text:
- Research article
- Open Access
Long-term outcome of patients with ANCA-associated vasculitis treated with plasma exchange: a retrospective, single-centre study
Arthritis Research & Therapy volume 18, Article number: 168 (2016)
Plasma exchange (PLEX) has been used routinely for treatment of severe renal vasculitis and/or alveolar haemorrhage (AH) in anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV), but the long-term benefit of PLEX in AAV remains unclear. We aimed to describe the characteristics and outcomes of patients treated with PLEX in a single centre.
Patients with AAV were identified by performing a case review of medical records of 705 patients who received PLEX in a single tertiary referral centre between 2000 and 2010. Patient characteristics and outcomes were recorded. The Kaplan-Meier method, log-rank tests and Cox regression analysis were used for survival analyses.
A total of 94 patients with AAV were identified (44 men, 50 women; median age 60 years, range 21–90 years; 52 proteinase 3-ANCA, 41 myeloperoxidase-ANCA and 1 ANCA-negative; 8 double-positive for ANCA and anti-glomerular basement membrane; 93 newly diagnosed/1 relapse; 55 [58.5 %] required dialysis). The reasons for initiating PLEX therapy were severe renal involvement alone in 52 %, AH in 10 %, both renal involvement and AH in 35 %, and "other" in 3 %. The patients had 3–27 (median 7) PLEX sessions. At 3 months, 81 (86 %) of 94 were alive and 62 (66 %) of 94 were alive and dialysis-independent. The median follow-up was 41 months (minimum-maximum 0.5–137 months), when 56 (59.6 %) of 94 patients were alive and 47 (50 %) were dialysis-independent. The estimated overall survival rates were 75.3 % at 1 year and 61.1 % at 5 years. Patient survival decreased with increasing age at presentation (5-year survival 85 % for age <50 years, 64.4 % for ages 50–65 years, and 41 % for >65 years; p < 0.01 for comparison between all groups). Estimated renal survival rates were 65.5 % at 1 year and 43 % at 5 years. Renal survival was worse in patients aged >65 years than in the younger patients (5-year survival 25.1 % in patients >65 years vs. 50.8 % for those ≤65 years, p < 0.01). The estimated renal survival was better in patients with higher Disease Extent Index (DEI) >6 than in patients with DEI ≤6 (5-year survival 52.1 % vs. 39.4 %, p = 0.04), even though this was not confirmed in multivariate analysis.
The mortality of patients presenting with severe manifestations of AAV remains high despite the use of PLEX. Older age at presentation is associated with worse overall and renal prognosis.
Anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis (AAV) represents a group of autoimmune diseases, most (90–95 %) of which are associated with the presence of circulating anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA). Three types of AAV can be distinguished: (1) microscopic polyangiitis, (2) granulomatosis with polyangiitis (formerly called Wegener's granulomatosis), and (3) eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (Churg-Strauss syndrome). Pauci-immune glomerulonephritis with various impairment of kidney function occurs in approximately 70 % of patients with AAV, and renal insufficiency constitutes a key determinant of increased AAV mortality.
ANCA likely contributes to disease pathogenesis in AAV, but this remains controversial. The antibodies have high molecular weight, low volume of distribution, long half-lives and low turnover rates. These factors make them a good target for therapeutic plasma exchange (PLEX) and support the use of PLEX in the treatment of AAV. The rapid removal of ANCA may result in rapid control of disease activity and prevent the accumulation of organ damage.
In the Plasma Exchange or High Dose Methyl Prednisolone as Adjunctive Therapy for Severe Renal Vasculitis (MEPEX) randomised trial, patients with severe renal vasculitis who received PLEX as adjunctive therapy had higher probability of dialysis independence at 1 year than patients treated with high-dose methylprednisolone (59 % vs. 43 % surviving dialysis-independent patients). Therapeutic PLEX has been recommended for the treatment of severe renal vasculitis (serum creatinine [S-creatinine] >500 μmol/L) [4, 5]. The benefit of PLEX in the treatment of alveolar haemorrhage (AH) or other severe organ manifestations is less clear, however. Moreover, the long-term outcomes of patients treated with PLEX in the MEPEX trial did not differ from the other arm in terms of both renal and patient survival. A multicentre international randomised controlled trial, Plasma Exchange and Glucocorticoids for Treatment of Anti-Neutrophil Cytoplasm Antibody (ANCA)-Associated Vasculitis (PEXIVAS), is in progress to establish the efficacy of PLEX in reducing death and end-stage renal disease in patients with AAV with an estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR) ≤50 ml/minute and/or AH. Until the results of that trial are available, however, there is no controlled trial evidence for PLEX in the treatment of AH. In the present study, we retrospectively assessed characteristics and outcomes of patients who received PLEX for the treatment of diagnosed AAV in a single centre between 2000 and 2010.
Patient characteristics and clinical data
A retrospective analysis of medical records from a dialysis unit was performed for 705 consecutive patients who were treated with at least one membrane PLEX in a single tertiary referral centre between 2000 and 2010. Patients matching the definitions of AAV according to the EMA (European Medicines Agency) algorithm were selected from the database. Patients who were double-positive for ANCA and anti-glomerular basement membrane (anti-GBM) with predominant anti-GBM and/or who displayed typical features of anti-GBM disease were excluded from the study. This study conformed to generally applied ethical principles and the Declaration of Helsinki. Data collection was performed within a larger project entitled Registry of ANCA-Associated Vasculitis. Informed consent was obtained from all patients, and the study was approved by the ethics committee of General University Hospital in Prague.
Data collection included baseline characteristics (vasculitis type and duration, type of ANCA, concomitant positivity of anti-GBM antibodies, organ involvement and renal function); data regarding PLEX sessions (number and type of procedures, complications); immunosuppressive treatment; outcome data (patient and renal survival) at 3, 6, 12 and 36 months and the most recent visit; and complications (infections, cardiovascular morbidity, cause of death).
Active organ involvement was retrospectively assessed with the use of the Disease Extent Index (DEI), which can range between 0 and 21. DEI was preferred to Birmingham Vasculitis Activity Score (BVAS) because of the retrospective data collection and lower risk of misscoring with DEI. Severe renal involvement was defined as the need for haemodialysis or S-creatinine above 500 μmol/L, or as GFR below 20 ml/minute together with either clinical evidence of rapid progression or severe finding in the renal biopsy. AH was defined as the presence of diffuse pulmonary infiltrates on a chest x-ray or computed tomographic scan and either observed haemoptysis or unexplained anaemia (<100 g/L)/documented drop in haemoglobin (>10 g/L) from <100 g/L.
All patients were treated with combined immunosuppressive treatment consisting of corticosteroids (typically started with three pulses of intravenous methylprednisolone followed by oral prednisone) and cyclophosphamide (CYC) given as an oral daily dose of 2 mg/kg/day (preferred until 2002) or (since 2003) as intravenous pulses of 15 mg/kg/pulse every 2–3 weeks (with dose reduction based on age and renal function). CYC was administered for 3–6 months, and then the patients were switched to azathioprine, typically used for 2 years. For patients using allopurinol or patients intolerant of azathioprine, mycophenolate mofetil was used as the maintenance agent. Prophylaxis of Pneumocystis jirovecii with co-trimoxazole was routinely used.
PLEX was used as an adjunctive therapy added to standard immunosuppression. In this study, PLEX was performed by using a filter separation technique in all patients. The most common PLEX dose included seven PLEX sessions performed within 14 days (based on the regimen used in the MEPEX trial ), with possible dose reduction or prolongation according to the patient's clinical status. The exchanged volume was calculated using a nomogram (


Keel FAQs:
Q: Is keel the initial step in the construction of a ship?
A: Yes, and in British and American shipbuilding traditions the construction is dated from this event.
Q: Is keel the "flat plate keel"?
A: Yes, and this is fitted in the majority of ocean-going ships and other vessels.
Q: Is keel to provide ballast?
A: Yes.
Q: Are keels different from centreboards and other types of foils in that keels are made of heavy materials to provide ballast to stabilize the boat?
A: Yes.
Q: Is keel often the first part of a ship's hull to be constructed?
A: Yes, and laying the keel, or placing the keel in the cradle in which the ship will be built may mark the start time of its construction.
Q: Is keel to convert the sideways motion of the wind when it is abeam into forward motion?
A: Yes.
Q: Is keel suitable with its massive scantlings?
A: Yes, but there is always a problem of the increased draft with no additional cargo capacity.
Q: Is keel almost inevitably of the flat plate type?
A: Yes, and bar keels often being associated with open floors, where the plate keel may also be fitted.
Q: Are keels provided in the bottom of some vessels?
A: Yes.
Q: Is keel the bottom-most structural member around which the hull of a ship is built?
A: Yes.


text:
Now that's what we call progress!
The Australian Council for Educational leaders applauds recent commentary on tracking academic progress rather than solely focusing on static achievement data at a single point in time. (Achievement matters but what about tracking learning progress. The Age, 27.01.15)
Tracking student progress data provides insight into student learning and the success of teaching strategies and programs.
Overemphasis on static achievement data misses the opportunity to celebrate the quality of teaching and learning in classrooms across Australia.
Quoting from research that investigated the link between student growth in literacy learning and the teacher's use of classroom strategies, Associate Professor Stephen Humphry from UWA says, "Progress data spanning two or more time points is the best source of information by which to gauge the extent of learning and the impact of specific factors".
The research, titled In Teacher's Hands, conducted by Edith Cowan University and the UWA in over 200 classrooms, provided a clear picture that teachers can make a big difference to student learning.
This difference is not necessarily evident when only static achievement data is used to measure performance.
Many factors impact on achievement at a given point in time. It is virtually impossible to obtain clear evidence of teacher impact based on static achievement data. Although progress is also affected by many factors, progress data can provide a better indication of the impact of a teacher than static achievement data.
Tracking student progress, as suggested in the original article, provides opportunity to recognize and celebrate successful learning and teaching.
The Australian Council for Educational Leaders (ACEL) gives access to worldclass empirical research along with the practical support to achieve excellence in leadership in the education sector.
Click here to download the PDF for the above
Click here to access index of Media Releases

source: openbmb/Ultra-FineWeb


text:
: a device that holds or presses parts tightly together
: to hold or press (things or parts of a thing) tightly together with a device : to fasten or tighten (something) with a clamp
: to press or squeeze (something)
What made you want to look up clamp? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).


