NEW DELHI: There have been protests and a shutdown in Indian-administered Kashmir following a custodial death, as residents warned that local anger over police brutality cannot be contained.
Rizwan Asad Pandit, 29, was declared dead on Tuesday by police after he was picked up late on Sunday night from his home.
His brother, Mubashir, said Rizwan had been taken to an interrogation center known locally as Kashmir's torture camp.
"Police should tell us what the charges against Rizwan are and why he was killed in this manner," Mubashir told Arab News.
"I could not look at the body of my brother when I saw it for the first time after his death. There was a cut on his forehead, his thigh was cut open, his eyes have been gouged out, his vital organs were damaged, it was such a gory sight to see.
Arab News contacted the inspector general of Jammu and Kashmir, S. P. Pani, but he refused to take questions related to Rizwan's death.
India and Pakistan have fought two wars over Kashmir, which they both claim in full but administer in part, and rebels have been fighting Indian rule for decades, demanding that Indian-controlled Kashmir be united either under Pakistani rule or established as an independent country.
According to a report from a rights group, the Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society, 2018 was the deadliest year of the past decade in the Kashmir Valley.
It said a total of 586 people were killed in 2018, of which 160 were civilians. The remaining numbers comprised 267 militants and 159 members of the Indian armed forces and Jammu and Kashmir police.
Nobody was saying what the charges were against Rizwan, he added, or who arrested him. He asked what kind of investigation could be expected when basic information was not being provided.
The valley observed a complete shutdown in response to calls for a strike by the Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL), an alliance of separatist leaders from the area.
There have also been protests since news of the custodial death became public.
Mubashir said that late on Sunday police came to the house and locked family members in one room while separating Rizwan from them. "Then the security personnel seized all our laptops and mobiles and took away Rizwan without telling us what the charges against him were.
Rizwan was one of six siblings and was planning to do a doctorate. He was a principal at a local private college and nurtured ambitions to be a professor.
"When you push the Kashmiris to wall, they will also push you back and react. The anger such kind of brutalities create among Kashmiris cannot be easily contained," Mubashir said.
Dawood Riyaz lost his sight in his left eye following a pellet attack in 2017. He accused the Indian government of being "hell-bent" on destroying the young generation of Kashmiris.
"We are also human. We have the right to dissent. You cannot crush dissent with this level of brutality. Youngsters are really feeling frustrated with the regime in Delhi and its insensitivity," he told Arab News.
Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, a separatist leader and member of the JRL, said Rizwan's death exposed the "helplessness, vulnerability, and insecurity" of Kashmiri lives even as the "impunity of authorities" kept rising.


text:
Q: How to return from a recursive LISP function? I am a new lisp programmer and I am trying to create my first recursive lisp function to return the larger of two lists. Every time I run the function it seems to crash as I guess my base case isn't being met. Here's the code I have.
(defun longest (l1 l2)
  (cond ((null l1) (l2))
        ((null l2) (l1))
        (t (rest l1)
           (rest l2)
           (longest l1 l2))
  )
)

I know this wouldn't work for the case when both lists are the same length, but I just wanted to get something working first. I understand this could also be achieved with a while loop but for the purpose of learning I wanted to use recursion.
Why does this code never terminate?

A: This code never terminates, because you calling longest with the same input data again and again. rest returns all elements of the list except the first one, not modifies the list, originally passed as argument. And also you have other errors:
(defun longest (l1 l2)
  (cond ((null l1) (l2)) ;; <= will give error,
        ((null l2) (l1)) ;;  because there is no such function like l2
        (t (rest l1) ;; <=  result ignored
           (rest l2) ;; <=  result ignored
           (longest l1 l2)))) ;; <= called with the same l1 and l2

Obviously, it'll run until you run out of stack. The right code for expected behavior will be:
(defun longest (l1 l2)
  (cond ((null l1) l2)
        ((null l2) l1)
        (t
         (longest (rest  l1) (rest  l2)))))

And note,that you probably can't get what you expected by this approach, because longest every time will take CDR of lists, so it'll return just rest elements of longest list, so if you call (longest '(1 2 3) '(1 2)) you'll get just '(3), what may not what your expecting.
If you want it really return all longest list, you must modify your code.

A: A useful trick for recursion is to build a local "worker" function that finds the key information.
The result of the worker than then be appropriately "processed" to give the final answer that you need.  This is similar to the way that iteration is often used in imperative languages, but much more flexible.
For example, in your example, a good way to solve this is:
(defun longest (l1 l2)
  (labels ((first-longer (a b)
      (cond ((null a) nil)
            ((null b) t)
            (t (first-longer (rest a) (rest b))))))
    (if (first-longer l1 l2) l1 l2)))

Examples of use:
(longest '(5 6 7 8) '(1 2 3)) --> (5 6 7 8)
(longest '(5 6 7) '(1 2 3 4)) --> (1 2 3 4)
(longest '(5 6 7) '(1 2 3)) --> (1 2 3)

Notice that there is an ambiguity in how equal-length lists should be handled: the last example might as well have returned (5 6 7)

A: In your code you call yourself without altering any of the arguments when none of the base cases hit. The result would be that the default case will always hit on all the following iterations. It seems you think rest somehow mutates it's argument, which it doesn't. It returns a result without changing the original argument. (rest '(1 2 3)) ; ==> (2 3) but (1 2 3) is still (1 2 3) and not (2 3). If you change with (rest x) where x is (1 2 3) the result would still be (2 3) and x will still be (1 2 3).
Here is my take on it:
;; return the longest of two lists
(defun longest (l1 l2)
  (labels ((aux (tl1 tl2)
             (cond ((null tl2) l1)
                   ((null tl1) l2)
                   (t (aux (rest tl1) (rest tl2))))))
    (aux l1 l2)))

You'll always get the first argument if they are of equal size. It's the same as with a stable sort where all elements have the same weight you'll always get the same first value you already had. An alternative to this would be to do return nil when they are of equal length since none are longest.
Simplicity is usually much better. Here is how I would have implemented it:
(defun longest (l1 l2)
  (if (< (length l1)
         (length l2))
      l2
      l1))

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


We arrived at Maberly when the first threats of an autumn storm were beginning to lick at the fallen leaves. Hurrying inside before the rain began to fall, we were immediately enveloped in the house's charm and glamorous intimacy.
We gathered together with Unique Home Stays' friends and owners for an evening of delicious morsels and sweet tipples to celebrate the end of the season at rock´n´roll country home, Pearl´s Place.
Peeking out between the wild rhubarb, The Limit's approach alone gives a sense of wonder, the feeling of being alone, finally, in this busy world of ours. The greatest part? Here there was no sound other than the birds, the sea, the wind whispering across the dunes.


text:
Păiușeni – wieś w Rumunii, w okręgu Arad, w gminie Chisindia. W 2011 roku liczyła 381 mieszkańców.

Przypisy

Wsie w okręgu Arad

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


How much does a Machine Learning Engineer make in Vancouver, BC?
The average salary for a Machine Learning Engineer is $96,446 per year in Vancouver, BC, which meets the national average. Salary estimates are based on 12 salaries submitted anonymously to Indeed by Machine Learning Engineer employees, users, and collected from past and present job advertisements on Indeed in the past 36 months.


Tomato Salad - This salad can be served as a side dish, on toast or in a salad.
Chop the onions really fine. Boil them for approx. 4 minutes.
While they are boiling, cut the tomatoes in quarters, and remove the juicy centre. You can use the centres for tomato soup or throw them away.
Dice tomatoes, just as fine as the onion.
Peel and chop up the garlic.
When the onions are done boiling, put them in a sieve or something comparable to drain the water.
Once onions, tomatoes and garlic are all finely chopped, put all of them in a bowl, and shake/stir.
Add a bit of olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.
This page was last edited on 23 May 2010, at 22:49.


It's been an enjoyable Biennale this year, spread across inner Sydney. My Biennale started in late June with a visit to the AGNSW After After Hours. It's great to see the gallery looking so revitalised; it has opened right out after the the Kaldor bequest renovations.
The highlights for me at AGNSW were textured pieces. Thai artist Nipan Oranniwesna's 'City of Ghost' (2007) was subtle and elegant. The smell of baby powder against the minute detail and scale of the imaginary city was a delight. Colombian Juan Manuel Echavarría's 'Requiem NN' really told the story of the 'No Name' gravesites over time with the lenticular prints (where the image changes depending on the viewing angle): simple and engaging. I'm also drawn to the power of framing variations on a theme in a repeating grid – the lenticular treatment only adds to the effect.
I also enjoyed Binh Danh's chlorophyll prints, where found images pertaining to the Vietnam War are transferred onto living matter. It's a great implementation of the idea of 'traces'. I attended a 'masterclass' with Binh at ACP; more on that in the previous post.
A few days later I dropped into the MCA. Highlights there included Liu Zhouquan's Where are you (2012) and Inkwili (2011) from Nicholas Hlobo.
At Cockatoo Island I found far and away my favourite piece of the Biennale: Hylozoic Series: Sibyl (2012) by Canadian architect Philip Beesley. This was another marvellous textured piece, and one that responded to audience movements, sounds and body heat with shimmers and pulses of its own. In the accompanying video on BOS18, the artist talks about "nearly living systems" and the curiosity they invoke. This was a genuinely uplifting installation: beautiful, optimistic, subtle and sophisticated.
The organisors should be credited with trying to stem the flow of the crowd through the exhibit, as it is far more effective with limited numbers. The difference between my first visit (on a Friday) and my second (the following Sunday) was pronounced though: the higher traffic on the weekend had obviously damaged the work, as the volunteers were unable to stop people, particularly children, roughly pulling and prodding. It was amazing that such a fragile work had held together so well.
A few other great pieces were local artist Jonathan Jones' untitled (oysters and tea cups) in homage to Bennelong, Knock On The Sky Listen To The Sound (2011) from Tiffany Singh, and New Zealander Peter Robinson's Snow Ball Blind Time / Gravitas Lite, which dominated one of the workshop rooms with oversized polystyrene chains. The perfect fit of form and content to setting was almost startling. I'm not sure of title, however. The artist's website contracticts what's on the BOS18 site.
This is a minor criticism overall: the details on the website were obviously provided beforehand, and were in some cases quite out of date. Added to the poor photos of the installations and artworks, bos18.com is a bit of a let down.


