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Although there are hundreds of kinds of divination, the principle ones are astrology, geomancy, the tarot, the I Ching, and direct psychic means (especially clairvoyance). True divination is more than a mechanical system, for it implies true psychic interpretation (receiving). Some form of divination is often used in magick ritual to communicate with the entity invoked.
Since divination operates through the mind, it is affected and biased by the mind. Our attitudes and fears may alter it. Sometimes results are very detailed, and accurate — but not always. Often the future is plastic and changeable anyway, and the use of magick may alter the result. Thus divination shows tendencies only, which may be helpful, but must not rule us.
It is possible to improve your natural ability with clairvoyance through practice. A good start might be to look around you, then close your eyes and try to picture your surroundings. This is also good exercise for visualization. And visualization is an essential talent in magick. Open your eyes again and check your accuracy. Then close your eyes and try it again. When you use your physical eyes, look at everything like a child seeing it for the first time. Let the vividness of colour and form burn into you, until everything takes on a veritable glow. Try to capture that glow when you close your eyes now and picture your surroundings. It’s just a simple step to extend what you see with your eyes closed into what you remember seeing in the next room, or what you *imagine* seeing in the next building, the next city, even the other side of the world. Don’t expect perfect results, especially at first. Just try to be even partly right. Another exercise is to picture a clock face, and thereby tell the time clairvoyantly.
Under the right conditions, it is possible to clairvoyantly observe a coloured light around other people. This is known as the ‘aura’. Sometimes the aura is seen as multi-coloured emanations around the person, built up of various differently coloured layers and zones. Although many occult dabblers claim to be able to see the aura easily and under many varied conditions, I seriously doubt that they do. There are optical illusions and qualities of sight which can sometimes trick one into thinking he sees what he does not see. In this area, the quality of sight known as after image is especially pertinent. Do this: stare at any solidly coloured bright object for a few moments. Very intense red, green, or blue are especially good for this. Now look away at a white surface and you will see a phantom image of the object in its complementary colour (a red object will show green, a blue one orange, etc.). If the bright object is in front of a light surface, you may observe a fringe of complementary colour around the object after a few moments. This is all very normal, and is used by some magical groups as an aid to visualization sometimes called ‘flashing colours’. Some silly people will stare at other people in the same way. And when they see the after image of the person’s clothing, they think they are seeing his aura. What is more, various meanings have been attributed to the colours of the aura. A psychic who can see the aura is supposed to be able to determine that persons emotional state. Thus psychic frauds can have a marvellous time with auras. One deluded psychic taught a class I attended in which he performed instant psychoanalysis on the basis of the supposed aura. It was obvious that he was actually observing after images from the students clothes!
This brings us to the chart of aura colours on the next page. It is a general guide, based mostly on Theosophical material. Various groups may attribute different meanings to the colours. The colours we show on the chart are emotional in nature; useful if you plan to create an artificial elemental or do healing. Surrounding yourself with a particular colour will tend to produce the specific psychological effect described in the chart. That quality of colour is useful in magick ritual.
Colours of the Aura
dark grey depression
pale grey fear
muddy grey selfishness
dull rust selfishness
bright red anger and force
dirty red passion and sensuality
dull red selfish love
rose unselfish love
orange cloud irritability
bright orange noble indignation
yellow-green low intellect
earthy yellow selfish thought
lemon high intellect
bright gold logical thinking
brt. red-yel. spiritual thought
grey-green deceit, jealously
emerald green unselfish resourcefulness
foliage green sympathy & empathy
brt. apple-grn strong vitality
brt. turquoise deep sympathy & compassion
BLUE devotion (religious feeling)
light blue noble spiritual devotion
dark blue religious feeling
brt. lilac-blu lofty religious idealism
VIOLET spiritual (psychic & spiritual) faculty
Thoughtforms and Spirits
Whenever we concentrate our thoughts, we draw psychic energy together. This is called a thoughtform. Usually the energy dissipates as soon as we break the concentration, but it is possible to purposely concentrate energy in this way, producing very strong thoughtforms. Such thoughtforms are vortexes or centres of psychic energy. They can exist as entities by themselves, at least for a while. They are basically inanimate, non-thinking forces. Talking to one is about as logical as talking to a chair. In this way, thoughtforms are similar to elementals, ghosts, and spirits. All of these psychic entities consist of a psychic energy vortex which could be described as a localized field or as a discontinuity of the physical world.
Psychic entities respond to certain electrostatic and magnetic fields, and to other energy vortexes. That is why they respond to magick ritual. Someday, we may accomplish the same thing with electronic machines. Psychic entities are sometimes able to affect our thought processes.
Thoughtforms, elementals, and ghosts are usually not very smart. If they display any intelligence at all, it is limited. They are the morons of the spirit world. Their behavior is usually automatic, repetitive, robot-like (just like some people). We see that artificial elementals are little more than astral robots. Spirits and deities are more intelligent and volitional.
Your mind follows your attention. Wherever you direct your attention, there will your thoughts go too. By directing attention to a specific place or purpose you *focus* mental energy upon it.
For example: you’re having lunch in a cafeteria crowded with people. It is a large place, and everyone there is talking at once, so that the room is a constant jumble of noise. You happen to notice a man accross the room; he reminds you of someone. All at once he drops his fork and you hear it hit the table. But would you have noticed the sound of his fork if you had not been looking? No. Only by focusing your attention there were you able to pick out that individual event and associated sound.
It is a dark night. You are walking and the only light you have is from the flashlight you hold in your hand. As you move the flashlight around, the beam of light from it directs your attention first one way then another. Now, the mind is something like that flashlight in the dark. And by directed attention, you point the mind to one place or another. As with that flashlight beam, you see where the mind is pointed; nothing more. The rest is ‘noise’. And so we could define mental noise as anything not focused upon. In another way, noise could be considered as negative emotions, attitudes, and thoughts which make it more difficult to direct the attention.
Your emotions follow your thoughts quite easily. Your emotions are not YOU, but are rather reactions prompted by your model and ego — like a performance or an act, while the real you watches. In a similar way, directing your attention toward a specific emotion will cause you to experience that emotion.
- What is the aura?
- What is a thoughtform?
- How can you develop clairvoyance?
- Annie Bessant and Charles Leadbeater, Thought Forms.
- W.E. Butler, How to Develop Clairvoyance.
- J.H. Brennan, Astral Doorways.
- Piero Ferrucci, What We May Be.
- Kilner, The Human Aura.
- Swami Panchadasi, The Human Aura.
- A.E. Powell, The Etheric Double.
- Harold Sherman, How to Make ESP Work for You.
Phil Hansford, 4/88 Mysteria (818) 353-8891 (modem)
P.O. Box 83 Tujunga, CA 91042
Copyright (c) 1988 by Phil Hansford. This article is licenced for free non-commercial distribution only.
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strain (redirected from strain 2 Brucella suis)
Also found in: Dictionary
strain: see strength of materialsstrength of materials,
measurement in engineering of the capacity of metal, wood, concrete, and other materials to withstand stress and strain. Stress is the internal force exerted by one part of an elastic body upon the adjoining part, and strain is the deformation or change in
..... Click the link for more information. .
a pure culture of a species of microorganism in which its morphological and physiological characteristics are studied.
Strains can be isolated from a variety of sources, for example, soil, water, or food, or they can be isolated from a single source at different times. Hence, the same species of bacterium, yeast, or microscopic fungus may have a great many strains, differing from one another in several characteristics, such as sensitivity to antibiotics and capacity to produce toxins and enzymes. Commercial strains of microorganisms developed as a result of selection and used in industry for the microbiological synthesis of proteins (including enzymes), antibiotics, vitamins, and organic acids are much more productive than wild strains.
An intraspecific group of organisms that possess only one or a few distinctive traits and are maintained as an artificial breeding group.
(cell and molecular biology)
A population of cells derived either from a primary culture or from a cell line by the selection or cloning of cells having specific properties or markers.
Change in length of an object in some direction per unit undistorted length in some direction, not necessarily the same; the nine possible strains form a second-rank tensor.
A change in the form or shape of a body or material which is subjected to an external force.
Any deformation or deflection in a body caused by stress. The strain is directly proportional to the stress, as a load is applied until the proportional limit is reached. Beyond that point, the strain may
increase at a changing rate until the yield stress is reached, but the part will return to its original size and shape when the load is removed and the strain is zero. The body will be deformed if the yield stress is exceeded. The strain is recorded as the change of size over the original size.
1. Music a theme, melody, or tune
2. a feeling of tension and tiredness resulting from overwork, worry, etc.; stress
3. a particular style or recurring theme in speech or writing
4. Physics the change in dimension of a body under load expressed as the ratio of the total deflection or change in dimension to the original unloaded dimension. It may be a ratio of lengths, areas, or volumes
1. a group of organisms within a species or variety, distinguished by one or more minor characteristics
2. a variety of bacterium or fungus, esp one used for a culture
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AirChat is a zero-dependency* P2P CLI chat tool that (ab)uses the AirDrop interface to allow chatting across WiFi networks (or no WiFi network).
A RailsCamp AU 20 project.
- Chat to other AirChat users in proximity without being on the same network
- Self-contained - no gems, nothing else to download/install
- Automatically keeps AirDrop active
- User colours tied to their IPv6 address
- OS X with system Ruby 2+ with working AirDrop
- Ruby 2.0 or higher (comes with OS X)
- tcpdump (comes with OS X)
# Get it curl -L https://github.com/chendo/airchat/raw/master/airchat.rb > airchat.rb && chmod +x airchat.rb # or get someone to AirDrop it to you, etc. # AirChat requires raw access to the /dev/bpf* interface. # Run using sudo sudo ./airchat.rb # OR # Give permission to /dev/bpf* sudo chgrp staff /dev/bpf* && sudo chmod g+rw /dev/bpf* # These permissions will reset on reboot ./airchat.rb
How does it work?
AirChat uses the
awdl0 interface to talk to other machines with AirDrop active.
However, OS X restricts binding to this interface, and non-AirDrop network traffic is rejected
ICMP Port Unreachable. AirChat gets around this by using
tcpdump to receive UDP data,
as OS X doesn't stop you from sending packets through that interface.
AirChat broadcasts JSON-encoded messages in UDP to
ff02::fb on port
- Messages are transmitted in plain text.
- No direct messaging
- One channel only (you can specify a different port by modifying the source)
- Message delivery is not guaranteed
- No message repeater functionality
ANSI RGB magic sauce from the paint gem.
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More Search Options Start over
Within searchCreator:Blackside, Inc. Type:Collection Publisher:Blackside, Inc. Subject:Oral History--United States
- Select "match all" to require all fields.
- Select "match any" to find at least one field.
- Combine keywords and attributes to find specific items.
- Use quotation marks to search as a phrase.
- Use "+" before a term to make it required. (Otherwise results matching only some of your terms may be included).
- Use "-" before a word or phrase to exclude.
- Use "OR", "AND", and "NOT" to create complex boolean logic. You can use parentheses in your complex expressions.
- Truncation and wildcards are not supported - word-stemming is done automatically.
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The Greeks were the earliest discoverers of much of the knowledge that went on to lay the foundations of scientific studies for thousands of years and one of the most important figures from that period is undoubtedly Eratosthenes, who was a mathematician, geographer as well as an astronomer of rare quality. Additionally he was also a music theorist which well and truly shows the sort of versatile knowledge and gifts that he possessed. Eratosthenes was responsible for bring to notice some of the most important discoveries in geography, astronomy and mathematics. Born in the Cyrene, the young lad was remarkably curious from an early age. He pursued higher education from Athens where he was taught by the best teachers of the day. Aristo of Chios and Arcesilaus in particular left a lasting impression on the budding philosopher. His reputation as a mathematician was affirmed when he measured the circumference of the earth using the shadows cast by the sun. He also made immense contribution to the field of geography by demarcating the five different climate zones existing in the earth. In fact the term geography was also coined by this eminent scientist. It can be unarguably said that this erudite scientist made discoveries that were way ahead of his time. Read on to know more about his life and works.
Childhood & Early Life
Eratosthenes was born in the year 276 BC to Aglaos and his wife; but the exact date of his birth is unknown. He was born in the city of Cyrene; which is located in present day Libya but used to be a part of the Greek empire.
Eratosthenes went to the then seat of learning in Athens for his education and was taught by the best teachers of the day. His teachers included the famous philosophers Ariston of Chios and Arcesilaus of Pitane who was also the principal at the celebrated ‘Platonic Academy’.
During his years as a student at the ‘Platonic Academy’, he became deeply interested in Plato’s philosophical writings and also showed a genuine flair for writing poems; which earned him plenty of accolades among his peers.
It was during his time at the academy that he produced his first well known work named ‘Platonikos’. The book looked at Plato’s philosophies from a mathematical standpoint.
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The ruling pharaoh Ptolemy III Euregetes recognised his talent as a scholar of rare quality and swiftly appointed him as the librarian of the ‘Library of Alexandria’ in 245 BC; which at the time was regarded as one of the greatest libraries of the world.
Eratosthenes was the first person to have measured the circumference of the earth, fairly accurately, in his time. He adopted an extremely simple method in which he used the shadows cast by the setting sun as the basis of his findings.
His next big project was in the field of Geography, a subject to which he contributed immensely. He was the one who is regarded as the ‘Father of Geography’.
He wrote the book ‘Geographika’ or Geography that was divided into three volumes and formed the basis of geographical studies. In the book this knowledgeable scholar had presented a fairly accurate map of the earth as well as the concept of climatic zones.
He was someone who had achieved things that were unthinkable in his time and one of his most remarkable findings was that a year had 365 days. He also explained the concept of a leap year and also calculated the earth’s diameter, during his illustrious career.
Eratosthenes worked on a number of theories in mathematics and his most significant achievement was in creating an algorithm that could determine prime numbers. At the time the algorithm could figure out prime number up to 127.
The great mathematician worked as the librarian at the ‘Library of Alexandria’ throughout his professional life and during that time he had made the library into the one of the biggest storehouse of knowledge in the world till it was destroyed by fire.
His book titled ‘On the Measurement of the Earth’ is supposed to be one of the oldest books on Geography and the elements of the solar system. Ranking among his most important works, the book presented his findings related to circumference of the earth.
Considered a pioneering chronologist, he also wrote a book titled ‘Olympic Victors’ which chronicled the winners at the sports and athletic event that takes place to this day.
Personal Life & Legacy
There is no reliable information about his personal life. Eratosthenes lost his eyesight later on in life and committed suicide by starving himself in 194 BC.
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RALEIGH — Sightings of coyotes are expected to peak this month as the generally elusive animals ramp up their activity to find food for their newborn pups, the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission reports.
Coyotes, which are found in all 100 counties of North Carolina, prefer to build their dens away from human activity, but can still come in contact with people. As coyotes wander in search of food, which can include wild fruit, small mammals and this year’s increased number of nutritious cicadas, they can enter residential areas, especially if food is plentiful.
Coyotes will take advantage of pet food left outdoors, food scraps and other nutritious tidbits around homes. Smaller pets, such as cats and small-breed dogs, should always be closely supervised when outdoors, as they can easily be mistaken for natural prey.
Dog-proof fencing, which is at least 6-foot tall and prevents digging underneath, is the only guarantee to keep coyotes out.
There also are other ways to keep them from hanging around.
“You must remove anything that could attract coyotes and actively make the area uncomfortable for them,” says Falyn Owens, an extension biologist for the commission.
Owens offers these tips to deter coyotes:
Remove all outdoor pet food, fallen fruit, food waste and bird feeders.
Keep cats and small dogs on a leash or harness whenever they’re outside.
Haze coyotes away from homes and businesses. Hazing can be as simple as waving arms, shouting forcefully, spraying them with a water hose or throwing small rocks in their direction until the coyote leaves.
In more remote areas where a coyote pair might have a den, hazing likely won’t be effective.
“Coyotes will closely watch people who come near their den or pups. So if you are passing through a brushy or wooded area and notice a coyote watching you or even following you at a distance, there may be a den nearby,” Owens said. “In this case, leave calmly and inform others to avoid the area for a few weeks. Coyotes use dens like a crib for protecting their newborn pups, and as soon as the pups can survive outside of the den, the coyotes will abandon it.”
Coyotes rarely attack people, preferring to avoid them entirely or keep a distance. People walking a small dog in which a coyote seems to take interest should pick up the dog and act threateningly toward it. A coyote is an opportunistic hunter and prefers an easy meal over one that puts it at risk.
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Previous abstract Next abstract
Session 82 - Spirals & Irregulars.
Display session, Friday, January 09
The mechanism of structure formation in galaxies is not completely determined yet. In the case of grand design spiral galaxies, the spiral density wave theory is favored, despite its lack of clearly observed age gradients across the spiral arms (although there is one exception (Gonzalez amp; Graham 1996, ApJ 460, 651)). Another mechanism that may cause coherent structure on both small and large scales is self-propagating star formation (SPSF). Frequently, SPSF is able to explain structure formation on small scales (\leq a few 100 pc; e.g. Oey amp; Massey (1995, ApJ 452, 210); Hanawa et al. (1994, ApJ 420, 318); Parker et al. (1992, AJ 103, 1205)). However, doubts remain about the large scales; in the well-studied LMC supershell LMC III, for example, conflicting conclusions have been reached (Dopita et al., 1985, ApJ 297, 599 and Braun et al., astro-ph/9708081). We have obtained HST WFPC2 images of the Magellanic irregular NGC 3664 in four filters to perform the first detailed study of this object. Prominent shell-like structures are clearly visible in groundbased optical broad band and H\alpha images, so this galaxy was considered a prime candidate in which to find SPSF. We have searched for age gradients across these shells and investigated the age structure of the unresolved stellar component. We found no sign for SPSF on large scales (> 300pc), although on smaller scales, we see at least one age gradient, with a resulting propagation velocity similar to those found in the Milky Way and LMC. Concerning the global age structure, it is remarkable that such young star forming regions (some 10^6 yrs) are spread out over the entire disk in several large spatial complexes. This clearly requires a global triggering mechanism, e.g. an encounter with the 35 kpc distant dwarf galaxy NGC 3664A. A slightly older stellar component (up to a few 10^7 yrs) is distributed more homogeneously over the disk, but the number statistics and systematic errors are large for this older component. Another striking feature are five nearly equallly spaced star forming regions (with center to center distances of \sim 600 pc), a feature typical for grand design spiral galaxies (Elmegreen amp; Elmegreen 1983, MNRAS, 203, 182).
Program listing for Friday
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The combined oral contraceptive pill (OCP) currently being used by more than 100 million women worldwide1 contains both estrogen and progestin in various combinations. The main mechanism of action of the steroid is inhibition of follicular development and prevention of ovulation by pituitary and hypothalamic suppression of follicle-stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone.12 Other secondary mechanisms of contraceptive activity include progestogenic induction of hostile cervical mucus and of an endometrial environment that is unfavorable for implantation.3 A predominant progestational effect of combined OCP on the endometrium includes an arrest of glandular proliferation, induction of pseudosecretion, and stromal edema followed by decidualized stroma with granulocytes and thin sinusoidal blood vessels. Prolonged use results in progressive endometrial atrophy.4 This latter property has been used for the treatment of dysfunctional uterine bleeding and endometrial hyperplasia. Currently, pretreatment with combined OCPs also is used for diagnostic and operative hysteroscopy in which the visualization of the endometrial cavity is facilitated by a thin endometrium.5
Proper endometrial development is vital for successful implantation of an embryo. Although controversial, it is generally considered that an ultrasonographic endometrial measurement of 7 mm in cross-section is the minimum thickness required for successful implantation.6 While monitoring women ultrasonographically during assisted reproductive techniques, we occasionally noticed that some women had a persistently thin endometrium with no obvious cause. On closer questioning, we observed a frequent history of long-term combined OCP use in the past in many of these women.
The objective of the present study was to estimate whether there was any association of long-term use of combined OCPs with adverse endometrial growth. We performed a study to examine the duration of combined OCP use and its effect on endometrial growth and thickness in a group of infertile women all undergoing the same endometrial estrogen preparation for frozen embryo transfer.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
The present study was performed at the Toronto Centre for Advanced Reproductive Technology, a University of Toronto–affiliated infertility center. Ultrasound monitoring flow sheets of patients undergoing frozen embryo transfer were reviewed from 2008 to 2010. The study was approved by the Institutional Research and Ethics Review Board at Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, Ontario.
A total of 488 frozen embryo transfer cycles was identified. Patients between 30 and 45 years of age were included. The same standard protocol for endometrial preparation was used in 295 cycles consisting of micronized 17 β-estradiol (E2) for simulated follicular phase endometrial development. We excluded cycles in women in whom a different protocol for frozen embryo transfer was used (natural cycle, estrogen patch) or who were supplemented with low-dose acetylsalicylic acid. Each patient was accounted for only once in the first cycle. Thus, we included a total of 207 single cycles in 207 women. We excluded patients who had used combined OCPs within the past 2 years. Patients using contraception other than combined OCPs, eg, injectable hormones, intrauterine devices, spermicidal jells, or barrier contraceptives were excluded. Patients having other associated pathology such as uterine fibroids, Asherman syndrome, previous septum resection, endometriosis, and polycystic ovaries were also excluded. With these inclusion and exclusion criteria, we had a study group of 137 patients undergoing frozen embryo transfer with a history of combined OCP use that was stopped more than 2 years previously (Fig. 1).
All the patients included in the study used the described endometrial preparation protocol. Tablets of micronized E2 (2 mg) were taken orally twice per day starting from day 3 of the menstrual cycle. Once vaginal bleeding stopped, the E2 tablets were inserted vaginally twice daily. On cycle day 8, the E2 dose was increased to two tablets twice daily, ie, a total daily dose of 8 mg vaginally. On cycle day 10, a transvaginal ultrasound scan was performed to assess the endometrial thickness and pattern and was repeated until the endometrial thickness was at least 8 mm with a triple line pattern. Progesterone was then added, 200 mg progesterone vaginal suppositories, three times per day and the E2 dose was reduced to one tablet twice daily (4 mg) orally. Frozen embryo transfer was performed either 5 days after starting progesterone (D3 cryopreserved embryos) or 7 days later (blastocyst cryopreservation).
On day 10 of the stimulated cycle, the maximal endometrial thickness in the sagittal plane was measured ultrasonographically using a 5-mHz endovaginal probe. Endometrial thickness less than 7 mm was considered thin, and a thickness equal to 7 mm or more was considered adequate. Thus, we divided the patients into two groups based on endometrial thickness and then we reviewed the clinical charts of both the groups and noted past duration of use of combined OCPs. In the literature, Farrow et al7 showed no adverse effect of more than 5 years of combined OCP use on women's fertility. Therefore, we initially defined long-term use as 10 years or more to examine whether there was any effect of combined OCP use on the endometrium. However, we also analyzed the data from 5 years of use. In the women with endometrial thickness less than 7 mm on day 10, we continued E2 at a dose of 8 mg per day for up to 1 week to estimate whether an increase in endometrial thickness could be obtained in this group. If the thickness was still less than 7 mm after another week of estrogen administration, then the cycle was cancelled. Additional demographic factors that were noted and later compared in both the groups were body mass index (calculated as weight (kg)/[height (m)]2), age at menarche, type of infertility (primary or secondary), and duration of infertility (Table 1).
All analyses were performed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences and GraphPad Prism software and Excel 7. One-sample Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was conducted for testing normality. For continuous parameters in both groups that were normally distributed, parametric t tests were performed, whereas the nonparametric Mann-Whitney test by ranks was used to analyze the nonnormally distributed data. The χ2 and Fisher exact tests were used for categorical variables. A significance level of 0.05 was used for all comparisons. We categorized the patients into four groups: those with endometrial thickness less than 7 mm and those with endometrial thickness more than 7 mm, and those with more than 10 years of combined OCP use or less than 10 years of use. For this purpose, a two×two contingency table was prepared taking endometrial thickness and years of combined OCP use as binomial variables. Assuming a null hypothesis of no difference in the proportion of patients with more than 10 years of combined OCP use in the two endometrial thickness groups, we performed Fisher exact tests to assess significance of any difference (Table 2). Similarly, we used the same strategy to check the significance for 5 years of combined OCP.
We also calculated the mean endometrial thickness in patients using combined OCPs for more than 10 years and less than 10 years. The difference in the means and its significance was calculated. Finally, binary logistic regression was performed and the odds ratio was calculated, taking the years of combined OCP use as the independent variable and endometrial thickness of less than 7 mm and 7 mm or greater as the two possible outcomes (dependent variable). Box plots taking endometrial thickness and years of OCP use were also drawn, highlighting any outliers (Fig. 2).
Of the 488 patients with frozen embryo transfer between 2008 and 2010, 137 patients were within the same age group (30–45 years), had the same protocol for endometrial preparation before embryo transfer, and had a history of combined OCP use more than 2 years before treatment (Fig. 1).
As illustrated in Table 1, 30 out of the 137 patients (21.9%) had an endometrial thickness less than 7 mm on day 10 of the frozen embryo transfer cycle. These patients comprised the study group with mean endometrial thickness of 6.06±0.62 mm. The control group comprised 107 (78.1%) patients who had an endometrial thickness of 7 mm or more. The mean endometrial thickness in this group was 10.03±1.45 mm. The P value for endometrial thickness was highly significant (P<.001; Table 1). The mean age in the less than 7 mm endometrial thickness group was 36.27±3.40 years, and in the other group it was 36.06±3.32 years. Age and body mass index were normally distributed; hence, Student t test was used for comparison. The P values were .63 and .30, respectively (Table 1). Likewise, no significant difference was observed between degree of infertility (primary or secondary) and duration of infertility in both groups (as shown in Table 1). However, the age at menarche was 0.5 years later in the less than 7 mm group (P=.01; Table 1). The mean years of combined OCP use in the less than 7 mm endometrial thickness group was found to be 9.8±4.54, and in more than or equal to 7 mm group it was 5.8±4.52. The difference in means of duration of combined OCP use was highly significant between the two groups as tested by Mann-Whitney test by ranks (P<.001; Table 1). Taking 10 years of use as a threshold for long-term combined OCP use, 63.35% of patients were long-term users in the less than 7 mm endometrial thickness group whereas 28.04% were long-term users in the 7 mm and above endometrial thickness group. This difference was also highly significant (P<.001) by Fisher exact test (Table 2). The odds ratio was 4.43 (95% confidence interval 1.89–10.41), indicating that those patients with a history of combined OCP use of less than 10 years had 4.43-fold odds of having optimum endometrium compared with those who had used OCPs for 10 years or more.
We also analyzed the data taking 5 years of combined OCP use as the threshold based on a previous study using this definition7 and found that 5 years of use also had a significant adverse effect on endometrial thickness. In the 7 mm or greater thickness group, 56.1% had used the OCP for more than 5 years compared with 86.6% in the less than 7 mm endometrial thickness group (P=.002 by Fisher exact test; Table 3). Alternatively, to consolidate these findings further, we calculated the mean endometrial thickness on cycle day 10 in patients using combined OCP for less than 10 years and for 10 years or more. The mean thickness was 9.54±1.88 mm and 8.48±2.33 mm, respectively, with P=.007. The mean endometrial thickness for those who had used combined OCP for less than 5 years was 9.72±1.69 mm, whereas for those with 5 or more years of use, the mean thickness was 8.81±2.23 mm (P=.008). Figure 2 shows the box plot with 5 years of combined OCP use as the cutoff. The 50th percentile of endometrial thickness in less than 5 years of use was 8.5–11 mm, whereas it was 6.7–10.75 mm in 5 or more years of OCP use. There were no outliers in the 5 or more years of use group. In the less than 5 years group, there was one high outlier and three low outliers.
As secondary outcome measures, we calculated cycle cancellation and pregnancy rates. We found that 7 of 30 cycles (23%) were cancelled in the study group because of persistently thin endometrium despite continuing estrogen stimulation for 7 more days. The rest of these women completed the cycle with prolonged treatment with estrogen. The mean day of starting progesterone in the 7 mm or greater endometrial thickness group was 10.06, whereas it was 14.43 in the less than 7 mm endometrial thickness group. Thus, an extra 4 days of estrogen was needed in the thin endometrium group to reach the required 7-mm-thick endometrium before starting progesterone (P<.001; Table 1). In the 7 mm or greater endometrial thickness group, four cycles were cancelled for various reasons other than thin endometrium. The overall cycle cancellation rate was 4% (4 of 107), which is significantly less than the thin endometrium group in which the cycle cancellation rate was 23% (7 of 30; P=.002; Table 1). The pregnancy rate in the less than 7 mm endometrial thickness group (including patients in whom up to 7 more days of estrogen was required to thicken the endometrium) was 13% (4 of 30 patients), whereas it was 27% (29 of 107 patients) in the 7 mm or greater endometrial thickness group (P=.15; Table 1).
In the present study, the endometrial thickness was recorded in women of similar ages who received the same endometrial preparation for frozen embryo transfer. All had a history of combined OCP use of varying duration, and all had stopped the combined OCP 2 years before frozen embryo transfer.
The only literature we could find addressing long-term combined OCP use (defined as 5 years or more) and fertility suggests that there is no adverse effect on endometrial growth or pregnancy outcome.7 In fact, the authors observed a reduced time to pregnancy in women using combined OCPs for 5 or more years compared with less than 5 years or no use at all. The authors speculated that the combined OCP may prevent the possibility of endometriosis progression by minimizing endometrial proliferation and menstrual bleeding, thereby improving the chance to conceive. It is known that there are other health benefits of combined OCP use, such as a reduced risk of endometrial,8 ovarian,8 and colorectal cancer.9 The ovarian and endometrial benefits appear to persist for more than 15 years after stopping OCPs. The reduced risk of endometrial cancer was attributed to the antiproliferative actions of progestin on the endometrium.8,9 A later study hypothesized that the 50%–60% reduced endometrial cancer risk with the use of combined OCP or progestin-releasing intrauterine device was partly attributable to negative selection for subclinically mutated glands (phosphatase and tensin homolog mutated glands).10 This mechanism cannot explain a suppressed endometrial growth in normal endometrium. However, the observation that the protective effect against endometrial cancer persists for a long time in combined OCP users might support our findings that long-term combined OCP use in the past somehow hampers optimal endometrial growth.
