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Category: SC4K: M* and UV LFs
SC4K: M* and UV LFs- Part 3, Weeks 4, 5 and 6
This is the eagerly anticipated third and possibly final instalment of the world renowned SC4K: M* and UV LFs blog.
In the space of time since the last blog post, I have accomplished the goals that I set myself at the end of the last post and more, and this blog post will document those steps.
Firstly, I did in fact managed to edit my code such that, when applying a Schechter fit to a mass function, the upper limits were accounted for by creating 'invisible' data points, shown as stars in Figure 1, at negligible phi values (in this case at -4 of whatever the phi value of upper limit), with error bars that extend up to the upper limit; these 'invisible' points and errors were then included when fitting, thus allowing us to account for these upper limits without giving them the same weight as actual bins that contain sources.
Figure 1: The SMF for redshift bin z=5.4=+-0.5, now with the upper limits being accounted for when fitting the Schechter function, and with the 'invisible points depicted as stars.
And then without the 'invisible' points, the SMF appears as follows in Figure 2.
Figure 2: The SMF for redshift bin z=5.4=+-0.5, now with the upper limits being accounted for when fitting the schechter function, with the 'invisible' points removed.
As stated in the last blog, we desired to create SMFs for each individual redshift slice, an example of this is shown in Figure 3 as the SMF for the filter IA484, or redshift slice z=2.98.
Figure 3: The SMF for redshift bin z=2.98, corresponding to filter IA484, plotted and fitted like the redshift bins shown previously.
It is worth noting that at this point in the internship I was provided with an updated catalogue of mass values for the LAEs, so any changes in the shape of SMFs may be due to that fact. (Credit: Sergio Da Graca Santos)
A problem with fitting to stellar mass functions is that at a point when going to lower and lower masses, a dip is observed; the issue is that this dip is not caused by a scientific or characteristic reduction of the number of LAEs at these masses, but instead by the effect of completeness, i.e. the less massive and fainter LAEs are much less likely to be observed than when compared to their more massive counterparts. Up until now when fitting, we have used the range 9-11 log solar masses, for all redshift bins and slices, but to account for the completeness 'dip' in each individual slice/bin, we decided to set a minimum mass, by which each slice/bin shall be fitted to. This minimum mass is depicted in the following figures by a vertical dashed line.
Figure 4: The SMF of redshift slice z=3.15, corresponding to filter IA505, with the minimum mass line now shown by a vertical dashed line, in this case at log(M_star )= 9.4.
Figure 5: The SMF of redshift bin z=2.5=-0.1, with the minimum mass line now shown by a vertical dashed line, in this case at log(M_star)=9.1, the masses have been extended down to 8.5, in order to show the dip.
After this I produced a new stellar mass density vs redshift plot, now including both the new fitted data using the new minimum mass method, and all of the redshift bins and the redshift slices, shown as yellow stars and blue circles respectively in Figure 6.
Figure 6: The initial SMD created, including both redshift bins and redshift slices, showing a strange phenomenon whereby some redshift bin densities, appear to be above the densities of its constituent slices.
As you may have noticed there is an unusual phenomenon for the redshift bins containing more than one redshift slice, as they appear to have a much higher density than the redshift slices they comprise of.
Is this a new breakthrough in how we think of space?
The answer is of course no. In fact it was a simple error in how the calculating of the volume used to create the phi values of the redshift bins that was the problem. For a redshift bin, the volume surveyed for each source is the sum of the surveyed volumes of its constituent redshift slices, but in my divine wisdom I had decided to find the average of the volumes instead. This was a very frustrating error, which puzzled me for hours, as my fellow interns could attest to.
Correcting this mistake I was able to produce a much more realistic SMD, as shown below in Figure 7.
Figure 7: The revised stellar mass density plot for all redshift slices and bins after fixing the issue with the volume use in the phi calculation, thus creating a more realistic plot.
As can be seen, the redshift bins' density values now for the most part lie more neatly within the centre of the range of its constituting redshift slices' density values, as was expected. As can be seen the density values for LAEs seemingly stay approximately constant over redshift.
We then decided that it would be useful to also examine how the schechter parameters, M* and phi*, themselves evolved with redshift, and thus we created the following figures.
Figure 8: A plot depicting the evolution with redshift of the Schechter parameter phi*, showing an initial slope from z~2.5 to a plateau at z~4.5.
Figure 9: A plot depicting the evolution of the Schechter parameter M*, showing a seemingly consistent value of ~10.6.
By observing Figures 8 and 9 we observed that M* seems to stay relatively consistent over redshift, and phi* appears to show a negative slope from z~2.5 until z~4.5 whereby it seems to reach a plateau.
Then, it was decided that the best way to display how the SMFs evolve with redshift, was to plot them all together as a grid, similar to those seen in the SC4K paper (see Figure 8). The first attempt at the resulting grid of all of the SMFs for all of the redshift slices and bins is shown in Figure 10.
Figure 10: The first stellar mass function grid plot, showing all 13 redshift slices and the 5 redshift bins.
Figure 10 represents my first attempt at this kind of plot, but after a discussion with my supervisor I realised a few flaws that I could correct in order to make it paper ready. The flaws with this plot include colouring the completeness points when they should really be colourless to show they are much less important, the Schechter fit not extending to the mass minimum line, and the data points to the left of the line being the same colour as those that the Schechter fit accounts for, when fading them could help show that they are not including when fitting.
After addressing a couple of these flaws, the grid produced was as follows in Figure 11, with a more complete edition being shown in Figure 12.
Figure 11: An intermediate SMF grid plot where we also increased the number of bins to better evaluate the source spread, and also the non-completeness points, now have been coloured white, to better illustrate their insignificance, and the Schechter fit extends to the mass minimum line.
Figure 12: The final grid plot including both redshift slices and redshift bins. It was at this point that it was decided that in order to show to data more clearly, the redshift slices and bins should be split.
It was then decided that combining both the redshift slices and the bins was unnecessary in such a large plot, thus I split them, keeping the individual redshift slices displayed as in Figure 12, but for the redshift bins we decided that showing the change in the Schechter fit was the only thing necessary, the resulting plots are shown in Figure 16 and 17.
In the midst of me working on the grid, I also improved the plots of the stellar mass density's and Schechter parameters' evolutions with redshift, shown in the following figures. They now clearly show which data points have been found using which fixed values. The shaded region shown in the Schechter parameter plots show the values of these parameters up to redshift, z=5, found by Iary Davidson et al. in 2017 for galaxies in the COSMOS survey (see here for the paper).
Figure 13: The updated log plot of the evolution of the Schechter parameter M* as a function of redshift, showing both which values are fixed in the creation of a data point, and how my data compares to that of Davidson 2017.
Figure 14: Log plot of the evolution of the phi* Schechter parameter over redshift, when compared to literature data obtained from Davidson 2017.
As can be seen quite clearly, my data shows an evolution of the Schechter parameters agrees quite nicely with the results found by Davidson, especially for phi* in Figure 14, as the slope going to z~4.5 is seen in both, and for M* they found a relatively constant M* as well.
The stellar mass density plot stays relatively similar as I have not yet been able to compare it to data found previously, also from the Davidson paper and more, but this is in progress.
Figure 15: The current version of the stellar mass density plot, showing the evolution of the stellar mass density of LAEs over redshift, better illustrating which values are created using fixed M* values.
It was after the completion of these plots that I was provided with the completeness functions for 2 of the 3 filters that I had to exclude previously, NB392, and NB816, this allowed me to create SMFs for them and improve my results. However, while NB816 had a simple completeness function (i.e. completeness against Lyman-alpha flux) NB392 had multiple, depending upon which area of the survey it was observed in, this is due to the fact that observed in the CALYMHA survey (see here), and as such I had to include a clause in the code such that if the source was detected by NB392, the COSMOS ID of the source is used to determine which completeness function must be computed.
Finally, Figures 16 and 17 show the new and improved stellar mass function grid plot, including all the redshift slices possible (including NB392 and NB816), and the SMF for the redshift bins depicting only their respective fits.
In the new SMF grid, the fit line and shaded region are red for plots that use fixed M* values as well as fixed alpha values, and they are blue for fits using only fixed alpha values.
Figure 16: The current iteration of the SMF grid plot, with the red shaded fits illustrating that these fits were created using a fixed M* value. The additional SMFs for filter bands NB392 (z=2.22) and NB816 (z=5.71) have been included in this version.
You might notice that the difference between the completeness and non-completeness points for the newly added NB392/z=2.22 slice, are at lot less than for the rest of the slices. This issue highlighted a problem in my selection process up until this point. I should have set a completeness limit for sources as a means to eliminate sources that have such a low completeness that they may be skewing the data. After a discussion with my supervisor we decided that a 30% completeness limit would eliminate the most disturbing of sources. As such when observing these last plots, take them with a pinch of salt, as they shall be altered after I apply this limit.
Figure 17 was also created before the addition of the completeness limit, but the general idea of the plot can be gathered, if not the scientific result.
Figure 17: This is the preliminary version of the plot comparing the fits for all the redshift bins, however this plot shall need changing to account for the 30% confidence limit, and as such needs to be taken with a pinch of salt.
The next steps are as follows: Apply the 30% completeness limit to all of the data, include the data for the new redshift slices into the SMFs and thus create Schechter parameter and stellar mass density plot. Also, we decided that an interesting thing to investigate is the SMF of only high luminosity galaxies (i.e L > 1042.8 erg/s) to see whether they behave any differently. I have also recently obtained a dataset of mass values of the SC4K cut except these were determined, not with SED fitting with MAGPHYS, but instead used CIGALE (a python Code Investigating GALaxy Emission), not the best acronym but still very cool, and it will be interesting to see how much their results differ from those I have used.
I am very excited to write my first, first author paper that will be published, and I must say thank you to my supervisor Dr. David Sobral for this opportunity, and also to the Ogden Trust for giving me the means to take it.
Finally, I have to mention the great fellow interns that I have been working alongside during this internship: Emma Dodd, Heather Wade, Harry Baker, Cass Barlow-Hall, and Amaia Imaz Blanco. It has been great to get to know you over the last few weeks!
This may be my last blog or not, it depends on how long it takes me to write my paper alongside my literature review for my Masters.
Thank you very much for reading.
-Josh Butterworth
Posted on August 15, 2019 August 16, 2019 by xgalwebPosted in SC4K: M* and UV LFsLeave a comment
SC4K: M* and UV LFs- Part 2, Week 3
This blog post comes off the back of a relatively productive week where I made steady progress towards the goals expressed at the end of the last blog post (see here, if you missed it).
Firstly, as I stated last week, I decided to re-create my stellar mass functions neglecting mass values < 9 due to their large completeness, an example of which is shown below in Figure 1.
Figure 1: The stellar mass function for filter band IA427 of LAEs found in the SC4K cut, now neglecting values below 9 due to their high completeness and thus unreliability.
I also applied markers to display upper limits on mass bins which contain no sources, to better illustrate the distribution of LAE masses, an example given in Figure 2.
Figure 2: The stellar mass function for filter IA624, showing the addition of a downwards triangle depicting an upper limit of a mass bin containing no sources.
