text:
Parents are 'bullying' GPs into prescribing antidepressants for their children, according to a disturbing survey. Middle-class parents are among the worst culprits, especially those with children under pressure to do well at school. Family doctors also claim that 'very poor' NHS services are forcing them to prescribe drugs like Prozac for depressed children when counselling would be better. There is concern that children who are simply unhappy are labelled as depressed – leading to thousands getting drugs which may actually increase the risk of suicide.
The survey, by Norwich Union Healthcare, reveals that GPs have seen a sharp rise in the number of teenagers with mental health problems over the last five years. It is thought that around one in ten now suffers mental illness. The latest NHS guidelines advise doctors not to prescribe most antidepressants in the SSRI group to children, although they may still use Prozac. But the report says over a third of GPs feel under pressure from parents to provide a 'quick fix'. London GP Dr Sarah Jarvis said:
'I've certainly felt pressurised by parents, particularly those in middle-class families where the children are under pressure to perform academically. These children can put a lot of pressure on themselves, which can manifest itself as depression. They often have parents who are high-flying high achievers, used to being in control. They don't have time to deal with their children's problems and they feel guilty….'
- It should be illegal for medical doctors or counsellors to have anything to do with children, as these agents of the collective are playing an oppressive and immorally abusive role.
- Parents of children should not have to interact with immoral oppressors, such as doctors, in order to get 'prescriptions', i.e. to get permission to have any chemical resource they want to have.
- Compulsory education is immoral and oppressive, and should be abolished.
- Schools run by the state, i.e. financed by freedom which has been confiscated from members of the population, which may include parents of the victims themselves, should be abolished.
- The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence should be abolished.
- The NHS and the medical profession should be abolished.


text:
Young children can learn so much about their world through seasonal books and discussions. With the change of the season just around the corner, why not visit your local library and check out all of our great winter-themed children's books? Whether you're looking for something on snow, hibernation, a specific holiday, or just a fun story taking place in a winter setting, you're sure to find some great reads to share with your child! Here are just a few examples:
Winter by Ron Hirschi
Stunning photographs and lyrical language take you on a journey through nature.
Under the Snow by Melissa Stewart
Find out what happens to the animals in the woods, the insects in the garden and the creatures in the pond when the chilly weather arrives.
Winter White by Christianne Jones
This book is part of a series on colors, and offers simplistic text, colorful illustrations, and a fun fact section.
In the Snow: Who's Been Here? By Lindsay Barrett George
While walking in the snow, two children see signs of life all around them.
White Snow, Bright Snow by Alvin Tresselt
An oldie but goodie, this 1948 Caldecott Medal Winner takes the reader through a snowstorm from start to finish, highlighting different perspectives along the way.
The Hat by Jan Brett
On a cold, windy day, Hedgie finds himself a very interesting hat, which he shows to all of his animal friends.
Snow by Uri Shulevitz
A little boy and his dog watch their town transform into a winter wonderland.
For many more choices, stop by your local branch today!

source: HuggingFaceFW/fineweb-edu


Can genes determine whether your kid aces the SATs?
student thinking
More than ever, a child's academic future depends on standardized testing scores. The pressure to perform well can be intense, even for elementary school students. But why is it that some kids cave under those pressures, while others seem to thrive on it? New York Times reporters Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman write that genetics may have a role to play.
"Like any kind of human behavior, our response to competitive pressure is derived from a complex set of factors — how we were raised, our skills and experience, the hormones that we marinated in as fetuses. There is also a genetic component: One particular gene, referred to as the COMT gene, could to a large degree explain why one child is more prone to be a worrier, while another may be unflappable, or in the memorable phrasing of David Goldman, a geneticist at the National Institutes of Health, more of a warrior."
Read the full article here: Why Can Some Kids Handle Pressure While Others Fall Apart?
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text: We have more fantastic books to read in our English lessons. We will start by reading 'Leaf' and 'The Bear and the Piano' ~ both books with wild animals at the heart of the story. We will then read a story set during the time of the Great Fire of London, 'Vlad and the Great Fire of London', which is told from a very unusual point of view! Finally, we will move onto Shakespeare and focus on the famous love story, 'Romeo and Juliet'. This will include a comparison with a modern day version, again from the point of view of some very interesting characters in 'The Whisperer'.

source: openbmb/Ultra-FineWeb


text:
Bulk power transfer metering
Those involved in the business of buying and selling electricity know that the performance and quality of meters and metering systems is the barometer of their bottom line, and also of the level of customer confidence they can command.
The demand pull created by the ever-increasing deregulation and restructuring of electricity supply, coupled with the supply push created by modern day electronic and computation technologies, have resulted in an increasing emphasis on high precision metering. As a result, many commercially available tariff metering systems perform as well as – and often better than – reference standards used for testing only a decade ago.
In the modern electricity supply regime, bulk power exchanges take place from the generating company to the transmitting and distributing companies. Metering assumes great significance at each of these bulk transfer points. In addition to being highly accurate and reliable, these metering systems must collect, compute, collate, communicate and present data in a form suitable for analysis and usage. Independent power producers, generating and transmitting companies should take great care when selecting, installing, commissioning and maintaining their metering systems. Some key features to be considered when selecting systems are discussed here.
One of the crucial requirements for metering at bulk power points is the accuracy of measurement. Since the revenue involved is enormous, even small measurement errors can contribute to significant differences in billing. Class 0.2s meters with Class 0.2s potential transformers and Class 0.2s current transformers are traditionally used for these applications. The meter and instrument transformer inaccuracies, together with the losses on the potential transformer cables, result in overall system accuracy of about 0.5% at full load. In many poorly selected and installed metering systems, the total accuracy can be as bad as 1%.
This can contribute to significant loss of revenue for bulk power transfer points – as an example, the revenue loss for a 100 MW load could amount to $750 000. While it is not economically feasible at the present level of technology to use CTs of higher accuracy for commercial applications in the field, advanced metering technologies can offer a cost-effective solution. Present day meters can offer compensation for the errors of the external instrument transformers (CT and VT) thereby significantly enhancing the system accuracy. Such meters actually store and compensate for the linear and non-linear error characteristics of the external current transformers.
Many installations have the meter located far from the actual VT measurement points. This results in voltage drops on the VT cables. It also introduces significant errors in the voltage measurement, particularly when the voltage circuit burden (VA rating) is high. We recommend installing the meters as close to the measurement points as practicable. Meters with low voltage circuit VA burdens are always useful in this respect.
FOUR QUADRANT METERING AND HIGH REACTIVE ACCURACY
It is important to carry out full four quadrant metering for bulk power exchange points. In many inter-utility bulk power tie lines, conditions of line float are encountered when the active power transfer (import or export) is very low and yet the reactive power transfer (lag or lead) is significantly high. New tariffs based on reactive drawls are becoming common.
The metering system should be able to measure accurately in all four quadrants, so that a just tariff regime can be agreed and applied. Conventional static metering technologies were only able to measure reactive energies with a limited degree of accuracy. Today, however, state-of-the-art technologies allow a great degree of accuracy to be achieved in both active and reactive measurements.
The need to have a high up time for grid metering systems can not be over-emphasised. The equipment used for such applications is exposed to the harshest environments in the electricity industry, and must be designed to withstand the high levels of surge and switching transients that will probably occur.
Despite all the reliability considerations in the design of such meters, dual redundancy is almost always provided by means of a check metering arrangement. In the event of an incident it should be easy to remove and replace the meters; a module construction with 'hot plugability' is the order of the day. Such meters are capable of being pulled out and replaced without interrupting the power. Arrangements are provided to short the external CTs automatically by means of a 'make-before-break' type contact.
We recommend using all grid metering equipment with auxiliary power. This has at least two distinct advantages over powering up the metering system from the voltage transformers. First it reduces the VA burden, thereby improving accuracy and allowing usage of cheaper VTs. Secondly it allows meter reading and verification even under conditions of feeder shutdown. A reliable metering system should employ at least two auxiliaries, one AC and the other from the station back-up DC supply. The system should be capable of monitoring the status of these lines and automatically switch to the back-up system whenever necessary.
DATA COMMUNICATION AND SECURITY
Reliable data storage is a must for managing complex energy flows across power networks. All data pertaining to metering, tariff, billing, demand and load profiling should be passed on for further analysis and use. The new trend is towards storing all this data on the memory available within the meter, rather than the complex pulsing data loggers used up to now. The choice of the right medium for communication is almost always specific to a particular application. In addition to local ports for data communication, remote meter reading using PSTN modems, cellular or Packet data network connectivity is very important. The central and local load dispatch centres require access to this data, either directly or through the Internet.
While data transfer, assimilation and analysis have become popular in metering systems, the more important issues of data integrity and data security are often ignored. Insecure methods of time synchronisation, energy pulse accumulation and so on must be avoided altogether; all control and data transfer functions should be handled through reliable digital data communication methods. Present day systems employ several levels of security keys for controlling data access, and use some form of authentication algorithms to ensure data integrity. With the advent of the information age the significance of data security can hardly be ignored, particularly for high revenue applications like bulk power transfer.
Metering systems today are highly customised applications. Different utilities and power producers have different power purchase agreements and tariff structures. As the process of deregulation is in a fluid state in most parts of the world, the application of tariffs and use of meters is evolving over time. The metering system chosen must be amenable to configuration of the definitions of the energy register types – time-of-day (TOD) registers, rate registers, billing parameters, load surveys, event logging, alarm annunciation and many more.
SELF DIAGNOSIS AND TESTING
Because it is the utility's cash register, the metering equipment needs continuous monitoring. Self diagnostic alarm annunciation should be employed. Such alarms can include watchdogs, auxiliary power failure, phase imbalance and so on. A good technique to check overall system accuracy is to monitor the instantaneous summation of energy registers of all the incoming and outgoing feeder meters, configured to give an ideal summation of zero if all registers are being measured accurately.
The meters should allow for testing in situ. The most commonly employed technique is the use of pulsing LEDs. However, more advanced systems provide a means of testing all the energy registers simultaneously using digital data transfer techniques from the local ports. This is substantially easier to use, as well as being time efficient, particularly with large numbers of energy registers used with bulk power transfer applications.
LOW CUBICLE SPACE
Retrofitting high accuracy metering equipment requires cost effective use of space and should also reduce new cubicle costs. The metering equipment for present day systems should be compact and easy to handle. Nineteen-inch rack mounted products with removable metering modules are frequently used.
Bulk power transfer metering has reached a new level of sophistication and maturity, giving independent power producers, generating and transmission companies unsurpassed accuracy and functionality in a single product.


