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Cosmic Dust and the 2010 Lindau Nobel Meeting on Elementary Particles in Cosmology
Posted on July 30, 2010 by ScienceBlog.com
The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is of interest to astronomers because elementary particles are thought related to Big Bang cosmology through dark matter and energy in an expanding Universe. Indeed, the recent Lindau Meeting discussed the topic "Dark Matter, Dark Energy, and the LHC." See http://www.lindau-nobel.org/PublicMeetingProgram.AxCMS?M …
Scientists George Smoot and John Mather who won the Nobel prize for the Cosmic Background Explorer were joined by physicists David Gross, Carlo Rubbia, Gerard t'Hooft, and Martinus Veltman. Consistent with the theme of the Lindau Meeting on cosmology, Nobel Laureate George Smoot stated:
"The properties of the tiniest particles should dictate what the Universe looks like…"
Meeting Discussion
With regard to dark matter, Smoot himself did not follow through by describing the mechanism by which tiny particles dictate what the Universe looks like, yet claimed cosmologists can model the Universe with gas, photons, and neutrinos giving a Universe of mostly dark matter of which only about 27 percent is visible, while dark energy is expanding the Universe at an accelerated rate. See http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2010/07/astronomy-an …
Introducing himself as "I'm a measuring kind of guy," Mather also ignored Smoot's comment avoiding the mechanism by which tiny particles dictate what we observe in the Universe and instead discussed how astronomers were pinning down the properties of dark matter by gravitational lensing surveys that quantity the distribution of dark matter in the Universe. Ibid
Only Veltman called dark matter "bullsh*t," but then like Smoot and Mather did not identify the mechanism of how Smoot's tiny particles dictate what we see and instead proposed an alternative dark matter candidate MOND (Modified Newtonian Dynamics). Only Rubbia connected with Smoot's statement by suggesting the tiny particles are Weak Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs) of dark matter in sterile neutrinos, a heavy version of the three familiar flavors of this particle. Ibid
Cosmic Dust
Cosmology is only beginning to recognize that redshift in submicron cosmic dust significantly alters how the Universe looks to us. Redshift in cosmic instead of by the Doppler effect allows one to entertain the cosmology of a static Universe without any need for dark matter and energy. Given that our knowledge of the Universe by seeing is unequivocally altered by absorption in cosmic dust, Smoot's comments may be rephrased by:
"The properties of cosmic dust should dictate what the Universe looks like…"
Yet the Lindau Meeting excluded discussion on cosmic dust in cosmology, instead focusing on dark matter based on the anticipated discovery of exotic WIMPs from the LHC experiments. But cosmic dust is of greater importance to cosmology because light from a distant galaxy is redshift upon absorption in cosmic dust without the Doppler shift. Therefore, the redshift Hubble measured in 1929 was most likely caused by cosmic dust having nothing to do with an expanding Universe. Hence, there is no need for dark energy to explain an expanding Universe that is not expanding. Moreover, MOND and surveys of gravitational lensing that support the presence of dark matter are also negated by cosmic dust. See http://www.nanoqed.org at "Dark Energy and Cosmic Dust" and "Reddening and Redshift," 2009; and "Cosmology by Cosmic Dust -Update," 2010.
QED induced Redshift in Cosmic Dust
QED induced redshift in cosmic dust is a consequence of QM constraints placed on the conservation of absorbed energy in submicron particles. QED stands for quantum electrodynamics and QM for quantum mechanics. QM precludes submicron cosmic dust particles (DPs) from having the specific heat capacity necessary to conserve absorbed galaxy photons by an increase in temperature. Instead, conservation proceeds by the creation of QED photons from the total internal reflection (TIR) confinement of the absorbed galaxy photon within the solid DP. But the TIR allows those QED photons normal to the DP surface to leak out redshifted relative to the absorbed galaxy photon – all of this occurring without the Universe expanding. Ibid
How DPs redshift galaxy light may be understood from QM by the QED induced creation of photons of wavelength Lo by supplying EM energy to a QM box with walls separated by Lo/2. For a galaxy photon absorbed in a spherical DP of diameter D, the QED photons are created at a wavelength Lo = 2nD, where n is the index of refraction. In the Universe, the DPs are generally amorphous silicate having n = 1.45 and diameters D < 0.5 microns. For D = 0.25 microns, the QED created photons has Lo = 0.745 microns, and therefore an absorbed Lyman-alpha photon having L = 0.1216 microns is redshift to Z = (Lo – L)/L. ~ 5. If the QED redshift in DPs is interpreted by the Doppler shift, the galaxy recession velocity is 95 % of the speed of light when in fact the galaxy is not receding at all. Ibid
QED induced redshift holds in question the Hubble redshift as proof the Universe is expanding beginning with the Big Bang suggesting a return to a static Universe in dynamic equilibrium once proposed by Einstein. Moreover, astrophysical measurements that rely on Hubble redshift by the Doppler effect grossly over-estimate the rotational velocities of spiral galaxies are far faster than allowed by Newtonian mechanics, thereby suggesting the presence of dark matter to hold the galaxies together. Indeed, redshift in cosmic dust instead of by the Doppler effect answers most of the outstanding problems in cosmology Ibid. The conclusions are.
Dark Energy not needed to explain a Universe that is not expanding
Period-luminosity relation qualified in Cepheid stars
Dark Matter not involved in Gravitational Lensing
Galaxy Rotation Problem resolved without Dark Matter
No need for MOND to explain Galaxy Rotation Problem
Tolman Surface Brightness reduction by (1 + Z)
Explain the Independence of Redshift in Sunyaev-Zeldovich Effect
Light Curve dilation in Supernovae Explosions
The Lindau Meeting on cosmology by elementary particles is trumped by cosmic dust. There is no connection between any findings forthcoming from the LHC on how WIMPS or other exotic particles are related to dark matter. Smoot's comment on how tiny particles dictate what the Universe looks like was misinterpreted by all of the attendees including Smoot himself because no one considered the tiny particles to be submicron cosmic dust. Hubble's redshift by the Doppler Effect held for 80 years needs to be set aside and superseded by QED induced redshift in cosmic dust, an unpleasant, but necessary action by astronomers if cosmology is to move forward.
Posted in Cosmology, Large Hadron Collider, Uncategorized | Tagged Cosmic dust, Cosmology, Hubble, Large Hadron Collider, Lindau Meeting, redshift
High thermal conductivity of amorphous silicon – a quantum mechanics size effect?
High thermal conductivity of 80 micron thick a-Si film
Higher conductivity of amorphous silicon (a-Si) found in 80 micron samples compared to submicron samples thought to be depend on the mean free path of phonons is negated by the size effect of quantum mechanics
Thermoreflectance (TDTR) measurements at room temperature for an 80 micron a-Si sample show at more than a 2-fold increase in thermal conductivity compared to submicron samples having thicknesses of 200 nm and between 1 and 2 microns. See Yang et al., "Anomalously high thermal conductivity of amorphous Si deposited by hot wire chemical vapor deposition," March, 2010. http://users.mrl.uiuc.edu/cahill/asi_v3.pdf On this basis, it was concluded: (1) phonons with a mean free path of ~ 100 nm make a sizeable contribution to conductivity, (2) size in terms of the sample thickness was not expected to make a significant difference in measured conductivity for the 80 micron and 200 nm samples, and (3) current theoretical methods cannot account for the nearly 40 percent contribution from phonons with a mean free path between 100 to 600 nm as inferred from the TDTR measurements. See http://cdac.ciw.edu/component/content/250.html?task=view
Problem and Hypothesis
Heat conduction based on atomic vibrations by Debye's phonons has served well at the macroscale, but not in comparisons with experiment at the nanoscale. Like the difficulty in explaining the higher conductivity in the 80 micron samples, agreement if any is found by hand waving" the phonon wavelength that agrees with experiment, e.g., minimum thermal conductivity where the Boltzmann equation is used with the mean free path set to a "lattice" constant, to a "fracton" model in which heat is transported by anharmonically assisted hopping of localized vibrations, to diffusion-like conduction, with heat transported mainly by extended states but which do not have "good" wavelengths. Ibid. The question may be asked:
Are phonons the mechanism of heat transfer at the nanoscale?
Alternatively, is the size effect of quantum mechanics at play in extending the validity of classical heat transfer at the macroscale to the nanoscale. But there are more basic questions:
At the nanoscale, does heat conduction even exist?
Indeed, if there is no conduction, calculations of thermal conductivity based on phonons are meaningless thereby avoiding the "hand-waving" of wavelengths to explain experiments. But if so, the remaining question is:
What is the heat transfer mechanism at the nanoscale?
If a heat transfer mechanism at the nanoscale is hypothesized that promptly conserves absorbed heat without any need to include conductive heat flow, the difficulties in explaining experiments by phonon wavelengths would be avoided. Bulk conductivity could then be assumed at the nanoscale even though there is no heat flow. Indeed, if such a heat transfer mechanism can be shown to exist, then all the above questions are answered.
QED induced EM radiation
One such heat transfer mechanism at the nanoscale that avoids phonons is the theory of QED induced EM radiation. QED stands for quantum electrodynamics and EM for electromagnetic. By this theory, absorbed EM is promptly conserved by the QED induced creation of photons within the nanostructure that then are emitted to the surroundings as non-thermal QED radiation at UV or higher levels. What makes this possible is that quantum mechanics requires the specific heat of atoms at the nanoscale to vanish. See http://www.nanoqed.org/ at "Nanofluids and Thin Films", 2009.
Vanishing specific heat may be understood from the fact the thermal energy of the atom given by the Einstein-Hopf relation depends on wavelength under the constraint that only submicron (< 1 micron) wavelengths are allowed to "fit inside" nanostructures. But submicron wavelengths are only populated at temperatures greater than about 6000 K. At ambient temperature, therefore, the heat capacity of nanostructures is "frozen out", and so absorbed EM energy cannot be conserved by an increase in temperature. Conservation may only proceed by the QED induced frequency up-conversion of absorbed EM energy to the fundamental resonance of the nanostructure. Heat conduction is negated because the prompt conservation of absorbed EM energy by QED emission is far faster than the time it takes for the phonons to respond. Ibid, at "QED induced heat transfer", 2010.
The prompt conservation of absorbed EM energy by QED emission means conduction does not occur at the nanoscale, and therefore phonon explanations of reduced conductivity in thin films are meaningless. Indeed, bulk conductivity at the macroscale may be assumed valid at the nanoscale. Ibid
The thermal conductivity by TDTR measurements of submicron samples is only apparent. Conductivity appears reduced from that of bulk only because QED emission was excluded in the heat balances. If included, there is no conduction and bulk conductivity is still valid. What this means is that the a priori assumption may be made that absorbed EM energy of any form by a nanostructure is promptly emitted as QED radiation at UV or higher levels Hence, Molecular Dynamcis (MD) simulations to determine the response of the nanostructure to the absorbed EM energy are no longer necessary.The only relevant MD simulation might be the interaction of the QED emission with the surroundings.Ibid
1. The conclusion that size in terms of the sample thickness is not expected to make a significant difference in measured conductivity for the 80 micron and 200 nm samples is negated by the size effect of quantum mechanics.
2. Conductivity appears reduced in submicron samples because QED induced radiation was excluded in the heat balances. If included, there is no conduction, and therefore the sample may be considered to have bulk conductivity under the condition of no heat flow. In fact, both submicron and 80 micron samples have bulk thermal conductivity.
3. Conclusions that phonons with a mean free path of ~ 100 nm make a sizeable contribution to conductivity not only contradict the fact current theoretical methods based on phonons cannot explain the higher conductivity of the 80 micron sample. In fact, both are meaningless because there is no conductive heat flow at the nanoscale.
4. TDTR measurements are likely caused by QED induced photons and have nothing to do with phonons.
5. The response of nanostructures to absorbed EM energy need not be determined by MD simulations; the only relevant MD simulation might be the interaction of the QED emission with the surroundings.
Posted in Thin Films | Tagged phonons, photons, quantum mechanics, thermal conductivity, thermoreflectance, Thin film
Cancer is caused by disorganization of epithelial tissue and not by DNA mutations
Mutations in the genomes of the tumor cell long thought to cause cancer is negated by QED induced ionizing radiation produced as the MMP-3 enzyme disorganizes the basement membrane of epithelial tissues
Background Epithelial tissue forming the outer layers of the skin protect exterior surface of the body, but also provide protection for hollow organs and glands including the breast, prostate, colon, and lung from body fluids. Epithelial tissue is organized by a submicron thick < 100 nm basement membrane (BM) that provides the structural scaffold template for the extracellular matrix (ECM). Breakdown of the BM is associated with the spread of tumors, e.g., loss of integrity of the BM in mice is known to cause tumors. See http://www.lbl.gov/Science-Articles/Archive/LSD-cancer-f …
Loss of integrity in the ECM is triggered by enzymes called matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). Breast tumors in particular are known to have an increased amount of MMPs. Indeed, MMPs induce the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) that disorganize the BM and allows the dissociated epithelial tissue to move through the body. In breast cancer, EMT allows tumor cells more mobility to penetrate barriers like the walls of lymph and blood vessels, facilitating metastasis, e.g., the MMP-3 enzyme causes normal cells to produce a protein called Rac1b that is found only in cancers. Currently, Rac1b is thought to stimulate the production of highly reactive oxygen species (ROS) molecules leading to cancer by damaging the DNA. Ibid
The problem with epithelial tissue as the source of DNA damage is that the protein Rac1b lacks a mechanism to produce energy of at least 5 eV from which the ROS of peroxide and hydroxyl radicals form to damage the DNA. The ROS can only be produced by ionizing radiation > 5 eV at ultraviolet (UV) levels or beyond.
But what is the mechanism of ionizing radiation?
Certainly, there are no UV lasers in body fluids. The hypothesis may therefore be made that epithelial tissue during disorganization somehow emits low level ionizing radiation.
Emission of Ionizing Radiation by Submicron Entities
Cancer research is only beginning to recognize the remarkable fact that submicron entities present in body fluids emit low-level ionizing radiation. Over the past few decades, this fact has been supported by experimental evidence that shows submicron entities comprising nanoparticles (NPs) of natural and man-made materials cause DNA damage. Remarkably, the NPs alone – without lasers – somehow induce DNA damage in body fluids. See http://www.nanoqed.org/ at "DNA damage by NPs", 2009 and "DNA damage by signaling," 2010.
Recently, the theory of QED induced EM radiation was proposed to explain the remarkable fact that NPs alone cause DNA damage. QED stands for quantum electrodynamics and EM for electromagnetic. Ibid. By this theory, quantum mechanics forbids atoms in submicron NPs to have specific heat. This may be understood from the fact the thermal energy of the atom given by the Einstein-Hopf relation depends on wavelength under the constraint that only wavelengths < 1 micron are allowed to "fit inside" submicron entities. But quantum mechanics only allows submicron wavelengths to be populated at temperatures greater than about 6000 K. At ambient temperature, therefore, the heat capacity of submicron entities is "frozen out", and so NPs cannot conserve absorbed EM energy by an increase in temperature. Absent UV lasers, NPs in body fluids absorb EM energy from colliding water molecules. Conservation then proceeds by the QED induced frequency up-conversion of absorbed EM collision energy to the fundamental resonance of the NP. Typically, ionizing QED radiation is emitted at UV or higher levels thereby explaining how NPs alone produce the ROS that damages DNA. Specifically, ionizing radiation > 5 eV necessary for forming ROS is produced for NPs < 100 nm. Ibid
Epithelial cell induced DNA damage
Epithelial tissue like NPs induce DNA damage provided submicron entities are produced upon disorganization by MMPs. QED induced radiation is emitted if the size of the biological entity is < 100 nm and has a refractive index greater than the surroundings. For biological materials, the index is about 1.5 > 1.33 for water. But epithelial cells themselves are not submicron and at 10-100 microns in the disorganized state do not emit ionizing radiation. However, ionizing radiation is emitted from the < 100 nm BM upon disorganization of epithelial tissue by MMPs.
By the theory of QED induced radiations, the disorganization of the BM by MMP-3 produces the ionizing radiation that forms the ROS that in turn damage the DNA. Current thought that the Rac1b protein itself damages the DNA is therefore placed in question. Indeed, the Rac1b protein is a cancer marker only because it forms in the process of ionizing radiation be produced by the disorganized BM. Nevertheless, Rac1b as a small protein is a submicron entity that once in the disorganized state like the BM also produces ionizing radiations that may damage surrounding DNA. See Press Release http://www.prlog.org/10793056-cancer-is-caused-by-disorganization-of-epithelial-tissue-and-not-by-dna-mutations.html
1. During disorganization by MMP-3, the BM emits QED induced ionizing radiation forming ROS that damage the DNA and produce the Rac1b protein found in most cancers.
2. Contrarily, the ROS are not induced by Rac1b to stimulate the development of cancer by directly affecting genomic DNA. Rather, the ROS are formed in a side reaction from the QED induced radiation emitted from the disorganized BM. Nevertheless, the Rac1b protein as a submicron entity is the product of the ROS and may also damage nearby DNA.
3. Loss of epithelial tissue organization produces QED induced EM radiation that damages the DNA before mutations occur in the genome of the tumor cell by other factors.
4. Oncogenes are activated by QED induced radiation from changes in the BM structure by MMPs.
5. UV absorptive drugs may be used to reduce QED induced radiation and attendant DNA damage from epithelial tissue disorganization by MMP-3.
Posted in Cancer | Tagged basement membrane, Cancer, disorganization, MMP-3, quantum mechanics, rac1b
The toxicity of colloidal silver and risk of cancer
Posted on July 8, 2010 by ScienceBlog.com
Scientific American in 2008 published an article entitled: Do Nanoparticles in Food Pose a Health Risk? The article reports the widespread use of nanoparticles (NPs) in food or food-related products that do not bear the warning that they may pose a health risk. The FDA does not require NPs to be proved safe, but rather requires the foods having NPs to not be harmful. In 2006, the EPA began to regulate nanosilver as a pesticide and as a result companies using nanosilver as an antimicrobial agent are required to register them as pesticides. Friends of the Earth, an environmental group, insist that reporting of nanosilver use by companies should be mandatory, given the potential risks and has suggested the definition of what constitutes a health risk to include NPs < 300 nm in diameter. But Andrew Maynard of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars notes it is the effect rather than the size that is significant. See http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=do-nanoparticles-in-food-pose-health-risk
Toxicity by Surface Area and Size
Currently, the mechanism by which NPs pose a health risk is not well understood. NP size controls the surface area and therefore the effectiveness of colloidal silver. NPs are thought to be more reactive than larger particles of the same substance, because they have more surface area and therefore have more opportunity to interact with other substances in their surroundings, i.e., a material that is otherwise harmless at the macroscale is likely to be toxic if it is processed to the nanoscale as NPs. See http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=will-nano-particles-present-big-health-problems The problem with quantifying toxicity by NP surface area and size is that both lack a mechanism to produce EM energy of at least 5 eV to form the reactive oxidative species (ROS) necessary to act as bactericidal agents. EM stands for electromagnetic. Similarly, the significance of "effect rather the size" in toxicity suggested by the Wilson Center lacks a mechanism to produce the ROS.
QED Induced EM Radiation Toxicity
More recently, the toxicity mechanism of NPs capable of producing ROS was proposed to find origin in quantum mechanics. Toxicity is found to almost be independent of the material, although silver has received the most attention because of its use as a bactericide in baby food. By this theory, atoms in NPs lack specific heat because at ambient temperature the heat capacity in submicron NPs resides at wavelengths < 1 micron that may only be populated at temperatures greater than about 6000 K. At ambient temperature, the heat capacity is therefore "frozen out", and so NPs lack the heat capacity to conserve absorbed EM energy from colliding water molecules in body fluids by an increase in temperature. Conservation may only proceed by the QED induced frequency up-conversion of absorbed EM energy to the EM resonance of the NP. QED stands for quantum electrodynamics. Typically, ionizing QED radiation is emitted at UV or higher levels thereby producing the ROS that damage DNA from which cancer may develop. NPs < 100 nm are required to produce ROS through ionizing radiation. In contrast, NPs > 100 nm emit non-ionizing QED radiation in the VIS and IR. See http://www.nanoqed.org at "DNA damage by NPs", 2010.
Colloidal silver comprising silver NPs in solution is related to the controversy over the risks of silver NPs in food products. Colloidal silver has been used for fighting infections for thousands of years. But for the last 40 years, silver colloids have been proven to be cancer-causing agents. Indeed, silver is listed in the 1979 Registry of Toxic Effects as causing cancer in animals. Silver finds antibiotic action from the fact that it is a non-selective toxic biocide. See e.g., http://www.cqs.com/silver.htm Regardless, fine silver NPs provide greater effectiveness than coarse NPs because toxicity is predicated on exposing the infected region to the largest possible surface area. See http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/reports.html#CompTable
Safe Colloidal Silver?
Currently, comments to the Scientific American article stated if the widely touted "natural antibiotic" usage of colloidal silver is a potentially dangerous thing, then: Are there any safe colloidal silvers? Or Are the silver components in such preparations larger than problematic?
Answers to these questions depend on effectiveness. Colloidal silver is perfectly safe if not taken at all, but is not effective if other antibiotic agents are not used. Least effective are silver colloids with coarse NPs > 100 nm because the QED radiation emitted by the NPs in the VIS and IR is non-ionizing. Most effective are fine NPs < 100 nm, but come at the risk of damaging the DNA by UV or higher ionizing radiation that can lead to cancer.
Moreover, coarse NPs accompanied by fine NPs actually enhance the DNA damage above that by fine NPs alone. Hence, manufacturers would have to guarantee that all NPs in the colloidal silver are > 100 nm to avoid ionizing radiation. Manufacturers of colloidal silver would be required to label the minimum size of NPs in their products to allow the customer himself to weigh the risk of DNA damage to antibiotic effectiveness.
1. NPs by emitting QED induced ionizing radiation are significant antibiotic agents, but pose a health risk by collateral damage to DNA the consequence of which may lead to cancer. DNA damage must always be considered in the use of NPs as antibiotics.
2. All NP materials produce about the same QED radiation because their refractive indices are similar. Therefore, only the NP size distinguishes whether ionizing or non-ionizing is emitted. Labeling of the minimum size of NPs in a product allows the customer to weigh the respective advantages and disadvantages.
3. Colloidal silver with NPs < 100 nm produce ionizing QED radiation at UV or higher levels that damage the DNA and can lead to cancer even though being used for thousands of years.
4. Safe colloidal silver may be found at minimum effectiveness. If manufacturer control all NPs > 100 nm, non-ionizing QED radiation is then emitted. Controlling NPs > 300 nm can only err on the safe side.
5. The safest way of avoiding future cancers caused by DNA damage is to ban all NPs < 300 nm from food products, especially baby food.
Posted in Cancer | Tagged colloidal silver, nanoparticles, quantum mechanics, radiation
Thermophones Produce Sound Without Vibration
In 1914, Lord Rayleigh communicated the description of the thermophone by de Lange to the Royal Society. But as early as 1880, Preece produced sound by passing current through micron sized platinum wires affixed to a diaphragm. Around 1800, the Russian engineer Gwozda produced sound by heating a straight wire without a diaphragm. Historically, the theory of thermophones is based on the production of sound from a thin platinum film published by Arnold and Crandall in 1917.
Recently, Xiao et al. showed sound was produced by passing an alternating current through thin carbon nanotube (CNT) films. The high sound level at low electrical power for the CNT films were thought more efficient than platinum that required more power for the same sound level. However, the experimental frequency response did not agree with the long standing thermophone theory of Arnold and Crandall. Modifications were made to the theory including the conductive heat loss from the film to the air based on classical heat transfer methodology. See "Thermophones," at link "Nano Letters Paper", of www.nanoqed.org , 2009. Xiao et al. claim agreement of the modified theory and experimental data. However, the claimed agreement could not be confirmed by this author because of the experimental fitting necessary to determine the conductive heat loss.
Problems with Classical Heat Transfer Theory
Classical heat transfer theory predicts that sound levels in thermophones are produced by changes in thin film temperature caused by Joule heat produced from passing electrical current though the films. However, this cannot be correct. Classically, temperatures should increase in CNT thin films in proportion to the electrical power, but the CNT films produced high sound levels at lower power than in platinum films at high power levels.
What this means is that temperature changes in thin films have nothing to do with the sound produced in thermophones. Alternatively, classical heat transfer theory that predicts sound is produced by temperature changes in thin films is not applicable to thermophones.
Heat Transfer under Quantum Mechanics Restrictions
Quantum mechanics (QM) methodology differs from classical heat transfer in that the specific heat of the atom is required to vanish under electromagnetic (EM) confinement. Ibid, "Thermophones," at link "Paper". In heat transfer restricted by QM, Joule heat absorbed in the thin film cannot be conserved by an increase in temperature. Classical theory differs in that specific heat of materials in macroscopic structures is assumed to remain the same at the nanoscale.
Regardless, EM energy is still required to be conserved at nanoscale. Lacking specific heat, thin films conserve Joule heat by the theory of QED induced EM radiation. QED stands for quantum electrodynamics. By this theory, the low frequency Joule heat is conserved by frequency up-conversion to the EM confinement frequency of the film. Like creating photons of wavelength L by supplying EM energy to a QM box having sides separated by L/2, the Joule heat in thin films creates photons having wavelength L = 2nd, where d is the thickness and n is the refractive index of the film. There is no increase in temperature of the thin film.
The QED photons are only confined briefly because the EM confinement is quasi-bound, and therefore the thin film promptly leaks EM radiation at the confinement wavelength. Typical CNT thin films in thermophones have thickness d > 0.125 microns, and therefore the EM confinement produce radiation in the ultraviolet (UV) and visible (VIS). Unlike thermal radiation in classical heat transfer theory that requires high temperatures, the QED induced emission is non-thermal and occurs at ambient film temperatures.
Sound from Thermophones by QM
Sound from thermophones requires pressure changes in the surrounding air. The QED induced emission in the UV-VIS is therefore required to be absorbed by air to increase its temperature and produce the pressure changes necessary for sound propagation. But nitrogen in air is transparent in the UV-VIS and cannot produce sound. Only oxygen has an absorption cross-section close to that necessary to produce sound. The Joule heating necessary to produce sound by oxygen absorption is found to be a very small fraction – around 10^-6 of the 1-4.5 watts supplied.
Almost all of the supplied Joule heat is lost to the solid walls of the thermophone enclosure. To improve thermophone efficiency, the gas volume between the thermophone and microphone should be sealed and filled with a UV-VIS absorptive gas.
1. By quatum mechanics, sound is produced by QED emission without vibration. Classical heat transfer is unable to explain sound without vibration.
2. Classical heat transfer that includes finite specific heat in thin films is not applicable to thermophones. The Joule heat cannot be conserved by temperature changes of the thin film.
3. Heat transfer by QED induced radiation as based on zero specific heat as required by QM should be used for the analysis of thermophone performance. The emission of UV-VIS radiation that conserves the Joule heat is required to be absorbed by the air surroundings to produce sound.
4. But the absorption of UV-VIS in air is very low. Indeed, almost all of the Joule heat does not produce sound because of absorption by the walls of the enclosure. To improve sound levels, the space between the thermophone and microphone should be sealed and filled with a UV-VIS absorptive gas.
Posted in Thermophones | Tagged classical, heat transfer, quatum mechanics, Thermophones