From this point on I converted from using the filters the sources were discovered by, to using the redshift bins described in Sobral et al 2017 (z=2.5, 3.1, 3.9, 4.7, 5.4), as my method of separating my sources into separate plots. I also decided to stop the plot at mass values equal to 11, as there were only a few sources detected above this value that survived the purge of the SED examination, and those that remain have a relatively high chance of being 'lower redshift' interlopers that appear to be more 'massive' than they actually are. An example of my new SMF is Figure 3, for z~2.5.
Figure 3: The SMF for redshift bin z~2.5, plotted on the mass range 9-11.
The next step of my project was to fit Schechter functions to my data (the logarithmic version used is shown below), and thus obtain the values of alpha (the faint end slope parameter) and the Schechter parameters, characteristic mass and the normalisation point that best fits my SMFs at each redshift. The Schechter parameters were obtained, and the fit completed, using the curve_fit function of the python package SciPy. Since my plots are logarithmic in nature, the parameter values obtained were the logarithmic equivalents, i.e log(phi_0) for phi_0, however the desired schechter values were obtained via simple manipulation.
As an example, for redshift bin z=2.5+-0.1 schechter fit is as shown in Figure 4, it is worth noting that the slight change in shape of the data points from Figures 3 and 4, is due to the change in the number of bins from 10 to 15. The parameter alpha was chosen to be -1.4 for this plot, as previous fit attempts of higher values were less accurate. The schechter parameters values obtained from this particular fit were log(phi_0)~-4.26, and log(M_star)~10.1.
Figure 4: A SMF for redshift, z~2.5, including a schechter fit with alpha=-1.4, log(phi_0)~-4.26, and log(M_star)~10.1
It is worth noting a flaw in my plotting technique at this point in time, as currently my schechter fit neglects the upper limits points of bins which contain no sources. This will hopefully be rectified in the next week, by setting a 'invisible data point' at a negligible mass function value e.g -9, with error bars that extend up to to the upper limit, this should allow the schechter fit to account for these upper limits without their existence having a drastic effect. An example of this flaw can be seen in the following figure of the SMF of redshift bin, z=5.4+-0.5.
Figure 5: The SMF for redshift bin z=5.4=-0.5, showing the neglectful nature of the schechter fit of the upper limits.
The next property of the LAEs I wished to investigate was their stellar mass density (SMD), and how this evolves with redshift. Stellar mass density can be obtained by integrating the schechter fit of an SMF, the schechter fit can be integrated analytically using the following equation, which uses the incomplete gamma function, and the parameters obtained from the schechter fit.
Using this integration technique on the respective alpha, and schechter parameters of each redshift bin, I was able to produce the following stellar mass density against redshift plot.
Figure 6: A plot, without errors, showing the evolution of stellar mass density of my LAE data with redshift.
The next step after obtaining this stellar mass density plot, is to get errors for each point. After a failed error propagation attempt, I decided to use the Monte Carlo method to obtain errors. When I obtained the schechter parameter values from the Curve_fit function, I was also provided with the 1 sigma standard deviation values in the each of the parameters. Using these standard deviations, and the actual values of each parameters (the parameter values used as the mean), I was able to model both parameters, or the logs of the parameters in this case, as gaussians (see examples below) and by taking the 16th, 84th, and 50th percentiles respectively I was able to obtain estimates of the best value for each parameter as well as a 1 sigma error, using the statistical 68 rule.
Figures 7a & 7b: The gaussian plots from which I have obtained errors by using the Monte-Carlo method, in which to apply to stellar mass density data points, shown in Figure 6.
I also applied an error to my alpha parameter value due to its relatively arbitrary status of my just picking its value by how I deemed the fit to look. The error was obtained by modelling the alpha value as a uniform distribution between -1.3 and -1.5, as to keep -1.4 as the mean but also to include -1.3, which was my initial alpha value.
Using all of the errors my final stellar mass density plot appeared as follows:
Figure 8: The stellar mass density against redshift plot for the 5 redshift bins, now with errors included.
As a preliminary examination of this plot we can observe that the density of LAEs remains approximately constant across all redshift, the actual behaviour shall become clearer once I split the redshift bins back into the individual redshifts of the filter bands used to detect each source, which is something I plan to do. Also, the catalogue which I had used initially has been recently updated, and so I shall be running these new mass values through my code, however it is unlikely that this will have much of an effect.
The aims for the following week, will be to edit my schechter fits such that they account for the upper limit points in my SMFs. Also, I plan to split up the redshift bins into their respective filter band redshift values, as this will provide us with more data points on our SMD plots, and thus will provide a more detailed outlook on how Lyman-alpha emitter stellar mass density evolves with redshift. Following on from that will be comparing these stellar mass densities at each redshift to the stellar mass density of all galaxies at these redshifts, and thus will allow me to explore how the proportion of LAEs to all galaxies has evolved in this time period.
Thank you for reading this blog post, this internship is a great opportunity for me, and it gives me great pleasure to be able to share my progress.
-Josh
Posted on July 22, 2019 by xgalwebPosted in SC4K: M* and UV LFsLeave a comment
SC4K: M* and UV LFs – Part 1, Weeks 1 and 2
The aim of this internship is to obtain stellar mass functions (SMFs) of Lyman-alpha emitter galaxies (LAEs); to analyse how these SMFs evolve on the cosmic timescale, and to observe how these SMFs compare to those of the more common galaxy. I have been investigating 3908 LAEs, obtained by the SC4K cut of the COSMOS survey performed by my internship supervisor, Dr. David Sobral (Sobral et al 2017). The SC4K cut was completed using 16 different narrow-band and medium-band filters over the COSMOS field, with a redshift range of z ≈ 2 – 6.
I have been provided with the SC4K catalogue which contains numerous properties for each LAE, however the properties pertinent to my investigation for the moment are log(M/MSun), Lyα flux, and Lyα Redshift.
Since my investigation relies heavily upon the log (M/MSun), values for each LAE, my first job required determining which LAEs had values that could be trusted. The log(M/MSun) values of each LAE were obtained from spectral energy distributions (SEDs) that were fit to known flux data points for each LAE, credit to Sergio Da Graca Santos. However, since this was an automated system, it was always likely to produce some anomalous results, for example from a mere initial inspection of the log(M/MSun) values there were some that were > 30, implying a solar mass of the order of 1030; this is more analogous to the mass of the universe let alone a LAE which is expected to be of the order 108/109 solar masses, and thus it was decided that it would be prudent to visually inspect the SEDs of the most extreme predicted mass LAEs and to remove those which had either poor fitting SEDs or SEDs which lead to an unphysical mass value, until I was satisfied that at least the majority of those remaining could be trusted.
Figure 1: An example of an SED which lead to an unphysical mass value of log (M/MSun)=32.05, most likely due to the few number of data points.
Figure 2: An example of a 'Debatably Poor' fitting SED that was discarded.
Figure 3: An example of a decent fitting SED, with a reasonable solar mass value, and thus the corresponding LAE was kept.
In order to sort through the SEDs, I invented a classification system in order to 'more accurately' (quotation marks are due to my supervisor's opinion of my system) classify each SED, and thus each LAE's validity. The system is as follows: the most reliable SEDs, and thus LAEs were assigned 'G' i.e. good, the next subset were SEDs that followed most of the data points and limits and these were assigned 'DG' meaning Debatably Good, the next is the reversal of this, e.g. a couple/few points/limits were followed but not enough for it to be reliable, see Figure 2; these were assigned 'DB', Debatably Bad, finally the most egregious SEDs, such as the one shown in Figure 1, which produce completely unreasonable mass values, were assigned 'B' i.e. bad. Alongside these I used a flagging system which removed both DBs and Bs for easier removal of these both in later, while coding.
Figure 4: A histogram depicting the effect of removing all of the Bs and DBs from the catalogue has upon the spread of masses.
As can be seen, the data reduction by my system has little effect at the expected LAE masses, i.e. 108/109 solar masses, but in fact all LAEs with masses above 1012 were removed.
Splitting the reduced data into a filter by filter basis produces the following:
Figure 5: A histogram showing the distribution of mass per used filter in the reduced SC4K catalogue.
For my stellar mass function, I plot the log of the mass function (shown below) against log (M/MSun). It is created in a similar fashion to a histogram, in that the data is split into bins but instead of just merely counting the number of counts per bin, the mass function equation is applied to each individual count (LAE). This need to be done individually with the exception of dlogM, as each source as unique completeness. The dlogM, is merely the width of each bin used to split the data, and thus is more general.
The following plot was obtained as a first attempt, after applying the mass function equation, without completeness and using a general volume (done later due to its more complex application).
Figure 6: My first SMF, neglecting completeness and respective volumes, as well as errors.
The respective volumes that each filters observed, was obtained from the Slicing COSMOS with SC4K: the evolution of typical Lyα emitters and the Lyα escape fraction from z ∼ 2 to z ∼ 6 paper, (Sobral et al 2017). The completeness for each source was determined, from both the filter in which it was observed and the Lyα flux it was observed to have, as each filter has completeness factor, for example:
Figure 7: The completeness function of the medium-band filter IA427. The axis shows completeness against log(flux) of the Lyα line.
Upon adding both completeness, respective volumes, I have thus far been able to obtain a basic stellar mass function for both 13 of the 16 filters used in the SC4K cut, and a SMF for 5 of the 6 redshift at which the LAEs are believed to be located. (This is due to the narrow-band filters, NB392, NB501, and NB816 possessing more complex and erratic completeness functions.)
Figure 8: The SMF for filter IA427, including both completeness and respective volumes, but still neglecting errors.
The obvious exclusion from the previous SMF is the lack of errors, in order to add errors I used the random error method, so for N counts in a bin, the error is √N, and thus applying the mass function equation to this error (using an average value for volume and completeness), the error of each point in the final SMF is obtained.
Figure 9: The SMF for filter IA427, including both completeness and respective volumes, and now including errors.
It is worth noting that since I am using the random error method, in order to obtain log errors, I have had to set the errors to -1 for any bin containing only 1 source, as doing so without causes a maths error by trying to do the log of zero.
Figure 10: The SMF for filter IA427, including both completeness and respective volumes, and now including errors, showing the blank spots of bins with no sources, and the fact that SMFs of different filters/redshifts use non-uniform axis limits.
At this point, I have SMFs for 13 of the 16 filters used in the SC4K cut (two of which are shown in Figures 9/10), and for 5 of the 6 redshifts. Going forward, the immediate plans are to include upper limit notation for bins containing no sources (illustrated in Figure 10), this upper limit will be placed as if it is a single source. I will also set all of the SMFs of each filter/redshift to a uniform axis limits, as currently the bin location are just determined by the smallest and largest values in the provided data. I will also neglect log M values below 9 for the moment as, due to the large completeness of these values (due to their low flux), it is unwise to trust them, this also brings my work closer to the literature already looking into this area.
In the long term, I plan to improve my plots by fitting schechter functions. I also aim to compare my SMFs for LAEs at each redshift to the SMFs for all galaxies observed, and to see whether a pattern emerges. Furthermore, I wish to see how the stellar mass density of the LAEs observed to compare to all galaxies at each redshift.
I have greatly enjoyed my first 2 weeks of this internship, the opportunity to perform 'real science' is amazing.
If you have been interested by the work I have been doing keep posted, as I shall upload further updates, in the next week or two.
Posted on July 13, 2019 by xgalwebPosted in SC4K: M* and UV LFsTagged LAEs, SEDs. 1 Comment