text:
International Soil Conservation Day
International Soil Conservation Day is celebrated on 7 July. A date to highlight the benefits of suitable operations and ground's care from everyone. The commitment to resource's integrity is essential to ensure its good conditions and its contribution to environmental balance in the future.
In many instances, and in particular when people talk about climate change, soil remains in the background. However, this resource is substantial to combat it. As in the case of the oceans, soils are able to absorb large amount of carbon dioxide, a fact that contributes to mitigating the impact of CO2 emissions on the planet.
This day about soil was established in 1963 in memory of Dr. Hugh Hammond Bennet. An American research who devoted his career to combine an increase in the production of the soil with the care of this valuable resource.


text:
Survey of Energy Resources 2007
Geothermal Country Notes
The double-flash plant at La Bouillante in the French Overseas Department of Guadeloupe is at present the only example of the island's geothermal energy being utilised for electricity production. The plant was commissioned in 1985 but was closed between 1992 and 1996.
The French Agency for Environment and Energy Management (ADEME) contributed to the development of the Bouillante high-enthalpy field by supporting 20% of the cost of drilling new wells.
Following the rehabilitation of Bouillante 1, a 5 MWe double-flash unit, in 1996, the plant was able to supply 2% of the island's electricity supply in 1998. Extensive exploration of the Bouillante field ensued and led to the drilling of three new production wells and a plan to construct Bouillante 2, an 11 MWe unit some 400 m from the original plant. Bouillante 2 was put into service in 2005 and currently some 10% of electricity generation is supplied by the geothermal resource. Pre-feasibility studies for Bouillante 3 began in 2004 with the aim of geothermal power supplying up to 20% of the island's electricity in the future.


text:
look up: Jane asked Tom and Sally to look up some of her old friends while they were in Calcutta.
put off: Finally, Harry decided to put the meeting off for a week.
tell off: When Tom walked into the office, Harry was shaking his fist at Dick and telling him off.
think over: Ernest thanked Harry for the job offer but said he wanted to think it over for a few days before deciding.
try on: Jill didn't think the sweater would fit but she tried it on to make sure.
turn down: Two days later, Tom took Harry to lunch and told him he had decided to turn the offer down.
- The two most important characteristics of transitive phrasal verbs:
1. a unitary meaning (i.e. some degree of idiomaticity)
2. obligatory insertion of personal-pronoun object between verb and particle and optional insertion of noun-phrase object in that position (i.e. Jill tried the sweater on, or Jill tried on the sweater, or Jill tried it on, but not Jill tried on it.)
- These two characteristics work together to distinguish transitive phrasal verbs. Neither one is sufficient on its own: there are several other types of multi-word verb (including prepositional verbs such as look after) which also exhibit idiomaticity; and optional/obligatory object insertion is also exhibited by non-idiomatic "free-combinations" which are not considered to be phrasal verbs (e.g.There is no phrasal verb in the sentence, After washing the dishes Jill took out the garbage: both take and out are used in an ordinary, literal way and in addition, various substitutions are possible (Jill took the garbage down or Jill took the garbage up.) Optional noun-phrase insertion is still possible however
- The above examples exhibit a typical range of idiomaticity, tell off having the highest degree and try on or perhaps think over, having the lowest. (It is interesting, incidentally, to compare think over with think about. They have a similar meaning but think about is prepositional not phrasal because it doesn't allow object-insertion.)
- The verb turn down provides a good example of the interplay between highly idiomatic phrasal verbs and straightforward free combinations as in, Jane always turns down the bedcovers about ten o'clock. Such "pairs" are very common.


Pherera (Muslim traditions) in Pakistan
Pherera (Muslim traditions)
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People Name: Pherera (Muslim traditions)
Country: Pakistan
10/40 Window: Yes
Population: 1,500
World Population: 1,500
Primary Language: Punjabi, Western
Primary Religion: Islam
Christian Adherents: 0.00 %
Evangelicals: 0.00 %
Scripture: New Testament
Online Audio NT: No
Jesus Film: Yes
Audio Recordings: Yes
People Cluster: South Asia Muslim - other
Affinity Bloc: South Asian Peoples
Progress Level:
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Profile suggestions welcome.
Joshua Project suggests the following outline:
 - Introduction / History
 - Where are they located?
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 - What are their needs?
 - Prayer Items


text:
Full term newborn female child along with a lump attached to the umbilical region by broad base pedicle, was delivered by Caesarian section. Prior to the Caesarian section in Anti-Natal Care, it was found like exomphalus on USG findings. But, the pre-operative radiological examination had revealed it as an irregular mass with some bony structure, limb buds, soft tissues with some fluid, all enclosed in a capsule which was attached to the umbilical region via a broad base pedicle. Mass was surgically removed. In that mass, some bony structure was found and upon its histo-pathological examination, various well developed organs, namely, the skin, large intestine, suprarenal gland, adipose tissue, blood vessels, etc were found. This well differentiated organogenesis confirmed this as the rare conditionFetus in fetu.
Newborn, exomphalous, Tumor, Teratoma and Fetus in Fetu


text:
If it would be a contest, China is in pole position.
Last week I attended an evening at Pakhuis de Zwijger about Chinese cities in Africa, and the above is what has stuck with me. The evening was centred around the research of Michiel Hulshof and Daan Roggeveen within their Go West Project, where they are travelling to African cities to research how Chinese activity in Africa is influencing these cities.
China and Africa are becoming more and more connected: some examples of this are through Chinese investment and through Africans setting up in China. There has also been increasing attention on this activity, as China's engagement with Africa is happening on very different terms than European engagement with the African continent.
The evening highlighted specific activities of China in some of the places that the duo has travelled to so far (including Nairobi, Lagos, Luanda, Addis Abbeba – to name a few African cities): development of mass housing and establishment of Special Economic Zones.
Some of the points that struck me during the evening:
- throughout the evening, the language used was very much in terms of a contest: who can build the most and the biggest (buildings, infrastructure, etc) and who can tie African governments to their own country the strongest? China isn't the only country that is actively seeking opportunities in Africa – others include of course European countries, but also for example Turkey and Brazil. But is it really a contest? Is it really about being the most important non-African governmental actor (in whichever form) on the African continent? I don't know – in traditional geopolitical terms, possibly it is. But in terms related to how to progress on sustainable development in Africa I don't think it should be.
- the evening shared different examples of Chinese firms building mass housing complexes in African cities, or of establishing joint economic development zones with a local government authority. Yet, what didn't come through much in these stories was what the impact is on the development of society in these African cities: how does living in a gated compound (copied from the Chinese model of housing) change the social structure in any given African city where the way communities were living will have been very different.
- what is the contribution of Chinese investment to economic and sustainable development of African cities and communities? What comes across in the contributions of experts during this evening is that the Chinese firms come in with their own workers (though this is slowly changing), underbid local African firms and are only recently becoming more interested in contributing to local capacity building. Some Chinese firms are starting to engage in a more active CSR-policy (and in fact, the Chinese government is requiring companies active in the extractive industry to implement CSR in their operations) and during the evening Huawei was mentioned as an example of a company which is developing a local CSR programme that focuses on local capacity building. Yet, building the skills and capacity locally across Africa will be important to contribute to future-proof development.
Finally, the conclusion of the evening was also that it isn't possible to 'just' copy the Chinese model to gain similar results in development and economic growth. Parts of it may work, but Africa is – of course – a different place. Africa is not one place, and it is likely that the Chinese model can be more successfully implemented in countries with a more authoritative government (examples are Ethiopia or Angola).
In any case, yet again an interesting Go West Project to keep track of while the research into the influence of Chinese urbanism in Africa continues.


Definitions for "Sum"
Keywords: ziua, iauar, noah, shem, priestly
(bar Nu) Shem (the son of Noah); Sum Iauar Ziua name (Shem-Iauar-Radiance) of the priestly ring.
Keywords: supercardioid, resistor
Summing Resistor Supercardioid
(SQL) Aggregate function to sum the values in a column. functions.php
The sum of all values in column in all rows returned by the select statement
SUM is an interbank network network in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. It is comprised largely of smaller local banks and credit unions. Account holders at member institutions do not pay ATM usage fees for using ATMs of any other financial institution within the network.
Keywords: stereo, mix, phase, channels, equal
An audio signal that is the combination (mix) of two stereo channels at equal levels and in phase.
A signal that is the mix of the two stereo channels at equal level and in phase.
the whole amount
to add up.
The addition of 2 or more numbers. You can add a series of cells in a spreadsheet, which adds the numbers in those cells.
Keywords: plumage, furnish, feathers, grown, full
Sum, sumu, sumon, and sumuud are a type of administrative district used in Mongolia and nearby areas.
Keywords: utmost, completion, height, degree
Height; completion; utmost degree.
Service Unit Manager; a volunteer appointed by the membership specialist to manage Girl Scouting in the service unit
Keywords: uzbekistan, basic, money, unit
the basic unit of money in Uzbekistan
Returns the sum of a repeated Computation variable.
Returns the sum of a repeated Number variable.
Keywords: fog, noun, mass
(Mass noun) Fog.
Keywords: adding, result, numbers, example, two
the result of adding numbers Example: 6+7=13 13 is the sum
(1) The result of adding two or more numbers.
Keywords: question, total, values
The total of all the values for a question.
Keywords: let, union, members, containing, sets


