range of materials. Here, :math:'{G}' is the single-particle Green function (usually :math:'{G_0}' is employed) and :math:'{W}' is the screened Coulomb interaction, which is the effective interaction potential in an interacting system, incorporating the dynamical screening processes. The screened Coulomb interaction is the solution of a Dyson-type equation
:math:'{\displaystyle W(\omega)=v+vP(\omega)W(\omega)\,}'
with the random-phase approximation for the polarization function :math:'{P}'
:math:'{\displaystyle P(\omega)=-\frac{i}{\pi}\int_{-\infty}^\infty G(\omega-\omega')G(\omega')d\omega'\,.}' [[_TAG_:P]]
Usually, the Green function :math:'{G_0}' of a mean-field system is taken for :math:'{G}', in which case it takes the form
:math:'{\displaystyle G_0(\mathbf{r},\mathbf


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The forced oscillation technique (FOT) is a powerful, integrative and translational tool permitting the experimental assessment of lung function in mice in a comprehensive, detailed, precise and reproducible manner. It provides measurements of respiratory system mechanics through the analysis of pressure and volume signals acquired in reaction to predefined, small amplitude, oscillatory airflow waveforms, which are typically applied at the subject's airway opening. The present protocol details the steps required to adequately execute forced oscillation measurements in mice using a computer-controlled piston ventilator (flexiVent; SCIREQ Inc, Montreal, Qc, Canada). The description is divided into four parts: preparatory steps, mechanical ventilation, lung function measurements, and data analysis. It also includes details of how to assess airway responsiveness to inhaled methacholine in anesthetized mice, a common application of this technique which also extends to other outcomes and various lung pathologies. Measurements obtained in naïve mice as well as from an oxidative-stress driven model of airway damage are presented to illustrate how this tool can contribute to a better characterization and understanding of studied physiological changes or disease models as well as to applications in new research areas.
23 Related JoVE Articles!
A Simple Method of Mouse Lung Intubation
Institutions: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Oregon Health Sciences University.
A simple procedure to intubate mice for pulmonary function measurements would have several advantages in longitudinal studies with limited numbers or expensive animal. One of the reasons that this is not done more routinely is that it is relatively difficult, despite there being several published studies that describe ways to achieve it. In this paper we demonstrate a procedure that eliminates one of the major hurdles associated with this intubation, that of visualizing the trachea during the entire time of intubation. The approach uses a 0.5 mm fiberoptic light source that serves as an introducer to direct the intubation cannula into the mouse trachea. We show that it is possible to use this procedure to measure lung mechanics in individual mice over a time course of at least several weeks. The technique can be set up with relatively little expense and expertise, and it can be routinely accomplished with relatively little training. This should make it possible for any laboratory to routinely carry out this intubation, thereby allowing longitudinal studies in individual mice, thereby minimizing the number of mice needed and increasing the statistical power by using each mouse as its own control.
Medicine, Issue 73, Biomedical Engineering, Anatomy, Physiology, Surgery, Respiratory System, Respiratory Tract Diseases, pulmonary function, chronic, longitudinal studies, airway resistance, trachea, lung, clinical techniques, intubation, cannula, animal model
Measuring Circadian and Acute Light Responses in Mice using Wheel Running Activity
Institutions: John Hopkins University.
Circadian rhythms are physiological functions that cycle over a period of approximately 24 hours (circadiancirca: approximate and diem: day)1, 2
. They are responsible for timing our sleep/wake cycles and hormone secretion. Since this timing is not precisely 24-hours, it is synchronized to the solar day by light input. This is accomplished via photic input from the retina to the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) which serves as the master pacemaker synchronizing peripheral clocks in other regions of the brain and peripheral tissues to the environmental light dark cycle3-7
. The alignment of rhythms to this environmental light dark cycle organizes particular physiological events to the correct temporal niche, which is crucial for survival8
. For example, mice sleep during the day and are active at night. This ability to consolidate activity to either the light or dark portion of the day is referred to as circadian photoentrainment and requires light input to the circadian clock9
. Activity of mice at night is robust particularly in the presence of a running wheel. Measuring this behavior is a minimally invasive method that can be used to evaluate the functionality of the circadian system as well as light input to this system. Methods that will covered here are used to examine the circadian clock, light input to this system, as well as the direct influence of light on wheel running behavior.
Neuroscience, Issue 48, mouse, circadian, behavior, wheel running
Development of Obliterative Bronchiolitis in a Murine Model of Orthotopic Lung Transplantation
Institutions: Indiana University School of Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine.
Orthotopic lung transplantation in rats was first reported by Asimacopoulos and colleagues in 1971 1
. Currently, this method is well accepted and standardized not only for the study of allo-rejection but also between syngeneic strains for examining mechanisms of ischemia-reperfusion injury after lung transplantation. Although the application of the rat and other large animal model 2
contributed significantly to the elucidation of these studies, the scope of those investigations is limited by the scarcity of knockout and transgenic rats. Due to no effective therapies for obliterative bronchiolitis, the leading cause of death in lung transplant patients, there has been an intensive search for pre-clinical models that replicate obliterative bronchiolitis. The tracheal allograft model is the most widely used and may reproduce some of the histopathologic features of obliterative bronchiolitis 3
. However, the lack of an intact vasculature with no connection to the recipient's conducting airways, and incomplete pathologic features of obliterative bronchiolitis limit the utility of this model 4
. Unlike transplantation of other solid organs, vascularized mouse lung transplants have only recently been reported by Okazaki and colleagues for the first time in 2007 5
. Applying the basic principles of the rat lung transplant, our lab initiated the obliterative bronchiolitis model using minor histoincompatible antigen murine orthotopic single-left lung transplants which allows the further study of obliterative bronchiolitis immunopathogenesis6
Medicine, Issue 65, Immunology, Microbiology, Physiology, lung, transplantation, mouse, obliterative bronchiolitis, vascularized lung transplants
Swimming Performance Assessment in Fishes
Institutions: University of Alberta.
Swimming performance tests of fish have been integral to studies of muscle energetics, swimming mechanics, gas exchange, cardiac physiology, disease, pollution, hypoxia and temperature. This paper describes a flexible protocol to assess fish swimming performance using equipment in which water velocity can be controlled. The protocol involves one to several stepped increases in flow speed that are intended to cause fish to fatigue. Step speeds and their duration can be set to capture swimming abilities of different physiological and ecological relevance. Most frequently step size is set to determine critical swimming velocity (Ucrit
), which is intended to capture maximum sustained swimming ability. Traditionally this test has consisted of approximately ten steps each of 20 min duration. However, steps of shorter duration (e.g. 1 min) are increasingly being utilized to capture acceleration ability or burst swimming performance. Regardless of step size, swimming tests can be repeated over time to gauge individual variation and recovery ability. Endpoints related to swimming such as measures of metabolic rate, fin use, ventilation rate, and of behavior, such as the distance between schooling fish, are often included before, during and after swimming tests. Given the diversity of fish species, the number of unexplored research questions, and the importance of many species to global ecology and economic health, studies of fish swimming performance will remain popular and invaluable for the foreseeable future.
Physiology, Issue 51, fish, swimming, Ucrit, burst, sustained, prolonged, schooling performance
Nonhuman Primate Lung Decellularization and Recellularization Using a Specialized Large-organ Bioreactor
Institutions: Tulane University School of Medicine, Tulane National Primate Research Center, Tulane University School of Medicine, Tulane University School of Medicine.
There are an insufficient number of lungs available to meet current and future organ transplantation needs. Bioartificial tissue regeneration is an attractive alternative to classic organ transplantation. This technology utilizes an organ's natural biological extracellular matrix (ECM) as a scaffold onto which autologous or stem/progenitor cells may be seeded and cultured in such a way that facilitates regeneration of the original tissue. The natural ECM is isolated by a process called decellularization. Decellularization is accomplished by treating tissues with a series of detergents, salts, and enzymes to achieve effective removal of cellular material while leaving the ECM intact. Studies conducted utilizing decellularization and subsequent recellularization of rodent lungs demonstrated marginal success in generating pulmonary-like tissue which is capable of gas exchange in vivo
. While offering essential proof-of-concept, rodent models are not directly translatable to human use. Nonhuman primates (NHP) offer a more suitable model in which to investigate the use of bioartificial organ production for eventual clinical use.
The protocols for achieving complete decellularization of lungs acquired from the NHP rhesus macaque are presented. The resulting acellular lungs can be seeded with a variety of cells including mesenchymal stem cells and endothelial cells. The manuscript also describes the development of a bioreactor system in which cell-seeded macaque lungs can be cultured under conditions of mechanical stretch and strain provided by negative pressure ventilation as well as pulsatile perfusion through the vasculature; these forces are known to direct differentiation along pulmonary and endothelial lineages, respectively. Representative results of decellularization and cell seeding are provided.
Bioengineering, Issue 82, rhesus macaque, decellularization, recellularization, detergent, matrix, scaffold


