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After reading Paul's article "CSS The Star Matrix Pre-loaded", I wanted to contribute by writing a back-end solution to the CSS effect.
Before we get into this, you will need to have PHP 5 installed and MySQL 3.23 or higher. PHP 5 allows for greater implementation of OOP (Object Oriented Programming) than its predecessors.
Step 1: Analyze the Project
The first step is always the most crucial, so it should take some thought: What do we want to achieve, and how detailed do we want to get? All of these are questions that should be asked prior to any coding or any development work.
What do we want to achieve and how detailed should we get?
In this project, we want to use Paul's CSS technique to build a fully functional rating system. Ideally, one that does not require any administration. Everything is automated by pasting a segment of code written in PHP onto a page.
Secondly, we want to ensure that only one IP Address can rate each unique item. Therefore one person isn't repeatedly clicking on '5 Stars' to throw off the rating average. Now granted, ensuring a single IP Address is used in rating isn't fool proof. As those with dial-up connections will likely have a different IP address every time they reconnect, we have to remember our first goal, "does not require any administration!" No administration means no username and passwords to be assigned.
What about cookies? Glad you asked; I did think of using cookies to do the tracking, but I figured that would be much easier to overcome than basing it on IP address. It has become easier to clear the privately stored data in our modern browsers and thus cookies could easily be foiled.
Finally, we want each user to be able to add new ratings without having to insert anything into a database table. Simply put, the HTML components built should derive the rating data for us. I'll clear this up later, but you should be excited to know that when we are done you will only need to copy and paste code and the new rating entry will be ready for use. Nothing more is required.
Step 1 Recap:
In step 1, we answered the questions "What do I want to achieve and how detailed do I want to get?" The answer can be summarized in these points.
- Use Paul's CSS Star Matrix technique.
- Log the Ratings by IP address to ensure no IP address can rate the same item twice.
- Update the Rating seamlessly for the user to see the new average rating.
- Make it easy to add new items to rate.
Step 2: Designing the Database and Table
Step 2 is designing the storage facility to keep our information. There are a few questions to ask yourself when designing a table like this. What information do you plan to hold in it? How do you plan on using the data?
What information do I plan to hold in the table?
Below is the list of the data we plan to keep track of:
- Item Name
- IP Address
- Date Rated
There won't be much use immediately for Date Rated, however, it could be used in the future to build any reports on when each item was rated.
How do you plan on using the data?
Each item you plan to keep track of should ALWAYS have a use, whether it be immediate or in the future. For example, Item Name, IP address, and Rating will all be used immediately within this application. The Item Name will describe the item being rated, the IP address is the IP address of the person rating the item, and Rating, is course their rating for the specific item.
Date Rated is there for a future use. It has no immediate use, primarily because it is outside the scope of this project, but as I mentioned before, it could be used to generate reports in the future.
Step 2 Recap:
Here we defined what we will be tracking, how it will be used, and whether it has immediate or future use. Item Name, IP address, and Rating all have immediate use — only Date Rated is considered future use.
Step 3: Building the Database and Table
You can opt to create a new Database or use an existing Database; the option is yours and will have no impact on this application. For those wanting to create a new Database, you can use the following MySQL query (replacing the word 'ratings' with your database name):
CREATE DATABASE 'ratings' DEFAULT CHARACTER SET utf8 COLLATE utf8_unicode_ci;
Nothing special about the Database creation, as all of the little details are found in the table. The table will hold all of the information we described in Step 2 above.
CREATE TABLE 'rating' (
'item_name' VARCHAR( 20 ) NOT NULL,
'ip_address' VARCHAR( 15 ) NOT NULL,
'rating' TINYINT( 1 ) NOT NULL,
'date_rated' DATE NOT NULL,
PRIMARY KEY ( 'item_name', 'ip_address' )
) ENGINE = MYISAM ;
Notice that the primary keys are "item_name" and "ip_address". This is to help ensure that no "ip_address" can be used to rate the same "item_name". Also notice the lengths of each item. Item Names are not allowed to be more than 20 characters. If you want to have Item Names that are longer than 20 characters, you will need to alter the above statement with the length you want to use (up to 255).
Step 3 Recap:
We defined our Database and table so the rating information can be stored. We set the "item_name" and the "ip_address" columns as our Primary Keys to ensure only one IP address can rate each Item Name. We also defined the max name length for Item Name as 20.
Step 4: Writing our Rating Class
Strong OOP skills are something to never overlook, as they provide you with clever ways of extending your work in the future, plus they focus entirely on being reusable. With that said, you may remember my previous articles "OOP in PHP from a.NET OOP Perspective: The Error Class" and "OOP in PHP from a.NET OOP Perspective: The Database Class." These two articles are going to be used in this project as well. The Error Class will handle any Database errors we might have, and the Database class will handle the Database connection, Query Execution, etc.
To go any further, you will need to download the following file: RatingSystem.zip
After it has downloaded, extract the contents to your computer. You should see a 'RatingSystem' folder. This folder is our example application, go ahead and browse to the RatingSystem > classes folder.
Open the rating.class.php file in any editor. This is the class that will be used to output the rating information to the page and record a rating by a user.
Now I won't get into all of the code here (you'll have to read those other articles), but I will point out a few things.
- The first thing you should notice is the OutputRating method. This method is what loads the CSS technique written by Paul. If you look at lines 31 and 44, you will see his technique used. I also made a few modifications to it (of which I hope he does not mind, but I will describe those later).
- Next find the RateItem method (approximately line number 66). This method writes the user's rating to the table. So if you changed the table name, you will want to update the table name in this method as well.
- On line number 111 is the CalculateAverageRating, this method calculates the average rating of an item within the MySQL statement. Again, if you choose a different table name than described in this article, you will want to update this statement to reflect that change.
- Finally, I want to point out line number 170, the CheckRatingsByIp method. This is the last place you may have to update the table name if you did not use 'rating'.
Step 4 Recap:
I provided you with the files to run this rating system and gave key pointers on where the table names may need updated if you opted to use a different name.
Step 5: Setting the Database Connection
To set the database connection open the "include.all.php" file in the "classes" folder. Notice the line:
- Database::Initialize("mysql", "localhost", "3306", "ratings", "username", "password");
Replace "ratings" with your database name, username with your database username, and password with your database password.
Once finished, save the file.
Step 6: How to output the Rating information to your page
To display the rating information on your page, you will need to do four things.
- Place the following snippet at the top of your file (for an example, look at 'rating-example.php' in the RatingSystem folder).
- Next you need to have the following in your tags:
This code is what sets the stylesheets, AJAX calls, etc. within your page.
- Next, find the location you want to output your Rating Stars and paste this code:
- $ratingData = Rating::OutputRating('demo');
- if (Error::HasErrors())
- echo Error::ShowErrorMessages();
- echo $ratingData;
- Finally, end the page with the following code:
Replace the word 'demo' with the name of your Item. If no errors occur, you should see the 5 stars not lit up when you run the page, otherwise, you will see the error messages that occurred.
Step 5 and 6 Recap:
In Step 5 and 6


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Mathematician:Abraham Halevi Fraenkel
German-born Israeli Hungarian mathematician best known for his work on axiomatic set theory.
He also wrote on topics in the history of mathematics.
Israeli; born in Germany
- Born: February 17, 1891 Munich, Germany
- Died: October 15, 1965 Jerusalem, Israel
Theorems and Definitions
- Zermelo-Fraenkel axioms:
- Zermelo-Fraenkel-Skolem Set Theory (with Ernst Friedrich Ferdinand Zermelo and Thoralf Albert Skolem)
Results named for Abraham Halevi Fraenkel can be found here.
Definitions of concepts named for Abraham Halevi Fraenkel can be found here.
Axioms named for Abraham Halevi Fraenkel can be found here.
- 1908: Bestimmung des Datums des jüdischen Osterfestes für die Zeitrechnung der Mohammedaner
- 1909: Eine Formel zur Verwandlung jüdischer Daten in mohammedanische
- 1910: Die Berechnung des Osterfestes
- 1915: Über die Teiler der Null und die Zerlegung von Ringen
- 1919: Einleitung in die Mengenlehre
- 1922: The notion of 'definite' and the independence of the axiom of choice
- 1938: Historical introduction to Axiomatic Set Theory by Paul Bernays
- 1953: Abstract Set Theory
- 1958: Foundations of Set Theory (with Yehoshua Bar-Hillel)
- 1960: Jewish mathematics and astronomy
- 1966: Set Theory and Logic
- 1967: Lebenskreise: Aus den Erinnerungen eines jüdischen Mathematikers
- 1973: Foundations of Set Theory, 2nd Ed. (with Yehoshua Bar-Hillel, Azriel Lévy and Dirk van Dalen)
Also known as
In Hebrew: אברהם הלוי (אדולף) פרנקל
Originally known as Adolf, changed his name to Abraham when he moved to Palestine.
Hence some of his works can be found under the name Abraham Adolf Fraenkel, or A.A. Fraenkel.

source: openbmb/Ultra-FineWeb


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Advanced high school students can assemble the 3D Printer to learn how the printer's electro-mechanical heater, extruders and servo motors create the additive process of layering plastic filament to create three dimensional objects. Students can also download and explore 3D Modeling and Designing Software. The software contains libraries of codes that are used to 3D print various objects. With assistance, lower grades can also download libraries of object codes and firsthand be part of the 3D modeling process.
Once assembled, the printer measures 17.3 x 16.1 x 18.3 in. with a printing area of 8.6 x 8.6 x 9.8 in. Comes with a step-by-step assembly manual in addition to different colored printer ribbons.
This 3D Printer Kit is sold to schools ONLY
The 3D Modeling Station cabinet is designed to safeguard the 3D printer from dust and curious hands but still allow students to program and observe the printing process.
The cabinet is made from plywood and hardwood with 1/8 in. clear acrylic side panels. The cabinet base measures 25 x 25 in. with a height of 36 in. Also features a sturdy shelf for storing 3D filament rolls. Keeps even temperature for quality results. Ready to put together, the cabinet includes plywood with pre-drilled holes, a storage shelf and magnetic door catches.
Arrives partially assembled and flat for shipping savings. Includes 842512 and 842511.


