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If asked to name our UPS's most vital attribute, we may be tempted to say 'reliability'. However, while reliability is indeed essential, it's not the ultimate goal. What really counts is availability, as this measures how much time per year a system is operational and performing as it should. To understand these concepts better, we can look more closely at availability, and then see how it benefits from reliability.
Availability has a more formal definition, which is:
A = Availability
MTBF = Mean Time Between Failures
MTTR = Mean Time To Repair
From this, we can see that we can improve availability both by increasing MTBF, and by decreasing MTTR. MTBF is the average number of hours until the power protection system fails. It is derived using calculations of all the UPS component MTBFs, based on a recognised standard such as MIL-HDBK-217F. A single high quality UPS assembly will have MTBF figures of around 125,000 hours.
The MTBF of the system can be increased either by improving the reliability of every component in the system, or by ensuring that the system remains available even during the failure of an individual component. Yet there's a finite limit to how reliable individual components can get, even with increased cost. Figure 1 shows how investing in higher component quality soon brings diminishing returns.
However, the figure also shows an alternative way of improving MTBF; adding another UPS assembly to provide a level of redundancy. Doing so with the single module described above will create a 1+1 redundant system with an MTBF increased to 1,250,000 hours.
Remember, though, that availability depends on reducing MTTR as well as increasing MTBF. One highly effective way of achieving this is to build UPS systems as a set of self-contained, independent UPS modules. If a modules fails, it can swiftly be removed and replaced with a good unit, in an operation that can typically be completed within half an hour. By contrast, a monolithic system that must be repaired in situ will more usually need about six hours to complete repairs and bring the UPS back on line.
Note that MTTR only measures the time taken by a technician working on the UPS and repairing the fault. However, it's also essential to minimise or eliminate the time that elapses between the fault occurring and the technician arriving at the UPS. This can only be achieved by a fully-resourced service organisation that's equipped to provide this time-critical response. Kohler Uninterruptible Power, for example, offer a 24/365 guaranteed response time, coupled with a 'first visit repair' approach. This means that the attending technician will be correctly trained, with the right documentation, diagnostic and repair tools, and modules or monolithic system components of the correct type and revision level – everything they need, in fact, to complete the repair immediately during the visit.
By contrast, some organisations' first visit will only be diagnostic. They won't be able to complete the repair until a second visit, after they have obtained the replacement parts indicated by their diagnosis.
Overall, while we can see that while reliability does play an important role in UPS availability, there are also other essential factors. Adding a level of redundancy enormously boosts availability; if sufficient steps to reduce MTTR through using modular design, and time to site, facilitated by an excellent service provider, are also taken, 99.9999 percent, or 'six nines' availability becomes possible for the UPS system.
Kohler Uninterruptible Power is able to advise both on the hardware and the service support necessary to achieve this level of availability.


Also found in: Wikipedia.
A male lanner falcon.
[Middle English laneret, from Old French, diminutive of lanier, lanner; see lanner.]
(Animals) the male or tercel of the lanner falcon
[C15: diminutive of lanner]
(ˈlæn əˌrɛt)
the male lanner.
Mentioned in?
References in periodicals archive?
An act of 1495 provided that 'none shal bear any hawk of the breed of England called eyess, goshawk, tassell [tiercel], lanner, lanneret [male lanner] or falcon' on pain of imprisonment for a year and a day, a fine to the Crown and the landowner, and forfeiture.


text:
"The honesty inPeople and Places extends to the functioning of the programs, where as a volunteer, you will have:
Skills to participate
Knowledge of how your money is spent
Confidence in the organisation
The same honesty is given to the local communities and the local workers. Each individual is matched with a project which best suits their skills, such as in community development, education, administration or health care."
Contributor: Go Ethically

source: openbmb/Ultra-FineWeb


text:
For decades, our lab has helped pioneer the development of cutting-edge brain mapping software tools:
- Connectome Workbench is the key visualization and analysis tool for 'HCP-style' studies.
- The BALSA database shares extensively analyzed datasets (e.g., published figures) organized into 'scenes' and 'scene files'
- ConnectomeDB shares raw and preprocessed data from the Young Adult Human Connectome Project.
- HCP Pipelines and NHP Pipelines enable state-of-the-art preprocessing and analysis of human and nonhuman primate HCP-style neuroimaging data.
- The HCP-users mailing list is a forum for users of our software tools, data products, and imaging databases to get advice and ask questions.
- MRI scanner protocols for Young Adult HCP, Lifespan HCP, and NHP
- Qu|Nex containerization of HCP pipelines
- Legacy software – Caret (precursor to Connectome Workbench), SumsDB (precursor to BALSA)


text:
Constantinople AgreementArticle Free Pass
Constantinople Agreement, (March 18, 1915), secret World War I agreement between Russia, Britain, and France for the postwar partition of the Ottoman Empire. It promised to satisfy Russia's long-standing designs on the Turkish Straits by giving Russia Constantinople (Istanbul), together with a portion of the hinterland on either coast in Thrace and Asia Minor. Constantinople, however, was to be a free port. In return, Russia consented to British and French plans for territories or for spheres of influence in new Muslim states in the Middle Eastern parts of the Ottoman Empire. This first of a series of secret treaties on the "Turkish question" was never carried out because the Dardanelles campaign failed and because, when the British navy finally did reach Istanbul in 1918, Russia had made a separate peace with Germany and declared itself the enemy of all bourgeois states, France and Britain prominent among them.
What made you want to look up "Constantinople Agreement"? Please share what surprised you most...

source: HuggingFaceFW/fineweb-edu


Handling cfqueryparam errors in ColdFusion queries
 is ColdFusion's way of fighting against SQL injection attacks. If, however, you just put in your SQL or MySQL query, people entering the wrong type of input will get a server-side error message, which will make them think your website is messed up instead of realizing they put in the wrong type of input.
If you use , be sure to specify that the type is database if you want to be able to display your own error message.
Here's an example:
SELECT somefield
FROM somedatabase
WHERE someotherfield =
Leave a comment


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Agricultural extension, which refers to activities relating to the dissemination of agricultural information and technical guidance on farming, has had its golden and gloomy eras in Indonesian history.
Agricultural extension practices move forward in line with dynamic social, political and economic development processes. At the time when agricultural development was a top national priority, agricultural extension was dynamically improved. On the contrary, when agricultural development has been a low priority, agricultural extension remained gloomy and stagnant.
Regardless of the controversial impacts of the green revolution on socioeconomic and environmental resources, the historical fact is that the golden era of agricultural extension in Indonesia was the green revolution program. Agricultural extension has played pivotal role in increasing production of rice, Indonesia's staple food crop.


Topics Regional group(s)
Reference to a group of states, a geographical region, or an intergovernmental organization, such as the European Union.
Principles and Symbols
international organizations
Survey Questions
 - Does the Constitution mention a broader regional group of which the nation is a part?
 - What broader regional group is this country a part of?


