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How pilots and controllers communicate digitally
Charlie Page
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"It's good to talk", so we were told by a 1990s advertising campaign by a telecoms company. Talking constitutes a large part of our communication with each other, but in a digital age, non-verbal communication its making up for an ever-increasing proportion of how we interact with each other. This is particularly true for pilots and Air Traffic Control (ATC).
The majority of interactions between pilots and ATC is still conducted by voice. It's quick to send and is quick to receive a reply. In the fast-paced environment around the airport with multiple arriving and departing aircraft, the speed of communication is key. When ATC issues us with instruction, they need a rapid response.
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CPDLC has multiple benefits for both pilots and controllers. (Photo by Charlie Page/The Points Guy)
However, when away from the frenetic lower altitudes, an instantaneous reply isn't quite as important. As airspace begins to get busier again, more aircraft are being handled by individual controllers. With more aircraft comes increased radio transmissions and the increased chance of mistakes being made.
One aircraft replying to the call meant for another aircraft, pilots missing a call meant for them and multiple transmissions being broadcast at the same time are all common events on a busy frequency. In addition, you may have a pilot and a controller from two different countries communicating in a language which isn't their first — English. Accents can sometimes be difficult to understand and mistakes can be made as a result.
The use of a text message-based system nullifies all these problems, not only increasing flight safety but ATC efficiency as well. It's known as controller pilot data link communications (CPDLC).
Benefits of datalink
The benefits of datalink communications continue to grow as technology advances. It relieves congestion on ATC frequencies and, as a result, reduces controller and pilot workload. This, in turn, increases the number of aircraft that can safely fly through a particular section of airspace.
It also increases the accuracy of communications, reducing the chance of heavily accented words being misunderstood. With clear, concise written instructions on a screen in front of pilots, the chance of errors reduces.
Read more: How pilots deal with fuel leaks
CPDLC gives clear, concise instructions. (Photo by Charlie Page/The Points Guy)
A certain type of datalink is also able to exchange data with the aircraft systems, without the need for pilot input. The aircraft is able to send regular accurate position information, allowing for reduced aircraft separation in areas not monitored by radar. This is particularly useful over the Atlantic, allowing more traffic to cross in a given time.
There are two types of datalink available — future air navigation system (FANS) and aeronautical telecommunications network (ATN).
Future air navigation system (FANS)
FANS was developed nearly 30 years ago by Boeing and later adopted by Airbus. It comprises of two main operational components, one for communicating and one for surveillance.
FANS is a globally used system that works well over long distances. As it uses satellites to create a network, it can be used beyond-line-of-sight communications such as very high frequency (VHF) radios.
However, it has a relatively slow rate of data transfer of just 2.4k bps, meaning that there can be some lag between messages being sent and received.
Controller pilot datalink communications (CPDLC)
The communication element of FANS, CPDLC connects the aircraft with ATC units on the ground. ATC can then use this to send us instructions relating to changes in our altitude, heading, speed and radio frequencies. We can also send requests to ATC should we wish to change altitude or change our course to deviate around thunderstorms.
Flying over the Atlantic, CPDLC is used as a primary means of communication with HF as a backup. When flying over land, it is used in conjunction with normal VHF communications.
The CPDLC system is designed for simplicity. To set the system up, we must first log on to the ATC unit we wish to connect to. Each unit has its own four-letter code, which we enter into the login page. For example, London is EGTT.
Read more: How pilots deal with radiation and flights over the North Pole
The CPDLC control panel on the 787 Dreamliner. (Photo by Charlie Page/The Points Guy)
Once logged on, ATC is able to send us instructions via CPDLC messages instead of making a radio call.
When receiving a CPDLC message from ATC, for example, a clearance to climb to a higher altitude, it pops up on a screen to the right of the PFD. To reply to the message, we simply press one of the three buttons in the flight deck — accept, cancel or reject.
To send a message to ATC, we use one of the pre-set pages in the CPDLC menu.
When crossing the Atlantic, we must get clearance from the controllers on the ground. In days gone by, this exchange would have been done by voice over HF radio. However, with a lack in clarity of transmissions, this process is time-consuming and errors are easily made.
By using CPDLC, the exchange with ATC is much quicker and far less prone to mistakes. We simply fill in the boxes with the required information and hit the send button — very much like filling out a form on a web browser.
The simplicity of CPDLC is also of great benefit in emergency situations. Should the need to divert arise mid-Atlantic, getting hold of ATC on HF could be a laborious process. Instead, in seconds, we can send an emergency report to ATC with all the details they will need to know.
Automatic dependent surveillance — contract (ADS-C)
The other element of FANS goes on in the background without any obvious signs to the pilots. ADS-C allows ATC units to establish a connection with an aircraft and monitor various aspects of the flight progress. It is mainly used in areas where there is little or poor radar coverage.
When Malaysian flight MH370 went missing over the Indian Ocean, its position was relayed to ATC by a series of what were described by the media as "handshakes". The ADS-C system onboard the aircraft is what exchanged these "handshakes", giving ATC an accurate idea of the aircraft's position.
ATC is then able to create a number of "contracts" with the aircraft systems.
A "periodic contract" allows ATC to specify the time interval at which the aircraft sends a host of data to them and what data they would like. This could include GPS position, altitude, speed etc.
Read more: Your next flight could be a pilot's final test before making captain
ADS STATUS: ACTIVE indicates that ADS-C is in use. (Photo by Charlie Page/The Points Guy)
This allows ATC to monitor an aircraft closely as it flies across busy traffic areas such as the North Atlantic. With such accurate position reports, it means that an aircraft could be cleared to a higher altitude more quickly, reducing fuel usage and reducing carbon emissions.
An "event contract" allows ATC to be notified should a particular event occur on a flight. This could include a deviation from the cleared altitude or a change to the waypoint which the aircraft is flying.
This may be an inadvertent action by the pilots or could be due to a technical problem with the aircraft. Whatever the cause, it makes ATC aware that something has changed and enables them to contact the pilots to query the change.
An "emergency report", as mentioned above, also has an ADS-C element to it. When a crew send an emergency report, it gives ATC more regular updates of the accurate position. Should the worst happen, this will give a greater area of accuracy for any search and rescue mission.
Aeronautical telecommunications network (ATN)
Similar to FANS, ATN provides a CPDLC link between ATC and aircraft, however, the main difference is that there is no ADS-C capability. This may seem like an oversight for what is a newer technology but there is a reason for this.
ATN was developed by Eurocontrol and is in use over mainland Europe where good radar and VHF communications are available. As a result, the accurate position reporting facility of ADS-C is not required.
It uses a dedicated VHF transceiver on board the aircraft, known as VHF Datalink (VDL) Mode 2 for the transmission of messages. This gives a much faster connection speed of 31.5k bps compared to the sluggish FANS network and this enables a slightly different usage of CPDLC by controllers.
ATN coverage in Europe. (Image courtesy of Eurocontrol)
As mentioned before, the slow speed of FANS means that there could be a substantial delay between ATC sending the message and the pilots receiving it. Not ideal in the faced-paced environment of a busy ATC sector.
However, the increased speed of the ATN means that the speed of CPDLC messages between pilots and controllers is much faster. This means that ATC can issue time-critical instructions such as turns and headings. As a result, ATC is able to issue more instructions to aircraft in a shorter space of time, increase both flight safety and commercial efficiency.
How do we know who to connect to?
When connecting to CPDLC, we must first ensure that we are connecting to the correct ATC unit. In days gone by, a collection of paper charts were loaded on all aircraft which provided a whole host of information for our route. These days, the charts are all in electronic form as part of the aircraft's electronic flight bag.
Our route is shown on the map and by zooming in and tapping on the area which we need the information for, we can find out the four-letter code of the ATC unit. We then use this code to logon to the CPDLC.
Read more: How a flying cadet graduates to a fully qualified pilot
Information on CPDLC availability can be found in the en-route charts. (Image courtesy of Lido Pilot Solutions)
As most units around the world are FANS, a FANS connection is automatically made. Over Europe, as ATN is in use, an ATN connection is automatically established. However, in certain areas, such as over the U.K., we have a choice of which connection we would like to make.
When leaving London and connecting to London ATC CPDLC (EGTT), we are given the option if we'd like to connect via FANS. Whether we chose this depends on where we are going.
If we're heading west to North or South America, we'll be flying in a FANS region so we selected the FANS option. If we're heading out over Europe, we'll be in the ATN area so we'll want to make use of the faster ATN connection speeds and thus do not select the FANS option.
The use of datalink communications makes life easier for both pilots and controllers. Not only does it improve flight safety, but it also increases the number of aircraft that can fly through a section of airspace in a given time.
The two types of connection have a marked speed difference, the fast ATN being able to issue time-critical instructions whereas the slower FANS uses ADS-C to give ATC accurate position reports in areas where there is limited radar coverage.
In certain areas of the world, CPDLC usage is mandatory. To use the busy airspace of the North Atlantic track system, aircraft must have operative CPDLC. A failure of the system requires the pilots to fly outside of this area, adding both time and cost to the flight.
Featured photo by Charlie Page/The Points Guy
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Welcome to The Points Guy!
Charlie Page Charlie Page is an airline pilot flying the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Each Saturday he gives you a 'behind the cockpit door' insight to life in the flight deck.
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Cuddon, J. A. ed. A Dictionary of Literary Phrases. Big apple; Doubleday & Co., 1977.
Fletcher, John. "The Criticism of Comparison: The Approach through Comparative Literature and Intellectual History," Modern Criticism. Ed. Malcolm Bradbury & David Palmer. New york: Edward Arnold, 1970.
Remak, Henry. "Comparative Literature; Its Definition and Function." Comparative Literature: method and Perspective. Ed. Newton P. Stallknecht & Horst Grenz. Southern Illinois UP, 1971.
Thiong'o, Ngugi. Decolorizing the Mind, 1981.


