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Andrew Koenig
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Why Would You Ever Pass a Container By Value?
July 31, 2013
An important part of teaching is figuring out how to avoid drowning students in detail. Most people who have tried to learn something new and complicated, such as a programming language, have had the experience of looking at a textbook, or listening to a lecture, and encountering a flood of options or features without a clue as to which ones are important, or which ones to use when, or even how they relate to each other. One way to avoid imposing such experiences on students is to give them an intellectual framework that lets the students relate parts of what they are learning to other parts.
For example, suppose we write a C++ expression that calls a function:
Obviously, this expression calls a function f and passes an argument x to it. Moreover, if f is defined as
 void f(T y) { /* … */ }
then we can say that the call f(x) passes the argument x to the parameter y, and that doing so involves the same actions as if we had written
 T y = x;
This explanation encourages students to relate what happens when we call a function to what happens when we use a value to initialize a variable. However, although this relation may simplify learning, it complicates teaching. Consider two fundamental features of C++: functions and references. Which shall we teach first?
If we teach references first, there is the problem of coming up with interesting example programs that use references but completely avoid user-defined functions. This is hard to do because the most common use of references is as function parameters — so it's probably easier to teach functions first.
However, if we teach functions before we teach references, then every function we write must accept its arguments by value — references not yet being available as an alternative. That is, every function call must copy the function's arguments to its parameters. There is no problem justifying such behavior if those arguments are small values, such as integers; but if our first example of passing a container to a function copies the entire container, we are encouraging students to write code that does needless work.
In Accelerated C++, Barbara and I came up with the idea of having the first such function compute the median of its argument. The most straightforward way to compute the median of a container is to sort the container — which changes its original value — and then to locate the element or elements in the middle. As a result, we were able to finesse the pedagogical problem of passing a container to a function by having that function compute the median, changing the value of its parameter in the process.
The picture changes when we expand the picture to include C++11 move operations. Now, when we write
 T y = x;
the effect is to copy or move x to y depending on whether x is an lvalue. Similarly, when we call f(x), the effect is to copy or move x to f's parameter y depending on whether x is an lvalue. This dependency not only changes how we explain what is going on, but also changes the circumstances under which such functions do needless work.
In the presence of move operations, I think it might be better to explain functions with string parameters before we explain functions with vector parameters. Not only are strings probably more common than vectors, but string rvalues are surely more common than vector rvalues. For example:
 bool is_palindrome(string s) { /* Details left to the reader */ }
Suppose we call is_palindrome("radar"). Then what really happens under the hood is that the string literal "radar" has type const char*, which is different from the type of is_palindrome's parameter. Accordingly, "radar" is used to construct a temporary of type string. That temporary is an rvalue, so it is moved, not copied, to the parameter s of is_palindrome. An analogous phenomenon happens when we pass the result of a nontrivial expression to such a function. As a result, we have a fairly wide range of examples from which to choose without having to write code that does needless work. Moreover, we have plenty of opportunities to return to these examples for more detailed study later.
In short, the question posed in this article's title has at least two answers:
 1. When you know that the function is going to change the value of its parameter; or
 2. When you're confident that most of the time, you'll be passing a container rvalue.
I'll continue this discussion next week by showing why the "needless effort" in some of these functions is worth making a fuss to avoid. In particular, I'd like to explain the apparent contradiction between wanting to avoid needless effort and my long-held belief that computers should be working for people, not the other way around.
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text:
for the appropriate v, r for this large orbit.
Using mvnrn = nKh, vn = nKh/mrn.
Thus hv/2p r = nKh2/2p mrn2.
En+1 - En = hf = h.v/2p r = nKh2/2p mrn2
Now, the second and fourth terms in the above equation must be equal in the limit of large n. Canceling out common factors of the two, we find that the condition for equality is:
K = 1/2p.
This was the argument Bohr used to establish that angular momentum for his model is quantized in units h/2p.

source: openbmb/Ultra-FineWeb


text:
GA: Measure Large Products (2 axes)
ProTable GA is a two axis, gantry system for measurement of panels/sheet stock. It can locate any point in XY space of the part being measured. It can measure point to point, arc lengths and hole locations.
ProTable GA is a two axis, gantry system for measurement of panels/sheet stock. It can locate any point in XY space of the part being measured. It can measure point to point, arc lengths and hole locations. A rigid aluminum frame holds the part being measured. A gantry travels over the part to find points for measurement using a magnified high definition color image and crosshair. The measuring carriages are guided by high precision industrial hardened steel linear bearing systems.
Additional fixturing and system customization are available.
System accuracy error not to exceed +/-.005 inches (.127 mm).
- Battery Operation: One CR123 Lithium battery in each Readout (axis) will power a ProTable XY for up to 6-8 months.
- Non-Linear error compensation: The ProTable XY Readout stores up to 126 calibration points along the entire measuring length of each axis.
- Temperature compensation: The Readout samples ambient temperature every 15 minutes and applies applicable correction to the measurement.
- SPC Output: Measurement data can be sent wirelessly to a PC.
- Measurement Pins: Standard systems are supplied with hardened steel measuring pins, or Stainless steel may be ordered as an option. Custom Hole or Edge probes are also available.
- Easy Operation: Readout settings for Zero, Plus & Minus Offsets, Data Send, and Measurement Units.
- Choice of Measurement Units: The Readout will display measurements in inches to.001 or.0005; Millimeters to.01; or Centimeters to.01.
- One year warranty on all parts against defects in workmanship.
- RoHS compliant: Lead Free Product
- Custom designs available for your measuring application
- MADE IN USA


The Greater Chatham Initiative was born from a comprehensive plan for economic growth and neighborhood vitality (The Plan). Our mission is to strategically invest (consistent with The Plan) in the Chicago communities of Chatham, Greater Grand Crossing, Avalon Park, and Auburn Gresham so they can re-emerge as communities of opportunity and choice.
About Us
Historically, the Chatham neighborhood's residential and economic stability has been both a beacon and an anchor for Chicago's south side, which bodes well for Chicago as a whole.
In recent years, Greater Chatham has been confronting new challenges: the number of middle-income jobs in the US economy has shrunk, including middle-wage public sector jobs, with a disproportionate impact on the African-American middle class; the aftermath of the national foreclosure crisis is painfully evident in Greater Chatham's "frozen" housing market; and the area is experiencing the in-migration of a lower-income, lower-skilled population looking for higher-quality housing options and better quality of life.
The Greater Chatham Initiative is an organization charged with developing and driving the implementation of a comprehensive strategy to revitalize the Chatham, Auburn Gresham, Avalon Park and Greater Grand Crossing neighborhoods on Chicago's south side.
In 2016, our organization authored a plan to spearhead a new approach to integrated neighborhood and regional development, tailored to the assets, dynamics and economics of the new, 21st century economy.
Residents often identify not only with "Greater Chatham" or one of the four community areas but also with the many and varied "neighborhoods" within them, including West Chatham, Park Manor, Marynook and Chesterfield.
Cultural icons like Mahalia Jackson and
Gwendolyn Brooks as well as African-American businesses like Johnson Products and
Seaway National Bank have called Greater Chatham their home.
To build something that is real and tangible, it is important to follow these principles:
 1. State the goals and what metrics will need to be tracked
 2. Outline the strategies that could help achieve the goals
 3. Identify a series of initiatives that are tactical project/ program ideas to execute. They must be:
 - scalable so they can broadly and substantially impact the community
 - sustainable so they can continue after strategic-investments conclude
 - innovative and transformative, minimally making great strides to positively changing existing systems and maximally making fundamental paradigm shifts
 - rapidly deployable and have a fast-moving trajectory toward a successful tipping point.
 4. Create an action plan that builds a platform to identify and prioritize initiatives based on neighborhood specific goals, identify resources and community partnerships, and put forth timelines.
The Greater Chatham Initiative is a necessarily ambitious undertaking. This plan aims to make the community one of both opportunity and choice. These are suggested goals and metrics. We will further refine the below as we investigate, plan and undertake the Initiatives.
Connect and align the residents and businesses of Greater Chatham with the Chicago region's next economy growth opportunities.
Revitalize and upgrade housing, stabilizing underwater homeowners and enabling new homeownership.
Enrich the community's array of retail, support services and other community amenities.
Increase public-sector and private-sector investments and decrease in individual public supports.
Create a next-economy inclusive civic infrastructure that connects community residents and businesses with regional stakeholders in fluid, flexible and innovative networks that are accountable to both communities and markets.
Enhance the social system and quality of life.
Start typing and press Enter to search


People are placing coins on military tombstones, when you learn why you'll pull out your change
As a nation, Americans show utmost respect for the military men and women who fight for our country and our freedom. The need of paying respect to these service officers grows even bigger on Memorial Day, the day when we remember those who lost their life for the country.
People now found a unique way to pay their tribute to the fallen soldiers by placing coins on their tombstones. So in case you see any, please don't touch them, but put one yourself.
The coins serve the purpose of the soldiers' families to know that someone had visited the grave and is thankful for the sacrifice their loved ones made.
The value of the coins depends on how close the person visiting the grave was to the fallen soldier. Seeing those shiny coins means the world to the families because they know people still remember the brave servicemen and women who we own our freedom to.
This is both emotional and comforting.
If you see a penny, it means the person who placed it only wanted to thank a fallen soldier whom he or she never met. Nickels shows that the deceased person and the one visiting the grave were at boot camp together. Dimes stand for soldiers who worked together, and quarters means the person was present when the soldier died.
From time to time, cemetery workers collect the money which are later used to pay for the burial costs of veterans.
Dave Taylor, a Vietnam War veteran, never misses a chance to place coins on the tombstones of his fellow combat friends. He feels like that way he's keeping the memory of the deceased military members alive.