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Definitions for orthoticsɔrˈθɒt ɪks
This page provides all possible meanings and translations of the word orthotics
Random House Webster's College Dictionary
a branch of medicine dealing with the making and fitting of orthotic devices.
* (used with a sing. v.).
Origin of orthotics:
or•thot•istɔrˈθɒt ɪst, ˈɔr θə tɪst(n.)
The design, manufacture and installation of orthopedic appliances to support, straighten or improve the function of a body part
Orthotics is a specialty within the medical field concerned with the design, manufacture and application of orthoses. An orthosis is "an externally applied device used to modify the structural and functional characteristics of the neuromuscular and skeletal system". An orthosis may be used to: ⁕Control, guide, limit and/or immobilize an extremity, joint or body segment for a particular reason ⁕To restrict movement in a given direction ⁕To assist movement generally ⁕To reduce weight bearing forces for a particular purpose ⁕To aid rehabilitation from fractures after the removal of a cast ⁕To otherwise correct the shape and/or function of the body, to provide easier movement capability or reduce pain Orthotics combines knowledge of anatomy and physiology, pathophysiology, biomechanics and engineering. Patients benefiting from an orthosis may have a condition such as spina bifida or cerebral palsy, or have experienced a spinal cord injury or stroke. Equally, orthoses are sometimes used prophylactically or to optimise performance in sport.
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Conceived and designed the experiments: KT AH TN. Performed the experiments: KT. Analyzed the data: KT. Contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools: KT AH TN. Wrote the paper: KT TN.
Colour-marking polymorphism is widely distributed among cryptic species. To account for the adaptive significance of such polymorphisms, several hypotheses have been proposed to date. Although these hypotheses argue over the degree of camouflage effects of marking morphs (and the interactions between morphs and their microhabitat backgrounds), as far as we know, most empirical evidence has been provided under unnatural conditions (i.e., using artificial prey).
Tetrix japonica, a pygmy grasshopper, is highly polymorphic in colour-markings and occurs in both sand and grass microhabitats. Even within a microhabitat, T. japonica is highly polymorphic. Using humans as dummy predators and printed photographs in which various morphs of grasshoppers were placed against different backgrounds, we addressed three questions to test the neutral, background heterogeneity, and differential crypsis hypotheses in four marking-type morphs: 1) do the morphs differ in the degree of crypsis in each microhabitat, 2) are different morphs most cryptic in specific backgrounds of the microhabitats, and 3) does the morph frequency reflect the degree of crypsis?
The degree of camouflage differed among the four morphs; therefore, the neutral hypothesis was rejected. Furthermore, the order of camouflage advantage among morphs differed depending on the two types of backgrounds (sand and grass), although the grass background consistently provided greater camouflage effects. Thus, based on our results, we could not reject the background heterogeneity hypothesis. Under field conditions, the more cryptic morphs comprised a minority of the population. Overall, our results demonstrate that the different morphs were not equivalent in the degree of crypsis, but the degree of camouflage of the morphs was not consistent with the morph frequency. These findings suggest that trade-offs exist between the camouflage benefit of body colouration and other fitness components, providing a better understanding of the adaptive significance of colour-markings and presumably supporting the differential crypsis hypothesis.
Colour-marking polymorphism is widely distributed among cryptic species. Moreover, some species are highly polymorphic in colour and markings even within a single population. Camouflage is one of the most common forms of defensive colouration against visually hunting predators.,,, Many animal species have contrasting body markings; despite this, they often appear to be rather cryptic against their natural backgrounds, at least to the human eye. To account for the adaptive significance of such polymorphisms, at least four hypotheses have been proposed to date: the neutral hypothesis, the background heterogeneity hypothesis,, the search image hypothesis,, and the differential crypsis hypothesis (inferred by Forsman 1998). The neutral hypothesis posits that each colour-marking polymorphism provides the same cryptic effects, and thus all morphs are neutral in terms of fitness. The background heterogeneity hypothesis states that each morph has the advantage within a specific background environment, and thus species occurring in highly heterogeneous environments exhibit polymorphisms. In contrast, the differential crypsis hypothesis assumes a differential degree of crypsis among polymorphic morphs; therefore, trade-offs between the degree of crypsis and other fitness components, such as mating advantage or thermoregulation ability, are necessary to maintain the polymorphism. Although colour-marking polymorphisms are not rare, empirical evidence remains limited for which hypothesis is applicable to real organisms in the wild.
Pygmy grasshoppers are typical examples of such polymorphic species., Tetrix japonica occurs in both grass and sand microhabitats and exhibits large variation in body colouration and markings. Preliminary observations have suggested that the proportion of morphs differs between the two microhabitats, and even within a single microhabitat, several types of morphs can co-occur. Consequently, T. japonica is a suitable organism to examine the above hypotheses regarding colour-marking polymorphisms.
To examine whether the markings affect camouflage and whether the camouflage effect depends on background type (sand and grass microhabitat), we conducted detection task experiments on grasshoppers against different natural backgrounds using humans as dummy predators. In such experiments, humans offer several advantages over real predators such as wild birds. The behaviour of wild animals can be strongly influenced by their degree of hunger, previous experience, and the experimental environment, whereas humans are far less affected by these factors. Moreover, a recent study using humans as dummy predators yielded results that were virtually identical to the findings of earlier studies using bird predators., In addition, we conducted a field census of the polymorphism in neighbouring microhabitats (sand and grass) to confirm whether the degree of camouflage reflects the grasshopper morph frequency.
Pygmy grasshoppers (Tetriginae) are characterised by both a long pronotum that extends beyond the apex of the abdomen and highly reduced forewings. Tetrix japonica is a small grasshopper (males, 7.7–9.5 mm; females, 9.0–13.0 mm) that usually inhabits relatively dry places (soil moisture =30–40%; Atsushi Honma unpublished data) compared to other sympatric Tetriginae species. Tetrix japonica exhibits extraordinary variation in the colour and markings of the pronotum. Even within a single population, the basal body colouration varies from blackish brown to yellowish brown to pale grey. Some grasshoppers are bi-coloured, with whitish and blackish markings on the dorsal surface of the pronotum. In contrast, some T. japonica have no markings, whereas others have spots or other distinct patterns on the pronotum.
The study sites were two adjacent terraced fallow fields ("grass" and "sand" microhabitats) located about 30 m apart in Iwakura, a northern suburb of Kyoto, Japan (135°47.6′W, 35°5.7′N). The fields had been fallow for at least 9 years. The grass microhabitat (approximately 136 m2 in area) consisted of marsh and thickets that were clear-cut once a year in the autumn and were dominated by Japanese millet, Echinochola crus-galli var., and annual bluegrass, Poa annua. The sand microhabitat (approximately 62 m2 in area) primarily consisted of bare pebbles next to small, short thickets dominated by P. annua. We observed many visually hunting predator species landing on and foraging in the fallow fields; these included Japanese pied wagtails Motacilla grandis, Siberian meadow buntings Emberiza cioides, grey starlings Sturnus cineraceus, and dusky thrushes Turdus naumanni (from autumn to spring). Frogs and spiders were also abundant.
We categorised T. japonica morphs into four groups based on type of markings: non-marked morphs with no markings at all on the body, spotted morphs with round markings at the lower-middle part of the pronotum, longitudinal morphs (whitish along the longitudinal axis of the pronotum and grey-brown at the other part of the pronotum), and horizontal morphs (whitish at the forepart and grey-brown at the rear half) (Figure 1). The number of spots varied among spotted morphs; therefore, we used only two-spotted individuals as 'spotted morphs' in the detection task experiment. In the field survey of the frequency of grasshopper morphs, spotted morphs included all grasshoppers with any number of spots on mono-coloured basal colouration. Longitudinal morphs resembled withered grass, and horizontal morphs appeared quite similar to the white and black pebbles of the sand microhabitat.
For the detection task experiments, the detection time of grasshopper images by the human predators was used as a proxy for the survival probability of grasshoppers. Adult T. japonica grasshoppers were captured using random sweeps of an insect net within the sand and grass microhabitats. Each grasshopper was anaesthetised with CO2 and then photographed against two different backgrounds. The two backgrounds consisted of the ground at the sand and grass microhabitats in which the grasshoppers were captured. Two frames (A4 size: 210×297 mm) were set out in each microhabitat and were divided into 48 cells (6×8). Within a randomly chosen cell, one grasshopper was placed in a natural position. Each grasshopper was photographed within the same frame from a vertical height of 0.25 m. Photographs (2560×1920 pixels; Nikon Coolpix 5700) were taken under natural light conditions on a sunny day without flash, saved as uncompressed TIFF files, and printed on A4-sized (210×297 mm) PPC paper on an Epson LP-9000C (600 dpi) colour laser printer. The printed grasshopper images were approximately the same size as the real grasshoppers.
We measured the time (up to 1 min) per photograph taken by each of 18 humans to detect a grasshopper in each of the 39 photographs (15 non-marked morphs, 14 spotted morphs, 7 longitudinal morphs, and 3 horizontal morphs; Table S1). Each participant was presented with all photographs.


text:
We optimized the resolution of nanohole arrays in metal films for refractive-index sensing by increasing the sensitivity with modifications to the hole-array parameters and by increasing the signal to noise ratio of the sensor system. The nanohole-array parameters (including film thickness, periodicity and diameter) were first optimized by finite-difference time-domain simulations, and then the arrays were fabricated and tested, showing good agreement between the two cases (theory and experiment) in terms of optimal parameters. To improve the sensitivity and to reduce the noise, the laser source wavelength was optimized (including the efficiency of the camera for detection) and the intensity was increased. A bulk resolution of 6 × 10-7 refractive-index units was demonstrated. Due to the collinear microscope geometry and potential for multiplexing of nanohole arrays, these results are encouraging for future biosensing applications.
|Original language||English (US)|
|Number of pages||6|
|Journal||Applied Physics A: Materials Science and Processing|
|State||Published - Dec 2012|


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On Christmas Day in Hopewell Township, New Jersey, approximately 100 patriots will re-enact George Washington's crossing of the Delaware River. This annual memorial to the Christmas Night crossing of 1776 historically draws large crowds, and takes place regardless of inclement weather. In a war known for its many heroic deeds and acts of bravery, why does this specific moment merit such attention?
After the publication of his book 1776, historian David McCullough gave a speech at The Heritage Foundation in which he masterfully explained how Washington's courageous actions that Christmas Night determined the fate of America. Click here to hear "America's historian" speak about the lasting significance of Washington's crossing of the Delaware 234 years ago.


