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Extending Continuous Integration
The automated testing currently done in continuous integration environments is along the lines of functional or unit tests; that is, they verify that the application seems to do what is intended. Can you extend this testing to verify that the application seems to conform to performance, memory usage, integration, and scalability forecasts? It turns out that you canI call the resulting process "continuous performance management."
Continuous performance management implements performance and scalability testing within a continuous integration environment. The idea is to configure what Fowler calls "secondary continuous integration builds" to execute performance unit tests, integration tests, or load (stress) tests.
This lets you, for example, profile the application's unit tests to identify slow algorithms, incorrect memory usage (such as loitering objects and object cycling), and measure code coverage of tests. You can also test beyond the component level, such as testing integration of components into a working solution by tracing a request as it passes between multiple Java Virtual Machines (JVMs). You can even run automated load tests within the continuous integration test harness to baseline and track the application's scalability during development.
The first prerequisite is having unit tests for your code developed and implemented in a scriptable framework such as JUnit (_URL_). This covers component-level unit-test analysis. Integration and load testing requires a different test bed because these are more like business use cases rather than functional teststhe HttpUnit extension of JUnit works well here.
To take fullest advantage of continuous performance management, you also need scriptable performance analysis tools; for example, a Java code profiler and memory debugger. That is, you need an engine that will run the performance, integration, or scalability tests, and capture the results.


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Florida Early Election Records
From Ancestry.com Wiki
This entry was originally written by the Florida Pioneer Descendants Certification Program Committee of the Florida State Genealogical Society, Inc. for Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources.
The Florida State Archives has 2,000 folders of important early election records. Land records can be misleading on absentee owners, but election records were sworn documents requiring proof of residence, usually six months in the county, two years in the state. The files are arranged by year, and then by county, but they must be used in person. These voter rolls and returns list the names of candidates, clerks, and inspectors in local, state, congressional, referendum, and militia elections from 1824. Until 1865 each voter's name and precinct of residence is listed.
Among the most useful records for those tracing ancestors at the time of statehood are the returns of the first statewide election, held on 26 May 1845, in Brian E. Michaels, Florida Voters in Their First Statewide Election (Tallahassee: Florida State Genealogical Society, 1987).
Another voter record of genealogical significance, located at the Florida State Archives, is the 1868 Florida Voter Registration, which required an oath of allegiance to the U.S. government. It was also the first voter enrollment open to African Americans. While it is neither indexed nor complete for all counties, this important re-registration for the post-war constitutional convention election includes name, qualifying date, race, length of residence, nativity by state, and naturalization. The rolls are arranged by county and then by the date of individual registration.

source: HuggingFaceFW/fineweb-edu


12,000-mile warranty. Bad Throttle Body Symptoms: Ford F150. 6789 Quail Hill Pkwy, Suite 211 Irvine CA 92603. ## symptoms of a failing throttle body temperature sensor include: When a temperature sensor relays incorrect information to the vehicleâs ECM (Engine Control Module), the ECM can sometimes make inaccurate corrections based upon misinformation as a result of a faulty sensor. In some instances, the electric signal is disrupted, whether due to a loose electrical wire, a relay control issue, or damage done to a sensor. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. The anti-stick solution will make it easy for you to remove the TPS in case you need to replace it again. Delayed acceleration means that there is a considerable time difference between stepping on the accelerator and the actual acceleration of the vehicle. A car's idle air control valve controls idle speed by managing the amount of air bypassing the throttle plate. The most popular service booked by readers of this article is Vehicle Engine Electrical Inspection. The throttle body is located between the air intake assembly and intake manifold. © Switch and combination TPS are tested with an ohmmeter. Please see our, Ford Taurus - Vehicle Engine Electrical - Los Angeles, California. Similar to getting jerks while accelerating, with a faulty TPS, the computer cannot tell if the throttle is fully shut when the car is idling. An important component of the throttle body is the throttle body temperature sensor. This is a unit in the intake system that monitors the air intake as it is mixed with fuel at idle or low speeds prior to the... Hi there - your instincts are good! The distributor starts to fail which causes the internal sensor to not read correctly and it will also cause the coil to overheat in some cases. All of this happens if the sensor is unable to detect the closed position of the throttle. One of the more frequent problems with modern vehicles is a bad throttle position sensor (TPS). It contains electro-mechanical parts, which are prone to weathering. It can be an occasional issue, but if it is accompanied by any of the other listed symptoms, it may be the throttle body temp sensor. 1. The light is meant to tell you, the driver, that something is wrong with either a component of the car, or its sensor. GM Sensors have traditionally been outsourced to overseas manufacturers, the same ones who supply throttle position sensors to other makes like Ford and Toyota. Faulty electrical connections can also play a part in incorrect readings of temperatures being relayed to the vehicleâs ECM. The throttle position sensor in your engine transmits information about the position of your throttle to the electronic control module or ECM. Car won't accelerate, lacks power when accelerating, or accelerates itself. Regardless, an overheating engine leading to starting problems should be investigat… These operations are affected when a bad throttle position sensor feeds erroneous data to the car's computer. Open the throttle valve manually and check the resistance changes between the terminal 1 and 2.3. Vehicle Engine Electrical Inspection Cost, The statements expressed above are only for informational purposes and should be independently verified. Made with ♥ in Silicon Valley. What usually happens is that at high speeds, the butterfly valve inside the throttle may close up, and if the driver pushes on the pedal harder, the valve 'pops' open suddenly, giving the car an unintentional burst of speed. Check whether the output voltage of the TPS is around the specified range.6. So, the symptoms of a bad throttle body will all affect how the vehicle feels responding to your throttle input. document.write(new Date().getFullYear()) Here is how to diagnose a bad throttle position sensor TPS on a car or truck. You may notice such engine performance issues when accelerating; the car will feel like it cannot âgoâ effectively. Here are the most common symptoms of a bad throttle body in your F150. One unique thing about TPS failure is that all the symptoms may show up at the same time. This is a particularly hazardous situation. All in all, the sooner you act, the more you save. If the warning sign is lighted up anytime while driving; stop and have … Copyright © Wheelzine &, Inc. Throttle Body Temperature Sensor. This can happen anytime, without any kind of warning, while driving or idling. Top 6 Bad Throttle Position Sensor Symptoms 1) Car Jerks. MAF sensors are located between the air filter and the throttle body and are responsible for measuring the amount of air entering the engine. Bad Throttle Body Symptoms: Nissan X-Trail. This is the equivalent of trying to drink too much water too fast without breathing in the interim; much like trying to drink water from a firehose. This sensor is designed to monitor the temperature of the fluids and air entering the fuel injection system of an engine, or in other words, the fuel temperature. Poor Fuel Economy. Fast, free online quotes for your car repair. So, the symptoms of a bad throttle body will all affect how the vehicle feels responding to your throttle input. This sensor provides the vehicleâs main computer with information on whether to enrich or lean out the fuel to air mixture based upon the temperature. The data provided by TPS is invaluable for proper starting, idling, and easy throttle response. If the module perceives a problem with the TP sensor or its circuit, it will turn on the check engine light. The stalling can be intermittent, but it could become more common as the part continues to fail. Would you like to write for us? A throttle body temperature sensor is a critical component to your vehicleâs fuel injection system. The throttle controller is controlled electrically as opposed to the older, mechanical cables that ran from the throttle pedal to the throttle body. Our certified mobile mechanics make house calls in over 2,000 U.S. cities. While some of these symptoms could also be signs of other engine issues, watch out for these symptoms of bad TPS, or throttle position sensor. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. As a result, it usually leads to poor fuel efficiency. When they fail, there is often no Check Engine indicator. If this occurs, it will cause a few symptoms to be recognized by the driver, alerting them that a potential issue with the throttle kicker actuator exists and that it may need to be replaced. Common throttle position sensor symptoms include: Illuminated Check Engine Light The PCM monitors the TP sensor to ensure its working properly. Essential Tips for Maintaining a Car You Rarely Use, Safe Driving Tips Every Car Owner Should Know. In this case, the engine may be too hot for you to effectively start the car. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. 1. One of the most common symptoms of a bad throttle body, or throttle position sensor, according to Reference, is when the car either hesitates to accelerate or stumbles during acceleration. Apply a few drops of anti-stick solution to the tip of the replacement throttle sensor and install it in the throttle chamber.3. How Long Does a Manifold Temperature Sensor Last? A throttle body temperature sensor may wear out over time and should be replaced by a professional mechanic if necessary. Frequently, when this happens, there will be several fault codes related to this, usually requiring the knowledge of an experienced mechanic to interpret and fix. YourMechanicâs technicians bring the dealership to you by performing this job at your home or office 7-days a week between 7AM-9PM. In order to test a non-adjustable one, such as a potentiometer TPS, a voltmeter is used, like so:1. The TPS can give a bad input, prompting the engine to stall. It takes all the necessary measurements and sends it over to the Electronic Control Module. Knowing the signs of a bad throttle position sensor will help in quickly diagnosing the issue and making the required amendments in time. Because of this, the following can occur:1. Symptoms of a Failed Sensor There are many symptoms of a failed throttle position sensor. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. The human response to this (choking effect) would be somewhat similar to how an engine would respond when too much fuel is supplied without the proper balance of air. Common signs of problems with a mass airflow sensor include running rich at idle or lean under load, decrease in fuel efficiency, and rough idles. As the particles are broken down, what we know as a fine spray is technically defined as âatomization.â With this in mind, the smaller the fuel particles are, the greater the surface area there is for them to be exposed to, thus creating more exposure to heat. Disconnect the throttle sensor harness.2. You control the throttle body position with the gas pedal. We hope you enjoy this website. Car sensors can get dirty with normal use. Most vehicles have a hot wire MAF sensor. What Happens to Sensors if They are Dirty? Temperature plays a vital role in an engine's overall performance. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.


