Name Loop unroll pragma extension Name Strings cl_nv_pragma_unroll Number OpenCL Extension #19 Dependencies OpenCL 1.0 is required Contributors Jian-Zhong Wang Bastiaan Aarts Vinod Grover Overview This extension extends the OpenCL C language with a hint that allows loops to be unrolled. This pragma must be used for a loop and can be used to specify full unrolling or partial unrolling by a certain amount. This is a hint and the compiler may ignore this pragma for any reason. Goals The principal goal of the pragma unroll is to improve the performance of loops via unrolling. Typically this enables other optimizations or improves instruction level parallelism of a thread. Details A user may specify that a loop in the source program be unrolled. This is done via a pragma. The syntax of this pragma is as follows _TAG_ unroll [unroll-factor] The pragma unroll may optionally specify an unroll factor. The pragma must be placed immediately before the loop and only applies to that loop. If unroll factor is not specified then the compiler will try to do complete or full unrolling of the loop. If a loop unroll factor is specified the compiler will perform partial loop unrolling. The loop factor, if specified, must be a compile time non negative integer constant. A loop unroll factor of 1 means that the compiler should not unroll the loop. A complete unroll specification has no effect if the trip count of the loop is not compile-time computable. Examples This sections lists a few examples illustrating valid and invalid uses. - Complete unrolling example _TAG_ unroll for (int i = 0; i < 32; i++) {... } This example full unrolling is requested from the compiler. Note that, since the trip count is known to be 32 the compiler will most likely honor this request. In the following example, the trip count is not known so unrolling pragma will be ignored. _TAG_ unroll for (int i = 0; i < n; i++) {... } - no unrolling example _TAG_ unroll 1 for (int i = 0; i < 64; i++) {... } - partial unrolling example _TAG_ unroll 4 for (int i = 0; i < n; i++) {... } Note that, in this example the trip count is not knownt at compile time, but a partial unroll factor of 4 is valid. - invalid unroll pragma usage The following examples describe some invalid uses of loop unrolling pragmas. _TAG_ unroll -1 for (...) {... } This is invalid because the loop unroll factor is negative. _TAG_ unroll if (...) {... } This is invalid because the pragma is used on a non loop construct _TAG_ unroll x+1 for (...) {... } This is invalid since the loop unroll factor is not a compile-time known value.


text:
In models of monetary policy, discretionary policymaking often lacks the ability to manage public beliefs, which explains the theoretical appeal of policy rules and commitment strategies. But as shown in this paper, when a policymaker possesses private information, belief management becomes an integral part of optimal discretion policies and improves their performance.
Solving for optimal policy in a simple New Keynesian model, this paper shows how discretionary losses are reduced when the policymaker has private information. Furthermore, disinflations are pursued more vigorously, when the hidden information problem is larger, even when inflation is partly backward-looking.
Keywords: Optimal monetary policy, discretion, time-consistent policy, Markov-perfect equilibrium, incomplete information, Kalman filterFull paper (1 MB PDF) | Full paper (Screen Reader Version)

source: openbmb/Ultra-FineWeb


text:
Phaius montanus Schltr. 1912 is a large sized, terrestrial orchid species, native to the island of New Guinea, located in the South-West Pacific Ocean, which belongs to the states Indonesia
and Papua New Guinea.
Phaius montanus orchids can reach hights of more than 1,50 meter and are not just well-liked for their stunning, red flowers, but also for their attractive foliage. As most terrestrial orchids from the Phaius genus, Phaius montanus requires a shady and humid habitat and warm to hot temperatures. The long-lasting flowers get a width of about 10 cm. Flowering period: Spring – Summer. The terrestrial orchid Phaius montanus is protected by CITES Appendix II (trade controlled to avoid use incompatible with species survival).
Flower Photography © Orchids Flowers.com
Image: Terrestrial Orchid Phaius montanus

source: HuggingFaceFW/fineweb-edu


What does the name Aagyapal mean? What is the meaning of the name Aagyapal?
Meaning of Aagyapal: Name Aagyapal in the Punjabi origin, means the name aagyapal means the one who upholds the state obedience, One Who Maintains Obedience. Name Aagyapal is of Punjabi origin and is a Boy name. People with name Aagyapal are usually Sikh by religion.


Mirrorless cameras are interchangeable lens cameras that don't have the mirror and optical viewfinder that define a DSLR. In most other respects, they're extremely similar: with only a few exceptions, most mirrorless cameras these days are built around the same sized sensors as DSLRs, increasingly have similar lenses available, and can offer the same image quality.
Other than the presence of a through-the-lens optical viewfinder, the only other significant difference is that DSLRs have a separate, dedicated autofocus module, whereas mirrorless cameras use their main imaging sensor for focus. Beyond that, there's not a whole lot of difference between the two: mirrorless and DSLR cameras are available for a variety of needs and budgets and there isn't a major manufacturer that doesn't have some mirrorless cameras in its lineup.
What are the advantages?
As mirrorless cameras have matured they've also diversified, making it harder to generalise about their strengths and weaknesses. It remains true though that mirrorless cameras are generally smaller than their DSLR peers. Taking the mirror out means that the lens can be mounted closer to the sensor, helping to reduce the size of the system. Furthermore, without the need to be backwards-compatible with film-era systems, the lenses tend to be designed to match the size of the sensor, meaning many of these are smaller, too. Just as in the DSLR world though, more expensive, faster lenses - especially those designed for Sony's full-frame Alpha a7-series - are still pretty big and bulky.
Another advantage is autofocus. Once considered a weakness of mirrorless, hybrid autofocus systems (using a variant of the phase-detection method used in DSLRs to determine how far away a subject is) have essentially closed the gap between DSLR and mirrorless focus performance for all but the most demanding applications. Not all mirrorless models offer hybrid AF though, so it's worth doing a little research if you need a camera with good continuous autofocus.
The Sony a6000 is much smaller than a DSLR but offers impressive autofocus tracking performance
In fact, because all mirrorless cameras assess focus from their imaging sensor rather than a separate module, they are able to be more accurate and consistent, especially when focusing wide-aperture lenses. Combined with awareness of the scene that allows cameras to track and maintain focus on a subject's eye, it's increasingly the case that autofocus is one of mirrorless's strengths.
Mirrorless cameras already use their sensors' continuous output to constantly preview the scene, so it's not a big leap (or change in behavior) for them to capture this output as movie footage.
The most obvious advantage of mirrorless cameras is that there isn't a mirror blocking the sensor. This means that unlike a DSLR, you don't have to completely change the way that the camera works in order to shoot video: you can continue to use the same means of previewing and shooting when you switch from stills to video. As a result, it's mirrorless cameras that have led the charge towards offering better and better video and the clever photographic tricks that can stem from it.
Many mirrorless systems are now mature enough to include a broad range of lenses, such as Fujifilm's X-mount lineup, pictured here.
Because all mirrorless systems are less than eight years old, their systems aren't as fully developed as legacy DSLR systems. The flip-side of this novelty is that most of the lens designs are relatively new and are well optimised for use on the latest high-resolution models. It's worth checking that the lenses you might want are available for the system you're considering, but you may find that there are more modern, more interesting or more affordable lenses available for some mirrorless systems than are available for the big DSLR brands.
What are the disadvantages?
The disadvantages of mirrorless are decreasing with every new generation of camera and only a few of the remaining drawbacks are directly related to the lack of a mirror. The relative novelty of mirrorless mean that manufacturers are still finding their feet, so there's less consistency of performance and behaviour across brands: ergonomics and user interface are still the subject of experimentation and not every company has worked out how to design lenses that autofocus quickly.
Furthermore, the need to constantly power the sensor and screen while shooting, combined with attempts to capitalize on the size benefits of mirrorless mean that battery life is much more limited on most mirrorless cameras - sometimes to a restrictive degree. We'd strongly recommend you read our reviews or roundups to find out about these details before making a purchase.
Most mirrorless cameras allow SLR lenses to be mounted using adapters. The Sony a7R II is the first that can autofocus other brands' DSLR lenses successfully.
Finally, of course, there's the absence of an optical viewfinder. While electronic viewfinders are constantly improving, aren't limited by the size of the image format and can more accurately preview the image you're going to get, most contemporary cameras' live view feeds still lag behind the action when continuous shooting. On top of that, some people simply prefer the 'part-of-the-scene' feeling that an optical finder gives. These factor, as much as the vast number of photographers already invested in DSLR systems, pretty much guarantees that mirrorless cameras won't totally replace the DSLR in the near future.
Just as mirrorless cameras have started to compete in areas the DSLRs have traditionally dominated, we've also seen DSLR makers beginning to respond to that challenge, with mirrorless-style on-sensor phase detection being added to offer a faster live view experience and better autofocus during video. As such, it's getting to the point that personal preference for one particular feature or one specific lens might sway your decision more than the presence or absence of a mirror in the camera. Whichever you choose, advances in technology and a broader range of choices can only be a good thing.
© 2015


Alterations in Bone Mineral Density in Marfan Syndrome and Homocystinuria
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Homocystinuria and Marfan syndrome represent distinct genetic conditions that share phenotypically similar skeletal features. An overview of the current understanding of genetic and physiologic contributing to the etiology of these conditions is summarized. The focus of this review is to explore the present understanding of the pathophysiology of Marfan syndrome and homocystinuria relative to the occurrence of osteoporosis in both conditions. Osteoporosis has been reported in association with homocystinuria. However, evidence supporting an association of osteoporosis with Marfan syndrome is equivocal and sources of ambiguity are critically reviewed. Advisability and approaches to bone mineral density monitoring in patients with Marfan syndrome or homocystinuria to inform clinical management are discussed. Finally, future research foci are proposed which will improve understanding of association of osteoporosis with Marfan syndrome or homocystinuria.


