replied a turn and determine who may see and reply to the text. to, or cursored over with the arrow keys. As a turn is replied to, the count of the number of replies and unread TESTING THREADED CHAT turns beneath it are displayed. Given that Threaded Chat is designed to address some of the key problems with standard chat, we conducted a user Selecting the room node at the top of the chat room and test to see if the design was successful. entering text creates a new top-level thread, which is highlighted with a colored background. Top-level turns are Specifically, because proper use of Threaded Chat typically the major topics of conversations, thus they are guarantees that turns will always be placed in their intended distinguished from other turns. context, we expect that: The tree structure of Threaded Chat provides users with the • Threaded Chat will support better topical ability to collapse any branch of the conversation if they no coherence than standard chat. Users should be longer wish to pay attention to it. For example, users may able to maintain coherent sequences of collapse discussion branches that no longer concern them or conversational turns more easily. that have come to a conclusion and are no longer pertinent. • Transcripts of a Threaded Chat discussion will be If additional turns are added to a collapsed thread the count easier to comprehend than transcripts from a of unread child turns is incremented. standard chat room. • Turns will be longer than those found in standard The bottom of the Threaded Chat window contains chat rooms. People will know that they do not information about the conversation participants. have to rush to get their turn in before someone Information includes time of entry, number of entries else types a message, thus Threaded Chat turns (labeled "sessions"), and time of exit. Basic statistics about should use more words and/or characters. the number and types of turns are also displayed. These statistics persist from session to session, and users remain in • Fewer repair statements will be made. As a result, the list even when they are not present (although they are we expect participants will produce fewer turns marked as not currently active). This information is useful using Threaded Chat when compared to plain chat. for providing a sense of history and context for the room. • There should be a more balanced level of participation among people using Threaded Chat. Threaded Chat automatically labels turns that are likely to With standard chat programs, people frequently be questions or answers. If a question mark is found in the abandon their turns when they are not able to text of a turn, the turn is tagged with a "Q". All replies to finish before others enter turns that change the questions are tagged with an "A". Numbers of question and conversation context. Threaded Chat guarantees answer turns are tracked in the social accounting pane. context for a turn, thus there's no reason to Turns can be edited, deleted, or dragged and dropped to abandon turns. We believe this effect will be different places in the tree. Although this can be a helpful especially true for slower typists. feature, it also raises the possibility of abuse. Thus, each Experimental Methodology Threaded Chat turn has permission properties based on an 70 participants were recruited for a lab study to test extension of the Unix user/group/world model. These Threaded Chat. Participants were grouped into eighteen permissions are accessed by right clicking on a turn and teams of four; however, due to no-shows, eleven groups had allow a turn's author to determine who can see the turn, only three people. Participants received a free Microsoft reply to it, delete it, and extend the turn's permissions. software product for their time. Only authors of a turn can edit the turn's text. All participants had used a chat program at least once in the past year, were comfortable with typing, had graduated 101 54
 - 6. from high school, and were at least intermediate computer wrap to the next line). However, the core concept of users. Participants were recruited such that the pool was chatting with threads was functional, thus these data diverse in terms of age, gender, and occupation. The pool indicate that participants did not think highly of Threaded had 38 men and 32 women. The average age was 39 with a Chat. Reasons for this reaction are explored further in the standard deviation of 10. participant comments section. Participants used three different chat programs for this Task Performance study. Threaded Chat and a "standard" chat program were Despite the lower subjective ratings Threaded Chat used. In addition, this study was combined with a study of received in contrast to standard chat, the study showed that another experimental chat program, LeadLine. (A report of users quickly adapted to the new interface. Performance on the LeadLine study is available in these proceedings [6]). the hiring task did not differ significantly between The order in which the three chat programs were used was programs. Each hiring task was designed such that there counterbalanced to minimize order effects. was a correct solution, and each set of candidate rankings Participants were told they were employees for the same was assigned a score relative to its distance from the correct company and had recently interviewed three candidates for solution. The highest possible score for each task was 5 one job opening. Their task was to chat with each other for points. Threaded Chat groups had an average score of 3.7 20 minutes and then, as a group, rank the candidates in while plain chat groups had an average score of 3.9. This order of hiring preference. This task was repeated three difference was not found to be significant, even when times, each time using a different chat program, a different taking into account various demographic variables such as set of candidates, and a different job position. In each case, typing speed, level of education, and experience with chat participants were given unique information about the programs. candidates so no single participant could correctly rank the Levels of Participation candidates without chatting with other group members. Even though scores on the task were equivalent for each When using the Threaded Chat program each group started chat program used, Threaded Chat did affect the processes with a room populated with six initial threads: used by groups to reach their decisions. Introductions Groups that used Threaded Chat took fewer turns than in Review the qualifications for this position Discuss candidate #1 the regular chat program. Threaded Chat rooms had an Discuss candidate #2 average of 21.7 turns, while the regular chat rooms had an Discuss candidate #3 average of 34.7 turns, which is a significant difference Final decision: Who should we hire? (t(25.5) = 3.7; p = 0.001). In a regression equation Although these threads were made available as guides for controlling for various demographic variables, the use of the discussion (similar to a agenda for a business meeting), the Threaded Chat program was the strongest predictor of users could (and did) ignore them if they wished. the number of turns taken, accounting for 28% of the USER STUDY RESULTS variance (t = -5.2, p <.001). After each session, participants answered a variety of Of course, it could be hypothesized that fewer turns were questions about their reactions to the chat program they taken in Threaded Chat because people took longer turns. used. On all the measures except one, Threaded Chat was However, this was not the case. The average standard chat rated significantly worse than the regular chat program turn was 7.3 words long while the average Threaded Chat (Table 1). To a certain extent, this was not surprising given turn was 7.6 words long, which is not a significant the early stage of the prototype: some basic user interface difference (t(3020) = -1.3; p = 0.205). issues had not yet been resolved (for example, lines that were longer than the screen width did not automatically First sessions only All sessions Threaded Standard Threaded Chat Standard p t / df Chat (n=6) Chat (n=6) (n=19) Chat (n=19) Level of satisfaction (2 questions) 4.0 5.3 0.001 4.5 / 9.7 3.9 5.7 Perceived quality of discussion (7 questions) 4.5 5.2 0.010 3.4 / 7.8 3.9 5.7 Perception of usability of program (3 questions) 4.3 5.9 0.001 6.2 / 9.9 3.6 6.3 Perceived quality of decision process (5 questions) 5.5 5.0 0.345 1.0 / 9.4 4.8 5.8 Table 1: Results from post-session surveys. Possible scores ranged from 1 to 7 where higher scores are better. On the left are data examining only the first sessions (where no order effect is possible). On the right are data from all sessions. Significance statistics are not reported for the data from all sessions due to the possibility of order effects. 102 55
 - 7. Chat Mean Std Dev Median typing speed may no longer be the most important variable program for rapidly generating turns in Threaded Chat room (which Standard 31.2 13.9 28 could be verified with a GOMS model [11]). typists Slow Threaded 20.5 7.2 19.5 Second, fast typists may not need to generate more turns. If Total 26.1 12.3 24 Threaded Chat significantly reduces confusion resulting Standard 36.7 16.2 32 from ruptured sequences


Document scanning logo 2
What is the cost to store your records or should you have them scanned?
A whole box of files can usually be stored for less than 50 cents per month. Suppose it costs $200 to scan a box of 100 files. However, the whole box can be stored for less than 50 cents per month paid monthly. You can store the whole box for many years for the cost of scanning one file. The cost of scanning the files is also paid up front, which is sometimes a cash flow burden.
However, the true cost of storing files is also determined by how many times a file is retrieved. If a file is retrieved often, then you might want to scan. Many record storage companies offer the ability to "scan on demand". That is a situation where you call to retrieve a file and the record storage company scans that file and emails it to you at that time. Then only one of the files of the box is scanned, rather than the whole box.
Call the record storage companies in your area for a free quote for the cost of all their services. Talk with them about how often you retrieve files and what is the best solution for you.
Other costs to consider in the scanning versus professional off-site storage.
What is Cost to Scan Medical Charts?
It has become necessary for every clinic, hospital and medical practice to maintain and preserve records of every patient in a safe and reliable manner. They should have documents related to patient's evolution, medical check-ups, and treatment, etc. These records should be preserved for at least 10 years. The best way to deal with loads of medical records, and medical charts, etc. is to employ current medical records scanning methods so that documents can be saved in the form of computer files. This will help in indexing the records resulting in quick retrieval and safety.
When it comes to the price of patient records scanning, it depends on a number of simple factors.
 - Are there documents in the file printed on both sides
 - Are there unusual documents in the file such as
 - Sticky notes
 - EKG charts
 - XRAYS
 - Are the documents stapled, clipped or bound together
 - How many pages are there in the charts
Are the electronic patients files going to be indexed. Invite the medical document scanning companies you chose to come and examine your patient medical charts in order to get an accurate cost of scanning.
Are There Companies Who Will Scan For You In Your Office
By hiring capable medical scanning service providers who can provide you with an efficient Electronic Medical Records System, the work load can be decreased and quality of customer care can be improved.
However, we realize it is sometimes impossible to let your medical records leave your office to be transported to the scanning service bureau. Now, you can hire a scanning service which will bring their scanners along with professional and experienced scanning personnel to your facility. Hiring such service provider is a practical solution to lighten your workload and increase office competence. The experts will take care of your medical scanning needs. They will work for you at your clinic or hospital to match-up your requirements within the given time frame. Since their employees work for the scanning company, there will be no temptation to pull them away from the scanning job to perform other tasks.
They utilize cutting-edge software, equipment and software to convert every record from paper to digital computer files. All kinds of papers including medication prescription, consultation reports, test reports, progress notes and discharge reports and more can be converted in electronic medical records so that you can use them in future. Once you hire a service provider to convert your charts into electronic medical records system, there is no need to buy any kind of equipment or software. It ultimately means, you can save lots on money.
Hiring a service provider who can scan for you in your office is a good alternative for those who do not want to outsource the work because of safety concerns or other issues. The cost and headache of pick-up and deliver can be also be saved by hiring such service providers. Since all the medical records are stored digitally, doctors and other staff can access the data whenever and wherever required.
 - Get better control of your business
 - Advanced customer care services
 - Enhanced efficiency
 - Increased revenue
Call a service provider today!