For the purposes of executive pay ratio reporting, how do companies calculate employees' pay?
The Companies (Miscellaneous Reporting) Regulations 2018 (SI 2018/860) introduce a requirement for quoted companies with more than 250 employees to publish the ratio between their CEO's total remuneration and the pay and benefits of employees on the 25th, 50th (median) and 75th percentile of pay and benefits of the company's UK employees for the relevant financial year.
Employees' "pay and benefits" for this purpose means the full-time equivalent pay and benefits, which are calculated using the components listed in para.7 of sch.8 to the Large and Medium-sized Companies and Groups (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 (SI 2008/410). The components are:
 - wages and salary;
 - all taxable benefits (gross value);
 - performance-related pay or other assets, depending on when they were awarded and how final vesting is determined; and
 - pension-related benefits.
These components largely reflect those that employers must use to calculate the CEO's total remuneration for the purpose of calculating the ratio.


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What You Need:
- Square wooden picture frame about 6"-9" square
- 4 skeins of rug-weight yarn (use different colors for a pattern)
What You Do:
- Prepare the picture frame. Before the child gets started, remove staples and hanging hardware with a pair of needle nose pliers. Learn and practice the corner wrap a few times yourself. Work with the frame in your lap, not flat on a table.
- Tie the yarn to the frame loosely. Stretch the yarn to the opposite side of the frame and follow the diagrams for making one corner "bout". Point out to your child that the over-and-under technique is like weaving on a loom. The yarn moves over and under the frame.
- After demonstrating the first bout, stretch the yarn to the opposite side. Show your child how to turn the frame so the wrapping corner stays at upper right (or left if you are left-handed.) Pull yarn just tight enough to keep it from sagging and hold it against the frame with a fingertip to keep it place. Then turn the frame so the working corner is on top again.
- Invite your child to take over with the bout for the second corner and so on. Mention that you practiced and offer to help if needed. Four bouts (one in each corner) is a full "course" that should bring the yarn back to the starting corner. If not, help your child unravel the corners and try again.
- After laying one course correctly, begin the next with the yarn snug against the previous course. Once the hands "get it," your child will simply repeat the wrap, changing colors to make stripes -- the frame practically fills itself.
- Once 1/4 of the frame edge is filled, children can stop any time (or go on to fill the whole frame.) Attach a mirror by tucking each corner beneath a wide section of yarn. Postcards and photos can be placed the same way.
Frame Caning Tips: - Decide which side is the back. When you need to change colors or move to another ball of yarn, tie the ends together on the back side. - The yarn around the frame tends to spread out more than the yarn within the frame. Push the loops around the frame gently toward the corner every so often to keep the courses (and your color stripes) straight.

source: openbmb/Ultra-FineWeb


Tuesday, August 30, 2011
More on predicate logic and direct reference
David Brightly asks here whether modern predicate logic (MPL) in fact rests on 'weak' (relativistic) reference, not strong (direct) reference. He appeals to the way that singular sentences in MPL seem to have a meaning even when the singular term is empty.
There are a number of connected reasons why this won't work. Here are the main characteristics of the relativistic logic (RL) I have defended here.
 - In RL there are two forms of negation for singular sentences. There is a narrow form 'nonF(a)', which is true when a exists and it is not the case that Fa, i.e. a is a nonF; and a wide form, which is true when either nonF(a), or when a does not exist. Excluded middle applies only to the wide form, naturally. By contrast, MPL has no such feature.
 - In RL, a sentence of the form 'An S is P' has a narrow existential sense: it is convertible with 'An S-P exists'. There is no distinction between a wide sense conveyed by 'some', and the narrow sense conveyed by 'exist'. RL is not Meinongian. By contrast, it is open to MPL to invent an existence predicate 'E()', which may satisfied by some members of the domain, but not by others.
 - As a direct consequence, in RL, the wide negation 'it is not the case that Fa' never implies the existential form 'some x is non-F'. By contrast, in MPL a singular sentence is existential, at least in the wide sense: '~Fa' implies 'Ex ~Fx'.
 - A further difference, though probably not relevant here, is that some relational statements in RL are not existential. 'aRb' does not always imply 'Ex aRx', namely in the case where 'R' is not logically transitive. This is how RL avoids the problem of intentionality without invoking Meinongian non-existent objects.
The net result is that if a singular sentence in MPL cannot be empty in the sense required by RL. Let 'v' be a term that purports to denote Vulcan (a non-existent planet). Then either Vulcan lies within the orbit of Mercury - OM(v), or not - ~OM(v). The problem is the negation. If ~OM(v), standard predicate logic implies Ex ~Fx. But that leads to Meinongianism, i.e. positing objects that do not exist, and this, as I have argued, is a form of direct reference. Direct reference is the thesis that if 'Fa' is meaningful, then 'a' refers to something - possibly a non-existent something.
Another argument: how can we even say in MPL that Vulcan does not exist? The sentence '~Ex x=v' will not do, for it asserts of something in the domain that it is not in the domain; '~E(v)' will do, where 'E' means 'exists', but this comes at the price of Meinong's junkyard. For '~E(v)' implies 'Ex ~E(x)', which is precisely Meinongianism. Or it can be denied that 'OM(v)' means anything at all, which is strong Direct Reference of the familiar variety. There is no escape. Either we adopt a radically different semantics and inference schemata, on the lines of RL above, or we are left with Direct Reference.
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Monday, August 29, 2011
Google takes up Latin
I was excited when I saw that the Google translator now includes Latin, and immediately gave it an untranslated section of the Logic Museum to look at. Results below. Not promising, sadly, so I am stuck with the tedious manual method for the moment.
Logic MuseumGoogle
Fit autem fallacia consequentis vel arguendo ex propositionibus quarum una sequitur ad aliam et non e converso; vel arguendo ex una condicionali ad aliam condicionalem in qua oppositum antecedentis primae condicionalis ponitur antecedens et oppositum consequentis primae condicionalis ponitur loco consequentis.Or by arguing the fallacy of the consequent becomes one of which follows from propositions to another and not vice versa, or by arguing on the one in which the opposite of the antecedent of the first conditional to another conditional is placed opposite of the consequent of the first antecedent and the consequent CONDITIONAL place is placed.
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Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Is God fair to scientists?
Is God fair? We have to assume that God will punish, harshly, those who do not believe his word. In which case, why did God design the universe in such a way that those of an intelligent and inquisitive disposition would conclude that the universe was not designed by God in the way he said he designed it?
Take the case of epicycles, of which 'Belette' comments.
"The massive difference, now, over say Copernican days is that the observations and calculating ability we have are so much better than before. It is no longer possible tlo believe in epicycles, because observations demonstrate clearly that they don't work, except in the trivial sense that any path can be fit by enough epicycles to an arbitrary degree of precision."
I agree. One of Galileo's motivations for his heliocentric theory was his observation of the phases of Venus. These cannot be observed properly without a telescope. Venus is lit by the sun from angles that are not consistent with the Ptolemaic system. There is a good explanation of this in the Wikipedia article on the Ptolemaic system. Why did God design the geocentric system in such a complex way that those of an inquisitive disposition, after inventing telescopes, would observe such apparent inconsistencies? In 1838, Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel successfully measured the parallax of the star 61 Cygni, which is also difficult to explain in the geocentric system. Why did God go to the trouble of designing the geocentric universe in such a complicated way that an detailed observations such those of Bessel appeared to contradict the way God said (in the Bible) that he had in fact designed things?
Note, I am not arguing that the geocentric model is wrong. What I mean is that, if God says it is correct, and if, as seems to be the case, detailed observation and deduction (such as by Galileo and Bessel) suggests that it is not correct, and if God punishes harshly those who disbelieve what he says, then it seems as though God is not being fair. He has designed the universe in such a way that the way it appears to be designed is not the way he has said it was designed, and thus designed it in a way that invites punishment of the inquisitive and intelligent.
What reply can we make to this? Well, we could avoid fundamentalism by distinguish between literal and analogical truths. When it says in Psalm 93 that "the world also is established, that it cannot be moved", perhaps it does not mean that the earth is literally immoveable. Perhaps it is immoveable in a spiritual sense. Or that it cannot be moved from its orbit around the sun, all things being equal. Perhaps it is a statement about the constancy of physical constants, such as gravitational acceleration etc. Yes, that is a reasonable objection, but then we can turn the whole question around. Why did God make statements that are so easily open to a literalist misinterpretation? If so, then it seems God is discriminating against fundamentalists. Is that fair? Surely not.
Or it could be argued that the inquisitive and intelligent are simply wrong. A careful examination of the matter (see the websites linked to in earlier posts) shows that the geocentric theory is the correct one. I reply: whichever theory is correct, it remains that God's design has misled an extraordinary large number of people. Either he is being unfair to astronomers and scientists, or he is being unfair to fundamentalists. We have to choose, and either way it seems that he is not being entirely fair.
Or it could be argued that the inquisitive and intelligent have violated a version of the charity principle. They have followed a line of observation and reasoning that leads them to conclude that God has not told the truth. But logic, as well as the principle, should tell them that God would not have designed the universe in such a way as to contradict what he says. If any theory or reasoning of yours leads to a contradiction with sacred scripture or the teaching of the church, there is something wrong with your reasoning. Indeed, as Ockham argues – as discussed in my last post), we should even make exceptions to the laws of logic when this happens*.
So, is God not being fair to someone? And is that not inconsistent with an essence into which goodness, justice, fairness etc. are built into as though by definition?
* Yes, I realise that Ockham's point is more subtle than that. But this is internet land, where we lay things on with trowels.
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Ockham's solution to the Trinity problem
In the fifth chapter of the third book of his monumental Summa Logicae, Ockham presents an interesting solution to the problem of the Trinity. He says that the following syllogism is not valid:
Every divine essence is the Father
The Son