While conservation organizations tend to grab headlines on the illegal trade of charismatic species such as elephants, rhinos and big cats, wildlife from around the world is victimized by poachers and traffickers.
In the small Caribbean islands in which I work, there are major issues relating to the poaching and illegal trade of species of iguanas, sea turtles and parrots.
Each year, endangered iguanas are smuggled off the islands for commercial purposes. For example, 12 critically endangered iguanas from the Bahamas were recently seized from Romanian nationals at London's Heathrow Airport. One of the iguanas died in transit, but the UK government returned the remaining iguanas to the Bahamas. The smugglers were sentenced to one year in prison.
This is one of the few instances where smugglers were caught and the animals were liberated. Unquestionably, there are many more undetected cases that are decimating the iguana population and compromising the welfare of individual iguanas.
To fight this trade, we need to understand why iguanas are smuggled; the challenges in preventing the illegal trade; and what can be done by different sectors of society to curb the illegal trade.
This is what we do know: Endangered iguanas are found in many islands such as the Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Dominican Republic, Fiji, Galápagos Islands and Jamaica. Iguanas are smuggled into the USA, Europe and Japan to be exotic pets or they are killed in order to supply luxury leather that is made into purses, boots and belts.
Moreover, the survival of island iguanas (terrestrial and marine) is threatened by climate change and economic activities that result in their habitat loss.
Iguanas are very important to the socio-economic development of the islands on which they live. They play an important role as seed dispersers for many endemic plants and the juvenile iguanas can be insectivorous. Since iguanas can be good indicators of environmental change, their loss can result in serious consequences for the ecosystem.
Moreover, they are also seen as a tourist attraction in resort areas.
There are many challenges to curbing illegal trade of wildlife in small developing island states, including the lack of training and expertise of customs officers to recognise the illegal wildlife products that pass through ports. In many small islands there are few domestic laws that give legal effect to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and as such, domestic trade of wildlife within the island is often not illegal. Further, the advancement of the internet makes the trading of wildlife easier, and it also poses significant new legal questions.
To prevent the extinction of iguanas, there are many measures that can be adopted by governments, private sectors and civil society.
For instance, governments can impose seasonal bans on hunting iguanas as seen in Trinidad and Tobago.
Civil society can lead iguana rehabilitation projects and advocate for improved conservation strategies. The Jamaican Environmental Trust, for instance, has being advocating for better conservation efforts of iguanas and the Trust has even taken the government to court over related matters.
Similarly, businesses such as JetBlue Airlines and Royal Caribbean Cruises have committed to identifying and eliminating all sales of products illegally made from wildlife.
There is a lot to be done. Hopefully, through the knowledge, expertise and networking I gain at the Youth Forum in September, I can continue to advocate for these forgotten victims of wildlife crime.


