My Latent Self Anne Ricketts
My Latent Self
Recovering My Soul After Brain Injury
Recovering My Soul After Brain Injury
My Book
My Latent Self, Recovering My Soul After Brain Injury – by Anne E Ricketts
On 23rd July 2000 Anne Ricketts flew upward into the air from a falling horse, and came down, as straight as an arrow, directly onto the top of her head. It was a miracle that she didn't break her neck, and a miracle that she managed to drive home safely. Annie was diagnosed with a serious traumatic brain injury and discharged from the hospital without receiving any information. Despite her GP receiving a letter from the hospital, indicating that she should receive a follow-up assessment, no appointment was ever made.
Annie became one of the many who 'fall through the net,' and become lost to the health services. It took her a further four years of constantly mentioning her difficulties before she was finally able to verbalise her problems well enough for her GP to take her seriously. After a year of tests Annie was referred to a Neuropsychologist, and for occupational and speech and language therapy, and finally diagnosed as having 'Dysexecutive Sundrome.' Left with severe cognitive and memory disabilities, over the next six years she was slowly able to learn how to manage her life better and to put her shattered 'self' back together again. In effect she became the object of her own research project.
As she emerged from the fugue of brain injury Annie realised that she had gleaned many valuable insights through her experiences, not only about how the brain works, but also about life and how it works. She is well aware of how brain injury can leave you feeling as though you have lost your soul. This book is a must, not only for those affected by or working in the field of brain injury, but also for anyone who has ever felt splintered from their 'Self.'
This book is more than the story of one woman's fight for life, and her fight for a sense of 'self' that alone will inspire every reader who is interested in human nature and the trials and tribulations of life. Brain injury is a very personal and merciless onslaught; the author often asks herself if there could possibly be a more trying experience than having absolutely no idea who you are… It takes real courage to face the world every day without having any sense of identity, and knowing that you are trapped behind a range of severe disabilities that you can do nothing about and have no control over until basic skills are relearned and a glimmer of space for thinking reappears.
My Latent Self describes and uncovers many of the common issues that surround the world of brain injury, such as why people fall through the net and the lack of awareness that permeates the lives of people living with brain injury. It fully shares what is happening on the 'inside' and why the world needs to change. Brain injury is not always obvious; some people are able to walk and speak and because of this they are erroneously judged as being healthy and 'normal.' Little could be farther from the truth…
This is the first of her books; the second, 'Latent Beliefs,' is also near completion.
The 'ebook' is now available here for the United Kingdom
and here for everywhere else…
The paperback is now available here My Latent Self, the paperback or on here
 LOOK INSIDE My Latent Self
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BTEC Level 2
Why take this course?
You will study customer service, communications, ﬁnance and selling. You will also get the chance to learn about the travel and tourism industry.
What will I study?
More than 50% of your programme will be made up of a vocational specialism leading to either a BTEC Level 2 or OCR Level 2 qualiﬁcation.
How will I be assessed?
Most of the vocational Level 2 programmes are assessed through coursework and external assessments. However, some programmes are assessed through coursework alone. For your coursework assessments a variety of methods will be used including written work, oral presentations, posters, group tasks and, where appropriate, practical performance.
What can I do next?
The majority of students who complete our Level 2 programme progress to one of our Level 3 courses. To progress to Level 3 you will need to obtain merit grades in your vocational programme and make good progress where appropriate in English and/or Maths and have a good attendance record. Other students progress directly into employment with training or to a range of apprenticeships.
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to as evolutionary branching. Geritz 1998 presents a compelling argument that disruptive selection only occurs near fitness minima. To understand this heuristically consider a dimorphic population r_1 and r_2 near a singular point. By continuity
S_r(m) \approx S_{r_1,r_2}(m)
and, since
S_{r_1, r_2}(r_1) = S_{r_1, r_2}(r_2) = 0,
the fitness landscape for the dimorphic population must be a perturbation of that for a monomorphic resident near the singular strategy.
Trait evolution plotsEdit
Evolution after branching is illustrated using trait evolution plots. These show the region of coexistence, the direction of evolutionary change and whether points where points where the selection gradient vanishes are fitness maxima or minima. Evolution may well lead the dimorphic population outside the region of coexistence, in which case one morph is extinct and the population once again becomes monomorphic.
Other usesEdit
Adaptive dynamics affectively combines game theory and population dynamics. As such, it can be very useful in investigating how evolution affects the dynamics of populations. One interesting finding to come out of this is that individual level adaptation can sometimes result in the extinciton of the whole population/species, a phenomena known as evolutionary suicide.
See alsoEdit
External linksEdit
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aj}}^{2} k^{2} }} {\text{e}}^{{ - 2R_{\text{aj}} /\lambda_{j} (k)}}\,\sin (2kR_{\text{aj}} + a_{\text{aj}} (k))}. $$
From the phase of each sine wave [2kRaj + αaj(k)], the absorber–backscatterer distance Raj can be determined if the phase shift αaj(k) is known. The phase shift is obtained either from theoretical calculations or empirically from compounds characterized by crystallography with the specific absorber–backscatterer pair of atoms. The phase shift αaj(k) depends on both the absorber and the scatterer atoms. As one knows the absorbing atom in an EXAFS experiment, an estimation of the phase shift can be used in identifying the scattering atom.
The amplitude function contains the Debye–Waller factor and Nj, the number of backscatterers at Raj. These two parameters are highly correlated, which makes the determination of Nj difficult. The backscattering amplitude function fj(π, k) depends on the atomic number of the scattering atom, and scattering intensity increases with the electron density (i.e., atomic number) of the scattering atom. In principle, this can be used to identify the scattering atoms. In practice, however, the phase shift and backscattering amplitude function, both of which are dependent on the identity of the backscattering atom, can be used only to identify scattering atoms that are well separated by atomic number (Rehr and Albers 2000).
The EXAFS fit-quality is evaluated using two different parameters Φ and ε2.
$$ \Upphi = \sum\limits_{1}^{{N_{\text{T}} }} {\left( {{\frac{1}{{s_{\text{i}} }}}} \right)^{2} [\chi^{\text{expt}} (k_{\text{i}} ) - \chi^{\text{calc}} (k_{\text{i}} )]^{2} }, $$
where NT is the total number of data points collected, \( \chi^{\text{expt}} (k_{\text{i}} ) \) is the experimental EXAFS amplitude at ki, and \( \chi^{\text{calc}} (k_{\text{i}} ) \) is the theoretical EXAFS amplitude at ki. The normalization factor si is given by
$$ {\frac{1}{{s_{\text{i}} }}} = {\frac{{k_{\text{i}}^{3} }}{{\sum\nolimits_{j}^{{N_{\text{T}} }} {k_{\text{j}}^{3} \left| {\chi^{\text{expt}} (k_{\text{j}} )} \right|} }}}. $$
The ε2 error takes into account the number of variable parameters p in the fit and the number of independent data points Nind is given by
$$ \varepsilon^{2} = \left[ {{\frac{{N_{\text{ind}} }}{{N_{\text{ind}} - p}}}} \right]N_{\text{T}}^{ - 1} \Upphi, $$
which is estimated from the Nyquist sampling theorem,
$$ N_{\text{ind}} = {\frac{2\Updelta k\Updelta r}{\pi }}, $$
where ∆k is the k-range of the data and ∆r is the width of the Fourier-filtered peak in Å. ε2 provides a gauge of whether the addition of another shell to the fit is justified. A detailed description of error analysis is presented by Lytle et al. (1989).
The importance of the EXAFS technique to the biochemist or structural biologist depends directly on the fact that the EXAFS modulations contain information about the distance between the absorbing and backscattering atoms within a distance of about 5 Å, as well as the identity and number of the backscattering atoms. Essentially, EXAFS analysis is used to determine the radial distribution of atoms around a particular absorbing atom, thus providing a probe for the local structure in the vicinity of the absorbing atom; for example, the metal in the active site of an enzyme. These vector lengths (distances) can be determined to a precision of 0.02 Å and much more precisely than by conventional X-ray crystallography.
Advantages and limitations of XAS
We summarized the advantages and the limitations (Eisenberger and Brown 1979) of the XAS method as follows.
 1. (1)
 X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) is element specific, so one can focus on one element without interference from other elements present in the sample. In a protein, which has more than one metal like cytochrome oxidase (Cu and Fe), or nitrogenase (Fe and Mo), it is possible to study the structural environment of each metal atom selectively. The element specificity and the fact that it is always possible to obtain an X-ray spectrum of an element also means that one 'sees' all of the metal of interest, which is present in the sample. This makes it imperative that one is sure of the biochemical homogeneity of the sample and, if there is more than one site for the same metal, to resolve the structural parameters of the different sites.
 2. (2)
 Another important advantage of XAS is that the metal of interest is never 'silent' with respect to X-ray absorption spectra. The system could be 'silent' with respect to EPR, optical, or other spectroscopic methods, but one can always probe the metal site structure by XAS.
 3. (3)
 X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) is not limited by the state of the sample, because it is sensitive only to the local metal site structure. The sample can be prepared as a powder, a solution or, as is done most often, as a frozen solution for biological samples. It is not necessary to obtain single crystals of the material to examine the local structure of the metal. However, having oriented crystals such as membranes and single crystals significantly increases the structural information obtained from the XAS method. This will be discussed in a latter section.
 The more important aspect is that one can either trap intermediates in the enzymatic cycle or modify the site by the addition of inhibitors or substrate or generate other chemical modifications. Such samples can be made as frozen solutions, avoiding the problems of trying to obtain single crystals. The study by this technique of trapped intermediates and treated samples has yielded insights into the mechanism of the reaction involved, in several biological systems.
 4. (4)
 Damage to biological samples by X-rays is cause for serious concern for X-ray crystallography and XAS experiments. However, with the right precautions one can successfully perform these experiments leaving the materials largely intact. The most serious damage is produced by the reaction with free radicals and hydrated electrons that are produced in biological samples by X-rays. The diffusion of the free radicals and hydrated electrons can be minimized by the use of low temperatures. The use of a liquid He flow cryostat or liquid He cryostream, where the samples are at atmospheric pressure in a He gas atmosphere, has greatly reduced the risk of sample damage by X-rays. XAS experiments require a lower X-ray dose than X-ray crystallography, and radiation damage can be precisely monitored and controlled, thus allowing for data collection from an intact metal cluster (Yano et al. 2005b; Corbett et al. 2007).
 1. (1)
 It is also important to realize the intrinsic limitations of EXAFS, beyond those of a purely experimental nature. A frequent problem is the inability to distinguish between scattering atoms with little difference in atomic number (C, N, O or S, Cl, or Mn, Fe). Care must also be exercised when deciding between atoms that are apart in Z, as frequently, it is possible to obtain equally good fits using backscattering atoms which are very different in Z (e.g., Mn or Cl), but which are at different distances from the absorbing atom. This is more acute when dealing with Fourier peaks at greater distances. In bridged multinuclear centers, it is not always possible to unequivocally assign the Fourier peaks at >3 Å (Scott and Eidsness 1988).
 2. (2)
 Distances are usually the most reliably determined structural parameters from EXAFS. But the range of data that can be collected, often-times due to practical reasons like the presence of the K-edge of another metal, limits the resolution of distance determinations to between 0.1 and 0.2 Å. Also it is difficult to determine whether a Fourier peak should be fit to one distance with a relatively large disorder parameter or to two distances, each having a small disorder parameter. Careful statistical analysis, taking into consideration the degrees of freedom in the fits, should precede any such analysis. The resolution in the distance Δr can be estimated from the relation that ΔrΔk ~ 1 (see "Range-extended XAS").
 3. (3)
 Determination of coordination numbers or number of backscatterers is fraught with difficulties. The Debye–Waller factor is strongly correlated with the coordination number and one must have recourse to other information to narrow the range that is possible from curve-fitting analysis alone. It is useful to compare the spectra from the unknown complex to some known model complexes (assuming that there is