Nigeria, Eq. Guinea sign oil fields deal
2002-04-03 17:34
Abuja - Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea on Wednesday signed an agreement for the unitisation of oil fields along their common maritime boundary.
Signing the agreement in Abuja, Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo and his Equatorial Guinea counterpart Obang Mbasogo said it was a testimony of the two countries' determination to solve all bilateral issues and encourage co-operation.
Obasanjo and Mbasogo called on officials of both countries and operators of Nigeria's TotalFinaElf fields and Equatorial Guinea's Exxon Mobil fields to ensure the smooth implementation of the protocol.
In his speech Obasanjo said that the agreements on the unitisation of the oil fields showed the determination of both countries to establish effective border management regime.
Such a regime, he added, would ensure a systematic approach to the exploration and exploitation of hydrocarbon resources along the two countries' maritime boundary line.
He said that they could work together to protect the economic and strategic interests in the Gulf of Guinea and added that the financial benefits would be used to improve the lives of citizens of both countries.
They also called on other African leaders to emulate their example and settle all boundary problems amicably.
Political analysts, however, question the timing of the agreement. They say that Nigeria is trying to refute neighbouring Cameroon's claims to the oil-rich Bakassi peninsula because it is a bigger country.
Nigeria and Cameroon concluded their five-week appearance at the International Court at the Hague last week, where they both stated their cases on the ownership of Bakassi. - Sapa-DPA


Fashion A-Z
From applique to zippers, a comprehensive dictionary with definitions and
meanings of key fashion vocabulary, written by Camilla Morton.
Piping is a trim or edging formed by sewing a thin strip of folded fabric — typically bias binding — into a narrow tube and attaching it to the edge of a piece of fabric. It can also include cord to give it extra body. Piping is often used to define or reinforce the style lines of a garment.
Pleats are a fold or doubling of fabric that is pressed, ironed or creased into place. (Pleats that are sewn into place are called tucks). There are many varieties, but the side and box pleat are the most common, although they can be accordion, cartridge, circular, curtain, draped, fluted, Fortuny or French. They can be inserte, as well as inverted. Pleats add an even greater fullness to a shape (particularly the skirt). Think Marilyn Monroe over the air vent in 'The 7 Year Itch'.


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Vector graphics are great to use when you don't know the size you want the graphic to be. With vector graphics, the image is saved as series of points and equations. These equations draw the image depending on the size. This means no matter the size the vector image will never blur or pixelate. Vector images therefore are great for scaling, animation, and multi-purpose uses. Premiere Pro recently added support for vector graphics through vector motion controls. Today I show you how to use vector motion controls in Adobe Premiere Pro CC.
How to Use Vector Motion Controls in Adobe Premiere Pro CC
- Create a new sequence, or navigate to the sequence you want to add the graphics layer to.
- Create a graphics layer through one of the shape tools, or the text tool.
- Click on the graphics layer in the sequence, and then go up to effect controls.
- Now look inside for "Vector Motion"
- Adjust any of the settings in "Vector Motion" to create a vector transformation.
- This will insure the graphic remains crisp no matter the transformation you give it.
It's that simple. Adobe put it right in the common workflow. The only change you really need to make is to use the vector motion tab instead of the regular motion tab. After that, Adobe does the rest.
If you have any questions or comments, leave them below, or on the video itself!
Other Premiere Pro Tutorials:


Talking about science means creating a language which is shared between those who work in the field and those who benefit from it, one which as a whole is rigorous and comprehensible. It means taking in inputs made up of numbers and data and producing outputs which convey the scientific message in an innovative and exciting manner. It means creating a horizon in which updating and learning are part of a journey of continuous growth.
Creo Educational is all this; it is also a Ministry of Health accredited provider according to new Regulation of 2011 for devising, organising and validating all those activities which are part of the Continuing Education in Medicine (ECM) programme for doctors, nurses and in general for all national health workers on a national and international level.
It is a hotbed for scientific matters, a heterogeneous laboratory, made up of experts in management, training and communication, boasting an in-house team skilled in design and in making good use of targeted, modern and technological communication.


Moving a window from a disconnected monitor to connected monitor
Consider a laptop that runs a Windows Operating system. (We have found that this applies to Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8 as well.)
Let's say, when at work, I connect a monitor via USB to the "left" of the laptop monitor. It's identified as monitor 3.
At home, I use a monitor that sits to the right of the laptop monitor. It's monitor 2.
Monitor 1 is the inbuilt laptop monitor.
Now at home I open a window, any window, on monitor 2. Then I come to work and plug in monitor 3. Anything I had open on monitor 2 is now stuck in un-retrievable land. It keeps attempting to display on a monitor that is no longer connected.
If you look closely, you'll see that you still get the icon for the app down in your task bar. If so, do the following:
 - Select the icon for the app and hit ALT+ SPACE and then M.
 - This will select Move for the Window selected.
 - Now use your keyboard arrow to move the window in the proper direction to the active monitor.
Once you have hit at least on arrow key to start the move, you can them use the mouse for the rest, which unless the resolution of the screen that isn't present is small is usually a bit quicker.
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Mission and Purpose
"This mission of the New Jersey conservation partnership is to provide leadership in the planning and implementation of natural resource management programs for the agricultural and development of communities and the general public through a locally based delivery system in coordination with local, state and federal partners"
The Ocean County Soil Conservation District (OCSCD), which originated in 1952, is one of fifteen Soil Conservation Districts in NJ that all work together to implement the New Jersey Soil Erosion and Sediment Control Act, which governs various aspects of new development. The OCSCD is a sub-division of the New Jersey Department of Agriculture, however is locally governed, and operates within the boundaries of Ocean County.
Due to the crisis of the Dust Bowl in the 1930's, Congress passed Public Law 46, declaring soil and water conservation a national policy, and in 1937 President Franklin D. Roosevelt recommended that states allow landowners to form soil and water conservation districts. Today, there are close to 3,000 conservation districts across the country.
The birth of the Ocean County Soil Conservation District came in 1952 from a group of passionate citizens, who wanted to set themselves apart from the then established "Camburton Soil Conservation District" (comprised of Ocean, Camden and Burlington Counties). In 1975, the NJ State Legislature enacted Chapter 251, P.L. 1975, or the Soil Erosion and Sediment Control Act, which mandates that a municipality cannot issue a construction permit unless the local soil conservation district has reviewed and certified a soil erosion and sediment control plan for that construction. The OCSCD implements this law on construction and development sites, as well as supporting the agricultural industries within Ocean County.
The OCSCD has also developed an education program designed to heighten awareness about the importance of natural resources and their conservation and to promote environmental stewardship throughout theBarnegatBaywatershed. Partnerships and combined efforts with agencies such as the NJ Department of Environmental Protection, the USDA-NRCS and Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Ocean County have served to enhance our education efforts.


How much do all human chromosomes weigh?
It might sound like a math problem: knowing that an average human of 70 kg contains more than 30,000 billion cells and that each cell contains 23 pairs of chromosomes, how much do the human chromosomes? Impossible at this stage to answer, of course, since it would be necessary to know the relative weight of the chromosomes in each cell. And if we can roughly estimate the amount ofADN, the latter represents only a very small part of the chromosome, the latter being mainly composed of protein. Researchers from the nanotechnologies of the University of London have therefore established another method to obtain the result.
Ian Robinson and his colleagues used the synchrotron Diamond Light Source to bombard the chromosomes of X-rays, then measured the spread of electrons when the chromosomes are crossed by the rays. The phase shift produces diagrams of diffraction which can then be used to reconstruct a karyotype from mass. Result, the 46 chromosomes of each of our cells weigh 242 picograms (1 picogram is equivalent to 10-12 gramme). « It is 20 times heavier than l'ADN that they contain, which suggests that certain components of the chromosomes remain to be discovered », observe Ian Robinson. Le nucleosome of chromosome 1 theoretically weighs 0.87 pg including 0.28 pg of DNA and 0.59 pg of protein. " Despite over 130 years of chromosome studies, our research shows that there are still parts of these complex structures that are poorly understood. ". A new " black matter To investigate?