If your travel plans include taking a sky dive or bungee jump, you may have a hard time finding travel insurance coverage. Most insurance providers do not cover extreme sports, or only offer expensive plans. But before you cancel your adrenaline-boosting activity, seek clarification from a travel insurance agent on whether coverage is available.
Each travel insurance provider has its own definition of extreme sports. These activities can include skiing, camel riding, mountaineering, hang gliding, parachuting, bungee jumping, water skiing, cycling and snowboarding. Some insurance agents may even ask specifics, such as anticipated altitude during a mountain hike, when evaluating coverage needs.
Travelers, especially airline passengers, may want to consider buying additional travel insurance to protect sporting equipment. Golf clubs or skis, for example, surpass size limits for carry-on luggage, and must be checked prior to boarding an aircraft. If checked baggage is lost, damaged or delayed, the airline only provides limited coverage. Purchasing additional insurance coverage can provide reimbursement. However, coverage for sports equipment increases your travel insurance premium cost.
According to a 2012 article on InsureMyTrip, travelers often seek clarification about medical coverage involving water activities and sports. An injury from a scuba-diving accident, for example, would not be covered under most medical plans offered provided by travel insurance companies. For added protection, travelers should inquire about additional sports or hazardous-activity rider to extend travel insurance benefits.
For peace of mind, those seeking adventure during a vacation should check with a travel insurance representative on whether coverage is available prior to booking a trip. Jeff Blyskal, senior editor at Consumer Reports, suggests "buying travel insurance through an online broker, offering a full range of products from various sellers competing on price."
InsureMyTrip: Just How Big of a Boat Do You Need?
Loffredi, Julie. "Travel Insurance for Extreme Sports." Travel Tips - USA Today, https://traveltips.usatoday.com/travel-insurance-extreme-sports-108602.html. Accessed 26 April 2019.


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Pathways include entrepreneurship, marketing, or venture management.
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Something that gives business expertise or offers you information in business functions and how organisations function will be useful. The simulation will challenge your business, entrepreneurial and accountable management selections when working a global business and will think about a range of business capabilities. four. Facilitate understanding of the theories and ideas of worldwide management and to make use of them to diagnose and clear up managerial problems.
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You'll study World Challenges for Business and The Business of Edinburgh which introduce key concepts of management and business including strategy, finance, marketing and the management of individuals. Our Bachelor in Sport Business Management Specialization is for college kids who want to acquire management and leadership expertise with the deal with sport business and be part of this quickly increasing business.
This module offers students with an understanding of research in management and business as preparation for the Degree 6 independent research undertaking.