text:
Child Labour, Education, and the Principle of Non-Discrimination
This chapter addresses how the use of the human rights principle of non-discrimination can influence understanding of the various dimensions of child labour. It starts by presenting the human rights framework for analyzing child labour and education. It also considers how to overcome discrimination against girls in terms of child labour. The data shows the significance of using the human rights principle of non-discrimination to analyse the link between school attendance and child labour. Some reasons why children in sub-Saharan Africa are not attending school are reported as well. Furthermore, several recommendations for policy are given.
Oxford Scholarship Online requires a subscription or purchase to access the full text of books within the service. Public users can however freely search the site and view the abstracts and keywords for each book and chapter.
If you think you should have access to this title, please contact your librarian.

source: HuggingFaceFW/fineweb-edu


text:
Faster people tend to live in wealthier nations.
According to psychologist Robert Levine, cultures with faster walkers probably have more people, a cooler climate, a "vital economy" and they value individualism. Measuring "tempo" in 31 different countries, in A Geography of Time, he explains how time and the fabric of our culture interact.
To assess your own "time urgency," Dr. Levine suggests you consider these variables:
- Do you care what time it is?
- Do you speak quickly? Tolerate interruptions? Look for the point of a statement immediately?
- Are you a speedy eater? Walker? Impatient driver?
- Do you value punctuality?
- Do you depend on lists?
- Do wait times annoy you?
Here, in a past post, we look at more of Dr. Levine's work.
The Economic Lesson
In his NY Times Economic View column, economist Tyler Cowen tells that U.S. productivity numbers are slipping. If a worker has less output per hour, then the impact can be felt far beyond the workplace. Living standards, GDP and wages will be affected.
And that returns us to time. A society with a faster tempo is likely to be more productive.
An Economic Question: Specifically, how might "time urgency" and productivity relate? Examples?


Never knowingly undersolved.
Guardian 23,956 by Chifonie: Soup, stew or curry?
Posted by michod on December 22nd, 2006
Not as hard as some Friday puzzles, but containing one or two relatively obscure words and sub-words with a capacity to frustrate. Took me about 20 minutes over a leisurely breakfast. A lot of clues that are reasonably well disguised, but in fact just combine a one-letter abbreviation with another word to make the answer.
7. CATACOMB. CAT A COMB. Cat=be sick (usage largely restricted to crosswords?); curry=a kind of comb for horses, also called a currycomb according to Chambers. I'd never heard of it, which made this one harder.
10. OMAN. Love=0, Lover=man, as in 'my man'.
11. SHOPLIFTER. PILFERS HOT*. Stew is the anagram indicator, which the Ximenean line on nounal anagram indicators would deem unsound, but I don't have a problem with it. Even though 'pilfers hot' is not something from which a stew could be made, the crossword grammar seems to me completely clear – 'pilfers hot stew', like 'beef and onion stew', requires the component parts to be mixed, and makes a lot more sense than 'stewed hot pilfers' would. And what do crossword compilers do but exploit the flexibility of language to create ambiguity?
14. TEMERITY. TE + MERIT + Y. Lawrence can also be DH, but TE crops up in more words.
15. LESSON. LESS ON. The grammar doesn't seem quite right here – 'wearing fewer clothes' = 'with less on.
22. DUENNA. DUE + ANN<. A Spanish word not in everyday use, though it pops up in Don Quixote, I seem to remember.
23. MAKE TRACKS. Very nice double meaning, with 'go' as the definition.
24. SCOW. C in SOW. Another obscure one, and while cocaine more or less has to be C, 'plant' misleads you to expect oak, ash, pea or such.
25. ORACLE. L in O RACE.
1. BALMORAL. BALM + ORAL. Clever clue, deceptively simple. 'Uttered' suggested a homonym, 'retreat' hinted at reversal, and 'in at containment.
2. PAWN. W in PAN. Dutch = wife = w. Old Cockney slang, as in 'my old dutch'. Chambers suggests possibly from 'Duchess of Fife.
3. BORSCH. R in BOSCH. Could be tricky for some palates/palettes. I've always seen this east European soup spelt borscht, but this is an alternative.
5. PREFERENCE. P + REFERENCE. Not a common abbreviation, but clear.
8. BLOTTO. B(et) + LOTTO. Quite a lot of these single-letter indicators today.
16. OBSERVER. OB + SERVER. OBs are a basic part of TV newsgathering/ production, but I wonder how current the abbreviation is in the wider world.
18. HAND OVER. D in HANOVER. Again, the royal reference is specific, not just an indicator for king or regal.
22. DESIST. S in DEIST. A nice way to split the word.
2 Responses to "Guardian 23,956 by Chifonie: Soup, stew or curry?"
 1. says:
 Wow… W=Dutch (it's bad enough that it stands for Tungsten). I worked out PAWN but was at a loss to explain how the W fitted in. Thanks!
 2. says:
 Thanks too for the explanation of 7a. I got it through the checking letters but spent many minutes trying to make sense of the cryptic part without success.
 An enjoyable crossword and a much better effort than Chifonie's previous contribution.
Leave a Reply
six × = 12


text:
Female students were allowed full participation in National Future Farmers of America beginning in 1969. Currently, nearly half of the 520,000 membership is female. Half of the elected positions are held by females. Clearly the young women have lived up the FFA motto which says, "I believe in leadership from ourselves and respect from others." National FFA has allowed two generations of young women to explore the wide variety of agricultural careers and learn management skills.
The Sustainable Agriculture movement proved that successful food production can take place on very small plots. This allowed more women to become involved in agriculture without obtaining financial backing. Sustainable Agriculture also allowed women to take leadership roles in agricultural organizations. More than half of leadership positions in Sustainable Agriculture organizations are held by women. Still, only a small percentage of women hold positions of leadership in traditional commodity organizations.
Individuals with an interest in agriculture have many career choices in addition to traditional crop production or raising livestock. The following career paths can all impact food production.
- Soil Conservation/Land Management
- Food Science
Illinois Pathways provides information to help individuals explore the agriculture, food, and natural resources career pathway cluster. Individuals can also use the site to find potential agriculture employers.
Resources for Individuals with Interest in Agriculture:
Resources for Persons in Farm Related Businesses:
General Resources for Individuals, Businesses and Workforce Partners:


Take the 2-minute tour ×
I intend to plot x-y coordinates of a traced object with scatterplot.density to use colour to show the density of points in the scatterplot instead of just displaying the points in a smooth scatterplot (smoothScatter). When I run the following short segment of the trace:
x <- c(69.8, 69.8, 70.07, 70.87, 70.87,72.48,73.02, 73.02, 74.36, 74.63)
y <- c(97.99,97.45,96.91,96.11,96.91,96.91,97.72,99.06,100.94,103.36)
par(mfrow = c(1, 1))
scatterplot.density(x, y)
I get the following error:
Error in image.default(x = 1, y = z, z = matrix(z, nrow = 1, ncol = length(col)), : increasing 'x' and 'y' values expected
I can blot the points in a smoothScatter without a problem, but this would not help once I add the full trace with 1500 x-y coordinates.
Any suggestions and help with the scatterplot.density problem would be highly appreciated! Thanks!
share|improve this question
1 Answer 1
up vote 0 down vote accepted
What I've found is that if the argument num.bins is high enough to seperate each point into a single bin then you will recieve the error. Try
scatterplot.density(x, y, num.bins=11)
scatterplot.density(x, y, num.bins=10)
the default is 64. That means 64 bins in the x axis and y axis. You either need to be lower you're bin number, add more points, or be content with the error. Hope that helps.
share|improve this answer
Thank you! That solved the problem. Also after including all other data points, it became obvious that 64 bins would be too detailed for the trace anyway. – user2510541 Jun 22 '13 at 0:33
Your Answer