The Benefits of Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) - Vaxxen Labs, Inc.
In our bodies, there are naturally occurring atoms with an extra, unpaired electron that arise from reactions with oxygen. The naturally occurring atoms with the extra, unpaired electron are known as free radicals and are incredibly harmful to the delicate balance of our bodies. However, a variety of substances work to eliminate these free radicals from our system. These substances are called antioxidants because they keep cells safe from oxidative damage . This is important because free radicals can cause a number of health problems such as: cardiovascular disease, cataracts, and even cancer.
Multiple studies have shown over time that treatment with CoQ10 can help reduce further damage and may help patients with heart failure diagnosis improve heart functioning. For this reason, it is often included in other heart health medications as a supplement. Studies show that treatment with CoQ10 may also increase energy, a problem for patients with chronic heart failure .
For patients with diabetes, it can seem like controlling their condition is a never-ending cycle. Although CoQ10 is not a cure for the disease, it has been shown to help the body's cells increase sensitivity to insulin and therefore lower blood sugar. In fact, studies show that diabetics receiving CoQ10 supplements over a period had significantly reduced blood glucose and hemoglobin A1C levels .
As our natural cellular energy manufacturers, mitochondria, begin to fail with age, it can lead to the death of some brain cells. When this becomes severe, it leads to diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Since the brain is particularly vulnerable to free radicals and their damaging effects, CoQ10 steps in to help protect it. By helping to protect it from oxidative damage, the brain can stay healthier. Even for patients already diagnosed with Alzheimer's or Parkinson's, treatment with CoQ10 may help slow progression of the disease .
Effect of Coenzyme Q10 Supplementation on Diabetes Biomarkers: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Clinical Trials.
Moradi M1, Haghighatdoost F1, Feizi A2, Larijani B3, Azadbakht L4. Arch Iran Med. 2016 Aug;19(8):588-96. doi: 0161908/AIM.0012.
Russell T. Matthews, Lichuan Yang, Susan Browne, Myong Baik, and M. Flint Beal* Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1998 Jul 21; 95(15): 8892–8897.
Newer What is the Best Fat Burner?


