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Theodora Fragkouli
Top 10 Most Common Java Performance Problems
Java performance is an issue of interest for all Java application developers, since making an application fast is as important as making it functional. Steven Haines uses his personal experience on Java performance issues to conclude that most of them have common root causes. So, as a performance analyst, Haines sorts the basic performance issues to three basic categories:
Database problems, that mostly have to do with persistence configuration, caching or database connection thread pool configuration.
Memory problems, that usually are garbage collection misconfiguration or memory leaks.
Concurrency problems, and basically deadlocks, gridlocks and thread pool configuration problems.
Let's delve into each category…
Since database is the basic component of an application functionality, it also is the basic root of performance issues. Problems may occur due to wrong use of access to the database, bad connection pool size or missing tuning.
Persistence configuration
Even though today Hibernate and other JPA implementations provide fine tuning of database access, there are some more options such as eager or lazy fetching, that may lead to long response times and database overheads. Eager fetching make less but more complex database calls, whereas lazy fetching makes more but more simple and fast database calls.
Problems occur when the load of the application increases and it causes a much bigger database load. So, in order to fix this, you can take a look at the business transaction counters, the database counters, but basically at the correlation between a business transaction and database calls. To avoid such problems you must understand well the persistence technology used, set correctly all configuration options, so as to pair their functionality with your business domain needs.
Caching has optimized the performance of applications, since in-memory data is faster to access than persisted ones. Problems are caused when no caching is used, so every time a resource is needed it is retrieved from database. When caching is used, problems occur due to its bad configuration. Basic things to notice here are the fixed size of a cache and the distributed cache configuration. Cached objects are stateful, unlike pools that provide stateless objects. So a cache must be properly configured so as not to exhaust memory. But what if a removed object is requested again? This 'miss' ratio must be configured in cache settings, along with the memory.
Distributed caching may also cause problems. Synchronization is necessary when caches are set to multiple servers. Thus, a cache update is propagated to caches in all servers. This is how consistency is achieved, but it is a very expensive procedure. When caching is used correctly the application load increase does not increase the database load, but when the caching settings are wrong, then the database load increases, causing CPU overhead an even disk I/O rate.
In order to troubleshoot this problem you should first examine the database performance so as to decide if cache is needed or not. Then, you should determine the cache size, using the hit ratio and miss ratio metrics. You can avoid facing caching problems though, by planning correctly your application before building it. Make sure to use serialization and techniques that provide a scalable application.
Pool connections
Pool connections are usually created before starting the application, since they are expensive to create. A pool of connections is shared across the transactions and the pool size limits the database load.
Pool size is important. Not enough connections make business transactions to wait and the database is under-utilized. On the other hand, too many connections cause bigger response time and database overload. In order to solve this problem you must check whether your application is waiting for a new connection or for a database query to be executed. You can always avoid it though, by optimising the database, test the application with different pool size to check which one fits the case.
Memory problems have to do with Garbage Collector and memory leaks.
Garbage Collector
Garbage collection may cause all threads to stop in order to reclaim memory. When this procedure takes too much time or occurs too often, then there is a problem. Its basic symptoms are the CPU spikes and big response times. To solve this you can configure your -verbosegc params, use a performance monitoring tool to find major GC occurs, and a tool to monitor heap usage and possible CPU spikes. It is almost impossible to avoid this problem, though can limit it by configuring heap size and cycling your JVM.
Memory leaks
Memory leaks in Java may occur in different ways than C or C++, since they are more of a reference management issue. In Java a reference to an object may be maintained even though it may not be used again. This may lead to an OutOfMemory error and demand a JVM restart. When the memory usage is increased and the heap runs out of memory then the memory leak issue has occurred. To solve it, you could configure the JVM params properly. To avoid having to deal with memory leaks, you can pay attention while coding to memory leak – sensitive Java collections, or session management. You can share memory leaks avoid tips with colleagues, have an expert take a look at your application code, and use tools to avoid memory leaks and analyze heap.
Concurrency occurs when several computations are executed at the same time. Java uses synchronization and locks to manage multithreading. But synchronization can cause thread deadlocks, gridlocks and thread pool size issues.
Thread deadlocks
Thread deadlocks occur when two or more threads are trying to access same resources and the one is waiting for the other one to release a resource and vice versa. When a deadlock occurs the JVM exhausts all threads and the application is getting slower. Deadlocks are very difficult to reproduce. So, a way to solve a deadlock problem is to capture a thread dump while two threads are deadlocked and examine stack traces of the threads. To avoid this problem you'd better make your application and its resources as immutable as possible, make use of synchronization and check for potential threads interactions.
Thread gridlocks
Thread gridlocks may occur when too much synchronization is used and thus too much time is spent waiting for a single resource. To notice this, you must have both slow response times and low CPU utilization, since many threads try to access the same code part and they are waiting for the one that has it to finish. So, how can you solve this? You must first check where your threads are waiting and why. Then, you should eliminate the synchronization requirements according to your business requirements.
Thread pool configuration locks
When an application uses an application server or a web container, a thread pool is used to control the concurrently processed requests. If this thread pool is small, then the requests will wait a lot, but if it is too large, then the processing resources will be too busy. So, at a small pool size the CPU is underutilized but the thread pool utilization is 100%, whereas at a large pool size the CPU is very busy.
You can troubleshoot this problem easily, by checking your thread pool utilization and CPU utilization and decide whether to increase or decrease the pool size. To avoid it, you must tune the thread pool, and that is not so easy to do.
Finally, two basic issues that may occur are the performance issue to be an afterthought, or the performance issue to be noticed by the end users.
The first case is a common problem. Usually developers create an application that is functional but fails in performance tests. To solve this they usually have to make an architectural review of the application, where performance analysis tools seem very handy. To avoid this problem, try to test performance while developing the application, so continuous integration is the key.
appdynamics-performanceFor the second case, what happens when end users of the application inform you that there are performance issues? There are tools to avoid this case, such as JMX to check your servers behavior. Business Transaction Performance results combined with JMX results may help too. Method-level response time checks all methods called in a business transaction and finds hotspots of the application. So, you'd better make use of one of these tools, so that end users will never alert you for performance.
Interested to learn more? Then you should download the relevant ebook here.
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6 years ago
Theodora – You article is very good and it is an extremely useful article! Thanks for sharing your learning, looking forward for more in-depth articles on performance from you
6 years ago
In short you have explained everything related to performance in java. Must read article for everyone.
javOSize evangelist
5 years ago
Great article indeed. And there is another one that explains how to find and fix them in your applications, with some practical examples:
Peter Kulek
Peter Kulek
4 years ago
Java was not designed for scale-able large user applications. it was designed as an easier and more portable option than C++ to develop embedded systems. In 1993 WWW really took of and web development became the trend, Sun eager to sell servers promoted java as the web development tool, most other vendors were caught of guard and as a result became the defacto standard for web application development. In effect Java is the worst tool for developing large scale enterprise applications web or otherwise, witness Hibernate, Spring, Struts, and other frameworks just to do the


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Purpose: To retrospectively determine the magnetic resonance (MR) and MR spectroscopic imaging features of high-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (HGPIN) in patients with prostate cancer. Materials and Methods: Approval of the committee on human research was obtained, with a waiver of consent for this HIPAA-compliant study. Endorectal MR imaging and MR spectroscopic imaging were performed in 48 men (mean age, 59 years; range, 47-75 years) prior to radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer. T2-weighted signal intensity and metabolic ratios of peripheral zone HGPIN foci of 6 mm or greater in diameter were recorded by two readers with knowledge of step-section histopathologic findings using areas of confirmed normal and cancerous peripheral zone tissue for comparison. A random effects statistical model was used to compare metabolic ratios from normal, HGPIN, and cancer voxels. Results: A total of 123 peripheral zone HGPIN foci with a mean diameter of 3 mm (range, 1-28 mm) were identified in 37 (77%) patients, but only 20 foci in 14 patients had a diameter of 6 mm or greater. Six foci were excluded, yielding 14 large HGPIN lesions from 11 patients in the final statistical analysis. The larger HGPIN foci were not associated with any focal reduction in T2-weighted signal intensity but demonstrated metabolic findings intermediate between normal and cancerous tissue; the mean ratios of choline (Cho) to creatine (Cr) for normal, HGPIN, and cancer were 0.92, 1.75, and 1.99, respectively, (P <.01), and the corresponding ratios of Cho plus Cr to citrate were 0.34, 0.50, and 0.78 (P <.01). Conclusion: HGPIN is metabolically intermediate between normal peripheral zone tissue and prostate cancer at MR spectroscopic imaging but does not manifest any MR imaging abnormality and is rarely of sufficient size to cause substantial error in evaluation of peripheral zone tumor extent in patients with prostate cancer.
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Radiology Nuclear Medicine and imaging

source: openbmb/Ultra-FineWeb


text:
Status: Active Town
Current Population: 2,178
Peak Population: 4,000
Elevation: 1,477 Feet
Primary Mineral: Gold
From a sign in town:
Jamestown - Gateway to the Southern Mines
Founded in 1848, one mile from the first gold find in Tuolumne County, at Woods Crossing.
Arriving in 1849, Col. George F. James, a merchant popular for supplying free champagne to patrons, was elected Alcalde, and the town was dubbed "Jamestown".
Poor mining investments indebted him and he quietly left town. Angry miners changed the name of the town to "American Camp". Eventually, "Jamestown" was restored.
Jamestown's population was approximately 4,000, before the devastating fire of October, 1885.