Facts & Figures: Enchanted Objects Enchanted Objects Arthurian Legend The following magical objects found in the Arthurian legend are actually too enormous to list here. Free graded readers for extensive reading Are you looking for free graded readers? Are you a learner of English? Do you want to read every day in English?
45 Uses For Lemons That Will Blow Your Socks Off Most people are familiar with the traditional uses for lemons to soothe sore throats and add some citrus flavor to our foods. However the diversity of applications for lemons far exceeds general knowledge and once you read the following list, you'll likely want to stock at least a few lemons in your kitchen 24-7. 1. Top 10 Myths About Evolution - with Downloadable PDF Email If you have been looking for a simple, easy to follow quick guide to evolution… we've got it. Our friends at the Skeptics Society gave us permission to reprint this. Below is the text. Learn it. Share it.
Family tree of the Greek gods Key: The essential Olympians' names are given in bold font. See also List of Greek mythological figures Notes External links Media related to Family trees of Greek mythology at Wikimedia Commons White Dog Once there was a boy who had a friendly white dog named Ghost. Joey and Ghost were best friends. They loved to roam the countryside looking for adventure. They climbed rocks and waded through cool streams. Joey's neighbors all liked Ghost, too. One day, Farmer Green saw the two friends walk by his farm. 10 Easy DIY Employment Opportunities Jeffrey GreenActivist Post My kids are obsessed with watching gamer channels on YouTube. At first I thought these YouTubers must be deadbeat basement dwellers until my kids showed me that they have billions of views.


text:
Toula heißen:

Orte:
 Toula (Burkina Faso), Stadt im Departement Tansila
 Toula (Distrikt Batroun), Dorf im Libanon
 Toula (Distrikt Zgharta), Dorf im Libanon
 Toula (Vavaʻu) in Tonga

Flüsse:
 Toula (Bismarcksee) in der Milne Bay Province von Papua-Neuguinea
 Toula, zum Flusssystem Niger gehörender Fluss im Departement Bogou von Benin
 Toula, indirekter Zufluss des Cavally-Zuflusses Hana im Distrikt Bas-Sassandra der Elfenbeinküste

Personen:
 Franz Toula (1845–1920), österreichischer Paläontologe und Geologe

Siehe auch:
 Tula (Begriffsklärung)


text:
Tigran Khachatryan
Published in Towards Data Science
·Sep 16, 2020
Finnish Architectural Landscape: A Statistical Cross Section
How Much Money Do Architectural Offices Make?
In this article, you can find a statistical cross-section of the Finnish architectural landscape. As the title suggests, this article is not going to look into the architectural qualities of different offices instead it's going to use financial data and descriptive statistics to sense the architectural market in Finland.
What's the point of using financial data? The economy as a social science is essentially concerned with how people interact with things of value. Knowing how much people are willing to pay for a particular service quite often (though not always) can give an approximate hint about the value it provides to society. Additionally, Financial information is always meticulously collected and stored for management and taxation purposes. Since every office collects and stores financial data in a similar manner, we have a common metrics to compare otherwise very different organizations. Luckily for us, this information is openly available in Finland. With the use of some basic descriptive statistics, we can now analyze the information in the field and hopefully gain some useful insights. …
Read more in Towards Data Science · 10 min read
Published in UX Collective
Architectural reading list: Digital architecture basics
The previous reading list suggested that architecture is a body of knowledge concerned with the synthesis of orderly structures. The computational paradigm shift that occurred in the second half of the nineteenth century vastly extended the boundaries of architectural knowledge. Today computational thinking offers a new perspective on the most critical aspects of architecture as a discipline. The fundamental concepts which underline computational theory expose form as a subsidiary component of the environment, and the environment as a complex web of energies in a dynamic exchange of both regeneration and degeneration (information). The emergence of this perspective has come at the confluence of different modes of thinking, in alignment with various scientific, technological, and cultural advancements spanning several decades. …
Read more in UX Collective · 10 min read
Architectural readings list: Basics
Architecture is not about buildings. Architecture is primarily a body of knowledge concerned with the synthesis of orderly structures. Considering the large time span over which this knowledge was accumulated, it is apparent that a single person can no longer have the mental capacity or the life span to familiarize himself with all the outstanding information. However, a brief selection of texts can give a very general outline and capture the significant ideas that shaped the history of architectural discourse. What follows is a reading list targeted at someone starting their studies in the field of architecture.
Architectural movements in this article are presented in separate paragraphs in a linear chronological sequence. However, it is important to remember that all movements are highly interconnected and often emerge as a reaction to one another. This is beautifully illustrated in the diagram by Charles Jencks in "Architecture 2000: Predictions and Methods". …
Read more · 13 min read
Architectural Context: Index
"Architectural Context" series is a collection of bite-sized texts reflecting on the developments in our understanding of architectural context throughout the 20th century. The purpose of these articles is not to create an all-encompassing overview. Instead, the careful reader is expected to retrieve the underlying thesis by reading these texts in a parallax view.
Atlas of Concepts
Simplified interactive diagram illustrating the concepts mentioned in the texts.
Architectural Context Part 1: Order
Architectural Context Part 2: Perception
Architectural Context Part 3: Camillo Sitte
Architectural Context Part 4: Aldo Rossi
Architectural Context Part 5: Colin Rowe & Fred Koetter
Architectural Context Part 6: Robert Venturi, Denise Scott…
Architectural Context Part 10: Greg Lynn & Stan Allen
Architectural Context Part 9: Physical Context
The Digital Turn
There were several influences that collectively contributed to the emergence of the digital paradigm in architecture. One of those influences was the form of response to the fragmentation and fracture of postmodern collage systems and a movement towards continuity and the pursuit of fundamentally different part-to-whole relationships within architecture.
The conceptual basis for this continuity was found in Gilles Deleuze's conceptual philosophy and in Rene Thom's catastrophe diagrams (Figure Below).
Gilles Deleuze, The Baroque House. From Gilles Deleuze, Felix Guattari, A Thousand Plateaus: Capitalism and Schizophrenia (Minneapolis: The University of Minnesota Press, 2005), 5.
Architectural Context Part 9: Physical Context, Summary
Architectural Context Part 8: Peter Eisenman
All case studies presented earlier although might seem distinct share series of fundamental properties. These theories about the city are striving to discover or induce a category of order. They are intellectual constructs attempting to "measure" and describe the complex relationships occurring within the city, rendering the ambiguous relationships between architectural context and architectural form more precise. All mentioned theories employ the figure-ground principle with various degrees of abstraction, where ground and figure no longer refer to merely visual domain but rather imply an understanding of ground as an abstract substance from which a figure entity emerges. …
Architectural Context Part 7: Rem Koolhaas
In his work "The Formal Basis of Modern Architecture" Peter Eisenman attempted to create an alternative reading of architectural form.¹ He defined architecture as the giving of form to intent, function, structure, and technics and argued that the concept of architectural form had been commonly oscillating in the discipline without explicit attempts to define its precise conceptual meaning. Thus, he proposed a formal language where generic architectural form could be defined through its four essential properties volume, mass, surface, and movement.²
Diagram illustrating the concept of volume. From Peter Eisenman, The Formal Basis of Modern Architecture (London: Lars Mueller Publishrs, 2006), 58.
Eisenman argued that the concept of volume is a more precise and vibrant alternative to the vague notion of space. The essential difference between the terms is that the volume can operate in a dynamic manner. It can be thought of as a particularized contained space that can exert pressure and at the same time resist external pressure exerted upon it.³ The dynamic state of the volume is caused by the necessity to resist the internal and external contextual forces acting on it. Furthermore, he defined architecture as a three-dimensional system of volumes expanding in time and space that is subjected to different external and internal forces resulting in distortions and deformations of the overall system. Moreover, Eisenman suggests that the concept of movement is essential for fully understanding this new definition of volume since architecture is the only plastic art that is comprehended both internally and externally. ⁴ He argues that movement can be conceptualized as a geometric vector described by its approximate size, intensity, and direction. Thus, vectors act as a notational measuring tool that can express not only a location in space but also intensity and direction.⁵ Vectoral description of movement allows to think of it as a morphing force exerted upon the body of volume that modifies the equilibrium of the formal system under the examination. Within this framework, traditional compositional axes can be interpreted as neutral vectors that can be used to define the position of an object in a neutral Cartesian space but have no morphing effects on the form of the object. Eisenman applied his newly developed formal vocabulary onto the work of Le Corbusier, Alvar Aalto, Giuseppe Terragni and Frank Lloyd Wright to show that highlighted building can be viewed as architectural systems containing inherent formal logic to a certain extent independent from aesthetic functional or metaphysical considerations. …
Architectural Context Part 6: Robert Venturi
In 1853 New York's world fair showcased the recent technological inventions. Among the exhibits was the elevator invention that would ultimately shape the face of the city for the following decades. In the age of staircases, all the floors above second were considered unfit for any commercial activities and floors above the fifth to an extent uninhabitable.¹ The invention of the elevator allowed to reintroduce these floors to the urban setting creating the typology of a skyscraper. The influence that technological invention of the elevator had on the City of New York is well articulated in Rem Koolhaas's book "Delirious New York. …
Architectural Context Part 6: Robert Venturi, Denise Scott Brown & Steven Izenour
In their book "Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture" Venturi and Scott Brown argue that the main role of an architect is the creation of orderly wholes through the use of conventional parts and with occasional introduction of new parts. Furthermore, similar to Picasso's "Bulls Head" example he argues, that it is possible to create new meanings through an unconventional organization of parts within the whole.¹ Venturi writes:
Gestalt psychology maintains that context contributes meaning to a part and change in context causes a change in meaning. The architect thereby, through the organization of parts, creates meaningful contexts for them within the whole. Through the unconventional organization of conventional parts, he is able to create new meanings within the whole. If he uses convention unconventionally, if he organizes familiar things in an unfamiliar way, he is changing their contexts, and he can use even the cliché to gain a fresh effect. …
It is important to note that Rossi's work was vital for the architectural discourse at the time since in the second half of the twentieth century the concept of the city was undergoing continues redefinition. The reason for this active rethinking of the city was the post-war environment. As Rossi highlighted the cities can be read as an expression of collective will together with social values and are a result of a sequence of political choices. These political choices shape not only the city but also the life of those inhabiting the city. Post-war world was in the search for the new model for living, and the city was considered to be the means for generating it. …
Researcher and Ph.D. Candidate at Aalto University. My research interests include Architecture, Mathematics, Geometry, Information Theory, and Computer Science

