text:
By Zulfiqar Shah
THE rural society and agriculture sector of Pakistan is chained by feudal relationships which has given birth to an evil land-tenure system with a high degree of land concentration, absentee landlordism, insecurity of tenure for share-croppers and low agricultural productivity. According to a report, around ten million children are doing labour in brick kilns, farms, carpet manufacturing workshops and restaurants and another twenty million workers engaged in agriculture and industry work as bonded labour. Feudalism is the real problem and all other problems strem from it. The feudal lords and their allies constitute only five per cent of our agricultural households and own 64 per cent of our farm land. The rest of the 95 per cent are only their political vote-bank.
The total land area of the country is about 803,940 square kilometres. About 48 million hectares, or 60 percent, is classified as unusable for forestry or agriculture and consists mostly of deserts, mountain and demographic settlements. About 21.9 million hectares is being cultivated. Nearly 65 per cent of the cropped area is in Punjab, perhaps 25 per cent in Sindh and 10 per cent in the NWFP and in Balochistan. Farming is Pakistan's largest economic activity.
In Punjab, tenancies are split more evenly between share and fixed rent contracts. Landlords in Punjab are much smaller than those in Sindh, with a median holding of only seven acres of land, and are more likely to be residing in the same village as their tenants. In Sindh, more than one third of the land is tenanted and about two-thirds of land is under sharecropping, a form of farming where output is shared between the landowner and tenant.
Sharecropping is the predominant form of tenancy in Sindh where the land ownership distribution is particularly skewed. According to a study, a median landlord in Sindh owns 28 acres of land, whereas nearly 80 per cent of the share-tenants are landless farmers. Big landlords in the province often employ kamdars to manage their tenants.
Unlike India, Pakistan did not carry out essential land reforms soon after independence and has, as a result, failed to facilitate the much-needed transition of productive relations from feudal-agrarian stage to industrial one. However, three isolated attempts were made to reduce landholdings at intervals but these could not bring feudal system to an end. In the early 1950s, provincial governments attempted to eliminate some of the absentee landlords or rent collectors, but they had little success in the face of strong opposition.
In January 1959, General Ayub Khan's government issued land reform regulations that aimed 'to boost agricultural output, promote social justice, and ensure security of tenure.' A ceiling of about 200 hectares of irrigated land and 400 hectares of non-irrigated land was placed on individual ownership; compensation was paid to owners for land surrendered. Numerous exemptions, including title transfers to family members, dampened the impact of the ceilings. Slightly fewer than one million hectares of land were surrendered, of which a little more than 250,000 hectares were sold to about 50,000 tenants. The land reforms failed to lessen the power or privileges of the landed elite.
In March 1972, the Z. A. Bhutto government announced further land reform measures, which went into effect in 1973. The landownership ceiling was lowered to about five hectares of irrigated land and about twelve hectares of non-irrigated land; exceptions were limited to an additional 20 per cent of land for owners having tractors and tube wells. The ceiling could also be extended for poor-quality land. The owners of confiscated land received no compensation, and beneficiaries were not charged for land distributed.
Official statistics showed that by 1977 only about 520,000 hectares had been surrendered, and nearly 285,000 hectares had been redistributed among about 71,000 farmers. The 1973 measure required landlords to pay all taxes, water charges, seed costs, and one-half of the cost of fertilizer and other inputs. It prohibited eviction of tenants as long as they cultivated the land, and it gave tenants first rights of purchase. Other regulations increased tenants' security of tenure and prescribed lower rent rates than had existed.
The ceilings on private ownership of farmland in 1977 were further reduced to about four hectares of irrigated land and about eight hectares of non-irrigated land. Besides, agricultural income became taxable but small farmers owning ten hectares or fewer were exempted. The military regime of Zia ul-Haq did not make efforts to implement these reforms. Governments in the 1980s and early 1990s avoided any significant attempt at strict implementation of the land reform measures, because they got much of their support from landed aristocracy of the country.
Agrarian reforms in Pakistan have never transformed rural society in the context of property structure and production re lations. The limits in reforms were fixed in terms of the individual but not family holdings, which resulted in transfer of land to family members and relatives. In times of the military rule, feudal lords support the ruling junta to protect their system. And the military badly needs them.
Even after three waves of land reforms, 3,529 zamindars have 5,13,114 holdings of more than 100 acres in the irrigated areas, and 3,32,273 holdings exceeding 100 acres in un-irrigated areas. Some 7,94,774 Khatedars have 54,64,771 land holdings of less than 12 acres in irrigated areas. In un-irrigated areas 1,44,098 are reported to have 16,28,826 holdings of less than 24 acres.
Land reforms play an important role in reducing poverty and empowering the poor farmers. In Pakistan, the power of landed aristocracy has acted as a barrier to social and economic progress of the rural society. Genuine land reform can help solve the problems caused by the fact that farmers often use relatively inefficient capital-intensive techniques due to distorted market prices and that small farmers do not have access to the liberal credit subsidies on imported machinery and capital equipment.
Under any scheme of serious reforms, the land ceiling should be fixed at 50 acres irrigated and 100 acres non-irrigated land. The necessary legislation should be done in favour of land reforms and Haq-e-Shifa. All laws and regulations regarding land developed under colonial era need to be abandoned and a judicial commission on land utilisation should be formed to check exceeding commercialization of land. Under Haq-e-shifa, the agriculture land of about 8 acres should be allotted to the landless agriculture workers and peasants families. The agriculture land occupied by or allotted to military forms and government departments should be revoked and distributed among the landless peasants under the principle of Haq-e-shifa.
Corporate forming should not be promoted. Allotment of forest land to the influential persons has to be revoked and re-allotted to the peasants on the condition of re-forestation. The occupied surveyed or un-surveyed lands in Kacho, Kaachho, Kohistan, Kach, Bailpat, Thar, Thal and elsewhere in the country must be re-surveyed and distributed among the landless peasants and agriculture workers families.
Equitable distribution at the tail-end is imperative. It is necessary that all disputed irrigation projects including Kalabagh dam are given up and water requirements of Indus Delta fully met. To avoid water logging and salinity, the canals, branches and watercourses should be lined. The government must draw up an agriculture policy with the consultation of agriculture scientists, peasants, agriculture workers and growers.
The parliament should be persuaded to pass a legislation for protection of the peasant's rights, allowing them to have their trade unions, ensuring social justice and providing old age benefits to them.


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Newsroom > DHHS News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 7, 2012
Behavioral Health Consumers Can Achieve Recovery
September is Recovery Month
Lincoln—Addiction treatment and mental health services can help those with mental and/or substance use disorders live healthy and rewarding lives, according to the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.
"People with mental illnesses or substance use disorders can manage and recover from those conditions, just like people manage and recover from other health conditions, like hypertension, diabetes, asthma, and heart disease," said Scot L. Adams, director of the Division of Behavioral Health. "Many individuals are living happy and healthy lives in long-term recovery, with stronger relationships and a sense of self-worth."
In Nebraska, over 36,800 people received services through the state's public behavioral health system in 2011. Treatment included psychotherapy, medications, and peer support. Peer support is offered by people who are in recovery to help others achieve their own recoveries.
"There are millions of Americans whose lives have been transformed through recovery," Adams said. "People in recovery achieve healthy lifestyles, both physically and emotionally, and contribute in positive ways to their communities."
"While the road to recovery may be difficult, the benefits of overcoming behavioral health conditions are significant and valuable to individuals, families, and communities," Adams said.
"Too many people are still unaware that prevention works, treatment is effective, and people recover. Help is available," he said.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration:
Behavioral health is essential to health.
Treatment is effective.

source: HuggingFaceFW/fineweb-edu


text:
employee of Madame
Walker's empire, Majorie Joyner, invented a permanent wave machine.
This device, patented in 1928, curled or "permed" women's hair for a relatively
lengthy period of time. The wave machine was popular among women white
and black allowing for longer-lasting wavy hair styles. Marjorie Joyner
went on to become a prominent figure in Walker's industry, though Majorie
Joyner never profited directly from her invention, for it was the assigned
property of the Walker Company.
Marjorie Joyner was born in 1896
in the rural Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia and moved to Chicago to study
cosmetology. Madam Walker was a Chicago business women who had come to
fame as the beauty product supplier to hollywood star Josephine Baker.
Marjorie Stewart Joyner invented her wave machine as a solution to the
hair problems of African American women, however, she never profited form
her invention. Madame Walker owned the rights.
Marjorie Joyner became thee Director
of Madame Walker's beauty schools. Together with Mary Bethune Mcleod, Majorie
Joyner founded the United Beauty School Owners and Teachers Association
Marjorie Joyner also volunteered
for several charities that helped house, educate, and find work for African
Americans during the Great Depression.
Related Innovations Madame
Walker Madame Walker was a St. Louis washerwoman
turned entrepreneur, who in 1905 invented a method to soften and smooth
black women's hair. Joyner worked for Walker's company.


