which monitors the various industrial and air and water pollution in our cities and comes out with advisories for the governments as well as for the municipalities involved.
Statement 1 is incorrect: It was established under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974. This act also provides for the formation of state boards which shall be the bodies operating at the state level.
Statement 2 is correct: The Central Pollution Control Board is executing a nation-wide programme for ambient air quality monitoring known as National Air Quality Monitoring Programme (NAMP).
Statement 3 is incorrect: The CPCB can also impose financial penalties on the guilty parties including the municipal corporations who do not follow the rules regarding control of pollution. This body comes under the purview of the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change but the act ensures autonomy in its functions.
→ Question-31
Answer: B
At present, Chilika Lake is not part of Montreux Record. It was placed under Montreux Record due to siltation. It was removed from this record in 2002.
Loktak lake, Manipur was included on the Montreux Record in 1993 (signifying habitat degradation), as a result of ecological problems such as deforestation in the catchment area, infestation of water hyacinth and pollution.
Keoladeo national park, Rajasthan was placed on the Montreux Record in 1990 due to water shortage and unbalanced grazing regime around it.
→ Question-32
Answer: a
Option a is correct: National Mineral Policy, 2019 aims to bring more effective regulation to the mining sector as well as follow a more sustainable approach while addressing the issues of those affected by mining.
Under the new policy, the Right of First Refusal for Reconnaissance permit was introduced to encourage the private sector to take up exploration.
Earlier, if a firm finds evidence of minerals it has to inform the government under reconnaissance permit (RP). The government will then auction off the area.
But under the new policy, such firms will get the right of first refusal i.e. the same firm would be given the area for mining.
Thus, it encourages the private sector for mining.
→ Question-33
Answer: a
Explanation: AQI considers eight pollutants (PM10, PM 2.5, NO2, SO2, CO, O3, NH3 and Pb). Carbon dioxide(CO2) is not a component of the National Air Quality Index.
→ Question-34
Answer: d
Explanation: E waste management is one of the major issues the world is facing currently. With increased usage of electronic products, this is a problem on the rise. India in 2016 came out with an amendment to the E waste management rules. New provisions in the form of penalties and liabilities were included under the purview of E waste management.
Statement 1 is incorrect: As the management of e-wastes in general concerns both the electronic and electrical wastes. These wastes can be in the form of tube lights and CFLs and also small printed circuit boards and integrated circuits. These products if not managed and disposed properly, lead to land degradation as well as release of toxins in the environment.
Statement 2 is incorrect: Under these rules, there is an exemption provided to the micro industries from the Extended Producer Responsibility. Extended Producer Responsibility is a kind of policy approach whereby the producers are imposed with financial or physical responsibility to deal with the wastes generated in the course of usage of any product.
In this method, ploughing is done along the slope of the field.
→ Question-35
Answer: b
Explanation: Summer Ploughing is a type of tillage which helps to retain the soil moisture and help facilitate the nutrient content of the soil before the sowing of the kharif crops. It is mostly advocated in areas having less rainfall, so that whatever little rain occurs, it is utilized by the crops.
Statement 1 is incorrect: Under such agricultural practices, ploughing is done across the slope of the field rather than along the slope of the field. This not only ensures proper soil retention by preventing erosion, it also ensures maximum amount of water is retained in the process.
Statement 2 is correct: As ploughing exposes the layer lying at the bottom to the sun, thus baking it. Similarly, the heated layers then go to the bottom thus cooling them off. This leads to a better soil structure which is uniform.
Statement 3 is correct: As ploughing by this method leads to proper aeration being provided. This leads to a faster decomposition rate along with an improved environment as far as the growth of favourable micro organisms are concerned.
→ Question-36
Answer: a
Explanation: Dhrupad is a genre of Hindustani classical music.
Statement 1 is correct: Dhrupad was popular during the 14th century but flourished between 15th century onwards to around the 18th century. Man Singh Tomar, the Maharaja of Gwalior was primarily responsible for the popularisation of dhrupad.
Statement 2 is correct: Tansen was an famous dhrupad singer. Swami Haridasa was not only a famous dhrupad exponent but also follower of Bhakti cult. He was the guru of Tansen, one of the best known dhrupad singers and also one of the nine jewels of Emperor Akbar's court.
Statement 3 is incorrect: There were four schools or vanis of singing the dhrupad.
The Gauhar vani that is-raga or unadorned melodic figures.
The Dagarvani that ismelodic curves and graces.
The Khandar vani that is-quick ornamentation of the notes. Nauhar vani was known for its broad musical leaps and jumps. Compared to the vanis of the dhrupads, we have gharanas, in the khyal. Various individuals or patrons( kings or noblemen) founded or established several several schools of singing. The oldest of them is the Gwalior gharana.
→ Question-37
Answer: b
Explanation: Indian music had evolved into two different subcategories :- Hindustani and Carnatic music.The two distinct styles, Hindustani and Carnatic became popular after the advent of the Muslims, particularly during the reign of the Mughal Emperors of Delhi. Both the systems of music received their nourishment from the same original source. Whereas the Indian music of the Northern part of India assimilated some features of the music of the Persian and Arabic musicians who adorned the courts of the Mughal rulers of Delhi, the music of the South continued to develop along its own original lines. But the fundamental aspects of both the systems of the North and South have been the same.
It is said, that South Indian Music, as known today, flourished in Deogiri the capital city of the Yadavas in the middle ages, and that after the invasion and plunder of the city by the Muslims, the entire cultural life of the city took shelter in the Carnatic Empire of Vijayanagar under the reign of Krishnadevaraya. Thereafter, the music of South India came to be known as Carnatic Music.
Statement 1 is incorrect: Gitam is the simplest type of composition. Taught to beginners of music, the gitam is very simple in construction, with an easy and melodious flow of music. The music of this form is a simple melodic extension of the raga in which it is composed. The Varnam is a beautiful creation of musical craftsmanship of a high order, combining in itself all the characteristic features of the raga in which it is composed.
Statement 2 is correct: Jatisvaram-has no sahitya or words. The piece is sung with solfa syllables only. Examples of solfa syllables a taka tari kita naka tatin gina tam
Statement 3 is correct: The Kirtanam had its birth about the latter half of the 14th century. It is valued for the devotional content of the sahitya. Clothed in simple music, the kirtanam abounds in Bhakti bhava. It is suited for congregational singing as well as individual presentation.
→ Question-38
Answer: d
Explanation:Many features of local cultures and traditions were combined with Islamic architectural practices during the medieval period. Thus, in the field of architecture, a mix of many structural techniques, stylised shapes, and surface decorations came about through constant interventions of acceptance, rejection or modification of architectural elements. These architectural entities or categories showcasing multiple styles are known as Indo-Saracenic or Indo-Islamic architecture.
Decorative forms in Indo-Saracenic architecture included designing on plaster through incision or stucco. They were influenced by Turkish, Persian and Indian traditions.
Statement 1 is correct: Tiles were also used to surface the walls and the domes. Popular colours were blue, turquoise, green and yellow.
Example:The tomb of Shah Rukn-i-Alam (Sufi saint) was built by the Tughluq ruler of Delhi, Ghiyas-ud-din (r. _PHONE_), between 1320 and 1324 AD. The exterior is the tomb is ornamented with the use of carved brick and wood as well as blue and white faience mosaic tiles with raised relief patterns.
Statement 2 is correct: Profuse use of jalis is a prominent feature of Indo-Saracenic architecture. Jalis were also used in Hindu temples. A fine example of Jali is seen at Tomb of Salim Chishti, Fatehpur Sikri shows Islamic