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MLK Jr. Day of Service
Please join the AmeriCorps for a community service event in honor of MLK Jr. Day!
Make it a day on, not a day off!
We will be pulling invasive species of Himalayan blackberry and English ivy.
Refreshments will be provided!
RSVP to Sarah at scroston@ptmsc.org
Share that you're going with your friends using the Facebook event HERE!
BROOKE ASKEY is the Citizen Science Educator and an AmeriCorps Member at the Port Townsend Marine Science Center
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Port Townsend Marine Science Center to Host New Year's Eve Cruise
Port Townsend, WA, December 31, 2016—The Port Townsend Marine Science Center is inviting participants to cruise with them to Protection Island aboard one of Puget Sound Express' heated, fully enclosed whale-watching boats with 360-degree windows, wrap-around observation decks, and a cozy interior. The sail will take place on Saturday, December 31st from 1-4 pm, leaving from the dock at the end of Water Street in Port Townsend and setting off on a 3-hour adventure.
Port Townsend Marine Science Center Naturalist, Roger Risley, will be onboard to assist in wildlife spotting and interpretation, accompanied by informative Port Townsend Marine Science Center hosts.
A staple of the science center's seasonal offerings, the New Year's Eve cruise is wildly popular among tourists and locals alike. Participants enjoy a leisurely tour of the wildlife sanctuary and the enlightening comments from the onboard naturalist. In addition to experiencing and learning about the local marine life, participants have also gotten to witness a variety of birds while taking the cruise including loon, grebe, cormorant, merganser, duck, scoter, phalarope, tern, and puffin, just to name a few.
PTMSC Executive Director Janine Boire is confident this year will be no different. "We have been partnering with Puget Sound Express for this special holiday birding adventure around Protection Island for years," Boire said. "It's such a unique, special way to connect people with the Salish Sea and celebrate the holiday seasons. The New Year's Eve cruise, in the midst of the busy holiday season, makes it particularly popular for those with family or friends visiting looking for a festive and warm way to get out on the water."
The New Year's Eve cruise departs at 1 pm on December 31 from the dock opposite the Puget Sound Express offices at the east end of Water Street in Port Townsend and returns to the dock at 4 pm. Tickets for the Protection Island New Year's Cruise are $80 per person or $60 for members of PTMSC, Audubon, Burke Museum, or Washington Ornithological Society.
For more information on the New Year's Eve Cruise, or to reserve your spot here or call (360) 385-5288.
The Port Townsend Marine Science Center is inspiring conservation of the Salish Sea. A new initiative—Gone Green? Go Blue! Support Your Local Ocean—encourages collective action and civic engagement. Located on the beach at Fort Worden, the PTMSC offers two public exhibits: the Marine Exhibit and the Natural History Exhibit. The Natural History & Orca exhibit is open Friday through Sunday, 12 to 5 pm. Admission is $5 for adults, $3 for youth, and free to PTMSC members. The PTMSC also offers a wide variety of educational programs and special events. For more information, call 360.385.5582, e-mail info@ptmsc.org or visit www.ptmsc.org/events.
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Sea Star Wasting is Not a Party
When I arrived at the Port Townsend Marine Science Center (PTMSC) from Texas, I was prepared to show off my knowledge of marine mammals while learning more about other organisms such as birds and invertebrates. Little did I know that I frequently made a common slip – "starfish? Don't you mean sea star?" After decades of confusion, scientists have pushed for a change from starfish to sea star, and nobody told me! If you're lucky, you can catch me for an easy opportunity to poke fun at this simple transition.
A blood star (Henricia leviuscula) with abnormal arm growth. Photo: PTMSC
I knew these invertebrate animals were named for their trademark five-armed, radial symmetry, and are not fish. More than 2,000 species of colorful sea stars sport five arms, even though some species can have 10, 20, or up to 50 arms. It is also not unusual for a five-armed sea star to have six arms due to abnormal growth.
Sea stars are echinoderms, which translates to "spiny skin." Their living relatives include sea cucumbers, sea urchins, and sand dollars. The PTMSC Marine Exhibit hosts all of these, with short to long spines, and colors ranging from purple, pink, and orange!
I had never felt a sea star's leathery skin before I began working at the Marine Science Center, nor was I aware of how varied the colors can be. They use colors as camouflage in a number of environments, ranging from tide pools to more than 6,000 m below sea level. The sea stars in the Marine Exhibit (ME) are a deep purple, peach, or neon orange, and are within your reach. Sea stars move and flex using a water vascular system. They pump seawater through their body, filling and emptying tiny, suction-cupped tube feet to extend, retract, or even create suction to scale any surface. One leather star (Dermasterias imbricata) even used its tube feet in an effort to help clean their tide pool tank! The tube the star is grasping a gravel tube, which staff and volunteers use to clean the gravel of the tanks, while in the meantime picking out any discarded clam shells from a sea star's previous feast.
Giant Pink Star helping to clean. Photo: Mattie Stephens
Most sea stars also have the amazing ability to consume prey outside their bodies. Using their tube feet, they pry open clams or oysters. Then, the upper portion of their stomach (known as the cardiac stomach) emerges from their mouth and oozes inside the shell. The clam's muscles tire against the strong, hydraulically operated tube feet, and eventually open. The stomach then envelops the prey to digest it, eventually withdrawing back into the body. At this point, the lower, or pyloric, stomach digests whatever is remaining.
Sea stars are famous for their ability to regrow limbs and entire bodies. This feat is possible by housing most or all of their vital organs in their arms. Rarely, the "central body disc must be intact to regenerate, but a few species can grow an entirely new sea star just from a portion of a severed limb" (National Geographic, 2016). Sea stars can willingly detach an arm to distract a predator to get away, or in a method of reproduction. There is a spreading epidemic of arms shedding and sea stars dying due to disease (National Geographic, 2016).
What factors cause these arms to shed unwillingly? Sea stars have been known to suffer from desiccation, or drying out, resulting in lost limbs. However, even healthy sea stars can suffer from sea star wasting disease. This disease causes rapid tissue degradation in sea stars, resulting in lesions on the arms and the body deflating (referred to as a loss in turgor pressure), giving the sea star a melted appearance. The process happens quickly, fully enveloping a sea star within three days, usually ending in death. The disease can spread between individuals, and has resulted in devastating losses, not only in natural habitats, but in aquariums as well. A few weeks ago, I watched as PTMSC lost its last mottled star to sea star wasting. Over the past few years, over 50% of the sea stars in the Marine Exhibit have succumbed to wasting.
Top: An infected arm of a mottle star (Evasterias troscheli)
losing water pressure. Photo: PTMSC
Bottom: A mottled star succumbing to sea star
wasting disease
PTMSC is taking part in monitoring this devastating process. Sea star wasting can cause large die-offs of these important animals, and although sea stars are slow moving, they are instrumental in maintaining a healthy ecosystem. The health of the ecosystem would crumble without sea stars, making them what is known as a keystone species. Sea stars help keep their tide pool and coastal ecosystems in check. PTMSC citizen science volunteers participate in a quarterly survey on Indian Island, where they monitor plots designed to observe the health of local sea star populations. This year, November survey team, led by fellow AmeriCorps Juhi LaFuente, observed numerous healthy ochre (Pisaster ochraceus), sunflower (Pycnopodia helianthoides), and mottled stars (Evasterias troscheli); these species tend to be the first affected by the virus. This is good news for our scaly friends, as it indicates there may be a shift towards reduced die-offs and a slowly recovering ecosystem.
Sun Star discovered in this year's monitoring program. Photo: Betsy Carlton
The ecosystem recovery process will take a long time. Activists and citizen scientists are working hard on improving the overall health of the ocean, as even the slightest increase in temperature can wreak havoc on an ecosystem. The Marine Exhibit and Natural History Exhibit have taught me several ways that I can individually reduce my impact and waste output. Living in Port Townsend has illuminated healthier living practices for me, and I have been embraced by an environmentally conscious town. The more I learn about sea star wasting, the more pressing environmental stewardship becomes.
Please consider donating today. https://ptmsc.org/get-involved/donate
- Mattie Stephens is the Marine Mammal Stranding Network Coordinator/Educator and AmeriCorps member serving at the Port Townsend Marine Science Center
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The Wonders Beneath the Waves
Eelgrass Meadows are an important habitat for many animals in the Salish Sea © PTMSC 1991
When walking on the beach near Fort Worden, I am always on the hunt for Eelgrass (Zostera Marina) to add to our display in the Marine Exhibit. I often find what I'm looking for near the high tide line, in a tangled ball that has been uprooted and washed ashore by the waves. Searching for Eelgrass is like a treasure hunt for me, where each tangled ball I find is a clue that provides me with insight to the wonders that lie beneath the waves. Adding the Eelgrass to the display transforms it even further. The tangled mass I collected on the beach unfurls. Vertically suspended in the water column the blades of Eelgrass sway as the water circulates throughout the tank.
Eelgrass (Zostera Marina) collected
off of the beach at Fort Worden. Photo by Juhi LaFuente
The Eelgrass tank illuminated by sunlight.
Photo by PTMSC
At first glance, this tank appears to be filled with Eelgrass and nothing more. However, upon further examination, what I think is a piece of Eelgrass turns out to be a juvenile Bay Pipefish (Syngnathus leptorhynchus) seeking refuge in the tangle of blades. I begin to notice more and more pairs of eyes peering back at me. Tiny Tadpole Sculpins (Psychrolutes paradoxus) dart back and forth, and eel-like fish, called Gunnels, peak their heads out to survey their surroundings. Along the bottom, Crabs scuttle and a Sea Cucumber slowly grazes in search of food. This underwater meadow is, in fact, teeming with life.
A Bay Pipefish (Syngnathus leptorhynchus)
disguises itself as a piece of Eelgrass.
Photo by Juhi LaFuente
The Eelgrass display in the Marine Exhibit provides visitors with a glimpse into an important nearshore habitat that often goes unseen beneath the waves. Eelgrass is a flowering marine plant that is widely dispersed throughout the Salish Sea. Found in tidelands and shallow waters, Eelgrass thrives in soft sediment habitats that receive plenty of sunlight. A network of underground stems, called rhizomes, help stabilize the surrounding sediment and anchor the Eelgrass in place. In dense meadows, blades of Eelgrass also help impede current flow and buffers the shoreline from oncoming waves.
Many invertebrates and fish depend on and use Eelgrass beds for food and protection from predators. Eelgrass helps ensure the survival of juvenile fish such as Pacific Herring (Clupea pallasii) and Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha). These fish are important sources of food for many animals. Chinook salmon are the preferred food of the Southern Resident Orcas (Orcinus orca) residing in the Puget Sound.
Found in such close proximity to the shore, eelgrass beds do not go undisturbed by humans. Eelgrass beds in the Puget Sound are threatened by shoreline development, including dredging and the construction of over water structures that block sunlight. Boaters also risk damaging these beds by cutting the grass with their propellers and tearing it up with their anchors. In order to protect Eelgrass habitat, boaters are advised to slow down or stop when cruising over Eelgrass beds and encouraged to avoid anchoring in eelgrass altogether.
In an effort to protect Eelgrass beds, the Jefferson County Marine Resources Committee established voluntary "No Anchor Zones" along the Port Townsend Waterfront. These zones are marked by special buoys and protect over 50 acres of Eelgrass in the waters off Port Townsend. Since the installation of these buoys in 2004, the Marine Resources Committee has observed a 98% compliance within these no anchor zones.
As the AmeriCorps Marine Exhibit Educator, I enjoy engaging visitors in conversations about our local marine life and important nearshore ecosystems like Eelgrass. Your donations to support the Marine Exhibit help ensure that visitors of all ages will be able to continue to explore, observe and learn about the wonders beneath the waves. The Marine Exhibit plays an integral role in helping us fulfill our mission "Inspiring Conservation of the Salish Sea", Thank you for making this possible through your continued support.
Juhi LaFuente is the Marine Exhibit Educator and an AmeriCorps member serving at the Port Townsend Marine Science Center.
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"Why are the Crabs Dirty?"
Please consider making a gift today to support our tanks, and our decorator crabs from the Salish Sea. Donate HERE!
"Why are the crabs dirty?" I heard behind me in the Marine Exhibit one day. Thrown off by the visitor's question, I turned around and my eyes focused on the crab they were pointing to in the wall tank. It all made sense when I saw the graceful decorator crab scuttling along among the abalone, away from the sides of the tank, almost as if it knew it had been found. I jumped into educator mode right away, and answered, "That's a great question."
A (dirty?) graceful decorator crab (Oregonia Gracilis) hanging out
on the inflow of the small wall tank. Photo by Juhi LaFuente
The most wonderful aspect our Marine Exhibit is the chance to gain new knowledge about Salish Sea fish and invertebrates. When I first started at the Port Townsend Marine Science Center, I knew very little about specific species of crabs. Aside from what I had learned in my college invertebrate zoology class, I hadn't thought about them much. However, once I started feeding individual crabs, and interacting with them in tanks every day, they became one of my favorite animals in our Marine Exhibit. As a person who is recovering from a phobia of spiders and spider-adjacent creatures, it means a lot when I say that I think the way these arthropods walk around the tanks and move their little maxillipeds (mouth parts) is quite cute. I love inspiring others to see them the way I do now. So, when I explain how decorator crabs got their name, and see others' eyes light up with fascination, it is a truly fulfilling experience. I hope I can light your eyes up, too.
Decorator crabs consist of many different species, all belonging to part of the superfamily Majoidea, known as spider crabs. We have many spider crabs in our exhibit, but not all are decorators. The decorator crab in question was the graceful decorator, Oregonia gracilis, a naturally abundant Puget Sound species. If you can spot them, graceful decorator crabs can be found in the small wall tank, against the back wall of the Marine Exhibit. In our huge piling tank, we have another type of decorator crab, called the longhorn, Chorilia longipes, which is usually hanging out against the tank walls, looking at the passers-by. These crabs' natural ecosystem includes kelp forests and the intertidal zone, ranging from Alaska all the way down to Mexico, but they're particularly abundant in the Pacific Northwest. In nature and in our tanks, the decorators are covered in foreign material (hence their dirty appearance) and found behind rocks and kelp, hiding from predators like fish, sea otters, and octopus.
Longhorn decorator crab (Chorilia longipes) hanging on the pilings. Photo by Wendy Feltham (Checkout our Instagram to see a video of this crab with a filter-feeding hitchhiker on its arm!)
