Industry Perspective: 6 Steps for Communicating the Value of Technology
A CIO's work is vital, but does everyone know it? Tips for communicating your value.
by / August 12, 2011 Thew
Being the chief of information, as in chief information officer, means you're responsible for the flow of knowledge between people in your organization. CIOs often are described as not much more than technocrats who are wrapped up only in the procurement and implementation of new technologies. Too often, those within their agency (and sometimes even CIOs themselves) don't realize the true strategic value their office delivers. It's about a lot more than fixing BlackBerrys — CIOs facilitate agencywide collaboration and efficiency that furthers the government's mission. The key to CIOs being more to their organization than just the head IT officer is to communicate their value.
1. Be the chief of information.
CIOs already do a good job of managing enterprise-level technology adoption and policymaking that meet strict requirements. But have you considered going above and beyond the traditional role of a CIO? Consider this: What if you were truly the chief of information, sharing openly with subordinate groups about organizational plans and objectives? Those who work for you, or groups that depend on your office, may not truly realize how valuable the work your office does is for them unless you make that information readily available. Don't neglect telling your story to others in the organization. The messages should drive your overall strategy as a CIO — ensure that each time you communicate, it's filled with purpose.
2. Don't just tell, show.
People are generally visual thinkers. So communicating your messages to stakeholders, especially in a fast-paced, digital-driven world, will go a lot further if they are visual. Create compelling charts, infographics and photo-driven stories about your successes. Design collateral that people want to read, and can quickly scan and still get the point — which is that you're doing a great job, and the CIO's office is contributing exponentially to the agency's overall success.
3. Justify investments.
Do you have trouble persuading leadership, or even your employees, that your investments are the right ones? Can you really blame them if you haven't shown them what the predicted outcomes are? Again, you're showing stakeholders, not just telling them, that your plans can work.
Do this with business cases. Perhaps another agency or private-sector organization already has pioneered the way with strikingly good results. You've done your homework on why your proposed investments are good ones — but no one will know if you don't show them. Create scenario stories and show how your solutions fill the gaps your agency may have in the future. Justify investments by communicating openly about them and telling stories that people can easily grasp instead of just throwing numbers at them. And don't be afraid to elicit feedback — the communication model needs to be two-way. Stakeholders are likelier to buy into your strategy when they're part of the solution.
4. Make your contributions clear to non-IT executives.
Whether in government or commercial operations, the CIO plays an important role in keeping things working from day to day. Without the solutions your office implements, many functions that other executives — and ground-level employees — take for granted wouldn't be available. But many stakeholders who depend on your services daily probably don't think about the hard work that goes into providing them (unless, of course, something goes wrong).
Building relationships with other executives and employees in your organization before there is a problem makes things go more smoothly when issues arise. To do this, it's imperative that you maintain a steady flow of digestible information in and out of the CIO's office. Digestible means, of course, information that enables non-IT executives to understand the intricacies of all the things you're doing to make their lives easier. Identify a talented communicator, either internally or externally, who can successfully translate technical topics for nontechnical people. Do the legal, public affairs, science, HR and other professionals in your agency truly understand what you do for them? Do smaller internal organizations that rely on the CIO's office for guidance and support really appreciate the value you contribute? If they don't, perhaps it's time to speak in narratives, in layman's language and with visual components that effectively explain your office's successes.
5. Find out what people really need.
Don't let vendors and fads dictate your IT strategies. Stay focused on maintaining open lines of communication with your core agency stakeholders to find out what they really need. Have you spoken with employees who are in the trenches every day using technologies that were put in place by the CIO's office? What solutions would optimize and streamline their jobs? By taking care of these individuals, you essentially increase the agency's overall effectiveness. What information do workers need? What information and support do they need most quickly? What bureaucratic steps keep them from getting the resources they need in a timely manner? By employing open lines of communication that work in both directions, you can be in tune with the agency's needs in real time. If you provide valuable, understandable information, you're likelier to get honest, helpful feedback.
6. Communicate what technologies help the agency to do.
Quash perceptions that your office excels at just playing with technology. When you embark onto technological territory that may be new for personnel in your organization, prepare your staff by clearly explaining what the new technology will help the agency do. Will it cut costs? Will it save time? Will it cause any pain points for end-users, and if so, what are you doing to mitigate those issues?
By providing transparent communication about new technologies and policies, and listening to feedback from your audiences, making important decisions becomes easier. Potential issues are identified earlier. Preparing responses to common misperceptions becomes less of a guessing game. Overall, the result is better for the agency because a solution that does something — and that has been accepted by the community because of early involvement — is a solution that satisfies more end-users. When the community feels that the communication process works both ways, you'll identify champions within your agency who don't always fit the CIO profile. But because of your excellent explanations, they've envisioned life with the technologies and policies you're implementing. They become ambassadors for your office's initiatives, and the perception of value of the CIO's office steadily increases from within the organization.
These steps help accomplish the objective of ensuring that others understand the value of the CIO's office, and it all goes back to one point — communication. It might be easy to get tied up in your responsibilities as a CIO and hope that someone else is effectively communicating with your stakeholders, carefully explaining why you're doing things the way you are. But that's not always the case. To be a more effective CIO, you'll need the entire agency on your side, contributing to the greater conversation about organizational efficiency. Until everyone knows you're ready to talk, and until they understand your role, they're likely to stand by silently hoping for something better. Fill that void, and let the information flow.
Eva Neumann is founder and president of ENC Marketing & Communications.
Eva Neumann
Eva Neumann is founder and president of ENC Marketing & Communications.


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Optimization of Stochastic Strategies for Spatially Inhomogeneous Robot Swarms: A Case Study in Commercial Pollination
MetadataShow full item record
CitationBerman, Spring, Radhika Nagpal, and Ádám Halász. 2011. Optimization of stochastic strategies for spatially inhomogeneous robot swarms: a case study in commercial pollination. In Proceedings of IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS'11): September 25-30, San Francisco, CA, 3923-3930. Los Alamitos, Calif: IEEE Computer Society Press.
AbstractWe present a scalable approach to optimizing robot control policies for a target collective behavior in a spatially inhomogeneous robotic swarm. The approach can incorporate robot feedback to maintain system performance in an unknown environmental ﬂow ﬁeld. We consider systems in which the robots follow both deterministic and random motion and transition stochastically between tasks. Our methodology is based on an abstraction of the swarm to a macroscopic continuous model, whose dimensionality is independent of the population size, that describes the expected time evolution of swarm subpopulations over a discretization of the environment. We incorporate this model into a stochastic optimization method and map the optimized model parameters onto the robot motion and task transition control policies to achieve a desired global objective. We illustrate our methodology with a scenario in which the behaviors of a swarm of robotic bees are optimized for both uniform and nonuniform pollination of a blueberry ﬁeld, including in the presence of an unknown wind.
Citable link to this pagehttp://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:_PHONE_
- FAS Scholarly Articles

source: openbmb/Ultra-FineWeb


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indicative of English influences all the way from Prior to Cowper.
Aside from the lyrics of Freneau, the two original strains in our early lighter verse are the humorous poems of Thomas Green Fessenden and of Royall Tyler,
and the nature lyrics of Alexander Wilson. Fessenden contributed humorous poems of New England country life to Dennies
Farmers Weekly Museum,
and these were afterwards published in his
To this same magazine and also to Dennies
Royall Tyler contributed pictures and studies in verse of American environment and character which are worth all the pretentious imitations of his contemporaries. The lyrics scattered throughout the pages of Alexander Wilsons
and afterwards printed in his collected poems merit more attention than they have heretofore received. Wilson was scientist and poet enough to celebrate the osprey, the Baltimore bird, the hummingbird, and the bluebird in true nature lyrics which, together with those of Freneau, are not unworthy forerunners of Bryants.
. 1 Aside from patriotic songs and ballads, not much lyrical verse was published between 1770 and 1786, and that little appeared in newspapers and magazines.
. 2 See also Book II., Chap. II.
. 1 The latter is written in the eight-line anapestic stanza greatly favoured by Shenstone and later used by Cowper in his
which occurs with notable frequency in the lyrics of this period.
. 2 See also Book II, Chap. VI.
. See also Book II, Chaps.II and VI.
. See also Book II, Chap. II.
. See also Book II, Chaps.II,III,and VI.
INDEX OF ALL CHAPTERS
to shop the