source: HuggingFaceFW/fineweb-edu


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SPECIAL PROGRAMS OFFERED AT IRENE B. WEST ELEMENTARY
We have a computer lab equipped with 36 HP Compaq computers; all students in grades 1-6 use the lab. We have at least one computer in each classroom for students to use. By the time children complete Irene B West Elementary School, they can type by touch, use computers for word processing, utilize graphics, and conduct on-line research.
English Language Development
All teachers are trained to work with children whose first language is not English. Techniques and strategies such as controlled vocabulary, use of visual aides, hands-on activities, total physical response (TPR), and primary language support are given to help students succeed in strengthening and learning English skills.
The CELDT (California English Language Development Test) is administered to new students within 30 days of beginning school. All students who are still identified as English language learners are reassessed annually by October 31st. On going testing will be done as students arrive at our school.
Healthy Start Assistance
Healthy Start is a State funded grant servicing four elementary schools in the Elk Grove Unified School District. Healthy Start enables students and families at our school to receive the following:
- A comprehensive range of prevention oriented services that promote a healthy start for all children.
- A child and family support network established and maintained through on-going collaboration of families, schools, community based organizations and city and county service agencies in order to maximize student and family potential.
- Support for parents to maintain active participation in their child's education.
- Effective communication, team building and service evaluation between and among parents, schools and agencies, in order to promote Healthy Start goals.
Language, Speech, and Hearing Program (LSH)
A speech and language specialist is assigned to our school to assist students with identified needs. To qualify, students must be assessed by the specialist and meet certain qualifying criteria. The specialist also works closely with the Learning Center and the Student Study Team.
THINK is an acronym that stands for Teaching, Helping, Inspiring & Nurturing Kids. And "together" with parents, teachers, school administrators, volunteers and our dedicated staff, we're helping our students achieve their full potential.
THINK Together is one of the nation's largest and leading non-profit providers of extended learning time programs (after-school, small group tutoring, summer learning, early literacy, etc.). Each year, our talented staff of 2,000 along with hundreds of volunteers serve 75,000 at-risk and low-income students at 300 sites across California – from San Diego to Sacramento County and including Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino Counties.
THINK Together's dedicated staff and high-quality learning programs have demonstrated they can successfully help students and local schools close the academic achievement gap. A multi-year longitudinal study indicates: in general, students who participate in THINK Together's after-school learning programs show twice the rate of growth in their California Standards Test (CST) scores as compared to their local peers. Where THINK Together's after-school programs are intentionally aligned with normal school-day learning, students show even greater rates of growth in their CST scores.
Student Study Team
The Student Study Team (SST) is an effective way to bring tighter all resources to support students experiencing difficulties in regular classes (a group problem solving method). The team meets at the request of a teacher or parent or guardian for a concentrated problem-solving meeting where all the involved persons are present. The parent or guardian will be asked to participate in person or give input by phone conference. During the Student Study Team meeting, either specific recommendations or a comprehensive action plan will be formulated in an effort to assist the student. A brief follow-up meeting is scheduled to assess the child's progress and make further recommendations that will enhance the child's opportunities to succeed.


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In this lesson, our instructor Alvin Sylvain gives an introduction to data storage. He starts by explaining variables, identifiers and names, then goes on to multi-word and identy identifiers. He goes over simple data types, variable type declaration, compiler allocates storage, variable initialization, numeric literals, character literals, quoted special characters, and finally finishes off with string literals.
Lecture Slides are screen-captured images of important points in the lecture. Students can download and print out these lecture slide images to do practice problems as well as take notes while watching the lecture.


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Grades 5 - 9
Grade level Equivalent: 9.3
Lexile® Measure: 1040L
Guided Reading: V
About This Book
Scholastic Discover More is a revolutionary new nonfiction line pairing stunning print books with corresponding interactive digital books that extend the learning online.
The Elements unlocks a free 64-page digital companion book, Elements Collector, offering even more information, photos, and videos!
Discovering the elements is discovering life itself. What are we made of? What keeps us and our universe in motion? Everything we are, and see around us, and create, is made up of a little over 90 elements, many of which have existed since the beginning of time and space. This book is more than a walk through the periodic table. It explains the tremendous forces of star birth and death that create elements. It chronicles the history of their discovery and the impact of their science on every aspect of our daily lives, from medicine to technology, architecture to the environment. Beautiful photographs and modern graphics make apparently ordinary substances, their extraction and their changes look as extraordinary as they truly are.
This is a learning journey: Human impact is explained and challenged, actions are suggested, and young readers are introduced to a world of information and activity outside the book to pursue their newfound interest.


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French West Africa. French West Africa was a federation of eight French colonial territories in Africa: Mauritania, Senegal, French Sudan (now Mali), French Guinea (now Guinea), Côte d'Ivoire, Upper Volta (now Burkina Faso), Dahomey (now Benin), and Niger.
What countries did France colonize in Africa?
By the early years of the twentieth century the French held most of what would come to be their colonial territory in West Africa (including present day Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, Benin, Guinea, Ivory Coast and Niger).
Does France have any colonies?
France began to establish colonies in North America, the Caribbean and India in the 17th century but lost most of its possessions following its defeat in the Seven Years' War. … France rebuilt a new empire mostly after 1850, concentrating chiefly in Africa as well as Indochina and the South Pacific.
Does France still have power in Africa?
As of 2021, France retains the largest military presence in Africa of any former colonial power. The French presence has been complicated by other expanding spheres of influence in Africa such as those of Russia and China.
Does Africa pay taxes to France?
Did you know many African countries continue to pay colonial tax to France since their independence till today! … However, the amount estimated by France was so big that the reimbursement of the so called "colonial debt" was close to 40% of the country budget in 1963.
How Does France still colonize Africa?
As of 2021, France still retains the largest military presence in Africa of any former colonial power. France maintains a tight stranglehold in Francophone Africa, both to serve its interests and maintain a last bastion of imperial prestige.
How many colonies did France have in Africa?
French West Africa (French: Afrique-Occidentale française, AOF) was a federation of eight French colonial territories in Africa: Mauritania, Senegal, French Sudan (now Mali), French Guinea (now Guinea), Ivory Coast, Upper Volta (now Burkina Faso), Dahomey (now Benin) and Niger.
How much of Africa did France colonize?
During the Colonial period in Africa, the British and the French colonized more than 95% of the continent.
Was Morocco a French colony?
1912 – Morocco becomes a French protectorate under the Treaty of Fez, administered by a French Resident-General. Spain continues to operate its coastal protectorate. The sultan has a largely figurehead role.
Is Africa still colonized?
There are two African countries never colonized: Liberia and Ethiopia. Yes, these African countries never colonized. But we live in 2020; this colonialism is still going on in some African countries. … Today, Somalia, one of the African countries colonized by France, is divided among Britain, France, and Italy.
Does France still hold colonies?
So to an extent, France doesn't have territories in the same way as other countries. France is just a single country, which happens to be scattered all over the world. The non-European parts of France are collectively called the Départements et Territoires D'outre-mer or, the Departments and Territories Overseas.
Why did France want Africa?
Before Africa was founded as a country, it was invaded by France in 1843. France wanted many of that natural resources in Africa that they attacked and tried to contain them.
Which country is a richest in Africa?
Egypt, Nigeria, Morocco, and Kenya followed, establishing the five wealthier markets in the continent.
Total private wealth in Africa as of 2020, by country (in billion U.S. dollars)
|Characteristic||Wealth in billion U.S. dollars|
Why French colonies are poor?
French apparently led more of an extractive campaign in their colonies, settling less and therefore developping the public institutions less, leading to weaker institutions in the present day. Institutions much needed for democracy, political and economical stability etc…
Was Nigeria ever a French colony?
Nigeria became a British protectorate in 1901. The period of British rule lasted until 1960, when an independence movement led to the country being granted independence. Nigeria first became a republic in 1963, but succumbed to military rule three years later, after a bloody coup d'état.


3D Printing Lending Lab
In the last few years 3D printing has exploded, revolutionizing whatever it touches, from manufacturing to medical sciences to baking. However, the technology is new enough that it has not started filtering down into the schools yet. The Diyode Community Workshop hopes to jumpstart this by providing a 3D Technology Lending Lab for loan to local schools. The lab would include a 3D scanner, printer, a computer loaded with software, and curriculum. This will allow local students to get their feet wet in 3D without the schools having to fight for a new budget item. Funding Goal: $7,000.
Areas of Interest


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Canarium australianum F.Muell.
(Burseraceae — the Bursera or torchwood family)
common names: Brown Cudgeree, Mango Bark, Turpentine Tree
Canarium is from the Moluccan vernacular name for this genus (kanari). Bursera is named for Joachim Burser (1583–1649), a German physician and botanist, who, in 1625, was appointed professor of Medicine and Botany at the Ritter-Academy in Sorö, Denmark. Burser is a very important figure in the development of the science of Botany. Both before and after his appointment to Sorö, he made extensive travels in Germany, Austria, Bohemia, Switzerland, Italy, France and the Pyrenees, during which he collected plant materials. These he arranged in a Hortus Siccus (literally 'dry garden'), an herbarium in book form. There were 25 volumes, and a supplementary volume on Danish plants. There were nearly 4000 sheets 20 x 35 cm in size. Although two of the volumes were later lost in a fire, this book was a very important source for Linnaeus in his Species Plantarum, and still remains an important source for the understanding of Linnaeus's system of naming plants. Hortus Siccus is preserved in the University library at Uppsala.
Canarium is a genus of about 75 species in this family. It consists of tropical and sub-tropical trees native to tropical Africa, southern Asia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Australia. They are large evergreen trees (some of them up to 50 m tall), with alternate pinnate leaves.
Brown Cudgeree, a large tree with an open, spreading crown, is quite a common tree in the woodlands around Townsville, and on Magnetic Island. The specimen photographed is on the edge of some remnant forest over the road from the environmental walk in Nelly Bay.
The leathery pinnate leaves have 5–9 leaflets with prominent lateral veins that are often pale-coloured.
The fruit is a smooth blue drupe about 2 cm long, containing an edible nut. Superb Fruit-doves (Ptilinopus superbus) are known to be fond of the fruits, which they swallow whole. Torres Strait Pigeons (Ducula spilorrhoa) also consider them a delicacy. I have been interested to notice that trees situated on the river plains of the various bays are generally entirely denuded of fruit, whereas another Brown Cudgeree tree, situated by the roadside on the hill between Picnic and Nelly Bays, is usually loaded with fruit. Perhaps the latter tree is not in the birds' normal habitat. There is a further specimen in the line of trees along the outside of the recreational camp in Picnic Bay. It usually carries a moderate crop of fruits!
Photographs © Donald Simpson, taken in Picnic Bay 2008-2013, and Nelly Bay 2013


