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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
- BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to a semiconductor device and in particular to improving decoupling capacitor integrated circuits built onto a memory device.
Modern semiconductor devices including integrated circuit devices have electrically conductive leads and output drivers which are switched ON and OFF. The switching operations between no current and peak current is very rapid and may cause rapid changes in the power supply voltage and spikes within the lead circuits and die circuits. Such induced voltage and current variations cause malfunctions of the integrated circuit and may severely limit the clock speed at which the device can be satisfactorily operated. The problem is particularly relevant in devices having a large number of leads, where many leads may be simultaneously switched ON to cause a large, sudden current drain.
The goal of decoupling capacitors is to provide a condition whereby the actual ranges of voltage and current in each part of the circuit in the ON and OFF stages are relatively narrow. The de-coupling capacitor provides necessary current demands of the chip during operation. If the de-coupling capacitance is not enough, the inductance of the power delivery line might cause voltage dipping which could result in the malfunction of the chip. Currently, most of the VLSI chips rely on parasitic capacitance (i.e. N-well junction capacitance) to provide the major part of the necessary on chip de-coupling capacitance. In some highly integrated VLSI circuits where the instantaneous current demand is high, additional de-coupling capacitors are added in the surrounding area of peripheral circuitry to stable the power supply in case of heaving switching activities occurring on chip. With the increasing usage of SOI (Silicon-on-Insulator) technology, the problem of voltage dipping is particular acute, because SOI technology inherently has less parasitic capacitance.
Decoupling capacitors are frequently used in the supply rail of the on-chip cache memory blocks inside the processor chip due to high current demand during cache access from the CPU.
FIG. 1 illustrates a floor-plan view of a conventional microprocessor 10. The microprocessor 10 has logic 16 and cache circuitry 14. The logic circuitry 16 is the plurality of boxes located in the center of the figure (D MMU, LSU, IFV, FXU, DU, BP, IFV, FPU, PLL and MMU). The logic circuitry 16 includes the processor and other features involved in carrying-out processing functions of the microprocessor 10. The cache circuitry 14 is the plurality of boxes labeled “cache”. The cache circuitry 14 is a well known in the art memory device. Decoupling capacitors 12 surround the logic 16 and cache 14 circuitry so as to provide load energy/storage so that the sudden current demand required by the circuitry does not result in a draining of a distant power supply (not shown). The use of decoupling capacitors 12 are well known in the art and will be discussed with greater detail with regards to FIGS. 2-4.
The coupling of the logic circuitry 16 and cache circuitry 14 in the conventional microprocessor 10 allows recently used data or instructions in the cache to be readily available to the processor, instead of requiring the processor to search for the data or instructions as in the case where distant, slow Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM) is used. Typically, the decoupling capacitors 12 are located along side or placed in various locations among the logic and cache circuitry, as shown in the figure. The area above the logic and cache circuitry contains metal inter-connection and inter-layer dielectric material.
In today's VLSI processor class, such as the Pentium 4 or PowerPC, the on-chip cache often occupies a large amount of chip area. In some cases, the total cache size takes more than two thirds of the chip area. Also, the processors tend to run at high frequencies, typically in the GHz range. Integrated circuits operating at such high frequencies are frequently susceptible to various forms of interference, such as, signal coupling and radio frequency interference. Typically, to avoid such interference in the memory block, a substantial amount of space above the circuit structure is left unused for signal routing, This space can be a useful location for de-coupling capacitor construction.
The prior art is replete with methods to counter this problem. Most of the prior art attempts to overcome the above stated problems by increasing the chip area to accommodate a larger de-coupling capacitance. One of the advantages of SOI technology is the small parasitic capacitance which results in small de-coupling capacitances. However, the solutions put forth by the prior art tend to be costly.
- SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A cost effective solution has been sought for providing on chip de-coupling capacitors circuits in integrated circuits and solve the power supply and interference problems in the chip.
In one respect, the invention is a method for forming de-coupling capacitor in the area above a circuit block which is not suitable for signal routing layer due to sensitivity underneath. The method comprises the steps of forming a capacitor on an IC chip, forming a first metal layer separating the de-coupling capacitor circuit from the circuit block underneath, and forming an inter-digitated capacitance structure, such that the inter-digitated capacitance structure is etched to form a predetermined pattern of inter-digitated metal fingers, wherein a plurality of de-coupling capacitances are formed between the inter-digitated capacitance structure and first and second metal layers.
The second metal layer comprises at least one inter-digitated metal and a plurality of inter-digitated metal fingers extending there from and a dielectric material deposited between the metal fingers, wherein each of the plurality of inter-digitated metal fingers has predetermined width and thickness and is separated by a predetermined distance. The minimum space between inter-digitated fingers should be used in the VLSI technology being employed. For example in a 0.18 μm CMOS technology the minimum spacing between metal fingers is 0.28 μm and the metal thickness is 0.6 μm.
A first dielectric layer is formed on the circuit block such that the first dielectric layer has a predetermined thickness. The dielectric material of each layer could be just leveraged from regular CMOS VLSI technology. However, it is preferable to use the low dielectric material for the isolation layer such as in the inter-layer dielectric layer, and high dielectric material (i.e. Ta2O5 ) for the first and second dielectric layers..
A second dielectric layer is formed above the first metal plate. The first metal layer is a bottom plate which isolates the capacitor from the circuit block is formed and has a predetermined thickness.
A third dielectric layer above the second metal layer is formed and a second metal layer is formed above the second dielectric layer.
In another respect, the invention is an integrated circuit comprising a circuit block having a predetermined circuit layout, a first metal layer formed on top of the first dielectric layer which insulates the capacitor from the circuit block, and an inter-digitated capacitance structure comprising at least one metal plate and a plurality of inter-digitated metal fingers. A plurality of de-coupling capacitances is formed between the inter-digitated capacitance structure and first and second metal layers. The inter-digitated metal fingers extend from the metal plate in such a manner that the fingers are in parallel and have a predetermined separation and width. The minimum space between inter-digitated fingers is used in the VLSI technology being employed. For example, in a 0.18 μm CMOS technology the minimum metal spacing is 0.28 μm and the metal thickness is 0.6 μm.
A first dielectric layer is formed on the circuit block, such that the first dielectric layer has a predetermined thickness (0.1-1.0 μm). A second dielectric layer formed on top of the first metal layer. a third dielectric layer is formed on the second metal layer and a third metal plate is formed on the third dielectric layer.
The first metal layer is a bottom plate which isolates the capacitor from the circuit block and the first metal layer is 0.2 μm in thickness, if 0.18 um CMOS technology is used).
The dielectric material of each layer could be just leveraged from regular CMOS VLSI technology. However, if the technology is allowed, it is preferable to use the low dielectric material for the isolation layer, and high dielectric material (i.e. Ta2O5 ) for the capacitance layers.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In comparison to known prior art, certain embodiments of the invention are capable of achieving certain aspects, including some or all of the following: (1) the technique is easily implemented (2) at a very low cost; and (3) no need to increase the chip area to accommodate a large capacitance. Those skilled in the art will appreciate these and other advantages and benefits of various embodiments of the invention upon reading the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment with reference to the below-listed drawings.
A more complete understanding of the invention and its advantages will be apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein examples of the invention are shown and wherein:
FIG. 1 is a floor-plan view illustrating a conventional microprocessor, according to the prior art;
FIG. 2 is a side view illustrating the cache memory, according to an embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 3 is a top view illustrating the inter-digitated capacitance structure, according to an embodiment of the invention; and
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
FIG. 4 is a cross-section view illustrating the inter-digitated capacitor structure, according to an embodiment of the invention.
In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that these specific details need not be used to practice the present invention. In other instances, well known structures, interfaces, and processes have not been shown in detail in order not to unnecessarily obscure the present invention.
Decoupling capacitors and methods for fabricating such capacitors are disclosed. In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth, such as materials, thickness, processing sequences, etc., in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, one skilled in the art would understand that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well known processing steps and device structures have not been described in detail in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the present invention. Furthermore, although the present invention is described below as being fabricated, for example, in a CMOS integrated circuit chip, one skilled in the art would understand that the present invention could be embodied within, for example, multi-chip modules (MCM), circuit boards, or other structures that require a capacitor in close proximity to circuitry.
FIG. 2 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a System-On-a Chip (SOC) microprocessor which comprises of large cache memory block, CPU, as well as other logic functional blocks, according to the preferred embodiment of the invention. The System-On-a-Chip microprocessor includes logic circuitry 20, cache circuitry 22, signal routing metal layer 34, and decoupling capacitor 30. The logic circuitry 20 is conventional circuitry such as the CPU, and other known processing devices. The cache circuitry 22 is also conventional circuitry that comprises a cache memory device, such as memory array blocks, logic gates, and other known devices. Above the logic circuitry 20 and the cache circuitry 22 is the signal routing metal layer 34 and the decoupling capacitors 30, respectfully. The signal routing metal layer 34 is a typically a layer which electrical current is conducted, for example signal paths or interconnections between various devices or structures on in the processor. However, one of ordinary skill in the art can appreciate that the signal routing metal layer 34 can be used for many more purposes.
The decoupling capacitors 30 are located above cache circuitry 22. The decoupling capacitors 30 are preferably, located in the empty space above a cache circuitry 22 or some other type of processor circuit. This area above the cache memory array blocks were not recommended to have signal routing unless a shielded conductive layer was placed between the signal routing and the cache memory array blocks. Now, CMOS technology offers up to 8 layers of metal to be used in the signal interconnect and power routing. With the ever reducing metal spacing (now less than 0.2 μm) and thicker metal (greater than 0.6 μm in the upper layers) it is possible to construct an inter-digitated capacitor structure 200 to serve as the decoupling capacitor in the space above the cache memory. Both the decoupling capacitors 30 and the inter-digitated capacitor structure 200 will be discussed in greater detail with regards to FIGS. 3-4.
The structure of the inter-digitated capacitance structure 200 is illustrated in FIG. 3. The inter-digitated capacitance structure 200 is typically constructed in a previous unoccupied area above a cache memory. FIG. 3 shows the bottom metal plate 102 and a plurality of interdigitated metal fingers 104. The top plate and dielectric layers between the bottom plate 102 and the plurality of inter-digitated metal fingers 104 are not shown. The inter-digitated capacitance structure 200 is laid out by forming two parallel metal strips on opposite sides of the plate and a plurality of fingers extending from each metal strip to a position near the opposite metal strip.
The inter-digitated metal fingers 204 have a predetermined width and thickness. The fingers 204 also are spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance. As will be explained in further detail with regards to FIG. 4, the area between the fingers is deposited with a dielectric material (not shown). Accordingly, a plurality of capacitances is formed between the inter-digitated fingers 104, and between the inter-digitated fingers 104 and the top and bottom metal layers.
The estimation of the total capacitance obtained from a 3000 μm×3000 μm chip area (A and A′) by using a standard 0.18 μm CMOS technology is illustrated as an example. This technology requires minimum spacing of 0.28 μm and the metal thickness of 0.6 μm. The capacitance of a small unit of perimeter edge is 0.2 fF per μm. In a 3000 μm×3000 μm wide space, if a 0.5 μm metal finger width is used, one could have 3000 inter-digitated fingers with 3000 μm length in each finger. The total capacitance is about 2 nF for one layer. The scheme is very advantageous for any silicon-on-chip (SOC) with large amounts of memory blocks. One of ordinary skill in the art can envision even more improvements due to narrowing spacing.
FIG. 4 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the inter-digitated capacitor structure of the preferred embodiment of the system of the invention. The substrate (not shown) is a semiconductor wafer having device regions such as diffused junctions, gates, local interconnections, metal layers, or other device junctions or layers. In many cases, device layers, structures, or processing steps are present for reasons other than to fabricate the decoupling capacitor. For example, the substrate can be an on cache memory (SRAM) or (eDRAM).
An inter-layer dielectric material 101 is deposited over the substrate 100. The Inter-layer dielectric material 101 has a thickness in the range from approximately 0.5 μm. The dielectric material of each layer could be just leveraged from regular CMOS VLSI technology. However, if the technology is allowed, it is preferable to use the low dielectric material for the isolation layer such as in 101, and high dielectric material (i.e. Ta2O5) for the capacitance layers such as in 103 and 105. The dielectric material 101 provides electrical isolation between any previous conductive layer in the substrate 100 and the bottom metal plate 102. The bottom metal plate 102 forms the lower plate of the de-coupling capacitor. The bottom metal plate 102, also isolates the de-coupling capacitor from the substrate by reducing the signal noise which may effect the performance of the circuitry underneath the bottom metal 102. The bottom electrically conductive plate 102 can be poly-silicon, aluminum, copper, tungsten or any other similar material. One of ordinary skill in the art can easily recognize that the bottom electrically conductive plate 102 does not have to be metal. The choice of material may depend on processing or device considerations, such as processing temperature in the backend fabrication technology, etc.
Following the deposition of the bottom metal plate 102, a first dielectric layer 103 is deposited on the bottom metal plate 102. The first dielectric layer 103 comprises electrical insulation material such as CVD, silicon dioxide or other high dielectric constant material and is deposited to a predetermined thickness based on process and device requirements.
As is well known, the capacitance between two electrodes of a capacitor is proportional to the dielectric constant of the isolation material between the plates, and inversely proportional to the separation between the plates, or between two fingers with opposite electrodes. Therefore, to increase the capacitance, each dielectric layer is made as thin, or as narrow (for the inter-digitated finger) as practical and preferably comprises a material having a high dielectric constant. Also, it is well known, that the capacitance is proportional to the area and the perimeter of the plates of the capacitor. Therefore, a desired capacitance of the decoupling capacitor can be achieved by adjusting any or all of the area of the plates, the total perimeter exposed to the two opposite electrodes (for the inter-digitated finger type), and dielectric constant of the material between the plates, depending upon process and device requirements.
Following the deposition of the dielectric layer 103, an inter-digitated layer 104 is deposited and patterned by the photolithographic process to generate inter-digitated fingers on the first dielectric layer 103. A second dielectric layer 105 is deposited on the inter-digitated layer 104. The second dielectric layer 105 is a high dielectric constant material. The second dielectric material 105 is also deposited between the voids between the inter-digitated metal fingers 105. One of ordinary skill in the art can appreciate that there could be additional decoupling capacitors built on top of the existing capacitors. Also another layer of metal as a top plate could increase the overall de-coupling capacitance.
The bottom and top metal plates 102, 106 can be completely embedded within dielectric layers. The entire structure (layers 102-106) can take the place of any preexisting insulated layer, such as an interlayer dielectric (ILD). As it is well known, a capacitor is formed from two plates (or two fingers with dielectric material separating them. Accordingly, one of ordinary skill can recognize that a plurality of de-coupling capacitors can be formed. For example, de-coupling capacitors can be formed between the top metal plate 106 and each individual inter-digitated metal finger 104. Also, a plurality of de-coupling capacitors can be formed between the individual inter-digitated metal fingers 104 themselves. Furthermore, de-coupling capacitors can also be formed between the inter-digitated metal fingers 104 and the bottom metal plate 102 as shown in FIG. 4.
Typically, the capacitor of the invention will be formed at the backend end of the microchip fabrication process, and the exact location of the capacitor will depend upon the signal routing requirement.
The foregoing description of a preferred embodiment of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed, and modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practice of the invention. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to explain the principles of the invention and its practical application to enable one skilled in the art to utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the claims appended hereto, and their equivalents. | <urn:uuid:8ae10f5f-73a6-43e4-888b-752f3d9e56bf> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.google.com/patents/US20030148578?dq=U.S.+patent+number+7,325,728&ei=Y93TTteOAe702wW6uqi1BQ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397797.77/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00140-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.900131 | 4,317 | 2.515625 | 3 |
For courses in Vertebrate Zoology, Vertebrate Biology Function, and Paleontology. Widely praised for its comprehensive coverage and exceptionally clear writing style, this best-selling exploration of vertebrate life is the only accurate and up-to-date treatment of vertebrates that employs a phylogenetic perspective and focuses on how vertebrates work, integrating ecology, behavior, anatomy, and physiology in an evolutionary context.
(NOTE: Each chapter ends with Summary, Additional Readings, and Web Explorations.)
I. VERTEBRATE DIVERSITY, FUNCTION AND EVOLUTION.
1. The Diversity, Classification, and Evolution of Vertebrates.
The Vertebrate Story. Classification of Vertebrates. Traditional and Cladistic Classifications. Earth History and Vertebrate Evolution. 2. Vertebrate Relationships and Basic Structure.
Vertebrates in Relation to Other Animals. Definition of a Vertebrate. Basic Vertebrate Structure. 3. Early Vertebrates: Jawless Vertebrates and the Origin of Jawed Vertebrates.
Reconstructing the Biology of the Earliest Vertebrates. Extant Jawless Fishes. The Radiation of Paleozoic Jawless Vertebrates—“Ostracoderms.” The Transition from Jawless to Jawed Vertebrates. Extinct Paleozoic Jawed Fishes.
AQUATIC VERTEBRATES: CARTILAGINOUS AND BONY FISHES.
4. Living in Water.
The Aquatic Environment. Water and the Sensory World of Fishes. The Internal Environment of Vertebrates. Exchange of Water and Ions. Responses to Temperature. 5. Radiation of the Chondrichthyes.
Chrondrichthyes—The Cartilaginous Fishes. Evolutionary Specializations of Chrondrichthyes. The Paleozoic Chrondrichthyan Radiation. The Early Mesozoic Elasmobranch Radiation. The Extant Radiation—Sharks, Skates, and Rays. Holocephali—The Bizarre Chrondrichthyans. 6. Dominating Life in Water: The Major Radiation of Fishes.
The Appearance of Bony Fishes. Extant Sarcopterygii—Lobe-Finned Fishes. Extant Actinopterygii—Ray-Finned Fishes. Actinopterygian Reproduction and Conservation. The Adaptable Fish—Telecost Communities in Contrasting Environments. 7. Geography and Ecology of the Paleozoic.
Earth History, Changing Environments, and Vertebrate Evolution. Continental Geography of the Paleozoic. Paleozoic Climates. Paleozoic Terrestrial Ecosystems. Early Paleozoic Extinctions.
III. TERRESTRIAL ENDOTHERMS: AMPHIBIANS, TURTLES, LEPIDOSAURS, AND ARCHOSAURS.
8. Origin and Radiation of Tetrapods and Modifications for Life on Land.
Modifications for Life on Land. Tetrapod Origins. Radiation and Diversity of Nonamniote Paleozoic Tetrapods. Amniotes. 9. Salamanders, Anurans, and Caecilians.
Amphibians. Diversity of Life Histories of Amphibians. Amphibian Metamorphosis. Exchange of Water and Gases. Poison Glands and Other Defense Mechanisms. Why are Amphibians Vanishing? 10. Turtles.
Everyone Recognizes a Turtle. But What Is a Turtle? Phylogenetic Relationships of Turtles. Turtle Structure and Functions. Ecology and Behavior of Turtles. Conservation of Turtles. 11. The Lepidosaurs: Tuatara, Lizards, and Snakes.
The Lepidosaurs. Radiation of Sphenodontids and the Biology of Tuatara. Radiation of Squamates. Ecology and Behavior of Squamates. Thermoregulation. Temperature and Ecology of Squamates. 12. Ectothermy: A Low-Cost Approach to Life.
Vertebrates and Their Environments. Heat—Ectotherms in Deserts. Cold—Ectotherms in Subzero Conditions. The Role of Ectothermal Tetrapods in Terrestrial Ecosystems. 13. Geography and Ecology of the Mesozoic.
Mesozoic Continental Geography. Mesozoic Terrestrial Ecosystems. 14. Mesozoic Diapsids: Dinosaurs, Crocodilians, and Others.
Mesozoic Fauna. Phylogenetic Relationships among Diapsids. The Archosauromorpha. Archosauria. Dinosaurs. The Ornithischian Dinosaurs. The Saurischian Dinosaurs. Dinosaur Soft Parts and Temperature Regulation. Marine Diapsids—Placodonts, Plesiosaurs, and Ichthyosaurs. Terrestrial Vertebrates of the Late Mesozoic. Late Cretaceous Extinctions.
IV. ENDOTHERMS: BIRDS AND MAMMALS.
15. The Evolution of Birds and the Origin of Flight.
The Evolution of Endothermy. Activity and Metabolism. Birds as Feathered Dinosaurs. Archaeopteryx and the Origin of Flight. Early Birds. Birds as Flying Machines. Body Form and Flight. Feeding, Digestion, and Excretion. The Hindlimbs and Locomotion. 16. The Ecology and Behavior of Birds.
Birds as Model Organisms. The Sensory Systems. Social Behavior and Reproduction. Imprinting and Learning. Migration and Navigation. 17. The Synapsida and the Evolution of Mammals.
The Origin of Synapsids. Diversity of Nonmammalian Synapsids. Evolutionary Trends in Synapsids. The First Mammals. 18. Geography and Ecology of the Cenozoic.
Cenozoic Continental Geography. Cenozoic Terrestrial Ecosystems. Cenozoic Climates. Cenozoic Extinctions. 19. Mammalian Characteristics and Diversity.
Features Shared by All Mammals. Major Lineages of Mammals. Cenozoic Mammal Evolution. 20. Mammalian Specializations.
Mammalian Reproduction. Some Extreme Eutherian Reproductive Specializations. Are Eutherians Reproductively Superior to Marsupials? Specializations for Feeding. Specializations for Locomotion. Specializations of the Sensory Systems. 21. Endothermy: A High-Energy Approach to Life.
Endothermal Thermoregulation. Energy Budgets of Vertebrates. Endotherms in the Arctic. Migration to Avoid Difficult Conditions. Torpor as a Response to Low Temperatures and Limited Food. Endotherms in Deserts. 22. Body Size, Ecology, and Sociality of Mammals.
Social Behavior. Population Structure and the Distribution of Resources. Advantages of Sociality. Body Size, Diet, and the Structure of Social Systems. Primate Societies. 23. Primate Evolution and the Emergence of Humans.
Primate Origins and Diversification. Origin and Evolution of the Hominoidea. Origin and Evolution of Humans. Evolution of Human Characteristics—Bipedality, Larger Brains, and Language. 24. The Impact of Humans on Other Species of Vertebrates.
Humans and the Pleistocene Extinctions. Humans and Recent Extinctions. Organismal Biology and Conservation. The Paradoxes of Conservation. Glossary. Credits. Subject Index. Author Index. | <urn:uuid:b51aa68a-ef00-4c4c-94f5-059dfb1cffcc> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.ecampus.com/vertebrate-life-6th-pough-f-h-janis/bk/9780130412485 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396027.60/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00115-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.758321 | 1,583 | 3.59375 | 4 |
Optical Character Recognition Systems
Optical character recognition (OCR) systems provide persons who are blind or visually impaired with the capacity to scan printed text and then have it spoken in synthetic speech or saved to a computer file. There are three essential elements to OCR technology—scanning, recognition, and reading text.
Initially, a printed document is scanned by a camera. OCR software then converts the images into recognized characters and words and creates temporary files containing the text’s characters and page layout. The recognition process takes account of the logical structure of the language. An OCR system will deduce that the word “tke” at the beginning of a sentence is a mistake and should be read as the word “the.” OCR systems also use a lexicon and apply spell-checking techniques similar to those found in many word processors. The synthesizer in the OCR system then speaks the recognized text. Finally, the information is stored in an electronic form. In some OCRs these temporary files can be converted into formats retrievable by commonly used computer software such as word processors, spreadsheets, and databases. A person who is blind or visually impaired can access the scanned text by using adaptive technology devices that magnify the computer screen or provide speech or braille output.
Current generation OCR systems provide very good accuracy and formatting capabilities at prices that are up to ten times lower than a few years ago. The price for the most popular PC-based OCR systems is about $1,000. This does not include the personal computer and screen access equipment. Prices of self-contained OCR systems and those that come bundled with a PC range from $3,500 to $5,500.
Here are some questions to ask when purchasing optical character recognition systems:
• Do you prefer a stand-alone OCR product or a software-based product?
• Is the software-based OCR system compatible with your computer’s operating system?
• Do you require screen-reading capabilities in addition to the OCR?
• Do you require braille output?
22 Products in Category
|Product Name||Product Description||Distributor Contact||Image/Multimedia Available?|
|Book Reader V100||Bookreader v100 is speciallyDesigned for book scanning. The Shadow Elimination Element eliminates the book spine shadow and text distortion associated with books scanned on flatbeds and copiers. The Plustek BookReader provides high quality speech output to make your book reading experience more enjoyable. The user-friendly magnifying tool can be used independent of the BookReader system and gives you complete access to all other programs you might need enlarged print for; it provides a "see and speak" function while you are reading the text. All scanned items can be saved as a searchable PDF. You can even use the book reader software to read any other PDF documents Scanned documents can be saved in MP3 or WAV format. By using a portable audio player, you can enjoy listening to books anytime and anywhere. The color contrast function increases the visual effectiveness and helps those with color blindness using certain color combinations. This allows for a more enjoyable and easy reading. Zoom text function provides the ability to enlarge documents to allow for easier on screen reading.|
|Cicero Text Reader||Scans printed documents and turns them into speech or braille. Cicero starts talking automatically as soon as the page scan is complete. Documents can be displayed in large print on screen and can be edited, saved, and printed.|
|Cleareader Basic||The Optelec ClearReader+ Basic brings portability, simplicity and a sleek design to text-to-speech and OCR reading and scanning devices. The multilingual and AC Powered ClearReader+ Basic allows a user who is blind or visually impaired to scan and read aloud magazines, books, or receipts within a matter of seconds. A high quality and reliable speech output in natural sounding voices make it possible to rediscover the joys of reading anytime and anywhere with the Optelec ClearReader+ Basic.||Order Cleareader Basic from The Chicago Lighthouse Store|
|Cleareader+||Reading anytime and anywhere with the Optelec ClearReader+. ClearReader+ combines fast text-to-speech, a choice of high quality naturally sounding voices, and all in an attractive portable design. Simply switch-on, scan your printed reading material and start listening in an instant. It's compact, portable and easy to carry with a built-in carrying handle. Features include: Intuitive operation - simple adjustment controls for play, pause, forward, back, reading speed and voice selection. Built-in high quality stereo sound speakers. Integrated object lighting for reading in places with poor external lighting. High quality text recognition - select up to 4 voices including UK-English voices (Daniel and Serena) and an Indian-English voice (Sangeeta). Headphone connector - connect a headset and listen discretely.||Order Cleareader+ from The Chicago Lighthouse Store|
|Clearreader+ Advanced||ClearReader+ Advanced Features: Read aloud device - click and begin listening in a few seconds. Intuitive operation - simple adjustment controls for play, pause, forward, back, reading speed and voice selection. Compact, portable and easy to carry with a built-in carrying handle. Built-in high quality stereo sound speakers. Multilingual text recognition with 4 selectable voices in up to 4 different languages including UK-English voices and an Indian-English voice. Rechargeable Li-ion batteries providing up to 5 hours of continuous use.||Order Clearreader+ Advanced from The Chicago Lighthouse Store|
|Eye-Pal Ace Plus||
The Eye-Pal® Ace Plus is a portable scanner, reader, and video magnifier in one lightweight, battery-operated device. The Eye-Pal Ace Plus also has a simple one-button, spam-free, email system to keep you connected. You can navigate your email with the simple controls or attach a voice message or audio labeled picture with the push of a button. The built-in WiFi connects to Bookshare and NFB Newsline so you can download books and access publications. Read your magnified books and publications or listen to them being read aloud.
Use our exclusive AudioMinder to set an alarm and get an appointment reminder. A pair of headphones easily plugs into the front of the device for privacy, and the ergonomic thumbwheels and tactile controls are intuitively located for ease of use. You can also upload your photos to a photo album with audio labels. The Eye-Pal Ace Plus weighs only 3.5 pounds, making it easy to carry and easy to use. Stay connected, informed, and independent with Eye-Pal Ace Plus.
|Eye-Pal Reader||A USB device with a camera on a stand. The camera uses a motion detector to know when to scan a page of text. The text is spoken and can be saved.|
|Eye-pal ROL||The Eye-Pal ROL (Read Out Loud), is designed for comfort, portability, and ease of use. This ergonomic design combines fast, highly accurate scan and read
technology with other features into one portable electronic reader. A pair of headphones easily plugs into the front of the device for privacy, and the
ergonomic thumbwheels and tactile controls are intuitively located for ease of use. This lightweight, battery-operated, electronic reader is Braille-display
compatible so you can read a book on the couch, go through a menu at a restaurant, or fill out a form at the doctor’s office.
The Eye-Pal ROL incorporates our exclusive AudioMinder technology, making it the only reader that can also assist you with your daily schedule. AudioMinder
allows you to set an alarm and record appointment reminders. The Eye-Pal ROL weighs just 3.5 pounds, making it easy to carry and easy to use. Stay independent
with Eye-Pal ROL.
Eye-Pal ROL ready to use.
|Eye-pal Solo||The Eye-Pal SOLO is a voice output reading machine and optical character recognition device designed for use by individuals who are blind or have low vision. This motion activated optical character recognition device reads from a book, newspaper, or other printed material automatically after the material is placed face down on the unit's scanner. Reading stops when the material is removed. When a hand is waved near the reading material, the reading pauses; when the hand passes again, the reading resumes.||http://www.lighthousetoolsforliving.com/Ex-Demo-Eyepal-Solo-LV_p_1349.html|
|ezVIP||A simplified version of VIP which can be operated with a 4-button trackball or number keypad. Can be set up to scan and save a single page or up to 10 pages, with saved pages replaced one-by-one with successive scans. Has same reading view and voice, color, font, size, spacing options and online and keypad help as VIP. Scans text and pictures.|
|Kurzweil 1000||Converts print into speech. Scans books, articles and bills, and reads the information out loud. Scanned text can be saved for future reference and modification. Can be used to open and read a variety of electronic text formats and search, download, and read electronic books and magazines directly from sites such as Bookshare.org, Web-Braille and other electronic repositories.|
|Kurzweil 3000||Displays printed or electronic text on the computer screen. Text can be spoken by a speech synthesizer or read by the user on the computer screen. Available for both Windows and Macintosh platforms.|
|OpenBook||Scans and converts printed documents or graphics-based text into an electronic text format. Provides two text-to-speech software synthesizers—RealSpeak, which features a natural human-sounding voice, and ViaVoice, which provides practical and efficient speech for editing or skimming documents. Supports most hardware speech synthesizers. Other features include a fax utility, copy function, and online book search.|
|Optelec ClearReader+||The Optelec ClearReader+ brings portability, simplicity and a sleek design to text-to-speech and OCR reading and scanning devices.? Instant reading Rediscover the joy of reading anytime and anywhere. Within a few seconds, the ClearReader+ scans any magazine articles and reads them to you in naturally sounding voices. Intuitive operation? The ?ClearReader+ is designed for simplicity. Its buttons are easy to operate and have distinctive shapes. This helps you to control the integrated state-of-the-art technology without any effort. Quick voice selection? The ClearReader+ offers a broad variety of high quality male and female reading voices in 30 different languages. Select your preferred voices and languages and switch them instantly while reading. Saving and retrieving documents? With the ClearReader+ you have the option to save your post or interesting articles for later reference. You can archive single and multiple page documents and access them when needed. Portable solution? Benefit from the portable design and use the ClearReader+ anywhere in your home. Move the unit around easily by using the convenient foldable carrying handle.||Order Optelec ClearReader+ from The Chicago Lighthouse Store|
|Ovation||Portable optical character recognition system that scans and stores text of any kind and converts it to adjustable audio-output. Flatbed scanner accommodates newspapers, books, and magazines. Stores chapters of up to 20 pages. Provides audio cues to signal the beginning and end of a successful scan.|
|Poet Compact 2||The Poet Compact2 is a standalone reading machine for people who are blind. This all-in-one reading machine can read virtually any kind of printed matter with just the press of a button. There is no need to study lengthy manuals and you do not need to have any prior knowledge of computers to operate the Poet Compact2. The Poet Compact2 features just two control buttons, along with adjustable dials for volume and reading speed. It's extremely easy to use. With a press of the first button, it scans and recognizes text quickly, simultaneously converting text into high-quality speech output. The second button is the pause button and stops and starts the speech. The control knobs are used to adjust the volume and reading speed to your preference, even when Poet is running. All controls are located in an aesthetically pleasing position on the front panel.||Sales department at BAUM USA|
|Poet Compact 2+||The Poet Compact2 is a standalone reading machine for people who are blind. This all-in-one reading machine can read virtually any kind of printed matter with just the press of a button. There is no need to study lengthy manuals and you do not need to have any prior knowledge of computers to operate the Poet Compact2. The Poet Compact2+ is a model for more advanced users who prefer more features. This model has a front panel that offers more controls and possibilities, for example: access to menu functions, speech settings, plug-ins, CD-drive for listening to DAISY-books, MP3 files, connecting USB-sticks, a BAUM Pronto! organizer, etc. For braille literate and deaf and blind users a BAUM braille display can also be connected to the Poet Compact2+. It is possible to specify another language in addition to English.||BAUM USA sales department|
|Portset Reader||Stand-alone scanner with British English speech incorporating a male and two female voices. Can be used to read letters, books, magazines, and bills. Has a built-in floppy disk drive that allows for the transfer of any scanned document to a email@example.com|
|SARA Scanning and Reading Appliance||Stand-alone reading machine that allows users to scan and read books, bills, magazines and other documents. Reads in 29 human-sounding voices, 19 language dialects and 12 languages. An optional display screen or a television screen may be used to magnify text and customize background color schemes. The majority of the buttons are big and colorful with tactile shapes that differentiate one from another.|
|Simon Reading Machine||New version of the Pronto stand-alone reading machine with a flatbed scanner. Has two commands (start and stop), three voice settings (volume, speed and pitch), and easy-to-remember text navigation cursor firstname.lastname@example.org|
|Text Cloner Pro||Scanning software designed to work with a user’s existing screen reader. Has two different scanning methods: high-speed and high-detailed|
|VIP||Scans and automatically converts text into the user-selected type font and letter size, 9 voice options, letter spacing, colors, and reading view. Once configured, ezVIP operation is performed with number keypad and keyboard. Text is also spoken in 2 of the 4 reading views (Word Wrap and RSVP). Reading views include: Word Wrap fills the screen with text; RSVP displays one word at a time; Marquee smoothly scrolls a single line across the screen; ImageView shows you the original page and a magnified line of text scrolling beneath it. Also scans and saves pictures which can be enlarged. Online help and one-key keypad help (voiced and large print) – intuitive on-screen “buttons” identify keypad keys to be used. Scanned text can be edited. Can be used with CCTV with PC connection to display split screen camera image and VIP word processor text.| | <urn:uuid:8bfa9c69-1a75-494f-82cf-6d898ba6e2e4> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.afb.org/ProdBrowseCatResults.asp?CatID=38 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397748.48/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00121-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.89018 | 3,244 | 3.453125 | 3 |
AfriGeneas States Research Forum
[IN] Early Black History
About a year ago, a woman doing research in the library archives in Harrison County, Ind., stumbled upon records from an unusual 1814 lawsuit in which a former slave woman from Kentucky sued a white man for assault and false imprisonment — and, miraculously for the times, prevailed.
No last name is mentioned for Elizabeth, described as “a woman of color formerly of Bullitt County,” but the researcher passed a few documents on to Corydon history buff and preservationist Maxine Brown, who launched a search for more details.
This fall, Elizabeth’s story will be re-enacted at a Oct. 10-12 conference called “A Progressive Journey Through Indiana History,” an event sponsored by the Southern Indiana Minority Initiative Inc. of Jeffersonville. | <urn:uuid:6b3bda08-425a-4473-a330-c25cbb8b2d24> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.afrigeneas.com/forum-states/index.cgi/md/read/id/9534/sbj/in-early-black-history/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395560.14/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00140-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.912477 | 174 | 2.71875 | 3 |
Cyclopædia of Political Science, Political Economy, and the Political History of the United States
APPROPRIATION. Appropriation is the reduction to private property of an object which belonged or might belong to all. Thus, arable land which, as we may suppose, was primarily the property of the whole human race, was appropriated when it was first divided into parts, each one of which had its distinct owner.—the word appropriation can hardly be applied to things other than those given by nature; for, as to those which are the fruit of the labor of man, they so naturally and necessarily belong to him who has produced them that they are, so to speak, incorporated in him, until he disposes of them by exchange, or voluntarily destroys them. But the word appropriation does not apply equally to all natural objects. It can hardly be properly applied to the simple consumable products which the earth or the sea may furnish man with. It is rather applied to productive original stock, that is, to the natural instruments of production, such as arable land, mines, water-courses, etc., in a word to all the natural elements which constantly assist us in our labors.
—Among the natural instruments of production, some are susceptible of appropriation, others are not. For instance, arable land and mines have been almost entirely converted into private property in all civilized countries; but the sea which, like the earth, is productive, since it produces fish, mollusks, coral, pearls, salt, etc., has not been appropriated and scarcely can be, except some very limited portion of it near the shore.
—All economists admit that the appropriation of arable land has singularly increased its fecundity, and made it truly a benefit not only to the actual possessors of the soil, but also to those who believe they have been unjustly deprived of it. "We have examples," says J. B. Say, "of what happens where there are no landed proprietors. Where there are no such proprietors, people are in the condition of the Hurons and Iroquois. Among them the soil belongs to nobody; and the only product that their agricultural industry, which is the chase, procures from this soil, consists of the furs which they sometimes secure at the cost of untold fatigue, though at times their labor goes unrewarded. The produce of the chase does not always crown their efforts, and they and their families are exposed to most frightful privations."
—In countries where the land does not belong to anybody, nobody cultivates it, and men obtain from it only the meagre fruits which it produces spontaneously.
—In all countries, even the most civilized, there still are lands which are not absolutely appropriated, in the sense that the state or communes have reserved their possession to themselves. This is always a beginning of appropriation, and it can not be said in this case that nobody is interested in improving the natural resources of such land; but as the proprietor is a collective person, his interest is not sufficiently direct and urgent to induce him to endeavor to draw from the land all that it can be made to yield. Hence it is that in all the countries of the world, the lands belonging to the state and municipalities are by far the worst managed and least productive.
—Mines and quarries may be appropriated just as arable land may be, and, it is evident, may gain fully as much by it. Their appropriation is, however, rarely as complete and absolute as that of land. In many countries, the state makes certain reservations in this respect. In some of them the government retains the mines in its own possession, and works them itself. This is the case in Germany for instance, with the iron and salt mines, and in some other parts of Europe and America, with gold and silver mines. In France, the government while granting to private individuals the right to work mines, reserves to itself the ownership of them in principle; so that, leaving out the consideration, the labor, the expenses, and the losses to which it subjects its grantees, it constantly holds over them the threat of a withdrawal of their grant. Theirs is a sort of conditional and precarious appropriation, which does not offer the advantages of an absolute and irrevocable appropriation. (See
Return to top | <urn:uuid:5080787c-6c4c-43ab-8725-ff74189be1dc> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://econlib.org/library/YPDBooks/Lalor/llCy70.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395560.14/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00109-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976406 | 891 | 3.109375 | 3 |
Apricot pits, peach pits, barley, millet, buckwheat, turnips, carrots, dried beans, peas, pumpkins, melons, onions, garlic, cabbage, cauliflower, mulberries, walnuts, almonds, apples, apricots, plums, peaches, cherries, pears, and pomegranates.
Laetrile is a chemically modified form of amygdalin, a naturally-occurring substance found mainly in the kernels of apricots, peaches, and almonds. Amygdalin is most commonly extracted from apricot pits. Laetrile is a related substance, which has a slightly different chemical structure. However, the terms amygdalin and Laetrile are often used interchangeably. The name Laetrile is also used to describe a closely related, man-made substance. Laetrile and amygdalin are promoted as alternative cancer treatments. Both contain a small amount of a substance that can be converted to cyanide in the body.
Supporters call Laetrile "the perfect chemotherapeutic agent," as it is said to kill cancer cells while being non-toxic to normal cells. Promoters claim that societies with diets rich in amygdalin, such as the Hunza and the Karakorum, are "cancer-free peoples." Supporters also say that Laetrile can prevent cancer and can help patients stay in remission. It is also promoted to provide pain relief to people with cancer. Other reported uses for Laetrile have been in the prevention and treatment of high blood pressure and arthritis.
There are several proposed explanations for how Laetrile works. Supporters claim that cancer cells contain more of a certain enzyme that splits the Laetrile molecule and releases the cyanide within it. The cancer cell then supposedly dies from cyanide poisoning. Normal cells supposedly do not have as much of this enzyme and instead contain an enzyme that renders the Laetrile harmless. Supporters claim that normal cells are not affected for this reason.
Laetrile is commonly used in some hospitals and clinics in northern Mexico because it is difficult to get in the United States. Laetrile or amygdalin are often taken as part of a metabolic therapy that includes a specific diet with high doses of vitamins. Although no standard treatment plan exists, a typical treatment consists of injecting Laetrile or amygdalin into a vein each day for 2 to 3 weeks, followed by taking tablets by mouth as a maintenance therapy. Laetrile and amygdalin are also used in enemas and in solutions applied directly to skin lesions.
"Bitter almonds" have been used as a medical remedy for thousands of years by cultures as diverse as the ancient Egyptians, Chinese, and Pueblo Indians. In 1802, a chemist discovered that distilling the water from bitter almonds released hydrocyanic acid. In the 1830s, the source of this hydrocyanic acid was purified and called amygdalin. It was thought to be the active ingredient in bitter almonds.
The current use of Laetrile can be directly attributed to the theories of Ernst T. Krebs, Sr., MD, which were first proposed in the 1920s. Krebs tested an extract from apricot pits to treat cancer, but the pills proved too toxic for human use. Around 1952, his son, Ernst T. Krebs, Jr., changed the process of extracting amygdalin and created a chemically modified version, which he named Laetrile. He claimed that the new substance was more potent as an anti-cancer drug than naturally occurring amygdalin. Despite this chemical distinction, both proponents and skeptics commonly refer to both substances as Laetrile. Adding to this confusion is the fact that many products sold as Laetrile consist mostly of amygdalin.
From the 1950s through the 1970s, Laetrile grew in popularity in the United States as an alternative treatment for cancer. In 1977, the FDA commissioner stated that there was no evidence for the safety or effectiveness of Laetrile. The government has banned the transport of Laetrile into the United States or across state lines, as well as the use of Laetrile in states without laws specifically allowing it.
- Vitamin B-17 / Laetrile/Amygdalin has a dangerous component, cyanide - locked away inside.
- The only way the cyanide can get unlocked is if the laetrile comes into contact with a cancerous cell.
- Cancer cells have an enzyme, Beta-Glucosidase that breaks the laetrile molecule and releases the cyanide that in turn destroys the cancer cells.
- Any resultant free cyanide reacts with naturally occurring enzyme, Rhodenase to derive Thiocyanate which helps regulate blood pressure and also promotes the production of vitamin B-12 by the liver.
- By taking Vitamin B17 daily, cancer cells never have a chance to develop because the laetrile destroys them too quickly.
Completely enclosed by mountain peaks which soar to a height of 25,550 feet (7788 m) and belong to the Karakoram Range (broadly known in the West as the Himalayas), Hunza is now part of Pakistan in the northern section bordering on Afghanistan.
The Hunzakuts cultivate plants including barley, millet, buckwheat, turnips, carrots, dried beans, peas, pumpkins, melons, onions, garlic, cabbage, cauliflower, apricots, mulberries, walnuts, almonds, apples, plums, peaches, cherries, pears, and pomegranates.
Apricot trees are very popular, and the fruit is eaten raw in season and sun dried for winter. The pits were cracked to obtain the kernel that is crushed to obtain the oil for cooking and lamps. The hard shell is kept for a fire fuel. The kernel and oil can be eaten from the variety of apricots with sweet kernel.
Cancer is generally considered a chronic disease. So far no chronic or metabolic disease has ever found prophylactic or therapeutic resolution except through normally occurring accessory food factors. Certainly none has ever been known to have a viral or bacterial etiology. Pellagra, scurvy, beri-beri, rickets, the anemias, a wide range of neuropathies, etc., etc. - all have found total prophylactic and therapeutic resolution only in factors accessory to normal food. No chronic or metabolic disease has found any other resolution. It is not probable that cancer will prove the first exception.
The Nitrilosides in Plants and Animals
Nutritional and Therapeutic Implications
by Ernst T Krebs Jr.
John Beard Memorial Foundation
Since the principal objective of this presentation is a study of the clinical use of the Laetriles (nitrilosides), because these substances yield nascent HCN [hydrogen cyanide/prussic acid] when they undergo enzymatic hydrolysis in vivo, it will be helpful if one begins with a general study of the nitrilosides in plants and animals.
A nitriloside is a naturally occurring or synthetic compound which, upon hydrolysis by a beta-glucosidase, yields a molecule of a non-sugar, or aglycone, a molecule of free hydrogen cyanide, and one or more molecules of a sugar or its acid. There are approximately 14 naturally occurring nitrilosides distributed in over 1200 species of plants. Nitrilosides are found in all plant phyla from Thallopliyta to Sperimatophyta.
The nitrilosides specifically considered in this paper are 1-mandelonitrile-beta-diglucoside (amygdalin) and its hydrolytic products; l-para-hydroxymandelonitrile-beta-glucoside (dhurrin); methylethyl-ketone-cyanohydrin-beta-glucoside (lotaustralin); and acetone- cyanohydrin-beta-glucoside (linamarin). All of these compounds are hydrolyzed to free HCN, one or more sugars and a non-sugar or aglycone. For the purposes of this study, they may be considered as physiologically and pharmacologically identical and varying essentially only in the percent of free HCN they produce upon hydrolysis by beta-glucosidase.
The concentration of nitrilosides in plants varies widely and ranges from small traces to as much as 30,000 mg/kg in some of the common pasture grasses (in the dry state). There is no evidence that animals synthesize nitrilosides under normal conditions. The metabolism of all the higher animals, and most of the invertebrates as well, involves the hydrolysis of plant-derived nitrilosides ingested in the plant components of the diet. This hydrolysis is produced by beta-glucosidase occurring in the gastro-intestinal tract and produced in various tissues of the animal. The enzyme occurring in the intestinal tract is produced by various bacteria or microflora. When the enzyme so produced or that enzyme existing in the organs acts to hydrolyze the nitrilosides to free HCN, sugar and a non-sugar moiety, the CN ion released is detoxified or converted by an enzyme normally occurring in the organism and known as rhodanese or thiosulfate transulfurase. The product of such conversion is thiocyanate, a compound found in the tissues of all vertebrates, many invertebrates and a number of plants.