Addressing Primary Cell Counting Concerns
Everyone I meet that performs primary cell counting wants to optimize the amount of time they spend doing that task. They also agree that 30 seconds per count sounds pretty good.
Are Your Buffers Giving Accurate Cell Counts?
Assuring accurate cell viability is critical both preand post-thaw as the freezing process can alter cell characteristics.
Having a tough time counting your PBMCs?
Cellometer Auto 2000 cell counter can detect live and dead nucleated cells while excluding debris, red blood cells, platelets in your sample.
Cellometer Auto 2000 assists in developing new method to isolate and expand umbilical cord derived mesenchymal stromal cells
Kansas State University scientists developed a new method by which to isolate and expand umbilical cord derived mesenchymal stromal cells (UCMSCs). Rather than dissecting blood vessels, this method uses a dissociator followed by enzymatic digestion. This reduces contamination and hands-on time and produces ten times more cells per cm of tissue than other processes. The Cellometer Auto 2000 and AO/PI were used to count live cells and record cell size. The scientists validated the cells obtained from this method, demonstrating the cells' expression of the standard surface markers CD90, CD105, CD73, CD44, as well as their pluripotent differentiation potential. UCMSCs [...]
Impact of RBC contamination in clinical samples
Bone marrow, cord blood, whole blood, and peripheral blood are routinely processed in many different laboratories. Whether for cryopreservation or for downstream isolation of specific nucleated cells, (such as stem cells, B-cells, or T-cells) accurately measuring cell concentration and viability is paramount to the overall success of the project. Many blood-based samples (whole blood, peripheral blood, bone marrow, PBMC, cord blood, etc…) may contain residual red blood cells even after RBC lysis. (See figure below) When samples are enumerated using manual counting, the presence of residual RBCs can lead to inaccurate cell concentration and viability readings. Nucleic acid dyes, acridine [...]
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A new type of array allows you to specify and store only the independent components.
For matrices, the only nontrivial symmetries are symmetry and antisymmetry, but for higher-rank arrays there are many more possibilities. The following figure illustrates some of them for a rank-4 array. Warm-colored squares represent independent components, with like-colored squares equal. Cold-colored squares are the negatives of the independent components, and white squares are forced to be zero by the symmetry.
Storing only the independent components can produce enormous space savings.
This allows exterior algebra computations in large dimensions—in this case a 4-form and 20-form in 25 dimensions.


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Abstract: This paper studies both theoretically and empirically the impact of using trade as a peace instrument to avoid an anticipated interstate conflict between countries disputing a historical territory. The impact of trade is examined through the role of organized interest groups in influencing their governments' foreign policies. A game theoretical model is used to observe the dynamics at the domestic and international level of negotiating a peace agreement that can be accompanied with a trade agreement. Using backward induction, I find that the probability of conflict depends on the contribution schedules offered by organized interest groups, weighted aggregate welfare, and military cost. Using the linear probability model with fixed effects, I test the model empirically. The main result is that the probability of an interstate conflict is lower when the government adopts trade liberalization policies in export-oriented industries while protecting import-competing industries. This indicates that organized interest groups are key when it comes to using trade to dampen conflicts.
(JEL Codes: F13, F14, F51, F52, F53)


text:
Phone map apps often have a few optional settings for a route, such as:
- Avoid highways (for driving)
- Fewer bus transfers (for public transit)
- Avoid hills (for walking)
Sometimes, you want drive on the most scenic route from point A to point B, without too much concern about efficiency.
For example, you might want to impress an out-of-town guest, or hide the seedier parts of a city from a visiting foreign dignitary or investor.
The "scenic route" to a destination attempts to route you through the highest-economic-value areas that it can find.
This method, called the "Potemkin Route" after the 1787 idea of the same name, uses the following data:
- Tax records (to find the highest property values)
- The police blotter (to avoid areas of high crime)
- Elevation maps (to look for scenic views)
Then, it routes you to the optimum area to show off the most appealing areas of the region near your route (user interface mockup in Figure 1).
You could use this route yourself, even if you aren't trying to impress a foreign dignitary.
PROS: Allows you to ignore the problems of your city.
CONS: Allows you to ignore the problems of your city.


text:
A Review of Team Psychological Capital Research
Download as PDF
Suqin Shen, and Hui Tian
Team psychological capital reflects the consistency level of individual psychological capital. It is a collective positive psychological state formed by team members in coordination and interaction, and a collection of positive psychological capabilities that promote team development. This paper defines the connotation of team psychological capital through the study of related literature, and introduces the structure of team psychological capital: common vision, team effectiveness, team resilience, team optimism, and team belonging. Three measurement methods of team psychological capital are proposed: individual psychological capital sum method, individual evaluation average method, and overall discussion method. On this basis, this paper analyzes the antecedent and outcome variables of team psychological capital from the level of individual variables and organizational variables. Based on the theory of social infection and cognitive convergence, the formation mechanism of team psychological capital is analyzed, and the development and management measures of team psychological capital are finally put forward.
Psychological capital, Team, Competitive advantage


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What is a "Catapy"? I think this video will do more justice to "Catapy' than what my words can do, so please watch it before you read on.
Have you been fascinated?
Yuichiro Katsumoto, a media director and a research fellow working at Keio-NUS CUTE Center, National University of Singapore is the inventor of the "Catapy". He will be showcasing "Catapy" at his Maker booth at the Singapore Mini Maker Faire 2012.
Yuichiro introduced "Catapy" to be a car that provides the fun of chasing. If you had watched the video above, you would understand why you need to chase the catapy. Yes, the "Catapy" moves non-stop because it is covered by a caterpillar track, allowing it to run across a field freely even on uneven ground, and continue running even when it hits an obstacle. The "Catapy" can also be assembled in twos, threes, or more using joints to form different shapes. It really depends on your imagination.
More information can be found in Yuichiro's website (
So, why had Yuichiro invented the "Catapy"?
When we spoke with him at his lab at Keio-NUS CUTE Center, he shared with us that when he was a kid, the toy cars he played with always stop when they hit an obstacle. Hence, he had wanted to come up with something which can continue moving even after hitting an obstacle. Yuichiro felt that when people grow up, they shifted from playing with toy cars to driving a real vehicle, from having to move with the toy car (through pushing or chasing as a kid) to moving as part of the vehicle. He felt that the joy of chasing is lost in the growing up process and he would like to develop something to re-ignite this fun!
To Yuichiro, he researches not only for work but as part of his hobby. He attributed his Maker mind to his cultural background. Born and grown up in Gifu (Japan), a prefecture of craftwork (e.g. sword smith, ceramics and woodwork), Yuichiro was equipped with crafting skills. Besides, like any other Japanese kids, he had grown up with significant influence of anime (Japanese animation), manga (Japanese comics) and video games. Hence, Yuichiro proudly shared that he had embarked on his research with crafting skills and otaku1 mind!
Message to budding Makers
Yuichiro advised all budding makers to stop talking about things and start tinkering. Another piece of advice he gave amused me. He advised makers not to listen to any advice until finishing the prototyping. I guess this came from lots of personal experience!
To meet Yuichiro and experience the thrill of chasing the "Catapy", come to the Singapore Mini Maker Faire 2012 on 4 & 5 August 2012.
1 Otaku is a Japanese term which refers to someone with an obsessive interest in anime, manga and video games.

source: HuggingFaceFW/fineweb-edu


learning, and HPC applications. Each container comes with SDKs, trained models and running scripts, and Helm charts for rapid deployment on Kubernetes.
Learn more in our detailed guide to NVIDIA DGX
GPU Virtualization with Run.AI
Run:AI automates resource management and workload orchestration for machine learning infrastructure. With Run:AI, you can automatically run as many compute intensive experiments as needed on NVIDIA A100 and other data center grade GPUs.
Here are some of the capabilities you gain when using Run:AI:
Learn more about the Run.ai GPU virtualization platform.


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A hard hat is a helmet-like protective head covering used to shield the wearer from painful or damaging blows to the skull. Once made of metal, modern ones are made of sturdy plastic. Besides the hard outer shell, the hard hat also has a fabric mesh or straps on the inside, set about an inch or so away from the shell. This mesh is what rests on the worker's head, instead of the shell, to provide a degree of shock absorption due to especially heavy blows. Additionally, an adjustment mechanism of some kind can be found on the back, which is used to adjust the hard hat to the wearer's head for a secure fit. Some have a brim around the edge to direct liquids away from the wearer, in case of rain or liquids spilled from above. Others have a short bill in the front like a baseball cap.
Hard hats can offer several attachments depending on design. Some have ear protection built in to the side. Some have a spot to attach a face shield for tasks like grinding and pouring chemicals. Others can attach a welding mask. Usually these are removable so they don't get in the way when not needed.
Hard hats come in many colors, signifying nothing. Some companies use different colors to help differentiate workers from each other (mechanics, electricians, outside contractors, foremen, etc), but this is an internal decision and is not standardized. Most hard hats are white. Yellow is also a popular choice due to its high visibility. Some workers will decorate their hard hats with stickers or paint to personalize them. This is fine as long as it doesn't reduce the effectiveness of the protection or interfere with the worker's field of view.
The hard hat is intended to protect people working in mining, industrial, or construction areas. They provide excellent protection against bumping the head on low hanging objects and against tools or material dropped from above. They are not intended to replace other personal protective equipment, such as eye protection, only to supplement them. Unfortunately, hard hats are uncomfortable as they are rigid, do not breathe well, and require a tight fit to do their job properly, so workers do not like to wear them unless absolutely necessary.
When they are necessary, a hard hat could very well save a person's life. Blows to the head are among the most serious injuries that can be sustained on a job site, because although the skull generally offers good protection to the brain, it was never designed to shield it from today's technological marvels. Severe blows to the head could result in shock, unconsciousness, brain damage, coma, or death depending on how hard the impact is and where exactly it hits.
Do not put anything inside the hard hat, such as keeping gloves between the mesh and the shell. This defeats the shock absorption properties intended by the offset between the mesh and the outer shell.
Do not use the hard hat for sports protection, it is not designed to protect the wearer from the sort of injuries which occur in, for example, hockey or cycling. Likewise, sports equipment is not appropriate for construction protection.
Do not continue to wear a hard hat that has been damaged by an impact, discard and replace it.
Do not wear a hard hat for more than five years, they come with a date stamp molded in to the shell and should be discarded and replaced regularly.


