text: One of America's first professional female sculptors, Harriet Hosmer met Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning in Rome in 1853. The Brownings, both well-known English poets, had eloped to Italy seven years earlier. Shortly after meeting the couple, Hosmer approached them about modeling their hands. Mrs. Browning consented to the sculptor's idea on the condition that Hosmer do the casting herself. Hosmer later explained that these hands were left exactly as they came from the mold because she wanted to preserve the textural quality of the work. The identity of each clasped hand is discernible by the differences in size as well as the treatment of the cuff at each wrist.


text:
Shutterbugs Wiggle and Stomp is a new free iPad app produced by the Smithsonian. The purpose of the game is to help children recognize the movements of animals. In the game children move through a virtual zoo with a zoo keeper. As they go through the virtual zoo the zoo keeper will ask students to take pictures of animals who are demonstrating running, jumping, stomping, and other movements.
Shutterbugs Wiggle and Stomp could be a fun little game for pre-K and Kindergarten students. The game reads the commands displayed on the screen to help students learn to read the words they're seeing. At the conclusion of the game students can print coloring pages of animals they took pictures of during the game.

source: openbmb/Ultra-FineWeb


text:
Association between life stress during pregnancy and infant crying in the first six months postpartum : a prospective longitudinal study
Early human development
Pages / Article-Number
pregnancy, life stress, negative life events, infant fussing and crying, behavior regulation, infancy
OBJECTIVE: To examine prospectively the relationship between prenatal life stress and infant crying/fussing during the first 6 months of postnatal life, taking into account an array of confounders suggested in the literature. DESIGN: Prospective longitudinal study of a convenient sample, with data points in pregnancy and at about 6 weeks, 3, and 6 months postpartum. METHODS: The study included 86 pregnant women who completed a standardized, validated and widely used questionnaire on negative life changes experienced in the preceding 12 months. Women were grouped by median split on the impact score of negative life changes. Demographic, obstetric and lifestyle variables were obtained from preand postnatal interviews and from medical records in order to be taken into account as possible confounders. At all three postnatal data points, mothers kept a validated 5-day 24-h behavior diary to assess durations of infant crying/fussing. RESULTS: Infants of mothers with high scores of negative life changes exhibited more crying/fussing than infants born to mothers with low negative change scores, throughout the first half year postpartum, but particularly at ages 3 and 6 months. These results do not seem to be spurious due to the confounders considered in this report or to recording bias. CONCLUSION: Prenatal life stress is associated with infant crying/fussing in the first half year after delivery. To prevent or reduce infant crying and to foster a well-adapted parent-infant relationship, professionals attending expectant mothers should consider their emotional condition. If required, support should be provided already in pregnancy.


text:
Locomobile History: John B. Walker started the Locomobile Company of America in 1899 in Watertown, Massachusetts. Locomobiles started as small mid-priced steam driven cars with engines designed by the Stanley brothers. They made about 4,000 steam engine cars until 1903 when the company turned to the internal combustion engine and added luxury items. The 1904 Locomobile was a touring car that carried six people and sold for $4,500. The Locomobile company started racing their cars in 1905 and they won the Vanderbilt Cup in 1908; the first U.S. car company to win an international race.
The most famous Locomobile was the 1919 Model 48 but it's price, $10,000 compared to the $300 Model T Ford Phaeton, resulted in limited sales. William Durant bought the Locomobile company in 1922 and continued to use the Locomotive marque until 1929.

source: HuggingFaceFW/fineweb-edu


Shudder in a Sentence 🔊
Definition of Shudder
to tremble suddenly
Examples of Shudder in a sentence
A cool breeze moved through the garden, causing the princess's body to shudder from the chill. 🔊
The sound of nails down the chalkboard caused the child to shudder and shake. 🔊
Sending a shockwave down the warrior's spine, the ghost's appearance on the battlefield made even the bravest soldier shudder. 🔊
Even the thought of having to spend one night in the haunted tavern made my body shudder with fear. 🔊
A jolt of lightening caused the mare's body to shudder and bolt off into the pasture. 🔊
Other words in the Direction category:
Most Searched Words (with Video)


text:
Survey uncovers Grauer's Swamp-warbler nest
Recent surveys of Africa's Albertine Rift Valley have shed new light on Grauer's Swamp-warbler Bradypterus graueri, a particularly vocal Endangered bird that occurs nowhere else on Earth.
In the past, adult swamp-warblers have been recorded throughout the Rift Valley, in Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and Rwanda.
Yet breeding and nesting behaviour –two vital facets of information for conservationists working to save the speciesremained largely unknown, until now.
"During our routine surveys of the Kabatwa Swamp in the Volcanoes National Park [in Rwanda], we came across a small cup-shaped nest perched in foliage 35cm from the ground.
The nest was built from Poa leptocrada and other sedges.
To our surprise there were two chicks sitting in the nest," said Claudien Nsabagasani, Ornithological Researcher with Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International (DFGFI) and IBA Focal Point for Association pour la Conservation de la Nature au Rwanda, ACNR (BirdLife in Rwanda).
"We revisited the Swamp-warbler nest daily from then on to acquire information on nesting and feeding behaviour before the chicks fledged a week later."
The photos of the warbler nest are Rwanda's first, shedding important light on the reproductive ecology of the species.
The surveyors, supported by funding from RSPB (BirdLife in the UK) and DFGFI, had been monitoring Grauer's Swamp-warbler over four seasons, starting in July 2006, in the Volcanoes National Park, an Important Bird Area (IBA).
"With threatened species, every nest counts," said Paul Kariuki Ndang'ang'a, the Species Programme Manager at BirdLife Africa Partnership Secretariat.
Birding in Rwanda: here.
An Endangered Grauer's Swamp Warbler Bradypterus graueri – so far found in the restricted range of swamps of Burundi, Rwanda and eastern part of DRC – was recently mistnetted at one of valley swamps of Kibira National Park called Mwokora. The bird was caught during a field work as part of the BirdLife International/MacArthur Foundation project: here.


text:
I am working with Pseudomonas fragi and I could not help but notice that it smells sweet, which probably explains its species name 'fragi' from 'fragum', strawberry in Latin.
Does anybody know what causes this bacterium to smell sweet? It must be some volatile compound that they release in the air? Why would they do that? Do other bacteria release odorant molecules? If so, why?


text:
Earth's OceansBook - 2017
"This book takes readers on a dive to explore the amazing underwater habitats and landforms of Earth's oceans. Readers will take a journey from the deepest part of the ocean--the Mariana Tech--to the Mid-Ocean Ridge. They'll explore colorful coral reefs, and learn how they form. Photographs and diagrams help illustrate important earth science facts and concepts, and truly transport the reader to the underwater world"--From the publisher's web site.
Publisher: New York :, PowerKids Press,,
Characteristics: 24 pages : color illustrations, color map ; 23 cm


Tolkien Gateway
Great Gulf
Revision as of 03:20, 25 April 2012 by Gamling (Talk | contribs)
Great Gulf
Physical Description
LocationSouth of Endor, north of Hither Lands, coming from Belegaer toward the Straits of the World
The Great Gulf was an immense gulf which divided Beleriand and the other northern parts of Middle-earth from the unknown south during the First Age.[1]
The Great Gulf was created after the destruction of the Two Lamps by Melkor and in the following war, when the Valar widened the great sea Belegaer. The Gulf started at the southern end of Beleriand, and from there flowed east all the way to where later was south Gondor, where a narrow strip of land separated it from the Sea of Helcar.
North of the Great Gulf lay the lands of Beleriand and Eriador, south of it lay those lands which later would be known as Far Harad.
After the War of Wrath at the end of the First Age, the Great Gulf drained the Sea of Helcar and effectively disappeared itself, because much of Middle-earth was drowned. Only its eastern end remained, and became known as the Bay of Belfalas.


text:
"I ASSISTED...TO INTER THE INFANT"
During the early nineteenth century, some slaves continued to draw upon West
African religious customs in burying the dead. In this selection, Charles
Ball, a slave in western Maryland, describes a slave funeral:
I assisted her and her husband to inter the infant...and its father
buried with it, a small bow and several arrows; a little bag of parched meal;
a miniature canoe, about a foot long, and a little paddle, (with which he said
it would cross the ocean to his own country) a small stick, with an iron nail,
sharpened and fastened into one end of it; and a piece of white muslim, with
several curious and strange figures painted on it in blue and red, by which,
he said, his relations and countrymen would know the infant to be his son, and
would receive it accordingly, on its arrival amongst them...He cut a lock of
hair from his head, threw it upon the dead infant, and closed the grave with
his own hands. Hen then told us the God of his country was looking at him,
and was pleased with what he had done.
Source: Charles Ball, Slavery in the United States: A Narrative of the
Life and Adventures of Charles Ball, A Black Man (New York, 1837).


text:
Use fake eggs to make fluffy Easter chick decorations by following this super simple tutorial.
I really wanted to make some egg chicks for Easter, using my huge stack of fake eggs. Pickle asked why there was no Daddy chick (I'd made one big and two little ones). Thinking fast, I told him that Daddy chick was at work!
To make egg chicks for Easter, you will need:
- polystyrene or papier mache eggs
- yellow tissue paper & PVA glue (if using polystyrene eggs), or yellow paint (if using papier mache eggs)
- a paint brush
- yellow, or orange feathers
- orange foam, or card
- googly eyes
- a hot glue gun
- thread and a needle (if you want to hang your finished chicks up)
COST: a few quid
AGE: toddlers and up (with help!)
TIME: 20-30 minutes (plus drying time)
How-to make egg chicks for Easter:
- Paint your egg yellow (if using papier mache eggs), or cover them in yellow tissue paper using watered-down PVA glue and leave to dry.
- Use your hot glue gun to stick a folded diamond of orange foam (or card) to the smaller end of your egg, making a beak.
- Stick your googly eyes above the beak.
- Use your hot glue gun again to stick feather wings to either side of the egg chick and a smaller feather sticking up at the back to make a tail.
- OPTIONAL: If you want to hang your finished chicks to make an Easter display, use a needle to thread a loop and tie the ends together.
So that's how we made our egg chicks for Easter (by the way, I'm linking up with the _TAG_ challenge _TAG_ _TAG_ _TAG_)!