PARK Jung-bum's austere drama Alive has triumphed at the Wildflower Film Awards Korea, where it picked up the Grand Prize at the event's third edition, which took place on the slopes of Namsan in Central Seoul on Thursday, April 7th. The awards, which are run by film critics Darcy Paquet and OH Dong-jin, recognize achievement in independent Korean cinema.
One of 11 awards given out in ten categories, the Grand Prize was chosen among contenders for both the Best Narrative Director prize and the Best Documentary Director prize. Those awards were won by SHIN Su-won's Madonna and E Il-ha's A Crybaby Boxing Club, respectively.
The main acting awards at the Wildflowers went to actor JUNG Jae-young for HONG Sang-soo's Right Now, Wrong Then, who has won the same award at the Locarno International Film Festival and the Asia Pacific Screen Awards, among other events, and Alice In Earnestland actress LEE Jung-hyun, who won the Best Actress award for the same part at the Blue Dragon Awards last year.
In other awards, HONG Seok-jae won Best New Narrative Director for Socialphobia, GU Ja-hywan took home Best New Documentary Director for Red Tomb, Madonna actress KWON So-hyun won Best New Actress, Best Supporting Performer went to In Her Place's KIL Hae-yeon, SHIN Yeon-shick earned Best Screenplay for The Avian Kind and FUJII Masayuki was awarded Best Cinematography for his work on JANG Kun-jae's A Midsummer's Fantasia.
This year's Wildflowers also gave out three special awards. The Jury gave an Honorable Mention to JANG Hee-sun's My Fair Wedding, while a Special Achievement Award was given to director Yang Byoung-khan and actress GU Yun-hee for their film Scary House, and an Appreciation Award was accepted by JANG Sung-jin on behalf of the late documentary filmmaker LEE Seong-gyou (My Barefoot Friend, 2011), who passed away in 2013.


