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Interestingly, the study doesn’t say that vegetarianism causes mental health problems. But in all but two studies done in the past, vegetarianism has been linked with higher rates of depression, anxiety, and particularly eating disorders (bingeing, restricting, and purging behaviors) which may suggest that mental disorders cause vegetarianism which then makes the mental disorders worse.
Entirely vegan diets are unknown among traditional human cultures. Back in the early part of the 19th century, dentist and explorer Weston Price went looking for vegans, but found only cannibals*. Since vegan diets in nature provide no vitamin B12 and very little in the way of usable long chain omega3 fatty acids, it is not surprising that humans have continued to eat animals and animal-derived products. Nowadays one can obtain algae-derived DHA (the major long chain omega3 fatty acid present in the brain) and supplement B12. That wasn’t possible until a few years ago, and there’s little evidence that supplementation with DHA alone is helpful for the brain.
We have been encouraged to eat more plants and less animals. Various writers have suggested it is healthier for our bodies and our planet. I have no objections to a mostly plant-based diet as long as attention is paid to protein requirements and micronutrition. However, since little things in animal products (some essential like B12, some that can be created in our bodies but perhaps not in the amounts we need, such as creatine) seem to be very important for the brain, it’s interesting to look at the literature on vegetarian diets and mental health. Here is the latest (and the best) observational study: Vegetarian diet and mental disorders: results from a representative community survey. …
And when the researchers went down the line of depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, somatoform disorders (things like body dysmorphic disorder, health anxiety and hypochondriasis), and eating disorders, the mostly vegetarian were more likely to be afflicted, and the strict vegetarian even more likely.** The full blown eating disorder diagnoses were rare enough, however, that the researchers didn’t compute the odds ratios, as they felt the dataset was not robust enough to be fair. Compared to the general population, the vegetarians were more likely to have mental disorders, and compared to the sex and education and population and age matched controls, the risk of mental disorders in vegetarians really shot up, with odds ratios hovering around 2 fold increased risk, some as high as 3 fold.
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https://laura-knight-jadczyk.com/tag/health-2/
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A Short Natural History of the
Western Finger Lakes Region
Ten thousand years ago, the last glaciers of the Wisconsin series were shrinking back north. As they retreated, they left great grooves in the Silurian and Devonian bedrock formed millions of years before under seawater. We name that bedrock surfacing in broad east-west bands: Salina shale, Onondaga limestone, Hamilton shale, Genesee shale, Portage sandstone, Chemung sandstone, as it appears from north to south
The last glaciers re-arranged the whole landscape. Soils were pushed away, transported, settled out of glacial meltwaters, left in mounds and ridges. Most of the Finger Lakes watershed turned around, plugged by the Valley Heads moraine, now flowing north through the Oswego River system instead of south through the Susquehanna. These are the western Finger Lakes: Conesus, Hemlock, Canadice, Honeoye, Canandaigua, Keuka, and Seneca. The glaciers left flatter, sandier soils to the north; heavier silts and clays in the Allegheny foothills to the south. Elevation ranges from six hundred feet above sea level in the north to more than two thousand feet in the southern hills. Following differences in climate and soils, different forests developed north and south. In the north were chestnut, oak, hickory and tulip poplar predominating. In the south, sugar maple, beech, birch, hemlock and white pine were dominant species. Atop their various food chains, wolves, bears, eagles, panthers, herons, trout and snapping turtles roamed the area.
Ten thousand years ago, Clovis people living in Vine Valley hunted mastodons, mammoths, and caribou left in the hills and marshes of the glacier's wake. Six thousand five hundred years ago the Lamoka people made bread from acorn mast of the white oaks growing here. Six hundred years ago the Ho-de-no-sau-nee or People of the Longhouse constructed their homes of elm bark and planted large fields of the Three Sisters, corn, beans and squash growing altogether.
The first land office in America opened at Canandaigua in the early 1790s, where land was measured, portioned and sold. First settlers to receive this land were often youngest sons of Connecticut or Massachuseetts families, Revolutionary War veterans, or religious zealots. Sometimes all three in one.
Local agriculture has always been diverse. Much of the forests cleared to farm were burned. The villages of Canandaigua, Geneva, Syracuse and Rochester were built from milled wood originally standing as trees on our hills. Deforestation, and farming, reached their height around 1880.
Most of us do not know what a degraded habitat we live in. But precisely because we do not know, all the more reason for us to try to imagine what this land would look like supporting a web of clear, unsilted streams, under a mature hardwood forest with trails following the natural contours, and soils in their full vigor. To look ahead, or behind, we must dream such a land.
© 1998, Stephen Lewandowski
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http://crookedlakereview.com/articles/101_135/109fall1998/109lewandowski.html
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The "kata" or form is the educational core of all traditional Japanese knowledge schools. It is the most visible representation of a school’s knowledge packaged into one seemingly simple set of movements or concepts.
"Shu-ha-ri" literally means embracing the kata, diverging from the kata and discarding the kata. The pursuit of training in a classical Japanese marshal arts training almost always follows this educational process. This unique approach to learning has existed for centuries in Japan.
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http://dimiterbak.blogspot.com/2012/12/shu-ha-ri.html
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Why the death penalty should be abolished
The death penalty has been and remains a very emotional topic, especially in the times of terrorism and armed conflicts.
In most countries, the public majority strives for keeping this kind of punishment. Nevertheless, human rights should not depend on attitudes in society. After all, we are well aware of the tragic facts when the society found it acceptable to exploit people of a different race, isolate the handicapped and destroy whole nations.
To date, we have the long-run experience of the countries that have abandoned this form of punishment, and mankind can make direct conclusions about the ineffectiveness of the death penalty in preventing crime and the risks of killing the innocent.
We stand for a fair and reasonable punishment for offenders that would serve the purposes of justice and would be appropriate for a society where the right to life is an absolute value.
There are also indisputable studies that show that the more people know about the facts related to the death penalty, the less they oppose its abolition. Unfortunately, the states that practice this form of punishment are often reluctant to provide their citizens with information on this issue and hinder the appropriate activities of human rights defenders, thereby supporting the existing social myths.
We present our arguments, based on the experience of 140 countries and research.
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http://dp.spring96.org/en/why
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PC users may need access to graphical interfaces on remote Unix or Linux computers. Frequently, this is complicated by the need for security for the connection. One approach, when the PC runs some version of Microsoft Windows, is the use of X-Deep/32 and PuTTY to connect to the Unix/Linux host. This approach provides a secure, encrypted link and allows the graphical information to pass through firewalls using a feature called X11 forwarding.
This process is most easily done if the PC's network has a fixed IP address. It is still possible if the PC or its network use dynamic IP address (DHCP).
Use this technique when you have a PC needing graphical access to a computer on another network and the network is accessed via the internet.
This technique is not necessary if the PC and the computer it wants to access are on the same private network.
This technique is not necessary if the PC and the computer it wants to access are both directly connected to the internet. (Although if PC has firewall software installed, the comments on opening port 6000 are appropriate.)
This technique is not necessary if the PC's network and the network of the computer it wants to access are connected with a Virtual Private Network (VPN). The VPN is a superior solution if multiple PCs at a location need access to one or more hosts at another location.
This technique is not necessary if the PC and the Host run VNC. How that connection is made is documented elsewhere on the web.
Let's start off with the most complex case. A PC is on a network. That network connects to the internet through a router/firewall that provides IP masquerading, also known as Network Address Translation (NAT). The Unix host is also on a private network using NAT.
I am taking the liberty of not using genuine IP addresses. The IP addresses shown have letters in them, which is not legitimate. I don't want someone trying to follow my examples too literally and messing with someone's public IP address. If you are not the network administrator for both private networks you will need the assistance of the network administrator(s).
The PC runs Microsoft Windows. To do the X11 forwarding, we install PuTTY and X-Deep/32. Both programs are free, as in no $$$. I recommend installing the Windows-style installer version of PuTTY from the Download page. PuTTY is an SSH client that encrypts information when connected to an SSH server. X-Deep/32 is an X-server that displays graphical information for an X-client. Note that X reverses the usual sense of client and server. The server is on the desktop; the client is remote. I will attempt to avoid confusion by speaking of PC and Host instead of client and server.
In our example the PC has address 192.168.1.xxx on the private network 192.168.1.0 (Netmask 255.255.255.0).
The Host runs Unix, or maybe Linux. It also uses X11 for the graphical interface (GUI) and has sshd installed and configured. The Host must have a static (fixed) IP address on its private network.
In our example the Host has IP address 192.168.4.zzz on the network 192.168.4.0 (Netmask 255.255.255.0). Note that both the PC and the Host are on private networks that cannot send IP traffic directly to each other. Each IP address on the internet must be unique to a device. However, there are thousands of computers that have the IP address 192.168.1.xxx but they cannot communicate directly with each other since the 192.168.?.? address-range is not routable over the internet. Note also that the address 192.168.1.xxx must be unique on the private network.
The PC's Firewall may be a PC that performs the router/firewall function with NAT enabled. More likely, it will be a router/firewall device (firewall appliance). Firewall appliances can be purchased for less than $100. They are sometimes called Cable or DSL Routers. Units are available from companies like D-Link, Linksys, SMC, and Netgear. There are also commercial grade units from companies like Cisco, SonicWALL, Netscreen, and Watchguard. This configurable device will have rules that tell what traffic is permitted from the WAN and where it is to go on the private network. The private network will be on the LAN side of the firewall. The internet connection will attach to the WAN side. Advanced units will have many capabilities not germane to this topic. These features might include virus detection, filtering objectionable web sites, and blocking certain users from connecting to the internet.
The Host's Firewall is more likely a commercial grade router/firewall. This is somewhat dependant on the number of users and servers on the Host's LAN and how complex the access rules need to be. The essential functions of providing NAT and setting rules for access and routing are similar to the PC's firewall.
The first step is getting the PC to where it can do an SSH connection to the Host.
The sshd daemon must be running on the Host before the PC can connect. Typically, the Host is set up so that sshd is started as part of the boot process. Usually a file in somewhere like /etc/rc2.d handles this.
Before starting sshd on the host, the sshd_config file must be set up. This file is usually in directory /etc/ssh. The defaults will often work. I recommend setting "PermitRootLogin no". Also, "X11Forwarding yes" although this may not be necessary. These notes apply to OpenSSH, an implementation of SSH found on many Unix and Linux computers.
If a port other than 22 is to be used for SSH make note of it, it will change how the Host Firewall is configured. (Destination Port in Port Forwarding will have to match this port number). The port is defined in sshd_config.
The PC user must have a valid login and password on Host.
By default the Host's Firewall will likely not let SSH traffic pass to the Host. The firewall rules will need a rule to allow the data traffic through. In the Port Forwarding rules, create a rule that says: "allow TCP traffic received at the WAN interface on port 22, sent from the PC's firewall (Source is 4.4.4.aaa), and forward it to the Host (Destination is 192.168.4.zzz), using Destination Port 22."
In the event there are several Hosts on the network that PC wants to access, a second rule might say: "allow TCP traffic received on WAN port 222, sent from Source IP address 4.4.4.aaa, and forward it to the second host (say Destination 192.168.4.xyz), using Destination Port 22." Note that traffic from a Source IP/Port combination can only be routed to a single Destination IP/Port combination.
If the PC's Firewall uses a dynamic WAN IP address (DHCP), i.e. not a static (fixed) IP address, you can port forward by using Source IP Address 0.0.0.0. However, be aware, this will allow anyone on the internet who can guess a user name and password to have access to Host.
The PC must have a static (fixed) IP address on its private network. If the PC is on a private network, the network administrator can give it an effective static IP by associating an IP address (192.168.1.xxx) from the DHCP pool with the the PC's MAC address in the DHCP server. This gives the effect of a static IP while the PC can still be set up to request an IP address via DHCP. If the PC is connected directly to the internet (no firewall), a DHCP address may work but will require that the Host's Firewall forward all traffic for port 22 to Host.
The PC must have PuTTY installed. Another SSH Client will work but you will need to configure based on hints here.
After installation, open PuTTY and configure a connection to the Host.
To test, click the "Open" button on the PuTTY screen. If port forwarding is working and sshd is configured and working on Host, you will get a screen asking if you are willing to risk having been redirected to a spoof server. Click whichever button lets you proceed. At this point, if the stars are aligned, the gods are appeased, Murphy is distracted, and you've been leading a good life, you will get a login prompt from Host.
Log in to complete the test. You are now able to communicate securely between PC and Host.
The login test put us in a character based shell, probably csh, sh, korn, or bash. We will want a script to start a graphical interface. The following could be put in $HOME/.profile (bash or sh) for the login account:
echo "\n\nX-server connection? \c"; read X11RESP
if [ "$X11RESP" = "y" ]
startx -t &
If there is a value in $SSH_CONNECTION, the following should work:
echo "\n\nX-server connection? \c"; read X11RESP
if [ "$X11RESP" = "y" ]
DISPLAY=`echo $SSH_CONNECTION | cut -d" " -f1` # Source IP address
DISPLAY=$DISPLAY:0 # append display number
startx -t & # start X11, will time out if no connection
This will ask if you want a graphical screen then start it. This logic assumes that startx has already been started through a mechanism like /etc/inittab or /etc/rc2.d for session on the Host console.
The PC will send out UDP to port 177 that Host needs to receive to make XDMCP work. Host's Firewall needs to let these through and route them to Host. The firewall rules will need a rule to allow the data traffic through. In the Port Forwarding rules, create a rule that says: "allow UDP traffic from the PC's firewall (Source is 4.4.4.aaa), that is sent to Source Port 177 to be forwarded to the Host (Destination is 192.168.4.zzz), Destination Port 177."
Should PC need to access other hosts on the Host's private network another rule might allow UDP traffic from the PC's firewall (Source is 4.4.4.aaa), that is sent to Source Port 1177 to be forwarded to the other host (Destination is 192.168.4.xyz), Destination Port 177.
The Host will try to send back packets to PC using port 6000. These need to be routed through PC's Firewall. On the PC's Firewall create a port forwarding rule that allows TCP traffic from Host's Firewall (Source IP address 5.6.7.bbb) sent to Port 6000 to go to PC (Destination IP address 192.168.1.yyy, Destination Port 6000.
Note that if there are multiple PCs on the PC's private network that want access to Host, each must have a unique screen Display Number (see X-Deep/32). Each must have a rule on the PC's Firewall forwarding (Display Number + 6000) to the private IP address of the PC. The DISPLAY value at the login must have the Display Number after the colon.
Further, each must have a rule on Host's Firewall forwarding a unique UDP port number to port 177 on Host. Each must have a matching UDP port number in the X-Deep/32 XDMCP UDP Port parameter.
Once X-Deep/32 is installed on the PC, it must be configured to connect to Host. The X-Server Menu option gives access to X-Server Options. Within X-Server Options are seven tabbed screens. Set values as follows:
You should now be completely configured for the PC to access the Host. It is best to start X-Deep/32, then start PuTTY and after logging into Host, run "startx -t &".
If connection does not occur, try configuring X-Deep/32 as follows:
This configuration may have to be run successfully once before the XDM Chooser logic will work.
This discussion used a variety of technical terms. Definitions may be found at http://www.instantweb.com/foldoc/ or at http://www.techweb.com/encyclopedia/ or by searching the web.
DHCP - Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol - under DHCP, devices on a network do not have static (fixed) IP addresses. Devices are given an IP address by a DHCP server. This technique simplifies the life of a network administrator. A Microsoft Windows PC uses DHCP if it has "Obtain an IP address automatically" checked in the TCP/IP Properties for its Network Interface Card.
GUI - Graphical User Interface - software that places non-character data (pictures and windows) on the screen. It also handles mouse and keyboard input.
LAN - Local Area Network - the network that connects computers within an establishment or campus. Typically, there is a substantial degree of trust amongst the LAN computers and they are protected from un-trusted computers by the firewall.
NAT - Network Address Translation - a service provided by a router for network traffic bound for the internet. The service transforms the return-address of the data packets to the IP address of the router's external IP address. Traffic sent back to the router from the internet is routed to the correct private IP address.
Private IP Address - an address used on a local network. These addresses cannot be reached directly over the internet because the routers on the internet cannot route them. The common private addresses are 192.168.?.? and 10.?.?.? with most organizations using the former. These may also be called Non-routable addresses.
SSH - Secure Shell - a software standard for authenticating users and transferring data in encrypted format. SSH has a client component and a server component.
VNC - Virtual Network Control - a client/server software solution that lets one computer see and take control of another computer. VNC is open-source software very similar to pcANYWHERE.
WAN - Wide Area Network - the network that connects other networks, typically the internet.
X11 forwarding - the process of connecting two computers with a secure telnet-like connection then passing X11 (graphical interface) information over the connection.
XDMCP - X Display Manager Control Protocol - facilitates the connection between X-servers and hosts.
This document is intended to be informative. The author assumes no liability for your use of the information herein. The document was developed as a result of the author's frustrations attempting to connect to a remote SCO Unix host. Hopefully, my experience, as documented here, can help others achieve results more readily.
Praise, criticism, corrections, suggestions, and questions may be directed to: frank (at) dragonwall (dot) net.
The following lines are included for the benefit of search engines.
Thanks to Simon Tathum for PuTTY. Thanks to Pradeep Nambiar for X-Deep/32. Individuals still make a difference.
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http://dragonwall.net/xdeep-putty.html
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When it comes to nutrition and health, certain foods are considered healthy and certain foods are considered unhealthy. Until recently, all fats were considered to be unhealthy.
We now know that certain fats like omega 3, omega 6 and monounsaturated fats are considered better fats because they promote heart health or do not contribute to heart disease. We must remember thought that even these “good fats” have calories (9Kcal per gram). So, even these, need to be eaten in moderation.
Omega 3 is a polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) and is found in fatty fish, shellfish, flaxseed, walnuts and canola. Omega 6 is also a polyunsaturated fatty acid and is contained in nuts, seeds and vegetable oils. These are also known as “essential fatty acids”. EFA’s are not manufactured by the body and are needed to be consumed from an external source.
Monounsaturated fats (Mufas) are found in Canola and olive oils
Try to ensure that MOST of your fat intake comes from PUFA’s. The total calories, of ALL the fat you consume per day, should not exceed 30% of your daily caloric intake.
A heart healthy diet encourages low fat or fat free dairy, fruit and vegetables, high fibre whole-grains, lean meat, poultry and fish.
The so called “bad” fats are saturated fats and transfats. Saturated fats are found in animal based products and are usually solid at room temperature. Found in full fat dairy products – butter, cream, cheese and meat. Saturated fats are also present in tropical oils such as coconut and palm oil.
Trans-fats are found in commercially prepared food like margarine and store bought baked and fried foods.
Diets high in Transfats and saturated fats are associated with heart disease and strokes.
Aim to have NO MORE than 5tsp of fat servings per day.
1tsp of butter, oil or margarine is equal to 1tsp of fat serving
1tsp of mayonnaise counts as 1tsp of fat serving.
10g of nuts or seeds is regarded as 1tsp of fat serving. Half a medium avocado is counted as 3tsp of fat serving. 2Tblsp of peanut butter is regarded as 4tsp of fat serving. 1Tblsp of salad dressing is equivalent to 1tsp of fat serving.
Fat is a concentrated energy source and it’s vital to one’s health. It helps the body absorb fat-soluble vitamins (Vitamins A, D, E and K), maintain healthy skin synthesize hormones. It also cushions body organs from injury and provides energy stores.
So fats serve an essential purpose in the diet and are beneficial to one’s health–as long as you don’t get too much in your diet (not more than 30% of total calories). A diet too high in fat is associated with increased blood cholesterol levels, and high blood cholesterol is a risk factor for heart disease. A high fat diet may also increase chances for developing some types of cancer and obesity.
Now that we all have a better basic knowledge of nutrition, we can make better, wiser, healthier choices. There are NO forbidden foods – But one thing is clear – Too much ofanything is NOT good for you.
Remember, if you want all the right curves in all the right places – make the right choice – because, those who indulge, bulge!
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http://drkats.co.za/2017/11/07/fat-facts/
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Critical Thinking Development and Your Child
Adapted from Caroline Duda and Parenting Magazine
Critical thinking skills, or for that matter much of early-childhood education takes place right at home, months or years before students begin preschool. Children learn to speak and to walk, to color and to cut with scissors as well as developing their critical thinking from the individuals around them. Children develop these important thinking skills as they learn to cooperate with their peers and when they learn to read short picture books independently.
Though critical thinking is emphasized in nearly every year of school — from pre-kindergarten to college or graduate school — it is a skill that parents can begin to introduce to their children from a young age. It is even less tricky than a term like “critical thinking” might imply. Here are three ways you can foster critical thinking skills in your student:
1. ENCOURAGE QUESTIONS OF THE WORLD AROUND YOUR CHILD:
“Why?” To the parents of small children, this question may seem persistent and — at times — frankly annoying. Questioning the world around her might be one of her first ventures into critical thinking. While it may be frustrating to hear a small voice ask, “Why?” when you tell your child to put her shoes on or to tell her what to wear in the morning, you can transform this moment into one that enriches critical thinking skills in your child. When your child asks “why?” instead of answering, you might ask, “Why do we wear shoes?” or “What do shoes protect your feet from?” Questions that begin with how, what or why are often best for these discussions with your child, as they encourage critical thinking or answers outside of “Yes,” or “No.”
2. RESIST THE URGE TO SOLVE PROBLEMS FOR YOUR CHILD:
Although we naturally jump to protecting our children and students, especially when they are distressed. However, allowing your students to solve their own problems — assuming they are not in any danger — can exercise their critical thinking muscles. An example of this can be in this scenario: you and your family are at the beach, and your child would like to build a sandcastle. Unfortunately, you forgot your shovel and bucket at home. While you could suggest that your child use a drinking cup or hands and solve the problem, challenging a child to solve the problem without your help can create an even better response. Your child may come to a solution that you had not thought of, like borrowing a bucket from the family beside you – thereby sharpening critical thinking skills. Remember to praise your child for the fabulous critical thinking answer!
3. PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR CREATIVITY AND FREE PLAY:
Critical thinking is closely linked to creativity and problem solving. Times of free play, also known as unstructured play, is both easy to create and is a rich source of problem solving using critical thinking. With free play, your child selects the toy to play with and allows your child to decide what to do. For example, if LEGO’s is the toy of choice allow your child to use deep thinking skills to create and build a hospital, a school or a home. These creations will increase your child’s imagination while considering what these items look like in reality. Creative activities like dance, sports, music and painting can also introduce your child to new ways of thinking, and these new ways of thinking can, in turn, will deepen critical thinking capabilities. This will lead to the ultimate educational goal; that being success in school.
To read the original article please click here
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http://elcbroward.com/critical-thinking-development-child/
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This is a tricky one for those who get vowels mixed up; often people coming to English from a language that doesn’t mark vowels in the same way, such as Arabic, can get caught out by all our very similar words, especially when they sound almost the same.
To warn, a verb, means to alert someone about something which is about to happen, usually bad. You can issue a warning (the noun) or be warning (verb) someone about the problem.
Worn is the past tense of wear OR an adjective arising from it, and both words have two meanings: to have on the body, as in clothes (I will wear a hat today) or to do with erosion and damage through constant use or friction, etc. (the water of the river has worn through the rock to make a valley; I have an old, worn book that has been damaged by years of use).
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https://libroediting.com/2017/02/11/warn-or-worn/
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Vilhjalmur Stefansson was born on November 3, 1879, in Ames, Manitoba to Johann Stefansson and Ingibjorg Johannesdottir, who were both Icelandic immigrants in America. Christened William, he would eventually change his name to its Icelandic variation. The Stefanssons lived in a tiny log cabin about a hundred miles north of Manitoba in an area known as New Iceland because of its immigrant population. The family moved to North Dakota in 1881 following an 1880 flood in Manitoba. From the beginning, Stefansson was a rugged character who felt at home in the wild. Although he went largely without a formal primary education, he often practiced reading the Bible and local publications. His father died while he was but a youth, and he decided to ease the hardships of his mother by moving in with his sister, and creating a meager income by helping his brother herd cattle and sell horses.
Stefansson was introduced to secondary education in 1898 at the University of North Dakota’s Preparatory Department, from which he was forced out in 1902 for supposedly inciting a protest within the student body. He then enrolled at the University of Iowa, from which he receive his B.A. in 1903.
Before leaving North Dakota, Stefansson had met William Wallace Fenn and Samuel Eliot, both of whom had seen potential in the young man to become a Unitarian minister. They offered to fund his studies at Harvard Divinity School.
Stefansson’s passion, however, lay beyond the realm of conventional studies. After aborting his theological studies upon the completion of one year, he entered the world of anthropology. In 1906, Stefansson left the divinity school to join the Anglo-American Polar Expedition, and traveled to the Arctic. Ever the adventurer, he neglected to make contact with his colleagues and spent the winter months among the native Inuit of Tuktoyyaktut, learning from the people how to hunt and fish.
The most difficult part of being an expeditionary was funding the voyages. In 1907 Stefansson traveled to New York to persuade representatives of the American Museum of Natural History to grant him the necessary finances for a second expedition. With some help from the Canadian government, he was able to depart in May of 1908.
The second expedition included Rudolph Anderson, a classmate of Stefansson’s from the University of Iowa. This journey took the men to northern Alaska, where Stefansson continued his study of the natives. For the next two years he explored the area on his way to Victoria Island to study an isolated group of Inuit who still used primitive tools and had strong Caucasian features, and whom some believed were descended from Vikings. Surviving this trip was far from easy. He notes that just after the outset, “the group was short of three things: ammunition, which we all knew was a necessity, and tea and tobacco, which the Eskimos believed were necessities. When we reached the mouth of the Horton on our way back to camp, we divided our party in two… Our troubles began. It took us thirteen days to get to camp. We were delayed by blizzards, and found the hunting poor along the way. There was not enough food for the six of us. We ate what we could, including the tongue of a beached bowhead whale. Four years dead, the carcass would have been hidden in the snow except that foxes had been digging into it… The pieces we ate were more like rubber than flesh.”
The study of this group transformed Stefansson’s livelihood into more of an academic pursuit as he published his findings from this unique group of Inuit in Scientific American and the Literary Digest. The culmination of this study was the book My Life With the Eskimo.
Stefansson then narrowed the range of his studies to the Arctic Ocean, even living on floating ice with two colleagues for several months.
They subsisted on polar bear and seal. Stefansson believed that another expedition was in order in 1920 and attempted to convince the British government to fund it, but it refused. This setback caused him to abandon expeditions and to concentrate entirely on lecturing and writing.
Stefansson essentially wanted to emphasize the fact that the arctic was not the desolate, windswept land that it was largely believed to be. The two books that he wrote to this effect were The Story of Five Years in Polar Regions and The Northward Course of Empire.
Beginning in 1932 Stefansson began mapping flight plans for the nascent Pan American Airlines, and in 1933 he actually had the opportunity to work on Charles Lindbergh’s plan for a transatlantic flight. This occupation precipitated a 1940 request by the War Department that he educate the head of the Alaska Defense Force as to the conditions of the Arctic. For the next two years, Stefansson aided in the development of Alaska and northwestern Canada, particularly in oil prospects and the mapping of the Alaska Highway.
Despite the many successes, controversy surrounded the explorer’s reputation. His attempt to raise reindeer on Baffin Island failed, and his effort to create a colony on Wrangel Island in 1923 ended with several deaths. Furthermore, Stefansson’s conflicts over leadership positions with other explorers are well-documented.
Stefansson’s accomplishments are widely recognized. He was the last explorer to discover new lands in the Arctic, and above all, he recognized the unique beauty of a culture other than his own and introduced society to the reality of the Arctic sans the myths and rumors.
On April 10, 1941 Stefansson married Evelyn Schwartz Baird. He subsequently moved from New York to Vermont, and then to Hanover, NH, where he and his wife were active in the Unitarian Fellowship and “Stef” pursued his research, writing, and public speaking at Dartmouth College.
Vilhjalmur Stefansson died in Hanover, N.H. on Aug. 26, 1962.
— By Edric Lescouflair.
Resources Recommended by Harvard Square Library
Stefansson, Vilhjalmur. Discovery: The Autobiography of Vilhjalmur Stefansson. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1964.
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https://www.harvardsquarelibrary.org/biographies/vilhjalmur-stefansson/
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Why Americans Relish Cranberries
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
For this story, go here.
NPR Online reader Wesley Hill of Alaska shared the following with me:
"Many of the indigenous people of Alaska continue to use local berries as a major part of their diet. Unless you've seen the "harvest" first-hand, you would find it dificult to appreciate the importance of this food. I've been in remote, isolated villages when a couple grandmothers and their kids and grandkids appeared with three or four 50-gallon "garbage cans" full of berries. The berries are generally packed in oil to preserve them for the long winter...
In many parts of Alaska there are two varieties of cranberry: Low Bush, which look and taste like the commercial cranberry (although each berry is smaller), and High Bush, which grow on a large bush which at times is way taller than your head (maybe 8 feet sometimes). High Bush berries have a flat seed and a strong aftertaste but they make excellent juice for jelly and freezing to drink. They may not be a true cranberry, however."
Many thanks to you, Wesley.
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http://www.mamacooks.com/index.php?page=articles&category=01--NPR_Online&display=1458
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A loss of appetite occurs when you have a low desire to eat. Different factors can cause poor appetite, including mental and physical illness.
If your lack of appetite lasts for more than a couple of days, it can cause weight loss or malnutrition.
Not having an appetite can be frustrating for anyone, especially people who are underweight and trying to gain weight or build mass.
This article lists 16 easy ways to increase your appetite.
Eating three full meals might seem like a challenging task when you don't have a healthy appetite.
A more motivating way to eat is to divide your three main meals into five or six smaller meals.
As your appetite improves, you can start increasing the portions of these meals, or adding more ingredients to consume more calories throughout the day.
For example, if you're eating a tuna sandwich, incorporate some veggies and cheese to add more calories and nutrients.
Summary: Have five or six smaller meals per day instead of three large ones. As your appetite improves, you can start increasing portions and adding more ingredients.
People with poor appetites tend to eat empty calories like candy, chips, ice cream and baked goods to gain weight.
Even though these kinds of foods might seem more appetizing and contain high amounts of calories, they’re a bad idea since they provide very few nutrients.
Instead, concentrate on foods that provide you with calories and a wide array of nutrients like protein and healthy fats.
For example, instead of ice cream for dessert, you can eat 1 cup of plain Greek yogurt. Add some berries and cinnamon for sweetness.
Similarly, if you feel like eating pizza, you can make your own and add extra veggies and some protein for extra nutrients.
Summary: Decrease your intake of empty calories. Instead, make easy substitutions to focus on more nutritious foods that contain protein, healthy fats and whole grains.
Another way to increase your appetite and ensure you’re eating enough during the day is to add more calories to your meals.
One way to do this is to cook your foods with calorie-dense ingredients like butter, nut butters, olive oil or whole milk.
- Add 45 calories: Cook your eggs with butter.
- Add 80 calories: Cook your oatmeal with whole milk instead of water.
- Add 80 calories: Add some olive oil and avocados to your salads.
- Add 100 calories: Spread some peanut butter on apple slices for a snack.
Simple additions like these can pack more healthy calories into your meals and increase your total calorie intake.
Summary: Add calorie-rich ingredients as you’re preparing your meals to consume more calories throughout the day.
Cooking and eating a meal with others may help stimulate your appetite more than eating alone.
To make foods more pleasant to eat, you can invite friends and family over for meals. If they cannot come over to keep you company, try eating while watching TV.
These strategies can help by turning your attention away from the food. In fact, a study showed that eating with friends can increase food intake by 18%, and eating while watching TV could increase it by 14% (
Turning meals into occasions for socialization and entertainment may help you enjoy your food more and could increase your appetite.
Summary: Having meals with friends and family, or eating them in front of the TV, can distract you from the food you are eating and lead you to eat more.
If you have a poor appetite, seeing big portions of food can be overwhelming and discouraging.
A way to avoid feeling overwhelmed is to trick your brain into thinking you are still eating small portions. You can do this by serving your food on a big plate instead of a small plate.
In other words, you could eat more food if you serve it in a larger dish. This could increase your daily calorie intake, especially if you eat high-calorie foods.
Summary: Serving your food on larger plates could help you serve yourself larger portions and eat more.
Hunger usually cues people to eat. However, if you do not get hungry, you might not be able to rely on your appetite to remind you when to eat.
If this is the case, try scheduling your meals and setting a reminder at each mealtime to make sure you’re eating regularly.
Additionally, having a regular meal schedule is important for stimulating appetite, helping you consume enough calories and nutrients every day.
Summary: Scheduling and setting reminders for meals can help you promote appetite and keep track of your food intake.
Consuming breakfast on a daily basis is important when you want to increase your appetite and gain weight.
A review study showed that skipping breakfast can lead you to eat less throughout the day, which is the opposite of what you want (
Furthermore, breakfast helps increase the body's thermogenesis effect, making you burn more calories throughout the day. This can increase your appetite (
If you’re trying to eat more, having breakfast every day is as important as having regular meals throughout the day.
Summary: Eating breakfast every day could promote your appetite and increase thermogenesis, which could motivate you to eat more.
Even though high-fiber foods are recommended in a balanced diet, they can slow down digestion and keep you feeling full for longer. Thus, you may want to moderate your intake if you’re looking to increase your appetite.
Eating a low-fiber diet could prevent you from feeling too full, and might help you eat more during the day.
Summary: Decreasing the amount of fiber in your diet could reduce feelings of fullness and make you eat more food during the day.
Drinking your calories might be a more motivating way to increase your calorie intake than having to chew your food when you do not feel too hungry.
A practical way to drink your calories is by replacing some of your meals with nutritious, high-calorie drinks.
Smoothies, milkshakes and juices can all be good meal-replacement drinks. Try making them using nourishing ingredients like fruits and vegetables.
You can also add good sources of protein like whole milk, yogurt or protein powder for extra calories and nutrients.
Summary: Drinking your calories and nutrients instead of eating them could help motivate you to consume your food.
Eating big meals can be intimidating, whereas small and easy-to-eat snacks can be more convenient and take less effort to increase your food intake.