text: Trufield project aims to create an innovative electronic medical records system for people living in poor countries. In many developing countries, medical records are still kept on paper forms. Paper-based medical record keeping is slow, inefficient, time-consuming and simply inadequate to meet patient needs today. Trufield aims improve healthcare by creating an electronic medical records platform for everyone. Good medical record keeping is essential to assuring quality health care. Trufield aims to create a big data revolution to foster better healthcare using blockchain technology to solve real-world problems. The Trufield platform will have a patient-centered approach to storing medical data. This will enable patients to act appropriately when granted access to their own health records. Trufield decentralized application will improve the coordination and continuity of care, reduce errors in information transfer, provide decision-making support for health providers, boost staff accountability, improve legibility of clinical notes and achieve more accurate statistics.


text:
Mechanism for Converting Al₂O₃-containing Borate Glass to Hydroxyapatite in Aqueous Phosphate Solution
The effect of replacing varying amounts (0-2.5 mol.%) of B2O3 with Al2O3 in a borate glass on (1) the conversion of the glass to HA in an aqueous phosphate solution and (2) the compressive strength of the as-formed HA product was investigated. Samples of each glass (10 × 10 × 8 mm) were placed in 0.25 M K2HPO4 solution at 60 °C, and the conversion kinetics to HA were determined from the weight loss of the glass and the pH of the solution. The structure and composition of the solid reaction products were characterized using X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. While the conversion rate of the glass to HA decreased considerably with increasing Al2O3 content, the microstructure of the HA product became denser and the compressive strength of the HA product increased. The addition of SiO2 to the Al2O3-containing borate glass reversed the deterioration of the conversion rate, and produced a further improvement in the strength of the HA product. The compressive strength of the HA formed from the borate glass with 2.5 mol.% Al2O3 and 5 mol.% SiO2 was 11.1 ± 0.2 MPa, which is equal to the highest strengths reported for trabecular bone. The results indicated that simultaneous additions of Al2O3 and SiO2 could be used to control the bioactivity of the borate glass and to enhance the mechanical strength of the HA product. Furthermore, the HA product formed from the glass containing both SiO2 and Al2O3 could be applied to bone repair.
D. Zhao et al., "Mechanism for Converting Al₂O₃-containing Borate Glass to Hydroxyapatite in Aqueous Phosphate Solution," Acta Biomaterialia, Elsevier, May 2009.
The definitive version is available at _URL_
Materials Science and Engineering
Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality
Keywords and Phrases
Bioactivity; Borate Glass; Mechanical Strength; Porous Structure
Library of Congress Subject Headings
Article - Journal
© 2009 Elsevier, All rights reserved.


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King Mir
Member Since 11 Jun 2006
Offline Last Active Dec 13 2014 05:04 PM
Topics I've Started
Help me with my design
05 December 2013 - 11:25 PM
I'm writing a compiler, and I'm trying to come up with a good design for an abstract syntax tree, and it's conversion into code.
The Problem
The AST is built in depth first order, such that every node added will only ever refer to previously added nodes, and in most cases referenced nodes are the most recently added nodes. It is naturally a tree, so each node except the root node is referenced by one parent. For data, an AST node has a type, which can optionally be represented as an enum, a string value, and references to a usually small number of other nodes.
The above naturally leads to an implementation of a std::deque of nodes, acting like a stack. This takes advantage of the fact that elements in a deque tend to be adjacent in memory. It also allows the tree to grow without reallocation as it is built.
To convert the ast to code, I need to traverse the ast in essentially the same depth first traversal, except it may be convenient to start at the root node instead of the first node added. This would make make code generation a recursive algorithm, implementing depth first traversal. How to convert each node depends mostly on the logical type of the node. There may be a hierarchy to this conversion, that is it may make sense to say that converting a constructor is similar to converting a function. A hierarchy may organize code better.
So it strikes me as prudent to use virtual dispatch to implement the conversion. That is, each node type has an associated virtual convert/code_gen/compile function somewhere.
These two designs are at odds with each other, and I'd like your input on how to graft them together. There may also be other considerations that I've overlooked.
How to have a near continuous in memory and simply structured data, but use virtual dispatch to do operate on that data?
Thanks for your replies.
Critical size to pass by value
09 September 2013 - 10:31 PM
How big is a class or struct when it's cheaper to pass by reference than by value?
Large structs are cheaper pass by reference, but structs containing just an primitive type, or no objects at all are cheaper to pass by value. But what about types in between? what size is the cut off point? Is the number and mix of types a consideration?
This is essentially the same as asking "when should RVO kick in?"
There is some advantage to passing by value in alias analysis, and for my purposes I want to separate this effect. I'm curious what effect alias analysis has, but I'm also interested when the expense of the copy itself matters.
I'm pretty sure that for non trivially copyable types, passing by reference will always be cheaper, except for aliasing implications, but for POD types that's not so clear.
Garbage collection algorithim
15 July 2012 - 06:34 PM
I'm looking for a garbage collection algorithim that would behave like the following psudo code example specifies.
Class Foo {
 int id;
 GraphNodePtr next //defaultly null
 Foo(int theID):id(theID){}
GraphNodePtr graph(0);
 GraphNodePtr node1(1);
 GraphNodePtr node2(2);
 GraphNodePtr node3(3);
 node1->next = node2;
 node2->next = node3;
 node3->next = node1; //circular loop
 graph->next = node1;
graph.next.release()//nodes 1, 2, and 3 are immediately deleted here
That is, you have a a single pointer type that can detect orphaned loops. And the garbage collection needs to guarantee that orphaned objects are released once they are orphaned.
Python global variable problem
26 June 2012 - 07:14 AM
So I have 3 files like so:
[source lang="python"]_TAG_.pyimport Test2, Test.Test3if __name__ == '__main__': Test2.initVal() print Test2.getVal() Test.Test3.func()[/source]
[source lang="python"]_TAG_.pyval = {}def initVal(): val[0] = 1 def getVal(): return val[0][/source]
[source lang="python"]_TAG_/Test3.pyimport Blobs.Test2def func(): print Blobs.Test2.getVal() _TAG_ is top level package[/source]
This prints 1, then gives me an exception, because func() sees val as empty the second time. How do I make it see the properly changed variable?
EDIT: clarified behavior
[java] Server with timeout.
11 August 2008 - 09:34 AM
I'm trying to implement a Server which will timeout after a period of inactivity and stop replying. I have the following code, but it seems to use up my cpu and leaks memmory. Is there a better way to do this?
//various imports
public class LoggingServer extends Thread{
 private static final long IDLE_TIME_MILLIS = 15000;
 private static final int LOGGING_SERVER_PORT = 9091;
 private Collection log = Collections.synchronizedCollection(
 new ArrayList() );
 private static ServerSocketChannel ssChannel;
 private AtomicBoolean CallCompleate = new AtomicBoolean(false);
 static {
 try {
 ssChannel = ServerSocketChannel.open();
 ssChannel.socket().bind(new InetSocketAddress(LOGGING_SERVER_PORT));
 } catch (IOException e) {}
 public void run(){
 try {
 long lastConnect = System.currentTimeMillis();
 while(!CallCompleate.get() || System.currentTimeMillis()
 < lastConnect + IDLE_TIME_MILLIS ){
 SocketChannel sChannel = ssChannel.accept();
 LoggingConnectionHandler handler =
 new LoggingConnectionHandler(sChannel.socket(), log);
 lastConnect = System.currentTimeMillis();
 } else {
 } catch (IOException e) {
 public boolean getCallCompleate() {
 return CallCompleate.get();
 public void setCallCompleate(boolean callCompleate) {
Sorry about the mixed tabs and spaces.