It is one of the objectives of this report to survey extensively but not intensively the indispensable but long-overlooked role of the nitrilosides in the plant and animal kingdoms. The material utilized for this paper comprises, to a large extent, an abstract of a book now in preparation on the subject. The latter carries a bibliography in excess of 3,000 titles. It is not possible in this report to supply an adequate bibliography. We have therefore limited the references in this paper, as a rule, to isolated or specific experimental observations; and we have omitted the citation of reference sources for data that are commonplace or unquestioned facts in the universe of the relevant expert. For this reason, statements undocumented here may often appear extraordinary to a reader not intimately acquainted with sophisticated data derived from disciplines often distant from his own. For example, even to experts in animal husbandry, agriculture, pharmacology, and toxicology, it may come as an almost unbelievable statement that cattle, in the course of grazing, may daily ingest grasses containing as much as 30,000 mg/kg of nitriloside (carrying over 2.0 grams of derivable HCN) over a period of years without discernible effect. The grasses involved have, however, been repeatedly assayed by reliable and universally accepted techniques and the quantities ingested by sheep and cattle have been repeatedly and carefully measured. The results have been duly published in acceptable journals over the world.
NITRILOSIDES AND NITRILES IN TERMS OF BIOLOGICAL EXPERIENCE
Nitrilosides are produced by, and HCN enters into the metabolism of, members of the plant kingdom extending from bacteria, moulds and fungi to the common fruits - apricots, peaches, cherries, berries, and the like - comprising the Rosaceae and extending through the Leguminosae - lima beans, vetch, pulses, clovers - to the Graminae with over eighty grasses of the latter family carrying one or more specific nitrilosides.
No area of the earth that supports vegetation lacks nitriloside-containing plants. Over 30 per cent of all tropical plants, edible or inedible by man or animals, contain a nitriloside. From the nitriloside-rich salmon-berry, cloud-berry or buffalo-berry (Rubus spectabilis) growing on the Arctic tundra and the arrow-grass growing in arctic marshes and supplying the major fodder for the caribou, to the cassava or manioc - the bread of the tropics - plants extraordinarily rich in nitriloside, and serving as food for man and animals, are found in abundance. All life on earth participates directly or indirectly in the chain of nitriloside metabolism. In terms of living forms, the nitrilosides appear as ubiquitous in time as they do in space. There is some evidence that life on earth commenced in conjunction with hydrogen cyanide.
A glance at the vegetation about us almost anywhere will disclose nitriloside-containing plants. The common weed and fodder, Johnson-grass, often carries 15,000 mg/kg or more of nitriloside. A similar concentration is found in Sudan-grass, Velvet grass, white clover, the Yetches, buckwheat, the millets, alfalfa or lucerne, lima beans, even some strains of green or garden peas, the quinces, all species of the passion-flower. The seeds as well as the leaves and roots of the peaches and various cherries are but a few of the natural sources of this essentially non-toxic water-soluble factor.
Though the nitrilosides are plant-produced, we are interested here only in their metabolic role in the animal kingdom. We know that they account largely if not exclusively for all the thiocyanate found in the tissue and body fluids of animals. Thiocyanate is found in the serum, urine, sweat, saliva and tears of man and other mammals. Thiocyanate, as well as its natural precursor, the HCN derived from dietary nitrilosides, supply the cyanide ion for the nitrilization of the precursor of vitamin B12 (hydro[xy]cobalamin) to vitamin B12 (cyanocobalamin).
Upon hydrolysis in the intestinal tract of man or animals, the nitriloside exerts a variable antibiotic effect through the action of the freed hydrogen cyanide and, in the case of some nitrilosides such as amygdalin or dhurrin, through the antiseptic action of benzaldehyde or p-hydroxybenzaldehyde aglycone. The latter from Johnson-grass, before and after oxidation to a benzoic acid, is about 30 times more antiseptic (in terms of the phenol coefficient) than ordinary benzaldehyde or benzoic acid. It is now experimentally established that only those nitrile compounds that are hydrolyzed to free hydrogen cyanide lend themselves to the formation, through rhodanese in the presence of utilizable sulfur, of thiocyanate.
After metabolism in the animal body, most of the HCN moiety is eliminated as thiocyanate in the urine with possibly some being eliminated in the feces. In man, a small percentage of the nitriloside-derived HCN may be excreted through the lungs and even in the urine. In rabbits, the administration of one nitriloside (amygdalin) has been reported as resulting in the elimination of traces of the unchanged nitriloside in the urine. Sorghum and other plants involved in cyanogenesis associated with the synthesis of nitriloside are known to emit a small percentage of free HCN.
In the case of nitrilosides with an acetone aglycone or an ethylmethyl-ketone aglycone, the ketone aglycones as well as the sugar moiety are probably fully metabolized to carbon dioxide and water with the HCN residue contributing to the production of thiocyanate, some of which may be eliminated from the body in the urine and feces with the remainder persisting as part of the normal "cyanide metabolic pool".
EVIDENCE FOR BETA-GLUCOSIDASE IN ANIMAL TISSUES
The enzyme beta-glucosidase is found in especially high concentrations in the liver, spleen, kidney and intestinal mucosa in animals. Since HCN is eliminated as thiocyanate and since only nitriles split to free HCN can experience thiocyanate conversion by rhodanese in the presence of a source of sulfur, the fact that ingested nitrilosides increase the level of thiocyanate in the body fluids proves that they have been hydrolyzed to free HCN. This hydrolysis is enzymatically accomplished only by a beta-glucosidase.
Nitrilosides are also hydrolyzed to free HCN when injected into the peritoneal cavity of the rabbit. The fluid in this area apparently is lacking in rhodanese activity, since free HCN has been observed in the peritoneal fluid of rabbits following injections of large doses of amygdalin. Extensive studies have also been published on the hydrolysis of nitrilosides to free HCN by the rumenal microflora of sheep.
EVIDENCE FOR OCCURRENCE OF RHODANESE IN VERTEBRATES
The detoxification of HCN as thiocyanate was first observed by S. Lang in 1894, and the enzymic aspects were first studied in 1933 by K. Lang who gave the name rhodanese to the enzyme concerned. Since thiocyanate is some hundred times or so less toxic than HCN, the rhodanese reaction is a true detoxification.
It appears that the concentration or activity of rhodanese in the tissues of animals varies directly with the normal nitriloside content of the general diet characterizing each species. The livers of rats, rabbits and cows appear to be more active than those of monkeys, men, dogs, and cats in descending order. Rhodanese activity is as widely distributed in living forms as are the nitrilosides. Both have been found in forms as diverse as fish, squid, insects and plants. The enzyme has been isolated in crystalline form by Sorbo and a substantial literature on it has developed. The action of rhodanese is highly specific. It is limited not merely to nitriles but only to those nitrilosides which surrender free HCN ions upon hydrolysis.
The administration of rhodanese has been found to protect experimental animals from doses of cyanide or its salts ten times or more in excess of normally lethal doses. The concentration of rhodanese in tissue is generally proportional to that of beta-glucosidase and always functionally in excess of the latter. Rhodanese may also appear in the absence of beta-glucosidase as in the case of the brain just as beta-glucosidase may appear in conjunction with cancer or trophoblast cells in the absence of rhodanese. The high sensitivity of cerebral tissue to hypoxia would tend in the course of natural selection to provide a high rhodanese activity against adventitious HCN and to exclude any enzymatic means by which the cyanide ion could be hydrolyzed in this area. The rationale for the occurrence of a high beta-glucosidase concentration in the absence of rhodanese in the case of trophoblast is associated with the role the trophoblast plays in hemopoiesis, especially as it concerns the nitrilization of hydrocobalamin to active vitamin B12 (cyanocobalamin).
Rhodanese, beta-glucosidase, nitrilosides and thiocyanates are found throughout the phyla of the plant and animal kingdoms from bacteria to giant trees, and from protozoa to man.
THIOCYANATES IN PLANTS
Although the normally occurring nitrilosides in plants have never been known to contribute any evidence of chronic or cumulative toxicity from the nitriloside itself nor from the derivable HCN, thiocyanates occurring in plants, notably the Cruciferae or Brassicae, have been identified with goitrogenic properties among peasant populations subsisting on large quantities of such Cruciferae as cabbage, turnips, rutabaga, brussel sprouts, kohli rabi, cauliflower, etc. grown in iodine-deficient soil. Clovers among many other legumes and grasses are rich sources of nitriloside for grazing animals. Recently ewes grazing on nitriloside-rich clover growing in Australian soil deficient in iodine were reported as showing a high incidence of goiter which was identified as apparently arising from the thiocyanate derived from the clover nitriloside and metabolized in the presence of a severe iodine deficiency.
In soils carrying normal concentrations of iodine, no such effects have been observed in sheep or cattle despite the fact that some of these animals may ingest as much as 300 grams of nitriloside a day through dry arrow-grass, Johnson-grass, clovers, or other fodder.
It will also be recalled that Wilder Bancroft, Professor of Physical Chemistry at Cornell University, ingested 1,000 mg. of thiocyanate a day for a period of 23 years in the process of studying the cumulative properties of this chemical. He reported no untoward result from the experiment. To the contrary, he associated it with some suspected positive benefits that need not be considered at this time.
While prolonged excessive ingestion or development of thiocyanate in the presence of a severe iodine deficiency has apparently been associated with a goitrogenic effect in both human and animal populations, there has never been anything to suggest the possibility of any cumulative toxicity arising from the cyanide ion itself.
It is apparently impossible to develop cumulative toxicity to HCN in animals. The reason for this is that the biological experience with the cyanide ion in metabolism is almost as ancient and extensive as the biological experience with water, oxygen, nitrogen, salt, or the like. All can prove fatal to animals if administered in excessive quantities or in an improper way. As a result of an almost archetypical ignorance of, or superstition towards HCN engendered by observations of the swiftness of its lethality made in days when chemistry had barely emerged as a science, a powerful cultural antipathy toward cyanide developed.
Cyanide was indiscriminately and falsely classified, because of its toxic potentiality, with protoplasmic poisons utterly foreign to the biological experience of the organism. Unfortunately, this ancient misapprehension has been perpetuated among botanists, physiologists, toxicologists and even pharmacologists. And, in their culturally induced fear or antipathy toward cyanide as a poison, they have unwittingly foreclosed adequate attention to, and study of, the critically important factors in the physiology of plants and animals. An atmosphere of pure nitrogen or pure carbon dioxide is just as lethal as one of hydrogen cyanide. The major differences among these compounds possessing almost equal biological experience are those of concentrations and rates, and none are capable of producing chronic or cumulative toxicity. As we shall study in a subsequent section, sheep have received as much as 460 mg of HCN in the course of an hour without any evidence of acute toxicity and as much as 210 mg of HCN a day for two years without any evidence of cumulative toxicity or resistance or immunity of any kind to HCN. This biological experience qualitatively parallels that for water, salt, sodium chloride and compounds with similar biological experience.
Though in our early studies on the nitrilosides we attempted because of our then limited knowledge of their basic significance in terms of biological experience to ascertain some evidence of cumulative toxicity for them, we now agree with such students of the problem as Coop and Blakely that it is impossible for compounds that have, through nutrition, been a part of the biological experience of plants, animals and man and an inherent part of his physiology since his appearance, to produce any cumulative toxic effects. Whether we are dealing with the first nitriloside to be discovered, amygdalin, or with linamarin or lotaustralin, it would seem vain to expect to find from their hydrolytic products of glucose and HCN and their aglycone of benzaldehyde or benzonic acid in the case of the first, or acetone or methylethylktone, respectively, in the case of the latter, any possibility of cumulative effect. Glucose, thiocyanate, benzoic acid, and even acetone, are components normal to the metabolic pathways of the organism, which would have to be susceptible to a development of a cumulative toxicity to itself in order to sustain one to the components which comprise the organism.
If the obvious is belabored to reductio ad absurdum, it is because even at this late date there are apparently some unacquainted with the fact that the hydrolysis in vivo of a nitriloside by one or more endogenous beta-glucosidases with the production of free HCN, detoxified as thiocyanate by the enzyme rhodanese in order to protect the organism, or sometimes left undetoxified by cells or organisms lacking or deficient in rhodanese, comprises biological phenomena that were commonplace in organisms as old as man himself. As a result of a deficient rhodanese mechanism, some organisms have been destroyed by the HCN emitted by other organisms rich in beta-glucosidase and rhodanese.
Blum & Woodring (Science, 138:513, 1962), in a paper on "Secretion of Benzaldehyde and Hydrogen Cyanide by the Millipede Pachydesmus crassicutis", describe how this large millipede, whose known distribution is limited to Louisiana and southern Mississippi, protects itself against its natural prey, the imported fire ant (Solenopsis raevissima v. richteri Forel) by secreting a mixture of benzaldehyde and hydrogen cyanide against the predator when disturbed by it. The millipede is equipped with paired glands located on eleven of the notal projections; from these glands, benzaldehyde and HCN are ejected. The water-clear secretion of Pachydesmus was collected by touching the dorsal surfaces of the notal projections with a small square of filter paper which rapidly absorbed the liquid discharge. This discharge was then analyzed by gas chromatography and infra red photospectroscopy. The major component was found to be benzaldehyde. HCN and glucose were also found together with a disaccharide which appears to be the sugar moiety of the nitriloside amygdalin. The millipede secretes its own beta-glucosidase, which hydrolyses the nitriloside in the notal glands to free HCN, benzaldehyde and sugar. While the millipede protects itself from the HCN through its endogenous rhodanese, this HCN is emitted against a predator relatively deficient in rhodanese.
David A. Jones, Department of Genetics, and John Parsons, Department of Pharmacology, Oxford University, in a paper on "Release of Hydrocyanic Acid from Crushed Tissues in All Stage of the Life-Cycle of Species of the Zygaeninae (Lepidoptera)" Nature, 193 (4810), p.52, 1962) reported that 50 crushed eggs (weight of about 50 eggs 2.6 mg - 4.0 mg) of this moth release up to 150 microgram of HCN, which HCN thus accounts for about 5 per cent of the weight of such eggs.
The foregoing examples were selected from a comprehensive body of similar data for the purpose of adumbrating the ubiquity of the biological occurrence and experience among all forms of life, not only in terms of nitriloside, but also in terms of beta-glucosidase, rhodanese, thiocyanate, and the selective susceptibility of rhodanese-deficient cells to the noxious effect of adventitious HCN. Some of the data briefly reviewed in the two papers just cited concern the occurrence of rhodanese in the parasites of the gastro-intestinal tract of animals ingesting nitriloside-rich foods. Such rhodanese is, of course, necessary as a protection against the free HCN released from the ingested nitrilosides by the beta-glucosidase produced by the intestinal flora and possibly also by the intestinal mucosa of the host.
Tribes in the Karakorum of West Pakistan, the aboriginal Eskimaux, tribes of South Africa and South America living on native foods, the North American Indian in his native state, the Australian aborigines, and other native or so-called primitive peoples rely upon a diet carrying as much as 250 to 3,000 mg of nitriloside in a daily ration. All populations living close to a Neolithic level appear to be characterized dietarily by a similarly high consumption of nitriloside-rich foods.
Civilized, Westernized or Europeanized man, on the other hand, relies on a diet that probably provides an average of less than 2 mg of nitriloside a day.
It is noteworthy that no case of cancer has ever been reported among the peoples of one tribe in the Karakorums over a period of about 60 years of medical observation. For a period of at least 80 years the Eskimaux have been observed with even greater scrutiny by medical men, missionaries, teachers, traders and others for the specific purpose of attempting to discover the possible incidence of cancer among them. Despite such observations, no case of cancer has yet been reported among these two native populations while they lived on their native diet; however, in the case of the Eskimaux, a number of cancer victims have been found among those who left their original dietary habits for a Westernized diet.
The medical scrutiny by which such cancer cases were noted was no less intense than that given a large proportion of the natives not having access to modern foods.
The observations made of the Eskimaux on this subject are recorded in Vilhjalmur Stefansson's book on "CANCER: Disease of Civilization? An Anthropological and Historical Study" (Hill and Wang, N.Y. 1960). Philip R. White, M.D., has written an interesting preface to the book, while Rene Dubos' introductory chapter is most instructive.
The remarkable freedom primitive populations show to dental caries is, of course, a commonplace to students of anthropology. Many of the nutritional reasons for such freedom from caries among these people are not difficult to find in terms of the food that they eat, and especially of the food that they do not eat. In the similar freedom of these populations from cancer, the possible role of nutrition has been at best vague and general - as it was in the case of pellagra and the anemias prior to the discovery of the specific factor involved in the deficiency.
Major General Sir Robert McCarrison, before and during his appointment as Director of Nutrition Research in India under the Research Fund Association, treated and studied the people of Karakorum. From the perspective of 20 years of observation he reported that he had failed to find a single case of cancer among this population. Later John Clark, M.D. served in a medical mission to this population. He was properly critical of the tendency of some to romanticize the allegedly perfect health of these long-lived people. He described, as had McCarrison, a relatively high incidence of goiter among these people as well as certain skin diseases and a substantial incidence of dental caries. The nutritional basis for the high incidence of goiter among them is clear in the relative iodine deficiency of their diet. Their incidence of dental caries likewise has a clear nutritional basis. The tendency to goiter though resting on an iodine deficiency is exacerbated by the presence in their diet of an abundant quantity of nitriloside, which contributes a corresponding quantity of thiocyanate that, in the absence of adequate iodine, is goitrogenic, as we have seen in the case of human populations eating vegetables of the thiocyanate-rich Cruciferae, grown in areas deficient in iodine or in the case of ewes grazing on nitriloside-rich (i.e., thiocyanate-producing) clover grown in iodine deficient soil.
At any rate, John Clark, while recognizing and describing the many pathological conditions to which these people, like all others, are subject, did add that he, too, had never observed a single case of cancer among them.
While cancer may elude diagnosis in some cases, early cases ultimately become terminal cases, and when the latter involve the skin, breast, the lymphatic glands, mouth, tongue, lungs, or rectum, they do not go unrecognized even by the medically naïve - certainly not by medical observers.
Dietary Sources for Nitrilosides
by Ernst T. Krebs, Jr.
A number of reliable works have reported the general diet of the people of the Karakorum. Buckwheat peas, broad beans, lucerne, turnips, lettuce, sprouting pulse or gram, apricots with their seeds, cherries and cherry seeds, berries of various sorts - these are among the seemingly commonplace foods that comprise the bulk of the diet of these people. With the exception of lettuce and turnips, each of these plants contains some nitriloside. Turnips contain thiocyanate, a substance to which nitrilosides give rise.
Over a dozen books and articles we have read on these people are unanimous in the report that the apricot is the major staple in their diet. In view of our work on the nitrilosides in relation to human cancer, the predominance of the apricot in the nutrition of these reportedly cancer-free people was frequently called to our attention over the years. We originally dismissed the matter on the basis of pure coincidence, especially since the meat or flesh of the apricot contains little or no nitriloside, which is concentrated in the seed that resides in the pit. The seed is the size of a small almond and may be mistaken for a shelled almond.
Finally, upon investigating the diet of these people, we found that the seed of the apricot was prized as a delicacy and that every part of the apricot was utilized. We found that the major source of fats used for cooking was the apricot seed, and that the apricot oil was so produced as inadvertently to admit a fair concentration of nitriloside or traces of cyanide into it. The apricot seed is so prized among these people that there are experts chosen among them for the purpose of testing the seeds of new apricot trees for their bitterness, since occasionally there appears strains that produce apricot seeds carrying extraordinary concentrations of nitriloside and beta-glucosidase. These trees are destroyed.
The peoples of the Karakorum share with most western scientists an ignorance of the chemistry, toxicology and physiology of the nitrilosides and nitriles. Empirically, however, they have apparently discovered the value of these factors to nutrition. They prepare a solution of HCN (prussic acid) by allowing the apricot kernel nitriloside to react, in the presence of a little water added to defatted meal, with the endogenous beta-glucosidase (emulsin) to release free HCN. The resulting solution of HCN is then maintained as a form of bitters that is added drop-wise, because of its recognized toxicity, to wines immediately before they are drunk. It is held that this solution is contributory to health and even longevity.
The diet of the Karakorum is of necessity essentially a vegetable diet; that of the Eskimaux is essentially a meat diet. Superficially no two diets could probably appear more divergent; yet the Eskimaux shares with many other primitive peoples, most of whom are dominantly vegetarian, a remarkable freedom from malignant disease. On this basis we were at first inclined to dismiss the high concentration of nitrilosides in the diet of Karakorum people and others relying mainly on plant foods as simply another coincidence, contradicted by the situation among the meat-eating Eskimaux.
Upon further investigation of the Eskimaux diet we found that one berry grew abundantly in the Arctic areas and that this berry is extraordinarily rich in nitriloside. This is the salmon-berry, cloud-berry, or buffalo-berry (Rubus spectabilis). It is eaten by birds, animals and men. It is also incorporated into pemmican, which is eaten during all seasons of the year. It was noted also that animals such as the caribou are important in the diet of these people. In eating the caribou, the frozen contents of the rumen or paunch are utilized as a salad and considered a delicacy. In view of this we investigated the forage upon which the caribou feeds. Among the grasses that grow in Arctic marshes, arrow-grass (Triglochin maritima) is very common. Studies made by the United States Department of Agriculture on the nitriloside content of arrow-grass (Triglochin maritima) show it to be probably richer in nitrilosides than any common grass. On a dry weight basis, one kilogram of arrow-grass was found to contain over 30,000 milligrams of nitriloside. One teaspoonful of such rumenal salad might be expected to carry 100 mg or more of nitriloside. This nitriloside is p-hydroxymandelonitrile-beta-glucoside; whereas the dominant one among the Karakorum is 1-mandelonitrile-beta-diglucoside, though both nitrilosides occur in the diet of both groups.
A quick glance at native populations in tropical areas, such as South America and South Africa, discloses a great abundance of nitriloside-containing foods. Over one-third of all plants in these areas contain nitrilosides. Cassava or manioc, sometimes described as "the bread of the tropics", is one of the most common as well as richest sources of nitriloside. As eaten by primitive populations, the bitter and nitriloside-rich manioc is preferred. People in the cities on Westernized diets favor the sweet cassava. Even in the case of these the cassava is so processed as to eliminate virtually all nitriloside or nitrile ions. The cassava eaten by those still near a Stone Age culture, on the other hand, retains a large quantity of nitriloside and nitrile ions. When these primitive and relatively cancer-free people move to the cities, the incidence of cancer among them rises, as they assume the nitriloside-free, Westernized diet. Like the rest of civilized mankind, they then show a cancer incidence of one in every three or four individuals if they live for a sufficiently long period.
RELATIVE FREEDOM OF SHEEP, GOATS, AND WILD HERBIVORES FROM CANCER
The relative freedom of wild and most domestic herbivores from cancer, as contrasted to its higher incidence among at least domesticated carnivores, has been the subject of considerable attention. The nitriloside content of much pasturage, fodder and silage is, of course, often striking. White clover (Trifolium repens), alfalfa or lucerne (Medicago sativa), vetch, certain millets, Johnson-grass, Sudan-grass, Arrow-grass, the various sorghums, lupines, broad beans, velvet grass, and least 80 other grasses, the leaves of Rosacae, berries, etc. - all are common and often rich sources of nitrilosides. The two most common of the pasture grasses, Johnson and Sudan, in many parts of the United States carry as much as 15,000 to 20,000 mgs of nitrilosides per kilogram of dry grass. A 10 kilogram ration a day is not uncommon for freely grazing animals. Such a ration would supply from 150 to 200 grams of nitriloside a day, which would upon hydrolysis yield over 10,000 mg of free hydrogen cyanide. As studies on fistulated sheep have proven, over 95 per cent of all nitrilosides ingested by herbivores in plant foods are hydrolyzed within about an hour with the release of the free HCN into the organism.
Domesticated horses, however, may be deprived of a variety of plant foods and be limited more or less to fodder completely deficient in nitriloside. In such animals the incidence of cancer appears to be reasonably high, though no formal statistics are obviously available.
Carnivorous animals in their natural state treat animal food similarly to the Eskimaux of a Stone Age culture. Such animals eat the viscera, especially the rumen, and often do so before eating the muscle tissue of the animal. When carnivorous animals are domesticated as pets or maintained in zoological gardens, they often show a relatively high incidence of cancer. For example, in the great San Diego Zoo 5 bears have died in one grotto in the last 6 years. All have died from cancer of the liver. These bears were maintained on a diet almost completely free from nitrilosides. Many speculations were advanced as to the cause of their malignancy, all explanations or suggestions sharing in common a version of the virus theory of cancer. These speculations are reminiscent of those made by Sir William Osler in 1906 on the etiology of pellagra as he studied a report of about 20 per cent of the population of an asylum for the colored insane dying from pellagra during one winter. To Osler this was almost conclusive evidence for the infectious or viral or bacterial origin of pellagra.
The liver cancer, which killed the captive bears in San Diego, is suggestive of the liver cancer which kills 95 per cent of all Bantus who die from cancer in the hospitals of one area of South Africa. In their native state, liver cancer is virtually unknown among these people. When they migrate to urban areas or to the mines, their diet is changed to one consisting, for economic reasons, almost exclusively of low-grade carbohydrates completely devoid of nitrilosides. A staple of this diet is fermented milk and corn meal in a mixture known as mealie meal. When this ration was fed for a prolonged period to rats, most of the rats developed cirrhosis of the liver and the pre-cancerous changes observed in the male Bantus.
Bears in the wild state eat nitriloside-rich berries, such as choke berries, salmon berries; grasses also rich in this factor; wild fruits - apricots, peaches, apples, cherries, plums - the seeds of which are all rich in nitriloside with often the leaves and roots carrying a high concentration of the factor; and barks, roots, twigs, and flowering plants rich in nitriloside. Since bears are omnivores, they also eat game. Peter Krott, Ph.D. in his "Bears in the Family", (E. P. Dutton & Co., Inc., N.Y., 1962) describes the predatory habits of the bear as follows:
"Isolated footmarks showed the shepherds where to go and it was not long before they found the remains of the sheep in the undergrowth. The body was carefully cleaned out - a butcher could not have done better. While we roasted a leg of mutton I asked the men why they did not leave the carcass in place, as the bear would surely return to finish it."
The significance of the rumenal contents of sheep in terms of nitrilosides and nitrates will become increasingly clear in the next section. The nutritional pattern in civilized man, as well as in omnivores in captivity, is reversed from what obtains in nature: the viscera is largely discarded and that which animals in the wild state treat as second rate is utilized to the exclusion of a rich source of nitrilosides.
Krott also reported the fondness of bears for whole cherries. He describes feeding two bear cubs 20 pounds of cherries. Like all the non-human primates and most primitive men, the bears eat the seeds as well as the meat of cherries. | <urn:uuid:582ca8a6-bb76-40a6-8d70-475e60d42381> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.smartcancertherapy.com/let-food-be-your-medicine.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397562.76/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00080-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953424 | 9,306 | 2.953125 | 3 |
Thymoma and Thymic Carcinoma—Patient Version
Thymomas and thymic carcinomas are rare tumors that form in cells on the outside surface of the thymus. The thymus is a small organ that lies in the upper chest under the breastbone. It is part of the lymph system and makes certain types of white blood cells that help the body fight infection.
The tumor cells in a thymoma look like the normal cells of the thymus, grow slowly, and rarely spread beyond the thymus.
The tumor cells in a thymic carcinoma look very different from the normal cells of the thymus. They grow more quickly and have usually spread to other parts of the body when the cancer is found. Thymic carcinoma is harder to treat than thymoma.
People with thymoma often also have autoimmune disorders such as myasthenia gravis and rheumatoid arthritis.
Thymoma and thymic carcinoma may not cause early signs or symptoms. The cancer may be found during a chest x-ray or CT scan that is done for another reason. | <urn:uuid:2ea6ba93-04b8-437b-85d6-dc79a7fa7f8d> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.cancer.gov/types/thymoma | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783403825.35/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155003-00198-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.934089 | 237 | 3.203125 | 3 |
Look up any dinosaur, and chances are you will soon come across an estimate for how long it was. And chances are that estimate is wrong. That’s because, as Dave Hone from University College Dublin points out, our knowledge of dinosaur tails is woefully inadequate.
After searching through papers, museum collections, photos, and the minds of his colleagues, Hone found that among the thousands of dinosaur specimens that have been found, there are “barely two dozen complete tails”. These range from animals like Spinosaurus, where virtually no tail fragments have been found, to others where skeletons are missing an unknown number of vertebrae from the tips. Even in complete skeletons, Hone’s research showed that closely related species, and even individuals, can vary greatly in the length and number of bones in their tails.
This matters since tails are factored into estimates of the animals’ lengths, and lengths are often used to estimate mass. As I wrote in my Nature piece on Hone’s work, “If tails are telling tall tales, other important measures could be inaccurate.” Head over there for the rest of the story.
Image by Ballista | <urn:uuid:bd926de1-558c-44d7-859b-99f3e630f4b5> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2012/09/03/dinosaur-complete-tails/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783398869.97/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154958-00169-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949736 | 246 | 3.890625 | 4 |
A Part of Conversation Questions for the ESL Classroom.
- Have you ever had telepathic communication with someone?
- Did you ever dream about something before it happened?
- Do you believe the inner voice of intuition may actually be a form of telepathic communication?
- Do you think it's possible to communicate telepathically with people who have died? Your ancestors?
- Do animals communicate telepathically?
- Can people train in sending and receiving telepathic messages?
- How can you tell the difference between a telepathic message and just talking to yourself?
- Are you telepathic?
- Do you know anyone who is telepathic?
- Do you think telepathy is possibly an innate ability that everyone has, but has forgotten how to use or shut down?
- Has telepathy ever saved your life?
- Is it possible that God talks to us telepathically?
- Are you interested in telepathy and the possible uses of developing this ability?
- If everyone were able to communicate telepathically, what would be different?
If you can think of another good question for this list, please add it.
Copyright © 1997-2010 by The Internet TESL Journal | <urn:uuid:44cdd1a3-6d2a-4ccf-b7e1-89b52b3d9728> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://iteslj.org/questions/telepathy.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397565.80/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00142-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951562 | 250 | 2.984375 | 3 |
Here's what "A dictionary of selected synonyms in the principle Indo-European languages" has to say:
OE god, os
St. deva-, sura-
For 'god' there is a group of cognates common to Italic, Celtic, Baltic, and Indo-Iranian (traces in Gmc. , but not the usual word for 'god'), related to words for 'sky', 'day', and the widespread 'Sky-god', all from then otion of 'bright, shining'. A smaller group, common to Slavic and Iranian, is based on the notion of 'one who dispenses, gracious'. The other words are of disputed etymology.
The old words for a pagan 'god' were generally retained for the Christian 'God'. But a few forms are used only in the former sense.
1. EI *deiwo-s in words for 'god', beside *dyew- *diw- in words for 'sky', 'day' and the personified Grk. Zeus, gen Dios, Lat Iuppiter (earlier Iupiter, fr. voc. = GRk Zeu pater) gen. Iovis, early Diovis, Skt. dyaus, all with the common notion of 'bright, shining' and representing an extension of the simpler *dei- seen in Skt. dideti 'shines', etc. ...
OLat deiuos, Lat. deus (> It. dio, Fr. dieu, Sp. dios; Rum zau interj., zeu 'pagan god'; but for Christian God dumnezeu, fr. Lat. voc. domine deus 'Lord God'), Osc fem. dat. sg. deivai; Ir. dia, W. duw, Br. doue; ON tivar (pl.; cf. ON Tyr, OE Tig, gen. Tiwes, OHG Zio); Lith dievas, Lett. dieus, OPruss deiws; Skt. deva- (Av. daeva, OPers. daiva- 'demon)
2. ChSl. bogu, etc., general Slavid (per. early loanword fr. Iran. through the Scythians; cf. the Slavic word for 'dog'), Av. baga, OPers. baga-: Skt. bhaga- 'dispenser, gracious lord', bhaj-'divide, distribute, share', Grk. aor. phagein ('partake of' >) 'eat'.
3. Grk theos, fr *Thesos (cf. thesphatos 'spoken by god, ordained'), but root connection much disputed and still dubious. Perh. best (but difficulties): Lat. (dies) festus 'holiday', feriae 'holidays', Osc. fiisnam, Lat. fanum (*fas-no-) 'shrine', fr. *dhes-, *dhes-, prob. an extension of *dhe- 'put' in its frequently attested religious application.... Mrs Hopkins, op cit, rejects all the proposed IE etymologies and suggests that, like some of the names of the Greek gods, so theos itself is a loanword from pre-Greek sources.
4. [germanic languages]
5. Skt. sura- , abstracted fr. asura- (as if a-sura-) after this had come to mean 'evil spirit' vs. earlier sense 'spiritual beneficent spirit' (in RV freq. epithet of the gods, esp. Varuna; = Av. ahura mostly in Ahuro Mazda), prob asu-ra-, fr. asu- 'breath of life, life'. | <urn:uuid:474d9be3-58ca-4c9c-a011-78da9d17a950> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.textkit.com/greek-latin-forum/viewtopic.php?p=9318 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395346.72/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00188-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.738671 | 807 | 2.71875 | 3 |
Why use electronic assessment tools?
Electronic quiz tools allow large numbers of tests to be scored quickly and accurately. They have commonly been used to administer midterm and final exams, but the ease of electronic administration has increased their use in online courses. Online courses can be designed so students take quizzes at the beginning of modules to determine what students know already, at the end of modules to determine student learning, and at any point during the course to monitor how well students are mastering course content.
Test questions can be collected over time and stored in a database. From a question database, instructors select questions to build quizzes and tests, edit questions after pilot-testing, and add in feedback on wrong answer choices with the aim of increasing student learning.
keywords: test, assessment, quiz, exam, | <urn:uuid:50187ffd-423c-4faa-b117-89ee7701e764> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www2.nau.edu/~d-elearn/faq/answers_609 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397695.90/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00022-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939118 | 162 | 3.546875 | 4 |
BOZEMAN – Montana State University has received another major grant from the National Institutes of Health, this one targeting health disparities in rural Montana.
The $10.7 million, five-year grant will allow MSU to establish a Center for Health Equity Research and research a variety of health issues faced by rural Montanans, said principal investigator Allen Harmsen, a professor in MSU’s Department of Microbiology and Immunology.
Living 50 miles from town can make it harder to survive farm and ranch accidents, for example. Crashing on a remote highway can mean long rides to a hospital. Harmsen said living in relative isolation also contributes to higher rates of diabetes, suicide, alcoholism and substance abuse.
“There’s a lot of work to be done, and that’s what we have to do,” he said.
The new COBRE grant will fund four research projects aimed at Native American health issues, then other projects addressing the needs of the general rural population, Harmsen said. COBRE refers to the NIH’s Institutional Development Award Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence.
Leading the four initial projects are Elizabeth Kinion, professor in MSU’s College of Nursing; Elizabeth Rink, associate professor in MSU’s College of Education, Health and Human Development; Vanessa Watts Simonds, assistant professor in the College of Education, Health and Human Development; and Monica Skewes, assistant professor in MSU’s College of Letters and Science.
“The COBRE grant is an amazing opportunity to develop a program of research to address health disparities in rural Montana,” Skewes said. “I feel very fortunate to be part of it. Allen (Harmsen)’s commitment to rural and Native American health research is exceptional. It’s what drew me to MSU in the first place.”
Skewes, who recently moved to Montana from Alaska, noted that “Rural communities in general experience inequities in health care. There just aren’t as many providers or services available, and it can be difficult to access those that are there. However, there are many strengths and protective factors in rural communities (people pulling together and helping each other out) that can do a lot to promote health and well-being.”
Since Skewes is new to Montana, she is developing her project during the first year of the grant. She is in MSU’s Department of Psychology, and her interests center on substance abuse and mental health.
“I did see similar issues regarding substance use and mental health disparities when I was working in Alaska,” Skewes said. “However, I also saw some incredibly innovative community-led efforts and creative solutions to many of the problems. It’s important to remember that even though there are significant struggles, there are also many successes and strengths. People are resilient, and nowhere is the resilience of the human spirt more evident than in rural communities.”
The other initial COBRE projects are underway on the Fort Belknap, Fort Peck and Crow Indian reservations.
Kinion’s project, for one, focuses on dental care on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation. It began in response to community requests, and the community is involved in its oversight, said the professor of nursing. Serving on her research team are Erica McKeon-Hanson, faculty member at Aaniiih Nakoda College (ANC); Velva Doore, director of the Tribal Health Department; three tribal students attending ANC; one community member who will be trained as an oral health worker; and pediatric dentist Jane Gillette of Bozeman.
“It’s really exciting because I have a passion about preventing early childhood caries (tooth decay) and oral health,” Kinion said.
Doore, the tribal health director, said the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation had one dentist when she and Kinion met about six years ago and it was common then to pull children’s teeth. The reservation now has two dentists, but preventative care is still a big need. She looked forward to addressing it with Kinion.
“We want children to have good healthy teeth,” Doore said. “I feel, with educating parents and the community, that we will put a dent into children being referred to have their teeth pulled.”
Rink, who is conducting the Fort Peck Indian Reservation project, said community members representing the Assiniboine ad Sioux tribes are equal partners on her project. Loy Sprague is co-investigator, and Adriann Ricker is project director. Sprague teaches addiction studies at Fort Peck Community College, and Ricker is the college’s health and wellness coordinator. Building on previous studies on the reservation, the team will investigate factors that could influence risk-taking behavior among adolescents.
Roosevelt County, where a portion of the Fort Peck Indian Reservation is located, is also experiencing health-related issues with the Bakken oil boom and an influx of drugs coming into the community, Ricker said. She sees the grant as a way to start conversations and form a plan to address those problems.
“I’m thrilled to be a part of this project,” said Ricker, an Assiniboine and Sioux who started working with Rink in 2010.
Simonds, leader of the fourth initial project, is a faculty member in MSU’s Department of Health and Human Development, a Crow Indian and daughter of John G. Watts who worked at MSU from 1985-2008. His last position was director of American Indian Research Opportunities.
Simonds’ project extends an existing research partnership with the Apsaalooke (Crow) community and focuses on water quality issues, a primary community concern, through improving environmental health literacy on the Crow Indian Reservation through educational activities with Crow children. The children will learn what makes a healthy river, for example, and how the environment impacts human health. The project will also develop leadership skills so that children may transfer skills and knowledge through their social networks of peers and family. Simonds will work with Jason Cummins, the Crow Agency Elementary School principal and other partners from Little Big Horn College and the Crow Environmental Health Steering Committee.
“This project expands the longstanding work done by the Crow Environmental Health Steering Committee, which has a history of addressing local water-related environmental health issues through community-engaged research,” Simonds said. “This project brings in new partners and will build on strengths in the Crow community.
“As a Crow tribal member, I am excited about this opportunity to work in partnership with Crow community members and to do research that benefits tribal members and is done in a respectful manner,” Simonds said.
She added that “Environmental health is an area of substantial inequities, particularly for Native Americans. Low income communities often do not receive the same environmental protections that more affluent areas do. The complex federal, state and tribal laws and policies surrounding environmental health on reservations create barriers to accessing environmental health information. These barriers are compounded by the increased contact with contaminated soil and water some Native Americans may face due to subsistence diets, spiritual and cultural practices.”
Harmsen said three additional researchers in MSU’s College of Letters and Science are working on developmental projects in health disparities in the general rural population. Rebecca Brooker, assistant professor of psychology, is investigating maternal and child factors of childhood anxiety. Kaylin Greene, assistant professor of sociology, is studying alcohol use in rural Montana. Kelly Knight, assistant professor of sociology, is focused on victimization in rural Montana.
The new grant is the second COBRE grant MSU has received this year. The first was a $5.4 million grant to enhance MSU’s ability to conduct biomedical research. Led by Mark Quinn, professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, it supports faculty members in the College of Agriculture and the College of Letters and Science who are trying to understand emerging diseases and diseases spread from animals to humans and developing therapies to fight them.
The two grants – like all COBRE grants -- are designed to enhance faculty and institutional research capabilities in states that historically have had low levels of NIH funding, Harmsen said. COBRE allows MSU to develop its research capacity within a research focus, whether it involves diseases transmitted between animals and humans (zoonotic diseases) or inequities in rural health.
COBRE grants can be renewed twice after the initial grant, creating the opportunity for projects to run 15 years and build on the success of previous phases, Harmsen said. Renewal isn’t automatic, however. The researchers still have to go through a competitive process for each phase. Each of the three phases lasts five years.
Evelyn Boswell, (406) 994-5135 or firstname.lastname@example.org
- MSU receives $5.4 million to enhance biomedical research - September 30, 2014 | <urn:uuid:106c2484-f264-444e-9e4b-738ab8229114> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.montana.edu/news/15271/msu-receives-10-7-million-to-address-health-disparities-in-rural-montana | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396459.32/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00009-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954415 | 1,887 | 2.546875 | 3 |
Alice Paul (Suffragette/Political Activist)
Alice Stokes Paul (January 11, 1885 – July 9, 1977) was an American suffragette and activist.
Along with Lucy Burns and others, she led a successful campaign for women's suffrage that resulted in the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1920.
Alice Paul received her undergraduate education from Swarthmore College, and then earned her M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. She received her LL.B from the Washington College of Law in 1922.
In 1927, she earned an LL.M, and in 1928, a Doctor in Civil Laws from American University. Since the Washington College of Law merged with American University more than twenty years after Paul's graduation in 1949, she had the distinction of receiving law degrees from both schools.
Shortly after her graduation from the University of Pennsylvania, Paul joined the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) and was appointed Chairwoman of their Congressional Committee in Washington, DC.
After months of fundraising and raising awareness for the cause, membership numbers went up in 1913. Their focus was lobbying for a constitutional amendment to secure the right to vote for women. Such an amendment had originally been sought by suffragists Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton who tried securing the vote on a state-by-state basis.
When their lobbying efforts proved fruitless, Paul and her colleagues formed the National Woman's Party (NWP) in 1916 and began introducing some of the methods used by the suffrage movement in Britain. Tactics included demonstrations, parades, mass meetings, picketing, suffrage watch fires, and hunger strikes. These actions were accompanied by press coverage and the publication of the weekly Suffragist.
In the US presidential election of 1916, Paul and the NWP campaigned against the continuing refusal of President Woodrow Wilson and other incumbent Democrats to support the Suffrage Amendment actively. In January 1917, the NWP staged the first political protest to picket the White House. The picketers, known as "Silent Sentinels," held banners demanding the right to vote.
This was an example of a non-violent civil disobedience campaign. In July 1917, picketers were arrested on charges of "obstructing traffic." Many, including Paul, were convicted and incarcerated at the Occoquan Workhouse in Virginia (later the Lorton Correctional Complex) and the District of Columbia Jail.
In a protest of the conditions in Occoquan, Paul commenced a hunger strike, which led to her being moved to the prison’s psychiatric ward and force-fed raw eggs through a plastic tube. This, combined with the continuing demonstrations and attendant press coverage, kept pressure on the Wilson administration.
In January, 1918, Wilson announced that women's suffrage was urgently needed as a "war measure", and strongly urged Congress to pass the legislation. In 1920, after coming down to one vote in the state of Tennessee, the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution secured the vote for women.
Paul was the original author of a proposed Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution in 1923. The ERA would not find its way to the Senate until 1972 when it was approved by the Senate and submitted to the state legislatures for ratification. Approval by 38 states was required to ensure adoption of the amendment.
Not enough states — only 35 — voted in favor in time for the deadline. However, efforts to pass the ERA passed by Congress in the 1970s are still afoot, as well as efforts to pass a new equality amendment, and almost half of the U.S. states have adopted the ERA into their state constitutions.
In 1929, she became the primary resident for 40 years of a house bought by Alva Belmont, located in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Washington, D.C., for the NWP headquarters. The house is now known as the Sewall-Belmont House and Museum and is a historic house and museum of the U.S. women's suffrage and equal-rights movements.
Alice Paul died at the age of 92 on July 9, 1977 at the Quaker Greenleaf Extension Home in Moorestown Township, New Jersey, near her family home of Paulsdale. Before that she had a stroke in 1974, which disabled her.
Alice Paul created a long legacy of woman’s rights. Her alma mater Swarthmore College named a dormitory in her honor. Montclair State University in New Jersey has also named a building in her honor. Hilary Swank, in the HBO 2004 movie Iron Jawed Angels, portrayed Alice Paul during her struggle for passage of the 19th Amendment. Two countries have honored her by issuing a postage stamp: Great Britain in 1981 and the United States in 1995, issuing a 78¢ Great Americans series stamp.
Alice Paul is also scheduled to appear on a United States half-ounce $10 gold coin in 2012, as part of the so-called "First Spouse" program. A provision in the Presidential $1 Coin Program (see Pub.L. 109-145, 119 Stat. 2664, enacted December 22, 2005) directs that Presidential spouses be honored. As President Chester A. Arthur was a widower, Paul is representing Arthur's era.