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57 ft to 65 ft6 and will require the control valve to work very close to its seat.
Now let us look at reverse return distribution (fig. 5). In early systems, reverse return was provided for constant flow distribution serving identical terminal units. It normalizes the differential pressure on all circuits for design flow. At design condition (Fig 5b), all terminal circuits see the available differential pressure of 27 ft. At 50% average flow (Fig 5c), all terminal circuits are submitted to a differential pressure of 58 ft which requires the control valves to work closer to their seat (with a risk of unstable control). In conclusion, control valves may hunt at small load for remote circuits in direct return while all of them may hunt in reverse return. To reduce changes in differential pressure, a variable speed controller on the pump can be used to keep it constant, for example, between C and D on figure 5a. This reduces the pumping cost and improves the quality of control (See references B & C)
Please note that in certain cases, the pump head has to be increased in reverse return design. In figures 4 and 5, if the first circuit requires a differential pressure of 47 ft this condition is satisfied in direct return (Fig 4b) since 57 ft is available. It is not he case in reverse return (Fig 5b) as only 27 ft is available. Consequently, for the reverse return system, in this case, the pump head has to be increased by 20 ft.
- For a constant ΔH, the pump energy increases proportionally with the flow.
Stability of the terminal control is dependent on the control valves authority (see references D & E) which is defined as:
For good control, it must be at least 25%. In figure 3, expected control valve pressure drop is 18ft. The control valve actually selected has a design pressure drop of 9ft.
6 Since ΔH - (GPM)2,
the actual pressure drop in pipes is (1/2)2 (57 - 27)
≈ 7 ft.
Then the actual available differential pressure is 65-7=58 ft.
7 Δp across closed control valve is the same as
the available differential pressure for the circuit. The pressure drop created
by the balancing valve these not intervene in any of theses factors and has
consequently no influence on the control valve's authority.
So, its authority is 9/27x100=33%. 9 ft is a fixed value as soon as this control valve has been selected. The only variable parameter is the available differential pressure (27 ft). If this differential pressure increase, the control valve authority decreases with risk of control valve hunting.
Let us consider a direct return system with a constant speed pump according to figure 4a. Design pressure drop8 for the control valve in circuit 1 is 40 ft. At 50% average flow, the available differential pressure for the circuit 1 increases from 57 to 65 ft (Fig 4c) and the control valve authority from 40/57x100=70% to 40/65x100=62%. This increase in differential pressure does not compromise the control valve performance. However, for the last circuit, the available differential increases from 27 to 58 ft which greatly decreases the control valve authority from 33% to 9/55x100=15%. In reverse return (Fig 5c), for all the circuits, the authority will be only 15% (9/58x100).
An example of large cooling system with variable speed pump is shown in figure 6. The variable speed pump keeps the available differential pressure constant for the last circuit. When all terminals experience nearly the same load at the same time, it is a suitable solution.
The design condition is: Δp coil = 12.5 ft, ΔH CD = 85 ft and ΔH EF = 25 ft. For the last terminal, the design pressure drop for control valve is 12.5ft (authority 50%). For the first terminal, the best available choice is 70 ft (authority 80%) assuming that the valve noise is acceptable and the valve actuator is capable of closing against 87 ft head. If not, the design of the system has to be change. If all the terminal valves are closed and only terminal 1 is in operation, the differential pressure ΔH CD drops from 87 to 25 ft since the differential pressure control is set for ΔH EF = 25 ft. The maximum flow in terminal 1 is reduced. It drops by ratio:
Then the cooling output drops to 80% (Fig 2a). The 20% reduction in cooling output, in this extreme case, may be acceptable. The case could be much more dramatic if he system is not balanced. To avoid the reduction in flow for the first terminal, its control valve could be selected based on the minimum available differential pressure (25 ft). The first terminal would be now able to have its design flow in the worst case. However, during start-up, the control valve is fully open with an available differential pressure of 87 ft. In this case, the water flow in the first terminal will reach 187% of its design value9. In start-up, most of the control valves are wide open. The pump runs at maximum speed and cannot keep 25 ft at the last terminal.
Flow greater than design may cause low flows in other parts of the system generating complaints from occupants. Moreover, if the return main flow is greater than design, the flow in the bypass MN (Fig 1) will reverse creating an increase of the supply water temperature at mixing point M. This makes morning start-up a time consuming operation. One solution for terminal 1 is to keep the differential pressure across the control valve constant with a local differential pressure controller (See reference F). (Fig 7)
The set point of the Ap controller is selected to obtain the design flow for the control valve when fully open. That way, the control valve is always correctly sized and its authority is kept close to 100%.
When the system can be represented by figure 6, the differential pressure may be maintained constant at the middle of the system (AB instead of EF) Taking the same example as before, the set point would be 56 ft. When the average load is close to zero, the maximum flow obtainable at the first terminal would be of 80%10, reducing the maximum power output by only 6% (fig 2a). For the last terminal, the control valve authority will decrease from 50% to 22% which is still acceptable.
Most of the systems cannot be represented by figure 6 as thee are risers, branches, etc. Control valves are calculated to take a maximum of pressure drop in design condition and the remaining differential pressure is taken up by a balancing valve. So the best authority is obtained and flows over design are avoided. The Δp should be measured in strategic points, for instance on some risers. Each Δp sensor is associated with a controlled whose set point corresponds with the local design value. The variable speed pump is controlled by the highest demand. This gives the guarantee that all terminals can always work at design value when necessary and the control valve authority is generally improved at small loads.
A HVAC system is designed for a certain maximum load. If full load cannot be obtained because the system is not balanced for design condition, the owner will not receive the return for his investment. Control valves cannot handle this situation as they are fully open when maximum load is required. Sizing the two-way control valves is difficult and the valves calculated may not be available on the market. Consequently, they are mostly oversized. Hydronic balancing is then essential and represents typically less than one percent of the total HVAC investment.
Two-way control valves have to be sized properly to achieve stable control. A good rule is to obtain at least an authority of 25% in the worst condition. When this goal cannot be achieved, reconsider at least the design of the circuits concerned by installing, for instance, a local self acting differential pressure controller to maintain the control valves authority close to 100% (fig 7).
Pumping costs can also be reduced by increasing the design water ΔT and by using variable speeds pumps with optimum location of the Δp sensor transmitters. Terminal proportional integral (PI) controls require lower flows at intermediary loads than on-off controls (fig 2a) and can therefore also reduce the pumping costs.
It is also important to compensate for pump oversizing. The excess pressure is shown on the balancing valves in the pump discharge. When the correct changes to the pump have been made, the pump discharge balancing valve should be fully opened.
Hydronic balancing requires the correct tools, up to date procedures and efficient measuring instruments. The manual balancing valve remains the most reliable and simplest product to obtain the correct flow for design condition and always gives the opportunity to check flows for diagnosing system problems.

source: HuggingFaceFW/fineweb-edu


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A Climate of Fear
The entertainment industries suffered greatly during the Cold War from pressure to purge their ranks of communists, former communists, and those who had endorsed causes that communists also supported. As a result of hearings by the House Committee on Un-American Activities, ten Hollywood screenwriters and directors were imprisoned and hundreds more in the industry were blacklisted. Radio and television networks succumbed to intimidation from advertisers and civic organizations during a period in which China went communist, the Soviets tested an atomic bomb, the Korean War broke out, and a Soviet spy ring was exposed. The period became identified with the term "McCarthysim," as the televised hearings of Senator Joseph R. McCarthy nourished a climate of fear and intimidation throughout the United States.
View all items from A Climate of Fear »


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Have you ever pressed on a URL on a printed page and expected something to happen? Although it sounds ridiculous, this technology is already available and it has just been adopted by NASA. According to Somatic Digital:
"The Touch User Interface (TUI) technology enables a reader to press the pictures and words on the regular printed ink and paper page and retrieve digital content from an appliance. This technology, in essence, turns the printed material into a remote control to digital content."
The following link to the vendor's site has videos of a 7 year old using a TouchBook.
Link & Image: Somatic Digital via Slashdot
Tags: Somatic Digital | Touch User Interface | TUI | Technology | Tech

source: openbmb/Ultra-FineWeb


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Plush toys are beloved by children and adults alike, but they require proper maintenance to keep them in good condition. Here are some tips to help you care for your plush toys:
1.Keep the room neat,and avoid dust as little as possible, use clean, dry, soft tools to clean the surface of toys frequently.
2.Avoid sun expose for a long time, and air dry the toys inside and outside.
3.Cover the high possible worn place of parts with tape,soft wash by washing machine,sun dry,and hang out.meanwhile,slap slightly the toys,make it soft and fluffy.Find out the filling seam for large size plush toys,cut the seam thread,take out the stuffed cotton,clean the plush cover,air dry it,and refill the cotton into the plush skin,reshape,sew the seams.
4.Fetch out the batteries,any electric components,prevent water damaging as for electronic plush toy,intelligence toy.
5.Comb the fur along with one side,make the plush toy smooth and good shape.
6.Check if the stuffed cotton is clean,inferior quality filling cotton can cause harzards,spread bacteria.
7.Twist the eyes,nose,mouth,check whether they are sturdy,and comply with for the quality regulation,through the pull force test,make sure without falling off the small parts.
8.Disinfectand and clean the plush toys periodically.
9.Use the large power steam iron to press the plush skin softly repeatedly,reduce the stain and eliminate germs.
10.Washing tips,hand wash or machine wash the small toys,while dipping into 30-40℃ warm water,it is better to with neutral detergent.The cashmere detergent is suitable for long plush toys.Spot clean the big size plush toys such like giant teddy bear with small brush.
11.Do not discard the box or plastic bag when you receive the plush toys,which can be for storage with function of dustproof.In wet regions,Put the dry agent to prevent toys against moisture,Store the stuffed toys avoid overloading,deformation damage.


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After briefly weakening, Hurricane Celia re-strengthened to a Category 2 hurricane on June 23, 2010, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported. At 8:00 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time (15:00 UTC) on June 23, Celia was located roughly 740 miles (1,190 kilometers) south of the southern tip of Baja California. The storm had maximum sustained winds of 100 miles (160 kilometers) per hour with higher gusts. Because the storm was headed away from land, however, no coastal watches or warnings were in effect.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Terra satellite captured this true-color image of Celia on June 22, 2010. Though not distinct, a faint eye does appear near the center of the hurricane.
- National Hurricane Center. (2010, June 23). Hurricane Celia Public Advisory. Accessed June 23, 2010.
This image originally appeared on the Earth Observatory. Click here to view the full, original record.