text:
Energy and Environment Speakers
(Tip: Press your CTRL and F keys to search this page)
David BaumDavid Baum
Department of Botany
is Professor of Botany and Director of the James F. Crow Institute for the Study of Evolution at UW-Madison. He grew up in London, England and obtained an undergraduate degree in Botany from Oxford University. He then obtained a PhD in Population and Evolutionary Biology at Washington University in St. Louis and obtained his first teaching appointment as a professor at Harvard University. He has been on the UW-Madison faculty since 2001 and teaches biology, botany, and advanced classes in evolutionary biology. He has published more than 80 papers and one book (Tree thinking: An Introduction to Phylogenetic Biology
) on a variety of topics concerned with plant evolution and evolutionary theory. Awards include a National Science Foundation Career Award, Sloan Foundation Young Investigator in Molecular Evolution award, a Guggenheim fellowship, and election as Fellow to the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Talks by David Baum:
1. The Tree of Life and its Importance in Modern Biology
2. What I learnt as a Victorian explorer: How field biology prepared me for 21st century science
3. Origin of Life: In the Laboratory?
4. Origin of Cell Complexity
5. The Evolution of Cellular Complexity: From the Inside-Out
Video of David Baum
Department of Industrial Engineering
Vicki Bier holds a joint appointment as Professor in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering and the Department of Engineering Physics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she has directed the Center for Human Performance and Risk Analysis (formerly the Center for Human Performance in Complex Systems) since 1995. She has 30 years of experience in risk analysis for the nuclear power, chemical, petrochemical, and aerospace industries. Dr. Bier's current research focuses on applications of risk analysis and related methods to problems of security and critical infrastructure protection, under support from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Dr. Bier was elected a Fellow of the Society for Risk Analysis in 1996, from which she received the Distinguished Achievement Award in 2007. She served as the engineering editor for Risk Analysis from 1997 through 2001, and has served as a councilor of both the Society for Risk Analysis and the Decision Analysis Society, for which she is currently vice president and president elect.
Talks by Vicki Bier:
2. Risk Assessment of Extreme Events
3. Women in Science, Math, and Engineering
4. Homeland Security
5. Risk Analysis of Nuclear Power Plants
Links to More Information
Director, Campus Planning & Landscape Architecture
Facilities Planning & Management
Gary A. Brown, PLA, FASLA has been with UW-Madison for over 28 years and currently serves as the Director of Campus Planning and Landscape Architecture in Facilities Planning & Management, overseeing the development of the 20-year campus master plan and all site planning activities on this spectacular 933-acre university campus. He also is the Director of the 300-acre Lakeshore Nature Preserve. He holds a Bachelors degree in Landscape Architecture and was inducted as a Fellow into the American Society of Landscape Architects in 2004 for his administrative works.
Talks by Gary Brown:
1. Current Capital Improvement Projects at UW-Madison
2. The Campus Master Plan: A Vision for the Future
3. Stormwater Management Planning at UW-Madison
4. Historic Preservation Initiatives at UW-Madison
Department of Engineering Physics | Wisconsin Energy Institute
Michael L. Corradini is the Wisconsin Distinguished Professor of Nuclear Engineering and Engineering Physics at UW-Madison. He has been at UW-Madison since 1981 and has served from 1995 to 2001 as Associate Dean for the College of Engineering and as Chair of Engineering Physics from 2001-2011. He also holds appointments in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Institute of Environmental Studies. He is chair of the Energy Institute faculty executive committee and the director of the college's Wisconsin Institute of Nuclear Systems.
Talks by Michael Corradini:
1. Energy Sources and Uses
2. Energy and Sustainability
3. Future of Nuclear Power
4. Nuclear Power Safety
5. Future Energy Issues and Challenges
3. Ecology and climate: A two-way street
Executive Director of the Wisconsin Sustainable Business Council | Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies
Tom Eggert is the Executive Director of the Wisconsin Sustainable Business Council and is a senior lecturer in sustainability at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He has taught classes on sustainability since 1997 and developed the graduate certificate in Business, Environment & Social Responsibility. In addition to his work with UW-Madison, he works with the Department of Natural Resources on Wisconsin's Environmental Leadership program (Green Tier) and as the business sustainability lead. Finally, he is President of the Board of Wisconsin Microfinance; a non-profit that raises money for microloans in Haiti. He holds a law degree from George Washington University, a Masters in Public Administration from UW, and, prior to law school, was a Peace Corps volunteer in the Philippines.
Talks by Tom Eggert:
5. Societal Leadership Transitions: From Public Sector to Private Sector
6. Sustainability in a Small Town
7. The Business of Water
8. The Challenge of Sustainable Consumption in India
9. The Business Case for Sustainability
10. The State of Sustainability Practice in WI
11. Sustainability and Micro-finance
12. Trends in Sustainable Business Practice
13. Green Jobs 2010
14. Energy as a Sustainability Issue
15. Developing International Partnerships in Sustainability
16. The Evolution of Green Business
17. Going Green in the Office
18. State of Sustainable Community Development: Notes from the Field
19. Sustainability and the Role of Government
20. Business and Sustainability
21. Sustainability in Wisconsin's Business Community
Department of Physics
Cary Forest grew up in Wisconsin, was an undergraduate at UW-Madison and received his PhD from Princeton University in 1992. From there he moved to San Diego and began his post graduate career as a scientist on the DIII-D tokamak, the most advanced fusion experiment in the US at the time. In 1997 he returned to the UW as a faculty member and now carries out research in both fusion research and plasma astrophysics.
Talks by Cary Forest:
1. Plasma Physics at the University of Wisconsin
2. Building Stars on Earth
3. Laboratory Dynamos Made in Wisconsin
Professor of Epidemiology
Nelson Institute for Enviromental Sciences | School of Medicine and Public Health | Veterinary Medicine
Tony Goldberg focuses on the ecology, epidemiology and evolution of infectious disease. He endeavors to understand how pathogens in dynamic ecosystems are transmitted among hosts, across landscapes, and over time. Tony is involved in a number of projects around the world that use approaches ranging from molecular biology to social science. Through a combination of fieldwork, laboratory work, and quantitative inference, he endeavors to discover generalized mechanisms and root drivers of pathogen transmission, evolution, and emergence. Dr. Goldberg's overall goal is to improve the health and wellbeing of animals and people while helping conserve the rapidly changing ecosystems we share.
Talks by Tony Goldberg:
1. Emerging Zoonotic Diseases in Uganda
2. West Nile Virus in Chicago
3. Fish Diseases in Wisconsin
Space Science and Engineering Center
Matthew A. Lazzara is an Associate Scientist and Research Meteorologist at the Antarctic Meteorological Research Center (AMRC), Space Science and Engineering Center (SSEC), UW-Madison. He is presently the Principal Investigator of the Antarctic Automatic Weather Station Program, Antarctic Meteorological Research Center and Arctic Satellite Composite Project. In the AMRC, Lazzara supports and maintains the generation and archive of Antarctic weather data, including the Antarctic satellite composite images and the processing of SSECs Automatic Weather Station (AWS) data collected by the AWS network in Antarctica. Additionally, he investigates meteorological phenomena in the Antarctic and conducts educational outreach activities with schools and organizations.
Talks By Matthew Lazzara:
2. Antarctic Weather: Observing the Coldest Continent
3. Antarctic Meteorology and Climate Change
Space Science and Engineering Center
Sanjay Limaye has been exploring the planets with focus on the weather from space missions for more than three decades and has also been involved in education and public outreach programs for nearly two decades. His areas of expertise include solar system planets with atmospheres as well as global warming and climate change. Sanjay Limaye has been honored with awards from NASA and the European Space Agency and has served as the Co-chair for the NASA Venus Exploration Analysis Group.Talks by Sanjay Limaye:
1. Space Exploration
2. Solar System
3. Weather and Climate on Planets
4. Climate Change/Global warming
Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Studies
Professor Jonathan Martin joined the faculty in the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences at UW-Madison in 1994 after completing his Ph.D. in atmospheric sciences at the University of Washington.
Professor Martin has received numerous accolades for his teaching, including the Underkofler Excellence in Teaching Award, a fellowship in UW's Teaching Academy, and the Mark H. Ingraham Distinguished Faculty Award. He was chosen for the prestigious UW Vilas Distinguished Service Professorship, for distinguished scholarship and excellence in teaching and service. In January of 2016, Jon Martin received the American Meteorological Society's Excellence in Teaching Award. The Princeton Review recently ranked Professor Martin among the top 300 best professors in the nation. Professor Martin's research expertise is in mid-latitude weather systems. Over his career he has authored over 50 scientific papers, as well as


not enabled.)
3- Select all Entities and press delete.(This Step run a map reduce job for deleting all selected Kinds.)
for more information see This image _URL_
share|improve this answer
There are several ways you can use to remove entries from App Engine's Datastore:
enter image description here
 1. First, think whether you really need to remove entries. This is expensive and it might be cheaper to not remove them.
 2. You can delete all entries by hand using the Datastore Admin.
 3. You can use the Remote API and remove entries interactively.
 4. You can remove the entries programmatically using a couple lines of code.
 5. You can remove them in bulk using Task Queues and Cursors.
 6. Or you can use Mapreduce to get something more robust and fancier.
Each one of these methods is explained in the following blog post: _URL_
Hope it helps!
share|improve this answer
Your Answer


text:
Is there an easier way to solve problems such as this?
I mean we know that quadrants have their respective x, y properties, Q1 +x,+y, Q2 -x,+y, etc.
Is there a counterpart for determining such in a slope?
Say for instance m = 2/3 will never pass Q4. In general, if slope is positive, it never passes Q4. Similarly, if slope is negative, it never passes Q3. Is this true?
Yes, that's definitely an easier way to solve this. If a line has a positive slope AND a positive y-intercept, then it will never pass through Q4. You can come up with similar rules for each combination:
- positive slope, negative y-intercept - never pass through Q2
- negative slope, positive y-intercept - never pass through Q3
- negative slope, negative y-intercept - never pass through Q1
We can also state these rules:
- positive slope - will always pass through Q1 and Q3
- negative slope - will always pass through Q2 and Q4
From Statement 2, we know that the slope is positive. Therefore, we know that it will pass through Q3, so it is sufficient.


