Posted by: gschloesser | February 12, 2020
Game play can be rather swift, as turns move quickly. Each player's turn consists of four basic phases:
Take a Sacrifice card. This step is optional. A player may purchase one of the four types of sacrifice cards. However, there is a cost, which is five stones minus the number of farmers of that type they have present in their display (which is zero at the start of the game). So, until a player begins generating stones, purchasing a sacrifice card is usually not an option.
Sacrifice cards are important as they will likely score victory points at game's end. Plus, they are needed for, of course, sacrifices! More on this in a bit.
Play cards. The player must play at least one card into his display. However, a player may play up to three farmers of the same type, provided he pays the stone cost. Playing one stonemason, priest or farmer has no cost, but playing multiple farmers cost one or two stones.
Stonemasons earn the player stones when triggered, while farmers reduce the cost of sacrifice cards. Priests earn victory points.
Shrines are a bit different. Playing one costs seven stones and triggers a "Sacrifice" phase. When played, the normal game phases are interrupted and each player must place one of their sacrifice cards face-up onto the altar, with the player triggering this phase placing an additional one of his choice taken from the decks of sacrifice cards. Sacrificing cards is important, as this will determine the value of each of the commodities at game's end. Erecting shrines is also important as each is worth four points at game's end, which can be substantial.
Take cards. The player must take cards from the Offer columns, filling his hand back to three cards. Cards taken must come from the bottom of a column, and the final card revealed after a player finishes taking cards triggers a scoring. Players determine the number of cards they have in their display that matches this revealed card, and they will reap the benefits accordingly.
Depending upon which card is revealed, players will receive sacrifice cards (farmers), stones (stonemason) or victory points (priests). Shrines give the players a choice between victory points or stones. Possessing a majority of these types will yield additional benefits, so that is certainly a worthy goal.
The game ends rather abruptly when the deck of cards is exhausted, which happens rather quickly. At this point, the cards that have been sacrificed on the altar are separated by type to determine the top three commodities. Players will earn 3, 2 or 1 point for each matching card they have in their possession. For example, if there were more peanuts sacrificed than any other type, each peanut card a player possesses is worth three points. Players also earn four point per shrine they constructed, a point for every five stones they possess, as well as the victory point tokens they collected during the game. The player with the most points is victorious.
There are two variants included in the game. The Oracle adds eight "oracle" cards to the deck. When oracles appear in the Offer, they are discarded and the active player may look at the top four cards on the altar and keep one. The Demon places the demon token atop one of the Offer columns and prevents players from taking cards from that column. It is moved when a priest card is played. Both of these are minor variants and do not greatly affect the play of the game.
The central mechanism / choice in Bali is one that is present in numerous other games. That is, players must collect cards for victory points, but then must spend some of those cards to insure that those cards earn as most points possible. So, the tough choice is balancing this need to collect and conserve cards versus the need to spend some of those to optimize the points they will earn. This can be a tough choice, and finding that balance point is the challenge.
Gaining majorities of various types can prove lucrative, and one should possess numerous stonemasons since stone is a valuable commodity used to construct shrines and purchase sacrifice cards. Thus, choosing which cards to take from the Offer columns is quite important. However, one must also consider which card will be last to be revealed, as that card will trigger a payout. These choices factor into a player's overall strategy.
As mentioned, the game tends to flow quickly and player turns are usually fast. That is a positive. My big negative, however, is that the game seems to end too quickly. 16 of the 58 cards are set out in the offering, leaving only 42 cards remaining in the deck. This expires quickly as players take 1 – 3 cards per turn from the Offer. This usually means that a player will only have 8 – 10 turns per game, which really isn't enough to create a properly honed engine. Further, the game ends immediately when the deck expires, making it likely that not everyone will have an equal number of turns. I tend to dislike this in a game, as it is usually a sizeable disadvantage for those players who did not get their fair share of turns.
For me, Bali is an enjoyable game. I enjoy the choices and balancing acts it forces players to make, and I think the theme works reasonably well. However, I do think it has a few issues, particularly those mentioned above. Perhaps these could be fixed with the addition of more cards to the deck and allowing each player to have an equal number of turns. As is, however, it doesn't offer enough shine, cleverness or originality to give it a long shelf life.
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World's First Pressure-based Gait Authentication System
Biometric Physical Security • Multi-Subject Tracking • Real-Time Streaming of Data
Stepscan® Secure is the world's first pressure-based gait-authentication system for access control. Stepscan® is the only company producing modular pressure-sensitive flooring that is large enough to capture many footsteps of natural gait leading to a secure area. It is configurable to suit most any space or hallway.
Stepscan® also has developed the world's first in multiple subject tracking based on real-time streaming of footprint data. This enables us to collect the footprint paths/tracks of multiple individuals simultaneously and combine the footprints in each person's path for added verification accuracy.
Based on the above features of our Stepscan® platform and research supported by the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) we have shown that we are able to analyze various features of a person's gait and foot/floor interactions and differentiate individuals just by their walking patterns.
security gate
Features at a Glance:
 - Gait samples for registration can be acquired passively during initial entries
 - Unobtrusive scanning as part of entrance system
 - Indiscernible to the public/would be imposters
 - Detects tailgating
 - Very difficult to steal/hack a person's gait to bypass system
Dual Authentication Access Control • Next-Level Security
Access control is an integral part of any business or facility's security, ensuring that only those with proper authority and credentials gain access. To enhance security measures many facilities are now moving to 2-Factor or Multi-Factor Authentication methods. They are usually a combination of a knowledge factor (PIN code), a Possession Factor (key card) and an Inherent factor (usually a biometric method such as a fingerprint, face or retinal scan).
2-Factor authentication helps ensure that the person attempting to gain access is who they say they are and reduces the risk of unauthorized access due to stolen passwords or key cards.
Stepscan's® pressure-based gait authentication system uses a subject's gait as the biometric authentication, providing next-level of security unavailable with any other system:
 - Passive registration - unlike other biometric technologies which require formal user registration, gait samples for registration can be acquired silently during initial entries reducing burden to both the staff and those seeking access.
 - Unobtrusive - A key feature of most biometrics is that the user must present themselves (e.g. finger, hand, iris, face etc) to a sensor and be scanned. Gait is a natural movement that usually takes place leading up to a secure entrance. It is completely unobtrusive.
 - Indiscernible - Because a user isn't required to actively present themselves for inspection, there is also the potential for making it hidden - and generally unknown to would be imposters
 - Detects tailgating - The flooring solution can be used to detect when two or more individuals enter a secure space only on the authentication of one individual.
 - Very secure - As gait is a by-product of a person's biomechanical makeup, it cannot easily be mimicked.
Watch Stepscan® Secure At Work
News from Stepscan
Interested in learning more?
Talk to a Stepscan Product Specialist to discuss your specific needs and to see what Stepscan can do for you.


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Why the asterisk is a new symbol of pride
When academics generate data on race in higher education, they often include an asterisk next to the Native American category. That little mark lets researchers know the population is "statistically not significant," usually meaning roughly less than 1 percent of the student population.
In March, Stylus Publishing will release what is perhaps the most comprehensive collection of writing by Native American scholars to date: "Beyond the Asterisk: Understanding Native Students in Higher Education." With contributions from more than a dozen leading Native Americans in higher education, the new book examines the Native American college experience from almost every angle — from the first-year experience, to tribal colleges, to Native American Greek organizations and culturally sensitive housing.
"One of the things that constantly came up [for the Native American academics] was this concept of invisibility: in scholarship, research, data, curriculum and on the campuses," says Heather J. Shotton, the lead editor of the book. Shotton is a professor at Oklahoma University and a member of the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes. "For us, the idea was to offer some perspective on Native students, from Native professors."
Shotton is quick to point out that the Native experience is different from other minority groups.
"I think what separates Native students is that Native people are not just a racial or ethnic group. We are also considered a political group," she says. "We are citizens of sovereign nations — tribal nations, but also citizens of the United States."

source: HuggingFaceFW/fineweb-edu


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Do Not Eat Raw Cookie Dough – The CDC has issued a warning about eating raw cookie dough and warns consumers and cooks that any unbaked product can be unsafe.
Back in 2009, an E.coli outbreak prompted the CDC to investigate refrigerated Nestle Toll House cookie dough products. The findings of that investigation may change the way you snack while baking.
It was determined that E. coli and salmonella risks are high in any product that is made to be baked, even if it is homemade. The risks are not brand specific and scientists said that the E. coli outbreak that resulted when 77 people in 30 states became ill after eating the prepackaged cookie dough could have been avoided simply by following the directions on the package.
Even homemade cookie dough can be unhealthy to eat prior to baking and the risk is two-fold. Uncooked flour used in most recipes is the most likely culprit for E. coli. The flour has not gone through processes required to kill pathogens, though the makers of Nestle Toll House Cookie dough says it will change that for their products.
Another ingredient in unbaked dough is raw eggs which are a known cause of salmonella. The Don't Eat It Raw rule applies to other foods, not just cookies – Bread dough, cake batter, pizza and biscuit dough.
As tempting as it may be to eat the batter or lick the beaters, take a pass and wait until it is cooked. Do Not Eat Raw Cookie Dough!Tags: cdc, cookie dough, do not eat raw cookie dough, e coli, Health, News, salmonella