Best scare pranks Pictures
Scare pranks are pretty much self-explanatory. To break it down: A practical joke is a mischievous trick played on a person. Prank is a slang word for a practical joke. Scare pranks are practical jokes meant to frighten an individual, like in the "Girl Shrieks Over Bathroom Prank" video below. See More »
More Info About Scare Pranks
People pull scare pranks because the victim's reaction is usually hilarious. Scare prank videos are commonly popular among young, internet-savvy users. Usually the prank victim will either cry, get angry or be relieved that it was just a joke. Scare pranks are are almost always carried out by friends perpetrating their trickery on unsuspecting friends (such as two of the featured videos below), but they are occasionally played on unsuspecting strangers to varying degrees of success.
It takes a certain type of person to pull of a successful scare prank.
 1. No mercy. Once you decide to prank someone, there's no backing down.
 2. Poker face. You have to keep a straight face; otherwise your prank victim will know something is going on.
 3. Premeditation. Scare pranking requires some planning ahead, and of course planting a camera in the room.
 4. You might be a jerk.You're probably someone who does not feel bad making someone cry or scaring the bejesus out of them.
It takes a certain type of humor to enjoy scare pranks; not everyone finds them funny, especially the victims. But if you absolutely have to pull one, try the old jumping out of the fridge prank, the fake spider in the shower prank, or maybe even the axe murderer hiding behind the door prank. It's all in good fun.
scare pranks Pictures


Practical Tips for Expository Preachers
There are a variety of methods for sermon preparation and delivery. There is no one way to do it. Everyone is unique and different. Alistair Begg shares five tips that he learned from an older minister when he was a theological student:
 1. Think yourself empty. Survey a passage of Scripture in the proper spirit of unlearnedness. Avoid the proud assumption that you initially know what everything means.
 2. Read yourself full. Read widely and regularly.
 3. Write yourself clear. Aside from the essential empowering of the Spirit, freedom of delivery in the pulpit depends on careful organization in the study.
 4. Pray yourself hot. Without personal prayer and communion with God during the preparation stages, the pulpit will be cold.
 5. Be yourself, but don't preach yourself. There is nothing quite so ridiculous as the affected tone and adopted posture of the preacher who wishes he were someone else. Also - a good teacher clears the way, declares the way, and then gets out of the way.
From the new edition of Preaching for God's Glory by Alistair Begg.
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text:
).
- In lists it's acceptable to abbreviate salutations (e.g., Hon., Rev., Col.).
- Lists of donors may include courtesy titles and degrees (e.g., "Penny Philanthropist, PhD, chief executive officer, Healthy Habits, Inc.").
- In lists, do not use a comma before personal suffixes Jr., III, etc.; do use commas before degrees (e.g., "Lumin Smith III, MD").
- Sample donor list:
- Anonymous (17)
- Hon. Mary Future
- Penny Philanthropist, PhD
- Lumin Smith III, MD
- Mr. and Mrs. Wit E. Wisdom
- Wit E. Wisdom Jr.
- When writing about a person who holds an endowed chair or professorship, include the full name of the chair/professorship title, as appropriate, somewhere in the text.
- The endowed chair/professorship title should be identified by its full name, capitalized, in first reference (e.g., "Jane Smarts, Wit E. Wisdom Professor of Law at Tulane, received the award."). Use discretion and context to guide the appropriate inclusion of the chair/professorship title in subsequent references.
- Be sensitive to the implications of language and try to avoid sexist terms.
- When possible, replace masculine pronouns with nouns (e.g., "Each student should hand in his paper on time" may be rewritten as "Students should hand in their papers on time.").
- Avoid using "chairman" – instead, consider using "chair."
- Instead of "freshman" consider using "first-year student."
- "Green Wave" refers to Tulane University men's and women's intercollegiate athletics teams and should be treated as a singular noun (e.g., "The Green Wave is winning." or "The Green Wave won.").
- All-America honors – "All-America" is correct in all instances (e.g., "This
year several Green Wave football players garnered All-America honors.")
- Refer to home games as [Opponent School Name] vs. Green Wave [team]
- Information about the use of Tulane University logos is available online.
- In general, use the proper (complete and capitalized) name on first reference. Subsequent references may be shortened and in lowercase if the meaning is clear.
- Verify names. The lists below are resources:
- The names of centers should be capitalized even without the Tulane name (e.g., Center for Gene Therapy). Also, it is not appropriate to insert "University" in the names of centers and programs already named (e.g., Tulane Cancer Center).
- Cancer center – Use "Tulane Cancer Center" (first reference); the "cancer center" (second reference); "the center" on third reference.
- Hospitals – Use "the Tulane Medical Center" or "Tulane Hospital for Children" (first reference, respectively); then "the hospital" (subsequent references). "TMC" is not recommended.
- Lavin-Bernick Center – Use "Lavin-Bernick Center" (first reference) for the Lavin-Bernick Center for University Life; then "LBC" (subsequent references).
- Primate center – Use "the Tulane National Primate Research Center" (first reference); then "the primate center" (subsequent references). "TNPRC" is not recommended.
- For the future naming of centers, programs, etc., it is recommended to include "Tulane University" in the official name.
- Capitalize when using the full, proper name (e.g., "the Department of History" or "the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery").
- Lowercase when writing "history department" or "orthopaedics department."
- Use the British spelling of "theatre" only when using formal names, such as the Department of Theatre and Dance. The American spelling, "theater," should be used in all other references. (e.g., "Students in the Department of Theatre and Dance study theater.")
- The "Office of Undergraduate Admission" or the "admission office" is spelled without adding an "s" to the end of "admission."
- The Tulane Hullabaloo or The Hullabaloo, not Hullabaloo.
- As a general guideline for naming units of the university, capitalize the full name of the department or unit when it includes Tulane University.
- As a general guideline, avoid the possessive form of Tulane University (i.e., "the library at Tulane University" rather than "Tulane University's library").
- The names of the colleges and schools should be capitalized even without the Tulane name (e.g., School of Medicine, School of Architecture).
- Architecture – Use "Tulane University School of Architecture" (first reference); "School of Architecture" (second reference); then "the school" (subsequent references).
- Business – Use "the A. B. Freeman School of Business at Tulane University" (first reference); "the business school" (subsequent references). Leave a space between the A. and B.
- Continuing studies – Use "Tulane University School of Continuing Studies" (first reference); "School of Continuing Studies" (second reference); then "the school" (subsequent references).
- Law – Use "Tulane University Law School" (first reference); "Tulane Law School" (second reference); then "the law school" (subsequent references).
- Liberal arts – Use "Tulane University School of Liberal Arts" (first reference); "School of Liberal Arts" (second reference); then "the school" (subsequent references).
- Medicine – Use "Tulane University School of Medicine" (first reference); then "the School of Medicine" or "the school" (subsequent references); do not use "Tulane Medical School" or "medical school."
- Newcomb-Tulane College – Use "Newcomb-Tulane College of Tulane University" (first reference); "Newcomb-Tulane College" (second reference); then "the college" (subsequent references).
- Public health – Use "the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine" (first reference); then "the school," "the public health school," or "School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine." "SPHTM" and other abbreviations are not recommended.
- Science and engineering – Use "the Tulane University School of Science and Engineering" (first reference); "School of Science and Engineering;" (second reference); then "the school" (subsequent references).
- Social work – Use "the Tulane University School of Social Work" (first reference); "School of Social Work;" (second reference); then "the school" (subsequent references).
- Capitalize the specific racial, linguistic, tribal, religious and other groupings of people, such as African American, Asian American, Caucasian, Latina/Latino and Native American.
- Avoid objectifying any persons with disabilities, e.g., instead of "autistic children" use "children with autism."
- beignet (ben-yáy) — Fried square dough covered in powdered sugar.
- bienvenue (bee-en-ve-new) — Welcome.
- crawfish — Not crayfish.
- dressed — To add lettuce, tomato and mayo to a "po' boy" sandwich.
- lagniappe (lán-yap) — A little something extra.
- Mercedes-Benz Superdome — Tulane's home football field. "Superdome" on second reference.
- Mid-City — A neighborhood in New Orleans, located roughly between the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain.
- neutral ground — In other parts of the world, the median of a street or highway.
- Ninth Ward — An historical designation, commonly used in modern reference to a New Orleans neighborhood (spell out rather than using the numeral).
- NOLA — Short for "New Orleans, Louisiana" (use only in headlines).
- North Shore — The region across Lake Pontchartrain, north of New Orleans.
- red gravy — In other parts of the world, tomato or marinara sauce.
- sno-ball — A snow cone made with thinly shaved ice instead of crushed ice.
- toward the lake, or toward the river — Means of giving physical directions.
- West Bank — On the other side of the river from downtown New Orleans. Unrelated to physical direction (i.e., it isn't always to the west).
- Where y'at — An expression of greeting, similar in meaning to "How are you?"
- Zimpel — One of the streets in the uptown campus neighborhood.
- Note:The rules of noting numerals as figures versus words include several exceptions. Consult the The Associated Press Stylebook. Below are some common rules.
- Ages – Use numbers for all ages (e.g., "The 2-year-old child will be 3 years of age next year.").
- Dates – When citing a specific date, usually include the day of the week on first reference.
- For headings of text and for invitations, do not abbreviate the days of the week and months. Examples:
- Monday, August 20, 2007
- August 2007
- August 20
- In writing, abbreviate the month when listed with a specific date:
- Monday (Aug. 20)
- Aug. 20
- Dollars – Use numbers to indicate dollar amount, followed by the written designation as needed (e.g., 5 cents, $60,000, $4 million).
- Numerals – Spell out numbers one through nine, and when any number begins