The unexpected benefits of projects: evaluating Maker Monday commissions
The unexpected benefits of projects: evaluating Maker Monday commissions
We recently evaluated a project for BCU's Maker Monday initiative, identifying the extent to which four new commissioned pieces of work delivered to expectation. The criteria for evaluation were identified from the original proposal documentation and as such, it was quite clear what we would need to be exploring, largely through interviews but also in observing the project in progress and existing project data. However, in doing so we were also able to provide the project team with some additional findings that were unexpected but welcome. As part of the purpose of such an evaluation is to identify best practice and recommendations for similar future projects, this is always useful.
Some of these findings came about because of the nature of the project. It involved four artists working with partner organisations in Birmingham – as they varied in their disciplines and approach, but also in being humans who will address a brief differently, it was useful to be able to identify the freedoms that they were afforded in taking the brief in their own directions. Some artists were able to work more independently, while others desired more guidance. Some partners took on unexpected roles, while other artists appreciated the consistency and space they were given in their work.
This open approach to our research is important, Yes, the key priority is to evaluate against any specific criteria as the basis for the work, but to also understand and appreciate the supporting narratives and look for the unexpected successes or other outcomes of the work. Where our report will inform other reports that Maker Monday are required to make for their funder Arts Council England, we can hope that such findings can be included and valued.
Photo credit: Maker Monday event, with permission from Alexa Hartwell
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Informações sobre Portugal.
An FM radio signal was found coming from Jupiter
An FM radio signal was found coming from Jupiter
Courtesy: NASA
Salt Lake City (KTVXThe Juno spacecraft orbiting Jupiter has detected an FM radio signal from Ganymede. The discovery is the first discovery of the moon.
It's not an association, "said Patrick Wiggins, one of the NASA ambassadors in Utah. "It's a more natural job."
Juno was traveling through Jupiter's polar region – where magnetic field lines connect to Ganymede – when it crossed the radio source. Scientifically, it is called "decimal radio emission".
Here on Earth, we know it as Wi-Fi, and we use it every day.
According to, Jupiter's radio emissions were discovered in 1955, and over the past 66 years, more and more have been discovered about how the signals work.
"A member of the astronomical community in Salt Lake built an amateur radio telescope that could detect electromagnetic radiation from Jupiter," said Wiggins.
Juno's mission is to study how Jupiter was formed and how it evolved.
According to NASA, "Juno will monitor Jupiter's gravity, magnetic fields, and atmospheric dynamics, composition and evolution."
What caused the radio emissions of Jupiter's moon? The electrons, not the aliens, cause the signals.
Electrons oscillate at a lower rate than their rotation rate, causing the electrons to amplify the radio waves very quickly. The process is called cyclotron instability (CMI). The electrons that generate the radio signal can also cause auroras in the far ultraviolet spectrum, a phenomenon also observed by the camera in Juno.
The spacecraft watched the moon's radio emission for only five seconds. It was flying at 50 km per second – screaming 111,847 mph.


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Nov. 9, 2011 In the fight for survival, plants are capable of complex social behaviours and may exhibit altruism towards family members, but aggressively compete with strangers.
A growing body of work suggests plants recognize and respond to the presence and identity of their neighbours. But can plants cooperate with their relatives? While some studies have shown that siblings perform best -- suggesting altruism towards relatives -- other studies have shown that when less related plants grow together the group can actually outperform siblings. This implies the group benefits from its diversity by dividing precious resources effectively and competing less.
A team from McMaster University suggests plants can benefit from both altruism and biodiversity but when these processes occur at the same time, it is difficult to predict the outcome.
"The greatest challenge for understanding plant social interactions is we can't interpret plant behaviours as easily as we do those of animals," explains Susan Dudley, an associate professor in the Department of Biology at McMaster. "Though we have shown plants change traits in the presence of relatives, we need to determine if this is cooperation. Linking the plant behaviours with their benefits is challenging when multiple processes co-occur."
Dudley and a team of researchers disentangle the sometimes contradictory research in the latest edition of the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, describing how the identity and presence of neighbours affect many processes acting on plant populations.
The problem, she says, is that plant social interactions are treated as a black box, with researchers only looking at the output, or the fitness of the plant, in sibling competition. But they need to investigate the mechanisms inside the box -- by describing how traits of individuals affect fitness -- to understand how the output is reached and which mechanisms are occurring to get there.
"Simply put, social environment matters to plants. If we first acknowledge that kin cooperation and resource partitioning are co-occurring, we can begin to address some very important questions," says Amanda File, a graduate student in the Department of Biology at McMaster.
"Among these questions is whether there is a link between kin recognition and plant performance, whether plant kin recognition can improve crop yield and how kin recognition shapes communities and ecosystems" says Guillermo Murphy, a graduate student in the Department of Biology at McMaster.
Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:
- A. L. File, G. P. Murphy, S. A. Dudley. Fitness consequences of plants growing with siblings: reconciling kin selection, niche partitioning and competitive ability. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 2011; DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2011.1995
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.


Come Together People take a catalyst role. It develops strategic alliances and partnerships to create projects in carefully selected sites, which in turn benefits our local communities and other communities on a global scale.
The organisation uses music and cultural events as tools to fundraise and promote unity.
The organisation does not function as a traditional grant-making agency. Instead, using established programming parameters, the Foundation conceptualises and launches projects with credible and experienced implementation partners.
Net profits from Come Together people events goes to support organisations and initiatives that develop and implement sustainable community and family oriented programmes, and thereby aspire to ensure normal development and education for all children and young people.
To ensure the success of this mission,
Come Together People has developed
programs and partnerships
in the following areas:
 · Health
 · Education
 · Economic empowerment
 · Racial, ethnic and religious
 · Music and entertainment
 · Event production
How We Work and fundraise:
In partnership with artists, music
and sports industry we:
1. organize music and cultural events
2. organize sports events
Global Community aid:
1. We help and advocate for children in need
2. We help and advocate for homeless people
3. We help and advocate for the hungry
4. We help and advocate for peace and equality


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- The Symbols
- Peh, mouth; Yr or Irr, to err; Mars.
- The Image
- The Tower symbolizes an arrogant technology that constantly desires more and bigger monuments to its conquest of nature. Inside of it is darkness and fire. It is a modern image of the Tower of Babel. The sunrise and blue sky suggest hope.
The Haindl Tarot weaves a tapestry of haunting beauty from the traditions of Native America, the Holy Grail, the I Ching, Kabbalah and the Norse Runes, and is the deck of choice for mystics and those seeking enlightenment. If you would like your own copy of the Haindl Tarot, you can buy it now!


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UWinnipeg's Newest Canada Research Chair:
Focus on Indigenous Science Education
The University of Winnipeg's Dr. Dawn Sutherland was named Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Science Education Wednesday as part of a $66.9 million announcement in Ottawa of 90 Canada Research Chairs by the Honourable Maxime Bernier, federal Minister of Industry and minister responsible for the Canada Research Chairs program.
In her research, Dr. Sutherland, Associate Professor in Education, plans to explore the relationship between culture and science education in indigenous communities, in particular in Manitoba. One of her goals is to see the teachings of Aboriginal culture incorporated into school curricula so that science education is more meaningful, interesting, and relevant for Aboriginal students.
Dr. Lloyd Axworthy, University of Winnipeg President and Vice-Chancellor stated that this initiative is part of a broader strategy underway at UWinnipeg to make education more accessible to and inclusive of Aboriginal peoples and culture.
"This project complements our holistic approach to Aboriginal education," said Dr. Axworthy. "The Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Science Education builds on our University's growing expertise and resources in this area such as our new Aboriginal Student Services Centre and the innovative Wii Chiiwaakanak Learning Centre. This combined with the generous support of our partners in both the inner city of Winnipeg and the Aboriginal community as a whole are benefiting not only our students and researchers, but future generations of Aboriginal students."
A five-year, $500,000 appointment, this Canada Research Chair builds on Dr. Sutherland's expertise teaching education students in the field of science. Sutherland incorporates traditional Aboriginal knowledge into her science lessons, and participates in an international committee dedicated to exploring how culture, language, and gender influence learning. She is collaborating with colleagues from around the world to develop an academic framework for teaching science to Aboriginal students that teachers can follow in their classrooms. In addition, she is in the process of establishing a centre where research in this area can be carried out.
"The idea is to make science learning relevant and interesting—to put it into a context that students are exposed to day to day," said Dr. Sutherland. "For some students, this means developing creative techniques, such as incorporating the indigenous knowledge of trappers, Elders, Aboriginal community members who live off the land, to help students engage with the science curriculum."
Dr. Sutherland is the fifth University of Winnipeg professor named as a Canada Research Chair. Dr. Mavis Reimer is Canada Research Chair in the Culture of Childhood, Dr. Jennifer Brown is Canada Research Chair in Aboriginal Peoples in an Urban and Regional Context, Dr. Tom Carter is Canada Research Chair in Urban Change and Adaptation, and Dr. Jacques Tardif is Canada Research Chair in Tree Ring Research.
The Canada Research Chairs program, part of an overall Government of Canada plan to encourage Canada's innovation, promotes leading-edge research and innovation in universities; provides exciting opportunities for Canadian researchers; and, attracts the best research minds in the world to Canadian universities.