Neatolicious Fun Facts: Apple
Alex Santoso 0
Hello, everybody! After writing about 100 articles for Neatorama in the past couple of years, I can't bear to write another Top 10 article - at least for a while (other Neatorama authors undoubtedly will pick up the slack). So, please let me try something new. In what I hope will be a regular feature, I'm going to take a regular object and try find the neatest nuggets of knowledge about it.
Let's start with the letter A... say, apple. So without any further ado, here is Neatolicious Fun Facts: Apple.
1. The Wild Ancestor of All Apples: Malus sieversii
Today, there are some 7,500 different cultivars of apples that are derived from a single wild ancestor from Central Asia: Malus sieversii. In fact, that species still grows in the mountains of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Xinjiang, China.
Photo: Malus sieversii, as collected by the 1996 Kazakhstan Apple Collection Mission of the USDA Agricultural Research Service
2. Apple: The Forbidden Fruit?
From The Fall of Man by Titian (c. 1570)
In the Bible, God forbids Adam and Eve from eating the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. When they eat the fruit anyway, Adam and Even are expelled from the Garden of Eden.
But why apple? The Book of Genesis never mentioned the fruit as apple - in fact, early interpretations pointed to fig, grapes, citron (a lemonlike fruit), carob, and pomegranate (the most likely culprit), but never apple.
The bad rap for apple began when Christians translated the Bible into Latin. Malus, the Latin word for bad or evil is very similar to the word for apple (malum). It seems like the assignation of apple as the forbidden fruit was the result of a pun. Source
3. "An Apple a Day Keeps the Doctor Away"
The first version of the proverb is actually from Pembrokeshire, Wales. The first recorded use was in the February 1866 edition of Notes and Queries magazine: "Eat an apple on going to bed, and you'll keep the doctor from earning his bread." (Source)
It became popular, however, when fruit specialist J.T. Stinson used it in his speech at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair.
Apples do have a lot of good nutrients and pythochemicals that may help reduce the risk of heart disease, colon cancer, prostate cancer, lung cancer, and even tooth decay. But don't eat the seeds; they are mildly poisonous.
4. The Big Apple
Why is New York City called The Big Apple? Parking ticket judge by day and amateur etymologist by night Barry Popik tracked down the first use of the term "The Big Apple" back to the 1920s by journalist John J. Fitz Gerald, a horse racing reporter for the New York Morning Telegraph.
Fitz Gerald overheard stable hands in New Orleans racetrack talk about the "Big Apple" racing circuit, meaning "the big time" where a lot of money could be won (Horses love apples, by the way). He liked the term, and wrote a column called "Around the Big Apple" on February 18, 1924:
5. Bobbing for Apples
The game bobbing for apples comes from Celtic festival of Samhain, the precursor of Halloween. As apple is associated with love or fertility, the winner of the game - the person who catch an apple with his or her teeth first - is supposed to be the first to marry. (Photo: calebdzahnd [Flickr])
On February 19, 2008, Ahrita Furman of Brooklyn, New York - who has set 216 official Guinness records - set the world record for bobbing for apples: He bobbed 33 apples in a minute.
Oh, and remember that tradition of throwing rice at weddings? Well, that came from the tradition of throwing apples at newlyweds (yikes!)
6. Record-Breaking Apples
In 2005, Chisato Iwasaki of Hirosaki City, Japan, grew the world's heaviest apple. At 4 lb 1 oz (1.849 kg), it's the size of a small pumpkin!
The world's longest single continuous apple peel was created in 1976 by Kathy Wafler Madison at the tender age of 16. It measured 172 feet, 4 inches long. Kathy grew up to run her own apple tree nursery!
7. Newton's Apple
Legend has it that Isaac Newton was inspired to formulate his theory of universal gravitation when an apple fell on his head. Though that was apocryphal, the part that the physicist was inspired by the apple was actually real. Newton himself wrote that he witnessed the falling apple while staring out the window of his house at Woolsthorpe Manor.
Purported offspring of the Newton's Apple Tree in Woolsthorpe Manor (Image Source: Mathematical Association of America)
What happened to the apple tree? Various places claim that they have the tree. The King's School in Grantham claims that they bought the tree, uprooted it and transported it to the headmaster's garden. The staff of Woolsthorpe Manor, of course, disagreed: they claim that the tree is still present in their garden. Trinity College in Cambridge claimed that they have a descendant of the original tree growing outside the room Newton lived when he studied there.
Oh, and what kind of apple was it? It's a green cooking apple called the Flower of Kent: a pear-shaped, mealy, and generally of poor quality of an apple by today's standard.
See also: Neatorama's 10 Strange Facts About Newton
8. How Did Apple the Computer Company Get Its Name?
Steve Jobs worked summer jobs at an apple farm and liked the Beatles' record label, Apple. So, when he and Steve Wozniak was trying to figure out a name for their new computer company, they decided that if they couldn't think of a better name, they'd name it Apple. Apparently, they couldn't! (Source)
... and talking about Newton, would you know it that Apple's first logo was of Sir Isaac sitting underneath an apple tree?
See also: Neatorama's Evolution of Tech Logos
Do you know more apple fun facts? Please add them to the comment... and while you're at it, what should we do for "B"?
Commenting is closed.


text:
Medical Subject Headings
Bibliotherapy; History, 19th Century; Mental Disorders/therapy
Analytical, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Techniques and Equipment | Library and Information Science | Mental and Social Health | Psychiatry and Psychology | Rehabilitation and Therapy
Introduction: Hospital libraries, including ones designed for patient use, share a common history with hospitals in the evolution of health care delivery 1. The library as a component of the early "insane asylum" in the United States is well documented, and many had been established by the mid-nineteenth century. While these libraries certainly existed as a means of recreation for asylum patients, this historical communication will demonstrate they also served as a center for "bibliotherapy," the use of reading as a means of healing.
Levin, Len L. and Gildea, Ruthann, "Bibliotherapy: tracing the roots of a moral therapy movement in the United States from the early nineteenth century to the present" (2013). University of Massachusetts Medical School. Library Publications and Presentations. Paper 143.
Analytical, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Techniques and Equipment Commons, Library and Information Science Commons, Mental and Social Health Commons, Psychiatry and Psychology Commons, Rehabilitation and Therapy Commons


text:
- Heat Beam Eye Blast
User is able to release/generate immense amount of heat from their eyes, which can be used to burn, heat, melt, weld, etc, targets. Masters of this power may turn it into/gain Incineration (or vice versa) which is a very similar power.
- Attack: A specific target receives a focused burn causing pain and scarring.
- Blasts/Bolts: Large amounts of heat directed over a wide area cause the hot air to escape making a wind gush.
- Combustion Inducement
- Deterrent: User fires uncomfortable heat at target causing them to retreat.
- Enhanced Marksmanship: One can actually control the movements of his or her heat vision such as making them travel in straight lines, curve, bend, twist, or even turn at will by making the rays and beams going into several directions at once the user desires. The user can also make them travel much longer and make absolute accuracy and marksmanship for long-range and long-distance attacks. They could even travel at incredible speeds and reach multiple targets with great precision and accuracy.
- Fire Starter: A short focused burst on kindling can start a small fire or large waves of heat could burn down a forest.
- Fusing/Welding Torch: Direct intense heat fired between two targets causing them to melt and fuse together.
- Melting: Intense heat fired at a specific area can cause water or any other element to melt.
- Warmer: Gentle waves of heat can soothe a cold heart or warm up your dinner, for various purposes.
- Pig Talisman (Jackie Chan Adventures)


text:
Take the physics out of the classroom with Sensor Tools
Sideric Sensor Tools is an iPhone app that lets students perform classroom physics experiments using their own smartphones.
Sensor Tools uses inbuilt sensors and internet connectivity to turn the phone into a personal instrument for physics experiments, collaboration, and learning.
Version 1.2 includes two modules:
- Motion Tracking - for capturing, analyzing, and plotting the motion of, e.g., a falling ball or a glider on an air cushion track.
- Light Refraction - for analyzing the refraction of light from one medium to another and determining the index of refraction.