This is the latest modern rock group that been quite successfull "over there". Their hit single "Wherever you will go" has been at the Billboard modern rock chart for a couple of weeks and you havent heard you have missed one of this years best songs. Damn good!! And what about the album. It doesnt have the same level at the single, but its got a very high level on the songs oll over. Like Matchbox 20, Bliss 66 or why not say Lifehouse. The only thing that I have to complain about is the lyrics, very much about love and heartache all the time.Except for that this is a very impressing debut from a group that all the chances to be the next Lifehouse.


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All Things Typewriter
Why people still use typewriters
Adler Typewriters
IBM Typewriters
Imperial Typewriters
Oliver Typewriters
Olivetti Typewriters
Olympia Typewriters
Remington Typewriters
Royal Typewriters
Smith Corona Typewriters
Underwood Typewriters
The Enduring Appeal of Underwood Typewriters
The Underwood Typewriting Company was a true pioneer. Founded in 1895, they were at the forefront of the typewriter revolution. The company was born when John T. Underwood, already an established seller of typewriter ribbons and carbon paper, saw trouble ahead.
Remington, the biggest typewriter manufacturer of the day, had decided to start making its own ribbons instead of buying from Underwood.
Underwood realised that his knowledge of the industry put him in a great position to start manufacturing his own typewriters, but it wasn't until he teamed up with Franz X. Wagner, a German-American inventor, that he found the key to success.
Dominating the Typewriter Market
The Underwood No. 1, created in 1896, was their first typewriter, but Underwood's market expertise and Wagner's skill meant they had all the ingredients to make an instant splash.
The No. 1 brought together innovative features that other typewriter manufacturers had been trying out in a package that worked more smoothly and reliably than any of its competitors.
The Underwood No. 5 is perhaps one of the most famous mechanical typewriters in the world. Not only was it wildly popular in offices across the country, it was also first modern typewriter to really establish itself, both in the market and in the public imagination.
Although you'll find the No. 5 in museums now, it doesn't look all that different from the typewriters plenty of people still remember using today.
Underwood went on to create many more models after that, refining what they had created, but the No. 5 was the template for a lot of what came after.
By 1939, the company had made five million machines at their factory in Hartford, Connecticut. Their reign lasted until the 1950s, but vintage typewriter fans still seek out their machines today.
Famous Fans
Underwood typewriters have graced the desks of some of the world's greatest writers. F. Scott Fitzgerald, Jack Kerouac, Raymond Chandler, Ernest Hemingway and Max Shulman all used Underwood models, as did Nobel Prize laureate William Faulkner.
Faulkner's Underwood Universal Portable model still sits in his former office, which has been turned into a museum.
Underwoods have also made plenty of appearances in movies and TV, used by everyone from sleuthing novelist Jessica Fletcher in Murder, She Wrote to tortured poet Christian in the musical Moulin Rouge.
During the Second World War, the US Navy even used a specially-designed Underwood typewriter to send Morse Code messages between ships.
Enduring Popularity
These days, Underwoods are still among the most beloved mechanical typewriters among enthusiasts, and very popular for collectors looking for a vintage typewriter of their own.
The characteristics that made Underwood stand out – precision, sturdy reliability, smooth typing action – are just as relevant today as they were in 1896, so if you want to use it for the purpose it was designed for, there's no need to treat an Underwood like a fragile antique.
Plus, in this era of word-processing programs with increasingly-complex bells and whistles, getting back to basics with a well-made typewriter can help narrow a writer's focus.
But if you're more of an appreciator of the artistry of typewriters, you really can't do much better than the classic aesthetic of an Underwood – each one is a little piece of history.
Oliver Typewriter Company
How to buy Typewriter Paper
How to use a Typewriter
Typewriter Art
Typewriter Buyers guide
Typewriter-themed Gifts
Typewriters – Vintage Tools for Modern Writers
Why do people still use typewriters?

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Citation From the February 7, 2020, edition of Fox News' The Five
EMILY COMPAGNO (CO-HOST): The biggest threat is the fact that, totally, the Chinese government is mischaracterizing the level of infection that's happening and even though it's less deadly than we thought and less deadly than SARS, it's my understanding it's spreading faster, which leads me to my next point which is why we should all care a lot more about the homeless explosions, especially on the west coast, because of that disease.
GREG GUTFELD (CO-HOST): Interesting.
COMPAGNO: If we are this nervous with the coronavirus, enough to put it on every block of every show, this is exactly what every network should be covering out of skid row in Los Angeles and the rat population explosion.