source: HuggingFaceFW/fineweb-edu


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Are Iceman Blood Cells Really the Oldest?
by Brian Thomas, M.S. *
Researchers discovered intact red blood cells in the body of Ötzi the Iceman, a world-famous once-frozen natural mummy found in the Alps in 1991. Livescience called them the "world's oldest blood cells."1 But clear evidence shows that other blood cells hold the real record.
Forensic researchers have gleaned a wealth of information about the Tyrolean Iceman, commonly known as Ötzi. For example, chemical traces show places he had recently been, tiny particles revealed his last meal of red deer and bread, and his boots were likely made by an ancient professional bootmaker. An arrowhead had lodged in his left shoulder, damaging an artery and likely causing his death. Just this year, geneticists sequenced his DNA, finding that modern inhabitants of the Mediterranean's Corsica have the most similar sequences.2
Now, scientists discovered intact red blood cells in tissue samples from a wound that his hand suffered, as well as the arrow wound to the chest. Their research appeared in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface, where the authors wrote "It was initially assumed that the blood had disintegrated owing to autolysis within the corpse."2 Autolysis is the process where oxygen, which is especially abundant within oxygen-carrying red blood cells, reacts with and fragments the proteins that comprise cells. Few, if any, expected that red blood cells could have persisted within Ötzi for perhaps thousands of years until today.
What appeared to be red blood cells were probed with two techniques to ensure their identity. Atomic force microscopy and Raman spectroscopy both clearly confirmed Ötzi's red blood cells, according to the report.3 But in contrast to the news headlines, they do not appear to be the oldest.
In 1992, researchers assigned Ötzi to a European Copper age that occurred after Stone age remains were deposited in that area.4 He probably lived only a few thousand years ago after the post-Flood ice age.5
But red blood cells from even earlier specimens have appeared under paleontologists' microscopes. Totally unexpected, the bone marrow of a T. rex recovered in 1990 from Montana had what appeared to be red blood cells. Their story was recounted in Earth magazine.
The lab filled with murmurs of amazement, for I had focused on something inside the vessels that none of us had ever noticed before: tiny round objects, translucent red with a dark center. Then a colleague took one look at them and shouted, 'You've got red blood cells. You've got red blood cells!'6
Their technical report appeared in Science in 2005.7 Some of the same authors involved in a much larger team described what looked identical to red blood cells found in a hadrosaur bone as "cell-like structures" in Science in 2009.8
Of course, both the T. rex and hadrosaur are widely believed to be tens of millions of years old. Any red blood cells should have long since disintegrated. The Ötzi study even verified that his blood cells had lost much of their integrity by comparing the Raman scans with those of modern blood samples. But not only did the dinosaur bone marrow results show clear pictures of red-colored, round disks inside blood vessels, they also detected hemoglobin.7 Why are these not the rightful record-holders for oldest blood cells?
Since the dinosaur fossils formed as a result of Noah's Flood, which produced the Alps mountain range that Ötzi later walked upon, the dinosaur red blood cells are older than Ötzi's by perhaps a millennium or two. In order to maintain belief in millions of years, those who insist that Ötzi's are the oldest blood cells must ignore the dinosaur data.
- Pappas, S. 'Iceman' Mummy Holds World's Oldest Blood Cells. LiveScience. Posted on livescience.com May 1, 2012, accessed May 4, 2012.
- Keller, A., et al. 2012. New insights into the Tyrolean Iceman's origin and phenotype as inferred by whole-genome sequencing. Nature Communications. 3: 698.
- Janko, M., R. W. Stark, and A. Zink. Preservation of 5300 year old red blood cells in the Iceman. Journal of the Royal Society Interface. Published online before print, May 2, 2012, accessed May 4, 2012.
- Seidler, H., et al. 1992. Some anthropological aspects of the prehistoric Tyrolean ice man. Science. 258 (5081): 455–457.
- Sherwin, F., and B. Thomas. 2010. Understanding Evidence for the Biblical Timescale. Acts & Facts. 39 (4): 16-17.
- Schweitzer, M., and I. Staedter. 1997. The real Jurassic Park. Earth. 55–57.
- Schweitzer, M., et al. 2005. Soft-Tissue Vessels and Cellular Preservation in Tyrannosaurus rex. Science. 307 (5717): _PHONE_.
- Schweitzer, M., et al. 2009. Biomolecular Characterization and Protein Sequences of the Campanian Hadrosaur B. canadensis. Science. 324 (5927): 626-631.
- Wieland, C. 1997. Sensational dinosaur blood report! Creation. 19 (4): 42-43.
Image credit: Samadelli Marco/EURAC. Copyright © 2012 The Royal Society. Adapted for use in accordance with federal copyright (fair use doctrine) law. Usage by ICR does not imply endorsement of copyright holders.
* Mr. Thomas is Science Writer at the Institute for Creation Research.
Article posted on June 13, 2012.


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If pixels are missing from your photos, follow the advice below.
If this is the case, the first thing you should do is try and clean your camera.
It's important to remember the following thing when cleaning your Nintendo DS:
1. Do not use any type of solvent to clean it.
2. Do not pour water directly onto your system.
3. Never place your system in liquid of any kind.
1. Slightly dampen the corner of a cloth then lightly rub the lens of your camera to shift any stubborn dirt.
2. Using a dry corner of the same cloth, wipe away any other stains from the lens.
3. Wrap some tape around your fingers so that the sticky side is facing outwards. Then dab at the lens and repeat steps 1 & 2.
If you've cleaned your lens using the steps above and your photos are still missing pixels, it's likely there's a problem with your Nintendo DS.
You can book your Nintendo DS in for inspection by the Nintendo Customer Support Team.


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|Model, 1. modul, 2009, id:385|
|Findes på RUb:|
The present project propose a deterministic model for the replication of the bacterial chromosome based on the work by Mahaffy & Zyskind (1989). The main aim of this project is to examine how external factors influence on the stability of the model. In order to do this, we examine how the production of DnaA and the doubling rate of the cell mass, affects the models stability. This is done in an analytical analysis of the model near equilibrium, and further by a mumerical analysis of output values near equilibrium. Furthermore we propose and discuss extensions of the model. These extensions include modelling of RIDA, datA, Sequestration of the dnaA-gene by SeqA and remodelling of oriC to contain multiple DnaA-boxes. We conclude that there is a possibility for the existence of a transcritical bifucation, which resolves in a shift of stability.


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Revised with major modifications, resubmitted June 2020, Moral and Political Philosophy.
Public policy should try to make individuals' lives better than they would otherwise be, according to welfare-consequentialism. This article asks which individuals should count in welfare-consequentialist public policy analysis. Possible answers to the "who counts" question fall along a spectrum between parochial and inclusive. One relatively parochial answer is that only welfare effects experienced by the living human constituents of government should be considered. At the other end of the spectrum, a highly inclusive answer would be that welfare impacts on all individuals who are capable of having welfare should be weighed equally in a social welfare function.
The paper proposes a two-level theory to respond to the "who counts" question. Two-level theories distinguish between (i) what is ethically ideal, and (ii) decision procedures for humans who want to give effect to an ethical ideal, but have limited capacity to do so. Persuasive arguments support an inclusive approach that encompasses the unborn, foreigners, and animals. However, human predictions of the welfare consequences of policy options are prone to error. Welfare predictions about individuals who are temporally, politically, or biologically dissimilar from the predicting government are especially likely to be wrong. Using a social welfare function with excessive welfare-prediction requirements to make decisions may undermine the government's capacity to correctly predict and advance anyone's welfare. The paper concludes by analyzing alternative ways to make welfare-consequentialist decision procedures more parochial, and therefore more practical for real human governments seeking to make life better for everybody.
Full Text Online: _URL_