v. t.1.To deprive; to bereave; to make destitute; to plunder; especially, to deprive of a covering; to skin; to peel; as, to strip a man of his possession, his rights, his privileges, his reputation; to strip one of his clothes; to strip a beast of his skin; to strip a tree of its bark.
[imp. & p. p. Stripped ; p. pr. & vb. n. Stripping.]
They stripped Joseph out of his coat.
- Gen. xxxvii. 23.
2.To divest of clothing; to uncover.
Strip your sword stark naked.
- Shak.
3.(Naut.) To dismantle; as, to strip a ship of rigging, spars, etc.
4.(Agric.) To pare off the surface of, as land, in strips.
5.To deprive of all milk; to milk dry; to draw the last milk from; hence, to milk with a peculiar movement of the hand on the teats at the last of a milking; as, to strip a cow.
6.To pass; to get clear of; to outstrip.
7.To pull or tear off, as a covering; to remove; to wrest away; as, to strip the skin from a beast; to strip the bark from a tree; to strip the clothes from a man's back; to strip away all disguisses.
8.(Mach.) To tear off (the thread) from a bolt or nut; as, the thread is stripped.
9.To remove the metal coating from (a plated article), as by acids or electrolytic action.
10.(Carding) To remove fiber, flock, or lint from; - said of the teeth of a card when it becomes partly clogged.
11.To pick the cured leaves from the stalks of (tobacco) and tie them into "hands"; to remove the midrib from (tobacco leaves).
v. i.1.To take off, or become divested of, clothes or covering; to undress.
2.(Mach.) To fail in the thread; to lose the thread, as a bolt, screw, or nut. See Strip, v. t., 8.
n.1.A narrow piece, or one comparatively long; as, a strip of cloth; a strip of land.
2.(Mining) A trough for washing ore.
3.(Gunnery) The issuing of a projectile from a rifled gun without acquiring the spiral motion.
Noun1.strip - a relatively long narrow piece of something; "he felt a flat strip of muscle"
2.strip - artifact consisting of a narrow flat piece of material
Synonyms: slip
3.Stripstrip - an airfield without normal airport facilities
4.strip - a sequence of drawings telling a story in a newspaper or comic book
5.strip - thin piece of wood or metal
6.strip - a form of erotic entertainment in which a dancer gradually undresses to music; "she did a strip right in front of everyone"
Verb1.strip - take away possessions from someone; "The Nazis stripped the Jews of all their assets"
Synonyms: deprive, divest
2.strip - get undressed; "please don't undress in front of everybody!"; "She strips in front of strangers every night for a living"
3.strip - remove the surface from; "strip wood"
4.strip - remove substances from by a percolating liquid; "leach the soil"
Synonyms: leach
5.strip - lay bare; "denude a forest"
Synonyms: denudate, denude, bare
Synonyms: clean
8.strip - strip the cured leaves from; "strip tobacco"
9.strip - remove the thread (of screws)
10.strip - remove a constituent from a liquid
11.strip - take off or remove; "strip a wall of its wallpaper"
Synonyms: dismantle
12.strip - draw the last milk (of cows)
Mystik tape, Scotch tape, abscind, adhesive tape, airstrip, amputate, annihilate, apron, ban, bandage, bandeau, bankrupt, bar, bare, bark, batten, belt, bereave, billet, bleed, bleed white, bob, bolt, boot, bounce, break, bump, bust, call, can, cashier, cellophane tape, clearway, clip, cloth tape, coil, confiscate, crop, cross-hatching, cull, cut, cut away, cut off, cut out, dash, decorticate, defoliate, defrock, degrade, delineation, demote, denudate, denude, deplume, depose, depredate, deprive, desecrate, desolate, despoil, devastate, diagonal, disarray, disbar, discharge, disemploy, dismantle, dismember, dismiss, displace, displume, dispossess, divest, do a strip-tease, dock, doff, dotted line, drain, draw and quarter, drum out, dry, eliminate, enucleate, eradicate, except, excise, exclude, excoriate, exhaust, expel, expose, expropriate, extinguish, extirpate, fairway, fascia, fillet, fire, flay, fleece, flight deck, friction tape, furlough, girdle, give the ax, give the gate, hachure, hairline, hatching, impoverish, ingot, isolate, kick, kick upstairs, knock off, lacerate, landing deck, landing strip, lath, lay bare, lay off, lay open, let go, let out, ligula, ligule, line, lineation, list, loot, lop, maim, make redundant, mangle, masking tape, milk, mutilate, nip, option, pare, part, pension off, pick clean, pick out, pick to pieces, piece, pillage, plank, plastic tape, pluck, plunder, portion, prune, pull apart, put, put and call, ransack, read out of, release, replace, retire, ribband, right, rip off, rob, rod, roll, root out, rule out, run, runway, sack, scale, scalp, score, section, segment, seize, separate forcibly, set apart, set aside, shave, shear, shred, skin, slab, slash, slat, slip, spill, spline, spoliate, spread, stamp out, stick, stock option, straddle, strake, strap, streak, streaking, striation, strike off, string, strip bare, strip off, stripe, striping, stripping, stroke, strop, sublineation, suck dry, superannuate, surplus, suspend, swath, swathe, taenia, take apart, take away, take off, take out, tape, tape measure, tapeline, tear apart, tear to pieces, tear to tatters, ticker tape, truncate, turn off, turn out, unarray, uncase, uncloak, unclothe, underline, underlining, underscore, underscoring, undrape, unfrock, unsheathe, unveil, virgule, waste, wipe out
Translate Strip to Spanish, Translate Strip to German, Translate Strip to French
stringed instrument
Stringy bark
stringybark pine
-- Strip --
strip alert
strip cropping
strip down
strip lighting
strip mall
strip mine
strip miner
strip mining
strip poker
strip search
strip show
strip steak


text:
fresh from origin
Yunnan is the name of the Southern Chinese province bordering Vietnam. It's believed to be the birthplace of tea, and the oldest wild growing tea tree (never pruned to be bush height) is about 1,700 years old. Yunnan's most senior cultivated tree is a relative youngster - a mere 800 years old. These are the large leafed tea varieties - Camellia sinensis assamica - which is also found in India. Yunnan also has the distinction of producing more black tea than any other part of China, although it's a relative newcomer to this variety. Black tea was first produced here in 1939, and is distinguished by its unique peppery, earthy and sometimes cocoay flavor.


text:
Authorities say they've confirmed that a puppy in southwestern Michigan contracted Eastern equine encephalitis, a potentially deadly viral disease.
The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Michigan State University's Diagnostic Center for Population and Animal Health on Wednesday confirmed the case in an 8-week-old Van Buren County puppy.
Officials say it may be the first such case in a dog in Michigan.
Officials say the puppy was euthanized.
The disease is rare but can be deadly among humans.
It's spread by mosquitoes.
It typically affects people, horses and poultry, but also can occur in other mammals, reptiles and amphibians.
Health officials say people should take steps to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes and horses should be vaccinated.
For more information on diseases found in Michigan Click HERE.


0114 _PHONE_ | 0788 _PHONE_ _EMAIL_
Managing Difficult Conversations
WEBINAR – Managing Difficult Conversations
 - Given everything that is going on in the world around us right now, lots of us are finding ourselves trying to prepare to have difficult conversations both in our personal and professional lives.
 - Most of us know all the key elements involved in handling a difficult conversation, however despite knowing this, in reality, it is often really difficult to put this into practice. Why is this?
 - This webinar will use the neuroscience of how our mind works to look at what happens in our minds when we prepare for and engage in difficult conversations. Why is it that our emotional minds often take over and we aren't able to be the calm, rational person we had planned to be?
 - The session will demonstrate how to use practical tools and techniques from the Chimp Model to start to be more prepared and ready for challenging conversations.
Managing Difficult Conversations
This webinar is hosted by a trained mentor and focuses on the group's experiences, ideas, and advice to help you to get the best out of yourself whilst working from home.
This online workshop will focus on:
 - What happens in our minds when we both prepare for and engage in challenging conversations
 - Finding out what it is about challenging conversations that is difficult for each of us individually.
 - What beliefs could be behind some of the unwanted emotional hijacks you might you may be experiencing in this situation.
 - Developing take away plans for using the Chimp Model to prepare for and manage difficult conversations moving forwards.
You can discuss your concerns with a group of like-minded people in a safe environment. The discussion will be lead by one of our Mentors, who will be able to offer guidance and offer suggestions to help you get the best out of yourself in challenging times.
We are also able to deliver this webinar exclusively to your team or organisation, contact us to find out more.
What to Expect
Exclusive Video: Introduction to The Chimp Model
Before the webinar, you will be given access to an exclusive video from Professor Steve Peters. This 20-minute video introduces The Chimp Model and the neuroscience behind it. We advise that everyone watches this as it will give you the foundations of knowledge required to take part in the webinar.
The Webinar
The webinar will last for around 60 minutes, you will be given a chance to talk with a group of other like-minded people and one of our trained mentors. Together, we will discuss some of the problems we are facing and then look at strategies and techniques that can help you to better manage your behaviours and emotions during difficult conversations.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Webinar?
A webinar is a web-based seminar that uses video calling to connect its delegates. Using a computer with a camera and microphone, or a smartphone you are able to talk with others, just like you would at a seminar.
What equipment do I need to access the webinar?
We use a video confercing software called Zoom to host our webinars. If you have a computer with a web camera and microphone or a modern smartphone or tablet, you should be able to connect easily to Zoom. You can find out detailed information about Zoom's technical requirements here.
Do I need to interact with others during the webinar?
Yes, our webinars are designed to be interactive, group discussions. In order to take part in the discussions, it's essential that you have a microphone, we also recommend that you have a camera so the session is as close to an in-person meeting as possible.
How do I install Zoom?
You can download Zoom for your laptop or computer here. If you are using a smartphone or tablet, Zoom can be downloaded on the app store by searching for Zoom Cloud Meetings.
Get in Touch