Tiny heat engine may be world's smallest
Feb 02, 2011 By Lisa Zyga feature
(Left) This illustration shows the entire heat engine and its electrical connections. (Right) A modified electron-microscope image shows the heat engine in motion. The amplitude of the motion in the figure is exaggerated. Image credit: P. G. Steeneken, et al. ©2011 Macmillan Publishers Limited.
(PhysOrg.com) -- Steam engines, combustion engines, and diesel engines are all different types of heat engines, which operate by converting heat energy into mechanical work. Although heat engines have existed for a long time, reducing their size down to the microscale is very difficult since both their efficiency and power density greatly decrease when their size decreases. In a new study, scientists have designed and built a miniature heat engine with a displacement volume of just 0.34 cubic micrometers, possibly making it the smallest heat engine ever built.
This video is not supported by your browser at this time.
In this slow-motion video, the right side of the silicon heat engine can be seen to oscillate. Video credit: P. G. Steeneken, et al. ©2011 Macmillan Publishers Limited.
In their study, Peter Steeneken and coauthors from in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, explain that, instead of using a fuel to generate heat, this heat engine uses to generate heat, which it then converts into mechanical power.
The basis of the heat engine is a solid piece of micrometer-sized silicon crystal that has two short beams jutting out from one end. When 1.2 milliamps of DC current is applied to one of the beams, the beam heats up as a consequence of its, and expands due to thermal expansion. As a result of the piezoresistive effect, the resistance of the beam decreases when it expands so that it cools again, forcing it to contract. The mechanical power from the beam's expanding and contracting is used to drive the entire silicon crystal into sustained up-and-down oscillation. As a result of its small dimensions, the crystal oscillates at a high frequency of 1.3 MHz, moving back and forth more than a million times per second.
"The key [to making such a small working engine] is that we use a new operation mechanism that enables silicon to be used as a working substance," Steeneken told PhysOrg.com. "Silicon can be structured using lithographic techniques which are optimized in the semiconductor industry. This allows much smaller device dimensions. At the same time, the heat capacity of silicon is much higher than that of gases or liquids, which also helps in reducing the device size. The way we transport energy to the engine using electrical interconnects also helps, because electrical wires can be made much thinner than pipes to transport gases or fluids (the viscous friction of a pipe or tube becomes very high when its diameter is reduced).
"From a scientific view, the main significance of the work is that the feedback mechanism that converts the electric current into sustained oscillating mechanical motion is new. We have demonstrated it in silicon, but it is expected to play a role in many other materials. The motion is generated by a heat engine mechanism. Similar to an internal combustion engine in a car, fuel is converted into heat and the heat is converted into motion. In the silicon heat engine we have made, the fuel is electricity, and the heat is generated in a silicon beam."
While this heat engine is extremely tiny, it's difficult to determine whether it is the absolute smallest, since that depends on which parts of the engine are measured. The space occupied by the working mechanism (in this case, the beam) is defined as the engine displacement volume, which is 0.34 cubic micrometers and would be the smallest heat engine to date. But the entire silicon resonator is a little over 1,000 cubic micrometers, which would not make the heat engine the smallest in the world.
"The power to drive the motion is generated in a tiny, 280-nm-thick silicon beam," the researchers wrote in a summary. "The beam has about the same volume as an average-size bacterium like E. coli. Because in this case the power (1 mW) is concentrated in a silicon resistor beam of very small volume, it generates an enormous heating power per volume in the beam (2 petaWatts/m3, or 2x1015 W/m3). If the same power per volume would be applied to a larger sized crystal it would melt before the oscillation phenomenon could be observed, which is probably one of the reasons why this type of heat engine has not been reported before in larger structures."
The researchers found that the new heat engine has a very good power density if calculated using the engine displacement volume. The power density is almost 1,000 times higher than that of a modern car engine, meaning that, if a car engine and its power were scaled down to the same volume as the silicon beam, the silicon heat engine would generate 1,000 times more power. The new heat engine's power density is also significantly higher than that of other microengines. On the other hand, calculating the power density using the volume of the total structure yields a less favorable power density than other engines. The researchers expect that modifying the new heat engine's design could further improve the, as well as the efficiency, which is currently low compared to other heat engines.
As the researchers explained, the tiny heat engine could have applications as a small clock or mechanical oscillator. Currently, most accurate clocks are made of a quartz crystal that determines the frequency in combination with a circuit of transistors in a silicon crystal that generate the oscillation power from a battery. The advantage of using the heat engine as a clock is that both the quartz crystal and the transistors are not needed, thus making the device much smaller, simpler and cheaper to produce. In addition to watches, the small clocks could be used to generate high-frequency RF signals for wireless communication devices or to generate the clock-frequency of a microprocessor in a computer chip.
In their experiments, the researchers also showed that the heat engine could act as a refrigerator when the thermodynamic cycle is inverted. In order to do this, the engine beam is connected to a voltage rather than a current, which decreases any oscillations in the device, cooling its surroundings. The researchers demonstrated that the refrigerator could decrease its temperature to 70 K (-200°C). However, the cooling power is very small and probably won't be useful for cooling large quantities of matter. But the refrigerator could have applications in sensitive detectors where Brownian motion needs to be eliminated as much as possible because it is a source of noise that reduces sensitivity.
More information: P. G. Steeneken, et al. "Piezoresistive heat engine and refrigerator." Nature Physics. Advance Online Publication. DOI: 10.1038/NPHYS1871
4.7 /5 (29 votes)
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User comments : 10
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Feb 02, 2011
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1 / 5 (1) Feb 02, 2011
All sorts of ideas racing through my head - eg. fabrication on a massive scale using many of these in a multi-array micro-tubular application to generate thrust in ion-plasma engines - the ramifications are enormous.
4.5 / 5 (2) Feb 02, 2011
what about fatique? most materials tend to break/crack if the load is repeated a few million times, which is a few seconds in the case of this cantilever
2 / 5 (1) Feb 02, 2011
jkbgbr: where do you get that information? piezo-electric crystals don't break down over many years of use. I'm not suggesting that the density of the engine be increased. Plus, using the heat energy in that way actually creates a drain, so that thresholds can be manipulated.
3 / 5 (1) Feb 02, 2011
They say its cooling power is small, but what if you put one of these next to every transistor in a microchip? Isn't heat the limiting factor on clock speed these days?
3 / 5 (1) Feb 02, 2011
You would create a processor that takes an enormous area on silicon, and consequently would cost your left kidney to manufacture. Considering that as the area of the chip increases, tiny faults in the manufacturing process affect a greater area of the silicon disc that contains all the chips being made, because if a single transistor in a chip doesn't work it has to be thrown away.
4.3 / 5 (3) Feb 02, 2011
"... which is probably one of the reasons why this type of heat engine has not been reported before in larger structures"
Not true. About 20 years ago, an Australian electronics magazine published an article on a heat engine that used the thermal expansion of steel balls in a ball bearing as the motive force. It's also described on the web -


text:
By Michael P. McCarthy
The New Year offers a clean slate, a welcome opportunity to try something new. Given the title of the blog, Reflective MedEd, I would like to offer a way of refocusing and reorienting oneself through reflecting on the experiences of the day. As Hedy Wald described in her blog post, reflection enhances a variety of skills that are essential for continuing professional identity formation for medical students, educators, and practitioners alike. The process of the examen serves as a way to reflect by reviewing hour-by-hour the events, circumstances, and experiences of the day…
The examen begins by quieting myself, and then reviewing slowly the events of the day. I start with an objective review, what I did, and a subjective view, how I felt (positively, negatively, happy, sad, joyous, frustrated, etc.) about the day's events. I recall experiences and feelings, and then identify one thing for which I want to be especially attentive a meeting coming-up; a difficult exam; a family crisis; etc. The context of the examen is a prayerful one that is attentive to sources of meaning and motivation. Cultivating a habit of reflecting on my daily experiences through the examen expresses a desire to become more aware of who I am and who I am becoming, two essential components of formation.
The examen was developed first by St. Ignatius Loyola in sixteenth century as a component of formation for Jesuit priests who in addition worked as educators, chaplains, even physicians. Their work flowed from their sense of meaning in "finding God in all things." While the work was important, it also held similar challenges to the ones we face today: feelings of fatigue, disconnection, burnout, loss of empathy, etc. The examen functions as a reminder to reconnect with the meaning behind the work we do.
By rummaging backwards through one's day we take time to pause and pay attention to the deeper meaning and motivation behind our daily responsibilities—both personal and professional. For people of faith, the goal of the examen is to find God's presence in the midst of one's day. For others, the examen could serve as a review of one's day that looks for sources of meaning and motivation. Cultivating a habit of reflecting—regardless of one's faith perspective—allows for us to be attentive to finding sources of meaning in who we are and what we do. Through reflection we might come to recognize that "all moments are key moments."
While the purpose of entering into an examen centers on cultivating one's relationship with God, one could also describe it as focused on integrating the personal, who I am, with the professional, what I do. In this regard, the examen stands out as a nearly 500 year-old practice that allows for people of faith to view their work as a form of prayer, and/or an opportunity to practice mindful reflection that fosters professional identity formation. Reflection on the ordinary reinforces the importance of daily choices and experiences that contribute to our becoming better persons and professionals, and isn't that what New Year's resolutions are all about?
Michael P. McCarthy, PhD, is an assistant professor of bioethics in the department of medical education at the Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine. He is the co-director of the innovative Physician's Vocation Program that explores the intersection of faith and medicine in medical students' formation.


text:
By H.G. Muller
A staple food in many diets, bread has been baked since ancient times and is considered a basic necessity by many. Baking and Bakeries charts the history of baking, from the ancient breads cooked with grain-paste through the introduction of yeast, to modern day variations. The author describes the different methods used in baking and the range of tools and machinery used. Focusing chiefly on the industrial bakeries of the Victorian era, with a final chapter addressing modern day improvements, this book takes a look at the development of the industry as well as the traditions of baking that have survived for centuries.


