text:
In Preston v. Marathon Oil Co., the Federal Circuit examined the terms of an employment agreement in order to determine the owner of the patents at issue. Although aspects of the agreement were interpreted under state (Wyoming) law, the decision may be relevant to many employment agreements.
Timeline Of Activities
March 2001: Preston was hired as an at-will employee
April 2001: Preston signed the Employment Agreement at issue
Fall 2002: Preston prepared drawings of the "Baffle System"
February 2003: Preston's Baffle System was installed in three Marathon Oil wells
February 2003: Marathon Oil began its patenting process for the Baffle System
April 2003: Preston left Marathon Oil
June 5, 2003: Preston filed his own patent application to the Baffle System (U.S. Patent 6,959,764)
June 14, 2003: Marathon Oil filed its patent application to the Baffle System (U.S. Patent 7,207,385)
The Employment Agreement
The Federal Circuit decision sets forth the following portions of the Employment Agreement:
* * * *
(d) "Intellectual Property" means all inventions, discoveries, developments, writings, computer programs and related documentation, designs, ideas, and any other work product made or conceived by EMPLOYEE during the term of employment with MARATHON which (1) relate to the present or reasonably anticipated business of the MARATHON GROUP, or (2) were made or created with the use of Confidential Information or any equipment, supplies, or facilities of the MARATHON GROUP. Such property made or conceived by EMPLOYEE (or for which EMPLOYEE files a patent or copyright application) within one year after termination of employment with MARATHON will be presumed to have been made or conceived during such employment.
* * * *
3. Disclosure and Assignment of Intellectual Property.
EMPLOYEE agrees to promptly disclose to MARATHON and does hereby assign to MARATHON all Intellectual Property, and EMPLOYEE agrees to execute such other documents as MARATHON may request in order to effectuate such assignment.
4. Previous Inventions and Writings.
Below is a list and brief description of all of EMPLOYEE'S unpatented inventions and unpublished writings. MARATHON agrees that such inventions and writings are NOT Intellectual Property and are NOT the property of MARATHON hereunder. If no listing is made, EMPLOYEE has no such inventions or properties.
[Here, Preston had written:] CH4 Resonating Manifold
Both the district court and the Federal Circuit interpreted the agreement in accordance with state law, but primarily followed the Wyoming state law principal that, "[i]f an agreement is in writing and the language is clear and unambiguous, the intention is to be secured from the words of the agreement."
The Disputed Issues
Preston made the following arguments which were decided against him:
- the Employment Agreement was void for lack of consideration
The Federal Circuit certified this issue to the Wyoming Supreme Court, which explained that continued employment of an at-will employee is sufficient consideration to support an intellectual property assignment agreement.
- the Baffle System did not fall under the Agreement because he had conceived of it before he became employed by Marathon Oil
The Federal Circuit gave deference to the district court's findings that Preston had at most conceived of the invention prior to employment, but had not "made" it until he was working for Marathon Oil.
- the Baffle System was excluded from the Employment Agreement as the "CH4 Resonating Manifold"
The Federal Circuit found that the evidence did not show that Preston was "in possession of an excludable invention" before he was employed by Marathon Oil.
"made or conceived"
The district court determined that, as used in the Employment Agreement, "invention" requires "both conception and reduction to practice." While the Federal Circuit noted that this finding was based in part "on an incorrect interpretation of patent law as requiring both conception and reduction to practice for 'invention,'" it upheld the district court's interpretation of the agreement. The Federal Circuit focused on the "made or conceived" language, and stated:
if Preston's invention was not both made and conceived prior to his employment, it constitutes "Intellectual Property" under Paragraph 1 of the April Employee Agreement.
Because the evidence showed that Preston had not "made" the invention until "after his employment with Marathon began," the Baffle System was Intellectual Property encompassed by the Employment Agreement.
"does hereby assign"
The district court determined that Preston had breached the Employment Agreement by not assigning his patent rights to Marathon Oil. The Federal Circuit vacated that judgment sua sponte, because the Employment Agreement effected an "automatic assignment" of rights.
While much of this decision turned on the specific facts of the case, there are some broader lessons for employment agreements generally. It is a basic principle of U.S. patent law that rights to an invention vest initially in the inventor(s). Thus, it can be very important to have employment agreements in place that address intellectual property rights. In this regard, a number of Federal Circuit decisions indicate that it may be important to use "does hereby assign" (or other present tense language), rather than "agrees to assign" (or other future tense language. (For more on the potential impact of these choices, see this article about the Supreme Court decision in Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University v. Roche Molecular Systems, Inc.). The Federal Circuit's interpretation of the "made or conceived" language also may impact other agreements. Although the court was applying state law to interpret the Employment Agreement, because it primarily was interpreting the plain language at issue, it is likely that it would reach a similar interpretation of similar language in a similar agreement under a different state's law. Accordingly, employers may want to review their own employment agreements and consider whether the language used is appropriate to protect their interests.


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Guarantee their effective operation.
Ensure the safety of the premises and monitor the equipment, so that maintenance teams can intervene as a preventive measure and not as a curative measure.
A telecom operator must monitor buildings with GSM 3 and 4G antennas (BTS – base stations).
- Check the operation of the air conditioning units. A failure of these systems during severe heat would lead to the shutdown of GSM systems and the loss of the Telecom network for subscribers,
- Monitor the energy consumption of telecom equipment,
- Detect any breakdowns in real time,
- Ensure their proper functioning without the need for regular visits from technicians,
- Control access to these areas.
Maintaining an optimal operating temperature range
Maintain infrastructure equipment within a constant temperature range
Detect a ventilation problem in the area
- Optimal working conditions
- Reduce energy costs
- Reduce maintenance costs
- Customer satisfaction
Detect equipment defects and intrusion alarms
- Detect equipment default and minimize the impact of possible failures
- Avoid accidents due to unauthorized presence
- Optimization of intervention and recovery time in case of failure
- Reduce maintenance costs
- Limitation of the risks of theft or sabotage
Consumption monitoring and phase balancing
The Telecom equipment manufacturer, based on an IoT solution and therefore sensors, must ensure that they work properly and must be able to act remotely on the sensors, in order to ensure the continuity of service of its offer and its supervision.
To do this, it uses the KARE platform.
KARE allows Telecom company teams to remotely control the proper functioning of the sensors and configure products, in order to modify their operating criteria (example: alert trigger threshold).
Real-time monitoring and preventive troubleshooting
Reduced operating costs: travel to the right place at the right time
Strengthened commitment of the company to its customers

source: openbmb/Ultra-FineWeb


text:
Think of those Russian Matryoshka dolls or a set of Chinese nesting boxes. The big doll contains all of the other little dolls; the big box holds all the little boxes.
That's exactly what a frame story does in terms of narrative structure. It's the big overarching story that contains all of the little stories within it. It provides the background story that gives the real story an excuse to be told.
Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein is famously structured through a frame story, as are Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales.

source: HuggingFaceFW/fineweb-edu


A customer maintained a database which recorded information per user. The information in the database is keyed by the user's SID. This works out great most of the time, but there are cases in which a user's SID can change.
"Wait, I thought SIDs don't change."
While it's true that SIDs don't change, it is also true that the SID associated with a user can change. Since SIDs encode the domain to which they belong, a user which moves from one domain to another within an organization, will need to be assigned a new SID.
But wait, does that mean that the user lost access to all their stuff? After all, all their stuff was marked "Owned by X\UserName" but the user's SID is now Y\UserName.
No, the user doesn't lose access to their stuff thanks to SID history, and if you move users around a lot, the SID history can get quite large.
A token for a user contains not only their current identity but also all of their earlier identities. That is what permits Y\UserName to continue to access things that was marked "Owned by X\UserName": The token for Y\UserName includes an entry that says, "Oh, I used to be X\UserName."
The customer's database can take advantage of the SID history to match up users with their former selves. Our customer was lucky in that their database recorded only users who had logged into the local machine, so that list is typically pretty small. The simplest solution for this particular customer is just to go through all the users in the database, and for each one, see if the current user has that database user in their SID history. And the easy way to do that is to make the security system do the work for you: To see if the current user has user X in their SID history, create a security descriptor that grants access only to user X, then call AccessCheck to see if the current user can access it. If so, then that means that the current user was at one point in the past known as X.
(If you have a large database where iterating over all users is impractical, you can ask for the current user's SID-History attribute and walk through the previous identities manually.)