source: openbmb/Ultra-FineWeb


6 Strange Things Most Of Us End Up Doing Before Sitting For An Exam
A stressful time.
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This brings back memory.
Exam season makes most of us go a little gila
The stress, the anxiety, competition and pressure from parents and teachers can leave us feeling all over the place, and it usually results in all kinds of weird behaviour.
Here are some of the things most of us end up doing before sitting for that big exam.
1# Turning into serial note-takers
We've all been there. Suddenly, everything needs to be turned into notes.
Small pieces of paper with tiny writing and endless pointers litter your table.
A day before the exam, things turn so bad that you even have to have notes for your notes because how else do you keep track of all that information right?
2# Locking yourself in the room to "study" (but doing everything else under the sun)
The books are right in front of you, but all you can think about is that viral Tik Tok dance or that amazing video of that "singing dog" that you have to watch a million times.
You take a break to relax and turn on your phone to scroll for a second.
The next thing you know, a second has turned into several hours, and you've learnt about the history of alien abductions, how to start a hydroponic garden and learnt that there's a rare spider that looks like it's a smirking clown in Madagascar, but nothing is related to your exams.
3# Highlighting half the textbook
This is a close relative to the serial-note taker (refer to point #1).
You have six chapters to look through, and you buy highlighters to help pinpoint the most critical portions so your brain can absorb them with ease.
At the end of the six chapters, your brain is dead, and your textbook is more lit than your life has ever been.
#4 Turning into an emotional wreck
It's 2am, and you've got what looks like 8 million pages to go.
You start the hour determined to try and get as much information in.
By the first 5 minutes, you start having panic attacks.
This then turns to feelings of self-loathing, hatred for the world, tears of fear and lastly, stress and acceptance that failure is the only option.
Then your brain kicks in and tells you to give it one last shot.
The emotional cycle commences again..
5# Excessively stressing over stationary
When you know that there's no point stressing about all those chapters you did not bother or tak sempat to read, you worry about the small stuff instead.
You check and recheck (and check again) to see if you've brought all the stationary you need for that paper.
"Do I have my ruler, calculator, protractor set? Do I have my 2B pencil? Maybe I should just bring 20 sets... just in case."
In the end, you don't remember anything you revised and also forget the most essential tool for an unsure student. Your eraser!
#6 Becomming extra religious
When procrastination is your first, middle and last name, God is always your best(est) friend when exams are near.
You start your day with a prayer, begin revisions with a prayer, head to the exam hall while repeatedly praying and continue with a short prayer right before opening your exam paper.
Your plea to God, "Just let me pass. I promise to be a better *insert religion here*."
After the exams, all promises are forgotten until the day before you get your results. Prayers fill your life again.
Something everyone goes through
If you laughed or went, "hey, that's exactly me!" while going through the points, take solace in tha fact that you're not alone.
Exams are a pain in the bottom but it's also something that most of us just have to go through.
The best way to avoid unnecessary emotional and mental strain is to prep early but if you just cannot do this, all you can do is to tough it out and hope you come out on top!
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text:
A new video assessment tool that can inform teacher selection and hiring has implications for education reform.
This is the key finding of a new study led by a researcher from Clemson University in collaboration with researchers from Northwestern University and the University of Virginia. The study was published in The Elementary School Journal.
The researchers say there is a growing focus as part of education reform and accountability efforts to improve mechanisms for selecting individuals into teacher preparation and eventually into the field who will be successful.
"We need tools to track teachers' progress through their preparation and the early part of their careers to ensure that they are developing their understanding and practice of effective teaching and, in order to do this, we need assessment tools that can predict teachers' future classroom behaviors," said Faiza Jamil, lead author on the paper and assistant professor in Clemson's Eugene T. Moore School of Education.
The study investigated the factor structure and reliability of a new measure of teachers' skill in detecting and identifying effective classroom interactions, the Video Assessment of Interactions and Learning (VAIL). The assessment involves showing teachers brief video clips, asks them to describe what strategies teachers used to support specific aspects of learning and development and then offer specific examples.
"In this study, we gave the VAIL to 270 early childhood teachers in different parts of the country, recorded actual classroom instruction and scored the effectiveness of their interactions with students using a standardized observation protocol known as the Classroom Assessment Scoring System," said Jamil.
The paper states that the teachers' skill in detecting and identifying effective interactions on video significantly predicted the quality of their own teaching behaviors.
"In essence, this means that the VAIL could possibly be used in selection and monitoring of teachers in a way that few tools that currently exist can," she said.
Furthermore, teachers who displayed greater skill in detecting and identifying effective interactions from video were not demographically different from those who did not, but these teachers did, on average, have more years of education.
The researchers say the study's findings are promising because they indicate that as an assessment of skill, the VAIL performs equally well for teachers of different ages and ethnicities.
"The Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation has called for the development of tools that will help identify students who have the important underlying skills that make good teachers and the VAIL shows promise in that predictive ability," according to the researchers.
The VAIL also can be administered at several points through teacher education programs to get an earlier indication of how students will perform in the classroom.
"Tools that enable the prediction of teachers' classroom performance promote schools' ability to hire teachers more likely to be successful in the classroom," Jamil said. "In addition, this assessment tool can be used for teacher training and preparation that contributes to improved student performance."


In web3js, I can use below code to get private key and wallet address from mnemonic. But how can I get private key if user has mnemonic and extra-word from MEW
const ethers = require('ethers');
let mnemonicWallet = ethers.Wallet.fromMnemonic(mnemonic);
enter image description here
The "Extra Word" is a BIP-39 passphrase. It looks like you're using Ethers.js, so you can do something like this:
const { utils, Wallet } = require('ethers');
const hdNode = HDNode.fromMnemonic(mnemonic, passphrase).derivePath(utils.defaultPath);
const wallet = new Wallet(hdNode);
The fromMnemonic function does not provide a way to specify a passphrase directly, but this essentially does what fromMnemonic does with the extra passphrase.
Your Answer


text:
Background and Aim: The purpose of this study was to describe the CT findings of sorafenib-treated hepatic tumors in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma and correlate the findings to the overall survival.
Methods: Sorafenib-treated twenty eight patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma with viable hepatic tumors between June 2007 and March 2008 were enrolled. Dynamic CT findings were analyzed with regard to the response of the tumor based on the response evaluation criteria in solid tumor, version 1.1, and the attenuation values of the tumors during the late arterial and portal venous phases. Survival analyses according to early changes of the tumors were also performed.
Results: In all patients, the tumor responses were stable disease or progressive disease on follow-up CT scans. Prior to the treatment, the mean attenuation values of the tumors were 93.0 ± 20.0 HU at the late arterial phase and 107.9 ± 23.0HU at the portal venous phase. On the first follow-up CT scans, the mean attenuation values of the later arterial and portal venous phases were 76.9 ± 26.5 HU and 94.2 ± 29.1 HU, respectively (p < 0.01). The median overall survival was better for the patients with the response of stable disease than the patients with progressive disease (p = 0.013).
Conclusions: In patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma who were treated by sorafenib, the size of the hepatic tumors was not significantly reduced. However, the median survival was better for the patients with the response of stable disease. The attenuation values of the tumors became smaller after treatment as compared to the baseline CT scans.


