MINI Profiles: Dreamer.
>How did Dreamer come to be?
I founded Dreamer with the hope that through challenging/rethinking existing ways of making buildings, we would find opportunities to make better designed buildings available to a broader and more diverse range of people. I also hoped that through an increased range of people coming in contact with good design, that understanding of the importance of good design and design literacy might be increased in the community.
>Can you elaborate on the Dreamer philosophy?
We believe in building small, beautiful, durable buildings with sustainable materials and systems.
We are particularly excited by the idea of creating models or types of houses/buildings that can be repeated by us and replicated by other designers and improved over time. We want to create flexible, durable and sustainable (and still beautiful) types of housing that are going to be around for the next 100 years.
We also feel that architecture belongs to the people and that the language around design and architecture should be as inclusive as possible. This will allow people to take ownership of design and make a connection with it. We want people to understand what good design is: when they are in it, when they are buying and how to spot it.
>Why build small?
Building small means less impact on the natural environment through reduced material/resource consumption and energy use in the long and short term.
Small houses mean denser, low energy cities that are walkable and with great opportunities for public transport and lowered pollution. This means opportunities to increase wellbeing and for healthy, happier cities.
In addition, small houses are of course cheaper to purchase and maintain and may assist people in purchasing a home when otherwise they may not be able to.
>What are the benefits of living small?
Living small is an exciting prospect! The benefits are significant. Making a choice to live small means cost savings that might allow for working four days a week, for more travel or for exploring fun hobbies.
Small can be very luxurious a good home life isn't about the size it's about the quality of experiences and spaces.
Smaller houses can also often be located closer to the city. Inner city living offers benefits for families such as increased access to lots of experiences and activities for children and parents. The diversity of living and exposure to a range of other residents also helps to create strong communities through empathy and shared experience.
>What are the challenges of living small?
Shifting thinking on small living is the biggest challenge - the Australian dream is the three bedroom house with a backyard. In addition, the entertainment and advertising industries tell stories about the glamour of living with a big house and many possessions. It can be hard for people to see the opportunities that living small can provide.
There is also a mentality that families can't and shouldn't live small. In Australia, there is huge opportunity for apartments and small houses that cater for a more diverse range of people, not just aimed at young professionals. With thoughtful design this too can be changed and small spaces can made flexible for people's changing needs.
Of course, management of stuff like surfboards and bikes is also a bit trickier in a small space, but this is the bread and butter job of a talented designer!
Stay tuned for more MINI Profiles as part of green magazine, MINI and the City of Melbourne's MINI LIVING INVERT exhibition.


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- Adding traditional basal reading instruction time
- Having students spend added time on workbook practice
- Independent reading of a book of the student's choice with personalized mini-interventions by teacher (individualized schema-based learning)
- Independent reading of 2 expository texts back to back on a topic of student's choice after teacher modeling of how to resolve discrepancies between texts and do think alouds (conceptual learning)
- Having students read 2 or more texts related to a theme followed by a class discussion (transactional learning)
- Telling students to practice a specific comprehension strategy that they had just been taught during independent reading(situated practice)
Spending the extra 20 minutes on the traditional basal reading program or on workbook practice did not increase comprehension, the researchers report. Nor did practicing a newly learned comprehension strategy during independent reading, probably because if students focus on a specific purpose it distracts them from grasping the broader purpose of a book, the researchers note.
The 3 practices that did result in significantly better comprehension in as little as 6 weeks were conceptual learning, transactional learning and individualized schema-based learning.
"Rather, the three most successful instructional approaches shared the common features of (a) allowing student choice of books to be read for guided independent reading practice, (b) the reading of more than seven pages of continuous text from fiction or nonfiction classroom books, and (c) 15-20 min of silent reading that contained specific teacher actions," the researchers write.
"These actions were (a) teacher-monitored silent reading periods with personalized scaffolds (PAR) to assist students in overcoming comprehension challenges when they present themselves in individual texts (individualized schema-based learning); (b) teacher-monitored selection of expository texts by requiring (and making available) two expository books on the same topic that students choose to read before being allowed to read about another expository topic (conceptual learning); or (c) teacher-provided books from which students choose that relate to one aspect of a global class theme and 5 min of the 20-min silent reading period spent in an open-ended discussion about insights that students gleaned from the reading of their selected books (transactional learning)."
Mini individualized interventions
The mini-interventions provided during individualized schema-based learning including helping students with an unknown word or a confusing concept, praising students' efforts and helping them to use the most appropriate comprehension strategy.
A total of 660 students from Grade 2-6 participated in the study–375 were placed in experimental groups and 285 served as controls. Controls were students who spent the extra 20 minutes on basal reader instruction. The treatment period for the additional 20 minutes lasted for 6 weeks.
Students were from 4 elementary schools and one middle school in 4 varied districts in the southwestern U.S. (inner city, suburban, middle-class rural and a low socioeconomic status small town). The study took place in 30 classrooms. Most came from low to low-middle socioeconomic status schools and 38% came from middle to high socioeconomic status schools.
All students in every treatment group received 70 minutes of basal reading instruction. This 70-minute block of time consisted of a 20-minute whole-class skill-building activity from the teachers' manual and 3 small-group teacher led meetings of 15-17 minutes in which basal story was read, analyzed and/or discussed.
Teachers in treatment groups received 40 hours of training. All volunteered to participate. The students were assessed with the Texas Assessment of Essential Knowledge and Skills Test (TAKS) Reading Subtest, Stanford Achievement Test (SAT) Reading Subtest and publisher-created story or book tests.
Another major finding of the study, the researchers report, is that teacher actions during guided or independent practice sessions can be the same for all reading levels. Rather than planning different instructional approaches, teachers just need to focus on the specific comprehension skill or strategy that students need to master.
If the goal is to increase students' ability to better summarize, retell or retain what they read, then reading student-selected books with class discussions may be the best method whereas if the objective is to help students better identify the main idea, then reading 2 nonfiction books on the same subject back to back may be the better method.
"Instructional Approaches That Significantly Increase Reading Comprehension," by Cathy Collins Block et al., Journal of Educational Psychology, Volume 101, Number 2, 2009, pp.. 262-281.

source: openbmb/Ultra-FineWeb


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Major advances in technology have not translated into significant changes in the classroom and many students who are technologically engaged outside the classroom find themselves bored in school. That might finally be changing thanks to an Israeli company called Time To Know (T2K).
T2K's approach recognizes that children develop good computer skills early, so the company's system is based on each child working with an individual computer.
Time To Know recognized that little has changed in teaching since the invention of the printing press; a talking head still stands in front of students who struggle to pay attention and process what the teacher dictates. In a given classroom, students can be found working at different levels and teachers have struggled to accommodate them.
T2K's management system enables teachers to monitor the progress of each student at his/her level in real-time, without having to wait for the result of a test or quiz to evaluate them. The teacher maintains a constant awareness of each student's abilities in each subject.
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source: HuggingFaceFW/fineweb-edu


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Football Boots: Earliest Recorded – King Henry VIII in 1526
Lord Henry VIII's football boots were recorded inside the Great Wardrobe of 1526, a shopping rundown of the day. They were made by his own shoemaker Cornelius Johnson in 1525, at an expense of 4 shillings, the likeness £100 in the present cash. Little is thought about them, as there is no enduring model, yet the illustrious football boots are known to have been made of solid cowhide, lower leg high and heavier than the ordinary shoe of the day.
Football Boots – The 1800's
Pushing ahead 300 years saw football creating and picking up ubiquity all through Britain, yet at the same time staying as an unstructured and casual side interest, with groups speaking to neighborhood production lines and towns in a prospering modern country. Players would wear their hard, calfskin work boots, which were for quite some time bound and steel toe-topped as the primary football boots. These football boots would likewise have metal studs or tacks pounded into them to expand ground grasp and strength.
As laws become incorporated into the game in the late 1800's, so observed the main move in football boots to a shoe (or soccus) style shoe, with players of a similar group beginning to wear similar boots just because. Laws additionally took into consideration studs, which must be adjusted. These cowhide studs, otherwise called spikes, were pounded into the early football boots, which just because moved far from the previous favored work boots. These football boots weighed 500g and were made of thick, hard cowhide going up the lower leg for expanded assurance. The football boots would twofold in weight when wet and had six studs in the underside. The football boot had arrived…
Football Boots – The 1900's to 1940's
Football boot styles remained generally steady all through the 1900's up to the second's end world war. The most critical occasions in the football boot world in the initial segment of the twentieth century were the arrangement of a few football boot makers who are as yet making football boots today, including Gola (1905), Valsport (1920) and Danish football boot producer Hummel (1923). Get More Knowledge about SMS Bong Da
Over in Germany, Dassler siblings Adolf and Rudolf shaped the Gebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik (Dassler Brothers Shoe Factory) in Herzogenaurach in 1924 and started creating football boots in 1925 which had 6 or 7 replaceable, nailed studs, which could be changed by the climate states of play.