The decorator crab namesake refers to the way they adorn their bodies with all kinds of ornaments. The decorations include almost any materials found in their environment. The crab's hard outer shell, or exoskeleton, has tiny hooks all over called hooked setae. Hooked setae act as a sort of Velcro on which the crab can stick materials it picks up from its environment. Their adornments act as a camouflage, but also as a symbiotic, mutually beneficial relationship. The "materials" picked up by the crab can include some bryozoans, hydroids, algae, sponges, and small anemones. Invertebrates gain access to parts of the water column and food they wouldn't usually have access to by hitching a ride on the back of the crab. In turn, the crab gets an easy disguise, and when resources are limited, also an easy source of food. If a crab finds an accessory like chemically-defended plants or stinging anemones, the crab is even less likely to be predated upon. Larger crabs need fewer decorations because they can defend themselves, but they'll often still wind up with some hitchhikers on their backs.
The decorating doesn't really stop after covering the exoskeleton canvas; a crab is always working. Crabs' exoskeletons do not grow with them. As they outgrow their armor, they grow a new shell underneath the old, effectively forcing the old exoskeleton off. After disrobing, the crab will hide until its new exoskeleton hardens, and then the decorating process starts all over again. They often recycle old bits and pieces of material from their discarded shell (a great example of environmental stewardship!). In captivity, decorator crabs have been known to disrobe and grow a new shell when moved to a different tank and new environment, effectively creating a blank slate for its new camouflage masterpiece.
A graceful decorator crab (Oregonia gracilis) waving at you through the acrylic. This crab is decorated in red algae. Photo by Wendy Feltham
Our decorator crabs at PTMSC interact with guests and staff all the time. In nature, humans and decorator crabs have very little direct interaction, although there are some negative human impacts on their ecosystems. Surface runoff of oil, pesticides, sewage, and other chemicals can contribute to pollution of ocean ecosystems, truly making the crabs' environment "dirty." (Runoff pollution contributes to larger issues like ocean acidification.) As environmental stewards, we can all make eco-friendlier choices to reduce negative impact on the Salish Sea. The crabs might thank you for that.
Next time you visit our Marine Exhibit, I hope you take the time to search the tanks for our decorator crabs. I hope you experience the revelation that the rock you were staring at underneath the kelp, barnacles, and sponges is actually a crab, as it slowly crawls away to munch on some food or find some new artistic materials. I also hope you become so enamored that you sound just as silly as I do when I have one-sided conversations with them through the acrylic. While cleaning or feeding, I compliment them on their attention to detail in design. I like to think they appreciate the compliments on their labor, because much like an environmental steward, a crab's work is never done.
Find out how you can "Go Blue" to protect the crabs and become an environmental steward on our site! ptmsc.org/about/go-blue-initiative
Follow us on other platforms to see more cool crabs! Instagram (@ ptmarinescictr) Facebook (Port Townsend Marine Science Center) Newsletter (Octopress Online)
BROOKE ASKEY is the Citizen Science Educator and AmeriCorps member serving at the Port Townsend Marine Science Center
2 comments: Links to this post Labels: americorps, citizen science educator, crabs, environmental stewardship, marine exhibit, marine invertebrates, PTMSC, salish sea
Citizen Science, Searching for Heroes and Hope
Sunday | December 11 | 3 pm
The Fort Worden ChapelAdmission: $10 ($5 for PTMSC members)
This lecture is presented by author Mary Ellen Hannibal who is a Bay Area writer and editor focusing on science and culture. She is a regular contributor to LIVESTRONG magazine; her writing has also appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle, Esquire, Elle and Yoga Journal magazines among many other publications.
Ms. Hannibal's new book, Citizen Science, Heroes and Hope in a Time of Extinction was released in September 2016. Book sale and signing to follow lecture. Books will be $20 for PTMSC members, $28 for non members.
1 comment: Links to this post Labels: citizen science educator, Fort Worden State Park, lecture series, Mary Ellen Hannibal, Port Townsend, science
Lonely Abalone Seeks Life Partner
Young Abalone
Photo by Wendy Feltham
When you walk into the Marine Exhibit, it is like entering a different world. I have always been fascinated with the sea and all it has to offer. Growing up on the coast of Maine I spent my summers exploring every tide pool I could find. I have carried this fascination throughout my life. The Marine Exhibit allows you to peek into the tide pool and underwater environment. It gives me the same excitement I found in those childhood summers. Next to the Marine Exhibit is the classroom, a space many students have sat waiting and wiggling, before entering this different realm. One day last week, I opened the door and let the students enter this magical land. Their faces lit up with such energy and huge smiles. I told my coworker that I felt like Willie Wonka opening the doors to the chocolate factory. This fascination is something that many people have when it comes to the marine world. All of the creatures and plant life are full of stories, facts, and memories for the staff, volunteers, and visitors in the Marine Exhibit. One invertebrate, in particular, holds a special place in the hearts of many at the Marine Science Center.
The Pinto, or Northern, Abalone (Haliotis kamtschatkana) is one of my favorite creatures in the Marine Exhibit here at the Port Townsend Marine Science Center. The pinto abalone are marine snails found from Sitka, Alaska to Point Conception, California. They are often referred to as, "the lonely abalone". This name comes from the fact that their population is too small and spread out to reproduce successfully. Abalone use a reproductive strategy known as broadcast spawning that involves the male and female counterparts releasing eggs and sperm into the water. Abalone broadcast spawn between April and June. If successful reproduction occurs, the abalone will remain in a planktonic phase, floating in the ocean for 10-14 days before settling onto a rocky ocean floor.
As herbivores, pinto abalone scrape algae off rocks with their file-like tongue, known as a radula. As they grow larger they began to eat brown and red kelp; whichever one they consume more of is reflected in the color of their shell. Abalone have a number of predators, including sunflower stars, sea otters, some species of fish, and humans. To defend themselves, they use their muscular foot to stick to rocks and their shell as a shield. Abalone spend most of their time hidden among rocks. As they grow, their shells become covered in a plethora of life, including algae and sponges, which makes for good camouflage. Since the 1990s, pinto abalone populations have declined more than 90% and they have been a species of concern since 2004. The abalone population is in such great decline due to overharvesting. Although their foot is a delicacy , abalone fishing in Washington was outlawed in 1994. A great effort has been put into the restoration of pinto abalone in the Salish Sea.
In 2013, The Port Townsend Marine Science Center partnered with the Puget Sound Restoration Fund to help raise pinto abalone. We were given 200 baby abalone, no bigger than your thumbnail. One hundred of them were raised in a tank and the other half were raised in a structure resembling a beehive that was submerged in water off of the dock. Staff and volunteers took very special care of these young gastropods by feeding them three times a week and weighing and measuring them once a month.
Tagging the small abalone
"The latter tasks weren't always easy", recalls volunteer and Board Member Wendy Feltham. The abalone would often stick to the surface they were being measured on and the only way to get them to move was by placing one of their predators close by. The sunflower star has a voracious appetite for pinto abalone. If you put a sunflower star in close proximity to the abalone they will let go of the surface they're on. To help record data, some of the abalone were tagged. The device used to tag them is the same one used to tag bees.
PTMSC volunteers Katherine Jensen and Sue Long with young abalone
The Port Townsend Marine Science Center was able to keep twenty of these abalone for the Marine Exhibit. The other 180 were returned to the Puget Sound Restoration Fund facility. They were kept in tanks on site and eventually returned to the Salish Sea. The Pinto Abalone is a unique creature, one that I was drawn to right away here at the Marine Science Center. They get so excited to eat with their tentacles waving in search of their green kelp goodies. Learning the story of the time spent to raise these invertebrates is one of the many ways the Port Townsend Marine Science continues to wow me. The work the Puget Sound Restoration Fund is doing to restore the pinto abalones' populations is truly inspirational.
"It is still possible for us to keep an iconic and treasured species from blinking out—on our watch. Our goal at PSRF: to rebuild sustainable populations of the Salish Sea's only native abalone—the mighty Haliotis kamtschatkana—so that, once again, pinto abalone can graze our subtidal waters and successfully reproduce in the wild." -Puget Sound Restoration Fund. http://www.restorationfund.org/projects/pintoabalone
A present day abalone feeding
Photoby Brooke Askey
The pinto abalone are just one of the many amazing and fascinating creatures to be found in the Marine Exhibit. I look forward to continuing to be wowed by the marine life which surrounds me here in the Salish Sea. I, too, feel like a kid in the chocolate factory when I enter the Marine Exhibit, both surprised and in awe of the fascinating underwater world.
Please consider making a gift today to support kids education, animals, and a healthy Salish Sea: ptmsc.org/get-involved/donate
Sarah Croston is the Natural History and Volunteer Educator and an AmeriCorps member serving at the Port Townsend Marine Science Center.
No comments: Links to this post Labels: americorps, marine exhibit, marine invertebrates, pinto abalone, PTMSC, salish sea
This Whale Sculpture Was Modeled After a Beached Orca
CANADIAN ARTIST KEN HALL BUILT LEGACY BASED ON 3D SCANS OF THE SKELETON OF HOPE, AN ORCA THAT DIED ON THE COAST OF WASHINGTON IN 2002
Originally published on http://www.smithsonianmag.com/
By Emily Frost
smithsonian.com
When Ken Hall first knocked on his neighbors' door, it wasn't to borrow a cup of sugar or an egg. He came to ask for the remains of their rotting decks—he needed cedar wood and lots of it.
They asked, "What's it for?" Quite unexpectedly, he said, "I'm going to build a whale!"
Hall found himself in the midst of this story because of a shift in direction. After 15 years of building 3D worlds for computer games, he wanted to build something that could be touched and seen without a screen. But what?
LEGACY IS SCHEDULED TO BE ON DISPLAY AT THE ONTARIO SCIENCE CENTRE BEGINNING IN 2017 BEFORE EMBARKING ON AN INTERNATIONAL TOUR. (KEN HALL)
The Canadian artist knew he was going to create something big. Hall was drawn to large animals, especially those that had community and social structures, similar to what we know as humans. Hall found a story that caught his attention—it was the story of Hope, an orca that beached and died on the coast of Washington State in 2002. A necropsy found that the female animal contained the highest level of contaminants ever recorded in an orca, along with signs of significant bone loss and a bacterial infection. The Port Townsend Marine Science Center (PTMSC) led the effort behind the removal of Hope from the shore, and subsequent necropsy.
In 2011, the Idaho Virtualization Laboratory created a 3D scan of the skeleton, before it was put on display at PTMSC. Hall began to build prototype pieces based on the 3D data. He chose wood, and specifically cedar, as his medium. The cedar, Hall says, is an "homage to totem carving, and its role in passing knowledge to future generations," honoring the traditional use of cedar by First Nations for totem poles in the Pacific Northwest. For it to go on display at various museums, the piece—which he named Legacy—would have to be made travel-ready, meaning it could be put up and taken down in a relatively short period of time, and displayed in a variety of ways based on the available space. Hall's background in mechanical engineering came in handy at this point—"It was like a giant jigsaw puzzle" he says.
Once 11 of the 46 vertebrae were carved, Hall realized just how big of a project this would be—it took him six months of full-time fabrication to make all the pieces (there are over 200 bones that make up the sculpture). The sculpture was completed and put on display at the Dufferin County Museum & Archives in Ontario. Sometimes accompanied by projection lights that provide a water-like effect and orca vocalizations playing in the background, the finished piece gives visitors a feeling of being underwater.
That feeling is what Hall wanted to provide people walking through the exhibit—one that highlights our connections as humans to the Earth and our ecosystems, like Hope and her community in the Pacific.
In the case of Hope, a transient (also called Bigg's killer whale), researchers weren't able to point to one specific cause of death; however, contamination is certainly an issue for all orcas in the region. There are three distinct orca ecotypes, or populations, documented off the U.S. North Pacific coast—transient, resident and offshore. All three overlap in parts of their home range but have distinctive physical traits, behaviors and even genes. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the sub-population of Southern Resident killer whales are "among the most contaminated marine mammals in the world" and listed as endangered—only 78 individuals were counted in the population in 2014.
Contamination comes from a variety of sources ranging from legacy chemicals that are no longer used but persist in the environment (like DDT and PCBs), to chemicals that make up flame-retardants, found in things like carpets and furniture. Southern Resident Killer Whales are one of eight "highly at-risk species" that NOAA is drawing attention to in its "Species in the Spotlight" series. Lynn Barre, who leads the Seattle branch of NOAA's Office of Protected Resources, is encouraged to hear about the art piece—"Even [orca] bones or skeleton as an art piece can inspire people to be [environmental] stewards."
After its inaugural showing, Legacy has moved to other venues in Ontario and is scheduled to be on display at the Ontario Science Centre beginning in 2017 before embarking on an international tour. Over two million visitors have experienced Legacy to date.
"Legacy is a stunning example of how science and nature can influence art and how art can expand the appreciation of science," said Mary Jane Conboy the director of science content and design at the Ontario Science Centre. "As Canada celebrates its 150 years in 2017, displaying Legacy at the Ontario Science Centre is particularly timely. This visually compelling piece asks our visitors to reflect on our current environmental practices and the changes we want to inspire for the future."
Hall hopes to some day take the immersive exhibit to another level by incorporating his gaming background into the onsite experience. 3D virtual reality could evolve the sculptural art piece into an interactive installation: panning over the skeleton would allow visitors to see what the full animal looked like, not just an articulated skeleton. Zooming into an area could answer questions, like "how do whales breathe," "what are the impacts of underwater noise on whales," and "what is it like to 'see' with sonar?"
Hall's environmentally focused pieces tell a story. He wants visitors to gain a better understanding of how humans can live in harmony with nature. "I want to try to make thinking and understanding cool again," he says, and he intends to keep his focus on our connection to the world around us in the hope that we all become more empathetically aware of our surroundings.
1 comment: Links to this post Labels: americorps, animals, art, bones, Canada, citizen science educator, Ken Hall, Ontario Science Museum, Port Townsend, whale museum, whales
Port Townsend Marine Science Center to Host New Ye...
This Whale Sculpture Was Modeled After a Beached O...