Figure 5.
Weekly LS mean sleep quality score. Weekly assessment analyses based on the results of the MMRM analysis with weekly mean sleep quality score defined as the mean of the last seven daily diary sleep quality ratings. Scores range from 0 to 10 with higher scores indicating decreased sleep quality. Mean value (± SE) shown for each week, where ***P ≤0.0001 for each treatment time point compared with placebo.
Download authors' original image


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Flojet 115 VAC and 12 VDC Demand Pumps
Questions & Answers
- What Flojet Pumps are recommended for potable water?
- Only pumps with Santoprene / EPDM elastomers are recommended for potable water
- Can Flojet Pumps run continuously?
- The Flojet manual states Intermittent duty. Can be run continuously for short periods of time. The higher the duty cycle the shorter the expected life of the pump.
- What does short periods of time mean?
- Up 60 minutes with discharge pressure of up to 20 PSI. Up to 20 minutes when the discharge pressure is over 20 PSI. The off-time should be the same or more than the run time.
- What is meant by demand operation?
- Demand Operation is considered an "intermittent duty" application.
- What is an intermittent duty cycle?
- The maximum intermittent duty cycle is that which will cause the motor to reach its maximum thermal limits. Once the maximum thermal limit is reached, the motor must be allowed to settle to a lower temperature ideally being ambient before resuming operation. Running the pump at or near the maximum thermal limit for extended period of time will shorten the life of the pump and may result in immediate pump failure.
- What diaphragm and valve materials are recommended by Flojet for potable water?
- Only pumps with Santoprene / EPDM elastomers are recommended for potable water.
- Are Flojet pumps recommended for permanent residential domestic water applications?
- Units are NOT designed for permanent residential domestic water applications.
- Can I connect rigid pipe to the pump?
- FLOJET does not recommend the use of rigid pipe and fittings. Use flexible hose of the correct pressure rating that is compatible with the fluid to be pumped. Tubing should be at least 20 inches in length to avoid excess stress on the pump ports.
- Should I use a check valve on the pump suction line?
- The use of check valves in the plumbing system could interfere with the priming ability of the pump. If a check valve is installed in the plumbing it must have a cracking pressure of no more than 2 PSI
- Should I use a strainer on the pump inlet?
- Flojet recommends the use of a minimum 40-mesh strainer or filter in the pump inlet line will prevent foreign debris from entering the system. Failures due to foreign debris entering the pump will not be covered under the limited warranty.
- Can Flojet pumps be used (intermittent duty) for hydraulic oil and water-glycol?
- For petroleum based products such as hydraulic oil use Buna diaphragm and check valves, the same with Glycol use Buna diaphragm and check valves.
Ask a question about Flojet. Click here


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by Victor A Boyce, CSN
Here's a handy tip that all woodworkers should know. This knowledge is most important when choosing woods to be used in aircraft building that will allow you to get the best pieces available
The best wood to use when building an aircraft is wood that has a perfectly straight grain. i.e. wood where the fibers of the grain are parallel to the edges; it is easier to work with, less likely to split, can be laminated and bent into many shapes. Stronger structures can be made from this class of wood.
But is not always possible to obtain this quality with a straight grain that runs the entire length of the piece without some kind of grain runoff. So an allowance must be made for some deviated or sloping grain however, if the grain slope is too steep, the piece must be rejected. So the answer is to measure the slope to determine if the piece can be used.
The grain slope must be determined and carefully measured on both the flat and edge grain surfaces. These two measurements being at right angles to each other must then be combined to obtain the total grain slope. This will be steeper than either of the individual slopes.
In cases where one of these faces has straight grain with no run-out, the true slope of the grain can be seen on the other face, just measure this slope, no calculations needed.
For general aircraft work the grain slope must not be steeper than 1 in 15 and for wing spars the slope should not be steeper than 1 in 20. As previously stated, wood with no slope at all is best.
If the annual rings can be seen on the edge-grained
face, simply measure the slope of the annual rings. If the annual
rings cannot be distinguished, consider this face to be a flat
On a flat grain surface a little more effort is required to determine grain direction. This can be accomplished in several ways. Look closely at the surface and note the following items that will indicate grain direction.
1. Small resin ducts which will be in the same direction as the fibers, small checks (separation of the fibers), streaks of different colored wood in the grain. Then draw a line parallel with the grain and measure for any grain deviation or slope as it is called.
2. Small drops of ink placed on the surface will spread along the fibers and indicate grain direction. A line can be drawn through these small indicators, from which grain direction can be determined and measured.
3. If a small surface scratch can be tolerated, use a scribe with a long handle about 2' long fitted with a stout pin or needle to make a light scratch indicating grain direction. The operator holds the scribe by the end of the long handle and pressing the point of the pin into the grain, pulls the scribe in the direction of the longitudinal axis or what appears to be the grain direction. The long handle prevents the operator from steering the scribe and allows the pin to follow the grain. If this is done carefully the pin scratch will follow the direction of the fibers and clearly indicate grain direction; several parallel scratches may be made if desired.
The total combined slope of the grain is determined
by taking the square root of the sum of the squares of the two
About the author, Victor A. Boyce
Australian born, at 17 became apprentice as Carpenter & Joiner; At 20 took his first flying lesson in a Ryan STM with a world War II bomber pilot/instructor who would later send him solo after just 6 hours.
Entered a full time career in Aviation as a Licensed Aircraft Maintenance Engineer and DCA authorized Inspector with Airframe, Engines, Electrical, Instruments and Radio endorsements and many accomplishments' one of which was Top Engineer of the Year in 1962 winning the Coveted Ryan Award;
Instrumental in making a new improved reinforced wing walk on the DH82 Tiger Moth. The removal of Urea Formaldehyde glue from the Dept. of Civil Aviation and FAA Approved List of Glues for use in aircraft building and repair.
A noted Aerobatic Glider pilot often doing demonstrations at airshows in his Hutter 17, a small Austrian design that was extremely maneuverable that he had so painstakingly restored.
Did "Flood Rescue Flying" in the northern outback, with an old Gypsy Moth requiring good flying skills as landing was often on ground covered with water and obstacles producing hazards not normally encountered by pilots.
Has been called upon as an expert in wood and glues by lawyers in court cases in Australia and Canada and from time to time by the D.O.T when investigating Sabreliner problems or accidents.
While in Georgia participated with the FAA
Safety Seminars as an expert panel member. Designated Airworthiness
Representative for the FAA in the amateur aircraft building program.
Assisted FAA in accident investigations as an expert in wood aircraft
Chairman hands-on Workshops at Sun 'n Fun EAA Fly In with some 14 shops and over 150 volunteers - the largest convention in Florida and second largest Aviation Convention in the United States and the world.
Technical Editor, bi-monthly newsletter with construction methods, building tips and technical support for building the all wood design Corby Starlet CJ-1.
Conducts Forums on Aircraft Woodwork and Glue
Joints at EAA AirVenture Convention in Oshkosh, Wisconsin
Sun 'n Fun EAA Fly-In at Lakeland, Florida.
Popular Flying Association Rally at Cranfield, England
Published articles in The EAA Experimenter, Technical Counselor Newsletter and other publications
EAA Technical Counselor
Spokesperson for sport aviation at news media interviews - particularly after a plane crash or other such news-making event
He is more than willing to share his knowledge with anyone who seeks his help. He is a true grass root's aviator and likes to share his love of flying and building planes with all who will listen. There are many people from many walks of life in aviation but none as dedicated as this man. He is genuinely an unpretentious, down to earth individual who has devoted his whole life to aviation.
Over 40 Licenses, ratings, endorsements and awards
Received EAA Major Achievement Award in 1997 presented at EAA Oshkosh Convention


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David Sacks has embarked on a fun, lively, and learned excursion into the alphabet–and into cultural history–in Letter Perfect. Clearly explaining the letters as symbols of precise sounds of speech, the book begins with the earliest known alphabetic inscriptions (circa 1800 b.c.), recently discovered by archaeologists in Egypt, and traces the history of our alphabet through the ancient Phoenicians, Greeks, and Romans and up through medieval Europe to the present day. But the heart of the book is the twenty-six fact-filled "biographies" of letters A through Z, each one identifying the letter's particular significance for modern readers, tracing its development from ancient forms, and discussing its noteworthy role in literature and other media. We learn, for example, why letter X may have a sinister and sexual aura, how B came to signify second best, why the word mother in many languages starts with M. Combining facts both odd and essential, Letter Perfect is cultural history at its most accessible and enjoyable.
The Marvelous History of Our Alphabet from A to Z
Education & Reference


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This interactive session by Chalmers Brothers is similar in nature to Foundations of Leadership Excellence; however, it is tailored to individuals and teams rather than leaders.
It offers a powerful and innovative way of understanding the actual actions required for effective teamwork, relationship-building and collaboration - especially in times of seemingly constant change. It begins by providing a new framework for understanding teamwork and relationship effectiveness that is so close, we often miss it. Chalmers offers that teamwork and effective collaboration are primarily "conversational competencies" - that is, the actions taken by members of teams are actions taken in language. Effectiveness requires competency in certain conversations, in designing and convening conversations that matter. While this may at first seem obvious, this session explores in a new direction, opening up a new way of understanding teamwork – and how it may be improved. Key topics covered include:
Participants will learn how to literally see themselves and their actions within teams of all types in a new and powerful way. This new perspective is the basis for enabling all participants to clearly understand and identify the sources of both poor performance and improved effectiveness. Participants will be able to immediately begin using new tools provided in the session to improve clarity, teamwork, workplace communication, coordination (execution), culture and commitment to shared goals - within virtually every aspect of their organization. They will also be able to immediately apply this shift in understanding and new tools to improve their own individual productivity, as well as their professional and personal relationships.
The large-group, small-group and pairs activities give participants opportunities to share and learn with, from and through each other. All sessions are full of humor and real-life examples that provide practical "take-aways" and "how-to's" for everyone.