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The Land Transport Authority announced that they will be issuing fewer Certificates of Entitlement (COEs) from November 2016 to January 2017. The total quota for next 3 months is 24,234.
Slightly fewer COEs to be issued in the coming months will mean the COEs prices will rise by few percentage. If you are looking to own a car but have a tight budget, we suggest to buy a used car for now. Pricing for used cars will remain fairly stable despite fewer new COEs to be issued.
Check out www.usedcarloan.com.sg and find out how we can help you save money on your used car loan.


text:
(-) Remove Processes filter Processes
Quickening, the point at which a pregnant woman can first feel the movements of the growing embryo or fetus, has long been considered a pivotal moment in pregnancy. Over time, this experience has been used in a variety of contexts, ranging from representing the point of ensoulment to determining whether an abortion was legal to indicating the gender of the unborn baby; philosophy, theology, and law all address the idea of quickening in detail. Beginning with Aristotle, quickening divided the developmental stages of embryo and fetus.
Subject: Processes, Ethics, Reproduction
Chemical Induction
Research in chemical induction seeks to identify the compound or compounds responsible for differentiation in a developing embryo. Soren Lovtrup compared the search for these compounds to the search for the philosopher's stone. It was based on the assumption that the differentiating agents have to be chemical substances either within cells or in the extracellular matrix.
Test-Tube Baby
A test-tube baby is the product of a successful human reproduction that results from methods beyond sexual intercourse between a man and a woman and instead utilizes medical intervention that manipulates both the egg and sperm cells for successful fertilization. The term was originally used to refer to the babies born from the earliest applications of artificial insemination and has now been expanded to refer to children born through the use of in vitro fertilization, the practice of fertilizing an embryo outside of a woman's body.
Abortion is the removal of the embryo or fetus from the womb, before birth can occur-either naturally or by induced labor. Prenatal development occurs in three stages: the zygote, or fertilized egg; the embryo, from post-conception to eight weeks; and the fetus, from eight weeks after conception until the baby is born. After abortion, the infant does not and cannot live. Spontaneous abortion is the loss of the infant naturally or accidentally, without the will of the mother. It is more commonly referred to as miscarriage.
According to the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), the standard American source on stem cell research, three characteristics of stem cells differentiate them from other cell types: (1) they are unspecialized cells that (2) divide for long periods, renewing themselves and (3) can give rise to specialized cells, such as muscle and skin cells, under particular physiological and experimental conditions. When allowed to grow in particular environments, stem cells divide many times. This ability to proliferate can yield millions of stem cells over several months.
Sex Determination in Humans
In humans, sex determination is the process that determines the biological sex of an offspring and, as a result, the sexual characteristics that they will develop. Humans typically develop as either male or female, depending on the combination of sex chromosomes that they inherit from their parents. The human sex chromosomes, called X and Y, are structures in human cells made up of tightly bound deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA, and proteins.
Mesoderm is one of the three germ layers, groups of cells that interact early during the embryonic life of animals and from which organs and tissues form. As organs form, a process called organogenesis, mesoderm interacts with endoderm and ectoderm to give rise to the digestive tract, the heart and skeletal muscles, red blood cells, and the tubules of the kidneys, as well as a type of connective tissue called mesenchyme. All animals that have only one plane of symmetry through the body, called bilateral symmetry, form three germ layers.
Regeneration is a fascinating phenomenon. The fact that many organisms have the capacity to regenerate lost parts and even remake complete copies of themselves is difficult to fathom; so difficult, in fact, that for a very long time people were reluctant to believe regeneration actually took place. It seemed unbelievable that some organisms could re-grow lost limbs, organs, and other body parts. If only we could do the same!
Leonardo da Vinci's Embryological Drawings of the Fetus
Leonardo da Vinci's embryological drawings of the fetus in the womb and his accompanying observational annotations are found in the third volume of his private notebooks. The drawings of Leonardo's embryological studies were conducted between the years 1510-1512 and were drawn with black and red chalk with some pen and ink wash on paper. These groundbreaking illustrations of the fetus reveal his advanced understanding of human development and demonstrate his role in the vanguard of embryology during the Renaissance.
Ectoderm
Ectoderm is one of three germ layers--groups of cells that coalesce early during the embryonic life of all animals except maybe sponges, and from which organs and tissues form. As an embryo develops, a single fertilized cell progresses through multiple rounds of cell division. Eventually, the clump of cells goes through a stage called gastrulation, during which the embryo reorganizes itself into the three germ layers: endoderm, ectoderm, and mesoderm. After gastrulation, the embryo goes through a process called neurulation, which starts the development of nervous system.
Bicoid
Bicoid is the protein product of a maternal-effect gene unique to flies of the genus Drosophila . In 1988 Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard identified bicoid as the first known morphogen . A morphogen is a molecule that determines the fate and phenotype of a group of cells through a concentration gradient across that developing region. The bicoid gradient, which extends across the anterior-posterior axis of Drosophila embryos, organizes the head and thorax.
"The Prophylactic Forceps Operation" (1920), by Joseph Bolivar DeLee
In 1920, Joseph Bolivar DeLee published the article, "The Prophylactic Forceps Operation," in which he describes how physicians can manually remove a neonate from a laboring woman's vagina with the use of sedating drugs and forceps. The procedure, according to DeLee, resulted in decreased rates of complications and mortality for both the woman and neonate. DeLee claimed the procedure could reduce damage to the woman such as prolapse, or when internal pelvic organs push down and sometimes protrude from the vagina, and fatal infant brain bleeding.
Subject: Publications, Processes
Endoderm
Endoderm is one of the germ layers-- aggregates of cells that organize early during embryonic life and from which all organs and tissues develop. All animals, with the exception of sponges, form either two or three germ layers through a process known as gastrulation. During gastrulation, a ball of cells transforms into a two-layered embryo made of an inner layer of endoderm and an outer layer of ectoderm. In more complex organisms, like vertebrates, these two primary germ layers interact to give rise to a third germ layer, called mesoderm.
"All-fours Maneuver for Reducing Shoulder Dystocia During Labor" (1999), by Joseph P. Bruner, Susan B. Drummond, Anna L. Meenan, and Ina May Gaskin
In 1999, Joseph Bruner, Susan B. Drummond, Anna L. Meenan, and Ina May Gaskin published, "All-fours Maneuver for Reducing Shoulder Dystocia During Labor," in the medical journal, Obstetrical and Gynecological Survey. In the article, the authors described a birthing technique named the all-fours maneuver, or the Gaskin maneuver, and explained its effectiveness in treating fetal shoulder dystocia as compared to other maneuvers.
Mechanistic Realization of the Turtle Shell
Turtle morphology is unlike that of any other vertebrate. The uniqueness of the turtle's bodyplan is attributed to the manner in which the turtle's ribs are ensnared within its hard upper shell. The exact embryological and genetic mechanisms underpinning this peculiar anatomical structure are still a matter of debate, but biologists agree that the evolution of the turtle shell lies in the embryonic development of the turtle.
Amniocentesis Prior to 1980
The extraembryonic membranes that surround and originate from the embryos of vertebrates such as birds, reptiles, and mammals are crucial to their development. They are integral to increasing the surface area of the uterus, forming the chorion (which in turn produces the placenta) and the amnion, respectively. The amnion will ultimately surround the embryo in a fluid-filled amniotic cavity. This amniotic fluid, which cushions and protects the fetus and helps prevent the onset of labor, is sampled in amniocentesis to screen for genetic diseases.
Subject: Processes, Reproduction
Rh incompatibility occurs when a pregnant woman whose blood type is Rh-negative is exposed to Rh-positive blood from her fetus, leading to the mother s development of Rh antibodies. These antibodies have the potential to cross the placenta and attach to fetal red blood cells, resulting in hemolysis, or destruction of the fetus 's red blood cells. This causes the fetus to become anemic, which can lead to hemolytic disease of the newborn. In severe cases, an intrauterine blood transfusion for the fetus may be required to correct the anemia.
Subject: Processes, Disorders, Reproduction
Multi-Fetal Pregnancy
In humans, multi-fetal pregnancy occurs when a mother carries more than one fetus during the pregnancy. The most common multi-fetal pregnancy is twins, but mothers have given birth to up to eight children (octuplets) from a single pregnancy. Multiple fetusus can result from the release of multiple eggs or multiple ovulations, the splitting of a single fertilized egg, and fertility treatments such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) which involves the insertion of many fertilized eggs into the mother's uterus.
The French Flag Model
The French flag model represents how embryonic cells receive and respond to genetic information and subsequently differentiate into patterns. Created by Lewis Wolpert in the late 1960s, the model uses the French tricolor flag as visual representation to explain how embryonic cells can interpret genetic code to create the same pattern even when certain pieces of the embryo are removed. Wolpert's model has provided crucial theoretical framework for investigating universal mechanisms of pattern formation during development.
Subject: Processes, Theories
Epithelium
Frederik Ruysch, working in the Netherlands, introduced the term epithelia in the third volume of his Thesaurus Anatomicus in 1703. Ruysch created the term from the Greek epi, which means on top of, and thele, which means nipple, to describe the type of tissue he found when dissecting the lip of a cadaver. In the mid nineteenth century, anatomist Albrecht von Haller adopted the word epithelium, designating Ruysch's original terminology as the plural version. In modern science, epithelium is a type of animal tissue in which cells are packed into neatly arranged sheets.
Intraspecies Chimeras Produced in Laboratory Settings (1960-1975)
When cells-but not DNA-from two or more genetically distinct individuals combine to form a new individual, the result is called a chimera. Though chimeras occasionally occur in nature, scientists have produced chimeras in a laboratory setting since the 1960s. During the creation of a chimera, the DNA molecules do not exchange genetic material (recombine), unlike in sexual reproduction or in hybrid organisms, which result from genetic material exchanged between two different species. A chimera instead contains discrete cell populations with two unique sets of parental genes.
Fetal Programming
Fetal programming, or prenatal programming, is a concept that suggests certain events occurring during critical points of pregnancy may cause permanent effects on the fetus and the infant long after birth. The concept of fetal programming stemmed from the fetal origins hypothesis, also known as Barker's hypothesis, that David Barker proposed in 1995 at the University of Southampton in Southampton, England.
Subject: Processes, Theories, Reproduction
The Notch Signaling Pathway in Embryogenesis
The Notch signaling pathway is a mechanism in animals by which adjacent cells communicate with each other, conveying spatial information and genetic instructions for the animal's development. All multicellular animals utilize Notch signaling, which contributes to the formation, growth, and development of embryos (embryogenesis). Notch signaling also contributes to the differentiation of embryonic cells into various types of cells into various types of cells, such as neurons.
The Role of the Notch Signaling Pathway in Myogenesis
Among other functions, the Notch signaling pathway forestalls the process of myogenesis in animals. The Notch signaling pathway is a pathway in animals by which two adjacent cells within an organism use a protein named Notch to mechanically interact with each other. Myogenesis is the formation of muscle that occurs throughout an animal's development, from embryo to the end of life. The cellular precursors of skeletal muscle originate in somites that form along the dorsal side of the organism.