Snacks can also be helpful while you are on the go.
However, snacks are not meant to replace your big meals, but rather to complement them. So avoid eating snacks close to mealtime, because it could affect your appetite.
Here are some examples of healthy snacks:
- Fruits like bananas, apples and oranges
- Protein bars or granola bars
- Greek yogurt or cottage cheese and fruit
- Nut butter and crackers
- Salty snacks like popcorn or trail mix
Summary: Eating small, healthy snacks throughout the day can help boost your calorie intake and increase your desire to eat.
The logic for this rule is pretty simple — choose foods you like.
When you sit down in front of a meal you know you will enjoy, you’re probably much more inclined to eat it than a dish you find unappealing (
To ensure you consume more of those foods, it is important you take some time to plan and prepare them ahead of time so you can always have them available.
However, if your favorite foods are not healthy — such as from fast food restaurants — you can try cooking or serving them with more wholesome ingredients to make them more nutritious.
Summary: Eat more of the foods you like. This will help motivate you to eat and stimulate your appetite.
Some foods can delay digestion and produce gas, which can result in a "heavy stomach" feeling and reduce your appetite.
A type of seasoning called carminative herbs and spices can help reduce bloating and flatulence and improve your appetite. They can also stimulate the production of bile to facilitate fat digestion (
Some examples of carminative herbs and spices are fennel, peppermint, black pepper, coriander, mint, ginger and cinnamon (
As well as helping reduce the "heavy stomach" feeling, these herbs and spices can help make your meals more appealing. When your food has a pleasant smell and taste, it can trigger your appetite (
Bitters tonics are another type of herb preparation, which can help increase appetite by stimulating the production of digestive enzymes. Examples of bitters tonics include gentian, blessed thistle and centaury (
You can introduce some of these herbs, spices or bitters into your diet by cooking with them, or you can consume them as teas or tinctures.
Summary: Some herbs, spices and bitters tonics can improve your appetite by aiding digestion and reducing flatulence while making your food more appealing.
In fact, one study put 12 people through 16 days of continuous training. After this period, they burned 835 extra calories a day, on average.
Additionally, they increased their food intake and were able to replenish 30% of the calories they had burned during exercise (
Also, physical activity can influence several processes in your body that have been shown to stimulate hunger. These include increased metabolic rate and muscle mass, as well as changes in hormone production (
Summary: Physical activity can make you burn more calories and stimulate your appetite by increasing metabolic rate and hormone production.
Drinking fluids prior to or during your meals could affect your appetite negatively and make you eat less (
This seems to affect older adults more than younger adults (
In contrast, refraining from pre-meal water intake could increase your calorie intake by 8.7% (
Therefore, try to limit your water intake 30 minutes before meals and see if your appetite improves.
Summary: Drinking water or other liquids before or during meals can affect your appetite and make you eat less.
A deficiency of certain vitamins and minerals could be reducing your appetite.
If you would like to increase your appetite, consider including some of these supplements in your diet:
- Zinc: A lack of zinc in the diet can lead to appetite loss and taste disturbances that could promote a low desire to eat (
- Thiamine: A thiamine deficiency could cause decreased appetite and increased resting energy expenditure, leading to weight loss (
- Fish oil: Some studies have shown that this supplement may increase appetite and reduce feelings of fullness in women after meals (
- Echinacea: Echinacea is an herb used for its ability to boost the immune system and fight diseases. Studies have shown it also contains compounds called alkylamines, which can stimulate your appetite (
28, 29, 30).
Summary: Some vitamin and mineral deficiencies can produce a lack of appetite. Taking certain supplements may give you an appetite boost.
Keeping a food diary can help you track your meals and ensure you are consuming enough calories throughout the day.
Recording your food intake and hunger levels can also help you understand how your appetite is progressing.
Aim to record every meal and snack, no matter how small it is. When your appetite is poor, every calorie counts towards your daily goal.
Summary: Keeping a food diary can help you track your food intake and promote better eating habits and appetite.
Many factors can affect your appetite, including physical conditions, mental conditions, medications and vitamin or mineral deficiencies.
However, small changes can make a big difference.
You could try increasing your appetite by inviting people over for meals and cooking with new recipes using spices, herbs and high-calorie ingredients to make food more appealing and nutritious.
Try limiting your beverages before and during meals, and moderate your intake of high-fiber foods, since they can sap your appetite. If you find large meals daunting, motivate yourself to eat by having frequent, small meals instead.
Another trick is to eat your largest meal when you are the hungriest. The rest of the time, you can incorporate smoothies and high-calorie drinks that can be easier to consume.
If you have a hard time eating, it’s always a good idea to check with your doctor, who can advise you about boosting your hunger and gaining some healthy pounds.
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https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/16-ways-to-increase-appetite
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An element found on the periodic table under
atomic number: 79
atomic weight/atomic mass: 196.96655g
group name: Coinage metal
CAS Registry ID: 7440-57-5
Standard state: solid at 298 K
Availability: gold is available in many forms including wire, foil, and bars.
Gold is usually alloyed in jewellery to give it more strength, and the term carat describes the amount of gold present (24 carats is pure gold). It is estimated that all the gold in the world, so far refined, could be placed in a single cube 60 ft. on a side. It is metallic, with a yellow colour when in a mass, but when finely divided it may be black, ruby, or purple.
It is the most malleable and ductile metal; 1 ounce (28 g) of gold can be beaten out to 300 square feet. It is a soft metal and is usually alloyed to give it more strength. It is a good conductor of heat and electricity, and is unaffected by air and most reagents.
The most common gold compounds are auric chloride (AuCl3) and chlorauric acid (HAuCl4). A mixture of one part nitric acid with three of hydrochloric acid is called aqua regia (because it dissolved gold, the King of Metals). It is unaffected by air and most reagents. It is found free in nature and associated with quartz, pyrite and other minerals. Two thirds of the world's supply comes from South Africa, and 2/3 of USA production is from South Dakota and Nevada. Gold is found in sea water, but no effective economic process has been designed (yet) to extract it from this source.
It would not normally be necessary to make gold in the laboratory as it is readily available commercially. The most romantic way to extract gold is by panning it out from a stream in some pleasant valley but most such sources are now depleted. Panning relies upon the density of gold (which is very high) being much greater than that of the sand and other particulates. It therefore settles to the bottom of the pan.
Today, more often than not, gold is extracted from ores. These ores often contain relatively little gold. Some of these processes cause environmental concern. The ore is crushed to a powder so as to expose the small gold particles. These are dissolved by treatment of the rock with cyanide solution in air. The result of this is a gold cyanide complex. Addition of zinc powder to the resulting solution precipitates out the gold.
4Au + 8NaCN + O2 + 2H2O 4NaAu(CN)2 + 4NaOH
2NaAu(CN)2 + Zn 2NaCN + Zn(CN)2 + Au (s)
The $300,000 Mr. T wears around his neck every day.
Don't touch my gold, foo'(s)!
Watch my gold for me, foo'!
Something that is classic like a practical joke you will laugh about in future
guy trips over and lands upside down in bush his mates go "shit man that shit was gold.
1. An expression for descriping a positive situation, experience, or object.
2. A term to express an appreciation of high quality.
We had a good time at the club last night, it was gold.
Damn money, that shirt you wearing is straight up gold!
A term used to describe when a piece of software (or music) is completed and written to a master disk (such as a CD-R or a DVD-R) ready to be shipped off for manufacturing. This term is believed to have originated due to the fact that the master CD-R disks used are sometimes a gold colour, and may actually contain 24 karat gold within the reflective layer of the disk. This includes the now discontinued but famous line of Kodak CD-R Gold Ultima media.
"According to Todd Hollenshead, the computer game DOOM 3 went gold on 14th of July, 2004."
When you relate some thing to the purity of gold.
"That girl of yours is as good as gold!"
It means cool. It can basically be used wherever you would use the words cool, sick, ill, etc.
Paul: Yo did you reach the jam last night?
Peter: Yeah bro it was gold.
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http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=gold&defid=713048
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In addition to the core subjects of Maths, English and Science, children at Herne Bay Junior School enjoy a range of other subjects, linked where appropriate to a common topic. These topics, which span two terms, allow the children to immerse themselves in their learning. Children are also expected to complete an extended project on their topic; it’s amazing the quality of work that is produced.
Music, MFL (Spanish), RE and some PE is taught by specialist teachers.
If you have any further questions about our other subjects curriculum please contact the school office.
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https://www.hernebay-jun.kent.sch.uk/curriculum/other-subjects
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The author, educator and activist who was among the most influential feminist thinkers of her time.
Pop Stars like Beyoncé Leading the Conversation About Feminism: A Discussion Between Two Concerned Scholars
For the record, we both acknowledge Beyoncé's talent and appreciate why so many people, and women in particular, are applauding Lemonade, and perhaps seeing themselves in it. That's not our issue or focus. The impetus for this conversation was a post on Facebook discussing feminist scholar bell hooks' response to Beyoncé's visual album, Lemonade.
We all know Bey slays, but commentary like bell hooks' moves the conversation forward.
No celebration of Women's History Month would be complete without acknowledging the extraordinary achievements of Charlotte Perkins Gilman. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, Gilman was the most important feminist thinker in the United States.
Perhaps there's something different this time and I'm more open to listening to the solitude; allowing it to speak silence, truth, and rest into my life.
New York City moves fast and aspirations soar higher than skyscrapers. The philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre described it as a place for people who can focus to infinity and whenever he stopped walking quickly, he felt anxious.
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https://www.huffpost.com/topic/bell-hooks
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Sometimes those of us in the construction industry-like many other professions-forget we have our own technical vocabulary that many laymen simply don’t understand.
Like some of my colleagues, I have occasionally started tossing around the lingo of our industry
before business and civic leaders from other fields and have seen the confused look that comes over their faces. I have to stop and define my terms.
With that situation in mind, I thought it might be helpful to put together a small glossary of some of the most-used terms in architecture and construction-expressions that frequently need to be explained in simple, non-technical English.
AutoCAD, or CAD for short, is a computer-aided design program used for creation of the industry’s graphical information. AutoCAD has drastically decreased the industry’s production time and has allowed for clear and concise information. In addition, computer-aided drafting has allowed for both two-dimensional and three-dimensional modeling, thus providing a representation of an idea more effectively.
The practice of designing public spaces and spaces surrounding buildings. This includes site amenities such as parking lots, all drainage systems, both above and below ground, as well as all underground utilities. It’s a term that also applies to the design and construction of roads, bridges and dams.
A firm that manages and oversees the construction process on behalf of the owner. A construction manager holds a contract with the owner. The CM is hired on the basis of a predetermined fee. The owner generally holds the contracts with the typical sub-contactor such as roofing and masonry, but may also hold the contracts of several specialty sub-contractors such as IT and communications, whose efforts will be coordinated by the construction manager.
Critical path method
A graphical scheduling method where all of the tasks necessary to complete a project are charted in the sequence in which they must occur. The CPM is an informative tool for deadlines.
A type of project delivery approach that views design and construction as integral responsibilities. The owner has only one contract, with the designer/builder, where
as in a design-bid-build structure, the owner holds a contract with at least two entities, the architect and the builder.
A type of project-delivery scheduling that attempts to decrease total project time by overlapping the design and construction phases.
In these projects, contracts are awarded to different contractors in stages, as the design is completed. For example, work on the foundation can begin while the design details for mechanical systems are being completed
A contractor who holds a contract with the owner to complete the project. The contract is generally awarded to the lowest and best bidder. The general contractor holds all contracts with sub-contractors.
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) provide data and software tools to planners, realtors, environmental scientists, geologists, demographers, health officials, infrastructure managers, and many other people to visualize information in a more intuitive way.
Addresses, customer numbers, manhole numbers, and map coordinates are examples of data that can be tied to specific places on earth and can be used to spatially or geographically link information.
The practice of designing buildings to minimize the impact of the building on its environment. This includes using recycled materials and energy efficient systems.
Mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineers are integral members of a design team. The drawings and specifications prepared by these individuals contain information regarding building operational systems, such as dimensions and sizes of heating systems, electrical components, along with water supply and waste removal of a facility.
“Quality Assurance” is a review process used by any company or entity to ensure the quality of their work.
The drawings and specifications prepared by these individuals contain information regarding building’s structural systems, such as dimensions and sizes of beams, columns, load bearing walls, concrete slabs and foundations.
While our industry has many other technical terms as well, these are among the most used. Hope you find them helpful – and understandable.
Green is president and chief operating officer of Paul I. Cripe Inc., an Indianapolis-based architectural and engineering firm. Views expressed here are the writer’s.
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https://www.ibj.com/articles/17910-voices-from-the-industry-putting-construction-engineering-into-laymen-s-terms
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The USGS Field Records Collection in Denver, Colorado is an archive of unpublished field notes, annotated maps, sketches, correspondence, analysis reports, and other data created or collected by more than 1200 USGS scientists during field studies and exploration of the continental United States, Hawaii, and other locations around the world. Materials in the collection represent almost 130 years of scientific investigations by the USGS, from the earliest days of the agency to recently completed projects. The collection includes 3,500 linear feet of document containers, 20,000 maps, more than 80,000 aerial photographs. Materials in the collection are managed as Federal records to ensure ongoing access for future researchers. Field Records Collection staff provides reference and research assistance to USGS scientists, researchers from other Federal and State agencies, and the general public. Detailed collection inventories with references to associated USGS publications are available for search, browse, and download from the Field Records Collection website at: http://www.cr.usgs.gov/fieldrecords.
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http://www.usgs.gov/blogs/library/2011/08/31/usgs-field-records-collection-in-denver/
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Student Health Services
Due to a sidewalk reconstruction project by the…
From cremations to burials at sea, each culture has its…
Climbing Wall Hours: Saturdays from 1-3 p.m. The Swaner…
Beaver – Nuisance or Restoration Partner?…
Relaxation College can be a very stressful time to be a…
What are Hives?
Hives are a common skin disorder characterized by raised, itchy and usually red spots ranging from tiny dots to patches several inches in diameter. These lesions are transient and usually resolve in a few hours, then possibly recur.
Acute urticaria is defined as eruptions lasting less than 6 weeks. Chronic hives are eruptions persisting over 6 weeks. Hives may be caused by a variety of agents such as drugs, laxatives, cold preparations and some vitamin supplements, nuts, eggs, chocolate, tomatoes, and strawberries. Hives may also be caused by local pressure (up to several hours later), cold, exercise, fever increase, environmental temperature, stress, and anything which may come in contact with your skin, such as lotions, detergents, soaps, and sun screens.
Angioedema is a severe form of hives involving swelling of the loose tissues around the eyes, lips, ears, tongue and larynx. This can cause difficulty in breathing.
The goal of treatment is to control the symptoms until the antigen (cause) is eliminated from the body. Therefore, the trigger factor needs to be identified and discontinued, if possible. However, this can be very difficult. A detailed diary may be helpful.
What do I do?
1. Treatment - The cornerstone of treatment is antihistamines, either by mouth or injection. Most of your symptoms result from the release of histamine by your body's immune system. The antihistamine blocks this chemical. Frequently your symptoms will completely fade after taking the antihistamine only to reappear when you're due for the next dose. Don't be alarmed - just take your antihistamine as directed. Epinephrine (adrenalin) and cortisone may also be used to treat hives, depending on the severity.
2. It is wise to omit common triggers (called antigens) such as aspirin, non-steroid anti-inflammatories (Advil, Nuprin, etc.), milk products, alcohol, excessive exertion, hot or cold and any previously suspected activity or substance.
3. Cool compresses and showers may help the itching. Avoid hot showers - it makes the itching worse.
4. Attention to diet (even a food diary) and attention to what occurs just before an episode can be helpful.
5. Most often if there is not a fairly quick resolution to the hive episodes, laboratory work and dermatologic referral may be necessary. Hives can be a symptom of other illnesses. These may need to be ruled out.
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http://www.usu.edu/health/healthtopics/hives.cfm
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A virus has been popping up in industrial plants and personal computers worldwide, and is now posing a looming threat over Iran, where more than 60 percent of the computers infected with the virus are located.
Some experts believe that virus, first discovered in June, was developed by high-level government programmers (possibly from the US, Israel, or Germany), and is directed toward a specific target, most likely Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant. It is believed to have been around for over a year.
The virus was written to exploit five security vulnerabilities (four of which were previously unknown, and only two of which have been patched) in a piece of software used in many different industrial systems. The virus is inserted into the system using a thumbdrive, then spreads from computer to computer.
The malware was so skillfully designed that computer security specialists who have examined it were almost certain it had been created by a government and is a prime example of clandestine digital warfare. While there have been suspicions of other government uses of computer worms and viruses, Stuxnet is the first to go after industrial systems. [The New York Times]
To get that damage the virus works by specifically attacking a piece of Siemens software running on Windows computers in industrial operations ranging from electric grids and traffic lights to factories and power plants. The Iranian government is currently wiping the virus from computers at Bushehr, but claims that the virus hasn’t caused any damage.
The Iranian government confirmed this week that computers at Bushehr were infected by the worm, but representatives claim that the infection was isolated to a handful of noncritical systems and hasn’t disrupted the plant, which is in the final stages of construction and is expected to become operational in October. [Ars Technica]
And while its still up in the air as to if the virus has had the intended effect, its widespread presence worries some because it could be adapted by hackers, though currently the virus requires a specific configuration designed to cause damage to specific systems.
“Proliferation is a real problem, and no country is prepared to deal with it,” said Melissa Hathaway, a former United States national cybersecurity coordinator. The widespread availability of the attack techniques revealed by the software has set off alarms among industrial control specialists, she said: “All of these guys are scared to death. We have about 90 days to fix this before some hacker begins using it.” [The New York Times]
And some experts, like Eugene Kaspersky, co-founder and CEO of the Russian cyber-security firm Kaspersky, worry that this is just the first of a string of government-mediated software attacks.
“This malicious program was not designed to steal money, send spam or grab personal data. This piece of malware was designed to sabotage plants, to damage industrial systems. I am afraid this is the beginning of a new world. I am afraid now it is a new era of cyberwars and cyberterrorism.” [The Inquirer]
80beats: Massive Spanish Botnet Busted, but Hacker Mastermind Remains Unknown
80beats: “Soupnazi” Hacker Pleads Guilty to Stealing Millions of Credit Card Numbers
80beats: Iran Blocks Gmail; Will Offer Surveillance-Friendly National Email Instead
80beats: Dueling Videos: Is Iranian Nuclear Scientist a Defector or Kidnap Victim?
Discoblog: Today’s Demonstration: How to Hack an ATM—With Video!
Discover Magazine: 20 Things You Didn’t Know About… Computer Hacking
Image: Flickr/Davide Restivo
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http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2010/09/27/super-sophisticated-computer-virus-apparently-targeted-irans-power-plants/
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How far can a George Fox education take you? For junior engineering major Allen McLeod, the sky’s not even the limit.
McLeod, who won a competitive internship in the Orbital Debris Program Office at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, is spending his summer vacation working to track and characterize the thousands of pieces of manmade debris orbiting the Earth.
But his time at NASA has encompassed much more than charts, graphs and computer simulations. From assisting in coring impact craters to seeing the prototype Mars rovers being tested, this aspiring mechanical engineer is getting a hands-on experience he won’t soon forget.
Here’s a more technical explanation from Allen of what he’s working on:
It is the responsibility of the Orbital Debris department to track and characterize the current debris environment as well as predict what it will become in the future.
The above picture is a graphical representation of objects orbiting Earth that are currently being tracked; approximately 95 percent of the objects in the illustration are orbital debris. According to the Orbital Debris department, “More than 21,000 orbital debris larger than 10 cm are known to exist. The estimated population of particles between 1 and 10 cm in diameter is approximately 500,000. The number of particles smaller than 1 cm exceeds 100 million.”
My part in all of this is contributing to the research and modeling efforts under the guidance of my mentor, Phillip Anz-Meador. Currently I am leading a research project to determine the viability of Mylar and Kapton sheets as large area sensors using piezoelectric transducers as strain gauges. The goal is to detect impacts based on location and allow for quantities such as velocity, projectile size and trajectory to be derived. Later in the summer I will begin modeling rocket body explosions using computer simulation software. These models will allow for analysis of the simulated fragmentation and also show the effects of charge location and placement on the rocket body based on the size and number of fragments produced.
I have only been in Houston for a couple weeks, but I have had the pleasure of seeing some of the inner workings of NASA. Some highlights include assisting in coring impact craters of the radiator of the Hubble Space Telescope in 2009, watching prototype Mars rovers being tested, seeing mission control circa the 1960s and touring the mock-up rocket facility onsite at JSC.
I would like to thank several individuals who helped me reach this point and land such an exciting internship. Bob Hamilton and Neal Ninteman for writing my letters of recommendation, my advisor Mike Magill for helping me prepare for the summer, Bob Harder for heading a top notch program, and the rest of the engineering, math and science faculty who have taught me along the way. I’m also grateful for all of the faculty and staff at Fox who have helped make my first two years a great experience.
Finally, I would like to thank Diego Rodriguez and the Johnson Space Center Education Office, Heather Cowardin and Phillip Anz-Meador for offering me the opportunity to spend my summer at JSC.
For more information about orbital debris please check out NASA’s orbital debris website.
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The goal of the Mass General Schizophrenia research team is to better understand the causes and symptoms of schizophrenia in order to develop new and more effective treatments. What makes our team unique is that many of our researchers are also clinicians who see patients.
Understanding causes and improving treatments
At Mass General, many of our researchers are clinicians actively involved in the treatment of schizophrenia patients. Their goal is to better understand the causes and symptoms of the disease in order to develop new and more effective treatments.
Quality of life is a key area of focus. Today's treatments rely on antipsychotic medication. This approach is often effective for controlling delusions and hallucinations, but it does not address negative symptoms (apathy, withdrawal, loss of emotional expression) or cognitive deficits (impaired memory and concentration) that can have affect the patients' overall health.
We are researching new ways to translate developments in brain imaging, genetics and basic neuroscience into more comprehensive treatments.
Our team concentrates on four main fields of study:
The development of schizophrenia has been linked to genetic responses to environmental factors.
Researchers at Mass General found one of the first examples. Certain people have a genetic deficiency in enzymes that activate the vitamin folate. When they get inadequate folate in their diet, they exhibit negative symptoms of schizophrenia, as well as cognitive deficits.
Dr. Josh Roffman has further demonstrated with brain imaging that genes associated with folate influence brain functions that underlie negative symptoms and cognitive deficits. As part of a current study, our researchers are giving supplemental folate to people with a genetic vulnerability to low folate levels, then using brain imaging to examine how it effects brain function.
Some people with schizophrenia lose brain volume. As a result, they may have more difficulty functioning during the first few years of the illness.
One protection against this brain loss is neurotrophins a naturally-occurring chemical in the brain that can be released by antidepressants.
Mass General researchers are leading the DECIFER (Depression and Citalopram In First Episode Recovery) Study, a multi-year effort to study the effects of the antidepressant citalopram during the first year of the illness.
Brain scans and genetic analysis are being used to evaluate whether boosting neurotrophin levels can improve long-term outcomes.
All DECIFER participants receive state-of-the-art treatment along with cognitive behavioral therapy.
One objective of schizophrenia treatment is to improve patients’ cognition and motivation—and then apply these improvements to their everyday lives.
Mass General researchers have learned that a low weekly dose of D-cycloserine (a drug once used as an antibiotic) can improve motivation and memory. We combine this treatment with cognitive remediation, using computerized exercises to improve brain functioning.
This approach is designed to enhance neuroplasticity, the brain’s natural ability to recover and improve functioning. Several studies have shown improved outcomes in work programs.
Members of the Mass General faculty pioneered successful treatments to help people with schizophrenia stop smoking. They were also among the first to recognize and treat medical complications, particularly metabolic abnormalities, associated with some newer antipsychotic medications.
Today we are studying genetic factors that increase the likelihood of cigarette smoking, metabolic abnormalities and diabetes in people with schizophrenia.
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http://www.massgeneral.org/schizophrenia/research/our_research_focus.aspx
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The yards of dank tubing in our midsections form a complex, amazing and absolutely pivotal foundation for human health. And the more that scientists come to appreciate this, the more they anticipate that future medical discoveries will come from the lowly gut.
The gut hosts a microbial nation that is far from a neutral observer. Over the last couple of decades, this human microbiome has been implicated in a laundry list of diseases: irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn's disease, allergies, diabetes, obesity and even mood disorders. Researchers have yet to fully decipher the role microbes play in each of these illnesses, but a flurry of research could translate into a slew of new therapies.
"It's very much like finding an organ we didn't know we had," says Michael Fischbach, a assistant professor of bioengineering and therapeutic sciences at UC San Francisco.
The relationship between us and the bacteria that inhabit our guts is exceedingly complex.
"In infectious disease, there's a pathogen that causes [trouble]. It's one bug," says Curtis Huttenhower, who studies the human microbiome at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston. Wipe out the pathogen and the disease goes away.
But the microbiome consists of trillions of bacteria — and hundreds of species — that interact with one another and their host in complex ways.
In 2007, the National Institutes of Health launched a $150-million initiative aimed at unraveling these complex interactions. A recent raft of research has sought to define the "normal" microbiome — which bugs belong there and which ones don't. The next step will be to identify the microbial fingerprint of sick individuals and figure out what that all means.
"A lot of people are tempted to say, 'Aha! The microbiome is responsible'" for many diseases, says Dr. David Relman, a professor of microbiology and immunology at Stanford University's School of Medicine. But the relationship is likely much more complicated. Genes and environmental factors beyond the gut undoubtedly play important roles in many diseases. In some cases, alterations in the microbiome may be a symptom of the disease rather than the cause.
What is clear is that the microbiome's influence extends far beyond the colon. The gut is a hotbed of immune activity. In fact, scientists have long understood that its microbial inhabitants play a crucial role in training the body's immune system to recognize foreign invaders.
New research suggests the microbiome may also influence distant organs like the brain. The residents in your digestive tract might even help shape your personality. Jane Foster, a neuroscientist at Ontario's McMaster University, and her colleagues found that mice lacking gut microbes — so-called germ-free mice — took more risks than mice with healthy gut flora. The researchers tried to reverse this behavior in adult mice by allowing bacteria to colonize the rodents' guts, but the risk-taking tendencies persisted.
A separate group of researchers found that they could reverse the behavioral changes if they gave germ-free mice the bacteria sooner, when the animals were still young. The findings suggest there is a critical window during which gut microbes help wire the brain.
Dr. Emeran Mayer, a gastroenterologist at UCLA, has been studying the relationship between gut microbes and the brain in people. Some of his key research has yet to be published, but it "seems to confirm this connection even in humans," he says. "If you manipulate something at the gut level, this will be reflected at the brain level."
How the microbiome might influence the brain isn't entirely clear. And the gut itself has much to say, too. The intestine is cloaked in a layer of nerve cells — the enteric nervous system — that is constantly sending signals to the brain. The gut has so many neurons, Foster says, that it's often called a "little brain."
Although research on the microbiome is still in its infancy, scientists and others are already thinking about how to manipulate gut bacteria to promote health and treat disease. Yogurt makers pack their products with "probiotic" bacteria they claim help regulate digestion, and pharmacies sell pills containing many of the same species. But altering the gut microbiome in a lasting way probably isn't as simple as slurping a spoonful of yogurt or popping a pill. The microbes go in, but they don't seem to stick around.
The probiotics of tomorrow "will be more complicated and also more rigorously tested than today's probiotics," Fischbach says. And they probably won't be found in the dairy aisle. "They'll be something that your doctor prescribes," he says.
Tweaking the species composition of the microbiome shouldn't be the ultimate goal, however. Fischbach points out that what the microbiome does may be more important than who is there. "Two unrelated species can actually play a very similar role in the community," he says.
Future therapies might target the microbes rather than the patient. For example, some gut bacteria produce an enzyme called beta-glucuronidase. Unfortunately this enzyme interacts with a chemotherapy drug called CPT-11, causing diarrhea that can be so severe some patients must stop taking the medication. In 2010, a team of researchers figured out how to block this enzyme in mice, thus preventing the diarrhea.
The growing understanding of the microbiome will undoubtedly lead to new treatments, but it may also inspire physicians to rethink how they use existing ones. Many widely prescribed antibiotics kill beneficial bugs as well as pathogens. With helpful bacteria out of the way, harmful germs such as C. difficile can move in.
Infection with C. difficile is "the clearest example of a bad outcome of using antibiotics," says Dr. Alex Khoruts, a gastroenterologist at the University of Minnesota. "This infection has essentially assumed epidemic proportions in the last decade."
Physicians may eventually be able to modify the microbiome to prevent the infection from taking hold. Fischbach envisions a future in which patients required to take a long course of antibiotics will also receive a dose of probiotics to replace the microbes wiped out by the pills. The goal would be to "repopulate the community in a way that helps dictate who's there instead of just leaving the coast clear for any actor — good or bad."Copyright © 2015, The Morning Call
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Learn More! Transamerica & Financial Planning Building Blocks
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Youth Empowering Youth: Knowledge Above All
What does being wealthy really mean? Is it having a lot of money? Is it having a happy life? Is it being popular? Is it simply providing for yourself or your family for the next day or the next week? For each of us it can mean something very different and it is very real!
Whatever being wealthy means to you, like any goal in life, to achieve it we must each start with a plan, set a course, be resilient and overcome obstacles along the way.
Here we are going to focus on financial wealth, also known as cash. Improving your Financial Literacy, the understanding of how to manage money, is part of being self sufficient and resilient. This knowledge can empower you to lead the life you envision and help those around you to improve theirs.
So, where do we start?
First, you need to determine what wealth means to you and why it is important to define it.
Second, you need to set goals for savings. Inside, we will learn how to set SMART financial goals:
Specific Measurable Attainable Realistic Timely
Like Ray Zahab crossing the Sahara, we will learn why it is so very important to be consistent. Saving a portion of your income EVERY paycheck. Common wisdom is to set aside 10% of your pay into a savings account starting NOW. And be persistent to create a habit of success, continue this forever. This will improve your chances of achieving your goals.
Third, you need to budget. This does not have to be boring! It's probably even fun if you have a good 'app' that you can use on the go. It is simple, start by writing down everything you make and spend for two weeks. Then add it all up in the key categories that apply to you like clothing, books, food, entertainment etc. and see how much you spent! If you weren't careful it might have all went to entertainment and clothes right? That's fun but it's not going to make you wealthy and it certainly means you'll end up working longer and harder later in life to achieve your goals. Build your budget to spend 10% less on each category and then save that extra 10%. But always save it FIRST!
Teachers Helping Teachers:
Ready to Use Financial Literacy Lesson Plans:
|Lesson 1: Wealth||Lesson 2: Savings||Lesson 3: Budget||Average Cost of Living|
When my child grows up I want them to be (fill in character trait here). I bet you didn't say resilient. Humble, loving, kind, courageous, smart, funny; those are all probably words that came to mind but why not resilient? Resilience is one of the key ingredients to life long successes and sustainability; why then do we spend so little time focusing on developing it in our children and ourselves?
Resilience is the ability to take the obstacles you face in life and overcome them by turning them into opportunities. It's the ability to adapt and persevere through adversity to achieve success. Resilient children, youth, & adults are not born that way. They have cultivated and grown their resilience through practice. They have made conscious decisions to not allow failure or the fear of failure to cripple or prevent them from achieving their goals. There are key qualities that mark a resilient person; the first of which is their ability to see how their habits positively or negatively affect their desired outcomes and adjust accordingly; the second is their belief that their actions matter and that they have the ability to positively influence their environment; the third is the belief that their future holds something better than today.
As you begin to lay the foundations for life long resiliency you will see that the key is starting; taking small sustainable steps towards becoming more aware of this concept and what it means to you. When you face adversity and failure, use them as learning experiences. Resilience is an inward change that results in outward action, so let's begin making those changes and developing these habits now!
Building Blocks Of Resiliency
- To introduce the concept of resilience and relate it to what it means to be a resilient individual by sharing personal experiences of individual resiliency.
- To understand that learning from our experience both positive and negative help us develop resiliency.
- To discuss and understand individual resiliency as learned behavior. By being positive and aware, you can influence your surroundings.
Ready to Use Individual Resiliency Lesson Plans:
|Lesson 1: Identifying Resilience||Lesson 2: Growth Through Adversity||Lesson 3: Awareness|
Youth empowering Youth:
In this video you will see an example of social entrepreneurship at the University of Iowa Dance Marathon, and its importance in building a strong foundation for community involvement!
Katrina Siks discusses the micro enterprise and social entrepreneurship components of Hidden Harvest Ottawa. By mobilizing local volunteers and community groups, Ottawa's fruit and nuts can be valued, picked, and shared!
Teachers helping Teachers:
Social entrepreneurship focuses not only on providing goods or services but also creating positive social change. Whether at home or abroad, creating a business, which also helps to address a social issue/issues requires financial planning and resiliency to stay the course when obstacles arise.
The following lessons and activities help understand the difference between an entrepreneur and a social entrepreneur. Students discuss social issues in the world and use critical thinking skills to come up ways to address such issues as a social entrepreneur. Examples of successful social entrepreneurs are provided to help stimulate discussions.
Ready to Use Social Entrepreneurship Lesson Plans:
|Lesson 1||Lesson 2|
It has finally arrived! It is time to enjoy what you have achieved! Whether your plan was to buy that new pair of running shoes or to help feed your family for the week! Enjoy it, but remember that this doesn't have to be a one-time occurrence. This time it was something smaller, but next time it may be your college education or maybe even retirement.
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https://www.impossible2possible.com/utah/extraordinary
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Kanchendzonga National Park
Overview - Kanchendzonga National Park
The Kanchendzonga National Park resides in the northern and western regions of the eastern state of Sikkim. Basing its name on the Kanchenjunga Peak, the third highest at 8586 meters, it is also known as the Kanchenjunga Biosphere Reserve. One of the very few national parks at such a height, this park has made its mark on the UNESCO World Heritage site for the same reason. Spread over 1784 sq. kms., the name literally means, “abode of the Gods”. Legend says, religious masters have hidden holy texts and treatises across the park, which are destined to be discovered by treasure revealers from all the sacred spots. One of the famous festivities of Sikkim, Pang Lhabsol, is a thanksgiving celebration in honor of the presiding deity – Kangchendzonga.