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Natural Wonders of Western Kansas
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Steer down byways in Western Kansas, and you may stumble across some remarkable and unexpected scenery. In the state's extreme northwestern corner, Parks Road leads to the Arikaree Breaks (a two-mile wide "break" in the terrain), a rugged badlands landscape of yucca-studded cliffs, caves and gullies. Formed during the Ice Age, the loess soils harbor two species of sage and16 rare native plants and grasses ideal for cattle and wildlife. Stop in St. Francis for a self-guided tour brochure.
Southeast of Oakley, a soft sedimentary layer known as Niobrara Chalk has been exposed and sculpted by eons of wind, water and river ice. The result is spots like Monument Rocks (from Oakley, 20 miles south on US-83, eight miles southeast) where otherworldly bright-white turrets, spires and other formations rise from the prairie like dissolving sand castles. Fifty miles east, Castle Rock (15 miles south of Quinter) resembles a moonscape, a bizarre maze of narrow cuts and canyons cleaved into green cropland.


text:
- Computational Social Science
- Critical Data Studies
- Data Science
- Economics and Information
- Education Technology
- Ethics, Law and Policy
- Human-Computer Interaction
- Human-Robot Interaction
- Incentives and Computation
- Infrastructure Studies
- Interface Design and Ubiquitous Computing
- Natural Language Processing
- Network Science
- Social Computing and Computer-supported Cooperative Work
- Technology and Equity
NEW CURRICULUM EFFECTIVE FALL 2022
Please click on the links below for details on the core and concentrations requirements for the required courses to complete the major in Information Science, Systems, and Technology (ISST) within the College of Engineering. Please see the Cornell Class Roster for more information.
Note: All courses used toward the ISST major must be taken for a letter grade. No grades below a C- may be counted toward the major.
Overview of Major Requirements
- Students are required to complete seven core courses. As majors in ISST, students will have to satisfy a sequence of required mathematics courses.
- Once core course requirements have been met, students are required to complete one primary concentration, a secondary concentration, and two major approved electives. Detailed information can be found on the Concentrations page.
- All classes toward the completion of major requirements must be taken for a letter grade.
- ISST Checklist
If you need further information about the major, please feel free to contact us at _EMAIL_.


text:
After seeing the advantages of using interactive visuals in the classroom, Eric Schulz, a mathematics instructor at Walla Walla Community College, started thinking about how to redefine the standard ebook model of lifeless, static pages.
Using Mathematica and the Computable Document Format (CDF), Eric combined the capabilities of traditional text and interactive application into a single computation-powered knowledge container.
After sharing this vision and presenting some of his dynamic figures, Schulz was invited to join authors Briggs, Cochran, and Gillett for a new calculus text to be published by Pearson. CDF allowed the use of one tool, Mathematica, for typesetting, data, interactivity, and deployment. "It's hard to imagine how a book like this would be brought alive without having Mathematica."
Using the free Wolfram CDF Player, students can immediately navigate through sections and explore the ebook's interesting interactive figures and intuitive text, which combine to bring hard-to-convey concepts to life. "Those that have been teaching have been yearning for something that would bring our subject alive and move beyond the textual content we normally find, and support that with visualizations that are interactive, so the feedback has been incredibly positive."
Published in fall 2010, the ebook is being used at hundreds of colleges and universities across the United States and has been recognized with awards in the software and publishing industries.


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I think that zoos should exist because animals cant survive in the wild. They helpkeep them safe and they stop the animals from being endangered.
animals cant survive in the wild because people go and hunt for animals and eat them. Animals kill each other like tiger eats deer and predators liketigers, lions, cheetahs and sharks eat prey like deer, fish and seals.
zoos keep the animals safe. they give them food and water and a cage and a bed and keep them away from predators. and if they are sick they will take them to the vet.
zoos stop animals from being endangered. The zoos encourage them to have babies.
I think that animals should live in a zoo to be out of danger.


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TRAINING FOR SCHOOLSFREE half day training for schools!
TESSA training was excellent. Aim to ensure all schools and teacher training colleges in N. Ireland access this training! – Co. Down teacher.
Children with a history of trauma and attachment difficulties often struggle to learn and are challenging to teach. Understanding the importance of attachment in child development can help teachers, classroom assistants and other school staff support a child's emotional regulation, behaviour and learning, resulting in fewer meltdowns, better outcomes, and a calmer school environment.
TESSA offers a FREE half day's training to schools in attachment and developmental trauma and, if required, strategies and services to support individual children with specific issues. To qualify for the service, schools need to have at least one adopted child on their register, age 12 years or younger. All of the feedback we have received so far from schools indicates that the content of the course applies to many other non-adopted children with emotional and behavioural difficulties.
This outcome agrees with the findings of Baby Bonds, a review of international research into attachment by the Sutton Trust. Baby Bonds found that 40 per cent of young children are insecurely attached. In one US study research concluded that the quality of attachment alone was a stronger predictor of graduating from high school than either IQ or test score.
Attachment security is critical in school success. The good news is that if the adults (parents and teachers) are willing to work together and able to think differently about how we teach and discipline our children we can make school a safe base for learning.
The TESSA training aims to help schools:
- accept that some children have specific educational needs related to attachment and trauma.
- recognise the effects of developmental trauma in school.
- explore practical support strategies.