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| < January >
|Normal Max/ High Temperature
|Min/ Low Temperature
|Average Daylight per day
|Sun altitude at solar noon on the 21st day.
- The average temperature in Sobral in January is hot at 26.7 °C (80.06 °F).
- Afternoons can be very, very hot with average high temperatures reaching 33.8 °C (92.8 °F).
- Overnight temperatures are generally fairly hot with an average low of 23.6 °C (74.5 °F).
- In January there is a variation/ range of daily average temperatures of 10.2 °C (18.4 °F).
- The weather in January is not exactly parched. Circa 101.6mm (4in) of H2Ois dumped.
- The shortest day is 12:16 long and the longest day is 12:19 long with an average length of 12:18.
Check the distance to and compare the Sobral January averages with somewhere beginning with:
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | All
Weather Trend Graph for January in Sobral, Brazil
Navigate to January Weather in Locations Surrounding Sobral:


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Customer feedback :
'I sowed Sceletium and a lot has rapidly germinated (good news).'
- Cotton, France.
'I got a 50% germination rate from the seeds. That is about normal and you get more seeds from The Botanical Source than anywhere else I have bought them. 50% is a a good germination rate for kanna from my experience.'
'I feel it was cheap for the amount. And germinates very well.'
'Planted some seeds and am having a good run with them got 7 to germinate out of 10 with the Sceletium tortuosum : 'Kanna' Seed-pack, and 8 germinated out of 10 with the Silene capensis : 'Undlela zimhlope' Seed-pack, and I got 6 out of 10 to germinate on the Pleiospilos bolusii - Duimpiesnuif.
These numbers are very good on any cactus/succulent as I can get chestnut oil and have to use another anti-fungus spray that isn't as gentle on the seeds and seedlings. The key here is the planting soil and temperature. The soil I use is 1 cup potting soil, 1 cup seedling mix, 1 cup coarse sand, 1 cup perilite and 1 cup small gravel well mixed. I put the seed on top and spray with fungicide cover with a VERY thin lair of sand, gut them in a heated germinator and keep the temp around 80f and the humidity around 90%. After they germinate and have grown for about a month I move them into another germinator where very slowly I lower the humidity down to what is normal where I live (which is low about 40%) over 6 months time or longer if the plant
is having problems with the lower humidity.'
What is Sceletium? :
Sceletium tortuosum has been used by hunter-gatherers and shepherds as a mood-enhancing substance for millennia, and is far more effective and rapidly acting than the well-known European plant Hypericum (St John's Wort).
The mood-elevating action of sceletium is caused by a number of alkaloids including mesembrine, mesembrenol and tortuosamine which interact with the brain's dopamine and serotonin receptors.
Sceletium tortuosum is a small groundcover plant native to Southern Africa. For hundreds of years the Hottentots of Southern Africa used Sceletium tortuosum as a mood enhancer, relaxant and empathogen. (It is also known as Kanna or Kougoed.)
Historically, Sceletium tortuosum was eaten or chewed, smoked or used as a snuff producing euphoria and alertness which gently fades into relaxation. If chewed in sufficient quantity Sceletium has a mild anesthetic effect in the mouth, much like kava. A tea made from Sceletium is sometimes used to wean alcoholics off alcohol.
Although the plant has been used for thousands of years in Africa, it is only now being sought by the West for its remarkable capacities to uplift the mood, increase energy levels and concentration spans. Sceletium is also being used as a natural anti-depressant that is safer than the pharmaceutical alternatives.
Kanna (sceletium) is used to rebalance the brain and nervous system and thereby relieve symptoms of depression. This has been proven to be extremely effective and safe.
Benefits of Sceletium tortuosum include :
- decreases anxiety, stress and tension.


text: Robots capable of playing Ping Pong with humans have been around for more than 20 years. In 1988 MIT published "A Robot Ping-Pong Player: Experiments in Real-Time Intelligent Control (AI)" by Russell L. Andersson. Ping Pong is interesting to roboticists because it requires understanding of dynamic environments, accurate real-time vision, fast actuation, and intelligence to play the game with a winning strategy. (Andersson went on to write an IEEE paper on an aggressive trajectory generator for robot ping pong.) Andersson's machine, built at Bell Labs, was made from a bulky industrial robot arm combined with multiple video cameras, used to reconstruct a 3D view of the playing space. Since then things have improved quite a bit. Andersson's project was recreated by Japanese researchers using a PC, two cameras, and a four axis SCARA arm with good results. Mechatronics students at the University of Adelaide also built a modern version of Andersson's Ping Pong robot. The most impressive robot ping pong player to date has to be Topio, a humanoid robot from Tosy Robotics that was able to beat many human players at the 2007 International Robotics Exhibition in Tokyo. See the YouTube video of Topio in action. While they don't actually play ping pong, automated ball throwers like the Newgy robots have become common training devices for ping pong players.


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Three Reasons Your Drivers Want Video
More and more fleets are implementing video as part of a larger safety program.
Truck drivers have a difficult job. With truck driving frequently ranked in the top 10 most dangerous jobs in the US, drivers often face daily challenges that put their lives, and their ability to effectively perform their duties, at risk. Near-accidents are commonplace, requiring drivers to adopt advanced safety strategies in order to protect themselves and stay compliant.
But sometimes those strategies aren't enough, and an accident still happens. When they do, even if your driver wasn't at fault, they're at a higher risk for being blamed for the incident, damaging both their career and the image of your company. This is on top of any costly settlements.
All of this leads to one thing: your drivers want better safety initiatives. This goes beyond your typical training and safety plans. Drivers need advanced technologies, like video intelligence, to stay safe and perform their best. Video telematics can provide comprehensive daily video monitoring for your fleet, recording and transmitting footage of any incidents in real-time over a cellular network.
Here are 3 reasons that your drivers are calling for you to include video in your fleet management systems:
1. Having an Unbiased Witness
When an accident occurs, it can be difficult for truck drivers to prove that they weren't at fault. Since the legal system has typically favored the driver of the other vehicle, this can be an uphill, if not impossible, battle.
Rather than relying on subjective on-site accounts, drivers want objective video footage to prove their innocence. Definitive video evidence can exonerate your drivers faster and more reliable than ever before, saving their jobs and protecting your fleet from paying out damages.
2. Proving Compliance
Maintaining government compliance is critical to keeping your drivers and trucks operational. No matter the level of the inspection, when one of your drivers is stopped by law enforcement, they want to have peace of mind knowing that everything will be up to standard.
Video telematics allows your fleet managers to have real-time information for your drivers to use in case they need any evidence to prove they're regularly meeting regulations. In case there were any missteps on either side, video footage allows you to have a documented history of what happened.
3. Safety Coaching
Drivers want to be as safe as possible. Period. Having live video footage of your fleet allows you to adjust strategies and schedules in real-time. With video, you can maintain driver safety while still ensuring timely product delivery.
Aggregated footage can also be used to give fleet managers a better sense of the difficulties their drivers are facing, and how to best approach any pain points. This can be done on both a personal and fleet level. Identifying trends across the fleet allows you to make general recommendations to everyone while providing direct feedback to your drivers can give them both the insight and confidence to perform better in the future
Moving Forward
With all of the reasons to include a video solution, one thing is clear: incorporating video intelligence into your fleet management systems will benefit both your drivers and your company. This even goes beyond event-based video. The most successful system will help safety managers investigate many types of traffic events to better protect your drivers and your fleet.
At Trimble, we believe in the importance of video telematics. That's why, in an effort to aid our customers, we've come up with our own revolutionary video telematics solution, Trimble Video Intelligence™.
With Trimble Video Intelligence, you'll have the evidence you need to consistently improve your fleet management, protect your drivers from blame in case of an accident, and uphold your bottom line.


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Main Article Content
We have reviewed the electronic biopsies database files of the Department of Surgical Pathology, Fundación Jiménez Díaz in Madrid (Spain). In this time period (_PHONE_) we have found 3 pancreatic metastasis and 5 splenic metastasis. Two of the pancreatic metastases were originated in clear cell renal cell carcinomas. The last pancreatic metastasis was from a malignant cutaneous melanoma diagnosed and treated 8 years before. As for splenic metastasis, three of them were diagnosed during the abdominal surgery for primary therapy of the tumour (2 ovaries and one endometrium), while the remaining 2 corresponded to metastasis from a lung primary diagnosed 1 year before and a colonic primary diagnosed 6 years before. The patients with splenic metastasis died on the short term with progression of the disease despite resection of the splenic lesions, while the patients with pancreatic metastasis have survived longer.
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Saving salmon in the Northwest
A tale of fish and farms …
It's harvest time, that season made memorable by piles of autumn leaves, bushels of colorful apples, kids racing through pumpkin patches, and spawning salmon.
OK, spawning salmon may not be top-of-mind mind. But there is an inextricable relationship between all things aquatic (like fish), and all things agrarian (like farms). Both need clean water, and committed people to make certain they have that clean water.
Agricultural practices, particularly those that use harmful chemicals for pest control or contribute to soil erosion, threaten water quality. Fortunately, on dozens of Northwest farms, where such practices have been a problem, programs such as Salmon-Safe have been a solution.
Safe for salmon … and more
Salmon-Safe is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the restoration of urban and agricultural watersheds so that salmon can spawn and thrive.
Under Salmon-Safe's voluntary certification program, farm and vineyard operations are examined by independent third party inspectors with salmon habitat and sustainable agriculture experience to determine if their agricultural practices are safe for wildlife.
"Fish-friendly" farms and vineyards have the right to display the Salmon-Safe label on their products. This "eco-label" stands out from many that have emerged over recent years, as savvy companies try to cash in on the green movement. It has earned industry and consumer trust, so much so that Vanity Fair magazine recognized it as a "Most reliable" eco-label in its second annual "Green Issue" (May 2007) … the only regional label on their list.
" 'Salmon-Safe' means products were created using healthy farming practices that keep Pacific Northwest waterways clean enough for wild salmon to thrive. "
Why single out salmon? Of all native species, many consider wild salmon to be among the most essential to preserving the ecosystem that is the Pacific Northwest. Threats to the rhythm of the salmon's life cycle are threats to the health of ours. Salmon are our region's poster child for environmental health; the Salmon-Safe label is assurance that the sacred relationship between food production and the preservation of all wildlife has been honored.
PCC and Salmon-Safe
The Salmon-Safe certification program originated in Oregon and was introduced in Washington state four years ago, through a partnership of Stewardship Partners and Salmon-Safe.
PCC Natural Markets was proud to become the first Washington state retailer to support and promote it. The independent PCC Farmland Trust, dedicated to the preservation of Northwest organic farmland, also supports the program; all four farms under its protection are certified Salmon-Safe. Dozens of other farms are also Salmon-Safe, including Whatcom County's Fresh Breeze Organic Dairy (PCC sells their milk) and King County's Full Circle Farm and Snohomish County's Rent's Due Ranch (produce suppliers to PCC).
Label yourself a Salmon-Safe consumer
There's a lot you can do to help protect salmon and other Pacific Northwest wildlife. Start by looking for the Salmon-Safe label while shopping at PCC and local farmers markets, and by buying sustainably caught seafood from reputable sources.
Volunteer for habitat restoration projects and make certain your garden and lawn practices are salmon-friendly. (Check out the Natural Garden Hotline at _PHONE_). Take steps to conserve your water usage (find great tips at Saving Water Partnership) and prevent water pollution from your household (see how at Washington Toxics Coalition).
Got other ideas? Please share them.