- A Tribute to Muriel Duckworth, Canadian Feminist And Peace Activist
- Dr. Faiha Abdulhadi (Writer/Poet/Feminist)
- Nawal El Saadawi (Feminist/Writer/Activist/Physician/Psychiatrist)
- Emmeline Pankhurst (Activist/Suffragette)
- Eva Peron (First Lady of Argentina/Feminist/Activist)
- Zainah Anwar (Islamic Feminist)
- November 15, 1917, Night of Terror Women Fought For Our Rights
- Carrie Chapman Catt (Suffragist/Feminist)
- Susan B. Anthony (Civil Rights Leader / Suffragist / Abolitionist)
- Gloria Steinem (Feminist/Journalist)
- Eve Ensler (Playwright/Performer/Feminist/Activist)
- Mona Eltahawy (Journalist/Feminist)
- Isabel Allende (Writer/Feminist) | <urn:uuid:a5317d05-4137-48e0-9905-c25d0c1a1e57> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://amazingwomenrock.com/alice-paul-suffragettepolitical-activist | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395560.69/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00076-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967291 | 1,309 | 3.078125 | 3 |
Details about Reconceptualizing the Literacies in Adolescents' Lives:
Reconceptualizing the Literacies in Adolescents' Lives invites middle and high school educators to move toward a broad, generative view of adolescent literacies. The aim is to capture adolescents' know-how and evolving expertise in an array of literacy contexts--all of them rich in language and meaning. This volume moves beyond a tendency to view current instructional recommendations--which focus on textbooks, tasks, and outcomes--as being apolitical or having universal applications. In these times of school reform and public accountability, this book calls on readers to bear in mind that issues of gender, race, ethnicity, and social class have everything to do with who is listened to as well as when and with what effect. It also calls on readers to remember that adolescents carry an almost infinite number of abilities and insights that can and should be invited to any work deemed important in classrooms. By concentrating on the social and cultural dimensions of adolescent literacies, the contributors to this volume have written in ways that move the adolescent learner up front and center stage.
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Rent Reconceptualizing the Literacies in Adolescents' Lives 1st edition today, or search our site for other textbooks by Donna E. Alvermann. Every textbook comes with a 21-day "Any Reason" guarantee. Published by Routledge.
Need help ASAP? We have you covered with 24/7 instant online tutoring. Connect with one of our tutors now. | <urn:uuid:d7fa1171-ab08-4e83-9444-bd1ad4267c19> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.chegg.com/textbooks/reconceptualizing-the-literacies-in-adolescents-lives-1st-edition-9780805825602-0805825606?ii=9&trackid=e48d3074&omre_ir=1&omre_sp= | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396872.10/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00008-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.930627 | 312 | 2.75 | 3 |
A captive white whale that made unusual mumbling sounds when he was in the presence of people may have been trying to mimic his human companions, scientists have found.
An acoustic analysis of the sounds made by a beluga whale called NOC has revealed remarkable similarities to human speech patterns, indicating that the whale was trying to “reach out” to his human captors, scientists believe.
Although there are anecdotal accounts of whales sounding like “ children shouting from a distance”, this is the first time that scientists have produced hard evidence that they are capable of trying to imitate human speech.
One of the first indications that NOC was able to sound like a human was when a diver swimming alongside him in his pen came to the surface and asked his colleagues “who told me to get out”?
NOC, who died five years ago, was about a year old when he was captured off the Pacific coast of Canada in 1977. He was kept in an open-ocean pen at the US National Marine Mammal Foundation in San Diego, California, where he took part in scientific research on cetacean acoustics.
Sam Ridgway, a researcher at the foundation, analysed the archived sound recordings made when NOC was alive and compared them to the sounds made by the human voice, such as the speech patterns and multiple harmonics of spoken words.
The comparison revealed a remarkable similarity that was even more remarkable given that whales vocalise between themselves by blowing air through their noses rather than the larynx in the throat, which is how humans make vocal sounds.
“Our observations suggest that the whale had to modify its vocal mechanics in order to make the speech-like sounds. Such obvious effort suggests motivation for contact,” Dr Ridgway said.
The sound recordings revealed that NOC’s vocalisations were pitched at fundamental frequencies several octaves lower than normal whale sounds, and much closer to those of the human voice. NOC’s sounds also had a rhythm similar to human speech patterns.
“Whale voice prints were similar to human voice and unlike the whale’s usual sounds. The sounds we heard were clearly an example of vocal learning by the white whale,” Dr Ridgway said.
It was in 1984, after seven years in captivity at the San Diego foundation, that NOC started spontaneously to make the unusual sounds which the scientists soon interpreted as him trying to mimic the people around him.
“Whale vocalisations often sounded as if two people were conversing in the distance just out of range of our understanding. These ‘conversations’ were heard several times before the whale was identified as the source,” Dr Ridgway said.
“The whale was recognised as the source of the speech-like sounds when a diver surfaced outside this whale’s enclosure and asked ‘who told me to get out?’ Our observations led us to conclude that the ‘out’ which was repeated several times came from NOC,” he said.
It appears that NOC made extraordinary efforts to make contact with his human captors given that he had to vary the pressure in his nasal tract to mimic the voices he heard around him, while as the same time inflating his vestibular sac, a fold of skin found near his blowhole, which is not normally inflated in such an extreme way.
However, within four years of learning to sound human-like, NOC gave up mimicking the people around him and went back to sounding like a whale, emitting echolocation pulses, high-pitched whistles and an assortment of noises variously described as “squawks, rasps, yelps and barks”.
It appears that NOC’s attempt at communicating with his captors was a brief childish flirtation that he soon grew out of. Or perhaps he thought it was a lost cause.
The study is published in the journal Current Biology. | <urn:uuid:444e8488-9e32-458c-97cd-5033fd8d6566> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/who-told-me-to-get-out-noc-the-talking-whale-learns-to-imitate-human-speech-in-attempt-to-reach-out-8221800.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395679.18/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00120-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.990202 | 826 | 3.515625 | 4 |
What is TOEIC Speaking & Writing?
TOEIC S&W is a Test of English for International Communication which focuses on Speaking and Writing. It is developed by ETS (Educational Testing Service) who also develops TOEFL and others, and administered in Cambodia by IIG Education (Cambodia) Co., Ltd.
English is the language of global opportunity. In the increasingly competitive global marketplace, employers need a workforce that can speak and write effectively across borders and cultures. The TOEIC Speaking and Writing tests are valid assessments of English-language speaking and writing skills for business. In today’s global workplace:
- Speaking skills are important for effective presentations, face-to-face communication, meetings, videoconferencing, teleconferencing and telephone conversations.
- Writing skills are necessary for clear, persuasive email and other types of business correspondence.
When the TOEIC Speaking and Writing tests are taken together with the TOEIC Listening and Reading test, they provide a reliable measurement of all four English language communication skills. The TOEIC Speaking and Writing tests are delivered through the Internet and are available globally.
The TOEIC Speaking & Writing is suitable for the following people:
- Job Seekers
- Professionals, employees
- Teachers, University students, High School students
- Those who want to work overseas
- Vocational students and employees
- Content: 11 questions
- Time: approximately 20 minutes
- Score scale: 0 – 200
|1-2||Read a Test aloud||
|3||Describe a Picture||All of above, plus
|4-6||Respond to questions||All of above, plus
|7-9||Respond to questions using information provided||All of above|
|10||Propose a solution||All of above|
|11||Express an opinion||All of above|
- Content: 8 questions
- Time: approximately 60 minutes
- Score Scale: 0 – 200
|1-5||Write a sentence based on a picture||
|6-7||Respond to a written request||
|8||Write an opinion essay|| | <urn:uuid:ffcd4f21-1585-4545-ad00-5269a0366cd0> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://iigeducation.com/english-tests/toeic-family/toeic-speaking-writing/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395166.84/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00050-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.890631 | 450 | 2.8125 | 3 |
Factors and Multiples
Factors are parts of numbers that, multiplied together, give a larger number. Every number has at least two factors, one and the number itself. On the other hand, multiples are numbers where the same number is repeated, as if you were counting by that number. For example, the multiples of 2 start with 2 and are: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 . . . and so on. Each additional number is a multiple of 2.
Factors and multiples are especially important in working with expanding and reducing fractions, as well as finding patterns in numbers. Finding the greatest common factor, least common multiple, and prime factors of a number are important skills you will learn in this section. | <urn:uuid:1b060773-293e-4685-923d-7b4d2b9acd1d> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | https://www.wyzant.com/resources/lessons/math/elementary_math/factors_and_multiples | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397567.28/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00089-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967177 | 151 | 4.125 | 4 |
Prioritization of Carolina Bays as Mitigation Projects from a Herpetofaunal Perspective
Carolina bays are landform features of the southeastern United States that contain isolated depressional wetlands. These unique ecosystems are particularly valuable for herpetofauna and are at risk of being extirpated from the landscape because of recent legal developments. There are few available inventories of these landform features and associated wetlands, most notably the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources inventory. No known peer reviewed published inventory exists for North Carolina, which contains a high concentration of Carolina bays in the southeastern coastal plain. Wetland inventories offer planners and landscape managers a source of information that can be integrated with other information to aid in rapid natural resource assessment and planning. This research is designed to develop a methodology that directs limited resources and funds towards Carolina bays that contain attributes necessary to provide habitat, refuge, and hibernacula for general herpetofauna while meeting regulatory needs. The implications of the research are that it uses existing data and builds upon them to prioritize Carolina bays while still being generalizable to other regions containing depressional isolated wetlands. By not using specific organisms, the research is intended to serve as a tool to direct efforts to locales where ground based surveys and truthing can be conducted for target species.
Edwards, James. (January 2011). Prioritization of Carolina Bays as Mitigation Projects from a Herpetofaunal Perspective (Master's Thesis, East Carolina University). Retrieved from the Scholarship. (http://hdl.handle.net/10342/3643.)
Edwards, James. Prioritization of Carolina Bays as Mitigation Projects from a Herpetofaunal Perspective. Master's Thesis. East Carolina University, January 2011. The Scholarship. http://hdl.handle.net/10342/3643. June 26, 2016.
Edwards, James, “Prioritization of Carolina Bays as Mitigation Projects from a Herpetofaunal Perspective” (Master's Thesis., East Carolina University, January 2011).
Edwards, James. Prioritization of Carolina Bays as Mitigation Projects from a Herpetofaunal Perspective [Master's Thesis]. Greenville, NC: East Carolina University; January 2011.
East Carolina University | <urn:uuid:6527ab10-b4a1-449e-9d77-a73a4cfe487e> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://thescholarship.ecu.edu/handle/10342/3643 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395560.69/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00150-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.914685 | 476 | 2.640625 | 3 |
Maps can display large amounts of geographic data in layers that generally overlap. The way you draw your layers helps to describe and identify features, but sometimes you need more than just a particular symbol or color or to convey what you want to say with your map. This is when labeling features can help. Labels are short pieces of text that describe features in a layer and help your audience understand what they are looking at.
The text for a label is usually derived from the layer attributes. To display labels for a layer, select one or more attributes you want to show, for example, the name or type of feature. The map viewer automatically places labels on the map on or near the features they describe. You can control the text size, color, and style to help differentiate labels from different layers.
The map viewer places as many labels on the map as possible without overlapping them. Thus, in areas where features are tightly clustered, some features may not get labeled. As you zoom in to an area, more labels will dynamically appear. Labeling priority follows the layer order in your map from top to bottom. Layers at the top get labeled first and thus, will have the most labels. There is no guarantee that you’ll get the labels you want positioned exactly where you want them. Thus, dynamic labeling is best suited for maps where you don’t need precise control and only want to label a few layers.
You can create labels for features in hosted feature layers, ArcGIS Server feature service layers, individual layers from ArcGIS Server map service layers, CSV on the web, and layers from files.
Verify that you are signed in and have privileges to create content.
Open the map in the map viewer, click Details, and click Contents.
Browse to the sublayer that contains the features you want to label, click More Options , and click Create Labels.
Create the labels by adding the following information:
Check the box to label features.
Enter text for the label. Click [+] and select a field value to use as your label. You can also type static text instead of or in addition to the field value.
Make any adjustments to the size, style, and color of the text.
Check the box to add a halo outline around the text and choose the width and color of the halo.
Choose how to align the label relative to the feature.
Click OK when you are finished creating your labels.
If you have more than one layer with labels, you can organize the layers to affect how the labels are displayed. The layer at the top of your map contents is labeled first and has the most labels. The layer under your map contents is labeled next and has fewer labels, and so on.
Click Save from the top of the map viewer to save the labels to the map.
To remove or change the labels, click More Options , click Manage Labels, apply the change, and click OK. | <urn:uuid:5553ccc1-df04-4503-bd05-e95adb2eb6d8> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://doc.arcgis.com/en/arcgis-online/create-maps/create-labels.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397428.37/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00048-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.902974 | 607 | 3.40625 | 3 |
A big new review shows that people who don’t use insulin are wasting their time and money when they test their blood glucose.
And I still recommend that everyone who has diabetes test his or her blood.
Do I contradict myself? I don’t think so.
The new review comes from the Cochrane Collaboration, the most respected group that reviews scientific studies. Six European experts reviewed a dozen randomized controlled trials of 3259 people with diabetes. The review, “Self-monitoring of blood glucose in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus who are not using insulin,” just appeared in the Cochrane Library.
The main conclusion of the study is that, “Glycaemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes who are not using insulin is small up to six months after initiation and subsides after 12 months.” I’m surprised that it has even a small effect.
Actually, blood glucose testing doesn’t have any effect on our levels. Testing is a tool that we have to learn how to use. And few of us are lucky enough to have a doctor or nurse who will take the time to show us what to do.
What we do after we test makes all the difference. The usual pattern is to do nothing, so we get nothing.
When we do follow up on our blood glucose tests, we often do it at the wrong time. For example, a friend told me over lunch this week that she tests her blood glucose. She always tests it the first thing in the morning, and it’s always high, but she doesn’t know what to do about it.
The problem with checking our fasting level is that short of a total lifestyle makeover or gene transplant we can do little about it. High fasting blood glucose comes from the dawn phenomenon that comes in part from what we at the previous day and in part from the body’s natural glucose boost to prepare for the day ahead.
Most of us, however, probably check our level two hours after the first bite of a meal. This is the standard recommendation, and it makes sense.
But we could check one hour after the first bite or 72 or 74 minutes afterwards, which studies show is when our level typically reaches a peak. I don’t think it matters much how long after eating we wait to test as long as we are consistent.
But then what? Knowledge of our levels can give us power over managing them, but only if we do something. That something is the activity most lacking.
Our medical professionals generally don’t tell us what we can do. But we can do something right away to manage our levels immediately. And we can do something else to manage our levels after our subsequent meals.
But first we have to know what level is too high. And that depends on who you ask. The American Diabetes Association has the most lax standards, saying that our level two hours after a meal should be no more than 180 mg/dl. Dr. Richard K. Bernstein, the guru of low-carb eating, says that your level shouldn’t rise at all after meals. You decide what your current standard is, recognizing that as your control gets better you may set a higher standard.
We have to know why we want our level to be normal. It’s because the higher our blood glucose levels the greater our risk of serious complications down the road.
Then, if your level is too high by your standard, one thing that you can do to immediately bring it back to normal is to get some vigorous exercise. Actually, it doesn’t take much exercise, as I well remember when my late wife’s blood glucose level was about 250 mg/dl after dinner one night. What to do? she wondered. Go for a walk, I suggested. When we returned in less than half an hour after a leisurely stroll, her level had dropped considerably.
Long term management of our levels is just as easy, as long as we understand how different foods affect us. The key is that diabetes is simply a disease where we can’t handle carbohydrates like most people can. Carbohydrates have an outsize effect on our blood glucose levels. Protein will have a small effect, and fat has none.
As a result, it’s only when we eat lots of carbs that our levels shoot up. The worst culprits are the grains and other starches, like potatoes.
But don’t take my word for it. See for yourself how different foods increase your blood glucose levels. And then take the next step after testing. That next step is making a change.
This article is based on an earlier version of my article published by HealthCentral. | <urn:uuid:b890a3b2-f023-4c03-b357-eeaa472b7dc3> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.mendosa.com/blog/?p=1204 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395679.92/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00161-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956642 | 975 | 2.53125 | 3 |
In Search for Water, Wyoming Puts Cloud Seeding to the Test
Monday, December 26, 2005
CHEYENNE, Wyo. -- Like most other Western states, Wyoming is rich in oil, gas, coal and other mineral deposits. What it lacks is simple: water.
So, like other Western states, Wyoming is trying to conjure up rain by embarking on a cloud-seeding project to bolster mountain snowpack -- the reservoirs of the arid and semiarid West -- and create more water from spring and summer snowmelt.
If more snow can be produced in the mountains by cloud seeding, it would mean more water for cities, towns and farms.
But Wyoming's $8.8 million, five-year cloud-seeding project goes beyond what other states are doing -- not only because of its size and scope but also because it could yield definitive proof of whether cloud seeding works.
"Hopefully, in Wyoming we'll find evidence for that to be a viable tool in water resource management," said Daniel Breed, project scientist with the National Center for Atmospheric Research.
Millions of dollars are already being spent in a number of states, especially in the West, to spew silver iodide into storm clouds to coax more rain and snow to fall.
In a recent letter to Interior Secretary Gale A. Norton, representatives of seven states -- Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming -- identified cloud seeding as a key component for dealing with or averting future water shortages brought on by population growth in the West.
Whether cloud seeding works has been the subject of debate among the scientific community.
In 2003, the National Academy of Sciences questioned the science behind cloud seeding as "too weak" to prove it works. The academy called for a national research effort into cloud seeding.
Arlen Huggins, a Nevada research scientist, said a lack of money has limited research into cloud seeding over the past decade. Federally funded research that ended in the early 1990s produced evidence that cloud seeding works in the mountains, but not enough to meet scientific standards, he said.
The Wyoming project seeks to determine whether cloud seeding can increase runoff from three mountain ranges -- the Wind River, Medicine Bow and Sierra Madre. The project is in its early stages, and no cloud seeding is expected to begin until next year.
"The Wyoming program is very unique with the amount of science that's being employed," said Barry Lawrence, project manager of the Wyoming Water Development Commission. "The scientists are involved throughout the process."
The state is paying $1.9 million for the National Center for Atmospheric Research to monitor and study the cloud seeding in Wyoming.
"We have not been involved with research of this magnitude for a five-year period," said Bruce Boe, director of meteorology with Weather Modification Inc., which has been hired to do the cloud seeding in Wyoming. "In a way, it's kind of amazing to me that no one has done this before." | <urn:uuid:4dd798d7-ec69-420a-bd05-51b9cb31b947> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/25/AR2005122500569.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783403826.29/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155003-00100-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950823 | 626 | 2.734375 | 3 |
From 11:00PM PDT on Friday, July 1 until 5:00AM PDT on Saturday, July 2, the Shmoop engineering elves will be making tweaks and improvements to the site. That means Shmoop will be unavailable for use during that time. Thanks for your patience!
Pearl is three months old when her mother carries her from prison to the scaffold where Hester is publicly shamed for her adultery.
The governor questions Pearl when she is a few years old. He wants to see if she knows her catechism. But Pearl is stubborn and uncooperative. She fails to respond the way she’s supposed to. The explanation? It is the demon in her!
When she is seven years old, Pearl refuses to kiss the Reverend Dimmesdale until he has publicly acknowledged his relationship to her and to Hester.
Pearl refuses to come to her mother if she is not wearing the scarlet A. She won’t recognize her as her mother without that symbol.
Pearl points out Dimmesdale’s guilty habit of putting his hand over his heart. She wonders what he has done.
Roger Chillingworth leaves his estate to her upon his death within a year of Dimmesdale’s dramatic confession.
Pearl accompanies her mother to the Old World. The narrator surmises that she marries well and has children, since Hester is observed embroidering a baby garment many years later, when Hester returns to the Massachusetts Bay Colony. | <urn:uuid:c26ac91d-5946-45d9-920b-284c6f88fafb> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.shmoop.com/scarlet-letter/pearl-timeline.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396100.16/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00183-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976502 | 312 | 3.125 | 3 |
Old Irish Kingdoms and Clans --
Old Irish Surnames
When Henry VIII's daughter Elizabeth became Queen in 1558 England's control
over Ireland was at
low ebb. Just the year before, the first in a long series of rebellions
against English rule had broken out in Ulster. Although not successful,
this rebellion confirmed for Elizabeth that more stringent measures would
have to be taken to stabilize English domination in Ireland once and for
all. First she imposed the Anglican faith upon the hostile Catholic
populace and then she began steadily expanding the previously unsuccessful
plantation system (as shown on the map above).
As the Irish responded in 1593, Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone, took the
'illegal' Gaelic title of "The O'Neill" and prepared to lead the Ulster
chiefs in defence of territory and religion. Seeing their days numbered by
forces destined to completely erode their power, the Irish continued the
struggle in 1594, spearheaded by Red Hugh O'Donnell of Tyrconnell, who
defeated an English army at the 'Ford of the Biscuits'. The Irish in
Ulster, led by Hugh O'Neill, Ulster's "principle chieftain," succeeded
among other places, at the Battle of Yellow Ford, County Armagh, in 1598.
With the arrival and successes of Lord Mountjoy as English governor in
1600, the Irish campaign appeared to be undermined. In 1601 a Spanish
fleet, backed by King Philip III, arrived at Kinsale with 3,800 troops
to assist the Irish. The rebellion however suffered a crushing blow at
the seige and Battle of Kinsale of December 1601, ending in an English
victory. O'Neill later signed a peace treaty at Mellifont in March, 1603,
retaining his lands and earldom. Thus ended the Nine Year's War in Ireland
lasting from 1594 to 1603.
When James I succeeded Queen Elizabeth in 1603, he resumed the plantation of
English and Scottish settlers with a vengeance, especially in the part of
Ireland which had been the center of the uprising: Ulster.
Threatened by all the newcomers, O'Neill and about one hundred of the most
important people in Ulster fled the country from Rathmullan, County Donegal
in 1607. This 'flight of the earls' is generally agreed by historians to be
the real end of the Gaelic civilization as a political entity in Ireland.
Following this event dramatic changes were in store for the Irish.
In 1610, the settlement in County Coleraine (Derry) by a group of London
livery companies caused the name of the county to be changed to
Londonderry. In 1622 little more than 13,000 Protestants lived in Ulster,
yet by 1641 their population was over 100,000. Within 30 years of the
arrival of James’ first settlers, only slightly more than 10 per cent of
Ulster still belonged to the Catholic native Irish. In a generation the
social structure of Ulster had been re-engineered in a fashion that would
have painful consequences for both the newly installed, privileged
Protestant majority and the disenfranchised, soon to be impoverished
During Plantation most of the Irish remained on their lands because the
planters needed their labor, but they remained as tenants rather than
owners of their own land. By 1641, the Irish revolted again, establishing
a national parliament in Kilkenny which stood not only for independence
but for full liberty of religion and conscience. When Oliver Cromwell
landed with his zealously Protestant troops at Dublin on August 15, 1649,
the fate of the Catholic Irish was sealed. This national revolt of the
Irish people was brutally crushed by Oliver Cromwell in 1649-1650, its
people murdered by the tens of thousands, the Catholic religion outlawed,
and the rights of its native people reduced to little more than livestock.
By 1653 the English had completely subjugated the entire island, by the
combination of massacres, pestilence, and starvation which was estimated
to have killed between half and two-thirds of the Irish people; while untold
thousands of others were shipped off into slavery in the American colonies
and the West Indies. Those who could began to flee to the European
Continent, reminiscent of the flight of the earls earlier in the century.
Worse followed when the English Parliament declared that after May 1, 1654,
under penalty of death, no Irish could live east of the River Shannon and only
those who could prove they had not been rebels could own land west of the
Shannon. All the land east of the Shannon was divided among Protestant
settlers. In 1641 when The Rising began, nearly eighty percent of the land
in Ireland belonged to Catholics. By the year 1665 only 20 percent remained
in Catholic hands. By 1703, less than 5 per cent of the land of
Ulster was still in the hands of the Catholic Irish.
Extinction of the Geraldine Earldoms
John Fitzthomas, Lord of Offaly, who was created Earl of Kildare in 1316,
received a grant of land and established Maynooth as a family seat. The
Fitzgeralds steadily increased their wealth and influence with a combination
of political cunning and expedient marriages. The power of the House of
Kildare reached its zenith during the time of Garret Mór, the 8th Earl,
henceforth known as the "Great Earl". He established a sovereignty which
lasted until 1534 and the rebellion of his grandson, Silken Thomas, 10th
(and last) Earl of Kildare. Thomas, along with his five uncles, was executed
in London, at Tyburn Hill in 1537. Thus ended the power of the House of
Kildare, never again to recover its former eminence and influence.
The Tudor monarchs in England, wishing to centralize all power in their own
hands, sought to curb the power of the Desmond Geraldines. They also sought to
promote the tenets of the Reformation on Geraldine lands and to establish
colonies of English on them.
In 1571, the Geraldines, under their leader, James Fitzmaurice Fitzgerald,
revolted against English rule. The uprising sparked off a savage war in
Munster, during which the province was laid waste. It ended with the
destruction of the house of Desmond in 1583 and the confiscation of the
vast Geraldine estates.
Donal O'Sullivan Beare
Irish Triumph at Yellow Ford
Ulster History Timeline
The Re-Conquest of Ireland
This site maintained by
You are the 125547 visitor, since February 2007 | <urn:uuid:d8902ccb-edd4-4bb9-944b-fe1434510791> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~irlkik/ihm/ire1600.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396459.32/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00140-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953564 | 1,443 | 3.65625 | 4 |
Imagine being able to control genetic expression by flipping a light switch. Researchers at North Carolina State University are using light-activated molecules to turn gene expression on and off. Their method enables greater precision when studying gene function, and could lead to targeted therapies for diseases like cancer.
Triplex-forming oligonucleotides (TFOs) are commonly used molecules that can prevent gene transcription by binding to double-stranded DNA. NC State chemist Dr. Alex Deiters wanted to find a way to more precisely control TFOs, and by extension, the transcription of certain genes. So Deiters attached a light-activated "cage" to a TFO. When exposed to ultraviolet (UV) light, the cage is removed, and the TFO is free to bind with DNA, inhibiting transcription of the gene of interest.
"In the absence of light, transcription activity is 100 percent," says Deiters. "When we turn on the light, we can take it down to about 25 percent, which is a significant reduction in gene expression."
Additionally, Deiters fine-tuned the process by attaching a caged inhibitor strand to the TFO. In the absence of UV light, the TFO behaves normally, binding to DNA and preventing gene expression. However, when exposed to UV light, the caged inhibitor activates and stops the TFO from binding with DNA, turning gene transcription on.
"We've created a tool that allows for the light-activation of genetic transcription," Deiters says. "By giving researchers greater temporal and spatial control over gene expression, we've expanded their ability to study the behavior of particular genes in whichever environment they choose." Source : North Carolina State University | <urn:uuid:3d4241d8-4430-46ac-8af1-8e597e3843e0> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2012/05/10/researchers_use_light_to_switch_on_gene_expression.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396459.32/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00003-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.924734 | 350 | 3.796875 | 4 |
We know the word "day" does mean a period of time. In the first book of the Bible called Genesis, day means a 24 hour period of time (evening and morning). this day is the time it takes the earth to revolve on its axis.
The Hebrew word for day is "yom" and can have a variety of meanings : A solar day, daylight, or an indefinite period of time. It was defined a literal day the first time it was used in Genesis 1:3-5. In the Old Testament it occurs 2,291 times and it almost always means a literal day. When used in the plural form "yamin" (845 times) it always refers to a literal day. When modified by numeral or historical narrative (359 times in the Old testament outside Genesis) it always means a literal day. When modified by evening and/or morning (38 times outside Genesis 1), it always means a literal day. The context of Genesis 1 is a tight chronology. It forms the basis for our work week of six literal days (Exodus 20:11). The proper interpretation is a solar day, not an indefinite time period.
"Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it" (Exodus 20:8-11)(KJV).
In this passage when kept in context, God instructed the nation of Israel to work six days and rest one day because God worked six days and rested one day in the week during which He created the heavens, the sea, and all things in them. The word "remember" in Hebrew, when used as a command, as it is in Exodus 20:8, always refers back to a real historical event, and that event is the 6 days of creation (Verse 11). Thus, the days of our real work-week are equaled in duration to the literal days of creation. So Exodus 20:11, means a literal 24 hour day. How could God, the Author of Scripture say it any more plainly? He did it all in six solar days. So when people ask, "If God is omnipotent and capable of creating the entire universe instantaneously, why did He take six days?" The answer to this question is : God provided a pattern for our work week. We are to work six days and rest one, just as He did. The seventh day rest is a commemoration of His perfect work of Creation.
To believe the Bible, you first must be saved! Today is the "day of salvation". "(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time, behold, now is the day of salvation)"(2 Corinthians 6:2). When the Philippian jailer brought Paul and Silas out of the jail, he asked them, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house" (Acts 16:30-31). | <urn:uuid:6f2239bb-621c-4810-985e-dd4a03fc52ac> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.examiner.com/article/the-meaning-of-day?cid=rss | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783400572.45/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155000-00140-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945413 | 740 | 3.421875 | 3 |
The disease we know today as AIDS has been around for several hundreds of years. Scientific evidence shows that the HIV virus was contracted by humans from monkeys around 1675. However, the most relevant years regarding the discovery of AIDS to us today are the late 1970s and early 1980s.
History of AIDS AT-A-Glance:
Here we provide a brief outline of the history of AIDS beginning in 1978 when the first cases of AIDS began to be noticed:
1978 - Gay men in the United States and Sweden, and heterosexuals in Tanzania and Haiti-- begin showing signs of what we call AIDS today.
1980 - The total number of deaths in the United States is 31.
1981 - Scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, GA notice an alarming rate of a rare cancer (Kaposi's Sarcoma) in otherwise healthy gay men. They first call the disease "gay cancer" and soon rename it Gay Related Immune Deficiency (GRID). At this point, 422 cases had been diagnosed in the U.S. and 159 are dead.
1982 - Researchers at CDC link the new found disease (AIDS) to blood. The term AIDS ("Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome") is used for the first time. A total of 1,614 cases of AIDS diagnosed in the U.S. and 619 are dead.
1983 - The CDC warns blood banks of a possible problem with the blood supply in the U.S. Researchers at the Pasteur Institute discover the HIV virus. A total of 4,749 cases of AIDS have been diagnosed in the U.S. and 2,122 persons are dead because of the disease.
1984 - Dr. Robert Gallo, an American scientist, claims to have discovered the virus that causes AIDS. However, his claim is about a year after the French discovery of HIV. A few years later, Dr. Gallo wrote a letter retracting his claim saying that blood in his lab had been contaminated by a sample sent by to him by French scientists. By this year, 11,055 cases of AIDS were diagnosed in the U.S. and 5,620 deaths were recorded.
1985 - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves the first HIV antibody test. Blood products begin to be tested in the United States and Japan. The first International Conference on AIDS took place in Atlanta, GA. By this time, a total of 22,996 cases of AIDS were diagnosed in the U.S. and 12,592 deaths. Also, this year, famous film star, Rock Hudson died of AIDS. His death made the disease known among the public.>
1987 - AZT becomes the first anti-HIV drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The U.S. shuts its doors to HIV-infected immigrants and travelers. After a six-year silence, President Ronald Reagan uses the word "AIDS" in public for the first time. Vice President George Bush is taunted when he calls for mandatory HIV testing. The AIDS Memorial Quilt is started in San Francisco, California. A total of 71,176 AIDS cases are diagnosed in the U.S. and 41,027 people are dead.
1988 - The United States government> prohibits discrimination against federal workers infected with HIV. The World Health Organization designates December 1st as World AIDS Day. A total of 106,994 AIDS cases diagnosed in the U.S. and 62,101 people are dead.
1990 - Ronald Reagan apologized for his neglect of the AIDS epidemic while he was president.
1991 - Ten million people are infected with HIV around the world. More than a million of those infected are in the U.S. Professional basketball player Magic Johnson announces he has HIV.
1995 - The United States admits that researchers at the Pasteur Institute of France instead of Dr. Robert Gallo discovered the HIV virus. Olympic diver Greg Louganis discloses he has AIDS.
1996 - Basketball star Magic Johnson returns to play professional basketball, while heavyweight boxer Tommy Morrison announces he has HIV.
1997 - Approximate total deaths due to AIDS is 6,400,000 and of HIV-positive people is 22,000,000 in the world. | <urn:uuid:4ce12f8c-15c7-4f04-a139-0dfe3e632568> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.intheknowzone.com/sexual-health-topics/hiv-aids/history.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395346.72/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00049-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962542 | 871 | 3.375 | 3 |
On This Day - 15 July 1916
Theatre definitions: Western Front comprises the Franco-German-Belgian front and any military action in Great Britain, Switzerland, Scandinavia and Holland. Eastern Front comprises the German-Russian, Austro-Russian and Austro-Romanian fronts. Southern Front comprises the Austro-Italian and Balkan (including Bulgaro-Romanian) fronts, and Dardanelles. Asiatic and Egyptian Theatres comprises Egypt, Tripoli, the Sudan, Asia Minor (including Transcaucasia), Arabia, Mesopotamia, Syria, Persia, Afghanistan, Turkestan, China, India, etc. Naval and Overseas Operations comprises operations on the seas (except where carried out in combination with troops on land) and in Colonial and Overseas theatres, America, etc. Political, etc. comprises political and internal events in all countries, including Notes, speeches, diplomatic, financial, economic and domestic matters. Source: Chronology of the War (1914-18, London; copyright expired)
British advance continued; capture of Delville Wood, penetrate to Bois des Foureaux and outskirts of Pozieres; 2,000 prisoners taken; second defence lines penetrated; British cavalry in action.
South of Somme, Germans re-enter Biaches and La Maisonette, and are again driven out by French.
Eastern FrontRiga front Russians, supported by sea and land artillery, make slight advance west of Kemmern. southern Lutsk salient Russians under Sakharov, anticipating Austrian offensive, attack them on Upper Styr.
Asiatic and Egyptian Theatres
Russian right wing, under General Yudenich, occupies Baiburt; the left drives back Turks south-west of Mush. | <urn:uuid:9946d4f1-5355-4683-a82b-986b0da661cc> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.firstworldwar.com/onthisday/1916_07_15.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783408828.55/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155008-00131-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.879145 | 363 | 3.25 | 3 |
The emergency plans are all on paper, the guidelines are all in place, and the practice drills have all been completed with flying colors. You’re ready for whatever disaster comes your way – or are you? Unfortunately, no one really knows until disaster actually hits.
In the last 15 months several towns in Alabama and surrounding states have come face-to-face with various disasters such as a tornado, a hurricane, and a horrific school bus accident. Each event left devastating marks on communities, businesses, and families. Though no community ever wants a major disaster to hit home, those emergency plans are all right there on paper for a reason.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has five national preparedness guidelines for communities to adhere to in the wake of a disaster. They are preparedness, prevention, protection, response, and recovery. How do you restore security, power, and calm to a neighborhood or school destroyed by a tornado? How do you provide critical healthcare, emergency services, or life-saving measures when your hospital has been flooded and damaged? How do you calm, treat and transport 44 fifth graders whose bus has just flipped over on the interstate?
Preparedness is a continuing learning process requiring coordination among organizations at all levels. Community leaders and response personnel from these communities highlight best practices of how they responded to their disaster and how they have since updated their plans based on lessons learned. Each presenter illustrates how they have used the DHS preparedness guidelines to facilitate their response to their respective disasters. They explore what worked, what didn’t, what has changed, but perhaps more importantly, what can you learn and take back with you to improve your community’s own emergency preparedness plan?
The On Demand Program, Bridge the Gap: Community Surge and Resiliency, was broadcast on July 24, 2008, and is an outstanding resource with information covering the Enterprise and Prattville tornados, Hurricane Katrina, the Springfield bus crash, and much more.
The Bridge the Gap Conference Slides and Videos are valuable resources to assist in preparedness and response best practices. | <urn:uuid:3ab0a678-0a30-4373-942d-4cf8db4495ec> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.adph.org/CEP/index.asp?id=2881 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783393442.26/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154953-00145-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962275 | 425 | 3.03125 | 3 |
Definitions of coagulated
imp. & p. p. - of Coagulate
a. - Changed into, or contained in, a coagulum or a curdlike mass; curdled.
The word "coagulated" uses 10 letters: A A C D E G L O T U.
Direct anagrams of coagulated:
Words formed by adding one letter before or after coagulated (in bold), or to aacdeglotu in any order:
n - uncataloged
Words within coagulated
not shown as it has more than seven letters.
List all words starting with coagulated, words containing coagulated or words ending with coagulated
All words formed from coagulated by changing one letter
Other words with the same letter pairs: co oa ag gu ul la at te ed
Browse words starting with coagulated by next letter
Previous word in list: coagulate
Next word in list: coagulates
Some random words: oca | <urn:uuid:c14766a2-9bac-45fc-b465-0dae1ee07c8a> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.morewords.com/word/coagulated/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783398869.97/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154958-00179-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.865397 | 220 | 2.5625 | 3 |
Throughout the world, school situations are found as mono-grade, multi-grade and non-graded formats. Mostly the teachers are prepared keeping a mono-grade school in view, where the teacher has to handle one class at a time.
But, in India and many other developing countries, there are a good number of schools in interior small habitations where a teacher has to handle more than one grade simultaneously. Non-graded education is an innovation, where students are allowed to learn at their paces with the curriculum of a few years is organized as levels of learning instead of grades.
In India, a few models of multi-grade and multi-level education have been tried out successfully such as Rishi Valley Satellite Schools in Andhra Pradesh, Janshala Programme of UN agencies in eight states including Rajasthan, and Nali-Kali or Joyful Learning Programme in Karnataka.
There is a need to prepare teachers and teacher-educators to handle multi-grade teaching, which requires development of relevant teaching-learning material to promote teacher-learner, learner-learner and learner-material interactions. The workshop is meant to provide exposure to the nuances of multi-grade teaching to the participants.
The most popular citizen journalists' reports on merinews chosen automatically on the basis of views and comments | <urn:uuid:9866b49a-a2df-4a2a-a4ed-6018393314ae> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.merinews.com/article/rajasthan-university-to-organise-workshop-on-multi-grade-teaching/15898937.shtml | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783393518.22/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154953-00012-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962344 | 270 | 2.8125 | 3 |
The city was originally three different towns around the place where the Han River merged with the Yangtze River (Changjiang, 长江, “long river”). The Yangtze River generally flows west to east across central China, and in the area of Wuhan, it flows from the southwest to the northeast. The much smaller Han River enters from the west.
The town on the southern bank of the Yangtze was called Wuchang. It was long known as an education center for Confucian scholars and literati, and for its arts, and it was a provincial capital during the Yuan (Mongolian) Dynasty. The town on the north bank of the Han River and the Yantze was called Hankou. It was a financial and merchants center, and when the British controlled it during the 1800s, it became the second biggest financial and merchant center in China after Shanghai. The town on the south bank of the Han River between the Han and the Yangtze was called Hanyang. Now, it is the industrial area of the city with car factories, heavy industries, and advanced industries.
The British invaded the area during the middle of the 1800s, and used Hankou as a trading port. Goods from all over the British Empire, 1/7 of the world’s land area, came in on ships and were traded for goods from all over China, the most populous country in the world. The British had a small enclave along the river in Hankou of about 30 kilometers in area, and they built some buildings that still stand. There is a large beautiful customs building that is still standing. It must have seemed very imposing then, since the architectural methods were advanced. Railroads were built that connected the British port with northern China, so it became one of the busiest ports in China. The Yangtze River allowed steamboats to carry merchandise more than 1,000 kilometers inland from the coast.
In the last century, the area that is now called Wuhan was the scene of some important political events. First, starting about 1906, the Qing Dynasty governor of the area promoted the development of modern industry and education by founding important industries and opening modern schools and universities. Most of these universities were built in Wuchang. He wanted to modernize the area under his jurisdiction, so Wuhan became a leading city in China for industry, education and culture.
In 1911, there was a revolt against the Qing Dynasty government in the city promoted by Sun Yat-Sen, and then there was conflict all over China. In 1927, the Chinese KMT Nationalist government organized the old towns of Hankou, Hanyang and Wuchang into a city that was the capital city of China. The national government met in the Hankou District for a short time. In 1939, Wuhan became a Japanese military headquarters, and the city was destroyed by the US Air Force in 1944. | <urn:uuid:b33f1353-ec7d-47b8-94eb-ff68d772a99a> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.chinahighlights.com/wuhan/history.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396872.10/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00103-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.984212 | 606 | 3.5625 | 4 |
Information on the Loyalists
Hendreck Beljee/Bulyea and Engeltje Storm had eight children that we know of:
JOHN WELLING, another loyal British subject who chose to leave his native land after the American Revolution and to seek refuge in a British possession, was from Welling's Burg, near Newbury, New York. He was the son of John Welling, senior, and his wife was Mary Mullinden, daughter of Peter Mullinden. The Wellings had eight children. They lived in Jamaica, Long Island, near New York, and later moved to New Windsor, New York.
Before the end of January 1783, American hostilities had ceased, and Great Britain, France, Spain and the United States had framed articles of general pacification. To Sir Guy Carleton, with headquarters in New York, fell the task of disbanding the troops and making arrangements for the transfer of Loyalists. As early as April, the exodus commenced with the sailing of the spring fleet to Nova Scotia, which included, at that time, what is now New Brunswick. It was not until after the coming of the Loyalists and Disbanded Soldiers that New Brunswick was made a separate colony.
Every issue of a New York newspaper carried notices relating to the embarkation during the summer of 1783. For example: "Notice to Refugees. The following transports...will certainly fall down on Monday morning; it will therefore be absolutely necessary for the people who are appointed to go in these companies to be all aboard To-Morrow Evening". John probably sailed on one of the transports which left New York bound for the port of Saint John. His brothers, William, Frederick, Peter and two sisters chose to remain in the New York area.
A petition, dated 1785 at Grimross on the Saint John River, bears his signature. This memorial was signed shortly before John decided to leave the Saint John River Valley and move over to the Island of Saint John. On September 7, 1785 John Welling and two other Loyalists were each granted three hundred acres of land on Lot 17. These two grantees were John Small and John Fox. Three others, all married men, were granted five hundred acres each, they were Daniel Green, George Linkletter and Benjamin Darby. Descendants of Green, Darby, Linkletter and Small may still be found living on Lot 17.
John Welling built his log cabin on a point of land known as Welling's Point. On the map of Prince Edward Island in the 1880 Atlas, the point on Linkletter Shore is marked Wellon Point. However, on the larger map of Lot 17 it is spelled "Phelan Pt." It is in that area that the Linkletter Provincial Park has been established.
John married his neighbour, Benjamin Darby's daughter, Elizabeth. He may have known her back in Newburgh where she was born in 1773, and where she was said to have suffered indignities and hardships at the hands of the rebels. In 1795 Elizabeth's married sister, Mary Hanington, lonely in a new land, induced the Welling family to move across the strait and settle near the Hanington family in the Shediac Cape area of New Brunswick. John and Elizabeth and their two sons, William and Frederick, lived in a deserted cabin until a more comfortable home was built in 1796. Here their other children were born. John Welling died on March 31, 1831 and was laid to rest in St. Martin's-in-the-Wood Churchyard, Shediac Cape.
Those were the days of large families and they had a family of eight sons and four daughters. Since there were few eligibles around in the matter of marriage, there was a tendency to intermarriage with families nearby. | <urn:uuid:f46826f3-46fc-4e67-ae68-cd7c640dca58> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.uelac.org/Loyalist-Info/extras/Welling-John/Welling-John-biography.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397744.64/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00091-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.983033 | 775 | 2.734375 | 3 |
[image-78]January 24, 2009 marks the point at which the two STEREO spacecraft reach 90 degrees separation, a condition known as quadrature. Since the two STEREO spacecraft went into orbit around the Sun at the beginning of 2007, they have been slowly drifting apart from Earth, and from each other. Ahead has been drifting at an average rate of 22 degrees per year in front of Earth, and Behind has been drifting at the same rate in the opposite direction. After two years in solar orbit, the two spacecraft have finally reached quadrature.
This is an important time for the STEREO mission. With the two spacecraft 90 degrees apart from each other, a coronal mass ejection (CME) can be seen at the limb from one spacecraft, where the coronagraphs work best, while the other spacecraft looks directly down on the region where the ejection occurred. In the best of worlds, the ejected coronal material will be traveling directly toward the second spacecraft, and detected by the particle and field in situ (Latin for "in place") instruments as it flies past. For example, the above diagram shows a CME apparently traveling toward the STEREO Ahead spacecraft, while being observed from the side by Behind.
[image-96]Such an event happened earlier this month. On January 8-9, 2009, a CME was observed by the SECCHI coronagraphs on STEREO Ahead. This event was seen on the left side of the Sun, which meant that it could be headed in the direction of Earth or the Behind spacecraft. On January 13, the IMPACT magnetometer on Behind detected a magnetic cloud pass by the spacecraft, a clear signature of the CME seen originating a few days earlier in the Ahead images. (Such events seen by in situ instruments are known as Interplanetary CMEs, or ICMEs.) Here we have a good example of an event seen by the telescopes of one spacecraft, and by particle and magnetic field instruments as it passes by the other spacecraft. No such ICME signature was seen by the ACE spacecraft (nor from STEREO Ahead), which tells us that the CME missed Earth-it was only observed at the position of STEREO Behind.
[image-114]Because the CME was directed toward the Behind spacecraft, it appears fainter. However, one can make out the edge of the ejection in this more processed image formed as the difference between one image and a previous image. The bulk of material appears to be aimed at a point somewhere to the right of the STEREO Behind spacecraft. However, we know that some part of the CME material must be aimed at the Behind spacecraft, because we see it in the in situ instruments on January 13.
One can also try looking for the original source of the CME in the extreme-ultraviolet images from the SECCHI EUVI telescope on STEREO Behind. The sources of some CMEs can be clearly seen in the EUV images, while others cannot. Intriguingly, we see an active region suddenly appear, right around the time of the CME, as shown in the following movie.
[image-132]Was the emergence of this active region associated with the coronal mass ejection which happened around the same time? Perhaps, but the evidence is not conclusive. Careful analysis of the motion of the CME shows that it starts to lift off several hours before the active region emerges, so it may just be a coincidence that they appear to happen together. Or there may be a subtle relationship that we don't yet understand.
One thing is certain. At least we can now ask the question with the two separate views given by the STEREO spacecraft. Only by looking from a different perspective, such as from Ahead, can one tell that this is a completely newly emerged active region. On the other hand, the coronagraph observations of the CME from Ahead do not show the details of its early history-this is much better done from Behind. It's the combination of the two views, which gives the richest data set on events like this. The coronal mass ejection of January 8-9 gives us a taste of what we expect to see in the months to come.