The Rosebud Reminder clock has be gaining many fans since it's release earlier this year. The products growing reputation has seen a number of Local authorities, Retailers and Care providers all getting on board and offering to their customers and service user respectively.
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Well the Rosebud Reminder clock has been a labour of love for Ravencourt, spending months in development with Healthcare professionals, Care givers and reviews by leading Charities to get it to where it is today. The key features like the 17 in built alarms, 4 display screens and audio and visual prompts give this product real purpose to go with the pleasing on the eye frame and bright hi-contrast display. Better still is the fact that you can really make Rosebud your own, with the ability to build your own purpose built alarm files, meaning whoever or whatever needs to be seen and heard can be.
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Can this rosebud reminder clock be purchased in the USA?
Please contact sales@ravencourt.com to arrange a shipping quote to USA.


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Reading Projects
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Book Review: Captive by Aimee Carter
Posted by Nemo in Book Review on 26 December 2014 6 May 2015
Captive by Aimée Carter
Series: The Blackcoat Rebellion #2
Published by HarlequinTeen
Published on November 25th 2014
Genres: Dystopian, Fantasy & Magic, Love & Romance, New Adult, Science Fiction, Young Adult
Source: HarlequinTeen Australia
Buy from Amazon | Buy from The Book Depository | Buy from the Publisher
The truth can set her free...
For the past two months, Kitty Doe's life has been a lie. Forced to impersonate Lila Hart, the Prime Minister's niece, in a hostile meritocracy on the verge of revolution, Kitty sees her frustration grow as her trust in her fake fiancé cracks, her real boyfriend is forbidden and the Blackcoat rebels she is secretly supporting keep her in the dark more than ever.
But in the midst of discovering that her role in the Hart family may not be as coincidental as she thought, she's accused of treason and is forced to face her greatest fear: Elsewhere. A prison where no one can escape.
As one shocking revelation leads to the next, Kitty learns the hard way that she can trust no one, not even the people she thought were on her side. With her back against the wall, Kitty wants to believe she'll do whatever it takes to support the rebellion she believes in—but is she prepared to pay the ultimate price?
I received a copy of this book from HarlequinTeen Australia in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Spoilers for Book 1: Pawn
Kitty Doe decided to continue her disguise as Lila Hart, niece to the Prime Minister of the dystpian United States of America. That is, until she was caught snooping and promptly sent Elsewhere – the nightmare otherworld where un-citizens and the elderly are sent. Kitty discovers Elsewhere is more than it appears, and also holds a numbers of secrets she unravels one by one to uncover a bigger conspiracy than the one that put her there in the first place.
In the first book, Pawn, we had a brief encounter with Elsewhere when Daxton hunted an innocent woman and shot her like a wild animal. The truth is so much worse than that. There's some truly awful things that happen in Elsewhere, and with everyone out for themselves you can't trust anyone. I did have a bit of a struggle trying to figure out the very complicated relationships some of the Blackcoats had with others in Elsewhere, but in the end I gave up. Carter is very adept at using red herrings to draw one's attention elsewhere. Upon re-reading, I know I'll pick up on her clues better.
Kitty was really quite stupid in this book, and a lot of characters don't hesitate to call her so. She constantly makes decisions that are in direct contradiction to what she's been told, and all we've got to go on that is her complete stubbornness. She's stupid with who she decides to trust – nearly on a whim – and instead of valuing her relationship with her supposed boyfriend Benjy, she'd rather do the thing that means not spending more time with him and also risking her life. It's really romantic, how she doesn't seem to want to spend any time with him. But maybe I'm just being cynical.
No, the really, really annoying thing about Kitty in Captive is that she is full of hot air. Kitty constantly thinks, swears, promises to murder other characters – in cold blood, in passion, plans whether to shoot them, knife them, or throw them down the stairs and plead innocence… the motif varies but is fairly consistent throughout the novel. Kitty constantly thinks murderous thoughts, but when given the chance, she once again fumbles and fails. It happened in Pawn as well. Kitty's bravado really annoys me – she sounds really bloodthirsty, but she can't follow through. She's not half as tough as most of the other characters in the novel.
Kitty's relationships are spread out in this novel, and I never really got the feeling that any of them were particularly strong. The whole story takes place over a very short time frame, so it's much harder to develop relationships. The one I quite liked turned out to be a red herring, so I was saddened by that. The characters I thought were enemies turned out not to be so much – such is the nature of Elsewhere. I was glad to find there was still no love triangle, but at least one aspect of why a certain romantic relationship didn't develop was explained as well.
I thought Captive was going to be Pawn 2.0, but it was really so much more than that. Kitty's life in Elsewhere is definitely worth the read if you're already into the series, and if you're a fan of or have read Carter in the past and want to see how she's develop into a master storyteller, you'd do well to read this as well. I had trouble keeping my interest in about the first 100 or so pages, but the next two thirds were engaging despite Kitty's frustrating motivations.
About Nemo
A lover of kittens and all things sparkly, Nemo specialises in reading and reviewing contemporary, paranormal, mystery, historical, sci-fi and fantasy Young Adult fiction. She especially loves novels about princesses, strong female friendships, magical powers, healing, and assassins.
Book Review: Pawn by Aimee Carter Book Review: The Ruby Circle by Richelle Mead Book Review: The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J Maas Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan
Hi, kittens! I'm Nemo, a 30-something office worker, proud Hufflepuff, and ninja kitten snuggler. I blog about Young Adult (YA) books. I've been book blogging since 2012, and I generally post a book review every Friday.
I have 1 husband and 3 cats. Let's go find some kittens to cuddle!
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Lee Beom-seok (이범석) peut désigner les personnalités sud-coréennes suivantes :
 Lee Beom-seok (1900-1972), premier ministre sud-coréen de 1948 à 1950.
 Lee Beom-seok (1925-1983), ministre des affaires étrangères de 1982 à 1983.
 Lee Beom-seok (1985-), joueur de baseball.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


I absolutely love everything that Vindata has ever remixed, so I naturally had high expectations for this latest one. Of course, it's amazing. I mean, an Ellie Goulding remix done by Vindata? Heaven.
As much as I love Ellie, I was never crazy about the original song, which was featured on the "Divergent" soundtrack. Vindata have turned it into something way more fresh and interesting. i really dig their beats and their production.


Over time, magazines have develop into a part of our lives and have been entertaining and spreading info on numerous subjects. On this and the hub on RSS feeds, you appear to be suggesting what I've always been taught about article advertising and marketing and distribution. Actually demonstrated the work that goes into writing for magazines and exceptionally useful was the "what not to do" space.
Notice how refreshed and rejuvenated you are feeling after reading a journal that you just love. Magazines do not all the time search a author out. Valley Business is a superb marketing instrument, placing your advertising message in a powerful editorial environment that reaches the regional viewers of resolution makers who need your services.
A helpful supply for any small enterprise owner, Entrepreneur Journal is a publication designed to help you manage and grow your organization. If gross sales persons are pushy, and need a call on the spot, just say no. Reliable gross sales professionals provides you with the time you should make a decision.
If your on-line magazine publication has captured a lot of hits and you'll be able to earn a ample amount of money from advertising, perhaps this is the time that you shift your attention in direction of coming up along with your very first journal to hit the news stands.
In India the names of magazines and newspapers are verified and authorised by Registrar of Newspapers in India (RNI), New Delhi. Consequently already the variety of magazines in the iTunes Newsstand has began to fall quickly and publishers are resorting to publishing web site magazines which re-format when accessed via a cellular system.


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OrganFax News
OrganFax news brings you all the latest from the world of the organ and keyboard. From new product launches, to festivals and other exciting events. Please feel free to contact us with any news you would like featured on this page.
Players & Clubs
Change of venue for Grimsby Keyboard & Electronic Organ Club
Monday 22nd November
Due to circumstances beyond their control, Grimsby Keyboard & Electronic Organ Club have changed their venue. They now meet in Cleethorpes Memorial Hall and the full address details can be found on ther page.
Why not join them in their new venue for their next concert on December 15th which is a Christmas special with Tony Stace or failing that they meet again on January 12th with Lewis Scott. Concerts begin at 2.30pm.
Change of venue for LEOS
Wednesday 10th November
Due to unforeseen circumstances, the Lincoln Electronic Organ Society has had to change its venue with immediate effect. The concerts will now take place at the Ark, 141 Moor Lane, North Hykeham. LN6 9AA.
Elizabeth Harrison will be performing tonight (Wednesday 10th November) and Chris Powell on Thursday 9th December.
More details from Chris on 07877 481424.
Byron Jones to host music festival in Bournemouth
Monday 8th November
After uncertainty around the pandemic, Byron Jones is delighted to announce that his musical break at the Marsham Court in Bournemouth is going ahead. Running from the 3rd - 6th December 2021, join Byron along with Lewis Scott, Chris Jones and Ian Griffin for 3 nights of music and good company.
For more details or to book, please call Byron on 01179 499742.
Worthing Wurlitzer Special
Sussex Theatre Organ Trust are looking forward to welcoming organist Aaron Hawthorne and soprano Rosie Lavery for their live scary and spooky performance of the 1920s silent movie, Phantom of the Opera on the Worthing Wurlitzer in the Assembly Hall, Worthing at 7.30pm on Saturday 6th November.
This follows on from the massive success of their performance of the silent film in Read more.
The Christmas Concert at the Musical Museum
Thursday 4th November
The Musical Museum team in Brentford are looking forward to their new resident organist Richard Hills, playing his first Christmas Concert for them. Richard is one of the very few musicians to have bridged the gap between the classical and theatre organ worlds. He was awarded several scholarships including one at Westminster Abbey. Richard was named Theatre Organist of the Year by the American Theatre Organ Society in 2010 and was a soloist in the BBC Proms in 2013 and 2015.
The annual Christmas concerts are highly popular events setting the festive theme for the weeks ahead, with a... Read more.
Festive weekend of concerts for the Powell's!
Tuesday 26th October
Chris & Joanne Powell will be playing for a Christmas Weekend Special at the Jean Mealham Centre, Woodchurch, Ashford, Kent on both December the 18th and 19th... the 18th coinciding with Chris' 50th Birthday!
Both evenings will include Christmas songs by candlelight on the outside stage in the grounds at 6pm each evening . There will also be afternoon and evening concerts performed on the ... Read more.
Older news »


LOST IN THE GROOVE - EP Elektro System Records  2011-05-16 - http://www.beatport.com/release/lost-in-the-groove-ep/376204.
True Romance - Parov Stelar Ft. Lilja Bloom.
The Chemical Brothers - Push The Button - Galvanize.
Music video by Kelis performing Acapella. (C) 2010 will.i.am Music Group / Interscope Records.
Powered by: http://routenote.com Download here: https://soundcloud.com/kygo/kyla-la-grange-cut-your Image: http://alpha.wallhaven.cc/wallpaper/69097.