Computers for Photographers
A free guide on how to shop for your next photo-editing computer.
September 23, 2020
I'm a photographer and I love building computers. Here is my free guide designed for other photographers looking for a new computer. Need further advice after reading this guide? Reach out! Always happy to give advice.
Basic Terminology
Processor (aka CPU)
This is the brain that makes your computer think. Intel CPUs are usually a bit more expensive than AMD, but are more recommended by Adobe. Photographers want a fast CPU, speed is measured in GHz. 3.5GHz is a good speed for photographers. Intel i7 and i9 CPUs are the best.
Memory (aka RAM)
Memory is what allows your computer to run many programs and complete many tasks all at the same time. More RAM allows you to multitask (for example, exporting a bunch of photos while having a billion tabs open in Chrome). A good computer has 32GB of RAM.
Storage is where your files are stored. Storage can be either a hard drive disk (HDD) or a solid state drive (SSD). HDDs are a physical disk that spins, they are slower, but you can buy huge amounts of storage (multiple terabytes, TB) for less money. SSDs are newer, faster, and more expensive. SSD are the type of storage that is in your phone or SD cards.
There are two ways to connect a storage drive to your motherboard (the part that links all other parts together): SATA (the older, slower one), and M.2. HDD can only be connected via SATA. SSD now has two forms: SATA or M.2. M.2 is way smaller, even faster and plugs directly into your motherboard (instead of using cables)! The most common type of drive that connects via M.2 is NVMe, which is faster than HDD and SSD. The benefit of having faster storage is that your computer can write changes to files faster (important for editing photos)
Most modern computers (especially desktops) have one small SSD and one (or more) larger HDD. The SSD is used to store your operating system (OS), and your program files, this makes your computer boot up (start) really fast, and helps your programs run faster. The HDD is used to store all your files (like photos, documents, and music).
Here's a much more in-depth article about storage options specifically for photographers here.
Bonnie's Top 6 wishlist stats for photo-editing computers
 1. High GHz Processor, at least 3.5GHz, if not 4.0 (look at the regular speed, not the overclocked speed)! Go for high clock speed over number of cores (Photoshop and Lightroom don't benefit from extra cores – video editing does though).
 2. Get 32 GB of RAM (16GB is not enough and 64GB is overkill), and make sure that RAM has a decent speed! You need DDR4 (the newest format of RAM), aim for 2600+ speed
 3. 512GB SSD for Windows + Programs
 4. 4 TB HDD for files (photos), make sure the write speed on your HDD is sufficient, because this is where the photos you are editing are stored! 7200RPM is the top speed.
 5. Windows 10 Pro (Pro is more versatile and future-proof than Home).
 6. Make sure it has USB-C or USB 3.1 connections.
The Best PCs for Photographers
If you can swing it, Puget Systems make rigs specifically designed for certain programs like Photoshop and Lightroom! They are really nice (but really expensive). Even if you can't afford it, you can look at their specs to see what they're recommending (pay special attention to the processor, memory, and storage) they even have data and articles about specific parts:
Recommended Pre-Built Computers
I know Dell the best, so that's what I've included as examples below. These models, specs, and pricing changes way too often for me to keep this list updated regularly. For more specific advice, see my contact below.
Other brands I recommend: ASUS, Lenovo
Brands to stay away from: HP, Acer, and any Chromebook (they won't run most programs a photographer needs)
Microsoft Surface has become a really popular, portable option, but I'm not convinced that it's powerful enough to be a photographer's main rig.
Budget Laptop
The Inspiron series of laptops don't have the best screens or video cards, but they have decent enough processors and RAM (memory) to run Lightroom on the go.
High-end Laptop
The XPS series could be your only computer, no desktop needed at home. If this is the case, I'd recommend also getting a dock to connect it to separate monitor, mouse, and keyboard.
These laptops have fantastic screens, great processors and all the memory and storage you need.
Budget Desktop
This desktop has great specs for photo editing. It is also small enough to fit almost anywhere.
High-end Desktop
This is a very nice desktop. This is very future-proof and will run lots of programs all at once.
Custom Build and Advice
Need help putting together a custom machine? Need help setting up and organizing your files?
Bonnie can help you buy a custom machine from Dell. Email Me ( to get started. We will start with a video chat to discuss your budget, requirements, and intended use of your desktop or laptop. I will then put together a document that outlines a couple of options for you. I will also create an account for you on with these recommendations in your shopping cart to make purchasing easy!
This basic service starts at $100, with the option to purchase continued mentoring.
My #1 piece of advice, don't buy from Apple!
Macs always have inferior or outdated parts for way more cost. With Apple, you're paying a premium for a status symbol, not premium parts. I recognize that macs are often easier to use and have some benefits over PCs for personal use, but I would not recommend them to creative professionals.
(note: I am not trying to start a flame war, and will not reply to arguments about this)
Need more specific advice? Connect with Bonnie
I offer free consultations, and computer building and ordering services starting at $50.
See more of our resources:


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Biology Sponsored by
In a recent study from the University of Minnesota, published in the Journal of Natural Resources & Life Sciences Education, researchers examined the effects of UV on bryophytes. According to report, although they generally are not used in undergraduate studies, an inquiry-based laboratory exercise for introductory students implemented a controlled experiment to investigate effects of increased ultraviolet radiation (UVR) exposure on the bryophyte liverwort gemmae. This exercise integrated the impacts of climate change on plant populations with experimental design and liverwort ecology.
According to the American Society of Agronomy, the researchers believe that studying the effects of UV radiation on bryophytes can help understand its impacts on crops, ecological systems and humans. Since plants to not have the same ability to move out of direct harm from UV radiation, they have developed a variety of systems to reduce its impacts through evolution. As bryophytes were the first plants to emerge from aquatic life, they represent a key link in this evolution.
Since the exercise was geared more toward the development research and testing skills in students, specific results were not discussed. However, the concept could be very relevant to skin care researchers and sun product developers.