Caption:An ICME on 2009-Jan-13 was observed by STEREO-B IMPACT in-situ IMF measurements. Four panels in the graph present three components of the magnetic field and the magnitude from top to bottom. The front and rear boundaries of the STB ICME are marked with dashed green lines at ~12UT Jan 13th and ~5UT Jan 14th. The peak magnitude was ~10nT. | <urn:uuid:8f18af4e-061d-423d-a699-8c37d7c61540> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/stereo/news/QUADRATURE.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783393533.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154953-00066-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957507 | 966 | 3.390625 | 3 |
Weeds are unsightly any time of the year when they’re growing as part of a homeowner’s landscape, but for farmers, weed control is essential to encourage their crops to reach their yield potentials. Tony Provin is a Texas A&M Agrilife Extension professor and soil chemist.
“Weeds are just another plant, and often they’re quite unique in that they may have a lower nutrient requirement than some of our intended crops, and they’ll grow and they’ll shade out some sunlight of some of our desired crops, but more importantly than even the shade aspect is that they are transpiring water.”
And water is a precious commodity.
Provin advises to take note of weeds when you’re taking soil samples.
“We always want to make sure that we control weeds. We can’t fertilize ourself out of a weed problem, but a lot of times with good fertility and good management, we can prevent some of those weed problems from ever occurring, by having a very dense forage system that’s present, weeds are often plants of opportunity. If there’s an open space, whether it’s because of compaction, whether it’s because of nutrient limitations, a little rain comes, that seed germinates and that weed which will often grow much faster than our normal crop, it’ll take advantage of that.”
The short message for farmers and homeowners alike is to kill weeds before you fertilize your desired plants. | <urn:uuid:792cae62-28dd-488a-918b-e30eee35b174> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.kbtx.com/home/headlines/From-the-Ground-Up---Weed-Control--261961431.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395039.24/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00037-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949117 | 324 | 2.875 | 3 |
Apollo 16 (CSM Casper and LM Orion)
April 16-27, 1972
John W. Young
Thomas K. Mattingly II
Charles M. Duke, Jr.
11 days, 01 hour, 51 minutes
Landing site: Descartes Highlands.
Landing Coordinates: 8.97341 degrees South, 15.49859 degrees East
(Source: National Space Science Data Center); LROC QuickMap
First study of highlands area. Selected surface experiments deployed, ultraviolet camera/spectrograph used for first time on Moon, and LRV used for second time. LRV traversed 26.7 km. Three EVAs totaling 20 hours 14 minutes. 95.8 kg (213 lbs) of lunar samples collected. Lunar surface stay-time, 71 hours; in lunar orbit 126 hours, with 64 orbits. Subsatellite released in lunar orbit. Mattingly performed 1-hour trans-Earth EVA.
|Journal Home Page||Apollo 16 Home Page||Overviews Index| | <urn:uuid:2d6a12fd-d877-4e58-a14b-84467a118d8f> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a16/a16ov.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396945.81/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00103-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.751262 | 213 | 2.8125 | 3 |
Martyrs’ Day: June 21
Martyrs’ Day is a public holiday celebrated in Togo.
The Togolese Republic celebrates Martyrs’ Day every year on June 21. Martyr’s Day is a very solemn day as it honors those brave soldiers who gave up their lives so that others could live a free and independent life.
History of Martyrs’ Day in Togo
The country of Togo was one of the major centers of slave trade in the middle ages, eventually earning the label of “The Slave Coast.” This continued for centuries until it came under the control of Germany in 1884. Germany ruled it as a model state until on August 8, 1914, the United Kingdom and France invaded, eventually taking control of it.
After World War II, Togo became a UN trust territory. The country finally took its independence on April 27, 1960 with the leadership of Sylvanus Olympio, first president of the Togolese Republic. However, a long period of instability and strife took hold with Sylvanus Olympio being murdered in 1963. Opposition leader Nicolas Grunitzky took the reigns but was deposed in 1967. A long series of transitions and bloodshed followed for decades, culminating with the reign of Eyadema Gnassingbe. It’s said that before the death of Gnassingbe in 2005, he was responsible for the deaths of over 15,000 people.
Togo’s Martyrs’ Day Traditions, Customs and Activities
Togo remembers its martyrs and the people that have died during the many years of civil unrest. People like Sylvanus Olympio are commemorated for the work they did to bring peace in the face of a strong opposition. Military parades bring mixed feelings to people, some who think of the military as a symbol of strength and some who equate the military to the deaths of so many innocent people. | <urn:uuid:a3bf1405-89c3-4d50-b64e-b0a93a4af3da> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://aglobalworld.com/holidays-around-the-world/martyrs-day-togo/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397795.31/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00072-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976714 | 395 | 3.59375 | 4 |
Photo by scragz, via Flickr
The population of America’s juvenile detention facilities is shrinking, but major racial disparities persist, according to the federal Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP).
OJJDP recently released analysis of the 2011 Census of Juveniles in Residential Placement, a biennial survey of public and private juvenile residential facilities.
The population of juvenile offenders in residential placement declined 42 percent between 1997 and 2011, but the placement rates of black and Hispanic youth far outpaced the placement rate of white youth.
Black youths were more than 4.5 times as likely to be placed in juvenile detention facilities than white youth, and Hispanic youth were 1.8 times more likely.
Youths accused of delinquency offenses — those that would be criminal violations for adults — accounted for 86 percent of the juvenile facility population in 2011. Status offenders — being held for non-criminal violations like truancy — made up 3 percent of the population.
About 11 percent were not charged with any offense, but were referred to juvenile facilities because of factors in their personal lives, including abuse, neglect or mental retardation.
Read OJJDP’s full bulletin HERE. | <urn:uuid:0f9df65f-d6e5-489c-9a44-6de300495edc> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.thecrimereport.org/news/inside-criminal-justice/2014-08-ojjdp-racial-disparities-persist-at-juvenile-facilit | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783403502.46/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155003-00149-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956354 | 247 | 2.96875 | 3 |
If you haven't done so yet today, please recite the
Blessings over the Torah
before reading the Torah on this web site.
The History of Chanukah
Israel and Judea; The Assyrians and the Samaritans; The Babylonians, and their Successors, the Persians; Judea Under the Greek Empire; The Sadducees and the Hellenisers; Who Were the Pharisees? Antiochus the Syrian-Greek; The Hasmoneans; Their Victory; Rededication of the Holy Temple; The Jar of Oil; What the Celebration is and what it isn't.
The Meaning of Chanukah
Why did the Sages institute the Holiday of Chanukah? Who Established Chanukah? Is the message the same for everyone? When does Chanukah End? Why Eight Days?
Is Chanukah Jewish in Origin?
Was Chanukah created in imitation of the Gentile winter candle-lighting festival?
The Customs of Chanukah and their Meanings
What Are Latkes And Why Do We Eat Them? What is a Dreidel? How Do I Play the Game of Dreidel? What is Chanukah Gelt? What is the Custom Regarding Chanukah Gifts? What are some of the meanings attached to the number 36? What Other Meanings does the Word "Chanukah" have?
The Courage of the Women
Channah and her Seven Sons; The Story of Yehudis; Why women may not work during the first half hour that the Chanukah Lights burn; Why some people eat dairy foods during Chanukah.
Lighting the Menorah
The Ritual of Lighting the Menorah; The Songs of Lighting the Menorah; The Laws of Lighting the Menorah.
[ Holiday Gateway ] | [ Home Page ] | <urn:uuid:ec643cbc-91bb-4af2-a898-f74bad0d2e01> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.beingjewish.com/yomtov/chanukah/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783398628.62/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154958-00046-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.870582 | 375 | 3.203125 | 3 |
In the following work a first attempt has been made to describe ancient India, during the period of Buddhist ascendancy, from the point of view, not so much of the Brahmin, as of the Rajput. The two points of view naturally differ very much. Priest and noble in India have always worked very well together so long as the question at issue did not touch their own rival claims as against one another. When it did – and it did so especially during the period referred to – the harmony, as will be evident from the following pages, was not so great. Even to make this attempt at all may be regarded by some as a kind of lèse majesté. The brahmin view, in possession of the field when Europeans entered India, has been regarded so long with reverence among us that it seems almost an impertinence now, to put forward the other. “Why not leave well alone? Why resuscitate from the well-deserved oblivion in which, for so many centuries, they have happily lain, the pestilent views of these tiresome people? The puzzles of Indian history have been solved by respectable men in Manu and the Great Bharata, which have the advantage of being
equally true for five centuries before Christ and five centuries after. Shade of Kumarila! what are we coming to when the writings of these fellows – renegade brahmins among them too – are actually taken seriously, and mentioned without a sneer? If by chance they say anything well, that is only because it was better said, before they said it, by the orthodox brahmins, who form, and have always formed, the key-stone of the arch of social life in India. They are the only proper authorities. Why trouble about these miserable heretics?”
Well, I would plead, in extenuation, that I am not the first guilty one. People who found coins and inscriptions have not been deterred from considering them seriously because they fitted very badly with the brahmin theories of caste find history. The matter has gone too far, those theories have been already too much shaken, for anyone to hesitate before using every available evidence. The evidence here collected, a good deal of it for the first time, is necessarily imperfect; but it seems often to be so suggestive, to throw so much light on points hitherto dark, or even unsuspected, that the trouble of collecting it is, so far at least, fairly justified. Any words, however, are, I am afraid, of little avail against such sentiments. Wherever they exist the inevitable tendency is to dispute the evidence, and to turn a deaf ear to the conclusions. And there is, perhaps, after all, but one course open, and that is to declare war, always with the deepest respect for those who hold them, against such views. The views are wrong. They are not compatible
with historical methods, and the next generation will see them, and the writings that are, unconsciously, perhaps, animated by them, forgotten.
Another point of a similar kind, which ought not in this connection to be left unnoticed, is the prevalent pessimistic idea with regard to historical research in India. There are not only wanting in India such books giving consecutive accounts of the history as we are accustomed to in Europe, but even the names and dates of the principal kings, and battles, and authors, have not been preserved in the literature – that is, of course, in the brahmin literature which is all that has hitherto been available to the student. That is unfortunately true, and some of the special causes which gave rise to this state of things are pointed out below. But the other side of the question should not be ignored. If we compare the materials available for the history, say, of England in the eighth or ninth century A.D. with the materials available for the history of India at the same period, the difference is not so very marked. The more proper comparison, moreover, would be made with Europe; for India is a continent of many diverse nations. And in the earlier periods, though we have inherited a connected history of one corner in the south-east of the continent, the records handed down for the rest of Europe are perhaps as slight and as imperfect as those handed down in India. What is of more importance, in Europe, for the earlier periods, all the inherited materials have been made available for the historical student by properly edited and annotated editions, and also by
dictionaries, monographs, and helps of all sorts. In India much of the inherited material is still buried in MS., and even so much as is accessible in printed texts has been by no means thoroughly exploited. Scarcely anything, also, has yet been done for the excavation of the ancient historical sites. We might do well to recollect, when we read these complaints of the absence of materials, that the remedy lies, to a very large extent, in our own hands. We might so easily have more. We do not even utilise the materials we have1.
To speak out quite plainly, it is not so much the historical data that are lacking, as the men. There are plenty of men able and willing to do the work. But it is accepted tradition in England that all higher education may safely be left to muddle along as it best can, without system, under the not always very wise restrictions of private beneficence. One consequence is that the funds have to be administered in accord with the wishes of benefactors in medieval times. The old studies, theology, classics, and mathematics, have a superabundance of endowment. The new studies have to struggle on under great poverty and difficulty. There is no chair of Assyriology, for instance, in England. And whereas in Paris and Berlin, in St. Petersburg and Vienna, there are great seminaries of Oriental learning, we see in London the amazing absurdity of unpaid professors obliged to devote to the earning otherwise, of their living,
the time they ought to give to teaching or research. And throughout England the state of things is nearly as bad. In all England, for instance, there are two chairs of Sanskrit. In Germany the Governments provide more than twenty – just as if Germany’s interests in India were more than ten times as great as ours. Meanwhile our Government is supine and placid, confident that, somehow or other, we shall muddle through; and that this is no business of theirs.
This work has been long delayed, and has suffered much from the necessity laid upon me of trying to write it in scraps of time rescued, with difficulty, from the calls of a busy life. I can only hope that other scholars, more able and less hampered than myself, will be able to give to the problems of entrancing interest I have ventured to raise a consideration more worthy of them, in every way, than I have been able to give.
1. See on this question the very apposite remarks of Professor Geiger in his monograph Dipavamsa und Mahavansa (Erlangen, 1901).
This collection transcribed by Chris Gage | <urn:uuid:08ceb56d-8c9d-4fbb-8073-34e107c300de> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.ibiblio.org/britishraj/RhysDavids/preface.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395679.92/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00115-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973699 | 1,462 | 2.828125 | 3 |
New research shows that adding more produce to your daily diet can also benefit your mental health and sense of well-being. One study of the eating habits and moods of 80,000 British adults at Dartmouth and the University of Warwick found that those who consumed the most fruit and vegetables every day rated themselves as significantly happier and more satisfied with their lives than those who ate lesser amounts.
Researchers looked at three studies and discovered that the well-being score for people who ate seven to eight servings of vegetables and fruits per day was consistently three points higher than for those who ate little or none. Researchers pointed out that the happiness gap between the two groups was “notably large,” outweighing even the factor of unemployment. The study indicates a “strong positive” correlation.
Eating veggies also perked up college-age people. A study of 281 adults with a mean age of 20, conducted at the University of Otago, New Zealand, showed that those who reported the highest daily consumption of fruits and veggies also declared they were happier, calmer and more energetic than those who ate less. But even better, the healthy foods left a beneficial carryover—participants who ate the most produce reported their positive feelings carried through to the next day.
Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health concluded from a study of 982 Americans that those who exhibited the most optimistic outlooks on life also had the highest blood levels of carotene, a key antioxidant that’s delivered by a colorful array of produce: dark green spinach and kale, carrots and sweet potatoes, and vibrant yellow or orange fruits like peaches, papayas and cantaloupe.
Recent studies found that these veggie superfoods can actually ward off depression—while deficiencies can bring it on. At the other end of the age spectrum, researchers at Duke examined the diets of 278 subjects aged 60+ and discovered that those with the lowest intake of fresh fruits and vegetables were most likely to suffer depression.
According to a study of 1,798 U.S. adults published in the British Journal of Nutrition, robust blood levels of carotenoids reduced the risk of developing depressive symptoms by 59 percent. And if all this isn't enough to convince you, Spanish researchers found that the Mediterranean diet that emphasizes fruits and vegetables may help prevent depression.
Seven to eight servings may sound like a daunting amount until you consider that 6 ounces of juice equals one serving. Drink 12 ounces of juice in the morning, and start your day with two servings of happy juice. Have a juice cocktail before dinner, and you'll add another serving or two. So, drink to a happy mood that will last all day long!
Fennel juice has been used as a traditional tonic to help the body release endorphins, the “feel good” peptides, from the brain into the bloodstream. Endorphins help to diminish anxiety and fear, and they generate a mood of euphoria.
1⁄2 apple (green is lower in sugar)
4–5 carrots, well scrubbed, tops removed, ends trimmed
3 fennel stalks with leaves and flowers
1⁄2 cucumber, peeled if not organic
1 handful of spinach
1-inch-chunk ginger root
Cut produce to fit your juicer’s feed tube. Juice apple first and follow with other ingredients. Stir and pour into a glass. Drink as soon as possible. Serves 1–2.
Cherie Calbom is the author of 21 books, including her latest best-seller, The Juice Lady’s Big Book of Juices and Green Smoothies, and Juicing for Life, with 2 million copies sold. Known as the Juice Lady for her work with juicing and health, her juice and diet therapy and cleansing programs have been popular for more than two decades. She holds a Master of Science degree in whole foods nutrition from Bastyr University. She has practiced as a clinical nutritionist at St. Luke Medical Center, Bellevue, Wash., and as a celebrity nutritionist for George Foreman and Richard Simmons. She and her husband conduct wellness juice and raw foods cleansing tetreats throughout the year. For more information and to sign up for her free newsletter, go to juiceladycherie.com.
Draw closer to God. Experience the presence of the Holy Spirit every month as you read Charisma magazine. Sign up now to get Charisma for as low as $1 per issue.
Dare to go deeper in your faith. Our "Life in the Spirit" devotional takes you on a journey to explore who the Holy Spirit is, how to interact with Him, and how He works in your life. Are you ready to go deeper? | <urn:uuid:854e2fb9-9117-4fc1-9528-1240108c202f> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.charismamag.com/life/health/18132-get-happy-by-juicing | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395613.65/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00140-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955546 | 971 | 3.171875 | 3 |
After the subspecies became Extinct in the Wild, it clung on in a number of small populations in various zoos around the world. In 1977, the Foundation for the Preservation and Protection of the Przewalski's horse (FPPPH) was established in the Netherlands with the long-term aim of returning this ancient horse to the wild (6). At that time there were around 300 horses in zoos and parks and their breeding was managed in order to prevent inbreeding (6). In the 1990s, The Mongolian Association for Conservation of Nature and the Environment (MACNE) and the FPPPH collaborated to reintroduce a number of individuals in small herds into the Hustai National Park in central Mongolia (7). The national symbol was a welcome return to the area and part of an important drive to save the steppe biotope (6). Today, more than 120 Przewalski's horses live in Hustai and a further conservation programme run by the International Takhi Group (a consortium of European takhi breeding institutions) together with the Mongolian Commission for Endangered Species has introduced a further 50 horses to an area in the Dzungarian Gobi in Southwest Mongolia (5). The return of the Przewalski's horse to its natural environment is a success story for conservation and, despite ongoing problems, it is hoped that at least two large, self-sustained populations will soon be a reality (7). | <urn:uuid:7a574b60-1110-454b-8e32-e30dfd8f005c> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.arkive.org/przewalskis-horse/equus-ferus-przewalskii/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783399385.17/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154959-00079-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.927985 | 299 | 3.359375 | 3 |
Welcome to the sponge reefs page of the 'I Am Fish' tour. These three guiding words, I am fish, appear simple. But they reflect an ancient and extraordinary web of biological activity that connects humans with the ocean.
I am sponge
On the seafloor of the Pacific North Coast Integrated Management Area (PNCIMA), there are four large areas identified as glass sponge reefs. Combined they cover over 700 km2, or an area about seven times the size of Vancouver.
Exactly why these 9,000-year-old reefs are found here and few other places on the planet is not fully understood. It is likely a combination of factors including geology, ocean chemistry and ocean currents. The reefs provide a complex, three-dimensional habitat on a seafloor that is otherwise flat. As a result, many species of rockfish and other fish are found near the sponge reefs.
Why are the sponge reefs important to humans?
Egypt's oldest known pyramid were completed about 4,500 years ago, making them half the estimated age of the sponge reefs. While many of us have never visited the pyramids, we don't need to see them ourselves to recognize their historic value to all of humanity. Similarly, the glass sponge reefs are a biological wonder that have intrinsic value simply by virtue of their presence on the planet.
What can we do to protect them?
The sponge reefs are highly sensitive to any type of physical disturbance, including that caused by fishing gear or cable laying. Traditionally, these reefs have been most vulnerable to the impacts of bottom trawling, however a 2006 trawl closure around the reefs has effectively managed this threat. Aside from the four main sponge reefs, most of the seafloor of PNCIMA is unprotected from destructive fishing practices and other physical impacts. | <urn:uuid:72b3a82f-bbc7-4f08-a8ec-047f149852a7> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.davidsuzuki.org/issues/oceans/science/marine-planning-and-conservation/sponge-reefs/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397873.63/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00178-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957997 | 367 | 3.3125 | 3 |
Moore’s law has driven computing for nearly 40 years, but an increasing number of companies are acknowledging that it’s coming to an end. Here, we look at some of the myths surrounding Gordon Moore’s prediction and the realities of our current situation.
Graphene has only been around for a few years but people are already getting jaded about it. Finally, researchers have started to make some movement on practically exploiting the incredible power storage potential of graphene.
The substance black phosphorus, also known as phosphorene, has some remarkable properties that could make it a more effective semiconductor than graphene — and new research suggests we’ve found better ways to harvest and create the material.
Subscribe Today to get the latest ExtremeTech news delivered right to your inbox. | <urn:uuid:b090ebb7-9b37-4a83-b35c-e0a05ceb324c> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.extremetech.com/tag/carbon-nanotubes | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783394414.43/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154954-00162-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957177 | 160 | 2.890625 | 3 |
Monticello is the name of Thomas Jefferson's estate near
The house, of Jefferson's own design, is
situated on the slope of a small hill (his "monticello") in the
Southwest Mountains of Virginia.
Monticello is the autobiographical masterpiece of Thomas
Jefferson, designed and redesigned and built and rebuilt for more than
The dome on Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's
home, conceals a billiards room. In Jefferson's day, billiards were
illegal in Virginia.
An image of Monticello is featured on
the reverse of the 5 cent coin of the United States of America, and on
the version of the back side of the two dollar bill. The two dollar
banknote is still one of the least-common denominations of U.S.
currency. Because of its rarity, Americans remain remarkably
superstitious about spending it, which further decreases its
circulation. It is in fact so rare that cash registers and other
money-handling machinery (such as vending machines) do not accommodate
it at all. Many Americans have never held or spent one.
USS Monticello (1861-1865).
Briefly named Star in May 1861
The first USS Monticello, a 655-ton screw steam
gunboat, was built at Mystic, Connecticut, in 1859 for civilian use.
Chartered by the Navy in May 1861, she was named Star for a few
weeks and then reverted to the name Monticello. She was purchased by the
Navy in September 1861. Her Civil War record was a busy one, involving
active employment in the blockade of the Confederacy's Atlantic seacoast
and the capture of several prizes. She took part in early wartime
actions in the James River area of Virginia and in the August 1861
capture of Hatteras Inlet, North Carolina.
In 1863-65, Monticello was commanded by the celebrated
naval hero William B. Cushing, and members of her crew were involved in
many of his exploits. She accidentally rammed and sank the gunboat USS
Peterhoff on 6 March 1864. In December 1864 and January 1865, she
participated in the attacks on and capture of Fort Fisher, N.C. USS
Monticello was decommissioned in July 1865 and sold the following
November. She subsequently became the merchant steamer Monticello, and
was so employed until she sank off Newfoundland in April 1872.
Shown here before the war, USS Monticello was originally the Italian
USS Monticello AP-61
The second USS Monticello (AP-61) was built in 1928 as Conte Grande by
Stabilimento Tecnico, Triestine, Trieste, Italy; as an Italian-flagged
ship, interned in Brazil at the opening of World War II; purchased on 16
April 1942 by the United States; and commissioned the same day in
Brazil, CAPT Morton L. Deyo in command.
Monticello sailed north for conversion to a transport at Philadelphia,
completed 10 September 1942. She left New York on 2 November for the
invasion of North Africa, carrying troops to Casablanca. Returning to
New York, she sailed again on 25 December, carrying men for the various
commands of the China-Burma-India Theater to Karachi, by way of the
Panama Canal, Australia, and Ceylon.
The transport returned to New York on 24 April 1943, carried
reinforcements to Oran on two voyages, then sailed from Africa to San
Francisco by way of the Panama Canal. Through the first half of 1944,
she carried men from San Francisco to Californian ports, Australia,
Hawaii, and the burgeoning bases of the South Pacific. In June 1944,
she began the first of a series of transatlantic voyages bringing men to
win victory in Europe, operating with a Coast Guard crew after 6 August
1945. She decommissioned at Norfolk on 22 March 1946 and returned to
the War Shipping Administration for disposal on 27 May 1946. She was
returned to the Italian government in June 1947.
Source: Dictionary of American Naval
USS Monticello LSD 35
The third Monticello
(LSD-35) was laid down 6 June 1955 by Ingalls Shipbuilding Corp.,
Pascagoula, Miss.; launched 10 August 1956; sponsored by Mrs. Harry R.
Sheppard, wife of Congressman Sheppard of California; and commissioned
29 March 1957, Capt. J. T. Hodgson, Jr., in command.
After outfitting and
trials off the East Coast, Monticello arrived at her homeport,
San Diego, 27 May 1957 to join Amphibious Forces, Pacific Fleet, and
immediately began shakedown training. She continued to operate off the
Pacific coast, joining in major amphibious training operations which
took her to Eniwetok in 1958 and Hawaii and Alaska in 1959, serving
usually as primary control ship. Such operations, involving ships of all
types along with underwater demolition teams and Marines, keep the fleet
at top readiness for any challenge of diplomatic crisis or war itself.
On 14 November 1960 Monticello sailed for a 7-month deployment
with the 7th Fleet in the western Pacifie. She was combat-loaded with
part of a Marine renforced battalion landing team, and was alerted four
times during the Laos crisis, steaming with Paul Revere (APA-248)
and four escorting destroyers in the South China Sea and the Gulf of
Siam. Returning to San Diego in July, Monticello joined in a
joint Army-Navy-Air Force amphibious exercise at San Juan Island, Wash.,
in September, then returned to fleet training operations from her
Monticello sailed 18 February 1962 in JTF 8 for nuclear weapons
tests at Christmas Island, first carrying cargo between Christmas Island
and San Diego, and then acting as command ship during tests of
antisubmarine weapons. In June, she sailed again to Christmas Island to
aid in closing down the test operation, and continued to a second 7th
Fleet tour of duty highlighted by a large amphibious exercise at
Okinawa. She returned to San Diego and a program of training with Camp
Pendleton marines, necessary overhaul, and refresher training early in
She again joined the 7th Fleet's Amphibious Ready Group from January to
October 1964, taking part in SEATO as well as U.S. exercises.
After operating on the Atlantic coast through much of 1965,
Monticello headed back to the western Pacific in August. Early in
1966, she steamed to South Vietnam for operation "Double Eagle," the
longest and largest amphibious operation of the Vietnam conflict up to
that time. It enabled Allied forces to engage Vietcong near Thac Tru and
secure a beachhead in a key area. At the operation's conclusion, 26
February, she headed for Subic Bay en route home via Hong Kong, Yokosuka,
and Pearl Harbor.
After overhaul at San Pedro and training along the Pacific coast,
Monticello got underway from San Diego 13 January 1967, heading
for the Far East. Much action awaited her in Vietnam. She served as
primary command ship for "Beacon Hill I" at Quang Tri 20 March to 2
April and "Beacon Star" there 22 April to 12 May. She joined in
operation "Bell" in the latter half of May, in "Beacon Torch" and "Bear
Chain" in July, and in August participated in "Kangaroo Kick," an
amphibious feint off Hue, and "Belt Drive," again at Quang Tri. Relieved
at Danang in September. Monticello returned to San Diego 13
October. After an overhaul that lasted until early 1968, Monticello
conducted refresher training and local operations out of San Diego.
In November of that year, she once again deployed to Vietnam where she
remains into 1969.
[NOTE: Monticello was decommissoned 1 Oct
1985 and transferred to the Maritime Administration on 2 Aug 1991. Her
name was struck from the Navy list 24 February 1992 and she was sold 29
Take Me Back to
the History Page | <urn:uuid:fa922fef-79e8-4442-90e9-2175d4e0564e> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.ussmonticello.com/history2.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783399428.8/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154959-00186-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952076 | 1,765 | 3.140625 | 3 |
2. A surname or epithet of the gods in general, characterizing them as the rulers of the world ; but the plural forms, Ἄνακες
, or Ἄνακτες
, or Ἄνακες παῖδες
, were used to designate the Dioscuri. (Paus. 2.22.7
; Cic. de Nat. Deor.
3.31; Ael. VH 5.4
; Plut. Thes. 33
In the second of the passages of Pausanias here referred to, in which he speaks of a temple of the Ἄνακες παῖδες
at Amphissa, he states, that it was a doubtful point whether they were the Dioscuri, the Curetes, or the Cabeiri; and from this circumstance a connexion between Amphissa and Samothrace has been inferred. (Comp. Eustath. ad Hom.
pp. 182, 1598.) Some critics identify the Anaces with the Enakim of the Hebrews. | <urn:uuid:09dd5f5d-331c-41da-ab27-d9ed0f2163ba> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0104:entry=anax-bio-2&toc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0104%3Aalphabetic+letter%3DH | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783393997.50/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154953-00077-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.88 | 251 | 2.6875 | 3 |
Sailfin MollyPoecilia latipinna
These small, oblong fish are generally gray with rows of spots that almost blend to look like stripes. Males have an enlarged dorsal fin, but otherwise they have small fins in general, including a truncated caudal (tail) fin. Their upturned faces help them draw from the upper layer of oxygen-rich water, allowing them to thrive in poor quality water. They can be found in ponds, marshes, and even roadside ditches, and they are popular with aquarists, who have bred a wide variety of colors with this tolerant fish.
Order - Cyprinodontiformes
Family - Poeciliidae
Genus - Poecilia
Species - latipinna
Sailfin molly, Breitflossenkärpfling (German), bubuntis (Tagalog), Molinezja szerokopletwa (Polish), molliénésie á voilure (French), and tabai (Hawaiian).
Importance to HumansThe sailfin molly, in its many color varieties is of considerable interest and value to aquarists and many artificially selected varieties are produced and sold in pet shops. Naturally occurring populations of sailfin mollies may help to control mosquito populations by feeding on the larvae and pupae of these pests.
This species is not listed as threatened or vulnerable by the World Conservation Union (IUCN). The IUCN is a global union of states, governmental agencies, and non-governmental organizations in a partnership that assesses the conservation status of species.
Geographical DistributionThe sailfin molly is found in fresh, brackish, and coastal salt water in coastal lowland habitats from North Carolina to Texas and the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. Prefering marshes, lowland streams, swamps, and estuaries, the sailfin molly is very common in peninsular Florida. Non-indigenous populations are established in the western U.S. and in Hawaii. Sailfin mollies introduced to California have caused a decline in populations of the federally endangered desert pupfish (Cyprinodon macularius).
Sailfin mollies are most commonly observed in the shallow surface waters along the edges of marshes, lowland streams, ponds, swamps, estuaries and even ephemeral water bodies such as roadside ditches. Small to large aggregations of the species are most commonly found under floating vegetation or near structures in the water, minimizing their chances of being observed by potential predators.
The sailfin molly is a tolerant species. By exploiting the thin film of oxygen rich surface water with their upturned mouths, sailfin mollies are able to survive oxygen depleted habitats. A euryhaline species, the sailfin molly may be found in a variety of saline environments and will breed in brackish waters.
The body of the sailfin molly is essentially oblong. The head is small and dorsally flattened, with a small, upturned mouth. The caudal peduncle is broad and the caudal fin is large, rounded, and sometimes tipped with black. The pelvic fins originate at a point anterior to the dorsal fin. The dorsal fin is greatly enlarged in mature males and somewhat enlarged in females. It is this conspicuous and attractive feature that lends the species its prevailing common name. Coloration
The body is generally light gray, although breeding males may be greenish-blue. Several rows of spots occur along the sides, back, and dorsal fin. Often times these spots blend together or are very close to one another, creating an appearance of stripes. Aquarists have developed many color variations in this species, and indeed much variation occurs naturally in the wild, with melanistic and speckled forms known.
Sailfin mollies possess many rows of very small teeth, the outer row of which are the largest.
Size, Age, and Growth
The natural lifespan of sailfin mollies, like other small poeciliids, is short, particularly in the case of the males, which may live less than one year after achieving sexual maturity. Depending upon environmental conditions sailfin mollies may become reproductively in less than a year. Sailfin mollies are small fish. At one year of age males typically range in size from 15-51 mm SL while mature females are likely to be approximately 19-53 mm SL. The sizes of adult males is directly correlated with population density. The greater the population, the smaller the average size of males. The maximum recorded size for this species is 150 mm TL.
Sailfin mollies feed primarily upon algae and other plant materials, although they will consume a number of aquatic invertebrates including the larvae of mosquitos.
Female sailfin mollies tend to be larger than males, a disparity typical of the Poeciliidae. Males exhibit large and colorful dorsal fins in addition to a colorful caudal fin and these conspicuous secondary sexual features play a role in female mate choice. Fertilization is internal and is accomplished by means of highly modified fin elements within the anal fin of males that form a structure known as the gonopodium. Sailfin mollies produce broods of 10-140 live young, depending upon maturity and size, and females may store sperm long after the demise of their relatively short-lived mates. The gestation period for this species is approximately 3-4 weeks, depending upon temperature, and a single female may give birth on multiple ocassions throughout the year. Although sex ratios of the broods are balanced, adult populations tend to be largely female as males appear to suffer higher rates of mortality due to a greater susceptibility to predators and disease as a consequence of their showy breeding dress and a life spent largely in a frenzy of breeding. There is no parental care exhibited by this species.
Sailfin mollies are small, numerous members of the lower end of the food chain. As such they are prey for numerous animals including aquatic insects, other fishes, reptiles and amphibians, birds and mammals. Specific examples of such creatures include, giant water bugs (Belostomatidae), largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides), American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis), bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana), snowy egret (Egretta thula), and racoon (Procyon lotor).
The haploplorid trematode, Saccocoelioides sogandaresi is a known parasite of the sailfin molly.
The sailfin molly was originally described in 1821 as Mollienesia latipinna by the naturalist Charles Alexandre Lesueur, oft noted as one of a number of persons instrumental in the founding of a well known experimental settlement at New Harmony, Indiana during the 1820's. Lesueur based his description of the sailfin molly upon specimens from freshwater ponds in the vicinity of New Orleans, Louisiana. However, Lesueur described other collections of the sailfin molly as Mollienesia multilineata in 1821, the same year in which he described M. latipinna. This conflict created confusion and eventually necessitated a ruling by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN). In 1959, the ICZN placed precedence on the name Mollienesia latipinna Lesueur 1821.
A number of other synonyms exist, most of which are based on specimens from other areas of the sailfin molly's rather large native range. These include Limia poeciloides Girard 1858, Poecilia lineolata Girard 1858, and Limia matamorensisGirard 1859. In a landmark work on poeciliid fishes, Donn Rosen and Reeve Bailey (1959) noted the priority of PoeciliaBloch and Schneider 1801 with regards to Mollienesia Lesueur 1821, thereby relegating Mollienesia to the synonymy of Poecilia. Consequently, the proper binomial for the sailfin molly is Poecilia latipinna (Lesueur, 1821).
Prepared by: Robert H. Robins | <urn:uuid:5399bfc8-c09b-4fa8-8e84-2bf8f062d70c> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/discover/species-profiles/poecilia-latipinna | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396887.54/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00015-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.915474 | 1,727 | 3.6875 | 4 |
Waterless toilets combined with composting hit two birds with one stone—you avoid wasting water (and save, on average, 40,000 gallons of water per year) and turn what would otherwise become toxic waste into vibrant, nutrient-dense garden compost.
Waterless urinals are becoming more common (they can be found on some college campuses and in some restaurants, for example) and indicate that there is an awareness of the problem and that some people are taking steps to reduce or eliminate water waste.
However, when it comes to home use of waterless toilets and composting systems, many people are gripped by what the Humanure Handbook terms “fecophobia,” the fear of using humanure for agricultural purposes (as well as fear of handling or even talking or thinking about handling feces, composted or not). For those people this may be an uncomfortable topic, but as clean water supplies become more scarce and agricultural lands become less fecund (not to be confused with “fecal”) this is going to become a necessary discussion. Bear in mind that "humanure" must be composted for two years at a high temperature, and is typically used for fertilizing non-food garden plants.
How waterless toilets work
The most basic waterless toilet system is the composting toilet where decomposition occurs under the toilet receptacle itself. This idea is similar to a Porta-Potty, but instead it's permanent, usually constructed of wood and cinder blocks and instead of a chemical pool at the bottom there is soil and a big pile of composting humanure. This setup requires technical knowledge and carpentry skills, and instruction for building one is beyond the scope of this article.
A more simple setup is an outhouse with a sitting arrangement with a hole which allows defecation into, for instance, a five-gallon bucket. When the bucket is full, it is carried to a compost pile, dumped and left to compost for a minimum of two years. This system makes sense for homeowners with a good sized yard or those living in the countryside. Some people even place a simple composting toilet in their bathrooms, next to their "regular" toilet. If emptying a compost toilet bucket disgusts you, you can make it much easier by lining the bucket with a biodegradable bag. Just tie up the bag like a trash bag, and carry it out the the compost bin.
We've tried it; we liked it.
While living on a farm in Connecticut for three months, this setup was my regular toilet. I was surprised (pleasantly) by the lack of odors (after each use you throw some sawdust, straw or leaves in the bucket which totally suppresses odors). Dumping it out wasn't any worse than dumping out a bucket of vegetable scraps into the compost pile. Networx editor Chaya Goodman Kurtz also lived on a farm with a simple composting toilet, and vouches for the fact that when maintained properly, the composting toilet did not smell.
Prefabricated waterless toilet systems
For those living in a more urban environment (or who prefer a different system) there are a number of companies offering waterless toilets. (This is only a small sampling and a quick internet search will render many more options.)
Clivus Multrum: One of the originators in the industry, Clivus Multrum offers a number of composting toilet options. One is called a Foam-Flush Toilet ($3,995.00) which looks and feels as similar to a conventional flush toilet as possible but only uses six ounces of water per flush, 95% less than the average 1.6 gallon toilet. This is a great compromise if you've got a spouse or occasional guests who would not be able to accept the idea of a “composting toilet” or a waterless toilet.
The toilet empties into a chamber where composting takes place. This toilet, as well most other commercial models, require either an elevated room or a basement below to allow placement of the composting chamber.
Envirolet: Similar to these other commercial composting toilets, Envirolet's systems are meant to be convenient to use and to look and feel similar to conventional toilets. One of their models, the Waterless Remote Composting System ($2,849) and can handle ten people per day. Envirolet toilets use a large under-toilet chamber for the composting process.
Biolet: Biolets also look similar to a conventional toilet and are made for inside the home. The Biolet 10 Standard toilet ($1,799.00) can handle full-time use by three people or part-time use by four. It utilizes electric evaporation and ventilation in order to eliminate odors, excess liquid, and to facilitate the composting process.
Sun-Mar: The Sun Mar Compact Composting Toilet ($1,674) looks bulkier than a conventional toilet but unlike the previous commercial models, it doesn't require a huge storage chamber under the house. It is rated to handle one adult per day or a family of two. It requires an electrical hookup and occasional manual turning with a recessed handle “to mix and aerate the compost.”
Each of these companies makes numerous models of waterless toilets at different prices and it is worth researching further if you're interested in acquiring one. For further reading on the topic of waterless toilets and humanure composting, see Joseph Jenkin's The Humanure Handbook.
Jordan Laio is a Hometalk - http://www.hometalk.com - writer. Read more articles like this one - http://www.networx.com/article/all-about-waterless-toilets - or get help with your home projects on Hometalk.com. | <urn:uuid:26bb3007-3e70-4dae-9dba-0a8a706110b3> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.networx.com/article/all-about-waterless-toilets | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397749.89/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00107-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.930938 | 1,214 | 3.296875 | 3 |
A Midsummer Night's Dream Art and Culture Quotes
How we cite our quotes: (Act.Scene.Line). Line numbers correspond to Folger's online edition.
An I may hide my face, let me play Thisbe too, I'll
speak in a monstrous little voice. 'Thisne,
Thisne!' 'Ah, Pyramus, lover dear! thy Thisbe dear,
and lady dear!' (1.2.49-52)
When Bottom volunteers to play the role of Thisbe and make his voice high-pitched, Shakespeare alludes to the fact that all female roles were played by male actors on Shakespeare's stage. Usually, these parts were given to boys with high-pitched or "monstrous little" voices.
Masters, the Duke is coming from the temple,
and there is two or three lords and ladies more
married. If our sport had gone forward, we had all
been made men.
FLUTE O, sweet bully Bottom! Thus hath he lost sixpence a day during his life; he could not have sixpence a day: an the duke had not given him'scaped six pence a day for playing Pyramus, I'll be hanged. He would have deserved it. Six pence a day in Pyramus, or nothing. (4.2.15-24)
Snug is excited at the prospect of getting to perform before the Duke because he thinks it's an opportunity for social advancement. He imagines his crew becoming "made men" and earning "sixpence" for their efforts.
Brain Snack: Technically, Shakespeare the actor/playwright was a commoner, but he was so successful that he was able to buy property and even applied for a coat of arms. However, it doesn't seem like the Mechanicals are headed in the same direction, does it?
Lovers and madmen have such seething brains,
The lunatic, the lover, and the poet
Are of imagination all compact: (5.1.4; 7-8)
After hearing the young Athenians' stories, Theseus says that madmen, lovers, and poets have a lot in common—they're all highly imaginative and also a little nuts. | <urn:uuid:fddcd4de-6ac7-4f17-838d-88c053f0f864> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.shmoop.com/midsummer-nights-dream/art-culture-quotes-2.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397842.93/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00054-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972095 | 474 | 2.890625 | 3 |
Description: The upper side of the Harpy eagle is covered with slate black feathers and the underside is white. There is a black band across the chest up to the neck. The head is pale gray and crowned with a double crest. The plumage of male and female is identical. The talons are up to 5 inches (13 cm) long. Their grip is so strong they can crush a monkey’s skull or possibly even certain human bones.
Size: Females typically weigh 14 -20 lbs (6.4 – 9 kg). The male, in comparison, weighs only about 8.5 -12 pounds (3.9 – 5.4 kg). This eagle is 2.9 – 3.4 feet (0.88 -1.04 m) long and has a wingspan of approximately 6.7 feet (2 m).
Behavior: Harpies are great at saving precious energy. Harpies hunt in and below the rain forest canopy; they perch silently for hours in a tree, waiting to drop on unsuspecting prey. Flying below the canopy, the birds are capable, in a serious chase, of reaching speeds of 50 miles per hour (80 kilometers per hour). The eagle dives down onto its prey and snatches it with outstretched feet. Its short, broad wings help the Harpy fly almost straight up, so it can attack prey from below as well as above. It can also turn its head upside down to get a better look at its potential meal. These eagles have excellent vision and can see something less than 1 inch (2.5 cm) in size from almost 220 yards (0.20 km) away.
Diet: This species is an actively hunting carnivore. Its main prey are tree-dwelling mammals such as monkeys, coatis and sloths; it may also attack other bird species such as macaws.
Communication: Harpy eagles do not vocalize much; when heard they wail (wheeeeeee, wheeeeooooo), croak, whistle, click and mew.
Reproduction: Harpy eagles mate for life. The female lays two white eggs in a large stick nest high in a tree and together they raise one chick every 2–3 years. After the first chick hatches 53 – 58 days later, the second egg is ignored and fails to hatch. The chick fledges in about 6 months, but the parents continue to feed it for another 6 to 10 months. The Harpy often builds its nest in the crown of the kapok tree, one of the tallest trees in South America.
Habitat/range: Harpy eagles are found in tropical lowland forests from southeastern Mexico to northern Argentina and southern Brazil. This bird prefers large expanses of uninterrupted forest, but will hunt in open areas adjacent to forest patches. The Harpy eagle is the national bird of Panama.
Status: Classified as Near Threatened (NT) on IUCN Red List and threatened with extinction by CITES Appendix I. | <urn:uuid:c2e3ed7e-f0ad-4ed6-ac20-dcb049f82c8b> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.dwazoo.com/animal/harpy-eagle/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397744.64/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00147-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.927063 | 623 | 3.34375 | 3 |
Refractive materials gives us some limited control of light: we can fashion lenses, and construct waveguides, but complete control of light is beyond simple refracting materials. Ideally we might wish to channel and direct light as we please just as we might divert the flow of a fluid. Manipulation of Maxwell's equation shows that we can achieve just that provided we have access to some highly unusual material properties. Metamaterials open the door to this new design paradigm for optics and provide the properties required to give complete control of light. One potential application would be to steer light around a hidden region, returning it to its original path on the far side. Not only would observers be unaware of the contents of the hidden region, they would not even be aware that something was hidden. The object would have no shadow.
Cite this work
Researchers should cite this work as follows: | <urn:uuid:38de4a18-2e6f-44fd-8596-1eb9ce921799> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://nanohub.org/resources/11311 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783403502.46/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155003-00040-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.941124 | 178 | 3 | 3 |
Types of beer
There are three main types of beer. These are
top-fermenting, bottom-fermenting and spontanious-fermenting beers.
Abbey beers are strong fruity ales and brewed in
Belgium by commercial companies. They copy the style of the surviving beers produced in
monasteries, or name their brews after a church or a saint. Examples are Leffe, Grimbergen
Ales are brewed with "top-fermenting"
yeasts at temperatures from 10-20 degrees Celsius. Ales include bitters, pale ales,
porters, stouts, barley wines, trappist, and alt. In England ales are very popular.
This is a bitter-tasting brew produced by the
ancient style of brewing using top-fermentation. Alt is a copper-colored aromatic ale,
made in the city of Dusseldorf and a few other cities in the north of Germany. It's a
firm-bodied but quite bitter beer that contains just over 4.5% alcohol. Examples are
Diebels, Schlosser and Uerige.
Barley wine is the English name for a powerful,
almost syrupy, strong ale, that is usually sold in small nip-size bottles. These
well-matured brews can be golden or dark in colour. The darker versions of barley wine
were once called Stingo.
A light, sharply acidic German wheat beer made
predominantly in Berlin, this refreshing brew is relatively low in alcohol and is often
laced with a dash of green woodruff or raspberry juice to add color to its cloudy white
Biere de Garde
A top-fermenting "beer for keeping"
from north-west France, this was originally made in farmhouses, but is now produced by
commercial breweries. This style produces medium to strong spicy ales; some are
bottle-conditioned, and many are sealed with wired corks.
The distinctive style of draught ale in England
and Wales is generally served in pubs. It is usually dry and hoppy with an alcohol content
of 3.5%. Traditionally reddish amber in colour, paler varieties are now proving popular in
England. Stronger versions used to be called Best or Special.
In Germany, Schwarzbier is a strongtasting,
bitter-chocolate lager. It is not a stout but a very dark lager and is a speciality of
eastern Germany, particularly around Bernau. The town of Kostritz in the former East
Germany is noted for its black lager, and Kulmbach and Erlangen are also known for their
deep brown beers. This style is also made in Japan. In England, especially Yorkshire,
black beers are strong, pitch-black, treacly malt extracts, usually bottled for mixing
with lemonade to make distinctive shandies.