Situated in an ecological hotpot of Himalayas, Sikkim, this park is a virgin home to over 600 species birds and a delight to travelers. The area encompasses pristine glaciers, lakes and lush valleys.
Best Time to Visit Kanchendzonga National Park
The temperature in Khangchendzonga National Park varies from -3 to 16-degree Celsius. The best time to visit this park will be April and May. Snowfall will be in full swing during the winter making the terrain a little difficult to cope with.
Highlight Species - Kanchendzonga National Park
Types of Safaris - Kanchendzonga National Park
Walking Safaris : The varying terrains of Kanchendzonga are best explored on foot. One can get up close and personal with wildlife at such a height. While on walking safaris, keep an eye out for not only colorful birds, but also Red Pandas, and if you’re really lucky, even Snow Leopards!
Famous trekking routes:
- Yuksom – Tshoka – Dzongri
- Thangsing – Lam Pokhari – Kasturi Orar – Labdang – Tashiding
- Bakim – Dzongri – Thangsing – Samuteng – Goechala
- Dzongri – Rathong – Khangerteng
How to reach Kanchendzonga National Park
By Air : The nearest air head is Bagdogra Airport at a distance of 122 kms from the Gangtok (capital of Sikkim). The park is a 04 hour drive from Gangtok. Bagdogra is well connected with major cities in India, like New Delhi, Mumbai, Guwahati and even Kolkata.
By Train : The nearest Railway Station is New Jalpaiguri Station, which is a 04 hour drive from Gangtok. Another 50 kms drive from Gangtok is the Kanchendzonga National Park.
By Road : Nearest highway to Khangchendzonga is the 92 km long National Highway 31A, which connects Sevok in Darjeeling to Gangtok. The nearest town is Yuksom in the West and Chungthang in the North. The Nearest city to the National Park is Gangtok. There are regular bus services available from Gangtok to Bagdogra (4 hours ride).
- Distance from Darjeeling to Khangchendzonga National Park: 66 kms
- Distance from Gangtok to Khangchendzonga National Park: 45.9 kms
- Distance from Yuksom to Khangchendzonga National Park: 34.3 kms
- Distance from Chungthang to Khangchendzonga National Park: 32.5 kms
- Distance from Lachen to Khangchendzonga National Park: 23.6 kms
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https://www.indiabirdwatching.com/kanchendzonga-national-park/
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Pandemic highlights water challenges and opportunities in developing countries
Improvements in water and sanitation in South Sudan include the installation or repair of well boreholes and hand-pumps at primary schools. Photo: Canadian Red Cross
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March 2020, everyone around the world quickly began to learn when and how to wash their hands to avoid and contain the rapid spread of the virus.
These lessons were especially challenging for the people of Gogrial West, a county in South Sudan where there is limited access to water and soap, and little awareness of proper handwashing practices.
What a difference a year makes. Through a project supported by Global Affairs Canada and implemented by the Canadian Red Cross, schools, communities and some homes there have had hand-pumps installed or repaired, and have received training to help improve hygiene practices.
“These places did not have designated locations for handwashing, with continuous access to water and soap,” says Medoline Lema, country representative for the Canadian Red Cross in South Sudan. She knows these difficulties well, having grown up in a remote village in Tanzania and having worked in international development for the last 30 years.
Water brings generational change
Lema immigrated to Canada in 2011 and sees the emphasis that her neighbours in Mississauga place on hygiene, with far different standards for cleanliness than elsewhere. “They say, ‘You can’t come into my house because it’s not clean,’” she says, while in South Sudan, school latrines are in “deplorable” condition. Indeed, half the population of the rural part of the country has no access to any kind of latrine, and open defecation is common. “It’s just not a priority,” she explains, given South Sudan’s history of conflict, not to mention recent periods of flooding and drought, crop infestations, outbreaks of diseases such as cholera as well as tribal tensions—all problems that have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. “There are multiple crises happening at the same time.”
Medoline Lema, country representative for the Canadian Red Cross in South Sudan, talks to students about importance of hand hygiene at Emmy Robin Primary School in Kuajok. Photo: Canadian Red Cross
The Red Cross initiative, called Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds, aims to reduce barriers for girls to attend school by providing safe water, sanitation and hygiene facilities in their schools. Having started in March 2020, it was quickly adapted to include activities in school catchment communities, including COVID-19 prevention, Lema says. Improvements in water and sanitation include the installation or repair of well boreholes, hand-pumps and handwashing points, which are large buckets with taps overseen by a committee made up of community members to ensure that they are filled and that soap is available.
Lema says that improving access to water in Gogrial West can particularly improve the lives and livelihoods of women and girls, who are burdened with carrying household water over long distances and are vulnerable to gender-based violence when wells and sanitation facilities are in unsafe places. Adolescent girls often stay home from school during their menstrual periods because there are no adequate or private sanitation facilities there. Their frequent absenteeism as well as water-fetching duties often force them to drop out of the education system altogether.
Raising awareness is critical to changing cultural practices around safe water in the community, Lema says. This means holding special celebrations such as Hand Hygiene for All Day in October and World Toilet Day in November. She’s especially encouraged to see children “speaking very convincingly” about the importance of better hygiene at such events. “It may be generational change, but it will be change,” she says.
Everything trickles together
WaterAid Pakistan engineer Moosa Lashari demonstrates a new handwashing station outside of the Café Kamran hotel in Garo. Photo: Sehar Taimoor/WaterAid Pakistan
In Pakistan, a project supported by Canada called HerWASH aims to improve the sexual and reproductive health and rights of women and adolescent girls through improved menstrual health. Sarah Schattmann, project manager for WaterAid Canada—which is implementing HerWASH in Pakistan as well as in Burkina Faso, Liberia and Sierra Leone—says that a significant element is improving water, sanitation and hygiene facilities. This especially means rehabilitating latrines in schools and health-care centres to ensure that they are accessible, gender-sensitive and equipped to meet the menstrual-hygiene management needs of women and girls.
With the pandemic, these efforts have been expanded to include “emergency hygiene behaviour change” measures to keep the community safe. “WaterAid has been focusing on hygiene for 40 years, but COVID-19 has brought handwashing and hygiene to the forefront and highlighted the vital importance of good hygiene for disease control and prevention,” she comments.
The organization and its implementing partner in Pakistan, the National Rural Support Programme (NRSP), are installing handwashing stations in key community locations like in Garo, a rural town on the outskirts of Karachi. That facility, outside a popular hotel called the Café Kamran, is equipped with a foot-pedal to reduce the possibility of users transmitting COVID-19.
Samina Kanwal, who works for NRSP, says the initiative includes a mass hygiene-awareness campaign to ensure that communities “have better knowledge and are taking care of themselves.” She holds monthly information sessions with follow-ups at the household level to reinforce practices such as handwashing with soap. “Usually people wash their hands only with water,” Kanwal explains.
Schattmann says these simple lessons can have a broad impact on everything from health outcomes to gender equality.
“Everything trickles together,” she says, noting that WaterAid collaborates with governments and other players to ensure that the benefits of water and sanitation interventions go well beyond the current global health crisis. “There is an opportunity to leverage the momentum around hygiene and bridge the gap between COVID-19 and other diarrheal diseases and neglected tropical diseases,” she says. “And it’s the best line of defense against future pandemics.”
Behaviour modification improves lives
Affordable and safe hygiene improvements are an important part of a UNICEF project supported by Canada that is designed to advance the education of girls in Mozambique. The initiative in Tete, a rural province in the central part of the country, includes the construction of gender-sensitive sanitation blocks in schools. This means that girls can use separate facilities that include doors for privacy, cabinets in which to keep sanitary products and water to clean themselves.
Alberto Cumbana, a water and sanitation specialist for UNICEF Mozambique, says these “dry latrines” made with underground concrete blocks can be used to compost human waste to make valuable soil amendments. They are a vast improvement over traditional pit latrines, which are open and prone to caving in during the rainy season, while some schools had no water or sanitary facilities at all.
New water points installed at schools in Tete, a rural province in the central part of Mozambique, provide water for handwashing as well as drinking. Photo: UNICEF/2020
Student “sanitation clubs” ensure the proper use and cleaning of the latrines and teach handwashing techniques, he says. New water points are overseen by committees made up of teachers and community members, at least half of whom are women.
School dropout rates for girls have fallen with the new sanitation facilities, he says, while targeting children with hygiene lessons means “they take the message back to their homes.” This ensures that there is lasting behaviour modification, Cumbana explains. “It makes a big difference to the larger community.”
Improving water infrastructure means that girls “have more time to attend school and to do activities like read books and complete schoolwork at home,” Cumbana says. And women can participate in more fulfilling activities than collecting water. “This is a big improvement in their lives.”
He would like to see further improvements that Canada and Canadian technology could assist with in Mozambique, such as solar systems that allow for running water and even flush toilets, which would especially be useful in larger secondary schools. He is hopeful that such enhancements will come, but it all starts with better awareness and a commitment by authorities to make water and sanitation a priority. “Change is slow, but we’re confident that things will improve,” Cumbana adds.
- Date Modified:
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In recent years, the UN has embarked on an ambitious project to use data more extensively and effectively to improve the safety of peacekeepers and the implementation of peace operations’ mandates. The increasing availability of various types of data in UN peace operations and the development of new tools for its acquisition and analysis present novel opportunities, enhancing peace operations’ ability to predict and respond to violence; understand the population’s sentiments towards peacekeepers; and provide better analysis to senior mission leadership, UN headquarters, and the UN Security Council. However, UN peace operations’ greater use of data also increases their vulnerability to irresponsible handling of data, information leaks, and cyberattacks and raises ethical challenges over data ownership, host-state sovereignty, the potential to cause social harm, and algorithmic biases.
This issue brief provides an overview of how UN peace operations acquire data and use it in their decision making. It also discusses UN policy frameworks on responsible data management and analyzes the challenges peace operations face in acquiring, using, and disseminating data. It concludes with recommendations for member states, UN headquarters, and peace operations personnel to manage and use data more responsibly and effectively:
- Improve the data-management skills of UN personnel;
- Strengthen the policy framework for the effective and responsible use of data;
- Provide adequate and predictable funding for data acquisition, analysis, and use;
- Enhance internal and external communication about the ways in which UN peace operations gather and use data; and
- Encourage the proactive use of data in strategic decision making.
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https://www.ipinst.org/2023/10/responsible-management-and-use-of-data-in-un-peace-operations
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Once a diagnosis has been made, the diagnostic laboratory will contact the culturist and identify the disease as well as recommend an appropriate and approved treatment or action. In certain cases a change in management is necessary. In other cases it is necessary to add an antibiotic to the feed (for internal bacterial infections) or add a chemical to the water (usually for external parasite infestations). It is extremely important that the aquaculturist follow closely the recommendations of the diagnostic laboratory and take appropriate precautions prior to the application of any disease treatment.
Over the years four cardinal rules of fish disease treatments have evolved:
a. Know your fish
b. Know your water
c. Know your chemical
d. Know your disease
The culturist must know his/her fish. What is their normal behavior, what conditions are likely to stress them, and to what diseases are they most susceptible. Some chemicals are safe and legal to use on certain species and ages of fish, but they may not be appropriate or approved for your fish.
The quality of your water influences the condition of your fish. Each fish species has a preferred temperature. Some fish are more tolerant than others of reduced oxygen, high turbidity, and elevated levels of ammonia. Water chemistry in some systems remains relatively uniform (e.g., single-pass system, properly functioning recirculated system). In other systems, such as ponds, water chemistry can vary widely on a seasonal basis or even during a 24 hour period. Dissolved oxygen and temperature may change dramatically each day, but alkalinity and hardness vary little in ponds. In a properly functioning recirculated systems, dissolved oxygen and temperature remain relatively constant throughout the day and growing season, but alkalinity and hardness can change in a matter of days. In an improperly functioning or overstocked recirculated system, dramatic and rapid changes in dissolved oxygen, ammonia or nitrite can result in high mortality rates of cultured fish.
One of the most important aspects of knowing the chemical has become knowing which chemicals are approved for use by aquaculturists. Each chemical can be used to treat effectively and legally a few to several diseases. No one chemical is appropriate for all diseases or situations. For instance, an antibiotic can be very effective in the treatment of a bacterial infection, but is useless if the disease is caused by a protozoan parasite. All chemicals have precautions and considerations associated with their use. If an aquaculturist has no experience with a particular chemical a small group of fish should be treated first, as a test before the entire lot is treated, to avoid potentially heavy losses due to toxicity associated with overtreatment. Extreme caution should be practiced when applying any chemical treatment. Water quality influences the toxicity of certain chemicals and is adversely affected by some chemicals. The culturist should be knowledgeable of the water quality in the culture facility. Of particular interest are dissolved oxygen, alkalinity, and the amount of organic material in the water.
Units of measure used in this section and in this Fact Sheet are primarily metric system. Most discussions of chemical applications employ descriptions of concentrations of chemicals. Concentrations of chemicals are commonly expressed in terms of milligrams (mg) per liter (L) or parts per million (ppm). When making a chemical application to a freshwater system, these two terms are equivalent [one liter of water weighs 1 kilogram = 1000 grams = 1,000,000 milligrams]; therefore 1 mg/1,000,000 mg (or 1 L) = 1 ppm.
Antibacterial compounds added to the feed to treat systemic (internal) bacterial infections are applied as rates expressed as a weight of antibacterial compound per weight of fish per day for a specified number of days. This may be in terms of mg drug/kg fish weight/day. Historically, some antibacterial treatment rates have been expressed in terms of a combination of English and metric units. Such rates have been expressed in terms of gm drug/lb fish weight/day.
A list of conversion factors are provided in this Fact Sheet for reference in making any calculations.
Below are brief descriptions of some commonly used aquaculture chemicals and precautions/considerations associated with their use. It should again be emphasized that the aquaculturist must be aware of the legal status of using any chemical. A good practice is to maintain only those chemicals that do have specific approval for aquaculture uses at the production facility. The presence on non-approved chemicals at an aquaculture facility may imply their use to an inspector even if they are never used. Regulations concerning approved chemicals for use in aquaculture are continuously being updated. A good source of information is the publication A Guide to Approved Chemicals in Fish Production and Fishery Resource Management by R. A. Schnick, F. P. Meyer, and D. L. Gray (see references).
a) Terramycin -- Terramycin is an antibiotic used to treat systemic (internal) bacterial infections. It is approved by the U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of sensitive bacteria of the genera Aeromonas, Pseudomonas, and Hemophilus in salmonids and catfish. It is used as a feed additive at a rate of 2.5 grams of drug (active ingredient)/100 pounds of fish weight/day for 10 days. A 21-day withdrawal period is required before the fish may be slaughtered and used for human consumption.
b) Sulfamerazine -- Sulfamerazine is an antibiotic compound for the treatment of furunculosis in salmonid fishes. It is used as a feed additive at 10 grams of drug (active ingredient)/100 pounds of fish weight/day for 14 days. A 21-day withdrawal period is required before the fish may be slaughtered and used for human consumption. (Note: Old fish health literature implies that Sulfamerazine is an approved compound for use on food fish, this is no longer true! Because many individuals were substituting a generic "sulfa drug" for sulfamerazine, the manufacturer decided to no longer manufacture Sulfamerazine, the product for which FDA granted a label. Since Sulfamerazine is no longer available, the use of any generic sulfa drug will be known to be in violation of the law.)
c) Romet-30 -- Romet-30 is a combination of two antibacterial drugs that has FDA approval for the treatment of furunculosis in salmonids and enteric septicemia in channel catfish. It is used as a feed additive in both cases at a rate of 50 milligrams drug (active ingredient)/kilogram of fish weight/day for 5 days. A 42-day withdrawal period is required for salmonids and a 3-day withdrawal period is required for channel catfish before the fish may be slaughtered and used for human consumption.
d) Copper Sulfate -- Copper sulfate (CuSO4) is used to treat a variety of external parasites of fish. It is also an effective algicide and piscicide, it can kill aquatic plants and fish and is approved for use as an algicide. The relationship between toxicity of copper sulfate and alkalinity of the water is very important. (Alkalinity is the total concentration of alkaline substances in the water expressed as equivalent calcium carbonate.) In water with an alkalinity less than 50 milligrams per liter (mg/L), copper sulfate can be toxic to fish and it should not be used unless a bioassay has been run in the water first with a limited number of the fish to be treated. The following general guidelines have been established for the use of copper sulfate:
Table 1. Treatment concentration of copper sulfate in water of various alkalinities(mg/L = ppm)
Copper Sulfate Treatments
|Alkalinity of water (mg/L)||Permissible treatment (mg/L)|
|0-49||don't use without a prelim. bioassay|
|50-99||0.5 - 0.75|
|100-149||0.75 - 1.00|
|150-199||1.00 - 2.00|
|200+||ineffective; will ppt as CuCO3|
Since copper sulfate is an algicide, consideration must be given to dissolved oxygen in a pond to be treated. If a pond already has low dissolved oxygen, an alternate treatment should be used. Copper sulfate will only aggravate low dissolved oxygen problems by killing the primary source of oxygen (the algae) and by adding a large biological oxygen demand in the form of dead and decomposing algae.
e) Formalin-F -- Formalin-F (formalin) is approved for use in the treatment for a number of external parasites. It is commonly used as an indefinite pond treatment at 15 milligrams per liter (mg/L). Formalin will remove 1 mg/L dissolved oxygen for every 5 mg/L of formalin used as a treatment. Therefore, if dissolved oxygen concentration in a pond is low, aeration must be provided or a different treatment should be used. Formalin must not be stored at temperatures below 40 F because it will form very toxic paraformaldehyde at low temperatures.
f) Potassium Permanganate -- Potassium permanganate (KMnO4) is approved for use in aquaculture as an oxidizer and detoxifier and has been used effectively against a number of external disease organisms of fish. The normal treatment is 2-8 milligrams per liter (mg/L), depending upon the amount of organic matter in the pond to be treated. Ideally, one would like to maintain a "wine red" color in the water for a 12 hour period to ensure an effective treatment. A preliminary bioassay can be performed with a small volume of culture water to determine the appropriate dose for the system.
g) Sodium Chloride (Salt) -- Sodium chloride (NaCl) is approved for aquaculture use as an "osmoregulatory enhancer." Salt can change the osmoregulatory balance (water balance) of aquatic organisms. It can sometimes be used effectively to control external parasitic protozoans by placing them in a condition of severe osmoregulatory shock. Care must be exercised to avoid overtreatment which will place the fish in the same condition of osmoregulatory shock. Sodium chloride is used as a 0.5% to 1.0% concentration in water as an indefinite (long-term) treatment or as a 3% concentration in water for 10-30 minutes (or stop the treatment earlier if the fish show signs of stress).
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http://www.vet.cornell.edu/microbiology/FishDisease/AquaticProg/treatment.cfm
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What they do
Mechanical engineering draftspersons prepare drawings, designs and plans that enable the manufacture and construction of a range of mechanical parts and equipment. They work with computer-aided design software, as well as using more traditional technical-drawing approaches to create plans for machinery and mechanical equipment and the components of which they are comprised. They consult with engineers about the best way to develop and plan a design, and once the design has been created, they create the drawings that machinists use as reference when building a tool or piece of machinery. They may also undertake some basic administrative work such as creating and updating lists of parts.
Mechanical engineering draftspersons usually work in engineering workshops or manufacturing businesses, but they may also work in factories, power plants, offices or building sites. They usually spend a large amount of time using computers and design software, but they may also spend time in workshop or factory environments, which can be hot, dirty and noisy, and may feature dangerous equipment. They may travel for work, either to inspect the manufacture of products they have drafted, or to learn about the design and manufacture of mechanical products. They usually work regular hours, but may also do shift work.
Tools and technologies
Mechanical Engineering Draftsperson usually use CAD (computer-aided design) technology to draw and design the parts and equipment that they design, although they may also use more traditional technical drawing techniques that utilise tools such as drawing boards, rulers, protractors, compasses and pencils. They may also use some hand tools and measuring equipment, as well as wearing safety equipment such as gloves, goggles and boots when working in a workshop environment.
How do I become one?
Education and training
To become a mechanical engineering draftsperson you usually need to gain a qualification in technical engineering or engineering drafting.
Certificate III in Engineering – Technical, Certificate IV in Engineering Drafting, the Diploma of Engineering – Technical, and the Diploma of Engineering – Technical (Mechanical) are offered at TAFE colleges and registered training organisations throughout Western Australia. Browse courses through Jobs and Skills WA and search on the My Skills website to find a registered provider near you.
You can also undertake an engineering technician (level 3) or engineering draftsperson (level 5) traineeship. The traineeships usually take 12 to 24 months to complete
Apprenticeships and traineeships
As an apprentice or trainee, you enter into a formal training contract with an employer, enabling you to complete training towards a nationally recognised qualification. You spend time working and learning practical skills on the job and you spend some time undertaking structured training with a registered training provider.
You can do an apprenticeship or traineeship if you are a school-leaver, re-entering the workforce or as an adult or mature-aged person wishing to change careers. You can even begin your apprenticeship or traineeship while you're still at school.
If you are still at school you can access an apprenticeship through your school. Talk to your school's VET Co-ordinator to start your training now through VET in Schools. If you are no longer at school you can apply for an apprenticeship or traineeship and get paid while you learn and work.
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https://www.jobsandskills.wa.gov.au/jobs-and-careers/occupations/mechanical-engineering-draftsperson
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Dendritic biodiversity and stability of First Nations fisheries throughout the Fraser River watershed
Holly studied the effect of population diversity on the catch stability of First Nations salmon fisheries throughout the Fraser River watershed. The result of increased diversity on ecological stability has been termed the ‘portfolio effect’ and is analogous to financial theory, whereby asset diversification stabilizes the total value of a portfolio. Borrowing from financial portfolio theory then, populations are analogous to assets, where asynchronous population dynamics improve the stability of the fishery, i.e. the portfolio. Watersheds provide an ideal system for examining the effect of diversity on ecosystem stability due to their dendritic structures, where smaller tributaries flow into larger stream segments, similar to the branching of a tree. As salmon migrate upstream from the ocean to their spawning habitats, populations diverge from the main channel, reducing the amount of diversity in the river at every branching point. For her Master’s thesis, she examined the effect of salmon population diversity on the stability of catch over time within the Fraser River, a large watershed (220,000 km2) in BC. She compiled yearly catch data (1951-2012) of Chinook, chum, coho, pink, and sockeye salmon from Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) on 16 First Nations fisheries located throughout the watershed.
Her findings suggest that population-level biodiversity can increase fishery stability across years. This study highlights the importance of biodiversity for holistic fisheries management. As DFO moves towards ecosystem-based management approaches, new methods for reducing by-catch (fish that are not targeted) of protected or declining populations are being considered. In the Skeena River (BC), there is ongoing dialogue to move fisheries farther upstream to better target specific populations and reduce by-catch. Results from this study could be used to inform fishery placement through analysis of trade-offs between a fishery’s stability and its by-catch. Relevant to management, her work provides a striking example of diversity driving portfolio effects at large spatial scales.
Holly's thesis project combined fisheries science and management and provided novel insights in ecological theory with broader applications in fisheries management.
Current Position: Associate, Compass Resource Management Ltd., Vancouver,
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https://www.jonwmoore.org/holly-nesbitt
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Car accidents are not exactly rare in the Buckeye State. In fact, the Ohio State Highway Patrol reports there were more than 290,000 crashes in the state in 2019.
During a crash, you may sustain a seemingly endless number of serious injuries, ranging from whiplash to spinal cord damage. If you have a car accident, you may also be vulnerable to three types of potentially life-altering burns.
Burns from fires
According to the National Fire Protection Association, there were an estimated 212,500 vehicle fires in the U.S. in 2018 alone. These fires resulted in 560 deaths and 1,500 injuries.
While your vehicle likely has many safety features both to prevent and to slow fires, a crash-related blaze may cause you to suffer burns to any part of your body.
Burns from chemicals
Even in a minor collision, your car’s airbags may deploy. When that happens, substances from the airbag’s deployment system may burn your face, eyes, throat or lungs.
The same is true for chemicals and fluids inside your vehicle’s engine and other components. Likewise, the chemicals firefighters use to extinguish a vehicle fire may burn or otherwise irritate your skin.
Burns from friction
While heat and chemicals are common causes of accident-related burns, you may also sustain a friction burn in a crash. This type of burn happens when skin rubs against a surface. Friction from your car’s seat, seat belt and dashboard may damage your skin.
Similarly, if your skin slides across pavement, you may develop road rash. While road rash encompasses many different injuries, friction burns are a regular component of it.
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https://www.keefelawfirm.com/blog/2020/11/burns-are-a-common-occurrence-in-car-accidents/
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Murach Beginning Java with Eclipse was released just after the launch of NetBeans books. The book consists of five section divided into several chapters.
Chapter 1 provides a basic introduction to Java programming in addition to usage of classes and methods. You will also learn the steps required to code your own classes and methods. The author also discusses the procedure to test and debug an application.
Chapter 2 covers the usage of primitive types, operators, control statements, strings and arrays. In chapter 3, you will learn the concepts related to object oriented programming such as inheritance, interfaces in addition to usage of inner classes, enumerations and documentation.
Chapter 4 examines the use of collections, generics, lambdas, dates, times, file I/O and threads. Error handling plays a crucial part in Java programming and you will learn all the concepts related to exceptions in chapter 16.
In Chapter 19, you will learn the steps required to connect to a MySQL database using Java. However, the author has not covered the establishment of database connectivity using Eclipse, which is of course the title of the book.
Chapter 20 examines the concept of JDBC. Chapters 21 and 22 provides a detailed coverage of the development of GUI applications with Swing.
Murach Beginning Java with Eclipse also includes two appendixes which examines the installation of Java and Eclipse in both Windows and Mac OS X.
Each chapter ends with a section named perspective and also includes bulleted summary. I very much liked the way in which the authors have presented the summary. From my point of view, the book will help readers to quickly learn the facts.
Murach’s Beginning Java with Eclipse includes exercise questions in numbered format which prompts you to do specific actions. You need to read each line to complete the exercises as stated till the final step. From my point of view, these questions will help students to grasp knowledge quickly.
I would like to see a separate chapter on the development of mobile apps using Eclipse. The book has been drafted similar to that of NetBeans book. You will find the TOC similar to that of NetBeans book.
Murach Beginning Java with Eclipse is an ideal companion for those programmers who wish to build Java applications using Eclipse. Moreover, companies can keep a copy of the book on their library shelves for reference purposes.
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https://www.learnxpress.in/murachs-beginning-java-eclipse-review.html
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21st Chief of Naval Operations
(1 July 1978 – 30 June 1982)
Admiral Thomas B. Hayward strengthened the Navy to meet the challenge of growing Soviet power by building sophisticated submarines, surface ships, and aircraft and promoting a global, offensive-minded maritime strategy.
After serving as an enlisted Sailor during World War II, Thomas B. Hayward attended the U.S. Naval Academy, graduating in 1947. An aviator, he repeatedly served on board aircraft carriers at sea and in training and test pilot commands ashore. Hayward flew 146 combat sorties with Fighter Squadron 51 in the Korean War. Combat command of Carrier Air Wing Ten and aircraft carrier USS America during the Vietnam War rounded out his sea duty. In between his tours of duty, Hayward enhanced his education with attendance at the National War College and the George Washington University. Hayward demonstrated superlative leadership skills as Commander U.S. Seventh Fleet and then as Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet. In the latter command, Hayward called for the development of a global naval strategy to face the treat of growing Soviet military power that would drive the Navy’s mission in the mid-1980s. To counter the Soviet presence, the admiral increasingly deployed fleet units into the Indian Ocean. He also fostered the design and production of advanced warships, aircraft, and missile systems. As Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Hayward built on the work of his predecessor to prepare the Navy for the challenges of the late Cold War.
11 August 2008
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https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/biographies-list/bios-h/hayward-thomas-b.html
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A career is for life…
Nigel Lashbrook (Oakham School)
Too often we hear people say they wish they’d had better careers advice – that they’ve found their perfect career either later or, sadly, too late in life.
Whilst much debate is given to the skills and attributes that we, as educators, should encourage and develop in pupils (grit, character and mindfulness), much less is said about the importance of good careers advice. Surely, one of our key roles is to help pupils to know what doors, or careers, are open to them in the world that awaits them, to help them really understand and decide exactly which careers interest them, or suit their skills and aptitudes.
Indeed, surely it is our role to help them to make active and positive decisions on which career path to take?
Unfortunately, in too many schools, “Careers” has been reduced to a tick-box exercise. In some, it has been marginalised due to timetable constraints or a myopic focus on league table positions. In others it has been outsourced in order to reduce costs, to providers who visit schools to impart their guidance to students they’ve never met before. For some schools, careers advice has been reduced to using aptitude questionnaires as career “solutions”, rather than being a great starting point for a series of detailed one-to-one discussions.
Initiatives such as “Careers Week” are excellent, with an absolutely vital purpose of encouraging students to engage with Careers. However, does it not also epitomise how we have come to view Careers as something that can be “done” in a distinct period of time?
There needs to be a shift in the way that Careers is perceived, a move from administering careers advice to developing career skills. It isn’t just a functional set of decisions or steps that schools need to help their students make – which subjects to choose, which university or college to select,
which course or apprenticeship is best. Instead, we should treat Careers as a series of broader life skills – including awareness and interest in the world (and where pupils see themselves fitting), understanding of self (and the ability to match this to career options) and openness to change (which is particularly vital given the evolving job market, the impact of artificial intelligence on future job roles and the shift from a “job for life” to contract work and multiple career moves).
This is an edited version of an article in issue 6 of HMC Insight Magazine. Click here to view the full article.
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https://www.hmc.org.uk/publications/insight-hmc-magazine/future-hold-two-heads-reconsider-careers-education-become/
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(Reuters Health) - In high school sports played by both girls and boys, girls are about 50 percent more likely to get a concussion, according to a recent U.S. study.
The reasons may have to do with physical or equipment differences and how often girls and boys report concussions they experience, but the result indicates a need for more research and better prevention strategies, researchers say.
“Parents and athletes alike should be active participants in concussion prevention,” said senior study author Dr. Zachary Y. Kerr from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in North Carolina.
“This needs to include more than just reviewing concussion fact sheets. This should include advocating to their high schools the importance of having concussion education and prevention programs that can help mitigate the incidence and severity of concussion,” he said by email.
Nearly 8 million U.S. high school students participate in sports every year, with more than 2 million competing in the sports where concussion is common: football, ice hockey, lacrosse and soccer, the study team writes in Journal of Athletic Training.
Kerr’s team used information from the National Athletic Treatment, Injury and Outcomes Network (NATION) surveillance program to determine concussion rates in 27 sports at 147 high schools in 26 states between 2011 and 2014.
Overall, there were nearly 4 sports-related concussions per 10,000 participations in practices or competitions, with the highest rates in football (9.21 concussions per 10,000 participations), boys’ lacrosse (6.65 per 10,000) and girls’ soccer (6.11 per 10,000).
Concussion rates were more than three times as common in competitions as during practice.
There were no reported concussions in boys’ crew, cross-country, golf, swimming and diving or in girls’ golf.
Player-to-player contact was the most common cause of concussion injury and accounted for about 60 percent of concussions in boys and about 40 percent in girls.
Among the many sports in which both sexes participated, including baseball, softball, basketball, crew, cross-country, lacrosse, soccer and others, sport-related concussion rates averaged 56 percent higher in girls than in boys.
In baseball and softball, girls’ concussion rate was four times that of boys.
Some recent research has shown that boys are less likely than girls to report concussion symptoms, which could be one explanation for the disparity, the authors note.
In addition, while player-to-player contact was the most common cause of concussions across the board, among just the girls, the biggest cause was player contact with equipment.
The authors point out that past research in girls’ soccer suggested the bigger ratio between the size of the ball and girls’ necks, compared to boys’ necks, might explain girls’ greater likelihood of concussion when heading a soccer ball. More research is needed to explore this question further, Kerr’s team writes.
In the current study, concussions were repeat injuries in just 3 percent of cases, and these recurrences were most common in girls’ field hockey, followed by football and girls’ lacrosse.
The most common symptoms to look for were headache, dizziness, difficulty concentrating, and sensitivity to light or noise.
Most of these symptoms were gone within two weeks, but almost one in four athletes required more than 28 days to return to play.
“I think the most interesting finding is not related with the data itself, but rather the comparisons that can be made with other concussion surveillance research,” Kerr said.
“There is typically the assumption that higher level of competition yields a higher level of intensity, which may be associated with a greater risk of injury,” he said. “However, we found high school sports in which concussion rates were higher than those reported at the collegiate level . . . in certain sports and settings, such as football and boys’ soccer.
“We as the public need to use research findings to help push for concussion prevention strategies that will benefit our young athletes,” Kerr said.
“These can range from programs that push for better tackling and blocking strategies or policy that reduces or restricts potential contact among players,” he said. “The research should serve as a starting point to engage in a dialogue on how to protect the health, safety and wellbeing of our athletes.”
SOURCE: bit.ly/2oOsMpf Journal of Athletic Training, March 2017.
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https://www.huffpost.com/entry/sport-related-concussions-more-common-in-high-school-girls_n_58f90fc6e4b018a9ce598220
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It turns out that it takes a fungus to control one.
For the first time, researchers have discovered how an ant colony can survive an onslaught of zombie-fungus, also known as Ophiocordyceps, a behavior altering, deadly parasite.
Ophiocordyceps enters an ant's brain, causing it to march to its death at a mass grave. Once the ant is dead, the fungus produces more infectious spores.
In their new study, David Hughes, an entomologist at Penn State and his team describe a hyperparasitic fungus – that is, a parasitic fungus that exploits another parasitic fungus – that helps ants to ward off a zombie epidemic.
"In a case where biology is stranger than fiction, the parasite of the zombie-ant fungus is itself a fungus," Hughes said in a statement.
