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Also Born on December 24
Who Shares Your Birthday?
The Day You Were Born
The Year You Were Born
1809–68, American frontiersman and guide.
Born in Madison co., Ky. In 1811 he moved with his family to the Missouri frontier. After his father's death, he was apprenticed to a saddler in Old Franklin, an outfitting point on the Santa Fe Trail, but in 1826 he ran away, joining a caravan for Santa Fe and continuing on to Taos, N.Mex., which became his home and his headquarters. For the next 14 years he made his living as a teamster, cook, guide, and hunter for exploring parties. In 1842, while returning from St. Louis by boat up the Missouri, he met J. C. Frémont, who employed him as a guide for his Western expeditions of 1842, 1843–44, and 1845. He became famous as a result of Frémont's reports of his skill and courage. After Los Angeles was taken in 1846 by U.S. military forces, he was ordered to Washington with dispatches. In New Mexico he met Gen. Stephen Kearny's troops, and Kearny commanded him to guide his forces to California. When Kearny's men were surrounded in California, Carson, E. F. Beale, and a Native American made their way by night through enemy lines to secure aid from San Diego. In 1847 and again in 1848, Carson was sent east with dispatches. He determined to retire to a sheep ranch near Taos, but plundering by Native Americans compelled him to continue as an Indian fighter. In 1853 he was appointed U.S. Indian agent, with headquarters at Taos, a position he filled with notable success. At the outbreak of the Civil War he helped organize and commanded the 1st New Mexican Volunteers, who engaged in campaigns against the Apache, Navajo, and Comanche in New Mexico and Texas. At the end of the war he was made a brigadier general, in command (1866–67) of Fort Garland, Colo.
See his autobiography (ed. by B. C. Grant, 1926; ed. by M. M. Quaife, 1935); biographies by S. Vestal (1928) and M. M. Estergreen (1962, repr. 1967); E. L. Sabin, Kit Carson Days (rev. ed. 1935).
Yesterday's Birthdays | Tomorrow's Birthdays
Who2. Copyright © _PHONE_ by Who2?, LLC. All rights reserved.


Kindle 3, quality, and time
Two things about the Kindle 3 have been trapezing through my head and this post is the only way to tie them together –
 1. Amazon spent 3 years before the release of the Kindle working on it and it's been 2.75 years since it was released. This is courtesy the Charlie Rose show with Amazon's CEO. That's nearly 6 years and Kindle 3 is the outcome of all that effort.
 2. Someone at Pixar mentioned in an article that 'Pixar movies don't get finished they just get released'.
Is there a relationship between time and thought put into a product and its quality? Is the Kindle 3 an example of that?
Let's start with the first.
Are Quality of a Product and Time taken to produce it interwoven?
Outliers and Talent is Overrated and other books talk a lot about how it takes 10,000 hours of deliberate practice to master a skill and become an expert. They also say that this usually takes a period of 10 years. What about applying that expert skill set (perhaps along with dozens or even hundreds of other people's expert skill sets) to produce a masterpiece?
How long does it take to produce a masterpiece? Is it of the order of 10,000 hours or 10 years (just like mastering a skill)?
If we look around us we get a very interesting range of timelines –
 1. You could argue that a master shoemaker like Jimmy Choo is able to produce a masterpiece in a few days. However, which of those masterpieces is going to last for centuries and how long did that particular idea germinate in his mind?
 2. What about authors – How long does it take an author to create a masterpiece? Is thinking about the book included or do we just include the writing?
 3. Look at the Kindle 3 and you get the feeling the 10 year time-line seems about right – It does seem Kindle 3 is 60% of the way to perfection.
 4. If we believe Steve Jobs' claim that he conceived of the iPad and iPhone in 2000 (he says he thought of the iPad before the iPhone) we're looking at iPhone 4 as the 4th release and the culmination of 10 years of thought and work. The iPad, even in its first release, probably represents quite a few years of work – You could also argue that all the work on the iPhone transferred over.
 5. With the Internet there is a sense of it taking just a few years to create a great product. Is that true? If so, where are the great products? You could argue Google and Craigslist and Wikipedia are masterpieces – Well, they weren't exactly quick hits. They're amongst the few Internet productions that are near masterpiece quality in impact.
 6. How long does it take to make a great movie? Do we include the script? Do we include time taken to write the book if it's based on a book?
 7. What about sports? If we watch a performance and consider it one of the greatest ever (let's say Roger Bannister breaking the 4 minute mile mark) do we count just those 3 minutes and 59.4 seconds or do we also count all the training put into it.
The one thing we notice is that, except for the shoe-making example, masterpieces seem to be taking multiple years to produce – usually 5 to 10. You could argue that even with shoemaking a truly innovative design or breakthrough probably takes multiple years to conceive and develop.
Are the Kindle and the Nook on their way to being masterpieces?
There are things about the Nook and Sony Reader that drive users mad – for the Nook it's the awkward LCD touchscreen and for the Sony it's the lack of thought into how the touchscreen is used. Perhaps these are just manifestations of less effort and time being put in.
It's quite likely that with time and effort Nook and Sony Reader will rival the level of polish of some of the products that you would consider masterpieces (and for the record don't think Kindle 3 is there yet).
Take the Nook – It's probably 1.5 years to 2 years worth of effort. There will obviously be far more bugs and usability issues than with the Kindle 3 which represents 6 years of effort. However, it's done a pretty good job of rivaling the Kindle. If B&N keeps pouring effort and time into it the Nook may very well be one of the two or three eReaders that survive the eReader wars.
That brings us to the Kindle and, in particular, to the Kindle 3.
How close is Kindle 3 to being a masterpiece?
There are a few things that make you feel it's really close –
 1. The improved eInk screen.
 2. The size and battery life.
 3. The price of the Kindle WiFi.
 4. The infrastructure. You could argue that WhisperNet is a year or two away from being something of undiluted beauty.
 5. The Kindle Store. The Store actually seems a little behind – perhaps halfway to where it needs to be. However, every other store is still learning to walk so the Kindle Store seems vastly better in comparison.
 6. The family sharing feature – You have to admit it's a super useful feature.
 7. The Text to speech feature and the Voice Guide.
There are definitely a lot of signs that Kindle 3 has a shot at achieving perfection and that it might do so in the next 2 to 5 years.
There are also some clear signs that it's not there yet –
 1. There's still no writing aspect. To make things worse Kindle 3 doesn't have a row of number keys. If we're going to replace paper with Kindle we need to be able to write on the Kindle.
 2. It's dependent on eInk (the company). Which means no color and no touch. Perhaps Qualcomm Mirasol will solve this problem.
 3. There's too much of a tendency to do bit releases. Whether its PDF support or accessibility you get the feeling Amazon prefers to release experimental features and then build on them. Not sure if this gets in the way of quality or whether it helps by providing quicker feedback.
There are lots of other small signs that we aren't there yet. You could argue that the price could be a little lower and while it's unfair given how recently we were at $299 it's valid from a long-term perspective.
What could stop Kindle from becoming a masterpiece? Could another eReader beat it and get there first?
In a way Kindle 3 illustrates both that the Kindle is likely to get to perfection first and that it isn't yet a done deal.
Kindle might not be the first eReader to reach this imaginary 'masterpiece' designation because it's dependent on eInk and copying takes far less time than conceiving and creating a completely new product. Look at the first Nook – It took almost every single Kindle pain point and incorporated it in. That along with the dual screen design allowed Nook to be a worthy challenger. At any given time a Kindle, for example the current Kindle 3, has only a 6-9 month window before all the best ideas are copied and replicated and a solid competitor shows up.
If the competitor is also using its own strengths i.e. library books, ePub, etc. then it becomes easier for it to make up for the additional time and effort put into the Kindle. Fundamentally, the need to keep Kindle ebook revenue intact slows down the Kindle's progress towards perfection. At some point of time the Kindle will have to let go of the ebook revenue stream if it really wants to create the absolutely perfect eReader (let go = let readers decide).
The two ways Kindle could miss
At the moment there isn't anything that could stop the Kindle from becoming a masterpiece except the death of dedicated eReaders. Since that's looking less and less likely we can look forward to seeing some truly exceptional eReaders in the future.
There's another risk – It is possible that the Kindle gets 90% of the way there and then another eReader copies most of the good, adds in the few missing features (that Amazon won't add since it wants to preserve its ebook revenue stream), and hits perfection before the Kindle does.
It'll be interesting to see what Amazon decides if it's faced with that decision – Would it give up the ebook revenue stream to ensure its the first perfect eReader? Would it hang on to ebook revenue and find another way to reach perfection? Would it value its two profitable revenue streams more than making the Kindle perfect?
You could look at the Kindle 3 and see it as a sign the Kindle is well on its way to being a masterpiece. However, the ending of the story hasn't yet been written.
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Harmony, Balance, Distribution, Feminity, Love
The Pentaflor is a symbol constructed with ten golden spirals arranged on a pentagon. Its mathematical basis is the Fibonacci numerical sequence or sequence of life.
Its dodecahedral form represents the fifth element (ether, prana, chi), which is considered the feminine power of creation.This symbol of Power helps us regenerate the effects of stress, restores memory Intellectual and cellular of the body, it makes possible the reunion with your Being, develops your intuition, helps to get rid of emotional or physical vices.
 - Quantum Resonance Plate with Sacred Geometry
 - 24-pointed star: this number is related to emotional maturity, deep understanding of the emotional side of life.
 - Brass: Music, energy resonance and secrets are associated
 - Bronze Powder: Used in rituals to attract money or healing. Protective properties are attributed to the pieces of goldsmith's made of bronze, to return the negative energy to the originator. It is very related to the sound, so Tibetan bowls and bells are typical, whose sound is cleansing.
Handmade (With lot of LOVE).
Approximate diameter: 5.5 cm.
We do not cover damage caused by accidents.
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In this Khutbah:
- Why do we love Allaah and His Messenger (sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam)?
- How do we actualise our love of the Prophet (sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam)?
- What was the statement of the Prophet that the companions would rejoice at?
- When was the Mawlid first introduced to Islaam?

