text:
Sydney: A new kind of nanomaterial offers unmatched purity of water, thanks to unique filtration properties developed by Australian engineers.
Known as metal organic framework or MOF, the nanomaterial demonstrated its filtering capacity by completely sieving paraquat -- a herbicide linked with the onset of Parkinson's Disease.
It was designed by mechanical engineers Mainak Majumder and Phillip Sheath from Monash University and Matthew Hill from Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation.
"Due to its very precise filtering properties, this testing application could deliver very accurate contamination readings in the field," Hill was quoted as saying by the journals Chemistry of Materials and Science.
MOFs are clusters of metal atoms connected by organic molecules and known for their exceptional abilities to store or separate gases such as carbon dioxide, according to a Monash statement.
Majumder said the uniform structure of MOFs made them very efficient filters.
"These are crystalline materials with a difference -- they have pores that are all exactly the same size. So while one substance can fit in the pores and be captured, another, just one tenth of a nanometre bigger, can't fit," he said.


text:
COLUMBUS, Ohio Scientists have caught male topi antelopes in the act of faking fear in front of females in heat as a way to improve their chances of having sex.
The male antelopes, observed in southwest Kenya, send a false signal that a predator is nearby only when females in heat are in their territories. When the females react to the signal, they remain in the territory long enough for some males to fit in a quick mating opportunity.
The signal in this case, an alarm snort, is not a warning to other antelopes to beware, but instead tells a predator that it has been seen and lost its element of surprise, the researchers found.
So when the scientists observed the animals misusing the snort in the presence of sexually receptive females, they knew they were witnessing the practice of intentional deception a trait typically attributed only to humans and a select few other animal species.
"There is very little evidence that animals use deception, and to make that link that the deception is intentional is very difficult," said Wiline Pangle, co-author of the study and a visiting scholar in evolution, ecology and organismal biology at Ohio State University. "It's almost amusing to us. The female hears the snort and thinks, 'oops, there is a lion.' She steps back, and the male comes around and mates. It's striking."
Pangle conducted the research with Jakob Bro-Jrgensen of the University of Liverpool. The paper appears online and is scheduled for print publication in the July issue of the journal The American Naturalist.
Pangle and Bro-Jrgensen, a longtime expert in topi behavior, met while they were conducting separate field work in the Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya, where Pangle studies the survival strategies of the antelopes' carnivorous predators. Over dinner, they discussed Bro-Jrgensen's observation that he had witnessed this sexual deception, and they teamed to conduct a rare controlled st
|Contact: Wiline Pangle|
Ohio State University

source: HuggingFaceFW/fineweb-edu


The Bricklayer Ecosystem - Art, math, and code
Victor Winter, Betty Love, Cindy Corritore
Research output: Contribution to journalConference articlepeer-review
5 Scopus citations
This paper describes the Bricklayer Ecosystem - a freely-available online educational ecosystem created for people of all ages and coding backgrounds. Bricklayer is designed in accordance with a "low-threshold infinite ceiling" philosophy and has been successfully used to teach coding to primary school students, middle school students, university freshmen, and in-service secondary math teachers. Bricklayer programs are written in the functional programming language SML and, when executed, create 2D and 3D artifacts. These artifacts can be viewed using a variety of third-party tools such as LEGO® Digital Designer (LDD), LDraw, Minecraft clients, Brickr, as well as STereoLithography viewers.
ASJC Scopus subject areas
 - Software
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Money laundering in construction projects
Key facts
Type of research degree
Application deadline
Ongoing deadline
Country eligibility
International (open to all nationalities, including the UK)
Mr Tristano Sainati
School of Civil Engineering, School of Law
Money laundering concerns transforming illicit profits into (apparently) lawful ones. Construction projects are susceptible to money launderings, and several judicial cases have disclosed why and how construction projects favour money laundering. For example, they are often speculative, involve large sums of money, and it is relatively easy to inflate their costs due to apparently poor delivery performance. Furthermore, the construction projects are organised in multi-layered contractual transactions and are intensive human activities; these characteristics make it possible to structure and disperse large sums of money into the economy through multiple people and organisations. There is also tacit knowledge about how construction projects can be suitable for money laundering. Money laundering can apply in simple transactions or complicated and multi-layered ones. Money laundering can apply at the micro level, e.g. small modifications in an apartment project; or can apply at macro levels involving criminal organisations orchestrating massive money laundering transactions involving several nominees and (indirectly) controlled companies. Despite the relevance of money laundering in construction projects, project management scholars have not investigated this topic extensively. The prospective PhD research will address this specific gap in knowledge and address research questions such as: Which money laundering mechanisms can be applied to construction projects? How do these mechanisms influence the budgeting, procurement and delivery of construction projects? Which remedies can limit, or prevent, money laundering in construction projects? The candidate can amend these questions to focus on those aspects that are deemed to be more relevant and practical provided the focus remains on money laundering applied to construction projects.


text:
See also: balinese
- (uncountable) The language of Bali.
- A native or inhabitant of Bali.
- A long-haired domestic cat breed.
Balinese (not comparable)
- Of or relating to Bali, its inhabitants, or their language or culture.
of or relating to Bali, or its inhabitants, language or culture

source: openbmb/Ultra-FineWeb


text: In this paper we give a general theorem which can be used to multiply the length of amicable sequences keeping the amicability property and the type of the sequences. As a consequence we have that if there exist two, four or eight amicable sequences of length m and type (al, a2), (al, a2, a3, a4) or (al, a2, …, as) then there exist amicable sequences of length ℓ ≡ 0 (mod m) and of the same type. We also present a theorem that produces a set of 2v amicable sequences from a set of v (not necessary amicable) sequences and a construction method for amicable sequences of type (al, al, a2, a2,..., av, av) from v pairs of disjoint (0, ±1) amicable sequences. Using these results we can obtain many infinite classes of Kharaghani type orthogonal designs. Actually, if there exists an Kharaghani type orthogonal design of order n and of type (al, a2, …, av), which is constructed from sequences, then there exists an infinite family of Kharaghani type orthogonal designs of the same type which is constructed from appropriate sequences.


Capital / Death Penalty Mitigation
Clients charged with first degree murder and facing the death penalty need a strong advocate to research and gather life history, family background, social history, and mental health issues to formulate a compelling theme of mitigation. Donna will summarize and organize the medical and mental health history, create timelines, multigenerational histories and genograms.
She has examined a plethora of social issues for her clients and successfully identifies appropriate expert witnesses to evaluate the client. She maintains a diverse list of experts from which to select for each individual case. Donna gathers and reviews records and conducts extensive interviews to develop a mitigation narrative that creates an effective theme of mitigation leading to life for her clients.
Juvenile Resentencing
In 2010 the U.S. Supreme Court rendered an opinion in Graham v. Florida that Juveniles cannot be sentenced to life without parole for crimes that are not murder. A life without parole sentence in a non-homicide conviction was considered cruel and unusual punishment for a juvenile because kids are different and can change.
In 2012 the court decided in Miller v. Alabama that mandatory life without parole for juveniles, even homicide, was unconstitutional.
Mitigation investigations are an essential component of juvenile resentencing cases for both Miller and Graham clients.
Sentence Mitigation
Effective mitigation can assist the defense in working towards downward departure for sentencing considerations for non-homicide cases.


text:
Coal Sector Revitalization, Community Memory, and the Land Question in Nigeria: A Paradox of Economic Diversification?
- Year: 2011
- Author: Umejesi, Ikechukwu
- Journal Name: African Studies Quarterly
- Journal Number: Vol.12, No.3
- Publisher: African Studies Quarterly
- Published Location: Gainesville, United States
- Country: Nigeria
In 1999, the Nigerian government unveiled new policies aimed at revitalizing the mining, agricultural, tourism, financial services, and manufacturing sectors in a broader effort to diversify the national economy. While this was a response to the reality of underdevelopment in the country, it was also a response to research that has attributed the country's developmental and governance failures to decades of over-dependence on its vast petroleum resources. The new plan has attracted unprecedented attention from foreign and local mining firms to previously under-exploited minerals such as coal, gold, tin, bitumen, talc, limestone, uranium, asbestos, limestone, and iron ore (known collectively in Nigerian government and business circles as "solid minerals"). Using the coal industry as a case study, this article looks beyond the "economic diversification" objectives of resource sector reforms and interrogates coal sector revitalization against narratives of entitlement, land dispossession, and repossession in the mining communities. The central question is: how does privatisation impact on the revitalization process, and what role does community memory and material interests in land, play in the emerging conflict between the mining communities and the Nigerian state? The analysis is based on ethnographic data obtained in the Southeastern Nigerian town of Enugu-Ngwo, the country's premier coal mining community. The article also draws lessons from the Nigerian petroleum sector.


text:
What are some examples of sarcasm in the poem, "The Prologue"?
1 Answer | Add Yours
Almost everything in this poem is sarcastic unless you are going to take seriously the idea that Bradstreet is really saying that she, like all women, is not competent to write decent poetry. This poem is saying that her work is no good because she is a woman and that men should not judge it too harshly. But this is surely not what she means to say.
Once you understand this, you can see sarcasm pop up everywhere in the poem. For example, the first three lines of the poem say that she is not talented or smart enough to write about elevated things such as wars and kings.
Perhaps the most clear cut example of sarcsasm comes in the following line where Bradstreet claims that women are inferior to men:
Men can do best, and Women know it well.
Preeminence in all and each is yours
Given the fact that she is a woman trying to write good poetry, this is clearly sarcastic. If she believed this, she would not be trying to write poetry.
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Background: Isolated populations are a useful resource for mapping complex traits due to shared stable environment, reduced genetic complexity and extended Linkage Disequilibrium (LD) compared to the general population. Here we describe a large genetic isolate from the North West Apennines, the mountain range that runs through Italy from the North West Alps to the South.
Methodology/principal findings: The study involved 1,803 people living in 7 villages of the upper Borbera Valley. For this large population cohort, data from genealogy reconstruction, medical questionnaires, blood, anthropometric and bone status QUS parameters were evaluated. Demographic and epidemiological analyses indicated a substantial genetic component contributing to each trait variation as well as overlapping genetic determinants and family clustering for some traits.
Conclusions/significance: The data provide evidence for significant heritability of medical relevant traits that will be important in mapping quantitative traits. We suggest that this population isolate is suitable to identify rare variants associated with complex phenotypes that may be difficult to study in larger but more heterogeneous populations.