Sticky New
Standardizing data exchange with AIMMS
 - 10 September 2020
 - 5 replies
Userlevel 3
Badge +1
The DataExchange library ( is intended to offer support in AIMMS for data formats, such as JSON, XML and CSV, that are commonly used in web services. The basic mechanism to read and write data using the DataExchange library is to provide a mapping that maps data in any of these formats onto identifiers in an AIMMS model. Although creating such a mapping is not very difficult, it may amount to a lot of work.
In this post I want to explore if and how we can provide some kind of standard format, that is generated by the DataExchange library itself, and can be used directly in most use cases for web services. More specifically, I'm looking for feedback on what follows below.
Let's start with a list of possible web services that we could consider:
 - Calling a web service from within an AIMMS model that runs a Python/R script with data from within the model.
 - Calling an (AIMMS-provided) web service that runs an AIMMS model on our cloud platform, with data provided from the calling program/service
 - Calling a web service to store data from a model, or retrieve data needed for a model (such a web service could, for instance, replace the current database interface in AIMMS and prevent all kind of problems with, for instance, latency that our current database interface suffers from regularly, as the web service could be placed close to the database server)
Let's focus on the last use case, and explore how most of our customers use relational databases (as we do ourselves as well in AIMMS SC Navigator). Most customers store values from one or more identifiers with the same domain in a single table. In order to be able to store data for multiple scenarios, typically one additional column is added to the primary key of all tables to store the scenario key. Typically, models read data from such tables for one or more scenarios, and add the complete data for a new scenario, or replace the complete data for an already existing scenario. Changing individual rows or rows, has quite some commonality with CDM and are less suitable for the regular database interface we have in my opinion.
In SC Navigator, we have an additional layer of abstraction, the dataset, which collects data from multiple tables holding functionally similar data into a single dataset instance. The model data is then filled by mixing and matching data from instances of multiple datasets, each of which could have been created by any of the SC Navigator apps, or, with a 'database' web service, even by external applications/services.
Through model annotations we can indicate in the model the data of which identifiers should be stored in a single table, and to which dataset such a table would belong. From such a collection of annotations we could automatically generate a database schema (like in tools such as Mendix), and use DataExchange functionality to write data to these generated tables either directly, or via a webservice. The big benefit is that the entire data exchange with a model is standardized, and we can make sure that the data exchange with the database will take place in a performant manner, by proper normalization of all tables and the use of the appropriate indexes on the database tables. We could even let CDM operate on such generated tables, where one would lose the history of changes that CDM currently provides because only the latest value will be stored, but where individual changes committed by one client could still be passed to other clients as CDM currently does.
To transfer the data as JSON, we could generate a mapping from those annotations that generates JSON as in the following example:
"dataSets": {
 "DataSet1": {
 "instance" : "data of 07-09-2020"
 "tables": {
 "Table1": {
 "rows": [
 { "i":"i1", "j":1, "pn": 10.0, "ps": "a value"},
 { "i":"i1", "j":2, "pn": 20.1, "ps": "another value"}
 "Table2": {
 "rows": [
 { "i":"i1", "j":1, "k":3, "qn": 10.0, "qs": "a value"},
 { "i":"i1", "j":2, "k":4, "qn": 20.1, "qs": "another value"}
 "DataSet2": {
 "tables": {
 "Table3": {
 "rows": [
 { "i":"i1", "rn": 10.0, "rs": "a value"},
 { "i":"i2", "rn": 20.1, "rs": "another value"}
 "Table4": {
 "rows": [
 { "i":"i1", "k":3, "sn": 10.0, "ss": "a value"},
 { "i":"i1", "k":4, "sn": 20.1, "ss": "another value"}
Such a "standard" JSON format to exchange data is quite suitable for exchanging data with an AIMMS model-based webservice and can be easily generated from other applications/services, but also with Python webservices, as the JSON content of the individual tables can be directly read into or generated from Python Pandas. And it matches directly the format of the generated database table I proposed above (with potentially some metadata added in additional fields).
So, to summarize the benefits of my proposal:
 - it standardizes all data exchange with the model, database and external web services. This fits our guidance principle, where AIMMS will provide as much guidance as possible to create good applications and follow best practices
 - for modelers the work to create mappings to exchange data with various services will dramatically reduce
 - it would alleviate modelers from the task of manually creating a performant database schema and the associated mapping in the model
 - it will make sure that, because of the standardization, we can much more streamline the support AIMMS have to give on data exchange with databases.
Please let me know your reactions.
5 replies
Userlevel 3
Hi Marcel,
As you probably know we have our own generic data interfacing library for AIMMS. Which was pre-existing to the the AIMMS DataLink Library and very similar to it. It's supporting al types of relational databases (Oracle, MSSQL, MySQL,…) en last but not least Excel. The use case you mention, where we "one additional column is added to the primary key of all tables to store the scenario key" is also something we capture in our lib. And we rely on this in most of our models. If you want, we can have a call on this.
But the above mentioned is perhaps more an extension of the AIMMS DataLink than what you are referring to as data exchange for webservice.
Next to this we also use XML in webservice calls to publish model solutions into other systems. As I understand from my colleagues this requires some effort to set up, but is not difficult to maintain.
Are you aiming to make the AIMMS DataLink obsolete with this new data exchange?
Jacob Jan
Userlevel 3
Badge +1
Hi Jacob Jan,
DataLink only supports row-based formats, DataExchange also supports tree-based format like JSON and XML. We've recently added (but not yet released) Excel support to DataExchange, and I think it will be equally little effort to also add database support to it.
But apart from what kinds of data sources DataExchange will be supporting, what I'm really after, is to standardize to a large extent how to exchange data with an AIMMS model. Once we've established the format for that (and currently I'm opting for relational tables for identifiers with a similar domain with room for an additional scenario/dataset column, with multiple tables combined into datasets/scenarios), I want to make it a lot easier to create DataExchange mappings in an automated fashion through annotations for any type of data source, whether it be Excel, DB, JSON, XML.
You then have the freedom to use that standard format to create database schema and use relational databases, Excel files, use the format for passing data to REST APIs (e.g. to Python or R services) that you want to call from within your model, or let AIMMS models be called thru a REST API with model data being passed as JSON/XML in the default AIMMS data exchange format.
That will make data exchange with AIMMS much more effortless, and allows AIMMS to be much more easily integrated into service-oriented architectures. Right now, everyone has created support to do similar things for themselves (as you already stated in your post above, and I know of other partners who have undertaken similar efforts).
It also allows us to look again at things like the current database interface, and the AimmsXLLibrary where you have a lot more freedom to communicate with databases and create custom Excel files. But with that freedom, there is also the burden of doing things right as an app developer, and especially in the last couple of years I've seen multiple situations where modelers turned out not to really be database experts, setting up database schemas and using (or maybe not fully understanding how to use) the database interface in ways that hurt performance big time. For AIMMS that means, we typically get support questions to improve performance in such situations.


What Does Lobster Taste Like?
Lobster tastes like a cross between shrimp and crab, which is firm yet soft and smooth to bite.
Lobster is juicy and plump and it's meat is firm and smooth.
How would you describe the taste of lobster to someone who has never eaten it?
Have you ever eaten crabs or other crustaceans?
If the answer is yes, I can say lobsters are between the sweeter version of crabs and the meatier version of shrimp.
Lobster is very similar to crabs if you want to know how it tastes.
If it does not taste like crabs, then it tastes a bit like scallops.
Is lobster supposed to taste fishy?
Lobster does not have a full fishy taste like crabs.
However, lobster has a distinctive flavour.
They are really delicious but with a less fishy taste.
Small lobsters taste the best than larger ones.
For the best taste and flavour, buy live ones.
You can buy them cooked if you are squeamish.
What tastes similar to lobster?
Lobster has a similar taste to crabs, clams, shrimp, and scallops.
Monkfish is a white fish with a subtle undertone sweet taste, similar to lobster.
Is lobster delicious?
Yes. Lobster these days is served as a delicacy and considered as luxurious meat.
The cool water where lobsters live makes them tenderer and sweeter than their spiny counterparts.
What does raw lobster taste like?
Raw lobster mate tastes sweet and has a different flavour and texture compared to cooked meat.
Shrimp vs lobster, what's the difference?
Lobsters are less diversified than shrimps.
Shrimps' habitat is brackish, fresh and saltwater, but lobsters live only in brackish and saltwater.
Lobsters are walking or crawling crustaceans, while shrimps are swimmers. Lobsters are considered larger than shrimps.
Crab vs lobster, what's the difference?
The exoskeleton shape is the distinctive feature that differentiates lobsters and crabs.
Lobsters have a longer and larger exoskeleton, while crabs have a circular exoskeleton.
Lobster claws are also larger than crabs'. Lobsters are large, while crabs are decapod crustaceans.
Crabs belong to the brachyuran infraorder while lobster belongs Homaridae and Nephropidae family.
Does lobster taste like scampi?
No, scampi tastes closer to prawns than lobster.
Does lobster taste like shrimp?
The lobster tail meat is chewy and firm and tastes like the sweeter and meatier shrimp version.
The spongy and firm meat texture comes from the high protein content in the tail.
Does lobster taste like crab?
Yes, the fact that crabs and lobsters are crustaceans make them have similar flavours.
However, lobsters have a cleaner and sweeter flavour, while crabs have a muddy flavour depending on crab type.
Why does lobster taste so good?
The taste of lobster retains its freshness even after steaming.
Therefore, it has some hints of tanginess and saltiness, hence maintaining its sweet flavour profile.
Does anyone not understand the appeal of lobster?
Many people don't like the taste of lobster.
You can be unimpressed by the fork squishing of meat and cracking lobster's carcass.
The Taste of Lobster
Lobster meat is soft, firm and smooth in the mouth, making them a sweeter and meatier version of shrimp.
Their tail has high protein content, giving it a spongy texture.