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Deterministic and stochastic dynamics of multi-variable neuron models : resonance, filtered fluctuations and sodium-current inactivation
Khajeh Alijani, Azadeh (2011) Deterministic and stochastic dynamics of multi-variable neuron models : resonance, filtered fluctuations and sodium-current inactivation. PhD thesis, University of Warwick.
WRAP_THESIS_Alijani_2011.pdf - Submitted Version - Requires a PDF viewer such as GSview, Xpdf or Adobe Acrobat Reader
Official URL: _URL_
Neurons are the basic elements of the networks that constitute the computational units of the brain. They dynamically transform input information into sequences of electrical pulses. To conceive the complex function of the brain, it is crucial to understand this transformation and identify simple neuron models which accurately reproduce the known features of biological neurons. This thesis addresses three different features of neurons. We start by exploring the effect of subthreshold resonance on the response of a periodically forced neuron using a simple threshold model. The response is studied in terms of an implicit one-dimensional time map that corresponds to the Poincar'e map of the forced system. Qualitatively distinct responses are found, including mode locking and chaos. We analytically find the stability regions of mode-locking solutions, and identify the transition to chaos through period-adding bifurcations. We show that the response becomes chaotic when the forcing frequency is close to the resonant frequency. Then we will consider an experimentally verified model with realistic spikegenerating mechanism and study the effect of filtered synaptic fluctuations on the firing-rate response of the neuron. Using a population density method as well as an efficient numerical method, we find the steady-state firing rate in two limits of fast and slow synaptic inputs and present the linear response theory for the firing rate of the model in response to both time-dependent mean inputs and time-dependent noise intensity. Finally, a novel model is introduced that incorporates threshold variability of neurons. We determine the modulation of the input-output properties of the model due to oscillatory inputs and in the presence of filtered synaptic fluctuations.
|Item Type:||Thesis or Dissertation (PhD)|
|Subjects:||Q Science > QA Mathematics
Q Science > QP Physiology
|Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):||Neurons -- Mathematical models|
|Institution:||University of Warwick|
|Theses Department:||Mathematics Institute|
|Supervisor(s)/Advisor:||Baesens, Claude ; Richardson, Magnus|
|Sponsors:||University of Warwick ; Overseas Research Students Awards Scheme (ORSAS)|
|Extent:||xxv, 178 leaves : ill., charts|
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Animal Trapping - How to Catch a Wild Animal in a Trap
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How to Trap a Nuisance Animal
How To Trap Wild Animals
Wild animals have always been a feature of the ecosystem that can both frustrate and delight people, and while many people love the opportunity to encounter wildlife, in some cases these animals can be a real problem. There are a variety of different ways that people can deal with problem animals, but one of the most common ways of dealing with this kind of problem is to use traps to deal with the animals. There are however plenty of different ways that people can trap animals, and some can be more successful than others, so having an idea of how to do this can be a good idea before you start buying and laying traps.
Lethal Animal Traps
Probably the most common lethal trap that is widely used is the snap trap that is used to catch mice and rats, and while the trap is very simple, it has been in use for well over a century as it is still one of the most effective ways of dealing with such animals. These are usually best located near areas where the animals are known to move, and using a good bait can really help to ensure that the trap is effective in catching the rats. When it comes to killing larger animals, there are many traps that are available, from those that crush the animals within the jaws of the trap, through to snare traps that strangle the animal, but both of these can be very harmful and painful for the animal.
Using Cage Traps To Catch Wild Animals
When it comes to the best way to catch wild animals, cage traps are very popular and are widely used because of their success rate, and the fact that when they are used correctly they minimize the trauma and harm that will come to the animal. Location is still very important when it comes to using a cage trap, and for animals such as raccoons and squirrels that go in and out of a property through a particular entry point, fixing the trap over such an entry point is the ideal location. When you are catching wild animals with a cage trap, it is very important that you check the trap regularly, as animals left in traps for a long time can suffer a painful death with dehydration.
Choosing The Right Bait
Whether you are using lethal or cage traps, bait is a very important part of the the trapping process, and there are plenty of different baits that you can use, along with the bait that can be purchased from many hardware stores. Animals that are naturally vegetarian such as rabbits will often be tempted by apple slices or vegetables, while carnivorous animals will often be drawn to meat that has been allowed to go slightly rotten, when the smell can really draw them towards the trap. Other popular baits can be peanut butter or fruit jelly, but in many cases if the first bait isn't successful, trial and error will lead you to the food that your target animal will find irresistible. What Bait Catches Wild Animal - What kind of food do you put in a trap to catch a animal?
The Right Location For An Animal Trap
While in some cases you may be able to install a trap directly over an animal's entry or exit point, making catching the wild animal inevitable, in some cases you may need to be clever in locating your trap, and even use multiple traps to catch your target. The ideal location for a trap will be one that is near enough to a high traffic area for the animal as to make it inevitable that the animal will encounter the trap. This can include a particular hole in the fence if it is an animal that regularly comes to your garden, or a part of the property where you regularly hear animal noises. Pre-baiting is another useful technique, and is when you place bait out for a few nights without the trap, to encourage the animals to return to the same location, before placing a trap there.
When Should You Trap Animals?
As a rule, it is best to avoid trapping animals during the reproductive season, as this will not only cause trauma for a mother and her young, but can also cause issues inside your property if the wild animals have a nest within your home. If this happens, you can end up with the baby animals dying in an attic or wall cavity, and you will only discover this when the bodies start to decay and the horrible smell permeates your house. The best time to install a trap will be during the day, as the majority of nuisance animals tend to come to life during the twilight hours, and are most likely to be caught in the trap during the evening.
Dealing With The Animal Once It Has Been Caught
Once you have trapped the animal, you will need to deal with the animal in the cage trap. Relocating animals can be problematic, so make sure you check the local regulations, and in order to ensure the animal doesn't return to your property, relocate it at least ten miles away, and look for an area that is also well away from other properties too, otherwise, you can just be passing on the problem to someone else.
Go back to the main How to Get Rid of Wild Animals page for more information about animal trapping and information about how to catch a animal in a cage trap.
How to catch a nuisance critter – Questions answered: When you try to catch a nuisance critter, you will find that there are a few questions that you have, and a lot of conflicting information on the internet from which to find your answers. Although there are no real dedicated right or wrong ways in which to deal with a wildlife problem, and rather a few simple solutions, we hope we can answer all of your animal trapping and catching questions!
1. What animal trap shall I buy? In reality, you have three main types of nuisance critter trap – the kill trap, the leg hold, and the cage trap. The kill trap will do just as you would imagine it does; it will kill the animal quickly and painlessly once it has set off the trap. A leg hold will just ensnare the creature until you can then go ahead to release it, and the cage trap is a cage, (surprise, surprise!) that will keep the creature confined with a shutting door once the mechanism has been triggered, until you are ready to go and sort it out.
2. Is there "perfect" bait? There is no real right and wrong bait to use with a nuisance critter, but there are a few options that you can choose from. Meat is a good start, especially leftovers, as these animals love to pick out the leftover bits of meat from your garbage can, but you will probably want to avoid using this with kill traps at night as you could end up catching an animal that you don't want. In this scenario, fruit is a good idea, like kiwi fruits or apples, as the nuisance critter loves sugary fruits too. Cat food is another type of bait that a lot of people have had great success with – you may find that you have to try a couple of different things before you come up with something that works for you and your nuisance critter.
3. I've caught it, now what do I do? This is the part that many people have issues with – once they have caught the unwanted pest animal that has been causing them grief, they just don't know what to do about it. You probably shouldn't just release the animal into the wild, firstly because if you don't release it far enough away, it will just come back and secondly, because it is illegal in many states to do so. If you don't have small children or other animals to worry about, you could consider encouraging the nuisance wildlife to live in a nest box that you have made or bought for it at the edge of your garden. Alternatively, and probably the best idea yet, is to give the local wildlife guys a call and let them take over!
Read about how to trap specific animals:
How To Trap a Bat
How To Trap a Bird
Groundhog Trapping
How To Trap a Opossum
How To Trap a Raccoon
How To Trap a Rat
How To Trap a Skunk
How To Trap a Snake
How To Trap a Squirrel
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Mengjie Zhang, Linear and Graph Genetic Programming
Linear and Graph Genetic Programming
In 1992, John Koza introduced tree based genetic programming. In recent years, this form has been successfully applied to many applications, from regression, circuit design, image processing and recognition, binary classification to recently multiclass classification problems.
While showing promise, tree based genetic programming has several limitations. Typically, genetic programs generated by this form of genetic programming only produce one floating point value from the root node. For simple regression problems, this is perfect. For binary classification problems, this format is also reasonable: a positive returned output value of the program corresponds to one class and non-positive value to the other class. However, for multiclass classification or problems that need multiple outputs or graphs, this approach is not suitable.
One approach is to change the representation of the genetic programs from a tree to a graph. In this way, a GP system can generate graph based programs that can produce multiple output values and graph based programs.
Another approach is to change the representation of genetic programs from a tree to a human written like program, that is, we allow a genetic program has multiple statements arranged linearly. In addition, each of such programs should also be able to produce multiple output values.
The goal of this project is to investigate new representations of genetic programs so that multiple output values can be produced from a single genetic program. We expect that this approach would be easier to use for multiclass classification problems and problems that need multiple outputs and graph based programs. Specifically, this project will investigate:
- New program reresentation and structures in linear genetic programming for multiclass classification;
- New grammar representation in tree based and linear genetic programming for combinatorial optimisation such as scheduling and web service composition;
- New program representation for program/software testing.
A strong background in Java/C/C++ programming and a basic background in Artificial Intelligence and statistics are required. A good background in machine learning, and operations research is desired (COMP307, COMP361).
The Evolutionary Computation Research Group here has good international reputation in the field and would like to continue the momentum. Please check _URL_ _URL_ and _URL_ for publications and other information.