text:
Verida is Revolutionizing The Way Web3 Developers are Building dApps
The phrase Web3 was developed to represent the internet's progress. It is a concept of a decentralized web in which users have sovereignty over their data, identity, and destiny. The internet is in a continual state of evolution, and the decentralized web movement is one of the most prominent efforts to improve its position.
The Web3 internet, as opposed to the conventional current internet that relies on server-client connections, is made up of blockchains and distributed peer-to-peer networks. To deal with this new infrastructure, new ways of interacting and managing data in a decentralized setting will be needed. To address this, Verida is launching a decentralized data control system to revolutionize the way web3 developers can develop DApps. Moreover, Verida Protocol recently announced the Alpha Release of its application for Web3 developers. The Alpha Release of Verida is a concrete milestone for its privacy-preserving journey.
Understanding decentralized data control systems
By employing building methods that eliminate dependence on corrupted/censoring central authorities, completely new applications will be enabled. We use immutability and open economic incentive systems at Verida to create highly precise and verified data without relying on other parties.
Verida Protocol has demonstrated that an application can only succeed effectively with Web3 technology's decentralized data management and incentivisation methods.
The Web3 movement is the most promising chance at a decentralized internet since it seeks to create a more sophisticated infrastructure in which users can manage their information.Verida Protocol is dedicated to realizing this objective with its decentralized data solution for web3 developers.
The decentralized control system is superior since it reduces the computational burden and eliminates the need for communication between systems, making control more feasible and simple.
Verida's decentralized data control system utilises the following methods including incentives to deter some users from changing data without permission. The incentive mechanism may also be used to create and share information, as well as provide incentives for new contributors to generate and contribute content.
Secondly, a decentralized data storage solution in which each node has its own copy of the data. The system is designed to be publicly auditable and transparent, allowing all users to view the data transactions. Each transaction's validity is verified by the nodes' adherence to the regulations. The information is accessible to anybody with an internet connection, allowing for full transparency while preventing any single authority from tampering or fabricating data.
Lastly, a blockchain-based Identity Building Toolkit that uses a system of interconnected nodes. By using a distributed consensus protocol, each node has its own unique ID so that it may enter the network. This allows for the deconstruction of central authorities and also enables each node to have an individual identification. The decentralized system is entirely open and safe from corruption, owing to its transparent nature and immunity from manipulation.
A Protocol is designed for Web3 developers
The Verida protocol is aimed at developers, evangelists, and enthusiasts in the Web3 space. It was developed to work with many different layers, allowing for future integration into the internet. Its real-time incentive allows users to create DApps within minutes.
The Verida protocol enables blockchain developers to use a data storage system based on blockchain technology. The decentralized governance model allows them to choose their own algorithm or consensus mechanism, enabling complete decentralization.


Life-Cycle Hypothesis (LCH)
Definition of 'Life-Cycle Hypothesis (LCH)'
The Life-Cycle Hypothesis (LCH) is an economic theory that pertains to the spending and saving habits of people over the course of a lifetime. The concept was developed by Franco Modigliani and his student Richard Brumberg. LCH presumes that individuals base consumption on a constant percentage of their anticipated life income. An example supporting the hypothesis is that people save for retirement while they are earning a regular income (rather than spending it all when it is earned).
Investopedia explains 'Life-Cycle Hypothesis (LCH)'
The Life Cycle Hypothesis concludes that the average propensity to consume is greater in both young and aging individuals, since they are borrowing against future income (in the case of young individuals) or using savings (as with aging or retired individuals). Middle-aged people, on the other hand, have a greater propensity to save and a lower propensity to consume, enhanced by a typically higher income.
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Posted in: Back/lifting injuries, fatigue, In this week's e-newsletter, Injuries, Latest News & Views, Research on safety
How does a lack of sleep affect pain, and how does that pain, in turn, affect the ability to perform work tasks? New research has an answer to that question.
The study from the Harvard Center for Work, Health and Wellbeing, finds sleep deficiency (short sleep duration, insomnia symptoms, sleep insufficiency, or all three) impacts pain and difficulty performing work tasks due to that pain among hospital care workers.
This impact may affect productivity or the ability to perform demanding work such as patient handling.
Of 1572 respondents (90% women, average age 41), 57% reported sleep deficiency, 73% had pain in the last three months, 33% experienced work interference and 18% had functional limitation.
The study was funded by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). In a recent NIOSH blog post, it's noted that the results of this research are in agreement with other studies linking poor sleep and pain.
The importance of this study, particularly for the healthcare field, is magnified when the incidence of pain among workers in the industry is considered.
The annual incidence of back injury and pain among nurses ranges between 30% and 75%. Nursing aides suffer more days away from work for back pain than any other occupation.
What can employers do? The study has several recommendations:
- increase flexibility on shift length and timing, and
- educate workers on the important associations between sleep, musculoskeletal disorders and pain.
Previous studies show 30% of civilian employees reported they get less than six hours of sleep per night. The National Sleep Foundation recommends adults get seven to nine hours of sleep daily. Among healthcare and social assistance workers, 52% of night shift workers reported sleep deprivation. Among people who work more than 40 hours a week, 36% don't get the recommended amount of sleep.
Has your company adjusted work schedules to help employees get enough sleep? Do you educate workers about proper sleep? Let us know in the comments box below.


Overflow (software)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
This article is about the fluid dynamics simulation software. For other uses, see Overflow (disambiguation).
Overflow (software)
SSLV ascent.jpg
This image depicts the flowfield around the Space Shuttle Launch Vehicle traveling at Mach 2.46 and at an altitude of 66,000 feet (20,000 m). The surface of the vehicle is colored by the pressure coefficient, and the gray contours represent the density of the surrounding air, as calculated using the OVERFLOW codes.
Original author(s) Pieter Buning, Dennis Jespersen, others
Developer(s) NASA
Stable release 2.1 / 1 August 2008; 7 years ago (2008-08-01)
Platform Unix like
Website people.nas.nasa.gov/~pulliam/Overflow/Overflow_Manuals.html
OVERFLOW - the OVERset grid FLOW solver - is a software package for simulating fluid flow around solid bodies using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). It is a compressible 3-D flow solver that solves the time-dependent, Reynolds-averaged, Navier-Stokes equations using multiple overset structured grids.
OVERFLOW was developed as part of a collaborative effort between NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas and NASA Ames Research Center (ARC) in Moffett Field, California. The driving force behind this work was the need for evaluating the flow about the Space Shuttle launch vehicle. Originally developed in the early 1990s by NASA's Pieter Buning, Dennis Jespersen and others, the code is an outgrowth of earlier codes F3D and ARC3D, and a result of ARC's long history of flow-solver development.[1]
Scientists use OVERFLOW to better understand the aerodynamic forces on a vehicle by evaluating the flowfield surrounding the vehicle. While wind tunnel testing provides limited data at many flow conditions, CFD simulations provide detailed information about selected conditions, and also provide a distribution of forces on the vehicle, aiding in structural design.
OVERFLOW has also been used to simulate the effect of debris on the space shuttle launch vehicle.[2]
See also[edit]
External links[edit]


- Muzyczne nośniki pamięci kulturowej w poezji Jana Lechonia
Muzyczne nośniki pamięci kulturowej w poezji Jana Lechonia
DOI: _URL_
Łukasz Piaskowski
Google Scholar Łukasz Piaskowski
Prace Literackie Tom 59 (2019)
Strony od 79 do 97
Jan Lechoń was a poet who actively used memory motifs in his works. These threads were very often correlated with musical and sound themes. First, this article is an attempt to show how Lechoń constructed specific models of cultural memory, in which musical reminiscences played an important role. Secondly, the text shows a lot of evidence that the main method of building musical and literary dependencies that Lechoń used was the Musicality II specified by Andrzej Hejmej, consisting in treating music as an element of a larger topic. Music in Lechoń's poetry is not always treated as a value in itself. The poet often treats music, e.g. the theme of a concert or playing an instrument, as a pretext to show other content, especially those that are important to Polish cultural memory.
Pobierz artykuł PDF


