text:
Wriggers (Leibniz University of Hanover), B Grieshaber (UCT), AT McBride (Glasgow)
Students graduated: D van Huyssteen (MSc Eng 2019; PhD 2021), F Rasolofoson (PhD 2019)
Research in this area has been directed towards the development, analysis and implementation of new finite element and related formulations that are simple but stable and efficient, particularly in situations involving small parameters such as those that arise in situations of near incompressibility and near-inextensibility.
The focus has been to undertake detailed analyses and to generate novel approaches, largely within the context of the discontinuous Galerkin (DG) and virtual element methods (VEM).
Recent work on DG formulations [GrieshaberMcBrideReddy2020] has built on earlier work [GrieshaberMcBrideReddy2015], devoted to the development of stable and convergent approaches for low-order quadrilateral elements. The more recent investigations have aimed at investigating the stability and convergence of of DG formulations using distorted quadrilateral elements in two dimensions, and hexahedral in three. Subsequent studies [GrieshaberReddyRasolofoson2020] were devoted to the extension of the earlier work to develop DG formulations for transversely isotropic materials that are convergent in the inextensible limit. This in turn has drawn on studies of finite element approximations for transverse isotropy [RasolofosonGrieshaberReddy2019]
There has been growing activity focusing on the virtual element method, a variant of the finite element method which is able to accommodate arbitrary polygonal elements. Initial work [WriggersRustReddy2016] was devoted to problems of contact, while subsequent work has focused on problems of nonlinear elasticity [WriggersReddyRustHudobivnik2017].
Recent work has been concerned with the development of VEM formulations for transversely isotropic elastic materials, with the aim at arriving at stable and uniformly convergent formulations in the incompressible and inextensible limits, separately and combined. Initial studies have been concerned with the small-deformation problem [ReddyvanHuyssteen2019], while subsequent work has been concerned with isotropic and transversely isotropic hyperelasticity [vanHuyssteenReddy2020]. There has also been a focus on the development of improved forms of stabilization for the nonlinear problem [vanHuyssteenReddy2021a].
Multiscale modelling of sutures in a high-performing biological protective structure: The turtle shell
Collaborator: S Bargmann (University of Wuppertal, Germany)
Student: B Alheit (PhD)
Many natural protective structures, such as alligator armour, turtle shells, and the skulls of many animals including humans, contain networks of sutures; those are, soft tissue that bonds adjacent stiff plates typically made of bone. Such protective structures ought to withstand large loads associated with predator attacks. If one considers the optimization process of evolution and the ubiquity of suture networks in natural protective structures, it is reasonable to hypothesize that sutures improve the mechanical behaviour of protective structures during predator attacks. However, the effect of sutures in such loading scenarios is not well understood. We address this by using computational models of turtle shells where special attention is paid to the influence of the network of sutures. Additionally, we elucidate the structure-function relationship using parametric studies varying the suture geometry. Among other insights, we show that the presence of sutures can reduce the maximum strain energy density, a key indicator for a material failure, during a predator attack by more than an order of magnitude [AlheitBargmannReddy2020]. The work presented paves the way for the inclusion of sutures in biomimetic protective structures such as helmets and body armour. Further investigations have focused on dynamic response and the use of multiscale modelling and model order reduction, with constitutive models that include viscoelasticity, hyperelasticity, and anisotropy [AlheitBargmannReddy2021].
Hydrogel dispersion in myocardial tissue
MN Ngoepe, T Franz (UCT, Biomedical Engineering)
Collaborators: N Davies (University of Cape Town), D Bezuidenhout (University of Cape Town), S Balabani (University College London), A Passos (University College London)
Current student: A Maluleke (PhD)
Myocardial infarction (MI), a type of cardiovascular disease, affects a significant proportion of people around the world. Traditionally, non-communicable chronic diseases were largely associated with ageing populations in higher income countries. It is now evident that lowto middle-income countries are also affected - and in these settings, younger individuals are at high risk.
Currently, interventions for MI prolong the time to heart failure. Regenerative medicine and stem cell therapy have the potential to mitigate the effects of MI and to significantly improve the quality of life for patients. The main drawback with this therapy is that many of the injected cells are lost due to the vigorous motion of the heart. Great effort has been directed towards the development of scaffolds which can be injected alongside stem cells, in an attempt to improve retention and cell engraftment. In some cases, the scaffold alone has been seen to improve heart function.
Our work has focused on polyethylene glycol (PEG) gel, a synthetic hydrogel injected into the heart to improve function [DaviesGoetschNgoepeFranzLecour2016]. Part of the work has focused on characterising the flow of PEG on the microscale, where the behaviour is likely to deviate from macroscalar flow patterns. Micro particle image velocimetry (μPIV) is used to observe flow behaviour in microchannels, representing the gaps in myocardial tissue. The fluid exhibits Newtonian behaviour at this scale.
An idealised, three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model of PEG flow in microchannels is then developed and validated using the μPIV study. The validated computational model is applied to idealised models and to realistic, microscopy-derived myocardial tissue models.
Figure 3: Flow patterns in different segments of the myocardial tissue model. (A) corresponds to the inlet and outlet profiles of Block 1. The maximum velocity is observed on the outlet. (B) corresponds to Block 2, and high velocities are observed on the inlet and the outlet. (C) corresponds to Block 3 and the maximum velocity is observed on the outlet.
Thrombosis in cerebral aneurysms
Collaborators: W-H Ho (UNISA), Y Ventikos (University College London), T Peach (University College London)
Current student: S Hume (PhD)
Graduated student: M Taylor (MSc Eng)
Thrombosis, or clotting, is the main underlying condition for a large number of cardiovascular disease cases. Under normal conditions, clotting is a positive physiological feature which ensures that bleeding stops following injury to a blood vessel. In some cases, however, the fine balance sustained during the clotting process is disrupted, leading to the formation of clots that cause blockage of blood vessels, and subsequent morbidity or mortality.
The focus of this work is on the development of computational tools and platforms which can be used to better understand thrombosis in disease cases. At present, the focus is on the development of such tools for the elucidation of clotting in cerebral aneurysms. Cerebral aneurysms are balloon-like bulges which form on blood vessels of the brain as a result of the weakening of the vessel wall layers. Thrombosis is closely linked to cerebral aneurysms and the rupture risk of an aneurysm is influenced by the type of clot that forms in the aneurysm sac [Ngoepe et al 2018].
The motivation for developing a computational platform for cerebral aneurysm thrombosis is twofold. First, the mechanisms which contribute to the initiation and progression of clotting in cerebral aneurysms are poorly understood. This is mainly because it is difficult to predict when a clot is likely to form in an aneurysm and even more challenging to account for the contribution of key players (e.g. fluid dynamics, blood clotting proteins) during the clotting process. A computational platform is able to give valuable insights, as the different contributors can be included or omitted without catastrophic medical consequences. The second key reason is a computational tool capable of predicting clotting outcome in cerebral aneurysms prior to surgical intervention is highly desirable [NgoepeVentikos2016, PeachNgoepeSprangerZajarias-FainsodVentikos2014]. Given the patient-specific nature of cerebral aneurysms and clotting, being able to predict clotting outcome on a per patient basis and later inferring general population trends would be beneficial for informing treatment approach.
Current students: S Hume (PhD), Q Jimoh-Taiwo (PhD), T Ngwenya (MSc Eng), M Grobbelaar (MSc Eng)
Thrombosis is a condition that is linked to a number of diseases, ranging from cerebral aneurysms to COVID-19. Under healthy conditions, clotting is a positive feature which ensures that bleeding stops following injury to a blood vessel. In disease, the fine balance sustained during the healthy clotting process is disrupted, leading to the formation of clots that cause blockage of blood vessels and subsequent morbidity or mortality. The formation of a clot, or thrombus in the case of disease,


text:
This program is designed to provide Vietnamese language courses for all foreigners who intend to learn Vietnamese language to meet their specific needs. Every 2 weeks, students are welcome to join classes organized according to their purpose and level. Students can be in different kinds of classes, such as individual classes where intensive or special courses are offered, or group classes that facilitate conversation and cultural exchanges.
Upon arrival, a student should take a placement test to determine his/her proper class. The Vietnamese language program focuses on:

source: openbmb/Ultra-FineWeb


text:
The Wall Street Journal - The Genetic Ripple Effect of Hardship
Our experiences in life don't just affect how we learn and behave, they can also mark our genes and influence our children, a growing body of research suggests. Stressful events and drug use appear to alter how and when genes are turned off and on. Some environmental influences create such long-lasting and significant biological changes that they can be passed on to affect the health of the next generation, studies have shown. Dr. Eric Nestler, a molecular biologist and neuroscience professor at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, took male mice and stressed them out, then bred them with normal females. After the pups grew up, they showed sharp increases in anxiety and depression. "I couldn't believe it," he says.
- Dr. Eric Nestler, Professor & Chair, Neuroscience, Director of the Friedman Brain Institute, Mount Sinai School of Medicine
Learn more: _URL_