text:
As a symbol of the Holy Spirit it is specially connected with Baptism (Matthew 3). In pictures of the Annunciation it signifies the Incarnation of Our Saviour by the power of the Holy Ghost. It also symbolizes marytrdom and the Church. The dove with an olive branch was used on a sarcophagus to signify peace and hope of Resurrection; in flight, it represents the Ascension of Christ or the entrance of saints into glory.
Since early medieval times the Holy Eucharist was reserved for the sick in a dove-shaped vessel suspended to the baldichinum over the altar; later the dove was enclosed in a tower upon the altar. A vessel of like form was hung over the early baptisteries.
In art it is associated with

source: HuggingFaceFW/fineweb-edu


Probability of Success with Co-Data
Use of Co-Data in Clinical Trails with RBesT
Sebastian Weber
The probability of success is a very useful concept to assess the chances of success of a trial while taking uncertainties into account. In this document we briefly introduce the needed formal details, describe an example data set and then demonstrate various ways of increasing complexity how the probability of success concept can be applied to increasingly complex data situations.
The co-data concept has been introduced in [1]. It differs from the use of historical data in that the approach makes use of contemporary data. A meta-analytic-predictive (MAP) analysis assumes that historical data is known at the time-point of specyfing the analysis and is as such a retrospective summary of available data. The MAP prior is then combined with the current trial data. A co-data approach extends this sequential procedure to a meta-analytic-combined (MAC) analysis. In the MAC approach all available data is analyzed in a single step - that is, historical and concurrent data is combined in a single inference step. Both approaches MAP and MAC yield exactly the same results as is demonstrated in the appendix at the bottom. An example for a co-data scenario in drug development is the simultaneous execution of twin phase III trails for registriation. In such a setting, a futility analysis at an interim analysis may take historical an all contemporary data into account in a co-data approach. This example has been discussed in [1] using the probability of success (PoS) as metric to assess futility at an interim analysis and is discussed here in detail.
The key property of the probability of success metric is the consideration of uncertainty in parameters conditional on available data. In contrast, the conditional power (CP) calculates the frequency a given experemintal design will be successful for a known value of the parameters. For example, in a 1-sample experiment with a one-sided success criterion the trial is successful if the collected data \(y_N\) of sample size \(N\) exceeds some critical value \(y_c\); recall that the critical value \(y_c\) is determined by the success criterion, prior and sample size when evaluated. Assuming that the sampling model of the data is \(p(y|\theta)\), then
\[ CP_N(\theta) = \int I(y_N > y_c) \, p(y_N|\theta) \, dy_N.\]
The integration over the data \(y_N\) comprises all possible outcomes of the trial. Note that before the start of the trial, \(CP_N(\theta_0)\) is the type I error rate under the conventional null hypothesis (\(\theta=\theta_0\)) and \(CP_N(\theta_a)\) the power of the trial under the alternative (\(\theta=\theta_a\)). At an interim analysis at sample size \(n_I\), the conditional power is then evaluated conditional on the observed data so far (the \(n_I\) measurements) while the remaining sample size (\(N-n_I\)) is random and distributed according to \(p(y|\theta)\) with \(\theta\) set to some known value,
\[ CP_{N-n_I}(\theta|y_{n_I}) = \int I(y_{n_I} + y_{N-n_I} = y_N > y_c|y_{n_I}) \, p(y_{N-n_I}|\theta) \, dy_{N-n_I}.\]
The known value can be set equal to the observed point estimate at the interim, \(CP_{N-n_I}(\hat{\theta}_{I}|y_{n_I})\), or to the assumed true alternative, \(CP_{N-n_I}(\theta_a|y_{n_I})\), used to plan the trial.
The probability of success in contrast assigns \(\theta\) a distribution and marginalizes the conditional power over this distribution. In absence of additional trial external information this distribution is the posterior for \(p(\theta|y_{n_I})\) obtained from the prior for \(p(\theta)\) and the data collected up to the interim,
\[ PoS_I = \int CP_{N-n_I}(\theta|y_{n_I}) \, p(\theta|y_{n_I}) \, d\theta.\]
However, our knowledge about \(\theta\) can be refined if other data-sources like completed (historical) or concurrent trials are available,
\[ PoS_{I,H,...} = \int CP_{N-n_I}(\theta|y_{n_I}) \, p(\theta|y_{I},y_{H},...) \, d\theta.\]
It is important to note that the conditional power is always evaluated with respect to the trial data (and prior) only. Thus, additional data-sources are not part of the analysis of the trial. In practice this means that the probability of success is usually calculated for a trial which uses non-informative priors, but at interim we may use additional data-sources to refine our knowledge on \(\theta\) which will not be part of the trial analysis.
Example Data Scenario
In the following the hypothetical example as in [1] is discussed. The assumed endpoint is time-to-event, which is analyzed using the normal approximation of the log-rank statistic for comparing two groups. Under a 1:1 randomization the sampling distribution of the log-hazard ratio is a normal distribution with sampling standard deviation \(2\) and a standard error of \(\sqrt{4/N_{events}}\) for a sample size of \(N_{events}\). The historical data considered is a proof of concept and a phase II trial. The twin phase III studies are event driven. Each trial stops whenever a total of \(379\) events is reached and an interim is planned whenever at least \(150\) events have occured. The assumed true hazard ratio used for the design of the trial is \(0.8\).
Example data:
trials <- data.frame(study = c("PoC", "PhII", "PhIII_A", "PhIII_B"),
 deaths = c( 8, 85, 162, 150),
 HR = c( 0.7, 0.75, 0.83, 0.78),
 stringsAsFactors = FALSE
## under the normal approximation of the log-HR, the sampling sd is 2
## such that the standard errors are sqrt(4/events)
trials <- trials %>%
 mutate(logHR=log(HR), sem=sqrt(4/deaths))
kable(trials, digits=2)
study deaths HR logHR sem
PoC 8 0.70 -0.36 0.71
PhII 85 0.75 -0.29 0.22
PhIII_A 162 0.83 -0.19 0.16
PhIII_B 150 0.78 -0.25 0.16
The remaining outline of the vignette is to first evaluate the design properties of the trials, then calculate the probability of success at interim for the A trial only (using only trial A data). Next, the probability of success is calculated using in addition the historical data. Subsequently, the probability of success for trial A is calculated also using the historical data and the concurrent phase III data of trial B. Finally, the overall probability of success is calculated, which is defined by the joint success of both trials. In the appendix the equivalence of the MAP and MAC approach is demonstrated.
Statistical Trial Design Considerations
Key design choices:
Historical data:
Define design choices
Nev <- 379
alt_HR <- 0.75
alt_logHR <- log(alt_HR)
alpha <- 0.025
Power calculation
Here we use the unit information prior as non-informative prior and define it using the mean & effective sample size (ESS) specification:
## Univariate normal mixture
## Reference scale: 2
## Mixture Components:
## comp1
## w 1
## m 0
## s 2
Define conditional power for the overall trial:
## 1 sample decision function
## Conditions for acceptance:
## P(x <= 0) > 0.975
Under the alternative these design choices result in 80% power
## [1] 0._PHONE_
The impact of the unit-information prior is minimal which can be seen by comparing to the frequentist calculation:
## One-sample t test power calculation
## n = 379
## delta = 0._PHONE_
## sd = 2
## sig.level = 0.025
## power = 0._PHONE_
## alternative = one.sided
With RBesT we can explore the conditional power for a range of alternatives:
Critical value
The critical value determines at which observed logHR we just conclude that the success criterion is fulfilled.
## [1] -0._PHONE_
## [1] 0._PHONE_
We can check this:
## Using default prior reference scale 2
## [1] 1
Ok, when observing the critical value, we get a success.
Now, what if we observe a 1% worse result?
## Using default prior reference scale 2
## [1] 0
No success then \(\Rightarrow\) this is the critical boundary value.
PoS at interim for phase III trial A only
No use of historical information
Posterior of treatment effect at interim. The trial uses a non-informative prior for the treatment effect:
## Univariate normal


text: (a) In a charge current, spin "up" and "down" electrons flow together. In a spin current, up and down electrons flow in opposite directions. (b) A schematic of the spin Hall effect. Spin-orbit coupling induces an orbital motion opposite in direction to the electron spin, deflecting upand down-spin electrons in opposite directions. The net effect is a conversion of charge into spin currents.


text:
New Curriculum Educates Youth on Value-added Agriculture Opportunities for Rural Development
AMES, Iowa — The Agricultural Marketing Resource Center (AgMRC) offers a new, free curriculum to educate youth on opportunities for rural development through value-added agriculture. The curriculum, located on the AgMRC website, _URL_, provides instructors with full lesson plans on agritourism, aquaculture, livestock, biomass and renewable energy. Information for the curriculum is drawn directly from the website.
AgMRC, located at Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, is an electronic, national resource for producers interested in value-added agriculture. Users of the website can browse commodities and products, investigate market and industry trends, study business creation and operation, read research results and locate value-added resources.
"Our goal is to continue to promote and advance opportunities within value-added agriculture," said Ray Hansen, director of AgMRC. "Educating the future of agriculture on value-added opportunities is crucial to the continued economic development we see happening in rural America."
Vocational agriculture instructors can utilize lesson plans to engage students in a natural versus organic debate, the creation of posters, interviews of value-added businesses within their community and a case study analysis of their own value-added ag enterprise.
Additional curriculum materials will be added throughout the fall of 2012. The full curriculum is available at _URL_
Counties Main Menu
- County Home
- About Us
- 4-H & Youth
- Agriculture & Environment
- Business & Community
- Families & Healthy Living


text:
The European Marine Biological Research Infrastructure Cluster (EMBRIC) is designed to accelerate the pace of scientific discovery and innovation from marine Bio-Resources. EMBRIC aims to promote new applications derived from marine organisms in fields such as drug discovery, novel foods and food ingredients, aquaculture selective breeding, bioremediation, cosmetics and bioenergy.
- By conducting a comprehensive survey of available resources and techniques, EMBRIC will develop new pipelines and new industry standards.
- By interconnecting science, industry and policy, EMBRIC will defragment regional research, development and innovation policies.
- By implementing joint academia-industry development activities, EMBRIC will allow industry to directly integrate results and protocols in commercial processes.
- By developing best practices and integrated training programs, EMBRIC will accelerate the pace of scientific discovery and innovation.
- By connecting 6 existing European Research Infrastructures and 27 partners from Academia, Research institutes, non-for-profit organizations and industry, EMBRIC will facilitate technology transfer, knowledge transfer and transnational access.
In general, EMBRIC will provide a long-term integrated cluster approach to promote the Blue Bio-Economy.