Because most of the effects of estrogen on the uterus are mediated via estrogen receptors,11 there is a possibility that there is deficiency of estrogen and progesterone receptors in a suboptimal endometrium. However, it also has been established that estrogen or progesterone receptor concentrations were not related to endometrial thickness and receptivity, and that the only significant correlation is with the relative concentrations of these receptors.12 For example, the ratio of progesterone receptor to estrogen is decreased in endometrium with a supposedly favorable pattern for implantation compared with endometrium with a suspected adverse pattern on ultrasonography. Clomiphene citrate, a selective (estrogen) modulator with both estrogen agonist and antagonist properties, has been demonstrated to result in an endometrium that is thinner than that seen with other stimulated cycles,13,14 most likely because of depletion of estrogen receptor levels in the endometrium. Clomiphene citrate inhibits estrogen-induced endometrial epithelial cell proliferation and estrogen response element transactivation, thereby inhibiting the recruitment of steroid receptor coactivator-1 to estrogen receptor α.15 There may be a similar mechanism explaining the long-term effects of combined OCP use, although at present there are insufficient data to validate this suggestion.
Adequate endometrial growth is important for embryo implantation. Most investigators suggest that an endometrial thickness of 7 mm or more is preferable for successful implantation during fertility treatments.13,16–18 Some studies state that a minimum endometrial thickness of 6 mm18 is acceptable as a prerequisite for pregnancy, and yet another study reported pregnancy with endometrium as thin as 4 mm.19 In a previous study of infertile women receiving estrogen replacement, an endometrial thickness of 7 mm or more was more likely to have an in phase endometrium compared with an endometrial thickness of less than 7 mm.20 In our study, we found that the average endometrial thickness in the thin endometrium group was 6.06±0.62 mm, whereas it was 10.03±1.45 mm in the 7 mm or greater endometrial thickness group. With longer duration of treatment with estrogen, the thin endometrium group may catch up and frozen embryo transfer is possible, although further along in the cycle. A total of seven cycles had to be cancelled in the less than7 mm group because of persistently thin endometrium.
Currently, much focus is on endometrial stem cells and their important role as the “regenerator” of the human endometrium. Although endometrial growth and differentiation are primarily regulated by estrogen and progesterone, it is postulated that the clonogenic activity of the endometrial epithelial and stromal cells is actually responsible for the remarkable regenerative capacity of the human endometrium. Several growth factors have been identified to support clonogenicity.21 Kjiana et al21 demonstrated for the first time to our knowledge that inactive endometrium, ie, endometrium of women using oral contraceptive therapy and postmenopausal women, also contains clonogenic epithelial and stromal cells. The endometrium regenerates on cessation of oral contraceptive therapy and, in postmenopausal women, when hormone replacement therapy is started. However, they also demonstrated that the cloning efficiencies were lower in inactive endometrium than either the proliferative or the secretory phase endometrium. This suggests that the number of clonogenic cells increases with cycling21 and supports the possibility that with a prolonged period of inactivity there is significant suppression of the stem cells, so that the endometrium fails to recover even with estrogen stimulation or needs a much prolonged or higher-dose stimulation for optimal functioning.
We acknowledge that the present study is limited by several factors. The sample size is small and we also lack information on the exact composition of the combined OCP (dose and type of estrogen and progestin) used. At present, we do not have knowledge of the mechanism of this potential adverse effect of combined OCPs and a biologic explanation for this phenomenon awaits further research. However, we believe our findings of an association between long-term use (5 years or more) of combined OCPs and persisting thin endometrium in women undergoing frozen embryo transfer cycles demonstrates an unusual and, until now, unidentified side effect of combined OCPs, leading to a higher cancellation rate and more days of stimulation. These findings may be of importance when counseling women considering long-term contraception.
1. Trussel J. Contraceptive efficacy. In: Hatcher RA, editor. Contraceptive technology. 19th revised ed. New York (NY): Ardent-Media; 2007.
2. Speroff L, Darney PD. Oral contraception. In: A clinical guide for contraception. 4th ed. Philadelphia (PA): Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2005. p. 21–138.
3. Rivera R, Yacobson I, Grimes D. The mechanism of action of hormonal contraceptives and intrauterine contraceptive devices. Am J Obstet Gynecol 1999;181:1263–9.
4. Deligdisch L. Hormonal pathology of the endometrium. Mod Pathol 2000;13:285–94.
5. Grow DR, Iromloo K. Oral contraceptives maintain a very thin endometrium before operative hysteroscopy. Fertil Steril 2006;85:204–7.
6. Oliveira JB, Baruffi RL, Mauri AL, Petersen CG, Borges MC, Franco JG Jr. Endometrial ultrasonography as a predictor of pregnancy in an in-vitro fertilization programme after ovarian stimulation and gonadotrophin-releasing hormone and gonadotrophins. Hum Reprod 1997;12:2515–8.
7. Farrow A, Hull MG, Northstone K, Taylor H, Ford WC, Golding J. Prolonged use of oral contraception before a planned pregnancy is associated with a decreased risk of delayed conception. Hum Reprod 2002;17:2754–61.
8. Collaborative Group on Epidemiological Studies of Ovarian Cancer, Beral V, Doll R, Hermon C, Peto R, Reeves G. Ovarian cancer and oral contraceptives: Collaborative reanalysis of data from 45 epidemiological studies including 23,257 women with ovarian cancer and 87,303 controls. Lancet 2008;371:303–14.
9. Cogliano V, Grosse Y, Baan R, Straif K, Secretan B, El Ghissassi F, et al.. Carcinogenicity of combined oestrogen-progestagen contraceptives and menopausal treatment. Lancet Oncol 2005;6:552–3.
10. Lin MC, Burkholder KA, Viswanathan AN, Neuberg D, Mutter GL. Involution of latent endometrial precancers by hormonal and nonhormonal mechanisms. Cancer 2009;115:2111–8.
11. Weihua Z, Saji S, Makinen S, Cheng G, Jensen EV, Warner M, et al.. Estrogen receptor (ER) beta, a modulator of ERalpha in the uterus. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2000;97:5936–41.
12. Ohno Y, Fujimoto Y. Endometrial oestrogen and progesterone receptors and their relationship to sonographic appearance of the endometrium. Hum Reprod Update 1998;4:560–4.
13. Randall JM, Templeton A. Transvaginal sonographic assessment of follicular and endometrial growth in spontaneous and clomiphene citrate cycles. Fertil Steril 1991;56:208–12.
14. Gonen Y, Casper RF. Prediction of implantation by the sonographic appearance of the endometrium during controlled ovarian stimulation for in vitro fertilization (IVF). J In Vitro Fert Embryo Transf 1990;7:146–52.
15. Amita M, Takahashi T, Tsutsumi S, Ohta T, Takata K, Henmi N, et al.. Molecular mechanism of the inhibition of estradiol-induced endometrial epithelial cell proliferation by clomiphene citrate. Endocrinology 2010;151:394–405.
16. Friedler S, Schenker JG, Herman A, Lewin A. The role of ultrasonography in the evaluation of endometrial receptivity following assisted reproductive treatments: A critical review. Hum Reprod Update 1996;2:323–35.
17. Kovacs P, Matyas S, Boda K, Kaali SG. The effect of endometrial thickness on IVF/ICSI outcome. Hum Reprod 2003;18:2337–41.
18. Coulam CB, Bustillo M, Soenksen DM, Britten S. Ultrasonographic predictors of implantation after assisted reproduction. Fertil Steril 1994;62:1004–10.
19. Sundstrom P. Establishment of a successful pregnancy following in-vitro fertilization with an endometrial thickness of no more than 4 mm. Hum Reprod 1998;13:1550–2.
20. Hofmann GE, Thie J, Scott RT Jr, Navot D. Endometrial thickness is predictive of histologic endometrial maturation in women undergoing hormone replacement for ovum donation. Fertil Steril 1996;66:380–3.
21. Kjiana E, Schwab R, Wah SC, Gargett CE. Putative stem cell activity of human endometrial epithelial and stromal cells during the menstrual cycle. Fertil Steril 2005;84(Suppl 2):1124.
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Ask the experts: carbohydrates and sugar
Are carbohydrates good or bad for you?
“There’s no such thing as good or bad foods. Carbohydrates are part of a healthy eating pattern and are an important source of iron and B vitamins, not to mention energy. Physiologically, they’re the main source of fuel for our brain, and they’re also key to our gut microbiome. While they are not ‘bad’, it’s crucial to remember that not all carbs were created equal. Dietary guidelines often refer to two kinds—refined carbohydrates (foods such as white bread and biscuits) and wholegrain carbohydrates (foods such as oats, barley and brown rice), with the latter having a higher nutritional value than the former. There is some emerging evidence that the balance of our gut microbiome can be influenced by our intake of carbohydrate types, and that excess sugar intake may create an imbalance of the good and bad bacteria in our gut. Enjoying a wide variety of fruit, vegetables and wholegrain foods can be key to a healthy microbiome. When making the choice to have carbs, it’s important to remember that those that fall into the wholegrain category are a key source of fibre and often the smarter option.”
Is a low-carb diet the best option for weight loss?
“As always, the best approach to weight loss is the one you can stick with long-term. Science tells us that there are lots of dietary approaches to losing weight, and that it is not necessary to cut out whole food groups like the carbohydrate food group, which would include bread and pasta. But thinking about the type of food you’re choosing—whether that’s carbohydrates or something else—and being mindful of the amount that you’re eating is important for weight management. If you’re looking to lose weight or follow a healthier eating pattern, it makes sense for refined carbohydrates to be one of the foods that you choose to eat less frequently. One reason is they’re low in nutrients, as much of the nutrition is lost in the refining process. They also have a higher glycaemic index (GI) than wholegrain carbohydrates, which means you wouldn’t be as satisfied after a refined grain food as you would be if you ate a wholegrain food.”
Should I limit my intake of carbs at certain times of the day, such as at night?
“There is no scientific proof that having foods at different times of day has a different physiological effect. Food is going to break down exactly the same way regardless of what time of day you have it. That said, there are lots of people that prefer to have their largest meal towards the beginning of the day, and a small meal at the end of the day, because they’re moving less and they sleep better. It’s really about finding that healthy eating pattern that you can stick with long-term. That will be the key to success, rather than any unrealistic rules, like ‘no carbs after five o’clock’, which is far too restrictive and essentially makes it unrealistic to sustain all the time.”
What’s the link between carbohydrates and sugars?
“The reason sugar and carbohydrates are a part of the same conversation is because sugar is a type of carbohydrate. In terms of refined versus wholegrain, sugar fits into that refined category.”
Are all sugars bad for you?
“We can think about sugar the same way as we think about other carbohydrates, which is that there are plenty of foods that contain sugar that are smarter choices, like fruit or yoghurt that have naturally occurring sugars in them. But there are other foods like chocolates, lollies and soft drinks, which are entirely refined. So following a healthier eating pattern would mean being mindful of the types of foods we eat that contain sugar.”
Why do I crave carbs and sugar and how can I stop it?
“When we look at the science, there is actually limited evidence that sugar is addictive. That said, a high intake of foods that have lots of sugar in them can contribute to us gaining weight and may have a negative impact on our body, such as our teeth. During winter, when we tend to lack exposure to sunlight, our bodies may experience a decrease in the production of serotonin, a hormone linked to mood, appetite and digestion. Eating some types of carbs helps in the production of serotonin, and therefore there is some thinking that there may be a link between us wanting to eat carbs and our bodies needing to top up serotonin. When it comes to why people crave sugar, it can often come back to the habits that we’ve created around particular emotions. So, for example, if we’re stressed or if we’re feeling unhappy, we’ve set up a habit loop where we say, ‘I’m feeling something,’ and then when we feel that, we may choose to eat something sweet, which is the behaviour, and the reward is that we feel better. To stop craving sugar you often need to break the habit loop. So when you’re feeling a certain emotion, instead of reaching for sugary foods replace it with a non-food behaviour that makes you feel good, such as going for a walk, taking a bath or listening to your favourite music.”
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We make limited batches of Crab Grab Stickers, and do not mail any out.
There are really only four effective ways to get a Crab Grab Sticker:
- When we have them in stock, we sell a sticker kit HERE in our online store.
- We send some to the shops that carry Crab Grab and you can sometimes find them there.
- When you buy anything from our online store, we usually toss one in the box for you if we have stickers in stock.
- Find someone with one on their board, and peel it off when they're in the bathroom.
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- 25 May 2015
The high demand for wildlife medicines and products creates extremely high pressures on wild populations of a great range of species. Nearly all of the animals having the highest value are species protected under Vietnamese law. However, law enforcement is inherently weak and poaching and trading of protected animals is more often treated as a trivial offense rather than a serious criminal act. Primates are a part of that illegal trade. For several species, the impact on wild populations is tremendous, and several populations have declined dramatically over the last few decades.
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EASY TO GROW STRAINS
Even the most user-friendly strains require some effort on your part but with our easy to grow strains your experience needn’t be overwhelming. Once you’ve selected your strain, you need to decide what type of seed you are going to cultivate. United Strains of America stock hundreds of the most popular strains in feminized, regular and autoflowering seed varieties (see below).
Depending on the type of seed you choose, there are various pros and cons attached to each. Some seed types are better suited to novice growers but seed suitability depends on a variety of factors including growing space, budget, time, climate, yield expectation and environmental conditions.
Regardless of your choice of beginner strain or seed, novice growers shopping with United Strains of America can be confident that they will be cultivating plants with stable growth patterns, high resilience against pests and mold, a hardy structure and, of course, excellent yield.
THE BENEFITS OF GROWING YOUR OWN
Okay, so you might not be one hundred percent convinced growing your own is the way to go. Our customers choose to grow for a whole variety of reasons but there are three that come up time and again: cost, quality and satisfaction.
Currently, buying bud from a store or dispensary in the USA will cost you around $10 - $15 per gram. More exotic or sought-after strains will cost you even more, anything from $18 per gram upwards. Getting your in this way can quickly make for an expensive pastime or method of medication.
Buy a pack of seeds to grow yourself, however, and the cost savings are apparent almost immediately. Grown under optimal conditions, a pack of ten seeds has the ential to yield hundreds of grams of bud but at a fraction of the cost of buying in a store, around $100 dollars in fact. While you can expect to outlay for growing equipment right at the start, this cost will be recouped after a few successful harvests.
When you’re in control of your grow, you know exactly what’s gone into it. Having purchased high quality, authentic seeds from a trusted online retailer like United Strains of America, it’s you who’s in full control of your plants from seed to harvest. What goes into the cultivation of your plants is all up to you - selecting what kind of fertilizer, pesticide, compost and nutrients is your sole responsibility and allows you to quality assure your plants every step of the way. You can’t say that for shop-bought bud!
As with any kind of growing - be it fruit, flowers or vegetables - there’s nothing to rival the feeling of rearing and growing your own. The whole experience, from start to finish, is immensely satisfying and fills growers with a sense of pride that only comes from nurturing seeds to maturity and enjoying the fruits of your labor in whatever way you enjoy the most.
Now, what’s stopping you? Let’s grow!
SELECTING THE BEST BEGINNER SEEDS
Several of the beginner strains in our seed bank can be purchased in a variety of seed types; the most common being feminized, autoflowering and regular seeds. Your choice of seed type will depend on how you want to approach your grow project and what you want to get out of it.
Feminized seeds or ‘fems’ are the most popular choice among novice and home growers. The reason for this is simple: with a feminized seed you are virtually guaranteed to germinate a feminized plant. Why is this so important? Well, it’s the females, not the males, that deliver the cannabinoid-laden bud that most growers want for smoking, consuming or application.
Autos are popular with both novice and experienced growers for several reasons. First up they grow rapidly; some strains can be harvested in as few as 6-10 weeks from germination! Secondly, autos are compact in structure and height, making them perfect for growing discreetly in small spaces. Lastly, they do not conform to traditional lighting schedules and transition automatically from the vegetative to the flowering stage - this is great for novice growers as it takes a lot of the work out of tending your plants.
For novices looking to immerse themselves in the complete growing experience, regular seeds offer the opportunity for you to put in time, effort and dedication - your harvest will be all the sweeter for it! Regular seeds are the ‘purists’ of the growing world. They boast the strongest characteristics and most stable genetics of all the seed types. However, growers will need to tend their crop carefully at every stage, especially when it comes to successfully separating out male from female plants.
HOW TO: GROWING FOR BEGINNERS
United Strains of America gets you off to a good start with high quality, authentic seeds but it’s down to you as the grower to get your seeds to germinate, grow and flower. Our beginner strains are proven to be hardier and more robust than other strains in our seedbank but harvesting your bud isn’t a foolproof exercise.
If you want to give your seeds the best chance, here’s how to get started:
1. Select a strain that suits your growing area
Before starting, research your strains and select one that suits both your growing area and environment. For example, if you plan to grow outdoors, avoid strains better suited to indoor growing - you will have little influence over the climatic conditions. Growing indoors? Check out and cost up any specialist equipment you need well in advance.
2. Prepare your your grow space
When preparing your indoor or outdoor growing area, ensure your plants have access to the following as a minimum:
- A source of fresh water
- Suitable lighting
- Effective ventilation
- Appropriate temperature and humidity
3. Choose your growing style and consumables
This will be dictated mainly by your growing space and your preferred approach to growing. For example, growing in compost is beginner-friendly and easy on your wallet. You can grow indoors or outdoors with compost but yields can be less and plants can be more prone to pests and disease. Hydroponics, on the other hand, cost more to set-up and can be trickier for newbies to get right. However, growth can be faster and yields can be better. It’s all down to the individual grower.
4. Apply training methods
Whatever style of growing you go for, it’s not as simple as ‘sow and go’. Your plants will need constant attention and monitoring, they may even need a helping hand to get the best out of them.
Training methods are a proven way to improve the performance of your plants. Methods range from simple pruning techniques, right through to careful manipulation of the plant’s structure. Other beginner-friendly methods include:
LOW-STRESS TRAINING (LST) - changes the structure of the plant by bending and tying down the branches.
TOPPING - promotes multiple cola growth by cutting off the node on the plant's main cola, then splitting the stem into two.
SCREEN OF GREEN (ScrOG) - limits the height of the plant while increasing its size and increasing the size of the yield.
SEA OF GREEN (SOG) - maximize yield in a limited space by growing many small plants instead of a few full-size plants.
FIMing - similar to topping but less stressful, this method involves shaving off the top of the plant instead of completely removing it. Doing so encourages the growth of four colas instead of one.
5. Germinate your seeds
Now your preparations are complete, it’s time to germinate the seeds. Sowing a high-quality seed like those stocked in our seed bank is a great starting point but there are still several things you need to do to give them the best chance of growing to fruition.
Of course, how many seeds you plant will depend on how much space you have. A good rule of thumb is this: if growing from regular seeds assume half will be discarded as males and sow double the amount. If growing autos or fems, add a couple of extra seeds into your grow to allow for mistakes or failures.
All seeds need water, air and heat to germinate successfully. Additionally, there are several proven methods for germinating your seeds that you might like to try. These are:
- Planting directly in the soil
- Utilizing a germination station
- Using a moist paper towel
- Soaking seeds overnight
- Starting with Rockwool cubes or seedling plugs
6. Nutrients for your plants
There are several nutrients considered essential for strong and healthy growth in your plants. These are: Nitrogen (N); Phosphorus (P); and assium (K). In addition, Calcium, Magnesium, Iron and Copper are required in smaller amounts. The precise amount your plants need will depend on their stage of their development.
7. Decide when to harvest
A crucial and exciting moment in your grow! Choosing the right moment to harvest can be the difference between harvesting really ent bud (with higher levels) or something less psychoactive (but with greater content).
You will need to examine the flowering colas closely to determine when the time is right. Look for the following:
- 50% - 70% of the pistils (hairs) have darkened and the trichomes (sticky resin crystals) appear milky - content is at its strongest;
- 70% - 90% of the pistils have darkened and the trichomes have mellowed to an amber shade - now the buds contain more relaxing than .
Once you’ve harvested your plants of their tasty treasure, there’s still plenty of work to do. Correctly drying and curing your bud preserves both the taste and quality of your .
1. Carefully trim the colas before drying
2. Designate a drying area where conditions can be controlled. As a minimum, it should:
- Be slessly clean
- Have fans or heaters (season dependent)
- Have a dehumidifier
- Contain a monitoring tool
- The temperature must be set to 70°F
- Relative humidity (RH) level should be around 50%
- The room should be darkened with no moisture leaks
3. Hang the colas on drying racks or on wire mesh and spread out evenly. Do not rush the drying process or expose the buds to too much heat.
4. Check the buds every few days and continue the drying process until your colas pass the ‘Snap Test’.
5. Place the buds in jars and fill each one to approximately three quarters full. Store in a curing environment with a 70°F temperature and 60% RH level.
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Some say there once was a time in ancient days when wild wolves roamed freely, the most eminent predator of the land. The catalyst by which the wolf animal became the creature with the stuff of most high predominance is two fold: the pack instinct and the Moon’s guidance therein.
It started like this: traditionally, a number of lone wolves would howl under the lightest time of night, which time only came once a month. A wolf’s howl would signal to its nearby brother or sister wolves that it was ready and prepared for a companion--a mate. Mother Moon would touch the wolves most compatible with a hand of moonlight and guide their paths to the right partners.
Some several hundred years passed in kind, wolves howling and waiting for gracious Mother Moon’s gentle caress to fall upon them to guide them to their mate. Then a peculiar feat of nature occurred, what men would come to call a total solar eclipse. A time when the Moon completely overwhelmed her brother, the Sun, with her full magnificence and power. That day, the Moon was the closest she had ever been to the land where wolves roamed--that is, the earth.
Now, there was one scrupulous wolf who had been waiting for such a moment, a wolf who most embodied the obedience and reverence any wolf could have for its Mother Moon. This wolf waited many years--many lifetimes, some say--for this moment when the Moon would be so strong, so close, that he could nearly leap and touch it with his nose. Upon the pinnacle of this hallowed moment that he had waited for with fullness of patience never before exhibited, this wolf howled.
Seeing the wolf’s diligence and reverence, the Moon rewarded him with the highest gift she had ever given. She swallowed up his howl and sent it echoing across all the land, to find his partner-wolf most lovely for him, nothing constraining, time nor distance. The wolf who was his perfect match.
The wolf’s howl echoed across all the land, as promised the Moon to the wolf. Faintly blowing in the wind did the wolf hear an answering call. A howl that, secret and quiet and small as it was, pierced his soul. The wolf paced under the moonlight many hours, waiting. And waiting. And waiting.
His perfect partner never arrived.
Worried he had done something to offend Mother Moon, the wolf sent up a call of questioning. The Moon gave no answer other than a sweet brushing of peace across his countenance. So the wolf sat in his spot and waited long after the Moon’s Brother Sun arrived and settled its heat across his white pelt. He sat many moons in that spot, waiting. He moved only when his hunger forced him off his feet and into the forest, but he never strayed far or long. He always returned to his spot before the Moon could wax into its full evolution every night.
The wolf did not know how long he waited, how many years he had been tested, but eventually, on one night just like any other, he felt a vibration under his feet. That night, the Moon was not as strong as she was that time when she completely overshadowed her brother, but she was full and strong. It was the once monthly time. When she was at her height, the wolf heard a howl.
His match came bursting through the forest moments later, black as the night around them and small and tired and nigh unto breaking, but perfect nonetheless. The wolf discovered that his match had been just as patient as he, and when she heard his howl under the strongest Moon she’d ever seen, she saw a path laid before her. She had no inkling of how long or difficult the journey would be, but she had faith that it would lead her to the wolf promised to her. She ran and ran and ran. Through heat and snow and rain and hail. She had run for as many moons as had the wolf waited.
That night they communed under the Moon and thanked her with every mellifluous chorus of howling they sent up to her. When Mother Moon saw how faithful and obedient these two wolves were, she thought they deserved more than the simple expectancy of the simple wolf. They deserved to have their hurts healed faster, their eyes sharpened more, their hearing ears heightened, their legs sped quicker. She gave these as well the gift of more sprawling and intricate language able to be communicated subvocally through what she simply called the bond. She gave them all these gifts, and one other.
She gave them the gift of humanity.
She allowed them to savor all the best parts of being the wolf and more; she gave them life as of then never had by any other being. They were werewolves, she told them. Both man and wolf.
More importantly, they were True Mates.
These Mates lived many years and begat many descendants of the same ilk as they. Some of their children were so blessed as to find True Mates of their own, but many did not, as the blessing was hard and special for the Moon to conceive. And after some years, the Brother Sun had children of his own, ones who were not of the same fold as his sister’s, for their forms were only able to house the souls of humans and not the wolf. Because these Sun people were not engineered the same way--were not as advanced of senses, possessed no special gifts--they were easier to be bred by the Sun and therefore more numerous. Eventually, the Sun children and the children of the True Mates came together and the bloodline was diluted. The werewolves became even fewer and further between as the werewolf gene recessed.
The werewolves prospered in culture and family over time, but they remained very few. Over time, the werewolves began to forget the Moon, forgot their ancestors’ respect for her. Despite this, the moon allowed her werewolf children to continue on, let them keep their gifts of advanced sense and bond communication. She even gave the one here and one there a special, unique gift from her to help them preserve their own and improve their collective quality of life, as she saw them suffering as they were forced into hiding. After all this pure kindness, she did save True Mates only for a select few.
It pained her so, that her people forgot her, but she remembered them. She would always remember.
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“Romance Blue” is a web drama that focuses its storyline around people who are afraid of love. Min Woo (Park Min Woo) is a man that goes on one-day dates with clients for a living. On the other hand, Ji Ahn (Kim Ji Ahn) is a woman that writes letters confessing love on behalf of clients for a living. The title is derived from the saying ‘marriage blues,’ which describes a feeling of depression that a person may feel before getting married. In the context of this web drama, ‘romance blues’ describes the depressed feelings a person may feel before starting a new love.
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Care & Maintenance
Care and Maintenance of your louvres will keep them looking good and increase the life of the product. Regular maintenance is also a condition of the Breezway Warranty. More regular maintenance will be required in harsh environments such as coastal locations.
Maintaining aluminium finishesRegular maintenance of the surface finish will be necessary to reduce the rate of weathering. The frequency of cleaning will depend on the environmental conditions, but as a guide should be done at 3 monthly intervals, or more frequently in aggressive coastal or industrial environments.
- Remove loose deposits by gently brushing or hosing.
- Clean using a sponge or soft brush and warm water with a mild detergent. Avoid cleaning agents with a caustic base, abrasive materials or harsh chemicals.
- Rinse with clean water.
- Dry with a chamois (optional).
- Apply a ‘non-abrasive’ car polish to maintain the lustre of the finish (optional).
Glass cleaningGlass blades should be cleaned with mild, non-abrasive detergents at maximum intervals of 3 months (more frequently in aggressive coastal or industrial environments). Fingerprints can be removed from silkscreen glass blades using a cleaner with a 10% isopropanol detergent (eg Windex Original) and lint-free paper towel. When cleaning, the surface of the paper towel used should be changed frequently to avoid spreading fingerprints. Clean sheets of paper towel should be used to dab the silkscreen glass dry. Abrasive or harsh detergents and cleaning tools should not be used to avoid scratching the glass.
Louvre MaintenanceIt is recommended that inspection be carried out at the time of installation and then at yearly intervals. This may be required more frequently depending upon the variation of location, and environmental conditions. Inspection and checks
- Inspect all screw fixings for firmness.
- Ensure that all Stronghold System pins (if present) are firmly clicked in place.
- Check the louvre clips for any degradation over time.
- Check that the blade is firmly and safely positioned in the clips.
- Ensure all louvre blades operate freely.
- Ensure that seals are in place and clean.
- The Powerlouvre Window should be operated at least once per month.
View/download Care & Maintenance
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Plantar Fasciitis, which is the most common cause of heel pain, is one of the most difficult musculoskeletal conditions to treat. It results in the tearing of the ligament along the bottom of the foot, resulting in extreme pain and inflammation.
This disease affects over 2 million Americans every year, but despite the frequent occurrence of the disease, there are a very limited number of treatments that can help a person get rid of the pain and regain their active, independent lifestyle. However, with chiropractic care for Plantar Fasciitis, the condition can be treated and the patient can achieve a healthier, more active lifestyle.
Chiropractic care is one of those very few treatment options that have helped various athletes, cyclists, and other individuals who were suffering from plantar fasciitis. Not only can the treatment correct misalignment of the foot, it can also relieve the pain and inflammation associated with the disease.
What is Plantar Fasciitis?
Plantar fasciitis is a musculoskeletal condition that affects a ligament called plantar fascia and results in its tearing and inflammation. As a result, the patient experiences the classic symptoms of the disease, including sharp, localized pain that affects the entire foot, particularly the heel.
The cause of plantar fasciitis remains unknown. However, there are certain factors that may increase a person’s risk of developing the condition. These include:
- Age — The disease is more common in individuals aged 40 years or more
- Certain Exercises — Activities and exercises that place stress of heel may induce plantar fasciitis. For example, ballet dancing and long-distance jumping.