Take the 2-minute tour ×
This is for all that are interested in classical groups and their representations. We are investigating the following situation:
Let $V$ be $d$-dimensional $k$-vector space (where $k$ is a finite field) equipped with a non-degenerate quadratic form $Q$, so that $V$ is an orthogonal space. Let $GO$ be the group of similarities (which are a bit more general than isometries; we use the language of Kleidman's and Liebeck's book 'The Subgroup Structure of the Finite Classical Groups') and fix $g_1,g_2\in GO$. Suppose we have the following setting:
There are non-degenerate subspaces $U_i$ which are irreducible as $\langle g_i\rangle$-modules and which have large dimension $e_i>d/2$ for $i=1,2$. (we call $g_i$ 'fat' in this case, a generalization of ppd-elements as described in A. Niemeyer and C. Praeger 'A recognition algorithm for classical groups over finite fields'; our project actually deals with finding the proportions of such elements within the classical groups)
What we are interested in here is a third subspace:
Let $W$ be an irreducible $\langle g_1,g_2\rangle$-module which intersects trivially with $U_i$ and assume that $W$ is totally singular i.e. $Q_W=0$. Is it possible that $W$ - as a subspace of $U_i^{\perp}$ - is maximal totally singular in $U_1^{\perp}$ or $U_2^{\perp}$, which is means that the dimension of $W$ equals the Witt index of $U_i^{\perp}$?
We can control the case where $W$ is non-degenerate or generated by a non-singular element $v$ (i.e. $Q(v)\neq 0$). The bad guys are such $W$ as above, as the group $\Omega\le GO$ as described in (Kleidman and Liebeck) does not act transitvely on maximal totally singular subspaces in general. The best result would be if such subspaces cannot exist in the above setting.
P.S. For simplicity we could assume that the characteristic of $k$ is odd.
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I am confused. First you say that $W$ intersects trivially with $U_i$, then you talk about $W$ being a subspace of $U_i$! – Derek Holt May 4 '12 at 22:19
_USER_, you are absolutely right, $W$ is a subspace of $U_i^{\perp} - sorry for that. – Natalie May 6 '12 at 21:17
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The Purchase College Experience
The Purchase College Experience is comprised of five components that coincide with the institution's "8-semester plan to graduation", an individualized plan that guides a student's academic progress toward a timely degree attainment. Each component gains its inspiration from the well-studied barriers, checkpoints, and questions that students encounter over the course of his or her four years in terms of intellectual, psychological, cultural, social, and professional development.
Goals Statement:
The Purchase College Experience aims to create stability and sustainability in an institutionally supported goal to graduate its student body in a timely four-year sequence. It achieves this through centralized communications and programmatic efforts.
Goal 1: Synchronize and streamline communication to provide reliable and non-conflicting information to students and parents, while minimizing redundancy and outreach overload. This centralized structure will focus on the following themes:
A. Various academic and enrollment policies and co-curricular opportunities throughout the academic year
B. Campus policies and programs so that students recognize when they are pertinent in the context of their academic standing and whom to contact for specific issues and concerns
C. A communication system to students that focuses on social networking, electronic communication, and in-person peer-to-peer interactions
Goal 2: Create, coordinate, and/or maintain programs that address cohort-specific needs while increasing collaboration throughout the campus. This centralized structure will focus on the following themes:
A. Enhancement of current staple events
B. Thoughtful collaboration with various offices throughout Student Affairs and Enrollment Services to lessen over-programming and eliminate redundancy and cross-scheduled efforts
C. Faculty involvement in various programs and services


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(topic: Logic) - Convinced that his failure to defeat Motherboard is simply a result of bad luck, Hacker collects the Ten Lucky Charms of Cyberspace. The caper works. Hacker's luck changes, and good things begin happening to him. When Motherboard realizes what Hacker has done - she sends the kids and Digit to Hacker's hideout in the Northern Frontier to help the Lucky Charms escape. The kids use logic, Venn Diagrams and the understanding of the words "and", "or" and "not" to free the Charms. The Big Idea: When you have to choose from a confusing mix of possibilities, you can use logic - a set of tools for thinking clearly - to sort out your choices so you can get exactly what you want.
Visit the Website: _URL_
Episode #112 / Length: 28 minutes


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Insertion of a controlling element can generate an unstable allele of a locus
The insertion of a controlling element can generate an unstable allele of a locus, designated mutable. This instability can be seen both in somatic and in germline tissues. The instability can result from reversion of a mutation, due to the excision and transposition of the controlling element. After excision and re-integration, the transposable element can alter the expression of a gene at the new location. This new phenotype indicated that the element was mobile.
An example of the effects of integration and excision of a transposable element can be seen at the bronze locus in maize (Fig. 9.8). The aleurone is the surface layer of endosperm in a kernel of maize. The wild type has a deep bluish-purple color. This is determined by the bronzelocus. The Bz allele is dominant and confers the bluish-purple color to the aleurone. The bzallele is recessive, and gives a bronze color to the aleurone when homozygous. In Bzkernels, anthocyanin is produced. Bzencodes UDPglucose:flavanoid 3-O-glucosyltransferase (UFGT), an enzyme needed for anthocyanin production. The loss-of-function bz alleles have no UFGT activity, and the bluish-purple anthocyanins are not produced. Some alleles of bronze show an unstable, or mutable, phenotype. In the bz-malleles, clones of cells regain the bluish-purple color characteristic of Bz cells. This produces patches of bluish-purple color in the aleurone of kernels (Fig. 9.8).
This mutation in the bz-mallele is the insertion of the Ds(dissociation) transposable element. Dsdisrupts the function of the UFGT gene to give a bronze color to the seed kernel. In the presence of the Ac(activator) element, the Ds can excise from the locus, restoring a functional UFGT gene (and a bluish-purple color). This occurs in some but not all cells in the developing seed and is clonally inherited, resulting in the patches of blue on a bronze background for each kernel.
Figure 9.8. Frequent excision of a Ds allele generates an unstable, or mutable, phenotype at the bronze locus.
Current methods for observing transposition and transposable elements
Movement of DNA segments can be observed by a variety of modern techniques. In organisms with a short generation time, such as bacteria and yeast, one can simply monitor many generations for the number and positions of a family of repeated DNA elements by blot-hybridization analysis of genomic DNA. Using a Ty-1DNA fragment as a probe, about 20 hybridizing bands could be seen at the start of an experiment, meaning that about 20 copies were present in the yeast genome. The size of the restriction fragment containing each element was distinctive, as determined by restriction endonuclease cleavage sites that flanked the different locations of each element. After growing for many generations, some new bands were observed, showing that new Ty-1elements had been generated and moved to new locations. These observations led to this family of repeats being christened Ty-1, for transposable element, yeast, number 1.
Evidence for transposition in many organisms comes from analysis of new mutations. Transposable elements appear to be the major source of new mutation in Drosophila, and they have been shown to cause mutations in bacteria, fungi, plants and animals. One example from humans is a new mutation causing hemophilia. A patient from a family with no prior history was diagnosed with hemophilia, resulting from an absence of factor VIII. By molecular cloning techniques, Kazazian and his colleagues showed that the mutant factor VIII gene had a copy of a LINE1, or L1, repeat inserted. In contrast to most L1 repeats in the human genome, whose sequences have diverged from a predicted source gene, the sequence of this L1 was very close to that predicted for an active L1. Tests showed that the patient's parents did not carry this mutation in their factor VIII genes. Screening a genomic library for L1s that were almost identical to the mutagenic L1 revealed a full-length, active L1 that was the source, on a different chromosome. The appearance of a new L1 in the factor VIII gene, making an allele that was not present in the parents, is a strong argument for transposition. The further studies identifying a source gene and showing that the source gene is active in transposition make the evidence unequivocal.
Now that it is recognized that most repetitive elements in many species result from transposition events, it is easy to find transposable elements or their progeny. A comprehensive database of repetitive elements in many species is maintained as RepBase (J. Jurka) and the program RepeatMasker (Green and Smit) will widely used to find matches to these repeats. Virtually all these repeats are made by transposition.

source: openbmb/Ultra-FineWeb


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Assistive Technology Interview
AT in Action
Barrett Family Wellness Center
Overview of Center
Due to the lack of responses from various assistive technology specialists and educators, I turned to the worldwide web to conduct a research for therapy centers using assistive technologies to improve learning in children with disabilities. During the research process, I discovered the Barrett Family Wellness Center, a center working with children from birth to teenage years with a variety of learning and physical disabilities. The specialists at Barrett use a variety of assistive technologies and software to improve the abilities of students with a variety of communication and speech disabilities.
The center conducted its own video interview with two specialists, Andrea Quinn and Jill Johnson, both speech specialists at the Barrett Family Wellness Center. In the interview, the two review four iPad software programs used in at the center and display how to use each, including a description of the needs addressed through each program. Below you will find compiled responses to interview questions based on the video interview.
10 Interview Questions
- Choice of technology
The choice of technology used in the interview include the iPad and iPad software, Pogg, Articulation Station, My Play Home, and Proloquo2Go.
- How is the technology implemented?
The technology is applied by way of activities and application of the Ipad. Pogg is an alien app used to express and perform various actions like completing sentences and expressing through language. For example, if a child says the command Pogg eat, Pogg, the alien responds by eating food. This app helps students with language building and expression. Articulation Station is an app that assists students with articulation, It works with either letters, words, or sentences and allows users to record and play back information. This app works to assist with speech, specifically articulation of language. My Play Home is an app that also assists students that have language and speech delays through allowing users to explore familiar parts of life such as family and school life with language identifiers. Lastly, Proloquo2Go is an app used with children who have difficulties communicating. The app allows students to express a variety of wants and needs, such as wanting to drink of water or something to eat.
- Funding (Did they receive grants, or where did the funds come from? How were funds allocated?) It is not specified how the center goes about purchasing the assistive technology devices.
- Population served
The assistive technology used at the Barret Family Wellness Center is intended to meet the needs of children from birth to teenage years.
- Who is impacted? (Is there a universal impact, or does it affect one student?)
The assistive technology has a universal impact, intended to assist with communication and speech inabilities resulting from a variety of disabilities and set backs.
- Incorporation into the curriculum
Due to the fact that the technology is used in a therapy center, it is not specified how it is incorporated into the curriculum; however, are specifically used to develop speech, articulation, and communication skills.
- How is training offered for the device(s)?
The therapy center assists with determining what device is suitable to meet the needs specific to each child. The center also provides workshops and appointments to discuss specific cases and needs.
- How are the technology devices maintained? (What happens if one breaks?)
The technologies are used and maintained by the specialists.
- Review likes and dislikes
The specialists seem to like using the assistive technology devices displayed in the video.
- Do they have any way to track whether it is beneficial to student learning? If so, how? If not, why not and how could they? It is not specified whether there is a process for evaluating the effectiveness of the programs but my personal opinion says that improvements in speech and communication are illustrations of the benefits.
Strengths, Weaknesses, and Recommendations
The Barrett Family Wellness Center stated the importance of staying up to date and current with trends concerning learning improvements and programs. The efforts to stay current with the next best thing is the greatest strength for this center, it ensures that they will be up to date with the current flaws, additions, and upgrades to software. I actually have no recommendations for them, they already use the program I have posted about a number of times about, Proloquo2Go. The best method of supporting individuals with disabilities, as The Barrett Family Wellness Center does, is state current with changes or trends in technology and using research and practice to determine the best device to meet individual needs.