31 Days to the Inner Rhythm of the Heart: Day Twenty-Three
There are two ways I like to think of constancy in relation to discipline, and parents feeling even-keeled. One is the constancy of being together. One mother remarked the other day that since she pulled her child out of school and started homeschooling, they actually were getting along a lot better then they had before. There was a lot less yelling in their home. I think this is because constancy of the heart matters, and it is the heart of discipline and it is the heart of connecting and being together. You don't have to yell if you are relaxed and feeling joyful and as if things are going well. These feelings come from being connected to those in your family, and I think yelling is actually a sign to pull our children in, to focus on our homes instead of the typical reaction of pushing away.
The other way I like to think of constancy is in how consistent we are being with following through. Many mothers get upset and say they end up yelling because they asked the first five times and no one appeared to listen. If you want to make a request, be constant in the follow through of walking up to your child, getting down and looking in your child's eyes, and talking softly and respectfully. That is constancy in communication at its best.
Many blessings,
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WAEC Agric Science Questions 2017 – Sure Theory and Objective Repeated Questions
How much is waec gce form
There will be three papers: Papers 1, 2 and 3 all of which must be taken. Papers 1 and 2 will be a composite paper to be taken at one sitting.
Will consist of fifty multiple choice questions to be answered within 50 minutes for 50 marks.
Will consist of six essay questions with each drawn from at least two themes in the syllabus. Candidates will be required to answer five of the questions within 2 hours 10 minutes for 90 marks.
Will be a practical paper for school candidates and alternative to practical paper for private candidates. It will consist of four questions, all of which should be answered within 1½ hours for 60 marks.
Paper 1 (Objective)
1. The device which helps to regulate heat in an incubator is the
A. thermometer.
B. hygrometer.
C. insulator.
D. thermostat.
2. Which of the following statements about crop production is not correct?
A. Onions are commonly grown in the rainforest zones.
B. Yam, cocoyam and cassava are grown in both the rainforest and the
savanna regions.
C. Some foreign vegetable crops are grown in and around urban centres.
D. Carrots are commonly grown in the savanna and moist vegetation belts.
3. Which of the following is a disadvantage of surface irrigation?
A. The quantity of water lost is high.
B. Water is evenly distributed over the farmland
C. It is very cheap to operate.
D. The system is suitable for paddy rice cultivation.
4. Fine soil tilth is produced by the use of
A. harrow.
B. plough.
C. ridger.
D. mower.
5. The problems of farm mechanization in West Africa include the following except
A. reduction of farm drudgery.
B. small farm holdings.
C. poverty of farmers.
D. poor topography.
Paper 2 (Essay)
(1) (a) Explain each of the following terms as used in animal production:
(i) dipping;
(ii) dry cow;
(iii) culling;
(iv) quarantine.
(b) Describe the life cycle of roundworm (Ascaris lumbricoides).
(c) Explain the term farm mechanization.
(d) Name four tractor coupled implements.
(2) (a) State six limitations of farm mechanization in West Africa.
(b) Suggest six ways of encouraging farm mechanization in West Africa.
(c) List four methods of identification in cattle management.
(d) What is debeaking in poultry management?
(3) (a) Mention two processes that release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere
(b) Name four storage pests of crops
(c) State two functions of Potassium in crops.
(d) List three ways by which each of the following biotic factors affects agricultural production:
(i) parasites;
(ii) soil organisms.
(e) State four advantages of zero tillage.
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TikTok has become one of the most popular social media platforms in the world, with millions of users creating and sharing short videos every day. One of the platform's most popular features is its text-to-speech function, which allows users to add voiceovers to their videos without actually speaking. However, did you know that you can also change the voice to that of SpongeBob SquarePants? In this article, we will show you how to do just that.
Step 1: Open the TikTok app To get started, open the TikTok app on your smartphone.
Step 2: Create a new video Tap the "+" icon at the bottom of the screen to create a new video.
Step 3: Add text to your video Add the text you want to use for your video. You can do this by tapping the "Text" icon at the bottom of the screen and typing in your text.
Step 4: Choose the text-to-speech option Next, tap on the "Text-to-Speech" option, which is represented by a speaker icon. This will bring up a menu of different voice options.
Step 5: Select the SpongeBob voice Scroll through the different voice options until you find the SpongeBob voice. Tap on it to select it.
Step 6: Preview and save your video Once you have selected the SpongeBob voice, you can preview your video to see how it sounds. If you're happy with it, tap "Save" to save your video.
Benefits of using SpongeBob voice in TikTok videos Using the SpongeBob voice in your TikTok videos can be a fun and unique way to stand out on the platform. It can also make your videos more entertaining and engaging, especially for younger audiences who are fans of the beloved cartoon character.
Monetizing your TikTok videos If you have a large following on TikTok, you may be able to monetize your videos through brand partnerships, sponsored content, or by becoming a TikTok creator fund recipient. By creating unique and entertaining videos, you can grow your following and potentially earn money from your content.
In conclusion, changing the text-to-speech voice on TikTok to SpongeBob is a fun and simple way to add a unique twist to your videos. By following the steps outlined in this article, you can easily change the voice and create engaging content that stands out on the platform.


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Nonprofit routes stormwater education to local schools.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Everyone seems to have ideas about how to improve K-12 education. Some may crusade against standardized testing; others work to get healthier foods into cafeterias. For Kyrrha Sevco of Ecology Action, it's time for schools to reconsider the "weed 'n' feed" approach to grounds maintenance, which sends fertilizer, pesticides and sediment trickling into local waterways. In Sevco's view, schools' efforts to clean up their own water acts can translate to hands-on lessons for students.
Ecology Action, a Santa Cruz-based nonprofit, has launched the Model School Program in an effort to educate students about water quality while implementing projects to reduce schools' polluted stormwater runoff. Two Monterey County schools, Carmel Middle and Chualar Elementary, have joined four in Santa Cruz County as pilotyear participants.
The nonprofit selected Carmel Middle School because it sits near the Carmel River, which drains into the Carmel Bay Area of Special Biological Significance (ASBS). State law prohibits pollution discharges into ASBS – leaving Peninsula municipalities, including school districts, scrambling to clean up their runoff to avoid steep fines.
Carmel school officials are happy to take part in a program that will fund brand-new curricula, class field trips and infrastructure improvements while doing the green thing. "Carmel Unified School District is making an effort to promote ecology," says district business official Rick Blanckmeister, "so we thought that was a perfect fit."
Chualar Elementary was chosen for the program because it sits among the Salinas ag fields whose runoff carries nitrates, sediments and pesticides to stormwater drains. "That also affects the Bay at some point," Sevco says.
Last spring, the Resources Control District of Santa Cruz visited the six schools to scope out their stormwater practices and identify potential improvements. In the fall, teams of school faculty, Ecology Action staff and consultants will select one project per school to implement over the course of the academic year using funds provided by the State Water Resources Control Board. Projects may include downspouts to route stormwater into suitable drainage areas, sprinkler systems to keep fertilizers out of runoff, and Integrated Pest Management plans to reduce pesticide use.
Students won't just gaze at the projects happening outside the classroom window. One class per school will focus on stormwater runoff and water quality using a special curriculum designed by the state Coastal Commission, Sevco says. Students will get their hands dirty restoring riverbanks with native plants to reduce erosion, sampling water to test for turbidity and temperature, and stenciling sidewalk messages to remind passersby that storm drains flow into the Bay. At the end of the school year, schools will host community events to showcase what they've learned.
Sevco hopes that the pilot programs will inspire other schools to take up similar water stewardship efforts, but they may be on their own for funding. The state grant of about $500,000 came from limited funds allocated under Proposition 50 to reduce nonpoint source coastal pollution. That cash won't be available next year, Sevco says, but Ecology Action plans to scout for fresh funds as intently as Monterey County does for fresh water.


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study reveals that black Americans display lower levels of vitamin D and greater
pain sensitivity than do white Americans. A Vitamin D deficiency may be a risk
factor for increased knee osteoarthritic pain in black Americans, the authors conclude.
Clinical practice guidelines state that vitamin D
levels less than 20 ng/mL represent deficiency, and levels between 21 and 29
ng/mL represent insufficiency. Given that low levels of vitamin D are linked to
chronic pain and other health conditions, especially in black Americans, the
research team set out to investigate if variations in vitamin D levels
contribute to racial differences in patients with knee pain caused by
Researchers at the University of Florida and the University
of Alabama at Birmingham recruited 94 participants—45 black and 49 white
patients with symptomatic knee OA—to complete questionnaires regarding their
symptoms. The study group was 75% female and an average 56 years old.
In addition, study participants underwent testing that
included sensitivity to heat and mechanical pain on the affected knee and the
forearm. Researchers measured heat pain threshold as the point when patients
indicate the sensation "first becomes painful" and pain tolerance
when patients "no longer feel able to tolerate the pain." Mechanical
pain measures were determined by the patients' response to pressure in the knee
that despite living in a southern sunny climate, 84% of black participants had
vitamin D levels less than 30 ng/mL compared with 51% of white subjects.
Furthermore, the average vitamin D level for black Americans was 19.9 ng/mL
(deficiency), compared with white Americans who averaged 28.2 ng/mL
(insufficiency). Black participants reported greater overall knee
osteoarthritis pain, and those with lower vitamin D levels displayed greater
sensitivity to heat and mechanical pain (experimental pain).
"Our data demonstrate that differences in
experimental pain sensitivity between the 2 races are mediated at least in part
by variations in vitamin D levels," said lead author Toni Glover, MSN, ARNP. "However, further studies are needed to fully
understand the link between low vitamin D levels and racial disparities in


_USER_{NBERw12687, title = "Has Globalization Changed Inflation?", author = "Laurence M. Ball", institution = "National Bureau of Economic Research", type = "Working Paper", series = "Working Paper Series", number = "12687", year = "2006", month = "November", doi = {10.3386/w12687}, URL = "_URL_ abstract = {Many observers suggest that the "globalization" of the U.S. economy has changed the behavior of inflation. This essay examines this idea, focusing on several questions: (1) Has globalization reduced the long-run level of inflation? (2) Has it affected the structure of inflation dynamics, as captured by the Phillips curve? (3) Has it contributed substantial negative shocks to the inflation process? The answers to these questions are no, no, and no.}, }


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Besides its presence on the Iberian Peninsula, Portugal encompasses the Azores Islands of the Archipelago, one of which is the Flores Island. This land mass is covered with forests in the center, but ringed with sandy beaches and covered in pink and purple hydrangea flowers. Flores lies nearly 1,000 miles to the west of Lisbon in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. The Portuguese colonized the islands in the mid-15th century. Often invaded by pirates, the islands eventually became an important part of Atlantic trade, serving as a stopping point for planes and cruise ships. They are known for their fishing industry, tropical fruit, wine, and cheeses.
Azores Flores, far out in the sea, is an unlikely home to dairy cows, but the Portuguese saw the lush fields and forests and realized the potential for cattle rearing. The farmers now promote Azores Flores, a pasteurized cow's milk cheese, aged for three months, with a strong, clean, spicy taste and aroma.
While this cheese is not overly aged, its history dates back to seafaring times. The islands were known for their high quality, fragrant milk. The farmers made fresh cheeses meant to be eaten straightaway in the port, but for those on a long journey, they made firmer cheeses that could travel the distance.
- Made from pasteurized cow's milk.
- Photo depicts whole 18 lb. form of cheese.
- We cut and wrap this item by the 1/2 pound.
- Please contact us if you would like to purchase the whole form.