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years as there can be a time lag between the government announcing new transactions and classification decisions being taken on whether they should be treated as taxes in the UK National Accounts. Transactions will only be assessed against the definition of an environmental tax when they are first classified as taxes in the National Accounts. For transparency, each tax is detailed separately in the supporting data tables.
In 2009 environmental protection expenditure by the extraction, manufacturing, energy production and water supply industries was estimated as £3.9 billion. The industries spending the greatest amounts on environmental protection were electricity, gas and water supply, accounting for around 68 per cent of expenditure. Possible explanations include the implementation of the Water Framework Directive, implementing findings from the Pitt Review and tighter controls for emissions controls including carbon capture, with expenditure on waste water management accounting for almost half of all monies spent.
New ONS website
The most efficient way to access the latest UK Environmental Accounts on the new website, including data for download and information on methodology and quality, is via the Environmental Accounts page.
The environmental data in this release (air emissions, energy consumption etc) is consistent with that published in the UK Environmental Accounts in June 2011. What is new is the economic data which has become available with the publication of the UK National Accounts 2011. Also, the industrial classification of the UK National Accounts is now consistent with the UK Environmental Accounts, using Standard Industrial Classifications 2007 (SIC07).
It has therefore been possible to make available the following analysis:
greenhouse gas emissions intensity - emissions per unit of output by industry,
energy intensity - energy consumed per unit of output by industry,
an update of material productivity estimates,
an update of environmental taxes,
environmental protection expenditure estimates.
A series of short articles is published as part of today's edition:
Experimental Estimates of UK Resource Use Using Raw Material Equivalents (132.2 Kb Pdf), Louise Rawlings, Defra,
Open consultation - open until 23 January 2012
Users of the UK Environmental Accounts may like to be aware that 'Measuring National Well-being - Discussion paper on domains and measures' was published on 31 October 2011. This paper discusses proposals for domains and headline measures of national well-being and is published in order to obtain your views. The proposals are part of the Office for National Statistics Measuring National Well-being (MNW) Programme. The consultation will be open until 23 January 2012.
What's coming up?
On 21 December 2011, an article will be published on developments in Environmental Protection Expenditure Accounts, detailing results of engagement with users on the potential applications of these accounts, initial estimates of environmental protection expenditure by the public sector and plans for developing more complete accounts.
Work has also started towards the publication of a roadmap in 2012 for including natural capital in the UK Environmental Accounts. The article 'Towards a sustainable environment - UK Natural Capital and Ecosystem Accounting' published today explains more about these plans. The publication date for the roadmap will be pre-announced in the usual way in line with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics.
The methodology notes which explain how the air emissions and energy accounts are compiled will be updated in December 2011. Work is continuing to further improve these documents, together with all the other methodology notes and these will be made available immediately when completed.
Brief overview of the Environmental Accounts
The Environmental Accounts are 'satellite accounts' to the main National Accounts. They provide information on atmospheric emissions, energy consumption, oil and gas reserves, trade in basic materials, waste, environmental taxation and spending on environmental protection. These are related to the different industrial, commercial and domestic sectors. Environmental Accounts use similar concepts and classifications of industries to those employed in the National Accounts, and they reflect the recommended European Union and United Nations framework for developing such accounts. The Environmental Accounts are compiled in accordance with System of Integrated Environmental and Economic Accounting 2003 (SEEA) which closely follows the UN System of National Accounts 1993 (SNA).
Use of the statistics
Environmental accounts provide statistics on the environmental impact of UK economic activity, on the use of resources from the environment in the economy, and on associated taxes and subsidies. There are three dimensions:
natural resource accounts,
physical flow accounts,
The environmental accounts are used to make international comparisons of the impact of the economy on the environment. They inform sustainable development policy and will feed into the ONS National Well-being programme that considers environment and sustainability issues as well as the economy and quality of life. They are also used to model impacts of fiscal or monetary measures and to evaluate the environmental performance of different industrial sectors.
More detailed information on the main uses of Environmental Accounts data (19.6 Kb Pdf)
can be found on the ONS website.
Coherence with other published sources
To facilitate environmental-economic analyses (for example, examining trends in emissions within the context of economic growth) the Environmental Accounts estimates for atmospheric emissions are published on a National Accounts basis. The definitions therefore differ from those used for reporting under the Kyoto Protocol and United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The National Accounts measure includes emissions from international aviation and from fuels purchased abroad by UK residents, including those purchased by international shipping and aircraft on international flights. They exclude emissions from fuels purchased in the UK by non-UK residents. Differences between the National Accounts measure and those used for reporting under the UNFCCC, following the guidance of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), are published in the annual UK Environmental Accounts publication.
Similarly, the National Accounts measures of energy consumption differ from those given in the Digest of UK Energy Statistics (DUKES) in a number of respects. These differences and how the measures reconcile are also published with the main annual publication. Further work is planned to improve the transparency of this table.
The material flow accounts are based on information published by HM Revenue and Customs, the British Geological Survey and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations. During the compilation process validation checks ensure that published ONS material flows data are consistent with the source data but it should be noted that a snapshot of the data are extracted at a single point in time and so may differ slightly from the latest information available from these sources.
The Industry Classification used in the Environmental Accounts is the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) 2007.
The UK transport sector, as defined on an SIC basis, comprise those enterprises whose dominant activity is the provision of transport services - railways, tubes and trams, buses and coaches, taxis and mini cabs, road freight, air transport, water transport and transport via pipelines. The road freight industry covers road haulage companies as opposed to all types of road freight. Lorries owned by retailers, for instance, are allocated to the retail industry. The use of private cars by households is allocated to the domestic sector.
Information on UK Environmental Accounts methodology is available on our guidance and methodology pages. The methodology guides are currently under review. Updated guides for the energy accounts and air emissions accounts will be published in December 2011.
Summary quality reports
Summary Quality Reports for air emissions accounts, energy accounts, material flow accounts and environmental taxes can be found in the Quality section of the ONS website.
Work is planned to replace these Summary Quality Reports with Quality and Methodology Information Reports. These will be made available as soon as they are finalised. As well as the four specific accounts outlined above, an overarching report is being prepared for the UK Environmental Accounts.
Accuracy and reliability
ONS atmospheric emissions and energy consumption data are produced by contractors (AEA Energy and Environment) based on the National Atmospheric Emissions and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventories and the latest available National Accounts and official statistics sources, for example, supply-use tables. Other elements of the environmental accounts also draw on National Accounts data and administrative sources. Factors impacting the accuracy of the UK Environmental Accounts include the allocation of emissions to industries and the accuracy of emissions factors. Plans have been made to assess the impact of these factors ahead of the publication of the accounts in June 2012.
Reliability can partly be estimated by measuring revisions to previously published statistics. Very few statistical revisions arise as a result of 'errors' in the popular sense of the word. All estimates, by definition, are subject to statistical 'error' but, in this context, the word refers to the uncertainty in any process or calculation that uses sampling, estimation or modelling. Most revisions reflect either the adoption of new methodology or the incorporation of new information. Only rarely are there avoidable 'errors' such as human or system 'errors' and such mistakes are made clear when they are discovered and corrected.
Revisions presented in this publication are minimal as the accounts are only being updated to provide industry analyses and take on the latest economic data. In taking on the National Accounts data consistent with the UK National Accounts 'Blue Book', there have been minor revisions to the environmental taxes for 2010.
Details of the policy governing the release of new data are available from the Media Relations Office. No pre-publication access is given to the contents of this release.
© Crown Copyright 2011.
Under the terms of the Open Government Licence and UK Government Licensing Framework, anyone wishing to use or re-use ONS material, whether commercially or privately, may do so freely without a specific application for a licence, subject to the conditions of the OGL and the Framework.
For further information, contact the Office of Public Sector Information, Crown Copyright Licensing and Public Sector Information, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 4DU.
Tel: +44 (0)20 8876 3444
Next publication: June 2012
UK Environmental Accounts enquiries: _EMAIL_
Details of the policy governing the release of new data are available by visiting _URL_ or from the Media


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Smithsonian scientists use fossil feathers reveal lineage of extinct, flightless ibis
A remarkable first occurred recently at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History when ornithologists Carla Dove and Storrs Olson used 700- to 1,100-year-old feathers from a long extinct species of Hawaiian ibis to help determine the bird's place in the ibis family tree. The feathers are the only known plumage of any of the prehistorically extinct birds that once inhabited the Hawaiian Islands.
Discovered with a nearly complete skeleton, the feathers retained enough microscopic structure to allow the scientists to confirm the classification of the bird, known by its scientific name Apteribis sp, as a close relative of the American white ibis (Eudocimus albus) and scarlet ibis (Eudocimus buber). DNA analysis confirmed this classification.
Remarkably, the feathers also retained enough pigmentation for Dove and Olson to determine that the bird was brown-black to ivory-beige in color. This is a first―the plumage color of any prehistorically extinct Hawaiian bird up until now had been speculation.
Apteribis sp. is one of only two species of flightless ibis, both now extinct. Its skeleton differs so much from its mainland ancestors that the bird's relationship to other ibises could only be determined through the study of its feathers and DNA analysis.
"This find is highly unusual because feathers do not preserve well and often decay before a bird is fossilized," Dove said. "These weren't fossil imprints in a rock, but feathers and bones we could actually pick up."
Exceptional geologic circumstances led to the preservation of the feathers inside a lava cave on the Hawaiian Island of Lanai. The floor of the cave was partially covered in a deep layer of flaky gypsum crystals, which, for hundreds of years absorbed humidity in the cave and created an arid environment ideal for preservation of the feathers.
From a taxonomic standpoint feathers are significant because the shape of microscopic barbs on specific areas of a feather have distinct features that taxonomists can use to determine what bird group it belongs to.
"The barbs are unique only on the downy, fluffy part at the base of the feather, not at the tip," Dove said. "These microstructures are similar among orders of birdspigeons, ducks, songbirds, for example.
Using specimens from the Smithsonian's collection, Dove compared the microscopic structures of the ancient feathers to those of modern day birds. Her analysis confirmed that Apteribis sp. is most closely related the New World ibises of the genus Eudocimus. Apteribis sp. was first described from fossils found on the Hawaiian Islands of Molokai and Maui. It is one of dozens of bird species known to have gone extinct following the arrival of humans on the Hawaiian Islands.
"Fossil Feathers from the Hawaiian Flightless Ibis (Apteribis SP.): Plumage Coloration and Systematics of a Prehistorically Extinct Bird," by Carla Dove and Storrs Olson appeared in the September 2011 issue of the Journal of Paleontology.
Contact: John Gibbons
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text: 1. Also known as "bootloader" or "bootstrap loader". This is application code that runs when a digital electronic device is first started (booted). This code is usually stored in nonvolatile memory and usually does not have an operating system, but is used by an external OS. This code is normally a small program stored in ROM.


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Aug. 20, 2012 A new study suggests that a polyclonal antibody that blocks follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) in mice without ovaries might offer a more effective way to prevent or arrest osteoporosis than currently available treatments.
The study used a mouse model of menopause to show that an injection of a polyclonal antipeptide antibody enhances bone regeneration by simultaneously slowing bone destruction and building bone, say researchers at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York. In addition, the monoclonal antibody is likely to be safer because it is cleared from the blood and is not retained in bone.
Results from the study are published online August 20 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
"Bone loss in women begins very early, at least two to three years before a woman's last period and within eight to ten years, a woman will lose 50% of her lifetime bone loss," says the study's senior investigator, Mone Zaidi, MD, Professor of Medicine and of Structural and Chemical Biology, at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York." It occurs painlessly, without notice up to a point where women fracture."
Zaidi, who is director, of the Mount Sinai Bone Program, at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, is the senior investigator of the research that developed the polyclonal antipeptide antibody to FSH and tested it in mice whose ovaries were removed. Peptides are short chains of amino acids, and the FSH antibody is a highly specific antibody.
"A few years ago, we showed that FSH [follicle stimulating hormone] directly regulates bone by bypassing the estrogen axis," says Zaidi. FSH rises early in menopause, stimulates bone removal and negatively regulates bone formation. "By blocking FSH with the FSH-specific polyclonal antibody, we were able to block bone resorption by osteoclasts [cells that break down bone] and stimulate bone formation through osteoblasts cells [cells that build bone]."
Zaidi summed up the research team's goal: "Our aim is to find a way to prevent osteoporosis rather than simply treat established disease using medicines that are well tolerated. We believe that a future humanized monoclonal antibody to FSH is likely to be safer than existing treatments because it will not reside in the bone."
The National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture supported the research.
Other senior Mount Sinai researchers involved in the study were Terry F. Davies, MD, Li Sun, MD, and Maria New, MD.
Researchers at the Mount Sinai Bone Program have made groundbreaking discoveries in understanding bone remodeling and developing new treatments for osteoporosis, estimated to affect 50 million women worldwide. Recently, the group has discovered the pituitary bone axis, which has revolutionized the paradigm for understanding osteoporosis.
The Mount Sinai Bone Program was established in 1999 with Dr. Zaidi as its Founding Director. It is recognized nationally and internationally for its cutting-edge translational research and highly sought after clinical work in osteoporosis and other bone diseases, including rare genetic diseases, such as Gaucher Disease. It is supported by the National Institutes of Health.
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- Ling-Ling Zhu, Harry Blair, Jay Cao, Tony Yuen, Rauf Latif, Lida Guo, Irina L. Tourkova, Jianhua Li, Terry F. Davies, Li Sun, Zhuan Bian, Clifford Rosen, Alberta Zallone, Maria I. New, and Mone Zaidi. Blocking antibody to the β-subunit of FSH prevents bone loss by inhibiting bone resorption and stimulating bone synthesis. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, August 20, 2012 DOI: 10.1073/pnas._PHONE_
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.