source: openbmb/Ultra-FineWeb


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The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing. (Albert Einstein)
The Treatment Centre for Victims of Torture (TZFO), opened in1995, was the first standard treatment centre in Switzerland for refugee victims of torture and war. A scientific study commissioned by the Swiss Red Cross ("The Language of Extreme Violence", H.R. Wicker, 1991) provided the basis. According to the study, a quarter of the recognized refugees living in Switzerland were victims of systematic torture in their home country.
In 2002, the treatment centre was renamed the Swiss Red Cross Outpatient Clinic for Victims of Torture and War (AFK) and integrated into the Swiss Red Cross Centre for Migration and Health. The Swiss Red Cross AFK is now part of the Department of Health and Integration and forms a permanent feature of what the Swiss Red Cross offers as standard. It employs 13 established specialists in the fields of psychology, psychotherapy, psychiatry, medicine, and welfare advice, and three secretarial and administrative staff. The work of the specialists is supported by around 25 translators in over 20 languages.

source: HuggingFaceFW/fineweb-edu


Would you (or someone else) be willing to explain the Haskell code to me or P5ers who don't know Haskell?
With license:
=== haskell === --data type Tree is --either -- a Leaf containing a single item (of type a) -- or -- a Node containing two subtrees (that can have leaves of type a) data Tree a = Leaf a | Node (Tree a) (Tree a) -- and it inherits'methods' / 'roles' from types Show and Eq, deriving (Show, Eq) -- Fringe is a function that extracts a list of type a from a tree con +taining type a fringe :: Tree a -> [a] -- If its argument is of type leaf -- it returns a single element list containing the element held in the + leaf fringe (Leaf x) = [x] -- If its argument is a Node -- it returns the list returned by the left subtree -- concatenated to the list returned by the right subtree fringe (Node n1 n2) = fringe n1 ++ fringe n2 -- sameFringe takes two Trees as its arguments -- and uses the == method inherited/included from the Eq role -- to compare the lists returned from the two trees for equality -- returning true if they are the same. sameFringe :: (Eq a) => Tree a -> Tree a -> Bool sameFringe t1 t2 = fringe t1 == fringe t2
Personally, I find the Perl6 far easier to read. I'd be very happy to use Perl6 if it had threading and ran at perl5 speed.
In the absence of evidence, opinion is indistinguishable from prejudice.
In reply to Re: Haskell vs Perl 6 (was Re: Capturing parenthesis and grouping square brackets) by BrowserUk
in thread Capturing parenthesis and grouping square brackets by Eily
and: code here
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Welcome to my blog! Let's begin by setting the scene…
In December 2011 the Cabinet Office published the Information Principles for the UK Public Sector as part of the wider UK Government ICT Strategy. The National Archives both helped in the development of these Principles, and continues to support the public sector in implementing them.
How do you write an accessible blog about this piece of guidance, I hear you ask? Well, whilst watching The Shawshank Redemption last night I had an idea: Could I explain how the seven Information Principles work using examples taken from the movies?
So here they are, the Information Principles at the movies. (Caution: spoiler alert!)
1. Information is a valued asset: Blair Witch Project (1999)
Three hapless American teens are trying to escape the woods and the elusive 'Blair Witch'. Their only reliable means of navigation is a map, which is thrown into a river by one of the characters, leaving them lost in the woods to be killed by the witch.
This low budget horror flick is a simple analogy for valuing information. The map is an information asset; it holds the key to achieving their requirements (namely, survival). Having failed to value it, they end up doomed to waste time and resources, and are ultimately killed off by the Blair Witch.
2. Information is managed: Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002)
The Jedi Temple is home to the Jedi archives – seen as the definitive resource for information about the galaxy. When Obi-Wan Kenobi questions the omission of a particular planet, the archivist replies "if an item doesn't appear in our records, it does not exist…"
In the movie, the archives have been altered by a rogue Jedi looking to hide the existence of a Clone army. Good information management means that we know when records are moved or deleted through authorised and auditable processes. If we don't protect our information and understand where it is, then our information can't protect us.


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Large-scale design optimization lab
The large-scale design optimization laboratory (LSDO lab) is part of the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of California San Diego.
Our research lab develops efficient optimization methods for the design and operation of engineering vehicles. We specialize in methods that solve large-scale optimization problems involving up to tens of thousands of design variables.
The Background page provides an introduction to large-scale optimization, reviews the state of the art, and highlights some of our previous work in this field. The Research page presents a more comprehensive description of our past and ongoing research topics.
Our vision for the future is optimization-based design of engineering systems. In many engineering applications (e.g., the design of commercial airliners), the computing age has enabled the gradual replacement or augmentation of physical experiments with simulations using computational models. Today, tools such as computational fluid dynamics and finite element analysis have become sufficiently robust and efficient that they are tightly integrated into the workflow of an industrial engineer. In the future, we envision large-scale numerical optimization having a similarly large role in practical engineering design. This would come with much larger potential benefits since optimization algorithms can automate certain parts of design, freeing the engineer's time and attention on higher level and more significant aspects of the design. The LSDO lab's past and future research is directed towards the improvements in efficiency, robustness, and simplicity of optimization methods, that are necessary to make this vision a reality.


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The King with Learning Difficulties: Charles II of Spain _PHONE_
In the 20th century, the British Royal Family hid away some of its members who had disabilities. In contrast, in the 17th century Charles II of Spain was helped to rule that country for 35 years despite quite a severe degree of learning difficulty. He never learned to write more than a few words. He had various physical impairments, including difficulty in eating. He was supported by his mother to undertake the duties of his role. He married twice but did not have any children, a situation that led to the War of Spanish Succession on his death. His illnesses and lack of ability to have children led to him being called 'Carlos the Bewitched'. However, he was well loved by his people and he achieved a lot during his reign, including commissioning art for the royal palaces and promoting a more scientific approach to medicine. His reign was largely a time of peace and of reversal of the previous economic decline of Spain. He is an example of great achievement in an extremely important role by a person with learning difficulties in history. His story will be recounted with illustrations from paintings of him during his reign.


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Dwarf Alberta spruce trees, Picea glauca var. Albertiana "Conica," are common evergreens in residential landscapes. They are slow growers, adding just 2 to 4 inches per year, and have a natural pyramid shape and light green foliage. Typically, dwarf Alberta spruce trees maintain themselves and require little pruning. However, there are some occasions when pruning is required.
Things You'll Need
- Hand pruners
- Pruning shears
Stand back and look at the dwarf Alberta spruce to identify any stems that are a distinctly different color and that have grown much longer than the other branches. This is a genetic deformity that must be removed.
Trace the deformed stem to where the coloring changes back to a light green and then go back a little further to the next junction with a stem. Cut the branch off using hand pruners.
Examine the overall shape of the dwarf Alberta spruce and use pruning shears to neaten up the pyramid shape if desired. Trim off only 1 to 2 inches from the tips of the stems, sloping upward to a point as you prune the upper portions of the tree.
Examine the tree regularly for signs of new deformed growth development. If new growths develop, prune them off as soon as they occur, in the same manner done previously. If you wait until the growths are larger before pruning them, the tree could end up with gaps in the foliage.


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The hydrothermal corrosion behavior (320 °C, 20 MPa, 168 h) of high-purity chemical-vapor-deposited (CVD) SiC pre-irradiated with 5.1-MeV Si ions at 400 and 800 °C and 0.1-2.6 dpa was studied in order to clarify the effects of irradiation damage on SiC corrosion. Regardless of the pre-irradiation conditions, selective corrosion was observed at the grain boundaries and stacking faults even at the unirradiated regions. In contrast to the complete loss of the irradiated regions observed in the specimens irradiated at 400 °C during the autoclave test, a number of large grains survived in the case of the specimens irradiated at 800 °C. The corrosion rates at the irradiated regions increased with increasing irradiation fluence, with a significant dependence in the lower dpa regime similar to that observed in the point-defect swelling. SiO2 formation was not detected in any case. Cross-sectional scanning transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) analyses of the surfaces of the surviving grains revealed oxygen diffusion to a depth of 3.0 nm from the surface. A significant reduction of the oxygen diffusion barrier at the surface was implicated as one of the key mechanisms of the acceleration of the ion-irradiated SiC corrosion rates.
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Nuclear and High Energy Physics
- Materials Science(all)
- Nuclear Energy and Engineering


Swedish Nouns
In this lesson you'll learn how to use nouns in the Swedish language. Nouns are words that name a person, place, or thing. The Swedish definite and indefinite articles are also discussed.
All nouns in Swedish belong to either a common or a neuter gender. The gender of the noun affects the form of adjectives related to it, as well as the definite and indefinite article.
Definite Article
The definite article is appended to the noun in swedish. For common singular nouns append en. For neuter nouns append et and for both common and neuter plural nouns, append na to the plural form of the noun.
Indefinite Article
As in English, the indefinite article precedes the noun. For common nouns the indefinite article is en and for neuter nouns it is ett.
en kvinna a woman
ett finger a finger
en våg a wave
ett äpple an apple
en arm an arm
There are five different plural endings or, ar, er, en, or no plural form.
Plural form -or
All nouns in this category belong to the common gender. Most Singular forms of the nouns in this category end in a, though there are a few exceptions. The words with an -a suffix in the singular indefinite uses -an to make the singular definite. The other words use -en.
kvinna woman
kvinnor women
kvinnan the woman
kvinnorna the women
Plural form -ar
All nouns in this category belong to the common gender, except finger which is neuter.
våg wave
vågor waves
vågen the wave
vågorna the waves
Plural form -(e)r
This category contains both common and neuter nouns. Some nouns in this category change their stem vowel in the plural form as well.
sko shoe
skor shoes
skon the shoe
skorna the shoes
land land
länder lands
landet the land
länderna the lands
hand hand
händer hands
handen the hand
händerna the hands
Plural form -(e)n
There are only neuter words in this category.
äpple apple
äpplen apples
äpplet the apple
äpplena the apples
Plural form (-)
There are both common and neuter nouns in this category. There is no plural ending though sometimes there is a vowel change.
barn child
barn children
barnet The child
barnen The children
mus mouse
möss mice
musen The mouse
mössen The mice
Possessive Form
The possessive form or genitive case is similar to English, except no apostrophe is used.