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Is the Ciliospinal reflex sympathetic or parasympathetic? In the absence of anesthesia, this response has been called the ciliospinal reflex and is primarily mediated by the sympathetic nervous system in both humans [1,2]and cats.
What type of reflex is the ciliospinal reflex? The ciliospinal reflex is pupillary dilation in response to noxious stimuli, such as pinching, to the face, neck, or upper trunk.. Pathway: The trigeminal nerve or cervical pain fibers, which are part of the lateral spinothalamic tract, carry the afferent inputs of the ciliospinal reflex.
Is pupillary reflex sympathetic or parasympathetic? The physiology behind a "normal" pupillary constriction is a balance between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. Parasympathetic innervation leads to pupillary constriction. A circular muscle called the sphincter pupillae accomplishes this task.
How does ciliospinal reflex happen? The ciliospinal reflex (pupillary-skin reflex) consists of dilation of the ipsilateral pupil in response to pain applied to the neck, face, and upper trunk. If the right side of the neck is subjected to a painful stimulus, the right pupil dilates (increases in size 1-2mm from baseline).
Is the Ciliospinal reflex sympathetic or parasympathetic? – Related Questions
What type of reflex is the knee-jerk?
Doctors will test reflexes by tapping the tendon just below the knee, and this causes the leg to kick out. This knee-jerk reflex is an example of a simple monosynaptic reflex.
When the light reflex is taken as a positive?
When light is shone into only one eye and not the other, it is normal for both pupils to constrict simultaneously. The terms direct and consensual refers to the side where the light source comes from, relative to the side of the reacting pupil.
Is the Babinski reflex somatic?
Somatic reflex categories include motor reflex actions, movements, patterns, and schemes. Examples: Foot grasp reflex and Babinski reflex. Motor Reflex Patterns. Involve a combination of muscle groups and are considered inter-limb reflex patterns.
What is the difference between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems?
The sympathetic nervous system is involved in preparing the body for stress-related activities; the parasympathetic nervous system is associated with returning the body to routine, day-to-day operations. The two systems have complementary functions, operating in tandem to maintain the body's homeostasis.
What does an absence of a reflex indicate?
When reflex responses are absent this could be a clue that the spinal cord, nerve root, peripheral nerve, or muscle has been damaged. When reflex response is abnormal, it may be due to the disruption of the sensory (feeling) or motor (movement) nerves or both.
Is increased salivation sympathetic or parasympathetic?
Overall, increased parasympathetic stimulation results in an increased flow of saliva that is more watery in composition. Fig 2 – Path of parasympathetic fibres to the parotid gland.
Is Breathing sympathetic or parasympathetic?
Breathing deeply, with a slow and steady inhalation to exhalation ratio, signals our parasympathetic nervous system to calm the body down. Long, deep breaths can also manage our stress responses to help decrease anxiety, fear, racing thoughts, a rapid heartbeat and shallow chest breathing.
Is the heart sympathetic or parasympathetic?
Heart rate is controlled by the two branches of the autonomic (involuntary) nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS). The sympathetic nervous system (SNS) releases the hormones (catecholamines – epinephrine and norepinephrine) to accelerate the heart rate.
What is loss of Ciliospinal reflex?
Patients may have a loss of the ciliospinal reflex (ie, afferent C2, C3), in which the pupil fails to dilate when the skin on back of the neck is pinched. If a patient has a lesion in the area of the common carotid artery, loss of sweating involves the entire side of the face.
Is knee jerk a spinal reflex?
The patellar reflex or knee-jerk (in American English knee reflex) is a stretch reflex which tests the L2, L3, and L4 segments of the spinal cord.
What causes doll's eye reflex?
The doll's eyes reflex, or oculocephalic reflex, is produced by moving the patient's head left to right or up and down. When the reflex is present, the eyes of the patient remain stationary while the head is moved, thus moving in relation to the head.
What are the 4 types of reflexes?
In our discussion we will examine four major reflexes that are integrated within the spinal cord: the stretch reflex, the Golgi tendon reflex, the withdrawal reflex and the crossed extensor reflex.
What nerve causes knee jerk?
Although the knee jerk reflex is mediated by the L3 and L4 nerve roots, evidence exists that altered knee jerk expression may occur with exclusively L5 radiculopathy.
Why do both pupils constrict in response to light in one eye?
Illumination of one eye causes reflexive constriction of both pupils: via the direct and indirect pupillary light reflexes. Fibres from these nuclei travel with the oculomotor (III) nerves to innervate the ciliary ganglia, which supply the sphincter pupillae muscles (causing both pupils to constrict).
What could an abnormal pupillary reflex indicate?
Pupillary light reflex is used to assess the brain stem function. Abnormal pupillary light reflex can be found in optic nerve injury, oculomotor nerve damage, brain stem lesions, such as tumors, and medications like barbiturates.
What does Perrla stand for?
PERRLA is an acronym used to document a common pupillary response test. This test is used to check the appearance and function of your pupils. The information can help your doctor diagnose several conditions, from glaucoma to neurological diseases.
Are somatic reflexes fast or slow?
It can be slow or fast. It uses higher and lower motor neurons, is variable and not stereotyped. A somatic reflex employs a reflex arc in which signals travel along the following pathways: 1.
Is breathing a somatic reflex?
One-third of all responses coincided with the period of stimulation, i.e., breathing started and ended at or close to the onset and cessation of stimulation. These responses, which we have called "the somatic-respiratory reflex," are described in this section.
What is an example of a parasympathetic response?
Examples of parasympathetic responses
Salivation: As part of its rest-and-digest function, the PSNS stimulates production of saliva, which contains enzymes to help your food digest. Lacrimation: Lacrimation is a fancy word for making tears. Tears keep your eyes lubricated, preserving their delicate tissues.
Is sympathetic or parasympathetic faster?
The sympathetic system prepares the body for any potential danger. The parasympathetic system aims to bring the body to a state of calm. Sympathetic system has shorter neuron pathways, hence a faster response time. Has comparatively longer neuron pathways, hence a slower response time.
What is an abnormal reflex?
Definition. An abnormal response to a stimulus applied to the sensory components of the nervous system. This may take the form of increased, decreased, or absent reflexes. [ from MeSH]


User Guide
Modifier extensions is made for creation of automatic modification rules. It is based on the same group-per-interceptor principle as Tagger, so if you want to know, how to set it up, read Tagger guide.
Modify rules
Modify rules contain the modification logic like automatic replacements etc. These rules are executed on PDUs with specified tag / all PDUs if no tag is specified.
Modify rule types (Replace, Add Header,...) might be added by extensions. On the following screenshot, you can see the Replace rule configuration:


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The aim of the present study was to evaluate the level of agreement between the routinely used "multiple-load method" and a simple "two-load method" based on direct assessment of the F-V relationship from only 2 external loads applied. Twelve participants were tested on the maximum performance vertical jumps, cycling, bench press throws, and bench pull performed against a variety of different loads. All four tested tasks revealed both exceptionally strong relationships between the parameters of the 2 methods (median R = 0.98) and a lack of meaningful differences between their magnitudes (fixed bias below 3.4%). Therefore, addition of another load to the standard tests of various functional tasks typically conducted under a single set of mechanical conditions could allow for the assessment of the muscle mechanical properties, such as the muscle F, V, and P producing capacities.
Suzovic, Dejan; Zivkovic, Milena Z.; Djuric, Sasa; Cuk, Ivan; and Jaric, Slobodan
"A SIMPLE METHOD FOR ASSESSMENT OF MUSCLE MECHANICAL CAPACITIES FROM FUNCTIONAL MOVEMENT TASKS,"
ISBS Proceedings Archive: Vol. 35
, Article 112.
Available at: _URL_


A Brief History of Wood Floors
wood floor
Humans have been building homes for at least 400,000 years, but it was only in the 1600s that we got around to making floors out of wood. Prior to that, the floors of most houses were made of bare dirt or stone.
The first wood floors in Europe were simple. Just a few rough-hewn pine planks supported by joists, or even split logs set into the dirt with the cut side facing up. These early wooden floors were nothing like the elegant, polished interiors we associate with hardwood flooring today. They were unfinished, and smoothing was accomplished through years of regular foot traffic, not by sanding and polishing. Think of how many splinters you might have gotten in your feet after installing a wood floor in your home if you lived in the early 1600s!
Soon artisans began to refine wood flooring. By 1625, wealthy Europeans could pay to have intricate parquet floors installed in their homes. These floors were made by hand-cutting pieces of wood into small shapes that could be arranged together in repeating geometric patterns.
The abundance of timber in the New World made wood floors much more commonplace. But most American settlers and pioneers did not have much use for the impressive, artisan-crafted designs used in wealthy European homes. Early American plank floors were simply the most practical option in a country full of old-growth forests. The floors tended to be simple, with the boards cut at random widths and lengths and no stain or varnish applied.
The innovation of shiplap joinery made wood floors more durable and less prone to developing gaps, through which cold air, moisture, and small objects could pass.
In the 1700s, people began to apply painted designs to their wood floors. These could range in complexity from simple checkerboards to ornate vining or flowering patterns. Stain and varnish did not become common until the late 1800s.
During the Industrial Revolution, the process of making hardwood flooring became much less labor-intensive. Whereas before each plank would have to be sawn individually by no less than two men, now steam-powered lumber mills and woodworking machinery could process more boards in a day than two men could do in an hour. The technology meant wood floors could be produced more cheaply, and the finished product would be more uniform and attractive.
Still, the installation process was much more labor-intensive until the invention of the electric sander. Prior to that, floors had to be hand-scraped or have loose sand rubbed over them.
The 1940s and 50s saw a decline in the use of wood for flooring, as carpets and other flooring materials like linoleum grew in popularity. But nowadays, people are turning back to hardwood flooring for its simplicity, durability, and beauty.
Who knew the history of wood flooring could be so interesting? The history buffs at Five Step Carpet Care aren't just here to regale you with factoids, though. If you live in Western NC and are in need of professional wood floor cleaning services, give us a call at _PHONE_ or drop us a line today!


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AbstractTobacco smoking is one of the leading causes of death worldwide and, while anti-tobacco movements have implemented many policies and regulations to prevent smoking uptake, every year approximately 207,000 teenagers in the UK start smoking. Much has been written on youth smoking initiation, but examining the perspectives of young people through their Twitter persona has thus far been under-researched.
The Twitter engagement of the smoking cessation organisation The Filter Wales is used as the basis of this study. This organisation is a leading youth-focussed tobacco control initiative in Wales. Through a Twitter collection program, 4.8 million tweets from 2180 sample members were collected. Novel big data methods are combined with traditional methods such as content analysis and analysis of discourse to determine the reach of smoking cessation programs and provide a better understanding of the social meaning of smoking and its association with other health risks.
Results show that the tweets and Twitter profiles can illustrate social inequalities between sample members and that the Filter has reached their target audience. The results further illustrate that the majority of tweets concern tobacco smoking and that for young people tobacco and e-cigarettes relate to personal behaviour while marijuana and shisha are more common in a social context. Important for the Filter Wales, the knowledge of smoking (and unhealthy co-behaviours) is present, but for young people, the positive short-term effects of unhealthy behaviour outweigh the long-term gains of a healthy lifestyle.
This thesis extends the large body of work by approaching smoking from a data-driven perspective which has not been done to this extent before. This thesis demonstrates how tweets provide unadjusted perceptions of smoking and uniquely shows how these young people can be better understood in their smoking habit.
|Date of Award||Jan 2018|
|Supervisor||Liz Twigg (Supervisor) & Carol Ekinsmyth (Supervisor)|


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We describe the setup of testing regions for the China Earthquake Forecast Testing Center and provide preliminary forecast results in the scope of the Collaboratory for the Study of Earthquake Predictability (CSEP) project. We investigate the spatiotemporal variations of the completeness magnitude Mc by using the frequency‐magnitude distribution of the China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC) catalog. We find three periods of significantly different Mc histories: (I) 1 January 1970–30 September 2001, (II) 1 October 2001–30 September 2008, and (III) 1 October 2008–31 August 2011. Mc mapping provides median values, 2.2, and 1.6 for the three periods of time, respectively, showing the improvement in catalog completeness over time. We recommend using data from periods II and III to define a baseline long enough for retrospective forecast testing. Small magnitude events from period I should be used with caution due to important fluctuations in completeness. For period III, coordinates of all national and regional seismic stations are available, and we therefore apply the Bayesian magnitude of completeness (BMC) technique, mapping Mc continuously by using prior information on the relationship between Mc and the density of seismic stations. We define four potential testing/collection areas for CSEP‐China: (A) All China, (B) North–South Seismic Belt (NSSB), (C) North and West Xinjiang Seismic Region, and (D) North China Seismic Region. In the current phase of CSEP‐China, only the NSSB (region B) is considered. To demonstrate the type of earthquake predictability experiment that will be performed in the Chinese Testing Center, we present a series of retrospective forecast experiments with TripleS, a smoothed seismicity model.
Online Material: The CENC earthquake catalog (1 January 1970–31 August 2011, restricted to magnitudes M≥3.0) as well as completeness magnitude Mc(x,y) spatial grids.