Export Comparison reults shows In1/2 in TYpe column
fabkhushfabkhush Posts: 2
edited March 9, 2017 10:30AM in SQL Data Compare 11
My exported data comparison sheet shows In1, IN2 in Type column. What does it means? documentation tells anout _TAG_, _TAG_ etc but nothing about In1, IN2.
 - "Type" is a slightly confusing word but it basically refers to which of the two databases contain a given row.
 - "In1" just means that the database on the left contains the row while the database on the right does not;
 - "In2" means the opposite.
 - "Different" means that both databases have rows with matching values in the column(s) you are using as a comparison key, but some of the data columns have differing values
 - "Identical" means that the same row exists in both databases.
 In the UI we tend to quote the database name in such labels, but this shorthand is used in the exported files to make it easier to parse.
 You can find more information about this at _URL_ on+results.
 Software Developer
 Redgate Software
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text:
WIPL-D Lite is a limited, low cost version of WIPL-D Microwave Pro which performs analysis of projects up to 665 unknowns. It includes version 6.0 of WIPL-D Pro and Optimizer Lite (optimization for max 2 variables is supported), and it is distributed by Artech House.
Advanced features of WIPL-D Pro (Objects, Manipulations etc.) are not supported, yet this tool provides accurate results and enables its users to efficiently simulate electromagnetic behavior of many structures. The Microwave part enables simulation of circuit structures, while the 3D EM part runs in a similar way as WIPL-D Pro and enables full-wave electromagnetic simulation, limited by the number of unknowns.
This version is used by many academics, engineers and students throughout the world because it doesn't cost much, and yet it is an accurate and reliable tool.
Limitations of the Lite version:
- The number of nodes in the circuit is limited to 10,
- The number of components in the circuit (without circuit ports or sources) is limited to 10,
- The number of circuit ports is limited to 10,
- The number of ports that any component can have is limited to 10.
3D EM structures:
- The number of unknowns in 3D EM projects is limited to 665,
- The number of nodes within a 3D structure is limited to 1000,
- The number of elements of a 3D structure is limited to 1000,
- The number of excitations is limited to 1000.
The comparison of the Lite and Pro versions of WIPL-D Microwave, with the list of improvements version-by-version, is available here.
For more information on how to obtain WIPL-D Lite, what can be done with it and possible application, contact our sales department.

source: openbmb/Ultra-FineWeb


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16 August 2010 | Fact sheet
Central Highlands of Sri Lanka World Heritage Site
The Central Highlands of Sri Lanka (CHSL) has been a serial World Heritage site since 2010; three protected areas situated in the south-central part of the island. The three protected areas are Peak Wilderness Protected Area (PWPA), Horton Plains National Park (HPNP) and Knuckles Conservation Forest (KCF). CHSL includes the largest and least disturbed remaining areas of the submontane and montane rain forests in Sri Lanka's south-western wet zone. Its largely undisturbed forests are home to the unique Sri Lanka leopard, and the only habitats of many threatened plants and animals. The site also holds immense spiritual significance as Adams Peak in HPNP is well-known for the Sri Pada "sacred footprint", a 1.8 m rock formation near the summit which in Buddhist tradition is held to be the footprint of the Buddha, in Hindu tradition that of Shiva and in Muslim tradition that of Adam. The whole of the World Heritage site is managed by the state of Sri Lanka
View slide show of the park
Flora and fauna
The Sri Lankan montane rain forests represented by CHSL can be considered a super-hotspot within the Western Ghats and Sri Lanka biodiversity hotspot. More than half of Sri Lanka's endemic vertebrates, half of the country's endemic flowering plants and more than 34% of its endemic trees, shrubs, and herbs are restricted to these diverse montane rain forests. The altitudinal range and location of the Knuckles has a diverse range of vegetation, with flora so distinct that it is recognized as a separate floristic region within Sri Lanka. At least 10 of the 23 endemic bird species that make Sri Lanka an Endemic Bird Area also occur in the Knuckles range. The Peak Wilderness and Horton Plains, together with surrounding forest areas, comprise Sri Lanka's most important water catchments from which almost all of the country's major perennial rivers originate. Up to 13 of the 23 endemic bird species that make Sri Lanka an Endemic Bird Area occur in the Peak Wilderness and Horton Plains.
The world heritage site is home to the endemic purple-faced langur of Sri Lanka (Semnopithecus vetulus), the Endangered Horton Plains slender loris (Loris tardigradus nycticeboides) and the Sri Lankan leopard, a unique sub-species (Panthera pardus kotiya) as well as a number of other endemic vertebrate species including amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. It may contain more than a third of the Sri Lankan amphibian species, including two dozen or more Sri Lankan endemics, 23 endemic frog species of which at least seven species are completely confined in the site and a number of globally threatened plant and animal species.
The nature and magnitude of existing and potential threats to CWSL varies between the protected areas. In the case of PWPA, the major human use is from 2 million pilgrims who visit Adam's Peak annually and contribute to both forest and environmental degradation along the pilgrim trails leading up to the peak. Illicit gem mining with no ecological restoration also takes place in some sections in the periphery of PWPA. The Forest and Wildlife Departments have recently taken steps to address these issues. Wide ranging protective legislation has been enacted rationalizing the legal status of the various constituents of PWPA, which give adequate mandate and powers to both DWLC and the Forestry Department to regulate the forest and environmental degradation. More efforts are needed to address the issue of environmental legislation, in which the Department of Culture and other relevant stakeholders can play a major role.
In HPNP the major threat is from the spread of invasive species European Gorse (Ulex europeus), forest die-back, occasional fires and vandalism on the nature trail by visitors. DWLC efforts in the abatement of these threats needs to be further strengthened.
In KCF, the major threat is from cultivation of cardamom inside the forest. This spice crop was planted in some sections of the natural forests many decades ago; starting on a small scale eventually extending beyond the leased areas. Maintenance work to sustain the cardamom crop resulted in degradation of the natural forests. The Forest Department than took a series of measures to address this threat: the lease agreements were terminated and all resident cultivators were relocated elsewhere. The areas that were planted with cardamom are now reverting to their natural forest state. Eleven of the former non-resident and influential lessees continue to harvest cardamom from the land using hired labour, in spite of the expiry of their leases. The Forest Department has initiated legal action and court orders have been received against this illegal activity, which are now being implemented.


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Protein Shape Determination by Small Angle X-Ray Scattering
The 3-dimensional shape of Glucose Isomerase in solution was studied with the SAXSpace system. The solution structure of this protein was compared with the crystal structure obtained by X-ray crystallography.
SAXS and proteins in solution
Common methods for structure analysis on biological macromolecules are crystallography and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR). Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) complements both these high-resolution techniques with valuable additional information and offers specific benefits compared to crystallography: SAXS allows to obtain the 3-dimensional structure of proteins and protein assemblies in solution which is essential for a better understanding of their biological function.
The low resolution 3D structure, calculated by ab-initio methods1 is indispensable additional information to the high resolution structures provided by protein crystallography and NMR.
Experimental and Results
A solution of Glucose Isomerase (1 % w/w) dissolved in TRIS buffer at pH 8 was measured with the SAXSpace system. The exposure time was 10 minutes. Fig. 1 shows the measured data and the desmeared curve (using GIFT) together with the fit from the ab-initio modeling.
Fig. 1 Background-subtracted scattering curves
The solution structure can be compared with the crystal structure. Fig. 2 shows a comparison of the Pair Distance Distribution Functions (PDDF) calculated from the SAXS data and the crystal structure of a Glucose Isomerase tetramer. The 3D model agrees well with the crystal structure available from the Protein Data Bank.
Fig. 2 Pair-Distance Distribution Functions
In the figure shown below, the ab-initio model based on the SAXS data is represented by white spheres, whereas the backbone of the crystal structure is shown in colors.
The SAXS data demonstrate convincingly that this protein exists as a tetramer in its native state.
1 P.V. Konarev, M.V. Petoukhov, V.V. Volkov, D.I. Svergun, J. Appl. Cryst. 39 (2006) 277-286


Lesson 10
Estimating Proportions from Samples
 - Let's estimate population proportions with some data.
10.1: Math Talk: Proportions
Mentally evaluate the proportion of chips that are blue.
17 are blue out of 50 chips
28 are blue out of 50 chips
17 are blue out of 20 chips
21 are blue out of 60 chips
10.2: Pass or Fail
Your teacher will give you a bag with paper slips inside that are marked as either Pass or Fail. Do not empty the bag to look at all of the contents at once.
 1. One partner should hold the bag so that the other partner cannot see inside while they draw a slip of paper. The other partner should draw 10 slips of paper from the bag, one at a time. After the 10 slips are drawn, record the number of slips marked Pass.
 2. From the results of the first trial, estimate the proportion of the slips in the bag that are marked Pass.
 3. Switch roles with your partner and repeat the process until you have run 5 trials. For each trial, compute the proportion of slips you drew that are marked Pass.
 trial 1 2 3 4 5
 number of Pass slips
 proportion of slips marked Pass
 4. Create a dot plot based on the trials from the class that shows the proportion of slips drawn that are marked Pass.
 5. From the class dot plot, estimate the proportion of slips marked Pass in the bag. Explain your reasoning.
10.3: Fly Memory
A biologist is breeding fruit flies to include a specific genetic mutation that will be useful in understanding memory in humans. To check whether a fly has the mutation, a DNA sequence is analyzed in a way that kills the fly, so the biologist only wants to test a sample of the flies to estimate the proportion of flies that have the mutation.
a gray and black fruit fly
The biologist selects 40 flies to sequence at random and finds that 9 of them have the genetic mutation.
 1. Based on this sample, estimate the proportion of flies in this group that has the genetic mutation.
 2. The scientist is worried that only having one sample may not be reliable for estimating the proportion of flies with the mutation, but does not want to sacrifice more flies to get a larger sample. The proportion from the sample is a good estimate for the population proportion, but it is difficult to understand the possible variability from a single value. Andre has a suggestion for how to better understand the variability:
 1. Assume the sample is representative of the population of flies and create a simulation that mimics what the scientist found. Andre gets 200 pieces of paper and marks 45 of them as Mutant and puts them all in a bag. Since Andre decided to use 200 pieces of paper, why should 45 of them be marked Mutant? What are some other combinations of total number of pieces of paper and number marked Mutant that he could use?
 2. Andre then simulates the scientist's sample by drawing a slip of paper from the bag noting whether it is Mutant or not, then replacing the paper into the bag and drawing another paper until he has a sample of 40. He repeats this process for 50 trials and creates a dot plot showing the proportion that are Mutant from each trial. Estimate values on the dot plot a range of proportions that include about 95% of the proportions from the trials.
 Dot plot from 0 to point 9 by point 1's. Proportion of Mutant selected. Dots every point 0 2 5. Number of dots above each increment is 0, 0, 1, 0, 1, 2, 4, 8, 5, 10, 6, 7, 3, 2, 1, and the rest are 0.
 3. Andre then finds the mean proportion from his simulations to be 0.2195 and the standard deviation to be 0.06. How far are your values from the last question from the mean? This will represent your estimated margin of error.
 4. Divide the distance from the last question by the standard deviation to get the margin of error in terms of the number of standard deviations.
 3. Based on Andre's simulations, should the scientist feel confident that the proportion of flies is within two standard deviations of the mean for the simulations?
Suppose the biologist breeds 600 flies. What is the minimum number of flies the biologist should expect to have the mutation based on Andre's margin of error? What is the maximum that should be expected?
Although reality doesn't always match up with our estimates, using sample data to estimate a characteristic for a larger group can be very useful, especially when you attach a margin of error to the estimate. It is unlikely that an estimate will differ from the population characteristic that is being estimated by more than the margin of error.
For example, a lumber manufacturer may be worried about the number of boards it produces that are not straight. It would be too time consuming and costly to check every board, but they can check 50 boards each day to get an idea of the proportion of boards that are not straight. After a month of checking daily, they examine the distribution of the samples and determine that the standard deviation for the proportions is about 0.02.
The next day, their sample has 15 boards that are not straight out of the 50 checked. The manufacturer should estimate that the proportion of boards that are not straight for that day is about 0.3 (since \(\frac{15}{50} = 0.3\) ) with a margin of error of 0.04 (since twice the standard deviation is \(2 \boldcdot 0.02 = 0.04\)). That means that the actual proportion of boards that are not straight that are produced that day is most likely between 0.26 and 0.34.
Glossary Entries
 - margin of error
 The maximum expected difference between an estimate for a population characteristic and the actual value of the population characteristic.