SPC has developed a regional Epidemic Intelligence system to inform public health professionals from the Pacific (and beyond) with an accurate and timely picture of epidemic and emerging disease alerts in the Pacific.
Interactive MapThe system comprises an indicator-based surveillance (IBS) component and an Event-based surveillance (EBS) component. Each component includes several sources of information. The IBS component involves 'structured' data derived from routine surveillance systems (e.g. syndromic surveillance, lab-based surveillance). The EBS component involves unstructured data and information usually gathered from informal sources (e.g. printed and online media, personal communication). These components are integrated and undergo five processes: collection/detection of data/information, triage, verification, risk assessment and dissemination of alerts.
Through the system, we produce weekly and ad hoc real-time maps of epidemic and emerging disease alerts in the Pacific.
You can consult the web-based interactive map at: _URL_


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What Types of Skills are Best for an Education Major?
A scientist, an actor, a chief executive officer and a philanthropist. What do these four professions have in common? They all possess skills that you will need as an educator.
This is because the list of abilities that define an effective educator is almost endless. However, there are several qualities that the best educators do have in common: curiosity, creativity, communication and compassion.
An educator's learning is never complete; you must be the type of individual who has an insatiable hunger for knowledge. An educator is the type of person who is curious about what will inspire his students, how his students learn best and how to guide his students to learn as much as possible. Educators cannot be afraid to look ahead, attempting new things and reflecting on the impact of past and current practices.
Being an educator requires a great deal of creativity and the ability to generate new ideas and then combine those with prior knowledge in order to problem solve for the best results. What helps one student learn may not work for another, so an educator is always flexible in his thinking, seeking to create novel ways to engage his students.
As an educator, you must first listen to understand others and then be able to discover ways to relay information for diverse populations in a manner that they can relate to. Because education is a major in which the expression of thoughts is vital, educators have to enjoy other's stories and seek them out.
Knowledge is meaningless without an underlying desire to use it for the betterment and welfare of others. Tolerance, acceptance and the ability to empathize with others are important elements of compassion and vital for an effective educator to possess. A compassionate educator is an advocate for her students, for himself and for the profession.
In summary, skills required for education majors can vary but the dispositions that guide how skills are used is vital; an educator should be intellectually curious with the ability to creatively problem solve in order to make informed decisions for the good of all involved. Education as a career path will reap rewards beyond the material to those of inspiration, gratitude, kindness, and the extension of knowledge for future generations.


Turn Back the Clock with the World Imagery Wayback Archive
Esri's new World Imagery Wayback archive, found in the ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World, gives users access to global imagery that has appeared in the World Imagery basemap over the past five years. The basemap imagery comes from a variety of sources at a range of resolutions—in all, over 80 different versions of the basemap are available.
This is useful because when you view imagery basemaps, you typically only see the most recent images. However, sometimes it is a previous version of the basemap that you really want to see or use for a project. For example, maybe you need to use a particular version of basemap imagery for a long-term project, or you need to digitize features using a specific update of the basemap imagery. The World Imagery Wayback archive has been developed to meet just such demands.
Imagery in the archive can also help provide records of landscapes and, in some cases, show change over time. For example, visual analysis of archived imagery can help to identify where glaciers have shrunk; where urban areas have grown; and where change has occurred on the terrain due to volcanic activity, mudslides, or earthquakes.
Like other content in ArcGIS Online, you can access the archived images from ArcGIS Online, ArcGIS Pro or ArcMap, making the images especially useful. If you already know which images you want to use, you can simply search for them in the Wayback Imagery group in ArcGIS Online, or you can find them through a Catalog connection to the imagery server in ArcGIS Pro or ArcMap. If you are not sure which images you want to use or you just want to explore the possibilities, use the World Imagery Wayback app.
In this tip, you will learn how to use World Imagery Wayback to explore changes in the Aral Sea, once the fourth largest lake in the world. Using archived imagery, you will be able to see how the lake has diminished in size due to water diversion projects aimed at transforming deserts in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan into farms.
You will learn how to find the images you want by using the World Imagery Wayback app, which can be accessed online from the Living Atlas. You will add the images to a web map in ArcGIS Online and then share the web map using the Esri Story Map Swipe app.
The Esri World Imagery Wayback app automatically opens to display an area near Las Vegas, Nevada, which has undergone rapid urban growth over the past five years.
Find the images of interest using the World Imagery Wayback app
 1. Open the World Imagery Wayback app.
 2. In the search box at the upper right of the map view, type the name of your area of interest. For this example, you will type "Aral Sea" and choose Aral Sea, KAZ from the drop-down menu in the search box. (Alternatively, you can use the map viewer to pan and zoom to the location you are interested in.)
The map will zoom in to that area and display the most recent image available.
To see your area of interest in more detail, use the navigation controls at the upper left of the map view.
Zooming in to the Aral Sea, the historical extent of the lake's water—which has been drawn here in yellow—is depicted in the image as the light-colored area.
 1. Note that the available images are highlighted in the timeline at the upper left.
 1. Scroll through the list of images at the left to see the highlighted images, which show when the imagery in the Esri World Imagery basemap was updated.
 1. Above the list of images, click the Only updates with local changes check box to see the dates when imagery was updated for the area on the map. This filters the view in both the timeline and the list of images.
 1. Move your mouse over the timeline or the list to view the different images in an overview window on the map.
 1. Click a different location in the map view to see when the images were updated for other locations within the map view. If the timeline or list of images does not change, that means that there are no additional or different images in your map view. In this example below, the images are the same for the entire map view.
 1. Click an image on the timeline or in the list to view the selected image on the map.
 1. Click the first icon to the right of the image name in the list to learn more about the image.
This opens the Item Details page in ArcGIS Online.
The selected image was visible in the June 11, 2014, update of the World Imagery basemap.
Next, add the images to an ArcGIS Online map.
Once you have found the images you want to work with, you can add them to a queue that will be used to make a map with all the selected images in ArcGIS Online. A simple click of a button will create the web map for you automatically. In this example below, the images for June 2014 and December 2015 were selected because they show a distinct change in water area, with the Aral Sea in 2015 having become drastically smaller.
 1. Click the second icon to the right of the image name in the list to add the image to a queue of images that will be used to create a map in ArcGIS Online.
The icon to the left of the timeline shows the number of images currently in the queue.
 1. Once you have selected the images you want, click the icon to the left of the timeline to create the web map in ArcGIS Online.
 1. You will be prompted to sign in to ArcGIS Online if you haven't already. Note that once you have made a web map during a session, you won't be prompted again to sign in.
 1. Fill in the details of the web map, including the title and tags. Edit the description if you desire, although a default description is provided for you.
 1. Click Create Wayback Map.
 2. Click Open Wayback Map to see your map in ArcGIS Online.
The web map will be displayed with the images you selected in the World Imagery Wayback app.
You can toggle the layers in the web map on and off to see the changes over time. But a better experience is for viewers to see the web map in an app that allows the images to be viewed without having to toggle the layers. One such app is Story Map Swipe, which is used in this example to reveal—through comparison of the two images in the web map—the shrinkage of the Aral Sea.
Share the images in a story map.
You can quickly and easily share your web map in a story map by using one of the templates that allow users to compare images. For example, follow the steps below to learn how to share your web map using an app such as Story Map Swipe.
 1. Make sure that the check box to the left of each layer name is checked. By default, the check box for the top layer will be unchecked so that you can see the earlier image.
 1. On the ribbon, click Save.
 1. On the ribbon, click Share.
 1. Choose who can view the map and click CREATE A WEB APP.
 1. Scroll down and select Esri Story Map Swipe and Story Map Spyglass app.
 1. Click CREATE WEB APP.
 1. Update the details, if you desire, and click Done.
 2. Click Next, since the swipe style is automatically selected.
 1. Click Next, since the option to swipe layers in a web map is automatically selected.
 1. Choose the layout settings for the web app. In this example, the layout settings are unchecked to create a very simple app. Once you have configured the settings, click Open the app.
 1. Make any final edits. In this example, I zoomed in a bit on the area of interest.
 1. Click SAVE when you are done.
Your app is now ready to let you share it with others.
Take a moment to go back in time by exploring the World Imagery Wayback archive! You can find places to explore by perusing the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) World of Change web page, which includes the following locations:
To learn more about the World Imagery Wayback archive, visit these blogs:
About the author
Aileen Buckley