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What is sarsaparilla?
Sarsaparilla is a plant of the genus Smilax and it belongs to the lily (Liliacae) family. The roots of sarsaparilla are used to make a tonic of the same name. The tonic is aromatic and used as a flavoring agent. It masks the flavor and taste of several medicines. Sarsaparilla is also used to make several carbonated beverages including root beer. Its taste resembles the flavors of wintergreen, licorice and vanilla. Sarsaparilla is commercially available in the form of sarsaparilla tea, root powder, capsules and extracts. Sarsaparilla plants are large, perennial, trailing or climbing vines and are native to the southern and western coasts of Mexico to Peru. They have short, thick, underground stems with several prickly, angular stems jutting above the ground. Species providing the sarsaparilla flavoring agent commercially are mainly Mexican (Smilax aristolochiaefolia), Honduran (S. regelii) and Ecuadorian sarsaparillas (S. febrifuga). The roots of these plants are sun-dried and gathered into bundles. Sarsaparilla is often contaminated with the "false sarsaparilla" (Hemidesmus indicus). False sarsaparilla does not contain any beneficial components found in true sarsaparilla.
What is sarsaparilla used for?
Sarsaparilla is used for several purposes including skin conditions, infections and kidney diseases. Athletes use sarsaparilla to enhance strength and stamina. Sarsaparilla, however, does not contain any of the claimed performance-enhancing substances such as steroids including the male hormone testosterone. Although sarsaparilla is used to manage several medical conditions, there is insufficient evidence to support its effectiveness. Always take your doctor's advice before consuming sarsaparilla. Some of the uses (lacking sufficient medical evidence) of sarsaparilla include:
- Digestive problems
- Skin conditions such as psoriasis, eczema, and dermatitis
- Gonorrhea (a sexually transmitted disease [STD])
- Arthritis including gout and rheumatoid arthritis (RA)
- Hyperhydrosis (excessive sweating)
- Fluid retention
- Kidney problems
- Liver diseases
- Certain allergies
- Improving sex drive
- Increasing the muscle mass
Sarsaparilla contains certain chemicals that may reduce inflammation in the body. This may help relieve symptoms such as pain and swelling. Sarsaparilla also reduces itching. Studies have suggested that sarsaparilla can help fight bacterial infections. Certain chemicals present in sarsaparilla may protect the liver from toxins. Sarsaparilla, because of its aromatic flavor, is used to make several beverages, foods and medications.
Are there any side effects of sarsaparilla?
Sarsaparilla can irritate the inner lining of the gut causing symptoms such as bellyache, diarrhea and indigestion in some individuals, and in some, the powdered form of sarsaparilla (called sarsaparilla dust) can cause allergic reactions. The symptoms may resemble asthma.
Sarsaparilla acts as a diuretic (increases the urine output). Thus, you must ensure that you have adequate fluid intake to prevent dehydration. Although advocated for use in kidney diseases, you must not use sarsaparilla if you have kidney problems because it can worsen the condition.
The dosage of sarsaparilla varies according to the individual's age, weight and presence of any underlying health conditions. Always take your doctor's advice before taking any supplements containing sarsaparilla.
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Hydrological model parameters are generally considered to be simplified representations that characterize hydrologic processes. Therefore, their influence on runoff simulations varies with climate and catchment conditions. To investigate the influence, a three-step framework is proposed, i.e., a Latin hypercube sampling (LHS-OAT) method multivariate regression model is used to conduct parametric sensitivity analysis; then, the multilevel-factorial-analysis method is used to quantitatively evaluate the individual and interactive effects of parameters on the hydrologic model output. Finally, analysis of the reasons for dynamic parameter changes is performed. Results suggest that the difference in parameter sensitivity for different periods is significant. The soil bulk density (SOL_BD) is significant at all times, and the parameter Soil Convention Service (SCS) runoff curve number (CN2) is the strongest during the flood period, and the other parameters are weaker in different periods. The interaction effects of CN2 and SOL_BD, as well as effective hydraulic channel conditions (CH_K2) and SOL_BD, are obvious, indicating that soil bulk density can impact the amount of loss generated by surface runoff and river recharge to groundwater. These findings help produce the best parameter inputs and improve the applicability of the model. View Full-Text
Locations of the Yellow River source region
Contribution of individual and interaction parameters to the runoff simulation in different periods.
Zhou, S.; Wang, Y.; Chang, J.; Guo, A.; Li, Z.Investigating the Dynamic Influence of Hydrological Model Parameters on Runoff Simulation Using Sequential Uncertainty Fitting-2-Based Multilevel-Factorial-Analysis Method. Water 2018, 10, 1177.


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Lactic Acid Dehydrogenase (LDH)
Lactic acid dehydrogenase (LDH) is an enzyme that helps produce energy. It is present in almost all of the tissues in the body and becomes elevated in response to cell damage. LDH levels are measured from a sample of blood taken from a vein.
Why It Is Done
Lactic acid dehydrogenase (LDH) is an enzyme that helps produce energy. Results may vary widely from lab to lab.
Normal LDH levels range from 140 units per liter (U/L) to 280 U/L or 2.34 mkat/L to 4.68 mkat/L.
What To Think About
Many diseases can cause elevations in LDH levels. Other tests are usually needed to confirm a diagnosis.
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Ecosystem Services in Río Canandé, Ecuador
Site location and ownership
Río Canandé Reserve is situated in Esmeraldas province on the banks of the River (Río) Canandé in north-western Ecuador, in the western foothills of the Andes at an altitude of around 500m above sea level. The reserve is presently over 2,200ha in size with a future target of 10,000 ha, and is owned and managed by Fundación Jocotoco.
The reserve receives up to 16,000mm of rainfall each year, making this one of the wettest places on Earth.
Numerous Chocó endemics are found within the Río Canandé Reserve, including the spectacular Long-wattled Umbrellabird (Cephalopterus penduliger) (classified as Vulnerable by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species).
This reserve and surrounding area also supports large mammals such as Jaguar (Panthera onca) (Near Threatened) and Baird's Tapir (Tapirus bairdii) (Endangered). The reserve is also home to Brown-headed Spider-monkey (Ateles fusciceps) (Critically Endangered).
Once stretching almost uninterrupted from Panama in Central America, down through Colombia and into northern Ecuador, the Chocó has now been reduced to isolated patches of forest. Those surrounding Río Canandé are among the most extensive remaining, and yet even here deforestation rates are amongst the highest in South America – over 40% of the Ecuadorian Chocó that existed 50 years ago has since been cleared or heavily degraded. Logging and clearance for agriculture and oil palm plantations are the key drivers of deforestation.
Carbon Balanced Programme
As in the wider Ecuadorian Chocó, the forests in this region are being actively logged and cleared for agriculture, including the development of commercial oil palm plantations, making this a classic candidate for REDD-style intervention. The Carbon Balanced programme has been assisting with the protection of forests at Río Canandé since 2009 when a parcel of forest on the deforestation frontier and under imminent threat of clearance was secured, generating emissions offsets for Carbon Balanced supporters. Further purchases of similarly threatened forest during 2010/11 have expanded the area of habitat preserved through the Carbon Balanced programme here at Río Canandé.
Over the 20 year project accounting period, Carbon Balanced activities at Río Canandé will sequester tens of thousands of tonnes of carbon dioxide, whilst preserving what is undoubtedly one of the richest, most ecologically diverse forms of tropical forest habitat on Earth. The majority of offsets will be secured through avoided deforestation, with assisted natural regeneration of vegetation in marginal areas of heavily degraded or recently cleared forest achieving the remainder.
An existing dwelling within the reserve has been adapted to form a visitor lodge, potentially benefiting the local area through visits by tourists.
The WLT continues to work actively with Fundación Jocotoco to support further land purchase at Río Canandé with a view to meeting its 20,000 ha target size for the reserve.
- What are Ecosystem Services?
- Carbon Balanced
- Tree Planting
- Where We Work
- Quality Management Statement
- WLT Trading


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2013 by Lisa Eurgain Taylor
2013 Wimbledon College of Art BA Degree Show
Taylor's artwork at Wimbledon was happily not alone in showing students being swept up in the magnitude and possibilities of paint. Unlike so many degree shows, where paint is clearly passé, Wimbledon students play, pull and pontificate paint, showing that medium needn't be complicated to be inspiring and original. Jasmine Leonard, with sun filled images filtering light through a nostalgic pastel haze; Olivia Moullaali, darkly coloured painting with abstracting and perspective playing daubs; and Sarah Bold were among the other gems. Taylor's work explores the belief that when we die we become part of the mountainous landscape, as told by Welsh bards. With the wonderfully poetic line "Forever in child, her thighs embrace the mist, her breasts caress the presumptuous clouds." (from One Moonlit Light, Caradog Prichard) Taylor takes the shapes and lines of the human form to grow her wild and magical mountains. Building these bewitching landscapes from the abstracted beauty of the figure, Taylor's paintings softly explore the visualisation of the age-old idea of ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Layers of paint, mottled and solid, create the mountains, with the imprint of figures pressed upon them in delicate lino-print. The repetitive and pattern-like way of introducing the human form into the landscape gives these awesome structures a rolling movement, a depth as they grow and shift, form covering them as wildflowers blanket a mountainside. Light, and the soft breath of mythology, then sweeps over these ranges, in the mist of a hazily painted sky.


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How is the housing market impacting employment markets? This article examines three issues – multiple housing markets and demographic pressures. It also examines the impact of unemployment insurance. We will discuss demographic pressures and the role of buyer competition. It concludes with some implications for the future of housing markets. A growing share of people living outside of their labor markets may reflect additional factors beyond labor market position. In addition, parental wealth may play an increasing role in housing outcomes.
Multiple Housing Market Dualization
The paper uses a panel dataset of the LISS (Labor Market Information System) to examine the impact of multiple housing market dualization on the labor market. The dataset contains a representative sample of households from a full population register. Each panel study is repeated annually to correct for sample size bias and to ensure representativeness of the data. We also present relationships across housing dimensions. These analyses show that the dualization of the housing and labor markets is related to the same underlying social conditions.
Across all four models, the prevalence of multiple flat fee real estate market dualization is statistically significant. The extent to which multiple housing market dualization affects employment depends on the individual's tenure, employment security, and the amount of asset accumulation they have. The odds of being an outsider in the labour market are higher among employment contract holders than those with a secure housing tenure. However, the employment contract is a crucial factor that determines the probability of being an insider.
Impact of Buyer Competition
Increased buyer competition on the product market has many benefits. For workers, the primary benefits are increased wage growth and reduced unemployment. However, the negative consequences are also serious. When employers have too much power over workers, they can reduce wages even when the job is profitable. This process is known as 'downward ratchet'. The effect lowers worker purchasing power and decreases the capacity to purchase. This leads to a transfer of wealth from poor workers to rich owners.
The impact of buyer power can be minimized by introducing market regulation. Unlike the abuse of buyer power that can be seen in oligopolistic markets, this regulation can stiffen the market and stifle the innovation dynamics. In addition, specific regulations tend to attract lobbying and evasion. Consequently, they are not useful in achieving their goals. Thus, the government should consider introducing laws or regulations that limit the use of buyer power in the economy.
Impact of Demographic Pressures
Recent downward trends in the labor force participation rate are attributed to changes in the age composition of the population. A major example of this change is the aging of the baby boom generation, the cohort born between 1946 and 1964. Boomers have historically been a generator of change, and their entry into the prime-age workforce in the 1970s had a positive demographic effect. By 2024, the baby-boom cohort will be age 60 to 78. This group is expected to exit the labor force in large numbers.
Nonetheless, recent data on labor-force participation suggest that job vacancies are rising faster than the number of people seeking them. In August, U.S. labor data showed 10.4 million jobs vacant and 4.3 million people quitting. While this is generally considered a positive trend, it does not reflect the reality of changing demographics, which is why the U.S. labor force participation rate is below average. Nevertheless, there are several reasons why workers may be choosing not to quit their current jobs.
Impact of Unemployment Insurance
While the amount of unemployment benefits paid out each week may not affect the overall number of unemployed people, they do have a significant effect on the labor market, as they help workers weather the recent economic crisis. This has prevented the demand for goods and services from plummeting. During the Great Recession, the U.S. economy has lost 15 million jobs. New unemployment claims have been above their highs for 15 straight weeks. In addition to this, the unemployment rate is at an all-time high, with a sharp decline in consumer spending, unsafe working conditions, and lack of support for the unemployed.
Another major effect of unemployment insurance is its retrenchment effect. Many policymakers portray the program as a fiscally costly move, and therefore only extend unemployment benefits for a limited time. However, the program helps to support the unemployed until they find another job. This narrative is based on the assumption that unemployed workers will opt to claim benefits over jobs. But these workers end up with fewer opportunities to find new jobs and are less likely to seek out other jobs.