1500+ Health Tips
Simple Way On How To Prevent Bed Wetting
July 5, 2016 12:27 AM
Bed wetting often occurs due to malnutrition and extreme weakness in the body of children.
Generally dry fruits contain a lot of nutrients which are essential for strengthening the bones and tissues of the child. These are very delicious and appealing to the children so they tend to indulge in overeating. This should be avoided as dry fruits are very heavy for the stomach to digest.
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I am Tele communication engineer
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text:
Updated 06/08/2012 10:32 AM
Your Health: Clinic of last resort
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install Adobe Flash 9 or above. Install now.
Then come back here and refresh the page.
Some patients wait years for a definitive diagnosis. Using a unique combination of scientific and medical expertise and resources at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Undiagnosed Diseases Program pursues two goals:
- To provide answers to patients with mysterious conditions that have long eluded diagnosis
- To advance medical knowledge about rare and common diseases
NIH Undiagnosed Diseases Program
The UDP was started in 2008 as a federal research project to learn more about what causes illness and how to treat it. About 40 percent of those who apply to the program are children.
A longstanding medical condition that eludes diagnosis by a referring physician can be considered undiagnosed and may be of interest to this clinical research program. Of the total number of cases that are referred to this program, a very limited number will be invited to proceed in the study following careful application review by the program's medical team. Those add up to between 50 and 100 cases a year. In general, it takes 8 to 12 weeks for the UDP to evaluate an application, and the waiting list for admission is 2 to 6 months.
A rare disease is generally considered to have a prevalence of fewer than 200,000 affected individuals in the United States.
IRAK-4 deficiency is an inherited disorder of the immune system. Most people with IRAK-4 deficiency have invasive bacterial infections, which can involve the blood, the membrane covering the brain and spinal cord (meningitis), or the joints (arthritis). In addition, affected individuals can have localized infections of the upper respiratory tract, skin, or eyes. Many people with IRAK-4 deficiency do not develop a high fever in response to these bacterial infections, even if the infection is severe. IRAK-4 deficiency is a very rare condition, although the exact prevalence is unknown, at least 49 individuals with this condition have been described in the scientific literature.
A nonprofit known as In Need of Diagnosis also helps undiagnosed patients find doctors and resources while providing support. They receive letters from around the world. They also work to increase the timeliness and accuracy of diagnosis. INOD does not diagnose, but it is sometimes possible to find unexplored options that could lead to help.


gcov-tool-7 (1) - Linux Man Pages
gcov-tool-7: offline gcda profile processing tool
gcov-tool - offline gcda profile processing tool
gcov-tool merge [merge-options] directory1 directory2
 [-o|--output directory]
 [-w|--weight w1,w2]
gcov-tool rewrite [rewrite-options] directory
 [-n|--normalize long_long_value]
 [-o|--output directory]
 [-s|--scale float_or_simple-frac_value]
gcov-tool overlap [overlap-options] directory1 directory2
Current gcov-tool supports the following functionalities:
merge two sets of profiles with weights.
read one set of profile and rewrite profile contents. One can scale or normalize the count values.
Examples of the use cases for this tool are:
Collect the profiles for different set of inputs, and use this tool to merge them. One can specify the weight to factor in the relative importance of each input.
Rewrite the profile after removing a subset of the gcda files, while maintaining the consistency of the summary and the histogram.
It can also be used to debug or libgcov code as the tools shares the majority code as the runtime library.
Note that for the merging operation, this profile generated offline may contain slight different values from the online merged profile. Here are a list of typical differences:
histogram difference: This offline tool recomputes the histogram after merging the counters. The resulting histogram, therefore, is precise. The online merging does not have this capability --- the histogram is merged from two histograms and the result is an approximation.
summary checksum difference: Summary checksum uses a CRC32 operation. The value depends on the link list order of gcov-info objects. This order is different in gcov-tool from that in the online merge. It's expected to have different summary checksums. It does not really matter as the compiler does not use this checksum anywhere.
value profile counter values difference: Some counter values for value profile are runtime dependent, like heap addresses. It's normal to see some difference in these kind of counters.
Merge two profile directories.
-o directory
--output directory
Set the verbose mode.
-w w1,w2
--weight w1,w2
Set the merge weights of the directory1 and directory2, respectively. The default weights are 1 for both.
Read the specified profile directory and rewrite to a new directory.
-n long_long_value
--normalize
Normalize the profile. The specified value is the max counter value in the new profile.
-o directory
--output directory
Set the output profile directory. Default output name is rewrite_profile.
-s float_or_simple-frac_value
--scale float_or_simple-frac_value
Scale the profile counters. The specified value can be in floating point value, or simple fraction value form, such 1, 2, 2/3, and 5/3.
Set the verbose mode.
Compute the overlap score between the two specified profile directories. The overlap score is computed based on the arc profiles. It is defined as the sum of min (p1_counter[i] / p1_sum_all, p2_counter[i] / p2_sum_all), for all arc counter i, where p1_counter[i] and p2_counter[i] are two matched counters and p1_sum_all and p2_sum_all are the sum of counter values in profile 1 and profile 2, respectively.
Print function level overlap score.
Print full gcda filename.
Only print info for hot objects/functions.
Print object level overlap score.
-t float
--hot_threshold
Set the threshold for hot counter value.
Set the verbose mode.
(a) The FSF's Front-Cover Text is:
 A GNU Manual
(b) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is:
 software. Copies published by the Free Software Foundation raise
 funds for GNU development.


text:
Meet Max, the Human Skeleton Model with Painted Muscle Origins and Inserts from 3B Scientific. Max has all of the same quality features as the original 3B Scientific Human Skeleton with the added benefit of having a painted on muscle structure on his entire left side. These added details help show the natural structural relation between the bones and the muscles of the human body. Featuring over 600 hand-numbered anatomical structures, Max helps students learn of specific muscle origins (painted in red) and insertions (painted in blue), as well as bones, fissures, and foramina on the right side.
This Human Skeleton Model also features a 3-part assembled skull, individually inserted teeth, and easy-to-remove limbs for specific interaction with individual parts. Max's height and weight are very close to that of an actual average human skeleton with around 200 bones. Available with choice of two different stand options, each with five casters for maneuverability.
Human Skeleton Model Features and Benefits:
- Close to Realistic Weight of Around 200 Bones.
- Natural Size.
- Anatomically Correct.
- 3-Part Assembled Skull.
- Individually Inserted Teeth.
- Limbs Can Be Removed Quickly and Easily.
- Top Quality Natural Casting Made in Germany.
- Final Assembly Carried Out by Hand.
- Made From a Durable, Unbreakable Synthetic Material.
- Available On Either Metal Stand with 5 Casters or Metal Hanging Stand with 5 Casters (Painted White).
Human Skeleton Model Specifications:
- Manufacturer: 3B Scientific
- Weight (Max): 21.10 lb
- Weight (Hanging Max): 19.33 lb
- Height (Max): 69.5 Inch
- Height (Hanging Max): 75.8 Inch
- Product Number: A11, A11/1
- Additional Information
Manufacturer 3B Scientific
- Community Q&A
Product QuestionsNo questions yet. Be the first to ask the question!


Merge between with timeseries in Pandas
Pandas dataframes are a great way of preserving relational database structure while gaining a huge API of vectorized functions for cleaning and analysis. However, I've always been frustrated by a lack of merge between functionality in pandas. So, I've come up with a fairly simple method for returning a merge-between-like result set with good runtime and manageable memory usage, that's also easy to parallelize.
Using SQL, I can easily perform a left join between two datasets on a between condition, that associates my left table key with all matching data from the right table. For example:
ON b.timestamp >= a.start_time
 AND b.timestamp <= a.end_time
will return all the rows in b that have timestamps between the start and end time for each row in a. Admittedly, it can be very slow, but it's a useful process. As of pandas.2, there's no simple way to perform this operation.
Pandas.2 does have merge_asof implemented, which matches a to the nearest entry on b in a specified direction. But for many data analysis applications, I don't want the closest entry, I want all the entries in between. For example, I might want to take the mean over a time period, or do a more sophisticated aggregation. Or, maybe my timestamps aren't perfectly aligned, so I'd rather pull in a range of data for each entry in a and perform an estimation from the values in b. Either way, merge_asof doesn't cut it.
If all the start and end times in a are distinct (no overlapping events), then I can easily interpolate the data in a and b by concatenating, sorting on the timestamp, and boolean masking for data that falls between a the same start and end, though the runtime isn't very good. I don't want to go through the extra data cleaning steps to make my data distinct — which may not be the right approach anyways. Instead, I'm going to use a little iterating and some fancy indexing to return an efficient merge-between-like result set. It's also naturally suited to parallelization, since I can do the operations in distinct chunks (like splitting time series data by date), group by a unique identifier from my left table, and return a condensed result set. Since the condensed result set is at most len(left table), and python clears memory between function calls, I can also manage memory usage by intelligent chunking, and process more data than I can load into working memory at any one time.
Let's create some random data using numpy's methods for sampling with replacement. In this example, I have a website selling merchandise, and three different ad campaigns promoting my website. The ad campaigns are running on multiple channels, and have different spot lengths. I want to know if during the ad spots, there's any notable activity on my website.
Let's say my website sells socks, shirts, pants, backpacks and pencils, and records the time when a user either clicks, adds an item to their cart, or purchases it. This is clearly a bit cleaner than any data you'll ever find in the wild, but gets the job done.
For my advertisement data, I'll assume my ads have three different sets of content, and can be 30, 45, or 60 seconds long. Each ad will also have a unique integer id.
import pandas as pd
import numpy as np
PRODUCTS = ['socks','shirt', 'pants', 'backpack', 'pencil']
ACTION_LIST = ['click', 'add_to_cart', 'purchase']
HOURS = [9, 10, 11, 12, 13]
AD_LENGTHS = [30, 45, 60]
AD_CONTENT = ['foo', 'bar', 'baz']
You can use pandas functions to create a series with times, but I want to demonstrate the functionality using timeseries data without any assumptions of regularity.
First, this means that I can use data of arbitrary length and sparsity/density. Many real-world time series data sets are naturally extremely long, with some dense and some sparse periods. Resampling (as much of the pandas documentation recommends) is extremely slow on long data sets. If some of my data is nanoseconds apart, and some of my data is hours apart, resampling to nanoseconds will create an absurdly huge dataframe. Resampling to minutes combines my denser data, and I want to preserve its granularity.
Second, this approach works on time series data after minimal data cleaning. A website might have multiple users performing actions at the same time, so duplicates are valid. I may be running two ads on different channels that overlap with each other — also valid.
The following generates two dataframes, one with my website information, and one with my advertisement information. The website dataframe has 10,000 rows, each representing an action on a product, and the ad dataframe has 200 rows, representing a unique advertisement than ran on 1/1/2017. The website dataframe is sorted by timestamp, and has a timestamp index.
# create a dataframe of random actions at random times
website_actions = pd.DataFrame(data={'product':np.random.choice(PRODUCTS, 10000),
 'action':np.random.choice(ACTION_LIST, 10000),
 'hour':np.random.choice(HOURS, 10000),
# all on the same date
website_actions['year'] = 2017
website_actions['month'] = 1
website_actions['day'] = 1
# coalesce all datetime columns into one timestamp
website_actions['timestamp'] = pd.to_datetime(website_actions[['year','month', 'day', 'hour','minute','second']])
# clean up the df and create a time index
website_actions.drop(['year','month', 'day', 'hour','minute','second'], axis=1, inplace=True)
website_actions = website_actions.sort_values('timestamp').set_index('timestamp')
# do the same thing for ad spots
advertisements = pd.DataFrame(data={'content':np.random.choice(AD_CONTENT, 200),
 'hour':np.random.choice(HOURS, 200),
 'minute':np.random.choice(60, 200),
 'second':np.random.choice(60, 200),
 'ad_length':np.random.choice(AD_LENGTHS, 200),
advertisements['year'] = 2017
advertisements['month'] = 1
advertisements['day'] = 1
advertisements['start_time'] = pd.to_datetime(advertisements[['year','month', 'day', 'hour','minute','second']])
advertisements['end_time'] = advertisements['start_time'] + pd.to_timedelta(advertisements['ad_length'], unit='s')
I try to never iterate over dataframes (or use apply), but in this case, it's necessary, since a given website row can correspond to arbitrarily many ads and vice versa. For each ad, we can index into the website dataframe between the start and end times to find the actions during the ad. If we label each slice with the unique ad id, we can simply concatenate all the slices together and return all the actions during each ad, labeled by the ad id.
ad_actions = []
# pass over the dataframe. Itertuples is the most efficient method, and we don't need an index
for tup in advertisements.itertuples(index=False):
 # use the advertisement start and end times to index into the website df
 site_slice = website_actions[tup.start_time:tup.end_time]
 # label the slice
 site_slice['id'] =
 # add it to the list of slices
# when we're done iterating, concatenate all the slices into our final dataframe
ad_actions = pd.concat(ad_actions)
As mentioned above, an advantage of this method is that you can define your own split-apply-combine functions to use on the chunks of data. Since we preserved the unique ad id for each slice of website data, we can group on the id and easily merge our final results back into the advertisement dataframe to do further aggregations.
One simple analysis task might be to determine which ad content generated the most revenue. Let's say we make $1 for every pair of socks we sell, $2.50 for every shirt, $3.25 for every pair of pants, and $2.75 for every backpack, and we lose $.05 for every pencil we sell. One way of looking at the effectiveness of an ad is comparing to what we could have sold to what we did sell. We could have sold anything that appears in our website dataframe, since that represents items people clicked on, items people added to their carts (but didn't checkout), and final sales. We sold anything that has action = 'purchase'.
# define product revenues
revenue_by_prod = {'socks':1,'shirt':2.5, 'pants':3.25, 'backpack':2.75, 'pencil':-.05}
# every row has potential revenue
ad_actions['potential_revenue'] = ad_actions['product'].replace(revenue_by_prod)
# but it only has real revenue if it was purchased
ad_actions['real_revenue'] = np.where(ad_actions['action'] == 'purchase', ad_actions['potential_revenue'], 0)
# compute the real and potential revenue by ad
revenue_by_ad = ad_actions.groupby('id')[['potential_revenue','real_revenue']].sum()
# missed is potential - real
revenue_by_ad['missed_revenue'] = revenue_by_ad['potential_revenue'] - revenue_by_ad['real_revenue']
# print