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Kevin M. Ressler serves our community through his work as Executive Director of Meals on Wheels. One of his priorities there has been reaching out to newer communities who may not know about a home delivered program for seniors and those recovering from injury and surgery. His work there, like much of his other work, attempts to focus on thinking of communities that are not usually taken into consideration.
Outside of his day job, he also does a lot of work as a community advocate and activist. He has helped to organize support rallies for the immigrant and refugee community in Lancaster understanding that political miseducation has created unnecessary and inaccurate fear. He hopes to utilize his own presence in the community to help be a microphone towards change from fear into acceptance and support.
As a local political figure, he ran for mayor of Lancaster City focusing significant amounts of his energy and voice to issues around poverty and income inequity. Too often our policies focus on the middle to upper tiers of citizens who have more power and access to power. It is important to Kevin that we create a society that considers everyone regardless their wealth or power.
Kevin is married to Melissa and has two daughters, Acacia and Iriana. His mother, Dorca Kisare Ressler is a Tanzanian immigrant who raised him visiting his homeland and with an appreciation for the cultural heritage that has helped form him. His father was a missionary for 8 years in Tanzania where he met his mother and the two of them have always worked to instill the importance of cross-cultural support and seeing people wherever they are for whomever they are.
Congo–A night of Sharing: Food, music and stories around the table
HEIDE VOGLIS, She uses her past hurts and struggles as a platform to help those who need support and encouragement