- Obesity — Overweight individuals are more likely to develop this condition
- Other reasons — Certain occupations that involve standing for long hours, as well as having a flat foot may increase the risk of developing plantar fasciitis
Chiropractic Care for Plantar Fasciitis
Due to ineffectiveness of various medical treatments in offering pain relief to patients with plantar fasciitis, chiropractic remains a popular choice to treat the condition. At HealthFirst Spine & Wellness, our chiropractors make gentle adjustments to correct the misalignment of the foot and prevent further tearing of the ligament.
In addition to chiropractic, we also use Active Release Technique to relieve stress off the muscles and promote healing of the affected tissues. Based on your unique needs, symptoms, and overall health, our chiropractors may also suggest rehabilitative exercises, as well as dietary modifications to facilitate the recovery.
To learn more about the effectiveness of chiropractic care for plantar fasciitis or to schedule a chiropractic consultation in Austin, you may call us at 512 301 5996.
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(Published September 2009)
Description. The penis is withdrawn from the vagina before ejaculation occurs.
Use. In withdrawal, the man withdraws his penis from the woman’s vagina before he climaxes and ejaculates. The practice requires the man to be able to recognize when he is about to ejaculate and to withdraw the penis from the vagina and away from the woman’s external genitalia in time. Withdrawal is often used by couples as a backup method to condoms or hormonal methods.62
Effectiveness. This method is effective. The pregnancy rate of this method appears to be similar to that of the male condom—approximately 4% with perfect use and 18% with typical use.62 There is no evidence to support the common belief that preejaculate fluid contains sperm.63
Risks and Side Effects. None.
- Readily available
- No cost
- No advance planning necessary
- Requires cooperation and self-control of male partner
- Lower efficacy than some other methods with typical use
- Required with every act of intercourse
- Lack of protection against STIs
Counseling Messages.Withdrawal can be part of a larger risk-reduction strategy when used with hormonal, barrier, or other methods. Although not as effective as some contraceptive methods, it is substantially more effective than not using a method at all. Withdrawal can be discussed as a legitimate, if slightly less effective, contraceptive method just as condoms and diaphragms are. Counsel women who rely on withdrawal to protect themselves against STIs. Encourage patients to obtain EC in advance; provide a prescription if the patient is less than 17 years old.
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What could be more relaxing than doing a puzzle as you are transported to a magical atmosphere and soundscape? Fit the jumbled pieces together in the various themed images: forest or snowy scenes, etc. to form the pictures using the bonuses available to you. Remember: always use the bonuses wisely to reveal the key pieces to help you find the others more easily!
In Jig Art Quest you can also customise your puzzles by importing your own images and music: you'll never tire of the endless hours of gameplay fun!
Jig Art Quest
- Several difficulty levels
- Themed puzzles
- Create your own puzzles
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Manipulating small objects
Using small objects such as craft jewels, beads, counters, buttons or even small construction pieces, place them carefully along a line or a shape.
You could ask an adult to draw a wiggly line, a zigzag line, or perhaps the letters in your name for you to follow as a guide.
Try to use your index finger and thumb to pick up your objects. Can you swap hands? Which hand is easier and which is harder?
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How much do you miss when you’re distracted by a cellphone conversation?
Researchers at Western Washington University in Bellingham, Wash., decided to study whether talking on a cellphone was such a distraction that people wouldn’t notice obvious events happening in the world around them. They theorized that people engrossed in a phone call had “inattentional blindness,” meaning that they looked at their surroundings as they talked, but none of it registered.
But how to test the theory?
“I was trying to think about what kind of distraction we could put out there, and I talked to this student who had a unicycle,” said Ira E. Hyman Jr., a professor in the university’s psychology department. “He said, ‘What’s more, I own a clown suit.’ You don’t have a student who unicycles in a clown suit every day, so you have to take advantage of these things.”
The result is a fascinating study that suggests pedestrians who talk on cellphones are oblivious to the events around them.
In two studies, Dr. Hyman and his students monitored pedestrian traffic across a popular campus square. They tracked a total of 347 pedestrians, noting whether they were walking without distraction, listening to music, talking with a friend or talking on the phone. In the first study, they noticed that people talking on the cellphone walked more slowly, changed directions more frequently and were often weaving off course. They were also less likely to acknowledge other people with a head nod or a wave.
Now, enter the unicycling clown. The student, Dustin Randall, donned a purple-and-yellow clown costume with polka dot sleeves, red shoes and bulbous red nose. And then Mr. Randall hopped on a unicycle and began pedaling around the square for an hour. After pedestrians crossed the square, the researchers stopped the walkers and asked, “Did you see anything unusual?”
Among pedestrians who were listening to music or walking alone, one in three mentioned that they had just seen a clown on a unicycle. Nearly 60 percent of people who were walking with a friend mentioned the clown. But among people who had been talking on the cellphone, only 8 percent spontaneously remembered the clown.
Then the researchers followed up with a second question: “Did you see the unicycling clown?” With prompting, 71 percent of the people walking with a friend remembered the clown. The numbers were also higher for people listening to music (61 percent) and those who were walking alone (51 percent).
But among those who had been talking on a cellphone, the ability to recall seeing the clown still was startlingly low. Only 25 percent of cellphone talkers remembered seeing a clown on a unicycle, according to the report in the journal Applied Cognitive Psychology.
“It’s a huge dropoff of awareness of the environment around them,” Dr. Hyman said. “It shows that even during as simple a task as walking, performance drops off when talking on the cellphone. They’re slower, less aware of their surroundings and weaving around more. It shows how much worse it would be if they were driving a car, which is a more complex task to manage.”
Numerous studies in driving simulators show that talking on a cellphone while driving impairs performance on a par with driving while intoxicated. In other studies in which eye movements were tracked, cellphone talkers still looked around, but they were unaware of the images passing through their perceptual field. The earliest studies of this phenomenon asked participants to count the number of times two people passed a basketball back and forth. The counters were so distracted by their task that half of them did not notice a person in a gorilla suit walking through the scene.
“They put their eyes on things, but they don’t see it,” Dr. Hyman said. “This is a funny example, but once they move onto sidewalks or where they have to worry about cars, they are putting themselves at risk.”
Dr. Hyman noted that even the study participants found it hard to believe they had failed to notice a clown on a unicycle. “They were utterly surprised they missed it,” he said. “You can think you’re doing fine and be missing all sorts of things.”
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To: All Msg #166, Oct0693 03:30PM Subject: Turtle ancestors identified The Sept 24, 1993 i
From: Kathleen Hunt
To: All Msg #166, Oct-06-93 03:30PM
Subject: Turtle ancestors identified
Organization: University of Washington, Seattle
From: [email protected] (Kathleen Hunt)
The Sept 24, 1993 issue of Science has an article about turtle evolution.
Turtles have long been a puzzle in paleontology, because they seemed to
appear suddenly in the fossil record, with complete turtle shells even on
the first known turtle fossils. This article is a re-analysis of
pareiasaurs, large armored herbivorous reptiles from the late Permian.
They share 16 derived characters with turtles (13 of which are absent in
all other basal amniotes) and appear to be turtles' closest relatives.
Pareiasaurs had longitudinal rows of bony plates on the back, flanks, and
sometimes the belly. Based on the proposed realignment of pareiasaurs
with turtles, it seems likely that these plates are the precursor of the
The paper is:
Lee, M.S.Y. 1993. The origin of the turtle body plan: bridging a famous
morphological gap. Science 261:1716-1720.
E-Mail Fredric L. Rice / The Skeptic Tank
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Researchers from Georgia State University have used improved technological approaches to further demonstrate the role that healthy gut flora plays in helping prevent metabolic disorder, something which an estimated 34 percent of American adults suffer from.
Once healthy gut flora is disrupted, they say, the door that leads to inflammation and in turn, health problems such as metabolic disorder, is left wide open. Therefore, the experts note that it’s important to keep the bacteria that reside in the intestines functioning properly.
“We’ve filled in a lot of the details about how it works,” said Dr. Andrew Gewirtz, a professor in the Institute for Biomedical Sciences at Georgia State who was involved in the study.
“It’s the loss of TLR5 on the epithelium, the cells that line the surface of the intestine and their ability to quickly respond to bacteria. That ability goes away and results in a more aggressive bacterial population that gets closer in and produces substances that drive inflammation.” In addition to metabolic disorder, an upset in gut flora can also lead to chronic inflammatory diseases such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease.
According to the American Heart Association, the disorder typically surfaces when a “cluster of metabolic risk factors” — high triglyceride levels, abdominal obesity, low levels of HDL cholesterol, high blood pressure and high fasting glucose readings — occur together. Those affected are more prone to stroke, heart disease and diabetes.
How Healthy Gut Flora Changes for The Worse.
The researchers explain that, usually, bacteria maintain a certain distance from epithelial cells. But they found that, when gut microbiota is altered, bacteria behave more aggressively and get very close to the protective epithelium. It’s then that harmful substances can be produced, wreaking havoc on the body.
The study, recently published in the journal Gastroenterology states:
“Several chronic inflammatory diseases affecting the gastrointestinal tract, as well as a variety of other organ systems, are associated with alterations in gut microbiota composition, suggesting involvement of the microbiota in these disorders.”
In addition to behaviors that can lead to obesity and high blood pressure such as an improper diet or chronic stress, it would appear that society’s attempt to control what occurs naturally in the body also plays a role.
Some Meds Alter Gut Bacteria. Choose Natural Foods Instead.
For example, the authors of Why Stomach Acid is Good For You: Natural Relief from Heartburn, Indigestion, Reflux & GERD, Jonathan Wright, MD, and Lane Lenard, PhD, explain that people’s excessive use of over-the-counter and prescribed medications designed to keep stomach acid at bay is doing more harm than good to one’s system.
People pop the likes of antacids like it’s going out of style, often without considering the fact that ingestion of these items disrupts healthy gut bacteria and may even lead to MORE of what they’re trying to escape in the first place. Their bottom line is that healthy bacteria is needed to flourish, not be tampered with as though they are an evil meant to be constantly fought off.
To keep healthy gut flora intact and bolster immunity while staving off metabolic syndrome and conditions such as Crohn’s disease, irritable bowel syndrome and even seasonal allergies, experts suggest eating a diet rich in probiotics, which are already existent in a normal digestive system. Probiotic-rich foods include sauerkraut, plain unflavored yogurt, kefir, miso, kombucha tea, tempeh and kimchi.
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PASQAL has launched Quantum Discovery, a cloud-accessible web platform designed for groups of employees to explore the benefits of neutral atoms quantum computing. The platform includes three modules that allow users to build their understanding of quantum computing, discover real-world applications, and explore how their businesses could benefit.
PASQAL, a leader in neutral atoms quantum computing, has launched Quantum Discovery, the first neutral atoms quantum computing exploration platform. The cloud-accessible web platform is designed for groups of employees to explore the benefits of neutral atoms quantum computing. The program includes three modules that users can complete in any order. The first module, Onboard Yourself in Quantum, allows users to get familiar with the core concepts of quantum computing, the underlying physics, and PASQAL's quantum algorithms through pre-recorded video tutorials, click-through demos, and a VR Tour of PASQAL's hardware. The second module, Interact with Quantum Computing, enables users to run and adjust pre-coded algorithm demos on real quantum hardware and emulators through integrated Jupyter notebooks. Users can also experiment with the code, adjusting parameters to see the impact on the results and runtime. The third module, Identify, Prioritize Use Cases, guides users through a set of questions tailored to identify relevant use cases. Users can learn about example use cases for each of PASQAL’s core algorithms and test if their unique enterprise use cases can be solvable with PASQAL's algorithms. PASQAL believes that neutral atoms quantum computing has the greatest potential to reach quantum advantage and deliver strategic value to enterprises across industries. With the launch of Quantum Discovery, enterprise users can now explore the benefits of neutral atoms quantum computing for themselves. Following the Quantum Discovery stage, enterprises can develop proof of concept with the support of PASQAL's team of quantum programmers and test them on a quantum processor. PASQAL also offers the opportunity to work with its team to develop a specific roadmap toward quantum advantage, which will be executed by a multidisciplinary team with domain experts, experienced quantum developers, and quantum hardware engineers. Finally, enterprises can leverage quantum computing in the enterprise through API-accessible cloud-based solutions and insert quantum applications into workflows. As a quantum computing evangelist, I believe that Quantum Discovery is an important step toward the democratization of quantum computing. This platform will enable more people to understand the potential of quantum computing and how it can be applied to solve real-world problems. Neutral atoms quantum computing, in particular, has the potential to deliver strategic value to enterprises across industries. It is exciting to see companies like PASQAL leading the way in this field and making quantum computing more accessible to everyone. If you are an enterprise looking to explore the benefits of quantum computing, I highly recommend pre-registering for early access to Quantum Discovery. This is an opportunity to gain a competitive advantage in the race toward quantum advantage and ensure that your company is well-positioned for the future of computing.
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== Comments ==
== Comments ==
* In the adult film [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0128647/ "Summer of '72"] (which is the source of samples found in [[ Sixtyniner ]]/[[Sir Prancelot Brainfire]], [[Niagara]] and [[ P:C: ]]), there is a character duo named "Julie" and "Candy", may be reference to .
|Julie And Candy|
In the past, we've taken a much more minimal approach to the texture, like single melody lines where you could clearly hear the instrument. I guess we're heading back toward that empty sound now after Geogaddi, but sometimes it's nice to make a track that just sounds like a weird cacophony of undefined instruments. Most of "Julie And Candy" was actually made up of recorders and flutes.
We don't like using digital things or computer effects so we get sounds by doing things like running whole parts through a really bad tape recorder or something like that. Like the intro on "Julie And Candy" for example, we just played the melody on a couple of whistles and then we bounced it back and forward between the internal mics of two tape-decks until the sound started disappearing into hell. Like when you look at an image reflected within two mirrors forever, in the distance it gets darker and greener and murkier.
Shirley: "You're putting me on!" Gregg: "We're going to try it, you ever try it?" Shirley: "You're putting me on!" Gregg: "I'm TURNING you on." Shirley: "You're putting me on! Where did you get that stuff?" Gregg: "Oh, Nikki's growing a patch out in the backyard". Shirley: "Come on, you're putting me on." Nikki: "Yeah, he's putting you on, he's a brat!" Shirley: "Uh-huh. Sure, sure!"
The original audio sampled from "Season of the Witch". MP3 sample
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Most Powerful Flashlight 90000
- Powerful led flashlight use X-Lamp XHP70.2 LED for a maximum output of up to 90000 lumens.
- Rechargeable battery compartment to make the working time longer. Battery capacity display, telescopic zoom Micro USB for computer USB, car USB, USB charging plug, charging flashlight.
- Constructed from aero grade aluminum alloy Robust HAIII military grade hard-anodized
- Waterproof in accordance with IPX-4, Water-resistant, can be used in rainy weather, but can not put into water.
- Suitable for working, hunting, climbing, fishing, camping, and outdoor activity, etc. Impact-resistant to 2 meters.
- All orders are shipped within 1-2 Business days.
- Approximate delivery time of this product is 5-7 Business days.
- All orders are shipped with tracking number so you can track it every step of the way.
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Definition of multifid
a. - Having many segments; cleft into several parts by linear sinuses; as, a multifid leaf or corolla. 2
The word "multifid" uses 8 letters: D F I I L M T U.
No direct anagrams for multifid found in this word list.
Adding one letter to multifid does not form any other word in this word list.Words within multifid not shown as it has more than seven letters.
All words formed from multifid by changing one letter
Browse words starting with multifid by next letter
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Warhol’s Bald Eagle 296 is thought to have captured the wild beauty of this rare bird. The bald eagle is also the national bird of the United States and is a symbol that was chosen by the Founding Fathers in 1782 as the Great Seal of the United States. The Great Seal depicts the bald eagle with 13 red and white stripes, on a blue field with the same number of stars. The eagle holds an olive branch in his right talon and in his beak is a scroll with the motto “e pluribus unum.” This specific print is considered to be one of the most desirable images in the portfolio.
Bald Eagle 296 by Andy Warhol as Part of His Larger Body of Work
In 1983, Warhol was commissioned by his friend and publisher Ron Feldman and his wife Freyda to create the series Endangered Species to raise environmental consciousness. Both Freyda and Ronald were celebrated political activists who were very active philanthropists. Warhol fondly referred to this series as his “animals in makeup” given the bold pop of colors he used to portray the animals as large than life. It was during the mid-1980s that Warhol was forming bonds with a number of younger artists in the New York art scene including Jean-Michel Basquiat, Julian Schnabel and David Salle. Warhol saw a re-emergence of critical and financial success during this period of his life. Other series produced during this period include the Shoes series, Myths series, and Ten Portraits of Jews of the Twentieth Century.
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Have you ever met a Lottery winner? Think about it, there must be thousands, if not tens of thousands of them out there, but have you ever met one? What happens to them? Where do they go? Do they just get sick of all the greedy neighbors and relatives begging for money, and go into hiding? Or is it something far more sinister?
I’ll tell you what happens to them, and let this be a warning to you. Be careful, with the Lottery. More importantly, be very careful about which cash-out option you choose. How do I know? Because my dad won the lottery, and this, is my story.
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learn from the best
personalized video feedback, every lesson
you will have access to this course for 1 year
8 lessons learned only €385,00 incl. VAT
Or join this Course as a non-interactive course for only Euro 119 incl. VATView masterclass
The Basic Techniques for Jazz Trombone course will teach the basic techniques necessary for a jazz trombone player.
We will look into the technical side of the trombone, the improvisational techniques and the musical elements bringing it all together.
In this comprehensive course we will look into the technical side of playing the trombone, some of the improvisational techniques you can use and finally we will bring all these elements together.
10 backing tracks recorded for this course from Rob van Bavel
Certified from the Conservatorium van Amsterdam
Personalised video feedback every lesson
Watch the video for more information or go directly to the content of this course
Content of this course
Bert will talk about some of the most fundamental aspects of playing Jazz trombone and I will go into relevant subjects such as:
How can we start a note - Beats and grooves - The 2-5-1 progression - How to end a phrase - Horizontal Improvisation - How can you create variety in your performances?
In this lesson we will learn the basic techniques of the jazz trombone. We will review the light tonging, the use of the slide and the correct way of using your air.
In this lesson we will extend the methods we explored on lesson 1. We will use play alongs to practice our technique and look into the proper technique of starting a note.
In this lesson we will work out our rhythm!! We will focus exclusively on rhythmical improvisation and apply exercises to achieve this. we will practice with a groove play along and refine our timing.
In this lesson we will look at the various ways of ending a phrase. We will practice the different techniques and review the possibilities of creating your own "trade mark" .
In this lesson we will discuss the four elements FIRE, WATER, AIR and EARTH. We will compare each element to musical elements and implement those in our improvisation over the blues.
In this lesson we will explore the harmonic and melodic possibilities over a 2-5-1 progression. We will look at the different notes and scales we can apply on the progression and practice the different possibilities.
In this lesson we will look into the subject of horizontal improvisation. We will start by choosing guide-tones and practicing our way between the different chords. We will go into the table of chord-tones to see the different possibilities.
In this second lesson about horizontal improvisation we will keep working with the same methods applied on lesson 1. We will extend these methods to a more complex chord progression and apply this technique in our improvisation.
How it works
The course is a series of related video lessons, each structured around a specific topic or topics. By the end of this course, you will have developed a strong sense of direction in your daily study routine.
Weekly video lessons
After joining the course, you will be able to view a new video lesson weekly. Each video lesson consists of:
- Examples that musically define the sound of the topic you are studying in each video.
- A study routine section in which we first discuss how to study the specific topic of each lesson. We will then play several exercises specially written to show you how to structure your daily study routine.
- Assignments that will help you consolidate and practice what you have learned in each video.
After each lesson, you will be asked to study, practice and then video record yourself playing an assignment which may consist of several exercises. When ready, you submit the video of your assignment. The process of having to record yourself every week, significantly helps to internalise the material discussed in this course - quickly and naturally.
You will then receive a video with individual and personalised feedback to each assignment, every lesson. The personal feedback that you receive will enable you to improve and clarify any questions that might arise during your weekly study. You can view the feedback as many times as you like.
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Mandibuloacral dysplasia is a rare genetic disorder where the lower jaw (mandible) and collarbone (clavicle) are not fully developed. Individuals also experience bone loss at the ends of their fingers and toes as well as fat loss from various parts of their body. This disorder is known to be caused by a change (mutation) on either of two different genes in the human body. There are two types of mandibuloacral dysplasia (Types A and B), which is determined based on which gene is mutated. The disorder is autosomal recessive, which means that both parents have to have at least one copy of the mutated gene in order for the child to have a chance of getting the disorder.
The type of disorder (A or B) often predicts when a person will start seeing signs of the disorder. For type A, the age is usually between 4 to 5 years old; whereas, for type B, the age is closer to 2 years old. Signs and symptoms vary from person to person. However, some common symptoms include underdevelopment of the jawbone, bulb-looking fingers and toes, distinct facial features that make an individual look older (along with hair-loss), and sloping shoulders. Individuals may also have a high-pitched voice, a delay in sexual features, and may develop an insulin resistance (the hormone responsible for controlling the amount of sugars in our blood), which could lead to diabetes.
A doctor may identify mandibuloacral dysplasia by looking at an individual's symptoms and their medical history. It is important to know that not every person experiences all the symptoms listed here. Many treatments do exist for those with this disorder including medicines that can be given to combat diabetes. Exercise and keeping a healthy weight are also recommended.
If you have been diagnosed with mandibuloacral dysplasia, talk with your doctor about the most current treatment options. Support groups are also good resources of support and information.
Description Last Updated: Jun 14, 2018
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IZA DP No. 12254: To Europe or Not to Europe? Migration and Public Support for Joining the European Union in the Western Balkans
For decades, countries aspiring to join the European Union (EU) have been linked to it through migration. Yet little is known about how migration affects individual support for joining the EU in prospective member states. We explore the relationship between migration and support for EU accession in the Western Balkans. Using data from the Gallup Balkan Monitor survey, we find that prospective and return migrants, as well as people with relatives abroad, are more likely to vote favourably in a hypothetical EU referendum. At the same time, only people with relatives abroad are more likely to consider EU membership a good thing. Our results suggest that migration affects attitudes toward joining the EU principally through instrumental/utilitarian motives, with channels related to information and cosmopolitanism playing only a minor role. Overall, our study suggests that migration fosters support for joining a supranational organization in the migrants' countries of origin, which, in turn, is likely to affect political and institutional development of these countries.
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What to do with this activity?
You don't need expensive toys to keep your older baby or toddler busy. Tearing paper into small pieces can be fun and satisfying for them. The act of tearing encourages useful finger and co-ordination skills. Your toddler will learn to hold the paper between the thumb and pointing finger of each hand, then move each hand in a different direction. It's quite difficult!
You can use any sort of paper, but don't use newspapers because newsprint comes off on hands. Explain to your child that this is paper set aside for tearing, and to treat books and other paper items with care.
Help them stick down the torn paper to make simple pictures - watch this Youtube clip of toddlers making an owl picture. Part of the pleasure of tearing paper is the sound, as this Youtube video of a laughing baby proves.
Learning to move, reach and grasp helps children develop the muscles and skills to scribble and learn to write when they get older. Body awareness and learning to do big movements (like crawling and walking) and small movements like the pincer movement (where you lift up things with your index finger and thumb) are important parts of your child's development. It is part of awakening and developing your brain. For your young child, reaching for objects helps build their coordination and will help them hold crayons later on.
Have fun with your child dancing to music. This helps their coordination. If your child is moving their arms or body at all they are dancing!
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Format of Original
Brain Research Reviews
Locomotor networks in the spinal cord are controlled by descending systems which in turn receive feedback signals from ascending systems about the state of the locomotor networks. In lamprey, the ascending system consists of spinobulbar neurons which convey spinal network signals to the two descending systems, the reticulospinal and vestibulospinal neurons. Previous studies showed that spinobulbar neurons consist of both ipsilaterally and contralaterally projecting cells distributed at all rostrocaudal levels of the spinal cord, though most numerous near the obex. The axons of spinobulbar neurons ascend in the ventrolateral spinal cord and brainstem to the caudal mesencephalon and within the dendritic arbors of reticulospinal and vestibulospinal neurons. Compared to mammals, the ascending system in lampreys is more direct, consisting of excitatory and inhibitory monosynaptic inputs from spinobulbar neurons to reticulospinal neurons. The spinobulbar neurons are rhythmically active during fictive locomotion, representing a wide range of timing relationships with nearby ventral root bursts including those in phase, out of phase, and active during burst transitions between opposite ventral roots. The spinobulbar neurons are not simply relay cells because they can have mutual synaptic interactions with their reticulospinal neuron targets and they can have synaptic outputs to other spinal neurons. Spinobulbar neurons not only receive locomotor inputs but also receive direct inputs from primary mechanosensory neurons. Due to the relative simplicity of the lamprey nervous system and motor control system, the spinobulbar neurons and their interactions with reticulospinal neurons may be advantageous for investigating the general organization of ascending systems in the vertebrate.
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A few other tips:
- When deciphering plastic triangle codes, know that numbers 1,2,4 and 5 are the safest for food storage. Stainless steel and glass are always smarter green alternatives, but at the current time, those plastic codes are considered safest among plastics.
- Avoid numbers 3, 6, and 7. Don’t use these for storage because of their chemical content.
- Make sure glass or ceramic containers are free of metallic paint.
- Don’t be fooled by “microwave safe;” this labeling does not guarantee that there’s not leaching of chemicals taking place when placed inside the microwave. It is becoming the general consensus by environmentalists to NOT microwave ANY plastic containers. That’s right. Chemicals are more likely to leach out when plastic is heated.
- Cover foods with something other than plastic wrap. It is highly recommended that you cover foods in the microwave to prevent splattering with wax paper or another ceramic or glass plate. If you do use plastic wrap, then make sure it doesn’t touch the food. (Since this is next to impossible, you might want to just bypass the plastic wrap being used in the microwave. No need to take the risks.)
- Avoid putting hot foods in plastic containers. You need to let your leftovers cool off before storing them in plastic because heat will increase the chemical leaching opportunities.
- Dispose of worn out plastic containers – if their surface is scratched and worn down — this can also cause chemical leaching.
- Do not wash plastics with harsh chemicals because this can cause more leaching. Even dishwashers pose a hazard; avoid putting your plastics in the heat of the washer and avoid leaching risks.
You might want to reuse some plastics, where practical. The American Chemistry Council has written up a helpful “Deck the Halls With Less Waste: A holiday ‘how-to’ guide for plastic reuse and recycling;”
Finally, about those plastic grocery bags. If you’ve accumulated them and don’t know where to take them for recycling, check this website. Keep in mind when dropping off bags that yours are clean and dry, and be sure to remove your receipts!
Another great source for plastics information is The Center for Health, Environment and Justice, based in Falls Church, VA. They have created an extensive list of products, with manufacturers named along with each company’s website listed on every plastic product imaginable – from pacifiers to laptops. This is an extraordinary list of information on where to buy organic and sustainable products in the marketplace; plastic and non-plastic.
Copyright © 2008 Green Right Now | Distributed by Noofangle Media
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There are several factors which raise the risk of colon cancer:
- Family history of colon cancer
- Family history of colon polyps
- Personal history of inflammatory bowel disease ( Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis)
- Personal history of a genetic syndrome associated with colon cancer
- Receiving abdominal radiation as a child
- HIV infection
Globally, the incidence of colon cancer varies over 10-fold. The highest incidence rates are in Australia, New Zealand, Europe, and North America, and the lowest rates are found in Africa and South-Central Asia. We think these differences are due to differences in diet and environment, but also underlying genetic factors.
In the United States, the lifetime incidence of colon cancer in patients at average risk has been estimated to be approximately 4 percent. Colon cancer rates are also around 25 percent higher in men than in women.
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A Simple App to Help with Short Term Saving Goals
Sometimes more expensive purchases cannot be made immediately, you need to put away some cash regularly to afford it. This App calculates how much you must save every period (day, week, month or year) to achieve a given lump sum.
Alternatively if are putting away a given amount each period it will tell you how much you will have at the end of a number of periods (days, weeks, months or years).
The App helps you to understand what must be saved on a regular basis to reach a short term saving goals. In the following example the lump sum to save is 150 over an 8 week period. To achieve this 18.75 must be put aside every week.
In the next example it is seen that to save 8000 over 12 months then 153.85 needs to be saved every week. However, if the amount saved is rounded up to 160 then after 12 months the total available is 8320.
The App helps work out what you save by cutting out those little purchases you make on a regular basis. What would you save after 6 months if you cut down your daily purchases by 2, well 366.
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Teaching and training resources
The following may be downloaded free of charge, when used as a non-commercial in-house teaching or training resource. It must not be offered for sale, rent, lease or for any other commercial purpose, or distributed as a whole or in parts without the prior written consent of Construction Information Ltd.
Tertiary Institutions may make a reasonable number of photocopies for teaching purposes.
|Guide to writing specifications|
This guide will help you when writing specifications, particularly those based on a standard specification system such as Masterspec. It also explains the approach taken in the Masterspec standard text to grammar and style. This will act as a guide to amending existing and writing new, specification clauses.
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Generating debug information in platform-native file formats (like ELF or COFF) may be an overkill for JIT compilers; especially if all the debug info is used for is displaying a meaningful backtrace. The issue can be resolved by having the JIT writers decide on a debug info format and also provide a reader that parses the debug info generated by the JIT compiler. This section gives a brief overview on writing such a parser. More specific details can be found in the source file gdb/jit-reader.in, which is also installed as a header at includedir/gdb/jit-reader.h for easy inclusion.
The reader is implemented as a shared object (so this functionality is
not available on platforms which don't allow loading shared objects at
runtime). Two gdb commands,
jit-reader-unload are provided, to be used to load and unload
the readers from a preconfigured directory. Once loaded, the shared
object is used the parse the debug information emitted by the JIT
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IRB Approved Study Number:
Type of Subjects:
The Infant Cognition Lab is seeking infant participants age 11–12 and 18–24 months-old for a study investigating how infants think about faces.
