The Main Benefits of the Best Trampolines for your Family
Affiliate links within this post may be commissionable.
Are you looking for a suggestion on how to spend more quality time with your family while having fun? In that case, trampolining might be a perfectly entertaining solution, providing your family with the much deserved relaxation as well as an increased level of physical activity.
In fact, purchasing a trampoline has far more health benefits than you may think. Although it's initially intended for having fun, the more important function is improving the overall health of all the members of the family.
Actually, it cleanses the organism from toxins, improves the function of the digestive system, boosts your immunity, ameliorates your coordination and relieves you from stress overload.
Read more about its numerous benefits in detail.
Body detox
An unbelievable benefit of trampoline jumping is aiding the removal of toxins out of your organism. The lymphatic system in your body is responsible for getting rid of all the toxins, but it won't perform its function, unless your body produces the right movements. These movements should be in the same direction as the one of the lymphatic fluid, which is in fact vertical, not horizontal.
Therefore, jumping is the perfect activity, providing all the vertical body movements that your organism requires in order to be free of toxins. Most of the other fitness activities, like jogging, provide horizontal movements instead of vertical. They are beneficial for your overall wellness, but don't influence the amount of toxins.
Considering the numerous ways in which these poisonous substances enter people's organism, it's highly important for the lymphatic system to eliminate them, as the consequences might be severe. Toxins are not only attacking your internal organs, but also cause tissue damage that leads to looking older prematurely. Read more about the subtle signs which demonstrate toxins overload in your organism.
Improved coordination and balance
Another extremely important benefit of frequent trampolining, is improving your overall coordination, particularly the one of your arms and legs. In order to bounce on the trampoline, you're supposed to control your limbs, which means your arms and legs should move harmonically. In the same time, you are also mastering your hand-eye coordination that is indispensable for performing almost every physical activity.
In fact, trampolining is considered to be one of the most efficient physical activities for people who have experienced a fall and suffer from balance problems. These type of jumps have the capacity to restore their balance much faster than using other types of exercises. It's especially beneficial for older people, as their recovery takes longer than in the case of the younger generation.
Lose some weight
One of the reasons why so many people are in love with trampoline jumping, is that is represents a fun way of reducing body weight. It's considered to be one of the most effective ways of burning calories, as you activate every part of your body during the process.
In addition, jumping plays a significant role in improving your metabolism, whole slow rate is the most frequent cause for weight gain. Your metabolism gets back up to speed, enabling for the calories you consume to burn much faster than previously. Visit the following link:, to learn how many calories you burn while jumping. The ameliorated function of the lymphatic system also contributes to the lost kilograms, since the presence of toxins is one of the main culprits for weight gain.
Boosts your immune system
Regardless of how unbelievable it may seem to you, jumping has an amazing effect on the function of your immune system. It directly influences the number of white blood cells, by significantly increasing their number after performing a series of jumps. These cells are the ones that protect your organism when being attacked by a bacteria or some virus.
Furthermore, the low number of white blood cells indicates poor function of the immune system which may eventually lead to cancer. Therefore, by making trampolining one of your everyday activities, you are not only boosting your immunity, but reducing the risk of cancer at the same time.
Eliminates digestive problems
Nowadays, plenty of people are suffering from digestive problems, as a result of the unhealthy eating habits accompanied by the fast pace of life. Anyhow, trampoline jumping aids in the relaxation of the muscles that are responsible for the bad digestion, thus enabling the food to be digested in a much better way. You will finally be able to consume the vitamins and nutrients your organism refused to consume for a long period of time.
Therefore, doing a series of jumps on a daily basis will make you forget about your constipation issues and get the function of your digestive system back on track. Also, owing to the ameliorated digestion, your metabolism will be faster and your body weight lower.
Reduce stress
Purchasing a trampoline, such as the ones sold by Top Trampoline, will make you turn trampolining into one of your favorite family entertaining activities. Considering the amount of stress you gain daily, this type of physical activity is exactly what you need.
In fact, it reduces the stress you're feeling by causing the brain to release endorphins, the hormones that are responsible for happiness. Automatically, these hormones make you relax and eliminate all the negative energy, accumulated in your body.
Sparing only ten minutes of your busy schedule on this entertaining activity every day, would also improve your sleep, increase your productivity levels and consequently supply your organism with more energy. Instead of taking pills to cope with everyday worries, trampolining may become your healthy variant of reducing anxiety while spending quality time with your family.
Wrap up
In case you are hesitating about trying trampolining for a while, do not wait any further. Besides enjoying yourself, you will have a chance to experience all the incredible health benefits.
Give your organism an opportunity to restore its balance, improve its functions and supply you with enough energy.
Both you and your family deserve it!
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5 minute read
To engage and motivate customers, you need the right channels of communication: digital and physical. Providing a customer experience (CX) that spans more than one channel is vital.
The Communications Market Report 2020 by Ofcom¹, confirms that as consumers, we place importance on a variety of media to service our needs. And, despite an explosion of digital platforms, traditional post remains important: with 69% of people saying it's an essential or fairly important method of communication – a level similar to instant messaging!
The need to communicate across many channels doesn't look likely to change.
Consumers don't just view information over different channels; they use various devices to do it. Their lifestyle and the type of content they're consuming driving factors. This demand for digital and print communications means your organisation needs a multichannel or omnichannel approach.
But what is the difference between omnichannel vs multichannel?
If you're wondering how they differ and which one is best, we're here to help. In this article, we'll take a look at the differences between omnichannel vs multichannel. We'll discuss the pros and cons of each and share thoughts on why you should develop a communications strategy that spans many channels.
Omnichannel v Multichannel What is the difference?
What is Omnichannel?
Omnichannel customer experience has individual customer touchpoints, over a variety of channels that seamlessly connect. It allows customers to pick up where they left off on one channel and continue the experience on another.
An omnichannel approach can be very engaging for customers, but it takes time to plan and manage. You need systems and resources that allow customer data to flow seamlessly, in real-time, which often requires a more considered and whole business approach.
Take Morrisons, for example. They give you an omnichannel approach by making sure their website, store and mobile experiences operate the same across each device you use.
So, you can register online and choose your preferences. Then when visiting a Morrisons store with your loyalty card, offers and suggestions will be made to you based on your preferences and previous purchases.
Example of omnichannel communications
What is Multichannel?
Multichannel uses more than one channel to connect with your customers, but more linearly. So, you present information to customers that looks consistently branded in digital and print formats. But you push and pull data via that channel: rather than connect all channels.
Multichannel for many organisations is an obvious choice as its approach mirrors the way teams work, and it can be set-up without the disruption of new systems and processes.
A multichannel approach allows you to match existing systems and departments to channels of communication. So, for example, you might have one team managing digital customer communications and another working on physically printing and mailing information out. But a brand and marketing team that make sure the messaging and look and feel of all communications is consistent.
The benefits of communicating via many channels
Whether you opt for an omnichannel or multichannel strategy, you'll find some benefits are universal:
 1. You improve customer perception
 Customers who see consistent messaging across multiple channels are more loyal and view businesses as forward-thinking.
 2. You can align customer personas for better engagement
 Different personas are more receptive to different communication channels. Some like mobile push notifications, email, or text messages, while others prefer print or phone calls. Communicating via the channels your customers prefer will improve engagement.
 3. You can reduce the cost of sales
 Communicating with customers using a mix of channels that is meaningful to them, lowers acquisition cost, which means achieving a faster return on investment.
What are the pros and cons of Omnichannel?
A seamless experience
People expect a consistent and meaningful customer experience in every interaction with your company. Omnichannel's seamless real-time customer view and system integration, means people get that consistency. For example, someone can stop what they're doing on one device and resume the activity later on another.
+ Channel neutral and content optimised
All customer touchpoints work together to provide the best all-around experience. For instance, an app that isn't generating direct sales may still be contributing to sales by offering directions to a store or access to customer product reviews while in-store.
– Cost and set up
Successful omnichannel communications often require a company-wide approach. For a seamless customer experience, your systems, data and teams need to work as one. Clear objectives need to be set from day one with a project team to lead the change. The project can then start, but it can take months to align all the parts for an omnichannel strategy and years to deliver a return on investment. The up-front costs and wait for a return, are often the most significant barriers to entry.
What are the pros and cons of Multichannel?
+ Speed of set-up
Multichannel communications can be set-up in a matter of weeks using data from your existing systems and knowledge within your teams. It doesn't need to be a disruptive process to give your customers a great experience via the channel(s) of their choice.
+ freedom to get it right
Given the low cost of set-up and speed of rolling out multichannel communications, you can pilot projects at your own pace and test what works best with your customers. Perhaps you want to test your customers' response and engagement to notifications sent as text messages. For example, by sending physical statements to customers, but payment reminders by text notification.
Working with a third-party multichannel communications provider, you can do just that. Refining your channels and approach for different document types without risking capital spending on new systems.
– fragmentation
Multichannel more closely aligns to the way many teams work. But it requires different teams to have common objectives and clear brand guidelines to deliver the seamless feel a customer would get with an omnichannel approach. Data stored in separate systems also must be more closely managed to make sure customer preferences are known across every channel.
Future communication
The future of Omnichannel vs Multichannel
The jury looks likely to be out for some years to come on the 'Omnichannel vs Multichannel' debate.
For emerging organisations, omnichannel is more likely to steal a lead. It's much easier when starting from scratch to specify systems and define processes and channels that connect seamlessly. And this level of integration can give a strong competitive advantage from a customer service perspective.
In established organisations, the picture is more complicated. Where a c-suite has a healthy appetite to invest in technology to drive omnichannel customer experience, it's likely to be given support.
But, for many organisations, the idea of unpicking their legacy systems and processes, and building new ones from scratch is much harder to secure support to deliver.
Where this is the case, multichannel remains the frontrunner, offering a balance of the channels customers want with the way teams can work. It's less disruptive and can be set-up quickly giving a return on investment in a much shorter cycle.
A multichannel approach is much easier to achieve. For example, if you use Aceni – our multichannel communications platform – you can turn data from your existing customer systems into multichannel communications. You provide the data we present your customers with information digitally and in print—all without any system changes or distribution to your teams.
For more information on Aceni and how multi-channel services can make your data go that extra mile, get in touch with us here
1 – Communications Market Report 2020, Ofcom


text:
Replace tedious calculations and reduce human error with AutoTURN's automated, accurate and visual assurance that your ramp and driveway designs are safe and efficient. AutoTURN's Generate Grade Template and Place Vertical Simulation tools ensure your ramp and driveway design will safely accommodate the vehicles that will use them – especially for low clearance vehicles.
Come watch this recorded AutoTURN Tips webinar on how to check your ramp and driveway designs quickly and accurately.
In this recording, we discuss how:
- The Generate Grade Template feature shows the maximum upward and downward grade capabilities of a vehicle, and
- The Place Vertical Simulation feature allows you to evaluate the vehicle profile to determine if the vehicle can safely negotiate the vertical profile and clear overhead elements.