text:
|IDL Reference Guide: Procedures and Functions|
The ZOOM_24 procedure displays part of a 24-bit color image from the current window expanded in a new ("zoom") window, and provides information about cursor location and color values in an auxiliary ("data") window. The cursor is used to mark the center of the zoom area, and different zoom factors can be specified interactively.
ZOOM only works on 24-bit color systems.
This routine is written in the IDL language. Its source code can be found in the file
zoom_24.pro in the
lib subdirectory of the IDL distribution.
After calling ZOOM_24, windows titled "Zoomed Image" (the zoom window) and "Pixel Values" (the data window) appear on the screen. Place the mouse cursor over a 24-bit color image in an IDL graphics window and click the left mouse button to display a magnified version of the image in the zoom window. The zoomed image is centered around the pixel selected in the original window. Move the mouse cursor in the zoom window to determine the coordinates (in the original image) and color values of individual pixels.
With the cursor located in the zoom window, click the right mouse button to return to selection mode, which allows you to either choose a new zoom center, change the zoom factor, or exit the procedure. Move the cursor to the original image and click the middle mouse button to display a menu of zoom factors, or click the right mouse button to exit the procedure.
Note that the ZOOM_24 procedure is only for use with IDL graphics windows. It should not be used with draw widgets. To obtain a zooming effect in a draw widget, use the CW_ZOOM function.
ZOOM_24 [, FACT=integer] [, /RIGHT] [, XSIZE=value] [, YSIZE=value]
Use this keyword to specify the zoom factor, which must be an integer. The default zoom factor is 4.
Set this keyword to position the zoom and data windows to the right of the original window.
Use this keyword to specify the X size of the zoom window. The default is 512.
Use this keyword to specify the Y size of the zoom window. The default is 512.
IDL Online Help (March 06, 2007)


text: Property market dynamics depend on changes in long run equilibrium and on impediments to adjustment towards equilibrium. One of the most important aspects of property market dynamics is often attributed to the activities in the mortgage market. However, many impediment factors, such as changes in family status, education, neighborhood effects and job relocation, are often unobservable from micro household-level data. Since these omitted variables contribute to moving decisions and therefore to sale and default decisions, utility functions for sale and default are correlated through these unobservable variables; thus, the IIA assumption of the widely used Multinomial Logit Model (MNL) is violated. Under such circumstances, econometric theory suggests that the Nested Logit Model (NMNL) is a better choice, which obviates the limitation of MNL by allowing correlation in unobserved factors across alternatives. This paper empirically investigates the omitted household mobility characteristics problem in mortgage termination, and tests NMNL against MNL. Using loan level micro data, we find significant correlation between sale and default due to omitted borrower mobility characteristics. Our simulations find that NMNL out performs MNL in out-of-sample prediction.


What Is The Fuel Capacity Of A Formula 1 Car?
Formula 1 is an ever-growing and developing sport. The series has taken huge strides in improving technologies used in road cars. Fuel efficiency development is no different, and it has led to many changes over the years in terms of the fuel capacity of Formula 1 cars.
A Formula 1 car's fuel capacity is 110 kilograms. This fuel load has to last the car for the entirety of the race which is 305km (190 miles). The fuel burns at a much faster rate than normal cars due to the higher performance level the engines run at.
Formula 1 has developed a number of technical innovations in order to improve fuel efficiency. From KERS to hybrid power, Formula 1 is constantly pushing technology to become better. Most of these technologies are also implemented directly into road cars.
How Much Fuel Do F1 Cars Carry?
No More Refueling
With refueling during races being banned after the 2009 season, Formula 1 teams have had to develop their engines to become much more fuel efficient. They can no longer burn as much fuel as they like in order to go faster.
It has become a challenge both for engineers and drivers to get their cars from the start of the race all the way to the end without running out of fuel. Everything needs to be carefully calculated, and the engine performance needs to be monitored properly in order to stay fast enough to remain competitive.
Going The Distance
The average distance of a Formula 1 race is 305 kilometers (190 miles). This might not seem all that far for a car to go, however keep in mind these cars are driving on the limit which consumes the fuel at a much faster rate. They are also designed specifically to go just that distance and not much further.
Formula 1 cars are built to the bare minimum of what they are required to do. This is why they carry 110kg at most, with them taking on even less for qualifying laps to keep the car as light as possible. For example, building a bigger fuel tank for your car would make your car slower. It would become heavier, and there is no need to put extra fuel into the car which would slow it down.
Different Engine Modes
Instead, Formula 1 teams have very clever systems on their cars. The engine modes can be controlled from the cockpit of the car as well as the pit wall. If the car is running low on fuel, the engine can be turned down so that it uses less fuel but will not be performing at such a high level.
It's very rare for a Formula 1 car to not complete a race due to running out of fuel. Everything is calculated perfectly. Normally teams will start with 2 extra laps of fuel onboard. This is to allow for a possible safety car situation or an extra formation lap.
This also allows them to run the engine at a higher performance level later in the race if they need to catch up to a car in front to overtake. This engine mode system has made its way into road legal cars quite a while ago and has become extremely common to find in modern day cars.
The Efficiency Of Formula 1 Cars
Small But Mighty
Formula 1 have been at the forefront of improving the efficiency of cars. The days of racing with huge V12, V10, or even V8 engines are gone. Formula 1 cars now have turbocharged V6 engines that sometimes manage to produce over 1000 horsepower.
The current crop of Formula 1 cars produces more power while using less fuel than any other car. The hybrid power unit has been designed as a part of a new sustainable outlook for Formula 1. They also use sustainable fuels and energy recovery systems to make the cars more efficient.
Formula 1 has not only developed the engine to become more efficient, but they have also trialed and implemented various new technologies such as the KERS system. The KERS, or Kinetic Energy Recovery System has also been used in road cars to improve their engine efficiency and power output.
KERS started off as a small battery in the car. The battery is charged by using the kinetic energy generated while the car is braking. The driver can then choose where to use the extra power at the press of a button.
KERS was first used in Formula 1 in 2009 and was not widely accepted at first. However, the technology quickly gained a lot of traction, and eventually the battery could provide a power boost of up to 180 horsepower per lap.
Since its introduction into the sport, the KERS system has developed to become more powerful, more efficient and more durable. The system is still in use today with a stronger battery. The battery still charges under braking, with a red light flashing at the back of the car to show that the battery is harvesting energy.
A Lap Of Extra Power
The battery can then deploy energy for a full lap depending on its charging state and the amount of power it has in it. In previous years, the battery could only deploy energy for around 10 seconds per lap. This helps to push up the power output of the seemingly small engines on modern Formula 1 cars.
The 2020 Mercedes F1 engine is 50% thermally efficient. Your typical road car has a thermal efficiency of around 30%. Thermal efficiency is the ratio of work done by the engine compared to the heat supplied to it. In other words, it is the percentage of heat energy in a combustion engine that is transformed into power (or its working rate).
Relevance To The Real World
The key to all of these innovations in the sport is to remain relevant to the real world. As mentioned previously, all of the technologies tested and used in Formula 1 are implemented into real world road cars.
Road Cars
Mercedes-Benz for example are now using a form of the KERS device in some of their newer road cars. They, along with others such as Renault, are using their hybrid technology from Formula 1 in their road cars very successfully.
Formula 1 plans to become carbon neutral by the year 2030. This means that both the cars, and the forms of travel (transporting cars, crew and drivers) will have a net carbon footprint of exactly zero percent.
More Efficient Than A Plane
This in itself is a massive challenge. However, it's not impossible. A full 20 race season of Formula 1 (with 20 cars) uses the same amount of fuel as a Boeing 747 flight across the Atlantic. This proves that these cars are already super-efficient in their fuel usage.
By the year 2030, we are going to see cars with incredible technology, fuel efficiency, and energy recovery systems. Formula 1 will continue to push the limits of technology, not only for the world of motorsport, but also for our everyday lives.
Looking To The Future
As technology in Formula 1 develops, so will the tech that we get in our everyday road cars. The future is exciting, and we are going to see some big changes in the motorsport sphere as well as the automotive industry as a whole.
Final Thoughts
Formula 1 has been the ultimate engineer's playground for many years. In recent years they have focused on making the cars more fuel efficient without increasing the fuel capacity of the car (remaining at 110kg).
This is all in line with the 2030 net-zero carbon footprint plan laid out by the Formula 1 Management team and the FIA. The plan is to develop even more efficient cars and to work on more energy recovery systems and become more sustainable.