text:
Based on the YA novel by Jay Asher, 13 Reasons Why tells the story of a teenage boy named Clay (portrayed by Dylan Minnette) who finds a box of cassette tapes from his former classmate – and crush – Hannah (played by Katherine Langford). The discovery of the tapes takes on a dark and tragic turn because Clay finds them after Hannah has died via suicide. In the tapes, Hannah explains 13 reasons why she decided to end her life, addressing several of her classmates.
In the teaser, we hear Hannah as a voice-over. The trailer opens with her words: "I'm about to tell you the story of my life. More specifically, why my life ended." As the video continues, we see her classmates reacting to the tapes, and then four words appear on the screen: "They all killed her."
Though the story is based on a fictional novel, it's an important reminder that the way we treat one another really does matter. For Selena, it is a story that demands to be told. She wrote in her Instagram caption that it is her "passion project" – and we understand why.
If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at _PHONE_ or text Crisis Text Line at 741-741.
Editor's Note: This post was updated to clarify language about 13 Reasons Why.
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The title pretty much sums it up - but let me give a little bit of background first.
In the p-local stable homotopy category (basically one localizes away the torsion spectra which are not p-torsion) the Morava K-theories are a non-negative integer indexed family of spectra (morally they are residue objects or "homological fibre functors") which classify the thick subcategories of SH^{(fin)_p the p-local stable homotopy category of finite spectra. This classification assigns to each p-local finite spectrum a type (namely the smallest thick subcategory it occurs in).
As far as I know the only definitions of type are directly in this way via the Morava K-theories or in terms of periodic self maps which are still really in terms of Morava K-theory.
Is there a more "constructive" definition of type? For instance can one determine the type of a p-local finite spectrum in terms of how bad the obstruction to it generating the whole of SH^{(fin}}_p is? Really I would be happy with any answer which was somewhat more constructive or to find out that the question is open/ridiculous.
Now let me explain somewhat the motivation for this question and how it came about. One can view the Morava K-theories (as I mentioned above) as residue objects/homological fibre functors (the term homological fibre functor has less algebraic geometry bias and sounds cooler) in the sense that their behaviour is analogous to residue fields of points in the derived category of quasi-coherent modules on a scheme (to be safe one should really take the derived category of O_X-modules with quasi-coherent cohomology) and with \kappa-modules in modular representation theory. Namely they all give tensor functors to some flavour of graded vector space category which classify thick subcategories.
The mod n Moore spectra are 'Koszul objects' which we want to view as analogues of the usual Koszul complexes on a scheme and of Carlson modules in modular rep theory. In other words a Koszul object is a cone on some (possibly graded and maybe also twisted) element of the endomorphism ring of the tensor unit of our category.
Now one can associate some geometry to a biexact tensor product (by biexact tensor product I mean symmetric monoidal structure which is exact in each variable, there are no decency assumptions or extra axioms regarding compatibility with the triangulation required) on an essentially small triangulated category. It is possible to cook up a locally ringed space associated to such a category with tensor product (this is work of Paul Balmer). In the two algebraic cases, derived categories of schemes and stable categories in modular rep theory, one gets (with some mild hypothesis in the algebraic geometry case) back the scheme or recovers the projective support variety. This comes down in some sense to the fact that the Koszul objects determine the topology, or equivalently that they determine the thick subcategories in some sense.
This fails for the stable homotopy category of finite spectra (both globally and p-locally). The mod n Moore spectra are not enough - one needs the Morava K-theories. The locally ringed space one gets is not a scheme (nor an algebraic space). One can then ask if there is some "global" reason that this happens (even though it is not at all a surprise) other than the fact that the Morava K-theories are just there generating subcategories p-locally. This is motivated partially by trying to understand the failure of a certain comparison map to be injective (which I didn't mention - it would be interesting to have a good criterion for its injectivity and I currently only have quite hard to check ones) and to try to get some feel for what properties can cause the associated locally ringed space to fail to be algebraic (one really needs more examples computed for this and I haven't found the time yet unfortunately).
So basically I feel that if there were some definition of type that made clear the failure to be able to reduce the type by taking triangles and suspensions (or something other than just the residue objects being there) it might be quite enlightening. In particular, in general one wouldn't expect to produce an algebraic gadget from a topological triangulated category (in the sense of Schwede ). That is why I mentioned the extension problem as if topologicalness provided some global obstruction to Koszul objects being enough that would be very interesting.
That got very long - I hope it is interesting/useful.
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I am sufficiently interested! Tell us more please, while we wait for an answer... – Peter Arndt Oct 25 '09 at 21:45
I'll edit in some more details later tonight when I get a chance. – Greg Stevenson Oct 26 '09 at 1:47
Would some kind of definition of type in terms of Smith-Toda complexes or generalized Moore spectra be more in line with what you are thinking about? – Tyler Lawson Oct 26 '09 at 11:59
I'll check it out and let you know (I'll also have a look at the orange book). Thanks for the responses. – Greg Stevenson Oct 26 '09 at 23:04
2 Answers 2
My theory on this, which could be wrong, is that if the stable homotopy of the sphere (whatever the words "sphere" and "stable homotopy" mean in your situation) is Noetherian commutative, then type should be determined by prime ideals in the stable homotopy of the sphere.
For example
 1. D(R). Stable homotopy is homology, sphere is R. If R is Noetherian commutative, the type of X is determined by ann H_* X. This is the Hopkins thick subcategory theorem.
 2. Stmod(kG). This one is a little confusing, because stable homotopy is really Tate cohomology, which is never Noetherian. But group cohomology is Noetherian, and Stmod(kG) is just a localization of D(kG). The sphere is k. So we should expect the type of M to be determined by ann [k,M] in D(kG), which is something like the Benson-Carlson-Rickard theorem.
 3. Stable homotopy category. Here the homotopy of the sphere is far, far from Noetherian, so you cannot expect the type to be determined by the homotopy of the sphere. There are "embedded primes"; prime ideals in the category not visible in the homotopy of the sphere. You kill p, and a new prime ideal pops up that was not previously visible.
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Thanks Mark, this is interesting. I have mostly thought about prime tensor ideals rather than all thick subcategories - in this case one does not need R noetherian for perfect complexes to have the right tensor ideal spectrum (although the direct proof I have reduces to the noetherian case). It is interesting that you point out that annihilators determine type; I can prove that there is a condition on annihilators which guarantees the spectrum lives inside an affine scheme. My probably naive hope is that one can somehow understand this failure explicitly for non-algebraic categories. – Greg Stevenson Nov 14 '09 at 3:15
By applying the thick subcategory theorem you can come up with lots of new definitions of "type", but it is somewhat unsatisfying because the fact that any of them are equivalent is very non-obvious. You can steal several from Ravenel's orange book. These include conditions like conditions on MU-homology or BP-homology of X that lift conditions on the K(n)-homology, or conditions on what kinds of endomorphisms exist in the (center of the) graded endomorphism ring of X, or conditions on the thick subcategory of the p-local stable homotopy category that X generates (it generates all spectra of type >= n), or on the slope of the smallest vanishing line of the Adams spectral sequence computing the homotopy groups of X, etc, etc.
I'm not sure what you mean by the potential factorizations you propose. For example, a spectrum Y of type greater than zero is annihilated by some power of p, and so any map from X factors through a cone X/p^n, and there are further factorizations through cones beyond that. However, to define what I mean by these further cones I need to say something about what a type-n self-map is in the first plane, and I'm not sure how to do that from first principles.
I hope to see more details and if I can say something more specific then I'll try.
share|cite|improve this answer
I wasn't very clear about the factorizations (and I am still not in the edited version but I did include a reference) - but as an example of what I mean the mod 3 Moore spectrum S/3 is killed by 3 so we get for X-> S/3 a factorization via X/3. But even though it is 3 torsion it is not true necessarily that the cone on X/3 -> S/3 is still annihilated by 3 - one needs to take a higher power. This sort of thing can't happen in algebraic categories and I wondered (although sort of doubt) if it could be related. – Greg Stevenson Oct 26 '09 at 10:00
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text:
While cereals remain the world's largest food yield – with more than 2.3 billion metric tons produced annually – consumer demands are on the rise for healthier cereal products with greater nutrition. Cereal Grains: Properties, Processing, and Nutritional Attributes provides a complete exploration of the scientific principles related to domestication, morphology, production, and storage of cereal grains. It also describes their physical and chemical characteristics and explains how these properties relate to industrial processing and nutritional value.
This single-authored textbook lays the foundation for subsequent chapters by first addressing the importance of cereals for mankind, the comparative chemical and physical grain properties of the various types of cereal grains, the morphology and grain anatomy of caryopses, and the physiology of fertilization, grain development, and germination. The book then covers grain storage, pest control, industrial dry milling, wet milling, and both dry and fresh masa industries. A discussion of processing, quality control, and the role of cereals in human and animal nutrition rounds out the book's complete coverage.
Each chapter includes a set of up-to-date references along with selected questions to bolster comprehension of the discussed concepts. The book also contains a glossary of 600 scientific and technical terms to aid in the understanding of words used throughout the text. Cereal Grains: Properties, Processing, and Nutritional Attributes was designed especially for students and lecturers, but it is also helpful as a guide for scientists, food product developers, and nutritionists working to stay ahead of the curve.
If You Enjoy "Cereal Grains: Properties, Processing, and Nutritional Attributes (Food Preservation Technology) (Hardcover)", May We Also Recommend:


text:
The True origin of Wolf-Rayet stars
Jorick S. Vink
The Wolf-Rayet (WR) phenomenon is widespread in astronomy. It involves classical WRs, very massive stars (VMS), WR central stars of planetary nebula CSPN [WRs], and supernovae (SNe). But what is the root cause for a certain type of object to turn into an emission-line star? In this contribution, I discuss the basic aspects of radiation driven winds that might reveal the ultimate difference between WR stars and canonical O-type stars. I discuss the aspects of (i) self-enrichment via CNO elements, (ii) high effective temperatures (Teff), (iii) an increase in the helium abundance (Y), and finally (iv) the Eddington factor Gamma. Over the last couple of years, we have made a breakthrough in our understanding of Gamma-dependent mass loss, which will have far-reaching consequences for the evolution and fate of the most massive stars in the Universe. Finally, I discuss the prospects for studies of the WR phenomenon in the highest redshift Ly-alpha and He II emitting galaxies.
Reference: To appear in proceedings of International Workshop on Wolf-Rayet Stars (editors W.R. Hamann, A. Sander, and H. Todt) publisher Universitatsverlag Potsdam
Status: Conference proceedings