ane memorial
Sir John Soane memorial
John Flaxman
Just a few steps from the Soane memorial is the grave of the popular funerary sculptor John Flaxman (_PHONE_). Flaxman was a self-educated artist who worked as a modeller for Josiah Wedgwood pottery company before gaining fame as a sculptor of memorials. His work was known for its beautiful simplicity and depiction of domestic sentimentality. He was elected to the Royal Academy in 1800 and in 1810 the academy created a special 'Professor of Sculpture' post for him.
Burdett Coutts Memorial Sundial
The most impressive, eye-catching monument in the Garden is a huge sundial in the form of a stepped pyramid, erected in 1879 by Baroness Burdett Coutts as a memorial to those whose graves were disturbed by the railway line. Among those whose names appear on the memorial are the architect Sir John Soane, sculptor John Flaxman, Sir John Gurni and James Leon.
The memorial was designed by George Highton and is topped by a pinnacle of Portland limestone supporting a sundial. Four marble panels bear Biblical inscriptions and mosaic panels are set into the steps. The monument is surrounded by railings, on which is a plaque commemorating the composer Johann Christian Bach, who was buried in an unmarked pauper's grave in the churchyard.
One of the names listed on the monument is the Chevalier D'Eon (Charles-Genevieve-Louis-Auguste-Andre-Timothee d'Eon de Beaumont), a French diplomat, soldier, and spy who died in 1810. D'Eon was androgynous, and successfully infiltrated the court of Empress Elizabeth of Russia as a woman, acting as one of King Louis XV's network of spies known as the 'Secret du Roi' (the King's Secret). S/he spent the last 33 years of his/her life as a woman before dying in poverty. The Chevalier's grave was one of those lost when the graveyard was moved to make room for the railway to St Pancras station.
The Burdett Coutts memorial sundial
The Burdett Coutts memorial sundial
William Blake
Was St Pancras Old Church the inspiration for William Blake's poem 'And did those feet in ancient time' (often wrongly called 'Jerusalem' after Blake's poem was set to music in a hymn of that name by Sir Hubert Parry)? According to one tale, Blake knew of a legend that said Jesus had visited London with his uncle, a metal trader. A spiritual site was said to exist at the highest navigable point on the River Fleet, where St Pancras Old Church now stands, and Jesus was said to have visited the site.
Blake drew on the legend to create his famous poem. He certainly would have been acquainted with the church, for he had acted as an illustrator for Mary Wollstonecraft on several of her books, and he admired her work.
The Beatles Connection
Beatles fanatics will know the Old Church as the setting for a photo shoot for the band's Mad Day Out. John, Paul, George and Ringo used the courtyard and the church grounds for their shoot, with informal photos taken in the Gardens and formal shots incorporating the extravagantly carved west doorway arches. The musical legacy has continued in more recent years as the church has become a popular musical performance venue for the likes of Sinead O'Connor and Brian Eno.
Getting There
St Pancras Old Church is a delight, a slice of history in the heart of modern London. The church is easy to reach on foot from Kings Cross/St Pancras station. From the station exit turn west on Euston Road (A501), then right on Midland Road. Follow Midland Road north until it becomes Pancras Road. You will find the Old Church and Gardens on your right, through a set of elaborate wrought-iron gates. The church is usually open to visitors and was open when we visited.
About St Pancras Old Church
Address: Pancras Road, London, Greater London, England, NW1 1UL
Attraction Type: Historic Church
Location: On Pancras Road, north of St Pancras rail station
Website: St Pancras Old Church
Location map
OS: TQ297834
Photo Credit: David Ross and Britain Express
Nearest station: London underground station Mornington Crescent - 0.4 miles (straight line) - Zone: 2
British Library - 0.4 miles (Museum) Heritage Rating
London Canal Museum - 0.4 miles (Museum) Heritage Rating
Jewish Museum - 0.6 miles (Museum) Heritage Rating
Foundling Museum - 0.8 miles (Museum) Heritage Rating
Grant Museum of Zoology - 0.8 miles (Museum) Heritage Rating
St Luke, Oseney Crescent - 0.9 miles (Historic Church) Heritage Rating
Fitzroy House - 0.9 miles (Historic House) Heritage Rating
Charles Dickens Museum - 1 miles (Museum) Heritage Rating
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text:
The epididymis is a comma-shaped structure composed of an
and an external covering of connective tissue.
Its head lies on the superior surface of the testis, while the
body and tail are posterior to the testis.
Internally, the epididymis contains a long, convoluted
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If they are expelled
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If sperm are not ejected from the male reproductive system in a
the old sperm degenerate
in the epididymis.


text:
Question: How long does tennis court crack filler last?
Answer: Cracking of asphalt and concrete pavement surfaces is a common problem. Even if the asphalt or concrete is properly built, there are still variables beyond the control of the contractor and crack filler producer.
There are different reasons for pavement cracking, but a majority of the cracks on concrete and asphalt courts are structural. This means that the cracks go completely through the pavement layers, into the base of the tennis court.
Acrylic tennis court crack fillers are designed to fill and seal off the surface of the crack. This is designed to minimize water and moisture flowing into the crack and stone base of the court, and slow down degradation of the court through further cracking. The main problem is that once a structural crack opens, there are two separated slabs of pavement constantly moving back and forth. This expansion and contraction happens daily, depending on temperatures, moisture, and other environmental conditions. That being said, cracks that have been filled may open within days, weeks, months, or years of application. An Acrylic crack patch is an ideal solution for this common problem.
Even though we offer some elastomeric acrylic crack fillers, the degree of movement in the crack determines how long the product can perform before breaking open or pulling away from one side of the crack. Frequency of moisture, freeze-thaw, and various climate conditions are other factors that play a role in longevity of crack fillers and repair.
Crack filling is a maintenance role. The best way to maintain a tennis court crack is to fill it whenever you see it open. A good rule of thumb is to check the court(s) over in the spring and early fall (when temperatures are not getting below 50°F or 10°C) and perform necessary crack filling to extend the life of the facility. Many sport surfacing contractors also offer maintenance programs, where they make spring and fall visits annually, and advise court owners of needed crack repairs, resurfacing, or other issues.


A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Faculty of Veterinary Science, Assam Agricultural University (AAU) and Faculty of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University (SAU), Dhaka, Bangladesh paving the way for collaboration between the two institutions in the areas of mutual interest. AAU, India and SAU, Bangladesh would immediately exchange undergraduate interns for clinical Hands-on training. Both the Universities have also agreed to work out collaboration in other areas of education and research as mentioned below-
 1. Development of collaborative research projects and grant proposal development.
 2. Organizing joint academic activities, viz. conferences, seminars and symposia etc.
 - Exchange of faculties and resource persons for relevant training and human resource development programmes.
 1. Post graduate students (MS and PhD) training, mentoring and research supervision
 2. Sharing the e-resources including scientific publications and teaching materials.
 3. Any other activities viewed to be mutually beneficial.
The MoU was signed by the Deans of the respective Faculties of the two Universities.


Keep attribution rules in perspective
Gift-giving season is nigh. But the tax department's attribution rules complicate the matter of giving securities to your children and grandchildren.
Putting stocks in kids' stockings? Here's a 'heads-up' on some tax attribution rules to keep in mind.
Always keep things in perspective when you tax plan. Once you start agonizing over every dollar or delving too deeply into the Income Tax Act, planning becomes long and hard. Don't worry about items that make little difference to your eventual tax bill.
We were reminded of this pitfall by a friend. He wanted to give some shares to his grandchildren as a gift, but was worried about the attribution rules. Our friend was concerned that he might have to keep track of and declare all the future income from these shares. If there was going to be a tax problem, he said he'd give the grandchildren something else.
We first asked our friend whether these were large gifts. If they amounted to, say, several hundred thousand dollars, the tax department may very well view them as a form of income splitting and add back the dividends (or interest) to our friend's taxable income. By contrast, a tax auditor would almost certainly view small gifts and their resulting income as immaterial. So while in theory the attribution rules may apply, it's unlikely that an auditor would invoke them to reassess the grandchildren's income.
Reinvested dividends are exempt
Put simply, the government developed attribution rules to prevent blatant income splitting, which diverts income from a person in a high tax bracket to a close relative earning little. Since the redirected earnings attract few taxes, the family cuts its tax bill.
To close such loopholes, the government introduced rules attributing earnings back to the true income earner. (Retirees, however, can do some income splitting.) Just remember the government designed these attribution rules for big amounts, not for every small loan or gift within the family.
Take the case of our friend giving shares to his grandchildren. According to the law, when someone transfers or loans property to a child under 18, the income gets attributed back to the original owner. However, there's no attribution of capital gains. In theory, our friend should monitor the dividends and declare them. In fact, though, this rule, if strictly enforced, would create an administrative nightmare. Everybody who gives a child some shares on a birthday or at Christmas would need to start keeping extra records. This is an excellent example of when not to delve too deeply into the Income Tax Act.
Capital gains by a minor aren't attributable
Of course, if our friend is concerned about the need to report properly or wants to give securities on a regular basis so that meaningful amounts become involved, he should consider choosing non-income-bearing investments. Since capital gains by a minor aren't attributable it would make sense to select growth stocks paying little or no dividends.
Keep in mind, too, that if you plan to give your grandchildren securities, ownership passes at market value. You must take unrealized profits or losses into your taxable income. Only future capital gains belong to the grandchild. So it's best to buy the securities just before transferring them to the minor.
The income from the securities, though, remains the property of the grandchildren, even if it's attributed to you for tax purposes. So with the reinvestment of those dividends, income from this money is no longer attributable.
Attribution remains a consideration in tax planning, but not an overriding one for most people. It certainly should not interfere with plans to give a few securities to your grandchildren.
When to set up a trust
Minors lack the legal ability to sell securities. As a result, stocks or bonds registered in the child's name could become locked-in for years.
Provided you stick with high-quality companies, the locked-in situation is manageable.
We suggest setting up a simple trust if you regularly give your children or grandchildren securities. Name the child as the beneficiary and yourself as trustee. You can then sell the securities and have the trust pay any dividend or interest to the child, though technically it's your taxable income. The attribution rules still apply to trusts.
This is an edited version of an article that was originally published for subscribers in the October 23, 2020, issue of The Investment Reporter. You can profit from the award-winning advice subscribers receive regularly in The Investment Reporter.
The Investment Reporter, MPL Communications Inc.
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text:
Both Rachel and Leah are considered beautiful women in Jewish tradition, but a verse in this week's Torah seems to suggest that Rachel was the "beauty queen" of the family: "Leah's eyes were weak, but Rachel was shapely and beautiful" (Gen. 29:17). Why are Leah's eyes described as "weak"? Is this a euphemism for saying she was unsightly? After all, Rachel is described in this verse as yifat mareh - "beautiful of sight" (i.e., attractive). Does this text therefore contrast the two women by implying that Leah was physically unattractive? Or does having "weak eyes" mean that she was perhaps nearsighted? How are we to understand Leah's weak eyes?
The word translated as "weak" is the Hebrew word rakkot (×¨Ö·×›Ö¼×•Ö¹×ª), the plural form of the word rak (×¨Ö·×šÖ°), meaning soft or tender. Rashi comments that Leah's eyes were made "weak" (tender) from crying "until her eyelashes fell out." But why was she so sad? According to midrash, Leah's eyes were reddened and puffy because she was constantly lamenting the prospect of marrying Esau. The adage of the town was: "Two sons to Rivkah; two daughters to Lavan; the older to the older, the younger to the younger."
Leah's eyes were tender and tearstained, then, but this is not intended to say she was physically unattractive. On the contrary, saying that she had "weak eyes" is a term of praise for her, since her greatest fear was to be forced to undergo an arranged marriage with Esau, and therefore she wept and wept to be the mother of the righteous.... God saw her tears -- and blessed her to become the most fruitful of the four matriarchs of Israel. Ironically, it was the less teary-eyed Rachel, who later died in childbirth, that was prophesied to weep for her children (Jer. 31:15).
Regarding this subject the Talmud states that the word rak (tender) connotes royalty (Bava Basra 4a). Indeed, two lines of royalty were destined to descend from Leah: the royal family of Judah (from whom would come King David and King Messiah) and the spiritual line of Levi, from whom would descend Moses, Aaron, and the Kohanim (the priestly class). Like their tenderhearted mother, both of these houses of Israel would shed tears of concern for the well-being of Israel.