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iTIG II MINI Model D Motor Tester and Analyzer Details
The D model is designed for users who want a fully automatic tester. It has more DC motor test features and single coil test features than the other models.
The D model is receiving praise from customers for being very easy to use and set up despite the large number of options and possible tests that can be done.
Automated sequence of tests:
For AC motors, select the tests to be performed or let the tester automatically use default settings. Perform the micro-ohm winding resistance measurement using the external 4-wire, 6-lead kelvin clamp resistance lead-set first, and let the tester do all high voltage measurements and tests without operator intervention. Connect the test leads, push two buttons, and tests including megohm/DAR/PI, hipot/step voltage/ramp tests and surge tests can be performed on stators and assembled motors in one continuous sequence.
The iTIG II MINI D comes standard with 4-wire micro Ohm (µΩ) measurements done through the external low voltage lead-set.
Because of all the failure limits that can be set, long test sequences that include PI and step voltage tests, and may take 20 to 30 minutes to perform, can be done without the operator present the whole time as long as safety measures are taken. The test sequence is aborted if a limit is broken. Assembled motors can be surge tested without the need to turn the rotor by using the Pulse to Pulse surge tests.
Most of the tests can be done manually or semi-automatically as needed.
Quick Surge™ and Surge Guard™ technology find more insulation weaknesses and faults, makes the tests faster, and ensures the right number of surge pulses are applied for optimal performance, with pulse rise times that meet the IEEE 522 standard.
Test profiles are programmable:
Tolerances for Pass/Fail conditions are easily set by the operator (they are included in default settings) and shuts down the test sequence if a failure limit is exceeded. Voltage ramp rate, the number of steps in various tests and the duration of tests can also be programmed.
- TRPro report software, the advanced version, which runs on PCs and servers is included. Report information includes things like motor ID number, Job number, test description, repair stage (i.e. incoming, after cleaning, pre VPI, final, etc.), and other fields for each test such as DUT specifications. The customizable cover page includes your company information, logo, pictures etc., and automatically pulls in selected info from the report. The tester has 60GB+ data storage, which can sufficiently store millions of test-sets.
- Online motor data such as operating phase voltages, currents etc. can be included in reports to indicate if phases are unbalanced during operation of a motor. Alternatively drop test results can be entered.
- Graphs and tables are generated for multi-point PI and Step Voltage tests and Ramp tests. Multiple tests can be combined in one graph to see changes over time. Tables for megohm (IR) readings taken over time can be included in the report. This can be useful for before/after repair reports, as well as for maintenance and motor reliability programs.
- Bar graphs can be generated to compare multi coil tests, armature tests, and armature resistance measurements.
- Only tests done prints, so there are no empty graphs showing up in the report.
- Network data transfer through WiFi is optional.
- TRPro and the reports it produces, along with the iTIG II MINI screens are available in multiple languages.
Time saver: Produce the same reports by clicking the print button on the iTIG II MINI motor tester. Then transfer the report(s) and raw data to a server later using a Flash Drive or WiFi.
Multi Coil Surge Tests and Resistance Measurements:
The iTIG II MINI D can be set up specifically as a single coil tester, and can automatically surge test a single coil in both directions.
The D model will store all the test data when multiple coils are tested and can present the results in bar graph format. Multi coil mode makes it easy to surge test a large number of form coils, DC armature coils or other types of coils with comparison to the first coil tested, or compared to a stored master coil. An unlimited number of master coils or master stators can be stored by simply selecting a test as a master.
Coil resistance measurements can be added to the surge tests.
For DC motors and armatures the multi coil features are very useful both for surge tests and resistance measurements. For resistance measurements bar to bar on the armature, the motor analyzer will determine what percent equalization the armature has. If there are two levels of resistance it calculates an average for each level and the max delta between the high and low measurements for each level. It compares the result of each measurement to the average(s). If the % deviation limit set in the iTIG II MINI D is exceeded, a fault will be registered, and in the bar graph it creates the averages are drawn and the faulty bar(s) colored differently than the rest of the bars. The ARP-02, 4-wire resistance probes, are required.
- Outputs: 4kV and 6kV
- Wireless network connection.
- Accessories for DC motor tests. Click here for details.
- PP-II option to use the MINI with the PP-II 18kV, 24kV, 30kV or 40kV Power Pack.
To learn more about the rest of the iTIG II MINI models, use the following links:


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Dr Stace will give a disability perspective on the road to the Royal Commission. A Government inquiry in 1953 recommended that the existing psychopaedic institutions be extended into large 'mental deficiency colonies' with parents encouraged to send their disabled children to them by the age of five. In 1964 it was estimated that one in a thousand children had an impairment requiring such incarceration. By the early 1970s, when another Inquiry proposed the closure of such institutions, hundreds of children and adults who had managed to survive lived in such places. Abuse in many forms thrived in such environments. The last institution, Kimberley, finally closed in 2006.
Why were these young people locked away from families and communities for who they were, rather than anything they had done? Why were children taken off mothers who were told to forget about them? Dr Stace will discuss how these policies can be traced back to the Social Darwinism of the previous century and the false science of eugenics which was promoted by influential politicians, public servants, academics and doctors as a way to create an ideal 'fit' society. 'Deviance', 'defect' and 'delinquency' threatened this vision and those people assumed to be the cause - including those with certain impairments – were segregated in order to prevent their breeding.
Dr Stace's evidence will address the intersection of colonisation, racism and eugenics that helped create a toxic mix of surveillance and oppression which led to the institutionalisation of thousands of children, young people and adults in a network of sites across New Zealand. Māori were disproportionately affected. Remnants of eugenic discrimination remain today in ongoing reports of abuse of disabled people.


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De Jonge v. Oregon
1. The practice of substituting for the evidence a stipulation of facts not shown to have received the approval of the court below is disapproved. P. 358.
2. Upon appeal from a judgment of a state supreme court sustaining a conviction, this Court in this case takes the indictment as construed by the court below. P. 360.
3. Criminal punishment under a state statute for participation in the conduct of a public meeting, otherwise lawful, merely because the meeting was held under the auspices of an organization which teaches or advocates the use of violence, or other unlawful acts [p354] or methods to effect industrial or political change or revolution, though no such teaching or advocacy attended the meeting in question, violates the constitutional principles of free speech and assembly. P. 362.
The Criminal Syndicalism Law of Oregon, as applied in this case, is invalid.
4. The rights of free speech and peaceable assembly are fundamental rights which are safeguarded against state interference by the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. P. 364.
5. The fact that these rights are guaranteed specifically by the First Amendment against abridgment by Congress does not argue their exclusion from the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. Id.
6. The legislature may protect against abuses of the rights of free speech and assembly by dealing with the abuses; the rights themselves must not be curtailed. Id.
APPEAL from the affirmance of a conviction under the Criminal Syndicalism Law of Oregon. [p356]


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Entomological Survey of Rio Bravo Conservation and Management Area, Belize
Peter Kovarik, John Shuey, and Chris Carlton
During the mid-late 1990's, lepidopterist John Shuey became interested in testing the widely touted concept that insect communities are useful in evaluating impacts to ecological integrity in tropical forest communities. At that time the literature had been advocating insects, especially butterflies, as appropriate indicators for assessing the impacts of specific management activities on tropical forests. People were already using insects as indicators, despite the fact that this simple premise had yet to be tested. John enlisted coleopterist Peter Kovarik as a partner in this study. The two decided that in addition to butterflies, scarabaeine scarabs and hister beetles would become part of the study. The taxa that were selected were chosen in part because of their susceptibility to bait and or passive trapping techniques. In fact the beauty of this study was that we envisioned relatively little active collecting. This way we could quasi enjoy ourselves while our traps were filling with insects!
The site chosen for our study was Rio Bravo Conservation Area located in Orange Walk Province, Belize. Rio Bravo is a 230,000 acre nature preserve in the northwestern corner of the country near the corner where Belize, Guatemala, and Mexico meet. Rio Bravo is a beautiful mosaic of semitropical moist forest, savanna, and wetland habitats with over 230 species of trees, 70 species of mammals, and approximately 400 species of birds. Among large animals, the area has healthy populations of jaguar, puma, Baird's tapir, and two species of monkeys. There are also significant Mayan archeological sites, and the area has a colorful recent history of mahogany logging, chicl? extraction, and marijuana farming. This preserve is ministered by Programme For Belize (PfB), a private conservation organization that holds Rio Bravo in trust for the people of Belize. PfB integrates elements of sustainable forestry and natural product harvesting, ecotourism, and education into a single comprehensive long-term management plan. For a location map of Rio Bravo click on the PfB logo above. For additional information about The Nature Conservancy's role, click on that logo.
Rio Bravo turned out to be an ideal setting for our study. In addition to extensive areas of oak-pine savanna, there were huge expanses of contiguous limestone rainforest without excessive topographic variability. Within this expanse of fairly homogenous habitat, there were areas along trails or roads through the forest that had been fairly recently logged. We sought to imbed our sample sites within areas that were both recently disturbed by man and others which had been relatively untouched for quite some time. Because Rio Bravo is a preserve and PfB encourages research activities, we felt confidant that human impact on both the ecosystem and our sampling devices would be minimal. Thus, it seemed probable that any potential differences we observed in insect communities between our sample sites would be primarily due to forest integrity rather than extraneous factors.
Our core studies were conducted once during the dry season and twice during the rainy season. They were completed in 1996. Since neither John nor Pete knew much about scarabaeine scarabs, expert Bill Warner was coaxed into participating by promising him many scarabs with no strings attached. In fact Bill eventually joined us in Rio Bravo in July 1996. We are still awaiting some of our quantitative insect data, but we have botanical assessments of each forest tract, and data from the sample events for butterflies and hister beetles in hand. As soon as the last of our insect data is cleaned up, we will finish off the ecological end of this work.
Like many studies, this one began small and focused and eventually expanded into a full blown entomological survey. Coleopterist Chris Carlton became the third major player in our survey. Chris has made several trips to Rio Bravo and done some intensive leaf litter work and set up many a flight intercept trap in search of tiny pselaphid beetles. We collected massive amounts of insects and have spent the last several years processing our samples and farming specimens out to various specialists who have generously provided us with identifications. We have learned, with little surprise that many of the insects that inhabit the forests and savannas of Rio Bravo are new to science. Many others are new country records. This is not surprising either since the entomofauna of Belize is poorly known. What is perhaps a bit of a surprise are the many unusual range extensions for some of the described insect species. This indicates that knowing the insect fauna of Belize will improve our understanding of the zoogeography of Mexico and Central America.
The following checklists and are now available and more will be added as they mature. Available images may be accessed through links within the checklists.
- Anthribidae, by Charles O'Brien
- Cerambycidae, by Robert Turnbow
- Chrysomelidae, by Shawn Clark
- Curculionidae, by Charles O'Brien
- Elateroidea, by Paul Johnson
- Erotylidae, by Paul Skelley
- Mordellidae, by John Jackman
- Staphylinidae: subfamily Pselaphinae, by Chris Carlton
- Tenebrionidae, by Charles Triplehorn and Otto Merkl
For questions and comments contact Peter Kovarik.