text:
Welcome to Pythagoras. Pythagoras is a theodolite program designed to assist researchers in collecting, managing, and analyzing data. The program interfaces with a digital theodolite and provides a dynamic and user-friendly interface. It was developed to assist researchers in collecting, managing, and analyzing data for theodolite-based research. The system collects, manages and analyzes theodolite data and calculates distance, bearing, and location information in real-time. It was designed to store theodolite station information (such as the observation height, geographical position of the station, and reference azimuth) for multiple stations. Pythagoras allows researchers to define their "fix type" objects, such as dolphins, whales, and boats, and the behaviors associated with each defined object. Environmental and other data not related to the position of the object ("Non-Fix data") are also user-defined. Options for focal behavioral data collection were incorporated to allow researchers to record behavioral events of a specified object. Tide height is also included due to its effects on distance estimation.
Pythagoras provides various optional components to assist researchers to efficiently collect and observe newly entered data. The user can select options to include data collection on group dispersion, focal behavior, and observer roles. Tide height data can be imported a priori or post-hoc to be included in the distance calculations. GIS digital line maps (vector) of the researcher's study area can be imported in Arc Info (ungenerated), Surfer, Map Info, and Surfer file formats to be used in the real time display of objects location. Data can also be exported to various GIS and popular database management programs.
For detailed information about Pythagoras, please download Pythagoras' manual (Pythagoras Manual).
If you have any inquiries or feedback about Pythagoras, please feel free to contact Glenn Gailey.
Theodolites, Computers & Cetacean Research
A theodolite is a surveyor's instrument which placed on an elevated shore-based vantage point, can be successfully used as a research tool to obtain data on cetacean movement, behavior, distribution, and habitat use. These data are collected in a non-invasive manner, as described by Würsig et al. (1991). Both cetaceans and other objects, for instance boats, can be tracked, and interactions between them can be continually monitored. Theodolites allow researchers to determine "fixed" positions by measuring horizontal angles from some arbitrary reference point and vertical angles relative to a gravity-referenced level vector. Although this technique has been used for more than 20 years, and despite the increase in digital theodolite use for cetacean studies, relatively few computer-based theodolite programs exist to assist researchers in collecting, managing, and analyzing theodolite data. A computer-based system benefits theodolite-based studies in many ways. Vertical and horizontal angles to an object can be recorded accurately and efficiently. Real-time calculations of distance and location can be performed, and trackline can be visually displayed, allowing for rapid corrections of possible tracking errors. Once data are collected, a computer-based system reduces time to manage and analyze data.
Most digital theodolites communicate via a RS-232 cable that is connected to the computer's serial port. Currently, Pythagoras supports models of two manufacture types of theodolites: Topcon™ and Sokkia™. If the researcher does not have a digital theodolite or cannot successfully connect it to the computer, the data can be manually entered into the computer. In this case, the user must select "None" as the theodolite manufacturer. This option can also be used to analyze previously collected data.
Distance, Bearing, & Geographic Positions of Objects
Pythagoras registers the vertical and horizontal angles reading from connected theodolite to the objects being tracked, to perform real-time distance, bearing, and location calculations. Distance calculation based on the approximation proposed by Lerczak and Hobbs (1998) and allows for hemisphere specification. Pythagoras stores date, time, fix type, group, behavior, vertical and horizontal angles, geographic position, and current station parameters for each fix.
Researcher usually want to record the environmental conditions during observation (i.e. beaufort, swell, wind speed, etc). Pythagoras allows you to define up to 10 environmental variables. Due to its effect on observation height, tide height is automatically included and used for distance calculations. Tide height data can be imported or manually entered into the program. The date, time, tide height value, and defined environmental values are stored upon each environmental entry. An environmental check interval is also provided to remind the researcher to record environmental conditions at specified time intervals.
The researcher can define "non-fix" variables (data not related to the position of the fix type) to be recorded. Some examples of non-fix data are species, group size, number of calves, number of adults, etc. The data for non-fix variables are usually entered only once for each object being tracked. The date, time, fix type, group, and defined non-fixed variables are stored for each non-fix entry.
Textual comments can also be stored. Date, time, and comment information are stored in Pythagoras' database.
Behavioral events, i.e. "tail slap" and "whale blow", can be recorded with Pythagoras' focal behavior data collection program. The researcher can define up to 28 different behavioral events for a specified category (i.e. respiration category). Individual categories (i.e. adults, juvenile, calves, vessel type 1, vessel type 2) can also be recorded with the behavioral event. The date, time, fix type, group, category, behavioral event, and individual category are recorded for each entry.
Group dispersion data can be estimated by measuring the distance along two axes of the area occupied by the group. The area is estimated in the shape of a quadrilateral. Although the area occupied by cetacean schools is often other than a quadrilateral, estimating it with only four fixes saves the user valuable time in the field. This is an important aspect if we consider that the fixes used to estimate group dispersion should be taken in the shortest possible time, especially for groups that move quickly. However, those users who are interested in obtaining more accurate estimates of group dispersion can do so by quickly fixing as many points on the edge of the school as possible, and displaying a track of these points.
Observer information can be recorded with an user-friendly interface with defined observer names and observer roles. Date, time, observer names, and current role of each observer are stored upon each change in observer or observer role.
The database management module of Pythagoras offers an easy way of displaying and managing recorded observation. Data can be viewed and edited with Pythagoras in an Excel-like spreadsheet format with labeled columns. The user can choose to view all records of a data category or only a specific portion of the data set (i.e. display only data for a particular day or object tracked). Functions for sorting and searching are available to structure and/or find data of interest. If station settings are updated (e.g. to include tide height), distance, bearing, and location can be recalculated for a selected portion or for all fixes. A visual display assists in evaluating data post-hoc.
Each trackline can be evaluated for leg speed, linearity, and reorientation rate. Leg speed is calculated by dividing the distance traveled between two consecutive fixes by the time between them. The record for each leg displays the distance between the two fixes ( F i – F i + 1 ) in kilometers, the time between the two fixes (hh:mm:ss), and the leg speed (kilometers per hour). Linearity is calculated by dividing the distance between the initial and end points of a trackline by the total sum of the distances along the track. Linearity scores range between 0 and 1. A linearity value close to one represents a straight trackline, while a zero represents a track with no constant direction. Reorientation rate is a magnitude of course changes along a trackline. Reorientation rate is calculated by summing all course changes (degrees) along the trackline divided by duration (minutes) of the trackline.
The trackline distances analysis module can evaluate both distance and course information within and/or between trackline(s). Distance and course information can be calculated for fixed points or interpolated trackline points. "Fixed points" option uses only those positions obtained from the actual theodolite fixes. The "Interpolation" option will calculate positions along the trackline based on the specified time interval (e.g. one position every 30 seconds). Interpolation assumes that the object being fixed travels in a straight line, at constant speed and bearing between two consecutive theodolite fixes. Since swimming in a straight line is not common among marine mammals, a critical time threshold should be specified to exclude from the interpolation those fixes that are separated by long time intervals, and are therefore likely to violate the linearity assumption.
Pythagoras allows researchers to analyze collected behavioral data for occurrence, behavioral interval (i.e. "time between blows"), interval between two behaviors (i.e. "First Surface" to "Dive" = "Surface time"), and frequency of a particular behavior within a trackline. Both focal and fixed related behavior data can be analyzed in this module. Analyzed data can also be graphically displayed.
All data collected and analyzed by Pythagoras can be exported to various GIS and database management programs for further analysis. Vector latitude and longitude trackline information can be exported to ArcInfo, Map Info, Surfer, and Mat lab files. Data can be saved into Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Access, or comma


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Meet Eileen Gray, the architect behind the monumental E-1027 and pioneer of the Modern Movement in architecture.
In 1924, work began in earnest on a small villa by the sea in the south of France. Nearly a century later, this structure has become a monument for modern design. However, like so many gifted female artists, Eileen Gray's story has been eclipsed by the men with whom she collaborated – this story puts the focus back on Gray and her mastery of design. Dzierżawska's exquisite visuals bring to life the tale of a young Irish designer whose dedication and desire to create came to flourish during the 'Années Folles' of early 20th century Paris.


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Sanitation challenge: Turning commitment into reality
Building capacity to make a difference
Health and environmental programmes in developing countries frequently lack sufficient expertise in the sanitation area. More capacity is needed to reach ambitious international targets; current levels of effort are barely sufficient to maintain the status quo in some regions. Building capacity means bringing together more resources, have stronger institutions, better trained people and improving skills. Unless capacity grows, nothing much will change; some regions will continue to make slow progress and others will see coverage drop in the coming decade.
What can we do?
National governments can recognise that a radical overhaul of organisational structures and institutional arrangements may be needed to ensure that the right people are in the right place to support sanitation and hygiene promotion; allocate money for this overhaul and for training (and retraining) of public sector staff; and establish financial incentives for small-scale private sector development and for the entry of civil society organisations into sanitation and hygiene promotion service delivery.
District/local governments can review the effectiveness of current sanitation programmes and design better and more cost-effective programmes; invest in training staff and finding ways of attracting new skills into the programme; and ensure that entrenched interests are not preventing effective coordination between front-line staff (often from health and education) and technical staff (often in infrastructure ministries or utilities).
Communities and civil society can provide ideas and skills that could change the way sanitation and hygiene promotion services are delivered; contribute to a review of current sanitation and hygiene practices; and start to participate actively in national or local sanitation and hygiene promotion programmes.
Households can participate in training programmes; and teach other members of the community the necessary skills for building, operating and maintaining sanitation facilities and practising good hygiene.
Entrepreneurs can invest in learning more about innovative ways of delivering sanitation; provide ideas about what people want; and speak up about the type of support that would help them to deliver better products or services to households.
International organisations can provide both financial support and information for sanitation and hygiene training programmes; develop and disseminate tools for good practice and guidance; take a critical look at the way sanitation is handled within integrated water resources management, environmental planning and poverty reduction strategies; and promote information sharing, south–south cooperation and mutual support.
We're inspired by…
… the rural environmental sanitation programme in Thailand
For the past 40 years, Thailand's rural environmental sanitation programme has been incorporated into the country's five-year economic and social development plans. According to Luong et al, by 1999, 92% of the rural population had access to improved drinking-water sources, while 98% of rural families had access to improved sanitation facilities. As latrine coverage has increased, mortality related to gastrointestinal diseases has decreased by more than 90%. The programme's success depended crucially upon capacity building: intensive training of project personnel and technical staff at local, central and national levels; and social mobilization and community health education conducted by mobile units and village volunteers. Other key components were the promotion of water-sealed latrines; the provision of supplies, equipment and transport, as well as government-allocated revolving funds for latrine construction; systematic qualitative and quantitative monitoring of progress; awards for achievement; latrines as a residency requirement beginning in 1989; and research and development.
… civil society and community efforts in Bangladesh
The Government of Bangladesh has long been committed to improving sanitation, but recent research by WaterAID showed that, while subsidies (the core of government sanitation policy) gave people the "opportunity" to construct latrines, the generation of the "capacity" to do so lagged behind. The Bangladesh nongovernmental organisation (NGO) Village Education and Resource Centre (VERC) demonstrated that communities acting together can take steps to significantly improve their sanitation situation. Working with VERC, villages developed a range of new approaches to solving sanitation problems, including the design of more than 20 new models for low-cost latrines. VERC's approach unlocks communities' ability to solve problems by themselves.
… AIDIS in Latin America
The Inter-American Association of Sanitary and Environmental Engineering (AIDIS) has been working on capacity building in North, Central and South America for many years. With member organisations in 13 countries of the Latin America and Caribbean Region as well as the three countries of North America, the association focuses on capacity building in public health, including water supply, waste collection and treatment, air pollution and toxic waste disposal. Its efforts focus on promoting the technical and professional development of AIDIS members and supporting the exchange of appropriate technologies and practices. In June 2002, national chapters of AIDIS in seven countries (Argentina, Brazil, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay and Peru) sent representatives on a study tour of the United States to learn about sanitation-related technologies, regulations and current research. In 2003, conferences were held throughout the United States and in Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, Nicaragua, Peru and Puerto Rico. Each national branch is expected to create a technical division in order to facilitate appropriate technology transfer.
Sources: Luong TV, Chanacharnmongkol O, Thatsanatheb T (2002). Universal sanitation in rural Thailand. Waterfront: a UNICEF publication on water, environment, sanitation and hygiene, 15:8–10;
VERC's experience in Bangladesh is discussed in Kar K (2003). Subsidy or self respect? Lessons from Bangladesh, id21insights, 45 (available on the web at _URL_
AIDIS-USA. Technology transfer – key to sustainable development: Executive summary (_URL_).

