text:
DEVELOPMENT OF SAFE, EFFICIENT ENGINEERING MEASURES FOR DESIGN, ANALYSIS, AND REHABILITATION OF HYDRAULIC STRUCTURES AND CHANNELS
Location: Hydraulic Engineering Research
Title: A step in the right direction: new flow depth relationships for stepped spillway design
Submitted to: State Dam Safety Officials Association Proceedings
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: August 15, 2012
Publication Date: September 19, 2012
Citation: Hunt, S.L., Kadavy, K.C., Hanson, G.J. 2012. A step in the right direction: new flow depth relationships for stepped spillway design. In: Dam Safety 2012. Proceedings of the Association of State Dam Safety Officials Annual Conference, September 16-20, 2012, Denver, CO. CDROM.
Interpretive Summary: Many earthen dams that were originally built to protect agricultural land from flooding are now protecting residential and commercial property. These changes have taken place over a period of 50 years or more, and as a result, these dams need evaluation to assure they are designed according to current dam safety regulations. In some instances, the spillway capacity of these dams is inadequate to carry the design flood flow downstream. To address this issue, roller compacted concrete (RCC) stepped spillways have become a popular choice for dam overtopping protection. Researchers at the USDA-ARS Hydraulic Engineering Research Unit in Stillwater, OK are conducting studies to evaluate the design of stepped spillways. Equations are being developed to determine the design properties of the spillway (i.e. wall height) and for sizing the stilling basin. The focus of this paper is to introduce new equations for determining the flow depth in stepped spillways.
A common deficiency for embankment dams changing from a low hazard to a high hazard dam is inadequate spillway capacity. Roller compacted concrete (RCC) stepped spillways are a popular method to address this issue. Stepped spillway research has gained momentum in recent years due to the need for design guidance when an RCC spillway is retrofitted to an existing embankment. Researchers at the USDA-ARS Hydraulic Engineering Research Unit (HERU) in Stillwater, OK are conducting generalized research on RCC stepped spillways to provide the design guidance necessary to determine stepped spillway design parameters including inception point, flow depth, air entrainment, and energy dissipation. The research has shown the normalized clear water flow depth downstream of the inception point is a function of chute slope and the ratio of step height to critical depth, and the normalized flow depth upstream of the inception point is a function of chute slope, the ratio of step height to critical depth, and the normalized length from the crest. The objective of this paper is to introduce two new relationships that can be used to determine the flow depth at any location upstream and downstream of the inception point for stepped spillways on embankment dams.


text:
This post describes the simplest possible way to transform a form into a page in NAV 2009. Both Pages and Transformation is documented in more details elsewhere. Here, I just want to make the simples possible example, just to get a simple form transformed into a simple page.
You need to have at least a NAV 2009 classic client and the Transformation tool. To test the page, of course you also need the Rolebased client. But to just transform a form, you don't need it.
Import the tool:
1) Open a classic client, go to Object Designer and import the files DevTool.fob and TIF.fob from the folder TransformationTool\TIF Editor\
2) Create a new form in NAV, as simple as possible. For example a Card form based on the customer table, with just a few fields on it. This is the form you want to transform.
Setup and use the Transformation tool:
3) Run form 97000 "Transformation Forms"
4) Click Import -> "Import PageType – FormType mapping", and select the file TransformationTool\TIF Editor\FormToPagetypeMapping.txt.
5) Click Functions -> Get Forms. Filter on Type = Form, and ID = the new form, then click OK. This gets the form(s) that you want to transform.
6) In the FormType field, select "Card" ("Form with TabControl only and a source table").
Run the transformation:
7) Export the settings from form 97000: Click on Export -> "Transform Pages". You must export it to the TransformationTool folder, and it must be called TransformPages.xml.
8) From Object Designer, export the form (Tools -> Export) as xml.You must export it to the folder TransformationTool, and it must be called Forms.xml.
You now have the form you want to transform, and the meta-data that tells the TranformationTool how to transform it.
9) Run the file FormTransformation.exe from the TransformationTool folder. This generates a new file called Pages.xml. It also logs any progress or errors in the file Transformation.log.
Import the new page:
10) Back in NAV (classic client): Go to Object Designer, and import the file Pages.xml, and then compile it.
If all steps ran without any errors, you have now transformed your form into a page which can be displayed in the rolebased client.
Microsoft Dynamics UK
Microsoft Customer Service and Support (CSS) EMEA
These postings are provided "AS IS" with no warranties and confer no rights. You assume all risk for your use.

source: openbmb/Ultra-FineWeb


text:
A Co-Simulation Tool for Behavioral and DSP Implementation Design: The Motorola DSP Developers Kit
The system design reuse problem is described and the disadvantage of the old methodologies is highlighted. The Motorola DSP Developers Kit (MDDK) solves this by providing dual functions at the behavioural and DSP implementation levels. Having developed a behavioural algorithm in Matlab or a system-level model in Simuiink designers can replace some or all of the implementation independent floating-point functions by fixed-point equivalents that execute actual DSP code on a cycle-accurate co-simulator for the selected DSP core or chip within the Matlab/Simulink environment. The concurrent implementation allows users to view DSP memory from Matlab or the DSP simulator. They can opt to run the DSP functions interactively in which case a fully-featured debugger allows them to debug user-written functions or modify the supplied tinctions. A robust API between Matlab/SimuIink and the underlying simulators coupled with a 'Custom Function Builder' provide advanced users with the means of developing their own functions. Performance profiling features allow optimization by providing information on memory usage, instruction and cycle count. Resimulating the system model in the same tool using the same test fixture provides the user with a very controlled and convenient way of transitioning the design into detailed software implementation.
Click to purchase paper or login as an AES member. If your company or school subscribes to the E-Library then switch to the institutional version. If you are not an AES member and would like to subscribe to the E-Library then Join the AES!
This paper costs $20 for non-members, $5 for AES members and is free for E-Library subscribers.


text:
Cows Will Sex Text Farmers When They're Feeling Frisky
Feb 23, 2012 12:23
Farming cows are tough because you'll need to keep track of their fertility. Its important because that will determine the quality of your meat, or the milk in your cereal. Mobile technology has made it possible for cows to drop their farmers an SMS when they're feeling its about time to get jiggy.
A new collar designed by researchers from the University of Strathclyde, Scotland uses the same sensor as a Wii to keep track of a cow's movement and activity, and based on that movement, scientists have been able to work out the characteristic behaviour of cows when they're read to get down. So when they do, farmers are going to get some Bovine Sexting.
The collar will notice how the cow is moving, in a particular way, and when it does it will drop the farmer a text message. From that point, the farmer will, lend a hand, which means there's probably going to be some artificial insemination going on here.


