How Lactoferrin and Secretory IgA Concentrations Vary in Raw Breast Milk Between Mothers
Lactoferrin (LF) is the most abundant glycoprotein in breast milk with antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties.1,2 Secretory IgA (SIgA) has also been identified as the most abundant and relevant breast milk antibody that can neutralize (bind and eliminate) bacterial and viral pathogens in the neonatal gastrointestinal tract.3,4 Ingestion of breast milk LF and SIgA help to protect the infants against microbial infections until their immature immune systems are completely developed at 2 years of postnatal age.5,6
The aim of this study was to determine the range of lactoferrin and SIgA concentrations between breast milk samples from a large population of mothers.
Breast milk samples (n = 180) were collected from 90 mothers between 2 and 13 months of lactation, living in the USA. SIgA and LF concentrations were determined by ELISAs.
LF and SIgA concentration varied widely in breast milk samples between mothers (Figure 1), which could be due to different maternal background (vaccinations, previous infections, and health conditions), nutritional and environmental factors, genetic factors, gut microbiota, and other factors influencing the immune systems.
The differences between the highest and the lowest concentrations of LF and SIgA in breast milk samples were 41.5-fold and 55-fold, respectively (Table 1 and Figure 1). During commercial sterilization (retort) of donor milk, SIgA and lactoferrin concentrations are reduced ~1.5- and 2.3-fold, respectively, compared with raw breast milk.7 The mean LF and SIgA resulting after donor milk is mixed with 50% raw breast milk mean is approximately 0.85 mg/mL and 204 µg/mL, both values are within the median/mean range of raw breast milk (Table 1).
Table 1. Concentration of lactoferrin and secretory IgA (SIgA) in raw breast milk samples (n = 180) from 90 mothers at 2–13 months of lactation and in 50% Medolac donor milk mixed with 50% raw breast milk.
Concentration lactoferrin secretory IgA raw breast milk samples
Figure 1. Concentration of (A) secretory IgA (SIgA) and (B) lactoferrin in breast milk samples (n = 180) collected from 90 mothers at 2–13 months of lactation time living in the USA. Boxplots represent min, max and median.
Concentration secretory IgA lactoferrin breast milk samples
Preterm infants fed raw breast milk mixed with Medolac donor milk ingest volumes of LF and SIgA that are within the median/mean range. However, the dose required of LF and SIgA to induce a significant protective effect against pathogens and their toxins remains unknown. Studies are needed to determine the minimum effective dose in addition to important maternal factors that may influence the concentration of SIgA and LF in raw breast milk.
1. Giansanti, F., Panella, G., Leboffe, L. and Antonini, G. Lactoferrin from Milk: Nutraceutical and Pharmacological Properties. Pharmaceuticals 2016, 9, 61.
2. Telang, S. Lactoferrin: A Critical Player in Neonatal Host Defense. Nutrients 2018, 10.
3. Mantis, N.J.; Rol, N.; Corthésy, B. Secretory IgA's complex roles in immunity and mucosal homeostasis in the gut. Mucosal immunology 2011, 4, 603.
4. Macpherson, A.J.; Hunziker, L.; McCoy, K.; Lamarre, A. IgA responses in the intestinal mucosa against pathogenic and non-pathogenic microorganisms. Microbes Infect. 2001, 3, _PHONE_.
5. Duijts, L.; Jaddoe, V.W.; Hofman, A.; Moll, H.A. Prolonged and exclusive breastfeeding reduces the risk of infectious diseases in infancy. Pediatrics 2010, peds. 2008-3256.
6. Goldman, A.S.; Garza, C.; Nichols, B.L.; Goldblum, R.M. Immunologic factors in human milk during the first year of lactation. J. Pediatr. 1982, 100, 563-567.
7. Meredith-Dennis, L., Xu, G., Goonatilleke, E., Lebrilla, C.B., Underwood, M.A. and Smilowitz, J.T. Composition and variation of macronutrients, immune proteins, and human milk oligosaccharides in human milk from nonprofit and commercial milk banks. Journal of Human Lactation 2017, 34, 120-129.
About the Author
Dr. Veronique Demers-Mathieu is the Senior Research Scientist in the department of Neonatal Immunology and Microbiology at Medolac Laboratories. She did 3-years of postdoctoral training in Neonatal Nutrition under Dr. Dallas at Oregon State University and earned her Ph.D. in Food Microbiology at Laval University. Her expertise focuses on the immune components (including antibodies, immune cells, cytokines, and bioactive proteins) from human milk that protect infants against infectious diseases.


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So what! King C. Gillette, inventor of the safety razor, was a salesman of bottle caps when he thought up his idea. The inventor of the typewriter was Christopher Sholes, a piano-tuner. Lewis Waterman, inventor of the fountain pen, was an insurance salesman. Susan Stavers, inventor of "Minute Tapioca," was a waitress in a Boston restaurant. Eugene F. McDonald, Zenith Radio sparkplug, began his inventive career as a lad repairing doorbells door-to-door. They didn't have the technical training but they did have curiosity.
Most of what is valuable in life has come out of childlike inquiry. The man who is constantly prodded by an urge to dig into things,
to discover their whys and hows, finds that every day is an exciting adventure in living.
"Daddy, why does a top stand up when it spins?" was the question the young son of Elmer Sperry put to him one day. Sperry thought about the query and stumbled about for an answer.
Then, he went to work. And eventually, this chance remark, the result of a boy's idle curiosity, led to the invention of a fabulously useful and profitable inventionâ€"the Sperry Gyro-Compass.
So, coddle that bump of curiosity. The kind of inquisitiveness that prompted young Sperry to ask "Why, Daddy?" may win you fame and fortune, too.

source: openbmb/Ultra-FineWeb


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The Other Side of Grief
The Home Front and the Aftermath in American Narratives of the Vietnam War
A wide-ranging critical assessment of the cultural impact of America's longest war
The lingering aftereffects of the Vietnam War resonate to this day throughout American society: in foreign policy, in attitudes about the military and war generally, and in the contemporary lives of members of the so-called baby boom generation who came of age during the 1960s and early 1970s. While the best-known personal accounts of the war tend to center on the experience of combat, Maureen Ryan's The Other Side of Grief examines the often overlooked narratives—novels, short stories, memoirs, and films—that document the war's impact on the home front.
In analyzing the accounts of Vietnam veterans, women as well as men, Ryan focuses on the process of readjustment, on how the war continued to insinuate itself into their lives, their families, and their communities long after they returned home. She looks at the writings of women whose husbands, lovers, brothers, and sons served in Vietnam and whose own lives were transformed as a result. She also appraises the experiences of the POWs who came to be embraced as the war's only heroes; the ordeal of Vietnamese refugees who fled their "American War" to new lives in the United States; and the influential movement created by those who committed themselves to protesting the war.
The end result of Ryan's investigations is a cogent synthesis of the vast narrative literature generated by the Vietnam War and its aftermath. Together those stories powerfully demonstrate how deeply the legacies of the war penetrated American culture and continue to reverberate still.
Remembered from All Sides
"This is a book that needed to be written. Maureen Ryan has done it, and she has done it professionally, thoroughly, and completely."—Philip D. Beidler, author of Re-writing America: Vietnam
Authors in Their Generation
"The Other Side of Grief brilliantly explores the effects of the Vietnam War across an astonishing range of narratives, tracing the impact of war on the home front from its immediate aftermath through the present moment. In its scope and insight, it's a genuinely remarkable book."—Dr. Michael Mays
"Maureen Ryan's The Other Side of Grief is an ambitious project.... Ryan's book manages to carve out a space for itself within the extensive library of Vietnam War studies.... In the contested terrain of the Vietnam War era...The Other Side of Grief will most certainly garner its share of readers and students."—Journal of American Studies

source: HuggingFaceFW/fineweb-edu


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Posted by: aramaic on Oct 21, 2009
A spectator gives you a random number and you're instantly able to create a magic square of numbers in which all rows, columns, diagonals and corners total his chosen number.
This looks absolutely mind blowing when performed well but is technically easy to achieve.
The diagram below shows the basic framework for the square:
The numbers shown in the above square will always be present, whatever random number is chosen. You need to memorize the order and positions of those numbers. The grey squares A to D are where you will add additional numbers to complete the magic square.
If like me you have a terrible memory, write the basic framework of the magic square using very light pencil in the corner of your notepad or flip chart. It will be visible to you but not to your audience.
To begin, ask for a random number between 25 and 100. Let's say your spectator chooses the number 37.
Subtract 21 from the number given (in this example, we get 16) and put it in position A. Then add 1 to this number and put in position B. Add 1 again for the number in position C and finally 1 again for the number at D.
In our example, we finish up with the magic square shown below:
Look at the resulting square and you'll see that all rows and columns total 37 - the spectators chosen number. Also, both diagonals total 37. The numbers at each corner also total 37. And the four 2 by 2 squares at top left, top right, bottom left and bottom right also total 37 (e.g. 8, 11, 16 and 2; 17, 1, 7 and 12 etc.)!
Actually, there's more! Choose any 3 sided square and the numbers at each corner also total 37 (e.g. 8, 17, 3 and 9)!
Although this may seem like a simple concept, Derren Brown used a magic square effect as the encore for his 2004 UK tour and got a standing ovation!