I am trying to understand what happens when 2 supplies or voltage signals are tied to together as I come across similar situations where a Totem-pole output is also being pulled-up by a weak pull-up. In these cases I am wondering if the signal would conflict and result in an unknown final voltage level. Also, wouldn't the voltage difference between the signals cause unwanted current to flow between them which could be undesirable?
I did a simple simulation in LTSpice where I have 2 DC voltage sources connect in parallel across a load. On the right side are the current measurement results. Parallel Supplies
The simulation result showed that the voltage across the load is 1.8v. On checking the current in the simulator, I observe that DC supply V1 provides the 0.18mA to the load, but DC supply V2 doesn't. I am wondering - how does the simulator decide which voltage sources provides the 0.18mA to the load (in this case V1 is providing 0.18mA and V2 is 0mA)? Also, shouldn't the current be provided equally by both supplies (V1 providing 0.09mA and V2 providing 0.09mA)?
Thanks for any help in developing a better understanding.
 - \$\begingroup\$ Have you studied potential dividers yet? \$\endgroup\$ – Ignacio Vazquez-Abrams Dec 23 '15 at 6:27
 - \$\begingroup\$ I know what a voltage divider is, but that wasn't exactly my question :(. A voltage divider from my understanding has a Vout and Vin. However, in my question, I have 2 Vins (Voltage inputs V1 and V2). Thanks \$\endgroup\$ – Joel Fernandes Dec 23 '15 at 6:36
 - \$\begingroup\$ But it is exactly your answer. \$\endgroup\$ – Ignacio Vazquez-Abrams Dec 23 '15 at 6:37
 - \$\begingroup\$ Ok, I will look into the topic of voltage dividers a bit more if you think it may help. But I am still not following, how the circuit I drew above is similar to a voltage divider (in which way). A voltage divider has 1 input and 1 output. Where as in the circuit I shared above, there are 2 input voltage sources driving the same line. Thanks \$\endgroup\$ – Joel Fernandes Dec 23 '15 at 6:42
 - \$\begingroup\$ Look into the topic of source impedance -- an ideal voltage source (as in your simulation) always outputs a constant voltage, no matter how much current flows. This is just a heuristic for modeling, an ideal voltage source actually violates the principle of conservation of energy and is physically impossible. A practical voltage source like a battery, is equivalent to an ideal voltage source with a resistor in series, representing some equivalent internal resistance. So as more current is drawn, the voltage at the terminals can be less than the ideal voltage source voltage. \$\endgroup\$ – MarkU Dec 23 '15 at 6:50
This is an overdetermined circuit [that happens to have solution] so SPICE ignores one of the sources for the purpose of determining the currents. Try changing one source to 1.9V, see what happens. To spare you the suspense:
enter image description here
In real life you have no such thing because all sources have internal resistance.
Also, judging by the fonts, it looks like you're using the Mac version of LTspice. With the PC version (4.23h), I can't reproduce your result; even with the same voltage on both sources I get the above message/dialog.
Ngspice also fail to solve this: _URL_
Based on our conversation below, it seem you're asking about this circuit:
enter image description here
If you actually set Rser to 1 ohm on both of them (instead of just on one), then they do split the load current evenly between them. And if you redraw the "mystery" circuit above with an external resistor...
enter image description here
... then it's totally obvious that both ends of R2 are exactly at the same potential, so you get 0 current through it, and so 0 current though the source that has a Rser, as long as the other source doesn't have one.
 - \$\begingroup\$ Actually, on Mac I get an error only if both of the sources has no internal resistance regardless of their voltage levels. If one of the has some internal resistance, the error goes away. \$\endgroup\$ – Joel Fernandes Dec 23 '15 at 7:10
 - \$\begingroup\$ _USER_: Sure it does. But you're not showing the internal resistance in your circuit. What did you set it to? \$\endgroup\$ – Fizz Dec 23 '15 at 7:10
 - 1
 \$\begingroup\$ Hi, I had set one to 1 ohm and the other to 0. That explains why all the current was flowing through the one without Rser as the current flows through least path of resistance.. but when I set them to the same internal res (I tried 1k ohm), then the current split equally between them as you said - so that makes sense. However - I am still trying to apply Ignacio's voltage divider suggestion and am not able to get a final voltage result on paper. Now my circuit has a V1 and V2 source of 1k resistance. The final voltage in SPICE is slightly lower at 1.714V and the current draw is 85.7uA \$\endgroup\$ – Joel Fernandes Dec 23 '15 at 7:34
 - 1
 \$\begingroup\$ _USER_: It's not a voltage divider but a current divider. Also SPICE only calculates up to some decimal points. \$\endgroup\$ – Fizz Dec 23 '15 at 7:35
 - \$\begingroup\$ The only way I arrive at a solution on paper, is I treat both the voltage sources as a combined voltage source with a combined internal resistance of half of 1k, that's 500 ohm. Then applying the voltage divider concept, I arrive at 1.714V. The 1.8V supplies goes through 500 ohm and then 10K of the load, so its 1.714V before the load. \$\endgroup\$ – Joel Fernandes Dec 23 '15 at 7:38
A voltage divider has 1 input and 1 output.
The classic schematic of a potential divider we have the input voltage at the top, a resistor connecting it to the output voltage, and a further resistor connecting to ground. But the thing is that ground is also a voltage. And there is no requirement for the second voltage to be ground.
So instead of subtracting 0V, dividing, and then adding 0V as we do with a ground-referenced potential divider, we subtract the second voltage, divide, and then add the second voltage, with a ground-referenced divider simply being the degenerate case of subtracting and then adding 0V.
 - \$\begingroup\$ I added a comment to the answer above regarding using the "0V" as a second voltage source and tried to apply the potential divider concept. Do take a look at my comment if you get a chance, thanks. \$\endgroup\$ – Joel Fernandes Dec 23 '15 at 8:00
 - \$\begingroup\$ _USER_: (Z2/(Z1 + Z2))(V1 - V2) + V2, just as my answer describes. \$\endgroup\$ – Ignacio Vazquez-Abrams Dec 23 '15 at 8:03
Your Answer


