text:
Ścięgno Achillesa, ścięgno piętowe () – największe ścięgno w organizmie człowieka, tworzone przez łączące się ścięgna mięśnia brzuchatego łydki () i mięśnia płaszczkowatego (). Jest szerokie i płaskie w części szczytowej, natomiast stopniowo zwęża się i grubieje ku dołowi. Kończy się wyraźnym poszerzeniem w miejscu jego przyczepu na guzie piętowym.

Nazwa tego ścięgna wywodzi się od mitycznego Achillesa.

Przypisy

Układ mięśniowy człowieka
Anatomia kończyny dolnej


text:
Top Industry Happenings
Ingredient, Partnership, Association, Equipment, Expansion News & More
TAGS: Archive Vitamins & Minerals Supply Chain Regulatory

From health claims and distribution agreements to a program focused on the global search for innovation, the industry has been teeming with developments.

From health claims and distribution agreements to a program focused on the global search for innovation, the industry has been teeming with developments.
Functional ingredients manufacturer BENEO is pleased to announce that the standing committee on plant, animals, food and feed has agreed with the EU Commission in its meeting on April 12, 2016, to authorize a second 13.5 health claim for the company's chicory root fibers.
The announcement comes just three months after the company received its first 13.5 health claim for its chicory inulin. The recent health claim confirms that inulin and oligofructose contribute to a better blood glucose management as they support a lower rise in blood glucose response. The wording for the claim may read "Consumption of food/drinks containing inulin/oligofructose instead of sugars induces a lower blood glucose rise after their consumption compared to sugar-containing foods/drinks" when BENEO`s chicory root fibers are used. The EU Commission will now continue with the publication of the health claim in the EU Official Journal, which is expected in less than six weeks. Consequently, the claim will be able to be used in the market soon.
In addition to the authorized 13.5 health claim, general health-related well-being claims under article 10.3 are also possible. Among others, these may include "lower and more balanced blood glucose rise." A 30 percent sugar reduction needs to be obtained by replacement with non-digestible carbohydrates according to the conditions of use. The authorization is based on several scientific studies all of which confirm that oligofructose and inulin have a significant part to play in the area of glycemic control.
Nutrition 21 LLC announced the presentation of new clinical study results supporting the bioavailability of Nitrosigine® bonded arginine silicate (ASI), titled, "A Pharmacokinetic Evaluation of the Duration of Effect of Inositol-Stabilized Arginine Silicate and Arginine Hydrochloride in Healthy Adult Males." The study was presented on April 3, 2016, to scientists and other professionals at the acclaimed Experimental Biology 2016 annual meeting and the abstract will be published in the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology Journal (FASEB).
The study demonstrated that Nitrosigine supplementation significantly increased plasma arginine levels at multiple time-points up to six hours, post-dose, while arginine hydrochloride (ArgHCl) supplementation did so for only one hour. The study also showed that Nitrosigine supplementation resulted in a more than 70 percent increase in plasma arginine levels compared to arginine HCl, and a lower standard deviation than that seen with arginine HCl, supporting Nitrosigine as a more bioavailable, long-lasting and less variable source of arginine.
NattoPharma is proud to announce that its complete line of MenaQ7® Vitamin K2 as MK-7 has received verification from the Non-GMO Project, a nonprofit organization that offers North America's only third-party verification and labeling for non-genetically modified organism (GMO) food and products.
"MenaQ7 has always been non-GMO, yet obtaining Non-GMO Project verification helps reinforce our commitment to our partners, who seek to offer the safest, healthiest finished products available," said Eric Anderson, senior vice president of global sales and marketing with NattoPharma.
"Consumers are actively seeking out non-GMO products, so having the Non-GMO Project verify our line in accordance with their standard provides our partners an added level of support they rightfully expect," Anderson continues. "Further, it perpetuates MenaQ7's reputation as being the leading Vitamin K2 as MK-7 brand."
Cypress Systems Inc., a privately held California corporation—and manufacturer of SelenoExcell®, Chromium GTF Excell® and the NutraFeast® line of nutritional yeast products—signed a sales and marketing distribution agreement with functional ingredients distributor AIDP. Under the agreement, AIDP will market and sell the full line of branded ingredients, including SelenoExcell and Chromium GTF Excell to the functional foods and nutraceutical industries.
Cypress Systems' SelenoExcell High Selenium Yeast is supported by a clinical trial agreement with the division of cancer prevention at the National Cancer Institute and has been the sole intervention agent in a series of cancer prevention and health related trials. The addition of SelenoExcell and the other food forms of organically bound mineral products will further enhance AIDP's position in providing functional food solutions to food, beverage and dietary supplement manufacturers.
"AIDP is constantly striving to develop partnerships with like-minded ingredient companies who are committed to supplying dietary ingredients backed by the highest standards in science, quality and customer service which we can offer to our customers," said Mark Thurston, president of AIDP. "As the mineral dietary market insists on higher quality standards for organically bound minerals, the unique range offered by Cypress will be a great addition to our branded mineral range. "
AIDP and Cypress will debut their new partnership at the upcoming Ingredient Marketplace event in Orlando, Florida, April 28-29, 2016. Both companies are exhibiting in the trade show. Cypress Systems will be at Booth E24, and AIDP at Booth J31.
The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), a leading trade association for the dietary supplement and functional food industry, announced the addition of eight new companies to its membership roster.
"Our membership is the bedrock of our association and its continued growth has allowed CRN to take the lead to help build consensus on major industry-wide initiatives," said Steve Mister, president and CEO, CRN.
The companies joining as voting members are:
• JX Nippon Oil & Energy Corp., one of Japan's largest oil importers and distributors, is an ingredient supplier with a significant biotechnology division. The company continues to expand its ingredient product range worldwide. JX Nippon Oil & Energy plans to launch natural astaxanthin ingredients containing unique carotenoids in the United States later this year.
• Nature's Way Brands manufactures, distributes, markets and multi-nationally sells high-quality consumer packaged goods, including dietary supplements, homeopathic drug products, topical applications and over-the-counter (OTC) monograph drug products. As one of the most technologically advanced manufacturers of natural products in the United States, Nature's Way Brands continues to push the boundaries forward on quality research, testing and introducing new ingredients. The company offers more than 500 premium nutritional and natural products, including single herbs and herbal extracts, vitamins, minerals, homeopathic remedies and specialty products.
• Pharmore Ingredients Inc. is an industry leader in supplying high-quality ingredients to the dietary supplement and pet nutrition industries. The company is staffed by a team of industry experts with more than 90 years of combined experience. Pharmore Ingredients focuses on providing joint care products such as chondroitin, glucosamine, methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) and hyaluronic acid (HA), along with botanicals and B vitamins. In business since 2001, Pharmore Ingredients has a strong commitment to quality. This is demonstrated by repeated onsite GMP audits of manufacturing facilities and conducting third-party verification testing with emphasis on sourcing from independently certified manufacturers.
• Vit-Best Nutrition is a contract manufacturer and packager of tablets, capsules and powders. The company has more than 60 years of experience servicing many of the nation's leading brands in the direct selling, food and drug and mass merchandise channels.
The newest associate members include:
• Genysis Labs is an ISO/IEC 17025:2005 accredited contract laboratory providing specialized chemistry and microbiology testing services to the nutraceutical and food beverage industries since 2008. Genysis Labs' mission is to professionally, effectively and ethically perform testing for its customers to produce accurate and precise results while offering exceptional customer service and support by meeting and exceeding customer expectations. Led by a management team of experts that have diverse backgrounds in pharmaceutical, nutraceutical and bioanalytical research fields, Genysis Labs is constantly working on new technologies that offer cutting-edge solutions to increasing regulatory requirements and calls for full transparency of the supply chain.
• JP Tech Insurance Services is a retail insurance broker that specializes in casualty and professional liability risk solutions for life science, technology, healthcare and dietary supplement industries. JP Tech is a leading provider of risk management services and tools that protect its clients' businesses with state-of-the-art coverages. Additionally, JP Tech provides comprehensive service and the highest level of expertise to its clients' company culture and business.
• MBui Consulting LLC provides a wide range of regulatory, policy and intelligence services to clients in dietary supplements, conventional foods, over-the-counter (OTC) drugs, and prescription drugs and biologics. MBui Consulting's experience covers the spectrum of regulatory activities from ingredient suitability reviews to labeling/advertising and claim substantiation, to product registration strategy and post-market compliance in many countries, to industry affairs and policy and intelligence issues.
• Ragold Inc., in business since 1976, helps foreign and domestic start-up companies, primarily in the food and dietary supplement industries, enter the U.S. market by providing support in the development of market strategies, sales account access and regulatory advice. The company provides all support functions necessary to be in business through connections, relationships and an in-house team with leading experts in the fields of regulatory, quality control (QC), broker management, trade show management, administration and sales.
CRN's complete list of member companies is available on the association's website.
Prinova, a leading supplier of high-quality ingredients, flavors and value-added nutrient fortification products, announced a new partnership with Lycored. Prinova will be the exclusive distributor of Lycored's lycopene- and beta carotene-based natural colors in the United States and Canada.
"The clean-label trend continues to drive formulation in our industry," said Larry Davis, commercial director, food & beverage, Prinova. "Customers are removing synthetic and carmine-based colors from their labels, and we needed to find a naturally sourced, vertically integrated, trusted supplier partner that could meet this customer demand."
Thomas Adler, VP food division, Lycored said, "We are pleased to have a strong partner in Prinova—and the ability to combine our natural color line with their strong application capabilities and great relationships with key players—so that we can help meet this industry need in the U.S. and Canadian marketplace."
Davis added, "This partnership means we are now able to offer a total start-to-finish clean-label concept from an applications standpoint. Having a product portfolio that includes natural flavors, natural colors, natural sweeteners and a multitude of other naturally derived fine ingredients, we are in the perfect position to meet our customers' product development needs."
Klöckner Pentaplast will highlight the company's newest high-performing label films, Pentalabel® ClearFloat™ and Pentalabel LV PETG with Y460 Coating, at Label Summit Latin America, April 26-27, 2016, in Cartagena, Colombia.
The ClearFloat films, available from kp global sites in Europe and North America, meet the design for recycling guidelines as set by the Association of Postconsumer Plastics Recyclers, providing a higher yield of PET container recycling. The new family of films is engineered to offer high-performing shrink percentages for optimal design freedom and to impact the visual presentation of the product due to the films' superior clarity. The ClearFloat technology is ideal for new or redesigned packaging, including those with highly contoured shapes. Applications include consumer packaged goods (CPGs) using polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottle for beverage, dairy, food, health and beauty, home and garden, and household. In addition, the technology includes the capability of using ink adhesion that passes APR label protocol with gravure, flexographic, digital and rotary offset printing processes.
The extended Pentalabel film product line includes Pentalabel LV PETG films with Y460 coating, presenting high-resolution digital printing solutions for shrink sleeve packaging. This unique coating affords the durability to be converted into a seamed sleeve that can be applied either by hand or mechanically at high speeds. The coating's clear overprint varnish (OPV) applied on top of the ink surface provides the proper slip characteristics that allow for high-speed application.
A propriety solvent achieves consistent welding of the polymer to itself using specified conditions. According to Jim Mullen, business unit manager, the new film is highly functional for a plethora of shrink sleeve applications for cylindrical and multi-contour containers. In addition, Y460 coated LV PETG film reduces haze versus other options currently available for digital printing, boasts a three-star rating from the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) and is a certified substrate for HP Indigo ws6000, ws6600, ws6800, ws4050/4500, ws2000, ws4000, ws4600 and ws20,000 series digital presses.
OmniActive Health Technologies Inc.'s Vijaya Juturu, Ph.D., FACN, senior manager of global scientific and clinical affairs, presented "Capsaicinoids Decrease Appetite Measures – An Open Label Study in Free Living Individuals" at San Diego's Experimental Biology event in April.
"The data showed that Capsimax Capsicum Extract may be beneficial for decreasing measures of appetite, which can support weight management," stated Lynda Doyle, VP of global market, OmniActive Health Technologies. The study also demonstrated there was no statistically significant increase in heart rate or blood pressure with one-week supplementation. Authors concluded that future studies should examine the long-term effects of Capsimax supplementation on appetite, weight management and body composition using a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.
PLT Health Solutions Inc. (PLT) announced the launch of the PLTNext Global Search for Innovation. The Global Search is designed to connect PLT with ingredient and technology innovators to assist in product development and commercialization. As part of the program, PLT is putting its track record of developing and launching successful branded ingredients into supplement, food and beverage markets to work for companies who meet the program's criteria and are selected for further collaboration.
The Global Search for Innovation allows selected companies and organizations to work with PLT's scientific, regulatory, intellectual property (IP), product development and sales experts to help advance the market-readiness of their concepts and create commercialization strategies that deliver market penetration and profitability. The program is open to university research programs, early-stage or regional companies and other ingredient/technology developers. The initial round of PLTNEXT is open until July 15, 2016.
Alfa Laval introduced a new LKH Prime pump to its range, an efficient, versatile and hygienic self-priming pump. It uses a combination of air-screw technology and advanced design to meet the most stringent requirements in a range of hygienic industries, including food, dairy, beverage and home-personal care. LKH Prime UltraPure versions are ideal for pharmaceutical applications.
Using optimized impeller and casing geometry, Alfa Laval's LKH Prime excels in efficient operation, reduced energy consumption and CO₂ footprint. Engineered to meet the most stringent requirements of the hygienic industries, it is EHEDG certified and authorized to carry the 3-A symbol.
Characterized by reliability for improved operational productivity and designed for cleaning-in-place (CIP) duties containing entrained air, the LKH Prime can also pump product, potentially reducing the capital investment when designing process systems, whatever the industry.
The unit also reduces sound pressure levels by 80 percent when compared to pumps using traditional pump technologies for CIP/entrained air applications.
By sharing common parts with the Alfa Laval LKH pump range, Prime offers low cost of ownership and increased uptime, backed by Alfa Laval's global service network.
Gericke, a Swiss family business headquartered in Regensdsorf/Zurich, announced the establishment of an affiliate company in the United States—Gericke USA Inc. The expansion will address growing customer needs in the United States and help the company better address demand for the company's processing equipment. The U.S. headquarters for sales and engineering support is located in a 5,000 square foot office at 14 Worlds Fair Drive in Somerset, New Jersey.
Alberto Rodriguez heads up the U.S. operation as senior vice president, having served as one of the company's principal distributors in the U.S. marketplace for the past 15 years.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The international investment agreement regime, one of the more obscure global institutions, has a significant impact upon how states, local governments and communities develop. Many investment agreements include investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) mechanisms, which seek to protect investors from unjust expropriation by host states. Yet, the implications of such a mechanism for fulfilling the vision of the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have never been studied. This thesis examines the ISDS mechanism by conducting a case study of the Chevron v. Ecuador (II) [CvE2] investment arbitration.
The thesis analyses case documents such as hearing transcripts, decisions and submissions to identify the discourses at work within the arbitration; determine the implications of such discourses for processual developments; and explore how such processes influence the space afforded to those nongovernmental organisations and environmental justice groups affected by the arbitration. The research utilises an analytical framework informed by critical development theory and environmental justice theory, to demonstrate that the CvE2 arbitration is dominated by an exclusive discourse that prioritises a strict adherence to international investment law, to the exclusion of other principles such as those of international human rights law and environmental law. The dominance of such a discourse reduces the legitimacy of the institution and its rulings for many key stakeholders. The findings also reveal that marginalised stakeholders, such as environmental organisations representing indigenous communities, were refused access to the arbitrations though they were materially affected by the claims, and additionally, were denied consideration - whereby the material impact of the ruling upon the stakeholder group was deemed irrelevant to the proceedings. The findings provide evidence that ISDS, in its current form, is incompatible with the United Nation's goal for 'effective, accountable and inclusive institutions' (United Nations Development Programme, 2016, p. 1).
This thesis contributes to the scholarship on environmental justice and environmental policy through its analysis of the implications of arbitration mechanisms embedded in international investment regimes for environmental justice claims and, more broadly, the goal of sustainable development. The thesis highlights the need for further research into investor-state investment arbitrations and provides evidence that significant reform is necessary in order for the institution to be reconciled with the SDGs.