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Science Put on Ice By Federal Shutdown
The federal government has finally ended its 16-day shutdown, and as workers return to their desks and tourists parade back into national parks, science is picking up the pieces and—in some cases—starting from scratch.
The National Science Foundation's summer U.S. Antarctic Program came to a destructive halt as D.C. juggled with the budget crisis. The foundation suspended all activities not essential to human safety and preservation of property, leaving our understanding of the earth's past and future to be held hostage by congress' inability to function.
The short Antarctic research season runs from October through February, and relies on the government for the funding of planes, ships and research equipment. Scientists and support staff from the private sector and federal agencies flock to the Earth's southernmost continent to collect data on the biological study of animals, astronomical research, and long-term research on climate change and weather.
Although two weeks might seem like a short period of time, it is actually a large chunk of season in which most exploration and research is done on the Antarctic ice. Some scientists have lost a full year's worth of work and must start their research over, putting back together the puzzle pieces ripped apart by the shutdown. Equipment that was put into place last year must be serviced and repaired, and data retrieved. Due to the shutdown, that equipment was left unattended, allowing snow to pile up and ruin machinery that cost the government hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The NSF released a statement reaffirming the restoration of the program, but noted that there are "some activities that cannot be restarted once the seasonally dependent window for research has been passed."


text: Tobias Kappé is an MSc Computer Science student, currently studying at Leiden University in The Netherlands. His research interests include Theoretical Computer Science and Computer Systems. As a member of the system administration team of his student union, he is passionate about Linux system administration, learning a new trick every day. At CERN, Tobias is mainly concerned with exploring the performance of the EOS disk storage technology if parts of it were to use non-volatile RAM. This involves writing benchmarks and data structures amenable to a transactional implementation.


This article, Grava Arms (Earth-2020), is the sole property of User:Skullguy123. For permission to use, mention or make major edits, ask me first for my permission. However, grammatical, spelling, and punctuation edits are more then welcomed
This page is currently under construction. Please bear with the changes made by the author
Grava Arms
General Information
Species 1/2 Galilean
1/2 Tetramand
Body Four-Armed Planet
Powers and Abilities
Abilities Enhanced Strength
Enhanced Durability
Enhanced Jump
Enhanced Agility
Space Survivability
Grava Arms is the combination of Gravattack and Four Arms' DNA.
Grava Arms has the body of Gravattack with the features of Four Arms. The outside of his skin is the same red as Four Arms except for the insides which are reddish-brown and Gravattacks core at the center of his body. He has four Gravattack arms with three fingers and a thumb though his feet only have two toes. On his arms and head, he has Four Arms' spikes. He has Four Arms' eyes with markings on his chin and around his eyes.
Powers and Abilities
Grave Arms has the combined durability and strength of Gravattack and Four Arms along with the formers ability to survive in space. He also has Gravattack's ability to control gravity though at a stronger degree due to having four arms
Grave Arms isn't as strong as Fourmungousaur and isn't able to fit in small spaces.


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A portable Autonomous Surface Vessel (ASV) developed for brown water
RiverScout is a man portable Autonomous Surface Vessel (ASV) that CCD has developed with a mix of internal and external funding to serve as a low cost ASV experimentation platform. The purpose of the ASV is for surveillance and reconnaissance in promotion of situational awareness with focus on command and control through a tactical robotic controller (TRC). Riverscout uses advances in sensing, analyzing, communication, and navigation to perform tasks assigned by an operator. This program implements the US Navy's first ASV for a "brown water" environment, support to combat operation, or patrol waterways with virtual capabilities. This cost-effective ASV will reduce risk of missions by increasing the number of assets while minimizing the demands on the human operators.
- GUI developed for camera integration, post mission analysis, and virtual testing
- Host software interfaces through IP radio to cameras using JAUS
- Integrations of Falcon View with dynamic waypoint tracking


Field of Science
The One about Sexual Cannibalism
Sometimes, the history of people's misconceptions about organisms are nearly as interesting as the organisms themselves - not so much because of what it says about the organism itself, but what it says about us as people. One common pattern is the "pendulum swing" in conceptions about certain organisms. An originally negative over-simplification about a given organism ("wolves are savage human-killers that should be exterminated before they exterminate us"/"whales and dolphins are just fish and can be hunted as such") is replaced by a reactionary viewpoint which is more positive, but arguably just as erroneous an oversimplification ("wolves are completely harmless to humans, and would never attack somebody"/"whales and dolphins are super-intelligent, and, like, just filled with spiritual wisdom"). It is only as our attitudes mature, and the question becomes less politically charged, that opinions settle towards the generally more accurate but usually more complex middle ground.
Sexual cannibalism is one behaviour that has fallen victim to the human tendency to mythologise. Many people are aware of the idea that female spiders, mantids and other such carnivorous arthropods have a habit of eating the male during mating. Any feminist readers I have out there might be interested to consider how the popularity of this concept reflects our own attitudes on the relationship between the sexes (the female eating the male seems scandalous because, of course, we live in a society that tells us it should be the other way around). However, if you open a textbook you will probably be told that this story is generally not true. Bug Girl has recently corrected Isabella Rossellini on just this point*. For the most part, Bug Girl is right - sexual cannibalism is a fairly rare occurrence that usually only happens when things go wrong (for instance, if the male makes his move before properly placating the female). However, there is at least one species in which sexual cannibalism is an integral part of the mating process.
*Actually, speaking of societal attitudes, perhaps the most remarkable thing about the video Bug Girl has posted - other, of course, than the fact that Isabella Rossellini is making videos about arthropods in the first place - is the obvious cultural differences when it comes to talking about sex. The American interviewer with her giggling prudishness does not compare well to Rossellini's far more relaxed attitude.
That species is Latrodectus hasselti, the redback spider. The image at the top of the page (from here) shows two redbacks. The larger individual is a mature female, while the smaller white individual is a male. The genus Latrodectus has a wide distribution around the world, including the black widow (L. mactans) of North America (which does not regularly engage in sexual cannibalism), with most species having a well-deserved reputation for toxicity. The redback had done particularly well out of human civilisation - it is unclear where exactly in Australia it originated*, but it has since been spread throughout the continent, as well as establishing populations in other countries such as New Zealand and Japan. Latrodectus hasselti specialises in constructing its webs between hot, dry, facing surfaces, and humans are very good at building hot, dry, facing surfaces.
*Some people have suggested that the redback is not a native to Australia because of the absence of early records of this species, and its close association in most areas with humans. Conflicting with this is the absence of redbacks in any other part of the world, apart from areas where it has obviously been imported in Australia. It is far more likely that the redback had a much more restricted distribution in Australia prior to European settlement (probably somewhere west of the Great Dividing Range) and has since been spread to the remainder of the country.
In other Latrodectus species, the small male first climbs onto the female's web and approaches her cautiously with regular stops to vibrate the web. The female will usually chase him away a few times, but eventually she calms down and the male is able to climb onto the underside of the female as she hangs upside-down on the web, as shown above in Latrodectus hesperus (image from here). The female remains largely immobile while the male mates with her, and he is able to make his escape quite easily. In the redback, the male approaches and mounts the female as in other Latrodectus but once he has inserted his pedipalp into her he performs a back-flip that brings his abdomen alongside her mouthparts. The female, seemingly unable to resist the temptation, bites into the male and begins chewing. After a while, the male pulls away from the female and rips his badly damaged abdomen out of her grasp. Nevertheless, after a period of grooming the male returns to the female, and inserts and repositions himself as before. This time, the female does not allow him to escape - the male does not survive the second mating.
Why does the male submit himself to this fatal attack? There are a few possibilities that have been suggested. The nutrients the female receives from eating the male may aid in the development of the eggs he has fertilised. Also, the female remains mating with the male for longer while feeding on him than she would have otherwise. Not only does this allow the male more time to fertilise her eggs, it also denies other males the chance to mate with her in this time. A thesis abstract available here indicates that some males try to escape the role of victim, attempting to sneak in and mate with the female without offering themselves. However, females react even more aggressively to such cheaters, who were much more likely to be cannibalised before mating was successfully completed.
Forster, R., & L. Forster. 1999. Spiders of New Zealand and their Worldwide Kin. University of Otago Press: Dunedin, in association with Otago Museum.
Linnaeus' Legacy time
The next round of Linnaeus' Legacy is fast approaching, and will be held by Kevin over at The Other 95%. Get your taxonomy-related writings in to me or Kevin by the 8th of February!
Drosophila forever?
As I've commented before on this blog, taxonomy holds an unusual position in the biological sciences in that it fills two equally significant roles. On the one hand, it is a science in its own right, investigating the best way to describe and express the relationships between organisms. On the other hand, it supplies the means for communication between biologists in all fields. For the most part, these two aims compliment each other, but sometimes they can clash. The first aim implies continual change, as our understanding of the relationships between organisms changes and (hopefully) improves. Wheeler (2007) commented in a recent editorial that "Doing taxonomy as an independent science advances simultaneously both the aims
of taxonomy and its users"
, a sentiment that I agree with fully (be warned, though, that the general tone of Wheeler's editorial is fairly incendiary). To fulfil the second aim, however, a certain amount of stability is usually desired, as researchers who are not working in taxonomy may have trouble keeping up with the changes (or, for that matter, appreciating their necessity).
All of the codes of nomenclature have a central commission to regulate taxonomy - zoology has the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature, botany has the International Association for Plant Taxonomy. One of the main roles of these commissions is to allow suspension of the usual rules in cases where their strict application would cause more trouble for communication than otherwise. In the case of zoology, applications for rulings on such cases that are submitted to the ICZN are published in the journal Bulletin on Zoological Nomenclature, allowing researchers the opportunity to comment on submissions before the Commission decides on them. One submission that appeared in the December 2007 issue of the BZN involves a case that could affect a large number of researchers in many fields - the impending revision of the fly genus Drosophila.
Drosophila is a very large genus, containing about 1500 species. However, phylogenetic studies (e. g. Robe et al., 2005) have found that Drosophila as currently defined is significantly paraphyletic with regard to a number of other genera in the family Drosophilidae. There are two options to resolve this situation. One is to sink all the smaller genera arising from Drosophila into the larger genus. However, this is not regarded as a suitable solution - not only would it leave Drosophila with over 2000 species, but it would result in over a hundred secondary homonyms (two or more species ending up with the same name as a result of change in genus assignment) that would require correction. The other option, that seems much more likely to be used, is to divide Drosophila into a number of smaller genera. The name Drosophila would then be restricted to a smaller group of species closely related to the type species.
All this would be fairly routine, except that one of the species affected happens to be one of the most widely used model organisms in genetics - the "fruit fly" Drosophila melanogaster (the inverted commas are because Drosophila isn't really a fruit fly proper, but a vinegar fly). So familiar is this species that many people simply refer to it as Drosophila without invoking the species name. One might be forgiven for expecting D. melanogaster to be the type species of Drosophila, but it's not. That honour goes to Drosophila funebris (shown at