Raoul Dufy
Raoul Dufy (_PHONE_) was a draftsman, stage decorator, fabric designer, book illustrator and ceramicist. Born in Le Havre, Dufy studied at the Ecole Nationale des Beaux Arts. His early work was influenced by the paintings of the Impressionists.
It was Dufy's discovery of Matisse's work in 1905 that led him to leave Impressionism behind and develop a distinctive, almost calligraphic style. He began painting outdoors in the South of France, combining the color of the Fauves with the flat angular compositions of Cezanne.
After World War I Dufy focused on subjects such as regattas, casinos, palm trees and racecourses. In spite of severe arthritis, Dufy painted until his death, producing the elegant landscapes, seascapes and witty views of society for which he is so well remembered.


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A sheath voltage limiter is an arrester that is used to clamp the voltage induced on the sheath of an underground high or medium voltage cable during a fault on the system. It is common practice when applying underground cable to only ground the cable sheath at one end of the cable, and leave the other end open. Leaving one ungrounded reduces circulating currents and losses during steady state operations. IEEE standard _PHONE_ indicates that typically distribution arresters can be used for this function. IEC Application guide 60099-5 soon to be published offers a formula to use to determine the voltage rating of the arrester, but does not offer any guidance regarding the energy handling rating.
The photo below is an SVL on a 69kV underground system in Lakeland Florida. A standard distribution arrester is being used. This is the first ever SVL I have seen on a transmission line riser pole.


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CAM Hexavalent Chromium Sampling Protocol: Why Do I Need pH/ORP Data and What Do I Do with It?
Several years ago, MassDEP added a new analytical protocol to the Compendium of Analytical Methods (CAM) for proper sampling for hexavalent chromium (Cr VI) in soil, one that included a requirement to sample for pH and oxidation/reduction potential (ORP). It appears that the reasons for these additional requirements may not be well understood by everyone in the regulated community, nor is the appropriate application of the pH/ORP data to the chromium data. This article attempts to clarify these issues.
The necessity of the new Cr VI sampling protocol really arises only in one fairly unique situation: when the matrix spike / spike duplicate for a Licensed Site Professional's (LSP's) Cr VI samples is below the acceptable recovery range. In this situation, the LSP would be required to distrust, and perhaps reject, the Cr VI analytical results. However, if the LSP's pH/ORP data indicate that the sampled soil is from reducing conditions, he may be able to justify relying on the analytical results despite failing the QA/QC requirements of the analytical method.
Chromium typically occurs in the environment either as Chromium III (more prevalent) or Chromium VI. Chromium can be found in other valence states, but they are typically inconsequential for work that LSPs do. Chromium VI (hexavalent chrome) is significantly more toxic than Chrome III, and therefore has a lower notification threshold (100 mg/Kg in S-1 soil, versus 1,000 mg/Kg for Cr III). However, the standard analysis for chromium is for total chromium (without regard to valence state), so MassDEP requires that notification decisions based solely on total chromium analyses assume that all chromium is the more toxic Cr VI variety, and use the lower reporting threshold. To avoid having to report total chromium concentrations between 100 mg/Kg and 1,000 mg/Kg, LSPs can re-analyze their samples specifically for Cr VI, in hopes of demonstrating that the fraction of total chromium that is hexavalent is low or nil.
It is also important to remember the portion of standard QA/QC procedures associated with matrix spikes and spike duplicates (MS/MSD). Labs run metals analyses in batches generally larger than the group of samples one LSP submits, and the lab will choose a sample from the batch at random to spike with a small, known quantity of Cr VI (and other metals), to check the ability of the analytical instrument to accurately detect the presence of Cr VI (and other metals). The CAM stipulates that when an LSP requests metals analyses, he request that one or more of his own samples be selected as the MS/MSD – and if the instrument's recovery of the spike in the LSP's sample is above or below the range stipulated as acceptable by the analytical method (70%-120%), the LSP must question, or even reject, the analytical results of his samples.
If you are testing for Cr VI, and none of your QA/QC parameters are questionable (especially recovery of Cr VI in your MS/MSD), then you probably have no need to read further here. If, however, your MS/MSD recoveries are outside (especially below) the acceptable range, read on about the quirks of chromium chemistry.
In oxidizing conditions, which are typical at most sites, both Cr III and Cr VI are stable; both species tend to maintain their existing valence state. In reducing conditions, however, Cr VI is unstable, and fairly quickly reduces to Cr III. Thus, a release of Cr VI into reducing site conditions will tend to convert to the less toxic Cr III, unless the release is large enough to overwhelm local environmental conditions. If the release does not change prevailing conditions, an analysis for Cr VI of soil from reducing conditions is likely to (rightly) indicate that little or no Cr VI is present, because it has been reduced.
Keep in mind, however, that a sample that maintains the reducing condition in the sample jar, and that is spiked in the lab with Cr VI, is likely to also reduce the spike (MS/MSD). This could potentially result in a very low spike recovery (below the acceptable 70-120% range), which would suggest that the analyses were unreliable. This, in turn, could lead the LSP to conclude that the non detect (ND) results for Cr VI should be rejected, even though they might actually be correct. It is therefore important to demonstrate that reducing conditions exist, so that the poor spike recovery can be explained, and the LSP can justify not rejecting the analytical data. This is where pH/ORP data come in.
ORP versus Eh, and pH
Appended to the CAM chromium protocol is an Eh/pH diagram (Eh being another expression of oxidation/reduction) that shows the range of conditions in which Cr VI and Cr III are each stable. If the LSP's pH/ORP data plot clearly and consistently within the reducing field on the diagram, where Cr VI is unstable, then the LSP can make the argument that he need not reject his Cr VI data due to poor MS/MSD recoveries, because the poor recoveries are probably due to reduction of the spike by the sample matrix.
Most LSPs are aware that the holding time on pH/ORP samples is 24 hours. As a result, the LSP cannot hold his pH/ORP samples pending the results of his total chromium analyses; they should be run concurrently. The CAM protocol also stipulates that Cr VI samples be in a separate container, so that reducing conditions that would be important to identify are not compromised, as they might be when a single container is opened for the total chromium analysis (and potentially oxidized), and opened again later to test for Cr VI.
There are some further wrinkles, however, with respect to measuring Eh/ORP. First, although the units (millivolts) of Eh (the oxidation/reduction parameter used in the stability diagram) are the same as for ORP (the parameter typically measured in the field, and often by labs), they will not have the same value for the same conditions. Eh is converted to ORP or back by subtracting or adding a certain number of millivolts. However, the number of millivolts to add or subtract is a function of the instrument used to measure ORP (if your field or lab results are reported as Eh, no conversion is required before using the diagram). Such instruments typically have either a mercury chloride ("calomel") or a silver chloride electrode. Conversion of ORP measurements to Eh requires addition of 244 millivolts when measured with a calomel electrode, and 199 millivolts when measured with a silver chloride electrode.
Although this issue is alluded to in a footnote on the Eh/pH diagram in the CAM (as an oblique reference to the difference between Eh and ORP), the method does not provide explicit guidance about the need to convert ORP data to Eh data, or how to do so. While using unadjusted ORP data may not change the conclusion concerning whether sample conditions were oxidizing or reducing (the change of value is not that large), it is nonetheless important to be aware of the issue for the sake of accuracy, or when near boundary conditions. Thus, the LSP should identify the type of electrode installed in his field instrument, or ask the laboratory what type of electrode the lab employed. As an aside, it is also worth noting that several laboratory representatives have commented that there is no scientifically-rigorous way to measure the ORP of soil – the consistent comment is that ORP values measured in a soil/de-ionized water slurry (the most typical field method) have as much to do with the water as they do the soil.
The check list below is provided to assist the non-chemist LSP with complying with the CAM method. The following bullets highlight some useful reminders, although it is not intended to be exhaustive, and there is no substitute for familiarity with the CAM protocol. In addition, compliance with this checklist does not, of itself, guarantee presumptive certainty:
- Check with your lab in advance of sampling to be sure that the lab's instruments and procedures are set up to complete a CAM-compliant Cr VI analysis.
- Ask your lab if it can provide redox measurements. If yes, ask whether the lab reports redox data as Eh, or as ORP. If the latter, ask the lab what type of electrode its instrument uses to measure ORP. If the lab cannot provide Eh/ORP analyses, you may wish to find another lab, or measure pH/ORP in the field. Remember that the holding time on pH/ORP samples is 24 hours.
- If you are testing ORP in the field, ask the instrument rental agency what type of electrode their instrument uses, or consult the instrument manual or manufacturer.
- Read the ORP meter manual in advance of field work for information about how to measure ORP. The procedure will probably require making a slurry of the soil sample using de-ionized water, which you will need to purchase ahead of time (most supermarkets now carry DI water).
- During sampling, collect Cr VI, pH, and ORP samples each in a separate jar.
- Collect pH/ORP samples at the same time as your initial, total chromium samples, and submit them for analysis (or analyze yourself) even before you know that you will need pH/ORP data. The holding time on pH/ORP samples is typically too short (24 hours) to permit your waiting for total chrome results to decide whether to run pH/ORP.
- When completing your Chain of Custody for Cr VI analyses, instruct the lab to use your sample(s)