ONE of Wales' most prominent buildings was bathed in blue light last night in support of an anti-bullying campaign.
The National Museum Wales in Cardiff, above, was floodlit to mark the Welsh Assembly Government's Respecting Others Week.
As part of the campaign, many children throughout Wales wore blue T-shirts to school, so the Assembly decided to light one of the nation's iconic buildings in the same colour.
The National Museum was chosen as it's one of the country's most recognisable buildings and is in a busy area.
"The Assembly Government wants to get the message across that when others stand by and do nothing, it actually encourages bullying tactics," said Minister for Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills, Jane Davidson.
"We want to get straight to the point to change behaviour, so that from now on, people will step forward, have a mutual respect for each other and help tackle bullying together."


.. _videoInputPSNRMSSIM: Video Input with OpenCV and similarity measurement ************************************************** Goal ==== Today it is common to have a digital video recording system at your disposal. Therefore, you will eventually come to the situation that you no longer process a batch of images, but video streams. These may be of two kinds: real-time image feed (in the case of a webcam) or prerecorded and hard disk drive stored files. Luckily OpenCV threats these two in the same manner, with the same C++ class. So here's what you'll learn in this tutorial:.. container:: enumeratevisibleitemswithsquare + How to open and read video streams + Two ways for checking image similarity: PSNR and SSIM The source code =============== As a test case where to show off these using OpenCV I've created a small program that reads in two video files and performs a similarity check between them. This is something you could use to check just how well a new video compressing algorithms works. Let there be a reference (original) video like :download:'this small Megamind clip <../../../../samples/cpp/tutorial_code/HighGUI/video-input-psnr-ssim/video/Megamind.avi>' and :download:'a compressed version of it <../../../../samples/cpp/tutorial_code/HighGUI/video-input-psnr-ssim/video/Megamind_bugy.avi>'. You may also find the source code and these video file in the :file:'samples/cpp/tutorial_code/HighGUI/video-input-psnr-ssim/' folder of the OpenCV source library... literalinclude::../../../../samples/cpp/tutorial_code/HighGUI/video-input-psnr-ssim/video-input-psnr-ssim.cpp :language: cpp :linenos: :tab-width: 4 :lines: 1-14, 28-29, 31-205 How to read a video stream (online-camera or offline-file)? =========================================================== Essentially, all the functionalities required for video manipulation is integrated in the :hgvideo:'VideoCapture ' C++ class. This on itself builds on the FFmpeg open source library. This is a basic dependency of OpenCV so you shouldn't need to worry about this. A video is composed of a succession of images, we refer to these in the literature as frames. In case of a video file there is a *frame rate* specifying just how long is between two frames. While for the video cameras usually there is a limit of just how many frames they can digitalize per second, this property is less important as at any time the camera sees the current snapshot of the world. The first task you need to do is to assign to a :hgvideo:'VideoCapture ' class its source. You can do this either via the :hgvideo:'constructor ' or its :hgvideo:'open ' function. If this argument is an integer then you will bind the class to a camera, a device. The number passed here is the ID of the device, assigned by the operating system. If you have a single camera attached to your system its ID will probably be zero and further ones increasing from there. If the parameter passed to these is a string it will refer to a video file, and the string points to the location and name of the file. For example, to the upper source code a valid command line is:.. code-block:: bash video/Megamind.avi video/Megamind_bug.avi 35 10 We do a similarity check. This requires a reference and a test case video file. The first two arguments refer to this. Here we use a relative address. This means that the application will look into its current working directory and open the video folder and try to find inside this the *Megamind.avi* and the *Megamind_bug.avi*... code-block:: cpp const string sourceReference = argv[1],sourceCompareWith = argv[2]; VideoCapture captRefrnc(sourceReference); // or VideoCapture captUndTst; captUndTst.open(sourceCompareWith); To check if the binding of the class to a video source was successful or not use the :hgvideo:'isOpened ' function:.. code-block:: cpp if (!captRefrnc.isOpened()) { cout << "Could not open reference " << sourceReference << endl; return -1; } Closing the video is automatic when the objects destructor is called. However, if you want to close it before this you need to call its :hgvideo:'release ' function. The frames of the video are just simple images. Therefore, we just need to extract them from the :hgvideo:'VideoCapture ' object and put them inside a *Mat* one. The video streams are sequential. You may get the frames one after another by the :hgvideo:'read ' or the overloaded >> operator:.. code-block:: cpp Mat frameReference, frameUnderTest; captRefrnc >> frameReference; captUndTst.open(frameUnderTest); The upper read operations will leave empty the *Mat* objects if no frame could be acquired (either cause the video stream was closed or you got to the end of the video file). We can check this with a simple if:.. code-block:: cpp if( frameReference.empty() || frameUnderTest.empty()) { // exit the program } A read method is made of a frame grab and a decoding applied on that. You may call explicitly these two by using the :hgvideo:'grab ' and then the :hgvideo:'retrieve ' functions. Videos have many-many information attached to them besides the content of the frames. These are usually numbers, however in some case it may be short character sequences (4 bytes or less). Due to this to acquire these information there is a general function named :hgvideo:'get ' that returns double values containing these properties. Use bitwise operations to decode the characters from a double type and conversions where valid values are only integers. Its single argument is the ID of the queried property. For example, here we get the size of the frames in the reference and test case video file; plus the number of frames inside the reference... code-block:: cpp Size refS = Size((int) captRefrnc.get(CV_CAP_PROP_FRAME_WIDTH), (int) captRefrnc.get(CV_CAP_PROP_FRAME_HEIGHT)), cout << "Reference frame resolution: Width=" << refS.width << " Height=" << refS.height << " of nr#: " << captRefrnc.get(CV_CAP_PROP_FRAME_COUNT) << endl; When you are working with videos you may often want to control these values yourself. To do this there is a :hgvideo:'set ' function. Its first argument remains the name of the property you want to change and there is a second of double type containing the value to be set. It will return true if it succeeds and false otherwise. Good examples for this is seeking in a video file to a given time or frame:.. code-block:: cpp captRefrnc.set(CV_CAP_PROP_POS_MSEC, 1.2); // go to the 1.2 second in the video captRefrnc.set(CV_CAP_PROP_POS_FRAMES, 10); // go to the 10th frame of the video // now a read operation would read the frame at the set position For properties you can read and change look into the documentation of the :hgvideo:'get ' and :hgvideo:'set ' functions. Image similarity - PSNR and SSIM ================================ We want to check just how imperceptible our video converting operation went, therefore we need a system to check frame by frame the similarity or differences. The most common algorithm used for this is the PSNR (aka **Peak signal-to-noise ratio**). The simplest definition of this starts out from the *mean squad error*. Let there be two images: I1 and I2; with a two dimensional size i and j, composed of c number of channels... math:: MSE = \frac{1}{c*i*j} \sum{(I_1-I_2)^2} Then the PSNR is expressed as:.. math:: PSNR = 10 \cdot \log_{10} \left( \frac{MAX_I^2}{MSE} \right) Here the :math:'MAX_I' is the maximum valid value for a pixel. In case of the simple single byte image per pixel per channel this is 255. When two images are the same the MSE will give zero, resulting in an invalid divide by zero operation in the PSNR formula. In this case the PSNR is undefined and as we'll need to handle this case separately. The transition to a logarithmic scale is made because the pixel values have a very wide dynamic range. All this translated to OpenCV and a C++ function looks like:.. code-block:: cpp double getPSNR(const Mat& I1, const Mat& I2) { Mat s1; absdiff(I1, I2, s1); // |I1 - I2| s1.convertTo(s1, CV_32F); // cannot make a square on 8 bits s1 = s1.mul(s1); // |I1 - I2|^2 Scalar s = sum(s1); // sum elements per channel double sse = s.val[0] + s.val[1] + s.val[2]; // sum channels if( sse <= 1e-10) // for small values return zero return 0; else { double mse =sse /(double)(I1.channels() * I1.total()); double psnr = 10.0*log10((255*255)/mse); return psnr; } } Typically result values are anywhere between 30 and 50 for video compression, where