source: openbmb/Ultra-FineWeb


text:
Westchester Country Day School takes pride in its small community based upon mutual trust and respect for one another. The school recognizes that instruction in the realm of integrity is an important issue and that it may be handled differently at different grade levels. Therefore, it is incumbent upon the Division Heads in the Lower, Middle, and Upper Schools to make their division's policies and procedures clear to their teachers and their students, and it is the responsibility of the students and parents to read and comply with sections dealing with honor in the Community Handbook. With a unified and clearly articulated and supported approach, we feel that our students will learn a valuable lesson in integrity that will serve them well for a lifetime.
All students at Westchester Country Day School operate under an Honor Code. To make the system of honor work, each student is responsible for his or her own conduct, and students are expected to lead by example. In addition, each student is encouraged to confront a fellow student whom he or she suspects of committing an honor offense or to consult a teacher or administrator with his/her concerns.
As a member of the Westchester community, I resolve to uphold the Honor Code of my School and to endeavor to promote honor and integrity. Therefore, I pledge not to cheat, lie, steal, plagiarize, or behave in any manner that exhibits dishonesty.
Universal Honor Statement
The following list compiled by WCDS Upper School students, presents a guide to following this honor code.
- Do your own work: don't cheat or plagiarize.
- Do tell the truth.
- Do respect the property of others: don't take things that aren't yours without permission.
- Do cite work in accordance with established guidelines.
- Do separate work for different classes unless given permission by all teachers involved.
- Do observe all teacher expectations regarding the use of study aids, translation aids, online sources, etc.
- Do have papers properly signed: don't forge signatures.
- Do uphold the integrity of an assignment, quiz, test, etc. by not disclosing information that would give another student an unfair advantage.
- Do ask questions if you are uncertain about what's acceptable and what's not.
- Do make your signature one of honor and credibility.
Honor in Lower School
The Lower School faculty at Westchester Country Day School believe that young children are very capable of beginning to understand the meaning and value of honor. A kindergarten or first grade child needs to begin to understand the importance of doing one's own work and of being honest in every communication. Young children are also learning to respect the rights and property of others. As the child progresses, he/she can become accountable for demonstrating his/her own knowledge. By fourth and fifth grades, children should be held accountable for a system of honor that will lead smoothly into the Middle School Honor Code. Children at these levels need to be taught appropriate skills for research and documentation of resources and for accepting only minimal and appropriate help from parents or friends. The teacher assists the child in understanding what level of outside assistance is appropriate. Children feel good about themselves when behavioral expectations are clearly communicated and when they respond in a moral and honorable manner. The major focus of Lower School will be on teaching and on expecting and reinforcing proper behavior; thus, the handling of any Honor Code infraction will be more focused on the instructive than the punitive.
Honor in Middle School
The Middle School years are a time to encourage the development of trust among students, faculty, and parents through continued emphasis and promotion of our Honor Code. The Middle School years emphasize the development of good habits. Honor discussions in Middle School allow our children to understand expectations and the value of consistent, honorable behavior. As a Middle School, we are committed to preparing our students for the Upper School's expectations; thus, Honor Code infractions will provide opportunities to discuss expectations as well as lay out clear, age-appropriate consequences.
Honor in Upper School
The centerpiece of the honor system in the Upper School is represented by an elected honor council. In addition, each student is asked to demonstrate his or her commitment to this standard of honor by signing the Westchester Country Day School Honor Pledge Book at the beginning of each year during the annual fall Honor Ceremony. The Pledge Book represents one's affirmation of the values of the Honor Code. Once this pledge has been made a student will write PLEDGED followed by his/her signature on all assignments, an action which is tantamount to saying, "On my honor I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid on this work, I have followed and will continue to follow all guidelines regarding the WCDS honor code, and I acknowledge that ignoring a suspected honor offense compromises both Westchester's honor code and the honor by which we operate." Teachers will instruct students as to how and where to pledge any given assignment. Students will write this honor pledge in full on semester exams and take-home tests/quizzes.
It is the responsibility of each Westchester student to familiarize himself/herself with the Community Handbook's sections on honor and punishments for honor violations as well as to pay close attention to all teachers' instructions regarding honor in particular classes/courses. Ignorance of a rule should not be thought by a student to be an acceptable excuse for wrongdoing.
 Adapted with permission from the Honor Pledge of Davidson College, Davidson, NC.


text:
In search of El Dorado? the experience of migration to France in contemporary African novels /
Abstract (Summary)iii Literary criticism of recent novels about the theme of migration to France often fails to take into account both the reality and experiences of migrants. Worse, critics tend to minimize both the role of French imperialism and the strength of African cultures as they read these works. Their analyses raise the broad question of just how African migration literature can be interpreted to reflect the social realities which frame the action of the protagonists who are most vulnerable to France's contradictory immigration policies. Drawing on the concept of tragedy as both a genre and as a philosophical framework, I analyze four novels that convey the stories of francophone African immigrants to Europe. These are Fatou Diome's Le Ventre de l'Atlantique, Alain Mabanckou's Bleu Blanc Rouge, Bessora's 53 cm and Nathalie Etoké's Un amour sans papiers. The study reveals that the novels' characters, style and narrative progression indicate the authors' attempt to simultaneously articulate the suffering of poorer African migrants and appeal to the Republic to redress it. The search for a middle ground between Africa and France minimizes the Republic's pursuit of power at the cost of African lives. This result contradicts the tragic imperative that the powerful actors receive blame for the suffering of the most vulnerable members of society. The unsuccessful attempt at neutrality also reflects the paradoxical situation of Africans who use the French language to articulate the dilemmas in which the Republic is heavily implicated. This study thus proposes a model of criticism that acknowledges the role of iv migrant experiences, African traditions and critics' personal inclinations in the experience of and narratives about migration to France. It complements works by JeanPaul Sartre, Frantz Fanon and Lewis Gordon that call on intellectuals to accept their implication in pressing social issues and to situate events on a global stage. The study also emphasizes the need to include a range of social, historical and environmental factors in determining the causes of injustice. Above all, it presents reality based criticism as an alternative to literary criticism dominated by theoretical concerns that often minimize the challenges of every day life.
School Location:USA - Pennsylvania
Source Type:Master's Thesis
Date of Publication:


Why Does Sarcasm Hurt?
Women holding a card that reads 'Really?'
Sarcasm is a double-layered expression — of playfulness, passive-aggressiveness, or awkwardness — which on the surface indicates that the person's acts and statements are neutral, but the second layer beneath the surface signifies aggression. Sarcasm is passive-aggressive by definition. And not everyone can always detect the subtle irony at play. Only a few individuals can … Read more Why Does Sarcasm Hurt?


text:
This four-day workshop in Charleston, SC focused on practical
techniques and procedures used in amphipod taxonomy and
identification. Through a series of presentations, demonstrations,
and hands-on exercises, participants gained knowledge and
expertise on the biology, ecology, and behavior of this
diverse and abundant peracarid crustacean group. The instruction
methods of Dr. James D. Thomas emphasized a blend of traditional
taxonomic methodology and the tools of modern technology.
Upon completing the workshop, participants were able to
readily identify and diagnose amphipod crustaceans, as well
as prepare identification guides and keys. (click
here for agenda)
James D. Thomas, Nova Southeastern University
Richard Heard, Gulf Coast Research Laboratory, University
of Southern Mississippi
Sara LeCroy, Gulf Coast Research Laboratory,
University of Southern Mississippi
The workshop was conducted at the Marine
Resources Research Institute, SCDNR, at Ft. Johnson,
near Charleston, SC.
To obtain further information
Contact Dr. Rachael King:
Photos from the workshop
Dr. James Thomas and Dr. Rachael King discuss amphipod morphology
Dr. Rachael King presenting amphipod morphology material
Sara LeCroy prepares a specimen for viewing on the video
Students using the workshop manual and other keys and guides
to identify specimens.
Students examining amphipod specimens.
Assistants Joe Cowan and Nadia Meyers select live amphipods
collected from the field trip to use in lab practical session.