Freak The Mighty Movie
The film stars an ensemble cast mainly starring elden henson and kieran culkin as max and kevin, respectively. Freak the mighty too coarse, violent and graphic for young readers i believe that the graphic imagery of killer kane keeping his son tied up and the son witnessing him trying to kill loretta by strangling her, as he, (kane), had also done to the mother, is an image too difficult for students younger than high school to process.
A little book cover I made a while back just came through
Much of the movie follows the book fairly well.
Freak the mighty movie. The mighty is an inspiring story about being different and not always needing to fit in. Creative, engaging poster project to compare and contrast the novel and movie versions of freak the mighty!with this resource, your students will create a poster comparing and contrasting characters, plot events, and setting in freak the mighty and the movie version, the mighty. Adapted from the novel, freak the mighty, the film explores a building of trust and friendship.
The amount of effect is determined by resulting consequences, past and present situation, mood of individuals, physiological comprehension, human nature, ones possibilities, pressure of all kinds (peer, family, self), social differentiation. Get it as soon as wed, dec 16. The mighty is a american 1998 drama film based on the book, freak the mighty by rodman philbrick.
Similarities and difference about the mighty (movie) and freak the mighty (book) versus!!! Book vs movie bella culp conclusion one difference is when loretta gave max the pliers to escape from the rope ties in the movie, and she actually untied him in the book. Well, the first difference is the title:
In the hands of a lesser writer, these characters might have become clichés, but philbrick develops an engaging story as this unlikely pair form a friendship and. One similarity of these pieces of art is that the chapters match up. The film was released on october 9, 1998 and was directed by peter chelsom and distributed by mirmax films.
Through reading freak the mighty, students will explore how disabilities can be overcome with the strength of friendship. Anyway, it is one of my favorite themes from the movies. Although they can relate to each other this book and movie both are unique in their own ways.
Freak the mighty is a young adult novel by rodman philbrick. I can't believe that this song didn't win best song award. Free shipping on orders over $25 shipped by amazon.
All dialogs in the movie were strong and memorable, and some incredibly touching and moving scenes you will never forget. With kieran culkin, elden henson, sharon stone, harry dean stanton. Published in 1993, it was followed by the novel max the mighty in 1998.
Amazon's choice for freak the mighty movie. See more ideas about freak the mighty, novel studies, freak. From the opening paragraphs, this book has a distinctive 'voice' as philbrick develops his unusual characters….
Two young boys, both social outcasts in their small town, form an unlikely friendship. Kevin is handicapped and max is large for his age and somewhat oafish. Freak the mighty influences, regardless of its negativity or positivity, have an effect on life.
Freak the mighty, by rodman philbrick, is a popular middle grade novel about two unusual boys and their friendship.max is a slow learner stuck in the body of an oversized teenager and kevin (freak) is a small boy with a near genius brain, stuck in leg braces and crutches. Kevin, an intelligent guy helps out maxwell to improve his reading skills. Other options new and used
Factual, interpretive, critical, and personal. There is a lot of stuff that are similar and different about the mighty and freak the mighty. Students will demonstrate their understanding of the text on four levels:
Max's childlike chapter titles are very much incorporated in the movie. Peter chelsom directed this family film in the tradition of my left foot (1989). The music in the movie was great and emotional so like main theme freak, the mighty.
These are just some of things that are similar and different about the book. Kevin dillon (kieran culkin) aka the freak moves in next door to maxwell kane (elden henson). Movie activity, and all answer keys.
Freak the mighty and the mighty and both known by many. "freak the mighty by rodman philbrick … is a winner. 4.6 out of 5 stars 1,822.
One is a book and the other is a movie based on the book. This makes a difference because in the movie, max breaks the radiator and that causes a Students will practice reading orally and silently.
The book freak the mighty becomes the movie the mighty.this shows that there are other changes as well.
Read More


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- Hybrid computer
Hybrid computers are computers that comprise features of
analog computers and digital computers. The digital component normally serves as the controller and provides logical operations, while the analog component normally serves as a solver of differential equations.
analog computersare extraordinarily fast, since they can solve most complex equations at the rate at which a signal traverses the circuit, which is generally an appreciable fraction of the speed of light. On the other hand, the precisionof analog computers is not good; they are limited to three, or at most, four digits of precision. Digital computerscan be built to take the solution of equations to almost unlimited precision, but quite slowly compared to analog computers. Generally, complex equations are approximated using iterative numerical methods which take huge numbers of iterations, depending on how good the initial "guess" at the final value is and how much precision is desired. (This initial guess is known as the numerical seed for the iterative process.) For many real-time operations, the speed of such "digital" calculations is too slow to be of much use (e.g., for very high frequency phased array radars or for weather calculations), but the precision of an "analog" computer is insufficient.
Hybrid computers can be used to obtain a very good but relatively imprecise'seed' value, using an analog computer front-end, which is then fed into a digital computer iterative process to achieve the final desired degree of precision. With a three or four digit, highly accurate numerical seed, the total digital computation time necessary to reach the desired precision is dramatically reduced, since many fewer iterations are required.
Consider that the
nervous systemin animals is a form of hybrid computer. Signals pass across the synapsesfrom one nerve cellto the next as discrete (digital) packets of chemicals, which are then summed within the nerve cell in an analog fashion by building an electro-chemical potential until its thresholdis reached, whereupon it discharges and sends out a series of digital packets to the next nerve cell. The advantages are at least threefold: noise within the system is minimized (and tends not to be additive), no common grounding system is required, and there is minimal degradation of the signal even if there are substantial differences in activity of the cells along a path (only the signal delays tend to vary). The individual nerve cells are analogous to analog computers; the synapses are analogous to digital computers.
Note that hybrid computers should be distinguished from hybrid systems. The latter may be no more than a digital computer equipped with an
Analog-to-digital converterat the input and/or a Digital-to-analog converterat the output, to convert analog signals for ordinary digital signal processing, "and conversely," e.g., for driving physical control systems, such as servomechanisms.
HRS-100, a hybrid computer from Mihajlo Pupin Institute
* [_URL_ A New Tool For Science] By Daniel Greco and Ken Kuehl
* [_URL_ A hybrid computer system for use in cardiology]. by Nadel LD,Kramer MR,Shultheis DC,McCulloh TA.Recent upsurge in the use of physiologic data for medical diagnostic and treatment procedures has prompted the medical profession to use the computer to automate and reduce the time required for data processing. Although the digital computer has traditionally been used to perform these tasks, a hybrid computer (combined analog and digital) has been found to provide many advantages over the digital computer, especially where on-line data processing is concerned. As a result, the Bio-Medical Engineering Center has installed a centrally located hybrid computer system at Ohio State University. One of the applications of this system has been processing cardiac catheterization data. Data is transmitted between the hospital and computer via infrared optics. The data can be analyzed in real time, with the results immediately available to the physician.
PMID: 865418 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.


Art and You - What your art choices say about you
Quiz Image
The art you are drawn to can tell you quite a lot about your personality and the way you live your life. It can also lead you to answers to some of life's question.
Think about artists you like, and designs that draw you. Colors and color combinations and how they make you feel. Do you want to take advantage of your creative forces to improve your life? This quiz is one way to do just that!
Created by: Chemdat
 1. Which artist do you prefer?
 2. During Holi festivites in India people throw colors, and get their targets completely colored up. If you found yourself in India on this Holiday, you would
 3. At a job interview you are required to draw yourself. You have your choice of drawing tools. You choose:
 4. Which do you like more?
 5. Your ideal job (be honest - nobody is looking)
 6. On friendship: You have
 7. A higher power
 8. You'd prefer to read
 9. What do you have hanging on your walls?
 10. You go to dinner with two friends. One of them brings someone you have not really met before. How do you behave?
 11. In your next life, you want to
Remember to rate this quiz on the next page!
Quiz topic: Art and You - What my art choices say about you


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likely overly active bacteria.
either you add slightly too much culture, or your milk is very well ripe (which could be a sign of good cows, or if you get bad flavors could be a sign of sick cows) Or your atmosphere is affecting things.
Elevation, air pressure, humidity, and air temperature all can affect the activity of the culture.
But the most likely candidate, without any more information, would be too much culture added at the beginning. Next time, try adding a touch less starter to your cheese and see how that does.
The problem with overly fast acidification is that it tends to dry out the curd more than expected.
You need to follow temperature targets as close as possible. They are there for a reason. The bacteria grow differently under different temperature conditions. Especially with raw milk, a higher temperature may mean that you encourage different bacteria to grow than the recipe intends, or cause the same bacteria to act in different ways (producing different by-products and therefore different flavors)


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You can use the diff3 command to look at differences between three files. Here are three sample files:
For each set of differences, diff3 displays a row of equal signs (====) followed by 1, 2, or 3, indicating which file is different; if no number is specified, then all three files differ. Then, using ed-like notation, the differences are described for each file.
With the output of diff3, it is easy to keep track of which file is which; however, the prescription given is a little harder to decipher. To bring these files into agreement, the first range of text (after ====3) shows that you would have to add apples at the beginning of the third file (3:0a). The second range tells you to change line 3 of the second file to line 3 of the first file; and change lines 2 and 3 of the third file, effectively dropping the last line.
The diff3 command also has a -e option for creating an editing script for ed. It doesn't work quite the way you might think. Basically, it identifies the changes made to test2 to produce test3 and writes as a script to apply to test1.
If you reverse the second and third files, a different script is produced:
As you might guess, this is basically the same output as doing a diff on the first and second files.
More Unix Power Tools
Copyright © 2009 O'Reilly Media, Inc.


text: Soil stabilization and sealing by injection is performed in order to strenghten and seal soil/rock substrate. Such operation prevents e.g. settlement of soil, which can lead to an accident or a construction disaster. Soil stabilization is executed mainly in hardly accessible areas od application, where accumulation of heavy machinery is impossible due to technical or economic reasons. In such situations injection replaces jet grouting effectively. It is inseparably linked with terms such as deep foundations, microtunneling, strengthening embankments and excavation pits. Broad range of injection materials and equipment allows for quick selection of an effective technology, tackling causes and consequences of an accident. For more details go to injections in geoengineering.


text:
New Potential High-Energy Materials: 1,3-dioxa-2,4-diazetidine, N2H2O2, High-Level Calculations
Journal of Undergraduate Chemistry Research
As a follow-up to a study of oxadiaziridine, N2H2O, as a
potential high energy density material, we determine the
enthalpies of formation and combustion of a very similar
compound with an oxygen-nitrogen four-membered ring,
1,3-dioxa-2,4-diazetidine, which also would exist as cis and
trans isomers. As a fundamental measure of the reactivity of
N2H2O2, the proton affinities of both isomers were also
determined. Gaussian-2, Gaussian-3, and two complete basis
set methods were used.
Michael F. Breth, Karen J. Knaus, David W. Ball, "New Potential High-Energy Materials: 1,3-Dioxa-2,4-diazetidine, N2H2O2. High-Level Calculations" Journal of Undergraduate Chemistry Research 2006, 5, 55 - 60.