Data parallelism is a style of programming where essentially the same operation is applied to a large collection of values. This style became popular during the 80s and early 90s as a convenient way of programming large vector processors. Data parallelism has remained popular, especially in light of the rise of GPGPU programming. Often, data parallel programming is used for fine-grained parallelism, but it works at larger granularity too. For example, MapReduce is a restricted example of data parallelism.
Systems that support data parallelism typically provide a handful of data structures that can be manipulated with a set of parallel operators. These data structures include vectors, segmented vectors, and arrays. In this post, we'll take a look at these different structures and in a later post we'll discuss some of the parallel operators that manipulate them.
Data parallel systems typically provide some combination of vectors, segmented vectors and arrays. In the abstract, we'll consider a vector to be an ordered, finite sequence of elements of the same types. Most often, these are scalar values, but some systems allow vectors of vectors. A segmented vector is a vector that has been divided into segments (surprise!). Below is an example of a vector (X) and a segmented vector (Xs).
X = [1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8]
Xs = [[1 2 3] [4 5] [6 7 8]]
The first vector just includes the numbers one through eight, while the second is made up of three segments. Notice how the segments don't have to be the same length. You might also notice that the segmented vector looks a lot like a vector of vectors of numbers. Often, languages that support nested vectors implement them as segmented vectors. Representing nested vectors as segmented vectors is essentially the idea behind flattening, which is used heavily in the implementations of NESL and Data Parallel Haskell, for example.
Hardware rarely supports segmented vectors directly, so they are instead represented as a pair of a data vector and a segment descriptor. There are several possibilities for segment descriptors, and different representations have different performance characteristics depending on the hardware. One representation for the segment descriptor is the flag vector, which we see below.
Xdata = [1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8]
Xseg = [1 0 0 1 0 1 0 0]
This example is the same as Xs from above. The segment descriptor, Xseg, includes a 1 in each element that starts a new segment and a 0 otherwise. This representation can simplify the implementation of some operations, such as scan, but this representation also cannot describe 0-length segments.
Another option is to store the length of each segment in the segment descriptor:
Xdata = [1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8]
Xseg = [3 2 3]
This representation makes it easy to tell how many segments there are, and how long each one is, but it makes accessing individual elements more difficult because it's not obvious where a segment starts. Instead, we could have the segment descriptor store the indexes of the beginning of each segment:
Xdata = [1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8]
Xseg = [0 3 5]
As one final option (I'm sure there are many more), we'll consider a case where each element in the segment descriptor indicates the segment that the data lies in:
Xdata = [1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8]
Xseg = [0 0 0 1 1 2 2 2]
Each of these representations has different tradeoffs. Some take more space, others enable more efficient implementation of certain operations. Which operations are important will help inform the best choice of representation. Fortunately, many of these can converted to another form with a constant number of operations. You might notice some similarities between these representations and various sparse matrix formats.
Finally, we consider the array type. This is similar to a segmented vector in which each segment has the same size. Below is an example.
 [1 2 3]
A = [4 5 6]
 [7 8 9]
We can certainly represent this exactly as we would a segmented vector, but we can do many operations more efficiently if we instead store the array as a data vector and a list of dimensions. For example:
Adata = [1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9]
Adim = [3 3]
These structures provide a solid basis for data parallel computing. Though there are many possible representations, one commonality is that the actual data elements are stored in a contiguous block of memory. This feature means that many data parallel operators, such as those we'll discuss in an upcoming post, can be implemented in a way that maps efficiently onto data parallel processors like GPUs.


text:
Jon Atwood, PhD
Department of Environmental Studies
Observers at the Kekoldi watchsite, in the Caribbean lowlands of Costa Rica, monitor the highest concentration of autumn, southbound migrant Peregrine Falcons (Falco peregrinus) in the world. Currently little data exist on the migratory behavior of this species in the tropics. During daily observations from 15 August-30 Nov 2005, I counted 2,344 peregrines as they passed within sight of the Kekoldi Reserve. The majority of observations (91%) occurred from 1-21 Oct. Most aged birds were adults. Of the juveniles counted, the most were seen later in the season. Peregrines relied primarily on circle soaring and passed predominantly during midday hours, coinciding with the peak of thermal activity. Flapping occurred most frequently early in the day, decreased through midday, and then increased slightly in the afternoon. The general daily flight path shifted from the coast to inland as wind direction shifted from south to northeast. Flight altitude was greatest during midday. Overall, peregrine movements reflected local weather patterns, and appeared to emphasize flight behavior that maximized efficiency. This preliminary study shows Kekoldi to be a valuable site for long-term monitoring of Peregrine Falcons, and provides a better understanding of how the species behaves as it migrates through the tropics.


text:
Flat panels are necessary when making many types of solar cookers. These panels are normally made from cardboard, wood, or metal. The panels are covered with reflective material. This page serves to discuss other possibilities.
See also Waterproofing.
Parabola with paper mache:[Low cust parabola in PlenoSol]
Papercrete is a recently developed construction material which consists of re-pulped paper fiber with Portland cement or clay and/or other soil added. First patented in 1928, it has been revived since the 1980s. Although perceived as an environmentally friendly material due to the significant recycled content, this is offset by the presence of cement. The material lacks standardisation, and proper use therefore requires care and experience. Eric Patterson and Mike McCain, who have been ascribed with independently "inventing" papercrete (they called it "padobe" and "fibrous cement"), have both contributed considerably to research into machinery to make it and ways of using it for building. Its R-value is reported to be within 2.0 and 3.0 per inch. [From Wikipedia Papercrete article]