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Achieving pregnancy safely: perspectives on timed vaginal insemination among HIV-serodiscordant couples and health-care providers in Kisumu, Kenya. In female-positive HIV-serodiscordant couples desiring children, home timed vaginal insemination (TVI) of semen during the fertile period along with consistent condom use may reduce the risk of HIV transmission when the man is HIV-uninfected. In sub-Saharan Africa, up to 45% of HIV-infected women desire to have more children. HIV viral load assessment is not routinely available in low-resource countries for monitoring adherence and response to antiretroviral therapy. Therefore, in these settings, timed unprotected intercourse without assurance of HIV viral suppression may pose unnecessary risks. TVI, a simple and affordable intervention, can be considered an adjunct method and option of safer conception for HIV prevention with treatment of the HIV-infected partner and/or pre-exposure prophylaxis. We conducted five mixed and single-sex focus group discussions comprised of 33 HIV-serodiscordant couples and health-care providers in the Nyanza region of Kenya to assess the acceptability and feasibility of TVI as a safer method of conception. The transcribed data were analyzed using a grounded theory approach.
GlobalResearch at UCSF presents the broad scope of health research that is being conducted by UCSF researchers worldwide


text:
Also included in
- Counting numbers and learning math facts are so much fun with this bundle of 6 MP3s! The Counting Songs include:• Counting 1 – 20 (1:07)• Counting 1 – 100 (4:00)• Skip Counting 1 – 100 (5:00)• Counting Backward 30 – 0 (4:23)• Count On From 80 to 130 (4:55)BONUS:• Rap Your Math: Math Drill in a Song$4.00$5.00Save $1.00
- The Teacher Guide for Classroom Management will help you to be CALM and CONFIDENT in your classroom—with teacher scripts, lessons, posters, printables, tips, behavior management resources and materials you will use all year.Includes 3 MEGA-RESOURCES and MORE…The Perfect Lesson Plan—and your best obs$60.00$84.50Save $24.50
Counting Song: How do you get kids to behave, calm down, clean up, transition, time out, stand and stretch? It's all made easier with this Counting Song MP3 – a soothing voice counting the numbers 1 – 20 over relaxing music with a soft beat.
This "magic timer" counts numbers like a heartbeat. It is one beat per second, plus intro and fade-out; one minute of music in all. It's a great behavior management tool to help kids calm their minds and focus on the task at hand. You can replay it for an extended countdown.
It's also perfect for teaching kids to count numbers 1-20, as the pronunciation is slow, clear and correct.
It's not just for kids! If you would like a minute of relaxation, then cup your palms over your eyes as you listen to this…
Many Uses Include:
- Teach kids to count numbers 1-20
- Follow along on a number chart
- Dance or stretch between lessons
- Meditate with heads down or eyes cupped
- Time a transition or clean-up
- Time a task
- Make 20 poses, 20 facial expressions, etc.
- Take 20 steps
- Nap time relaxation
- Tutor a small group at the listening center or computer
- Slow your pulse rate by breathing deeply and matching your pulse to the beat of the songs
- Teach kids to skip-count, by saying only every 2nd, 5th, or 10th number
- Count out 20 Cheerios, M&Ms, chocolate chips, beans, etc., and place them on a Number Chart, as you sing along
*****This Counting Song is FREE, so enjoy it...and if you would kindly leave your rating and feedback it would be greatly appreciated!*****
I hope you find this Counting Song MP3 delightful, and if you'd like to try the longer version it's here:
MP3 length 1:07
Zip File includes PDF with Suggested Uses
© 2014 Renee Dawn
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
For use by one teacher in a classroom setting. Please respect the copyright.
FOR MORE MATH FUN:
You might also like…
The Perfect Lesson Plan -- Rock your observation lesson with checklists, charts, cheat-sheets, tips, class posters, lesson plans and lesson plan templates for K – 5
Behavior Management with Humor -- a creative approach to discipline in the classroom
Behavior Management Ultimate Guide -- a creative and comprehensive resource
NOT JUST FOR SUBS--A GREAT SUBSTITUTE BINDER:
Kindergarten Creative Back To School Ultra Bundle – Lessons, Tips, Rules, Sight Words, CVC Words, Counting Songs, Behavior Management and Bulletin Board Displays
Poetry Writing – Free Verse, Creative – Dazzling Display Pieces for K – 5
How to Draw Series:


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Product Announcement from CyPower, LLC
The BMR453 is an isolated DC/DC converter capable of 400W or 33A of output in a quarter brick form factor. Unlike quarter brick analogue converters, the BMR453 achieves this power density while providing a very tight output voltage regulation over an input voltage range of 36 to 75V at efficiency levels in excess of 96 percent. It is the first DC/DC converter to offer this combination of performance and power density, making it a logical choice for high performance systems operating with 48/60 V battery backup power architectures. Including a bidirectional serial multi-node interface, PMBus, BMR453 offers an unprecedented level of communication between the power module and the system energy management controller, making it possible to monitor and control energy down to single board level.
The second series of 3E products, named BMR450 and BMR451, comprise of digital POL (point-of-load) regulators establishing an innovative approach to reach the goals of end-user value, flexibility and system performance.
The internal design of the 3E POL regulators uses digital power control techniques, and some of the optional user implementations of these products can benefit from utilization of system level digital power and energy management approaches. While these products can be successfully applied using the same techniques as with conventional fully analog POL regulators, it is beneficial for the customer to have access, through a PMBus interface, to critical information such as load condition, temperature, voltage and current delivered, and other parameters, making it possible to monitor the distributed energy down to processor level.
The BMR450 features a wide input voltage range, making it easier to operate under most of the common intermediate bus voltages i.e. 5V, 8V, and 12V. The output voltage range is adjustable, with an output current of 20A providing up to 100W of power. Offering high efficiency - typically 96.8% at half load, the BMR450 has a very small package size of 25.65 x 12.9 x 8.2mm (1.01 x 0.51 x 0.323in), and a high current density of 7.38A/cm3 (120A/in3). For a similar in/out performance, an analogue voltage regulator would offer a much-reduced figure of 2.37A/cm3 (43A/in3).
The BMR451 is a digitally controlled, non-isolated voltage regulator rated at 40A. Featuring a high current density of 7.90A/cm3 (129A/in3), it measures just 30.85 x 20 x 8.2mm (1.215 x 0.787 x 0.323in), offers a 4.5V to 14V input voltage range, a 0.6V to 3.6V output voltage range and an MTBF figure of 2.6 million hours.
To complement these products, an evaluation kit for the 3E DC/DC converter and voltage regulators that contains extensive Configuration Monitoring and Management (CMM) software on CD, USB Cables and instruction manuals is available through CyPower.


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Red Bay is named for the reddish cliffs found along the local shoreline. Between 1550 and 1600, Red Bay was the site of Buttes, a major Basque whaling station. A whaling ship, the San Juan, lost in 1567 in Red Bay Harbour, is the oldest shipwreck north of the Caribbean and one of the best preserved. After 1600, the whaling station was abandoned mainly due to the reduction of the whale stocks.
In the 18th century, Red Bay was a Canadian fur trading post. Red Bay became a Newfoundland fishing station in the 1800s. The first census was in 1856, and it showed 72 people settled in Red Bay; it increased to 152 by 1891. Dr. Wilfred Grenfell helped to establish the first co-operative at Red Bay in 1896.
In the 1950s and 1960s, many families moved to Red Bay from outlying fishing stations, and in the 1960s the first road was constructed. By the 1970s, archaeological work began and this led to Red Bay becoming an historical site and making tourism an important industry for the town. Red Bay was incorporated as a town in 1973.


text: The Dunsink Observatory is an astronomical observatory established in 1785 in what was then outside of Dublin by Trinity College Dublin. The site was selected for its elevated position and views over the surrounding landscape. At the time, Dublin was four miles away and Finglas was a small village, a perfectly dark location, far from the city lights, for star-watching. The design of Dunsink incorporated a number of novel ideas. The main telescope was mounted on a granite pier which is independent of the building that surrounds it. Circulation of air within the dome was intended to give sharper images of the stars. The observatory was restored in recent years. The telescope, then no longer state of the art, was used mainly for public 'open nights'.