text:
What does EEE mean in AMEX Symbols?
This page is about the meanings of the acronym/abbreviation/shorthand EEE in the Business field in general and in the AMEX Symbols terminology in particular.
Find a translation for EEE in other languages:
Select another language:
Discuss this EEE abbreviation with the community:
Use the citation below to add this abbreviation to your bibliography:
EEE also stands for:
- Eastern Equine Encephalitis
- Eastern European Empire
- Eerie Elf Ezine
- Effectiveness, Efficiency, and Economy
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering
... and 21 more »

source: openbmb/Ultra-FineWeb


text:
Organizational Performance Part 39: Understanding the Accuracy of 100% Inspection | Operational Excellence Quick Hits
Quick Hits share weekly tips and techniques on topics related to Operational Excellence. This week's theme relates to understanding the accuracy of inspection. We hope you enjoy the information presented!
Speaker 1: (00:05)
In today's session, we're going to continue on the series of establishing the right mindset within an organization and continue to challenge the underlying assumptions about different concepts or beliefs in organizations. Today's session, we're going to talk about 100% inspection. So a lot of times when I go into companies, they think 100% inspection is 100% accurate, so I want to challenge that belief. And first of all, let's define what is 100% inspection. So, it means that every item is inspected. In other words, all elements or features of a particular item are compared against a predetermined specification of defined requirements. So it doesn't matter what it is. It could be a piece of paper, it could be an application, it could be a product. It could be a service where we're looking at, was the service provided as expected? So a lot of companies you inspection as a means to determine if the process was being performed correctly.
Speaker 1: (01:09)
If an item meets all the specifications of the defined requirements, then the item is acceptable. And then, if the item being inspected fails to meet one of the specifications of the defined requirements, then the item is rejected. And again, we're looking at the requirements from the customer's perspective.
Speaker 1: (01:31)
When we look at inspection, there can be two types of errors. So I want to describe these two types of errors so people are familiar with the types of errors that can happen in an inspection process. So the first is what we call type one error. And what that means is, accepting a defective item as a good item. So this type of error increases the risk that the customer will receive a defective item. The other type of error is what we call type two error. This is rejecting a good item as a defective item. So the product is actually good and the service is actually good, but it gets rejected, okay? So this type of error increases the cost of quality within an organization. So typically, these two types of errors are the errors that we're looking for when we look at 100% inspection.
Speaker 1: (02:25)
Always we speak with data, so I go into companies and I ask them how accurate is 100% inspection and we do a little exercise. And the exercise is to demonstrate how accurate is 100% inspection. So I have this little game or this little example where I have a story and the people need to read through the story one time, so it's 100% inspection. So one time through the story. And what they're looking for is the letter G, the letter G is a defect, okay. And what they need to do is count the number of defects in this story. So if I just do a quick little example here, "while strolling," and if I look at strolling, there's one G at the end of strolling, so that's my first defect. And then I look through and there's another G. So what I'm going to do, is I'm just going through the story one time and counting the number of Gs.
Speaker 1: (03:20)
And then what I do, is I collect that data at the end of the session, then I give them a few minutes to go through and do the analysis. And this is the data that I get from it. And so, you see that I got variation. So we have different people that are doing the exercise and we get different results, anywhere from 72 to 83. So, first of all, I started to see that there's variation just in the inspection process. And when we look at it, we have a range of number of defects we find, and we can take the average of this. And so when I look at the data, the average number of defects found was 77.2. The actual number of defects in the story is 83. So there's only one person that actually found all the defects from our sample. And then, so I can calculate the inspection accuracy by taking the average and dividing by the total number of defects. And so in this case, the inspection was only 93% accurate. So that tells me that 7% defects are going to get through the system in this example where we're using inspection-based quality.
Speaker 1: (04:41)
I also want to point out a couple things here also, is that in this simple example, the following conditions happen, which are not usually likely in most organizations. One, there's only one characteristic being inspected. So it's just, we're looking for the letter G and there's no variability, it's either a G or it's not a G. And third, there's no disruption happening during the inspection process. So it's not like you start and then get interrupted, and have to go back and continue inspecting. 93% accuracy when there's zero variability in the decision criteria, there's no interruptions and there's only one characteristic. In reality, there's typically multiple characteristics and there's usually some variation in the decision making. So if I'm looking at a heart and I'm looking at a scratch, or I'm looking at a bur, or I'm looking at a crack, or I'm looking at a discoloration there's variation in the decision making alone. We're not even considering that in this example.
Speaker 1: (05:51)
So what we see is 100% inspection is not a hundred percent accurate. Depending on the situation, it can be anywhere from 80% accurate up to 93% accurate in this case. To get better results using inspection-based quality, you have to start doing 200%, 300%, 400% inspection to get 100% accurate. And of course doing those number of inspections is just going to drive cost up.
Speaker 1: (06:22)
That is our challenge for this week, 100% inspection is not 100% accurate. In next week's session we're going to talk about a resource standing idle, and if we have an idle resource, that's a major waste.


1800 069 010 _EMAIL_
About Us
Commsync is an Australian Company which has developed bespoke solutions utilising market leading and proven technology to support the most vulnerable people in our community.
Commsync was founded out of the belief that our vulnerable deserve a voice. That harnessing the power of technology to activate the power of friendship and family networks to support safety is best practice. Commsync combines violence prevention research with our Brisbane built and designed risk management platform. Essentially digitising what case managers within the Family violence, Child Protection and Youth justice and Prisoner reform sectors have been aiming to do for years.
The technology that Commsync has built is a unified communication management platform which partners seamlessly with various wearable devices and other IOT hardware.
 " Commsync – Safety through Connections". Connecting those at risk with those who care.
We implement tailored personal safety plans for individuals through a combination of wearable and non-wearable technology, providing real-time support at the touch of a button or voice command.
How do we do this? We program safety plans into wearable and other accessible devices, allowing at-risk individuals to discreetly trigger an alert to their chosen support network. A live audio stream, in addition to location and other relevant information, is sent directly to responders allowing for timely and informed choices in maintaining the individual's immediate safety.
Why do we do this? We believe in the strength of love among family and friends. And nothing more clearly demonstrates this than the inherent instinct families and friends share in keeping loved ones safe from harm – any time, day or night. As families are each uniquely different and at times complex, the Commsync solution enables for a fully customised response plan to match any family's circumstances.
What is a safety plan? A network of people known and trusted by the individual to respond in times of crisis. All people on the plan understand the risks and how to respond should they be contacted.
What is The CommsyncAlert Platform Solution? The CommsyncAlert Solution is a unified response safety platform, storing and organising safety plan data and delivery mechanisms via wearable and non-wearable devices for efficient and rapid responses to at-risk individuals at their time of need.


The forest: from fairytales to horror films
The 'deep, dark wood' is both a magical realm and a place of danger
The Gruffalo
The Gruffalo: a horrifying creature lurking in the darkness of the forest? Photograph: BBC/MAGIC LIGHT COMPANY
Forests have the ability to stir a wide range of emotions in humans. And it has not gone unnoticed by story-tellers.
From an early age, children are familiarised with the narrative device of the "deep, dark wood". From the Brothers Grimm's 19th-century fairytales, such as Hansel and Gretel and Little Red Riding Hood, through to modern-day children's classics The Gruffalo and Harry Potter, forests are places where hidden dangers and horrifying creatures lurk in the darkness.
"The forest is often used as a source of threat in our culture," says Peter Hutchings, professor of film studies at Northumbria University, who specialises in the horror genre. "It represents an older, pre-modern world that we have pushed aside, but which will now come back to endanger our protagonist. In gothic horror, the forest is where primitive people and animals live. In fairytales, the forest can be both a magical realm as well as a place of danger. We see this in Snow White, for example."
Horror films, in particular, have exploited forests for dramatic impact, says Hutchings. "In The Blair Witch Project, for example, the forest is used to excellent effect. It's a landscape of increasing disorientation where modern gadgets such as mobile phones fail to work. It's also a place that forces you to experience the full darkness of the night." In Sam Raimi's 1981 cult classic The Evil Dead, a demon spirit possesses the trees in a forest and uses a branch to rape one of the female characters holidaying in a (now a horror cliche) isolated log cabin – a scene that led the film to be classified as one of the first-ever "video nasties" in the UK.
But forests are also used as a leveller or sanctuary for our heroes. Robin Hood is only able to operate with the cover of Sherwood Forest. And in First Blood, John Rambo flees to the forest in an attempt to hide from corrupt cops.


Ch – 6 Combustion & Flame
Q.1: When a combustible substance burns on its own without the help of any external heat, it is known as ______________ combustion.
a) rapid
b) spontaneous
c) explosive
Q.2: Which of the following conditions are necessary for combustion?
i) presence of a combustible substance.
ii) absence of a supporter of combustion.
iii) attainment of ignition temperature.
a) only iii
b) i and iii
c) ii and iii
Q.3: Which of the following has/have low ignition temperature?
a) alcohol
b) dry grass
c) both
Q.4: A stable foam of carbon dioxide is produced due to the presence of _______________.
a) methane
b) saponin
c) none
Q.5: Which zone of the candle flame appears black and is the least hot part of the flame?
a) innermost
b) middle
c) outermost
Q.6: LPG and CNG are examples of _________ fuels.
a) solid
b) liquid
c) gaseous
Q.7: When the inhaled carbon monoxide combines with haemoglobin of our blood, it forms _________________.
a) oxyhaemoglobin
b) carboxyhaemoglobin
c) both
Q.8: When a fuel containing hydrocarbons burns in insufficient supply of oxygen, it leads to the _____________ combustion of fuel.
a) complete
b) incomplete
c) rapid
Q.9: Which of the following are the characteristics of an ideal fuel?
i) It should be cheap.
ii) It should be easily available.
iii) It should have a low calorific value.
iv) It should not produce any harmful gases during burning.
a) i, iii and iv
b) i, ii and iii
c) i, ii and iv
Q.10: The oxides of nitrogen combine with _____________ to form nitric acid.
a) water
b) hydrogen
c) carbon
Q.11: The calorific value of a fuel is expressed in _________________.
a) kilogram per kilojoule
b) kilojoule per kilogram
c) none
 1. b
 2. b
 3. c
 4. b
 5. a
 6. c
 7. b
 8. b
 9. c
 10. a
 11. b
Published by Priya Prakash
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For as long as there has been human civilization, LGBT people have played a part—from farmers to poets, generals to foot soldiers, peasants to queens and kings. Given today's headlines involving marriage equality and gender transitioning, it would be easy for children to assume that the campaign for LGBT equality is a 21st-century development, rather than the final act in a struggle that started well over 100 years ago. Gay & Lesbian History for Kids: The Century-Long Struggle for LGBT Rights, with 21 Activities (Chicago Review Press, ages 9+) by Jerome Pohlen helps young readers understand the rich history of LGBT people and put more recent events into context.
After providing a brief history up to 1900, subsequent chapters in the book discuss the struggle for our rights from the 1920s to today. The history is told through personal stories and firsthand accounts of the movement's key events. Readers will learn how many famous personalities from our community kept their sexual orientation a secret, and they may be surprised to discover just how many accomplished figures throughout history were also gay. —Suzie Lynde