Was Rick Perry actually drunk? A computer says it knows
by Jerry Gorin | Off-Ramp
32209 full
Researchers at Signal Analysis Interpretation Lab at USC test out their drunk speech detector. Clockwise from top: Shri Narayanan, Daniel Bone and Matt Black. Jerry Gorin/KPCC
Last October, Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry delivered a bizarre speech in New Hampshire during which he bounced on his heels, giggled, and struggled to stay on point. Many people thought that he was drunk, and the claims became so widespread that Perry had to publicly deny them. But short of going back in time and taking a blood sample, there was no way to be sure. That is, until a team of researchers from USC came along.
Professor Shri Narayanan and his team designed the winning entry in the latest challenge from the International Speech Communication Association (ISCA). The challenge asked participants to design a computer system that could identify drunk people from their speech patterns. The team's winning system could tell if someone was drunk about 70 percent of the time.
Narayanan said the topic isn't exactly what their lab is known for.
"It wasn't a core problem in our lab, that we are interested in the state of inebriation of people."
What they are interested in is speech. The researchers in Professor Narayanan's lab have developed computer programs that dissect speech patterns and then tie them to hidden states, like emotions or diseases such as autism.
"Let's consider the example of a child with autism," said Narayanan. "A prototypical way of characterizing that is to say that their intonation sounds atypical. We are interested in how to quantify this atypicality in intonation."
Many doctors currently use the way he or she talks as an indicator for autism. Narayanan thinks his computer programs will soon be able to do it better.
"[Computers] can look at micro-variations and intonations in the beginning of my sentence now and compare it with [my voice] three minutes later," he explained. "That's difficult for humans to do, or maybe even impossible, but computers can build analytic tools to try to measure these things."
Professor Narayanan's laboratory focuses mostly on debilitating speech in order to help physicians better diagnose their patients. But the drunken detection challenge was no gimmick. Since there's a reliable way to measure drunkenness (blood-alcohol content) the challenge gave researchers a concrete way to see whether their systems were any good. So his team signed up.
The data they used came from researchers in Germany, who collected sober speech recordings from recruited subjects. Then they gave them a few beers and recorded their speech again.
Narayanan said they also measured their blood alcohol content to determine which ones were legitimately drunk.
The professor's six-man team included recent Ph.D. Matt Black and third-year doctoral candidate Daniel Bone, who showed Off-Ramp the system. Black queued up an example of a sober German utterance - a banal statement where the speaker asks his car to play a CD. He then played an utterance from the same speaker, with the same prompt, but after drinking lots of beer.
It didn't sound like the first.
"He adds an extra 'gut' at the end," said Bone, laughing. "I think that means 'good'".
Black said they started with the speaking rate. They thought that it would be an intuitive thing to measure because they expected that drunk speakers would speak slower. But the computers didn't think it was such a useful measurement.
"We found that the rate features weren't very helpful," said Black, "but then we found other features that were less interpretable that ended up allowing us to win the competition."
Black said that the most important thing was to build a system that was robust and could measure thousands of different features, regardless of whether the research team could hear them.
"How these happen sometimes is beyond human interpretability," said Narayanan. "And that's what we refer to as black box. We really can't interpret the internals of these algorithms and how they choose data, how they slice them and dice them, and it's not often nicely packaged to listen to. But what we can see with certainty are outcomes."
At a computer station in the back of the laboratory, the team was eager to finally show off its new system. Black put on a headset and sat in the pilot's seat, where he began saying commands to familiarize the program with his voice.
He uttered three "sober" sentences, three "drunk" sentences and then a test sentence.
"Now it's going through and training the system," said Narayanan. "It's extracting spectral voice quality features, extracting prosodic features, intonation and so on, it's now crunching, organizing it in order of importance."
A few minutes later the results were in. The computer came up with a score of five out of seven, or about 70 percent. Narayanan said it was a pretty good score - about on par with human accuracy, in fact - and said it was time to try a clip from Rick Perry's speech.
They ran the audio and waited. The results appeared. Perry was sober.
Narayanan didn't want to speculate whether the computer got that one wrong, but he said hopefully by the time the next presidential election rolls along, they'll be absolutely sure.
More from USC News: The Computer Says He Sounds Drunk
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Use your Raspberry Pi on Multiple WiFi Networks
Getting WiFi working on Raspberry Pi must be one of the most searched topics since the popular board was released. Thankfully, this is now a pretty simple process even for beginners! However, as the Raspberry Pi is portable, many people like to take it with them wherever they go. This presents a new challenge, which is providing Internet access without access to a monitor or an Ethernet cable. Like other Internet connected devices, people want to set up Raspberry Pi multiple WiFi networks.
Firstly, did you know that there is a quick way to set up WiFi on your Raspberry Pi before the first boot?
Setup Raspberry Pi WiFi Before Boot
Until recently, you had to boot your Pi with an Ethernet cable connected and then make all the necessary edits to system files to setup WiFi. However, there is now a way to setup WiFi before you power on your Pi for the very first time. In order to do this, you need to create a file called "wpa_supplicant.conf" and then transfer it to the boot folder on your SD card. You can do this in any basic text editing software, but Notepad++ is recommended.
Notepad++ is a free text editor and is a suped-up version of the standard Windows Notepad. However, it is great for creating or editing code because it helps with formatting – such as indentation, brackets and so on. You can download Notepad++ from their website.
WPA Supplicant
First, open Notepad++ and add the following code to it:
You need to add your own details to this document, and they are pretty self-explanatory:
 1. SSID = Your WiFi network name
 2. PSK = Your WiFi password
The last section, "key_mgmt", is set depending on the encryption method your WiFi network uses. If you are using a relatively modern WiFi router, then the chances are it will be WPA-PSK. For the curious, this stands for WiFi Protected Access Pre-Shared Key. Older routers (as in 10+ years) may use WEP, or Wired Equivalent Privacy, but this is no longer recommended as a relatively inexperienced hacker could crack this in a few minutes if they wanted to!
Once you have added your WiFI network name and password, save your file as "wpa_supplicant.conf" (without the quotation " " marks and ensuring it is lower-case). This is what you can now transfer to the boot folder on your SD card. Now when you boot your Pi, it should automatically connect to your WiFi network!
What actually happens is that your Pi copies the "wpa_supplicant.conf" file to the proper location on the Pi itself. This is typically "/etc/wpa_supplicant", and if you want to make any additional changes, you can find the "wpa_supplicant.conf" file here.
Make sure you set "key_mgmt" depending on the encryption method used by your WiFi router!
Make sure you set "key_mgmt" depending on the encryption method used by your WiFi router!
Hang on though!
You have come here because you want to establish Raspberry Pi multiple WiFi networks! To do this, you follow the same steps as above, except you need to add a few more networks to your "wpa_supplicant.conf" file. There is also an additional step required, especially if you want to prioritise the networks so that your Pi prefers to connect to a specific network over another.
Raspberry Pi Multiple WiFi Networks
To do this, you will obviously need to know the details of all the WiFi networks you want your Raspberry Pi to connect to. This may well be your home network, your school or work network and maybe a phone-tethered network (i.e. for when you want to get your Pi online outside the reach of other WiFi networks). Once you have the SSID and passwords for your WiFi networks, you need to add them to your "wpa_supplicant.conf" file:
If you look carefully at the new details above, you may notice a few things. Firstly, we have created three networks – one for home, one for work and one for tethering to your phone's WiFi hotspot. In order to help your Raspberry Pi understand which network is which, we have also added the "id_str" string, which you will notice has been assigned a name – either "home", "work" or "phone". This is a crucial step for Raspberry Pi multiple WiFi networks, as you will need them for the next part, so remember them.
Setting priorities
You may also notice a "priority" string, along with a number. This is pretty self-explanatory – this tells your Raspberry Pi to try and connect to your networks in a specific order. First of all, the numbers associated are not as logical as you would expect! This is because the higher the number, the higher the preference. In the example above, our Raspberry Pi will try to connect to the networks in the following order:
 1. Phone (priority of 3)
 2. Work (priority of 2)
 3. Home (priority of 1)
As a result, our example places the "phone" network at the top because we may want to connect to our Raspberry Pi in the office, but want to avoid connecting to the "work" network if the "phone" network is present. You might want to experiment with the priorities yourself, and you can do this by simply changing the numbers associated with the "priority" string.
Almost there…
There is one more adjustment required to get Raspberry Pi Multiple WiFi Networks, and that is to add a couple of lines to the "/etc/network/interfaces" file, because this tells your Raspberry Pi how to connect to any networks present:
# Include files from /etc/network/interfaces.d:
source-directory /etc/network/interfaces.d
auto lo
iface lo inet loopback
iface eth0 inet manual
allow-hotplug wlan0
iface wlan0 inet manual
 wpa-conf /etc/wpa_supplicant/wpa_supplicant.conf
allow-hotplug wlan1
iface wlan1 inet manual
 wpa-conf /etc/wpa_supplicant/wpa_supplicant.conf
iface home inet dhcp
iface work inet dhcp
iface phone inet dhcp
The key lines here are the bottom three:
 1. iface home inet dhcp
 2. iface work inet dhcp
 3. iface phone inet dhcp
Remember the "id_str" names we added earlier? If not, then it might be worth going back and getting them as this is where we add them to our interfaces file. You now just need to add your "id_str" here, along with the prefix "iface" and the suffix "inet dhcp", especially if your IP addresses are set by DHCP.
Last step!
Once you have added your network strings to the interfaces file, simply save it (do this by pressing Ctrl+X if using Nano) and then reboot your Raspberry Pi! If all goes well, you should have setup Raspberry Pi Multiple WiFi Networks, along with prioritised connections!


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The Use of Negative Pressure in Medicine
Pressure is considered negative if it is below the standard atmospheric pressure, i.e. one atmosphere (1 atm). Negative pressure could occur naturally in few occasions such as out space, but it also could be deliberately inducted for the use of human. One of these uses is for medical purposes. The history of negative pressure use in health and disease management draws back to the establishment of the Chinese traditional medicine and continued to develop till the contemporary medical advances. In this review, the author aimed to elaborate the history and advancement in the usage of negative pressure in health aspects and classify the different modalities of negative pressure incorporated in treatment management and clinical trials.