source: HuggingFaceFW/fineweb-edu


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Preventative maintenance is the key to ensuring your industrial and hydraulic hose systems have a long, functional lifespan. Along with standard operating procedures, consistent preventative maintenance efforts can keep your operators and managers apprised of the condition of each hose in the facility. Inspecting the hoses, replacing failing or worn components, maintaining an active data log, and having a steady inventory of key components are essential elements of every preventative maintenance plan. These action steps take aim at ensuring long-term optimization and cost-effective system management.
Incorporate these six tips into your preventative hose maintenance plan.
1. Visually inspect the hose and fitting.
Visual inspections are one of the most important—and one of the simplest—steps of preventative maintenance. Regularly inspect the hose system and its fittings for damage, disrepair, or signs of unusual performance problems on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis as appropriate for your application.
We recommend compiling a list of signals that trigger a complete shutdown and hose assembly replacement so your employees can quickly mitigate problems. Those signals should include:
- Leaks in the hose or around the fittings
- Fittings displacement or slippage
- Damaged fittings, including cracks, corrosion, and other visible damage
- Damaged hoses, including signs of cracks or charred surfaces and unusual hardness or stiffness
- Kinks, twists and flattened or crushed portions in the hose
- Damaged covers, including cuts, abrasions, blisters, and cracks, especially if the damage exposes the reinforcement (which requires replacement as soon as possible)
- Loose, soft, or degraded covers
Keep in mind that no hose should ever be repaired or reused as damage and deterioration of the hose may compromise its ability for use at its original design capability.
2. Track the lifecycle of each hose.
Each industrial and hydraulic hose—and its fittings—has a known expected lifespan. Each end application is at least somewhat unique and requires consideration as to how long the hose assembly should last. Ask your manufacturer or supplier about that lifespan and the ideal interval for inspections and tune-ups. Tailor the preventative maintenance schedule to the individual components to allow your facility's inspectors to perform efficient, optimal maintenance. At each stage of the lifespan, look for signs of cuts, kinks, corrosion, or deterioration that match the life stage of the part. We recommend that this be documented in a log of the part's condition over time. Your facility inspectors can then monitor for increases in damage and see trends in performance. Strongly consider permanently tagging or other suitable means of marking the hose assembly. This will also assist in signaling when a hose should be inspected and replaced.
3. Perform functionality tests.
Test each hose system by operating it at its maximum rated working pressure and checking it for leaks or problems. During this test, make sure any system surges also are below the maximum permissible pressure and that personnel maintain a safe distance from the equipment in the event of a malfunction.
Never inspect a hose by being in direct physical contact with a hose under pressure. Fluid injections can cause severe injury.
4. Establish consistent replacement intervals.
Even with good preventative maintenance and optimal system operations, parts of the hose system will break down over time. The elastomeric seals, for example, will start to harden, wear, or turn brittle due to both age and frequent exposure to heat and pressure. Replacing these parts anytime the hose is removed helps keep the system as a whole in good condition and doesn't require unscheduled downtime for troubleshooting and repairs. It prevents failures that could result in injuries or loss of production.
5. Analyze the data.
During each step of your facility's preventative maintenance program, keep a running record of the assembly's condition, any parts replaced or repaired, and even that regular inspections occurred without the need for adjustment. All of this data allows your company to monitor the long-term performance of the system and see if the system is performing as expected. Analyzing the data also can help your company determine if it's time for a new design or system.
When properly equipped, destructive testing, or testing replaced parts to determine how much strain or continued use they can handle, is also a profitable analysis that can help your company reconfigure replacement schedules.
6. Be prepared with spares.
As opposed to having to turn off the machines and cause delays for known or anticipated repairs because you don't have the parts on hand, maintain an inventory of spare parts. A smart analytics system, combined with your preventative maintenance data, can recommend the right quantities of which components to keep on-site for fast replacement. Along with an in-house inventory, you can order replacements in preparation for scheduled parts replacement tasks and streamline the entire process.
Contact Jason Industrial for Hose Supplies and Accessories
At Jason Industrial, we supply rubber and thermoplastic industrial hoses. We also supply the couplings, fittings, and accessories our clients need to keep their entire hose system in good repair throughout its lifespan. We're proud to serve an extensive number of industries with hoses and parts tailored to a wide range of applications. Contact our team today to learn more or request a quote to start your order.


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Golden Historical Acrylic - Azurite Hue
An inexpensive greenish blue, Azurite was the most important pigment in European painting during the Middle Ages and Renaissance until Prussian Blue replaced it in the 18th century. A natural mineral found in many parts of the world in the upper oxidized portions of copper ore deposits; it is often compared to the green pigment Malachite because of its chemical composition. Weaker and less intense than many of the blues we have today, this blend of Phthalo Blue Red Shade, Zinc White and a touch of Raw Umber is also let down with gel to create an interesting color mixture. It creates an earth color blue that doesn't overpower other colors.
(1) 2oz tube of Gold Historical Acrylic Azurite Hue


CMEMS (Copernicus Marine Environment Monitoring Service)
 1. Accueil
 2. Models
 3. CMEMS (Copernicus Marine Environment Monitoring Service)
The Copernicus Marine Service provides in-situ and satellites observations and models in its catalogue. It is a European Union service which provides data about the physical and biogeochemical ocean and sea ice. It is composed of many data providers which build ocean models and provides observations about the global ocean and for each one of the European seas. The data provided are of three orders: reanalysis, near-real-time and forecasts.
They provide more than 200 ocean products, Ocean Monitoring Indicators and and ocean expertise for decision-makers.
Address: 8-10 rue Hermès, Ramonville-Saint-Agne, France.
More information on their website.


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Project at a Glance
Title: Chlorine emissions from activated sea-salt aerosols and their potential impact on ozone.
Principal Investigator / Author(s): Dabdub, Donald
Contractor: UC Irvine
Contract Number: 00-324
Research Program Area: Atmospheric Processes
Topic Areas: Modeling
A photochemical modeling study is performed to determine whether urban photochemical models simulating sea-salt particle chemistry can predict observed chlorine levels and how such chlorine levels affect ozone formation. A host urban airshed model, employing a rich chemical mechanism and simulating aerosol dynamics, is augmented with current sea-spray generation functions, a comprehensive gas-phase chlorine chemistry mechanism and several heterogeneous/multiphase chemical reactions considered key processes leading to reactive chlorine formation. Modeling results adequately reproduce regional sea-salt particle concentrations. These particular heterogeneous / multiphase chemical reactions do not affect the rate of hydrochloric acid displacement nor do they enhance aerosol nitrate formation. Chlorine levels in the model are predicted an order of magnitude below observed values, albeit 30 times better than previous studies. The results suggest that inclusion of sea-salt derived chlorine chemistry may increase morning ozone predictions by as much as ~12 ppb in coastal regions and by ~4 ppb to the peak domain ozone in the afternoon. Peak ozone concentrations at most monitoring sites increase by 2 Ė 4 ppb and even higher ozone increases, up to 7 ppb, are predicted at other times not coinciding with the peak. An emissions inventory of anthropogenic sources of chlorine is recommended as these may enhance ozone formation even further by emitting chlorine gases directly into polluted regions.
For questions regarding this research project, including available data and progress status, contact: Heather Choi at _PHONE_
Stay involved, sign up with ARB's Research Email Listserver