A strong malty, warming German beer of about
6.5% alcohol, bock was originally brewed for the colder months. Traditionally dark in
colour, today it is more likely to be golden-bronze. This powerful smooth brew originated
in Einbeck in Lower Saxony, but is now more associated with Bavaria. Bock is also produced
in Austria, the Netherlands and other countries surrounding Germany. The word bock means
"billy goat", and a goat's head often features on the label. The brew is
sometimes linked with seasonal festivals, such as Maibock which celebrates the arrival of
spring. Extra-potent versions are called doppelbocks (and are chiefly associated with
Bavaria), with more than 7% alcohol, such as Paulaner Salvator.
A sweetish, bottled mild ale, dark in colour and
low in alcohol, from England, brown ale was once a popular workers' drink, although sales
have declined heavily in recent years. The north-east of the country produces stronger,
drier versions like the well-known Newcastle Brown Ale. Belgium boasts its own sweet and
sour brown ales from East Flanders. The main producer is Liefmans of Oudenaarde. The sour
taste comes from a slow simmering rather than a boil, and from the addition of a lactic
yeast. Other producers include Cnudde, also of Oudenaarde, the nearby Roman Brewery and
Produced by only a handful of American breweries
this is an odd, slow burning speciality. The Pike Place Brewery of Seattle produces an
occas ional Cerveza Rosanna Red Chilli Ale, while the hotter Crazy Ed's Cave Creek Chilli
Beer of Phoenix, Arizona, has a whole chilli pod in each bottle. It reputedly goes well
with Mexican food.
A sweetish, smooth, golden ale from the United States, cream ale was originally introduced
by ale brewers trying to copy the Pilsner style. Some cream ales are made by blending ales
with bottom-fermenting beers.
Nothing to do with dieting, diat pils is lager which undergoes a thorough fermentation
which removes nearly all the sugars from the bottom fermented, Pilsner derived brew. This
leaves a strong, dry tasting beer, which is still packed with calories in the alcohol. It
was originally brewed as a beer suitable for diabetics, rather than slimmers. Because it
misled many, the word "diat" has now been removed.
An extra-strong bock beer; doppelbock is not double in strength, but usually around 7.5%
alcohol. It is rich and warming. The names of the leading Bavarian brands usually end in
"ator", Salvator from Paulaner of Munich, for example.
Dortmunder is a strong, full bodied export style of lager from Dortmund in Germany, the
biggest brewing city in Europe. It was originally brewed for export and was once sold
under this name across the globe, but is now declining in popularity Malty, dry and full
bodied, these brews usually have an alcohol strength of around 5.5%, being firmer and less
aromatic than a Pilsner. The leading examples include DAB, Kronen and DUB.
First produced in Japan by the Asahi Brewery in l987, this is a super diat pils with a
parching effect, which was widely adopted in North America. The beer taste is so clean it
has been swept away almost entirely through further fermentation. Dry beer, in which more
of the sugars are turned to alcohol leaving little taste, was developed in Japan and
launched in America in
l988. After an initial surge in sales when Anheuser-Busch introduced Bud Dry, the market
has faded almost coompletely away.
German lagers were traditionally dark, and these soft, malty brown beers are associated
with Munich, often being known as Munchner like the paler hell, they contain around 4.5%
alcohol. Most of the major Munich breweries produce a dunkel.
This is a term used to describe dark, medium-strength Trappist and abbey beers in Belgium.
An extra-potent bock, eisbock is produced by freezing the brew and removing some of the
frozen water to leave behind more concentrated alcohol. The most notable producer is
Kulmbacher Reichelbrau in Northern Bavaria. Eisbock is the original ice beer.
This term was originally used to denote a better-quality beer, worth selling abroad. The
Dortmunder style is also known as Dortmunder Export, since it became popular around the
world. In Scotland, the term export is widely adopted for premium ales.
Once the most common manifestation of Belgian lambic beer, faro is a weak lambic sweetened
with sugar. Now this style has largely disappeared.
These are Flemish and French names for a Belgium fruit beer made by adding raspberries to
a lambic. Framboise has a sparkling, pink champagne character and the raspberries impart a
light, fruity flavour. Because the whole fruit is too soft, producers usually add
raspberry syrup. In recent years a whole variety of other fruit juices have been tried,
from peaches to bananas, with varying degrees of success.
Despite its name, this is a refreshing, low or non alcohol soft drink flavoured with root
ginger However. long before the hop appeared, ginger was used in beer and some pioneering
micro-brewers are trying it again: Salopian in England adds ginger to its dark wheat beer,
Any young beer which has not had time too mature is known as a green beer. The term is
also used to denote a beer made with organic malt and hops. Organic green beer is known as
biologique in France (where Castelain makes an organic beer called Jade) and biologisch in
Germany. In Scotland, the Caledonian Brewery of Edinburgh has pioneered organic ale with
This is a ripe blend of old and new Belgian lambics. By blending young and old lambics, a
secondary fermentation is triggered. The resulting distinctive, sparkling beer, often sold
in corked bottles like champagne to withstand the pressure, packs a fruity, sour, dry
taste. Blending is such an art that some producers do not brew, but buw in their wort.
Often this beer is matured for many more months in the bottle. In some cases the seconday
fermentation is triggered by the addition of various fruits. Traditionally gueuze should
not be filtered, pasteurized or sweetened, though some more commercial brands do all
Scottish brewers use this term to describe a standard strength ale, between a Light and an
Export. A "wee heavy" is a bottled strong ale. the wee referring to the small
nip size of the bottle.
The German word for yeast is used to describe a beer that is unfiltered, with a sediment
the bottle. Draught beers "mmit Hefe" are usually cloudy.
This word means. pale or light in German and indicates a mild, malty golden lager, often
from Munich. Notable examples include Hacker-Pschorr and Augustiner.
The Celts and other ancient peoples used to make mead from fermented honey. They
also produced a beer, bragot, to which honey was often added as a soft sweetener. A hazy
honey brew called Golden Mead Ale was produced in England by Hope & Anchor Breweries
of Sheffield, and was widely exported until the early l960's. Today, a few breweries have
revived the style, notably Ward's of Sheffield with Waggle Dance and Enville Ales of
new American brewers also use honey, as do the innovative Belgian De Dolle Brouwers in
their Boskeun beer.
A chilling innovation of the early l99O's; the brew is froozen during maturation to
produce a purified beer, with the ice crystals removed to increase the strength. Many ice
beers were originally developed in Canada by Labatt and contain around 5.5% alcohol.
Canadian brewers. Labatt and Molson introduced the new beer style in l993 in which the
beer is frozen after fermentation, giving a cleaner, almost smoothed away flavour.
Sometimes the ice crystals are removed, concentrating the beer. Most major US brewers have
launched their own brands such as Bud Ice and Miller's Icehouse, but ice beer still
accounts for less than 4% of the beer market. ln 1996, Tennent's of Scotland produced a
Super lce with a strength of 8.6%.
The words behind the initials betray IPA's imperial origins India Pale Ale. This strong,
heavily hopped beer was brewed in Britain, notably in Burton-on-Trent by companies like
Allsopp and Bass. The recipe was designed to withstand the long sea voyages to distant
parts of the British Empire like India. According to legend, a cargo of 30O casks of
Bass's East India Pale Ale was
wrecked off the port of Liverpool in l827. Some of the rescued beer was sold locally and
won instant fame among English drinkers. Specialist American brewers like Bert Grant's
Yakima Brewing Company now proobably produce the most authentic versions.
A soft, slightly sweet reddish ale from the 'Emerald Isle". Top and bottom fermenting
versions are brewed commercially. This ale followed many of the Irish in migrating to
other lands. George Killian Letts, a member the Letts family who brewed Ruhy Ale in County
Wexford until l956, licensed the French brewery Pelforth to produce Geoorge Killian's
Biere Rousse and the American brewers Coors to produce Killian's lrish Red. Smithwick's of
Kilkenny (owned by Guinness is the best known ale in Ireland today.
The refreshing golden beer of Cologne may look like a Pilsner (though it may sometimes be
cloudy), but its light, subtle fruity taste reveals it to be a top fermenting ale. Its
fleeting aromatic nature masks an alcohol content of 4.5%. Kolsch is produced only by some
20 breweries in and around the busy cathedral of Cologne and it is usually served in small
glasses. The leading producers include Kuppers and Fruh.
In this Belgian lambic beer, secondary fermentation is stimulated by adding cherries to
give a dry, fruity flavour and deep colour. This is not a novelty drink, but draws on a
long tradition of using local fruit to flavour an already complex brew, balancing the
lambic sourness and providing an almond character from the cherry stones. The kriek is a
small dark cherry grown near Brussels.
This term, taken from the German word for a crystal-clear beer, usually indicates a
filtered wheat beer or Weizenbier.
Lagers are brewed with
"bottom-fermenting" yeasts at colder temperatures of 2-10 degrees Celsius during
a long period of time). This process is called "lagering". Lagers include bocks,
doppelbocks, Munich, Vienna, Märzen and pilsners. These pilsners come from a town
called Pilsen in the Czech Republic. The pilseners are very popular all over the world and
are mass produced.
Lambics are (only) brewed in parts of Belgium. The lambics
are often flavoured using fruits like cherries.
In England, this term indicates a bottled low-gravity bitter. In Scotland, it means the
weakest brew, a beer light in strength although it may well be dark in colour.
In North America, this term is used to describe a thin, low-calorie beer, the best-known
being Miller Lite. In some countries, Australia for instance, lite can mean low in
Since the late l980's, many breweries throughout the world have added low or non-alcoholic
brews to their beer range, usually in response to increasingly strict drink-driving laws.
Low alcohol (or LA) can contain as much as 2.5% alcohol. Alcohol free brews should contain
no more than O.O5%. Some of these near beers are produced using yeasts which create little
alcohol, or the fermentation is cut short. In others the alcohol is removed from a normal
beer by distillation or reverse osmosis. It has proved difficult to provide an acceptable
beer taste. Some of the more successful brews, Clausthaler from Frankfurt in Germany and
Birell from Hurlimann of Zurich in Switzerland, now sell or licence their low or
non-alcoholic beers across many countries.
In the United States, this term indicates a strong lager, often made with a high amount of
sugar to produce a thin but potent brew. These beers are designed to deliver a strong
alcoholic punch (around 6-8%) but little else. They are light beers with a kick, often
cheaply made with a high proportion of sugar and using enzymes to create more alcohol.
Sales of malt liquor account for about 4% of the total American beer market.
A full-bodied copper-colored lager, this beer style originated in Vienna, but developed in
Munich as a stronger Marzen (March) brew (6% alcohol), which was laid down in March, to
allow it to mature over the summer for drinking at the Oktoberfest after the harvest. It
has largely been replaced in Germany by more golden "Festbiere". Smooth and
malty, most are now stronger versions of the golden hell, containing more than 5.5%
alcohol. Notable examples include Spaten UrMarzen and Hofbrauhaus Oktoberfest.
Mild was the dominant ale in England and Wales until the 196O's, and later in some
regions. It is a relatively low-gravity malty beer, usually lightly hopped, and can be
dark or pale in color. Mild was traditionally the workers' drink and would be sold on
draught in the pub or club. Today, the style has vanished from many areas; it survives
mainly in the industrial West Midlands and the north west of England.
The German name for a beer from Munich traditionally refers to the city's brown, malty
This strong, well matured, richa and dark ale is usually sold as a seasonal beer in
England as a winter warmer. Sometimes such ales are used as stock beers for blending with
Old Browns in the Netherlands are weak, sweetish lagers.
An English bottled beer, pale ale is stronger than light ale and is usually based on the
brewery's best bitter. See IPA.
More information on different types of beer can be
Home Personal GlassWare Collectors Beer Links Contact About Help
Tasting Types of beer | <urn:uuid:5073530d-b510-4bbf-9628-cfd1141de2b3> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.arjenroos.com/beer/typesofbeer.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395620.56/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00141-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94167 | 3,810 | 2.78125 | 3 |
Flood Protection in Richmond
Richmond’s unique characteristics make it a great community to live, work and play. The fact that Richmond’s geodetic location is approximately one metre above mean (average) sea level and on a floodplain, however, often raises questions about the potential for flooding.
Press the play button and then the square button in the bottom, right-hand corner to watch the video in full screen HD.
The following sections address:
- The Facts
- What are the Risk Factors?
- History of Flooding
- Flood Protection Measures
- What Can Residents Do?
Although not officially designated as such, Richmond is located on a floodplain. A ‘floodplain’ is: “land adjacent to a watercourse that is susceptible to flooding”, such as from periods of high tide. In addition, isolated instances of flooding can occur in any community as a result of unanticipated weather events.
To protect Richmond from the possibility of flooding due to high tides or river floods, the City has constructed a comprehensive system of dikes on Lulu Island. These dikes are over 49 km in length and protect an area of 12,805 ha. Mitchell Island is protected by dikes which are privately owned and maintained. Sea Island dikes have been maintained and improved primarily by the Vancouver International Airport Authority.
The City has an extensive system to remove drainage water caused by adverse weather conditions. This system comprises 320 km of ditches and canals and 600 km of box culverts and storm sewers.
|River water level events||Spring Freshet: higher than normal snow packs within the Fraser River Basin, combined with consistent, warmer than normal Spring weather patterns, can cause a rise in river discharge.|
|Weather events||Heavy rainfall: sudden, heavy rainfall events could exceed the processing capacity of drainage systems.|
|Combination of events||A weather or river event occurring at high tide: if a section of the dike were to breach at high tide, water could flow into areas that are lower than the height of the tide until such time as the tide recedes. This could cause localized, temporary flooding.|
History of Flooding
Freshet – The highest freshets occurred in 1894, 1948, and 1972. In each of these instances, no flooding occurred on Lulu or Sea Islands. In 1948, there was minimal flooding on Mitchell Island (where dikes had not yet been constructed).
It is also important to note that Richmond is located far to the south of the peak snow pack runoff points. This means that the water level is considerably lower in Richmond due to the widening of the river. This gives the water a larger distribution area, thus reducing its vertical influence on the river. The water then releases to the Gulf of Georgia.
Weather Events – Richmond’s drainage system is designed to accommodate a 1:10 year storm event. There have been some minor instances of property damage to low-lying properties caused by flooding during heavy rainstorms that exceeded a 1 in 10 year storm event.
Dike Breach – There is no record of a breach which has resulted in flooding since the major diking network was constructed by the first settlers of our community. The dikes were further upgraded in the 70’s and 80’s to accommodate a 1 in 200 year event.
Flood Protection Measures
Protection from High Tides or River Floods
Richmond’s dikes are constructed to a level which is two feet above the highest ever-recorded water level at this location on the Fraser Basin, which occurred in 1894. This meets the Provincial standard, which provides protection for a 1 in 200 year flood event.
Richmond also has a number of programs in place to ensure the integrity of our dikes. These include:
- A weekly inspection and maintenance program to ensure the dikes remain stable at all times.
- A vegetation control program, to remove any brush and tree growth that could compromise the integrity of the dikes.
- An annual dike survey program, based on a 5-year cycle, to monitor settlement and carry out required upgrades to ensure the dike elevations are maintained at or above the 1:200 year standard.
- 24-hour electronic river level monitoring systems at four key locations.
- A Floodplain Management Policy, which establishes minimum flood construction levels and outlines future initiatives to enhance flood protection.
- A dike seismic study to determine the potential impacts of an earthquake on key areas of Richmond’s dike network. Where required, the dikes will be strengthened.
Richmond’s programs are all carried out in accordance with the dike maintenance guidelines established by the Ministry of Environment, Lands & Parks.
Protection from Flooding Due to Weather Events
Richmond has an extensive drainage system comprised of pump stations, flood boxes, irrigation structures, and storm sewers.
|Pump stations and flood boxes||
There are 39 pump stations located throughout the island which house a total of 112 pumps.
These stations are powered by electricity and have the capacity to pump up over one million US gallons per minute, if required. All of the stations are monitored remotely, 24 hours per day, to ensure the pumps are operating effectively.
These pump stations are designed for a 1 in 10 year rainstorm. To help prevent isolated flooding, the City monitors weather forecasts and pumps down the level of drainage water in the canals prior to any anticipated rainstorms. This provides extra capacity to hold the surplus drainage water caused by the storm.
|Dikes and dike upgrades||Richmond has an ongoing program with dedicated annual capital funding for stabilizing and raising the existing dikes.
The City has also undertaken various dike improvement projects on its own or with federal and/or provincial infrastructure funding in recent years.
Through developers, much of the Middle Arm dike is being raised well beyond provincial requirements and improved in conjunction with ongoing development.
|Ditches, canals, box culverts and storm sewers||
The system comprises 320 km of ditches and canals and 600 km of box culverts and storm sewers.
In addition to removing excess water for drainage purposes, the City supports the local farming industry by pumping water back into our system. The city has installed irrigation structures, which allow water to be drawn in from the river for our local farming operations, i.e. cranberry and vegetable farms, etc.
What can residents do?
Residents can trust that the City is continuously planning and building upon its infrastructure for flood protection management that exceeds predicted needs to protect the City.
To avoid any localized, temporary drainage problems, residents are encouraged to:
- Keep storm grates clear of leaves or other build-up which can block the storm drain
- Ensure that drain tiles are not blocked
- Ensure culverts in ditches in front of your home are clear so that drainage water can run freely
2008 to 2031 Richmond Flood Protection Strategy June 23, 2008 Council Meeting Minutes, Item 23.
Dike Master Plan - Phase 1 Report April 22, 2013 Council Meeting Minutes, Item 19.
How to Prepare During an Emergency for additional information flooding and more | <urn:uuid:7c374fc0-4613-4343-98c1-7a9231af61af> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.richmond.ca/safety/prepare/city/hazards/flood.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783398216.41/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154958-00013-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939771 | 1,483 | 3.25 | 3 |
Nan Jay Barchowsky of Swansbury, Inc. commissioned Eccentrifuge to build an OpenType version of her Barchowsky Fluent Hand font for use in her handwriting instruction package for educators and home schoolers.
Each letter has variant glyphs covering all possible exit strokes, and initial (start-of-word) variations if any. This works in essentially the same way as Adobe's Caflisch Script Pro, currently the most advanced OpenType implementation of a connecting Latin script font.
However we did not stop there. Currently the only method to get to the Contextual Alternates feature is through Adobe's InDesign, which is easily worth the price, but not everyone has $700 to spend. Other than OpenType, the other available smart font technologies are Graphite and Apple Advanced Typography. Graphite is an open-source technology that implements smart fonts along the same lines as AAT and OpenType, but in a more powerful and extensible way. So far the only program to take advantage of Graphite is SIL's WorldPad, a small Windows-based word processor with Graphite support. It is available at no cost from the Summer Institute of Linguistics and can access the same kinds of features in Barchowsky Fluent Hand that InDesign 2.0 can access via OpenType. There is also some effort underway to add Graphite support to OpenOffice.org, a free, cross-platform alternative to Microsoft Office* that can read and write files in Word*, Excel* and other formats.
It is important to note that the Barchowsky Fluent Hand font is a model, and not an end unto itself. Students are expected to follow the model in the beginning, but they eventually form their own individual lettering styles. The program is designed to teach rapid everyday handwriting that is nonetheless elegant and legible. It is not a course in formal calligraphy, which requires more focus and concentration.
Since the main market for Barchowsky Fluent Hand is educators and home schoolers, we have included most every math symbol that one typically encounters in primary school curricula. There are also some special behaviors that automate the typesetting of radical (square root) expressions and long division. A key part of the Barchowsky method is the idea that children should hone their handwriting skills in the pursuit of other subjects like reading, math, history and foreign languages. Barchowsky Fluent Hand supports all Western European languages and Turkish.
In the future we may add AAT support so that Mac owners running OS X can take advantage of the same behavior using Apple Advanced Typography. To my knowledge, Barchowsky Fluent Hand OT+Gr is the first available dual-technology font of its kind. | <urn:uuid:a02bc9f9-aebf-4459-a6a7-343eda14643c> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.eccentrifuge.com/clients/BarchowskyFluentHandOTGr.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397111.67/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00090-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.923505 | 559 | 2.75 | 3 |
PORT DEPOSIT, Md. (AP) — Near record flows on the Susquehanna River are bringing sewage, sediments and other pollution into the Chesapeake Bay. And that’s threatening bay grasses, oysters and other key species that help improve the bay’s water quality.
The Chesapeake Bay Program says that in addition to the Susquehanna, high flows are also being measured on other waterways in the six-state bay watershed, threatening to cover bay grasses and oyster beds in sediment. Floodwaters could also dilute the salt in the water that oysters need and free chemicals in sediment trapped behind the Conowingo Dam along the Susquehanna.
On the positive side, the bay program says flooding happened after the main bay grass growing season, and sewage and other pollutants are less likely to cause algae blooms now than earlier in the year.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) | <urn:uuid:bb886520-def7-4324-be74-df7dd6caa729> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2011/09/10/floods-releasing-pollution-into-chesapeake-bay/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396538.42/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00027-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.938103 | 197 | 3.1875 | 3 |
Healthcare and You
by Marvin Ackerman, MD
Is It Really True That Certain Cells in Our Bodies Do Not Age?
When we ask the question headlined in this article we must first clarify what we mean by cells that do not age. We are not talking about single cells that never get old. Rather, we are dealing with cells that are part of a group capable of renewing itself in various ways so that to all intents and purposes the group remains viable throughout the life of the organism. In this age of intensive research into the potential for stem cells to transform themselves into virtually new organs and thereby repair damaged tissues - perhaps eventually permit quadriplegics to walk again, cure genetic diseases, and generally turn the medical world upside down - I feel that we all need a better understanding of the underlying principles involved. An incisive review article called "The aging of lympho-hematopoietic stem cells" by Geiger and Zant, which was published in the April 2002 issue of Nature Immunology (the new journal recently created by the prestigious people who bring us their flagship journal Nature ) delves into the question in considerable detail. It is not my intention to dwell on complex details of this sort, but rather to extract those fine factual and theoretical facets inherently contained in a treatise of this magnitude.
The principles involved in this discussion are certainly not new. As far back as 1972 Harrison, writing in Nature New Biology, noted that cells which were destined to become red blood cells in mice could be transplanted outside the mice and then were capable of living 21 months past the life span of the mice from which they came. Eventually it became apparent that stem cells destined to produce red blood cells, or hematopoietic stem cells, have the capacity to continually renew themselves. This implied that these cells do not age and that the reason for this is to provide animals with an "undiminished replenishment of blood cells throughout the lifespan of an organism." However, opponents of this concept believe that these cells actually do show the signs of aging and that their life spans are decidedly limited. These authors favor the view that "age-related functional decline in adult tissue hematopoietic stem cells limits longevity in mammals." Like other long-lived cells of the body, which comprise a major portion of our organs, replacement is infrequent. So they gradually change their functional abilities leading to what we call aging. To keep doing their job, they must reproduce or at the least, self-renew. Study of these phenomena has been rather limited because older mice are relatively hard to acquire. Researchers had to purchase them when they were young and then wait until they got old enough to proceed.
Research was nevertheless done, and it became apparent that hematopoietic stem cells do appear to replenish themselves. The older the animal the more there are of these cells. On the other hand, a greater number of older cells are needed to reconstitute the bone marrow than younger cells. In truth, studies showed that the older cells are "at a significant disadvantage relative to their young counterparts." It was even possible to demonstrate defects in the older cells. Furthermore, the farther back they went the more capable were the cells so that fetal cells had a competitive repopulation advantage over young adult cells. The conclusion from these and other studies suggested that this decrease in potential depends upon age and starts right at the beginning, during fetal life. Another factor playing a major role is genetic regulation because different strains of mice had different abilities with regard to maintaining the cell populations, but findings during these studies tended to negate any role played by immune factors. The role played by age seems to involve a quieting of activity rather than gradual loss of numbers of cells or individual aging of cells. The fact that senescence may not be involved can be detrimental in certain situations wherein the strategy is to limit a cell's likelihood of becoming cancerous from cumulative cellular damage and genomic instability. Another factor that seems to be little involved in the changes of aging is the surrounding tissues. The changes appear to be basically inherent in the cells themselves, not in their stroma.
In spite of the difficulties involved in obtaining appropriate animals for investigation, evidence gleaned from a good number of studies over the years points to the conclusion that hematopoietic stem cells can and do maintain normal blood cell counts for a lifetime, but as the aging process takes over this capability is diminished. When crises arise, they fail to have the functional reserves needed to meet the challenge by producing large numbers of progeny. Aging, however, does not tend to decrease the numbers of these cells, which may actually increase. It's literally a case of the effect of quality superseding that of quantity. Future research should focus on the molecular characteristics of these stem cells. Stem cells from other tissues may not be much different in this respect than those of the red blood cells. Once we have a more widespread picture of how the quality of stem cells varies in other tissues we may obtain a better idea as to what are the determinants of longevity.
Personally I don't think that I am destined to benefit from these investigations into the ability to prolong life. To those readers and your own progeny who are still young enough to reap those benefits I salute you. I want you to know that I just knocked on wood in the hope that the world that you will inherit in which to pass those bonus years will prove to be a good deal better than the one to which we seem to be heading.
The ancients preserved their kings and queens,
Wrapped them in cloth and embalming fluids,
Built them immense pyramids in which to dwell,
And surrounded them with their worldly goods.
But once you're dead it's all for naught,
Be you underground, or in a jar on a shelf,
So dream your dream of immortality now,
But remember you're merely deluding yourself.
Cartoons and Poems following each article are created and copyrighted by Dr. Ackerman and cannot be copied or reproduced without his permission.
Copyright © 2014 by Marvin Ackerman, M.D.
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Bookmark this at Del.icio.us | <urn:uuid:968169c9-2a5b-44fe-afe3-45282c088b68> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.familiesonlinemagazine.com/doctor/blood-cells.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395621.98/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00118-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962047 | 1,477 | 2.9375 | 3 |
Drunken driving among U.S. teens fell 54 percent in the past two decades, a trend helped by laws to curb underage alcohol consumption and higher gas prices keeping high school students off the road, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In 2011, 10 percent of high school students reported drinking and driving, compared with 22 percent in 1991, according to the report. People ages 16 to 20 are 17 times more likely to die in a crash when their blood alcohol is .08 percent, the legal limit in many states, the report in the Atlanta-based CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report found.
The minimum drinking age of 21, compliance checks of retailers and teens spending less behind the wheel contributed to the decline, the report said. Driving among teens dropped substantially from 2000-2010, as the proportion of high school seniors who didn't get behind the wheel during an average week increased to 22 percent from 15 percent, according to the CDC.
"I chalk it up to serious concerted efforts to save these lives," said Jan Withers, the national president of Irving, Texas-based Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Parental involvement is also very important for preventing drunk driving, she said.
Teen alcohol consumption has also dropped, following the trend in the general population, which has declined the 1990s, according to the report.
The data came from the Youth Risk Behavior Surveys, which monitors behaviors that contribute to injuries and violence, sexual behaviors, alcohol and drug use, tobacco use, unhealthy diets, and physical activity. The samples varied from about 10,900 to 16,400 each year.
"Teens are especially sensitive to increases in gasoline prices and declines in economic conditions, which might have decreased their miles driven since 2007," the report said.
Male students were more likely to drink and drive than females. High school boys ages 18 and older were the most likely to drive after consuming alcohol, and 16-year-old high school girls were least likely. About 11 percent of white students and 12 percent of Hispanic students reported driving after drinking, compared with 7 percent of black students.
The prevalence of drinking and driving was 3 times higher in those students who reported drinking five or more drinks in one sitting than in those who reported alcohol use without binging.
"As a parent of a teen I know that there's nothing worse than having your child die tragically and preventably," said Thomas Frieden, the director of the CDC, in a conference call. "Reducing drinking and driving is something we can do" to reduce unnecessary deaths, he said.
Parents and legislators who want to reduce the amount of drinking and driving should use community-based programs that address local issues, the report said. | <urn:uuid:a8a89614-ea49-4702-95db-42715f90145e> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20121002/news/710029791/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783393997.50/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154953-00024-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972992 | 555 | 2.75 | 3 |
Beijing, Nov 15 (IANS) China will loosen its decades old one-child population policy, allowing couples to have two children if one of the parents is an only child, according to a key decision announced Friday by the Communist Party of China (CPC).
China will implement this new policy while adhering to the basic state policy of family planning, according to the decision on major issues concerning comprehensively deepening reforms, which was approved at the third plenary session of the 18th CPC Central Committee held Nov 9-12 in Beijing.
The birth policy will be adjusted and improved step by step to promote "long-term balanced development of the population in China", it said.
China's family planning policy was first introduced in the late 1970s to rein in the surging population by limiting most urban couples to one child and most rural couples to two children, if the first child was a girl.
The policy was later relaxed, with its current form stipulating that both parents must be only children if they are to have a second child. | <urn:uuid:608a6434-4056-4270-958a-52f267dca178> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.sify.com/news/china-to-ease-one-child-policy-news-international-nlprupdbhhe.html?ref=slideout | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783391634.7/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154951-00093-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97187 | 213 | 2.546875 | 3 |
For further teachings on this parasha, see the archives to this blog at January 2006.
Honoring the Dead
This week’s parasha is focused upon the events surrounding Yaakov’s death, including two separate deathbed blessings (to Joseph’s children, and to all twelve of his sons), as well as depicting the great entourage that accompanied him back to the Land of Canaan/Israel. Interestingly, as Rav Soloveitchik once noted, the entire parasha may be viewed as a kind of hiatus between Vayigash and Shemot, in that it is really superfluous to advancing the “plot” of the Torah—suggesting that it comes to teach us other things.
There is an entire group of mitzvot and practices concerned with death and dying, beginning with the final moments of life, through the preparation and dressing of the body for burial, escorting the deceased to his/her burial place, burial itself, various prayers recited before and during the funeral procession and burial, eulogies, and concluding with various mourning and memorial practices and customs, all of which fall under the rubric of kevod hamet (respect for the dead). Without going into the specific details and reasons for all of the numerous practices (volumes have been written about the subject!), several basic ideas that run thorough them all:
1. Kevod ha-adam: the dignity and significance of human life. As a corollary of the innate significance of human life, so too is its passing treated with honor and respect. This is a basic fundament of Jewish thought, and may be seen as counterpoised to either a utilitarian or purely biological approach to human life. This is no simple matter: the Rav often spoke of the idea that death is the ultimate affront to meaning in life, a grisly event that seems to mock the human “pretense of being the choicest of all creatures.” The fact that all ends in death, annihilation of the person’s presence in the world, seems to contradict the idea that “you have made him little lower than angels,” and might easily lead to despair and questioning.
2. Gemillut hasadim: Acts of kindness. Caring for and burying the remains of the dead with both dispatch and dignity is an act of kindness; indeed, it is called gemillut hesed shel emet, the ultimate or truest act of kindness, since one cannot expect any repayment in kind from the recipient of the favors. In Parshat Vayetze we discussed how helping others to celebrate in times of joy is a form of gemillut hesed; here too, in the time of greatest loss and sadness, the community is called upon to support and help the mourners.
3. The Afterlife—Hayyei Olam ha-Ba: Many moderns are uncomfortable with such ideas, and Judaism does not by-and-large preoccupied with this subject, but there are nevertheless many sources in the tradition that speak of the survival of the soul, and of death as a kind of transition to some other state, which we cannot define or even imagine. Many customs surrounding death and burial, particularly those originating in the Kabbalah, are seen as protective rituals for the soul, to prepare the soul for its journey to the other world, to “cross the River Yabbok.”
4. Mourning: Death of a near one is a traumatic event, a rent for the survivors, that needs to be dealt with. Symbolically, the mourners find themselves on the periphery of life, only gradually returning to community, through shivah, sheloshim, and during the year. The nuclear family, in the absence of one member, must reconstruct itself in a new way. Though this is not its primary purpose, many psychologists and anthropologists have commented on the therapeutic value and wisdom of traditional Jewish mourning practices (anticipating by centuries Kübler-Ross and the current fashion of “thanatology”).
Rambam (Hilkhot Eivel 13.11-12) speaks of the importance of avoiding two extremes in mourning: cruelty, through mourning too little; and foolishness, through excessive mourning. In a sense, both extremes represent the same error: the denial of death and mortality. Indeed, one might well make a case that it is death that gives human life its significance. The knowledge that we have a limited span of time to live on this planet (and that none of us know when death will come) and that we are not eternal, adds a certain poignancy and weightiness to our choices—not only major ones, but, if we were to think things through and consider to the end, ultimately all of our choices.
Excessive mourning comes from an inability to accept the reality and inevitability of death—that “such is the way of the world.” It may be an expression of a certain kind of exaggerated, romantic notion of love, or of co-dependency: the idea that life is impossible without this particular person—although of course it always is in the end.
One who mourns “too little” is described by Maimonides as acting out of cruelty: it means acting as though what has happened is not significant. This is “cruel” both to the deceased, as if his/her life were not of sufficient significance to warrant mourning; and it is a kind of apathy towards the depth dimensions of life. Rambam concludes here by saying “rather one should fear, and be anxious, and examine his own deeds, and return in teshuvah.” That is, another’s death is a reminder of our own morality, that we will not live forever and one day we too shall go in that path—and hence ought to be perceived as a call to introspection and teshuvah. I was once at a funeral in Meah Shearim (of noted Bratslav hassid and teacher R. Gedalyah Koenig), held late at night, out-of-doors, next to his home in Batei Ornstein. Though more than a quarter century has since passed, I still remember how all those assembled cried out, in the words from the Days of Awe liturgy: Avinu malkinu, hatanu lefanekha! “Our Father, Our King, we have sinned before you!”
The minimalizing of mourning is often seen in Western society. In the norms of Gentile society, it is not unheard of for people (children, even the spouses) to return to work the day after a death. Some people have remarked that this is also a kind of denial of reality of death, because it is upsetting and disturbing. A generation or two ago, traditional death rituals such as Kaddish and shivah were widely observed even by Jews who were remote from most other Jewish observances—as is still by and large the case in Israel, even among avowed secularists. But as US Jewry moves into its fourth and even fifth generation of American-born, and as work-places have become ever more demanding and all-encompassing, there seems to be a gradual attrition in these observances—which is too bad.
“The End was Hidden from Him”
There is a curious turn in this parasha. Yaakov gathers his children together with the words: “Come and I will tell you what will happen at the End of Days” (Gen 49:1), but then goes on to talk of other things: he settles old scores with those of his children whose behavior was less than exemplary, and describes in a few choice words the unique character of each of his sons—but nowhere does he address the subject of the Eschaton, the Messianic End. Rashi, quoting the aggadah at b. Pesahim 56a, observes that ‘”He sought to reveal the End but the Shekhinah departed from him, and he began to say other things instead.”
Interestingly, this is one of the few places, as far as I know, in which Rashi repeats the same idea almost verbatim within the space of barely a chapter. The opening verse of Vayehi (47:28) is unique in that there is no space whatsoever between it and the previous parasha; it is the parasha setumah par excellence. Rashi comments there that this “hiddenness” or “closedness” alludes to the fact that “the Shekhinah was closed to him.” ביקש לגלות את הקץלבניו ונסתם ממנו. (In this passage he cites Gen Rab 96.1, which uses the word נסתם rather than נסתלקנה; if any readers can explain this duplication, I’d like to hear it). Yaakov was granted a glimpse of the End, knowledge which he wanted to pass on to his children—but suddenly the gates of eschatological vision were closed to him, and he “turned, almost distractedly, to other subjects: blessings–prophecies pertaining to the medium-range future of the various tribes.
This hesitancy to reveal the End, the idea that eschatological knowledge is a kind of esoteric gnosis, too powerful and dangerous to be disseminated, which led the Shekhinah to suddenly cut short Yaakov’s deathbed prophecy (at least in this respect), dovetails with a well-known Jewish reluctance to engage in hishuvei haketz, in calculations of the date of the Final Redemption. “May the bones of those who calculate the End swell up,” R. Shmuel b. Nahmani curses them in b. Sanhedrin 97b. Admittedly, there is also an opposite tendency: that same page of Talmud suggests a variety of dates for the Messiah’s coming, mostly close in time to their own age (4250=490 CE; 4290=530 CE); later, such notable thinkers as Ramban and Abravanel proposed their own timetables; and, from the Hebrew year 5000 on (1240 CE), there were constant messianic movements, involving group aliyot to Israel, usually centered on the century bench-marks (see, e.g., Arie Morgenstern’s paper in Azure 12 ). In our own day, the late Lubavitcher Rebbe was notorious for the messianic frenzy into which he whipped up his Hasidim, nor was he alone in this respect. But the halakhic ”bottom line,” as I see it, is nevertheless that of Rambam, who states that “one ought not to make [these matters] one’s main concern, as they bring about neither love nor fear [of God]. Nor should he calculate the End… but wait and believe in the things in a general way” (Hilkhot Melakhim 12.2).
I would like to focus on one specific application of this principle. For many years the predominant ideology of Religious Zionism (and here I am writing as one who has in the broad sense identified with that movement in the past, and mourns the loss of an ideological home) has been to justify its support of Zionism by identifying this movement as a harbinger of or as somehow foreshadowing Messiah. This was done, both to defend its support of the largely secular movement of political Zionism, and to justify its break with the traditional attitude of historic passivity of what has come to be known as the Haredi world, whose banner cry was the “three oaths” of Ketuvot 111a. The phrase in the Prayer for the State of Israel, “the beginning of the blossoming of our Redemption,” expresses this vision. All this has become exacerbated since 1967, with the de facto Israeli presence in almost all of historical Eretz Yisrael—Shechem, Hebron, Bethlehem, and of course the Old City of Jerusalem—and the movement of settlement, which has become identified with Religious Zionism, as if the union of the two were self-evident.
I wish to pose here an alternative vision (which is of course not my own: such distinguished thinkers as the late Yeshayahu Leibowitz and, yibadlu lehayyim arukim, David Hartman, Aviezer Ravitzky, Uriel Simon, and, among rabbinic leaders, Aharon Lichtenstein and Yehudah Amital, have articulated, in one way or another). In essence, we must recognize and accept that we are still living within unredeemed history, and that we can say nothing definitive about the theological meaning of the State. My friend Dr. Menahem Kallus, when he leads prayers at Bira Amikta (the “Leader Minyan”), is in the habit of adding one word to the Prayer for the Welfare of the State of Israel: שתהא ראשית צמיחת גאולתינו, “that it shall be the beginning of the blossoming of our Redemption”—thereby changing it from a statement of fact to a prayer for the future. I strongly agree with this view.
Thus, religious Zionism becomes perfectly valid as the religious branch of a secular, this-worldly moment, whose goal was the establishment and is the ongoing existence of a national homeland for the Jewish people, in a world which had become increasingly hostile to the anomalous sort of national existence Jews had been living in the Golah. Or, as Prof. Yeshayahu Leibowitz succinctly put it: “We are fed up with being ruled by the goyim!” The religious branch of Zionism may not even be concerned with transforming the culture of the State, but simply with making it possible for religious Jews to live and function here. As Michael Rosenak once wisely observed: Religious Zionist Jews in Israel speak of their model as Rav Kook, with his mystical, messianic vision, but in practice their real model for everyday life is Samson Raphael Hirsch: that is, an approach focused on cultivating communities of religious families living in the state, not that differently than they did in Diaspora; assuring the availability of services needed for themselves and their families—synagogues, education, kashrut and Shabbat observance in public institutions, including a kosher Army; but without any grandiose, metaphysical historical vision. As a this-worldly movement, it behooves the State of Israel to be attentive to the reality of the world around us, and to conduct a policy based, not upon the belief that Messiah is around the corner or that the time has come for the Divine promise of inheriting the land to be realized in full, but in terms of a sober and realistic evaluation of its actual situation.
All this has clear implications as to how we deal with the burning political issues facing the state. In a nutshell, it leaves us open for negotiation with the Palestinians so as to arrive at some sort of equitable, peaceful solution to two nations living in the same land. And this applies to compromises, not only in the Land as a whole, but even regarding Jerusalem. From a strictly halakhic viewpoint (as I have argued in the past; see HY V: Yom Yerushalayim), ownership of the Temple Mount per se, without the Temple and the order of sacrifices, is utterly meaningless. If Jerusalem, or specifically the Temple Mount, is under some sort of sovereignty in the name of the Creator of heaven and earth who is worshipped by all the religions involved (a position that admittedly still needs to be “sold” to the Muslim side), what offense is there in that?
But having said that, the path to peace must be conducted with clear eyes, with great caution and realism, and even a certain element of skepticism as to whether our erstwhile enemies are indeed erstwhile. There can be ungrounded messianism on the Left as well; moreover, I fear that I am not blessed with an excess of trust in either Mr. Olmert’s wisdom nor in his uprightness of character. But all this is on a worldly level, not as an uncompromising meta-halakhic or religious vision.
A few more thoughts about the Joseph-Judah story: It is true, as we stated last week, that Yosef was unable to maintain a posture of hardness and distant towards his brothers in face of Yehudah’s poignant plea: one which indicated in the clearest way that he was a changed person—no longer the impetuous hot-head ruled by the passions and hatreds of the moment, but a mature, responsible, caring adult and devoted son. And true, in some sense his choice was an existential one, in favor of fraternal friendship rather than aloof, cold leadership—the “objective gaze,” as Aviva Zornberg puts it. But this does not mean that all was sweetness and light between the brothers from then on. There was a certain ambivalence to the reconciliation; there was still great tension between them, as testified by the brothers’ anxious question, 17 years later, after the death of the old patriarch, upon their return from the lengthy funeral procession: “Maybe now he’ll finally exact his revenge on us” (such is the sense of Gen 50:15-21).
Indeed, Asher Yuval—a Yerushalmi who every week compiles and sends out a parshat hashavua sheet consisting of various Rabbinic sources on a particular topic in the parsha, with notes and discussion—asked the question: Did they ever “clear the air” among themselves? Did the brothers ever tell Yaakov, or Yosef, the true story as to exactly what they had done so many years earlier?
I can imagine a situation of acute interpersonal crisis—between husband and wife, between parents and children, between close friends or colleagues—in which there is much anger and mutual suspicion, perhaps even a separation, for a longer or shorter time. After some months or years they get together again—or perhaps they simply meet again, years later, under new circumstances. They may never “talk out” the deep issues that once divided them, but somehow they discover that they are once again friends; that they can accept one another as they are; that, while they can remember the bitter quarrels they once had, they no longer feel the intense emotion these carried. It is as if all that happened to different people: the struggles of yesteryear are no longer relevant. It is something like this, I imagine, that must have happened to Joseph and his brothers.
One more thought: Yaakov and Yehuda, as I once mentioned (HY I: Vayigash), represent archetypes of Jewish leadership. On one level, Judah was dominant, the noble forebear of the Davidic monarchy. But on another level, Joseph too had his kingdom—the northern kingdom of Israel that seceded after the death of king Solomon. So too, in Jewish eschatology, we have the (suffering) Messiah son of Joseph as precursor or harbinger to Messiah son of David.
Perhaps these two may also be seen in another way as eternal archetypes for splits and tensions in Jewish people, for different models of leadership. We are, after all, one people, but with profound differences among ourselves. There are numerous pairs one can imagine: political vs. spiritual leader; prophet and priest; hakham and navi; or, in more modern times, Hasid and Mitnagged; practical vs. cultural Zionism; universalist vs. particularist. Perhaps the Joseph-Judah dichotomy was not one that was resolved once and for all in favor of one side or another, but represents an archetype for the ongoing creative polarities in our people. But more on that, with God’s help, in a special essay in the coming weeks. | <urn:uuid:905dabbf-d46b-4b42-aae0-0aa1ed93575f> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://hitzeiyehonatan.blogspot.com/2007_12_01_archive.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783392527.68/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154952-00198-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964446 | 4,245 | 2.75 | 3 |
Plants thrive most when the soil where you plant them is loose, friable and easily manipulated. Roots need space to stretch out and feed off nutrients and minerals that are naturally occurring in native ground. In certain areas, native soil may be higher in hard packed clay, which is dense and hard for tender roots and shoots to penetrate. To assist the roots in having the best chance possible, amend clay soil with organic matter to improve its texture.
Dig into the native soil where you intend to plant. Break the ground with a tiller or shovel and work the clay soil until you reach a depth of at least 6 inches. Some gardeners double-dig, which is breaking the soil up to a depth of 1 foot.
Take a soil sample to your local agricultural extension office for testing. The staffers will analyze the soil and recommend what amendments you may need to bring the soil's nutrients and minerals to optimum levels.
Procure any elements recommended by the extension office as well as organic matter such as compost, humus, peat moss, processed cow or zoo animal manure, topsoil and mulch, or a mix of those ingredients known as planter's mix. You can purchase these supplies from the local garden center or mulch yards
Dump the organic matter and ingredients recommended by the agricultural extension on top of the broken up garden soil. Mix in thoroughly with the tiller or a shovel and hoe. Mix the entire depth and width of the dig site with the amended soil.
Smooth out the new planting area with the hoe. The texture should be a rich dark brown, loose friable soil that is soft enough to dig into with a gloved hand. Once this is accomplished, your clay garden soil is amended adequately and ready to receive plantings. | <urn:uuid:0af3fb8f-e581-49fc-a8b8-f3f6d196b799> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.gardenguides.com/102284-way-amend-clay-soil.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396945.81/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00008-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.931692 | 362 | 2.84375 | 3 |
History of Gastroenterology at Mount Sinai
Gastroenterology has a long and impressive history at The Mount Sinai Health System. In fact, the story of the treatment of stomach and digestive disorders at the Mount Sinai Hospital actually begins in the 1850s. That’s when a young physician named Mark Blumenthal first began treating patients with appendicitis, gallstones, and peptic ulcers.
Roughly 50 years later, another Mount Sinai physician, Edmund Aronson, became the first physician at Mount Sinai to limit his practice only to patients with digestive disorders.
By 1913, the Department of Gastroenterology was firmly established at The Mount Sinai Hospital with Dr. Aronson as its chief.
Roughly 10 years later, Dr. Burrill B. Crohn would take his place and begin a lifetime of research into serious and often potentially fatal digestive system diseases.