Ants are the dominant creature of all land-based ecosystems. In tropical forests, for example, almost 70% of individual insects are ants. They provide ample opportunities for scientific investigation.
Previous research has shown that ants groom each other and themselves to defend their colonies against pathogens such as fungi.
Hughes and his group modeled ant behavior in order to see grooming's effect on restricting infection. They found that combined with the ant's own grooming practices, the hyperparasitic fungus significantly limited the spread of the deadly, zombifying Ophiocordyceps.
Many ants become infected with the Ophiocordyceps fungus because it grows slowly, producing immature spores for about a month after killing its host.
However, the likelihood of an individual ant becoming a zombie is relatively low because the young spores are susceptible to the hyperparasitic fungus.
"Because the hyperparasitic fungi prevents the infected zombie-ant fungus from spreading spores, fewer of the ants will become zombies," explained Hughes.
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https://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2012/0503/Zombie-ant-fungus-meet-the-anti-zombie-ant-fungus
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HIV drugs 'may prevent blindness'
A class of 30-year-old HIV drugs could in future be used to prevent a common cause of incurable blindness, scientists believe.
Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors (NRTIs) were originally developed to treat cancer but later harnessed to combat HIV and Aids.
New research shows that they block an inflammatory pathway closely linked to age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a disease that leads to progressive loss of vision and affects up to 600,000 people in the UK.
HIV drugs may help to prevent a common cause of incurable blindness, new research suggests
There are two forms of AMD, wet and dry, classified by the presence or absence of blood vessels invading the retina. Although several therapies exist for the wet form, there is no approved treatment for dry AMD.
Dr Mark Young, from the Cardiff University School of Biosciences, said: "Our work presents the first evidence for a potential therapy for the untreatable dry form of AMD, a condition which affects millions of people worldwide, with a drug that is already approved for use in humans.
"It also paves the way for repurposing of the NRTI drug family for treatment of a wide variety of inflammatory diseases."
The drugs target a cell-surface protein called P2X7 that is known to play a role in a number of inflammatory disorders. In the study a number of different NRTIs were found to prevent retinal degeneration in mice affected by AMD.
"So far the efficacy of the NRTIs in combatting AMD has only been proven in mouse models, but given that the drug is already licensed for use in humans, we hope that clinical trials can begin as soon as possible," said Dr Young.
The research, led by a US team from the University of Kentucky, was reported in an online edition of the journal Science.
NRTIs are the most widely used class of anti-HIV drugs. They act on the enzyme reverse transcriptase which is necessary for the replication of HIV.
Previous research has shown that a toxic molecule called Alu RNA that accumulates in the retina in patients with dry AMD also depends on reverse transcriptase.
Dr Maria Dawson, from the blind people's charity RNIB, said: "This research is exciting but it is still at a very early stage. It offers hope for finding an effective therapy for dry AMD, for which there is currently no treatment, but extensive clinical trials are needed to establish whether this treatment is safe and effective for use in the eye.
"AMD is the most common cause of blindness in the over-50s, so an effective treatment for dry AMD would make a huge difference to the lives of many people.
"The more sight someone has, the more they are able to live safe, independent lives - this could mean not having to give up driving, remaining in employment, being able to cook safely and read medication instructions.
"The research adds to our understanding of how dry AMD develops and how it could be treated in the future."
Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.
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https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/pa/article-2852108/HIV-drugs-prevent-blindness.html
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Acrylic Tools and Media
1. Acrylic paint is a fast-drying paint made of pigment suspended in acrylic polymer emulsion. Acrylic paints are water-soluble, but become water-resistant when dry.
- Winsor & Newton's Artist's Acrylics. ...
- Golden Artist Colors Heavy Body Acrylics. ...
- Golden's Open Acrylics. ...
- Fluid Golden Acrylic. ...
- High Flow Golden Acrylic. ...
- Liquitex Professional Acrylics. ...
2. Acrylic Brushes
Types of Acrylic Brushes
Types include: watercolor brushes which are usually made of sable, synthetic sable or nylon; oil painting brushes which are usually made of sable or bristle; acrylic brushes which are almost entirely nylon or synthetic.
When buying brushes for acrylic painting, you can get both the stiff bristle brushes used by oil painters and synthetic brushes made for smooth watercolor painting. It all depends on the effect you want to obtain with your brushwork. Stiffer brushes will leave visible marks on the painting, with more textural results.
How to Clean Acrylic Brushes
Wash your brushes with warm soapy water right after your painting session ends, rubbing it in circles on the palm of your hand. Make sure you clean between the bristles too. Rinse well, squeeze it dry, and then re-shape the brush. Let your brush dry horizontally.
Acrylic Brushes Guide for Beginners
3. Canvas for Acrylic Painting
For smaller paintings, masking tape can be used to adhere and stretch watercolor paper on a rigid surface. For larger paintings, staples and a stronger tape (gummed paper tape) may be used.
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https://www.dandressler.com/acrylic-media.html
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pressure through programs of professional, patient, and public education. The NHBPEP published scientific reviews and recommendations in 1972, 1993, and 1995 and cosponsored a large national public information-gathering workshop in 1994 with other federal agencies (NHLBI, 1996). Auxiliary activities of the NHBPEP included the production of fact sheets, pamphlets, and brochures dealing with lifestyle changes, planning kits, posters and print ads, radio messages, and working group reports. More recently, scientific reviews, recommendations about sodium reduction, and auxiliary outreach activities have been part of the 1997 and 2003 activities of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure. Partnerships with state, local, and community-based organizations formed the basis for the recent development and dissemination of educational materials and the production of broadcast-ready public service announcements about fighting high blood pressure through dietary changes.
Initiated in 1980 by congressional mandate, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans provide science-based guidance to promote health and reduce risk for major chronic diseases through diet and physical activity. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) jointly sponsor the development of Dietary Guidelines for Americans, including the convening of an expert advisory committee. The recommendations are regularly revised and updated on a 5-year cycle; to date, six editions of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans have been published. Currently, an expert advisory committee is reviewing the science in preparation for the seventh edition. Since the document was first published in 1980, every edition has contained recommendations for Americans related to reduction in and moderation of sodium intake, but quantitative recommendations were not included until the 2005 edition. To assist consumers in implementing the Dietary Guidelines for Americans through informed food choices, USDA developed the MyPyramid program,1 which is one of its major consumer initiatives for dietary change. Implementation of the sodium recommendations as an area of focus was particularly challenging. To help consumers meet recommendations from the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, USDA provides a menu planning program on its website2 that allows individuals to enter information about the foods they consume and to compare their daily food intake with Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommendations. However, sodium as an area of focus is not included. That is, sodium levels are not factored into the MyPyramid
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http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=12818&page=31
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You are not currently logged in. Please create an account or log in to view the full course.
About this Course
About the Course
Before the Emperor Augustus died in 14 AD, he boasted that he had found Rome a city of brick, but left it a city of marble. In this course, Professor Matthew Nicholls (University of Reading) explores Augustus’ rebuilding of the city of Rome through his award-winning digital model of the city. After a brief introduction to Augustus’ rise to power and his building programme as a whole, we turn to individual monuments, including the Ara Pacis, The Forum Romanum, The Forum Augustum, The Mausoleum of Augustus, and the various leisure and entertainment buildings that were constructed in the Campus Martius.
All digital modelling and 3D images are (c) Prof. Matthew Nicholls, University of Reading. 2015. All rights reserved.
To continue exploring the architecture and history of Rome with Prof. Matthew Nicholls, a free online course is now available on Futurelearn.
About the Lecturer
Matthew Nicholls is a visiting professor of classics at the University of Reading and Senior Tutor at St John's College, Oxford, specialising in the political and social history of the Romans, and the way the built environments of Rome and cities around the empire expressed their values and priorities. In 2014, Matthew was presented with a Guardian Teaching Award for his 'Virtual Rome' project, a digital model of the city of Rome, showing the city as it appeared in c. AD 315.
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https://www.massolit.io/courses/augustus-and-the-city-of-rome
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From Our 2012 Archives
Active Video Games Have Exercise-Like Effects in Kids: Study
Latest Healthy Kids News
MONDAY, Sept. 24 (HealthDay News) -- Adolescents who play active video games increase their heart rate, use more oxygen and expend more energy, according to a small new study.
Low levels of physical activity are associated with obesity in children. Compared to video games that youngsters can play while sitting on the couch, active video games encourage movement and could help children increase their physical activity levels, according to researchers Stephen Smallwood and colleagues at the University of Chester, in England.
Their study included 10 boys and eight girls, aged 11 to 15, who played two active video games that use a webcam-style sensor device and software technology to detect players' body movement during game play.
The games, "Dance Central" and "Kinect Sports: Boxing," increased the children's energy expenditure by 150 percent and 263 percent, respectively, above resting values. Energy expenditure while playing the active games was 103 percent and 194 percent higher, respectively, than playing traditional video games.
The active games also led to significant increases in heart rate and oxygen uptake, in the study published online Sept. 24 in the journal Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.
"Although it is unlikely that active video game play can single-handedly provide the recommended amount of physical activity for children or expend the number of calories required to prevent or reverse the obesity epidemic, it appears from the results of this study that 'Kinect' active game play can contribute to children's physical activity levels and energy expenditure, at least in the short term," the researchers concluded in a journal news release.
-- Robert Preidt
Copyright © 2012 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
SOURCE: Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, news release, Sept. 24, 2012
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http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=163294
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Last year, six of the most intense tornadoes ever seen – twisters with the power to send buildings flying – touched down in the United States. That's more than in the past 10 years combined. This year's tornado count could be on track to be another record-setter. Forty people died in early March, when over 50 tornadoes struck the South and Midwest. In April, storms tore through Dallas–Fort Worth, leaving disaster zones in three counties. Current research shows only possible links between climate change and increased tornado activity. But one thing is clear: Over the past three years, tornado season has started earlier, with a rise in deaths and property loss. Tornado-warning technology, meanwhile, is stuck in the past.
The U.S. tornado-warning system now gives an average warning time of 13 minutes, with a three-in-four false-alarm rate. The system works like this: A network of 33 ground-based radars read wind speed and direction. If they detect tornado conditions – fast bands of wind in an unstable atmosphere – the National Weather Service (NWS) issues a "watch." Meteorologists then turn their attention to a more advanced detection system called Nexrad. When they see the signature spin of a twister, a "warning" is issued: Sirens are activated, a ticker runs on local TV, and radios advise people to seek shelter.
Another, more effective radar defense, called CASA, is being tested now. CASA consists of small, low-cost stations that provide extra coverage in high-risk areas. The images CASA beams back to meteorologists are much clearer than Nexrad's, decreasing false warnings and improving lead times by 25 percent. Similar, but far more expensive, systems also being tested now have the potential to double that.
CASA has already saved lives. On the heels of last year's catastrophic tornado in Joplin, Missouri, which killed 161 people and caused nearly $3 billion in damage, local emergency manager Lee Kuhlman was facing a huge twister headed for Newcastle, Oklahoma. Using CASA, Kuhlman says, "I could clearly see the funnel of the tornado," unlike with the Nexrad system, which is only capable of depicting the weather as mile-size pixels. While waiting for the Nexrad computers to refresh, he turned to CASA and saw the tornado change direction and head for a team of EMS workers in the field. Due to heavy rain, the workers couldn't see the funnel. "They wouldn't have known what was coming until it was too late," says Kuhlman.
If such upgrades work this well, why aren't they rolled out everywhere? The problem, as with most government services these days, is funding. After Joplin, President Obama warned against cuts that "might compromise the National Weather Service." This next budget, however, called for a $39 million reduction in NWS funding for 2013, which won't leave enough resources to operate the current system, let alone upgrade it. "People will die if these cuts are made," says Dan Sobien, president of the NWS Employees Organization. "Why can we afford around $40 million to fly the Blue Angels but not to save people's lives?"
With Washington's support in question, at-risk communities have begun constructing their own tornado defenses. A mix of municipal money and private grants is paying for four eight-foot-diameter radar globes in Dallas–Fort Worth. CASA will soon be operational, and by fall 2013, the number of radars will double. Juan Ortiz, the emergency management coordinator in Fort Worth, thinks the risk of waiting for the federal government far outweighs the cost to the community to fund CASA. If a truly violent tornado like the one that hit Joplin strikes the Dallas suburbs, the death toll could be huge – up to 30,000.
While Dallas and Fort Worth will soon have state-of-the-art radar, the rest of the country will have to make do with the unraveling safety net of the NWS. "We don't need to wait 20 or 30 years for the federal government to bring CASA online," says Ortiz. "We want to start saving lives and protecting property today."
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http://www.mensjournal.com/magazine/a-better-way-to-track-tornadoes-20120724
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A handheld sensor tests perspiration for cortisol and provides results in eight minutes, which researchers say is a key advance in monitoring a hormone whose levels are a marker for many illnesses, including various cancers.
The material and sensing mechanism in the device could be easily engineered to detect other specific hormones, such as progesterone, a key marker for women’s reproductive health and pregnancy outcomes.
The enzyme mimic sensor avoids the most expensive and time-consuming elements of conventional cortisol testing. The sensor is naturally enzyme free, label free, and redox signaling probe free. The integrated sensor can be applied to point-of-care and wearable applications.
The artificial enzyme is a special polymer with tiny spaces shaped to fit only cortisol molecules. These spaces are surrounded by catalysts that make cortisol react, producing electrical signals. By measuring the signals, the amount of cortisol present can be determined, an important diagnostic tool.
For more information, visit here .
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https://www.medicaldesignbriefs.com/component/content/article/mdb/pub/features/rand/48029?r=47666
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"The ultimate task of architecture is to act in favor of human beings."
James Marston Fitch (1909–2000)
LittD (hon.) 1980
A central figure in the U.S. historic-preservation movement, James Marston Fitch changed the way Americans look at old buildings. Fitch opposed the urban renewal strategies adopted by many cities in the 1950s and '60s, arguing that, architectural distinction notwithstanding, structures should sometimes be preserved and appreciated simply as valuable representations of the cultures that erected them—a view that eventually gained widespread acceptance in planning circles. At the same time, Fitch appreciated that cities inevitably grow and change, and did not seek to preserve buildings merely by virtue of their age. In New York he helped prevent the construction of an expressway through Soho, argued to save the buildings at what is now the South Street Seaport, and, in the 1990s, supervised the renovation of Grand Central Terminal. An Air Force meteorologist during the Second World War, Fitch bracketed his wartime service with stints as an editor at various architecture magazines. In 1954 he joined the Columbia faculty, where he remained for more than two decades before leaving to become director of historic preservation at Beyer Blinder Belle, a private architecture and planning firm. Fitch wrote dozens of articles as well as notable books such as American Building: The Environmental Forces that Shape It (1947, updated 1999) and Historic Preservation: Curatorial Management of the Built World (1982). Upon his death the noted scholar and activist Jane Jacobs told the New York Times that Fitch "was the principal character in making the preservation of historic buildings practical and feasible and popular."
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http://c250.columbia.edu/c250_celebrates/remarkable_columbians/james_fitch.html
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Reflux is an expensive, high-prevalence disease1-4 and it affects approximately half of patients with laryngeal and voice disorders.5 It remains controversial because there are still no standard diagnostics or treatments.2-4 In addition, divisions between the medical specialties (otolaryngology, pulmonology, gastroenterology) each of which focuses on its own anatomic subdivision, have led to academic turf wars and fragmentation of research and the care of patients with diverse manifestations of reflux, particularly those with laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR), the often “silent” (no heartburn or indigestion) backflow of gastric (stomach) contents into the laryngopharynx (throat and voice box).
Nevertheless, in addition to causing dysphonia (hoarseness), LPR affects large numbers of otolaryngologic patients with sinusitis, sore throat, globus (a lump-in-the-throat sensation), dysphagia (difficulty swallowing), chronic cough, and other reactive airways diseases such as asthma.2,6,7 Reflux remains a confusing topic even within otolaryngology (ENT), because most otolaryngology residency programs’ curricula often do not include specific training in the diagnosis and management of LPR. Among otolaryngologists, there isn’t even a clear consensus regarding the laryngeal findings.2,8
Having spent thirty-five years studying airway reflux in both laboratory and clinical settings, this chapter presents a paradigm of integrated aerodigestive medicine in which reflux play a unifying role. And therefore the structure of this chapter includes: nosology, epidemiology, etiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment.
Nosology (Classification & Nomenclature) of Reflux
The term reflux is derived from two Latin roots, re-. back, and fluere, to flow. Therefore, reflux literally means backflow. The backflow in question here is the backflow of stomach contents into the esophagus and even into the airway, eg, laryngopharynx, trachea, lungs.
Patients and the lay media refer to this problem as “acid reflux,” but medical specialists have many different names and designations for diseases and disorders related to gastric reflux into the esophagus and airway; see Table 1. Specialists have coined different terms to express their different points of view. When describing reflux, gastroenterologists (GIs), for example, generally refer to GERD, gastroesophageal reflux disease, which describes their focus, the esophagus; however, when the airway is involved, GIs use terms like atypical reflux or supraesophageal reflux. Otolaryngologists generally use the term LPR.
I coined that term LPR in the 1980s specifically to call attention to the fact that the larynx and pharynx were the primary target organs when the refluxate extends above the esophagus. I also coined the term silent reflux because often patients with LPR do not have symptoms of heartburn or indigestion, symptoms that make reflux obvious.
It is worth noting that some people with “silent reflux” have no symptoms. This may occur when a person has nocturnal reflux; and such can be associated with seeming unrelated sinus and lung disease, eg, asthma, recurrent pneumonia, COPD. Indeed, it is possible for LPR to be the underlying cause all of those problems.2-6
Table 1: Most Common Medical Terms for Reflux
Gastroesophageal reflux disease
Extraesophageal reflux disease
Supraesophageal reflux disease
Atypical reflux disease
Why are there so many different terms? Besides otolaryngologists and gastroenterologists, many other specialists, including allergists, pulmonologists, pediatricians, internists, family practitioners, anesthesiologists, and critical care specialists regularly encounter diverse manifestations of reflux disease. Nevertheless, the two most popular terms for reflux across the different groups’ medical literature are GERD and LPR.
Since this reflux post was written for otolaryngologists and reflux patients as well, it makes sense dividing the aerodigestive tract into two basic components, the airway and the esophagus. These overarching anatomic designations are intuitive and appropriately broad. This chapter justifiably might have been termed airway reflux, as the latter term is more encompassing. The terms airway reflux and LPR may be used interchangeably as may the terms esophageal reflux and GERD.
The prevalence of reflux disease—both esophageal reflux (GERD) and airway reflux (LPR)—has increased dramatically in our lifetimes.1-4,9-15 Using a statistical model and an analysis of 17 studies, El-Serag1 showed that the average rate of increase of reflux disease since 1976 was 4% per year (P < .0001).
An even more ominous trend is the skyrocketing increase in the prevalence of esophageal cancer in the U.S.12-14 Based upon National Cancer Institute data, esophageal cancer is the fastest growing cancer in the country having increased 850% since 1975.12 During this same period, its mortality has increased seven-fold despite increased esophageal surveillance.2-4,13,14 In addition, the prevalence of Barrett’s esophagus, the reflux-related precursor to esophageal cancer, is very high.12-14 Furthermore, Reavis, et al. reported that patients with hoarseness and chronic cough (airway symptoms) had Barrett’s esophagus just as frequently (8%) as GERD patients with heartburn.15 Today, routine esophageal screening is recommended for both airway and esophageal reflux patients.2-4,15,16
In the past, reflux was primarily a disease of overweight middle-aged people; however reflux is now common in thin, athletic, young people.3,4,17 This trend toward young patients with severe reflux has been observed by many experienced clinicians.
In 2010, the prevalence of airway and esophageal reflux (GERD and LPR) in the United States was estimated by interviewing a geographically random sample of 656 U.S. citizens.3 The data revealed that an astonishing 40% had reflux disease, 22% having classic esophageal reflux (GERD) and another 18% having airway reflux (LPR).3 There were no statistical differences seen between age, gender, and regions of the country. The most striking and unanticipated finding was that 37% of the 21-30 year-old age group had reflux.3,4
Historically, these trends have been primarily attributed to the obesity epidemic; however, it now appears that food additives (especially acid) in the American diet may be in large measure responsible for the reflux epidemic.3,4
There is considerable overlap between the causes of LPR and GERD, and this makes sense because the initial event for both is a transient LES (lower esophageal sphincter) relaxation that allows a bolus of refluxate to move from the stomach into the esophagus.5 The causes of gastroesophageal reflux (GER) are multifactorial and include many well-described factors2,5,6,8,17-19 (Table 2). Leaving congenital conditions and familial predisposition aside, over-eating, late-night eating, consumption of high-fat foods, fried foods, soft drinks (and other carbonated, caffeinated, and/or acidified beverages), smoking, and ethanol drinking all contribute GER.5
Chemicals like caffeine, ethanol, and theobromine (in chocolate), and medications like theophylline, are all refluxogenic and act by directly relaxing the LES.5 The same is true of fried and fatty foods, which cause the LES to relax, which lead to reflux. Reflux is also caused by anything that increases the intragastric pressure, such as overeating and carbonation, or anything that increases intra-abdominal pressure, such as obesity and exercise. Both increased intragastric and intra-abdominal pressure challenge the resistance of the LES.5
Table 2: Most Common Reported Causes and Risk Factors for Reflux
Tight clothing / belts
Carbonated beverages (all soft drinks actually)
Lying down after eating / Late night eating (within 3 hours of bedtime)
Esophageal dysmotility (lazy esophagus)
High-fat and fried foods (eg, hamburger)
Xerostomia (dry mouth, especially after head & neck irradiation for cancer)
Hypotensive (low) lower esophageal sphincter pressure
One of the least understood, common factors is hiatal hernia (HH). As it turns out, one can have reflux without a HH, and one can have a HH without reflux. Today, we believe that HH decreases the LES pressure by approximately one-third, as the pinchcock effect of the diaphragm on the LES is lost. The size of the HH may, however, have some bearing on reflux, with large hernias being more likely to be associated with reflux.2,5
By comparison with the airway, the esophagus has four robust antireflux defenses.5,20,21 The first line of defense is the LES, and once it opens for any reason, gastric contents enter the esophagus, ie, GER.
The second defense is esophageal acid clearance, which actually is a sequence of events.5 The average person has up to fifty “physiologic” (normal) esophageal acid reflux events each day, occurring mostly after meals. Esophageal acid clearance is how normal pH is established after any reflux event.5
Once a bolus (“ball”) of gastric juice containing acid and pepsin (primary enzyme of stomach) enters the esophagus, a swallow must first clear the volume of the acid bolus, but even after volume clearance by the first swallow, the intraluminal pH remains low. It is only with a subsequent series of swallows, with the delivery of salivary bicarbonate that normal pH is restored. Normal esophageal acid clearance usually takes less than five minutes.5
Esophageal acid clearance requires saliva and salivary bicarbonate. Consequently, it is important for the otolaryngologist to know that xerostomia, particularly iatrogenic (doctor/treatment caused) xerostomia (dry mouth, not enough saliva), following head and neck cancer irradiation, is virtually always associated with reflux. As a logical corollary, esophageal cancer is the most common metachronous (occurring later) cancer following head and neck cancer irradiation, giving further credence to the importance of esophageal acid clearance.
The third esophageal antireflux defense is esophageal epithelial resistance.2,5,20-24
The esophageal mucosa (lining) is more resistant to damage from acid and pepsin than any other aerodigestive structure, except the stomach. Remarkably, when inflamed, the esophageal mucosa secretes bicarbonate.5,20-22 All mammalian cells contain an important enzyme, carbonic anhydrase, which helps maintain intercellular acid-base balance by hydrolyzing CO2 to form bicarbonate. Carbonic anhydrase is usually found in the basal layer of the epithelium. That is the case in the normal esophagus; however, with esophagitis, the carbonic anhydrase diffuses through the superficial layers so that the esophagus actually secretes bicarbonate. This is an amazing defense, which is not shared by the laryngeal epithelium.5
The fourth defense is the UES (upper esophageal sphincter, also called the cricopharyngeus), is actually not an esophageal antireflux defense, because it is the primary barrier to airway reflux (LPR).5
Pathophysiology of LPR
From both theoretical and practical perspectives, while LES failure is at fault in GERD; in LPR, the UES is faulty. Under normal circumstances, UES pressure increases in response to esophageal acid exposure; but in patients with LPR, this protective reflexive function fails.5 Why the upper valve fails in LPR is uncertain; however, it is also clear that UES failure is reversible with effective antireflux treatment.2
Cell Biology of Airway Reflux
The biggest difference between the airway and the esophagus is simply that the airway epithelium (outer liming membrane) is profoundly fragile and easily damaged by gastric reflux compared to the esophageal epithelium (that is relatively robust). To understand these differences, the cell biology of LPR holds the key.2,20-27
First, it is important to recognize that the tissue damage is due to pepsin; it is peptic (not acid) injury.2-5,20-27 Second, it is tissue-bound pepsin that causes tissue injury. Johnston et al. reported that pepsin was found by Western blot determination in 95% of laryngeal biopsies in patients with documented LPR.27 Third, peptic injury is associated with depletion of key protective proteins including carbonic anhydrase, E-cadherin, and the stress proteins.20-24
Equally important in understanding the biology of LPR is consideration for the stability and spectrum of activity of human pepsin.24 Human pepsin retains some of its proteolytic activity well above pH 4.0 depending on the substrate. For example, pepsin can destroy collagen up to pH 6.5.24 Clinical LPR is associated with tissue-bound pepsin,27 and based upon both experimental and pH-monitoring data, it is that clear laryngeal epithelial damage occurs at pH 5; whereas, the threshold for esophageal epithelial damage is pH 4.21 Figure 1 shows the relationship between pH and the proteolytic activity of pepsin. Note that 40% of peptic activity remains at pH 5.
Figure 1: The Human Pepsin 3b Activity Curve24
Initiation and Promotion of Reflux
From a clinical perspective, there is another way of looking at the pathophysiology of reflux. For most reflux patients, airway reflux has an “initiation phase” (actual reflux of acid and pepsin into the laryngopharynx with binding of pepsin to the epithelium) and a “promotion phase,” which is dependent on additional LPR and/or a source of dietary (HCl) acid. (The terms “initiation” and “promotion” are borrowed from the carcinogenesis literature and in this model pepsin is the initiator and “subsequent” dietary acid is the promoter.) In other words, pepsin is only found (and manufactured) in the stomach; initiation requires a true gastro-esophageal-pharyngeal reflux event or events. Once pepsin is tissue-bound, proteolytic activation is promoted by acid, usually from acidic foods and beverages.3,4 In other words, once pepsin is tissue-bound to laryngopharyngeal structures, hydrogen ions from any source can be the promoters.
The initiation-by-pepsin and promotion-by-dietary-acid model helps explain why for so many LPR patients pharmacologic acid-suppression is ineffective, that is, without dietary intervention medical treatment usually fails. At best, acid suppression from below is only half of the peptic-injury equation.3,4
It also explains why dietary bingers do poorly. Imagine a college student who is well-behaved most of the time, but on Saturday nights he goes out drinking, and on his way home stops for cheeseburgers, fries, and a soda. Tipsy and with a stomach full of acidic high-fat food, he falls asleep and refluxes all night. He awakes in the morning dysphonic with a sore throat and cough.
He has tissue-bound pepsin all over his laryngopharynx, and that is his initiation. First thing in the morning, he drinks orange juice pH<4, then during the day he drinks almost a half gallon of soft drinks (pH<3). Amazingly, in 2010, the average 12-29-year-old American drank 160 gallons of soft drinks; that’s almost a half-gallon per day.3 And that is acid promotion! Even if the student does not have another actual reflux event for a week, his airway reflux peptic damage is active, and tissue inflammation and injury can escalate over time dietary acid alone. The more acid he consumes, the more the tissues are affected including the UES and LES. In other words, after initiation has occurred, promotion can progress (or even escalate) inflammation and tissue damage leading to further impairment of anti-reflux defenses.
Based upon pH-monitoring data, most patients with airway reflux (LPR) are upright (daytime) refluxers; however when an LPR patient has supine (nocturnal) reflux, tissue damage tends to be more severe. When it comes to initiation, nighttime reflux is far more injurious than daytime reflux. For many LPR patients, regardless of dose of acid-suppressive medications, late-night eating must be curtailed before effective treatment can begin.
Reflux has the characteristics of a vicious cycle, a downward spiral. The more a person refluxes, the worse esophageal function is affected, which in turn leads to worsening reflux. This downward spiral may continue until symptomatic decompensation causes the patient to seek medical attention. Fortunately, it is also true that recovery is an upward spiral. The less a patient has acid and pepsin in the airway (or esophagus), the more likely recovery of the body’s natural antireflux defenses.
Diet: Where Epidemiology & Pathophysiology Meet
The dramatic increases in reflux over the past forty years cannot be explained by the obesity epidemic alone. The increases appear to be mostly related to other dietary and lifestyle-related factors. Coincident with the reflux epidemic, America’s diet has changed.In our lifetimes, there have been four unhealthy dietary trends:
(1) Increased saturated fat
(2) Increased high-fructose corn syrup
(3) Increased exposure to organic pollutants (e.g., DDT, PCBs, dioxins)
(4) Increased dietary acidity (and other food additives as well)
The last of these trends—increased dietary acid—may hold the key to understanding the growing reflux epidemic with its associated and dramatic increases in esophageal cancer.2-4 Dietary aid appears to be the missing link: In 1973, following an outbreak of food poisoning, the U.S. Congress mandated that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) take responsibility for assuring the safety of processed food by establishing “Good Manufacturing Practices.”3,4 How was this accomplished? Through acidification of bottled and canned foods, which was intended to prevent bacterial growth and prolong shelf life.3,4 From the 1979 Title 21 Act:
“Foods should be so manufactured, processed, and packaged that a finished equilibrium pH value is achieved. If the finished equilibrium pH is 4.0 or below, then the measurement of acidity of the final product may be made by any suitable method.”3,4
Today, two generations later, the FDA has never wavered from this path and has never questioned the possibility that acidification of the food supply might have potential adverse health consequences. In other words, the FDA encourages food manufacturers to reduce the pH of their products to less than 4.0, the same pH level as stomach acid (Figure 3). In the U.S., the arc of the reflux and the esophageal cancer epidemics closely follows soft drink consumption.2,32,33
At present, almost everything in a bottle or can is acidified to discourage bacterial growth and prolong shelf life. Bottled and canned foods and beverages are almost always pH <4,2-4,31-34 because ascorbic and/or citric acids are added. Sometimes the food label can be vaguer; it may just read “vitamin C enriched” or “vitamin C enhanced.”3,4 That is not really added to give you vitamins; it is done for purposes of acidification alone.
Knowing what we now know about the cell biology of reflux, the stability and activity of pepsin, and the contemporary American diet, it may be reasonable to postulate that acidification of America’s food supply is in large measure responsible for the reflux epidemic. Dietary acidity appears to be fundamental to the pathophysiology of airway reflux; and dietary acid appears to be the crucial factor in the prevalence (including neoplasia) and outcomes of reflux disease as it affects the laryngopharynx.3,4 See also the section on “Treatment.”
The symptoms and manifestations of airway reflux go beyond those typically associated with esophageal reflux (Table 3), and there are red flags that make airway reflux highly likely. Waking in the middle of the night from a sound sleep coughing (and even gasping for air like a fish out of water, i.e., laryngospasm), chronic cough for more than two months (with a normal pulmonary evaluation), a sensation of a lump in the throat (globus) that is there all the time, except when the patient is actually eating, morning hoarseness, chronic-intermittent hoarseness and difficulty swallowing (dysphagia) all can be symptoms of LPR.
Table 3: Symptoms and Conditions Reportedly Related to Airway Reflux
Regurgitation Dental caries and erosions
Chest pain Esophageal spasm
Shortness of breath Esophageal stricture
Choking episodes Esophageal cancer
Hoarseness Reflux laryngitis
Vocal fatigue Larynx (laryngeal) cancer
Voice breaks Endotracheal intubation injury
Chronic throat clearing Contact ulcers and granulomas
Excessive throat mucus Posterior glottis stenosis
Post-nasal drip Arytenoid fixation
Chronic cough Paroxysmal laryngospasm
Dysphagia Globus pharyngeus
Difficulty swallowing Laryngeal cancer
Difficulty breathing Vocal cord dysfunction
Choking episodes Paradoxical vocal fold movement
Lump-in-throat sensation Vocal nodules and polyps
Food getting stuck Pachydermia laryngitis
Airway obstruction Recurrent leukoplakia
Wheezing Polypoid degeneration
Vocal cord dysfunction
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
Sinusitis and allergic symptoms
What about asthma? Is it a symptom of reflux? There is one question that every clinician should ask when a patient says they have asthma, particularly adult-onset asthma, “When you have breathing difficulties, do you have more trouble getting air in or out?” If the patient says, “IN,” they do not have asthma. Their symptoms are due to reactive airway disease secondary to airway reflux.
At present, there is no one diagnostic reflux test for LPR that provides more accurate information than pharyngeal/UES/esophageal manometry combined with ambulatory 24-hour dual-probe (simultaneous pharyngeal and esophageal) pH monitoring.2 Impedance monitoring is, in the author’s experience, a second choice for diagnosing airway reflux though it is a good supplement to pH testing as it may identify injurious non-acid reflux. Under development are new diagnostic tests that are specific for airway reflux and utilize pepsin as a marker. The author currently uses a combination of diagnostics.
1. Clinical Parameters: The Reflux Symptom index28 (RSI) and The Reflux Finding Score29 (RFS)
When taken together the RSI and the RFS are the most reliable clinical diagnostics, and they are recommended for routine use by the otolaryngologist. The RSI (a nine-item, symptom severity scale) is completed by the patient, and it is a validated reflux outcomes instrument29 (Table 4). when a patient has a RSI of >15, s/he has a 90% chance of having pH-documented LPR.2
Table 4: The Reflux Symptom Index (RSI)
The RSI should be completed by every patient prior to being seen by the clinician, and the clinician should complete the RFS after each laryngoscopy, even if it is to note that the RFS was nil. The RFS is a system for grading the laryngeal findings of LPR (Table 5).