This chapter about children is excerpted from a larger work of ethnographic memoir about the time I spent in two subsequent summers in a tiny peasant village, Dang Jiashan (also spelled Dang Jia Shan), in northern Shaanxi Province, China. I originally visited this village as a volunteer through Earthwatch to document this traditional village with the Principle Investigator of the expedition, Dang Anrong, who grew up in this village, and we stayed in an unused home in the village, where his family cooked and cared for us. I returned the subsequent year independent of Earthwatch but concurrent with another volunteer team who came with Anrong. Li-Li, his niece, was my private translator. I don't explain who everybody is here, I haven't made this a self-contained essay, it's just an excerpt ... but you can catch on who is a volunteer and who is a local. If you read some of my other essays from the village, you'll start to become familiar with everybody. The children were so endearing and have such different lives than American children, I thought some readers might find my time with them interesting. This was in the mid-2000s and things are definitely changing -- rural China is becoming a smaller circle of shared experience as people are moving to cities in droves, but I don't think it's yet an experience completely relegated to China's past, as there are still many rural and relatively isolated areas (I say this in 2017).
My first year in Dang Jiashan, several times in the early morning I climbed the hill opposite the village to the south. From there I could look across a narrow valley and see the Dangs and the Jiangs walking the village paths, and the sheep released from their pens running around the hillside for exercise, while the sky brightened in the east. And though I couldn't see the school yard, I could hear the children, eight primary school students, singing their morning song. I don't actually know what it was, but I suspect it was the national anthem or The East is Red, the virtual national anthem perhaps sung more often than the official one.
I could clearly picture the children singing because we had visited the school one day and they performed a couple songs for us; it is one of my best memories. The one-room school was a yao [a cave-home dug inside the soft loess hillsides] the same size as any residential yao. The teacher, an older man, lived in the school's courtyard in a yao adjacent to the classroom. He was from another village and went home on the weekends.
We came into the schoolyard to find the children waiting for us in a straight line, standing stiff as boards. Two outhouses screened by high brick walls stood at the opposite side of the courtyard from the classroom, and a large pile of coal filled one corner of the yard to fuel the teacher's stove. For some reason, no one thought to put a stove in the classroom. In the winter, the children huddle at their desks in their winter coats.
We followed the teacher inside and the kids filed into their seats. The classroom had a chalkboard on one of the long walls and two rows of rickety wooden desks with narrow legs, once painted reddish brown. Each desk contained a cubby hole beneath its surface, where two small notebooks lay rather starkly with a package of colored pencils. No markers, crayons, erasers, glue, stubby scissors or string; no snuck-in toys burrowed in the corners, no chewing gum stuck to the bottom. Accompanying the desks were hard wooden benches. The children sat with erect posture at their desks, leaning on their forearms, looking earnestly to the blackboard in front of them, where Chinese characters were sketched in white chalk. There were a few posters tacked up on the far wall, with pictures to help the students learn pinyin pronunciation of words and the brushstrokes for some Chinese characters.
One poster encouraged the students to follow principles of personal hygiene, though I'm not sure if that poster was making any headway. Many of these principles require water, which is simply not available in this arid region. There are no bathing facilities anywhere in the village. Washing hands and brushing teeth cut into the precious water supplies, plus purchasing soap, toothbrushes and toothpaste often doesn't seem to rural villagers like money well spent when they have so precious little of it. I can't remember now if my husband and I coined the phrase ourselves to refer to something pointless, or if we borrowed it from someone else for the accuracy of the simile, but we sometimes say, "that's about as useful as a Chinese toothbrush." Many of the children's teeth are stained, which seems a pity when their faces are so beautiful. But they are otherwise healthy, and most older villagers retain a nearly full set of teeth.
Nothing else occupied the spare classroom. The primary school instructs grades one through four. The children arrive at school at 6 a.m. They go home for several hours at 10 a.m. to eat, and then return for the afternoon until about 3 p.m. Many children spend most of the lunch break doing chores. They usually have afternoon and evening chores also, but during my first visit, when we were the very first team of foreigners to come to the area, the children found an awful lot of time to stand on the hilltops and spy on us or loiter outside our courtyard. Several times when I got up early to use the toilet, a chorus of hello's rained down on me from above, where kids were lined up as though they'd been waiting for me all night in a duck blind.
Both years, they found time to make gifts for us. In the first year, they fashioned delicate spectacles out of weeds for us to wear on our faces. The second year, the older kids made origami for us, and the younger ones presented drawings and paper folded into baskets. I can't count the number of flowers the children picked for me each year to put in my hair, and how many bouquets of flowers and weeds were smilingly handed to me. I sometimes made bouquets to give back to them, which always made them giggle. Here they have picked me a flower for my hair, as soon as it might fall out, they will quickly pick another one.
Little Xiu-Xiu of the fourth grade produced copious and impressive drawings with colored pencils that first year. Xiu-Xiu was the favorite child among the Earthwatch volunteers in that first year. She was very curious and precocious, and if we asked the children a question, she could be counted on to answer it when everyone else was too shy. Also, she is simply an incredibly cute kid.
Xiu-Xiu lives with her grandparents, and they are like Jack Sprat and his wife. Old Man Xiu-Xiu, who grows the tobacco, is tall, lean and sprightly. Old Lady Xiu-Xiu, who dug up such a bounty of wild roots, is the heftiest and jolliest of the village women. She has a full laugh that jiggles her girth and when she grabs your arm, she means business. Happy business, but business just the same.
The grandparents both have the jolly gene, which makes me think the matchmaker earned his/her fee when putting those two together. They also are reputedly the couple who is most in love; when they were young they used to frolic rather romantically in their courtyard, and all the young people in the village would sneak over to the hill above and spy on them, suppressing spasms of giggles with their hands over their mouths.
When I came back to the village a second summer, I brought with me a big art supply set to give to Xiu-Xiu. When I presented it to her, her precocious nature abandoned her and she fell stunned into whispered shyness. Her grandmother had invited me inside to present the gift. You know how there are houses that are clean and neat, and then houses that are actually lived in; Xiu-Xiu's house is lived in. Old Lady Xiu-Xiu cleared away a spot for me to sit at the edge of the countertop next to the large water jars. The smell inside the cave was not exactly unpleasant but it was far more complex than in my yao or most of the newer, tiled yao. Xiu-Xiu's yao is a very old one, and I think it's about the most picturesque in the village. The smell of the earth is heavy, coming from the deeply dug dirt walls with thin plaster and the porous stone floor, and it mixes with the smell of the burned fuel—plant stalks and coal—in the cook stove, and with cooked food and the recent moisture, and the peculiar smell of time. You may think I'm being metaphorical in regard to this last smell, but it is truly tangible to the senses and is noticeably missing from the newer and renovated yao.
Xiu-Xiu and her sister, two of her friends and her grandmother gathered around as I opened up the padded plastic case to reveal the colored pencils and crayons, paints and brushes, stapler and paperclips. I had my Chinese tutor at home write a letter to Xiu-Xiu in characters about why I wanted to give her this gift, because my husband and I thought her drawings last year were so good. She read it out loud, a quiet voice reading through the words like a hungry child quietly devouring a sandwich with the promise of dessert after she's finished. Xiu-Xiu is to the right of me with her hands of her hips.
Old Lady Xiu-Xiu was practically beside herself with pride at her granddaughter being singled out for this relatively grand gift. She insisted on giving me a gift in return. She wanted me to pick out a little woven rug of her daughter's making, of which she had several lying around the yao. I didn't know what to do, because I didn't want anything in return—it was a gift, not a trade—but Old Lady Xiu-Xiu was relentless. She physically wouldn't let me leave the yao, wrapping her large peasant hand around my bony arm until I chose a rug. She rolled it and tied it up with a string. A couple days later I was delivered a packet of drawings and paintings that Xiu-Xiu had made with her new art supplies.
According to her primary school teacher, Xiu-Xiu was not the brightest kid in class, but she made up for it with her enthusiasm. When we visited the classroom and the teacher asked the children to sing, she was in the front row with her hands clasped together tightly on top of her desk.
She sang louder than any of the other children—so loud she was nearly shouting—and later clapped her hands together with more force than the others. She was straining at her seat with glee, with giddiness to perform for the foreigners. That day happened to be the sixtieth birthday of one of the volunteers. The teacher learned of this just before we arrived, and the first song the children sang was "happy birfday to you!" in hastily-learned, heavily-accented English. They sang their new song with such pride and zeal, it brought tears to my eyes.
We asked for another song, and again they poured their little hearts into singing—even the ones who could barely manage a whispered reply when the foreigners spoke to them—sang loudly and confidently. When we had asked them each, "What's your name?" most answered so quietly we had to kneel at their mouths to hear them. At "How old are you?" some of them couldn't even bear to answer this question, they merely shaped their breath into a number. The contrast in their bold singing was too much for me; I could feel my chin quivering and my nose turning red. Fortunately since the children were facing directly ahead, looking straight at the chalkboard, and we stood off to the side, they couldn't see me trying to will my lower eyelids into little dams and quickly dry my eyes when I failed. It's hard to pinpoint why exactly this encounter with peasant children singing in a cave moved me to tears. Something about their isolation from the rest of the world and their abject earnestness, the purity of their intent to perform well for the foreigners. It was cuteness overload.