Using Liquibase with SQLite
SQlite is a relational database management system that implements a small, fast, and self-contained embedded SQL database engine.
Supported Versions
 - 3.X
Before using Liquibase and SQLite, ensure you have completed the following:
Driver Information
To use Liquibase and SQLite, you must install the JDBC driver:
 1. Download the sqlite-jdbc-.jar file for a version of SQLite that is supported by Liquibase. You can also download this jar from Maven's central repository.
 2. Place the sqlite-jdbc-.jar file in the liquibase/lib directory.
 3. Note: If you put the sqlite-jdbc-.jar file in any other directory, specify the path to it in the file: classpath:../path_to_drivers/sqlite-jdbc-.jar.
 4. Open your file and specify the driver value in it:
 5. driver: org.sqlite.JDBC
If you use Maven, add the following XML fragments to your Maven pom.xml file:
Maven will use this information to download the SQLite JDBC library from Maven's central repository into your local repository.
Testing Your Connection
For Liquibase and SQLite to work, you need to:
 1. Ensure your SQLite database is configured. You can use sqlite3 commands like.databases and.show to check the status of the database.
 2. Specify the database URL in your file:
 3. url: jdbc:sqlite:example.db
 4. Create a changelog file called dbchangelog (.xml,.sql,.json, or.yaml) in your project directory and add a changeset to it.
 1. Specify your changelog in the file. It should look like this:
 2. changeLogFile: dbchangelog.xml
 url: jdbc:sqlite:example.db
 driver: org.sqlite.JDBC
 Note: By default, SQLite databases do not require authentication, so the username and password attributes do not have to be specified. For more information, see SQLite User Authentication.
 3. Run the status command to see whether the connection is successful. This will create a database called example.db in your project folder if it does not already exist.
 4. liquibase --changeLogFile=dbchangelog.xml status
 Note: If you did not specify any properties in your file, they must be passed into the command line as attributes.
 5. You can preview any database changes you want to make using the updateSQL command, which will compare your changelog to your database and display the SQL needed to add your undeployed changesets. Then run your first database update with the update command.
 6. liquibase --changeLogFile=dbchangelog.xml updateSQL
 liquibase --changeLogFile=dbchangelog.xml update
 After your first update, you will see a new table along with the DATABASECHANGELOG and DATABASECHANGELOGLOCK tables added to the database:
 - DATABASECHANGELOG table. This table keeps a record of all the changesets that were deployed. When you deploy, the changesets in the changelog are compared with the DATABASECHANGELOG tracking table, and only the new changesets that were not found in the DATABASECHANGELOG will be deployed.
 - DATABASECHANGELOGLOCK table. This table is used internally by Liquibase to manage access to the DATABASECHANGELOG table during deployment and ensure only one instance of Liquibase is updating the database at a time, whether that is creating, updating, or deleting changes.
Related Links


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A celebration of Chengdu's modern ethos and historical legacy, the Museum of Natural History will transform the city's skyline and symbolize its innovative spirit. The museum will be a preeminent institution for science and culture, welcoming visitors from around the world with expansive exhibits, public spaces, shops, a café, a cinema, state-of-the-art educational facilities, and a verdant landscape that invites gathering and connection.
At the source of southwestern China's distinctive natural beauty
The museum's form embodies the splendor of the region's landscape. Chengdu is located on the western side of the Sichuan Basin, a vast plain bordered by mountains, home to rich farmland and vibrant urban centers. The area's bordering mountain ranges are the result of ancient volcanic activity and shifting tectonic plates — an evolutionary process that anchors our inspiration for the museum's design.
"We looked deeply into the natural beauty of the area's distinctive geography and geological features. Through an inspiring collaborative process with our partners in Chengdu, we were able to realize our vision for the building to be an expression of this dynamic and striking landscape." — Kristin Hawkins, AIA
A world of discovery in motion
The museum's dramatic forms embody the process of rock breaking apart due to opposing forces of volcanic activity and shifting tectonic plates. The building's form sweeps up in places to reveal the interior before descending again, reflecting the tension between ascension and gravity. The exterior granite surface is punctuated with organic perforations that create the impression of daylight reflecting on mountain snow. At night, light from within evokes a starry sky.
An uplifting sense of connection
An expansive canopy marks the main entrance, welcoming visitors into the museum. Inside the central atrium, sculpted wooden bridges recall the historic connection between Chengdu and its ancient water passages. A four-story glass elevator is patterned as an ancient bamboo forest, creating the impression of entering a prehistoric habitat. Glassy clefts between the granite forms give visitors continuous visual connections to the surrounding city and landscape.
At the crossroads of nature and culture
Outside the museum, an immersive nature experience awaits with indigenous plants, topography, and waterways. Reflecting pools and tributaries will frame the museum, highlighting the region's historic irrigation systems, the Sichuan River, and Dongfeng Canal.
More About the Project
- Architect of Record: China Southwest Architectural Design and Research (CSWADI)
- Structural Engineer: China Southwest Architectural Design and Research (CSWADI)
- MEP: China Southwest Architectural Design and Research (CSWADI)
- Location: Chengdu, China
- Client: Chengdu City Construction Investment and Management Group (CDCI)
- Size: 540,000 sq. ft. / 50,000 sq. m.
- Completion: 2022
- Certifications: Project Goal - Chinese Green Building Design Label 3 Star Rating
- Firm Role: Design Architect
- Renderings courtesy of Steelblue, CSWADI
- Video courtesy of ©China Railway Construction Engineering Group(中国中铁建工集团)


text:
NAG Library Routine Document
S17AXF returns an array of values for the derivative of the Airy function.
||N, IVALID(N), IFAIL
S17AXF calculates an approximate value for the derivative of the Airy function for an array of arguments, for. It is based on a number of Chebyshev expansions.
are expansions in the variable
are expansions in
is an expansion in
is an expansion in
is an expansion in
For the square of the machine precision, the result is set directly to. This saves time and avoids possible underflows in calculation.
For large negative arguments, it becomes impossible to calculate a result for the oscillating function with any accuracy so the routine must fail. This occurs for, where is the machine precision.
For large positive arguments, where grows in an essentially exponential manner, there is a danger of overflow so the routine must fail.
Abramowitz M and Stegun I A (1972) Handbook of Mathematical Functions (3rd Edition) Dover Publications
- 1: N – INTEGERInput
On entry:, the number of points.
- 2: X(N) – REAL (KIND=nag_wp) arrayInput
On entry: the argument of the function, for.
- 3: F(N) – REAL (KIND=nag_wp) arrayOutput
On exit:, the function values.
- 4: IVALID(N) – INTEGER arrayOutput
contains the error code for
- No error.
- is too large and positive. contains zero. The threshold value is the same as for in S17AKF, as defined in the Users' Note for your implementation.
- is too large and negative. contains zero. The threshold value is the same as for in S17AKF, as defined in the Users' Note for your implementation.
- 5: IFAIL – INTEGERInput/Output
must be set to
. If you are unfamiliar with this parameter you should refer to Section 3.3
in the Essential Introduction for details.
For environments where it might be inappropriate to halt program execution when an error is detected, the value
is recommended. If the output of error messages is undesirable, then the value
is recommended. Otherwise, if you are not familiar with this parameter, the recommended value is
. When the value is used it is essential to test the value of IFAIL on exit.
unless the routine detects an error or a warning has been flagged (see Section 6
6 Error Indicators and Warnings
If on entry
, explanatory error messages are output on the current error message unit (as defined by X04AAF
Errors or warnings detected by the routine:
On entry, at least one value of X
for more information.
On entry,.
For negative arguments the function is oscillatory and hence absolute error is appropriate. In the positive region the function has essentially exponential behaviour and hence relative error is needed. The absolute error,
, and the relative error
, are related in principle to the relative error in the argument
In practice, approximate equality is the best that can be expected. When
is of the order of the machine precision
, the errors in the result will be somewhat larger.
For small, positive or negative, errors are strongly attenuated by the function and hence will effectively be bounded by the machine precision.
For moderate to large negative, the error is, like the function, oscillatory. However, the amplitude of the absolute error grows like. Therefore it becomes impossible to calculate the function with any accuracy if.
For large positive, the relative error amplification is considerable:. However, very large arguments are not possible due to the danger of overflow. Thus in practice the actual amplification that occurs is limited.
This example reads values of X
from a file, evaluates the function at each value of
and prints the results.
9.1 Program Text
Program Text (s17axfe.f90)
9.2 Program Data
Program Data (s17axfe.d)
9.3 Program Results
Program Results (s17axfe.r)