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Home » MEDIA RELEASES » You are reading »
Sachira De Silva ITB2019-03-19T05:50:34+00:00 MEDIA RELEASES
Ministry of Tourism Development, Wildlife & Christian Religious Affairs
'So Sri Lanka' takes global media by storm!
Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) consolidated its 'So Sri Lanka' brand idea at the 52nd ITB in Berlin by rolling out the next phase of its strategic brand identity.
SLTPB presented a captivating documentary film to the global media at the ITB press conference held on 7th of March as the digital film launched across the UK, Germany, France, India and China supported by an innovative, well executed, digitally led PR strategy. Over 80 journalists including leading media houses such as DPA (Deutsche Presseagentur – Germany´s leading newswire agency), Die Welt (national newspaper), N24 news station attended the press conference.
Speaking at the press conference Minister for Tourism, Wildlife and Christian Religious Affairs, John Amaratunga said "Sri Lanka is an evolving tourist market. In the last 10 years, Sri Lanka has seen a steady growth in arrivals and investments. Based on qualitative research findings on inbound tourists for the last three years, the most endearing feature of Sri Lanka as a destination brand is its authenticity. This authenticity is an attribute that is alive in our heritage, in our cuisine, in our landscape, in our architecture, in our culture and mostly in our people, we are inviting the world to experience 'So warm and welcoming' Sri Lanka!"
SLTPB Chairman, Kishu Gomes, added: "Sri Lanka is like nowhere else in the world. We wanted to visualise what travellers can do, see and feel when they visit Sri Lanka in a way that is as unique as our country – which is why we wanted to tell our story from the viewpoint of our amazing wildlife. Sri Lanka is one of the best Safari destinations outside of Africa, and we also have many other pleasures for visitors to discover; our beaches that have sunshine all year round, our warm and welcoming people, and our food is abundantly flavourful. Sri Lanka must be felt to be believed, and we welcome all travellers to our country for an experience like no other."
Gomes further stated that 'Sri Lanka tourism has a vision to become the preferred destination brand of choice among global travellers. We are developing a strategically powerful amplifier brand that will support a very aggressive and ambitious marketing agenda. We are unlocking the untold power of brand Sri Lanka and empowering the global traveller to create the narrative with us – the amplifier effect of #sosrilanka is already evident and this is exactly what we need to navigate the challenges of a digital first world."
"The brand 'So Sri Lanka' is focused on elevating Sri Lanka's destination brand to include all its diverse offerings and unique attributes. 'So Sri Lanka' goes beyond being a place descriptor and embodies the vibrant qualities that inspire us about Sri Lanka. It is an expression that is easy to use by locals and travellers of diverse origins, be it a first time traveler from China or the 4th time return guest from the UK, a couple from India looking for a destination wedding, a family from Germany or a French millennial," explained CEO, J Walter Thompson, Ms Alyna Haji Omar.
"The objective of the brand 'So Sri Lanka' is to inspire us to proudly own our finer qualities while at the same time be open enough to continuously work on improvements. We have moved away from investing in a passive identity and we are seeking a dialogue with our socially active digital first travellers. 'So Sri Lanka' is one expression with many attitudes, feelings and emotions. We are so diverse, we are so epic, we are so resilient, we are so natural, we are so colourful, we are so magical and we are rightly 'So Sri Lanka'," Omar elaborated.
« WAR ON DRUGS GATHERS IMPETUS
FANTA TO COLOUR AVURUDU SEASON »


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Astro-Porn of the Day: The asteroid that zinged past us yesterday has a moon!
Did you know that lots of asteroids have moons? Check it out:
Scientists working with NASA's 230-foot-wide (70-meter) Deep Space Network antenna at Goldstone, California, have released the first radar images of asteroid 2004 BL86. (These are also the folks responsible for the New Horizons mission to Pluto, which arrives soon!)
The resolution on the radar images is 13 feet (4 meters) per pixel. It made its closest approach yesterday (January 26, 2015, 10:19 am Central time) just 745,000 miles (1.2 million kilometers) from us, about 3.1 times the distance as far away as the Moon.
Best part? The images reveal that asteroid 2004 BL86 has its own small moon.
The asteroid is approximately 1,100 feet (325 meters) across and has a small moon approximately 230 feet (70 meters) across. In the near-Earth-object (NEO) population, about 16 percent of asteroids larger than 650 feet (200 meters) or larger have one - or even two! - small moons orbiting them.
The trajectory of the asteroid is well understood. Monday's flyby was the closest approach the asteroid will make to Earth for at least the next two centuries. It is also the closest a known asteroid this size will come to Earth until asteroid 1999 AN10 flies past our planet in 2027.</p>
Asteroid 2004 BL86 was discovered on Jan. 30, 2004, by the Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research (LINEAR) survey in White Sands, New Mexico.
NASA places a high priority on tracking asteroids and protecting our home planet from them, the most robust and productive survey and detection program for discovering NEOs in the world. NASA partners with government agencies, university-based astronomers, space science institutes across the country, and amateur astronomers, plus international space agencies and institutions working to track and better understand these objects. (I helped with the NEO search, too, back in the mid-1990s, as part of the Hobbs Observatory mission. That was frakkin' cool, except the part where I had to use an Apple II to run the telescope.)
Snips from a couple of amateur vids:
This tiny little world has a moon of its own! Space exploration is awesome.
Speaking of, The Galactic Adventures of Jack & Stella progress:
Tags: adventures of jack and stella, astronomy, nasa


How often do we come across a decathlete who handles his stick pretty well? We push the brakes on featuring rugby studs and focus on this hot piece of sports meat, decathlete Trey Hardee. Hardee has been bagging World Championship gold medals and has recently won silver in the heptathlon at indoor championships in Doha. However, it was just recent when he had a surgery from suffering an elbow injury. He is now getting his groove back for the London 2012 Olympics. Something to look forward to in the field for the new year! More photos and videos of naked athletes here.