After they finished singing, I handed out to each child some gifts I had brought with me—a chocolate Kiss and a sheet of stickers of cartoon animals—dancing hippopotamuses, frogs on lily pads, and tigers swinging from trees with toothy grins—and also items that other volunteers had collected, like toothbrushes and combs. It appeared that the children had never seen stickers before. I had to demonstrate to them that the animals could be peeled off the sheet and that they were sticky. Most of the children kept the chocolate Kiss unopened and sat very dutifully with their gifts neatly stacked and untouched on the corner of their desk. Rural Chinese children are nothing if not exceedingly well behaved under the eye of an adult. But one little boy carefully unwrapped the very top of his Kiss and sneaked in one tentative lick with the tip of his tongue before re-wrapping it and setting it on his desk.
Later, out in the courtyard, I showed the children some pictures from my home on my laptop—where I live, some of the people in my family, raccoons I raised one summer. They all squatted around me, intent and silent. Then I pulled up a photo of my cat. In unison they all exclaimed, yī zhī māo! ("Cat!") And they looked to each other in delight. So foreigners have cats, too!
The next day, Xiu-Xiu was running around the village in her pretty red outfit and a frog sticker neatly pasted right in the middle of her forehead. When I knelt down to her height to take a picture of her, her grandmother, who was standing nearby, reached over and yanked the sticker off. Xiu-Xiu barely flinched over being stripped of her adornment. Only the tiniest wince at the corners of her eyes betrayed her steady smile.
"No no! Put the sticker back on!" I motioned. When Old Lady Xiu-Xiu realized that it was because of the frog on her granddaughter's head that I wanted to take the photograph, she laughed and slapped it back on, a little crooked.
The children are gatherers, collecting wild medicine plants to be sold to the local pharmacies, golden needle and various herbs to eat, hay for the livestock, water in the buckets, leaves in the fall.
When they were children, Anrong and Anju also collected fossils from the valleys and hillsides, though it seems that no one does that anymore. The government paid them by weight for the bones and miscellany, and if they found a fossil tooth, that garnered extra money. "It was very exciting to find teeth!" Anrong said.
Children are good candidates for gathering hay to stock the livestock pens. With a scythe they cut the hay and gather it into a great bundle, which they tie with a rope that they loop around their shoulders so they can carry the bundle on their back. The first year I stayed in the village, young Pan-Pan could be found walking the path beside our courtyard each morning at about dawn. Pan-Pan was the shyest of all the children, and never really spoke to us. When we assaulted her with our cameras in the mornings, because she looked so picturesque with the purple-blossomed alfalfa strapped on her purple back, she bowed her head down. With much coaxing she would look up and smile, but it was obviously rather painful for her to be the center of such attention.
The following year she came to Dang Jiashan from boarding at middle school only for a couple days while her sister, Wang-Wang, and her cousins clamored to spend as much time as possible with us. Again Pan-Pan spoke only a few words. Li-Li [my translator and Anrong's niece], who is her half-sister, explained that she is terribly shy and if anyone even looks at her she turns red in the face. So we didn't speak much during the day she followed us around with her cousins, but after she went back to school she wrote me a letter in pinyin—for this is a form of Chinese language I can manage to discern. In it she told me a little story about her and her younger brother, going out into the field one afternoon to let the family cow graze. While it was grazing, she and her brother fell asleep in the warm late-afternoon sun. When they woke up, the stars were out twinkling above them.
Pan-Pan is the only child who says she thinks about quitting school and helping her parents work the farm. "I would like to help my parents' burden," she wrote to me in another letter (my tutor helped me translate the letters). The other kids seem to have lofty dreams of city careers, making lots of money and buying big stuff. But Pan-Pan prefers the simple life, the quiet life, where she can fall asleep in the fields.
All of Anrong's nieces and nephews are intensely devoted to their parents, as he and his siblings are to theirs. This is endemic to children of peasants all over the country—the sense of duty to support their family and the lack of any perception of burden in doing so. The children's dreams of the future always include taking care of and improving the lives of their parents. All the village children except Pan-Pan envision buying things for their family, or giving them a portion of the money they earn from their city jobs. Only she has the wish to help her parents with her own labor—with her hands rather than her pocketbook. I suspect her intense shyness also makes her anxious to leave school, and the prospect of interviewing for a job in the city probably terrifies her. I knew her the least, yet I just might have loved her the most. She was the kind of person in whom I had the most hope—someone who could educate herself yet not abandon her home in the upshot. My official stance to her in 2005 and 2006 was that she needed to finish high school. A solid education would be valuable even to a farmer, to help make better-informed decisions, to not be taken advantage of, and perhaps be able to start new enterprises like the dairy farm in Da Huo Dian. To this end, I paid her school tuition starting in August 2005 because her parents were hard-pressed to pay to keep her in middle school.
She wrote me that fall (2005) that she would try hard in school because she believed now that education was important. Then in 2007 she wrote to say that she had dropped out of school (at age 14), as had her younger sister, Wang-Wang. "My mother and father work very hard for us, I could not just stay in school to let them feed me," she wrote, and asked that I give her my blessing for working. Probably she'll now be married off young for a good bride price. I wrote back telling her to try to keep educating herself even though she's not in school, as her grandpa, Anrong's father, did, and her own mother, who led the women's affairs league with only four years of formal schooling. I feel sad but love her nonetheless. I hope she will still fall asleep in meadows, that beginning her life of formal labor now will not extract all her youth, that she will still have the energy to find waking up beneath the stars magical and noteworthy, and not just another peasant day.
To see people like Anrong, teaching at university in Beijing, or Li-Li, a smiley student at university in Xian, it never would occur to me that they could casually lift two heavy buckets of water on their shoulder and carry them for half a mile through hill country, that they had spent every day of their childhood doing this.
When Li-Li talks about her childhood she often mentions that the labor was very hard. Another thing she did as a kid was form the young willow trees so their branches bent over to the sides rather than grow straight up. So she had to climb on top of the tender branches and then hang down by her arms, trying to pull them down. I said that it sounded kind of fun, but she said not when you do it all day—your arms get very tired! Sometimes she climbed trees to get honey and was stung by the bees. When she told me this, she rubbed her arms and cringed, remembering the feeling. Li-Li's father contracted cancer when she was just a child of six. "My early childhood was miserable," she told me, watching her father get ill and die, followed by the hard work her mother and the children had to do to carry on farming. Her mother eventually remarried and Li-Li said her step-father is a very good man and treats her and her older sister just like his own children.
Once I asked Li-Li if she had any nicknames. "It translates to Laughing Star," she said. I've always thought it a sign of good character when people can laugh or smile about hard times, that it shows a graceful acceptance of the mean facts of life. I think this must be the best antidote for the bitterness in Chinese peasants' lives. Papa and Anju smile literally all the time; Anrong and Jiang Lu are always ready with giggles; Li-Li's smile consumes her face, and sometimes she blinks her eyes shut briefly like a Cheshire cat; Xiu-Xiu's grandparents are among the poorest but the jolliest. I've almost come to think that a peasant's outward appearance of happiness directly correlates to the hardships of their life. The more smiling and serene, the harder the life. It's their only coping mechanism.
The peasant girls perhaps do have a harder time of it because they must do the same chores as the boys. You may have noticed by now that the majority of the children in Dang Jiashan are girls. There was a little gang of four boys, but they did not spend time with us except one day when we visited their homes in the new village—their parents had been the first to move. One boy had a pet puppy. The boys were a bit rough on the poor creature, but he was regularly picked up in hugs by his young owner.
Though I certainly and vehemently disagree with the vile practice, undertaken more often than not by an uneducated parent, the culture and the long history which bred this behavior is far beyond most Westerners' awareness and understanding. It's easy to pass judgment on the barbaric practice, and it should be stopped, but it's only fair to them to first understand where it came from. ('tis well beyond the scope of this humble blog to address ... visit your library if you're interested) Human trafficking is also a wide-spread practice—desperately impoverished families sell their male children to couples without male descendants. In a recent documentary film, a man who works as a broker selling children said, "I think there is probably something wrong with selling children like material goods, but I can't figure out what it is." He felt melancholy, but his isolation in uneducated rural China robs him of the ability to understand it; he knows no other world than the one of desperation. To end these "traditions" will take a widespread campaign by the central government and a revamping of its own policies. The citizens of a communist country are educated primarily by the central government. It is the government's responsibility to take action to correct these cultural values, to educate the population—half of which is rural and illiterate—and enforce laws that correct the behavior.
But Anrong's family with five girls, two of whom were born before the sons Anju and Anrong, Li-Li's family with four girls all born before the only son… this village has cherished its girls. It has been a common part of peasant life to sell female children in times of desperate need, as cheap future brides or domestic labor. I think if I had asked if any of the villagers in Dang Jiashan had sold their kids, I would have gotten a straight answer with little shame or embarrassment. There's nothing to cover up—this type of thing isn't a secret within China, just a regrettable part of life in this region of the world. Yet, from my own embarrassment over something so raw and harsh, I hadn't the nerve to ask.
I didn't know this sweet girl by name, she was not part of Anrong's immediate family, but she sure made for some cute photos.
Fifth Sister's daughter, little Lei-Lei, was the apple of her grandpa's eye. Papa was always looking out for her, made sure she got included in everything with the older kids, always had a particular smile in store for her. Lei-Lei was five years old in 2006. She lives in the city with her parents, comes to visit family in Dang Jiashan only on holidays and now also in the summers when her parents leave their city jobs to help care for the Earthwatch teams. Lei-Lei will never know about all the chores, the relentless hard work that young people in the village know. She has free time and takes dancing and singing lessons.