text:
Body Language Across Different Cultures
A signal for "Ok" can be expressed in many different ways on planet Earth with its diverse set of cultures.
It is sometimes critical to know such variations specially if you are likely to find yourself in high-stakes meetings with international businesspeople. Although bear in mind that due to the disruptive effect of Internet as a technology and today's globalised communication, many people are aware of body language signals of other countries, especially body language of those that are culturally more dominant. This globalisation means that a thumbs-up icon used to "like" something on a Facebook page will not confuse or potentially offend some of its one billion global users.
In this body language guide, you will find a list of non-verbal signals and their interpretation by various nations. Remember, gestures can be context sensitive overriding national meanings. For example, in underwater diving, a thumbs up means "I am stopping my dive and I am going to ascend". If you are a new diver and see someone do a thumbs-up, and you happen to be British, resist the urge to do a thumbs-up back thinking that you are saying you are Ok too. The other person may think you want to stop your dive and ascend too!
In the following guide, several gestures are examined. For each gesture, you can see various countries' interpretation of it along with differences among nations. Use these to increase your awareness of body language signals and reduce the likelihood of offending or getting offended by others.
UK, US, Germany, New Zealand:
These people shake hands on meeting and on departure. If two people know each other, sometimes the handshake is skipped.
France and most other European cultures:
Even if they know each other well, people from these cultures will still hand shake on meeting and departure. It is more common to handshake several times a day even with the same person.
India, Middle East, Asia:
People from these nations may continue to hold your hand after the handshake is finished. It is also more frequent and can happen several times a day.
This type of bodily contact is considered impolite and is replaced by a bow. The depth of the bow shows the amount of respect shown and indicates the relative status between the two. Detecting bow strength may require years of experience, so a simple bow by a foreigner is usually adequate.
Hand Shaking Pumping Frequency
French and Germans:
1 or 2 pumps
3 to 5 pumps
5 to 7 pumps
Frequent but less firm.
The difference between hand shake pump frequency means that a French man with one pump might find an American handshake too overwhelming and an American might find the French too cold.
In most of the world:
This means "yes"
"Yes, I understand", or, "Yes, please continue", but not necessarily, "Yes, I agree"
Parts of India:
Head is moved (tilted) side-to-side to show agreement.
Showing Soles of Feet
In many Asian and Arab countries:
This is considered rude as is usually translated to "I find you lower than what I walk on".
Cheek Kissing and Hugging
This is standard greeting whether the other person is known or not. It is however less common in professional settings. Men kiss women and women kiss women. Men kissing men varies between countries and within countries. It also depends if the other person is a family member. Hugging is popular between the sexes, between two women as well as between two men.
Netherlands, Switzerland and France:
Women kiss men and Women. Men prefer to handshake rather than kiss men, except kissing father and close friends or if they have not seen a friend for a long time.
Cheek kissing is not as common as it is in the southern parts of Europe though it is practiced for greetings between the sexes and between women. Cheek kissing between two men is unusual.
Air kissing is becoming ever more popular. Air kissing is kissing near the cheek in the air while cheeks may touch or not.
Kissing between men and women is considered inappropriate if the two are not married or closely related. Kiss of the cheek is common among same sex people when greeting.
Cheek kissing is widely practiced including men to men unless they are getting introduced for the first time.
Note: Generally, the larger a nation the more likely that attitude to kissing varies within the country. The custom is usually different depending on which city or area a person comes from. Kiss frequency is perhaps one of the most difficult gestures to memorise and remember across all nations and regions.
The O ring
It is considered rude (Meaning "A***hole")
Means "Ok", "All right mate", "See you later mate", "Brilliant"
West Africa, parts of South America:
Obscene sign meaning "Up yours pal!"
Traditionally interpreted as an obscene sign similar to the middle finger in the western world.
"Very good", "Perfect"
"Good to go", "Brilliant"
Germany, Italy, Hungry, Greece:
"Ok", "No. 1"
"You are number 1"
"Good", "Fingers crossed"
The V Sign (Back of Hand Shown to Observer)
UK, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand and South Africa:
Considered an insult.
The rest of the World:
Generally interpret this gesture the same as the V sign with palm shown to observer.
The V Sign (Palm Shown to Observer)
Most of the world if used:
Two, Victory, Peace
In general, members of some countries prefer not to touch each other as a sign of respect while in some other nations touching is practiced often and is used to strengthen social bonds.
UK, Japan, Germany, US, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Northern Europe, Portugal:
Don't like to touch
Spain, India, Iran, France, Turkey, Greece, Arabs, Some parts of Asia, Italy, Russia:
Like to touch


text:
Scrambled Eggs Beef and Cheese.
You can cook Scrambled Eggs Beef and Cheese using 8 ingredients and 4 steps. Here is how you cook it.
Ingredients of Scrambled Eggs Beef and Cheese
- It's 1/2 cup of dried beef.
- Prepare 1 cup of tomatoes.
- Prepare 1/4 cup of grated cheese.
- Prepare 2 tablespoons of butter.
- Prepare of Paprika.
- It's 3 of eggs.
- It's of Black pepper.
- You need of Few grains red pepper.
Scrambled Eggs Beef and Cheese step by step
- Chop beef heat over hot water.
- Heat tomatoes add cheese butter seasoning well beaten eggs and later beef.
- Cook until eggs are creamy but not dry.
- Serve on hot buttered toast.


Repair DIY: How to Fix Your Windows & Door Screens
by Darren Gibson 07/26/2020
Photo by Chris Thornton from Pexels
Thanks to screens, we can enjoy being outdoors without all the dirt and insects. Open windows let the breeze in without letting in anything else, and we can picnic on our screened-in porches without the bug spray. Screens can generally take a lot of wear and tear, but when subjected to winds, weather, and contact with people and pets, they start to break down. Fortunately, they are often easy to repair without costly maintenance. In fact, window and door screen repairs can be straightforward DIY projects.
Screens usually come in either aluminum or fiberglass material. Either of these can be patched if the damage is minor, such as a rip or hole just a few inches in length. Hardware stores sell kits specific to the screen's make and material for patching small holes. Alternately if you have spare screen fabric on-hand you can construct and apply a patch yourself. Start by cutting an even shape around the rip, like a square or rectangle. Place a piece of waxed paper under the hole so the adhesive does not stick to your workspace. Dab a light layer of an adhesive like super glue or rubber-based glue along the edge of the hole--you could use a toothpick or small paintbrush for this step. Cut a patch out of your roll of spare screen that is about a half-inch larger than the hole. Center the patch over the hole and press it onto the cut edges of the hole, allow to dry completely.
If the damage is larger or if you would just prefer to replace the entire screen, this won't cost you much time or effort either.
 1. Locate a clear, flat workspace and lay the screen down flat. Use a flat instrument like a flathead screwdriver to remove the rubber screen retainer spline from the screen's frame so you can remove the old screen. Check to see if the spline is visibly cracked or weathered. If it is, replace it along with the screen material.
 2. Measure the screen then cut the replacement screen to size using tin cutters or heavy-duty scissors. Allow yourself a few extra inches on each side to make installation a little easier.
 3. Center the new screen on the frame and pull it tight over the frame edges. Secure it in place with strong tape.
 4. Using a screen spline roller tool, fit the screen firmly down into the indentation on the frame while pulling it taut, then use the tool to push the rubber spline back into the indentation over the new screen. Once the spline rests tightly down in the indentation, closely trim any excess screen around all the edges.
If you are constructing a porch or outdoor kitchen and planning for a large amount of screen, you may want to consider using thin posts or vertical slats between large screen 'windows' instead of expanses of uninterrupted screen. This lets you take down individual screens to repair or replace instead of more costly, larger-scale fixes.
About the Author
Darren Gibson
Welcome to the blog site of Darren Gibson, your Number 1 Real Estate Professional serving in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia.


New Asbestos Removal Method Discovered
Researchers in the United Kingdom are currently working on removing all of the left over asbestos in mines across the world. Not only would the method rapidly reduce the amount of asbestos, it would also reduce the amount of carbon in the air.
 Jenine McCutcheon, a geomicrobiologist at the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom, has been working alongside colleagues to create a method of turning the left over mined asbestos into carbonate rock. Using bacterial mats, McCutcheon is hoping that she can speed up the natural process of asbestos turning into carbonate rock.
 As this process is completely natural, McCutcheon states, "we are looking to accelerate this process and transition it from a pile of asbestos waste to a deposit of carbonate mineral which is completely harmless."
 As of now, these piles of mined asbestos fibers can absorb the carbon from carbon dioxide containing water and turn into harmless carbonate rock piles in around a year or so. However, without the help from humans, not all of the asbestos have a chance to completely become carbonate. In these asbestos piles, water must reach the asbestos for them to become carbonate. Large amounts of asbestos stay at the bottom of the piles, never coming into contact with rainwater and not becoming carbonate.
 McCutcheon has devised a system of using cyanobacteria to concentrate more carbon into these asbestos piles and ensuring all of them can become carbonate. According to McCutcheon, cyanobacteria "are really good at concentrating carbon from the atmosphere because unlike most bacteria, they photosynthesize and absorb carbon dioxide during that process. They collect it, they concentrate it, and when they die, they are decomposed by other bacteria, and that replenishes the supply of dissolved carbon in solution."
 With this method, mines across the world could be ridded of asbestos.
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text: Tic-Tac-Toe is a Design Studies tutorial that explores strategies and methods of approaching and revealing design thinking. Over one semester we explore 9 propositions that form alternatives to the status quo and offer ways to challenge design strategy. These tactics are a random selection of 9 – yet they offer a discourse on how we might interrogate the ideas we assume are critical to the essence of design action: The 9 tactics explored Generosity, Empathy, ReUse, Repair, Culturing, Play, Futuring, Co-working, and finally Making. At the end of 12 weeks each participant proposed a tactic that offered an alternative to an already understood design thinking practice. This reveals how this might be demonstrated in a project.This a a compilation of propositional design tactics proposed by the participants of the Tic-Tac-Toe, design Studies Tutorial.