text:
Q: How does the tensorflow.python.data.ops.dataset_ops.DatasetV1Adapter work? I am trying to wrap my head around ML and AI using TensorFlow. There is an example problem on the website which discusses the processing of .CSV data. The .CVS data is said to have been taken from the titanic and essentially contains categorical and numerical features that will be used to label a passenger as dead or alive.
First of all, if anyone know or has any resources or references that discusses that example in more detail than is done on the TensorFlow website, please could you kindly refer me to that?
Secondly, to my more important question. There is a method which is used in the example to pack the individual numeric data into a single numeric key while maintaining the categorical column as is.
The function used to do this is as bellow:
class PackNumericFeatures(object):
    def __init__(self, names):
        self.names = names

    def __call__(self, features, labels):
        numeric_freatures = [features.pop(name) for name in self.names]
        numeric_features = [tf.cast(feat, tf.float32) for feat in numeric_freatures]
        numeric_features = tf.stack(numeric_features, axis=-1)
        features['numeric'] = numeric_features

        return features, labels

The above function is called like this:

NUMERIC_FEATURES = ['age','n_siblings_spouses','parch', 'fare']

packed_train_data = raw_train_data.map(PackNumericFeatures(NUMERIC_FEATURES))

The output packed_train_data looks something like this:
sex                 : [b'male' b'female' b'female' b'female' b'male']
class               : [b'Third' b'First' b'Third' b'First' b'Third']
deck                : [b'unknown' b'C' b'unknown' b'C' b'unknown']
embark_town         : [b'Southampton' b'Cherbourg' b'Southampton' b'Southampton' b'Queenstown']
alone               : [b'n' b'n' b'y' b'n' b'y']
numeric             : [[22.      1.      0.      7.25  ]
 [38.      1.      0.     71.2833]
 [26.      0.      0.      7.925 ]
 [35.      1.      0.     53.1   ]
 [28.      0.      0.      8.4583]]

The above output is produced by passing a single batch of data (i.e. packed_train_data) to the function:

def show_batch(dataset):
    for batch, head in dataset.take(1):
        for labels, value in batch.items():
            print("{:20s}: {}".format(labels, value.numpy()))

like this:
show_batch(packed_train_data)

What I do not understand is how the map function is working to generate that output. More generally I don't get how the call containing the map function is interacting with the PackNumericFeatures(object) class.
I know this problem is specific but any help would be appreciated. Cheers.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


From adult tastings to fun and unique sampling for the entire family, plan to take part in the tasting experiences offered during the festival.
The Corks & Kegs adult tasting experiences feature local and regional craft beer, wine and hard cider. This popular event is a happy hour like no other. Your ticket grants you entrance to unlimited sampling and light appetizers.
Enjoy live entertainment while you mingle and compare tasting notes for over 40 craft beers, wines, and hard ciders from the Midwest, many from within a 40-mile radius of the festival.
Each guest will receive a souvenir tasting glass. Tickets will go on sale June 1. Only 125 tickets will be sold for each event!
It's the ultimate brewery face-off! Five local breweries battle it out for best brew and cheese curd flavor pairing. Who will win? That's up to you–You're the judge for this intense (and tasty) competition!
These flavor combinations have never been sampled before… until now! Tickets will be available online (June 1) and onsite at the Festival. All 5 tastings for $10. Voting will take place online and the winning brewery's craft and curd pairing will be announced at the festival upon tabulation of the votes.
Join us for a Block Party dedicated to the cheese lover in all of us! You'll take a delicious trip around the state as you sample unique Wisconsin cheeses, each with their own Claim to Fame. The Spiciest Cheeses in our state… we've got 'em! Wisconsin Cheese Oddities… yep, you'll taste those, too! Aged cheeses, new cheeses, Wisconsin crafted versions of famous European-style cheeses… over 40 types of cheeses will be available for tasting!
Guest cheese experts will be on hand to answer your questions and share how our dairy state and all our cheeses, came to be so famous, not only in the Midwest but all around the world!
Tickets will be available online beginning June 1.
A great time for the entire family, this one-hour real dairy flavor celebration features creative combinations to tickle your tastebuds.
Tickets for this tasting cost $1 each and are available to purchase onsite.
Whether you're a kid or a kid at heart, there's something special about milk and cookies. We've especially paired four milks with four popular freshly baked cookie flavors. It will be interesting to see if the "Classic" chocolate chip cookie with whole white milk will survive the test of time, or if one of the other unique pairings, such as the Cinna-Yum… salted caramel milk perfectly paired with a Snickerdoodle, will become the new favorite!
This year's Cookie & Milk flavors will be announced soon!
Tickets for this tasting cost $1 per tasting and are available for purchase onsite.


text:
Transpoziția Lossen este o reacție organică prin care are loc transformarea acizilor hidroxamici (1) la izocianați (3) prin intermediul unor unor O-derivați de tip O-acil, O-sulfonil sau O-fosforil ai acizilor hidroxamici (2). De exemplu, clorura de 4-toluensulfonil este utilizată pentru a forma un derivat de tip O-sulfonil al acidului hidroxamic.

Izocianatul care a fost obținut în urma reacției de transpoziție poate fi utilizat pentru obținerea derivaților de uree, prin reacția cu aminele (4), sau pentru obținerea aminelor, prin reacția de hidroliză (5).

Acizii hidroxamici doriți se pot sintetiza plecând de la esterii corespunzători. Au fost publicate câteva recenzii ale reacției.