<< Charlemagne Chief of Dwarf Village Chief of Elf Village >>
Star: N/A
Origin: Dwarf Village
Events: Gate Rune Wars
Position: Chief
Born: IS 353
Death: N/A
Unlike his elven counterpart the Chief of the Dwarves is not intolerant to other races but he does think that dwarves are superior. He could not believe that any human could have stolen anything from the Dwarven Vault, let alone the plans for the Burning Mirror, so he set a test to see if Tir and his party could repeat the feat. When they returned with the object he had set, the Running Water Root, he pledged his aid to destroy the Burning Mirror. This he did so with the aid of the Firewind Cannon, but not before the mirror had been used to raze the Village of the Elves. He stayed in the sidelines throughout much of the rest of the war but was there when needed. Following the end of the conflict he works with the new Toran authorities; Kirkis, the new chief of the elves; and Kuromimi, the new chief of the kobolds, to bring about greater understanding and co-operation between the different races of Great Forest. - Blue Moon


text:
You are here
Shakespeare's Lark and Nightingale with Rod Molzahn
© Mark Eggleton
Birds play important roles in many of Shakespeare's plays. In Romeo and Juliet, the Lark sings at dawn and the Nightingale's song fills the evening. At a moment of great peril, the Lark warns the lovers their time is short. Both the Skylark and the Nightingale are nondescript birds – but their songs are unforgettable. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds studies the various effects that farming methods have on Skylarks, like this one. They provide farmers with guidelines about maintaining their lands to help these birds.
Shakespeare's Lark and Nightingale
Featuring Rod Molzahn
This is BirdNote!
[Song of a Sky Lark]
Birds play important roles in many of Shakespeare's plays. In Romeo and Juliet, the Lark sings at dawn, the Nightingale at night. At a moment of great peril, the Lark warns the lovers their time is short. Romeo has killed Tybalt, Juliet's cousin, in a duel and has been banished by the Duke. Their first night together will be their last.
Here's actor Rod Molzahn. Juliet speaks first:
[song of Nightingale]
Wilt thou be gone? It is not yet near day:
It was the Nightingale, and not the Lark,
That pierced the fearful hollow of thine ear;
Nightly she sings on yond Pomegranate tree:
Believe me love, it was the Nightingale.
It was the Lark, the herald of the morn,
No Nightingale: look love,
Night's candles are burnt out, and jocund day
Stands tiptoe on the misty mountain tops.
I must be gone and live, or stay and die.
Yond light is not day-light, I know it, I:
Therefore, stay yet; thou need'st not be gone.
I am content, so thou wilt have it so.
Come, death, and welcome! Juliet wills it so.
How is it my soul? Let's talk; it is not day.
It is, it is: hie hence, be gone, away!
It is the Lark that sings so out of tune.
Some say the Lark makes sweet division;
This doth not so, for she divideth us. [Song of Lark]
Learn more at birdnote.org. I'm Mary McCann.
Bird sounds provided by The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Song of Sky Lark 36249 and song of Common Nightingale 71610 recorded by A.B. van den Berg.
Producer: John Kessler
Executive Producer: Chris Peterson
© 2012 Tune In to Nature.org June 2012 Narrator: Mary McCann
There are two Shakespeare Acting Camps for actors from 6th grade through high school. The Wenatchee, Washington camp, in its 18th year this summer, happens between July 2 and July 26, 2012 ending with 3 performances of "As You Like It" outdoors at Ohme Gardens Park. The Newport, Oregon camp, in its 11th year this summer, runs from August 6 through August 16, finishing with 2 performances of "As You Like It" at the Newport Performing Arts Center. For additional information, contact Rod Molzahn at _EMAIL_.

source: HuggingFaceFW/fineweb-edu


text:
Despite their high-tech image, fiber-optic components get assembled largely by hand. New automation promises to bring their production into the 21st century. A computer simulation of a laser welding system from Adept Technology Inc., San Jose, shows dual high-precision four-axis laser-pointing mechanisms that put two weld beams on packages to within ±5µm. Fiber pigtailing is one of the primary application areas. It's not a pretty picture. Estimates are that some 50 million fiber-optic components will be in production within two years. They will go into mass-produced telecom and computer gear that is expected to be an engine of economic growth. But today, the vast majority of fiber-optic parts are put together by hand through methods appropriate for one-of-akind research gear, but which are uneconomical for volume production. No question that manual assembly methods hike manufacturing costs and slow throughput. One side effect, say experts, is that production yields for photonic components are typically 80% at best. A typical assembler scraps as many as three units daily that cost an average of $1,000 to $2,000 each. Savings could amount to a half-million dollars yearly for each such assembler that automated methods replace. Moreover, economies from reduced scrap and more-efficient assembly dwarf those available from taking labor out of the production process, say automation suppliers. Estimates are that assembly represents 65 to 85% of the cost of most photonics products, compared to less than 10% of costs for products in mature industries. It is for such reasons that manufacturers of automation equipment have taken aim at photonics. One indicator of progress so far came this past September: Robotic system supplier Adept Technology Inc. revealed some of the results it has gained from five years of research into photonics assembly. Adept says it concentrated on operations that combine motion control, vision, and high-precision alignment
Products & Services
Fiber Optic Test Sources
Fiber optic test sources review the performance of a system by injecting light through the fibers.
Fiber Optic Circulators
Fiber optic circulators are nonreciprocal devices that direct a light signal from one port, via a fiber optic line, to another sequentially.
Fiber Optic Cleaning Tools
Fiber optic cleaning and splicing tools are used to connect, adapt, polish, repair, fiber and fiber optic cables. This area includes fiber optic consumables such as polish, swabs, wipes, etc.
Fiber Optic Filters
Fiber optic filters allow only specific wavelengths to pass into a larger fiber optic system.
E-Hub Assembly allows users to create and program robotic workcells for small part assembly, electromechanical assembly, pick & place and material handling applications.
Topics of Interest
Sawsalls are a favorite tool for those who like to quickly and easily cut through wood, plastics, metal, pipes and even wood with nails in it. Sawsalls are perfect for those hard to reach places, when...
1-1. PHOTONICS DEFINED
During the twentieth century, the electronics industry has revolutionized the way we work and play. The vacuum tube made practical the...
The Laser Photonics i-Series Fiber Laser was specifically designed for maintenance-free OEM applications. It's the most advanced, reliable, industrial grade Fiber Laser marking system available on the...
Laser Photonics' application engineers received a customers' 4mm thick copper sample to be processed. Using the Titan Series 48™, Laser Photonics multipurpose fiber laser cutting machine...
We have seen in the preceding chapters how light is generated for photonics applications, how that light propagates, both in fibers and in free space, and how...


text:
Rejoice Hair Transplant offers the latest and improved version of DHI known as Activated DHT. Our clinic for hair transplant in Mumbai is renowned for providing this procedure developed by our founder Dr. Shankar Sawant.
Doctors performing DHI claim that they use very small size punches. Doctors who acquire experience in FUE techniques use small punches. There are many hair transplant surgeons in Mumbai who are using 0.6, 0.7, 0.8 & 0.9 punches depending on the size of the follicle.
But the size of the punch depends on the size of the follicle. Also, a small-sized punch means good healing. The size of the punch should larger than the size of the hair follicle for taking out the complete hair follicle.
Now, DHI is a very old method and it was invented for the direct implantation of hair. It means the hair grafts/follicles are extracted and immediately implanted.
The purpose of DHI was to reduce the time of hair graft stored outside the body. It was necessary to reduce the ischemia time and prevent the graft from going into a shock after surgery. Well, preserved grafts are accepted by the body which makes the DHI treatment a successful one.
What are the disadvantages of the DHI procedure?
Hair transplant is a time-consuming procedure. It takes a lot of time. DHI demands grafts to be extracted from the backside of the scalp and implanted in the front. During this procedure, it is difficult to maintain the position of both, the patient and the doctor. So it is not possible to cover the large area or implant a large number of grafts.
- Proper cleaning of grafts does not happen in DHI
When grafts are extracted, they are covered with clotted blood. If the grafts are not cleaned properly, they are likely to hamper the blood supply when implanted.
- Strategic placement of grafts is important
All individuals have single hair in the front in their hairline. But in the case of In the DHI treatment, there is no scope for strategic placement. Also, it is necessary to clean and segregate the hair grafts as per the number of hairs such as single, double, triple, etc. This segregation is necessary for getting a natural hairline look and feel which cannot take place during a DHI treatment.
What is activated DHT?
To overcome the disadvantages of DHI, Dr. Shankar Sawant has developed a new technique called Activated DHT.
- In this method, we extract grafts with appropriate size punch (0.7, 0.8 or 0.9) depending on the size of the follicles.
- Once we know grafts are coming out good then we do all punching of grafts. The grafts are left in the hole to ensure that they continue to receive blood supply. This takes care of the ischemia time. In scientific terms, it is known as in-vivo preservation.
- We create slits for single follicles in front than for double follicles and then for triple follicles. This helps in implanting the grafts according to the size of the follicle. This prevents the problem of Cobblestone.
- Activated DHT assures the desired density of hair and is much better than the DHI treatment where only the implantation of the graft is possible without no assurance of the desired density of hair.
- Once the slitting process is over, the punched out grafts are extracted. They are cleaned properly with Ringer Lactate solution to make sure the grafts survive after the implantation. This cleaning of the extracted hair follicles removes the clotting of blood around it and ensures that they receive blood supply and increases their chance of survival.
- After proper cleaning grafts are placed in ATPase solution or PRP solution so that survival of grafts increased. This process is called Activation of the follicle.
- In DHI implantation is done with an implanter which has two major disadvantages –This method cannot give good density because while pushing the implanter surrounding follicles may come out. The use of an implanter increases the cost of the procedure.
Hence we have modified the implantation method –
First, we create a slit with a CTS blade so that minimal trauma is done. We do implantation with a NO ROOT TOUCH technique. In this technique, we do not touch the root of the hair follicle. We hold the follicle at the opposite side of the root (i.e. tip) while implanting. This increases the growth rate as well as the percentage of follicle survival.
Why choose Dr. Shankar Sawant's activated DHT?
- Simple daycare procedure – The patient can return home the same day. It can be done during lunch hours while at work
- Special Procedure invented by Dr. Sawant which promises better results especially dense and fuller hair on the scalp
- The procedure was done by Dr. Sawant and his expert team ensuring the highest safety of the patient
- Use of patient's own hair as hair grafts so the hair match in terms of quality, color, and thickness
- Safe and clinically proven treatment which is relied upon by many board-certified cosmetologist.


