text:
Kitchen countertops made of concrete are generally thin, smooth, pigmented, and polished to a light gloss. But despite their beauty and elegance, they are not designed to resist cuts and scratches. Cutting directly on your concrete countertop does not actually damage the concrete, but it does damage the sealer. Once the sealer has broken down, the ability of your concrete countertop to resist stains and water is reduced. Constant cutting using knives can result to gouges and scratches on the surface's finish. It can also cause the sharp edges of your knives to chip or become dull.|
What causes cuts and scratches on concrete countertops?
- Just like other kitchen countertops, the surface and edges of your concrete countertop can chip or cut if they are struck by a heavy, solid object.
- Due to the inherent characteristics of the materials used in making the concrete countertop, it can be prone to hairline cracks. This is a natural occurrence and is not an indication of the structural failure of the countertop.
- Pointed objects that are regularly slid across, rubbed, or dropped on your concrete countertop can cause minor to moderate cuts and scratches.
How to prevent and repairing cuts and scratches on your concrete countertop
- To prevent cuts, scratches, and stains, seal your concrete countertop properly. Sealing does not only protect the surface, it enhances the sheen and color as well.
- For additional luster and protection against serious damage, apply a finishing wax or other protective coating on your concrete countertop to help preserve the sealer. Apply it regularly to maintain its effectiveness.
- Do not cut directly on the surface of your concrete countertop because it is not designed to serve as a chopping board. Make it a habit to use a separate cutting board when preparing food. Appropriate inserts can also be installed on your concrete countertop that can serve as a permanent area where you can cut, slice, and dice food directly on your countertop.
- Avoid exposing your concrete countertop to strong chemicals like acids, oven cleaners, and paint removers. These chemicals contain destructive substances that can damage the surface. If any contact with these chemicals occurs, wipe the surface with water right away.
- Evaluate the severity of the scratches on your concrete countertop. For small scratches, use a sanding pad with the finest grit to wipe them away. The level of roughness and smoothness of sanding pads are determined by their color. Arranged from roughest to smoothest, sanding pads come in white, yellow, green, peach, lilac, blue, and gray colors.
- Using the appropriate sanding pad, remove the scratches on the surface by rubbing it in a straight line, periodically switching to a 90-degree direction. Make sure all scratches are removed before you stop rubbing. Wet the surface to reduce dust accumulation while sanding.
Back to Concrete Kitchen Counter Tops home


text:
End statistics with hammer
- 2+: Ends where the team scored at least two points (i.e. the team was able to capitalize the hammer).
- 1: Ends where the team scored one point (i.e. opponent forced the team to take only one point with hammer).
- 0: Ends that the team blanked with hammer.
- Steal: Ends where the opponent scored at least one point (i.e. opponent stole points without hammer).
End statistics without hammer
- Steal: Ends where the team scored at least one point (i.e. the team managed to steal points without hammer).
- 0: Ends where the opponent blanked the end with hammer.
- 1: Ends where the opponent scored one point (i.e. the team managed to force the opponent to take only one point with hammer).
- 2+: Ends where the opponent scored at least two points (i.e. the opponent managed to capitalize the hammer).
- Result avg: Average result (points for - points against)
- Hammer avg: Averate points / end in those ends where the team played with hammer.
- Without hammer avg: Average points / end where the team played without hammer.
- Hammer value: Describes the value of hammer to the average points the team scored in an end.
Remarks about statistics
Apart from the result average, last end scores have been ignored in those cases where the losing team scored points. The purpose of this is to clean the data from distortions so the statistics would describe how teams have played in "normal" situations.
Example: the winning team has given a steal of one point in the last to guarantee a victory. This end has been ignored because the situation in the game is not "normal"

source: HuggingFaceFW/fineweb-edu


text: Activities The Great Outdoors What Does the Term "Confined Water" Mean in Scuba Diving? Share PINTEREST Email Print Divers making a confined water dive in a swimming pool. © Getty Images The Great Outdoors Scuba Diving & Snorkeling Gear Skills Safety Hiking Climbing Skiing Snowboarding Surfing Paddling Fishing Sailing Learn More By Natalie Gibb Natalie Gibb owns a dive shop in Mexico and is a PADI-certified open water scuba instructor and TDI-certified full cave diving instructor. our editorial process Natalie Gibb Updated March 17, 2017 The term confined water is used to describe a dive site at which the environment is entirely predictable and controlled. This includes acceptable visibility for the planned dive, a calm surface and an absence of strong current. Confined water sites should have easy entry and exit points, and should not have any overhang or obstruction that prevents divers from directly reaching the surface. The most common example of a confined water dive site is a swimming pool. Other typical confined water locations include a calm bay, a lake or even a man-made quarry. Confined water sites are used for skill practice and training, for testing out new dive gear, or for novice divers who would like to play in an easy environment before heading to open water. A confined water dive most often refers to training dives with the express purpose of learning, practicing, and evaluating dive skills. The PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) open water course, for example, requires students to pass five confined water dives at a variety of depths. Initially, skills are practiced in water shallow enough to stand up in, and as the student progresses, skills are practiced in deeper water. Any dive made in confined water, however, can be technically considered a confined water dive.

source: openbmb/Ultra-FineWeb


text:
seL4 Dynamic Libraries: Processes & Elf loading
This tutorial shows how a separate ELF file can be loaded and expanded into a VSpace, and subsequently executed, while facilitating IPC between the two modules. It also shows how threads with different CSpaces have to maneuver in order to pass capabilities to one another.
Don't gloss over the globals declared before
main() – they're declared
for your benefit so you can grasp some of the basic data structures.
Uncomment them one by one as needed when going through the tasks.
You'll observe that the things you've already covered in the second tutorial are filled out and you don't have to repeat them: in much the same way, we won't be repeating conceptual explanations on this page, if they were covered by a previous tutorial in the series.
- Once again, repeat the spawning of a thread: however, this time the two threads will only share the same vspace, but have different CSpaces. This is an automatic side effect of the way that sel4utils creates new "processes".
- Learn how the init thread in an seL4 system performs some types of initialization that aren't traditionally left to userspace.
- Observe and understand the effects of creating thread that do not share the same CSpace.
- Understand IPC across CSpace boundaries.
- Understand how minting a capability to a thread in another CSpace works.
# For instructions about obtaining the tutorial sources see _URL_ # # Follow these instructions to initialise the tutorial # initialising the build directory with a tutorial exercise./init --tut dynamic-3 # building the tutorial exercise cd dynamic-3_build ninja
Tasks in this tutorial are in
When you first run this tutorial, you should see the following output:
Booting all finished, dropped to user space Node 0 of 1 IOPT levels: _PHONE_ IPC buffer: 0x57f000 Empty slots: [488 --> 4096) sharedFrames: [0 --> 0) userImageFrames: [16 --> 399) userImagePaging: [12 --> 15) untypeds: [399 --> 488) Initial thread domain: 0 Initial thread cnode size: 12 dynamic-3: _EMAIL_:621 Not implemented dynamic-3: _EMAIL_:117 [Cond failed: virtual_reservation.res == NULL] Failed to reserve a chunk of memory.
Virtual memory management
Aside from receiving information about IRQs in the IRQControl object capability, and information about available IO-Ports, and ASID availability, and several other privileged bits of information, the init thread is also responsible, surprisingly, for reserving certain critical ranges of memory as being used, and unavailable for applications.
This call to
that. For an interesting look at what sorts of things the init thread
static int reserve_initial_task_regions(vspace_t *vspace, void *existing_frames),
which is eventually called on by
sel4utils_bootstrap_vspace_with_bootinfo_leaky(). So while this
function may seem tedious, it's doing some important things.
/* TASK 1: create a vspace object to manage our vspace */ /* hint 1: sel4utils_bootstrap_vspace_with_bootinfo_leaky() * int sel4utils_bootstrap_vspace_with_bootinfo_leaky(vspace_t *vspace, sel4utils_alloc_data_t *data, seL4_CPtr page_directory, vka_t *vka, seL4_BootInfo *info) * _USER_ vspace Uninitialised vspace struct to populate. * _USER_ data Uninitialised vspace data struct to populate. * _USER_ page_directory Page directory for the new vspace. * _USER_ vka Initialised vka that this virtual memory allocator will use to allocate pages and pagetables. This allocator will never invoke free. * _USER_ info seL4 boot info * _USER_ 0 on succes. */
On success, you should see a different error:
<> halting...
Configure a process
sel4utils_configure_process_custom took a large amount of the work
out of creating a new "processs". We skipped a number of steps. Take a
look at the source for
notice how it spawns the new thread with its own CSpace by
automatically. This will have an effect on our tutorial! It means that
the new thread we're creating will not share a CSpace with our main
/* TASK 2: use sel4utils to make a new process */ /* hint 1: sel4utils_configure_process_custom() * hint 2: process_config_default_simple() * _USER_ process Uninitialised process struct. * _USER_ vka Allocator to use to allocate objects. * _USER_ vspace Vspace allocator for the current vspace. * _USER_ priority Priority to configure the process to run as. * _USER_ image_name Name of the elf image to load from the cpio archive. * _USER_ 0 on success, -1 on error. * * hint 2: priority is in APP_PRIORITY and can be 0 to seL4_MaxPrio * hint 3: the elf image name is in APP_IMAGE_NAME */
On success, you should see a different error:
dynamic-3: _EMAIL_:196 [Cond failed: new_ep_cap == 0] Failed to mint a badged copy of the IPC endpoint into the new thread's CSpace. sel4utils_mint_cap_to_process takes a cspacepath_t: double check what you passed.
Now, in this particular case, we are making the new thread be the sender. Recall that the sender must have a capability to the endpoint that the receiver is listening on, in order to send to that listener. But in this scenario, our threads do not share the same CSpace! The only way the new thread will know which endpoint it needs a capability to, is if we tell it. Furthermore, even if the new thread knows which endpoint object we are listening on, if it doesn't have a capability to that endpoint, it still can't send data to us. So we must provide our new thread with both a capability to the endpoint we're listening on, and also make sure, that that capability we give it has sufficient privileges to send across the endpoint.
There is a number of ways we could approach this, but in this tutorial we decided to just pre-initialize the sender's CSpace with a sufficient capability to enable it to send to us right from the start of its execution. We could also have spawned the new thread as a listener instead, and made it wait for us to send it a message with a sufficient capability.
So we use
vka_cspace_make_path(), which locates one free capability
slot in the selected CSpace, and returns a handle to it, to us. We then
filled that free slot in the new thread's CSpace with a badged
capability to the endpoint we are listening on, so as so allow it to
send to us immediately. We could have filled the slot with an unbadged
capability, but then if we were listening for multiple senders, we
wouldn't know who was whom.
/* TASK 3: make a cspacepath for the new endpoint cap */ /* hint 1: vka_cspace_make_path() * void vka_cspace_make_path(vka_t *vka, seL4_CPtr slot, cspacepath_t *res) * _USER_ vka Vka interface to use for allocation of objects. * _USER_ slot A cslot allocated by the cspace alloc function * _USER_ res Pointer to a cspacepath struct to fill out * * hint 2: use the cslot of the endpoint allocated above */ cspacepath_t ep_cap_path; seL4_CPtr new_ep_cap = 0;
On success, the output should not change.
Badge a capability
As discussed above, we now just mint a badged copy of a capability to the endpoint we're listening on, into the new thread's CSpace, in the free slot that the VKA library found for us.
/* TASK 4: copy the endpont cap and add a badge to the new cap */ /* hint 1: sel4utils_mint_cap_to_process() * seL4_CPtr sel4utils_mint_cap_to_process(sel4utils_process_t *process, cspacepath_t src, seL4_CapRights rights, seL4_CapData_t data) * _USER_ process Process to copy the cap to * _USER_ src Path in the current cspace to copy the cap from * _USER_ rights The rights of the new cap * _USER_ data Extra data for the new cap (e.g., the badge) * _USER_ 0 on failure, otherwise the slot in the processes cspace. * * hint 2: for the rights, use seL4_AllRights * hint 3: for the badge use seL4_CapData_Badge_new() * seL4_CapData_t CONST seL4_CapData_Badge_new(seL4_Uint32 Badge) * _USER_[in] Badge The badge number to use * _USER_ A CapData structure containing the desired badge info * * seL4_CapData_t is generated during build. * * hint 4: for the badge value use EP_BADGE */
On success, the output should look something like:
NEW CAP SLOT: 6ac.