Baked Recipes
Recipe: Yummy Pizza Overload
Pizza Overload.
Pizza Overload You can have Pizza Overload using 10 ingredients and 4 steps. Here is how you achieve that.
Ingredients of Pizza Overload
 1. It's 1 cup of flour.
 2. It's 2 of egg.
 3. You need 1 tsp of sugar.
 4. You need 1 of little bit salt.
 5. You need of Melted butter.
 6. It's 1 tsp of yeast, soak in water.
 7. It's Half of pack bacon.
 8. Prepare 1 can of pineapple tidbits.
 9. It's of Cheese.
 10. Prepare of Tomato sauce.
Pizza Overload step by step
 1. In a bowl mix flour, salt and sugar mix well. Then pour yeast, egg, melted butter then mix well. Then start to knead.
 2. After kneading place in a bowl and cover the dough. Let it rise for an hour.
 3. After an hour, knead dough again then form into a ball and start to form into a pizza or round..
 4. Brush tomato sauce on the surface then add all the toppings. Pre heat oven at 250c then bake for 18 mins.
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text:
Monday, May 24 at 10 p.m. – A Place Out of Time – The Bordentown School
(Rochester, NY) – For a 70-year period, from _PHONE_, when America cared little about education for African Americans and discrimination was both law and custom, the Bordentown School in Bordentown, New Jersey, was an educational utopia. An incubator for black pride and intellect, the school taught values, discipline and life skills to generations of African-American children. A Place Out of Time – The Bordentown School, airing Monday, May 24 at 10 p.m. on WXXI-TV (DT 21.1/cable 1011 and 11), tells the story of this remarkable institution through its alumni, scholars and historians, and a treasure trove of archival footage and photographs. Actress Ruby Dee narrates.
A Place Out of Time chronicles the birth, growth and decline of the last all-black, publicly funded co-educational boarding school north of the Mason-Dixon line. The film is also a chronicle of black education in America across three centuries, a rarely seen inside portrait of a separate black space and a historical preface to the growing national discussion about historically black institutions and their roles in nurturing both identity and personal accomplishment.
In its prime, Bordentown was called "The Tuskegee of the North," after Booker T. Washington's famous Alabama educational institute. Students at Bordentown trained in a variety of marketable trades, from agriculture to domestic science, and were schooled in both academic and social skills. With a 400-acre Georgian-style campus, Bordentown could easily be mistaken for an elite private school. Yet it was operated by the State of New Jersey, which closed it in 1955, after the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision.
"It is astounding how, in a few short years, the image of Bordentown changed in the public consciousness," producer Dave Davidson says. "In a very turbulent decade, it went from being perceived as an educational utopia to a Jim Crow school."
A Place Out of Time examines the ramifications of the school's closure (it's used now as a juvenile detention facility, an ironic fact revealed in the final frames of the documentary) and considers the value of an education that includes manual training and physical labor, practiced on a daily basis in the service of one's community. The story is as timely today as ever, with public education in the U.S. — especially for many African-Americans — under increasing scrutiny and pressure to change. Bordentown was an educational experiment that succeeded in the face of institutionalized racism, limited resources and political interference many African-Americans — under increasing scrutiny and pressure to change. Bordentown was an educational experiment that succeeded in the face of institutionalized racism, limited resources and political interference.
A Place Out of Time examines the social, political and historical forces that forged the school's creation and ascent: the violent backlash against post-Civil War Reconstruction reforms; the Great Migration; the myth and reality of "separate but equal"; the opposing educational philosophies of Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois; the Harlem Renaissance; and the birth of the civil rights movement. It explores the causes of Bordentown's eventual demise, triggered by the same advocates for equality and social justice who had supported it a few years before.
On one level, the film maps the history of black education in America and the struggle for equal opportunity in the classroom and beyond. This "big picture" is painted by two of the country's leading scholars — David Levering Lewis, Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer of W.E.B. DuBois, and Clement Price, a highly honored professor at Rutgers University and an expert in New Jersey's black history.
On another level, the film is deeply personal, as the life stories and memories of Bordentown alumni weave throughout the narrative. Viewers meet the alumni as they prepare for a bittersweet school reunion on the campus 50 years after the final class graduated. The students at Bordentown came from diverse backgrounds and circumstances, but were all equals in the school's safe space. Standards were high, discipline was strict and the human bonds were deep and nurturing. As one alumna says, "They cuddled us. And they kicked us in the butt when it was necessary."
Bordentown was a unique institution, but it was also an archetype of many historically black organizations in the 19th and 20th centuries. Its closure in 1955 was, on the surface, triggered by Brown v. Board of Education; as a public school it could not continue to exist legally as a segregated institution. Attempts by the state to integrate the school — considered half-hearted and insincere — failed. And while the decision to shut it down was mourned by Bordentown's students and faculty, it was cheered by the black press and many black leaders who had been agitating against the school as a shameful vestige of Jim Crow.
Pictured: A teacher and his students at the Bordentown School
Credit: State of New Jersey
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Found something really weird today… a 10-foot tall calculator…. made entirely out of K'NEX.
No digital display. No abacus. Just K'NEX:
The thing works by dropping nine balls into the top of the unit. Four balls for the first number (that's binary allowing up to the number 15), one ball for the operation (add or subtract) and four balls for the last number. The balls then drop through a series of tracks and logical gates to calculate a final answer.
The most interesting part is how they duplicate the logical gates by controlling how the balls flow. A normal logical gate, say an AND gate, only will produce output when both inputs are true. So they figured out a way to make a physical AND gate drop the ball only when two balls are input to the gate. This is how they got a completely mechanical, non-electrical unit to do such calculations. Yes, this is how we did it ages ago, and really how we learned to do what we know as computing today.
But for a hopeless geek like me, this is crazy cool.


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How are these scams organized?
According to an article from the French Ministry of Labour, Employment and Integration, people are approaching CPF account holders, and they inform them of a risk of theft of personal data, loss of training credit or a balance to be paid for a training course outside the secure area of the mon compte formation website.
The aim of these scams is to steal personal or professional information in order to make fraudulent use of it.
By collecting personal information, these people gain access to mon compte formation account of the individual's and therefore to their CPF funds. They can then use the available funds to enroll in fictitious training courses provided by fake organizations created for these scams. Training courses on starting a business or upgrading foreign languages are particularly prone to this type of fraud.
How to avoid these scams?
To avoid being hacked, adopt the right reflexes:
- Never communicate your personal and/or professional data, whether it be your social security number, email, login ID, date and place of birth, etc.
- Create your personal training account yourself and remember that no professional is authorized to do this for you.
- Secure your CPF account with a complex password.
- Never click on a questionable link and check the website address on your browser.
- In case of doubt, contact the CPF customer relations department directly.


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1.5 cm in mature plant height.
4. Understand that patterns of association can also be seen in bivariate categorical data by displaying frequencies and relative frequencies in a two-way table. Construct and interpret a two-way table summarizing data on two categorical variables collected from the same subjects. Use relative frequencies calculated for rows or columns to describe possible association between the two variables. For example, collect data from students in your class on whether or not they have a curfew on school nights and whether or not they have assigned chores at home. Is there evidence that those who have a curfew also tend to have chores?
Learn more about our online math practice software.


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It is thought to have looked likeIt doesn't quite look like this today! The left sideThe royal family residenceMiddle to late period preclassic figurines ( 650 B.C.-250 A.D.) are solid and were likely used in worshipThis mask was discovered in a garbage dump near Baking Pot. It shows a post classic (_PHONE_ A.D.) Maya god called Ek Chuah, the patron of merchants and travellersThere are 4 periods in Maya history: Preclassic period (300 B.C. To A.D. 300), the Classic period ( 300 to 900 A.D.) the Postclassic period (A.D. 900 to 1500) and the Colonial Period (_PHONE_ A.D.).
During the Classic period, Maya communities continued to grow and prosper. By 800 A.D., the Maya population was 1 million, more than today! During the Postclassic period, Maya rulers no longer enjoyed godly stature and power and there are fewer carved monuments. During the Colonial period, the Spanish had arrived and soon dominated. Spanish friars went into the interior to convert the Maya to Catholicism. In 1697, the last Maya settlement, Flores Guatemala, was "conquered" by the friars and foreign diseases had all but wiped out the Maya.
After, I walked to the San Ignacio Resort Hotel to see iguanas at the Green Iguana Conservation Project. Since Nigel, my guide, first started here 2 years ago, he has released 215, mainly to prevent incest. Incest bred babies have two tails, a couple heads and are not able to survive. Today there are 50 iguanas at the project.
This bright green iguana is 8 months old and the same size it was at birthGnome is 9 years old and 5 feet longStar Gazer is mentally challenged. He's 7 years old, has poor balance and is an epilepticDid you know...
- If they lose their tail, through a bite during a fight, it only takes 6-12 months to regenerate, however, it will grow back without stripes.
- The tail is 60% of their body weight.
- They use their tails like a propellor for swimming, for defence and for balance.
- They grow to a length of 6.5 feet.
- The green iguana dates from 1758.
- The males have 2 penises! The females lift either their right or left leg and that determines which penis is used. Sometimes males mate with 2 females at the same time!
- They have 3 eyes. The 2 on the sides see color but the one on the top only sees light, shadows and 18 degrees. It's good for spotting birds that might be swooping down for supper.
- Green iguanas are vegetarians and black iguanas are omnivores.
- Iguanas become sexually mature at 5 years. Females are pregnant for 2 months with 20-90 eggs. After 2 months, they put their eggs in holes 6 - 10 feet deep. It takes another 3 months for them to hatch. 80% will hatch in the wild but only 10% make it to maturity (5 years). At the project, 80% hatch and 50-60% make it to maturity.
- Males turn orange during mating and females turn green. November to February is mating season.
- Males have harems: up to 15 females!
- They shed their skin, piece by piece, every month.
- They live 25 years in the wild, 35 in captivity.
- Iguanas are highly threatened because they're eaten as "Bamboo Chicken" or "Chicken of the Trees".
- Apples give them diahrea and bananas make them sneeze.
- Iguanas are often killed during their fertility period because the eggs are used as an aphrodisiac.
The neck piece, called a dewlap is used by both males and females to sexually attract the otherToday was cool, so the iguanas were not eating. They are cold to touch and hold but as we held them and they heated up, they suddenly had the desire to eat-
I had a great day and was super enthralled with the iguanas! Not sure what I'll do tomorrow, maybe nothing!