Participants can be seen at one of two locations, the UMass Amherst Infant Cognition Lab or at the UMass Center, Tower Square, Springfield, MA.
Infants will watch a fun puppet show and complete a reaching task using characters with different faces.
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In Euclidean space (geometry), two parallel lines on the same plane cannot intersect, or cannot meet each other forever. It is a common sense that everyone is familiar with.
However, it is not true any more in projective space, for example, the train railroad on the side picture becomes narrower while it moves far away from eyes. Finally, the two parallel rails meet at the horizon, which is a point at infinity.
Euclidean space (or Cartesian space) describe our 2D/3D geometry so well, but they are not sufficient to handle the projective space (Actually, Euclidean geometry is a subset of projective geometry). The Cartesian coordinates of a 2D point can be expressed as (x, y).
What if this point goes far away to infinity? The point at infinity would be (∞,∞), and it becomes meaningless in Euclidean space. The parallel lines should meet at infinity in projective space, but cannot do in Euclidean space. Mathematicians have discoverd a way to solve this issue.
Homogeneous coordinates, introduced by August Ferdinand Möbius, make calculations of graphics and geometry possible in projective space. Homogeneous coordinates are a way of representing N-dimensional coordinates with N+1 numbers.
To make 2D Homogeneous coordinates, we simply add an additional variable, w, into existing coordinates. Therefore, a point in Cartesian coordinates, (X, Y) becomes (x, y, w) in Homogeneous coordinates. And X and Y in Cartesian are re-expressed with x, y and w in Homogeneous as;
X = x/w
Y = y/w
For instance, a point in Cartesian (1, 2) becomes (1, 2, 1) in Homogeneous. If a point, (1, 2), moves toward infinity, it becomes (∞,∞) in Cartesian coordinates. And it becomes (1, 2, 0) in Homogeneous coordinates, because of (1/0, 2/0) ≈ (∞,∞). Notice that we can express the point at infinity without using "∞".
As mentioned before, in order to convert from Homogeneous coordinates (x, y, w) to Cartesian coordinates, we simply divide x and y by w;
Converting Homogeneous to Cartesian, we can find an important fact. Let's see the following example;
As you can see, the points (1, 2, 3), (2, 4, 6) and (4, 8, 12) correspond to the same Euclidean point (1/3, 2/3). And any scalar product, (1a, 2a, 3a) is the same point as (1/3, 2/3) in Euclidean space. Therefore, these points are "homogeneous" because they represent the same point in Euclidean space (or Cartesian space). In other words, Homogeneous coordinates are scale invariant.
Consider the following linear system in Euclidean space;
And we know that there is no solution for above equations because of C ≠ D.
If C = D, then two lines are identical (overlapped).
Let's rewrite the equations for projective space by replacing x and y to x/w, y/w respectively.
Now, we have a solution, (x, y, 0) since (C - D)w = 0, ∴ w = 0. Therefore, two parallel lines meet at (x, y, 0), which is the point at infinity.
Homogeneous coordinates are very useful and fundamental concept in computer graphics, such as projecting a 3D scene onto a 2D plane.
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The pluripotency of embryonic stem (ES) cells is the result of a highly dynamic equilibrium that is controlled by a complex network of transcription factors that confer unique transcriptional properties to ES cells. Regulation of gene expression appears to correlate with the presence of dual chromatin marks called bivalent domains at the promoters of poised developmental genes. These marks keep differentiation genes silenced but poised and ready to be activated or permanently repressed during differentiation. The process of tissue fate specification is initiated by various signalling molecules that directly impact the dynamic equilibrium of ES cells, particularly on the bivalent domains, inclining and predisposing the balance towards a particular lineage. In here we summarized current knowledge on how different transcription factors and signalling molecules impact on the epigenetic status of ES cells and in turn how this guides the process of mesoderm specification
Embryonic stem (ES) cells have unique properties that allow them to proliferate without apparent limit and to give rise to virtually any cell type of an organism. For all these reasons, ES cells hold great promise for regenerative medicine.
Although ES cells can maintain their undifferentiated status indefinitely, they are extremely sensitive to changes in the extra cellular media. This unprecedented capacity to respond to environmental cues is explained by the existence of a highly dynamic equilibrium that can be easily displaced towards the end points. Thus, by affecting this delicate balance, small changes in signalling molecules are able to induce dramatic changes in gene expression that are crucial for the process of specification. The rapid nature of this response suggests that this dynamic equilibrium is controlled by epigenetic mechanisms.
The process of mesodermal specification is controlled by extracellular signalling molecules that mediate the rapid phosporylation of signal transduction proteins in the cytoplasm as well as the activation of transcription factors which subsequently lead to the activation or repression of their corresponding target genes. These early events highly impact the dynamic equilibrium of undifferentiated cells and finally tip the balance towards mesodermal specification.
2. The dynamic equilibrium of undifferentiated ES cells
Pluripotency is defined as the ability of cells to activate the expression of lineage specific genes in response to stimuli. However, in order to establish the appropriate program of gene expression, tissue specific genes corresponding to alternative lineages should become permanently silenced during differentiation. Differentiated cells, which have permanently silenced those genes, lose their plasticity and ability to respond to many environmental signals. This permanent silencing is mainly controlled by epigenetic events and its deregulation leads to pathologies like cancer. Two major epigenetic events can control the expression of genes at the transcriptional level; histone modifications and DNA methylation.
DNA methylation in mammalian cells is postulated to play multiple roles in cell physiology, including genome stability, genomic imprinting and developmental gene regulation. Regarding its role in gene expression, it is widely accepted that methylation of selected CpG islands located in the regulatory regions of critical genes contributes to their permanent and irreversible silencing.
Genomic DNA in eukaryotic nuclei is packaged into a compact structure known as chromatin. The fundamental unit of chromatin is the nucleosome, which is composed of two copies each of four core histones—H2A, H2B, H3, and H4—wrapped by 146 bp of DNA. The N-terminal tails of histones are subjected to various post-translational modifications that have been demonstrated to control structural chromatin compaction and, in turn, regulate gene transcription.
Histone methylation is probably the most studied histone modification since it is linked to both transcriptional activation and repression. The numerous lysine residues on the histone tails, in conjunction with the various methylation levels (mono-, di- or trymethylation), provide tremendous regulatory potential for chromatin modifications (Martin and Zhang, 2005). Moreover, histone lysine methylation, which was until recently thought to be an irreversible epigenetic mark, can be reversed by histone lysine-specific demethylases, making the histone methylation status extremely dynamic (Shi and Whetstine, 2007). Interestingly, recent studies highlight the importance of histone lysine methylation regarding the predisposition of genes to be activated.
Pluripotency relies on the fact that early developmental genes are not irreversibly silenced in ES cells but remain poised and ready to become active in response to extra cellular signals. Recently, it has been reported that many key developmental genes that are silent in embryonic stem cells display unique histone modification patterns, which make them permissive for activation during differentiation (Azuara et al., 2006; Bernstein et al., 2006; Pan et al., 2007; PMID; Zhao et al., 2007; PMID). This unique histone modification pattern, called “bivalent domains,” consists of large regions of H3K27 trimethylation harbouring smaller regions of H3K4 trimethylation around the transcriptional start site of critical developmental genes. Although initially puzzling, the coexistence of activating (H3K4 methylation) and repressive (H3K27 methylation) marks has been suggested to play a role in silencing developmental genes in ES cells while keeping them poised for activation upon initiation of specific developmental pathways. Moreover, the poised nature of these domains is further reinforced by the presence of poised RNA Polymerase II (Pol II) at the transcription initiation site of the marked genes (Stock et al., 2007). Bivalent genes show absence of DNA methylation despite the presence of numerous CpG islands (Barrero et al., 2012; Fouse et al., 2008; PMID). This might be in part accomplished through the hydroxymethylation of CpGs at these domains mediated by the enzyme Tet1 (Wu et al., 2011). Functionally, the presence of these discrete areas of H3K4 methylation may act as a barrier that prevents the spread of repressive chromatin modifications and perhaps facilitate the binding of lineage-specific transcription factors during differentiation (Szutorisz and Dillon, 2005).
In vertebrates, the polycomb group of proteins (PcGs) play an essential role in maintaining the pluripotent state of ES cells by mediating H3K27 methylation at the bivalent domains. PcG proteins localize at genes encoding developmental regulators and correlate with the presence of H3K27 trimethylation both in mouse and human ES cells (Boyer et al., 2006; Lee et al., 2006). Moreover, mouse ES cells null for specific PcG proteins result in a lack of H3K27 methylation and show aberrantly induced expression of key developmental genes (Azuara et al., 2006; Boyer et al., 2006; Lee et al., 2006). Ubiquitination of histone H2A by the Polycomb complex subunit Ring1B seems to play a role in restraining poised Pol II at bivalent genes (Stock et al., 2007).
On the contrary, the H3K4 methylation marks present at the bivalent domains of silent developmental genes could be catalyzed by several H3K4 methyltransferases that belong to the MLL family (Ruthenburg et al., 2007). The putative contribution of the different members of the MLL family to the establishment of the bivalent domains is mainly unknown, but two recent reports start to unveil details about this fact. Knock down of the newly identified MLL subunit Dpy-30 (Jiang et al., 2011) does not cause self-renewal defects, but rather defects in differentiation. However, knock down of the MLL complex core subunit WDR5 in ES cells has been reported to induce differentiation and loss of self-renewal (Ang et al., 2011).
In order to understand the molecular mechanisms involved in pluripotency, it is fundamental to unravel how the enzymes responsible for H3K27 and H3K4 methylation are specifically recruited to the bivalent domains. Although histone modifying enzymes in mammalian cells are typically recruited to their target regions by transcription factors, a recent report highlights the possibility that the extremely conserved distribution of CpG domains in the regulatory regions of developmental genes plays a role in the recruitment of the Polycomb complex to the bivalent domains (Tanay et al., 2007). Moreover, Tet1 might be facilitating Polycomb recruitment by preserving low levels of DNA methylation at these conserved CpG domains (Wu et al., 2011). Alternatively, the transcription factor JARID2 has been suggested to participate in the recruitment of the Polycomb complex PRC2 to the regulatory regions of developmental regulators in mouse ES cells (Landeira et al., 2010). On the other hand, genome wide correlation studies revealed that the self-renewal transcription factors Oct4/3, Sox2 and Nanog not only occupy gene promoters involved in self-renewal but they are also in high number of developmental genes that contain bivalent domains (Boyer et al., 2005). These findings suggest that these self-renewal factors play a role in keeping developmental genes silenced through the control of the bivalent domains. Although there has been some evidence reported for association of Oct4 with Polycomb components (Wang et al., 2006), nothing has yet been shown for a direct interaction between self-renewal factors and the Polycomb or MLL complexes. Moreover, the association of Nanog and Oct4 with unique transcriptional repression complexes, including subunits of the remodelling complex SWI/SNF, the remodelling and histone deacetylation complex NuRD and the HDAC/Sin3A complex, has been recently reported (Liang et al., 2008). These repressive complexes seem to be involved in the poised silencing of developmental genes mediated by Nanog and Oct4. However, their involvement in the establishment of bivalent domains remains unclear.
In ES cells, bivalent domains are tightly regulated by the balance of activating and repressing activities. The Polycomb complex can mediate the recruitment of the H3K4 demethylase RBP2 to the bivalent domains to maintain the proper balance between H3K4 and H3K27 methylation in mouse ES cells (Pasini et al., 2008). Similarly, the H3K4 demethylase LSD1 is recruited to bivalent domains to regulate the levels of H3K4 methylation in human ES cells (Adamo et al., 2011; Adamo et al., 2011). Moreover, subunits from ATP-remodelling complexes can antagonistically control nucleosome occupancy at bivalent genes (Yildirim et al., 2011). Overall, bivalent domains appear governed by a highly dynamic network of epigenetic activators and repressors that likely makes them extremely sensitive to differentiation signals.
Thus, changes in the balance of transcription and epigenetic factors during specification, including rapid down regulation of self renewal transcription factors and activation of germ layer specific transcription factors, will affect the balance of marks at the bivalent domains and determine the process of specification.
3. Mesodermal specification in stem cells
ES can be maintained in an undifferentiated state in the presence of feeders and LIF or FGF in the case of mouse or human ES cells, respectively. When cells are grown in suspension and in the presence of fetal calf serum, they form three-dimensional aggregates called embryoid bodies (EBs) that recapitulate the early stages of development.
During ES cell differentiation, expression of the T-box transcription factor Brachyury marks the formation of a primitive streak-like cell population that corresponds to early mesoderm. Experiments carried out in differentiating mouse ES cells suggest that, as is the case during embryo development, commitment to blood lineage occurs in mesoderm cells prior to cardiovascular commitment. Two populations positive for fetal liver kinase-1 (Flk-1 or VEGFR2) seem to emerge at different times from the Brachyury positive population. The earliest one corresponds to the hemangioblast, a progenitor that has both hematopoietic and endothelial potential and co-expresses Flk-1 and Brachyury (Choi et al., 1998). These cells undergo a yolk-sac-like hematopoietic program that generates primitive erithroid progenitors. After extended periods of time, hematopoietic populations that express CD34 can be detected (Vodyanik et al., 2005).
The second Flk-1 positive population that emerges from the Brachyury positive one, consists of cardiovascular progenitors able to generate cardiac, endotelial and vascular smooth muscle cells (Kattman et al., 2006). Cells undergoing cardiac specification express the cardiac specific transcription factors Nkx2.5, the GATA family members GATA-4, 5 and 6 and the members of the T-box family Tbx 5 and 20 (reviewed in (Menard et al., 2004).
The transforming growth factor (TGF) β superfamily, which includes TGFβ, nodal, and bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs), the fibroblast growth factor (FGF) and the Wnt families are typical mesodermal modulators. The binding of agonists to the TGFβ receptors leads to the activation of Smad transcription factors that in turn activate the expression of genes like Nkx2.5. The activation of the TGFβ and FGF receptors also activates the MAP kinases pathway leading to the activation of transcription factors like CREB or ATF2. Wnt signalling involves the stabilization and nuclear localization of the transcription factor β-catenin and the subsequent activation of target genes. The complexity of the action of distinct signalling molecules at different spatial-temporal points is further complicated by the existence of cross talking mechanisms between the different signal transduction pathways. Further work will be needed to elucidate the early transcription factors and events targeted by the mesodermal morphogens.
4. The resolution of the bivalent domains; a crucial step for specification
Although the bivalent marks are faithfully transmitted through cell division in self-renewing cells, they should not be regarded as static but as the result of a highly dynamic equilibrium that is controlled by the balance of histone modifying enzymes. This dynamic status is likely to be easily displaced by the action of signalling molecules present in the extra cellular media, providing the basis of ES cell plasticity.
The process of mesodermal specification involves crucial decisions in gene expression that involve both permanent repression and activation of critical genes and that can be summarized in three different events (Figure 1): (i) the activation of early responsive genes involved in mesodermal specification, (ii) the permanent silencing of genes involved in other germ layer specification and (iii) the permanent silencing of self-renewal genes.
In ES cells many early genes involved in mesodermal specification like some of the GATA and Tbx family members, Mixl1 and brachyury contain bivalent domains, reinforcing the idea that these are critical early factors involved in specification. Many of these genes are also occupied by the transcription factors Oct4, Sox2 and Nanog in mouse and human ES cells (Table 1), suggesting that they may play a potential role in controlling their expression by controlling the marks at the bivalent domains.
The coordinated activation of early mesodermal and silencing of non-mesodermal genes during mesodermal specification relies on the impact of signalling molecules in the balance of bivalent domain marks. Although the molecular events leading to the establishment of the mesodermal expression pattern have not been studied in detail, it is likely that the following changes take place. As mesodemal genes become active in response to external cues, they lose the repressive H3K27 methylation mark while keeping the H3K4 trimethylation on their regulatory regions. The change in the balance of marks is expected to be correlated with the presence of elongating forms of Pol II in the coding regions of these genes and activation of transcription. On the contrary, non-mesodermal early genes that are poised in ES cells become irreversibly silenced during mesodermal commitment by losing H3K4 trimethylation, while keeping the H3k27 methylation and accumulating other repressive marks like H3K9 methylation and DNA methylation.
How the resolution of the bivalent domains is controlled at the molecular level is not yet known. The withdrawal of LIF or FGF and the addition of fetal calf serum leads to the differentiation of a percentage of cells into the mesodermal, endodermal and ectodermal lineages. However, why a particular cell commits into any of the different lineages is not fully understood. One can speculate that the three-dimensional organization of the EBs may recapitulate some of the spatial-temporal events of embryonic development that determine cell fate. On the other hand, it is possible that relative differential expression levels of the self-renewal transcription factors in individual undifferentiated cells at the onset of commitment determines their fate. This different relative expression may affect the balance of marks in the bivalent domains predisposing the cells to activate certain genes upon stimulation. In this regard, it is worth noting that Oct3/4 plays a role in differentiation through a gene dosage effect since an increase in its expression causes differentiation into mesoderm and cardiac lineages (Zeineddine et al., 2006). In contrast, repression of Oct-3/4 induces loss of pluripotency and dedifferentiation to trophectoderm (Niwa et al., 2000).
A critical event for the resolution of the bivalent domains during specification is the removal of histone methylation marks. In this regard, recent reports point out the importance of the newly described H3K27 demethylates UTX and Jmjd3 in the activation of Hox genes during development (Agger et al., 2007). Both demethylases associate with MLL complexes, suggesting that removal of the H3K27 mark and maintenance of the H3K4 methylation in genes that become activated during differentiation are coordinated events.
As for the removal of the H3K4 mark in genes that become repressed, several members of the jumomji domain-containing family of demethylases and the enzyme LSD1 can display this enzymatic activity (Klose et al., 2006; Shi et al., 2004). LSD1 plays a role in repressing neural genes during non-neural differentiation by associating with the coREST complex, which in turn associates with the repressor REST. This repressor targets many neural genes and keeps them silenced through the H3K4 demethylation activity of LSD1. This mechanism ensures that neural genes remain silenced during non-neural specification. During neural specification, REST is rapidly degraded allowing transcriptional activation of neural genes (Ballas et al., 2005; Westbrook et al., 2008). LSD1 has also been recently reported to contribute to the downregulation of the expression of genes of the pluripotency network through H3K4 demethylation at their regulatory regions during differentiation (Whyte et al., 2012).
It is possible that not only changes in the level of classical transcription factors contribute to specification. Extra cellular signals may contribute to regulate the levels or the activity of the different histone methyltransferases and demethylases, causing a switch in the balance of histone marks and contributing to the resolution of the bivalent domains. The levels of the subunits of the Polycomb complex Ezh2 and Eed decline during differentiation (de la Cruz et al., 2005) and may contribute in this way to the resolution of the bivalent domains. It is not really known whether the activity of the H3K27 or H3K4 demethylases can be affected by developmental signals. While UTX seems to maintain a constitutive expression, Jmjd3 has been reported to be a target gene of the transcription factor NF-kB, which mediates its induction during inflammatory stimuli in macrophages. Whether Wnt, activin/Nodal, and BMP signalling can modulate the levels of these histone modifying enzymes during mesodermal specification remains to be determined. Changes in subunit composition of chromatin-related complexes might also contribute to establishing the new epigenetic landscapes during differentiation. Such is the case of the Cbx subunits of the Polycomb complex. During the differentiation of mouse ES cells, the expression of Cbx7 is down-regulated, while Cbx2, Cbx4, and Cbx8 are induced, leading to changes in the complex composition and properties (O’Loghlen et al., 2012). In a similar fashion, changes in the expression of histone variants might also be involved in establishing the appropriate patterns of gene expression during differentiation. This is the case of histone linker variant H1.0, which is induced during differentiation and specifically recruited to the regulatory regions of pluripotency and developmental genes, contributing to their repression (Terme et al., 2011).
The remodelling of the chromatin structure is also likely to be actively involved in the induction of gene expression during differentiation. More specifically, recent data describes that the HMG superfamily member of remodellers HMGA2, is necessary for cardiogenesis. HMGA2 interacts with members of the Smad transcription factor family and synergistically stimulates the transcription of the cardiogenic transcription factor Nkx2.5 (Monzen et al., 2008).
Another important event during specification is the silencing of the self-renewal genes. This silencing is mediated by the methyltransferase G9a, which catalyzes the methylation of histone H3 at residue 9 (H3K9) thereby promoting the binding of the heterochromatin protein 1 (HP1) and DNA methylation (Feldman et al., 2006). Thus, in adult somatic cells, the regulatory regions of self-renewal genes like Oct4, Sox2 or Nanog are marked by these repressive marks, which render these genes refractory to stimulation. This permanent silencing guarantees that these genes remain silent and its deregulation may contribute to adult cell dedifferentiation and cancer. Regarding the differentiation of ES cells, the absence of critical signalling molecules like LIF or FGF in the media leads to the down regulation of the expression of self-renewal factors. Due to the intricacy of the self-renewal factor network and the ability of these transcription factors to regulate each other, it is likely that small changes in gene expression are amplified into a rapid silencing response. However, specific repressors like p53 (Lin et al., 2005), GCNF (Gu et al., 2005) and NR2F2 (Rosa and Brivanlou, 2011) have been described to contribute to the silencing of self-renewal genes.
Despite the classical view that the activation of mesoderm specific genes is the most critical event controlling specification, it is becoming clear that the silencing of non-mesodermal genes is as critical for the correct establishment of cell lineages. Thus, other epigenetic events, like microRNAs, participate in ensuring that non-mesodermal and self-renewal factors are silenced during specification.
5. Control of specification by microRNAs
MicroRNAs (miRNAs), single-stranded RNAs of 19–23 nucleotides, are known to negatively regulate gene expression by direct mRNA cleavage, mRNA decay by deadenylation, or translational repression. In mammals, miRNAs usually have imperfect complementation to a 3′-untranslated region (UTR) region in their mRNA targets and are primarily believed to attenuate translation of the target mRNA.
Studies to characterize the levels of miRNA expression revealed that a specific set of miRNAs are expressed in undifferentiated cells while others are induced during differentiation, suggesting that miRNAs have a role in these processes (Lakshmipathy et al., 2007). Importantly, recent reports show that is possible to reprogram somatic cells to pluripotency by overexpressing the miR-302/367 cluster (Anokye-Danso et al., 2011; PMID S1934-5909(11)00111-1 DOI - 10.1016/j.stem.2011.03.001). This cluster is highly expressed in ES cells and plays roles both in maintaining pluripotency and regulating differentiation (Lipchina et al., 2011; Rosa and Brivanlou, 2011).
Recent data indicates that de novo DNA methylation during ES cell differentiation is controlled by miRNAs. Loss of the miRNA pathway component Dicer causes the ablation of the ES-specific miR-290 cluster and impairs the differentiation of mouse ES cells due to the absence of DNA methylation in the Oct4 regulatory regions. The methylation defect correlates with down regulation of de novo DNA methyltransferases mediated by transcriptional repressors that are targets of the miR-290 cluster (Sinkkonen et al., 2008). These findings exemplify how microRNAs can affect the chromatin structure by indirectly controlling the expression of chromatin modifying enzymes.
Several miRNAs are involved in the silencing of non-mesodermal genes during mesodermal specification (Ivey et al., 2008). More specifically, it has been shown that muscle-specific miRNAs, miR-1 and miR-133, act to promote mesoderm differentiation by suppressing the expression of genes involved in alternative lineages. Thus, miRNAs can control cell lineage determination from pluripotent ES cells by fine-tuning the transcriptome of differentiating cells during commitment to a particular fate.
How the expression of miRNAs is regulated during differentiation remains to be determined. Some miRNAs induced during differentiation are kept repressed at the transcriptional level by REST in undifferentiated ES cells and are likely to target self-renewal factors during differentiation (Singh et al., 2008). On the other hand, expression of muscle-specific miRNAs, miR-1 and miR-133, are regulated at the transcriptional level by muscle-specific transcription factors (Rao et al., 2006), suggesting that their function is important during later phases of specification.
6. Future directions
The highly dynamic status of ES cells and their extreme plasticity suggest that the early specification events are controlled at the epigenetic level. Crucial events for specification are initiated by specific signalling molecules that stimulate the transduction of signals through the cytoplasm and ultimately lead to the activation of transcription factors. Although many reports highlight the importance of different signalling molecules and transcription factors in mesodermal specification, how all these signals are orchestrated and how they function to convey the coordinated expression and repression of genes is not fully understood and remains to be determined.
Although the precise molecular mechanisms are not known, it is expected that the signalling events unchained by the mesodermal morphogens impact the equilibrium of activating and repressing chromatin marks in the regulatory regions of poised developmental genes and tip the balance towards transcriptional activation or repression. Although classical studies have highlighted the importance of gene expression activation for specification, it is now becoming clear that permanent silencing of non-lineage genes is crucial for this process. These silencing events seem to be mainly controlled at the epigenetic level through two different mechanisms. One of them ensures transcriptional silencing through a high level of chromatin compaction. The other entails the silencing of the remaining gene expression through postrancriptional mechanisms and seems to be controlled by microRNAs.
Future challenges involve understanding how signalling molecules affect the highly dynamic equilibrium of ES cells at the molecular level and lead to the proper and coordinated gene activation and repression during mesodermal specification.
Work in the laboratory of J.C.I.B. was supported by TERCEL-ISCIII-MINECO, Fundacion Cellex and CIBER.
This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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We are highly complicated beings, with tons of things on our minds, all the emotions and the thoughts, and the constant need to get things done.
We also all have a lot of mental chatter on our minds, which often feels confusing and reduces our cognitive ability.
This mental chatter causes a mismatch in communication with our own selves and makes us feel away from our authentic selves.
Since a lot of things are on our minds most of the times, we can use the power of writing to deeply process thorough our thoughts and emotions to reconnect with ourselves. Truly understanding and connecting with our own authentic selves is how we can offer our best to the rest of the world.
How does Journaling help us?
- It helps to put all our thoughts into perspective, when we write all that we feel in a flow, it helps us process the information better as we try to put our thoughts into words.
- It helps us to process our emotions, when we are in an intense emotional state, our higher-level thinking and reasoning reduces. By journaling, we go through the process of thinking through our feelings, hence we are better able to understand and connect with them.
- It enables us to see a bigger picture, once we have all the incoherent thoughts and emotions written out, we can attempt to understand why we think or feel this way, and maybe acknowledge we need to put in some work and rectify the issues.
- Its therapeutic, we are emotional beings and often want to convey our thoughts and emotions to someone, when people are not available, relating our thoughts to a handy book is a great practice.
- It helps us to see the unseen, we are full of emotions and thoughts and mental ideas and stories about ourselves and others, which are not always true. Writing it out makes us more aware of our thoughts and our underlying behaviors that we were often not aware of.
- It helps us to reconnect with ourselves, Processing through our feelings, thoughts, and our opinions, we start understanding more about ourselves, what are the things we enjoy, what gives us energy, and the activities that makes us feel alive.
- It helps us record emotional events and everyday events in our lives, more often than not, we don’t really remember exactly how we may have felt in the past during a certain event, we have a faint memory of a memory. Our memories are not that solid, when we recall an event, we are playing Chinese whispers with ourselves. Writing emotions and feelings down in a journal acts as a more accurate record of how the life was (in our view) back then, and can offer a journey into our mindset decades ago.
How to journal more effectively?
- Have a dedicated book for journal entry, seeing the book acts as a cue to journal, when we see it, we have an extra incentive to journal.
- Let the writing and the thoughts flow freely.
- Don’t judge yourself on what you write, become an observer of your thoughts and your mind.
- Set yourself up for success, have the book and the pen ready, choose a relatively silent corner, play some Hans Zimmer music if you like some music without lyrics.
- Most importantly, pick a time and just start writing, you will find yourself writing and expressing more than you could expect.
- Make it fun/interactive, add some drawings, doodles.
- Make your own rules, the best thing about a journal is that its yours, and you don’t have to show it to anyone. So, write upside down, from the back, full of doodles, or anything else you like.
I have found journaling to be an extremely effective tool to process through and release my emotions. Whenever I feel overwhelmed and have a lot on my mind, writing it out often gives me the much-needed peace, it feels like a meditative experience.
Do you journal? How has maintaining a journal served you? What tips do you have for someone who would like to journal too?
Use this extremely effective tool of writing out your thoughts and emotions on a piece of paper for more peace of mind. It enables you to reconnect with yourself and be more conscious and aware of your intentions and experiences.
A Student of life.
PS: If this post resonated with you, let me know in the comments, also share if you think it will be useful to others. Thank you, have a great day.
All the images in this post are a courtesy of Pexels.com
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Canadian AML and ATF training
Prevent money laundering and terrorist financing activities
Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorist Financing for Life Insurance Agents and Brokers (Canada) is a Web-based bilingual training program. It provides you with a convenient and inexpensive way to meet FINTRAC/CANAFE Compliance Training rules. We worked closely with Canadian regulators and industry associations to develop the program and ensure it meets mandatory industry training obligations. It is approved by provincial regulators for one hour of technical continuing education credit. We will review and refresh the program annually to ensure that it continues to meet evolving requirements.