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HQ Paraprofessional 1.0 FTE - CC 6478
Isaac School District
TITLE: 8 HRS. Paraprofessional (meets NCLB requirements)
GENERAL STATEMENT OF RESPONSIBILITIES: To assist with instruction and supervision of students through one-on-one and group instruction, playground supervision and assisting with testing and assessment of student's progress.
PRINCIPAL DUTIES: (essential functions)
- Works with individual students in classroom or the developmental center to reinforce learning material or skills introduced by the teacher.
- Works with small groups of students in classroom to reinforce learning material or skills introduced by the teacher.
- Supervises students outside of the classroom during lunch period, playground time or before and after school.
- Translates material and information for parents, students and staff.
- Administers tests and assessments. Grades papers and maintains records under teacher supervision.
- Maintains files and computer records.
- Assists supervising instructor with duties specifically related to area of instruction.
- Performs other duties as assigned.
KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS REQUIRED:
Knowledge of needs of students at different ages, educational and developmental levels.
Knowledge of district educational policies, regulations and rules.
Knowledge of federal and state laws, regulations, policies and rules.
Knowledge of educational practices, processes and techniques.
Skill in assessing student's educational needs.
Skill in providing tutoring in various educational subjects and areas.
Skill in operating office equipment and computer hardware and software applications.
Skill in communicating orally and in writing.
Skill in translating and interpreting.
Skill in establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with others.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: Associate's degree, 60 sixty college credits and one (1) year childcare work experience OR an equivalent combination of education and experience that meets the standards of Highly Qualified status for No Child Left Behinds. Bilingual preferred.
REQUIRED LICENSE/CERTIFICATION: Highly Qualified status as designated by No Child Left Behind


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Librarians excel at teaching patrons how to use resources for their research and learning needs. Librarians can introduce these skills into faculty technology training since faculty research needs often intersect with their technology interest, be it mobile devices, technology-enhanced teaching strategies, or tools that support their research. The purpose of this paper is to explore a framework for collaboration in technology training through the lens of a "faculty learning community" and a "diffusion of innovation theory." This will be examined through a case study of the author's library, where a multi-year intentional and systematic collaboration with instructional design and Information Technology (IT) staff led to the library taking on a leadership role in technology training at its institution.
"Cohort-Based Technology Training: A Collaboration with Faculty Grounded in Diffusion of Innovation and Faculty Learning Community Theories,"
Collaborative Librarianship: Vol. 7
, Article 6.
Available at: _URL_


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In Financial Data Quality Management Enterprise Edition (FDMEE) automated batch loads time out.
There are two most likely causes of this issue:
- Batch timeout setting not defined or insufficient in system and/or application settings in the FDMEE application
- Stuck thread timeout setting needs increasing in the ErpIntegrator0 managed server (weblogic)
To increase the batch timeout setting in the FDMEE application:
- Navigate to Data Management from EPM workspace.
- From the Setup tab, and then under Configure, select System Settings.
- In System Settings, from Profile Type, select Other.
- Define a timeout value for the "Batch timeout in minutes" setting.
To increase the Stuck Thread timeout settting in the ErpIntegrator0 managed server in weblogic:
- Navigate to weblogic admin console.
- Under domain structure, expand Environment and choose servers.
- Choose ErpIntegrator0 from the servers list.
- Under configuration, choose tuning.
- Choose Lock & Edit to modify the setting value.
- Increase the Stuck Thread Max time value. The value is in seconds. By default it will be 600 seconds (5 minutes).
- Choose activate configuration so that the settings take effect.
- Restart FDMEE service.
Hope this helps.


Mark a Member as a Duplicate
While Membership automatically identifies possible duplicate members based on matching the first name, surname and date of birth of two records, it is possible for some duplicates to'slip through the cracks'. For example, this could occur if any of the three 'duplicate identification fields' (first name, surname, DOB) are not exactly the same, e.g. an incorrect date of birth, or variation or error in the spelling of a name. In such cases, the member can be manually flagged as a duplicate, which can then be resolved by the association.
Both associations and clubs are able to mark a member as a possible duplicate. Firstly, ensure that both records do belong to the same person, then complete the following:
2. Locate the new member (not the original) record. You may find the search box or 'Advanced Search' options useful for quickly locating a member record.
3. Click on the View Record button next to the name of the member you want to mark as a duplicate.
4. The member's record will open. Click on Mark Member as Duplicate on the right hand side.
5. A message will appear, reminding you to only mark the new record (not the original) as a duplicate. Click on Mark as Duplicate.
6. A message will appear confirming that the member has been marked as a duplicate. The member has now been added to the list of possible duplicates to be resolved by the association. If you are logged into Membership at the association level, you can click on Resolve Duplicates to go directly to the Duplicate Resolution screen.


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If you know the meaning of the second type of "data spill" as in the underlined, even if you're not a computer expert, please let me know what it means. I think "the transferred website" can contain the previous page's personal information entered, not the address like _URL_.
gu121)"Data spills" means that your personal information is disclosed to some people on the Internet. Many spills happen when you navigate from one website to another. The second site is notified by your browser of the identity of the first site, which might contain confidential information. Then, the data you entered on the first site could be transferred to the second. Data spills can also occur as a result of survey information that gets placed in a website address. When you fill out a form with personal information, you're sometimes taken to a page whose address contains the information you entered. This address could be seen by a third party, who then would have access to your private data.


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*args : arrays
x, y, z,..., d, where x, y, z,... are the coordinates of the nodes
and d is the array of values at the nodes
function : str or callable, optional
The radial basis function, based on the radius, r, given by the norm
(defult is Euclidean distance); the default is 'multiquadric':
'multiquadric': sqrt((r/self.epsilon)**2 + 1)
'inverse': 1.0/sqrt((r/self.epsilon)**2 + 1)
'thin_plate': r**2 * log(r)
If callable, then it must take 2 arguments (self, r). The epsilon
parameter will be available as self.epsilon. Other keyword
arguments passed in will be available as well.
epsilon : float, optional
Adjustable constant for gaussian or multiquadrics functions
- defaults to approximate average distance between nodes (which is
a good start).
smooth : float, optional
Values greater than zero increase the smoothness of the
approximation. 0 is for interpolation (default), the function will
always go through the nodal points in this case.
norm : callable, optional
A function that returns the 'distance' between two points, with
inputs as arrays of positions (x, y, z,...), and an output as an
array of distance. E.g, the default:
def euclidean_norm(x1, x2):
return sqrt( ((x1 - x2)**2).sum(axis=0) )
which is called with x1=x1[ndims,newaxis,:] and
x2=x2[ndims,:,newaxis] such that the result is a matrix of the
distances from each point in x1 to each point in x2.


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Gesture recognition systems like the Kinect, or the upcoming Leap Motion, rely on special hardware and require you to be in a specific place to detect your motions. A limitation that researchers at the University of Washington have all but eliminated by instead using the Wi-Fi network in your home to recognize gestures.
Unlike the Kinect which analyzes the specific motions of various parts of your body, the WiSee system instead listens for subtle frequency changes in a modified Wi-Fi signal as it bounces off your moving body. Existing hardware like multi-antenna wireless routers can be easily modified to emit the special signals, while smartphones, computers, and other devices can all serve as detectors.
In its current form the WiSee system isn't as refined as the Kinect or the Leap Motion, but the researchers have found that it can successfully recognize nine unique gestures—including changing channels on a TV and controlling music—about 94 percent of the time. For the extremely lazy it's a dream come true, but for the paranoid worried about every single move they make being tracked, it's a nightmare. [WiSee via Boing Boing]


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Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge was created to protect essential bald eagle nesting, feeding, and roosting habitats along the Potomac River. Along with active eagle nesting, the refuge hosts a rookery with more than 1200 nests for great blue herons. The 2276-acre refuge, in the Mason Neck State Park, contains about 2000 acres of hardwood forest, the largest freshwater marsh in Northern Virginia, and nearly six miles of shoreline.Visitors can view the refuge along two trails, one through woods and one in Great Marsh. In the spring, wildflowers fill the woods as songbirds migrate through the area and various types of ducks feed along the creeks and marsh. In the summer and fall, birds such as egrets and herons dominate the marshes before many of them travel south for the winter.From November to February, bald eagles breed and lay eggs.
Last Updated: 7/24/2008 1:02 PM


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3D rendering is always a huge pain, that's why we have dedicated processors for doing such grunt work. But out of all the things that you can render on a screen, there is one thing that always takes up a ton of power and resources, hair. But that problem may be no more, because researchers from the University of California, Pinscreen, and Microsoft have developed a hair rendering technique reliant on an AI neural network which can take images in 2D and render the hair depicted in the image into a fully physics-based 3D rendition.
The neural network follows a process similar to how a brain does, taking in various details and creating layers upon layers to make the final product. In order to teach the network to make the leap from 2D to 3D, they initially fed it 40,000 unique hairstyles as well as 160,000 2D images from different viewpoints around the styles themselves. It can use that training to render hair in a variety of different styles, colors, lengths, all in milliseconds, all while being able to mimic the movement of individual hairs from video clips.
"Realistic hair modeling is one of the most difficult tasks when digitizing virtual humans, in contrast to objects that are easily parameterisable, like the human face, hair spans a wide range of shape variations and can be highly complex due to its volumetric structure and level of deformability in each strand."
It's not a perfect system by far, some hairstyles don't easily make the transition from an image to a 3D render, but with more training and development the program can become massively useful in hairstyle rendering in the future. It should be said that this network was run through a system of multiple NVIDIA Titan Xp GPUs, not something necessarily inviting to your average gamer. But hey, maybe we can see this technology make its home in the Tensor Cores of a GTX 1180 if that becomes a reality.


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Measure Volume and Area reports the total surface area and enclosed volume of a surface model. To measure individual disconnected blobs within a single surface model, use Measure and Color Blobs instead. These tools compute surface area and enclosed volume from surface triangles rather than analytically. See also: measure, Area/Volume from Web, CASTp Data
Note that when a molecular surface is generated, the total analytical solvent-accessible and solvent-excluded areas are automatically reported in the Reply Log, and the values per atom and residue are assigned as attributes named areaSAS and areaSES.
There are several ways to start Measure Volume and Area, a tool in the Surface/Binding Analysis and Volume Data categories (including from the Volume Viewer Tools menu).
The surface of interest should be chosen from the Surface menu. The surface area and enclosed volume are reported in the dialog and written to the Reply Log. Values reflect the physical units of the data, usually Å3 for volume and Å2 for area.
Surfaces are composed of triangles. Anything that changes the positions of the vertices in a surface will change its area and enclosed volume, for example:
Clipping and hiding are ignored. The calculation uses the full surface, even if part of it is hidden by clipping planes or zoning (with Surface Zone or zoning in Volume Viewer).
Surface holes. The volume enclosed by a surface with holes is calculated by assuming each hole has a planar cap. These caps are not displayed or included in the surface area determination. The number of holes is reported, as planar caps may not represent missing data very well. Multiscale Models surfaces should never have holes. Holes in a contour surface from Volume Viewer may occur at the boundary of the data, but by default these will already be covered with planar caps. Such boundary caps will be included in the surface area calculation and will not be reported as holes.