source: HuggingFaceFW/fineweb-edu


text:
Patrick-Murray Administration Announces 15 Grants for Water Protection, Habitat Restoration and Education
"For over 20 years the MET has been at the forefront of conservation efforts that protect the vital waterways of Massachusetts," said Secretary Sullivan. "These types of projects rely on the collaborative efforts of communities and conservation partners, working side by side with the Commonwealth to ensure our waters are clean and protected for generations to come."
The grants will help support projects in Amherst, Athol, Boston, Cheshire, Kingston, Plymouth, Pelham, Saugus, and Wareham. Funding comes from the sale of the state's three environmentally-themed specialty license plates: the Right Whale Tail, the Leaping Brook Trout, and the Blackstone Valley Mill.
Since it was founded in 1988 as part of the Boston Harbor cleanup, MET has awarded more than $19 million in grants to organizations statewide that provide a wide array of environmental services, from supporting water projects in communities to protecting coastal habitats.
"When Massachusetts motorists purchase environmental license plates, they also make an investment in our waters," said James R. Gomes, director of Clark University's Mosakowski Institute, who chairs the Massachusetts Environmental Trust.
MET, established by the Massachusetts Legislature as a state trust in 1988, is governed by a nine-member board of trustees appointed by the EEA Secretary.
The grant awards range from $15,600 to $75,000 and are listed below:
- Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commissions (Belmont) - $ 34,415 to update the web-based training course "Fundamentals for Conservation Commissioners," which provide certification for conservation commissioners on wetlands issues.
- University of Massachusetts (Boston) - $35,000 to establish a network of five long-term river restoration monitoring sites and collect the first phase of preand post-restoration data at dam removal sites in Massachusetts.
- The Charles River Conservancy (Boston & Cambridge) - $30,000 for a feasibility analysis of swimming sites in the Charles River. The project will monitor and analyze E. coli at the two sites; monitor and analyze cyanobacteria in the lower Charles basin; and develop sediment sampling protocols to assess risk from potentially contaminated sediments at the two sites.
- Neponset River Watershed Association (Canton) - $25,000 to work with municipalities in the Neponset River Watershed to prepare for and to implement the new EPA Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System General Permit.
- Town of Saugus - $35,000 for design and permitting for restoration of the 32-acre Ballard Street marsh. Once restored the marsh will provide improved flood protection and critical habitat for birds, fish, and shellfish..
- American Rivers (Plymouth) - $75,000 to plan the ecological restoration of 240 acres of coastal wetlands. The project includes two dam removals and restoration of two headwaters areas; restoration of stream channel and floodplains; and assures fish passage over 3.5 miles of Beaver Dam Brook.
- Association to Preserve Cape Cod, Inc. - $15,600 to initiate a new comprehensive regional monitoring program for aquatic invasive species.
- The Coalition for Buzzards Bay (Wareham) - $50,000 to implement the Wareham Nitrogen Consensus to reduce coastal nitrogen pollution. Through implementation of the Consensus Action Plan, a wide range of constituents will implement strategies to reduce to wastewater and agricultural nitrogen pollution.
- Jones River Watershed Association, Inc. (Kingston) - $22,470 to remove a failed tide gate to restore tidal flow and salt water exchange to over 20 acres of impaired marsh lands in Kingston and Duxbury.
- MA/R.I. Trout Unlimited Council (Wareham) - $25,000 for design and permitting for the continued restoration of Red Brook to its source at White Island Pond in Plymouth. The Project will restore 60 acres of wetlands, remove numerous small dams, and preserve the coldwater nature of the stream.
- Town of Athol - $30,000 to remove two dams and a failed culvert in the headwaters of Thousand Acre Brook and restore the native wetland. The project will re-connect wetland and riverine areas separated for over a century.
- Deerfield River Watershed Association (Greenfield) - $16,552 to study macroinvertebrate communities in small headwater streams in forested portions of the Deerfield River watershed.
- Housatonic Valley Association (Lee) - $22,931 to assess and prioritize culverts and barriers in the Housatonic Watershed, and recommend necessary replacement for integration into highway plans.
- Town of Amherst (Pelham) - $47,030 to remove the Bartlett Fish Rod Co. Dam on Amethyst Brook in Pelham. Removing the dam will restore upstream fish passage for migratory and resident fish species and improve water quality and in-stream habitat.
- Town of Cheshire - $25,000 to remove a dam and replace a failed culvert on Thunder Brook in Cheshire. Thunder Brook is a high-quality coldwater stream with a large population of native brook trout.


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The Green's functions of Stokes flow represent solutions of the continuity equation $\nabla\cdot {\bf u}=0$ and the singularly forced Stokes equation $$-\nabla P+\mu \nabla^2{\bf u}+{\bf g}\delta({\bf x-x_0})=0 \tag{*}$$
where ${\bf g}$ is an arbitrary constant, ${\bf x_0}$ is an arbitrary point, and $\delta$ is the three-dimensional delta function. Introducing the Green's function ${\bf G}$, we write the solution of (*) in the form $$u_i({\bf x})=\frac{1}{8\pi\mu}G_{ij}({\bf x,x_0})g_j$$
The following is how to find $G_{ij}$ in the free-space infinite unbounded flow from C. POZRIKIDIS's Boundary Integral and Singularity Methods for Linearized Viscous Flow
Replace the delta function with $$ \delta(\hat{x})=-\frac{1}{4\pi}\nabla^2\left(\frac{1}{r}\right) \tag{1} $$ where $r=|\hat{x}|$, $\hat{x}=x-x_0$. Recalling that the pressure is a harmonic function, and balancing the dimensions of the pressure term with those of the delta function in (1), we set $$ P=-\frac{1}{4\pi}g\cdot\nabla\left(\frac{1}{r}\right) \tag{2} $$ Substituting (1) and (2) into (*) we obtain $$ \mu\nabla^2 u=-\frac{1}{4\pi}g\cdot(\nabla\nabla-I\nabla^2)\left(\frac{1}{r}\right)\tag{3} $$ Next, we express the velocity in terms of a scalar function $H$ as $$ u=\frac{1}{\mu}g\cdot(\nabla\nabla-I\nabla^2)H \tag{4} $$ It will be noted that the continuity equation is satisfied for any choice of $H$. Substituting (4) into (3) and discarding the arbitrary constant vector g we obtain $$ (\nabla\nabla-I\nabla^2)\left(\nabla^2H+\frac{1}{4\pi r}\right)=0\tag{5} $$ Clearly, (5) is satisfied by $\nabla^2H=-1/(4\pi r)$. Using (1), we have $\nabla^4H=\delta(\hat{x})$. Thus $$ H=-\frac{r}{8\pi} \tag{6} $$ Substituting (6) into (4) we find $$ u_i(x)=\frac{1}{8\pi\mu}G_{ij}(\hat{x})g_j $$ where $$ G_{ij}=\frac{\delta_{ij}}{r}+\frac{\hat{x}_i\hat{x}_j}{r^3} $$
There are several places I don't understand:
 1. Why can we write the pressure function $P$ in (2)? What does "Recalling... we set" mean?
 2. Why can we express the velocity $u$ as (4)? How do we know it can be of this form?
 3. What's the difference between $\nabla\nabla$ and $I\nabla^2$?
share|improve this question
2 Answers 2
up vote 1 down vote accepted
 1. (2) is obtained by taking the divergence of the whole equation, using that $u$ is divergence free, and (formally) inverting the Laplacian (by which I mean that you get an expression like $\nabla^2 P = g\cdot\nabla (\nabla^2)\frac1r$ from which you formally "cancel" out the $\nabla^2$ from both sides).
 The sentence "Recalling..." is horribly written and factually wrong. In the free Stokes flow with no source term, the pressure is a harmonic function. But when driven by a source, the pressure solve a Poisson equation and is not harmonic any more. What the author meant by "balancing dimensions" is basically counting the derivatives, and is the same as the "cancelling the Laplacian" trick I gave above.
 2. Expression (4) is called an "ansatz". Basically you guess that the solution can be written in that form, and see where that logically leads you. If you don't run into any contradictions, then you are gold (but note that this only gives you one of the possibly many solutions). As to how this ansatz is made: if $\mathscr{P}$ is a partial differential operator, and $\mathscr{Q}$ is another partial differential operator, and if $\mathscr{P}\mathscr{Q} = \mathscr{Q}\mathscr{P}$ (that they commute), then a solution $u$ to the equation $$ \mathscr{P}u = \mathscr{Q}f $$ can be found if we can write $f = \mathscr{P}h$. For in this case, $u = \mathscr{Q} h$ will solve the equation. This is an analogue of the classic integrability condition for differential forms (in which case $\mathscr{P} = \partial/\partial x$ and $\mathscr{Q} = \partial/\partial y$, which commute since they are both partial derivatives).
 Note: An ansatz doesn't always work. It is sort of like puzzle-solving or detective work by inference. When it works, you write it down, wait for people to ask how you saw the ansatz, and smile smugly. When it doesn't, you toss the paper into the trash bin and hope no one finds out. :-) For example, it could be that in the above example, the function $f$ is in fact not possible to be written as $\mathscr{P}h$, in which case the ansatz will fail. A trivial example for this is if $\mathscr{P} = \mathscr{Q} = d$, the exterior derivative. Let $f$ be a one-form such that $df \neq 0$. Then we violate the integrability condition and so we cannot write $f = dh$. On the other hand, the equation is trivially solvable by setting $u = f$.
 3. $\nabla\nabla$ is the double gradient. $I\nabla^2$ is the Laplacian times the identity matrix. Given a function $F$, $\nabla\nabla F$ is a matrix valued function, whose components are $$ \left( \nabla\nabla F\right)_{ij} = \frac\partial{\partial x_i}\frac{\partial}{\partial x_j} F $$ where $I\nabla^2 F$ is also a matrix valued function whose components are gived by $$ \left( I\nabla^2 F\right)_{ij} = (\nabla^2 F) \delta_{ij} $$ where $\delta$ is the Kronecker symbol.
share|improve this answer
Physically the interpretation is that pressure $P$, which is like a force, can be written as the gradient of a "potential". – Willie Wong Mar 27 '12 at 8:37
Your answer is really helpful, especially your explanation about the "ansatz"(It's from German, isn't it?). It reminds me that reading math sometimes (or large amount of time?) is not easy --- at least for an inexperienced student --- it is not easy to find the underlying ideas. I have never known one can write an "ansatz" this way. – Jack Mar 27 '12 at 12:47
Yes, ansatz is from German, originally meaning something like "approach" or "starting point". (Though t.b. can probably give you a better definition.) – Willie Wong Mar 28 '12 at 6:34
$\nabla^2$ may have a kernel. Think back to linear algebra: if $A$ is not invertible, then $Ax = Ay$ does not imply $x = y$. You only get $x = y + k$ where $k$ is some vector such that $Ak = 0$. In ordinary derivatives: $\frac{d}{dx}\left( x^2 + 3\right) = \frac{d}{dx}\left(x^2 + 10\right)$, but $x^2+3\neq x^2 + 10$. – Willie Wong Mar 29 '12 at 18:32
"Can I think that this is the very difference between doing math and writing math?" Yes. The quote from Abel applies: the mathematician 'is like the fox, who effaces his tracks in the sand with his tail.' – Willie Wong Mar 29 '12 at 22:10
Responding to (3) only,
Griffiths does a really good job explaining the nature of the laplacian in the first chapter of Introduction to Electrodynamics.
He uses the del