Participants learn crucial information about money laundering and terrorist financing, including:
- What money laundering and terrorist financing are and why they need to know about them
- How to deter and detect money laundering and terrorist financing, including “red flags” and examples
- Record keeping, client identification, and activity monitoring and reporting requirements
For more information call our Compliance Contact Center at:
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Recent developments in CBT emphasize the promotion of psychological flexibility to improve daily functioning for people with a wide range of health conditions. In particular, one of these approaches, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), has been studied for treatment of chronic pain. While trials have provided good support for treatment effectiveness through follow-ups of as long as seven months, the longer-term impact is not known. The present study of 108 participants with chronic pain examined outcomes three years after treatment completion and included analyses of two key treatment processes, acceptance of pain and values-based action. Overall, results indicated significant improvements in emotional and physical functioning relative to the start of treatment, as well as good maintenance of treatment gains relative to an earlier follow-up assessment. Effect size statistics were generally medium or large. At the three-year follow-up, 64.8% of patients had reliably improved in at least one key domain. Improvements in acceptance of pain and values-based action were associated with improvements in outcome measures. A "treatment responder" analysis, using variables collected at pre-treatment and shorter term follow-up, failed to identify any salient predictors of response. This study adds to the growing literature supporting the effectiveness of ACT for chronic pain and yields evidence for both statistical and clinical significance of improvements over a three-year period.
- chronic pain
- contextual cognitive-behavioral treatment
- acceptance and commitment therapy
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Protein and amino acid degradation Chemistry 256
Proteins don’t last forever; in fact, some are quite short-lived • Thus there must be a mechanism for the cell to recycle the “broken” protein’s amino acids and not have to synthesize new amino acids, which is energetically more expensive. • Shortest-lived enzymes tend to be the ones that catalyze reactions at metabolic control points.
Ways to mark proteins for degradation • In the cell, there are a couple of ways to target damaged or unwanted proteins: 1. Non-selectively, the protein interacts with a lysosome, with its numerous proteases. The process can be selective when energy levels are low and “KFERQ” proteins are targeted. 2. Selectively, the protein is ubiquinated – that is, it is covalently bonded to ubiquitin. This allows recognition by a proteasome, which degrades the protein.
Lysosomes are vesicular structures Lysosomes maintain an internal pH of 5 and contain about 50 hydrolytic enzymes that work optimally at that pH (are inactive at cytosolic pH). The “food vacuole” shown in the diagram probably contains proteins captured by the cell by endocytosis; generally, the process of which proteins are degraded is nonselective, except in the case of starvation, in which case proteins with the sequence KFERQ (lys-phe-glu-arg-gln) or similar are removed selectively for energy purposes from certain cells.
Ubiquitin marks proteins for degradation without the use of a lysosome • Ubiquitin is a 76-residue protein, highly conserved over many species. • Uses ATP and ubiquitin-activating and ubiquitin-conjugating enzymes, as well as a ligase, to covalently link ubiquitin to the protein at a lysine side chain. • Need at least four ubiquitins for protein to be efficiently degraded by the 26S proteasome = polyubiquitin
“N-end rule” • “destabilizing” N-terminus residues = asp, arg, leu, lys, phe – proteins with these N-terminus residues have a half-life of 2 to 3 minutes. • “stabilizing” N-terminus residues = ala, gly, met, ser, thr, val – proteins with these N-terminus residues have a half-life of greater than 10 hours in prokaryotes, greater than 20 hours in eukaryotes (these proteins are basically never ubiquitinized).
Proteasome = degrades ubiquinated proteins • Multiprotein complex – the 20S proteolytic part and the two 19S “end caps” which recognize the ubiquinated proteins. The caps are also ATPases, which provides the free energy to break up the proteins.
The 20S proteasome is not found in eubac-teria; self-compartmentalized proteases are • E. coli’s Clp protease has D7 symmetry Hollow space in the center is the active site; design is to keep protease from indiscriminate destruction (no ubiquitin signal) Side view Top view
Transamination = transfer of amino acid amine to an α-keto acid • Once free amino acids are made (by proteasomes, pepsin, trypsin, whatever) and transported in the bloodstream, they are transaminated in the cell to yield…a different α-keto acid and a different amino acid. • So why bother? The goal is to get to glutamate, which can be deaminated, and the resulting nitrogen excreted safely.
The recovery of carbon and nitrogen from amino acids • The amine enters the urea cycle, and the nitrogen eventually excreted. • The rest of the acid skeleton is recycled in a number of ways.
Schiff base (aka “imine”) Imines are created when a carbon of a ketone or aldehyde is attacked by a (nucleophilic) amine; as shown above, the inter-mediate is an amine with an alcohol on the α-carbon, which will eventually rearrange into a C=N bond. This final product is the imine, or Schiff base. Note the similarity of the first step to hemiketal or hemiacetal formation.
The lysine of the transaminase enzyme forms a Schiff base with the coenzyme pyridoxal-5’-phosphate (PLP) • PLP is derived from vitamin B6. • Snell, Braunstein and Meztler (1954) showed the mechanism of transaminase is “Ping-Pong”.
Mechanism of transamination Note enzyme is displaced by the amino acid but Schiff base remains. Thus the “ammonia” is carried safely.
Selectivity of the transimination In the previous diagram, note that bonds a, b or c can be cleaved (in this diagram, the C-X, C-Y and C-Z bonds to the α-carbon). Which one gets cleaved is a function of which one lies parallel to the π-bond of the imine that is about to form.
Mechanism of transamination • Enzyme hangs around to act as a base.
Mechanism of transamination • Release of the new α-keto acid. • Then what? Do the whole thing again, but backwards to yield either aspartate or glutamate. • Lysine is the only acid that is not transaminated.
Presence of transaminases in the bloodstream is a bad sign • Comes from damaged liver or muscle tissue. • Serum glutamate-oxaloacetate transaminase (SGOT) or serum glutamate-pyruvate transaminase (SGPT) are measured.
Glutamate dehydrogenase deaminates glutamate • Activated by ADP and NAD+ • Inhibited by GTP and NADH • The ammonium ion liberated is eventually excreted through the urea cycle
How to remove carbons: Tetrahydrofolate (THF) is a one-carbon carrier in amino acid degradation
The group that THF carries determines the oxidation state of THF The oxidation state will determine the potential of the reduction needed to transfer the carbon group.
So an antibiotic strategy is to introduce a molecule that looks like THF but will not carry a carbon group!
The urea cycle • Hans Krebs & Kurt Henseleit, “Studies on urea formation in the animal organism” Hoppe-Seylers Z. Physiol. Chem. (1932). • First metabolic cycle elucidated. • Purpose: excrete excess nitrogen by converting ammonia into less-toxic urea. • Cost: 3 ATP
Pre-urea cycle step occurs in mitochondrion Multi-step synthesis begins with ATP reacting with bicarbonate ion to form carboxyphosphate, which reacts with ammonia to yield carbamate. Urea cycle occurs mostly in liver, and some in kidneys.
Carbamoyl phosphate synthetase catalyzes step 1 • Enzyme complex is like an assembly line, with a 96 Å long tunnel that allows the substrate to move through as it is processed. • Protects intermediates with short half-lives (“channeling”). • Also concentrates ammonia to make carbamate.
Several different CPS enzymes • CPS I is found in the mitochondrion and catalyzes the precursor step to the urea cycle • CPS II is found in the cytosol and catalyzes pyrimidine metabolism • CPS III is found in fish, and is considered to be an evolutionary-link between glutamine-dependent and ammonia-dependent CPS enzymes
The urea cycle occurs in both mitochonrion and cytosol • Citrulline and ornithine are the components transported in and out of mitochondrion. • Cytochrome c, NADH, ATP are necessary reactants (Philip Cohen, 1946) • Citrulline/aspartate step (Sarah Ratner, 1949).
Urea cycle regulated by substrate concentration • The rate determining step of the urea cycle is the first one – the synthesis of carbamoyl phosphate – so the enzyme carbamoyl phosphate synthase is activated by the presence of N-acetylglutamate, which is produced when there is an excess of glutamate due to protein breakdown.
Amino acid degradation • 10–15% of the amino acids are broken down to CO2 and H2O and the free energy harvested. • The rest enter the TCA cycle in one of two ways: • Glucogenic amino acids are degraded to pyruvate or other TCA intermediate that will become glucose. • Ketogenic amino acids are degraded to acetyl-CoA or acetoacetate and thus can be made into fatty acids or ketone bodies.
Some amino acids can never recovered as glucose • Leucine and lysine degrade to only acetyl-CoA and/or acetoacetate, so can’t become glucose. • Animals have no way of converting either acetyl-CoA or acetoacetate back into a glucose precursor.
Methionine leads to homocysteine • Methionine’s breakdown leads through S-adenosylmthionine to homocysteine, which is a cysteine with an extra methylene on the side chain. • Excess levels of homocysteine have been correlated to cardiovascular disease and the probable mechanism is oxidative damage to arterial walls.
THF is a one-carbon carrier • Note that R in the diagram below is the p-aminobenzoic acid and the glutamate moieties. • The one-carbon units can be methyl, methylene, formyl, formimino, methenyl, and are covalently bonded to N-5 and/or N-10. • Critical in formation of neural tubes, so folic acid is a critical nutrient for moms.
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Among Us is an online multiplayer social deduction game. The game takes place in a space-themed setting, in which players each take on one of two roles, most being Crewmates, and a predetermined number being Impostors. The goal of the Crewmates is to identify the Impostors, eliminate them, and complete tasks around the map; the Impostors' goal is to covertly sabotage and kill the Crewmates before they complete all of their tasks. Players suspected to be Impostors may be eliminated via a plurality vote, which any player may initiate by calling an emergency meeting (except during a crisis) or reporting a dead body. Crewmates win if all Impostors are eliminated or all tasks are completed whereas Impostors win if there is an equal number of Impostors and Crewmates, or if a critical sabotage goes unresolved.
While the game was initially released in 2018 to little mainstream attention, it received a massive influx of popularity in 2020 due to many well-known Twitch streamers and YouTubers playing it. In response to the game's popularity, Among Us 2 was announced in August 2020. However, the planned sequel was canceled a month later and the team shifted their focus to improving the original game. Among Us has also inspired internet memes and achieved a large following online.
Among Us is a multiplayer game for four to ten players. Up to three players are randomly chosen to be the impostor(s) each round. A round can take place on one of three maps: a spaceship called "The Skeld", a headquarters building called "MIRA HQ", or a planet base called "Polus". A fourth map, "The Airship", was announced on December 10, 2020 and is planned for release in early 2021.
At the start of the game, Crewmates are assigned "tasks" to complete around the map in the form of minigames, consisting of maintenance work on vital systems such as fixing wires and downloading data. Impostors are given a fake list of tasks to blend in with Crewmates. However, they are unable to actually perform any task. Impostors can sabotage vital systems (such as the ship's oxygen supply), covertly travel through vents, and work with other Impostors to kill Crewmates. If a player dies, they become a ghost. Ghosts can pass through walls, spectate other players, and chat with other ghosts. Living players have a limited cone of vision, but ghosts do not have this limitation.
Ghosts help their living teammates by completing their tasks (as a Crewmate) or performing sabotages (as an Impostor). The Impostors win when they kill enough Crewmates to be equal in number, or when the Crewmates fail to resolve a major sabotage. The Crewmates win by completing all tasks, or by identifying and ejecting all Impostors. Games can also end by players quitting the match if doing so fulfills any win condition (if a crewmate quits the game, their tasks are automatically considered completed).
To help the Crewmates identify Impostors, there are various surveillance systems on each map, such as security cameras system on The Skeld, a doorlog in MIRA HQ, and a vitals indicator in Polus. Crewmates may also confirm their identity through visual tasks, which cannot be faked by Impostors. Any living player may call a group meeting by reporting a dead body, or by pressing the Emergency Meeting button at any time.
During a meeting, players discuss who they believe is an Impostor based on the available evidence. A plurality vote is held, and the chosen player is ejected from the map and they become a ghost. Players can communicate in a text chat, but only during meetings, and only if they are alive (though ghosts can speak with one another at any time). While the game does not have a built-in voice chat system, it is common for players to use external programs such as Discord.
In each game's lobby, various options can be adjusted to customize aspects of gameplay, such as player movement speed, the allowed number of emergency meetings, number of tasks, if there will be visual tasks, or whether or not an impostor is revealed after being voted off. There are also many cosmetic options, including spacesuit colors, skins, hats, and pets, some of which are paid downloadable content.
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Domestic abuse can take many forms. This includes physical violence, threats, and any form of control. At bbl family law we can help you obtain protection from violence or harassment. We recognise this may be the first step on a difficult path, and we can refer you to other agencies for support if necessary.
The different orders the court can make include:
1. Non-molestation orders. These are court orders which forbid certain types of behaviour (typically the use of violence and/or harassment). Breach of an order is a criminal offence. Only certain categories of people can apply. Most often this means people who are, or were, in a relationship, but many other people can obtain protection from this act as well.
2. Occupation orders. These regulate occupation of the family home. The court has a wide range of powers, and can order the violent party to leave the house and keep away from the area around the property. The court can also make orders dealing with payment of the mortgage, bills etc.
3. In appropriate cases the court can make orders which have immediate effect, without notifying the other person beforehand. This means the orders will be in place when the other party finds out about the application.
4. Protection from Harassment Act. This allows the courts to make orders preventing harassment or stalking. Unlike the first two orders, there is no need for the people involved to be “associated persons”. Another difference is that this Act gives the court the power to order payment of damages.
There are many other ways of dealing with abuse which don’t involve the courts, and we at bbl family law can support you through the process.
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What we doWith the assistance of our elaborate network we are able to make translations into and from all current languages in the areas of engineering, law, finances, economics and commerce.
We can translate, proofread and edit your text against a reasonable rate. The price is calculated on the basis of the number of words, the language pair and the degree of difficulty of the text.
At Van der Lee Vertalingen you also have the possibility to have the entire trajectory carried out, from the writing of a text to the eventual delivery in the desired languages and provided with the correct layout. The delivery of texts is always done within the agreed delivery time.
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sciencealert: There’s only one planet we know of in the entire Universe that’s capable of hosting life. That’s Earth. So, when we search for exoplanets that might host life, it’s pretty much what we look for: a rocky exoplanet orbiting a Sun-like star at a distance that is neither too hot nor too cold for liquid water on the surface.
To try to figure out the probability of life elsewhere in the Milky Way, one has to start with a reasonable estimate of how many exoplanets are out there that fit such a bill.
Now, with years of exoplanet-hunting data in the bag, astronomers have made a new calculation and determined there could be as many as 6 billion Earth-like planets orbiting Sun-like stars in the Milky Way.
“My calculations place an upper limit of 0.18 Earth-like planets per G-type star,” said astronomer Michelle Kunimoto from the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Canada. (You may remember that Kunimoto discovered a whopping 17 exoplanets in Kepler data quite recently.)
“Estimating how common different kinds of planets are around different stars can provide important constraints on planet formation and evolution theories, and help optimise future missions dedicated to finding exoplanets.”
As our technology improves, the number of planets outside the Solar System we’ve found has increased in leaps and bounds. To date, we’ve confirmed 4,164 exoplanets, and the number keeps on growing.
But that’s just a drop in the ocean compared to how many planets could be out there. There’s an estimated 100 to 400 billion stars in the Milky Way galaxy, approximately 7 percent of which are like our Sun: G-type main-sequence stars.
However, most of the exoplanets we’ve found to date are large gas or ice giants, like Jupiter or Neptune. Because it’s incredibly hard for us to directly see planets over the very great distances involved, we look at the effects they have on their stars. Smaller, rocky planets like Earth and Mars are harder to find because their effects are much smaller, with a much lower signal-to-noise ratio.
So it’s fairly plausible that there are a lot more Earth-like exoplanets in our galaxy than we’ve spotted so far. To accommodate these missing planets, the team used a technique known as forward modelling to simulate data based on the model’s parameters, applying it to a catalogue of 200,000 stars studied by the Kepler planet-hunting spacecraft that operated from 2009 to 2018.
“I started by simulating the full population of exoplanets around the stars Kepler searched,” Kunimoto said.
“I marked each planet as ‘detected’ or ‘missed’ depending on how likely it was my planet search algorithm would have found them. Then, I compared the detected planets to my actual catalogue of planets. If the simulation produced a close match, then the initial population was likely a good representation of the actual population of planets orbiting those stars.”
From this approach, Kunimoto and her UBC colleague, astronomer Jaymie Matthews, could estimate the number of Earth-like planets in the Milky Way. They defined these as between 0.75 and 1.5 times the mass of Earth, orbiting a G-type star at a distance between 0.99 and 1.7 astronomical units (AU, the distance between Earth and the Sun).
At the upper limit of the estimate of G-type stars in the galaxy – a figure that is also very hard to pin down – these calculations returned a maximum of 6 billion of such exoplanets.
The real number, of course, could be much smaller. And there’s no guarantee that these planets will have life, or are even habitable; after all, Mars is 1.5 astronomical units from the Sun, and it’s so empty of life there aren’t even any tumbleweeds.
But the number gives a new tool to work with, both in our search for this class of planets, and for understanding our own existence in this big old chunk of space.
Source: Published by sciencealert
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Thanks for a little effort toward defining yourself - I see a combination of Martha Stewart scattering grain to her flock & the charges of Jack Palance in "City Slickers" :).Quote:
I have bred and raised chickens and a variety of game birds, to include mallards, pheasants, chukar and quail, not to mention pigeons. I have assisted calving and branding many times.
A nerd is someone who is passionate about or obsessed with scholarly fields, intellectual activities, and esoteric knowledge. The interests of a nerd could include, but are not limited to the following: mathematics, the sciences, linguistics, and technology.
A geek is someone who is passionate about or obsessed with a specific subject or cultural following, which does not necessarily have to be intellectually-based. The interests of a geek are far more specific than the interests of a nerd, and could include interests that would otherwise be considered interests of a nerd. A geek could be interested in anything; it's the intensity and depth of their interest that "deems" them a geek. Such interests include, but are not limited to theater, culinary arts, music, movies, photography, computers, video games, and much more.
A dork is someone who is socially inept and awkward. A dork does not have to be a nerd or geek to be considered a dork.
By my definitions of the words "nerd" and "geek", the terms are only interchangeable when the interests involved are intellectual. For example, someone who is deeply interested in astronomy could be considered both a nerd and a geek; however, someone who is obsessed with such things as Star Wars could be considered a geek, but cannot be considered a nerd. When social ineptitude is present, then a nerd or geek can also be considered a dork.
Now, I know that there are people out there that have their own definitions of the three words, in some cases even having the exact opposite definitions of "nerd" and "geek", but this is just how I define them.
Did they legalize MJ in NM and the PNW?
Yo' Mama regards, JD
I miss alot of the intelligent posters right and left and tonight you remind me of why they left.
Styx, too much time on my hands, regards,
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Antibiotics Home > Amoxicillin Uses
Certain types of bacterial infections can be treated with amoxicillin. Uses of the antibiotic include the treatment of lower respiratory tract infections, ear infections, strep throat, and gonorrhea. The medication is approved for use in both adults and children (including very young children). Some healthcare providers may also occasionally recommend off-label uses of amoxicillin, such as for preventing infections instead of treating them.
What Is Amoxicillin Used For?Amoxicillin (Amoxil®, Moxatag™) is an antibiotic used to treat a variety of different infections, including:
- Ear infections
- Nose infections
- Sinus infections (sinusitis)
- Throat infections, such as "strep throat"
- Urinary tract infections (UTIs), such as bladder infections or kidney infections
- Lower respiratory tract infections (such as pneumonia)
- Helicobacter pylori infections in people with small intestine ulcers (when combined with other antibiotics).
Amoxicillin is approved for treating the above infections only when they are caused by certain types of bacteria. Not all bacteria will respond to amoxicillin. Also, bacteria have different resistance patterns in different regions in the country. This means that some bacteria may be susceptible to amoxicillin in certain parts of the country but not in others. Amoxicillin is completely ineffective for treating viral illnesses (such as the common cold or the flu).
In some situations, your healthcare provider may perform certain tests to see if your particular infection is susceptible or resistant to amoxicillin. In other situations, your healthcare provider may decide to try amoxicillin without such tests, especially for infections that are not severe.
It is important to note that a high percentage of people with mononucleosis ("mono") who take antibiotics similar to amoxicillin develop a skin rash. Therefore, amoxicillin is not recommended for use in people with mononucleosis.
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Baylor’s school had the privilege of listening to Sr. Adele O’Sullivan speak about our city’s homeless. And where their school is located, they see homelessness everywhere. She spoke about how it is our duty as Catholics to care for the least among us and how we can do that. Sr. Adele is the founder of Circle the City, a respite that delivers healthcare to the homeless. In anticipation of her visit, she asked all the students to bring in hygiene items, snack foods, waters and bags. Then each class created Kindness Kits that the Circle the City volunteers hand out to those that visit the facility.
We decided that this was a great way for us to continue this stewardship at home. With a quick trip the Dollar Store and $15 later, we were able to create 6 bags full of soap, toothbrush and toothpaste, water, EmergenC packets, snacks and a few other small hygiene items. We keep them in the car and when we see a homeless person, we offer it to them. Sometimes I get worried that the person won’t want it, but we’ve yet to be turned down.
Creating the bags opened up A LOT of questions. How do people become homeless? Why are they homeless? Why do they need all this? It was a heavy conversation to have. But it opened up a lot of topics too about how blessed we are to have what we have and how we can share that with others.
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In 1907, initiating a series of lectures organized by the French Union for the Defense of the Rights of Hellenism, its President, Theophile Homolle, a former director of the French School of Athens and a prominent archaeologist, paid tribute to “the ardent philhellene and intellectual” Georges Clemenceau, who, being a premier at the time, was unable to attend to that meeting. This aspect of the personality of one of the most celebrated French politicians remains rather obscure. We know that Clemenceau had a classical education -he was awarded a prize in Greek translation and history, when he was eleven years old!-, he admired ancient Greece and was the author of a Life of Demosthenes, as well as that after the victory of 1918, he became a fervent supporter of the settlement of Greeks in Smyrna, Asia Minor. Our knowledge, however, is limited as regards his participation in the just causes of modern Hellenism, and we ignore in general that he was so passionate with archaeology that he could intervene in the deliberations of experts or could finance the excavations in Boetia, for which he was always well informed, despite of the burden of his state responsibilities. Clemenceau was seized by a true philhellenic patriotism, as his controversial choices and progressive gushes prove. He not only approved of the destruction of the Frankish tower and the Turkish minaret on the Athenian Acropolis, but he could even have eagerly added to these “the ignoble pedestal of Agrippa, a monument of the Roman barbarity”. We must forgive these “mistakes” of his, since, at the same time he personified the just causes for the return of the Parthenon marbles and the restoration of the Acropolis monuments.
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1904 printing of the 1904 and 1899 copyrighted text.The author is credited as President of the University of Illinois. The text covers the history of organized systems of education in the United States. It begins by discussing the role of English and Dutch settlers on the educational culture and values of the people of the United States and it precedes to look at the different levels of organization based on levels of government and administration from school districts to townships to counties to states and the national level. It includes private education and colleges and universities. It uses statistics from the United States bureau of education. The Schultz Archive's copy is roughly the complete text.
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A new study shows that being obese, in and of itself, makes it
more likely that a child will be the victim of school bullying,
increasing the risk that the child will experience depression, anxiety,
and loneliness. Steps to address bullying and obesity at the individual, school and community level are badly needed, the study says.
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"The tragic and brutal story of what happened to us, especially at the hands of governments is well-known.... But today, with the adoption of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples by the United Nations General Assembly, we see the opportunity for a new beginning, for another kind of relationship with States in North America and indeed throughout the world." - Statement to the United Nations made 10 years ago by Indigenous representatives from North America when the UN Declaration was adopted.
The adoption of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples was a landmark moment in the advancement of global human rights protections.
For decades, Indigenous peoples had been working within the United Nations and regional human rights bodies such as the Inter-American Commission in an effort to ensure that existing, universal human rights standards were understood and applied in ways that would make a real difference in addressing the many profound abuses faced by Indigenous peoples around the world.
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Creatures with Features: Shuffle, Bounce and Leap
- ISBN-13: 9781925694604
- Publisher/Imprint: AUSTRALIAN GEOGRAPHIC
- Author: Morenos, Steve and Dalgleish, Sharon
- Price: AUD 14.95
- Stock: 2371 in stock
- Availability: Order will be despatched as soon as possible.
- Local release date: 22/11/2017
- Format: Paperback (253mm X 230mm) 24 pages Weight: 160g
- Categories: Wildlife (Children's / Teenage) [YNNR]Interest age: from c 3 years [5AC]
Children learn about how features of animals bodies allow them to move in a certain way. This early reader series features images from leading wildlife photographer, Steve Morenos, with two double-page spreads are dedicated to each Australian animal. Readers are given a close-up look at animal feature and given a chance to guess the animal it might belong to, before learning from the animal why it is useful to them.
*Links to Australian Science curriculum - children learn to recognise common features of animals and how body parts are used for particular purposes such as moving and feeding
* Stunning, detailed photography of native Australian animals
*Great interactive reading experience for parent and child
- Google Preview content
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The objective of today’s waste management strategies throughout the world is to move away from reliance on landfill towards the direction demanded by environmentalists of maximizing diversion by recovering, recycling, reusing, and generating clean energy. This requires a recycling infrastructure, favourable economics and an acceptable source of funding.
Household waste (MSW) is notoriously difficult to physically separate and there is a limit to the percentage of this complex waste that can be segregated at source by householders and MRF operators. From coffee cups to water bottles, expanded plastic food containers to plastic bags, what do we do with our waste streams and mandates to increase diversion from land fill, maximize recovery, recycle and reuse? Although many countries have adopted curb-side recycling and installed on-street storage units for paper, plastic and glass, this method has proved limiting, expensive and still results in a medium to low percentage of materials actually being recovered, with a significant portion of the materials still ending up in landfills.
While recycling methods have mainly been focused on MSW waste, other sources of waste such as the Industrial, Commercial and Institutional sectors have limited or no inclusion into the recycling markets and in most cases end up directly going to landfill.
ENTECH-REM takes the guess work out of managing waste by partnering to provide a sustainable waste management solution.
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Connexion Systems & Engineering, a Boston based IT and Engineering Solutions Company immediately seeks individuals with the following skills:
Date Posted: 2/15/2019
Hiring Organization: Connexion Systems & Engineering
Job Title: Controller
Industry: Manufacturing/Consumer Goods
Location: Canton, MA
Employment Type: Full Time, Permanent
Pay Range: 100K
- Check and approve the weekly check run to ensure that no duplication and overpayments are made. Reviews the accounts payable aging with the CEO and Director of Operations regularly for accuracy and timely management.
- Ensure that account payable are collected promptly
- Reconcile financial accounts; such as journal entries and accruals including depreciation and amortization schedules; reviews and analyzes register, journal, and general ledger entries to ensure that transactions are properly recorded
- Prepare annual budgets, forecasts, projections in conjunction with department managers and reviews them with management for any revisions and changes
- Responsible for the preparation and submission of the annual business property tax returns.
- Process payroll in a timely manner
- Ensure that periodic bank reconciliations are completed
- Ensure that required debt payments are made on a timely basis
- Maintain the chart of accounts
- Manage operating cash flow and bank LOC’s with Management
- Maintain an orderly accounting filing system
- Maintain a system of controls over accounting transactions
- Recommend benchmarks against which to measure the performance of company operations
- Oversee job costing P&L
- Calculate and issue financial and operating metrics for overhead, gross margin, direct labor and net profit.
- Create and manage operating budgets for each department
- Create and manage cash flow operating forecasts
- Calculate variances from the budget and report significant issues to management
- Provide for a system of managing cost reporting
- Prepares and analyzes financial statements, including balance sheets, profit and loss statements, statements of cash flow, and other financial reports periodically. Performs cost variance analysis monthly
- Supervision/control of physical inventory observations.
- In-charge in the preparation of the financial schedules and other reports needed by the outside CPA, Bank and various auditors as needed to ensure compliance for the yearly financial close as required by certain parties.
- Provides ad hoc reporting and supports to the CEO and Owners on special projects, i.e. financial modeling, reporting, profit and cost analysis, and feasibility studies.
- Provide financial analysis as needed, in particular for capital investments, pricing decisions, and contract negotiations
- Oversee new employee on-boarding including communication of company culture, employee handbook requirements, and benefits package(s).
- Oversee Employee Benefits programs, interfacing with third parties for annual renewals of Medical, Dental, Vision, FSA and Dependent Care, and COBRA.
- Oversee the employee annual review process, including forms, content, timelines and communication with management and employees.
- Plan, develop, organize, implement, direct and evaluate the organization's fiscal function and performance.
- Manages all accounting functions, including financial reports, cash flow, accounts receivable, accounts payable, closing of the general ledger, forecasting, and financial analysis; closely manages and analyzes operations expenses, budget and income statements.
- Ensure company accounting procedures conform to U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (U.S. GAAP).
- Enhance and/or develop, implement and enforce policies and procedures of the organization by way of systems that will improve the overall operation and effectiveness of the company.
- Bachelor’s degree in Business, Accounting, or Finance required.
- Master’s in Business Administration, CPA or CMA preferred.
- A minimum of 7 years’ experience with a hands-on management style, preferably in a manufacturing setting.
- Thorough understanding of regulatory, compliance requirements related to and operations in general.
- Ability to plan, set objectives, measure performance, and provide direction and build a culture of employee involvement at all levels.
- Proven leadership capability and goal-oriented management style.
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills
Ability to work closely with a senior management team
When responding to this job posting you MUST include the Job# and Job Title in your subject line.
ConneXion Systems & Engineering
490 Boston Post Road
Sudbury, MA 01776
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ground state n.
The state of least possible energy in a physical system, as of atoms or molecules.
|ground state |
The state of a physical system having the lowest possible potential energy. For example, an electron in the lowest energy orbital in a hydrogen atom is in a ground state. The ground state of a physical system tends to be stable unless energy is applied to it from the outside; states that are not the ground state have a tendency to revert to the ground state, giving off energy in the process. Compare excited state.