So, the main reason I took the time to explain how the Auto Filter's envelope section works was so I could move into talking about the Auto Filter's sidechain capabilities as I did yesterday. If you're new to this, the important thing to understand is that the sidechain section of the Auto Filter works with the envelope. It can use the volume of any track to automatically adjust the filter's cutoff frequency.
There are lots of fun creative uses for this. For example, take a look at the following setup:
Picture 18
Imagine that this filter is inserted on a shaker track playing a steady rhythm. Every time the snare drum hits, the shaker will get darker as the band pass filter is shifted into a lower frequency range (notice the negative Envelope value). Also make note of the longer Release time. This controls the length of time it will take the filter to return to it's original frequency after each snare hit. Due to the relatively long release time seen above, there will be an audible sweep in the shaker after each snare hit.


text:
The IPSTAR network configuration is based on Gateway
STAR topology. A user terminal receives and
transmits signals from/to a Beam, which connects
with a gateway. The gateway, in turn, connects to
other networks such as Internet backbone, telephone
network, corporate headquarters, or other IPSTAR
Gateways. Most countries under IPSTAR's service
would have one or multiple Gateways. This allows
efficient integration of users into terrestrial
networks for various applications. There are a total
of 18 gateways planned for IPSTAR services.
IPSTAR's Modulation and Coding technology provides
an efficient use of RF power and bandwidth, allowing
a high and flexible digital transmission rate, which
enables the use of small antennas and transmitters.


text:
The jagged Montserrat Mountain in Catalonia is seen from great distances due to its majestic height of 4,055 feet (1,236 m). Formed of pink conglomerate sedimentary rock, Montserrat or "serrated mountain" attracts a million visitors annually. Looking out from the peak, Turo de San Jeronimo, guests have a picturesque view of the Mediterranean Sea, the Great Pyrenees Mountains and the landscape below. The location is a favourite among rock climbing enthusiasts due to its many towers and pinnacles and over 1000 routes have been mapped in climbing guides. However, sport is not what draws the majority of people to this destination.
A Benedictine Abbey is located on one of the mountain's ledges and is the home of Santa Marie de Montserrat, the black Madonna and child. Legend states shepherds saw strange lights and heard singing coming from the mountain. The local priest was also witness to these events and brought the bishop. In this cave on the mountain side they found the wooden statue. Catalans to this day believe the Madonna possesses spiritual powers and that it was carved by Luke in Jerusalem and brought to Spain by Peter. Skeptical experts believe the statue was made somewhere around the 11th or 12th century. It is also believed that the Holy Grail was brought here.
Construction of the Abbey began in the 11th century under Pope Benedict's guidance and construction continued through the 15th century. Wars damaged the site and renovations of the last two centuries have contributed to its appearance today. The massive complex contains a monastery, library, art museum and cathedral. Visitors are welcome to witness frescos, paintings and statues made by the great artists. Works by El Greco, Picasso and Dali are housed in the art museum. The monks and children's choirs provide live performances in the beautiful cathedral and people from all over the world stand in line for a glimpse of the famous statue.


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Two Decks Puzzle
You have two regular decks of playing cards. You hand one to your friend, and keep the other. Both of you shuffle your decks thoroughly.
In unison you both deal the top card off your deck face-up. Then the next, then the next; dealing the cards out in parallel pairs.
What is that probability that at least one of the pairs dealt will be an exact match? (Get's turned up at the same time as its twin in the other pack).
Before calculating the answer, what's your gut feeling? Is it very likely, very unlikely, or close to a coin flip?
What is that probability that at least one of the pairs will be an exact match?
Rather than dealing with suits and values, let's just imagine that each card has a distinct number in the range [1-52].
Because both decks are shuffled, without loss of generality, we can imagine the first deck to be in sorted order [1-52] and the second deck random, so the problem reduces to finding the probability that a numbered card in the second deck is in the ordinal position as its value (and would thus match the card in the first deck).
Mathematicians call these arrangements Derangements. It is the number of permutations such that no element appears in its original position (which we can then divide by the total number of permutations to get the probability).
However, if we just want to perform a 'back of the envelope' approximation, we can greatly simplify by assuming the card turns are independent events (You can see this is not strictly true with a thought experiment involving a deck of just two cards: If the first pair match, then the second pair also have to match, and vice-versa).
For any pair of cards, if we approximate that there is a 51/52 chance there is no match, then, as there are 52 cards in a deck, the chances that none of them match up with their twins is (51/52)52 ≈ 36.43%. So the chance getting at least one matching pair is 63.57%
An estimate that at least one match will occur is 63.6%
I don't know about you, but my first thought about the chances of this happening is that it would be much lower.
Exact Answer
The total number of derangments for 52 elements is:
(This is the total number of ways to arrange a deck [1-52], so that no card is in its original position (its value matching its ordinal position).
The total number of perumations for 52 elements is (52!):
Dividing one by the other gives ≈ 36.7879%, to give the answer that a percentage chance of at least one match as ≈ 63.2121%, which is pretty close to our gut approximation.
Large Deck Approximations
What happens if we have a much larger deck?
For a deck of n cards, then the chance of at least one match is 1-((n-1)/n)n
What's interesting is that the success percentage quickly asymptotes to the limit 1-1/e. Once the deck gets above just a few cards the chances are about the same, and no matter how big the deck is the chance of at least one match never falls below 63.21%
Derangement problems come up quite a lot in mathematics. It's often given colloquial names such as The Secretary Letter Problem (where an abscent minded secratary inserts n personalised letters into n pre-labelled envelopes, at random, and the probility that no person gets their own letter), or The hat-check problem (where patrons deposit their hats at a booth, and then they are handed back out at random).
In more real world examples, it can be used to calculate the number of ways to teacher can redistribute test papers to her students to grade so that no student gets his/her own paper back, or how many ways can couples dance so that none of them is dancing with their own spouse.