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Aalnc sentence example
- The American Academy of Legal Nurse Consultants (AALNC) offers a Legal Nurse Consulting Online Course that can help nurses prepare for this speciality.
- According to the AALNC, much confusion exists about the specific role of the nurse consultant.
- The AALNC maintains that the profession is a speciality in the field of nursing and it should remain distinct from paralegal work.
- Certification is available through the AALNC for nurses who have experience as legal consultants.


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Use this nonfiction comprehension worksheet to help second and third graders learn all about Misty Copeland, the first African American woman to become a principal dancer at the American Ballet Theatre.
Then what happened? In this activity, students will choose stop and jot sticky notes from different parts of the story to practice their sequencing and summarizing skills as they respond to questions about the literature.
Introduce students to the inspiring environmental activist Wangari Maathai. Children will read a short biography about the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize and answer nonfiction comprehension questions about the text.
Essays, books, and scripts all have one thing in common—purposeful organization. Literary analysis worksheets show students how to craft the perfect essay, no matter the assignment. With reading activities, writing prompts, graphic organizers, reading logs, and more, students gain skills necessary to succeed in writing. Literary analysis worksheets take the struggle out of essay writing, so your child can focus.


text: This half term the children have been developing their aiming and throwing skills. They have used hoops and beanbags in the hall to practice this skill. You can do this at home too using rolled up socks and a basket, just like we did during lockdown. As well as developing these skills they have also been working on turn taking with their peers. What a clever bunch of children we have!


Plant Diversity
Botany Basics
What are homosporous and heterosporous plants?
Certain plants are considered to be homosporous and heterosporous plants. Homo-sporous plants produce only one type of spore; heterosporous plants produce or have two types of spores (microspores and megaspores) that develop into the male gametophyte and female gametophyte respectively. (The gametophyte is the phase that produces the sexual organs of a plant; for more about gametophytes, see above.)


text:
Linked by Intel Researchers (for OSNews) on Wed 12th Mar 2003 23:25 UTC
Processors with Hyper-Threading technology can improve the performance of applications by permitting a single processor to process data as if it were two processors by executing instructions from different threads in parallel rather than serially. However, the potential performance improvement can be only obtained if an application is multithreaded by parallelization techniques. This article presents the multithreaded code generation and optimization techniques developed for the Intel C++/Fortran compiler. We conduct the performance study of two multimedia applications parallelized with OpenMP pragmas and compiled with the Intel compiler on the Hyper-Threading (HT) technology enabled Intel single-processor and multi-processor systems.


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FLAC: Social Welfare and the Protection Regime
This is a contribution from Saoirse Brady, FLAC's Policy & Campaigns Officer.
Asylum seekers and other persons seeking protection often appear to be excluded from Irish society. In fact, the Irish government has taken a number of steps to ensure that persons within the asylum and humanitarian leave to remain process cannot easily integrate into Irish society.
By introducing the policies of direct provision and dispersal, the government has added to this sense of exclusion for individuals seeking asylum or another form of protection. "Direct provision" is the scheme whereby asylum seekers and people seeking other forms of protection are given accommodation on a full-board basis with all their basic needs apparently provided for directly. Direct provision residents receive a weekly payment of 19.10 for an adult and 9.60 for a child, unchanged since its introduction in 2001. The dispersal scheme ensures that individuals who apply for asylum are dispatched to different parts of the country. Often they are removed from residential areas or big towns and sent to remote or rural locations. Transport is limited and given their meagre allowance, it is often difficult for them to leave their accommodation centres to socialise or interact with other members of Irish society. This obviously has implications for the social inclusion of direct provision residents. In its concluding observations to Ireland's first national report, the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination noted it "is concerned at the possible implications of the policy of dispersal of and direct provision for asylum-seekers" under article 3, which prohibits discrimination.
Furthermore, the integration of asylum seekers and other direct provision residents does not fall within the remit of the Office of the Minister for Integration, set up in 2007.
In terms of social welfare law, the Habitual Residence Condition, introduced on 1 May 2004, has had an impact on people who live in direct provision accommodation. Before the introduction of the Condition, direct provision residents were entitled to certain social welfare payments, including Child Benefit, but since its introduction they no longer receive this payment. Child Benefit was used by parents in direct provision to provide essential items for their children, such as supplementing their diets. The removal of this universal benefit means that in many cases parents in direct provision can no longer afford to send their children on school trips or participate in extracurricular activities and this can further exacerbate the social exclusion of these already vulnerable children.
While the HRC was initially brought in to prevent "welfare tourism" from the EU accession States, it has clearly been used to stop asylum seekers from accessing any welfare payments outside of the Direct Provision Allowance or Exceptional Needs Payments. In June 2008, the Department for Social and Family Affairs issued guidelines which stated that no asylum seeker or person in direct provision could satisfy the Habitual Residence Condition. FLAC challenged this blanket ban through a number of appeals taken to the Social Welfare Appeals Office. FLAC argued that the relevant legislation did not in fact exclude any group from accessing the payments. The Chief Appeals Officer was asked by the Department to review a number of positive decisions where a direct provision resident was found to be habitually resident; he subsequently held that the legislation must be applied in the same way as in every other case. Each case has to be decided on its own individual circumstances. (For more information, see FLAC's briefing note at _URL_
It is important to note that asylum seekers are not permitted to work under the Refugee Act 1996. This further excludes this group of people from participating fully in Irish society and interacting with their peers. Apart from the financial repercussions of not being allowed to work, direct provision residents are unable to meet friends or acquaintances in the ways other people usually do.
According to statistics from the Reception and Integration Agency for September 2009, almost a third (32 per cent) of direct provision residents have been in the system for more than three years, 1290 (19 per cent) for more than two years and 1633 (24 per cent) for more than a year. Given the length of time people spend living in direct provision, it is unfair, if not cruel, to expect people not to integrate into the society around them during such periods of time. Children living in direct provision attend local schools and make friends there. Adults often volunteer with local charities or non-governmental organisations, as they are not allowed to take up paid employment. Residents form relationships with Irish people or with others who have made Ireland their home. It is natural that a direct provision resident will form some attachment to Ireland and feel that this is his or her new home if the length of time taken to determine his or her status exceeds a number of months.
The responsible authorities should take appropriate measures to ensure that individuals who seek asylum are not subjected to further isolation. Direct provision residents almost inevitably put down roots in Ireland. If a person is later granted permission to stay here and steps have been not taken to ensure his or her social inclusion both at national and local level, this may have long-term implications for the authorities who have to look after that person's well-being and for the well-being of society at large. Direct provision residents are here and living in Ireland; this reality should be acknowledged and people should be given the opportunity to feel a part of the society in which they live.
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Luciano Berio (_PHONE_)
Chemins II (su Sequenza VI) (1967)
Chemins II is one of Berio's works that Pierre Boulez loves the most, and which, by the way, he willingly conducts. No doubt indeed it combines characteristics important to him: the surpassing of usually admitted limits of virtuosity, the risk-taking, halfway between the interpreter's absolute physical commitment and his necessary mastery of the musical development, but also a play on appearances in a work that sometimes sounds like the sum of ten concertos, and where the solo viola part is locally submerged by the nine other instruments, a play with traps too, in a work conceived as the study on the repetition of one harmonic sequence, but where those repetitions are the occasion of many a change, retrograde or incomplete presentations of the basic sequence, a whole compositional game that reveals a multi-entry piece of work. Besides, Chemins II is a work that reveals some of the ambiguities specific to the viola: its duality ancient/modern for instance, with the willingly contemporary, conquering aspect of the initial tremolo, that very slowly lets a more "classical" playing emerge, until the moving nostalgia of the final phrase, its trouble too, stemming from its medium range that predisposes its timbre to be absorbed sometimes by the instrumental group: in other words, some of the ambiguities that could fascinate such a personality as Pierre Boulez, as can be shown in pieces such as Fragments/Multiples or The Hammer without a master.
Christophe Desjardins,
text introducing the disc Voix d'alto, Aeon (AECD 0429)