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Scientists find trick to reverse moral opinions
(CBS News) A new study finds that a person's moral compass is surprisingly easy to throw off. With nothing more than a clipboard, a survey and a small patch of glue, researchers were able to get participants to not only subconsciously change their minds but even argue the opposite of their original opinions.
The study, led by Lars Hall of Sweden's Lund University, asked 160 volunteers to fill out a quick 2-page survey on moral principles and the morality of current events - such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Unbeknownst to the participants, a patch of glue was stuck to the back of the survey clipboard. When flipping to the second page, the top set of statements would stick to the back of the clipboard, revealing a different set of questions but leaving the responses unchanged.
Published in the journal PLoS One, the study slightly altered the hidden statements to mean the opposite of what they said originally. One example used in the study: "Large-scale governmental surveillance of e-mail and Internet traffic out to be forbidden as a means to combat international crime and terrorism." When the hidden statements were revealed, the original had been reworded from "forbidden" to "permitted."
Participants then read the statements aloud, including the ones that had been altered, and explain their opinions. Researchers found that half of participants did not detect any changes to the statements, and a full 69 percent accepted at least one of the altered statements.
Not only were the volunteers unlikely to spot the changes, 53 percent argued in favor of the altered statements rather than their original opinions.
Hall and his team have studied this phenomenon previously, calling it "choice blindness."
"I don't feel we have exposed people or fooled them," Hall told the journal Nature. "Rather this shows something otherwise very difficult to show, [which is] how open and flexible people can actually be."
The study may have ramifications concerning the accuracy of self-report questionnaires. Hall believes that standard surveys "are not good at capturing the complexity of the attitudes people actually hold."
Liane Young, a psychologist at Boston College who was not involved in the study, called the results "intriguing."
"These findings suggest that if I'm fooled into thinking that I endorse a view, I'll do the work myself to come up with my own reasons," she told Nature.
© 2012 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.


Saturday, August 9, 2014
No horns?
When Annabelle decided to take a break from city life, she landed in a small village in the outskirts of the city.
Enjoying her sabbatical, she ventured into a farm. Patting one of the animals, she asked the farmer, "Why is this cow without horns?"
Farmer Joe was silent for a moment. Then he said, "Let me explain to you ma'am. Cattle can sometimes cause harm with horns, so we use various measures to prevent the harm. Either we trim 'em with a chainsaw,
or we catch them young & apply acid where horns grow to stop the growth. There are also breeds that don't grow horns at all. But none of the above reasons applies to this cow. You know why? Cos it's a horse!"


Saturday, January 23, 2016
Karate for stress!
Does Karate help eliminate stress?
This is one of the things I hear most often when answering questions about class.
I think many people look at this the wrong way. I'm sure many other holistic practices get this all the time, finding balance, offering an outlet for the days frustrations, escapism etc.
Truthfully it's not as complicated as that.
How does adding another commitment to your life relieve stress?
How does following another's instructions alleviate tension?
Time constraints, mental taxation and physical exhaustion?
Not to mention the parameters of pseudo-foreign culture rituals...
Engaging in any physical activity and in my experience especially Karate only ADDS stress; so what I try to explain is by confronting ourselves daily we are serving to increase our resistance to stress.
By challenging the body you are encouraging it to grow.
By pushing the near limitless limits of your mind you are programming it to succeed.
By placing your self under extra stress, met with a determined attitude to overcome, you exceed the expectations you may have placed on your self.
Your body requires more energy caused by new demands so it does something amazing; it tells you to take in more fuel. Suddenly you have the energy adequate for your life, suddenly you have the mental capacity to meet the days requirements. You've evolved (in a sense).
 So does Karate relieve stress, no, Karate is stress but intentional.
Karate increases your resistance to stress, and through it you find a way to overcome it.
Friday, January 17, 2014
The Importance of Free-Sparring. (In Traditional Karate)
Why practice free-sparring in traditional Karate?
Is it practical to assume "fighting stances" and square off against another Karateka, who will most likely use some or many of the same techniques as you? What about some of the "light/no contact" type sparring you see in many places. There are plenty of arguments that can be made against free-sparring but believe it or not, this is a Pro-sparring article.
The benefits of sparring far out weigh the negatives in my humble opinion, however we must understand it's limits and short comings.
First off, what environment are you training for?
Personally, I'm not training for points or training to win a No Holds Barred competition. I'm more concerned with, if need be, protecting myself and those around me. This may mean engaging with an assailant, or it could be utilizing the conditioning I've gained through Karate to endure and escape.
Time to get to the meat of this article.
Now there are many other methods to acquire these benefits but like I said this is about sparring.
Squaring off with someone, especially for the first time, outside of the safety parameters of "one-step" or two person drills does something for the mindset and attitude of the Karateka. Fear and aggression are things we must constantly face ourselves with we are to ever protect ourselves in a "live" situation. Staying calm under pressure while under attack, and fostering a necessary aggressiveness towards an opponent are essential in taking that first step towards being able to protect yourself.
How to take a hit, and how to give one. In a quasi-live environment like free-sparring it's different taking a hit than it is having a partner hit you in the stomach when you're ready for it. How to breath and absorb a blow or roll with a punch so you can respond. How effective is Karate when you're a crumpled mess on the floor after having the wind knocked out of you. It's all about preparation. It's also important to know how it feels to hit a live target with some intent. I'm a small guy and often I hear my teacher say "Make them respect you." Not in a "come get some" kind of way, but in a "give as good as you get" kind of way.
Distance of engagement, maai. I believe that Karate's ideal range is up close and personal. So what does free-sparring teach us? How to bridge that gap of course. How can I get past this guy's punches and kicks? What if he/she is a good thrower? Do I panic when I'm grabbed or if my hair is pulled? When I do get inside and up close, what do I do with my Karate then? These are all questions that should be answered when sparring.
Unfortunately sparring can get us stuck in a rut. Eventually sparring has to evolve, or else we feel ourselves getting stuck. Many life time competitors find them selves with the same problem and ultimately come to the same answer, kata. So how does Kata fit into free-sparring? Many schools have the same problem. We spend hours working two person sets, analyzing the kata, working bunkai. Some schools have self-defense where they number it by attack. 1. is a wrist grab 2. is a collar grab etc. but when we spar none of it is evident. Why do we fail to make the connection? Is it because our partners don't attack us the way it's prescribed in the drills? Or because it's too fast paced? Or because we've spent years training a certain way we've put ourselves in a box. Many schools have many answers. Some may not have this problem at all, others may not realize there is a disconnect at all.
My teacher calls it moving bunkai, I'm sure it has another name but it fits. Our partner, or attacker engages anyway they want, and continuously at that. The attack is not defined and if we fail to meet and stop the attack then they continue. The key is to not let it turn into a sparring match but utilize the tactics and principles of the kata. I can go into more detail later but for the purpose of the article I'll cut it short. Strikes, throws, locks, pins, chokes are all viable. Hair grabbing, ear pulling, finger locks etc. It obviously has to start at a medium pace to avoid injury, but hey, you can only build a house from the ground up. As we progress so too should the level of intensity of this type of moving bunkai.
To be honest, I had a hard time penning my thoughts on this one so I apologize if I left anything unclear and can perhaps clear things up in the future.
Monday, January 13, 2014
Distractions and Excuses.
 - I have too much to do.
 - I'm too tried and I didn't get enough sleep.
 - I'm too caught up in something right now.
 - I don't have enough time today.
 - I'm taking a break.
The list goes on and on...
What is the real reason we choose to ignore our art for other pursuits?
Should Karate be the most important thing in our lives? No.
I don't even expect it to reach #5 on your list of priorities.
I hear people every day say things like "I'm way too busy" or "my life is so hectic". In some cases I know that's true. For the most part though, it's an illusion. Life filled with clutter and mess. We murder our time with things as mundane as television, cellphone apps, pop culture, politics.
Get your stuff together.
No one can train for you.
Most importantly no one can train like you. Take pride in that.
And get to work.
"So this leads us to the conclusion that all authentic karateka should be working toward a certain standard that the past Karate masters have left us. This is our legacy..."
-Richard Barrett Sensei,
Friday, January 10, 2014
Just another post about Karate.
I sat down to write another post. My intention was to be well informed, concise and well written. Well... After seein an ad somewhere.
I don't want to write about Karate.
I don't want to read about Karate.
I don't want to talk about Karate.
I just want to do it.
So until next time, good night.
Saturday, January 4, 2014
Flow Drills... (And why I dislike them)
I'm not a huge fan of flow drills. Flow drills are, to my knowledge, set patterns of attack and defense designed to be continuous. A good flow drill is designed to take advantage of the natural flinch and protective response/reflex mechanism. This type of training most certainly has it's place, especially when practiced sincerely. My fear, however, is it has the potential to build increasingly bad habits.
One bad habit is failure to commit to a technique. This happens because we get too set in the "flow" of the drill. We end up sacrificing technique (proper timing, distance, target, intent) for speed or perceived "intensity". What I mean by perceived intensity is how it looks from the outside, someone watching the drill (for demonstration purposes, or video). The drill's prescribed movements teach us to immediately "flow" from one technique to the next, usually in a back and forth manner, thus rushing and half committing.
A second habit flow drills