text:
Meddrag is the Norwegian word used to describe the practice of scribing logs. Scribing means to gauge out the bottom part of each log so that instead of curving downward in the shape of a "U", the bottom of the log instead curves upward in the shape of an "n". Unlike their chinked and daubed North American counterparts, houses of Norway were constructed in the meddrag method. This eliminated the need for mortar and wood chinking.
Many historians claim the reason meddrag didn't catch hold amongst Scandinavian-born immigrants (Fins, Swedes, and Norwegians all used the scribed technique) was that they didn't have the carpentry skills to execute such a detail. Yes, that's likely true, but I'd add a further twist. Norwegians had softwoods to work with, while their northeastern Iowa counterparts dealt almost exclusively with hardwoods. Unlike pine, oak is really difficult to shape. In Minnesota and Wisconsin (roughly corresponding with the geographic distribution of softwood forests) there exist numerous examples of scribed log construction. In Northeast Iowa, there are hardly any.
This is the only example of meddrag I've personally discovered. There exists a one-story scribed log house at Vesterheim (located inside the old stone mill) that was found in Glenwood Township, Winneshiek County. And apparently there existed a scribed granary in Washington Prairie, Springfield Township, Winneshiek County (now long gone). But beyond those two, this is the only other example I know of.
This particular building sits in Dover Township, Fayette County, Iowa, about thirty miles south of Decorah. The original one story log house was hopelessly added onto, altered, and chopped apart. What's left are parts of three walls and not much more.
From what I've gathered through poking around and opening up walls, the original house was one story in height and measured something like 15′ x 17′. The species of tree used was eastern white pine. Unlike true Norwegian scribed construction where the corner notches hang past the wallscommonly referred to as the double notchthis house has square notching. I suspect the house was originally double notched, too, but the part of the notch that extends past the wall plane was likely lopped off when the building was sided.
Unfortunately, there isn't much left to save. The roof has completely failed, the entire forth wall was cut off, and numerous doors and windows were cut out of the other three. This is such an incredibly rare and special house, and what it needs most is thorough documentation. This house was definitely built by a professional carpenter, and it would be really interesting to scour the area to see if any other examples still exist.


School bus drivers, refresh your rail safety knowledge before school starts
It's hard to believe how quickly the summer has flown by. Back to school is just a couple weeks away. If you're a school bus driver, that means it's just about time to get behind the wheel for another school year. Every day you're responsible for the lives of countless young people - a responsibility that definitely cannot be taken lightly.
If your route takes you to a level crossing, it's important to know the rail safe behaviours that will keep you, and the students who depend on you, safe and alive. So, why not take these last days of summer to refresh your train safety knowledge?
Check out the resources below:
Train safety tips for school bus drivers
Operation Lifesaver offers a series of learning materials that provide lifesaving rail safety information for professional drivers, including the following downloadable train safety resources for school bus drivers:
You can also check out this PowerPoint presentation for school bus drivers, available on Operation Lifesaver's SlideShare page:
[slideshare id=_PHONE_&doc=schoolbusdrivers-120210220630-phpapp02]


text:
Fresh-water resources in many of the world's oil producing region are scarce, while produced water from oil wells is plentiful, though high salinity and other contaminants make it unfit for most applications. Disposing of this water is a great expense to oil producers. This paper advances a technology developed to treat produced water by reverse osmosis and oil adsorption to render it suitable for agricultural or industrial use, while simultaneously reducing disposal costs. Pilot testing of the process thus far has demonstrated the technology's capability to produce good-quality water, but process optimization and control yet to be fully addressed are focuses of this work.
We developed a computer model of the process using a dynamic simulator, Aspen Dynamics, to determine the energy consumption of various process design alternatives, and to test control strategies. We proposed process control schemes using basic feedback control methods with PI controllers. By preserving the mechanical energy of the concentrate stream of the reverse osmosis membrane, we found that process energy requirements can be reduced several-fold from that of the previously developed configuration.
As is this case with much of the southwestern United States, Texas persistently faces water shortage issues across much of the state. As rapid population growth continues, the demand for water will continue to expand, exacerbating existing shortages.
In other parts of the world that have experienced similar shortages, desalination has successfully met the need in many cases. Several Middle Eastern nations such as Israel and Saudi Arabia obtain freshwater by desalination of brackish or sea water (Habali and Saleh, 1994). Energy-intensive thermal desalination methods have given way in recent years to reverse osmosis (RO) technologies which offer fresh water at around half the energy cost (Hensel and Uhl, 2004, Thomson et al. 2002).
In arid southern and western Texas, brackish ground water and oilfield produced water suitable for RO desalination are widely available and could potentially meet the region's water needs for the foreseeable future. The Permian Basin in Western Texas yields about 400 million gallons of saline water per day as a byproduct of petroleum production, which is larger than the daily water usage of Houston, Texas (Barrufet and Burnet, 2004, Barrufet et al. 2005).
Desalination of oilfield produced water is desirable for another reason. Disposal of produced water from oil and gas wells is a costly procedure for production companies. Water-to-oil production ratios generally increase as wells' production lives progress, exceeding 10:1 (by volume) in many cases. This increase, with its associated costs, creates the bottleneck that prematurely ends the production life of many wells (Barrufet et al. 2005). The water contains a number of contaminants, notably high salinity, hardness minerals, hydrocarbons, surfactants, and other chemicals used in the production process, and sometimes heavy metals. Currently, common practice at onshore wells is to dispose of the brine by injecting it into disposal wells. Since the disposal wells are usually off site, the production company incurs transportation costs in addition to injection costs. Clearly, reduction in the volume of this wastewater would benefit oil producers.


Maya Majiks
Oracle Card Readings for Guidance
How it works
Decide which reading you would like. Carefully write in what you would like to know about, what your question is. This is not really designed for yes/no questions. If you don't know how to phrase your question, just explain what you would like to know about and I will put it into an appropriate question for you. I will draw the cards and interpret them based on your question. Then I will take a photo of the cards and email it to you along with a detailed explanation and some suggestions about how you can apply the information to your life!
Just fill out a form below to get started
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2 Card Sacred Day Reading
Based on the Tzolk'in Sacred Mayan Calendar
Two cards are drawn and read together as one. Together they form a single energy that will help bring you direction.
1. Mayan Day God, 2. Point on the Magical Energy Wave
 5 Card Maya Cross Reading
The 5 Point Cross is central to the cosmovision of the Maya
1. What is beginning 2. What is clear. 3. What is changing 4. What is ending. 5. What advice to follow.
7 Card Virtues of Divine Power reading
The Divine Virtues encompass the four elements (fire, air, water, & earth), Heart of Sky, Heart of Earth & Center
1. Fire: What drives you, 2. Air: What you think about, 3. Water: Your emotions
4. Earth: What grounds you, 5. Heart of Sky: Your heavenly guardian, 6. Heart of Earth: Your earthly guardian
7. Center: Your path to ascension
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The 13 Energies at work within You. A comprehensive look into how you are doing!
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I know that this is a rather ambiguous question; but my question is, whenever we take water and freeze it in the freezer, it still tends to stay clear. Since snow is just frozen water, why is it white? Is it due to contents of the air - i.e. dust - that make snow this color?
Or is my freezer just weird?
 - 1
 $\begingroup$ Because the "color" is a description of frequency. Snow reflects a combination of frequencies of light, and their sum is turning out to be white. $\endgroup$ – M.A.R. Feb 28 '15 at 18:35
 - $\begingroup$ Ok well then what makes this reflect this "combination" and normal ice cubes don't tend to do that? $\endgroup$ – Asker123 Feb 28 '15 at 18:35
 - $\begingroup$ Because ice is translucent. $\endgroup$ – M.A.R. Feb 28 '15 at 18:37
 - $\begingroup$ Translucent but not completely white right? So why even an individual snowflake appear white? $\endgroup$ – Asker123 Feb 28 '15 at 18:39
 - $\begingroup$ This might be of interest. $\endgroup$ – M.A.R. Feb 28 '15 at 18:41
The difference between snow and ordinary ice cubes is mainly about the size of the particles. Snow is made from small, irregular crystals with many edges at a very small scale. Light is refracted or scattered by the edges (or the interface between air and the edges). Snow is white because the scattering effect of those edges dominates what happens to light shining on the snow. In a large block of ice like an ice cube there is very little refraction or scattering as, for any ray of light, there are only two edges (one when light enters the cube, one when it leaves). So transmission dominates (and there is little colour as ice only weakly absorbs visible light).
This is common in many other compounds. Titanium dioxide is a transparent mineral but is used as the primary ingredient in many "white" products like paint. The secret is to use TiO2 particles that are just the right size to maximise the scattering at the particle edges thereby creating "whiteness" as all light is equally scattered.
As matt_black said, it's about the size. If you take a tall, thick glass tube, it'll be transparent, right? It'll transmit the light falling on it. But make it thinner and thinner(think human hair) then it'll appear white, as it'll refract the light passing through it. As the light from the sun(which is a combination of all colors) is white, snow appears white.
Many people think that old people's hair are white, but they're not. They get their color(black, brown, yellow, red, whatever) from a pigment called melanin, and in white hair this pigment is absent, leaving only a transparent rod of hair. It's so small it appears white.
About the ice cube part, if you've observed, sometimes there's a ice cube that's transparent on the outside, but in the middle there's a white core. That happens because it has shattered in the middle, probably because of anomalous expansion of water.
Your Answer