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Let $x(n)$ be the solution to the following equation $$ x=-\frac{\log(x)}{n} \quad \quad \quad \quad (1) $$ as a function of $n,$ where $n \in \mathbb N.$ How would you find the asymptotic behaviour of the solution, i.e. a function $f$ of $n$ such that there exist constants $A,B$ and $n_0\in\mathbb N$ so that it holds $$Af(n) \leq x(n) \leq Bf(n)$$ for all $n > n_0$?
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1 Answer 1
Call $u_n:t\mapsto t\mathrm e^{nt}$, then $x(n)$ solves $u_n(x(n))=1$. For every $a$, introduce $$ x_a(n)=\frac{\log n}n-a\frac{\log\log n}n. $$ Simple computations show that, for every fixed $a$, $u_n(x_a(n))\cdot(\log n)^{a-1}\to1$ when $n\to\infty$. Thus, for every $a\gt1$, there exists some finite index $n(a)$ such that $x(n)\geqslant x_a(n)$ for every $n\geqslant n(a)$, and, for every $a\lt1$, there exists some finite index $n'(a)$ such that $x(n)\leqslant x_a(n)$ for every $n\geqslant n'(a)$. Finally, when $n\to\infty$, $$ nx(n)=\log n-\log\log n+o(\log\log n). $$ The assertion in your post holds with $f(n)=(\log n)/n$, $n_0=\max\{n(A),n'(B)\}$, $B=1$ and every $A\lt1$.
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The solution can be written as $x_n=W(n)/n$, where $W$ is Lambert's function. – Julián Aguirre Mar 8 '12 at 9:21
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—In his opening paragraph, Dr Donovan professes an appreciation of the principles of scientific design, accuracy, and logic, which makes it all the more difficult to understand the cavalier rejection of these principles in his sweeping dismissal of all adoption studies in general, and ours in particular. His statement that the premise on which adoption studies are based is the lack of environmental influence of the biologic parents and relatives on the adoptee is accurate enough, although it is unwarranted and incorrect to state that it is an assumption unquestioned by those who perform such studies. His rather sweeping claim that "This crucial premise can easily and repeatedly be shown to be false in case after case" is unsupported by the inadequate evidence and irrelevant arguments he adduces in its defense.
Dr Donovan bases his argument on two types of observation. The first is some sort of personal "survey of


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While non-native exotic plants provide many benefits in sustainable urban landscapes, increasingly their presence is believed to be bad.
(2011) Journal of Landscape and Urban Planning essay. This essay by James Hitchmough, University of Sheffield, United Kingdom, provides a perspective on non-invasive exotic plant species in relation to sustainable designed urban plantings. It considers the reasons why, despite their ubiquitous presence in most towns and cities, non-invasive exotic plants are increasingly believed to be either hazardous or at the very least incompatible with urban sustainability notions. Exotic species are reviewed in relation to key measures of what sustainable planting might entail, for example the capacity to minimize carbon expenditure, support biodiversity and how these species play a positive role in human perception of designed landscapes.


It's time for another sample band 9 answer and this week we are going to look at a "discuss both views" question from task 2 of the IELTS writing exam. The question that we will examine today is about sports facilities, but the ideas here can be applied to anything. Remember, there are many topics in the IELTS writing test and you should be prepared for the most common ones.
Understanding the Question
Before you begin writing an IELTS essay, you need to understand the question fully. That process has several parts. Let's look at our question for today in order to understand it.
Discuss both these views and give your opinion.
What is the topic here?
 1. Sports?
 2. Health?
 3. Society?
 4. Government policy?
I would say that the answer is #2 – health. However, you can clearly see that the other topics I have listed are part of the question as well. You could not answer this well without talking about sports or society.
A Secret for Understanding the Question
If you want to understand a question better, the smart thing to do is paraphrase it. This is because you have to try harder to understand it and it can break the idea down better in your mind.
There are two parts to IELTS questions: the statement and the task:
ielts writing question structure
You need to "discuss both views" and also give an opinion, but about what?
About those two statements:, which I shall paraphrase:
 1. More sports centres will improve public health.
 2. Sports centres would not help, but something else might.
Once you understand the question fully, you can begin to plan your answer. For this sort of question, it is possible to use 4 or 5 paragraphs, but I generally recommend 4 because it is easier and usually more effective.
Structure your IELTS Writing Task 2 Essay
I have lots of material on this website about structuring your IELTS writing task 2 essay, but today I will show you my outline for this model essay.
First, you should brainstorm some ideas about the topic. Don't spend too much time doing this because it is better to spend that time on actually writing the essay. But you could make some notes like this:
More sports centres will improve public health.Sports centres would not help, but something else might.
easier to access
can be helpful for children
group activities
they already exist
no evidence to suggest it would work
education is likely more effective
Those are just a few ideas. You should brainstorm your own ones. You should also present your opinion. It is really important that you do not forget this part or else you will not have adequately answered the question.
Next, you have to wonder how to use your paragraphs to present these ideas effectively. Here is my sample answer:
ielts writing task 2 essay template
You can download this essay template here.
This might not make much sense to you… but don't worry! Notes are a personal thing and it is only really important that they make sense to the person writing them.
internal paragraph structure for ielts writing task 2
You can download the template here.
Sample Band 9 Answer
Ok, now that you have seen my structure plans, here is my essay:
There is much debate over the issue of how to help improve public health, and some people have suggested that there should be more sports facilities available. Others, however, say that this would have a minimal impact on the situation. This essay will look at both views and argue that it would indeed only have a small positive impact.
Those who support building more public sports facilities believe that they will encourage more people to participate in regular exercise. This is logical, but there are already many public sports facilities available and it has had little impact. The only people who would likely benefit are children, and while this is important, children already have plenty of places to get exercise. Whilst millions of pounds could be spent on building new facilities, it seems that there is little that would really be contributed to helping solve this crisis.
Even if there was an uptick in the number of people doing exercise, it would not eliminate the public health crisis as exercise is only one small part of it. While it is true that exercise is good for the human body, it is nearly impossible to burn off the number of calories that the average person is now consuming. Even if a person were to run a marathon, it would not negate the damaging effects of going to McDonald's for lunch. That person would still end the day in a calorie surplus and therefore continue to gain weight. When you consider that few people can run marathons, it becomes obvious that the culprit for poor public health is not exercise but rather diet.
In conclusion, it would be good to have more public sports facilities and there may be some small benefit to this, but unfortunately it would not be a significant benefit and other measures would need to be taken too.


AlaSQL in Action: The JavaScript SQL Database
What's AlaSQL?
For starters, this open source project garners 11k weekly downloads off npm and has over 5K stars on GitHub.
I was surprised to see that there aren't more posts about this popular lightweight client-side in-memory SQL database across different platforms besides this awesome article I found. However, AlaSQL's website gets straight to the point:
 - JavaScript SQL database for browser and Node.js.
 - Handles both traditional relational tables and nested JSON data (NoSQL).
 - Export, store, and import data from localStorage, IndexedDB, or Excel.
What's not to love? AlaSQL was designed to work in browser and Node.js, is fast, and super easy to use. Some say that when you need to find data fast, and want a better alternative to a full database or Redis, check out AlaSQL.
We love AlaSQL too.
HarperDB has had the pleasure of using AlaSQL for its backend SQL functionality. We chose to use AlaSQL because it has extensive language support, is well supported and extensible, has the ability to execute SQL against data sets (JSON or Arrays) and the ability to generate reusable functions. AlaSQL enables us to convert SQL language into an Abstract Syntax Tree (AST) that we can programmatically interpret into our data model. We are able to feed data into a processor that can perform the calculations native to SQL, using the functions defined in the library throughout our project as APIs and not just in the context of a SQL call.
AlaSQL is extensible and allows us to create custom functions. For example, we created a custom function called SEARCH_JSON that allows HarperDB users to search and transform nested documents. This function wraps a popular npm package called JSONata. With AlaSQL we were able to embed another open source package as a simple function call. Our implementation was as easy as defining the function (Note this is sample code):
const jsonata = require('jsonata');
 * wrapper function that implements the JSONata library, which performs searches, transforms, etc... on JSON* _USER_ {String} jsonata_expression - the JSONata expression to execute
 * _USER_ {any} data - data which will be evaluated
 * _USER_ {any}
function searchJSON(jsonata_expression, data){
 if(typeof jsonata_expression!=='string' || jsonata_expression.length === 0){
 throw new Error('search json expression must be a non-empty string');
 let alias = '__' + jsonata_expression + '__';
 this.__ala__.res = {};
 if(hdb_utils.isEmpty(this.__ala__.res[alias])) {
 let expression = jsonata(jsonata_expression);
 this.__ala__.res[alias] = expression;
 return this.__ala__.res[alias].evaluate(data);
//Then define a custom function in AlaSQL:
const alasql = require('alasql');
alasql.fn.search_json = alasql.fn.SEARCH_JSON = searchJSON;
Clearly we are happy with our decision to use AlaSQL to interpret SQL into our data model and run performant queries against as much SQL as possible. That's why we hosted the creators of AlaSQL on June 16th for a showcase to get an inside look at how AlaSQL was created, how it grew in popularity, and real world use cases and products. It was awesome to hear from AlaSQL creators Mathias Rangel Wulff and Andrey Gershun. After Q&A on AlaSQL, our CTO Kyle Bernhardy shared more about using AlaSQL as HarperDB's engine to interpret and parse complex SQL into our data model and perform simple to complex SQL CRUD operations, as well as exposing other libraries like Turf.js, JSONata and more.
Looking for more resources on this innovative client-side in-memory SQL database? Check out this JavaScript library designed for:
 - Fast in-memory SQL data processing for BI and ERP applications on fat clients
 - Easy ETL and options for persistence by data import/manipulation/export of several formats
 - All major browsers, Node.js, and mobile applications
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Objective: Prologue, The Liberation Army Dancer, pgs. 1-18 The audition for the dance school went from being something fun and exciting for Ji Li to being something chaotic and frightening. The objective of this lesson will be to discuss how things like this are allowed to happen, and to explore some possible methods of avoiding this phenomena in the future.
1) Small Group Evaluation Activity: Split the class into 3 groups. Have one group write about how Ji Li felt when she was fist offered the chance to audition for the dance group. Have the second group write about Ji Li felt while telling her family about her offer to audition. Have the third group write about Ji Li felt after she was forced to forgo the opportunity to audition. Make sure they use examples from the book to support their ideas. Allow each group to present their information...
This section contains 12,161 words
(approx. 41 pages at 300 words per page)