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ASL University ►
American Sign Language: "doctor"
NOTE: You will see the sign "doctor" done a number of ways. Do it however your local (qualified) instructor or local Deaf friends do it.
DOCTOR (recommended version)
Tap the fingertips of the dominant "bent hand" twice on the upturned wrist of the base hand.
Discussion: Where did this sign come from?
The "bent hand" evolved from an earlier version that used an "M" handshape. Why an "M" handshape? The "M" comes from back in the "old days" when doctors were commonly known as "medics." Over time, the bent hand replaced the "M" since the bent hand is easier to produce than an "M" handshape. Quite a few people (books, instructors, teachers etc.) do this sign with a "D" handshape. It is not worth arguing about. Really. I'm suggesting you know both versions and do it the way your local teacher does it or the way your local Deaf friends do it.
DOCTOR ("D" version)
In this version of doctor, the right "D" hand taps near where a doctor or nurse would take a person's pulse. The non-dominant hand (the left hand if you are right handed) can be either relaxed (curled up a bit) or flat.
A student writes: IHi Dr.V,I noticed in the sketch of this sign, the left hand is curled, almost closed. Yet in the variation of the 'doctor''medic' 'nurse' pictures, the left hand is open. Does it make a difference if the left hand is open or closed? Has the sign evolved to the open hand?Please advise.Thanks,Cathy
It is either. Really.
The "base hand" handshape is immaterial in that sign.
Most Deaf people if we aren't thinking about it will do it with a RELAXED hand (somewhat curled). If you ask us to "show you" the sign...we will get all "proper" and tend to do it with a palm-up flat hand. But when just hanging out amongst ourselves we do it with a relaxed base hand because it takes less effort.
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / Doctor of Education (EdD)
Do not use the sign for "medical doctor" to refer to your college professors unless they are indeed an "MD."
There is a difference between the sign for a medical doctor and an "academic" doctor. "Dr." as in Ph.D. (a doctor of philosophy) is generally fingerspelled. While the Deaf community is not overly concerned with titles, if you are introducing someone to an audience you would simply spell the letters "D-R" and then the name.
In most everyday communication we don't use titles. We use name signs instead.
The sign "NURSE" is an initialized form of the sign "Doctor." It uses an "N" handshape on your dominant hand.
NEW! Online "ASL Training Center!" (Premium Subscription Version of ASLU) ** CHECK IT OUT FREE **
You can learn sign language online at American Sign Language University ™
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Deciding If It's Time For a Merger
As many nonprofits struggle financially as a result of the COVID-19 crisis, some are considering merging with another organization to survive. Nonprofit mergers are nothing new, of course, but they're not always a good idea. Read on to learn some of the factors you should weigh when evaluating merger opportunities.
Wise reasons to merge
Successful mergers are based on a foundation of solid motivations. For example, you might decide to merge to establish the stability that makes it easier to pursue your mission. Such a union could lead to a stronger organization better able to survive difficult times. You also might want to merge to reduce the competition for funding, which could intensify as cash-strapped state governments cut back on their nonprofit grants and contracts in the wake of the pandemic.
A merger can help nonprofits achieve economies of scale that will make the merged organization more efficient, too. This might come, for example, from combining infrastructures — everything from staffing and board leadership to administration, information systems, human resources and accounting.
A merger could also give you access to a wider network, as well as more perspectives and experiences to base decisions on. And it might enable you to provide more programming or add locations.
Questionable reasons to merge
For all of the worthwhile reasons to consider a merger, it's important to remember that mergers do fail. One common reason is that the merger itself, as well as the new organization, can cost much more than expected. In the short term, for example, you'll need to finance transactional and integration costs.
Over the longer term, larger and more complex organizations generally incur greater costs than smaller ones. Moreover, any dollars saved by a nonprofit typically are invested in programming because the demand for services is always there. Improved efficiency — not reduced costs — should be the driving force behind a proposed merger.
Arrangements intended to "rescue" a failing organization are another red flag when it comes to nonprofit mergers. In this scenario, you usually see a larger, more stable nonprofit swoop in to save a smaller counterpart that, despite its weaknesses, has something to offer, such as loyal donors or lucrative government contracts. But a merger isn't likely to solve problems such as poor leadership or business practices. The better approach in such a situation is for the larger nonprofit to acquire assets, or viable pieces, of the smaller organization. These can enhance the acquiring organization without adding liabilities.
Potential partners
If you do decide to proceed with a merger, start the process by identifying a likely candidate with which to combine forces. A misstep easily could doom a merger to failure.
What should you look for in a merger partner? First and foremost, the two organizations should share similar missions, values and cultures. If these aren't aligned, it will prove nearly impossible to unite around a common vision for the future.
That doesn't mean you have to offer duplicative services, but they should at least complement each other. For example, an organization that helps the homeless find homes might team up with a nonprofit that provides employment services to the economically disadvantaged. If you find yourself constantly competing with an organization for resources, odds are you're well aligned.
Proceed with caution
Regardless of the impetus, merging two nonprofits is no small task, and you'll want to tap outside expertise. Financial and legal due diligence, contract negotiation and organizational reintegration are time-consuming and challenging. Don't go it alone.


text:
|Foucault (French fuko)|
|1.||Jean Bernard Léon (ʒɑ̃ bɛrnar leɔ̃). 1819--68, French physicist. He determined the velocity of light and proved that light travels more slowly in water than in air (1850). He demonstrated by means of the pendulum named after him the rotation of the earth on its axis (1851) and invented the gyroscope (1852)|
|2.||Michel. 1926--84, French philosopher and historian of ideas. His publications include Histoire de la folie (1961) and Les Mots et les choses (1966)|
|a fool or simpleton; ninny.|
|an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.|
|Foucault (f-kō') Pronunciation Key
French physicist who determined that light travels more slowly in water than in air, confirming predictions made by the wave theory of light. In 1850 Foucault also measured the absolute velocity of light. In 1851, by using a type of pendulum that is now named after him, Foucault demonstrated the rotation of the Earth, and in 1852 perfected a gyroscope for the same purpose.


text:
How many microlitro in 1 cubic angstrom?
The answer is 1.0E-21.
We assume you are converting between microlitro and cubic angstrom.
You can view more details on each measurement unit:
microlitro or cubic angstrom
The SI derived unit for volume is the cubic meter.
1 cubic meter is equal to _PHONE_ microlitro, or 1.0E+30 cubic angstrom.
Note that rounding errors may occur, so always check the results.
Use this page to learn how to convert between microlitros and cubic angstroms.
Type in your own numbers in the form to convert the units!
1 microlitro to cubic angstrom = 1.0E+21 cubic angstrom
2 microlitro to cubic angstrom = 2.0E+21 cubic angstrom
3 microlitro to cubic angstrom = 3.0E+21 cubic angstrom
4 microlitro to cubic angstrom = 4.0E+21 cubic angstrom
5 microlitro to cubic angstrom = 5.0E+21 cubic angstrom
6 microlitro to cubic angstrom = 6.0E+21 cubic angstrom
7 microlitro to cubic angstrom = 7.0E+21 cubic angstrom
8 microlitro to cubic angstrom = 8.0E+21 cubic angstrom
9 microlitro to cubic angstrom = 9.0E+21 cubic angstrom
10 microlitro to cubic angstrom = 1.0E+22 cubic angstrom
You can do the reverse unit conversion from cubic angstrom to microlitro, or enter any two units below:
microlitro to cubic micrometer
microlitro to cubic hectometer
microlitro to board foot
microlitro to cubic decimeter
microlitro to imperial gallon
microlitro to bushel
microlitro to cup
microlitro to gill
microlitro to cubic kilometer
microlitro to petalitre
Unidad de volumen equivalente a la millonésima parte de un litro, representada por el símbolo μl. También equivale a 1 milímetro cúbico.
A cubic angstrom is defined as the volume of a cube with edges one angstrom in length.
The definition of a angstrom is as follows:
An angstrom or ångström (Å) is a non-SI unit of length equal to 10-10 metres, 0.1 nanometres or 100 picometres.
ConvertUnits.com provides an online conversion calculator for all types of measurement units. You can find metric conversion tables for SI units, as well as English units, currency, and other data. Type in unit symbols, abbreviations, or full names for units of length, area, mass, pressure, and other types. Examples include mm, inch, 100 kg, US fluid ounce, 6'3", 10 stone 4, cubic cm, metres squared, grams, moles, feet per second, and many more!


Plane Angle
The plane angle a is determined by the length of the arc a and the radius r. The biggest plane angle obtains for a full circle (2πr) over 2π.
Solid Angle
Analogously, the solid angle Ω describes the size of a sector in three-dimensional space. It is the product of area A and the square of radius r². The biggest solid angle obtains for a spherical surface (4πr²) over 4π.


Safeguarding Personal Health Information
The Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA) requires that, as a health information custodian (custodian), you must take reasonable steps to ensure that personal health information in your custody or control is protected against theft, loss and unauthorized use and disclosure, and that the records containing the information are protected against unauthorized copying, modification or disposal. You must also ensure that records of personal health information are retained, transferred and disposed of in a secure manner.
Mobile devices, such as smartphones, tablets, laptops and USB keys have added a new layer of complexity to this task. The great advantage of these devices–portability–is also their greatest vulnerability, making them susceptible to loss and theft.
For that reason, personal health information should only be stored on mobile devices if necessary, and even then you must take steps to minimize the risks to privacy. Before you store personal health information on a mobile device, take these steps first.
Ask yourself: Do I really need to store any personal health information on this device?
Consider the alternatives. For example, would de-identified information serve the same purpose? Can you access the information remotely through a secure connection or virtual private network instead?
If you must store personal health information on mobile devices, make sure they are encrypted and protected with strong passwords. Additionally, you should store the least amount of information possible, for the shortest amount of time.
For more information about working with personal health information on mobile devices, please refer to our guidance documents below.