Ellen Jose - Boon wurrung blossom [detail] bluestone
Boon Wurrung people of the peninsula
For many thousands of years the Boon Wurrung walked this land and the area we now call Port Phillip Bay, which was a large flat plain where they hunted kangaroos and cultivated the yam daisy.
Their land ran along the coast from the Werribee River east to Wilson's Promontory and inland as far as Dandenong.
The Boon wurrung were an extended language-based family group, consisting of six clans: Yallukit Willam, Ngaruk Willam, Mayune Baluk, Boon Wurrung Balug, Yownegerra and the Yallock Balluk.
They were part of the larger confederation or nation of the Kulin (the people).
The Boon Wurrung had a very strong and detailed oral history that recalled events estimated to be ten thousand years old.
Members of Aboriginal clans rarely numbered more than thirty during their day-to-day activities, forming large groups only for particular social functions or to exploit abundant seasonal food resources.
The descendants of the Boon Wurrung continue to live in the greater Melbourne area and take an active role in maintaining and protecting their cultural heritage.
Sculpture: Boon Wurrung blossom bluestone, Ellen Jose.
Photograph: Bindi Cole, Bayside City Council Art and Heritage Collection.
Page last updated: 10 Dec 2010


text:
Montane: The montane biome is extraordinary both in its beauty and its wide range of habitat. The Rocky Mountains are 65 million years old which is fairly young, geologically speaking. The upper boundary of the Montane biome is defined by the tree line (below the sub-alpine zone). This unique high altitude ecosystem hosts a variety of plants due to the variations in soil, temperature, climate, and slope.
Sawtooth Botanical Garden | 11 Gimlet Rd, Ketchum ID 83340 | PO Box 928
Sun Valley, ID 83353 | _PHONE_ | _EMAIL_


display | more...
Visualizing the Fourth Dimension:
In order to visualize the 4th dimension one must start at the beginning, the 0th dimension. The 0th dimension can be visualized as a single point in 3 dimensional space.
Then take this point in stack it upon itself infinitely many times. This creates a 1 dimensional space, a line.
This like can then be taken and stacked upon itself infinitely many times. This creates a 2 dimensional space, a plane.
This plane can then be taken and stacked upon itself infinitely many times. This creates a 3 dimensional space, a cube.
|\ \
| \___\
\ | |
This is where you need to start to use your imagination. So now that we have built the 3rd dimension we are very close to the forth, all that needs to be done is to take the cube and stack upon itself infinitely many times.
But this presents us with a problem. How do we represent a 4 dimensional object in a 3 dimensional world? To do this I suggest that instead of stacking the cubes we place infinitely many cubes at the same spot and always have the new cube bigger than the previous cube. This creates an infinite space that is filled with infinite spaces.
Visualizing the Fourth Dimension with Respect to Time:
So many people like to claim that the fourth dimension can be seen as time, I agree with this standpoint but feel it is misleading, in order to visualize time as the 4th dimension we must start at the beginning.
Imagine the 0th dimension as a point moving across a plane in a straight line. This is the 0th dimension moving through time. Now if time is taken as the next dimension, the 1st dimension, then the point moving through time can be represented as a line. This line represents 1 dimensional space or 0 dimensional space moving through time.
The same concept can be used to construct 2nd and 3rd dimensional spaces.
Now if this concept is then applied to a cube moving through 3 dimensional space it can be seen as a long line of cubes. These cubes can then be taken and pressed together until all that exists is a single cube filled with an infinite number of cubes. Which turns out to be the same space created earlier.
If you find this topic interesting I suggest you check out the book Flatland by Edwin A. Abbott.


10 leading incident response vendors for 2021
Incident response vendors offer a variety of specialized tools to help organizations plan and manage their overall cybersecurity posture. Learn about 10 of them here.
When it comes to dealing with an unplanned and potentially disruptive event that affects the security and integrity of an organization's IT infrastructure, incident response plans are the first line of defense. Without an incident response plan in place, an organization's response to an incident -- especially a cyber attack -- could be haphazard and disastrous. Incident response plans can be created and implemented manually -- for example, by using a template such as the one provided by TechTarget. Many organizations, however, are moving beyond this approach and using automated incident response services that address all aspects of an incident response.
Numerous software-based products are available for consideration. These can range in cost from under $200 to several thousands of dollars. Many software-based business continuity and disaster recovery (BCDR) systems include integrated incident response modules, which can help launch or update an incident response initiative. Third-party service companies, such as cloud service providers (CSPs), may offer incident response modules within their service packages. In short, many ways to build incident response plans are available; it becomes a matter of understanding the business and IT security requirements before selecting an incident response vendor's product or service.
Increased use of third-party incident response
Organizations are struggling to keep up with the growing number of cybersecurity threats and the inherent complexities involved with maintaining a proper security posture. In many cases, enterprise security teams offload these duties to a trusted third-party service provider that can plan and handle security incident responses. According to a recent study, 82% of enterprise professionals believe having visibility and insights based on real-time threat data is more necessary today than ever before. Further, 44% of enterprises plan to either implement or expand the implementation of a real-time threat alerting system.
Incident response vendors offer services such as post-breach investigations, ransomware removal and proactive breach response plans. With an active retainer for incident response services, service-level agreements (SLAs) include specific emergency response times. These services also give the customer's enterprise security team access to highly skilled professionals on an as-needed basis. This retainer service strategy is appealing to many organizations because it can help reduce the overall incident response budget.
Considerations when choosing an incident response vendor
If your organization is already using a third-party managed security or risk management service provider, ask the firm what incident response offerings it has. The same should be asked of CSPs. Using services from an existing provider can make the incident response service selection process much easier.
If no incident response plan is in place or no existing vendors are suitable, complete the following steps to identify a suitable service provider:
 1. Determine the specific incident response requirements of your organization. This could include threat detection, alert notifications and detailed step-by-step procedures for handling an incident.
 2. Research the market for incident response service providers, and review their offerings.
 3. Prepare and present a business case to management for approval and funding.
 4. Prepare a request for proposal or request for quotation to secure pricing and other elements, such as installation, training, warranties, support for SLAs, maintenance costs, testing capabilities, documentation provided, and technical support and assistance provided.
 5. Select a vendor, have contracts reviewed and approved, organize funding, and schedule deployment and training schedules.
 6. Complete installation and deployment, and test the system. If possible, test along with BCDR and cybersecurity testing.
 7. Set up maintenance, performance review and testing schedules.
As with any new technology or process, be sure to prepare and/or update policies and procedures for incident response activities.
The vendors
Using research from TechTarget surveys and analyst firms, such as Gartner and Forrester, TechTarget identified the top 10 incident response vendors, taking into consideration market share and capabilities.
Still the dominant telecommunications provider in the U.S., AT&T is uniquely positioned in the incident response services market with its inline internet and WAN monitoring services. Using its globally distributed security operations centers (SOCs), AT&T offers managed threat detection and response through its unified security management platform. Services include endpoint management, cloud security monitoring and compliance support. Customers can also access the AT&T Alien Labs Threat Exchange, which provides insight into what actions a global community of cybersecurity experts are taking regarding threat identification, actionable insights and reporting.
Image displaying leading incident response vendors
Consider this list when evaluating incident response vendors.
BAE Systems
Founded in 1999, BAE Systems is one of the original cyber incident response vendors in the world. The U.K.-based company offers preemptive threat prevention services, including custom threat intelligence tools, penetration testing and attack preparation tools. If an attack or breach does occur, BAE Systems uses one of three support centers in the U.K., the U.S. or Australia to base incident responses. If required, BAE deploys its experts to the customer's location. The company provides advanced incident response technical support and can assist with the management of PR.
Another U.K.-based incident response service provider, BT operates out of 14 different globally distributed SOCs. Known primarily for its extensive telecommunications services in 180 countries, BT has accumulated a large customer base for security services, including incident response. Cybersecurity features that complement incident response include preemptive threat management, security threat intelligence, vulnerability scanning and managed SIEM. BT has partnered with FireEye to provide consulting services and to serve as the localized resource that works directly with customers with retainers for breach investigations, as well as malware and ransomware remediation. The company also assists with long-term security strategies to help prevent future threats.
DXC Technology
DXC Technology was formed in 2017 through the merger of Computer Sciences Corporation and the services portion of HPE. The U.S.-based company maintains a global network of SOCs and offers a variety of managed services to help customers protect their data, applications, infrastructure, and endpoints and provide proactive security management against cyber risks. Security and incident response services include threat monitoring, endpoint management, managed SIEM, preemptive vulnerability assessments and penetration testing, which provide risk prioritization and mitigation recommendations. DXC successfully survived a ransomware attack in 2020 by using its years of experience in cybersecurity threat management.
As a U.S.-based global IT software and services company, IBM has developed an IT security and incident response division that's managed out of five global 24/7 SOCs. The company's security practice is known as IBM X-Force. IBM uses its QRadar SIEM to monitor all customer threats. The company also provides endpoint management services and advanced security analytics that can be tuned to monitor specific customer deployments. IBM handles all on-site SLA incident response cases and offers customers various security consulting services to help with the planning and ongoing management of a business's security posture.
Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT)
A Tokyo-based company, NTT is a global telecommunications and technology integrator. The company offers telecom, cloud, networking and data center services, along with several technology consulting specialties. These specialized services include security and incident response managed out of the parent company's NTT Security division. Customers with retainers use NTT security experts for incident response services, including SLA-backed incident response, digital forensics, preemptive planning and compliance assessment reviews. NTT Security also offers threat intelligence and endpoint management services. The company currently maintains 17 globally distributed SOCs, including five in the U.S.
Operating out of five globally dispersed SOCs, Secureworks offers a wide range of security incident response services. The company relies on its proprietary Counter Threat Platform to provide advanced security analytics information. Customers can view these analytics through a customizable portal. Secureworks also provides endpoint threat and malware prevention services. In terms of incident response due to an attack, breach or malware infestation, customers with retainers can take advantage of Secureworks professionals either remotely or on-site. Additionally, the company offers proactive security services, including incident preparedness, security assessments and other customizable services.
Symantec, now a division of Broadcom, has long been a staple in the world of consumer and enterprise cybersecurity. Getting its start in antivirus, the company has developed data security products that include advanced threat protection, cloud and endpoint security. Symantec also offers incident response retainers and security readiness services that include global on-site SLAs as low as 24 hours. Other benefits include emerging threat reports, a dedicated service manager and the ability for customers to use the Symantec DeepSight security analytics platform and Symantec Global Intelligence Network. Preemptive services include tabletop exercises, response plan assistance and various readiness assessments. The company's incident response services operate out of six globally dispersed SOCs that offer 24/7 support.
Trustwave is another independent IT service company that has been involved in incident response services longer than most vendors. The U.S.-based company offers on-site incident response support retainers globally with a maximum 48-hour on-site time frame. Managing nine global SOCs, Trustwave also partners with various telecommunication and service providers in strategic locations to provide more localized support and faster incident response. Customers that purchase retainer services receive remote and on-site incident support and can use the company's proprietary threat intelligence services and in-house cybersecurity experts, known as the SpiderLabs team. The company announced its Trustwave Fusion platform in 2019 to provide U.S. government agencies and suppliers threat detection and response services that meet stringent U.S. federal government security requirements.
Like AT&T, Verizon is a global telecommunications giant with a massive presence in the U.S. Operating out of nine global SOCs, rapid response retainer customers can negotiate service contracts with on-site incident mitigation SLAs as