text:
Use Messages in Test Sequences
Messages carry data between Test Sequence blocks and other blocks such as Stateflow® charts. Messages can be used to model asynchronous events. A message is queued until you evaluate it, which removes it from the queue. You can use messages and message data inside a test sequence. The message remains valid until you forward it, or the time step ends. For more information, see Messages in the Stateflow® documentation.
Receive Messages and Access Message Data
If your Test Sequence block has a message input, you can use queued messages in test sequence actions or transitions. Use the receive command before accessing message data or forwarding a message.
To create a message input, hover over Input in the Symbols sidebar, click the add message icon, and enter the message name.
receive(M) determines whether a message is present in the input queue M, and removes the message from the queue. receive(M) returns true if a message is in the queue, and false if not. Once the message is received, you can access the message data using the dot notation, M.data, or forward the message. The message is valid until it is forwarded or the current time step ends.
The order of message removal depends on the queue type. Set the queue type using the message properties dialog box. In the Symbols sidebar, click the edit icon next to the message input, and select the Queue type. For more information see Queuing Behavior of Stateflow Messages.
To send a message, create a message output and use the send command. To create a message output, hover over Output in the Symbols sidebar, click the add message icon, and enter the message name.
You can assign data to the message using the dot notation M.data, where M is the message output of the Test Sequence block. send(M) sends the message.
You can forward a message from an input message queue to an output port. To forward a message:
- Receive the message from the input queue using receive.
- Forward the message using the command forward(M,M_out) where M is the message input queue and M_out is the message output.
Compare Test Sequences Using Data and Messages
This example demonstrates message inputs and outputs, sending, and receiving a message. The model compares two pairs of test sequences. Each pair is comprised of a sending and receiving test sequence block. The first pair sends and receives data, and the second sends and receives a message.
Set the following path and model name variables.
filePath = fullfile(matlabroot,'examples','simulinktest'); model ='sltest_testsequence_data_vs_message';
Open the model.
Test Sequences Using Data
The DataSender block assigns a value to a data output M.
The DataReceiver block waits 3 seconds, then transitions to step S2. Step S2 transitions to step S3 using a condition comparing M to the expected value, and does the same for S3 to S4.
Test Sequences Using Messages
The MessageSender block assigns a value to the message data of a message output M_out, then sends the message to the MessageReceiver block.
The MessageReceiver block waits 3 seconds, then transitions to step S2. Step S2's transition evaluates the queue M with receive(M), removing the message from the queue. receive(M) returns true since the message is present. M.data == 3.5 compares the message data to the expected value. The statement is true, and the sequence transitions to step S3.
When step S3's transition condition evaluates, no messages are present in the queue. Therefore, S3 does not transition to S4.
Run the test and observe the output comparing the different behaviors of the test sequence pairs.
open_system([model '/Scope']) sim(model)


text:
Implement Automated Assembly Lines Faster with SDS, PC-Based Controls
The Smart Distributed System (SDS) offers companies that implement automated assembly lines the opportunity to cost-effectively respond to high-growth opportunities and quickly changing market conditions. Companies in dynamic businesses are continuously faced with changing capacity, and with ensuring that their existing facilities are flexible and cost-effective. These companies need to continually improve the information available from their assembly lines, and have pertinent data available throughout their business systems. Once a system is installed it also becomes critical to detect and remedy problems quickly.
This white paper describes how "Smart" control systems based on SDS and personal computers (PC) decrease design and installation costs, reduce operating costs and allow the use of an assembly line sooner than was previously possible. It explains the SDS architecture and describes some of the components that make up a Smart System. The paper closes with real-world examples.
Why Use a Smart System?
A Smart System, as described herein, is one that uses a personal computer (PC) and the SDS as the control architecture. This is in contrast to using a programmable logic controller (PLC) and wiring the components to input and output cards on the PLC. Figure 1 depicts the change that is occurring in the market for automation systems.
Smart Systems provide a number of benefits, including lower design costs, reduced installation costs and easier troubleshooting.
While smart components cost more than standard ones, the savings gained during installation outweigh the increased hardware cost. The total installed cost of Smart Systems is often 20%-30% less than traditional PLC-based systems. The majority of the savings are a result of the speed in which a Smart System can be commissioned, resulting in significantly lower installation costs.
Using a PC running the Windows NT operating system also makes it easier to connect an assembly line to a plant-wide network using industry standard protocols and interfaces, such as Ethernet and Microsoft networking. Design costs are reduced because the documentation requirements are less for a Smart System. In a PLC-based system each wire must be documented as to its wire number and termination, resulting in several pages of wiring diagrams. Smart System documentation typically includes a layout drawing for each bus in a system. These drawings show the location of each device on the bus. In many cases, the documentation requirements are cut in half.
Rapid deployment results in two more benefits: use of the assembly line and a faster return on the investment. In most businesses, being able to use an assembly line a few weeks earlier can have a notable impact on financial results, particularly if a company is in need of capacity. Anytime an investment can generate cash flow sooner it has a positive financial effect.
After a Smart System is installed it continues to provide benefits to the user. The savings incurred during installation apply when changing and/or adding to a line. Adding workstations, reconfiguring a transfer or extending the line take less time with a Smart System.
When a problem does occur during operation, Smart Systems make it easier to locate the problem. Smart components are equipped with diagnostics, and the PC controller has the ability to report them, including whether a device is missing. Knowing the exact location of a component that is having a problem can reduce troubleshooting to a quick glance at a monitor.
SDS…The Basis for Smart Systems
SDS is a robust component-level network that allows industrial devices to be connected on a single cable instead of running individual control wires to each device.
The SDS specification was created in 1992 by Honeywell's Sensing and Control division, a leading supplier of sensors and switches in the industrial market, and is open to anyone who wishes to develop SDS-compatible products. Because the SDS specification is open it has been widely applied.
The definition of a component in SDS is flexible. It can be as simple as a limit switch, and as complex as an adjustable frequency drive or bar code scanner. There are even companies using SDS to communicate with distributed embedded computers doing dedicated control tasks.
Using Smart components—instead of wiring standard control devices to an I/O block or card—provides a number of important benefits, both during installation and after a line has been commissioned.
Reduced Design Costs
One objective when implementing a Smart System is to eliminate terminations of wires. Documentation of the electrical system can be reduced to a single-line drawing that shows where a bus runs and the component locations. The volume of documentation is roughly half of a typical PLC-based system, and the time required to generate the electrical drawings is one-third.
The most obvious savings during installation is the reduced wiring cost, including labor and the wire itself. In comparison, an installation of 64 sensors in a PLC-based system means the 64 sensors would require 66 wires (2 for power and 64 signal lines) of varying run lengths Each wire needs to land on a terminal block, requiring someone to strip the wire, label it and insert it in a terminal. This also requires each termination to be documented.
Installing Smart sensors requires giving a device an address and attaching it to the bus. Since quick-connect cables are typically used, there are not be any wiring connections required, depending on the components used. Each cable is typically labeled with its address on the bus.
Not as obvious, yet potentially much more financially rewarding, is the speed in which a Smart System can be installed. If a manufacturer is in need of capacity, getting to use a line quickly can result in millions of dollars in shipped product. This benefit often far outweighs the cost savings incurred during the actual installation.
Rapid deployment also means a company's investment can begin generating positive cash flows sooner.
The benefits of a Smart System don't end at installation. Reduced downtime, changes and additions to the line, and the ease which real-time production information can be communicated throughout the facility improve the value of a Smart System.
Downtime is reduced through a set of easy-to-use diagnostics. When using a PC with Think & Do Software, the health of the SDS network and the components on the network can be presented in an easy-to-understand format. If a component is missing from the bus, or has an internal error, the HMI can be configured to display the error. This eliminates endless hours of identifying where a problem resides, allowing a system to be brought back online quickly.
The design and installation savings apply when making changes to the system. It is just as simple to add components to a system as it is to initially install them.
Because Smart Systems are based on a PC, connecting the control system to the plant information system is straightforward. Think & Do Software includes servers for OLE for Process Control (OPC) and Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE). Think & Do also conforms with the Microsoft Distributed Component Object Modeling (DCOM) specification. By following several standards, Think & Do provides one of the simplest platforms for connectivity available on the market today.


text:
A Study on the Awareness of Teachers about Social Media
Ph.D. Research Scholar
Mother Teresa Womens' University, Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu, India
The present study has been conducted among 72 teachers belong to various schools in all over Tamil Nadu to find out the awareness towards social media. The researcher used a self constructed tool for this research. The data collected was analysed and interpreted to draw inference using appropriate statistical methods like mean, standard deviation, t-test, and F-test. The result shows that there is a significant difference between the awareness of teachers towards social media with respect to the type of school, the teachers who have smart phones, and locality. Also it is revealed that there is no significant difference between the awareness of teachers towards social media with respect to the awareness of number of social sites and the time they spend in using social media.