Payroll Concepts > Statutory Deductions and Contributions
Employers are required to register for and pay Pay As You Earn (PAYE) and Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) contributions for any employees to whom remuneration is paid or owed unless the employee is exempted from one or both of these. Some employers are also required to pay Skills Development Levy (SDL) contributions for their employees. SimplePay calculates each of these items automatically as appropriate.
Please see the following articles for detailed discussions of each of these:
An employer's PAYE liability may be reduced if they have employees who qualify for the Employment Tax Incentive (ETI). More information on this is available in the following article:
Aspects such as their age and legal status impact these calculations so please ensure that these are correctly configured on their Basic Info screen.


text: determined LILFU is capable of remotely and noninvasively exciting neurons and network activity. Our results illustrate that LILFU can stimulate electrical activity in neurons by activating voltage-gated sodium channels, as well as voltage-gated calcium channels. The LILFU-induced changes in neuronal activity were sufficient to trigger SNARE-mediated exocytosis and synaptic transmission in hippocampal circuits. Because LILFU can stimulate electrical activity and calcium signaling in neurons as well as central synaptic transmission we conclude US provides a powerful tool for remotely modulating brain circuit activity.


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The necessity of an automated training procedure:
Automated training procedures are done through the use of Training management software.
Training management software for Camden have become incredibly convenient in the technical world of today. The primary reason for using Training management software is to incorporate training activities to compliance for safety procedures. This would allow a significant reduction in the need to manual processes, while also being able to reduce risks in safety due to insufficient training.
With a population of 2190, now is the time you need a solution to train employees, get out Training management software for Camden in New York online.
The training process involves an identification of all the requirements for the program to be able to build proper programs for training and identify all the employee that require training. To ensure compliance with safety procedures, it is essential to follow the rules of these training procedures using Training management software for Camden in New York.
Without proper training, companies may face a higher risk of issues regarding safety and liability because of errors caused through insufficient training.
For companies to avoid potential threats caused by insufficient training and company liability, Training management software have been created for the management and tracking of employee training to ensure better organizational efficiency.
Training manager software are incredibly efficient to ensure that all employees get the training they require. Additionally, companies can also manage and determine employee training history, schedules, and other employee training information through the Training management software.


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Let's get started with creating our first form using the powerful Kali Forms plugin.
Step 1. Access your WordPress admin panel
You can access the admin section of your WordPress installation by adding /wp-admin to your website URL.
Step 2. Navigate to the Kali Forms page
Use the admin panel sidebar in order to navigate to the KaliForms main section.
Step 3. Add a new form
Create a new form by clicking the Add new button.
Step 4. Set the general form options
Here you can choose to use one of our pre-defined form templates, these come with a complete configuration of the form fields, layout and email notifications. The current templates available are:
Kali Forms Lite
Contact form, Employee information form.
Kali Forms Pro
Appointment form, Customer feedback form, Art contest, Job application, Gaming tournament registration.
If these do not meet your needs, you can also opt to start building the form from scratch.
The general form settings are:
- The Form Name: this can be typed in directly in the top-left corner of your browser.
- Required field mark: with this option you can control the sign used to highlight required fields, the most common mark being *.
- Multiple selector separator: when using fields that allow multiple options, for example checkbox groups, this will be used to separate the values.
- Remove CAPTCHA for logged in users: speed up the form submission process by disabling the reCAPTCHA field for logged in users.
- Global error message: a global message displayed when any validation error occurs. This message is separate from the field validation message.
- Show thank you message: choose to show the thank you message after the form is submitted.
- Save form submissions: you can opt out of storing form submissions in your database with this option and only have the information send via the email notifications.
- Submissions view page: the URL of the page that will display the form submissions, these will be shown through the [kaliforms-submission] shortcode.
- Thank you message: the message displayed after the form is successfully submitted.
- Redirect URL: after submitting the form you will be redirected to the URL configured in this field.
- Form CSS ID: with this option you can add an extra CSS ID to your form.
- Form CSS Class: here you can add an extra CSS class to your form.
Step 5. Add the form fields
Use the Drag & Drop builder in order to start adding fields to your form. The fields available in the basic package are: textbox, textarea, freetext, divider, dropdown, radio group, checkbox group, date picker, file upload, reCAPTCHA, submit button.
Step 6. Configure the email notifications
After setting up your form, you can enable one or multiple email notifications on each form submission. You can read an in-depth presentation of the email configuration in the following article.
Step 7. Save your first form
The most important action during the form creation process is to save your changes, it is recommended to do this after configuring each section of the form.


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Communities developing resources and competencies for using their languages
Foundational understanding for language development work of all kinds
Publications, fonts and computer tools for language development, translation and research
SIL offers training in disciplines relevant to sustainable language development.
7,105 languages are spoken or signed. CLICK for map of world languages & regional websites.
SIL's dedication to language development past and present
Sabah, one of the two states of Malaysia on the island of Borneo, is popularly known as "the land below the wind" and has a rich diversity in terms of linguistics, culture, music, dance, crafts, and religion. This annotated bibliography is an attempt to document and provide information about the availability of resources on the languages and peoples of Sabah. It is meant to be useful to everybody interested in the study or advancement of the languages and cultures of Sabah.
The body of this bibliography is organized into three sections according to author/title, ethnic group, and topic, and includes entries up to the year 2000. All books and articles as well as their locations are included with annotations in the author/title section.
The following locations were investigated in the preparation of this bibliography: the Local History Collection of the Sabah State Library (including 10,000 volumes of the former British Council Library), the Borneo Collection of the Tun Fuad Stephens Research Library, the Sabah State Archives, the Library of the Sabah State Museum, and the Library of the Malaysia Branch of SIL International.


text:
ASTM International - ASTM E1960-07
Standard Practice for Calculating International Friction Index of a Pavement Surface
|Publication Date:||1 April 2007|
|ICS Code (Other standards related to road engineering):||93.080.99|
significance And Use:
This is the practice for calculating the IFI of the pavement. The IFI has proven useful for harmonization of the friction measuring equipment. F60 and Sp have proven to be able to... View More
This is the practice for calculating the IFI of the pavement. The IFI has proven useful for harmonization of the friction measuring equipment. F60 and Sp have proven to be able to predict the speed dependence of wet pavement-related measurements of the various types of friction-measuring equipment.2 The two IFI parameters (F60 and Sp) have been found to be reliable predictors of the dependence of wet pavement friction on tire slip and vehicle speed.
The IFI parameters, F60 and Sp, can be used to calculate the calibrated friction at another-slip speed using a transformation equation.
The IFI model given below describes the relationship between the values of wet pavement friction FRS measured at a slip speed of S and between the friction values measured by different types of equipment.
A significance of the IFI Model is that the measurement of friction with a device does not have to be at one of the speeds run in the experiment. FRS can be measured at some S and is always adjusted to FR60. Thus, if a device can not maintain its normal operating speed and must run at some speed higher or lower because of traffic, the model still works well. In that case S is determined by the vehicle speed (V) which can be converted to S by multiplying V by the percent slip for fixed slip equipment or by multiplying V by the sine of the slip angle for side force equipment.
This practice does not address the problems associated with obtaining a measured friction or measured macrotexture.View Less
1.1 This practice covers the calculation of the International Friction Index (IFI) from a measurement of pavement macrotexture and wet pavement friction. The IFI was developed in the PIARC International Experiment to Compare and Harmonize Texture and Skid Resistance Measurements. The index allows for the harmonizing of friction measurements with different equipment to a common calibrated index. This practice provides for harmonization of friction reporting for devices that use a smooth tread test tire.
1.2 The IFI consists of two parameters that report the calibrated wet friction at 60 km/h (F60) and the speed constant of wet pavement friction (Sp).
1.3 The mean profile depth (MPD) has been shown to be useful in predicting the speed constant (gradient) of wet pavement friction.
1.4 A linear transformation of the estimated friction at 60 km/h provides the calibrated F60 value. The estimated friction at 60 km/h is obtained by using the speed constant to calculate the estimated friction at 60 km/h from a measurement made at any speed.
1.5 The values stated in SI (metric) units are to be regarded as standard. The inch-pound equivalents are rationalized, rather than exact mathematical conversions.
1.6 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.