How to Enter Setup on an Acer Aspire
Sometimes, you need to get into your Acer Aspire's setup menu. There are several reasons this might be necessary, from fixing your computer's clock to making tweaks, so that a program will run more smoothly. Whatever the reason, you might need to access your Acer's BIOS, but getting into it can be tricky, because it requires you to hit the right keys at just the right time.
What Is the BIOS?
The term BIOS stands for Basic Input/Output System. The BIOS controls your computer's startup process, and it launches Windows once all the required system checks have been performed. For example, the BIOS makes sure that all your computer's drivers and hardware are functioning properly. If there's an issue, the BIOS throws out an error, and either pauses the startup process or it finishes the startup and then provides an alert on your desktop. Driver errors are one reason that a person might need to access the BIOS on the Acer.
Discovering Your Acer's Bios Key
To get into any computer's bios, you have to know which key to press to get to the setup menu. The BIOS key for an Acer Aspire is F2; however, depending on the model of Aspire you have, you might be required to perform an extra step.
Power Off and Then Restart
Perform a complete shut down of your computer by pressing the Windows Key, clicking the power button and selecting "Shut Down" from the menu. Once your computer has shut down and has turned itself off, wait a few seconds, and then turn the computer back on by pressing the power button.
Aspire Models: Quickly Hit F2
When the computer begins to reboot, start pressing the F2 key. This will pause the startup sequence, and will trigger the setup menu. Once the menu appears on the screen use the up, down, left and right arrow keys to navigate to the area you want to access.
Access the BIOS Key on an Aspire One
Pressing F2 might not work to access the setup menu, but hitting Ctrl+Alt+Del will pause the startup process and allow you to then press the F2 key to access the setup menu. You should try using just F2 first, but if it doesn't work, reboot and try the three-key process first. Once you have accessed the startup menu, navigate using the left, right, up and down arrow keys on your keyboard.
If All Else Fails, Call Acer Support
If neither of these processes launches the setup screen, contact Acer support for help. Also, going into a computer startup and changing BIOS settings can harm your computer's performance, so this task should be done only when necessary, and if you aren't sure of what to do, let an expert handle it.


Embedded Java with GCJ
You don't always need a Java Virtual Machine to run Java in an embedded system.
Configuring the Root Filesystem
The first thing to compile with your newly minted cross compiler is the root filesystem. The root filesystem, in this case, is compliments of BusyBox. For the uninitiated, BusyBox is a single binary that encapsulates mini versions of the most popular UNIX utilities in a surpassingly small executable. Built for people that count bytes, BusyBox has hundreds of knobs to turn to create a filesystem with the utilities you need within your desired space constraints. For the purpose of this article, we change the BusyBox configuration so that it cross compiles, leaving size optimization as an exercise for the reader.
BusyBox is a mainstay of the embedded Linux world and is maintained by Erik Anderson. One way to get BusyBox is to download it at _URL_
To create a BusyBox root filesystem, you need to invoke make menuconfig in the directory where BusyBox was untarred. The menuconfig program works just like the 2.4/2.6 menuconfig kernel configuration interface. Here's what you'll need to do to build the root filesystem.
First, select the build options. Check the Do you want to build BusyBox with a Cross Compiler? box. Fill in the prefix of the cross compiler in the input control that appears when you click this option, in this case, powerpc-750-linux-gnu-. The BusyBox build scripts concatenate the necessary tool name during compilation (gcc, ld and so on). Make sure that the compiler is on your $PATH.
Next, run make and install:
make install
BusyBox puts the newly minted root filesystem at./_install. You'll notice that BusyBox compiles in much less time than GCC.
Populating the Root Filesystem with Libraries
Almost there! The root filesystem BusyBox creates does not contain any libraries. GCJ programs require some libraries and so does BusyBox, shown in Table 1.
Table 1. Libraries Required by GCJ and BusyBox
Library FileFunction
ld.so.1Dynamically linked file loader. Invoked when the program is run, loads required libraries and performs dynamic linking.
libdl.so.2Helper functions for manipulating dynamic libraries.
libgcc_s.so.1Defines interfaces for handling exceptions.
libgcj.so.6The GCJ run-time library. Contains implementations of the standard Java library.
libm.so.6Library of math functions.
libpthread.so.0POSIX threads library.
These libraries match those used by the cross compiler. In this case, the files are stored in the $RESULT_TOP/gcc-4.0.1-glibc-2.2.2/powerpc-750-linux-gnu/powerpc-750-linux-gnu/lib (not a typo!) directory. The easiest way to get them into the root filesystem is simply to copy them:
for f in ld.so.1 lib libdl.so.2 libgcc_s.so.1libgcj.so.6 libm.so.6 libpthread.so.0 ; do
/lib
pc-750-linux-gnu-strip /lib/$f
You also need to create a folder in the root filesystem, /proc, to use as a mountpoint for the proc filesystem. Keen eyes will notice that I'm not preserving the symlinks used to accommodate different versions of the libraries—that's a shortcut typical in embedded systems where library configuration won't change over the life of the device, unlike a desktop system. Running strip greatly reduces the amount of disk space required by the files, almost by 50%.
At this point, the root filesystem can be copied to the target system into the /tmp/bbox directory. To tell the system to use this as the root filesystem, start a terminal as root and execute the chroot command:
chroot /tmp/bbox /bin/ash
This command remaps the / mountpoint into /tmp/busybox and runs /bin/ash to get a terminal. Did it work? Congratulations! You've created a complete root filesystem for an embedded system from scratch. Pat yourself on the back.
GCJ also needs the proc filesystem mounted. After the chroot, you need to remount the proc filesystem into the current root filesystem by doing the following:
mkdir /proc
mount -t proc none /proc
Although this root filesystem resides on a standard drive, the root filesystem deployed on a production embedded system wouldn't be much different. The only changes necessary would be creating inittab, so the board will run the right scripts at the start and add a /dev filesystem with the right device files for the target board.
Comment viewing options
Commission Blueprint
John Maven's picture
I compiled it and it didn't work. I repeat: it did NOT work.
Rather unfortunate.
Typographical Error
lumkichi's picture
While everyone noted the sample "hello" program does not compile as-is, I'm surprised no one expressed why but instead offered alternatives. The reason the sample program does not compile is because there are two typographical errors in it (I'm sure it was unintended - an artifact as a result of using a Word Processor such as MS Word).
Class hello {
 Static public void main(String argc[]) {
 System.out.println("hello from GCJ");
The keywords "Class" and "Static" should not be capitalized. It should look like this:
class hello {
 static public void main(String argc[]) {
 System.out.println("hello from GCJ");
The capitalization changed the keywords "class" and "static" into Object names. The compiler was trying to find a "Class.class" to make a "Class" object named "hello" and couldn't. The same with "Static."
This is a great article, and the author did a great job writing it. Unfortunately formatting the document (and the code, especially) is a bear. Just to get the code snippet above look the way is does was a lot of work - way more work than just typing.
Won't compile with gcj-4.1 on my Debian
Olivier Berger's picture
Hmmm... maybe this is not related to the specifics of embedded environment at all, but I noticed that the hello world example won't compile with "gcj-4.1 hello.class --main=hello -o hello-java" on my Debian testing system :
hello.class:1: error: Class or interface declaration expected.
Class hello {
hello.class:2: error: Class or interface declaration expected.
Static public void main(String argc[]) {
hello.class:3: error: Class or interface declaration expected.
System.out.println("hello from GCJ");
hello.class:4: error: Class or interface declaration expected.
hello.class:5: error: Class or interface declaration expected.
5 errors
Dunno what's wrong
After a quick search on the
Olivier Berger's picture
After a quick search on the net, I found that writing this way, it compiles :
public class hello {
static public void main(String argc[]) {
System.out.println("hello from GCJ");
This worked for me:class
Anonymous's picture
This worked for me:
class hello
static public void main( String argc[] )
System.out.println( "hello from GCJ" );
Notice that none of the keywords like "class" are capitalized. Also, typical naming convention for java is to call the source file hello.java and using the javac command turns the byte code into hello.class We're not using javac, so there won't be a hello.class file. So, if you name your file this way, the compile step would be:
gcj hello.java --main=hello -o hello-java
Hope this helps.
After reading this article, I
mathews's picture
After reading this article, I just realized how we can simplify our seemingly complicated problems which in fact can actually be solved very easily! It actually helps us to use GCJ which is really a part of the GCC compiler suite, in a Linux project! The advantage is that it can be code with a high-level language like Java! It gives us a detailed tutorial about its advantages and pitfalls, the host and target configuration and lastly if you are happy with what you have read, the step by step instructions to build your GCJ cross compiler! Very cool and informative read indeed!!RFID Tags
Statically linking
Dan's picture
I tried statically linking a simple "Hello, World!" program but received the following error:
/usr/bin/ld: cannot find -lgcj
Here's the command I used to compile:
gcj -static-libgcj -o hello --main=hello hello.java
Any ideas?