Invincible Hero of Necromancer – Chapter 17
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Chapter 17 Siege II
With a group of walking corpses blocking the retreat in the rear, the wolf pack was in a commotion all of a sudden.
The number of walking corpses was only ten, and in their rear, there were still some corpses left.
The only difference between these corpses and walking corpses is that they do not have soul fire. It was by activating the soul fire of the corpses that Rod transformed them into walking corpses.
Not that Rod did not want to activate the soul fire of all the walking corpses, but Rod did not have enough the mana value.
Before activating the soul fire of the corpses, Rod first changed his title to [necromancer] and raised the level of soul invocation by one, which is equivalent to an extra skill point added to soul invocation.
Relying on Intermediate Soul Invocation, when Rod evokes the walking corpse, each walking corpse only consumes 1 point of his own mana.
Originally, the creation of undead creatures by invocation requires the consumption of a large amount of mana. Most of these mana values are used to transform the corpse's flesh to make them into an undead race, and only a small portion is used to activate the soul fire.
But here, because there is enough death energy inside the tomb, the transformation of these corpses for the flesh is nearly complete, and they only need to activate the soul fire to be transformed into walking corpses.
Rod guessed that this is also the reason why Elliott has so many undead creatures. With the death energy provided by this tomb to help him complete most of the process of Soul Invocation, all Elliott needed to do was to provide the corpse and activate the soul fire.
Of course, the transformation inside the tomb takes some time. So Rod woke up initially, only to see a ground transformation near completion of the corpse, did not see the necromancer apprentice.
The soul fire of low-ranking undead creatures cannot produce any special effects, and can only provide the instinct to kill the living. Coupled with the enhanced effect brought about by the intermediate level soul invocation technique, Rod was only able to awaken a walking corpse by consuming only 1 mana point.
Even so, after awakening ten walking corpses, Rod's mana was still depleted.
If the corpses were allowed to generate soul fire on their own without going through soul invocation, it would take a long time to generate soul fire even if the flesh was nourished by the death energy to reach the standard of an undead creature.
In the midst of the commotion of the wolves, the wolf king quickly observed the surrounding situation, and after confirming some things, the wolf king's eyes were put back on Rod. It sensed that this enemy in front of it was the one who was controlling all this.
The wolf king let out a howl, and the wolf pack stopped stirring at once. As if it understood the wolf king's meaning, the wolves' eyes looked at Rod one after another, and then rushed toward Rod.
The wolf king wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to kill Rod by force, as long as they could kill Rod, they still had a chance to escape from the tomb.
After seeing the movement of the wolves, Rod gave a command through his soul invocation, and the skeleton warriors beside him immediately stepped forward and raised their shields to meet the wolves in front of them.
And Rod himself, standing behind the skeleton warrior with a sword, looking for an opportunity to strike.
Rod naturally would not choose to go forward and fight with the wolves. If there are undead creatures, it is no different from fighting the wolves outside the tomb.
According to Rod's estimation, not counting the wolf king, ten walking corpses would be able to deal with the remaining wolves. Rod only needed to fend off the wolves here and wait for the walking corpses in the back to arrive.
At the back, the walking corpses were left behind by the wolves due to their speed, and could only follow slowly behind, not knowing how long it would take to catch up.
Since the main chamber was not spacious, the wolves wanted to attack Rod and had to solve the skeleton warriors in front.
Originally, the skeleton warriors relied on their instincts to fight, and many times their instinctive reactions gave the enemy a chance to break. Now, with Rod's control, with their own powerful attributes, the strength of the skeleton warriors has increased by more than a cut, and the advantage of their powerful attributes can finally be brought into play.
The skeleton warriors in front of the sudden contact, well blocked the attack of the wolf pack.
Under Rod's control, the skeleton warrior always protects his shield in front of his body, focusing on defending the vital parts, and the sword blade in his hand only cuts down when the wolves bite the leg bones.
The skeleton warrior is not afraid of pain or injury. It is difficult to kill the skeleton warrior in a short time by the damage brought by the wolves tearing the leg bones alone.
When facing the skeleton warriors, although the wolves had numerical advantages, only a few wolves at most could attack the skeleton warriors at the same time in order to leave space for dodging because the tomb was not spacious.
The remaining wolves could only huddle at the entrance of the chamber, and although they wanted to attack the enemy in front of them, they had no way to do so for a while.
Watching the walking corpses gradually approaching, the wolves located at the rear began to create confusion, not knowing whether to continue to listen to the wolf king's orders or give priority to attacking the enemy in front of them.
Rod's attention was all on controlling the skeleton warriors. With the combat experience provided by Rod, the skeleton warrior seemed to be another brave Rod, fending off the wolves in front.
Under Rod's control, the ordinary wolves were not able to threaten the skeleton warriors, but were wounded one after another.
Looking at the walking corpses surrounding the wolves in the back, the wolf king also knew that he could not continue to drag on and had to quickly find a way to solve the enemy in front of it, so it began to gather its magical abilities.
Watching the opening after the skeleton warrior's sword, the Wolf King spat out a magic arrow and shot at the skeleton warrior in front.
There are not many vital points on the skeleton warrior's body, and since the skull contains the soul fire of the skeleton warrior, the only thing that can kill is the skull. Rod kept the skeleton warrior shield up on the upper body to prevent the Wolf King's magic from hitting the cervical vertebrae. Even if the rest of the body was damaged, the skeleton warriors could continue to fight for a while.
At the beginning, Rod sent a skeleton warrior to block the incoming wolves, but it didn't last long before it was killed because the wolf king's magic hit its cervical vertebrae, which was the same reason as Rod killing the skeleton warrior by decapitation.
If it was not hit by magic, the skeleton warrior could have held off the wolves for a long time by relying on the wolves' bite alone.
The wolf king probably also saw this, and when the skeleton warrior's iron shield defended against the cervical vertebrae, the magic arrow did not shoot at the cervical vertebrae of the skeleton warrior, but shot at its lower abdomen.
The skeleton warrior was not able to close the move and was hit by the magic arrow. If it were Rod himself, it might have had a chance to avoid it, but the soul invocation alone could not allow the skeleton warrior to dodge it in time.
Due to the nature of skeleton creatures, the magic arrow passed through what should have been flesh and blood and hit the skeleton warrior directly below the spine.
With an explosive sound, the skeleton warrior fell to the ground. The spine was connected to the entire lower half of the skeleton warrior's body, and after being hit, it was directly broken off, and the skeleton warrior lost its ability to move.
With just one spell, the Wolf King had severely injured the Skeleton Warrior.
Since the passage was slightly narrow, just one skeleton warrior could keep the wolves out of the chamber. But at the same time, the skeleton warrior also blocked Rod, so that Rod could not attack the wolves together with the skeleton warrior.
At this moment, the skeleton warrior fell down and had very little life value left. The other wolves saw the wolf king's magic hit the skeleton warrior and immediately attacked the fallen skeleton warrior.
Just when a wolf was about to tear the cervical vertebrae of the fallen skeleton warrior, a silver light flashed and the wolf's head fell, splashing blood and staining the gray bones on the ground, and Rod struck.
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Significance and Use
The relative durability of materials in natural exposures can be very different depending on the location of the exposure because of differences in ultraviolet (UV) radiation, time of wetness, temperature, pollutants, and other factors. Therefore, it cannot be assumed that results from one exposure in a single location will be useful for determining relative durability in a different location. Exposures in several locations with different climates which represent a broad range of anticipated service conditions are recommended.
Because of year-to-year climatological variations, results from a single exposure test cannot be used to predict the absolute rate at which a material degrades. Several years of repeat exposures are needed to get an "average" test result for a given location.
Solar ultraviolet radiation varies considerably as a function of time of year. This can cause large differences in the apparent rate of degradation in many polymers. Comparing results for materials exposed for short periods (less than one year) is not recommended unless materials are exposed at the same time in the same location.
Defining exposure periods in terms of total solar or solar-ultraviolet radiant energy can reduce variability in results from separate exposures. Solar ultraviolet measurements are typically made using instruments which record broadband UV (for example, 295 to 385 nm) or narrow band UV, as described in 7.2.4 and 7.2.5. An inherent limitation in solar-radiation measurements is that they do not reflect the effects of temperature and moisture, which may also influence the rate or type of degradation.
The design of the exposure rack, the location of the specimen on the exposure rack, and the type or color of adjacent specimens can affect specimen temperature and time of wetness. In order to minimize variability caused by these factors, it is recommended that test specimens, control specimens, and any applicable weathering reference material be placed on a single test panel or on test panels placed adjacent to each other during exposure.
It is strongly recommended that at least one control material be part of any exposure evaluation. When used, the control material shall meet the requirements of Terminology G113, and be of similar composition and construction compared to test specimens. It is preferable to use two control materials, one with relatively good durability and one with relatively poor durability. Unless otherwise specified, use at least two replicate specimens of each test and control material being exposed. Control materials included as part of a test shall be used for the purpose of comparing the performance of test materials relative to the controls.
Note—Detailed drawings of this test rack are available from ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Dr., W. Conshohocken, PA 19428. Request Adjunct ADJG0007. FIG. 1 Typical Exposure Rack
1.1 This practice covers procedures to be followed for direct exposure of nonmetallic materials to the environment. When originators of a weathering test have the actual exposure conducted by a separate agency, the specific conditions for the exposure of test and control specimens must be clearly defined and mutually agreed upon between all parties.
1.2 For exposures behind glass, refer to Practice G24.
1.3 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as the standard. The inch-pound units given in parentheses are for information only.
1.4 This practice is technically equivalent to the parts of ISO 877 that describe direct exposures of specimens to the environment.
1.5 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.
2. Referenced Documents (purchase separately) The documents listed below are referenced within the subject standard but are not provided as part of the standard.
E41 Terminology Relating To Conditioning
E824 Test Method for Transfer of Calibration From Reference to Field Radiometers
E913 Method for Calibration of Reference Pyranometers With Axis Vertical by the Shading Method
E941 Test Method for Calibration of Reference Pyranometers With Axis Tilted by the Shading Method
G24 Practice for Conducting Exposures to Daylight Filtered Through Glass
G113 Terminology Relating to Natural and Artificial Weathering Tests of Nonmetallic Materials
G130 Test Method for Calibration of Narrowand Broad-Band Ultraviolet Radiometers Using a Spectroradiometer
ISO 9370 Plastics--Instrumental Determination of Radiant Exposure in Weathering Tests--General Guidance and Basic Test Method
durability; exposure; weathering;
ICS Number Code 19.040 (Environmental testing)
ASTM International is a member of CrossRef.
Citing ASTM Standards
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When business people examine financial and economic information on which to base decisions, they differ in how they want the information presented. Some prefer spreadsheets, with the data organized into rows and columns of numbers. Others prefer the data presented more visually, such as bar graphs and line charts. The demand schedule and demand curve in economics represent ways of presenting the relationship of price and quantity demanded that satisfy both types of entrepreneurs.
The demand schedule and demand curve both illustrate the relationship between the price of a product or service and the level of demand for it. Other factors besides price, such as consumer income and the price of competing goods, influence demand. The demand schedule and demand curve, however, consider only price, assuming no change in these other factors, according to N. Gregory Mankiw, a Harvard economist and former presidential economics adviser.
The demand schedule illustrates the relationship between price and quantity demanded by using a table of figures. The demand schedule generally consists of two columns: one for the price of a product and one for the quantity demanded at that price. The price column displays different price levels, arrayed from lowest to highest, or vice versa, while the quantity demanded column displays the quantity of that good or service demanded at each price level. The demand schedule for most products will show a reduction in quantity demanded as the price increases.
The demand curve is a visual form of the demand schedule. Economists depict the demand schedule on a two-dimensional graph, consisting of a vertical axis representing price and a horizontal axis representing quantity demanded. The vertical axis displays different price levels from highest to lowest, while the horizontal axis displays different levels of demand. The apex of the vertical and horizontal axis has a value of zero for both quantity and price. Mankiw notes that the demand curve for most products slopes downward, indicating an increase in demand as the price declines.
The demand schedule and demand curve are complementary ways of examining the relationship between price and quantity demanded. The demand schedule helps create the demand curve. The individual rows in the demand schedule, showing specific price points and quantity demanded, provide the coordinates to be plotted on the graph. After plotting the individual coordinates, an analyst or business manager can draw the demand curve that connects the individual points.
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The most important crop for the Inca, as well as the Maya, was and still is maize — corn. Corn was used in ceremony, offered to the Apus — the mountain Gods — and planted during sacred rituals timed with the motions of the stars. We have even found corn carved in gold in underground tunnels in Peru, showing how the Inca worshipped this food. Researchers say corn was used in ceremonies in Ayacucho four thousand years ago. The first mention of corn is found in the writings of Pedro Martir de Angleria in 1492. The Spaniards said the bread of the Inca was maize or corn. It also was their wine. They brewed corn and made a drink known today as azua or chicha, similar to beer. Chicha comes in both purple and white versions, both quite powerful.
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As a symbol of the Holy Spirit it is specially connected with Baptism (Matthew 3). In pictures of the Annunciation it signifies the Incarnation of Our Saviour by the power of the Holy Ghost. It also symbolizes marytrdom and the Church. The dove with an olive branch was used on a sarcophagus to signify peace and hope of Resurrection; in flight, it represents the Ascension of Christ or the entrance of saints into glory.
Since early medieval times the Holy Eucharist was reserved for the sick in a dove-shaped vessel suspended to the baldichinum over the altar; later the dove was enclosed in a tower upon the altar. A vessel of like form was hung over the early baptisteries.
In art it is associated with