text:
An introductory archery session – come and have a go at the ancient skill of archery in the Baby Moon woodland
- Following a safety briefing and demonstration of the technique, you'll soon be refining your aim.
- When we've mastered the technique we'll play a few games which are both fun and require you to develop your archery.
- There are some smaller bows suitable for children from about 7 years old – but the nature of the activity means they need to be strong enough to pull the string.
- Bring a jumper and wear suitable footwear to spend some time in the woods.
Cost per person:
Select date and number of places required.


text:
Benefits/Uses of Passion Fruit Juice for Skin, Hair and Health
Passion fruit is a common fruit found in the tropical and sub tropical countries and is shaped like an egg with wrinkled skin. The flesh of the fruit is green in color with a unique aroma and is sweet to taste. So it is often used for making juice and is good to taste. It is great for keeping your body cool in the summer months and has lots of health benefits.
Skin Benefits of Passion Fruit Juice:
Vitamin C present in this juice fights against the harmful actions caused by the free radicals in the body and prevents pre-mature ageing as well as keep the immune system strong. So, have passion fruit juice regularly and have a skin free from wrinkles and fine lines.
Having passion fruit juice daily helps you in getting a healthy skin as it is rich in Vitamin A, which is essential for the skin. This vitamin is also good for proper cell growth and reproduction.
Benefits of Passion Fruit Juice for the Hair:
You can maintain healthy hair only if nutrients and oxygen from the blood enters the hair follicles and nourish them. Most of the problems related with hair is due to improper food habits and deficiency in nutrients, as well as illness. Consuming passion fruit juice ensures that your hair gets nourished and it grows properly.
Strong and Thick Hair:
Passion fruit is rich in Vitamin A, Vitamin B2, Vitamin C, Vitamin B6 and lots minerals like potassium, copper etc., which are essential for healthy of the hair. So, drinking passion fruit juice provides you thick and strong hair that is free of any problems.
Health Benefits of Passion Fruit Juice:
Passion fruit is highly nutritious and a excellent health drink that is good for getting relief from asthma and its symptoms. Vitamin C present in the juice helps in preventing histamines from attacking the body and causing symptoms of asthma.
Controls Blood Pressure:
The alkaloids present in passion fruit juice are excellent for reducing blood pressure. It is also known for its antispasmodic action. They are also good sedatives and calm your mind and body.
Beta carotene is good for the normal development of the bones and the teeth and for repairing the tissues of the body. It is also beneficial for having healthy eyes and has many other health benefits. The risk of Parkinson's disease, arthritis, depression and infertility is greatly reduced by having passion fruit juice regularly. Beta carotene is non-toxic compared to Vitamin A, which toxic in excess.
Helps in Weight Loss:
Passion fruit juice is very effective if you wish to lose weight because it is low in calorie. Only about 97 calories is produced by 100 gm of the juice. Sodium and fat are also found in small quantities in this juice. Being rich in natural sugars and carbohydrates, your body is able to recover fast after a workout, as the energy lost is recovered easily by having this juice.
If you are suffering from insomnia, have a glass of passion fruit juice daily before you go to bed. This will ensure you a sound and peaceful sleep. This is because this fruit relaxes your nerves and calms you down.
Improves Blood Circulation:
Passion fruit is a good source of Vitamin B2, Vitamin B6, choline and folate. All these vitamins are essential for the proper functioning of the mucous membranes in the digestive tract and also for normal functioning of the brain. They also ensure the mental health and improve blood circulation in the body. Lowering the levels of cholesterol in the body is another useful benefit of the fruit. So, have a glass of passion fruit daily and stay healthy both mentally and physically.
Improves Immune System:
Vitamin C in this juice is an excellent antioxidant that is very effective in increasing the immune power of the body and helps you to fight against various diseases and infections. It also helps to heal wounds fast because of its ability to repair damaged tissues.
Prevents Cancer and Heart Diseases:
The yellow and purple color of the passion fruit is due to the presence of beta carotene in it in high amounts. Beta carotene is also called pro-vitamin A because it gets converted in to Vitamin A when it reaches the liver. It has anti-oxidative properties and is good for preventing heart diseases, cancer and for lowering blood pressure in people suffering from high blood pressure.
Stay Healthy and Relaxed:
Drinking a glass of passion fruit is very refreshing and keeps you cool. It is good for getting relief from the burning sensation in the stomach and keeps you relaxed and calm by relaxing your nerves.
Treats Digestion Problems:
Consuming passion fruit juice is a good way to treat various digestive problems. It is good for preventing constipation also. It acts as a laxative and ensures proper bowel movements, preventing constipation. Having about 4 to 6 ounces of passion fruit juice at an interval of 2 hours is very effective in treating hyperacidity as well as duodenal and gastric ulcers.
Treats Kidney Problems:
Passion fruit juice is a rich source of minerals, especially potassium. This is found in high quantities in the juice. It helps in the proper functioning of the kidneys and is also essential for the contraction of the muscles. Smokers, athletes and vegetarians benefit a lot by consuming passion fruit juice daily.
How to Make Passion Fruit Juice:
- It is very easy to make the juice. Take 5 or 6 passion fruits, wash well and then cut then lengthwise.
- Scoop the flesh from inside and blend in the blender with thrice the amount of water for just a minute.
- Now remove the black seeds from the juice with the help of a strainer and again add thrice the amount of water and sugar to taste.
- You can store it in the refrigerator and it will stay for about five days in this way.
- Have it chilled and you will see that it is very tasty.
- You can make two and a half liters of juice form 5 passion fruits.


text:
Narrative observation is a useful tool for assessing children's educational, emotional and social development. Narrative tenses by rachael nobbs age: adults and young adults exercise 5 checks the meaning and use of the three different narrative tenses focused on. The advantages of narrative observations essay sample there are many different ways to observe children in an early years setting each type of observation has a. 1 ch 6 observational/descriptive methods i observational / descriptive methods a observation is both a research design and a measurement tool. Child observation forms (sample completed) use this form in step 1 and throughout the five steps to write detailed observations of each child child observation form.
To move beyond description to detailed analysis and interpretation of observation takes time and queensland kindergarten learning guideline professional. Observation is the active acquisition of information from a primary source in living beings, observation employs the senses in science, observation can also involve. The method of observation is a written narrative of the 10 minutes of observation as it happened.
I have to do a description on how to do a narrative observation on a child. Narrative observation example in childcarepdf free download here observations and regulation 5 - the galway city & county. Chapter classroom observation in teaching practice introduction observation plays a central role in practice teaching, both observation of your teaching.
Essays - largest database of quality sample essays and research papers on narrative observation of a child. Observational methods in psychology the information obtained would only generalize to the one time period in which the observation observers rely on narrative. Hi i'm starting a new job in september after being on maternity for a year i have a bigger class than i am used to and the old reception teacher did thin.
A narrative observation sheet to aid record making for the eyfs in reception assessing progress for eyfs profile etc. A2–1 appendix 2 daily observation report (dor) and narrative evaluation the daily observation report (dor)and narrative evaluation are key components of. Observation (watching what people do) would seem to be an obvious method of carrying out research in psychology however, there are different types of observational. Calstateteach ~ narrative observation form generated 01/02/07 1 narrative observation form candidate: term: select setting: date: observer. From participant observation to the observation of participation: the emergence of narrative ethnography1 barbara tedlock department of anthropology, state university.
Ofsted outstanding year 2 literacy lesson observation - watch full lesson at - duration: 4:57 mediamerge ltd 312,518 views. Anecdotal observations an anecdote is a short account of a particular incident or event of an interesting or amusing nature, often biographical (anecdote,nd. Classroom observation – narrative form instructor of class: _____ semester and year: _____ class level and title.
The purpose of an observation essay is to provide an how do you begin an observation essay a: what are some tips for writing a narrative essay. Unit 2 - child observation 3 when child a arrives the nursery it is 7 55 in the morning, on a friday, and child a should be arriving at the nursery very. 2 observation essay examples to watch closely the essay then frames the observation in a narrative format to help you see what i mean by this,. 4/3/12 ana-preschool-exampledoc example of preschool observation: documentation and analysis ana, aged 3-1/2, was observed in.


text:
Course Design for Well-Being: A Students' Bill of Rights
Judith Pintar (School of Information Science)
The Art of Teaching Lunchtime Seminar Series is back with a new slate of inspiring faculty from across the disciplines sharing their ideas and experiences on teaching and learning. On Thursday September 1, Judith Pintar will present Course Design for Well-Being: A Students' Bill of Rights. Professor Pintar worked with undergraduate students to identify course design elements that they experience as inclusive (or excluding), fair (or unfair), effective (or frustrating), as well as those which produce feelings of confidence (or anxiety), agency (or powerlessness), engagement (or boredom), and resilience (or failure). The resulting Students' Bill of Rights is a meta-rubric intended to increase awareness of the connection between course design and student well-being, and to begin to outline a UX framework for designing fair and inclusive courses. Register here for this online presentation from 12-1pm on Zoom.