text:
[Haskell-cafe] floating point operations and representation
ketil at malde.org
Thu Mar 13 05:12:46 EDT 2008
"Jacob Schwartz" writes:
> A test on IEEE computers (x86 and x86-64), shows that for
> a range of 64-bit "double" values, the answers in C do differ (in the
> last bit) if you use "log2(x)" and "log10(x)" versus "log (x) /
> log(2)" and "log(x) / log(10)".
I think this may also depend on C compiler and optimization level.
Perhaps now everybody uses SSE to do math, but earlier Intel FPU
architectures did floating point with 80-bit registers, so the
accuracy of the result could depend on whether an intermediate result
was flushed to memory (by a context switch).
Equality on floating point is tricky, if I were you, I'd round the
results before comparing.
If I haven't seen further, it is by standing in the footprints of giants
More information about the Haskell-Cafe


text:
At the joint Fraunhofer stand devoted to Adaptronics (D24/1) in Hall 2 of the Hannover Messe (April 16 to 20), they will be presenting the Quiet Car project, which demonstrates to the industrial world what adaptronic systems are capable of achieving. It's every driver's nightmare – a tire burst when you're traveling at maximum speed along the freeway. In theory, any car owner can reckon on having to change a burst tire after driving between 100,000 and 150,000 kilometers. This explains why the leading auto magazines and tire manufacturers recommend twice-monthly tire checks. So-called run-flat tires are a safer option, for they serve as a normal tire and spare tire rolled into one. They allow the driver to continue driving for a certain distance with a burst tire, thanks to an additional rubber lining that prevents the damaged tire from totally deflating. Run-flat tires have been available on the market since 2001, but they have been slow to attract customers because they are more expensive than standard tires and also generate more noise. This is where the adaptronics solutions developed by Fraunhofer researchers could provide help, for instance by reducing the noise level inside the vehicle by actively damping the propagation of vibration-induced noise. "In a factory, noise is generated by the metal cladding of the machines, machine tools generate vibrations, and power generators and motors use oscillating frequencies that create a noise disturbance for workers and interfere with other equipment: there is a direct correlation between technological progress, lightweight construction, vibration, reliability and noise," explains Tobias Melz of the Fraunhofer Institute for Structural Durability and System Reliability LBF in Darmstadt, who also manages the business activities of the Fraunhofer Adaptronics Alliance. "Active adaptronic structures help to reduce the vibrations caused by machines and vehicles – and hence the noise they produce. Manufacturers of run-flat tires are not the only ones to benefit from the advantages of adaptronics. Manufacturing processes can be run more efficiently when the machines operate with greater precision. This opens up a whole range of new possibilities, especially for components and products used in lightweight construction. In general terms, adaptronics is capable of furnishing more comfort, functionality and safety in all areas of engineering." In the Fraunhofer Adaptronics Alliance, project teams from different Fraunhofer Institutes are developing solutions for mechanical structures, covering all stages of the engineering process, from materials science to system reliability. "Our project results are improving all the time in terms of quality, speed and costs, and we have now reached the stage of working on pre-production manufacturing processes," reports Professor Holger Hanselka, director of the LBF and spokesman for the Alliance. The researchers' method of reducing vibrations involves combining sensor and actuator functions with electronic feedback control circuits. The sensors and actuators are designed to respond in a defined way to parametric changes in their operating environment. An object's mechanical properties, such as damping capacity or stiffness, can be synthetically modified by software. This makes it possible to reduce vibration, cut down noise, or even regulate the shape of certain components. This capacity of adaptronic devices to adapt in a defined way to their environment sometimes earns them the label of being "intelligent". In the Quiet Car project, two adaptronics solutions have been integrated in a compact-class car. The researchers have equipped a Volkswagen Lupo with four active mounting units in the rear part of the chassis, and are testing its road behavior. At the same time, they are elaborating an active damping mechanism for the "firewall" that separates the passenger and engine compartments. Later this spring, the vehicle will undergo trials on a test circuit operated by the Fraunhofer LBF and Technische Universität Darmstadt at the disused airfield in Griesheim. The research objective of the Quiet Car project is to answer questions related to system integration in a complex engineering context. It also provides an opportunity for the engineers to publicize the new technology, given that they are obliged to keep much of their everyday research and development work under strict confidentiality.
Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Greece, Spain, Finland, France, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Sweden, Slovenia, Slovakia, United Kingdom


text:
NaNoWriMo: 30 Days in 30 GIFs
Ah, NaNoWriMo: the longest six months of the year. As any writer who's attempted it can attest, NaNo is an amazing experience, but can also be frustrating, exhausting, demoralizing … sometimes at the same time! As we hit the halfway point of November, here's a post that you can relate to if you've ever tried National Novel Writing Month, or if you need something to procrastinate before you
burst into tears write again. Happy writing, everyone!
1. When you're about to get started:
2. When you sit down to write:
3. When you finish your first sentence:
4. When you hit your first 1,667 words:
5. When you come home from work/school exhausted and realize you haven't even started your daily writing quota yet and the enormity of your undertaking finally dawns on you:
6. When you finish your word sprint and you realize you finished your chapter!
7. When you go back and read what you wrote:
8. When you finally finish your quota and it's 11 pm:
9. When you fall short of your daily word count for the first time:
10. When it's time to post NaNo updates on social media:
11. When you get a brilliant idea for a plot twist:
12. When you realize your brilliant idea actually opens up a plot hole:
13. When you realize you've written your characters into a corner and don't know what to do:
14. When your spouse/roommate/family member/child interrupts you when you're in the middle of a successful sprint:
15. When you hit that halfway point:
16. When you realize you still have 15 days to go:
17. When you talk to your non-writer family/friends:
18. When you talk to your writer friends who are doing NaNo:
19. When people ask you how NaNoWriMo is going:
20. When you've been writing for 3 hours straight:
21. When your book hasn't gone in any of the directions you wanted it to go and you don't know how you can untangle it:
22. When you look at your word count and realize you're far behind:
23. When someone asks you what NaNoWriMo is like:
24. When you want to give up but you've already invested too much in this hot mess of a manuscript to turn back now:
25. When you realize how many hours you've spent sitting in front of your computer:
26. When you have a week left and check your word count:
27. When you have just one more day to go!
28. When the end is in sight:
29. When you've finished your novel!!
30. When it's December 1 and you open your document:
Share a GIF of your current NaNoWriMo mood on social media and tag _TAG_ so we can cheer you on!


text:
Stanley Steamer History: Francis and Freelan Stanley were twin brothers who started out making dry plates for photography, sold out to Eastman Kodak, and then built their first automobile in 1897. They were among the first auto makers in the US and sold their first design to John Walker of the Locomobile Company of America in 1899. The Stanleys opened the Stanley Motor Carriage Company in 1902 and built steam engines and steam driven automobiles until 1924, commonly known as "Stanley Steamers".
The first Stanley Steamers bodies were made of wood that sat on metal frames. The steam came from an upright boiler under the seat, on top of a gasoline or kerosene fired burner. Vertical copper tubes in the boiler transferred the heat from the fire to the water and pressure relief valves prevented blow outs. The drive mechanism amounted to two side by side cylinders and the pistons were pushed in both directions by the steam pressure. The power was transmitted by chain and sprockets from the crankshaft to a differential.
Originally the steam engines were located in the back of the car but later moved to the front and in 1915 condensers were added to increase the driving distance. In 1906 the Stanley Steamer was the fastest car in the world, traveling a mile in 28.2 seconds.
By the late 1910s gasoline engines were cheaper and more efficient than steam and sales fell, despite the Stanley's efforts at claiming that their engine was safer. By 1917 the "writing was on the wall" and the Stanleys sold their company to Prescott Warren, who finally gave up in 1924.
Click on column names to sort listings - Stanley Steamer
Enter keywords (Ex: 1957 chevy door) or use filters to see what we have.