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A new agreement on adoptions with Vietnam should be in keeping with the Hague Convention, writes CAROL COULTER / Irish Times
ALMOST 500 children were adopted from outside Ireland last year, part of the phenomenon of inter-country adoption that has been growing internationally since the beginning of the 1990s.
This gave rise to the 1993 Hague Convention, which entered into force in 1995, and the ratification of which is currently before the Oireachtas.
The convention aims to ensure that inter-country adoptions are made in the best interests, and respecting the rights of the child, and to prevent abductions, sale and trafficking in children.
This involves ensuring that parents are counselled as to the consequences of their consent; and that consent is given freely without any financial inducements or coercion.
A US government report on adoptions in Vietnam, published last year, suggests these principles were not always observed.
The difficulties hinged on the degree of local autonomy enjoyed by the Vietnamese bodies responsible for referring children for adoption, who in many instances delegate this authority to the local orphanage director. He or she in turn entered into agreements with US-based Adoption Service Providers (ASPs), involving donations to the orphanage.
There were over 40 US-based ASPs in Vietnam, and this tended to generate competition among them for adoptable children. Different regimes applied between different agencies. One orphanage, with a donation agreement involving a cash payment to directors per adoptable child, saw an increase of 2,000 per cent in one year in the number in its care.
The report also stated that the donation system led to the reduction of protections for birth parents. To be eligible for adoption children can be "deserted" or "relinquished" by their birth parents to an orphanage.
A US consular official who interviewed such parents reported that 75 per cent of them said they had received payment from the orphanage for relinquishing their child, with the average amount coming close to a year's salary.
Consequently, the US discontinued adoptions from Vietnam last spring, and Sweden followed in October 2008.
A bilateral agreement between Ireland and Vietnam has lapsed, and the Government is pursuing a new one, but one in keeping with the Hague Convention.
Minister for Children Barry Andrews said many of the abuses identified by the US authorities were unlikely to arise in Irish adoptions, as there was only one mediation agency, not several competing ones, and Irish adoptions are generally of "relinquished" rather than "deserted" children, so the issue of consent can be looked at far more closely.
The chief executive of the Adoption Board, John Collins, said the Irish mediation agency, Helping Hands, did not give money directly to orphanages, but gave money into a pool, some of which went to orphanages and some into community projects, including projects which supported keeping vulnerable children in their communities.


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Title:Recent archaeological discoveries in Buganda and their implications for heritage management policies
Author:Reid, Andrew
Periodical:Uganda Journal (ISSN 0041-574X)
Notes:biblio. refs., ills., maps
Geographic terms:Uganda
East Africa
Subjects:conservation of cultural heritage
cultural heritage
History, Archaeology
Cultural property
Archaeological sites
External link:_URL_
Abstract:While Ugandans are just beginning to consider their ancient cultural heritage - which is far older than any European country - and its value, the cultural resources attesting to this heritage are being destroyed before they are even recorded. The author first presents the results of recent archaeological research in Buganda, where oral and archaeological surveys were conducted from 2000 onward. The evidence, including the recovery of Urewe pottery, suggests a long-term (500 BC-AD 1000) and widespread tradition of agriculture. The research also reveals that moves toward specialization of production, coinciding with the replacement of Urewe pottery by roulette decorated pottery, took place around AD 1000, thus predating the Buganda Kingdom. Finally, the fact that numerous iron-smelting sites were discovered indicates a previously unrecorded and unnoticed precolonial technology, distinct from other smelting sites in the Great Lakes, which continued into the 20th century. The author extrapolates that up to 99 percent of Uganda's archaeological resources are undiscovered, most of them lying buried beneath the ground. In conclusion, the author expresses his concern about Uganda's heritage legislation, which fails to protect these resources. Bibliogr. [ASC Leiden abstract]


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INDIANAPOLIS – A new center at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis has a tall order to fill – improving the quality of life for billions of people.
The Center for Urban Health, hosted by the School of Science at IUPUI, will focus on the issues that affect individuals living in urban environments. The world's population is swelling, as are urban areas. Global population is projected to reach seven billion within the next year and nearly 50 percent will live in cities.
"Cities present unique challenges to the health of the individuals who reside in them. We need to know how to help more than three billion people live in a healthy way in places with high population density; a legacy of environmental burdens; current atmospheric and soil contamination; limited amounts of green space, and many other particularly urban issues," said Gabriel Filippelli, Ph.D., professor of earth sciences in the School of Science at IUPUI, the biogeochemist who is the founding director of the Center for Urban Health.
Filippelli previously served as chairman of the Department of Earth Sciences in the School of Science. He is a national leader in the emerging field of medical geology and served as the first elected chair of the Geological Society of America's Geology and Health Division.
Among the initial areas of focus of IUPUI's Center for Urban Health are chronic poisoning from lead in soil; sexually transmitted diseases in inner city teenagers; the affect of urban "heat islands" on older adults, and the relationship of childhood obesity to green space availability and proximity.
The urban health focus and breadth of research of the new IUPUI center is unusual, according to Filippelli. Environmental health centers, which are found at many universities, typically look at specific issues like autism or sexually transmitted diseases, but not on how these or other health conditions are affected by built up environments found in New York, Tokyo, Chicago, Mexico City, Los Angeles, Sao Paulo, Detroit, Moscow, Indianapolis, Mumbai or other urban areas around the globe.
The Center for Urban Health is a consortium of the IUPUI schools of science and liberal arts, the IU School of Medicine and its Department of Public Health.
The School of Science at IUPUI is committed to excellence in teaching, research and service in the biological, physical, behavioral and mathematical sciences. The School is dedicated to being a leading resource for interdisciplinary research and science education in support of Indiana's effort to expand and diversify its economy. For more information, visit _URL_


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How set cookie in jsp?
Cookie is a small piece of information which is stored in user's computer. Web server uses cookie to identify the user in the next time visit.Example :
<% Cookie cookie = new Cookie("ClientName","Roseindia"); cookie.setMaxAge(3600); response.addCookie(cookie); %>
If you are facing any programming issue, such as compilation errors or not able to find the code you are looking for.
Ask your questions, our development team will try to give answers to your questions.