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Billy Biggs
Tue Jun 17 21:50:21 EDT 2003
Alexander Kellett, a KDE developer, was looking for a way to dynamically change the colours in a desktop theme, but still keep the set of colours consistent. Imagine taking a theme where the icons are predominantly blue and changing it to a red-based colour scheme.
My suggestion was to rotate the colours using the hue angle from a perceptual colour space like CIELAB. This keeps the lightness (perceptual brightness) and amount of colour unchanged while rotating the hue.
The following is an example of a colourful image rotated by its hue, and then an example of a set of ten KDE icons. The icons show how each new colour scheme is relatively consistent in appearance, and our transition around the hue axis results in a reasonably even walk around the available colours. Finally, we show a saturated chromaticity diagram rotated by its hue to better show how these colours are mapped.
The source code for performing this rotation has been made available under the MIT license.
For a better idea of where colours get rotated to, click here for some renderings and a visual description of the CIELAB hue circle.


text: The Knight Cancer Institute at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) in Portland has just announced an important partnership with San Diego-based bioprinting technology company Organovo. Research into the biology of cancer, especially how it metastasizes, has been complicated in the past by the limitations of animal models and cell cultures, which really don't tell us enough about the workings of cancer within a human being. Organovo creates living, 3-D human tissue using their bioprinting device, the NovoGen MMX (below). The partnership between OHSU and Organovo will allow cancer research at Knight Institute labs to much more closely model the complex architecture of malignancy within the human body, using in vitro tissue. Ultimately this will lead to the development of more accurate therapeutics and pre-clinical trials.