Amigo Innovative Breast Cancer Surgery
Amigo Innovative Breast Cancer Surgery
CREATED Aug 15, 2013
BOSTON (Ivanhoe Newswire) - Undergoing any surgery can be difficult, but having to go back again can be unnerving. Now, a world class operating suite is sparing some patients a second trip under the knife.
"I've never been in a hospital, I've never had surgery, I've never had anesthesia so I was really nervous," Jane Davis, Breast Cancer Patient, told Ivanhoe.
"An MRI machine comes in from the ceiling and then looks at the area that I removed to see if I removed the tumor in its entirety," Doctor Mehra Golshan, MD, at Brigham and Women's Hospital, told Ivanhoe.
The three room O.R. suite has an electronically controlled operating table mounted with an MRI compatible anesthesia delivery system and other advanced mobile imaging devices. Next door is a PET and CT room that scans the entire body.
"There is no other operating room where you can actually use an MRI or Pet Scan at the same time," Doctor Golshan explained.
Surgical teams can view all of the patients' images on large LCD monitors making surgeries more precise. The AMIGO is also used for other treatments that include brain surgery, radiation treatment for prostate cancer and gynecological tumors.
BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is the second most common cancer among American women. About 1 in 8 (12 percent) women in the US will develop invasive breast cancer during their lifetime. The American Cancer Society estimated that in 2012 approximately 226,870 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in women in the US. (SOURCE:_URL_
RISK FACTORS: Factors that are associated with an increased risk of breast cancer include:
 - Radiation exposure - If you received radiation treatments to your chest as a child or young adult, your risk of breast cancer is increased.
(SOURCE: _URL_
LATEST TECHNOLOGY: Up to 40 percent of women in the U.S. who undergo a lumpectomy to remove a breast tumor require a second surgery. That's because surgeons often are unable to microscopically remove the entire tumor during the first surgery. Dr. Mehra Golshan, Director of Breast Surgical Services, at the Brigham and Women's Hospital, is changing all of that with the Advanced Multimodality Image Guided Operating (AMIGO). "Using contrast MRI, an image is taken of the breast before the surgery and then again after the tumor is removed. We then use the images to ensure the entire tumor is removed, with clear margins, before the patient leaves the operating room," said Dr. Golshan. The idea may be simple but the technology is one of a kind. "I am hopeful this innovative procedure will help create a platform for tests and studies that could be done in the operating room to eliminate repeat procedures for breast cancer patients and allow patients to shift their focus to healing and living their lives," said Golshan. (SOURCE:_URL_
Mehra Golshan, MD, Director of Breast Surgical Services, at the Brigham and Women's Hospital, talks about a new treatment option for breast cancer.
The study you are involved in, what is it about?
Dr. Golshan: Women who are newly diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States are either offered either what is called a mastectomy, which is removal of the entire breast or what is called breast conserving therapy or lumpectomy; where you remove the tumor with a rim of normal tissue and then you follow it with radiation. When you do a lumpectomy, the challenge is to remove the entire tumor and leave a woman with a cosmetically acceptable result. What ends up happening in the United States is about 40 percent of the time women have to come back for a second operation to get what is called clear margins or normal tissue. In this study, we are using what is called, AMIGO, which stands for Advanced Multimodality Image-Guided Operating Suite at the Brigham and Women's Hospital. When I perform a lumpectomy we remove the tumor and temporarily close, then, a MRI machine comes in from the ceiling and then looks at the area that I have removed to see if I have removed the tumor in its entirety and if there are any abnormalities that are identified, I can, while she is under anesthesia, target those areas and remove them.
What is the obvious benefit to the patient?
Dr. Golshan: It can potentially stop her from coming back a second time for an operation, which can be both physically and emotionally very difficult for a woman to go through. It increases risk of infection with a second operation; there is obviously the cost that is associated with it for the healthcare system, and it often leads to what is called delay in therapy so a woman will have to wait to start chemotherapy or has to wait to start radiation and these delays accumulate.
What is the difference traditionally in what you would normally do compared to with AMIGO?
Dr. Golshan: Without AMIGO, you either use a mammogram or ultrasound to target the cancer and sometimes a radiologist will put a thin wire next to it for us to remove the cancer at the time of surgery. The challenge is how much to remove and how can you tell normal tissue from breast cancer tissue and there is no test in pathology that we can do while she is asleep to say that we have removed the cancer in its entirety. AMIGO allows us to use an MRI at the time of surgery; this helps to ensure that the tumor is completely removed.
How many people so far have participated?
Dr. Golshan: We have enrolled nine women so far. This is a very specialized operating room and suite and the operation takes longer than it does in the traditional operating room. It is what is called a Phase I Clinical Trial so we are looking at what is called feasibility; are we able to do breast surgery inside an MRI, because no one else in the world has been doing this.
And so far?
Dr. Golshan: Everyone has done very well.
How did the idea of all of this come about?
Dr. Golshan: The idea of this dates back probably about 2 decades where one of our radiologists, Dr. Jolesz, developed what is called the MRT, which was the earlier version of AMIGO; where there was an MRI in the operating room, but that MRI was what is called a 0.5 Tesla Magnet. Basically the field of the MRI was not strong enough and the quality of the image was not good enough for breast cancer surgery. So, over the years, we have been working through the National Institutes of Health and National Cancer Institute for funding the new phase with better machines.
Take me through the procedure, how it works?
Dr. Golshan: A woman comes in and after we deem that she is a candidate and she is interested in proceeding with surgery in AMIGO, on the day of surgery, they come in and they undergo general anesthesia so they go asleep and then they are on the operating room table and we perform an MRI prior to starting surgery; the reason why we do the MRI before is she is lying on her back and we operate on people lying on their back and every woman who gets an MRI outside of AMIGO, they are actually lying on their stomach and the way the breast moves and the cancer moves in its position is very different. Then I perform the surgery like I would in any other operating room in the world. What happens next, is once I am done with that lumpectomy or removing the tumor, I temporarily close the cavity, the area removed, fill it in with saline or salt water and then we take another picture of it while she is asleep and then we look at the margins or the edges of the tumor with another MRI and if anything lights up, I open back up, take that additional tissue and then close again.
When you say if something lights up, how do you determine that?
Dr. Golshan: That MRI is done with and without what is called gadolinium or contrast so there is some dye that is injected and cancers sometimes take up this dye more than normal breast tissue. We look at the interface of normal tissue and cancer and again, cancer tends to become more bright and those little bright spots are the ones that we try to remove.
If you see the bright spot, you can go back in on scene, just reopen the cavity area?
Dr. Golshan: Yes, and take it out while she is asleep as opposed to what usually happens is we close and then we wait a week for the pathology results to come back. Then they call us and tell us you either removed it fully which is great or about 40 percent of the time around the United States, they will say that there is additional cancer there where you would have to come back again.
How cutting edge is this technology would you say?
Dr. Golshan: MRI is all over the country and around the world, but an MRI in the operating room and along with a PET CT scan, there is really nowhere else that is doing this.
Tom Langford
Senior Media Relations Specialist
Brigham and Women's Hospital


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Wilson's Creek: The Second Battle of the Civil War and the Men Who Fought It
In the summer of 1861, Americans were preoccupied by the question of which states would join the secession movement and which would remain loyal to... Show synopsis In the summer of 1861, Americans were preoccupied by the question of which states would join the secession movement and which would remain loyal to the Union. This question was most fractious in the border states of Maryland, Kentucky, and Missouri. In Missouri, it was largely settled at Wilson's Creek on August 10, 1861, in a contest that is rightly considered the second major battle of the Civil War. In providing the first in-depth narrative and analysis of this important but largely overlooked battle, William Piston and Richard Hatcher combine a traditional military study of the fighting at Wilson's Creek with an innovative social analysis of the soldiers who participated and the communities that supported them. In particular, they highlight the importance of the soldiers' sense of corporate honor--the desire to uphold the reputation of their hometowns--as a powerful motivator for enlistment, a source of sustenance during the campaign, and a lens through which soldiers evaluated their performance in battle.


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The Hefei TV tower is taken as an analytical case to examine the control method with a fluid viscous damper under wind load fluctuation. Firstly, according to the random vibration theory, the effect of fluctuating wind on the tower can be modeled as a 19-dimensional correlated random process, and the wind-induced vibration analysis of the tower subjected to dynamic wind load was further obtained. On the basis of the others' works, a bimodel dynamic model is proposed. Finally, a dynamic model is proposed to study the wind-induced vibration control analysis using viscous fluid dampers, and the optimal damping coefficient is obtained regarding the wind-induced response of the upper turret as optimization objectives. Analysis results show that the maximum peak response of the tower under dynamic wind load is far beyond the allowable range of the code. The wind-induced responses and the wind vibration input energy of the tower are decreased greatly by using a fluid viscous damper, and the peak acceleration responses of the upper turret is reduced by 43.4%.
high-rise structurewind-induced responsefluid viscous dampervibration control