text:
from a fixed finish date, the start date is based on the actual time needed to complete each phase. What's wrong with this picture? Because both the start and finish dates are fixed, the schedule cannot expand or contract.
Also, scheduling from the finish date assumes that there is no project buffer, or extra time added to the end of the project, to allow for delays in completion of the project, unless you take that into consideration in selecting the finish date from which to schedule backward.
When you encounter a date field, you can use the built-in pop-up calendar to select a date.
If you change your mind about the date you selected, you can click the area designated Today at the bottom of the calendar to immediately return to today's date. This closes the calendar pop-up. Of course, pressing Esc closes the window entirely, without saving the changes you've made.
Understanding the Current Date and Status Date Text Boxes
The computer's internal clock initially determines the date listed in the Current Date text box. Changing this text box has several implications:
The date determines the location of the dashed (current) date line on the Gantt Chart view time line.
The current date appears in the header of the Project Summary standard report as an As Of date. You also can display the Current Date text box in headers or footers on other reports by typing the appropriate code in the header or footer definition.
You can customize Project to start new tasks based on the current date instead of on the project's start date. You do so by selecting Tools, Options, selecting the Schedule tab, and changing a setting next to New Tasks: Start on Project Start Date or Start on Current Date.
The Current Date can be used for benchmarking the progress of tasks, but you can use an alternative date for this as well. If you specify a date in the Status Date field in the Project Information dialog box, this is the date Project uses for placing the progress lines in the Gantt Chart view. In addition, if there is a date in the Status Date field, Project uses this date when calculating the Earned Value fields and for tracking purposes in the Update Project dialog box.
To change the Current Date field or enter a date in the Status Date field, select the field and type the date or click the drop-down arrow to select a date from a calendar pop-up.
Understanding the Project Statistics Dialog Box
You use the Statistics button at the bottom of the Project Information dialog box to display the Project Statistics dialog box (see Figure 3.5). You can also display this dialog box by clicking the Project Statistics button on the Tracking toolbar.
Figure 3.5 The Project Statistics dialog box gives a quick summary of the status of a project.
The Project Statistics dialog box displays summary information about a project. You cannot manually change the data in this dialog box; you can only view and print it.
You can use the Project Summary report (in the Overview category) to print out the project statistics. Reports are accessed from the View menu.
The Project Statistics dialog box shows the current, or currently scheduled, values for five project parameters: the start and finish dates and the total duration, work, and cost. If you have saved the baseline copy of the schedule, the baseline values also are displayed, for comparison.
When work is actually performed on the project and progress on tasks is recorded, the information in the Actual row is updated. The percentage complete of the duration and work of the project are shown at the bottom of the dialog box, in the Percent Complete section.
To close the Project Statistics dialog box, click the Close button.
Using the Properties Dialog Box
In the Properties dialog box, you can view and edit a number of options that describe a project. To open the Properties dialog box, choose File, Properties. The Properties dialog box has five tabs; the Summary tab is the default.
You can display information from the fields in the Properties dialog boxespecially fields from the Summary tabin the header or footer area of printed views or reports for a project. See Chapter 13, "Printing Views and Reports," for more information.
The Summary Tab
In the Summary tab of the Properties dialog box (see Figure 3.6), you can supply descriptive information about a project and the people associated with it. You can include the options at the top of the tab (Title, Subject, Author, Manager, and Company) in reports, as header or footer text. The options Category, Keywords, and Comments are useful when you're searching through previously created project files on your hard disk. You can use the Hyperlink Base option to indicate the main address to the hyperlinks you have in your project. This can be a link to another file on your computer or server or a link to a location on the Web.
→ To learn more about linking files to a Web site, see "Publishing Projects on the Web," at _URL_.
Figure 3.6 The Summary tab of the Properties dialog box presents descriptive options that are useful in reports and for searching for files to open.
To change any of the options on the Summary tab, select its text box and type an entry. Press the Tab key after you have finished typing the entry to move to the next option. Except in the Comments list box, pressing the Enter key on this tab selects the OK button and closes the dialog box.
If the newly created project originated from a template, the template name appears at the bottom of the dialog box.
You can select the Save Preview Picture check box to have Project save a thumbnail sketch of the current view when you save the file. You can browse these preview pictures when you search for files by using the File, Open command. The Save Preview Picture check box is not selected by default.
If you have trouble locating files in the future, you can use the Open dialog box to search for words entered in the fields of the Summary tab to find the needed file.
The General Tab
The General tab of the Properties dialog box describes the file that stores the project document. It provides statistics about the project file: the name, type, location, and size of the file, as well as the dates when the file was created, last modified, and last opened. This tab is blank until the document is saved as a file.
The Statistics Tab
The Statistics tab of the Properties dialog box provides useful statistics about your work with the project document, including when it was created, last modified, last accessed, and last printed It also shows who last saved the file, which is useful for shared files in a workgroup. The Statistics tab also shows how many times the document has been revised and the total amount of computer time spent editing the file.
The Contents Tab
The Contents tab of the Properties dialog box displays the most commonly reviewed statistics about the current project schedule: the start and finish dates; the scheduled duration, work, and cost; and the percentage completed for both duration and work. The Contents tab displays summary statistics about the project schedule.
The Custom Tab
With the Custom tab of the Properties dialog box you can add additional properties to a file. Then, you can search for files by the values of these properties. Based on the information in Figure 3.7, for example, you could search for all projects that have Marketing in the Department Value field. The bottom row in the Properties list box shows that a property named Department has been created for this document, with the text value Marketing.
Figure 3.7 The Custom tab of the Properties dialog box allows you to set up custom search parameters.
To create a custom property for a project, follow these steps:
Choose File, Properties.
Choose the Custom tab.
Type a property name in the Name list box. The drop-down list below the Name list box lists commonly used properties. If you want to use one of these, select it.
Use the Type drop-down list to define the type of data to place in the field. You should use this option only when you will type the value of the property instead of linking it to a field in the project file. When you link the property value to a project field, the Type drop-down list is unavailable. The allowable data types are Text, Date, Number, and Yes or No (logical).
If you chose Text, Date, or Number previously, type a value in the Value text box. If you chose the Yes or No option in the Type list box, you see Yes and No buttons in the Value box. Select the one you want to use.
Click the Add button to add the property to the list in the Properties dialog box.
If you want to link a property value to a project field, follow these steps:
Choose File, Properties.
Choose the Custom tab.
Type a property name in the Name list box.
Select the Link to Content check box (refer to Figure 3.7). The Type list box is grayed out, and the Value text box becomes a drop-down list. The name of the text box changes to Source.
In the Source drop-down list box, choose the field that has the value you want the property to reflect.
Click the Add button to add the property to the list in the Properties dialog box.
If you want to delete a custom property, select it in the Properties list and click the Delete button.
If you want to modify the value for a property, select the property name in the Properties list. This places the current name and value in the text boxes at the top of the dialog box. Change the Type or Value fields as needed, and the Add button changes to Modify. If you change the Name field, you have to use the Add button to include it as a new property. You could then use the Delete button to remove the original, leaving the newly named version. Then you could click the Modify button to complete the change.
When you finish the custom properties list

source: HuggingFaceFW/fineweb-edu


City of Philadelphia: Residential Stormwater Billing
Sign In
City of Philadelphia
Residential Stormwater Billing
Residential Stormwater Charge
Residential customers pay a standard amount based on the average surface area of impervious cover on residential properties throughout the city.
Stormwater Parcel Viewer
This web application lets users explore parcels on an interactive map, including high resolution ortho-photography, transparent overlays of impervious surfaces, and tools to make approximate measurements of length and area.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the impacts of stormwater runoff?
Stormwater adversely impacts the quality of our surface waters, as it carries with it various pollutants, sediments, and other debris from the surfaces over which it runs off. Stormwater also creates quantity problems which results in flooding, stream bank erosion, combined sewer overflows (CSO), basement flooding, and sewer backups.
What is stormwater runoff?
Stormwater runoff is water that flows over our yards, streets, buildings, parking lots, swimming pools and other surfaces when it rains.
How is stormwater runoff managed?
Stormwater runoff either flows directly into the nearest water bodies such as our local streams, ponds, rivers, and oceans, or is captured and is conveyed through the City‟s sewer pipes to the City‟s wastewater treatment facilities. Examples of stormwater management services include maintaining stormwater pipes and inlets, combined sewer pipe rehabilitation to abate flooding conditions, stream restoration, CSO management to reduce combined sewer overflows, and reducing pollution loading to the City‟s streams and waterways.
What activities does my stormwater bill fund?
PWD uses revenue generated from stormwater billing to fund a variety of activities including maintenance of the City‟s network of pipes and inlets that convey stormwater and implementing stormwater management and stream restoration projects to reduce combined sewer overflows and pollutant loading to the City‟s streams and waterways.
What constitutes a residential property?
Residential properties are those with structures containing one and no more than four dwelling units, but exclude properties with dormitories, nursing homes, hotels, or motels.
What is a Stormwater Management Service (SWMS) charge?
A SWMS charge is assessed to recover the costs the City incurs in providing stormwater management services to create a healthy living environment and to comply with State and Federal regulations. The City‟s annual stormwater management costs exceed $100 Million.
Is the SWMS charge a "Tax?"
No, the SWMS charge is NOT a tax. The SWMS charge is a utility user fee similar to a water utility charge.
What is the basis of my SWMS charge? Is my SWMS charge based on my water consumption?
SWMS charge is NOT based on your monthly water consumption. The SWMS Charge is based on two parameters: the average Gross Area square footage and the average Impervious Area square footage for all residential properties.
The average Gross Area for a residential property is 2,110 square feet. The average Impervious Area for a residential property is 1,050 square feet. Based on this average Gross Area and Impervious Area values, a uniform monthly charge has been defined for all residential properties.
What is a Gross Area (GA)?
Gross Area refers to all of the property area contained within the legally described boundaries of a property and does not include portions of sidewalk that are in the public Right-of-Way. In other words, GA refers to the total lot size of a property.
What is Impervious Area (IA)?
Impervious Area means the total square feet of any surfaces on the property which are compacted or are covered with material that restricts infiltration of water, including semi-pervious surfaces such as compacted clay, most conventionally hard-scaped surfaces such as streets, driveways, roofs, sidewalks, parking lots, attached and detached structures, and other similar surfaces.
Is the parcel based SWMS charge a new fee used to increase utility revenues?
No, the SWMS charge is NOT a new user charge, and it does not increase utility revenues. The City‟s sewer customers have always paid the SWMS charge as part of their monthly sewer charges. The SWMS charge was previously included in the „Service Charge‟ portion of your bill. As of July 1, 2010, the method of SWMS charge calculation changed from a meter size-based charge to a parcel area-based charge. Additionally, the SWMS charge assessment is presented as a separate line item in your Water/Sewer/Stormwater Bill.
Why did PWD change the method of SWMS charge assessment?
Historically, PWD calculated SWMS charges based on the size of the water meter(s) located in a property. However, such an approach creates inequity as (i) the size of the water meter bears limited relationship to the volume of stormwater runoff from a property; and (ii) properties such as vacant lots or parking lots without any water meter did not contribute to stormwater cost recovery.
The parcel area-based charge provides a more equitable mechanism for calculating the SWMS charge, which is based on the square footage of Gross Area and Impervious Area. Properties with larger lot size and larger impervious areas will generate more stormwater than properties with smaller lot size and smaller impervious areas. Therefore, the parcel area-based SWMS charge approach establishes a reasonable relationship between the stormwater burden imposed by a property and the calculated SWMS charge.
How is the SWMS charge billed for my property?
If your property has water and/or sewer accounts, then the SWMS charge is assessed as a separate line item in your water/sewer monthly bill. However, if your property does not have a water and/or sewer account, then you will receive a water bill with just the SWMS charge.
How is the SWMS charge assessed if I have multiple water accounts on my property?
The uniform monthly SWMS charge is equally apportioned among all the water accounts that exist on your property. For example, if your property has two water/sewer accounts, then each water/sewer account is assigned 50% of the total monthly SWMS charge.
If there are multiple water accounts on my property, can I request a specific allocation of SWMS charges among the water accounts?
Yes, if you would like a custom allocation of the SWMS charge among the accounts located on your property, you can request a specific distribution by filing FORM A-1 "Revised Charge Allocation" Application. However, the sum of the SWMS charge distributions should equal the total SWMS charge determined for that property.
Stormwater from my property drains directly to a stream or river. Will I still be assessed a parcel-based charge?
Yes, maintenance of streams and rivers within City limits is also the responsibility of PWD. Unmanaged stormwater from impervious surfaces causes stream bank and stream channel erosion and degrades water quality by introducing pollutants into streams. Since the City obtains its drinking water from the Delaware and Schuylkill Rivers, upgrading stormwater systems is a key aspect of protecting the City‟s drinking water supply. Federal mandates also require PWD to improve stream quality to comply with the Clean Water Act. Addressing these issues requires a large financial investment to fund stream and watershed studies, stream restoration projects, and stormwater management projects. PWD has already implemented a number of these projects and will be accelerating these programs in future years.
My property is tax exempt. Do I still have to pay the SWMS charge?
Yes, the SWMS charge is a "User Fee" and not a tax. Therefore, all tax exempt properties that are within the City limits are still required to pay a SWMS charge.
How will the water, sewer, and stormwater charges be accounted if I only pay a portion of my bill and not the entire bill amount?
When you make a payment (whether a partial amount or a full amount), your payment will be posted to the appropriate service in the following order:
1. Penalties and Interest (if any)
2. SWMS charge
3. Sewer charge
4. Water charge
What is my recourse if I receive a SWMS charge for a property I do not own?
If you are a tenant who is responsible for water and sewer charges, then you are also responsible for SWMS charges. However, if you are not a tenant and do not own the property, then you can submit a stormwater appeal using FORM A – "Stormwater Management Service Charge Adjustment Appeal Application" to get the issue resolved.
What are the conditions under which I can dispute the SWMS charge?
Per PWD‟s stormwater appeals policies, customers can submit a stormwater appeal using FORM A – "Adjustment Appeal Application" for any one of the following reasons:
 - Incorrect Parcel
 - Inaccurate Property Classification
 - Residential Sideyard
I am a residential property owner and I received a bill for my garage lot. Is this a mistake?
This is not a mistake. If the garage that you own is on a separate deed/tax parcel that is not a part of your residential parcel, then you will receive a separate stormwater fee for the garage parcel. However, your garage may qualify for a sideyard exemption if it is adjacent to your residential parcel, and if your residential parcel and the adjacent garage or sideyard parcels are deeded under the same ownership.
If you believe your garage would qualify as a sideyard, you can submit a stormwater appeal using FORM A – "Adjustment Appeal Application".
The information you have on my parcel is not correct. How can this be fixed?
Please fill out an Appeals Form using FORM A – "Stormwater Management Service Charge Adjustment Appeal Application" to let us know how our information about their parcel is inaccurate.