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Research Shows Alarming Rates of LGBT Student Victimization in Pennsylvania
Thousands of Pennsylvania Students to Participate in Day of Silence on Friday
PENNSYLVANIA, April 16, 2009 - Pennsylvania schools are unsafe places for LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) youth, according to a new GLSEN research brief released as Pennsylvania students prepare for the 13th annual National Day of Silence on Friday.
Inside Pennsylvania Schools: The Experiences of LGBT Students, a report based on findings from 242 Pennsylvania students who participated in the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network's 2007 National School Climate Survey, shows that Pennsylvania LGBT students face extreme levels of harassment and assault, skip school at alarming rates because of feeling unsafe and perform poorer in school when they are more frequently harassed.
Pennsylvania is one of 43 states that does not explicitly protect students from bullying and harassment based on sexual orientation and gender identity/expression.
"As Pennsylvania students prepare for the National Day of Silence to bring attention to anti-LGBT bullying and harassment, we learn just how pervasive the problem is in Pennsylvania schools," GLSEN Executive Director Eliza Byard said. "Pennsylvania has lagged behind other states in taking the simple and effective steps to begin addressing anti-LGBT bullying and harassment. Pennsylvania and all of its schools need to commit to making sure that schools are safe for all students."
Nearly nine out of 10 Pennsylvania LGBT students experienced verbal harassment based on sexual orientation in the past year, more than half said they had been physically harassed and more than 25% said they had been physically assaulted.
GLSEN's work in Pennsylvania is supported by its GLSEN Pittsburgh chapter.
The Day of Silence is an annual event across the country, during which students take some form of a constitutionally protected vow of silence to bring attention to anti-LGBT name-calling, bullying and harassment. Students from 271 Pennsylvania middle and high schools have registered as participants this year.
98% of Pennsylvania LGBT students regularly (sometimes, often or frequently) heard the word gay used in a negative way in school, such as "that's so gay." 83% regularly heard homophobic remarks, such as "faggot" or "dyke," from other students in school.
88% of LGBT students were verbally harassed, 52% were physically harassed and 27% were physically assaulted in the past year because of their sexual orientation.
63% of LGBT students were verbally harassed, 36% were physically harassed and 18% were physically assaulted because of their gender expression.
54% of LGBT students who were harassed or assaulted in school never reported it to school staff. Only 32% of students who did report incidents said that reporting resulted in effective intervention by school staff.
39% of LGBT students had skipped class at least once in the past month because they felt unsafe, and 44% had missed at least one entire day of school for this reason. Students who were more frequently verbally harassed because of their sexual orientation were twice as likely to miss days of school because they felt unsafe than students who were less frequently harassed (56% vs. 28%, respectively).
Pennsylvania is one of 43 states that does not explicitly protect students from bullying and harassment on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity/expression. Only 19% of LGBT students reported that their school had this type of comprehensive anti-bullying policy.
About the National School Climate Survey
The National School Climate Survey is a biennial report examining the experiences of LGBT middle and high school students in U.S. schools. The report, which was first conducted in 1999 and is the only national survey of its kind, documents the anti-LGBT bias and behaviors that make schools unsafe for many of these youth. The full 2007 sample consisted of 6,209 LGBT secondary school students, from all 50 states and the District of Columbia, between the ages of 13 and 21.
GLSEN, the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, is the leading national education organization focused on ensuring safe schools for all students. Established nationally in 1995, GLSEN envisions a world in which every child learns to respect and accept all people, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity/expression. GLSEN seeks to develop school climates where difference is valued for the positive contribution it makes to creating a more vibrant and diverse community. For information on GLSEN's research, educational resources, public policy advocacy, student organizing programs and educator training initiatives, visit _URL_.


Greek shield
shield used by hoplites in Ancient Greece
The Greek shield of Ancient Greece was called a hoplon or aspis. It was from this word that hoplite (a Greek soldier) is derived.[1]
Hoplite shield as carried by athletes in a race at the Olympic Games
A hoplon was a deeply-dished shield made of wood. Some shields had a thin sheet of bronze on the outer face. This was placed just around the rim. In some periods, the shield was decorated. At other times, it remained undecorated. These large shields were designed for a mass of hoplites to push forward into the opposing army, and it was their most essential equipment.[2] The shield was carried in the left hand. It was used by Spartans as a weapon of attack.
Probably the most famous decoration is the Spartan. This was a capital lambda (Λ). From the late 5th century BC onward, Athenian hoplites usually used the Little Owl (Athena's sacred bird). The shields of Theban hoplites were sometimes decorated with a sphinx, or the club of Herakles.
 1. Fred Eugene Ray, Jr. (2011). Land battles in 5th century BC Greece: a history and analysis of 173 engagements. McFarland. p. 9. ISBN 978-0-7864-5260-6. The word hoplon sometimes meant this piece of equipment, but the word use most often was in the plural (hopla) to describe all the tools of war (i.e., arms, with hoplites signifying a man at arms).
 2. Sage, Michael M (1996). Warfare in Ancient Greece: A Sourcebook. London, GBR: Routledge. pp. 281.


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Using 'mental gym' to support children with anxiety
The principle of mental gym is quite simple. It is a way of practising different thought patterns in order to develop more flexible thinking and break out of negative responses. Mental gym is especially useful for tackling anxiety as it helps us to unpick the connection between our thoughts and the overwhelming sensations that flood in during an anxious reaction.
If your child is prone to worries, practising mental gym will help them understand their anxiety better and open up different ways of responding that could reduce their anxious episodes.
The best way to teach your child how to do mental gym is to try it out for yourself first. What makes you anxious? Identify a situation that makes you feel anxious and work through the steps below – or use this readymade example:
Your child has come home with a 'FAIL' for a piece of Maths homework. You become anxious that they won't keep up at school and this will have a negative impact on their future prospects.
The Mental Gym Steps
- Step 1: Establish the facts. In this example, the fact is they have not reached the required standard in this piece of homework.
- Step 2: Identify your thoughts (and the beliefs underlying them). For example, you might be thinking that they failed because they don't try hard enough and don't understand the importance of schoolwork? Perhaps you believe that if they don't do well at school that will impact on them for the rest of their life? Or, you might be thinking that it's your fault they failed because you didn't help them?
- Step 3: Focus on your physical sensations, actions and emotions. Is your heart racing? Your head hurting? Your stomach churning? What would you call this feeling? Fear? Panic? Worry? What are you doing? Having a go at your child?
- Step 4: Go back to the facts (step 1). Is there an alternative way of thinking about these facts (step 2)? For example, perhaps your child finds Maths hard or misunderstood the task? Perhaps the unique talents that will help them succeed in life lie elsewhere? Perhaps they ran out of time because they were prioritising something else? What actions and emotions might those alternative thoughts and beliefs lead to (step 3)?
The purpose of this exercise is to help us understand that the way we interpret a situation (our thoughts and beliefs about it) will directly influence how we feel (physically and emotionally) and how we act. One thought might lead to an anxious or angry response while an alternative thought might lead to a calm response. It's not the situation that provokes our response, it is our thoughts about that situation.
How mental gym helps anxious children
When we feel anxious, the emotional and physical sensations can feel overwhelming. It all seems to arrive in a rush and we lose sight of the thoughts that triggered the anxious response. Children often believe it is the situation that is making them anxious – the approaching dog, the exam, the playground – rather than their thoughts about that situation. If we can help children see that thoughts are not facts and that there are different ways of thinking about the same situation then we open up the possibility of influencing how they react to that triggering situation.
Practice makes perfect
Just like the physical gym, you won't get much success just visiting the mental gym once. Catching our triggering thoughts takes practice. When a child is in the middle of an acute anxiety response that is seldom the best time to try and get them to think more flexibly for the first time. Practising mental gym when they are calm (or just mildly worried) will help them develop their thinking skills. You can use story books or examples from friends or family to help them work through the steps indirectly in a safe context (see How to use Story Time to understand your child better or Books to help children with anxiety for ideas).
If it helps, you can rename 'mental gym' the ABC model (A = Activating event, B = Belief, C = Consequence) – whatever makes it accessible and memorable for your child. You might also want to check out some mindfulness apps or teach them some self-soothe strategies for calming their physical responses.
Does your child suffer from ANXIETY? We offer specialised support for parents to help you learn how to support an anxious child/teenager and build their confidence. Details here.


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Health & Medicine - Posted by Lee Clippard-Texas on Monday, January 14, 2013 17:24 - 2 Comments
To infect a cell, virus 'feelers' take a walk
U. TEXAS-AUSTIN (US) — Researchers have observed for the first time the detailed changes in the structure of a virus as it infects an E. coli bacterium.
For infection, a virus must first be able to find a suitable cell and then eject its genetic material into its host. The robot-like process has been observed in a virus called T7 and visualized by Ian Molineux, professor of biology at the University of Texas at Austin.
The new study, published in the journal Science Express, shows that when searching for its prey, the virus briefly extends—like feelers—one or two of six ultra-thin fibers it normally keeps folded at the base of its head. Once a suitable host has been located, the virus behaves a bit like a planetary rover, extending the fibers to walk randomly across the surface of the cell and find an optimal site for infection.
Straight from the Source
At the preferred infection site, the virus goes through a major change in structure in which it ejects some of its proteins through the bacterium's cell membrane, creating a path for the virus's genetic material to enter the host. After the viral DNA has been ejected, the protein path collapses and the infected cell membrane reseals.
"Although many of these details are specific to T7," Molineux says, "the overall process completely changes our understanding of how a virus infects a cell."
For example, the researchers now know that most of the fibers are usually bound to the virus head rather than extended, as was previously thought. That those fibers are in a dynamic equilibrium between bound and extended states is also new.
The idea that phages "walk" over the cell surface was previously proposed, but the new paper provides the first experimental evidence that this is the case. It is also the first time that scientists have made actual images showing how the virus's tail extends into the host—the very action that allows it to infect a cell with its DNA.
"I first hypothesized that T7 made an extended tail more than 10 years ago," Molineux says, "but this is the first irrefutable experimental evidence for the idea and provides the first images of what it looks like."
The researchers used a combination of genetics and cryo-electron tomography to image the infection process. Cryo-electron tomography is a process similar to a CT scan, but it is scaled to study objects with a diameter a thousandth the thickness of a human hair.
Source: University of Texas at Austin