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Lower Mississippi River Dispatch
No. 305,
Sept 14, 2015
Serene River Channel and Island below Oil Spill location
Missing: 120,000 gallons of Clarified Slurry Oil
in Mississippi River near Columbus, KY
Pointing to approx location of spill - near Columbus, KY
(From McNutt: Prehistory of the Central Mississippi Valley)
In this Issue:
1) Where did 120,000 gallons of clarified slurry oil go?
2) St. John's Bayou/New Madrid Floodway Debate
3) Mark River Blog: Dynamic Summer River Habitat
Cross on the Bluff, Wickliffe, KY
(15 miles above oil spill location. According to Pope Francis
in his 2015 Laudato Si this oil spill - and all others -
should be considered sins against God by humanity for our
failure to glorify and magnify his creation.)
Photos and story by "Driftwood" John Ruskey with input from the LMRK Paul Orr, the USCG, Wikipedia, Countrymark, and various news sources
120,000 gallons of clarified slurry oil disappeared into the Lower Mississippi River River along the Kentucky shoreline below Cairo Illinois during the first week of September, 2015. Clarified slurry oil is a bottom-of-the-barrel petroleum product. Its compound types include asphaltenes, polar aromatics, napthene-aromatics, saturated hydrocarbons and heteromolecules containing sulfur, oxygen, nitrogen and metals.
Clarified slurry oil is a dark or black-colored high viscosity liquid with a distinct petroleum odor, and a molecular weight in the range of 250 to1000 (about the consistency and weight of molasses). WARNING: Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S) and other hazardous vapors may evolve and collect in the headspace of storage tanks or other enclosed vessels. Hydrogen sulfide is an extremely flammable and highly toxic gas. Incomplete combustion may form toxic materials: Carbon Dioxide and Carbon Monoxide, plus various unidentified organic hydrocarbons may be formed.
Emergency and First Aid Procedures for Clarified Slurry Oil:
IF IN EYES - Flush with large amounts of water, lifting upper and lower lids occasionally. Get medical attention.
IF ON SKIN - Thoroughly wash exposed area with soap and water. (NOTE – may need to use mineral oil to remove slurry oil effectively) Remove contaminated clothing. Launder contaminated clothing before reusing.
IF INHALED - If affected, remove individual to fresh air. If breathing is difficult, administer oxygen. If breathing has stopped, give artificial respiration. Keep person warm, quiet, and get medical attention.
IF SWALLOWED - Do not induce vomiting. Keep person warm, quiet and get medical attention
Is it Safe to Swim?
Last year we shared the Mississippi River with 870 youth, many of whom waded in the water or took a swim at some point during their time on the water. Alone this month we will have 100+ kids out on the water for overnights, all of whom will want too swim, or at least wade in the water. This begs to question: Is it safe for us to swim around here, in the Mississippi Delta, about 300 miles downstream of the spill site? What will happen to the oil? It's heavier than water, so it will sink. When it sinks to the bottom, will it remain there in pools, or does something else happen to it? What about city water systems below Columbus? Hickman, KY and New Madrid, MO, are close by. Memphis, the largest metropolitan area on the Lower Miss, is only 200 miles downstream of the spill site. Furthermore, what about the fish in that area, and below? Especially the giant fish that lay low in the river bottom, the big cats and big gar, and also the bottom feeders like the endangered pallid sturgeon. What about the fishermen of that section of river between Bluegrass Hills of Kentucky and the Missouri Bootheel? What about commercial lfishermen further dwonstream near Osceola Arkansas and Dyersburg Tennessee?
So many questions, and frustratingly so few answers.
As always, its a little difficult to decipher from available sources about what happened and where the oil is likely to go. But see stories below. We know it was a collision between 2 petroleum barges, somewhere near Columbus, KY. It could have been worse, the barges hold over a million gallons. But then again, it should have been better. This never should have happened.
According to the latest from the US Coast Guard report the thick slurry oil sunk to the bottom in the immediate vicinity, and can be scooped or vacuumed off the bottom of the river along with the sandy, muddy substrate it has come to rest over. How exactly this will happen remains to be seen.
Veteran of oil mishaps, Lower Mississippi Riverkeeper Paul Orr ( confers: "I'm not sure exactly what happens to it. But, if I had to guess I would say that it probably sticks together with other sediment and detritus and gets deposited downstream like any other flotsam of similar density. Theoretically microbes should consume it... eventually…"
Paul has seen many, many, many examples of this kind of oil and many others, in spills, leaks, and pipeline breaks, not to mention oil platforms exploding in the Gulf of Mexico. He summarizes our feelings with a simple statement: "We need to move beyond fossil fuels ASAP!"
To read more about clarified slurry oil, visit Wikipedia, or the Countrymark fact sheet linked below:
1) Wikipedia: Fluid Catalytic Cracking is a pretty in depth explanation of the process that results in slurry oil which is basically the stuff left over from fluid catalytic cracking of crude oil.
2) Countrymark fact sheet:
Near the bottom end of the St. John's Bayou/New Madrid Spillway
St. John's Bayou/New Madrid Floodway Debate
Meanwhile nearby the oil spill site, the St. John's Bayou/New Madrid Floodway continues to be debated.
Why do we need to allow rivers places to flood?
Not only do floodplains create buffer zones for flood protection, but they also strengthen the overall health of the entire Lower Mississippi Valley by creating valuable habitat not possible on main channel. And a healthy river means a healthy environment for the 13 million people who live along her shores, and the other 53 million who live elsewhere in her drainage!
Dynamic Summer River Habitat
by Mark River
This has been an unique summer for the Mississippi River and the animals that thrive in its complex ecosystem. The high water levels that lasted well into August created an interesting boom in the reproduction of fish, reptiles, and amphibians, as well benefitting mammals and birds.
An early trip on the Arkansas River opened my eyes to the importance of high water periods and the advantage it gives to all species. I watched 50 foot tall willows, and 100 foot tall cottonwoods and sycamores effortlesslyfully slide into the river, as the current plowed away the ground underneath its roots, and then sucked them into the depths of the channel. Long tall willows were cracked and snapped like toothpicks. These trees create valuable fish habitat, which in turn give smaller fish valuable cover so they can mature. Many trees float down the river. The birds hitch a ride, eating insects and invertebrates from its root ball. The cut-banks left behind provide nesting for cliff swallows and belted kingfishers. High water is especially good for beavers. They love to feed from the water. It's safer and they can easily reach the young flooded willows. They also have a plan for creating habitat. They select certain trees to drop and those same trees sprout 6 to 8 saplings, which grow straight up. They are later covered by sand, appearing to be 6 to 8 different trees. When you see willows growing really close together in a straight line along the river, it's usually one tree with its trunk buried by silt. Young flooded willows are also the favorite nesting and roosting spot for the red-wing blackbird.
High water refills and replenishes the oxbow lakes. The flooded forest on the inside of the lakes provide important spawning grounds for all fish. They act as nurseries for young schools of fish not quite ready for the powerful current of the river. We paddle through local oxbow lakes, Millwood and Desoto (themselves old channels of the Mighty Mississippi), and the front of our canoe cut through millions of fry suspended in the lake. At Smith Point, just north of Rosedale Harbor, a small back channel stream gets formed in the highest of waters separating the sandy point from the mainland. This peninsula is covered with puddles full of frog eggs and fish. Raccoon and skunk tracks litter the areas around the puddles. We spooked two does feeding in the tall grass. They like high water also, because it makes water more accessible, keeping them out of sight. Suddenly, a big splash! A huge buck swims to the island created by the stream. It's a perfect place for a lone buck. If he stays, he has a chance to make it through hunting season.
The Mississippi River finally drops in the middle of August leaving beautiful sandbars and hundreds of blue holes full of trapped fish. Giant debris piles of trees congregate in the areas where eddies were formed. Crickets hatch by the thousands in the debris piles, while frogs gobble them up. Water snakes patiently wait in order to ambush the frogs. Eagles, egrets, and herons feast in the blue holes during the day; scavengers


text:
This study aimed to examine whether principles of effective teaching constitute essential criteria for a systematic and successful analysis of lessons. After watching a video of a complete lesson, the participants (each of nine experienced and pre-service teachers) were asked to analyse this lesson in terms of effectiveness for pupils' learning in the form of an open dialogue. Their comments were analysed by means of a qualitative content analysis and revealed that the experienced teachers independently used the wide range of principles of effective teaching and differed significantly from the pre-service teachers in this regard. Particularly striking were the large differences in the activation of knowledge about these five principles: goal orientation, relating cognitive activities to prior knowledge, classroom climate/learning atmosphere, clarity, and using appropriate examples. These differences point to specific development tasks, in order to improve the analytical skills of student teachers within teacher education.
& Seifert, A.
Looking in the Heads of Experienced Teachers – Do they use the Wide Range of Principles of Effective Teaching when Analysing Lessons?.
Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 44(1).