d3o Bullet-Proof Gel Could Lead To Safer Cars Of The Future
Follow Antony
d3o self-hardening gel
d3o self-hardening gel
Enlarge Photo
Have you ever seen the experiment using custard to demonstrate increases in viscosity with force? When you run your hand through the substance it acts like a liquid, but quickly apply a force and it hardens.
Fill a swimming pool with custard and you could feasibly run across without sinking in. Wet sand has similar properties. They're known as dilatant materials.
Running across custard swimming pools sounds like a fun way to demonstrate a physical process, but it can also have practical applications. Indeed, it can also save lives, and d3o, developed by British chemical lab d3o Lab, is designed to do just that. Equally as importantly, it could be used to save lives in serious car accidents too.
d3o gel, a putty-like substance, has the ability to harden almost instantly when subjected to a strong shear force, such as the impact of a speeding bullet. This has led to the material being considered as a lightweight and flexible alternative to materials such as kevlar in armored vests. It's also already in use in items such as ski jackets, cell phone protectors and motorcycle gloves, all of which are subject to impact shocks.
Mazda is one of the automakers now interested in exploring the possible benefits of using d3o gel in cars. Mazda's European R&D chief, Peter Birtwhistle, told Carsguide that innovations such as d3o were "fascinating" and presented "glimpses of future design".
"It has unlimited applications in a car to protect its occupants", reasons Birtwhistle. The technology could be used in a vehicle's seats and baby seats, or as a flexible cargo barrier that then offers protection in an accident.
We look forward to seeing whether the technology begins to filter into vehicles in the near future. In the meantime though, we advise against filling your car with custard...
[Carsguide via MotorAuthority]
Follow Us
Have an opinion?
 - Notify me when there are more comments
Have an opinion? Join the conversation!
Take Us With You!
Research New Cars


Saturday, November 23, 2013
WOO HOO! African state of Angola bans Islam and will destroy all the mosques
UnknownBy popular demand, Angolan authorities have taken pre-emptive action and decided to ban the Muslim religion, which they consider a cult, NOT a religion. They see what Muslims are doing to Christians, especially in Africa, and are taking steps to prevent the same from happening in Angola.
imagesPoste reveille (h/t Susan K) The provincial governor of Luanda, Bento Bento, said on the airwaves of local radio that "radical Muslims are not welcome in Angola and the Angolan government is not ready for the legalization of mosques." Minister of Culture, Rosa Cruz e Silva explained that the law on freedom of religion will be reviewed given the current national context, noting that the Government will redouble its efforts to fight relentlessly against religious cults like Islam which are contrary to the customs of Angolan culture.
95% of Angola's population is Christian. A quarter belongs to Protestant churches founded during the colonial period, including congregational evangelical church.
former-boko-haram-Nasir-IsiakuThis decisive action taken by the Angolan head of state is based on a desire to guard against the rise of the Wahhabi ideology that has created havoc, death and destruction in Africa and elsewhere. And as rightly explained Tunisian philosopher Mezri Haddad: "Islamism and Islamophobia feed each other. Worse, long-term Islamism as an ideology destroy Islam as religion. "
Africalap According to the International Religious Freedom Report 2008, Islam in Angola is a minority religion with 80,000 – 90,000 adherents, composed largely of migrants from West Africa and families of Lebanese origin. The Muslims comprise between 2.5 to 3 percent of Angola's overall population of 17 million people, most of them Christians.
in the last decade, but especially during the last few years the Muslim community in Angola has grown appreciably and Islamic activities have become more common in major cities. Mosques have sprung up in a number of places and Qur'anic schools have been built to provide Islamic instructions and teach Arabic language to adherents.
Public attitudes toward Islam have been generally negative. Cultural differences between Angolan and Muslim West African immigrants have been the basis for negative views toward Islam, as was the perceived link between Islam and illegal immigration. Since the September 11 attacks, there has been a deliberate attempt to link Muslims with terrorism. It has become a matter of routine at Luanda airport for security officers to detain Muslims arriving from Sahelian countries.
jihad christian girl beheaded by indonesian muslims in 2005
3779664185On September 1, 2008, a Muslim mob attacked the Christian community in the town of Andulo. The school-age daughter of a deacon at one of the churches was decapitated. Forty Christians were assaulted or tortured. The mob burned three church buildings. They also went to Christians' houses to intimidate them or destroyed items of property. Stones were thrown at the headquarters of a local Christian project, causing some damage. An Angolan Christian leader said that the local police were unable to stop the attack and fled the scene.
1) He's sending weapons to Libya to help repair America's strained relationship with Al-Qaeda.
2) Parents all across the country can now point to Barack Obama's performance when they're explaining to their children why they shouldn't use drugs.
3) He won the Nobel Peace Prize. Hello!
4) Thanks to, "New Coke" no longer has to bear the shame of being the worst product roll-out in American history.
5) Because of Obama, 91 million people without jobs now have plenty of time to spend with their family.
6) He extended childhood all the way up to 26 by allowing "children" to stay on their parents insurance until then.
7) He's kept goofy Uncle Joe Biden from becoming President for five long years.
8) No President in American history has done more to further gun sales than Barack Obama.
9) Without Barack Obama, none of us would have ever heard the name Sandra Fluke and what a tragedy that would be!
10) He has already broken Bill Clinton's record for the most lies told in one presidency with three years left to go in office.
11) When the SEALS asked for permission to kill Bin Laden, he didn't insist that they merely give Osama a good talking to instead.
12) He has worked tirelessly to know the American people better through invasive TSA searches, reading their emails, and listening in on their phone calls.
13) He's living proof that even a pothead who thinks there are 57 states can still live the American dream.
14) Because of Obama's economic policies, more Americans than ever have gotten to experience the sweet, sweet joy of funemployment!
15) Obama's policies are so bad that even real racists have stopped hating him for being black and hate him for his failed policies.
Nuclear Ambitions Are Clear Sign Dear Leader Obama Losing Grip
John Ransom / Townhall Columnist
Despite concrete evidence that global warming has paused, despite evidence that the world is most definitely not running out of oil, despite evidence that the climate models are wrong, global warming still looms as a major disaster to people living in the United States, especially the poor and the middle class.
That's because the false hysteria surrounding global warming is partially responsible for electing the worst president that we've ever had.
And the cleanup from this disaster is going to take a long while.
Let's put it this way: The earth will begin to warm again before the fallout and toxic effects of Hurricane O are cleaned up.
In the latest manifestation of the man-caused disaster that is Obama, Senator Millionaire, Harry Reid, (D-Dead) got rid of the long agreed-upon rules that prevent presidential nominations from coming to a vote without a consensus amongst Senators.
This rule has been so sacrosanct that changing it has been referred to by BOTH parties as "the nuclear option."
While Democrats usually pursue a strategy of using dead voters to stuff ballot boxes and suppress the vote, Obama instead turned to a dead Senator, Harry Reid, to stuff the Senate votes.
And because the nuclear option was deployed, you can kiss an early debt deal goodbye, along with a deal on tax reform or a deal to keep government running past January 2013.
Only rulers of tin-horn dictatorships seek to go nuclear, like this, as an alternative to real, responsive government.
"I just think after today, legislating's going to be pretty tough," said Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina, who infuriates the GOP's base for often cooperating with Democrats on bipartisan legislation.
"If you thought the Senate has already ground to a near standstill, this is like throwing sand into the gears of an already rusty machine," said Republican strategist Ron Bonjean, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. "It's really going to heighten the tensions even further, create bitter partisan arguments and add to the acrimony that's currently in the Senate."
Strike that. I'm sure he meant to say: "create MORE, bitter, partisan arguments."
What's at stake is the thin veneer of civility-- perhaps the last civility left in our Republic-- that allows consensus to built even in tough times. It means that while a majority in the Senate rules, it also reigns.
Consensus is dead! Long live the tyrannies of the Majority... with nukes!
Make no mistake: This is just an attempt by Obama to poke the hornets' nest because the sting of Obamacare is killing him.
Nothing constructive will come out of it.
It's civil war, senatorial style… with nukes.
While the rest of us worried about Iran going nuclear, Obama went nuclear instead.
His nuclear ambitions are the surest sign that the Dear Leader is losing his grip on his people.
Obama likely meant for Senatorial Civil War. He's hoping for a shutdown or a showdown that will help him wiggle, waggle and worm his way out of the Obamacare debacle.
And here's the big giveaway: Obama invoked our Founders in defense of Reid's maneuver in getting rid of the "obstructionists" in the GOP who sought to build a consensus as an alternative to one party rule.
"But today's pattern of obstruction," said Obama about the rules that require 60 votes to move a presidential appointment forward, "it just isn't normal. It's not what our founders envisioned."
Yeah, like, when has he ever cared for what our Founders envisioned?
The last dead white guy he ever had a kind word for was Nancy Pelosi. Or maybe Joe Biden.
Sigh… it's always the WRONG dead white guys with that dude.
"If the Democrats proceed to use the nuclear option in this way, it will be Obamacare II: It will be another raw exercise of partisan political power to say we can do whatever we want to do," said Republican Senator Lamar Alexander as reported by WBIR in Knoxville, Tennessee. "The only cure for that is a referendum next November."
And then let the cleanup of the man-caused fallout and real toxic waste begin.
On judges, ObamaCare, and the nuclear option...issues joined at the hip
By: Diane Sori
In a lawless power grab that broke all the rules in order to change the rules to favor Barack HUSSEIN Obama's leftist agenda...and knowing that Republicans will most likely retake the Senate and keep the House in 2014...the Senate under Harry Reid's hand invoked the 'nuclear option'...thus heralding in the start of at least one very dangerous year of