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Biosystems. 1984;17(1):51-5.
Coevolution of functionally constrained characters: prerequisites for adaptive versatility.
One of the major problems of organismic evolution theory is to explain how complex organisms were able to evolve by random mutations in spite of the severe functional constraints that canalize their route of change. The problem is discussed on the basis of a quantitative genetic model. How the degree of genetic variation influences the adaptation speed of functionally coupled but genetically uncorrelated characters is examined. It was found, that if more than three independent characters contribute to the variation of a functionally constrained system, optimal degrees of genetic variation exist. Higher degrees of variation lead to decreasing adaptation rates. Conversely, functional constraints do not limit the degree of adaptely reasonable genetic variability as long as the number of independent characters is not higher than three. The conclusion is drawn that there is no need to develop a genetic correlation between functionally coupled characters as long as not many more than three characters are integrated into a functional system. This explains the fact that there is no genetic coupling between the inherited signal sender and receiver mechanisms in orthopterians, even though there is a strong functional coupling between them.
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Habitat for Humanity Colombia
Habitat's work in Colombia
Housing need in Colombia
Inadequate housing, overcrowding and insufficient utilities such as water and sanitation are all contributors to the housing problem in Colombia. More than 11.5 million homes in Colombia do not satisfactorily meet the basic necessities of the families that live in them. More than 40 percent of that figure represents inadequate housing and overcrowding, while another 20 percent demonstrates problems with public utilities. Likewise, 9.8 percent of the families suffering from poverty find themselves in this situation due to inadequate housing, and 10.6 percent due to inadequate utilities.
The rural housing deficit has increased in recent years, due to a lack of new programs. Colombia's qualitative housing deficit (that is, houses that exist but are inadequate in their conditions) is currently in the vicinity of 900,000 units, out of which 200,000 are located in rural zones. That deficit has increased in the last five years, since the financing of possible solutions has become so difficult through typical lending institutions.
The housing shortage in Colombia prevents adequate sanitary conditions for many low-income families, so they erectcambuches or tin huts, without public services. This promotes disease, such as dengue, which arises from stagnant water due to a lack of sewers. Inadequate housing also affects children's education; many cannot go to school because they lack a home that provides them with the stability required to enter an educational center. In addition, many school-age children are forced to work, in order to contribute something to the family's income.
Habitat for Humanity in Colombia
Habitat for Humanity was established in Colombia in 1991, when a teacher from a rural school in Quimbaya, Quindío, became aware of the organization through a magazine article. Three years later, the construction of the first 28 houses began in the Los Cerezos de Quimbaya neighborhood.
Habitat Colombia is governed by a national board of directors, and has five branches: Eje Cafetero, Valle del Cauca, Antioquia, and the north of Cauca and Cundinamarca.
Habitat for Humanity Colombia strives to become an alternative for low income families, helping families to build and improve their own homes. Habitat Colombia seeks support and partnership from government, the private sector and civil society—especially young people.
Habitat for Humanity Colombia supports several initiatives, in addition to traditional home construction.
Healthy housing in San Andres: In November 2008, Phase II of this Healthy Housing in San Andres was approved. In addition to housing improvements for 305 families, the project also aims to decrease the risk of illness by improving access and management of potable water, adequately managing sewage waste, and implementing a "healthy home" educational program.
Government subsidies for housing: A significant cause for growth in housing numbers between 2007 and 2008 can be attributed to the effective utilization of government subsidies–for both new house constructions as well as repairs and improvements. Habitat programs are seeking to make good use of these subsidies by ensuring high-quality constructions for families, as well as efficient operations, so as to make best use of the limited resources. Habitat for Humanity Colombia is one of the four national organizations that have received consultants to help assess their subsidy-funded programs, and three of these are financing growth with loans from Habitat International.
Financial education: This project is aimed at educating and accompanying partner families in the planning and administration of their home economy. The manuals and methodology used are the result of a project designed by Habitat for Humanity International and financed by Citi Foundation. Through a series of workshops, families learn to administer their income and expenses, and learn to design a budget, analyze and control their expenses, and follow a savings plan. Families are also informed about the risks and advantages of taking out loans with Habitat for Humanity or other organizations.
Complete houses: In addition to the projects above, Habitat for Humanity Colombia continues to build complete homes. Homeowners invest hundreds of hours of their own labor, helping to build their houses and the houses of others, together with volunteers. Their monthly payments go into a Local Rotating Fund, which allows the construction of new homes.
Learn more about Habitat for Humanity in Latin America and the Caribbean.


text:
The Simulation and Skills Labs:
The Skills Lab is a multipurpose room in which students learn and hone their clinical examination and clinical procedure proficiency. Several types of task trainers are used to allow students to practice a specific skill, such as suturing, IV insertion, intubation, central venous line placement, arterial blood gas collection, etc. Task trainers are mannequins that are designed to replicate a specific anatomical region (arm, torso, etc) and allow students to learn the steps of clinical procedures. The goal of learning with a task trainer is to familiarize a learner with the equipment and skill first, so that when a real life situation occurs, the learner already has the knowledge and dexterity necessary to integrate it into a more complex situation. Skills training allows a learner to work at their own pace and master a skill through deliberate practice.
Virtual Simulation: The Skills Lab also hosts a number of software based simulation programs and tutorials designed to enhance clinical decision making and guide skill development. These include a number of virtual patient simulations (interactive computer-based patient encounters) as well as interactive tutorials focused on specific skills such as heart and lung auscultation, EKG, and imaging interpretation.


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Creating a Jabber Client using the agsXMPP Library
By, 11 Nov 2007
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I wanted to step a little bit deeper into instant messaging development by using the Jabber protocol. The first place where I looked for an introduction was The Code Project, but I couldn't find any article dealing with Jabber client development. So I thought it's my part to write an article on how to create a small Jabber client, after I got familiar with this stuff.
In this article, I want to introduce Jabber development by a small example application that allows you to chat with one of your Roster contacts. The example is written as a Console Application, but it should be no problem to transfer the code into a small Windows Application.
Jabber is an open protocol for instant messaging (like Skype). The advantage of Jabber is that as an XML based protocol, it is platform independent and clients can be developed under several operating systems. It also provides the possibility to connect to other instant messaging services like ICQ. Jabber is based on the protocol XMPP (a Jabber derivative) which was standardized in 2004.
A simplified Jabber network looks like this:
Screenshot - JabberClient_Network.jpg
The most important Jabber terms used in this article are:
JID: Jabber ID, looks like an Email address (e.g. where is the Jabber server (you can find a list of public Jabber servers here).
In the network above, we would have the following JID's:
 - Client1@Server1
 - Client2@Server1
 - Client3@Server2
Roster: List of contacts (friends, family). The Roster can be organized like a tree (as the Jabber protocol is XML based) with folders and the JIDs.
A basic example for a TCP based XMPP stream can look like this:
C:
S:
... encryption, authentication, and resource binding...
C:
S: Neither, fair saint, if either thee dislike.
S:
C:
S:
Where C is the Client and S is the Server. This example is taken from here.
As an open and standardized protocol, there are plenty of libraries for different programming languages and operating systems available. As I was looking for a C# library, I found the agsXMPP library dealing with the most important tasks like Jabber Client or even Jabber Server development. The agsXMPP is provided under two licenses, the GPL for open source project, and a commercial license for closed source projects.
To get started with the agsXMPP library, you can download the SDK here.
For more detailed information about Jabber/XMPP, you should have a look here and here and here.
Jabber Client
This example application is just a demonstration of how to create a Jabber Client; it does not store any connection data or provide creation of a new account. So if you would like to use the code to develop a real world client, you will have to add some more functionality to the code.
So now we are prepared to develop our own Jabber Client. For this example, I have chosen a Console Application, because it makes the code more readable. As the agsXMPP library provides a lot of events to handle several functionalities that do not make a Console Application the first choice, I think a Windows Forms Application would make it all a little bit confusing on the first view.
So what are the goals of this example application?
 - Create a connection to a Jabber server and authenticate the Jabber user
 - Send the users presence over to the server
 - Handle the presence of the contacts in our Roster (receive all available contacts)
 - Last but not least, the chatting functionality (sending and receiving chat messages)
So let's start.
To use the agsXMPP in your own project, you have to add a reference to agsXMPP.dll in your project. For this example, you should also add the following using directives to the header:
using agsXMPP;
using agsXMPP.protocol.client;
using agsXMPP.Collections;
using System.Threading;
Connection and Authentication
To connect to a Jabber server, we need a JID (Jabber ID) and the corresponding password. At first, we have to create a new JID object with the user's JID as a string parameter. After that, we can create a new XmppClientConnection object with the JID server property of the JID object as a constructor parameter. The code looks like this:
Console.WriteLine("JID: ");
string JID_Sender = Console.ReadLine();
Console.WriteLine("Password: ");
string Password = Console.ReadLine();
Jid jidSender = new Jid(JID_Sender);
XmppClientConnection xmpp = new XmppClientConnection(jidSender.Server);
Now we have to open the connection and wait until we are connected and authenticated. In the agsXMPP library, the XmppClientConnection.Open() method is executed asynchronously, so we have to register the OnLogin Eventhandler and wait until the OnLogin event is raised. This is a beautiful solution for a Win App, but it makes a Console App not so beautiful. The code should look like this:
xmpp.Open(jidSender.User, Password);
xmpp.OnLogin += new ObjectHandler(xmpp_OnLogin);
I solved the wait for OnLogin to be raised by a simple do loop, I know there are more pretty solutions, but it just does what it should do:
Console.Write("Wait for Login ");
_wait = true;
 if (i == 10)
 _wait = false;
} while (_wait);
So now we have to take a look at the xmpp_OnLogin method:
static void xmpp_OnLogin(object sender)
 _wait = false;
 Console.WriteLine("Logged In");
We are just waiting until the OnLogin event is raised (which means we are logged in and authenticated) and then exit the loop to continue our program. Now we can get some information about the Connection and Authentication state of our XmppClientConnection object:
Console.WriteLine("xmpp Connection State {0}", xmpp.XmppConnectionState);
Console.WriteLine("xmpp Authenticated? {0}", xmpp.Authenticated);
Sending the Presence
To show our Roster members we are online, we have to send our presence to the server. This little task works like this:
Presence p = new Presence(, "Online");
p.Type = PresenceType.available;
Now they can see in their Roster that we are online and available for chat (this task is necessary to receive the presence of our Roster members).
Receiving the Presence of our Roster Members
To receive the presence of our Roster members we have to register the OnPresence Eventhandler:
xmpp.OnPresence += new PresenceHandler(xmpp_OnPresence);
Now we have to wait until the event is raised (it is raised now, and if the presence of a Roster member is changed). Attention: we can only see the Roster members where presence type is available.
static void xmpp_OnPresence(object sender, Presence pres)
 Console.WriteLine("Available Contacts: ");
 Console.WriteLine({0}@{1} {2},
Sending and Receiving Messages
Now we can start with the most interesting part: Chatting! How does chatting work basically? We send messages to an available chat partner (we need his JID), and we handle received messages in a MessageCallBack method. To prepare for incoming messages, we have to execute the following statement:
xmpp.MesagageGrabber.Add(new Jid(JID_Receiver),
 new BareJidComparer(), new MessageCB(MessageCallBack), null);
Now the MessageCallBack method is executed if a new message arrives:
static void MessageCallBack
 (object sender, agsXMPP.protocol.client.Message msg, object data)
 if (msg.Body!= null)
 Console.ForegroundColor = ConsoleColor.Red;
 Console.WriteLine("{0}>> {1}", msg.From.User, msg.Body);
 Console.ForegroundColor = ConsoleColor.Green;
Sending messages is quite an easy task:
xmpp.Send(new Message(new Jid(JID_Receiver),, outMessage));
where the JID_Receiver is the JID object of our chat buddy. This code should be packed into a loop, to send more than one message (in the download example I have put it into a do loop, with the string q! as the exit criteria). When you are finished, you just need to close the XmppClientConnection object:
That is all there is to creating a little Jabber Chat Client which looks like this:
Screenshot - JabberClient_Example.jpg
The corresponding screenshots of my chat partner using PSI:
Screenshot - JabberClient_Psi.jpg
There are plenty more features of Jabber/XMPP provided in the agsXMPP library, like creating your own Jabber server or creating your own packages. I think for an entry into Jabber development under C#, it is best to start with client development. The agsXMPP SDK provides a few very detailed examples like a Windows based mini client and a server component.