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back: Amanda V. (Rose) Inabnit, Ernest O. Betterley, Mary P. (Bishop) Blair, Alfred H. Betterley, Lucy E. Longsdorf, Elmer G. Betterley, Benjamin J. Betterley
front: Frank S. Betterley, Lucy M. (Green) Betterley, Frank O. Betterley, Otis V. Betterley
[photo courtesy of Geneva Thoner]
Betterley or Betterly?
The Dictionary of American Family Names from Oxford University Press defines Betterley as "English: probably a variant of Betteley, from a place called Betley, of which there is one in Staffordshire and another in Sussex, the former being named from an Old English female personal name Bette + leah 'woodland clearing'." An entry in the New Dictionary of American Family Names by Elsdon C. Smith defines it as "one who comes from Bitterley (glade where butter was made), in Shropshire". Ric Betterly told me that the Betterleys came from the village of Betters that was located on the outskirts of London. The name Betters Ley would mean the village of Betters.
Betterley or Betterly? Take your pick. Early American references used both spellings, and subsequent generations appear to sometimes have used the spelling alternate to that used by their forebears. A grave marker might have the spelling alternate to that used by the person in life. Documents written in one's own hand can show how that person spelled his/her own name, but documents written by scribes or officials may use their own spelling choice. One rule genealogists should get used to is that there is no "correct" spelling. However, both spelling and pronunciation become very personal issues. For example, when a road near the Betterley homestead in Vermont is named Betterly Road, even though that family used the "Betterley" spelling for many generations.
Occurrences of the name in England
World Family Tree by Brøderbund shows Richard Betterley being married to Cecilia Seymour, who was born about 1337 and died in 1369 at Burford, Shropshire. The Agincourt Honor Roll shows that John Bitterlee and two men named Richard Bytterley fought for the English as they defeated the French at the Battle of Agincourt in France in 1415. This was during the Hundred Years' War, some fourteen years before the rise of Joan of Arc.
There are several entries for the name in the British Isles IGI. There is also a bible transcription that was apparently found for an 18th century English family. We have not yet determined where our immigrant forefather came from in England, or even exactly who our immigrant forefather was.
In early America
There are numerous theories as to the arrival of the family in America. I have no proof to enhance any of them:
The History of Brookline, New Hampshire indicates that the early Betterley family history is sketchy but states that "three brothers arrived in America in the early 18th century". [The "three brothers" story is one of the most common themes in genealogy and is most probably a myth.]
Jack Betterly of Troy, NY heard that "Thomas Betterley arrived at about the age of eighteen months with his mother, Elizabeth." This could very well have been before 1700. [This is the version least contradicted by my research.]
Ric Betterly's grandparents and the Plain Speaker of Hazleton, PA say that "there were two brothers who were advisors to the King and left his service to emigrate to America. Where they landed is not recorded. Eventually one brother settled in the area of Cartersville (St. John's), PA. The other settled in the Michigan area." [I'm guessing that these brothers were actually a later generation descended from William Betterley of Pennsylvania, though there could very well have been two earlier brothers that emigrated.]
Elizabeth Betterley heard this more detailed version of the above after it was passed down from her great-granduncle. "Thomas Betterley, born 17 Nov 1723 died 28 Jul 1775 in Boston, and his brother William, who went to Pennsylvania and settled there, came over from England in 1772 on a cattle ship. On the way the ship began to leak and for fear it might sink they killed some of the cattle and these boys then about 16 years old tried? out the (tallow?) for 1/2 of its value and threw the meat overboard, but not a (divil?) of a bit did they get." [I believe this Thomas to actually have been the father of this William. There were also sons Thomas in Vermont and George in New Hampshire.]
There's a Thomas Betterley that appears in Chowan Co, NC colonial census records in 1717 and 1721. North Carolina Historical and Genealogical Review Volume 1 shows John Ballard, with the consent of his former master, Henry Whittens of Boston in New England, agreeing to serve Thomas Betterley for 5 years and one month from the date 3 Jan 1717. This led Betterley researcher Esther Mott to search the North Carolina colonial court records. They showed that Thomas Betterley, as Justice of the Peace for Chowan precinct, was assaulted and had his life threatened by a Thomas Bray on 16 Mar 1720. These records also indicate that Thomas Betterley was among those rioting at the house of the governor on 2 Jul 1728, when the crowd attacked a servant of the governor and "broke his head". There were many other references as well to him in land and court records from 1716 until he died in June of 1729. His will was found, as were proceedings concerning a land dispute between his estate and the Alden family. We knew that this was our Thomas Betterley, listed as both feltmaker and haberdasher in Edenton, Chowan County, North Carolina.
Cavaliers and Pioneers: Abstracts of Virginia Land Patents and Grants Volume Three _PHONE_ by Neil Marion Nugent shows Fran Betterly mentioned in Virginia in 1698. Esther Mott uncovered a link to the document. "ffran Betterly" is written way at the bottom. I guess that's how they wrote a capital "F". We assume there is a link to Thomas Betterley in nearby North Carolina. We are very interested in learning what that link is.
The Marriage Index: Massachusetts, _PHONE_ (FTM CD 231) shows that this first Thomas Betterley married Elizabeth Alden (great granddaughter of John and Priscilla Alden) on 26 Jul 1720 at King's Chapel in Boston, MA. Mayflower Deeds and Probates shows an Elizabeth Betterley as heir and descendant of John Alden, Jr. I've found thus far that all Betterleys that can trace their family to colonial America can trace it to Thomas Betterley and Elizabeth Alden. We don't know if Elizabeth ever left Boston, or if perhaps she returned to Boston to have her son and then for good after Thomas died. We assume that Thomas was buried in Edenton, NC.
Mayflower Births and Deaths, Vol. 1 shows Thomas Betterly, b. 17 Nov 1723 in Boston, MA, as the son of Thomas and Elizabeth Betterly. The Suffolk VR CD-ROM from Search and ReSearch lists his marriage to Elizabeth Carson on 6 Apr 1749 in Boston, MA. The published inscription from the Thomas Betterley bible in Vermont indicates that the father of Thomas was really named William, but that might be a mistake due to Thomas being only five years old when his father died in North Carolina. Thomas is said to have died on 28 Jul 1775, followed by his wife on 7 Aug 1775, both being buried the same day. One is, of course, struck with the unlikeliness of a delay of over eleven days from death to burial in the height of summer before the days of embalming or a refrigerated morgue. The Thomas Betterley bible transcription does seem to indicate that the year of Thomas' death was hard to read and seemed to actually be 1774.
Thomas was the father of two daughters named Elizabeth. The first that died young was perhaps by an earlier woman named Elizabeth Mecaslan that some speculate was his betrothed but not his wife. I have seen birth years of 1749 and 1750 for this daughter. Thomas then married Elizabeth Carson from Scotland in 1749, indicating that she was instead the mother of the first daughter. Two sons served from Worcester, MA during the Revolutionary War. They were Thomas, who moved to Newfane Twp, Windham Co, VT, and William, who moved to Sugarloaf/Butler Twp, Luzerne Co, PA. Another son, George, moved to Woodstock, VT and then Brookline, NH. These children are documented in family bibles owned by Mrs. Robert Dunklee, late of Brattleboro, VT.
Geoffrey and Patrick Dahling at graves of 6th gr-grandparents, Thomas Betterley _PHONE_ and Lydia (Warren) Betterley _PHONE_. Betterley Cemetery near Newfane, Vermont.
[photo by Loren Dahling]
See who is buried at the Betterley Cemetery on Lost Mile Rd in Newfane Twp, Windham Co, VT.
See the Betterleys and relatives buried at Porcupine Cemetery, Frankfort Twp, Pepin Co, WI.
Read about Revolutionary


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An arid environment is dry. It has a high deficit of rainfall or snow. So there is much less humidity in the air.
This is often due to a combination of high temperatures and few storms that bring rainfall. However, there are cold deserts at the poles and on some mountains.