[0 1 0]
 'blue', [0 0 1]
 ii = find(strcmp(color_table(:,1), name ));
 clr_mat(c,:) = color_table{ii,2};
 The problem with containers.Map, in my opinion, is that the key and the value are physically separated. If you want to add one value to the table, you need to edit your function in two places.
 The switch statement really shines when you need to execute different bits of code based on an input, it's not so useful for a simple table lookup.
 I like your method for some applications.
 In the particular case I showed however, I am doing more than a simple table lookup. Instead, I am trying to take an input string of color characters and build an Mx3 matrix of RGB triplets.
 For example, if someone provides the input 'rygb', I want to build the matrix [1 0 0; 1 1 0; 0 1 0; 0 0 1].
 The colors need to be in the correct order, and if someone provides an invalid color character, I want to ignore it.
 To achieve this with your method, I need to do the following:
 color_table = {
 'r', [1 0 0] % red
 'g', [0 1 0] % green
 'b', [0 0 1] % blue
 'y', [1 1 0] % yellow
 'c', [0 1 1] % cyan
 'm', [1 0 1] % magenta
 'p', [1 0.5] % pink
 'o', [1.5 0] % orange
 'l', [.5 1 0] % lime green
 'a', [0 1.5] % aquamarine
 's', [0.5 1] % sky blue
 'v', [.5 0 1] % violet
 'k', [.5.5.5] % grayscale
 'w', [.5.5.5] % grayscale
 num_clrs = length(input(:));
 clr_mat = zeros(num_clrs,3);
 c = 0;
 for k = 1:num_clrs
 c = c + 1;
 ii = find(strcmp(color_table(:,1),lower(input(k))));
 if ~isempty(ii)
 c = c - 1;
 clr_mat = clr_mat(1:c,:);
 if ~isempty(clr_mat)
 clrs = clr_mat
 In my opinion, my SWITCH statement is more compact and readable. I may use your method for other things though… :o)
 A not very clearly documented feature of the switch/case construct that I've found useful is that it's much more general than the examples might lead you to believe. All the examples I've seen have been of the form:
 switch x
 case v1
 case v2
 where x is a variable or expression, and each of the vi are numeric or string constants or cells arrays comprised thereof.
 But this also works:
 switch true
 case exp1
 case exp2
 where each of the expi are logical expressions. The first that evaluates as true has its branch executed.
 Can you use conditional statments in a switch statment for example:
 switch num
 case num<-2
 disp('Num less than -2′)
 I like the switch syntax since the code is so easy for most people to read.
 However, I don't like how it "artificially" drives the McCabe Clclomatic complexity index high. Thus, when I document a function that I've written, & include the output from Code Metrics, I have to write some text to discuss why, for example, the complexity index is 14 rather than my target of less than 10.
 In many cases, my co-workers & I look at the function in detail & decide that it is clearer to use the switch-case syntax & accept the higher index rather than dividing the function into sub-functions just to get the index below 10.
 I'm under the impression that using if-ifelse syntax will result in the same complexity index as the switch-case syntax. Yet, the switch-case syntax is usually clear.
 Maybe I need to invent an Oyster Complexity Index that excludes the effect of the switch-case syntax.
 I appreciate Iain's discussion of decision tables from Code Complete. I browsed thru our copy & see how to implement such a thing in readable code.
 if-else will result in the same complexity as switch. We often make the same trade-off you do, to keep a switch statement instead of having some very small subfunctions. There is a reason switch drives up the complexity though. The number of possible paths through the code does indeed go up, just as in an if-else situation.


text:
Developed by the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum, The Hope Trunk: An Offering of Positive Education provides educators a unique and meaningful classroom learning resource.
The Hope Trunk is a traveling exhibit that contains educational materials and memorial items from the April 19, 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. The trunk, which a school may use for two weeks, contains artifacts, visual materials, and classroom exercises that may be used as a stand alone unit or incorporated into core curriculum. Shipping is provided courtesy of FedEx.
The Hope Trunk was developed to educate students about the impact of violence, the senselessness of using violence to effect change, and the importance of personal responsibility. The trunk has been on exhibit at schools nationwide. Many students viewing its artifacts were not alive when the Oklahoma City bombing occurred. The traveling exhibit helps to ensure the messages of that event continue to have impact.
The Mid-Atlantic Center for Emergency Management (MACEM) at Frederick Community College (FCC) had the pleasure of featuring the Hope Trunk, as part of Dr. Brenda Phillips' presentation on Human Response to Disaster at the 2016 Summer Institute. The exhibit included a range of items such as children's books; The Daily Oklahoman Newspaper – April 20, 1995; public safety patches from across the Nation as a show of unity; and rubble from the site. Each trunk also includes a 'hope bear' that was placed at the memorial. Mr. Anthony Thomas, a Summer Institute participant and educator at Dorchester Career and Technology Center (DCTC), also utilized the Hope Trunk during a lesson on how memorials can help people recover from disaster. DCTC and FCC are proud to be added to the growing list of "Hope Bear Schools."
Let's keep the trunk moving!
For more information about the Hope Trunk, please visit: _URL_
To order a Hope Trunk for your school, please visit: _URL_


text:
by Aly Sizer
This week ITV viewers have been catching up with a group of people who represent half a century of social change in England – the cast of the Up documentary series, which has followed these 14 people since 1964.
by Helen Victoria Smith
Making sure children have the right opportunities for learning and development in their earliest years so they can be 'school-ready' has been a key part of successive UK governments' approaches to raising educational achievement and promoting economic progress. But concerns around large numbers of children arriving at school without the skills they need to succeed have been steadily growing.
Based on a study in a small town in the East Midlands, my research revealed how mothers of children under five and early years' professionals understood the concept of 'school readiness' and how this shaped what they did. Continue reading


text:
Some homophones, similar-sounding words that don't mean the same thing, are harmless. But elicit and illicit are not among them.
They are completely different parts of speech; choosing the wrong one would be an embarrassing mistake. Moreover, it could mean the difference between asking for a response and instigating dangerous criminal activity.
With that important warning in mind, how should you use illicit or elicit in your writing? There is an easy way to decide. Continue reading for a discussion of these two confusing homophones.
What is the Difference Between Elicit and Illicit?
This article compare elicit vs. illicit. I will use each word in an example sentence to demonstrate its proper use.
Plus, I will give you a useful trick to help you remember whether to use elicit or illicit, depending on your meaning.
When to Use Elicit
What does elicit mean? Elicit is a verb. It is a synonym of evoke, where that word has the meaning to draw out.
- The disruption, though annoying, was not enough to elicit a response from the judge.
- The company commissioned a survey to elicit the public's views on the newest flavor of its sour candies.
- Let us interview the witnesses to elicit the facts of the case.
- Specific projects are not the only target of NIMBYism. Proposed zoning and land-use regulation changes likewise elicit strong reactions and resistance. –The Washington Post
When to Use Illicit
What does illicit mean? Illicit is an adjective. It means illegal or otherwise forbidden. You can see examples of this word's use in the sentences below.
- The cartel used buckets of batter to traffic illicit drugs into other countries.
- The pawn shop's owner is on trial for selling illicit goods in his store.
- The car enthusiasts held an illicit race on Beachside Avenue at 1:00am.
- What's missing, former Losers tell The Post, is any examination of the show's secret and brutal tactics, which include providing illicit drugs to contestants and submitting them to questionable medical exams by the show's resident doctor, Rob Huizenga, known as "Dr. H." –New York Post
Trick to Remember the Difference
Here is a helpful trick to remember illicit vs. elicit.
- Illicit is an adjective that means illegal.
- Elicit is a verb that means evoke.
If the word you are using is an adjective, you probably mean illicit. Elicit is never an adjective.
If you are trying to use the word as a verb, you should use elicit. Much in the same way elicit is never an adjective, illicit is never a verb.
You can remember the difference between these words by remembering their synonyms. Both illicit and illegal begin with the letter I, and both elicit and evoke begin with the letter E.
Is it elicit or illicit? While these two words sound the same when spoken, the mean very different things.
- Elicit is a verb, and a synonym of evoke.
- Illicit is an adjective, and a synonym of illegal.
- Neither word is ever used as any other part of speech.
Since elicit and evoke both start with the same letter, much the same as illicit and illegal, pairing these words with their synonyms will help you remember which is which, and in what contexts they should be used.
Now that you know the difference between these words, you can be confident that your writing will not suffer from this simple mistake. Any time you have questions about other confusing words, you can check this site for an explanation.


Logo for: Shoreline Adult Education
Go Further With Lifelong Learning
Teach an Enrichment Class
Interested in teaching an enrichment course? Complete the form below or send an email to _EMAIL_.
We're always looking to add new and engaging enrichment classes. A catalog of courses is mailed out to the residents of Branford, North Branford, Clinton, and Guilford bi-annually. Our Fall semester runs from September through December and our Spring semester runs from January through June.
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Getty: John W Banagan
Farmers voice concern at push for new coal power
On Drive with Sheridan Stewart
Calls by some Nationals MPs for the Federal Government to underwrite a new coal-fired power plant in Queensland are causing plenty of political waves, but they're also causing angst among parts of the farming community.
Verity Morgan-Schmidt is the chief executive officer of Farmers for Climate Action and she says many farmers are worried about the impact of climate change and the impact adding a new coal-fired power plant would have on Australia's carbon emissions.
Ms Morgan-Schmidt says renewables are not only cheaper than coal, but small-scale projects on farms can help provide financial security to farmers and provide an economic boost to their entire community by increasing the revenue coming into the community and providing direct jobs in construction, maintenance, and running the infrastructure.
Duration: 7min 14sec