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Research at Boston Children's Hospital
The research enterprise at Boston Children's Hospital, comprising more than 3,000 researchers, is the world's largest at a pediatric center. Our work is fueled by a deep understanding of disease biology coupled with world-class discovery platforms, including genetics and genomics, gene editing, bioinformatics, proteomics, bioengineering, image analysis, biobanks, disease-specific stem cell lines, and a range of animal models. We have special expertise in rare disease discovery, a robust Translational Research Program and large, diverse patient populations for clinical research and trials.
More than 3,000 researchers and scientific staff
1 million square feet of research space — and growing
3,400 articles/year in peer reviewed journals — the most of any pediatric hospital
COVID-19 research at Boston Children's Hospital ranges from molecular investigations of SARS-CoV-2 and the immune response to large-scale clinical studies of the effects of vaccines and treatments for COVID-19 and MIS-C.Learn more about our Covid-19 Research
A new angle on the cause of Alzheimer's disease: Accumulating brain mutations
What causes the loss of functional neurons in Alzheimer's? Through single-cell genome sequencing, our researchers and their collaborators show that patients' neurons acquire an abundance of new mutations.
Cell therapy for lung disease? Proof-of-concept study shows promise
Collaborators in our Stem Cell program and the Division of Pulmonary Medicine are moving toward the vision of cell therapy (derived from patients' own cells) to repair or replace damaged lung tissue.
Old vaccine, new tricks? Unlocking the BCG vaccine's potential
Through metabolomics and lipidomics, the Precision Vaccines Program begins to unpack the mystery of why the century-old tuberculosis vaccine protects against bacterial and viral infections unrelated to TB.
An image worth 1,000 words?
The 2021 Science Media Exhibition solicited more than 40 science image submissions from research laboratories and programs throughout Boston Children's Hospital. The images here were presented live during a virtual event held in June in conjunction with Dr. M. Judah Folkman Research Day.


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Jean Baptiste Perrin
Perrin in 1926
|Died||17 April 1942 (aged 71)|
|Alma mater||École Normale Supérieure|
University of Paris
|Known for||Nature of cathode rays|
Perrin friction factors
|Awards||Matteucci Medal (1911)|
Nobel Prize in Physics (1926)
|Institutions||École Normale Supérieure|
University of Paris
Jean Baptiste Perrin (30 September 1870 – 17 April 1942) was a French physicist who, in his studies of the Brownian motion of minute particles suspended in liquids, verified Albert Einstein's explanation of this phenomenon and thereby confirmed the atomic nature of matter (sedimentation equilibrium). For this achievement he was honoured with the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1926.
Born in Lille, France, Perrin attended the École Normale Supérieure, the elite grande école in Paris. He became an assistant at the school during the period of 1894–97 when he began the study of cathode rays and X-rays. He was awarded the degree of docteur ès sciences (PhD) in 1897. In the same year he was appointed as a lecturer in physical chemistry at the Sorbonne, Paris. He became a professor at the University in 1910, holding this post until the German occupation of France during World War II.
Research and achievements
In 1895, Perrin showed that cathode rays were of negative electric charge in nature. He determined Avogadro's number (now known as the Avogadro constant) by several methods. He explained solar energy as due to the thermonuclear reactions of hydrogen.
After Albert Einstein published (1905) his theoretical explanation of Brownian motion in terms of atoms, Perrin did the experimental work to test and verify Einstein's predictions, thereby settling the century-long dispute about John Dalton's atomic theory. Carl Benedicks argued Perrin should receive the Nobel Prize in Physics; Perrin received the award in 1926 for this and other work on the discontinuous structure of matter, which put a definite end to the long struggle regarding the question of the physical reality of molecules.
Perrin was the author of a number of books and dissertations. Most notable of his publications were: "Rayons cathodiques et rayons X"; "Les Principes"; "Electrisation de contact"; "Réalité moléculaire"; "Matière et Lumière"; "Lumière et Reaction chimique".
Perrin was also the recipient of numerous prestigious awards including the Joule Prize of the Royal Society in 1896 and the La Caze Prize of the French Academy of Sciences. He was twice appointed a member of the Solvay Committee at Brussels in 1911 and in 1921. He also held memberships with the Royal Society of London and with the Academies of Sciences of Belgium, Sweden, Turin, Prague, Romania and China. He became a Commander of the Legion of Honour in 1926 and was made Commander of the Order of Léopold (Belgium).
In 1919, Perrin proposed that nuclear reactions can provide the source of energy in stars. He realized that the mass of a helium atom is less than that of four atoms of hydrogen, and that the mass-energy equivalence of Einstein implies that the nuclear fusion (4 H → He) could liberate sufficient energy to make stars shine for billions of years. A similar theory was first proposed by American chemist William Draper Harkins in 1915. It remained for Hans Bethe and Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker to determine the detailed mechanism of stellar nucleosynthesis during the 1930s.
In 1927, he founded the Institut de Biologie Physico-Chimique together with chemist André Job and physiologist André Mayer. Funding was provided by Edmond James de Rothschild. In 1937, Perrin established the Palais de la Découverte, a science museum in Paris.
Perrin is considered the founding father of the National Centre for Scientific Research (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)). Following a petition by Perrin signed by over 80 scientists, among them eight Nobel Prize laureates, the French education minister set up the Conseil Supérieur de la Recherche Scientifique (French National Research Council) in April 1933. In 1936, Perrin, now an undersecretary for research, founded the Service Central de la Recherche Scientifique (French Central Agency for Scientific Research). Both institutions were merged under the CNRS umbrella on October 19, 1939.
Perrin was an atheist and a socialist. He was an officer in the engineer corps during World War I. When the Germans invaded France in 1940, he escaped to the U.S.A., together with his partner Nine Choucroun. He died in New York City. After the War, in 1948, his remains were transported back to France by the cruiser Jeanne d'Arc and buried in the Panthéon.
- Les Principes. Exposé de thermodynamique (1901)/Principles of thermodynamics
- Traité de chimie physique. Les principes (1903)/Physical chemistry principles
- Les Preuves de la réalité moléculaire (1911)/Evidences of molecular reality
- Les Atomes (1913)/The Atoms
- Matière et lumière (1919)/Matter and light
- En l'honneur de Madame Pierre Curie et de la découverte du Radium (1922)/ In honor of Mrs Pierre Curie and the discovery of Radium
- Les Éléments de la physique (1929)/Elements of physics
- L'Orientation actuelle des sciences (1930)/Current orientation of sciences
- Les Formes chimiques de transition (1931)/Transition chemical forms
- La Recherche scientifique (1933)/Scientific research
- Cours de chimie. 1ère partie. Chimie générale et métalloïdes (1935)/ Chemistry courses: general chemistry and metalloids
- Grains de matière et grains de lumière (1935)/Grains of matter and grains of light
- Existence des grains/Existence of grains
- Structure des atomes/Structure of atoms
- Noyaux des atomes/Kernels of atoms
- Transmutations provoquées/Induced transmutations
- Paul Painlevé: l'homme (1936)/Paul Painlevé: the man
- L'Organisation de la recherche scientifique en France (1938)/The organisation of scientific research in France
- À la surface des choses (_PHONE_)/At the surface of things
- Masse et gravitation (1940)/Mass and gravitation
- Lumière (1940)/Light
- Espace et temps (1940)/Space and time
- Forces et travail (1940)/Forces and work
- Relativité (1941)/Relativity
- Électricité (1941)/Electricity
- L'énergie (1941)/Energy
- Évolution (1941)/Evolution
- L'Âme de la France éternelle (1942)/The soul of eternal France
- Pour la Libération (1942)/For Liberation
- La Science et l'Espérance (1948)/Science and hope
- Oeuvres scientifiques de Jean Perrin (1950)/Scientific works of Jean Perrin
- Townsend, J. S. (1943). "Jean Baptiste Perrin. _PHONE_". Obituary Notices of Fellows of the Royal Society. 4 (12): 301–326. doi:10.1098/rsbm._PHONE_. S2CID 123521634.
- Kyle, R. A. (1979). "Jean Baptiste Perrin". JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association. 242 (8): 744. doi:10.1001/jama.242.8.744. PMID 379381.
- Mauro Dardo (2004). Nobel Laureates and Twentieth-Century Physics. Cambridge University Press. pp. 114–116. ISBN _PHONE_. Retrieved 13 February 2014.
- Why the Stars Shine D.Selle, Guidestar (Houston Astronomical Society), October 2012, p.6-8
- N.C.Panda (1991). Māyā in Physics. Motilal Banarsidess (Delhi). p. 173. ISBN 81-_PHONE_-0.
- Robert S. Mulliken (1975). "William Draper Harkins 1873 - 1951" (PDF). Biographical Memoirs. National Academy of Sciences. 47: 48–81.
- John North, Cosmos: An Illustrated History of Astronomy and Cosmology (University of Chicago Press, p.545)
- Zeitoun, Charline (September 2009). "Le CNRS a 70 ans". CNRS le journal. Retrieved February 23, 2012.
- Guthleben, Denis (November 3, 2010). "Un peu d'histoire... La création du CNRS". Comité pour l'histoire du CNRS. Retrieved February 23, 2012.
- Bernard Vale


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Tag: "shaving" at biology news
Researchers develop 'natural bandages' that mimic body's healing process
...imilar to what people use when they cut themselves shaving
just put a little dab on there and it's done." The researchers made the mat out of fibrinogen, a natural compound found in the bloodstream. When you get cut, your body activates its clotting mechanism a cascade of reactions where fibrinogen is brok...
Top Ramen platelets: just add water
...rming cells that stop you bleeding to death from a shaving
cut, are always in high demand from blood banks but have a short shelf life. Using a new process discovered at the University of California, Davis, platelets can be freeze-dried and stored for at least a year at room temperature before being reconsti...
Gene'shaving' could help doctors predict the efficacy of cancer treatments
...l. "One important motivation for developing gene shaving
was the wish to identify distinct sets of genes wh... measurements," continues Tibshirani. The gene shaving
process involves repeatedly applying a complex mathematical formula to the large sea of genetic expr...