[squeak-dev] Re: Generators in Smalltalk??
Ralph Boland rpboland at gmail.com
Wed Feb 10 20:04:28 UTC 2010
(Warning, long post)
I do not understand all the commotion over generators.
If a Collection class cannot do what you want, use a Stream.
Take a read only Stream and subclass from it a class called GenMyData.
Inside GenMyData write code that generates the data you
need on the fly and feeds it to the user upon request using
the ReadStream interface.
Perhaps there should be an Abstract class "Generator" that
is a subclass of Stream to provide some generic generator functionality.
What exactly do Python generators provide that my proposal does not?
And is not my interface cleaner?
And more adaptable?
We could generalize this idea to that of a Pipe. A Pipe would be
a generalization (subclass) of a ReadWriteStream. A Pipe can accept
data using the WriteStream interface. The Pipe
can then process the data in some way and then feed the result
to the user upon request using the ReadStream interface.
A pipe is more complicated than a generator because it needs to
be able to block. If data is being fed into it but not being taken out
then eventually it may fill up. Similarly, if data is being removed
from it, then it may run out of data and again need to block.
Blocking may mean a process blocks or it may mean sending a message
to another pipe to send or accept data. I have not worked out the details.
Given how useful pipes are in Linux, I think a Generic Pipe class
would be VERY useful. Of particular use would be operators such
as '<<', '||', '>>', and tee. These operators would provide functionality
similar to what Linux does with pipes.
The '<<' operator would pass the argument (a ReadStream, Generator,
or Pipe) to the receiver which would use it as if it were a ReadStream.
The '>>' operator would pass the argument (a WriteStream or Pipe)
to the receiver which would use it as if it were a WriteStream.
I guess we need another concept here, the reverse of a generator, which accepts
data like a WriteStream, does some processing with the data, and keeps
the result.
Let's call this an Absorber.
The '||' operator (assuming that receiver is a ReadStream, Generator,
or Pipe) requires that the argument to be a WriteStream, Absorber, or Pipe.
The result of the operation is an Absorber, a Generator, or a Pipe depending
upon the classes of the receiver and operand.
If the receiver is a Generator (or ReadStream)
and the argument is an Absorber (or WriteSteam)
then the actual calculation is triggered and the result is an Absorber
(or WriteStream) which holds the final result of the computation.
Actually, whenever the first argument is a Generator (or ReadStream), the
computation could be triggered but it would eventually block if the second
argument is a Pipe.
The Tee class is a generalization (subclass) of class Pipe. it is
instanciated with a
collection argument where the elements of the collection are WriteStreams,
Absorbers, Pipes, or Tees. The Tee class will forward the results of its
computation to each of the elements of the collection.
I suppose there could be the reverse of a Tee, ReverseTee,
which accepts input from any of a collection of ReadStreams, Pipes, or
ReadStreams, Generators, and Pipes have a method tee: aCollection
which creates a Tee instance and connects it to the receiver.
I am sure there are numerous objects that make sense as Generators, Absorbers
and Pipes. For example Random number generators should be Generators.
Wow! Wasn't that insightful!
e.g. An instances of class Prime could be a Generator from which prime numbers
can be fetched. It would store the first 10,000 primes, say,
and generate further primes requested on demand.
e.g. Class PrimeFactors could be instanciated with a number which the instance
factors. The instance would be a Generator from which can be fetched
the factors of the initial number in sorted order.
e.g. An instance of Class Sum could be an Absorber that stores the sum of the
objects (numbers, vectors, matrices, etc.) fed to it.
e.g. An instance of Class TextToLines could be a Pipe which acts like a
WriteSteam of text and a ReadStream of lines of text.
That is, it is fed text one character at a time and
the same text can be fetched from it one line at a time.
Is that is confusing? I think some terminology needs to be standardized
here so we know what we are talking about.
I have always wanted to implement Pipes in Smalltalk but have never found the
time. I think it could be a fun project and VERY useful.
Exercise: Write code in Smalltalk to copy a file to another file assuming the
first file exists and is readable and the second file can be created
and written.
That is, ignore any error possibilities.
Then do the same exercise using a pipe. (Don't implement the '||' operator,
we only want to look at the code to see which is simpler.
You could create an infinite loop by linking a sequence of pipes into a loop.
Is this always a bug?
How would the computation be triggered in this case?
Is the hierarchy all wrong?
Should Absorber and Generator be subclasses of Pipe (i.e. pipes with
some functionality removed?) and ReadStreams and WriteStreams be
subclasses of Generator and Absorber respectively. This is reopening
the controversy of what is the best hierarchy for stream only worse. :-(
Pragmatically speaking, I think Absorbers, Generators, and Pipes, should
have a separate hierarchy than Streams but, of course, share interface.
So whatayaall think?
Frankly I think the biggest problem is that pipes would be altogether too
convenient; they would encourage writing code that is easy to write but
have too high an overhead because of the need to deal with blocking.
That is, pipes require good judgment, or that performance not be an issue.
If your code is too slow and some pipes you are using is the problem then
rewrite that code, perhaps avoiding the pipes.
While I do not have the time to do this project on my own
I could probably spare some time to help out if a group
could form to do this. Besides I am sure other could add much insight.
Note that this project involves more than creating the Abstract classes
Generator, Absorber and Pipe. These three classes would be the
head of Class hierarchies just like Stream is.
I don't know what the subclasses would be though.
Pipe might have a subclass BufferedPipe.
Also, I hasten to point out that many classes would simply implement the
Pipe, Generator, or Absorber interface and not actually be subclasses
of either of these classes.
Interesting question: Are there classes in Squeak that implement the
ReadStream, WriteStream, or ReadWriteStream interfaces now but are not
a subclasses of these classes?
If not, should there be?
That is, are there classes in Squeak that should implement these interfaces?
In the Java world, Pipe, Generator, and Absorber would be Interfaces.
I don't like Java much but Interfaces I liked.
Regards, to those of you still here.
Ralph Boland
Had a wife and kids in Florida, Jack (Nicklaus)
Went out for a "ride" but I couldn't get back
As a ten timer being hunted down
When the wife found out who I was knowing (biblically speaking)
I hit a hydrant and I just kept going (till I hit a tree).
More information about the Squeak-dev mailing list


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Hi community. I finished a new demo about normal mapping using DirectX 11.
When we apply a brick texture to a cone shaped column, the specular
highlights looks unnaturally smooth compared to the bumpiness of the
brick texture. This is because the underlying mesh geometry is smooth,
and we have merely applied the image of bumpy bricks over the smooth
cylindrical surface. However, the lighting calculations are performed
based on the mesh geometry (in particular the interpolated vertex
normals), and not the texture image. Thus the lighting is not completely
consistent with the texture.
The strategy of normal mapping is to texture our polygons with normal
maps. We then have per-pixel normals which capture the fine details of a
surface like bumps, scratches and crevices. We then use these per-pixel
normals from the normal map in our lighting calculations, instead of
the interpolated vertex normal.
A normal map is a texture, but instead of storing RGB data at each texel,
we store a compressed x-coordinate, y-coordinate and z-coordinate in
the red component, green component, and blue component, respectively.
These coordinates define a normal vector, thus a normal map stores a
normal vector at each pixel.
To generate normal maps we can use a NVIDIA Photoshop Plugin or CrazyBump software.
The coordinates of the normals in a normal map are relative to the
texture space coordinate system. Consequently, to do lighting
calculations, we need to transform the normal from the texture space to
the world space so that the lights and normals are in the same
coordinate system. The TBN-bases (Tangent, Bitangent, Normal) built at
each vertex facilitates the transformation from texture space to world
Introduction to 3D Game programming using DirectX 11.
Real Time Rendering


A Genetic Test for Suicide Risk
Suicide runs in families, and that's why the U.S. Centers for Disease Control lists "family history" as the number one risk factor for suicide. Now biotech companies have taken this information seriously enough to investigate the heritable component of suicide, and develop a genetic test for it.
Antonio Regalato writes in Technology Review:
The Sundance test rests on research findings reported by the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry in 2012. The German researchers, based in Munich, scanned the genes of 898 people taking antidepressants and identified 79 genetic markers they claimed together had a 91 percent probability of correctly predicting "suicidal ideation," or imagining the act of suicide.
As researchers dig into the genetic roots of the problem, they're also finding that suicide isn't the result of psychological difficulties like depression. Regalato continues:
Altogether, epidemiologists believe that 30 percent to 55 percent of the risk that someone takes their own life is inherited, and the risk isn't linked to any specific mental illness, like depression or schizophrenia.
What this means is that it's possible a person might have a predisposition for suicide, but not for depression — and vice versa.
Scientists warn that there may never be a genetic test for suicide risk. But the better we understand what drives people to suicide, the closer we get to figuring out how best to intervene and offer help before it's too late.
Read the full article at Technology Review