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Stop Asking; Learn by Doing
We often get trapped into the "ask first" mindset. Not intentionally. We almost instinctively forget that we could actually try first -- actually to do the thing we were to about to ask. Instead of asking, do. Learn by doing, get your hands dirty, then ask questions if you get stuck.
What I mean by "stop asking."
When I say "stop asking," I mean that people are inclined to ask questions without ever attempting to do the task on their own.
In contrast, this is to "learn by doing," where a person does the job independently and learns from the process. Often, asking a question can be very quick, while learning something from experience can take longer.
This is especially true for simple tasks like finding what time a restaurant opens. Instead of searching Google, finding the restaurant listing, and verifying the hours -- they'll ask in a Facebook group if someone knows.
While it is quick to post the question, it could take hours (or more) before someone answers -- if anyone answers at all. In contrast, if they just searched Google, found a website for their restaurant, and looked at the hours -- it could take no longer than a couple of minutes (depending on how familiar they are with Google).
You have to get out of the "ask first" mindset because not only are you wasting your time; you also could be wasting others' time.
Moreover, if you are looking to solve a problem or find a solution, your time could be better spent learning the practical skills for solving that problem yourself.
I find this interesting from James Clear:
"The state of your life right now is a result of the habits and beliefs that you have been practicing each day. When you realize this and begin to direct your focus toward practicing better habits day-in and day-out, continual progress will be the logical outcome. It is not the things we learn nor the dreams we envision that determine our results, but rather that habits that we practice each day." (
Do things; test your theories
The next time you're about to ask a question in a public forum, stop and ask yourself a simple question: Can I try to do it on my own first?
Assuming the answer is yes, stop asking and do it. Test your theories. Think about the question you were about to ask and think how you may solve it with a little research.
For example, let's say you want to update your WordPress website with a new theme to improve its attractiveness and maybe make more sales. Let's even say you have picked a cool theme, but it costs $39.
Instead of running to a forum and asking, "Hey, what do you think of this theme before I pay for it?" why don't you pay for it, test it, and learn all about it? Besides the $39 price and some time, what have you got to lose?
🚀 Got a second? Because I'm curious -- as someone interested in learning by doing, what would you search for in Google to learn more about it?
My point is you should actually do the thing it is you're about to ask. Or experiment with the things you're about to try. Don't just ask someone if it works.
That's skipping the learning part. Google it, follow what you find, research it, and then put yourself into action to do it.
Instead of asking, "Hey, what does this setting do," change the setting and see what it affects. Instead of asking, "do you think this template is good enough" build a website using that template, and find out for yourself.
Yes, even when it costs money to test
I know it can be daunting to pay for a service to test it, but that is precisely what I recommend. I realize you might not be in the financial situation to do this (which is the only real excuse) -- but if you can afford it -- buy it.
You can ask a thousand questions and review hundreds of feedback about something, but you won't know until you try it yourself. Only you know what you wanted from a product or service.
Why would asking strangers in a Facebook group somewhere be precisely what you needed to know if the product/service is a fit for you?
Suppose you are really in a bind and cannot afford to do this -- at least Google as much as you can about it before asking questions. Informed questions are so much better than uninformed ones. You may find out that the service is not what you think it is, and all of your time wasted asking others for advice may have been for nothing.
If you're in the middle of testing something and run into problems, that's when you ask questions.
Ask if you need help during your tests
When you're in the middle of testing a product, service, or even a new restaurant -- this is when you can ask questions if you run into problems (or need some advice).
Let's go back to the WordPress theme example. If you're halfway through updating your website but there is a pesky problem that you don't understand yet -- you should ask.
This is where a quick answer from someone with experience in the field could give you just the right information to get past your problem and continue learning from doing.
The critical point here is that you're right in the middle of doing what it is you're asking about. Not only will answers make more sense to you, but it will be easier for you to implement them. And you'll learn along the way.
Why does learning by doing work?
It works because you construct the knowledge in your brain. When you actually do something, using reason, deconstruction, and experimentation — the information will better be stored in memory. It becomes a part of who you are and what you know.
Another fantastic benefit of learning by doing is you can connect the dots with your other experiences. In some ways, this is actually what creativity is. You'll learn to solve problems in ways others haven't thought of yet.
Pro tip: this is also why it is important to study other industries outside your own. Sometimes things are done differently across sectors, and you may find interesting ways to incorporate them into yours. More on this later.
Gain insights others might not know yet
Find meaningful tangents to your initial idea. For example, instead of just finding a new theme to put on your website, let's say you found a resource discussing how you might modify the code of an existing theme to achieve what you wanted.
You've now not only learned about the new theme but also how to hack a theme to make it your own. Maybe you're not a master at it right away, but you've started down the path of learning it.
You were able to learn how because you actually did some testing and learned from it. You gained insights that many people aren't aware of yet. And this can help you continue to grow your skill-set in a direction many others may not be thinking about.
Now, as I mentioned earlier, try to connect your idea with other industries. What I mean is to try to see how your thought could be used for something else. This is where you might find a really great tangent that can take your idea in a new direction.
Actionable Takeaways
In closing, I want you to understand that this is about learning by doing. It is not about sitting for hours trying to find answers or answers in places like Quora.
You know the questions you have... now do the work. Find the solution for yourself in your way. Experiment and test your theories. Try changing things to see how it affects things.
It's not about how fast you can find the answer, it's about how much you learn in the process of doing it. And if you find that you are not learning -- look for ways to change things up a bit.
If all else fails, try asking. Just remember to do what you can on your own first.


a spokenparlor game (or car game) which encourages deductive reasoning and creativity. It originated in the USA and escalated in popularity during the late 1940s when it became the format for a successful weekly radio quiz program.
Popular variants
The most popular variant is called "Animal, Vegetable, Mineral". This is taken from the Linnaean taxonomy of the natural world. In this version, the answerer tells the questioners at the start of the game whether the subject belongs to the animal, vegetable or mineral kingdom. These categories can produce odd technicalities, such as a wooden table being classified as a vegetable (since wood comes from trees).
This version is referred to in the "Major-General's Song", a piece from the Gilbert and Sullivan opera The Pirates of Penzance:
"I am the very model of a modern Major-General. I've information vegetable, animal, and mineral, I know the kings of England, and I quote the fights historical."
Other versions specify that the item to be guessed should be in a given category, such as actions, occupations, famous people, etc. In Hungary, a similar game is named after Simon bar Kokhba. A version of Twenty Questions called Yes and No is played as a parlor game by characters of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. A children's version is played with the categories, "Animal, Vegetable, Mineral, Candy."
Computers, scientific method, and 20 Questions
In 1901 Charles Sanders Peirce discussed bases for the economical selection of a hypothesis for trial â€" (1) cheapness, (2) intrinsic value (naturalness and likelihood), and (3) relation to other projects (caution, breadth, and incomplexity). He discussed the potential of Twenty Questions to single one subject out from among 220 and, pointing to skillful caution, said,
He elaborated on how, if that principle had been followed in the investigation of light, half a century would have been saved.
From Yahoo Answers
Question:Give an example of a quadratic function that has roots at x = 3 and x = -5. How do I do this??
Answers:y = (x-3)(x+5) Expand: y = x^2 + 2x - 15
Question:It said that one of my friends answered a question about me. I didn't even know there were any haha. I went to go see what the question/answer was and there were more questions and answers. So does that mean other people answered questions about me too and it didn't show up on my wall or are the examples? I can't see the question or answer anyway because I don't have 50 coins & don't plan on getting them but I want to know what these are and where they came from. Yeah but what are the other questions? It only said one friend answered a question about me and then when I clicked on it there were all these other ones though.
Answers:you can't see the answers unless you play the game and earn the coins. thats the whole point of the app silly.
Question:Can you give me 3 examples of homogenous mixture? Then 3 examples of heterogenous mixture? Lastly, 3 examples of a compound?
Answers:homo. mixture: salt water, stainless steel, and blood hetero mixture: stew, noodle soup, and sand in water compound: carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and salt
Answers:A. I tried to speak Spanish, and my friend tried to speak English. B. Alejandro played football, so Maria went shopping. C. James played football, for Maria went shopping. D. Max maintained that the database needed restructuring, but Laura disagreed. E. Jenny hid the hen, and Benny tried (unsuccessfully) to hide the cow.
From Youtube
Example Essay Answers Questions 4-6 :Here are the answer to question 4, 5, and 6


text:
A team of engineering graduate students at Yale is working to create a new technology that could help prevent widespread food-borne illness and lead to quicker diagnosis of bacterial infections. The device, called alpha screen, is a portable, rapid, pathogen scanner that can detect as few as one bacterium.
"A rapid pathogen screener is a device capable of detecting microorganisms in near real-time, without the use of cultured colonies or a traditional microbiology lab," PhD student Monika Weber told Security Management. Weber leads the development team.
Development of the device started as an assignment while under instruction of Prof. Mark Reed, the Harold Hodgkinson professor of engineering and applied science. The assignment was to develop a device that had marketable potential.
"We were thinking about what kind of device would be beneficial….We started asking doctors what areas of medical science could be improved," Weber said.
Doctors told them that bacteria diagnostics would be a promising focus area because of the current time and costs of culture growth – which can sometimes take days or require separate labs. Their comments resonated with Weber, who recently became lactose intolerant because of a bacterial infection. Testing using the alpha screen is 10 to 50 times faster than the current methods—culture growth and polymerase chain reaction. The current cost of one test is estimated at $1-20 times less expensive than current testing methods. Weber says a quicker diagnosis could have prevented her condition.
Weber's isn't the first endeavor focused on rapid bacteria detection. Researchers in the past have spent years developing similar technologies, but Weber says variations of the alpha screen are being developed to address all areas that have the need for bacteria detection.
"What makes [alpha screen] different is the fact that it combines all of the key components desired for bacteria detection," Weber said. "Very high sensitivity and high selectivity (the ability to eliminate false positives or false negative responses), -- the crucial features that make a good sensor. It's portable. The response time is very short, and it's very cheap. The current technologies can achieve that all individually, however, there is no other system that can combine them all in one," she said.


text: Leptosphaerulina leaf spot in lucerne is caused by the fungal pathogen Leptosphaerulina trifolii. This disease mainly affects younger leaves, but also attacks the petioles and older leaves. Symptoms on the leaves vary with environment, the physiological stage of the leaf and the age of the plant. Dark-brown to black lesions 1-3 mm in diameter with a well-defined yellow (chlorotic) ring around them appear on the leaves and petioles. The centre of the lesion is usually paler (tan-colored). In the case of severe infection the lesions enlarge and merge, the leaves become yellow and fall off. Infection in spring can cause dwarfing. Damp conditions favour the disease.