Northern rail priorities statement: five priorities for immediate action and investment
Published Fri 16 Mar 2012
The Northern Economic Futures Commission, convened and supported by IPPR North, calls for five points of action and investment to maximise the economic potential of rail in the north of England, especially on the back of already agreed HS2 developments between London and Birmingham.
Alongside skills and innovation, transport infrastructure is crucial for ensuring that the northern economy is the driver of national prosperity that it has the potential to be. Infrastructure investment can give an immediate boost to struggling local economies as well as providing a basis for sustainable economic growth.
The five northern rail priories are:
 1. Northern Hub: a network of rail connections and improvements through central Manchester with improved capacity out to Liverpool, Blackpool, Leeds, Sheffield and Manchester Airport.
 2. HS2-Midland Mainline Connection: a Birmingham-Derby connection to hook up HS2 with the existing Midland main line to York, thereby allowing the North to reap immediate rewards from significant investment in HS2.
 3. Extending transpennine electrification: existing plans will see the TransPennine line electrified between Manchester and York - now this is the right time to extend this programme to include connecting lines to Middlesbrough, Scarborough and Hull, which also maximises the benefits of connections to the existing East Coast main line to Newcastle.
 4. Improved rolling stock: to increase cost efficiency, reduce carbon emissions and create manufacturing jobs in the region.
 5. Station capacity improvements at Leeds, Sheffield and Liverpool Lime Street stations: to boost train and passenger numbers and encourage a preferential shift from road to rail.
View a map of the commission's five rail priorities.
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Exercise modifies energy intake (EI) in adolescents with obesity, but whether this is mediated by the exercise-induced energy deficit remains unknown. The present study examined the effect of exercise with and without dietary replacement of the exercise energy expenditure on appetite, EI and food reward in adolescents with obesity. Fourteen 12–15-year-old adolescents with obesity (eight girls; Tanner 3–4; BMI 34·8 (sd 5·7) kg/m2; BMI z score 2·3 (sd 0·4)) randomly completed three experimental conditions: (i) rest control (CON); (ii) 30-min cycling (EX) and (iii) 30-min cycling with dietary energy replacement (EX + R). Ad libitum EI was assessed at lunch and dinner, and food reward (Leeds Food Preference Questionnaire) before and after lunch. Appetite was assessed at regular intervals. Lunch, evening and total EI (excluding the post-exercise snack in EX − R) were similar across conditions. Lunch and total EI including the post-exercise snack in EX + R were higher in EX − R than CON and EX; EX and CON were similar. Total relative EI was lower in EX (6284 (sd 2042) kJ) compared with CON (7167 (sd 2218) kJ; P < 0·05) and higher in EX + R (7736 (sd 2033) kJ) compared with CON (P < 0·001). Appetite and satiety quotients did not differ across conditions (P ≥ 0·10). Pre-meal explicit liking for fat was lower in EX compared with CON and EX + R (P = 0·05). There was time by condition interaction between EX and CON for explicit wanting and liking for fat (P = 0·01). Despite similar appetite and EI, adolescents with obesity do not adapt their post-exercise food intake to account for immediate dietary replacement of the exercise-induced energy deficit, favouring a short-term positive energy balance.
With still limited information on vitamin requirements and considering that many commercial practices adopt dietary vitamin levels above the values suggested by nutritional tables, this study aimed to assess the effect of administering vitamin supplementation to sows in gestation and lactation and to their litters on the reproductive performance and body condition of the sows and on the performance and immune profile of the litters until slaughter. The trial was split into two phases. The first phase used 104 sows, assigned to be randomized to blocks according to parity, submitted until 21 days of lactation to two treatments: control–standard (standard levels of vitamins) and test–elevated (elevated levels of vitamins). Each sow and its respective farrow were considered an experimental unit. The sows underwent evaluations of body condition score, back fat thickness and reproductive performance. In the second phase, 60 barrows and 60 gilts at 21 days of age and mean initial weight of 5.33 ± 1.5 kg until slaughter at 164 days of age. The piglets were assigned to randomized blocks according to the weight and sex of the animals in a 2 × 2 factorial model, with 10 replicates per treatment, where a pen with three animals represented the experimental unit. Following the same treatments of the first phase, the piglets were evaluated for daily weight gain, daily feed intake, feed conversion, mortality rate and humoral immune response. Vitamin supplementation had no positive effects on the reproductive parameters or body composition of sows. However, it positively impacted the performance of the litters in the early nursery stage, but did not lead to superior effects on the immune responses to vaccination against circovirus or mycoplasma.
Many school-based interventions for obesity prevention have been proposed with positive changes in behaviour, but with unsatisfactory results on weight change. The objective was to verify the effectiveness of a combined schooland home-based obesity prevention programme on excessive weight gain in adolescents. Teachers delivered the school-based primary prevention programme to fifthand sixth-graders (nine schools, forty-eight control classes, forty-nine intervention classes), which included encouraging healthy eating habits and physical activity. A subgroup of overweight or obese adolescents also received a home-based secondary prevention programme delivered by community health professionals. Schools were randomised to intervention or control group. Intent-to-treat analysis used mixed models for repeated continuous measures and considered the cluster effect. The main outcomes were changes in BMI and percentage body fat (%body fat) after one school-year of intervention and follow-up. Against our hypothesis, BMI increased more in the intervention group than in the control group (Δ = 0·3 kg/m2; P = 0·05) with a greater decrease in %body fat among boys (Δ = –0·6 %; P = 0·03) in the control group. The intervention group increased physical activity by 12·5 min per week compared with the control group. Female adolescents in the intervention group ate healthier items more frequently than in the control group. The subgroup that received both the school and home interventions had an increase in %body fat than in the control group (Δ = 0·89 %; P = 0·01). In the present study, a behavioural change led to a small increase in physical activity and healthy eating habits but also to an overall increase in food intake.
Vitamins play an essential role in broiler nutrition. They are fundamental for normal metabolic and physiological process, and their requirements for poultry are not fixed and can be affected by multiple factors. In contrast, mycotoxins are a challenging issue because they hinder performance and the immune system. Vitamin supplementation above minimum requirements would permit improvement in productive potential, health, bone and meat quality in a situation of mycotoxin challenge. The objective of this study was to determine the influence of optimum vitamin nutrition in diets contaminated with aflatoxin in broilers from 1 to 44 days of age. A total of 1800 Cobb 500 male chicks were randomized to 15 sets of eight treatment groups, each containing 15 birds using a 2 × 2 × 2 factorial design (commercial vitamin levels and high vitamin levels, two levels of aflatoxin – 0 and 0.5 ppm with binder levels of 0 and 10 000 mg/kg). The mash diets were corn and soybean meal based, formulated according to commercial practices. Feed intake, weight gain and feed conversion were analyzed for birds from 1 to 44 days of age. To determine carcass characteristics (carcass yield, breast yield and leg yield) and black bone syndrome, two birds were slaughtered from each group at 45 days. Other analyses included breast tenderness, water loss by dripping and malonaldehyde concentrations. The results demonstrated that broilers that were fed high levels of vitamins showed better weight gain, feed conversion, carcass yield and breast yield than broilers that were fed diets with commercial vitamin levels (P < 0.05); also, broilers that were fed diets containing 0.5 ppm aflatoxin had lower weight gain, carcass yield and breast yield (P < 0.05). The use of 10 000 mg/kg of binder improved (P < 0.05) feed conversion throughout the rearing period. We conclude that aflatoxin negatively affects performance and carcass yield; however, feeding optimum vitamin nutrition improved these performance traits.
Differences in forage nutritive value between morning and afternoon are related to patterns of dehydration and carbohydrate accumulation throughout the day. In this way, management strategies that maximize grazing time during the afternoon could increase forage nutritive value and consequently nutrient intake. The aim of the current experiment was to evaluate the effect of the time of day (06.00 h [designated AM] or 15.00 h [PM]) that cattle are moved to a new paddock on forage nutritive value, grazing behaviour and animal performance of beef cattle on rotationally stocked Marandu palisadegrass (Brachiaria brizantha cv. Marandu Syn. Urochloa brizantha cv. Marandu) pastures. A spring and summer study was conducted in Pirassununga, SP, Brazil from October 2012 to March 2013 (182 days). Treatments were distributed in a randomized complete block design with three replications. Herbage mass, morphological composition, herbage allowance and stocking rates were similar between treatments during spring and summer. Moving animals to a new paddock, regardless of the time of day – 06.00 h (AM) or 15.00 h (PM) – stimulated grazing, modifying the distribution of meals throughout the day. However, compensatory mechanisms among grazing time, bite rate and for


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_PHONE_ Julia Eckel Born: Washington, District of Columbia 1907 Died: Washington, District of Columbia 1988 oil on canvas 40 1/8 x 55 5/8 in. (102.0 x 141.2 cm.) Smithsonian American Art Museum Transfer from the U.S. Department of Labor 1964.1.66 Not currently on view
Gathering around microphones as in Julia Eckel's painting, actors and musicians of the 1930s created drama, comedy, and musical performances enjoyed by radio audiences across the country. During the Great Depression Will Rogers's humor, Bing Crosby's crooning, Graham McNamee's news coverage, and series like "Fibber McGee and Molly," were part of the American scene. President Franklin Roosevelt explained his decisions to the nation through his famous radio broadcast "fireside chats."
Artist Julia Eckel used tightly spaced figures and controlled gestures to illustrate the close cooperation among star actors, secondary players, and musicians performing live on the air. The painting shows musicians playing during an interlude in the action as the leading lady, dressed in red and green, stands poised to speak her next line. Viewers of the painting, like radio listeners, feel the tension as they wait for the action to resume. Eckel kept her visual drama taut by leaving out such distracting practical details as the scripts and sheet music, which are prominent in publicity photographs of radio performances.
1934: A New Deal for Artists exhibition label
Object - other - microphone
Occupation - communication arts - broadcaster
Performing arts - music - saxophone
Performing arts - music - trombone
Performing arts - music - voice
New Deal - Public Works of Art Project - Washington, D.C.
paint - oil
fabric - canvas
About Julia Eckel
Born: Washington, District of Columbia 1907 Died: Washington, District of Columbia 1988


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Cherrytree is a note-taking and syntax highlighting editor that can be used to collect and sort notes of all kinds. It offers a tree-based structure on the left side of the application to easily navigate through added notes collection. Each entry there represents a hierarchically sorted text page and is referred to as a "node".
The program name refers to the use of different colored cherries to mark different levels. One of the strengths of the program is the included editor.
Here are some Cherrytree key features:
- Numbered and unnumbered lists and enumerations
- Tables (can be imported and exported in CSV format)
- Code boxes with syntax highlighting via GtkSourceView (no further formatting possible)
- Hyperlinks: internal (on nodes or anchors) and external (files, folders, and internet addresses)
- available for many platforms through programming in Python – including Linux and Windows
- (Optional) password protection when saving notebook files
- Inserted images can be edited within limits (enlarge/reduce, rotate) and, if necessary, saved externally in PNG format
- Create a table of contents for a node (based on the lines formatted as a heading)
- Re-sorting of existing nodes via "Drag & Drop" or dialog box
Here we will learn how to install Cherrytree on OpenSUSE Leap Linux using the command terminal.
1. Open command Terminal
Simply press Ctrl+Alt+T to open the command terminal application on OpenSUSE leap and run the system update command:
2. Command to install Cherrytree on OpenSUSE leap
Cherrytree is already available in the official repository of OpenSUSE, thus no need to add any third-party repo… Just run this commandsudo zypper install cherrytree
3. Run Cherrytree
Go to Applications and search for it. Once you find the icon of this program clicks to run it. And you will have your open source syntax highlighter on OpenSUSE.