Theoretically, the RFS can be calculated on the fly during a visual laryngoscopy; however, grading the RFS after the examination is completed from an archived laryngeal image is preferred, and that image should show the larynx in abduction, not adduction. This grading system was developed using images obtained by transnasal flexible laryngoscopy (TFL), and TFL is the preferred examination. The RFS is a weighted nine-item scoring system devised by the author in 1986 and subsequently reported.8,29 The RFS is particularly useful in diagnosing LPR. In addition, when calculated at each visit, it is an excellent parameter to evaluate the effectiveness of therapy. Patients who are successfully treated will have a normal (less that 4) RFS. Below are descriptive parameters for each of the nine items:
Pseudosulcus vocalis refers to subglottic edema that gives the vocal fold the appearance of being three-dimensional, almost having the appearance of an open hotdog bun. The normal non-swollen, non-inflamed vocal fold appears to be a two-dimensional structure. Pseudosulcus is a finding usually associated with reflux and diffuse laryngeal edema. (Pseudosulcus can also sometimes be a “normal” finding when the vocal folds are atrophic, eg, presbylaryngis.) A finding of pseudosulcus gets two points in the RFS system.
Figure 2: LPR Findings (A. Before and B. After Treatment)
Ventricular obliteration. The ventricle is a grove-like structure or recess between the true and false vocal folds. When it is normal and open, the ventricular band is sharp and the depth of the ventricle glistens. If, however, both the true and false folds are swollen, the ventricle can be partly or completely obliterated. Partial ventricular obliteration scores two points, and complete ventricular obliteration scores four points in the RFS. The case, Figure 2-A, shows partial ventricular obliteration that resolves after treatment (Figure 2-B).
Erythema, the third item, is graded two points for red arytenoids and four points for diffuse laryngeal erythema. In reality, erythema is grossly overcalled. The main finding of LPR is edema not erythema. The normal vascularity of the posterior larynx will vary a lot depending upon the brightness of the light source.
Vocal fold edema is graded as follows: “1 Mild” for slightly swollen vocal folds; “2 Moderate” if pseudosulcus is present; “3 Severe” if there is sessile or polypoid swelling that is occupying some of the intra-fold space; and “4 Polypoid” for Reinke’s edema.
Diffuse laryngeal edema is the most subjective finding of the RFS. It relates to the size of the glottal opening (chink) relative to the size of the entire larynx. Normally, the area of the glottal chink at near-full abduction occupies 50% of the total area. (Diffuse laryngeal edema is rarely graded more than one or two points.)
Posterior commissure hypertrophy is graded as follows: “1 Mild” when the moustache of the posterior commissure is still upwardly concave; “2 Moderate” when edge of the posterior commissure is straight; “3 Severe” when it is convex into the endolaryngeal lumen; and “4 Obstructing” when it is obstructing the airway.
Figure 3: Example of Tiger-Stripe Post-Cricoid Edema (Arrow)
A. (left): Before treatment for LPR; the reflux finding score is 11 (partial ventricular obliteration 2, vocal fold edema 2, diffuse laryngeal edema 1, posterior commissure hypertrophy 2, post-cricoid edema 2, endolaryngeal mucus 2). B. (right): After treatment; normal, the RFS is 0.
Tiger-stripe post-cricoid edema. Tiger-stripe post-cricoid edema is a highly reliable reflux finding (Figure 3). Under normal circumstances, the post-cricoid region is smooth. When swollen, it may give the appearance of having wet, edematous stripes. (Tiger-striping was not originally reported8,29 but added later.) Tiger-stripe edema is usually seen in patients who are supine (nocturnal) refluxers.
Figure 3: Severe LPR with Tiger-Stripe Post-Cricoid Edema (arrow)
The RFS is 17 (complete ventricular obliteration 4, vocal fold edema 4, diffuse laryngeal edema 3, posterior commissure hypertrophy 2, post-cricoid edema 2, endolaryngeal mucus 2). Endolaryngeal mucus. Thick, white, tenacious mucus on the vocal folds counts as two points in the RFS. Finally, arytenoid granuloma, granulation, and/or (contact) ulceration counts as two points as well.
2. Pepsin Immunoassay30: Spit Test Screening for Airway Reflux
The author has developed and is now using a “spit-in-a-cup test” that detects pepsin in airway secretions or saliva. The test is performed by putting a small sample of the patient’s saliva in buffer and then in a lateral flow device (similar to a pregnancy test). As a screening test for LPR, the sensitivity of the assay is 82% and its specificity is 100%. This useful screening test will become commercially available as soon as it receives FDA approval.
3. Ambulatory 24-hour pH-Monitoring with or without Impedance Testing
For the author, ambulatory, 24-hour, double-probe (simultaneous pharyngeal and esophageal) pH monitoring has been her gold-standard LPR diagnostic for twenty-five years. Impedance testing provides less information as there are no reliable pharyngeal data. Due to poor manufacturing quality control, in the author’s reflux-testing laboratory, antimony sensors have been replaced with more accurate ISFET technology. Finally, pharyngeal pH monitoring using an “aerosolized” sensor in the pharynx has proven to be highly inaccurate and not worthwhile as a clinical test.
Pharyngeal pH-Monitoring is especially useful if the data are examined in a number of ways: (1) Using pH >4.0 as a threshold, (2) using pH >5.0 as a threshold, (3) calculating mean pharyngeal pH, and (4) calculating the pharyngeal reflux injury score2 (RIS), which is a summation of the time at each pH level multiplied by the peptic activity coefficient; the RIS is comparable to the DeMeester score for overall pharyngeal reflux severity.2
pH-Monitoring following high-definition pharyngeal/UES/esophageal manometry will t only insure accurate pH-probe placement, but the data may also alter therapy, eg, a prokinetic medication may be added to the treatment regimen for patients with esophageal dysmotility.
5. Transnasal Esophagoscopy (TNE) with or without Biopsy9,16
Patients with both airway and esophageal reflux should be screened for esophageal disease as 8-10% will be found to have Barrett’s esophagus, a precursor to esophageal cancer.15 In addition, other pathology (eg, Candida esophagitis, erosive esophagitis, varices) is found in another 25% of LPR patients.9 The highest percentage of esophageal pathology (63%) is seen in LPR patients with a chief complaint of chronic cough [Koufman JA, unpublished data, 2013].
It is important to note that although esophageal endoscopy is necessary to rule out esophageal pathology, esophagoscopy is NOT the diagnostic test of choice for LPR. Indeed, it has been reported that up to 80% of LPR patients have normal esophagoscopy.9
6. Barium Swallow Esophagography
A generation ago, the barium swallow/esophagogram was routinely used to evaluate reflux. Unfortunately, this technology is relatively insensitive and non-specific, and the finding of a hiatal hernia alone has little clinical significance. Barium studies should be reserved for patients in whom structural esophageal abnormalities are suspected.5
7. Therapeutic Trial with Antireflux Medication
The world is changing and two of the most significant trends in the contemporary management of reflux-related disease are (1) that the medical treatment failure rates with PPIs (proton pump inhibitors) are increasing,3,4,19 and (2) that effective reflux management depends on dietary and lifestyle variables.2-4 Presumably this is because globalization and urbanization have brought about dramatic changes in where, when, and what people eat.
Fifty years ago, most people ate at home, and prepackaged foods and beverages were uncommon. Today, most big soft drink and fast-food companies are global brands, and by comparison people everywhere are being exposed to much higher levels of food additives (especially acids) than a generation ago. As the world’s diet has become Americanized, reflux has followed.
For many years, a therapeutic trial with PPIs (proton pump inhibitors) was considered a useful diagnostic test for LPR. Clearly, acid-suppressive medications alone no longer constitute an appropriate therapeutic trial and such is no longer considered to be reliable or cost-effective. It now appears that dietary and lifestyle issues are even more important than medication for the effective treatment of airway reflux.
Before leaving this section on the diagnosis of LPR, it is important to reemphasize the value of the laryngeal examination with determination of the RFS. In the author’s opinion, examination of the larynx, regardless of the severity of airway reflux symptoms, holds the key to understanding reflux within the entire aerodigestive system. This point cannot be overemphasized: sequential laryngeal examinations, using the RFS are the best way to evaluate the progress of treatment. The larynx is a window through which the clinician can view and assess the condition of the upper aerodigestive tract. It is the crossroads and it is responsive enough to accurately reflect the status of the entire system.
Airway reflux (LPR) can be associated with minor symptoms (e.g., throat clearing) or with life-threatening disease (e.g. laryngeal stenosis, airway obstruction, and cancer). So it stands to reason that there cannot be any one-size-fits-all therapeutic regimen. Meanwhile, there are medical, lifestyle, dietary, and surgical treatment options.
There are several different approaches to medical treatment: antacids, acid suppressants, mucosal protection, and promotility agents. These may be used alone or in combination depending on the patients reflux pattern and disease severity.
Antacids, once the cornerstone of antireflux treatment, are now just reserved for patients with mild and intermittent symptoms, or as adjunctive therapy to alleviate primarily heartburn in patients with recalcitrant disease. Today, proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are the most commonly used antireflux drugs, followed by H2-antagonists. There are many different PPIs on the market today and they account for $15 billion in annual sales in the U.S. alone.
PPIs give the best acid suppression of any antireflux medication. However, their use has become more controversial in recent years due to concerns about rebound hyperacidity following drug cessation, side effects, as well as short- and long-term complications. When they are used for airway reflux, they should be given in a twice-daily dose (before breakfast and before the evening meal). Patients with nocturnal reflux are also usually given an H2-antagonist at bedtime as the latter work better during sleep than PPIs.
In the past, clinicians recommended twice-daily PPIs (before breakfast and before the evening meal) with an H2-antagonist at bedtime for LPR patients. Today, there are concerned about the long-term safety and efficacy of PPIs, particularly the double-dose regimen.
Prokinetic agents (including reglan, erythomycin, and domperidone) can help improve esophageal function (peristalsis) and sphincter function. Their use should be reserved for patients who demonstrate poor esophageal motility and/or sphincter function. Reglan and domperidone should be used with caution as they can cause significant and permanent side effects. Reglan has numerous side effects including irreversible tardive dyskinesia and Domperidone is not FDA approved in the United States.
Many patients with airway reflux need long-term medical treatment, but many also can get off medications after the acute phase improves as long as they remain compliant with a reasonable maintenance antireflux diet.
Lifestyle and Dietary Treatment
Control of dietary and lifestyle factors are probably more important that antireflux medication; although, when patients present with severe reflux, particular those with reactive airways diseases such as chronic cough, laryngospasm, and asthma, the clinician must use acid-suppressive medications as well as diet/lifestyle modifications in combination.
Obesity and reflux go together especially when the patient overeats, consumes a lot of fried and fatty foods, chocolate, carbonated beverages, and eats late at night. Those are among the high-risk behaviors for reflux disease. Interestingly, smoking also causes reflux. However, it is important to recognize that many patients with LPR are thin, athletic, and generally eat healthy food. For that group, an overly acidic diet and lifestyle issues such as late night eating are commonest reflux risk factors.
One of the most difficult problems in treating reflux patients is how much variation there is from patient to patient. While fried food, ethanol, and soft drinks in excess are almost universally associated with reflux, many other marginal (eg, acidic fruits like papaya and strawberries) or idiosyncratic foods (eg, nuts, tomatoes, onions, garlic, peppers) or even “healthy” foods (eg, banana, pears, oatmeal) can trigger reflux in some people.
When a patient has severe LPR, it is well worth prescribing a two-week induction (“detox”) reflux diet in which nothing consumed that is pH <5; no eating within four hours of bed, and consumption of alkaline (pH >8) water.3,4, 31 While this seems severe, it really works to get patients better fast.3 Recommendations for dietary and lifestyle modifications are summarized in Table 6.
Table 6: Recommended Lifestyle and Dietary Modifications for Reflux
General Lifestyle Recommendations
If you use tobacco, quit. Smoking causes reflux
Don’t wear clothing that is too tight, especially trousers, corsets, bras, and belts
Avoid exercising right after eating (especially weightlifting, jogging, and yoga)
Do not lie down right after eating, and do not eat anything within three hours of bedtime
Elevate the head of your bed if you’re a nighttime refluxer; that is, if you have symptoms
of hoarseness, sore throat, and/or cough in the morning
An overweight patient should start a low-acid, pH-balanced diet
Worst For Reflux Foods and Beverages to Avoid
Onions (This is an “idiosyncratic” food that affects some people, not others)
Peppers / Hot Sauce (All peppers including bell and black pepper)
Citrus fruit/juice (These are naturally too acidic and more is added)
Fried Food (This is restaurant food and different from sautéed)
Fatty Meats (bacon, pork, lamb, some fatty steak cuts like rib eye)
Alcoholic beverages (More than one drink and you’ll probably reflux)
Chocolate (Sorry, this is one of the most common reflux trigger foods)
Almost all bottled/canned beverages (except water), all soft drinks are acidified
Really avoid all carbonated beverages (Coke, Pepsi, and all sodas including seltzer)
Anything that you eat before bed is a “worst for reflux” food
The Best-For-Reflux Food and Beverage List
Bananas (A rich, low-acid fruit, strangely a trigger food for 5% of people)
Melons (Best fruits for most refluxers: watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew, etc.)
Aloe Vera (Great thickener and good for digestion, make sure no acid added)
Salads and Vegetables (A staple, excluding onions, tomatoes, garlic and peppers)
Rice and Whole Grains (Best is brown rice, Bulgur wheat, and healthy bread)
Oatmeal (One of the best breakfast foods that there is and great with banana)
Ginger (Spicy, zesty flavor but good for reflux–try ginger tea, candy, jam, etc.)
Poultry (Baked, grilled, but never fried; sorry, skinless preferred; high protein)
Tofu (Tofu, coagulated soy milk in many forms is a vegetarian staple protein)
Fish (All seafood— raw, grilled, baked, boiled, or boiled—is good for reflux)
The primary effective surgical option for the treatment of reflux is a laparoscopic Nissen laparoscopic fundoplication. The term “fundoplication” refers to wrapping fundus (the dome of the stomach) around the esophagus and then plicating (sewing it) there to produce a tight angle where the esophagus enters the stomach. This surgical procedure is by far the single most effective treatment for both esophageal and airway reflux. There is controversy surrounding which LPR patients are the best candidates for a fundoplication. When chosen correctly it is an extremely effective procedure. Indeed, surgical treatment is often recommended for patients with lung disease related to reflux and for patients who cannot tolerate or fail medical treatment.
The diagnosis of LPR is difficult because there is no gold-standard diagnostic test; nevertheless, the reflux symptom index and the reflux finding score are invaluable and reliable clinical measures.
Airway reflux (LPR) has different pathophysiology than esophageal reflux (GERD) based upon the relative sensitivity of airway (compared to esophageal) epithelium to peptic injury. In addition, the sine qua non for laryngeal tissue injury is the presence of tissue-bound pepsin, because once pepsin is attached to epithelium, any source of hydrogen ions, including dietary acid, will maintain extended periods (days or weeks) of proteolytic activity.
Because of this distinctive mechanism, dietary and lifestyle modifications, particularly low-acid diet, is essential for treatment to be effective.
- El-Serag HB. Time trends of gastroesophageal reflux disease: A systematic review. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol 2007;5:17-26.
- Koufman JA. Perspective on Laryngopharyngeal Reflux: From Silence to Omnipresence. Classics in Voice and Laryngology. Branski R, Sulica L, Eds. Pages 179-266, Plural Publishing, San Diego, 2009.
- Koufman JA. Low-Acid Diet for Recalcitrant Laryngopharyngeal Reflux: Therapeutic Benefits and Their Implications. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol 120:281-87, 2011.
- Koufman JA, Stern JC, Bauer MM. Dropping Acid: The Reflux Diet Cookbook & Cure. Reflux Cookbooks LLC (Midpoint Distributors), New York, NY, 2010.
- Koufman JA. The otolaryngologic manifestations of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD): A clinical investigation of 225 patients using ambulatory 24-hour pH monitoring and an experimental investigation of the role of acid and pepsin in the development of laryngeal injury. Laryngoscope 1991;101 (Suppl. 53):1-78.
- Koufman JA, Amin M, Panetti M. Prevalence of reflux in 113 consecutive patients with laryngeal and voice disorders. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 123:385-388, 2000.
- Koufman JA, Block C. Differential diagnosis of paradoxical vocal fold movement. Amer J Speech and Hearing. 2008;17:327-34.
- Belafsky PC, Postma GN, Koufman KA. Laryngopharyngeal reflux symptoms improve before changes in physical findings. Laryngoscope 111: 979-981, 2001.
- Koufman JA, Belafsky PC, Daniel E, et al. Prevalence of esophagitis in patients with pH-documented laryngopharyngeal reflux. Laryngoscope 2002;112:1606-9.
- El-Serag H, Becher A, Jones R. Systematic Review: Persistent Reflux Symptoms on Proton Pump Inhibitor Therapy in Primary Care and Community Studies. Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics. Blackwell Publishing, Ltd., Pages 1-18, 2010.
- Altman KW, Stephens RM, Lyttle CS, et al. Changing impact of gastroesophageal reflux in medical and otolaryngology practice. Laryngoscope 2005;115:1145-53.
- Pohl H, Welch HG. The role of overdiagnosis and reclassification in the marked increase of esophageal adenocarcinoma incidence. J Natl Cancer Inst 2005;97:142-6.
- Lund O, Hasenkam JM, Aagaard MT, Kimose HH. Time-related changes in characteristics of prognostic significance in carcinomas of the oesophagus and cardia. Br J Surg 1989;76:1301.
- Conio M, Blanchi S, Lapertosa G, et al. Long-term endoscopic surveillance of patients with Barrett’s esophagus. Incidence of dysplasia and adenocarcinoma: A prospective study. Am J Gastroenterol 2003;98:1931-9.
- Reavis KM, Morris CD, Gopal DV, Hunter JG, Jobe BA. Laryngopharyngeal reflux symptoms better predict the presence of esophageal adenocarcinoma than typical gastroesophageal reflux symptoms. Ann Surg 2004;239:849-56.
- Amin MR, Postma GN, Setzen M, Koufman JA. Transnasal esophagoscopy: A position statement from the American Broncho-Esophagological Association. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2008;138:411-3.
- Halum SL, Postma GN, Johnston C, Belafsky PC, Koufman JA. Patients with isolated laryngopharyngeal reflux are not obese. Laryngoscope 2005;115:1042-5.
- Postma GN, Tomek MS, Belafsky PC, Koufman JA. Esophageal motor function in laryngopharyngeal reflux is superior to that of classic gastroesophageal reflux disease. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol 2001;110:1114-6.
- Amin MR, Postma GN, Johnson P, Digges N, Koufman JA. Proton pump inhibitor resistance in the treatment of laryngopharyngeal reflux. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2001;125:374-8.
- Axford SE, Sharp S, Ross PE, Pearson JP, Dettmar PW, Panetti M, Koufman JA. Cell biology of laryngeal epithelial defenses in health and disease: Preliminary studies. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol 2001;110:1099-1108.
- Johnston N, Bulmer D, Gill GA, Panetti M, Ross PE, Pearson JP, Pignatelli M, Axford A, Dettmar PW, Koufman JA. Cell biology of laryngeal epithelial defenses in health and disease: Further studies. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol 2003;112:481-91.
- Gill GA, Johnston N, Buda A, Pignatelli M, Pearson J, Dettmar PW, Koufman J. Laryngeal epithelial defenses against laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR): Investigations of pepsin, carbonic anhydrase III, pepsin, and the inflammatory response. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol 2005;114:913-21.
- Johnston N, Dettmar PW, Lively MO, Koufman JA. Effect of pepsin on laryngeal stress protein (Sep70, Sep53, and Hsp70) response: Role in laryngopharyngeal reflux disease. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol 2006;115:47-58.
- Johnston N, Dettmar PW, Bishwokarma B, Lively MO, Koufman JA. Activity/stability of human pepsin: Implications for reflux attributed laryngeal disease. Laryngoscope 2007;117:1036-9.
- Lillemoe KD, Johnson LF, Harmon JW. Role of the components of the gastroduodenal contents in experimental acid esophagitis. Surgery 1982;92:276-84.
- Samuels TL, Johnston N. Pepsin as a marker of extraesophageal reflux. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol 2010;119:203-8.
- Johnston N, Knight J, Dettmar PW, Lively MO, Koufman J. Pepsin and carbonic anhydrase isoenzyme III as diagnostic markers for laryngopharyngeal reflux disease. Laryngoscope 2004;114:2129-34.
- Belafsky PC, Postma GN, Koufman JA. Validity and reliability of the reflux symptom index (RSI). J Voice 2002;16:274-7.
- Belafsky PC, Postma GN, Koufman JA. The validity and reliability of the reflux finding score (RFS). Laryngoscope 2001;111:1313-17.
- Knight J, Lively MO, Johnston N, Dettmar PW, Koufman JA. Sensitive pepsin immunoassay for detection of laryngopharyngeal reflux. Laryngoscope 2005;115:1473-8.
- Koufman JA, Johnston N. Potential Benefits of pH 8.8 Alkaline Drinking Water as an Adjunct in the Treatment of Reflux Disease. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol 121:431-34, 2012.
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Physical exams are one of the most common and familiar medical procedures in the world. A sweeping new study suggests they might also be the most worthless.
Researchers at the Cochrane Review looked at more than 16 studies with 182,880 patients – all of whom were offered a general check up, but only some of whom who accepted. Those patients were followed between four and 22 years, depending on the study, to look at death rates for each group.
The big takeaway: “There was no effect on the risk of death, or on the risk of death due to cardiovascular diseases or cancer.”
What the researchers did find, however, was an increase in diagnoses among those who went to their general exam, compared to those who did not. Those additional diagnoses, however, did not appear to have any impact on health outcomes.
“Increased diagnostic and therapeutic activity would be expected if general health checks led to improved health,” the study notes. “However, more diagnoses in the absence of health improvement would indicate overdiagnosis and overtreatment.”
There are a few caveats to consider here. The researchers note the possibility that doctors may perform some of the tests administered at a general check-up — measuring blood pressure, for example, might happen in a different care setting if a physician notices some risk signs.
In other words, if these screenings are happening elsewhere, it would negate the value of a repeat screening at the primary care doctor’s office.
It’s also worth pointing out the demographic that the researchers looked at. It was limited to those who were offered a screening and had coverage. Those individuals presumably had access to other health care services, coverage for doctor trips when they felt sick alongside those to check for general wellness. It does not include those who do not have coverage and never had an option for a check up.
We can’t conclude from this study whether extending primary care visits to this group – as the Affordable Care Act will do in 2014 – would have a different effect.
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http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2012/10/17/are-general-physicals-pretty-much-useless/?tid=pm_business_pop
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“Shocking” numbers of children with diabetes in A&E
Charity says children with diabetes need better access to specialist diabetic care
8th February 2010 - 3,300 children were admitted to hospital Accident and
Emergency units in England last year with a potentially fatal diabetes
The figures have been compiled by the health charity, Diabetes UK.
It says the condition, known as diabetic ketoacidosis, occurs when the
body’s cells are unable to get enough glucose because levels of glucose in the
blood are too high. The body begins to use stores of fat as an alternative
source of energy and this in turn produces an acidic by-product known as
9% rise in complication
Ketones are harmful and the body tries to get rid of them by excreting them
in urine. Diabetic ketoacidosis causes nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, rapid
breathing and, if left untreated, may lead to coma and death. People developing
the complication require hospital treatment.
Diabetes UK says children accounted for around a quarter of the 13,465
emergency admissions for diabetic ketoacidosis during the 12-months to March
2009. The numbers of admissions because of the complication have gone up by
nearly 9% since 2006.
Diabetes UK says it’s concerned that diabetic ketoacidosis is becoming more
prolific because type 1 diabetes is not being diagnosed early enough. It’s
calling for better access to specialist care.
Douglas Smallwood, Chief Executive of Diabetes UK, tells us by email that
“It’s shocking to see such high numbers of children being rushed to A&E
with this life-threatening complication. We know from our previous research
that specialist diabetes staff report an increase in emergency hospital
admissions whenever there are cuts in services.
“Better access” to specialist care
“Children and their parents desperately need better access to paediatric
specialist diabetes teams. The number of emergency admissions could be reduced
significantly with investment in appropriate care, diabetes advice and
practical self-management support. The quality of life for children with
diabetes is at stake so we must act now.”
The charity says the UK has the fourth highest incidence of type 1 diabetes
in children in Europe and the lowest number of children attaining good diabetes
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http://www.webmd.boots.com/diabetes/news/20100208/shocking-numbers-of-children-with-diabetes-in-ae
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The elusive African black leopard is alive and well and living in Kenya – and there are stunning new pictures to prove it.
What is being described as the first documented sightings of a black panther in Africa in nearly 100 years, a team of biologists shot rare footage of the sleek big cat after spending months watching and waiting, Nick Pilfold told CNN, a global conservation scientist at the San Diego Zoo.
“It is certain black panthers have been there all along, but good footage that could confirm it has always been absent until now,” Pilfold said in an Instagram post.
The animal – whose coat is sooty black as a result of melanism, the opposite of albinism – is extremely rare.
British wildlife photographer, Will Burrard-Lucas captured the images, which were released to the public on Monday, at the Laikipia Wilderness Camp in Kenya after hearing reports of sightings in the area.
After meeting with locals who had seen the animals, and following leopard tracks, Burrard-Lucas set up a Camtraptions camera trap that included wireless motion sensors, in the hope of photographing the animals at night. With no luck after several days, Burrard-Lucas returned to his cameras to find a striking image.
“I had a quick look at the last trap, not expecting to find much,” Burrard-Lucas wrote on his blog. “As I scrolled through the images on the back of the camera, I paused and peered at the photograph below in incomprehension … a pair of eyes surrounded by inky darkness … a black leopard! I couldn’t believe it and it took a few days before it sank in that I had achieved my dream.”
The black leopard’s sighting was published in the African Journal of Ecology.
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https://www.mindfood.com/article/rare-african-black-leopard-captured-in-extraordinary-photos/
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Do you know your local bird species? Learning them by sight is a great educational experience for kids and adults alike (children as young as 5 can identify birds by sight and call). Bird-watching fosters patience, focus, and attention to detail and helps make observers more keenly aware of the small seasonal changes in weather, light and foliage, as well as animal behavior. It's a great low-impact activity that gets us away from computers and out of the house, though of course you can bird-watch from inside too. Disabled or homebound people can enjoy birding too.
Winter is one of the best times to observe birds; they are easier to see since there's less leaf cover, and if there's snow on the ground they are often easier to spot. (See details of how to set up a birdfeeder below.)
Saturday, Dec. 14, is the kickoff of the 114th annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count (CBC), which runs through Jan. 5. It's a great opportunity to get involved in some citizen science. How does it work? Once you sign up with the Audubon Society, you will be assigned one day in the period to count, depending on where you live:
Each count takes place in an established 15-mile wide diameter circle, and is organized by a count compiler. If you are a beginning birder, you will be able to join a group that includes at least one experienced bird-watcher.
Interested in joining a Christmas Bird Count near you? You can find a local circle of recorders on this page at the Audubon Society's site. Of course, you can start bird-watching anytime. The easiest way to begin is to set up a birdfeeder outside a window that's easy to look through (a kitchen window is ideal, but choose your best vantage point — keep in mind it could be on the second floor). Set it up close enough to the window so you will be able to see birds easily (otherwise you will need binoculars, which you can find used on eBay for a low cost).
If you are going to start feeding birds, be sure you are consistent about it; once your local bird population knows where to get regular feed, it will come to depend on it — more so if you are in a rural area where there are likely fewer feeders to compensate if you stop or forget. If you are going to discontinue feeding birds, the summer and fall are the best times, since they have more natural food sources at that time.
Of course, you can also go outside — to a wooded area, a city park, or a suburban street — look up, and start taking notes. Songbirds are everywhere, though there will be far more diversity in forests than in a more human-populated area.
How to bird-watch
You don't need much equipment, but you will need a guide. (You can look on used book sites, your library, or local bookstore, and also consider the apps below.) Keep in mind that bird species don't change much, so a 10-year-old printed guide is just fine. Look for guides with plenty of images, as well as descriptions and range maps, which will help you figure out if the bird you are looking at is the right one. Birds that inhabit Georgia and the Carolinas only won't be found in Oregon, for example.
As the video below suggests, keeping a notebook is also useful for writing down descriptions and questions to look up later. If you are good at drawing, it can be fun to make your own bird illustrations. As mentioned, binoculars are useful for getting a closer look.
Attract birds naturally
You can also attract birds to your yard and garden in other ways besides feeders, including by planting bird-friendly berry bushes and other native plants and flowers (remember, local birds will be adapted to eating seeds, nuts and berries from plants that have grown in your area for thousands of years), and creating habitat and providing birdhouses for them to find cover and raise their young.
Eliminating pesticides is an important part of supporting your local bird population, since some pesticides make birds sick, and a healthy bird population will naturally keep pest insect populations down, in turn making the need for pesticides moot. In fact, one of the great benefits to having plenty of local birds around your house and garden is that they will happily devour mosquitoes, ticks, flies and other annoying insects.
5 great bird-watching apps
The right app for you depends on several factors: If you already have a guide you prefer, if you relate more to images or illustrations, if you want to hear bird calls and songs and how much additional information you would like (range maps, similar birds, and links to additional resources are all options that some of these have and some don't). It's worth checking out the site for each of these before buying to see what feels most useful to you.
Audubon Birds uses photos for identification (ideal since birds — even of the same species — can vary in appearance depending on light level and location, and definitely look different according to age and sex — like the cardinals at right). It is also the only app that partners with eBird, which is Cornell University's online program that allows you to keep track of birds and lists of bird species you've identified, and also share that data with researchers. This app also contains five recordings of the birdcall of the species you are identifying, in case you are hearing a bird but not seeing it.
iBird Pro is the oldest app on the list, and it provides photos and illustrations of all the birds included. It does have an easy search tool to find birds based on their shape and color, which is a useful way to find the names of new birds.
National Geographic Birds uses painted illustrations from the Nat Geo field guide and has a clean, uncluttered design, but the lack of images might make some IDs a bit tricky, especially for new birders.
Peterson Birds advertises itself as the "budget guide for birders" and it even has a free app for the birds you will see out your kitchen window at your birdfeeder (fewer species than the full, paid app, but a great place to start). Peterson also uses illustrations, but gives you the option to upload your own photos within the app, which is cool if you are into capturing photos of your sightings.
Sibley eGuide to Birds has more aural examples for each bird than the other apps, and some people like the illustrations here more than photos.
Related on MNN:
10 funky birdfeeders and houses (Gift ideas!)
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Parent Herald - Dr. Ellen Marmur: "Reduce Wrinkles with Exercise, Study Suggests"
As we get older, skin loses its elasticity and luster, resulting in the dreaded, but inevitable, wrinkles, crow's feet and sagging.
But researchers observed in lab mice that exercise could prolong and even undo aging's effects. Mice that frequented the running wheel maintained healthy brains, hearts, muscles, reproductive organs, but also didn't gray. "We tend to focus on the cardiovascular benefits of physical activity, and those are important," said Ellen S. Marmur, MD, Vice Chair of Cosmetic and Dermatologic Surgery, and Associate Clinical Professor of Dermatology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, who was not involved in the research. "But anything that promotes healthy circulation also helps keep your skin healthy and vibrant." Learn more
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http://www.mountsinai.org/patient-care/service-areas/dermatology/news/parent-herald-dr-ellen-marmur-reduce-wrinkles-with-exercise-study-suggests
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Unraveling the Mystery of Fibromuscular Dysplasia
Fibromuscular dysplasia (FMD) causes vessel narrowing and blockages throughout the arteries. An abnormal growth of the fibromuscular layer of cells lining the blood vessels produces a characteristic "string of beads," or rings of scarring.
"Fibromuscular dysplasia can affect the arteries leading to the kidneys, where it causes renal failure, and the carotid arteries in the neck, where it leads to stroke," explains Jeffrey W. Olin, DO, Professor of Cardiology and Director of Vascular Medicine and the Vascular Diagnostic Laboratory, who considers fibromuscular dysplasia his highest clinical interest. "It's often misdiagnosed and mistreated."
Fibromuscular dysplasia predominantly affects young women between the ages of 20 and 50.
"It takes young women in the prime of their lives, and it's just devastating," Dr. Olin says.
Mount Sinai Heart Studying the Disease
Because fibromuscular dysplasia is less common than other diseases, funding from government agencies or drug companies has not been forthcoming. Dr. Olin is working with an international fibromuscular dysplasia organization to build a registry funded by patients themselves. A new study for which he is the principal investigator will both identify and register patients and look into the mechanism of why the blood vessels react the way they do.
Mount Sinai has become an international magnet for people suffering from this relatively rare vascular condition.
"People come to New York from all over the world because we have published widely on the subject, and Mount Sinai has more fibromuscular dysplasia patients than anybody in the world," Dr. Olin says.
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http://www.mountsinai.org/patient-care/service-areas/heart/areas-of-care/vascular-and-aortic-disease/detection-and-diagnosis/unraveling-fibromuscular-dysplasia
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If the economic crisis has taught us anything, it’s to not expect the same interest rates we have in previous years. The message has been that expectations should be lowered and the worst should be expected. Take, for example, 401(k) plans. Previously, these investments were earning around 10% each year. Now, investors might be lucky if they don’t lose money.
Investors also need to lower their expectations for certificates of deposit (CD) and savings accounts. As of November 2010, the average interest rate for 12-month CDs was pegged at 0.82%. This is a far cry from the 1.79% average interest rate from 2009, then considered a steep drop from previous years. To make matters worse, improvements are not expected to happen anytime soon. Everywhere you look, interest yields are incredibly low or negative. The Federal Reserve also wants to keep interest rates low to keep the money flowing through the economy.