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What is the 'Debt Equity Ratio'? Explanation with Example and Limitations. The debt to equity ratio is a financial, liquidity ratio that compares a company's total debt to total equity. The debt to equity ratio shows the percentage of company financing that comes from creditors and investors. A higher debt to equity ratio indicates that more creditor financing (bank loans) is used than investor financing (shareholders). The Debt/Equity Ratio measures the riskiness of a company's financial structure. The ratio reveals the relative proportions of debt and equity financing that a business employs. It is closely monitored by lenders and creditors, since it can provide early warning that an organization is so overwhelmed by debt that it is unable to meet its payment obligations. This is also a funding issue.
For example, the owners of a business may not want to contribute any more cash to the company, so they acquire more debt to address the cash shortfall. Or, a company may use debt to buy back shares, thereby increasing the return on investment to the remaining shareholders.
The formula for calculating D/E ratios can be represented in the following way:
Debt-Equity Ratio = Total Liabilities / Shareholders' Equity
The result may often be expressed as a number or as a percentage.
How to Calculate the Debt to Equity Ratio
To calculate the debt to equity ratio, simply divide total debt by total equity. In this calculation, the debt figure should include the residual obligation amount of all leases. The formula is:
Long-term debt + Short-term debt + Leases
XYZ company has applied for a loan. The lender of the loan requests you to compute the debt to equity ratio as a part of the long-term solvency test of the company.
The "Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity" section of the balance sheet of ABC company is given below:
|Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity||Amount|
|Short-term notes payable||140|
|Total current liabilities||3380|
|6% Bonds payable||3,650|
|Preferred stock, $100, 6%||900|
|Common stock, $12 par||2,900|
|Additional paid-in capital||400|
|Total paid in capital||4,200|
|Total stockholders' equity||7,700|
|Total liabilities and stockholders equity||14,730|
Required: Compute debt to equity ratio of XYZ company.
= 7,030 / 7,700
The debt to equity ratio of XYZ company is 0.91 or 0.91 : 1. It means the liabilities are 91% of stockholders equity or we can say that the creditors provide 91% for each dollar provided by stockholders to finance the assets.
Limitations of 'Debt/Equity Ratio'
Like with most ratios, when using the debt/equity ratio it is very important to consider the industry in which the company operates. Because different industries rely on different amounts of capital to operate and use that capital in different ways, a relatively high D/E ratio may be common in one industry while a relatively low D/E may be common in another.
For example, capital-intensive industries such as auto manufacturing tend to have a debt/equity ratio above 2, while companies like personal computer manufacturers usually are not particularly capital intensive and may often have a debt/equity ratio of under 0.5. As such, D/E ratios should only be used to compare companies when those companies operate within the same industry.
Another important point to consider when assessing D/E ratios is that the "Total Liabilities" portion of the formula may often be determined in a variety of ways by different companies, some of which are not actually the sum of all of the company's liabilities. In some cases, companies will only incorporate debts (like loans and debt securities) into the liabilities portion of the formula, while omitting other kinds of liabilities (unearned revenue, etc.).
In other cases, companies may calculate D/E in an even more specific way, including only long-term debts and excluding Short-term debts and other liabilities. Yet, "long-term debt" here is not necessarily a term with a consistent meaning. It may include all long-term debts, but it may also exclude long-term debts nearing maturity, which are then categorized as "short-term" debts. Because of these differentiations, when considering a company's D/E ratio one should try to determine how the ratio was calculated and should be sure to consider other ratios and performance metrics as well.
Creditors view a higher debt to equity ratio as risky because it shows that the investors haven't funded the operations as much as creditors have. In other words, investors don't have as much skin in the game as the creditors do. This could mean that investors don't want to fund the business operations because the company isn't performing well. Lack of performance might also be the reason why the company is seeking out extra debt financing.
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Hope this article will help you to check debt equity ratio formula. Share this article " How to Calculate Debt to Equity Ratio " to your friends who are studying CA, CMA, and CS courses.


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|Does Financial Structure Matter?
What are the relative advantages and disadvantages of bank-based financial systems and market-based financial systems?
In bank-based systems (as in Germany and Japan) banks play a leading role in mobilizing savings, allocating capital, overseeing the investment decisions of corporate managers, and providing risk management vehicles. In market-based systems (as in England and the United States) securities markets share center stage with banks in getting society's savings to firms, exerting corporate control, and easing risk management. As countreis grow richer, financial markets play a more important role relative to banks.
Cross-country research has shown the irrelevance of the distinction between bankand market-based financial system and has shown the importance of effective financial service delivery. It is of secondary order who provides these services. This research has also shown that it is important to focus on the underlying determinants of a sound and effective financial system, such as the contractual and informational environment. Research papers related to the issue of financial structure were presented at a conference on February 10 and 11, 2000 at the World Bank.Database
This database of Indicators of Financial Development and Structure across countries and over time is unique in that it unites a range of indicators that measure the size, activity and efficiency of banks, non-banks financial institutions and capital markets. Data are available for over 100 countries and for the period _PHONE_. The database is being regularly updated.
You can also download other related documents. These include content-rich current outputs (updated document versions, miscellaneous documents and web pages).


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Purpose: To address the safety and feasibility of adjuvant single-dose upper urinary tract instillation of mitomycin (ASDM) immediately after therapeutic ureteroscopy for upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) and to compare urothelial (ipsilateral or bladder) recurrence rates in the ASDM group and controls. Materials and Methods: Between April 2015 and August 2018, 52 patients affected by UTUC were treated by endoscopic ablation, of whom 26 were selected for ASDM. Clinical and perioperative data and 30-day complications were recorded. Urothelial recurrence-free survival (URFS) was evaluated with second-look ureteroscopy (URS) and CT scan/URS every 6 months. Results: ASDM was administered through a Single-J (19/25, 76%) or a Double-J (6/25, 24%) in 25/26 (96%) patients. Median follow-up was 18 months (IQR 10-29). The urothelial recurrence rate was 23.5% and 55.5% in the ASDM group and controls, respectively (p = 0.086). Mean URFS was 28.8 months in the ASDM group vs 18.8 months in controls (log-rank p = 0.067). On multivariate Cox regression, ASDM was associated with a 7.7-fold lower risk of urothelial recurrence (HR = 0.13; 95% CI 0.03-0.65; p = 0.01). Clavien grade ≤II complications occurred in 32% (8/25) and 30.7% (8/26) of the ASDM and control group, respectively (p = 0.9). Two Clavien III complications occurred in the ASDM group: bladder hematuria after concomitant transurethral resection of bladder and obstructive kidney failure in a single-kidney patient. Conclusions: ASDM was well tolerated after therapeutic URS. It appears to reduce the risk of urothelial recurrence in patients affected by low-grade UTUC without bladder tumor. Therefore, its use should be evaluated.
- kidney-sparing surgery
- mitomycin C
- topical chemotherapy
- upper tract urothelial carcinoma
ASJC Scopus subject areas


Months ago, emus started showing up in a tiny Australian town. They're not leaving
Emus are a tall, flightless bird native to Australia, and resemble their relative the ostrich.
(CNN)A town in the state of Western Australia has become home to an influx of unusual new residents: emus.
The big, flightless birds have always lived in the bushland that surrounds the town of Nannup, which has a population of around 1,300 people. But the emus began showing up in the town center in the middle of last year, and haven't left since, said Tony Dean, president of the town council.
Standing up to 1.9 meters tall (6.2 feet), the emu is Australia's tallest native bird and one of the world's largest bird species, according to conservation group Birdlife Australia. Emus are related to ostriches and another native Australian bird, the cassowary.
 There are about three families of emus roaming the town, a total of 20 to 40 birds, Dean said. The emu parents laid their eggs about eight to nine months ago, and led their chicks -- only a few inches tall at the time -- into the town. Now, the chicks are impossible to miss, standing around 6 feet tall (1.8 meters).
 The birds leave droppings and feathers everywhere, feast on residents' vegetable gardens, and wander through the main roads and side streets.
 Male emus, not the mothers, typically care for their young -- so "now you have big male emus walking around with 20 chicks," Dean said.
 It's not clear what brought the emus to town, but Dean suspects the birds knew it provided easy food with few natural predators. "There's a lot of fruit in season, plums and peaches and apples, and people's vegetable gardens," he said. "Lots of ready-made food available."
 The emus have also split the town in two: on one side there are disgruntled residents whose rose bushes and fruit trees have been plucked; on the other side, those who say the emus bring something unique to the town.
 In response to complaints, the town council earlier this week suggested a few ways to deter the birds -- like loud noises or spraying them with high-pressure hoses.
 The suggestions were met with indignation from some emu defenders, who accused the council of encouraging animal abuse and of encroaching on natural ecosystems.
 "How about you and your offspring stand in front of a high pressure hose?" one person shot back on the council's official Facebook page.
 After the backlash, the council took to Facebook on Monday to dismiss rumors of an impending emu cull. The council had notified the state's wildlife conservation department of the issue, but "the Shire of Nannup at no point has endorsed nor supported any culling of the local emu population," said the statement.
 The only action the town will take is putting up signs to inform drivers of the emus. The birds don't pose a danger to humans, but they could cause traffic accidents. The town has mills and wineries, which means there are large trucks carrying hundred-ton loads on the roads -- one swerve could lead to a disastrous accident.
 There's no way to know how long the emus will stay or if they will eventually leave at all. For some of the chicks that were freshly hatched before coming into town, this is the only home they know -- and emus are territorial birds.
 Western Australia is no stranger to emu invasions. Just a few hundred miles from Nannup is the now-abandoned town of Campion, site of the infamous "Emu War."
 In 1932, hundreds of emus were running amok and destroying crops in Campion. Finally, the situation was so dire that the Australian army sent soldiers wielding machine guns into the town. They killed large numbers of emus -- but the birds returned to the town after the campaign ended, leading to widespread jokes that the emus ultimately won the war.