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Psychological Harm Caused by Alcohol Abuse
Alcohol abuse doesn't just lead to the physical dangers that many are well versed on, but it can also lead to many psychological dangers that are just as frightening, if not more so. Bankole Johnson knows the psychological dangers of alcohol addiction all too well.
He currently heads the psychiatry department at the University of Maryland Medical Center.
These types of dangers can lead to actual physical problems as well, so it's best to identify what they are and avoid them to ensure that you have a bright future laid out ahead of you. So what are these psychological dangers?
Every emotion you have is exaggerated
Sure, there are people that act out happily and show affection when they drink, but it can be to the point where it is too much to bear and makes for awkward situations. Every emotion you feel at the time of drinking is blown up like a picture into a poster.
People that decide to drink when they are angry are more likely to lash out in violent behavior once they have abused alcohol. If you are feeling down or depressed, drinking is only going to make it that much worse and can lead to an emotional breakdown.
It's normal to have emotions, it is what makes us human. Unless you want those emotions on display for everyone to see, though, then drinking would be a bad idea.
Addiction is a psychological danger
When you become addicted to alcohol, it can be all you think about. How to get your next drink seems more important than remembering birthdays, going to work or going out for a jog. That type of crippling thinking and feeling is addiction.
When nothing else seems as important to you as opening the next bottle, it's a serious problem. Many associate addiction as physically ailing for a substance, but it is just as much psychological.
Judgment impairment can be dangerous
People are more daring after a few drinks, but not always in a good way. There is a large difference between the person that has one drink with dinner and the person that can put away an entire case.
The worst decision of the night for the person that had just the one drink with food might be a dessert that doesn't set well. The other person though opens themselves up to a multitude of possibly devastating decisions.
Whether you decide to drive your car, pick a fight with someone at the bar or any other dangerous decision, it can be fatal. Alcohol abuse and impaired judgment go hand in hand, and the consequences are never good.
Long term effects
The person that goes over their limit a bit just once and the person that does it with regularity will both face short term effects, but the latter is much more likely to experience the long term psychological effects.
The list of long term effects is not pretty to look at, either. Depression, loss of relationships with others and alcohol dependence are all crippling psychological dangers.
The more you abuse alcohol, the more likely that these types of dangers are to come to fruition. That sounds like a list of problems that anyone would want to avoid.
Alcohol is a depressant, so it is known to cause erratic mood swings. It is also known that physical violence is tops on the list of something you can do to someone. Loved ones, friends, complete strangers, anyone.
This isn't limited to just typical physical violence as well, but sexual violence. The person that abuses alcohol is more likely to lash out with these types of behaviors, which is a frightening thought.
The above entry is a guest blog entry.
Plastic Surgery: MedFriendly's Newest Entry
On 9/17/13, MedFriendly, LLC, published a comprehensive online review on plastic surgery. Plastic surgery is a medical specialty that fixes the form and function of some part of the body involving the skin. Detailed information is provided on various plastic surgery techniques, the history of plastic surgery, and the shocking case of Hang Mioku.
The plastic surgery entry is the latest in hundreds of easy to understand entries available for free at MedFriendly.com. All entries on MedFriendly are written in an easy to understand format, with all complex terms defined within the same entry. This prevents the reader from needing to do extra research to understand what the writer is trying to convey. All entries are written on a single page, exposing the reader to fewer ads. Please share this link with others, bookmark MedFriendly and the MedFriendly Blog, and follow us on the MedFriendly Facebook and Twitter pages.
Egg Donor Agencies: Options After Ovary Removal
In 2013, Angelina Jolie announced that she's had a double mastectomy as a preventative measure, based on the results of the BRAC Analysis test. Ms. Jolie's decision not only put the BRCA1 gene, and the BRAC Analysis test, in the spotlight; it also opened a dialogue about other forms of preventative surgery.
In fact, Ms. Jolie, who has a strong family history of breast cancer and ovarian cancer, is even considering having her ovaries removed as a preventative measure.
Removing the Ovaries
Removing the ovaries, or an oophorectomy, is not a new procedure in the prevention and treatment of cancer. The ovaries produce estrogen and other female hormones, and certain types of breast cancer are highly reactive to estrogen. In women who have these types of breast cancer, the oophorectomy is often used as a means of slowing down the growth and spread of the cancerous cells.
In women who do not have breast cancer, but have the BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations, removing the ovaries not only prevents the onset of ovarian cancer, it could prevent the onset of certain types of breast cancer.
The doctor could remove the ovaries and the fallopian tubes—the tubes that carry the eggs to the uterus--but leave the uterus intact. Or, he could remove the uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries in what is called a total hysterectomy.
Oophorectomy Considerations
Unfortunately, once you remove your ovaries, you can no longer have children. Not only will you no longer produce eggs, you won't produce all of the hormones you need to support a pregnancy. If you have already had all the children you want, that might not be an issue; but for a woman, of child-bearing age, who has never had children, removing the ovaries closes that door forever.
Luckily, thanks to advances in egg collection and storage, as well as hormone replacement therapy, a woman who needs to have an oophorectomy could still have children. Her two best options for having children after the oophorectomy are donor eggs and fertility preservation.
Organizations like My Egg Bank act as egg donor agencies and fertility preservation centers.
Egg Donor Agencies
As egg donor agencies, these organizations harvest eggs from healthy donors. The agencies thoroughly screen the donors, including genetic counseling, family health histories, and testing for genetic diseases.
Once the donor clears the screening, the agency then has the donor take a series of medications designed to stimulate egg production, then harvests and freezes the eggs for future use.
The recipient would receive the eggs by applying to the donor agency to become a patient. After the application process, the bank will provide the recipient with basic information about the donor eggs that are available. This information includes genetic and race information about the donor, and even photos of the donor from early childhood.
The photos give the recipient an idea of what the donor, and by extension the child, might look like without compromising the identity of the donor. This way, the recipient can choose a donor who closely resembles herself, so that the child will be more likely to share similar traits with her family.
If the recipient has a uterus, and the hormones necessary to support a pregnancy, she could opt to have the eggs fertilized by her partner and implanted into her own uterus. If she does not have a uterus, or does not have the hormonal support, she would use a surrogate to carry the fetus.
Fertility Preservation Centers
As a fertility preservation center, the agency would collect the eggs from the recipient before she undergoes an oophorectomy. As with the egg donors, the recipient might need to take medication to stimulate egg production. However, if she has a hormone-sensitive breast cancer, the agency may opt to avoid using hormone-based medications and simply collect whatever eggs they can without them.
Chemotherapy and radiation therapy can damage the ovaries. In the case of the preexisting cancer, the agency would also need to harvest the eggs before the patient begins treatment, or as soon as possible after.
Once the agency has harvested the eggs, they freeze the eggs and store them until the recipient is ready to use them.
The cost varies by facility, and depends on a variety of factors. In-vitro fertilization (IVF) with a donor egg could cost as much as $25,000, not including the cost of medications. It could cost as much as $500 per year to store an egg in an egg bank. Some egg storage facilities, like My Egg Bank, require a non-refundable deposit, and offer financing for the remainder of the cost.
If you are faced with the decision to have an oophorectomy, either as a preventative measure or to treat an existing condition--and you want to have children in the future--IVF with donor eggs, and fertility preservation could be well worth the cost.
Does Your Child Need Braces? 3 Ways To Find Out
Determining that your child needs braces or can do without them can be difficult. Children commonly develop teeth at varying rates and primary teeth don't always help in locating the adult teeth.
A report shows that around 3 million in Canada and U.S. wear braces. While there's no exact period for when the child may require braces, there are some ways that indicate the time is near.
Identifying the need for braces
1. Bad/incorrect bites
Ask your child if he/she has any difficulty in chewing. You can also check for cavities as they are also a sign of bad bites. Some types of bad bites include deep overbite, underbite and open bite.
You can start by comparing the position of upper front teeth to the lower teeth. If the front teeth overlap the lower, it is a sign of a deep overbite. Another indication is that the upper teeth's biting edges will be touching the gum tissue of lower front.
On the other hand, if the jaws are not in the appropriate position and the lower teeth are overlapping the upper, it is an underbite. Open bite is when the lower and upper front teeth aren't meeting when the child is biting, and it can also cause problem in the child's speech. According to Dr. Ron Markey, an orthodontist from Vancouver, delaying braces can lead to risks if the teeth are left unattended, even though the risks may take several years to become prominent.
2. Spacing/crowding problems
The child may have small teeth in a normal jaw or missing teeth. This can lead to uneven spaces because some teeth lead into vacant areas. Uneven spaces shouldn't be taken lightly as they have a chance of becoming a periodontal disease later on as the gums stay unprotected. Other problems they can lead to is incorrect functioning and an unattractive smile.
People also confuse spacing and crowding as the same problem, but they are entirely different. Crowing occurs when there is no space left for the teeth to go out of the gum. Other causes of crowding are incorrect eruption from the gum or the teeth are larger than the allotted space. Crowding can lead to an improper pattern of the bite, dental decay and an unattractive smile.
Braces can effectively correct crowding and spacing problems. However, Dr. David Morrow orthodontist at York Mills reveals that the first few weeks with braces require some adjustments, and sometimes additional appointments may be needed. This is the reason why appointments should be made at a time when the child has enough free time (from school and other commitments) to adjust.
3. Cleft lip or cleft palate
Cleft palate stands for a split in the mouth's roof, while the clef lip means an upper lift split. This problem is very rare and occurs in 1 or 2 children out of 1,000 born. This condition can be inherited by the child if any member of the family has it.
This condition can result in dental problems such as extra teeth, crooked teeth and small teeth. Children with cleft lip or palate require braces because it helps the teeth to grow in a straight position.
If left unattended, it can result in speech and eating problems.
Parents who can identify the need for braces shouldn't make any delays to make sure that child doesn't suffer from any complications in the long run.
Do Electronic Cigarettes Reduce your Risk?
The National Cancer Institute indicates that traditional cigarette smoke contains more than 69 toxic chemicals and known carcinogens, including benzene, formaldehyde, and arsenic. Cigarette smoke also contains tar, and carbon monoxide which can damage the lungs and cardiovascular system.
If you smoke, stopping now can greatly decrease your risk of cancer and respiratory disease, relieve the symptoms of sleep apnea, and potentially improve your quality of life.