These developments do not mean you should stop saving. On the contrary, saving has never been more important than now. The market is highly unstable today. It is still recommended you put money into low-risk investments such as CDs and savings accounts. As with any type of bank account, the trade-off between a CD and a savings account involves the rate and accessibility of the funds. So in the match CDs vs. savings accounts, which comes out on top?
In general, a savings account provides easy access to funds. The main downside is that you earn very minimal yields from savings account. Different institutions provide various ways to access the funds. You need to determine if it is easy to withdraw the funds from your bank before opening the account.
Certificate of Deposit
Meanwhile, a CD limits your access to the funds. Basically, the account provides higher interest yields in return for the loss of fund mobility. If you need to withdraw your money before the maturity date, you may incur penalty charges. There are also certain banks that won’t allow you to access your funds before maturity. A good way to get around this is to “ladder” your CDs so certain amounts mature more quickly than others.
It is recommended to invest in a CD only money you know you will not need in the near future. In addition, it is important to determine if the extra interest is worth locking your money in this investment for a certain time frame. Depending on the length of your investment, the bank might offer different rates. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) insures CDs, just like it does savings accounts. In the event that your bank collapses, you will enjoy a certain level of protection from the government.
Should You Invest in a CD or a Savings Account?
Both options allow you to enjoy compounded interest. Essentially, the interest you earn is added to the account. The next interest payment you receive comes from the principal and the interest yield from the previous month. As was mentioned earlier, the two main considerations include the interest rate and the ease of access to the funds.
In general, you should invest in CD if you have a certain amount of money you will not need in the foreseeable future. Investing in CDs is better, in terms of monetary compensation, simply because of the higher yield it provides. At the same time, savings accounts can also be considered as a good alternative for individuals who need quick access to their funds in the foreseeable future. Ultimately, it is up to you to determine which option is better for your unique circumstance.
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http://www.mybanktracker.com/news/2009/03/30/cd-vs-savings-account/
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Preview of Member Only Content
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Book Review: Dignity Rights: Courts, Constitutions, and the Worth of the Human Person
By Matthew T. Mangino
Book Reviews columns.
Dignity Rights: Courts, Constitutions, and the Worth of the Human Person
By Erin Daly
University of Pennsylvania Press (2012)
Erin Daly tells us that law is a practical enterprise that deals with a real problem in real peoples’ lives. With that as a backdrop, Daly takes off on an ambitious journey to explain the evolution of dignity in American, and the world’s, jurisprudence. Dignity Rights: Courts, Constitutions, and the Worth of the Human Person is worth the effort.
A “cavalcade” of constitutional dignity rights appeared after World War II. There was no denying that phenomenon as policymakers came to terms with the horrors that occurred in Asia and Europe. In 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) inspired the postwar constitutional drafting.
By the end of World War II the U.S. Constitution had been examined, reviewed, analyzed, interpreted, expanded, restricted, revered and condemned countless times. With that being said, the U.S. Constitution never ment
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To read the current issue of The Champion in its entirety, click here.
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- Academic Requests: Full articles of The Champion Magazine are available for academic and research purposes in the WestLaw and LexisNexis databases.
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Researchers from Harvard Medical School examined records from The Nurses' Health Study -- which includes data on more than 90,000 women who were questioned on their dietary habits in 1991, 1995 and 1999 -- and found that red meat consumption is linked with a higher risk of breast cancer.
The researchers found that women who tend to eat more red meat are also more likely to be overweight and smoke cigarettes, which have both been linked with increased breast cancer rates. However, when the researchers took those factors into account, the women who ate more red meat still ran an increased risk of breast cancer.
"Our study may give another motivation to reduce red meat intake," said co-author Eunyoung Cho, whose study appeared in Monday's edition of the journal Archives of Internal Medicine.
However, according to Dr. Anne McTiernan of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, women who eat red meat occasionally should not go vegetarian based on Cho's study alone. McTiernan questioned the study participants' ability to accurately recall the amount of red meat they ate.
"A 16-ounce steak and a three-ounce piece of meat are counted the same," said McTiernan, author of "Breast Fitness." "People are horrible at determining what is a real serving."
Consumer advocate Mike Adams, author of "Grocery Warning," says Cho's findings indicate consumers should stop eating red meat entirely, and the risk applies to both fresh red meat and processed, packaged meats.
"These research findings come as no surprise, given what we know about the cancer-causing chemicals added to processed meats," Adams said. "Previous research on red meat reveals strong correlations with prostate cancer, colorectal cancer, pancreatic cancer and breast cancer, among other health problems.
"People who wish to avoid cancer are strongly advised to stop eating red meat for life and switch to a primarily plant-based diet," he said.
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(NaturalNews) According to the new book Rich Food, Poor Food, ingredients commonly found in up to 80 percent of all pre-packaged foods on grocers shelves in the U.S. have been banned in other countries. As alarming as such information is, our food safety outlook becomes even bleaker when we consider other banned and toxic food items.
The toxic banned ingredients in our food
In the book, authors Mira and Jason Calton provide a list of banned ingredients which they term "Banned Bad Boys" as well as the countries which have banned them. Among the items is Olestra - commonly used in low/no-fat snack foods and known to cause serious gastrointestinal issues - which has been banned in the United Kingdom and Canada.
Worse is brominated vegetable oil, a substance found in Mountain Dew and Fresca which has been banned in more than 100 countries. As the authors state, brominated vegetable oil "has been linked to basically every form of thyroid disease - from cancer to autoimmune diseases - known to man."
Other dangerous items listed include food colorings - such as yellow #5 and yellow #6, dyes used to make mac & cheese dinners visually appealing. Those dyes are made from coal tar, an active ingredient in lice shampoo which has been linked to allergies, ADHD, and cancer in animals.
Other banned and toxic items in our foods
The toxic banned ingredients listed in the book, horrible as they are, are but part of the bad news when it comes to food items most Americans regularly consume. Here is a partial list of some other toxic ingredients and unsafe food items:
Bisphenol-A (BPA) is a synthetic chemical used to make plastic drinking bottles, baby bottles and storage containers as well as the lining of food and drink cans which can leech into foods from high heat and prolonged storage. Currently, it is found in virtually all canned goods and most baby bottles. It mimics estrogen and can offset the delicate hormonal balance in the developing child, and is blamed to be largely responsible for the age of puberty in young girls being lowered to as young as seven years old. In 2010, Canada became the first country to ban BPA.
Increasing number of countries are banning the sale and/or cultivation of GM crops. Some of the GM crops are engineered to produce their own pesticides and research has shown that the genes are passed on to humans and even down to several generations after consumption. Other crops are engineered to withstand heavy applications of the toxic pesticide Roundup.
Thanks in part to GM engineering, US produce contains serious levels of pesticides as well as herbicides such as Roundup and other glyphosphates. Researchers in Europe have found that the weed killer Roundup has serious toxic effects due to inert ingredients that amplify the toxicity of Roundup's active ingredient, glyphosate. As a result, Roundup is banned in nearly every European country.
Due to growth stimulators such as ractopine as well as antibiotics which are added to our meats, over 160 countries say "no" to U.S. meats.
Chemical fertilizers are yet another widespread problem. From 1990 to 1995, 600 different companies from 44 states sent a whopping 270,000,000 pounds of toxic waste to both fertilizer companies and farms. The waste was not treated to remove toxic substances including arsenic and dioxins.
Sadly, greed and cash are kings in the US and our government is too often for sale to the highest bidder. This explains why we have a Monsanto insider over our food safety, much like we have a Merck insider over our medicines.
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http://www.naturalnews.com/041098_groceries_banned_foods_American_diet.html
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Two years after Tycho Brahe was exhumed from his grave in Prague, chemical analyses of his corpse show that mercury poisoning did not kill the prolific 16th-century astronomer. The results should put to bed rumors that Brahe was murdered when he most likely died of a burst bladder.
Separately, tests revealed that Brahe's famously "silver" prosthetic nose was actually made out of brass.
Born in Denmark in 1546, Brahe served as an astronomer for the Danish king before settling in Prague in the court of Holy Roman Emperor Rudolph II.
Brahe is known for making the most accurate measurements of stars and planets without the aid of a telescope, proving that comets are objects in space and not in Earth's atmosphere, and hiring the not-yet-famous German astronomer Johannes Kepler as his assistant.
Brahe was long thought to have died from a bladder infection after politeness kept him from excusing himself to use the bathroom during a royal banquet in October 1601, causing his bladder to rupture.
However, scientists who opened Brahe's grave in 1901 to mark the 300th anniversary of his death claimed to find mercury in his remains, fueling rumors that the astronomer was poisoned. Some even accused a jealous Kepler of the crime.
But the new results don't point to any such intrigue.
While analyses of Brahe's teeth are not yet complete, tests on his bones and beard hairs show that mercury concentrations in his body were not high enough to have killed him, the team of Danish and Czech researchers said. Brahe's mercury levels even dropped to the low end of normal in the weeks leading up to his death, tests on Brahe's beard revealed.
"In fact, chemical analyses of the bones indicate that Tycho Brahe was not exposed to an abnormally high mercury load in the last five to 10 years of his life," said researcher Kaare Lund Rasmussen, an associate professor of chemistry at the University of Southern Denmark.
In another finding, the team reported that the silver nose piece Brahe famously wore after losing part of his own nose in a duel was not actually silver. Though the prosthesis has not been found, greenish stains around the nasal area of Brahe's corpse contained traces of copper and zinc, indicating that his fake nose was made of brass, the researchers said.
"When we exhumed the body in 2010, we took a small bone sample from the nose so that we could examine its chemical composition," project leader Jens Vellev, an archaeologist at Aarhus University in Denmark, said in a statement. "Surprisingly, our analyses revealed that the prosthesis was not made of precious metals, as was previously supposed. ... So Tycho Brahe's famous 'silver nose' wasn't made of silver after all."
The team also performed a computed tomography (CT) scan of Brahe's skeleton, which they hope will allow them to create a reconstruction of the astronomer's face.
A film crew has been following the team throughout their investigation, and Danish broadcaster DR TV is set to air a documentary about the project on Sunday.
© 2012 LiveScience.com. All rights reserved.
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A dialogue between past and present
The Nerthus Project aims at compiling a lexicon of Old English based on structural-functional principles. This involves the synthesis of the knowledge generated by a long tradition of philological studies in Old English and its reinterpretation not only in the light of new evidence but also by means of up-to-date linguistic concepts and methods.
A project in Digital Humanities
The Nerthus Project applies the advances of Digital Humanities to the analysis, storage and dissemination of linguistic heritage as represented by Old English. With the focus on the relations of data, which are arranged in hierarchies and ontologies, meaningful digital resources and tools match the research in semantic universals and poles as well as meaning construction.
Research on the Semantic Web
The Nerthus Project contributes to the development of the next generation of the Internet, which is, among other things, geared to the compilation of lexical databases and the 3D representation of web contents. The implementation in three dimensions of a database in which language itself is the object of analysis has direct implications for the semantic description of 3D environments.
Open access results
The Nerthus Project makes its main findings available online as open access databases and documents, thus taking part in the extension of the Web of data. By means of links to other projects of the discipline, the project disseminates meaningful structured information on the vocabulary of the Anglo-Saxons.
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The neuronal basis of insect prey capture: Dragons vs Tigers
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Redfield Auditorium - 12:00 Noon
Dr. Paloma Gonzalez Bellido
Postdoctoral Scientist, MBL
The compound eyes of insects have a lens for each photoreceptor unit. Thus, for an insect to obtain high visual resolution, the number of lenses must increase, resulting in a large eye. Large eyes are energetically costly and heavy, so a large body is needed to carry them. For these reasons the prevailing dogma states that only large insects, with large eyes, can excel as visual predators. For example, dragonflies. This is contradicted by Killer flies (Coenosia attenuata). Killer flies (4mm in body length) are sit and wait predators that catch fruit flies (3mm long) in midflight. Can killer flies catch fruit flies because they see better? If so… is body size the actual limiting factor for visual resolution in insects? Why aren’t killer flies the size of large dragonflies? We have used morphology, electrophysiology and high speed videos to answer these questions.
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http://www.whoi.edu/page.do?pid=96436&tid=3622&cid=126850
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Adulthood is a time for achieving productive vocations and for sustaining close relationships at home and in the community. These aspirations are readily attainable for adults who are mentally healthy. And they are within reach for adults who have mental disorders, thanks to major strides in diagnosis, treatment, and service delivery.
Untreated, mental disorders can lead to lost productivity, unsuccessful relationships, and significant distress and dysfunction. Mental illnesses in adults can have a significant and continuing effect on children in their care. Severe or life-threatening trauma experienced either in childhood or adulthood can further provoke emotional and behavioral reactions that jeopardize mental health. The social consequences of serious mental disorders—family disruption, loss of employment and housing—can be calamitous.
Comprehensive treatment, which includes services that exist outside the formal treatment system, is crucial to ameliorate symptoms, assist recovery, and, to the extent that these efforts are successful, redress stigma. Consumer self-help programs, family self-help, advocacy, and services for housing and vocational assistance complement and supplement the formal treatment system. Many of these services are operated by consumers, that is, people who use mental health services themselves. The logic behind their leadership in delivery of these services is that consumers are thought to be capable of engaging others with mental disorders, serving as role models, and increasing the sensitivity of service systems to the needs of people with mental disorders.
Anxiety disorders are the most prevalent mental disorders in adults. The anxiety disorders affect twice as many women as men. Mood disorders take a monumental toll in human suffering, lost productivity, and suicide. Moreover, when unrecognized, they can result in unnecessary health care use. Mood disorders rank among the top 10 causes of worldwide disability. Schizophrenia affects about 1 percent of the population, yet its severity and persistence reverberate throughout the mental health service system. Schizophrenia is marked by profound alterations in cognition and emotion.
Profession Specific Resources
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American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. The omission of conjunctions from constructions in which they would normally be used, as in "Are all thy conquests, glories, triumphs, spoils,/Shrunk to this little measure?” ( Shakespeare).
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. In rhetoric, a figure of speech consisting in the omission of connectives, as in the following passage:
- n. It is the opposite of polysyndeton, which is a multiplication of connectives.
- n. rhetoric A stylistic scheme in which conjunctions are deliberately omitted from a series of words, phrases, clauses.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. (Rhet.) A figure which omits the connective. It stands opposed to
- n. the omission of conjunctions where they would normally be used
- From Ancient Greek ἀσύνδετον (asundeton, "unconnected"). (Wiktionary)
- Late Latin, from Greek asundeton, from neuter of asundetos, without conjunctions : a-, not; see a-1 + sundetos, bound together (from sundein, to bind together : sun-, syn- + dein, to bind). (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
“W. Sean McLaughlin, of Alexandria, Virginia, wrote, I was immediately inspired by the arcane grammatical term asyndeton [defined in the American Heritage Dictionary as 'the omission of conjunctions from constructions in which they would normally be used'] and thought minor modifications might yield the right meaning: a-senditon.”
“ The "asyndeton" would seem to mark a pause, unless some words have dropped out.”
“This figure often occurs public address with others such as antithesis, anaphora, asyndeton, climax, epistrophe and symploce.”
“Therefore the figure asyndeton, whereby conjunctions are omitted, is highly commended by writers of rhetoric.”
“Grant points out to me the asyndeton following _quaere ... sintne_.”
“According to the manuscripts the preceding line ends with VTAR; I have printed Heinsius 'VSVS, since there would otherwise be an asyndeton between _utar_ and _aspiciam_.”
“= The asyndeton in this distich is odd, given the preceding series of connectives.”
“Lot makes his summons urgent: "Rise, go forth" -- effective asyndeton.”
“The asyndeton of the last clause marks the writer's (or speaker's) indignation.”
“A certain abruptness characterizes the style at this point, first, by the use of the asyndeton: "morning came" or "became light" ( 'or); then, by the use of successive perfects, also in v. 4 (K.S. 119).”
These user-created lists contain the word ‘asyndeton’.
A collection of words found in English that are either purely Greek or have Greek etymology.
Please add with caution and certainty. Will be regularly updated by me.
Not just rare words, but thousands of RARE WORDS WITH DEFINITIONS.
If you want to see the definitions, too, go to
"Luciferous Logolepsy is a collection of over 9,000 obscure English words. Though the definition of an 'English' word might seem to be straightforward, it is not. There exist so many adopted, deriv...
A list of words I find unusual and interesting.
This list is designed to be a reference for my AP Lit. students
Words I've come across while reading and looked up in the dictionary.
Looking for tweets for asyndeton.
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American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. An examination or inspection.
- n. A general physical examination.
- n. a thorough physical examination; includes a variety of tests depending on the age and sex and health of the person
- check + up (Wiktionary)
“She had, as we understand it, what we call a checkup, a routine checkup post obviously her bout with cancer.”
“A yearly or particularly, a five-year checkup is not beyond the financial means of ordinary people.”
“Hes not in a cave, and anyone who thinks he is needs a checkup from the neckup.”
“Including the Remington 600 and Winchester 71 are the first signs of mental illness, Dave get a checkup from the neck up.”
“The marriage checkup is not therapy but an information service, Cordova told the nonprofit membership group of psychologists, psychiatrists and social workers.”
“So if you find yourself still falling for losers all the time, you may need what we lovingly like to call a checkup from the neck up.”
“I wish, though, he had gone sort of next door to the psychiatric ward, though, and gotten what Kinky Friedman used to call a checkup from the neck up, because, if he is looking at what is happening here, and sees it as anything other than a disaster and a defeat, he's wrong.”
“WILLIS: So you don't just get the cleaning; you also get a safety checkup, which is important.”
“The checkup was a month late, and was usually done on her birthday.”
“I gave Domino a "checkup" by turning the motion controller into an X-ray-like device.”
These user-created lists contain the word ‘checkup’.
Some of the catchwords of several presidential debates (Obama-Romney 2012 Denver debate's transcript fully included)
A selection of words and phrases that entered the language between 1920 and 1929. Primary sources for this list are:
There's a Word For It by Sol Steinmetz (2010, Harmony Books, New Y...
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Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- With an even, level, or smooth surface; without roughness, or elevations and depressions; without inequalities; uniformly: as, the field slopes evenly to the river.
- In an even or equal manner; so as to produce or possess equality of parts, proportions, force, or the like: as, to divide anything evenly in the middle; they are evenly matched.
- In an equal degree or proportion; to an equal extent; equally.
- Without inclination toward either side; equally distant from extremes; impartially; without bias or variation.
- Smoothly; straightforwardly; harmoniously.
- adv. So as to make flat.
- adv. In a fair manner.
- adv. mathematics In a manner that leaves no remainder.
GNU Webster's 1913
- adv. With an even, level, or smooth surface; without roughness, elevations, or depression; uniformly; equally; comfortably; impartially; serenely.
- adv. in a level and regular way
- adv. in equal amounts or shares; in a balanced or impartial way
- even + -ly (Wiktionary)
“There was Captain Holland standing in the doorway, his expression evenly divided between amusement and irritation.”
“Spread the pumpkin evenly on a rimmed baking sheet and roast for about 25 minutes, or until nearly tender when pricked with a fork.”
“His plan spread that pain evenly amongst the age groups.”
“The cost will occur evenly from the starter house to the $$$custom house.”
“To get the fat to cut in evenly you must stop and angle the entire food processor to give its contents a jostle by shaking and tilting it every couple of pulses.”
“The President can decide what additional powers the vice president has beyond the one granted by the constitution (Cast deciding vote in evenly split senate vote), so the argument of governing isn't important.”
“You can similarly bet that air molecules will remain evenly spread through a room and not all move to one end by chance.”
“She had threaded tiny glass beads onto a length of wire as fine as a sewing thread and was pressing each bead into a mixture of beeswax and pine resin evenly spread over a carved wooden form.”
“Cutting was easy to do, though I think that cutting evenly is a bit trickier!”
“Because most sports are played in evenly-lit venues, images are about focus and timing.”
These user-created lists contain the word ‘evenly’.
A list of words that are odd or words that I have looked up.
announcement of c..., campaign headquar..., campaign season, campaign staff, campaign strategy, campaign tactic, campaign team, campaign trail, campaigning, candidate, candidate registr..., caucus and 930 more...
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American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. A plot or spot covered with grass, sometimes, in ornamental grounds, with small beds of flowers interspersed.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. A plot or space covered with grass; a lawn.
- grass + plot (Wiktionary)
“Strictly speaking, a grassplot should be all grass, grass and a little white clover.”
“Morton accompanied him to a sequestered grassplot, where their colleagues awaited them.”
“In the most dark and dingy quarters of the city, the drawing-room window resembles frequently a bank of flowers; every spot capable of vegetation has its grassplot and flower-bed; and every square its mimic park, laid out with picturesque taste, and gleaming with refreshing verdure.”
“A great gateway opens from the park into a kind of courtyard in front of the house, ornamented with a grassplot, shrubs, and flower-beds.”
“Laura's glowing face was fairly radiant with beauty, and her figure was unconsciously displayed in such a variety of bewitching attitudes and dainty postures, that even a pair of frisky kittens, that had been chasing each other round the grassplot and up and down the stems of the cherry-trees, ceased their gambols and lay still, crouching in the grass, and watching her graceful motions, as if taking heed for future imitation.”
“For Laura, after long watching, had caught sight of Helen jumping the rope on the grassplot, and by means of coughing and waving her handkerchief from the window had attracted the notice of the child, who, coming to the paling, had received the message she forthwith bore to Cornelia, adding to it the information that Laura's eyes appeared to be almost as red as Cornelia's own.”
“On the grassplot, in the shade of a great cherry-tree, Laura and Helen were playing at graces.”
“There was a path between the grassplot and the flower-bed next the fence of our neighbor, in the white stone house, and we went down that, and when we came to the end of the flower-bed there was a big apple tree, and then we went under that and stood on the river-bank, and there was the Delaware!”
“So Aunty May and I took hold of hands and went out, and there was a long flower-bed running right down to the river-bank, on both sides of a long grassplot; and beyond the grass and flowers was a lot of ploughed land for vegetables and things; and beyond that there were a lot of woods.”
“Another day Glumdalclitch left me on a smooth grassplot to divert myself, while she walked at some distance with her governess.”
These user-created lists contain the word ‘grassplot’.
Grasses, and words about grasses.
Prairie grasses names are found in this list.
Names of medical marijuana strains can be found elsewhere.
a list of joyce's neologistic compounds from portrait of an artist as a young man, dubliners, and ulysses
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What I love about this passage is the way in which Abraham appeals to God's better nature, as one does when one is trying to persuade someone with power to do the right thing.
Abraham's determination is quite striking, to say nothing of his skills in knowing how to approach someone in power to the best effect. Even as the men, the visitors who had arrived with the announcement that a son will be born to Abraham and Sarah, even as they turn away and head toward Sodom (to set up the dreadful events of chapter 19), Abraham remains standing before the LORD (verse 22).
The verb seems like a minor detail, but a picture begins to form: Abraham remains behind with the LORD (okay, this part of the picture is fuzzy), and then he "draws near," to say: "Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city; will you then sweep away the place and not forgive it for the fifty righteous who are in it?" (verses 23-24). The way Abraham phrases this question implies that such an action would be beneath the character of the one to whom he is speaking.
What does Abraham know of God's character at this point in the story? While God has made specific, and seemingly absurd, promises to Abraham about land and descendants, God has also promised to work blessing for all the families of the earth through Abraham's family (12:3). These re-iterated promises are basically the sum total of what Abraham knows of God's character, and it is on such a basis that he appeals to God's character as one who would not disregard the lives of the righteous even as a city faces judgment.
This question recurs throughout Israel's history and in its theological reflection. Ezekiel 18 explicitly takes it up, for example: "A child shall not suffer for the iniquity of a parent, nor a parent suffer for the iniquity of a child; the righteousness of the righteous shall be his own, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be his own" (Ezekiel 18:20). After a lengthy reflection on the justice of God, the passage concludes: "For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, says the Lord GOD" (Ezekiel 18:32).
Yet elsewhere in Ezekiel, it seems that the innocent (though it is a real question in Ezekiel whether anyone is innocent), and even the land itself, suffer the consequences of divine judgment on the wicked (see Ezekiel 5 and 6, for example). This tension in Ezekiel is reflected within Israel's life and theology more broadly: God does not desire the death of anyone, but the empirical evidence suggests that not infrequently the innocent suffer on account of the actions and inactions of the wicked.
The explicit appeal to God's better nature appears in 18:25: "Far be it from you to do such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?" The expression, "far be it from..." is an idiomatic usage of the word chalil (repeated twice in the verse), which is associated with what is profane. Though it is idiomatic, the root meaning is suggestive: it would be a profanation of God's character to slay the righteous with the wicked, to be inattentive to innocence in the administration of justice.
Abraham's characterization of God as the "judge of all the earth" is interesting in the context of Genesis, which usually presents YHWH as a kind of local deity, one among other deities in the larger region. Thus, the claim is particularly bold, and canonically speaking, suggests that Abraham is making bolder, more sweeping claims about YHWH than is typical in Genesis. For Abraham everything hangs on whether this god can make good on the promises offered, and whether this god is big enough, in every imaginable way, to pull them off. He is strongly motivated to set high expectations for YHWH's character, and to appeal to those expectations directly in his encounters with God.
Thus begins the famous bargaining session between God and Abraham. God starts at fifty, if there are fifty righteous men, Sodom will not be destroyed, and Abraham gradually brings God down to ten. A subtle difference pops up in the way God speaks of the matter: in most of the chapter, God says that if a certain number of righteous persons are found in the city, God will not destroy it (verses 28-32). But the first time God speaks, after Abraham has rested his case on the basis of the righteous fifty, God does not say "I will not destroy it," but that "I will forgive the whole place for their sake" (18:26).
Apparently in the rest of the passage forgiveness of all is equated with restraint in destroying the city. Subtly introduced early in the Old Testament, then, is the idea that God can forgive whole swaths of undeserving folks, if there are but ten considered righteous. Of course, Sodom, famous for its violent disregard of the norms of hospitality (the story has nothing to do with homosexuality), cannot produce even one righteous soul to fend off destruction, and so succumbs.
This story, with its emphasis on the scope and limits of the mercy of God, might fruitfully be put in conversation with the book of Jonah, where the deep well of God's mercy to foreigners is also on display (a source of considerable irritation to Jonah). In both stories, God's desire is for a violent humanity to put an end to its violence, and if God's graceful mercy is the way to affect that, then that is infinitely preferable (perhaps ten persons are enough to turn the city around). But if, as in the case of Sodom, that is not possible, then God cares enough about the creation as a whole (for would not the rest of the world suffer if the "customs" of Sodom were to flourish?) to judge such sinfulness and to do something about it.
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Skating Rinks in Vero Beach, FL
Helpful Definition for: Skating Rinks
An ice rink or an ice skating rink is a frozen body of water where people can skate or play different types of winter sports. Some of the other functions of a rink are playing ice hockey, figure skating, curling, exhibitions and contests, and ice shows. In Vero Beach there are two types of rinks available, one is natural, where freezing occurs due to cold temperatures, and the other is artificial or mechanically-frozen, where a coolant produces cold in the surface below the water of the rink, causing it to freeze. In certain cases, rinks use synthetic ice where skating surfaces are made out of plastics.
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Hydraulic fracturing, sometimes called fracking has been an important of the development of America’s natural gas and oil resources for at least 60 years. in the U.S. approximately 35,000 wells are processed with the hydraulic fracturing method. All wells are a little bit different, and there are different lessons with each to develop the best possible practices to minimize the..
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Psychology in the Education System of Switzerland
1. Organizations of Psychologists in the Educational System
In Switzerland, the Swiss Association for Child and Adolescent Psychology (SKJP/ASPEA/ASPEE) is the main association of psychologists practicing in the field of school psychology / educational psychology, or more generally in the field of child and adolescent psychology. SKJP/ASPEA/ASPEE is an affiliate member of ISPA, the International School Psychology Association. The Swiss Association for Child and Adolescent Psychology has some 700 members: university trained psychologists, most of them with a degree equivalent to a Master degree. They work in the educational system as school psychologists, some are clinical psychologists or child guidance counselors working within institutions or in private practice. The total number of school psychologists in Switzerland is unknown. It is estimated to be around 800.
As the educational system in Switzerland is regulated on the level of the 26 cantons (states or provinces), the legal norms which apply to school psychology, as well as the working conditions including functions and salaries are very diverse in the different parts of the country. In Switzerland there are 4 national languages which are spoken in 4 different regions. 64% of the 7 million inhabitants speak German, 20% speak French, 7% speak Italian and 1% speaks Romanic. Most SKJP/ASPEA/ASPEE members live and work in the German speaking part of Switzerland. In the French speaking part, psychologists are rather organized in regional associations of psychologists.
English is a foreign language in Switzerland. Students learn it at school, mostly as a third language. Psychologists who work with children or adolescents have to speak the local language, in German speaking Switzerland they have to understand the regional dialect. This requirement as well as restrictions of the labour market (for professionals from outside Switzerland or the European Union) are often a barrier for English speaking psychologists who wish to work in Switzerland.
2. Educational Psychology in the country
History of Educational Psychology
It is difficult to show the historical lines of development of educational psychology in Switzerland due to the country’s four language regions and also due to school systems which vary from canton to canton.
The origin of Swiss educational psychology goes back to Claparède, a pedagogies professor at the University of Geneva, who is said to have introduced the term educational psychology in Switzerland. Other important forerunners were Hans Hegg in Berne and Jean Tinguely, who worked in Basel and St. Gallen.
At the beginning of the 50es the cantons Basel, Lucerne and St. Gallen offered educational psychology service in its original meaning, accompanied by further information centers which were concerned with education and psychological questions.
The 60s were characterized by the creation of many new offices in many cantons and by a remarkable rise in the number of children using the services offered, which lead to long waiting lists. The focus of the work lied within single cases, often neglecting consulting services to parents. The founding of the professional association VSSE (association of Swiss educational psychologists and educational advisors), whose main tasks were at that time the separation and classification of educational psychology towards other fields of psychology and their respective associations, proved to be crucial in the further development of Swiss educational psychology.
Four thematic core themes characterized the educational psychology in the 70s. Through the publication of professional guidelines by the VSSE it came to a development and consolidation of the professions position and to a change of the association’s name from VSSE to SKJP/ASPEA/ASPEE (Association of Swiss Child- and Youth Psychologists). SKJP is today a professional association representing all child- and youth psychologists in Switzerland with a university degree.
Since 1975 the professional journal ‘Der Jugendpsychologe’ is published, since 1985 the journal ‘Psychologie und Eltern (P&E)’. Another focus of that period was the extension of extra psychological institutions and therapy services (enrolment classes, lega theraphy) and the enlargement of the educational psychology services by means of employing more personnel. Increasingly evaluations and conceptualisations of educational psychological work appeared as a further tool to improve psychological work. Groundbreaking was Ochsner’s model of “integrated educational psychology”, which Tinguely called “a small guidebook of educational psychology”. Important elements of the model were the extension of the profession’s field of functions away from simple single-case-work and also the integration of the therapeutic service into educational psychology.
At the end of the 70s educational psychologists were more and more victims of socio-political critique, which aimed at picturing them as handymen of a sheer achievement-orientated school system.
3. Legal Protection of the Profession
Current Organization of Educational Psychology in Switzerland
The Educational Psychological Service has no legal basis on federal level and is therefore, in most cantons, regulated through cantonal laws and ordinances. Mostly there are public consulting services which are affiliated to the cantonal department for education or which are, given the legal basis in the corresponding cantons, organized on a communal basis. These services are usually independent from the local schools. Here the principle of subsidiary is to be used, meaning that a school has to exploit its internal possibilities of resolving cases before giving over a case to the educational psychologist service.
The occupational image of child- and youth psychology of SKJP forms together with the association’s statutes the basic guidelines for educational psychological work.
Educational psychology’s field of responsibility
As mentioned before, the performance concepts of the educational psychology services vary from canton to canton or sometimes even from community to community. Most services’ main tasks are the following:
• Consulting of children and/or adolescents and their reference persons in case of difficulties with school work, particularities in terms of studying behaviour or achievement, behavioural problems and psychic and psychosocial difficulties, which manifest themselves at school or influence the atmosphere at school.
• therapeutic interventions and help within the guidelines of the service’s mission and the temporal capacities, where by the basic educational psychological service enjoys priority
• psychological treatment and initiation of supporting measures
• creation of allocation reports and proposals for the authorities in case of need for furtherance or therapy
• coordination and evaluation of pedagogic and therapeutic measures, counselling of involved qualified personnel and the authorities
• public relations
Registration can be done through either the legal guardians, the adolescent (from age 14 upwards) himself or through a third person with a written permit issued by the legal guardians. The use of the educational psychological service is normally limited to the timeframe of compulsory schooltime.
4. Training of Educational Psychologists
Schooling and further Education
In order to work as a educational psychologist one needs a completed course of studies (Lizenziat or Master) with the major psychology at a university in Switzerland or abroad or a diploma at the Hochschule für Angewandte Psychologie (HAP). Furthermore the studies’ internships have to be done in the field of child- or youth psychology.
Subsequent to the finished studies the postgraduate and extra occupational SKJP further education can be done, which is required to carry the title Fachpsychologin/Fachpsychologe für Kinder- und Jugendpsychologie FSP (professional psychologist for child- and youth psychology FSP). This further education includes a minimum of 700 hours, takes (depending on individual decision) three or four years and qualifies for self-reliant work in the field of child- and youth psychology. Child- and youth psychologists, who function as single- or family therapists besides their consulting position, need an additional psychotherapeutic education. Besides this basic and special education permanent further education and regular supervision are required in order to maintain the service’s quality.
The possibilities for education and training at educational psychological services include practical training for students with minor field of study psychopathology of child- and youth age, as well as temporary fixed jobs as assistance psychologists, which should make the entry into the field of work easier.
5. Present Issues
At the moment our association mainly focuses on the following topics:
Law of the psychologist’s job: A Swiss-wide law is in elaboration. The law’s goals are to guarantee security of titles, to clarify the requirements for the self-reliant exercise of the job, as well as the admission of further education and the Swiss-wide recognition of titles earned in further education.