History timeline
Below explore our rich history for what is evolved from our roots in chocolate to a diverse global privately owned business encompassing petcare, gum and confections, food, drinks and symbioscience, underscored by the guidance of the Mars family and our principles-led approach.
Mars Hall Of American Business at the Smithsonian
Discover how Mars has influenced the American business landscape in the new American Enterprise exhibit
at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History.
mars.com:about mars:history


text:
Boa Spot colour vision sensor enhances automated inspection
18 Jan 2018
Boa Spot Colour models are available with a 640 x 480 pixel resolution CMOS sensor. They are supplied with a choice of 6, 8, 12 or 16 mm M12 lenses with an integrated white LED ring light, or with a C mount lens adapter to allow a choice of lens and external lighting. All models feature embedded vision inspection tools.
The use of colour imaging can offer key benefits for the inspection process. Colour inspection is crucial where:
- The colour of the object facilitates detection of the object
- Objects of identical size and shape can only be differentiated by colour
- The colour quality and consistency of the object is an important factor in the overall quality of the product
- The colour of the object can help determine the relative quality of the product
The Boa Spot family of vision systems combine the power and flexibility of a BOA vision system with integrated optics, light and easy-to-use setup software and a low cost of ownership. This allows the distribution of vision processing across the production line. More points of inspection lead to better failure analysis and faster, easier corrective actions, which in turn improves quality, reduces scrap, and increases throughput.
The low starting price point is below the capital expense threshold for many companies, while the integrated light and lens configuration saves additional costs. The easy-to–use application interface means that little training investment is required and the built-in standard factory communication protocols brings low-cost factory integration.
Boa Spot vision sensors are supplied with a set of robust embedded vision tools for part locating, counting and measuring and feature or defect detection. The Boa Spot Colour SL model offers a basic set of inspection tools, while the Boa Spot Colour EL model offers additional tools and advanced capabilities for more complex tasks.
Any of these vision tools can be combined and used multiple times to solve simple or complex inspection tasks, meaning that the vision sensor can be adapted for a wide range of industrial applications. Both models allow up to 32 of these measurement sequences to be stored, so that they can accommodate different product types on the same line.
Factory integration is made particularly simple:
- Throughand surface-mounting options and a slim form factor (61mm x 58mm x 57mm) allows BOA Spot to fit into tight spaces.
- Robust build quality with IP67 rating allows use in harsh industrial/wash down conditions
- Standard factory communication protocols, such as Ethernet/IP and PROFINET are directly supported
- Inspected images can be transferred to a networked drive via FTP
In addition, remote setup, display and monitoring can be set up using the software user interface, which is quick to learn and suitable for novice and expert users alike.


text:
AP Science Writer
NEW YORK (AP) -- To millions of people, the Christmas tree is a cheerful sight. To scientists who decipher the DNA codes of plants and animals, it's a monster.
We're talking about the conifer, the umbrella term for cone-bearing trees like the spruce, fir, pine, cypress and cedar. Apart from their Yuletide popularity, they play big roles in the lumber industry and in healthy forest ecosystems.
Scientists would love to identify the billions of building blocks that make up the DNA of a conifer. That's called sequencing its genome. Such analysis is a standard tool of biology, and doing it for conifers could reveal genetic secrets useful for basic science, breeding and forest management.
But the conifer genome is dauntingly huge. And like a big price tag on a wished-for present, that has put it out of reach.
Now, as Christmas approaches, it appears the conifer's role as a genetic Grinch may be ending.
In recent months, scientific teams in the United States and Canada have released preliminary, patchy descriptions of conifer genomes. And a Swedish team plans to follow suit soon in its quest for the Norway spruce.
"The world changed for conifer genetics," said David Neale of the University of California, Davis. It's "entering the modern era."
What happened? Credit the same recent technological advances that have some doctors predicting that someday, people will have their genomes sequenced routinely as part of medical care. The technology for that has gotten faster and much cheaper.
"Until just a few years ago, the idea of sequencing even a single conifer genome seemed impossible," said John MacKay of the University of Laval in Quebec City, who co-directs a multi-institution Canadian project that's tackling the white spruce. The new technologies changed that, he said.
How big is a conifer genome? Consider the 80-foot Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center in New York. It's a Norway spruce, so its genome is six times bigger than that of anybody skating below it. Other conifer genomes are even larger.
Nobody expects a perfect, finished conifer genome anytime soon. MacKay and others say that reaching that goal would probably require some advances in technology. But even partial versions can help tree breeders and basic scientists, researchers say.
Why bother doing this?
For breeders, "genomes can really help you speed up the process and simply do a better job of selecting trees, if you understand the genetic architecture of the traits you want to breed for," MacKay said.
The prospect of climate change brings another dimension. As forest managers select trees to plant after a fire or tree harvesting, genetic information might help them pick varieties that can adapt to climate trends in coming decades, Neale said.
It's all about "giving them a tree that will be healthy into the future," he said.
To sequence a genome, scientists start by chopping DNA into small bits, and let their machines sequence each bit. That's the part that has become much faster and cheaper in recent years. But then comes the task of re-assembling these bits back into the long DNA chains found in trees. And that is a huge challenge with conifers, because their DNA chains contain many repeated sequences that make the assembly a lot harder.
As a result, conifers present "these large regions I think we will never be able to piece together" with current technologies, said Par Ingvarsson of Umea University in Sweden, who is leading the Norway spruce project.
Will scientists develop new technologies to overcome that problem?
"You should never say never in this game," Ingvarsson said.
This past summer, Neale's group presented partial results for the genome sequence of loblolly pine, based on DNA extracted from a single pine nut. It includes about a million disconnected chunks of DNA, and altogether it covers well over half the tree's genome.
Neale figures it will take his team until 2016 to complete genomes of the loblolly, Douglas-fir and sugar pine. The project is financed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Mackay's group recently released its early results on DNA taken from a single white spruce.
As for the Swedish project on Norway spruce, Ingvarsson said its results will be made public early next year. The 2 million DNA pieces have captured most of the estimated 35,000 to 40,000 genes in the tree, even if researchers don't know just where those genes go in the overall genome sequence, he said.
People have about 23,000 genes, not much different from a conifer. The tree's genome so much bigger because it also contains an abundance of non-gene DNA with no obvious function, Ingvarsson said.
He said his chief reason for tackling conifer genomes was to fill a conspicuous vacancy in the list of sequenced plants.
"It was like the one missing piece," he said. "We just need this final piece to say something about how all the plant kingdom has evolved over the last billion years or so."
Canadian project: _URL_
U.S. project: _URL_
Swedish project: _URL_
Malcolm Ritter can be followed at _URL_
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Can somebody answer this question? What is your opinion or fact. If a very powerful laser hit a mirror on the reflective side, would it bounce back and hit you or would it cut through the mirror?
OK, let us go back to basics. Go outside on a sunny day. Take with you a small hand-mirror and a small piece of dark cloth. Put them side by side where the sun can shine on them, the mirror with its reflective side up. After five minutes, check with your finger to see which is warmer, the mirror or the cloth. Then ask your question again, but this time tell us what YOU think would happen, and why.
Jack L. Uretsky
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Blue Lake Rhino
One of the most unusual fossils ever found in the Columbia Plateau is a mold and a few bones of a small rhinoceros. In 1935, a group of hikers found it in a cavity in the vicinity of Blue Lake a few miles south of Dry Falls. This fossil is commonly known as the "Blue Lake Rhino". The mold is preserved in pillow basalt overlying a thin sand bed. Probably the rhino, which was dead at the time, was lying in a small pond and as molten lava flowed into the lake and became chilled somewhat so that the lava did not burn the rhino up. A mold was formed around the dead body. Professional paleontologists have made a coast from the mold and have reconstructed the rhino. Above see a model showing how the animal may have appeared prior to burial. The actual rhinoceros measured about eight feet from snout to tail.