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Russian Foreign Minister Reignites Conflict Debate in Armenia, Azerbaijan
By: Rahim Rahimov
May 4, 2020 06:57 PM Age: 3 years
(Source: AzerNews)
During a videoconference organized by the Gorchakov Public Diplomacy Fund, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov addressed the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict over Karabakh, but his remarks greatly incensed Yerevan (Mid.ru, April 21). First, he expressed support for the current "firmly established format" of negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan. This runs counter to Armenia's insistence on involving the de facto authorities in Karabakh directly in the negotiation process (see EDM December 11, 2019). Second, Lavrov described the draft documents on the agenda to be a "very important step in implementing the [United Nations] Security Council resolutions." This discomforts Armenia as Azerbaijan consistently refers to those resolutions, which call for the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of Armenian forces from the occupied districts (see EDM October 2, 2017). Third, Russia's top diplomat referred to international documents that "provide for movement toward a settlement using a stage by stage approach, with the resolution of the most pressing issues at the first stage, such as the liberation of a number of districts around Nagorno-Karabakh and re-launching the transport, economic and other communication lines." In particular, his statement in support of the phased settlement of the conflict caused much uproar in Armenia, sparking criticism of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's government and its apparent timidity or inability to articulate Yerevan's negative position on this issue (Caucasuswatch.de, April 24). While the content of Lavrov's statement generated intense debate in both Baku and Yerevan, less consideration was given to the apparent motives behind it.
First, a phased settlement could arguably offer a new instrument via which Russia would be able to legitimize its leverage over the conflict—in particular, by directly deploying peacekeepers to the conflict zone. Indeed, between 1992 and 1994, the same objectives motivated Moscow to guarantee the deployment of its peacekeeping forces to Moldovan Transnistria and Georgian Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The type of role such peacekeepers could play in a crisis was showcased during the August 2008 war between Georgia and Russia. To date—though at a heavy political cost—Azerbaijan has avoided permitting such Russian deployments in Karabakh (see EDM August 31, 2015; Panorama.az, December 14, 2018).
Under the proposed phased settlement, the deployment of peacekeepers to separate Armenian and Azerbaijani forces would importantly take place prior to determining the Karabakh territory's final status. This would give Moscow far-reaching leverage since the phased settlement leaves the determination of the final status pending while granting Karabakh a temporary status. Unlike the phased settlement, a "full package" deal would require both sides to simultaneously agree to all stages of the conflict settlement. Armenia favors this approach because Yerevan's aim is to attain a preferred final status for Karabakh in exchange for the return of the occupied Azerbaijani districts located around it. In contrast, Azerbaijan's priority is the liberation of all occupied districts and return of refugees before tackling the final status issue (Nezavisimaya Gazeta, February 21, 2019; Mfa.gov.az, Preslib.az, accessed May 4, 2020).
The second set of motives behind Lavrov's comments were likely motivated by the current political situation in the region. First, there is considerable unease in Moscow's relations with Pashinyan's government; and yet, on March 31, an individual regarded as loyal to Pashinyan became the "president" of Karabakh, beating out the Moscow-favored candidate. In that light, Lavrov's statement may have been intended as a shot across the bow of the leadership in Armenia and Karabakh (see EDM June 5, 2019; Armeniasputnik.am, EurasiaNet, April 1, 2020; Oc-media.org, April 15, 2020; News.am, March 4, 2020).
Another consideration for Moscow was likely, Baku's deadlocked negotiation on a new framework agreement with the European Union. As such, the comments from Lavrov may have been delivered to encourage Baku to play tougher with Brussels. The EU has, notably, not been particularly clear when it comes to expressing its own stance on the Karabakh conflict settlement principles, much to Azerbaijan's chagrin (see EDM, May 22, 2019 and December 11, 2019).
Last but not least, Lavrov's statement sent a message that Moscow is maintaining a close eye on the region despite distractions such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the EU has allocated some relatively substantial coronavirus-response funding to Eastern Partnership countries, including Armenia and Azerbaijan (Euneighbours.eu, April 8; Ec.europa.eu, April 22; see EDM, April 20), Russia and the Eurasian Economic Union has, so far, done little regionally in this regard (Nezavisimaya Gazeta, March 18; Rossyiskaya Gazeta, April 10; Izvestia, April 14). Nonetheless, media outlets and individual figures in Russia and elsewhere in the post-Soviet space continue to voice skepticism about the future of the EU, often depicting it as an ineffective institution in the fight against COVID-19 (1tv.ru, April 6; RIA Novosti, March 18; TASS, March 23; Nation-news.ru, March 25; Svoboda.org, March 31).
Moscow routinely maneuvers between Armenia and Azerbaijan, appeasing Yerevan on one occasion and Baku on another. However, on this occasion, the Azerbaijani media and public did not take the bait and avoided enthusiastically taking Lavrov's statement at face value. Instead, some members of parliament actually blamed Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov for what they described as ineffective representation of the state, leading to speculation that he would be dismissed (EurasiaNet, April 24; Yenisabah.az, April 27).
Baku has been rather effective in engaging the international public by communicating its perspective on the conflict, especially through the efforts of President Ilham Aliyev. The dismissal of the country's top diplomat will make little difference, however, unless the relevant public agencies as well as (in particular) government-linked think tanks understand the importance of working out novel strategies to engage Karabakh's ethnic-Armenian community as potential citizens of Azerbaijan as well as to reach out directly to the public of the Republic of Armenia. Indeed, the International Crisis Group and the Centre for European Policy Studies both published reports, in 2019 and 2020, respectively, that indicate the conflict has become part of the identity of the affected populations in Karabakh (Crisisgroup.org, December 20, 2019; Ceps.eu, March 2020). Therefore, to achieve a breakthrough or any meaningful progress in the conflict settlement would require somehow reshaping their identity, necessitating direct engagement.
Russia has, indeed, played a crucial role in the early stages of the Karabakh conflict; but after three decades, its position has been downgraded somewhat. Now, Lavrov's recent comments suggest Russia is looking to try to reverse that situation. But even if Moscow somehow ends up giving up its position and interests there, as the Russian proverb says, "A sacred space is never empty."
The E40 Waterway: The Polish DimensionNext
Russia Now Losing Out to China on Irania..


What is a Safeguarding Adults Review?
One of the Safeguarding Adults Board (SAB) core statutory duties is to conduct safeguarding adults reviews in accordance with Section 44 of the Care Act.
SABs must also arrange a SAR if an adult in its area has not died, but the SAB knows or suspects that the adult has experienced serious abuse or neglect.
The purpose of a Safeguarding Adults Review is to learn the lessons about how professionals and organisations work together, and to consider how the learning can be used to improve practice for others in the future.
It is the responsibility of all partner agencies to make a referral for an Safeguarding Adult Review where there are reasonable grounds to consider the criteria for an Safeguarding Adult Review may be met. Partner agencies should not draw their own conclusions on whether the criteria is met in borderline or unclear cases, but should make a referral to the Safeguarding Adult Review Group.
The Safeguarding Adult Review Group will receive all SAR referrals and consider whether the referral meets the criteria to conduct a review, or whether any other action should be carried out to ensure learning takes place.


BSTC-022 140 Cm Baby Face Wife's Blue Desire Inexperienced Carnality And Sexual Impulses That Will Never End.
BSTC-018 Sadako's Wife, Who Had Sexual Desire, The First Cheating Is An AV Actor And Ji Po Interrupted Metamorphosis!
BSTC-016 Doskebe In A Ruined Breasts Estrus Estrus My Wife Devours Pleasure With An Unknown Man!


The License Manager must have Administrator privileges to access and create a license. This is NOT the same as having a user account with administrator privileges. To give License Manager these privileges, proceed as follows.