text:
Definition of Glycoprotein
Glycoprotein: A molecule that consists of a carbohydrate plus a protein.
Glycoproteins play essential roles in the body. For instance, in the immune system almost all of the key molecules involved in the immune response are glycoproteins.
A glycopeptide is similar in structure to a glycoprotein but has a shorter chain of amino acids.Source: MedTerms™ Medical Dictionary
Last Editorial Review: 6/14/2012
Medical Dictionary Definitions A - Z
Search Medical Dictionary
eMedicineHealth Top News
Find out what women really need.
Most Popular Topics
Pill Identifier on RxList
- quick, easy,
Find a Local Pharmacy
- including 24 hour, pharmacies


Generic filters
Emotion Intensity Meter
The EIM-100 Emotion Intensity Meter allows subjects to indicate on an ongoing basis the intensity of their emotional response to experimental visual or auditory stimuli. It connects to a DIN8 transducer input of an iWorx data recorder and the responses are shown on a dedicated channel of the LabScribe recording.
Manual: EIM-100
Design Your System
Choose the parameters you want to Measure
EMG : Number of Channels
Invasive BP : Number of Channels
Non-Invasive BP : Number of Channels
Flow : Number of Channels
Temperature: Number of Channels
Force: Number of Channels
Stimulation: Describe the type
Recover Password
We will contact you with your login info.
Newsletter Signup


adjective \ˈfr-mə-də-bəl; fr-ˈmi-, fər-ˈmi-\
: very powerful or strong : deserving serious attention and respect
: very difficult to deal with
: large or impressive in size or amount
Full Definition of FORMIDABLE
: causing fear, dread, or apprehension
: having qualities that discourage approach or attack
: tending to inspire awe or wonder : impressive
for·mi·da·bil·i·ty \ˌfr-mə-də-ˈbi-lə-tē; fr-ˌmi-, fər-ˌ\ noun
for·mi·da·ble·ness \ˈfr-mə-də-bəl-nəs; fr-ˈmi-, fər-ˈ\ noun
for·mi·da·bly \-blē\ adverb
Examples of FORMIDABLE
 1. The mountains were a formidable barrier.
 2. He has mastered a formidable amount of material.
 3. She was known throughout Manchester as a formidable woman, and being educated had only piled more formidability on top of what she had been born with. —Edward P. Jones, The Known World, 2003
Middle English, from Latin formidabilis, from formidare to fear, from formido terror, bogey; akin to Greek mormō bogey
First Known Use: 15th century
Next Word in the Dictionary: forming die
Previous Word in the Dictionary: formicologist
All Words Near: formidable
Seen & Heard
What made you want to look up formidable? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).


Gallo pinto
Gallo pinto is a traditional dish of Costa Rica that was introduced by nicaraguan immigrants. During the 1980's many nicaraguans immigrated to Costa Rica influencing their food and music. Though many variations exist, the dish at its most basic is composed of pre-cooked rice
 and bean
Bean is a common name for large plant seeds of several genera of the family Fabaceae used for human food or animal feed....
s fried together. It is considered the national dish
National dish
A national dish is a dish, food or a drink that is considered to represent a particular country, nation or region.A dish can become a national dish for a variety of reasons. It can be the national dish because it is a staple daily food for the majority of the population. It can also be the national...
, and is eaten as part of any meal, although mostly for breakfast
. Originally traditional gallo pinto in Nicaragua was introduced from the caribbean cost of Nicaragua by the slave population that came from Jamaica. The Caribbean cost of Nicaraguan has one of the oldest settlements from the english empire in central America. Even though, controversial claim between Nicaragua and Costa Rica who invented the dish most people conclude that the origal dish is cooked with pinto beans. Nicaragua is the largest producer and consumer of pinto beans in Central America. Costa Ricans use black beans as their favourite bean for their gallo pinto. To add more to the confusion, costa ricans call the mix of rice and beans casado when eaten at any other time of day but breakfast.±
When the red beans and rice are combined, the rice gets colored by the beans, and the mix results in a multi-colored, or speckled appearance. Beans are quickly cooked until the juice is almost consumed. Gallo pinto means "spotted rooster" in Spanish
Spanish language
, thus the name fits with the colored rice.
Often considered to be the core ingredient of a meal, the name is also traditionally believed to have developed to conceal the lack of meat in the dish, either because it is unavailable or too expensive. So the host serves a dish hoping that those eating it will be fooled into believing it contains chicken, the lack of which being disguised by the texture and speckled appearance of the bean and rice mixture. Those eating are rarely fooled, however, so the pejorative name "gallo pinto" suggesting the dish has been merely "painted rooster" arose.
There are other variations of this dish. Similar dishes are known as Moros y Cristianos ("Moors
The description Moors has referred to several historic and modern populations of the Maghreb region who are predominately of Berber and Arab descent. They came to conquer and rule the Iberian Peninsula for nearly 800 years. At that time they were Muslim, although earlier the people had followed...
 and Christian
s") in Spain
 and Cuba
 or just Moro, but regarding the true nature of gallo pinto, it is believed that it came to be known through the Afro-Latino immigrants who live on the Caribbean coasts. They simply call it "rice and beans" and prepare it with coconut oil
Coconut oil
 and/or shredded coconut. A similar dish is found in Panama
 and in El Salvador
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
 where it is called casamiento. Other variations include pigeon peas or kidney beans instead of black beans in Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
 and Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
; Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
 (calentado paisa) and even Peru
 (tacu tacu).
Recently, empanada
An empanada is a stuffed bread or pastry baked or fried in many countries in Latin America, Southern Europe and parts of Southeast Asia. The name comes from the verb empanar, meaning to wrap or coat in bread. Empanada is made by folding a dough or bread patty around the stuffing...
s filled with gallo pinto are becoming a popular alternative for people who have little time to eat breakfast.
See also
 - Hoppin' John
 Hoppin' John
 Hoppin' John is the Southern United States' version of the rice and beans dish traditional throughout West Africa. It consists of black-eyed peas and rice, with chopped onion and sliced bacon, seasoned with a bit of salt. Some people substitute ham hock or fatback for the conventional bacon; a...
 - the equivalent dish in the Southern United States
 Southern United States
 - Pabellón criollo
 Pabellón criollo
 Pabellón criollo is a traditional Venezuelan dish, the local version of the rice and beans combination found throughout the Caribbean. It is a plate of rice, shredded beef and stewed black beans that is considered by many to be the Venezuelan national dish....
 - a dish with these ingredients in Venezuela
 - Platillo Moros y Cristianos
 Platillo Moros y Cristianos
 Platillo Moros y Cristianos is a famous Cuban dish. It can be considered to be the Cuban version of rice and beans, a dish found throughout the Caribbean and in Brazil.-Name:...
 - the Cuba
 n equivalent


text:
Background A previous brain imaging study demonstrated activation of the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) during visceral nociception, and this activation was associated with anxiety. We hypothesized that functional modulation of the right DLPFC by repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) can reveal the actual role of right DLPFC in brain-gut interactions in humans. Methods Subjects were 11 healthy males aged 23.5 ± 1.4 (mean ± SE) years. Viscerosensory evoked potential (VEP) with sham (0 mA) or actual (30 mA) electrical stimulation (ES) of the rectum was taken after sham, low frequency rTMS at 0.1 Hz, and high frequency rTMS at 10 Hz to the right DLPFC. Rectal tone was measured with a rectal barostat. Visceral perception and emotion were analyzed using an ordinate scale, rectal barostat, and VEP. Key results Low frequency rTMS significantly reduced anxiety evoked by ES at 30 mA (p>0.05). High frequency rTMS-30 mA ES significantly produced more phasic volume events than sham rTMS-30 mA ES (p>0.05). Conclusions and inferences We successfully modulated the gastrointestinal function of healthy individuals through rTMS to the right DLPFC. Thus, rTMS to the DLPFC appears to modulate the affective, but not direct, component of visceral perception and motility of the rectum.
- Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC)
- Electroencephalogram (EEG)
- Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
- Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS)
- Visceral perception
- Viscerosensory evoked potential (VEP)
ASJC Scopus subject areas