Graphics Directives and Options
When you set up a graphics object in the Wolfram Language, you typically give a list of graphical elements. You can include in that list graphics directives which specify how subsequent elements in the list should be rendered.
In general, the graphical elements in a particular graphics object can be given in a collection of nested lists. When you insert graphics directives in this kind of structure, the rule is that a particular graphics directive affects all subsequent elements of the list it is in, together with all elements of sublists that may occur. The graphics directive does not, however, have any effect outside the list it is in.
The first sublist contains the graphics directive GrayLevel.
Click for copyable input
Only the rectangle in the first sublist is affected by the GrayLevel directive.
Click for copyable input
GrayLevel[i]gray level between 0 (black) and 1 (white)
RGBColor[r,g,b]color with specified red, green and blue components, each between 0 and 1
Hue[h]color with hue h between 0 and 1
Hue[h,s,b]color with specified hue, saturation and brightness, each between 0 and 1
Basic Wolfram Language color specifications.
The Wolfram Language accepts the names of many colors directly as color specifications. These color names, such as Red, Gray, LightGreen, and Purple, are implemented as variables which evaluate to an RGBColor specification. The color names can be used interchangeably with color directives.
The first plot is colored with a color name, while the second one has a fine-tuned RGBColor specification.
Click for copyable input
The function Hue[h] provides a convenient way to specify a range of colors using just one parameter. As h varies from 0 to 1, Hue[h] runs through red, yellow, green, cyan, blue, magenta, and back to red again. Hue[h,s,b] allows you to specify not only the "hue", but also the "saturation" and "brightness" of a color. Taking the saturation to be equal to one gives the deepest colors; decreasing the saturation toward zero leads to progressively more "washed out" colors.
When you give a graphics directive such as RGBColor, it affects all subsequent graphical elements that appear in a particular list. The Wolfram Language also supports various graphics directives which affect only specific types of graphical elements.
The graphics directive PointSize[d] specifies that all Point elements which appear in a graphics object should be drawn as circles with diameter d. In PointSize, the diameter d is measured as a fraction of the width of your whole plot.
The Wolfram Language also provides the graphics directive AbsolutePointSize[d], which allows you to specify the "absolute" diameter of points, measured in fixed units. The units are of an inch, approximately printer's points.
PointSize[d]give all points a diameter d as a fraction of the width of the whole plot
AbsolutePointSize[d]give all points a diameter d measured in absolute units
Graphics directives for points.
Here is a list of points.
Click for copyable input
This makes each point have a diameter equal to onetenth of the width of the plot.
Click for copyable input
Here each point has size 3 in absolute units.
Click for copyable input
Thickness[w]give all lines a thickness w as a fraction of the width of the whole plot
AbsoluteThickness[w]give all lines a thickness w measured in absolute units
Dashing[{w1,w2,}]show all lines as a sequence of dashed segments, with lengths,,
AbsoluteDashing[{w1,w2,}]use absolute units to measure dashed segments
CapForm[type]give all lines endcaps of the specified type
JoinForm[type]give all lines joins of the specified type
Graphics directives for lines.
This generates a list of lines with different absolute thicknesses.
Click for copyable input
Here is a picture of the lines.
Click for copyable input
The Dashing graphics directive allows you to create lines with various kinds of dashing. The basic idea is to break lines into segments which are alternately drawn and omitted. By changing the lengths of the segments, you can get different line styles. Dashing allows you to specify a sequence of segment lengths. This sequence is repeated as many times as necessary in drawing the whole line.
This gives a dashed line with a succession of equallength segments.
Click for copyable input
This gives a dotdashed line.
Click for copyable input
Dashing can be turned off by specifying an empty list. Here, Dashing is turned off for only the second line.
Click for copyable input
Graphics directives which require a numerical size specification can also accept values of Tiny, Small, Medium, and Large. For each directive, these values have been fine-tuned to produce an appearance which will seem appropriate to the human eye.
This specifies a large thickness with medium dashing.
Click for copyable input
This specifies that the entire multipoint should use large, green points.
Click for copyable input
The CapForm directive lets you specify the shapes of the end caps of lines. End cap shapes can be,, or.
This shows the different shapes available to CapForm.
Click for copyable input
CapForm["Butt"] specifies that lines end exactly at their endpoints. end caps extend one-half line width beyond the ends of a line. end caps are half-circles whose diameter is the width of the line.
You can also specify the shapes of the joins between line segments via the JoinForm directive.
Here are the shapes available to JoinForm.
Click for copyable input
JoinForm[{"Miter",d}]extend the join by at most d times the line width
Specifying the maximum length of miter joins.
When the angle between adjacent line segments is small, the point at a miter join can be very long. Excessively long points are by default truncated to bevel joins. The length at which this happens, the "miter limit", is by default set so that the points of 5-pointed stars are sharp, but more acute joins are beveled. You can specify an explicit miter limit using JoinForm to control exactly when sharp joins are beveled. The miter limit is the number of line widths that the point at a join is allowed to extend past the vertex of the join before it is beveled.
The points on this 7-pointed star are blunted by the default miter limit.
Click for copyable input
Specifying an explicit larger miter limit gives a pointed star.
Click for copyable input
RoundingRadius->rspecify that corners should be rounded with radius r
The RoundingRadius option to Rectangle.
The corners of Rectangle primitives can be rounded with the RoundingRadius option, which specifies the radius of the rectangle's corners. The actual rounding is limited to the half-length of an adjacent side.
Here are rectangles with various amounts of corner rounding.
Click for copyable input
One way to use Wolfram Language graphics directives is to insert them directly into the lists of graphics primitives used by graphics objects. Sometimes, however, you want the graphics directives to be applied more globally, and for example to determine the overall "style" with which a particular type of graphical element should be rendered. There are typically graphics options which can be set to specify such styles in terms of lists of graphics directives.
PlotStyle->stylespecify a style to be used for all curves in Plot
PlotStyle->{{style1},{style2},}specify styles to be used (cyclically) for a sequence of curves in Plot
MeshStyle->stylespecify a style to be used for a mesh in density and surface graphics
BoxStyle->stylespecify a style to be used for the bounding box in threedimensional graphics
Some graphics options for specifying styles.
This generates a plot in which all curves are specified to use the same style.
Click for copyable input
A different PlotStyle expression can be used to give specific styles to each curve.
Click for copyable input
The various "style options" allow you to specify how particular graphical elements in a plot should be rendered. The Wolfram Language also provides options that affect the rendering of the whole plot.
Background->colorspecify the background color for a plot
BaseStyle->colorspecify the base style for a plot, affecting elements not affected by PlotStyle
Prolog->ggive graphics to render before a plot is started
Epilog->ggive graphics to render after a plot is finished
Graphics options that affect whole plots.
This draws the plot in white on a gray background.
Click for copyable input
This makes the axes white as well.
Click for copyable input
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text:
Practical Methods for Reliability Data Analysis
This practical introduction to the analysis of data collected from reliability studies offers clear, detailed explanations of the best and most up-to-date techniques available. Topics include survival analysis with covariates, the assessment of systems performance, reliability growth models, dependency (which encompasses both engineering and statistical approaches), and practical aspects of analysis. A wealth of interesting case studies appear throughout the text, lending "real-world" examples to the more theoretical discussions. Throughout, the authors stress the need for investigators to understand the background and nature of their data if they are to select the most appropriate analysis method. They also provide in-depth treatments of the mathematical and statistical bases underlying each technique. Accessible and comprehensive, the book will be welcomed by students, professionals, and statisticians who are interested in the practical aspects of reliability data analysis.
What people are saying - Write a review
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Introduction to reliability
Analysis of lifetimes with covariates
Models for repairable systems
Analysis of repairable systems
Growth and adaptive models
alternative Ansell approach appropriate approximation assess assumed asymptotic batch censored observations considered covariates Cox and Lewis cumulative hazard function cumulative number data analysis data collection databases defined denoted dependency equations Example exponential distribution failure rate failure time distribution function is given gamma gamma distribution given in Fig given in Table hazard function Hence identical components illustrated independent Laplace transform lifetime distribution likelihood function linear log likelihood matrix maximum likelihood estimation modules multivariate NHPP null hypothesis number of events number of failures objective obtained operate performance plot Poisson distribution possible probability density function problem proportional hazards model random variable reliability data reliability engineers reliability function reliability studies renewal process repairable systems residuals right censored ROCOF S-PLUS sample Section shape parameter sodium sulphur battery standard error structure function Subsection suggested system is given techniques test statistic trend truncated usually variance Weibull distribution Weibull regression model zero


text:
Many people are confused about the concepts in DBus. This page gives an analogy to the web which should help to explain things.
- unique bus name
- well-known bus name
- object path
- method name
- in parameters
- out parameters
Web Server Analogy
- unique bus name is like an IP address. In particular it is dynamic.
- well-known bus name is like a hostname. It can be held by different programs at different times, but they should all implement the same API
- object path is like the path on the server
- interface/method name is like GET or POST
- in parameters are like like GET/POST variables
- out parameters are like the page which is returned.
Object-Oriented Language Analogy
- an object path refers to an object, such as a java.lang.Object
- an interface is exactly like a Java interface
- in parameters are method arguments
- out parameters are method return values
- unique bus name identifies the running process or application uniquely (these bus names are never re-used by a different process)
- well-known bus name is a "symlink" that points to the process providing a particular API
- an API is made up of objects that are expected to exist, which are expected to implement certain interfaces
- see also _URL_


text:
The word Brandy comes from the Dutch word brandewijn, ("burnt wine"), which is how the straightforward Dutch traders who introduced it to Northern Europe from Southern France and Spain in the 16th century described wine that had been "burnt," or boiled, in order to distill it. The origins of Brandy can be traced back to the expanding Moslem Mediterranean states in the 7th and 8th centuries.
Cognac is the best known type of Brandy in the world, a benchmark by which most other Brandies are judged. The Cognac region is located on the west-central Atlantic coast of France, just north of Bordeaux, in the departments of Charente and Charente-Maritime. The region is further subdivided into six growing zones: Grande Champagne, Petite Champagne, Bois Ordinaries, Borderies, Fins Bois, and Bons Bois.
Brandy has a rating system to describe its quality and condition; these indicators can usually be found near the brand name on the label:
- A.C.: aged two years in wood.
- V.S.: "Very Special" or 3-Star, aged at least three years in wood.
- V.S.O.P.: "Very Special Old Pale" or 5-Star, aged at least five years in wood.
- X.O.: "Extra Old", Napoleon or Vieille Reserve, aged at least six years, Napoleon at least four years.
- Vintage: Stored in the cask until the time it is bottled with the label showing the vintage date.
- Hors d'age: These are too old to determine the age, ten years plus is typical, and are of great quality.