Mecanism de reacție
Mecanismul transpoziției Lossen debutează cu formarea derivatului O-acilat al acidului hidroxamic care va fi tratat cu o bază pentru a forma izocianatul. Derivatul acidului hidroxamic este prima dată convertit la baza sa conjugată printr-o etapă de deprotonare, care se realizează în mediul bazic. Etapa propriu-zisă de transpoziție are loc spontan, concomitent cu eliminarea unui anion carboxilat, obținându-se izocianatul. În mediu apos, datorită reacției de hidroliză cu H2O, izocianatul generează o amină și dioxid de carbon gazos, CO2 (decarboxilare).

Note

Vezi și
 Transpoziție Curtius
 Transpoziție Hofmann

Reacții de transpoziție
Lossen

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


GLBT Teens You're SO GAY!!
Please help with my parents.
Attending a Christian school. Bible class.
You are dating a witch!
Advice to come out of the Broom Closet?
The Hidden Witch Way, including Do's and Don't's.
I think I'm in love with my step-sister. Help!
How can I put up with this for another 10 - 15 years?
I love my religion, but i need help!
Best friend and Boy friend...Jacob and Edward...Help plz!!
anybody know why karma is out to get me?
Is 12 too young to practice witchcraft?
I Need Some Serious Advice.
Does anyone have a life, just as sucky as mine?
How do I initate myself into Wicca?
Why is it that NOBODY CARES anymore?
How did you discover your chosen path?
why has this forom seem to have changed ???


Unfortunately, due to the nature of personalised products, all our items are non-refundable unless there is a defect with the product. If the item arrives damaged or incorrect, then we will replace the item as long as we are at fault. Any damages or faults must be reported within 10 working days from the date of postage.


If you didn't already get a set of the endless fun known as Buckyballs, it may too be late, as they're coming off of shelves (although as of this writing, you can still buy them online). The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is suing Maxfield & Oberton, makers of the powerful magnets, due to 20 cases over the last four years of children swallowing them. The packaging and promotional materials for Buckyballs clearly state that, like many great things in life, they are not intended for children. Of course, the CPSC notice is quick to point out the critical problems that happen between the ages of 13 and 14: "The high powered magnets sets were labeled 'Ages 13+' and do not meet the mandatory toy standard F963-08 (effective August 17, 2009) which requires that such powerful magnets are not sold for children under 14."
In a statement from Maxfield & Oberton, Craig Zucker, founder and CEO said, "We are deeply disappointed that the CPSC has decided to go after our firm–and magnets in general. Magnets have been around for centuries and are used for all sorts of purposes. Our products are marketed to those 14 and above and out of over half a billion magnets in the market place CPSC has received reports of less than two-dozen cases of misuse. We worked with the Commission in order to do an education video less than 9 months ago, so we are shocked they are taking this action. We find it unfair, unjust and un-American."
Everything with wheels. That is, the stuff that kills more kids than balloons. It's time to say, "Yes!" to a childhood free from the tyranny of bicycles, skateboards, scooters, and Big Wheels.
Electrical outlets. Look at them. They even look at you with a face of terror that practically says, "Stick that metal fork in my mouth!" (Unless you live in Denmark, in which case your outlets invite you to electrocution much more cheerfully.) Gotta get rid of them. Candlelight is so much better for your new steampunk decor plan anyway.
Doors. This one's personal. I slammed my hand in a door fifteen years ago, and one of the fingernails has never been quite right since. Might as well ban the things before they cause more harm to me or others.
Laptop batteries. Hooooo doggy. Those regular old C- and D-cells that powered every toy of our childhoods were bad enough. But do you know what kind of dangers await you under those little plastic keys you're probably resting your hands on right now? Do you? If not, I'll let XKCD explain.
The day star. Let's be honest. We've all been sunburned. It hurts. And that thing causes cancer. It's time to ban the sun. We can find other sources of light, heat, and warmth.
Can we start exercising some rationality as parents? If you're afraid something is a danger to you or your family, don't buy it. And if it's a desktop toy or even something you really need that isn't appropriate for children, keep it away from them. You're still chopping your vegetables with knives, and your children have survived, right?
Remember. You can take our Kinder Eggs, but you can't take our freeeeeeeedom! Now somebody pass me a Brawndo.


So you've been to many of the typical weekend hangout places in Singapore. www.wisatasingapura.web.id/2016/04/06/promosi-tiket-universal-studios-singapura/ You've got gone into the Universal Studios lots of occasions which the ticketing officer calls you by title, and made numerous excursions towards the Mandai Zoo that even the animals are no for a longer period scared of you. The travelling bug's bite has taken influence and also you choose to indulge you on an small abroad trip.
Properly, based on your touring type, underneath are some weekend getaway thoughts that enable you to enjoy the sights and seems of an overseas journey devoid of placing in excessive time commitment.
Bangkok is actually a excellent put not merely for purchasing splurges, as it has a lot of traditional temples. These temples have grown to be one among quite possibly the most recognizable icons of Southeast Asia. The Wat Arun, or Temple of Dawn, has become the a lot more famed ones. Their breathtaking features could well be capable to maintain any avid photographer chaotic for at least half a day. Georgetown in Penang is another amazing position to immerse in the cultural riches. The charming colonial architecture and wealthy background of Georgetown are worthy of its rightful location while in the UNESCO earth heritage internet site listing without a doubt.
Often known for its industrial mother nature, Penang is quick becoming a well known tourist attraction. It's several destinations appropriate for the people on the lookout for an adrenaline rush e.g. East wind watersports. 1 could be hard-pressed to find any place in Singapore which provides an analogous adrenaline hurry. These who appreciate nature may want to take into consideration Bangkok, where lots of fascinating activities which include wildlife recognizing, climbing, and river rides await, e.g. Hin Tok River Camp. Its river journey mountaineering trials, waterfalls, and elephant rides, simply to identify a number of, are bound to give you a memory you may always remember. Just isn't that what traveling overseas is focused on?
This can be what Southeast Asia is well-known for. The price range purchasing visits, massages, and naturally, massive range of good meals.
If you're searching to give your self a treat, search no further more than Bintan and Batam. There's a reason why they're essentially the most well-liked escape locations for Singaporeans. Other than their shut proximity (Batam and Bintan absolutely are a 40 minutes and a ninety minutes ferry ride away from Singapore respectively), both of those destinations provide serene beach locations, accommodation, and very good therapeutic massage packages. For your budget-conscious vacationers, Batam could be a better option, whilst these looking for more magnificent options, or need a passionate encounter, would choose to go for Bintan. The resorts are much pricier but they are matched with improved expert services.
Johor is great for your weekend retail therapy trip, with its numerous substantial buying complexes and close proximity to Singapore. As well as shopping, a diverse assortment of inexpensive food stuff awaits the hungry at Johor.
In case you nonetheless think that Johor will not fulfill your palate for browsing, then most likely Bangkok may be the place for yourself. Town has plentiful of large procuring malls, and for many who desire the fun of attempting to find bargains at bazaars, Bangkok has lots of street marketplaces far too. From area handmade souvenirs, to designer jewellery and trend, Bangkok has all of it.


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Q: Filtering a table based on a non-unique column to give only unique fields in SQL How would I filter out a table that it only includes one value for a column (it does not matter which one).
The SQL query used to create the below looks like this :
    SELECT DISTINCT
        S.Id AS ReferenceID,
        M.NewModuleID AS ModuleId,
        SM.Compulsory
    FROM
        Struct S
    INNER JOIN
        StructModule SM
             ON SM.StructId = S.Id
    INNER JOIN
        ModuleMap M
             ON M.StructId = S.Id
             AND SM.ModuleId = M.OldModuleId

However this does not return the values in the way that I need it. the return table looks like this:
ReferenceID  NewModuleID  Compulsory
     1            100          1
     1            210          0
     2            251          1
     2            251          0

However I would like the SQL query to return a unique value for the NewModuleID field. Ideally taking the first occurrence of a value
the relevant columns of the above tables are as follows:
Struct:
      ID          (INT)

StructModule:
      ID          (INT)
      StructID    (INT)
      ModuleID    (INT)
      Compulsory  (BIT)

 ModuleMap:
      ID          (INT)
      OldModuleId (INT)
      StructID    (INT)
      NewModuleID (INT)

A: Your question is not very clear, but after reading following statement.

However I would like the SQL query to return a unique value for the
  NewModuleID field. Ideally taking the first occurrence of a value

I can guess that you are looking for something like following query.
   SELECT * FROM
   (
    SELECT
        S.Id AS ReferenceID,
        M.NewModuleID AS ModuleId,
        SM.Compulsory     ,
        ROW_NUMBER() OVER(PARTITION BY S.ID, M.NewModuleID ORDER BY   M.NewModuleID) RN
    FROM
        Struct S
    INNER JOIN
        StructModule SM
             ON SM.StructId = S.Id
    INNER JOIN
        ModuleMap M
             ON M.StructId = S.Id
             AND SM.ModuleId = M.OldModuleId
    )T
    WHERE RN=1

Note : You don't need distinct if you are using RN=1 condition.