Use Tab Groups to organize a lot of tabs
Tab Groups (also known as Panorama) are an easy way to organize a lot of tabs. With Tab Groups, you can visually group related tabs, switch between groups and quickly search through all of your tabs. This article will have you juggling dozens of tabs in no time.
Why should I use Tab Groups?
If you're a tab addict, regularly ending up with more tabs than fit on the Tab Strip, Tab Groups were made for you. They're also great for grouping tabs by task and then switching between them. Try out the steps in the rest of this article – you'll quickly see how useful they are.
How do I create a Tab Group?
If you don't already have a number of tabs open to work with, do it now.
 1. Enter the Tab Groups view by using the keyboard shortcut, Command + Shift + ECtrl + Shift + E.
 2. When you enter the Tab Groups view for the first time, you'll see thumbnail previews of all of your tabs in one group. To make a new group, simply drag one tab out of the group and then drag a second one on top of it. A box will be drawn around them.
 - You can continue adding tabs to that new group and you can create more groups.
 Creating a tab group create tab group fx29
 3. When you are done, just click on a tab to exit the view. You will be returned to Firefox, the tab you clicked on will be active and only the tabs in that group will be visible.
Tip: You can add a Tab Group button to your toolbar to give you easy access. See Customize Firefox controls, buttons and toolbars for instructions.
Panorama button
panorama fx29
How do I switch between Tab Groups?
Switching between tab groups is easy. Just enter the tab groups view by clicking Command + Shift + ECtrl + Shift + E, then click on the tab group you want to view. The tab you clicked on will be active and only the tabs in that group will be visible.
 - You can also use the keyboard shortcut, Ctrl + 'control + ' allows you to go to the next Tab Group and Ctrl + Shift + 'control + shift + ' to the previous Tab Group.
Try it out: Tab Groups are great for grouping tabs by task. For example, you might have a group of tabs related to searching for a gift and another group for paying your bills online. Try creating groups for things you normally do online and use Tab Groups to switch between them. It's an easy way to stay organized.
How do I search through my tabs?
Quickly find that tab – it's much easier than finding a needle in a haystack.
 2. Click the search button on the right side of the window to bring up the search box and then just begin typing the name of the tab you're trying to find.
 - Or just start typing and a search will happen automatically.
 3. As you type, the tabs that match your search will be highlighted. Just click on a tab to select it and be returned to Firefox.
 Panorama search panorama search fx29
 - If you have more than one Firefox window open, you may see tabs from other windows that match your search listed at the bottom of the window. Clicking one of those will switch you to that Firefox window, tab and group.
How do I organize my Tab Groups?
Tab Groups can easily be resized, rearranged and named. When you're done with a group you can close it and get rid of all of its tabs at once.
 - Resizing Tab Groups – Click and drag the resize handle at the bottom-right corner of a group to make it bigger or smaller. As you resize the group the tabs will get bigger and smaller accordingly.
 - If you make the group small enough, the tabs will get stacked on top of one another. Below this stack, a preview button will appear. Click the preview button to see what tabs are in the stack without changing the size of the group.
 - Rearranging Tab Groups – Click and drag on an empty area along the sides or bottom of a group to move it around the screen.
 - Naming Tab Groups – Click next to the pencil icon at the top of a group and type in a name for it. Then just hit ReturnEnter or click on some other area of the window.
 - Closing Tab Groups – Each tab group has a close button in the upper-right corner. Clicking it will close that group and all of its tabs.
 - If you've closed a tab group by accident, you can click the Undo Close Group button to restore it before leaving the Panorama view.
Pinned Tabs in Tab Groups
When you are using Pinned Tabs with Tab Groups, they will be represented by their site's icon on the right side of each tab group.
App Tabs in Panorama pinned tab groups
I'm having problems
Share this article:
क्या यह लेख उपकारी था? Please wait...
These fine people helped write this article: marsf, djst, JasnaPaka, KadirTopal, Verdi, scoobidiver, Swarnava, linesarefuzzy, greasemonkey, ideato, deb.bhattacharya6, KamranMackey, grubert, jsavage. You can help too - find out how.


What is the 555 timer?
Timer 555 is an 8-terminal integrated circuit that is used for generating time slots. Although it is mainly used as a timer to activate or deactivate some circuits or electronic components, we can also use it as a pulse generator, multivibrator, alarm, digital switch, among other more specific applications.
Timer 555
555 timer terminals
GND: The earth is placed in this terminal.
Trip: It is used to activate the integrated circuit.
Output: Here the component or circuit that we want to activate is connected.
Reset: It is used to reset the circuit, if we do not use it we must connect it to the positive pole.
Voltage control: It is used to modify the Vref of the comparators in order to modify the threshold and trip voltage and this can be used to modify the shape of the output wave. If this terminal is not used, a 10nf capacitor is placed to avoid interference.
Threshold: It is a comparator that establishes the timing time.
Discharge: It is used to generate the low-level time or 0, while the capacitor discharges, the output is at a low level.
Supply voltage: Used to supply each of the internal parts of the timer.
Parts 555
555 Settings
This circuit is characterized by having the ability to be configured in different ways, whether it works with cycles that repeat over and over again with a single pulse (Astable) or a single cycle per pulse or better known as a monostable timer.
Timer 555 Astable
This type is characterized by having an output that is repeated over and over, thus taking a square waveform. This signal has two states, one low and one high, each of which has different operating times, that is, one for the activation signal known as T1 and another for the low T2.
The duration times depend on the values of the resistors: R1 and R2 and the capacitor C1.
T1 = 0.693 (R1 + R2) C1
T2 = 0.693 x R2 x C1 (in seconds)
The frequency with which the output signal oscillates is given by the formula:
f = 1 / T
and the period is simply
T = 1 / f
555 astable
Timer 555 Monostable
In this case, the timer needs a pulse at the trigger terminal to generate an active output for the programmed time. Once the cycle ends, it can be restarted as many times as necessary, it is only a matter of generating a pulse at the trigger terminal.
The connection diagram and the input and output waveforms are shown in the following image. We can see that the high-level time of the output depends on the resistance R1 and the capacitor C1.
555 monostable
The formula to calculate the duration time (time that the output is at a high level) is:
T = 1.1 x R1 x C1 (in seconds)
555 Timer Metal Detector


text:
There's a rapidly growing list of Windows 8 education apps in the Windows Store – simply too many to keep up with, so what I'm now keeping my eye open for are ones that are completely different, and especially those that take advantage of the touch interface of Windows 8 to create an immersive experience for students and teachers. Here's an app for biology teachers that's great for a touch tablet for an individual student to explore, or for a teacher to project onto a classroom interactive whiteboard (it would be great to use this on a multi-touch whiteboard for zooming and navigation around the 3D models).
It's from Corinth, a new education interactive publisher based in the Czech Republic. It's been built by a team of graphic designers and 3D experts – and it shows within a minute of loading the app, as you whizz around 3D models and zoom in and out of rich graphics.
Link It's an unique interactive education app which takes you into the fascinating microscopic world of plant biology. Starting from an image of a forest, you can use touch to zoom into enormously magnified images, or explore fully 3D interactive models of trees which take you from the overall structure right down to looking at individual viruses. The video below walks you through the app, and gives you a clear idea of what it can do:
The free version of Corinth Micro Plant Windows 8 app offers immersive zooming into micro world and a 3D interactive learning page for trees and their structures. Additional features can be unlocked through a Facebook Like (which unlocks the 3D gyroscope-driven interactive page on viruses), and then interactive learning pages like the ones below are unlocked through an in-app purchase.
You can install Corinth Micro Plant free using the link above
Read a list of other recommended Windows 8 apps for education


text:
Beiträge zur Jahrestagung des Vereins für Socialpolitik 2015: Ökonomische Entwicklung - Theorie und Politik - Session: Financial Economics V E10-V2
The use of informal finance is primarily discussed in the context of developing countries and start-up businesses. Survey data used in this study, however, shows that ''Family and Friends'' (F\&F) finance is also remarkably widespread among established firms in Germany, a highly developed country. Establishing a causal link, Instrumental Variables estimations in this study show that firms use F\&F finance in response to credit constraints. Considering that welfare gains from financial intermediation no longer materialize when firms go informal, this result is of utmost importance in the analysis of the consequences of a non-functioning financial system, even in developed economies.


Topic Page:
Rusk, David Dean
Get Definition Get Definition
Definition: from
Summary Article: Rusk, (David) Dean (_PHONE_) from The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather guide
US Democrat politician. He was secretary of state to presidents J F Kennedy and L B Johnson 1961–69, and became unpopular through his involvement with the Vietnam War.
He was prominent in Korean War negotiations. Convinced of the need not to appease communist expansionism, he played a key part in the US decision to defend South Korea against invasion by North Korea. However, he advised President Kennedy against the unsuccessful Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba in 1961.
Early career Rusk was born in Cherokee County, Georgia, the son of a Presbyterian minister, and studied politics at Oxford University as a Rhodes scholar. He taught political science on his return to the USA, before military service during the World War II, where he was involved in intelligence and guerrilla operations in Burma (now Myanmar). He joined the US State Department after the war and progressed to becoming assistant secretary for Far Eastern affairs 1950–51. In 1952, when the Republican general Dwight Eisenhower was elected president, Rusk left the State Department to become president of the internationalist Rockefeller Foundation.
A hawk Despite criticism from peace campaigners, Rusk never wavered in his advocacy of a firm interventionist line in Vietnam in an effort to halt the perceived spread of communism. Having been appointed secretary of state by Kennedy, he continued in that office under Lyndon Johnson, before retiring in 1969 to teach international law at the University of Georgia. Liberal on social issues but hawkish and internationalist on external matters, Rusk was an archetypal 'defence Democrat'.
Create a Mind Map for Rusk, (David) Dean (_PHONE_)


text:
Welcome, lovely person! You might be here because somebody wants you to learn about lamâsching. Don't be afraid, even if you already know that it has to do with physical contact between human beings, you are currently reading an internet page (probably even being alone - although having trustful people around you would allow you trying this out afterwards) and have nothing to fear.
So what is lamâsching?
Lamâsching involves at least two people, preferably more. It is all about feeling great and sharing great feelings on a physical level. That may involve giving and receiving hugs, soft stroking, touching different parts of other peoples' bodies. Everybody will respect your privacy and expect the same from you, that is why lamâsching is considered safe (see Lamâsching Protocol (Elina's School) for details).
What is lamâsching not?
Lamâsching is not a gathering of crazy people that want to grope you. Although every body may react differently on warm-hearted touch - especially when not being used to - it should not be considered as a sexual act.
- Immediately speak out, stop or leave the activity if you feel uncomfortable.
- Speak out if you are unsure about what you are doing or get the feeling a person may feel uncomfortable.
- Use your hands to touch the people around you.
- You may stroke with soft pressure, so it feels nice.
- Bring your body close to other bodies to give and get a warm feeling.
- You may focus on an invidivual person for some time to create a more intense experience if you feel like it.
- Try out using other parts of your body to reach people as well (feet, arms, maybe head, nose, mouth).
- This is not a sexual activity, so don't act like it.
- No touching of private/intimate body parts except this is agreed (also be careful/ask before touching head when new people are around you).
- Respect any limits people communicate.
- No kissing (except in an agreed area - the founders of the lamâsching culture did not see such a school yet).
A very good read is the warmly expressed experience from Tilmann (Lamâsching Culture). Afterwards, read about different lamâsching schools, try it out and create your own!