NIIT (Net Investment Income Tax) is a 3.8% tax on investment income that was passed as part of Obamacare. This tax only applies to investment income if total income is above a threshold that varies based on filing status. For more information, see the IRS website. Following the IRS instructions, US taxpayers are unable to use Foreign Tax Credits (for taxes paid in Australia) to offset NIIT. So Australian taxpayers who are subject to NIIT are paying a Medicare Levy in Australia AND NIIT to fund US health care under Obamacare. This is a clear case of double taxation!
Of interest is this recent post by John Richardson exploring whether the current Australia/US Tax Treaty requires the US to allow a credit against NIIT for taxes paid in Australia.
2 thoughts on "NIIT"
 1. Dual U.S.-Australian nationals living in Australia are exempt from the Unearned Income Medicare Contribution Tax; more commonly known as the Net Investment Income Tax.
 The reason I emphasize the naming difference is critical. If it's an income tax, you would consider foreign tax credits and the income tax treaty. If it's a Medicare tax, it's covered by the U.S.-Australia Totalization Agreement; a separate treaty that addresses social security and Medicare taxes.
 It is most definitely not an income tax. That was a misnomer; a name given to the tax by people that are not qualified to advise on international tax matters. Shockingly, it became the norm, but it does serve to distinguish between international tax practitioners that know what they're talking about and those that don't.
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GOOD NEWS: Deaf Dog Becomes Comic Book Superhero To Promote Acceptance
A lot of people passed by a dog at the New Jersey animal shelter for the very reason that music teacher Chris Hannah decided to rescue him - the pooch was deaf. But Hannah's 10-year-old nephew Kevin is deaf also, so he was happy to adopt the pet, who he named Cole.
Hannah's students were inspired by his new pup and helped their teacher create a superhero story called "Captain Cochlear and Maestro Mutt," based on Cole and Kevin. The comic book teaches the importance of learning to accept those who are a little different.
Now Cole is getting ready to be tested to become a certified therapy dog and Hannah plans to take his dog to visit hearing-impaired students to share their comic book. "Some things just happen for a reason," Hannah says of finding Cole.
Source: USA Today


How do you move a button in an Elementor?
Click and hold your left mouse button on the handle of the section you wish to move. While you continue to hold the mouse button down, drag the section to its new location. When you see the blue line appear in the correct place, let go of the mouse button.
How do I use buttons in Elementor?
Button Widget
 1. Type: Select from 5 styles of buttons to begin your design. …
 2. Text: Enter the button's text.
 3. Link: Set the URL for the button's link. …
 4. Alignment: Align the button to the left, center, right, or justified in relation to its column.
19 нояб. 2020 г.
How do you change a button in an Elementor?
Open Elementor content editor and find Button widget through a search bar. Once done, drag it to the layout. Go to the Content tab to choose the type and text of the button, as well as inserting a link into the appropriate field. To make the link properly work, press the button next to the link.
How do I center a button in an Elementor?
In Elementor, select the section for which columns you want to vertically align so that a new dashboard on the left will emerge with the element's settings. 2. In Layout tab, set the Column Position option to Middle, if you want to vertically align the columns of the section.
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Is Elementor drag and drop?
Elementor is a drag and drop website builder plugin for WordPress, that works on any theme and allows you to create and edit pages without code via a visual editor.
How do I change the size of a button in an Elementor?
Use of Fixed-size controls in Elementor Button widget
When you will add the button widget you will get a new option of FIxed Size in style tab of the button widget. From there you can add your fixed height and width for your button.
Can not edit with Elementor?
If you get a blank page (white screen of death) when you try to edit with Elementor, it might be due to a lack of memory or to another fatal error. In this case, check if you meet the system requirements for Elementor. If the problem is a memory issue, you can deactivate a few plugins and see if it solves the issue.
To setup these links:
 1. Open the link fields on any Elementor widget.
 2. Click on the dynamic icon.
 3. Under Actions, choose Contact URL.
 4. Click on the Contact URL and choose the type of link.
 5. Add your details and you're done!
4 дек. 2018 г.
How do I use shortcodes in Elementor?
after a whole day of google and youtube videos I found out how to do it:
 1. create whatever it is I want created in the dashboard, create the shortcode and copy it.
 2. open the page (you want the code inserted) with FREE elementor.
 3. add new section.
 4. add shortcode button from the elementor section.
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How do you add a column in an Elementor?
Please note: If you only want to add a column to your section, right-click the column handle > Add New Column. You can add up to 10 columns. The Inner Section widget use is to create nested columns within a section. This way you can create complex layouts.
Does Elementor slow down your site?
Is Elementor slow? Elementor adds extra CSS and JavaScript which can slow down your site. Their code also uses many divs. Coupled with premium Elementor plugins, this can make your site slower.
Is Elementor good for SEO?
No, you don't need Elementor Pro for further improving SEO. Considering SEO is mostly about content and not the technical side that everyone gets obsessed with, what page builder you use and if you have the pro version or not isn't going to give you better or worse results.
Does Elementor work with any theme?
With the release of Elementor Theme Builder, you can work with any theme and design its header, footer, single posts, and archive page. If you are a developer or marketer and are looking for the fastest theme, download our completely free barebones theme called Hello Elementor.
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Tornado hits Kingsbury County South Dakota
 A tornado touched down in northeastern Kingsbury County South Dakota. The tornado was on the ground for at least 6 minutes. It hit a hog operation 4 miles north of Lake Preston, destroying a barn, two other outbuildings, and downing several trees. However, the farmhouse was undamaged by the tornado. No injuries were reported with the tornado as it moved along 204th St in Kingsbury County. However, numerous hogs were killed by the tornado. Below is a pictures of the thunderstorm which produce the tornado taken by Donna Budahl. Donna was located on Highway 81 nine miles north of Madison, South Dakota. While the picture does not show the tornado, one can see the cumulonimbus cloud with an overshooting top and anvil. The tornado would have been located on the left side of the picture (southwest side of the storm.
Below we also have an overview of the lowest elevation of the storm from reflectivity and the storm relative velocity. The storm relative velocity will show the rotation within the thunderstorm approximately 5000 feet above the ground. The storm began to develop around 5:49 pm. There was evidence of a thunderstorm developing northwest of De Smet. A weak circulation was associated with this updraft. There also is evidence of a dryline east of Madison, South Dakota. While the dryline was not evident farther north, it is hypothesized that the dryline was located just east of this developing cell.
At 6:14 pm, the storm had intensified and the circulation had begun to strengthen. The circulation remained much weaker than what is typically seen with tornadic thunderstorms. Typically, the rotation on radar associated with a tornadic thunderstorms is greater than 40 mph. However, in this case, the rotation was between 10 and 20 mph. However, the rotation was rather narrow - only 2 to 4 miles wide.
While the circulation was weaker than generally observed with tornadoes, the storm was in a location which was favorable for tornadoes. One parameter meteorologist examines is the low-level instability. To do this we examine a quantity called convective available potential energy (CAPE). Specifically, meteorologists examine the CAPE up to 3 km since if there is a lot of energy below 3 km then it is more likely a tornado will develop. The graphic below shows that the axis of the largest 3 km CAPE extended into eastern Kingsbury County.
Forecasters also examine the change in wind speed and direction in the lower atmosphere called shear. For tornadoes, it is usually necessary to have a lot of shear to increase the rotation within the thunderstorm. The image below shows that the shear below 1 km was 15 to 20 kts which is sufficient for tornado development.
In the next 5 minutes the storm continued to intensify and at 6:19 pm cdt, the radar showed a strong storm over northeast Kingsbury County with some rotation. This is when the tornado touched down north of Lake Preston.
At 6:23 pm, the tornado destroyed portions of a hog confinement 4 miles north of Lake Preston. Here is how it looked on radar.
The storm began to rapidly weaken after 6:23 pm. The next image is from 6:48 pm and notice that the circulation is no longer evident and the storm is no longer above 30 dBz on reflecitivity. Calls to weather spotters north of Arlington indicated that the rotation within the storm had disipated between 6:35 pm and 6:45 pm.


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Land Use / Land Cover
Target or Affiliated Species or Habitat
Monarques, Tallgrass Prairie
Technical guides recently developed by the Tallgrass Prairie Center review a number of BMPs related to tallgrass prairie habitat, including those that address habitat identification, preservation, or restoration; planting or seeding; forb propagation; mowing or haying; thinning; prescribed burning; grazing; invasive/pest species management; soil disturbance; and irrigation. These publications support multiple initiatives, including monarch, pollinator and prairie restoration on farms, but are not specific to monarchs. Technical guides are available in pamphlet format for the general public, and recommendations are applicable for various land uses, including farms, natural areas, lawns and gardens.
The pamphlet series takes a step-by-step approach to prairie restoration in Iowa and the Upper Midwest (US), introducing concepts in order, from initial seed collection to monitoring. Plant lists appropriate for restoration are provided, and include milkweed and other forbs, grasses and sedges. Recommendations for seed collection—part of the planting or seeding BMPs—including the optimal seed collection time, are provided, as are those for protecting seed sources, such as remnant prairies. Seed mixes are recommended, based on site characteristics such as soil moisture, slope and aspect. BMPs for forb propagation also include a species list with recommended methods and timing.
Tools necessary or useful for each practice are outlined, and methods related to site preparation are provided for multiple existing site conditions, including bare sites, previously cropped sites, pastures and vegetated sites. Seeding methods and treatment of invasive species are discussed in particular detail. Methods are outlined regarding monitoring to evaluate establishment success, including measurements of plant density or diversity. Additional references and programs are provided within the technical guide series and on the Tallgrass Prairie Center website (TPC 2015).