AR Conference
From Wikiversity
Jump to navigation Jump to search
AR.js Example with Kanji Marker with Water Molecule as 3D object
Kanji Marker[1] for AR.js - places the animated 3D model of an AR Conference participant on the marker in camera image. Users can place the participants according to the markers in the camera image.
Joseph Gatt wearing the Mo-Cap suit for Kratos during production of God of War II and III in April 2010
Two repetitions of a walking sequence recorded using a motion-capture system[2]. Watch the reference points and regard the reference point for the moving body as input stream of an AR conference to place the member of the conference in the room and assign the real movements of the AR conference participant on the AR model in AR conference.
This learning resource is about the requirements and constraints of Augmented Reality (AR) Conferences.
Objective[edit | edit source]
The learning resouce elaborates on basic concepts of AR conferences, requirements and constraints within the use of web-based technologies. The AR conference should be usable in low-bandwidth environments is available.
History of Learning Resource[edit | edit source]
The concept of the learning resource was driven by use of standard video conferencing systems in times of COVID-19 and missing physical presence in lecture room, where you can look around and watching the different participants speak or other students in the seminar room or classroom. Learning environment using video conference are screen focused, while classroom or seminar room is an open space where learners interact with material in room look at eachother while interacting with the learning environment. This comparison of the real classroom situation and learning environment with a video conference leads to this learning environment about Augmented Reality Conferences
Requirements and Constraints[edit | edit source]
 - the learning resource follows the Open Community Approach and share the content of the learning resource on Wikiversity and
 - uses OpenSource to implement prototypes and small test scenarios to explore the basic constitutent of AR conferences
Learning Tasks[edit | edit source]
 - (3D Modelling) Explore the learning resource about 3D Modelling and learn about basic concepts of generating 3D models of the lecture room or classroom
 - (3D Design of Classrooms) Explore the OpenSource software Sweet Home 3D for generating the classroom in 3D.
 - (Augmented Reality with Markers) Assume that all participants are in larger room, which is sufficient for 5 participants. Explore marker based Augmented Reality and assume that you place a marker for all of the 5 people and everyone places the marker at a chair for the camera position or the position of the single participant in the room. Assume that the face animation of the remote participant is displayed on the marker in room and the other participants wear a head mounted display for the web-based application (e.g. with AR.js) so the other people are projected into the real camera image.
 - (Audio-Video-Compression) Analyze the learning resource about Audio-Video-Compression and identify possibilty to reduce the bandwidth, e.g. using a GIF animation for silence and talking projected on a plane in the Aframe model.
 - Use silence detection in the audio stream to select which GIF animation is displayed in the Aframe plane of the AR.js environment.
 - 3D modelling needs a lot of client performance of rendering photo realistic faces. Therefore we use in the learning resource GIF animation of short videostream.
 - Assume you have multiple GIF animations for different emotions. Is is possible to detect emotions in an audio stream and display the appropriate GIF animation in AFrame model for the AR conference.
 - Assume you use phonem recognition and transmit just the phonem sequence in low-bandwidth enviroments, how do you use the animation features in Aframe model the mouth appropriate for the speaking the words e.g. the "o" in "onion" or the "sh" in "shark".
 - (Motion Capture) Motion capturing is a standard method of transfering movements of an actor to an digital model (e.g. a robot, an fictional character in a movie, a dinosaur,...). How can motion capturing be used in Open Source software. Assume you transmit the position of markers on the face instead of the real camera image. What is the compression rate roughly for an HD video stream?
 - (Read Words from Face Expression) Some people that have difficulties to hear someone speaking have the skill to read the spoken word from the face. How can this expertise be used for improving speech recognition and sending the recognized word instead of the audio stream. How this feature be used for supporting handicapped people in AR video conference?
 - (AR Conference on Mars) We use the remote location on planet Mars to explain the concept of Augmented Reality video conference in the context of a learning environments. Assume we use a Mars rover with a stereoscopic 360-Degree image (for visual information for left and right eye).
 - 5 learners and a teacher can meet in physical room (Greenbox) with Motion Capture option of the 6 people in the green room. All people in the room wear a head mounted display and the green screen method will replace the background with a real 360 degree image from the mars (keep in mind the 8min latency from Mars to Earth).
 - Now we replace the real stereoscopic camera image from the Mars rover with 3D model of the Mars surface (see Digital Elevation Model (DEM)). Now teachers and learners can jump to different location on the Mars explore surfaces and the Modelling allows to view the situation on Mars when water was available on Mars.
Transfer the remote AR conference on Mars to an island that is affected from climate change and learner can explore the situation on that island in an AR conference. Compare AR conference with a real visit on that island and talking to people, that live on that island and where exposed to rising sea level. Discuss also the carbon footprint of learning environments.
 - (Mathematical Modelling) This learning task was created for learners with a mathematical background. Assume you have a body position encoded with 25 points and 25 frames per seconds. Every point
with and
consists of a and coordinate. One single coordinate is represented by a real value (stored as float variable in a programming language). The movement is recorded for 4 sec (i.e. 100 frames). Calculate the number of real values that you need to encode the body movement 4 sec. Compare the required storage to the storage of the whole body surface encoded as 3D points. What are the benefits and drawback of such an encoding? How would you apply that on facial motion capture of an AR Conference?
See also[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
 1. Kanji Marker provided by ARToolkit on Github (accessed 2017/12/12) -
 2. Olsen, NL; Markussen, B; Raket, LL (2018), "Simultaneous inference for misaligned multivariate functional data", Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series C, 67 (5): 1147–76, arXiv:1606.03295, doi:10.1111/rssc.12276


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Related: Wikipedia article on the Vix Grave. Covered elsewhere: Greeks uncorked French passion for wine.
Ancient Greeks introduced wine to France, Cambridge study reveals
The original makers of Côtes-du-Rhône are said to have descended from Greek explorers who settled in southern France about 2500 years ago, it claimed.
The study, by Prof Paul Cartledge, suggested the world's biggest wine industry might never have developed had it not been for a "band of pioneering Greek explorers" who settled in southern France around 600 BC.
His study appears to dispel the theory that it was the Romans who were responsible for bringing viticulture to France.
The study found that the Greeks founded Massalia, now known as Marseilles, which they then turned into a bustling trading site, where local tribes of Ligurian Celts undertook friendly bartering.
Prof Cartledge said within a matter of generations the nearby Rhône became a major thoroughfare for vessels carrying terracotta amphorae that contained what was seen as a new, exotic Greek drink made from fermented grape juice.
He argued the new drink rapidly became a hit among the tribes of Western Europe, which then contributed to the French's modern love of wine.
"I hope this will lay to rest an enduring debate about the historic origins of supermarket plonk," he said.
"Although some academics agree the Greeks were central to founding Europe's wine trade, others argue the Etruscans or even the later Romans were the ones responsible for bringing viticulture to France."Archaeologists have discovered a five-foot high, 31.5 stone bronze vessel, the Vix Krater, which was found in the grave of a Celtic princess in northern Burgundy, France.Prof Cartledge said there were two main points that proved it was the Greeks who introduced wine to the region."First, the Greeks had to marry and mix with the local Ligurians to ensure that Massalia survived, suggesting that they also swapped goods and ideas."Second, they left behind copious amounts of archaeological evidence of their wine trade (unlike the Etruscans and long before the Romans), much of which has been found on Celtic sites."The research forms part of Professor Cartledge's study into where the boundaries of Ancient Greece began and ended.Rather than covering the geographical area occupied by the modern Greek state, he argued Ancient Greece stretched from Georgia in the east to Spain in the west.


text:
Nursing Times Learning unit explores falls prevention
Nursing Times Learning has launched a new online Falls Prevention and Management unit to support nurses in reducing patients' risk of falling.
The Nursing Times Learning unit aims to help nurses to understand the impact of falls on the individual and the factors that put patients at risk of falling.
The unit explores the role of medication and other causes of falls and explains the key recommendations in NICE guidance on falls.
Injuries caused by falls result in huge costs to the NHS and social services.
For those who fall the consequences can be devastating – even if they recover from their physical injuries many experience severe and enduring psychological trauma.
In order to reduce these human and financial costs, falls reduction is one of the eight high impact actions for nursing and midwifery.
Falls Prevention and Management is available FREE to all Nursing Times subscribers, and at £10+VAT to non-subscribers.
Online training units, written and reviewed by experts. Earn two hours' CPD and a personalised certificate for your portfolio.
Subscribers get five FREE learning units and non-subscribers can access each learning unit for £10 + VAT.


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The Global Strategy, in collaboration with Zambia's Central Statistical Office (CSO) and the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), carried out field tests of the guidelines on the quick assessment of grain stocks through value chains, which were developed by the Agricultural Market Information System (AMIS) project.
The rapid assessment of stocks is given particular attention in light of the increasing efforts of national governments and international agencies to reduce the costs of collecting primary data on grain stocks. Among the key factors that contribute to raising the profile of rapid assessment of grain stocks through value chains are: a wide information base, availability and accessibility of some qualitative and quantitative stock data as well as other related concerns.
The primary objective of the guidelines is to gather information from agricultural value chain entities such as commercial producers, farmers, traders and processors in a timely and cost-effective manner. This is necessary to determine the extent of private stock holdings at critical times and includes the direct participation of supply-chain participants as well as private and public sector support service providers. The approach combines secondary information into the validation process for better informing decision-making and policy analysis, thus satisfying the need for better stock information on crops and commodities.
During the field-testing process, the Global Office organized a joint mission with experts of the CSO and the MoA in Zambia, focusing on two major staple grains in the country: Maize and Sorghum. The objective of the mission was to validate the procedures described in the guidelines and discuss the approach with the key stakeholders involved in grain stock data in Zambia. The guidelines in fact, advocate for a consensus-building approach that involves experts in the field, which have a better understanding of the country's context. Almost all stakeholders appreciated the proposed approach and the importance of receiving the carry-over stocks ahead of time.
Based on these field tests, the CSO is planning to integrate the quick grain stock estimation methodology described in the guidelines into the existing statistical system. According to the Director General of the CSO, generating early grain stock estimates is a requirement of data users in Zambia and the methodology described in the guidelines would be included into the national statistical system to provide earlier stock estimates.