Crohn’s Disease, in which the lower intestine (terminal ileum) and colon become severely inflamed and tissue is destroyed, is named in honor of Dr. Crohn’s pioneering research on this and related disorders. | <urn:uuid:75ec37a5-2ce6-4c72-9747-4af0903be2ff> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.mountsinaifpa.org/patient-care/practices/gastroenterology/about-us/our-history | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783392099.27/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154952-00127-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96014 | 232 | 3.03125 | 3 |
Native plants are, in a word, local. They are plants that have been growing in a particular habitat and region, typically for thousands of years or longer. Also called indigenous, they are well adapted to the climate, light, and soil conditions that characterize their ecosystem.
The native ranges of plants vary. Woody plants are typically indigenous to substantial portions of our continent. Northern Red Oaks, for example, are native from Nova Scotia, southern Ontario, and Minnesota, through the eastern and central U.S. to Georgia, Mississippi, and Oklahoma. Yet, not all ranges are this big. Rhodora, a beautiful, bog-loving azalea, is native from Labrador and Quebec, south to the mid-Atlantic states. A few unique and rare plants are even more specialized and indigenous to quite small regions.
In Massachusetts, we consider all the plants that grew here prior to European colonization to be native. They evolved slowly over time with relatively little interference from humans, although they were an important part of Native American life. These were the only plants growing here before settlers began introducing non-native plants from other continents, expanding agricultural practices, and manipulating the genetics of plants through cross-breeding and now, bioengineering.
Why are native plants so important?
Native plants provide the foundation for healthy ecosystems. If they are properly sited for their desired soil and light requirements, they can require less water, fertilizer, and maintenance to thrive.
The fruits and berries of native plants are critical to bird life, and provide approximately 40% of the avian diet as a whole. When birds eat these fruits, the ecosystem gets the benefit of seed dispersal, as the birds excrete the seeds in their droppings. A reasonable number of these will germinate and that plant species is sustained from generation to generation. Unfortunately, if the bird eats the fruits of an invasive plant, it spreads these undesirable plants further and further afield, and because of their aggressive ability to outcompete other plants, the invasives continue to take over and damage the ecosystem even further.
What might surprise you about native plants is that they are especially important because of the insects they host. We humans have been programmed to think otherwise, but insects are critical to our ecosystems and therefore to us. On the whole, insects and other arthropods provide about 60% of the avian diet. And they are absolutely critical to the nestlings of terrestrial species as virtually their sole food source. So without insects, our beautiful songbirds couldn’t survive or raise their young. Without caterpillars, there would be no butterflies. Without ponds and vernal pools teeming with insect life, there would be no spring peepers or amphibians. Insects are one hub in our web of life, critical intermediaries between plants and the animal world
Native plants are host to a vastly greater number and variety of insect species than are non-natives. According to entomologist Douglas Tallamy, author of Bringing Nature Home, our native flowering dogwood (Cornus florida) supports one hundred and seventeen species of moths and butterflies, while the non-native Kousa dogwood hosts only six species of insect herbivores. The Golden Rain Tree (Koelreuteria paniculata) from China supports one caterpillar species, while our native oaks can host 534 species. And if those caterpillars don’t make it into beautiful butterflies or moths, all make good bird food. Tallamy can cite example after example, summarizing his years of extensive research, and concluding that “native ornamentals support twenty-nine times the biodiversity of alien ornamentals.” And these insects are not to be feared, because in a balanced ecosystem, they nibble small enough portions of the plants available so that we hardly notice their presence.
So there we have it. Plants provide the foundation for life by capturing the energy of the sun and converting it into biomass for the rest of us to eat, and native plants promote the biodiversity necessary for balanced ecosystems. If we want a sustainable future, it is time to pay attention to the importance of growing natives.
Find resource materials to learn more about native plants. | <urn:uuid:a90d2a80-8c70-4b65-a260-f6c1c2281698> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://grownativemass.org/whatarenativeplants | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783394937.4/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154954-00183-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939993 | 859 | 4.09375 | 4 |
About History of Mylapore in Chennai, Tamilnadu
Mylapore is one of the important places in Chennai city and this place is being considered as one of the most important cultural and religious centers in the city of Chennai. Mylapore stretches from Triplicance and Teynampet in west side with Royapettah in north side. Mylapore was earlier under British rule for many centuries. Until 1749 mylapore was been ruled by portagues and meanwhile for 25 years it was under French control. After a number of years mylapore town was put rule into the hands of British Indian Company and soon after it conqueror the portuges rule over the town came to an end. After the end of portuges rule Arcot Nawab took its control and in 1749 mylapore was formed into the administration of presidency of madras and it is also noted that an area named Luzz Cornerwas been developed during this period.
Earlier mylpore was known as Vedapuri. According to history and religious beliefs godness Parvathy Devi in order to show her sorry for something done assumed the form of a peacock. Peacock means Mayil in Tamil, a vehicle of lord Muruga and as peacocks used to stay in these places it got its name as Mylapore. This area is also called by several other names such as Mayilarpil,Mayilai,Tirumayilai,Mahilup, Misapolis, Miraporand Malepur.
Later in late 19th and early 20th century, mylapore came to spot light as a commercial and intellectual hub of madras city and presently mylapore is the home for number of music sabhas and musicians with wide variety and categories of shops and as a well known place for Temples and Residential colonies. This place has become more cultural important because as various cultural events along with old cultural sabhas even now exists with several events organized round the year.
About Kapaleeswarar Temple in Mylapore, Tamilnadu
Kapaleeswarar Temple one to the most important and famous Tamilnadu temple finds its place of location in mylapore in Chennai city. The Temple structure is about 300 years old and Temple architecture stands for a fine example of Dravidian culture. This Temple is dedicated to lord Shiva and lord Shiva is worshiped as Kapaleswarar and godness parvathi is worshipped as Karpagambal here. The specialty of this Temple is that all 63 Nayanars – devotees of lord Shiva are taken out in a procession around the main street at the same time. The Temple is located at the southern part of Katcheri Road in south mylapore. The 37m Temple gopuram is carved with gods, godness and saints. The Temple courtyard also has a Punnai Tree one of the oldest trees in Chennai. The daily services at the Temple are named as Kalasandhi - Morning Pooja, Uchisandhi –Midday Pooja, Sayankalamsanthi -Evening Pooja and Arthajamasanthi- Late Night Pooja.
Kapaleeswarar Temple Theppam Float Festival
The Temple consists of a large water tank in front of the western gopuram. The float festival is mostly held in January or February every year which is being celebrated in a grand manner. A large number of crowds are gathered here on this occasion to worship their god and the 7 storied tower of this temple are illuminated with colorful lights and the tank in front with various floating lamps in the water are a pleasant and real treat to thousands of devotees gathered. Only during this festival the tank is full of water else in a dry condition. During this festival the god and godness are decorated with beautiful clothes and are taken in a decorated raft for procession. More over the temple is colorfully illuminated with lights acts as a best sightseeing during night hours.
News about Thai Poosam Theppam Festival 2012
This year 2012 the Theppam Float Festival will be held for 3 days at Kapaleeswarar Temple and it starts on 7th February 2012 and end by 9th February 2012. This festival is named as Thai Poosam Theppam Thiruvizhla as it coincides with the Thai Poosam.
On the first day at 6pm swamy Chandrasekaran will come out of the Theppam and move around the temple tank 5 times and bless the devotees. During this round Vedas will be chanted along with Thevaram, Nadeswaram and classical music.
On the second day lord Murugan will come out of the Theppam and move around the temple for 7 times.
On the third final day godness Valli and Dhevanani will move around the temple 9 times and bless their devotees.
The management expects huge crowd during this festival and due to this occasion several police and guards are being employed on duty and various security booth are being erected in different corners of the temple and with the help of Traffic department various diversion in its regular routes has been made and even several special buses are being operated on this occasion.
Places to stay in Mylapore
Mylapore has many places to stay ranging from 5 star, 3 star with budget hotels and lodges. The visitors can access their place of stay based on their budget and requirement.
Savera Hotel – R.K.Salai
M.G.M Grand – Santhome High Road
Shelter – Mylapore
Woodland – R.K.Salai
Niligris Nest – R.K.Salai
Manhattan – R.K.Salai
Sabaris Nest – R.K.Salai
Sangeetha Residency – Mylapore
Crystal Inn – Mylapore
Murudi Lodges – Mylapore
Vegetarian Restarurants in Mylapore:
Sukha Nivas – Mylapore
Nivedhanam – Mylapore
Ashivta – R.K Salai
Saravana Bhavan – R.K.Salai
Sangeetha – Mylapore
Vasantha Bhavan – Mylapore
Geethanjali – Mylapore
Shanthi Vihar – R.K.Salai
How to Reach Mylapore
1.Thirumalai Railway station is the boarding point and stop for Trains moving from Broadway to Velachery.
2.Mylapore is connected to Santhome High Road in north along with R.K.Salai on other side.
3.The nearest Airport would be Chennai Airport which is about 11km from Mylapore.
List of Bus Numbers and Routes towards Mylapore
29C – Perambur RS to Besant Nagar
21G – High Court to Tambaram
21 – High Court to Mandaveli
12G – Anna Square to Kalaingar Nagar
12B – Vadapalani BS to Foreshore Estate
S29C – Perambur BS to Thiruvanmayiur
5B – Mylapore to T.Nagar
A1 – Central to Thiruvanmayiur
M15 – Mylapore to Medavakkam
12 – T.Nagar to V.House
S1A – Thiruvattiyur BS to Thiruvanmayiur
45B – Anna Square to Guindy
M12C and L12 C – Saligramam to Mylapore
L1C – Ennore to Thiruvattiyur
L1 – Thiruvattiyur to Thiruvanmiyur
LT1 – Royapuram to Thiruvanmayiur
M21C – Central to Kannagai Nagar
M45E – Anna Square to Kilkattalai
No responses found. Be the first to comment... | <urn:uuid:6fdd5d5b-9a50-40fa-afa8-db48dc181137> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.tamilspider.com/resources/8636-Complete-details-about-Theppam-Festival-Mylapore.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783394937.4/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154954-00101-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960758 | 1,672 | 3.03125 | 3 |
The Kennebec River
Sea-Run Fish for Every Season
their severe diminution because of dams, pollution and over-fishing,
the 11 native sea-run fish of
the Kennebec River were well known to Native
Americans and European
settlers alike. Each species has its own unique
spawning behavior and growing
habits, and migration cycle. Below are thumbnail
sketches of each.
sturgeon: The largest
sea-run fish in eastern North America.
Atlantic sturgeon may reach
800 pounds, 12 feet long and live for 50 years
or more. They spawn in the
Kennebec River in late June and July at age 15
or older. Adults live along
the continental shelf at depths of over 600
feet. The species is
practically extinct in the United States except for
severely depleted populations
in the Delaware, Hudson and Kennebec Rivers.
Adults are often seen leaping
out of the water near Augusta in early
sturgeon: Much more
common in the Kennebec than the Atlantic
sturgeon, but listed as an
endangered species in the United States.
Shortnose sturgeon reach three
to four feet long and may live for 80 years
or more. Females do not spawn
until 20 years old and may stop feeding for
up to a year before spawning.
Unlike Atlantic sturgeon, shortnose rarely
travel beyond their home river
extinct from the Kennebec River and the United
States. Eight to 15 pound
Atlantic salmon spawn in lower Kennebec
tributaries near Augusta in
late fall and are observed leaping in the river
from late May to September.
The lower Kennebec holds the southernmost
population of wild Atlantic
salmon in North America.
bass: Because of its
large freshwater tidal estuary, Merrymeeting
Bay, the Kennebec holds the
only spawning population of striped bass in New
England. Stripers in Maine
have reached up to 67 lbs. They
feed voraciously on river
herring and eels in the Kennebec from spring to
late fall. They spawn in early
July in the river near Augusta and now have
free access to Waterville, 60
miles from the sea.
shad: The largest
member of the river herring family, shad can
grow to 10 pounds and over two
feet in length. The Kennebec once hosted a
run of a million or more shad,
which spawned throughout the drainage in
June. Adults spend up to five
years at sea before returning to their home
river to spawn. Dam
construction and pollution nearly destroyed the
Kennebec's shad population,
which is now being restored.
eel: Unlike most
sea-run fish, eels spawn in salt water, migrate
as tiny juveniles to
freshwater and live for 30 years or more in rivers and
ponds before completing their
lifecycle by returning to the ocean. They
grow to be three to four feet
One of the most abundant fish of the Kennebec River. Alewives are
born in upriver lakes and
ponds, migrate to sea after a few months in
freshwater and return three to
five years later in May and June as 10-14
inch adults. They are eagerly
devoured by striped bass, eagles, osprey and
great blue heron. The Kennebec
once hosted runs of over 6 million adult
alewives. Today, the run is
over one million and growing.
identical to the alewife in appearance, the
blueback herring differs by
spawning in fast-flowing river reaches instead
of lakes and ponds. They are
devoured in great numbers by stripers and
fish-eating birds during their
early summer migration up the Kennebec.
smelt: Enters the lower
Kennebec River in early winter to feed on
small fish and crustaceans;
spawns soon after ice-out in rocky stream beds.
Grows to one foot in length.
Rainbow smelt are subject to a popular commercial and
recreational fishery in
Hallowell, Randolph, Bowdoinham and Dresden.
The current population in the
Kennebec is estimated in the tens of millions.
A close relative to the Atlantic cod, except much smaller (rarely
over a foot long), with a life
history very similar to rainbow smelt.
Tomcod are called
"frostfish" because they appear in the Kennebec only after ice
to coat the river. They spawn
in December near or above head of tide and are
frequently caught by smelt fishermen in the lower river and estuary.
Juvenile lamprey live for up to eight years in freshwater, eating organic
debris, and live in saltwater for two years, attaching themselves to large
fish. They enter the Kennebec
to spawn in late May and early June where
they dig nests in shallow
gravel beds of the river. Like Pacific salmon,
sea lamprey die immediately
after spawning and their carcasses provide
nutrients to local stream environments. | <urn:uuid:370d8e7d-c3d3-47c9-9471-1875accff784> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://mainerivers.org/ken_fish.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396029.85/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00133-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.919643 | 1,109 | 3.46875 | 3 |
April 23, 2009
Study Finds Genetic Link to Impulsive Behavior
Many previous studies have shown that alcoholics and drug addicts tend to exhibit highly impulsive behavior. A new study involving mice found that genes influence impulsive behavior, which could contribute to the risk for developing such an addiction.
In the study, researchers used selective breeding to obtain mice genetically predisposed to drink alcohol. Scientists found that mice that had the genes to drink were more impulsive than their low-drinking counterparts."Our data suggests that impulsivity contributes to high alcohol drinking and, consequently, the diagnosis of any disorder associated with life-long impulsivity -- for example, [antisocial personality disorder], bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, and attention-deficit disorder -- is grounds for serious concern about later problems with alcoholism and drug abuse, which can aggravate the severity of the disorders I just mentioned," Nicholas J. Grahame, associate professor of psychology at Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis was quoted as saying.
Researchers said identifying children or adolescents with high levels of impulsivity might, in theory, allow doctors to identify those at risk for developing a substance-abuse disorder.
The study's authors said now that their findings have suggested a genetic component to impulsive behavior, future studies could shed light on which genes are important in impulsive decision making and which genes are shared with the propensity to develop a substance-use disorder.
SOURCE: Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, July 2009 | <urn:uuid:e0855c22-0677-44dc-a889-b1e742dd0abe> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/1675832/study_finds_genetic_link_to_impulsive_behavior/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783398516.82/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154958-00045-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944918 | 301 | 3.328125 | 3 |
Project Lead: Dr. Sarah Schnitker
Doctoral Student Researchers: Ryan Thomas
What effect does patience have on recovering from frustration?
Psychological research on the virtue of patience, including its nature and effects, is limited. However, over the past decade or so, patience has piqued the interest of positive psychologists as a character trait that may reveal interesting findings related to the psychology of optimal human functioning. In one of the first modern empirical studies on patience, Mehrabian defined it as the “tendency to be deliberate, steadfast, restrained, and able to endure difficulties (e.g., as when working towards goals)” (Schnitker & Emmons, 2007). He distinguished between patience and delay of gratification, impulse control, and procrastination, identifying patience as a distinct virtue. Others have postulated that patience is merely a combination of persistence, open-mindedness, and self-regulation (Peterson and Seligman, 2004), but recent research has shown this reduction of patience to be ill-conceived. Schnitker and Emmons (2007) found that patience showed some overlap with other character strengths (including those mentioned above), but that none of these were able to account for sufficient variance to conclude that patience is reducible. This research was also able to identify a number of things that patience is not; specifically, patience is not just the opposite of impatience, delay of gratification, or self-regulation of emotion.
The evidence for the effects of patience, though limited, seems to reflect both positive and negative outcomes. Schnitker and Emmons (2007) found evidence for an inverse relationship between patience and negative affect and between patience and depression, but a positive relationship between patience and self-reports of certain negative health outcomes, including headaches, acne, and ulcers. Additional research found that self-control, a strong correlate of patience, predicted better grades, less psychopathology, higher self-esteem, and less shame in students (Tangney, Baumeister, and Boone, 2004). However, to date, no psychophysiological study has been conducted to measure the effects of patience on individual physiology.
The proposed study aims to address this gap in the research. Relying on a theoretical model of patience as a coping mechanism in dealing with frustration, we hope to determine whether those who are more patient reflect any psychophysiological differences when met with a frustrating situation than those who are less patient. Our theoretical model distinguishes between three types of patience: situational patience (i.e., patience in day-to-day circumstances), interpersonal patience, and long-term patience. We aim to focus on situational patience and interpersonal patience, comparing and contrasting the psychophysiological effects displayed in each situation. Our hypotheses are as follows: (a) people will exhibit individual differences in the different types of patience, which can be measured through psychological assessment; (b) these measurements will correspond with individuals’ strengths in the virtue of patience, such that those with high levels of interpersonal patience will respond with more patience to interpersonal frustration, and those with high situational patience will respond with more patience to situational frustration; (c) those exhibiting higher levels of patience will exhibit less corrugator (brow) muscle tension, lower heart rate, and higher heart rate variability when met with frustration; and (d) those exhibiting higher levels of patience will recover more quickly from frustration.
Participants for this study will be recruited from undergraduates at Westmont College. Participants will be randomly assigned to either a situational frustration condition (n = 40) or an interpersonal frustration condition (n = 40). Upon volunteering for the study, participants will schedule an hour and a half session during which to complete the study.[/vc_column][/vc_row] | <urn:uuid:d805e68d-9838-4ad0-b17b-415d7a4e5f09> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://thethrivecenter.org/research/research-projects/psychophysiological-study-of-patience/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783393533.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154953-00105-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.934738 | 765 | 2.796875 | 3 |
Last week, I wrote a blog about protecing your skin from the sun’s harmful rays with quality sunscreen. However, your skin isn’t the only part of you that needs protecting—your eyes do as well. Before venturing outside on a warm sunny day, put on sunglasses. A new report issued by The Vision Council today explains why sporting protective shades is just plain smart.
The report stated that only 73 percent of adults in the United States report wearing sunglasses on a regular basis, meaning more than a quarter of American adults leaves their eyes at risk for damage from the sun. Only 58 percent of them make sure their children wear sunglasses as well, which is particularly troubling. The risk of damage to our eyes from solar UV radiation is cumulative, meaning the more time we spend outside, the more our risk goes up. Children typically spend more time outside than their parents so protecting their eyes on sunny days becomes even more important for vision later on in life.
UV exposure can have many short-term and long-term effects on the eye. After a day outside in the sun, eyes may appear bloodshot, light-sensitive and swollen. In some cases, photokeratitis, or sunburn of the eye, can occur. In severe cases, this “snow blindness” can cause vision loss for up to two days.
If you are often outside for long periods of time, more severe side effects can occur, such as cataracts, which is the progressive clouding of the lens of the eye, or even cancer of the eye, eyelid or nearby skin. Age-related macular degeneration is also possible, which can result in blurred vision and hindered color perception.
Choose sunglasses that you feel and look good. You will be more likely to
wear them and, therefore, more likely to save your eyesight.
Photo by jilleatsapples/Courtesy Flickr
Luckily, picking out the perfect pair of sunglasses is easy, and it doesn’t have to break the bank. Here are a few tips to keep in mind when buying and wearing sunglasses:
• Buy sunglasses that look good and feel good. First of all, make sure you like the way your shades look and feel before buying them. You’ll be more likely to wear them after the purchase.
• Pick a pair with a close-fitting wraparound style. These will provide the best protection and prevent any harmful rays from sneaking in.
• Make sure your shades offer protection against UVA and UVB rays. Both of these can damage your eye. To ensure you’re protected, look for the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) protection label on the sunglasses.
• Sport your sunglasses even if you’re in the shade. Harmful UV rays can damage your eye if they reflect from roadways, buildings and other surfaces.
• Wear your shades throughout the year. Your exposure to solar UV radiation can actually double in winter when UV rays are reflected off of fresh snow. | <urn:uuid:0ba90952-8f59-44f9-9461-ca5c38e5a84d> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.motherearthliving.com/natural-health/in-the-news-report-finds-protect-eyes-from-the-sun.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395620.56/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00163-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949985 | 618 | 2.625 | 3 |
The discovery of iconic memory is due to George Sperling (1960). The starting point for Sperling's work is the classical experiment on the determination of the memory-span. If a certain number of elements, letters, for example are presented using a tachistoscope it can be seen that the number of correct responses does not exceed 4 to 5 regardless of the number of letters presented. Provided that the number of elements presented remains below this limit, all the elements are reproduced correctly; if more than this are presented performance remains at this limit however many are presented. This limit is known as the memory-span.
The notion of whole report procedure excited a lot of interest at the end of the last century after Javal discovered the phenomenon of fixations and saccades : presentation by means of the tachistoscope became a way of simulating what happens during a fixation. Whole report procedure suggests the existence of a fixed limit to the sensory information which can be processed during a fixation. The idea that whole report procedure reveals a limitation to the quantity of sensory information processed in a presentation did not always seem to agree with subjects reporting the impression hat they had seen more elements than they could remember. This impression would suggest another interpretation of the procedure which was that it was a limitation of mnemonic order.
Sperling's main contribution has been to find a technique which has supplied a clear answer to the question we have just posed: this is the partial report procedure. In one of his experiments he presents a matrix of 3 lines of four letters each to his subject for 50msec. If the subject is asked to reproduce what he has seen, on average four answers are correct. Under partial report procedure a high-, medium- or low- pitched tone is produced at the same time as the presentation is over and the task given to the subject is to reproduce only the first, second or third line according to the pitch of the tone. A performance in the order of three correct responses was obtained under these conditions. Since the subject was unable to foretell what line he would be asked for to report, it must be acknowledged that immediately after the end of the presentation, the information necessary to recall the letters had to be available somewhere.
This led Sperling to the hypothesis that one form of presentation of the visual stimulation remains accessible for a short time after the presentation. It was Neisser in 1967 who proposed that this representation should be called an icon.
The reason why it is not possible to reproduce nine elements in the case of whole report procedure is that the iconic trace deteriorates while the first elements are reproduced and by the time it takes to have reproduced four or five elements there is no longer any iconic memory available.
The temporary decline of iconic memory has been studied by Sperling in another experiment where the index of selection was not present immediately after the disappearance of the matrix but at different intervals. The results show that in about one second the performance falls to the level which corresponds with whole report procedure.
Nature of coding in iconic memory
Two principal properties are generally attributed to the icon.
Complete URL to this document:
by Marielle Lange | <urn:uuid:95cb22f0-c9ab-4e14-a6f3-8ad782af3bdb> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.ulb.ac.be/psycho/fr/docs/museum_en/Experiments/Sperling-theo.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783408840.13/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155008-00001-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960378 | 640 | 3.03125 | 3 |
Men are not as good as they think they are. We are going to fight for what we want no matter what or how long it takes. Women should have just as much say as men, sometimes women know more about what is going on then men did. Women have always been thought of as lower than men and that is not right, we are equally as good as they are in just about all situations. Woman suffrage is the first step toward political equality. Traditionally women were to stay at home, clean, work around the farm and raise the kids. During the late 19th century and industrial revolution this started to change. Male domination prevented women from leaving the home, but in the early 19th century educational opportunities began to expand for women (www.cyberlearning-world.com).
During the Civil War women temporarily stopped fighting for suffrage. They helped the black slaves get freedom. When amendment fifteen freed the slaves that pushed the women harder and farther down the suffrage trail. Even though it took three amendments and 90 years of hard fighting to get the 19th amendment, they finally reached their goal. It took women a long time to reach their goal because men have always been power Men considered women to be possessions of their husbands so they always had to agree with everything their husband said and did. Also, because most women were considered to be uneducated or stupid, they were automatically thought to be incapable to vote for president. Since, they were uneducated and stupid their say was unimportant. Women were also considered to be inferior and they should stay that way (www.cyberlearning-world.com).
Women should not have had to give any reasons why they should vote. They should have been given the right just like the men had the right. Women are just as able as men to pick out somebody to run their town, county, and even their country. Women chose and listed 12 reasons why they should have the right to vote: < | <urn:uuid:df7fe3c9-5de7-41c6-80c1-3a35c80100f9> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.exampleessays.com/viewpaper/23263.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397428.37/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00181-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.99298 | 398 | 2.96875 | 3 |
Greek mythology has always been a spring of unique and interesting characters. From the numerous gods residing in Olympus as well as the hundreds of mythical beings that populate this fantastical world, the realm of Greek mythology has been one of the main sources of inspiration for a lot of people. Today let’s talk about its most famous hero, the demigod named Hercules. How much do we know about this heroic figure? Here is some interesting information about the heroic figure:
Fact 1: It is quite ironic that the name ‘œHercules’ translates into ‘œGlory of Hera’ as everyone knows (thanks in part to Sam Raimi’s television series) that Hera is one of Hercule’s primary antagonists.
Fact 2: Hercules, while a great and noble hero, had committed an unspeakable sin when he murdered his wife, Megara, and their children in a blind rage cast upon him by his stepmother, the goddess Hera.
Fact 3: Among the myriad of mythical heroic characters, Hercules is widely considered to be the perfect example of most literary experts.
Fact 4: Hercules was just a few of the immortal demigods in Greek mythology. He achieved this by drinking the goddess Hera’s milk while still an infant.
Fact 5: In Greek mythology, it was actually Hercules that created the Milky Way when Hera threw him away while still suckling from her breast.
Fact 6: Hercules was not only known to have unsurpassed strength but also a sexual appetite. A story involves the demigod impregnating 50 sisters in a single day.
Fact 7: While Hera is the most well-known adversary of Hercules, there is another that can be considered much more dangerous and was actually the one to succeed in ‘œkilling’ the demigod, the centaur Nessus.
Fact 8: There are various stories on how Hercules eventually met his demise; the most popular one is by the hand of Nessus who tricked Hercule’s second wife into giving him a robe doused with Nessus’ blood which was poison.
Fact 9: Hercules’ father may be Zeus, but he had a couple of mortal stepfathers throughout his life; the first stepfather was Ampithryon, the second  was Radamanthes who was also his mentor, and the third is King Minos of Crete.
Fact 10: Based on mythical accounts of Hercules’ adventures, it can be stated that he had 53 offspring during his lifetime. | <urn:uuid:864dd19f-d39e-486f-aa85-6469523cd90f> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.factsbarn.com/facts-about-the-legendary-hero-hercules/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783394987.40/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154954-00161-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.979396 | 529 | 2.859375 | 3 |
Sponsored Link •
The Polyform Puzzler project was begun to scratch an old itch. After a long delay, the project was finally launched and is now maturing nicely. Interested parties are welcome to join in!
Polyforms are shapes constructed by combining identical basic polygons (by their edges) or polyhedra (by their sides) in all possible ways. The most famous polyforms are the tetrominoes (which we've all seen in Tetris) and the pentominoes. There are 12 pentominoes, figures constructed from 5 squares:
Many sets of polyforms can combine to fill certain areas or volumes. These can be called "polyform puzzles" or "combinatoric dissection puzzles". For example, the pentominoes can fill a 6x10 rectangle:
There are 2339 distinct ways to fit the pentominoes into a 6x10 rectangle, but it's not so easy to find one! Polyform Puzzler can find them all.
Other polyforms include polyiamonds (made from equilateral triangles), polyhexes (hexagons), polycubes, and polysticks (grid line segments). Many other polyforms are possible, and there are many web sites devoted to their exploration.
My interest in polyforms began when I discovered pentominoes, in Arthur C. Clarke's novel Imperial Earth, probably around the time I was 11 or 12 years old. I picked up a pentominoes puzzle ("Hexed", by Gabriel Toys) at a local hobby store and spent many hours discovering solutions.
In university, probably while avoiding legitimate study, I wrote the first implementation of a pentominoes-solving project, in Object Pascal. I developed an algorithm that solved the puzzle using brute force with some intelligence applied:
When I first learned Python, I reimplemented this as a practical learning exercise. I improved the algorithm a bit and got it to work pretty well, if not completely bug-free. It was a fun and interesting exercise, but the code was complicated and ran slow. (It didn't help that I only had a 66MHz computer at the time.)
I even went so far as to register the "puzzler" project on SourceForge, but didn't take it any further at that time. I had scratched my itch enough, and another itch became more persistent...
While writing the second implementation and learning Python I discovered Python docstrings and started looking around for auto-documentation systems to exploit them. I couldn't find anything that worked well for me, so I started scratching that itch, and eventually reStructuredText & Docutils were born. You could say that Polyform Puzzler spawned Docutils.
This summer I discovered a new approach for solving polyform puzzles, Donald Knuth's "Dancing Links Algorithm X" ("DLX") approach to the "exact cover" problem (described in the Polyform Puzzler FAQ, question 4.1). This approach was so different from what I'd done previously, and so obviously superior, that my old itch resurfaced. Polyform Puzzler is the result.
Since Polyform Puzzler launched on SourceForge in early August, it has been steadily maturing. The project code consists a set of front-end applications (solvers) for specific polyform puzzles and a Python library that does the heavy lifting (definitions of the polyforms, puzzles, and coordinate systems; and the DLX exact cover algorithm). New polyforms and new puzzles can easily be defined and added to the core.
Release 1 on August 8 featured 4 polyforms and 28 puzzles. The project currently features over 100 puzzles, configurations of 12 polyforms: pentominoes, solid pentominoes, pentacubes, tetracubes, soma cubes, hexiamonds, heptiamonds, tetrahexes, pentahexes, order 1-4 polyhexes, tetrasticks, and order 1-4 polysticks. We have SVG rendering for most polyforms, X3D models for 3-D polyforms (polycubes), and the capability to save session state (so a puzzle can be stopped and restarted). The project includes a gallery of puzzles & solutions; some examples below.
In the short term I plan to add SVG rendering of polysticks (but the coordinate system code has to be reworked first) and then release version 2. In the long term, I hope to explore some ideas for as-yet-unexplored or minimally-explored polyforms, and perhaps work on a GUI. One pressing need is for greater speed; the exact_cover module should be rewritten as a C extension. Do I have to recondition my rusty C, or will some kind soul save me from the frustration?
I would welcome the participation of others interested in polyform puzzles. (I'd like to stop saying "I" so much and start saying "we" more ;-)
(Portions of this article were adapted from the Polyform Puzzler FAQ.)
|David Goodger has been using Python since 1998, and began working on reStructuredText and Docutils in 2000. A proud Canadian, he lived in Japan for 7 years, where a stint at a document processing company in Tokyo began his love/hate relationship with structured markup. David is a Python Enhancement Proposal (PEP) Editor and a member of the Python Software Foundation. He currently lives outside of Montreal, Quebec, with his Japanese wife and their two children.| | <urn:uuid:4b838411-8563-40f6-b0a9-26b23ec2c75b> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.artima.com/weblogs/viewpost.jsp?thread=177220 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397213.30/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00157-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947291 | 1,142 | 2.671875 | 3 |
by Davida Kissel
AIM: The " Multiple Intelligences and Preschool Lesson Plans" curriculum web helps students in Child Development I. gain an understanding of Howard Gardner's theory and how to incoporate his theory in a preschool setting.
In Multiple Intelligences and Preschool Lesson Plans WebQuest, students will be investigating Howard Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences and how schools and teachers can foster a child's learning by being aware of the child's intelligence. They will achieve this by researching Howard Gardner's theory on the Web and taking part in the multiple intelligences exam. Students will also take the information that they gained and apply it to creating a lesson plan that will be taught in a preschool setting.
Students will gain an understanding of which multiple intelligence they posses, and how diverse their class is in possessing the various multiple intelligences. They will take a test online and then chart the results to gain a better understanding of the diversity in their classroom.
Throughout this WebQuest Howard Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences will be refereed to as MI.
This WebQuest provides students with the opportunity to learn about the theorist Howard Gardner in a way that will reach a variety of learning styles. They will have access to webcast, charts, books, and the opportunity to use their own creativity. In order for students to be able to apply Howard Gardner's theory they must have a strong understanding of MI, therefore they need to research his eight different intelligences. Once the students have an understanding of Howard Gardner's MI theory they need to apply what they have learned to a real life situation. The best way for students to learn and truly understand something is to be able to experience it first hand. Students taking Child Development I. will take the lesson plans they develop and actually use them in the child development lab. This gives them a chance to actually take what they have learned and apply it. They will also become aware of the difficulties educators face when teaching students with varying levels of abilities and learning styles. The students will understand that a classroom teacher must take several things into account when working with children. They will gain an appreciation and respect for educators and what they put into planning a lesson plan for a classroom filled with varying degrees of multiples intelligences. | <urn:uuid:659f1824-a5c9-4e9b-a094-fc913d976e9f> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://questgarden.com/102/80/0/100505170056/index.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397873.63/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00196-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954865 | 462 | 3.78125 | 4 |
If you really want to fend off the flu or kill a cold, you don’t have to look any further than your fridge. That’s right: Many foods harbor antiviral and antibacterial agents that can help your immune system slaughter nearly any nasty bug. The following ingredients can prevent infection or boost your body’s natural defenses.
Cayenne pepper and hot chiliesIf your head feels like it’s packed with Elmer’s glue, skip the pills and pop a chili pepper instead. Capsaicin, the chemical that gives chilies their bite, acts as a decongestant, expectorant and pain reliever all at once. Remember how your nose, mouth and eyes ran after your friend dared you to munch on a jalapeno? Imagine the same effect when your head is clogged by a cold. Capsaicin encourages your body to thin down all that mucus so you can hack it up and get rid of it.
It may seem counterintuitive, but capsaicin does deaden nerves when it’s applied. The chemical depletes the neurotransmitter “substance P,” which relays pain signals to the brain. It also cranks up the body’s production of collagenase and prostaglandin, which reduce pain and swelling. Got a sore throat? Gulp down some Tabasco sauce.
Chilies are also packed with vitamin C. In fact, one chili can contain up to four times as much vitamin C as an orange. And vitamin C, as we’ll see, has been proven to shorten the duration of colds.
Chicken soupScience has confirmed grandma’s wisdom: Chicken soup is undoubtedly good for a cold. But grandma knew it without holding clinical trials or applying for research grants, so what gives? Doctors at the University Of Nebraska Medical Center actually tested the cold-healing powers of chicken soup.
In fact, they used grandma’s recipe, which included chicken, onions, sweet potatoes, parsnips, turnips, carrots, celery stems, and parsley. After conducting a number of laborious tests, researchers were able to pinpoint one of the soup’s active, cold-fighting ingredients: chicken stock. The base for all chicken soups actually slows down mucus production, helping you breathe easier during a cold.
The researchers went on to test 13 different brands of store-bought chicken soup. Nearly all of them suppressed mucus production to some degree. Vegetarian versions, however, were missing the crucial ingredient.
So even if grandma isn’t around to make you the family chicken soup, grab a can of Campbell’s. The steamy broth will definitely help you get over your cold more quickly.
Heal your sniffles with natural tea and vitamin C...
Have a question? Get it answered by AskMen's guyQ. | <urn:uuid:02d8a676-7291-429b-9af8-1c9831d48ae4> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.askmen.com/sports/foodcourt_150/164_eating_well.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395346.72/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00142-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.929791 | 603 | 2.84375 | 3 |
- Historic Sites
The Defense Of Wake
Their High Command abandoned them. Their enemy thought they wouldn’t fight. But a few days after Pearl Harbor, a handful of weary Americans gave the world a preview of what the Axis was up against.
July/August 1987 | Volume 38, Issue 5
Confused and badly mauled, Admiral Kajioka’s force regrouped in deep water and headed for home in Kwajalein. It was the first and only time during World War II that an invasion was successfully repulsed by shore batteries. The admiral had little time to muse on the historical significance of his defeat. His battle was not over. Major Putnam’s four Wildcats jumped off the runway at the first sound of American gunfire. Their primary mission was the air defense of Wake, and they searched the sky for incoming Japanese airplanes. Surprised to find none there, Putnam went to the attack.
Rigged with pairs of hundred-pound bombs attached to homemade racks, the Wildcats caught up with the retreating ships fifteen miles southwest of Wake. Each pilot dived in, dropped his bombs, and hurried back to rearm and take off again. In all, Putnam’s men flew ten sorties. Captain Elrod and Capt. Frank Tharin scored hits on the cruisers Tenryu and Tatsuta, while Capt. Herbert Freuler set the transport Kongo Maru aflame. Captain Elrod had the biggest score. He crashed a bomb on the deck of the destroyer Kisarg , which was carrying a load of depth charges topside. The Kisargi was consumed in a giant fireball, and then, like the Hayate, it simply disappeared.
The hot fighting took its toll on the squadron. Captain Freuler brought his plane back with its engine shot up beyond repair. The fuel line of Captain Elrod’s Wildcat had been severed, and the engine cut out just as he was nursing it home. Elrod managed to crash-land among the boulders on the beach, but his craft was demolished. When Devereux and Putnam raced to pull him out of the wreckage, they found the pilot apologetic. “Honest, sir,” he said, “I’m sorry as hell about the plane.”
When the day’s fighting score was added up, the Japanese had lost two ships, suffered damage to several more, and left as many as seven hundred men in the water. Incredibly the Marines had suffered only four minor casualties. As Corporal Brown commented to Major Devereux, it had been “quite a day.”
The bloody nose suffered by the Japanese at Wake forced them to rethink the schedule so carefully worked out in Tokyo. Admiral Kajioka’s force limped back to Kwajalein to be refitted with more men and more ships so that it could return to attack again. In the meantime, the Japanese would rely on aerial bombardment to soften up this unexpectedly difficult target. Weather permitting, and it usually did, they would bomb Wake twice a day. In the face of this, Wake’s ability to defend itself was dwindling. After December 11 the effective air force of Wake was down to two airplanes.
It is a truism of war that winners tell the truth while losers make up stories. Except for the stolid defense of Wake, the Americans were losing badly elsewhere. Accordingly, press reports of the early days of the war were larded with unusually large doses of fiction. One of my most vivid memories of when I was a child listening to the radio was that of a broadcaster saying that Japanese firepower was so poor that soldiers on Bataan were actually fielding mortar shells with baseball mitts. We thrilled to reports of the Battle of Lingayen Gulf, in which a large invasion force was repulsed by the 21st Division of the Philippine Army, leaving the beaches strewn with Japanese bodies. The invasion force turned out to be a single Japanese motorboat on patrol. Every American child knew about the exploits of Capt. Colin Kelly, who, as the legend grew, won the Medal of Honor for flying his B-17 into the smokestack of the battleship Haruna and sending it to the bottom off the Philippines. In truth, Kelly had dropped a bomb on a large transport ship. And although he had done enough to earn any honor the nation might wish to bestow —at the cost of his own life Kelly had stayed at the controls of his stricken B-17 so his crew could jump to safety—he had seen no battleship; the Haruna at the time was fifteen hundred miles away in the Gulf of Siam.
In the first days of the war, with the American military position collapsing throughout the Pacific, the stand at Wake became a light of hope. Its troops were compared to the men who had fought at the Alamo, as Americans, thirsting for stories of gallantry and heroism, looked to Wake. But no information was forthcoming except what had been processed by public relations officers. Since they didn’t know what was going on themselves—the only communications coming out of Wake were Cunningham’s desperate requests for supplies and equipment—they, not surprisingly, provided legends. | <urn:uuid:83e11ef0-234b-4b5f-91d1-4c8c87a601c1> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.americanheritage.com/content/defense-wake?page=6 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783394605.61/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154954-00069-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.983406 | 1,085 | 3.390625 | 3 |
Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:
|Title:||Building Leadership Capacity Amongst Young Anishinaabe-Kwe Through Culturally-based activities and Creative Arts|
|Publisher:||School of Native Social Work Journal|
|Abstract:||There is no doubt that ongoing colonization has and continues to affect the overall health and wellbeing of Aboriginal peoples and women in particular. The colonial and imperial imposition of European values and ways have contributed to the decline in Aboriginal languages, culture and traditions as well as Aboriginal women’s economic status, community rights, and roles in the community. The high incidence of violence against Aboriginal women is one of the most profound and tragic results of ongoing colonization. In Canada, Aboriginal women are almost three times more likely to be subjected to violent victimization than their non-Aboriginal counterparts (Brennan, 2011). As well, the Report on Stolen Sisters documents that as of July 2009 520 Aboriginal women have gone missing or have been murdered in Canada in the last three decades (Amnesty International, 2009).While Amnesty International has raised awareness of the violence perpetuated against Aboriginal women in Canada relatively little has been done to address the issue. These statistics affirm that many Aboriginal women find themselves subjected to high levels of violence at the individual and societal levels.|
|Appears in Collections:||Articles|
Files in This Item:
|NSWJournalV8 Cote-Meek et al.pdf||437.76 kB||Adobe PDF||View/Open|
Items in LU|ZONE|UL are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated. | <urn:uuid:7ed951e5-33d1-4b0e-9892-3a497f3dde0b> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://zone.biblio.laurentian.ca/dspace/handle/10219/1990 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783400572.45/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155000-00085-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.892806 | 338 | 3.125 | 3 |
One thing I’ve learned in 30 years working with real climate and hydrological data is to always check the maximum available temporal resolution¹. If there’s daily data, don’t just look at monthly averages. If you’ve got monthlies, don’t just rely on annual data. Doing so destroys information, even when the highest resolution data might include excess measurement noise (which is greatly reduced by temporal averaging). Apart from anything else, whatever “clumping” interval you choose is always going to be arbitrary. (What, after all, is so special about a year starting 1 January? There might be a case for one starting on a solstice or equinox, but that’s not what we use.)
All of the global temperature estimate series are prepared at monthly resolution, but how many plots of monthly data have you seen? Exactly one, I’d suggest — the one above.
There’s been much recent discussion about a so-called “pause” or “hiatus” in global warming. Look at the chart. See any pause? Plot it monthly, and the claimed pause disappears into the noise. There just isn’t any.
As of now, we’re right on the near half-century long trend line.
1. I don’t necessarily mean analyse the data at maximum resolution, but at least look. There can be good reasons not to apply some of the simpler analysis techniques at high temporal resolution (particularly if there is strong autocorrelation).
2. The plot shows monthly global temperature anomalies since 1970 from seven sources spanning three completely different approaches. Some of those are arguably better / more applicable than others, but they don’t actually differ all that much over this interval. The trend shown is the linear regression of the average of the seven monthly estimates against time. The band shown is plus/minus three standard deviations of the residuals.
3. Data sources are discussed at length on the graph page
4. The full record plot is here | <urn:uuid:2b97ed90-ac22-4966-ae1c-2e4f25591b32> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://gergs.net/2014/02/pause/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783391519.0/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154951-00077-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.908792 | 430 | 2.609375 | 3 |
Japan's traditional performing
arts of Noh and Kyogen developed together in the
14th century during the Muromachi period (1333|1573).
Today, they are thought of together as the art
of Nogaku, or as Noh & Kyogen.
Noh is a kind of symbolic drama
colored with the graceful aesthetic effect of
quiet elegance that is expressed through the word
yugen ("elegant, refined, and elusive beauty").
Its subjects are taken from history or classical
literature, and it is structured around song and
dance. Its most obvious characteristic is that
the main actor performs while wearing a mask of
exceptional beauty. Its themes are more concerned
with human destiny that with events, and it developed
into a highly stylized and refined performing
art that takes place upon a very simple stage.
The play known as The Well-Curb is often used
as typical of the vision-like Noh plays of its
dramatic world. When audiences experience Noh,
they are touched with a feeling different from
that evoked by other theatrical forms.
Kyogen is a kind of spoken drama
that is based upon laughter and comedy. In contrast
to Noh, it uses the everyday life of the common
people in feudal society or folk tales as its
subject, and realistically depicts a kind of "Everyman"
figure. This dynamic art\whose typical main character
is a servant named Taro Kaja\evokes a gentle and
Noh and Kyogen have, from the
very beginning, been performed upon the same stage.
Both Noh, through its pursuit of a symbolic ideal
beauty, and Kyogen, through its realistic expression
of humor, portray the true essence of human nature,
and have been passed down to us today in these
mutually complementary roles.
In modern times, Noh and Kyogen
have both been highly acclaimed around the world
for their great artistic value, and in 2001, UNESCO
added the dual art of Nogaku to its Intangible
Cultural Heritage list as a Masterpiece of Oral
and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. | <urn:uuid:acad06d4-0f72-4f05-8883-9d243a5c48f1> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www2.ntj.jac.go.jp/unesco/noh/en/nohgaku.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783393093.59/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154953-00095-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.941202 | 454 | 3.390625 | 3 |
A 1950s Adventure
Paper 300 pp.
Online discount: 25%
In the 1950s, Anne Innis Dagg was a young zoologist with a lifelong love of giraffe and a dream to study them in Africa. Based on extensive journals and letters home, Pursuing Giraffe vividly chronicles the realization of that dream and the year that she spent studying and documenting giraffe behaviour. Dagg was one of the first zoologists to study wild animals in Africa (before Jane Goodall and Dian Fossey); her memoir captures her youthful enthusiasm for her journey, as well as her näiveté about the complex social and political issues in Africa.