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Seeing the Story Crystal Clear
Reading to Learn
When students read they need to be able to comprehend, or understand, what they are reading. Visualization is a very important part in this. Visualization means that students picture in their minds what is happening in the literature they are reading. This is important because it helps students remember what they have read. This lesson will help students visualize in their minds what is going on in the story which, in turn, will help with their comprehension.
Power point with poems "The Land of Happy" "Stone Telling" and "The Worst" all by Shel Silverstein from Where the Sidewalk Ends
Enough copies of Tuck Everlasting for each student
Paper for students to draw pictures on
Art Supplies for each Student
1. Today we are going to be reading some more of Tuck Everlasting. Before we start that we are going to talk about visualization. Visualization is when you picture what you are reading in your brain. You are painting a picture of what is going on in the story in your mind. I want you to each think about going on an adventure to the moon. Think about what it would look like and what you would need to bring.
2. Ok share with your partner what you thought about. Ok (call on a couple of students to share what they thought of). That is interesting several of you thought of different things. You each had a different picture that you thought of in your brain. You each just visualized what you thought an adventure to the moon would be like. When you read a story the author tells you what to picture in your brain. They write describing words to tell you what they want you to visualize. Visualization is very important because it will help you comprehend the story when you can see what is going on in the story.
3. Now we are going to practice. I am going to read you a poem it is called "The Land
Of Happy" by Shel Silverstein:
Have you been to The Land of Happy,
Where everyone's happy all day,
Where they joke and they sing
Of the happiest things,
And everything's jolly and gay?
There's no one unhappy in Happy,
There's laughter and smiles galore.
I have been to The Land of Happy-----
What a bore!
So when I read that poem I picture a bright and colorful land where everyone is smiling, laughing, and playing. No one is frowning or crying.
4. Now I am going to read another poem by Shel Silverstein and I want you to be visualizing it in your head. The poem is called Stone Telling
How do we tell if a window is open?
Just throw a stone at it.
Ok so in this part of the poem I see an open space and someone throwing a stone at it.
Does it make a noise?
What do you picture so far in this poem? (call on a few students)
Well, I was open.
Now let's try another…
What was the last picture you had in your brain? (Students should say a broken window.)
5. Now I am going to read you one more poem. I want you to visualize it in your brain. This poem is also by Shel Silverstein and it is called The Worst
When singing songs of scariness,
Of bloodiness and hairyness,
I feel obligated at this moment to remind you
Of the most ferocious beast of all:
Three thousand pounds and nine feet tall---
The Glurpy Slurpy Skakagrall---
Who's standing right behind you.
Now talk with your partners about what you visualized. After students have had some time to share call on a couple of students to share with the class.
6. Now I am going to read you a short description and I want you to visualize it in your head. Cats are color blind so they only see in black in white. Fluffy the cat's favorite color is purple. Ok so what did you picture in your hear? (call on a couple of students) Good if a cat did not know what color was what then her favorite color could not be purple.
7. Who can remind me why visualizing is important? ( call on students to answer. Students should say to help you picture the story in your brain, to help you know what the story is about, etc.) Now that we have practiced visualization with the poems I want you to use this skill, that will help you comprehend the story, while we read Tuck Everlasting.
Before we start reading let's go over some vocabulary. Our first word is galling. Galling means annoying and irritating. Our second word is pruned. Pruned means cut to look nice like pruned plants. Our third word is battered. Battered means torn up and worn out.
8. We are going to start where we left off on chapter five. Who can remember what we have read so far? That is good so far, We have met the Fosters and Winnie, the daughter, talked to a stranger in the front yard. While Winnie and her grandmother were talking to the stranger they heard music. Winnie's grandmother said it was elves' music. Let's see what happens the next day to Winnie. As you are reading I want you to visualize what the author is describing to you. We are going to partner read. I want one partner to read one paragraph and the next partner to read the next paragraph and so on. At the end of the chapter I want you to discuss with your partners what you visualized in the chapter.
9. To finish today's talk about visualization, I want you to draw a picture to show me what you saw in your brain while reading chapter 5. You should include the characters that you read about in this chapter and what the setting was like. If you need to you can draw more than one picture on one piece of paper. Include details that the author included in the story. At the bottom of you drawing write two or three sentences about what you visualized in this chapter. I will not be grading you on your artistic abilities just that you show me correctly what the author was trying to get you to visualize as you were reading the story.
Allow students 20 minutes to draw their picture. Then grade their drawings by following this checklist:
Did the student draw a picture?
Does the picture relate to Chapter 5?
Does the picture correctly depict what was read in Chapter 5?
Does the picture portray comprehension of Chapter 5?
Did the student include two to three sentences about their drawing?
Ask them a visualization question that does not make sense. Have them tell you why it does not make sense. For example, "It was a cold snowy day. When Henry got dressed the morning he put on flip flops and shorts." What is wrong with the picture in your hear?
Ready, Set, Visualize! By Casey Free on the Reading Genie website _URL_
Click here for Awakenings Index


Hogweed UK map tracker: Where do you find dangerous giant hogweed plants?
GIANT Hogweed, also knowns as Heracleum Mantegazzianum, is a dangerous plant that grows in some areas of the UK. Where do you find dangerous giant hogweed plants?
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Giant hogweed: Plant is a huge hazard to children says gardener
Although stunning when fully grown, giant hogweed is an invasive plant and can potentially be harmful. Chemicals in the sap can cause photosensitivity, where skin becomes extremely vulnerable to sunlight. People who come into contact with giant hogweed plants often report symptoms such as skin blistering, pigmentation and long-lasting scars.
Where do you find dangerous giant hogweed plants?
Giant Hogweed belongs to the Apiaceae family, which includes other well-known plants such as parsley, carrots, parsnips, cumin and coriander.
A native of the Caucasus mountains of south-west Asia, it was introduced to the UK in the late 19th Century as a decorative plant.
Giant Hogweed grows all over Britain but is most commonly found along riverbanks where the seeds are transported via the water.
The Royal Horticultural Society says that areas commonly affected by Giant Hogweed include "gardens and allotments adjacent to infected woodland, heathland or common land".
READ MORE: Japanese knotweed: How dogs could help you root out dangerous plant
Hogweed UK map tracker: Hogweed
Hogweed UK map tracker: Where do you find dangerous giant hogweed plants? (Image: Getty)
Hogweed UK map tracker: Hogweed
Hogweed UK map tracker: Giant hogweed can cause skin blisters and photosensitivity (Image: Getty)
Hogweed also grows along country footpaths, and in places like parks, cemeteries and wastelands.
To find where Giant Hogweed grows near you, you can use this map to do so.
What does Giant Hogweed look like?
When Giant Hogweed is fully grown, it can reach heights of up to 5metres, and have a spread of between 1 and 2metres.
Hogweed UK map tracker: Hogweed
Hogweed UK map tracker: Hogweed's attractive appearance makes it especially dangerous (Image: Getty)
Hogweed forms a rosette of jagged, lopsided leaves in its first year, before sending up a flower spike in its second year and developing seeds.
Giant Hogweed is actually a very appealing and attractive plant, which makes it especially dangerous.
Hogweed's stems grow with purple blotches and stiff, white hairs, and they are hollow with ridges that have a thick circle of hairs at the base of each stalk.
Giant Hogweed's leaves can grow up to 1.5m wide and 3m long, and is divided into smaller leafs.
Giant hogweed plant burns: How do you treat giant hogweed burn? [INSIGHT]
Hogweed warning: Lockdown sparks eruption in toxic weed that can blind [WARNING]
Giant hogweed takeover: Can UK's most dangerous plant be stopped? [ANALYSIS]
Hogweed UK map tracker: Hogweed
Hogweed UK map tracker: Hogweed most often grows alongside river banks and footpaths (Image: Getty)
These closely resemble a rhubarb leaf, with irregular and very sharp and jagged edges.
The appearance of its leaves has given rise to another common name for Giant Hogweed – wild rhubarb.
Flowers of the plant appear in June and July and are small and white, or sometimes slightly pink, and are clustered on umbrella-like heads.
These heads are known as umbels and can reach a diameter of 60cm, while all the flowers on the umbel face upwards.
Hogweed seeds are dry, flattened, oval in shape and almost 1cm long with tan brown lines extending the majority of the seed.
The best way to avoid injury is by familiarising yourself with the plant.
Avoid brushing through patches of Giant Hogweed and exposing yourself to cut plants, which may cause sap to get on your skin.
If you do get giant hogweed sap on your skin, be sure to wash the area thoroughly immediately.
Seek medical advice and make sure not to expose the area to sunlight for at least a few days.