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HAWAIIAN SPINNER DOLPHIN INFO
DID YOU KNOW…?
In Hawaii we called the Dolphins Nai'a?
They travel in groups called Pods?
They are called Spinner Dolphins because they leap out of the water and spin.
That Dolphins and Whales are air breathing mammals, just like us?
That Dolphins are conscious breathers – meaning that they must be conscious to continue swimming and coming up for air? We are unconscious breathers – we go to sleep and continue to breathe unconsciously…
So how do Dolphins sleep if they must remain conscious? They have the unique ability to shut down one half of their brain at a time, while the other half remains awake…
If you are in the water with them, you can tell which side of their brain is asleep because their eye will be closed on that side.
Hawaiian Spinner Dolphins are one of the smaller species of Dolphin.
Adults are 5′-7' long and will weigh about 120 lbs or so…
They are very social beings, and quite affectionate with one another.
They will play the leaf game with one another and sometimes they will let you join in!
Hawaiian Spinner Dolphins are all about love and joy…you only have to open up your heart and allow the magic…
Common Questions About Dolphins
How do Dolphins sleep?
Dolphins have to be conscious to breathe. This means that they cannot go into a full deep sleep, because then they would suffocate. Dolphins have "solved" that by letting one half of their brain sleep at a time. This has been determined by doing EEG studies on Dolphins. REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep, usually associated with dreaming has been recorded only very rarely. Some scientists claim Dolphins do not have REM sleep at all. A Dolphin's behavior when sleeping/resting depends on the circumstances and can vary within different species of Dolphins, and possibly on individual preferences. They can either: swim slowly and surface every now and then for a breath which is the pattern for the Hawaiian Spinner Dolphins; rest at the surface with their blowhole exposed; or rest on the bottom (in shallow water) and rise to the surface every now and then to breathe.
How intelligent are Dolphins?
During the past few decades, scientists have intensified their efforts to better understand the Dolphin mind. This research led to a groundbreaking milestone in 2001. A study conducted at the Wildlife Conservation Society's New York Aquarium demonstrated unequivocally that Dolphins are self-aware, a complex, cognitive capacity previously known only in humans and great apes (Reiss & Marino, 2001). But just how intelligent are they? The short answer to this is that we do not yet know. There is no reliable method to measure intelligence in humans across cultures, so it is not surprising that comparing humans, Dolphins, apes, dogs, etc. is impossible. There are some indications of their potential: they are fast learners and can generalize (which is also true of pigs, by the way). Also they can learn to understand complicated language-like commands (which is also true of the great apes).
How do Dolphins communicate and do they have their own language?
Dolphins communicate mainly by means of sounds. These sounds include whistles, but also so-called pulsed sounds, which are often described as squawks, barks, rasps, etc. But they also use breaching (jumping and falling back into the water with a loud splash) and pectoral fin (or flipper) and tail (or fluke) slaps (hitting the flipper or fluke on the water surface). Body posturing and jaw popping also have a role in communication.
DOLPHINS may be closer to humans than previously realized, with new research showing they communicate by whistling out their own "names". The evidence suggests Dolphins share the human ability to recognize themselves and other members of the same species as individuals with separate identities. The research, on wild bottlenose Dolphins, will lead to a reassessment of their intelligence and social complexity, raising moral questions over how they should be treated. The research was carried out by Vincent Janik of the Sea Mammal Research Unit at St. Andrews University, who has found bottlenose Dolphins to be among the animal world's quickest learners of new sounds.
He said: "Each animal develops an individually distinctive signature whistle in the first few months of its life, which appears to be used in individual recognition."
The research has its origin in the 1960s when Dolphin trainers first noticed that captive animals each had their own personal repertoire of whistles. This prompted speculation that Dolphins had their own language and might even have individual "names". However, the theory was controversial among whale and Dolphin researchers, and until now, there had been no means of testing it.
Janik's work was based on a group of Dolphins living in Sarasota Bay, Florida, who have been studied for more than 30 years. Over that time researchers have built up a detailed picture of individual Dolphins, their family ties and their "social" interaction. They have also made extensive recordings of the noises made by individual Dolphins and isolated the sounds thought to be their "signature whistles" or names.
In the study some of the Sarasota Bay animals were corralled in a net. The researchers then played synthetic versions of the signature whistles of other Dolphins through underwater loudspeakers to see if they would evoke a response in the captive animals. The use of synthetic whistles ruled out the possibility that the animals might simply be recognizing the sound of each others' voices. They found that Dolphins responded strongly to the whistles of their relatives and associates while generally ignoring those of Dolphins to whom they had no link.
Janik said: "Bottlenose Dolphins are the only animals other than humans to have been shown to transmit identity information independent of the caller's voice."
The findings are supported by other authorities. Denise Herzing, research director at the Wild Dolphin Project at Florida Atlantic University, said it was already clear that many of the 77 known cetacean (whale and Dolphin) species had rudimentary languages. "We know that Dolphins' brains are nearly as large and complex, relative to body size, as those of humans. They have evolved to be intelligent and that implies being able to communicate," she said. Dolphins may, however, be just the first of many species where individuals are found to have their own names. Other researchers have already found evidence for highly developed language skills in parrots, crows and primates.
Great apes, such as chimpanzees and orangutans, have been a popular subject for research because they are so closely related to humans. Their limited vocal apparatus means they cannot speak but researchers at Georgia State University have taught chimpanzees to communicate in English via computers equipped with customized keyboards and voice synthesizers. The African grey parrot is another renowned linguist, able not only to learn words but to use them in the right context.
Even some rodent species may have developed a rudimentary language. Con Slobodchikoff of Northern Arizona University recently found that prairie dogs, a large rodent found in the western United States, shared a language of at least 100 words. Donald Broom, professor of animal welfare at Cambridge University, said species living in large groups all had advanced communication skills. "They have a complex social structure where they have to live with others, negotiate friendships and find mates. If Dolphins are using names I expect we will find the same in other species with similar lifestyles.."
How does Dolphin sonar work?
Dolphins (and other toothed whales) can produce high pitched clicks. When these clicks hit an object, some of the sound will echo back to the "sender". By listening to the echo and interpreting the time it took before the echo came back, the Dolphins estimate the distance of the object. (That's why sonar is also called echolocation: with information from the echoes, a Dolphin can locate an object). Depending on the material the object is made of, part of the sound may penetrate into the object and reflect off internal structure. If the object is a fish, some sound will reflect off the skin on the Dolphin's side, some of the bones, the internal organs and the skin on the other side. So one click can result in a number of (weaker) echoes. This will give the Dolphin some information about the structure and size of the fish. By moving its head (thereby aiming the clicks at other parts of the fish) the Dolphin can get more information on other parts of the fish.
Can Dolphins combine information from their sonar with their vision?
The short answer is: yes, they can. Just like people can visualize an object by just touching it, Dolphins can get an idea of what an object looks like by scanning it with their sonar. They can also identify objects with their sonar that they have only been able to see. Whether they form a visual picture from the sonar information (visualization) or form an acoustical picture from visual information is still unresolved. This capability is called cross-modal transfer and it has been demonstrated in only a few animal species so far: the bottlenose Dolphin and the California sea lion.
What and how much do Dolphins eat?
Dolphins eat several kinds of fish and squid. The composition of the diet depends very much on what is available in the area they live in and also on the season. The amount of fish they eat depends on the fish species they are feeding on. Mackerel and herring have a very high fat content and consequently have a high caloric value, whereas squid has a very low caloric value, so to get the same energy intake (calories) they will need to eat much more if they feed on squid than if they feed on


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Weekly Hours and Overtime
What is the regular work week?
It's 8 hours a day, 40 hours a week.
(Note: If you belong to a union, check your collective agreement. You might have better hours of work and overtime provisions than the minimum protections found in the law.)
Are there limits to the number of hours my boss can make me work?
The maximum is 10 hours a day, 60 hours a week. Youth (under 17) are not allowed to work between 11:00pm and 6:00am without written approval of an Employment Standards Officer.
Do I get a break?
Your boss has to give you a ½-hour break after you work 5 hours in a row.
Do I get days off?
Unless a permit says otherwise, every worker is entitled to one day off in a week and that day should be Sunday where practical.
Are there any exceptions to these hours of work?
A labour standards officer can issue a permit to vary the hours of work under the following circumstances. (The permit must specify when overtime kicks in.)
- You and your boss can ask that you be allowed to work more than the standard 8 hours a day and fewer days a week.
- If you work in an industry that can't operate regularly within the standard 8-hour day, the standard and maximum hours of work can be averaged over a period of one or more weeks.
- The maximum hours of work can be surpassed if you work in a seasonal industry, or one where the work happens at intervals.
- If there are exceptional circumstances to justify longer hours, then employers can go beyond the maximum hours of work.
Employers can also go above the maximum hours without a permit if there's an emergency such as an accident, urgent work needed on equipment or the plant, or unforeseen circumstances. But this is only to prevent serious disruption to normal operations.
How much am I paid for working overtime?
You are paid 1.5 times your normal rate of pay for ever hour you works over 8 hours in a day or 60 hours in a week.
How is overtime calculated?
Overtime is based on your hourly wage. If you work on a basis other than hourly wage, overtime is at least minimum wage per hour.
Can I refuse to work overtime?
No. The law does not give workers this right.
Are any workers excluded from these laws?
Domestic workers working in the home where their employer normal resides and students on work programs.


You are an individual. Your health plan should be individualized too.
CyberScan can address your health in 4 dimensions by taking time out of the equation. Traditional health evaluations are static and 3 dimensional at best; they are limited to assessing a current state of health at the moment in time of the evaluation. CyberScan works in 4 dimensions through a scalar vector equation and can help to determine past, present, and future risk factors. The complexity of such an evaluation can assist in a more complete treatment plan that helps address your health both as the factors that led to your current state as well as preventatively.
We are a complex sum of our genetic and environmental parts. These parts can break down and become disjointed and out of sync, which can affect the way we express and manifest our minds and bodies. External variables such as the earth's ecology, lifestyle, and diet can further influence our state of health. We are the first generation with an environment that includes climate change, wifi, and cell phones, and we may need to account for these and other factors in our wellness plan.
The CyberScan is an FDA approved medical biofeedback device that assesses all of these factors to guide the skilled practitioner in creating a truly individualized and effective treatment plan. It is complex and customized to target the body both as a microcosmic and macrocosmic organism.
CyberScan imprints powerful biofeedback treatments containing up to 140 signals based on exact individualized biological needs to assist the return to a natural state of wellness.
Testing is available from thousands of available healing supplements, pharmaceutical drugs, extra modalities, herbs, vitamins, homeopathics, essences, and gems, with the ability to distinguish physical benefit vs energetic and homeopathic value.
Orthodox medicine believed for a long time that a human being consisted solely of tissue, body fluids, chemicals, enzymes, hormones, etc. However, science has recently proven that all essential functions in our body are controlled by electromagnetic signals. Your body is energetically connected and constantly in communication with itself. The primary function of this communication is to maintain overall health and balance. Our body's own electromagnetic system is very complex and any disruptions are sufficient to cause an imbalance in the immune system which impacts our health and well-being.
CyberScan Biofeedback is a state-of-the-art technology that works directly with the immune system by measuring the energetic communication between the body and immune system to pinpoint any disturbances or imbalances present. With this information, practitioners can develop effective and individualized clinical strategies, saving time and money, and restoring balance and equilibrium to the immune system.
Clients and practitioners using CyberScan frequencies have reported benefits on all levels of well-being: physical, emotional, and mental. The goal of CyberScan's physiological balancing treatment in using focused electromagnetic waves is to stimulate improvement of specific systemic functions as well as improving stress tolerance levels.
How do the biofeedback treatments work? CyberScan assesses thousands of potential imbalances, and configures personalized biofeedback treatments based on the specific signals that will restore balance to each individual. These biofeedback treatments are administered via imprinted saline water, similar to a homeopathic. The tesla coil inside the CyberScan machine generates the signals that are transmitted into the water. Electronically enhanced saline water is "blanked" or "cleared" of any existing information, and then imprinted with the biofeedback signals. The water is optimized to transmit the biofeedback information via oral delivery.
The pictures below were taken with the Korotkov GDV camera and show the photonic discharge of plain water drops, the water after clearing/blanking/neutralizing, and the water restructured with CyberScan biofeedback signals. Notice the consistent structured effect that CyberScan imparts.
EEwater plain
EEwater before blanking/clearing
EEwater cleared/blanked
EEwater neutralized of signal information
EEwater imprinted
EEwater restructured with biofeedback signals
The CyberScan is not a diagnostic tool. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, or cure disease or illness, nor is it to be presented or construed in any way as a substitute for professional medical surgical or psychiatric care or treatment.