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 1. Can you please help me on this question about how to generate single signals only? One triangle and one Pulse simultaniusly in order to make only one characteristic curve of a transistor! I've been trying and i only get continuous signals of triangles and pulses! i need something like this in waveforms and how to do it in python using the sdk! What instruction is it actually in the sdk refference manual? Please your answer will be valuable! _USER_
 2. Hello, i have a question on how do i generate one positive triangle pulse only, without repetition? And also how to generate on pulse only without repetition? In order to make only one charactiristic curve on a transistor!
 3. Hello, i need some help to generate I-V characteristics of a BJT transistor! I found this curve tracer written in python online: _URL_ I am reading the signal by the scope of the GUI and when i click the "Ic vs Vce" Button it doesnt seem to make any curve! It reads only a triangle signal and i need to make it DC signal in order to make the characteristic curves! But im having a hard time finding it in the cod
 4. Ok thank you! That was VERY helpful. But now if i want to use the scope to measure a voltage drop in a resistor, how to get the result of it and express on a plot everything? (vds, vgs, and Id) The Id i think is an equation to transform the voltage drop. But how to measure with the scope and use the plot to make the charactiristic curve?
 5. Hello, i need help with using the script in "WaveForms". I dont know much about java script but i need to make a gui to put my data in there and to get the characteristic curves of a transistor! Im planning to give Vgs and Vds and measure with the scope the voltage off a resistor near the drain to calculate the Id. Then i will need to have as an output the charactiristic curve of the result. My questions are: 1) How to make tha user input in the gui the value of the channel in the wavegen? 2) How to make the gui bigger, to have many buttons and options? (ex. Set Vgs:, Set Vds:


Top 10 Places You Don't Want To Visit
Our planet is filled with places that attract us towards themselves in more than one way. From mountains that touch the sky to plains as vast as our eyes can catch. Even on the internet, we find tons of articles on the world's most desired destinations for tourists. However today's article is on places that, in our opinion, you should refrain yourself from going to. Here are few places that are not exactly honey moon spots.
10. Bubbly Creek
Location: Chicago, Illinois
10. Bubbly CreekDuring the 19th century the scene of the Bubbly Creek was no less than as if a war took place nearby. The section towards the South Branch was named as Bubbly Creek. Originally the area was a wetland, but channels were dredged and the South Fork became an open sewer line for the local stockyards, especially the Union Stock Yards. On top of all this, slaughter houses in the adjoining areas started to dump large amounts of waste, such as blood and entrails. Naturally due to the presence of so much blood and animals parts, chemical reactions took place and water actually started to bubble with methane and hydrogen sulfide, hence the name" Bubbly Creek". Towards the end of 20th century, large number of bloodworms found their home here. They fed on the thick mass of rotting blood which is located on the river bed. Oxygen depletion made the Bubbly Creek hypoxic and the creek remains highly toxic and the surrounding area is full of a rancid smell pushing the locals away from the creek.
9. Centralia, Pennsylvania
Location: Columbia County, Pennsylvania
9. Centralia, PennsylvaniaThe town was originally a coal mining area but was destroyed by a fire that left the town uninhabitable. In 1966, Centralia went out of the mining industry. The town which once proudly held seven churches, five hotels, twenty-seven saloons, two theatres, a bank, a post office, and fourteen general stores was made uninhabitable by a fire in 1962 which ignited in one of the mines below the town. The reason for the ignition is not fully understood however one theory suggests that the event occurred in May of 1962 when the Centralia Borough Council hired five people to clean up the town landfill, which was located in an abandoned strip-mine pit. The men did not extinguish the fire correctly and it spread through a hole in the rock pit and then into the abandoned coal mines beneath Centralia. In the late 1960s and 1970s dozens of town residents were hospitalized for carbon monoxide poisoning. Sink holes began to appear in the city limits and steam ports were often reported.
The population of the town saw ups and downs over the years. It ranged from over 1,000 residents in 1981 to 12,000 in 2005 to 9,000 in 2007. Centralia is one the least populated town of the state, one reason being that in 1984, U.S government allocated funds for relocation of the people and most of the people living there opted for a buyout implying that the government took ownership of the town. In 2002 the U.S. Post Office revoked Centralia's zip code. There are little homes left in the area and the area is filled with sign of carbon monoxide poisoning and even steam can be seen at times from distance.
8. Dallol
Location: Afar Region, Ethiopia
8. DallolDallol is usually referred to as a ghost town with very few structures, most made of salt blocks, with travelling means of the old days such as camel caravans etc. located in the Administrative Zone 2 of the Afar Region in the Afar Depression, the area once had a railway back in 1928 constructed from the port of Mersa Fatma in Eritrea and then to a point 28 km form Dallol. However, after World War II it was removed by the British administration, as international trade routes had expanded. The area is also home to a volcano which n 1926 erupted leaving behind a 30 meter wide crater and forming geological hot springs. There are also deposits of salts and Dallol Co. of Asmara even sold salt from 1951 to 1953. One more attribute of the area is the temperature of the region. It is usually hot reaching upto 115 F. Dallol is one of the most remote regions of the world. The adjoining areas are hostile making it difficult for visitors. Many impressive hot springs do exist at Dallol, giving a stunning view of yellow and red hydrothermal deposits. However, Dallol lies in northeastern Ethiopia close to the disputed Eritrean border. Due to this reason, along with some hostile Afar tribesmen, make the area dangerous and several armed attacks on tourist convoys have occurred in recent years.
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Apple Selling More iPhones Than Ever Before In This Quarter
Larger iPhone 5 'Coming In March'


text:
Interprets the bitwise representation of
source in memory as if it is the representation of a variable or array of the same type and type parameters as
This is approximately equivalent to the C concept of casting one type to another.
Fortran 90 and later
result = transfer(source, mold[, size])
sourceShall be a scalar or an array of any type.
moldShall be a scalar or an array of any type.
size- (Optional) shall be a scalar of type
The result has the same type as
mold, with the bit level representation of
size is present, the result is a one-dimensional array of length
size is absent but
mold is an array (of any size or shape), the result is a onedimensional array of the minimum length needed to contain the entirety of the bitwise representation of
size is absent and
mold is a scalar, the result is a scalar.
If the bitwise representation of the result is longer than that of
source, then the leading bits of the result correspond to those of
source and any trailing bits are filled arbitrarily.
When the resulting bit representation does not correspond to a valid representation of a variable of the same type as
mold, the results are undefined, and subsequent operations on the result cannot be guaranteed to produce sensible behavior. For example, it is possible to create
logical variables for which
.not. var both appear to be true.
program test_transfer integer :: x = _PHONE_ print *, transfer(x, 1.0)! prints "nan" on i686 end program
Joe Krahn: Fortran uses molding rather than casting.
Casting, as in C, is an in-place reinterpretation. A cast is a device that is built around an object to change it's shape.
Fortran TRANSFER reinterprets data out-of-place. It can be considered molding rather than casting. A mold is a device that confers a shape onto an object placed into it.
The advantage of molding is that data is always valid in the context of the variable that holds it. For many cases, a decent compiler should optimize TRANSFER into a simple assignment.
There are disadvantages of this approach. It is problematic to define a union of data types because you must know the largest data object, which can vary by compiler or compile options. In many cases, an EQUIVALENCE would be far more effective, but Fortran Standards committees seem oblivious to the benefits of EQUIVALENCEs when used sparingly.


text:
Two-hand controls on machinery and plants are used to protect operators against injuries by dangerous closing movements. The control unit is located outside the dangerous area to prevent the operator from getting into this area before a dangerous movement is actually stopped.
Save cost by leaving out conventional contactor controls
Type-tested circuits complying with the requirements from the employers' liability insurance association
Compact prewired rail-mounted modules
Two-hand controls consist of an operating panel featuring two operating elements (control push buttons) which have to be arranged so that both hands must be used for operation. The DOLD evaluator module only releases once both control elements are operated simultaneously within 500 ms. The release command is present as long as both control elements remain operated. When one control element is unhanded a new control command can only occur if the other control element is also unhanded and both elements are operated again.
DOLD evalutor modules are used on all machines and plants where a dangerous closing movement may cause injuries of the operating personnel.


text:
Physical Education and quality of life: reflections and perspectives
Keywords: Physical Education, Quality Of Life, Physical Activity, Exercise, Sport
AbstractThe study of the quality of life of individuals has become a prominent issue for contemporary society. However, research involving quality of life should consider that this is a complex issue that involves objective and subjective aspects, living conditions, lifestyles and multidimensional factors. There is a widespread idea in society that physical activity, exercise, sports and related activities can have a positive impact on improving the quality of life of the population. However, in several studies, this relationship is examined from the biological point of view, which considers only health indicators. Such practices are being studied in the area of Physical Education in various perspectives, such as biological, psychological, social, and cultural. Therefore, Physical Education should seek to produce knowledge that meets the scientific principles, and look for evidence that effectively clarifies the dynamics of this relationship. In this sense, methodological rigor, particularly the conceptual definition, is essential for a better understanding of the results and of which generalizations are actually likely to e proved. In addition, it is necessary to identify the possibilities and limitations of quantitative evaluations, qualitative evaluations and possible combinations.
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How to Cite
Santos, A., & Simões, A. (2012). Physical Education and quality of life: reflections and perspectives. Saúde E Sociedade, 21(1), 181-192. _URL_