Sarah Maribu and the Lost World (Windows)
100 point score based on reviews from various critics.
5 point score based on user ratings.
Not an American user?
Sarah Maribu and her brother Michael are two archaeologists and explorers, that arrive by helicopter to an uncharted island and start to investigate the temples and other structures of a lost civilization.
Sarah Maribu and the Lost World is a hidden object game with elements of the adventure genre. Most of the time, the objective is to find and click on all the items shown as pictures on slots at the left side of the screen, on locations filled with assorted paraphernalia scattered throughout the scenery. The hint button shows the position of one of the required items, but takes thirty seconds to recharge after use. Some of the objects are stored inside the inventory, to be used later when solving puzzles.
The inventory can be accessed through the tools button at the bottom-left corner, sliding upwards to reveal all of its compartments. The objects have to be used as in most point-and-click adventures, by dragging and dropping them over logical places to perform an action or complete a task. Some of the objects can only be found inside one of the interactive windows showing another angle of the location, that appear after clicking on certain hotspots.
There are mini-games between each chapter, like the Simon implementation where the player has to repeat a color sequence in a set of drums, the weights puzzle where statuettes have to be distributed on columns to reach equilibrium, and other similar challenges.
Sarah Maribu and the Lost World Windows Battery puzzle
Sarah Maribu and the Lost World Windows Simon game with drums
Sarah Maribu and the Lost World Windows Sarah
Sarah Maribu and the Lost World Windows Weights puzzle
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How to insert & remove your Secret Whispers Kegel Weights
1. Firstly wash your hands and ensure your weights are clean by using warm soapy water.
2. Empty your bladder and bowel
3. Find a room and time where you won't be disturbed
4. Find a comfortable position – such as leg raised on the toilet or bath
5. Insert as you would do with a tampon – It can't go too far. Insert as high as is comfortable. They will move down to a natural resting place.
6. Insert them gently on an outward breath. Relax and remember to continue breathing
7. Use water or a water based (only) lubricant if referred
8. The cord should remain outside your body
9. Wearing underwear is recommended
Remove the weights during an outward breath (do not bear down with your pelvic floor) and wash thoroughly


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Are you making baseball history?
Before you run to your autograph collection to judge the quality of signatures, consider what you've been writing to those signers. I believe YOUR letters are historic, too.
On an Internet search, I stumbled across a record of the Jackie Robinson papers archived at the Library of Congress. Robinson's letters to, and from, baseball notables, are part of his lifetime collection of papers. However, one sentence jumped out from the LOC website:
"Fan mail from home and abroad offered Robinson support and encouragement in his efforts both on and off the field, while often providing a glimpse into the writer's own struggle with racial intolerance."
You might be collecting autographs. The baseball legend might be collecting YOUR letter. Years from now, historians might look at what you wrote to a famous baseball name, hoping to get idea of that star's popularity and impact on society.
Think twice about what you say. Your letter may have a longer life than you do!


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We just found out that the OU CS department is having a cool talk tomorrow. Check it out:
The School of Computer Science would like to invite you to join us at our Hitachi Distinguished Lecture Series seminar on Friday, September 23, 2011 in DEH 120/130.
Speaker: Gilles Brassard (University of Montreal)
Title: Quantum Magic in Secret Communication
Abstract: Quantum Cryptography is the first near-term practical application of the emerging field of quantum information processing. It allows two parties who share only a short prior secret to exchange messages with provably perfect confidentiality under the nose of an eavesdropper whose computational power is unlimited and whose technology is restricted only by the accepted laws of physics. In this talk, we shall tell the tale of the origin of Quantum Cryptography from the birth of the first idea by Wiesner in 1970 to the invention of Quantum Key Distribution in 1983, to the first prototypes and ensuing commercial ventures, to exciting prospects for the future. No prior knowledge in quantum mechanics or cryptography will be expected.


text:
(1) An abstract class may contain complete or incomplete methods. Interfaces can contain only the signature of a method but no body. Thus an abstract class can implement methods but an interface cannot implement methods.
(2) An abstract class can contain fields, constructors, or destructors and implement properties. An interface cannot contain fields, constructors, or destructors and it has only the property's signature but no implementation.
(3) An abstract class cannot support multiple inheritances, but an interface can support multiple inheritances. Thus a class may inherit several interfaces but only one abstract class.
(4) A class implementing an interface has to implement all the methods of the interface, but the same is not required in the case of an abstract Class.
(5) Various access modifiers such as abstract, protected, internal, public, virtual, etc. are useful in abstract Classes but not in interfaces.
(6) Abstract classes are are faster than interfaces.


text:
With cameras set up in Sumatra looking for mediumand small-sized wild cats, such as leopards, a research group involving the University of Delaware's Kyle McCarthy, found images of something else entirely — a rabbit. Not just any ordinary rabbit, but a Sumatran striped rabbit, one of the world's rarest species and one that had been captured on film only three times before.
There has never been a viable study of the Sumatran striped rabbit and McCarthy, assistant professor in the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR), said that while his group plans on continuing their study of small cats, they are now also focusing on the rare rabbit species.
"This is the most data that anybody has compiled on these rabbits ever," said McCarthy. "The idea would be to go get a better idea of how many there might be in an area and we're hoping that this can spur that forward."
For the study, led by Jennifer McCarthy, a doctoral candidate in the Department of Environmental Conservation at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, the group obtained 10 photographs of the Sumatran striped rabbit on two separate occasions in locations 790 meters apart in the Liwa region of Bukit Barisan Seletan National Park.
After obtaining the photographs, the group conducted an informal survey of colleagues who have worked in other protected areas of Sumatra to find out if they had ever seen or documented on film the Sumatran striped rabbit to get a better idea of where the rabbits might be living.
According to Kyle McCarthy, there is a great need for collaboration among the many groups studying animal species in the area because "this is one of those things that can just fly under the radar."
With disparate researchers in different groups in many different parks, McCarthy said scientists have to collaborate or they could miss out on an important discovery.
The group found that most of the researchers hadn't recorded the species, but they did find that scientists in Kerinci Seblat National Park, the largest park in Sumatra, had recently seen the rabbits multiple times.
One of the main factors working in the rabbits' favor is that the group photographed them in an area that thus far has not been subject to heavy amounts of poaching. "One of the problems is that Sumatra continues to be settled and so we're going to get more and more pressure around the edges of the parks and we're going to see more poaching," said McCarthy. "In other parts of this exact same park, we see a lot of poaching across the boundaries. This part is up high enough that we don't see as many people and we don't see as many poachers." A point that McCarthy wanted to make clear is that most of the poachers are doing so to feed themselves, not as a means to profit.
McCarthy said that one of the reasons the group is so eager to launch a study of the rabbit is that "this could be a good spot to try and conserve them, especially for now, because they haven't had that poaching pressure yet and so there's probably a bigger population there."
For now, McCarthy is just excited to be able to bring focus to a species that has been neglected for too long. "We've had a chance to not rediscover a species but, in essence, to bring focus back to a very rare rabbit. Often things like rabbits go overlooked because most people don't even know there is a Sumatran rabbit. Part of doing field work in remote locations is that we are able to see things like this, and it can be really important for conservation."
Details of the research and the team's findings are being published in Oryx, an international wildlife journal. For a first look at the article, see the journal website.
The research was funded by the Mohamed bin Zaved Species Conservation Fund, Panthera and the McCarthy Laboratory in CANR's Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology.
Article by Adam Thomas
Photo courtesy of Kyle McCarthy
This article can also be viewed on UDaily
To watch a video of the rabbit, visit the University of Delaware's Youtube page