Though she is the epitome of a cheerful, joyful child now, sometimes I wonder whether she will be a Laughing Star, like Li-Li, when she grows up; if she will have the same kind of smile and laugh that evolves from bitter seeds swallowed early in life. The smile may look the same and the laugh be indistinguishable from another, but I just bet they won't feel quite the same on the inside; Lei-Lei's laugh will be like ripples on a pond that a stone thrown onto the surface creates, not the kind of ripple that comes from beneath the surface, from rifts in the lakebed that let bubbles of hot air escape from the molten heart of the earth.
Children who make it on to middle school and high school hardly have a more pleasant time than those who work at home. In my second year in Dang Jiashan we visited the nearest middle boarding school in Wang Jiabian, where many of the village children go for as long as their families can afford it. It's not hard to get anyone anywhere to say that middle/junior high school was a miserable era of their lives. But in America it's mostly due to the kids being at their height of cruelty—teasing and ostracizing and bullying. The rural boarding school, by Li-Li's account, was a difficult time not because of other children but because of the living conditions. She looks back on it now with a slight air of incredulity that she lived that way and made it through. But like so many things, you live through them because at the time they are what they are, and you just deal with it. Only afterwards when things have improved do you look back with a scale of relativity and say, "wow, that was rough."
The classrooms are furnished, like the primary school, with spare wooden desks, backless benches and a chalkboard. Some years the school is so overcrowded that there are no aisles among the desks; they're pushed one next to the other in rows the entire width of the room, and the rows fill in from back to front—the teacher practically breathes down the necks of the front-row students. In order to reach a desk near the front, the students walk on top of the other desks or crawl underneath them.
Where the overcrowding really takes its toll is in the dormitories. Anrong had already mentioned how when he was boarding in high school in Jiaxian, the kids crammed onto a kang so tightly that every other kid would sleep in the opposite direction to fit together more snugly and then with the space left next to the wall—for kangs are generally deeper than a person's length—more kids would sleep head-to-toe. "Basically," said Anrong, "you could not turn over in your sleep." All of this crowding isn't because so many children are attending school, it's because there are so few schools for children to attend.
When we walked into Li-Li's old dormitory at the middle school, it was like walking into a warehouse or a prison. Everything was bare cement. "This is where I used to live!" she exclaimed, and her voice bounced off the walls and ceiling like a ping-pong ball. The hallways and the rooms themselves were boxes of gray cement, no carpets or rugs. One window was placed in each room. In Li-Li's day (roughly ten years previous) the children had to bring their own boxes to keep their belongings in (which were very few and the boxes quite small); they were kept underneath the bottom bunk beds. Now one wall was lined with blue-painted wooden lockers, about two feet wide and deep and a foot and a half high, in which the children kept their belongings.
The sleeping accommodation was a bunk bed that stretched the length of the room. "Bed" is a liberal word. Literally, it was just two levels of plywood held up by rusting metal frames. Children are responsible for bringing their own quilts. Li-Li had nineteen bedmates. Ten kids slept on each level. They were packed together so tightly, that if a girl had to get up in the middle of the night to use the chamber pot, it was virtually impossible to squeeze back into her space in bed. In winter, the tight quarters could be a bit of an asset, for none of the cement rooms are heated. In the summer, the lack of air-conditioning compounded the stuffy misery. Recently more rooms have been built to relieve the crowding. Still, many girls cram into one room, in which there isn't even enough space for a person to wash her face in a basin. Li-Li recalled having to squat in the cement hallway with a tiny basin of water. "It was bitterly cold in the winter," she said. Boarders had to wait in line to use the pit toilets in the morning. It's impossible to study in the rooms—students stay in the classrooms or in the library; there is no study lounge or group lounge of any kind in the boarding buildings.
Cao-Yu, Fourth Sister's oldest child, is the most ambitious of all. After her first year in high school, she is at the top of her class in several subjects. She's a bit of a tomboy and she dreams of everything. Not so much for the money, but just to be, to do, to become, to experience. She is driven to excel; her hunger for experience and knowledge is insatiable. The whole duration of my second visit, she carried a little notebook around and continually asked for the English words of objects we came in contact with. "What is this word, please?" "How do you spell, please?" She was also taken on as a team helper on my second visit and came with us everywhere. At times her energy and vitality were overwhelming; she made me dizzy.
So one day, about half-way through my second visit to the village, Cao-Yu asked me very seriously if she could call me "sister" (rather than "aunt"). I imagine this was because I cavorted around playing with the kids more like a teenager than like someone my actual age. I told her she could call me whatever she wanted. From then on, I was called Beautiful Sister! Sometimes she would yell it out just for the heck of it.
"I like green beans very much," they'd say.
"I like green beans, too," I'd say.
In sad contrast, one time when we drove into Jiaxian City, our minivan came around a corner to find a child sitting in the middle of the road with a begging cup. Not beside the road, but literally in the middle, with no chance to run from a car that couldn't swerve or put on the brakes in time, for he sat paralyzed, his legs limp out in front of him. Sometimes I wonder if part of the parents' strategy was to end his misery and their financial burden by enhancing the kid's chances of being killed by a car by "accident." When my husband and I were in Yinchuan, capital city of the poor province of Ningxia (it is, surprisingly, a very pleasant city), we watched an adolescent girl performing in a large pedestrian mall. She was balancing on a board on top of a roller while kicking kitchenware such as bowls and plates with one foot up onto her head, to land stacked neatly on top of each other. A substantial crowd had gathered around her. She missed catching one bowl with her head and her mother, standing behind her, scolded her immediately, and the girl completely lost her concentration. I was dismayed to see people turn and walk away, suddenly unimpressed. The young girl was crestfallen as she endured her mother's harsh words and her toddler brother ran around with a cup, trying to collect money before his sister was deserted by the crowd. No one would ever dub her Laughing Star or Beautiful Astronaut. I suspect she seldom opened her mouth, and probably didn't know what an astronaut was.
"Youth is a terrible thing. Terrible… I will never go back." Stanley Stewart in his book Frontiers of Heaven relates a man's account of how he ended up in the desolate northwest border province of Xinjiang, though he was a native of the pleasant town of Suzhou in eastern China, famous for its many exquisite gardens. He was a collector in Suzhou, collecting porcelain. He possessed a priceless family collection passed down through three generations.
"They were the children of our neighborhood. I had watched them growing up. The ringleader of the Red Guards was a boy from my street. He had been a delightful child." Suddenly given a form of absolute power—the power of violence—by Chairman Mao, the local teenagers-turned-Red Guards harassed and interrogated the man, forced him into self-criticisms and beat him. Then they forced him to smash his beloved porcelain collection himself piece by piece. They threw the shards into a canal. Like many artists and connoisseurs, he was tried as a counter-revolutionary and sent to work the coal mines in Xinjiang Province. He has been free now for many years, free to go home. "Would you not be happier in Suzhou?" Stewart asked him.
He was deeply bewildered at his own past, writes Thubron of the former Red Guard. All of these stories—for there are countless related in the books I've read—deeply bewilder me, too. Though the Red Guards were recruited more from the cities, still when I look at the children I've personally met in China and hear them talk about their devotion to their parents, their respect for them and sense of responsibility to protect them and look out for their welfare, I can't reconcile that with the recent past of the Cultural Revolution. I can't reconcile the two ends of the spectrum of human behavior that evolved in the span of only a few years.
This excerpt of China's past doesn't have much relevance to my own story of Dang Jiashan village except that I am haunted by the thought of being in this huge country of China with all the sweet children gone mad and running with the devil. Could Pan-Pan or Wei be capable of these acts? Could Beautiful Astronaut or her younger brother, Cao-Jie, always shuffling around in vastly over-sized flip-flops, ever be persuaded into such absurdity? It's so difficult to imagine them turning against their elders, but Anrong told us at the village temple how the adults once had to pray in secret; they had to keep secrets from their own children, right here in Dang Jiashan.
Such complex futures lay in wait for today's children of China. Such a great unknown. However repressive the 2,000-year-old dynastic era in China, the future was never such a blank slate as now. Things were relatively predictable for the majority peasant population, and the one drastic change—the Mao era—ended in disaster. Great changes are on the horizon; the society is moving, shifting, jostling, like the land itself that rides the tectonic plates beneath it. Cultural identity is being stripped away, which could cause a crisis in self-identity. Perhaps the young people's heads will become empty again. No traditions, no culture, no continuity to fill them. Increasing knowledge, yes, but knowledge of the world outside, of subjects and technologies but not of themselves.
When I think of the children I knew in Dang Jiashan, all I can feel is the warmth of Lei-Lei's small hand promptly placed inside mine whenever we walked together; the strong arm of Cao-Yu as she linked it through my elbow as we skipped along the paths or stood listening to Anrong, her wet lips pressed against my cheek in kisses; Li-Li's arm around my waist as we posed together for pictures; the delicate paper of the origami creatures Zhong-Li made for me and her patient instruction trying to teach me the folds; the long-lasting infection in my ear from the earring Wang-Wang gave me with such delight, and her short, black hair that I stroked when she laid her head on my shoulder. The memories are so warm and sweet, so relaxing, that I sometimes fall asleep thinking of them. To me, this is the beating heart of China right now—the devoted peasant children oozing with affection. This is the true spirit of the people, which hopefully will not be trampled as the country begins to modernize.
Sometimes I sit on the hillside of my own yard and look out at the pond below; behind it children play and ride their bicycles. I can hear them laughing sometimes, and shouting at each other. Their voices morph in my head into the singing that rang through the early morning hills in Dang Jiashan, of the earnest children releasing their innocent energy, their golden hearts, into the meter of song; and little Xiu-Xiu singing loudest of all.