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Cause of Dispute
Cause of dispute statistics relate to the reported main cause of stoppage of work and not necessarily all causes that may have been responsible for the stoppage of work. For these reasons, the statistics do not reflect the relative importance of all causes of disputes as perceived by both employers and employees. The causes are classified from information supplied by employers and according to standards determined by the International Labour Organisation.
Disputes are initially classified according to whether a dispute occurred during a process of workplace/enterprise bargaining. A process of workplace/enterprise bargaining refers to the negotiations that take place between an employer and their employees (or their representatives), in reaching an agreement over pay and employment conditions.
Disputes not related to a process of workplace/enterprise bargaining include:
Disputes are then further classified according to the main cause of the dispute, as follows:
Enterprise Bargaining (EB) related:
Remuneration: Disputes relating to wages and other forms of remuneration, e.g. increase/decrease in wages, allowances, entitlements and superannuation.
Employment conditions: Disputes relating to hours of work, leave, non-remuneration related benefits, and other general employment conditions, e.g. increase/decrease in hours, distribution of hours, and holiday and leave provisions.
Other EB related: Causes other than Remuneration or Employment conditions, including job security and other causes relating to a process of workplace/enterprise bargaining, e.g. pattern bargaining strikes, disputes where employees refuse to enter into enterprise bargaining negotiations.
Remuneration: as above
Employment conditions: as above
Health and safety: Disputes concerning physical working conditions, safety issues and workers' compensation provisions, e.g. accidents, protective clothing and equipment, first aid services, uncomfortable working conditions, employee amenities, shortage or poor distribution of equipment or material, condition of equipment, and arduous physical tasks.
Job security: Disputes concerning issues relating to job security, e.g. retrenchment of employees, downsizing, restructuring, use of contractors, outsourcing, re-classification of the workforce, and market conditions within the relevant industry.
Managerial policy: Disputes relating to the decisions and policies of line managers, e.g. disciplinary matters, suspensions, personal disagreement, discrimination, decisions that impact upon work and family issues, docking of pay, fines, production limits or quotas, principles of promotion or filling positions, and work practices.
Union issues: Disputes concerning the alleged anti-union attitude of the employer, inter-union and intra-union disputes (e.g. demarcation disputes), sympathy stoppages in support of employees in another industry, and recognition of union activities.
Other non-EB related: Disputes that cannot be ascribed to any other category, e.g. political protests.
- disputes relating to award negotiations
- disputes relating to the content or application of an existing agreement (and do not seek to amend or terminate the agreement)
An industrial dispute is defined as a state of disagreement over an issue or group of issues between an employer and its employees, which results in employees ceasing work. Industrial disputes comprise strikes, which are a withdrawal from work by a group of employees; and lockouts, which are a refusal by an employer or group of employers to permit some or all of their employees to work.
Disputes which ended during the reference period
Disputes which ended during the period encompasses those disputes which:
Disputes which occurred during the reference period
Disputes which occurred during the period encompasses those disputes which:
- started in a previous period and ended in the reference period
- began and ended in the reference period.
Employees refers to wage and salary earners only. Excluded are persons who are self-employed (e.g. building sub-contractors, owner-drivers of trucks) and employers.
Employees directly involved: Employees who actually participated in the dispute in order to enforce or resist a demand or to express a grievance.
Employees indirectly involved: Employees who were stood down at the location where the stoppage occurred, but who were not themselves parties to the dispute. Employees who were stood down at locations other than those where the disputes occurred are excluded.
Employees newly involved: For a new dispute, comprises all employees who are involved and, for an ongoing dispute, those involved for the first time.
Total employees involved: Comprises employees newly involved and, for an ongoing dispute, those who continue to be involved. Total employees involved for any period of time is obtained by adding together the number of employees involved in each dispute for the period.
- started in a previous period and ended in the reference period
- began and ended in the reference period
- began in the reference period and continued into the next period
- started prior to the reference period and continued past the reference period.
Industry is classified according to the Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification, 1993.
Other industries comprises those industries not included in the specified industry groupings, i.e. Agriculture, forestry and fishing; Electricity, gas and water supply; Wholesale trade; Retail trade; Accommodation, cafes and restaurants; Finance and insurance; Property and business services; Government administration and defence; Cultural and recreational services and Personal and other services.
Reason Work Resumed
Reason work resumed statistics relate to the reason for ending the stoppage of work as reported and not necessarily to the reason(s) for settling all matters in dispute. Therefore, they do not reflect the relative importance of the work of various industrial tribunals operating under state and federal legislation. The classification of Reason work resumed is as follows:
Negotiation without intervention of a third party: Negotiation between the parties involved, or their representatives, without the intervention or assistance of authorities constituted under state or federal industrial legislation, and without mediation.
State legislation: Intervention or assistance of an industrial authority or authorities created by, or constituted under, state industrial/workplace relations legislation. Disputes that are referred to a mediator by a state industrial tribunal, either on a voluntary or compulsory basis, are included under 'Mediation' (except in instances where mediation is directed and a return to work ordered).
Federal legislation: Intervention or assistance of the Australian Industrial Relations Commission (AIRC). Disputes that are referred to a mediator by the AIRC, either on a voluntary or compulsory basis, are included under 'Mediation' (except in instances where mediation is directed and a return to work ordered).
Pre-determined return to work: Disputes for which a return to work is determined prior to the industrial action, e.g. when employees decide to go out on strike for a pre-determined period of 24 hours.
Resumption without negotiation: Disputes in which employees decide to return to work without the dispute being resolved, and without any negotiations having taken place to prompt the return, e.g. stop-work meetings, and disputes where employees decide to return to work to avoid further loss of earnings or for other reasons. This category may include some disputes which are settled subject to subsequent negotiation, such as industrial court hearings.
Mediation: Disputes that are settled through the assistance of a mediator, either voluntarily or as directed by a state or federal industrial tribunal, e.g. AIRC.
Other reasons: Disputes that cannot be ascribed to any other category, e.g. replacing employees on strike or locked out, permanent closure of business, and dismissal or resignation of employees.
Working days lost
Working days lost refers to working days lost by employees directly and indirectly involved in the dispute.
Working days lost per employee involved (formerly 'Duration of dispute')
The average number of working days lost per employee involved in the dispute, calculated by dividing the number of working days lost in the dispute by the number of employees involved (both directly and indirectly).
Working days lost per thousand employees
Working days lost per thousand employees are calculated for a quarterly period by dividing the total number of working days lost in the period by the total number of employees in the Australian labour force in the period (obtained from the ABS Labour Force Survey) and multiplying by 1,000. Labour Force Survey employee estimates are revised every 5 years as a result of the implementation of new population benchmarks from the Census of Population and Housing. As a result, estimates of working days lost per thousand employees are also subject to revision.
This page last updated 20 June 2006