source: HuggingFaceFW/fineweb-edu


Wednesday, May 4, 2011
GEM Overview
This is the script of a short intro I've given at the Linaro@UDS memory management summit in Budapest in spring 2011. Yep, it's a bit old...
The core idea of GEM is to identify graphic buffer objects with 32bit ids. The reason being "X runs out of open fds" (KDE easily reaches a few thousand).
The core design principle behind GEM is that the kernel is in full control of the allocation of these buffer objects and is free to move the around in any way it sees fit. This is to make concurrent rendering by multiple processes possible while userspace can still assume that it is in sole possession of the gpu - GEM means "graphics execution manager".
Below some more details on what GEM is and does, what it does _not_ do and how it relates to other graphic subsystems.
GEM does...
 - lifecycle management. Userspace references are associated with the drm fd and get reaped on close (in case userspace forgets about them).
 - per-device global names to exchange buffers between processes (eg dri2). These names are again 32bit ids. These global ids do not count as userspace references and don't prevent a buffer from being reaped.
 - it implements very few generic ioctls:
 - flink for creating a global name for a buffer object
 - open for getting a per-fd handle to a buffer object with a global name
 - close for dropping a per-fd handle.
 - a little bit of kernel-internal helpers to facilitate mmap (by blending multiple buffer objects into the single drm device address space) and a few other things.
That's it, i.e. GEM is very much meant to be as simple as possible.
Driver-specific GEM ioctls
The generic GEM stuff is obviously not very useful. So drivers implement
quite a bit driver-specific ioctls, like:
 - buffer creation. In recent kernels there is some support to create dumb scanout objects for KMS. But they're only really useful for boot-splashs and unaccelerated dumb KMS drivers. Creating buffers usable for rendering is only possible with driver specific ioctls.
 - command submission. An important part is mapping abstract buffer ids to actual gpu address (and rewriting batchbuffers with these). In the future, with support for virtual gpu address spaces this might change.
 - tiling management. The kernel needs to know this to correctly tile/detile buffers when moving them around (e.g. evicting from vram).
 - command completion signalling and gpu/cpu synchronization.
There are currently two approaches for implementing a GEM driver:
 - roll-your-own, used by drm/i915 (and sometimes getting flaked for NIH).
 - ttm-base: radeon & nouveau.
GEM does not...
This still leaves out a few things that I've seen mentioned as
ideas/requirements here and elsewhere:
- cross-device buffer sharing and namespaces (see below) and
- buffer format handling and mediation between different users (except
tiling as mentioned above). The reason here is that gpus are a mess
and one of the worst parts is format handling. Better keep that out
of the kernel...
KMS (kernel mode setting)
KMS is essentially just a port of the xrandr api to the kernel as an ioctl
 - crtcs feed (possible multiple) outputs and get their data from a framebuffer object. A major part of KMS is also the support for vsynced-pageflipping of framebuffers.
 - Internally there's some support infrastructure to simplify drivers (all the drm_*_helper.c code).
 - framebuffers are created from a opaque driver-specific 32bit id and a format description. For GEM drivers these ids name GEM objects, but that need not be: The recently merged qemu kms driver does not implement gem and has one unique buffer object with id 0.
 - as mentioned above there newly is a generic ioctl to create an object suitable as a dumb scanout (plus some support to mmap it).
 - currently KMS has no generic support for overlays (there are driver-specific ioctls in i915 and vmgfx, though). Jesse Barnes has posted an RFC to remedy this:
PRIME is a proof-of-concept implementation from Dave Airlie for sharing
GEM objects between drivers/devices: Buffer sharing is done with a list of
struct page pointers. While being shared, buffers can't be moved anymore.
No further buffer description is passed along in the kernel, format/layout
mediation is to be handled in userspace.
Blog-post describing the initial design for sharing buffers between an
integrated Intel igd and a discrete ATI gpu:
Other code using the same framework to render on an Intel igd and display
the framebuffer on an usb-connected displayport:;a=shortlog;h=refs/heads/udl-v2
GEM/KMS and fbdev
There's some minimal support to emulate an fbdev with a gem/kms driver.
Resolution can't be changed and it's unaccelerated. There's been some
muttering once in a while to better integrate this with either a kms
kernel console driver or by routing fbdev resolution changes to kms.
But the main use case is to display a kernel oops, which works. For
everything else there's X (or an EGL client that understands kms).
 1. And the slides for my little presentation about GEM/KMS at the graphics memory management summit at Linaro Connect in Budapest 2011:
 2. I was looking for a standard way to acquire a physical address of a GEM (in fact CMA) BO. Is there a standard IOCTL, or there is some issue with my approach?
 1. Nope, and if you try to do this from userspace, you're doing it wrong ;-) Userspace shouldn't require any knowledge of the physical location of gem objects. Usually such hacks are used to share buffers between different drivers, for which we now have the dma-buf framework.
 Also note that this article is pretty old, it only accidentally ended up at the top again due to a quickly-rectified operator error...
 2. I see... Yes I used physical addressing to share bo between DRM and V4L subsystems. But it is 3.5 and I don't remember if dma-buf was there.
 3. You mentioned about TTM and GEM, is it possible to have both exists in the kernel space to support different user space drivers under one system?
 1. Sure, e.g. radeon is TTM based and i915 is GEM based, and on a dual-gpu system you can use both.


text:
When the world was still young, some 3 500 million years ago, molten rock forced its way through the earth's crust and solidified to form the spectacular granite outcrops where Pretoriuskop Rest Camp is now nestled. The impressive granite dome known as "Shabeni Hill" is not far from the camp, which is found in the south-western corner of the Kruger National Park. It is immediately apparent to any visitor that Pretoriuskop is unique as brilliant red trees adorn the camp, pre-dating the decision to make exclusive use of indigenous plants in laying out rest camp gardens. Nostalgia prompted an exception to the rule for Pretoriuskop, the Kruger National Park's oldest rest camp, and exotic flowering plants were allowed to stay, enhancing the strong sense of the past that is so pervasive.
Giving geographical context to places of interest in South Africa


text:
What is the Big Idea?
Eating meat or fish can make a crab out of you, according to a study published by Nutrition Journal.
Omnivorous diets are high in arachidonic acid (AA) which changes the brain in a way that affects mood. Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), fats prevalent in fish, are suppose to combat the negative effects of AA. However, the study reported significantly worse moods in fish eaters than vegetarians despite higher intakes of EPA and DHA. This is the first study to examine the impact of a meat and fish diet on an omnivore's mood.
Thirty nine meat-eating participants were assigned to one of three diets. A control group ate meat, fish or poultry daily. A second group ate fish 3-4 times weekly but no meat. A third group ate strictly vegetarian. After two weeks, participants completed a questionnaire to assess their moods. The vegetarian group reduced their EPA, DHA and AA intake and the fish eaters increased their EPA and DHA intakes. The mood were unchanged for the omnivores and fish eaters but the vegetarians showed higher mood scores after two weeks.
What is the Significance?
"Reducing meat, fish, and poultry may improve some domains of short-term mood state in modern omnivores," the report concludes. "Exploring this phenomenon further is warranted, as reductions in dietary meat, fish, and poultry would not only reduce health risks but could benefit the environment as well."
Marion Nestle, nutritionist and NYU professor, argues that a vegetarian diet is indeed healthier. But small amounts of meat doesn't hurt. And in developing countries, "where kids don't have enough food, a little meat thrown in makes a big nutritional difference."
Watch this video to hear Marion Nestle weigh in on the pros and cons of vegetarianism:


Mother of Three and Widow of the Nation: The Hungarian Mrs Vachott (1828–96) as Protégé-Editor
 - Zsuzsa Török Research Centre for the Humanities, Institute for Literary Studies, Budapest
This article focuses on the editorial undertakings of the Hungarian Mária Csapó (1828–96), better known as Mrs Vachott. Using her personal correspondence, memoirs, and the magazines she edited, the article traces the particularities of Mrs Vachott's career as an author and periodical editor. It does so by examining her performed identities in real life and as editor of various magazines. Furthermore, it intends to demonstrate that Mrs Vachott's professional endeavours were defined and shaped by a personal loss that eventually became her strongest symbolic capital in building up a literary career. Finally, the article suggests that Mrs Vachott's case offers valuable insights into the types of editorial roles that women inhabited during the nineteenth century.


text:
- Old Dominion Surveyor
- Find A Surveyor
The Virginia Association of Surveyors (VAS) was established in 1948 to promote the best practices of our members, provide a forum for discussion, and offer professional development courses to licensed, practicing surveyors in the Commonwealth. Additionally, VAS has expanded its reach to support future surveyors, technicians, and the public to further recognize the contributions the surveying profession provides to the community.
VAS serves the public and the profession through outreach and activities, such as conferences, scholarships, and advocacy. VAS is an affiliate of the National Society of Professional Surveyors (NSPS) and American Association for Geodetic Surveying (AAGS).