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As the hospitality industry becomes increasingly digitalized, the need for remote data monitoring has become essential. Data Harbor's remote monitoring systems provide an innovative solution for hotels and resorts to remotely monitor and analyze their data, enabling them to make informed decisions in real-time and make immediate adjustments when necessary.
Hotels and resorts can remotely monitor water, gas and power levels and utilization, inventory levels, customer feedback, HVAC, Legionella, environmental levels, employee performance and much more, all from one centralized location. Our systems help optimize operations while providing valuable insights that can be used to enhance customer experience. A Data Harbor monitoring system is an indispensable tool for any hospitality business looking to stay competitive in today's digital age.
Remote Data Monitoring For Hospitality
Data Harbor's remote monitoring systems provide numerous benefits for hospitality including:
- Real-time data insights: A Data Harbor system allows hotels and resorts to receive real-time insights into their operations. Control their data and make informed decisions faster, optimizing operations and improving customer experiences.
- Cost savings: By tracking utility consumption, inventory levels or occupancy and engagement status remotely, hotels and resorts can reduce waste and minimize inventory costs, resulting in significant savings over time.
- Enhanced customer experience: Data Harbor's remote monitoring helps hospitality convert customer feedback and preferences into tailored offerings and services to meet the needs of their guests.
- Improved employee performance: Monitoring employee performance remotely can help hospitality identify areas for improvement and provide targeted training to improve employee productivity.
- Increased operational efficiency: With Data Harbor's remote data monitoring, hotels and resorts can streamline their operations by tracking key performance indicators in resource consumption, identifying bottlenecks, and making adjustments to improve overall efficiency.
- Scalability: Data Harbor's systems allow hotels and resorts to scale their operations as needed, providing valuable insights into performance across multiple locations and markets.
Utility Monitoring for Hospitality
Data Harbor's systems enable granular data visibility and remote real-time controls over utility status and consumption.
- Real-time monitoring: Remote data monitoring enables hotels to monitor utility usage in real-time, providing the essential data they need to optimize their utility consumption and avoid wastage.
- Predictive analytics: By analyzing historical data, Data Harbor's systems can provide resorts with predictive analytics, allowing them to forecast their future utility needs and plan accordingly.
- Automated controls: Remote monitoring systems can be integrated with automated controls, such as smart thermostats, which can adjust temperature settings based on occupancy and weather conditions, reducing energy consumption and costs.
- Equipment monitoring: Daa Harbor's systems can be used to monitor the performance of HVAC, lighting, and other equipment, allowing hotels to identify inefficiencies and optimize energy consumption.
- Alerts and notifications: Data Harbor's platform can be set up to send alerts and notifications when utility usage exceeds predefined thresholds or when equipment malfunctions, enabling our clients to respond quickly and minimize waste.
- Benchmarking: Data Harbor's monitoring systems can be used to benchmark utility usage across different locations and against industry standards, allowing hotels to identify areas for improvement and optimize their consumption.
PROJECT: Gaylord Palms Resort
Learn how Data Harbor's remote data monitoring system helped this large resort manage costs and improve safety
Monitor and control energy consumption through sensors, smart thermostats, and lighting control systems.
Monitor security systems, access control, and video surveillance remotely.
Fire Safety Systems
Monitor fire safety systems, including fire alarms, smoke detectors, and sprinkler systems.
Track hotel assets such as furniture, fixtures, and equipment through RFID or other asset tracking technologies.
Monitor and manage inventory levels of supplies, linens, and other items used in guest rooms and common areas.
Monitor waste collection and disposal, reducing waste production, and optimizing recycling.
Guest Room Automation
Automate guest room systems such as lighting, temperature, and entertainment systems to enhance the guest experience.
Kitchen and Restaurant Management
Monitor and control kitchen equipment such as ovens, refrigerators, and freezers.
Monitor laundry machines' usage and status, including washers, dryers, and other laundry equipment.
Monitor parking occupancy, automate parking control systems, and manage parking reservations.
Monitor and control the guest's safety through wearable technology and emergency response systems.
Monitor for Legionella and create alerts to ensure the safety of your guests and staff
A Remote Data Monitoring provider like Data Harbor offers much more than a system and hardware, we bring a higher level of support which makes the ultimate difference in success. Data Harbor is different because of our customization planning and incredible focus on client requirements.


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NUFinancials: Creating Balance Sheet Journals Training Guide
This article explains the purpose of and how to create balance sheet journals.
Create Balance Sheet Journals
Upon completing this guide, you should be able to:
- Start a Balance Sheet Journal from the NUPortal
- Complete a Balance Sheet Journal as follows:
- Check the journal date
- Specify the purpose and reason
- Enter journal lines
- Attach supporting documentation
- Validate the journal
- Submit the journal to workflow
- Searching for Actuals Journals
- Troubleshooting for Actuals Journals
- Access the NUPortal at northwestern.edu. Click Financials > Accounting.
- Alternate navigation: NUFinancials > Navigator > NU Actuals Journal > Add/Update Actuals Journal > Add a New Value.
- Individuals with Balance Sheet Journal access and approval from Accounting Services via the Central Office Security Access Form.
- Find journal processing guidelines and the monthly closing calendar on the Financial Operations website.
- Receive updates from the Financial Operations Find instructions for joining listservs on the Northwestern IT website.
NUFinancials > Navigator > NU Actuals Journals > Add a New Value
Select Balance Sheet Journal.
1. Click Create Journal.
Result: the journal appears in a new window.
1. Enter the Journal Date.
The Journal Date determines the accounting period in which the journal will post. The default is today's date and the current period.
You may backdate the journal only if the prior period is still open. This may be the case during the first few days of each month. For example, in early September, you may change the Journal Date to August 31. Do so only if the journal truly belongs in the prior month's financial activity.
You may future-date the journal to fall within an accounting period that is not yet open and extend the time to gather approvals. If you do, the journal will not post until the period opens.
Note that the only Journal Purpose is "Balance sheet journal."
The Balance Sheet journal is flexible. It can accomplish many common accounting tasks. It can be used to:
- Transfer from holding accounts
- Correct cash balances
- Defer expenses and revenue
- Accrue expenses and revenue
- Manage inventory and assets
- Explain the reason for the journal in the Reason/Description field.
- Click Next.
- Below the Journal information are Journal Rules that provide guidance for completing the journal.
- At least one line of the journal must have a "Balance sheet account code," that is, an Asset (1xxxx) or Liability (2xxxx) account.
- Workflows include approval levels for projects and departments, as applicable, and a final level for Accounting Services.
- Balance sheet journals containing grant chart strings are also routed to Accounting Services for Research and Sponsored Projects (ASRSP).
- Debits and credits on the journal must balance.
- Rules 4 and 5 make it possible for non-accountants to use the journal successfully.
- Use Rule 4 to increase accounts.
- Use Rule 5 to decrease accounts.
- Appropriate attachments are required for approval.
In this particular example, the journal is used for accrual accounting. With a payroll deduction pending, this journal recognizes revenue and notes the amount of the pending payroll deduction in Accounts Receivable.
- Line 1 records the effect on Accounts Receivable (11356).
- Line 2 records the effect on Revenue (40698) of a designated self-supporting project that runs the (Note: the receivable will be matched at a later date with an incoming payment, the payroll deduction from MyHR.)
- Click Insert (+) to add a blank (Repeat to add as many blank lines as you need.)
- To work with balance sheet accounts, enter the Fund, Account, andamount.
- In this example, you are following Rule 4 "To increase Assets, enter a positive amount (debit)."
- NUFinancials allows only valid values in each ChartField.
- There is no budget chart string validation performed on balance sheet journal lines.
- To work with financial entities (Departments and Projects), enter the full chart string and amount.
- In this example, you are following Rule 4 "To increase Revenue, enter a negative amount (credit)."
- NUFinancials allows only valid values in each ChartField.
- Journal lines with Department or Department and Project ChartFields are subject to chart string combination rules during validation.
Best practice: Attach scanned electronic supporting documents, as required by Approvers, for the transaction. NUFinancials does not require the attachment. You may save, validate, and submit the journal to workflow without an attachment.
- Click Attach. Result: The File Attachment dialog appears.
- Click Browse. Result: A browser appears that enables you to locate the scanned file on your computer.
- Browse to and select the scanned file.
- Click Open > Result: The document is attached and the file name appears (as shown above).
- You may click View to see the document in a new window and verify.
- Click Save & Submit to validate journal.
- A 10-digit Journal ID is assigned to the transaction after the journal is saved.
- NUFinancials confirms that any Department or Project chart strings on the journal have a budget. If so, Budget Status is valid. If not, Budget Status is Error.
- NUFinancials evaluates the journal and chart strings. If the journal is valid and chart strings properly combined, Journals Status is Valid. If not, Journal Status is Error.
- Refer to Troubleshooting for Actuals Journals for help with Error statuses.
Start on the NUPortal by selecting the journal type – Balance Sheet Journal or navigate in NUFinancials in the Navigator > NU Actuals Journals > Add/Update Journals.
Step 1: Confirm or change the Journal Date.
Step 2: Confirm the purpose and enter a description.
Step 3: Explain the Reason
Step 4: Enter the journal lines.
- At least one line must contain a balance sheet account
- Enter as many lines as you need to accomplish the accounting task
Step 5: Attach supporting documentation.
Step 6: Validate the journal.
What happens next?
- Approvers must make a decision about the journal.
- Department and Project approvers see the journal and can make a decision about journal lines that contain chart strings for which they are responsible.
- You may find and view your journal using the Actuals Journal Search.
- Monitor the workflow for progress or feedback.
- Journals must be approved and posted before the accounting period closes, otherwise Accounting Services deletes them.
- If you find yourself without approvals and facing deletion at the end of a period, you may copy the journal to avoid recreating the journal from Give the new journal a date in the next period.