Did you know that street art is still art that can hold value worth a million? Every city has some dusty streets filled with art and craft that excruciate the beauty of these small gullies make them hubs of art forms. Hong Kong too is a hub for the street artists to create something inspiring in certain hidden places of the cities. Sneakers Street and Central Street are two prominent places in Hong Kong which have gained fame for being hubs of artists and their artwork that are worth a visit. From colorful paintings, art installations to once-in-a-lifetime experience of walking through an arena where the buildings and street speak of art!With your local amigo take a guided tour around the Central Street & "Eat Pray Art" on a beautiful evening to experience all of the street art that brings Hong Kong to like in a walk. It's a guided tour around the Soho District of Hong Kong where the adventurous walk through the district is filled with art forms and installations. Join a group of tourists or explore on your own – you might even find some exclusive art galleries and hidden museums boasting some brilliant artifacts.
This tour is subject to availability,You will receive the confirmation 24 hours post the booking.100% refund for unavailability of the tour.


Intumescent duct wrap is ideal for wrapping around plastic ducting that passes through a wide range of fire partition walls so that, on exposure to fire, the intumescent material within the duct wrap expands rapidly inwards collapsing the duct until the aperture is completely sealed and can provide up to 2 hour fire resistance.
Our duct wraps have been independently tested in accordance with BS 476 Part 20 and 22: 1987 and can provide up to 2 hours fire resistance dependent on application. They have NHBC Type Approval.
Available in 10 sizes from 110mm x 54mm to 308mm x 29mm. The sleeve can be easily fitted only requiring access from one side and is simple to install without the need for special tools or skills, reducing on site time.
The product was exactly as described and arrived spot on time.


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When you buy a Linux web hosting through our company, it will be created on our custom-made cloud platform where ionCube Loader is already present, so you will not have any problems to run any script application that needs the tool so as to function appropriately. In addition, we offer you a few different releases of PHP, therefore if you change the version, you will need to activate ionCube once again. Our system remembers the changes you make, and when you go back to the earlier release of PHP which was active for your account, ionCube Loader will already be enabled. The PHP version and the ionCube instrument can be operated from the PHP Configuration part of our Hepsia hosting Control Panel. Each adjustment that you make takes literally just a single click and it will take effect at once.
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We provide many styles of X-men Costumes. All of them are in high quality, such as the Rogue costumes, Woverine costumes, phoenix costumes and many others. All the superhero character are attractive. Beside what we offered, Customize is also OK in our site.Welcome to shopping in ZentaiHero.com.


Sony was present at the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con, and though they didn't show off anything exciting from their reboot of Spider-Man, they did bring plenty of goodies to present for Priest, The Good Guys, and The Green Hornet.
They began with the new adaptation of Tokyo Pop graphic novel, Priest. The movie stars Paul Bettany, Cam Gigandet, Stephen Moyer, Karl Urban, and Maggie Q, who were all in attendance. The movie tells the story of a post-apocalyptic world that's been devastated by centuries of war between humans and vampires. A priest (Bettany), who fought in the last big war, comes out of hiding to track down some vampires who kidnapped his niece.
The panel opened with a teaser trailer (which you can actually see below…though I'm not sure for how long). After that they go into some questions for the group. Basically just questions about what drew them to the film and and Bettany re-teaming with director Scott Stewart (Legion) and such.
Be sure to click over and check out the teaser while it still works!
In Mission: Impossible III, Tom Cruise returns as IMF Secret Agent Ethan Hunt to face his deadliest foe yet Owen Davian (Philip Seymour Hoffman), an international weapons and information dealer — and as second sequel law dictates, if it's not in 3-D, then this time it's personal.
The opening sequence shows Ethan and his love, Julia (Michelle Monaghan), captured and bound by the villainous Davian, who's threatening to kill the couple unless Hunt hands over the "Rabbit's Foot." It doesn't look good for our hero, but hold on, you'll have to wait an hour to find out what happens while the movie flashes back a few days to the "good" stuff: Ethan and Julia's engagement party!


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Home » HPC Hardware » University of Sheffield Launches Quantum Centre
University of Sheffield Launches Quantum Centre
January 24, 2020 by Doug Black
A new research centre with the potential to revolutionize computing, communication, sensing and imaging technologies is set to be launched by the University of Sheffield this week.
The Sheffield Quantum Centre, which will be officially opened by Lord Jim O'Neill, Chair of Chatham House and University of Sheffield alumnus, is bringing together more than 70 of the University's leading scientists and engineers to develop new quantum technologies.
Quantum technologies are a broad range of new materials, devices and information technology protocols in physics and engineering. They promise unprecedented capabilities and performance by exploiting phenomena that cannot be explained by classical physics. Quantum technologies could lead to the development of more secure communications technologies and computers that can solve problems far beyond the capabilities of existing computers.
Research into quantum technologies is a high priority for the UK and many countries around the world. The UK government has invested heavily in quantum research as part of a national program and has committed £1 billion in funding over 10 years.
Led by the University's Department of Physics and Astronomy, Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering and Department of Computer Science, the Sheffield Quantum Centre will join a group of northern universities that are playing a significant role in the development of quantum technologies.
The University of Sheffield has a strong presence in quantum research with world leading capabilities in crystal growth, nanometre scale device fabrication and device physics research. A spin-out company has already been formed to help commercialise research, with another in preparation.
Professor Maurice Skolnick, Director of the Sheffield Quantum Centre, said: "The University of Sheffield already has very considerable strengths in the highly topical area of quantum science and technology. I have strong expectation that the newly formed centre will bring together these diverse strengths to maximise their impact, both internally and more widely across UK universities and funding bodies."
During the opening ceremony, the Sheffield Quantum Centre will also launch its new £2.1 million Quantum Technology Capital equipment.
Funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), the equipment is a molecular beam epitaxy cluster tool designed to grow very high quality wafers of semiconductor materials – types of materials that have numerous everyday applications such as in mobile phones and lasers that drive the internet.
The semiconductor materials also have many new quantum applications which researchers are focusing on developing.
Professor Jon Heffernan from the University's Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, added: "The University of Sheffield has a 40-year history of pioneering developments in semiconductor science and technology and is host to the National Epitaxy Facility. With the addition of this new quantum technologies equipment I am confident our new research centre will lead to many new and exciting technological opportunities that can exploit the strange but powerful concepts from quantum science."
Cambridge Quantum Computing Appoints Oxford Professor Bob Coecke as Chief Scientist
HPC Predictions 2021: Quantum Beyond Qubits, Rising Composable and Memory-Centric Tide, Neural Network Explosion and 5G's Slow March
Atos GPU-Accelerated Quantum System to the Irish Centre for High-End Computing
Cambridge Quantum Computing Investing in Cybersecurity, Other Near-Term Quantum Solutions
Filed Under: Compute, Future Technology, HPC Hardware, HPC Software, Industry Segments, News, Research / Education, Resources Tagged With: quantum computing, University of Sheffield
Why developers are turning to ultra-powerful workstations for more creative freedom at less cost
This white paper from Dell Technologies discusses why developers are turning to ultra-powerful workstations for more creative freedom at less cost. Research shows that large and small companies alike are using powerful workstations with even more powerful graphic processing units (GPUs) as integral parts of their artificial intelligence infrastructure.
National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL)
Research Systems Integration Engineer 5
PhD scholarship in GPU processing for Super Resolution Ultrasound Imaging


Google proposed the unorthodox split so Page and Brin could preserve power in the company they started in a garage more than 15 years ago. It addresses concerns that the founders would lose control of Google as the firm creates more shares to compensate employees and buy startups.
To gain clearance for the split, Google settled a shareholders lawsuit and agreed to pay as much as $7.5 billion if the split doesn't pan out the way Google envisions.
Google's split will create a new class of "C" stock that carries no voting power. One share of C stock will be distributed for each share of voting Class A stock owned as of March 27. Initially, the value of the current stock will be divided equally between the two types of shares. But they will then trade separately with different ticker symbols. Class C shares will get the company's existing "GOOG" ticker symbol, while Class A will change to "GOOGL."