the results of folding up all of the original subtries along each key; it's the "results so far". The values in the map become the very things we swore to create.
Then, we use cata to "fold" our value along the algebra:
cata myAlg :: Trie k v -> A
cata starts from the bottom-most layer, runs myAlg on that, then goes up a layer, running myAlg on the results, then goes up another layer, running myAlg on those results, etc., until it reaches the top layer and runs myAlg again to produce the final result.
For example, we'll write a catamorphism that counts how many values/leaves we have in our trie as an Int. Since our result is an Int, we know we want an algebra returning an Int:
countAlg :: TrieF k v Int -> Int
This is the basic structure of an algebra: our final result type (Int) becomes the parameter of TrieF k v (as TrieF k v Int), and also the result of our algebra.
Remember that a Trie k v contains a Maybe v and a Map k (Trie k v), and a TrieF k v Int contains a Maybe v and a Map k Int. In a Trie k v, the Map contains all of the subtries under each branch. For countAlg, in our TrieF k v Int we are given, the Map contains the counts of each of those original subtries under each branch.
Basically, our task is "Given a map of sub-counts, how do we find the total count?"
With this in mind, we can write countAlg:
-- source:
countAlg :: TrieF k v Int -> Int
countAlg (MkTF v subtrieCounts)
 | isJust v = 1 + subtrieTotal
 | otherwise = subtrieTotal
 subtrieTotal = sum subtrieCounts
If v is indeed a leaf (it's Just), then it's one plus the total counts of all of the subtries (remember, the Map k Int contains the counts of all of the original subtries, under each key). Otherwise, it's just the total counts of all of the original subtries.
Our final count is, then:
-- source:
count :: Trie k v -> Int
count = cata countAlg
ghci> count testTrie
We can do something similar by writing a summer, as well, to sum up all values inside a trie:
-- source:
trieSumAlg :: Num a => TrieF k a a -> a
trieSumAlg (MkTF v subtrieSums) = fromMaybe 0 v + sum subtrieSums
trieSum :: Num a => Trie k a -> a
trieSum = cata trieSumAlg
ghci> trieSum testTrie
In the algebra, the subtrieSums :: Map k a contains the sums of all of the subtries. Under key k, we have the sum of the subtrie that was originally at kie k. The algebra, therefore, just adds up all of the subtrie sums with the value at that layer. "Given a map of sub-sums, how do we find a total sum?"
Down from the High Ground
Catamorphisms are naturally "inside-out", or "bottom-up". However, some operations are more naturally "outside-in", or "top-down". One immediate example is lookup :: [k] -> Trie k v -> Maybe v, which is quintessentially "top-down": it first descends down the first item in the [k], then the second, then the third, etc. until you reach the end, and return the Maybe v at that layer.
Is that…legal?
In this case, we can make it legal by inverting control: instead of folding into a Maybe v directly, fold into a "looker upper", a [k] -> Maybe v. We generate a "lookup function" from the bottom-up, and then run that all in the end on the key we want to look up.
Our algebra will therefore have type:
 :: Ord k
 => TrieF k v ([k] -> Maybe v)
 -> ([k] -> Maybe v)
A TrieF k v ([k] -> Maybe v) contains a Maybe v and a Map k ([k] -> Maybe v), or a map of "lookuppers". Indexed at each key is function of how to look up a given key in the original subtrie.
So, we are tasked with "how to implement a lookupper, given a map of sub-lookuppers".
To do this, we can pattern match on the key we are looking up. If it's [], then we just return the current leaf (if it exists). Otherwise, if it's k:ks, we can run the lookupper of the subtrie at key k.
-- source:
 :: Ord k
 -> ([k] -> Maybe v)
lookupperAlg (MkTF v lookuppers) = \case
 [] -> v
 k:ks -> case M.lookup k lookuppers of
 Nothing -> Nothing
 Just lookupper -> lookupper ks
 :: Ord k
 => [k]
 -> Trie k v
 -> Maybe v
lookup ks t = cata lookupperAlg t ks
(written using the -XLambdaCase extension, allowing for \case syntax)
ghci> lookup "to" testTrie
Just 9
ghci> lookup "ton" testTrie
Just 3
ghci> lookup "tone" testTrie
Note that because Maps have lazy values by default, we only ever actually generate "lookuppers" for subtries under keys that we eventually descend on; any other subtries will be ignored (and no lookuppers are ever generated for them).
In the end, this version has all of the same performance characteristics as the explicitly recursive one; we're assembling a "lookupper" that stops as soon as it sees either a failed lookup (so it doesn't cause any more evaluation later on), or stops when it reaches the end of its list.
I Think the System Works
We've now written a couple of non-recursive functions to "query" Trie. But what was the point, again? What do we gain over writing explicit versions to query Trie? Why couldn't we just write:
-- source:
trieSumExplicit :: Num a => Trie k a -> a
trieSumExplicit (MkT v subtries) =
 fromMaybe 0 v + sum (fmap trieSumExplicit subtries)
instead of
-- source:
trieSumCata :: Num a => Trie k a -> a
trieSumCata = cata $ \(MkTF v subtrieSums) ->
 fromMaybe 0 v + sum subtrieSums
One major reason, like I mentioned before, is to avoid using explicit recursion. It's extremely easy when using explicit recursion to accidentally write an infinite loop, or to mess up your control flow somehow. It's basically like using GOTO instead of while or for loops in imperative languages. while and for loops are meant to abstract over a common type of looping control flow, and provide a disciplined structure for them. They also are often much easier to read, because as soon as you see "while" or "for", it gives you a hint at programmer intent in ways that an explicit GOTO might not.
Another major reason is to allow you to separate concerns. Writing trieSumExplicit forces you to think "how to fold this entire trie". Writing trieSumAlg allows us to just focus on "how to fold this immediate layer". You only need to ever focus on the immediate layer you are trying to sum — and never the entire trie. cata takes your "how to fold this immediate layer" function and turns it into a function that folds an entire trie, taking care of the recursive descent for you.
Before we move on, I just wanted to mention that cata is not a magic function. From the clues above, you might actually be able to implement it yourself. For our Trie, it's:
-- source:
cata' :: (TrieF k v a -> a) -> Trie k v -> a
cata' alg = alg. fmap (cata' alg). project
First we project :: Trie k v -> TrieF k v (Trie k v), to "de-recursive" our type. Then we fmap our entire cata alg :: Trie k v -> a. Then we run the alg :: TrieF k v a -> a on the result. Basically, it's fmap-collapse-then-collapse.
It might be interesting to note that the implementation of cata' here requires explicit recursion. One of the purposes of using recursion schemes like cata is to avoid directly using recursion explicitly, and "off-loading" the recursion to one reusable function. So in a sense, it's ironic: cata can save other functions from explicit recursion, but not itself.
Or, can it? The reason cata' is necessarily recursive here is that our Trie data type is recursive. However, we can actually encode Trie using an alternative representation (in terms of TrieF), and it's possible to write cata' in a non-recursive way:
-- source:
newtype MuTrie k v = MkMT (forall a. (TrieF k v a -> a) -> a)
cataMuTrie :: (TrieF k v a -> a) -> MuTrie k v -> a
cataMuTrie alg (MkMT f) = f alg
Trie' is actually isomorphic to Trie, so they're the same type (it


text:
It has been well documented that optimal sagittal alignment is highly correlated with good clinical outcomes in adult spinal deformity (ASD) surgery. However, it remains to be determined whether the clinical benefit of appropriately corrected sagittal alignment can be maintained in the long term. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate whether appropriately corrected sagittal alignment continues to offer benefits over time with regard to clinical outcomes and mechanical failure.
Patients older than 50 years who underwent ≥ 4-level fusion for ASD and were followed up for ≥ 5 years were included in this study. Appropriateness of sagittal alignment correction was defined as pelvic incidence minus lumbar lordosis ≤ 10°, pelvic tilt ≤ 25°, and sagittal vertical axis ≤ 50 mm. Two groups were created based on this appropriateness: group A (appropriate) and group IA (inappropriate). Clinical outcomes were evaluated using the visual analog scale (VAS), Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), and Scoliosis Research Society Outcomes Questionnaire–22 (SRS-22). The development of mechanical failures, such as rod fracture and proximal junctional kyphosis (PJK), was compared between the two groups.
The study included 90 patients with a follow-up duration of 90.3 months. There were 30 patients in group A and 60 patients in group IA. The clinical outcomes at 2 years were significantly better in group A than in group IA in terms of the VAS scores, ODI scores, and all domains of SRS-22. At the final follow-up visit, back VAS and ODI scores were still lower in group A than they were in group IA, but the VAS score for leg pain did not differ between the groups. The SRS-22 score at the final follow-up showed that only the pain and self-image/appearance domains and the total sum were significantly higher in group A than in group IA. The incidence of rod fracture and PJK did not differ between the two groups. The rate of revision surgery for rod fracture or PJK was also similar between the two groups.
The clinical benefits from appropriate correction of sagittal alignment continued for a mean of 90.3 months. However, the intergroup difference in clinical outcomes between groups A and IA decreased over time. The development of rod fracture or PJK was not affected by the appropriateness of sagittal alignment.


1. Principles of operation
The CI-V interface is in use since many years, at least since the 1980s. It uses a single wire as an open collector line to connect two rigs or a rig to a computer. By using an open collector line it is possible that many rigs share a single wire. The number of rigs on a line is not limited in principle, but by the "fan-out" (the driving power) of the units. Icom recommends max. 4 units on a single line. No specifications are made for max. length of the wire, but some tests showed that several meters will work fine. You should use shielded cable in any circumstances.
Icom CI-V Principle Picture 1: Connect two rigs with nothing more than a two wire cable
By connecting two (or more) rigs you get the ability to sync the rigs by frequency and mode. So, tuning one rig always sets the other rig to the same frequency and vice versa. This can be useful for special setups in contests, where you want to receive a single frequency on multiple rigs with different antennas at the same time.
Probably more useful is the connection to a computer:
Icom CI-V Principle Picture 2: Connecting a rig to a computer
To connect to the RS-232 serial interface of a computer, a level converter is needed which converts the TTL (5V) level of the CI-V interface to the RS-232 level of the PC. Usually a CI-V converter has more than one connection to a rig (typically four).
This setup allows to remote control the rig with some software on the computer, depending on what the rig and the software supports. If more than one rig is connected to the converter, syncing between the two rigs is still possible. The converter acts as a hub, i.e. the incoming data is sent to all ports (CI-V and RS-232). Some converter designs allow to switch on and off the ports individually.
Due to the single-wire bus design, collisions can occur when two rigs (or a rig and the computer) transmit data at the same time. The protocol offers some limited means to detect and handle collsions.
The CI-V protocol uses single-byte adresses to adress individual rigs on the line. Each model has it's own default adress. If two or more rigs of the same model are connected to the bus, the adresses have to be changed so that each rig has an individual adress.
What is CI-V Transceive?
All Icom rigs equipped with CI-V offers the option of enabling/disabling CI-V transceive. What is this?
With CI-V Transceive set to on, two things happen:
With CI-V Transceive set to off, the behaviour changes:
So in most circumstances you will have CI-V Transceive set to on, at least as long as there is only one rig connected to a PC. If more than one rig is connected over the same interface (converter) to a PC, it might be useful to turn this option off in all but one rig.
Please note that some logging programs require you to turn off the CI-V Transceive function, check the documentation of the software.
Baudrate, serial data format, physical connector
The default baudrate used to be 1200 bps, but most rigs allow for higher speed. Up to 19.200 bps is possible, try to use the highest possible speed. Many newer rigs have an auto option for speed detection, make sure to set all rigs to auto or the same speed, set the PC to the same speed or 19.200 if auto is selected on the rig.
The serial data format is 8 bits, no parity, 1 stop bit.
The CI-V connector is a 3.5mm mono phone plug. Shield is ground, tip is signal. You can use a stereo plug equally well, just connect the ring to ground or leave it open.
Rigs with CI-V and serial ports
Some Icom rigs offer both, a CI-V connector and a RS-232 (aka V.24) port, for example the IC-R75, IC-R8500 and IC-7800. You can use either or both simultaneously. Protocol-wise the interfaces are identical, i.e. they talk the same language. Just that you don't need a level converter for rigs equipped with a RS-232 port. In fact, you can even use these rigs as level converters. What goes into one port (CI-V or RS-232) comes out to the other and vice versa. So if you have one of these rigs with RS-232 and another Icom rig only with CI-V, you don't need another level converter...