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Behavior-Driven Development with Ruby/Cucumber automation is a practical, fail-proof, read-to-use strategy or process that improves software quality and decreases costs.
Ambiguity and miscommunication cause the majority of critical defects and undesirable outcomes in the software development lifecycle. Behavior Driven Development (BDD) ensures that requirements are accurate. It builds a mutual understanding of what should be developed and tested through a common vocabulary.
This webinar introduces BDD methods that promote product quality by generating business requirements in Gherkin (Given-When-Then) format. Tool agnostic, BDD emphasizes communication between business, requirements analysts, developers, and testers to ensure quality expectations are achieved. Describing requirements in the form of system behavior eliminates scope creep and guarantees proper software functionality.


7 Signs You're A Second-Generation Lebanese-American
First, a lesson in terminology. In the United States, "second generation" refers to the U.S.-born children of foreign-born parents. As my parents emigrated from Lebanon to the United States where my brothers and I were born in the 1980s, we fit this label.
This article relates to second-generation Lebanese-Americans, a breed whose calling card is so unique, you could single them out within mere seconds. From being denied sleepover parties, to wielding pita sandwiches in school sack lunches, to responding to Arabic dialogue interminably in English, here are seven surefire signs you're a Lebanese descendant born and raised in the good ole US of A.
Also, stay tuned for the second (foodie!) edition of this listicle due out next week.
1. Before you could visit a schoolmate at her home, your parents insisted on making acquaintance with her parents, giving a whole new meaning to the "meet the parents" concept. Your best friend was hosting a slumber party at her house? Forget it. You could stay until 10 p.m., at which time your doting father would swing by and scoop you up. Try explaining that concept to your friends!
2. Your classmates could immediately sense that you were of foreign descent. How many times were you badgered with questions of your origins before you quietly mustered "Lebanon"? Worse yet, no one recognized the tiny, far-off land! I used to pretend I was Greek.
3. Thanks to the large-scale campaigns against smoking ("Just say no"), you were raised thinking puffing on cigarettes was a criminal activity best suited to gang members and social outcasts. You were taught that smoking leads to lung cancer, so when you visited Lebanon and saw your grandmother addicted to the nicotine fix, you tried to educate her on its demerits and even stashed her tray of packs out of sight. She chased you around the house, slipper in hand, and begged you to restore them to their holy place on the living room coffee table.
4. I don't know about the rest of you Leb-Ams, but growing up, every official break from school was an invitation for my mother to bust out the Arabic books and teach us the mother language. Reading and dictation in Arabic were the banes of our existence (especially if the characters were missing the wretched accent marks), but under my mother's painstaking tutelage, we became fluent. Today we couldn't be more grateful.
5. Your parents enforced a strict Arabic-only dialogue in the house, but with more than half of your waking hours spent at school, how could they possibly expect you to respond in the mother tongue? In public places, you wouldn't be caught dead conversing with your parents in Arabic. They likely hollered after you in Arabic, but mortified, you shot back in English. As if your olive complexion didn't betray you anyway…
6. For your parents, the ultimate social outlet was the family's house of worship. Growing up as Maronite Catholics, my brothers and I were tucked in the car every Sunday morning to make the 40-minute drive to the local Maronite church, where other Lebanese-Americans assembled to attend mass and, equally sacred, chitchat with friends. Coffee and donuts lent themselves to hour-long conversations about trivial adult nonsense, and you had to implore your parents to take you home and get on with what was supposed to be a lazy Sunday.
7. You were inclined to join your church's youth or young adult group not so much for the social perks it bestowed (virtually nil), but to list it under the Extra-Curricular Activities field on your college applications. You attended retreats, movie outings, Bible discussions with the parish priest, cultural festivals and even played Santa to all the young'uns who ambled to sit on your knee as you distributed candy canes and meghleh.
 1. I am sure you have no regrets on how your parents instilled that sense of Lebanese pride in you and heritage also ensuring that you learned Arabic. Wonderful!
 1. Thank you, l'Nubiya! I hope I can raise my future kids in a similar fashion, instilling in them appreciation of language and heritage. But the "suspended in-between" position is a burdensome one, so it's all about striking a fine balance between the culture of your origins and the culture of the land you inhabit.
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groups, arranging facilities so that field work and demonstrations can be most effectively accomplished. Members of the educational staff in the various parks render valuable assistance to students and teachers.
Yosemite School of Field Natural History.The Yosemite School of Field Natural History is a summer school for the training of naturalists, where emphasis is placed on the study of living things in their natural environment. The school was founded in 1925 in answer to a demand for better-trained naturalists for the Yosemite Nature Guide Service. Furthermore, there was need for a training not furnished by the universities. The teaching staff is composed of university professors who donate their time, and members of the Yosemite naturalist service staff.8
More and more a bachelor's degree is considered a minimum of entrance; works is of the graduate school type. Students are limited to 20, and they are housed in a circle of tents. Though no university credit is offered, a certificate indicating accomplishment is awarded graduates of the school. The course is not a duplicate of university summer work, but is supplementary thereto. Field observation and identification occupy 60 percent of the students' time. Graduates of this school are filling positions as nature guides in parks and summer camps throughout the country. Many of the naturalist positions in the National Park Service are held by graduates.
The Yosemite Junior Nature School.The Yosemite Junior Nature School is planned for those children wishing to study the natural history of Yosemite National Park under the leadership of a ranger-naturalist. Many features of the trailside are brought to the attention of the keen young observers. There are usually several volunteer workers who assist the ranger-naturalist during the 6-week session. The work is divided into groups based on ages and grades. Classes meet at the museum and utilize its many facilities for study.
This is the one fully organized effort to afford special opportunities to children. Many parents spend the summer months in Yosemite purposely to give their children the advantages of this nature school.
Research.An educational program must be founded on reliable facts secured through scientific research. The park visitor cannot be instructed regarding a battlefield unless the guide knows and understands the historical facts surrounding the engagement. Facts useful in the work must be culled from literature, and much library work must be done by trained historical assistants before a dependable story can be told. Hence the need for the historical research staff located at the Library of Congress. In the field of biology there must be a staff of technically trained men to study the fauna and flora of the park areas, furnish the facts needed for proper wildlife administration, and develop a wildlife policy.
A start only has been made on a research staff sufficient to improve accuracy of statement and safety of method employed. Meanwhile dependence has been placed on utilization of experts from other Government bureaus. Sanitation problems are supervised by a man assigned by the Public Health Service; insect problems, by men detailed by the Bureau of Entomology, and archeological problems, by the staff of the National Museum. Universities and scientific institutions are encouraged to undertake special research problems helpful to the National Parks Service. In this way there is secured a continuous flow of new and dependable information on the chief phenomena within the parks.
In general, the research program relates itself primarily to the securing of essential facts relating to needs of wildlife, explanation of features, comfort of visitors, and proper administration.
Conclusions.Within the superlative areas comprising national parks and national monuments, opportunity is afforded to meet the realities of our natural surroundings and to study the inexorable underlying laws. In the historical areas important and stirring aspects of human achievement are presented which stir the highest mental concepts and patriotic emotions. Inspiration gained from visits to these areas brings enrichment to human lives. However, such inspiration is often dependent upon a maximum of understanding of significant phenomena.
Of the potential student body of 3-1/2 million represented by annual travel records, more than 2 million now use the educational program in some way.
The present park educational program is inadequately supported financially, and is undermanned everywhere. Added financial support to permit increased personnel looking toward adequate meeting of demand and additional working tools is the greatest need at present. With increased travel and use of educational facilities must come an expanded program.
Similar educational programs are being developed in State and municipal parks. Those States which have most actively espoused the program are New York, West Virginia, Indiana, and California. The Cleveland Metropolitan Park System has employed a naturalist and has provided marked nature trails.
It is in State and municipal parks that there is greatest need for educational programs. Too often these parks provide open spaces but little assistance in scientific interpretation of features. Travel is very heavy and visitors seek profitable utilization of their time. Modification of programs to meet the shorter stay and the more local-minded visitor is relatively easy, if emphasis is placed on self-finding trails arid museums, as has been done in Bear Mountain Park in New York State. There is a slight tendency to develop playground facilities and commercial type of amusements which well may be justified, but this need not interfere seriously with an educational program designed to care for a type of recreation more mental than physical.
The proposed expert service by the Government would provide opportunity to stimulate the expansion of educational programs in State and metropolitan parks. Of course, the best stimulus will come from demand of the public, following successful operation in those parks which undertake an educational program.