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USA Travel Guide
Travis Neighbor Ward
Home Tags Paris
Paris Metro Guide with Routes, Lines and Ticket Info
The Paris Metro (ok, really it's the Métro with an accent over the "e") is one of the fastest and cheapest ways to get around the city--as long as you know how to navigate it properly....
Paris Museum Pass Review – Why It's Worth the Money
The Paris Museum Pass is a pass you buy that grants you access to more than 50 museums and monuments, in and around Paris, France. You choose how many days you want it for and...
7 Prettiest Streets in Paris, France
Paris is known as a great city for strolling, but the blocks can be very long and wandering them can become tiring on the feet, especially for kids (I say this from experience!). For...
25 Netflix Movies Set In Paris, France
Of all the cities in the world, Paris is one that you can't help but want to return to, over and over again. Join me in taking a look at France's glory through these 25 movies set in...
Painting the Exterior of Our House from Blue to White
How to Stop Rushing Through Life
Nantucket Style Home Decorating Secrets
How to Read Ebooks on Any Device or Computer
The 15 Best Dishwashers 2018 from Buyer Reviews
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Details: Offset Strike Template Set, 1" x 6-3/4"
Pair of Templates, L&R. Finish size .1" (25.4mm) x 6-3/4" (171.5mm) with a 2-3/8" (60.3mm) wide offset tongue. Tongue is offset 5/8" (15.9mm from one end). Use our TG-1 template guide and our CB-1 or CB-4 router bits.


The event focused on loneliness and mental health, with our keynote speaker, Professor Dame Sue Bailey leading on the subject.
The market place was well attended with representatives from NCS ( the National Citizen Service) , Dementia Awareness, Hampshire County Council and the Community Police to name just a few.
The day was packed with interesting and meaningful workshops, talks and demonstrations and the all important opportunity to meet other good neighbours - we thank you all for coming and for the feedback. We are delighted that without exception it was positive and we promise to take on board all the comments and ideas shared.
More than half of you took part in the GNN movie on the day and we plan to upload the 'movie' to the website just as soon as it is edited!
The 'POSH ' raffle was a bit of fun and hopefully whoever won will share the moment with us all via a photo which we will put up on the website - another thank you to the Hambledon Vineyard for their support.
The highlight for us at the Hub was the photo call - THANK YOU for donning your t'shirts, getting up on the stage and smiling, wear your t'shirts with pride and keep doing what you do.


Jesse began his career as a tattoo artist in 1999 after an apprenticeship with a prominent local artist. From 1992 until 2000 Jesse studied all aspects of visual art, art history, theatrical design and faux painting at the University of Nebraska's Omaha campus eventually graduating with degrees in Studio Art and Dramatic Arts.
He is a member of the National Tattoo Association (NTA), and the Alliance of Professional Tattooists (APT), and strongly promotes their ethics of safe and responsible tattooing.
Jesse enjoys tattooing in a full range of styles from portraiture and realism to fantasy and graffiti, with emphasis on three-dimensional illusion, realistic shadowing and dramatic lighting effects. He also utilizes elements of various historical art styles as well as comic books, graffiti, and fantasy art for inspiration; and has a fondness for many of the traditional tattoo motifs. His tattoo work and artwork have been featured in several international publications, and have won several awards.
Jesse's art influences include: Frank Frazetta, Robert Williams, Ed "Big Daddy" Roth, Pushead, M.C. Escher, and Simon Bisley.
the best possible equipment, pigments, and in the cleanest environment. He does not charge extra to draw custom pieces, and often spends significant amounts of time researching, finding references, and drawing preliminary sketches to create all-custom tattoos, unique to each client. Jesse primarily works on larger projects (lots of sleeves and full backpieces) over multiple sessions, though doesn't mind doing smaller tattoos as long as they fit the body appropriately. His schedule usually books up about 3 months out, so plan ahead and contact him early.
Click the image below to see more.


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Frequent question: Which is Catholic Everton or Liverpool?
Is Liverpool more Catholic or Protestant?
Is Everton Catholic or Protestant?
Is Manchester City a Catholic club?
Is Liverpool a Catholic town?
Is Liverpool a religious city?
Is Leeds a Catholic club?
Is Tottenham a Catholic team?
Which Scottish teams are Catholic?
Liverpool FC may have Catholic fans, but they are certainly not a Catholic club. Sectarianism, an unfaltering commitment to a particular religious sect, is a crucial factor in some of the fiercest football rivalries. However, no such religious associations can be made with Liverpool FC today.
Everton are the Protestant team and play in blue at Goodison Park.
"I am aware that Manchester is divided on sectarian lines: United are catholic; City are protestant. … The last time Celtic played at Old Trafford, the Celtic fans started a sectarian chant, which was shouted down by all United fans – much to Celtic's displeasure."
Liverpool is known as England's most Catholic city, due to its Catholic population being significantly higher than other parts of England, which is largely due to migration from Ireland.
Overall, 79.3% of the population nominated a religion, and 11.4% said they had no religion, compared with 66.2% and 24.9% respectively for Greater Sydney. The largest single religion in Liverpool LGA was Western (Roman) Catholic, with 27.5% of the population or 56,122 people as adherents.
As much as many people want to keep football, religion and politics separate, it is impossible. … Football is intrinsically linked to the world of religion and politics. However, Leeds United have never had any strong ties to the Catholic church, bar having several Irish legends and Italian owners.
IT IS INTERESTING: Quick Answer: Is it bad to be a priest for Halloween?
Due to the club's historical association with Jewish supporters, Tottenham is identified as a Jewish club by rival fans, even though it no longer has a greater number of Jewish fans than other major London clubs.
Hearts and Rangers are the two Protestant clubs and Hibs, Celtic are the two Catholic clubs.


Students work with gears as they build a model of Leonardo da Vinci's famous revolving bridge!
Based off of da Vinci's famous design from the 1400s, students recreate the United Kingdom's Newcastle-upon-Tyne swing bridge and explore how bevel gears can rotate an entire bridge on a pedestal! By building their own bridges, students discover how real engineers have faced and solved problems, such as using swing bridges when rivers with boat traffic were too wide for drawbridges. Recommended for Elementary and up. Pre-cut wood pieces stand up to institutional use. Recommended for Elementary and up.