Sagamok Anishnawbek
Sagamok Anishnawbek Image
Sagamok Anishnawbek
Sagamok Anishnawbek, whose names means 'two parts joining' is located approximately 120 kilometers west of Sudbury. Sagamok's culture and language is Anishnawbek and is made up of the Ojibwe, Odawa and Pottawatomi tribes. Also known as the Three Fires People - Sagamok is a place of rich stories, legends and history that derive from time immemorial.
Once the summer camps of the original peoples who came down from Biscotasing, it is now the permanent home to many of those descendants. Sagamok is an ancestor-based village that is known for its diversity, prosperity and growth.
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Running a macro on an Excel spreadsheet, I get the Run-time error:
1004 Command could not be completed by using the range specified.
Selected Debug and the highlighted code is:
Selection.Subtotal GroupBy:=5, Function:=xlSum, TotalList:=Array(6, 7, 8, 9, _
 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23), Replace:=True, _
 PageBreaks:= False, SummaryBelowData:=True
Looking elsewhere and I find this generally means a sort was attempted while there was not a selected cell.
However, the line immediately prior to the highlighted code is:
And the two lines immediately following these two are essentially identical, just sorting a different section of the sheet:
Selection.Sort Key1:=Range("E4"), Order1:=xlAscending, Key2:=Range("A4") _
 , Order2:=xlAscending, Header:=xlGuess, OrderCustom:=1, MatchCase:= _
 False, Orientation:=xlTopToBottom
Is the difference tied up in the SortRange.Select versus the SubRange.Select?
In testing I've found the error occurs when a certain column containing numeric values is imported as text versus being imported as General. The column data is numeric, but it has leading zeroes and are not to be mathematically manipulated and so, by good Excel practices, ought to be treated as text.
Any ideas what I ought to do to try and diagnose this?
share|improve this question
what range is selected? what is SubRange.Select referring to? – datatoo May 17 '11 at 22:35
_USER_: That is a good question. I'm not sure. The only difference I've found between this script failing at this point and not failing is the datatype issue noted in the second to last paragraph of the initial question. – music2myear May 18 '11 at 14:54
can you step through and debug to see what the SubRange.Select is selecting? And are you sure each of the columns you are trying to run a subtotal on, are in fact numbers? – datatoo May 18 '11 at 15:18
Hmm, you bring up a good point. There are two or three columns where numeric characters are used but not as values (like account numbers, you don't really want to treat them as numbers). I'll check and see if for some reason the macro is trying to run a formula on these. – music2myear May 18 '11 at 15:24
it may even be that excel is not determining which are the headers. If the macro merely selects a cell in the range but the headers are not formatted differently, e.g. bold, underlined, etc. excel may not discern them. – datatoo May 19 '11 at 22:57
1 Answer 1
up vote 2 down vote accepted
I would just add the following after Subrange.Select:
Selection.NumberFormat = "@"
to set the Subrange to the Text Format.
share|improve this answer
Oooh, I'll have to remember that. Thank you. I'll see if it makes any difference. – music2myear May 23 '11 at 14:32
I haven't had time to implement this change due to other projects that are higher priority. I'll select this as the answer and open a new question or revisit this one if the issue persists. – music2myear Jun 20 '11 at 19:21
Your Answer


text:
The aim of this study was to determine if infrared thermography can be used as a tool to detect jugular venipuncture in the horse to support United States Equestrian Federation drug administration rule enforcement. This is a blinded, randomized clinical trial, and eight adult Thoroughbreds were used. For each horse, thermographic images of both jugular grooves were obtained by a blinded examiner, prior and subsequent to jugular venipuncture (10-mL sterile saline). Injected sides were randomized, and images were acquired before injection and then 0.5 hours, 1 hour, 2 hours, 3 hours, 6 hours, 12 hours, 24 hours, and 36 hours after injection. Horses were maintained in a temperature-regulated stall. Images were reviewed and analyzed with standard thermography software to determine if venipuncture could be detected. Images of treated sites were minimally visibly different from those obtained at baseline or for the control sites. Following image analysis, a significant reduction (P <.05) was identified when mean jugular groove injection site temperature measurements were compared to baseline mean temperature measurements. The greatest observed difference (1.4 ± 0.8°C) was identified at 2 hours after injection. At time points 0.5 hours, 6 hours, and 12 hours, delta T (difference between the mean temperature at each time point and the baseline temperature) was significantly different between the jugular injection site and the control site. Infrared thermography detects a significant change in surface skin temperature from baseline following jugular venipuncture for sterile saline injection. No significant comparable observed changes were identified at the control sites.
- Infrared thermography
ASJC Scopus subject areas


text:
(c) Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, Deerfield MA. All rights reserved. Contact us for information about using this image.
As the legal and illegal importation of African slaves into Brazil and Cuba continued in the early 1860s, antislavery advocates pressed the Buchanan administration to end the participation of U.S.-based ships. They contrasted the U.S. government's passive stance on this to the British government which since the 1830s, had stationed a squadron of ships in Africa dedicated to stopping and seizing vessels carrying slaves. This vigorous effort has been estimated by one historian to have cut the importation of slaves into Brazil and Cuba (the only major places where it was still legal to import slaves from Africa) by 30 to 50 percent in the 1850s. But despite the risks, some U.S. shipowners continued to trade in slaves: the profits often outweighed the risks.


text:
Chasing Sound teaches brass and woodwind which are the backbone of many schools and community bands in the local area of Footscray, Melbourne. They are fun to learn and a pleasure to play as they involve many different styles of music. At Chasing Sound we provide Flute, Clarinet, Saxophone, Trumpet & Trombone Lessons. If you're interested in learning to play a brass or woodwind instrument, book your lesson today. Contact us!
BRASS & WOODWIND – FOUNDATION PHASE
Students learn the fundamentals of playing technique and reading notation. This includes correct posture and practical technique. Students are introduced to reading music notes, as well as counting rhythms and learning basic symbols. They work on learning how to practice effectively and develop routines to support their progress. If students have some experience on the instrument already, these elements of their musicianship are refined. This phase allows students to see if they enjoy the instrument and find out if they are compatible with their teacher. Music lessons are a commitment so above all this phase can show how well students can incorporate lessons and practice into their lifestyle.
BRASS & WOODWIND – STREAMS PHASE
Students can sit The Australian Music Examination Board (AMEB) music qualifications. This AMEB STREAM covers Preliminary-Grade 8 and above and similarly the Music Theory exams in the later levels. These exams are a terrific way for students to excel and further develop their general musical skills. The exam is mostly practical (playing scales and pieces on their instrument). Students will find that listening, general knowledge and sight-reading skills are also covered. AMEB students receive comments from an examiner and a certificate upon completion. AMEB exams take place in Hawthorn. Costs incurred include exam enrolment and AMEB print materials.
Classical/School Repertoire Stream
Students who elect to do the CLASSICAL STREAM work on repertoire by classical composers. They build on the technique they developed in the FOUNDATION phase and also increase their range and rhythmic comprehension. Students learn about playing in time, develop an understanding of various symbols as well as improve their theoretical and aural awareness.
If they are already playing instruments in their school programs students will participate in a slightly different FOUNDATION phase before working on their repertoire. This could include learning songs for upcoming concerts and supporting students in VCE Music.
Students who elect to do the CONTEMPORARY STREAM work on one of the following various styles: Pop, Rock & Film Music. They build on the technique they developed in the FOUNDATION phase and develop an understanding of the symbols, markings and techniques to playing within the specific style. Students are also encouraged to learn about different artists within the style and expand their skills.
Jazz Stream (Brass Only)
Students who elect to do the JAZZ STREAM build on the technique they developed in the FOUNDATION phase and develop an understanding of the symbols, markings and techniques to playing within jazz. Students learn about different Jazz artists as well as improve their relevant theoretical and aural awareness.
BRASS & WOODWIND – PERFORMANCE PHASE
Students perform pieces they have worked on in the previous STREAM phase or similarly new pieces from the same style as a soloist. Students learn how to plan chunked practice as they move towards the performance. This might include problem-solving as well as progression points. With their teachers, students talk about managing nerves, improving concentration and furthermore their growth as performers. Students perform publicly at Chasing Sound events or are recorded in lessons — a product of the phase.
BRASS & WOODWIND – SPECIALISATION PHASE
Students can revisit and expand upon a style they worked through in the earlier STREAMS phase. Alternatively, they can take a creative step forward into song-writing, composition or improvisation. This stream allows a student to consolidate the work they have done in the previous phases. Students would not be able to transition into this phase without having done the others in order.
BRASS & WOODWIND – SELF-DIRECTED LEARNING PHASE
Students are empowered with the relevant skills, stylistic understanding and self-awareness musically to direct their own musical pathways. They do so with the support of their Chasing Sound Music School teacher and community.