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The following blog post is written by Madelaine Frye. It is the fourth (be sure to catch up on week 1, week 2, week 3 and week 4 if you haven't already!) in a series of 6 blogs she will be writing chronicling her experience as a Nutrition Instructor. Madelaine is teaching OFL as part of a Service Learning Class that has teamed up North Carolina State Students with the Inter Faith Food Shuttle's OFL/Nutrition Program. Through this partnership the IFFS and NCSU hope to engage students in service learning and community nutrition while expanding the reach of its OFL program. Hello again! My name is Madelaine Frye and I am a senior Nutrition student at NC State. I have been reporting to you all on how our Side By Side classes at the Knightdale Head Start location have been progressing through our six-week healthy lifestyle adventure. Week five in the OFL Side by Side class sure was full of exciting activities, along with lots of cooking!
For week five we discussed the importance of exercising and how much fun it can be when you exercise as a family. Exercise can relieve stress, provide an overall feeling of well being, can help you achieve and maintain a healthy weight, and lower your risk for chronic diseases. Water is very important for our bodies because if we exercise often, we lose a lot of water and can become dehydrated. In class, we shared some tricks on how we can make water more fun to drink by adding fruit juice ice cubes, or slices of our favorite fruits to pitchers of water. Another healthy beverage that we made was a fruit smoothie. Everyone in the class got to pick their favorite fruits and blended them with ice and low-fat vanilla yogurt to make an amazing fruit smoothie! This is not only a great way to rehydrate yourself but can also be a fun and healthy snack packed with tons of fruit.
This week we also discussed the importance of drinking low-fat and non-fat milk products. The calcium found in low-fat dairy drinks is very important in the building of strong bones and other important body functions. It is important to drink low-fat and non-fat dairy because you can raise your blood cholesterol to unhealthy levels with saturated fats and trans-fatty acids that can be found in these and other sugary beverages. If you are lactose intolerant, items such as yogurt and hard cheeses can sometimes be easier to digest than milk. Other non-dairy foods like calcium-fortified juice can also help us get the calcium we need.
After learning so many amazing tips in class, it is always nice to sit down and enjoy a wonderful meal with your family that you made together. All of the families loved our turkey taco dinner that we created as a group from scratch. It was even tastier when combined with all of the fun and fruity drinks we had made during class. Why don't you try this week's recipes at your home?
serves 1, 1 smoothie per serving
- Fruit of your choice (bananas, strawberries, blueberries, pineapple, etc.)
- Liquid (juice, low-fat/non-fat milk, soy-milk, almond milk)
- Optional flavorings (Cinnamon, zest, honey, vanilla, coconut flakes)
- Thickener (ice, low-fat/non-fat yogurt, silken tofu)
- Place ½ - 1 cup of sliced or chopped of fresh or frozen fruit to the blender.
- Add ½ - 1 cup of liquid to the blender.
- Add up to ½ teaspoon of optional flavorings.
- Add up to ½ cup of thickener.
- Blend until thick and smooth.
- Use milk, tofu, or yogurt to create a creamier smoothie.
- If adding frozen fruit, use less or no ice.
- Make ice cubes out of juice instead of water to use in your smoothies.
- Freeze slices of fruits that are about to go bad and use them in smoothies.
serves 8, 2 tacos per serving
- 1 (15 ½ ounce) can pinto beans
- Non-stick cooking spray
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 1 cup tomato juice, no salt added
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste, no salt added
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 8 ounces low-fat cheddar cheese
- ¼ medium head of lettuce
- 2 large tomatoes
- 16 taco shells
- Drain and rinse pinto beans well, using a colander.
- Coat a large frying pan with non-stick cooking spray and brown turkey over medium-high heat.
- Measure and add pinto beans, tomato juice, tomato paste, chili powder, garlic powder, oregano, salt, and black pepper to the frying pan. Stir well, using a long-handled spoon.
- Reduce heat to medium and cook until thickened, about 20 minutes.
- Grate cheddar cheese.
- Rinse lettuce and tomatoes. Tear the lettuce into bite-sized pieces.
- Core and dice tomatoes.
- Place 2 tablespoons of the cooked meat mixture into each taco shell. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of grated cheese so that it melts into the meat.
- Measure and top each taco with 1 tablespoon shredded lettuce and 1 tablespoon diced tomatoes.
- Use any of your favorite sautéed vegetables, low-fat sour cream, hot sauce, or salsa to top the tacos.
- Substitute and type of cooked beans for the pinto beans.
- If tomatoes are not in season, use canned tomatoes without added salt.
- Try using whole-wheat tortillas in place of the taco shells, or serve over rice or corn bread.


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OK State Dept of Ed sent this bulletin at 09/21/2012 05:11 PM CDT
Think Through Math is FREE to all Schools!!!
We are excited to announce that the Oklahoma State Department of Education is making Think Through Math available to all schools in Oklahoma for free.All Oklahoma schools can now take advantage of this award-winning math program for their students in grades 4 – 8 at absolutely no cost whatsoever.
Think Through Math is a research-based math intervention system designed to support students who are struggling with mathematics. The program transitions students to the rigor of the Common Core State Standards and prepares them for Algebra and beyond. Think Through Math uses a powerful blend of Web-based, adaptive instruction and LIVE, state-credentialed teachers, Think Through Math transforms the way students think about–and think through–mathematics.
For more information on Think Through Math, click HERE
All professional development for using Think Through Math is also available at no cost.You can get started by using the embedded support, including videos, webinars and a support forum, available on the teacher and administrator portals.If you are interested in getting an account, please contact Emily Robertson, Lead Program Manager-Oklahoma.
Coming Soon: The Social Studies Implementation Guide
With the initial implementation of the recently adopted Oklahoma C3 Standards for the Social Studies, the Oklahoma State Department of Education's Office of Instruction anticipates the release of the Oklahoma C3 Standards for the Social Studies Implementation Guide within the next two weeks. The new standards can be accessed on the Department's Website at _URL_
The Implementation Guide will contain the following:
Civic mission of social studies education in Oklahoma
Overview of social studies
Coherency Storyline used to develop the new standards
Changes to the standards from the old Social Studies Priority Academic Student Skills
Role of the Common Core State Literacy Standards for History/Social Studies in elementary and secondary levels
Building Academic Vocabulary (BAV) strategies and word lists for social studies based upon the new standards
A Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section covering questions about the new standards, student assessment for 2012-2013, and resources along with suggestions for noting the new standards in lesson plans and curriculum maps will be included. The guide will be posted on the Oklahoma State Department of Education's Social Studies Webpage _URL_ Once the Implementation Guide is accessible, teachers will be informed through the Social Studies ListServ and the REAC3H Network's newsletter.
For information regarding the new Oklahoma C3 Standards for the Social Studies contact Mr. Kelly Curtright, Director for Social Studies Education at _EMAIL_ or _PHONE_.
Social Studies: It Counts!
The Oklahoma Council for the Social Studies is hosting the Fall 2012 Conference, Social Studies: It Counts! The conference is scheduled for Friday and Saturday, September 28-29, 2012 at the Moore Norman Technology Center – S. Penn Campus, 13301 South Penn, OKC, OK 73170. On Friday the conference will focus on helping secondary teachers, Grades 6-12, implement the new literacy standards for reading and writing in social studies classrooms. Saturday the breakout sessions will be wider in scope and topics for elementary through high school. Since this school year is the social studies textbook adoption, textbook publishers and other exhibitors will be onsite both days.


Image of the Day
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Aurora behind ship mast
Night Lights
In the fall of 2003, the Arctic Edge science team returned to the Western Arctic Ocean to retrieve and redeploy an array of moorings placed in 2002 to observe one of the world's least-studied bodies of water. Their instruments were designed to measure the complex ocean circulation processes between the Pacific and Arctic oceans, with an eye on how that interaction affects regional and global climate. The more immediate question is: how did the moorings fare after a year under the watchful spirits of the Northern Lights? (Photo by Chris Linder, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)
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Measuring Power regulated by Zero Crossing SCR Controllers
A zero crossing SCR controller is used to regulate the power delivered to a resistive load. The controller uses two Silicon Controlled Rectifiers (SCRs) connected back to back in opposite directions and a zero crossing detector. The zero crossing detector detects the zero crossing of the AC voltage input and allows the SCR's to conduct starting with a zero crossing of the voltage. This avoids harmonic problems associated with the phase angle fired SCR controller.
A variable time base firing circuit is used to provide precise control of power delivered to a resistive load. Zero crossing controllers are not intended for use with inductive loads such as motors. A zero crossing controller is either conducting with full voltage applied to the load or it is not conducting. On or Off. The variable time base circuit controls the proportion of ON time to OFF time. This paper addresses the measurement technique necessary to accurately measure power in Zero Corssing SCR Controller applications.■