Hilbert's Nullstellensatz
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Hilbert's Nullstellensatz (German for "theorem of zeros," or more literally, "zero-locus-theorem" – see Satz) is a theorem that establishes a fundamental relationship between geometry and algebra. This relationship is the basis of algebraic geometry, an important branch of mathematics. It relates algebraic sets to ideals in polynomial rings over algebraically closed fields. This relationship was discovered by David Hilbert who proved the Nullstellensatz and several other important related theorems named after him (like Hilbert's basis theorem).
Let k be a field (such as the rational numbers) and K be an algebraically closed field extension (such as the complex numbers), consider the polynomial ring k[X1,X2,..., Xn] and let I be an ideal in this ring. The algebraic set V(I) defined by this ideal consists of all n-tuples x = (x1,...,xn) in Kn such that f(x) = 0 for all f in I. Hilbert's Nullstellensatz states that if p is some polynomial in k[X1,X2,..., Xn] that vanishes on the algebraic set V(I), i.e. p(x) = 0 for all x in V(I), then there exists a natural number r such that pr is in I.
An immediate corollary is the "weak Nullstellensatz": The ideal I in k[X1,X2,..., Xn] contains 1 if and only if the polynomials in I do not have any common zeros in Kn. It may also be formulated as follows: if I is a proper ideal in k[X1,X2,..., Xn], then V(I) cannot be empty, i.e. there exists a common zero for all the polynomials in the ideal in every algebraically closed extension of k. This is the reason for the name of the theorem, which can be proved easily from the 'weak' form using the Rabinowitsch trick. The assumption of considering common zeros in an algebraically closed field is essential here; for example, the elements of the proper ideal (X2 + 1) in R[X] do not have a common zero in R. With the notation common in algebraic geometry, the Nullstellensatz can also be formulated as
for every ideal J. Here, \sqrt{J} denotes the radical of J and I(U) is the ideal of all polynomials that vanish on the set U.
In this way, we obtain an order-reversing bijective correspondence between the algebraic sets in Kn and the radical ideals of K[X1,X2,..., Xn]. In fact, more generally, one has a Galois connection between subsets of the space and subsets of the algebra, where "Zariski closure" and "radical of the ideal generated" are the closure operators.
As a particular example, consider a point P = (a_1, \cdots, a_n) \in K^n. Then I(P) = (X_1 - a_1, \cdots, X_n - a_n). More generally,
\sqrt{I} = \bigcap_{P \in V(I)} (X_1 - a_1, \cdots, X_n - a_n), \quad P = (a_1, \cdots, a_n).
As another example, an algebraic subset W in Kn is irreducible (in the Zariski topology) if and only if I(W) is a prime ideal.
Proof and generalization[edit]
There are many known proofs of the theorem. One proof is the following:
 1. Note that it is enough to prove Zariski's lemma: a finitely generated algebra over a field k that is a field is a finite field extension of k.
 2. Prove Zariski's lemma.
The proof of Step 1 is elementary. Step 2 is deeper. It follows, for example, from the Noether normalization lemma. See Zariski's lemma for more. Here we sketch the proof of Step 1.[1] Let A = k[t_1,..., t_n] (k algebraically closed field), I an ideal of A and V the common zeros of I in k^n. Clearly, \sqrt{I} \subseteq I(V). Let f \not\in \sqrt{I}. Then f \not\in \mathfrak{p} for some prime ideal \mathfrak{p}\supseteq I in A. Let R = (A/\mathfrak{p}) [f^{-1}] and \mathfrak{m} a maximal ideal in R. By Zariski's lemma, R/\mathfrak{m} is a finite extension of k; thus, is k since k is algebraically closed. Let x_i be the images of t_i under the natural map A \to k. It follows that x = (x_1,..., x_n) \in V and f(x) \ne 0.
The Nullstellensatz will also follow trivially once one systematically developed the theory of a Jacobson ring, a ring in which a radical ideal is an intersection of maximal ideals. Let R be a Jacobson ring. If S is a finitely generated R-algebra, then S is a Jacobson ring. Further, if \mathfrak{n}\subset S is a maximal ideal, then \mathfrak{m} := \mathfrak{n} \cap R is a maximal ideal of R, and S/\mathfrak{n} is a finite extension field of R/\mathfrak{m}.
Another generalization states that a faithfully flat morphism f: Y \to X locally of finite type with X quasi-compact has a quasi-section, i.e. there exists X' affine and faithfully flat and quasi-finite over X together with an X-morphism X' \to Y
Effective Nullstellensatz[edit]
In all of its variants, Hilbert's Nullstellensatz asserts that some polynomial g belongs or not to an ideal generated, say, by f1,..., fk; we have g = f r in the strong version, g = 1 in the weak form. This means the existence or the non existence of polynomials g1,..., gk such that g = f1g1 +... + fkgk The usual proofs of the Nullstellensatz are non effective in the sense that they do not give any way to compute the gi.
It is thus a rather natural question to ask if there is an effective way to compute the gi (and the exponent r in the strong form) or to prove that they do not exist. To solve this problem, it suffices to provide an upper bound on the total degree of the gi: such a bound reduces the problem to a finite system of linear equations that may be solved by usual linear algebra techniques. Any such upper bound is called an effective Nullstellensatz.
A related problem is the ideal membership problem, which consists in testing if a polynomial belongs to an ideal. For this problem also, a solution is provided by an upper bound on the degree of the gi. A general solution of the ideal membership problem provides an effective Nullstellensatz, at least for the weak form.
In 1925, Grete Hermann gave an upper bound for ideal membership problem that is doubly exponential in the number of variables. In 1982 Mayr and Meyer gave an example where the gi have a degree that is at least double exponential, showing that every general upper bound for the ideal membership problem is doubly exponential in the number of variables.
Until 1987, nobody had the idea that effective Nullstellensatz was easier than ideal membership, when Brownawell gave an upperbound for the effective Nullstellensatz that is simply exponential in the number of variables. Brownawell proof uses calculus techniques and thus is valid only in characteristic 0. Soon after, in 1988, János Kollár gave a purely algebraic proof valid in any characteristic, leading to a better bound.
In the case of the weak Nullstellensatz, Kollár's bound is the following:[2]
Let f1,..., fs be polynomials in n ≥ 2 variables, of total degree d1 ≥... ≥ ds. If there exist polynomials gi such that f1g1 +... + fsgs = 1, then they can be chosen such that
\deg(f_ig_i) \le \max(d_s,3)\prod_{j=1}^{\min(n,s)-1}\max(d_j,3).
This bound is optimal if all the degrees are greater than 2.
If d is the maximum of the degrees of the fi, this bound may be simplified to
Kollár's result has been improved by several authors. M. Sombra has provided the best improvement, up to date, giving the bound[3]
\deg(f_ig_i) \le 2d_s\prod_{j=1}^{\min(n,s)-1}d_j.
His bound is better than Kollár's as soon as at least two of the degrees that are involved are lower than 3.
Projective Nullstellensatz[edit]
We can formulate a certain correspondence between homogeneous ideals of polynomials and algebraic subsets of a projective space, called the projective Nullstellensatz, that is analogous to the affine one. To do that, we introduce some not