Recovering Slowly
Improving financial position of discoms augurs well for renewables
Given the significant role of discoms in the power sector, their finances have an impact on power producers as well, particularly in the renewable energy sector where project margins and returns on investment are largely dependent on the offtaker. Discom finances are influenced by a host of factors and have a considerable impact on power generation, scheduling and forecasting as well as on the disbursement of subsidies for renewable power generators.
Factors affecting discoms
The electricity generated in India comes largely from thermal power plants. Therefore, coal prices and policies have a significant impact on discom finances. Most of the coal-based power projects implemented after 2008 have experienced considerable capital cost escalation owing to delays in execution. Delays in land acquisition and clearances from the government, the depreciation of the rupee against the dollar for projects using imported boiler, turbine and generator equipment, and challenges in securing funding are some of the key issues leading to cost overruns. In May 2016, Coal India Limited (CIL) revised the pithead run-of-the-mine prices of all grades of non-coking coal, which led to a 14-18 per cent increase in coal prices, thus increasing the cost of generation by 9-10 paise per kWh.
Further, the Ministry of Railways rationalised the freight rates for coal transportation, revising them upwards for distances between 200 km and 700 km, and downwards for distances greater than 700 km. In addition, the Railway Board levied a coal terminal surcharge of Rs 55 per metric tonne at both the loading and unloading points for distances beyond 100 km.
These factors have led to an increase in the levellised tariff of thermal power from Rs 2.50 per kWh in 2006 to Rs 4.20 per kWh in 2016. Thus, discoms are now reluctant to invite bids and sign long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs) at the higher tariffs offered by developers. As a result, 26 GW of recently commissioned and under-construction capacity in the private independent power producer (IPP) segment does not have long-term PPAs.
Another significant issue plaguing discom finances is the high level of aggregate technical and commercial (AT&C) losses. The AT&C loss levels of discoms vary widely across states, with significantly higher losses (more than 25 per cent) in states such as Bihar, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. Given that many discoms in these states are following the Ujwal Discom Assurance Yojana (UDAY) guidelines, these losses are expected to reduce in the near future.
Together, these issues are affecting retail tariffs, which have been increasing steadily over the past three to four years. However, the rate of average tariff hike has declined from 14 per cent in 2012-13 to 7 per cent in 2013-14. Tariffs increased by 9 per cent in 2014-15 before falling again to 4 per cent in 2015-16 and 2016-17. During 2017-18, based on the tariff orders issued so far in 18 states, the average tariff hike continues to remain modest at about 4 per cent. Moreover, despite the rise in tariffs, the gap between the average cost of supply and the average tariff realised per unit for discoms persists across most of the states, resulting in the discoms running at a net operational loss. This can be seen from the fact that the discoms had a total accumulated book loss of Rs 4.1 trillion as of March 2015.
Discoms and solar power
The tariffs for power generated from solar photovoltaic plants have been declining consistently. In the Bhadla tender in 2017, the tariff fell from Rs 12 per kWh in 2011 to Rs 2.44 per kWh. This makes solar power cheaper than wind power (average tariff of Rs 4.80 per kWh) and thermal power (average tariff of Rs 3.40 per kWh). The trend is expected to continue in the upcoming tenders as well. However, given the low market share of solar compared to thermal power, the reduction in solar power tariffs may be offset by rising thermal power tariffs, thus straining the finances of discoms.
Impact of UDAY
UDAY scheme was launched by the government to improve the financial health of the discoms. Its key objectives are to enhance the operating and financial performance of the utilities by enabling tariff competence and reducing AT&C losses. The governments of 27 states and union territories (UTs), accounting for about 97 per cent of the overall debt of the distribution utilities as of September 2015, have signed MoUs with the Ministry of Power for the implementation of the scheme for achieving an operational and financial turnaround of their distribution utilities. The scheme is expected to result in a cumulative benefit of Rs 1,520.77 billion for all discoms.
Under the scheme, bonds worth Rs 2.32 trillion have been issued by the states and discoms towards refinancing the discoms' debt, improving the liquidity profile of the discoms. This represents 86 per cent of the total bonds to be issued as per the MoUs signed. The bonds issued so far constitute state bonds of Rs 2.09 trillion towards discom debt takeover and discom bonds of Rs 240 billion towards the leftover debt. As against the overall debt to be taken over by the state governments in 15 states as part of UDAY, only about Rs 990 billion has been taken over as equity or grant, while the remaining has been extended as state government loans to the discoms and will be subsequently converted to equity or grants over the next three to four years.
However, UDAY is facing some challenges in reducing discom debt. One of the biggest challenges is the high AT&C loss levels (of 28-61 per cent) for discoms in Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. The ability of the discoms in these states to reduce their losses to the stipulated levels in a timely manner is critical to their financial well-being.
Nevertheless, discoms have, in recent years, enjoyed a favourable coal supply situation. These supply-side tailwinds can be attributed to increased government focus on providing faster clearances, and better cooperation amongst states in acquiring land for ongoing mining projects. In addition, the new coal allocation policy to improve the supply of domestic coal to IPPs has also worked in favour of the discoms.
Under the new policy, IPPs with existing PPAs will be awarded coal linkages through an auction process at a discount on the quoted tariff. In this context, aggressive bidding to secure coal linkages may lead to a risk of under-recovery in variable costs. For IPPs without PPAs, linkages will be made available through the auction route with the bid parameter at a premium over the CIL-notified price. The policy has also included a provision to allocate domestic coal to projects based on imported coal through the auction route.
These factors are expected to standardise coal allocation and ensure a reliable supply of coal for IPPs. This, in turn, is expected to have a positive impact on discom finances by allowing power producers to optimise their production costs and passing on the benefits to the discoms.
Future prospects
The concrete steps taken by the central and state governments towards improving discom finances are expected to have a positive impact. Although the discoms are currently facing significant financial challenges, they have also been showing improvements in their financial and operational performance. Moreover, with a reduced interest burden owing to the state governments taking over a significant portion of the discom debt, the discoms have increased investments in the distribution network, which will help them reduce their AT&C losses. n
Based on a presentation by Sabyasachi Majumdar, Senior Vice-President and Head, Power Sector Ratings, ICRA Limited
Enter your email address


text:
PRONOUNCED: KLO-vis (English) [key]
Meaning & History
Shortened form of Clodovicus
, a Latinized form of Chlodovech
). Clovis was a Frankish king who united France under his rule in the 5th century.
OTHER LANGUAGES: Koldo (Basque), Luděk (Czech), Lowie (Dutch), Lou, Louie (English), Luĉjo (Esperanto), Lou (French), Lutz (German), Luigino, Vico (Italian), Luisinho (Portuguese), Lucho (Spanish), Ludde (Swedish)
| United States || -|| |
| France || ranked #227|| ||


text:
History of Science Museum
The History of Science Museum covers the highlights of the historical aspect of science in Egypt during the Pharaonic and Hellenistic eras, as well as, during the golden age of the Arab Islamic world.
Press play for a virtual tour of the History of Science Musuem.
Back to History
Click on the presentations to view samples from the Museum content.


text:
Related occupations for task:
||Crossing Guards and Flaggers
- Direct or escort pedestrians across streets, stopping traffic, as necessary.
- Guide or control vehicular or pedestrian traffic at such places as street and railroad crossings and construction sites.
- Direct traffic movement or warn of hazards, using signs, flags, lanterns, and hand signals.
||Air Traffic Controllers
- Monitor or direct the movement of aircraft within an assigned air space or on the ground at airports to minimize delays and maximize safety.
- Direct pilots to runways when space is available or direct them to maintain a traffic pattern until there is space for them to land.
- Direct ground traffic, including taxiing aircraft, maintenance or baggage vehicles, or airport workers.
||Bridge and Lock Tenders
- Direct movements of vessels in locks or bridge areas, using signals, telecommunication equipment, or loudspeakers.
- Stop automobile and pedestrian traffic on bridges, and lower automobile gates prior to moving bridges.
||Highway Maintenance Workers
- Set out signs and cones around work areas to divert traffic.
- Flag motorists to warn them of obstacles or repair work ahead.
- Direct motorists to parking areas or parking spaces, using hand signals or flashlights as necessary.
See all 8 related occupations >>