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Though told to get a laugh, the joke is on us. IT IS AN ABSOLUTE FACT! Humans have five organs that are essential for survival: brain, heart, kidneys, liver and lungs. But it is the brain that sends signals through the nervous system and secretes hormones to the others. Your brain makes you tick.
And you are the brain's boss.
We humans start using our brain at some point in the womb and continue to learn and grow every living second after that until death or some catastrophic event or affliction. You simply never stop learning by intent, common sense or just living and experiencing. LEARNING NEVER STOPS.
And what we have learned is quite remarkable. It is brilliance, it is remembering, it is observant, it is nuanced, it is world-shattering, it is noble, it is silly. fun. critical and mundane at the same time... and it is all of our world. For a rare few, it is eidetic (or photographic) with an ability to view memories like photographs, pages or numbers or times experienced in the past in great detail. Notables said to have such skills include Charles Darwin, Nikola Tesla, Teddy Roosevelt, former basketball player Jerry Lucas, Mr. T (yes, him) and actress Marilu Henner.
While the brain has amazing powers of significance in our lives, it also captures whimsy with stuff that makes trivia champions too--and everything in between..
So brain, show me fun and amazing stuff you have learned--or will learn now just by reading this below:
- Of the United States, Hawaii is the furthest south. But Alaska is furthest north, west and east (as its archipelago stretches across the 180th degree of longitude marking ultimate east.)
- Tokyo is the most populous city in the world with more that 38,000,000 residents.
- There is a 30-watt light bulb that has been burning continuously since 1901 in a firehouse in Livermore, California. It has been dubbed "The Centennial Light, Its illumination today is about 3-watts, but it stii burns!
- Cleopatra, born in 69 BC, lived closer in time to the iPhone than the Pyramids of Egypt.
- Some turtles can breath through their anus, so if you see a struggling turtle in need of artificial respiration, you are on your own.
- The entire surface of former planet Pluto would fit easily into the area of Russia. And not only that, since its discovery in 1930, it has yet to circle the sun in its wide rotation.
- After English, German is the most widely spoken language in North Dakota.
- The order of the alphabet is totally arbitrary... but I bet they got today's idea from that sABC song.
- The name of all the continents start and end with the same letter.
- A camel's tongue is long enough to clean its own ears.
- The most common name in the world is Muhammad. The second most common is Lee. Yet there has never been a Muhammad Lee or Lee Muhammad.
- Each King in a deck of playing cards represents a historical King: spades/King David, clubs/Alexander the Great, hearts/Charlemagne, diamonds/Julius Caesar
- It often does little good to 'block' robo-calls numbers as the callers' algorithms simply change their last four digits to avoid being blocked.
- Honey is the only food that never spoils. Honey found in the pyramids that were built 2600 years ago is still edible.
DO YA' HEAR ME BRAIN?
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Feb. 9, 2011, 11:04 a.m.
posted by denisk
Formatting Text Boxes
In addition to formatting the text on your slides, you can also format the text boxes that surround the text by applying options such as visible borders, colored backgrounds, and 3-D effects. These options don't change the text inside the text boxes, just the text boxes themselves. Formatting a text box is a good way to draw your audience's attention to a specific bit of text.
To format a text box:
Click anywhere in the text box you want to format. Choose Home Drawing Quick Styles.
The gallery of effects you see in Figure appears. As you mouse over each effect, PowerPoint previews the effect for you on your slide.
Click to choose the effect you want.
On your slide, PowerPoint automatically formats your text box.
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More than one fan has asked for pictures. Here is a watercolour done recently of this blogger in a suit bought in Bali. We have found that H2O is surprisingly common in the Solar System, even far from the Sun. Liquid water exists in asteroids like Ceres and moons like Enceladus. Many worlds are now seen as possible homes for life. They are too distant to be warmed by the Sun, and must have internal sources of heat. This heat could be the sign of Black Holes. Thanks to their warmth, there could be life forms swimming in oceans far from the Sun. Like deep sea fish, they may see in different wavelengths or with no light at all. Perhaps they have developed their own forms of art.
This week Space for Commerce hosts the Carnival of Space!
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In 1962 Town began a series of large formal canvases that depart from his lush and spontaneous Abstract Expressionist handling of paint. He set a number of predetermined rules to govern the composition.
Before starting to paint on the primed canvas, Town applies thin washes of blue-black paint at the centre and tilts the surface to make the paint run. This creates an area of chance, of amorphous shapes. He fills in parts of the canvas in black, creating a figure-ground tension at the irregular edges where the black ends and the grey ground seems to invade it.
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To improve resource management, every user server that’s not actively being used, it’s shut down by the jupyterhub-idle-culler Hub service. Thus, any user pod, will be taken down by the idle culler when they are in an idle state.
Since the server’s kernel activity counts as server activity, the idle-culler also operates at a kernel level. This means that if a user leaves a notebook with a running kernel, the kernel will be shut down, if idle for the specified
User server culling configuration#
To configure the server’s different culling options, these options must be specified on a per-hub basis, under the appropriate configuration file in
jupyterhub: cull: # Cull after 30min of inactivity every: 300 timeout: 1800 # No pods over 12h long maxAge: 43200
More culling options and information about them can be found in the idle-culler documentation.
Kernel culling configuration#
The kernel culling options are configured through the
jupyter_notebook_config.json file, located at
/usr/local/etc/jupyter/jupyter_notebook_config.json in the user pod. This file is injected into the pod’s container on startup, by defining its location and content under
You can modify the current culling options values, under
singleuser.extraFiles.data, in the
singleuser: extraFiles: jupyter_notebook_config.json: mountPath: /usr/local/etc/jupyter/jupyter_notebook_config.json data: MappingKernelManager: # shutdown kernels after no activity cull_idle_timeout: 3600 # check for idle kernels this often cull_interval: 300 # a kernel with open connections but no activity still counts as idle cull_connected: true
If a user leaves a notebook with a running kernel, the idle timeout will typically be the cull idle timeout of the server + the cull idle timeout set for the kernel, as culling the kernel will register activity, resetting the
no_activity timer for the server as a whole.
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- What is surname middle name and last name?
- How do I find my first name and last name in pan?
- Can we edit name in flight ticket?
- Which is first name and last name in passport?
- What is first name and last name example?
- What is the meaning of first name and last name?
- Is surname and father name same?
- What is last name in Tagalog?
- How do I find my first name and last name?
- How can I fill my first name and last name in flight booking?
- Why are we given names?
- What is first name example?
- Do I need my full name on flight tickets?
- What is the best last name?
- Is your last name your surname?
- Which name is last name?
- How do you write a full name?
- What is the first name?
- What is last name example?
What is surname middle name and last name?
Middle names constitute the mother’s maiden surname; is inserted between the given name and the surname (father’s surname) and almost always abbreviated signifying that it is a “middle name”.
For example; given the name Mr.
Jose Patricio Santos.
This is usually abbreviated to Jose P..
How do I find my first name and last name in pan?
Steps to follow are:On the e-Filing website, click on “Know Your PAN”.Enter your Date of Birth or Date of incorporation in DD/MM/YYYY format.Enter your surname first, then enter your middle name and first name.Enter the Captcha Code as shown on the screen.Click on submit. You will Receive the Following Details:
Can we edit name in flight ticket?
Currently, the tickets are non-transferable, hence, name changes on a confirmed reservation are not permissible. You will need to cancel your ticket and book a new ticket with the new passenger’s name. Cancellation charges, if any, will be applicable accordingly.
Which is first name and last name in passport?
In the passport, there are only two parts to furnish the name of the passport holder. The “surname” appears first. The actual name comes next under “Given name”. Different systems are followed in India in giving a name to a person.
What is first name and last name example?
The first name is the name given at birth (Sachin). The last name (surname) represents the name of the family to which the child is born (Tendulkar).
What is the meaning of first name and last name?
The first name is the name given to individuals upon birth and baptism and is mostly used for identification while the last name represents the family and is common to other members of the family.
Is surname and father name same?
The father’s name is not considered a middle name. Instead, it is considered a last name. The same is true for females; they do not take their husband’s last name. They go independently by their given name, followed by their father’s name, and then their grandfather’s name, even after marriage.
What is last name in Tagalog?
The English word “last name” can be translated as the following word in Tagalog: … apelyido – [noun] surname; last name; family name more…
How do I find my first name and last name?
First name will always be your birth name. Surname is second name, mostly your fathers name. Sometimes family name is also added as second surname. In either case, in the USA and elsewhere, you will be addressed or noted as in your 1st or 2nd surname only as the case may be.
How can I fill my first name and last name in flight booking?
When booking your flight ticket, it seems so simple: fill in your first and last name (or family name) in accordance with your passport or identification. If your name is Peter Smith, it is done quickly.
Why are we given names?
A person’s name is the greatest connection to their own identity and individuality. Some might say it is the most important word in the world to that person. It is the one way we can easily get someone’s attention. It is a sign of courtesy and a way of recognizing them.
What is first name example?
First-name definitions The definition of a first name is the name that is given at birth. An example of a first name is Brad in Brad Pitt’s name. A given name or the name that occurs first in a given name. The first of one’s given names.
Do I need my full name on flight tickets?
According to the TSA, “This includes the passenger’s full name as it appears on the non-expired government-issued photo ID, date of birth, gender, and TSA Redress Number, if available.” … This includes middle names. Interestingly enough, your airline ticket, however, does not require a middle name.
What is the best last name?
Using Census Bureau data, 24/7 Wall Street compiled a list of the top 50 last names in the U.S. Here’s what they found:Smith.Johnson.Williams.Brown.Jones.Garcia.Miller.Davis.More items…•
Is your last name your surname?
Your surname is your family name. It is also called your “last name.” When filling out applications, type your surname as it appears on your passport, travel or identity document.
Which name is last name?
In the English-speaking world, a surname is commonly referred to as a last name because it is usually placed at the end of a person’s full name, after any given names. In many parts of Asia, as well as some parts of Europe and Africa, the family name is placed before a person’s given name.
How do you write a full name?
3 Answers. When a US form asks for “full name”, it means the sequence of names as written on your birth certificate or other official documentation (such as passport). In your case, your first name (usually the name you are known by) is the “first name” and your remaining prénoms would be the “middle name(s)”.
What is the first name?
A given name (also known as a first name or forename) is the part of a personal name that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a family or clan) who have a common surname.
What is last name example?
The definition of last name is your surname or the name handed down from your parents. For someone named Jim Smith, Smith is an example of a last name.
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Mounting evidence indicates agriculture is vulnerable to the effects of climate change. In recent decades, research has therefore prioritized the development of adaptive measures to avoid the collapse of food production systems in vulnerable areas.
Climate Change Could Affect Global Agriculture Within 10 Years
Understanding the agricultural consequences of global climate change
Despite growing evidence over recent decades that the agricultural industry would be severely impacted by climate change, reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) state food production remains one of the most vulnerable sectors.
The IPCC defines vulnerability as “the extent to which a natural or social system is susceptible to sustaining damage from climate change impacts, and is a function of exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity”.
The aggregation of these components, therefore, dictates the impact of climate change on agriculture and livelihoods. To understand the vulnerability of agricultural systems to climate change, understanding these components is therefore essential.
The rise of global temperatures alongside increases in the frequency, severity, and duration, of extreme weather events are the primary direct impacts of global climate change on agricultural systems. In addition, indirect factors generated by increased temperatures such as a higher prevalence of pests and pathogens as well as invasive species, also threaten food production.
To date, studies have provided evidence for the consequences of climate change, which allow insights into how agriculture may further be affected in the future. In recent years, a consensus has emerged that crop yields are declining due to climate change. This includes losses in the production of cacao, and coffee, with losses in wheat, maize, and sorghum across Africa and South Asia.
Projected models estimate a mean yield loss of 8% by 2050 for wheat, maize, and sorghum, and 17% for wheat production in Africa. In India, climate change-induced disturbances to the monsoon between 1966–2002 are estimated to have reduced rice yields by 4%. These yields would have been 1.7% higher on average if monsoon characteristics had not changed since 1960.
Effects are therefore already being documented across certain regions. Moreover, although evidence indicates the impacts of climate change affect national and global industries, studies emphasize that it is the marginalized and impoverished rural communities in developing countries whose livelihoods are dependent upon small-scale agriculture who are particularly vulnerable.
A 2021 study by Ortiz Bobea et al., quantified the extent to which climate change is affecting agriculture now and into the future. Using robust econometric models of weather effects on global agricultural total factor productivity (TFP) combined with counterfactual climate scenarios to evaluate impacts of past climate trends productivity, the researchers found climate change has reduced agricultural productivity by 21% since 1961.
Aligning with other studies, models also showed these effects were more severe in lower latitudes, with reductions between 26 to 34% in warmer regions such as Africa Latin America, and the Caribbean.
Importantly, however, authors also found global agriculture has grown more vulnerable to ongoing climate change over time. This may be due to factors such as increased monocultures and reduced soil quality as well as feedback systems that accelerate the degradation of habitats.
Developing effective adaptation measures addressing climate change in vulnerable regions
In response to the impacts of climate change, researchers and policymakers have focused on designing and implementing effective measures to adapt to the effects of climate change or mitigate its impacts. Although many policies have been put forward, few have been implemented effectively.
In a 2020 study discussing the importance and efficacy of adaptation measures in South Asia, Prakash Aryal et al reviewed the major options in the agricultural sector that are available for adaptation to climate change. Authors emphasize that adaptation measures are required to sustain agricultural productivity, reduce vulnerability, and enhance the resilience of the agricultural system to climate change.
The study then presents how agricultural practices that help climate change adaptation in agriculture are available, while the institutional setup to implement and disseminate those technical solutions is yet to be strengthened. Thus, the mismatch between measures and governance appears to hinder the adaptive capacity of agricultural systems.
Although the study limits its review to South Asia, its implications have a global reach, as authors discuss how socioeconomic and political initiatives are able to facilitate but also inhibit adaptation measures if relevant factors are not considered.
The authors conclude by advocating for institutional change to design dynamic policies for long-term climate change adaptation in agriculture rather than a mere focus on agricultural technology. In turn, this will avoid maladaptation and the possibility of large-scale agricultural collapses due to climate change.
Another study by Parker et al. published in 2019 used the Climate Risk Vulnerability Assessment (CRVA) methodology to examine the agricultural systems of Vietnam, Uganda, and Nicaragua, three developing countries particularly vulnerable to climate change.
The models showed that adaptive capacity to climate change differs between regions within each country and identified hotspots of vulnerability as well as the underlying driving indicators.
For example, in Vietnam authors found the Mekong delta to be one of the vulnerable regions due to a decline in the climatic suitability of rice and maize, combined with high exposure to flooding, sea-level rise, and drought. However, the region is marked by a relatively high adaptive capacity due to developed infrastructure and comparatively high levels of education. Similar trends were found in both other countries considered, demonstrating the importance of considering spatial complexity when attempting to understand the impacts of climate change.
Recent studies have therefore honed their focus into finer spatial and temporal scales and have gradually considered how factors of complexity could affect projections and the accuracy of projections. Together, these predictive models can then be assembled and used to design successful action plans, which studies have shown to require dynamic and reactionary adaptability in the face of unpredictable climate change impacts.
Image Credit: Scott Book/Shutterstock.com
Current limitations and future implications for agriculture in an era of climate change
Research efforts addressing the effects of climate change on agriculture have increased in recent years, but the progress in implementing adaptation measures and understanding complexities remains unclear.
For instance, a study published 10 years ago discussing the research progress in agricultural vulnerability to climate change reviewed the existing problems in current research. Authors analyzed issues with scenario application, methods, and uncertainties, before presenting a projection of the direction for future research in the assessment of agricultural vulnerability. The study highlighted major problems in existing literature at the time including, which can be allocated into 4 key issues.
First, the indicator system method of assessing vulnerability faced difficulties as the weight of indices was not standardized. Information such as expert analysis and artificial neural network methods are difficult to weigh, are weighted differently, and the relationships between subsequent indices eventually become a bottleneck of the indicator system method.
Second, the adaptive capacity remained scarce and authors suggested this requires attention in the future, particularly when considering variations over spatial and temporal scales.
Thirdly, the authors demonstrated that the analysis and assessment of agricultural vulnerability are two aspects of vulnerability research that require consideration. The vulnerability of agricultural systems and agricultural vulnerability to climate change should be scientifically identified and distinguished in research, and the problem of uncertainty should be considered in the evaluation process.
Finally, the authors highlight the need to address the lack of socio-economic scenario data and to study in more depth the relatively simple climate scenarios currently applied, specifically focusing on the availability and reliability of data and information.
Since the publication of the paper, some of the issues have been addressed and improved upon. This is particularly true for the attention to adaptive capacity and assessment of vulnerability factors, as seen in case studies on key regions. However, issues on standardizing indices as well as the availability and integration of socio-economic data remains disparate, demonstrating that challenges within agricultural research remain.
Altogether, research has shown climatic variability explains a large proportion of yield variability, which influences food production and the livelihood of populations around the world. Further research considering dynamic factors of variability will improve our understanding of climatic complexity, providing valuable insights to ensure adequate food security in the future.
- Aryal, J. P., Sapkota, T. B., Khurana, R., Khatri-Chhetri, A., Rahut, D. B., & Jat, M. L. (2019). Climate change and agriculture in South Asia: adaptation options in smallholder production systems. Environment, Development and Sustainability, 22(6), 5045–5075. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-019-00414-4
- Ortiz-Bobea, A., Ault, T. R., Carrillo, C. M., Chambers, R. G., & Lobell, D. B. (2021). Anthropogenic climate change has slowed global agricultural productivity growth. Nature Climate Change, 11(4), 306–312. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-021-01000-1
- Parker, L., Bourgoin, C., Martinez-Valle, A., & Läderach, P. (2019). Vulnerability of the agricultural sector to climate change: The development of a pan-tropical Climate Risk Vulnerability Assessment to inform sub-national decision making. PLOS ONE, 14(3), e0213641. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0213641
- Tao, S., Xu, Y., Liu, K., Pan, J., & Gou, S. (2011). Research Progress in Agricultural Vulnerability to Climate Change. Advances in Climate Change Research, 2(4), 203–210. https://doi.org/10.3724/sp.j.1248.2011.00203
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Kerumutan Forest Reserve is a Wildlife Reserve spanning over 1.3million hectares of lowland forests, and inhabited by hundreds of species of flora and fauna. The grand Kampar River runs along its border, lined with thick mangrove trees. The reserve’s boundaries are the Kampar River, the Indragiri River, the East Coast of Sumatera, and Jalan Lintas Timur Sumatera, the Cross East Sumatra Highway. The forest extends across two regencies, Pelalawan and Indragiri Hulu, in the Riau Province, in the central part of Sumatra.
Kerumutan’s carbon rich peat-lands are some of the largest remaining carbon reserves in the world, which make the forest a key defense against climate change. The area is composed of 75% peat and 25% dry marsh, with much of the area’s peat reaching deeper than 3 meters, making it illegal to clear under Indonesian law.
Kerumutan is well known as a haven to the critically endangered Sumatran Tigers, Sumatran Elephants and Orangutans, and is also habitat to Sunbears, Hornbills, Long-Tailed Macaque, White Egrets, Arowana Fish, Wild Ducks and Crocodiles, to name a few. The forest has also become a destination for a variety of migratory birds, and has been recognized as an Important Bird Area (IBA,) and an Endangered Bird Area (EBA.)
In addition to migrants from other parts of Sumatra, Java and the Malay coast, the area around the forest is inhabited by certain indigenous people, such as the Duanu Tribe and the Petalangan Tribe. Government census puts the population of the Kerumutan Forest Reserve at about 27,000 persons.
Kerumutan was established as part of the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Network in 2009. Biosphere Reserves are globally considered as sites used for the conservation of biological and cultural diversity and economic and social development between people and nature. These sites are also used to demonstrate innovative approaches to sustainable development, both locally and internationally.
The forest consists of three main types of soil, and is therefore divided into three areas: Kawasan Inti, or Core Region, covering about 93,000 hectares, Peat Protected Areas, currently covering 52,000 hectares, but which may potentially be expanded, and the Non-Core Regions, a group of preserved forest ecosystems, covering 1,178,000 hectares.
Despite being a National Reserve, much of this area has been designated towards industrial plantation development and the landscape is actively being drained and cleared.
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Camella Round Rattan Coffee Table
- A rattan coffee table that gives your home a cheerful and aesthetic look, the table is easy to move around and place anywhere in your home. With a design similar to a roller coaster ride, this side table will be the topic for anyone visiting your home. A big surface is enough to place a cup of coffee, milk, books, and more.
- Height: 16"
- Width: 23.5"
- Small, grass-like strands may protrude from the rattan weaves. Pull on them as doing so may damage the rattan peel. Carefully trim the loose fibers with scissors.
- Do not put in direct sunlight area.
- Use damp cloth to clean.
- Wipe immediately with a clean, dry cloth if spill.
- Avoid using chemical wipes as they will damage the finish.
- Handcrafted rattan.
- Indoor use (avoid direct sunlight).
- Proudly made in Vietnam.
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Our current work investigates Sonoran Desert songbirds, particularly those inhabiting the Phoenix metropolitan area, as experimental models to better understand how wildlife adapts to urbanization and the mechanisms that underlie this adaptation. We use an integrated eco-physiological and behavioral approach and are particularly interested in the effects of urbanization on the reproductive physiology and behavior of native birds, as well as in identifying factors that mediate these effects. In preparation for breeding, seasonally breeding urban birds often recrudesce their reproductive system earlier and faster than corresponding rural birds. As a consequence, urban birds may have a longer annual breeding season and, therefore, a higher annual and lifetime breeding success than rural birds. Food availability plays a critical role in shaping life history transitions and reproductive cycles: most seasonally breeding organisms have evolved responses to environmental factors such that they reproduce when food resources needed to successfully raise their offspring are seasonally most abundant. Given this evidence, we hypothesize that differences in food availability between urban and rural environments is critical to controlling the above differences in reproductive development and phenology. This hypothesis is being tested by combining correlative field studies with investigations (e.g., “common garden” experiments) in which urban and rural native birds are brought into captivity and then exposed to strictly identical and controlled conditions. This general approach has the potential to improve our understanding of phenotypic plasticity and have ramifications for questions related to the development and management of urban spaces that designed to be used and shared by humans and wildlife.
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Chemical changes (or chemical reactions) are those that transform some chemical/s into new other chemical/s.
They normally occur when different substances, prone to react between them, are put into contact. And so, when iron (Fe) and oxygen (O2) are put together, they will combine and disappear to form a new chemical: rust (Fe2O3). But the wine and the nitrogen (kept in the upper part of the bottles of wine) will never react, allowing the wine to preserve its properties over time. Not all chemicals will react when put into contact.
The initial molecules that react in a chemical reaction are called reactants, and the final resulting molecules are called products. In the previous reaction, the oxygen and the iron are the reactants, whereas the rust is the only product.
Some chemical changes imply a loss of energy, i.e., they are exothermic, because they release energy (usually heat) to the environment. Some other chemical changes are endothermic, they absorb energy from the environment, and the products will have a greater amount of energy than the reactants.
Nevertheless, most chemical reactions, either exothermic or endothermic, require an initial contribution of external energy to take place. If you want a piece of paper to combine with the atmospheric oxygen and go into combustion, you need to heat up the paper (what you usually do with a flame). But during the reaction, the paper releases a lot of energy (heat, light and even sound), so the reaction is exothermic: the paper and the oxygen had more energy than the ashes, the smoke, the CO2 and the water vapour produced.
Quite often, chemical changes can be noticed by some conspicuous events, such as…
- A change in the temperature, as in any combustion;
- A change in the colour, as in the rusting of iron;
- The formation of bubbles, as when the calcite (CaCO3) reacts with hydrochloric acid (HCl);
- A change in the volume, as in baking bread;
Most chemical changes are irreversible: they can't be undone (e.g. a combustion), whereas most physical changes are reversible (e.g. the condensation of water).
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I’m using the free Quest CMDLets (www.quest.com) for this post as they do most of the heavy lifting I require under the hood. You can download these for free at Quest.com and get free support from some of the best PowerShell MVP’s as well as the CMDlet’s developers at www.PowerGui.org
SIDHistory is used extensively during migrations, however sometimes you may run into the scenario where SIDHistory is written incorrectly or you want to find an object in the target based on the source objects SID.
In those cases it’s really useful to be able to search the target forest or domain in order to find the object on which the source user or groups SID is written as SIDHistory.
To be explicit in this example I’m going to specify the full DN of the source object I’m trying to find in the Target forest.
The Syntax above is
in order to return the text value of the SID. Note that you could have assigned the value to a variable as follows:
$sid = (Get-QADObject “DN”).sid.value
The next thing to do is run a search specifying the returned SID as an LDAP search filter (Sidhistory=SIDtosearchfor)
The syntax above is
Get-QADObject –LdapFilter ‘(sidhistory=SIDtosearchfor)’ | fl name, type, DN, Samaccountname
Which searches the directory for all objects with SIDHistory, and returns a formatted list including the objects name, type, Distinguished Name and samaccountname.
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English hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna), also known as single-seed or one-seed hawthorn, naturally occurs in Europe, northern Africa, and western Asia. The species has been present in the Willamette Valley for over 100 years, and is now commonly found in the area. It usually occurs in disturbed areas with moist soils, including grasslands, pasturelands, and wetlands. It also occurs in the understories of oak woodlands and other forested areas. English hawthorn is a simple, alternate, deciduous tree or shrub with deeply lobed leaves, like oak leaves. The stem has thorns up to one inch long. Flowers are white and showy. The fruit is a red drupe, and if you crush the drupe, it usually contains just one seed.
This species looks similar to Douglas or black hawthorn which is native to the Willamette Valley. However, the leaves on Douglas hawthorn are serrated with shallow lobes, unlike the deeply lobed leaves of the English hawthorn, and each fruit is black and has several seeds, rather than the single seed of the English hawthorn. English hawthorn and Douglas hawthorn are also known to interbreed. Hawthorn is an important food species for wildlife, and is primarily dispersed by birds.
Eradicating this species usually includes a combination of mechanical and chemical methods. Smaller trees or shrubs can often be removed with a weed wrench. Larger trees can be cut down and the stump painted with herbicide. There are several native species that provide good substitutes for English hawthorn and will also provide valuable food for wildlife, including: Douglas hawthorn, mock orange, western serviceberry, cascara, and elderberry.
So how can you identify
- Tree or shrub with white, showy flowers
- Stem has stiff thorns up to 1 inch long
- Leaves are alternate and deeply lobed, like oak leaves
- Fruits are small red drupes that look like berries
For more information on English hawthorn, visit this online guide:
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Security recommendations when using a Smartphone: Secure Shopping.13 De de 2012
A Smartphone is a device that combines the possibilities of a computer with those of a telephone. This has led to spectacular growth in the use of these devices which, when combined with the possibility of going on line using Wi-Fi or a mobile network, allows users to do their banking on line, a practice which is also increasing considerably.
The threats (opens in a new window) to which these devices are open when making Internet transactions are the same as for a desktop or laptop computer, with one important difference: the user is not as aware of possible problems as they are with computers.
To ensure transactions are carried out securely (opens in a new window), such as online shopping and online banking, you must take a series of precautions such as:
- Make sure the operating system and any applications installed are the latest versions.
- Install antimalware (opens in a new window) on the device.
- Because various different passwords will be used, you should use a password management programme (opens in a new window) so they do not have to be stored in a text file.
- If possible, make sure you install the most secure browser possible.
- Install the relevant applications for online banking and other online services.
- Type the URL address of the pages you are viewing, or use previously stored «Favourites» but never use links you receive via e-mail, SMS or MMS.
- Make sure that communications are encrypted (opens in a new window) when sensitive data are being sent.
- Limit the use of public Wi-Fi, even if they have a password, and ALWAYS avoid using open Wi-Fi networks for these kinds of operations. Whenever possible, go online using 3G.
- Use trusted payment methods (PayPal, Visa, etc.)
The recommendations (opens in a new window) are basically the same as when accessing these kinds of services through any computer, with the additional guidelines regarding Wi-Fi networks. This is because, although we are using a different device to access the Internet, the risks are the same.
Related article on the OSI website: Shopping securely on your mobile. (in Spanish)
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Shattered: Intoxicated A Toxic Environment
The word Shattered refers to the sound akin to when someone crashes a car. Usually the windshield gets shattered or broken. I like to think of it as when domestic violence hits the household; it usually shatters the household environment or the child's world. ¬ This book was written to give the reader an insight into the subject.
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Gender-Neutral Bible Versions
- The Gender-Neutral Language Controversy, by Michael Marlowe.
- The Ambiguity of Anthropos, by Michael Marlowe.
- The Translation of Adelphos and Adelphoi, by Michael Marlowe.
- The Translation of Aner, by Vern Poythress and Wayne Grudem.
- Response to Blomberg, Wallace, and Bock on the Meaning of Aner, by Michael Marlowe.
- Male Meaning in Generic Masculines in Koine Greek, by Vern Poythress.
- Political Correctness and Bible Translation: A Preliminary Response to Ellis W. Deibler, by Vern Poythress.
- A Response to Dr. Deibler on the Colorado Springs Guidelines, by Vern Poythress.
- Guidelines of the NIV "Inclusive Language" revision of 1996.
- The Colorado Springs Guidelines.
- The Roman Catholic Conflict Concerning Inclusive Language in Biblical Translation, by Michael Marlowe.
- How To Translate, by Vern Poythress and Wayne Grudem.
- Truth and Fullness of Meaning: Fullness versus Reductionistic Semantics in Biblical Interpretation, by Vern Poythress.