Which address will be used to send a broadcast message to all computers on the network?
3. 123.234.345.456
5. All of the above
How to participate:
 - Answer the above question and providing your email address along.
 - Only the answer provided with email address will be marked.
 - Only the first correct answer will be considered.


24 Hours Quiz | Eight Week Quiz G
Greg Iles
Buy the 24 Hours Lesson Plans
Name: _________________________ Period: ___________________
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Where is the actual ringing phone Abby is trying to reach?
(a) A landline in the bedroom.
(b) On the floor, in the kitchen.
(c) Huey's pocket.
(d) In the yard.
2. Who intends to announce the release of the new drug Restorase?
(a) Karen.
(b) Will.
(c) Huey.
(d) Abby.
3. Ferris reluctantly agrees to call the FBI under what condition?
(a) If Abby calls Karen again.
(b) If Cheryl gives Will more information.
(c) If they find the cabin.
(d) If they can find Hickey.
4. After Karen first tries to call the police, what does Karen return to the kitchen with to gain control over Hickey?
(a) A bottle of poison.
(b) Will's gun.
(c) A rag soaked in chloroform.
(d) A knife.
5. Abby is beginning to become ill because she ate what substance that Huey allowed her have?
(a) A whole box of cookies.
(b) Several bowls of Captain Crunch cereal.
(c) Cake.
(d) Peanuts.
Short Answer Questions
1. Dr. McDill and his wife discuss their kidnapping story with whom?
2. Who does Will meet at the manager's office at the bank?
3. How old is Abby when she is kidnapped?
5. How are the ransom amounts configured?
(see the answer key)
This section contains 289 words
(approx. 1 page at 300 words per page)
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text:
File image (Photo: Toby Talbot, AP)
Obese drivers are more likely to die in collisions than people of normal weight, a new study has found.
The risk of death increased the more obese the driver was, according to the study released online Monday in the BMJ Group's Emergency Medicine Journal.
The researchers examined data from the U.S. Fatality Analysis Reporting System from 1996 to 2008. In that period, 57,491 collisions in the nation were submitted.
The study used the World Health Organization definition of obese, which is a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher.
The study's authors pointed to previous research that showed that an obese driver's lower body is propelled farther upon impact before a seat belt engages the pelvis. The driver's additional tissue prevents the belt from fitting snugly, but the upper body is held back.
The authors suggest that while obese people may have underlying health problems, vehicle design may need to change to provide better protection.
"The ability of passenger vehicles to protect overweight or obese occupants may have increasingly important public health implications, given the continuing obesity epidemic in the USA," the authors said in a statement.
More than a third of U.S. adults - 35.7% - are obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Some 16.9% of U.S. children and adolescents are obese.
Keshia Pollack, associate professor with the Center for Injury Research and Policy at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, says more testing is needed to understand the biomechanics of how bodies react in collisions. For example, there have been discussions about using larger crash-test dummies, says Pollack, who was not involved in the study.
Pollack says research also shows that obese individuals, particularly morbidly obese ones, are less likely to wear seat belts and to use them properly. More research can look at how to design seat belts to fit better and to be more comfortable.
She adds, "We also need to be focusing more on encouraging people to wear their seat belts because they are an effective technology."
Cathy Payne, USA TODAY