Unfortunately, quitting is often easier said than done because cigarettes are highly addictive.
One way to decrease your traditional cigarette intake, and reduce your disease risk, is by substituting electronic cigarettes for traditional cigarettes.
About Electronic Cigarettes
Electronic cigarettes are battery-operated devices that contain the nicotine that you would find in a traditional cigarette, but without the smoke, tar and most of the chemicals. Electronic cigarettes have cartridges that contain a nicotine "juice." A battery heat's the juice, creating a vapor, that the smoker inhales just like cigarette smoke.
Electronic cigarettes are available in both disposable and reusable varieties.
Where to Buy Electronic Cigarettes
You can buy brands like Victory Electronic Cigarettes from online retailers. Some brands also sell their products in the smoking section of drug stores, grocery stores, and convenience stores.
The Cost of Electronic Cigarettes
Electronic cigarettes are also comparatively cheaper than traditional cigarettes.
A single pack of name-brand cigarettes, such as Camel or Marlboro, can cost between $5 and $8, depending on where you buy them, due to taxes and other factors.
Specialty cigarettes, such as American Spirits or Nat Sherman, can cost upwards of $10.
Conversely, a single disposable electronic cigarette costs $8 to $10 and is equal to roughly two packs of traditional cigarettes.
The base cost of a reusable electronic cigarette is $20 for a rechargeable battery and two disposable cartridges equal to two packs of cigarettes each.
Refill cartridges generally retail for $10 to $15 for packs of three to five cartridges.
The Risks of Electronic Cigarettes
Currently, electronic cigarettes are still under investigation as to their safety.
The "juice" in the cartridge usually contains a mixture of liquid nicotine, diethylene glycol, and chemicals called nitrosamines, which are also found in cigarettes. Harvard University indicates that diethylene glycol is a highly toxic substance, and nitrosamines are known carcinogens. Electronic cigarettes can also contain other toxic chemicals.
However, the researchers at Harvard also indicate that they are uncertain about the levels of these chemicals, or exactly how toxic or dangerous they are to smokers.
The Benefits of Electronic Cigarettes
Although electronic cigarettes can contain toxic chemicals, they are at a much lower concentration than their traditional counterparts.
The Consumer Advocates for Smokefree Alternatives Association (CASAA), Consumer Advocates for Smokefree Alternatives Association (CASAA), reports that a study conducted by Professor Igor Burstyn, of the Drexel University School of Public Health, indicates that the chemicals in electronic cigarettes pose little-to-no risk to smokers.
Additionally, the chemicals in electronic cigarette vapor also pose little-to-no health risks from exposure through second-hand smoke.
Although the CASAA report is promising, and electronic cigarettes do have far fewer chemicals, smokers should use caution, just as they would when ingesting any other chemical substance.
Types of Medical Malpractice Involving Kids
When your kids undergo treatment whether it's for a common cold or a serious injury, the medical professional is required to follow certain protocols. However, negligence and failure to do so can have serious repercussions in the form of injury or damage to the child's health.
Dauphin Country-based Dr. Andrew Shapiro advised surgery to insert ear tubes and remove tonsils and adenoids on his patient Keonte Graham. Graham was 11 months when the surgery took place.
The patient however required brain surgery following the original surgery which was for sleep apnea. After the operation, Graham was said to suffer from breathing problems and was kept in the recovery room for 5 hours while his blood level oxygen was low.
Dr. Shapiro faced a lawsuit later on, which revealed that he failed to carry out proper physical examination after the operation and neglected to instruct the medical staff for monitoring the level of oxygen in the patient's blood.
You should keep in mind that even minor mistakes from doctors and other healthcare professionals can have life-altering effects on your kids, and some can even resulted in death. Your child can be the victim of negligence in any healthcare environment.
Types of Malpractice Children Can Suffer From
1. Use of defective medical devices
The FDA recently asked parents to report medical device defects used for children. Despite the strict testing procedures that medical devices have to go through, some defective ones still manage to get through. Medical devices that have resulted in medical claims during the last few years include implants, defibrillators, prosthetic devices and diagnostic testing tools.
The injuries and damage caused to the child's health as a result of a defective device can be considered for a product liability lawsuit. All states have certain procedures for filing such cases, which is why legal resources are important for parents seeking compensation. Professionals can also help in determining whether the defective use of a device is subject to a product liability lawsuit or a medical malpractice lawsuit.
2. Negligence of the healthcare professional
Negligence is one of the common types of medical malpractices in U.S. and other countries. Some of the negligence can be in the form of failure to monitor the health of the child before recommending the treatment, delays in diagnosing of congenital issues and failure to provide special care to the child during recovery at the medical workplace or hospital.
The claims can be filed for any types of injury due to negligence. Some of the common negligence claims involving children include Cerebral Palsy and Erb's Palsy. In case serious injures where the child requires assistance over the long term, the defendant can be taken to court and asked to compensate for ongoing needs of the child.
3. Lack of practitioner experience
It can also happen that a doctor with inadequate experience performs treatment on the child, which can result in undesirable outcomes because they may fail to follow the standard procedures.
In this case, the lawsuit should be filed on the basis that the practitioner breached the applicable standard protocols which resulted in injury to the child. The practitioner will be asked to provide proper documentation and evidence of his applicable method in the past, and there's a high chance those with lack of skills and poor experience will fail to do so.
It's wise to stay proactive about complications that can arise when your child undergoes medical treatment. Doing so will allow you to take instant action in case your child falls victim to medical malpractice.
Nintendo and the Wii: Interactions with Health and Science
Media stories often focus on the negative effects that violent video games have on society, but it is important to also point out that video games have a positive impact in treating numerous health care conditions and in advancing science.
The most well known video game system that does this the Nintendo Wii, which utilizes numerous motion sensitive devices (e.g., balance board, handheld motion controller, skateboards, exercise bikes), to detect motion in three dimensions, allowing the player to interface with the game more realistically. Because of this role that the Wii has in motor feedback, it plays an important part in physical rehabilitation. For this reason, it is sometimes referred to as "Wii-hab".
FEATURED BOOK: The Ultimate History of Video Games
The main settings and ways that the Wii has been helpful can be broken down into the following areas: a) neurological disorders in adults, b) developmental disorders and disabilities, c) non-neurological disorders, d) the elderly and fall prevention, e) exercise, measurement, and scientific testing, and f) surgical training. Information about each of these sections from the scientific literature is described below. The article ends with a discussion of medical problems (some of which may surprise you) that have resulted from using the Nintendo Wii and other Nintendo-based systems.
NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS IN ADULTS:
As an example of the Wii's rehabilitation benefits, use of the system has been shown to improve short-term motor abilities, postural stability, quality of life, and non-motor skills in Parkinson's disease (PD) (Herz et. al, 2013; Holmes et al., 2013) although beneficial effects of the Wii Fit have not been found in all Parkinson's patients (Pompeu et al, 2012). PD is a type of brain disorder that leads to serious difficulties with muscle movements. The Wii has also been used a home assessment device to measure motor abnormalities in PD such as tremor and motor slowness (Synnott et al., 2012).
The Wii has been shown to build confidence in abilities, achieve goals in leisure activities, and remove barriers from exercising in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) (Huurnin et al., 2013). Multiple sclerosis is a condition in which people develop multiple areas of abnormal patches (also known as plaques or sclerosis) in the brain and/or spinal cord (depending on the stage of the illness). Others have found that the Wii improves balance in patients with MS (Brichetto et al., 2013). Both the Wii and PlayStation 2 have been used in stroke rehabilitation to improve motor movements, with use of games with the PlayStation 2 video camera improving movement and movement intensity (Neil et al., 2013).
The Wii Balance Board provides visual and balance feedback which has been found to be helpful in reducing hospital stays, improving sensory organization, dizziness, balance and vertigo in patients with acute vestibular neuritis. Acute vestibular neuritis refers to attacks of dizziness and spinning sensations that decrease over three to six weeks (Sparrer et al, 2013). The Wii Fit (Plus) has also been shown to be a useful balance treatment in patients with other vestibular and neurological diseases (Meldrum et al., 2012).
DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS & DISABILITIES:
In children, Wii Fit training has been shown to improve motor performance in those with developmental coordination disorder (Ferguson et al, 2013). It has been hypothesized that the Wii would be beneficial in improving the motor functions of children with cerebral palsy (Gordon et al., 2012). However, when this topic has been studied, children with spastic cerebral palsy preferred the Wii Fit over conventional physical therapy but it did not improve their motor functioning (Jelsma et al., 2013). Cerebral palsy is a type of brain damage that occurs during pregnancy, during birth, during infancy, or during early childhood that causes the child to have difficulties with movement and posture.
Researchers have shown that the Wii remote control can be turned into a high performance 3D object orientation detector and used with children with disabilities to improve their ability to perform a designated occupational task (i.e., rotating a 3D cube to make a requested pattern) (Shih et al, 2012a; Shih and Chang, 2012) and other occupational activities (Shih et al, 2012b) and physical activities (Shih, 2011; Shih et al., 2011a, Shih et al., 2012c), including limb action (Shih et al., 2010a) and standing posture (Shih et al., 2010b). Playing Wii games was found to improve highly practiced motor skills and postural control in a child with Down syndrome (Berg et al, 2012). Down syndrome is an abnormality that is present from birth that results in mental impairments and a characteristic physical appearance (small facial features, large tongue that sticks out, a flat back area of the head, and hands that are short and broad).
The Wii remote controller has helped people with disabilities keep their head in an upright position to obtain desired environmental stimulation during a head position correction program (Shih, Shih, and Shih, 2011). Use of the Wii remote has also helped reduce hyperactive limb behavior in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (Shih et al, 2011b).
NON-NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS:
In non-neurological disorders, the Wii balance board has been used in research on improving postural control impairments in people who undergo reconstruction of the ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) which is in the knee(Howells et al, 2013). However, one study did not find that the Wii Fit provided additional benefit compared to conventional physical therapy in patients who have undergone ACL reconstruction (Baltaci et al., 2013). The Wii balance board has been found to be a potentially acceptable rehabilitation adjunct to physical therapy in patients who have undergone total knee replacement (Fung et al., 2012). There have been indications that use of the Wii may help with improving pain, anxiety, active range of motion, function, and enjoyment in patients undergoing acute burn rehabilitation although this has not been scientifically proven (Yohannan et al., 2012). Residents of long-term care facilities using the Wii bowling game in addition to standard physical therapy for arm dysfunction enjoyed the therapy more and tended to report more improvements than a physical therapy program without the Wii bowling game, but not significantly so (Hsu et al., 2011).