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Units of Bitcoin
Units of Bitcoin most commonly are expressed in decimal exponents such as BTC ("bitcoins"), mBTC ("millibitcoins") and μBTC ("bits").
Bitcoin Explained Episode 8: Units of Bitcoin
Decimal metric units[edit]
The BTC unit was chosen to represent a value of 108 so as to give sub-unit precision rather than large whole numbers. Mirroring the standard Le Système International d'Unités, this allows for divisions of 1/10th (deci-bitcoins, dBTC), 1/100th (centi-bitcoins, cBTC), 1/1 000th (milli-bitcoins, mBTC), and 1/1 000 000 (micro-bitcoins, μBTC).
The term "bit" is a popular new unit being used to represent smaller Bitcoin amounts. Due to the rising value of 1 bitcoin (currently 1 BTC = $450 USD), many prices must be displayed in fractional bitcoin amounts. For example, a bottle of beer might be priced at.0085 BTC. These fractional numeric values can be confusing and difficult for many people to read. The bit sub-unit (equal to 0.000001 BTC) is considered by many to be a more memorable and intuitive way of displaying Bitcoin amounts; the aforementioned beer would cost 8500 bits.
Originally proposed on Bitcoin the sub-reddit, and now being embraced by the payment processor Bitpay, the bit sub-unit offers the following advantages:
 - More compatible with existing financial software that can only handle 2 decimal places. For example: using a figures like 49.99 bits instead of.00004999 bitcoins.
 - Figures would remain easily readable in the event of an extreme rise in Bitcoin's exchange rate: if 1 Bitcoin was worth $100,000, then a $4.99 beer would cost 49.90 bits.
 - Bit is an easier to remember unit when compared to other longer unit names and acronyms: 100 bits instead of 100 microbitcoins/100 μBTC/1 millibitcoin/1 mBTC).
However, there are some disadvantages to the bits nomenclature:
 - Unit prefix terms such as micro-, milli-, and centiare more familiar to those who use the metric measurement system (i.e. everyone except Americans)[2].
Table of all units[edit]
This table is intended to include all well-defined units of bitcoin value, including less common and niche units.
Unit Abbreviation Decimal (BTC) Alternate names Info
Algorithmic maximum 20,999,_PHONE_ Calculation
tam-bitcoin 2,814,749.76710656 1,0000,0000 tonal
mega-bitcoin MBTC 1,000,000 Rare in context
kilo-bitcoin kBTC 1,000 Rare in context
hecto-bitcoin hBTC 100 Rare[3]
Initial block subsidy 50 Until block 210000
bong-bitcoin ᵇTBC 42.94967296 1,0000 tonal
Current block subsidy 12.5 block As of block 420000
deca-bitcoin daBTC 10 Rare
mill-bitcoin ᵐTBC 2.68435456 1000 tonal
bitcoin BTC 1 coin SI base unit
san-bitcoin ˢTBC 0._PHONE_ 100 tonal
deci-bitcoin dBTC 0.1 Rare
ton-bitcoin ᵗTBC 0.01048576 10 tonal
centi-bitcoin cBTC 0.01 bitcent Formerly frequent Bitcents were frequent until the November 2013 bubble
milli-bitcoin mBTC 0.001 millibit, millie Occasional
bitcoin TBC 0.00065536 Tonal base unit
bitcoin-ton TBCᵗ 0.00004096 0.1 tonal
bitcoin-san TBCˢ 0.00000256 0.01 tonal
micro-bitcoin μBTC 0.000001 bit Frequent
bitcoin-mill TBCᵐ 0.00000016 0.001 tonal
0._PHONE_ finney[4]
bitcoin-bong TBCᵇ 0.00000001 0.0001 tonal
sat 0.00000001 Satoshi Blockchain value
msat 0.00000000001 millisatoshi[5] Payment channel value
External links[edit]
See Also on BitcoinWiki[edit]
 1. Bitcoin units & denominations - BITS TO USD
 2. From How Many Bits Are in a Bitcoin? - 99 Bitcoins
 3. Bitcoin Units & Denominations - Explained Simply - Bitcoin Chaser
 4. After Hal Finney, Bitcoin Pioneer
 5. Receiving and receiving payments


text:
This paper formalizes a widely discussed peer effect titled "acting White." "Acting White" is modeled as a two-audience signaling quandary: signals that induce high wages can be signals that induce peer group rejection. Without peer effects, equilibria involve all ability types choosing different levels of education. "Acting White" alters the equilibrium dramatically: the (possibly empty) set of lowest ability individuals and the set of highest ability individuals continue to reveal their type through investments in education; ability types in the middle interval pool on a common education level. Only those in the lower intervals are accepted by the group. The model's predictions fit many stylized facts in the anthropology and sociology literatures regarding social interactions among minority group members.
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Economics and Econometrics


Watched Pots and Quantum Cats
| Sun May 15, 2011 1:44 PM EDT
They say a watched pot never boils. This is, obviously, just an Olde Wyfes' Tayle, but it demonstrates that old wives had a surprisingly sophisticated anticipation of the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics. Still, there are tayles and then there are tailes. So what if it's a feline observer doing the watching? The theoretical mystery of Schrödinger's Cat provides no clear answer, so more empirical evidence is needed. We had pasta for dinner last night, which provided us with an ideal test bed to answer this question once and for all.
Here's the answer: as long as Inkblot was watching our pot last night, it didn't boil. A little later he got distracted by some Cosmic Catnip, and the pot boiled. So even if you have a brain the size of a peanut, you count as a quantum mechanical observer of the universal wave function. Science marches on.


text:
Vice President of Colombia
|This article is part of a series on the
politics and government of
The Vice President of Colombia is the first in the presidential line of succession, becoming the new President of Colombia upon leaves of absence or death, resignation, or removal of the President, as designated by the Colombian Constitution of 1991 which also reinstated the vice president figure after almost a century of being abolished during the presidency of Rafael Núñez. The Vice President cannot assume Presidential functions on temporary absences of the President such as official trips abroad or vacations. In these cases, the President delegates functions to a cabinet member, usually the Minister of the Interior. The current Vice President of Colombia is German Vargas Lleras.
The vice president must be a natural-born citizen of Colombia, at least 30 years of age. The Colombian Constitution of 1991 requires the vice president to meet the same eligibility requirements as the president that can be re-elected. It is also eligible for an unlimited number of terms as vice president.
The Vice President has the same period of functions that the President of Colombia and will replace him in case of temporary or complete absences. The Vice President can also be authorized by the President special missions (like to represent him on international diplomatic visits) or designate him in any position of the Colombian Executive branch of Power.
Every President has defined the Vice President's functions within their government.
According to the Decree 2719 of December 17, 2000 in the Colombian Constitution of 1991 which modified the structure of the Administrative Department of the Presidency of the Republic, the functions of the Vice President are:
- To execute special missions set by the President of Colombia and in accordance with the Colombian Constitution.
- Advise the President on the execution of policies and politics regarding Human Rights and Corruption.
- Collaborate with the Colombian government's management of international and national activities regarding Human Rights and corruption.
- Plan mechanisms to harmonize agreements between the different levels of the executive government in Colombia on issues regarding Human Rights and corruption.
- Represent Colombia internationally as ordered by the President.
- By determination of the President, the Vice President will support and advise the President on other issues.
- Other functions will be addressed according to the needs of the President.
- List of Vice Presidents of Colombia
- Presidential Designate
- President of Colombia
- Human rights in Colombia
- List of current vice presidents
- Vice Presidencia de Colombia official website
- Biblioteca Luis Angel Arango - List of Vice Presidents of Colombia


Tag Archives: focus
Six tips for centering yourself in a noisy world
I went to my business coach's self-improvement seminar a few months ago, and picked up some great advice for improving daily habits. Here are six tips I gathered for improving your concentration, gaining focus and centering yourself in a noisy world. Enjoy!
 - Do some form of meditation at least 15 mins., and some form of exercises, daily. If she cannot meditate, Trine bows 108 times, a Buddhist focusing technique.
 - Anastasia does 2-10 minutes of deep breathing when she has busy thoughts.
 - Schedule time to drink water every few hours, such as at 10:00, 12:00, 2:00, etc.
 - Come up with three positive self-affirmations, and say them to yourself daily when you get up.
 - Decide on three primary goals you want to accomplished today, and do as many as you can. Carry over any undone ones for tomorrow.
 - Create artificial deadlines when you have unspecified completion goals, and keep them.
To find out more, go here:
Trine Jensen, Success On My Own Terms
Anastasia Chopelas, Diamond Healing Radio


A triptych made from corroded metal
and molten plastic
The process of introspection invokes the inward reflection of thoughts, emotions, beliefs and perceptions. Searching within for the finer details and examining what they mean can lead to a deeper understanding of one's own mental state. Considered a source of knowledge, it has been a subject of philosophical discussion for thousands of years. However, it is acknowledged that not all of mentality is available to be discovered by introspection. The intricate details in the piece come from the degradation of material that creates the colour.
With Hindsight | Losing Perspective | Gaining Insight


Family dogs can help prevent babies from getting sick
SALT LAKE CITY - New research suggests that having a family dog can help a baby's immune system and prevent them from getting sick.
Carl Arky with the Human Society of Utah says dog owners often give their pets to the humane society because they're expecting or have just had a new baby and are worried that a dog will make a house dirtier.
But a study out Finland says that keeping dogs in the house can actually help a baby's immune system.
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text:
Transition in Time Series Data Mining on Correlated Items
The authors are given a large database of customer transactions, where each transaction consists of transaction-id, the items bought in the transaction and the transaction time. The whole set of transaction is divided into a number of segments called durations (intervals) based on transaction time. And the dividing standard can be monthly, quarterly or yearly. They introduce the problem of mining strong association rules between consecutive durations using FP-tree and correlation coefficient, which is used to quantitatively describe the strength and sign of a relationship between two variables. This paper deals with the changes in the correlation between any two itemsets at the transition of the consecutive duration. Milestone is a change over point between durations.


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Explore Missouri's Original Landscapes
Missouri's natural areas represent some of the best—and last—examples of the state's original natural landscape, each offering a shining example of Missouri's outstanding biological and geological features. Hiking through a natural area, you can observe rare plants and animals that would have been familiar sights to native Americans or explorers, such as Lewis and Clark. Natural areas are defined as natural communities or geologic features that represent the natural character, diversity and ecological processes of Missouri's native landscapes. Natural communities are groups of plants and animals and the landscapes, such as forests or prairies, that they inhabit—and that occur repeatedly throughout the state.
Use the information in this section to plan a visit to a natural area. Whether your interest is in nature study, birding, hiking, fishing, hunting or photography, you'll find a designated Missouri natural area to explore and enjoy your favorite low-impact outdoor recreational activity.


text:
Prior to the publication of our recent report, ISP Interconnection and its Impact on Consumer Internet Performance, we shared review copies with members of the research community, broadening the set of eyes on our methods and challenging our assertions. We received valuable feedback that allowed us to improve what we published, along with a list of research questions that we will be exploring and documenting over the coming months in our Research Updates series of blog posts adding insights to Research Reports.
ISP Interconnection and its Impact on Consumer Internet Performance: Introducing A New M-Lab Consortium Technical Report
We are happy to announce the release of a long-term collaborative research effort using M-Lab's data to understand how interconnection impacts end-user performance. The report, ISP Interconnection and its Impact on Consumer Internet Performance examines years of network measurement data from across the United States to determine the effects of network interconnection on the Internet performance of customers subscribing to specific access ISPs. Alongside this report, we are also pleased to release the Internet Observatory – a dynamic data visualization tool that will allow consumers, policymakers, and researchers to better understand the impact of ISP relationships on their own Internet access and performance. The Internet Observatory will be updated regularly, allowing future monitoring and comparison against past performance.


text: _URL_ Uehiro Professor of Practical Ethics at the University of Oxford. His areas of research include the ethics of genetics, research ethics, medical ethics, sports ethics and the analytic philosophical basis of practical ethics. Julian is also Fellow of St Cross College, Oxford, Director of the Oxford Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics, and Head of the Melbourne–Oxford Stem Cell Collaboration, which is devoted to examining the ethical implications of cloning and embryonic stem cell research. He is also the editor of the Journal of Medical Ethics. The greatest problems of the 21st century - climate change, terrorism, poverty and global inequality, among others – are not the result of external threat, but predominantly the result of human choice and behaviour. Julian argues that when addressing these problems, we should look not only to policies tailored to our moral limitations, but to altering the biological dispositions which contribute to these limitations. In this seminar he will explore the possibility of using medicine to improve moral behaviour, discuss what impact it would have on our freedom, evaluate the ongoing redefinition of normality, and suggest alternative ways forward.