text:
Article One: Name
- The name of this organization shall be "Groton Interfaith Council; hereafter it shall be referred to as the "GIC", "Interfaith Council" or the "Council."
Article Two: Mission & Vision
MISSION: The Groton Interfaith Council is an association of religious organizations and individual community members in Groton, Massachusetts. The mission of the Groton Interfaith Council is to foster understanding, respect, justice and peace among people of a variety of religious traditions through worship, fellowship, education, and service.
VISION: Inspired by our different faiths and our common values, we thus bind ourselves together in association for mutual enrichment and community service and agree to honor the differences among us in theology, polity, worship, and practice. Together we will seek ways to create more understanding and acceptance of people of diverse religions and cultures.
Article Three: Membership
- ELIGIBILITY:The Interfaith Council shall embrace all religious organizations and individual supporters in Groton, MA, that indicate their desire to be so associated.
- A Religious Organization is defined as a formally organized worshipping community.
- An individual supporter may be a member of a religious organization or independent of a religious organization.
- Existing members of the Groton Council of Churches will maintain their membership status in the GIC effective January 1, 2010
- MEMBERSHIP: An eligible religious organization or individual may become a member upon written request for membership, upon a meeting with the council to describe their mission, vision and values, how that matches the GIC Mission and Vision, and how they relate to people with different beliefs, and upon the approval of a two-thirds (2/3) majority of the representatives of the constituent members present and voting at any assembly meeting. In assuming membership in the GIC, members accept responsibility for supporting the Council's mission and vision.
- ACTIVE MEMBERSHIP: In order for members to maintain active membership status, members must attend at least one of every 6 quarterly assembly meetings and pay annual dues. Annual dues for religious organizations are $50 and dues for individual members are $10, due April 15th of every year.
- INACTIVE MEMBERSHIP: If a member does not pay annual dues and does not meet attendance requirements, the member automatically becomes inactive, meaning that the member cannot vote until membership is reactivated by paying annual dues and attending an assembly meeting.
- REPRESENTATION: Each member organization may be represented at assembly meetings by one leader and two delegates elected by its own constituency. Leader and delegates of active member religious organizations each receive one vote. Delegates shall serve a one (1) year term and may be re-elected. Active individual members are member for life and each receive one vote.
- WITHDRAWAL or TERMINATION:
- Any member organization may withdraw from membership in the Council by written notice.
- Full voting Membership is conditional on payment of annual dues by April 15th. In May, the Treasurer shall contact members whose dues have not been paid, and voting privileges shall be suspended on June 30th of that year for those members whose dues have not been paid.
- Mailings to and voting privileges may be terminated by the approval of a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of the assembly at a quarterly meeting if the annual dues have not been paid and the individual member or delegate of the member organization has not attended any of the last six assembly meetings.
- Membership shall be terminated for actions contrary to the purposes of the GIC as stated in Article II of these By-Laws by the approval of a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of the representatives present at an assembly meeting, provided written notice of such proposed action is given to member organization or individual member two (2) weeks prior to the date of the assembly.
Article Four: Governing Structure & Meetings
- ASSEMBLY:Consists of individual members and representatives from organizations (one leader and two delegates). The work of the assembly includes:
- Meeting regularly to plan and vote on policies and procedures, bylaw changes, and activities.
- Establishing and continuing committees and functions in accordance with the mission of the Council
- Electing the officers from among the representatives of the membership
- ASSEMBLY MEETING:Quarterly meetings are the foundation of the Interfaith Council's governing structure, and most of the decisions, activities, communication and work of the Council will take place during these meetings. The President, elected by the assembly, will serve as moderator of the Meetings.
- Elections will be held at the 1st quarter assembly meeting.
- COMMITTEE MEETING: Committees may be formed to form on special tasks and they are to meet separately from the assembly and report back to the assembly on any new business.
- Notice, Representation and Quorum:
- Notice of meetings will be given electronically or in writing to all member organizations and individual members thirty days prior to the scheduled meeting date. Notification of changes to meeting dates must be send electronically or in writing to all member organizations and individual members as soon as the change is made.
- A simple majority vote of the assembly present will decide all issues unless otherwise stated in these bylaws.
Article Five: Officers and The Executive Committee
- OFFICERS: The Officers of the Interfaith Council will be: President, Vice President, Scribe, and Treasurer elected annually by majority of members present at the 1st quarter assembly meeting. Officers will have one-year terms, but can reelected each year during elections at the 1st quarter assembly meeting.
- Roles and Responsibilities:
- Develops the agenda.
- Moderates meetings.
- Appoints members to and encourages committees and task forces.
- Communicates with the community, members and individual supporters
- Serves as the spokesperson for the Interfaith Council at community events.
- Represents the Council in correspondence and documents
- Vice President:
- Moderates meetings in absence of the President.
- Takes minutes of meetings.
- Sends out electronic, written and/or verbal announcements of meetings.
- Takes attendance and confirms quorums at meetings.
- Maintains active and inactive membership list with assistance of treasurer.
- Maintains historical records of meetings, including minutes and hand-outs
- Collects and records membership dues and report as requested.
- Works with scribe to maintain active and inactive membership lists.
- Records all collections and expenditures.
- Collects receipts and distribute funds as requested.
- Provides a financial report at every assembly meeting.
- Attend and vote at meetings.
- Participate as able and willing in Interfaith Council meetings and activities.
Article Six: Fiscal Year
- The Fiscal Year shall begin on January 1st and end on December 31st of the following year.
Article Seven: Amendments
- These bylaws may be amended by two-thirds vote of the governing body present at a Quarterly Meeting. All proposed amendments must be submitted in writing to all member organizations at least thirty days prior to the Quarterly Meeting.


Keyword Analysis & Research: podcasts for kids educational
Keyword Analysis
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Kids like to be informed and engaged, but talking to kids about the news can be a challenge. This podcast, created by moms who are broadcast journalists, offers young listeners five minutes of kid-friendly news (followed by a quick quiz) each day, five days a week.
Which is the Best Podcast for Curious Kids?
But Why: A Podcast for Curious Kids But Why answers questions from kids who want experts to tackle all their questions about anything under the sun, from why turtles have shells to how hurricanes form to what's up with different cultural beliefs in fairy tales.
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Age Range: Best for ages 8-18, but entertaining for older ages as well. This fast-paced, quirky podcast uses fictional stories to teach listeners about science. It's hosted by an emergency medicine physician, a science journalist, and a filmmaker.
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The act of booking a trip or hotel stay is often the result of a long and considered journey for travellers. Increasingly, guests are making decisions and purchases in a non-linear fashion, as they make use of the growing amount of resources at their disposal.
Digital platforms and multi-device usage continue to evolve, influencing travellers in a myriad of forms; from when they first decide to travel all the way to the final booking decision. Understanding the methods and paths they employ to conclude their travel plans is a key insight for hotels looking to maximise the number of guests they can reach and convert on a global scale.
While travellers still use offline resources, such as recommendations from family and friends, the amount of online options, both where they can find information and how they view the information, are greater than ever before.
A new report from Expedia Media Solutions and comScore has uncovered some fascinating insights into the path British travellers take to purchase and the resources they interact with along the various stages of their hotel booking experience.
Here are 9 interesting facts we learned about British travellers' booking behaviour:
1. Mobile reigns supreme with agnosticism on the rise
More UK users now engage with travel content on mobile than desktop devices, but multi-device usage has seen the biggest increase. In the space of a year, multi-platform engagement has grown by 15 points to 49%, while mobile-only and desktop-only sit at 28% and 21% respectively.
2. The battle of browsers and applications
Browsers are still the primary source of travel information but apps narrow the gap on mobile devices, with 64% of all travel information accessed via a browser. On mobile devices it is only 53% with app popularity continuing to grow.
3. They take long trips with a friend or spouse
Almost all online bookers travelled with a companion and more than half stayed a week or longer. The report found 88% of travellers sojourned in company while 59% booked trips lasting one to two weeks.
4. They weigh up their options
The majority of travellers began the booking process with multiple destinations in mind – 54% say they consider two or more locations early on.
5. OTAs are the most vital online resource
When deciding on a destination, 15% stated OTAs influenced them the most, ahead of search engines (11%), airline sites (9%), and hotel websites (8%).
6. Social media is a catalyst
Of those surveyed, 13% used social media as a research tool with travel pictures/videos proving the most engaging medium at 31%.
7. Advertising can be effective
Around 30% of respondents admitted advertising did impact their decision when deciding on a destination.
8. Early bird gets the worm
Ad recall is at its highest when travellers are still largely undecided about their plans, with travel packages the most memorable at the beginning of research (64%) while car rental advertising rates the highest directly before booking (27%).
9. Ads are for the younger generations
Interestingly, millennials are 25% more likely to notice travel ads when compared to Gen-X members or baby boomers.
So, how can hotels capitalise on these trends?
It's clear that hotels have a lot to consider in the current industry landscape to attract an optimum slice of the market. Here are the most important tips to consider:
1. OTA connection is a must
It's clear OTAs are a popular and powerful influencer on travellers so any sound business plan will involve connecting your hotel to multiple OTAs. However, remember that the more you have the more complicated it will be to balance and manage them, unless you have a channel manager.
2. Technology is your friend
This is particularly important in relation to mobile devices. By now, most travellers are extremely tech savvy and they use their technology to inform their decisions. With mobile engagement on a trend of exponential growth, it's imperative your hotel's booking information is accessible via a mobile optimised website.
3. Social media and advertising shouldn't be ignored
People are constantly inspired to travel and much of this stimulation stems from social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat etc. Additionally, well-placed advertising can have a massive impact on kickstarting a person's desire to travel. Hotel marketers need to keep both these factors in mind when targeting their market.