Using UWB asset tags to dynamically create rt-ispace augmentations
Essentially, an asset tag is a small device that can be used to locate and instantiate, using UWB in this case, an augmentation in an rt-ispace environment completely dynamically. The augmentation follows the position and orientation of the asset tag, making for a very simple way to implement augmented spaces. If engineered properly, it could be an extremely simple piece of hardware that would be essentially UWB hardware along with a MEMS IMU and a battery. Instead of WiFi as in this prototype, pose updates could be sent over the UWB infrastructure to make things really simple. Ideally, these would be extremely cheap and could be placed anywhere in a space as a simple way of adding augmentations. These augmentations can be proxy objects (all aspects of a proxy object augmentation can be modified by remote servers) and can be as simple or complex as desired.
There are some similarities and differences with the ArUco marker system for instantiating augmentations. The ArUco marker can provide an ID but that has to be matched with a previously instantiated object that has the same ID attached. Asset tags don't require any pre-configuration like that. Another problem with ArUco markers is that they are very affected by occlusion – even a wire running across a marker might make it undetectable. Asset tags are not affected by occlusion and so will function correctly in a much wider range of circumstances. They do require UWB enabled spaces, however. In the end, both styles of augmentation instantiation have their place.
Note that the asset tag doesn't need to contain the actual asset data (although it could if desired). All it needs to do is to provide a URL of a repository where the asset (either Unity assetbundle or glTF blob) can be found. The asset is then streamed dynamically when it needs to be instantiated. It also provides information about where to find function servers in the case of a proxy object. The rt-ispace user app (in this case an iOS app running on an iPad Pro) doesn't need to know anything about asset tags – they just inject normal looking (but transient) augmentation updates into the rt-ispace system so that augmentations magically appear. Obviously, this kind of flexibility could easily be abused and, in real life, a proper security strategy would need to be implemented in most cases. For development, though, it's nice for things just to work!
One application that I like is a shared space where people can bring along their virtual creations in the form of some asset tags and just place them in the rt-ispace space so that any user in the space could see them.
Another idea is that items in stores could have rt-ispace asset tags attached to them (like security tags today) so that looking at the item with an AR device would perhaps demonstrate some kind of feature. Manufacturers could supply the asset and functions servers, freeing the retail store from having to implement something for every stocked item.
The video above shows how the augmentation tracks the UWB tag around and that the IMU controls the augmentation's orientation. For now, the hardware is a complete hack with multiple components but it does prove that the concept is viable. The UWB tag (the white box on the floor under the figure's right foot) controls the location of the augmentation in the physical space. A Raspberry Pi fitted with an IMU provides orientation information and drives the resulting pose via WiFi to the rt-ispace servers. The augmentation is the usual glTF sample CesiumMan.
Linking AR augmentations to physical space using the ArUco marker system
Following on from the earlier work with ArUco markers, rt-ispace can now associate ArUco markers with augmentations in a space. The image above shows two glTF sample models attached to two different ArUco marker codes (23 and 24 in this case). Since these models are animated, a video also seems appropriate!
The image and video were obtained using an iPad Pro running the rt-ispace app that forms the front end for the rt-ispace system. A new server, EdgeAnchor, receives the AR video stream from the iPad via the assigned EdgeAccess, detecting any ArUco markers that may be in view. The video stream also contains the iPad camera instrinsics and AR camera pose, which allows EdgeAnchor to determine a physical pose in space of the marker relative to the camera view. The marker detection results are sent back to the iPad app (via EdgeAccess) which then matches the ArUco IDs to instantiated augmentations and calculates the world space pose for the augmentation. There are some messy calculations in there but it actually works very well.
The examples shown are set up to instantiate the augmentation based on a horizontal marker. However, the augmentation configuration allows for a 6-dof offset to the marker. This means that markers can be hung on walls with augmentations either on the walls or in front of the walls, for example.
A single EdgeAnchor instance can be shared among many rt-ispace users as no state is retained between frames allowing the system to scale very nicely. Also, there is nothing specific to ArUco markers: in principle, EdgeAnchor could support multiple marker types, providing great flexibility. The only requirement is that the marker detection results in a 6-dof pose relative to the camera.
Previously, I had been resistant to the use of markers, preferring to use the spatial mapping capabilities of the user device to provide spatial lock and location of augmentations. However, there are many limitations to these systems, especially where there is very limited visual texture or depth changes to act as a natural anchor. Adding physical anchors means that augmentations can be reliably placed in very featureless spaces which is a big plus in terms of creating a pleasant user experience.
Adding ArUco marker detection to rt-ai
There are many situations where it is necessary to establish the spatial relationship between a camera in a space and 3D points within the same space. One particular application of interest is the ability to use markers to accurately locate holograms in a space so that AR headset users see the holograms locked in the space, even as they look or move around the space. OpenCV has the ArUco marker detection included so that seemed like a good place to start. The screen capture above shows the rt-ai Aruco marker detector identifying the pose of a few example markers.
This is the simple rt-ai test design with the new ArUcoDetect stream processing element (SPE). The UVC camera was running at 1920 x 1080, 30 fps, and the ArUco SPE had no trouble keeping up with this.
This screen capture is a demonstration of the kind of thing that might be useful to do in an AR application. The relative pose of the marker has been detected, allowing the marker to be replaced by an associated hologram by a 3D application.
While the detection is quite stable, the ArUco SPE implements a configurable filter to help eliminate occasional artifacts, especially regarding the blue (z-axis) which can swing around quite a bit under some circumstances due to the pose ambiguity problem. The trick is to tune the filter to eliminate any residual pose jitter while maintaining adequate response to headset movement.
One challenge here is management of camera intrinsic parameters. In this case, I was using a Logitech C920 webcam for which calibration intrinsics had been determined using a version of the ChArUco calibration sample here. It wouldn't be hard for the CUVCCam SPE to include camera intrinsic parameters in the JSON associated with each frame, assuming it could detect the type of UVC camera and pick up a pre-determined matrix for that type. Whether that's adequate is a TBD. In other situations, where the video source is able to supply calibration data, the problem goes away. Anyway, more work needs to be done in this area.
Since rt-ai stream processing networks (SPNs) can be integrated with SHAPE via the Conductor SPE (an example of the Conductor is here), an AR headset running the SHAPE application could stream front facing video to the ArUco SPN, which would then return the relative pose of detected markers that have previously been associated with SHAPE virtual objects. This would allow the headset to correctly instantiate the SHAPE virtual objects in the space and avoid problems relying on inside out tracking alone (such as in a spatial environment with a repeating texture that prevents unique identification).
Embedding AI inference in the Spatial Networking Cloud
rt-ai is a system for graphically composing edge AI stream processing networks either distributed on multiple processing nodes or all running on a single node. In the latter case, shared memory can be used for transfers between the functional blocks, making it almost as efficient as monolithic code. So when it comes to embedding AI inference in a Spatial Networking Cloud (SNC), rt-ai makes perfect sense. However, the underlying network styles are completely different – SNC uses a highly dynamic series of multicast and end to end virtual links whereas rt-ai uses static MQTT or shared memory links. Each makes sense for the different applications so it is necessary to create a bridge between the two worlds.
Right now, bridging is done (for video streams) with the GetSNCVideo and PutSNCVideo stream processing elements (SPEs) that can be added to any video stream processing network (SPN). GetSNCVideo can grab SNC video frames from the configured stream source which then acts as an rt-ai source for the downstream SPEs. Once processing has been completed, the frames can be re-injected into SNC using the PutSNCVideo SPE. There can be similar bridges for sensor or any other type of data that needs to be passed through an rt-ai SPN