Why do some people still refuse vaccinations?
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Scientists around the world are racing to develop a vaccine against coronavirus.
And today, the government has announced it wants to double the number of people who get the flu jab this winter, with experts concerned about the double whammy of COVID-19 cases and seasonal flu potentially overwhelming the NHS.
But a YouGov poll earlier this month, conducted on behalf of the Centre for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), suggested a third of Britons are either unsure or would definitely refuse to get vaccinated if a coronavirus vaccine became available.
Scientists say, repeatedly, that vaccines have never been safer – or more effective. So why do some people still refuse to trust them?
 Why do some people still refuse vaccinations?
When and why did people stop vaccinating?
In 1998, a study by British doctor Andrew Wakefield was published in The Lancet linking the MMR vaccine to autism.
The study was discredited, but not before causing mass hysteria over the safety of the vaccine after the study received global media coverage.
MMR immunisations in the UK fell to about 80% nationally in the late 1990s and early 2000s and took many years to recover.
In 2006, measles transmission became re-established in the UK, and in 2007, cases of measles exceeded 1,000 for the first time in 10 years.
The Lancet retracted Wakefield's study in 2010, and he was struck off the UK medical register after being found guilty of dishonesty, the "abuse" of developmentally delayed children by giving them unnecessary and invasive medical procedures, and acting without ethical approval of his research.
 Why do some people still refuse vaccinations?
UK secures early access to 90 million COVID-19 vaccine doses
So why is the anti-vax movement still thriving?
Last year, the World Health Organisation identified "vaccine hesitancy" as one of the top 10 health threats to the world.
Much of the scepticism around vaccination stems from Wakefield's discredited study.
But in the age of fake news, several claims have been proliferating on the internet, frightening thousands of parents into preventing their children from receiving their jabs.
People also cite religious reasons for opting out of vaccinations, as well as philosophical reasons.
 Why do some people still refuse vaccinations?
Why 7,000 people die needlessly every day
There is also growing doubt and reluctance to trust large pharmaceutical companies, as more people believe they seek to only profit from drugs and don't care about public health.
A combination of these factors, along with the ease with which these opinions can be shared and spread online, have made people increasingly sceptical and fearful about whether vaccinations are safe, and in the public's best interest.
However, vaccinations are proven to prevent potentially deadly diseases.
Dr Ellie Cannon told Sky News: "Vaccinations protect our children from fatal illnesses that thankfully we don't have to worry about any more like diphtheria and whooping cough.
"COVID-19 has reminded us starkly what a world without vaccination looks like: why would anyone choose that life? – where hand washing and isolation is our only defence."
 Why do some people still refuse vaccinations?
Coronavirus: The infection numbers in real time
Could conspiracy theories curb the uptake of a COVID-19 vaccine?
Conspiracy theories about COVID-19 have been circulating since the start of the pandemic.
One baseless theory, which has been dismissed by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates as "stupid", is that the outbreak is a cover for him to plant microchips in billions of people to track their movements.
Another is that the pandemic is a hoax, and a ploy by pharmaceutical companies to sell a vaccine.
Yes, whichever firm develops a vaccine is likely to profit from its success, but there is no evidence to support the theory the pandemic has been made up.
 Why do some people still refuse vaccinations?
The CCDH said its recent polling results on the uptake of a potential COVID-19 vaccine came amid a dramatic rise in the popularity of anti-vaccine social media pages and channels, with 7.7 million more social media users following such accounts since the outbreak of coronavirus.
Members of the public who relied on social media more than traditional platforms for information were less likely to say they would get vaccinated, its survey suggested.
With scientists predicting that more than three-quarters of the population would need to be vaccinated in order to have success in suppressing coronavirus, the findings could represent a threat to the ability to contain COVID-19.
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The first known representation of Britannia as a female figure sitting on a globe, leaning with one arm on a shield, and grasping a spear in the other hand, is on a Roman coin of Antoninus Pius, who died A.D. 161. The figure reappeared on our copper coin in the reign of Charles II., 1665, and the model was Miss Stewart, afterwards created Duchess of Richmond. The engraver was Philip Roetier, 1665. In 1825 W. Wyon made a new design.
"The King's new medall, where, in little, there is Mrs. Stewart's face,... and a pretty thing it is, that he should choose her face to represent Britannia by," —Pepys' Diary (25 Feb.).
Source: Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, E. Cobham Brewer, 1894
More on Britannia from Infoplease:


text:
Just type the letters that you see in the image below the text field. You don't have to match the case: you can type "e" for both "E" and "e".
If you can't read the text, click the refresh icon below the image (double arrow). That will load a new image.
These kind of login images (called Captcha tests) are commonly used on websites to verify that the login is being submitted by a person.
It's become necessary to do this check, because of special scripts and programs that automatically submit forms (sometimes used to send spam). This makes the RLID application less available for legitimate users of the system and slows down the application unnecessarily.
A CAPTCHA is a challenge response test used on computers to check if the user is human. A common kind of CAPTCHA that is used on websites requires that the visitor type the letters and numbers of a distorted image. This method is based on the fact that is difficult for computers to extract the text from the image while it is very easy for humans.


text:
In "Controlling Query Behavior," January 2000, I wrote about the idiosyncrasies in the way you use various SET options to control the behavior of your queries when you connect to SQL Server 7.0. (Most of that information is equally relevant to SQL Server 2000, which Microsoft hadn't yet released.) One thing about SET options that I didn't mention was the relationship between SET options and stored procedure recompilation. As you probably know, SQL Server caches the execution plans for most of your stored procedures so that it doesn't need to reoptimize and recompile the plans on subsequent executions. In general, reusing a query plan is good because optimization can be an expensive process when you use complex stored procedures. However, in some cases, a recompilation is necessary. One of these cases is when a session setting has changed so that a stored procedure might produce different results. For example, let's say you have a procedure that returns the locations of all the publishers in the Pubs database. In the result, you want a single string composed of the city, state, and country of each publisher, so you write the following stored procedure to return the desired data:
CREATE PROCEDURE GetPublisherLocations
SELECT LOCATION = city + ','+ state +
','+ country
The entries for all publishers located outside the United States have a NULL in the state column. By default, when SQL Server concatenates a NULL to a character string, it treats the NULL as an empty string. However, starting with SQL Server 7.0, a query option called CONCAT_NULL_YIELDS_NULL is set to ON for each connection that uses ODBC or OLE DB, so any expression involving a concatenation with NULL results in NULL. You can set this option to OFF in your session if you prefer the old behavior in which SQL Server treats NULL as an empty string for concatenation operations. Keep in mind that the GetPublisherLocations stored procedure (and other stored procedures that concatenate strings that may be NULL) will behave differently and return different results depending on this SET option's value. The following two scripts illustrate this difference in behavior. The first EXEC statement treats the NULLs as empty strings and returns the results that Figure 1 shows:
If you want, you can tell the procedure not to print the second comma if no value exists for state, but I'll leave that enhancement as an exercise for the reader.
When SQL Server treats NULLs as unknown values, the result of an expression involving a NULL is always unknown. The next EXEC statement returns the results that Figure 2 shows:
A session executing this procedure with CONCAT_NULL_YIELDS_NULL set to ON can't use the same plan that SQL Server produced for a session running with CONCAT_NULL_YIELDS_NULL set to OFF. In a field called setopts, the syscacheobjects system table keeps track of the session settings. This field is a bitmap in which each bit corresponds to one SET option that can affect a query's results. By comparing the value of setopts for a saved plan with the current session settings, the Query Optimizer can decide whether recompilation based on a change of SET options is necessary.
So how can you tell when a procedure has been recompiled? One way is to use SQL Server Profiler to capture the event SP:Recompile, which occurs whenever a stored procedure recompiles during execution. With the Profiler, you can set up a simple trace that captures four events in the Stored Procedures category. In addition to capturing SP:Recompile events, remove all events from the trace except SP:Starting, SP:StmtStarting, and SP:Completed. As an alternative to the SP:StmtStarting event, you could capture the SP:StmtCompleted event, but including both is unnecessary and could produce too much information for you to process. Including either the SP:StmtStarting or SP:StmtCompleted event lets you keep track of which procedure is executing when a SP:Recompile event occurs.
For data columns, you really need only the Event column and the event's Text column event. For an SP:Starting, SP:Completed, or SP:Recompile event, the Text column specifies the name of the stored procedure that started, completed, or was recompiled.
I use a trace with the four events I described here to illustrate a cause for concern besides the fact that changing certain SET options before executing a procedure can cause a procedure to be recompiled. If you include SET statements inside your stored procedure definition, you could cause SQL Server to recompile your procedure multiple times while the procedure is executing. The code in Listing 1 modifies the GetPublisherLocations procedure to perform two SELECT statements and changes the CONCAT_NULL_YIELDS_NULL option value for each statement. When you execute this procedure and use SQL Server 7.0 Profiler to examine the contents of the trace, you'll see the captured events that Table 1 shows. The results look slightly different in SQL Server 2000, but the sequence of statements and recompiles are the same.
Note that Table 1 lists the statements twice—once before and once after the SP:Recompile event. This shows that SQL Server started to compile the statement, then determined that it had to recompile. After the recompilation, SQL Server executes the statement. Although it might seem that SQL Server is recompiling only the single statement, it is actually recompiling the entire procedure. For a large and complex procedure, the extra time needed for recompilations can become quite noticeable. Also note that the first recompile event occurred because the first SET statement changed an option to something different from what was in effect for the session. If you changed the session setting to SET CONCAT_NULL_YIELDS_NULL OFF before running the procedure, the first recompile wouldn't occur. Another interesting behavior is that if you have multiple SET statements in your procedure, you can have multiple recompiles, even if you list all the SET statements at the beginning of the procedure. Every time SQL Server encounters a SET statement that changes the value of CONCAT_NULL_YIELDS_NULL, it will recompile the procedure.
Many SET options besides CONCAT_NULL_YIELDS_NULL cause similar recompilation behavior, but two classes of exceptions exist. First, there are two options for which SQL Server saves the value that is in effect at the time the procedure is created along with the stored procedure definition. SQL Server stores the settings of ANSI_NULLS and QUOTED_IDENTIFIER in the procedure's row in the status column of the sysobjects table. If the 0x8 bit in status is set, ANSI_NULLS is in effect for the procedure. If the 0x10 bit is set, QUOTED_IDENTIFIER is in effect for the procedure. Issuing a SET command to change either of these values within a procedure has no effect and causes no recompilation. The only way to change the value of these SET options for a procedure is to drop and recreate the procedure with a different SET option in effect.
The second class of SET options that don't cause recompilation consist of options that don't really change the query's behavior. That is, SQL Server returns the same rows no matter what you set the option to. One example is SET NOCOUNT. When you set this option to ON, it inhibits the display of the message that tells how many rows the statement affected. This setting affects only the client tool's display; the setting has no impact on how SQL Server actually processes your query. Setting this option ON or OFF doesn't cause recompilations.
Because SET options can change the way your queries behave and the data they return, you should carefully consider which option values to use. If each developer can choose the option settings for each execution of a procedure, your applications' behavior might be totally unpredictable. And certain tools and drivers set some of the options ON or OFF, making matters even more complex. I recommend that you choose one set of option values to use as a company standard, or at least as a standard for each SQL Server system. You can use the configuration option 'user options' to set certain options ON for every connection, no matter what interface the connection uses to communicate with SQL Server.
Also, to use SQL Server 2000's new indexed views or indexes on computed columns features, you must adhere to a certain set of option values across all connections. To take full advantage of SQL Server 2000's functionality, even if you haven't upgraded yet, you might consider modifying your code to work with these options set the way the new features expect them to be set. I discussed the required options for indexed views in "Introducing Indexed Views," May 2000, but here they are again. You must set the following options ON:
In addition, this SET option must be OFF:
Although changing your code to expect certain SET options might seem like a lot of work, I believe the ease of maintenance, the lack of worry about stored procedure recompilations, and the ability to use SQL Server 2000's new high-performance features will make this change worthwhile.