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About this blog
A blog dedicated to the examination of communications in election campaigns, with a focus on posters
Monday, August 3, 2009
In late June, Cowan's Auctions, Inc. auctioned off an ambrotype of a "wide awake" marcher for Abraham Lincoln during his 1860 campaign for president of the United States. The ambrotype brought in a record $10,575.
The "wide awakes" were typically young men, who marched for the Republicans in huge torch-lit parades, sometimes singing political songs. Lincoln, himself, coined the term for these supporters, according to The New York Times, saying in Hartford, Connecticut: "The boys are wide awake. Suppose we call them the 'Wide-awakes'." These men wore oil-cloth covered caps and capes, and swung torches during campaign rallies and marches in support of the Republican ticket of Lincoln and Hannibal Hamlin. The marcher pictured in the ambrotype also carried a campaign banner (see a similar one to the right) for Lincoln and Hamlin.
The Republicans organized parades and rallies, with free food and drink provided, and Lincoln's supporters also published two weekly newspapers, both called The Rail Splitter, which not only propagated his stands on issues, but also raised funds. The overriding issue of the campaign was slavery expansion, which had finally reached the crisis stage, after decades of agitation by abolitionists and proslavery expansionists.
Much more on the epic 1860 campaign is included in my book, Posters, Propaganda, and Persuasion in Election Campaigns Around the World and Through History.
Next » « Previous


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Organizations use strategic initiatives to deliver benefits to strategic stakeholders, who want measurable performance outcomes. A clear understanding of what causes performance outcomes is a force for energizing the program's design. This article defines performance outcomes as forecasted trends of a critical results area.
Performance outcomes crystallize the vision
and help to identify the high-priority projects.
You can energize your strategic initiative by understanding performance outcomes. I will explain the key points in the following paragraphs.
Examples of Performance Outcomes
Here are two examples of performance outcomes:
- Executives at Domino's regarded its Pizza Turnaround as a success – in part – because it increased the performance outcome of same store sales. Its program vision – to launch a new pizza that could win (prevail over its direct competitors) a national taste test – was a driver for this key business metric.
- The travel and hospitality industry uses revenue per available room (revpar) as its key indicator. This is computed as the occupancy × average room rate. A strategic initiative – such as a promotional program – should pay off in an improvement in the trend.
The Program Leader's Job is to Drive the Strategic Initiative
Many strategic initiatives flounder in transitioning from strategy formulation to strategy implementation. The culprit? Ambiguity.
The program manager needs to step up and drive the initiative. An important early task for the leader of a strategic initiative is to
Identify the performance outcome
that is most valued by your "investors."
I put the word investors in quotes to encourage you to think about your stakeholders in a broad way. People invest more than money; they invest with their time, attention, and emotions.
Performance Outcomes are Trend Lines
Outcomes measure business performance. As an example of a strategic initiative, consider a retailer with a goal of increasing revenues generated by coupons, presently $5 million of sales per year. Let's assume this strategic initiative has the vision to double coupon sales, in each of the next two years: to $10 million during Year 1 and $20 million during Year 2. It will use Twitter couponing as the technology.
Our model building starts with these two assumptions: 1) the baseline performance is $5 million (which would render as a flat line, given the previous assumptions), 2) the goal of the strategic initiative is to create business growth of $10 million in each of the next two years.
Determine the Shape of the Outcome Curve
Modeling a performance outcome is a blend of art and science. You make some educated guesses and draw a trend line, such as the example displayed on the nearby graphic.
Here are a few tips:
- I find it best to show the date of the launch of strategic initiative (the diamond on the graphic) and the "the point of inflection," (the triangle on the graphic) where the benefits being yielded by the strategic initiative will begin to show their effect. Complex systems have more points of delay, thus you should anticipate a delay of time between the start of the strategic initiative and the point where the effects are noticed. As an example, the illustration shows that there is approximately six months of continued performance at baseline levels.
- Then turn your attention to the question, of "What is a realistic slope and shape for this trend?" You will have to use your best judgment to figure out if it will slope upward quickly or slowly, or will it oscillate? Too, most businesses have seasonality where buying behaviors will peak. Will you model that seasonality or statistically smooth it?
Build a Cause-Effect Model
Cause-effect models – and the related tool of causal loop diagrams – enable the team to challenge the organization with this question, "What does this organization need to do to create the outcome?"
Returning to the example of creating revenues through online couponing, the team would assess the factors have the most influence in achieving the result. For simplicity, let's say that the experts on the team tell us that the two most important factors are the face value of coupon and the timing of the coupon. I would charter projects to optimize these two factors.
Conceptual models help people can better manage concepts that are visible and explicit rather than abstract or invisible and assumed. If you are personally skilled in the technique, that is great. If you lack that skill, find and bring experts onto the team.
Often strategy documents are filled with numerous activities; it is hard to discern the priorities. You can use cause and effect models to support strategy validation. The focus question is straightforward:
Given this set of activities,
what is the most likely outcome?
How to Energize the Strategic Initiative
Model building helps the strategic initiative team gain a better understanding of:
- The actual workings of a strategy, particularly how its outcomes are produced by cause and effect relationships.
- The interrelationships between the parts of the strategy.
What do you do with this understanding? I would use this enhanced understanding in concert with the Five Ways to Socialize a Vision and the Four Driving Questions. People need to understand something before they offer their commitment. Too, I would note this essential benefit in the context of the role of the Program Manager as the Chief Decision Architect:
Understanding the relationship between activity and outcomes
leads to better decisions
about how to achieve the desired outcomes.
Getting clarity over outcomes is one of the most important activities in developing a strategic initiative. What are your experiences with developing cause and effect understandings of outcomes?
- Validation: How to Get Strategy Right (leadingstrategicinitiatives.wordpress.com)
- Strategic Initiatives Drive Growth and Innovation in the Travel Industry (leadingstrategicinitiatives.wordpress.com)
- Interpreting Strategy Documents: More Insights and a Valuable Tip! (leadingstrategicinitiatives.wordpress.com)
- The Purpose of a Strategic Initiative is Closing a Performance Gap (leadingstrategicinitiatives.wordpress.com)
- How to Identify Strategic Assumptions (leadingstrategicinitiatives.wordpress.com)


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A client computer joined to domain gathers the list of GPOs to be processed as mentioned below:
- Client computer starts.
- Winlogon Service on the client computer starts. The DCLocator component executes an API call; DsGetDcName to find the domain controller. A DNS Query is send to configured DNS Server.
- DNS Server receives the DNS Query and provides the list of domain controllers.
- Winlogon selects one of the Domain Controller listed in the list and then authenticates the client computer.
- Winlogon now processes the GPOs to be applies to the computer.
- It checks the location of Computer Account in the Active Directory and then check the GPOs configured on the OU.
- Winlogon checks the following permissions for the Computer Account.
Authenticated Users: Read and AGP
Note: Authenticated Users is added by default when you create a GPO and this Security Group has all authenticated domain users and computer accounts.
- Winlogon next checks the gpcFilePath in the Active Directory to check the path of the SYSVOL share where this policy resides. A gpcFilePath looks like below:
Note: If this attribute is missing or has an empty value then this Group Policy will not be processed for client computers.
- After it has found the sysvol path, it then processes the Registry.POL file in the GUID folder. The Registry.POL file contains the Registry based settings you have defined in the Group Policy.
- It processes the settings and activity is logged into the Winlogon.log file of client computer.


Telepresence Robot Test Drive
Home Application Features Pictures Login Buy Now
Robot #1
Robot #2
1. Compatible browsers: Safari only for iOS; Chrome (the best), Samsung Internet, Edge, Opera, Firefox for Android and Windows.
2. Press the button "GO!" above.
After that, you will see the page for the robot control and maybe the message "browser needs permission to access your camera..." You need to press "Allow". In other case you will see the message "Failed to get access to local media...". Press GREEN button to call the robot. If you don't see the video, reload the page and press the geen button again. if you still can't see the video, check the camera and permissions in the browser settings. After connection you can use circle in the right side of the window for the robot moving control.
See this video, how to control the robot:
3. Pressing the mouse button when the cursor is inside of the circle, driving control window will make the robot move forward. Pressing the mouse button when the cursor is in the top sector will make it go forward. To turn the robot, click within the left or right section. The further you click from the center of the driving control window, the faster the robot will go. The arrows on the right side of the circle allow you to control the tilt feature using the robot's camera (You can tilt up or down to see what is above and below).
4. Additionally, you can also control the robot by using the arrows on your keyboard.
5. For more details (about keyboard control, tips and tricks), please see the User Manual page within the following link: Support.
Please put the robot to the dock station after testing. To do that, place the robot in front of the docking station in the distance of about one meter or closer and press the button with the image of a bed.
Please share your opinion with the BotEyes team using this form.


Real-Time Ray-Traced Ambient Occlusion of Complex Scenes using Spatial Hashing
Pascal Gautron, NVIDIA
GTC 2020
Ambient occlusion is an effective way to approximate global illumination: in essence, the closer a point is to its surroundings, the darker it gets. For real-time rendering, this effect is often approximated using screen-space techniques, leading to visible artifacts. Ray tracing provides a unique way to increase the rendering fidelity by accurately computing the distance to the surrounding objects, but it introduces sampling noise. Using the NVIDIA RTX technology available with Vulkan, we propose a real-time ray-traced ambient occlusion technique in which noise is removed in world space. Using spatial hashing for efficient storage, we'll cover all the technical challenges to make ambient occlusion a production feature usable in CAD viewports with scenes comprising thousands of instances and hundreds of millions of polygons.
View More GTC 2020 Content


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Jewellery designing is a process that involves skills, original ideas, creativity,and the ability to visualise and analyse for generating a concept. To create a particular concept, we need to acquire inspiration. When inspiration is achieved, half the work is completed. But, where does this inspiration come from? Jewellery designers often struggle with expressing their creativity because they fail to know where to begin. However, getting inspiration is not as difficult as it seems.
We are surrounded by countless things, objects, shapes, etc., that we encounter every day. The major design sources are in abundance, and we can get inspiration from all of them. If we start exploring the surroundings, we will find inspiration in anything, anywhere and everywhere. So, here are five incredible sources of inspiration for designing outstanding jewellery pieces.
Nature is an endless stock of ideas. When we create a piece of art, nature is reflected in it in some form or the other. A designer can get inspired by mountains or seas, trees or animals, vivid seasons or landscapes. It can be in any form; all you need is to look around and start creating pieces.
These sources are perfect for creating statement pieces that stand apart from the rest. Our history is magnificent and is a rich source of inspiration. Whether it is medieval or ancient, our history has remained marvellous. A designer can get historical inspirations from museums, monuments, sculptures, forts, calligraphy painting, etc. They can even give birth to new styles by re-interpreting historical art forms.
Rhythms and Sounds
Rhythms and sounds or music can sound a little weird of a source for designing jewellery. But, these can be a wonderful source of inspiration. We hear a lot of different sounds at different frequencies like birds chirping, wind blowing, babies giggling, etc. The wavelength of these sounds is so vivid that they can affect our mood altogether. When a designer tries to put them on paper, she/he will have ample concepts for designing.
Constellation and Heavenly Bodies
Our universe is vast and very beautiful. There are innumerable designs that we can observe in the sky, constellations, and other heavenly bodies. The whole part of the universe that has been discovered so far can lead to various inspirations and concepts.
Themes, Concepts and Other Sources
When we analyse things carefully, we can see a deep concept or theme in every single form. The emblems, religious symbols, monograms, logos, man-made things, cartoons, geometric symbols, etc., are also a good source of inspiration.
So, all you need to do now is sit back and explore these sources for your jewellery designs. Besides getting inspiration from these sources, you can also ask for help from experts.
KGK Group also offers countless arrays of gemstones that will help you achieve the desired concept.