What Types of Breads Are Vegan?
Rye bread with seeds
There is good news for vegan bread lovers; many breads are naturally vegan. Despite the surplus of naturally vegan breads, it is always beneficial to use a keen eye and inspect the ingredient list for non-vegan ingredients. Additionally, when purchasing bread, vegan individuals can keep it simple and purchase certified vegan breads to ensure there are no hidden animal-based ingredients in their bread.
Vegan Bread
According to PETA, most bread is vegan. This could apply to almost all varieties of bread including, sandwich bread, rolls, bagels, focaccia, lavash, tortillas, pita, sourdough, and many others. Bread is a grain-based food and many other ingredients found in bread are also plant-based. Common ingredients found in any kind of bread, vegan or not, include:
 - Whole wheat, enriched, or refined flour
 - Other grains added such as oats, barley, rice, etc.
 - Water
 - Sugar, molasses, or other sweetener of choice
 - Yeast
 - Oil or fat of choice
 - Salt
 - Added vitamins and minerals for enrichment
 - Preservative
All the ingredients above qualify as vegan ingredients. This makes many breads safe to eat if following a vegan diet. However, some breads add additional ingredients for flavor or to serve as a filler.
Problematic Breads and Ingredients
Some varieties of breads will almost always not qualify as vegan due to their traditional ingredients. These breads include:
 - Any bread made with honey such as honey wheat
 - Naan bread, which is made with eggs and milk
 - Biscuits. as they are made using butter and milk
 - Crumpets, which are made using milk
If searching for vegan bread, also keep an eye out for the following ingredients as they do not qualify as vegan. These can commonly be found in many bread brands on grocery store shelves. However, if buying freshly baked bread these ingredients are used much less frequently.
 - Eggs
 - Milk
 - Butter
 - Cream
 - Whey
 - Casein
 - Caseinate
 - Sodium caseinate
 - Honey
Although these ingredients can add a lot of flavor to bread, they are made from animals and don't meet vegan standards.
Vegan Bread Brands
One way to make vegan bread buying simple is to purchase breads that are certified vegan. This seal of approval indicates the bread contains zero animal products. Many of these breads also tend to be very nutritious. Some of these great bread brands include:
 1. Bloomfield Farms Vegan Sandwich Bread - Bloomfield Farms is a fully gluten-free company that also makes vegan bread. This bread is dairy-free, egg-free, soy-free, and is made from real ingredients. The company boasts their bread is "fluffy and flavorful," without any aftertaste than some gluten-free breads give off. Bloomfield Farms Vegan Sandwich Bread can be bought online for around $6.00 per loaf.
 2. Food for Life 7-Sprouted Grains Bread - This hearty bread isn't just ideal for vegans, but everyone searching for nutrient-dense bread. The 7-Sprouted Grains Bread is vegan and contains a mixture of brown rice, barley, oats, corn, rye, millet, and whole wheat. One slice provides 80 calories, four grams of protein, three grams of fiber, and only one gram of sugar, making it an excellent bread selection for the whole family. Food for Life 7-Sprouted Grains Bread can be bought at many local retailers for around $4.00-6.00. Use their store locator tool to find bread near you.
 3. Dave's Killer Bread - This bread company is not officially "certified vegan." However, all but one of their breads are vegan and are labeled "contains no animal products" except the Honey Oats and Flax bread. Dave's Killer Bread is a fantastic bread line offering hearty, healthy breads. These breads only contain natural ingredients, are non-GMO, and USDA organic. Most are high in fiber and protein. Dave's Killer Bread can be purchased online or at a retailer near you using their store locator tool.
Shopping for Vegan Breads
No matter what you're shopping for, finding items that meet the vegan diet's qualifications can be challenging at times. Luckily, bread can be a simple purchase. Most breads are naturally vegan and just require a quick ingredient list check. However, fully vegan bread producers also make bread for the vegan consumer. If you ever have concerns about the bread you are purchasing speak to a registered dietitian.
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Ernie Bailey has played a key role in the development of multimedia learning space at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock. He served as chairman for InfoCOMM's Technology Managers Council and contributes to other key industry councils.
Medical Schools like UAMS regard learning space as more mission-critical than general college classrooms because lectures are often delivered by clinicians who, unlike traditional faculty, come to class once a year to lecture on their particular specialty. If the technology doesn't happen to work the day that Dr. Spleen comes in to teach his hepatic clearance module, the content may not be covered. Alternatively, if a student misses that day's lecture, they may be in big trouble.
"You're always going to have two support teams," says Bailey, "one for AV and one for IT." Understanding the culture and nomenclature differences is crucial to coordinating support across domains. "We use a lot of the same terms (switch, switcher, router, etc.)," he notes, "but they have different meanings." So it is important to make sure that everyone is speaking the same language.


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The differences in incidence rates of Haemophilus influenzae type b disease and the variation in Hib conjugate vaccine efficacy achieved among different ethnic groups suggest genetic influences on the immune response to Hib vaccine. The serum anti-PRP antibody concentration of 43 monozygotic (MZ) and 147 dizygotic (DZ) twin pairs in the Gambia was measured using a standardised Hib ELISA. Intrapair correlations for MZ and DZ twin pairs were compared and heritability in antibody responses to Hib conjugate vaccine was estimated to be 51% (95% CI: 32-66%), indicating a significant genetic contribution in the response. We conclude that genetic factors may be involved in the variation in immune response to Hib vaccine observed in different populations and may contribute to cases of vaccine failure.
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Antibodies, Bacterial, Diphtheria-Tetanus-Pertussis Vaccine, Diseases in Twins, Female, Gambia, Haemophilus Infections, Haemophilus Vaccines, Haemophilus influenzae, Humans, Immunization Schedule, Infant, Infant, Newborn, Infant, Premature, Male, Twins, Twins, Dizygotic, Twins, Monozygotic, Vaccines, Conjugate


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Discrete Fourier transform matrix in Galois field
dm = dftmtx(alph)
dm = dftmtx(alph) returns a Galois array that represents the discrete Fourier transform operation on a Galois vector, with respect to the Galois scalar alph. The element alph is a primitive nth root of unity in the Galois field GF(2m) = GF(n+1); that is, n must be the smallest positive value of k for which alph^k equals 1. The discrete Fourier transform has size n and dm is an n-by-n array. The array dm represents the transform in the sense that dm times any length-n Galois column vector yields the transform of that vector.
 Note: The inverse discrete Fourier transform matrix is dftmtx(1/alph).
The example below illustrates the discrete Fourier transform and its inverse, with respect to the element gf(3,4). The example examines the first n powers of that element to make sure that only the nth power equals one. Afterward, the example transforms a random Galois vector, undoes the transform, and checks the result.
m = 4;
n = 2^m-1;
a = 3;
alph = gf(a,m);
mp = minpol(alph);
if (mp(1)==1 && isprimitive(mp)) % Check that alph has order n.
 disp('alph is a primitive nth root of unity.')
 dm = dftmtx(alph);
 idm = dftmtx(1/alph);
 x = gf(randi([0 2^m-1],n,1),m);
 y = dm*x; % Transform x.
 z = idm*y; % Recover x.
 ck = isequal(x,z)
The output is
alph is a primitive nth root of unity.
ck =
The Galois field over which this function works must have 256 or fewer elements. In other words, alph must be a primitive nth root of unity in the Galois field GF(2m), where m is an integer between 1 and 8.
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The element dm(a,b) equals alph^((a-1)*(b-1)).
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Border Meltdown: Biblical Principles to Address our Immigration Crisis
by Veronica Coffin on July 26, 2014
Submitted by: Veronica Coffin
Immigration-BlogBy Steve Halbrook
As America's border crisis escalates, various voices with various political philosophies weigh in. Should we or shouldn't we protect the borders? What about immigrants—should they be admitted? If so, how do we determine whether they should be allowed into the country?
The answers to all of these questions are not in nationalism or internationalism; anarchy or statism; racism or reverse racism; or liberalism or conservatism. No, like all moral issues, the answer rests in Scripture—sola Scriptura.
Here we draw from Scripture to show (we hope correctly) the biblical approach to one of the most important challenges our nation has ever faced.
The Importance of Borders
Scripture says, "Cursed be anyone who moves his neighbor's landmark" (Deuteronomy 27:17a). Outsiders no more have the right to move a nation's boundaries (by contempt for them or by seeking to eliminate them) than a thief does to move an individual's property line.
After leaving Egypt, the Israelites requested permission from the Amorites to pass through their land (Numbers 21:21, 22). Unless this was done solely out of pragmatism to avoid a military confrontation, this would be an example of respecting national borders by not traversing them without permission.
In any case, national borders define a nation's boundaries and its civil jurisdiction; as such, they are to be respected. Borders lose their significance if a nation don't have any say as to who can enter the country, which compromises national security and the rule of law. The eradication of borders via mass illegal immigration, therefore, breeds lawlessness and rival jurisdictional claims that can lead to civil unrest and war.
Since, by the nature of the case, borders are a national security and jurisdictional matter, they are a concern of the state. As such, the state has a duty to protect their integrity, which includes a lawful immigration process.
Respect for the Law
The Bible requires all who dwell in the land to live under the same righteous laws:
You shall have the same rule for the sojourner and for the native, for I am the Lord your God. (Leviticus 24:22)
In the book of Nehemiah, we see an example of the civil power guarding its borders from those who would violate biblical civil law. Here the governor Nehemiah keeps merchants who would violate the Sabbath from entering Jerusalem on that day:
Notice how Nehemiah draws attention to God's wrath for violating the Sabbath; indeed, when individuals violate God's law, then a nation risks God's judgment (Leviticus 18:24-28).
When rulers enforce biblical civil law, they help to prevent actions that lead to judgment. Biblical civil law is a "terror to evildoers" (Romans 13:3, 4); it has a "hear and fear" factor (Deuteronomy 17:13) that keeps the wicked from inviting God's wrath.
Given biblical civil law's important role in helping prevent God's judgment, nations should protect themselves from those who would, practically speaking, undermine biblical law by living in the land without living under its laws. Perhaps, then, the best course when it comes to immigration is to have a process of legalization where immigrants must commit to respecting and obeying the land's righteous civil laws. (Granted, our nation has fallen far from applying much of biblical law.)
This goes hand-in-hand with a secure border. With a secure border, outsiders—including those with no respect for a nation's laws—could not enter a country en masse, but through a careful legalization process that can help to screen out criminals. Such a process would also deter drug smuggling, the sex slave trade, and other criminal activities that open borders encourage.
A Nation's Duty to Defend Itself from Invasion
Just as an individual has a right to self-defense (Exodus 22:2, 3), so does a nation. And if nations should oppose invading soldiers, then they should likewise oppose invading criminals. The goal is the same: to protect citizens. It is inconsistent to accept the former and reject the latter, for there is no practical difference between a pillaging army of soldiers and a pillaging army of criminals—which some illegal immigrants happen to be.
An unsecured border means subjecting citizens to violent criminals who cross it. This violates the command to "Rescue those who are being taken away to death" (Proverbs 24:11a). According to one article, "Border States Deal With More Illegal Immigrant Crime Than Most, Data Suggest." But this should be self-evident, with or without data; criminals will naturally cross borders to both escape the law in their own countries—and to find fresh opportunities to commit crimes in the country that they enter.
Moreover, an influx of immigrants with no respect for a nation's laws can easily lead to war itself. Consider our own situation: we have some illegal immigrants who not only disrespect our laws and our borders, but also support a "Reconquista" of the southwest.
But whether there is a civil war or not, we already have a problem with violent crime due to illegal immigration, and our civil rulers, therefore, have a duty to protect their citizens via secure borders and a careful legalization process.
A Nation's Duty to Protect Itself from Contagious Diseases
A nation must also protect itself from diseases. In Israel, those with leprosy were quarantined (Leviticus 13:45, 46). Protecting others from disease is part of the Sixth Commandment. The outbreak of a deadly contagious disease can easily wipe out thousands. (This is not to be taken as an endorsement of state-imposed vaccinations, as vaccinations themselves can be deadly.)
Those with dangerous contagious diseases then must be isolated from the general population. When it comes to immigration, border control can help prevent immigrants with diseases from infecting the nation's inhabitants. A legalization process allows immigrants to be screened for diseases before making contact with the general population.
However, we are not necessarily opposed to citizens of a nation providing medical assistance to those on the border with infectious diseases—so long as measures are carefully taken (e.g., quarantine) to protect the general population.
Treating all Immigrants with Dignity
While nations have a duty to secure their borders, this does not give them a right to mistreat immigrants—whether they are illegal or not:
You shall not wrong a sojourner or oppress him, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt. (Exodus 22:21)
As being made in God's image, immigrants are to be treated with the utmost dignity. One should not react to our immigration crisis with hatred, as racists and extreme nationalists are prone to do. Neither should immigrants be met with vigilantism. There should be compassion for immigrants who seek refuge from a hard life or persecution. Christians should share the Gospel with them.
A nation should protect its borders, but it should not dehumanize illegal immigrants in the process; neither should it unjustly assume that all illegal immigrants are violent criminals just because some are. (Would we, after all, assume all Americans are violent criminals just because some are?)
While some might take the statement "You shall not wrong a sojourner or oppress him" to mean that barring any immigrant from entering a nation is oppressive, I don't see how that follows. Someone trying to illegally find a way to cross a nation's border is not yet a sojourner in the land—and even the sojourner within the land is not above the law, so that arresting him doesn't necessarily amount to oppression.
However, even in a scenario where an illegal immigrant is arrested and deported, he should be treated as kindly and as gently as possible.
Who Should be Permitted to Enter a Country?
Scripture assumes that a nation can, or even should, allow some immigrants to dwell in the land. For instance, Leviticus 24:22 holds that one law should apply to the sojourner and native alike—implying that immigrants and natives can live under the same legal-system, and, therefore, in the same nation. Deuteronomy 24:14, 15 assumes the legitimacy of hiring immigrants as workers—and therefore the legitimacy of immigration itself. In Israel, immigrants were permitted to voluntarily join the religious community, which again assumes the legitimacy of immigration:
This also seems to imply that at least in a Christian nation, outwardly converting to Christianity is not to be coerced, but voluntary; at the same time, immigrants cannot outwardly worship false gods or promote false religions (e.g. Exodus 22:20, Deuteronomy 13)—they must keep their unbelief to themselves.
The fact that Scripture allows those from other countries to dwell in the land without a restriction on race precludes the racist idea that a nation should only admit those of the same race of its inhabitants.
All who are willing to dwell in a country peacefully and according to its righteous laws should be considered for living in the land. Special preference should be given to the helpless ("Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction …," James 1:27a) and Christians ("So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are