I'm fine with the DRM being used so far. No problems there yet.
What I don't like is not being able to play multiplayer co-op with my friend because the game runs at about 2 FPS when we play co-op. We also have trouble even inviting each other to games. This is completely unacceptable and unplayable and when will UBI fix this?
They also need to fix the voice chat. It's startin to p*** me off. Everytime someone tries to talk to me, their voice is loud as hell, you can't understand them, and they can't understand you tellin em to shut the hell up!


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to reverse thyroid eye disease without surgery.
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At the International Orbital Institute, Dr. Raymond Douglas leads our team of eyelid revision surgery experts. He has taken care of thousands of patients by using innovative and novel techniques.
A customized approach to correcting bulging eyes not only improves a patient's overall appearance but also correct functional issues giving the patient more comfort.
Facial paralysis and especially eyelid paralysis can be improved with surgery to allow better eyelid closure and protection for the eye. We have pioneered novel approaches for facial paralysis and work with experts in the field to achieve superior results.
Dr. Douglas has also written 5 medical textbooks and more than 100 scientific publications.
At the International Orbital Institute, our multi-specialty team approach ensures our patients have access to specialists for every aspect of their disease and surgical needs.


In all my time with The Mockingbird Society, I have participated in six Youth Leadership Summits. Summit is the time and place where Mockingbird chapter members from all seven regions present the proposals they've been working on for months to the Washington State Supreme Court Commission on Children in Foster Care. This year, for the first time ever, the chapters also presented to the state Office of Homeless Youth Advisory Committee. It's an important event for Mockingbird and it's also an important opportunity for youth to hone their leadership skills through direct advocacy.
For every foster youth that dances across the stage with their diploma, there is another foster youth who lost too much education in the system and fell through the cracks. By the end of college, only 3 out of 100 youth in care will obtain their bachelor's degree. 1 This is no coincidence and this is only a couple of the many alarming facts that remind The Summit Heard Around the World us there is a continual need for policy reform and empowerment within the foster care system. However, it's not so much the actual statistics that empower us to be advocates, but the stories behind them. These stories depict the obstacles that we, as well as our siblings (foster or biological), have had to overcome.
Our annual Youth Leadership Summit happened a few weeks ago, and I'm still buzzing with the excitement of what is possible when young people are truly engaged as partners and leaders. You will hear much in the pages of this issue that pertains to the youth chapter recommendations and the Summit itself, so I would like to share with you another peek behind the curtain to the months, weeks and days leading up to the Summit.
A status offense is the illegal behavior of a youth under age 18. According to the law, that same behavior would not be criminal if committed by an adult. Some examples of status offenses include truancy, running away from biological family or a foster care placement, or violating curfews.
You Create Change – Vote!
With elections right around the corner, I am reminded of how important it is to elect a leader who considers the overall safety of those for whom they are responsible. My recent interactions with police officers, coupled with the growing tension around the nation about how people in power treat minorities, is on my mind as I write this.
It's back to school month! And in this article I will highlight the importance of schools as a resource for preventing youth from ending up on the streets. Becoming a homeless youth can start early and is often the result of an accumulation of many issues. Therefore, it is imperative that we start our prevention work as early as possible. Schools are perfect avenues for us to connect with youth who are most vulnerable and provide them the support they need to live normal teen lives.
Around this time last summer, in all, there were 65 possible beds for homeless youth in the city of Seattle. But did you know that there has been a near 300% increase in the number of shelter beds this year? New shelters have been popping up left and right since last year. One such shelter in the International District recently opened its doors in April. This new shelter is located on Jackson Street, close to Rainier Avenue. It is hidden in a big grey building towering behind a blue fence. If you aren't looking for the place with the right eyes, it is very easy to miss.
I come from the trash, the garbage, the murky gray, the hidden places I'd rather not say.
I come from spending early years in the noise, the loud voices, the clutter of broken toys.
As I grew, my heart broken, overheated and boiling my blood.