The Stage Simulator
The Stage Simulator
Stage is part of the Player/Stage software package developed at the University of Southern California Robotics Research Lab and HRL Labs. Player is a device server that can be used to control robots just like Pyro. Stage is a multi-robot simulator that provides facilities for creating your own environments for experimenting with robots.
In this section, we will present the core features of Stage that you will need for building simulated worlds for your Pyro robot experiments. For more information on Player/Stage visit [WWW]their web site. There is extensive documentation available for Stage. You can find it either at the Player/Stage web site, or look in the doc folder of your Player/Stage installation on your computer.
The Stage User Interface
The window below shows an example of a Stage simulated environment.
It contains several colored boxes as well as a pioneer-style robot.
In the Stage window, you can pan and zoom the world as well as manipulate entities by using your mouse. You can click your mouse buttons on the background or on the entities. The following table summarizes various mouse click bindings and actions:
Clicks on the background
Left-click and drag pans the window
Right-click and drag toward the center of the window zooms in
Right-click and drag the mouse away from the center zooms out
Clicks on entities
Left-click and drag moves the entity
Right-click and drag rotates the entity
Additionally, when you move your mouse over an active entity, like a robot, you will also get a visualization of all the enabled sensors of the entity.
Stage Entities
Every Stage world is made up of entities which can be active or passive. Passive entities are also called objects in Stage parlance. Active entities are also called devices. Objects, or passive entities, are things like models and bitmaps. Bitmaps are used to define fixed obstacles that can represent building floor plans, walls, boulders, etc. and are loaded from a PNM bitmap file. PNM is a portable any map file format. Models can be any size and can also be used to represent obstacles as well as robot enclosures. For example, if you create a large models and then place a robot inside it, the walls of the model will become the boundary for the robot. If you placed smaller models inside the larger model containing the robot, then those become blocks or obstacles.
The other kind of entity one can have in a Stage world are devices. For example, a robot is a device that can be positioned anywhere in the world. Other devices include things like a gripper, sonar, laser, ptz (pan-tilt-zoom camera), etc. Generally, these devices will be mounted on a robot device. Stage has the capability of defining composite devices. Thus you can define a robot that has a gripper and sonars, or another one that has sonars and a PTZ camera, etc.
Robot Devices
By convention, you typically define a simulated robot for Stage worlds based on the actual robot that you have. You compose it to contain all the devices the robot carries. Then, you can create several different environments and include your robot device definition in it. For example, the Stage software includes a file named that defines a typical pioneer-style robot with 16 sonars. This robot can be used in any Stage world.
Creating a World
Once we have defined a robot, we can concentrate on creating a world for it. Because Stage is currently undergoing a major upgrade, there is still not much documentation on how to create worlds. However, we can demonstrate how the simple world shown above was created.
Creating a world in Stage involves creating two files. The first is the configuration file and always ends with a.cfg extension. For example, the file tutorial.cfg is shown below.
 name "stage"
 provides ["7000:simulation:0"]
 plugin "libstageplugin"
 worldfile ""
 name "stage"
 provides ["position:0" "sonar:0"]
 model "Pioneer"
Next you must define the world file, which has a.world extension. This defines all the entities that will appear in the world. Each world file typically has the following:
 A specification of units.
 A specification of the Stage GUI window and the coordinate system.
 A list of all passive entities and their attributes.
 A list of all robots and their attributes.
The tutorial world shown above is 5 meters wide and 5 meters high. It contains a blue rectangle, two green rectangles, and a red pioneer robot.
All commands that specify entities in Stage worlds have the following syntax:
 ( ... )
Where is the name of the entity, and that is followed by a list of attribute value pairs enclosed by parenthesis. You can format the command on a single line or multiple lines. Attributes for entities depend on the kind of entity. A rectangle (called a model), may have a color, a position and an orientation.
Specifying Units and Resolution
 unit_length "m"
The above command is the proper syntax for specifying units for length. We have set it to meters. This is also the default in case you do not specify any units. However, we recommend you do this. This specification should also be consistent with your robot definition, so you should be careful and fix this once and for all. You can use meters (m), centimeters (cm), or millimeters (mm) for units of length and degrees or radians for specifying angles.
The GUI Window and the Coordinate System
You have to specify the size of the GUI window in pixels as well as the center point and scale.
 size [540.000 580.000]
 center [0.000 0.000]
 scale 0.01 # 1 pixel = 0.01 meters
Since our world will be 5x5 meters, at 0.01 meters/pixel, we will need at least 500 pixels for the GUI window. We generally pad this so that the window borders are also included. The center of the window will be considered the origin.
Specifying Passive Entities
In the world that we are building there are several objects. First there is the outer box which encloses the environment. This can be defined as follows.
 size [5.0 5.0]
 color "white"
 pose [0.000 0.000 0.000]
In the above definition, the box is 5x5 meters, thus defining the world boundary. It is colored white, and its position is defined by three numbers which specify the x and y coordinates of the center of the box and its orientation (in degrees). Thus the box is centered at the point (0.0, 0.0 ) and its orientation is 0 (0 degrees lies along the positive x-axis).
Next there are a series of inner boxes which represent obstacles. They can be defined as follows.
 size [1.0 1.0]
 color "blue"
 pose [-2.000 2.000 0.000]
 size [0.1 2.5]
 color "green"
 pose [0.000 -1.250 0.000]
 size [0.1 1.4]
 color "green"
 pose [0.650 0.000 90.000]
Specifying a robot
We will use the definition of a pioneer robot:
 color "red"
 name "Pioneer"
 port 6665
 pose [-2.000 0.000 90.000]
The port attribute is very important. This is the port number that the driver program will use to connect to the robot and control it.
Copy the following files from $PYROBOT/plugins/worlds/Stage/ to your home directory:
Modify the world above so that the robot is pointing west when the world is loaded into Stage. In order to get Pyro to load your version of the world, be sure to press the "Home" button when the list of worlds appears.
Try modifying some other attributes of the robot (like its color). Then, create a red diamond-shaped box (a box oriented 45 degrees) as an obstacle in the environment. Move your mouse on the robot and notice its sensors. Move the robot near the obstacle and try the same thing. How would you create walls in this environment?
Now would be a good time to look at the other world files provided there. This should give you a good idea of some other features of Stage. Remember to browse the Stage Manual for more information on Stage.
Next: The Gazebo Simulator Up: Robot Simulators


Facts about Portland's Historic Mausoleum
Nine Interesting Facts about Portland's Historic Mausoleum
In Architecture, History, Portland, Stained Glass
There are many surprising and interesting things to learn about The Portland Mausoleum and its rich history. and carefully preserved architecture and elegance. Here are ten we think you should know:
Facts about Portland's Historic Mausoleum
 1. This historic building is the oldest crematory west of the Mississippi, having been established in 1901.
 2. The building consists of 8 floors, 3 elevators, and over 7 miles of indoor corridors.
 3. Most of the stained glass art in the many skylights and windows were designed, constructed and installed by the Povey brothers, A. A. Gerlich, and Louis C. Tiffany.
 4. The Povey brothers are entombed at the Mausoleum.
 5. Most of the marble statuary in the mausoleum was hand-carved from Carrara marble at the Taverlli Studios in Italy, then shipped to Oregon.
 6. The Mausoleum houses one of three exact re-creations of Michelangelo's famous Pietà. Weighing close to 7,000 lbs, the replica was carved by Taverelli Studios in 1969 using marble from the same Italian quarry where Michelangelo carved the original Pietà in 1499.
 7. Because of its unique construction of steel, granite, and concrete, the Portland Memorial Mausoleum was designated as a bomb shelter during WWII.
 8. Today, there are approximately 95,000 memorials incorporated within the building spread out over 4 acres. It would require approximately 75 acres to accomplish this in a traditional cemetery.
Wilhelm's Portland Memorial Funeral Home, Mausoleum, and Crematory is located at 6705 SE 14th Avenue in Portland, Oregon.


text:
The First People
MN Historical Society
The first people to occupy the lands now designated as Voyageurs National Park arrived nearly 10,000 years ago during the Paleo-Indian Period.
Groups entered the area as the waters of glacial Lake Agassiz receded. This ancient lake once covered 110,000 square miles of Minnesota, North Dakota, Manitoba, Ontario and Saskatchewan in Canada.
During the Archaic Period (8,000 B.C. - 100 B.C.) people followed a mobile, hunting and gathering lifestyle. Fishing was a major source of food, although the gathering of plants continued to be important as well.
During the Woodland Period (100 A.D.- 900 A.D.) people increased their use of the wild rice that is native to this area. They began to use ceramics to fashion small, side-notched triangular projectile points.
Over 220 pre-contact archeological sites have been documented within the park, including sites that are now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Please remember while exploring the park that all archeological and historic resources are protected by law. Do not destroy or collect any items that you find; instead enjoy looking at the items and leave them where you found them.
Did You Know?
You can make a voyageur trinket, stamp a track or try on voyageurs clothing at a children's corner in a park visitor center.


text:
A Swimming Snail
Sea butterflies (also called pteropods) are sea snails aptly named: they are shelled marine snails, each with a foot like a wing, that swim in the water column like butterflies. This one, Atlanta peronii, is very small: the biggest specimen on record was less than half an inch (11 millimeters) long! They are completely transparent, so you can see all their organs, and have shiny black eyes.
This A. peronii was observed in the Sargasso Sea by the Census of Marine Zooplankton.
See more photos of cool zooplankton collected by the researchers in this zooplankton biodiversity slideshow.