Cholinesterase Test: What it is, What it's For & Results Explained
What is cholinesterase?
Cholinesterase is an enzyme required for function in the nervous system and is reponsible for breaking down acetylcholine (a neurotransmitter), so that it does not over-stimulate post-synaptic nerves, muscles, and exocrine glands. It can be affected by genetic factors and poisoning.
Exposure to organophosphate or carbamate pesticides can inhibit cholinesterase from breaking down acetylcholine.
Why would you need a cholinesterase test?
A doctor may measure you cholinesterase levels if you have been exposed to pesticides of the organophosphate or carbamate types.
Exposure to these pesticides may occurr via inhalation, ingestion or through the skin.
How is a cholinesterase test performed?
Cholinesterase is a blood test and requires a few millilitres of blood from a vein.
The laboratory may measure the levels of cholinesterase enzyme activity in the plasma or red blood cells, or both.
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Cholinesterase test results explained
Cholinesterase levels vary greatly between different individuals, and laboratories employ many different methods of testing. Therefore, a cholinesterase level is most useful when it is repeated in the same person, before and after exposure.
Results are usually expressed in terms of percentage drop from baseline; a decline of more than 35% is considered to indicate severe poisoning.
Plasma cholinesterase levels are more useful for acute (short-term) exposure, while red cell levels are more useful in the chronic (long-term) setting.
In a case of deliberate self-poisoning, the cholinesterase level may be low enough to diagnose organophosphate or carbamate poisoning, without a prior 'baseline' level.
Related specialists
Related procedures
 - Blood Test (venesection)
Related tests
Also known as
 - Plasma Cholinesterase levels
 - Red Cell Cholinesterase levels
 - Cholinesterase activity
 - Pseudocholinesterase


Blossom in Spring
Plants & Us
Plum blossom is a symbol of celebration and luck in the Spring Festival, and has been regarded as auspicious since ancient times. Plum blossom traditionally formed "The Three Friends in Winter" (歲寒三友) alongside Pine and Bamboo. The ancients believed that plum blossom was representative of the four virtues of Yuan Heng Li Zhen (元亨利貞) and the five petals of its flower, symbolize the five blessings of: joy, happiness, longevity, smooth passage and peace.


From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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For other uses, see Pyxis (disambiguation).
Abbreviation Pyx
Genitive Pyxidis
Pronunciation /ˈpɪksɨs/, genitive /ˈpɪksɨdɨs/
Symbolism the compass box
Right ascension 9
Declination −30
Family Heavenly Waters
Quadrant SQ2
Area 221 sq. deg. (65th)
Main stars 3
Stars with planets 4
Stars brighter than 3.00m 0
Stars within 10.00 pc (32.62 ly) 1
Brightest star α Pyx (3.68m)
Nearest star Gliese 318
(30.13 ly, 9.24 pc)
Messier objects None
Meteor showers None
Visible at latitudes between +50° and −90°.
Pyxis (/ˈpɪksɨs/; Greek: box) is a small and faint constellation in the southern sky. Its name is Latin for a mariner's compass (it should not be confused with Circinus, which represents a draftsman's compasses). Pyxis is completely visible from latitudes south of 53 degrees north, with its best evening-sky visibility in January through March. The brightest star is Alpha Pyxidis at magnitude 3.68.
Pyxis was introduced by Nicolas Louis de Lacaille in the 18th century; he called it Pyxis Nautica, but the name was shortened. The constellation is located close to those forming the old constellation of Argo Navis (the ship Argo), and in the 19th century astronomer John Herschel suggested renaming Pyxis to 'Malus, the mast', but the suggestion was not followed.
The French astronomer Nicolas Louis de Lacaille first described the constellation as la Boussole (the Marine Compass) and gave Bayer designations to ten stars now named Alpha to Lambda Pyxidis (he skipped the Greek letter iota). He renamed it Pixis [sic] Nautica on his 1763 chart.[1] The Greeks identified the four main stars of Pyxis as the mast of the great ship.[2]
Pyxis can be seen overlying the mast of Argo Navis in this plate from Urania's Mirror (1825).
John Herschel (in 1844) attempted to resurrect the classical configuration by renaming it Malus (the "Mast"), a suggestion followed by Francis Baily, but Benjamin Gould restored La Caille's nomenclature.[3]
Johann Bode (1747–1826) created the constellation Lochium Funis (the "Log and Line," a nautical device once used for measuring speed and distance traveled at sea) around Pyxis but this did not survive.[4]
In ancient Chinese astronomy, Alpha, Beta and Gamma Pyxidis formed part of Tianmiao a Celestial Temple honouring the ancestors of the Emperor, along with stars from neighbouring Antlia.[4]
Pyxis is a small constellation bordered by Hydra to the north, Puppis to the west, Vela to the south, and Antlia to the east. The three-letter abbreviation for the constellation, as adopted by the International Astronomical Union in 1922, is 'Pyx'.[5] The official constellation boundaries, as set by Eugène Delporte in 1930, are defined by a polygon of eight segments. In the equatorial coordinate system, the right ascension coordinates of these borders lie between 10h 32.8m and 27h 42.5m, while the declination coordinates are between −17.41° and −37.29°.[6]
Notable features[edit]
With a visual magnitude of 3.68, Alpha Pyxidis is the brightest star in the constellation. It is a blue-white star of spectral type B1.5III which lies around 850 light years away.[7] The second brightest star at magnitude 3.97 is Beta Pyxidis, a yellow bright giant or supergiant of spectral type G7Ib-II around 420 light years distant.[8] It has a companion star of magnitude 12.5 separated by 9 arcseconds.[9] Gamma Pyxidis is an orange giant of spectral type K3III which lies around 209 light years distant. Its visual magnitude is 4.03.[10] Kappa Pyxidis was catalogued but not given a Bayer designation (Greek letter) by Lacaille, however Gould felt the star was bright enough to warrant a letter.[3] A multiple star system, Kappa has a visual magnitude of 4.58 and is 560 light years distant. The primary component is an orange giant of spectral type K4/K5III.[11] Theta Pyxidis is a red giant of spectral type M1III and semi-regular variable with two measured periods of 13 and 98.3 days, and an average visual magnitude of 4.71. It is 522 light years distant.[12]
Located around 4 degrees northeast of Alpha is T Pyxidis,[13] a binary star system located around 3,300 light-years away from Earth. A recurrent nova, it has brightened to the 7th magnitude in the years 1890, 1902, 1920, 1944, 1966 and 2011 from a baseline of around 14th magnitude.
TY Pyxidis is an eclipsing binary star of combined visual magnitude 6.9. The two components are both of spectral type G5IV,[14] have a mass of 1.2 solar masses and size of 1.65 that of our sun, and revolve around each other every 3.2 days.[15] The system is classified as a RS Canum Venaticorum variable and lies around 184 light years away.[14] RZ Pyxidis is another eclipsing binary system, made up of two young stars less than 200,000 years old. Both are hot blue-white stars of spectral type B7V and are around 2.5 times the size of our sun. One is around five times as luminous as the sun and the other around four times as luminous.[16] The system is classified as a Beta Lyrae variable, with an average visual magnitude of 9.1 and lies around 1220 light years away.[17] AK Pyxidis is a red giant of spectral type M5III and semi-regular variable with an average visual magnitude of 6.42. It lies 771 light years away.[12] VY Pyxidis is a BL Herculis variable (type II Cepheid), ranging between apparent magnitudes 7.13 and 7.40 over a period of 1.23995 days.[18]
The closest star to earth in the constellation is Gliese 318, a white dwarf of spectral class DA5 and visual magnitude 12.00,[19] which lies 26 light years away.[20] WISEPC J083641.12-185947.2 is a brown dwarf located around 72 light years from earth which was discovered by infrared astronomy in 2011.
Pyxis is home to three stars with confirmed planetary systems: HD 73256 is a yellow star of spectral type G9V with a hot Jupiter, HD 73256 b, orbiting it every 2.55 days. It is 119 light years away. HD 73267 is a star with its companion HD 73267 b orbiting every 1260 days. Gliese 317 is a red dwarf around 50 light years distant which is orbited by two gas giant planets, and is a good candidate for future searches for more terrestrial rocky planets.[21]
Deep sky objects[edit]
Pyxis lies in the plane of the Milky Way, although part of the eastern edge is dark, with material obscuring our galaxy arm there. NGC 2818 is a planetary nebula which lies within a dim open cluster of magnitude 8.2.[22] NGC 2613 is a spiral galaxy of magnitude 10.5 which appears spindle shaped as it is almost edge-on to observers on Earth.[23]
Henize 2-10 is a dwarf galaxy which lies some 30 million light years away. It is notable for having a black hole around a million solar masses at its centre. Known as a starburst galaxy due to very high rates of star formation, it has a bluish colour due to the huge numbers of young stars within it.[24]
In popular culture[edit]
 1. ^ Wagman, Morton (2003). Lost Stars: Lost, Missing and Troublesome Stars from the Catalogues of Johannes Bayer, Nicholas Louis de Lacaille, John Flamsteed, and Sundry Others. Blacksburg, VA: The McDonald & Woodward Publishing Company. p. 262. ISBN 978-0-939923-78-6.
 2. ^ Carole Stott, et al. (2006) Eyewitness Companions: Astronomy, p. 210 (ISBN 9780756648459).
 3. ^ a b Wagman 2003, p. 261-62.
 4. ^ a b Ridpath, Star Tales Pyxis.
 5. ^ Russell 1922, p. 469.
 6. ^ IAU, The Constellations, Pyxis.
 7. ^ Kaler, Alpha Pyxidis.