or book vendor. Also refer to the computers Instruction Manual for Safety & Comfort.
Sound System
This section describes audio controls including sound levels and power management.
The Volume Control utility lets you control the audio volume in Windows for both playback and recording. To launch Volume Control for playback, click start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to Entertainment and click Volume Control. To launch Recording Control, click Options, point to Properties, choose Recording and click OK. To view details of the Volume Control, click Help on the Volume Control.
Microphone level
The change the microphone gain, follow the steps below. 1. Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to Entertainment and click Volume Control. 2. Click Options and point to Properties. 3. Select Recording and click OK. 4. Click Options and select Advanced Controls. 5. Click Advanced. 6. Check the Microphone Boost checkbox.
Audio controller
The audio controller can be powered down when the audio function is idle. To enable Audio Power Management, follow the steps below. 1. Click Start and click Control Panel. 2. If you are viewing the Control Panel in Category View, click on Switch to Classic View. 3. Double-click the SigmaTel Audio icon. If the Enable Power Management check box is not selected, the audio controller always runs.
Sound quality
Adjust the equalizer settings to enhance sound quality.
This section describes how to connect and disconnect the internal modem to and from a telephone jack. The internal modem does not support voice functions. All data and fax functions are supported. In case of a lightning storm, unplug the modem cable from the telephone jack. Do not connect the modem to a digital telephone line. A digital line will damage the modem.
Region selection
Telecommunication regulations vary from one region to another, so you will need to make sure the internal modems settings are correct for the region in which it will be used. To select a region, follow the steps below. 1. Click start, point to All Programs, point to TOSHIBA Internal Modem and click Region Select Utility. Do not use the Country/Region Select function in the Modem setup utility in the Control Panel if the function is available. If you change the Country/ Region in the Control Panel, the change may not take effect. 2. The Region Selection icon will appear in the Windows Task Bar. Click the icon with the primary mouse button to display a list of regions that the modem supports. A sub menu for telephony location information will also be displayed. A check will appear next to the currently selected region and telephony location. 3. Select a region from the region menu or a telephony location from the sub-menu. When you click a region it becomes the modems region selection, and the New Location for telephony will be set automatically. When you select a telephony location, the corresponding region is automatically selected and it becomes the modems current region setting.
When the AC adaptor is not connected, the computers main power source is a removable lithium ion battery pack, also referred to in this manual as the main battery. You can purchase additional battery packs for extended use of the computer away from an AC power source. Do not change the battery pack while the AC adaptor is connected.Before you remove the battery pack, save your data and shut down the computer, or set the computer to Hibernation Mode. While entering Hibernation Mode, the computer saves the contents of memory to the hard disk drive. However, for safety sake, it is best to save your data manually.
Figure 6-2 Battery pack
The battery pack is a lithium ion battery, which can explode if not properly replaced, used, handled or disposed of. Dispose of the battery as required by local ordinances or regulations. Use only batteries recommended by TOSHIBA as replacements. Do not remove the battery pack while the computer is in Standby mode. Data is stored in RAM, so if the computer loses power it will be lost. When the computer is powered off in Standby mode, and the AC adaptor is not connected, the main battery pack supply power to maintain data and program in memory. If the battery pack(s) is completely discharged, Standby mode does not function and the computer loses all data in memory. To ensure that the battery pack maintains its maximum capacity, operate the computer on battery power at least once a month until the battery pack is fully discharged. Refer to Extending battery life in this chapter for procedures. If the computer is continuously operated on AC power through an AC adaptor for an extended period, more than a month, the battery may fail to retain a charge. It may not function efficiently over the expected life of the battery and the Battery indicator may not indicate a low-battery condition.
Real Time Clock battery
The Real Time Clock (RTC) battery provides power for the internal real time clock and calendar. It also maintains the system configuration. If the RTC battery becomes completely discharged, the system loses this data and the real time clock and calendar stop working. The following message appears when you turn on the power:
**** RTC battery is low or CMOS checksum is inconsistent **** Press [F1] key to set Date/Time.
The computers RTC battery is a Ni-MH battery and should be replaced only by your dealer or by a TOSHIBA service representative. The battery can explode if not properly replaced, used, handled or disposed of. Dispose of the battery as required by local ordinances or regulations. You can change the setting of RTC by pressing F1 key. After configuring the time and date for the Real Time Clock battery, we recommend that you turn the power status of your computer to "ON" so that the Real Time Clock battery is charged. Refer to Chapter 9 Troubleshooting, for the detail.
Care and use of the battery pack
The battery pack is a vital component of portable computing. Taking proper care of it will help ensure longer operating time on battery power as well as a longer life for your battery pack. Follow the instructions in this section carefully to ensure safe operation and maximum performance.
Safety precautions
Mishandling of battery packs can cause death, serious injury or property damage. Carefully observe the following advisories: Warning: Indicates a potentially hazardous situation, which could result in death or serious injury, if you do not follow instructions. Caution: Indicates a potentially hazardous situation, which if not avoided, may result in moderate or minor injury or property damage. Note: Provides important information.
1. Never attempt to dispose of a battery pack by burning or by throwing it into a fire, and never allow exposure to a heating apparatus (e.g., microwave oven). Heat can cause a battery pack to explode and possibly cause serious injury. 2. Never attempt to disassemble, tamper with or repair a battery pack. The battery pack could overheat and ignite. Leakage of the caustic alkaline solution or other electrolytic substances could cause fire, possibly resulting in death or serious injury. 3. Never short circuit the battery pack by either accidentally or intentionally bringing the battery terminals in contact with another conductive object. This could cause serious injury or a fire, and could also damage the battery pack. Always wrap the battery pack in plastic (or place it in a plastic bag) whenever transporting it, to avoid exposing the terminals to another conductive object which could result in serious injury. Always cover the metal terminals with insulating tape when disposing of the battery pack, to prevent accidental short circuiting which could result in serious injury. 4. Never drive a nail or any other sharp object into the battery pack, hit battery pack with a hammer or other object or step on it. Doing so could cause a fire or explosion possibly resulting in serious injury. 5. Never charge the battery pack by a method other than as instructed in the User's Manual. Doing so could cause a fire or explosion possibly resulting in serious injury. 6. Never connect the battery pack to a plug socket or a car cigarette plug socket. The battery pack could rupture or ignite causing a fire or explosion possibly resulting in serious injury. 7. Never allow a battery pack to become wet. A wet battery pack will overheat or ignite causing rupture or fire, possibly resulting in death or serious injury. 8. Never store a battery pack in an area of high humidity. This could cause a fire or explosion possibly resulting in serious injury. 9. Never expose a battery pack to abnormal shock, vibration or pressure. The battery pack's internal protective device could fail, causing it to overheat or ignite resulting in caustic liquid leakage, or explosion or fire, possibly resulting in death or serious injury. 10. Never subject a battery pack to heat, and never store it or use it near a heat source. The battery pack could ignite or explode when heated or burned, possibly resulting in death or serious injury. Subjecting a battery pack to heat could also cause caustic liquid to leak. It can also cause failure, malfunction, or loss of stored data. 11. Always use the battery pack supplied as an accessory or an equivalent battery pack specified in the User's Manual. Other battery packs have different voltage and terminal polarities. Use of non-conforming battery packs could generate smoke or cause fire or rupture, possibly resulting in serious injury.
Monitoring battery capacity
Remaining battery power can be monitored in TOSHIBA Power Saver. Wait at least 16 seconds after turning on the computer before trying to monitor the remaining operating time. The computer needs this time to check the batterys remaining capacity and to calculate the remaining operating time, based on the current power consumption rate and remaining battery capacity. The actual remaining operating time may differ slightly from the calculated time. With repeated discharges and recharges, the batter


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1.50 credit hours
Over last few years, field of finance has experienced a burst of technological advances that have disrupted and transformed traditional methods of accessing, allocating, and transferring capital. Understanding the evolution of traditional finance methods is increasingly important for finance students so they can meaningfully distinguish advantages and disadvantages of traditional versus emerging methods and models. Main objective of course is to provide foundation in basic concepts of these innovations and their applications. It is this collective financial technology focus that has garnered the name of FinTech. This course will cover many aspects of FinTech proliferation, from notable successes to current innovations and thoughts about future opportunities. Topics will include FinTech applications, blockchains, cryptocurrencies, crowdfunding, payment systems and trading technology. This list may change from semester to semester, in tune with changing technology and as business models become disrupted.
No Syllabus Available