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When we hear the word 'sustainability' most of us nod our heads and think 'gee whizz that's swell' and it is, but what does it really mean? And how does it impact the coffee world if we don't support sustainable practices? Let's dig!
According to the UN Bruntland Commission: "sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs."
Basically, make sure to replace whatever you use so that it's in tip top shape for the future! Sounds like common sense to me but it's not always the easiest, cheapest way to go about growing things. It's much easier to bulldoze rainforests and use chemicals but, in the long run, devastating for both the planet and people.
Sustainable coffee practices
The coffee industry has an ethical responsibility to look after the earth that gives them the awesome coffee plant and the people that work so hard to grown, harvest, process and roast the coffee we love so much. But how? Well there's a few crucial steps to ensuring our coffee is sustainable:
- Renewable resources – sustainability means re-using as many resources as you can ie using coffee husks to fuel fires instead of precious trees or turning coffee pulp or grounds into compost.
- Minimise pollution – farms need to protect waterways and land from becoming polluted by using organic fertilisers etc and disposing of any unusable refuse responsibly.
- Education for farmers – it's vital for all coffee farmers to understand the importance of sustainability in their farming practices.
- Wages/working conditions – looking after workers is just as important as looking after the environment. If you have the right people working hard, then ensure they are treated well, paid fairly and they'll stick around for a long time.
- Low carbon footprint – limiting transport is another way to look after our environment. Our Neighbours Blend is a prime example of this as it sources beans from our closest, you guessed it, neighbours, reducing its carbon footprint.
- Biodegradable cups – it's simple but effective. Using biodegradable cups makes a huge difference to the amount of rubbish ending up in landfill. Instead of making more rubbish there's some smart companies out there like Bio Pak who have turned takeaway coffee cups into a renewable resource – compost!
Here at Sacred Grounds we also limit the amount of plastic we use in our office and delivery boxes as well. Instead we often use the hessian coffee bags instead of bubble wrap and if we have an excess, we donate them to a local recycler.


Imagine a classroom with a beamer mounted in the back and the professor standing in the front connecting this notebook to a locally mounted RGB interface instead of directly to the beamer. Most the RGB interfaces have a set of BNC outputs for running long cables and one or more HD15 VGA input to connect a local source.
There are at least two dozen of different interfaces from Extron. Small ones like the 190, bigger ones like the 580, others with multiple inputs like the 203 or multiple outputs like the 164. The cheaper ones start at $20, while the bigger ones can be $100 and more. On eBay just search for "Extron RGB" to get a variety of interfaces listed. All of the interfaces do sync processing and can be used to convert a 480i signal into a 240p one (more on that below), but only some have a vertical picture shift and that is what's needed for tweaking a UVC or Emotia unit.
So, let's focus on the tweaking first: as said above, both the UVC and the Emotia average two input lines into a single output line, but unfortunately they start with line 2 and merge it with line 3. If you imagine classic low-res titles running line-doubled on a 360 (like Mushihimesama Futari or ESPGaluda II in their original arcade modes), lines 1 and 2 are identical and so are 3 and 4 (and so on). Merging lines 2 and 3 on the other hand, causes a certain bluriness and lack of sharpness. Many titles (like Futari) can be adjusted with in-game options: by moving the screen one line up or down, you'll notice a visible increase in sharpness. If your source can't be adjusted, you can use one of the Extron interfaces (with vertical shift) to do this externally. Just put the RGB interface between your source and the UVC/Emotia and shift the signal using the centering controls. This will oh-so magically increase the sharpness of your output a lot!
(output from an Emotia, untweaked on the left, tweaked pixel alignment on the right)
The Extron interfaces can also be used for a completely different approach: using a sync processing dip switch on the back, an incoming 480i RGB signal can be converted to 240p by adding a simple line offset. This simply tells the monitor to remove the line offset between the fields, handling the interlaced fields like progressive frames instead. This is by no means an official feature of those interfaces, but merely an accident, since the units were simply not created for interlaced 15khz signals. There are two caveats though: first this only works on CRTs which don't apply digital processing. It works great on arcade cabs, Sony PVM and BVM sets, most 90s TV sets, but likely not on newer TV sets and not if you want to feed your newly gained 240p signal into another upscaler. Second, if your source isn't a linedoubled 240p title, but a true hi-res game, then the resulting image will be 240p, but it will show a certain amount of flicker. Still much better than actually connecting a 480i source directly to your monitor. Extron RGB interfaces require a clean sync signal, so a sync stripper might be required on the input side. This might sound complicated, but at only $20 for the cheaper interfaces, that's definitely the cheapest way to true 240p on your arcade cab.
The same conversion can be done with a scan converter's 480i output, for example one of the Extron VSC units I talked about above. You route your VGA signal into the scan converter and the scan converter's output into a RGB interface - again resulting in a 240p signal. By using the scan converter's anti flicker controls, the remaining flicker can be eliminated almost completely. Combining a scan converter like a VSC-700 with a RGB interface gets you a powerful combo with a resulting image easily on par with the other machines listed on this page.
(ESPGaluda II - 360 - running through a VSC-700 / RGB 201rxi combo on a Sony BVM monitor)
While it's easy to pick and recommend an upscaler (basically just a question of cash available), it's really hard to pinpoint and recommend a certain down scaling solution. I think the above machines should be split up into two sections: first the two units which can not only output lovely 240p, but also 384p for the best possible hi-res picture on a dual-sync monitor. If you require 24khz, either try to get an Ultracade UVC or buy a Genius II unit. The Genius II has the best "out of the box" quality for 240p output, while the UVC can (and should be) tweaked by adding a RGB interface with vertical shift. While the UVC is extremely hard to find by now, the Genius II is easily available (but at it's price). Emotias or the VSC approach are good for 240p output only.
On the other hand there are the two cheap solutions: first the alternative approach (480i to 240p) by using just a RGB interface and second getting a cheap Emotia unit off eBay (likely without power supply). One's good for converting 480i directly into 240p (which can be nice if your sources are just video game systems and you know what a sync stripper is), while the other's your best shot, if you have a 480p-only source like a PC running MAME. Again the Emotia should be tweaked using a RGB interface with vertical shift. Using a real scan converter like the Emotia is much more versatile though.
If you don't mind using two machines instead of one and possibly already have a RGB interface at home anyway, the newer VSC units do a nice job with their anti-flicker controls and the added 480i to 240p conversion looks almost as good a genuine 240p output an Emotia. Compared to a unit like the Genius II, that's certainly not plug'n'play anymore, but the results are rewarding and price for a VSC / RGB interface combo is rather modest.
If you don't mind the price, the Mimo Genius II is the most advanced unit in the bunch with perfect 240p results and the possibility to drive a 24khz monitor within an arcade cab. If you plan on using any of those down scalers with a consumer TV set, make sure it can be manually set to it's RGB input. None of the units introduced above deliver a switching voltage required by many scart connectors to enable the TV's RGB mode. The neccessary switching voltage can be supplied using an external power supply or a battery. Ask your tech-savy neighbour or your friendly video game board for advice!
Of course I can be reached
via email as well.
(C) Tobias "Fudoh" Reich, 2006~2013
last updated on March 9th, 2013
(this one's a combined counter for this site plus the upscaling page)


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Medical device companies design products, processes, and systems to improve patient outcomes, reduce human error, and decrease recovery times. Many medical devices now incorporate sensors and software to generate, compile, and transmit diagnostic and other clinical data. Whether your medical device company is creating a new device, developing technology to enhance functionality of a current device, or pursuing other innovations, you can likely offset these costs with the R&D Tax Credit.
Employee wages, raw materials & supplies, and third-party contractor costs associated with R&D activities are considered qualified research expenses (QREs). Companies can receive refunds of up to 22% of total QREs through federal and state tax credits, depending on the state in which your business operates.
Example activities that qualify:
- Improving wearables with telemedicine/telehealth integration
- Developing new cybersecurity protocols to protect patient information
- Designing and manufacturing advanced thermal/radiofrequency ablation (RFA) systems
- Generating prototypes of products for testing and validation
- Conducting validation testing to satisfy FDA and/or other regulatory agency requirements
- Employing new materials or composites to improve the functionality or performance of an existing product
Do you have these job titles on your payroll, or do you hire third-party contractors to do these jobs?
- Biocompatibility Scientists
- Cybersecurity Specialists
- Data Analysts
- Human-Centered Design Engineers
- Machine Learning Engineers
- Surgical Robotics Engineers
- Software Engineers
- Toxicology Scientists


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Translation - of a polygon
From Latin: translatus - "carried over,"
Moving a figure to a new location with no other changes.
Drag any orange dot to reshape the left (yellow) original figure. Drag the image (right, gray) to translate it to a new location.
To translate a figure is to simply slide it somewhere else. But in the move, you may not change the figure in any other way. You cannot rotate
it, resize it, or flip it over. You may only slide it side to side, up and down.
In the diagram above,the original object is the yellow one on the left. By translating it up and to the right, we get the gray object on the right.
This is called the translated "image" of the original. Notice the vertices of the original are labelled A,B etc.
By convention, the corresponding vertices of the image are labelled A' B' etc.
The small dash after the letter is called a 'prime' so the vertices are pronounced "A prime, B prime" and so on.
Properties of translated objects
The original object and its image are
- identical in every respect except for their position.
in the original to the corresponding vertex in the image are
In the diagram above, click on "show distances" and note that the segment AA' is congruent and parallel to BB' etc.
A way to remember
A way to remember what translation means is "tranSLate means SLide"
Things to try
In the diagram above - click'reset'
In the yellow figure on the left, drag any vertex to reshape it. Note how the translated image on the right changes to match.
The image is merely moved, but otherwise matches the original in every respect.
Drag the gray image on the right. Notice that the image remains an exact copy of the original except for its location on the plane.
Other transformation topics
(C) 2009 Copyright Math Open Reference. All rights reserved


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= open('save.dat', 'w') results.write(pwd) results.close() print() print(FColor.BLUE + 'Sign Up Complete!') elif(choice == '2'): try: with open('save.dat', 'r') as file: for line in file: line = line.replace('\n', '') print() if(pwd == line): print(FColor.GREEN + "Correct Password") else: print(FColor.RED + f'Incorrect Password') except: print(FColor.RED + "Couldn't read file'save.dat'")
Here's the result of running your code:
Woohoo! You have successfully created a secure password system! You can use this to create secure login pages and sign up pages without ever getting hacked!
If you want to take this project even further, here are a few examples of ways you can do so:
- This example prints out the hashed password in both byte format and string format for you to see and compare!
- This example stores the hashed password using a different hash algorithm (md5) and a custom salt!
- This example takes this workshop to the next level, using repl.it's database system, repldb. It stores the hashed passwords, using the username as a key. Then, a user can sign into their account, but only with the correct password.