text:
keynote talk given at the 7th Ludwig Boltzmann Forum, Tokyo, 20 February 2015
by Hiroyuki Yoshikawa, Pioneer of robotics and precision manufacturing, Emeritus President of the University of Tokyo, Japan Prize 1997
summary by Gerhard Fasol – discussions at the end of this page
Part I: Robotless Robot (automatic assembly without robot)
For many engineering processes the interaction of geometrical shapes is important.
"Stable states" are states where for example triangles are placed with their sides in contact. As an example, if we consider two triangles, we have 9 stable states and 36 possible transitions.
Let us consider interactions between cylinders and holes in a plate – such as situation could arise in an industrial process. In this case we have metastable states, where the cylinders are upright, lying on their side, or placed oblique in one of the holes, and we have stable states, where the cylinders rest in on one of the holes.
We can consider an experiment where we have cylinders on a plate with several holes, and subject the plate to vibrations. Depending on the magnitude of vibrations, the cylinders will move around and may end up all placed in holes, which would be the finished product of this thought experiment.
The distribution of energy of cylinders at collisions between cylinders and the disc follows a Boltzmann Distribution.
Part II: Macroscopic Service Science (Servicentric human society)
Reconceptualization of manufacturing
Hypothesis: Service makes a society
The basic reason why human beings live together and work collectively or socially is that their mutual services are essential for their survival on earth. Humans cannot live alone.
Lemma: Manufacturing industry is part of the service industry.
In the service industry, a service donor (e.g. a server in a restaurant) manufactures a function and simultaneously delivers this as a service to a recipients (customer).
In the manufacturing industry, a donor manufactures functions which are embedded into products, which are delivered to recipients at a later time.
Basic structure of primitive service
- Service design:
- Product design:
- use (service)
- Primitive service: medical service at home e.g. mother-child
- Amplified service: medical service at hospital by a highly trained doctor using medical equipment and know-how
- Amplifiers: life science, medical skills, medical equipment, hospital facilities, IT
- Donate a service, e.g. a vegetable dish
- This service consists of three primitive services:
- produce food (donor: farmer, vehicle: fields, vegetables, recipient: wholesaler)
- sales service (donor: retailer, recipient: purchaser)
- cooking service (donor: cook, vehicle: dishes, recipient: eater)
- vehicle is a medium for the service. Tool is a typical vehicle
The flow of services can be seen as similar to flow in fluid dynamics: services flow from donor through a service pipe to recipients.
A donor's motivation (subjective) is transformed into function (objective) at the first stage of service design. Function is input to themselves (donor) increasing the potential of latent function. When the potential exceeds the recipient's potential of latent function, a service starts. Motivation is subjective, while function is objective (see: Social Theory and Social Structure by Robert K. Merton)
Replacing GDP by the total functional flow (services in a society) as an indicator for wealth of society
Motivation of a donor increases its latent function and when it exceeds the latent function of a recipient, function flow of service starts. Rate of flow is proportional to the functional gap, and admittance of the path.
A society is composed of people with different latent function of a kind. Each member has its capacity of receiving the function. As a result, the system of functional flow in the society is determined.
Services make a society.
From "manufacturing a product" to "manufacturing amplifiers on service network"
Our industrial society can be seen of the sum of a primitive service-only society PLUS manufacturing industries, resulting in amplified services.
As an example:
Industrial products and know-how amplify simple services.
Chains of primitive services
Copyright (c) 2015 Eurotechnology Japan KK All Rights Reserved


University of Halabja and Islamic Azad University Held a Meeting
On the 9th of February 2021, the UoH president Dr. Mahabad Kamil Abdullah and the Islamic Azad University president Dr. Jahanshir Amini together with both universities council members had a meeting in which both sides discussed the ways of conducting scientific joint-works in detail.
At the beginning of the meeting, Dr. Mahabad discussed the importance of the building academic bilateral relations between UoH and other universities nationally and internationally. Then, she appointed the UoH council to organize and conduct scientific works with Iranian universities. Later, Dr. Jahanshir highly appreciated the UoH president and other key staff members for organizing such a meeting and stated that the Islamic Azad University is ready to perform scientific works with UoH.
Besides, both sides discussed the steps they need to take in order to improve the scientific levels of both universities so as to reflect a development in scientific process and education level in the near future. After that, both sides agreed that the results of the meeting will be written in a MoU in a suitable time.
The subject matters of the meeting are followings:
1- The Islamic Azad University offers the UoH a full cooperation concerning academic staff mobility with all the scientific departments of UoH being dependent on the requirements.
2- The Islamic Azad University will do the necessary preparations regarding providing labs for conducting researches for lecturers and MA and PhD students at UoH based on a scientific agreement.
3- Both sides will conduct joint-research and publish them in high impact factor journals.
Sharing is caring!


31 January 2008
Kids "Universally" Dislike Clowns?
This month, the Reuters wire burned with a new scientific finding: Kids hate clowns. The dispatch stated:
The news that will no doubt have clowns shedding tears was revealed in a poll of youngsters by researchers from the University of Sheffield who were examining how to improve the decor of hospital children's wards.
"As adults we make assumptions about what works for children," said Penny Curtis, a senior lecturer in research at the university.
This prompted complaints from clowns who visit hospital wards, as a follow-up dispatch reported:
In a deluge of emails to Reuters, they say they misrepresent just how popular they really are.
"The 'universe' of 250 children used for the Sheffield University study was miniscule compared to the 250,000 one-to-one bedside visits made by Clown Care to hospitalized children annually," said Joel Dein, director of communications at the Big Apple Circus in New York.
I can't read the original article without a Nursing Standard subscription, but I have doubts about any study that surveys fewer than 300 English children and then prompts a declaration that "clowns are universally disliked." Social scientists rarely speak in such absolutes.
On the other hand, amidst all the caterwauls and chuckles, the news media lost track of the confines of the original study. The Sheffield team didn't research kids' thoughts on actual clowns; they're studying how to design and decorate children's hospital wards. As HospitalHealthCare.com reported, the lead researcher "said that children preferred colourful spaces and references to contemporary culture."
Well, of course they do. This study basically asked kids aged four to sixteen in a social environment (i.e., where there was every possibility of peer pressure to be cool) how they'd like their bedrooms decorated. How many kids today are going to demand a circus theme? But that doesn't mean kids, in hospital or not, dislike the clowns who come to entertain them once in a while.
(Creepy image of card-playing, cigarette-smoking child clowns above by artist Ron English, available as a poster. Now that's decorating!)
Kelly said...
Of course the language here is overblown. Still, I think the researchers are on to something.
Doesn't everyone have a "traumatic" circus story from their youth? Why do adults insist on perpetrating the same crimes on their children?
I personally support a universe-wide ban on circus clowns.
(And don't get me started on the elephants. Every child recognizes when sitting in the stands that a noble creature like the elephant should not be wearing a hat and standing on one leg balancing a ball. The circus is one tradition that deserves to die a natural death.)
J. L. Bell said...
Certainly I recall some clowns I despised, but I wouldn't go so far as to dislike an entire class of people simply because of the color of the skin makeup.
Lately I've been attending performances of Circus Smirkus rather than Ringling, which means the clowns are less than half my age and I can exert some moral authority over them if need be.
ericshanower said...
I never had a problem with clowns. I don't have any particular affection for them, but I don't understand why anyone would hate them.
David Lee said...
I don't remember finding clowns funny as a kid. Too much clown humor is based on slapstick and being stupid and that never did much for me. (Never cared for the Three Stooges for the same reason.)
I didn't find them scary either. I mostly just found them weird. Some of them were a version of weird that I liked. Others, not so much.
Chris Barton said...
I'm no clown hater. But I still remember the day my wife and I had to explain to our three-year-old that clowns are, in fact, human.


Flux bicycle kit by Offer Canfi wirelessly
charges electronic devices
Royal College of Art graduate Offer Canfi has envisioned a future for cycling in which inductive bicycle lanes could be used to wirelessly charge electric bikes and other devices on the go.
Flux Bike by Offer Canfi
Offer Canfi's Flux project imagines a near-future scenario where bicycles are powered using resonant inductive coupling – a method of transmitting electrical energy without man-made conductors.
"This project is focused on resonant inductive bicycle lanes as a first step towards wireless power grids," said Canfi. "The road becoming an emitter that can power up electric bicycles, laptops and phones, making batteries redundant."
Flux Bike by Offer Canfi
The designer proposes creating inductive bicycle lanes by laying a high-friction screed surface embedded with emitter coils along sections of road.
The current passing through these coils would transfer electricity wirelessly to similar copper elements on the bicycle mechanism via an oscillating magnetic field.
Flux Bike by Offer Canfi
"The coils that are embedded into the screed turn on when the bicycle comes within range, using a radio-frequency identification (RFID) badge that recognises when the bike is near," Canfi told Dezeen.
Flux Bike by Offer Canfi
This could replace batteries currently used to power electric bikes, and could also be used to charge electronic devices like mobile phones and laptops during journeys.
Flux Bike by Offer Canfi
"Batteries are still the most expensive, polluting and heavy element of any electric vehicle and that is before you consider their short life cycle and problematic recycling procedures," said Canfi.
Flux Bike by Offer Canfi
His alternative Capacitor 1.21 kit is designed to lock on to any diamond-frame bicycle to convert it into an electric model.
Flux Bike by Offer Canfi
The capacitor stores energy without the chemicals found in batteries and the kit connects the series of copper coils to the bike's mechanism so the current can help power the ride.
Once the coils in the road and bike are paired other devices with coils embedded, like mobile phones, could feed off the electricity and use it to power up – similar to how wireless Qi chargers work.
Flux Bike by Offer Canfi
"A fun fact about resonant induction power transfer is that once the primary and secondary coil are in a state of coupled magnetic field, this field itself becomes an emitter and secondary coils can connect to it as well," Canfi explained.
Flux Bike by Offer Canfi
The additional parts are printed in nylon using selective laser sintering (SLS) to keep them as light as possible, as extra weight would require more power.
Flux Bike by Offer Canfi
Canfi's capacitor adds less than two kilograms to the bike, but a lighter model would increase efficiency and lower costs.
He believes that recent developments in the creation of ultracapacitors, which store high amounts of electric charge, using miracle-material graphene have brought his idea closer to reality.
Flux Bike by Offer Canfi
"Looking at the growing market for electric bicycles and the emergence of resonant induction as an efficient way to wirelessly transfer electric power, this project was about describing a truly possible future for urban commuting," Canfi said.
Flux Bike by Offer Canfi
The project was presented at the Royal College of Art's annual degree show last month, along with a man-made biological leaf that could enable long-distance space travel and a proposal to create synthetic foods using nanotechnology.
 - Henry
 The Fox 32 fork strapped to what looks like a lugged steel road frame is the icing on the cake with this one.
 - Damian
 Exactly my thinking as well, haha.
 - Xela C
 How is this ridable? Do you not fall over backwards going up hill?
 - umm
 That frame with that fork is really hard to watch. He probably used what he got, but it totally distracts from the actual idea. Even if you are just remotely into bikes.
 - skinnyfat
 Immediately this image came to my mind:
 Something is just not right here.
 - nad
 Feasibility and usability that is exactly what me and the other commenters are not seeing. And that is why they rather comment on the frame and fork.
 - Idontgetit
 Hub dynamos, very efficient and blend seamlessly into any bike design. Add a battery with a small circuit board and there you have it. Or when we talk about the near future, plug it into your electric bike.
 - Ollie
 Worse still, that frame/fork combination is quite hard to achieve. It didn't just happen by accident. A fork for a lugged frame has a 1″ dia. steerer tube typically, whereas that fork will have at least a 1 1/8″ steerer tube – probably even a tapered steerer.
 Basically, it took some deliberate custom fabrication to achieve this mess.