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§ 61.7 Concepts.
(a) The disposal facility. (1) Part 61 is intended to apply to land disposal of radioactive waste and not to other methods such as sea or extraterrestrial disposal. Part 61 contains procedural requirements and performance objectives applicable to any method of land disposal. It contains specific technical requirements for near-surface disposal of radioactive waste, a subset of land disposal, which involves disposal in the uppermost portion of the earth, approximately 30 meters. Near-surface disposal includes disposal in engineered facilities which may be built totally or partially above-grade provided that such facilities have protective earthen covers. Near-surface disposal does not include disposal facilities which are partially or fully above-grade with no protective earthen cover, which are referred to as "above-ground disposal." Burial deeper than 30 meters may also be satisfactory. Technical requirements for alternative methods may be added in the future.
(2) Near-surface disposal of radioactive waste takes place at a near-surface disposal facility, which includes all of the land and buildings necessary to carry out the disposal. The disposal site is that portion of the facility which is used for disposal of waste and consists of disposal units and a buffer zone. A disposal unit is a discrete portion of the disposal site into which waste is placed for disposal. For near-surface disposal, the disposal unit is usually a trench. A buffer zone is a portion of the disposal site that is controlled by the licensee and that lies under the site and between the boundary of the disposal site and any disposal unit. It provides controlled space to establish monitoring locations which are intended to provide an early warning of radionuclide movement, and to take mitigative measures if needed. In choosing a disposal site, site characteristics should be considered in terms of the indefinite future and evaluated for at least a 500 - year timeframe.
(b) Waste classification and near-surface disposal. (1) Disposal of radioactive waste in near-surface disposal facilities has the following safety objectives: protection of the general population from releases of radioactivity, protection of individuals from inadvertent intrusion, and protection of individuals during operations. A fourth objective is to ensure stability of the site after closure.
(2) A cornerstone of the system is stability--stability of the waste and the disposal site so that once emplaced and covered, the access of water to the waste can be minimized. Migration of radionuclides is thus minimized, long-term active maintenance can be avoided, and potential exposures to intruders reduced. While stability is a desirable characteristic for all waste much radioactive waste does not contain sufficient amounts of radionuclides to be of great concern from these standpoints; this waste, however, tends to be unstable, such as ordinary trash type wastes. If mixed with the higher activity waste, their deterioration could lead to failure of the system and permit water to penetrate the disposal unit and cause problems with the higher activity waste. Therefore, in order to avoid placing requirements for a stable waste form on relatively innocuous waste, these wastes have been classed as Class A waste. The Class A waste will be disposed of in separate disposal units at the disposal site. However, Class A waste that is stable may be mixed with other classes of waste. Those higher activity wastes that should be stable for proper disposal are classed as Class B and C waste. To the extent that it is practicable, Class B and C waste forms or containers should be designed to be stable, i.e., maintain gross physical properties and identity, over 300 years. For certain radionuclides prone to migration, a maximum disposal site inventory based on the characteristics of the disposal site may be established to limit potential exposure.
(3) It is possible but unlikely that persons might occupy the site in the future and engage in normal pursuits without knowing that they were receiving radiation exposure. These persons are referred to as inadvertent intruders. Protection of such intruders can involve two principal controls: institutional control over the site after operations by the site owner to ensure that no such occupation or improper use of the site occurs; or, designating which waste could present an unacceptable risk to an intruder, and disposing of this waste in a manner that provides some form of intruder barrier that is intended to prevent contact with the waste. This regulation incorporates both types of protective controls.
(4) Institutional control of access to the site is required for up to 100 years. This permits the disposal of Class A and Class B waste without special provisions for intrusion protection, since these classes of waste contain types and quantities of radioisotopes that will decay during the 100-year period and will present an acceptable hazard to an intruder. The government landowner administering the active institutional control program has flexibility in controlling site access which may include allowing productive uses of the land provided the integrity and long-term performance of the site are not affected.
(5) Waste that will not decay to levels which present an acceptable hazard to an intruder within 100 years is designated as Class C waste. This waste is disposed of at a greater depth than the other classes of waste so that subsequent surface activities by an intruder will not disturb the waste. Where site conditions prevent deeper disposal, intruder barriers such as concrete covers may be used. The effective life of these intruder barriers should be 500 years. A maximum concentration of radionuclides is specified for all wastes so that at the end of the 500 year period, remaining radioactivity will be at a level that does not pose an unacceptable hazard to an intruder or public health and safety. Waste with concentrations above these limits is generally unacceptable for near-surface disposal. There may be some instances where waste with concentrations greater than permitted for Class C would be acceptable for near-surface disposal with special processing or design. These will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Class C waste must also be stable.
(c) The licensing process. (1) During the preoperational phase, the potential applicant goes through a process of disposal site selection by selecting a region of interest, examining a number of possible disposal sites within the area of interest and narrowing the choice to the proposed site. Through a detailed investigation of the disposal site characteristics the potential applicant obtains data on which to base an analysis of the disposal site's suitability. Along with these data and analyses, the applicant submits other more general information to the Commission in the form of an application for a license for land disposal. The Commission's review of the application is in accordance with administrative procedures established by rule and may involve participation by affected State governments or Indian tribes. While the proposed disposal site must be owned by a State or the Federal government before the Commission will issue a license, it may be privately owned during the preoperational phase if suitable arrangements have been made with a State or the Federal government to take ownership in fee of the land before the license is issued.
(2) During the operational phase, the licensee carries out disposal activities in accordance with the requirements of this regulation and any conditions on the license. Periodically, the authority to conduct the above ground operations and dispose of waste will be subject to a license renewal, at which time the operating history will be reviewed and a decision made to permit or deny continued operation. When disposal operations are to cease, the licensee applies for an amendment to his license to permit site closure. After final review of the licensee's site closure and stabilization plan, the Commission may approve the final activities necessary to prepare the disposal site so that ongoing active maintenance of the site is not required during the period of institutional control.
(3) During the period when the final site closure and stabilization activities are being carried out, the licensee is in a disposal site closure phase. Following that, for a period of 5 years, the licensee must remain at the disposal site for a period of post-closure observation and maintenance to assure that the disposal site is stable and ready for institutional control. The Commission may approve shorter or require longer periods if conditions warrant. At the end of this period, the licensee applies for a license transfer to the disposal site owner.
(4) After a finding of satisfactory disposal site closure, the Commission will transfer the license to the State or Federal government that owns the disposal site. If the Department of Energy is the Federal agency administering the land on bahalf of the Federal government the license will be terminated because the Commission lacks regulatory authority over the Department for this activity. Under the conditions of the transferred license, the owner will carry out a program of monitoring to assure continued satisfactory disposal site performance, physical surveillance to restrict access to the site and carry out minor custodial activities. During this period, productive uses of the land might be permitted if those uses do not affect the stability of the site and its ability to meet the performance objectives. At the end of the prescribed period of institutional control, the license will be terminated by the Commission.
[47 FR 57463, Dec. 27, 1982, as amended at 58 FR 33891, June 22, 1993]


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Jukka Korpela wrote:
> Does Unicode encode traditional and simplified Chinese characters
> separately, or is the difference considered as glyph variation only,
> to be indicated (if desired) at higher protocol levels?
They are encoded separately, at different code points.
What you heard about language-dependent differences in Han glyphs is
probably this: language tagging, in theory, could be used to trigger some
(very minor) stylistic variations between Chinese and Japanese typographical
> My mental model is the following:
> - you could thus recode Big5 and GB to Unicode, and you could leave
> the glyph issue unspecified (so that the recipient user could
> select either traditional or simplified glyphs).
That's also my understanding, although you expressed it more elegantly.
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.2 : Tue Jul 10 2001 - 17:21:14 EDT


text:
Dictionary is a type of data structure that supports fast retrieval of key-value pairs. Hashtable, B-tree and binary search trees are among the most frequently used dictionary data structures.
This page benchmarks various C/C++ dictionary libraries. You may see a similar page elsewhere, but I can assure you that this page is the origin and the latest.
To benchmark dictionary with integer keys, a random integer array of 5 million elements is generated with about 1.25 million distinct keys. Each element is then tested whether it is present in the dictionary. If the element is in the dictionary, it will be removed; otherwise, it will be inserted. 625,792 distinct keys will be left in the dictionary after this process. To benchmark dictionary with string keys, the same integer array is converted to char* array using sprintf().
All programs are compiled on Intel-Mac (OS X 10.5, 32-bit gcc-4.2) and Intel-Linux (Debian etch, 64-bit gcc-4.1) with the command-line option: '-g -Wall -O2 -fomit-frame-pointer'.
Benchmark programs are available as udb-latest.tar.bz2. This tar-ball also includes a small program that checks the peak memory usage and a table in Numbers from which the plots below were generated. When you extract the tar-ball, directories with name beginning with underscore contain programs which require pre-installation of libraries; other directories can be compiled straight out of box.
- boost_hash: Boost unordered_map C++ template hash table (chaining). Require the Boost library. No data for Intel-Mac.
- gcc_tr1_hash: g++-4 TR1 unordered_map C++ template hash table (chaining).
- glib_hash: Glib C hash table (chaining). Require glib.
- google_dense: google dense hash table (C++, quadratic probing). Library source codes are included.
- google_sparse: google sparse hash table (C++, quadratic probing). Library source codes are included. This library use 1 bit to represent an unused bucket and therefore is highly memory efficient.
- htable: C hash table (chaining). Someone sent me this library with email, which I have lost unfortunately. I cannot find who is the author. Sorry.
- khash: my C macro hash table (double hashing). This library has been used in bwa, samtools and several of my other projects. It features a good balance between speed and memory.
- qt_QHash: QT C++ hash table (in fact a skipped list). Require QT.
- rde::hash_map: RDE C++ template hash table (linear probing). Library source codes are included. This library caches hashes of keys, which helps speed at the cost of more memory usage.
- sgi_hash_map: SGI STL C++ template hash table (chaining). Although this library is not part of any standard, it is probably most widely used.
- stb_hash: STB (Sean's Tool Box) C marco hash table (double hashing?).
- uthash: a hash table for C structures (chaining).
- JG_btree: John-Mark Gurney's B-tree library in C.
- kbtree: my C macro B-tree modified from JG_btree. Kbtree does not allocate null pointers at leaf nodes and achieves smaller memory footprint. I have also optimized JG_btree a bit, as you can see from the benchmark.
- stx_btree: STX B+-tree template class. A high-performance library with STL interface, slightly outperforming my kbtree. Highly recommended!
- gdsl_rb: red-black tree implementation from the GDSL C library. Standard red-black tree implementation with three pointers in each node.
- glib_tree: red-black tree from the glib C library. Three pointers in each node.
- JE_rb_new and JE_rb_old: from Jason Evans' C macro tree library. JE_rb_new implements a left-leaning red-black tree with each node having two pointers. The color bit is folded into the lowest bit of a pointer. JE_rb_old has three pointers in each node.
- libavl_prb and libavl_rb: from libavl in C. Libavl_prb has three pointers in each node and libavl_rb has two.
- libavl_rb_cpp and libavl_rb_cpp2: my C++ port of libavl_rb. Libavl_rb_cpp2 also folds the color bit into the lowest bt of a pointer, similar to JE_rb_new.
- NP_rbtree: Niels Provos' tree library for FreeBSD using C macros. Standard 3-pointer implementation.
- qt_QMap: from the QT C++ library. Algorithm unknown.
- sgi_map: red-black tree implementation from SGL STL.
- sglib_rbtree: from the SGLIB C macro library. This is the only red-black tree implementation using recursion.
- TN_rbtree: Thomas Niemann's red-black tree. I ported it to C++ quite some time ago.
- libavl_avl: also from libavl (in C).
- libavl_avl_cpp: C++ port of libavl_avl by me.
Other binary search tree
- JE_trp_hash and JE_trp_random: also from Jason Evans' tree library.
- libavl_bst: unbalanced binary search tree from libavl.
- NP_splaytree: splay tree implemented by Niels Provos.
The following figures show the results which are also available as this PDF file where the data table is also included.
C pointers vs. C macros vs. C++ templates
For generic programming in C, people usually use 'void*' pointers to work with type-independent data. However, this always comes with the cost of a pointer for each key. For small keys like integers, the cost is considerable. In C, a better way is to use macros. This way also avoids the overhead on retrieving the data pointed by 'void*' pointers. In most cases, implementations with macros achieve the same speed as fully optimized type-specific implementations. To some extend, C++ templates extend the ability of C macros. They are usually more convenient, but on efficiency they do not do better than C macros.
In this benchmark, libavl_rb_cpp is a literal translation of libavl_rb by replacing 'void*' pointers to keys with actual keys. This simple change makes libavl_rb_cpp both faster and more light-weight.