Monthly Archives
September 2017
2017 AGM – and the new Cathedral organ
By | Uncategorized
Andrew Moyes (above), Managing Director of Nicholson & Co., UK, gave a fascinating presentation on Holy Trinity's new organ at our recent AGM.
Nicholson & Co. was founded in 1841 (same as Parnell!!). The founder, John Nicholson, died in 1895 and Andrew is the seventh Managing Director in 175 years. Nicholson & Co. is one of three firms in the UK capable of building large organs of the scale of Holy Trinity's.
How do they design and build such a large organ? It is rare to have the opportunity to design a brand-new cathedral organ. On the strength of their organ design for the Llandaff Cathedral in Wales, they were invited to Auckland in 2012 to give a proposal for the new organ. Andrew accompanied by their Tonal Director, who designs specifically for the acoustics, came out. Originally there was a bridge in the cathedral which broke the building into two parts. So, Andrew saw a great opportunity for the organ to be built in the space where the bridge was, a perfect space in the middle of the building.
Organ builders have two criteria:
 - it is a musical instrument so sound is paramount
 - it is a huge piece of furniture so how it looks is very important.
If the organ is put in a chamber, it cannot be heard properly. So, the pipes need to be in a position where the congregation can see them and receive the high frequencies of sound, from the smaller pipes, clearly. The big pipes (32' long) give low frequency sound which will spread well everywhere and thus may be hidden. In the Holy Trinity these two aspects came together very well with excellent acoustics and visuals.
The original organ in the cathedral was placed where it was difficult to be heard and hence needed to 'shout' which was not good, ie it had to be played with more force and would lose the finer nuances. They employed a Frenchman, Didier Grassin, who worked for an American organ building company, and he came up with a very ingenious design without visiting the building placing the organ where the two parts of the building collide: the more austere 1930's design and the Maori-inspired nave. This has changed completely the cathedral's interior.
How is the organ built? It took 20 months to build. It was so large it would not fit into the factory so was built in three sections and only came together in Auckland. It took 6 months to install, two teams of four men in 6 week relays. The final installation took place at the beginning of 2017 and it was finished at Easter.
What are the components of the organ? There are 5,432 pipes ranging from the biggest at 32' long to the smallest that is the size of one's little finger. The biggest pipe is made of wood and weighs two-thirds of a tonne and is built in three sections. This organ is the biggest to have been built in the UK for 63 years. The organ weighs 40 tonnes. It was packed into seven 40' containers which were loaded into the ex-refrigerator holds of the ships to give extra protection.
There are two consoles, where the organist sits, one on top of the transept and the other is a mobile console that can be wheeled around. The connection from the consoles to the pipes is digital. The sound itself is air blown through the pipes. The air is generated by six electric blowers.
The Holy Trinity organ is the largest musical instrument in New Zealand and the largest organ in Australasia. Why is it so big? This is due to the acoustic space and to give a large tonal palette. The bigger the organ the greater the variety of tonality. The Auckland organ is very versatile and has an enormous repertoire of performance potential.


text:
Follow our four-point plan of attack to trace your roots in Spain, Portugal and the Basque region.
Since ancient times, the Iberian peninsula—encompassing Spain, Portugal, and the long-contested Basque country—has been coveted and conquered by the Romans, Germanic tribes, Arabs, Holy Roman Empire and Napoleon. For genealogists today, tracing your ancestry in the Iberian region is a conquest with its own challenges: language barriers, decentralized records, lagging digitization and state takeovers of church registers, among others.
But those obstacles aren't insurmountable—technological weapons can help you break down language barriers, records access is gradually improving, and the reward for tackling Spanish, Portuguese or Basque records likely will be well worth the struggle: The area's church and notarial records in particular are some of the world's richest genealogical treasures. Follow these four steps for your own successful assault on the formidable peninsula.


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Create Custom Blocks
You can create custom Receive and Transmit blocks to use with hardware currently not supported by the Vehicle Network Toolbox™.
Vehicle Network Toolbox blocks use a custom CAN data type. To use the blocks you create with other Vehicle Network Toolbox blocks, register this custom CAN data type.
To use the custom data type defined in the Vehicle Network Toolbox, write a C++ S-function.
 Note: You must use a C++ file type S-function (.cpp) to create custom blocks. Using a C-file type S-function (.c) may cause linker errors.
To register and use the custom CAN data type, in your S-function:
 1. Define the IMPORT_SCANUTIL identifier that imports the required symbols when you compile the S-function:
 2. Include the can_datatype.h header located in[MATLABROOT]\toolbox\vnt\vntblks\include\candatatype at the top of the S-function:
 _TAG_ "can_datatype.h"
 Note: The header can_message.h included by can_datatype.h is located in [MATLABROOT]\toolbox\shared\can\src\scanutil\.
 3. Link your S-function during build to the scanutil.lib located in the [MATLABROOT]\toolbox\vnt\vntblks\lib\ directory. The shared library scanutil.dll, is located in the [MATLABROOT]\bin\
 4. Call this function in mdlInitializeSizes to initialize the custom CAN data type:
 5. Get custom data type ID using ssGetDataTypeId:
 dataTypeID = ssGetDataTypeId(S,SL_CAN_MESSAGE_DTYPE_NAME);
 6. Do one of the following:
 - To create a receive block, set output port data type to CAN_MESSAGE:
 ssSetOutputPortDataType(S, portID, dataTypeID );
 - To create a transmit block, set the input port to CAN_MESSAGE:
 ssSetInputPortDataType(S, portID, dataTypeID );
For more information on S-functions, see S-Function Basics.
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text:
Sector-specific Case Studies and Examples
As part of our materials to strengthen Managing for Development Results (MfDR), we have developed Case Studies and worked examples of a Stakeholder Analysis, Problem Tree, Objectives/Vision Tree, Risk Analysis, and good practice Log Frame for five different sectors: Forestry, Agriculture/Trade, Climate Change; Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, and Education. These can be used in training or advisory services – or new ones can be developed for bespoke capacity strengthening assignments.
Quality Assurance (QA) checklists
CIDT has developed a modality of QA checklists that have proven helpful in guiding the review and assessment of the various elements of results frameworks. We use them to gauge the strengths and weaknesses of 'real' results frameworks, in order identify their strengths and possible areas for improvement. As a trainer or expert providing technical assistance, these checklists provide an objective way to assess a product from a technical perspective and to communicate the findings and suggestions. We have also assisted our clients (of advisory services) or participants (of workshops/trainings) to use these checklists. They have been a great asset to Peer Review exercises, enabling individuals to provide constructive feedback.
We also have a checklist for the review the quality of Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) plans, which can be used to assess and score the M&E component of project proposals, to facilitate peer review during M&E workshops/trainings, or to conduct a self-assessment of a 'real' M&E plan.


text:
Next admission round:
- 15 months
Start of the program:
Level of entry:
Presentation: Master of Fashion Styling & Portfolio
The founder Giulio Marangoni founded the Istituto Artistico dell'Abbigliamento Marangoni (Istituto Marangoni) with the objective of training professionals and technicians specializing in the field of fashion. Istituto Marangoni has never stopped believing in the value of training, constantly updating its programmes to ensure they are in line with Italian and international market needs.Istituto Marangoni has opened four new schools: London in 2003, Paris in 2006, Shanghai in 2013, and Milano Design in 2014. Istituto Marangoni now announces the opening of the new School of Fashion, Art & Design in Florence, scheduled for October 2016.
About the course:
The program is designed to advance the students advanced knowledge of the field of fashion styling and fashion photography and help them to develop a broad range of abilities promoting originality and autonomy while enabling them to respond to the changing needs of the fashion industry. The exhaustive study of existing and emerging technology in the contemporary fashion industry allows students to develop their skill at independent personal research of the student.
- cultural identity of styling
- fashion brand
- creative communication and experimentation
- creative visualization
- theory and practice
- research methods
Qualifications/expertise after completing the program
- understand the relationship between the theory of photography, its practice.
- learn to create images with Photoshop and multimedia.
- manage a photographic space and choose its location.
- create photoshoots with models and technical assistants.
- analyse and describe fashion photographs and their cultural context.
- Bachelors Degree in Fashion, Design, art or similar subjects.
- non-native English speakers need to provide a copy of the official English language certificate: the English language test score should be at least upper B2 at CEFR level - IELTS overall score of 6.5 with no elements below 5.5.
After being accepted on the platform the student will be contacted in order to submit all of the below mentioned documents:
- Completed application form
- Copy of passport
- 2 passport-size photos
- Curriculum vitae
- Signed personal statement
- 2 reference letters
- Copy of a university diploma or school certificates with academic transcripts (for master course)
- Notarized photocopy of a graduation diploma and academic transcripts (must be equivalent to a UK bachelor degree) and their official translation in English, if in a language different than English (for the master's degree courses at the London and Paris schools)
- Portfolio (where requested)
Other application costs:
- Non - EU: 24000 €
- Enrollment Fee: 5500 €


MD Physician & ICU
Dana Shivam is a multi speciality hospital having dedicated Critical / General care unit with Best General Physician in Jaipur who will first study your disease then will diagnose and treat accordingly.
Role of Physician
The role of the physician on a health care team is like a multi-tasker. The physician's duty are based on regulated range of practice. The physician is well qualified to provide leadership in maintaining and supervising the patient's overall health care.
How does a physician diagnose a disease?
A diagnosis is basically based on laboratory reports or on the test results, rather than the physical inspection of the patient body. For example, a total diagnosis of infectious diseases generally requires both an examination of signs and symptoms, as well as laboratory reports of the agent that is responsible for the disease.
MD Physician & ICU Doctor
Dr. C.P. Suthar
 Dr. C.P. Suthar
Dr. C.P. Suthar
Physician Diabetologist & Intensivist
MD (Medicine)


text:
Nexx X.R3R Zero Pro Carbon Red Helmet
Click Image for Gallery
Loaded with below features;
- In motorcycle racing, speed is the key and aerodynamics play a critical role – as that extra kilometer per hour could mean the difference between winning and losing.
- Aerodynamically optimized X.R3R lightweight shell design not only reduces the air resistance but also optimizes the air mass flow for cooling the interior.
- Considerable effort has been made to improve the aerodynamic efficiency of the X.R3R's shell, visor, spoilers and vents design.
- The need for good design in the field of aerodynamics requires a wind tunnel design.
- However, testing begins virtually on the PC, with virtual CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) analysis, which allow for better and more informed decisions.
- These results are then supported by tests in a wind tunnel, on a 1: 1 scale with a motorcycle and road tests, which validate the aerodynamic performance of the helmet in various angles and riding positions.