Do buy and sell transactions appear on the public blockchain?
The public ledger cannot accurately reflect your actual buy and sell activities as mentioned previously our system shares some similarities with banks.
Nevertheless, this does not apply to the case of sending and receiving digital assets between wallets.
The transactions between wallets will be reflected on the public ledger.
Therefore, the conclusion is the public ledger reflects the wallet-to-wallet transactions, but not the conversion from fiat currencies to digital assets, and vice versa.
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Epinephrine (By injection)
Treats severe allergic reactions (including anaphylaxis) in an emergency situation. Also increases blood pressure in patients with septic shock.
Adrenaclick, Adrenalin, Adrenalin Novaplus, Auvi-Q, EpiPen, EpiPen Auto-Injector, EpiPen Jr Auto-Injector, Epipen Jr 2-Pak Auto-Injector, PremierPro Rx Adrenalin, SymjepiThere may be other brand names for this medicine.
When This Medicine Should Not Be Used:
A severe allergic reaction can be life-threatening, so there is no reason this medicine should not be used.
How to Use This Medicine:
- For treatment of low blood pressure with septic shock: A nurse or other trained health professional will give you this medicine in a medical facility. It is given through a needle placed into one of your veins.
- Your doctor should teach you how and when to inject this medicine. Each injection kit contains a single-use dose of medicine prescribed for you.
- Give yourself a shot right away if you start to have a severe allergic reaction.
- Inject this medicine under the skin or into the muscle on the outside of your thigh only. Never inject this medicine into a vein, into the muscles of your buttocks, or into your fingers, toes, hands, or feet.
- Read and follow the patient instructions that come with this medicine. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist if you have any questions.
- This medicine might come with an autoinjector trainer so you can practice giving the medicine before you have an actual allergic reaction. The autoinjector trainer is gray (for EpiPen® or EpiPen Jr®) or beige (for Adrenaclick®) and does not contain any medicine or needle.
- Inspect the autoinjector from time to time before needing it to ensure the blue safety release (EpiPen® or EpiPen Jr®) is not raised and that the autoinjector can be easily remove from the carrier tube.
- Do not remove the blue safety release (EpiPen® or EpiPen Jr®) or the gray end caps (Adrenaclick®) on the autoinjector until you are ready to use it. Do not put your thumb, fingers, or hand over the orange (EpiPen® or EpiPen Jr®) or red (Adrenaclick®) tip of the autoinjector or over the needle of the Symjepi prefilled syringe.
- If you are about to use the autoinjector, pull up straight the blue safety release (EpiPen® or EpiPen Jr®) with one hand and hold the pen with the other hand. Do not flip the blue safety release off using the thumb or by pulling it sideways, or by bending and twisting it. This may activate the device by accident (a "click" is heard, the orange needle is extended, and the window is blocked), making it unusable in case of an emergency. Push the needle end (orange end of the autoinjector) firmly against the outer thigh until it "clicks". This signals that the injection has started. The autoinjector needs to stay in place for a minimum of 3 seconds following activation.
- If you use the Symjepi prefilled syringe, do not remove the needle cap until you are ready to use it.
- You may need to use more than one injection if your allergic reaction does not get better after the first shot. Your doctor will give you additional doses if you need more than 2 injections. If you are using Adrenalin®, you may inject every 5 to 10 minutes as needed.
- You may inject the medicine through your clothing, if you need to.
- Some liquid will remain in the autoinjector or vial after the medicine has been injected. This medicine cannot be reused. Give your used autoinjector or vial to your healthcare provider when you seek medical care.
- Carry this medicine with you at all times for emergency use in case you have a severe allergic reaction.
- Make sure family members or other people you are with know how to inject the medicine in case you are not able to do it yourself.
- Check your injection kits regularly to make sure the liquid has not changed color. It should be clear and colorless. Do not use the autoinjector, prefilled syringe, or vial if the liquid is discolored or cloudy, or if there are particles in it. You should not use the autoinjector or vial if the expiration date has passed.
- If you are using the epinephrine injection in a child, make sure to hold his leg firmly in place and limit movement before and during an injection.
- Store the injection kit at room temperature, away from heat, moisture, and direct light. Do not store the medicine in the refrigerator or freezer, or inside a car.
- Keep the autoinjector and prefilled syringe in its carrier tube or case to protect it from damage. This tube or case is not waterproof. If you accidentally drop it, check for damage or leaks.
- Throw away expired, unwanted, or unused EpiPen® or EpiPen Jr® in an FDA-cleared sharps container. Do not throw it away in the trash bin.
Drugs and Foods to Avoid:
Ask your doctor or pharmacist before using any other medicine, including over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal products.
- Some foods and medicines can affect how epinephrine works. Tell your doctor if you are using any of the following:
- Clonidine, digoxin, doxapram, levothyroxine, oxytocin, phentolamine, theophylline
- Blood pressure medicine (including propranolol)
- Certain allergy medicines (including chlorpheniramine, diphenhydramine, tripelennamine)
- Diuretic (water pill)
- Ergot medicines
- Medicine for heart rhythm problems
- Medicine to treat depression (including MAO inhibitors, TCAs)
- Nitrate medicine
- Steroid medicine
- Thyroid medicine
Warnings While Using This Medicine:
- Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, or if you have kidney disease, heart disease, asthma, diabetes, heart rhythm problems, high blood pressure, an overactive thyroid, or Parkinson disease.
- This medicine may cause the following problems:
- Serious skin infections at the injection site (including necrotizing fasciitis, myonecrosis)
- High blood pressure
- Pulmonary edema (fluid in the lungs)
- Kidney problems
- Heart and heart rhythm problems
- High blood sugar
- A severe allergic reaction is a medical emergency. Go to an emergency room as soon as possible, even if you feel better after you use this medicine.
- Do not inject this medicine into your buttocks, hands, fingers, toes, or feet. Go to the emergency room right away if you accidently inject epinephrine into any part of your body other than your thigh. Epinephrine reduces blood flow, and this could damage areas that have small blood vessels, including the hands and feet.
- Keep all medicine out of the reach of children. Never share your medicine with anyone.
Possible Side Effects While Using This Medicine:
Call your doctor right away if you notice any of these side effects:
- Chest pain, trouble breathing, blue lips and fingernails, swelling in the legs or ankles
- Decrease in how much or how often you urinate, bloody urine
- Dizziness, lightheadedness, or fainting
- Fast, pounding, or uneven heartbeat
- Heavy sweating, nausea, vomiting
- Persistent pain, redness, swelling, tenderness, or warmth at the injection site
- Tremors, shakiness
If you notice these less serious side effects, talk with your doctor:
- Feeling anxious, nervous, scared, or weak
- Pale skin
If you notice other side effects that you think are caused by this medicine, tell your doctor
Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088
Last Updated: 6/2/2022
The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed medical professional should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Call 911 for all medical emergencies. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites.
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text:
What have Anxiety and a delightful future have in common? Well for most people they are both in the future and both have not happened yet.
Anxiety is generally about planning a future that is pretty much crappy and undesired. Anxiety experts also tend not to have any conscious ending for the unpleasant events they imagine. This causes some more uncertainty and will tend to promote the anxiety cycle again. Structurally there is little difference if any between Delight and Anxiety. Clearly the content is evaluated in a kind of either great or terrible way.
NLP is well known for its process orientated approach over content or situational details. This short video from an NLP Practitioner training in Newcastle upon Tyne illustrates two NLP Operational Presupositions really nicely.
1. People have all the resources they need.
2. Structure ( or process ) is more useful than content and is a higher logical level.


text: A Boulder could be defined as, too large for a person to move alone. WE reference a boulder as about 20 inches and larger. Smaller material is usually just called mini boulders, or head size product. Boulders can be round, angular or cubed. Our materials is usually price by weight.


text:
What does Ante Meridiem and Post Meridiem mean in time?
They are Latin words ; Ante Meridiem (AM) means before midday and Post Meridiem (PM) means after midday.
AM and PM
Ante meridian simply means before noon, while post meridian means after noon. Each of these two periods have a total of 12 hours numbered, and you can find more details here _URL_