sets the step-limit used by the ACL2 prover at the top level only
This event provides a way to limit the number of so-called ''prover steps'' permitted for an event. See with-prover-step-limit for a way to specify the limit on prover steps for a single event, rather than globally (and without the restriction mentioned above, pertaining to the top level). For a related utility based on time instead of prover steps, see with-prover-time-limit. For examples of how step limits work, see the distributed book books/misc/misc2/step-limits.lisp.
Example Forms:
General Form:
(set-prover-step-limit expr)
Depending on the computer you are using, you may have only (very roughly) a half-hour of time before the number of prover steps exceeds the maximum step-limit, which is one less than the value of *default-step-limit*. Note however the exception stated above: if the ''limit'' is nil or is the value of *default-step-limit*, then no limit is imposed.
The limit is relevant for every event, to calls of thm and certify-book, and more generally, to any form that creates a ''summary context'' to print the usual event summary. The limit is also put in force when entering the proof-checker. Below, at the end of this documentation topic, we explain in detail when a call of set-prover-step-limit is in force: in brief, it applies to all forms that are either at the top level or are inside the same summary contexts.
Note that the limit applies to each event, not just ''atomic'' events. Consider the following example.
(set-prover-step-limit 500)
 (defthm lemma-1 ; takes 380 steps
 :rule-classes nil)
 (defthm lemma-2 ; would take 319 steps
 :rule-classes nil))
Prover steps counted: 380
The summary for lemma-2 reflects that situation:
Prover steps counted: More than 120
The summary for the encapsulate events then indicates that the available steps for that event have also been exceeded:
Prover steps counted: More than 500
Rules: NIL
Prover steps counted: 41090
ACL2!>
Finally, we discuss in some detail with a set-prover-step-limit event is in force: it applies to a subsequent form that is either at the top level or at the same level as the set-prover-step-limit form, in the following sense. Let us say that a ''summary context'' is any context for which the usual ACL2 summary will ultimately be printed (if summary printing is not inhibited). Every event -- a call of defun or defthm, or more generally, every embedded event form (see embedded-event-form) -- establishes a summary context, as do certain other top-level forms such as calls of thm and certify-book. (But a call of ld does not establish a summary context.) Here, we consider two forms to be at the same level if they are in the same summary contexts. Thus, if set-prover-step-limit is called at the top level, then this call is not in force for events under a call of certify-book, encapsulate, progn, make-event, or (more generally) under any form that establishes a summary context. Also, if set-prover-step-limit is called inside a summary context, then it does not apply above that summary context except, if it is not local to some event, at the very top level.


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Relays-Enhanced LTE-Advanced Networks Performance Studies
Source: Telecom ParisTech
This paper proposes a study on the performance of multi-hop relays networks. The authors demonstrate the importance of the relays for coverage and capacity enhancement and study how the number of relays and their position inside the cell impact the performance, and how an efficient relay location scheme can guarantee better performance with less relays per cell. Further they give an estimation of the amount of power per square meter on the ground when relays are used, with respect to traditional network, showing the fundamental role of relays for green networking.


Tail Chasing And OCD: More Alike Than You May Think
August 21, 2012
Image Credit: Photos.com
Michael Harper for redOrbit.com — Your Universe Online
While there are many fine reasons to own a dog, perhaps one of the best reasons are the hours upon hours of sheer entertainment you'll receive for the price of some kibble and pet rent, where applicable.
You'll be able to watch and laugh as your hound sniffs with a childlike curiosity at something hopping in the grass or take short videos of Fido as he chases an imaginary ship through your house and to the door, where he'll sit and stare for hours on end. One great, classic time waster for dogs has been chasing their tail, a habit noted in most dogs. While some dogs will simply turn a few times before giving up, some chase with die-hard enthusiasm. Either way, watching a dog chase its tail has long been a pet-owners' pastime.
Now, it turns out we may have to start feeling guilty for enjoying this spectacle as much as we do, as some researchers from the genetics research group at the University of Helsinki and the FolkhÃ¤lsan Research Center have found that dogs chase their tails for much the same reasons as humans with obsessive compulsive disorder repeatedly perform basic tasks, such as washing their hands or turning a lock.
Working in collaboration with an international group of researchers, Professor Hannes Lohi led a team to investigate the genetic characteristics and environmental factors that go into compulsory tail chasing in dogs. In the end, they found many similarities between this tail chasing and compulsive behavior in humans.
Dr. Lohi and his team crafted a questionnaire study which covered close to 400 dogs. Once completed, this study showed that dogs can be effectively used as a model for studying the genetic background and environmental factors of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) in humans. The results of Dr. Lohi's study were published in the journal PLoS ONE on July 27, 2012.
These kinds of stereotypical behaviors have not often been studied in pets, despite the fact that many of these pets do exhibit some sort of compulsive disorder, such as compulsive barking, continuous pacing, or even biting their own legs.
In fact, many genetic and environmental factors have been suggested which predispose this obsessive behavior. In particular, some behaviors have simply been written off as a breed-specific trait, often found in German Shepherds or Bull Terriers.
Dr. Lohi and team set out to determine why these pets were so keen on chasing their own tails and if there were any possible environmental risk factors involved.
Some of these dogs who are believed to be more apt to chase their tail due to breed, such as Bull Terriers, Miniature Bull Terriers, German Shepherds and Staffordshire Bull Terriers, which were all part of the 400 dog study. First, blood samples were taken from each of the dogs in order to get a genetic picture of each animal. Then, the dogs' owners filled out a questionnaire about their dogs' so called "stereotypical" behavior, in addition to answering questions about the dogs' traits in puppyhood and the daily routine of the dogs' life.
As a result, the study showed that most dogs began chasing their tails before they reached sexual maturity, around 3 to 6 months old.
Of particular interest to Dr. Lohi and his team was a link between tail chasing and vitamins. Those dogs who received nutritional supplements, especially vitamins and minerals, were less likely to chase their tails than other dogs who did not receive supplements.
"Our study does not prove an actual causal relationship between vitamins and lessened tail chasing, but interestingly similar preliminary results have been observed in human OCD" said one of the researchers, Dr. Katriina Tiira. The team now aims to discover if these supplements can effectively stop tail chasing in dogs.
In the end, Dr. Lohi and his team were pleased to discover the number of similarities between dogs and humans and, as such, will be able to study dogs to get a better understanding of why humans contract these types of psychiatric diseases.
Says Dr. Lohi, "Stereotypic behavior occurs in dogs spontaneously; they share the same environment with humans, and as large animals are physiologically close to humans. Furthermore, their strict breed structure aids the identification of genes."
Source: Michael Harper for redOrbit.com – Your Universe Online
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text:
Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma is the most common innate liver tumor. Due to improved surgical techniques, even extended resections are feasible, and more patients can be treated with curative intent. As the liver is the central metabolic organ, preoperative metabolic assessment is crucial for risk stratification. Sarcopenia, obesity and sarcopenic obesity characterize body composition and metabolic status. Here we present the impact of body composition on survival after liver resection in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.
Methods: A retrospective database analysis of 70 patients who were assigned for liver resection due to hepatocellular carcinoma was conducted. For assessment of sarcopenia and obesity, skeletal muscle surface area was measured at lumbar vertebra 3 level (L3) in preoperative four-phase contrast enhanced abdominal CT scans, and L3 muscle index and body fat percentage were calculated.
Results: Univariate analysis comparing the survival curves using the score test demonstrated superior postoperative overall survival for sarcopenic (P=0.035) and sarcopenic obese (P=0.048) patients as well as a trend favoring obese (P=0.130) subjects. Whereas multivariate analysis could not identify significant difference in postoperative survival regarding sarcopenia, obesity or sarcopenic obesity. Only large tumor size, multifocal disease and male gender were risk factors for long-term survival.
Conclusions: Sarcopenia, obesity and sarcopenic obesity are indeed no risk factors for poor postoperative survival in this study. Our data do not support the evaluation of sarcopenia, obesity and sarcopenic obesity before liver resection in hepatocellular carcinoma patients. (C) 2018 First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine in China. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
- Hepatocellular carcinoma
- Sarcopenic obesity
- Liver resection
- SKELETAL-MUSCLE DEPLETION
- SARCOPENIC OBESITY
- CRYPTOGENIC CIRRHOSIS
- MASS INDEX
- TUMOR SIZE


American Crested
American Crested Breed Profile
Fur Short, smooth, close, thick
Rosettes None
Characteristics White crown
Lifespan 4-6 years
Suitable for Beginners
Breed Characteristics
The American Crested is completely one color - apart from its characteristic white crest on its head! This is like a little white crown created by the whorl. This makes it easy to tell this animal apart from other guinea pigs, especially for beginners. The crown sometimes makes these little pets look angry or indignant. But they're just as peaceful and funny as the rest of them. The rest of the American Crested's short, soft fur is usually golden brown, red or black. It doesn't have any markings or patterns to its fur.
Guinea Pigs for First-Timers
American Crested guinea pigs are among the easiest guinea pigs to keep. You could even call them "beginner guinea pigs". Still, inexperienced pet owners should get plenty of information and get hold of a guinea pig guide. Just like all guinea pigs, the American Crested is on the shy side.
How can you tell the American Crested and the English Crested apart?
Both have a crest on their heads but only the American Crested's is always white. In the English Crested, this is always the same color as the rest of its coat. If they didn't have this tuft, they'd just be completely normal American guinea pigs.
American Crested Guinea Pig American Crested Guinea Pig - Photo: Kirill Kurashov/Shutterstock
The white crest isn't easy to breed, as the babies of two American Crested guinea pigs won't always have the same markings, e.g. they might have additional white patches.
Fur Care
Short-haired guinea pigs can mostly keep themselves clean as they wash themselves with their little feet. Their fur should therefore only be cleaned when the American Crested doesn't keep up its hygiene duties. You should use a plastic brush for this. Knots can't always be prevented, and should be carefully cut out with scissors. It's also important to regularly check their ears, eyes and nails - just like with any guinea pig.
Just like all guinea pigs, the American Crested needs a combination of fresh hay, grasses, herbs, vegetables, fruit, seeds and twigs. They also need fresh water daily.
Did You Know?
A "crest" is a crown or tuft.
American Crested Guinea Pig American Crested Guinea Pig - Photo: Kurashova/Shutterstock


text:
Climate Change and the Historical Imagination
- Lawrence A. Kimpton Distinguished Service Professor in History, South Asian Languages, and Civilizations, University of Chicago
In this talk, historian Dipesh Chakrabarty will suggest that man-made global warming spells the collapse of the age-old humanist distinction between natural history and human history. He will ask us to contemplate how our planetary crisis qualifies our sense of human universals while challenging our capacity for historical understanding.
Chakrabarty obtained his Ph.D. in History from the Australian National University, Canberra, Australia in 1984. He holds honorary degrees from the University of London and the University of Antwerp. His current research focuses on anthropogenic climate change and its implications for historical thinking, on the history of the idea of historical truth, and on historical genealogies of crowd-politics in India.
Co-sponsored by ASU's Institute for Humanities Research. For questions or more information, contact the Institute for Humanities Research at _PHONE_ or _EMAIL_.
4:30 - 6:00 p.m.