Swiss-wide clarification procedure for extra pedagogical measures: In the context of the reorganisation of the division of the distribution of responsibilities between the federal institutions and the cantons, the federal IV (insurance for invalids) now no longer finances extra pedagogic schools. From now on the cantons are responsible for it. The conference of the education secretaries of the cantons therefore works out common quality standards for the extra pedagogic schools and a Swiss-wide procedure, which should be based on the ICF (International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health).
Professional titles in child- and youth psychology: Our association advocates that the postgraduate professional title in child- and youth psychology gains more weight in the process of employing new psychologists.
by Simon Walther
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Photo of a water damaged subfloor by Moresheth/Flickr
When you spill some liquid on a carpeted floor, your primary concern is, naturally, the carpet. So you deal with the stain and run a fan to dry the carpeting. But have you thought about where that liquid goes after it soaks through the carpet and pad? Yep, the subfloor—the wood surface underneath the finished flooring. And while it may be no big deal if a tipsy party guest neglects to tell you about a spilled beer, a leaking fixture or appliance is a different story and can wreak havoc on floor structure. Dishwashers, toilets and bathing areas are among the worst offenders because leaks here can go unnoticed until it's too late. That's when you end up with serious water damage, which may not stop at the subflooring itself.
What Is Subflooring?
"Subfloor" is one of those building terms that's commonly misused, so first let's clear up any murkiness about this important part of your home's structure. A modern "stick-framed" house is a system of platforms. The first floor—if it's wood, not a concrete slab—is built atop the foundation walls. It consists of horizontal joists, typically 2x8 or larger framing lumber, topped with sheets of subflooring, typically 5/8" or 3/4" plywood, OSB (oriented strandboard) or other sheet material. In old houses (roughly pre-WWII), subflooring commonly was 1-by lumber boards running diagonally across the joists.
The subfloor secures the tops of the joists and completes the structural plane that you walk on. Once the first-floor's subflooring is down, homebuilders lay out and build the walls on top of the subfloor. If it's a multistory house, these walls are topped with the second-floor platform that's much like that of the first floor (in a single-story house, the ceiling joists and roof frame are next).
There are two important lessons here. First, subflooring is sandwiched between the joists and the walls' bottom plates. This means that wetness in the subflooring can wick to those critical framing members. Second, subflooring is not the same thing as underlayment. Underlayment is a thin plywood or other sheet material laid on top of subflooring to create a smooth surface for thin flooring materials like vinyl and linoleum. Tile is set over an "underlayment" of cementboard, at least in newer homes built by quality contractors. Both wood underlayment and cementboard often are adhered to the subflooring, so if your underlayment is water-damaged, you'll probably have to replace the subflooring along with it.
Dealing with a Water-Damaged Subfloor
A limited or short-lived leak that's made it to the subflooring may not be a big problem, provided you can stop the leak and dry out the subflooring and any neighboring elements (framing, floor and wall finishes, etc.) completely. The drying out is necessary to prevent mold and rot. Exposing the subflooring is the best way to dry it, but if this is impractical (maybe your kitchen sink drain has leaked and you don't want to remove the base cabinet, understandably), perhaps you can access the subflooring from below. To check the wall and/or floor framing, you may need to cut some holes in the drywall.
More extensive water damage often requires replacing the subflooring, and sometimes framing and other affected materials. If the subfloor is spongy or there are any signs of mold or rot, you'll have to expose the subfloor and related elements beyond the area of damage. The subfloor then must be cut out and removed so you can examine the framing and let everything dry out. If the moisture has damaged any joists or wall studs or plates, or if the wetness goes under a wall, it's time to call in a pro. Remodeling specialists see this kind of thing all the time, usually because the current or previous homeowners have willfully neglected to deal with a leak or perhaps didn't know it existed. In any case, you need help from someone who understands the structural issues at hand and how to resolve them completely before everything gets covered up with new subflooring and other materials.
Patching In Subflooring
Because virtually everything in your house stands on the subflooring, it's highly impractical to replace the entire layer, although this is often done with individual rooms during a major remodel or restoration work. Alternatively, subflooring can be patched in to replace just the damaged material. The key here is making sure all edges of the patch are properly supported. You can cut back the subflooring so its edges "break" over the center of joists, or you can add solid-lumber blocking alongside (or spanning between) joists to create a structural backing and nailing surface. Subflooring can be a bear to remove, since it's often glued down with construction adhesive and fastened with special ring- or spiral-shank nails that really grip the wood. Panels are often tongue-and-groove to support the edges between joists. The patch can be the same material as the original or CDX plywood of the same thickness. Glue and nail the patch thoroughly to prevent a squeaky floor.
Philip Schmidt writes for Networx.com.
Top Cities Covered by our Flooring Contractors:
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Statement by Head of Economic Department Silberberg at the 44th Session of the CPD on Population and Education
Ladies and gentlemen,
In 1994 the Cairo Programme of Action stated that “the aim of family-planning programmes must be to enable couples and individuals to decide freely and responsibly the number and spacing of their children and to have the information and means to do so and to ensure informed choices and make available a full range of safe and effective methods.”
Not only that back then the international community committed itself to a stronger promotion of reproductive rights, it also, in the Cairo Programme of Action, stated that “the relationship between education and demographic and social changes is one of interdependence”.
The last decades have seen great improvement in the reproductive health of men and women and in the access to education. However, …
· worldwide an estimated 215 million women have no access to reliable family planning methods or to reproductive health information and services.
· Every year, approximately 350.000 women die due to complications in pregnancy and child birth.
· As well, The Education for All - Global Monitoring Report 2011 states that the number of children out of school is falling too slowly. 67 million children are out of school.
· Gender disadvantage in school is costing lives. If the average child mortality rate for sub-Saharan Africa were to fall to the level associated with women who have some secondary education, there would be 1.8 million fewer deaths.
· Young people around the world initiate sexual activity earlier, marry later and are often victims of sexual violence - in particular girls and women. Despite these trends, many are denied access to information and support that could enable them to protect their own sexual and reproductive health in an environment free of fear, coercion or shame.
It is widely known that an increase in the education of women and girls contributes to greater empowerment of women, to a postponement of the age of marriage and to a reduction in the size of families. In short, when mothers are better educated, their families are smaller and their children's survival rate tends to increase. Women with post-primary education are five times more likely than illiterate women to know necessary facts about family-planning and HIV and AIDS.
On the other hand uncontrolled population growth highly affects the educational system. Access to and quality of education, for example provided through an adequate number of trained teachers has to be ensured in growing cities as well as rural areas.
As such, the link between education and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) still is, and again becomes, key to sustainable social and economic development.
The current international political environment is favorable to support aspects related to sexuality education and family planning. In 2010, the G8 Muskoka Initiative and the launch of the UN Secretary-General’s Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health have brought the issue of reproductive health and rights as well as the importance of sexuality education to the forefront. In addition, several donors have put these issues high on their agenda again.
Germany is committed to promote population and education issues and thereby improve people’s living conditions in its partner countries.
Realizing SRHR is one priority focus of German development cooperation in the area of health and population policy. It is deemed as a necessary prerequisite for achieving international development goals. German development cooperation in health works to promote SRHR through a human rights based and gender sensitive approach while also considering the complexity and causality of SRHR with other sectors, such as education.
At the G8 summit in June 2010, the Federal Chancellor Merkel committed additional 400 million € ODA over five years for the G8-Muskoka initiative to promote maternal and child health. This will lead to annual German ODA-contributions of around 380 million €. Implementing the Muskoka-pledge, the German Government will put a strong focus on the promotion of reproductive health and voluntary family planning including sexuality education. Bilateral financial contributions in the respective areas will be doubled. In total, German Development Contribution to health currently totals more than 700 million € annually.
The German Minister of Economic Cooperation and Development has recently launched the draft of a new education strategy which focuses on a holistic approach to education and underlines the important role of education for the sustainable development in other sectors such as health, water, energy and others. There is a clear focus on women and girls in Germany’s new education strategy. German Development Cooperation in the field of education currently totals about 1,2 billion € annually.
In addition, the German Government has taken a number of initiatives to promote education in the field of sexual and reproductive health:
1.) In 2010, the German Federal Centre for Health Education published the ‘Standards for Sexuality Education’. These Standards were developed in close cooperation with the WHO Regional Office for Europeand a European expert group. The Standards for Sexuality Education not only advocate for the introduction of holistic sexuality education in schools but also give practical help to improve existing programs and curricula. They provide step-by-step instructions and a detailed matrix to support health and education professionals in their efforts to guarantee children accurate and sensitively presented information about sexuality. The Federal Centre for Health Education currently supports the dissemination and implementation of these guidelines within the WHO Europe region.
2.) The German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development and its implementing agencies KfW and GIZ, together with Bayer Health Care, the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) and the German Foundation for World Population (DSW) organize an annual International Dialogue on Population and Sustainable Development. This years 9th International Dialogue in October 2011 in Berlin will focus on SRHR and education. A group of about 80 international experts will develop an action guide and give recommendations for cooperation programmes with selected partner countries.
These initiatives, building up on the German development cooperation in the priority areas of health and education, contribute to the Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health under the auspices of the United Nations Secretary-General. Germany calls upon all partner governments as well as international institutions, the private sector and civil society to support this strategy and to give high priority to the promotion of education and sexual and reproductive health.
Thank you for your attention.
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This is the fourth year these wildlife organizations have come out to count and check the health of the bats.
"(Bats) are incredible animals and are certainly worth saving," said Judy Oship, president of Friends of Supawna Meadows. "They are vital to farms, pest control, and a vital part of nature. We will keep doing this (the count) as long as the funding permits."
The count is made possible through the support of various organizations including Carneys Point Generating Plant, Trident Environmental Consultants, Amy S. Greene Environmental Consultants, Inc., USFWS Ecological Services, Conserve Wildlife Foundation, and Jennings Equipment and Excavating.
According to Howard Schlegel, refuge manager for Supawna and the Cape May National Wildlife Refuge, 1,200 to 1,500 bats inhabit the refuge barn here, making it the largest maternity colony in Salem County.
The majority of the bats are little brown bats, although the barn is home to a few big brown bats as well.
Schlegel hoped to capture, weigh, count, and examine at least 200 of the colony's bats Thursday night.
"We want to get between 200 and 250 bats so we can get a good sample," he said.
Workers from the Carneys Point Generating Plant (who sponsor the Supawna Meadows National Wildlife Refuge) worked through the afternoon Thursday to cover the entire barn, with the exception of one small entry way, with plastic to prevent the bats from escaping.
After covering the barn, two harp traps (big medal poles with thin string running across them like those of a harp) were put in front and on the side of the barn. The bats bounced off the harp traps into large plastic bags, after which they were collected and put into smaller cotton bags to be individually examined.
For the full story, read Sunday's edition of Today's Sunbeam.
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Louisiana announced 17 new West Nile virus infections Friday, making this year’s outbreak the worst since the mosquito-borne virus was first detected in the state. With this report, the 2012 case count rose to 338, 10 more than the previous high of 328, which was established in 2002.
Although that total is the highest since West Nile record-keeping began in Louisiana, health-department spokesman Ken Pastorick pointed out that the 43 people this year who have been infected but showed no symptoms were in a category that did not exist in 2002. With those people removed from the count, the total falls to 295, 33 below the 2002 mark.
The state health department also reported one virus-related death on Friday, bringing this year’s toll to 13. The highest total – 24 – was recorded in 2002. The Department of Health and Hospitals does not announce the home parishes of people who succumb to West Nile complications.
Although most infected people never know they are carrying the virus because their immune systems repel it, there are two complications: West Nile fever, which produces flu-like symptoms, and neuroinvasive disease, which causes swelling in the brain and spinal cord and can be fatal.
In the latest report, there were five reported cases of neuroinvasive disease, including one in New Orleans and another in Jefferson Parish. The other three were in Bossier, Calcasieu and West Feliciana parishes.
There also were 11 new cases of West Nile fever: four in East Baton Rouge Parish, two in Caddo Parish and one each in Ascension, Beauregard, Calcasieu, DeSoto and Lafourche parishes.
One person in Lafourche Parish had been infected but displayed no symptoms. Such cases are diagnosed when the virus is found in the bloodstream of people whose blood has been drawn for any number of reasons, including a blood donation or an annual physical examination.
Nationally this year, there have been 4,725 infections and 219 deaths, making the outbreak the worst since 2003, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Louisiana is one of eight states that account for nearly 70 percent of the cases, CDC data show. The other states are California, Mississippi, Illinois, South Dakota, Michigan, Oklahoma and Texas.
Texas has recorded 1,628 infections, more than one-third of the national total, according to the CDC.
Health officials in Louisiana have suggested that a combination of factors led to this year’s high count: a relatively mild winter, an early spring and a hot summer, all of which are conducive to mosquito breeding.
People most vulnerable to West Nile complications are the very old, the very young and people with immune-system problems.
Because there is no treatment for West Nile infection except supportive care, health officials recommend preventive measures such as staying indoors around dusk and dawn, when mosquitoes are most likely to swarm; wearing long sleeves and trousers when going outside; eliminating standing water; ensuring screens are secure; avoiding perfume that might attract insects; and using insect repellent containing DEET.
Spraying for mosquitoes, on the ground and in the air, has increased.
The state's latest West Nile surveillance report is online.
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Geologically speaking, Padre Island is a young island. It is one of 300 hundred islands stretching from Main to Mexico. These natural barrier islands act to protect the mainland from the direct onslaught of storms.
Padre Island began forming as a submerged sand bar some 4500 years ago, as shown by radiocarbon dating of shells. Geologic speculation indicates the emerged island itself may be 1000 to 1500 years younger.
Barrier island origins have been debated for many years by geologists, but it is agreed they are formed and modified by such factors as sediment type and supply, sea-level directional changes, current and wave strength and direction, and tide magnitude. It is theorized that Padre Island formed from offshore shoals with later growth aided by spit accretion. (A spit is a long, narrow tongue of sand extending from a mainland shoreline and formed by the shoreline drifting of sediments.) After a history of shifting , abandonment and reestablishment by storm breaches, many tidal inlets were slowly closed and short islands were joined to form today’s longer islands.
Padre Island graphically illustrates the life and sequences of a barrier shoreline: accretionary or building phase, equilibrium or stability phase and erosion or destructional state. The northern half of Padre Island’s shoreline is in equilibrium; the southern half (and much of the remaining Texas coastline) is in an erosional stage. Wind, wave and current action continue to rework and shape the island. South Padre Island has been in a destructive phase for a long time, probably having retreated landward (along with the lagoon and mainland shoreline). All of Padre Island will probably retreat landward through long-term erosion due to the following causes: (1) interruption and decrease in sediment supply (2) relative sea level rise, and (3) tropical storm activity. Today, hurricane washovers and wind-carried sand deposited in the Laguna Madre build Padre Island’s landward side at the expense of the Laguna Madre.
Also, along Padre Island’s northern half, northeast winds drive longshore currents; and along Padre’s southern half, southeast winds drive longshore currents. These ocean currents converge at 27 degrees N. latitude, although winds shift somewhat during the year. The converging currents deposit sands from the Rio Grande, Colorado, Brazos and Mississippi Rivers. (The sands show traces of magnetite, garnet, zircon, tourmaline, quartz and other sediments identified from these rivers.) Man-made jetties perpendicular to the Gulf shoreline, interfere with longshore sediment transport; these occur at Mansfield Channel, Mustang island and Water Exchange Pass.
Little and Big Shell Beaches are located near the (27 degree N. latitude) convergence point . This convergence point is where longshore currents moving north to south and currents moving south to north meet. Because the currents converge at this point, a good number of large, as well as small shells, are deposited on the beach. Winds blow away the sand, leaving the exposed shells behind. The sand is then accumulated in dunes which may become stabilized by vegetation or are driven into the Laguna Madre.
On North Padre Island, Gulf waves break on the upper shoreface especially during fall and winter. They agitate the water and suspend sand so that they erode and destroy, or deposit and construct as applicable. Flat waves and smooth, round, symmetrical waves transport sand to the beach. Steeper waves remove sand. Swash bars and berms are beach deposits formed as a result of this wave action.
The Gulf beach is a complex environment where water and air interact and compete for sediments. Sediments deposited high on the beach are dried and transported landward by persistent onshore winds. This migrating sand is trapped along the back edge of the beach by salt-tolerant grasses and flowering plants.
Plants stabilize the sand with roots and spreading vines, forming a relatively continuous dune ridge. The fore-island dune ridge traps additional sand and prevents it from migrating back to the sea. Storms and high tides cut into these dunes, abruptly changing the contours of the island.
The Texas Gulf Coast has a uniformly small tidal range. the astronomical tidal range in the Laguna Madre is even smaller than that of the Gulf. However, wind tides occur when strong steady winds elevate the water’s surface. As a result, elevated Gulf waters raise the water levels in the lagoons and bays, especially in October, April, and May. The Laguna Madre is dramatically affected. An 18 inch drop in an hour, produced by 50 mile-an-hour winds, can leave boats stranded. Bars and troughs offshore cause the waves to break. Storm tides and steep, destructive waves that accompany hurricanes and tropical storms may occasionally level the entire beach. South of Malaquite, however, the forebeach becomes steeper where shells and fragments are deposited. This elevated berm is somewhat impervious to the erosional effects.
Padre Island is in a constant state of change, moved by gentle gulf breezes, violent tropical storms hurricanes, and from the rhythmic ebb and flow of tides and crashing waves. Beach, dunes, grasslands, and tidal flats are shaped and reshaped daily, a constant reminder of just how fragile our Island environment can be.
For more detailed information on the geologic story of Padre Island, please consult: PADRE ISLAND NATIONAL SEASHORE A Guide to the Geology, Natural Environments, and History of a Texas Barrier Island, by Bonnie R. Weise, and William A. White.
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http://www.nps.gov/pais/learn/nature/geologicactivity.htm
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Designing Nanotechnology-enabled Environmentally Sustainable Desalination Systems
K. Andrews, M. Clark, C. DeMeireles, S. Peleg, A. Taylor and A. Whillock
Adventium Labs, US
Nanotechnology, desalination, carbon nanotube filter, solar pond, zero discharge, distillation, water quality, energy efficiency
Many people around the world do not have clean drinking water. Nanotechnology supporting filtration, distillation, and energy generation can produce potable water that meets U.S. drinking water standards in an environmentally responsible way. This paper discusses the conceptual design of a fully integrated process using nanotube membrane filtration, distillation and solar ponds. Sea water is filtered using subsurface intake galleries to remove large debris and sea life. Following pretreatment to filter out sand, the water is sent to the single pass nanotube membrane filter made from carbon nanotubes imbedded in a ceramic matrix material. Nanotube filter reject brine is sent to a distillation unit to produce additional water. The distillation reject brine is either sent to a brine concentrator to create crystallized salt or to a solar pond. The lower layer of the solar pond helps heat the water while the upper layer of the pond provides cooling water for the distillation unit. The total product water combined from the nanotube filter, the distillation unit, and the brine concentrator effluents will have a concentration of less than the current drinking water standard of 500 mg/l total dissolved solids. Approximately 99.8 percent of the sea water is recovered as drinking water.
Back to Program
Nanotech 2007 Conference Program Abstract
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http://www.nsti.org/Nanotech2007/showabstract.html?absno=1632
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fineweb
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Construct models of plants that are adapted to living under specific environmental conditions.
Group Size: Any size Suggested Age: 10 and up Time: 40-45 min. Focus question: Summary:
What kinds of adaptations would a plant need in order to survive in a particular environment? Can you invent a “plant” with those characteristics?
This activity will enable the participants to recognize that plants, as well as animals, are uniquely suited to their habitats. Using imagination and some craft materials, youngsters construct models of plants that are “adapted” to survive under specified environmental conditions. After they finish, other participants make inferences about the habitat and unique features of each plant.
Group Size: Any size
Suggested Age: 10 and up
Time: 40-45 min.Consider…
Click on a category for other similar activities.
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http://www.outdoorbiology.com/node/53
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Typhoon Haiyan damaged millions of trees—a vital source of income for farmers. Now portable sawmills are helping those farmers turn some of that devastation into profit.
Farmers on Leyte Island in the Philippines remember, with longing, the shade beneath the dense canopy of their coconut trees and the fruit from those trees that they would leave to dry in the sun, promising them much-needed income.
But Typhoon Haiyan changed all of that. When the storm slammed into the central Philippines in early November, it caused widespread damage to the country’s coconut industry, the second most important agricultural sector. About a third of the Philippines arable land—or 3.26 million hectares—is planted with the coconut tree, known locally as “the tree of life” for all the goods it can produce including coconut meat, oil, and juice.
In the Eastern Visayas region, the destruction from the storm was particularly bad: an estimated 33 million trees suffered the blow, and with them countless farming families. In Tanauan, Leyte, the typhoon destroyed 90 percent of the trees.
“After Yolanda (the local name for Haiyan), it was a total mess here,” said Gistado Gallaron, a rice and coconut farmer who has lived in the area for 48 years. “Coconut trees were on the ground. The grass was washed out. I was very sad because the thought of having no livelihood is devastating for us.”
And it’s not just the loss of an immediate crop that has farmers worried—it’s what will happen to future ones if they can’t quickly remove the felled trees. Those left on the ground for more than six months will rot and become a breeding ground for pests, including the rhinoceros beetle which destroys the wood.
Farmers need to rid their groves of the downed trees and plant new ones as soon as possible because it will take another six to eight years for those saplings to mature. And in the meantime, many farmers will have to find some other way to earn income.
“This area is the number one copra-producing region in the country,” said Crispin Miranda, a local farmer who remembers well the trees his grandfather planted. “I think the economy will be paralyzed in this area of the province.”
To help farmers begin to recover from the devastation, Oxfam has formed partnerships with farming associations and cooperatives on Leyte and launched a project to clear the damaged trees. Oxfam has provided chainsaws, sawmills, protective clothing, and training for farmers on the safe use of machinery. Sawed into the planks, the trees can be used to help people rebuild their homes or sold to wood merchants thereby providing farmers with a source of income.
Oxfam set up one of the sawmills at the Kabayan Farmers Association in Tanauan where Miranda serves as the association’s manager.
“Look at these trees that have fallen down,” he said. “You could barely see the sky because this area was covered in trees.” Now, they are becoming timber. Around him on a recent afternoon, the air roared with the sound of chainsaws slicing boards from the long, straight trunks.
“With this project that has been given to us by Oxfam, this will help not only the members, but even the community,” said Miranda. “Oxfam has given us the equipment. Our counterpart is the manpower. So let us work. Let us help each other in order to succeed.”
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http://www.oxfamamerica.org/explore/stories/in-a-race-against-time-oxfam-helps-filipino-farmers-clear-land-of-felled-coconut-trees/
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Definition of nictation in English:
The action or process of blinking.
- Any conspicuous behavior indicating the existence of ophthalmic irritation due to the administered drugs such as closing eye or nictation was not observed after the instillation.
- Snaked earth, crow-spotted through the sun-leagues, coils in their fierce emphatic eyes, cleansed by the flicker of the lids' nictation.
- One or more, and in some cases all five, nematode replicate lines showed declines in virulence, reproduction, heat tolerance, host seeking ability, and nictation.
Late 18th century: from Latin nictatio(n-), from the verb nictare 'to blink'.
Definition of nictation in:
- British & World English dictionary
What do you find interesting about this word or phrase?
Comments that don't adhere to our Community Guidelines may be moderated or removed.
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http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/nictation
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More hints about the concept of a “scientific question” from the Charles Simonyi Professor of the Public Understanding of Science …
In The God Delusion, Dawkins gives a couple of hints about what constitutes a scientific hypothesis.
A scientific hypothesis is an idea that is either true or false.
Dawkins is more favorable towards TAP style agnosticism, than PAP style agnosticism:
TAP, or Temporary Agnosticism in Practice, is the legitimate fence-sitting where there really is a definite answer, one way or the other… (TGD, p.47, emphasis added)
Dawkins connects the truth-or-falsehood of the idea that “God exists” with the allegedly scientific status of the question:
Either he [God] exists or he doesn’t. It is a scientific question… (TGD, p.48)
Dawkins says something similar in relation to questions about miracles:
…this [the question about whether Jesus’ mother was a virgin at the time of his birth] is still a strictly scientific question with a definite answer in principle: yes or no. (TGD, p.59, emphasis added)
An idea that can be true or false is what philosophers call a proposition. Many philosophers hold that moral and normative judgments are neither true nor false, thus such judgments would not be considered to be propositions. Dawkins’ condition here, would, on this view of the nature of moral judgments, exclude such judgments from being scientific hypotheses, and this would in turn exclude the questions for which those judgments are answers, from being scientific questions.
However, not much else is excluded by this condition. Many historical and mathematical claims and hypotheses, for example, are also either true or false. So this condition only works as a necessary condition for an idea to be a scientific hypothesis, not as a sufficient condition.
Another closely related hint concerns the existence of conflicting alternative ideas.
A scientific hypothesis is a proposed idea that has implications that clearly conflict with the implications of some other alternative idea.
Dawkins thinks that the contrast between atheism and theism is relevant to considering the God hypothesis to be a scientific hypothesis:
…a universe with a supernaturally intelligent creator is a very different kind of universe from one without. (TGD, p.58)
…[the idea of a] non-interventionist…God…is still…a scientific hypothesis. I return to the point: a universe in which we are alone except for other slowly evolved intelligences is a very different universe from one with an original guiding agent whose intelligent design is responsible for its very existence. (TGD, p.61)
Because atheism and theism have very different and conflicting implications, this seems to be a reason, for Dawkins, to consider the belief that “God exists” to be a scientific hypothesis.
Again, this works as a necessary condition, but not as a sufficient condition, for claims and hypotheses in history, mathematics, and logic also can be contrasted with alternative ideas that have very different and conflicting implications.
As far as I can see, Dawkins has hinted at a few necessary conditions for something being a scientific question:
(1) Evidence should be applicable to answering the question.
(2) The question should be answerable in principle, if not in practice.
(3) Some proposed answers to the question should be either true or false.
(4) One proposed answer to the question should have different and conflicting implications in comparison to some other proposed answer.
Taken individually, each necessary condition encompasses a broad scope of questions that go beyond the narrower scope of questions encompassed by the concept of a “scientific question”.
What if we take all of these conditions together to be a sufficient condition for something being a scientific question? This won’t work, because the same set of counterexamples satisfy all four necessary conditions; many historical, mathematical, and logical hypotheses would satisfy all of these conditions.
There is one more hint from Dawkins that seems to have a bit more substance to it. He sometimes refers to “the scientific method” or “scientific methods” when discussing the nature of religious beliefs. Dawkins quotes Alister McGrath about Huxley (a PAP agnostic, according to Dawkins):
“…Huxley declared that the God question could not be settled on the basis of the scientific method.” (TGD, p.54)
Dawkins also quotes McGrath’s quote of Stephen Gould:
“…science simply cannot (by its legitimate methods) adjudicate the issue of God’s possible superintendence of nature.” (TGD, p.55)
Dawkins himself uses the phrase “scientific methods” when discussing how miracle claims should be evaluated:
There is an answer to every such question, whether or not we can discover it in practice, and it is a strictly scientific answer. The methods we should use to settle the matter, in the unlikely event that relevant evidence ever became available, would be purely and entirely scientific methods. (TGD, p.59, emphasis added)
Dawkins implies that a question is a scientific question if the question can (in principle) be settled by the use of methods that are scientific methods.
Here we finally have what appears to be a sufficient condition, and a plausible one at that. However, although this may truly be a sufficient condition for something to be a scientific question, it is not very helpful or useful as it stands.
We need to have some clear explanation or specification of what methods constitute legitimate scientific methods, and what methods do not. Furthermore, additional guidance might also be required in order for us to be able to determine whether a particular question can “in principle” be settled by the use of such methods.
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http://www.patheos.com/blogs/secularoutpost/2010/08/16/a-scientific-question-part-5/
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In the years preceding the U.S.-Mexican War, the United States and Mexico were two nations headed in opposite directions.
The United States, fueled by new technological breakthroughs and inspired by the concept of "Manifest Destiny," confidently expanded its territories westward. The young country was regarded as a "go-ahead" nation, looking forward to a future of seemingly endless possibilities for itself and its people. Meanwhile, Mexico struggled to maintain control over the vast expanses of land it had inherited from Spain following its long war for independence. Lacking the resources to settle much of its territory and suffering from deep internal political divisions, Mexico looked to the past for its sense of meaning, back to a time when "New Spain" had once promised to be the continental power of the New World.
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http://www.pbs.org/kera/usmexicanwar/prelude/
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Horsepower and torque, it’s an interesting subject that a lot of people have pushed about in many an automotive forum: Carroll Shelby once said: “Horsepower sells cars, torque wins races”.
We’re not going to go through all the equations and physics of how horsepower and torque is calculated, not only is it difficult to explain in writing, it confuses the hell out of most people. Unless you plan on being a specialist engine technician, it’s just too much. But we will try to explain what they are, how they relate to each other and how it affects your cars performance in the simplest way we can.
The term horsepower was first used on engines by James Watt, a British inventor, who was associated with steam engines. James Watt used the term to measure steam engine power to the power from a horse. Horsepower is the rate at which work can be done (over a given distance). A horses’ workload was measured to calculate a starting figure for the measurement of this power. Incidentally engine power can also be measured in kilo Watts (kW) and (PS) pferdestarke which is German for horsepower.
1HP = 746Watts = 1.01387PS
The familiar Brake Horsepower (BHP) means that power was measured using a dynamometer. BHP is measured at the crankshaft. Car manufacturers, normally quote this as ‘peak’ horsepower (the maximum horsepower possible at a given rpm).
Horsepower is a measurement calculated from the engines torque which is multiplied by a given RPM and then divided by 5252. 5252 is the figure used for the calculation; it is a constant and unless you want to be bored/confused, just take it from me.
Torque * RPM
Horse Power = ——————————-
We were going to mention rolling road dyno’s, but due to the differences from one dyno tuner to the next, feel you are best off seeking advice from the tuner themselves. The main reason we’re not going to mention anything here is the many ways in which the dyno tuners adjust the figures to calculate for drive loses. Also remember the car is stationary and not on the open road, with air pressure, temperature changes and much more not taken into consideration, although some will try to compensate for this by using fans etc.
Torque is the turning force, in this instance we are talking about the turning force that will be applied to the driving wheels of the car, measured by the unit, pounds-foot (lbs-ft) or Newton-meters (Nm). A lb-ft of torque is a measurement used which represents for example the turning force at one end of a 1ft bar while at the other a 1lb weight is suspended. Therefore if you have a 200lb weight on the end of the 1ft bar, you will have 200lbs-ft of torque. Obviously as this number rises, the more turning force there is on the wheels.
1 Lb-Ft = 1.36 Nm
As you can see, torque will also be useful for those who like to tow things, as a heavy vehicle will benefit from that extra torque.
Torque is a measure of the ability of an engine to do work (in an instance).
However it is important to realize that as you increase the torque of your engine, hence increase the turning force of the driving wheels, you run the risk of just spinning your wheels. This is quite common on high powered front wheel drive (FWD) cars with lots of torque. With the front wheels also designed oddly enough to steer the car you will get something called torque steer, while you are turning your steering wheel and accelerating, you end up spinning the front wheels and not much happens with the steering either. Of course any high powered car with lots of torque will spin the wheels due the forces of nature (turning forces vs traction). By dividing that torque to all 4 wheels (4WD) you can reduce the spin of a high torque car and transfer the power to the road better, hence EVOs’, Imprezas’ and Skylines’ etc tend to be able to pull away from a stand still quite well, although there are many more factors that can help a FWD or rear wheel drive (RWD) car to put that power down effectively, such as tyre size/compound, suspension/chassis setup and gear ratios.
Horsepower vs Torque
(How Horsepower And Torque Affect Performance)
Again this subject confuses the hell out of people, even those like me who know a thing or two about cars. So again I’m not going to describe silly confusing scenarios etc.
The problem with the quoted power figures from manufacturers is that they tend to quote peak horsepower figures. This leads to confusion when people talk about comparing cars performance with horsepower as a measure.
“My car has x amount of horsepower so will be faster than your car”, isn’t an accurate measure of your cars performance. There are many factors involved in a cars performance and torque is certainly one of them.
It’s also important to realize that the effect of power, be it horsepower or torque will also be affected by other components, such as gear ratios, either the gearbox or final gear ratios and of course it all depends on the application the car is going to be used for.
If you have ever driven a high torque car, you will have noticed that you are able to accelerate with ease in most gears (large engined cars and Turbo Diesels for example). This is because there is sufficient power in the form of torque to move the car at a much lower and wider rpm range than a car with much less torque. Acceleration is directly proportional to the torque put through the wheels. Therefore the car will accelerate in relation to the torque curve.
However if you use a numerically higher gear ratio to produce more torque, you actually decrease the maximum speed that the gear can rotate at. This could lead to a high torque car say putting out 500lbs-ft of torque for example, maxing out at 20mph in 1st gear and running out of revs much earlier, bringing the in gear and top speed down.
With all this talk about torque, no pun intended, let me just mention that horsepower is just a different way of that power being measured, this time over a given distance, i.e. with torque multiplied by the revolutions per minute divided by the constant 5252 (see equation above). However an engine can be designed to produce higher rev limits and higher horsepower and by changing the way it is geared create more torque through the wheels.
What we’re trying to get at here is that horsepower and torque are related to each other but in different ways. A higher torque car will accelerate differently than a higher horsepower car, with different shift points, gearing and rpm ranges. Lower torque/higher horsepower cars tend to rev much higher and produce their power higher up the rev range. Higher torque/lower horsepower cars tend to make their power lower down the rev range but over a relatively wider rpm range. All very confusing as they are the same thing, but accelerate the car in different ways. A good car will have a nice mix of torque and horsepower with the appropriate modifications to enhance both.