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How to Light Your Jack-o'-Lantern the Arduino Way
- 7:00 AM
This week I will outline a project for Halloween that uses the Arduino and a light to create a glowing effect inside a pumpkin. I use artificial pumpkins for projects like this so I can reuse them in following years. That's not a requirement, though: if you plan on using a real pumpkin, you can build this early and then add the light to the pumpkin once it is carved.
The effect we are going to use is called Pulse Width Modulation, or PWM. Pulse Width Modulation takes advantage of the averaging effect when you switch the power on and off quickly to a direct current (DC) load. For instance, if I create a square wave that is 5 volts high and I keep it on for 10ms and off for 10ms, the DC voltage measured will be 2.5 volts. Duty cycle is measured as a percentage of on time divided by the on time plus the off time. Just think of it as how much time the circuit is on: a 50 percent duty cycle means the the pulse is on for 50 percent of the time, a 25 percent duty means it is on for half that time. The lower the duty cycle, the lower the average DC voltage. This translates into dimming and brightening of the light bulb.
If you want to try this out using a resistor and an LED, here is a simple Arduino UNO Sketch that will dim and brighten the LED in this circuit.
void setup ()
void loop ()
for (int i = 0; i <= 255; i++)
for (int i = 255; i >= 0; i--)
The code introduces two new concepts. The first is a for loop; this is a common construct in programming and you will find lots of uses for it. The simple explanation is you use a variable, change its value, use it again, then change its value again. This goes on until the variable reaches a certain value, at which point you stop using it and move on. The first for loop in the code above is for (int i = 0; i <= 255; i++). The variable is i, the number we are testing for is 255, and we are incrementing i every time we use it.
How are we using it? The statement analogWrite (3,i); is how PWM is implemented in the Arduino. Pin 3 will output a square wave with a certain duty cycle. A value of 0 means a duty cycle of 0%, or completely off. A value of 255 is a duty cycle of 100% or full on. The values in between give different intensity and that gives the effect of the light brightening.
The last thing to address is for (int i = 255; i >= 0; i–) — this is the same as the first for loop except for one difference. In this case i starts at 255 and is decremented to 0; this will dim the light. Play around with the code by using different starting and end values for i.
I have to say for this kind of lighting I prefer incandescent bulbs; they give a warmer glow to the pumpkin. The code doesn't change, of course, but the circuit does. To use an incandescent bulb you need to use the circuit below, which was introduced a few weeks ago in a previous post.
So grab a pumpkin and get carving, and while you're at it carve a few extras for next week's project, where we will be adding pumpkins and a little bit of randomness.


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The Collectibarn™ is a storage facility that will accommodate different types of assets,such as vintage cars, motorcycles, watercraft, small planes, campers, etc. Each individual unit inside the facility is temperature and humidity controlled. Preservation and extension of useful life of large, valuable assets is the primary function of this new storage facility.
Each stall (or unit) is completely sealed, has modular walls for changing the size, and settings are controlled by the asset owner. Owners with expensive cars, vintage vehicles and other large, valuable, mechanical assets will appreciate the safe storage and preservation aspects of the Collectibarn™.
PRODUCT FEATURES & BENEFITS
- Multi asset storage and preservation system
- Spaces sealed for ideal climate and atmosphere maintenance
- Temperature and humidity are individually controlled for each unit
- Modular walls of each space are extendable and retractable for custom sizing
- Lighting, humidity, oxygen, nitrogen, CO2 and other levels controlled by owner for each space
- Stores vehicles, campers, watercraft, small planes and other mechanical assets
- Security monitors and diagnostic data analyzers alert owners to problems with wellness of assets
- Remotely controlled and monitored administration of oxygen and other preservative gases
- Anytime access for owners to work on vehicles
- Protects assets from weather, rodents, vandalism, and other damaging situations
The Collectibarn™ is a storage facility that can contain different types and sizes of vehicles in one location. This system for storage and preservation of mechanical assets, which may include collectible automobiles, small airplanes, and watercraft, is comprised of modular walls, sealed units, preservation equipment and elements, and owner-controlled monitoring of the unit atmosphere.
The modular walls may be moved to fit different sizes of vehicles, and each proportioned space includes a seal. Inside each space are monitors, cameras, detectors, sensors, a thermometer, gauges, and other miscellaneous items to assess the atmosphere inside the space. Computer software and a communication system are also included for the purpose of monitoring and adjusting the preservation components as needed. The asset owner remotely controls the atmospheric conditions inside each space to prevent damages and protect all possessions for the optimal extension of useful life.
Classic car collectors may desire a Collectibarn™ of their own on their property. This may be accomplished by either transforming an existing structure or creating a new one. Race cars may be stored in a Collectibarn™ and worked on when preparing for a race. Antiques, family heirlooms, clocks, vehicles, furniture and other miscellaneous items will be better protected in this type of storage facility, preventing mold, rust and other damaging situations.
One storage unit may have one or two floors of modular spaces, and will accommodate all types and sizes of items. Each space rented or sold will offer better protection and preservation of the owners' prized possessions.
Materials needed to produce the Collectibarn™:
- Basic storage structure
- Modular walls
- Extendable and retractable
- Sealing system
- Modular walls
- Wide entryways
- Single level or multiple levels
- Elevator (multi-level only)
- Large access doors to each space
- Locking and security system for each space
- Monitoring equipment
- Preservation components
- Gases (including oxygen)
- Computer system
- Diagnostic system
- Electronic communication system
- Alarm system
- Remote controls
- Customized accessories
The Collectibarn™ is covered by United States Utility Patent: 9,869,083
The Collectibarn™ is also covered by United States Utility Patent: 8,740,099
For additional information, licensing opportunities, and a full prospectus on the Collectibarn™ contact:
VP of Business Development


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How To Peel And Seed Tomatoes
eatyaty's picture
The first step in preparation of tomato sauce is peeling and seeding tomatoes. Here's how you can go about it.
Peeling the tomatoes
Remove stalk from tomatoSeparate small green stalk of the tomato with the help of knife.
Tomatoes immersed in boiling water
Boil a half pot of water (enough for submerging tomatoes). Once water gets boiled, dip tomatoes in water and allow them to remain in this way for almost 20-30 seconds or more. The skin will start splitting. Take care that tomatoes should not be overcooked.
Transfer the tomatoes from boiling water pot to cold water bowl. Immerse it completely in the cold water till the tomatoes are ready for the peeling.
Peeling tomatoes with knifeOnce the tomatoes are completely cooled then remove it from ice water and start gently peeling it with sharp knife end.
Seeding Tomatoes
For seeding cut the tomatoes into half.
Squeezing tomatoSqueeze half of the tomato in one hand and pull out the seeds with other.
Now the tomatoes are ready to be used in your favorite recipes.
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So according to fred99 a large % of people are racist because they assume a white person is boss over an indian if that is the case and most people are racist why even bring it up?
You don't understand there's a difference between conscious and unconscious racism?
Yes - most people are unconsciously racist. That can be proved with psychological tests.
So Trump is unconsciously racist or consciously racist in your opinion?
It doesn't matter. It's racism. One is no better than the other.
But according to what fred is referring to everyone being racist why just point out trump?


Anti-Racism Statement
Events of the last year have highlighted the systemic racism that exists in Canadian society and around the world. Working within the sport and recreation sectors, we recognize that systemic racism exists here, too. The Sport for Life Society (S4L) and Physical Literacy for Life (PL4L) charity believe that equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility are foundational to a successful and healthy sport and physical activity ecosystem.
We stand against racism and will be intentional when working towards creating an inclusive and positive environment for everyone to enjoy the benefits of sport and physical activity. Inaction perpetuates systemic racism, but by actively supporting anti-racist policies, programs and services, Sport for Life will work to disrupt, dismantle and abolish racism in the programs, services and resources we deliver, both alone and in partnership with others.
Sport for Life will be purposeful in adding our voice to the powerful messages of anti-racism around the world and ensure our programming, services and resources are inclusive to everyone regardless of race, colour, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression or national origin.


text: Animation and interaction Use DX8 to add animation and interactivity to your website. To create animations and interactions you'll use the Layout builder and Style builder to generate layouts and styles with attached interactivity and animation. In this section: Using interactive elements Use interactive elements to add common interactive devices to your layouts. Add on-click animations to elements Modify the visibility and style of an element using on-click actions. Adding on-view animation to elements Animate elements into view as the user scrolls down the page.


text:
Bankruptcy Risk and Optimal Capital Structure
- Full Text PDF
- Author(s): RICHARD CASTANIAS
- Published: Apr 30, 2012
- Pages: _PHONE_
- DOI: 10.1111/j._PHONE_.1983.tb03845.x
This study finds shortcomings in empirical tests of the capital structure irrelevance hypothesis. The alternative hypothesis is that firms choose value maximizing mixes of debt and equity on account of bankruptcy costs and the tax deductibility of interest payments. Based upon the cross‐sectional implications of the tax shelter‐bankruptcy cost hypothesis, an alternative test of the irrelevance hypothesis is performed. The test examines the relationship between failure rates and leverage ratios for 36 lines of business. The results are inconsistent with the irrelevance hypothesis.


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The GIS 20: Essential Skills
The GIS 20 is a no-nonsense workbook that demonstrates how to perform twenty essential GIS skills as indicated by 500 GIS practitioners. Written for professionals with no time for classroom training, this book can be treated as a weekly self-assignment or an as-needed reference. Each chapter offers a handy checklist of basic functions and steps covered in the text, as well as executive level summaries of how the functions are commonly applied for different types of analysis. If you are a GIS beginner, The GIS 20: Essential Skills is your best friend.