Once in the field, she recorded the complexities of giraffe social relationships but also learned about human relationships in the context of apartheid in South Africa and colonialism in Tanganyika (Tanzania) and Kenya. Hospitality and friendship were readily extended to her as a white woman, but she was shocked by the racism of the colonial whites in Africa. Reflecting the twenty-three-year-old author’s response to an “exotic” world far removed from the Toronto where she grew up, the book records her visits to Zanzibar and Victoria Falls and her climb of Mount Kilimanjaro. Pursuing Giraffe is a fascinating account that has much to say about the status of women in the mid-twentieth century. The book’s foreword by South African novelist Mark Behr (author of The Smell of Apples and Embrace) provides further context for and insights into Dagg’s narrative.
Anne Innis Dagg graduated with a biology degree from the University of Toronto and earned her PhD in animal behaviour from the University of Waterloo—before many women made careers in science. She has published numerous books and articles on animal behaviour and on feminist issues, including The Feminine Gaze: A Canadian Compendium of Non-Fiction Women Authors and Their Books, 1836-1945 (WLU Press, 2001).
“This beautifully written book explores a young Canadian biologist’s field studies on giraffes, and her impressions of Africa and its people in the mid-1950s. But her story is much more than just research into giraffe behaviour and life in Africa. Anne Innis Dagg is most concerned about what she learned, while in Africa, about herself. Pursuing Giraffe relates the tale, through stories of giraffes and the evolving situation within Africa, of a brave person’s effort to live life honestly ... travelling alone, pursuing zoological research at a time when work in the field was not only rare but also totally male-driven.... One cannot forget when reading Pursuing Giraffe that its bones rest on a journal that had been kept over 1956 and 1957, and the immediacy of that journal is one of the book’s most powerful attributes.”
— Margaret Derry, University of Toronto Quarterly, Letters in Canada 2006
“Dagg ... learned a great deal about giraffe ... but those studies are among the least significant reasons for reading this wonderful memoir ... Instead it should be read because it’s an engaging, amusing, thoughtful, charming, honest, probing and eye-opening account of a young Canadian woman’s encounters with racism, with sexism, with colonialism and with the animal kingdom in general and people in particular—especially men.... Dagg is a natural story-teller.”
— Jon Fear, The Record (Kitchener)
“This book is...about one person’s intellectual imagination, spirit of adventure, and daring: where she has long dreamed of going, where others either say she shouldn’t or cannot go, and some work against her going, she goes....Anne Innis Dagg has written a brave and moving account of her time as a young white woman travelling and doing research in Southern and East Africa.”
— Mark Behr, author of The Smell of Apples and Embrace | <urn:uuid:5932408d-26eb-46ee-9db1-69f34da4fe1b> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.wlupress.wlu.ca/Catalog/dagg-giraffe.shtml | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783400031.51/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155000-00116-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945163 | 830 | 2.53125 | 3 |
ARTICLE IN BRIEF
Sports neurology experts discuss efforts to develop new guidelines on sports-related concussion following an NFL-commissioned survey in which retired players reported more memory loss problems than those in the general population.
An National Football League (NFL)-commissioned survey of former professional football players — conducted by investigators at the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan — found that those under 50 were almost 20 times more likely to report memory problems than would be expected in the general population.
The survey was released in October and made headlines in the sports pages of most major papers, raising the question: Would the NFL then agree to compensate its players for medical problems related to memory loss?
The issue is far from resolved, and according to experts in sports neurology, the associated link between head injury and memory loss requires further (and more well-designed prospective) studies.
Figure. ARIZONA CARD...Image Tools
While the NFL study was not designed to determine a causal link between repeated blows to the head and dementia — no one was actually examined — neurologists agree that it is critical to know the long-term risks of repeated head injuries.
“I think it is essential that we do the appropriate scientific studies and do them as quickly as possible,” said Jeffrey S. Kutcher, MD, director of Michigan NeuroSport at the University of Michigan and chair of the AAN Sports Neurology Section.
CONCERNS ABOUT STUDY DESIGN
Dr. Kutcher had no involvement in the survey that was conducted by David Weir, PhD, and his colleagues at the Institute for Social Research. The NFL study looked at a range of health measures in 1,063 former NFL players. But experts said the survey design was problematic.
According to Dr. Kutcher, there was only one question on memory problems in the study: “Do you have a diagnosis from a physician of Alzheimer disease, dementia, or memory-related disease?” — and there was no way to discern the background of complaints that led to that diagnosis. A long list of medical complaints, including pain syndromes, depression, and sleep disorders, could impair memory and many of those surveyed reported multiple medical concerns.
The survey results come at the same time that the AAN Sports Neurology Section is launching a listserv to pull experts in the field together to discuss issues such as sports concussion. The AAN guidelines were published initially in 1997.
“In the interim, our understanding of concussion has changed,” said Dr. Kutcher. “The main thing that we now know from clinical experience is that how an athlete presents immediately after a concussion does not allow us to predict the course [of the injury]. Therefore, attempting to classify a concussion for the purpose of determining the management of the patient is not possible.”
The NFL-sponsored survey was conducted by phone and designed to address a long list of health and lifestyle factors among retired NFL players, including marriage, heart disease, cancer, diabetes, migraines, neck pain, depression, and memory problems. When they separated the group by age, the scientists found that 2 percent of those under 50 and 6 percent of those older than 50 said that they had been diagnosed with a memory disorder. But as Dr. Kutcher pointed out, 75 percent of those surveyed also answered “yes” to at least one question on depression and 17 percent said they had been diagnosed with sleep apnea. “These data provide us with a portrait based on self reporting. The study was not intended to be diagnostic.”
Figure. DR. JEFFREY ...Image Tools
In October, Dr. Weir told members of a Congressional hearing on sports-related concussion: “The study was not designed to diagnose or assess dementia. The study did not conclude that football causes dementia.”
“We need to really understand this link,” said Dr. Kutcher. “The survey results reconfirmed suspicions that a lifetime of multiple mild brain injuries can lead to cognitive problems.”
The portrait of these men also suggests that they have a three-fold higher incidence of cancer. Dr. Kutcher, an expert on sports-related injuries, suggested that the data might be biased toward reporting more medical problems because the men knew the study was commissioned by the NFL.
The neurologist has also spoken by phone in recent weeks with Dr. Weir and NFL officials to discuss the next steps.
Anthony Alessi, MD, a neurologist in Norwich, CT, who also co-chairs the AAN Sports Neurology Section, said that the NFL “wants to work with the AAN study section to figure out the best way to study this link between multiple concussions and dementia.”
Dr. Alessi spent his career evaluating and treating boxers with traumatic encephalopathy. “Boxing is the paradigm for these studies,” he said. “Do memory problems come on sooner? If yes, then when do we intervene and how?”
Dr. Alessi thinks that the rules surrounding football may need to change. He said that football players in high school, even younger, are not offered the protections that major league players have, including the proper trainers who know when a player has experienced concussion and should be removed from the game or when it is safe to allow them back in the game.
“We are now trying to get our neurological community to take the lead on these issues,” Dr. Alessi said. The sports injury section has a listserv that includes an active roster of 300 doctors.
He added that it is probably good medicine to have football players and boxers go through an annual evaluation to detect early signs of neurological problems. Previous autopsy studies of brain tissue culled from former football players have reportedly shown pathological changes consistent with a trauma induced dementing process.
Indeed, the NFL is listening to the new science on sports-related concussion. The league has just implemented a new policy that requires an independent neurologist to examine a player on the heels of a concussion. The AAN has offered to help with such efforts and create guidelines on when someone should be removed from the game and allowed to return to the field.
Meanwhile, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell provided written testimony to the House Judiciary Committee that the league will offer a free diagnostic or medical work-up to those former players who said that they have dementia. | <urn:uuid:6d552e56-5357-4571-9e1e-888f3f16c1fd> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://journals.lww.com/neurotodayonline/Fulltext/2009/12170/NFL_Conducts_Its_Own_Survey_on_Dementia__Reports.1.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783393463.1/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154953-00113-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975623 | 1,320 | 2.65625 | 3 |
For more information, call
Melanoma is an aggressive type of skin cancer, but represents only 5% of
these types of cancers. It originates in melanocytes, which produce skin
pigment. It may form on normal skin, or develop in a preexisting
mole, and can spread to lymph nodes and other organs.
Rarely do melanomas appear in the mouth, iris of the eye, or retina at the back of the eye. However, in such cases, they may be found during routine dental or eye examinations. Although very rare, melanoma also can develop in the vagina, esophagus, anus, urinary tract, and small intestine. The vast majority of melanomas, however, are seen in sun-exposed areas of the skin.
There are a number of different risk factors for melanoma, including sun exposure and family history. The risk of developing melanoma increases with age. However, it is also frequently seen in young people.
You are more likely to develop melanoma if you:
Other risk factors include:
A mole, sore, lump, or growth on the skin can be a sign of melanoma or other skin cancer. A sore or growth that bleeds, or changes in skin coloring may also be a sign of skin cancer. The ABCDE system can help you remember possible symptoms of melanoma:
The key to successfully treating melanoma is recognizing symptoms early. You might not notice a small spot if you don't look carefully. Have yearly body checks by a dermatologist, and examine your skin once a month. Use a hand mirror to check hard-to-see places. Call your doctor if you notice anything unusual.
The key to successfully treating melanoma is recognizing symptoms early. You might not notice a small spot if you don't look carefully. Have yearly body checks by a dermatologist and examine your skin once a month. Use a hand mirror to check hard-to-see places. Call your doctor if you notice anything unusual.
Throughout the year, Northside hosts skin cancer screenings for the community. Screenings take place in a private setting and consist of a brief skin assessment by a medical professional. Typically, only exposed areas such as your arms, hands, neck and feet will be examined. Recommended screening attire: Shorts and T-shirt. Screenings are open to adults and children.
Skin cancer screenings are not intended to take the place of comprehensive skin exams. For a more in-depth examination, please schedule an appointment with your dermatologist.
Northside Hospital’s skin cancer screenings are free, but registration is required. Please call (404) 531-4444 to schedule an appointment.
While melanoma is a particularly aggressive form of cancer, it is treatable when caught early. Your doctor will check your skin and look at the size, shape, color, and texture of any suspicious areas. If your doctor thinks you might have skin cancer or a melanoma, a biopsy will be performed to remove all or part of the growth. If the biopsy confirms melanoma, a much more aggressive operation will be necessary.
A sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy may be done in some people with melanoma to see if the cancer has spread to nearby lymph nodes. Once melanoma has been diagnosed, CT scans or other types of X-ray tests may be done to see if the cancer has spread. | <urn:uuid:14973e2d-cc17-4c6b-bd79-7347dd2cfa4d> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.northside.com/skincancerscreenings | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397565.80/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00048-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.93308 | 703 | 3.421875 | 3 |
Popular Conures and Their Breeding Habits© Howard Voren. Click here to use this content.
Conures are colorful, clever, charismatic clowns that can be a never-ending source of enjoyment for their owners. All of this, combined with the fact that they are reasonably priced, creates a large demand by pct shops nationwide.
This demand must be met by captive-breeding in the United States. Private aviculturists have fared quite well in this area. Since a flight cage of only 3 to 4 feet in length will make most conure pairs happy, they are a bird that most people can find the room to breed, if they should so choose.
Almost all of the conures can be divided into one of four groups that differ from one another in some major way concerning breeding habits. There are a few “outsiders” that do not fit clearly into any of the four groups, but these are the exception to the rule and can usually be placed as intermediates between two of the major groups. What follows is a rundown of the conures most commonly available.
Green Conure Group
The first group, and the largest in body size of those commonly available, is the green conure group. These are classified scientifically under the genus name Aratinga. (The macaws are classified under the name Ara, and these large green conures are, as the name implies, very closely related to the macaws. This relationship has been demonstrated by the fact that hybrid offspring from a cross between a noble macaw and a mitred conure have produced fertile eggs.) This group consists of the blue-crowned, mitred, cherry-headed, red-fronted, white-eyed, Finch’s, green and red-throated conures. The blue crown is a bit afield of this group (toward the macaws), but its breeding habits and seasons are very close to the rest of this group.
These birds, as a whole, are only moderately prolific and can take quite some time before they begin to produce regularly. It is not uncommon for wild-caught stock to take three to five years before they settle down to breed, even if fully mature when set up. Even when they do begin to produce regularly, they are extremely seasonal in their behavior. Unless they are fooled into misreading the seasons by artificial conditions, they hold off until the middle to late summer.
The chances of this group double-clutching is somewhat less than 50 percent if the babies are pulled early (7 to 14 days) for hand-rearing. If the offspring are left with the parents for three weeks or more, the chances of two clutches is very slim indeed. If, however, you choose to pull the eggs for incubation after the hen has set for two weeks, then the chances of double-clutching increases to about 75 percent. Pulling the eggs as they are laid will probably result in the greatest quantity of eggs. In fact, this is true of all the conures, regardless of from which group they belong. Some pairs will lay 10 to 12 eggs under these conditions, but inaccurate incubation will often result in less of a total yield than if the hen were permitted to sit for two weeks on her two clutches of three eggs each.
The red front is the most difficult of the Aratinga group. This is due to the fact that in its natural habitat it seeks out nesting holes in rocks on cliff sides. The two easiest-to-breed conures of this group are the white-eyed and red-throated (orange-throated) conures. These often will give two clutches per season if the babies are taken from the nest for hand-rearing.
Red throats are the smallest of the group, but they make up for their lack of size with one of the best personalities in conuredom. I found them highly prized as pets in the areas of Honduras, where they are common. In these areas, they nest in holes in pine trees, and each year the people harvest some babies to hand-raise for the local pet trade.
Nest boxes for the large conures are usually about 12 inches square and 18 inches deep. I recommend this depth because the birds don’t seem to settle in as well and sit tight unless the box has a depth greater than 12 inches. They need to be far enough below the entrance hole to lose interest in what’s going on outside.
Gold-Capped, Jenday, Sun and Dusky Conures
The second conure group is made up of what are usually referred to as the medium- sized conures. These are the gold-capped, jenday, sun and dusky conures. These are also classified under the genus Aratinga, but most aviculturists who have worked with them for an extended time believe they should be grouped separately. Although they are still related to the macaws, these conures are certainly a giant step further away than the green conure group. Their behavior differs from their larger cousins in every way.
These behavioral differences are most drastic when it comes to breeding. These birds, under captive conditions, have no breeding season in the real sense of the word. Once they begin to produce, they often will lay four clutches in one year, only to rest for a few months and start all over again. Even though these parrots are one size smaller than the previous group, I recommend the same size nest box as used for the larger conures (12 inches square and 18 inches deep). This depth is necessary because of the groups’ propensity to completely empty shallower boxes of nesting material. With the last bit of material 18 inches down, they will usually have some left by the time they finish laying their eggs. Once they begin to sit, they will stop throwing the material out of their box.
Their desire to empty nest boxes is instinctive and is done for the purpose of cleaning out the nesting chambers from whatever raised babies there previously. In the wild, everything from woodpeckers to tree-nesting mice will use the hollows to raise babies. Many of these other tenants nest at different times of the year. Each new occupant cleans out the nest before use. It just so happens that this group is overzealous about house cleaning.
Intermediate to the previous two groups is the nanday conure. Like the green conure group, it is highly seasonal about beginning nesting activities, but like the gold cap group, it is free-breeding, once it decides that the season is at hand. If they don’t give you at least two clutches a year, they are probably sick. You can usually count on three clutches, and if they can at all manage four (with early baby-pulling), they are happy to oblige.
The nanday is not classified as Aratinga by most taxonomists (it stands alone as the sole member of the Nandayus genus), but it is closely related to the gold cap group. This has been proven by the fact that hybrid offspring produced by the crossing of nandays with jendays are fertile and do reproduce successfully. Nandays also enjoy emptying nest boxes of material, and an 18-inch depth is recommended. The interior nest box material that is most commonly used for all conures is pine shavings.
Brown-Throated, Aztec and Halfmoon Conures
The third major group consists of the brown-throated, the Aztec and the half- moon conures. Although they are still members of the Aratinga genus, they are another step further away from the macaws. This group starts breeding earlier in the year than the green conure group (early to middle summer), but like that group, they often take three to five years before they start producing on a regular basis. At that point, some pairs will only produce a few babies a year, while others will become prolific producers like those of the gold cap group. Some pairs never produce at all.
This problem is due to the fact that they show a strong reluctance about entering the standard nesting boxes usually provided in captive-breeding setups. In their natural habitats, they excavate arboreal termite nests to make nesting cavities. These large termite nests are made of a material that is similar in consistency to spongy paper-board. The conures will chew a hole in the side of one of these mounds, excavate an internal cavity and lay their eggs. The termites close off all openings that lead from the conures’ nesting chambers to the rest of the termite nest. This separates them from the invading pair of conures. When they sense that the conures are gone, they fill back in the cavity. This requires the conures to excavate a new nest every time they wish to reproduce.
Because they have evolved in such a manner, this group has trouble relating to a nest box as a permanent structure. All the other conures use their nest boxes as a permanent dormitory either all year long or at least during the entire breeding season. They will play in them during the day, hide in them if frightened and, most importantly, sleep in them at night. Not so with this group, however. The moment that the youngsters are old enough to stay outside at night, the conures no longer return to the nest to sleep. Nature intends for them to move out. This is necessary so the termites can make permanent repairs. Cavities like this can fill up with rain during the rainy season and cause extensive damage to the mound. This is strongly instinctive behavior and is not in any way learned from the parents, nor is it caused by the parents “putting them out.”
I have fostered clutches of halfmoons under both pearly and maroon-bellied conures. They were weaned by their surrogate parents. Every chick turned its back on Mom and Dad, and left the nest for good upon weaning. Maroon bellies and pearlies will allow babies to stay with them almost indefinitely after weaning.
Brown throats, Aztecs and halfmoons that do eventually develop the habit of sleeping in their nest boxes, regardless of season, will become prolific producers. Those that do not will at best produce a baby or two once in a while. (In fact, you can safely say of all conures that if they do not sleep in their nest boxes, you will not sec any eggs. Sleeping in them at night always far precedes the laying of the first egg.)
Filling the inside of the nest box with cork in order to allow excavation to take place might be a step in the right direction for some reluctant pairs. It does not, however, necessarily create the desire to excavate. These conures can be given a nest box that is a 12-inch cube. Since their habits are so different, most will leave a reasonable amount of nesting material in the box.
A few years ago, I had the great luck to acquire a blue-mutation halfmoon conure. The bird was fully mature and given every chance to breed by its previous owners. Years went by without so much as an egg.
It was at that point that I acquired this blue female with her normal-colored mate. Once they settled into my aviary, I noticed that they did not sleep in their nest box. Since she was so important to me, I decided to take drastic measures. First, I separated her from her mate. Next, I took a beautiful proven male that had developed the permanent habit of sleeping in his nest box at night, and removed him from his mate. I left both the blue female and the proven male alone for about a week, and then I put him into her breeding flight. I lucked out: She was star struck in love. He thought that she was pretty cute, too. It was a match made in heaven, and they were inseparable.
That is, of course, until it was time to bed down for the night. He slept in the box, and she slept on the food dish. Within a week, she was sleeping on the perch at the entrance to the box. In two weeks, she was sleeping in the box with her new flame. Within one month of entering the box, she was sitting on three fertile eggs. She now has (because of him) developed the habit of sleeping in the box year round, and they produce regularly every season.
Next is another conure that does not fit clearly into any group. It is best classified as intermediate to the gold cap and brown throat groups. This bird is the peach-fronted conure.
Most people would automatically consider the peach front to belong to the same group as the halfmoon, since they look so much alike. The fact is that the peach front’s breeding habits are nothing at all like any of the conures in the brown throat group.
Peach fronts do not start to breed until late spring or early summer, like the brown throat and its group; but once they get rolling, they are prolific producers, like the gold cap group.
Since they get a late start, they usually only yield two clutches a year, but they will reliably give you three to four babies in each clutch, year after year. In the wild, they nest in tree hollows.
The last major group is the genus Pyrrhura. These ornate little conures comprise a large family of which only a handful are available with any frequency. Of those that are available, some are extremely prolific, and some are downright stingy about producing.
This group, as a whole, appears to produce better in the humid climate of south Florida than in the arid areas of California and Arizona. Their box requirements are small, with 10 inches square and 12 inches in depth being sufficient. Their breeding season in Florida begins in mid spring. They are multiple-clutch birds, and some of the more prolific types will have up to three or four clutches of babies in one season. That is, of course, if you pull the babies early enough so that the parents have the time to finish before the August heat wave. They will not reinitiate nesting activities if it is too hot. The most prolific members of the group are the maroon-bellied and green-cheeked conures. Next comes the black-capped, maroon-tailed and pearly conures. The rest of the group has a record of only marginal success. This is probably due to the minimal numbers of specimens that aviculturist have to work with.
In some cases, though, they are just very reluctant to produce. An example of this is the painted conure. This bird has been imported in sufficient quantities to allow for a domestic population boom. Most pairs, however, are very reluctant to produce. There are aviculturists who are lucky enough to have one or two very prolific pairs, but on the whole, the painted has not been established in captivity.
There is obviously something we must do differently to “turn on” all the pairs that are sitting around doing nothing but eating. One possibility we can try is colony-breeding. This has failed to increase production with anything else in the conure family, but in this case it might be worth trying. On a trip to Suriname, South America, I met with someone who had claimed to have successfully bred them for several years. He claimed that the secret to his success was colony-breeding them. He did, in fact, have a flight cage with four pairs in it, and several juveniles were flying with them.
A discussion of the different breeding habits of conures cannot be complete without mention of the Quaker parakeet (also called the monk parakeet). This bird is not classified as a conure, but it is part of many conure breeding operations. It has the strangest breeding habits of all the parrots; they build nests by weaving together dry sticks. They build these nests into large “condominiums,” and each breeding pair or family group has its own entrance hole and internal chamber.
In captivity, Quakers will use any standard nest box. These birds never empty the box of shavings, so a 12-inch cube for a box is fine. These are the most prolific birds in the entire parrot family. This has caused them to be banned in several states. The wildlife authorities in these states believe that if enough of them escape, they might harm the native birds by out-competing them for food. Authorities also have speculated that Quakers could become a menace to crops.
Quakers usually begin to produce in mid-spring and continue well into the summer months. They are usually good for three or four clutches a year. Although many pairs will lay up to seven fertile eggs per clutch, they seldom will raise more than three babies. They often will hatch all the eggs but will only raise the three of their choice.
All the conures kept in captivity can suffer from obesity. The conure diet must consist of enough nutritious low-fat foods to keep the fat buildup to a minimum. Fat birds get lazy and stop producing.
The age at which physical maturity is reached is directly proportional to the size of the conure. The Pyrrhura conures mature at 8 to 12 months of age. The gold cap and brown throat groups mature at 12 to 18 months, and the green conure group at about 2 years.
Physical maturity doesn’t usually translate instantly into babies. Mental maturity to an extent is also necessary. This can add anywhere from six months to two years to the age at which a conure will start producing. These statistics are for domestic-bred, hand-raised birds. Babies raised and weaned by their parents will mature in about half the time. It is not known what causes this phenomenon. It certainly would be an interesting mystery to try to unlock. | <urn:uuid:709f7d87-37b8-4773-b5ea-e0c9fa9fd23f> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.voren.com/articles/popular-conures-and-their-breeding-habits/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395620.9/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00052-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97183 | 3,714 | 2.53125 | 3 |
"Hun Speech": Kaiser Wilhelm II's Address to the German Expeditionary Force Prior to its Departure for China (July 27, 1900)
The “Boxer Rebellion,” an anti-western uprising in China, was put down in 1900 by an international force of British, French, Russian, American, Japanese, and German troops. The Germans, however, forfeited any “prestige” they might have gained for their participation by arriving only after British and Japanese forces had taken Peking, the site of the fiercest fighting. Moreover, the poor impression left by the German troops’ late arrival was made worse by the Kaiser’s ill-conceived farewell address (depicted here), in which he commanded them, in the spirit of the Huns, to be merciless in battle. Kaiser Wilhelm II’s public relations blunders, particularly in the field of international relations, were legendary. He was known for bombastic cant and grandstanding – although his words were often more threatening and aggressive than his actions. The term “Hun” later became the favored epithet of Allied anti-German war propaganda during World War I.
© Bildarchiv Preußischer Kulturbesitz | <urn:uuid:a93dd5e9-beaa-44f2-98ec-d02484b1e636> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://germanhistorydocs.ghi-dc.org/sub_image.cfm?image_id=2178 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783404826.94/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155004-00190-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.980478 | 254 | 3.6875 | 4 |
The power station at Rjukan, Norway had been adopted by the Nazis for the production of ‘heavy water’ for use in its nuclear programme. The Allies had no clear knowledge of how far the German nuclear programme was progressing and the power station remained a top priority target. Previous efforts to destroy the plant had used special forces from SOE. Operation Gunnerside, guided by local members of the Norwegian resistance, had had some success.
However it was now decided that a bombing raid was needed to deal with the plant once and for all. It was hoped that a daylight bombing raid by the 8th Air Force could be accurate enough to minimise civilian casualties. The raid was timed to take place during the lunch hour, in the expectation that many of the civilian workers would be absent.
Two waves of bombers were sent in, first the B-17s which dropped 435 tons of bombs but only achieved four hits on the factory itself. The second wave of B-24 were very accurate insofar as most of their bombs hit the target they attacked. Unfortunately it was the wrong target, a chemical plant three miles away.
This was the mission report of the 392nd Bomb Group, whose B-24s formed part of the second wave of bombers:
The target for this mission was the hydro-electric power station at Rjukan, about 75 miles due west of Oslo. Assembly for this long-range mission was far from normal due to extremely poor weather. Sporadic instrument conditions prevailed from 1,000 to at least 23,000 feet. Cloud cover coupled with icing conditions resulted in several planes not finding their formation.
The 392nd BG briefed 21 crews; 2 did not take off due to mechanical problems. Another 6 planes aborted in the air: 2 (Clover in #537 and Gonseth in #485) had joined the 44th BG formation and returned when they did; 2 (Reade in #478 and Baumgart in #510) could not find any formation to join; and 2 (Hull in #135 and Voght in #626) had mechanical problems.
The 392nd had assembled its remaining 13 planes before reaching Cromer, going to 20,000 feet to accomplish the task. Several individual planes joined in to form a composite formation, which the 392nd followed to the secondary target. As they made the second run, the 392nd made a wider swing to the east, lost them, came back to the east and made a run on the target. Clouds obscured the target intermittently.
Bombs were dropped from 14,000 feet at 1212 hours. Photo analysis on return showed that 29.5 tons of bombs were dropped on the Norsk Hydro Nitrate Plant three miles east of the secondary with only 2.5 tons dropped on the hydro-electric plant. This was unfortunate, as the bombing was excellent. Using the center of the large centrally-located building as an MPI, the 392nd had 37 percent of its bombs within 1000 feet and 85 percent within 2000 feet.
No enemy aircraft were encountered and the Group suffered no aircraft losses or casualties. This raid was to be one of the longer ones flown by the 392nd with a total of 9:30 hours duration.
The raid was considered to be a success. Although only a small proportion of the bombs dropped hit the plant, those that did hit caused sufficient damage to cause the Germans to stop production at the plant. Nevertheless there were casualties amongst local civilians, a matter which caused the Norwegian Government in Exile to lodge a formal protest. | <urn:uuid:3809251e-619b-4ce1-b5c5-917c20511eea> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://ww2today.com/16th-november-1943-usaaf-knocks-out-nazi-nuclear-plant | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783404405.88/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155004-00158-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.984033 | 727 | 2.84375 | 3 |
Microbial Source Tracking Project Summary
The purpose of this project is to use rapid molecular techniques to evaluate the sources of fecal contamination in a mixed-use watershed. We plan to quantify the total amount of contamination as well as the relative contributions from humans, ruminants and other animals. In order to do this we will perform a quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay targeted to host-specific markers for different members of the bacterial genus Bacteroides.
The Bacteroides are a genus of obligately anaerobic organisms that represent the dominant bacteria of the large intestine. Their abundance in feces makes them an excellent indicator organism for direct detection by molecular methods. In addition, there is a substantial amount of genetic diversity among different members of the group. This diversity has allowed researchers to identify host-specific markers that can be used to distinguish between different sources of fecal contamination. A number of different markers have been identified for several host species (Dick et al., 2005; Layton et al., 2006)
We plan to use three sets of PCR primers (targets) to quantify Bacteroides from 1) all sources 2) human sources, and 3) bovine sources. By subtracting the bovine and human contributions from the total, we will infer the amount of contamination caused by all other animals. This assay is based on published results from a study sponsored by the Tennessee Department of Environmental Conservation (Layton et al., 2006).
Layton, A., L. McKay, D. Williams, V. Garrett, R. Gentry and G. Sayler. 2006. Development of Bacteroides 16S rRNA Gene TaqMan-Based Real-Time PCR Assays for estimation of Total, Human, and Bovine Fecal Pollution in Water. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 72(6):4214-4224.
Dick, L.K., A.E. Bernhard, T.J. Brodeur, J.W. Santo-Domingo, J.M. Simpson, S.P. Walters and K.G. Field. 2005. Host Distributions of Uncultivated Fecal Bacteroidales Bacteria Reveal Genetic Markers for Fecal Source Identification. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 71(6):3184-3191. | <urn:uuid:53919996-92bf-4947-9670-7369e36be8b5> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.envsci.rutgers.edu/~phelps/BST.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783408840.13/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155008-00180-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.863757 | 488 | 2.953125 | 3 |
Fever of unknown origin
A fever of unknown origin is a temperature that reaches 101°F (38.3°C) on and off for at least 3 weeks with no known cause. Fever is a symptom of another condition, so your doctor will do tests to narrow down the causes and determine how to treat the underlying illness.
Your doctor may prefer not to give you medication while your fever remains undiagnosed. Research suggests that fever helps fight infection. Treating the fever without knowing the cause might reduce your body's ability to deal with the possible infection. However, doctors will prescribe drugs to reduce fever in children who suffer seizures caused by fever (febrile seizures). Because a higher temperature increases your need for oxygen, your doctor may prescribe fever-reducing medicines if you have heart or lung problems.
Signs and Symptoms
- Fever of more than 101°F (38.3°C), either continuous or intermittent, for at least 3 weeks
- Fever above 101°F (38.3°C) with no known cause, even after extensive diagnostic testing
What Causes It?
Fever is a symptom of more than 200 conditions. In children, infection accounts for about 50% of cases of fever of unknown origin, while inflammatory and malignant disease account for 5 to 10%. In adults, infections only account for 16% of cases, followed by tumors and noninfectious inflammatory diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis. However, in up to half of cases in adults, no cause is found. Doctors can use a series of tests to narrow down the list of possible reasons for a high temperature.
What to Expect at Your Doctor's Office
A health care provider trying to diagnose the cause of a fever of unknown origin must look for every possible clue. The provider may ask you questions about:
- Your work, because some workplaces contain organisms that can cause fever.
- Places you have visited recently. Locations overseas, and even areas in the United States, can harbor diseases that can cause fever.
- Your exposure to pets and other animals.
- Your family history for possible hereditary causes of fever, for example, familial Mediterranean fever.
Your provider will also examine you closely, paying particular attention to your skin, eyes, nails, lymph nodes, heart, and abdomen. The provider will also take blood and urine samples. You may have an ultrasound, computed tomography (CT) scan, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and Positron Emission Tomography (PET). If the cause of the fever is still unknown, your provider may want to inject you with "labeled white blood cells." These are white blood cells that contain a harmless radioactive compound. Once injected, the white blood cells travel to infected parts of your body. The radioactivity allows your provider to see on an x-ray where the cells have moved. This may show the location of the infection responsible for your fever. If that test shows no results, your provider may want to perform minor surgery to take biopsy samples of, for example, your liver or bone marrow.
Your doctor will advise you to rest and drink plenty of fluids. You may be asked to stop taking medications for other ailments, because those medications may be causing your fever. If you have a heart or lung problem, or in the case of a child who has seizures as a result of fever, your doctor will probably prescribe over-the-counter remedies to bring the temperature down.
- Acetaminophen (Tylenol)
- Aspirin and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Avoid aspirin in children and teenagers. Reye syndrome is a potentially fatal disease that causes numerous detrimental effects to many organs, especially the brain and liver. It is associated with aspirin consumption by children with viral diseases, such as chicken pox.
- In cases of infection, your doctor may also prescribe an antibiotic, antifungal, or antiviral drug, depending on the cause of the infection.
Complementary and Alternative Therapies
General immune support with nutrition and herbs may alleviate fevers. Most natural medicine practitioners will treat fever as a sign that the body is trying to heal itself, rather than as an illness. In addition, most natural therapies attempt to support the body's own healing processes rather than suppress the fever. It is important to speak to your medical doctor about any natural therapies you may be considering. Prolonged fever can be dangerous, and some natural therapies and conventional medications can have dangerous interactions. If you are pregnant, or thinking of becoming pregnant, do not use any complementary and alternative therapies (CAM) unless directed to do so by your physician.
Nutrition and Supplements
These nutritional tips may help improve immunity:
- Eat antioxidant foods, including fruits (such as blueberries, cherries, and tomatoes), and vegetables (such as squash and bell peppers).
- Avoid refined foods, such as white breads, pastas, and sugar.
- Eat fewer red meats and more lean meats, cold-water fish, tofu (soy) or beans for protein.
- Use healthy cooking oils, such as olive oil or coconut oil.
- Reduce or eliminate trans-fatty acids, found in commercially baked goods, such as cookies, crackers, cakes, French fries, onion rings, donuts, processed foods, and margarine.
- Avoid coffee and other stimulants, alcohol, and tobacco.
- Drink 6 to 8 glasses of filtered water daily.
- Exercise at least 30 minutes daily, 5 days a week. While experiencing intermittent fevers, your doctor may suggest mostly rest and some gentle stretching rather than your typical exercise regimen.
You may address nutritional deficiencies with the following supplements:
- A multivitamin daily, containing the antioxidant vitamins A, C, E, the B-complex vitamins, and trace minerals such as magnesium, calcium, zinc, and selenium.
- Omega-3 fatty acids, such as fish oil, to help reduce inflammation. Omega-3 fatty acids may increase the effect of blood-thinning medications, such as warfarin (Coumadin). Speak with your physician.
- Acidophilus (Lactobacillus acidophilus), for maintenance of gastrointestinal and immune health. Some acidophilus products may need refrigeration -- read the label carefully. People who are severely immune compromised, or who are taking immune suppressive drugs, should speak to their doctors before taking probiotic supplements.
- Vitamin C, as an antioxidant.
Herbs are a way to strengthen and tone the body's systems. As with any therapy, you should work with your doctor to choose the safest, most effective herbal therapies before starting treatment. You may use herbs as dried extracts (capsules, powders, or teas), glycerites (glycerine extracts), or tinctures (alcohol extracts). Unless otherwise indicated, make teas with 1 tsp. herb per cup of hot water. Steep covered 5 to 10 minutes for leaf or flowers, and 10 to 20 minutes for roots. Drink 2 to 4 cups per day. You may use tinctures alone or in combination as noted.
The following herbs may help reduce fever and improve immune response:
- Green tea (Camelia sinensis). To improve your immunity. You may also prepare teas from the leaf of this herb. Green tea may increase anxiety and blood pressure. It may also worsen diarrhea, glaucoma, and osteoporosis. People who have liver disease should consult their doctors before taking green tea.
- Cat's claw (Uncaria tomentosa). To improve immunity. Cat's calw may worsen certain conditions, such as leukemia or some autoimmune disorders. It can also potentially interfere with a variety of medications. Talk to your doctor.
- Reishi mushroom (Ganoderma lucidum). To improve your immunity. You may also take a tincture of this mushroom extract. Reishi can potentially interact with certain medications, including medicines for blood pressure and blood-thinning medicines, such as warfarin (Coumadin).
- Milk thistle (Silybum marianum). For detoxification support. Milk thistle may exert a hormone-like effect. People with a history of hormone-sensitive conditions should take caution when using milk thistle. It may also interact with many medications.
- Andrographis (Andrographis paniculata). Often used to treat colds and sore throats and may also help reduce a fever in Traditional Chinese Medicine. One clinical study suggested 6 g a day for 7 days was effective with no side effects. DO NOT use andrographis if you have gallbladder disease, an autoimmune disease, or if you are pregnant or trying to become pregnant. Andrographis can potentially interact with certain medications, including blood pressure medications and blood-thinning medications, such as warfarin (Coumadin).
Although few studies have examined the effectiveness of specific homeopathic therapies, professional homeopaths may consider the following remedies for the treatment of fevers based on their knowledge and experience. Before prescribing a remedy, homeopaths take into account a person's constitutional type, includes your physical, emotional, and psychological makeup. An experienced homeopath assesses all of these factors when determining the most appropriate treatment for each individual.
- Aconitum. For fever that comes on suddenly and alternates with chills, heat, and flushing of the face. You may be anxious and crave cold drinks.
- Apis mellifica. For fever associated with alternating bouts of wet (sweating) and dry body heat.
- Belladonna. For sudden onset of high fever with hot, red face, glassy eyes, lack of thirst, and hot body with cold hands.
- Bryonia. For fever with symptoms that are aggravated by the slightest movement.
- Ferrum phosphoricum. For the first stages of a fever with a slow onset. This remedy is generally used if Belladonna is ineffective.
- Gelsemium. For fever accompanied by drowsiness and lack of thirst.
- Constitutional hydrotherapy. Involves the application of hot and cold packs to the body by a trained professional to evoke a general healing response by the body. With any hydrotherapy technique, it is crucial to avoid becoming chilled. All treatments should end with a vigorous rubdown.
- Wet socks treatment. This hydrotherapy technique can be done at home. Before going to bed, soak a pair of thin cotton socks with room temperature water and then wring them out so they are damp but not dripping wet. Put them on your feet, and put on a pair of dry thick socks (preferably wool) over them. Wear these to bed. As you sleep, your body will send blood and lymphatic fluid circulating in order to fight off the wetness on your feet. This stimulates the immune system and puts the body in a parasympathetic state that supports healing and restful sleep. By morning the socks should be completely dry. This technique can be done for 5 to 6 nights in a row. Then take 2 nights off and continue.
- Lukewarm baths. Sponging or bathing in lukewarm water can cool the skin and reduce body temperature. DO NOT use ice water or alcohol sponge baths.
Acupuncture may help support immune function.
Fever can be dangerous if you are pregnant. Speak with your physician.
Belhassen-Garcia M, Velasco-Tirado V, Lopez-Bernus A, et al. Fever of unknown origin as the first manifestation of colonic pathology. Clin Med. 2013;13(2):141-5.
Bennett JE, Dolin R, Blaser MJ, eds. Mandell, Douglas and Bennett's Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases. 7th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier Churchill Livingstone; 2009.
Bleeker-Rovers CP, van der Meer JW. Diagnostic approach to fever of unknown origin. Ned Tijdschr Geneeskd. 2008;152(15):869-73.
Bleeker-Rovers CP, van der Meer JW, Oyen WJ. Fever of unknown origin. Semin Nucl Med. 2009;39(2):81-7
Bryan CS, Ahuja D. Fever of unknown origin: is there a role for empiric therapy? Infect Dis Clin North Am. 2007;21(4):1213-20.
Cabrera C, Artacho R, Gimenez R. Beneficial effects of green tea -- a review. J Am Coll Nutr. 2006;25(2):79-99.
Chen Y, Zheng M, Hu X, et al. Fever of unknown origin in elderly people: a retrospective study of 87 patients in China. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2008;56(1):182-4.
Cunha BA. Fever of unknown origin: clinical overview of classic and current concepts. Infect Dis Clin North Am. 2007;21(4):867-915.
Diogo M. Adult-onset still disease as the cause of fever of unknown origin. Acta Med Port. 2010;23(5):927-30.
Gonclaves C, Dinis T, Batista MT. Antioxidant properties of proanthocyanidins of Uncaria tomentosa bark decoction: a mechanism for anti-inflammatory activity. Phytochemistry. 2005;66(1):89-98.
Holder BM. Fever of unknown origin: an evidence-based approach. Nurse Pract. 2011;36(8):46-52.
Jun-Cai TU, Ping Z, Xiao-Juan LI, et al. Clinical Etiologies of Fever of Unknown Origin in 500 cases. Zhongguo Yi Xue Ke Xue Yuan Xue Bao. 2015;37(3):348-51.
Keidar Z, Gurman-Balbir A, Gaitini D, et al. Fever of unknown origin: the role of 18F-FDG PET/CT. J Nucl Med. 2008;49(12):1980-5.
Knockaert DC. Recurrent fevers of unknown origin. Infect Dis Clin North Am. 2007;21(4):1189-211.
Norman DC, Wong MB, Yoshikawa TT. Fever of unknown origin in older persons. Infect Dis Clin North Am. 2007;21(4):937-45.
Petelin A, Johnson DH, Cunha BA. Fever of unknown origin (FUO) due to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) presenting as pericarditis. Heart Lung. 2013;42(2):152-3.
Rigante D, Esposito S. A roadmap for fever of unknown origin in children. Int J Immunopathol Pharmacol. 2013;26(2):315-26.
Ritz N. Fever without focus and fever of unknown origin in childhood. Praxis. 2013;102(3):157-64.
Seashore CJ. Fever of unknown origin in children. Peditr Ann. 2011;40(1):26-30.
Tolia J, Smith LG. Fever of unknown origin: historical and physical clues to making the diagnosis. Infect Dis Clin North Am. 2007;21(4):917-36.
Turkulov V. Fever of unknown origin in elderly patients. Srp Arh Celok Lek. 2011;139(1-2):64-8.
Vertenoeil G, Servais S, Beguin Y. How to explore a fever of unknown origin in adult patients? Rev Med Liege. 2012;67(7-8);391-7.
Yoon JH, Baek SJ. Molecular targets of dietary polyphenols with anti-inflammatory properties. Yonsei Med J. 2005;46(5):585-96.
- Last reviewed on 4/1/2016
- Steven D. Ehrlich, NMD, Solutions Acupuncture, a private practice specializing in complementary and alternative medicine, Phoenix, AZ. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.
The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed medical professional should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Call 911 for all medical emergencies. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. © 1997- 2013 A.D.A.M., Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. | <urn:uuid:35fde8ff-ef87-4d6d-bd97-11c7eab8cf46> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/condition/fever-of-unknown-origin | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783398628.62/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154958-00050-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.87664 | 3,472 | 3.46875 | 3 |
Medical technology is changing at a rapid pace, but regulatory compliance is also becoming increasingly harder. Regulatory compliance can act as a barrier to innovation, but it is a necessary check to ensure quality medical care. For small companies, aligning innovation with regulatory compliance can only help.
When designing any new product, the FDA-recommended process is a great reference. First, the design input requirements must be written down. After the device has been designed and prototyped, verification and validation (V&V) will ensure that the device meets the design input. The device is then documented, creating the design output or device master record (DMR). Each device made is checked against the DMR and documented in the device history record (DHR). So all the details on how to make the device are contained in the DMR, and the results and traceability are recorded in the DHR.
My company recently asked an overseas company to design and manufacture an existing product. After many e-mails, the overseas company managed to build a working unit and immediately requested an order for 1,000. Before ordering even one unit, there was the matter of V&V. So what is V&V? Verification is the act of ensuring that the circuit acts as it should, as the circuit designer intended. This involves testing to a predetermined criteria, where the pass/fail is clearly defined. Testing happens by varying the inputs and checking the outputs to test the device as close to 100% as reasonably possible. When the inputs fall outside a normal range (e.g., a 10-VDC instead of 12-VDC battery voltage), the device must still work or it must provide a message showing why the device will not work (e.g., low battery light). Validation is the act of ensuring the circuit works as the customer or patient requires. This involves field testing, feedback, and rework—lots of it.
Working for medical device companies can be very rewarding. Smaller companies tend to work at the cutting edge. Larger companies are more secure and have stable products, but they can be less agile. With one company, we had a device that used smart batteries. During testing, we discovered that the batteries would not charge below 15ºC. After many meetings and e-mails to the manufacturers, the problem went to management, who decided to change the manual to say: “Do not charge below 15ºC.” Smaller dynamic companies can attract the best scientists, which is great until a connector fails and there is a roomful of highly intelligent people with no soldering iron experience. Every technology company can benefit from having at least one experienced technician or engineer. A few hours spent playing with an Arduino is a great way to get this experience.
What about open-source hardware (OSHW) for medical devices? For home hobbyists and students, OSHW is great. There is free access to working circuits, programs, and sketches. C compilers, which once cost several thousand dollars, are mostly free. For the manufacturers, the benefits are plenty of feedback, which can be used to improve products. There is one roadblock, and that involves the loss of intellectual property (IP), which means anyone can copy the hardware. Creative Commons has addressed this with an agreement that any copies must reference the original work. Closed-source hardware can also be good and present fewer issues with losing IP. Apple is a great example. Rather than use feedback to improve products, it makes smart decisions about future products. The iOS vs. Android battle can be viewed as a closed-source vs. open-source struggle that still hasn’t produced a winner. Medical devices and OSHW will have to meet up sometime.
Fergus Dixon’s embedded DNA sequencer project (Source: F. Dixon)
What about the future of medical devices? Well, the best is yet to come with brighter organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays, a multitude of wireless connectivity options (all using the serial interface), and 32-bit ARM cores. DNA is gradually being unlocked with even “junk DNA” becoming meaningful. The latest hot topics of 3-D printing and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have direct medical applications with 3-D printed prosthetic ears and medical nanorobotics ready to benefit from UAV technology. Using a new sensor (e.g., a gyroscope) now means visiting an online seller such as Pololu, which offers ready-built development kits at reasonable prices. A recent design was a manually assisted CPR device project, which was abandoned due to lack of funding. How great would it be to have a device that could not only improve the current 10% survival rate with CPR (5% without CPR) but also could measure a patient’s health to determine whether CPR was helping and, even more importantly, when to stop administering it? Now that would be a good OSHW project. | <urn:uuid:28db109c-79eb-4ff9-9573-f97368090dae> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://circuitcellar.com/tag/open-source-hardware/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396106.25/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00198-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960316 | 1,017 | 3.078125 | 3 |
Kinesin: Fast, Efficient, Essential, and Mysterious
Perhaps you've seen the video from Discovery Institute of the miniature walking machine known as kinesin. This microscopic marvel gets the cell's protein products distributed to their final destinations, among other things.