Brush Lettering
Hey guys! It's me again.
Want to start brush lettering but don't know how? If you haven't done Faux Calligraphy, go ahead and check out the post. To do either, you need a rudimentary knowledge of cursive. If you don't know how, I recommend using the D'Nealian or the Spencerian Method. I did the the D'Nealian method and now I doing the Spencerian method which is great!
To brush letter, you'll need: paper, a brush pen (best brush pen to start with is Tombow Fudenoske (comes in hard and soft tip)). I'm using normal printer paper and (what brush)
Step 1. Remember upstrokes and down-strokes? (insert photo) Practice thick down-strokes and thin upstrokes. Don't be afraid to push down on the brush tip. 🎨
Step 2. Let's do the letter "a," a cursive letter "a."
Remember to achieve downstrokes and maintain your marker, hold the tip at a 45 degree angle to the paper.
Step 3. Practice is the key to mastery (maybe I heard it somewhere 😊)
PRACTICE is the only advice I can give to getting better. I started brush lettering maybe a year and half ago.
Tell how you did!! and practice!
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Bubble Squeeze Firing Schedule for Fused Glass
Invisibility, Dana Worley 2020
With this piece it was important that
the black glass be perfectly smooth
I've written before about bubbles. With fused glass art, sometimes we love them and sometimes we don't. In this post, I'll share a firing schedule for the bubble squeeze I use to help mitigate bubbles in my art.
When fusing together two pieces of glass larger than 3 to 5 inches, the two layers of glass will often trap medium-sized bubbles. These bubbles aren't large enough to affect the integrity of the art by rising to the surface and becoming thin, but they do visually affect the surface of the glass. I've heard these called "mumps and bumps". If you look across the surface of the glass with a good light, instead of a nice flat surface you will see an irregular surface with small bumps in the glass.
The landscape pictured here is a work-in-progress of a piece with an irregular glass surface caused by an insufficiently slow ramp up to a bubble squeeze. If you look directly at the piece you do not notice the surface irregularities. However, in the second photo below I've angled the camera so that the glare from the light catches the bumps across the surface.
There are (at least!) two ways to help ensure your layers of glass fuse together smoothly. One is by using a bubble squeeze. The idea of a bubble squeeze is that the glass will begin to slump in the middle before the outside edges are sealed. As the top layer of glass begins to flatten against the bottom layer, the air is pushed out toward the edges.
I have read a lot of advice about the firing schedule you should use to accomplish a bubble squeeze. All of them generally recommend holding at a temperature of 1225 to 1250 degrees Fahrenheit for a period of about an hour during the initial ramp up to the process temperature. However, from my experience, it is not merely the long hold that accomplishes the bubble squeeze. It is also a slow ramp up to that holding temperature that helps to gradually relax the glass and move the air to the outside edges.
Currently, I work with 96 COE glass. My firing schedules are generally conservative. From my perspective, I would rather spend a few more hours firing in the kiln than rush the firing and experience failures. Also, I use a Corelite kiln shelf in my largest kiln, and the manufacturer recommends slower ramp rates to avoid thermal shocking the shelf. Consequently, my firing schedules are often something like the following (all temperatures in degrees F)
Ramp 1 200 degrees per hour to 1100, hold one hour
Ramp 2 50 degrees per hour to 1225 - 1250 (depending upon your kiln), hold one hour
Then, proceed as usual to your process temperature, appropriate annealing time, and schedule for dropping to room temp.
The hold at Ramp 1 ensures that all of the glass comes to the same temperature prior to beginning the slow ramp up to the bubble squeeze hold.
With the landscape piece above, I increased my usual 50 degrees ramp to 100 degrees, thinking that this smaller piece would not be affected. Unfortunately, this change in my usual firing schedule adversely affected the fired piece.
I mentioned earlier that there are two ways to help mitigate bubbles in your fused glass. The second way is to use a light dusting of clear powder between layers (see Resources, below). Use these two techniques together (a fine layer of powder plus a conservative bubble squeeze) to help ensure a smooth surface on your fused glass. These combined techniques helped to achieve the lovely surface of the black glass in my sculpture, "Invisibility", shown at the beginning of this article.
I hope this information has been helpful. Happy fusing!
"At least two ways"?
Other methods used to avoid bubbles include:
 - Placing small chips of glass at the corners of the glass, between the two layers (often called chads). I have found that even a small piece of glass can have a negative effect on the fired piece, either because it misshapes the edge or because it can be seen.
 - Using clear fine frit instead of powder. This will work, but it may cause more bubbles if not used correctly. Plus, using a very fine layer of power is marginally more economical.
 - Most glass has a smoother side and a rougher side. Generally, avoid firing the glass smooth side to smooth side, or rough side to rough side. Both are more prone to trapping bubbles.
Bullseye Glass Education, Tip Sheet: Powder Power
In the back of almost all of his e-books, Glass Artist/Educator Paul Tarlow includes a method of applying a thin layer of powder to mitigate bubbles. Paul's e-books can be found at _URL_
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A huge proportion of drivers are now relying on modern technology to help them get from A to B. And while, on the whole, sat-navs are one in a range of extremely useful tools available to motorists they can lead to frustration when they lead us astray.
However, a recent study has found that too much reliance on sat-navs has lead to a possible decrease in driving skill for some motorists. The problem is due to one of concentration; in a similar way that it has been found that talking on a mobile phone can reduce attention levels and lead to impaired driving.
After taking repeated tests in a driving simulator participants were found to have driven less safely with a sat-nav in the car than without. The tests showed that although a few simple instructions were easy to cope with many drivers' ability faltered when too much information was available.
Driving errors included swerving on the road, speeding up and failure to notice pedestrians all of which would likely lead to a higher risk of accidents and even fatalities.
On the positive side the researchers found that taking verbal instructions in the car was a really good way to get information to the driver and that it was much safer than trying to use a map whilst driving.


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by Hydro Solutions | November 2, 2016 3:36 pm
Cold weather Nitrification Problem: As wastewater cools during cold weather, the metabolic rate of nitrifying bacteria slows down. Below 25 degrees Celsius, for every 5 degrees Celsius that the temperature drops in a wastewater environment the nitrification rate is cut in half. This wastewater temperature inhibition to nitrifying bacteria causes depletion of nitrification in numerous wastewater plants every winter. Coupled to this is the potential waste stream toxicity caused by quaternary ammonium compounds, surfactants (anionic and non-ionic), PA0 and other biocides. This cumulative inhibition (cold wastewater plus toxicant) leads to nitrification failure in wastewater plants with significant ammonia nitrogen loading.
Solution to Cold Weather Nitrification Problem: Through the introduction of a micro-carrier with a high cation exchange capacity for ammonia nitrogen, loss of nitrification during cold wastewater periods can be greatly reduced or eliminated. HYDROCARRIER –EN is a mineral based micro-carrier that pulls ammonia nitrogen into its interior to allow for a continuous enriched supply of ammonia nitrogen to the nitrifying bacteria that colonize its surface. The colonization of nitrifying onto the surface of HYDROCARRIER-EN, will allow for a greater density of notifying bacteria within the biomass of a wastewater system with a population of nitrifying bacteria.
HYDOCARRIER-EN can be introduced into a wastewater system prior to the onset of wastewater systems that are known to lose nitrification during cold weather periods or it can be introduced into wastewater systems that are currently experiencing a loss in nitrification. The introduction of HYDROCARRIER-EN into an activated sludge system will greatly increase the nitrification capacity of that wastewater system and assist in addressing both loss of nitrification do to cold wastewater temperatures and to waste stream toxicants.
Source URL: _URL_
Copyright ©2018 Hydro Solutions unless otherwise noted.


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Indirect Monetary Control, Monetary control, Nigeria
This paper examines what indirect monetary control is, and how Nigeria is moving towards it. The first section of the paper explained indirect monetary control as the techniques of controlling money supply through manipulation of the monetary base which comprises of total bank reserves plus currency in the hands of the non-bank public.
Olekah, J. A.
"Indirect monetary control: what it means and how Nigeria is moving towards it.,"
Bullion: Vol. 16:
1, Article 3.
Available at: _URL_


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The leaky bucket algorithm is a method of temporarily storing a variable number of requests and organizing them into a set-rate output of packets in an asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) network.
The leaky bucket is used to implement traffic policing and traffic shaping in Ethernet and cellular data networks. The algorithm can also be used to control metered-bandwidth Internet connections to prevent going over the allotted bandwidth for a month, thereby avoiding extra charges.
The algorithm works similarly to the way an actual leaky bucket holds water: The leaky bucket takes data and collects it up to a maximum capacity. Data in the bucket is only released from the bucket at a set rate and size of packet. When the bucket runs out of data, the leaking stops. If incoming data would overfill the bucket, then the packet is considered to be non-conformant and is not added to the bucket. Data is added to the bucket as space becomes available for conforming packets.
The leaky bucket algorithm can also detect both gradually increasing and dramatic memory error increases by comparing how the average and peak data rates exceed set acceptable background amounts.
In a broader context, the leaky bucket is an analogy for describing how inputs and outputs work in a wide variety of business and technology systems.


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- Your local and/or state public health officials may be making recommendations that are more stringent than what the CDC has recommended. In these cases, you should defer to your state and/or local public health officials.
- The CDC guidance represents the minimum precautions a funeral professional should take while caring for the body of someone who died of confirmed or suspected COVID-19. You should use your best professional judgement to determine whether you should take additional precautions beyond what is recommended by the CDC.
On April 1, NFDA shared information regarding alternate guidance from the World Health Organization(WHO) on embalming individuals who died of confirmed or suspected COVID-19. NFDA immediately reached out to the CDC to clarify what guidance funeral professionals in the United States should follow. Today, NFDA learned the CDC stands by its recommendation that pandemic victims can be safely embalmed so long as the funeral professional follows proper safety protocols.
In their response to NFDA, the CDC noted that WHO is a global health organization and it issues broad guidance for countries ranging from those that are undeveloped/underdeveloped to those that are advanced/developed.
This means guidance WHO issues can be conservative to help protect individuals in countries where safety standards, protocols and training may not be as comprehensive as the United States.
The CDC noted that funeral directors in the United States have appropriate training, credentials and experience to safely embalm decedents with viral bloodborne pathogens, such as COVID-19, by using currently accepted standards of care and standard operating procedures consistent with OSHA regulations.
Implementing these standard operating procedures and general industry practices and standards of care should minimize hazards inherent in embalming and protect funeral home workers.
In affirming the safety of embalming victims of confirmed or suspected COVID-19, the CDC noted:
- Proper PPE should be used (e.g. disposable gown, faceshield or goggles, and facemask). If aerosols are likely to be generated, then respiratory protection (e.g., NIOSH-approved N-95 respirator or higher level of protection) should be worn.
- See: CDC recommendations about selecting appropriate PPE.
- Additional information about PPE for aerosol-generating procedures can be found in the CDC's Postmortem Guidance (see the section "PPE Recommendations for Autopsies").
- Noted embalming experts have created videos for funeral professionals explaining safety protocols, including how to minimize aerosolization of fluids.
- The CDC indicated one control option may be to embalm without aspiration to minimize the production of aerosols.
- While guidance for autopsies recommends negative-pressure isolation rooms as a first choice, most funeral homes do not have those types of rooms. In the absence of isolation rooms, when aerosols may be generated, the CDC offers other recommendations, such as keeping the door to the prep room closed.
- The CDC offers other environmental controls in its Postmortem Guidance (see the section "Engineering Control Recommendations for Autopsies").
- Funeral home owners and managers should know the importance of OSHA requirements to conduct hazard assessments/risk determinations to prevent workers' exposure to health and safety risks. If risks cannot be controlled using the hierarchy of controls approach, then the procedure(s) should not be conducted because the risks may not be properly managed.
- Another administrative control that should be considered is whether funeral directors over the age of 65 or with preexisting medical conditions should embalm confirmed or suspected COVID-19 cases.
The CDC noted its appreciation of the summary of its guidance on NFDA's COVID-19 Information Hub.