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Название: Functional evaluation of the effective potential
Автор: Jackiw R.
By use of the path-integral formulation of quantum mechanics, a series expansion for the effective potential is derived. Each order of the series corresponds to an infinite set of conventional Feynman diagrams, with a fixed number of loops. As an application of the formalism, three calculations are performed. For a set of n self-interacting scalar fields, the effective potential is computed to the two-loop approximation. Also, all loops are summed in the leading-logarithmic approximation when n gets large. Finally, the effective potential for scalar, massless electrodynamics is derived in an arbitrary gauge. It is found that the potential is gauge-dependent, and a specific gauge is exhibited in which all one-loop effects disappear.


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Hawaii 2050 Sustainability Plan
Factand Research-based Approach to Sustainability:
The Hawai'i 2050 Issue Book
Planning for Hawai'i's sustainable future requires a series of technical studies to ensure that public and community input was strengthened by necessary data, research and information to guide public decision-making. The Task Force identified a series of subjects to be researched in order to gain a comprehensive understanding of the components of sustainability.
The Task Force engaged scholars at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa to research key issues of sustainability, particular to Hawai'i. The "Hawai'i 2050 Issue Book" was subsequently published, and is used as the factual foundation for better understanding sustainability issues in our state. The research reflects the latest information on key aspects of sustainability as of the date of this report, and should be updated appropriately in the years to come.
The following subjects were researched:
print this page | download this section (PDF)download full plan (PDF)
- Overview of Sustainability Practices. This paper provides a summary of key principles and best practices of sustainable communities, nationally and globally.
- Population. This study analyzes Hawai'i's historic and future population statistics and trends, including anticipated population growth, aging, ethnic and other demographic patterns.
- Kanaka Maoli Values of Aloha 'Aina. The author explores the cultural and spiritual foundation of the Kanaka Maoli, principles of Native Hawaiian stewardship of the land, and other cultural, historic and traditional aspects of Hawai'i's indigenous people.
- Water. This study evaluates the current yield and demand for water on all islands under varying environmental and technological assumptions.
- Land Use. This study explores the availability of lands for varied urban, agricultural, rural and conservation use, including lands for housing, conservation and other sustainability needs.
- Energy. An evaluation of Hawai'i's energy needs, supplies, and demands, including use of alternative and renewable sources of energy were explored in this study.
- Agriculture. This study evaluates Hawai'i's food production capacity and consumption patterns, as well as describes various aspects of Hawai'i's agricultural industry and products.
- Environmental Quality. This study of Hawai'i's environmental quality, including air, water and endangered species, enables the Task Force to evaluate our efforts to preserve and enhance the environment.
- Sustainable Quality of Individual and Family Life. This paper outlines health, human services, education, culture, recreation and other aspects of quality of life in Hawai'i.
- Sustainable Economy. This study analyzes key aspects of Hawai'i's economy, including its ability to become sustainable.
- The Paradise Index: Benchmarking Progress. This paper explores the role of indicators, measurements and accountability in sustainability planning.


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I posed the question here, but get no answers yet.
Let $R$ be a PID, $M$ be an $R$-module. If $M$ is isomorphic to $r$ copies of cyclic primary module $R/\langle p^s\rangle$ where $p$ is a prime element of $R$, then does $M$ possess the following property?
Given any submodule $N$ of $M$ isomorphic to $R/\langle p^{s_1}\rangle\oplus\cdots\oplus R/\langle p^{s_r}\rangle$, $M/N$ is isomorphic to $R/\langle p^{s-s_1}\rangle\oplus\cdots\oplus R/\langle p^{s-s_r}\rangle$.
share|improve this question
This is better suited for MSE. You could start with $r=1$, with $M=R/p^sR$, $N=R/p^{s_1}R$. – Dietrich Burde Jun 26 '13 at 8:23
1 Answer 1
up vote 3 down vote accepted
Choose generators $n_1,\dotsc,n_r$ for $N$ with $p^{s_i}n_i=0$. It is not hard to see that the annihilator of $p^{s_i}$ on $M$ is $p^{s-s_i}M$, so we can choose $m_i$ with $p^{s-s_i}m_i=n_i$. If we can prove that the elements $m_i$ form a basis for $M$ over the ring $R/p^s$, then everything else is clear.
The given assumptions on $N$ imply that the elements $p^{s-1}m_i=p^{s_i-1}n_i$ are linearly independent over $R/p$ in the space $M[p]=\{m\in M:pm=0\}$, and by counting dimensions they must form a basis. Multiplication by $p^{s-1}$ gives an isomorphism $M/pM\to M[p]$, so the elements $m_i$ form a basis for $M/pM$ over $R/p$.
We can certainly write $m_i=\sum_ja_{ij}e_j$ for some matrix $A=(a_{ij})$ over $R$, where $e_1,\dotsc,e_r$ is the standard basis for $M$. The above shows that $\det(A)$ is invertible mod $p$. It follows easily that it is invertible mod $p^s$ as well, which proves the claim.
My argument refers to $p^{s_i-1}$ and so does not immediately work if $s_i=0$ for some $i$, but that can be cured with a few more steps.
share|improve this answer
Following is the way I can think of to work for the case when some $s_i=0$. Get $m_i$'s in your argument for nonzero $s_i$'s, and prove that they are $R$-linearly independent by showing a correspinding minor of $A$ is invertible mod $p^s$. Then extend these $m_i$'s to an $R$-basis of $M$ as $M$ is homocyclic. Is there any simpler way? – Binzhou Xia Jul 13 '13 at 13:17
Your Answer


Special Features
Employment Background Checks - UK vs Australia
Background Checks The trend is clear. Australian businesses are increasingly looking to pre-employment background checks as the perfect tool to ensure workplace safety and prevent future problems. As police checks are fast becoming commonplace in Australia, it is worth examining how other countries are tackling this sensitive issue. Take, for instance, the United Kingdom a country with a long democratic tradition - what sort of criminal record checks are allowed under British law?
Types of British pre-employment checks
British employers have various types of pre-employment checks at their disposal. A company can ask for a comprehensive background check on a prospective employee, which will include a verification of the past five years employment record, credit checks going back six years, identity checks, right to work in the UK checks as well as a character reference, which can be obtained from a previous employer.
On top of that, an employer can ask for a criminal record check, but only for a limited number of positions.
What is a DBS?
In the United Kingdom, verification of an individual's criminal record can only be performed only through the Disclosure and Barring Service, which is why what Australians refer to as a national police check over there is called a DBS check.
There are three different types of DBS checks available.
1. Basic DBS check:
As the name says, it is the most basic of the criminal record checks available in the UK. It is also the only one individuals can run on themselves. The information contained in such checks is limited.
When a Basic DBS check is run, it will only list unspent convictions. Just as in Australia there's the Spent convictions scheme, the British have a rehabilitation law. Under this law, certain minor offenses committed when a person was young will be eliminated from their criminal record after a few years so that the individual concerned has a higher chance of getting a good job.
Background Checks 2. Standard DBS:
Such checks can be carried out when a person applies for a job that implies certain responsibilities. For instance, someone seeking employment in a financial institution, the courts, the prison system, or something similar will have to submit to a Standard DBS.
The information which can be disclosed is more detailed and will include both spent and unspent past convictions.
3. Enhanced DBS
The most complex background check available in the UK is in many ways similar to the Australian Working With Children check. As a matter of fact, Enhanced DBS checks are required for British people applying for any job that implies working with children in any capacity, but also for jobs related to caring for vulnerable adults.
As part of the verification, an enhanced DBS check includes searching the applicant's name against Barred Lists. Such lists include the names of people who are barred from holding sensitive jobs under a court order.
Continuous monitoring
Under British law, it is illegal for an employer to ask for a criminal record check if the
position does not qualify for such a verification. Also, employers need to have the applicant's consent before ordering a DBS. In the UK, as well as in Australia you can obtain a criminal record check using the services of an online agency.
Employers can also opt for an updated DBS, which basically alerts the company if a new conviction has been added to the employee's criminal record after the moment the check was performed. On the other hand, for sensitive jobs, British employers are allowed to order DBS checks on their employees at regular intervals.
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Ecodigital art: Democratization, globalization, and interdisciplinarity
Common Ground Publishing
School of Arts and Humanities
This paper articulates the defining themes of digital art - democratization, globalization, and interdisciplinarity – in relation to how artists work with technology to highlight the urgency of environmental sustainability. While advances in engineering and technology are often touted as the solutions to the Anthropocene's ecological problems, few studies have concentrated on the interconnections between digital technology, art, and sustainability. An outcome of ecopolitical digital art is the changing of public perceptions and behaviors concerning nature and humanity's troubled relationship to it. This paper historicizes digital art, tracing its evolution and major typologies, in order to posit a growing engagement with environmental issues in digital artworks of recent times. The works of Natalie Jeremijenko and Joseph DeLappe provide case studies of digital creatives adopting themes of environmental sustainability and engendering the artist as ecological activist.