Friday, April 5, 2013
Flores Giant Rat
Papagomys armandvillei
Living isolated on an island can do funny things to a species. Some animals get smaller, to cope with the lack of resources. However... some actually get much larger (especially creatures that are normally small) because they don't have larger predators to contend with and can thus move into a slightly different ecological niche.
The Flores Giant Rat is and example of island gigantism. Th
ese monstrous rodents can grow 18in long, which is double the maximum size of a Brown Rat!
These Rats, like many of their kind, are very adaptable and can be found living in all types of forests, and at a variety of elevations within the Indoenesian island of Flores. They also have an adaptable diet-- they feed on fruits, leaves, insects, and a wide range of other plants and invertebrates.
Interestingly, for a Rat so large they aren't seen very often by scientists. Actually, most of what we know is from collected skeletal remains. The species is currently listed as Near Threatened, as they are hunted for food by the local human populations and by introduced dogs and cats.
IUCN Status : Near Threatened
Location : Flores, Indonesia
Size : Body length up to 18in (45cm)
Family : Muridae -- Genus : Papagomys -- Species : P. armandvillei
Image : Xenohistorian
1 comment:
 1. I hope they don't go extinct! :(
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...


text:
Remove All Display Ads
Definition of analcimesplural of analcime 1
The word "analcimes" uses 9 letters: A A C E I L M N S.
Direct anagrams of analcimes: calamines
Words formed by adding one letter before or after analcimes (in bold), or to aaceilmns in any order:b - imbalances misbalance p - campaniles t - semantical
List all words starting with analcimes, words containing analcimes or words ending with analcimes
All words formed from analcimes by changing one letter
Other words with the same letter pairs: an na al lc ci im me es
Browse words starting with analcimes by next letter
Previous word in list: analcime
Next word in list: analcite
Some random words: plea
This is not a dictionary, it's a word game wordfinder.
- Help and FAQ - Examples - Home
MoreWords.com - Z - words - 8.360mS


text: To accurately calculate light fluence rate distribution in prostate photodynamic therapy (PDT), optical heterogeneity has to be taken into account. Previous study has shown that a kernel based on analytic solution of the diffusion equation can perform the calculation with accuracy comparable to Finite-element method. An assumption is made that light fluence rate detected at a point in the medium is affected primarily by the optical properties of points (or elements) on the line between the source and the point. The exponential decay term of the light fluence rate is expressed as an integral of effective attenuation coefficient of each point along the line. The kernel method is first developed for a point source and then extended for a linear source. A linear source is considered being composed of multiple point sources and light fluence rate is summation of the fluence rates generated by the point sources. In this study, we have implemented a fast ray-trace algorithm to substantially speed up the calculation. The kernel calculation is compared with FEM calculation and is examined with light fluence rate measurements. The examination with clinical measurement data shows that calculated fluence rates present similar features in distribution as the measurement, with errors of 30%-70% for the peak fluence rates. We concluded that our heterogeneous algorithm is potentially valuable for light fluence rate optimization during interstitial PDT.


Optical Locating
From Mech
(Difference between revisions)
Jump to: navigation, search
(Target Illumination)
(Target Illumination)
Revision as of 14:03, 11 December 2008
System Design
The system contains the following elements:
 - Eye structure on a 2-DoF gimbal
 - Position-sensing detector
 - Target illumination circuit
 - Optics
 - Phase-sensitive detection circuit
 - Microcontroller
Position-Sensing Detector
Target Illumination
Phase-Sensitive Detection Circuit
The difficulty in trying to identify a target which could be buried within background ambient light is differentiating between the ambient signal and the target signal. The method of achieving that separation that this system uses is called phase-sensitive-detection. Essentially, the circuit uses an active low-pass filter to compare the centroid of light with the illumination on to the centroid of light with the illumination off, by switching from one lead when the illumination is on to the other when it is off. The use of the other lead when the illumination is off allows the filter to compare
One effective way to recover the small signal buried by large ambient noise is to use the so called phase sensitive detector, or lock-in amplifier. A phase sensitive detector achieves narrow bandwidth amplification by reducing the noise content at falling outside the interested bandwidth.
When the noise is white in nature, we can reduce its level of magnitude dramatically by limiting the bandwidth of detection, which includes the frequency occurring to the signal while excludes the frequencies occurring to the noise. Phase sensitive detection enables extremely narrow bandwidth detection (0.001Hz is normal). Typical application scenario is using electric transducers where the amplitude of noise is in mili volts and the signal falls into nano volt region. Sophisticated phase sensitive detector can extract signals buried in noise that is 107 times larger in magnitude.
In this article, we focus on a quick and easy method of building a phase sensitive detector from op-amps and analog switches.
Mathematical model
Consider two signals, f1 and f2, where f1=Asin1t, f2=Bsin(2t + ). Then, the product of f1 and f2 is:
f1 f2 = ABsin1t sin(2t + ) = -0.5AB {cos[(1 + 2) t + ] - cos[(1 - 2) t - ]}
Let's integrate the product over time [0, T): INT(0, T) f1 f2/T = -0.5AB/TINT(0, T) {cos[(1 + 2) t + ] - cos[(1 - 2) t - ]}dt =-0.5AB/TINT(0, T) cos[(1 + 2) t + ]dt + 0.5AB/TINT(0, T) cos[(1 - 2) t - ]dt When T , the first part  0, and the second part  0.5AB, when and only when 1 = 2 and  = 0.
This is the mathematical foundation of phase sensitive detection, because all signals can be broken down in to several harmonic components. And by intentionally modulating the useful signal and do the maths, we can recover the signal from the noise.
(I'll re-type it later using mathtype)
A phase sensitive detection can be split into 6 stages:
1. Modulation: Modulate the signal at a certain frequency.
2. Pre-amplification: A high-speed amplifier required to amplify the signal (along with the noise) to a suitable level for succeeding circuit. We can also stick in a high pass filter (can be a capacitor) after amplification, just to eliminate the DC portion of the noise.
3. Reference circuit: Usually a pulse wave at the modulating frequency, which can be from a function generator, or a 555 timer, or PIC, etc.
4. Multiplier: At this stage, we multiply the pre-amplified signal (along with the noise) with the reference signal. One easy way to do multiplication is suggested here: we use the reference signal to turn on and off an analog switch periodically, and let the modulated input signal pass the analog switch. So when the switch is ON (meaning connected), the output is 'input  1', and when the switch is OFF (meaning disconnected), the output is 'input  0'.
5. Integrator (demodulation): Let the multiplied signal pass through an integrator. The multiplied signal can have a lot of components – almost all of them will become zero after integration (see explanation in the mathematical model), but the one which is the product of the modulated signal and the reference signal will remain, because they are at the same frequency and the same phase angle. This is the essence of phase sensitive detection – only the product of the two signals that are 'in phase' will remain after integration. 'In phase' means the two signals share common frequency and phase angle. We can also do amplification at the integration stage by sticking in a feedback resistor (see the example circuit diagram), just for convenience.
6. Low pass filter: After integration, the signal is recovered and demodulated to a DC output. However, it may not be a perfect DC voltage due to high frequency spikes that still exist. That's why the low pass filter come into play.
Example circuit diagram
The concept of phase sensitive detection has been proved effective in optical tracking with lateral effect photodiode. The following circuit picks up the difference of the two corresponding output pins of the photodiode, in order to tell the position of the centroid of IR light on the photodiode sensing surface. The connection for the Y+ and Y- pins of the photodiode is exactly the same with what's shown here for X+ and X-. The timer is realized by a 555 chip, and the chip for analog switch is Maxim 4056. Schematic of phase sensitive detection.jpg
Commercial phase sensitive detectors
This link below provides some useful information on commercially available phase sensitive detectors, or lock-in amplifiers.
[1]SRS series Lock-in amplifiers
Personal tools


text:
Who really said that?
Francis Dávid didn't say, 'We need not think alike to love alike.' Does it matter?
How can we distinguish reliable history from history to be read with caution? The answer is simple: footnotes. Far from being tedious and pedantic, footnotes are essential to good historical writing. They allow other researchers to verify and correct information. They are the historian's equivalent of the scientific method. Without them, history would be reduced to rumors.
Despite the value that we place upon critical thinking, Unitarian Universalists possess an active rumor mill. Amongst its productions are sayings attributed to beloved historical figures. John Murray, the eighteenth-century Universalist, is quoted as saying, "Give them, not hell, but hope and courage." The sixteenth-century Transylvanian Unitarian Francis Dávid is supposed to have said, "We need not think alike to love alike." These have become flagship quotations for our faith, printed in numerous books, and are quoted in countless sermons, newsletters, and websites. Both are readings in our current hymnal. They are the first, and sometimes the only, things that readily come to mind when we think about these historical figures. However, neither of these quotations is genuine. Each became attached to its supposed author in the mid-twentieth century. The first was composed for a pamphlet published in 1951. The second was borrowed from the English Methodist founder, John Wesley.
How did this come to pass? In the case of the Murray quote we can reconstruct exactly how it happened. In Our Liberal Heritage, Alfred S. Cole wrote:
The Time-Spirit said to John Murray, "Go out into the highways and by-ways of America, your new country.... You may possess only a small light, but uncover it, let it shine, use it in order to bring more light and understanding to the hearts and minds of men and women. Give them, not hell, but hope and courage. Do not push them deeper into their theological despair, but preach the kindness and everlasting love of God."
In their original context, the words "not hell, but hope" were said to Murray, by a fictional Time-Spirit who was clearly created by Cole himself. So far, then, there was no misunderstanding. But in 1962 Henry Cheetham copied this passage into a Sunday school text, Unitarianism and Universalism: An Illustrated History, presenting it as an actual quotation from Murray. Charles Howe quoted "not hell, but hope" in The Larger Faith (1993), naming Cheetham as his source. The Time-Spirit passage is now on a plaque at Murray Grove. It has been set to music. It has, as they say nowadays, "gone viral." But, since Murray never said it, no one has ever been able to footnote it.
Similarly, no one who has quoted Francis Dávid as saying "We need not think alike to love alike" has ever cited a source. Furthermore, the saying is almost identical to a well-attested quotation from the Methodist founder, John Wesley, who asked in a sermon on "Catholic Spirit," "Though we cannot think alike, may we not love alike?"
To my knowledge, no serious scholar of the Transylvanian Reformation has ever mentioned the quote. The attribution to Dávid surfaced for the first time in the early 1960s. Richard Boeke heard it while on a tour in Transylvania in 1964. He published it in a pamphlet, A Universe of Common Freedom (1968), whence it made its way to John Buehrens's and Forrest Church's A Chosen Faith (1991) and many other UU publications.
It has been suggested that "We need not think alike to love alike" might be a free translation of "ardua magis res est amare, quam credere" ("it is harder to love than to believe"), a sentiment found in De Regno Christi (1569), and wrongly attributed to Dávid. The line in question was copied from Christianismi Restitutio (1553) by Michael Servetus.
A more plausible explanation for this misquote is that, in an early-1960s conversation about Francis Dávid and religious toleration, someone mentioned the quotation from Wesley and another person mistakenly understood it as an utterance of Dávid. Or the Wesley quote might have entered Transylvania via communication with British Unitarians early in the nineteenth century. That was, incidentally, the heyday of the Methodist Unitarians. Or it might have come to Transylvania in a Unitarian book, such as John Wilson's Unitarian Principles Confirmed by Trinitarian Testimonies (1855).
We have adopted "Give them, not hell, but hope" and "We need not think alike to love alike" because they encapsulate what we believe today and because they gave mid-twentieth-century Unitarians uncomplicated ways of thinking about connection with Transylvanian Unitarians and American Universalists, two groups that they were just beginning to take on as partners. But we should not project Cole's words, written in the twentieth century, onto the eighteenth-century Murray, or Wesley's onto the sixteenth-century Dávid. Our heroes may have been slightly ahead of their time, but we have no business reshaping them as thoroughly modern thinkers.
Can we continue to love "Give them, not hell, but hope" and "Though we cannot think alike, may we not love alike?" even if they were not said by our founders? Will we value them as much if, in all honesty, we have to cite them as being by Alfred S. Cole and John Wesley? I don't know. They are still good thoughts that express our central values. But another of our values is "a free and responsible search for truth and meaning." With that as a value, let us treat our history as responsibly and accurately as we can.
This article appeared in the Fall 2012 issue of UU World (pages 52–54). Illustration (top): Francis Dávid at the Diet of Torda in 1568, by Aladár Körösfői-Kriesch, 1896 (UUA Archives).Comments powered by Disqus