Economics with Justice Part 2: Ideas
Regular price £60.00
After completing Introductory Economics recently
Term Dates: 03 May - 18 July 2021 (half term 31 May - 06 June)
Having attended the "Introductory Economics with Justice" course and appreciated what it offers, you are encouraged to join next term's follow-on course "Ideas - Economics with Justice Part 2".
The coronavirus has shaken the world's economy, financial systems, governments, and peoples. It has also revealed fault lines in our societies that has intensified the suffering for many. We may have almost forgotten that last big world-wide shock, the 2008 financial catastrophe; it revealed similar fault lines.
Could now be the time to re-examine the economic and philosophical ideas behind economic theories informing government policy and shaping our world? Is now the time for a revolution in understanding that restores justice to economics? John Maynard Keynes, a revolutionary economist in his day, suggested:
"Ideas - Economics with Justice Part 2" builds on the fundamental principles touched on so far, using them to critically examine some of the key ideas that influence the way we think and the way we relate to others in the world economic community.
Classes will be on Zoom, each session being 75 minutes long.
Week 1 What rules us?
Week 2 What do we own?
Week 3 What motivates us and who benefits?
Week 4 Is there enough for all?
Week 5 Can we replace the market?
Week 6 How do we meet social needs?
Week 7 How do we value and set a price?
Week 8 At the last resort, what do we turn to?
Week 9 Is it freedom from all or freedom for all?
Week 10 Which way forward?


text:
by Dave Phillips
OpenAL, the Open Audio Library, is an initiative from Creative Labs and Loki Entertainment designed to provide a cross-platform open source solution for programming 2D and 3D audio. It is licensed under the GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL), with current implementations supporting Windows, the Macintosh OS, Linux, FreeBSD, OS/2, and BeOS. The OpenAL API has been designed for portability of applications between supported platforms, particularly games and other multimedia applications using OpenGL for 3D graphics.
As its name implies, OpenAL is analogous in many ways to SGI's OpenGL, a widely implemented standard for specifying high-quality 3D graphics (see Chris Halsall's article for more information regarding OpenGL). The analogy extends far beyond the name: Many of the design considerations for OpenAL are derived from similar considerations for the visual effects possible from OpenGL, particularly with regard to movement in three dimensions and proximity-dependent texture variance. Because the OpenAL API is so similar to OpenGL, programmers employing OpenGL for graphics can more easily bind sonic activity to visuals, leading to exciting possibilities for games and other graphics-intensive applications.
As with OpenGL, a little OpenAL code does a lot. Developers can simply place their sounds into a scene and let OpenAL render the changes of the sounds relative to the positional changes of the listener.
The programming interface is hardware-independent. It can be deployed on virtually any soundcard usable on the supported platforms, though of course its potential will be most fully realized on cards with multichannel audio output. The API is a relatively higher-level interface that provides a communication protocol with the sound card driver. For Linux users it should make no difference whether the card driver comes from the kernel sources, ALSA, or OSS/Linux.
The OpenAL library is designed to act in coordination with the low-level routines of the driver. At this time the API and library focus only on PCM audio, although it is possible that future revisions will address CD audio and hardware MIDI synthesis.
OpenAL also follows recommendations put forth by the Interactive Audio Special Interest Group (IASIG). The current API has been written to accommodate at least the following IASIG Level 1 guidelines:
- Distance-based attenuation -- the strengthening or weakening of a sound's dynamic level as it approaches or leaves the listener.
- Position-based panning -- the location of a sound is calculated relative to the listener, not merely shifting between speakers.
- Doppler effects -- the perceived rise and fall of a sound's pitch as a source approaches and leaves the listener.
- Sound radiation -- control of a sound's dispersion through the acoustic field.
OpenAL Resources On-line
The author would like to thank Joseph I. Valenzuela, Michael Vance, Bernd Kreimeier, Fotis Hadginikos, and Derrick Story for their vast assistance. This series of articles could not have been written without their help.
The IASIG Level 2 guidelines specify a set of environment parameters for reverberation. Work has already begun to incorporate those parameters into the OpenAL API.
The current OpenAL API reference can be found in the openal/docs directory, but it is in SGML format. You will need the DocBook tools to compile the API documentation into readable HTML. The reference documentation is also available on-line here. I should emphasize that the documentation is directed only to developers at this time.
As an open source project with corporate blessings, OpenAL seems assured of widespread implementation. It offers an open source solution to the problem of highly portable cross-platform support for 3D audio in games and other multimedia applications, making it of great interest to developers and end-users alike. Even while the 1.0 specification is being ratified, some developers are already employing OpenAL's services.
OpenAL is not without its contenders, but those solutions are proprietary or locked into a single architecture. OpenAL is already a working multi-platform interface for audio (especially 3D audio) services, and with hardware acceleration, OpenAL could revolutionize computer audio in the same way as OpenGL revolutionized computer graphics, an exciting prospect indeed.
As a final reminder, please note that OpenAL is a community effort, and community involvement is encouraged. See the OpenAL Web site for complete details on getting involved in the project.
In the last article we will take a deeper look at the internals of the API, but first we'll discuss 3D audio and then see what real-world applications have already employed the OpenAL specification.
Discuss this article in the O'Reilly Network Linux Forum.
Return to the Linux DevCenter.


text: The Sedimentation Pollution Control Act of 1973 (SPCA) is a North Carolina law regulating activities that disturb natural ground cover. It authorizes local governments to enact ordinances regulating construction activity to prevent erosion and pollution by sediment and allows parties injured by activity in violation of the law to recover damages. In Applewood Properties, LLC, et al. v. New South Properties, LLC, et al., decided March 20, 2012, the North Carolina Court of Appeals reviewed an order by the trial court granting summary judgment to defendants and dismissing SPCA claims filed against the defendants. The court found that while the defendants may have engaged in soil disturbing activities, there was no sediment deposited into water as a result of those activities.


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Consider a deck of 50 playing cards (2 cards missing). What is the probability that one of them is red and the other one is black? I've got two solutions which one is correct?
Let $R$ represent red card and $B$ black.
$\therefore$ sample space = $\{RR, BB, RB, BR\}$
favorable outcomes = $\{RB, BR\}$
Probability = ${2 \over 4}=0.5$
But $BR$ is same as $RB$,
$\therefore$ sample space = $\{RR, BB, RB\}$
favorable outcomes = $\{RB\}$
$\therefore$ probability should be $1 \over 3$.
Which one is correct.
I think it should be $1 \over 3$. Because $BR$ should be taken same as $RB$ but when we talk about two coins being flipped and the probability of both of them showing head is $1 \over 4$, right? Here sample space becomes $\{HH, TT, TH, HT\}$. So why both $HT$ and $TH$ is taken?
My question is while calculating probability, when do we include or exclude same combinations? Like $RB, BR$ or $HT, TH$...
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I'm assuming you pick one card, look at it, replace it, shuffle, pick another card. Then the probability that the two cards have different colours is $\frac{1}{2}$.
If $N$ is the number of elements in the sample space, then $\frac{1}{N}$ is the probability of an outcome only if all outcomes are equally likely.
In your second set {RR,BB,RB}, RB is twice as likely to occur as RR (and RR is as likely to occur as RB).
Look at it another way. You could call your sample set {both same colour, one of each colour}. The event {both same colour} is made up of outcomes RR and BB. The event {one of each colour} is made up of outcomes RB and BR.
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One considers a deck of N red cards and N black cards. One draws two cards from this deck, without replacement. One is asking for the probability p(N) that the second card drawn from the deck has a different color than the first card drawn.
After the first card is drawn, there remains 2N-1 cards in the deck and amongst those, N cards have a color different than the color of the first card drawn. Hence p(N) = N/(2N-1).
In particular, p(26) = 26/51, which is just below 51%.
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text:
The R functions are used to build, run, and parse Mplus syntax for estimation of the LCDM. The functions to build the R syntax were created by Andre Rupp and Oliver Wilhelm with additions for parsing and computing attribute reliability contributed by Jonathan Templin
- Chapter 9 Example Data (Data from Chapter 9 of Diagnostic Measurement: Theory, Methods, and Applications)
- Chapter 9 Example Q-matrix (Q-matrix from Chapter 9 of Diagnostic Measurement: Theory, Methods, and Applications)
- Functions File (put on hard disk — library of macro functions)
- Example File (example analysis file; relies upon functions file)
The example will run if all files are put into the same folder.