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Tuesday 21 May
Mount Glorious spiny crayfish (Euastacus setosus)
What's the World's Favourite Species?Find out here.
Mount Glorious spiny crayfish fact file
- Find out more
- Print factsheet
Mount Glorious spiny crayfish description
The Mount Glorious spiny crayfish (Euastacus setosus) is a highly threatened crayfish, of the Euastacus genus, which is the largest of the ten Australian crayfish genera and includes some of the largest and rarest species of crayfish in the world (2).
Often broadly referred to as the 'spiny crayfish', many species in the genus Euastacus are armed with prominent and well-developed spines. However, the Mount Glorious spiny crayfish has greatly reduced spines and, along with other less spiny species in the genus, it has been grouped into a distinctive complex from south-east Queensland, known as the setosus complex (3).
Like other crayfish, this large, freshwater species has a carapace that protects the head and internal organs. The six segments of the abdomen are individually encased, with a flexible membrane between them to allow movement. Crayfish also have a pair of large fore-claws, followed by four pairs of walking legs and then four pairs of small swimming legs, called 'swimmerets'. These swimmerets are covered with fine hairs, to which the female attaches her eggs. A central tail flap is surrounded by four other flaps that are used to move the crayfish rapidly through the water, as well as curling up to form a brood chamber. The eyes are each borne on an eyestalk, while a pair of large feelers (or antennae) and a pair of small, fine, centrally-located feelers (or antennules) make the crayfish's sense of touch and taste particularly sensitive.Top
Mount Glorious spiny crayfish biology
Very little specific information is available about the biology of the Mount Glorious spiny crayfish.
In general, freshwater crayfish have strong jaws and two pairs of secondary jaws, called maxillae, which allow them to consume a wide variety of both plant and animal matter (4) (5). Most crayfish are nocturnal, remaining in burrows during the day, or under stones and logs (5).
Breeding typically occurs in the autumn in most Euastacus species, when the male transfers sperm to the female to fertilise the eggs. In some species the first pair of appendages on the abdomen has grooves, along which the sperm flows, although the sperm may also be transferred to the female as a spermatophore (4). The female typically lays a large clutch of eggs which are attached to the bristles on the swimmerets, where they remain for the whole incubation period. Unusually among crustaceans, crayfish do not have a larval stage (4) (5).
Chemical signals are thought to play an important role in the crayfish life cycle, and may have a role in courtship, brood care and aggressive interactions between individuals. Aggression is a common crayfish social behaviour which establishes a dominance hierarchy, with more dominant individuals gaining better access to shelter, food and mating partners (6).Top
Mount Glorious spiny crayfish range
The Mount Glorious spiny crayfish is endemic to Australia. It is known only from the headwater tributaries of the Pine River, near Mount Glorious, Brisbane, where it occurs in a small number of sites at elevations above 500 metres (1) (2).
It is possible that the Mount Glorious spiny crayfish occurs elsewhere in the surrounding D'Aguilar Range, although extensive clearing of rainforest in the area means that suitable remaining habitat for this species is limited (1) (2).Top
Mount Glorious spiny crayfish habitat
A freshwater crayfish, the Mount Glorious spiny crayfish inhabits the cool waters close to the source of creeks and streams in areas of rainforest. Like other species of Euastacus, this species prefers heavily shaded, well-oxygenated waters, where it can burrow under logs and rocks (1) (2).Top
Mount Glorious spiny crayfish status
The Mount Glorious spiny crayfish is classified as Critically Endangered (CR) on the IUCN Red List (1).Top
Mount Glorious spiny crayfish threats
The Mount Glorious spiny crayfish is a particularly vulnerable species due to its extremely restricted range. Localised threats, such as bush fires, poor forest management practices, habitat destruction and over-exploitation by collectors are all known to negatively impact this species' population. Additionally, introduced species such as the cane toad (Bufo marinus), as well as cats, foxes, pigs and goats, have all been found to affect crayfish populations (1) (2).
Climate change is also likely to pose a major threat to the Mount Glorious spiny crayfish (1) (2) (7), with increasing temperatures, decreased rainfall, which will alter hydrological regimes, severe weather events and loss of suitable highland habitat all likely to impact heavily on this threatened freshwater crayfish. This species has a limited thermal tolerance and, consequently, it is restricted to cool headwater streams in forested catchment areas. Therefore, increasing temperatures are likely to result in further range contraction of this species (1) (2).Top
Mount Glorious spiny crayfish conservation
The range of the Mount Glorious spiny crayfish coincides with Maiala National Park, which may afford this species some level of protection. However, there are currently no specific conservation measures targeted at the Mount Glorious spiny crayfish (1). All species in the Euastacus genus are designated as 'no take' species in Queensland under the Fisheries Act 1994, and must be released if captured (1) (2).
There is an urgent requirement to carry out further research on the Mount Glorious spiny crayfish, which will greatly aid any future conservation or management initiatives for the species. Information on its biology, life history, population size, habitat requirements, thermal tolerances and resilience to exotic species are particularly required (2).Top
Find out more
Find out more about Australian crayfish:
The Australian Crayfish Project:
This information is awaiting authentication by a species expert, and will be updated as soon as possible. If you are able to help please contact:
- In arthropods (crustaceans, insects and arachnids) the abdomen is the hind region of the body, which is usually segmented to a degree (but not visibly in most spiders). In crustacea (such as crabs) some of the limbs attach to the abdomen.
- Pair of sensory structures on the head of invertebrates.
- The top shell of a turtle or tortoise. In arthropods (insects, crabs etc), the fused head and thorax (the part of the body located near the head), also known as the 'cephalothorax'.
- Diverse group of arthropods (a phylum of animals with jointed limbs and a hard chitinous exoskeleton) characterised by the possession of two pairs of antennae, one pair of mandibles (mouthparts used for handling and processing food) and two pairs of maxillae (appendages used in eating, which are located behind the mandibles). Includes crabs, lobsters, shrimps, woodlice and barnacles.
- A species or taxonomic group that is only found in one particular country or geographic area.
- The fusion of gametes (male and female reproductive cells) to produce an embryo, which grows into a new individual.
- A category used in taxonomy, which is below 'family' and above 'species'. A genus tends to contain species that have characteristics in common. The genus forms the first part of a 'binomial' Latin species name; the second part is the specific name.
- The act of incubating eggs, that is, keeping them warm so that development is possible.
- Of the stage in an animal's lifecycle after it hatches from the egg. Larvae are typically very different in appearance to adults; they are able to feed and move around but usually are unable to reproduce.
- Active at night.
- Gelatinous jelly cone with a sperm cap deposited by a male during courtship and picked up by the cloacal lips of the female.
- Part of the body located near the head in animals. In insects, the three segments between the head and the abdomen, each of which has a pair of legs. In vertebrates the thorax contains the heart and the lungs.
IUCN Red List (June, 2011)
- Coughran, J. and Furse, J.M. (2010) An assessment of genus Euastacus (49 species) versus IUCN Red List criteria. Report prepared for the global species conservation assessment of lobsters and freshwater crayfish for the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The Environmental Futures Centre, Griffith School of Environment, Griffith University, Gold Coast Campus, Queensland.
- Coughran, J. (2008) Distinct groups in the genus Euastascus? Freshwater Crayfish, 16: 123-130.
- Campbell, A. and Dawes, J. (2004) Encyclopedia of Underwater Life. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
- Burton, M. and Burton, R. (2002) The International Wildlife Encyclopedia, Volume 10. Benchmark Books, Glasgow.
- Breithaupt, T. and Thiel,