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- Age Range:Age 2 to 6 years
- Class Structure: New unit theme for
each month, each contains four lessons
Taught like a regular Kindermusik class,
with additional option of a hosted CD
Nine monthly units for 2 year olds
Nine monthly units for 3 year olds
Twelve monthly units for 4 to 6 year olds
- Class Length: 30 minutes
- Class Size: Up to twelve children in class,
with or without accompanying adults
ABC Music & Me, an award-winning enrichment (early literacy and language) program for 2 to 6 year olds, was designed for early childhood learning centers, but can also be taught in a Kindermusik classroom. ABC Music & Me is a research-based language and early literacy program built around music. ABC Music & Me helps develop pre-literacy and language skills through a child's most-loved rituals: music and storytime.
ABC Music & Me supports the early childhood standards and requirements for "high quality programs" as defined by the National Institute for Early Education. Plus for the older age group, ABC Music & Me aligns with pre-K national and state standards.
ABC Music & Me Spanish Home Materials -- addressing ELL (English Language Learners) -- are available. An increasing percentage of children entering school today come from families that speak little to no English at home. Click here now to find out which ABC Music & Me materials are available right now in Spanish.
What a Child Will Experience in Class:
- Songs and rhymes to develop phonetic awareness and early reading skills
- Tapping, clacking, and ringing rhythm instruments in time with music to improve hand-eye coordination
- Focused listening with music to improve skills in following directions
- Instrument play to strengthen fine motor skills
- Developmentally-appropriate songs to develop vocal chords and expressive speech
- Learning that emphasizes storytelling, imaginative play, and taking turns


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1. Who is the first character mentioned in The Easter Parade?
2. What does Emily explain to the neighborhood children?
3. What is the first location mentioned in the novel?
4. What is the relationship between Emily and Sarah?
They are sisters.
5. In Part 1: Chapter 1, where do Emily and Sarah go to visit their father?
6. What is Emily and Sarah's father's profession?
He writes headlines as a copy-desk man.
7. What do Emily and Sarah have to contend with Pookie about?
Living above her means.
This section contains 4,524 words
(approx. 16 pages at 300 words per page)


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Dr Ruth Bishop is the discoverer of rotavirus. In 1973 she examined cells from the intestines of children with gastroenteritis at The Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne, Australia. Using an electron microscope she saw viruses which she called duovirus because they were seen in the duodenum and had a double capsid. The name rotavirus was later suggested by the Irishman, Thomas Henry Flewett.
Professor Geoffrey Lilley Smith (born 1955) FRS FMedSci FIBiol is a British virologist and medical research authority in the area of Vaccinia virus and the family of Poxviruses. He is Head of the Department of Virology at Imperial College London and a Principal Research Fellow of the Wellcome Trust. Smith completed his bachelors degree at the University of Leeds in 1977 and in 1981 gained a PhD in Virology whilst in London.
David Bodian (15 May 1910 – 18 September 1992), was an American medical scientist at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine who worked in polio research. In the early 1940s he helped lay the groundwork for the eventual development of polio vaccines by combining neurological research with the study of the pathogenesis of polio.
Robert R. Redfield Jr. is an American virologist, a professor of Medicine at University of Maryland, Baltimore and a co-founder and associate director of the Institute of Human Virology (IHV) at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Dr. Redfield is known for his pioneering contributions in clinical research, and in particular for his extensive research into the virology and therapeutic treatments of HIV infection and AIDS.


have done other things between the first INSERT query and the second without altering what was inserted into the customerid column of the new record in the orders table.
The value returned by LAST_INSERT_ID() is exclusive to each connection, and it's not affected by inserts performed by other connections, even on the same tables. In other words, concurrency is never an issue when using this function.
User Variables
It's a common programming practice to store values returned from queries in the application space for reuse. However, this can often be done within MySQL itself by means of user variables. A user variable (identified by a leading @ sign) can contain any scalar value and lasts for the lifetime of the current connection. It can be named using any combination of alphanumeric characters and may include the $ (dollar sign), _ (underscore), and. (period) characters.
You have two options for setting the value of a user variable:
 - The SET statement, which simply takes the form SET _USER_ = value;. value can be any legal MySQL expression that evaluates to a scalar value.
 - Within queries, you can use _USER_:=value. In this case, the expression used for value can also include one or more column names.
Once the value of a user variable is set, you can use it in any expression. Here is an example that works in MySQL 4.1.1 and newer:
A user variable may hold any scalar type, including integers, floating-point numbers, strings, and dates. You can set a user variable's value using an expression containing other user variables, as well as values derived from other functions.
 Never try to set a user variable and then use its value in a GROUP BY, ORDER BY, or HAVING clause in the same statement. The results of such a query are unpredictable.
Notice that you're not limited (as is sometimes imagined) to setting user variables in SELECT queries, as you can see in the next example.
Unfortunately, in web applications, you cannot preserve values between pages by means of MySQL user variables, because each new page load creates its own connection. Even if you use persistent connections, you're almost certain to get the value for a user variable of the same name that was set using a different connection (or a null value in the case where a new connection was established). MySQL won't let you choose a connection identifier, nor can you create or set arbitrary global variables. Even so, user variables can still be useful for multiple queries within the same page and, as you'll see in the example in the next section, for aliasing columns and intermediate results within queries where you can't use real aliases.
{mospagebreak title=Branching: Making Choices in Queries}
Branching is obviously an area with a wealth of potential when it comes to replacing programming logic with SQL logic. So, in this section, we present some useful MySQL branching methods with this goal in mind.
No programming or scripting language would be very useful if it didn't provide a way to execute different instructions depending on the outcome of a test condition, such as whether one value is greater than another. MySQL is similar in this regard. It has four flow-control operators that you can use to choose between values based on how one or more conditions are evaluated: IF(), IFNULL(), NULLIF(), and CASE.
True/False Branching with IF()
The IF() operator has the following syntax:
IF(test_expression, true_result, false_result)
The IF() operator takes three expressions as arguments. If test_expression evaluates as true (or 1), than it returns true_result; otherwise, false_result is returned. Here is a fairly simple example:
Let's look at a slightly more complex scenario. Suppose as part of an e-commerce web site, we have a products table defined in part like this:
CREATE TABLE products (
product_price DECIMAL(6, 2),
 product_weight DECIMAL(5, 2)
As part of the checkout process, we need to determine shipping according to the following conditions: if the price of a product is greater than $100 or if the weight of the product is less than 500 grams (0.5 kg), then no charges for shipping are added; otherwise, we add a shipping charge of $4.50 per kilo for any weight in excess of 500 grams.
SELECT _USER_:=product_price AS p, _USER_:=product_weight AS w,
_USER_:=IF(_USER_ > 100.00 OR _USER_ > 0.5, 0, _USER_ * 4.50) AS s, FORMAT(_USER_ + _USER_, 2) AS t
FROM products
WHERE product_id=productid;
When we test this with a bit of sample data, here's the result:
We employed some user variables to get around the problems that arise when trying to use column aliases to define other columns in the same query.
Null-based Branching with IFNULL()
The IFNULL() operator has the following syntax:
IFNULL(expression1, expression2)
The way the IFNULL() function works may seem a bit counterintuitive: I f expression1 is not NULL, then it is returned; otherwise, expression2 is returned. You could express the same logic using IF() and NOT IS NULL:
IF(NOT IS NULL expression1, expression1, expression2 )
For example, consider an orders table for which a partial definition might be like this:
 acctid INT NOT NULL,
 orderdate DATE NOT NULL
 shipdate DATE NULL
To produce a list of recent orders (say within the past 30 days) showing which ones have been and haven't yet been shipped, we could use something like this:
SELECT orderid, acctid, IFNULL(shipdate, 'PENDING') AS Shipped
FROM orders
Expression Relation-based Branching with NULLIF()
The NULLIF() operator has the following syntax:
NULLIF(expression1, expression2)
This function tests the relation expression1 = expression2 and if the result is true (1), then the function returns NULL; otherwise, it returns expression2. This could also be written as the following:
IF(expression1 = expression2, NULL, expression2)
or, as you'll see shortly, like this:
CASE WHEN expression1 = expression2 THEN NULL ELSE expression2 END
The NULLIF() function may not prove to be as efficient a method as some others in many circumstances. This is because if expression1 and expression2 are equal, then expression2 will actually be evaluated twice.
CASE-based Branching
The CASE structure can be used to test an expression against one or more other expressions in a series and to return one of any number of different values based on the outcome. It works in a manner similar to that of the if … then … else … construct found in most programming and scripting languages.
There are two different versions of CASE.
Multiple Conditions with CASE
One version of CASE is as follows:
CASE WHEN condition THEN result
[ELSE else_result | WHEN condition2 THEN result2
[ELSE else_result2 | WHEN…] ]
In the simplest instance, the condition is tested, and if true, then the result following the THEN keyword is returned. If condition is not true, then NULL is returned. You can override the latter behavior by including an ELSE clause; in this case, if condition is false, then the else_result expression value is returned instead of NULL. For example, we could rewrite the example we used for IFNULL() like this:
SELECT orderid, acctid,
 WHEN shipdate IS NULL
 ELSE shipdate
END AS Shipped
FROM orders
This is a bit more verbose than the IFNULL() version, but it's also easier to read, particularly with the line breaks and indentation we've added here.
We could make the example a bit more selective by introducing additional WHEN … THEN … clauses. Using something like the following, we can return "ORDER PENDING" if no shipping date has yet been set, "ORDER SHIPPED ON … " plus the shipping date if the shipping date is in the past, "FUTURE" if the shipping date is in the future, and "SHIP TODAY" if the shipping date matches today's date:
SELECT orderid, acctid, _USER_ := shipdate,
END AS Shipped
FROM orders
You'll notice that the result set includes an extra column for the shipping date; very shortly (in the "Our Demonstration Revisited" section), we'll show you how to get rid of this if you don't need it.
A given CASE structure may contain any number of WHEN… THEN… clauses and a maximum of one ELSE clause.
Comparisons with CASE
The other form of CASE is as follows:
CASE expression WHEN value THEN result [ELSE else_result | WHEN value2 THEN result2
[ELSE else_result2 | WHEN…] ]
This compares an expression to a value, both of which can be any valid MySQL expressions, and returns result if the two are equal. Otherwise, either NULL or an else_result is returned, depending on whether or not an ELSE clause follows.
Here is an example:
CASE order_date
 WHEN last_pmt_date
 THEN 'YES'
 ELSE 'NO'
 END AS pmt_status
FROM orders;
The CASE block will evaluate to 'YES' if the order_date and last_pmt_date columns for a given record hold the same value, and 'NO' if they don't.
The syntax for CASE varies somewhat from what we've shown in this chapter when it's used inside stored procedures in MySQL 5.0 and later. See Chapter 8 for more information.
What About Loops?
Given what we've just seen in the way of decision-making capabilities, you might expect that there would be some sort of