text:
Young Ossabaws, the pigs Colonial Williamsburg chose for its rare breed program of animals to represent eigtheenth-century livestock.
At Great Hopes Plantation, Wayne Randolph feeds, cares for, and interprets the Ossabaws that arrive each year from Mount Vernon.
In the eighteenth century, Ossabaws were set free to forage in the woods around Williamsburg, often to the harm of crops on unfenced farm fields.
Ossabaw Island Pigs
Feral American Breed Provides 400-Year-Old Genetic Link between Past and Presentby Ed Crews
Pork-loving British North American colonists consumed nearly every part of the pig but its squeal. Eighteenth-century Virginians wolfed down bacon, chops, livers, hearts, and lungs, preserved the meat with salt and smoke, and, in the process, created a delicacy—the Virginia ham.
Because of the hog's popularity, Colonial Williamsburg presents pigs in educational programs about 1700s animal husbandry and culinary practices. It uses Ossabaw Island pigs, an American feral species, which resemble their colonial counterparts.
"A number of historic sites want pigs that look like eighteenth-century pigs," said Elaine Shirley, manager of rare breeds for the coach and livestock department. "Their hair was heavy because they lived outside, and they were dark and oval. Today, pigs are rectangular and pink."
Ossabaw Island pigs have the look such places as Mount Vernon and Colonial Williamsburg are after. Typically black, they also come in gray, tan, red, and, occasionally, white. They have thick coats, upright ears, and long snouts. In their natural habitat, they rarely exceed 20 inches in height or 100 pounds. Their demeanor is different from that of modern pigs.
"Pigs tend to respond to people. Humans tend to like pigs," Shirley said. "They often will run over to anybody who calls: 'Piggy, piggy, piggy.'"
Odds are good, though, that Ossabaw Island pigs will be more standoffish than the average twenty-first-century hogs. Biologists discovered that in their original habitat off the Georgia coast the creatures could be aggressive.
When guests see the hogs and talk to interpreters, they are sometimes surprised to learn how important pigs were to colonists. Hogs were among the first newcomers to the New World. They supplied protein for settlers' diets and required relatively little attention. Farmers turned the animals loose in the woods to grow fat on native plants.
Hogs, however, could do ecological damage and were so ravenous that colonists fenced their gardens to try to protect them from porcine predators. Virginian Landon Carter wrote in 1774, however, that "they ever will trespass and really no fences can turn them."
Virginians ate all sorts of pork products and exported them, too. Virginia hams found ready buyers in New England, throughout the Caribbean, and in Great Britain. By the late 1600s, Virginia hams were among the world's best.
Colonial Williamsburg began using Ossabaw Island pigs in 2005. Every summer, Mount Vernon culls its herd to control its size and improve its stock, and sends about seven animals to Williamsburg. The new arrivals go into a pen at Great Hopes Plantation, where they are fattened. In the winter, they are slaughtered. The carcasses go to the Randolph Kitchen, where interpreters butcher the meat, prepare fresh dishes, and salt hams for preservation.
Colonial Williamsburg wants the breed to have more exposure, hoping that will help save the animals from extinction. For about 400 years, Ossabaws have flourished on their namesake Georgia home, a 25,056-acre island in the Atlantic about twenty miles south of Savannah. Historians believe Spanish explorers left the hogs there in the 1500s. The animals thrived in the island's diverse ecosystem, a mixture of salt marshes, freshwater ponds, forest, sandy beaches, and dunes.
Humans have inhabited the island for 4,000 years. Native Americans were followed by Spanish missionaries, cotton planters, slaves, Civil War soldiers, freedmen, millionaires, and artists.
In the 1920s, the island attracted a wealthy couple—Dr. Henry Norton Torrey and his wife, Nell, of Detroit. They bought Ossabaw and built a mansion. Their home became a haven for such Americans as car baron Henry Ford. The Torreys's daughter, Eleanor Torrey West, inherited the island and turned it into a retreat for artists and thinkers. When the United States' economy boomed after World War II and East Coast beachfront land advanced spectacularly in price, she got purchase offers.
West rejected all bids. She decided to do all she could to protect Ossabaw from development. In 1977, she sold a purchase option to the Nature Conservancy of Georgia. The state of Georgia picked up the option in 1978, bought the site, and operates it as a nature preserve.
The protection does not guarantee the Ossabaw Island pigs' survival. Their feeding habits threaten other wildlife, especially loggerhead turtles. Nobody is sure how to solve the problem. Quarantined to protect domesticated animals, the hogs cannot simply be moved to the mainland. The Ossabaws that are off the island were sent away years ago, before restrictions applied. Some favor eradicating the pigs. For the time being, controlled hunts keep the island's pig herd at a manageable size.
Aspects of the pigs' adaptations to their island habitat fascinate scientists. For example, Ossabaw Island females have reduced ovulation rates. Regardless of sex, all the pigs' kidneys can tolerate high levels of saltwater. Otherwise healthy, all Ossabaws have low-grade diabetes. And, perhaps most intriguing, all can store more fat than any other hog. That allows the animals to feed during times of plenty, and to survive during times of want. Researchers studying diabetes, growth hormones, fat storage, and obesity are interested in Ossabaw Island pigs.
"These pigs are a feral breed," Shirley said. "Being feral, they have been shaped almost exclusively by natural selection. Europe does not have feral breeds, but the United States does because it had a frontier. Feral animals are a reservoir of genetic information. They are hardy and can survive without help.
"Their value is that, to a certain extent, we've gotten rid of certain animal features through commercial farming and breeding. But someday we may need the qualities that have been lost. Protecting animals, like the Ossabaw Island hogs, ensures genetic diversity."
Ed Crews, a Richmond-based writer, contributed to the spring 2009 journal an article on Colonial Williamsburg's working carts and wagons.