What about import duties? /
Each country has an import free threshold. This threshold varies per country. If your purchase amount exceeds this threshold, you will be required to declare your goods and pay import duties upon arrival in your country of destination. The thresholds of most countries can be found at customs-guidelines-for-travel.
Declaring goods is a responsibility each traveler has, whether the VAT is claimed back or not. Once you leave the EU, it is up to customs in your home country to check if travelers declare their goods.
In the Netherlands you are allowed to import new goods with a total purchase amount of € 430,00 or less per person, duty-free. This means that if the total value of goods exceeds € 430,00, import duties will be charged by customs upon arrival (and after you declare the goods). Import duties differ per country.


text:
We investigate the long-term impact of early exposure to Berlusconi's commercial TV network, Mediaset, on voting behavior and civic engagement in Italy. To do so, we exploit differences in Mediaset signal reception across Italian municipalities due to the network's staggered introduction over the national territory and to idiosyncratic geomorphological factors. We find that municipalities exposed to Mediaset prior to 1985 exhibit greater electoral support for Berlusconi's party in 1994, when he first ran for office, relative to municipalities that were exposed only later on. This difference, estimated between 1 and 2 percentage points, is extremely robust and tends to persist in the following four elections. This effect can hardly be attributed to differential exposure to partisan news bias since, prior to 1985, content on Mediaset channels was dominated by light-entertainment programs and no news programs were broadcast until 1991, by which time the network was accessible to the entire population. Instead, we present evidence that early exposure to commercial TV was associated with a substantial decline in social capital consistent with the diffusion of a culture of individualism and civic disengagement that favored the political success of Berlusconi.
That is from the paper: "Voting Alone? The Political and Cultural Consequences of Commercial TV" by


text:
Selection of the initial geometrical imperfection in nonlinear FE analysis of cold-formed steel rack columns
Rights accessRestricted access - publisher's policy
This paper presents three methodologies to predict the load carrying capacity of cold formed steel rack columns via nonlinear finite element analysis (FEA). The column lengths are chosen in the range where the main failure is due to distortional buckling. It is demonstrated that for this range, to derive an accurate prediction of the ultimate load is more complex than for lengths where the main failure is local or global. The nonlinear analysis is carried out introducing an initial geometric imperfection on the upright. The three methodologies presented here allow for different imperfection shapes. The first one uses the critical mode shape (the first buckling mode). The second corresponds to an iterative methodology in which the shape that leads to the lowest ultimate load is used. These two first methodologies use exclusively the finite element method (FEM). The third one combines the finite element analysis with the generalised beam theory (GBT) in order to determine the modal participation of the FEM buckling mode and generate a particular combined geometric imperfection. To validate the predicted loads, the results of the three methodologies are compared with values obtained in experimental tests.
CitationBonada, J. [et al.]. Selection of the initial geometrical imperfection in nonlinear FE analysis of cold-formed steel rack columns. "Thin-walled structures", 05 Novembre 2011, vol. 51, núm. Febrer 2012, p. 99-111.


text:
How to Pick a Fragrance For Every Season
Each season has its own feelings and emotions, and with them go different scents. While springtime is a time of rebirth, with flower blossoms and warming light, the summer season is warm and filled with flowers and green plants. Fall is more saturated, with deeper colors and scents of musk and patchouli. Winter's cold whiteness is reflected in scents of citrus, vanilla and spice. Here are some helpful tips for choosing a fragrance for each of the four seasons.
Spring is a time of new beginnings, with the ground beginning to warm, and flower blossoms and tree buds beginning to form. Suddenly, the earth is green again, and colors begin to appear in outdoor gardens. For springtime, choose a fragrance that reflects this new awakening and feelings of joy, such as those that include notes of lily of the valley, peonies and violets.
During the long, warm days of summer, many people find themselves spending more time outdoors, celebrating holidays or just spending time with family. Choose a summer fragrance that mimics the happy, sweet, and sexy feelings of the summertime. Scents that contain sweet summer florals, such as roses and orange blossoms, mixed with fresh fruit scents like raspberry and peach can be a delightful summer fragrance. In addition, a tropical fragrance with notes of honeysuckle, island flowers, and sea salt can also be a pleasant reminder of sun-soaked days spent on the beach or vacation.
As the leaves begin to change colors and fall from the trees, the landscape turns deeper and more saturated with colors of deep reds, oranges, and browns. Fall is the time for deep, saturated and seductive fragrances, such as those containing spicy and musky notes. Look for a fragrance that contains hints of sandalwood, musk, amber, and jasmine.
Citrus and other fruity scents reflect the winter season and the holidays it brings, such as Christmas and Passover. Select a fragrance that is reminiscent of these holiday scents, such as pomegranate and vanilla bean, lemon, or orange. Spicy scents can be overpowering during the warm months but bring a warmth to the crisp winter air. Try a scent with notes of spicy cinnamon or cardamom. As the seasons change, select a fragrance that accompanies each one's attributes.
There are no reviews yet.


text:
Empowering Curious Researchers
At the Vienna Biocenter (VBC), we want to foster a world-class scientific environment where PhD students develop and excel. The purpose of the VBC PhD Program is to train rigorous, independent scientists through a comprehensive training program.
The VBC PhD program encourages students to positively contribute to the advancement of science by making and publishing important scientific discoveries. The training program will allow students to acquire scientific skills, which are important for a career in science, but also for other career paths.
By the end of their PhD training VBC PhD students should be able to
- Understand a scientific problem, define specific questions, and by scientific reasoning develop an (experimental) approach to address it. In particular, the following scientific practices should have been acquired:
- to independently and critically evaluate the current state of a research field regarding the chosen scientific problem and approach
- to formulate testable hypotheses
- to design experiments to test hypotheses, to define a realistic time plan for them, and to define their logical outcomes
- to plan and implement projects rigorously, and be able to revise them when necessary
- to interpret experimental outcomes and to reach sound conclusions based on the results
- to propose an follow up experiments
- Have demonstrated the ability to be intellectually independent and to take project ownership
- Be critical thinkers and proficient in scientific reasoning
- Be experts with regard to their topic, and knowledgeable in science and the scientific method in general
- Have advanced science communication skills in
- Writing (for publications/fellowships and grant applications)
- Presenting to specialised and interdisciplinary audiences
Fundamental requirements to achieving these goals are:
- willingness and capability to learn and/or expand technical skills
- proficiency in keeping thorough research records
- practicing high standards of professionalism and collegiality
- cultivating professional networks and collaborations
Ultimately it is the responsibility of all participants in the VBC PhD Program to foster and promote the development of the PhD candidates.
There are three main levels, in which the parties involved have important roles and responsibilities.
(i) Student self-assessment:
The student is responsible to check his/her progress, to take the initiative, and to look for support in order to reach the learning outcomes
The supervisor has to evaluate the student's progress and provide the necessary mentoring and support for the student to reach the above learning outcomes and the agreed scientific goals
(iii) Thesis Advisory Committee:
The TAC is responsible for monitoring the student's progress and giving external advice and support to the student and supervisor.
Checklist for Progress Review
- VBCPhD ProgressReview.pdfPDF, 78 K