- The Bible and Gender-Inclusive Language, by E. Calvin Beisner.
- The TNIV: Gender Accurate or Ideologically Egalitarian? by Peter Jones.
- Dynamic Equivalence Theory, Feminist Ideology and Three Recent Bible Translations, by E. Earle Ellis.
- Gender Neutral Issues in the New International Version of 2011, by Vern Poythress.
- Bibliography of Gender-neutral translation.
- Articles on other sites about Gender-Neutral Translations
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|Santa: Do you know that Real Estate agents can be the best scriptwriters.|
Santa: Because they know good plots!
|Santa: Iss Saal Vacation Ka Kya Plan Hai?|
Banta: Kuch Khaas Nahi, Pichle Saal Europe Nahi Gaye The... Iss Saal America Nahi Jayenge!
|Banta: Why is it a good to use valet parking as you get older?|
Santa: It's obvious because the valets will remember where the car was parked
|Banta: What is the worst fear a man can face?|
Santa: Leaving his mobile phone home!
|Santa: Why do women always ask questions starting with 'W'?|
Jeeto: What, Who, Where, When, Why?
|Santa: Come like a racer, sit like a yogi, & go like a king.|
Banta: Was that about life?
Santa: No, this was written on a toilet door!
|Santa: I like to show my wife who's boss in our house.|
Banta: Wow! But How?
Santa: By holding a mirror up to her face!
|Banta: What is a mixed feeling?|
Santa: When you see your mother-in-law reversing your new car off a cliff?
|Banta: What do women and fire engines have in common?|
Santa: When they are around, everybody knows!
|Banta: How did you find that doctor was fake?|
Santa: Because he had a good handwriting!
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People who struggle in business and life will find these things in common:
- They don't know how to be realistic.
- They have no idea how to write interesting content.
- They are struggling with networking.
- They also don't understand critical thinking!
- Many more problems untold…
In this book, you will learn all about:
- Can You Be Realistic
- Can You Write Interesting Content
- Are You A Great Networker
- Do You Have Critical Thinking Skills
- Do You Have Research Skills
- Can You Speak In Public
- Much MORE!
- Can be packaged with other products - YES
- Can be offered as a bonus - YES
- Can be edited completely and your name put on it - YES
- Can be added to an e-course or autoresponder - YES
- Can be added to membership sites - YES
- Can sell Resale Rights - YES
- Can sell Master Resale Rights - YES
- Can be offered through auction sites - NO
- Can sell Private Label Rights - NO
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Banglalink internet loan, You should have or not the internet balance now your internet connection is continue when you want. Now Banglalink provides 12MB internet balance loan for 2 days.
12MB Emergency Internet Details:
- Banglalink all prepaid & CnC user can enjoy to this service.
- Dial *875# to get emergency internet balance.
- Dial *124*500# to check remaining data.
- Total data 12Mb.
- Validity 2 days.
- Use 3G/2G both mode.
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- Main balance must be lower then or equal 5Tk.
- 5Tk will be deducted in next recharge.
- Only one time can get load per days.
- Emergency load data use first.
To know more details about Banglalink 12MB load, call 111 or 01911304111.
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As part of our continuing effort to service and educate our membership, each Thursday the U.S. Soccer will provide an informative article from one of its departments. Each Thursday will bring a new article, from the Referee Department (first Thursday of each month), Coaching Department (third Thursday of each month) or Membership Services (fourth Thursday). This week, learn more about the prevention and treatment of muscular injuries with an article selected by U.S. Soccer's Sports Medicine Department (second Thursday of each month).
Oct. 11, 2001
BERT R. MANDELBAUM is an MD at the Santa Monica Orthopaedic Sports Medicine Research Foundation in Santa Monica (USA), a member of the USSF Sports Medicine Committee, a lead physician for the US National Teams and an instructor and lecturer on medical matters for FIFA.
HOLLY J. SILVERS is an MPT at the Santa Monica Orthopaedic Sports Medicine Research Foundation in Santa Monica (USA)
Muscular injuries in football players are a common phenomenon. Acute traumatic injuries to muscle and tendon can account for 50% of all injuries. Muscle strains (muscles are strained... and ligaments are sprained!) are commonly associated with an athlete strongly contracting the muscle while simultaneously stretching it (e.g. slide tackling with a straight knee). The strain occurs when the muscle's ability to handle the outside load is exhausted. The muscle's ability to absorb shock is overcome. The muscle injury can range from breaking a few fibres (myofibrils), a tear in the outer covering (fascia) or a complete muscle rupture. They most commonly occur where the muscle and the tendon meet (musculotendinous junction). Muscle strains often involve muscles that cross two joints, like the rectus femoris of the quadricep, biceps femoris of the hamstring and the gastrocnemius of the calf.
Types of muscle strain
Contusion injuries occur upon impact when the muscle is forcefully pressed against another player, the ground or goalpost. Bleeding will quickly ensue due to increased blood flow from exercising. Bleeding can be subdivided into two groups: intra-muscular (within the muscle membrane) and inter-muscular (outside of the muscle membrane). Intra-muscular bleeding usually occurs more on the outer portion of the muscle and has an intact membrane (fascia), which limits the extent of the bleeding. These athletes will experience pain and immobility (stiffness). This is difficult to treat secondary to the decreased ability for the muscle fascia to rapidly expand with increasing blood volume. Inter-muscular bleeding occurs when the outer covering (fascia) of the muscle has been damaged. These athletes will experience less pain and stiffness due to the ability for the blood to disperse outside of the fascial membrane. Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) occurs when there is a sudden change in activity level. Symptoms usually begin 12 to 24 hours after exercise and include pain, weakness, fatigue, deep stiffness, and decreased mobility of the involved body part. Symptoms usually last from 1 to 2 days and can be treated with rest, ice, and compression. DOMS usually occurs after prolonged eccentric (lengthening) activity of the muscle that leads to changes in the myofibril.
Schematic representation of the structure of a muscle
1. Muscle belly[NL]2. Muscle bundle(fasciculus)[NL]3. Muscle fiber[NL]4. Myofibril
Signs and symptoms of a muscle strain are as follows:
* Pain with contraction
* Pain with stretching
* Bruising (ecchymosis)
* Swelling (edema)
When muscles are injured, they go through a four-step process. This includes initial inflammation, cell proliferation (granulation), remodeling, and maturation of tissue. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medicines, physical modalities such as ice or ultrasound, and therapeutic exercise are used in the rehabilitation to decrease the inflammatory response.
Muscle strains may be caused by one or a number of factors including:
* inadequate warm-up programme,
* insufficient flexibility,
* insufficient muscular strength, poor coordination,
* fatigue, or
* a premature return to play after rehabilitation of a prior injury.
Ideally, you should warm-up for 10 to 15 minutes prior to initiation of play. This brief warm-up allows for the intramuscular temperature to rise sufficiently and allows for adequate deformation of the collagen and the musculotendinous junction. It should be followed by a thorough stretching session that allows a 30 to 60 second stretch of all major muscle groups. These stretches should be static in nature - do not bounce during a stretch.
Treatment of muscle injuries
Acute muscle injuries should be initially treated using the RICE pneumonic:
* compression of the injured muscle and
* elevation of the injured area above the level of the heart.
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory mediations are effective in decreasing the pain and swelling that accompanies a muscle strain without compromising the strength of the muscle. If the lower extremity has been injured, it may be appropriate to utilize crutches or another assistive device to unweight the affected body part. Immobilization of the injured extremity will limit the activity of the sarcomeres within the muscle and can accelerate the healing response. It is important to immobilize the affected muscle in a lengthened position. It should be noted that prolonged immobilization of an extremity can lead to disuse atrophy and subsequent weakness of the muscle. This course of treatment should not exceed 96 hours (4 days) after the initial injury in an extreme case. After this time, gentle mobilization of the injured area should begin. Rehabilitative exercises should begin when tolerated after a minor muscle strain. The programme should be initially focused on passive mobility and static exercises (contraction of the involved muscle with no movement). Gentle low-load cycling and pool rehabilitation may be introduced 3 to 7 days after injury. Gradually introduce dynamic (movement based) exercises with low resistance. As healing progresses, one can increase the amount of resistance lifted with a concentric (shortening) muscular contraction. If these activities can be completed without the initiation of pain, eccentric (lengthening) exercises may be included to the rehabilitation programme. If the athlete is unable to tense the muscle due to a complete tear, external electrical muscle stimulus may be utilized.
The more complex problems: In the more complex situation and if the muscle strain is intra-muscular (intact muscle fascia), the use of ultrasound or MRI examinations may help characterizing the injury details. Surgical intervention is rarely needed in the case of muscle strain.
Generally, comprehensive rehabilitation will allow the athlete to heal in a timely and efficient fashion. However, in rare situations, if the bleeding causes an increase in the pressure (compartment syndrome) of the muscle membrane, surgical drainage and fasciotomy may be necessary. If rehabilitatin is unsuccessful (i.e. torn hamstring muscle), surgical intervention may be indicated. If the blood from a contusion begins to calcify, a condition known as myositis ossificans may develop. This usually occurs 4-6 weeks after injury when the blood begins to ossify and prevents optimal functioning of the involved muscle. Generally rehabilitation will reduce symptoms and the athlete can return to play in 2 to 3 months. If rehabilitation is unsuccessful, surgery may be indicated to remove the ossification.
In general, prevention of muscle injury is always the goal and can be achieved through:
* a comprehensive pre-season conditioning programme
* thorough warm-up
* attention to stretching to enhance muscular flexibility
* progressive strengthening exercises, and
* proper nutrition and hydration.
If an injury does occur, conservative rehabilitation programmes with an athletic trainer or physical therapist should be sought out. Upon completion of the prescribed therapeutic intervention, the athlete will be able to return to his/her prior level of play without risking further injury.
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There is little that shapes the human experience as profoundly and pervasively as creativity. Creativity drives progress in every human endeavor, from the arts to the sciences, business, and technology. We celebrate and honor people for their creativity, identifying eminent individuals, as well as entire cultures and societies, in terms of their creative achievements. Creativity is the vehicle of self-expression and part of what makes us who we are. One might therefore expect creativity to be a major topic in philosophy, especially since it raises such a wealth of interesting philosophical questions, as we will soon see. Curiously, it isn’t.
To be sure, some of the greatest philosophers in history have been taken with the wonder of creativity. To name just few examples: Plato has Socrates say, in certain dialogues, that when poets produce truly great poetry, they do it not through knowl- edge or mastery, but rather by being divinely “inspired”—literally, breathed into— by the Muses, in a state of possession that exhibits a kind of madness. Aristotle, in contrast, characterized the work of the poet as a rational, goal-directed activity of making (poeisis), in which the poet employs various means (such as sympathetic characters and plots involving twists of fate) to achieve an end (of eliciting various emotions in the audience). Kant conceived of artistic genius as an innate capacity to produce works of “exemplary originality” through the free play of the imagination, a process which does not consist in following rules, can neither be learned nor taught, and is mysterious even to geniuses themselves. Schopenhauer stressed that the greatest artists are distinguished not only by the technical skill they employ in the production of art, but also by the capacity to “lose themselves” in the experience of what is beautiful and sublime. Nietzsche saw the greatest feats of creativity, exemplified in the tragic poetry of ancient Greece, as being born out of a rare cooperation between the “Dionysian” spirit of ecstatic intoxication, which imbues the work with vitality and passion, and the “Apollonian” spirit of sober restraint, which tempers chaos with order and form. This is just the barest glimpse of what each of these philosophers had to say about creativity, and many other figures could be added to their number.
Nevertheless, while some of the topics explored by earlier thinkers have come to occupy a central place in philosophy today—such as freedom, justice, conscious- ness, and knowledge—creativity is not among them. Philosophy has seen some very important work on creativity in the last few decades, but not nearly at the rate that we see for subjects of comparable range and importance. Indeed, “the philosophy of creativity” is still a neologism in most quarters—just as, for example, “the philosophy of action” and “the philosophy of music” were not too long ago.
In contrast, psychology has seen a definite surge of interest in creativity. In 1950, J. P. Guilford gave a presidential address at the American Psychological Association calling for research on the topic. And the field soon took off with waves of research investigating the traits and dispositions of creative personalities; the cognitive and neurological mechanisms at play in creative thought; the motivational determinants of creative achievement; the interplay between individual and collective creativity; the range of institutional, educational, and environmental factors that enhance or inhibit creativity; and more. Today, the blossoming of this field can be seen in the flurry of popular writing reporting on its results; an official division of the American Psychological Association on the psychology of aesthetics, creativity, and the arts (Division 10); numerous academic conferences; multiple peer-reviewed journals; several textbooks; and a growing number of undergraduate and graduate courses all devoted to the psychology of creativity. According to one historical overview, creativity has been studied by nearly all of the most eminent psychologists of the 20th century, and “the field can only be described as explosive.”
The swell of interest in the science of creativity is an inspiring example for the philosophy of creativity, but more importantly, it offers a resource that philosophers should be mindful of as they pursue this effort. Unfortunately, philosophers writing on creativity have sometimes tended to ignore the scientific literature. In some cases, they have gone so far as to claim—after citing just a few studies—that creativity is by its very nature unpredictable and therefore beyond the scope of science. Although the question of whether creativity is explicable is a philosophical question, it is not one that is impervious to empirical work. After all, anyone who declares from the armchair that something cannot be explained is liable to be refuted in the event that researchers do find ways to uncover explanations. The question of whether creativity can be explained empirically is itself, at least partly, an empirical question.
In fact, a number of issues arise at the nexus between philosophy and psychology and are handled best with contributions from both. This interdisciplinary approach is embraced by a new school of creativity researchers who are part of much broader trend toward dialogue and collaboration between scientifically-minded philosophers and philosophically-minded scientists. And the essays in this volume illustrate numerous ways in which the exchange can be fruitful, as philosophers draw on scientific research and scientific work is informed by philosophical perspectives. Below, we present a bird’s-eye view of these chapters and the themes and issues they explore.
The Concept of Creativity
Perhaps the most fundamental question for any study of creativity, philosophical or otherwise, is What is creativity? The term “creative” is used to describe three kinds of things: a person, a process or activity, or a product, whether it is an idea in someone’s mind or an observable performance or artifact. There is an emerging consensus that a product must meet two conditions in order to be creative. It must be new, of course, but since novelty can be worthless (as in a meaningless string of letters), it must also be of value. (Researchers sometimes express this second condition by saying a product must be “useful,” “appropriate,” or “effective.”) This definition is anticipated, in a way, by Immanuel Kant, who viewed artistic genius as an ability to produce works that are not only original—“since there can be original nonsense”— but also “exemplary.”
In chapter 1, Bence Nanay argues that creativity is primarily an attribute not of products, but of mental processes. Some have suggested that what makes a mental process creative is the use of a certain kind of functional or computational mecha- nism, such as the recombination of old ideas or the transformation of one’s concep- tual space. Against this view, Nanay offers what he calls an experiential account of creativity. He contends that what is distinctive about the creative mental process is not any functional/computational mechanism, but the way in which it is experienced. In particular, the process yields an idea that the creator experiences as one she hadn’t taken to be possible before.
Aesthetics and Philosophy of Art
One might suppose that if creativity has been understudied in philosophy at large, this couldn’t be so when philosophers are focused on art in particular. Art was long thought to have a monopoly on human creativity; it is still the paradigm of a creative domain, as “creative” is sometimes used more or less as a synonym for “artistic” and, at least in modern times, artists are disparaged when seen as derivative and praised for originality. But while the philosophy of art has been concerned with such issues as the definition, interpretation, and ontology of art, it has tended not to reflect on the artist as a creator, or the artist’s labors as a creative process, or the work of art as an expression of creativity. Thus Gaut and Livingston observe that “[a]lthough the creation of art is a topic that should be a central one for aesthetics, it has been comparatively neglected in recent philosophical writing about art.”
Gregory Currie brings the issue of creativity to the fore in chapter 2, where he examines the popular idea that eminently creative works of literature provide insight into the workings of the human mind. Many advocates of this view write as if its truth were self-evident. Currie suggests that it is not, that indeed there is little evidence in its favor, and he considers how the claim might be tested. Recent experi- mental studies by Oatley and colleagues look promising in this regard, but Currie suggests that their results so far provide very weak evidence at best. In the absence of better evidence, Currie puts a new spin on the debate by emphasizing the creativ- ity that goes into producing such great works of fiction. Are there aspects of literary creativity that should reliably lead to insights about the mind? He considers two such aspects—the institutions of literary production and the psychology of literary creativity—and suggests that in both cases, there are some grounds for thinking that literary creativity is not reliably connected with the production of insight.
Noël Carroll brings another dimension of creativity into view in chapter 3. Although he agrees that we should attend to the creative activities of the artist, he suggests that we should also acknowledge the contribution of the audience. For in order for the artist to accomplish the effects to which she aspires, Carroll argues, the audience must creatively cooperate with what the artist has initiated. He explores how audiences co-create artworks through the play of imagination. Rather than treating the imagination as if it were a single monolithic phenomenon, however, he identifies and analyzes several different imaginative activities that are engaged in response to a variety of artworks, such as reasoning counterfactually, filling-in unspecified content, constructing story-worlds around fictional objects, mentally simulating characters’ experiences and points of view, and freely devising and play- ing with different meanings, interpretations, and unifying themes. By means of these activities, Carroll suggests, it is ultimately the audience’s contribution that makes a work of art “work.”
In chapter 4, Christopher Peacocke raises interesting questions for aesthetics that bear upon the study of creativity. While philosophers have long debated the question of what makes something a work of art, Peacocke asks: What makes a work an example of a particular artistic style? He suggests that answering this question is a precondition for research on creativity in musical composition. Just as researchers who study perception understand that we cannot account for how the content of a perception is computed without specifying what the content is, Peacocke suggests that we cannot explain how a composer creates in his particular style unless we identify what is distinctive about that musical style. Using the example of the Romantic style of music, Peacocke’s approach draws on the perception of expressive action in combination with an account of what is involved in hearing emotion and other mental states in music. The account can link the phenomenology of musi- cal perception with the ideas and ideals of the Romantic movement. He notes that by changing various parameters in the account, we can explain what is variously distinctive about impressionist music, expressionist music, and some neoclassical composing in the style of Stravinsky.
Ethics and Value Theory
One thing that makes creativity such a gripping topic is that we cannot fully under- stand ourselves without taking it into account. Creativity seems to be linked to our very identity; it is part of what makes us who we are both as human beings and individuals. With regard to the latter, each of us can ask, “What makes me who I am (as an individual)?” and we might wonder whether the answer has something to do with creativity.
According to an ancient and still influential view, the self (one’s life) is some kind of dramatic or artistic performance. Exploring this idea in chapter 5, Owen Flanagan notes that there are metaphysical and logical questions about whether and how self-creation and self-constitution are possible. But he points out that there are also normative questions associated with the idea that life is a performance and the self is something that both emerges in and is constituted by that performance. Are there norms or standards that apply to self-constituting performances, and if so, what are they? Flanagan examines three contemporary psychopoetic conceptions of person—“day-by-day persons,” “ironic persons,” and “strong poetic persons”—in order to explore potential normative constraints on “performing oneself.” Flanagan’s provocative paper has implications for a number of diverse views in philosophy and psychology, from Jerome Bruner’s narrative theory of “self-making stories” to David Velleman’s paradox of self-constitution.
In chapter 6, Matthew Kieran asks what it is to be a creative person, and whether it involves a kind of virtue or excellence of character. He notes that there is a minimal sense according to which being creative means nothing more than having the ability to produce novel and worthwhile artifacts. Yet, he argues, there is a richer sense of the term that presupposes agential insight, mastery, and sensitivity to reasons in bringing about what is aimed at. A stroke victim who reliably produces beautiful patterns as a byproduct of his actions is not creative in the richer sense in which an artist who aims to produce them and could have done so differently is. Is creativity in this richer sense ever more than just a skill? In the light of suggestive empirical work, Kieran argues that motivation is central to exemplary creativity. Exemplary creativity, he argues, involves intrinsic motivation and is a virtue or excellence of character. We not only praise and admire individuals whose creative activity is born from a passion for what they do but, other things being equal, we expect them to be more reliably creative across different situations than those who are extrinsically motivated. This is consistent with the recognition that intrinsic motivation is not required to be creative and people’s creative potentials differ. Creativity in people will flourish when intrinsic motivation is foregrounded, with the relevant values and socioeconomic structures lining up appropriately. It tends to wither when they do not (unless a person’s creativity, like Van Gogh’s, is exceptionally virtuous).
Philosophy of Mind and Cognitive Science
In chapter 7, Simon Blackburn briefly remarks on the history of the idea—voiced by Plato, echoed by philosophers and artists in the Romantic tradition, and still present in the popular imagination—that creativity involves something mystical or supernatural. Against this notion, Blackburn draws on findings of modern psy- chology to offer a tamer view. He argues that even the most extraordinary creative achievements are the result of ordinary cognitive processes.
In chapter 8, Dustin Stokes ventures to clarify exactly what the relation is between creativity and imagination. In his view, imagination is important for even the most minimally creative thought processes. This would be a pointless tautology if “imagination” just means (the capacity for) creativity. The key, then, is to identify what imagination is such that it is not the same thing as creativity but still essential for it nonetheless. As Stokes notes, few philosophers have thought through the distinction between imagination and creativity, and few psychologists have directly tested the difference between the two constructs. While grounding his paper in contemporary philosophy, Stokes also draws on cognitive and developmental psy- chology to identify the architectural features common to genius-level creativity, as well as more everyday forms of creativity. He starts by making a distinction between “truth-boundedness”—cognitive states that function to accurately represent the world—and “non truth-bound” states that do not function to accurately represent the world, but instead facilitate the manipulation of the information they represent. He argues that richly creative achievements in the arts and sciences, as well as more everyday breakthroughs, draw on cognitive manipulation processes. Stokes concludes that imagination serves the cognitive manipulation role and is typified by four features: It is non truth-bound, under immediate voluntary control, engages with affective and motivational systems, and drives inference and decision- making. Stokes’s essay has implications for a number of philosophical problems relating to imagination and fiction, as well as psychological issues relating to the role of conscious, deliberate thought in creativity.
On the latter question, there is a tendency that appears in various forms through- out intellectual and artistic history to regard conscious thought as irrelevant or even inimical to creativity. In the classical story where creative inspiration comes to an artist from an external muse, the artist’s consciousness is not the source, but rather the recipient, of creative work. The same is true when an insight is said to emerge from the unconscious mind, showing up in consciousness as a kind of pleasant surprise (Eureka!). There is also the popular perception that conscious thought impedes creativity; thus the familiar accounts of artists using drugs, alcohol, or other trance-inducing practices as a means of surrendering conscious control and giving free rein to the creative unconscious.
In chapter 9, however, psychologists Roy Baumeister, Brandon Schmeichel, and C. Nathan DeWall suggest that consciousness deserves more creative credit. They present evidence to support the notion that creativity requires an interactive collaboration of conscious and unconscious processes. In their view, creative impulses originate in the unconscious but require conscious processing to edit and integrate them into a creative product. They review psychological experiments showing that creativity declines sharply when consciousness is preoccupied (for example, improvising jazz guitar while counting backward by six, or drawing with colored pencils while listening closely to music). They conclude that the research contradicts the popular view in both psychology and philosophy that consciousness is irrelevant or an impediment to the creative process. Instead, they believe that the research fits well with recently emerging understandings of the special capabilities of conscious thought.
Earlier, when we discussed the potential connection between creativity and self-understanding, we were concerned with what makes each of us who we are as individuals. But we can also ask, more generally, what makes us who we are as a species, and there is a long tradition of Western thought that seeks to understand what makes us human in terms of what makes us distinctively human, and set apart from other animals in particular. Whatever we think of the existing proposals that highlight our allegedly unique possession of reason, language, and metacognition, creativity seems as good a candidate as any. The tricky question, of course, is how did creativity evolve in humans?
In chapter 10, Elizabeth Picciuto and Peter Carruthers provide an integrated evolutionary and developmental account of the emergence of distinctively human creative capacities. Their main thesis is that childhood pretend play (e.g., imagining battling spaceship invaders) is a uniquely human adaptation that functions in part to enhance adult forms of creativity.
In support of their view, they draw on a wide literature spanning evolutionary, cognitive, and developmental psychology. They begin by reviewing evolutionary accounts of what makes humans unique, including our language, enhanced working memory, culture, and convergent and divergent thinking. They consider pretend play as a distinctively human ability, noting its universality, and showing that nearly all children, cross-culturally, engage in it. They review existing views of the func- tional roles of pretend play, including the facilitation of social schemata and theory of mind. Unconvinced by these accounts, they argue instead that pretend play facilitates creative thought—a process that involves both defocused attention and cogni- tive control. They review a number of common capacities of both pretend play and creativity, including generativity, supposing, bypassing the obvious, and selection of valuable but less obvious ideas. They conclude that childhood pretense paves the way for creativity in adulthood. This chapter is a fine example of how philosophers can contribute to our understanding of issues that are also pursued by scientists, in this case concerning the emergence of the capacities we have as human beings to pretend and create.
In our technologically driven age, it is not uncommon to think of what makes us human in contrast not only to other animals but also to machines, computers, and robots. Artificial intelligence is becoming ever more sophisticated, and some programs already display certain marks of creativity, appearing in major art galleries and garnering patents. These are machines whose products are both valuable and new. In addition to these two standard conditions, Margaret Boden maintains in chapter 11 that a creative product is one that is surprising as a result of the combina- tion, exploration, or transformation involved in producing it. She gives examples of artificial intelligence systems that fit all of these criteria, and raises this intriguing question: Could a computer-based system ever “really” be creative? This leads to interesting philosophical issues about what constitutes “real” creativity. With some qualification, she argues that real creativity involves autonomy, intentionality, valu- ation, emotion, and consciousness. But as she points out, the problem is that each one of these elements is controversial in itself, even if we don’t consider it in rela- tion to creativity and/or artificial intelligence. Boden concludes that we will not be able to understand whether creativity and artificial intelligence are contradictions in terms until we have clear and credible accounts of all these matters. Her chapter thus highlights the important role that philosophy can play in both psychology and artificial intelligence by further clarifying the constructs involved.
Philosophy of Science
Today, it’s understood that creativity can be at work in virtually every human pursuit. In the past, however, thinking about creativity tended to be much less inclu- sive. Once again, Kant is a telling example. Having defined genius as the capacity to produce ideas that are both original and exemplary (i.e., “creative” in our terms), he asserted that genius could only be manifested in the fine arts.20 Scientists were not geniuses because they follow the set procedures of the scientific method rather than giving free rein to their imaginations. Even Isaac Newton, whom Kant called the “great man of science,” was not deemed to be a creative genius. Nor, for that matter, was Kant himself!
Despite the much broader scope that we now accord to creativity, there is still a remnant of the Kantian intuition in popular stereotypes of the creative person that are more strongly associated with the artist than with anyone else. In chapter 12, psychologist Dean Keith Simonton argues, in effect, that there is something right about this Kantian tendency, as he explores the question: How does creativity differ between domains? In so doing, he integrates two philosophical traditions. The first tradition, stemming back to Auguste Comte, is concerned with whether the sciences can be arrayed into a hierarchy. The second tradition, which includes Alexander Bain and William James, concerns whether creativity and discovery involve a pro- cess of blind-variation and selective-retention (BVSR). The key part for this issue is blind-variation. Roughly, a process is “blind” to the extent that the probability of it’s generating a certain idea is not a function of that idea’s utility or value. A completely random procedure would be an example, though not the only example, of a blind process. Drawing on psychological research, Simonton shows that a valid hierarchy can be formed based on objective criteria regarding creative ideas, products, and persons. In place of Kant’s stark dichotomy between the sciences and the fine arts, Simonton’s hierarchy comprises a wide range of disciplines in the sciences, the humanities, and the arts. Where a discipline falls in the hierarchy depends on the extent to which practitioners need to engage in BVSR processes in order to make contributions that are creative (new and useful). Domains at the top of the hierarchy (i.e., sciences) rely more on sighted variations, whereas domains at the bottom (i.e., arts) depend more on blind variations. Simonton also shows that a discipline’s position in the hierarchy depends on the characteristics and developmental experi- ences of the creator. Simonton’s chapter is an intriguing synthesis of issues in both psychology and philosophy regarding the classification of creativity across domains.
Philosophy of Education (and Education of Philosophy)
Our final two chapters deal with the teaching and learning of creativity. It is not unusual to find people who assume that creativity is an innate capacity that cannot be taught or learned. Edward Young and Immanuel Kant were part of a long tradi- tion of thinkers who held such a view, and in arguing for it, they did us the service of exposing the kinds of assumptions that make it seem compelling. In chapter 13, Berys Gaut identifies two key arguments: The first is that learning requires imitation, which is incompatible with creativity; the second is that learning consists in following rules, which is incompatible with creativity. After criticizing these arguments, Gaut develops a positive case for the teachability of creativity, based on the teachability of the kinds of abilities and motivations that are involved in creativity. There is a sense in which Gaut’s question can be settled empirically: We can show that creativity can be taught simply by pointing to cases where it has been taught. Gaut himself discusses such examples as they occur in mathematics and fiction writing, noting in particular how heuristics or rules of thumb are used in these domains. But while such cases may suffice to show that creativity can be taught, Gaut further enriches our understanding by explaining how this is possible despite the common misconceptions that may seem to rule it out. Having given a philosophical account of how creativity can be taught, he ends by applying his analysis to the teaching of creativity within philosophy itself.
With this last theme, Gaut has a kindred spirit in Alan Hájek, the author of our final chapter. In fact, between the two of them, we have an instance of “multiples” in creativity research, cases where people working independently arrive at the same discoveries at about the same time.21 Although Gaut and Hájek were unaware of each other’s essays before submitting them for this volume, they converged on an interesting proposal—that by using various heuristics, philosophers can enhance their abilities to make valuable contributions to their field, including ideas that are distinctively creative.