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There is another exercise where I am given a non-linear system of ODEs and a question that confuses me:
Consider $$x'=x(y+1)\\ \text{ and }\\ y'=xy+2.$$
"Determine stationary points of the system, and linearize the system at the stationary points, determine the geometric type of the linearizations and the stability."
The only stationary point is $(x=2,y=-1)$. For the stability, I wrote $$f(x)=x(y+1),\\ g(y)=xy+2,$$ then differentiated: $$f'(x)=y+1,\\ g'(y)=x.$$ At $(-1,2)$, these values are $0$ and $2$. For $f$, I wrote that we cannot use linear terms in the expansion and hence would have to consider $f''$ and so on. For $g$, since it's greater than zero, the point is not linearly stable in $y$-direction.
But what is meant by "determine the geometric type of the linearizations"? What are types of linearizations? What am I missing here?
all the best,
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For the stability you should evaluate the Jacobi matrix (see my comment here). The geometric type of linearization is determined by the eigenvalues of this matrix. You can start learning these matters, e.g., here.
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Being a Benefit Corporation: Is it right for you?
Being a Benefit Corporation: Is it right for you?
When an entrepreneur creates a business, she has a vision not only of what the business will do to generate revenue, but also what societal problem her new venture will solve. Before securing funding, she will have to organize her business entity with the help of an experienced attorney. The plethora of options for entity organization can be confusing at first. However, entrepreneurs can make the process less painful by knowing what they want to accomplish with their business, who they want as investors, and what level of risk they are willing to take on. Codified in 2015, benefit corporations is still a relatively new entity choice in Minnesota. While it adds to the options available, it may or may not be the right designation for your company.
What is a public benefit corporation?
Under Minnesota law, a public benefit corporation is a corporation that has elected to pursue a purpose in addition to a general business purpose. Under Minnesota law, a general benefit corporation elects to conduct its activities in a manner that creates a "net material positive impact on society, the environment, and the well-being of present and future generations." In contrast, a specific benefit corporation under Minnesota law elects to pursue one or more positive impacts, or reduction of a negative impact, on specified categories of natural persons, entities, communities, or interests, other than shareholders in their capacity as shareholders..." When an entrepreneur is considering her new venture, she can imagine various ways in which a venture can create a new material positive impact such as a commitment to a paperless office, creating a product that turns recycled plastic bottles into jewelry, or creating a workforce culture that is focused on giving. Any number of activities could count under the statutory definitions.
What are the requirements to be a public benefit corporation?
If an entrepreneur wishes to elect a public benefit corporation as the entity designation, then the articles of incorporation must include a statement that it elects to pursue either a general public benefit or a specific public benefit. The articles for a general public benefit corporation may also include a specific public benefit purpose the company will pursue. However, electing a general public benefit corporation creates a high standard of accountability for companies that start-ups may not be able to achieve during the initial phases. Unless the start-up is created to intentionally to operate a general benefit corporation, it should elect to be a specific benefit corporation in its articles.
After a company has filed with the Secretary of State to elect to be a public benefit corporation, it will have ongoing reporting requirements in addition to the annual reporting required of all entities in a state. Public benefit corporations are required to file an annual benefit report with the Secretary of State. For a general benefit corporation, the report must include certification that the corporation's board of directors chose an independent third-party standard against which to evaluate the company's progress and identify the third-party. The report must include a description of how the company pursued a general public benefit in accordance with the third-party standard and the extent to which and ways in which the corporation actually created the general public benefit. If there were circumstances that hindered the company's efforts to do so, the report must include those details as well. Failure to file the report may result in loss of the public benefit corporation status. For a specific benefit corporation, the annual report must contain a narrative description of how the public benefit corporation pursued its specific public benefit and any circumstances that hindered this pursuit.
Independent Third-Party Standards
One of the most common third-party standards for general benefit corporations is B Lab. B Lab provides companies with a free tool to assess their progress towards creating a public benefit. B Lab also provides B-corp certification. The process to become a certified B-corp is rigorous and costly. Certified companies also undergo strict audits and renewal processes to maintain their certified status. In Minnesota, a company does not have to be a certified B-corp in order to elect be a benefit corporation.
Benefits of benefit corporation status
Benefit corporations may enjoy a market differentiator over their competitors. Benefit corporations may be able to charge more for their goods or services as consumers are typically willing to pay more when what they are getting is coming from an organization that is socially responsible. Additionally, "economic data indicate that businesses that adopt principles of sustainability outperform their conventional peers." (ABA Journal, July 2018
Additionally, public benefic corporations have a built-in underlying mission or value proposition that can attract talent looking for companies with a mission they commit to. Millennials especially want their work to matter and a public benefit corporation provides a strategic edge to a company when recruiting millennials for their workforce.
Next Steps
Entrepreneurs looking to set up a benefit corporation in Minnesota should work with counsel to evaluate if it is right for them. An experienced attorney will be able to walk the business through the process of setting up the corporation or amending its current articles of incorporation to include the required language to elect to be a benefit corporation.
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The Difference Between Padding and Margins in Web Design
Distinguish between the two with this guide
A stylized computer monitor
LouLou & Tummie/Imagezoo / Getty Images
Margins and padding can be confusing because, in some ways, they seem like the same thing: white space around an image or object. Here's what you as a web designer need to know about their differences.
Padding is the space between an image or cell contents and its outside border. In the image below, the padding is the yellow area around the content. In this case, padding goes completely around the contents: top, bottom, right, and left sides. You can specify how much padding (in percentage, pixels, points, etc.) for each side, and they don't have to be the same. In this way, you can position content within an element.
An illustration demonstrating and padding, borders, and margins.
In contrast, margins are the spaces outside the border of an element, between the element and whatever is adjacent to it. In the image, the margin is the white area outside the entire object. Like the padding, the margin goes completely around the contents in this example: on the top, bottom, right, and left sides. You can use margins to position divs and other elements on a page.
Always test your pages in various browsers, operating systems (including mobile), and screen sizes to make sure they display exactly as you want them to.
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Challenge Success Program at TJHSST
TJHSST is proud to be part of Challenge Success, a Stanford University affiliate that helps schools implement research-based strategies to promote student balance and wellness. The Challenge Success program supports our fervent belief that students are not defined merely by a number in a GPA; they can participate in a challenging learning environment and pursue academic excellence without being inundated with schoolwork. It is critical that our students achieve a healthy balance between school, family, and other activities in order to thrive in school–and in life.
TJ's Challenge Success Team
Successfully implementing strategies to enhance TJ's overall school climate cannot be made in a silo. This is a comprehensive undertaking that involves ongoing and meaningful collaboration with stakeholders, who are actively engaged in bringing our shared vision to life. After adopting Challenge Success in spring 2018, TJ established a Challenge Success Team to spearhead this journey. The team includes a diverse group of staff, parents, and students. Based on their findings from school culture surveys and other initial research, the team continues to focus on three key areas:
 1. Decoupling workload and rigor.
 2. Promoting the importance of sleep.
 3. Managing expectations.
Additional Information
Visit the following webpages for more information:
For specific questions about TJ's implementation of Challenge Success, please email Mark Forgash at
Challenge Success Parent Survey Results
This survey measures parents' perceptions of their children's experiences in areas such as academic stress, homework, sleep, technology use, and family rules and norms.
Challenge Success Student Survey Results
This survey measures students' perspectives on areas including homework, extracurricular activities and free time, sleep, school-related stress, and parents' expectations.
See why a college's "fit" matters more than its ranking.


Discussion Techniques – Application and Performance
Discussion Techniques - Application and Performance
Applying learning is important in all disciplines because it allows learners process information rather than simply receive it. Lectures mixed with application and performance like tasks can help maintain learners' focus. As they discuss their answers, they get different perspectives on the topic. Good activities during lectures can get students to think deeply and apply their knowledge.
Difficulty: 2/5
Class of learners
Core Competency Connection
Sketch of a dragonfly on a green gradient background
Sketch of three wolves on a grey gradient background
Sketch of two bees on a yellow gradient background
The Process
1. Contemporary issues journal
Have learners keep a journal for the purpose of connecting in-class issues and readings to contemporary events or personal experiences. Use the journal for individual learner assessment or discussion.
2. Directed paraphrase
Ask learners to articulate important passages or concepts in their own words. Learners can complete this task orally with partners or small groupsThis can also be done as an individual written activity.
3. Insights-resources-application (IRA)
Ask learners to complete a written assignment that includes discussion of 1) new understandings (insights), 2) resources that amplify or make sense of the reading (resources), and 3) an example from the learner's personal experience that relates (application). These can be short essays that can help begin discussion.
4. Jigsaw
Break off class into several small groups that will work to develop expertise together on a specific concept. Then reassign each learner to new groups with the other experts and have them teach the concepts to their peers.
5. (Virtual) Field trips
Visit a virtual location (or off-campus location, if restrictions allow) for first-hand observation, possibly with outside experts to help inform learners. This may require some preparation, especially if it involves interacting with others in a knowledgeable and ethical manner.
Selections from Barkley, Elizabeth. (2010)Student engagement techniques: A handbook for college faculty. Jossey-Bass. Compiled by Joe Bandy, CFT Assistant Director
Jessica Marcotte
Coordinator, Testing Services
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How to Remove Personally Identifiable Information (PII) from Google Analytics
November 14, 2019
In the face of increasing privacy regulations such as the GDPR, protecting the identity of your website's users has never been more important than it is today.
If you have Google Analytics set up on your site and believe there is a chance that PII data in the URL could be sent to Google, it is crucial for that information to be redacted. In addition to simply following best practices and the law, Google policy requires that marketers must restrict all PII from being passed to Google. The most common information includes email addresses, phone numbers, full names, usernames, passwords and zip codes.
This how-to post breaks down how marketers and data professionals can find and remove personally identifiable information from Google Analytics data.
How do you find PII data in your Google Analytics reports?
The simplest way to check for an email address is to navigate to "Behavior" > "Site Content" > "All Pages." Then add a filter using the ampersand signal @. This will show any pageviews that have common emails in them.
How to redact PII using Google Tag Manager
Follow the instructions below to learn how to use Google Tag Manager to redact PII from the URL before the data is sent to Google.
1. Create a custom JavaScript variable in GTM with the following code:
function() {
 return function(model) {
 // Add the PII patterns into this array as objects
 var piiRegex = [{
 name: 'EMAIL',
 regex: /[^\/][a-zA-Z0-9._-]+(@|%40)(?!yoursite\.com)[^\/]+[a-zA-Z0-9._-]/gi,
 group: '' },{
 name: 'SELF-EMAIL',
 regex: /[^\/][a-zA-Z0-9._-]+(@|%40)(?=yoursite\.com)[^\/]+[a-zA-Z0-9._-]/gi,
 group: '' },{
 name: 'TEL',
 regex: /((tel=)|(telephone=)|(phone=)|(mobile=)|(mob=))[\d\+\s][^&\/\?]+/gi,
 group: '$1' },{
 name: 'NAME',
 regex: /((firstname=)|(lastname=)|(surname=))[^&\/\?]+/gi,
 group: '$1' },{
 name: 'PASSWORD',
 regex: /((password=)|(passwd=)|(pass=))[^&\/\?]+/gi,
 group: '$1' },{
 name: 'ZIP',
 regex: /((postcode=)|(zipcode=)|(zip=))[^&\/\?]+/gi,
 group: '$1' }
 // Fetch reference to the original sendHitTask
 var originalSendTask = model.get('sendHitTask');
 var i, hitPayload, data, val;
 model.set('sendHitTask', function(sendModel) {
 hitPayload = model.get('hitPayload');
 // Let's convert the current querystring into a key,value object
 data = (hitPayload).replace(/(^\?)/,'').split("&").map(function(n){return n = n.split("="),this[n[0]] = n[1],this}.bind({}))[0];
 // We'll be looping thu all key and values now
 for(var key in data){
 // Let's have the value decoded before matching it against our array of regexes
 piiRegex.forEach(function(pii) {
 var val = decodeURIComponent(data[key]);
 // The value is matching?
 // Let's replace the key value based on the regex and let's reencode the value
 data[key] = encodeURIComponent(val.replace(pii.regex, + '[REDACTED'+ + ']'));
 // Going back to roots, convert our data object into a querystring again =)
 sendModel.set('hitPayload', Object.keys(data).map(function(key) { return (key) + '=' + (data[key]); }).join('&'), true);
 // Set the value
You can also get a copy of this code from Brian Clifton's blog article "Remove PII from Google Analytics." I made a few changes in the email and self-email regular expression so that the entire email address would be redacted instead of only the four characters before and after the @ symbol. You could also update the other regular expression to match the parameters you pass in your URL. For example, you may want to add the name parameter to the regex if your site uses the name parameter in your URL.
2. Update your Google Analytics setting to add a custom task to call the new variable you created from the previous step.
Once you have the GTM setting and variable in place, you can set up a "Site Content" report in Google Analytics to check on any URLs that contain redacted PII data by adding a page filter that matches the word "REDACTED." You can check the "Site Content" report to see if you are passing any PII data in your URLs and take action on your site to remove that data from the source.
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This article is part of a series in which we define and explain various wedding related terms. Perhaps you've heard the word dowry before in relation to weddings, so today we'll be answering the question:
What is a dowry?
Definition: A dowry is the money or goods that a bride's family gives to her new husband and/or his family when they are married.
Other terms associated with the exchange of wealth during a marriage are bride price and dower. A bride price refers to money that a groom would pay to his bride's father in exchange for her hand in marriage, while the dower is the property that is settled upon for the bride at the time of marriage so that she is taken care of should she survive her husband.
The history of the dowry
The parental giving of a dowry in exchange for their daughter's hand in marriage is an ancient custom that has been practiced all over the world, and still continues in some parts of the world. Many cultures still expect, or in some cases, demand a dowry as a condition to accept a marriage proposal, mostly in areas including Asia, Northern Africa and even certain regions of Europe.
The tradition of a dowry has decreased over time and it is no longer a common custom in developed countries or urban areas.
During the wedding ceremony, the custom of giving away the bride was an acknowledgment that the dowry had been negotiated and the bride had her father's blessing.
In ancient times, a hefty dowry could serve to increase the desirability of a woman for marriage. Men could potentially consider a marriage proposal based on the size of their expected dowry in order to build power and wealth for their own families.
In certain cultures such as Ancient Rome, the father was basically required to provide every daughter with a dowry appropriate to his means. If a father was unable to give a reasonable dowry for his daughter's hand, a relative or family friend might offer to help them out and provide the dowry on his behalf.
The purpose of a dowry
In ancient times, a dowry was given to the groom and his family in exchange for the bride as a way of ensuring that she is properly taken care of and comfortable. In those times, it was also expected that the bride would leave her family home to reside with or near her new husband's family. This gift would serve to provide a bit of financial security in the case of widowhood, and was thought to eventually provide for the couple's future children as well.
A dowry could also be considered a conditional offering that would be expected to be returned in the case of divorce, abuse, or other mistreatment of the bride.
In modern time periods, the dowry is intended to help set up the couple's new household, especially in cultures where it is rare for a woman to work outside the home.
In the case of the bride's passing, things could get a little hairy. If a woman died without having any sons, her husband would have to return the dowry to the bride's family, deducting the value of the bride price. The bride is also entitled to her entire dowry after her husband's death, and the dowry is only inheritable by her own children.
What was in a typical dowry?
A dowry could be made up of any combination of valuable things. Dowries often consisted of money, jewels or precious metals, land or property, home furnishings and more. In some cases, a groom had to ask his bride's permission to use or sell certain items contained within the dowry, such as land or property.
The evolution of the dowry
This dowry custom evolved first into a "trousseau" or hope chest. A trousseau is the collection of goods that a woman gathers in preparation for her future marriage. Ultimately, the bridal registry and bridal shower are later evolutions of the traditional dowry.