[Back to Home Page]
Black DTMF Decoding Algorithm
Decoding DTMF tones on the minimum PIC hardware - a new algorithm.
Roman Black - 5th March 2011.
Note!! This page is about decoding DTMF. If instead you want to generate DTMF I have a nice sinewave DTMF generator algorithm in C code you can see here.
DTMF is Dual Tone Multi Frequency, (or "Touchtone") these are the sounds made by telephones to dial a number. Each DTMF sound is made by two frequencies which are mixed together.
Standard DTMF encoding
DTMF decoding normally uses a specialty IC that receives the DTMF waveform and "decodes" it to one of the 16 possible outputs, usually as a 4bit binary output. These IC's are hard to get for hobby and project use, and can be expensive in small quantities, and require extra components including a 3.79MHz xtal.
DTMF decoding can be done in software on a high power microcontroller or DSP micro using FFT (Fast Fourier Transform).
DTMF decoding can be done reasonably well in software using mid power micros using a modified Goertzel's algorithm or a similar form of DFT (Direct Fourier Transform) but this still requires a decent amount of processing power, ROM for the sin/cos tables and the process is complex and not very versatile.
My DTMF decoding algorithm
I decided to try a totally different approach. Rather than use a math system like Goertzel or DFT and then try to squeeze it into a tiny low-cost PIC, I would start with the small PIC then try different techniques which are each optimised for the strengths of the small PIC and hopefully combine the techniques to work synergistically to get a "good enough" finished result that will decode DTMF reasonably reliably with simple and tunable code.
Capitalising on the strengths of a small PIC meant starting with the things it could do well;
1. Internal comparator; good zero-crossing detection
2. Since the PIC has a xtal; accurate period measurement
And well, that's about it. :)
I made up some standard DTMF waveforms in a spreadsheet program, and analysed the waveforms. These waveforms have zero "twist" which means the high DTMF tone and the low DTMF tone have the same amplitude. This is a reasonable enough representation of the received DTMF tone from a telephone line. The minimal hardware dictated that the DTMF waveform would simply be AC coupled to the PIC comparator input pin through a capacitor, to make a zero crossing detector. This produces a simple ON-OFF signal or "1 bit DAC".
If this was going to be possible using period measurement I needed a way to reduce the period triggering to the most secure parts of the waveform, which was done creating the "HI-LO debounce system" that is very good at removing zero-cross noise and high frequency mis-triggering and produces reliable periods, synchronised to the DTMF waveform.
The HI-LO debounce system detects the more reliable parts of the DTMF wave, the major peaks and troughs. This is done by cyclic testing using a debounce feature;
1. Wait until it detects a 220uS period that is at least 90% high (sampled every 5 uS)
2. Grab the timer value (used to capture a period)
3. Wait until it detects a 220uS period that is at least 90% low (sampled every 5 uS)
4. (repeat)
As you can see above, this seems to work quite well in theory, it eliminates the noise and high frequencies and zero-cross fluff very well, and seems to capture the major periods fairly reliably. It also reduces the need for external hardware as it provides a significant filtering effect by software alone.
This debounce feature works synergistically to be more than just a period measurement, because it is only triggered on a certain characteristics of the DTMF waveform it perfoms a crude pattern recogniton too, as you can see it triggers only in response to certain major peaks. This will be very useful later.
Another benefit of this system is that unlike Goertzel or DFT this is not limited to any specific frequency, so the same hardware and code can just as easily detect the dial tone, ring tone, or ringback tones etc, and can detect a single tone if needed or dual tones, all of which may be of benefit in a PIC telephone application.
Analysing the periods - ideas?
Since these periods looked reliable (in theory) and are closely correlated to the frequencies of the 2 sinewaves in the DTMF waveform, the next step was to see if a small PIC could somehow analyse the periods to deduce the DTMF tones.
Fortunately these periods are fairly long, from 800 to 1600 uS (a synergistic benefit of the HI-LO debounce system) so there is plenty of time even on a small PIC to do some processing or testing between each period capture.
The obvious thing would be to test the frequency spectrum, (period spectrum?) for the most popular periods that are detected and see if these periods can be directly used to indicate the DTMF frequencies. For convenience, instead of trying to detect the 2 separate sine frequencies it would be simpler to test for a "match" to each one of the 16 DTMF combinations and it's particular signature.
The DTMF _PHONE_ example from above produces a lot of periods of about 1155 uS and some periods of about 788 uS, and not much of anything else. In fact there are about 5 of the longer periods for every 2 of the shorter periods. So for 50 periods tested, the spectrum analyser should look something like this;
Testing it in real world hardware
First I made a spectrum analyser, this was actually easier than it sounds. I used my trusty MikroElektronika SmartGLCD and wrote some code so it can capture periods on the PIC comparator input using the zero-cross HI-LO debounce system I designed above. This enabled testing of the actual comparator system as well as just being a period spectrum analyser.
I simplified the HI-LO debounce by just checking for 200uS continuous HI and 200uS continuous LO to trigger each cycle. The DTMF was generated by another PIC using my PIC dual sine accurate DTMF generator (see link at page top). The systems were linked by a 3k trimpot to adjust the DTMF waveform amplitude and a 0.1uF AC coupling cap. A very crude and simple hardware setup.
The software is quite simple; it measures 50 consecutive "debounced" periods, records them as 50 entries in ram, and then draws them on a bar chart where each period is drawn as 1 pixel high on the bar. Only 128 bars were used, keeping it simple as this will be ported to a small PIC 12F or 16F later.
I really didn't expect this good a result, but it worked perfectly. :)
Using the simplest period measurement possible, the PIC TMR0 was set to 16uS per timer tick. So the period of 72 shown above = 72 x 16uS = 1152uS. On the right of the bargraph is shown the 6 most common periods, ranked vertically.
It matches the expected result very well, although each period may be +/- 1 count because of the crude resolution used to measure period. (In reality it tested significantly better than +/- 1 count). The most common period was detected as period 72 and 73, with a total number of samples of 27+8 = 35 samples. The next period was detected as 49 and 50 with total samples of 10+3 = 13. Then there are a couple of defective samples, due to noise etc.
This result almost perfectly matches the math model generated in the spreadsheet as the original concept waveform! That predicted 36 and 14 samples for the two main frequencies, the actual hardware produced 35 and 13.
I set the spectrum analyser to continuously log and display, and turned the DTMF waveform amplitude up and down. The result was always good, with DTMF waveforms ranging from 2.6v p/p (the max) down to about 0.4v p/p and all amplitudes gave a very similar result on the spectrum analyser. This was excellent!
Can this simple period data decode the DTMF?
The periods shown below are from my testing in hardware. A period of 100 = 1600uS. Percentages are approximate but seemed reasonably reliable over many sample iterations and different DTMF waveform amplitudes. I have guesstimated fractional periods based on the appearance of the spectrum analyser bars. The time taken to get 50 period samples is somewhere in the 40 to 70 mS range.
DTMF pair per1 % per2 %
_PHONE_ 98 56 66 30
_PHONE_ 63.3 46 94 44
_PHONE_ 60.7 65 90.4 35
_PHONE_ 58.1 70 86.5 26
_PHONE_ 92 74 62 5?
_PHONE_ 88.7 66 60 26
_PHONE_ 85 52


Take the 2-minute tour ×
As I know, there is no difference in meaning between the following two sentences.
 1. It is not important for you to eat good food.
 2. It is not important that you eat good food.
But I believe that there is a little difference between the two sentences at least because the letters in them are different.
Does anybody know the difference?
share|improve this question
It's more than the letters that's different. Do some research online and tell us what fun you had. Homework is a must. – Kris May 30 '13 at 6:11
I just want to remind OP in your about-me: "I am a English teacher in Korea..." As an English teacher, maybe, you'd better be more careful of grammar than other people. – Stan May 30 '13 at 13:21
2 Answers 2
The first sentence specifically implies that eating good food is not important for you. This means there is someone for whom it is important that you eat food. That "someone" might be the person who is telling you this thing.
In the second sentence the specific reference is not provided to whom it is not important that you eat good food i.e. it simply means that it is for sure not important to anyone that you eat good food. Consider this sentence-It is important that we have better medical facilities in our country. This means it is important for all and not specifically for anyone.
share|improve this answer
Out of context the sentences can mean the same but are partially ambiguous. Do you currently eat good food or not? This is not clear. But whichever is true, eating good food is unimportant.
However, only the second sentence allows a second interpretation, namely:
 - You currently eat good food, but the fact that you do is unimportant.
A statement with this meaning might continue:
 - It is not important that you eat good food; it is important you were born of the right parents.
share|improve this answer
Your Answer


text:
Nalini Nadkarni: The tree-climbing scientist who brings plants to prison
Scientist teaches inmates about conservation, sustainability
Nalini Nadkarni is a pioneer in tree canopy research and co-founder of the Sustainability in Prisons Project, which aims to teach inmates about ecology.
Why you've heard of her: You probably haven't. Unless you're a tree-climbing scientist or an inmate in Washington state (more on that soon). Oh - or you may have seen "Heroes of the High Frontiers," an Emmy-winning National Geographic film. She's in that. Or maybe you were one of the lucky few to get your hands on the "Tree Top Barbie Doll" she developed.
Why she matters: She helps bring science to the masses. Not only is she conducting groundbreaking research from the mysterious and under-researched tops of 200-foot-tall trees, she also has made it her mission to share her wisdom about science and nature with everyday people. One stark example: In 2002, she helped launch Washington's Sustainability in Prisons Project, a collaboration between the state department of corrections and The Evergreen State College. Scientists visit prisons and teach inmates about conservation, sustainability, and enlist them in research projects like raising prairie plants and rearing endangered butterflies. Nadkarni is working to develop a similar prison program with the Utah Department of Corrections.
Why she thinks prisoners need to know about plants: "I think prisoners, as all of us, need to learn about sustainability because it's about being mindful of one's life, about being mindful of limited resources, and of taking action and participating in conserving those," she said. "And I think in the case of many people, and especially many inmates who have acted irresponsibly in one way or another, a lot of that has been about lack of mindfulness, about not knowing what the consequences of one's actions... And so, by offering the opportunity to prisoners to say, you know, you need to hoe this garden, you need to water it carefully, you need to watch out for the bugs that are going to be attacking the things that you are growing and tending, well, that gives them a sense of responsibility. It might give some skills when they get back out."
What she does when she's not in prison: As director of the Center for Science and Mathematics Education at the University of Utah, she started a "Sports and Science" program, enlisting university athletes to show kids they don't have to choose between biology and ball. Nadkarni is also working to bring science projects to assisted living homes and to refugee kids in after-school programs.
On her wide-ranging impact: Nadkarni's Sustainability in Prisons Project is currently in all twelve Washington state prisons with about 500 inmates participating in research and conservation programs such as composting, gardening, recycling and beekeeping. The composting and recycling activities have saved one prison about $180,000 dollars a year, according to its superintendent.
Oh, she's a dancer, too: Nalini double majored in biology and modern dance and was torn between the two. While she was working as an apprentice at a field station in Papa New Guinea she realized nature was her true love, and by becoming a biologist she'd have more to contribute.
And she was in Playboy: It's not quite what you're thinking, though. Nalini was clothed. She made a 2010 Playboy list of the most interesting and imaginative college professors in the United States.
On the first tree she climbed: A self-described "HinJew," Nadkarni was one of five kids raised by a Hindu father and an Orthodox Jewish mother. Whenever she felt overwhelmed and needed refuge from her chaotic household, she'd climb a nearby maple tree.
Why she's so dedicated to her work: "I have felt this increasing sense of urgency to inspire more students to get the word out, to get more funding to somehow mobilize people and myself and my colleagues to understand what's up here, to document what's up here (in the forest canopy) because we're losing it. I feel like I just can't stop (working). I can't stop. I have to work harder to make new programs, to reach new audiences, and ultimately have every single person in the world connected to nature in a way that they will take better care of it."
Copyright 2012 by CNN NewSource. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


text:
infused with essential oils or natural scents like lavender or chamomile.
How to Use Heated Eye Masks
Using heated eye masks is simple and straightforward. Follow these steps to make the most of your relaxation experience:
1. Start by carefully reading the manufacturer's instructions for your specific heated eye mask.
2. If you have an electrically heated eye mask, ensure it is fully charged or the batteries are inserted correctly. If you have a microwavable mask, heat it according to the provided instructions.
3. Gently place the mask over your closed eyes, ensuring it covers the entire eye area.
4. Relax in a comfortable position and enjoy the soothing warmth for the recommended duration, usually around 10 to 20 minutes.
5. After use, remove the mask and store it in a clean and dry place.
Precautions and Safety Tips
While heated eye masks are generally safe to use, it's important to keep the following precautions in mind:
1. Follow the manufacturer's instructions regarding heating duration and temperature to avoid overheating or burning.
2. Check the mask's temperature before applying it to your eyes to ensure it's comfortable and not too hot.
3. Do not use heated eye masks if you have an eye infection, injury, or any other eye-related condition without consulting a healthcare professional.
4. Avoid falling asleep while wearing a heated eye mask to prevent any potential hazards.
Heated eye masks have revolutionized the way we relax and care for our eyes. With their gentle warmth and therapeutic benefits, these masks provide a much-needed respite from our busy lives. Whether you're seeking relief from eye strain, relaxation after a long day, or a better night's sleep, heated eye masks can be your go-to solution. Remember to choose the right mask for your needs, follow the usage guidelines, and prioritize safety. So, give your eyes the relaxation they deserve and indulge in the soothing warmth of heated eye masks.
Heated Eye Masks FAQs
Q. Can heated eye masks help with migraines or headaches?
A. Heated eye masks may provide temporary relief for headaches or migraines associated with eye strain or tension. However, if you suffer from chronic migraines or severe headaches, it's best to consult a healthcare professional for appropriate treatment.
Q. How often can I use a heated eye mask?
A. You can use a heated eye mask as often as needed. However, it's recommended to limit usage to once or twice a day for around 10 to 20 minutes each time.
Q. Can I wash a heated eye mask?
A. This depends on the specific heated eye mask. Some masks come with removable and washable covers, while others may require spot cleaning. Refer to the manufacturer's instructions for proper cleaning methods.
Q. Can heated eye masks be used with contact lenses?
A. It's generally safe to use heated eye masks while wearing contact lenses. However, to ensure comfort and prevent any potential damage to the lenses, it's advisable to consult your eye care professional for personalized guidance.