Why you should keep your head in the clouds
Why do clouds get a bad rap?
Why do clouds get a bad rap?
 Why do clouds get a bad rap?
Why do clouds get a bad rap? 02:19
Story highlights
 - Gavin Pretor-Pinney: Clouds entrance kids, but for adults are often metaphors for gloom
 - But he says they are one of the most diverse, evocative, poetic parts of nature.
 - He says scientists puzzled by what clouds can tell about predicting future climate change
 - Pretor-Pinney: In frenzied age, cloudspotting legitimately, blissfully allows us to do nothing
Clouds intrigued me as a boy. I was curious about what they were made of, how they got up in the sky and what it would be like to sit on one. I also thought they looked beautiful.
Kids are often entranced by clouds. Unfortunately, such positive feelings rarely endure into adulthood. As we grow up, we start to moan about clouds.
We consider them as metaphors for doom and gloom, describing someone who's depressed as "having a cloud hanging over them" and bad news in store as "a cloud on the horizon."
Watch Gavin Pretor-Pinney's TED Talk
Clouds get a bad press. That's why, a few years ago, I started the Cloud Appreciation Society. It exists to remind people that, far from being things to complain about, clouds are among of the most diverse, evocative, and poetic parts of nature.
TED.com: Sculpting waves in wood and time
It must be because they are so commonplace, so ubiquitous, so everyday, that we become blind to the beauty of clouds. We only tend to notice them when they block out the sun. So they come to represent the annoying obstructions in life, the things that get in the way.
Pretor-Pinney: Cloudy with a chance of joy
Pretor-Pinney: Cloudy with a chance of joy
 Pretor-Pinney: Cloudy with a chance of joy
Pretor-Pinney: Cloudy with a chance of joy 10:54
Our feelings about the weather are often articulated as if there is a battle between the sun and the clouds -- between good weather and cloudy weather. Such an opposition is, of course, just projection. The sun's energy powers the very movement of air around our atmosphere that causes clouds to form. "The most beautiful thing in Nature," wrote Henry David Thoreau, "is the sun reflected from a tearful cloud."
TED.com: Tom Shannon on anti-gravity sculpture
Not only should we appreciate clouds more, we also need to understand them better. The recent fifth report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change includes one conclusion that all sides of the climate change debate can agree on. This is that the one factor contributing the greatest uncertainty in scientists' attempts to predict future global temperatures is the clouds.
They have a huge and complex effect on the flow of energy to and from our planet, sometimes reflecting away the sun's heat, sometimes trapping in Earth's warmth. Scientists still don't understand enough about the formation of clouds to predict with confidence how cloud cover will be affected by changing atmospheric conditions. Without knowing that, they can neither be sure how the clouds will amplify future changes in global temperatures and nor make confident predictions about our climate in decades to come.
But on the ground, in the meantime, the pleasures of cloudspotting, are all about the here and now. There is a satisfaction in learning to recognize the different types of cloud, from the fair-weather cumulus to the high, wispy cirrus, the fierce cumulonimbus storm cloud and the many other rare, unusual and fleeting cloud forms.
TED.com: Nature, beauty, gratitude
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text:
We have just finished reading about the different civilisations of the ancient world. Have you wondered what happened to these civilisations when the Ancient Period came to an end? Did civilisations also come to an end? Or were the ancient civilisations succeeded by equally significant ones during the Medieval Period? Let us look for answers to such queries here. In this lesson we shall read about the transformation of European society after the downfall of the Roman Empire. We shall also see how the birth of a new religion called Islam led to the founding of a vast empire that originated in West Asia and spread out over a large part of the world. We shall also take a look at India's medieval past to see what happened after the decline of Harsha's rule.
After seen this video, you will be able to:
- identify the Medieval Period as an important stage in the evolution of human society;
- describe the changes in political organization that took place after the collapse of the Roman Empire;
- explain the political, military and socio-economic aspects of Feudalism as it existed in Western Europe; describe the evolution of Islamic religion, society and polity in West Asia;
- recognise the features of political organization during the Medieval Period in India describe the main features of Medieval Indian economy; and
- analyse how cultural and religious life during the Medieval Period in India represented a unique tradition of synthesis.
EUROPE IN MEDIEVAL TIMES
The Medieval Period is also called the Middle Ages. As the name suggests, it refers to the period which succeeded the Ancient Period and came before the Modern Period. But was it only a 'Middle' age caught in between two great ages with no significance of its own? Not really since the Medieval Period constitutes an important stage in the evolution of human society that needs to be studied for its own interest. What is more, the achievements and glories of the Medieval Period were also important steps towards the Modern Period.
You may find it interesting to know that the term 'Middle Ages' was coined by Europeans in the 17th century because they saw it as a long and dark period of interruption between the Classical Period of Ancient Greek and Roman Civilisations and their own Modern Age. However, the Medieval Period was not necessarily a dark period or an interruption. For the Islamic world, it was a period when a civilisation flowered and reached the height of its glory. In India, the Medieval Period was an age of synthesis. It saw a fusion of old and new political, economic and social systems. Out of this fusion emerged a unique cultural pattern of co-existence and acceptance that became the hallmark of the Medieval Period of India. Even in Europe, the picture does not appear as gloomy as it is sometimes thought. In the early part of the Medieval Period the level of material and cultural accomplishment was no doubt somewhat low. However, during the later part the Europeans greatly improved their standard of living. They also developed new institutions of learning and new modes of thought and reached very high standards in literature and art. In fact, the new ideas that emerged during this time not only transformed Europe but also had a deep impact on the rest of the world in the times to come. Let us then find out what was happening in the different parts of the world during the medieval ages.
Decline of the Roman Empire
We have read in the previous lesson about the strength and greatness of the Roman Civilisation. We also read how the Roman Empire had come to be divided into Western and Eastern territories. The Western provinces had their capital in Rome while the Eastern provinces had their capital in Constantinople. The Roman Emperor Constantine had set up the new capital of the Eastern territories in the ancient Greek city of Byzantine in 330AD. It came to be known as Constantinople after his name. The Roman Empire continued to exist in the east for almost a thousand years after it had collapsed in the west. It was known as the Eastern Roman or the Byzantine Empire. This Eastern Civilisation of Greek speaking people reached very high standards of economic and cultural life at a time when Western Europe was in a relatively backward condition. The Roman Empire in the west came to an end following attacks by various Germanic tribes like the Goths, Vandals, Visigoths and Franks. After overthrowing the Roman Emperor in the West in 476 AD, these invaders established separate successor states.
Did all this political upheaval result in a complete change? Did the political and economic systems built by the Romans disappear? Well, the new Germanic rulers did not completely replace the earlier systems with their own. In fact, Roman and Germanic societies came into close contact and merged with each other. As a result of this and the prevailing political and economic conditions, a new type of society was born in Europe, with institutions and systems that were quite different from either Roman or Germanic ones. The most important institution of this new society was Feudalism. It completely transformed the existing social, political and economic organizations. Let us see how this system evolved and what its characteristics were.
FEUDALISM: POLITICAL, MILITARY AND SOCIOECONOMIC ASPECTS
The successor states of the Germanic peoples in the West managed to restore political stability after the collapse of the Roman Empire. In fact, one of these states managed to create a sizeable empire under the famous king Charlemagne, which began to collapse after about mid9thcentury under the impact of fresh waves of invasions. The resulting political chaos led to the emergence of a new kind of political order called Feudalism. It was a hierarchical or graded organization of political sovereignty. This hierarchical structure can be understood easily if we visualize a ladder or a flight of steps. At the top of the ladder stood the King, below him stood the big lords known as the Dukes and Earls. Below these lords were a number of lesser lords known as the Barons. Below these were the Knights, who were perhaps the lowest category of lords. The lords derived their authority from and owned their loyalty to the lord just above them and were known as the vassals of their lord. This pattern of relationship between lords and vassals, that is, between bigger lords and lesser lords was the same from the top of the ladder to the bottom. These lords were all powerful in their respective local areas. Thus political power was widely dispersed unlike in the Roman Empire where it was concentrated mainly in the hands of the king. This was the political aspect of Feudalism.
A unique feature of the new feudal political structure was the personal nature of the bond that linked a lord and his vassal. An elaborate ceremony would be organized to establish this bond. In this ceremony, a vassal would take a vow to serve the lord all his life. Simultaneously, he also accepted the protection of the lord. Protection was important since these were politically unstable times. In return for the protection that a vassal received he was bound to perform various services for his lord. This mainly included military services which meant that the vassal had to provide a certain number of troops whenever required by the lord. In his turn the lord was expected to make a grant usually in the form of land for the sustenance of the 'fief' or 'fiefdom'
from which the word Feudalism is derived. The lords used to mobilize armed supporters in their own areas who had personal loyalty directly to him. With this armed strength, he would provide military support to the lord whenever required. With this military power, the lords also became complete masters of their own area and could not be challenged even by the state.
In a period of political turmoil, just as the lords sought protection, so did the peasant. These peasants had no land of their own, no implements and could not afford to buy seeds. For these well as for protection the free peasants now turned to the lords. These dependent peasants of Medieval Europe, tied to the soil and completely subject to the authority of the lord were called serfs. A major portion of the wealth generated during this period was through their exploitation. To understand how this happened, let us see how agriculture was organised during this period.
The entire landed estate over which a feudal lord had control was known as the manor. The land surrounding the manor house was divided into three parts – land for the use of the lord, the arable land granted in parcels to the peasants and the meadowlands used by everyone as grazing land for livestock. The serfs who occupied these parcels or holdings were regarded tenants of the lord of the manor. Being tenants, they had to give something to the lord as rent. This rent was paid by peasants in the form of labour services to the lord. They also worked on the lands of the lords for a certain number of days in the week. The serfs had to put in extra labour during agricultural seasons when plugging, harvesting or threshing was required. Such unpaid labor services also included other heavy tasks such as construction work, hewing and cutting of fire wood. In the later phase of Feudalism, these labor services were gradually substituted by those payable in money.
The serfs also had to pay some dues or taxes in kind which came from the share of their own produce. These were often introduced arbitrarily whenever the lord wanted more resources. The lords also extracted from the peasants in an indirect manner. The manor was a self-sufficient economic unit. This means that almost all articles of everyday use were produced and consumed on it. For this there were various facilities like smithies for turning out iron object, flour mills for grinding wheat or corn, ovens for baking bread, wine presses for making wine from grapes and various workshops for making products of everyday use. All of these were owned by the lord. The peasants were forced to use these facilities and the charges for these


Cookbook:Irish Soda Bread
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Irish Soda Bread
Category Bread recipes
Servings 8
Time Prep 15 minutes
Bake 50-70 minutes
Difficulty Easy
Cookbook | Ingredients | Recipes | Irish cuisine | Vegetarian Cuisine | Holiday | Bread
 2. Grease and flour a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
 5. Mix until just moistened. Too much mixing will make it tough.
 6. Stir in butter; pour into prepared pan.
 7. Bake for 65-70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the bread comes out clean. The loaf should sound hollow if you tap the base.
 8. Cool on a wire rack.
 9. Wrap in tea-towel or foil several hours or overnight for best flavor.
Tips, Notes, and Variations[edit]
 - May serve toasted and buttered.
 - Soda bread rises as a result of acid being mixed with baking soda. The acid is commonly in the form of vinegar, lemon juice, or buttermilk. A tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar in one cup of milk can be substituted for each cup of buttermilk.
 - For best results, bake it at 375°F (190°C), for about 50 minutes, on a preheated baking stone.
Conventional bread, containing live yeast, leavens (rises) as the micro-organisms make carbon dioxide gas as a by-product of their metabolism. Similarly, soda bread utilizes the reaction between baking soda and vinegar, or some other acid, to make the bread rise through the production of carbon dioxide. This recipe uses buttermilk, or optionally a combination of milk and vinegar, but other recipes use sour cream.