My Passion Project Research Paper
Since my original three branches that I selected as possibilities for my research paper were too broad, I have decided to go along the route of tourism and landmarks for my paper. I have decided to specifically focus upon Chichen Itza, the Aztec temple. I am going to basically do a report on the temple (its history, etc.), and then I'm going to talk about how it's had an effect on Mexico (due to tourism, etc.) I may also extended into the Aztec culture as well, but very seldomly. As a back-up paper (if this one doesn't turn out), I will research about the Incan civilization Machu Picchu.
Branches of Research Paper — Possiblities
As a part of my passion project on the geography and cultures encompassing the Earth, I have now been required to research and record the findings of my topic in an informative essay. In order to start, I am required to come up with 3 directions, relating to my passion project, in which I can go with this paper. One of the directions I have narrowed it down to are recreation, tourism, and sport geography. This consists of the study of leisure time activities and their effect on the world and the local environment. I have also narrowed it down to how a countries' status is personally related to these things (Is there a correlation between the two?) For my last direction in this informative essay, I have chose to go with the broad concept of how geography has affected the world today, an amalgamation, so to speak, of my first 2 ideas.
Interesting Facts About Ecuador!
1. Ecuador is one of the only two countries in South America that does not border Brazil.
2. Guinea Pig is considered to be a delicacy in Ecuador!
3. Ecuador is the smallest country in the Andean Highlands.
4. The Galapagos Islands is a part of present day Ecuador. It is known for its varieties of wildlife, including marine iguanas, shown in my image, and Galapagos tortoises.
5. Ecuador's capital is Quito, and it is situated at the base of a volcano! The volcano is called Pichincha, and it is a stratovolcano!
6. Chimborazo Volcano is the highest point in Ecuador at 6,268 meters, and its location along the equatorial bulge actually makes it the summit that's the farthest point on the Earth's surface from the Earth's center — Even higher than Everest!
7.The country is divided into 4 geographical regions – coastal lowlands, mountain highlands, eastern jungle lowlands, and the Galapagos Islands.
8. The majority of balsa wood in the world comes from Ecuador.
9. Ecuador is named for the equator, which runs through the country.
10. Ecuador was the first nation in 2008 to declare that nature has constitutional rights.
11. Ecuador's Independence Day is on August 10th.
Cool Facts about Finland!
1. In Finland, Donald Duck comics are banned because he does not wear trousers!
2. The longest palindromic word, SAIPPUAKIVIKAUPPIAS, comes from Finland, meaning a dealer of caustic soda.
Finland is the most educated country in the world.
Finland borders the Baltic Sea and is a Nordic/ Scandinavian Country.
Finish people drink more coffee than any other country in the world! (About 12 kg per year)
Finland is known to have more lakes than any other country in the world — 187, 888 lakes that are bigger than 5 acres in area.
Finland created a National Failure Day in 2010. By 2020 they plan to have an official flag day!
Rovio, the game design company that created Angry Birds is a Finnish company. Their headquarters are in a city called Espoo, near that of the capital Helsinki.
According to Finnish is the fourth hardest language for an American to learn. Other sites, however, say its easier to learn thanyou think.
Finland hosts a number of odd competitions such as wife carrying, mobile phone throwing, and boot throwing.
There are approximately 179, 584 islands within Finland.
The amount you get fined for speeding in Finland depends on the amount you earn.
When driving in Finland you have to keep your headlights on at all times.
There are approximately 2.2 million saunas in Finland and 0 payphones!
Synopsis of my Passion Project
When looking at my passion project, the main thing that could act as a hurdle is staying interested in the project. Many other passion projects have become less and less interesting to more and more people as the project went on, and I'm hoping to avoid that. I also plan to contact Mr. Lawhead to answer my researching questions for my Passion Project. I have finally learned the lesson that some people are only doing this project because they have too. I have also learned that it will be fun, enjoying, and easy to keep up with, in terms of the project, if and only if you feel truly passionate about the subject of your project (as well as the project itself).
Global Geography and Cultures!!
Welcome to Ryan's blog! This is a part of my Passion Project Genius Hour. For my Genius Hour project I'm planning on informing the world of all the geographic aspects around the world. This will hopefully be significant to the community due to the fact that its sometimes hard to find just the perfect thing in terms of geographical aspects people are looking for. I plan on educating the world overall on the geography around the world, and I plan on making this for everyone. Finally, I also plan on informing everybody about the cultures around the world. If I do, in fact pursue my passion in college, I plan on taking classes related to geography. With that, if I was to pursue a job in my passion, I would be hopeful to have a job where I could travel around the world while doing something interesting with that.


Copernicus Consulting is a boutique IT consulting firm
Blog Smartsheet
Collaborative Project Visibility: Why you need it and how to achieve it
The success of a project depends on two factorscollaboration between team members and project visibility. Without the two, communication between team members goes haywire and deadlines get pushed unwittingly, resulting in a colossal loss of time and resources.
While we have talked about collaboration in our other articles, project visibility is as important as collaboration and yet never gets discussed much. Especially in the fields of healthcare, pharma and insurance, project visibility can lead to well-informed decisions, which are a crucial aspect of these domains.
There are three main entities involved in a projectthe customer, the sponsors and the project team.
So naturally, the number of people involved in a project can be anywhere between a handful and a hundred!
And even if a single person in this chain isn't clear about his goals, progress or updates within the project, it will negatively impact the project.
This is why project visibility is essentialdefine all roles in the beginning and stick to it!
What is project visibility?
It is the real-time evaluation of a project, showing resource allocation, the progress of individual team members, metrics and risks.
It gives the team members in a project their exact objective and roles they need to play. This way, they know what to prioritize.
It also keeps the stakeholders informed every step of the way. Throughout the process, they may also identify the risks involved and take corrective actions quickly.
What factors contribute to the lack of project visibility?
There are primarily three factors that reduce project visibility and contribute to confusion:
 1. Multiple tools for project management and scheduling
This is a major factor to consider because we all know too many cooks spoil the broth! The best way to take care of project management is to have one tool, which has myriad features and also allows third-party integration so that you can hook up all the other tools you use with it.
So you have a centralized reservatory and one lace to track and report progress.
And guess who can help you in this tight spot?
It has dashboards for reporting and tracking and it allows a plethora of third-party integrations, including the very famous Slack, Trello and Zapier!
 1. Haphazard document storage
One location. That's all you need to effectively store all your documents and make them easily accessible for team members.
And that is exactly what Smartsheet will provide you with!
A centralized stash for all your documents so that you never have to go hunting for one!
 1. Miscommunication
Email+Slack+Sheets= No bueno!
If you thought multiple channel communication was going to ease up your communication, you're wrong! It will just lead to more confusion about updates and changes.
So, what you need is a dashboard and spreadsheets under it. Where every member gets to update their progress and others get to know via the dashboard itself!!
All the projects you see failing around you are doing so for these reasons, directly or indirectly. Which is why, to ensure project success, you have to make sure that you are covered on these three grounds!
And below, we are giving you a few tips on how you can do it seamlessly!
Tips to increase project visibility and collaboration:
 1. Use scheduling tools
Poor scheduling = Loss of resources.
It would be a shame if a part of the budget is lost because of improper scheduling. Use a simple tool to schedule all meetings and projects and then map the research and development progress onto these.
 1. Keep track of project centrally with a tool
Different people will be working on different aspects of the project. Since all the processes are interconnected, communication between them is of paramount importance.
A project management software like Smartsheet is the best option to keep track of the roles and responsibilities of all individual team members.
 1. Automate reporting
Project Management 101:
Focus n the important parts and blindly automate the rest.
Reporting takes up a lot of time which can be better spent on other activities.
If automated, these not only free up time, but also provides deeper, more objective insights into the project.
 1. Use dashboards instead of emails
You want to bring down your time-to-market?
Streamline communication. Period.
And the best way to do this is to ditch the emails and hop onto the dashboard system!
The message gets across faster and clearer and no extra effort needs to be put in.
This is one of the primary tenets of increased project visibility.
 1. Use a centralized location for document storage
Tracking down digital assets and finding the required information costs us time.
And time is money.
So we have a centralized repository which is more accessible, more scalable and provides customized metadata about the asset.
 1. Clearly define metrics beforehand
A simple hack to increase your project visibility!
Create a dashboard and feed your goals in term of metrics. Then, everyone will know what is expected of them!
 1. Tools for doc review
Another time-saving tip! Simply use Slack for this and hook it up to Smartsheet!
Now for the card up our sleeve!
We know exactly the tool that can help resolve all your project visibility and collaboration issuesin a go!
Deemed one of the project management software around for larger companies, Smartsheet has helped resolve data management, project management and low project visibility for even Fortune 500 companies!
Today, let us take a leaf out of Providence Medical Group's book!
They took on Smartsheet for three specific reasons:
 - Secure management of data
 - Improve project visibility
 - Centralize information
And this is no joke since we're talking about a company that boasts of a workforce of more than 10,000.
Smartsheet has helped this Oregon-based company overcome a colossal waste of time used in the attestation of checklists by health workers. Gess, where the saved time goes now?
Better care for patients!
Here's what Keisha Smith, program manager for Providence Medical Group has to say about her seamless experience with Smartsheet:
"If we are requesting that a clinic do something and they're struggling for some reason, they can look at the dashboard and reach out to another clinic that has completed that standard, engage with them, and take back some tools to help their clinic be successful as well. Allowing that transparency offers us the opportunity to work together more closely as a team and ask more questions."
Now Smartsheet is a key member of their IT team and has been helping them with more and more functions.
So if you're ready to improve project visibility and boost business too, you're in the right place!
All you have to do is send us an email and we'll hop onto a call.
This is one investment you will not regret!
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4 Challenges Holding Back Swarm Robotics
The main factors holding back swarming robotics are the stigma of widespread robots, the lack of reliable communications, readily available distributed algorithms, and the cost of individual robots. However, these are quickly changing and the concerns can be mitigated by designing safeguards into these complex systems.
Photo Caption: A Transwheel robot robot could work alone to deliver small packages, but a group of Transwheel robots could work together to deliver large packages.
Working in the robotics space, I've been hearing about the robot revolution forever. It's 2015, and instead of Jetsons-like technology taking care of the elderly, keeping our streets safe and delivering packages, all we have is the odd robot that can vacuum or mow the lawn.
Why aren't robots pervasive? Why don't we see groups of robots working together? Why aren't there swarming drones for improved disaster response and unique vehicles for transportation. Many of these applications are still stuck in the lab or still in concept phase.
Here are some of the challenges slowing the adoption of these type of multi-robot swarms.
Cost of Individual Robots
Robots seem to be priced based off the traditional cost of robotic arms used in industrial automation and manufacturing. This is what the industry typically calls a robot. These types of robots can cost up to $100,000 - but they are used to manufacture cars, cellphones and other high volume, high priced products. The people who build robots are also very expensive - they are typically electrical, computer engineers and computer scientists. In some cases they have advanced degrees.
The sensors, cameras, motors and other parts that make the robot work are all expensive. And they often end up costing even more to integrate into a fully functioning robot because these parts are typically not created for robots, but are being adapted from some other type of application. One of the reasons why DJI and 3D Robotics are able to make cost-effective robots sold at around $1000 is because some of the key sensors (accelerometer, gyroscope, GPS) have become insanely cheap from the scale of mobile phones.
Robots of the past.
This hasn't made it's way into everything though - robot vision depends on technology like LIDAR, which is often very expensive (although some LIDARlight types of sensors are becoming more available). As sensors and other components designed specifically for robots become cheaper, robots themselves will eventually decline in price. I go into more detail about why the costs of robots are high in a couple of previous articles here and here.
Lack of Coordinated Algorithms and Applications
As the price of robots comes down, the next major factor holding back swarming is the lack of coordinated algorithms. It is still often very hard for an individual robot to solve a problem on it's own - and due to the cost, researchers and companies typically stick with a single robot. However, as individual robots get better and cheaper it will quickly make more sense to deploy groups of robots to tackle tasks quicker - divide and conquer.
Imagine a single robot tractor harvesting crops in a really big field - it might take a week on its own. If you add another robot and they can coordinate which side of the field to tackle, the time could potentially be cut in half. In this type of problem, coordination is fairly routine. However, it quickly becomes more difficult. Imagine groups of drones flying in formation. They need to exchange positions, direction of motion, pitch, yaw, roll, and they may need to also keep track of information about the task they are solving.
Right now drones are rarely autonomous, and at best they might have automatic gimbal control or autonomous take-off and landing. Because there is a lack of coordinated algorithms readily available, it makes it difficult to imagine what is even possible with groups of robots. Typically it is limited to a few toy applications, art shows and tech demos with few practical applications.
A single robot vision system is complex enough, can you imagine the difficulty in scaling this to multiple robots?
About the Author
Jason Ernst · Jason Ernst, PhD Candidate, CS, is the CTO of Redtree Robotics. Ernst took first place in CODE 2014, Canada's largest hackathon with 930 participants. Redtree Robotics develops the Hydra chipset, which is designed for communication between more than one robot.
Contact Jason Ernst: _EMAIL_ · View More by Jason Ernst.
Follow Jason on Twitter.
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Defra's UK climate-proofing plans unveiled
Roads built to the same standards as the scorching south of France; fish moved from the overheated Lake District to cooler waters in Scotland; lighthouses threatened by rising seas.
From measures in use already to seemingly far-fetched scenarios for the future, these are some of the findings in the first batch of climate adaptation plans submitted to the environment ministry Defra.
Under the Climate Change Act, 91 major organisations responsible for key aspects of national infrastructure have to explain how they will cope if the climate alters as forecast.
The latest projections suggest the potential for major change - for example that it is "very likely" that southern England will on average be 2.2-6.8C warmer by the 2080s.
That range of possible warming reveals the huge uncertainties inherent in climate forecasting. Nevertheless the aim of the studies is to ensure that long-term planning takes account of the possible risks.Rocky road
Many of the ideas for adaptation have been aired before but this is the first time they have been brought together in a formal set of strategies.
In its plan, the Highways Agency recognises the risk of roads deteriorating more rapidly in higher temperatures and more frequent extreme weather.
One solution, adopted in 2008, is to copy the specifications for road foundations used in southern France.
The Environment Agency warns that rising temperatures will be stressful for wildlife - with fish at the greatest risk.
It raises the radical option of relocating some fish species from the Lake District to habitats further north where the waters will be cooler.
The Trinity House Lighthouse Authority - which runs 68 lighthouses on the English and Welsh coasts - reckons the majority of its installations will face no impact.
But it details four lighthouses that would be threatened by sea-level rise unless action is taken, with a further nine whose landing docks may be at risk in future.
Trinity House estimates that five lighthouses may suffer from the erosion of the cliffs they stand on - but points out that this process may have nothing to do with climate change.Waves on the track
Network Rail raises concerns about keeping passengers cool in heatwaves, ensuring that rail lines do not buckle in high temperatures and preventing embankments collapsing as a result of flooding.
One of its most vulnerable stretches of track is on the south Devon coast between Dawlish and Teignmouth where storms have often seen waves break over the line.
Network Rail says the sea level at this point has risen 30cm since 1840 and is projected to rise by a further 70cm by 2050 and 1.45m by 2100. The risk of the track being 'overtopped' is predicted to increase by 50% by 2020 and to treble by 2080.
It has already invested £8.5m in the past 10 years in fortifying the sea defences and establishing an early warning system to watch for rockfalls from the cliffs.
Network Rail believes it is "ahead of the game" by planning for future changes but warns that any adaptation will need to be dove-tailed with flood protection schemes for neighbouring Teignmouth and Dawlish.
National Grid has submitted two reports - for gas and electricity. On gas, it warns that pipes could become exposed through subsidence or erosion and it is working to replace old metal pipes with ones made of polyethylene.
On electricity, it identifies 13 substations - unnamed - that are vulnerable to a one-in-a-century flood - a relatively high risk for such important assets.
The 2007 floods had provided a wake-up for the industry when a vital substation at Walham in Gloucester - serving tens of thousands of households - was almost overwhelmed.
Later this year, power companies, water utilities, harbour authorities and others will submit their plans, leading ultimately to a national adaptation strategy.