Nmedia - Fotolia
Android bootloader: How does it work and what is the risk?
Several vulnerabilities were recently discovered in Android bootloaders via the BootStomp tool. Kevin Beaver explains how they work and what risk these vulnerabilities present.
Computer scientists recently discussed several vulnerabilities that were discovered in Android bootloaders using...
the BootStomp tool. How do Android bootloaders work, and what are the risks of the vulnerabilities?
Android bootloaders work similar to a BIOS on a PC, as they enable the phone to look for a boot device and start up from it. Bootloaders also enable users to reset their device, unlock the bootloader and put the bootloader in fastboot mode to enable files to be sent from a computer -- typically to flash different official firmware or recoveries.
Vulnerabilities are typically caused when the device's bootloader is unlocked, as an unlocked bootloader enables the user to make many different changes to the device that the OEM would not typically allow. This can include flashing custom ROMs, sideloading programs, flashing recoveries and modifying system elements.
Most OEMs won't honor devices with problems if their bootloaders are unlocked, since a locked bootloader usually provides better protection against vulnerabilities. These vulnerabilities can prevent the device from booting up, programs from operating properly, and it can also alter the device's actions.
Unlocked bootloader impacts users
Unlocking a bootloader would not be caused by a standard user. Even fewer people have root access, which some of these vulnerabilities require. These exploits would somehow need to gain root access to the Android device to make changes, and they could be devastating if that access is obtained.
There could be some cases of consumers buying used devices like phones that come with an unlocked bootloader or that have been rooted, but those instances are rare. These exploits could possibly unlock the bootloader themselves, but this action would most likely require a reboot to do so.
The best way to stay safe from these vulnerabilities is to only install apps that you trust and to make sure that you know what apps you're giving administrative access to on an Android.
Ask the expert:
This was last published in January 2018
Dig Deeper on Mobile application security best practices


Let say you have measured a Sharpe Ratio of $S^*$. What is the simplest way (ie no fancy distributions) to do a hypothesis that this is different from $0$?
So $H_0: \text{ The sharpe ratio is equal to 0}$ and $H_1: \text{ The sharpe ratio is greater than 0}$.
So given $S^*$, $\mathbb{P}( Y = S^* ) \geq 0.05$
But what should the $Y$ be? I read somewhere online that it could the non centered t distribution, but I am not sure whether this could be centered to the standard t test distribution. Moreover, I would also like to consider the normal distribution and as the sample used to create the statistic should be greater than 30, the t test to normal approxaimtion should apply.
Can someone please help me with the details here?
The answer above is not correct.
Let's go by parts:
Denote the mean of returns $\mu$. Denote the standard deviation of returns: $\sigma$.
Therefore the sharpe ratio is:
$$ SR = \frac{\mu-r_f}{\sigma} $$
The corresponding standard errors are:
$$ se(\hat{mu}) = \frac{\sigma}{\sqrt{t}}$$ $$ se(\hat{\sigma}) = \frac{\sqrt{2} \sigma^2}{\sqrt{T}}$$ $$ se(\hat{SR}) = \frac{\sqrt{1+SR^2/2}}{\sqrt{T}}$$
So the t-stat for the sharpe ratio is:
$$ t-stat(\hat{SR})= \frac{\hat{SR}}{se(\hat{SR})}$$
 - $\begingroup$ Take your point about sample vs population sigma, _USER_. But still respectfully disagree ;-) Will edit mine below, to elaborate. $\endgroup$ – demully Jun 15 '20 at 14:51
 - 1
 $\begingroup$ Adding a reference for clarity: _URL_-content/uploads/2017/06/… $\endgroup$ – phdstudent Jun 15 '20 at 19:58
 - $\begingroup$ thanks - interesting paper, need to Monte Carlo to work on how the inconsistency happens. $\endgroup$ – demully Jun 15 '20 at 22:32
 - $\begingroup$ OK, it's clear gaming this that variation in realised sigmas do have an effect on SR. Assuming of course the concept of a true population volatility/variance is a meaningful concept (one for another day). This can be material testing for non-zero Sharpes. This said, it remains a tautology that if (Mu-Rf)>0 then Sharpe>0. So there's a paradox in the special case of a test for zero, if one's confidence in a positive numerator is any different to one's confidence in a positive ratio (given a positive denominator, by definition). That makes no sense at all. Tx for interesting food for thought! $\endgroup$ – demully Jun 15 '20 at 23:49
 - $\begingroup$ The questions is whether (Mu-Rf) is statistically different from zero to start with! $\endgroup$ – phdstudent Jun 16 '20 at 10:24
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Using URLScan on IIS
This article was previously published under Q307608
The purpose of this article is to ensure effective distribution of the Internet Information Services (IIS) security tool URLScan. URLScan is an add-on tool that can be used by Web site administrators. The administrators can control the actions of URLScan and can restrict the type of HTTP requests that the server processes.
If you are upgrading from an earlier version of URLScan (2.0, 2.1), all your previous configuration settings are retained while the executable and the URLScan.ini is updated with new features of URLScan 2.5.
Before you install URLScan 2.5, see the white paper on the following Microsoft Web site:
To download URLScan 2.5, visit the following Microsoft Web site: For information about URLScan and other security details in IIS, see the webcast on the following Microsoft Web site: For additional information about each feature of URLScan, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
326444 HOW TO: Configure the URLScan Tool
Depending on the applications that you are running, there may be limitations or specific configurations for URLScan. For additional information about running URLScan with different applications, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
309394 HOW TO: Use URLScan with FrontPage 2000
318290 HOW TO: Use URLScan with FrontPage 2002
815155 HOW TO: Configure URLScan to Protect ASP.NET Web Applications
Article ID: 307608 - Last Review: 04/20/2012 11:46:00 - Revision: 11.1
Microsoft Internet Information Services 6.0
 - kbinfo kbsectools kbsecurity KB307608


text:
Over sixty known Volunteers were killed in action during Easter Week. A number of others who were killed have not been identified. Others died from the effects of wounds received during the battle or from the conditions of imprisonment after the surrender. The names of these Volunteers are now largely forgotten and their graves known to only a few.
They Died by Pearse's Side is the first book to bring together the stories of these Volunteers. It presents an overview of each major battle and an overall timeline and location for these Volunteers deaths. It tells the story of how each of them died and provides a photograph and the location of each grave.
Hardback Cover with 360 pages. €19.99 + €7.50 Postage and Packing Worldwide.


text:
The pickle module has an optimized cousin called the cPickle module. As its name implies, cPickle is written in C, so it can be up to 1000 times faster than pickle. However it does not support subclassing of the Pickler() and Unpickler() classes, because in cPickle these are functions, not classes. Most applications have no need for this functionality, and can benefit from the improved performance of cPickle. Other than that, the interfaces of the two modules are nearly identical; the common interface is described in this manual and differences are pointed out where necessary. In the following discussions, we use the term ''pickle'' to collectively describe the pickle and cPickle modules.
The data streams the two modules produce are guaranteed to be interchangeable.
Python has a more primitive serialization module called marshal, but in general pickle should always be the preferred way to serialize Python objects. marshal exists primarily to support Python's.pyc files.
The pickle module differs from marshal several significant ways:
This has implications both for recursive objects and object sharing. Recursive objects are objects that contain references to themselves. These are not handled by marshal, and in fact, attempting to marshal recursive objects will crash your Python interpreter. Object sharing happens when there are multiple references to the same object in different places in the object hierarchy being serialized. pickle stores such objects only once, and ensures that all other references point to the master copy. Shared objects remain shared, which can be very important for mutable objects.
Note that serialization is a more primitive notion than persistence; although pickle reads and writes file objects, it does not handle the issue of naming persistent objects, nor the (even more complicated) issue of concurrent access to persistent objects. The pickle module can transform a complex object into a byte stream and it can transform the byte stream into an object with the same internal structure. Perhaps the most obvious thing to do with these byte streams is to write them onto a file, but it is also conceivable to send them across a network or store them in a database. The module shelve provides a simple interface to pickle and unpickle objects on DBM-style database files.
See About this document... for information on suggesting changes.


text: Formal collaborations between community groups and academic institutions to promote economic development have increased substantially over the past 10 years. The bulk of research on community-campus partnerships has focused on the experiences of institutions of higher learning and the foundations that have funded the collaborations, leaving a gap in our understanding of community experiences. This report draws on a variety of sources, including first-person interviews and academic literature, to bring out community perspectives on what makes for successful partnerships. The conclusions are presented as practical suggestions for community groups and campuses seeking to optimize partnerships. Four case studies describe lessons learned by participating community groups.