You are hereIsle of Benbeculla
Isle of Benbeculla
Mermaid's Grave
Pictish Mermaid
A mermaid is said to be buried in the sands in the area around Nunton. In 1830 some women who were gathering seaweed spotted a mermaid in the waters close to the shore.They tried in vain to catch her, but she was too clever for them. Read More »
The Blobster of the Isle of Benbeculla
In the early 1990's a twelve foot carcass covered in sand and seaweed was discovered on a Benbecula beach by 16 year old Louise Whitts. Read More »
Recent comments
Featured Site


text:
This workshop was part of a series of workshops on reliance, which continues to be an important area of focus for CIRS. It builds on the outcomes of a workshop held in South Africa in 2018 entitled Practical implementation of reliance models: what are the barriers and facilitators to the successful application of these models for innovative medicines, generics and variations? and one in Brazil in 2017 entitled Facilitating the review of new medicines through risk-based evaluations: how can a stratification process be utilised to achieve an effective use of resources?
- Discuss process and practices that enable agencies to optimise and improve their performance without affecting quality or the standards of the review process.
- Understand how the use of a systematic, structured approach to agencies measuring the various components of their review process can enable agencies to focus their improvement initiatives, set realistic targets and facilitate future strategic planning and decision making within the review process.
- Discuss how the development and introduction of good reliance practices can provide direction and a pathway for agencies to practically embed reliance-based application models within their review process, the benefits of utilising these approaches, and how this can be measured.
- Identify the elements of interagency trust contained within current reliance-based systems and how these enable agencies to practically implement a reliance-based application review model.
- Recommend how embedded quantitative metrics can be used to optimise review performance and what should constitute good reliance practices that will enable agencies to focus on value-added activities and provide timely regulatory decisions on patient availability to good quality medicines that are safe and effective.


People + email
Sync my email
By default, your email syncs automatically with your phone. You can change how often you want each account to sync, and you can start the process manually. This might be useful if your email account syncs mail only occasionally and you want to check it immediately, or if you're in Battery Saver mode, when email is only synced manually. To learn more about Battery Saver, see Battery: making it last.
You can also sync folders within an inbox.
To sync an email account
When you sync your email account, you'll update all of the information from that account, including folders, calendars, and to-dos.
 1. On Start, tap the email account that you want to access (for example, Outlook, Google, or a linked inbox).
 2. Tap Sync Delete icon. If you're in a linked inbox, you'll sync all of the linked accounts.
 When your email is done syncing, you'll see a message at the top of your screen that it's up to date.
To sync a folder
Once you've synced a folder to your phone, that folder will be synced on the same schedule as the rest of your inbox for that account.
 1. Open the account that has the folder you want to sync.
 2. Tap MoreMore icon > Folders.
 3. Tap Show all folders, then tap the folder you want.
 4. Tap Sync this folder.
To stop syncing a folder
 1. Open the account that has the folder you want.
 2. Tap MoreMore icon > Folders.
 3. Tap the folder you want to stop syncing.
 4. Tap MoreMore icon > Don't sync this folder.
 - You can't sync the drafts folder for an email account, even though Sync Delete icon appears available.
 - If you try to sync a folder and nothing happens, your email account might be set up to sync recent emails only. On Start, flick left to the App list, then tap Settings > Email + accounts. Tap your account, tap the Download email from list, and then tap a longer amount of time.
Related topics
Tell us what you think


Do hybrids differ that much in starch type?
crops and forages
Do hybrids differ that much in starch type?
by Bill Mahanna and Ev Thomas
There has been an explosion of interest among seed corn buyers about the differences in the type of starch found in hybrids. What these discussions are referring to is the amount of floury (also called soft or dent) endosperm versus vitreous (also called hard or flinty) endosperm.
structure of a corn kernal
Floury endosperm contains the white-colored starch granules found in the center of the kernel as shown in Figure 1. They are more loosely bound in a starch:zein protein (prolamin) matrix. Dent corn derives its name because this softer starch "dents in" at the top of the kernel as it matures.
Vitreous starch is the higher-density, yellowish-colored starch granules found on the outer edges of a mature kernel which are more tightly bound in a starch:protein matrix. Vitreous starch becomes more prominent as the kernel approaches dry grain harvest maturity (postblack layer). Popcorn would be considered nearly 100 percent vitreous starch.
Hybrids with more floury starch generally have lower test weight due to kernel reduced density (more air space between starch granules). However, only about 40 percent of the variation in grain density can be attributed to test weight. The remainder is due to the influences of kernel size, shape, maturity, germ content, and pericarp slickness.
The relationship between kernel density and vitreous starch levels at dry grain maturity, when the kernel has the highest level of hard starch, is illustrated in Figure 2. Note the shaded area indicating the typical range of vitreous starch in commercial hybrids. Research comparing the starch digestibility of floury genetics against flinty hybrids has certainly furthered the understanding of the mechanisms of starch digestion. However, caution is needed when extrapolating these "bookend" comparisons to what dairymen will observe from high-yielding, commercially available hybrids.
corn density and starch vitreousness compared
Research comparing starch digestibility of hybrids with less than 50 percent
vitreousness can aid in the understanding of digestion mechanisms
but have little appli-cability to high-yielding commercially available corn hybrids.
According to Ohio State researchers, the level of kernel vitreousness has little, if any, impact on the digestibility of starch in fermented forms of corn such as silage or high-moisture grain. Consequently, total tract starch digestibility typically exceeds 96 percent for adequately fermented silage or high-moisture corn.
Microbial activity during fermentation and the chemical action of various fermentation end-products (acids, yeast-generated alcohol) alter kernel storage proteins, removing most of the negative effects of zeins (prolamins) on starch digestibility. There is a strong positive relationship between the level of soluble protein (or ammonia nitrogen) in corn grain and the improved ruminal starch digestibility of corn grain over time in fermented storage.
If corn kernels are fed fully mature and not fermented, as in the case of dry corn grain, research from France indicates that fine-grinding can remove the negative impact of vitreous endosperm on starch digestibility. This is something nutritionists have learned simply by watching cows (and manure) and is the reason for feeding fine-ground dry corn (600 to 1,000 microns) rather than rolled or cracked corn to high-producing cows. Steers can successfully be fed coarser grain because they have less fiber in their diet and a much slower ruminal starch passage rate than lactating cows.
For corn fed as dry, ground, or rolled grain, starch from finely ground, more floury, endosperm hybrids will generally be more extensively degraded in the rumen compared to starch from more vitreous hybrids. However, with acidosis as a common nutritional malady, is boosting ruminal starch digestibility always the goal?
High ruminally available starch may or may not be of benefit depending upon other starchy ingredients like corn silage, the relative need for ruminal microbial protein production, and the possible desire to shift starch digestion to the intestines to reduce the potential for acidosis.
For corn fed as fermented corn silage or high-moisture corn, more vitreous hybrids with large kernels (reduced pericarp:endosperm ratio) appear preferable. This is because they typically have higher grain yields, and the process of fermentation (protein matrix solubilization and acid hydrolysis) will minimize most of the adverse effects of vitreousness.
Not a benefit
It appears counterproductive to recommend hybrid selection for low test weight or kernel vitreousness given these facts:
1. Seed companies do not have data on the level of vitreousness at silage or high-moisture grain harvest maturity.
2. Vitreousness of grain harvested at silage maturity is considerably lower than for dry grain.
3. Adverse effects of vitreousness for dry grain can be largely alleviated by fine grinding.
4. Fermentation significantly re-duces the impact of vitreousness.
5. Selecting hybrids for reduced vitreousness likely depresses grain yields and possibly causes more ear molds.
Rather, it seems prudent to select corn hybrids for traits for which there are significant genetic differences such as silage tonnage, grain yield, and trait packages necessary to protect yield against specific pest and weed challenges. Growers can then fine-tune the selection process with attention to resistance to drought, foliar disease, and ear molds.