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Photographs by Ken Richardson
Diagnostics for All, a nonprofit in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is making a test for liver damage that could cost just pennies. It consists, remarkably, of a stamp-size square of paper with wells that change color when a drop of blood is applied.
The test could provide an enormous benefit in poor countries, where liver damage is widespread as a side effect of drugs administered to HIV and tuberculosis patients. (As many as one-fourth of people taking antiretroviral drugs in the poor world develop liver problems—five times the rate elsewhere.) The liver function tests administered regularly in the developed world require tubes of blood, lab equipment, and electricity. The paper chip from Diagnostics for All needs none of that.
The test uses patterned channels and wells to allow for filtering and multistep reactions; the technology originated in the lab of Harvard chemist George Whitesides, who pioneered this method, and was licensed from Harvard (see "Paper Diagnostics"). The paper absorbs sample fluids and uses capillary action to convey them to the test wells imprinted on it. These wells are spotted with chemicals that change color when they react with certain markers in a liquid.
The chip is meant to work simply with little additional equipment, making it suitable for the poorest regions. "This is a world in which there are very few resources—that is to say, almost no money, very few doctors, no electricity in many places, no refrigeration," Whitesides says. "The conditions are such that it's very difficult to imagine how you deliver even pretty straightforward health care."
Five years after the company was formed, Diagnostics for All, which is led by biotech executive Una Ryan and sustained by grants from the Gates Foundation and others, is moving toward a viable product. The first trial of the liver test is in progress on HIV patients at a hospital in Vietnam. Funding, manufacturing, and distribution models are still being worked out, but the company can make between 500 and 1,000 tests per day at its Cambridge facility and hopes to obtain regulatory approvals so that the liver test can reach patients by 2014, says Jason Rolland, who leads engineering efforts as the company's senior director of research.
DFA (as the company is known) is working on other paper-based diagnostics: an assay that detects antigens for multiple diseases, including malaria and dengue fever; a test for preëclampsia in pregnant women; and even nucleic-acid tests to detect pathogens in blood. The company is also developing tests that farmers could use to check for foodborne toxins. In all cases, results can be interpreted by a clinician or a smartphone app, after which test patches can be incinerated. They are, after all, just paper.
Paper is printed with wax to define zones for 55 tests. Each test measures two liver enzymes. Finished tests include a sandwich of two such sheets.
The sheets are baked for 30 seconds at 130 °C to allow the wax to melt completely through the paper's 0.2-millimeter thickness.
The test wells are wax-free circles two millimeters across.
Measured amounts of the reactant chemicals are deposited on each of the two sheets. The first sheet gets reagents that react with enzymes. The second sheet (shown here) gets dyes that change color if exposed to products released by the first reactions.
The two sheets are fused together with adhesives in a press.
An adhesive sheet with circular blood filters is prepared. Later, this sheet is affixed to the fused paper sheets. Only plasma reaches the paper layers.
In a final step, a protective laminate is affixed to the top of the package.
The completed tests are cut into individual squares.
A drop of blood first encounters a plasma filter. The plasma then wicks through test wells on the two layers of paper.
Test results take about 15 minutes to appear. At left is the back of an unused test; at right, one activated with blood.
The results (right) show that the blood has normal enzyme levels, as indicated by the color in the top wells. The other four wells are controls that tell whether the test worked properly.
The scale in this guide offers a way to gauge the level of enzymes present. Clinicians could use this information to change a drug regimen or order additional tests.


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history of Bono
The kings of Bono are said to have played a major role in the gold-mining industry; both Obunumankoma (flourished c. 1450–75) and ʿAlī Kwame (flourished c. 1550–60) are thought to have introduced new mining techniques from the western Sudan to the Akan fields, and Owusu Aduam (flourished c. 1650) is reported to have completely reorganized the industry. From...
What made you want to look up "Obunumankoma"? Please share what surprised you most...