INSCOPER is a full-featured automation and image acquisition software solution for fluorescence microscopy. An integral element of the solution is a specially designed electronic device for improved device control and removal of Windows issues. The main benefits of this solution are:
 - Universal device integration: the solution can control and synchronize any third-party device or add-on with advanced video microscopes from Leica, Nikon, Olympus, and Zeiss.
 - Capability for complex and various manipulations: the user can easily combine multiple microscopy techniques (multi-D, TIRF, FRAP, high throughput, tiling, etc.).
 - Faster and consistent image acquisition protocols: all command signals are triggered and synchronized, ensuring stability, repeatability, and 3 times faster framerate of the acquisition sequence.
 - Ease-of-use: the software has a modern and simple user interface without complex menus.
The INSCOPER solution is compatible with new, aging, and custom-built systems.
Please contact our team for more information:


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Research on Thermal Comfort of Crystal Sandstone Light Ceramics
The thermal properties of the crystal sandstone light ceramic products, nature sandstones, tiles and composite floorboards were analyzed and compared in detail by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and thermal simulation method. The results show that the different thermal properties are the main factors which lead to the different thermal comfort to these materials. It is analyzed in theory that the good thermal comforts of the crystal sandstone light ceramics are come from the low thermal conductivity and low density mainly. And the thermal simulation is a reference method on the thermal comfort research of architectural ceramics.
Dongye Sun, Wen-Pei Sung and Ran Chen
S. L. Zheng et al., "Research on Thermal Comfort of Crystal Sandstone Light Ceramics", Applied Mechanics and Materials, Vols. 71-78, pp. _PHONE_, 2011


text:
What Happened at LiDAR for Drone 2017 – YellowScan User Conference
LiDAR for Drone 2017 – YellowScan International User Conference was held on the 29th and 30th of June, in the Château de Flaugergues, Montpellier. For this special event, YellowScan had put together a diverse and exciting agenda, proving the broad usage of YellowScan LiDAR equipment in applications such as archeology, forestry, powerlines, surveying, mining and civil engineering. The guests were hence served to industry case studies from all over the world (Japan, USA, Bolivia, Spain, France…), workshops, live demonstrations & data analysis on the field. LiDAR for drone 2017 was also about LiDAR technologies for UAVs with speakers from the following industries: 3D laser scanners, IMU, processing software and UAVs.
After a keynote speech by Omar Soubra, Director of Marketing at Trimble, in which he gave an overview of the technological and social trends that will impact the Geospatial industry in the short and long-term future, we started the two days program.
The Industry Case Studies presented:
- AIRD'ECO – Archeology (France):
Isabelle Heitz, Geologist, Geophysicist and founder of AIRD'ECO presented the results of a LiDAR mission on an archeological site of 10 ha, known since the 19th century but never explored before because of its thick vegetation cover. The results, finalized by a 3D printed model of the site proved to be a wealth of information for the archeologists (location of the entrance to the camp, fine geometry of the rampart, shape of the ditch, building site, discovery of terraces …)
- Hemav – Powerlines (Spain):
Loîc Pavard and Alicia Llorens from Hemav presented the support and additional value that the YellowScan LiDAR systems brought to their company's activities: supervision of tree cutting and pruning activities; auditing non-compliancy of an installation with specific industrial standard; Analysis of land-surface using High Density Georeferenced LiDAR prior to building new powerlines (High / medium voltage); corridor mapping: analysis and distance-checking on existing powerlines or crossing lines.
- Ace1 & Mirukuru – UAV LiDAR projects (Japan):
Shin Norimitsu from Ace 1 and Shinji Inaba from Mirukuru presented an overview of the LiDAR projects in Japan. The use of UAVs is strongly pushed by the Japanese government and Ace 1 has already completed over 40 UAV LiDAR missions with the YellowScan Surveyor in less than 1 year! Typical applications of UAV Lidar projects in Japan are: Terrain modelling for construction, Forestry Surveys and Emergency survey of a disaster site.
- Juniper Unmanned & Formation Environmental – Dust control monitoring – Salton Sea (USA):
Highly detailed and accurate DEMs are required for monitoring micro-topographic changes in mechanical dust control and mitigation treatments applied to the exposed playa areas surrounding the Salton Sea in California. Tim Roorda, director of operations at Juniper Unmanned presented the results of both LiDAR and photogrammetry missions in there. Final results showed that the LIDAR derived DEMs were substantially more accurate than the photogrammetrically derived DEMs and that average accuracies of +/- 2.5cm could be obtained when comparing the LiDAR derived DEMs with the survey-grade GPS data.
- L'Avion Jaune & CNRS – Mound field Landscapes (Bolivia)
Patterned landscapes featuring dense, regularly spaced earth mounds are widespread in seasonally flooded wetlands of tropical Africa and South America. In some cases, these earth-mound landscapes are of natural origin. In other cases, they are made by humans, and in yet other cases both humans and nature shape them. The various ecological and cultural processes at work should impart distinctive structural features. Characterizing the three-dimensional structure of these fascinating landscapes is thus key to understanding them. Drawing on their work in Bolivia, Cédric Krasnopolski from L'Avion Jaune and Doyle McKey from CNRS CEFE, presented examples of how drone-borne LIDAR and 3-D visualisation can contribute to this work.
- Chiba University – Tree Growth Detection (Japan)
Dr Akira Kato explained the importance of early tree growth detection in forest operation & planning, and how he utilized and compared several 3D data acquisition technologies using airborne Laser (ALS), terrestrial laser (TLS), UAV based Structure from Motion (UAV-SfM), and the Surveyor UAV LiDAR from YellowScan. His conclusion was that tree growth can be precisely detected by all laser technologies, but Yellowscan can detect more precise tree structure parameters vertically and horizontally than the other 3D data acquisition technologies because of higher point density that captures all tree structure.
- YellowScan – Quarry (France)
Pierre Chaponnière, Application Engineer at YellowScan presented a survey of a quarry that seeks to compare three types of techniques: terrestrial LiDAR, photogrammetry and dual LiDAR/Photogrammetry acquisition. The comparison looked at two aspects: operational constraints and processing workflow. It provides comparative results on coverage production, accuracy and some qualitative information.
The Technical conferences:
- Velodyne – Next generation of 3D LiDAR Sensors (USA):
Dieter Gabriel, Technical Marketing Manager EMEA at Velodyne exposed the advantages of the upcoming Ultra Puck sensor especially in the field of airborne mapping. As part of the presentation of the future Velodyne roadmap, he also gave an outlook on the upcoming solid-state technology.
- Applanix – Direct Georeferencing (USA):
Scanning from UAV's with YellowScan's systems require "Survey-grade" Solutions: reliability consistent results, low MTBF, compact, low weight, low power design, low noise sensors, flexible options to address different applications. Jesus Ruiz presented the DG solutions developed by Applanix to meet YellowScan needs: embedded board sets, export free inertial components, latest multi-frequency GNSS receiver technology for robust and accurate DGNSS positioning, highly accurate and efficient Post-processing software, fast and expert support.
- YellowScan – Point density under vegetation with YellowScan Mapper & Surveyor (France):
Tristan Allouis, CTO of YellowScan gave a detailed descriptive presentation about ground point density measurements under vegetation from different flying heights obtained from YellowScan LiDAR systems. Both LiDAR systems, the Mapper and the Surveyor were flown consecutively over the same area covered with Mediterranean pine forest at various flying heights stretching from about 30 to 100m AGL. The produced datasets were processed identically and key statistics extracted from it. Point density results were summarized for single flightlines per level flight within a forest parcel. Additional key LiDAR specifications were described such as echo number proportion for the ground class and swath lengths for each LiDAR sensor.
- TerraSolid – Groups in TerraScan (Finland):
Arttu Soininen presented the latest features developed by TerraSolid engineers for UAV LiDAR. New classification with groups for better automatic classification and faster manual classification of above ground features.
Concerning the demos:
- The first one was focused on urban zone surveys. We hence flew over the Château de Flaugergues with the Surveyor LiDAR system carried on the Six3 Drone from Escadrone. The guests could see the real time in flight data acquisition thanks to the LiveStation, then they saw the data processing and analysis on Trimble Realworks. The guests also had the opportunity to visit the castle where the owners still live and compare the data to the actual Château.
- The demo of the second day was held in the archeological field of Cambous. A European reference in prehistoric architecture, built about 4500 years ago. The site presents the state of excavations and the life-size reconstruction of a prehistoric dwelling.The flight was made with the Surveyor LiDAR system carried on the OnyxStar FOXC8 HD from Altigator. The attendees had the chance to visit the archeological site before the presentation of the data processing and analysis by Martin Isenburg on LAStools.
The workshop and the round table:
- The round table moderated by Tim Roorda from Juniper Unmanned was about the future of UAV LiDAR. The panelists, Omar Soubra (Trimble), Michel Assenbaum (L'Avion Jaune), Dr Akira Kato (Chiba University) and Wim Van Wegen (GIM Magazine) tried to answer the question "What are the needs for the UAV LiDAR 2025?"
- The workshop moderated by Bart Zondag from Geoinspect and Tristan Allouis from YellowScan was about Large LiDAR missions' optimization. The aim of this workshop was sharing experience and making out advice one could get from it. As a skeleton, Bart and Tristan both presented a case study that attracted their attention "Fly a river bed" and "Hilly Landscape".
The R&D projects announcements:
YellowScan will soon be launching two new LiDAR systems, the Mapper II, an updated version of the Mapper, and the Long Ranger, a YellowScan Integration of the Mini-Vux. More information on those new projects will soon be available.
On the evening of the 29th, Tamatta Jazz band led by the voice of our marketing/communication Manager) Nada Jdaini, gave us a concert while the attendees were tasting the home-made wine production of the Château de Flaugergues. at « Le