Ask Joey ™ a Question
What is the difference between Regulation S-X and Regulation S-K?
The key difference is that Regulation S-X focuses on financial information while Regulation S-K focuses on nonfinancial information. The two visuals below outline what is required under each regulation:
You might also be interested in...
 - What is regulation S-K?
 Regulation S-K governs the form and content of all nonfinancial statement related disclosures that are related to the financial statements. The visual below outlines the key nonfinancial disclosures that are required.
 - What is regulation S-X?
 Regulation S-X governs both the form and content of the financial statements and the financial statement disclosures. The visual below outlines what is required under Regulation S-X for the annual financial statements (10-K) and interim financial statements (10-Q).


1946 Chris Craft Brightside U22 Varnishing Update
Varnish! With seven coats of Interlux Perfection Plus Two-Part Varnish having been applied, combined with hand block sanding after four coats, our 1946 Chris-Craft Brightside U22 is finally showing her elegance.
A glossy result is all about flat. Cheap mirrors reflect a wavy image. Expensive mirrors return an exact copy of what is before them. Why? Cheap mirrors are silvered to "good enough." Expensive mirrors are silvered to absolute flat, which delivers an absolutely accurate reflection.
Flat and declivities, pits if you will, are antonyms, one cannot exist is the presence of the other. Varnishing involves building film thickness, but also requires exceedingly controlled hand sanding periodically as it builds. Why?
As Danenberg recommends, the sanding you did ahead of staining your hull stopped with 120 grit. (We stop at 80 grit.) The surface feels so silky smooth, but it is not. Reach for a strong magnifying glass and be prepared for a shock. Viewed in cross-section, the surface is literally a sea of hills and valleys.
Yes, you used filler stain and absolutely scrubbed it only across the grain, which does fill some of the valleys.
Even then, if viewing the surface at high magnification were possible, your "silky smooth" would conjure images of a moonscape.
When applied, varnish begins filling those valleys – pits in boat talk, but it also adds a film of equal thickness to the peaks. No matter how many coats you apply, unless and until you sand off the mountain tops, you will never achieve other than a cheap mirror reflection.
Be careful what you wish for, however. That sanding must be controlled so that it attacks the peaks without invading the valleys. Otherwise you never build film thickness uniformly across the surface. So sand, yes, but not so much that you are at risk of denuding peaks of all their varnish.
We use 220 grit paper mounting on a hard rubber sanding block after the third and seventh coats. John has begun sanding the entire hull, to which we have now applied seven coats, using 220 grit. He and RJ will then apply three more coats, at which time we will sand again, but now using 320 grit.
We will sand with 500 grit once the following three coats are applied, and then 600 grit after coat sixteen and 900 grit between coats nineteen and twenty.
The relative amounts of shinny declivities and absolutely flat surface area shrinks exponentially as we continue sanding periodically with ever-finer grits. Once coat twenty is applied, we will allow the varnish to cure for up to a month – two weeks with Perfection, before we begin buffing the surface, which morphs it into a gloss that appears miles deep and distortion free. Just like an expensive mirror's silvered surface, it will finally be super flat and therefore super glossy.
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text:
What are cone and rod cells?
Asked by Philosopher Speusippus, 04 Sep '12 08:19 pm
Earn 10 points for answering
The retina contains two types of photoreceptors, rods and cones. The rods are more numerous, some 120 million, and are more sensitive than the cones. However, they are not sensitive to color. The 6 to 7 million cones provide the eye's color sensitivity and they are much more concentrated in the central yellow spot known as the macula. In the center of that region is the " fovea centralis ", a 0.3 mm diameter rod-free area with very thin, densely packed cones.Answered by jakir hussain, 04 Sep '12 08:26 pm
Your vote on this answer has already been received


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Vestland fylkeskommune, the regional road administration that owns the regional roads in Vestland in Norway, made a demo installation of the Actibump system in Bergen, Norway. They have now evaluated the system and its effects from a number of angles. Their conclusions are very positive and in short some of them are:
- Comparisons between speed measurements collected before and after installation show a significant drop in speed at the Actibump.
- Speed measurements ca 80 meters after the installation show a lower reduction of speed.
- Emergency organisations are positive to the system.
- The public transport organisation has had no complaints about the system.
- Very few complaints from the public.
- There have been no observations of bicyclists crossing the hatch, but there have been some situations observed where bicyclists enter the bike lane right before the Actibump.
- There have been observations of rapid decelerations and evasive actions on a motorcycle but it happened in a well-controlled manner.
- There have been no observations or complaints about undesired actions connected to the system.
- Higher cost than the usual speed reducing measures but added value in the shape of traffic data.
You can find the entire report, in Norwegian, HERE


next up previous contents
Next: Weighting by Item and Up: Open Admin for Schools Previous: Scores and Averages
Student averages are calculated by using the max raw score of each assessment item (maxscore), the student score (score), the item weight (weight) for each item, and the group (group) that the items belong to.
There are two levels of weighting: first within the group, and then overall with all groups for an overall average.
With two tests in the same group, the method would be:
score1 / maxscore1 x weight1 + score2 / maxscore2 x weight2 = total weighted score for this group.
student group average = total weighted score / total group weight.
Using numbers, let's have 2 tests out of a maximum of 60, with one weighted 100 and another weighted 200 (twice as much). The student achieves a raw score of 54 (90%) on the first test and score of 45 (75%) on the second. Let's see how this would be calculated:
(54 / 60 * 100) + (45 / 60 * 200) = 90 + 150 = 240
The student average would be: 240 / (100 + 200) = 240/300 = 80%.
Due to the larger weighting of the lower test, the student mark is closer to 75 than to 90 for this group called Tests.
For another group of assessments, Daily Work, the student achieves a score of 90%.
If the Daily Work group is given a weight of 30Tests group is given a weight of 70%, then the overall student average is calculated as follows:
Daily Work 90% x 30 = 27 and Tests 80% x 70 = 56, and this gives 27 + 56 = 83. 83/100 = 83%.
Example 2 A student has come later in the school year, and has missed some early work. You have assigned the following group weights for the course: Daily Work 20%, Project 1 - 10%, Project 2 - 20%, Tests - 50%. The student achieved 80% on Project 2, 70% on Daily Work, and 60% on Tests.
His/her average would be calculated as follows:
Daily Work 70% x 20 + Project Two 80% x 20 + Tests 60% x 50 to give 14 + 16 + 30 = 60 out of a possible 90. The student average is thus 60/90 = 67%. Notice that this is not out of 100%, but only 90%... that part of the course assessment that he/she was present for.
Example 3 A student is missing several tests. The scores for these items are left blank (to indicate they were not done). Another project assignment was not handed in and a score of nhi was assigned.
The blank items will not affect the student's score within their group and the group average score will only be calculated for those items completed within that group of assessment items.
The nhi score will be treated as a zero (0) for calculation purposes for the group average score.
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text: A clear blue ocean, pristine white beaches and lush green forests – that's what many holidaymakers want on a vacation.But an intact ecosystem isn't a given in many tourist destinations. Due to climate change, extreme weather and natural disasters like tsunamis have become more frequent, causing major damage to many popular resorts. This week on Global Ideas, reporter Kerstin Schweizer shows us how tourism is now trying to become greener in a bid to preserve the environment. Seven years after a tsunami destroyed parts of the Pangandaran region on the Indonesian island of Java, there are now initiatives to promote sustainability there and restore the eco-system – a plus for Java's agriculture and tourism sectors. The global logistics industry, too, has a big impact on the environment. In our background article, reporter Franziska Badenschier takes a look at how the transport of goods around the world has affected the climate, and how climate change in turn has impacted logistics as well. Researchers are now looking for ways to make shipping cleaner and greener.