As Hájek notes, it is said that anyone of average talent can become a strong chess player by learning and internalizing certain chess heuristics—“castle early,” “avoid isolated pawns,” and so on. Analogously, Hájek suggests, philosophy has a wealth of heuristics—philosophical heuristics—although they have not been nearly so well documented and studied. Sometimes these take the form of useful heuristics for generating counterexamples, such as “check extreme cases.” Sometimes they sug- gest ways of generating new arguments out of old ones, as in “arguments involving possibility can often be recast as arguments involving time, or space.” Sometimes they provide templates for positive arguments (e.g., ways of showing that something is possible). Hájek offers this chapter partly as an introduction to a larger project of identifying and evaluating philosophical heuristics, illustrating them with numer- ous examples from the philosophical literature. This work is a creative contribution to the philosophy of education. And it offers insights for the philosophy of creativity too, as it shows in fine detail how, contrary to a common assumption, creativity can be compatible with and even enhanced by the following of rules.
We are thankful for the input, encouragement, and support of Taylor Carmen, Tamara Day, Michael Della Rocca, Milena Fisher, Eugene Ford, Nancy France, Don Garrett, Tamar Szabó Gendler, Lydia Goehr, Joy Hanson, Markus Labude, Rebecca McMillan, John Morrison, Emily Downing Muller, Fred Neuhouser, Carol Rovane, and our wonderful colleagues and students at Barnard College, Columbia University, and New York University. Special thanks to Liz Boylan, former provost of Barnard College, for generously sponsoring the conference we held on the philosophy of creativity in preparation for this volume. We thank film director Tao Ruspoli for making a video of the event, artists Jill Sigman and Paul D. Miller (a.k.a. “D.J. Spooky”) for their participation as special guests, and Geovanna Carrasco, Melissa Flores, and Emily Neil for their excellent work as research assistants. We thank Peter Ohlin, Lucy Randall, Stacey Victor, and their colleagues at Oxford University Press for helping us see this book to print. Last but not least, we are very grateful to our contributors for illustrating the value of interdisciplinary exchange, the intellectual richness of the philosophy of creativity, and the exciting possibilities for how this field can grow. We hope this volume helps to stimulate new insights, questions, and collaborations—new ways to illuminate (and perhaps even to exemplify) this magnificent facet of human life.
This was an excerpt from The Philosophy of Creativity, edited by Elliot Samuel Paul and Scott Barry Kaufman, now available on Amazon.
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So I decided to work without a net. I now make exactly one exposure for just about all scenes. The exceptions are 1) motion, and 2) different apertures to control DOF. If I have any questions about either I'll make a second shot. But I process them all the same.
There's nothing wrong with making the second exposure. If it's useful. But if it's just a security blanket, you out grow it eventually.
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RAPID ACLS (Revised Reprint) - Elsevier eBook on VitalSource (Retail Access Card), 2nd Edition
Designed to offer essential information on-the-spot, where it's needed most! RAPID ACLS, 2nd Edition, Revised Reprint is now updated to reflect the 2010 emergency cardiovascular care guidelines. It contains a broad range of topics pertaining to advanced cardiac life support including information on airway management, pharmacology, vascular access, ECGs, electrical therapy, acute coronary syndromes, and special resuscitation situations. Loaded with tables, mnemonics, and algorithms throughout, RAPID ACLS, 2nd Edition, Revised Reprint is ideal for use in clinical practice or during an ACLS course.
- Full-color illustrations show clear, vivid presentations of essential concepts and common cardiac rhythms for clear and easy interpretation.
- Concise, accessible bullet points and numbered lists make key information easy to find, read, and understand.
- Over 70 tables throughout the text including dysrhythmias and cardiac medications provide the basics of dysrhythmias and medications at a glance.
- Commonly used but rarely memorized information broken down into tables, algorithms, and acronyms help in locating essential information.
- Reflects the 2010 emergency cardiovascular care guidelines.
- ABCDs of Emergency Cardiac Care
- Airway Management & Ventilation
- Rhythm Recognition
- Electrical Therapy
- Vascular Access & Medications
- Acute Coronary Syndromes
- Stroke & Special Resuscitation Situations
- Putting It All Together (Algorithms)
Barbara J Aehlert, RN, BSPA, Southwest EMS Education Inc., Phoenix, AZ and Pursley, TX, USA
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Academics / Undergraduate program
Brain science and cognitive science are complementary and interactive in their research objectives. Both approaches examine perception, performance, and intervening processes in humans and animals. Central issues in the discipline include the structure, acquisition, use, and internal representation of human language; the interpretation of sensory experience; the development of formal and informal reasoning skills; the reception, manipulation, storage, and retrieval of information within the nervous system; and the planning and execution of motor activity.
The Bachelor of Science in Brain and Cognitive Sciences gives students a broad background in an exciting scientific discipline. It prepares students to be highly literate members of a complex society, and for a range of advanced professional degrees including graduate, medical, law or business school. Our students are well prepared for graduate training in neuroscience, cognitive science, psychology, linguistics, and artificial intelligence (particularly those aspects concerned with vision and movement control), as well as further work in the area of efficient human-machine interaction. The undergraduate program is designed to provide instruction in the relevant aspects of these various disciplines. Faculty members from these disciplines serve as advisors to majors, helping them select a coherent set of subjects from within the requirements, including participation in supervised research.
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|Van Hekken, Diane|
|Molina-Corral, F - CIAD,MX. ACADEMIA|
|Gardea, A - CIAD,MX. ACADEMIA|
Submitted to: International Journal of Dairy Technology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: October 3, 2006
Publication Date: February 16, 2007
Citation: Van Hekken, D.L., Tunick, M.H., Tomasula, P.M., Molina-Corral, F.J., Gardea, A.A. 2007. Mexican Queso Chihuahua: rheology of fresh cheese. International Journal of Dairy Technology. 60(1):5-12. Interpretive Summary: Consumption of fresh Hispanic-style cheeses is increasing in the United States because of the increasing popularity of Hispanic foods and growing Hispanic population. In the state of Chihuahua, Mexico, the Mennonite community makes a semi-hard cheese similar to Cheddar cheese but with its own distinct flavor and texture. The cheese is made using raw or pasteurized milk. The traditional raw milk cheeses have stronger flavors but there are food safety concerns because harmful bacteria, if present, may survive the cheese making process. In pasteurized milk cheeses, the milk is heated to kill harmful bacteria but also kills much of the other bacteria responsible for the Mennonite-style cheese's unique flavor and properties. In a collaborative study with researchers from Centro de Investigacion en Alimentacion y Desarrollo (CIAD), Mexican Mennonite-style cheeses were obtained from 11 different producers (raw and pasteurized milk cheeses) and tested to determine the effect of pasteurization treatment on their texture. Results showed that the pasteurized cheeses were harder, more rigid, and less springy in texture than the raw milk cheeses and indicated that the different manufacturing steps and the components found in raw milk (extra bacteria) influenced the texture of the cheeses. The blend of the different rheological properties helps to define Mennonite-style cheese as a distinctly individual type of cheese and provides guidelines as ways to improve the production of Hispanic-style cheeses are explored.
Technical Abstract: This study establishes the rheological characteristics of a semi-hard cheese made primarily by the Mennonite communities in Chihuahua, Mexico (Mennonite-style cheese) and examines the property variations in the cheeses when made from either raw milk (RM) or pasteurized milk (PM). Cheese samples obtained from 11 different producers (9 RM and 2 PM cheeses) were tested 10 days after manufacture. As expected, compositional and rheological properties of the cheeses varied among manufacturers. Rheological data obtained using standard methods showed that the PM cheeses were harder, more rigid, and less springy than the RM cheeses, and that viscoelastic properties were similar for both RM and PM cheeses. Although manufacturing differences and microflora in the RM cheeses contributed to the variations noted between the cheeses, the Mennonite-style cheeses are well-defined within certain rheological ranges that identify them as different from other cheeses available today. Establishing the basic chemical and physical properties of Mexican Mennonite-style cheese is the first step towards understanding the unique quality traits of Hispanic-style cheeses and exploring ways to expand production and utilization.
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Your respiratory system, or breathing system, includes the structures from your nose to your trachea and finally the alveoli in your lungs. Alveoli are the tiny pockets where oxygen and carbon dioxide are exchanged. This system is responsible for moving and exchanging oxygen in the air you breathe with the air in your lungs. Your brain and receptors in your active muscles exchange information to stimulate your respiratory system when you go from rest to exercise.
Increased Breathing Rate
Whether you are lying in bed, sitting down or making dinner, your body must convert the carbohydrates in your blood to a form of energy your cells can use called adenosine tri-phosphate, or ATP. You need a small amount of ATP for everyday activities compared to when you are exercising. When you transition from changing your clothes in the locker room to running on a treadmill, your muscles need more ATP. If you exercise for longer than three minutes, you are performing an aerobic activity. Your respiratory system senses the need for more oxygen because you need oxygen to make ATP during aerobic exercise. Your brain sends signals to your lungs to increase your breathing rate so you can inhale more air.
Oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange occurs at the smallest level of your breathing system, your alveoli. Your alveoli have very thin walls and are in direct contact with the thin walls of the capillaries in your lungs. When you breathe, blood stays in your capillaries, and air remains in your alveoli. Oxygen and carbon dioxide, however, move across their respective thin membranes. During exercise, the amount of oxygen leaving your alveoli and going into your blood increases. Likewise, the amount of carbon dioxide leaving your blood and entering your alveoli increases.
Inspiration, or the amount of air you breathe in, is dependent on the actions of your diaphragm, the muscles between your ribs and your abdominal muscles. During exercise, these muscles contract to a greater degree to open up your chest cavity so that more air can come into your lungs.
Expiration, or the amount of air you exhale, is also dependent on the actions of the internal muscles between your ribs and your abdominal muscles. These muscles powerfully contract on your ribs and your abdominal cavity to make your chest cavity very small. This enables you to exhale as much air as possible.
Tidal volume is the amount of air you breathe in or out in one breath. Vital capacity is the amount of air you can maximally inhale then maximally exhale, particularly important during high-intensity exercises. Lung volumes decline with age due to a decrease in the elasticity of your lung tissues. Regular aerobic exercise decreases this age-related change in lung volume.
About this Author
Paula Quinene has been writing since 2006. Her book, “Remember Guam,” won two Gourmand Cookbook Awards and she was featured in “Oxygen Fitness Magazine.” She’s certified by the American College of Sports Medicine, American Council on Exercise, was a certified strength and conditioning specialist and a CPR/First Aid instructor. She earned her bachelor’s degree in exercise and movement science from the University of Oregon.
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To make sure everything is logically structured, limit the amount of information and make sure the reader will understand how the game is played after reading your explanation.
Start the first step with an explanation on how you start your game: for example; Divide the group in two.
A new action in the game is always a new step in the ‘how to play’ section. You can add as many steps as you want by simply clicking the “Add a step”-button.
Use simple language and write in short sentences. This way the user can easily follow your guidelines.
Be concrete and give clear instructions about what the players have to do. Use the active voice as much as possible: “Divide the balls” instead of “the balls are divided.”
Write your instructions for a fellow educator by addressing this person directly. Use sentences like: “Ask the following questions…”, or “One player stands in the middle of the circle”.
Write the different steps in chronological order. Start with the setup of the game and explain to the educator how to go through the game, step by step.
Always end your step-by-step explanation with a clear finish to the game, this being the final objective of the game. For example; The game ends when everyone has jumped over the rope or when a player has 10 points ...
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Toddlers are capable of a lot more than parents tend to give them credit for these days. Half baby and half child, toddlers are well-known for being more than a little hard to handle at times. However, by giving them the appropriate chores for toddlers, you can direct all their curiosity and energy into doing something valuable.
As with all things, you will need to stay with your toddler to guide them step-by-step in the beginning. But before you know it, they will be tackling these chores on their own. And, with a little praise, they will also be enthusiastic about completing them.
The Most Appropriate Chores for Toddlers
These are the most appropriate chores for toddlers ages two to three and a half years. However, be sure to choose the ones that are the easiest for your child to do, and then move on to the more difficult ones from there. For example, if your child can’t make their own bed yet, have them help you put folded clothes away.
Keep it fun by being creative and letting your child choose a chore to do. Also, one of the first chores children learn is to pick up their own toys and put them where they belong. As with anything, always supervise your toddler when they help around the home and garden. Some appropriate chores for toddlers include:
- Setting the table for supper.
- Holding the dustpan when you sweep.
- Helping put away clothes.
- Picking up trash from the floor and throw it away.
- Gathering laundry from off the floor.
- Finding soiled cups and small plates around the house.
- Watering the garden, lawn or flowers.
- Raking the yard or weeding and harvesting the garden.
- Giving household pets food and water.
- Making their own bed.
- Wiping the fronts of baseboards, cabinets or doors.
- Dusting tables or areas that are low to the floor within their reach.
- Tidying the lower portion of bookshelves or cabinets.
- Feeding the chickens.
- Wiping up any messes they make.
- Bringing diapers and wipes for themselves, if applicable, or a younger sibling.
Your toddler will get a sense of pride and accomplishment from helping with small household tasks. Be patient when teaching them how to do them, and before you know it they will enthusiastically be tackling them on their own. By letting them help out, your active toddler will develop into a thoughtful child who loves to keep busy around the house and yard.
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Click the following link to bring up a new window with an automated collection of images related to the term: Blaff Images
Lexicographical Neighbors of Blaff
blaff (current term)
Literary usage of Blaff
Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:
1. A Grammar of the German Language: Designed for a Thoro and Practical Study by George Oliver Curme (1922)
"Bauten buildings) building, blaff bark (of a dog), Bold fellow, dwarf, Bord (rarely neut.) edge, Bord (see 5. с below), *Born fount, «Borst crack, fissure, ..."
2. Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine (1863)
"... blaff, I went on board the Richmond, or Merrimac No; 2, as she is more generally called, and I must say that the efforts made by the Southerners to ..."
3. A Rebel War Clerk's Diary at the Confederate States Capital by John Beauchamp Jones (1866)
"The tremendous cannonading all day yesterday at Drewry's blaff was merely an artillery duel—brought on by the heavy skirmishing of pickets. ..."
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What impact did the Tet Offensive have on the United States during the Vietnam War?
1 Answer | Add Yours
The Tet Offensive impacted the United States in the Vietnam War by convincing many Americans that the war was not going to be won and that their government had been lying to them.
By the time of the Tet Offensive in early 1968, the US had been fully engaged in the Vietnam War for more than two years, beginning with the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution in 1964. There had been a hope that the US’s takeover of the war at that point would lead to victory. During those 2 years, the US government constantly reassured Americans that the US was winning the war. By early 1968, the government had been telling the American public that the war was practically over. The government was saying the enemy was on its last legs.
When the Tet Offensive occurred, this was shown to be untrue. It became clear that the enemy was at least strong enough to mount a broad attack on multiple targets. Even though the enemy did not manage to take and hold any of their targets, they still showed they could attack.
When this happened, Americans came to have grave doubts in their government and in the idea that the war could be won. This led to President Johnson’s decision not to run for reelection and to the election of Richard Nixon, who promised to end the war.
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What is DD File Extension?
Those who are looking for disk image file extension can install DD. It is a replica of a hard disk drive which extension is .dd. Like other file formats, you can recognize the DD file by looking at its extension .dd. The utility creates disk images by commanding line interface in the system of UNIX and LINUX OS.
Learn More about the Extension
DD files are sometimes known as forensic dd image, so it is used to locate Linux hard disk data in Windows OS.
In Linux, DD utility uses specific commands for dd image file:
dd if=/dev/hdr of=mydisk.dd
if is an input file
/dev/hdr is a physical disk of Linux
of is an output file
The destination name is my disk.dd
dd if=/dev/hdr of=mydisk.dd bs=64836 conv=noerror,sync
The block size is bs
conv=noerror parameter let the command run continuously even if any read error is faced due to source drive.
sync If an error occurs then null fill the rest of the block
In Windows, DD utility uses the following command to create a dd disk image:
dd.exe if=\\.\PhysicalDrive0 of=d:\images\PhysicalDrive0.dd
This cmd will help to get a replicate of a source drive
How to View or Read the DD File Extension
You can read DD files in-
- MS Windows
Users can rely on paid tools also. There is some free DD file supporting apps.
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Securing a safe, stable and cost-effective water supply is often challenging for water supply companies around the world. With Grundfos iSOLUTIONS you can save a significant amount of energy, water and operating costs. Your benefits include:
- Pressure control based on given operating conditions
- Energy savings by reducing surplus water pressure
- Reduced water loss, pipe bursts and maintenance costs
- Enhanced end user comfort
Download whitepaper to learn more
Take a deep dive into the key challenges of water distribution in our whitepaper and learn how to gain ultimate control with Grundfos iSOLUTIONS.
The whitepaper has been prepared by Marco Fontozzi, a leading consultant in water loss management and an active member of the International Water Association’s (IWA) Water Loss Specialist Group.
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3.3.4 Emission pathways
Emission pathway studies often focus on specific questions with respect to the consequences of timing (in terms of environmental impacts) or overall reduction rates needed for specific long-term targets, (e.g. the emission pathways developed by Wigley et al., 1996). A specific issue raised in the literature on emission pathways since the TAR has concerned a temporary overshoot of the target (concentration, forcing, or temperature). Meinshausen (2006) used a simple carbon-cycle model to illustrate that for low-concentration targets (i.e. below 3 W/m2/ 450 ppmv CO2-eq) overshoot is inevitable, given the feasible maximum rate of reduction. Wigley (2003) argued that overshoot profiles may give important economic benefits. In response, O’Neill and Oppenheimer (2004) showed that the associated incremental warming of large overshoots may significantly increase the risks of exceeding critical climate thresholds to which ecosystems are known to be able to adapt. Other emission pathways that lead to less extreme concentration overshoots may provide a sensible compromise between these two results. For instance, the ‘peaking strategies’ chosen by Den Elzen et al. (2006) show that it is possible to increase the likelihood of meeting the long-term temperature target or to reach targets with a similar likelihood at lower costs. Similar arguments for analyzing overshoot strategies are made by Harvey (2004), and Kheshgi et al. (2005).
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The impact of parental involvement: a study of the relationship between homework and kindergarten Texas Primary Reading Inventory scores
MetadataShow full item record
The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of School Home Links activity guide homework on kindergarten Texas Primary Reading Inventory scores. Student Texas Primary Reading Inventory (TPRI) scores were obtained and analyzed for gains in score from the Middle of Year (MOY) and End of Year (EOY) administration. Parents were provided School Home Links Activity Guide Homework to use with their child on a weekly basis for twelve weeks. This group formed an experimental group. A control group did not receive SHL activity guide homework. For the control and experimental group each student's letter/sound score was entered into SPSS for the MOY and EOY TPRI, and average gains were calculated. Groups of students were isolated and analyzed for gain based upon participation in a district reading program, and/or high or low parental involvement in SHL activity guide homework. Research in the upper grades shows that homework completion and parent involvement positively affect student achievement. Students whose parents are involved in their education reap many benefits. These benefits include higher academic achievement (Davies, 1991). Fuller & Olsen (1998), Davies (1991), and Epstein (1995) believe parent involvement is a stronger indicator of student achievement than socioeconomic status, parent education, ethnicity, or any other indicator. The research supports the use of homework for upper grades. The results of this study remain inconclusive for kindergarten age students. This study shows that there is no statistically significant difference between experimental and control group kindergarten TPRI scores when homework is an independent variable.
Davis, Jill Marie (2003). The impact of parental involvement: a study of the relationship between homework and kindergarten Texas Primary Reading Inventory scores. Doctoral dissertation, Texas A&M University. Texas A&M University. Available electronically from
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You are in this section
IN is a unique charity that uses the power of sport to involve, inspire and positively impact upon the lives of children, young people and marginalised groups around the world – providing them with rights and opportunities that they may not otherwise have had. IN believes sport is an effective and high quality tool to tackle some of the most pressing development issues, such as engaging more children in education, promoting human rights, gender equity and providing opportunities for children with disabilities to join sporting and social activities. IN has inspired over 25 million children to get active and involved in sport, a privilege that many children and young people are denied.
“Ensuring the legacy of London 2012 benefits the world's youth for years to come, and the UK continues to blaze a trail as a global leader in enriching lives through sport.”
Lord Sebastian Coe, Former Chairman of International Inspiration
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Surveys Vs. Revealed Preference
Richard Layard uses survey research and some fancy philosophical footwork to argue against conventional wisdom in economics and in favor of a nanny state. Some quotes from the series of three lectures:
People in the West have got no happier in the last 50 years. They have become much richer, they work much less, they have longer holidays, they travel more, they live longer, and they are healthier. But they are no happier. This shocking fact should be the starting point for much of our social science.
…First, I compare what I have with what I have become used to (through a process of habituation). As I ratchet up my standards, this reduces the enjoyment I get from any given standard of living. Second, I compare what I have with what other people have (through a process of rivalry). If others get better off, I need more in order to feel as good as before. So, we have two mechanisms which help to explain why all our efforts to become richer are so largely self-defeating in terms of the overall happiness of society.
…Let me give you two examples where in both cases people became objectively better off but felt subjectively worse. One is the case of East Germany where the living standards of those in work have soared since 1990, but their level of happiness has plummeted because they now compare themselves with the West Germans, rather than with other countries in the Soviet bloc. Another case is women, whose pay and opportunities have improved considerably relative to men, but their level of happiness has not. Indeed in the US women’s happiness has fallen relative to men’s, perhaps because they compare themselves more specifically with men than they used to, and are therefore more aware of the gaps that still exist.
…Rivalry and habituation lead to a quite different conclusion. They tell us that in an efficient economy, there will be substantial levels of corrective taxation.
Layard treats people’s responses to survey questions such as “would you rather earn $50,000 in a world where others earn half that or earn $100,000 in a world where others earn double that?” as measuring objective reality, while taking people’s actual choices as socially constructed, due to artificial influences, such as advertising.
I have a hard time letting go of my biases as an economist. If people really wanted to live among others who earn half of their incomes, Americans would be flocking to Mexico rather than the other way around.
For Discussion. Layard reports survey-based research that shows that women devote less than 15 minutes a day to sex and yet report that sex is what makes them happiest. Which of those two facts is more likely to be “socially constructed” by the way that sex is treated in the media?
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attribute to validate an input field.
I want to accept alphanumeric pattern of the following types only:
A-AAAA or BB-BBB (the intended pattern is: 1 digit before the "-", and 4 digits after the "-", or 2 digits before the "-", and 3 digits after the "-").
My current RegEx is:
This one works, but accepts CC-CCCC as well, which is obviously a valid input pattern, but not the intended pattern. It accepts DDD-DDDD as well; valid again, but not intended.
Could you please assist adapting the pattern?
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It's traceroute that sneaks through firewalls
TCPTraceroute and How it Works
Unlike traditional traceroute that uses ICMP and UDP this tcptraceroute tool uses the TCP protocol. This has a powerful advantage when tracing a network path through a firewall or other network filtering devices. Often a router or firewall will block the ICMP packets that traditional traceroute uses, this results in a whole bunch of * * * in your traceroute results. By using tcptraceroute against a web server on port 80 for example, you are able to discover the path all the way to the server as port 80 must be open for the web server to be able to server web pages.
Another TCPTraceroute OptionNmap as Traceroute Tool
While tcptraceroute can be installed on any linux based system quite easily many people may find they already have a powerful traceroute option on their system. The latest versions of the nmap port scanner are also able to perform a TCP based traceroute. Just use the option --traceroute on your port scans and nmap will not only perform a traceroute it will also use the results of the port scan to find the port most likely to reach your target. Clever stuff. Over at hackertarget.com on the online nmap port scanner tool you can perform scans with traceroute as an option.
TCPTraceroute Command Lineman tcptraceroute - command line help
NAME tcptraceroute - A traceroute implementation using TCP packets
SYNOPSIS tcptraceroute [-nNFSAE] [ -i interface ] [ -f first ttl ] [ -l length ] [ -q number of queries ] [ -t tos ] [ -m max ttl ] [ -p source port ] [ -s source address ] [ -w wait time ] host [ destination port ] [ length ]
DESCRIPTION tcptraceroute is a traceroute implementation using TCP packets.
The more traditional traceroute(8) sends out either UDP or ICMP ECHO packets with a TTL of one, and increments the TTL until the destination has been reached. By printing the gateways that generate ICMP time exceeded messages along the way, it is able to determine the path packets are taking to reach the destination.
The problem is that with the widespread use of firewalls on the modern Internet, many of the packets that traceroute(8) sends out end up being filtered, making it impossible to completely trace the path to the destination. However, in many cases, these firewalls will permit inbound TCP packets to specific ports that hosts sitting behind the firewall are lis‐ tening for connections on. By sending out TCP SYN packets instead of UDP or ICMP ECHO packets, tcptraceroute is able to bypass the most common firewall filters.
It is worth noting that tcptraceroute never completely establishes a TCP connection with the destination host. If the host is not listening for incoming connections, it will respond with an RST indicating that the port is closed. If the host instead responds with a SYN|ACK, the port is known to be open, and an RST is sent by the kernel tcptraceroute is running on to tear down the connection without completing three-way handshake. This is the same half-open scanning tech‐ nique that nmap(1) uses when passed the -sS flag.
OPTIONS -n Display numeric output, rather than doing a reverse DNS lookup for each hop. By default, reverse lookups are never attempted on RFC1918 address space, regardless of the -n flag.
-N Perform a reverse DNS lookup for each hop, including RFC1918 addresses.
-f Set the initial TTL used in the first outgoing packet. The default is 1.
-m Set the maximum TTL used in outgoing packets. The default is 30.
-p Use the specified local TCP port in outgoing packets. The default is to obtain a free port from the kernel using bind(2). Unlike with traditional traceroute(8), this number will not increase with each hop.
-s Set the source address for outgoing packets. See also the -i flag.
-i Use the specified interface for outgoing packets.
-q Set the number of probes to be sent to each hop. The default is 3.
-w Set the timeout, in seconds, to wait for a response for each probe. The default is 3.
-S Set the TCP SYN flag in outgoing packets. This is the default, if neither -S or -A is specified.
-A Set the TCP ACK flag in outgoing packets. By doing so, it is possible to trace through stateless firewalls which permit outgoing TCP connections.
-E Send ECN SYN packets, as described in RFC2481.
-t Set the IP TOS (type of service) to be used in outgoing packets. The default is not to set any TOS.
-F Set the IP "don't fragment" bit in outgoing packets.
-l Set the total packet length to be used in outgoing packets. If the length is greater than the minimum size required to assemble the necessary probe packet headers, this value is automatically increased.
-d Enable debugging, which may or may not be useful.
--dnat Enable DNAT detection, and display messages when DNAT transitions are observed. DNAT detection is based on the fact that some NAT devices, such as some Linux 2.4 kernels, do not correctly rewrite the IP address of the IP packets quoted in ICMP time-exceeded messages tcptraceroute solicits, revealing the destination IP address an out‐ bound probe packet was NATed to. NAT devices which correctly rewrite the IP address quoted by ICMP messages, such as some Linux 2.6 kernels, will not be detected. For some target hosts, it may be necessary to use --dnat in con‐ junction with --track-port. See the examples.txt file for examples.
--no-dnat Enable DNAT detection for the purposes of correctly identifying ICMP time-exceeded messages that match up with outbound probe packets, but do not display messages when a DNAT transition is observed. This is the default behavior.
--no-dnat-strict Do not perform any DNAT detection whatsoever. No attempt will be made match up ICMP time-exceeded messages with outbound probe packets, and when tracerouting through a NAT device which does not rewrite the IP addresses of the IP packets quoted in ICMP time-exceeded messages, some hops along the path may appear to be unresponsive. This option should not be needed in the vast majority of cases, but may be utilized if it is suspected that the DNAT detection code is misidentifying ICMP time-exceeded messages.
EXAMPLES Please see the examples.txt file included in the tcptraceroute distribution for a few real world examples.
To trace the path to a web server listening for connections on port 80:
To trace the path to a mail server listening for connections on port 25:
tcptraceroute mailserver 25
BUGS No error checking is performed on the source address specified by the -s flag, and it is therefore possible for tcp‐ traceroute to send out TCP SYN packets for which it has no chance of seeing a response to.
AUTHOR Michael C. Toren
AVAILABILITY For updates, please see: http://michael.toren.net/code/tcptraceroute/
SEE ALSO traceroute(8), ping(8), nmap(1)
2006 March 28 TCPTRACEROUTE(1)
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This is the rare "7-leave", variety of Jiaogulan, Gynostemma pentaphyllum.
With this variety you'll get a bigger crop as well as more incredients.
Gynostemma pentaphyllum, also called Jiaogulan is indigenous to the southern reaches of China, northern Vietnam, southern Korea, and Japan. Jiaogulan is best known as an herbal medicine reputed to have powerful antioxidant and adaptogenic effects purported to increase longevity. Pharmacological research has indicated a number of therapeutic qualities of Jiaogulan, such as lowering cholesterol and high blood pressure, strengthening immunity, and inhibiting cancer growth. Additionally Jiaogulan contains THREE TIMES MORE effective compounds similar to those found in Panax ginseng which is known as one of the healthiest and most expensive plants on earth. So don't waste your money for expensive, and often even chemically treated herbs. Better buy some seeds and grow your own medicinal herbs, 100% organically!
let the seeds soak in water for about 24 hours then immediately plant them about 3mm deep into rich soil which is important to be kept moist and at temperatures about 20°C. Germination will start after about 3 weeks
- Additional Information
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