Is Red Bull Vegan or Vegetarian?
Red Bull is a famous energy drink marketed in a big slim blue-silver can. It's an excellent option for people who want a solution for caffeine but don't want coffee or tea. It provides convenience also. It's being sold since the 1980's such a number of vegans and vegetarians grew up enjoying the product and wanted to find out if they can continue to do so after changing over to a plant-based diet.
Is it vegan or vegetarian? Yes, Red Bull is both vegan and vegetarian.
It's a mix of carbonated water, simple sugars, salts like sodium bicarbonate, magnesium carbonate, calcium pantothenate, vitamins, colours, flavours, and energy-providing elements like taurine and caffeine. None of these originates from animals.
We will check why each of the ingredients mentioned above is vegan. If a product is apt for vegans, it's by default suitable for vegetarians also but not the other way around. So, we'll be making use of the term vegan for the balance part of our article.
Why Red Bull Is Generally Considered Vegan
Taurine In Processed Foods Is Vegan
This was not always been the same. Like with necessary micronutrients, it used to be obtained from the things available in nature including animal tissue, but it's financially not feasible to get the ingredient this way when there are other methods to create the compound synthetically.
Elements like caffeine and taurine are added in these smart beverages which are sold as a solution to improve alertness and concentration.
Some ingredients are claimed to increase brain power are usually added to drinks that are marketed in the name of smart beverages despite the fact that there is hardly any research available to support such claims.
There may be some research available to back some particular ingredients like caffeine, but too little research has been done on smart drinks that claim to have a beneficial mixture of the right ingredients.
Ingredients mostly added to smart drinks that are believed to excite brain activities include amino acids like taurine, phenylalanine, choline, and L-cysteine.
However, taurine isn't strictly an amino acid; It's an amino sulfonic acid.
We are not telling that all taurine is vegan, but the type of taurine added in energy drinks and supplements is commonly prepared with chemical synthesis without getting it derived from animals and hence appropriate for vegans and vegetarians.
The Presence of Sugar Does Not Render a Food Non-Vegan
That's true by almost all standards. Some extra vigilant vegans want to stop using any processed food products prepared with non-organic sugar as organic sugar is never manufactured using bone char.
Even PETA mentions that not taking foods containing processed sugar is not being vegan. In Peta's article, 'Is Sugar Vegan?', they ask you not to overthink how sugar in any food product is manufactured.
They are trying to say that by stressing too hard about vague ingredients, we send wrong signals to potential vegans. i.e. It is pointless to think elements as vegan if produced in x way, but are non-vegan if made in y way.
That's our summary of what they are saying. We may not be agreeing with that. If you have convictions about having non-organic sugar because of some use of bone char in its manufacturing and want to stop using it, we think that's great.
But, it's not expected from you as a vegan that you must avoid all the foods with sugar. We don't purchase non-organic sugar in bulk for cooking or home use, but we also don't go out of the way to avoid all processed foods with sugar.
The B Vitamins in Red Bull Are Vegan
Until a few decades ago, almost all the vitamins used in fortified foods and supplements were made from matter that contained the nutrients naturally. Factories used to extract concentrates or extracts from vitamin-rich food sources in a natural way.
At times they were from vegan sources, and at other times not so much. This still happens today with vitamins A and D often being derived from cod liver oil.
Nowadays, the latest technologies have allowed food and supplement producers to synthesize vitamins, which is cheaper than deriving the nutrients naturally.
Reasons for opting for synthetic vitamins include:
· The synthetic type is much cheaper
· The shortage of vitamins in natural sources, as compared to the artificial way
· Better taste and smell from synthetic vitamins
· Better shelf-life
· Lesser loss of nutrients during extraction
· Less damage to the molecules
Some vitamins like vitamin D are still extracted from lanolin found quickly in sheep oil. Red Bull uses B vitamins like Vitamin B3 or niacin, vitamin B6 or pyridoxine, and vitamin B12 or cobalamin, which are mostly synthetic.
Niacin can be manufactured by a mix of microbial and chemical processes.
Vitamin B6 or pyridoxine is prepared microbially or chemically from non-animal sources.
Vitamin B12 is exclusively made with microbial fermentation, so synthetic B12 in fortified foods and beverages is always vegan.
That was the fact file for the vegan status of Red Bull.
Thanks for reading.
You may also want to check out the following related articles:
 1. Giving Wings to People and Ideas.
 2. (12 Cans) Red Bull Energy Drink, 8.4 Fl Oz.
 3. Understanding Food: Principles and Preparation (Page 554). Amy Brown – Wadsworth Cengage Learning – 2011. ISBN-10: 0-538-73498-1
 4. Hollingsworth P. Redefining New Age. Food Technology 51(8):44–51, 1997.
 5. Taurine, Compound Summary. Pubchem. US National Library of Medicine.
 6. What Is Taurine? Benefits, Side Effects and More Rudy Mawer –
 7. Kosswig, K. (2000). "Sulfonic Acids, Aliphatic". Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry. Weinheim: Wiley-VCH.
 8. Is Sugar Vegan?
 9. Jose L. Revuelta, Ruben M. Buey, Rodrigo Ledesma‐Amaro, and Erick J. Microbial biotechnology for the synthesis of (pro)vitamins, bio pigments and antioxidants: challenges and opportunities. MicrobBiotechnol. 2016 Sep; 9(5): 564–567.
 10. Y. Tani. Microbial Production of Vitamin B6 and Derivatives. Biotechnology of Vitamins, Pigments and Growth Factors pp 221-230.
Recent Content


Ken Zurski's new book takes a storyteller's angle to local history.
The result is "Peoria Stories: Tales from the Illinois Heartland," which seeks not so much to chronicle facts and figures but breathe life into throwback intersections between big names and the river city.
The likes of Teddy Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln and Carrie Nation appeared in Peoria, just as they do in "Peoria Stories." But Zurski, unsatisfied with timeworn acknowledgements of their visits, aims for deeper views. Why did Roosevelt visit Grandview Drive? How did Lincoln's speech change his career? What prevented Nation from swinging her axe?
Over its 208 pages, "Peoria Stories" answers those questions and tells more tales. Still, amid personalities of renown and impact, the star is Peoria. Zurski, anchor of local radio's Traffic One and author of the 2012 book "The Wreck of the Columbia," sketches the city's and region's roles during national movements and events at various points in time.
"Peoria Stories: Tales from the Illinois Heartland" is available from Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble and the Peoria Riverfront Museum. Published by Amika Press, cost is $18.95.


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You don't hear much about organizations tackling the glut of manual processes that they have. While one can get attracted by the digital efforts that are in the headlines today, there is also great opportunity in optimizing manual processes. The funds saved modeling here could drive funding for your digital efforts.While it would be great to automate as many manual processes as possible, there is also still low hanging fruit in the manual process arena. Even a fresh update of the operations manuals would do well to add benefit, but that's another topic. There are three major ways to squeeze benefits out of crafted processes. One is it gain consensus on the manual process, another is to optimize that process in its manual state and finally automating key portions of the manual process.
1. Build Consensus:
Quite often processes gather dust and get old. Sometimes the same process get re-invented and implemented by individual departments, divisions and even geographies. Sometimes the reason for the process evaporates and the process keeps humming along producing unneeded results. The law of entropy applies to processes as well as machines, people and organizations. By spending time understanding and sharing the processes around visibly, the time investment pays off in the complete deletion of tasks or the whole process. Putting the light on dark corners of an organizations process really is eye opening and may allow for some consolidation and changes that add more value and reduce costs. $$$$
2. Optimize the Crafted Process:
Need processes can always use optimization over time. By visually presenting the existing processes. new options for tuning the process will surface during the discussions if the right tone is set and the proper rewards are stated. Sometimes job, department and skill boundaries can be changed to optimize the results and costs. $$$
3. Automate Wisely:
Some processes are screaming for automation and this is where some of the new digital options will appear to be helpful. Maybe some of the tasks in the crafted processes could be replaced. Maybe the whole process could use some advanced automation. Perhaps there might be tasks available from the market to include in your processes. A real mistake would be to try to automate 100% the processes without some judgement. The law of diminishing returns could play here, if one is not careful. $$$$$
Real World Results:
Here are some interesting results that are pleasing to the eye:
A major food manufacturer broke functional silos
An electronic organization increased speed 34 fold to access and execute localized processes
A large oil company was able to optimize processes visually
A large financial organization reduced its cost of interaction by more than five fold
A large bank stated that restructure would take half the time
There were many more to use.
Not only are there hard benefits and speed increases, modeling provides a step change in ways of working while looking to find innovative ways of staying ahead with digital. This is an essential building block for many organizations going to the new digital world. Understanding current operations, changing operations for funding sources and mapping the future are in the wheel house of modeling.
My Current Favorite Vendors to Model and Understand (**):
IBM BlueWorks, I:vis, Q9 Elements. Interfacing Tech, Major Oak, QPR, Signavio, Software AG, Tibco & Trisotech
My Current Favorite Vendors to Automate After Understanding: (physical modeling **)
AgilePoint, Appian, Bonitasoft, DST, EMC, IBM, ManyWho, Metasonic, Newgen, Nintex, OpenText, PNMsoft Pegasystems, SAG, Tibco, W4, Work Relay & XMPro
** There are many more players that are in the market that could be a favorite one day :)


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Wednesday, February 27, 2008
A few more links summarizing where this new development has been already integrated, can be found on
Saturday, February 9, 2008
At the moment approx. 33 millions of organics are known. Chemspider holds approx. 21M, PUBCHEM-Compounds approx. 18M structures, which represents 2/3 of known chemistry. I know that within CHEMSPIDER structure correction is an ongoing process as it is e.g. within my own CSEARCH-project. NMRshiftdb has been severly improved over the last months, etc.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Some background information:
- C-NMR spectra have been calculated using CSEARCH-NN-technology
- Spectral search technique is based on SAHO as implemented into CSEARCH
- The main intention of this system is to get some feeling about the compound class for an unknown. It must be clearly stated, that a database of 5M unqiue structures is definitely too small to cover known organic chemistry (approx. 33M at 02/2007). When taking into account the possible structures for a given molecular formula, 5M structures represent a neglictable part of possible organic chemistry!
In the meantime there were massive updates on PUBCHEM - this was the reason for rerunning the predictions and implementing another (much faster) search technique - the principle is still based on Wolfgang Bremsers SAHO-technique - the speed has been increased to allow searching of 1 billion (10**9) of CNMR-spectra within less than 3 seconds on a single CPU. At the moment the system is only partly installed and allows searching of 405,704,611 spectral patterns (usually in 1.2-1.6 seconds).
- PREDICTED CNMR-spectra for approx. 23M unique structures downloaded from PUBCHEM using CSEARCH-NN-technology
- Structures deposited from CHEMSPIDER are already included
- Intention is again to give some flavour of possible compound classes for an unknown
A detailed description of the search-technique will be given soon - stay tuned!
Another nice feature of this system: Whenever an experimental set of NMR-data is available within CSEARCH / SPECINFO / NMRPRedict / NMRShiftDB / CHEMGATE - this information is automatically included into the final resulting table of structures!
Feel free to test it! The URL is
Your feedback is highly appreciated - use the comment section!