We have worked in the UK and Australia and have a great knowledge of landscaping utilising various methods and practices from both sides of the world. Having studying at KLC School of Design at Hampton Court Palace we are able to offer a vast understanding on all aspects of turfing, paving, brickwork, decking, fencing, water features, rain water harvesting, plants and planting and wildlife areas.
We specailise in timber structures such as gazebos, pergolas, and raised decks with balustrades.
We offer a design service to give your vision a sense of reality so you can visualise your dreams.
If you are looking for a landscape gardener or decking company Surrey then call 07756 269011 or email Landscape Gardener Surrey.


text:
Parks and Nature 2016: Restoration and maintenance
An excavator builds a log jam to create habitat for fish at River Island Natural Area on the Clackamas River.
Native grasses fill a gap in the forest at Chehalem Ridge in western Washington County.
Native grasses fill a gap in the forest at Chehalem Ridge in western Washington County. Forbs, grasses, shrubs, and abundant standing and fallen dead wood are the main components of pre-forest habitat. Also known as early seral habitat, it's one of the rarest types of habitat in the Pacific Northwest.
River Island is home to Western painted turtles, bald eagles, deer and a variety of fish, birds and wildlife.
River Island includes significant open water ponds, oak savanna and upland forest habitat that is home to violet green swallows, Western painted turtles, bald eagles, deer and a variety of fish, birds and wildlife.
Yellow madia and purple gilia flowers bloom next to a forest at West Bliss Butte.
Yellow madia and purple gilia flowers bloom next to a forest at West Bliss Butte. WIldflowers and pollinators, such as bees and butterflies, are thriving at the site near Gresham thanks to a new restoration method.
Douglas firs were strategically removed to encourage a rare grove of aspens to grow at Killin Wetlands near Banks.
The work allowed hundreds of aspens to grow in a forest opening at Killin Wetlands.
At the core of the Metro Parks and Nature mission is protecting water quality and fish and wildlife habitat.
About half of the money from the 2013 levy is dedicated to protecting water quality and habitat, including controlling invasive weeds, boosting native plants and animals, and improving habitat for fish and wildlife.
After Metro acquires a property, a stabilization plan is drawn up as the first step of the restoration process. Invasive weeds start getting treated. After stabilization, a site conservation plan is developed to restore a site to its natural state. Restoration work can take years to complete, after which a site transitions to long-term maintenance.
Restoration takes different forms across forests, rivers, marshes, wetlands, prairies and oak savanna and other habitats. It means treating invasive weeds choking out rare native wildflowers. It means removing asphalt and concrete from riverbanks and planting native trees and shrubs in their place. It means strategically creating log jams and placing giant root wads into streams to create habitat for endangered fish.
At River Island, a former gravel mine returns to its wild roots
Four great blue herons interrupted the stillness of a blazing summer afternoon on the Clackamas River, their giant wings flapping gracefully off into the horizon. A whitetail dragonfly flitted about, dancing and weaving through waist-high grasses.
The scene seemed straight out of a nature documentary, except for two hints suggesting otherwise. The dry, cracked riverbed on one side hearkened to a former life of the river, a life abruptly ended. On the other side of the river, a little ways upstream, came the faint mechanical noises of two excavators, hard at work building a new future for this area.
Decades of gravel mining and devastating floodwaters in 1996 changed the course of the Clackamas River and left their mark on River Island, a 240-acre natural area just upstream from Barton Park. Metro acquired the main part of the site in 1999 and added to it over the years with money from Metro's two voter-approved bond measures. In summer 2015, work began on a two-year, large-scale restoration effort that will return River Island to a more natural, healthier state and help improve water quality in a river that provides drinking water to nearly 400,000 people.
In summer 2015, restoration work on the south side of the river included removing concrete and asphalt from the riverbank, creating essential habitat for fish and decommissioning two sections of gravel roads close to the water.
Work continued throughout the winter with the planting of native trees and shrubs. In summer 2016, crews began to restore the natural area on the north side of the river.
"This restoration project will not only benefit fish and wildlife, but also people," said Brian Vaughn, a senior natural resources scientist at Metro who is leading the River Island restoration project. "Fish need logs and boulders and places to hide to get away from predators and to find food and shelter. The river is also a scenic corridor, and rafters and boaters who use this section of the river will see an improved shoreline and healthy riparian forest."
In addition to riparian and fish habitat, River Island includes significant open water ponds, oak savanna and upland forest habitat that support Western painted turtles, bald eagles, deer, and a variety of other birds and wildlife.
Over the years, crews treated invasive weeds and stabilized the site. Metro's voter-approved bond and levy, along with grant funding, have made it possible to pursue a large-scale restoration project that would make a big difference.
Starting in early 2014, Metro worked with neighbors, Barton Park visitors, technical experts, the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde and others to craft a restoration plan for River Island. Metro also connected with partners at the Clackamas River Basin Council, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, U.S. Forest Service, Portland General Electric and others.
"I think overall the community is in support, particularly where it restores in a less intrusive manner and helps to allow nature to restore itself," said Cheryl McGinnis, executive director of the Clackamas River Basin Council.