Code of Virginia
Code of Virginia
Title 18.2. Crimes and Offenses Generally
Chapter 9. Crimes Against Peace and Order
§ 18.2-406. What constitutes an unlawful assembly; punishment.
Whenever three or more persons assembled share the common intent to advance some lawful or unlawful purpose by the commission of an act or acts of unlawful force or violence likely to jeopardize seriously public safety, peace or order, and the assembly actually tends to inspire persons of ordinary courage with well-grounded fear of serious and immediate breaches of public safety, peace or order, then such assembly is an unlawful assembly. Every person who participates in any unlawful assembly shall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. If any such person carried, at the time of his participation in an unlawful assembly, any firearm or other deadly or dangerous weapon, he shall be guilty of a Class 5 felony.
Code 1950, §§ 18.1-254.1, 18.1-254.3; 1968, c. 460; 1971, Ex. Sess., c. 251; 1975, cc. 14, 15.


text:
Indian and Himalayan Art
Herukas and Classes of SpiritsMade in Tibet, Asia
Nyingma, c. 19th century
Artist/maker unknown, Tibetan
Colors on cloth; cloth mountings
Currently not on view
1958-164-1Gift of Stella Kramrisch, 1958
LabelThe term "Heruka"--like its etymological cousin "Herculean"--denotes a type of deity. In a Buddhist context, a Heruka is a heroic, wrathful form adopted by a deity to assist devotees in breaking through ignorance. The monk portraits at the top of this painting represent individuals who promoted teachings about, and worship of, the central deity, whose peaceful form is Vajradhara (seen kissing his consort in the top center). The wild figures surrounding the central couple represent entire classes of spirits associated with mortal and spiritual dangers-such as epilepsy, cannibalism, and delusion-that can be controlled through proper worship of the appropriate Heruka.


text:
"golden thread moss"–family Ditrichaceae
How to recognize golden thread moss: Ditrichum pallidum is a densely tufted cushion moss with 3-5 mm lanceolate leaves, that are narrowly ovate at their base. These leaves have a long excurrent costa that forms a subula. There are no differentiated alar cells from the rectangular cells found in the leaf. The plants have male and female organs on the same plant so capsules are common; the sprorophytes are strikingly tall with bright yellow seta, and the sporangia (capsules) are narrowly cylindrical. The spores are 16-29 microns and densely papillose. The peristome teeth are often divided to their base; Dicranella peristome teeth are divided only halfway down.
Where to find golden thread moss: Ditrichum pallidum grows on the ground in dry wooded areas. It is fairly common across Ohio.


text:
|Sir William Russell-Flint's 'Song of Solomon' 1909|
It is important to know that this is just the first chapter and that the 'voice' of the poem switches from person to person. Biblical scholars argue whether or not this was written by Solomon or for him. Here are just a few of the references that have been made:
- Stephen 'Tin Tin' Duffy's 1985 song Kiss Me quotes directly from the Song of Solomon.
- Toni Morrison's novel Song of Solomon was instrumental in her winning a Nobel Prize.
- Chapter 2, verse 15 (not reproduced here) provided the title for Lillian Hellman's 1939 play Little Foxes.
- Also the opening line of Chapter 2 provides the name 'Rose of Sharon' used by Steinbeck in The Grapes of Wrath.
- Countless number of (mostly obscure) rock groups have taken their names and song titles from Song of Solomon.
- One of Kate Bush's song from The Red Shoes is Song of Solomon
- In his poem When I Hear You Sing, Leonard Cohen refers to the Song of Solomon.
- Many writers and composers through history have taken inspiration from this work. They include Geoffrey Chaucer, JS Bach and up to Steeleye Span and Neil Diamond (in Holly Holy).


25 U.S. Code § 283 - Regulations for withholding rations for nonattendance at schools
The amount and value of subsistence so withheld shall be credited to the tribe or tribes from whom the same is withheld, to be issued and paid when in the judgment of the Secretary of the Interior they shall have fully complied with such regulations. The Secretary of the Interior may in his discretion withhold rations, clothing and other annuities from Indian parents or guardians who refuse or neglect to send and keep their children of proper school age in some school a reasonable portion of the year.
(Mar. 3, 1893, ch. 209, § 1,27 Stat. 628, 635.)
25 CFR - Indians


text:
If you've never heard of cubic Hamiltonian graphs before then take a look at Christopher Manning's wonderful cubic Hamiltonian graph builder. No, really, do! We too had never heard of them and now we think they are the bee's knees!
But what is a cubic Hamiltonian graph, you ask? A graph, of course, is just a bunch of points (vertices) connected by lines (edges). A cubic graph is a graph where every vertex has 3 edges – that is, each vertex is connected to exactly three others in the graph. And a Hamiltonian graph is a graph which has a closed loop of edges (a cycle) that visits each vertex in the graph once and only once, (this is called a Hamiltonian cycle). So a cubic Hamiltonian graph is a graph where each vertex is joined to exactly three others and the graph has a cycle visiting each vertex exactly once.
What has made us so excited about cubic Hamiltonian graphs is watching Manning's cubic Hamiltonian graph builder in action. The builder starts from the Hamiltonian cycle in the graph. This loop of edges accounts for two out of the three edges for every vertex in the graph. The builder then starts adding in the third edge for each vertex, knitting the graph together before your eyes. The creation of a torus is particularly beautiful to watch.
Manning uses something called the LCF notation to build the graphs. This ingenious notation succinctly describes the structure of cubic Hamiltonian graphs by describing how you add the extra edge to each vertex by counting backwards or forwards around the Hamiltonian cycle. For example our torus has the LCF notation 150. This means that every vertex is joined to another 10 edges along the cycle, and this process is repeated 150 times, once for each vertex, to complete the graph. (The 1st vertex is joined to the 11th, the 2nd to the 12th, the 3rd to the 13th, and so on...)
A graph represented by the LCF notation [10,7,4,-4,-7,10,-4,7,-7,4]2 starts with a cycle of 20 vertices – inside the square brackets is a list of instructions for 10 edges, and these are repeated twice, giving the total number of extra edges, and therefore vertices, as 20. In this graph the 1st vertex is joined to the 11th (a distance of 10 edges), the 2nd to the 9th (a distance of 7), the 3rd to the 7th (a distance of 4), the 4th to the 20th (a distance of -4, or counting backwards 4 edges), the 5th to the 18th (distance of -7), and so on. This graph is knitted into a dodecahedron.
Watching Manning's program knit together these graphs is beautiful to watch. But this mathematics has many important uses as well. Not only are Hamiltonian cycles important mathematically, they also have many useful applications. You can read more about graphs on Plus, and about the role Hamiltonian cycles play in bell ringing and DNA analysis. And you can read more about Christopher Manning's work on his blog.


Expiration Dates and Your Juices
July 06, 2017
Expiration Dates and Your Juices
Expiration dates are a part of our daily lives. When we shop at a grocery store, we check the dates on milk cartons to help determine if we can drink all the milk before it goes bad. We also know that milk can sometimes outlast the expiration dates that are printed on the carton. If our milk is sitting in the refrigerator, a couple days past due, but smells normal, we wouldn't hesitate to keep drinking until we are out, or it starts to go sour.
And that's all the dates really are, just guidelines for when the food may expire. The FDA doesn't mandate an expiration date on food goods:
As a best practice, these dates helps consumers understand how fresh a product is. Generally, the fresher the food product, the better the quality. While these concepts generally hold true for food products, e-liquids have a shelf life that depend on a number of variables.
Flavorings sourced from natural sources will have a shorter life span than artificial ones. Some components, like PG, VG, or Nicotine may be cheaper and will start to degrade quicker than more expensive ingredients.
Most manufacturers on MVG will recommend juices be consumed within a year of bottling. What happens when we go beyond that year? Probably not much, but just like milk, there are a few things to consider:
 - How does the juice look?
 - How does the juice smell?
 - Finally, how does it taste?
Take a look at your juice. Does it look clear and free of particles? Smell your juice. Does it smell similar to when you first bought it? (flavor changes may occur due to steeping). How does it taste? Vape a small sample and see if it's worth keeping or dumping.
Our advice is to listen to your senses. While some articles state that nicotine and flavorings actually start to degrade after two years (not one), it is better to go with your gut. If the juice makes you feel uncomfortable, dump it and get a fresh bottle. If it seems okay, then it probably is. Use your best judgement and vape on.
Leave a comment


text:
Which bring me to another question: Are there any airplane manufacturers making a three engine aircraft? If not - Why? Are there disadvantages that aren't appreciated in today's market?
Why did Airbus, for example, put 4 engines on their 340 instead of three? Matter of fact, why didn't they build a three engine aircraft and call IT
2 engines = A320; 3 engines = A330; 4 engines = A340. Then, you have a your variants within each family