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Volume 10, Number 3—March 2004
Internet Use and Epidemiologic Investigation of Gastroenteritis Outbreak
In March 2000, a large outbreak of gastroenteritis occurred in a community where a regional computer network provides free Internet access for 42% of the households. We conducted an epidemiologic investigation using the Internet for data collection. Norovirus was identified in stool samples of nine patients but not in the municipal water supply. Of households with access to the network, 19% participated in the survey. The overall attack rate by household was 63%. Drinking water from the nonchlorinated community water system was associated with illness (relative risk [RR] 1.6; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.1 to 2.2); drinking water only from a private well was associated with decreased likelihood of illness (RR 0.3; 95% CI 0.1 to 0.8). Data collection through the Internet was efficient. Internet surveys may become more common in epidemiologic investigations and have the potential to provide data rapidly, enabling appropriate public health action. However, methods should be developed to increase response rates and minimize bias.
The Internet is increasingly influencing the practice of epidemiology. It has been used for disseminating health information, providing access to journals, and managing multicenter randomized controlled trials (1). During an investigation of a syphilis outbreak (2), the Internet was used to notify patients' sexual partners and to increase community awareness. Use of the Internet has also been evaluated as a risk factor for sexually transmitted diseases (3). The Internet provides advantages in data collection and collation, which can reduce the resources and workload required for questionnaire studies (4). However, there are no reports of community-based outbreak investigations conducted by using the Internet.
Noroviruses are common etiologic agents of epidemic gastroenteritis. In March 2000, a widespread norovirus outbreak occurred in a municipality in eastern Finland. We conducted a community-based epidemiologic investigation to determine the magnitude and source of the outbreak. A community computer network and the Internet were used for data collection. We assessed the feasibility and methodologic aspects of Internet-based surveys in an outbreak investigation, including representativeness of the population sample and potential sources of bias.
Material and Methods
Setting and Description of Computer Network
Ylä-Karjala region comprises municipalities A (population 10,000), B (population 6,700), and C (population 3,000) in North Karelia in eastern Finland. In 1998, an experimental pilot project in the Finnish information society called Learning Ylä-Karjala was begun. The project aims to reduce high unemployment and outmigration by providing a community computer network with free access to the Internet, local discussion groups, local information areas, and email for private citizens, state and municipal authorities, private companies, and other organizations. Approximately 3,500 households (42% of households in the municipalities) with 4,100 persons regularly use the regional network. At the end of 1999, 21% of the residents in municipality A, 20% in municipality B, and 22% in municipality C were registered users of the network. Persons who do not own a computer can access the network from public computers located in libraries, shops, and cafés. Most users (92%), however, access the network from a home computer. Each week, approximately 2,500 registered users log on to the network; 25% of registered users log on daily.
On March 10, 2000, the National Public Health Institute was notified of an outbreak of gastroenteritis in municipality A. During the next 2 weeks, an increasing number of patients with vomiting, diarrhea, or both were identified throughout the municipality. The clinical features were typical of norovirus gastroenteritis: 1–2 days' duration and vomiting and nausea as predominant symptoms. On March 24, small spherical viruses suggestive of norovirus were detected in stool specimens of patients by electron microscopy. Wide distribution of cases in municipality A and outbreaks among groups of tourists visiting that municipality who reported drinking municipal tap water suggested that this municipality's water supply may have been contaminated. No increases in incidence of gastroenteritis were reported in neighboring municipalities B and C.
Municipality A's water system provides groundwater to 75% of the population; the rest have private wells. As the water is not routinely chlorinated, the environmental health unit issued a boil-water notice on March 24, and the municipal water works started chlorinating the water. Municipalities B and C have their own, separate water systems.
To investigate the outbreak, we conducted a survey among users of the community computer network in municipalities A, B, and C. Data were collected by using a standard online questionnaire, which is based on FirstClass software (Centrinity Inc., Richmond Hill, Ontario), posted on the network. Only persons who completed the questionnaire from a home computer were included in the study. The questionnaire was placed in a specific message area, and data from the completed questionnaire were transferred directly to a database. Data were transmitted to the server encrypted, and the server was protected by a firewall, both features included in FirstClass software. From April 10 to 24, when a user logged on to the network, a notice appeared on their screen requesting the user to complete the online questionnaire concerning the outbreak of gastroenteritis. To increase the participation rate, the survey was advertised on two different days in the local newspaper.
A case-patient was defined as member of a household with at least one registered user of the community computer network who had an episode of diarrhea (>3 loose stools/day), vomiting, or both during March 2000. If more than one resident of the household was ill, only the one with first onset of illness was requested to complete the questionnaire. Participants were asked about symptoms, onset of illness, and exposures to drinking water from different sources during March 1 to 31, 2000.
Data were analyzed by using EpiInfo version 6.04 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA). We calculated attack rates (AR) by municipality and household as well as the relative risks (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for drinking any water from the municipal water supply, unboiled water from the supply, and well water.
Laboratory and Environmental Investigations
Stool specimens from 23 patients who were treated for acute gastroenteritis at the community health center of municipality A during March 21 to 31 were examined for viruses by electron microscopy and by the reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test for Norovirus, Sapovirus, and Astrovirus (5,6). Routine bacterial cultures and microscopy for parasites were also performed for the specimens. Nine water samples from the water supply of municipality A were investigated for coliforms and noroviruses, as described previously (7).
A total of 672 persons in the three municipalities completed the online questionnaire. These persons represented an estimated 19% of registered households with access to the network. Of all respondents, 508 (76%) were from municipality A, 59 (9%) from municipality B, and 51 (8%) from municipality C. Forty-one percent of respondents were men, and 59% women. The median age was 27 years (range 6–74). In municipality A, the demographic characteristics of respondents were different from the population of the municipality: the proportion of young adults 15–28 years of age was higher, and the proportion of persons >65 years of age was much lower than in the general population (Table 1).
Of respondents, 368 (55%) met the case definition; 60% were female. The median age was 27 years (range 8–70). The epidemic curve (Figure) shows a fluctuating outbreak with several peaks. Cases began to increase in early March; the incidence peaked during March 19 to 23. Of the municipalities, the attack rate by household was highest (63%) in municipality A compared with that in municipalities B (17%) and C (29%) (RR 2.8; 95% CI 2.0 to 3.9). By direct standardization of the age-specific attack rates to the population, the total number of ill in municipality A was 5,500. Among residents of that municipality, drinking any unboiled tap water was significantly associated with illness (AR 65% vs. 42%; RR 1.6; 95% CI 1.1 to 2.2), while drinking water from a private well was associated with decreased likelihood for illness (AR 24% vs. 71%; RR 0.3; 95% CI 0.1 to 0.8) (Table 2).
Laboratory and Environmental Investigations
Nine stool specimens (one from a survey participant) were positive for Norovirus by RT-PCR. In two additional patients, electron microscopy results for small, round spherical viruses were positive. All stool samples were negative for bacterial pathogens and parasites. All samples from the municipal water supply were negative for noroviruses by RT-PCR; the samples also were negative for indicator bacteria. Inspection of the water supply system did not indicate the site of contamination.
In investigating this widespread Norovirus outbreak, collecting data through the Internet was efficient and yielded a sample of the population with sufficient statistical power. Among residents of municipality A, drinking tap water was associated with illness, whereas drinking well water exclusively was associated with decreased likelihood of illness.
Widespread Norovirus outbreaks are common, and investigations may require substantial resources. In our study, electronic collection of data had two major


Andy Burnett Andy Burnett Keynotes
The keynotes by Andy Burnett explore the effects of one's environment on their ability to work... Need Inspiration?
The Creative Space Speech by Andy Burnett Explores Innovative Solutions
By: Jaime Neely - Oct 23, 2012
References: knowinnovation &
Andy Burnett discusses the power of a physical environment to generate innovative ideas and solutions in this creative space speech. Burnett, who works for Knowinnovation, dedicates his career to facilitating creative thinking within companies, organizations and government and academic institutions.
Over the last 30 years, spaces intended for creative thinking and creative sharing have been developed. In recent years, these spaces are being built more and more to complement specific types of creative and innovative thinking, and to provide real experiences. Research shows that different spaces, away from cubicles, can have significant impacts on the solutions people come up with.
The only problem, however, is that a very small percentage of people in the world will ever experience this unusual and unique spaces. This isn't ideal, because many of the world's largest problems today require creative thinking and solutions.
Andy Barnett's creative space speech outlines why senior executives need to pay more attention to the type of environment he or she is creating for employees.