Meet the Chairman of Sotheby's Europe and Managing Director of Sotheby's, Germany – the art expert with a passion for contemporary collecting and not just investing.
Since 1999 Philipp Herzog von Württemberg has been Sotheby's Germany Managing Director and as of 2011 Chairman Sotheby's Europe. Born into one of Germany's oldest noble families, von Württemberg's interest in art started when he was just a young boy growing up on his family's estate on Lake Constance, where he would restore the antique furniture from his ancestors in the family home.
After spending time in London and completing his PHD in History of Art from the University of Tübingen, von Württemberg quickly realised that whilst he enjoyed the hands-on aspect of restoration work, it was ultimately his desire for dealing that would become his biggest passion.
A contemporary art collector himself, in 2013 von Württemberg founded the Young Collectors Club – a passion-project to help guide and inspire young collectors to build their own collections.
We spoke with von Württemberg about what it's like to turn your passion into a profession, how the art market has dramatically changed in the last two decades, and why he made the decision to support emerging collectors.
Let's start at the beginning – your career at Sotheby's started in 1996 where you were an expert in 18th and 19th century antique furniture, correct?
Yes, at that time I started in the department of what was then called "Continental European Furniture". You might think of that era as antique furniture but to me I would think of it just as furniture – furniture that's not designed specifically for somebody is now called "antique".
What was it about this particular period of furniture that interested you? Were you always passionate about furniture?
When I was growing up at our house on Lake Constance we had quite a lot of 18th century furniture and other pieces of old furniture, as well as many paintings on the walls and I was always interested in touching the furniture. I'm a person that loves to get their hands dirty, I'm a handy-craft person. I've always loved that aspect and I would often be found in the atelier of my mother, who is an artist, helping her to clean the pencils and helping to do a bit of stone work carving. Being there, in the atelier, I started to adopt this way of my mother. As a little boy I started to touch these pieces of furniture, to look at them, to put pieces back together that might have been damaged or crumbling. I was, and still am, very interested and involved with the haptic and overall understanding of furniture.
Then when I was fifteen my parents sent me to a restoration course during the Easter holidays in a castle north of Stuttgart with a restorer who worked on art and furniture. It was there that I realized that restoring furniture is fine, but dealing with furniture is even better – you earn more and your fingers don't get as dirty! Upon completing the course I would go to flea markets here, there and everywhere and I'd buy stuff and then sell it. I'd ask people, usually friends of the family, what they were looking for and then I was running around buying things for one DM and selling it for two DM.
All of this culminated more or less in my interest in furniture, and as I went to museums my mother would always say if you want to know something about art then you go to the museum and compare. Look at it. You learn it by looking, not by studying books (but of course I did both). I eventually went to the a Fine Art Course in London where you learn about objects in the sale room and of course coming back to Germany a year later I wanted to immediately jump into the art world, to be a dealer. My dream as a teenager was always to have an antique shop between Munich, Paris and New York and to be an antique dealer for furniture and old masters.
From then I studied Art History at the University of Tübingen and after I had completed my PHD it was at this time that I started to ask family and friends if they'd be interested in buying something, such as furniture. I would then do a service for them – I'd go to the two major auction houses in the area, and I'd watch and I'd bid and for this service, I want one percent of the hammer-price, and I actually ended up making quite a bit of money for someone so young! Within two or three years of attending these large auctions, Sotheby's staff saw me and on the last day of the Baden-Baden sale in October 1995, the Managing Director of Sotheby's Germany said to me "well, Philipp, you're on the other side now. Don't you want to work for Sotheby's?" I replied "Don't you want to send me a contract, Christoph?" And that was that. I was absolutely thrilled.
It's an interesting story how you followed your passion for restoring furniture and ultimately ended up working within the realm of dealing. What is it about dealing that you find so enticing?
Dealing is to find something, then to find somebody that wants to have it, then to sell it for more than you bought it for – it's a really simple. Another factor is that an incredible team of experts surrounds you, and you're constantly learning about the art and understanding it, as well as talking to the client. That's something that to this day I still find incredibly interesting. It's not only the expertise that you have and which you can transfer to a collector, but it's rather to actually talk to these people, different people, people that are interested in art at all different levels of wealth and experience. In addition to my love for talking to people, dealing and restoring started off as a hobby of mine that I had always had and to develop this hobby into a career, wow. To work in a field where you can incorporate your hobby into your line of work, that's really amazing.
Dealing is to find something, then to find somebody that wants to have it, then to sell it for more than you bought it for – it's really that simple.
It grew from a real passion of yours rather just a planned or chosen career path.
Exactly. You learn something every day with a new client, and also about the objects. You never stop to learn in this business. Understanding people, understanding situations, understanding how to do a deal in different countries because of course each country is different in how they do business i.e. doing business in Germany is much different than doing business in America or European countries. The variation is really enormous in this job.
Talking about the differences in markets, you've now been with Sotheby's for over two decades and perhaps you could tell me what are the changes you've seen within the art market? Do you see art as becoming more of an investment object or is it becoming more of a luxury item?
As always over the centuries there's been a big change in the pace, and by "change" I mean how people decorate their homes. When I started at Sotheby's it was very popular to have your home full of furniture, silver, glass, porcelain, Old Masters, with some pieces of contemporary art dotted around. Skip to today and more and more contemporary art is taking over. Twenty years ago the contemporary art department at Sotheby's was very small and now it's the most important part of the house. This has seen the decline in sales of art made before the 1900's, and slowly but surely personal taste has taken over. The art market itself is also much faster – back then when you spoke with a client it took time to decide on the purchase but now decisions are made on the spot and always within contemporary and design – the luxury good market.
We've also seen a change in collectors. There used to be a typical collector just collecting furniture, and a collector for silver, another for porcelain, and another for sculpture. Now there are eclectic collectors who have a feeling of "I want to have the best of the best", often-in categories that you traditionally would not have combined together. There has also been a change in how we see furniture – take the commode for example. When I was a child the commode was part of our day-to-day life: you open it and you store things in there. Now, this commode has become decoration piece. People are not collecting it anymore but rather they're seeing it as a piece of art, and for that reason you only want to have one commode in your home not like in the past when your living room was full of commodes! Now it's one standout piece and on top of it a contemporary sculpture and perhaps an Impressionist painting above that.
What do you think contributed to this change in the market and how collectors collect? What role has the Internet had on collectors and how they acquire?
I think it's the speed of communication, the speed of knowing what's happening around the world. What I often see at fairs are people rushing from one fair to the next with the mindset of "what can I buy what can I buy". It's the eagerness to be the first, to buy something, to have the first tier VIP card not the second VIP card. People are buying art at fairs before the fair is even open, which is incredible! There's a far less quiet manner and I'd even go so far as to ask is there a deep interest in the art. We are all reachable every second. If I've got time on a train or a plane, I log on and look what's happening in the art world – you've got the catalogues, the news, the interviews and I think that's the reason why everything is happening so much faster, particularly within the contemporary and modern departments.
That's a big issue I think. Sometimes collectors are rushing for something that they didn't think about properly. In fact I was talking with an important collector about this exact topic recently and I said to him that explained that the collector as an investor is a minute group of people. Yes they do exist and of course are key, but the major group of our clients at Sotheby's are collectors who are passionate about art – the art lovers, the enthusiasts. At Sotheby's we sell emotion. Of course, one collector can spend $450 million on his/her emotions and the other $10,000 on his/her emotions, but at least the piece of art is a great piece of art for the collector. I just bought an artwork in Paris from a Japanese artist who works for months and months on the paintings, from a great gallery for €8000, and to me that's worth the money. The artist is really making something, they're taking the time, whilst another artist in the same gallery, and I'm not saying they're a bad artist, sprayed paint over the canvas and it's worth €50,000. If someone wants to buy that then absolutely fine if they love it, but it's all about personal taste.
For example, my grandparents bought 18th century furniture, which I inherited and eventually sold off. I need to have contemporary art surrounding me. On my desk in my office I have a sculpture from a young Jewish artist, two paintings from German artists, and a piece from a Czech artist who has just left the Städelschule in Frankfurt, which when speaking about investment, this artist is now at Art Basel art fair and the prices are ten times more than what they were then I bought it. Of course when you see prices jumping up afterwards you think that you've invested well, but I'm not talking about investing. I feel like I have a good eye and I'm happy with that, but investing is not my main focus for what I buy.
Now there are eclectic collectors who have a feeling of 'I want to have the best of the best', often-in categories that you traditionally would not have combined together.
You clearly see yourself as more of a passion-based collector than collecting for investment. With this in mind, how important is it for you to live with the artworks from your collection? Do they impact your life on a day-to-day basis?
Well, that's the challenge of being a collector – I think to be a collector means to never stop buying. I have so many artworks in storage, including the Japanese artwork I just mentioned plus two new acquisitions. I try to buy smaller paintings so that at home I can take one paining down and hang the new one up, and my wife and children ask, "What's that?" and then I can have a nice discussion with my children. I would love to hang everything but I just can't.
As a collector, it's this hunting instinct that we as humans are born with. In the past we used to hunt animals, kill them to survive, and then hang their antlers on the wall. Now, it is the same but rather than antlers my trophy, the art, is for me and within my budget. I would love to have a Warhol but I can't afford $40 million or I would love to have a Rothko, but I can't afford it.
Speaking on this topic, I had a client call me the other week who wanted to congratulate me on the sale of Rothko's No. 1 (Royal Red and Blue) which sold in New York for about $75 million, because he explained that he was in fact the first owner of it. He had originally purchased it for $200,000 and then sold it a couple of years later for $400,000, but if he had waited another forty of fifty years he could have sold it for $78 million. Good quality will always make its money. A good piece of art, which is sold today for a world auction record, trust me, probably not in a year but in ten or twenty years will break another world record because good quality will remain. In the real estate business you say "location, location, location" and we say "quality quality quality". Any painting we sell for a world auction record will make another world record again, for example with the Amadeo Modigiliani that sold for $500,000 some years back, then $26 million, and now for over $150 million. Will it sell for $300 million? Yes. Probably not in the next year, but probably five to ten years. That's how quick the market is these days.
So you're essentially saying that because the overall "quality" of these works means that the prices will always increase?
Exactly but it's not always down to the quality. It's also down to the supply and demand – if there are hundreds, or thousands, of editions of the same painting obviously it's not going to rich those sort of prices. But if it really is the only one, the deep desire for the piece is greater. When I started at Sotheby's we had fifty top-end clients, now approaching a four-figure level of top-end clients. The amount of people who are interested in art is much higher, and secondly the growing economy does help people to buy art. If the economy goes well, there's always somebody who will pay more than the last, but what I hope and wish for is that every collector knows something about what they are buying. Sometimes the collectors are as educated, if not better, than the experts because they buy so often. They really become experts in their own right.
Young and emerging collectors seem to have an interest in researching a lot about the artists they're interested in, going to lots of different fairs and in general having a comprehensive overview of what's going on in the area that they're interested in.
That's the new system these days. With the Internet we can see any artwork from any artist that we want. When I visit museums with my children if they ask me about an artwork and I don't know it I just Google it! It's so easy but the disadvantage is as what I mentioned before is the rushing for the next piece. This is why at Sotheby's we are offering the option to sell privately in addition to selling at auctions, as privately sales can be less time consuming whereas selling via auctions secures the best market price.
Sometimes the collectors are as educated, if not better, than the experts because they buy so often. They really become experts in their own right.
Let's now speak about your passion-project, the Young Collectors Club. Can you tell me what it is, how it all began, and what you would like to achieve with it?
It all started when I was with friends of mine who also collect. We were always talking about this artist, that artwork, and of course they were often asking me if they should go ahead with that purchase, and so I started to ask the experts about the artists my friends were interested in, but then I soon said to my friends that I cannot tell them every five seconds if an artist is good or not of if it's expensive or not, because when I buy I buy because I love it. It got me thinking to what I should do so I asked three friends to give me the names of their friends who are interested in art aged from twenty-five to fifty-five, people who already have an art collection, those who want to have an art collection, those who are interested in art, those who will inherit art, because I wanted to bring this group together. I then spoke with all of them to understand if they fit within this group of passionate, nice, funny, great people, who I would connect with artists in the atelier, to collectors both young and mature collectors who understand their interest and passion with collecting, and to special events and special storages such as the Prince of Lichtenstein's Old Masters collection for example.
The meet-ups always take place over two weekends a year, one in the Spring and one in the Autumn and one in Germany and one not. We usually begin at a collector's home and the next day visit the ateliers, see other collections and have a great lunch together. Now the group is 150 people and the meet-ups are always between fifty and seventy guests. This September we will go back to Berlin as it will mark five years since the Young Collectors Club started in Berlin. It's our anniversary in a way and after five years we're all friends and we always look forward to the next event.
Would you say that you're helping to shape their interest and passion about collecting, rather than just looking at art as investment? Do you also advise them on how to buy to invest?
Of course they ask me for my opinion on where they can buy certain pieces, or if I think it is a good investment or the "right price" to which I always respond "the right price is always a question of if you can afford it or not." Experts like myself and others at Sotheby's advise clients on how to build up their collections only within their own budget, and that's something that I love.
In a way you're more of guidance to them rather than an advisor.
Yes exactly that, I guide them.
Do you ever have surprising encounters with the Young Collectors Club? Can you tell us about a circumstance that stands out?
Yes! One story that stands out is the time we went to visit a collector in Baden-Wuerttemberg. We went into a typical German 1960s residential area and in between these houses there was a concrete bunker. I was thinking "oh yes, there's going to be a great contemporary collection in here", but as the five-meter-high steel door opened, you know what we saw behind it? Old Masters. Hung directly on the concrete walls, it was an Old Masters collector who loves to put these works in new contexts. We were astonished and this is exactly what we want to see and why I set up the Young Collectors Club. That day we witnessed a rare specie of collector.
You don't need the art, but yet you do need the art.
This is definitely an aspect of collecting that we find very interesting as well – playing with the expectations, the traditions and mediums. Hopefully we will see more and more young collectors engaging with this juxtaposition more often.
Correct. And again, I try to track down the Zeitgeist and to show them works of art such as a super silver-piece, or a fantastic antique piece, and show them how people are collecting right now. I don't know what's going to happen in thirty years when I'm not at Sotheby's anymore, maybe collectors will only collect in one field, or maybe all acquirements will happen on the internet and we'll only have virtual collections. I don't know where it's going to go but right now the fun part is to find a great piece, to chase it and to make the decision that it's something you need to have. I can't convince someone to buy something or to become a collector. It's a time thing. You have to give people time to buy, and also time to earn money and then to spend the money because collecting art is a pure luxury. You don't need the art, but yet you do need the art.
What about the personal stories behind the collections? Are you interested to share with the Young Collectors Club the stories behind the collections – how they started, where they're going, and even what mistakes were made along the way?
Absolutely. We're working in the secondary market and we're selling art that is second-hand and that's the thing, even collectors are allowed, and do, turnover pages. They stop collecting something but then they find something new that they want to collect just as much, and that's the instinct of collecting. Being rich doesn't make you a collector – there are many incredibly wealthy people around the world who are not collecting. Collecting is a passion that you have to have in your heart. Buying art comes from a gut feeling and from the heart.
Working at Sotheby's for over twenty years obviously means that you have a great knowledge in investment in art and dealing. Do you have any words of advice for young collectors, particularly those that are just starting out?
That's difficult to answer. To tell someone what to buy and what not to buy, to be quite honest that's the job of a gallery. We have to leave everyone with their own tasks – the artists produce great art which the galleries or dealer thinks is good enough to bring to the collectors, and that's the combination. The galleries have to develop the artists, spending lots of money on them. Obviously as a collector, I go to exhibitions at auction houses, galleries and ateliers and I advise friends and collectors about what art I've seen and like, but I would never tell them to buy something. But you know, the more I speak about an artwork and the more passionate I get, collectors and friends probably realize and jump on it straight away anyways! This also happens vice-versa. But providing advice on "who are tomorrow's best artists" is hardly predictable.
Collecting is a passion that you have to have in your heart. Buying art comes from a gut feeling and from the heart.