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Request a call How to apply
Available postgraduate projects
We are seeking students to undertake exciting projects in our college.
Biomedical engineering and health informatics
Corrosion engineering
Fibre-optics and photonics
Organic electronics
Wireless technologies
Master of Environmental Management research project
Science Honours program
Data science and information systems
Learning, teaching and engagement
Network of Indigenous Partnerships
ACCEPT diversity and inclusion
Advancing women in STEM courses
If you've been unable to find a project that you are interested in, you can use the researchers portal to find researchers from related fields.
Use one or two keywords to narrow down the list of researchers.
Each research profile will indicate if the researcher has the capacity to supervise.
Please see the CDU Research Scholarship page for further information regarding How to Apply for scholarships and key dates for application submissions.
Financial assistance: Students will need to apply for a scholarship if they need financial support to undertake the research.
Study of organic and perovskite solar cells for optimizing their photovoltaic performance
Contact: Emeritus Professor Jai Singh
Project: Both organic solar cells (OSCs) and perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are produced by chemical processing at room temperature so these are very economical to fabricate. The power conversion efficiency of OSCs is reaching 18% and that of PSCs 25% and hence both types of cells have the potential of commercialization. As a result much research activities worldwide are currently carried out on OSCs and PSCs. In this project first some theoretical work will be required to design and optimize the structure and then OSCs and PSCs will be fabricated in our laboratory and tested.
Microwave photonic signal processing
Contact: Associate Professor Erwin Chan
Project: The processing of very wideband microwave signals directly in the optical domain is the next stage of the evolution of the optical fibre technology. Next generation telecommunication systems will use microwave photonics for the distribution of signals in applications such as fibre-radio mobile communication and radar phased array antennas. This is driven by novel applications that demand the use of increasingly higher frequency carriers and broadband signals, coupled with the ability of fibre-optic systems to provide high-bandwidth interconnect transmission properties that are virtually independent of length. Since in such fibre optic systems the signal is already in the optical domain, the question arises: can the processing on the signal be done directly in the optical domain? It is highly attractive to incorporate photonic signal processing into the optical fibre network, because this has the potential of overcoming the existing electronic bottlenecks for processing high bandwidth signals, and it can also provide in-built signal conditioning that can be integrated with the fibre optic system.
The aim of the research project is to solve the long-standing problem of how to realise tunable RF/microwave photonic interference mitigation filters that can simultaneously excise the RF interference from a signal carried in an optical fibre, and at the same time transmit the wanted signal with low noise and minimal impact on the information over a wide range of microwave frequencies. This opens the way to wideband adaptive processing of signals directly inside the fibre.
Use of recycled materials for road construction
Contact: Dr Ali Rajabipour
Project: Undertake research and development, innovation, and commercial development in collaboration with
the Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Logistics (DIPL) into the use of recycled materials in
Northern Territory roads. The research aims to find practical solutions which will enhance local
businesses and create jobs in remote Northern Territory communities through the use of recycled materials
in road construction.
Electrospinning for Sustainable Clean Energy Applications
Contact: Dr Naveen Kumar Elumalai
Project: Photocatalytic hydrogen production via solar water splitting is one of the most promising solutions for sustainable energy and environmental remedy issues. The development of affordable and efficient photocatalysts will advance environmental sustainability. Electrospinning is one of the most accessed nanofabrication techniques during the last three decades and has paved the way for unprecedented advancements with new innovations and discoveries in several fields of application, including energy devices and biomedical and environmental applications. Solar-driven hydrogen production from water using particulate photocatalysts is considered the most economical and effective eco-friendly approach to producing hydrogen fuel. However, the efficiency of hydrogen production from water in particulate photocatalysis systems is still low. In this project, the electrospinning technique will be employed to develop a novel hybrid photocatalyst for application in solar hydrogen technologies.
Water Security in Northern Australia: Flow characteristics of Australia's northern rivers
Contact: Dr Dylan Irvine
Project: During the wet season, water is plentiful across much of Australia's north. This rainfall is highly variable, both in space and from year to year. This rainfall sustains a broad range of surface water bodies and it recharges the north's many groundwater systems. Groundwater and surface water systems are highly connected, with groundwater sustaining many water-dependent ecosystems (rivers, wetlands, and springs) throughout the dry season.
There is significant interest in utilising northern Australia's water resources to drive economic development. Compared to the southern states, there are substantial knowledge gaps in both surface water and groundwater systems and their complex interactions. This PhD project seeks to better understand north Australia's river flow utilising time series data, and the interactions between rivers, groundwater, and their economic and environmental value.
We are seeking a highly motivated student who is interested in studying north Australia's rivers. Skills in hydrology, hydrogeology, computer scripting (e.g. Python) and statistics, and the ability to utilise large datasets will be highly beneficial. The project may also include fieldwork, including the collection of surface water and groundwater samples, depending on the interests of the applicant, and other personnel on the project.
This project is open to Australian residents and comes with a fully funded scholarship. Darwin is the preferred location but is negotiable. Top-up scholarships may be included, depending on the experience of the applicant. Potential applicants are encouraged to contact Dr Dylan Irvine for more information.
Sustaining intensive agriculture through droughts and floods in the Lower Burdekin Delta, Queensland, Australia
Project: Seeking a PhD student with a background in hydrogeology and/or numerical modelling to contribute to a funded Australian Research Council Linkage Project.
The Linkage Project aims to develop state-of-the-art conceptual and numerical models of river-soil-groundwater interactions to address complex and persistent questions on water sustainability in the Lower Burdekin Delta, Queensland, where groundwater pumping to irrigate sugarcane has been supplemented by artificial recharge for over 50 years. This project expects to deliver new knowledge of critical hydrological/hydrogeological processes to inform the scheme operation, the largest in Australia. Anticipated benefits involve balancing the needs of agriculture and the protection of pristine environments, including groundwater discharge to the Great Barrier Reef.
Multiple possible research directions are possible, including combinations of fieldwork, and/ or computer modelling. Potential students who are interested in any of the following are encouraged to enquire further: (1) using isotopes, groundwater chemistry and groundwater level data to estimate groundwater recharge; (2) using groundwater modelling to investigate the impact of aquifer heterogeneity on groundwater-surface water interactions, solute transport or seawater intrusion; or (3) quantifying/understanding surface water-groundwater interactions using a variety of methods.
The project includes operating funding but requires student to apply for and obtain a scholarship. Interested applicants should contact Dr Dylan Irvine for more information.
Use of groundwater isotopes to improve understanding of the hydrogeology of the Western Davenport region, Northern Territory
The project, based in Darwin, aims to improve the understanding of the conceptualisation of the hydrology and hydrogeology of the Western Davenport region, located south of Tennant Creek in the arid zone of the Northern Territory. The project is to be conducted in conjunction with the Northern Territory Government and Flinders University.
There is significant interest in utilising northern Australia's water resources to drive economic development. Compared to the southern states, there are substantial knowledge gaps in both surface water and groundwater systems and their complex interactions.
We are seeking a highly motivated student with an interest in the use of groundwater isotopes to work with a multidisciplinary team to better understand the water resources of the Western Davenport region. The project will focus on quantifying groundwater recharge (rates and processes) and to determine groundwater ages and flow paths in an arid environment. The project will likely include the use of cutting-edge analyses of krypton-81 to search for very old groundwater (>300ka) as well as the extensive use of other tracers including carbon-14 and tritium. The project will be paired with a remote sensing focussed project that aims to understand evapotranspiration in the area.
This project comes with a fully funded scholarship and is open to both Australian and international applicants. An additional top-up scholarship may be available, depending on the experience of the applicant. Potential applicants are encouraged to contact Dr Dylan Irvine for more information.
Application of remote sensing to study groundwater dependent ecosystems and evapotranspiration in the Western Davenport region, Northern Territory
Project: The project, based in Darwin, aims to improve the understanding of the conceptualisation of the hydrology and hydrogeology of the Western Davenport, located south of Tennant Creek in the arid zone of the Northern Territory. The project is to be conducted in conjunction with the Northern Territory Government and Flinders University.
We are seeking a highly motivated student with expertise in the use of remote sensing techniques to work with a multidisciplinary team to better understand the water resources of the Western Davenport region. In particular, the project will focus on quantifying the extent and timing of water inundation and to determine evapotranspiration rates relating to Taylor creek, a groundwater-dependent ecosystem in the area. Other potential areas of research include the potential to utilise GRACE satellite data and to utilise data from nearby Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network sites. The project can include both desktop (e.g. use of satellite imagery) and field-based analyses (e.g. measurements of sapflow and/or drone-based surveys). The project will be paired with a groundwater focussed project that will utilise isotopes to improve understanding of groundwater flow processes, including groundwater recharge and the groundwater-dependent ecosystems at the study site.
Detection of invasive Siam weed using drone remote sensing and machine learning
Contact: Dr Deepak Gautam
Project: This project aims to develop new tools to detect invasive plant species using drone-based remote sensing and machine learning models.
We seek a highly motivated student with expertise in remote sensing and programming to work with a multidisciplinary team of weed scientists, remote sensing scientists, and ecologists. In particular, the student will focus on detecting Siam weed using drone-based images acquired during the flowering phenology of the plant. The student will investigate state-of-the-art object detection algorithms to enable detection in natural systems. The project will include mostly desktop-based (e.g. processing of images and building models) and some field-based analysis (e.g. field survey of the weed). The student will have the opportunity to work closely with the industry to build their skills in the contemporary use of drone and remote sensing technologies.
The project is open to both Australian and international applicants. A top-up scholarship can be available for a successful candidate, depending on the candidate's experience.
Temporal Malware Authorship Analysis for Measuring Shifts in Attacker Advancement
Contact: Associate Professor Mamoun Alazab
Project: Malware authors are equipped with both technical skills and tools to cover their tracks and origin. The ability to forensically analyse malware code is becoming an increasingly important discipline in the field of cyber forensics. Malware code profiling/attribution is relatively new as a method for crime analysis. Studies in authorship attribution has been applied in many areas of research, but there is little research on authorship attribution to malware code. In this project, we will look at how authorship changes within attack/defence environments, in malware, whereby an attacker alters their attack to overcome a new defence and, consequentially, defenders update their defences against new forms of attack. We begin with unsupervised authorship analysis techniques to form a notion of which groups are behind attacks, and examine these for "attack alteration events", in which a significant portion of attacks alter in a short period of time. We use this information to update the clusters and map the flow of information between groups by examining when these alterations proliferate to other groups.
Artificial intelligence for the new class of Earth observation
Contact: Dr Sina Vafi
Project: A cohesive Earth observation capability is formed by utilizing advanced video processing techniques, which are basically merged to the extraction of objects. Building footprint extraction, storm object extraction and crop field extraction are examples that are used in urban planning, weather forecast and agricultural monitoring, respectively.
Object detection from satellite videos is a challenging task. This is because of the extreme variability of material, shape, spatial, and spectral patterns that may come with different environmental conditions and construction practices.
The project explores an end-to-end approach based on a deep-learning model for the automatic detection and extraction of objects from Earth observation based videos. Moreover, to accurately monitor and analyze the environmental activities, it is important to apply a reliable forward error correcting (FEC) code, which protects real-time videos transmitted through the noisy environment of the network.
For this purpose, a new scheme of short-length FEC code is proposed, whose performance is optimized without any expert knowledge about constituents of the satellite network. The key activities of the project are
• Identify the main requirements for efficient data transmission through low-power satellite networks and their applications in Earth observation.
• Usage of three dimensional (3D) Versatile Video Coding (VVC) bitstream applicable for the wide range of services defined in Earth observation.
Hence, the aims of the project are to:
• Implement a reliable Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithm for extraction of objects from the videos compressed by VVC standard.
• Construct efficient AI-based FEC codes suitable for real-time videos.
Cyber Physical System based on Real-time Gas Leakage prediction
Contact: Associate Professor Niusha Shafi Abady
Project: Gas leaks create many unpredictable problems in industry. Being able to predict the potential leakages within an actionable timeline is challenging; using large amounts of data to train the machine learning models makes the training times unrealistic for real-time predictions and being able to predict the hazards well in advance to provide ample response time for the team is of great importance. This project aims to propose machine learning model(s) to predict the gas levels at least an hour in advance of the potential gas leak. Design and development of a Gas supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system which provides the maximum response time for the operator while maintaining the prediction accuracy of the ML model using real data, is the gap that this research project is addressing.
Advanced Manufacturing Alliance
Solid state processing of alloys produced by cold spray additive manufacturing
Contact: Professor Krishnan Kannoorpatti
Project: Cold spray additive manufacturing method is capable of spraying bended powders of different metals. With this method it is possible to produce alloys that cannot be easily produced by conventional manufacturing. The research problem would be to produce suitable alloys by using phase diagrams and thermodynamic computational software. For example, to produce a 316 stainless steel, is it possible to blend Fe, Cr, Ni and Mo in the right amounts to produce the required composition for 316 stainless steel. It may be possible to tailor alloys for applications and produce and test them for the required properties. The project will be carried out on LightSPEE3D machine cold spray additive manufacturing machine. You will also be given access to industry experts in this technology. The project requires you to have good background and interest in physical metallurgy, metallographic practice, thermodynamics of alloy formation, and analytical techniques applied to metals. Three-month internship at an industry partner would be available.
Wear resistant alloys by rapid additive manufacturing
Project: Wear resistant alloys used in the mining and mineral processing industry are based on carbides mainly but also include nitrides and tungsten. These are produced by casting or weld hardfacing. The alloys produced will have microstructures that are dictated by the thermodynamics of alloy formation. Changing the composition, type and the number of microstructural constituents is extremely hard with conventional manufacturing. With cold spray additive manufacturing, it is possible to spray carbides and nitrides together along with tungsten. The matrix composition can also be similarly adapted to the required application of the alloys - matrix being either austenite or martensitic. The project will be carried out on LightSPEE3D cold spray additive manufacturing machine. You will also be given access to industry experts in this technology. The project requires you to have good background and interest in physical metallurgy, heat treatment, metallographic practice, testing, thermodynamics of alloy formation and electrochemistry, and analytical techniques applied to metals. Three-month internship at an industry partner would be available.
Porosity control in cold spray additive manufacturing
Project: During additive manufacturing of parts, more so with cold spray technology, the parts usually contain porosities. The porosities can affect the properties of the parts. The porosities can be reduced by designing suitable heat treatment procedures. The porosities can also be beneficial as in the case of body implants. The porosities allow the growth of tissues through them and help the implant become part of the body. If the right material is chosen, the implant would slowly dissolve in the body without being toxic. Controlling the size, amount, length, and configuration porosities is essential for some applications. The project will be carried out on LightSPEE3D cold spray additive manufacturing machine. You will also be given access to industry experts in this technology. The project requires you to have good background and interest in materials engineering, analytical techniques applied to metals. and use of finite element method for calculating load bearing abilities of parts. Three-month internship at an industry partner would be available.
Functionalised nanoparticles for fire suppression in arid and tropical climates
Contact: Professor Bogdan Dlugogorski
Summary: The application of the high-performance aqueous film-forming foams (AFFF), which contain PFAS surfactants, has caused one of the most significant environmental catastrophes of the 21st century. Replacement formulations have been developed, known as fluorine-free firefighting foams (FfreeF), but they do not provide the same level of protection at airports, defence and industrial facilities as AFFF and appear unsuitable for arid and tropical climates, such as those experienced across most of the Australian landmass. From this perspective, this project deals with inventing new technologies for improving the properties of fluorine-free firefighting foams, using functionalised nanoparticles, to match the performance of FfreeF with those of the defence-grade formulations of AFFF and to make FfreeF suitable for use in tropical and arid climatic zones in Australia and around the globe. The research will unify several experimental and theoretical approaches, at the intersection of industrial and surface chemistry, chemical engineering and materials engineering. The project aims (i) to functionalise nanoparticle to allow them to operate as barriers that slow down the diffusion of fuels through foams; and (ii) to incorporate these nanoparticles into formulations of the foam concentrates that improve the stability of FfreeF when subjected to additional heat transfer to foams in hot climates. The project will suit a candidate with an Honours I degree in chemistry, or an equivalent four-year Bachelor Honours degree in chemical or materials engineering.
Can you invent sustainable technologies to produce lithium chemicals?
Summary: The success of the international efforts to decarbonise the world's economy relies on efficient generation and storage of renewable energy, the latter frequently involving the lithium-ion batteries. But despite the green and renewable image of the metal, production of lithium chemicals is anything but green or renewable. The conventional refining of concentrated lithium ores, with mineral spodumene as its key component, to lithium chemicals, comprises heating at 1100 °C, digestion with concentrated sulfuric acid at 250 °C, and several ensuing purification stages that make lithium refining to be energy, feedstock, and by-product intensive. In this project, you will attempt to change this situation, by inventing sustainable technologies for processing of lithium minerals, especially spodumene, to lithium chemicals and recyclable by-products. To spur your discoveries, you will bring together several experimental and theoretical approaches, at the intersection of computational chemistry, chemical engineering, and metallurgy. You will compute, at an atomic level, the effect of impurities and additives, such as iron, on melting and phase inversion of spodumene, using molecular-dynamics and density-functional-theory approaches. Your measurements, guided by the results from atomistic modelling, will involve several hyphenated techniques to be performed either at Charles Darwin University in Darwin, or at Australian synchrotron and neutron scattering facilities in Melbourne and Sydney. Your work will bear great impact on how, in future, the industry refines spodumene to lithium chemicals, you will publish your findings in the best international journals, and you will apply for patents for your inventions.
Functionalised porous carbon materials for the removal of PFAS from drinking water
Contact: Dr Luis Herrera Diaz
Summary: PFAS are fluorochains materials discovered in the 1970s. They were the perfect oil and water repellents, temperature resistant, and friction reduction agents. They were used in everything from coating textiles to firefighting products. In 1970, the magic of PFAS finished because of their impact on human health and the environment. The damage was done, and PFAS were everywhere, including drinking water, with millions of people showing side effects. The only two solutions to this problem are to stop using PFAS and remove them from drinking water.
Nanoporous carbons materials are at the forefront of adsorption-based technologies because of their properties such as large surface areas, pore volume, adjustable surface chemistry, stability, non-toxicity, non-corrosivity, and low cost. These properties are attractive for removing PFAS from water, Previous works showed that activated carbons such as F400, Carbsorb, and CMR400 are effective. However, its effectiveness depends on the properties of the carbon and water characteristics. Despite the efforts, some challenges are to be addressed, such as removal of short-chain PFAS, identification of carbon properties to enhance adsorption and reduction of the effect of other pollutants.
These challenges have taken researchers to use molecular simulation to understand the interaction of PFAS with carbon materials. This approach is promising because simulated results at micro and meso scales agree with experimental data. In this project, you will use molecular simulation and experimental techniques to design porous carbons by decorating their surfaces with functional groups and gain insights into the kinetics and thermodynamics of the adsorption of fluorochains.
Integration of Green Hydrogen for Energy Storage and Dispatch in Small/Medium Scale Grid Systems
Contact: Professor Suresh Thennadil
Project: There has been a continuous increase in the amount of renewable energy fed into electricity grids. Climate change concerns has resulted in governments around the world committing to replacing fossil-fuels with renewable energy sources such as wind and solar. However, the intermittency and unpredictability of renewable energy sources pose challenges to the stability and reliability of electricity supply when the renewable energy contribution to the energy mix is high. To address these challenges, efficient energy storage solutions which can supply electricity on demand at short (seconds-minutes) and long (hours – days) time scales are required. Green hydrogen produced from solar or wind resources has the potential to serve as a long-term renewable energy storage source.
The aim of this research is to develop control and optimisation of islanded and grid-connected renewable energy systems with green hydrogen for energy storage and dispatch according to demand. The research will comprise of detailed mathematical modelling of different scenarios and options and testing them in CDU's state-of-the-art Grid Systems Testing facility. Model-based control and optimisation schemes using digital twins will be developed and evaluated through case studies.
Hydrogen from waste biomass
Project: Agricultural practices result in large quantities of biomass waste which could be utilised for producing hydrogen. Since biomass is considered a renewable source, the hydrogen produced is considered to be green and sustainable. The utilisation of waste biomass can reduce waste management and disposal issues while at the same time providing a virtually free feedstock for hydrogen production. Hydrogen can be produced from biomass through gasification, pyrolysis or anerobic digestion. Each of these approaches has challenges that need to be addressed to develop a commercially viable process. Catalytic pyrolysis and anaerobic digestion are the two areas we are interested in exploring as part of our research into hydrogen production. PhD students interested in working in either of these areas are welcome.
Linking terrestrial–aquatic carbon fluxes across Australia
Contact: Dr Clément Duvert
Project: We are seeking applicants for two exciting PhD projects linked to a program funded by the Australian Research Council to develop the first nationwide assessment of carbon export via streams and rivers. Direct measurements from ecosystem observatories located across the country will be combined with remote sensing and advanced statistical modelling to extrapolate findings to the continental scale. Both positions will ideally be based in Darwin.
PhD 1 – hydrology / biogeochemistry
This PhD student will contribute to the deployment of field instruments, stream sampling and liaison with collaborators in Queensland and Tasmania. They will analyse high-resolution time-series data (flow, dissolved gases, organic carbon) and derive estimates of aquatic carbon export at each site. They will also be tasked to integrate geochemical and isotopic data into mass balance and mixing models.
PhD 2 – carbon cycle science / statistical modelling
This PhD student will develop approaches to upscaling point measurements of aquatic carbon flux to the continent using remote sensing and modelling. One key task will be to develop an updated carbon balance for Australia based on the most up-to-date estimates of terrestrial carbon productivity and new aquatic carbon data obtained through the project.
Applicants are required to have a MSc or a BSc with 1st class honours in a relevant science discipline such as hydrology, biogeochemistry, environmental science or GIS. They are expected to have experience with programming tools (or a strong willingness to learn) and a keen interest for carbon cycle science.
Marine bacteria responses to temperature and algal blooms
Contact: Professor Karen Gibb
Project: Naturally occurring marine bacteria and their response to severe weather events and increasing temperature is of increasing important for animal and human health. The aim of this project is to understand bacterial interactions in lab and field trials with a focus on temperature, algal blooms, salinity and sediment particles. This work will have real world implications in understanding the impact of severe weather events and algal blooms on oyster quality in the developing Tropical Rock Oyster industry.