The Benefits and Advantages of Frequency Response Simulation in PCB Design
November 19, 2019 Cadence PCB Solutions
Collection of types of signals and waveforms
I often hear the question, does frequency really matter? Whether it is in the context of car audio, home audio, or PCB design, yes, frequency matters. The frequency response of any device that requires a particular resonance is vital to the overall design and performance of the device in question.
For example, I recall redesigning a car audio system for someone a few years ago. The recipient of this redesign was currently suffering from shock-induced anger, after spending $2,000 on a pair of subwoofers and an enclosure. It was not the price that had him up in arms, but rather the fact that his car was still reeking of the smell of burnt coils from an improper install.
Even in car audio, simulation is the key to proper design. Well, in this case, it's apparent that simulation was not part of the plan. The end result was him being embarrassed while demonstrating his new stereo via an epic YouTube fail. These are the types of situations that simulation can and will effectively help you to avoid. Whether you are tuning a bandpass enclosure or designing circuits for a PCB, frequency simulation is the key.
The Importance of Frequency Response Simulations
As a science fiction fan myself, I have seen my share of time-travel related movies, and they always seem to end the same. However, after viewing these movies, I always find myself asking the proverbial question; what if? The ability to know the outcome before the event even happens is one of the critical advantages of simulation software.
In terms of frequency response, simulations provide you with the ability to accurately predict the response of your circuit before you build it. Another advantage to this is, of course, it saves time, lowers cost, and it perfects your design. Furthermore, it also fosters innovation and advances the design process by allowing you to examine various models and configurations.
The Benefits and Advantages of SPICE Simulation
Across multiple sectors, fields, and disciplines, simulation is having a profound positive effect. Ask any engineer, and they will tell you that simulation software is an invaluable design tool. In terms of PCB design, simulation as a whole is the choice between designing your PCB correctly, and a science experiment that has gone wrong.
One of the primary advantages of using simulation software is the fact that it enables you to obtain valuable feedback when designing real-world circuits. Furthermore, this feedback does not come with the time or expenditure typically required to procure this much-needed design insight. This, in turn, allows the designer to determine the efficiency and correctness of their designs without the need to build the circuit or device first.
As a result, simulation software also allows the designer to explore the worthiness of alternate designs without ever building the actual device or circuit. Moreover, examining the effects of your design decisions during the design phase rather than the construction phase, saves time, money, and increases design quality.
Green representation of digital waveform
Digital signals mixing with analog signals have unique properties.
SPICE Simulation Software and Frequency Response Simulations
When using SPICE, it allows you to place probes and generate waveform plots for further analysis. This is made possible by its ability to determine intricate branch currents and node voltages at each frequency across your entire design.
Some of the primary functions SPICE can perform are as follows:
 - DC Sweep: Allows for the changing of component values (resistor value, voltage, or current) and graphing the results.
 - AC Sweep: Performs an analysis of the frequency response of a circuit (phase and gain).
 - Transient Analysis: Affords you the ability to set a period of time and analyze the response of your circuit within this timeframe.
 - It is worth noting that PSpice can provide an even more in-depth analysis of your circuits and circuit designs. The previously mentioned functions are only a part of what PSpice can afford you. The following are the other more advance simulation functions PSpice provides.
 - Sensitivity: Variations in manufactured components are natural. Sensitivity analysis lets you test circuit performance across the minimum and maximum tolerances for different component values and identify which elements are critical to your design goals.
 - Monte Carlo: Perform statistical Monte Carlo analysis on multiple components varied across their tolerance ranges to help predict your production yield under different conditions. This can be used to identify which parts can have their tolerances widened, reducing cost without sacrificing performance.
 - Smoke (Stress): Identify increases in junction temperature, secondary break-downs, power dissipation stresses, and voltage/current violations throughout your design.
 - Optimizer: Automatically optimize analog circuits and systems to find the best component values for your performance goals and constraints.
 - Parametric Plotter: Analyze/sweep multiple design and model parameters at once in plot or tabular form.
So, what type of simulation do you typically use for frequency response simulations? Well, the short answer is, a time domain simulation is ideal.
Graphic frequency waveform representation
SPICE can help with many aspects of your circuit design
Using Time Domain Simulations to Simulate Frequency Response
In regards to simulation software, time domain is the standard method for examining the behavior of an output signal for a given input signal (response). There are several reasons for this. First of all, when using time domain, you can calculate the current and voltage numerically across the entire circuit.
Secondly, you can examine the transitory behavior of a circuit to either a step response, like an input voltage switching from off to on or an impulse, such as a delta function input signal.
Finally, it affords you the ability to examine the response of a signal to a random input signal. You also have the option of using any input signal you choose as well as have these signals be a (repeating) waveform such as a triangle wave, digital pulse, or sawtooth wave. Also, you have the option of overlaying the input and output voltages to assess how the circuit influences the input signal. Furthermore, you gain a greater understanding of how a circuit performs when you examine the effects of input signal changes.
Frequency response simulations, like all simulations, are a vital part of PCB design. The use of simulations provide lower costs, saves time, increases design decision accuracy, and improves overall design quality. Having the ability to accurately predict the performance of an electronic circuit or device is an option every designer should utilize.
Alternatively, there are also AC simulations like AC sweep analysis wherein you can measure voltage and current changes with frequency. An AC sweep will enable you to calculate voltage and currents across a range of frequencies. Typically you will use a voltage source with an amplitude of 1V and use probes to generate the plots you need.
What is PSpice Simulation?
If you are like me, you probably have a couple of breadboards lying around, and believe me; they were once an invaluable tool. In some cases, they still have their uses, but overall, when addressing frequency response, simulation is the way to go.
In PCB design, obtaining an accurate frequency response throughout your circuit design is critical to the overall functionality of the PCB. With that in mind, the advantages and benefits of simulation (PSpice) software is a crucial part of ensuring proper design outcome.
So, what is PSpice? PSpice is an acronym for Personal Simulation Program with Integrated Circuit Emphasis. In a more generalized description, it is an electronic circuit simulation tool (Cadence). During operation, PSpice will typically utilize a netlist generated from an OrCAD Capture. However, there is an option to operate it from MATLAB/Simulink. In summary, PSpice allows you to analyze as well as simulate your mixed-signal and analog circuits within OrCAD.
Cadence's design and analysis tools, are sure to have your designers and production teams working together towards implementing frequency response simulation solutions for all of your PCB designs. OrCAD PSpice Simulator facilitates the implementation of frequency response simulations for all of your electronic circuit design needs, as well as many other types of simulation to ensure top design security.
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text:
Stargazing: 150 Years of Astronomy at the University of Michigan
This exhibit was designed and executed as a companion piece to a physical exhibit of the same topic.
Professor Hazel Marie Losh on the Observer's Chair at the University
Observatory. Hazel Marie Losh Papers, Box 2, Folder: "Photographs-Personal-Adult"
While the physical and online exhibits differ slightly in content, the goal of both exhibits is to provide contextual history for the Detroit Observatory, offer an overview of astronomy instruction at the University of Michigan, as well as highlight notable or exceptional faculty members. It also aims to share an awareness with the viewer of the ways in which astronomical instruction and observations have evolved over time.
This exhibit was arranged in six sections:
- Astronomy Instruction
- Faculty Profiles
- Astronomy Department History
- Observatory Origins and History
- Resources for Further Research
Astronomy Instruction covers the tools and techniques used to educate a new generation of astronomers, and addresses the specific contributions of key faculty members. The goal of the Astronomy Department was to produce Michigan-educated astronomers and this exhibit section will address how the department went about the business of "raising up native astronomers."
The front of a planisphere. Designed by
Michael H. Harrington, Director of the
University Observatory, around 1890. It
is a star chart that can be adjusted to
display the visible stars for any time and
date between 1891 and 1901.
Observatory Papers, Box 7, Folder:
Astronomy Department History will examine the development of the astronomy department from its earliest days until more recently. One focal point of this exhibit section is the partnerships in which the University of Michigan astronomy department participates.
Faculty Profiles highlight the careers and biographies of particularly notable faculty members, educators and researchers that left an indelible mark on the study of astronomy here in Ann Arbor. This section is by no means comprehensive and an omission does not indicate that a faculty member is unworthy of mention. Rather, the individuals whose profiles are included here were involved in the founding of the department, or conducted extensive research projects, or lived a remarkably unusual life, or were exceptional educators.
Observatory Origins and History details the reasons that University President Tappan was so tirelessly dedicated to constructing an observatory in Ann Arbor. This exhibit section also addresses the disadvantages of climate and discusses the history of the observatory's location.
Expeditions describe the many observing expeditions that University of Michigan astronomy faculty made during their tenure. Most expeditions are fairly well-documented with photographs, and we have included a sampling of expedition photographs. Michigan astronomy faculty ranged as far as South Africa, Sumatra, and Egypt, and as near as Canada, Maine, and Nevada. Expeditions were frequently summer endeavors, as it could take several weeks to ready camp and equipment for a party of astronomers.
Finally, Resources for Further Research provides researchers with additional manuscript collections and secondary materials with which to continue research about the University of Michigan Astronomy Department and the Detroit Observatory. Where available, a link to the location of the electronic finding aid is provided.
Please enjoy your visit to Stargazing: 150 Years of Astronomy at the University of Michigan.
This exhibit was created in February 2009 by Bentley Library graduate assistants Dominique Daniel, Rachael Dreyer, and Shannon Wait, University of Michigan School of Information.


text:
W*H*Y Wednesday: The Blackjacket
When is a yellowjacket not a yellow jacket? When it's a Blackjacket! Today's featured species, Vespula consobrina, falls under the "yellowjacket" category but is commonly known as a Blackjacket.
Unique to most species of yellowjackets, Blackjackets have a black and white coloration. The queens are often confused with Bald-faced Hornets due to their larger size and similar coloration. The difference is that Blackjackets have a white band across the upper abdomen. Workers of this species can also be distinguished from the Bald-faced Hornet by their smaller size. As with other yellowjacket species, its stout body measures roughly one-half inch in length.
Blackjackets are primarily located in more heavily forested areas. Adults are attracted to sugary secretions and collect protein for the larvae. Blackjackets are predators of live prey like spiders and phalangids ("Daddy Longlegs"). Colonies last for one year.
The highlighted portion of the map below shows where Blackjackets are found in the U.S.
Blackjacket nests are typically in subterranean rodent burrows, but they also may be found in logs or rock cavities and buildings. Their colony size is small -- usually less than 100 workers.
Aggressiveness is often dependent on colony size, with larger colonies being more easily agitated. Blackjackets are not usually in contact with humans, so there is less possibility of stinging incidents... although they have reportedly been a problem for loggers.
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text:
Key Difference – Anthem vs Hymn
Although the two terms anthem and hymn both refer to a song, there is a distinct difference between anthem and hymn. A hymn is a religious song of praise to God or a deity whereas an anthem is an uplifting song that symbolizes a particular group or cause. The key difference between anthem and hymn is the fact that hymn is a religious song whereas anthem is not.
What is an Anthem?
The term anthem basically refers to a song of praise, loyalty, happiness or celebration. This song serves as a symbol for a particular group, body or cause.
A national anthem is a patriotic song officially adopted by a country as an expression of national identity. A national anthem usually pays homage to the history, traditions, culture and struggles of the people and provoke patriotical feelings. "La Marseillaise" (France), "The Star-Spangled Banner" (the USA), "God save the queen" (the UK), "Jana Gana Mana" (India), etc. are some examples of national anthems.
When the national anthem is being played, the people should always stand at attention. Although different countries have different etiquettes, standing during the national anthem is a common practice.
The term anthem can also refer to a musical setting of a religious text to be sung by a choir during a church service, particularly in Anglican or Protestant Churches.
What is a Hymn?
A hymn is a religious song or poem of praise to God. Technically, the term hymn refers to the written text which is intended to be sung. The singing or compositions of hymns are called hymnody. A collection of hymns is known as a hymn or a hymn book. A hymn is addressed to a deity or deities and is specially written for the purpose of adoration or prayer. Hymns may or may not be accompanied by instruments.
Although the term hymn is usually associated with Christian churches, hymns are used in various religions, particularly religions in the Indian subcontinent.
What is the difference between Anthem and Hymn?
Anthem is a song of praise, loyalty, happiness or celebration.
Hymn is a religious song, addressed to a deity.
Anthem is used as a symbol for a particular group, body or cause.
Hymn is only used for religious purposes; it's not used as a symbol.
National Anthem is officially adopted by a country as an expression of national identity.
Hymn has no official purpose.
Anthem is not addressed to a deity.
Hymn is addressed to a deity or deities.
Anthems are usually accompanied by music.
Hymns may or may not be accompanied by music.
"Worshippers at holy angel catholic church on chicago's south side. It is the city's largest black catholic church…. – NARA – 556238." By John H. White, 1945-, Photographer (NARA record: _PHONE_) – U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia


text:
Dr. Berthold Laufer (left) with two men and one boy. All in Chinese costume or dress. Hankow, ca. 1904. Tea cups and pipe on table. © The Field Museum, A98299
Berthold Laufer (_PHONE_), curator of Asian Anthropology from 1908 to 1934, was a pioneer in the study of Asian cultures. With a doctorate in oriental languages from the University of Leipzig, Laufer was a sinologist who was fluent in more than a dozen languages, many of which were non Indo-Eurpoean. Polymath and polyglot, his interests seemed unbounded and his linguistic skills unequaled. For information on his work and collections at The Field Museum, click here.
Laufer was born in Cologne, Germany. At a young age he was interested in music and the arts. He dreamt of becoming a dramatist, until discovering his passion for archeology in his early 20's. His family's wealth afforded him a good education and in 1893 he attended the University of Berlin where he first studied Oriental languages. For more on Laufer's life and career, click here.
Late 19th century woodblock print tryptich depciting women viewing cherry blossoms, purchased by Berthold Laufer during his 1910 Blackstone Expedition. © The Field Museum, A112784c


text: Our noses aren't the only parts of our bodies that can pick up the soothing scent of sandalwood. An amazing discovery has been made in regards to the way this specific scent can help cure cancer. When researchers exposed cancer cells to an artificial sandalwood scent, they quickly died because of their ability to smell and respond to scent. Sergio Cortes says cancer cells are not the only kind of cells that can smell scents like this though. We actually have a multitude of smell receptors within our bodies. In fact, there are seven of them that have been discovered in white blood cells alone. White blood cells can pick up on the scent of sandalwood due to a specific olfactory receptor in them called OR2AT4. Scientists are testing out more scents to see if there are others that the body responds to as well as sandalwood. The medical possibilities of this research are profound considering how easily diseases could be cured using this method.