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Now Confirmed, Tiger Spotted In Gujarat After 3 Decades
State forest minister Ganpatsinh Vasava said on Tuesday that the tiger was caught on cameras set up by the forest department in that area.
All India | Press Trust of India | Updated: February 13, 2019 00:18 IST
The tiger was first photographed by a teacher in Gujarat's Mahisagar district.
Ahmedabad:
The Gujarat government has confirmed the presence of a tiger in the state, days after a man claimed he saw the big cat crossing a road in Mahisagar district.
"It has now been confirmed. A tiger in the age-group of 7 to 8 years has been seen in Mahisagar district," Mr Vasava told reporters in Gandhinagar.
The tiger was last seen in Gujarat in 1989.
Subsequent surveys carried out every four years by the central government showed no presence of tiger in the state, he said.
A local government school teacher had last week claimed that he saw a tiger crossing a road near Boriya village in Mahisagar, around 120 km from here, on February 6.
The teacher clicked the animal''s picture on his mobile phone and shared it with friends on social media platforms.
The photo soon went viral and based on the teacher's claim, the forest department department set up several camera traps in that area.
Mr Vasava said the tiger might have come to Gujarat from any of the neighbouring states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh or Maharashtra, where the striped animals are found.
"The Madhya Pradesh government has said that a tiger has gone missing from Ujjain. It is possible that the tiger seen here can be from any of these neighbouring states which have tigers," the minister stated.
He said the state government will now contact the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), which has the data of tigers across the country, to ascertain where the feline came from.
The Wildlife Institute of India (WII) will also be involved to carry out a survey in the area to find out if this region is conducive for tigers, he said.
"We now agree that there is a tiger in Gujarat. WII will study if the area could be developed for tigers. We are also seeking NTCA''s guidance," he said.
Mr Vasava said it was yet to be ascertained how long and where the lone tiger had been roaming in Gujarat.
"We are yet to ascertain if that area was the tiger's permanent residence or whether it migrated from neighbouring states. It is certain that Gujarat is also a part of tiger's natural corridor," he said.
Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) Akshay Saxena said evidences like pug marks and scats, as well as hair and scratch marks on a tree had to some extent confirmed the tiger's presence in the region.
"Later, camera traps were set up and we have now got visual evidence of a tiger in the area. It is not necessary that we will find the tiger in the same area, so we will continue to keep a watch," he said.
Man Killed By Tiger In Corbett Tiger Reserve
When Hrithik Roshan 'Looked After' Little Tiger On Sets Of Jackie Shroff's Film
Hrithik Roshan Vs Tiger Shroff: War Begins With Epic Twitter Exchange And All Bets Are Off
TigerGujarat tiger


The General Data Protection Regulation emerged after a process of 4 years of debate, negotiations and lobbying in the European Union and is expected to significantly affect the way organizations transact with individuals and make use of their personal data, at a time when information systems and digital business underpin human life.
interworks.cloud has since many months ago introduced the mechanisms and allocated the necessary resources for scrutinizing the requirements, establishing processes and controls to ensure that personal data of both its customers and employees are managed in a way which is compliant to the new regulation.
Most of the key principles of GDPR are quite known as regulation about personal data protection was already in place in the European Union, however the changes ushered by GDPR relate to some new areas and concepts, substantial for businesses to adopt in their operations.
Transparency, which means that companies have an open communication with their customers reference how personal data is collected, processed, stored, retrieved and withdrawn, all that in a way which is understandable and customers have ensured their written consent for.
Data portability, according to which companies must secure that their customers can exercise their free will to transfer their data from one provider to the other without any barriers set by the current provider.
Right to be forgotten, referring to the obligation of the providers to erase any personal data upon a person's request which means complete erasure and no use of any kind of data held by the organization or shared with third parties the former is related to.
Privacy by design, meaning that all necessary technical and organizational measures are taken from the very starting point when designing a new system, to secure the data subjects' privacy rights as underpinned by the regulation.
interworks.cloud have hugely invested in data protection over the years adopting privacy policies and processes which ensure that personal data enjoy a high standard of protection by maintaining the level of respect for fundamental rights; GDPR is approached as just an additional framework for improving the quality and quantity of the data by also avoiding potential duplications.
interworks.cloud is committed to ensuring full compliance to the regulation and every member in the Interworks team is excited about their involvement in this pathway which will have a direct influence on the use of more sophisticated automations and Cloud inventions..!


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Q: ggplot2: How do you control point color with geom_jitter and geom_point? This is related to the question here. However, I'm not trying to make a boxplot, but a scatterplot in ggplot2, but adding the argument geom_jitter() adds black dots which seem to be non-related to my dataset.
Here's an example using the mpg data pack:
This is a simple scatterplot, that looks a bit "too clean"
gmpg<-ggplot(data=mpg, aes(x=hwy, y=cty))
gmpg+geom_point(aes(col=manufacturer))

Which produces this:

Now, if I add the argument jitter, this is what happens
gmpg+geom_point(aes(col=manufacturer))+geom_jitter()

I've tried reducing the alpha etc., but the black dots remain. What on earth are these and how do I remove them?

A: There is no need to assign a new aesthetic mapping in the geom_* functions. This should work:
gmpg <- ggplot(data=mpg, aes(x=hwy, y=cty, col=manufacturer))
gmpg + geom_point() + geom_jitter()

A: There is no need to add geom_point() in it,geom_jitter() is enough.
ggplot(mpg,aes(cty,hwy,color=manufacturer))+geom_jitter();

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Hi! I look forward to reading more of your posts.
Don't be shy - dive in and write something. We won't bite (well not too hard at first!). Feel free to include a photo or two. This site has several ways of including images in posts.