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Agarwal, Krishna Kant and Ravikrishna, RV (2011) Experimental and Numerical Studies in a Compact Trapped Vortex Combustor: Stability Assessment and Augmentation. In: Combustion Science and Technology, 183 (12). pp. _PHONE_.Full text not available from this repository.
Fundamental studies on a compact trapped vortex combustor indicate that cavity injection strategies play a major role on flame stability. Detailed experiments indicate that blow-out occurs for a certain range of cavity air flow velocities. An unsteady RANS-based reacting flow simulation tool has been utilized to study the basic dynamics of cavity vortex for various flow conditions. The phenomenon of flame blow-out at certain intermediate cavity air velocities is explained on the basis of transition from a cavity-stabilized mode to an opposed flow stagnation mode. A novel strategy is proposed for achieving flame stability at all conditions. This involves using a flow guide vane in the path of the main flow to direct a portion of the main flow into the cavity. This seems to result in a desirable dual vortex structure, i.e., a small clockwise vortex behind the vane and large counterclockwise vortex in the cavity. Experimental results show stable flame at all flow conditions with the flow guide vane, and pressure drop is estimated to be within acceptable limits. Cold flow simulations show self-similar velocity profiles for a range of main inlet velocities, and high reverse velocity ratios (-0.3) are observed. Such a high-velocity ratio in the reverse flow shear layer profile leads to enhanced production of turbulence imperative to compact combustors. Reacting flow simulations show even higher reverse velocity ratios (above -0.7) due to flow acceleration. The flame is observed to be stable, even though minor shear layer oscillations are present in the form of vortex shedding. Self-similarity is also observed in reacting flow temperature profiles at combustor exit over the entire range of the mainstream velocity. This indicates that the present configuration holds a promise of delivering robust performance invariant of the flow operating conditions.
|Item Type:||Journal Article|
|Additional Information:||Copyright of this article belongs to Taylor and Francis Group.|
|Keywords:||Modified eddy dissipation concept;Trapped vortex combustor; Turbulent reacting flow;Unsteady simulations|
|Department/Centre:||Division of Mechanical Sciences > Mechanical Engineering|
|Date Deposited:||05 Dec 2011 08:22|
|Last Modified:||05 Dec 2011 08:22|
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The clerks also appear to lack negotiating skills because if they had these, the WPC problems would probably have been fixed. Mr Lawton in his meeting with the data clerks shows he lacks these skills too. As previously mentioned, Mrs Blakely does not possess the appropriate leadership skill, to properly establish an effective team environment. She is not present a lot of the time and she does not encourage group behaviour. In terms of the internal environment of the firm, the isolation of the WPC employees also affects the development of team spirit.
2. Statement of key problems and issues
Although it is evident that Lawton, Langridge, Lypton and Lawless, Solicitors suffers from a number of dilemmas, the major problems are the lack of communication and motivation amongst the WPC staff, and Mrs Blakely's inappropriate leadership style. If the firm can eradicate these three problems, the other minor ones will be fixed. If the WPC staff can gain a high degree of motivation, the different units of the firm communicate effectively, and Mrs Blakely changes her leadership style, then a strong organisational culture will be created and a positive teamwork environment.
3. Generation and evaluation of a range of alternative solutions
3.1 Solutions for Motivating the WPC Employees
3.1.1 Appoint a WPC employee to two solicitors
Each data clerk should be appointed to two solicitors where possible. This would allow the WPC employees to have increased contact with other people in the firm. Each WPC employee's work area could be near the office of their designated solicitor. All data clerks on the same floor should be located together. This would enable them to perform a greater number of activities instead of doing the same thing all day. Consequently, this would improve their work skills and allow the WPC employees to show greater initiative, establishing responsibility and loyalty. It would also provide better training for becoming a relief secretary. Also the data clerks could meet as a group every week to discuss problems and issues. However, WPC employee skills may not improve because the clerks could feel intimated by the solicitors. It may be difficult to discipline the girls and prevent them from arriving late, talking and slacking off. They may not be able to keep up with the extra workload and their skills may not improve.
3.1.2 Have different levels of data clerks
This would create a work environment where the girls would be willing to work harder in order to receive more interesting work tasks. Consequently, it would limit undisciplined work behaviour. It would provide better efficiency and create fewer errors because in order to graduate to the next level, the employees would need to perform their tasks correctly. It would also identify where the errors are occurring. The clerks on the highest level would be the most capable of relieving the secretaries during their holidays. Nevertheless because the girls are basically doing the same work everyday it could still be considered boring and still may result in errors occurring. It may create a working atmosphere where animosities are present between the employees, because of the bureaucratic environment. It does not solve the problem of the girls feeling isolated.
[Please note: for reasons of length, sections have been removed below.]
3.1.3 Create goals for the WPC unit
...
3.2 Solutions for Establishing Effective Communication
3.2.1 Have regular meetings in each department, and also between the different divisions.
...
3.2.2 Have regular informal events for all firm employees
...
3.2.3 Develop non-identification questionnaires and discuss the findings
...
3.3 Solutions for Providing Effective Leadership in the WPC
3.3.1 Fire Mrs Blakely
Firing Mrs. Blakely could increase the clerks' initiative because they could gain more responsibility. At present, she does not give them enough responsibility nor does she respect them, although she genuinely seems to care for them. She has not tried to motivate the girls even though she is aware that they find their jobs boring. Further, she cannot discipline them. However Mrs Blakely is widely respected by the solicitors, and she is efficient. Because she has worked for the firm for over twenty years it would be difficult to find a replacement with the same amount of knowledge.
3.3.2 Have Mrs. Blakely undergo a work appraisal
It is evident that Mrs. Blakely has become complacent in carrying out the role of supervisor. By undertaking a work appraisal evaluation she would be able to redefine her role in the firm. She could review and change her ineffective leadership skills. It would also identify to the firm that Mrs. Blakely needs to improve her leadership skills, as Mr Lawton would undertake the evaluation. However, the review may not be productive because the firm already thinks very highly of her. It is evident that Mrs Blakely does not believe her leadership skills are inadequate, so she may not benefit from the evaluation. The evaluation may not contain the correct questions which identify that Mrs Blakley is largely an incompetent leader.
3.3.3 Create a manager of the WPC unit.
...
4. Recommendations
4.1 Increase motivation amongst the WPC employees
In order to reduce the lack of motivation amongst the WPC employees a combination of allocating them to solicitors and setting individual goals should be implemented. Goal setting is very important as it will motivate each individual to assess her role in the firm. Goals can be established for each WPC employee, the WPC employees as a group, and also for the WPC senior staff and solicitors. By appointing a WPC employee to a solicitor, each clerk can learn to recognise their needs, especially their esteem, social and self-actualisation needs in the firm. Motivators such as achievement, recognition, responsibility, advancement and growth can also be achieved (Robbins et al., 2000, p.553).
4.2 Increase communication in the firm.
There should be a combination of all three suggestions, the regular meetings in each division and with the department heads, the informal events between the different departments, and the questionnaires. The questionnaires could be administered every six months and the findings could be discussed at the meetings. These channels are effective and would allow the firm to communicate more effectively because they permit different methods of communication to be used including oral, non-verbal and written communication. The meetings would encourage active listening and provide an opportunity for feedback.
4.3 Create effective leadership of the WPC employees
A combination of Mrs Blakely undergoing a work appraisal and appointing a manager to the WPC unit would combat inadequate leadership skills there. Mrs Blakely should still remain as supervisor of the WPC unit; however, there should be a manager present at all times with the WPC staff, who is able to discipline and motivate them. With the presence of a manager, there is a high possibility that a more democratic style of leadership would be adopted and an initiating structure created. This manager could then contact Mrs Blakely if any problem occurs, given her knowledge. Mrs Blakely should take a personal evaluation because it would identify both to her and the firm that she is unable to effectively lead the WPC unit.
5. Implementation
[Please note that the assignment table cannot be displayed on this screen because it is too complex.]
6. Referencing
Robbins, S., Bergman, R., Stagg, I. And Coulter, M., (2000), Management, Prentice Hall, (2nd edn), Sydney.
Assignment Topic
Case study summary
Lawton, Langridge, Lypton and Lawless is a large Sydney legal firm. Among its staff are 22 data entry clerks who work in the Word Processing Centre (WPC). Their job is to process the large volume of legal documents produced by the firm's solicitors. WPC clerks are carefully selected and must have a TAFE diploma or Year 12 with good passes in business subjects. When they join the firm they receive a week of training in specialised legal documents, and extra training sessions are held regularly to ensure they keep their knowledge up-to-date.
The firm occupies 10 floors of a new building in the centre of Sydney. The WPC is located on the 35th floor and has wonderful views around the city and harbour. The centre is very well equipped with excellent furnishings and a very pleasant staff room. The firm is able to attract good quality workers because it offers above average wages and many other benefits. However, all is not well. Senior staff and solicitors have complained to Arthur Lawton, the Managing Partner, that they need to check the work of WPC clerks who work as relief secretaries, because of the frequent errors made. They also believe that these workers are unreliable and lack initiative. Personnel records show that WPC staff do not stay with the firm for very long, despite the opportunities for promotion.
None of the solicitors know the workers in the Centre very well, but all praise the hard work and service provided by Mrs Blakely, the WPC supervisor, who has worked with the firm for over 20 years. Indeed, they tend to see the problem as the result of something wrong "with young people today." When Mr Lawton raises the matter of the WPC's problems, Mrs Blakely reacts a little angrily. She defends her clerks, saying that despite the errors, they do complete a lot of work. She admits that many of them find the job boring, as it mostly involves keying in information. The clerks also, often come to work late, chat at every opportunity, and generally don't work too hard. To stop this, she keeps a firm eye on them but she