Books tagged: long barrow
Found 2 results
Wayland's Smithy
Ten thousand year old boats found on Britain's hillsides
Price: Free! Words: 4,040. Language: English. Published: July 1, 2014. Category: Nonfiction » History » History of things
On the hillsides of Britain are chalk and stone remnants of monuments that are between five and ten thousand years old. These monuments are curious for they are long and thin in shape, surrounded by moats and our ancestors placed their dead inside for their last journey - the problem is these symbolic images were built thousands years before ships were supposedly invented.


text:
Introduction to MPLS LDP Graceful Restart
MPLS LDP graceful restart preserves data plane forwarding along LDP LSPs in the presence of temporary LDP control plane disruption. The disruption might be an LDP control plane restart caused by a supervisor switchover or process restart or a TCP or UDP event that disrupts control plane communication between two LDP control planes, even if neither restarts.
The following example describes how MPLS LDP graceful restart operates in the presence of an LDP control plane restart. Note that this interaction has two different roles: the router with the restarting LDP control plane and the neighbor router that detects a loss and recovery of its LDP session to the restarting router. Each carries out MPLS LDP graceful restart procedures appropriate to its role.
The topology shown in Figure 10-1 has the following elements:
All three routers are running MPLS LDP, all with graceful restart enabled.
An LDP session exists between R2 and R1, and another LDP session exists between R2 and R3.
LDP LSPs have been established, including LSPs that connect R1 and R3 and are carrying data traffic. In a network with more routers, multiple LSPs might traverse R1-R2-R3 in both directions.
Figure 10-1 Example of a Network Using LDP Graceful Restart
The following sequence shows how the three routers cooperate to provide NSF and avoid a disruption to data traffic:
1. At session establishment, each router reports to its neighbors that it supports graceful restart. Each session endpoint knows that both ends of the session support graceful restart.
2. R2 begins a supervisor switchover. R2's LDP control plane and all of its LDP TCP connections and LDP UDP hello adjacencies stop operating. R2's data plane marks all of its label entries as stale but continues to use those entries for forwarding MPLS data traffic.
3. R1 notices a loss of communication with R2. (In this sequence, R3 performs the same actions as R1.) R1 marks all of its label bindings from R2 as stale but continues to use those entries for forwarding data traffic.
4. R1 and R2 reestablish an LDP session. On R1, entering the
show mpls ldp neighbor graceful-restart
command displays information about the recovering session.
5. R2 reacquires its local label binding information. R2's data plane typically provides R2's control plane with the same local label for each prefix that was used prior to the restart.
6. Both routers readvertise their label binding information. If R1 relearns a label from R2, R1 marks the binding as no longer stale. If R2 learns a label from R1 and submits that label to its data plane, the data plane marks the entry as no longer stale.
7. After a certain amount of time has passed, R1's LDP control plane cleans up all entries that are still marked as stale. Similarly, R2's data plane removes all entries that are still marked as stale.
Typically, if no other network disruption occurs during this graceful restart operation, all bindings are relearned from the neighbor with the same label values as before the session restart. In this scenario, all saved bindings are marked as not stale during recovery, and no entries need to be cleaned up.
Another scenario of interest is a TCP or UDP communication failure without an LDP control plane restart. In this case, the two LDP control planes at either end of the session detect the communication failure. Each LDP control plane applies the same procedures as R1 used above, and NSF is achieved. R1 carries out the same MPLS LDP graceful restart procedures whether the communication failure with R2 was caused by a restart of R2's control plane or by a networking issue without a restart of R2's control plane.
You can set various timers to limit how long the routers wait for an LDP session to be reestablished before restarting the router.
What Happens if a Router Does Not Have MPLS LDP Graceful Restart Enabled
When a router that does not support MPLS LDP graceful restart undergoes a control plane restart, its data plane MPLS forwarding entries are freed.
A neighbor of such a router, detecting a loss of communication, frees all bindings from the restarting router. This behavior occurs whether the neighbor supports MPLS LDP graceful restart or not. A neighbor that supports MPLS LDP graceful restart learns at session establishment that the restarting router is not supporting MPLS LDP graceful restart. The neighbor does not run graceful restart procedures when detecting a loss of communication to the restarting router.
The cleanup actions of both the restarting router and its neighbor cause any data traffic on the old LSPs to be dropped until recovery activities have addressed the situation. Recovery activities include traffic reroute or the reestablishment of MPLS LDP LSPs or both.
How a Router Advertises that it Supports MPLS LDP Graceful Restart
A router that supports MPLS LDP graceful restart announces its capabilities to its neighbors in the fault tolerant (FT) type-length-value (TLV) in the LDP initialization message. The router sends the LDP initialization message to a neighbor as part of establishing an LDP session.
The FT session TLV includes the following information:
The Learn from Network (L) flag is set to 1, which indicates that the router is configured to perform MPLS LDP graceful restart.
The Reconnect Timeout field shows the time (in milliseconds) that the neighbor should wait for a reconnection if the LDP session is lost. If the timer is set to 0 and the local router fails, its peers do not wait for it to recover.
The Recovery Time field shows the time (in milliseconds) that the neighbor should retain the MPLS forwarding state during a recovery currently in progress. For example, if a neighbor restarted and did not preserve the MPLS forwarding state across the restart, the neighbor should set its recovery time to 0.
Note The reconnect time applies to the next communication loss while the recovery time applies to the recovery from the preceding communication loss.


text:
Recent UK studies advise of strong health risks when using Titanium Dioxide (TiO2) in nanoparticle form in powdered mineral makeup. These inhaled TiO2 nanoparticles coming in contact with living tissue have a similar effect as asbestos and could cause lung cancer.
However, TiO2 is safe when contained in cream form as it cannot then become airborne. This is typically the case in sun screens. In cream form, TiO2 stays on the upper layers of the skin and does not come in contact with living tissue.
Titanium Dioxide is often used in cream form in products to provide all-natural mineral-based sun protection. It is not used in powered form. TiO2 particles in products are a larger size (not a nanoparticle) and is additionally coated with stearic acid to further prevent interaction with living tissue.
An excellent study was published in the Journal of Nanobiotechnology: Nanoparticles - known and unknown health risks


text:
"Hand claps are a relatively primitive conveyor of sonic information, yet they are widely applied for different purposes."
though they may be, given just a simple audio recording of a single
handclap, is it possible to determine the hand-configuration of the
clapper via a computer-assisted digital analysis of the sound?
Researchers Antti Jylhä and Cumhur Erkut at the Laboratory of Acoustics and Audio Signal Processing, Helsinki University of Technology, TKK, Espoo, Finland reveal that, yes, it is.
Their paper: INFERRING THE HAND CONFIGURATION FROM HAND CLAPPING SOUNDS (published in Proc. of the 11th Int. Conference on Digital Audio Effects (DAFx-08), Espoo, Finland, September 1-4, 2008) describes their experiments in detail.
Using a combination of FFT filtering and the Steiglitz-McBride algorithm on 40 recordings of claps (two clappers, 20 claps each), the team have discovered eight distinct classes of clap. Named as: P1, P2, P3, A1, A2, A3, A1+ and A1- The results showing too that "… it is possible to make inference of the hand configuration of a clapper given the resulting sound."
The paper also points to the possibility of more-advanced clap analysis techniques that may be of interest to security researchers – but which could perhaps be of concern to privacy-rights groups. Clapper Recognition. In the future, might it be possible to electronically identify the clap-signature of a particular individual embedded within a crowd of clappers? "The results also suggest that the claps of individual clappers may incorporate systematic differences from other people's claps …" say the research team.
SOFTWARE: The Helsinki University
of Technology Laboratory of Acoustics and Audio Signal Processing has
created a software package called ClaPD – one of the very few,
perhaps the only, cross-platform freeware fake-applause generation
A video describing the software can be viewed (and heard) here (.wmv format). And ClaPD can be downloaded here: (Windows, Linux and OSX 10.5)


text:
Researchers at the Alaska Volcano Observatory say that Mount Redoubt may erupt within days.
The mountain, which lies about 100 miles to the southwest across the Cook Inlet from Anchorage last erupted in 1989. That event, according to the Anchorage Daily News, "disrupted international air traffic and coated Anchorage in a thin layer of volcanic dust."
It is quite unlikely that this eruption will really affect us here in Portland, but if you - like many Oregonians - have friends or family in Alaska, please pass on these volcano safety tips.
And it's never a bad time for us Oregonians to brush up on our safety knowledge since we have dozens of volcanoes along our beautiful Cascade Range.


text:
Sask Sport Resource Line
The Sask Sport Resource Line provides free, confidential and anonymous assistance to calls, texts or emails inquiries regarding possible bullying, abuse, harassment or discrimination in sport.
Kids Help Phone
If you, or a child you know needs help, the KIDS HELP PHONE (_PHONE_) is Canada's only national 24-hour bilingual and anonymous phone counselling, web counselling and referral service for children and youth.
Concussion Awareness and Prevention Tools
Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Allies
Commit to Kids
The Commit to Kids program helps child-serving organizations reduce the risk of sexual abuse and create safer environments for children in their care.


_USER_{NBERw18259, title = "The Anatomy of French Production Hierarchies", author = "Lorenzo Caliendo and Ferdinando Monte and Esteban Rossi-Hansberg", institution = "National Bureau of Economic Research", type = "Working Paper", series = "Working Paper Series", number = "18259", year = "2012", month = "July", doi = {10.3386/w18259}, URL = "_URL_ abstract = {We use a comprehensive dataset of French manufacturing firms to study their internal organization. We first divide the employees of each firm into 'layers' using occupational categories. Layers are hierarchical in that the typical worker in a higher layer earns more, and the typical firm occupies less of them. In addition, the probability of adding (dropping) a layer is very positively (negatively) correlated with value added. We then explore the changes in the wages and number of employees that accompany expansions in layers, output, or markets (by becoming exporters). The empirical results indicate that reorganization, through changes in layers, is key to understand how firms expand and contract. For example, we find that firms that expand substantially add layers and pay lower average wages in all pre-existing layers. In contrast, firms that expand little and do not reorganize pay higher average wages in all pre-existing layers.}, }


text:
Date: Around 1993
What is the strongest geometric shape when it comes to bridges?
Now you are getting into the kind of specificity that is
necessary. Woods greatest strength is against compression along the growth
axis. The way trees grow is the best evidence for this fact. So the
strongest figure out of wood would be one which carries most of the load as
compression and not bending of the members and is stable. Anything built out
of triangles would be able to transfer a force in almost direction into forces
along the sides without collapsing the figure. Some other kind of material
might indicate a different kind of figure.