Fishing for POI
Creating Excel or Word files from Java...
Have you ever needed to create a Microsoft Excel or Word file from Java? If you have, did you try to do it from scratch yourself? If you were working with Excel, did you end up creating comma-separated data in a file (CSV files)?
CSV files work very well as long as all you are interested in is the raw data. But what if you are interested in including formulas in your data or need to format your spreadsheet appropriately (with centring, colours, bold, italics etc)? Did you give up in the end, or work with a compromise solution?
As it happens I was recently asked this very question by some Java developers. They were working with a web-based application and wanted to create both Excel and Word files for senior management to access. These files would hold dynamically generated data relevant to their organisation. They therefore needed to be generated programmatically as and when required.
The POI Project
Creating Excel and Word files is hard, not least due to the complex nature of the file formats used by Microsoft for Excel and Word. That is, formats based upon Microsoft's OLE 2 Compound Document format. However, one of the Apache projects does all the hard work for you and makes it very easy to create, read and update Excel, and soon, Word files. This project is called POI. It has already been in development for several years, starting in April 2001. It is currently in version 2.5. You can download it here.
POI is actually more like a number of combined projects, which allow you to create both Word and Excel format files. It can be divided into several sub-projects, in particular:
* POIFS, the oldest and most stable part of the project, which provides facilities for reading and writing OLE 2 Compound Document files.
* HWPF, a port of the Microsoft Word 97 file format to pure Java.
* HSSF, a port of the Microsoft Excel 97(-2002) file format (BIFF8) to pure Java.
In this column we will focus on the use of POI to create Excel files using HSSF.
HSSF for Excel files.
You may wonder what HSSF stands for. Rather provocatively it stands for Horrible SpreadSheet Format (indeed many of the elements of POI have quite provocative names, e.g. DDF - Dreadful Drawing Format, which is the Microsoft Office Drawing format, otherwise known as Escher format).
HSSF provides a way to create Excel spreadsheets as well as to read, modify and write existing spreadsheets. All together it provides:
* low level structures for those with special needs
* an event model API for efficient read-only access
* a full user model API for creating, reading and modifying XLS files
Creating an Excel file with POI
Let's look at the basics of what is needed to create an Excel file. First, we need to create a workbook and add a sheet to it. We will then need to add values for cells, formulas and the like. The program presented in figure 1 illustrates how we can do this using POI.
The code required to create an Excel file using POI
The first thing that this program does is create a new HSSFWorkBook (in line 14). We then create a sheet from this book (in line 15). Finally, we obtain the first row in the sheet in line 16. Note that in POI rows and columns are numbered from zero. Thus, a cell A1 in Excel is obtained from row 0, and cell 0 (in that row).
We now have a workbook object, with a single sheet in it (called Sheet1). In turn the sheet contains a single row.
Lines 18 to 25 now create a set of cells to form that row in order to hold headings for each column in the sheet. Lines 27 to 35 provide data for our very simple spreadsheet. In all cases we obtain the cells in the sheet by accessing the appropriate row element and retrieving a cell form within that row (note that the createCell(short) method takes a short value rather than an int - we thus need to cast to a short when calling this method using an integer literal).
To set the value within the cell we use the setCellValue method. This is an overloaded method, which can take a Boolean, a string, a double, Date or Calendar object. It can thus represent most types of data held in a spreadsheet. It also helps define the type of the data (e.g. cells set with a string will be textual, whereas cells set with a numeric are numerical).
One cell deviates from this; cell 3 in row 1. In this cell we use the method setCellFormula(String). In fact, we pass the string "B2*C2" to this method. This sets the cell to hold a formula where its value will be calculated by executing this formula.
The setCellFormula method takes a string and uses it as a formula for the cell. In our case, the formula is very simple - it multiplies the value held in cell B2 (the second cell in row 1) with the value held in cell C2 (the third cell in row 1). Notice the cells we obtain are from row 1, and cells 1 and 2, but the formula references them as cells B2 and C2. Also notice that the formula does not include the "=" at the start - this will be automatically added by POI.
Once the Spreadsheet has been defined it can be written out to file. This is done in lines 37-39. This creates a FileOutputStream to a file called "text1.xls" and uses the write method on the Workbook object to write its contents out to file. The end result is that the file saved to the file system is now an Excel file that is indistinguishable from any other Excel file. In Figure 2 I have opened this file using Excel:
What the Excel file generated in fig 1 looks like in Excel
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My next short story will appear in Trump Utopia or Dystopia, a new anthology from Dark Helix Press, available electronically in December and in print in January. The premise for authors was simple. Speculative fiction about Donald J. Trump, showing the world created by his policies. In the week that Trump authorised the final release of documents relating to the assassination of President Kennedy, I started speculating on how a world created by Kennedy's policies might look.
Several writers have created alternative histories in which Kennedy survived. If asked to do the same I would imagine a world where:
1. The USSR is the only superpower.
2. America has a free healthcare system.
3. Palestine has no international recognition.
4. The public have no access to government documents.
5. Martin Luther King became President in 1980.
We can all imagine how things would be different, if events in our own lives had occurred earlier, later or never. We can also speculate on how things might be better and, perhaps, find ways to make that speculation a reality.


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Volume 20, Issue 1 (January 1992)
Comparison of Fine Particle Colemanite and Boron Frit in Concrete for Time-Strength Relationship
The element boron, when added to concrete, has proved effective in shielding neutron particles by absorbing the neutron and emitting a low-energy gamma ray. The various boron additives used with concrete can severely retard the set time and strength gain. An advantage to using small particle size boron is that the smaller grain size provides better boron disbursement within the concrete matrix to absorb neutrons. However, boron additives of powder consistency are usually not used due to the greater potential of forming chemical solutions that act as a retarder in the concrete.
Research has shown that the amount of boron additives in concrete can be reduced significantly if fine grain particles can be successfully incorporated into the concrete matrix. The purpose of this study is to compare strength gain characteristics of concrete mixes containing various quantities of fine grain boron additive. The boron additive colemanite, a natural mineral, is compared with two brands of manufactured aggregate, boron frit. Concrete test cylinders are molded for testing the compressive strength of the mix after 4, 7, 28, and 56 days. Tested are five different quantities of colemanite as well as five comparable amounts of boron frit for each brand of the material. The test values are compared with a control concrete specimen containing no boron additive. Results of this study can be used to optimize the cost and effectiveness of boron additives in radiation shielding concrete.