Picking First Bots in War Robots: Theorycrafting
A quick review…
War Robots is a control-based mech game that focuses on getting certain strategic points and holding them in order to grab a win.
In other words, positioning, gaining early advantages and taking advantages of enemy mistakes as well as utilizing opportunities are just as important as mechanical skill and strategic acumen.
The team who gets the early advantage is generally more favored to win the entire matchup than a team who has to catch up since the very beginning of the map.
Why is it important?
One of the most important parts of playing War Robots is realizing that you have a limited amount of resources (namely, your robots and their weapons) and that you need to utilize them carefully in order to get the maximum efficiency out of them and hopefully, be able to use it to significantly contribute towards a possible win for a team.
So obviously, with this concept of play in mind, getting with your best foot forward seems to be the key towards winning most games; after all, many of the strategies used by top players and clans in War Robots include one form or another of the "hard push" at the beginning of the match, which requires the use of the best robots and firepower that is already available to the player in question!
This is where "take care of your pick" comes into play, as many of the good players will go for picks that can do multiple tasks: For instance, people will pick robots like the Strider and Pursuer in order to take good positions and possibly capture places on the map while still being a threat by the merit of the weapons that they carry.
The theory
The Art of War, as well as other strategic books, put importance on the need for having the initiative in battle.
Getting a good (possibly multi-purpose) robot at the beginning allows the player to have confidence in facing the enemy as well as gain certain concrete advantages, which will allow the player to have an easier time throughout the rest of the game (or if the team's cognitive abilities allow for it, win the game immediately.)
How does it work in practice?
Generally, players pick one out the following types, depending on the map or situation:
 - Their strongest bot (think of a Spectre with Shocktrains, probably Haechi or Bulgasari if the player feels confident to run it)
 - Fast beacon capper (Kumiho, Stalker, Gareth, Pursuer, Strider, Hellburner; possibly the Haechi and Galahad if one extends the definition liberally)
 - A long-range robot (Butch, Fury, Natasha and their respective loads come to mind – but then the Bulgasari and Spectre can carry Scourges…)
 - Anything with Hydras – especially with MK2 – and if you are having a ton of Spectres on the enemy side
If you actually think about it, you'll be mostly ahead if you pick robots with energy weapons (i.e. Magnum, Taran, Shocktrain, etc.) for the reason that only the Bulgasari, Gareth, Lancelot and Galahad (we definitely don't count Bulwark and the rest of the house in this category…) have physical shields that can block the damage dished out by plasma or energy weapons.
The rule of thumb is that people will pick mostly any one of the types above unless it's Team Deathmatch, where they will go out the gates with their best robots possible (which are mostly Spectre/Bulgasari/Pursuers.)
For instance, when faced with Death Button Griffins (back in the days when these setups were still a thing), one can always go to the strengths of the Plasma Griffin or any robot that has a plasma or energy-weapon based variant, for the woefully low engagement range of the setup makes it extremely susceptible to kiting tactics.
As for robots with physical shields, one couldn't go wrong with the RDB Griffin (or the RDB Spectre). Better yet, having a long-ranged Fury (read: Dragoons, Tridents, Zeus, Tempest, Trebuchet) would be a deadly sight for those robots who hide behind their steel scales or otherwise! Even the Noricums and Zenits are already annoying…especially if you have "soft" robots like the Spectre…
And when facing the ubiquitous Shocktrain on robots such as the Spectre, Haechi and Bulgasari, never forget that there are many choices for destroying the menace of these robots. A Bulgasari is best countered by rockets, while a Haechi would not survive an engagement with energy weapons such as the Scourge, Zeus, and the rest of the energy-firing pack.
What are the effects of this?
Getting a very good first pick that completely counters the enemy would allow players to do one or more of the following:
 - Trade efficiently (i.e. take down two to three bots before you are killed)
 - Get good positions and force the enemy to play out of their comfort zone
 - Spread the momentum through getting multiple early kills (while your friends are busy racking up the damage, snipe those crippled bots out of the game)
 - If the robot is fast enough (i.e. Dash family/Pursuer/Strider/Hellburner), then one can end the game right there and then by getting four to five beacons, potentially sealing the deal in 3-4 minutes)
The first-pick principle only works effectively in a battlefield with diverse hangars and weapon styles; this will almost never work in a battlefield that already has 12 maxed-out robots armed with the Shocktrain or the version of the most overpowered weapon that the game can equip for the robot in question.
The exception is that if the clan knows how to counter the Shocktrain carriers effectively, which, in this case, a well-placed Pursuer (or any other fast robot in particular) could tip the balance massively in one's favour.
In addition, some players may have a capper as their first bot and four powerhouses as their – just as first picking is a strong hand to play, counter-picking is another way to approach War Robots, especially when the enemy (i.e. the first-picker) actually has a one-dimensional hangar (full midrange, full brawler or 4 robots of one setup).
Personal Experience
The author is currently a Master 2 player at the time of writing and through the usage of robots such as the Kumiho, the player is able to capture at least two beacons, destroy light robots outright and pressure enemy players to commit resources to kill the "space creator."
If the team is smart enough, they would usually go push from all other sides, ensuring a quick victory.
Most of the time, proper knowledge of War Robots weaponry has allowed the writer to overcome obstacles that are otherwise unfair on paper.
The obvious exceptions are the times when the author faces clans like KOR (the full stack and one of the game's superteams, no joking here), which in this case…blame the matchmaker for placing me into a very unfair match.
Choosing a proper first pick in War Robots goes a long way. It allows the player to provide multiple tactical options on the field, as well as create space for the team to have early advantages and create an opening for the team to win outright.
1 thought on "Picking First Bots in War Robots: Theorycrafting"
 1. Artillery – Natasha zenit noricum, Sniper – Griffin molot arbelest, Close Quarters Battle CQB/brawler Leo zeus punisher pin, Shield breaker – Leo tempest gecko spark, etc. In progress of 30 days or so, fury dragoon avenger. got the avenger but the dragoon will take a long long time in workshop.
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A framework for the simulation of structural software evolution
As functionality is added to an aging piece of software, its original design and structure will tend to erode. This can lead to high coupling, low cohesion and other undesirable effects associated with spaghetti architectures. The underlying forces that cause such degradation have been the subject of much research. However, progress in this field is slow, as its complexity makes it difficult to isolate the causal flows leading to these effects. This is further complicated by the difficulty of generating enough empirical data, in sufficient quantity, and attributing such data to specific points in the causal chain. This article describes a framework for simulating the structural evolution of software. A complete simulation model is built by incrementally adding modules to the framework, each of which contributes an individual evolutionary effect. These effects are then combined to form a multifaceted simulation that evolves a fictitious code base in a manner approximating real-world behavior. We describe the underlying principles and structures of our framework from a theoretical and user perspective; a validation of a simple set of evolutionary parameters is then provided and three empirical software studies generated from open-source software (OSS) are used to support claims and generated results. The research illustrates how simulation can be used to investigate a complex and under-researched area of the development cycle. It also shows the value of incorporating certain human traits into a simulation—factors that, in real-world system development, can significantly influence evolutionary structures. _URL_ ACM Transactions on Modeling and Computer Simulation (TOMACS) Association for Computing Machinery
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Department of Extranormal Operations
IC / Active
Base of Operations
Washington DC
OOC Admin
OOC Asst.
IC Leader
The Department of Extranormal Operations (DEO) is the United States government's newest response to possible threat of which origins cannot be accounted to the conventional or mundane and was officially recognized and sanctioned as an official department of the United States in October 2015. They have all due power and authority to monitor and safeguard American citizens against supernatural, mutant, metahuman, non-Earth technological, extraterrestrial, and other-dimensional threats.
The DEO is a extranormal threat-focused national security organization with intelligence and law enforcement responsibilities, the task of the DEO is to protect the United States and it's citizens against domestic and foreign supernormal dangers. It also provides detailed information, guidance, proper detention, conditioning and reintroduction of any classified as extranormals.
The DEO focuses on threats that exceed the capabilities of the conventional authorities and involve dangers far too large, complex or powerful for any local or state authority to handle alone. In executing the following priorities the DEO is recognized as both a national security and law enforcement agency. It will produce and use extensive intelligence to protect the nation and it's people from all threats beyond normal parameters that violate the law or expected legal foundations of American society.
1. Protect the United States from extranormal attacks.
2. Protect the United States against mystical, psychic, superhuman and advanced technology crimes.
3. Protect the Civil Rights of documented, known and law-abiding extranormals.
4. Detect, identify, assess and classify extranormal individuals and organizations.
5. Combat extranormal and monitor criminal organizations and enterprises.
6. Support federal, state, local and international partners in their efforts involving any and all extranormal operations.
7. Establish peaceful and cooperative rapport with active law-abiding extranormal organizations
8. Properly detain, quarantine and handle identified criminal extarnormals.
9. Assist, educate and rehabilitate non-criminal extranormals in to society proper.
10. Constantly upgrade technology, intelligence and personnel to successfully perform the DEO's mission.
Additional Notes
*DEO absorbed the assets of IO and Stormwatch.
*The DEO stores occult objects and individuals in a mysterious location known only as the Black Room. It is believed even the Spear of Destiny is held there (this is of course a misleading rumor - an actual character possesses this).
*DEO has developed psychic defense measures and is in charge of protecting important government assets.
*Comic reference for the DEO is a blend of DC's own DEO/DMA and Marvel's CSA (Commission on Superhuman Affairs) mixed with IO (International Operations already being a close relative of OSS), A.R.G.U.S., Stormwatch and Taskforce X.
*Knightwatch is combined with Squad K and Hulkbusters as well as it's typical incarnation.
*Though Suicide Squad and the Authority are listed as possible STARS teams they are "disconnected". Project: USA is highly classified in it's ongoings.
See also:
Back to: Important Organizations


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pageant, modern dramatic spectacle or procession celebrating a special occasion or an event in the history of a locality. In medieval times the word pageant had meant the wagon or the movable stage on which one scene of a mystery or miracle play was performed. The pageant was built on wheels and consisted of two rooms, the lower one being used as a dressing room and the upper used as a stage. The word also referred to the complex wooden machine-structures built for the Tudor masque. The modern form of the pageant came into general use in England and America since the production, in 1905, of L. N. Parker's Sherborne pageant in England. Pageants include such celebrations as the Mardi Gras and annual local festivals.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: Theater


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It seems impossible that a tiny creature in the sea could someday be an effective treatment for hearing loss, but one group of researchers says they have all the right stuff. The Center for Hearing and Communication estimates 48 million people in the U.S. have hearing problems and many of them are elderly. Age-related hearing loss affects one in every three people over the age of 65. These are the individuals that will likely benefit from the studies being done on the sea anemones.
What is a Sea Anemone?
Sea anemones are the exotic creatures often seen in ocean-based photography. It's a group of sea animals that get their name from a flowering plant called the anemone. Similar to the plant, sea anemones have at Medusa-like quality that consists of a columnar trunk surrounded by flowing tentacles.
These are highly predatory creatures that use their tentacles for hunting. They pull the arms in to draw in prey and then expand when it comes time to catch their next meal. The tentacles also help propel them through the water, although, they tend to remain stationary for weeks at a time.
What kind of food do they eat? The sea anemones are not picky eaters. They pull the tentacles out to catch just about any animal that comes within reach and will fit in its mouth.
How the Sea Anemone can Help the Hearing Impaired
A 2016 study published in the Journal of Experimental Biology reports that the sea anemone has tiny hair cells that allow them to sense vibrations in the ocean when catching prey. The core of these hair cells is similar to what humans use to hear.
The inner ear consists of a labyrinth structure filled with delicate hair cells that resemble what the sea anemone use to detect vibrations. The hair cells transduce the vibrations of sound into something the brain can understand. Without them, there is no way for you to comprehend what you hear.
The problem with the very tiny hair cells found in both humans and sea anemones is that they tend to break. These broken hairs are the basis for the hearing loss that occurs as people get older. Decades of listening to people talk, to your favorite TV show and to the local band that plays every weekend will catch up to you. The tiny hair cells break down after years of service and hearing is diminished.
For humans, when the hair cells are gone, there is no way to get them back. The sea anemone, however, has a built-in repair system. It's the key to their survival because they need their hair cells to live. The sea anemones reproduction is a traumatic event that requires them to tear their body in two, breaking their hair cells in the process. In response, they produce mucus that covers their body and aids in healing. In that mucus is a protein that repairs the hair cells.
The Sea Anemone Study
University of Louisiana biology professor Glen Watson and his colleagues decided to look closer at the healing process of the sea anemone to see if those same repair proteins might work for different species. The researchers used mice in the study because their ears have similar hair cells — called stereocilia — that enable hearing. They destroyed the stereocilia in the test mice and then treated them with repair protein taken from a starlet sea anemone. The result was significant repair of the stereocilia.
Does This Mean Protein From the Sea Anemone Will Work on Humans?
The study shows that repair of these very delicate hair cells is possible in other animals, but mice are not humans. Mice have proteins that are related to the ones the sea anemones use for repair. Humans are not quite as lucky. The next step is to find a way to harness that same repair power either using human protein or something taken out of nature that can give people with this kind damage back their hearing.
It's likely that the therapeutic use of repair proteins to heal damaged hair cells in humans is years away. This study is good news, though, because it does show that some species have this ability and more research might put it to use for humans.


Physically-Based Rendering (Maya) for Experimental Modeling of Medieval Objects
1. Abstract
This presentation demonstrates the value of the 3d graphics program Maya for modeling medieval manuscripts and other historic objects. Maya's physically-based rendering allows the creation of models that take into account the materials and finishes of objects. Objects can be animated or placed into environments that include varied lighting sources and other objects, allowing experimentation with different historical conditions of viewing.
The presentation includes a specific case study of this approach for a gilded early medieval gospel book, and also addresses the early stages of using Maya for modeling medieval textiles and liturgical objects.
Finally, I address the potential to share artifact models among different audiences and researchers, allowing users to combine and compare models within larger environments.
Beth Fischer (, Williams College, United States of America
Theme: Lux by Bootswatch.