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Since their beginnings, ancel obd2 scanner have advanced significantly, and current developments will continue to influence their future. We will examine some of the fascinating developments and changes anticipated in the field of OBD2 scanners in this post.
Future OBD2 scanners are anticipated to offer wireless connecting alternatives, doing away with the requirement for physical wires and enabling a more practical and adaptable use. Wireless scanners could connect to mobile devices, laptops, or specific scanning software through Bluetooth or Wi-Fi.
Data analysis and cloud integration: As cloud computing has become more popular, OBD2 scanners may have cloud integration, allowing users to store and analyze data from a distance. Advanced diagnostic algorithms, trend analysis, and even predictive maintenance capabilities could be provided through cloud-based solutions, improving the diagnostic process overall.
Integration of artificial intelligence (AI): AI-powered OBD2 scanners could make use of machine learning algorithms to deliver more precise and knowledgeable diagnostics. These scanners might learn trends, spot possible problems, and provide specialized advice for repairs or maintenance by analyzing enormous amounts of data.
Support for virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR)
OBD2 scanners with AR and VR capabilities could completely change how diagnostics are carried out. AR overlays could project real-time information and instructions right into the user's field of vision, improving the usability and effectiveness of diagnostics.
Integration with vehicle telematics: Future OBD2 scanners may integrate with telematics systems as cars become increasingly linked. By accessing additional car data, such as GPS data, vehicle performance measures, and real-time system upgrades, this integration would enable improved diagnostics.
OBD2 scanners have a bright future ahead of them because to developments like wireless connectivity, cloud integration, AI integration, and support for AR and VR. These developments will give users more potent diagnostic capabilities, greater convenience, and a more thorough understanding of the performance and health of their vehicles.


Garcinia – What Is It And How Does It Help?
Garcinia is a fruit that comes from a tree that goes by several different colloquial terms, such as Mangosteen (Purple Mangosteen, wild mangosteen, or red mango) Saptree.
It is also known in some places as the monkey fruit and kokum as well. The fruit is known to have several uses as flavoring for food, for medicinal uses and industrial uses. Traditional people have long used this as a preservative and as a vital ingredient for special tart curries.


Data & Research RESEARCH
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A. Whether an evidence-based intervention will have a positive effect in your schools or classrooms may depend critically on your adhering closely to the details of its implementation.
The importance of adhering to the details of an evidence-based intervention when implementing it in your schools or classrooms is often not fully appreciated. Details of implementation can sometimes make a major difference in the intervention's effects, as the following examples illustrate.
Example. The Tennessee Class-Size Experiment - a large, multi-site randomized controlled trial involving 12,000 students - showed that a state program that significantly reduced class size for public school students in grades K-3 had positive effects on educational outcomes. For example, the average student in the small classes scored higher on the Stanford Achievement Test in reading and math than about 60 percent of the students in the regular-sized classes, and this effect diminished only slightly at the fifth-grade follow-up.23
Example. Three well-designed randomized controlled trials have established the effectiveness of the Nurse-Family Partnership - a nurse visitation program provided to low-income, mostly single women during pregnancy and their children's infancy. One of these studies included a 15-year follow-up, which found that the program reduced the children's arrests, convictions, number of sexual partners, and alcohol use by 50-80 percent.25
Fidelity of implementation appears to be extremely important for this program. Specifically, one of the randomized controlled trials of the program showed that when the home visits are carried out by paraprofessionals rather than nurses - holding all other details the same - the program is only marginally effective. Furthermore, a number of other home visitation programs for low-income families, designed for different purposes and using different protocols, have been shown in randomized controlled trials to be ineffective.26
B. When implementing an evidence-based intervention, it may be important to collect outcome data to check whether its effects in your schools differ greatly from what the evidence predicts.
Collecting outcome data is important because it is always possible that slight differences in implementation or setting between your schools or classrooms and those in the studies could lead to substantially different outcomes. So, for example, if you implement an evidence-based reading program in a particular group of schools or classrooms, you may wish to identify a comparison group of schools or classrooms, roughly matched in reading skills and demographic characteristics, that is not using the program. Tracking reading test scores for the two groups over time, while perhaps not fully meeting the guidelines for "possible" evidence described above, may still give you a sense of whether the program is having effects that are markedly different from what the evidence predicts.
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Western wins grant for endangered species breeding study
The National Leadership grant, from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, will allow a team at the school to study how genetics can be used to maximize diversity and robustness in breeding endangered species. The study will focus on snow leopards, but researchers believe the findings could be applied to other endangered species in the future.
The research team at Western University will collect DNA samples from snow leopards and form a draft of its genome, which will be used to identify specific genes associated with immune function.
Oregon State University, the Great Plains Zoo & Delbridge Museum of Natural History and the Snow Leopard Species Survival Plan also will be involved in the study.


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SWE's Engineering Exploration Outreach Lives Up to Its Name
Introductory slide at Engineering Exploration regarding what engineering is and some of its disciplines.
March 2, 2021
"What is engineering?" This is one question SWE Illinois sought to answer during its virtual Engineering Exploration outreach on Saturday, February 20, 2021. Their simple explanation was: "It's the application of science and math to solve problems." Their bit-more-in-depth exploration of this question included introducing the 77 middle school participants to several engineering disciplines and what engineers in these fields do. Sponsored by the Illinois chapter of Society of Women Engineers (SWE), with the assistance of other engineering students, the outreach taught the younger students briefly about a few disciplines; led them in some related hands-on activities; and showed them that engineers can come in all shapes, sizes, genders, and ethnicities.
To recruit the 77 youngsters, SWE organizers first compiled a list comprised of schools in their hometowns, as well as past SWE event participants, then sent out a ton of emails, inviting prospective participants to sign up on a Google form. The organizers recall that responses really flew in; admitting that they hadn't expected to get as many participants as they did, they claim it worked out really well.
The 77 sixth through eighth graders who participated in the event weren't just from Illinois; because of the event's virtual nature, students from out of state, including Colorado and Washington, were also able to participate. In fact, 137 folks participated in all, including 38 student volunteers, plus the five SWE leaders who organized and administrated the event.
While the February 2021 edition of Exploring Engineering was similar to many past SWE outreaches, it was also unique in several ways. For instance, it was SWE's first gender inclusive outreach. "In the past, all of our outreach events have been targeted towards young girls in STEM," reports one event co-chair Michaela Patton. She explains that SWE Illinois has a new gender diversity initiative called HeForSWE, which seeks to promote male allies within SWE; thus, there were not only male volunteers, but boys took part in the event as well. In fact, organizers didn't actually ask students their gender when they were signing up. "We just wanted it to be for anyone—whoever wants to come," explains another event co-chair, Lauren Schissler, regarding the number of male vs female students who participated. "So, we don't have an exact number, but it was about even; there was a good mix."
The outreach began with brief introductions: the SWE leaders who organized the event shared their year in school and major. MC-ing the event were the three Engineering Exploration Co-Chairs: Michaela Patton, a Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) sophomore; Lauren Schissler, a CEE junior; and Toma Solovey, a junior in Chemical Engineering, along with the two SWE Outreach Co-Officers: Christina Garcia and Abby Hutter, both CEE sophomores.
Image of the Delorean with its Flux Capacitor featured in the Back to the Future movies.
Image of the Delorean with its Flux Capacitor featured in the Back to the Future movies.
The theme for the day was the 1985 classic movie, Back to the Future, with its engineering feat that enabled time travel: the flux capacitor (which used garbage as fuel). Not only did the movie's musical score crop up from time to time during events, but the time travel theme was underscored in both the initial ice-breaker and the hands-on activities.
For instance, they "traveled back" to around 1900–1945 to explore Milk Plastic, the predominant plastic used in that time period. This involved pouring vinegar into hot milk, separating the curds, then kneading them, followed by making specific shapes, then letting them harden into plastic. The second time period they "traveled" to was the 1960's for an intro to early computers and a Fun With Sorting activity which familiarized participants with the basic principles related to how computers work. Finally, participants "traveled" to 1981 for Fizzy Nano, where they explored the speed of the chemical reaction when dissolving a whole Alka Seltzer tablet vs a crushed one (the crushed one won by a significant margin.) The final activity was an engineering design challenge: to see who could build the tallest tower using a deck of cards, tape, and popsicle sticks.
A clip on a video shown to participants demonstrating how to make Milk Plastic.
A clip of a video shown to participants demonstrating how to make Milk Plastic.
SWE organizers started planning for the outreach in December. For instance, in preparation, they held three mandatory informational sessions to walk volunteers through how to troubleshoot anything; that way, volunteers, who might not have done the experiments themselves, would still be able to answer kids' questions and walk them through how to finish the project. Plus, they planned and sent out a minute-by-minute schedule, which, according to Toma, kept the event running in a timely fashion.
"I know all three of us spent a lot of time on. So, I think it partially went well because of that, I think it kept everyone organized." Plus, though she and her cohorts hadn't tried out the activities themselves, she says they'd "found videos online of some other people doing the activities, just so we could be sure that it was going to work, and someone had done this successfully before."
One activity participants did in their breakout rooms was to play a sorting game to help them understand how computers work via algorithms.
The team of SWE folks putting on this outreach encountered a number of challenges due to COVID-19. One, of course, was the venue. For example, many past SWE outreach events this reporter has covered were held in Loomis Lab (the Physics Building), which has a convenient suite of lecture rooms large enough to accommodate all of the participants, plus smaller classrooms perfect for the hands-on breakout sessions by discipline. Given that in-person, face-to-face activities were not possible, Zoom provided online, face-to-face encounters, both in the main room and the breakout rooms, and a chat feature which facilitated texting in addition to turning one's microphone on and speaking to the group.
Another challenge was that unlike SWE's in-person events in the past, when participants could walk into the breakout room, sit down at a table, and be handed the materials they'd need for the hands-on activity, for an on-line, virtual event with participants scattered all over the state, even the nation, the logistics of sending not just the students, but the volunteers, the packet of materials they would need to complete the hands-on activities and the final design challenge was a huge undertaking. A further challenge, of course, was devising hands-on activities that could adequately be explained/demonstrated via the internet.
Introduction to the last activity of the day, the engineering design challenge: building a tower.
However, Garcia and Hutter have become quite adept at figuring out the vagaries of kids, internet activities, and how to make Zoom events exciting. Given that this was their third online virtual event, Garcia says the two " went through trial and error …so what we figured out...is that kids need an incentive to show up to the Zoom event." So, for their second, Dads for Daughters, they sent a supply kit. Receiving something in the mail "was an incentive, because they'd just received all of these random materials. So, it was kind of that mystery of, 'What am I supposed to do with all of these materials now?'" The package of mystery goodies implied, "Come to the Zoom event, and you'll find out, and see the amazing STEM activities we have planned." So, the kids did.
Hutter made numerous trips to the post office, "I think I went like four to five times," she admits. Luckily, all the packages got sent out by February 1st, except for maybe a handful, and beat the last-minute rush (plus the horrible weather the nation had the week before the event). All but two or three participants received the packages; those who had to buy their own materials were reimbursed.
Busy engineering students working toward their own hopes and dreams, why did the planners take part of their Saturday to help with Engineering Exploration, much less all the planning and organizing they've been doing since December 2020? And why are they so passionate about outreach? Following, several of the SWE leaders share their goals for the future and why they're passionate about outreach.
Engineering Exploration Co-Chair Christina Garvia. (Image courtesy of Christina Garvia.)
SWE Outreach Co-Officer Christina Garcia. (Image courtesy of Christina Garcia.)
Christina Garcia, who's interested in working in the construction and design area, would definitely love to continue SWE-type outreach once she's in industry. "I know that there are a lot of outreach initiatives done within companies, so whatever I end up doing in my engineering career within the industry, I would love to still be involved in outreach." In fact, her goal is to hopefully one day create a nonprofit organization.
Why is she so passionate about outreach? She reports "It's just knowing that you made an impact on someone. Personally, for me growing up, there weren't many STEM outreach initiatives within my community. I didn't really learn about engineering until my senior year of high school. And so, I think it's really important for young kids to have exposure to