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Coronavirus: The latest news from WRVO and NPR
Stay up to date with the latest news on the coronavirus and COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. We'll post regular updates from NPR and regional news from the WRVO newsroom. You can also find updates on our live blog.
COVID-19 Has Pushed India's Junior Doctors To Their Limits
By Lauren Frayer
Dr. Shiv Joshi
Dr. Shiv Joshi (third from left) with colleagues at the fever clinic where he is a junior doctor in Sevagram, India. Junior doctors are the equivalent of medical residents in the U.S. health system.
MUMBAI — Three years ago, when Shiv Joshi was studying to become a doctor at the Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences in central India, he had to choose a specialty. He'd been reading about the Black Death and the Spanish flu, and he wanted to learn how to track infectious diseases through triage, testing and contact tracing. So he decided to specialize in community medicine.
This was in 2018 — a century after the 1918 flu pandemic he was reading about, and two years before the coronavirus would become a full-blown pandemic in India.
"Community medicine is about preventing disease in the first place, and then also reacting to it. One of my first assignments was to investigate an epidemic of dengue fever, where an entire village had it," Joshi, 27, recalls. "But I never thought I would find myself in the middle of an actual global pandemic."
When he did, he and his fellow junior doctors — the equivalent of medical residents in the U.S. health system — were all reassigned to COVID-19 wards. Instead of shadowing more senior specialists, they often found themselves running emergency rooms and clinics and making life-or-death decisions on their own.
"All of a sudden, a lot of additional tasks and responsibilities got shifted to us," he recalls. "I lost two friends who were also doctors, and I'm routinely seeing people dying. Definitely it has been stressful."
As India battles the world's biggest and deadliest COVID-19 outbreak, its junior doctors — and in some cases, even medical students — have been staffing the front lines for more than a year. They're doing the same work as more senior physicians, while those doctors oversee overflowing intensive care units and battle bureaucracy to try to fix supply chains and get deliveries of medical oxygen.
With medical board exams canceled, many junior doctors have been pressed into emergency medicine and critical care, regardless of what they studied. Working 24-hour shifts, they're often the ones who deliver bad news to grieving families and bear the brunt of anger directed at medical professionals due to shortages of oxygen and drugs.
Many have seen more death, suffering and grief in the past year than they expected in an entire career. Indian hospitals rarely provide counseling to their staff. So experts warn these junior doctors may suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder for years to come.
"What this is going to generate is a generation of doctors who are traumatized," says Devika Khanna, a psychiatrist who runs online support groups from her base in London. "That means you're reducing the capacity of medical provision for the future."
"I felt absolutely helpless"
After graduation, Joshi was assigned to a fever clinic in the same town as his medical school — Sevagram, a village of about 8,000 people. It's in an impoverished rural area, where illiteracy runs high and medical care is scant. It's also home to one of Mahatma Gandhi's ashrams.
"When the first COVID-19 case arrived in my hospital, I started realizing this problem was going to be huge," Joshi says.
/ Dr. Shiv Joshi
Joshi, 27, in an undated selfie after a long day of work at the fever clinic in Sevagram, a town in a rural area of central India.
He recalls one of the first times he was left in charge of the clinic. An ambulance pulled up, and the patient's family members piled out, screaming. The patient was a woman who looked extremely unwell.
"I tried to locate her heartbeat, but she was already cold — she was in shock. I had to inform my superiors. I didn't think she had a lot of time," Joshi says.
Do something, the patient's relatives pleaded, staring at him.
"But we did not have beds," he says. "Not a single bed was vacant. I mean, that was the time when I felt absolutely helpless."
He called his supervisor, but the supervisor couldn't come. All the higher-ups were too busy with other patients.
"You feel sometimes so stranded. You cannot just say that the patient is not going to survive, to their relatives, because you cannot take their hope away," he says. "Whatever the science we study, the books we read, they do not prepare us for such situations."
Joshi's patient died a half-hour later. He mustered all his strength to deliver the news to her anguished family. It would be the first of dozens of times over the year that he'd have to do so.
Threats of violence in the ER
Rimy Dey, another junior doctor, has faced similar pressures.
/ Dr. Rimy Dey
Dr. Rimy Dey
Dr. Rimy Dey (left) treats COVID-19 patients in the emergency room of a private hospital in Gurugram, a suburb of New Delhi.
"The physical and mental stress is immense. In a 24-hour shift before the pandemic, we used to see 40 or 50 patients. Right now, we are seeing up to 200 — all COVID patients, all critical," Dey says. "And because of the lack of doctors, they've started assigning COVID duties to even medical students — third- or fourth-year students who have not even completed their basic medical education!"
Last month, in the wee hours of the morning, a man in his 20s stormed into Dey's emergency room at the hospital where she works in Gurugram, a suburb of India's capital, New Delhi. "Please do something, doctor! Just save my father!" the man shouted.
At the time, hospitals across the capital region were running out of medical oxygen. Hundreds of patients who might have survived COVID-19 were dying because of problems in India's medical supply chains.
The man's father was in the back of a car or an ambulance — Dey can't remember which — and was hooked up to an oxygen cylinder. But it was running low.
Her hospital had run out of beds, and there was no room for new patients.
"I had to tell him, 'Sir, this cylinder is going to run out of oxygen. We're having a severe crisis,' " Dey recounts. She gave him contacts so he could try other nearby hospitals.
"And that's when the patient's son started telling us, 'If my father dies, you will be responsible for his death! We are going to break this emergency room down.' "
Patients in their beds stared at Dey from behind their oxygen masks — wide-eyed, blinking, terrified.
"I was thinking, I did not become a doctor for this — to be scared to death while attending to patients," she says.
Dey, 28, in an undated selfie at work at her hospital in a suburb of India's capital.
With help from the hospital's security guards, she was able to defuse the situation. She squeezed the man's father into her emergency room, stabilized him and eventually convinced his son to take him to another hospital with more space.
She doesn't know what happened after that. She has so many patients, she can't follow up on each one.
Afterward, Dey thought about that case for a long time. It troubled her, because the son was right: She had been responsible for his father's care in a health system that was collapsing.
And it often feels like it's collapsing on her shoulders: "I'm checking a patient, declaring a patient dead and then going back [home] and crying for hours," she says.
Lack of support for young doctors
Dey says she often feels angry at India's government for leaving junior doctors overworked and lacking in support. Even before the pandemic, India invested less in public health — just above 1% of its gross domestic product — than most other countries. (The U.S. spends nearly 18% of its GDP on health, though most of that is private, not public, investment.)
India's government was blindsided by COVID-19's second wave. In January and February, daily caseloads hit record lows. By early March, the country's health minister declared that India was in the "endgame" of the pandemic. Extra wards were disassembled, and lockdown restrictions eased.
Narinder Nanu / AFP via Getty Images
Health workers wearing protective gear place a defunct ventilator machine in the corridor of a hospital in mid-May in Amritsar, India.
But new virus variants were circulating — even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi presided over huge political rallies and failed to curb a massive Hindu pilgrimage that drew millions of devotees to the banks of the Ganges River.
In April and May, India broke records for the most coronavirus cases and deaths in the world, straining its already understaffed and underfunded health system.
NPR asked Dey and Joshi if their facilities — Dey's urban and private, Joshi's rural and public — offer them counseling or mental health support. Both say they are unaware of any such resource. In any case, both say, they have no time to devote to therapy.
"Most of the time, it falls on us junior doctors to support one another," Joshi says.
He and his fellow junior doctors try to allay one another's fears. They've been learning on the job while watching their own families and friends fall ill — and worrying about their own health.
He and his colleagues belong to a WhatsApp group where they send each other words of encouragement. But the group is also a place where they share grim news stories about fellow junior doctors who've taken their own lives. It seems there are stories like this every month, Dey says.
More than 500 doctors have died in India's second COVID-19 wave, according to the Indian Medical Association, which does not specify how many of those were suicides.
Experts warn the stress these junior doctors describe may have a lasting impact.
Khanna, the London-based psychiatrist, says post-traumatic stress disorder is often compounded by the sense the junior doctors share that government action could have prevented the worst and India's second COVID-19 wave didn't have to be this bad.
"When there's a natural disaster, then trauma is obviously huge. But the PTSD from a man-made disaster is much greater, because there's that sense that people weren't looked after," Khanna says. "If God or the universe did it to you, it's different to if human beings did it to you. It feels so much more personal."
"I have grown ahead of my years"
After more than a year of treating COVID-19 in the rural fever clinic, Joshi recently tested positive for coronavirus antibodies. It means he probably had the virus at some point and didn't realize it. Knowing he's already survived the virus is a relief, he says. He'd spent a year wondering whether he would be able to get a bed in his own hospital if he fell gravely ill.
"That saddens me the most," he says. "How can you work in a hospital, in a pandemic, at your fullest, knowing that if you get infected, there might be nothing available to you?"
Dey's father and brother, back in her home state of Assam, got sick with COVID-19 this winter, and she wasn't able to travel to see them. They've since recovered. But sometimes it feels like only her fellow junior doctors can really understand what she's going through.
Anindito Mukherjee / Getty Images
A doctor is seen at a facility for COVID-19 patients in April when a New Delhi banquet hall was converted into an isolation center to handle rising cases of infection.
"We've seen a lot more than we should have at our age. When I see old friends from school, they're actually enjoying the lockdown! They're enjoying being at home," she says with a laugh. "And here I am, seeing a lot of death every day and coming back to my room and crying. I think I have grown ahead of my years."
She says her hair is already turning gray. She's 28. But she has no plans to leave medicine.
NPR producer Sushmita Pathak contributed to this report from Hyderabad, India.
Indiacoronavirus
Lauren Frayer covers India for NPR News. In June 2018, she opened a new NPR bureau in India's biggest city, its financial center, and the heart of Bollywood—Mumbai.
See stories by Lauren Frayer
She Was Pregnant. She Was Sick. And In India, She Had Nowhere To Go
They Returned To India To Be Near Their Fathers, But Lost Them Both To COVID-19