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Taking inspiration from Mother Nature, scientists are reporting an advance toward preventing the tooth sensitivity that affects millions of people around the world. Their report on development of the substance, similar to the adhesive that mussels use to attach to rocks and other surfaces in water, appears in the journal ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces.
Quan-Li Li, Chun Hung Chu and colleagues explain that about 3 out of every 4 people have teeth that are sensitive to hot, cold, sweet or sour foods and drinks. It occurs when the hard outer enamel layer on teeth and the softer underlying dentin wear away, stimulating the nerves inside. Some sugar-free gums and special toothpastes can help reduce that tooth hyper-sensitivity. However, Li and Chu cite the need for substances that rebuild both enamel and dentin at the same time. To meet that challenge, they turned to a sticky material similar to the adhesive that mussels use to adhere to surfaces. They reasoned that it could help keep minerals in contact with dentin long enough for the rebuilding process to occur.
They describe laboratory tests that involved bathing human teeth with worn-away enamel and dentin in liquid containing the sticky material and minerals. Teeth bathed in the sticky material and minerals reformed dentin and enamel. However, teeth bathed just in minerals reformed only enamel. The gooey substance "may be a simple universal technique to induce enamel and dentin remineralization simultaneously," they concluded.
The authors acknowledge funding from NSFC RGC grant, the Outstanding Youth Fund from the Board of Education of Anhui Province and the Youth Foundation of the Anhui Provincial Natural Science Foundation.
Explore further: Improper consumption of acidic foods could lead to destroyed enamel
More information: Polydopamine-Induced Tooth Remineralization, ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces, 2012, 4 (12), pp 6901–6910. DOI: 10.1021/am302041b
AbstractInspired by mussel bioadhesion in nature, dopamine is extensively used for biomaterial surface modification. In this study, we coated dopamine on demineralized enamel and dentin surfaces to evaluate the effect of polydopamine coating on dental remineralization. Dental slices containing enamel and dentin were first etched with 37% phosphoric acid for 2 min, followed by immersion in a 2 mg/mL freshly prepared solution of dopamine (10 mM Tris buffer, pH 8.5) for approximately 24 h at room temperature in the dark to obtain polydopamine coating. Then, the dental slices with and without polydopamine coating were immersed in the supersaturated solution of calcium and phosphate at 37 °C for 2 and 7 days. The supersaturated solution of calcium and phosphate was refreshed each day. The precipitates were characterized by SEM, XRD, FTIR, microhardness, and nanoscratch analyses. No significant difference was observed in the remineralization of enamel whether it was coated with polydopamine or not. However, a significant difference was found in dentin remineralization between dentin with and without polydopamine coating. Polydopamine coating remarkably promoted demineralized dentin remineralization, and all dentin tubules were occluded by densely packed hydroxyapatite crystals. Thus, coating polydopamine on dental tissue surface may be a simple universal technique to induce enamel and dentin remineralization simultaneously.


Students studying puppetry, folklore from around world
Students studying puppetry, folklore from around world
URBANA — As students at Campus Middle School for Girls are learning, a puppet show is far more than a performance on a stage with a human manipulating a model.
The students are creating their own shows to perform for parents and teachers this afternoon (Friday, Feb. 24) after spending the week studying puppetry around the world.
They're doing so with the help of local puppeteer Ginger Lozar, who is serving as artist in residence, for the school's annual Forum Week. Grants from the Illinois Arts Council and the Junior League of Champaign-Urbana helped pay for the work.
The week after President's Day, the school always suspends class for four days to study one topic in depth.
This year, it's puppetry around the world.
The school's 30 students split into six groups, each studying a geographical location or country. Those include India, Indonesia, Eastern Europe, Central and South America, Japan and the Middle East.
They studied puppetry and folk tales in their regions or countries, as well, along with the history of the art. They adapted the folk tales, changing characters or even the endings.
As they worked in individual classrooms, they worked on their puppets and making props and sets. For example, the group studying Indonesia will perform a puppet show about a king and his two fighting daughters. They made their puppets with Styrofoam balls, fabric and hot glue. This was tricky, said sixth-grader Mei Lien Crandall, because the hot glue softened the Styrofoam. On Thursday morning, they were working on a castle to accompany their show.
They learned that puppets have been as large as 3 feet and as small as an inch in Indonesia, said eighth-grader Andrea Cunningham.
Group member Katie Wennerdahl, an eighth-grader, said puppets are used in the country on all kinds of occasions, including at weddings, funerals and other public ceremonies.
Members of the group studying Middle Eastern puppetry thought they'd focus on Saudi Arabia as a specific country, and then learned that Saudi Arabia doesn't have puppets because its people don't believe in creating images of people.
Their research was frustrating until that realization, said Yasmine Projansky Ono. It went smoother afterward, and they focused on learning about puppets from Turkey, Egypt and even Iran. In their puppet show, a tribe that's out of water sends three birds to scout for better land.
The crow lies, but the partridge and dove tell the truth.
The partridge is rewarded with markings around its eyes; the dove is rewarded with pink feet. The crow is punished by being painted black in their story, said sixth-grader Sara Morisetty.
Other students were still sewing, listening to music from their regions and countries and even deciding what to name the puppets they'd created.
Lozar encouraged them to rehearse their shows on the puppet stage before they left school Thursday. During a dry run on the stage, one group that made marionettes had trouble keeping the strings untangled.
"That's why practice is so important," Lozar told them.
She said she thinks researching and creating the puppets shows will help the students understand various cultures, especially at a time when "the world is shrinking."
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1 entry found.
Common Name: Purple Amaranthus, Red Cathedral, Prince's Feather
Botanical Name: Amaranthus cruentus (am-a-RAN-thus crew-EN-tus)
Decorative Life: About 7-10 days.
Post Harvest Care
- Remove bottom leaves if present, recut stems under water and place into a fresh flower food solution.
- Member of the Amaranthaceae (amaranth family).
- Native of the Americas.
- Related species include celosia, globe-amaranth and blood-leaf.
- Many small flowers occur in erect, plume-like clusters.
- Stems leafy, 2-3 feet long.
- Plant is an annual and classified as a dicotyledon.
Flower Color: Red, purple, yellow.
- Amaranthus is Greek for unfading, in allusion to the unwithering bracts. Bracts are modified leaves generally associated with flowers and often confused with petals.
- Also known as tassel-flower. The specific epithet name of cruentus means bloody, possibly in reference to red colored flowers.
- Many members of the amaranth family are considered weeds such as pigweed, tumbleweed and water hemp.
- Foliage can be colorful, good as dried flower.
- Commonly grown in the garden.


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Teenager captures stunning photos of Earth from space using a homemade spacecraftSeptember 9, 2012 16 Email article | Print article
What where you doing at the age of 19? Smoking pot? Snorting weed? Dancing to Metallica? While I don't know what you were doing at that age, I do know what you weren't doing — snapping awesome photos of our planet from outer-space using something you built buying parts off eBay. Adam Cudworth, on the other hand, is a different story.
Adam Cudworth, a nineteen year old engineering student at Nottingham University, built a homemade spacecraft consisting of a Canon A570 digital camera put in an insulated box containing a GPS chip, radio transmitter, and a self-programmed microprocessor. Cudworth then attached his contraption, dubbed HABE (High Altitude Balloon Experiments), to an air balloon and launched HABE into space where it captured NASA-quality photos of Earth from a height of 110,210 ft (roughly 20 miles above ground). Once HABE landed back on Earth (after the balloon burst in space), Cudworth was able to retrieve the photos by locating HABE using the GPS chip and radio transmitter he included.
The following are the out of this world photos (literally) Cudworth snapped:
Stunning. Absolutely stunning. HABE was also able to capture some photos of Earth landscape while it was ascending to space, which you can view on Cudworth's Flickr page.
The best part? It cost Cudworth roughly $600 (£200) in parts, some of which he bought off eBay such as the camera, to build his HABE contraption. Of course it isn't fair to compare Cudworth's experiment to the millions upon millions of dollars NASA spends on space research simply because of the vast differences in complexity; however, if a nineteen year old university student can snap awesome photos of Earth on less than $1,000, you may be asking yourself where are your tax dollars going.
Despite the relatively low cost of Cudworth's project, don't let yourself think it was an easy task that anyone can do over a weekend. Cudworth spent roughly 40 hours of his free time building HABE and had two failed attempts prior to this successful one. On the other hand, it should be mentioned Cudworth claims to be no genius nor does he have any experience in physics outside of a high school physics class so it is possible that you may be able to create your own HABE and follow in Cudworth's footsteps; after all, Cudworth himself was inspired by someone else:
I saw a guy who did a similar thing a couple of years back and I just wanted to recreate them – but better.
Cudworth's next project? Trying to control where HABE lands upon descent back to Earth. Best of lucky, buddy.


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Like many other classical arts in India, Bharatanatyam, too, is deeply steeped in devotion. The performance itself is considered to be an act of worship. The dance is originally conceived to spiritually elevate the spectators. Anita Ratnam, the famous Bharatanatyam artist, is seen performing the 'Sindhooraruna' composition, from the book Lalita Sahasra Namam, an anthology of verses in praise of goddess.
Bharatanatyam, the age-old classical dance of Tamil Nadu, India is one of the oldest dance forms of India itself. The art form has its roots in Natya Sastra, the classical treatise on Indian dance by Sage Bharata and it has undergone many modifications and developments since then. The dance is full of unfettered rhythmic movements and expressions, which is devotional in spirit, highly stylized and sophisticated in its technique.
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Text Reminders
The traditional way to remind people about their appointments is to call them. But getting a hold of anyone by phone is not as easy as it used to be. Now we have an entire generation of people who dislike talking on the phone and who will rarely pick up when it rings.
Text Reminders Invite Quick Responses
Fortunately, you can still remind these people of their appointments by using text reminders. With AppointmentReminders.com, you can send a text message with all the details, and your customers can text back to confirm, reschedule, or cancel (entirely customizeable).
One of the advantages of using SMS reminders is that they can be answered right away even if your customer is engaged in some other activity. It only takes a second or two to send a quick text, but answering a phone call or responding to a voicemail message requires a bigger time commitment.
Schedule Your Text Reminders
It's important to schedule your reminders at the appropriate time. If you send the reminder too far in advance, then the appointment might be forgotten again. Most importantly, your reminder needs to encourage your customers to take action and confirm their appointment with you.
Once you implement our reminder system, you'll benefit right away. Your no-shows will decrease, and you'll spend less time at work waiting for customers. Customers don't want to miss out on their appointments, either. They'll be happy that you reminded them. It's a win-win!
SMS Messages