Meaning of Trishulini
Is Trishulini a female or a male name and what is the origin of Trishulini?
Trishulini is Girl/Female and origin is Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindu, Indian, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Telugu
Trishulini means: Goddess Durga
Meaning of Trishulini | த்ரிஷுலிநீ
Is Trishulini | த்ரிஷுலிநீ a female or a male name and what is the origin of Trishulini | த்ரிஷுலிநீ?
Trishulini | த்ரிஷுலிநீ is Girl/Female and origin is Tamil
Trishulini | த்ரிஷுலிநீ means: Goddess Durga
Meaning of Aludra
Is Aludra a female or a male name and what is the origin of Aludra?
Aludra is Girl/Female and origin is Indian
Aludra means: Virgin
Meaning of Aludra |
Is Aludra | a female or a male name and what is the origin of Aludra |?
Aludra | is Girl/Female and origin is Muslim
Aludra | means: Virgin
Meaning of Aludra
Aludra is Girl/Female and origin is Arabic, French
Aludra means: Virgin; The Maiden
What is the meaning of the name ALUDRA TRISHULINI?
Astrology and Numerology explanation and analysis of the name ALUDRA TRISHULINI
Famous results for ALUDRA TRISHULINI
CTRM Aludra
Aludra is a Malaysian unmanned aerial vehicle operating since 2010. The Aludra was designed and manufactured by Composites Technology Research Malaysia
Eta Canis Majoris
Majoris (η Canis Majoris, abbreviated Eta CMa, η CMa), also named Aludra /əˈluːdrə, əˈljuːdrə/, is a star in the constellation of Canis Major. Since 1943
USS Aludra
of the United States Navy have been named Aludra, after a star in the constellation Canis Major. USS Aludra (AK-72), a Crater-class cargo ship active
USS Aludra (AK-72)
USS Aludra (AK-72) was a Crater-class cargo ship in the service of the US Navy in World War II. Named after the star Aludra in the constellation Canis
USS Aludra (AF-55)
Canis Major
the blue-white giant Beta (Mirzam) at 2.0, blue-white supergiants Eta (Aludra) at 2.4 and Omicron2 at 3.0, and white spectroscopic binary Zeta (Furud)
Malaysian Armed Forces
The Star". "Pesawat UAV Aludra MK helang perisik ciptaan tempatan" [Aircraft UAV Aludra MK 'eagle' local creation spy] (in Malay).
Crater-class cargo ship
engine using a single screw with a power of 1,950 hp (1,454 kW) shaft. USS Aludra (AK-72) Lost in action from Japanese torpedo on 23 June 1943 south of Makira
List of Wheel of Time characters
Vitalien. Compelled and used up by Hessalam during the Last Battle. Aludra Nendenhald: Aludra is an Illuminator originally from Tarabon. She created the Dragons
Composites Technology Research Malaysia
development and manufacturing of the local Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) with its Aludra UAV. Other than that, CTRM also produced composites component for the aircraft
List of State Protected Monuments in Karnataka
Chitradurga S-KA-181 Jain Bastis Chitradurga S-KA-182 Durga Parameshwara [Trishulini] Dakshin Kannada Balpa Subramanya Dakshina Kannada 12°41′21″N 75°31′05″E
Meanings/definitions of of the name ALUDRA TRISHULINI?
: Meaning of in the name ALUDRA TRISHULINI means:
H: Meaning of H in the name ALUDRA TRISHULINI means: You are not judgmental. Happiness comes from pursuing ideal. Music and art enhance achievements, ignore literature and drama. Criticism hurts. Numerous talents, concentrate on one to find fame. Status not enhanced by bragging.
Like to add another meaning or definition of ALUDRA TRISHULINI?
Astrology/numerology analysis and explanation of the name ALUDRA TRISHULINI
Names, sentences and phrases similar to ALUDRA TRISHULINI
Meaning of Vismay
Vismay means: Surprise
Meaning of Vibhushnu
Vibhushnu means: Lord Shiva
Meaning of Vibhushnu ALUDRA TRISHULINI
Meaning of Viralmani
Viralmani means: Priceless Jewel
Meaning of Viralmani ALUDRA TRISHULINI
Meaning of Yashodhar
Yashodhar means: Famous
Meaning of Yashodhar ALUDRA TRISHULINI
Meaning of Raisa | ரிஸா
Raisa | ரிஸா means: Leader, Chief, Princess, Flower
Meaning of Raisa | ரிஸா ALUDRA TRISHULINI
Meaning of Meymona |
Meymona | means: Good fortune
Meaning of Meymona | ALUDRA TRISHULINI
Meaning of Sreenesh
Sreenesh means: Given by God, Lord Vishnu
Meaning of Sreenesh ALUDRA TRISHULINI
Meaning of Jax
Meaning of Leonides
Leonides means: Lion.
Meaning of Leonides ALUDRA TRISHULINI
Meaning of Payan
Payan means: probably Spanish : unexplained. In Spain this name is mainly found in Andalusia.English : variant spelling of Paine.Southern French : from Latin paganus 'country dweller', hence a nickname for a country-born person, or from its later sense of 'pagan', 'heathen', given to a child not yet baptized. Compare Paine.A Payan, also called Saintonge, from the Saintonge region of France, is documented in Quebec City in 1699.
Meaning of Wuo
Meaning of Wuo Aludra Trishulini
Meaning of Coyl
Meaning of Coyl Aludra Trishulini
Meaning of Veryz
Meaning of Veryz Aludra Trishulini
Meaning of Aewhui
Meaning of Aewhui Aludra Trishulini
Meaning of Oysuoli
Meaning of Oysuoli Aludra Trishulini
Meaning of Shichiez
Meaning of Shichiez Aludra Trishulini
Meaning of Iipteypsa
Meaning of Iipteypsa Aludra Trishulini
Meaning of Greuwhuawu
Meaning of Greuwhuawu Aludra Trishulini
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def isZero(self): return self.coefficients == []
 def __repr__(self):
 if self.isZero():
 return '0'
 return'+ '.join(['%s x^%d' % (a,i) if i > 0 else '%s'%a
 for i,a in enumerate(self.coefficients)])
 def __abs__(self): return len(self.coefficients)
 def __len__(self): return len(self.coefficients)
 def __sub__(self, other): return self + (-other)
 def __iter__(self): return iter(self.coefficients)
 def __neg__(self): return Polynomial([-a for a in self])
 def iter(self): return self.__iter__()
 def leadingCoefficient(self): return self.coefficients[-1]
 def degree(self): return abs(self) - 1
All of this code just lays down conventions. A polynomial is a list of coefficients (in increasing order of their monomial degree), the zero polynomial is the empty list of coefficients, and the abs() of a polynomial is one plus its degree. [5] Finally, instead of closing over a prime modulus, as with IntegersModP, we're closing over the field of coefficients. In general you don't have to have polynomials with coefficients in a field, but if they do come from a field then you're guaranteed to get a sensible Euclidean algorithm. In the formal parlance, if k is a field then k[x] is a Euclidean domain. And for our goal of defining finite fields, we will always have coefficients from \mathbb{Z}/p, so there's no problem.
Now we can define things like addition, multiplication, and equality using our typechecker to silently cast and watch for errors.
 def __eq__(self, other):
 return == and all([x==y for (x,y) in zip(self, other)])
 def __add__(self, other):
 newCoefficients = [sum(x) for x in itertools.zip_longest(self, other, fillvalue=self.field(0))]
 return Polynomial(newCoefficients)
 def __mul__(self, other):
 if self.isZero() or other.isZero():
 return Zero()
 newCoeffs = [self.field(0) for _ in range(len(self) + len(other) - 1)]
 for i,a in enumerate(self):
 for j,b in enumerate(other):
 newCoeffs[i+j] += a*b
 return Polynomial(newCoeffs)
Notice that, if the underlying field of coefficients correctly implements the operator overloads, none of this depends on the coefficients. Reusability, baby!
And we can finish off with the division algorithm for polynomials.
 def __divmod__(self, divisor):
 quotient, remainder = Zero(), self
 divisorDeg =
 divisorLC = divisor.leadingCoefficient()
 while >= divisorDeg:
 monomialExponent = - divisorDeg
 monomialZeros = [self.field(0) for _ in range(monomialExponent)]
 monomialDivisor = Polynomial(monomialZeros + [remainder.leadingCoefficient() / divisorLC])
 quotient += monomialDivisor
 remainder -= monomialDivisor * divisor
 return quotient, remainder
Indeed, we're doing nothing here but formalizing the grade-school algorithm for doing polynomial long division [6]. And we can finish off the function for generating this class by assigning the field member variable along with a class name. And we give it a higher operator precedence than the underlying field of coefficients so that an isolated coefficient is cast up to a constant polynomial.
def polynomialsOver(field=fractions.Fraction):
 class Polynomial(DomainElement):
 operatorPrecedence = 2
 [... methods defined above...]
 def Zero():
 return Polynomial([])
 Polynomial.field = field
 Polynomial.__name__ = '(%s)[x]' % field.__name__
 return Polynomial
We provide a modest test suite in the Github repository for this post, but here's a sample test:
>>> Mod5 = IntegersModP(5)
>>> Mod11 = IntegersModP(11)
>>> polysOverQ = polynomialsOver(Fraction).factory
>>> polysMod5 = polynomialsOver(Mod5).factory
>>> polysMod11 = polynomialsOver(Mod11).factory
>>> polysOverQ([1,7,49]) / polysOverQ([7])
1/7 + 1 x^1 + 7 x^2
>>> polysMod5([1,7,49]) / polysMod5([7])
3 + 1 x^1 + 2 x^2
>>> polysMod11([1,7,49]) / polysMod11([7])
8 + 1 x^1 + 7 x^2
And indeed, the extended Euclidean algorithm works without modification, so we know our typecasting is doing what's expected:
>>> p = polynomialsOver(Mod2).factory
>>> f = p([1,0,0,0,1,1,1,0,1,1,1]) # x^10 + x^9 + x^8 + x^6 + x^5 + x^4 + 1
>>> g = p([1,0,1,1,0,1,1,0,0,1]) # x^9 + x^6 + x^5 + x^3 + x^1 + 1
>>> theGcd = p([1,1,0,1]) # x^3 + x + 1
>>> x = p([0,0,0,0,1]) # x^4
>>> y = p([1,1,1,1,1,1]) # x^5 + x^4 + x^3 + x^2 + x + 1
>>> (x,y,theGcd) == extendedEuclideanAlgorithm(f, g)
[5] The mathematical name for the abs() function that we're using is a valuation.
[6] One day we will talk a lot more about polynomial long division on this blog. You can do a lot of cool algebraic geometry with it, and the ideas there lead you to awesome applications like robot motion planning and automated geometry theorem proving.
Generating Irreducible Polynomials
Now that we've gotten Polynomials out of the way, we need to be able to generate irreducible polynomials over \mathbb{Z}/p of any degree we want. It might be surprising that irreducible polynomials of any degree exist [7], but in fact we know a lot more.
Theorem: The product of all irreducible monic polynomials of degree dividing m is equal to x^{p^m} - x.
This is an important theorem, but it takes a little bit more field theory than we have under our belts right now. You could summarize the proof by saying there is a one-to-one correspondence between elements of a field and monic irreducible polynomials, and then you say some things about splitting fields. You can see a more detailed proof outline here, but it assumes you're familiar with the notion of a minimal polynomial. We will probably cover this in a future primer.
But just using the theorem we can get a really nice algorithm for determining if a polynomial f(x) of degree m is irreducible: we just look at its gcd with all the x^{p^k} - x for k smaller than m. If all the gcds are constants, then we know it's irreducible, and if even one is a non-constant polynomial then it has to be irreducible. Why's that? Because if you have some nontrivial gcd d(x) = \gcd(f(x), x^{p^k} - x) for k < m, then it's a factor of f(x) by definition. And since we know all irreducible monic polynomials are factors of that this collection of polynomials, if the gcd is always 1 then there are no other possible factors to be divisors. (If there is any divisor then there will be a monic irreducible one!) So the candidate polynomial must be irreducible. In fact, with a moment of thought it's clear that we can stop at k= m/2, as any factor of large degree will necessarily require corresponding factors of small degree. So the algorithm to check for irreducibility is just this simple loop:
def isIrreducible(polynomial, p):
 ZmodP = IntegersModP(p)
 poly = polynomialsOver(ZmodP).factory
 x = poly([0,1])
 powerTerm = x
 isUnit = lambda p: == 0
 for _ in range(int( / 2)):
 powerTerm = powerTerm.powmod(p, polynomial)
 gcdOverZmodp = gcd(polynomial, powerTerm - x)
 if not isUnit(gcdOverZmodp):
 return False
 return True
We're just computing the powers iteratively as x^p, (x^p)^p = x^{p^2}, \dots, x^{p^j} and in each step of the loop subtracting x and computing the relevant gcd. The powmod function is just there so that we can reduce the power mod our irreducible polynomial after each multiplication, keeping the degree of the polynomial small and efficient to work with.
Now generating an irreducible polynomial is a little bit harder than testing for one. With a lot of hard work, however, field theorists discovered that irreducible polynomials are quite common.


text:
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Kiln Setings Video Instructions for Patsy Croft Kilns of Enameling and Jewelry
The Built-in Digital Set Point Controller on the 66F-TEW Kilns
The Built-in Digital Set Point Controller on the 55F-TE and the 55F-TEW Kilns
Enameling and Jewelry Kiln operating instructions.
The TEC220 Three-button Controller is a highly accurate and customizable instrument. In this installation, the controller's basic setpoint functions are used to reach your target temperature rapidly. Once plugged in and after an initial startup sequence, the controller displays the current interior kiln temperature in degrees Fahrenheit (°F). With the "ELEMENTS ON" toggle switch in the UP/ON position, the kiln will immediately begin to heat and will seek the last programed set point temperature.
To change the target temperature:
 1. With the toggle in the off position, press the SET key (first key on left) until you see the displays SPI.
 2. Now press the "UP" or "DOWN" Arrow keys to your desired temperature.
 3. Then press both the up and down keys at the same time to see your new set temperature.
 4. It will began to recalibrate to the new set point temperature.
Opening the kiln door during heating will cause the temperature to drop quickly. Temperature recovery to your set point is rapid. I fire at 1400 degrees on average and I can open the door, place my jewel in side, close the door and the temperature has regained my set point in several seconds.
My kilns do not have a silent relay. I choose this because it clicks which is a signal to me it is at temperature. And a reminder the kiln is on before leaving the studio.
Be aware that the kiln's elements are "ON" and may have 120 volts to them when the toggle is in the UP/ON position. Always flip the toggle to the off position, "elements off" when you are finished firing.
Adjusting your kiln settings
Kiln Setings Video
Latch – How it Works