This movement is extremely efficient, and by itself is a wonder.
But there's another wonder. A single kinesin can pull its cargo at up to 800 nanometers per second along its microtubule highway, depending on its load and the amount of ATP available. That's almost a micron per second. To give you a sense of scale, one bacterium is about a micron in length, and a typical animal cell is roughly 10 microns. That means that, under optimal conditions, and if kinesin is unobstructed, it could travel the length of an average cell in about 12.5 seconds. If it partners with other kinesin molecules, it can move even faster.
This is a good thing for our neurons. A neuron has its nucleus and its biosynthetic apparatus in the cell body. This is where proteins and organelles that the neuron needs are made. But these proteins and organelles are used out at the very tip of a long thin process called an axon, which extends from the body of the neuron all the way to the place it sends its signals.
In the brain there are billions of neurons with axons connecting one region to another (the different kinds are shown above). In the peripheral nervous system, axonal processes can reach up to several feet in length. In the case of nerves running to your toes, axons must reach all the way from your lumbar spine. So any motor delivering essential items needs to be fast.
How do the proteins and organelles get from where they are made to where they are used? And how do things that need to be recycled return to the cell body? It's by means of kinesin (for outward bound travel) and another motor protein called dynein (for inward bound travel). Remarkably, dynein and kinesin cooperate, rather than compete -- otherwise there would be a constant tug of war in the cell. They "know" where packages are meant to go, and which motor protein should do the job. How that happens is a whole other story.
This isn't just abstract stuff. Many neurodegenerative diseases have been linked to mutations of kinesin, including Alzheimer's disease. So this little workhorse of the cell is not only a marvel, but essential.
If you'd like to see a short time-lapse video of axonal transport in hippocampal neurons, go here.
Finally, in order for kinesin to work, we need the motor protein itself, the microtubule highway it walks along, and some mysterious means of connecting and directing where its cargos get carried. This system appears to be essential for a variety of eukaryotic cell functions. At least 11 kinesin families appear to have existed in the putative last common ancestor for all eukaryotes. Yet evidence for kinesin motor proteins in bacteria is sketchy at best. So we have yet another complex system necessary for eukaryotic cellular function that seems to have appeared out of nowhere. � | <urn:uuid:d2680560-ac33-4f4e-89e7-205ec55a3a3f> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.evolutionnews.org/2014/06/kinesin_fast_ef_1086631.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395620.9/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00005-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95004 | 681 | 3.515625 | 4 |
Earth's energy needs will cost $48 trillion by 2035 to meet the demands of a growing global population, the International Energy Agency (IEA) reports.
The Paris-based IEA, an energy think tank, reported
June 3 that the world's current annual investment in energy is about $1.6 trillion but needs to rise to about $2 trillion a year. Besides that, it said, investment in energy efficiency must rise to more than $550 billion a year.
Of the $48 trillion total, about $40 trillion will have to be spent on extracting, transporting and, where applicable, refining energy, as well as investing in low-polluting technologies such as nuclear and renewable power, the report said. Two-thirds of investment will have to be spent in countries with emerging economies in Asia, including China, and in Africa and Latin America. However, the report stressed that developed economies, mostly in the West, also will pay more during the next two decades to address policies on climate change and to cope with their aging energy infrastructures.
The IEA assessment said even $48 trillion won't be enough to address all the world's energy problems, including energy efficiency, increasing renewable sources and making sure there are adequate fossil-fuel supplies for countries that don't have indigenous sources of these materials.
For example, the Global Sustainability Institute, a British think tank, reported
that some European countries face energy crises because their energy stockpiles are dwindling, and Australia's energy industry is strapped with a combination of declining productivity and soaring costs. Meanwhile, the IEA report said
, Middle Eastern countries also must increase their currently sluggish investments in energy, or the price of its oil may rise by $15 a barrel by 2025.
The report quoted IEA Executive Director Maria van der Hoeven as saying governments can't afford to skimp on these investments. "There is a real risk of shortfalls, with knock-on effects on regional or global energy security, as well as the risk that investments are misdirected because environmental impacts are not properly reflected in prices," she said.
This article was written by Andy Tully of Oilprice.com.
No positions in stocks mentioned.
The information on this website solely reflects the analysis of or opinion about the performance of securities and financial markets by the writers whose articles appear on the site. The views expressed by the writers are not necessarily the views of Minyanville Media, Inc. or members of its management. Nothing contained on the website is intended to constitute a recommendation or advice addressed to an individual investor or category of investors to purchase, sell or hold any security, or to take any action with respect to the prospective movement of the securities markets or to solicit the purchase or sale of any security. Any investment decisions must be made by the reader either individually or in consultation with his or her investment professional. Minyanville writers and staff may trade or hold positions in securities that are discussed in articles appearing on the website. Writers of articles are required to disclose whether they have a position in any stock or fund discussed in an article, but are not permitted to disclose the size or direction of the position. Nothing on this website is intended to solicit business of any kind for a writer's business or fund. Minyanville management and staff as well as contributing writers will not respond to emails or other communications requesting investment advice.
Copyright 2011 Minyanville Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. | <urn:uuid:db88e0d7-9de3-481f-9c83-dac2bee69cea> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.minyanville.com/articles/print.php?a=55207 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783391766.5/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154951-00173-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95838 | 701 | 2.921875 | 3 |
I have always had to go out and buy CD's, but now I have found a way to save my money. I recently bought an MP3 player, and I have used it non-stop since. I just download music off the Internet, transfer it onto my player, in only a few minutes. I have never regretted buying one. WHAT IS MP3? MP3 stands for MPEG 1, LAYER 3. It is an efficient way to store music or other audio content onto your computer. MP3 files can be anywhere from 1/4 to 1/20 the size of a commercial CD audio file with the bit rates from 8kbps to 320kbps, while retaining a high sound quality. You can store MP3 files on a computer in such a way that the file size is relatively small. This means that you can take a big file off of a CD, put it onto your computer using a CD ripper, which will compress the file for you, and then you will be able to put it onto an MP3 player. MP3's have become increasingly popular since Napster was introduced. With Napster, people store MP3 files on their computers, and using the Napster program, you can then download these files off of them onto your computer. You are then able to put these files onto an MP3 player, as they have already been compressed. HOW CAN I GET MUSIC FOR MY MP3 PLAYER? As I have said above, there is a program called Napster where you can download music files onto your computer, which are ready to be put onto your MP3 player if you want to do this. You can also download music files from other websites on the Internet, onto your computer. You can also get a program which will copy music from a CD, compress it and put it onto your computer, without affecting the CD in anyway. Once you have it on your computer, you can then transfer it onto your MP3 player using the management software and cable connections, which you get with the Yelo DMP32. WHAT ARE MP3 PLAYERS? MP3 players are small, personal music players. They store music on small Multimedia cards, so there are no moving parts. Thi
s means that you can move your player around, or even drop it, and the music will not be interrupted. You can download MP3's off a computer onto your MP3 player through either a parallel PC cable, or a USB cable, which will come with your MP3 player. Most players come with a 32mb memory, which will give you half an hour of near CD quality music. You can decrease the size of these files though, and I have been able to fit one and a half-hours of music onto 32mb. Once you have the music onto your MP3 player, you can listen to it, or if you get fed up with the music you have on it, you can delete it and replace it with more music. THE YELO DMP32: The Yelo DMP32 is a portable digital MP3 player. It is a small lightweight player, with excellent performance. When you by this MP3 player, you will be supplied with a 32mb MMC card (which I will explain later), but you can buy MMC cards with a larger memory, although they are expensive. The unit has no moving parts and is unaffected by movement, or being dropped, which is excellent. It features powerful sound, Super Bass and a four preset equalizer. You are also supplied with PC connection leads and management software, so you are able to transfer music onto your MP3 player. Anyway, here are the details: WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE: The Yelo DMP32, is one of the smallest MP3 players on the market. It will easily fit in your pocket, with dimensions of - 71 x 56 x 18.8 mm. It weighs only 50 grams without the batteries. The player looks quite Smart. It has a shiny silver coating, with a little screen in the middle of the player. This screen displays information such as what number track is playing, the volume, if Super Bass is on and if the battery is low. There are five small buttons on the front of the player, which are the volume, track and the play button. This makes it easier to use. Down the left side of the player are another four buttons. The buttons here are the Super Bass, repeat,
equalizer and the stop button. On the right hand side of the player is the earphone jack, the battery slot, which slides open, and the data port which you connect the cable to to transfer the music to your player. You will find a little sliding door on the back of the player, which when you open, you will find two 16mb MMC cards. You can take these out, but I would recommend leaving them where they are, because they are only small and if you break them, they are expensive to replace. Overall, the player looks great, and it is very small and easy to use. The little screen is excellent, as it tells you what options you have selected, and what is happening. It is a good little MP3 player. OPTIONS ON THE YELO DMP32: ~ PLAY (power on) PAUSE - To start playing the music on your MP3 player, you just have to press the play button. If you then press it again, it will pause the song. The play button is also used to turn the MP3 player on. You have to press it once to turn it on, and then again to play the music. ~ REPEAT - If you press this button, it will repeat the song you are listening to at that point. You can then press it again to repeat all of the songs in the memory of your MP3 player. ~ EQUALISER - There are four settings for this (E1: Classic, E2: Jazz, E3: POP, and E4: Normal). They make the music which is playing slightly louder etc., and each one makes the music sound slightly different, so you can select the one which you think the music sounds best with. ~ VOLUME - There are two buttons. One makes the volume go up, and the other makes the volume go down. When you are changing the volume, it is shown on the screen. It goes from 0(very quiet) - 30(loud). ~ STOP (Power off) - You can press this to stop the song which you are listening to. If you press it again, then it will turn your player off. If no button is pressed for three minutes when it is in stop mode, then your player will automatically turn off. This is
excellent, because if you forget to turn your player off, you will not waste your batteries. ~ HOLD - If you pull up the sliding button on the back off your MP3 player, then it will hold the current settings of the player. If you push the sliding button down, the hold facility is turned off. There are also other things on the MP3 player. It has an earphone jack, so you can plug your earphones (which come with the MP3 player) in. Low battery indicator, which means the screen will show LB when the batteries are low, and it also has a socket for an optional belt clip, which does not come with the player. BATTERIES: This player uses two 1.5 volt Alkaline (AAA) batteries. These can last for up to 12 hours, but I have not been able to use it for that long without the batteries running out yet. MULTIMEDIA CARD (MMC): This is what your music is stored on. The DMP32 Audio unit stores and plays the MP3 files from this external flash memory card. You are supplied with two 16mb cards, which are installed and ready to use. You can upgrade up to 128mb however, but this costs a lot more than the player does! You can access these cards by sliding open the cover on the back of the player. You should not remove these MMC whilst playing a track or when uploading MP3 files though!!!!! MP3 PC MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE: When you buy this MP3 player, you are also supplied with a parallel port cable and a CD containing the management software, which will assist you in uploading/downloading files from your PC to your DMP32. You must install this software onto your PC which is very easy to do. Next, you have to plug the cable into the parallel port on your computer and then the other end into the side of your MP3 player. You can then open this program, and look through the MP3 files which you have on your computer. You can then download them onto your player by pressing on them. The names of the files, which you have on y
our MP3 player, along with the file size and the date of download are shown on a screen. You can also erase files off of your MP3 player by using this program. You can select the ones you do not want anymore, and select to take them off. CONCLUSION: The Yelo DMP32 is an excellent MP3 player. It looks smart and performs brilliantly. The sound quality is excellent, and the battery life is good as well. It is very easy to transfer files onto your player, even if you are new to MP3 players. It has many functions, and the buttons on the player itself make it very easy to use. I bought this MP3 player from BUY.COM for only £50 and I believe that this is an excellent price for a good MP3 player, as there are others which cost over £300. This is a great MP3 player, and for its price, I definitely recommend it. I hope this was of some help to you :-)
For the price tag, you can hardly go wrong with this. I had something more expensive which was nowhere near as good. The storage may be small, (and an annoying configuration with two 16 MB MMC cards) the 12 hour battery life is pretty good, and so is the sound quality. It's also pretty tiny. The two MMC cards means that if you upgrade, you end up with a useless 16MB card left over, and you can't have songs overlapping the cards. The display is pretty basic, but adequate and the buttons are fairly simple to get to grips with. There's no beltclip, but Yelo supply one for free if you ask nicely. All in all, if you don't want to spend too much on an MP3 player, but still want one that will do the job well, then I recommend this one.
Probably one of the cheapest and smallest MP3 players, the Yelo DMP32 is enough if you don't need fancy features and don't mind that its silvery surface makes it look like a cheap plastic toy. It has the basic functionality (play, stop, skip to next track, repeat), but even features like random playing or the option to program playlists are missing. According to the adverts, its 32Mb of memory will give you an hour of music, however, if you really want one hour, you will have to convert your MP3s to an almost unacceptably low sound quality. For standard high quality MP3 (>128kb, 44100Hz) you need approximately 1Mb per minute, giving you half an hour on the Yelo. However, as the memory is divided into two 16Mb chunks, every track has to be shorter than 15 or 16 minutes - unless you buy a larger memory card which will cost you considerably more than the whole player... With high quality MP3, the sound quality of the Yelo is quite good - I do not notice any difference compared to MP3s played on my PC. To transfer your files from the PC, it comes with a cable that goes into the parallel (printer) port on the PC. The Yelo comes with two programs: The "manager software" and "Musicmatch". Or, to be precise: the printing on box claims that it comes with two programs on CD, in fact it comes with only the manager software on a floppy, and a well hidden hint in the booklet that a link to the Musicmatch programme can be found on their webpage. The manager software is necessary to move files from the PC to the Yelo. It is easy to use and reliable, but be warned that it only runs on Windows 95/98, but not on NT or Windows 2000 (not to mention Linux). The Musicmatch software is a rather inflated and ugly looking programme that converts Audio-CDs to MP3 files. You may want to look around on the internet for some other free ripper software. In summary, the Yelo is not a terribly sophisticated machine, but ok for basic needs, e.
g. if you listen to the same couple of tracks again and again all day. I use it for learning foreign languages: I put four or five lessons from a CD course onto the Yelo and listen to them repeatedly while walking to work. Very useful! | <urn:uuid:c899c6f4-40c9-4399-8213-953152bc6f83> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.dooyoo.co.uk/portable-mp3-player/yelo-dmp32/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397696.49/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00048-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965899 | 2,696 | 2.53125 | 3 |
- ancient region in N Babylonia (fl. c. 2300-2100 )
- its chief city, for a time the capital of Babylonia
- An ancient region of Mesopotamia occupying the northern part of Babylonia. It reached the height of its power in the third millennium BC.
- also A·ga·de An ancient city of Mesopotamia and capital of the Akkadian empire.
- One of the ancient kingdoms of Mesopotamia (northern Babylonia).
- Also called Agade. A city in and the capital of this kingdom, one of the three cities of Nimrod's kingdom. Genesis 10:10. | <urn:uuid:139b1383-6a2e-4d84-9d5c-658a8b089488> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.yourdictionary.com/akkad | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396222.11/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00107-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.860801 | 140 | 3.21875 | 3 |
Meat and Antibiotic Resistance: A Discussion at Spoonriver
Maryn McKenna, author of Superbug: The Fatal Menace of MRSA, was in Minneapolis earlier this week to get the word out: There is a bacteria epidemic in world meat supplies, and it’s threatening our health.
You may have heard of MRSA, also known as methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus. It’s a bacteria which causes infections in hospitals, and it’s tough to fight, since it’s resistant to many forms of antibiotics. In 2004, a strain called MRSA ST398 was found in both pig farmers and their pigs in the Netherlands; the bacteria had adapted to resist the antibiotics given to the pigs, had spread, and was carried by both the animals and humans who ate infected meat. The bacteria has since spread across Europe, to Canada, and according to an epidemiology professor from the University of Iowa, it’s been found in meat from the Midwest, too.
As McKenna (left) pointed out, 49 percent of pigs and 45 percent of farm workers in a recent sample in Iowa tested positive for carrying MRSA ST398. This means that they carry the bacteria, not that they have become sick — McKenna was quick to mention that while there have been cases of illness due to MRSA ST398 in Europe and Canada, “no one here is ill — that we know of.”
Though McKenna’s presentation of the issue may seem sensationalist, MRSA in our meat supply is indeed a growing problem which threatens our ability to fight infection, according to studies by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Ontario Veterinary College (as cited in Veterinary Microbiology). To address this issue, Chef Brenda Langton of Spoonriver (top left) and the Pew Campaign on Human Health and Industrial Farming invited a select group of active members of the local food community, doctors, and politicians to Spoonriver Monday night to discuss the problem posed by MRSA, alternatives to antibiotic-raised meat, and dine on a meal of antibiotic-free meat prepared by local chefs.
According to Laura Rogers of the Pew Campaign, up to 70 percent of the drugs sold in the US market are used for industrial food production, often on healthy animals, to compensate for poor living conditions. The vast majority of these drugs are similar or identical to the drugs we humans use to treat serious diseases; thus, if animals build a resistance to such drugs and we ingest these resistant bacteria, we develop the same resistances. As Rogers pointed out, we have only a handful of new drugs “in the pipeline” for future release — and many are variations on existing antibiotics already on the market.
Connie Karstens, of Liberty Land & Livestock (above right), said her farm eschews antibiotic use simply because “it’s the right thing to do.” She said her farm spends as much time looking for life in the plants and soil that her livestock eat as they do caring for the animals, because if the plants are healthy, the animals eating them will likely be better off. Mike Braucher (above left) of Sunshine Harvest Farm took this a step further — his farm has never considered antibiotic use because he feeds the meat to his own family, and he prides himself in providing “good, safe, clean food.”
The meal, comprised primarily of lamb from Liberty Land & Livestock and beef and chicken from Sunshine Harvest Farms, featured the flavors of the meat first and foremost. A thinly sliced grass-fed ribeye was presented medium-rare and full of juicy flavor, followed by a slightly charred lamb kebab with grilled onions, zucchini, and a light yogurt sauce. Chef Joe Hatch-Surisook of Sen Yai Sen Lek prepared a perfectly spiced laab gai, the traditional Thai salad of ground chicken, green onions, lime, fish sauce, mint, lemongrass, and toasted rice powder, served with sticky rice and a selection of shredded carrots, cabbage, and fresh cucumber slices. An accompanying vegetable plate provided a bit less of a wow factor, relying on an uninspired sweet red pepper puree to jazz up simple spears of asparagus. Dill-marinated cucumbers and a watermelon radish offered a light tang to an otherwise quietly nutty wild rice-quinoa pilaf. For this event, the meat was the star of the show.
The event made it clear that local drug-free meat is a clear alternative to antibiotic-laden mass-produced products and, with increased accessibility (heck, you can even get Thousand Hills beef at Target nowadays!), the change is relatively easy to make. However, cost must be taken into account.
Rogers’ plan provided a two-pronged approach to dealing with the higher cost of raising antibiotic-free livestock, focusing both on the consumer and production sides of the meat industry. First, she pointed to McDonald’s’ 2004 resolution to “stomp down on antibiotic use,” though she did point out that this resolution may no longer be enforced — a recent search of McDonalds’ website found no mention of antibiotic use. In a competitive market, decisions by huge retailers like McDonald’s, Chipotle, and Bon Appetit Catering signal to the meat industry that they must shift production to meet consumer requirements. Lobbying from politicians, meanwhile — Rogers cited 10 sponsors in the House and 17 in the Senate for the Preservation for Antibiotics in Medical Treatment Act, or PAMTA — can promote alternative production methods.
Denmark’s 1998 ban (note: link is a PDF) on antibiotic use in healthy animals provides a strong model for a US proposal: Cost only increased by about one dollar per pig, or pennies on the pound. A USDA / National Academy of Sciences study estimates the cost in the U.S. to total about $5-10 per year per person. Most of this cost originates from better animal husbandry — giving animals more space and cleaning their pens, so they don’t stand in their own feces for up to 12 hours per day. Meanwhile, allowing animals to have a longer weaning process might help recoup costs, since improving animal health after birthing could make it possible for an animal to carry more young the next time around.
McKenna and Rogers made clear that the prevalence of antibiotic use in farming compensates for poor animal conditions; however, heavy antibiotic use creates a byproduct of drug resistance. With the existing $16-$26 billion estimated in annual added costs to health care as a result of MRSA, both women urged activism — through changing household meat consumption patterns, spreading the word, and legislating at the broader level — to prevent further health risks due to antibiotic-resistant bacteria. As Rogers said, “we can’t feed the world with sick animals.” | <urn:uuid:4f484b45-e921-45e7-8019-d5e3b46a9484> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://heavytable.com/meat-and-antibiotic-resistance-a-discussion-at-spoonriver/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783392099.27/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154952-00014-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951946 | 1,434 | 2.84375 | 3 |
Ash produced in small dark flecks, typically from a furnace, and carried into the air.
- For rigid pavement construction in a large scale, part replacement of cement by dry fly ash is found acceptable.
- Embedded in the concrete floors (made of 45 percent recycled fly ash, the waste material from burned coal), the heating system warms up the flooring.
- He also found a method to make slabs using fly ash, another waste material generated by thermal power generation plants.
For editors and proofreaders
Syllabification: fly ash
Definition of fly ash in:
What do you find interesting about this word or phrase?
Comments that don't adhere to our Community Guidelines may be moderated or removed. | <urn:uuid:b0ef3c22-50e5-424b-85cc-2fd912d4b7de> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/fly-ash | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397797.77/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00133-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.885204 | 152 | 3.5625 | 4 |
We’ve got smartphone software that tracks eye movement. We have keyboards that allow you to just drag your finger over the screen, rather than tapping individual keys. Microsoft’s realized just what kind of potential there might be if we could tie those two technologies together, and in a new patent it discusses a system that uses eye-tracking to let users interact with virtual keyboards.
The idea’s just like swipe-based keyboard software, but instead of tracking the motion of your fingertip, the system tracks eye movement. As your glance moves from key to key, darting around and changing direction, a devices camera records its gaze, and with a little algorithm magic, Microsoft tries to work out just which keys you were looking at – and ultimately, what word you were attempting to construct.
Microsoft seems most excited about what this could mean for head-mounted systems like Google Glass – certainly, it makes a lot of sense for a display so close to your eye where direct touchscreen input isn’t a workable option. But in its patent application, Microsoft also talks about how this might work on all sorts of other screen types, including those on mobile devices like smartphones and tablets. Admittedly, we have our doubts about just how accurate, battery-friendly, and easy to use such an eye-based input method might be, but similar systems are already employed in medical fields for helping movement-restricted people communicate, and if this actually works well, it might be interesting to see just how it would function on mobile gadgets. | <urn:uuid:a44508c8-9d10-4ef9-baf7-88135fdca440> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://pocketnow.com/2014/12/24/eye-tracking-keyboard | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395679.18/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00039-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955605 | 311 | 2.546875 | 3 |
What is Acne Prone Skin & What Causes Acne
We’ve all felt that dread as we glance in the mirror and then look again, finding a pimple that holds the power to ruin your day and definitely your mood. Stuck canceling plans or frantically picking at the problem is something everyone has had the displeasure of dealing with.
Even Selma Blair fought the battle: “…And when I got a pimple, I’d cover it up with eyeliner to turn it into a beauty mark.”
We can all take comfort in knowing we’re not alone; the American Academy of Dermatology reports that about 85% of all people have acne at one point in their life, so it’s no surprise that there are a surplus of cosmetics to help it, but even more questions about it. So, here at b-glowing, we’ve set out to answer all your questions about acne, and, more importantly, the best ways to treat acne and cover it up!
What is acne prone skin? Simply put, it’s skin that gets acne easily, and about 40 to 50 million Americans have it, according to the AAD. There’s comfort in numbers!
Acne is an inflamed or infected sebaceous gland in the skin that causes any of the following: blackheads, whiteheads, papules, pustules (pimples), cysts or nodules. It is caused when a pore becomes clogged, either with bacteria or dead skin cells.
Medically, it’s a skin disease that is affected by the oil glands at the base of hair follicles, which commonly occurs during puberty when these glands are active for the first time.
More technically, the three causes of acne, according to the AAD, are:
- Overproduction of oil by enlarged oil glands in the skin.
- Blockage of the hair follicles that release oil.
- Growth of bacteria, called P. acnes, within the hair follicles
What is causing my acne? There’s no one thing to blame! Many factors can contribute to clogging of pores and acne such as:
- Oily skin
- Hormones, especially during a change in hormones due to puberty or pregnancy
- Certain cosmetics—those that are not oil-free or water-based
- Certain medications and drugs, especially ones containing lithium and androgen
- Diet, specifically dairy products and high-glycemic foods
- Skincare routines, or lack thereof
How can I cure my acne? While acne is not “curable,” it is, thankfully, treatable. From cleansers that help fight oil to exfoliators that remove dead skin cells (to keep them from clogging pores), there are many ways to treat acne.
- Learn about basic cleansers, toners and other products to help treat acne.
- Or, learn about advanced products, such as medications and Clarisonic brushes that help treat severe acne.
While you’re treating, you also may want to cover, so find the best makeup products to use over acne here.
Have more questions? Ask our beauty concierge. | <urn:uuid:31df4a96-0d1d-4280-956d-c073c55e3c0c> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.b-glowing.com/acne-prone-skin/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396106.71/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00201-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.937311 | 673 | 2.53125 | 3 |
Captain Frederick Marryat (10 July 1792 – 9 August 1848) was an English Royal Navy officer, novelist, and a contemporary and acquaintance of Charles Dickens, noted today as an early pioneer of the sea story. He is now known particularly for the semi-autobiographical novel Mr Midshipman Easy and his children's novel The Children of the New Forest, and for a widely used system of maritime flag signalling, known as Marryat's Code.
If I cannot narrate a life of adventurous and daring exploits, fortunately I have no heavy crimes to confess: and, if I do not rise in the estimation of the reader for acts of gallantry and devotion in my country’s cause, at least I may claim the merit of zealous and persevering continuance in my vocation. We are all of us variously gifted from Above, and he who is content to walk, instead of to run, on his allotted path through life, although he may not so rapidly attain the goal, has the advantage of not being out of breath upon his arrival.
This work is assumed to be in the Life+70 public domain OR the copyright holder has given specific permission for distribution. Copyright laws differ throughout the world, and it may still be under copyright in some countries. Before downloading, please check your country's copyright laws. If the book is under copyright in your country, do not download or redistribute this work.
To report a copyright violation you can contact us here | <urn:uuid:b9560a43-229d-4021-bb5b-22145b2fab4d> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2485001&postcount=1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783391519.2/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154951-00141-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965467 | 304 | 2.625 | 3 |
Pipe Named Official State Artifact
The Ohio House and Senate have approved a bill declaring a two-thousand year old pipe, carved in the shape of a person, as Ohio's official state artifact.
The Adena Pipe was excavated in 1901 from a mound in Chillicothe, believed to have been built by members of the Adena Native-American tribe. Democratic State Senator Charleta Tavares of Columbus supported the declaration.
Students at the Columbus School for Girls have been campaigning since 2009 for the Adena Pipe to be honored. | <urn:uuid:a546d22d-a830-41ba-b357-0477b88895ef> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://wcbe.org/post/pipe-named-official-state-artifact | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783394414.43/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154954-00019-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956112 | 111 | 2.65625 | 3 |
by Karen C. Fox for Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt MD (SPX) Mar 10, 2014
When events in the two giant doughnuts of radiation around Earth - called the Van Allen radiation belts -- cause the belts to swell and electrons to accelerate to 99 percent the speed of light, nearby satellites can feel the effects. Scientists ultimately want to be able to predict these changes, which requires understanding of what causes them.
Now, two sets of related research published in the Geophysical Research Letters improve on these goals. By combining new data from the Van Allen Probes with a high-powered computer model, the new research provides a robust way to simulate events in the Van Allen belts.
"The Van Allen Probes are gathering great measurements, but they can't tell you what is happening everywhere at the same time," said Geoff Reeves, a space scientist at Los Alamos National Laboratory, or LANL, in Los Alamos, N.M., a co-author on both of the recent papers. "We need models to provide a context, to describe the whole system, based on the Van Allen Probe observations."
Prior to the launch of the Van Allen Probes in August 2012, there were no operating spacecraft designed to collect real-time information in the radiation belts. Understanding of what might be happening in any locale was forced to rely mainly on interpreting historical data, particularly those from the early 1990s gathered by the Combined Release and Radiation Effects Satellite, or CRRES.
Imagine if meteorologists wanted to predict the temperature on March 5, 2014, in Washington, D.C. but the only information available was from a handful of measurements made in March over the last seven years up and down the East Coast. That's not exactly enough information to decide whether or not you need to wear your hat and gloves on any given day in the nation's capital.
Thankfully, we have much more historical information, models that help us predict the weather and, of course, innumerable thermometers in any given city to measure temperature in real time. The Van Allen Probes are one step toward gathering more information about space weather in the radiation belts, but they do not have the ability to observe events everywhere at once. So scientists use the data they now have available to build computer simulations that fill in the gaps.
The recent work centers around using Van Allen Probes data to improve a three-dimensional model created by scientists at LANL, called DREAM3D, which stands for Dynamic Radiation Environment Assimilation Model in 3 Dimensions. Until now the model relied heavily on the averaged data from the CRRES mission.
One of the recent papers, published Feb. 7, 2014, provides a technique for gathering real-time global measurements of chorus waves, which are crucial in providing energy to electrons in the radiation belts. The team compared Van Allen Probes data of chorus wave behavior in the belts to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellites, or POES, flying below the belts at low altitude. Using this data and some other historical examples, they correlated the low-energy electrons falling out of the belts to what was happening directly in the belts.
"Once we established the relationship between the chorus waves and the precipitating electrons, we can use the POES satellite constellation - which has quite a few satellites orbiting Earth and get really good coverage of the electrons coming out of the belts," said Los Alamos scientist Yue Chen, first author of the chorus waves paper. "Combining that data with a few wave measurements from a single satellite, we can remotely sense what's happening with the chorus waves throughout the whole belt."
The relationship between the precipitating electrons and the chorus waves does not have a one-to-one precision, but it does provide a much narrower range of possibilities for what's happening in the belts. In the metaphor of trying to find the temperature for Washington on March 5, it's as if you still didn't have a thermometer in the city itself, but can make a better estimate of the temperature because you have measurements of the dewpoint and humidity in a nearby suburb.
The second paper describes a process of augmenting the DREAM3D model with data from the chorus wave technique, from the Van Allen Probes, and from NASA's Advanced Composition Explorer, or ACE, which measures particles from the solar wind. Los Alamos researchers compared simulations from their model - which now was able to incorporate real-time information for the first time - to a solar storm from October 2012.
"This was a remarkable and dynamic storm," said lead author Weichao Tu at Los Alamos. "Activity peaked twice over the course of the storm. The first time the fast electrons were completely wiped out - it was a fast drop out. The second time many electrons were accelerated substantially. There were a thousand times more high-energy electrons within a few hours."
Tu and her team ran the DREAM3D model using the chorus wave information and by including observations from the Van Allen Probes and ACE. The scientists found that their computer simulation made by their model recreated an event very similar to the October 2012 storm.
What's more the model helped explain the different effects of the different peaks. During the first peak, there simply were fewer electrons around to be accelerated.
However, during the early parts of the storm the solar wind funneled electrons into the belts. So, during the second peak, there were more electrons to accelerate.
"That gives us some confidence in our model," said Reeves. "And, more importantly, it gives us confidence that we are starting to understand what's going on in the radiation belts."
Van Allen Probes
Solar Science News at SpaceDaily
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Students learn about local reptiles and amphibians in free UTRCA program
The Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA) is offering free in-class presentations to introduce students to reptile and amphibian species found here in Ontario. The presentation includes reptile characteristics, habitats, predators, threats that contribute to their decline, and research that is being done to help them.
Species at Risk Biologist Scott Gillingwater and Endangered Species Technician Angela Capelle are bringing the presentation to schools throughout the Upper Thames River Watershed.
Scott explained that, "This program teaches students and teachers about Species at Risk in our own backyards, as well as every-day activities that can make a difference in protecting declining wildlife."
Students see a PowerPoint show introducing them to some of the province's native reptiles and amphibians.
The show is combined with a hands-on display of real turtle shells, skulls and eggs, along with skulls from some of the mammals that may prey on turtles and their eggs.
"Students always have lots of great questions," said Scott, "so we finish up with a question and answer session."
The human activities that are threatening these secretive animals are an important part of the presentation. Many reptile and amphibian species are at risk of disappearing from their native habitats and they are often overlooked when it comes to conservation efforts.
"As more people learn about species at risk, we improve the likelihood of recovery for these amazing creatures," stated Angela.
The presentation is geared toward Grades 4, 6, 7, 10 and 11, but all grade levels will find it informative and applicable.
Species at Risk educational resources are also available for participating teachers and schools.
If your school is interested in booking a presentation, contact Angela Capelle at firstname.lastname@example.org | <urn:uuid:82335077-5ff0-492b-9e12-485fafc19eec> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.thelondoner.ca/2012/03/06/students-learn-about-local-reptiles-and-amphibians-in-free-utrca-program | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783394937.4/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154954-00103-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952294 | 373 | 3.625 | 4 |
Technology, at times, offers a magic key into the environmental garden of Eden, where humans can use energy and feel good about it. But, at times, it can be the serpent tempting us to eat the apple that will mean our eviction.
Although technological advances promise reliable renewable energy in the future, right now, consumer use of electronics accounts for 15 percent of residential power use worldwide, a figure that will most likely triple by the time your tot, who’s now playing with a fake cell phone, heads off to college, laptop in hand.
If indeed the numbers grow as expected, it would take 560 new coal-fired power plants to power the army of iPods, TVs, cell phones, and computers. (Don’t miss the helpful graphic in the Times‘ article.)
Indeed, in the United States, gaming consoles alone use as much power every year as the entire city of San Diego.
Some common sense tips:
- Avoid video games (except potentially Wii Sports), which are unnecessary and keep kids inside and overweight.
- Don’t shower your little ones with blinking lights. Old-fashioned gifts like books and Fisher Price toys will last longer, without teaching toddlers to worship everything electronic.
- As for your own items, plug them in through a power strip, and turn the strip off when they’re not in use. Much of electronics’ energy use comes in the form of unnecessary standby power.
- Look into solar electronics chargers.
Of course, the problem isn’t just your (and my) guilty fascination with the contraptions, however. It’s that manufacturers have thus far successfully avoided the kind of energy-efficiency requirements that the government imposes on appliances (California is attempting to impose them on 2nd gen TVs). Spur the companies along by supporting the California Energy Commission’s proposed rules for TVs and by buying Energy Star models whenever available. | <urn:uuid:2fe55323-4a20-4c2d-95b6-a76d78eb4365> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://blog.sfgate.com/green/2009/09/21/naughty-naughty-techie/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395679.18/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00176-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.931822 | 394 | 2.734375 | 3 |
Other Chapels and Ruins near the
Monastery of Saint Catherine in the Sinai of Egypt
Many people who visit St. Catherine's Monastery are unaware of many of the other interesting religious and other sites within the southern Sinai, as well as the region's natural wonders. Specifically, this area of the Sinai has a history, beginning with the Jewish Exodus, as an important religious center with visible ruins that date back considerably prior to the establishment of the Monastery of St. Catherine.
Of course, anyone visiting the monastery is awarethat it is situated at the foot of Mount Sinai, but there are a number of other locations that are also worth knowing about and visiting in the region.
While any number of other locations have been suggested as Mount Sinai (also known as Mount Horeb and today, Jebel Musa) of the Bible, very old traditions maintain that the mountain that rises dramatically above the Monastery ofSt. Catherine is in fact the true site where Moses received the Ten Commandments. In the valleys surrounding the mountain are also any number of other sites long held to be holy places connected with the biblical story of the Exodus, as well as from later times when biblical figures such as Elijah returned to the mountain (between 900 and 800 BC).
It is doubtful that anyone today is aware of the specific evidence that convinced so many very early hermits to establish themselves in the vicinity of Mount Sinai, though oral and other traditions dating much further back probably played a role. By Egyptian standards, the biblical Exodus can be said to have occurred actually rather late in their history, probably between 1,500 and 1,200 years before the time of Christ. There were certainly even then the same race of Bedouins, as well as other Egyptians scattered throughout the Southern Sinai, who would have known about and even had contact with the wandering Jews. It would seem logical that they would have been the ones who maintained the traditions that would later define specific sites as some of the most holy places mentioned in the Bible.
While the earliest ruins we know of in this region of the Sinai date to the 4th century, it is not impossible that earlier religious sites do exist in this rocky, mostly desolate landscape.
At Mount Sinai, a long flight of 3,700 steps, hand hewn from the stone by the monastery monks, leads to the peak of the mountain. Writing in the 4th century, Etheria explains that in his time the stairway extended only part way up the mountain, and perhaps this early section of the stairway was carved out in the 4th century, but their origin, and exactly when they were built is lost to us. Records of the monastery reveal that they were completed by an anonymous monk under the patronage of Emperor Justinian in the 6th century.
The stairway is known as the "Stairs of Repentance". Mount Horeb is of special importance by reason of the "Peak of the Decaloque". A church consecrated to the Prophet Elijah was built on this peak during ancient times, and Ephraim the Deacon in the 4th century records theexistence of twelve chapels on the slopes and summit of Mount Horeb.
Along the stairway one passes a number of historical sites. For example, the first significant one is known as the Spring of Symeon, where Saint Stephen supposedly baptized Jews so that they could pass through the Shrive Gate further up on their way to the Holy Mount. However, prior to reaching the Shrive Gate (The Gate of Forgiveness or Gate of Confession), one passes by the White Washed Byzantine chapel about halfway up the mountain known as the Chapel of Our Lady of the Steward (Oikonomissa). Still further up is Elijah's Gate and beyond that, Elijah's Basin. Here on a sandy surface, is an ancient well and below the well, a Byzantine dam built to prevent flood damage to the Monastery. There is also the chalky white Church of Elijah, which is built over a stone beneath which Elijah is said to been sheltered when he spoke with God (I Kings 19:1-18). Here also, about 200 meters from the other church at the neck of the basin is the Church of Saint Stephen, which is believed to mark the cave where Saint Stephen lived. His cloaked, 6th century remains are now in the ossuary at the Monastery.
At the top of Mount Sinai, a church was built on this site very early, possibly in the 4th century, and rebuilt later under Justinian on plans by the architectStephanos. Today, only the foundation of the old church remains, which was fairly large, measuring 21 meters in length and 11.5 meters wide. In 1933, a small chapel dedicated to the Holy Trinity was raised over part of the ruins of the Justinian church, and there is also an ancient mosque built on the peak.Both of the newer structures were built partly from blocks of the older church.
The alternate path up the mountain is by camel, and it too passes by a number of interesting sites. The camel path up Mount Sinai begins just behind the monastery and leads up to just short of Elijah's Basin.
Some distance up this path leads past a small mountain or hill known as Jethro's Mountain or Jebel El-Muneijah. This is the site where Jethro and his daughters were supposed to have lived when Moses first came to Mount Sinai. On its summit is a small white church dedicated to Saint Theodore the Commander and Saint Theodore the Tyro (Recruit), both martyred Roman soldiers.
This path continues to twist its way up the mountain until almost reaching Elijah's Basin, but looking about on the way up, one can discern other sites on nearby mountains.
Opposite the Monastery, on the Mount of St. Episteme, also known as Jebel el-Deir, are a hermitage and a chapel dedicated to St. Episteme, as well as a cave in the name of St. Galaktion.The monastery is located about half way up the mountain. To the south of these structures and east southeast of the Monastery is another small monastery known as Magafa, which is nestled amid date palms and Byzantine walls.
To the north of the Monastery of St. Catherine leading to the northwest is Wadi el-Deir, along which the road to the monastery runs. The stone ruins just to the north of this road as one approaches the monastery date only to the mid 19th century. They are the barracks built for Abbas Pasha's soldiers and workers.
A little further north and close to the village of St. Catherine is Aaron's Hill, Here, there is both a Christian Church and a Muslim Shrine. According to tradition, the Golden Calf was set up and worshipped on this hill.
Just to the north of the hotels of the village is the Plain of El-Raha, meaning resting place, where supposedly Aaron and the Israelites made the golden calf while Moses was on Mount Sinai.
To the south of the hotels is a location known as Bustan, where there is a chapel honoring the Birth of the Virgin Mary. Southwest of this is an environmental center and nearby is the convent of the 12 Apostles.
Further south along the Wadi el-Arbaein, that lies on the opposite side of Mount Sinai from the Monastery of St. Catherine, is the Chapel of the Prophet Moses and next to it is a stone wall which encloses the "Rock of Moses". Monks relate that this rock relates to the time of the Exodus and is described in 1 Cor. 10:4.
Still further south along the wadi is the Monastery of the Forty Martyrs, surrounded by a green belt of olive, cypress and poplar trees. This monastery was built during the 6th century in honor of the forty Christian martyrs, Roman soldiers, who died at Sebaste in central Turkey. In the garden of the monastery is the chapel of St. Onouphrios, who is said to have lived for seventy years in the rock shelter at the northern end of the garden, until he died in the late 4th century AD.
Another route just to the south of the hotels at the village of St. Catherine leads into the Wadi Shrayj, which later connects to Wadi Ferrah further to the south. Here, not far south of the hotels are rounded walls, niches and shelves and tiny doors that make up typical Byzantine stone dwellings. One can also see traces of ancient water systems or conduits that are typical of the Byzantine era. A bit further south up this wadi are more Byzantine ruins and a few ancient Nabatean structures that date from between 200 BC and 100 AD.
About five miles from the Monastery is the well known Valley of Thola, where one finds preserved to this day a cave and chapel that were the retreat of the celebrated St. John Scholasticus, perhaps better known as St. John Climacus after his renowned work. In the same area is a dependency of St. Catherine's Monastery known as Saints Anargyroi.
In the same general area near the Monastery but beyond Mount Sinai is the Mount of St. Catherine, where there is a chapel dedicated to St. Catherine on the site. Traditions hold that the Saint's body was found. Mount Catherine is the highest in the SinaiPeninsula, towering some 8,700 feet above sea level. The mountain is not difficult to ascend and its peak offers a magnificent view south to the Red Sea and Gulf of Aqaba.
Somewhat further away to the northwest of the Monastery is the famous Wadi Feiran.(Wadi Faran) which is actually the largest oasis in the Sinai. It once had the privilege of being the See of the first Bishopric of the Sinai Peninsula. The latest excavations at Feiranhave brought to light the foundations, the floor and the ruined wall of the ancient church and annexes. This was the place mentioned in Genesis 21:21 as the site where Hagar dwelt withher son after Abraham sent her away.Today, there is a fine and interesting convent, as well as other sites with historical significance in the area.
A little north of Wadi Feiran is Wadi Mukattab, also known as the Valley of Inscriptions, which has Byzantine graffiti.
Present day El-Tor is not much visited by foreign tourists, but this is ancient Raitho where, during the time of the Roman emperor Diocletian, the Holy Fathers of the Sinai were massacred by the Blemmyes of Africa. Not much is left here, but a letter addressed by the Abbot John Hegoumenos of Raitho to "John the most worthy Hegoumenos of Mount Sinai" has survived. From this we learn that at the time of the Abbot John there was a lavra (a group of hermit dwellings) at Raitho. Today, one can still see the ruins of a monastery built by Justinian, and thereis also a more recent monastery with a splendid church and a guest house.
Here, we have concentrated mostly on religious sites, though we have not mentioned every chapel even in the region around Mount Sinai, as there are a number of other sites that are difficult to place. Furthermore, it should be mentioned that there are various mines, quarries, pharaonic ruins, and more modern sites, as well as natural wonders in this region that are beyond the scope of this description. For example, Serabit el-Khadem, which has mines and a temple is within the Valley of Inscriptions.
Egypt's Southern Sinai in and around the Monastery ofSt. Catherine is a wonderful place to experience Christianity's roots, as well as biblical sites dating back to the very foundations of Judaism. Taking a few extra days to explore the region may provide surprising finds in this land that continues to hold gems of hidden beauty and wonder.
See Also (Related to St. Catherine's Monastery)
|Christianizing the Roman Empire A.D. 100-400||MacMullen, Ramsay||1984||Yale University Press||ISBN 0-300-03642-6|
|Monastery of St. Catherine, The||Papaioannou, Dr. Evangelos||Undated||Unknown||None Stated|
|Sinai and the Red Sea||Beecham, N.||Undated||Unknown||None Stated|
|St. Catherine's Monastery||Paliouras, Athanasios||1985||St. Catherine's Monastery at Sinai||None Stated|
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Tour Egypt aims to offer the ultimate Egyptian adventure and intimate knowledge about the country. We offer this unique experience in two ways, the first one is by organizing a tour and coming to Egypt for a visit, whether alone or in a group, and living it firsthand. The second way to experience Egypt is from the comfort of your own home: online. | <urn:uuid:d7f2ef64-cb0a-46f9-acce-b99f8dd2db27> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/catherines4.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396106.25/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00052-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973576 | 2,684 | 3.046875 | 3 |
Wangari Maathai, the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize died on Sunday in her native Kenya. She was 71.
The New York Times reports:
The cause was cancer, her organization, the Green Belt Movement, said. Kenyan news organizations said she had been treated for ovarian cancer in the past year and had been in a hospital for at least a week when she died.
Maathai was a leading environmentalist and feminist as well as a human-rights advocate. She has also worked to encourage nations around the world to work together to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions causing climate change.
During an interview on Michigan Radio's The Environment Report in 2009 (click on audio above), Maathai also called on everyone to help work to solve the global warming problem.
"I think it’s very important to encourage farmers, individual citizens to plant trees. And, I’m very happy to know that in some of your states, tree planting has been embraced as one of the solutions. It’s one of the activities that every one of us citizens can do and feel good about it, and teach kids to do it, because every tree will count. And when there are 7 billion of us, almost, in the whole world, so you can imagine, if every one of us planted a tree and made sure that tree survived – can you imagine the impact?" | <urn:uuid:81f508b2-2efe-4b41-919a-56df192b3c8c> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://michiganradio.org/term/wangari-maathai | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783404382.73/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155004-00033-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.980343 | 286 | 2.84375 | 3 |
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