6 Alimentos para bajar de peso y quemar grasa.
¿Sabías que hay alimentos que pueden ayudarte a quemar grasa y a perder peso?
En este artículo te hablo de 6 alimentos que aceleran tu metabolismo y te ayudan a bajar de peso.
¿Qué alimentos te ayudan a adelgazar?
Té verde para quemar grasa.
El té verde ayuda a quemar la grasa abdominal.
Si te interesa saber cómo el consumo de té verde beneficia tu salud y cómo te ayuda a adelgazar puedes leer el artículo Té verde: El superalimento para mantenerte sana, delgada, joven y relajada.
Cúrcuma para bajar de peso.
Si quieres saber cómo la cúrcuma protege tu salud y te ayuda a adelgazar puedes leer el artículo Cúrcuma, el superalimento que cuida tu salud y tu peso.
Y como ya he mencionado antes la inhibición de la angiogénesis puede ser útil para bajar de peso.
Existen factores que pueden modificar esta proporción de flora intestinal y uno de ellos es el tipo de dieta que se consuma.
Por lo que comer bayas que son ricas en polifenoles puede ayudarte a combatir la obesidad y a tener un peso más saludable.
Beber agua puede ayudarte a quemar más calorías y a bajar de peso.
Además beber agua desplaza el consumo de bebidas azucaradas lo que ayuda a perder peso.
Pimienta de cayena para adelgazar.
El tejido adiposo marrón es un tipo de grasa que genera calor y aumenta la quema de grasa.
Su función es calentar el cuerpo y protegerlo ante la exposición al frío, por eso está presente en bebés que aún no regulan bien su temperatura corporal y son más propensos a sufrir hipotermia, también tienen este tipo de grasa muchos mamíferos que hibernan para mantenerse calientes al salir del letargo.
A medida que crecemos esta grasa se va perdiendo o va disminuyendo ya que deja de ser necesaria.
Es más, las personas que tienen un mayor porcentaje de grasa parda son personas que se mantienen más delgadas ya que parte de la energía que consumen en lugar de ser almacenada en forma de grasa es disipada en forma de calor.
Si quieres saber por qué las dietas para bajar de peso no funcionan y qué puedes hacer para tener un peso saludable puedes leer el artículo Dietas para adelgazar ¿Funcionan?
Incorporar estos alimentos a tu alimentación puede ayudarte a bajar de peso, pero por sí solos no te van a servir de mucho si no cuidas otros aspectos que también son importantes para tener un peso saludable.
Un peso equilibrado y una buena salud es el resultado de un conjunto de hábitos saludables como comer sano, hacer ejercicio moderado, dormir bien y eliminar el estrés.
Si te ha gustado este artículo puedes leer también Alimentos para desintoxicar el cuerpo y bajar de peso.
1 Dulloo AG, Duret C, Rohrer D, Girardier L, Mensi N, Fathi M, Chantre P, Vandermander J. Efficacy of a green tea extract rich in catechin polyphenols and caffeine in increasing 24-h energy expenditure and fat oxidation in humans. Am J Clin Nutr. 1999 Dec;70(6):1040-5.
2 Maki KC, Reeves MS, Farmer M, Yasunaga K, Matsuo N, Katsuragi Y, Komikado M, Tokimitsu I, Wilder D, Jones F, Blumberg JB, Cartwright Y. Green tea catechin consumption enhances exercise-induced abdominal fat loss in overweight and obese adults. J Nutr. 2009 Feb;139(2):264-70.
5 Asma Ejaz , Dayong Wu , Paul Kwan , and Mohsen Meydani. Curcumin Inhibits Adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 Adipocytes and Angiogenesis and Obesity in C57/BL Mice. The journal of nutrition.
6 Shehzad A, Ha T, Subhan F, Lee YS. New mechanisms and the anti-inflammatory role of curcumin in obesity and obesity-related metabolic diseases. Eur J Nutr. 2011 Apr;50(3):151-61.
7 Bharat B. Aggarwal. Targeting Inflammation-Induced Obesity and Metabolic Diseases by Curcumin and Other Nutraceuticals. Annu Rev Nutr. 2010 Aug 21; 30: 173–199.
8 Mansour MS, Ni YM, Roberts AL, Kelleman M, Roychoudhury A, St-Onge MP. Ginger consumption enhances the thermic effect of food and promotes feelings of satiety without affecting metabolic and hormonal parameters in overweight men: a pilot study. Metabolism. 2012 Oct;61(10):1347-52.
9 Miyamoto M, Matsuzaki K, Katakura M, Hara T, Tanabe Y, Shido O. Oral intake of encapsulated dried ginger root powder hardly affects human thermoregulatory function, but appears to facilitate fat utilization. Int J Biometeorol. 2015 Oct;59(10):1461-74.
10 Kim EC, Min JK, Kim TY, Lee SJ, Yang HO, Han S, Kim YM, Kwon YG. -Gingerol, a pungent ingredient of ginger, inhibits angiogenesis in vitro and in vivo. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2005 Sep 23;335(2):300-8.
13 Ley RE, Turnbaugh PJ, Klein S, Gordon JI. Microbial ecology: human gut microbes associated with obesity. Nature. 2006 Dec 21;444(7122):1022-3.
14 Rastmanesh R. High polyphenol, low probiotic diet for weight loss because of intestinal microbiota interaction. Chem Biol Interact. 2011 Jan 15;189(1-2):1-8.
15 Atalay M, Gordillo G, Roy S, Rovin B, Bagchi D, Bagchi M, Sen CK. Anti-angiogenic property of edible berry in a model of hemangioma. FEBS Lett. 2003 Jun 5;544(1-3):252-7.
16 Nandakumar V, Singh T, Katiyar SK. Multi-targeted prevention and therapy of cancer by proanthocyanidins. Cancer Lett. 2008 Oct 8;269(2):378-87.
17 Wang LS, Hecht SS, Carmella SG, Yu N, Larue B, Henry C, McIntyre C, Rocha C, Lechner JF, Stoner GD. Anthocyanins in black raspberries prevent esophageal tumors in rats. Cancer Prev Res (Phila). 2009 Jan;2(1):84-93.
18 Stoner GD, Wang LS, Casto BC. Laboratory and clinical studies of cancer chemoprevention by antioxidants in berries. Carcinogenesis. 2008 Sep;29(9):1665-74.
19 Boschmann M, Steiniger J, Franke G, Birkenfeld AL, Luft FC, Jordan J. Water drinking induces thermogenesis through osmosensitive mechanisms. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2007 Aug;92(8):3334-7. Epub 2007 May 22.
20 Boschmann M, Steiniger J, Hille U, Tank J, Adams F, Sharma AM, Klaus S, Luft FC, Jordan J. Water-induced thermogenesis. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2003 Dec;88(12):6015-9.
21 Lenny R. Vartanian, Marlene B. Schwartz and Kelly D. Brownell. Effects of Soft Drink Consumption on Nutrition and Health: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Am J Public Health. 2007 April; 97(4): 667–675.
22 DiMeglio DP, Mattes RD. Liquid versus solid carbohydrate: effects on food intake and body weight. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2000 Jun;24(6):794-800.
23 Ludwig DS, Peterson KE, Gortmaker SL. Relation between consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks and childhood obesity: a prospective, observational analysis. Lancet. 2001 Feb 17;357(9255):505-8.
24 Malik VS, Schulze MB, Hu FB. Intake of sugar-sweetened beverages and weight gain: a systematic review. Am J Clin Nutr. 2006 Aug;84(2):274-88.
25 Berkey CS, Rockett HR, Field AE, Gillman MW, Colditz GA. Sugar-added beverages and adolescent weight change. Obes Res. 2004 May;12(5):778-88.
26 D Papandreou, E Andreou, A Heraclides, and I Rousso . Is beverage intake related to overweight and obesity in school children? 2013 Jan-Mar; 17(1): 42–46.
27 Fagherazzi G, Vilier A, Saes Sartorelli D, Lajous M, Balkau B, Clavel-Chapelon F. Consumption of artificially and sugar-sweetened beverages and incident type 2 diabetes in the Etude Epidemiologique aupres des femmes de la Mutuelle Generale de l'Education Nationale-European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition cohort. Am J Clin Nutr. 2013 Mar;97(3):517-23.
28 de Koning L, Malik VS, Rimm EB, Willett WC, Hu FB. Sugar-sweetened and artificially sweetened beverage consumption and risk of type 2 diabetes in men. Am J Clin Nutr. 2011 Jun;93(6):1321-7.
29 Malik VS, Popkin BM, Bray GA, Després JP, Willett WC, Hu FB. Sugar-sweetened beverages and risk of metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes: a meta-analysis. Diabetes Care. 2010 Nov;33(11):2477-83.
30 Fung TT, Malik V, Rexrode KM, Manson JE, Willett WC, Hu FB. Sweetened beverage consumption and risk of coronary heart disease in women. Am J Clin Nutr. 2009 Apr;89(4):1037-42.
31 Duffey KJ, Gordon-Larsen P, Steffen LM, Jacobs DR Jr, Popkin BM. Drinking caloric beverages increases the risk of adverse cardiometabolic outcomes in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) Study. Am J Clin Nutr. 2010 Oct;92(4):954-9.
32 Bernstein AM, de Koning L, Flint AJ, Rexrode KM, Willett WC. Soda consumption and the risk of stroke in men and women. Am J Clin Nutr. 2012 May;95(5):1190-9.
33 de Koning L, Malik VS, Kellogg MD, Rimm EB, Willett WC, Hu FB. Sweetened beverage consumption, incident coronary heart disease, and biomarkers of risk in men. Circulation. 2012 Apr 10;125(14):1735-41, S1.
34 de Koning L, Malik VS, Kellogg MD, Rimm EB, Willett WC, Hu FB. Sweetened beverage consumption, incident coronary heart disease, and biomarkers of risk in men. Circulation. 2012 Apr 10;125(14):1735-41, S1.
35 Pan A, Malik VS, Hao T, Willett WC, Mozaffarian D, Hu FB. Changes in water and beverage intake and long-term weight changes: results from three prospective cohort studies. Int J Obes (Lond). 2013 Oct;37(10):1378-85.
36 Popkin BM, Barclay DV, Nielsen SJ. Water and food consumption patterns of U.S. adults from 1999 to 2001. Obes Res. 2005 Dec;13(12):2146-52.
37 Sacks H, Symonds ME. Anatomical locations of human brown adipose tissue: functional relevance and implications in obesity and type 2 diabetes. Diabetes. 2013 Jun;62(6):1783-90.