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The envelope theorem is used to solve maximization problems in the fields of microeconomics and finance. It is a fundamental result in the calculus of variations and is therefore often used in large deviations research.
We verify that the envelope theorem holds for the log-likelihood function when the underlying data are generated from a normal distribution. The evidence that the theorem is true is that the top and bottom pictures in the Demonstration are identical.
We explain the envelope theorem by way of a concrete example.
The log-likelihood maximization problem is to find parameters such that
Fix and define a new function such that
Now we view. Then the envelope theorem says that
The functions and are plotted in the top and bottom parts of the Demonstration output, respectively.
Roughly speaking, then, the envelope theorem says that fixing, maximizing over, and then taking the derivative with respect to is the same as taking the derivative with respect to, then fixing, and then substituting for the fixed the particular that maximizes.


5 Advantages of Starting to Invest at an Early Age
Many people would like to start investing now but continue to tell themselves that they will begin when they make more money someday or due to uncertainty in the market or waiting till they attain a certain level before giving it a go.
This is the whole problem: postponing investment can continue for a long time and sometimes later becomes never.
Studies show that around 40% of people have experienced financial loss due to procrastination. While waiting for the right time to invest, you may be missing out on some potential benefits. Thus the sooner you start investing, the more likely you will benefit from it in the long run.
long-term returns
If you are interested in investing, here are five reasons to start now.
1. Start Small, Grow Big
For most people, starting to invest young means that the sums invested at the beginning are not staggering. This should not be a problem, and the myth that you already have to have a lot of money to start investing should be ignored.
Moreover, it is more interesting to start investing small amounts from an early age and enjoying long-term returns rather than launching your career as an investor with more significant amounts at an advanced age. These investments, although initially modest, can open doors to the realization of life projects, allow to calmly anticipate retirement or generate additional income.
2. Freedom To Make Diversified Investments
"Diversified investment" allows you to select multiple financial products instead of narrowing them down to one.
Young people have the advantage of diversifying their capital to various investments, they can invest in real estate, stocks, bonds, cryptocurrency against an older person who would favour investing in only one source.
3. Time
While money may not be in abundance at an early age, young people have one advantage: time. You can start building your investment portfolio at any age, but the earlier, the better. Every minute you delay, you are giving up your most valuable asset: time.
You can start with the smallest amount by investing early rather than waiting to stump up a massive amount of money down the years, hoping that you will have more then.
4. Compound Interest
Investing early also has another considerable advantage: Compound interest. Compound interest simply means your money makes more money for you, and then you make more with the money your money makes. The longer your compound interest accumulates, the greater your profit will be over time.
5. Opportunities to Learn To Invest
The investment world is full of opportunities but also of complexities. However, Young investors have the time and flexibility to explore investing and learn from their successes and failures. In the long run, successful investment requires some experience, and it is by doing that experience is obtained.
Young people have certain advantages over those waiting for the right and appropriate time to start investing. Even if you need to start small, investing early is in your best interest. Your future will thank you for it.
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A new study investigates the navigation capabilities of bats from birth to maturity
For the first time in history, researchers at Tel Aviv University tracked fruit bats from birth to maturity, in an attempt to understand how they navigate when flying long distances. The surprising results: Fruit bats, just like humans, build a visual cognitive map of the space around them, making use of conspicuous landmarks.
In this case, bat pups from Tel Aviv University came to know the city by looking for large unique structures such as the Azrieli Towers, the Dizengoff Center etc. The groundbreaking study was conducted by Prof. Yossi Yovel, together with students Amitai Katz, Lee Harten, Aya Goldstein and Michal Handel from the Sensory Perception and Cognition Laboratory at the Department of Zoology. The paper was published in July 2020 as the cover story of the prestigious Science Magazine.
„How animals are able to navigate over long distances is an ancient riddle," explains Prof. Yovel. „Bats are considered world champions of navigation: they fly dozens of kilometers in just a few hours, and then come back to the starting point. For this study we used tiny GPS devices – the smallest in the world, developed by our team, in an experiment never attempted before: tracking bat pups from the moment they spread their wings until they reach maturity, in order to understand how their navigation capabilities develop. No such study has ever been conducted on any living creature, and the findings are very interesting."
The researchers monitored 22 fruit bat pups born in a colony raised at TAU – from infancy to maturity, tracking them as they scoured the city for food. The results show that Tel Aviv bats navigate the space around them in much the same way as the city's human inhabitants.
„Bats use their sonar to navigate over short distances – near a tree, for example," says Prof. Yovel. „The sonar doesn't work for greater distances. For this, fruit-bats use their vision. Altogether we mapped about 2000 bat flight-nights in Tel Aviv. We found that bats construct a mental map: They learn to identify and use salient visual landmarks such as the Azrieli Towers, the Reading Power Station and other distinct features that serve as visual indicators. The most distinct proof of this map lies in their ability to perform shortcuts. Like humans, bats at some stage get from one point to another via direct new routes not previously taken. Since we knew the flight history of each bat since infancy, we could always tell when a specific bat took a certain shortcut for the first time. We discovered that when taking new, unknown routes the bats flew above the buildings. Sending up drones to the altitude and location where a bat had been observed, we found that the city's towers were clearly visible from this high angle. Here is another amazing example of how animals make use of manmade features."


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A statistical relationship between spring Arctic sea ice concentration (SIC) and Chinese summer rainfall is identified using singular value decomposition (SVD). Results show that decreased (increased) spring SIC in the Arctic Ocean and the Greenland Sea corresponds to increased (decreased) summer rainfall in northeast China and central China between the Yangtze River and the Yellow River (28 degrees-36 degrees N); and decreased (increased) rainfall in south China. Corresponding summer 500 hPa height anomalies show a Eurasian wave train structure, which originates in northern Europe and extends southeastwards to northeast China, and a south-north dipole structure over East Asia south to Lake Baikal. Such a spatial distribution of 500 hPa height anomalies and corresponding summer rainfall anomalies cannot be entirely attributed to the impact of East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) variability. The spring Arctic SIC provides a complementary precursor for Chinese summer rainfall variability. The combined impacts of both spring Arctic SIC and Eurasian snow cover on the Eurasian wave train may explain their statistical linkage. Citation: Wu, B., R. Zhang, B. Wang, and R. D'Arrigo (2009), On the association between spring Arctic sea ice concentration and Chinese summer rainfall, Geophys. Res. Lett., 36, L09501, doi: 10.1029/2009GL037299.
443RQTimes Cited:1Cited References Count:21


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Even as a young organization, our work was effective and got noticed.
CBF's earliest legal case, arguing for evaluating the environmental impacts of a nuclear power plant at Calvert Cliffs, was the first in the U.S. to be decided under the National Environment Policy Act (NEPA). The court ruling, now hailed as a landmark of U.S. environmental law, requires federal agencies to conduct detailed environmental review on proposed actions.
The Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C. Photo by Michael McCloskey.
Middle school students enjoy a Headwaters to Bay course on Fox Island. Photo by Tiffany Granbert/CBF Staff.
CBF made Bay-focused environmental education for school children and teachers a reality at an environmental education center on Meredith Creek near Annapolis. This award-winning program expanded with the christening of CBF's first mobile canoe fleet, the acquisition of CBF's first and second residential island centers on Great Fox Island and Smith Island, and the commissioning of a 42-foot workboat for student trips in Baltimore Harbor.
Tidal wetland loss decreased by more than 90 percent after CBF pressed for strict enforcement of Maryland's new Tidal Wetlands Act.
The construction of an oil refinery in Hampton Roads, Virginia, was halted after CBF forced an environmental impact study that challenged the U.S. Corps of Engineers' permit for the project.
Following the Three Mile Island nuclear accident on the lower Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania, CBF prompted the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to prepare and make public an environmental impact statement regarding the cleanup and to refrain from releasing accident-generated water into the river unless justified by the study.
Authorities denied the permit for a power plant location following CBF's opposition to the proposed site on the banks of the Potomac River near one of the most important striped bass spawning areas in the mid-Atlantic region.


text: This paper presents arguments for recognising and tackling Hepatitis C (HCV) as a major challenge for social work. Despite repeated warnings from a variety of sources and thousands of new infections each year, successive governments have failed to address a public health emergency of immense proportions—the HCV epidemic. The implications for social work are significant. Social care workers, particularly those working with physically disabled adults or older adults, will find themselves with vastly increased caseloads as HCV diagnoses increase. This will necessitate them being able to adequately support families in a non-judgemental and non-stigmatising manner, which will mean a significant expansion of training and awareness-raising among professionals, in addition to strong inter-agency links and a transparent integrated care pathway.


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Dr. Gina Cleo is the Director of Habit Change Institute; the company providing comprehensive courses that help you to become a certified Habit Change Practitioner in areas like business, sustainability, wellness, and many more.
Dr. Cleo has provided us with some advice on how to achieve a sense of financial wellbeing with these four easy tips from a research study conducted by Commbank:
- Automate your bills and savings – Set up default systems so you're not depending on your willpower. For example, set up an automatic transfer that scoops money into a savings account every time you get paid. In the same way, set automatic payments for your regular bills. More automation means less brain space required.
- Ensure you always check your balance – Seventy per cent of Millennials say that being on top of their finances makes them feel most accomplished, this includes knowing how much money is in their bank account. Create a habit of checking your bank balance twice a week. Habits are formed best when you do them at the same time of day (e.g., 7pm). To help you get started, use a recurring alarm as a reminder. With time and consistency, checking your bank balance will become an automatic habit.
- Keep a diary/ record your spending – Keeping a diary will help keep you on track and better manage your finances. Using tools such as Bill Sense feature in the CommBank app is really handy, as it helps you to predict upcoming bills, enabling you to stick to your budget and stay on top of your finances without any surprises!
- Keep your focus on consistency – Strike a balance with your savings by putting away realistic amounts of money each week. Trying to save too much and not enjoying life could result in you falling off the wagon and abandoning your financial goals altogether. Start small, there's no need to cut out all of life's pleasures