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Use the resources below to communicate with your students' families about CRS Rice Bowl.
Lesson Plans and Activities
Download the full Educator's Guide, or select the lesson plans and activities you need below.
Use the resources below to help your students deepen their prayer life this Lent.
Come Together to Give
Create an online community giving page in fewer than 10 minutes to make collecting your community's Rice Bowl donations a breeze!


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If you have changed your Google account password, your Google apps like Gmail and Calendar will no longer be able to sync with your account. Follow these steps to change the Google password on your Android device.
- Open "Settings".
- Select "Accounts".
- Select "Google".
- Tap the "Menu" icon located at the upper-right corner of the screen.
- Choose "Sync now".
- You should receive a notification that says "Account Action Required". Swipe down the notification bar, then select that notification.
You will now be walked through entering your new password.
This tutorial applies to Android OS Lollipop.


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Radiofrequency palatoplasty is a new procedure that uses an electrical current to shrink and stiffen the back part of the roof of the mouth (soft palate and uvula). When the soft palate and uvula are stiffer, they are less likely to vibrate and you are less likely to snore.
After the surgery, most people report a little pain, such as a mild sore throat, that lasts 1 or 2 days. Taking acetaminophen (such as Tylenol) usually eases this pain. Radiofrequency palatoplasty is usually performed in a doctor's office, and many people return to work and other regular activities in about 3 days.
Radiofrequency palatoplasty is sometimes used to treat snoring in people so that their bed partner can sleep better. One of the most common causes of snoring is the vibration of the soft palate and uvula. Radiofrequency palatoplasty shrinks and stiffens these areas of the mouth, making them less likely to vibrate.
Compared with other surgery procedures for snoring, radiofrequency palatoplasty is relatively painless and it takes only a short time to recover.1
It takes about 4 weeks after the surgery for you to notice a decrease in your snoring. You may need additional treatments if the first one doesn't decrease your snoring enough.2 Because radiofrequency palatoplasty is a new procedure, how well it works over the long term is not known.
Complications during surgery include accidental damage to surrounding blood vessels or tissues.
Complications after surgery are rare. But complications after surgery may include:
Surgery is rarely used to treat snoring. It may not completely cure snoring, and the risks of surgery may not be worth the small benefit you gain.
If you develop sleep apnea after having radiofrequency palatoplasty, diagnosis may be delayed because you do not snore. Snoring is common with sleep apnea, but most people who snore don't have sleep apnea.
Snoring is not always considered a medical problem, so insurance may not cover treatment.
Before considering surgery, all people who snore should try nonsurgical treatment.
- Kashima ML (2007). Selected disorders of the nose and throat: Epistaxis, snoring, anosmia, hoarseness, and hiccups. In NH Fiebach et al., eds., Principles of Ambulatory Medicine, 7th ed., pp. 1849–1864. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.
- Chambers CL (2002). Surgical management of snoring. In TL Lee-Chiong Jr et al., eds., Sleep Medicine, pp. 429–433. Philadelphia: Hanley and Belfus.
Last Revised: January 20, 2012
To learn more visit Healthwise.org
© _PHONE_ Healthwise, Incorporated. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated.


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All FRIENDS contributions are tax-deductible and are used strictly to support education programs and will greatly enhance our Holocaust Museum & Learning Center. Your online contribution is completely secure and confidential.
Your support helps us to:
- Purchase new videos and books for our library, which are frequently used by teachers and students.
- Display thought-provoking and moving exhibitions that provide new insights and perspectives about the Holocaust.
- Feature dynamic scholars and speakers who continue to teach us about this dark and important period of Jewish history.
- Train docents who guide more than 30,000 students through the Museum each year.
- Offer teacher training workshops to advance teacher education.
- Commemorate, on behalf of the Jewish Federation of St. Louis, the Holocaust Remembrance Day through our memorial service.
- Allow schools to borrow education trunks full of Holocaust related teaching material including a teacher's guide and lesson plan, free of charge.
Margi Lenga Kahn (at right), a child of two Holocaust survivors, leads a tour of the museum for friends.
As FRIENDS of the Holocaust Museum and Learning Center, your support will help us to honor those who perished during the Holocaust and provide Holocaust education to thousands of children throughout the Midwest.
In addition, you'll receive the following benefits as FRIENDS:
- Invitations to exhibition openings and special events
- A 10% discount at the HMLC bookstore
- Our FRIENDS newsletter
- Your name listed in the FRIENDS newsletter
If you would like to host a private tour for a group of your own friends, please contact Andrew Goldfeder at _PHONE_.
If you are interested in giving through the Heritage Project please visit the Heritage Project webpage for more information.


Farmers fear dust rules won't reflect rural life
INDIANAPOLIS - INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - As they begin the fall harvest, wary farmers are watching a federal debate over whether to clamp down on one of rural life's constant companions - the dust clouds that farm machinery kick up in fields and along unpaved roads.
Farming groups have urged the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to retain its current standards for dust, soot and other microscopic particles, arguing that tighter restrictions would be unworkable and that dust isn't a real pollutant.
Grain farmer Charles Schmitt, who farms about 2,000 acres of corn and soybeans near the southwestern Indiana town of Haubstadt, called the possibility of tougher rules on dust "ridiculous."
The 59-year-old, who's farmed for more than four decades, said there's little farmers can do to reduce dust, especially after a dry summer like this year's that left his fields parched.
"Mother Nature has more to do with it than we do - there's going to be dust and dirt no matter what," Schmitt said.
The EPA is reviewing its airborne pollutant standards, as required every five years under the Clean Air Act. It's looking both at its standards for tiny particles of industrial pollution, and slightly larger particles called "coarse particulate matter" that include dust.
Supporters of tougher restrictions said they're needed to help clear the air of tiny grains that can lodge deep in the lungs, worsening heart and respiratory problems.
But farming and livestock groups and some lawmakers call those risks overstated. They argue that tighter rules could hurt rural areas, which they fear might exceed new limits and be required to implement plans to reduce dust.
In July, nearly two dozen senators from farm states urged EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson in a joint letter to keep in place the current particulate standards, approved in 2006.
Tougher standards, their letter warned, would result in "extremely burdensome" dust control measures to bring regions into compliance and "could slow economic development and impose significant cost to farmers and businesses."
The American Lung Association has urged the EPA to adopt stricter limits. The group maintains that officials could reduce dust, from paving gravel roads to encouraging farmers to grow more of their crops using no-till approaches that reduce the need for tractor work.
Janice Nolen, the group's assistant vice president for national policy and advocacy, said the agricultural industry's claims mirror those other industries raised when they faced EPA restrictions.
"Every industry that sees that they're going to have to clean up have had the same concerns and we've seen time and again where they were able to figure out a solution," she said.
Nolen said it's not just loose soil that blows around and off farms - the particles also include diesel exhaust from farm machinery, animal waste and herbicides and insecticides.
The EPA's scientific advisers told the agency this summer that the agency could better protect public health by replacing the existing standard of 150 micrograms of coarse particles per cubic meter with a standard between 65 and 85 micrograms per cubic meter.
The agency is expected to release a final document next month spelling out its options for revising the standards. The EPA plans to announce any proposed changes in February, and will likely approve a final updated rule by October 2011. The agency would then determine which areas of the nation don't meet those new standards.
The EPA said in a statement that it is "committed to issuing air quality standards for particle pollution that are scientifically sound."
But the American Farm Bureau Federation contends there's no scientific evidence supporting a need for tighter regulations on dust and that farm dust is different from the particles released by industry.
Rick Krause, the group's senior director of congressional relations, said there's no effective and economical way for farmers to reduce dust levels. He said it's wrong to lump farm dust in with industrial pollution and car fumes.
Tamara Thies, chief environmental counsel for the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, said tougher rules would penalize agricultural areas, particularly those in more arid regions where dust is a nearly constant presence.
"When you get out into the agricultural areas of this country what you have is dust - dust is a part of doing business. And most of rural dust is just dust," she said.
Oklahoma cattle rancher Jason Hitch, who owns and operates his family's 12,000-acre ranch near the Panhandle town of Guymon with his brother Chris, said dust permeates everything in the wind-swept, semiarid region where many roads are packed dirt. It gets in his eyes, mouth and nose, but Hitch said he's so accustomed to it he hardly notices.
Hitch Ranch, a fifth-generation operation that also includes hogs and crops, is buffeted by relentless winds and gets only about 16 inches of precipitation a year.
Hitch said it would be prohibitively expensive and impractical for his workers, for example, to dampen the soil while farming to reduce dust levels. Hitch thinks federal officials just don't understand life on the Great Plains.
"We spend a lot of time cussing and discussing what goes on in Washington and what they come up with. We don't feel like they're very much in touch with production agriculture," he said.