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NASA's Destination Station Exhibit Opens In Mesa, Arizona
HOUSTON, Dec. 21, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Arizonans can get a sense of what spaceflight is like starting today, as NASA's Destination Station exhibit opens at the Arizona Museum of Natural History in Mesa. The interactive exhibit reveals the inside of America's orbiting laboratory while educating visitors about the vast array of science and research being done in low-Earth orbit.
"This exhibit is a magnificent way for children, especially, to be able to imagine what it is like for astronauts living in space," said Kathy Eastman of the museum. "It brings to life what many children dream about when they look at the stars."
The exhibit opening is a precursor to more NASA activities coming in 2013. Destination Station is NASA's International Space Station Program national awareness campaign, promoting station research and opportunities, educating communities about the people living and working on the station, and communicating the real and potential benefits for our everyday lives. The exhibit is free with admission to the museum. NASA will be sponsoring many activities that will be open to the public at various locations in the Phoenix and Tucson areas Feb. 21 through March 3.
The space station is a multinational research facility and the largest spacecraft ever built. It is an official U.S. National Laboratory where astronauts and scientists from around the world conduct experiments in fundamental life, physical, Earth and space science, as well as human health, technologies for space exploration and the improvement of life on Earth.
For a complete list of Destination Station activities, visit:
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What is the lowest pressure at which plants can survive? How the plants behave in a Martian-type atmosphere? Is there any plant that can survive such atmosphere?
Can a lichen grow at Martian pressure?
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Are you referring to total air pressure or partial pressures of oxygen and carbon dioxide? – Larry_Parnell Feb 29 '12 at 13:15
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I like your question!
Low surface pressure on Mars (averaging 600 Pa or about 1/170 of Earth's at sea level) is only one difficulty that an organism would have to contend with. In addition, mean surface temperatures are ~210 K (-63 C), the surface ultraviolet flux is extremely high (no ozone layer) and an aridity comparable to the Atacama desert. On the plus side, a 95% CO2 atmosphere might promote photosynthesis.
So, higher plants are extremely unlikely to prosper on Mars. Purely in terms of pressure, experiments suggest that at 1/10 Earth atmospheric pressure vascular plant transpiration increases significantly. So much so that they enter into a drought response which often leads to plant death.
However, lichens may be another matter. These are often adapted to low precipitation/pressure environments such as high mountains. Indeed, this article addresses exactly your question (sadly it is not open access). The authors suggest that the lichen Xanthoria elegans experiences no loss in vitality after 22 days exposure to laboratory Mars-like conditions (low pressure, low temperature etc.)!
Having skimmed this article I am frankly amazed (and slightly dubious) at the result. However, it should be noted that they only ran the experiment for 22 days, applied no ionising radiation (to simulate the high UV flux) and make little mention of the precise metabolic state of the lichen. If it has entered into cryptobiosis (cessation of metabolic processes) then it can't exactly be regarded as prospering.
 - de Vera et al., 2010, Astrobiology, 10, 2, Survival Potential and Photosynthetic Activity of Lichens Under Mars-Like Conditions : A Laboratory Study
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Help: server
The "server" command:
Usage: fossil server?OPTIONS??REPOSITORY?
or: fossil ui?OPTIONS??REPOSITORY?
Open a socket and begin listening and responding to HTTP requests on TCP port 8080, or on any other TCP port defined by the -P or --port option. The optional argument is the name of the repository. The repository argument may be omitted if the working directory is within an open checkout.
The "ui" command automatically starts a web browser after initializing the web server. The "ui" command also binds to and so will only process HTTP traffic from the local machine.
The REPOSITORY can be a directory (aka folder) that contains one or more repositories with names ending in ".fossil". In this case, a prefix of the URL pathname is used to search the directory for an appropriate repository. To thwart mischief, the pathname in the URL must contain only alphanumerics, "_", "/", "-", and ".", and no "-" may occur after "/", and every "." must be surrounded on both sides by alphanumerics. Any pathname that does not satisfy these constraints results in a 404 error. Files in REPOSITORY that match the comma-separated list of glob patterns given by --files and that have known suffixes such as ".txt" or ".html" or ".jpeg" and do not match the pattern "*.fossil*" will be served as static content. With the "ui" command, the REPOSITORY can only be a directory if the --notfound option is also present.
For the special case REPOSITORY name of "/", the list global configuration database is consulted for a list of all known repositories. The --repolist option is implied by this special case. See also the "fossil all ui" command.
By default, the "ui" command provides full administrative access without having to log in. This can be disabled by turning off the "localauth" setting. Automatic login for the "server" command is available if the --localauth option is present and the "localauth" setting is off and the connection is from localhost. The "ui" command also enables --repolist by default.
--baseurl URL
Use URL as the base (useful for reverse proxies)
Create a new REPOSITORY if it does not already exist
--extroot DIR
Document root for the /ext extension mechanism
--files GLOBLIST
Comma-separated list of glob patterns for static files
enable automatic login for requests from localhost
listen on only (always true for "ui")
Indicates that the input is coming through a reverse proxy that has already translated HTTPS into HTTP.
--jsmode MODE
Determine how JavaScript is delivered with pages. Mode can be one of:
All JavaScript is inserted inline at the end of the HTML file.
Separate HTTP requests are made for each JavaScript file.
One single separate HTTP fetches all JavaScript concatenated together.
Depending on the needs of any given page, inline and bundled modes might result in a single amalgamated script or several, but both approaches result in fewer HTTP requests than the separate mode.
--max-latency N
Do not let any single HTTP request run for more than N seconds (only works on unix)
Do not compress HTTP replies
Drop root privileges but do not enter the chroot jail
signal that no SSL connections are available (Always set by default for the "ui" command)
--notfound URL
--page PAGE
Start "ui" on PAGE. ex: --page "timeline?y=ci"
-P|--port TCPPORT
listen to request on port TCPPORT
trace TH1 execution (for debugging purposes)
If REPOSITORY is dir, URL "/" lists repos.
Accept SCGI rather than HTTP
--skin LABEL
Use override skin LABEL
Use saved encryption key from parent process. This is only necessary when using SEE on Windows.
See also: cgi, http, winsrv


text:
With support from dedicated readers, NCSU College of Design, and AIANC, TMH researched NC women architects active before 1970.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Who was the first woman to graduate in architecture from the NCSU School of Design? Lib Lee. #2 was Jean Hookanson. #3 was Dott Abernethy (see profiles below).
Who was the first woman to practice architecture, licensed or unlicensed? Harriet Irwin (see profile below).
Who was the first woman to be licensed as an architect by the State of North Carolina? Georgina Pope Yeatman (see profile below).
Today there are many women professionals in North Carolina architecture. But from the 1940's through 1970, it was another story. The design schools and the industry were heavily dominated by males, many of whom did not want women in roles other than wives and secretaries. It was "Mad Men" -- for real. According to Charlotte V. Brown, there were only seven women out of 325 architects in North Carolina in 1950.
According to Professor Gail McMillan,"In 1870 the United States census listed only one woman among more than 2,000 architects. Only 101 architects were from the South and only five were Virginians, the fewest of the southern states. Potential professionals would have been discouraged in a variety of overt ways but also when they read in the 1876 American Architect and Building News that "The planning of houses … is not architecture at all…"
"In 1886 the American Institute of Architects (AIA) inducted its first female member, Louise Bethune. The 1890 census was the first to record women in the building trades, but less than two-percent of the architects, designers, and draftsmen counted were women. More than half a century later, in 1950, the AIA reported only that only 1.2 percent of its members were women. Potential professionals continued to be discouraged by distinguished Fellows of the AIA such as Pietro Belluchi who is often quoted as having said, "I cannot, in whole conscience, recommend architecture as a profession for girls… the obstacles are so great …" Half a century later potential architects continue to be dissuaded from formal practice through the educational systems.
By 1980, there were 68 women, 20 of whom were black, among the state's 1909 architects, according to Charlotte V. Brown.
The AIA Survey of 2000/2002 revealed female membership at 13 percent, though 37 percent of the architecture students at that time were women. "
In 2007, the New York Times reported: "Women make up roughly half of all students in American graduate schools of architecture. Yet according to the American Institute of Architects (AIA), the professional association for practitioners, women accounted for only 13.3 percent of its members last year, an improvement from 1.2 percent in 1975 but a depressing figure nonetheless. And the number who have entered the ranks of international stars is minuscule." Here's what the AIA says from their own survey: "Women now account for over a quarter of all architecture staff at firms, and this share has been slowly increasing. However, there has been very little change in the composition of firm principals and partners or in other licensed architects by gender. Rather, most of the change has come in other positions, as the female share of nonlicensed architects increased from 30 percent to 33 percent between 2005 and 2008, while their share of interns increased from 36 percent to 40 percent."
Help us locate the following notable NC women pioneers.
HARRIET ABIGAIL MORRISON IRWIN
Harriet Irwin was born in 1828 in Mecklenburg County NC. Her education included home schooling by her father, the Reverend Robert Hall Morrison, who was the first president of Davidson College. Later, she attended the Institute for Female Education in Salem NC (now Salem College). After graduation and some traveling in Europe, she married James P. Irwin in Alabama and moved to Charlotte.
Irwin was a mother of nine. Although Irwin never received any formal architectural education, she studied on her own and redesigned her house after the Civil War. She came up with the idea of a hexagonal house -- where space was used more efficiently. It eliminated the problem of sharp corners that are difficult to dust and clean.
In 1869, Irwin became the first woman in the US to patent an architectural innovation. She published a novel, The Hermit of Petraea, and is buried in Elmwood Cemetery in Charlotte -- but not under a hexagonal-shaped tombstone as is widely written.
Her hexagonal house, left, stood at 912 West Fifth Street in Charlotte, now destroyed. Irwin designed two more houses in Charlotte, also destroyed.
Source: Women In Architecture
King is among the very few NC women in the 19th century to be identified as an architect. She was the daughter of George C. Bonniwell, a manufacturer, builder, and architect who trained three of his children in his business--Norma, Josephine, and James Gaither. Norma liked design from a remarkably young age. Although she evidently worked with her father in Bonniwell and Daughter, Norma had her own identity as an "architect" and had clients in several towns in the western Piedmont and foothills.
The first such reference appears in the March 19, 1892, Manufacturer's Record, which reported that "Miss Norma Bonniwell has prepared plans for the erection of $25,000 building at Lenoir College" in Hickory. In 1893 she designed an elaborate Queen Anne style residence in North Wilkesboro, the Thomas B. Finley House, for which the client's family recalls signed plans.
A few years later, The Landmark in Statesville noted on February 23, 1897, "Miss Norma Bonniwell, an architect of Hickory, was in town last week looking after the matter of drawing plans for residences for Messrs. R. L. Poston, C. W. Boshamer and W. A. Thomas. She is now preparing plans for Mr. Poston's house, which is to be built on Mulberry street, next Mr. Geo. H. Brown's." A few of these houses have been identified. The W. A. Thomas House, located at 302 West End Avenue in Statesville, is one of the most distinctive Queen Anne-style houses in that city. A Poston house (no longer standing) of Gothic Revival style was located at 123 S. Mulberry Street in Statesville. She may also have done other work in the Hickory area. Norma Bonniwell and her sister Josephine evidently moved to Raleigh about 1899, as did their father, George. They were both listed in 1900 as boarders living at the White residence in Raleigh, both working in an "architect office."
The architecture firm of Pearson and Ashe hired Bonniwell as a draftsman in 1899, and it is likely that Josephine worked at the firm with her sister. On November 20, 1901, Norma Bonniwell married William Peele King, and they settled in Windsor NC. She did not return to her architectural practice.
Sources: Authors: William B. Bushong and Angela Clifton. Contributor: Laura A. W. Phillips. Updated by Catherine W. Bishir as found at NC Architects and Builders.
IDA BROWN ADELBERG WEBSTER, AIA (_PHONE_)
She is given solo credit for a house at 11011 Baronet Road, Owings Mills MD,
although it is highly likely she was the prime designer for many of the firm's
GEORGINA POPE YEATMAN (_PHONE_)
Born in 1902 in New York, Georgina Yeatman came from an English family who immigrated to America. Her father Pope Yeatman, a successful geologist for the Guggenheims, was unusually supportive of her independence and professional goals. For example, Yeatman wanted to be an airplane pilot. She learned to fly in Philadelphia and by 1921, her parents built her a landing strip at their farm in Jaffrey NH.
Yeatman attended the University of Pennsylvania, obtaining an AB degree in 1922 at just 20 years old. There she played field hockey and basketball and founded the Women's Athletic Association. She continued on to pursue a BA degree and by 1924, she was the first woman to complete coursework in architecture. She did not graduate, however. The University of Pennsylvania refused to issue an architecture degree to a woman. Undaunted, Yeatman enrolled at MIT, which had no problem with gender. There she earned a BS in Architecture in 1925.
In 1928, she worked for Bissell and Sinkler and was the the first woman to practice architecture in Philadelphia. When that firm struggled financially, they asked her to take over as President. She joined the AIA in 1930. From _PHONE_ she was the City of Philadelphia's first woman Director of Architecture. In 1937, feeling guilty, the University of Pennsylvania finally awarded her the degree she richly deserved.
Nothing held her back. She travelled widely. According to her daughters Barbara and Mel, she also travelled to Panama, India, Egypt, and Africa. While flying over North Carolina, she admired the land north of Beaufort and starting in 1936 began accumulating property. She began with an