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Sites aren't ready for e-business explosion
Many Web sites are not prepared to handle the anticipated increase in consumer online spending and will have to upgrade their Internet systems to keep up with demand, a new study says.
Jan. 2, 2002 4:43 p.m. PT
E-business is booming, but many Web sites are unprepared to handle the expected increase in the number of online transactions, new research says.
Consumer spending online will increase nearly six times as the number of home Internet shoppers more than doubles, according to IDC's eWorld study released Tuesday. Meanwhile, with most Web sites lacking back-end software systems integration, most companies will have to upgrade their Internet systems to keep up with demand, the study said.
"E-business is alive and well despite the stock market crash and the economic slowdown in the United States," said John Gantz, chief research officer at IDC. "I was impressed by the penetration of e-business even in emerging geographies. There's not any segment that's immune to the Internet."
The study comes as a slew of e-commerce companies have closed their doors or laid off staff in recent months. Meanwhile, several high-profile traditional companies such as broadcast giant NBC and bookseller Borders have pulled the plug on their Internet initiatives.
But according to Gantz and the study, similar brick-and-mortar businesses will help fuel the growth of e-business in the next few years.
According to the study, consumer e-commerce spending will grow from $118 billion worldwide in 2001 to $707 billion in 2005. Meanwhile, the number of home Internet shoppers will increase from 119 million this year to 317 million in 2005. And e-business revenue will grow from 4 percent of companies' total revenue worldwide last year to 7 percent this year, the study estimates.
IDC also projects that the number of people using the Internet worldwide will increase from 400 million in 2000 to 977 million in 2005. With this growth, companies will devote a larger portion of their information technology budgets to Web projects, the study said. Last year, for instance, companies apportioned 16 percent of their IT money to Web initiatives; this year, that figure will grow to 20 percent, IDC projected.
Analyst: B2C sites to double
John Gantz, Chief Research Officer, IDC
But the study also found some significant shortfalls. Consumers who access the Internet via mobile devices will represent 60 percent of the worldwide Internet audience by 2005, according to the study. But just 7 percent of companies worldwide have Web sites that are easy to access via mobile devices, and 19 percent plan to have mobile-friendly Web sites by next year.
Although 75 percent of U.S. companies said it was important to integrate their Web operations with their back-end systems, only 23 percent had tied their Web systems into their order processing systems, and just 14 percent into their supply chain, the study indicated.
"There's an awful lot of work to be done to tie back-end systems to front-end systems and to simply upgrade the Web sites themselves," Gantz said.
Meanwhile, a separate study by Nielsen/NetRatings and Harris Interactive, also released Tuesday, said that nearly half of the U.S. adult population--100.2 million people--has made a purchase online. The Nielsen study also reported that 81.2 percent of U.S. adults with Web access have made a purchase online.


The last few years have seen an explosion of interest in deep learning, but a data scientist new to the field faces an overwhelming array of open source software frameworks to choose from.
James Bradbury makes the case for PyTorch, a brand-new deep learning framework from developers at Facebook AI Research, Twitter Cortex, and Salesforce Research that's intended to be faster, easier, and more flexible than alternatives like TensorFlow. PyTorch is based on the efficient and well-tested Torch backend, but with a Python frontend built from the ground up for intuitive, rapid prototyping of new deep learning models for image, text, and time series data.
James explains the define-by-run approach that makes PyTorch different and outlines examples from the fields of natural language processing and reinforcement learning that demonstrate its power and simplicity. Code will be made available for all examples used in the talk.


This has been big week for telomeres in the news.
The biggest points should not surprise you since I have been writing about them for 10 years!
The first is finally a study that acknowledges that shorter telomeres are associated with a higher cancer risk. One of the news commentaries even uses my trademark phrase "take care of your telomeres.
I was getting so sick of ready high-level scientists pointing out that "cancer" can be associated with longer telomeres and then creating possible reasons why this may be so like the "Mutation Theory of Aging" which says you accumulate DNA mutations because you are getting older and the older you are the more chance for mutations.
While this may be theoretically true, if the telomeres are intact and functioning the way they are supposed to they will abort the cell long before it transforms.
Yes, everyone finally agrees, Take Care of Your Telomeres!
The next involves really bad press for a certain telomere company that will remain unnamed out of respect for the scientists who were/are affiliated with it. This company uses saliva to tell you your age and was ratted out by former employees who pointed to dirty lab conditions, errors, and bad science.
This has not stopped them from a massive internet campaign to sell their test which is by far the cheapest on the market. Sorry but cheap and telomere do not mix!
The reason why both of these news items are related is also really interesting.
I have told you that I don't like the QPCR methods that most American companies use to measure telomeres. Mainly because the way overestimates the role of average telomere length. Normal telomere dynamics do not form a nice bell shape curve.
They are more like a mountain with a quick high spike on the right side and longer slower slope off the left. Off to the left (longer) is where average lengths wind up.
Median lengths (ala Life Length's TAT) are on the peak to the left. There is usually about 2 thousand base pair difference and this leads to people believing and being told they are younger than they are biologically.
It also skews things like cancer cell telomere length off to the right making them "longer" hence the cancer is associated with longer telomeres. Now throw in the fact that cancer also splices telomeres from one chromosome to another and add this to the calculation of average and you have a misleading number.
I find it really hard to believe that a simple guy like me knows this and brilliant award-winning scientists do not.
Take care of your telomeres and if you are going to measure them don't to to cheap it out and bank on inaccurate results!
Your life and your health are too important to leave to chance.
https://realpointmedia.kinsta.com/thelongevityedge/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2017/01/longevityedge.jpg 0 0 Dr. Dave https://realpointmedia.kinsta.com/thelongevityedge/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2017/01/longevityedge.jpg Dr. Dave2018-10-04 22:20:502018-10-04 22:20:50Telomeres in the news!


The Oventrop regulating valve "Cocon Q" is a valve combination consisting of an automatic regulator (nominal value manually adjustable) and a regulating valve.
Thermostatic radiator valves (TRV) are a simple and effective way to locate a thermostat in each room. With the TRV installed, each radiator becomes its own heating zone.
Wall mounted remote control (for radiators, baseboard, floor heating).
Oventrop double regulating and commissioning valves "Hydrocontrol F" are installed in the pipework of central hot water heating and cooling systems and serve to achieve a hydronic balance between the various circuits of the system.
OVENTROP-"Hydrocontrol VTR" Oventrop double regulating and commissioning valves "Hydrocontrol R" are installed in the pipework of central hot water heating and cooling systems and serve to achieve a hydronic balance between the various circuits of the system.


text:
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The MMA-Suffolk Municipal Finance Management Seminar, which launched in March 2019, is held over the course of four and a half Fridays and covers basics such as municipal budgeting, municipal accounting, treasury functions, and property assessment. The second Municipal Finance Management Seminar will be held in November and December of 2019 in New Bedford.
The seminar was developed in response to concerns from local officials about the availability of municipal finance professionals. An MMA statewide survey of cities and towns in 2018 found that more than one-third of communities expect vacancies in key municipal finance positions in the next five years, and just 10 percent of those communities had identified a qualified internal candidate for the position.
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To obtain access, these MMA members can visit www.statehousenews.com, click on the More tab at the top and select MMA New User Sign Up. Those who encounter difficulty signing up may contact Meredith Gabrilska at the MMA at mgabrilska@mma.org.
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The MMA is a state sponsor of OMNIA Partners, Public Sector, a national cooperative purchasing program for state and local governments.
OMNIA is one of the nation's largest repositories of publicly awarded and competitively solicited contracts available for cities and towns. The program saves municipalities time and money through the procurement process due to its large-scale purchasing power. The program has been vetted by Massachusetts officials and is in compliance with the state's Chapter 30B purchasing laws, meaning there is no need to duplicate the procurement process.
The program is co-sponsored by the National League of Cities, the U.S. Conference of Mayors, and other local government-focused entities.
For more information, visit www.omniapartners.com/publicsector.


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Marc Marquez: "My priority was to continue the project with the Repsol Honda team"
Seeing the potential for Marquez's move, the question arises whether Santi Hernandez will follow in the footsteps of the number 93 driver? / GPOne
Marc Marquez has always said on several occasions that his priority was to continue the project with the Repsol Honda team. However, the Spaniard may find a new atmosphere by choosing to move another team in the future.
Marquez was too dominant in the MotoGP arena since he joined the Repsol Honda team in 2013. He won six titles in seven years. That is a proud achievement for the racer nicknamed The Baby Alien.
But will Marquez complete his career as a MotoGP racer on the Honda team? That question always tickles fans, because so far there is no certainty that when Alex Marquez's older brother will move from the team.
Seeing the potential for Marquez's move, the question arises whether Santi Hernandez will follow in the footsteps of the number 93 driver? In an AS Sports interview on Thursday (10/17/2019), Chief Mechanic Marquez claimed he still had no plans related to this.
"It must be discussed with Marc. I am indebted to HRC and Marc, and I will continue to work my best so that Marc is happy," Hernandez said.
"Whatever must happen in the future they must decide, their manager and Honda. I only worry about giving my best to Marc and doing my job well, "Hernandez concluded.
Related TopicsMarc Marquez: "My priority was to continue the project with theRepsol Honda team"
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VGC Day 22 – What Game Were You So Enraptured By That You Beat It Extremely Quickly?
Merry belated Friday guys, this week has been a long one for me, but what wasn't so long was how long it took me to complete the game I'm talking about today!
So this game is arguably what I've been the most hyped for in recent history. Those that have read my Review of Resident Evil 2 will know that I actually pulled my first all-nighter in a really long time for this game, my download finished at 1am and I'd finished Leon's Scenario by 8am. No speedrun time to be sure, but to finish a game in 7 hours is super fast even by my standards.
I love taking my time in video games, exploring crafting and just generally seeing what's what. So for me to blast through this game on my own in the middle of the night was one hell of an experience to say the least.
What games have you guys been totally obsessed by? Let me know in the comments! Cheers for reading!
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