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Healing Circle Garden
Posted 04/26/2011 by Childhelp
The American Indian medicine wheel was an ancient way of creating sacred space and calling forth the healing energies of nature. Medicine wheels were constructed by laying stones in a particular pattern; usually including a center stone with lines radiating towards the outer circle. Staff at the Alice C. Tyler Village in Virginia recently called upon the healing energies of the medicine wheel to help the children who reside at the Village.
A circle garden was constructed near one of the residential cottages on the Village grounds in 2006. One young resident helped to draw the circle of the garden using stakes and string while several others helped to collect rocks used to outline the garden. The children created planting areas by collecting and piling pine needle mulch and spoiled hay within the circle. Children also helped to build two beautiful Leopold benches that grace the garden.
A garden club was formed of several children who help with garden maintenance each week. This not only keeps the garden looking great, but helps boost the children's self-worth as well. The garden is currently filled with perennials, self seeding plants, and the beautiful Sunflowers which have been a prominent part of the garden every year. Often during the spring and summer, children and staff will stop to peek at the swallow or bluebird babies in the nesting boxes located near the garden.
Several growing seasons have come and gone since the garden was built back in 2006, but the children of the Village continue to enjoy the healing powers that it brings. Whether it's building self esteem or simply offering a chance to reflect on the beauty of nature, the circle garden continues to be a sacred space for the abused and neglected children who make the Village their home.
To protect the identities of the children in our care, we cannot show their faces publicly.
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Did a Mega-Flood Doom Ancient American City of Cahokia?
Sediments reveal evidence of massive Mississippian flood around 1200 C.E.
Clues found near the site of Cahokia (above) indicated that a flood occurred at the height of the city's population and power.
One thousand years ago, on a floodplain of the Mississippi River near modern-day St. Louis, the massive Native American city known today as Cahokia sprang suddenly into existence. Three hundred years later it was virtually deserted.
The reasons for Cahokia's quick emergence and precipitous decline have been among the greatest mysteries in American prehistory, but new research suggests a possible cause of the city's demise: a catastrophic flood.
A team led by Samuel E. Munoz, a doctoral student at the University of Wisconsin, Madison and National Geographic Young Explorer Grantee, reported at the 2013 conference of the Geological Society of America that their study of sediment cores from a lake adjacent to the site of Cahokia reveals calamitous flooding of the area around 1200 C.E., just as the city was reaching its apex of population and power.
While analyzing cores from Horseshoe Lake, an oxbow lake that separated from the Mississippi River some 1,700 years ago, Munoz's team discovered a layer of silty clay 19 centimeters (7.5 inches) thick deposited by a massive ancient flood.
It's unlikely that the ancient floodwaters were high enough to inundate the ten-story mound at Cahokia's center, a structure now called Monk's Mound. (See "Cahokia: America's Forgotten City.") But a flood of such magnitude would have devastated croplands and residential areas, and may have made it impossible for a population numbering as many as 15,000 to continue inhabiting the area.
Whether the flood caused Cahokia's decline and abandonment or simply contributed to it remains a subject for future research. But this much is clear: Within 150 years of the flood, what had been the largest prehistoric settlement north of Mexico became a ghost town, a vacant landscape of earthen mounds that would confound European settlers.
Though the flood is a new wrinkle in Cahokia's story, other data from the team's research supports previous archaeological conclusions about the history of Cahokia and the Mississippian culture of which it was a part.
Core Clues
Analysis of pollen deposits in the sediment cores from Horseshoe Lake shows an intensification of farming, accompanied by rapid deforestation, starting around 450 C.E., with corn cultivation peaking between 900 and 1200 C.E. Then the cores reveal the flood event, followed by a decline in corn cultivation. By 1350 C.E., the pollen record shows, agriculture there had essentially ceased.
Munoz, a geographer who specializes in the study of pollen records, noticed that very little pollen research had been done in the American Southeast, where the Mississippian culture flourished. "And we didn't really have any studies outside big archaeological sites," he said. So when he saw Horseshoe Lake right next to Cahokia, he thought it was worth a shot.
"These floodplain lakes have been ignored for a long time as sources of these kinds of records, and they can be really valuable," said Munoz, whose research was supported by a grant from the National Geographic Society.
But he had no idea they might find such a big piece of the puzzle. "When we realized we were looking at a flood, and that it fell right at this key time in Cahokia's history, it was very exciting."


The universal goal of coliving operators is to create a thriving space that residents LOVE. But the widespread question is: How do I do this?
It's not always easy to find out exactly what guests think or how improvements can be made. This is where hacks like these come in to streamline your systems and enhance quality on all fronts.
Using KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) is a major tool for assessing harmony and categorizing these concepts in actionable ways. These may be tailored to the specific attention areas of the home and what each property is looking to enhance.
1. NPS
Using a NPS (Net Performer Score) is one way to quantify success and develop an easily comparative framework. By transforming feedback and opinions into numerical representations, this creates a simple way to view everything at once and track improvements.
On a consistent basis, residents are asked to describe their needs, frustration, complaints as well as ask for any advice, support, or resources that would help them. They are also able to point out what's working well and submit their suggestions for a better environment. Both positive and negative feedback are welcomed equally. Finally, residents are asked how on a scale of 1–10 much they would recommended living at Kindred Quarters to their friends. All of this is turned into the NPS score that can be kept on file.
By engaging residents in a meaningful way and showing that their ideas matter, this process itself creates more harmony because members feel supported, heard, and valued.
Once this information is obtained, it's easy to translate into steps toward improvement. Residents in the home may have differing desires, so this is the opportunity to reconcile them in a way that gives everyone a piece of what they want.
2. Events
KPIs can also be applied to the events that are held. When you organize an one, take down data on the number of people attending, the costs associated with throwing it, the number of events you have held, and the benefits gained (such as prospective residents). This will allow you to analyze where you may have some losses, or what your most successful activities are.
3. Follow-Up
Decide on a period of time after residents have moved out that you want to send follow-up email surveys. This allows you to find out how guests feel when reflecting on their experiences, as well as whether they have maintained relationships with past residents after moving out. If residents are still in touch with one another, you're doing something right because the home has created lasting relationships.
By implementing these approaches, not only will residents be far more satisfied and likely to refer others, but business will improve as well. After all, the goal is to provide a valuable experience, and adopting this approach does exactly that. Prepare to watch the harmony and abundance expand as you gain a greater understanding of what's going on under your roof.
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Yellowstone Center for Resources
The Yellowstone Center for Resources (YCR) was created in March 1993 to centralize the park's science and resource management functions. Many of the YCR's resource managers hold advanced degrees that provide them with the knowledge and experience to fill a scientific research role while performing the majority of their work within the realm of resource management. The goals of the YCR are to gather, manage, and analyze data that helps the park better manage natural and cultural resources; understand and mitigate the environmental and historic consequences of proposals; preserve and curate rare, sensitive, and valuable cultural and natural resources; work with park partners to meet resource management goals; and promote transfer of knowledge to other park staff, partners, and the public.
More information on the Yellowstone Center for Resources can be found in the YCR annual reports.