超重儿童父母的烦恼 我儿子那里太短了
来源：hg体育 发布时间：2021-05-24 00:47:02
本文摘要：The pediatric wisdom is that it's often the mother who asks the question. 儿科医生们找到，往往是母亲问这个问题。
The pediatric wisdom is that it's often the mother who asks the question. 儿科医生们找到，往往是母亲问这个问题。But she usually says the question comes from the boy's father.不过她一般来说不会说道，这是孩子爸爸让回答的。His dad is worried, she begins. 一般她不会这样开始：他爸爸有点担忧。Is our son's penis a normal size? Is it too small? Is something wrong?我们儿子的阴茎大小长时间吗？是不是太小了？是不是问题？Most of the time, everything is perfectly normal. 大多数时候，一切都很长时间。
But what most of those boys have in common is their physique: They tend to be overweight.不过，这些男孩大多有一个联合的体形问题：他们往往都超载。Questions about penis size have become more common over the past decade, as my colleagues and I have all seen more overweight children coming in for physical exams. 过去10年中，我和同事们看到更加多超载儿童来身体检查；这期间，关于阴茎大小的问题也显得更为少见。
And these worries reflect cultural preoccupations and anxieties, which can make the conversation highly fraught for all concerned.这些忧虑体现出有一种文化着迷和情绪，它让谈话对于关心这个问题的所有人来说都变得充满著压力。I see dissatisfaction with the phallus very regularly, said Dr. 我常常看到对阴茎的反感，费城儿童医院(Children's Hospital of Philadelphia)的小儿泌尿科医生阿西姆舒克拉博士(Aseem Shukla)说道。Aseem Shukla, a pediatric urologist at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and associate professor of urology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. 他也是宾夕法尼亚大学(University of Pennsylvania)佩雷尔曼医学院(Perelman School of Medicine)的副教授。He said that with 10- to 11-year-old boys, a common thing is, my son's penis is too short.他说道，对10到11岁的男孩来说，一个少见的担忧是，我儿子的阴茎太短。
The vast majority of the parents who bring up the issue with their pediatricians after the newborn period have children whose genitals fall in the normal range. 对于大部分在新生儿阶段过后向儿科医生明确提出这个问题的父母来说，他们孩子的阴茎大小往往在长时间范围内。A baby or toddler's penis can look very small, and maybe especially when the child himself is larger rather than smaller. 婴儿或学步期儿童的阴茎有可能看上去十分小，特别是在是如果孩子本身体形较胖的话。Watching their bodies as they grow, parents sometimes begin to worry about heavier boys and whether their genitals are normal.父母们看著他们渐渐长大的身体，开始担忧他们否超载，生殖器否长时间。
The penis can be buried in the fat pad that sits in front of the pubic bone, and it can remain hidden as boys go through adolescence. 阴茎有可能挖出在耻骨上面的脂肪垫里，在整个青春期有可能都秘藏在里面。What is called a hidden penis can be a combination of being prepubertal (so the penis has not begun to grow), being overweight (so the fat pad is significant), and in some cases an anatomical condition in which the soft tissue below the skin of the penis doesn't adhere well to the Buck's fascia,它被称作隐蔽阴茎，成因有可能还包括以下三个方面：没有到青春期（所以阴茎还没有开始生长）；超载（所以脂肪夹很显著）；在某些情况下是生理结构问题——阴茎皮肤下的软组织没与巴克筋膜很好地融合一起。
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the thick covering that surrounds the penile nerves and arteries. 巴克筋膜是环绕阴茎神经和动脉的厚厚的覆盖物。This fixation problem can yield what Dr. Shukla described as a slidey penis, in which the actual shaft retreats and only the skin, or the foreskin, in an uncircumcised boy, is clearly apparent.这个相连问题可能会造成舒克拉博士所说的滑滑的阴茎，确实的柱状体限进来了，只有皮肤（也就是包皮）很显著地回到并未拒绝接受环切手术的男孩体外。There are some surgical procedures which can unbury that concealed penis, but Dr. Shukla said that except in extreme cases, it made more sense to wait and let the child grow older — and, ideally, slimmer.手术可以让隐蔽的阴茎显露出来，不过舒克拉说道，除非在极端情况下，更加合理的作法是等孩子长得更大一些——而且最差是让他髯一些。
And for preadolescent boys that is often a very welcome solution. 对于青春期前的男孩来说，这一般来说是很热门的解决方案。The kids are usually pretty relieved that we're not going to cut, Dr. Shukla said.孩子们获知我们会一动刀子，一般都会泊一口气，舒克拉博士说道。
But while they are relieved, they still want reassurance.不过，虽然他们泊了口气，但仍然想获得确保。I basically say, first of all I want you to know that you are absolutely and completely normal, Dr. Shukla said. 我基本上不会说道，首先我想要让你告诉，你意味著、几乎长时间，舒克拉说道。We don't all walk around with our pants down, and we don't see how everybody is. 我们并不是都光着屁股四处回头，我们看不到别人的长什么样。
But you should realize the private area can be different, and because yours looks different from your brother's doesn't mean there is something wrong.但是你必需告诉，私处有可能各有不同，你的与哥哥的不一样，并不意味著你有什么问题。There is a condition called micropenis, and it should be diagnosed in the newborn period, because it can reflect a variety of disruptions of the hormone system during pregnancy, which at some point prevented the usual effects of testosterone. 有一种疾病叫小阴茎，它在新生儿阶段就应当被临床出来，因为它能体现出有孕期激素系统的某些出现异常，这在某一阶段妨碍了睾丸素的长时间起到。
Micropenis can reflect any of a number of rare genetic syndromes and hormone problems, and early diagnosis is important to make sure that other hormonal issues, like low blood sugar, don't endanger the baby.小阴茎能体现出有少见基因综合征和激素问题，早期临床对于保证没其他激素问题严重威胁婴儿生命很最重要，比如低血糖。The relevant measurement, in a boy of any age, is the stretched penile length, measuring from the pubic bone, and stretching the nonerect penis to the point of resistance; in a full-term newborn, the mean stretched penile length is 3.5 centimeters. 不管是多大年龄的男孩，有意义的测量都应当是弯曲的阴茎长度，也就是把没阴茎勃起的阴茎最大限度剪切，从耻骨量到阴茎末端。Micropenis (at any age) is defined as a penis 2.5 standard deviations or more below the mean, so in full-term newborns, we worry about any child below 2 to 2.5 centimeters. 足月新生儿的阴茎平均值弯曲长度为3.5厘米。
小阴茎（在所有年龄）是指比这个平均值较低2.5个标准差或更加多的阴茎，所以我们担忧的是所有阴茎较短于2至2.5厘米的足月新生儿。For older boys, doctors use growth charts that reflect the child's age and physical maturity.对于更大一些的男童，医生用于的是体现孩子年龄和身体成熟度的茁壮图表。
And until the hormones of puberty kick in and the penis begins to grow, a statistically normal penis on a disproportionately large body can look small to a worried parent.在青春期激


the tense of a word
Discussion in 'English Only' started by salsabeel, Feb 1, 2013.
 1. salsabeel Senior Member
 what is the tense of the bold words please?
 1- he was walking along the road, minding his own business.
 2- she started calling him names and abusing him.
 thank you
 2. Thomas Tompion Senior Member
 Southwest France
 English - England
 I suspect that 1 is a present participle and that 2 is a gerund.
 Neither is, strictly speaking, a tense, Salsabeel.
 3. se16teddy
 se16teddy Senior Member
 English - England
 Minding may be analysed as a participle, agreeing with he. We usually think of the English -ing participle as a "present participle active", though I suspect that it could be argued that it is only weakly "present". Alternatively "minding" could here be analysed as an abbreviated part of the verb form He was minding, which is continuous simple past tense. Calling could perhaps be thought of as a present participle like minding but I think it is better to think of it as a gerund, the object of the verb started. I don't usually think of England gerunds as having tense, but I suppose you can think it as a present tense because there is also a past tense gerund form I don't like having done that.
 Last edited: Feb 1, 2013
 4. wandle
 wandle Senior Member
 English - British
 1. In my view,'minding' must be the present participle of the verb 'to mind', because the meaning is that this attitude of mind existed during the time that 'he' was walking: it expresses action contemporaneous with the main verb.
 Answer: present tense.
 2. Pace se16teddy, I agree with Thomas Tompion that 'calling' is a gerund and is timeless.
 Answer: no tense.
 As regards 'having done', this only expresses past time because of the participle 'done': the gerund 'having' in that phrase is still timeless.
 Last edited: Feb 1, 2013
 5. Biffo Senior Member
 English - England
 I'm going to disagree that 'calling' is a gerund here although I understand the reasoning.
 "She started name-calling." In this case we can see that we have a gerund. Indeed we could say ""She started the name-calling."
 However as soon as we add a direct object 'him' the situation changes. It is the difference between
 1. she started [the] {calling him names}. [Using a gerund]
 This implies that more than one person called names and she started the activity.
 2. she started calling him names [using a present participle]
 This is synonymous with "She started to call him names" and does not imply that anyone else did so.
 Last edited: Feb 2, 2013
 6. Parla Senior Member
 New York City
 English - US
 In my opinion, they're both participles.
 Please note that in English, sentences begin with a capital letter and end with a period.
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text:
At the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, we believe that a safe and supportive environment is fundamental to academic and creative excellence. The well-being of our students, faculty, and staff is our top priority, which is why we have an array of policies and support systems in place to foster a culture of mutual respect, integrity, and security.
We stand by the core principles of security, empathy, and mutual respect, drawing from the broader policies upheld by the Amsterdam University of the Arts (AHK). Any form of undesirable behavior, including harassment, intimidation, abuse, and transgressive behavior, is unacceptable. We are committed to providing an atmosphere that aligns with who we aspire to be—a community of artists and scholars thriving in a healthy, respectful, and cooperative environment.
In addition to these measures, we ensure that every student has a student coach available for any questions or concerns they may have. Regular conversations with these coaches help us monitor the well-being of our students continuously.
We have a comprehensive Code of Conduct that outlines the expectations and values that govern interpersonal interactions within our institution. This code serves as a framework for what is considered acceptable behavior and guides the resolution of any complaints that may arise.
For students and employees who nevertheless encounter (sexual) harassment or other unacceptable behavior or have witnessed this, there are several confidential advisers inside and outside the school with whom you can discuss the problem confidentially. In addition to our confidential advisers, students have access to a Student Counsellor and School Psychologist for psychological support. Periodic internal surveys and workshops also aim to proactively address concerns and gather insights into the work and study climate.
Students and staff of the Conservatorium van Amsterdam can find extensive information and a list of confidential advisers on MyAHK (only accessible to students and staff).


Game art is under copyright of the designer or their company. When I play the game and take a screenshot, whose is the copyright?
 - Mine, because I played the game to that point and created the screenshot file;
 - The designer or their company, because they made the art?
The designer/company owns the copyright to the original work, you own the copyright in the derivative work (the screenshot). However, your work is subject to whatever rights your license to use the game gives you and fair use/fair dealing.
An example of a company attempting to enforce copyright from screenshots/screen recordings can be seen by the Nintendo Creators Program.
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