THE ELDERLY AND FALL PREVENTION:
Elderly people playing the popular Wii Sports game in residential care centers have had fun using it, feel a sense of empowerment and achievement, and feel that it allows for greater socialization (Keough et al, 2013; Williams et al., 2010). Use of the Wii has been shown to increase exercise capacity, energy expenditure, motivation to exercise, and decreased barriers to exercising in the elderly , such as an elderly man who suffered heart failure (Griffin et al., 2012; Klompstra et al, 2013). Staff at health care centers where the Wii was used for at least three months believes that Wii activities promote physical (mobility, range of motion, dexterity, coordination, distraction from pain) and psychological benefits (social engagement, self-esteem, mastery, ability to pacify challenging behaviors) with aged (and disabled) clients (Higgins et al., 2010).
Use of the Wii has been found to improve leg strength in the elderly, which can help decrease falls in a safe, adaptable, and low cost manner (Clark and Kraemer, 2009; Jorgensen et al., 2013; Young et al., 2011). It is thus used to prevent falls in numerous rehabilitation programs (Taylor et al,. 2012) and to improve balance in other settings with the elderly (Williams et al., 2011) . Although the elderly enjoy the Wii Fit, not all studies have shown that it improves their balance (Franco et al, 2012). However, in older patients who have needed to wear a prosthesis for leg amputation, the Wii Fit it has been shown to improve balance confidence, to decrease reliance on assistive devices, and to increase energy efficiency when walking with the prosthesis (Miller at al, 2012). Importantly, the elderly, including those in long-term care facilities, enjoy playing the Wii for exercising, socializing, nostalgia, and competition, which enhances adherence to continuing its use (Brandt and Paniaqua, 2011) although some elderly prefer traditional therapy techniques (Laver et al., 2011). Although an initial attempt was made to use cognitive games on the Wii as a form of neuropsychological testing for the elderly, this idea never materialized into clinical practice, perhaps due to difficulties encountered by requiring physical interactions (Gamberini, et al., 2010).
EXERCISE, MEASUREMENT, AND SCIENTIFIC TESTING:
In times where it has become increasingly costly to cut medical costs, the Wii has been shown to provide a low cost, objective, valid, and reproducible way to measure standing and postural balance in adults (Clark et al., 2009 Jorgensen et al, 2013). The Nintendo Wii hand controllers have also been shown to be a portable and valid measure of running velocity (Clark et al, 2011a). The Wii remote controllers have also been used for the measurement of the angle of head posture (Kim et. al, 2012). Use of multiple Wii balance boards has been shown to be a reliable measure of weight bearing (Clark et al., 2011) and to improve weight bearing in athletes (McGough et al, 2012). The Wii remote has been used in functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies to track one or more moving points that can correspond to limbs, fingers or any other object whose position needs to be known (Modrono et al., 2011b).
The Wii Sports boxing game has been found to provide moderate to vigorous aerobic activity for exercise (Bosch et al., 2012). The Wii boxing game has been shown to involve more non-dominant upper extremity movement, energy expenditure, and heart rate than the Wii tennis or bowling games (Graves et al., 2008).
The Wii Fit has been shown to be an acceptable alternative to traditional moderately intense aerobic exercise in sedentary young adults (Douris et al., 2012). One problem with the Wii Fit is that the balance board scores it produces have been found to have poor reliability (consistency) within and between sessions and not to match up well with similar measures from other more established balance measurement systems (Wikstrom, 2012). However, others have found the Wii balance board to be reliable in measuring bodily sway in the elderly (Koslucher et al., 2012).
The handheld Nintendo DS system has been shown to be capable of integrating healthcare monitoring functions (e.g., heart monitoring signals, fall detection) and transmit the information wirelessly to a separate location, allowing it to be used in an ambulance, nursing home, or general hospital (Lee et al., 2009; Lee et al., 2011). The Wii has also been used to show that men perform best at hunting games (navigation and shooting) but that men and women perform the same on gathering games (fine motor and visual search) (Cherney and Poss, 2008).
SURGICAL TRAINING:
Use of the Wii has also shown promise in predicting and improving basic laproscopic surgical skills in students and surgical trainees, particularly with the non-dominant hand (Badurdeen et al. 2010; Bokhari et al., 2010; Boyle et al., 2011; Middleton, et al, 2013). These benefits in enhancing laproscopic surgery skills have been replicated by others (Giannotti et al, 2013) and have also been shown for the PlayStation 2 when playing a gun arcade game (Time Crisis II) (Ju et al, 2012).
NINTENDO BASED INJURIES AND HAZARDS:
While the Nintendo Wii has had many positive benefits as it relates to healthcare, some negative impacts have been reported in the scientific literature. This includes a hand tendon rupture suffered by a community doctor after playing tennis on the Wii and striking a wall with her wrist and thumb while attempting a backhand motion (Bhangu et al, 2009). Even more dangerous was the case of a 55-year-old woman who sustained a large hemothorax (chest bleed) when playing tennis on the Nintendo Wii because she swung around too fast (Peek et al., 2008). A chest drain was inserted to drain out the blood and she was discharged home 5 days later.
Injuries while playing Nintendo are not unique to the Wii. In 2001, Dr. Johanna Wood documented the case of an 8-year-old child and his two friends who developed a blister in the middle of one of their hands due to overplaying the game, Mario Party, when rotating the central joystick with the palm of the hand. Back in 1992, Bright and Bringhurst coined the term, "Nintendo elbow" in a 12-year-old boy with several days of right elbow pain, presumably from playing Nintendo alot. The problem resolved 9 days after stopping Nintendo play and use of ibuprofen. It was recommended that children support the elbow on a firm surface during Nintendo play. Nintendo elbow was preceded by "Nintendo neck" which was described in the scientific literature one year prior by Dr. David Miller. The term was coined after the author observed his son develop neck pain after 30 minutes of playing the hand-held Game Boy system. This was presumably caused by the position held while playing the game (hunched over, chin on the chest, elbows bent, screen close to the face, while staring intently).
In 1990, the term "Nintendinitis" was used by Brasington to describe thumb pain in a 35-year-old who pushed the Nintendo button repeatedly while playing. The term, "Nintendo epilepsy" was used the same year by Hart due to seizures that occurred in a 13-year-old girl after playing Super Mario Brothers for three hours with only a 10 minute break. The presumed cause was the shifting pattern of the video game image. Nintendo has also been associated with urinary accidents (Schink, 1991) and fecal accidents (Corkery et a., 1992) in children because they try to hold in bodily waste longer than they can due to not pausing the game.
Badurdeen S, Abdul-Samad O, Story G, Wilson C, Down S, Harris A. (2010). Nintendo Wii video-gaming ability predicts laparoscopic skill. Surg Endosc. 24(8):1824-8.
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Graves LE, Ridgers ND, Stratton G. (2008). The contribution of upper limb and total body movement to adolescents' energy expenditure whilst playing Nintendo Wii. Eur J Appl Physiol. 104(4):617-23.
Griffin M, McCormick D, Taylor MJ, Shawis T, Impson R. (2012). Using the Nintendo Wii as an intervention in a falls prevention group. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2012 Feb;60(2):385-7.
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Herz NB, Mehta SH, Sethi KD, Jackson P, Hall P, Morgan JC. (2013, in press). Nintendo Wii rehabilitation ("Wii-hab") provides benefits in Parkinson's disease. Parkinsonism Relat Disord.
Higgins HC, Horton JK, Hodgkinson BC, Muggleton SB. (2010). Lessons learned: Staff perceptions of the Nintendo Wii as a health promotion tool within an aged-care and disability service. Health Promot J Austr. 21(3):189-95.
Holmes JD, Jenkins ME, Johnson AM, Hunt MA, Clark RA. (2013). Validity of the Nintendo Wii® balance board for the assessment of standing balance in Parkinson's disease. Clin Rehabil. 2013 Apr;27(4):361-6.
Howells BE, Clark RA, Ardern CL, Bryant AL, Feller JA, Whitehead TS, Webster KE. (2013). The assessment of postural control and the influence of a secondary task in people with anterior cruciate ligament reconstructed knees using a Nintendo Wii Balance Board. Br J Sports Med. 47(14):914-9.
Hsu JK, Thibodeau R, Wong SJ, Zukiwsky D, Cecile S, Walton DM. (2011). A "Wii" bit of fun: the effects of adding Nintendo Wii(®) Bowling to a standard exercise regimen for residents of long-term care with upper extremity dysfunction. Physiother Theory Pract. 27(3):185-93.
Huurnink A, Fransz DP, Kingma I, van Dieën JH. (2013). Comparison of a laboratory grade force platform with a Nintendo Wii Balance Board on measurement of postural control in single-leg stance balance tasks. J Biomech. 46(7):1392-5.
Koslucher F, Wade MG, Nelson B, Lim K, Chen FC, Stoffregen TA. (2012). Nintendo Wii Balance Board is sensitive to effects of visual tasks on standing sway in healthy elderly adults. Gait Posture. 36(3):605-8.
Jelsma J, Pronk M, Ferguson G, Jelsma-Smit D. (2013). The effect of the Nintendo Wii Fit on balance control and gross motor function of children with spastic hemiplegic cerebral palsy. Dev Neurorehabil. 16(1):27-37.
Jorgensen MG, Laessoe U, Hendriksen C, Nielsen OB, Aagaard P. (2013). Efficacy of Nintendo Wii training on mechanical leg muscle function and postural balance in community-dwelling older adults: a randomized controlled trial. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 68(7):845-52.
Jørgensen MG, Laessoe U, Hendriksen C, Nielsen O BF, Aagaard P. (2013, in press). Intra-Rater Reproducibility and Validity of Nintendo Wii Balance Testing in Community-Dwelling Older Adults. J Aging Phys Act.
Ju R, Chang PL, Buckley AP, Wang KC. (2012). Comparison of Nintendo Wii and PlayStation2 for enhancing laparoscopic skills. JSLS. 16(4):612-8.
Keogh J WL, Power N, Wooller L, Lucas P, Whatman C.(2013, in press). Physical and Psychosocial Function in Residential Aged Care Elders: Effect of Nintendo Wii Sports Games. J Aging Phys Act.
Kim J, Nam KW, Jang IG, Yang HK, Kim KG, Hwang JM. (2012). Nintendo Wii remote controllers for head posture measurement: accuracy, validity, and reliability of the infrared optical head tracker. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2012 Mar 15;53(3):1388-96.
Klompstra LV, Jaarsma T, Strömberg A. (2013). An in-depth, longitudinal examination of the daily physical activity of a patient with heart failure using a Nintendo Wii at home: a case report. J Rehabil Med. 45(6):599-602.
Laver K, Ratcliffe J, George S, Burgess L, Crotty M. (2011). Is the Nintendo Wii Fit really acceptable to older people? A discrete choice experiment. BMC Geriatr. 11:64.
Lee S, Kim J, Kim J, Lee M. (2009). A design of the u-health monitoring system using a Nintendo DS game machine. Conf Proc IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc. 2009:1695-8.
Lee S, Kim J, Lee M. (2011). The design of the m-health service application using a Nintendo DS game console. Telemed J E Health. 17(2):124-30.
McGough R, Paterson K, Bradshaw EJ, Bryant AL, Clark RA. (2012). Improving lower limb weight distribution asymmetry during the squat using Nintendo Wii Balance Boards and real-time feedback. J Strength Cond Res. 2012 Jan;26(1):47-52.
Meldrum D, Glennon A, Herdman S, Murray D, McConn-Walsh R. Virtual reality rehabilitation of balance: assessment of the usability of the Nintendo Wii(®) Fit Plus. Disabil Rehabil Assist Technol. 2012 May;7(3):205-10.
Middleton KK, Hamilton T, Tsai PC, Middleton DB, Falcone JL, Hamad G. (2013, in press).Improved nondominant hand performance on a laparoscopic virtual reality simulator after playing the Nintendo Wii. Surg Endosc.
Miller CA, Hayes DM, Dye K, Johnson C, Meyers J. Using the Nintendo Wii Fit and body weight support to improve aerobic capacity, balance, gait ability, and fear of falling: two case reports. J Geriatr Phys Ther. 2012 Apr-Jun;35(2):95-104.
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Nintendo and the Wii: Interactions with Health and...