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Reply to comment
R is the radius of the Earth, H is your height and D is how far you can see.
...You can see forever, according to Alan Lerner's Broadway musical. But can you? How far can you see? Just how far away is the horizon?
Let's assume the Earth is smooth and spherical, so no intervening hills obscure your view, and ignore the effects of light refraction as it passes through the atmosphere, along with the effects of any rain or fog. If your eyes are a height above the ground and you look towards the horizon, then the distance to the horizon,, is one side of a right-angled triangle whose other two sides are plus the radius of the Earth, and. Using Pythagoras' theorem for this triangle we have
The wanderer above the sea of fog by Caspar David Friedrich.
Since the average radius of the Earth is about 6400 km and much greater than your height, we can neglect compared to when multiplying out the square of. This means that the straight-line distance to the horizon is just
to a very good approximation. If we put the radius of the Earth into the formula we get (measuring in metres)
For someone of height 1.8m we have and the distance to the horizon is metres, or 3 miles to very good accuracy. Notice that the distance that you can see increases like the square root of the height that you are viewing from, so if you go to the top of a hill that is 180 metres high you will be able to see about ten times further. From the top of the world's tallest building, the Burj Dubai in the Emirates you might see for 102 kilometres, or 64 miles. From the summit of Mount Everest you might see for 336 kilometres, or 210 miles - not quite forever, but far enough.
Problem 1: Above we have calculated the straight-line distance to the horizon point. Show that if we take the curvature of the Earth into account, then the "walking" distance over the Earth's surface to the horizon point is
Problem 2: You see something, like a cloud or a hot air balloon, high in the sky beyond the horizon and you know its maximum possible height above the ground. Can you work out how far away it could be?


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Software apps and online services
Hand tools and fabrication machines
A simple power bank - keep alive module. As the name is already suggesting, this module keeps power banks from auto turn off, when the load current is too low.
The power banks usually monitor the current drawn from the usb, in order to find out if the connected mobile phone is charged, and if it is, turn off the output. This feature is good for usual purposes, or DIY circuits which draw a current above 100 milliamps; but not for tiny circuits with a supply current lower than 100mA.
This simple 555 based circuit, is an astable multivibrator with a period of ~5 seconds and a duty cycle of just 2%. So every 5 seconds, it turns on and connects a 100mA load accross powerbank for just 100ms. So the average power consumption of the module itself is quite low.
A schottky diode and a buffer cap, provide uninterrupted supply for the actual load.


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A conversation with Andres Bosso, a Member of BirdLife's Global Council and former CEO and current International Cooperation Programme Director of Aves Argentinas, about the work being done to help conserve the threatened Hooded Grebe. Only discovered in 1974 breeding on high-altitude lakes in Patagonia, the migratory Hooded Grebe has declined by around 80% and Andres outlines the problems the grebe faces (including predation by American Mink, Kelp Gulls, and introduced Trout), the monitoring work being done on the breeding and coastal wintering grounds, and the Appeal launched to raise funds to support conservation measures vital to stop the Hooded Grebe sliding into extinction.
This podcast has been produced by Talking Naturally to promote the conservation of the Hooded Grebe and support the work of Aves Argentina, the BirdLife partner for Argentina and a non-profit organization working to reassess the link between people and their natural environment, providing a space for nature lovers and developing projects and conservation activities, research, education and outreach.
Hooded Grebes. Photo Santiago Imberti
Aves Argentina: _URL_
BirdLife factsheet – Hooded Grebe: _URL_
Hooded Grebe Emergency Appeal (BirdLife International)
Click the image below to visit _URL_
(Please note this is a screensave from 20 Jan 12 and does NOT reflect current contributions)


And I guess A.P. is short for 'Always Prevaricating'
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on September 08, 2010 at 10:55 AM, updated September 08, 2010 at 9:37 PM
seaside-heights-boardwalk.JPGBennies on the boardwalk
In this otherwise informative piece on names for Jersey Shore tourists, a reporter for the A.P. makes the common mistake of accepting a folk etymology for the term "bennie."
The reporter writes:
It's bad enough when newspaper readers do this sort of thing. A newspaper writer should know better. There are entire websites devoted to debunking false etymologies. And no such etymology is more obviously false than one which assigns words to every letter of a common word, such as "Constable On Patrol" for "cop" or "Port Out, Starboard Home" for "posh."
This sort of thing is called a "backronym," and I wrote about it in July. I guess this reporter doesn't read my blog, but he should read the New York Times Magazine language column, where Ben Zimmer deal with this very subject recently in a piece wittily titled "Beach Blanket Lingo."
 Zimmer wrote that the first theory for the origin of "bennie" appeared in print in 1978:
"Since then a raft of other theories has been proposed to explain the origins of bennies. Some say it's an abbreviation for the "beneficial rays" soaked up by the beachgoers — or for the mutual benefits enjoyed by the visitors and the locals who profit from them. Others relate it to the "Benjamin Franklins" (100-dollar bills) that tourists would spend. Still others claim that it's an acronym for the chief points of departure from the north, often given as Bayonne, Elizabeth, Newark and New York. The story goes that train riders' luggage tags were stamped with BENNY, but the lack of evidence suggests this is as mythical as the canard that posh originally stood for "Port Out, Starboard Home" (supposedly referring to the most desirable cabins on passenger ships between Britain and India).
Zimmer, who also writes for the Language Log blog, goes on to conclude that the origin can probably never be known. That is the case with many slang words, for the simple reason that they are in oral use for so years before anyone writes them down. If the pros confess they can't figure out an origin, why are so many amateurs so absolutely positive they know?
Anyone who writes for a living should be familiar with the process employed by the the Oxford English Dictionary. Tracking down the meaning of a word requires an exhaustive search through great numbers of sources. What seems like an obvious origin is very often false.
By the way, just what does A.P. stand for?


text: This module will examine the control of cardiac output, blood pressure and blood flow, and the central / peripheral cardiovascular interactions during exercise that limit performance. One focus will be on afferent signals generated within exercising muscles that drive and modulate cardiovascular reflexes. Another will investigate how central command associated with voluntary exercise can initiate and adjust blood pressure and heart rate responses. The factors that regulate local blood flow, in particular the vascular endothelium, will be studied in the context of distribution of cardiac output to active and inactive tissues during exercise. All these systems and their role in cardiovascular health will be emphasised by studying alterations to training and in diseases such as heart failure, hypertension and diabetes. Interactions between central cardiovascular control mechanisms, peripheral vascular control and the respiratory system during exercise will be discussed in a systems physiology approach.


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Includes Four Blank Write-and-Wipe Cards
- Perfect for White Board Instruction
- Appropriate for grades 7 and up.
Designed to teach the most common nomenclature systems used in chemistry today, this set of 140 magnetic cards will stick to almost all whiteboards and chalkboards. Each card represents the most common cations and anions found in chemistry, including polyatomic ions and multiple-valency elements. Mix and match these cards to lead your class in a group chemical naming lesson, or allow students to use individually to determine naming compounds and balance equations. Includes four blank write-and-wipe cards to insert unique chemical names, and a detailed teacher guide with lesson outlines and student worksheets.


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what we do about emergencies
Emergency Planning and Resilience is responsible for the readiness of the Council to respond to any emergency alongside the Emergency Services. The activities of the Council and the other Emergency Services before, during and after an emergency are dictated by the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 (Contingency Planning) (Scotland) Regulations 2005.
The core of this legislation is to improve the resilience of communities to respond to disruptive events of any size. This means that there are obligations upon individuals, families and businesses to be prepared for an emergency. This also means that there are statutory duties placed upon Local Authorities, Emergency Services, various companies and wider Government Authorities to be prepared for an emergency.
The legislation requires responders to cooperate and coordinate with one another to ensure their preparedness for any emergency.
This involves all responders creating and maintaining plans that specify what each responder does in the event of an emergency. Some plans, such as the Council Emergency Plan, are as general as possible to enable the greatest flexibility of response. Other plans are more specific to known potential hazards within the community, such as fuel depots or airports. These potential hazards within the community are reviewed on a regular basis and placed within a Community Risk Register.
Emergency plans must be exercised regularly to prove that they work, that they relate to current circumstances and that training of personnel is effective. Feedback from exercises, which may involve any or all of the Responders, is integrated into plans and training to keep them updated.
Emergency Plans recognise that Shetland is a remote community, with isolated communities within it, at the end of extended transport and communication links. Therefore, part of any planning involves the contingency of calling in resources from outside Shetland, if the scale of the emergency goes beyond the ability of local responders.
The Council has a duty to warn and inform the public, but not to cause alarm unnecessarily. All forms of media; printed, Internet and local radio will be used to inform the public.
The Council has a duty to continue to provide services to the community throughout the time of an emergency. This is especially important to the vulnerable within the community and emergency planning takes this into account.
The public should be aware that many Council staff may be involved in an emergency and that means that services may not continue to be provided as normal during and immediately after an emergency. This may mean for example that the frequency of a regular service may temporarily become less frequent.


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Comma After Introductory Clauses
Introductory clauses are dependent clauses which are found at the beginning of the sentence (although they can be moved to the end of the sentence, too, without confusing the meaning of the sentence). After a dependent introductory clause, we use a comma to separate the introductory clause from the independent clause. The dependent introductory clause may start with an adverb or conjunction like although, if, or when.
As the man was walking into the store, he came face-to-face with his childhood sweetheart.
Because the rain was torrential, the day's Little League games were postponed.
Grabbing her umbrella, Kate raced out of the house.
Now then, we should head back home because the baby needs a nap.