Genetic gains made possible
Genetic gains for Australian Angus breeders
R&D has been critical for genetic improvement in Angus and all livestock species.
Angus Australia is committed to the ongoing advancement of the Angus breed, and the organisation believes research and development (R&D) is vital to achieving positive outcomes.
Angus Australia's strategic projects manager Christian Duff manages many of the organisation's R&D projects, both those that it runs directly - such as the Angus Sire Benchmarking Program - and those undertaken in collaboration with other researchers. Mr Duff is also a part-time PhD student focusing on livestock genetics.
"R&D has been critical for genetic improvement in Angus and all livestock species," he said.
"Without R&D, productivity gains through genetics would be limited by reliance on visual assessment in relation to breeding animal selections, such as bulls and heifers."
Making positive change with regards to genetics is a particular focus for Angus Australia.
"R&D collaboration with Angus Australia needs to be focused, particularly in relation to Angus breeding cattle and on making genetic gains for commercially and socially relevant traits," Mr Duff said.
"If we are talking to researchers about collaborative R&D, we need to know that it is going to add value in relation to new knowledge and potentially add to - or increase - rates of genetic gains.
"This provides Angus Australia members and the broader industry enhanced information that can be used to breed better cattle now and into the future."
Mr Duff believes the work facilitated by Angus Australia in the R&D space is of great benefit to the Australian beef industry as a whole.
"From my perspective, the good thing about working for Angus Australia and Angus breeders is any small positive change you can make, that is adopted by Angus breeders, will have a big flow-on effect," he said.
"There are obviously a lot of Angus and Angus-influenced cattle in the Australian beef industry, particularly in the southern states."
A recent survey revealed there were about 5.6 million breeding females with Angus influence in Australia.
About 2.4 million, or 20 per cent of the national herd, were pure Angus.
"What those numbers highlight from a breeding technology perspective, is if you can make a small improvement in the sires we are putting into the industry through R&D, it will have a big flow-on effect and improve things for the whole supply chain and for the consumer, making sure they get a product they are happy with, that they like to eat and are happy to keep paying for," Mr Duff said.
Angus Australia's priority research areas include breeding female productivity (fertility, longevity and body composition), structural soundness, eating quality, health, welfare and immune competence, methane emissions, climate resilience and adaptation, global benchmarking of Angus genetics across countries, and optimal use of genomic technology.
"One key research area that we are really focusing on at the moment is to better understand the maternal traits of the cow," Mr Duff said.
"Angus is a maternal breed - people generally keep the daughters to breed with - so the cow traits are important, things such as fertility, efficiency, longevity and soundness.
"We are doing more collaborative R&D in that space to enhance our knowledge.
"In collaboration with Dr Sam Clarke and his team at the University of New England, we are currently investigating longevity for Angus to estimate genetic parameters and ultimately produce a research breeding value for longevity based on Australian Angus data, which in effect impacts profitability in the commercial herd.
"The aim being to select sires that produce daughters that stay in the herd for a desired amount of time, that don't fall out of the system early for reasons such as fertility and structural issues."
Angus Australia highly values its collaborations with other leading research organisations. Mr Duff said partnerships were critical to innovative genetic improvements for the breed.
Without R&D, productivity gains through genetics would be limited by reliance on visual assessment in relation to breeding animal selections, such as bulls and heifers. - Christian Duff, Angus Australia's strategic projects manager
Co-collaborators include AbacusBio, Agricultural Business Research Institute, American Angus Association, Charles Sturt University, NSW Department of Primary Industries, Animal Genetics and Breeding Unit, CSIRO, and the University of New England.
"We have a lot of skills at Angus Australia, but we don't have all the knowledge and people, so we have to collaborate to boost our R&D objectives," Mr Duff said.
"We currently collaborate with 10 research organisations.
"Together with leading groups like the University of New England and the Animal Genetics and Breeding Unit, we are really focused on the genetic side of things.
"We also undertake collaborative research and evaluation with international groups like the American Angus Association, plus tertiary educators such as the University of Queensland.
"One of the groups we are doing more and more collaboration with is the CSIRO, they've got a really good team of geneticists, but also the right people to come up with new ways of collecting new but commercially important phenotypes.
"We are keen to collaborate with a range of research organisations to hit those research objectives."
Mr Duff said the success of such R&D programs is measured against a number of benchmarks.
"Ultimately, because we are primarily focused on genetic technology, and a member focused company, we look at what R&D has a high chance of being applied and adopted," he said.
"Not all research gets to that point, which we appreciate, as you can't expect all R&D to transition to the applied stage."
Once some of the technology advances to the applied stage, and is promoted through Angus Australia's extension and education team, adoption and uptake by members and the broader industry are followed.
"Primarily, we measure that by how determining how many people are recording new information or using the new information to select breeding stock,' he said.
"Over time we want to be facilitating positive genetic changes to the Angus breed in Australia, so we also monitor genetic trends on a regular basis."
From the front page
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We are seeking a Health and Safety Advisor based in Llansamlet, Swansea to develop a comprehensive health and safety system for our busy factory. The focal point for the fixed term will be the implementation of an effective risk assessment process, ensuring safe systems of work are in place for all factory activity.
- Provide advice and assistance to all persons responsible for health & safety at the Factory, also supporting the Bay Studio offices if required
- Provide a robust system, including procedures, guidance and training, to achieve a sustainable risk assessment process at the Factory
- Implement risk assessments for all the Factory's activities, including general risk assessments, COSHH, Manual Handling, Noise, DSE, and other statutory requirements:
- Provide a review of all hazards at the Factory, developing a prioritised list/programme of the risk assessments required
- Undertake required risk assessments, involving relevant personnel (though working independently, if the situation requires it)
- Agree, track and support actions arising from risk assessments, including provision of safe systems of work / work instructions and training
- Develop a programme for inspection and testing of facilities and equipment, e.g. pressure systems, LEV, lifting equipment, in accordance with insurance and statutory requirements
- Review existing health & safety procedures, including training material, recommend changes and implement as required, e.g.:
- Induction training;
- Emergency arrangements;
- Support the HR Manager in implementing an effective health and safety staff consultation process
- Develop appropriate health and safety KPIs
- Develop and implement a system to maintain appropriate documentation and records to demonstrate compliance all statutory requirements
Qualifications and Training:
- NEBOSH General Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety
- Practical and up-to-date knowledge of UK health and safety legislation
- Microsoft packages, including Excel
- NEBOSH Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety
- Degree / HND, or equivalent, in technical discipline
- Proven experience as a HSE Advisor in a manufacturing organisation
- Able to constructively challenge existing thinking and systems, with a demonstrated commitment to continuous improvement.
- Able to interact and communicate effectively with staff at all levels in the organization, as well as with external bodies, with the confidence to deal with conflicting opinions.
- Organised and methodical, with the ability to adapt to changing priorities.
- Prepared to be flexible with working hours when the situation demands it, e.g. emergency response
Please send a copy of your CV and covering letter to _EMAIL_ with the job title in the subject.


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EnerGuide is the official Government of Canada mark for rating and labelling the energy consumption or energy efficiency of products including new vehicles, appliances, heating and cooling equipment, and houses that have had an energy efficiency evaluation. For more information, visit EnerGuide in Canada.
The EnerGuide Label for Vehicles provides model-specific fuel consumption information for new light-duty vehicles available for retail sale in Canada, including passenger cars, vans, pickup trucks and SUVs. Use the EnerGuide label to compare new vehicle fuel consumption information and identify the most fuel-efficient new vehicle that meets your everyday needs.
EnerGuide labels should remain on new vehicles until they are sold. If a new vehicle has no label, ask the dealer for the manufacturer's fuel consumption information for the vehicle.
New EnerGuide label
A redesigned EnerGuide label was introduced with model year 2016 vehicles. The new label reflects the improved testing and provides you with more comprehensive fuel consumption and environmental information. The sample label is for a gasoline vehicle. Use the links below to see the sample labels for vehicles that use other types of fuel.
1. Vehicle technology and fuel - text and related icon identifying the type of fuel used by the vehicle
2. Fuel consumption - a prominent combined fuel consumption rating and separate city and highway fuel consumption ratings in litres per 100 kilometres (L/100 km). The combined rating reflects 55 percent city and 45 percent highway driving.
3. Fuel economy - the combined rating expressed in miles per imperial gallon (mi/gal)
4. Annual fuel cost - an estimate based on the combined fuel consumption rating, 20,000 km driven and the fuel price indicated
5. Vehicle class range - the best and worst combined fuel consumption ratings of vehicles in the same class
6. CO2 and smog ratings - the vehicle's tailpipe emissions of CO2 and smog-forming pollutants rated on a scale from 1 (worst) to 10 (best). The CO2 emissions, in grams per kilometre driven, are shown on the CO2 bar
7. QR code - a Quick Response code that links smartphone users to Natural Resources Canada's Fuel Consumption Ratings Search Tool
- Date Modified:


ed One, the existence of this Diclonius is in question. She only appears in the anime, during the tenth episode, while Professor Kakuzawa tries to convince Kurama that the work they are doing is vital. He does this by providing an account that makes it seem like all Diclonius children are ticking time bombs which go off at the age of three, automatically killing their family members. Sadly, this argument ends up ignoring the willfulness and steep learning curve of three-year-old children. In fact, his narration even appears to ignore the actual events shown in the girl's sequence. In it, a young Human boy has a Diclonius with a cap covering her horns cornered with his dog, who is growling at the girl while he smiles. This stance may indicate he was targeting her for simple if cruel fun, not knowing of her horns. In response, she decapitates him, then attempts to pet the dog, who is still snarling at her and bites her. Though confused as to why the dog bit her, she doesn't retaliate and instead cries while the dog runs away. The only part of this sequence that fits into Kakuzawa's narrative is the seeming unwillingness of Diclonius to harm animals, which Kakuzawa turns around to emphasize the new species status as the enemy of Humans. This girl resembles young Lucy and wears the same style of cap, but it is unlikely this girl is her since she is primarily an example used to show Diclonius nature as understood by the Diclonius Research Institute at that point, and thus is just an anecdotal representation.
Oomori's Daughter
Oomori, who was Kurama's assistant before Isobe at the Diclonius Research Institute, suffered an enormous blow when he learned his newborn daughter was a Diclonius, statistically a Silpelit by birth. This shock was multiplied a hundredfold when Kurama and Professor Kakuzawa informed him that, according to the policy of Chief Kakuzawa, the girl would have to be euthanized to avert the potential threat she posed. Despite Oomori's heartbroken pleas, the child was put to death. Oomori's daughter was never seen nor even glimpsed, but her fate is not left in question. She remains relevant for more than just the karmic twist that bites back hard at Kurama later on as he faces the situation with Mariko. In Oomori, there is a face given to the many parents who did not wish to dispose of a 'freak,' but had every intention of raising and loving their child. One of the central conflicts of the series lies in whether their wishes would have saved their children or if they were naive, given the tender age of power emergence for these girls, as well as the possibility of an inborn instinct to kill Humans. Whatever that answer might have been, the agenda of the Kakuzawas swept that debate aside. In Oomori's tears and the inevitable likely ruin of his life after that, since his infection means all his future children would be Diclonius, one sharp corner of the Elfen Lied saga is brought into direct focus.