Falck Attorneys is a law firm practising in the Western Cape, and more particularly in the Boland area from the towns of Robertson, Montagu and Stellenbosch, along the West Coast in Velddrif and in the Cape in Cape Town.
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Massive congratulations are in order for Emmerdale actress, Lucy Pargeter who has announced she's pregnant... with twins.
"Lucy Pargeter and her partner Rudi Coleano are delighted to announce they are expecting twins in spring 2017."
This will be baby number two and three for the soap star who is already mother to 11-year-old daughter, Lola.
"They will be long-awaited siblings for the pair's daughter, Lola."
Lucy has starred as Chastity Dingle on the ITV soap since 2002 and has solidified her status as a fan favourite.
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Hey guys! Happy New Year, and may it be a fab one for us all!
I'm thrilled to tell you the year started with a bang for Dragon Craving! Carrie Fort gave it a 5 Dragon Fairies rating and a fabulous review at Indy Book Fairy where you can also read a fun interview with yours truly.
Myra Espino of Ms. ME28 Reviews also gave it a grand 5 stars review, and Heather of Not Everyone's Mama gave it a raving 5 stars review as well! Gargoyle Addiction also made it on Heather's Favorite Books Read in 2013, yeeey!!
I'm happy to say I'm working on Gargoyle Guardian, the 3rd novel in the Otherworlds Summons series and it's going great so far.
I hope I'll give you guys an alpha-type hero and a heroine you'll enjoy. I love taking these stories through the Otherworlds and visiting the realms within. I can tell you that the third novel will take us into Piatra again and some of my reader's favs will come back now (Hanu & Dag 😀 ), but we'll also go exploring a bit of the bladth world of Hesa.
I'm really excited about this novel, hehe.


This page shows Tax-Brackets.org's archived Arizona tax brackets for tax year 2013. This means that these brackets applied to all income earned in 2012, and the tax return that uses these tax rates was due in April 2013.
Arizona's income tax brackets were last changed four years prior to 2013 for tax year 2009, and the tax rates were previously changed in 2006.
The current tax year is 2018, and the Arizona income tax brackets have been changed since 2013.
The Arizona tax brackets on this page sourced from the Arizona Department of Revenue in 2013. Please contact us if any of our Arizona tax data is incorrect or out of date.