ASP.NET Core has adopted a new routing scheme called Endpoint since version 2.2, which is not much different from the original scheme, but the internal operation is quite different. The previous article introduced the operation mechanism of the original routing scheme in detail. This article still uses a picture to understand the new version of the operating mechanism, and finally summarizes the similarities and differences between the two.
1 Overview
This scheme starts from version 2.2 and is called endpoint routing ( hereafter referred to as "new version" ). It is enabled by default. If you want to use the original scheme ( <=2.1, the original version is called below ), you can use AddMvc. Make settings
services.AddMvc(option=>option.EnableEndpointRouting = false).SetCompatibilityVersion(CompatibilityVersion.Version_2_2);
EnableEndpointRouting defaults to true, which means that the new Endpoint scheme is enabled. If set to false, the legacy (<=2.1) routing scheme is used.
In terms of configuration method, the system is still configured in use.Mvc() in Startup. In fact, the internal processing middleware has been changed from the original RouterMiddleware to EndpointMiddleware and EndpointRoutingMiddleware. The following still passes a picture. Take a detailed look at the picture.
2 the process and analysis
1. Initial configuration of the route (the first two lanes of the figure)
1 Everything is still starting from Startup, and like the old version, it is configured by UseMvc method, and one or more configurations such as routes.MapRoute(…) are not mentioned.Let's focus on the following process, take a look at the UseMvc method in MvcApplicationBuilderExtensions:
public static IApplicationBuilder UseMvc(
 this IApplicationBuilder app,
 Action configureRoutes)
 var options = app.ApplicationServices.GetRequiredService>();
 if (options.Value.EnableEndpointRouting)
 var mvcEndpointDataSource = app.ApplicationServices
 var parameterPolicyFactory = app.ApplicationServices
 var endpointRouteBuilder = new EndpointRouteBuilder(app);
 foreach (var router in endpointRouteBuilder.Routes)
 // Only accept Microsoft.AspNetCore.Routing.Route when converting to endpoint
 // Sub-types could have additional customization that we can't knowingly convert
 if (router is Route route && router.GetType() == typeof(Route))
 var endpointInfo = new MvcEndpointInfo(
 route.Constraints.ToDictionary(kvp => kvp.Key, kvp => (object)kvp.Value),
 throw new InvalidOperationException($"Cannot use '{router.GetType().FullName}' with Endpoint Routing.");
 if (!app.Properties.TryGetValue(EndpointRoutingRegisteredKey, out _))
 // Matching middleware has not been registered yet
 // For back-compat register middleware so an endpoint is matched and then immediately used
 return app.UseEndpoint();
2 Line 6, where the value of EnableEndpointRouting is set and judged. If it is false, the old version is used. See the previous article for details. The value is true by default, that is, the new version is used.
3 Corresponding to the 9th line, MvcEndpointDataSource is a very important role in the new version of the route. In the startup initialization phase, it completes the routing table storage and conversion. Here, first mark it with color, let's remember it, in the following process. Detailed in the introduction.
4 corresponds to the 16th line, like the old version of RouteBuilder, here will be a new endpointRouteBuilder, both of which are an IRouteBuilder, so also call the configureRoutes (endpointRouteBuilder) method (that is, the configuration in the startup) to get a collection of Route (IList ) is assigned to endpointRouteBuilder.Routes. Here is a special place to note if (router is Route route && router.GetType() == typeof(Route)), that is, only route type is accepted here, and the endpoint routing system IRouter-based extensibility is not supported, including inheritance from Route.
5 Corresponding to the 20th line, the endpointRouteBuilder.Routes just obtained is traversed, converted into a set of MvcEndpointInfo, and assigned to mvcEndpointDataSource.ConventionalEndpointInfos.
6 After that, the middleware is plugged into the pipeline. The processing middleware here is changed from the original RouterMiddleware to EndpointMiddleware and EndpointRoutingMiddleware.
 2. Processing of the request (the last two lanes of the figure)
Most of the functions of the request are in the middleware EndpointRoutingMiddleware. He has an important attribute _endpointDataSource to save the MvcEndpointDataSource generated in the initialization phase above, and the middleware EndpointMiddleware function is relatively simple, mainly after EndpointRoutingMiddleware filters out the endpoint and calls the endpoint. The endpoint.RequestDelegate(httpContext) handles the request.
7 The InitializeAsync() method is mainly used to call InitializeCoreAsync() to create a matcher. The code of this method shows that it is only executed once when the first request is made.
private Task InitializeAsync()
var initializationTask = _initializationTask;
if (initializationTask!= null)
return initializationTask;
return InitializeCoreAsync();
8 MvcEndpointDataSource An important method, UpdateEndpoints(), is to read all actions and match this action list with its ConventionalEndpointInfos list (see 5) to generate a new list. As shown below, we only configure a route such as "{controller=Home}/{action=Index}/{id?}" by default. The default HomeController has three actions, adds a controller named FlyLoloController and adds it. An action with attribute routing finally generates 7 Endpoints, which is a bit like the "product" of routing and action. Of course, here is just a simple example with the default program. There may be more routing templates registered in the actual project, there will be more Controller and Action, and attribute routing.
The specific code is as follows:
private void UpdateEndpoints()
 lock (_lock)
 var endpoints = new List();
 StringBuilder patternStringBuilder = null;
 foreach (var action in _actions.ActionDescriptors.Items)
 if (action.AttributeRouteInfo == null)
 // In traditional conventional routing setup, the routes defined by a user have a static order
 // defined by how they are added into the list. We would like to maintain the same order when building
 // up the endpoints too.
 // Start with an order of '1' for conventional routes as attribute routes have a default order of '0'.
 // This is for scenarios dealing with migrating existing Router based code to Endpoint Routing world.
 var conventionalRouteOrder = 1;
 // Check each of the conventional patterns to see if the action would be reachable
 // If the action and pattern are compatible then create an endpoint with the
 // area/controller/action parameter parts replaced with literals
 // e.g. {controller}/{action} with HomeController.Index and HomeController.Login
 // would result in endpoints:
 // - Home/Index
 // - Home/Login
 foreach (var endpointInfo in ConventionalEndpointInfos)
 // An 'endpointInfo' is applicable if:
 // 1. it has a parameter (or default value) for'required' non-null route value
 // 2. it does not have a parameter (or default value) for'required' null route value
 var isApplicable = true;
 foreach (var routeKey in action.RouteValues.Keys)
 if (!MatchRouteValue(action, endpointInfo, routeKey))
 isApplicable = false;
 if (!isApplicable)
 conventionalRouteOrder = CreateEndpoints(
 ref patternStringBuilder,
 suppressLinkGeneration: false,
 suppressPathMatching: false);
 var attributeRoutePattern = RoutePatternFactory.Parse(action.AttributeRouteInfo.Template);
 ref patternStringBuilder,
 nonInlineDefaults: null,
 dataTokens: null,
 allParameterPolicies: null,
 // See comments in DefaultActionDescriptorCollectionProvider. These steps are done
 // in a specific order to ensure callers always see a consistent state.
 // Step 1 - capture old token
 var oldCancellationTokenSource = _cancellationTokenSource;
 // Step 2 - update endpoints
 _endpoints = endpoints;
 // Step 3 - create new change token
 _cancellationTokenSource = new CancellationTokenSource();
 _changeToken = new CancellationChangeToken(_cancellationTokenSource.Token);
 // Step 4 - trigger old token
The essence is to calculate a request endpoint that may be requested, that is, an Endpoint. Thus, as in the previous article, I want to customize a handler to handle special templates (such as routes.MapRoute("flylolo/{code}/{name}", MyRouteHandler.Handler);) will be ignored, because It can't generate Endpoint, and this way can be customized by customizing a middleware, no need to mix in the route.
9 is to use the Matcher generated above, carry the Endpoint list to match the request URL, and assign the matching Endpoint to the feature.Endpoint.
10 Get the feature.Endpoint, if it exists, call its RequestDelegate to process the request httpContext.
3 the new version and the old version of the similarities and differences summary
Briefly talk about the difference between the two versions from the two stages of application startup and request processing:
1. Start-up phase:
Most of the stages are similar. They are configured with a routing table by Startup's app.UseMvc() method, a Route collection of Routes(IList), and then simply convert it.
<=2.1: Converting Routes to RouteCollection
2.2+ : Convert Routes to List


Cicia was raised by immigrant Chinese parents, an experience that helped her to understand both struggle and hope. Her parents planned two decades ago to immigrate to and gain citizenship in the United States, in search of the hope promised by democracy and the American Dream. But experiencing the continual social and economic disempowerment of her family and peers of color, she began to realize the illusion of equal opportunity. She studied economics and political-economic philosophy at Wellesley College, and was eventually radicalized by a variety of feminist professors. She was particularly inspired by activists of faith who worked for economic, racial, and gender justice. During her time at Wellesley, she organized faith communities around transportation rights and issues of inclusion, and was deeply committed to community-building. She directed the first TEDxWellesleyCollege, co-founded a design collaborative, and spent a year as a Life Together Fellow in the Episcopal Service Corps, developing her organizing skills and deepening her spiritual practices.