text:
Q: Button Click Delay inside ScrollView I have an android activity that takes up more then the full screen so I place it inside a ScrollView. There is a button at the very bottom of my Activity and when I scroll down there is a delay in which I can click the button. The delay is until the scrollbar fades away and then the button can be clicked.
This is not a very long time, but for a user it may seem like it and it is very annoying so is there a way to make the buttons clickable while still scrolling or make that time shorter at least?

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Cutter Polar Star Efforts Expanding Remote Arctic Region Knowledge
by U.S. Coast Guard District 17
The Seattle-based Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star (WAGB 10) arrived in Juneau on February 12, 2021 for a logistics stop as the crew nears the end of their months-long Arctic deployment conducting scientific research and protecting the nation's maritime sovereignty and security throughout the polar region.
February 12, 2021 - U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star transits the Gastineau Channel to moor up in Juneau, Alaska. The Seattle-based vessel arrived in Juneau for a logistics stop as the crew neared the end of their months-long Arctic deployment conducting scientific research and protecting the nation's maritime sovereignty and security throughout the polar region. (Image created by USA Patriotism! from U.S. Coast Guard photo by Chief Petty Officer Jonathan Woods.)
In addition to Polar Star's strategic national security objectives, the nation's sole heavy icebreaker sailed north with scientists and researchers aboard to work in partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), University of Washington, and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (WHOI) to gather data and lessen the void of information from the region and better understand how to operate year-round in Arctic waters.
"The Arctic is cold, dark, and difficult to navigate in the winter," said Capt. Bill Woityra, the Polar Star's commanding officer. "Deploying with researchers and scientists aboard has aided in the development, understanding and pursuit of technologies that will mitigate risks and enable future mission performance so that looking forward, the Coast Guard can safely operate continually and effectively in this remote environment."
Working aboard Polar Star, Shalane Regan, a member of the Coast Guard Research and Development Center (RDC), teamed up with Lt. Lydia Ames, a NOAA Corps officer to assist CRREL researchers by deploying buoys onto the ice where they will, over time, collect and transmit information about ice flow to help fill in data gaps for higher latitude oceans.
The Polar Star crew also aided in a research project concerning water flow regimes in the Arctic, specifically the Chukchi Sea, a study developed by Dr. Robert Pickart of WHOI. The data collected during Polar Star's patrol will be used to develop a more complete understanding of the hydrology of the dynamic region.
To support Dr. Pickart's research, WHOI provided 120 Expendable Conductivity-Temperature- Depth (XCTD) instruments to measure temperature and salinity. These profiles of the water column will give a better picture of what water and nutrient flow look like in the Arctic winter. Polar Star crew members deployed the probes every 12 hours when above 65 degrees north.
Additionally, Regan, who is a mechanical engineer and researcher with the RDC Surface Branch, worked with other scientists and researchers on board to find ways to operate most effectively in the frigid Arctic environment.
For technology, Regan brought a 3D printer and Remotely Operated Vehicle aboard Polar Star to evaluate how the systems would react to the Arctic climate and ship life.
"I used the 3D printer to complete many small projects that resulted in large lifestyle improvements for the crew," said Regan. "Most importantly, the knowledge I was able to gather about larger issues the crew faces, for example, visibility issues due to frost accumulation on the bridge windows, I can take home for my team to develop solutions that will create a better-equipped, mission-ready fleet."
Another big item the RDC team is focusing on is underway connectivity, specifically in the Arctic region.
To better understand high latitude communications, The Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) was installed on Polar Star to test its abilities at high latitudes in the harsh Arctic winter conditions. Developed for the U.S. Navy by Lockheed Martin, the MUOS is an ultra-high frequency satellite communications system that provides secure connections for mobile forces.
"Looking towards the future, all signs point toward the Coast Guard deploying more platforms to the Arctic, more often and during different seasons of the year," said Woityra. "The Coast Guard is robustly proficient at summer-time Arctic operations, while winter presents an entirely new set of challenges. Polar Star's winter Arctic deployment has served to better understand and prepare for the challenges of operating in such a harsh and unforgiving environment."
Coast Guard Gifts | Coast Guard | U.S. Department of Homeland Security