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have some tweaking to do in the next section.)
For the Xylotex, the setup and hold times are very short, 200nS each (0.2uS). The longest time is the 2uS high time. If you have 11uS latency, then you can set the BASE_PERIOD as low as 11+2=13uS. Getting rid of the long 20uS hold time really helps! With a period of 13uS, a complete step takes 2x13 = 26uS, and the maximum step rate is 38,461 steps per second!
But you can't start celebrating yet. Note that 13uS is a very short period. If you try to run the step generator every 13uS, there might not be enough time left to run anything else, and your computer will lock up. If you are aiming for periods of less than 25uS, you should start at 25uS or more, run LinuxCNC, and see how things respond. If all is well, you can gradually decrease the period. If the mouse pointer starts getting sluggish, and everything else on the PC slows down, your period is a little too short. Go back to the previous value that let the computer run smoothly.
In this case, sppose you started at 25uS, trying to get to 13uS, but you find that around 16uS is the limit - any less and the computer doesn't respond very well. So you use 16uS. With a 16uS period and 11uS latency, the shortest output time will be 16-11 = 5uS. The drive only needs 2uS, so you have some margin. Margin is good - you don't want to lose steps because you cut the timing too close.
What is the maximum step rate? Remember, two periods to make a step. You settled on 16uS for the period, so a step takes 32uS. That works out to a not bad 31,250 steps per second.
In the last section, we got the Xylotex drive to a 16uS period and a 31,250 step per second maximum speed. But the Gecko was stuck at 31uS and a not-so-nice 16,129 steps per second. The Xylotex example is as good as we can make it. But the Gecko can be improved.
The problem with the G202 is the 20uS hold time requirement. That plus the 11uS latency is what forces us to use a slow 31uS period. But the LinuxCNC software step generator has some parameters that let you increase the various time from one period to several. For example, if steplen is changed from 1 to 2, then it there will be two periods between the beginning and end of the step pulse. Likewise, if dirhold is changed from 1 to 3, there will be at least three periods between the step pulse and a change of the direction pin.
If we can use dirhold to meet the 20uS hold time requirement, then the next longest time is the 4.5uS high time. Add the 11uS latency to the 4.5uS high time, and you get a minimum period of 15.5uS. When you try 15.5uS, you find that the computer is sluggish, so you settle on 16uS. If we leave dirhold at 1 (the default), then the minimum time between step and direction is the 16uS period minus the 11uS latency = 5uS, which is not enough. We need another 15uS. Since the period is 16uS, we need one more period. So we change dirhold from 1 to 2. Now the minimum time from the end of the step pulse to the changing direction pin is 5+16=21uS, and we don't have to worry about the Gecko stepping the wrong direction because of latency.
If the computer has a latency of 11uS, then a combination of a 16uS base period, and a dirhold value of 2 ensures that we will always meet the timing requirements of the Gecko. For normal stepping (no direction change), the increased dirhold value has no effect. It takes two periods totalling 32uS to make each step, and we have the same 31,250 step per second rate that we got with the Xylotex.
The 11uS latency number used in this example is very good. If you work through these examples with larger latency, like 20 or 25uS, the top step rate for both the Xylotex and the Gecko will be lower. But the same formulas apply for calculating the optimum BASE_PERIOD, and for tweaking dirhold or other step generator parameters.
For a fast AND reliable software based stepper system, you cannot just guess at periods and other configuration paremeters. You need to make measurements on your computer, and do the math to ensure that your drives get the signals they need.
To make the math easier, I've created an Open Office spreadsheet (_URL_ You enter your latency test result and your stepper drive timing requirements and the spreadsheet calculates the optimum BASE_PERIOD. Next, you test the period to make sure it won't slow down or lock up your PC. Finally, you enter the actual period, and the spreadsheet will tell you the stepgen parameter settings that are needed to meet your drive's timing requirements. It also calculates the maximum step rate that you will be able to generate.
I've added a few things to the spreadsheet to calculate max speed and stepper electrical calculations. (_URL_
Other stepper info:


Why It's Important to Celebrate the Completion of a Project
Done! Complete!
You and your team have just finished an assigned project.
High fives all around—even if virtually
A lot of time went into the various elements of this project—from conception to implementation The outcomes and learning points were valuable and worthwhile. You are grateful for the wonderful collaboration across the team from all their various locations. Together, you overcame major obstacles to make a positive result.
So, should you celebrate?
How Adding Time and Effort Actually Enhances Your Rewards
I have always been a big advocate of the fact that it's the quality of your recognition that makes it a big deal.
Time and time again, I have witnessed how when you put more of a personal touch into the recognition and rewards you give, the more meaningful and effective the effect will be on the recipient and on their performance.
I have summed this principle up before by saying, when you give people recognition you don't have to give them a reward; when you give people a reward, you must always accompany it with recognition.
Now I have a social science experiment to share with you that validates this principle.


Merannah - Meaning of Merannah
What does Merannah mean?
[ syll. me-ran-nah, mer-ann-ah ] The baby girl name Merannah is pronounced as M-erAEN-AH- †. The origin of Merannah is the English-American language. Merannah is a variation of the name Merana.
See also the related categories, english and american.
Baby names that sound like Merannah include Merana, Meranah, Meranna, Mairina, Mariena, Marienka (Czech), Marinka (Russian), Marnea, Marnia, Marnisha, Marrina, Maurina, Meirna, Merina, Mernah, Meroma, Merona, Meronna, Merrona, and Mirana (Spanish).
Meaning of Merannah Meaning of Merana Meaning of Meranah Meaning of Meranna
Baby Name Explorer for Merannah
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Restore and Recovery Concepts
In order to better understand how to restore data, it helps to know the terminology and concepts behind the restore process. This section defines terms that are used throughout the chapter and explains the phases of the restore process.
There are three possible phases in a restore operation: the data copy, redo, and undo phases. The term restore is used here in a more specific way to describe the first two phases of a restore operation: the data copy and redo (roll forward) phases. Recovery is the term used to describe the phase that performs undo (roll back) and brings the database online to a recovered state. The following are descriptions of these three phases, which are summarized in Table 15-1:
Data Copy Phase...


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29 Sep Improving Agricultural Tire Performance for Better Farming and Minimal Soil Compaction
In communities across the country, a silent but critical partner is playing a central role in the success of every farm — agricultural tires. These connection points between the crops we sow and the machines used to harvest them are the unsung heroes of modern agriculture. They're enabling the industry to meet the growing demands of a hungry world.
As a tire distributor, East Bay Tire understands the essential but often overlooked role agricultural tires play in the lives of farmers and the dealers they purchase from. The right tire not only powers machinery but preserves the health of the soil on which our sustenance depends.
In this article, we delve into the intricate world of agricultural tires and how recent innovations are helping farmers avoid the negative effects of soil compaction. We'll uncover why choosing the right tire is not just a matter of practicality — it's a decision that can make or break a harvest.
Why Does Soil Compaction Matter?
Before diving into the nitty-gritty of agricultural tires, it's important to grasp why soil compaction is such a concern for both tire dealers and farmers. This is the foundation for understanding how East Bay Tire's product inventory can help.
What is Soil Compaction?
In short, soil compaction is the downward pressure on dirt. It occurs when the weight of farming machinery like tractors and rolling implements presses down on the earth beneath. The more weight and the smaller the footprint, the more pounds per square inch (PSI) are exerted on the soil. The larger the footprint or surface area, the more evenly weight can be distributed.
Over time, compaction results in denser soil, reduced pore space, and impaired water infiltration — all of which can have detrimental effects on crop yields and soil health.
Implications of Soil Compaction
Soil compaction has dozens of short-term and long-term implications on crop production. While botanists, pedologists, and farmers measure soil compaction in a variety of ways, they all agree that increased soil compaction will ultimately reduce production yields. From water and mineral retention to root strength and health, less soil compaction is better for crops.
Here are some of the key reasons soil compaction is a matter of serious concern:
- Reduced Crop Growth: Compacted soil restricts root growth and limits access to essential nutrients. This in turn stunts crop growth and can lead to lower yields.
- Water Runoff: Compact soil cannot absorb water efficiently, causing runoff and flooding which can result in erosion and water pollution.
- Fuel Inefficiency: For farmers, compacted soil means greater resistance for their machinery, resulting in higher fuel consumption and increased operating costs.
- Long-term Soil Damage: Soil compaction can be a long-lasting problem, negatively affecting land farmability for years to come.
Now that we've established why soil compaction is a formidable challenge, let's explore how the right agricultural tire choice can be a game-changer for both dealers and the farmers they serve.
Decreasing Soil Compaction with Proper Agricultural Tires
Now, the exciting part — agricultural tire solutions. Today's farmers and equipment dealers have good reason to be optimistic as agricultural tires have evolved significantly in recent years. It's easy to forget that not too long ago, tires were in their infancy. (The first radial tire, arguably the single most innovative change in tires, wasn't popularized until the 1980s.) The tire industry has come a long way since then, with innovations that have revolutionized farming.
Today, there are three ultra-high-performing solutions to decrease soil compaction and improve farming practices: rubber tracks, VF/IF (Increased Flexion) tires, and LSW (Low Side Wall) flotation tires. Let's dive into the benefits of each.
Prioritize Radial Tires
Now let's turn the spotlight to radial tires, a choice that's often a no-brainer for cost-savvy farmers. Radial tires mean more rubber, with modern R-1W treads going 50% deeper than their predecessors. That's extra traction and grip for your farm.
Radial tires also feature steel belting, an innovation borrowed from cars and trucks. Radials with steel belts offer more traction, reduce soil compaction, improve fuel efficiency, and stand up better to punctures. Only a modest 20% price bump over bias tires gets you a whopping 50% more tread, and better rubber compounds mean they're less prone to sun damage.
In short, radial tires are a smart move that brings more value to your farm.
Choose Low-Pressure Tires
Ever wondered what those numbers and letters on a tire sidewall mean? Let's unravel the mystery. Take 145A8, for example. It's like a tire's ID card. The number tells you the weight it can handle, and the letter combo indicates its safe speed. In this case, 145A8 means this tire can carry 6,400 pounds at speeds up to 25 mph.
Matching tire pressure to your needs is essential. Want more grip and less soil compaction? Drop the air pressure. Need better road performance? Inflate it a bit.
Specialty tires like VF (Very High Flexion) and IF (Increased Flexion) models are tire superheroes. They can operate with significantly lower air pressure — 40% less for VF and 20% less for IF — while carrying the same load at the same speed.
These tires offer a wide performance range for all types of farm and agricultural operations. Whether you're plowing fields or watering crops, low-pressure tires are your versatile allies.
Utilize High-Flotation Tires or LSWs
Low Side Wall (LSW) technology is the brainchild of the Titan Tire company, the last American titan in farm tire production. They roll out tires under the Titan and Goodyear names and also craft plenty of agricultural wheels right here in the USA.
What's LSW all about? Imagine it as the "Super Single" or "Duplex" tire of the farming world. Instead of having dual tires or narrow singles, you get one colossal, ultra-wide tire. This means more rubber meeting the ground, resulting in a bigger footprint. And that translates to two things every farmer loves — more traction and less soil compaction.
Titan doesn't just make the tires, they produce the wheels, too. You can get these tires as ready-to-install assemblies to replace standard tires on almost any tractor or harvester. It's like giving your farming machines a bigger, more powerful footprint!
Use Track Systems
Now, let's talk about the heavyweights of the farming world. Track systems are the big, indestructible giants of the tire world, and they don't do flat tires.
The track concept isn't new. It was born to be unstoppable. In fact, the very first "Caterpillar" machine was created in Stockton, California. The U.S. military soon saw its potential, and the construction world never looked back. But it took a bit longer for rubber tracks to catch on in agriculture. They really gained traction (pun intended) in the early 2000s.
Today, you'll find Case Steigers, John Deere 9RTs, and Challenger machines rocking the majority of large agricultural track setups in the U.S. Just like their tire-based counterparts, they deliver more traction and less soil compaction. But what operators really love is their performance on and off the road, and the fact that they don't go flat — literally.
When it comes to raw pulling power, it's hard to beat a rubber track machine. However, it's essential to consider the supply chain and significant annual maintenance costs, which can be a barrier for some. Nonetheless, the sheer performance these tracks bring to the field has led to a surge in popularity in recent years.
Conclusion & East Bay Tire Recommendations
Application! Application! Application! There is no substitute for the right tire, for the right machine, for the right job. Contact our experts at East Bay Tire, be informed, and reap the yields.