Why is there a difference in Leviticus 12 in the days required for purification after childbirth based on the sex of the child?
What is meant by purification and why the difference in the days required for purification based on the sex of the child?
Leviticus 12:1 - 8
NLT - 1 The Lord said to Moses. 2 "Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. If a woman becomes pregnant and gives birth to a son, she will be ceremonially unclean for seven days, just as she is unclean during her menstrual period.
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text:
The heaviest known insects are the Goliath beetles of equatorial Africa. One fully grown male was found to weigh 3.5 ounces. (almost as much as a handful of quarters)
The heaviest human in medical history was Jon Brower Minnoch, who weighted 392 lbs. in 1963, 700 lbs. In 1966, and 975 lbs. in 1976. After being admitted to a hospital in 1978 from heart and respiratory failure, a doctor estimated that Jon weighted over 1300 pounds. When he died in 1978, he weighed more than 798 pounds.
The larva of the Polyphemus moth consumes an amount equivalent to 86,000 times it own birth weight in the first 56 days of life. In human terms, this would be like a 7 pound baby taking in 301 tons of nourishment. That is a lot of baby food!
Highest g Force
The click beetle averages 400g when "jack-knifing" into the air to escape predators. One specimen that jumbed to a height of 11.75 inches was calculated to have endured a peak brain deceleration of 2300g by the end of the movement. A recorded human example is that of David Purley, a race car driver who survived a deceleration from 108 mph to 0 in 26 inches in England in 1977. His g force was estimated to 179.8g. He suffered 29 fractures, 3 dislocations, and 6 heart stoppages!
Female mosquitoes hold the record in this category. They need a lot of protein in order to lay eggs. They obtain this protein by drinking the blood of reptiles, birds, or mammals. Sometimes a mosquito will triple her body weight with just one meal of blood. For a 100 pound human to imitate this feat, he would have to consume 36 gallons of liquid at one sitting.
The fastest moving insects are certain large tropical cockroaches. The record is 3.36 mph, or 50 body lengths per second. Tiger beetles are also quite fast, as they scurry after their prey. They can often be seen zipping across a road, their bright metallic colors flashing in the sun. The fastest human ever recorded was Carl Lewis, who ran 100 meters in 9.86 seconds in 1991 in Tokyo, Japan.
The champion jumper among insects is the common flea. In one experiment, a flea performed a long jump of 13 inches, and a high jump of 7.75 inches. If a human could jump like a flea, we would be able to jump 853 feet, which would be like jumping from street level to the 70th floor of the Empire State Building. The champion human high jumper is Javier Sotomayor of Cuba, who jumped 8 ft. 0 in. in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
The ant may be tiny, but for his size he is one of the "giants" of the insect world. With his strong jaws he is able to carry 50 times his own weight. That would be like a human trying to carry a baby elephant. Among human strongmen, the record is held by Leonid Taranenko of Russia, who lifted a whopping 1,047 pounds in Australia in 1988.
The monarch butterfly is capable of flying 2,000 miles from Canada to Mexico and parts of California. Millions migrate every autumn, often stopping in the same rest spots each year. In early spring and summer, returning females travel north in relays, new generations replacing old, laying their eggs along the way. In comparison, the longest human-powered flight ever documented was when Kanellos Kanellopoulos averaged 18.5 mph in his 112 foot wingspan machine from Crete to the island of Santorini, Greece, flying 74 miles.
Other Interesting Tid-bits
Loudest Insect - The loudest of all insects is the male cicada. At 7,400 pulses per minute, its tymbal organs produce a sound detectable over a quarter of a mile away.
Best Stunt Flyer - Large dragonflies are not only super fast flyers, they are also masters of maneuverability! Many kinds of dragonflies can hover, fly backward, turn around quickly in mid-air, and land in an instant.
Longest Insect - The longest insect in the world is the tropical walking stick. Females have been measured at 13 inches in body length. It looks just like a slender twig, which is how it blends in with its surroundings.
Fastest Flyer - Modern experiments have established that the highest maintainable air speed of any insect, including the deer bot-fly, hawkmoths, and horseflies is 24 mph, rising to a maximum of 36 mph for short bursts by some large dragon flies.
Official State Insects and Butterflies of the United States
Many states have adopted official state insects and/or butterflies in recent years. They have done this to remind citizens of the vital role that insects play in our lives. As of December 31, 1995, 34 states have officially designates state insects and/or butterflies, and this information is summarized below. You will find an alphabetic list of the states that have official state insects and/or butterflies (along with the name of the insect), as well as a list of insects (and the states that have adopted them s their official symbols).
State Insects and Butterflies Listed by States
Alabama monarch butterfly Arkansas honey bee California California dogface butterfly Colorado Colorado hairstreak butterfly Connecticut European praying mantis Delaware convergent ladybird beetle Florida giant swallowtail butterfly Georgia honey bee (insect); tiger swallowtail (butterfly) Illinois monarch butterfly Iowa ladybug Kansas honey bee Kentucky viceroy butterfly Louisiana honey bee Maine honey bee Maryland Baltimore checkerspot butterfly Massachusetts ladybug Mississippi honey bee (insect); spicebush swallowtail (butterfly) Missouri honey bee Nebraska honey bee New Hampshire Ladybug New Jersey honey bee New Mexico tarantula hawk wasp New York nine-spotted ladybird beetle North Carolina honey bee Ohio ladybug (insect); tiger swallowtail (butterfly) Oregon Oregon swallowtail butterfly Pennsylvania firefly South Carolina Carolina mantis South Dakota honey bee Tennessee ladybug and firefly Utah honey bee Vermont monarch butterfly Virginia tiger swallowtail butterfly Wisconsin honey bee Wyoming western swallowtail butterfly
State Insects and Butterflies Listed by Species
Baltimore checkerspot butterfly Maryland California dogface butterfly California Carolina mantis South Carolina Colorado hairstreak butterfly Colorado European praying mantis Connecticut Firefly Tennessee and Pennsylvania Honey bee Arkansas, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Dakota, Utah and Wisconsin Ladybird beetles/ladybugs Delaware (convergent), Iowa, Massachusetts, New York (nine-spotted). and Ohio Swallowtail butterflies Florida (giant), Georgia (tiger), Mississippi (spicebush), Ohio (tiger), Oregon (Oregon), Virginia (tiger), and Wyoming (western) Tarantula hawk wasp New Mexico Viceroy butterfly Kentucky
Is your state on the list? If not, you might want to help initiate a campaign to have a representative insect and/or butterfly designated as one of your official state symbols.
The first step is to collect "nominations" from friends, family, and classmates. Have them think of an insect and/or butterfly that would make a good symbol for your state. After a while you should have a list of possible candidates and an idea of how popular each nominee is. Now comes the hard part - selecting one candidate to present to state legislators. Perhaps you might narrow the field to two or three of the most popular nominees and have a run off "election."
Once you have the possibilities narrowed down to a single candidate you will need to begin building a rationale for designating your insect candidate as the official state insect (or butterfly). Why is your insect candidate the best choice? How does it fit into your state's history or culture? How popular is the choice (collect signatures on a petition). All of this information will be useful to you when you go looking for a legislative sponsor or sponsors to help you introduce a commemorative bill into the house and senate (start with the representative for your district first). The commemorative bill will most likely go to a committee first, at which time you (and others will have an opportunity to speak for or against the bill), but if you are persistent and well prepared you might be responsible for your state adopting an official state insect or butterfly!
The Amazing Animal Quiz
Introduction - Insects and their relatives (arthropods) are some of the most amazing animals that inhabit our world, yet most of us rarely give them credit for their incredible abilities. The "Amazing Animal Quiz" can help you and your students "tune in" to the incredible world of arthropods and open their eyes and minds to learning more about them. Hopefully after students complete this exercise they will have a better appreciation for the amazing abilities of arthropods.
Getting started - This quiz is really quite simple and makes a great introduction to a unit on insects and other arthropods. Before starting, have students number a piece of paper from 1-25 down the left-hand side. Tell the students that you are going to read a series of statement that describe animal activities (don't bias them by mentioning insects or arthropods at this time) and that you want them to right down the name of any one animal that they can think of that fits the description you have given.
Name An Animal That...
-...raids the garbage
-...is cold blooded
-...hides from other animals by


text:
The Governor General of Canada and the President of the United States of America each appoint three commissioners who serve without remuneration. In recent years, one commissioner from each country has been an employee of the federal fisheries agency, one a fisher, and one either a buyer or a processor. The chairmanship of the Commission alternates annually between countries.
The commissioners appoint the Director who supervises the scientific staff, which collects and analyzes statistical and biological data needed to manage the halibut fishery. The commissioners annually review the regulatory proposals made by the scientific staff and consider proposals from the industry, the Conference Board, and the Processors Advisory Group. The regulatory measures adopted by the Commission are submitted to the two governments for approval and fishers of both nations are required to observe the approved regulations.