- Emily Jacobs
 - Emily Jacobs
 - Emily Jacobs
 - Emily Jacobs
Is there anything better than a crunchy, salty potato chip?
Created in 1853 in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., potato chips were originally meant to be a prank in response to a surly customer complaining about his potato fries being "too thick," but their thin, crisp qualities turned out to be something very different than a joke. "Saratoga chips" instantly became a hit, and their popularity traveled from upstate New York to all around the country. By the 1920s they had become a well-known and popular snack, and potato chip manufacturing companies starting popping up everywhere in the culinary industry.
On March 14, America celebrates potato chips and all of their glory through National Potato Chip Day. The widely distributed chip is one of America's favorite snacks, and with so many brands and varieties available, potato chips continue to be one of the most popular food items that you can buy. And while you can walk into any convenience store, gas station, or supermarket and pick up a bag, the Cook editors here believe that there's nothing more gratifying than making your own at home.
While potato chips seem like a simple fry-job, they're actually quite a complex kitchen project. The potato is a mysterious creature, made up of starches and carbohydrates that make the alchemy of cooking one a tricky task. While something like mashing boiled potatoes can be an easy feat, frying them sliced and getting the perfect consistency and just the right balance of oil is something that can only be done with the knowledge and understanding of a potato.
To help us discover how to make the perfect potato chip, we turned to molecular gastronomy guru Dave Arnold to help us develop a recipe. As the director of culinary technology at the International Culinary Center, Arnold leads the way in developing groundbreaking technologies and techniques in the world of cooking. The award-winning food writer and culinary science-whiz took some time out of his busy schedule to discuss the genetics of a potato with us to help us achieve creating the ultimate potato chip, and it all came down to water and sugar.
"[The main goal of making a potato chip is] getting all of the water out of it so that it becomes crispy but at the same time mains its structure," he explained. He added that, along with the structure, the color of your potato chip is important, and this is highly affected by the amount of sugar found in potatoes.
With these two things in mind, Arnold let us in on a few secrets for how to cook a potato chip perfectly and maintain its perfect brown-blonde exterior. While the structure of a potato chip is complex, the recipe is simple, and as long as you keep the underlying principles that Arnold explains to us in mind, you'll get a perfect potato chip, every time.
 - 1. Keep It Thin
 Emily Jacobs
 The most important part about a potato chip, and one reason why it became such a popular hit in 1853, was because it was thin and crisp. To get the perfect consistency, it's recommended to slice your potato 1/8 of an inch thick. This can easily be done using a mandoline, but if you don't have one on hand, there's never a bad time to polish up on your knife skills.
 - 2. Soak 'Em
 Emily Jacobs
 This is where we go back to all of that sugar talk. The best way to get rid of a potato's residual sugar and wash off its starch is to give it a nice cold water bath. Soaking the potatoes in cold water while you're preparing the rest of the recipe is also a great way to prevent them from oxidizing, which is another type of browning that can occur with a potato.
 - 3. Dry Them Out
 Emily Jacobs
 One of the most prized features of a potato chip is its taste of oil every time you sink your teeth into one, Arnold tells us. The science behind a perfect chip is a potato rid of all of its water, so that it can absorb the oil instead. Before you even start to fry them, make sure to dry them out as much as possible. The best way to do this is to lay them out in one layer on a kitchen towel and roll it up to squeeze out the excess moisture.
 - 4. Take It Slow
 Emily Jacobs
 The best piece of advice Arnold gave us is to gradually bring your oil up to temperature — with the potato slices in it. He adds his potato slices to the oil when it's at a cool 200 degrees, and then brings the oil up to frying temperature (350 degrees) to let them fry. The reason behind this is because by frying the potatoes at a low temperature, you're essentially boiling the potato slices and allowing the water to exit so the oil can enter.
 See all the steps to a perfect potato chip at The Daily Meal
 More from The Daily Meal
 7 Things You Didn't Know You Could Make With Potato Chips
 How to Make a Better Meatball
 15 Best Cooking Apps for Your Smartphone
 8 Foods That Are Worth Buying Frozen


New Voices For The 4J School Board
Kudos to Eugene Weekly for having two stories in the March 18 edition on the 4J school board races. As we recover from the pandemic it will be critical that the board includes new voices and perspectives.
Two highly qualified women of color are running for the two open seats on the board. Maya Rabasa is a parent, long time volunteer in the schools and a member of the district's budget committee. Laural O'Rourke went through the system as a student and is now a parent of children who are in the 4J schools. Through their own experiences they can bring a perspective to the board that is invaluable at a time when our schools are going through great demographic changes.
In the third race, Tom Di Liberto, a retired 4J classroom teacher, is running against an incumbent. It would be incredible to have a teacher with 31 years of experience on the school board that has not had a teacher on it in decades. Yes, decades! Tom would bring a classroom perspective to the board which is sorely absent now. He is also bilingual and would greatly increase the communication with the Latinx community.
His classroom experience can highlight the effects of out of control standardized testing that is taking valuable time from teaching and has narrowed the curriculum to tested subjects at the expense of art, music, social studies etc.
Three new diverse voices on the board would be a huge plus for our students and our community.
Pete Mandrapa
Retired 4J teacher


Babblers are a miniature subspecies of Kharaa, and the smallest ones so far known. They're brought out by Gorges in the form of eggs, so it's unknown what their adult form looks like, or if this is their adult stage. As they have a very unable metabolism, Babblers can only survive up to five minutes at most.
Babblers are naturally sociable and curious creatures, willing to follow their "parent" Gorge wherever it goes, though they still have an instinctual predatory desire as with all other Kharaa. Babbler's are especially fond of "Babbler Bait" - a type of object Gorges evolved to better control and direct them.


text:
Public Health Emergency - Leading a Nation Prepared
For the Healthcare Coalition to be immediately available to conduct response actions in a no-notice, sudden onset emergency, two functions must be continuously operational even during times of non-response: 1) the ability to rapidly receive information and notify Coalition members of an emergency, and 2) a decision-making process to determine whether additional Healthcare Coalition actions are necessary.
The manner in which these functions are addressed may vary from one Coalition to another. What does not vary is the need for a continuous baseline capability to conduct these two functions so they are operational at the outset of any incident. The authors of this handbook propose two entities to help the Coalition maintain readiness for immediate response: Healthcare Coalition Notification Center and Healthcare Coalition Duty Officer. These functions constitute the baseline operations of the Healthcare Coalition and may be conducted at minimal expense and burden to the Coalition.
The Healthcare Coalition Notification Center provides notifications (both initial and ongoing) to Coalition member organizations regarding an emergency. It may also notify Jurisdictional Agencies (Tier 3) about a developing situation within a healthcare organization. The information that prompts notifications may originate within the healthcare community, public sector authorities, or other sources (e.g., the media). The Notification Center's roles and responsibilities include:
To accomplish these roles, the following requirements are proposed for the Healthcare Coalition Notification Center:
The authors use the word "center" to emphasize that this should be a physical location with the ability to perform these critical functions. At the same time, the Healthcare Coalition Notification Center typically should not be an expensive, stand-alone facility dedicated only to this purpose. To promote cost-effectiveness, the Healthcare Coalition Notification Center may best be collocated at an already continuously staffed facility that can meet the information and communications requirements noted above. For example, a private ambulance dispatch center has been successfully used for this purpose in several Coalitions. Healthcare facilities that operate as the regional hospital resource have also performed this function. Alternatively, Coalitions may use an established public sector resource, such as a municipal communications center, for this function; however, the Coalition must be able to access these systems when needed and not just when the public sector has declared an emergency.
An alternate Coalition Notification Center should be identified so these functions can be maintained if the primary center is affected by a hazard impact or if the center's other responsibilities during a disaster prevent it from performing Coalition activities. Backup centers must be able to perform the same functions as the primary center. To maintain this backup capability, the alternate site may intermittently assume the role of the primary Notification Center during baseline operations.
This position operates the Coalition Notification Center and monitors baseline information 24/7 for any health-related anomalies that might signal the need for a response by the Healthcare Coalition. The Coalition may establish protocols to help the technician identify incident parameters that require immediate notification to Coalition member organizations and the Coalition's Duty Officer. When initial incident information does not clearly indicate the need for a notification, the technician contacts the Coalition's Duty Officer (see below) to further discuss whether a notification is required. These procedures are described in greater detail in Chapter 3.
Personnel serving as the Coalition Notification Center Technician should have the following qualifications:
The technician position must be staffed 24/7; however, it may be performed by a trained and qualified professional whose primary job is private sector EMS dispatch, poison center operations, or other position that is always immediately available. It is important to identify a backup for this position so notifications to the Coalition can be maintained despite a surge in other duties.
This on-call position must be available for initial consultation to the Notification Center Technician, to Coalition members, and to jurisdictional authorities (Tier 3) as the representative of the Healthcare Coalition. The Duty Officer serves as the Coalition's liaison to Jurisdictional Agencies during the initial stages of an incident and may contact Jurisdictional Agencies to obtain relevant information about an incident to share with the Coalition member organizations.
Potential responsibilities of the Duty Officer include:
Personnel staffing the Healthcare Coalition Duty Officer position should have the following qualifications:
<< Previous - Return to Top - Next >>
Home | Contact Us | Accessibility | Privacy Policies | Disclaimer | HHS Viewers & Players | HHS Plain Language
Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR), 200 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20201
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services | USA.gov |
HealthCare.gov in Other Languages


text:
Learn from a professional native Italian instructor in Worcester
Whether it's to enrich your travel experiences or to communicate with your in-laws, you can learn a new language and culture in a fun, small-group setting.
- Knowledgeable native Italian instructor.
- Small class sizes in a spacious classroom.
- Adult and children's classes available.
- 10-week courses from beginner to advanced levels.
- Meets weekly (see schedule).