text:
Provided by: bsdgames_2.17-19_i386
worm - Play the growing worm game
In worm, you are a little worm, your body is the "o"'s on the screen and
your head is the "@". You move with the hjkl keys and the arrow keys (as
in the game snake). If you don't press any keys, you continue in the
direction you last moved. The upper case HJKL keys move you as if you
had pressed several (9 for HL and 5 for JK) of the corresponding lower
case key (unless you run into a digit, then it stops).
On the screen you will see a digit, if your worm eats the digit is will
grow longer, the actual amount longer depends on which digit it was that
you ate. The object of the game is to see how long you can make the worm
The game ends when the worm runs into either the sides of the screen, or
itself. The current score (how much the worm has grown) is kept in the
upper right corner of the screen.
The optional argument, if present, is the initial length of the worm.


text:
Born to a poor peasant family. Hermit in the forest near Passau, Germany. As his reputation for piety and wisdom spread, the people of the region came to him for advice. Murdered by a man who was envious of Engelmaro's popularity.
- night of 13 to 14 January 1100 near Passau, Germany
- the killer hid the body in a snow drift
- the body was discovered during the spring thaw
- relics transferred to the Promenstatensian church in Windberg, Germany in 1331
- a custom developed in Winberg called "searching for Engelmaro" where the villagers go "in search" of the body of Engelmaro, find it (the relics), and then take the relics in procession from the forest back to the town
- "Saint Engelmaro". Saints.SQPN.com. 14 January 2013. Web. 21 May 2013. <>


text:
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Having the right kind of neighbors can help prevent teens from having sex at an early age, according to new research.
A study in Chicago found that some teens were more likely to delay having sex if they lived in neighborhoods where the adults kept a close eye on area children.
The teens who benefited from living in these close-knit neighborhoods were those who had the least parental supervision, such as might occur when both parents work outside the home.
The results show another reason why neighborhoods are important in the lives of residents, said Christopher Browning, co-author of the study and associate professor of sociology at Ohio State University.
"Teens may benefit when they live in neighborhoods where adults take responsibility for socializing kids, even those they may not know personally," Browning said. "These are the neighborhoods where residents share the same values and norms, and try to pass them along to youth."
While previous research has shown that good neighbor relations help prevent crime, Browning said this is the first study to show how how these strong relationships among neighbors may affect teenage sexual behavior.
"Crime tends to happen in public spaces, but this is different. Sexual behavior happens in private spaces, in people's homes, so it may not be as easy to regulate as crime. But in some neighborhoods, adults are making sure kids aren't unsupervised in empty homes after school."
Browning conducted the study with Jeanne Brooks-Gunn from Columbia University and Tama Leventhal from John Hopkins University. The study appears in the current issue of the American Sociological Review.
The data came from a larger project called the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods, which is designed to examine the role of neighborhoods in the lives of children.
The study included residents of 80 neighborhoods. In 1994-95, researchers interviewed people in each of the neighborhoods to calculate what they call "neighborhood collective efficacy." This is a measure of how close-knit each of these communities were. Among other things, residents were asked to rate how much people trusted their neighbors, and whether adults in the neighborhood could be counted on to watch out for children.
In 1995-96, 431 boys and 476 girls aged 11 to 16 and their caregivers, all from these 80 neighborhoods, were interviewed about a wide variety of issues, including early sexual experiences of the youths.
The results showed that the type of neighborhood didn't have any effect on the age of first intercourse for teens whose parents reported they kept a close eye on where their children were at all times.
But for teens who weren't as closely supervised, they were less likely to have intercourse at an early age if they lived in one of the close-knit neighborhoods where adults kept an eye out on local kids.
"When both parents are working, or children are being raised by a single parent, supervision may be more difficult. In these circumstances, it helps to live in a neighborhood where there are other adults who share the same values and who will help supervise teens," Browning said.
The results don't mean it is best if parents are constantly watching over teens, he said. Teens need to learn how to use their independence and it doesn't help them develop if parents are overprotective.
"But you need to know what kind of community you live in," Browning added. "If you live in the right kind of neighborhood and you give your teens some independence, they have the opportunity to see other adults who reinforce your norms and values. That's going to be beneficial in the long run."
Results showed that youth from high-poverty neighborhoods were more likely than those from other areas to have sex earlier. However, the effect of good neighbor relations was nearly as strong as the effect of living in a poor neighborhood, Browning said. "Poverty isn't the whole story."
The results also showed that parental monitoring had more effect on the behavior of girls than it did on boys.
"Boys at this age tend to take part in more risky behavior," he said. "The parents' capacity to control boys' behavior through monitoring is more limited, but strong neighborhoods where parents jointly supervise local teens can have an impact on boys' behavior."
Browning said the findings suggest anything that can be done to promote good neighbor relations will have positive impacts on families. Formal and informal neighborhood groups such as block watches and community organizations may have benefits beyond the specific issues they consider.
"Building strong communities will help in many ways, including preventing risky early sexual behavior among adolescents."
Source: Eurekalert & othersLast reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 21 Feb 2009
Published on PsychCentral.com. All rights reserved.
I always like to know everything about my new friends, and nothing about my old ones.
-- Oscar Wilde


text:
Picture - Ethnos newspaper
Greek supermarkets are reducing food prices, but at a rather slow pace. The reason is the economic crisis, or more precisely the fact that many consumers are struggling to buy even essential products.
Data from the Ministry of Development's Observatory of prices are extremely indicative. The last analysis makes it clear that despite the average increase of 0.32 per cent in prices of products from 56 major categories over the last year, there has been a 1.60 per cent decrease in consumption in the first half of 2012.
The recession made supermarket chains begin adjusting their prices according to the negative changes on the labour market after salaries fell by around 23 per cent, cuts in pensions exceeded this rate, and unemployment reached 22 per cent. If we add over-taxation on income with very high taxes to all this, it is clear that in the coming months supermarkets will be forced to make even "bolder" price reductions.
What the data show so far:
- The only product category where there is still a price increase are fresh fruit and vegetables. In particular, in the first half of the year their prices rose by about 6.32 per cent, considering that last year they had fallen by about 11 per cent. Analysts, however, highlight that the prices of fruit and vegetables are highly dependent on climatic conditions and production volume. Furthermore, very recently their prices have been liberalized and it is not excluded that supermarkets will use this fact to account for the losses from price reductions of other goods.
- In the first half of the year, consumption of food products fell by 2.27 per cent, whereas last year the prices of this category had increased by about 1.64 per cent.
- The prices of goods for personal use decreased by 1.37 per cent vs. a 1.87 per cent fall in the period June 2011 - June 2012. Alcoholic beverages are down by 0.07 per cent vs. a 0.39 per cent decrease over the past 12 months, and products for quick consumption - by 0.07 per cent against an overall decline of 0.52 per cent.
- There is an impressive change in soft drinks' prices, which fell in the first half of the year, although last year they had risen. The total drop amounts to 1.77 per cent, despite the jump of 5.79 per cent in the period June 2011 - June 2012. Mineral and table water, juices and soft drinks are down by 1.13 per cent vs. last year's increase of 7.88 per cent. The prices of coffee, cocoa and tea have also fallen by 2.56 per cent, although last year they rose by 3.24 per cent.
- Since the beginning of the year, dairy produce prices have declined by 0.58 per cent. In the period June 2011 - June 2012 they jumped by 1.64 per cent. Oat flakes and their derivatives recorded the largest drop - 2.64 per cent vs. 0.57 per cent last year. Olive oil, butter, margarine and oil, whose prices "jumped" by 0.76 per cent last year, fell by 3.89 per cent in the period from January to June 2012. After they rose to 1.67 per cent, prices of sugar, sweets, chocolates and ice cream fell by 1.32 per cent.
- Compared to these large deviations, prices of meat products have remained almost unchanged. From June 2011 to June 2012, they fell by 0.66 per cent, and since the beginning of the year to date - by 0.58 per cent. Prices of vegetables have also registered a drastic drop - from 0.12 last year to 8.68 per cent during the first six months.
- During the same period, the rest of the products were down by 1.20 per cent, although from June 2011 to June 2012 prices increased slightly by 0.06 per cent. Prices of fresh and frozen fish have followed suit. In the first six months of the year, they fell by 3.52 per cent, and over the past 12 months - by 2.27 per cent.
At the same time, in May, the main index of consumer prices rose by 1.4 per cent compared to the same period last year. Food and soft drinks have increased by 1.75 per cent, which means that supermarkets have reduced the prices of their goods. According to the National Statistical Office's data, in May the price of alcohol rose by 0.42 per cent.
With a 0.9 per cent harmonized index of consumer goods, Greece occupies the 29th place in the European ranking among 32 countries. As representatives of the Ministry of Development note, "lately, Greece is below the average values for the European Union and the euro area, which are 2.6 and 2.4 per cent, respectively. In May, the country was last among the eurozone countries".
According to them this is mostly due to the increase in the rate of VAT on food products from 13 to 23 per cent, the excise duty on heating oil and the international oil prices. They add, however, that "our position compared to the other European countries is improving and this proves that the reforms, "the awakening" of the consumer and reduced consumption are exerting pressure on prices".