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Education for All
Education for All (EFA) is a global movement launched in 1990 and led by UNESCO that aims to meet the learning needs of all children, youth and adults. At the World Education Forum in Dakar in 2000, measurable EFA goals were identified, and Viet Nam was among the 164 governments that committed to their achievement by 2015. In the same year, Viet Nam joined the 189 nations who pledged to half extreme poverty by 2015 through achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
Following its commitments, Viet Nam developed an EFA action plan for 2003-2015, a framework that sets targets and guides cooperation among Government, international organizations, bilateral donors and NGOs toward achieving EFA. As a low-income country, Viet Nam was eligible for assistance from the Education for All Fast-track Initiative (EFA FTI), which matches national education strategies such as Viet Nam's EFA action plan with donor's efforts to accelerate progress towards the Millennium Development Goal of universal primary education by 2015.
As the coordinating agency for the EFA-FTI process in Viet Nam, in 2010 UNESCO led a review and update of the country's EFA action plan. In addition, the UNESCO Bangkok Office provided technical support to undertake financial analysis and costing of the EFA Action Plan, based on recommendations for FTI resource allocation to different sub-sectors.
The EFA Action Plan update resulted in the following recommendations: i) ensure that the most disadvantaged have access to at least one year of quality pre-school education, ii) strengthen Vietnamese through Mother Tongue and Inclusive Education and iii) improve the EFA Quality Assurance mechanisms through enhanced capacities of local education managers. UNESCO continues to assist international education development partners and MOET institutions to implement all EFA-FTI supported activities that aim to achieve EFA by 2015.


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Science Fair Project Encyclopedia
Mist is a phenomenon of a liquid in small droplets floating through air. It can occur naturally as part of natural weather or volcanic activity, and is common in cold air above hot water, in exhaled air in the cold, and in a steam room of a sauna. It can also be created artificially with aerosol canisters. Fog is a definition closely related to mist, in that their definitions overlap. At performances and parties a fog machine can be used for visual effects, possibly combined with special lighting.
Not to be confused with the Myst computer game series.
The contents of this article is licensed from _URL_ under the GNU Free Documentation License. Click here to see the transparent copy and copyright details


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Young Motherhood and Child Outcomes is a report by Bruce Bradley from the Social Policy Research Centre using data from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC. It shows that children aged 4-5 years whose mothers were under 25 when they were born have distinctly lower levels of functioning than those with older mothers and that this disadvantage carries through to education and labour market outcomes. Those born when their mother was in her teens are much less likely to be still in school from 16 to 18 years of age.
However, international research, supported by this study, suggests that children born to young mothers might still have had poor outcomes even if their mother had delayed their childbearing. "It is quite possible that such associations could arise because of the different characteristics of the mothers (and fathers) who have their children when young."


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Long, red, trumpet-shaped blossoms whorl around the end of stems. The leaves are oblong and come off stem opposite each other, though upper leaves may fuse together around stem. Climbing vine - blooms spring to fall. Also called Coral Honeysuckle.
Flower Type: Flowers with 5 petals fused into a long, tubular flower and arranged in whorls at the end of branches
Flower Color: Bright red
Leaf Arrangement: Opposite (in pairs)
Plant Type: Vine
Leaf Type: Oblong and entire (smooth edged), with the top pair fused around the stem
Stem: Woody and climbing
When you research information you must cite the reference. Citing for websites is different from citing from books, magazines and periodicals. The style of citing shown here is from the MLA Style Citations (Modern Language Association).
When citing a WEBSITE the general format is as follows.
Author Last Name, First Name(s). "Title: Subtitle of Part of Web Page, if appropriate." Title: Subtitle: Section of Page if appropriate. Sponsoring/Publishing Agency, If Given. Additional significant descriptive information. Date of Electronic Publication or other Date, such as Last Updated. Day Month Year of access < URL >.
Amsel, Sheri. "Honeysuckle (Trumpet)" Exploring Nature Educational Resource ©2005-2019. September 16, 2019
< _URL_ >


Roof Cleaning in Iron City, TN
Most homeowners don't spend much time thinking about the cleanliness of their roof. As long as it's not leaking the roof is fine isn't it? Well the truth is actually rather alarming. Leaving the roof uncleaned can lead to a number of issues that if left neglected can cause considerable damage to the pointing and tiles. This neglect will eventually lead to the deterioration of the roof far faster than if it had been cleaned in the first place. This article will discuss some of the signs of trouble, the causes, and some of the cleaning methods used to eliminate potential problems. Preventative measures are always less expensive than repair or replacement costs.
Black Algae also commonly misleadingly referred to as'mildew' or 'fungus' is usually found on the slope of the roof which has the least sun exposure. roof cleaning in Iron City, TN. There are shingles made with zinc or copper that are designed to inhibit algal growth. The most common way to help avoid black algae is to stop branches overhanging the roof allowing more sunlight to shine on your roof. Some people pressure wash the algae which is often a good solution however traditional methods such as cleaning with a brush can also be used so as not to damage a delicate roof. There are also chemical solutions to remedy this problem which will prevent algae and fungus from growing. It is best to contact a professional roofing contractor to help make the right choice, both for you and your roof type.
Debris Staining is a common problem on low pitched roofs with surrounding trees with overhanging branches. Staining occurs when debris such as tree leaves collect on the roof. These piles retain moisture and can cause serious damage if left unchecked. Both algae and fungus originate here as well as the growth of plants which eventually can cause large roof leaks. Moss, lichens, and other plant life will thrive on a neglected roof and the best method of fixing this problem is usually roof cleaning. Care should be taken not to damage any shingles or other roofing material.
Black Streaking occurs on your roof in the form of streaks which is usually caused by bleed through of the bituminous material in asphalt shingles which begins to break down and bleed from the shingle. This is usually a sign of faulty materials or that your shingles are in need of replacement.
Why Clean the Roof?
There are a number of roof cleaning in Iron City, TN issues that if left unchecked, can wreak havoc on your roof. Shingles, shakes and tiles eventually deteriorate due to weathering and the effects of mould and affect the roof structure itself. It is important to be able to notice the signs that your roof needs cleaning and the causes that lead to the deterioration of your roof. Preventative measures such a roof cleaning in Iron City, TN are much cheaper than repair or replacement costs associated with restoring a neglected roof.
Zip Codes Near Iron City, TN
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Roof Cleaning in Iron City, TN
Iron City, TN, USA
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