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Minimizing Joule heating remains an important goal in the design of electronic devices1, 2. The prevailing model of Joule heating relies on a simple semiclassical picture in which electrons collide with the atoms of a conductor, generating heat locally and only in regions of non-zero current density, and this model has been supported by most experiments. Recently, however, it has been predicted that electric currents in graphene and carbon nanotubes can couple to the vibrational modes of a neighbouring material3, 4, heating it remotely5. Here, we use in situ electron thermal microscopy to detect the remote Joule heating of a silicon nitride substrate by a single multiwalled carbon nanotube. At least 84%of the electrical power supplied to the nanotube is dissipated directly into the substrate, rather than in the nanotube itself. Although it has different physical origins, this phenomenon is reminiscent of induction heating or microwave dielectric heating. Such an ability to dissipate waste energy remotely could lead to improved thermal management in electronic devices6."
These experiments seem extremely important in constructing AI singularity timelines, what does lesswrong think?
What is the impact on life extension research?
I don't see a line of inference free of holes, but one can imagine the sort of uses a scifi author would come up with.


a Chief of a branch of the Conestoga Indians who at that time occupied this region. The friendship formed between Red Men of the forest with the Huguenots upon their arrival was maintained for many years, each race giving the other assistance in time of need."
Not long after her arrival in Pequea, Madame Ferree selected a plot of ground located on the Daniel Ferree tract to be set aside for use as a family graveyard. First referred to as the Ferree Graveyard, it is now known as Carpenter's Cemetery. Madame was the first one buried there when she died in 1716. From "Memorials of the Huguenots in America" by Stapleton the following is written regarding her death.
"Here this noble woman, who had drunk so deeply from the cup of misfortune, found a peaceful grave in 1716. She had accomplished her purpose to establish a new home for her posterity, many of whom are slumbering by her side. Her great influence still lives in the great multitude of her descendants who belong to the aristocracy of personal worth."
From this staunch family of French Huguenots come generations of descendants
proud to be a part of this remarkable, historical Ferree Family.
Resources: " The American Descendants of Chretien DuBois of Wicres, France" compiled by William Heigerd for the DuBois Family Association (1968), "The Palatine Families of New York 1710", Volume II by Henry Z. Jones, Jr, "The History of Lancaster County" by I. Daniel Rupp, "Memorials of the Huguenots in America" by A. Stapleton, "Early Eighteenth Century Palatine Emigration" by Walter Allen Knittle, "The Pennsylvania LeFevres" compiled by George Newton LeFevre and Franklin D. LeFevre, "The Story of the Ferree Family" by Emory Schuyler Ferree.
Note: Because of lost records or in some instances where none would have existed, some events in the early history of the family cannot be documented. Attempt has been made to present as true an accounting as possible with information available. Accuracy of all information cannot be guaranteed.


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Lake Malawi National Park is at the southern end of Lake Malawi. It has unique collection of fish species endemic to the lake. The lake draws researchers from all over the world, keen to learn more about the unique diversity found at the park.
5. The Lake and its Surrounding Geography -
The 9,400 hectare Lake Malawi National Park is located at the southern end of the great area of Lake Malawi.The park has a land area around the Cape Maclear, the Monkey bay, Lake Malawi, and islands that are about 100 meters off shore, according to Malawi's department of tourism. Scenery around Lake Malawi National Park comprises of wooded rocky mountains, that slope to the lake shore, and sandy coves, and beaches. The park, is also surrounded by heritage sites such as the rock of the ethnic face scars, and graves of early missionaries who settled there in the 1870s.
4. Natural History -
In 1980, Lake Malawi National Park was designated a national park.Before that, the mainland area of the park had been managed as a forest reserve from 1935, according to a study by the Conservation and Sustainable Development. Due to the lake having fish species never found anywhere else in the world, Lake Malawi National Park was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1984. From the 1840s, Salim-Bin Abdullah a Swahili-Arab slave trader set up his slave trading headquarters, on Lake Malawi's shore. The southern shores of Lake Malawi also served as slave trade routes into Tete province, and Zambezi valley in Mozambique, according to UNESCO.
3. Research, Education, and Tourism -
Due to Lake Malawi National Park's unique biodiversity, it attracts research scientists and students keen to learn about the unique fish species in the lake. According to a World Bank study, there are an estimated 500 to 1000 fish species in Lake Malawi belonging to 11 fish families. These include the endemic cichlidae fresh water fish family, making up over 90 percent of the fish species in the lake. Lake Malawi National Park is also a vibrant tourists' destination. Aquatic recreational activities in the lake's waters like snorkeling, scuba diving, yachting, sail boarding, swimming, and kayaking are available. At the park's land area tourists can hike, bird-watch, mountain bike, and walk on trails around the lake. There are also sports like golf and volleyball available to tourists.
2. Habitats and Biodiversity -
Lake Malawi National Park has diverse habitats. These include rocky shorelines, sandy beaches, wooded hillsides, swamps, and lagoons.There also are granitic hills that rise steeply from the lake's shore, and several sandy bays, according to UNESCO. Lake Malawi also has 30 percent of all known cichlids fish species in the world. Underwater habitats that are sandy, weedy, rocky, and have reed beds and algae, support the diverse fish species in the lake.The park is also rich in fauna.Birds like the collared palm thrush, marabou stork, palm swift, spinetail, and reptiles like the monitor lizard are found there. Lake Malawi National Park also has three antelope species the kudu, suni, and nyala, baboons and hyraxes.
1. Environmental Threats and Conservation Efforts -
Under the laws of Malawi, Lake Malawi National Park is a protected site with a management plan for its resources instituted.But there are potential future threats cited, from human activities like overfishing, firewood collection from the park, pollution of the lake by boats, and siltation due to deforested forest land. Also agricultural related activities like pesticide and fertilizer usage, in adjacent farm lands have been cited by conservation experts, as likely to affect the lake's biodiversity. Such promote growth of blue-green algae, harmful to the fragile aquatic life in Lake Malawi. Though Lake Malawi National Park's terrestrial and underwater habitats are in good condition, there needs to be a plan prioritizing protection of its resources against increased human population and activities, according to UNESCO.


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Last month, a robot plane safely carried passengers 500 miles from England to Scotland and back again, the British consortium operating the plane revealed Monday.
Dubbed "the Flying Test Bed," the plane is a normal 19-seat Jetstream—the kind a corporate executive might fly in—that was converted to fly autonomously.
The group behind the plane is Autonomous Systems Technology Related Airborne Evaluation and Assessment (Astraea), a business consortium funded by the British government and private businesses.
The test flight wasn't completely autonomous—a human pilot onboard entered the cockpit to steer the plane through take-off, and then later the landing. The majority of the flight, however, that long tedium of maintaining a plane at cruising altitude, was in control of the remote pilot, with autonomous systems doing much of the actual flying.
While this was a test flight, it didn't interrupt normal air traffic, and it's 500-mile round-trip between Warton, England, and Inverness, Scotland, occurred in regular commercial airspace, shared with other airplanes.


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or family relationships, the organizer demonstrates how to estimate ages by when a person was married, how many children he/she has and any big events in the past which will give an idea, e.g., if a person was married two seasons after a big storm and was 18 years old when the storm came, his age can be found. Family relationships can be worked out by asking who is the mother and father of each person instead of just whether they are brothers and sisters, cousins or other relatives.
Concepts or conclusions to be drawn from Drama No. 5
It is important to know how many people live in a community to plan for the future.
Planning the family is good for the health of the mother, the life of the family and the good of the community.
If a population grows too fast it is difficult to provide enough food and services for everyone.
Drama No. 6
Keeping fit and healthy.
Characters: A young married couple, two other young friends of the couple.
Basic Story: The four young people are discussing the health clinic which recently opened in the next village. The wife of the married couple wants to go and visit for a checkup and to see what they do there. She would also like to ask about family planning.
The husband does not want to go, he says you only go to a health centre when you are sick.
The other two young people join in the discussion. One is also curious to know what services they have at the health centre, the other does not want to have anything to do with them as he/she says they always want to put needles in you and they hurt too much.
The group discuss together and eventually agree that it is better to check if anything is wrong before it becomes serious. They go off to visit the health centre to see what they have to offer.
Concepts or conclusions to be drawn from Drama No. 6
Preventing illness is much better than curing it when it happens.
Health centres can give advice on illness, nutrition, family planning and general health for the community.
Health centres are a service for the community -everyone should know what they can do for them.
Booklets in this Leaders Guide Series:
Population and Agriculture
Population, Employment and Income
Population and the Environment
Population and Nutrition
Population and Health
The Family and Family Size
Human Growth and Development
How the Population Changes
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations


text: Structural honeycomb is widely used as both an impact limiter and rigid structural support in applications which require a high specific strength and highly characterized energy absorption profile. Structural honeycomb is an anisotropic material with limited strength in directions perpendicular to the cells and features mechanical properties that are largely driven by the materials of construction and structure density. As a result, the mechanical properties of honeycomb are sensitive to the specific geometry, orientation, and reinforcement of the honeycomb structure. This study evaluates the effects of these characteristics on stainless steel structural honeycomb to account for the complex loading conditions experienced during radioactive material package regulatory testing. This material is intended for use in applications where organically bonded honeycomb cannot be used.


text: To address the sparsity and cold start problem of collaborative filtering, researchers usually make use of side information, such as social networks or item attributes, to improve recommendation performance. This paper considers the knowledge graph as the source of side information. To address the limitations of existing embedding-based and path-based methods for knowledge-graph-aware recommendation, we propose RippleNet, an end-to-end framework that naturally incorporates the knowledge graph into recommender systems. Similar to actual ripples propagating on the water, RippleNet stimulates the propagation of user preferences over the set of knowledge entities by automatically and iteratively extending a user's potential interests along links in the knowledge graph. The multiple "ripples" activated by a user's historically clicked items are thus superposed to form the preference distribution of the user with respect to a candidate item, which could be used for predicting the final clicking probability. Through extensive experiments on real-world datasets, we demonstrate that RippleNet achieves substantial gains in a variety of scenarios, including movie, book and news recommendation, over several state-of-the-art baselines.