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Issue No. 01 - January/February (2005 vol. 11)
DOI Bookmark: _URL_
We present results from a user study that compared six visualization methods for two-dimensional vector data. Users performed three simple but representative tasks using visualizations from each method: 1) locating all critical points in an image, 2) identifying critical point types, and 3) advecting a particle. Visualization methods included two that used different spatial distributions of short arrow icons, two that used different distributions of integral curves, one that used wedges located to suggest flow lines, and line-integral convolution (LIC). Results show different strengths and weaknesses for each method. We found that users performed these tasks better with methods that: 1) showed the sign of vectors within the vector field, 2) visually represented integral curves, and 3) visually represented the locations of critical points. Expert user performance was not statistically different from nonexpert user performance. We used several methods to analyze the data including omnibus analysis of variance, pairwise t-tests, and graphical analysis using inferential confidence intervals. We concluded that using the inferential confidence intervals for displaying the overall pattern of results for each task measure and for performing subsequent pairwise comparisons of the condition means was the best method for analyzing the data in this study. These results provide quantitative support for some of the anecdotal evidence concerning visualization methods. The tasks and testing framework also provide a basis for comparing other visualization methods, for creating more effective methods and for defining additional tasks to further understand the tradeoffs among the methods. In the future, we also envision extending this work to more ambitious comparisons, such as evaluating two-dimensional vectors on two-dimensional surfaces embedded in three-dimensional space and defining analogous tasks for three-dimensional visualization methods.
User study, vector visualization, fluid flow visualization.
Marco da Silva, Michael J. Tarr, William H. Warren, Robert M. Kirby, Timothy S. Miller, David H. Laidlaw, Cullen D. Jackson, J. Scott Davidson, "Comparing 2D Vector Field Visualization Methods: A User Study", IEEE Transactions on Visualization & Computer Graphics, vol. 11, no., pp. 59-70, January/February 2005, doi:10.1109/TVCG.2005.4


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Remote write = network round trip time (RTT) + local write I/O time (on standby machine)
Using an example in which the network round trip time (RTT) is 20 milliseconds and
LGWR synchronous write is configured, every transaction commit time increases by 20 milliseconds. This overhead impacts response time and may affect primary database throughput. Because of the additional overhead incurred by the RTT, a local area network (LAN) or a metropolitan area network (MAN) with an RTT less than or equal to 10 milliseconds should be used for applications that cannot tolerate a change in performance or response time. Whether to use a LAN or MAN depends on the results of the performance assessment.
ARCH attribute of the
n initialization parameter provides the greatest performance throughput but the greatest data loss potential.
ARCH does not affect primary performance when latency increases as long as the redo logs are configured correctly as described in "Configure the Size of Redo Log Files and Groups Appropriately". This is recommended for maximum performance data protection mode and is the default.
See Also:"Oracle9i Data Guard: Primary Site and Network Configuration Best Practices" at
LGWR ASYNC instead of the archiver in maximum performance mode reduces the amount of data loss. However,
LGWR ASYNC when the
ASYNC network buffer does not empty in a timely manner. For best results, use a minimum
ASYNC buffer size of at least 10MB.
Using larger buffer sizes also increases the chance of avoiding
ORA-16198 timeout messages that result from a
buffer full condition in a WAN. However, if the
LGWR wait on full LNS buffer database wait event is in the top 3 database wait events, use
If the network buffer becomes full and remains full for 1 second, the transport times out and converts to
ARCH transport. This condition indicates that the network to the standby destination cannot keep up with the redo generation rate on the primary database. This is indicated in the alert log by the following message:
ORA-16198: LGWR timed out on Network Server 1 due to buffer full condition.
This message indicates that the standby destination configured with the
LGWR ASYNC attributes encountered an async buffer full condition. Log transport services automatically stop using the network server process, LNSn, to transmit the redo data and convert to using the archiver process, ARCn, until a log switch occurs. At the next log switch, redo transmission reverts to using the
LGWR ASYNC transport. This change occurs automatically. Using the largest asynchronous network buffer, 50MB, reduces the chance of the transport converting to
ARCH. If this error occurs for every log or for the majority of logs, then the transport should be modified to use the archiver process permanently.
Figure 7-2 shows the architecture when the standby protection mode is set to maximum performance with
LGWR ASYNC configuration.
Figure 7-2 LGWR ASYNC Transport Service
Evaluate SSH port forwarding with compression for maximum performance mode over a high-latency WAN (RTT greater than 100 milliseconds). Coupled with using
LGWR ASYNC, the maximum buffer size, SSH with compression reduces the chance of receiving an "async buffer full" timeout. It also reduces network traffic.
TRUE enables the archiver processes to archive the local online redo log files on the primary database before transmitting the redo data to remote standby destinations. This is especially useful when the network to the standby databases is slow.
This is the default setting for
Because a lack of security can directly affect availability, Data Guard provides a secure environment and prevents tampering with redo data as it is being transferred to the standby database. To enable secure transmission of redo data, set up every database in the Data Guard configuration to use a password file, and set the password for the
SYS user identically on every system. The following is a summary of steps needed for each database in the Data Guard configuration:
Create a password file for each database in the Data Guard configuration.
REMOTE_LOGIN_PASSWORDFILE=[EXCLUSIVE | SHARED] initialization parameter on each instance.
After you have performed these steps to set up security on every database in the Data Guard configuration, Data Guard transmits redo data only after the appropriate authentication checks using
SYS credentials are successful. This authentication can be performed even if Oracle Advanced Security is not installed and provides some level of security when shipping redo data. To further protect redo data (for example, to encrypt redo data or to compute an integrity checksum value for redo traffic over the network to disallow redo tampering on the network), Oracle recommends that you install and use Oracle Advanced Security.
Specify a unique name for the standby database. The name does not change even if the primary and standby databases reverse roles. The
DB_UNIQUE_NAME parameter defaults to the value of the
DG_CONFIG attribute of the
LOG_ARCHIVE_CONFIG initialization parameter so that it lists the
DB_UNIQUE_NAME for the primary database and each standby database in the Data Guard configuration. By default, this parameter enables the primary database to send redo data to remote destinations and enables standby databases to receive redo data. The
DG_CONFIG attribute must be set to enable the dynamic addition of a standby database to a Data Guard configuration that has a RAC primary database running in either maximum protection or maximum availability mode.
To use Oracle Data Guard with a physical standby database or to use any media recovery operation effectively, you need to tune your database recovery.
See Also:"Oracle9i Media Recovery Best Practices" at
If your application ensures that the rows in a table are unique, then you can create a disabled primary key
RELY constraint on the table. This avoids the overhead of maintaining a primary key on the primary database. To create a disabled
RELY constraint on a primary database table, use the
ALTER TABLE statement with a
RELY DISABLE clause.
To improve the performance of SQL Apply, add an index to the columns that uniquely identify the row on the logical standby database. Failure to do this results in full table scans.
If the logical standby database is being used to remove reporting or decision support operations from the primary database, then you should probably reserve some of the parallel query slaves for such operations. Because the SQL Apply process by default uses all the parallel query slaves, setting the
MAX_SERVERS initialization parameter enables a specified number of parallel query slaves to be reserved.
Table 7-5 shows examples of
Table 7-5 Examples of MAX_SERVERS Values
|PARALLEL_MAX_SERVERS Initialization Parameter||MAX_SERVERS Initialization Parameter||Number of Servers Reserved for Parallel Query Operations||Number of Servers Reserved for SQL Apply Operations|
It is recommended that
MAX_SERVERS be set initially to the larger of the following values: 9 or 3 plus 3 times CPU.
PARALLEL_MAX_SERVERS=current value + max(9, 3 +(3 x CPU))
PARALLEL_MAX_SERVERS initialization parameter specifies the maximum number of parallel query processes that can be created on the database instance. With the exception of the coordinator process, all the processes that constitute the SQL Apply engine are created from the pool of parallel query processes. The SQL Apply engine, by default, uses all the parallel query processes available on the database instance. This behavior can be overridden by using the logical standby parameters
It is recommended that
PARALLEL_MAX_SERVERS be increased by the value of
The logical standby database supports the following methods of data application:
For a reporting or decision support system, use
READ_ONLY transaction consistency.
For a disaster recovery solution or when the SQL Apply engine needs to catch up, set
If the logical standby database will be used for reporting or decision support operations, then:
If the standby database has multiple instances (RAC), then choose
If the standby database has only one instance (no RAC), then choose
Database objects that do not need to be replicated to the standby database should be skipped by using the
DBMS_LOGSTDBY.SKIP procedure. Skipping such objects reduces the processing of the the SQL Apply engine. Consider this recommendation in a decision support environment.
This section recommends configuration practices in addition to the ones that are discussed for the single-instance database, RAC, and Data Guard. These practices are recommended when MAA is employed (RAC and Data Guard are used on both sites).
This section includes the following topics:
In an MAA environment, the standby database uses RAC, and multiple standby instances are associated with the same standby database. Having multiple standby instances is not the same as having multiple standby databases. Only one instance can have the managed recovery process (MRP) or the logical standby apply process (LSP). The standby instance with the MRP or LSP is called the primary standby instance. All other standby instances are called secondary standby instances.
Having multiple standby instances for the same database on the cluster provides the following benefits:
They enable transparent connection failover to a secondary standby instance if connectivity to the primary standby instance fails. In this scenario, the MRP or LSP session is automatically restarted by the Data Guard Broker. If the Broker is not being used, then these processes must be restarted manually on the new primary standby instance.
They provide a scheduled maintenance solution whenever the primary standby instance and host need to be shut down for maintenance. The secondary standby can take over and receive logs through Oracle Net service because connect-time failover occurs.
Data Guard connect-time failover occurs when a connection request is forwarded to another listener if the connection fails. Connect-time failover is enabled by service registration, because the listener knows which available Oracle instance provides the requested service.
The following is an Oracle Net connection descriptor in the
sales.us.acme.com= (DESCRIPTION= (ADDRESS_LIST= (ADDRESS=(PROTOCOL=tcp)(HOST=sales1-server)(PORT=1521)) (ADDRESS=(PROTOCOL=tcp)(HOST=sales2-server)(PORT=


text:
- Clean the outside of the pipette using a soft lint-free cloth and 70 % EtOH.
- Complete Order Form/Decontamination Report carefully and place the printout in the package with the pipette(s). List all the pipettes being sent in for service, and the accompanying extras, such as other brand tips and chargers. Be sure to decontaminate the pipette if it has been used for any blood or serums, body fluids, pathological specimens, carcinogens, toxins, hazardous chemicals or radioactive substances.
- Pack the instruments, and accompanying accessories with suitable packaging material to prevent the contents from getting damaged during transportation. Include the completed Order Form/Decontamination Report.
- Address the package.
- Dispatch the package.