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Fairness, Credibility and Effectiveness in the Copenhagen Accord: An Economic Assessment
Enrica De Cian, Alice Favero
International Climate Policy Architecture, Integrated Assessment Model, Post-Kyoto
Climate Change and Sustainable Development
State-of-the-art literature on climate change policies has proposed numerous approaches for the Post-Kyoto agreement. However, in analysing the outcome of negotiations, the feeling is that a huge gap exists between policy makers and scientists. This paper tries to bridge this gap by providing a critical and comparative analysis of the Copenhagen Accord provisions, linking them to a part of the climate-economy literature. It assesses Copenhagen outcome in terms of economic efficiency, environmental effectiveness and political credibility. Our conclusion suggests that the Copenhagen Accord succeeded in considering some of the climate policy principles, namely credibility, equity and fairness. First, the change in political leadership indicates a more collaborative mood. Regarding equity and fairness, developing countries obtained an explicit commitment by developed countries for technology, but especially financial transfers, though on a conditional basis. The major limitation of the Accord is the way it addresses the trade-off between politically viability, thus implicitly fairness, and economic and environmental effectiveness. Therefore, future negotiations should deal with the eventuality of a global temperature increase above the 2 degrees, even in the presence of successful global mitigation.


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The Jew and the Carrot » Blog Archive » Reflections on Eating (or not Eating) During the High Holidays - Voice of the New Jewish Food Movement
Reflections on Eating (or not Eating) During the High Holidays
Rosh Hashanah 2008
The Jewish New Year holidays are a time marked by eating (Rosh Hashanah), not eating (Tzom Gedaliah, the day after Rosh Hashanah), big-time not eating (Yom Kippur), and more big-time eating (Sukkot through Simhat Torah). How should we understand this series of ritual oppositions connected with food? What is the significance of eating and not eating, each in relation to and in contrast with the other?
Since all rituals are best understood—at least to begin with—by considering what makes them different from the ordinary ("Why is this night different from all other nights?"), to understand the meaning of eating and not-eating rituals, it is essential to begin by asking how, what and when people do or do not ordinarily eat. Since eating in the ancient world was very different from eating in our world, the meaning of eating or fasting will be very different in our world than it was for our ancestors in the past.
Eating was generally far more modest and infrequent for our ancestors than it is for us. To begin with, food was far harder to come by. Drought and famine were far more common than they are for us, and they had greater difficulty adapting to these conditions than we do. Since all of our ancestors were "locovores"—that is, they all ate what was available in their immediate environments—when the local environment failed them, they had to fall back on whatever might have been stored. When their stores ran out (as they quickly would have, as their storage capacities were technologically limited) they would have had to fall back upon alcohol (an excellent way to store calories long-term!) or hunger. And hunger was a regular part of the experience of common people.
It was also true, in Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, at least, that some Jews (we cannot know what number or proportion) fasted with some regularity. Fasts were called for in response to drought or famine, for example. They were also prescribed in the aftermath of bad dreams. And some Jews took upon themselves the discipline of fasting every Monday and Thursday. All-in-all, hunger, and even fasting, was a much more common experience for them than it was for us, and it against this experience that we must interpret their fasting ritual during the New Year season.
So what did it mean to fast when hunger and even fasting were a more common experience? It meant, first of all, that a fast-day was not all that shocking, as the experience that defined it was not as different from the ordinary as we might imagine. Yes, strict, absolute fasting rendered Yom Kippur different, but not radically so. Ironically, it was the other restrictions of Yom Kippur—the prohibitions pertaining to washing, anointing, wearing shoes, and sex—that set it apart. If anything, the self-imposed hunger of Yom Kippur took a relatively common experience—hunger—and made it sacred. In other words, rather than being an experience of common deprivation, it became an experience of dedication to God. By experiencing what we often experienced, though now in response to divine command, we re-entered relationship with God, a God who, on account of our undertaking, was bound to forgive us our transgressions (or so the tradition promised).
But what about fasting today? We, in the developed Western world, live in a world of caloric abundance. Even the poor among us are often overweight because cheap calories are so readily availablethis is why thin is beautiful in our culture. In the world of the Talmudic rabbis, fat was beautiful because the poor were thin by virtue of near starvation. Most people in our societies never deny themselves all food and drink for more than twenty-four hours. So when we do this, we do something radically different. To begin with, when we fast, we are radically different from our neighbors, most of whom never fast (in the pre-modern world, virtually everyone experienced hunger, so Jews fasting on Yom Kippur were not all that different from their neighbors). We are also radically different from our normal, well-fed and sated selves. On Yom Kippur, many of us genuinely suffer—in ways that are different from our normal experience. As a consequence, Yom Kippur is, for us, set apart by that hunger, by that suffering. Yom Kippur is a day of affliction, but in a way different from what it was for our ancestors.
What difference does this difference make? The rabbis of old designated Yom Kippur as one of the most joyous days of the year. But, we say to ourselves, how could that be? How could a day of hunger and self-affliction be a day of joy? When hunger and affliction are unique to a day, then it will be difficult to make it a day of joy. But when hunger is a more common experience, transforming that hunger into a fulfillment of God's command will be, for the religious person, a source of joy. Taking the common and making it holy—now that's a reason to rejoice.
The same considerations pertain to our eating during the holidays. When meals were small and hunger a known experience, abundant eating distinguished an occasion as truly special. But today, when even over-eating is common, abundant eating is par for the course. We, therefore, have to work hard to make our festival meals special, to find foods or preparations that mark this day off as being different from any normal day. When our ancestors ate like kings and queens, they quickly knew that the day was set apart. We eat like royalty all the time. The challenge for us, therefore, will be to create meals that are fit for these days and no others.
Shanah Tovah From JTS! Visit our High Holiday website
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6 Responses to "Reflections on Eating (or not Eating) During the High Holidays"
 1. Rabbi Gary Greene Says:
 Prof. Kramer's article reminds me of a Yiddish short story entitled "Eating Days." Back in Eastern Europe when Yeshiva Boys were sent out of town to a Yeshiva, different families hosted them each day. One family always took Monday, another Tues., etc. If the Yeshiva couldn't find a host, the student didn't eat that day.
 The punch line of that story was: if the student didn't fast every Monday and Tuesday, he would have starved to death.
 2. Noshin': Praying and fasting culinarily during the High Holy Days | TC Jewfolk Says:
 [...] "Why is this night different from all other nights?" isn't just a question for Pesach. Take the time to consider how food plays a role in your high holiday experience: Reflections on Eating (or not Eating) During the High Holidays [...]
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 The Jew and the Carrot » Blog Archive » Reflections on Eating (or not Eating) During the High Holidays – Voice of the New Jewish Food Movement…
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 like yours these days. I truly appreciate people like you!
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