text:
Odonates as biological indicators of grazing effects on Canadian prairie wetlands
Article first published online: 27 MAY 2005
Volume 30, Issue 3, pages 273–283, June 2005
How to Cite
Lee Foote, A. and Rice Hornung, C. L. (2005), Odonates as biological indicators of grazing effects on Canadian prairie wetlands. Ecological Entomology, 30: 273–283. doi: 10.1111/j.0307-6946.2005.00701.x
- Issue published online: 27 MAY 2005
- Article first published online: 27 MAY 2005
- Accepted 16 December 2004
- Aquatic invertebrates;
- cattle grazing;
Abstract. 1. Aquatic macro-invertebrates have frequently been used as biological indicators in lotic environments but much less commonly so in lentic habitats. Dragonflies and damselflies (Order Odonata) satisfy most selection criteria for lentic bioindicators of grazing impacts.
2. Intensive cattle grazing affects most of the Canadian prairie pothole region but the effects of grazing on wetlands are poorly understood.
3. Here the vegetation structure and invertebrate community composition of 27 prairie potholes in Alberta, Canada were studied and compared. Wetlands were evenly divided into three treatments of different grazing regimes.
4. Removal of emergent vegetation by cattle grazing decreased odonate abundance and reproductive effort. Shorter Scirpus acutus stems resulted in significantly fewer damselflies (Suborder Zygoptera) and lower reproductive efforts.
5. Overall odonate diversity was affected by the height of key plant species, highlighting the importance of the vegetation structure of both emergent vegetation for breeding and adjacent upland vegetation for nocturnal roosts. Wetland vegetation structure was more important than vegetation composition to the life history of odonates.
6. Wetland water quality parameters of nitrogen, phosphorus, total dissolved solids (TDS), and chlorophyll-a concentration did not change due to the presence of grazing cattle at wetlands so water quality influences were rejected as mechanisms of change.
7. Larval odonate diversity and abundance was positively correlated with overall aquatic macro-invertebrate diversity and abundance, hence it was concluded that the larval odonate community can be an accurate bioindicator of intactness and diversity of overall aquatic macro-invertebrate communities in Canadian prairie wetlands.


Learning to use
Cohen syndrome
Right away the obstetrician knew that something was very wrong.
The description in the article is sparse, but using the information present by 7 months of age the diagnosis of Cohen syndrome is #1:
Diagnose screen with differential diagnosis and phenotype
Other diseases are possibilities, but could have been excluded by "pertinent negative" findings on physical examination or simple tests.
Subscribers to the software can load the findings in this case by opening the software and then clicking the share icon at the right of the toolbar and adding the following patient string:


text:
In Re Petrus A.C.M. Nuijten.
A "signal" is not patentable subject matter because it is not a tangible article or commodity.
The issue before the CAFC was whether or not a signal is patentable subject matter? Nuijten appealed a decision of the BPAI that maintained a rejection of his claims reciting a "signal" encoded in a particular manner. The CAFC affirmed.
The technology at issue relates to a technique for reducing distortion induced by the introduction of "watermarks" into signals. The Nuijten technique improved upon existing watermark technology by modifying the watermarked signal in a way that partially compensated for distortion introduced by the watermark. Claim 14 at issue recites:
A signal with embedded supplemental data, the signal being encoded in accordance with a given encoding process and selected samples of the signal representing the supplemental data, and at least one of the samples preceding the selected samples is different from the sample corresponding to the given encoding process.
In first construing the term "signal," the CAFC determined that a signal is more than just data. Some physical form for the signal is required – but the nature of the physical carrier is totally irrelevant to the issue of whether the signal constitutes statutory subject matter. Instead, the appropriate inquiry was whether a transitory propagating signal is within any of the four statutory categories: process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter? The CAFC addressed these categories as follows.
The Supreme Court and this court have consistently interpreted the statutory term "process" to require action. A process consists of doing something, and therefore has to be carried out or performed. Nuijten noted that the claimed signal must be "encoded in accordance with a given encoding process." However, the presence of acts recited in the claim does not transform a claim covering a thing—the signal itself—into one covering the process by which that thing was made. The signal claims are not directed to a process.
The Supreme Court has defined the term "machine" as "a concrete thing, consisting of parts, or of certain devices and combination of devices." A transitory signal made of electrical or electromagnetic variances is not made of "parts" or "devices" in any mechanical sense. While such a signal is physical and real, it does not possess concrete structure in the sense implied by these definitions. A signal is clearly not a machine.
The majority noted that this statutory category was the most difficult to analyze here. Articles of manufacture are man-made, in the sense of having been encoded, generated, and transmitted by artificial means. However, artificiality is insufficient by itself to render something a "manufacture." Under the statutory use of the term "manufacture" and dictionary definitions, "articles" of "manufacture" are defined as tangible articles or commodities. A transient electric or electromagnetic transmission does not fit within that definition.
4) Composition of matter
The Supreme Court has defined "composition of matter" to mean "all compositions of two or more substances and all composite articles." A signal comprising a fluctuation in electric potential or in electromagnetic fields is not a "composition[s] of matter."
Accordingly, the CAFC held that a transitory, propagating signal cannot be patentable subject matter.
Judge Linn dissented-in-part, arguing that the definition of a "manufacture" should not be limited to tangible, non-transitory things. Instead, under an expansive view of the term "manufacture," the dissent would hold that a signal that is a non-naturally occurring product of human ingenuity is patentable subject matter if it is otherwise new, useful, and non-obvious.


text:
The construction sector in the United States is expected to grow by 8.8 % this year, and by 2026, the country's construction production is predicted to exceed $1.65 Trillion. Construction firms should be ready to tackle the challenges and changes to take advantage of the opportunities in this sector.
The industry has experienced a decline in recent years despite being a key sector for economic growth in the United States. This sector is expected to re-emerge and grow in 2022 after a challenging period of modifying estimates and changing expectations. The residential construction sector will continue to grow in the coming quarters, followed by non-building construction and commercial construction. Despite the inevitable challenges that the construction industry faces, this sector will experience changes that will aid in the mitigation of some of the issues. This blog explains the recent trends in the construction industry and how these trends will shape the future of the construction industry.
Construction Industry Forecast
In 2022, the construction sector in the United States is expected to grow by 8.8 %, reaching $1.35 Trillion. The growth trend is likely to continue with a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 5% between 2022 and 2026. By 2026, the country's construction production is predicted to exceed $1.65 Trillion.
Infrastructure expectations have increased with the passage of the Bipartisan Law, which includes long-term expenditures to rebuild roads, bridges, and highways, modernize transportation, and expand energy output. The non-residential building and non-residential construction are predicted to lead the development, followed by transportation and public safety.
Analyzing the Construction Industry from a Sectoral Perspective
- Residential Construction: A key contributor to the economic recovery in the US following the Coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis has been the housing sector, with double-digit growth rates since the third quarter of 2020. Due to low mortgage rates, strong demand for bigger living spaces, and a shallow housing inventory, this sector has experienced rapid growth. With Fed's recent signals about continued interest rate increases to tame inflation, this sector may slow down in the near term.
- Commercial Construction: Retail stores, warehouses, offices, and hotels are some examples of commercial buildings. In 2022, commercial construction is predicted to increase by 12%, with warehouse construction accounting for most of the increase. The need for warehouse construction expanded as the reliance on e-commerce grew during the pandemic.
- Institutional Building: If the COVID-19 vaccination rate continues to rise and the variants do not lead to widespread closures, institutional building starts will slowly increase in 2022. Starts will gain 6% as dollar value increases to $145B. It includes construction activity in Education, Transportation, Recreation, Healthcare, and Public buildings.
- Manufacturing Construction: Due to the significant limits and delays induced by the pandemic in manufacturing and distribution networks in 2020, the construction sector in the United States is likely to suffer a short setback in 2022. As a result, manufacturing construction starts are predicted to remain constant in dollar value in 2022, at $22.6B.
- Non-Building Construction: This sector will have great potential due to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). However, as the bill was passed in 2021, minor effects are projected in 2022. Street and Bridge Construction, Water and Environmental Engineering, Electric Power and Utilities, and other Non-Building structures are all included in this category. By 2022, Power/Utility construction will increase by 10% to $38.5B, while public works construction will increase by 5% to $167B.
Challenges in the Construction Industry
- Construction is slow to adopt new advancements and technologies, such as project management software, drones, and building information modeling.
- A shortage of skilled labor has slowed the pace of onsite projects and makes it more difficult to encourage new talent to become involved. Over the next two years, one million new construction workers will be needed in the United States.
- In the construction industry, supply chain disruptions often lead to a shortage of building materials and increased prices. According to a National Association of Home Builders survey, more than 90% of builders reported shortages of appliances, framing lumber, and oriented strand boards. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated that construction material prices were up by almost 25% in 2021.
The Construction Sector is Expected to Change in 2022
The construction industry is changing norms regarding protective gear. Innovations with wearable technology are making their ways to the market, such as boots with Wi-Fi connections that can detect a person's fall and headsets that reduce noise while keeping workers focused.
- As the construction industry grows, green construction is making its mark. It includes technology that can lower a building's carbon footprint and construction models that help in reducing the usage of resources. Green Scaping has become common in urban centers where rooftops are covered with plants and small parks.
- Construction firms are increasingly turning to modular and offsite construction to overcome time and onsite constraints. By 2025, the modular construction industry will reach almost $110B in value, dominated by the residential sector.
- Construction technology innovations boosting efficiency will likely stand out as the biggest differentiator for builders and developers this year. Innovations that enable this sector include Construction Drones, Augmented Reality (AR), and Building Information Modeling (BIM) to facilitate computer renderings of buildings and utilities. Employing mobile applications for real-time inspections will make the construction process more efficient.
- A change in attitude toward trade schools allows fresh talent to be employed and attracts Generation-Z to the construction business. Women are also stepping up to fill roles in the construction business; according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, women already hold 10.9% of construction industry employment, a number predicted to climb.
Despite certain obstacles, the construction industry is the largest contributor to the US economy. Construction firms should take necessary steps to address the challenges like labor shortages, technology adoption, and productivity issues to avoid escalation of costs, diminishing productivity, and project delays. Companies require professionals equipped with the latest skills to operate in the construction domain. iQuasar, with over 15+ years of experience, has a vast pool of qualified candidates and strong industry connections that can help businesses in the construction industry with skilled professionals in quick turn-around time.