SqlQuery works just like a MappingSqlQuery except that you provide a method named updateRow instead of mapRow in your implementation. The updateRow method is passed the ResultSet, the row number, and a Map named context that can contain any data you deem necessary for the update. You pass this context in to the execute method along with any parameters. Here is an example where we update the price for any bookings made after a certain date:
public class UpdateBookings extends UpdatableSqlQuery { public UpdateBookings(DataSource dataSource, String sql) { super(dataSource, sql); declareParameter(new SqlParameter("date_made", Types.DATE)); compile(); } public Object updateRow(ResultSet rs, int rowNum, Map context) throws SQLException { BigDecimal price = rs.getBigDecimal("price"); price = price.add((BigDecimal)context.get("increase")); rs.updateBigDecimal("price", price); return null; } }
Parameters and the return value follow the same usage as MappingSqlQuery, except that sometimes it does not make sense to return anything. In our case we simply return null since this is purely an update operation. We can call this class the following way:
 Map context = new HashMap(1); context.put("increase", new BigDecimal(10.00)); final String sql = "select id, price from Booking where date_made >?"; UpdateBookings query = new UpdateBookings(dataSource, sql); java.util.Date dateMade = null; SimpleDateFormat df = new SimpleDateFormat("yyyy-MM-dd"); try { dateMade = df.parse("2004-06-01"); } catch (ParseException e) { throw new InvalidDataAccessApiUsageException(e.getMessage(),e); } Object[] parameters = new Object[] {new java.sql.Date(dateMade.getTime())}; query.execute(parameters, context);
Generating Primary Keys
When it comes to inserting data into your database, one issue you always face is how to generate primary keys. There is no single solution that is best in all cases, as databases use different approaches. Instead, there are a couple of strategies and you have to pick the one that suits the way you work with the database. You can rely on a database sequence to generate them for you but then you have to make an extra call to first retrieve the key before you insert the data. Another strategy is to use identity columns that automatically generate the next key when you insert the date. This means that you don't know what key was generated unless you make an additional call to retrieve the value. Also, some databases only provide one of these methods so this limits your options.
JDBC 3.0 introduced a standard way to retrieve generated keys that has yet to be implemented by many of the database vendors. The next section shows how to use Spring's support for this feature when it is available. Another strategy is to generate globally unique identifiers (GUIDs) before inserting into the database. This requires that you have control over all applications that create new rows to ensure that this strategy works for all applications.
Now, let's look at Spring's support for handling key generation for JDBC 2.0. The most common support among databases is support for either true sequences or a pseudo-sequence where you use a separate table with an identity column to generate the unique primary key. Spring provides implementations that support retrieving a sequence value for several popular databases. Let's start by looking at the table we will be using. It is a table that will contain Booking entries and its primary key is a plain INTEGER column named id:
CREATE TABLE Booking ( id INTEGER NOT NULL, date_made DATE, reserved_until TIMESTAMP, price DECIMAL(15, 2) NOT NULL, Purchase_id INTEGER, PRIMARY KEY(id))
We will show an example for HSQL and one for Oracle. For HSQL you must first create the sequence table. The following SQL creates a table with an identity column named value and sets it to zero (0):
create table booking_seq (value identity); insert into booking_seq values(0);
To retrieve the next value from this table you would use a class called HsqlMaxValueIncrementer. Here is an example of how this is used:
HsqlMaxValueIncrementer incr = new HsqlMaxValueIncrementer(dataSource, "booking_seq", "value"); public int getNewBookingId() { return incr.nextIntValue(); }
The data source parameter is followed by the name of the sequence table and the name of the identity column. This class will attempt to cache a batch of values to limit the number of roundtrips that are necessary for retrieving new key values. The cache size can be set using the setCacheSize method with a parameter indicating the number of keys to retrieve in a batch.
For Oracle, the usage is similar except that Oracle uses true sequences and this eliminates the need for a column name in the setup.
To create a sequence you can use the following SQL:
create sequence booking_seq start with 1 increment by 1 nomaxvalue;
Finally we will look at the code we need to get the next value from the sequence:
OracleSequenceMaxValueIncrementer incr = new OracleSequenceMaxValueIncrementer(dataSource, "booking_seq"); public int getNewBookingId() { return incr.nextIntValue(); }
Retrieving Database-Generated Keys
Another option is to have the database generate the keys using an identity column and then retrieve the generated key after the insert completes. This is supported in the JDBC 3.0 specification, so if you have a database and a JDBC driver that supports this you are in luck.
The following example uses MySQL as the database. MySQL is a database that implements support for retrieving the generated key value. We will use a slightly modified Booking table for this example:
CREATE TABLE Booking ( id INTEGER NOT NULL AUTO_INCREMENT, date_made DATE, reserved_until TIMESTAMP, price DECIMAL(15, 2) NOT NULL, Purchase_id INTEGER, PRIMARY KEY(id))
Note the addition of AUTO_INCREMENT to the declaration of the primary key. This will cause MySQL to generate a new key if one is not provided in an insert statement.
Now we can create an update object where we don't have to provide a value for the id column. We can execute this statement with some test values. In addition to the array holding the parameter values, we pass in an object implementing the KeyHolder interface. We are using the GeneratedKeyHolder implementation that is provided as part of Spring. This key holder object will be populated with the generated key. Most of the time there is only one key value generated and we use the getKey method to retrieve the generated key. It is returned as a Number object:
SqlUpdate su = new SqlUpdate(); su.setDataSource(dataSource); su.setSql( "insert into booking(date_made, reserved_until, price) " + "values (?,?,?)"); su.declareParameter(new SqlParameter(Types.TIMESTAMP)); su.declareParameter(new SqlParameter(Types.TIMESTAMP)); su.declareParameter(new SqlParameter(Types.DECIMAL)); su.compile(); Object[] parameters = new Object[] {dateMade, reservedUntil, price}; KeyHolder keyHolder = new GeneratedKeyHolder(); su.update(parameters, keyHolder); long key = keyHolder.getKey().longValue();
Some databases and the JDBC API allow for multiple columns to have their value generated automatically. If that is the case, then you should use the getKeys method to retrieve the generated keys. This method returns a Map with an entry for each generated value keyed by the column name returned from the JDBC API.
Calling a Stored Procedure
The last major class of the RDBMS Operation group is the StoredProcedure class, used for calling stored procedures. Support for stored procedures is not part of the core SQL standard and is not provided by all SQL databases. It is, however, offered by several major databases, and stored procedures play a part in many enterprise applications. Hence, Spring provides sophisticated stored procedure support. Because HSQL does not provide the necessary support for a realistic example, we will be using Oracle as the database for the examples.
Let's take a look at a simple example, based on the expanded data model shown in Figure 5-5. The procedure we are going to call is used to reserve seats for a performance. We need to first expand our data model to include some new tables. We need to add Seat, Seat_Status, Booking, and Price_Band.
image from book
Figure 5-5
The stored procedure gets a performanceId, seatId, price, and reservedUntilDate passed in. It inserts a new row into the Booking table and updates the Seat_Status table for the seat. It looks as follows:
create or replace procedure reserve_seat(in_performance_id in number, in_seat in number, in_price number, in_reserved_until date, out_new_booking_id out number) is begin -- Get a new pk for the booking table select booking_seq.nextval into out_new_booking_id from dual; -- Create a new booking insert into booking(id, date_made, price, reserved_until) values (out_new_booking_id, sysdate, in_price, in_reserved_until); update seat_status set REF_Booking_id = out_new_booking_id where REF_Seat_id = in_seat and in_performance_id = in_performance_id; end;
To call this procedure we need to create a class that extends the abstract class StoredProcedure. You are required to extend this class and provide code necessary for supporting the call to the stored procedure. Syntax varies between implementations, but the JDBC specification provides an escape syntax that makes it possible to call stored procedures from different vendors using the same syntax. The St