Loren Roberts won the Senior Open Championship title with a dramatic play-off win over Mark McNulty and Fred Funk.
All three men finished with a 12-under-par aggregate of 268 at Sunningdale before Roberts, who previously won this event at Turnberry in 2006, triumphed over extra holes.
After Funk failed to match McNulty and Roberts' birdies on the 18th at the first extra hole it became a two-man duel, and after another deadlock McNulty fired a wild drive into the rough and Roberts' par was enough for victory.
The American had carded a final-round 67 thanks to a four-under inward 31 on the Old Course.
After a splendid approach at 17 led to the birdie which took him to 12 under, Roberts needed another at the last to win, but drove into the rough on the right and had to settle for par.
Earlier Irishman McNulty's brilliant round of 64 had given him the clubhouse lead.
His inward 31 included a hat-trick of birdies from the 13th but it could have been even better - down the closing straight McNulty had birdie putts of less than 10 feet on 17 and 18 and both missed the hole by the smallest of fractions.
"I really thought I hit good putts, both of them," he said.
"The last one I thought was going to go in and the last one slowed down and seemed to start turning. Why, I don't know.
"I gave it all I had, and just one bad shot. That's what happens," said the Sunningdale resident.
American Funk, who had set record low 18 and 36-hole scores for the event, raced out the blocks to turn in 32, but the 53-year-old could not find the single shot he needed for the title on the back nine - paring all his holes on the way in.
"It just wasn't enough. It's disappointing because I played good," said Funk.
For Greg Norman there was a familiar disappointment.
Having led overnight, he collapsed to a one-over 71 and fell out of contention to a tie for sixth.
Tom Watson continued his fine form with a three-under-par 67 to finish seven under overall, enough for a share of eighth place.
Fourth place went to Bernhard Langer, who completed back-to-back five-under rounds of 65 but the German, who won his two Champions Tour events coming into the tournament, came up one shot short on 11 under after a disappointing first couple of days.
"When I won back in '06 it was probably the biggest thrill of my life," said Roberts.
"Then to come here, to a golf course I've never seen before, absolutely fell in love with this golf course. To be able to pull it out on the back nine is the culmination of a lot of hard work.
"In the play-off I felt really good, probably the best I felt all day. I just hammered it up the 18th fairway every time."


Panasonic GX7 Owner assessment - Part 9 - choc full of rangefinderness.
I know it's not a real rangefinder, even though it's got this split screen thingamy in the viewfinder for manual focusing, but it definitely has lots of 'rangfinderness' in it's design aesthetic. It does feel very Leica like as well. For me easily the most solid feeling Panasonic m4/3 ever and pretty classy as well.
I did one of my occasional 'fruit shoots' today, and decided, for no particular reason to use my Vogtlander 20mm and Nikon Series E 100mm.
Images were nice and sharp and I particularly like the bokeh on the 100mm. And if I am going to keep all these cameras and lenses then I might as well use them. I should make it clear that it's not the case that I don't want to use them, quite the reverse, it's this situation that having the Sony FE's, particularly the A7r, I feel almost duty bound to use it (them) They do have the highest pixel count and the best image quality, but they aren't necessarily the ones I enjoy using the most.
I'm really happy with what I've got currently (Really!!) and there's a nice mix of rangefinder and small film SLR lookalikes. Now these are very much my favourite camera designs and I'm looking forward to tomorrows Fuji X-T1 arrival. The other thing that is preventing me from getting rid of anything is that all of the cameras I currently own, apart from the X-M1 which IS going, are really nice to handle and use for extended periods of time, including the Sony's with their grips attached.
The GX7 is no exception. The rather nice leather half case (3rd. party from Amazon) gives it a really luxurious appearance and it's nothing like the hampster finger oversized matchbox design of many of the mirrorless micro cameras that gadgeteers get so excited about and leave me stone cold. It's very much a photographers camera designed to please the eye and the hand as well as taking a decent snap. And it's most definitely one to wear with pride and not hide away in a pocket nestling up against your loose change. For me that's a good thing and for the life of me I can't understand why some people object to a camera that has to be carried and seen. It's almost like the 'in your pocket' brigade are ashamed of being photographers. Odd.


text:
economist.com Go back Open original
A novel way to stop the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria
NEW DELHI metallo-beta-lactamase is a bacterial enzyme that poses a serious threat to people. It grants its host resistance to carbapenems and other beta-lactam antibiotics used by doctors around the world as a last line of defence against stubborn infections. And, as if that were not bad enough, it also confers protection against sunlight.
Upgrade your inbox and get our Daily Dispatch and Editor's Picks.
This second protection matters because, in many places, the idea that sunlight is the best disinfectant is no mere metaphor. Part of the treatment of sewage water in sunny climes is often to leave it out in the sun, permitting ultraviolet light to inflict damage to the complex molecules, such as DNA, that sustain bacterial life. Bacteria that survived such assault would be available to cause disease, or to pass their genes on to others that do so.
And, in 2015, one such was found in a treatment plant in Saudi Arabia. This was a strain of E. coli (a common bug that lives, usually harmlessly, in human guts) that was, indeed, in possession of New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase. Peiying Hong at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, in Thuwal, has been working on this bug since its discovery and thinks she may have come up with a way to deal with its resistance to sunlight. As she reports in Environmental Science and Technology, she and her colleagues have found that phages (viruses which infect bacteria) sabotage this resistance.
Dr Hong knew from her earlier work that sunlight promotes the activity of some of the bug's genes and suppresses that of others—a process she suspects is mediated by New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase. In particular, the promoted genes relate to cell-wall synthesis, DNA repair and the production of compounds that mop up harmful oxidising agents produced by sunlight. The suppressed genes (downregulated presumably to avoid competition within a bacterial cell for scarce metabolic resources needed for more immediate tasks) include many related to fending off phages. She therefore speculated that letting phages loose on these now-undefended bacteria might kill them.
She and her colleagues collected naturally occurring phages from Saudi wastewater plants. They found seven types which, when unleashed on the photoresistant strain of E. coli, readily destroyed it. Three of the seven, moreover, looked particularly suitable for development as weapons against this strain. When offered various bacteria as potential prey, they attacked only it. And they were also tolerant of sunlight.
Experiment proved this notion correct. When suspensions of the three phages in question were mixed together as a cocktail and added to a suspension of photoresistant E. coli, the bacteria began to decay within two hours. In phage-free suspensions, by contrast, they held out for more than four hours.
Using phages to attack bacteria in wastewater plants is not a new idea. There is a long history of their being employed to breach the otherwise-impenetrable biofilms that many species form on bits of equipment used in such plants. Dr Hong's approach, though, is completely novel—and may be of particular value in Saudi Arabia. In such a desert country, water is a precious commodity while sunlight is abundant and free. Wastewater facilities there are already under pressure to release treated water for agricultural and even domestic use. Making sure bugs of this sort are dead before such water is used is of the utmost importance. Using other, even smaller, bugs to do it has elegance.