When you partake in weed, you should know all of your tools. One such tool is the wooden grinder, used to grind weed. Read more inside.
A weed grinder is an essential part of any smokers supply kit.
They come in a wide variety of materials and can vary widely in price as well. What exactly is a weed grinder though? What are the best we grinders you can buy?
Let's take a look at everything you need to know.
What Is a Weed Grinder?
What Is a Weed Grinder?
A week grinder is a small device that breaks up weed into very small pieces. People used herbal grinders to make weed buds as small as possible so that they can be easily rolled or bait.
The most basic types of grinders are simply made of two different have. These two have threads together and when joined they shred the contents into tiny pieces. There are also larger grinders that have several compartments and are more complicated.
Who Invented the Weed Grinder?
The herb grinder was invented by two Australian men named John Balding and William Wingfield. They received a patent for this product in 1905.
To be fair, these Australian men likely did not have the intention of using this product for marijuana. Instead, this was an herb grinder for grinding medicinal plants, tobacco, and herbs.
Previous to the invention of the herb grinder, people would have used a mortar and pestle, ground the material between rocks, or shredded it by hand. The invention of the herb grinder made it so this frequently underground tasks could be done more quickly and more efficiently.
Why Should You Use a Herb Grinder?
Why Should You Use a Herb Grinder?
Even if you are a no-frills smoker, it can make sense to have a weed grinder. If you have ever been smoking a joint or a bowl and noticed that you are failing to get a good hit, then you understand the benefits of using a grinder.
When you grind your herbs, make sure that your bowl or joint is smoking as evenly as possible. This means that you are not wasting any of your product and smoking as efficiently as you can.
What this means is that having a grinder can help your cannabis last longer. When you break up cannabis by hand, you end up creating quite a bit of waste. You've likely had experiences where small amounts of shake and trichome crystals end up on your table or on your carpet.
When you use a grinder, however, nothing is lost and everything remains in the container until the next time you need it. This saves you money and your precious material.
What Are the Different Types of Grinders?
There are a wide variety of different types of grinders. Depending on your own preferences and needs, the right grinder for you might differ from someone else.
Whether you smoking OG Kush or Northern Lights, the right type of grinder will support your experience.
Acrylic Grinders
Acrylic grinders are made out of plastic. These are typically considered the lowest quality of weed grinder.
That doesn't mean that there isn't a time and a place to buy and acrylic grinder. This can be a reasonable purchase if you're in a pinch and looking for an inexpensive option. The teeth in the body of this type of grinder will be made out of plastic or possibly Lucite, which is slightly more durable.
While this is a cheap option when it comes to buying a grinder, you might find that this type breaks more easily and wear them more quickly than other grinder options.
Another reason that people are not particularly fond of acrylic grinders is because sometimes plastic bids break off from the teeth and end up in your weed. If the thought of smoking plastic bothers you, which may be it should, it might make sense to buy a grinder made out of a different material.
Wooden Grinders
This is an option that is more durable than plastic grinders. The teeth of this type of grinder tend to be made from aluminum. This means that it will have more sharp teeth than a plastic grinder.
One drawback of wooden grinders is that they can be more difficult to clean. This is because the wood can warp when it gets wet and can destroy your grinder. Basically, you just want to be very careful when washing them so that you do not ruin them.
Metal Grinder
Whether you're more of a Sativa or an Indica person, you'll need a grinder to get the best out of your smoke.
There are metal grinders on the market that are probably the most popular material choice when it comes to grinders. The reason these are popular is that they are more durable than the other options and consistently get the necessary job done.
The most common material from metal grinders are aluminium grinders. These are less expensive than other types of metals, easy to clean, and come with sharp teeth.
If grinding your weed in an aluminium bothers you, you can also find stainless steel grinders on the market.
For people who are looking for a grinder with multiple chambers, a metal grinder will likely be the best option. Grinders with extra chambers for storing kief are most often made out of metal.
Stone Grinder
Another option when it comes to grinders are stone grinders. The teeth of these grinders are typically made out of either metal or a sturdier stone.
This is not a particularly popular type of grinder. However, they can be quite beautiful and little pieces of art in their own right. This is a great tip of gift to give to your smoker friends.
Electric Grinder
If you are looking for the easiest way to grind read then you might be interested in an electric grinder. This tool is similar to a coffee grinder. One important thing to know about electric grinders is that they need to be kept clean otherwise they can clog and break.
Crank Grinder
This type of grinder is typically made from aluminium and has a crank grinder on the lid that is also made out of aluminum. Rather than twisting the top as you would on a normal grinder, instead you crank the handle in order to grind up your.
This can be a good option for people that have arthritis.
Which Type of Weed Grinder Is Best?
Which Type of Weed Grinder Is Best?
The answer to which type of grinder is the best is going to be subjective. That being said, you'll want to consider what it is that you're looking for a grinder to offer. A quality grinder will last a long time, efficiently and evenly breakup you read, and have extra strong teeth.
You'll want to think about where and when you'll be using this grinder. Are you looking for something small and discrete? Or would you rather have a beautiful piece that acts as a sort of decoration in your room?
These are questions that only you can answer. That being said, there is certainly some grinders that are more likely to last a long time and others that you can basically bet on breaking fairly soon after you buy them.
How Do You Use a Weed Grinder?
Grinders are so easy to use that once you start you will wonder why you haven't been using them all along.
The first thing you want to do is make sure that your grinder is completely clean. This is because if there is any debris in your grinder, you will end up getting it mixed in with your weed.
After this, you'll want to unscrew the top of your grinder. You'll be able to see both the teeth on the lid and on the top of the grinder bottom. Next, you'll want to break your buds so that they will fit inside your grinder. You don't need to go crazy carrying your buds up as making your buds into smaller pieces is what your grinder is for.
It's important that you don't overfill your grinder. If you put too much of your butt in your grinder then you will not find that the grinder did a very good job.
The next step is that you screw both ends of the grinder together. This makes them act like a mortar and pestle. In a grinder with multiple chambers, your freshly ground Arab will fall into the lowest chamber. You can then unscrew the chamber in order to access your freshly ground weed.
Which Weed Grinder Is Right For You?
Committing which type of weed grinder is right for you is a matter of personal preference in your own needs. While some people might find that she plastic grinders suit him just fine, someone else might want a sturdier stainless steel grinder or one with extra strong teeth. There are so many options when it comes to we grinders, that you should definitely be able to find an option that works for you.
Are you interested in trying a CBD hemp product? If so be sure to check out our online weed shop, crystals, oils CBD and cosmetics!


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Honduras: the challenges of identifying the victims of the Comayagua prison fire
In the wake of the fire that broke out at Comayagua prison in Honduras on 14 February, in which more than 360 people died, the ICRC has been supporting the national authorities' efforts to identify the victims using forensics and to offer psychological support to their families. In this interview, Alejandra Jiménez, the ICRC's forensic adviser in Mexico, describes the challenges and achievements of her assignment in Honduras.
What is the humanitarian situation one month on from the Comayagua fire?
Because there were so many victims, many of whose remains are unrecognizable, the identification process is very complicated and lengthy. For the families waiting for the bodies of their loved ones to be released so they can honour them and say their goodbyes, the wait is extremely distressing. The main humanitarian consequence today is the psychological impact on relatives who are having to wait to begin the mourning process.
What kind of support has the ICRC provided?
In the immediate aftermath, the ICRC donated essential items to deal with the remains of those killed in the fire, including body bags, surgical instruments, cameras and FTA paper for genetic identification. However, the ICRC focused mainly on providing technical advice to the Honduran government.
Two ICRC psychologists provided psychosocial support for relatives and for those responding to the disaster. Three forensic experts offered their assistance and made recommendations about what practices to adopt at the different stages of the response, from recovering the bodies to handing over and disposing of the remains. The ICRC was not directly involved in dealing with the remains, but it did offer guidance to the authorities on processing information about the victims, preserving the bodies and putting in place procedures in the forensic units.
As in many post-disaster situations, what was lacking was a suitable information-management system. The ICRC therefore donated a database that it has developed to organize, manage and consult all the information collected during the identification process. It also provided training in the use of this database.
How was psychological support organized and what was the ICRC's role?
The main challenge in these situations is communicating clearly and transparently with the families of the victims. If the authorities remain silent and fail to communicate with the families, this creates a psychological barrier, as though they are being cut off from their loved ones and the whole process.
This feeling of being kept in the dark is extremely distressing. In the case of Honduras, the families were afraid that their loved ones would be buried in a mass grave or that, without international help, the bodies would not be returned to them.
The ICRC advised both the government and forensic experts on establishing clear channels of communication with the families to explain what they could expect from the process, how long it might take, its limitations, and the complexities of identifying remains. The ICRC also stressed the importance of explaining forensic methods to the press, to make them aware of the tireless, rigorous work being carried out and to explain how information was being processed, thereby reassuring the families.
What are the main challenges today?
We have to adopt a shortand long-term approach. We need to maintain our support for, and dialogue with, the families whose loved ones have still not been identified. It is vital that all the information collected during the identification of the remains be entered into the database provided by the ICRC. A full analysis of this data then needs to be made.
The ICRC needs to rise to the expectations surrounding its role in Honduras, which will in turn pave the way for its involvement in addressing the country's humanitarian problems. The government has asked the ICRC to assess its current forensic capabilities and its forensic services nationwide in order to make practical recommendations.
Violence is rife in Honduras. Many bodies are still awaiting identification and, as a result, many families are anxious for news. In these circumstances, the ICRC is keen to cooperate with the authorities and to drive forward forensic development with a view to providing humanitarian assistance.