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Where a Ball Ends Up after a Collision
If a moving ball collides with a stationary one, then the moving ball should be replaced along its original trajectory at the point corresponding to the sum of the distances travelled by both balls from the point of collision.
The above result incorporates the assumptions that there is a constant deceleration of the ball1, the collision is elastic (energy is conserved) and the balls have the same weight. A simple proof of why the distance travelled by a ball is proportional to its energy is given in the Appendix.
Under those conditions the distance travelled by a ball is directly proportional to the energy it carries. This is reassuring – hit the ball with twice the energy and it goes twice as far. When the balls collide the energy is shared between them and they each move a distance corresponding to the fraction of the energy they received. Add the distances travelled by the separate balls and it gives you the distance which would have been travelled by the unhindered ball.
It has been noted by Max Hooper who used a mallet-swinging rig, that the method above underestimates the final position of the ball. This is not surprising given the assumptions. The assumption that the collision of the ball is elastic (energy is conserved on collision) is patently false.
The coefficient of restitution (bouncyness) of a croquet ball is defined in the Croquet Laws to lie between 50-75% (6th Edition Laws Appendix 2; a ball must bounce between 30-45" when dropped from 60" on to a defined rigid surface). Consequently 25-50% of the energy is lost during a head-on collision. We know that distance scales with energy hence we should need to multiply the sum of the scattered distances by up to 2 times. The amount of energy available to be transfered between balls during a collision also depends on the geometry.
There is no real problem with the assumptions that both balls weight the same. The final assumption that the balls undergo a constant deceleration (which justifies the 'distance scales with energy') is a rough approximation. A curve fitting was used on experimental data to produce a relationship1. The data is sparse for when the ball is moving slowly (i.e. for short total travel distances = short transit times). It may be that a slowly moving ball decelerates less than a quickly moving ball. Further measurements are needed but the empirical data indicates that the estimate of constant deceleration is good and not likely to have as large an effect on the Simple Theory as the assumption that energy is conserved.
There are additional factors which affect the forces on the balls after collision, some may be non-linear with ball velocity. These include:
All of these will act as 'energy leaks' and hence may make the deceleration dependent on velocity (hence not constant). It is, for example, well known that air resistance scales as the square of velocity. More experimentation is needed.
An Australian System
A system is proposed in the Australian Croquet Association (ACA) Referees Manual (2003, Page B16). I hope I have paraphrased their solution accurately below (thanks to Owen Edwards for the recipe).
As indicated in the caption the Red ball is replaced the distance it was scattered from the point of collision plus two and a half time the distance the Brown ball was scattered. From the above sections in this document it is clear that the multiplication factor (2.5) is an attempt to scale for the energy losses on collision and for what happens subsequently. For certain collision configurations this is plausible.
Consider however the two circumstance below: A) where Red hits Brown almost full on - as in a rush, and B) where Red gives Brown only a slight glancing blow. The situtations are approximatey symmetrical with the balls interchanged.
Case A) is the hardest to reconcile. In the rush-like situation, Brown is boosted almost as far as Red might have travelled. Yet Red gets replaced two and a half times y1 up the lawn. Given the approximate diagrams above it seems unlikely that x1 + (2.5 * y1) = x2+ (2.5 * y2). Experiments have yet to be repeated.
The almost mathematics-free version is:
Energy = force x distance, the force being the resistance of the grass (constant, by assumption). If you start two balls with say half the energy, they each will go half the distance; add the two distances together and it is the same as a single ball with all the energy.
We can attempt to make it appear more thorough by using Newton's Equations of Motion:
Consider a ball rolling along the grass; it will stop when its velocity becomes zero after a time tf – the 'final' time. Putting v = 0 into Eqn. 1 and rearranging;
substitute t= tf in Eqn. 2 and we get the total distance, sf, travelled by the ball:
A little bit of deviousness now in the calculation. We use the standard equation for the initial kinetic energy:
This is the simplification; the ball will hold its energy in both kinetic and rotational energy but those forms are readily inter-convertible. We would be surprised if a ball came to rest but was still spinning!
We can rearrange Eqn. 5 to get u, the initial velocity, in terms of E:
We can now substitute for u2 in Eqn. 4
This result shows that the total distance, sf, is a simple multiple of the initial energy, E. Note that the 'acceleration', a, is negative designating a deceleration due to the friction, etc. against the grass and ground. This yields a positive distance travelled. Another way to phrase it is that the energy decreases linearly with distance.
1. Lawn Speeds: _URL_
All rights reserved © 2008-2013


Emily Cox
. She is also Choir Director at St Mary's Anglican Church, Kangaroo Point where she and organist Christopher Wrench oversee a vibrant music programme. As a conductor and chorus master with a broad repertoire, Emily's work is in demand with professional performing arts companies and major arts festivals. Through the repertoire that she explores with her ensembles, she has introduced Australian audiences to many unusual and beautiful works. A graduate of Dartmouth College (USA) and the Queensland Conservatorium of Music, Emily has had further training overseas with noted choral specialists and is known for her work as a festival and workshop director, adjudicator and educator for all age groups.
Emily Cox is featured on the following titles
Joy To The World
Performer: conductor
Light is integral to colour, and musical integrity is often described in terms of its colour or luminescence. Celebrating Canticum's 21st birthday year, composers were sought whose music reflects a particular sensitivity to the versatility of the choral instrument and which celebrates beautiful text.


Microsoft Edge gets new performance and stability updates
Madalina Dinita
by Madalina Dinita
Affiliate Disclosure
Microsoft wants Edge to become the most powerful browser on the market, constantly rolling out updates to improve the browser's performance and stability with the aim of doing so.
Recently, the tech giant pushed some JavaScript performance updates to its favorite browser, making it faster and more efficient. The update improves two essential areas of the Edge browser: memory usage and event-handlers behavior.
Developers use small-sized functions to break down complex coding logic into many smaller pieces. This strategy reduces repetitiveness and allows developers to read, test and debug codes faster. In addition, the browsing experience is better and faster, as smaller functions are generally easier to inline.
For better efficiency, the Edge team has refactored the metadata format used for each small-sized function incorporated in scripts. In this manner, memory won't be consumed unless necessary:
Most of the 32-bit counters in FunctionBody were also observed to rarely have values over 256, such as the variable count or object literal count within a function. Thus these counters have been replaced by a compact structure that uses a single byte for each counter and those counters can be promoted to full 32-bit values if needed.
Inside every webpage, there is an event system with many event-handlers that define the behavior of button-clicks, mouse-overs and many other such events. Most of these events usually remain dead code because users trigger very few events when browsing. The problem is that these untriggered events can remain in a sleep state and impact memory and browser efficiency.
Microsoft Edge will change that as the browser will now delay the full parsing and bytecode generation of event-handlers until they are first called. In other words, this feature improves start-up time and also saves memory from unused handlers.
The combination of deferred parsing for event-handlers and the memory optimizations […] shrink a fair amount of memory footprint for each page.[…] our experiment […] shows that these optimizations along with other smaller tweaks typically reduce about 4% to 10% of memory usage per page opened in Microsoft Edge, with cases where the savings reach over 20%.
Perhaps these improvement can finally help Microsoft turn Edge into the most battery-friendly browser out there. Redmond recently made public the results of a battery experiment which, according to Microsoft, proved that its browser consumes 70% less battery than Chrome and 15% less battery than Opera.
Opera didn't wait too long to carry out its own, more transparent experiment, managing to prove that its browser was indeed the most battery-friendly browser, extending computer battery life thanks to the latest Battery Saver feature. Surprisingly, Microsoft remained speechless after Opera's reply and has yet to issue any comment on the matter.


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Walk pastures to identify hazards
Walking pastures periodically to identify hazards will reduce risk of injury to your horse.
Summertime is upon us and horses have been turned out to pasture now for a few months. Many horse owners may have experienced a time when a horse comes in from the pasture and you observe some sort of injury (scratch, cut, swollen leg, etc.) to the horse and you are perplexed as to how the horse may have injured itself. It is important to recognize that pastures will change throughout the season and hazards that were not present in the spring may now be present. So, this raises the question, have you walked your pasture lately to identify potential hazards?
Hazards can range from toxic weeds to tree limbs with wilted leaves that have fallen on the fence, to a leaning fence post to even ground hog holes. The following photos illustrate ground hog holes recently discovered in two different horse pastures. If a horse accidentally stepped into a hole such as this, injury could be very serious and possibly fatal.
Michigan State University Extension recommends walking your horse pastures periodically to identify hazards that could injure your horse. As illustrated in the pictures above, some hazards may not be easily seen from a distance. Therefore, it is imperative to be thorough and walk the whole pasture in a zigzag pattern. When making a walkthrough of the pasture, it is a good idea to document where the hazard is located in the pasture if you have to return to remove it. This could be done a variety of different ways but most notably by taking notes or marking it with colored tape or flags.
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