text:
There are a number of materials we can use for paths and driveways, but one of the most cost-effective is deco granite. Charlie Albone shows us how to get the mix right.
Looking for a great solution for your paths and driveways - consider deco granite! Here are my expert DIY tips:
- It's cheaper than concrete and if you're laying a big area, like a drive, it can save you a chunk of money.
- Deco Granite comes in pink, brown or gold and is relatively easy to use.
- Simply mark the area where you want the path to go and dig it out to about 100mm.
- I'm going to stabilize the granite by adding a 5 per cent mix of white cement. That's about 1 bag of cement per tonne of deco granite.
- If you're doing a driveway – then double that by 10 per cent or 2 bags of cement to a tonne of granite.
- It's important to get the mix right - if you use too much cement the finished surface will be chalky - not enough and it won't set properly.
- If you're using bricks to create an edge like I am here – this is the time to lay them.
- Put the granite into the dug out area and level it off with a rake.
- Because the mix is quite dusty I'm going to give it a light mist with water.
- It's vital not to soak the granite as this will cause the cement to rise to the surface and create a hard layer.
- Hammer down the path with a plate compactor until you get it nice and level.
- Give the path a quick brush with a boom to get rid of any excess water or bits of cement and leave to dry for around 1 to 2 days.
- One of the things I like best about deco granite is it's a porous - so, if you've done the job properly, water simply drains off the surface.


text:
Eloy is a city located in Pinal County, Arizona, United States. The area that is now Eloy was originally inhabited by the Akimel O'odham people, who were farmers and hunters. In the 17th century, Spanish explorers arrived in the area and established missions, bringing with them horses and cattle.
The town of Eloy was founded in 1902 by the Southern Pacific Railroad, which constructed a rail line through the area. The town was named after the daughter of one of the railroad executives. Eloy grew rapidly, and by 1918, it had a population of over 1,000 people.
During World War II, Eloy was home to a large Army Air Forces training base, which helped to further the growth of the town. After the war, Eloy's economy shifted to agriculture and industry, and the town continued to grow.
Today, Eloy is known for its location between Phoenix and Tucson, as well as for its many recreational opportunities, including skydiving, golfing, and hiking. The town is also home to several large employers, including the Corrections Corporation of America, which operates a prison in Eloy.


Do Treatment Guidelines Work?
Jul 25, 2019
Lower back pain (LBP) - just the phrase can be enough to induce a different kind of pain for a risk or workers' comp program manager. For good reason; LBP has an overall incidence rate of 20 per 10,000 FTEs with an average disability duration of some seven days. LBP accounts for about 33% of all comp costs. A team of researchers at the University of Utah decided to look at a very specific aspect of LPB. There are very well developed treatment guidelines in place for LBP. To what extent are these guidelines being followed in actual treatment and what relationship does compliance, or the lack thereof, have on total claim costs? Wanna know what happened?
The project is the lead report in the June issue of the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (JOEM). If you are a member of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine and like stats and the taste of decimal dust, read the complete report. If not, here's my summary.
From the Conclusions: "This study demonstrates a statistically significant relationship between adherence to ACOEM guidelines for initial management of work-related acute LBP and decreasing claim costs." What the analysis of 105 LBP claims from 2015 from the Utah Workers' Compensation Fund showed clearly was that the further the plan of treatment strayed from the guidelines, the more costly the resulting claim. No surprise. Guidelines reflecting current Evidence Based Medicine (EBM) work. Yes, there may be an outlier or two where comorbid conditions call for a departure from the guidelines, but in the aggregate, guideline adherence delivers superior outcomes, and not just in terms of lower costs. Sitting home on claim is not a good thing for anyone. More effective treatment leads to better, quicker RTW.
The evidence continues to pile up - this is only one of many similar studies - that provider adherence to EBM guidelines gives better results for all parties. For example, the study notes that "'over medicalizing' with early interventions that add costs, such as radiological studies, passive modalities, or early referral to other treatments [outside the guidelines] may also drive up costs without commensurate benefits." Are your claims people using this information? Do you know? Are routinely non-compliance providers being weeded out of your panels?
A generation or more ago, adjusters paid claims as long as the legal requirements were met. Medical consultants or nurse case managers were seldom involved because everyone was spooked about adding to the ALAE and the treating providers did whatever they did. Routine LBP cases blossomed into $50K claims and we all shrugged. That approach should be as dead as the three inch thick paper claim file in 2019. Is it?
Ransomware - Taking It Up a Notch
To paraphrase a commercial insurance advertisement from a few years ago, the provisions in your cyber property policy don't matter - until they do. We've been tracking the meteoric trajectory of cyber crime for several years now. Most of the stories have been about new hacks, new ways to attack your systems. Here, for a change, is a new wrinkle in fighting back, courtesy of the Boston Globe.
The Globe interviewed Brad Gow, global cyber product leader at the insurer Sompo International Holdings Ltd. While the focus of the article was cyber risk for government agencies, the following words of wisdom apply across a broad range of cyber ransom risks. When a client is hit by a data seizure and a ransom demand, Sompo takes a four pronged approach:
It sends in a team of experts to scour the network. Sometimes they find the lost data is backed up somewhere in the system, eliminating the need to make a payoff.
If that is not successful, the company has people on staff who contact the attackers via e-mail and try to negotiate a lower ransom. These folks speak Russian, Serbian, and other Eastern European languages because the Slavic languages are the mother tongue of ransomware. Sad but true.
When the ransom is paid and the unlocking software is delivered, Sompo's people check it for other malware.
Sompo works with the client to make the critical determination - will it be cheaper, quicker, more effective to pay up or to go another route? This is often a surprisingly complex question, especially if the system that was hit is an antique that you should have replaced several years ago.
Paying the ransom may only be the beginning of a long process. "Once you have that decryption key, you've got to realize you're dealing with criminals," Gow said. "You can't trust that."
Oh, a handy hint - do you have Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP)? If you use Microsoft extensively, you probably do. Hackers love RDP. It's the house key under the front door mat or your wallet in your hip pocket (aka the "sucker pocket"). If you have it, is it secured or, better, disabled? The good news is that we're not helpless when hackers hit. Your faithful correspondent was hit by a common file seizure/ransom exploit two weeks ago. I went around their bug, squished it with no damage and everything is back to normal. Thomas Jefferson might well have been thinking about 21st Century cyber risk when he said, "the price of Liberty is eternal vigilance."*
*These words were not attributed to Mr. Jefferson in print until 1834, so there is some controversy, but it sure sounds like Tom.
Hacker in mask sitting at a computer
Not in my system, buddy.
Quick Take 1:
To Gig or Not To Gig, That is the Question
One long simmering question in comp has been the potential impact of the "gig economy" on claim incidence and overall comp costs. One school of worry has been that, since gig jobs are often outside the conventional comp umbrella, gig workers will be trying to slip injuries incurred during their gig employment into whatever conventional job they also hold. According to a new National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) report, this falls in the same category as the weekend non-work injury reported on Monday morning as a worker's comp claim - an urban myth.
Patrick Coate, an economist for NCCI, reported that, "Electronically mediated work is still mostly done for supplemental income and accounts for less than 1 percent of total income. Nontraditional work arrangements have not displaced much traditional work with respect to primary employment." In other words, if gig work is impacting your comp plan in any way, the effect is too small to document. Most workers who participate in the gig economy do so on a limited part-time basis to supplement their primary income. The visible impact appears to be wide (a lot of people are doing this) but thin (the impact on comp, if it exists at all, is too small to detect).
Bottom line according to the NCCI, if your next Uber driver also works on your assembly line, don't worry about it. If he's your CFO, then you should worry - a lot.
Quick Take 2:
A Different Take on Flood Risk
This Journal could not resist reporting on this new type of flood. Just when you think you've seen everything... Here's the story. Two Saturdays ago cryptocurrency exchange Poloniex needed to move $50 million of Tether (a cryptocurrency pegged to the dollar, hence the name) from a blockchain network called Omni to another called Tron. The Tether employee who processed the order accidentally created and sent to Poloniex $5 billion in new Tether instead of $50 million. Oops.
The crypto markets were suddenly flooded with Tether. The fat finger goof more or less doubled the amount of Tether outstanding in a nanosecond. Bitcoin plunged 12%. The error was discovered and rectified quickly, but the fact that it happened should give us all pause. Lesson 1, cryptocurrencies are subject to all the risks that beset normal currencies plus a few new ones, like the fat finger from Hell. Lesson 2, blockchain is not goofproof. It did nothing to prevent a classic input error and it let that error flood the crypto-trading ecosystem. Lesson 3, all fiat money is fictional, a mere agreement among friends, but some fictions are more fragile than others.
No permanent damage appears to have been done this time, but if you hold cryptocurrencies for any reasons, would you be covered in the event of serious losses in a similar scenario? As for me - well, I'll be in the cellar polishing my bars of bullion.
A photo of roadkill, painted over with yellow road lines.
Looks like gold, but...
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text:
Objective: This study examined the effects of bilingualism and multilingualism on supra-threshold auditory processing abilities in children. Design: Cross-sectional study. Study sample: Ninety children participated in the study, based on the number of languages they know children were assigned into three groups, i.e. monolingual, bilingual and multilingual. Amplitude modulation detection threshold, gap detection threshold, pitch discrimination threshold and spectral ripple discrimination threshold were measured. Results: Results showed superior supra-threshold auditory processing abilities among multilingual and bilingual children than monolingual children. The results further showed that, the supra-threshold auditory processing of multilingual children was better than bilingual children. Conclusion: This finding suggests that knowledge of multiple languages improves supra-threshold auditory processing abilities. This study adds to the growing body of literature supporting the superior supra-threshold auditory processing abilities among bilingual and multilingual individuals.
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Language and Linguistics
- Linguistics and Language
- Speech and Hearing