Skip to definition.
Noun: anorak 'a-nu,rak
 1. A kind of heavy jacket
 - parka, windbreaker [N. Amer], windcheater [Brit]
 2. [Brit] Someone considered boring because of their obsessive hobby or narrow solitary interests
 - trainspotter [Brit], nerd, spod [Brit]
Derived forms: anoraks
Type of: jacket
Encyclopedia: Anorak


Recipe: Delicious Italian kale and bean soup
Hey everyone, welcome to our recipe site, looking for the perfect Italian kale and bean soup recipe? look no further! We provide you only the best Italian kale and bean soup recipe here. We also have wide variety of recipes to try.
Before you jump to Italian kale and bean soup recipe, you may want to read this short interesting healthy tips about Make Healthy Eating A Part of Your Day-To-Day Life.
Healthy eating is now a great deal more popular than it used to be and rightfully so. Poor diet is a leading factor in health problems such as heart disease and hypertension which can put a drain on the economy. No matter where you look, people are encouraging you to live a healthier way of life but but then, you are also being encouraged to rely on convenience foods that can affect your health in a terrible way. In all probability, most people think that it takes a lot of work to eat healthily and that they will have to drastically alter their way of life. In reality, however, merely making a few minor changes can positively affect everyday eating habits.
You can make similar alterations with the oils that you use for cooking. Olive oil contains monounsaturated fat which can help to lower bad cholesterol. Olive oil is also a great source of Vitamin E which has a lot of benefits and is also good for your skin. It might be that you already feel that you eat fruit and veggies but it can be worthwhile considering how fresh these are depending on where you get these. Organic foods are an excellent choice and will reduce any possible exposure to harmful chemicals. Looking for a local supplier of fresh vegetables and fruits will give you the choice of consuming foods that still contain almost all of the nutrients which are often lost when produce has been kept in storage before it is sold.
We hope you got insight from reading it, now let's go back to italian kale and bean soup recipe. To cook italian kale and bean soup you only need 6 ingredients and 3 steps. Here is how you cook it.
The ingredients needed to cook Italian kale and bean soup:
 1. Prepare 1 lb of ground Italian sausage.
 2. Use 1 carton of chicken broth.
 3. Get 2 of types of white beans.
 4. Provide of kale (as desired).
 5. Use 2-3 cloves of garlic.
 6. Take of salt and pepper.
Instructions to make Italian kale and bean soup:
 1. First cook meat till almost done, don't drain..
 2. Add diced garlic and kale with just a cup of broth and cook down..
 3. Add beans and the rest of the broth and cook till hot throughout and add salt and pepper to taste.
If you find this Italian kale and bean soup recipe helpful please share it to your close friends or family, thank you and good luck.


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A transverse section of trunk also shows linear features called rays radiating from pith to bark and ranging in width from very distinct, as in oak, to indistinct to the naked eye, as in pine and poplar. Certain softwoods, such as pine, spruce, larch, and Douglas fir, possess resin canals. In a transverse section examined with the naked eye or a hand lens, resin canals appear as small dark or...
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I'm in the process of reading my first Linear Algebra textbook, and was just wondering...Is the standard basis of a vector space in n dimensions equivalent to the row space of the n x n identity matrix?
share|improve this question
You seem to be a bit confused there. The row space of a matrix is a vector subspace. The row space of the identity matrix is just the whole space. A basis on the other hand is a (usually ordered) set of elements of the vector space. What is true is that the standard basis is given by the rows of the identity matrix, but that's not a terribly exciting statement. – Alex B. Jan 27 '11 at 6:57
Yeah, I phrased the question wrong; that is what I wanted to know though. As I said, I'm in the process of learning Linear Algebra for the first time and just wanted to make sure that I understood the idea of a "standard basis". Thanks! – Dan M. Katz Jan 27 '11 at 16:13
1 Answer 1
up vote 3 down vote accepted
I assume you're talking about $\mathbb{R}^n$? First off, the standard basis $\{e_1,e_2,\dots,e_n\}$ is a linearly independent set of $n$ vectors, which spans the vector space.
However, the row space of $I_n$ is the set of all linear combinations of the row vectors, which gives a subspace of $n$-dimensional space, which is just the whole space in this case.
The key difference is that the standard basis is just a set of basis vectors, but the row space of $I_n$ is a vector space, not a standard basis, which are two different objects.
share|improve this answer
I understand that they are two different objects, but I was inquiring as to whether the vectors that they contain are equivalent...I suppose I should have phrased this better. – Dan M. Katz Jan 27 '11 at 14:06
_USER_: The span of the standard basis is the same as the rowspace of the identity matrix. In fact, the rows of the identity are the standard basis for $\mathbb{R}^n$, if you view the latter as made up of row vectors (sometimes we prefer to view it as made up of column vectors). – Arturo Magidin Jan 27 '11 at 14:53
_USER_ Ah, my mistake that I didn't answer your intended question. Thankfully Arturo has better explained it to that end. – yunone Jan 27 '11 at 20:19
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elliptic conducting cylinder, with electrically small radius, is investigated in this paper. A full-wave analysis and a moment-method calculation are employed. The analysis is carried out considering the expansion of the field as a series of Mathieu functions. The complex resonance frequencies of...
An Analysis of Probe-Fed Rectangular Patch Antennas With Multilayer and Multipatch Configurations on Cylindrical SurfacesPublikacja
A multi-patch configuration of probe-fed rectangular microstrip antennas mounted on a cylindrical body, with electrically small radius, with an arbitrary number of substrate and superstrate layers is investigated in this paper. A full-wave analysis and a moment-method calculation are employed. A unified procedure for creating proper matrices for the investigated geometry of the structure is outlined here. Numerical results for...
A methodology for fast multi-objective antenna optimization is presented. Our approach is based on response surface approximation (RSA) modeling and variable-fidelity electromagnetic (EM) simulations. In the design process, a computationally cheap RSA surrogate model constructed from sampled coarse-discretization EM antenna simulations is optimized using a multi-objective evolutionary algorithm. The initially determined Pareto...
A methodology for computationally efficient simulation-driven design of microstrip antenna subarrays is presented. Our approach takes into account the effect of the feed (e.g., a corporate network) on the subarray side lobe level and allows adjusting both radiation and reflection responses of the structure under design within a single automated process. This process is realized as surrogate-based optimization that produces designs...
This paper reports an evaluation of the accuracy of the discrete Greens function (DGF) formulation of the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method. Recently, the closed-form expression for the DGF and its efficient numerical implementation were presented, which facilitates applications of the DGF in FDTD simulations of radiation and scattering problems. So far, the accuracy of the DGF formulation of the FDTD method has been...
Artykuł opisuje nową hybrydową metodę analizy rozpraszania fali elektromagnetycznej od obiektów cylindrycznych o dowolnym przekroju poprzecznym. W prezentowanym podejściu każdy obiekt jest traktowany jako efektywny cylinder o przekroju kołowym, opisany przez macierz impedancyjną. W celu uzyskania owej macierzy zastosowano połączenie metod różnic skończonych w dziedzinie częstotliwości (FDFD) i dopasowania rodzajów (MM). W celu...
W artykule przedstawiono metodę analizy wielosekcyjnego polaryzatora złożonego z periodycznych szyków obiektów cylindrycznych. W celu analizy badanej struktury zastosowano metodę pełnofalową opartą na metodzie dopasowania rodzajów. Opracowany algorytm został zweryfikowany poprzez porównanie uzyskanych wyników z wynikami otrzymanymi z przybliżonego modelu transmisyjnego oraz z własnymi pomiarami wykonanego prototypu.
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|Abstract or Summary
- Drilled shaft foundations provide significant geotechnical resistance for support of structures, such as highway bridges, traffic sign, and signal pole structures, and are used widely to meet their structural foundation requirements. The amount of steel reinforcement in drilled shaft foundations has increased over the past several decades to account for anticipated seismic hazards. Increased reinforcement may lead to increased possibilities of anomalies within shafts due to the increased difficulty for concrete to flow through reduced clearance between the reinforcement. High-strength steel reinforcement and permanent steel casing may be used to mitigate the concreting concern. However, the comparison of axial and lateral load transfer between drilled shafts with and without permanent steel casing and high-strength reinforcement has not been previously investigated, raising questions regarding the suitability of existing analytical approaches for the evaluation of axial and lateral load transfer. In addition to axial and lateral loading, deep foundations may need to resist torsional loads, resulting from wind loading on traffic sign and signal pole structures, or seismic loading on curved or skewed bridges. However, the understanding of the actual resistance to torsion provided by deep foundation elements is not well established. The design methods for deep foundations in torsion at the ultimate limit states need to be evaluated and their accuracy needs to be quantified with loading test data. Furthermore, the accuracy of existing load transfer-based torsion-rotation methods to predict the full-scale, in-service rotation performance that considers state-dependence of the soil needs to be quantified.
Two uncased instrumented drilled shafts were constructed and used to evaluate the torsional capacity and load transfer at full-scale. The quasi-static monotonic and cyclic torsional loading tests were conducted. Based on the results of the torsional loading tests, design methods to predict ultimate resistance were proposed. To facilitate the serviceability and ultimate limit state design of geometrically-variable deep foundations constructed in multi-layered soils, a torsional load transfer method was presented using a finite difference model (FDM) framework. Simplified state-dependent spring models, relating the unit torsional resistance to the magnitude of relative displacement, were developed in consideration of soil-structure interface shear test results. Parametric studies illustrated the significant effect of nonlinear soil responses and nonlinear structural response on the torsional behavior of deep foundations.
The axial and lateral load transfer of drilled shaft foundations were studied using four instrumented drilled shafts at full-scale: two uncased and two cased drilled shafts, reinforced with either mild or high strength steel reinforcement. Based on the results of axial loading tests, selected axial load transfer models were evaluated and modified to produce region-specific axial load transfer models to aid the design of drilled shaft bridge foundations for similar soils in the Willamette Valley. The effects of permanent casing on axial load transfer were summarized to provide an up-to-date reference on the reductions expected based on construction sequencing and installation methods. The lateral responses of the test drilled shaft foundations indicated that the high-strength reinforcement could be used without detriment to the lateral performance of drilled shafts; and the cased shafts responded in a more resilient manner than uncased shafts at the same nominal diameter due to their significantly greater flexural rigidity. Based on the empirical soil reaction-displacement (p-y) curves, a region-specific p-y curve model was proposed with recommendations to account for pseudo-scale effects due to the increasing contribution of shaft resistance to lateral resistance with increased diameter.