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 Alexandria students raise money for pancreatic diseases after teacher's death
 ALEXANDRIA, Va. (WJLA) - Summer break is just around the corner for students at Hollin Meadows Elementary School.
 The school year has been especially tough for the sixth-graders - their math and science teacher, Jeffrey Firman, was diagnosed with pancreatitis before the school year started, leading him to miss school sometimes throughout the year.
 Sadly, Firman left for spring break and never returned. He died on April 16.
 "Even though we only knew him for half a year, some of us have been here since kindergarten, so we have seen him around. So it was sort of painful," said sixth-grader Richard Harrison.
 Teacher Angie Palma said, when the students returned to school, "they really needed something."
 That something was to keep Mr. Firman's memory alive. The students decided to raise money for all pancreatic diseases.
 "So we can honor him and help other people who are suffering the same illness," sixth-grader Daniel Schudlich explained.
 Before he died, Firman had explained to his classes how serious pancreatic diseases can be, and how limited both research and awareness is currently.
 While Firman didn't have cancer, the statistics are still startling.
 The American Cancer Society estimates that, in 2014, there will be about 46,000 new cases of pancreatic cancer, and roughly 39,000 deaths.
 "Other people are in need because of this illness," Daniel added.
 So far, the students have raised just over $1,600 - but their goal is to raise $2,100, because Mr. Firman taught at Hollin Meadows for 21 years.
 "I know their goal, for the kids, is just to reach it - but I know we can pass it," said Palma.
 For more information, click here.


Error on a request to write a media location identifier during long backups to Deduplication folders across a WAN.
Article:TECH153943 | Created: 2011-02-22 | Updated: 2013-01-03 | Article URL
Article Type
Technical Solution
During a backup to a deduplication folder, when new media is required, an error pops up indicating that Backup Exec could not write a media location identifier (file mark) to the media. This can happen if the job is taking a long time to fill up a piece of media or complete a job (more than 30 minutes per media). During this time, Backup Exec holds open a session that is not transmitting any data. A variety of devices along the route between the remote agent and the media server can interpret this lack of data transmission as an abandoned session and arbitrarily terminate the session.
This problem typically happens at approximately the same amount of time into an operation. That is, if the job keeps failing at the the same times (e.g. 1.5 hours), then this may be the cause of the problem.
Storage device "Dedupe Folder:2" reported an error on a request to write a media location identifier (file mark). Error reported: A device attached to the system is not functioning.
 This issue is most often associated with a backup that is happening over a slow link (such as a WAN).
Turning on the Debug Monitor for active debugging (SGMon) shows the following errors
[5216] 09/09/10 13:34:22 ndmp_readit: Caught message on closed connection.
Socket 0xc2c len 0xffffffff
[5216] 09/09/10 13:34:22 ndmp_readit: ErrorCode :: 10054 : An existing
connection was forcibly closed by the remote host.
This indicates that one of Backup Exec's sessions from the remote agent to the media server was terminated. The next time this session is used to communicate between the remote agent and the media server, an error is reported.
Note: Refer the related article on how to use SGMON for debug.
Note: As of Backup Exec 2010 R3 Hotfix 159965, Backup Exec has implemented its own keep alive message across deduplication connections. After this Hotfix, it should no longer be necessary to set the system wide keep alive settings below.
There is a setting in Windows that causes the operating system to send "Keep Alive" messages across connections that are otherwise inactive. Set KeepAliveTime and KeepAliveInterval to five seconds (5000ms ). Please consult your Windows documentation for specific instructions on how to do this.
Note that while this has resolved the problem in most cases, there are situations where intervening routers are ignoring the keep alive messages and terminating the session after a set period of time any way. If this is happening, the configuration of those routers must be changed to resolve this problem.
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Backups failing due to expired sessions
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EL CERRITO -- While its setting and mild climate may not resemble a Caribbean island in any way, the city has become a center for steel drum music, a style that originated in Trinidad and Tobago, islands off the coast of Venezuela.
Steel drum musician Harry Best, a fixture at local weddings, parties and receptions with his band Shabang, opened Panwest Caribbean Steelpan Music Center on San Pablo Avenue in August.
The studio provides a central location for the steel drum lessons that Best, an El Sobrante resident, was teaching in Walnut Creek and Richmond. Best also teaches in San Rafael.
Steel drums, which produce a sound associated with calypso music, originated at the end of World War II, but the whole tradition goes back to African slaves, Best said.
"In Trinidad and Tobago, the colonial power was British," he said. "Traditional African drums were suppressed because it was thought they were used to foster runaways and rebellions."
Thus, the residents began a tradition of fashioning drums from whatever they could find.
The U.S. Navy brought steel oil drums to Trinidad after oil was discovered on the island. Eventually, an enterprising musician found that discarded drums could be made into instruments that created an original sound.
Soon players discovered that dents in the barrels could alter the sound and they "proceeded to deliberately create dents," Best said.
"The steel drum produces a tingling sound, a
Steel drums have come a long way since the early days. Today, drum makers stretch the bottoms of drum barrels, often custom made, into a concave shape using a sledge hammer in a process known as "shrinking the pan."
The depth to which the barrels are "shrunk" depends on the tone the instrument is expected to give.
Bass drums are shallow while a tenor steel drum pan is deep, producing a higher-pitched, shriller sound.
The steel drum sound is also determined by the number of drums used. A soprano drum is single drum, the alto is comprised of two drums and the tenor three. The bass is made up of six large barrels, Best said.
On average, a steel drum pan needs to be tuned twice a year, depending upon how much and how hard it is played. The finished pan is often painted in bright colors, or dipped in chrome for a reflective finish.
"These instruments are still hand-crafted and every steel pan is different from the others," Best said. "One guy in San Rafael makes them, and the biggest outfit in the United States is in Ohio."
Best is from St. Lucia, a small island in the eastern Caribbean, but he said he played the steel drums only casually when he was growing up because steel drumming on the island was concentrated in "some rough neighborhoods."
He became more active after coming to the United States at age 17 to attend City College of San Francisco and then UC Berkeley, where he was on the varsity soccer team.
Best and some friends got together to practice informally, and he eventually turned the pastime into a career as performer, recording artist and teacher.
Panwest Caribbean Steelpan Music Center is at 10855 San Pablo Ave. in El Cerrito. Details: _PHONE_.


text:
Experiencing strong emotions synchronizes brain activity across individuals, a research team at Aalto University and Turku PET Centre in Finland has revealed.
Human emotions are highly contagious. Seeing others' emotional expressions such as smiles triggers often the corresponding emotional response in the observer. Such synchronization of emotional states across individuals may support social interaction: When all group members share a common emotional state, their brains and bodies process the environment in a similar fashion.
Researchers at Aalto University and Turku PET Centre have now found that feeling strong emotions makes different individuals' brain activity literally synchronous.
The results revealed that especially feeling strong unpleasant emotions synchronized brain's emotion processing networks in the frontal and midline regions. On the contrary, experiencing highly arousing events synchronized activity in the networks supporting vision, attention and sense of touch.
- Category: Science & Technology