Edge Of Chaos
The programming world has both bureaucrats and cowboys. ExtremeProgramming does not endorse either of these extremes. It calms the former, and rehabilitates the latter, so that they can begin to work together.
This balance between rigidity and anarchy is the core difference between XP and the methodologies that came before it. Predecessors were focused only on fighting chaos; XP recognizes that stasis is just as dangerous.
There was a lovely diagram of this EdgeOfChaos concept, I think I saw it on XpDay? '02 (UK ExtremeTuesdayClub conference). Does it have a name? A URL? Maybe I saw it in ExtremeProgrammingExplainedEmbraceChange? Or the green book whose name I forget...
The ScrumBook talks about EdgeOfChaos and has a diagram showing two axes (complexity and instability of requirements, I believe), and different regions showing project-type (from ordered to chaos). Couldn't find a URL for it though.
One recent article on XP explicitly makes a connection with Stuart Kaufmann's notion that highly dynamical systems thrive in the "edge of chaos" region... See _URL_ from XpLabs. -- LaurentBossavit
Laura Hill and I put together some ideas a couple of years ago about how a number of phenomenon seen in other dynamical realms have emerged in XP practices. See: _URL_
There are two extremes that can be contrasted with XP. First is the bureaucratic developer, who documents everything upfront and who has lots of meetings to resolve problems instead of just trying it and seeing. The other is the cowboy coder, who reacts to the current problem until none of the problems seem bad enough to keep from shipping the system. XP is usually contrasted with the first approach, but it is also quite different from the second. How many cowboy coders write tests first, and how many refactor their programs until it is perfectly clear and readable? XP is different from both extremes.
If you are having trouble telling XP apart from one extreme, it is probably because you are on the other. People who have spent all their life in New York City have a hard time telling Ohio from Oklahoma.
A complete description of a method takes many volumes. I bet that there have been 10 volumes written on UML and its associated method. I've been periodically receiving these volumes. The books claim that they only introduce the method, that if you want to learn the complete Rational UML method then you have to buy a lot of other stuff that is a lot more comprehensive than the books.
XP is going to take several volumes, too. See WhosWritingAboutXp. A few web pages to describe it seems to be enough for some people to think they get it, but not others.
What makes something a real methodology and what makes it a pseudo methodology? A real methodology doesn't have to be the best way to do something, it just has to be a repeatable way that you can teach to somebody.
-- RalphJohnson
The page XpIsaPseudoMethodology? (which was mostly refactored into this page) was about one initial reaction to XP as it was evangelized early on wiki and the clash of it as communicated with a working environment which exhibited in remarkably similar form many of the XP practices done wrong. At the time, it happened that the practices XP advocated resonated remarkably badly with what seemed to be the forces that made the working environment seem to be a host of AntiPatterns. In my judgement, at the time, the source of most of the difficulties at my employer were
Finally, I was at the time hip-deep in anything written by GradyBooch, in particular, Object-Oriented Analysis and Design with Applications, and I considered it vitally important to begin to communicate with written documents and UML diagrams.
At the time and according to the way it early advocates explained it, XP seemed to take all of the things the team wasn't doing (and by my judgement causing the development to fail) and make virtues of them. Part of it was the somewhat breathless and evangelical style of the explorations, and part of it was just my failure to understand (and keep up with) the development of XP.
Some specific examples:
KentBeck seems to be allergic to paper; at the time my judgement was that my team need more written documentation, not less. In particular there was some very odious code from a couple of years back that was a NoGoArea because it was written by the first hotshot developer, since departed, and nobody knew exactly how it worked, but it was critical to the system.
Our business customers essentially had no acceptance process. All we could do was install the software and wait for the bug reports and flat-out snide complaints to come in. Again, in my judgement at the time we needed more written requirements documents, and plenty of UML diagrams to design a solution and "verify" it before coding. In my naivete I believed that we would find a small but smart group of business users who would learn to read UML and participate in the requirements tracing.
Finally, testing. I wrote "Code/compile/run repeated until it seems to be free of bugs". I had virtually no exposure to UnitTest frameworks. A test to me at the time was what might be termed functional test, and because we didn't have documented requirements (remember my obsession with paper) there was no certainty that what the programmer thought was working functionality was in fact anything more than code free of obvious logic and performance bugs.
Have you figured out yet that I was an amateur programmer at the time I wrote this page?
I could write a lot more about each XP practice and how the explanation and my perception and environment conspired to make the whole thing seem like a way to avoid doing the things that I judged were necessary for a successful development effort, but I hope this is sufficient.
Of course, the universe works in mysterious ways, and for a while I held a position at an employer that had officially licensed and adopted RUP and was in the process of customizing and implementing, and most of my co-workers thought of me as "the XP guy".
-- StevenNewton
When the company you're working in is in chaos, it can seem that ExtremeProgramming is nothing more than giving a name to a collection of poor programming practices. Here's what a lot of programmers doing the job under bad conditions do: Given a customer with an unrealistic requirements and schedule and understaffed project, just pick a piece of the purported requirements, make a guess at what it means, start coding. Code/compile/run repeated until it seems to be free of bugs, then ship it (or commit the changes or whatever constitutes a release). Given XP's dislike of written documents and other heavyweight artifacts, it might seem as if XP is encouraging this slack state-of-affairs. However, the differences between XP and total chaos, as subtle as they are, are essentially important.
When I first starting reading about XP (all of 2 months ago), there was instant recognition: an agile method that works with the realities of developing software as a consultant.
Far from poor programming practices, these techniques (or suggestions as I like to think of any set of methods) rely upon good programming and develop good programmers.
Software is complex. In our world that complexity is often hidden in the consumer nature of the products familiar to most clients. It's not that shrink-wrapped software isn't complex, it's that the cost of that complexity is spread over many consumers. In short, custom software tends to be expensive (choose your metric).
The basic set-up of having too-short time limits on projects isn't likely to change. XP helps quantify the equation and sets up an approach that should help projects succeed. That's the bottom line: does it work?
I'm new to XP. And my hunch is that you are too. I wonder if after you try some of what's suggested on a real project what you'd think then. To me, the suggestions seem eminently reasonable and many codify my own practices. I build good code. I've never been on a project that didn't go live. I've never been over-time or budget by more than 10%. I have confidence in my practices.
Will I abandon UML? Not at all. I see UML and XP working well together.
So I think that (a) XP tries to generalize good practices and (b) the reality of much software development does occur under bad conditions - so what to do about that? You can't just pretend the problem's not there. XP promotes lots of communication. Programmer to customer/client. That's a big part of the fix.
-- EzraEpstein
Every so often, concepts emerge (from existing practices) that radically simplify a field. In the early 80's, RISC replaced CISC. Now we see s/w design methods getting increasingly complex. Perhaps, contrary to the original comments, ExtremeProgramming is doing a Copernicus to UML's Ptolemy. -- DaveWhipp
Going back to Steven's original metaphor, I assert that traditional programming methodologies are "Ptolemy's terribly complicated but ultimately wrong system" while ExtremeProgramming is "Copernicus knock[ing] the earth into its proper place". Correct me if I am wrong, but wasn't Copernicus branded as a heretic and put into jail for saying that? At the time no one wanted to hear the truth. -- DonWells
You're wrong. Copernicus was never branded a heretic, nor was he ever jailed. At the time a lot of people wanted to hear the truth. Copernicus's work was banned


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We present a multiscale sensorless adaptive optics (SAO) OCT system capable of imaging retinal structure and vasculature with various fields-of-view (FOV) and resolutions. Using a single deformable mirror and exploiting the polarization properties of light, the SAO-OCT-A was implemented in a compact and easy to operate system. With the ability to adjust the beam diameter at the pupil, retinal imaging was demonstrated at two different numerical apertures with the same system. The general morphological structure and retinal vasculature could be observed with a few tens of micrometer-scale lateral resolution with conventional OCT and OCT-A scanning protocols with a 1.7-mm-diameter beam incident at the pupil and a large FOV (15 deg × 15 deg). Changing the system to a higher numerical aperture with a 5.0-mm-diameter beam incident at the pupil and the SAO aberration correction, the FOV was reduced to 3 deg × 3 deg for fine detailed imaging of morphological structure and microvasculature such as the photoreceptor mosaic and capillaries. Multiscale functional SAO-OCT imaging was performed on four healthy subjects, demonstrating its functionality and potential for clinical utility.
- adaptive optics
- optical coherence tomography
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
- Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics
- Biomedical Engineering