Duplicating Objects
You can create duplicate or multiple copies of an object. The copies can be identical or can differ in size, color, orientation and location.
The following example creates a stack of coins by making multiple copies of a single ellipse.
 1. Use the Ellipse tool to draw a solid yellow ellipse.
 2. Select the ellipse and choose Edit - Duplicate.
 3. Enter 12 as Number of copies.
 4. Enter a negative value for the Width and Height so that the coins decrease in size as you go up the stack.
 5. To define a color transition for the coins, select different colors in the Start and End boxes. The Start color is applied to the object that you are duplicating.
 6. Click OK to create the duplicates.
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Background: Receptor-mediated increases in the force produced by airway smooth muscle are attenuated by anesthetics such as halothane. Guanosine 5′-triphosphate (GTP) binding protein α subunits (Gαi) are known to participate in the regulation of force in airway smooth muscle. The authors hypothesized that halothane would inhibit the ability of Gαi subunits to bind a nonhydrolyzable analog of GTP (GTPγS). Methods: The effect of halothane on both GTPase-specific activity and [35S]GTPγS binding were assayed using purified, recombinant Gαi1. In separate experiments, [35S]GTPγS binding to Gαi in crude airway smooth muscle membrane preparations was assayed using an immunoprecipitation technique in the presence and absence of halothane. Results: The steady state GTPase-specific activity of the recombinant Gαi1 was 0.033 ± 0.018 (mean ± SD) mole Pi mole Gαi1-1 min-1 under control conditions and 0.035 ± 0.015 mole Pi mole Gαi1-1 min-1 in the presence of 1.1 ± 0.2 mM halothane, a difference that is not significant. The mole fractions of recombinant Gαi1 bound to [35S]GTPγS were 0.49 ± 0.02 and 0.60 ± 0.02 at 10 and 20 min, respectively. The addition of halothane (1.26 ± 0.07 mM) did not significantly change these values. Halothane did not affect the binding of [35S]GTPγS to Gαi subunits in membrane fractions of airway smooth muscle as measured using immunoprecipitation. Validity of the assays was confirmed using suramin, an inhibitor of GTP binding. Conclusion: These results suggest that halothane, which inhibits receptor-activated Gαi-coupled pathways in intact airway smooth muscle, must functionally target a component of the G protein-coupled receptor complex other than Gαi.
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine


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Type: Review Article
Barnard, T. C. 'The Gentrification of Eighteenth-Century Ireland', Eighteenth-century Ireland/Iris an dá chultúr, Vol. 12 (1997), pp 137-55.
This article assesses the contribution to the study of eighteenth-century Ireland of Dr Kevin Whelan, whom the author characterises as one of the liveliest writers on eighteenthand nineteenth-century Ireland to have emerged in recent years. Barnard praises Whelans many contributions to the field, particularly whose which display his sensitivity to place. However, Barnard takes Whelan to task for using testimony and concepts which will not always carry the load of argument which they are asked to bear and gives a number of examples to back up this criticism. He also suggests that Whelan under-estimates the importance of religion in the culture of eighteenth-century Ireland and comments favourably on the work of other scholars who have recognised this importance. Barnard is also uneasy about some aspects of Whelans analysis of the catholic underground gentry of eighteenth-century Ireland and he suggests that some of Whelans conclusions are premature; among other things, the way the Irish defined the concept of gentry is more complex than Whelan suggests, and Barnards view is that, in general, more work has to be done on such matters before some of Whelans conclusions can be fully accepted.


How to Make a Tent in Your Bedroom
by Pilar Ethridge, Demand Media
 A bedroom tent could serve as a fort, castle, fortress or bunker in the mind of a child. That's why they provide hours and hours of fun. With just a few items that are likely already in your bedroom, you can build a tent in just a few minutes. Fortunately, this is also an activity that won't take long to clean up once you're done.
 Step 1
 Take the blankets off the bed so that you can use them as the walls of the tent. Sheets will be less useful so leaves those in place.
 Step 2
 Place a chair 3 to 5 feet away from the edge of the bed in your room. Throw a blanket over the chair and stretch one side of the blanket over the edge of the bed. If the blanket slides off, move the chair closer to the bed. The chair should create a rise, similar to the rise in a tent.
 Step 3
 Take another blanket and place one side over the same chair and the other side on the floor. Spread the blanket out so that there's room to crawl under it. Don't pull it so far that the chair falls over. Together, both blankets create the walls of the tent.
 Step 4
 Place a flashlight and snacks inside the tent. Using a flashlight, small children can read or play inside the fort for hours.
 About the Author
 Photo Credits
 - Jupiterimages/BananaStock/Getty Images


January 24, 2021
5 Reasons We Shouldn't Avoid Emotional Pain
We all want to be happier, right?
As a therapist, I help people focus on the positive and the good in their lives everyday. I encourage gratitude and mindfulness practices like Fill Your BAG Happy. I also teach skills to re-frame negative thoughts and interpretations.
That being said, you would think that I would tell you that to be happy and healthy, you should eliminate or avoid emotional pain or negative feelings. Obviously, negative emotions are unpleasant; they make us feel "stuck" and out ofcontrol. So, just don't go there.
Well, I'm actually going to tell you the opposite today. Avoiding emotional pain and building those emotional walls can often do more harm than good.
Here are 5 reasons NOT to avoid emotional pain.
1. All emotions have a role to play.
Do you remember the 2015 movie "Inside Out? If you missed it, the story is about a 12-year-old girl named Riley. Her father is re-located to a new city, so the family has to move far away from the school, home, and friends she has always known. The vast majority of the movie plays out inside Riley's mind with the personification of her emotions as characters.
Early in the movie, Joy is in-charge. She clearly runs the show. Joy is the strongest and most powerful emotion, often sending Sadness to go sit in a corner of the mind so as to not "tarnish" the girl's memories and experiences. Riley struggles with negative thoughts and emotions and begins to face challenges that Joy alone can't solve.
The message of the film teaches us that ALL emotions have a place. It stresses the importance of integration and cooperation. Joy alone is not enough. Sadness has a role and a place in our lives, as does Anger, Disgust, and Fear. Riley became happier and more confident when her emotions worked together.
2. Suffering is more about our relationship to emotional pain then the pain itself.
Psychologist and Buddhist Meditation expert, Tara Brach expressed this beautifully when she said:
"Pain is not wrong. Reacting to pain as wrong initiates the trance of unworthiness. The moment we believe something is wrong, our world shrinks and we lose ourselves in the effort to combat the pain." ― Tara BrachRadical Acceptance: Embracing Your Life With the Heart of a Buddha
When we interpret our physical and emotional pain as wrong and something to be pushed away, we create larger suffering.
3. What doesn't kill us makes us stronger…
Personal growth often comes from emotional pain. As the Buddhist saying goes:
"The lotus flower blooms from the darkest and thickest mud."
It is important to recognize that darkness and pain can be a catalyst for growth and learning.
For example: experiencing fear when we are truly in physical harm can alert us that we need to get to safety. Feeling regret or guilt after hurting someone else physically or emotionally motivates us to think differently next time we are faced with a similar situation.
Guilt is often seen as negative when in reality, guilt can help us focus on the situation and can motivate us to repair damage or make amends. Anger is another emotion, which can be helpful in that it creates space to be more proactive against inappropriate threats. Anger connects us to others to take action for a greater purpose.
4. If you avoid the negative, you are less able to appreciate the positive.
If we avoid emotional pain, we are less likely to appreciate and savor healthy and sought-after emotions as well. In the book, the "Upside of Your Darkside", the authors Todd Kashdan, Ph.D. and Robert Biswas-Diener, say:
You cannot get rid of the negative emotions without unintentionally squelching happiness, meaning, grit, curiosity, maturity, wisdom and personal growth. Choose to numb the negatives and you numb the positives too."
When we are able to experience the full range of emotional experiences, we are better able to gain emotional agility, flexibility, and resiliency.
5. Like a rubber band, what we push away only comes back stronger.
This is something I come across all the time in my practice as a psychotherapist. When emotional pain is pushed down, away or not recognized, it grows. It will find a way to make itself known and will do so in self-destructive ways. Trying to escape or fix any emotional pain is often unsuccessful.
Accepting and recognizing that we all carry difficult thoughts, emotions, and negative feelings can be liberating. The key is recognizing that this emotional pain does NOT define you. It is something you are experiencing, NOT who you are. This is a subtle, but key distinction.
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What is Foolsaurus?
How to Calculate an Annuity Paid at the Beginning of the Year
Original post by C. Taylor of Demand Media
An annuity that is paid at the beginning of the year is called an annuity due. This type of annuity is slightly different than an ordinary annuity because payments are sent out a year earlier. For the most part, the annual payment calculation is the same, except you have to modify the formula to compensate for this timing. To calculate the monthly payment, you need to know the interest rate earned, the number of years payments will be received, and the account balance at the beginning of the payment period, which is known as the present value.
Step 1
Add one to the interest rate and raise this number to the power of the number of years payments will be received. As an example, if your 20-year annuity offered 5 percent interest, you would raise 1.05 to the power of 20 to get 2.6533.
Step 2
Divide this number into 1. In the example, this gives you 0.37689.
Step 3
Subtract this number from 1. In the example, you would have 0.62311.
Step 4
Divide this number by the interest rate. In the example, where the interest rate is 5 percent, this gives you 12.4622.
Step 5
Multiply this value by 1 plus the interest rate. In the example, multiplying by 1.05 gives you 13.0853.
Step 6
Divide this number into the annuity's present value to get the annual payment amount. In the example, if you had $100,000 in the account, you would receive 20 annual payments of $7,642.15.
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