Felyx Meaning in English, Felyx Baby Name Origin Gender Meaning Pronunciation
Does Felyx Baby Name seem like an intriguing name for your baby? Learn Felyx Name Meaning in English, its origin and which gender Felyx Baby Name is most suitable for. Check through our list of names that are related to the name Felyx, names similar to Felyx and sibling names of Felyx. Also, read through a detailed numerology report for the name Felyx.
Baby Image
happy or fortunate
Related Felyx Baby Names
Felix, Westyn, Theo, Huxley, Leland, Parker, Weston, Baxter, Kage, Ryder, Felipe, Kingston
Sibling Names
Logan, Brock, Bryce, Chase, Mason, Dylan, Brayden, Riley, Blake, Caleb, Liam, Connor, Madison, Bailey, Ella, Emma, Chloe, Ava, Avery, Brooklyn, Harper, Evelyn, Hannah
Felyx as a boy's name is of Latin origin, and the meaning of Felyx is "happy or fortunate".


text:
From a given router, is traceroute the best way to let me see the path traffic is taking?
Imagine that from router, next path is PIX firewall and load balancers. To my understanding, traceroute can't show me whether PIX firewall, load balancers, etc are on the way.
Please clarify whether there are tools or tricks out there which could let me determine the flow of traffic on a given network. Thanks.


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Emancipation is a legal way for children to become adults before they are 18. Once a child is emancipated, his or her parents do not have custody or control of him or her anymore. Emancipation is usually forever. But the court can cancel the emancipation if the minor asking for the emancipation lies to the court or is no longer able to support himself or herself.
If you are emancipated, you can do some things without your parent's permission, like:
If you are emancipated, you will give up the right to be supported by your parents.
Even if you are emancipated:
Note: If you have a legal guardian, all of the information in this section about parents applies to your legal guardian and your case, too.
There are 3 ways to get emancipated:
If you do not want to live with your parents, you do not necessarily have to get emancipated. You can:
You can learn a lot more about emancipation by reading Legal Services for Children's Emancipation Manual. This manual has a lot of answers about emancipation for teenagers.
Read the Emancipation Pamphlet (Form MC-301) for more information about the court process.


text:
ucleic acid precipitation - why alchohol and low temperature (Jan/29/2002 )
Would anyone out there be able to tell as to why alchohols like isopropanol or ethanol are used to precipitate nucleic acids, and also, why is the precipitation done at low temperatures
Precipitation is probably easier at lower temperatures because of less Brownian motion of the molecules?
I think DNA is not soluble in alcohol because this kind of substance cannot shield the high charge of phosphate groups of the backbone. Water, a molecule that is more polar and has good capacity of shielding charged or polar groups, is more efficient to do that. When you increased the alcohol concentration in water, the DNA becomes progressively less shielded and eventually, precipitate. A good point to note here is that by adding salt, you accentuate a lot this effect (salt ions sequester water molecules wich become less available to solubilize DNA).
For the temperature, it is simply because it reduce the solubility (in general) of dissolved substances. So, it helps to precipitate things (DNA, and unfortunately, salts...). Someone else has given a more in-depht point of view for this explanation.
Regarding temperature dependence of solubility it depends on whether it is endoor egzotemic process. In the former case, solubility incrises with temperature.
ok i remember something about...
DNA is soluble in water because the water molecules intercalate into the phosphate backbone of the DNA and thus maintain it in a soluble state. When you add salt and alcohol you are essentially removing the water molecules and teh DNA then precipitates.


text: This module will examine the control of cardiac output, blood pressure and blood flow, and the central / peripheral cardiovascular interactions during exercise that limit performance. One focus will be on afferent signals generated within exercising muscles that drive and modulate cardiovascular reflexes. Another will investigate how central command associated with voluntary exercise can initiate and adjust blood pressure and heart rate responses. The factors that regulate local blood flow, in particular the vascular endothelium, will be studied in the context of distribution of cardiac output to active and inactive tissues during exercise. All these systems and their role in cardiovascular health will be emphasised by studying alterations to training and in diseases such as heart failure, hypertension and diabetes. Interactions between central cardiovascular control mechanisms, peripheral vascular control and the respiratory system during exercise will be discussed in a systems physiology approach.


A Quick Reminder About Fairness Opinions
While we've written on this topic in the past, given the high volume of transaction (M&A, investment, etc) activity over the past few years, we thought it might be relevant to throw out a few reminders on some of the key issues related to fairness opinions.
When a company contemplates a major transaction, key decision makers have a lot to consider. One thing that shouldn't cloud their judgement is the question of whether they will be held personally responsible if the transaction turns out poorly. In the US, courts give a lot of deference to the judgement of managers and board members, under a doctrine referred to as the business judgement rule. However, if a plaintiff objecting to a decision by the board can show that the board breached either the duty of care or the duty of loyalty, then courts will grant no deference to the board's judgement and will review both the procedure and substance of their decision under the strictest standards. One of the most common ways that a board can demonstrate that it is fulfilling both the duty of care and duty of loyalty is to obtain a fairness opinion.
A fairness opinion is an opinion as to whether the consideration paid or received in a transaction is fair from a financial point of view to the party paying or receiving the consideration. When faced with a particularly important decision, such as whether to approve an acquisition involving the company, a board of directors often will hire independent experts to evaluate the contemplated transaction. A fairness opinion should be just one of many factors that the board considers in deciding whether to approve a transaction. However, it can be very helpful from both strategic and legal perspectives, as it will provide an independent assessment of the company's value in addition to demonstrating that directors fulfilled both the duty of care and duty of loyalty.
Duty of Care and Duty of Loyalty
Duty of care refers to a director's responsibility to act in an informed manner in making a business decision and requires that the director must review all information reasonably available. Duty of loyalty refers to a director's responsibility to act for the benefit of the corporation and all shareholders. Engaging independent experts before making a decision helps directors demonstrate that both standards were seriously considered, and the decision was consistent with the contemporaneous judgement of a neutral expert.
Not Only for Public Companies
While many assume fairness opinions are important only in transactions involving publicly traded companies, they can be just as important for private companies. On the one hand, a public company has a broader shareholder base, making it more difficult for directors to gauge shareholder sentiment and potentially more likely that some shareholders will be unhappy enough to bring suit because of a board's decision. On the other hand, the economic interests of all shareholders of a public company usually are aligned. By contrast, the economic interests of shareholders of a private company can differ substantially if there are different classes of stock. In particular, the interests of common shareholders can be very different from those of preferred shareholders. Because preferred shareholders are likely to have more seats on the board of directors, directors need to be very careful to avoid actual or perceived conflicts of interests.
Potential Conflicts of Interest
One clear example of a conflict of interest that would call into question a director's duty of loyalty is if the director is involved with companies on both sides of a transaction. More subtle conflicts can also raise suspicions about a board's motivation, though, making it especially important to obtain a fairness opinion. For example, if a company is contemplating a sale for a value only a little above the liquidation preference of the preferred stock, preferred shareholders will be made whole (and may even receive a healthy return depending on dividend and participation rights), while common shareholders may receive very little consideration in the transaction. To the extent that a director's financial interest isn't aligned with all the financial interest of other shareholders, the duty of loyalty can come into question.
Fairness opinions provide both useful perspective and legal protection for boards that are weighing important financial decisions. They can inform deliberation about a potential merger, acquisition, or sale, but also frequently are obtained when a company is considering the redemption of securities or a restructuring. If a transaction goes poorly, it can be very difficult for a board to demonstrate that its decision making was well informed and unbiased. Obtaining a fairness opinion is a very strong argument that the board sought out the opinion of experts, considered the transaction from the perspective of all shareholders, and exercised appropriate judgement based on the best available information at the time.
How can we help?
A good fairness opinion follows strong procedural guidelines and also scrutinizes the economic substance of the proposed transaction. The professionals at Teknos understand valuation techniques and the special requirements of technology companies. We utilize a variety of different valuation approaches, examining everything from historical trading in the company's stock (if the company is public) to current acquisition premiums being paid to the discounted value of projected earnings.
In addition to providing the traditional opinion letter which forms the core of a fairness opinion, Teknos completes an extensive written analysis and explains that to the Board of Directors or Special Committee, both before execution of the transaction documents and again just prior to the closing. We have performed fairness evaluations in connection with purchases, sales, inside financings and other transactions and opinions by our team members have been included in SEC filings.
Teknos would be pleased to provide a proposal for a fairness opinion in connection with a transaction. We can complete our work rapidly, if necessary, and our fees are reasonable, varying with the size and complexity of the proposed transaction. For more information please contact us: _EMAIL_.
Teknos Associates provides valuation and advisory services for emerging growth companies and their venture capital backers. Clients rely on our financial expertise, knowledge of technology markets, and high standards to deliver relevant and timely valuation reports, opinions, and analyses.


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Design of a Robust Priming Controller for SMA Actuators
Song, Zihao Hunter
MetadataShow full item record
Shape Memory Alloys (SMAs) have been demonstrated to be effective actuator elements in a wide range of applications, such as robotics, medicine, aerospace and automotive. Enabled by the unique thermo-mechanical properties of SMAs, these actuators offer the advantages of light weight, high power-to-weight ratio and a simple actuation mechanism compared to traditional actuator types. At the same time, the widespread adoption of the SMA actuator remains elusive as its low power efficiency and complex hysteretic behaviour often render it an impractical means of actuation. These actuators also exhibit a slow response speed and their response is highly sensitive to changes in the external environment, namely ambient temperature and mechanical stress, thus complicating their control. Position, force or temperature sensors may be used to facilitate feedback control, but at the cost of increasing the overall size and complexity of the system. The difficulties caused by the hysteretic behaviour can be largely avoided when SMA wires are used as on-off actuators, making SMAs well suited for such applications. However, they may still be subject to a wide range of dynamic operating conditions that would impact their actuation time, and achieving a consistent actuation time is often highly desirable. This thesis presents the synthesis of a nitinol SMA actuator control system which uses electrical resistance feedback to enable a fast response speed and robustness to disturbances in the external environment. A study of the resistance behaviour of SMAs is discussed first. The design of an adaptive controller and the experimental evaluation of its performance are described in detail next. The objective of the SMA actuator control system is to achieve a consistent and fast actuation time throughout the range of operating ambient temperature and stress. The control system is implemented experimentally and shown to be quite successful.
Cite this work
Zihao Hunter Song (2012). Design of a Robust Priming Controller for SMA Actuators. UWSpace. _URL_