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Hi! I don't know much about stadistics, so I hope you can help me with this problem.
Consider the following numbers: 2, 3, 3, 4, 1, 2, 2, 1, 0 representing the number of hits garnered by each member of the Baltimore Orioles in a recent outing. (a) Calculate directly the average number of hits per man. (b) Let x be a variable signifying the number of hits obtained by a man, and let f(x) be the number of times the number x appears.
Show that the average number of hits per man can be written as:
The average number of hits per man is 2, am I right? However I don't know how to show part b). Thanks in advance.


Waste Extraction: Lean Process Improvement within the Mining Industry
Posted by on 05-02-2021
Waste Extraction: Lean Process Improvement within the Mining Industry
The goal of mining is to remove waste rock and extract valuable ore and metals—the goal of lean is to remove process waste and extract value. Practically speaking, implementing lean principles can help companies reduce the amount of physical waste and increase the quantity of value extracted from ore, but lean can provide tangible benefits throughout all aspects and processes of mining operations.
What is Lean Six Sigma?
The lean methodology was developed with the ultimate goal of reducing costs and increasing efficiency by identifying and eliminating activities in a given process (service or manufacturing) that fail to add value and yet consume resources. In the lean terminology, value is defined as 'what the customer is willing to pay'. As a result, lean is heavily oriented not only to efficiency and cost reduction but also to creating value to ensure customer satisfaction.
On the other hand, Six Sigma is a system developed with the goal of controlling variation and making processes more consistent and reliable to ensure the quality of deliverables. The combination of Lean with Six Sigma results in a faster creation of value at the lowest possible cost.
Lean within the Mining Industry
Due to the continual uncertainty and volatility in the mining industry caused by fluctuating demand, cyclical pricing, and a decreasing trend in mining profitability, it is vital that mining companies identify and implement strategies to continuously reduce costs while enhancing operational efficiency. The dependency of the industry on fluctuating commodity prices results in increased costs when commodity prices are high as companies produce more, but cost-cutting methods such as layoff and operation shutdowns occur when prices are low. Lean six sigma can provide the tools to reduce the impact of variation in commodity prices and help avoid layoffs and shutdowns in order to remain profitable at any point in the cycle.
Also, mining companies need to achieve and maintain high overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) and minimize waste. Any operation that fails will struggle to compete. As a result, it's necessary for mining operations to be streamlined and efficient to not only remain competitive but also to be responsive to a complex and dynamic market. It is possible for mining firms to build toward sustainable, long-term success through the implementation of lean manufacturing principles.
Various lean process improvement opportunities include minimized shutdowns, increased production, reduced chances of failures to reach targets, improved possibilities for technology adaptation, and improved safety, as well as potential benefits to environmental footprints.
Implementing lean in mines is more challenging than in most manufacturing plants due to the inability to control certain elements in contrast to controlled plants where the steps to execute methods such as 5S and visual workplace to improve cleanliness and organization are more straightforward. Nevertheless, operational excellence is possible, though it requires strategies for effective implementation and sustainability of lean initiatives. Through lean six sigma, businesses can ensure they are utilizing their time and resources in the most efficient way possible to generate the most profit.
But making fundamental changes to how companies operate is not easy. Successful implementation of lean requires culture change from within and buy-in from all levels of employees. Continuous training and repeated kaizen events that enable employee empowerment are necessary for lean to become engrained within the company. The fact that 70% of improvement potential is contained within human talent makes it important to both empower employees to continuously improve agreed-upon standards for their work and educate employees about effective problem solving.
Mines are able to achieve significant operational improvements in areas of biggest losses; for example, waiting and material waste can be minimized by standardizing material areas that can be refilled regularly, which could lead to gains in the number of ore face cycles per day and cost reductions per meter excavated in the range of 5%. Value stream mapping can be used to identify significant variables that can contribute to optimized cycle times and reduced lead times, leading to increased mine throughput. Environmental benefits are gained when improvements to process flow cause reductions in operational footprints and wasted energy.
Further potential exists with new technologies applicable to mining, such as autonomous operations including maintenance or drilling, as well as the use of drones or virtual reality tools that will enable the presence of employees within mines to decrease. However, adapting to these new technologies through a lean perspective can maximize the benefits able to be achieved, rather than introduce new sources of waste and wasted potential.
Lean Six Sigma Training & Implementation
At AMSaxum we provide onsite corporate training on lean six sigma/continuous improvement methodologies and help our clients with the implementation of process improvement projects. There are government grants available in Canada and the USA to cover the cost of corporate training.
Government Funding & Assistance Options
In addition to the tangible benefits possible through lean, the research and development efforts (labor, materials and subcontracts) required in the mining sector could be eligible to be recovered through government funding, such as through the Scientific Research & Experimental Development (SR&ED) program in Canada.
For companies in North America, specifically, there could be applicable grants to aid in upfront costs such as capital investment and employee training. AMSaxum experts in government funding help with the application of these grants and with the preparation of SR&ED claims.
There are additional tools that can aid in improving overall efficiency, such as an RCCA labor tracking solution we offer, which is an application for collecting data or for tracking labor or KPI efficiency.
For more information on continuous improvement and Government funding within the mining sector call AMSaxum at _PHONE_ or contact us here
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What are mood swings?
Asked by somyap | 12th May, 2010, 01:44: PM
Expert Answer:
A mood swing is an extreme or rapid change in mood. There occurs alternation of a person's emotional state between periods of euphoria and depression
Answered by | 13th May, 2010, 08:52: AM


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Mar. 30, 2011 A new air-quality measuring instrument invented by Pat Arnott and Ian Arnold of the University of Nevada, Reno that is more economical, more portable and more accurate than older technologies has been licensed for commercial development by Droplet Measurement Technologies of Boulder, Colo.
Arnott, a physics professor in the University's College of Science, had perhaps lugged his heavy pieces of equipment one too many times through airports to faraway places to examine airborne particles. Now, his and Arnold's latest invention has reduced the laser-equipped air-monitoring equipment to suitcase size, while enhancing its measurement capabilities.
This latest, compact version of the photoacoustic particle measuring machine with its lasers, mirrors, flexible tubes, wires and relays is also cheaper and faster and should be an attractive alternative for users.
"This machine will be much more ubiquitous for measuring air quality, or more precisely, black carbon in the air, or a number of other uses," Arnott said. "Key component cost and instrument weight have dropped from $2,000 and 180 pounds to $40 and 20 pounds. This will make it more accessible to researchers, businesses and government agencies; and much easier when traveling around the world to gather data."
Over the past 12 years, Arnott, along with collaborators from the Desert Research Institute, have mapped air pollution on Los Angeles freeways, as well as in Mexico City, the rain forests of Brazil, Vancouver, B.C., and Big Bend National Park, to name a few locations. They have also worked 1,600 feet underground in an active Nevada gold mine to monitor air quality.
Arnott's invention is an improvement on earlier technology he developed with partners. Arnott, John Walker and Hans Moosmüller, all at the time with DRI, commercialized the first version of the instrument with Droplet Measurement Technologies in 2005.
The University of Nevada, Reno's Tech Transfer Office, worked out the deal with DMT to commercialize the technology.
"The new device is a smaller, less expensive photoacoustic instrument for measuring airborne particles related to air quality that makes it affordable for a broader range of uses and it promises to lead to much wider market adoption of photoacoustic technology," said Ryan Heck, director of the University's Tech Transfer Office. "Pat and DMT have worked together for years, and we were pleased to help facilitate a new product based on their collaboration."
Arnott and DMT have already built beta-versions of the device that are in use by researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley Labs and the Bay Area Air Quality District, at the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry in Europe and in locations in Mexico City. Droplet is working to produce many more that will be a fraction of the cost to users.
"We're pleased to have entered into the licensing agreement," John Lovett, CEO of Droplet said. "Pat is a leading scientist in applying photo-acoustic technology to aerosols and has partnered with DMT on developing research-grade scientific instruments for air quality assessment.
"Our new instrument, the Photoacoustic Extinctiometer -- PAX, is a next generation monitoring tool to help scientists and air quality engineers accurately assess the optical properties of aerosols that are relevant for climate change and visibility. By measuring the aerosol in its natural state (photoacoustically), without requiring filter collection, the PAX improves measurement accuracy over older competing technologies."
Arnott and Arnold, an undergraduate student in Physics at the University when he assisted Arnott with instrument development, are also working on developing a truly miniature device that may find use as an on-board sensor for real-time black carbon air pollution emission control.
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Crassula socialis - Vivid Root
Crassula socialis - Vivid Root
Crassula socialis - Vivid Root
Crassula socialis - Vivid Root
Crassula socialis
Crassula socialis is a South African native like a number of other succulents. However, it can only be found on the cliffs of the eastern shore where it grows in rock crevices, which are usually south or southeast facing. It's cup-shaped white flowers are dainty and bloom in late fall. Because its natural habitat is both limited and difficult to access, this clustered succulent is considered rare.
Luckily, that doesn't mean you need a southeast facing cliff in your backyard to grow them! As long as they are not at risk of being smothered by another plant, these Crassulas will grow beautifully alongside your other succulents.
These young plants come in 2" pots and are ready to spread in your garden.
Your plant will be similar to the one in the photos.
Fully rooted
2" pot
Ships in a plastic pot with soil.
Not as picky about soil, store bought succulent mix is good, especially if you add some sand or perlite/pumice to make it drain a little better
Mostly shade, morning sun only
Let dry between watering, water deeply