Other Factors That Will Affect Acceleration
- The weight of your car, err obviously the more weight the more power required to move it
- Aerodynamics, again a greater amount of power is going to be needed to push the car against the air
- Rolling resistance – tyres, friction from drive train (gears, drive shafts, axle etc). These all require power to rotate against their contacting surfaces
- The gears/gearing: In order for your car to stay in the power band and to stay under the redline, your car is fitted with a gearbox. Incidentally the gears are actually altering the torque that is being transmitted to the driving wheels, but they cannot alter the horsepower. In a gearbox you start off with a gear that allows more torque and so you accelerate at a reasonable (relatively) pace, but run out of revs quickly, each successive gear will see less acceleration but a higher speed and so forth. That’s why you see for example a car able to do 0-60 in say 5 seconds, but 0-100 takes 13 seconds, that’s another 8 seconds to get an additional 40mph, of course you have to factor in momentum and aerodynamics (wind resistance)
This dyno read out clearly shows good torque available low down in the rev range and then maintaining a good consistent reading throughout the rest of the rev range. Coupled with a nice evenly increasing horsepower curve, this engine would make a nice car to put the pedal to the metal. Although that all depends on the gearing and application. Overall it has a good horsepower and torque curve.
Final Word – We hope we haven’t confused you with this horsepower and torque article. Just remember this; the best accelerating car will have an engine that can produce the highest average power over the longest rev range. VVTi engines do this well for such small engines, with varying the valve timing to optimise the power at variable rpm ranges (2). It doesn’t really matter whether it’s a high torque or a high revving car, as there are many more factors that will affect its performance, but find one that does both, then your laughing (anyone for a race engine, oops it only lasted 100 miles).
Further conclusion to acceleration:
Ok, we’re again not going to give you the boring technical bits here, let me quantify something here, your engines torque is affected by your gears, the engines torque is multiplied by the gearing used. It is possible to get a low torque engine to produce a high torque figure at the wheels by altering the gearing, therefore your transmission or final drive ratios will alter the engines rev range and how that torque is used (do not under estimate this). A V8 and Vtec produce torque differently through gearing and the way the torque is produced by way of engine design.
With that out the way, the interesting part – as mentioned before a good accelerating car will produce a good torque curve that is spread over the widest rev range (the highest rpm range that you can maintain torque will be your peak horsepower figure). To get the most out of your car, you will need to know what your power curve looks like and at what rpms within each gear. Also you will need to know what rpm you will drop to when changing up a gear (or even down). This will tell you what the torque figure is, at a certain rpm range in all the gears. Your car will accelerate hardest at peak torque, however as you move up a gear, your rpms will drop and the torque will drop. The trick is to find out at what rpm to change that gives you good torque in the next gear up, without dropping off too much in your present gear. This will all depend on the car you are driving, but as a general guide, if your car produces its max torque at 4000rpm, you do not want to change up a gear at this point, as you will more than likely drop too far down the rev range for the next gear to have enough torque to accelerate very fast, as a general guide most cars will be better going towards just under the redline for max acceleration (watch touring cars and other race cars for their shift point indicators on the dash).
Side Note – (Horsepower Ratings)
Pre 1972 American car engine power = gross horsepower. Measured using a blueprinted test engine running on a stand without accessories, air filter, exhaust system, or emissions control devices and sometimes fitted with “test Manifolds”. The resulting gross power and torque figures therefore reflect a maximum theoretical value and not the power of an installed engine.
Post 1972 American car engine power = net horsepower. Complete and installed engine, it measures engine power at the flywheel, not counting transmission losses (or anything after the flywheel).
Remember – American cars use their large CU engines “torque” to provide the performance from their cars.
(UK cars and most other countries)
Brake horsepower (bhp) is the measure of an engine’s horsepower on a dynamometer. It is measured at the engine’s output shaft (crankshaft – which is connected to the flywheel). The final figure arises from the engines torque being used to calculate the bhp.
Note: PS (Pferdestärke – german for horsepower) is another measure. Many manufacturers use the PS figures for the BHP figure, See below –
Essentially and approximately –
1 Bhp = 1.005 Hp (net) – (just measured slightly differently)
1 Bhp = 1.0187 PS
1 PS = 0.986 Hp
1 Hp = 1.01387 PS
The confusion comes from people talking about cars being dyno’d and quoting figures for corrected (losses taken into account) and WHP (wheel horse power – measured at the wheels).
Visit the power conversions page to convert power ratings.
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http://www.performance-car-guide.co.uk/car-tuning/horsepower-and-torque.html
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This 1862 drawing from Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper backed propaganda circulating at the time that savage Confederate soldiers were sending the bones of Union soldiers home as battlefield souvenirs.
Perrysville author Rosella Rice was not at all sympathetic to the Southern cause when the Civil War began. One of her brothers, Reuben, joined the 64th OVI in Mansfield and a cousin, Americus, was working his way to the rank of brigadier general.
During the war, she penned a rather nasty little poem, "The Rebel Lady."
Silent, the lady sat alone; ...
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http://www.portclintonnewsherald.com/article/B7/20130518/NEWS01/305180039/Civil-War-letters-tell-story
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Preservation Maryland, a statewide non-profit organization, recently announced the state's 2008 Endangered Maryland sites. This annual program was launched in partnership with Maryland Life Magazine to help to protect Maryland's most important historic and cultural sites.
In the March/April Issue of Maryland Life Magazine, the organization released those eleven sites chosen during a nearly year-long selection process. The designation mirrors a program sponsored by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which recognizes threatened historic sites nationwide.
Preservation Maryland selected the sites based on their historic and cultural significance and the degree to which they were at risked of being lost due to neglect, insufficient funds, inappropriate development or insensitive public policy, and the potential for a solution.
There are so many threatened historic properties in Maryland that are worthy of preservation. It was difficult to narrow down the sites most in need of protection, said Tyler Gearhart, Preservation Maryland's Executive Director. But these eleven sites really stood out as both threatened and having a potential solution. We hope that by spotlighting these sites, we'll strengthen local efforts to protect and preserve these truly significant historic places for future generations.
Nominees were judged by a diverse panel of leaders from around the state with expertise in the identification, protection, preservation or promotion of Maryland's historic resources. Judges included representatives from local government and community organizations.
The endangered places we selected represent a wide range of historic sites in Maryland, Gearhart said, "On the list this year we have the last remaining grist mill on the lower Eastern Shore, the largest remaining skipjack, the oldest continuously owned amusement park in the United States, and bridges along one of the most historically significant transportation routes in the United States. How can we not protect these places?"
We hope the Endangered Maryland designation will raise awareness and visibility of these places and the threats that they face, Gearhart said. Suburban sprawl, deterioration and other threats make it more challenging than ever to protect and maintain historic resources. However, preserving these sites is important to enhancing our quality of life and the state's economy.
To set up interviews with representatives for individual sites, please call Jessica Feldt at 410-685-2886 x302.
The 2008 Endangered Maryland Sites are:
1. Bel Air Academy and Graded School: Maryland's historic schools (Harford County)
The Harford County Board of Education currently plans to demolish the building to make room for a playing field and parking space for the nearby Elementary school. The building, while neglected, is structurally sound and could be adapted to suit a variety of uses. Unless an agreement is reached with the School Board, the community will lose this connection to its past.
2. Camp Ritchie Historic District: A vital part of Maryland's military history (Washington County)
The Camp Ritchie Historic District is part of the Fort Ritchie Army base. The District represents the time period when the National Guard controlled the fort as well as when the fort served as the War Department's Military Intelligence Training Center. The Army and the Department of Housing and Urban Development have approved a plan to develop suburban office buildings and parking areas. These developments would threaten the integrity of the Camp Ritchie Historic District.
3. Carver Heights United Services Organizations (USO)/Community Center: Maryland's history of African-American involvement in World War II (St. Mary's County)
This building was built for African-American civilians working at the nearby Patuxent Naval Warfare Center and served a variety of purposes for the community for many decades. It has been abandoned since 2002 and is now facing demolition and deterioration from neglect.
4. Double Mills: Last remaining testament to an area's economy (Wicomico County)
This site includes both a grist mill and a general store that once served as part of a key component in the lower Eastern shore's economy. This grist mill is the last remaining on the lower Eastern Shore. Furthermore, its turbine water wheel is believed to be the only of its kind in the area. Surrounded by modern residences, the mill is threatened by deterioration.
5. Gardner's Cottage: Historic treasures in city parks (Baltimore City)
This cottage dates from the lifetime of Johns Hopkins and once housed the gardeners who worked on his impressive Clifton Estate gardens. A fire in 1976 opened a hole in the main roof that was left unattended until 2002. While some work has been done to stabilize the structure, the building is still under threat of deterioration.
6. Linwood: Preservation of Maryland's historic landscapes (Carroll County)
The village of Linwood was nominated along with adjoining McKinstry's Mill and Priestland Valley. Together they make up a carefully preserved look at rural life in the 19th century. The Carroll County government currently plans to build an industrial-style Emergency Services Training Center for firefighters nearby, increasing traffic and damaging the historic landscape.
7. Loving Charity Hall: Maryland's post-Civil War African-American history (Montgomery County)
This hall, part of a site containing a church and a former schoolhouse, served the needs of former slaves in the late 19th century. The building is in bad need of stabilization. Its roof is leaking leading to noticeable sagging. The Heritage Tourism Alliance of Montgomery County hopes to save the building before it deteriorates beyond hope for restoration.
8. Big Shade Run Bridge and Little Shade Run Bridge: Maryland's National Road history (Garrett County)
These two bridges were built to be part of the National Road, the first federally funded American highway. In 1932 the bridges were bypassed due to improvements on Route 40 and have been largely forgotten since. The bridges are in critical need of attention and have suffered collapses and have thick vegetation growing on them.
9. Sinclair Gasoline Service Station: Early automotive history (Prince George's County)
This remnant from the early age of the automobile still boasts its original canopy, but has endured repeated damage. The station represents a time when U.S. Route 1 played a key part in Maryland?s transportation system. The building?s fate is currently unclear as the property is for sale and the surrounding area is largely developed. Attention is needed to ensure this building is not demolished.
10. Skipjack Flora A. Price: Preserving an outstanding example of a unique fleet (Caroline County)
Now Located in Dorchester CountyThe Skipjack Flora A. Price is a treasure of Maryland's nautical traditions. The ship is the largest remaining skipjack and was part of the last working commercial fleet in the country. The Flora A. Price is in need of repairs to withstand damage from the wind and water. There is commitment to repair the ship but funds are needed before the ship falls victim to the elements.
11. Trimper's Rides and Amusement Park: Preserving a summertime tradition (Worcester County)
Trimper's Rides and Amusements is the oldest continuously owned amusement park in the Untied States. The park features historic attractions that have delighted generations including a 1902 carousel. The park is under threat of shut-down due to a large property tax assessment. An active campaign is underway to influence decision makers to keep Trimper's alive.
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WASHINGTON, March 31, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:
Profile America Monday, March 31st. The 15th Amendment to the Constitution declared the right to vote "shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude." It became law on February 3, 1870. This milestone in civil rights was first exercised on this date that year, though in a decidedly minor electoral matter. Thomas Peterson-Mundy, a former slave, was the first African-American to exercise the franchise, casting a vote in favor of revising the charter for Perth Amboy, New Jersey. He, himself, was elected to a committee to draft the change. In the presidential election in 2012, 17.8 million blacks cast votes, a participation rate of 66.2 percent. Profile America is in its17th year as a Public Service of the U.S. Census Bureau.
Profile America is produced by the Center for New Media and Promotions of the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments, ready to air, on the Internet at http://www.census.gov (look for "Multimedia Gallery" by the "Newsroom" button).
SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau
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A learning disability is “…a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or written, which may manifest itself in imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or do mathematical calculations.”
– Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (1997)
More people with learning disabilities are choosing college than ever before. According to Vogel, Leonard, and Scales (1998), the number of college freshmen with a learning disability tripled between 1985 and 1995.
As graduate teaching assistants we are often expected to be solely responsible for teaching undergraduate courses. As novice teachers, most GTAs have little or no experience dealing with learning disabled students. Here are some tips, based on our experiences, on how to properly recognize a learning disability in your students, how to get these students help, and to explain what you can do for learning disabled students in your classroom.
There are behaviors to look for if you suspect a student may have a learning disability. These students have diffi- culty understanding what they read, solving math problems, spelling, understanding language, and writing. These types of problems can affect their ability to complete reading requirements, take tests in the time allotted, complete math requirements, take notes, and process information presented in lectures. Look for academic performance differences between timed assignments and non-timed assignments. Often students will display high marks on assignments that do not have time limits and disproportionately low marks on timed assignments. In addition, monitor classroom behavior to see if students are struggling.
Once you recognize students with a disability, you can suggest that they seek help from the disability resource center (DRC) at your institution. This center helps students make a plan on how to improve or seek testing. Some DRCs do learning disability testing and others have sites at the university that provide this service. Forewarn the student that there may be a cost associated with the testing. The consultation with the DRC and the testing is completely confidential and the DRC will suggest certain instructional and classroom accommodations.
After a student is diagnosed with an learning disability, it is the student’s responsibility to provide you with a list of approved accommodations. If the accommodations do not fit with the structure of the class, you should work out an alternative with the student and the DRC. However, you must provide an accommodation to fit the student’s needs. Typical accommodations are extended testing time, the use of a computer to type essays, a computer program that reads the text, a note taker, a spell checker, a person who reads the test to them, and a reduction in choices on multiple-choice tests. The DRC will help you provide these services.
As a proactive instructor, you can provide some easy accommodations for people with a certified learning disability. One of the easiest things to provide for students is a copy of your class notes before class. The majority of college lectures are now on PowerPoint. Providing the lecture before class frees up students to listen rather then constantly taking notes. Instructors should also be cognizant of students that need extra time during tests. Another simple accommodation is to provide a study guide for the tests. If you do not want to take the time to make one, have the students do one as an assignment. Take the three best guides and give them to everyone.
These accommodations will have a lasting impact on your students. Remember, as teachers, our goal is for students to learn information for future use. If a learning disabled student needs something to access this information, why would we not give it to them and achieve this goal?
- Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Amendments of 1997. 11 stat 37 (20 USC 1401 ).
- Vogel, L., Leonard, F., & Scales, W. R. (1998). The national learning disabilities postsecondary data bank: An overview. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 31(3), 234-247.
Leave a comment below and continue the conversation.
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Death of members of the 54th Massachusetts Regiment...
Item # 568618
September 25, 1863
THE LIBERATOR, Boston, September 25, 1863
* Recruiting "colored" soldiers for the Civil War
This is the famous anti-slavery newspaper by famed abolitionist publisher William Lloyd Garrison. The masthead features two engravings, one of a slave auction and the other showing slaves being emancipated (see).
Page three features "Death of Members of Mass 54th." notes the names of two soldiers that had been killed by friendly fire (see). Also near this report is: "The best sharpshooters at Charleston are said to be negroes. Five of them recently captured were splendidly armed." and a bit further on is: "...Capt. J.W.Ames of the regular army...has been appointed colonel of the colored regiment which has just been raised in Pennsylvania..." (see)
Another brief reportg is headed: "New Company of Colored Volunteers" and notes the officers for: "...a company of colored volunteer militia..." (see). This is followed by: "The Corps D'Afrique" noting: "...authorized under the auspices of Gen. Banks, 15,000 colored soldiers have already been mustered into the service & recruits are still coming in rapidly..." (see).
Also in this issue are: "The Colored Soldiers Captured Before Charleston" with some details (see), and "Colored Seamen in the Navy" among other war-related articles.
Great to have this content in an anti-slavery newspaper.
Complete in four pages, in very nice condition.
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1. THROUGH THE FALL AND REVOLT OF ADAM, THE WHOLE HUMAN RACE MADE ACCURSED AND DEGENERATE. OF ORIGINAL SIN.
I. How necessary the knowledge of ourselves is, its nature, the danger of mistake, its leading parts, sect. 1, 2, 3. II. The causes of Adam's fearful fall, sect. 4. III. The effects of the fall extending to Adam's posterity, and all the creatures, sect. 5, to the end of the Chapter, where the nature, propagation, and effect of original sin are considered.
- The knowledge of ourselves most necessary. To use it properly we must be divested of pride, and clothed with true humility, which will dispose us to consider our fall, and embrace the mercy of God in Christ.
- Though there is plausibility in the sentiment which stimulates us to self-admiration, the only sound sentiment is that which inclines us to true humbleness of mind. Pretexts for pride. The miserable vanity of sinful man.
- Different views taken by carnal wisdom and by conscience, which appeals to divine justice as its standard. The knowledge of ourselves, consisting of two parts, the former of which having already been discussed, the latter is here considered.
- In considering this latter part, two points to be considered;
1. How it happened that Adam involved himself and the whole human race in this dreadful calamity. This the result not of sensual intemperance, but of infidelity, (the source of other heinous sins,) which led to revolt from God, from whom all true happiness must be derived. An enumeration of the other sins produced by the infidelity of the first man.
- The second point to be considered is, the extent to which the contagious influence of the fall extends. It extends,
1. To all the creatures, though unoffending; and,
2. To the whole posterity of Adam. Hence hereditary corruption, or original sin, and the depravation of a nature which was previously pure and good. This depravation communicated to the whole posterity of Adam, but not in the way supposed by the Pelagians and Celestians.
- Depravation communicated not merely by imitation, but by propagation. This proved,
1. From the contrast drawn between Adam and Christ. Confirmation from passages of Scripture;
2. From the general declaration that we are the children of wrath.
- Objection, that if Adam's sin is propagated to his posterity, the soul must be derived by transmission. Answer. Another objection, viz., that children cannot derive corruption from pious parents. Answer.
- Definition of original sin. Two parts in the definition. Exposition of the latter part. Original sin exposes us to the wrath of God. It also produces in us the works of the flesh. Other definitions considered.
- Exposition of the former part of the definition, viz., that hereditary depravity extends to all the faculties of the soul.
- From the exposition of both parts of the definition it follows that God is not the author of sin, the whole human race being corrupted by an inherent viciousness.
- This, however, is not from nature, but is an adventitious quality. Accordingly, the dream of the Manichees as to two principles vanishes.
(A true knowledge of ourselves destroys self-confidence, 1-3)
1. Wrong and right knowledge of self
It was not without reason that the ancient proverb so strongly recommended to man the knowledge of himself. For if it is deemed disgraceful to be ignorant of things pertaining to the business of life, much more disgraceful is selfignorance, in consequence of which we miserably deceive ourselves in matters of the highest moment, and so walk blindfold.
But the more useful the precept is, the more careful we must be not to use it preposterously, as we see certain philosophers have done. For they, when exhorting man to know himself, state the motive to be, that he may not be ignorant of his own excellence and dignity. They wish him to see nothing in himself but what will fill him with vain confidence, and inflate him with pride.
But self-knowledge consists in this, First, When reflecting on what God gave us at our creation, and still continues graciously to give, we perceive how great the excellence of our nature would have been had its integrity remained, and, at the same time, remember that we have nothing of our own, but depend entirely on God, from whom we hold at pleasure whatever he has seen it meet to bestow; secondly When viewing our miserable condition since Adam's fall, all confidence and boasting are overthrown, we blush for shame, and feel truly humble. For as God at first formed us in his own image, that he might elevate our minds to the pursuit of virtue, and the contemplation of eternal life, so to prevent us from heartlessly burying those noble qualities which distinguish us from the lower animals, it is of importance to know that we were endued with reason and intelligence, in order that we might cultivate a holy and honourable life, and regard a blessed immortality as our destined aim.
At the same time, it is impossible to think of our primeval dignity without being immediately reminded of the sad spectacle of our ignominy and corruption, ever since we fell from our original in the person of our first parent. In this way, we feel dissatisfied with ourselves, and become truly humble, while we are inflamed with new desires to seek after God, in whom each may regain those good qualities of which all are found to be utterly destitute.
2. Man by nature inclined to deluded self-admiration
In examining ourselves, the search which divine truth enjoins, and the knowledge which it demands, are such as may indispose us to every thing like confidence in our own powers, leave us devoid of all means of boasting, and so incline us to submission. This is the course which we must follow, if we would attain to the true goal, both in speculation and practice. I am not unaware how much more plausible the view is, which invites us rather to ponder on our good qualities, than to contemplate what must overwhelm us with shame - our miserable destitution and ignominy. There is nothing more acceptable to the human mind than flattery, and, accordingly, when told that its endowments are of a high order, it is apt to be excessively credulous. Hence it is not strange that the greater part of mankind have erred so egregiously in this matter. Owing to the innate self-love by which all are blinded, we most willingly persuade ourselves that we do not possess a single quality which is deserving of hatred; and hence, independent of any countenance from without, general credit is given to the very foolish idea, that man is perfectly sufficient of himself for all the purposes of a good and happy life. If any are disposed to think more modestly, and concede somewhat to God, that they may not seem to arrogate every thing as their own, still, in making the division, they apportion matters so, that the chief ground of confidence and boasting always remains with themselves.
Then, if a discourse is pronounced which flatters the pride spontaneously springing up in man's inmost heart, nothing seems more delightful. Accordingly, in every age, he who is most forward in extolling the excellence of human nature, is received with the loudest applause. But be this heralding of human excellence what it may, by teaching man to rest in himself, it does nothing more than fascinate by its sweetness, and, at the same time, so delude as to drown in perdition all who assent to it. For what avails it to proceed in vain confidence, to deliberate, resolve, plan, and attempt what we deem pertinent to the purpose, and, at the very outset, prove deficient and destitute both of sound intelligence and true virtue, though we still confidently persist till we rush headlong on destruction? But this is the best that can happen to those who put confidence in their own powers. Whosoever, therefore, gives heed to those teachers, who merely employ us in contemplating our good qualities, so far from making progress in self knowledge, will be plunged into the most pernicious ignorance.
3. The two chief problems of self-knowledge
While revealed truth concurs with the general consent of mankind in teaching that the second part of wisdom consists in self-knowledge, they differ greatly as to the method by which this knowledge is to be acquired. In the judgement of the flesh man deems his self-knowledge complete, when, with overweening confidence in his own intelligence and integrity, he takes courage, and spurs himself on to virtuous deeds, and when, declaring war upon vice, he uses his utmost endeavour to attain to the honourable and the fair. But he who tries himself by the standard of divine justice, finds nothing to inspire him with confidence; and hence, the more thorough his self-examination, the greater his despondency. Abandoning all dependence on himself, he feels that he is utterly incapable of duly regulating his conduct.
It is not the will of God, however, that we should forget the primeval dignity which he bestowed on our first parents - a dignity which may well stimulate us to the pursuit of goodness and justice. It is impossible for us to think of our first original, or the end for which we were created, without being urged to meditate on immortality, and to seek the kingdom of God. But such meditation, so far from raising our spirits, rather casts them down, and makes us humble. For what is our original? One from which we have fallen. What the end of our creation? One from which we have altogether strayed, so that, weary of our miserable lot, we groan, and groaning sigh for a dignity now lost. When we say that man should see nothing in himself which can raise his spirits, our meaning is, that he possesses nothing on which he can proudly plume himself.
Hence, in considering the knowledge which man ought to have of himself, it seems proper to divide it thus, First, to consider the end for which he was created, and the qualities - by no means contemptible qualities - with which he was endued, thus urging him to meditate on divine worship and the future life; and, secondly, to consider his faculties, or rather want of faculties - a want which, when perceived, will annihilate all his confidence, and cover him with confusion. The tendency of the former view is to teach him what his duty is, of the latter, to make him aware how far he is able to perform it. We shall treat of both in their proper order.
(Adam's sin entailed loss of man's original endowment and ruin of the whole human race, 4-7)
4. The history of the Fall shows us what sin is [Gen., ch.3]: unfaithfulness
As the act which God punished so severely must have been not a trivial fault, but a heinous crime, it will be necessary to attend to the peculiar nature of the sin which produced Adam's fall, and provoked God to inflict such fearful vengeance on the whole human race. The common idea of sensual intemperance is childish. The sum and substance of all virtues could not consist in abstinence from a single fruit amid a general abundance of every delicacy that could be desired, the earth, with happy fertility, yielding not only abundance, but also endless variety.
We must, therefore, look deeper than sensual intemperance. The prohibition to touch the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was a trial of obedience, that Adam, by observing it, might prove his willing submission to the command of God. For the very term shows the end of the precept to have been to keep him contented with his lot, and not allow him arrogantly to aspire beyond it. The promise, which gave him hope of eternal life as long as he should eat of the tree of life, and, on the other hand, the fearful denunciation of death the moment he should taste of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, were meant to prove and exercise his faith. Hence it is not difficult to infer in what way Adam provoked the wrath of God. Augustine, indeed, is not far from the mark, when he says, (in Psal. 19,) that pride was the beginning of all evil, because, had not man's ambition carried him higher than he was permitted, he might have continued in his first estate.
A further definition, however, must be derived from the kind of temptation which Moses describes. When, by the subtlety of the devil, the woman faithlessly abandoned the command of God, her fall obviously had its origin in disobedience. This Paul confirms, when he says, that, by the disobedience of one man, all were destroyed. At the same time, it is to be observed, that the first man revolted against the authority of God, not only in allowing himself to be ensnared by the wiles of the devil, but also by despising the truth, and turning aside to lies. Assuredly, when the word of God is despised, all reverence for Him is gone. His majesty cannot be duly honoured among us, nor his worship maintained in its integrity, unless we hang as it were upon his lips. Hence infidelity was at the root of the revolt. From infidelity, again, sprang ambition and pride, together with ingratitude; because Adam, by longing for more than was allotted him, manifested contempt for the great liberality with which God had enriched him. It was surely monstrous impiety that a son of earth should deem it little to have been made in the likeness, unless he were also made the equal of God. If the apostasy by which man withdraws from the authority of his Maker, nay, petulantly shakes off his allegiance to him, is a foul and execrable crime, it is in vain to extenuate the sin of Adam. Nor was it simple apostasy. It was accompanied with foul insult to God, the guilty pair assenting to Satan's calumnies when he charged God with malice, envy, and falsehood. In fine, infidelity opened the door to ambition, and ambition was the parent of rebellion, man casting off the fear of God, and giving free vent to his lust. Hence, Bernard truly says, that, in the present day, a door of salvation is opened to us when we receive the gospel with our ears, just as by the same entrance, when thrown open to Satan, death was admitted. Never would Adam have dared to show any repugnance to the command of God if he had not been incredulous as to his word. The strongest curb to keep all his affections under due restraint, would have been the belief that nothing was better than to cultivate righteousness by obeying the commands of God, and that the highest possible felicity was to be loved by him. Man, therefore, when carried away by the blasphemies of Satan, did his very utmost to annihilate the whole glory of God.
5. The first sin as original sin
As Adam's spiritual life would have consisted in remaining united and bound to his Maker, so estrangement from him was the death of his soul. Nor is it strange that he who perverted the whole order of nature in heaven and earth deteriorated his race by his revolt. "The whole creation groaneth," saith St Paul, "being made subject to vanity, not willingly," (Rom. 8: 20,22.) If the reason is asked, there cannot be a doubt that creation bears part of the punishment deserved by man, for whose use all other creatures were made. Therefore, since through man's fault a curse has extended above and below, over all the regions of the world, there is nothing unreasonable in its extending to all his offspring. After the heavenly image in man was effaced, he not only was himself punished by a withdrawal of the ornaments in which he had been arrayed, viz., wisdom, virtue, justice, truth, and holiness, and by the substitution in their place of those dire pests, blindness, impotence, vanity, impurity, and unrighteousness, but he involved his posterity also, and plunged them in the same wretchedness.
This is the hereditary corruption to which early Christian writers gave the name of Original Sin, meaning by the term the depravation of a nature formerly good and pure. The subject gave rise to much discussion, there being nothing more remote from common apprehension, than that the fault of one should render all guilty, and so become a common sin. This seems to be the reason why the oldest doctors of the church only glance obscurely at the point, or, at least, do not explain it so clearly as it required. This timidity, however, could not prevent the rise of a Pelagius with his profane fiction - that Adam sinned only to his own hurt, but did no hurt to his posterity. Satan, by thus craftily hiding the disease, tried to render it incurable. But when it was clearly proved from Scripture that the sin of the first man passed to all his posterity, recourse was had to the cavil, that it passed by imitation, and not by propagation. The orthodoxy, therefore, and more especially Augustine, laboured to show, that we are not corrupted by acquired wickedness, but bring an innate corruption from the very womb. It was the greatest impudence to deny this. But no man will wonder at the presumption of the Pelagians and Celestians, who has learned from the writings of that holy man how extreme the effrontery of these heretics was. Surely there is no ambiguity in David's confession, "I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me," (Ps. 51: 5.) His object in the passage is not to throw blame on his parents; but the better to commend the goodness of God towards him, he properly reiterates the confession of impurity from his very birth. As it is clear, that there was no peculiarity in David's case, it follows that it is only an instance of the common lot of the whole human race.
All of us, therefore, descending from an impure seed, come into the world tainted with the contagion of sin. Nay, before we behold the light of the sun we are in God's sight defiled and polluted. "Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? Not one," says the Book of Job, (Job 14: 4.)
6. Original sin does not rest upon imitation
We thus see that the impurity of parents is transmitted to their children, so that all, without exception, are originally depraved. The commencement of this depravity will not be found until we ascend to the first parent of all as the fountain head. We must, therefore, hold it for certain, that, in regard to human nature, Adam was not merely a progenitor, but, as it were, a root, and that, accordingly, by his corruption, the whole human race was deservedly vitiated. This is plain from the contrast which the Apostle draws between Adam and Christ, "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned; even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord," (Rom. 5: 19-21.) To what quibble will the Pelagians here recur? That the sin of Adam was propagated by imitation! Is the righteousness of Christ then available to us only in so far as it is an example held forth for our imitation? Can any man tolerate such blasphemy? But if, out of all controversy, the righteousness of Christ, and thereby life, is ours by communication, it follows that both of these were lost in Adam that they might be recovered in Christ, whereas sin and death were brought in by Adam, that they might be abolished in Christ. There is no obscurity in the words, "As by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous." Accordingly, the relation subsisting between the two is this, As Adam, by his ruin, involved and ruined us, so Christ, by his grace, restored us to salvation.
In this clear light of truth I cannot see any need of a longer or more laborious proof. Thus, too, in the First Epistle to the Corinthians, when Paul would confirm believers in the confident hope of the resurrection, he shows that the life is recovered in Christ which was lost in Adam, (1 Cor. 15: 22.) Having already declared that all died in Adam, he now also openly testifies, that all are imbued with the taint of sin. Condemnation, indeed, could not reach those who are altogether free from blame. But his meaning cannot be made clearer than from the other member of the sentence, in which he shows that the hope of life is restored in Christ. Every one knows that the only mode in which this is done is, when by a wondrous communication Christ transfuses into us the power of his own righteousness, as it is elsewhere said, "The Spirit is life because of righteousness," (1 Cor. 15: 22.) Therefore, the only explanation which can be given of the expression, "in Adam all died," is, that he by sinning not only brought disaster and ruin upon himself, but also plunged our nature into like destruction; and that not only in one fault, in a matter not pertaining to us, but by the corruption into which he himself fell, he infected his whole seed.
Paul never could have said that all are "by nature the children of wrath," (Eph. 2: 3,) if they had not been cursed from the womb. And it is obvious that the nature there referred to is not nature such as God created, but as vitiated in Adam; for it would have been most incongruous to make God the author of death. Adam, therefore, when he corrupted himself, transmitted the contagion to all his posterity. For a heavenly Judge, even our Saviour himself, declares that all are by birth vicious and depraved, when he says that "that which is born of the flesh is fleshy" (John 3: 6,) and that therefore the gate of life is closed against all until they have been regenerated.
7. The transmission of sin from one generation to another
To the understanding of this subject, there is no necessity for an anxious discussion, (which in no small degree perplexed the ancient doctors,) as to whether the soul of the child comes by transmission from the soul of the parent. It should be enough for us to know that Adam was made the depository of the endowments which God was pleased to bestow on human nature, and that, therefore, when he lost what he had received, he lost not only for himself but for us all. Why feel any anxiety about the transmission of the soul, when we know that the qualities which Adam lost he received for us not less than for himself, that they were not gifts to a single man, but attributes of the whole human race? There is nothing absurd, therefore, in the view, that when he was divested, his nature was left naked and destitute that he having been defiled by sin, the pollution extends to all his seed. Thus, from a corrupt root corrupt branches proceeding, transmit their corruption to the saplings which spring from them. The children being vitiated in their parent, conveyed the taint to the grandchildren; in other words, corruption commencing in Adam, is, by perpetual descent, conveyed from those preceding to those coming after them. The cause of the contagion is neither in the substance of the flesh nor the soul, but God was pleased to ordain that those gifts which he had bestowed on the first man, that man should lose as well for his descendants as for himself.
The Pelagian cavil, as to the improbability of children deriving corruption from pious parents, whereas, they ought rather to be sanctified by their purity, is easily refuted. Children come not by spiritual regeneration but carnal descent. Accordingly, as Augustine says, "Both the condemned unbeliever and the acquitted believer beget offspring not acquitted but condemned, because the nature which begets is corrupt." Moreover, though godly parents do in some measure contribute to the holiness of their offspring, this is by the blessing of God; a blessing, however, which does not prevent the primary and universal curse of the whole race from previously taking effect. Guilt is from nature, whereas sanctification is from supernatural grace.
(Original sin defined as a depravity of nature, deserves punishment, but which is not from nature as created, 8-11)
8. The nature of original sin
But lest the thing itself of which we speak be unknown or doubtful, it will be proper to define original sin. (Calvin, in Conc. Trident. 1, Dec. Sess. 5.) I have no intention, however, to discuss all the definitions which different writers have adopted, but only to adduce the one which seems to me most accordant with truth. Original sin, then, may be defined a hereditary corruption and depravity of our nature, extending to all the parts of the soul, which first makes us obnoxious to the wrath of God, and then produces in us works which in Scripture are termed works of the flesh. This corruption is repeatedly designated by Paul by the term sin, (Gal. 5: 19;) while the works which proceed from it, such as adultery, fornication, theft, hatred, murder, revellings, he terms, in the same way, the fruits of sin, though in various passages of Scripture, and even by Paul himself, they are also termed sins.
The two things, therefore, are to be distinctly observed, viz., that being thus perverted and corrupted in all the parts of our nature, we are, merely on account of such corruption, deservedly condemned by God, to whom nothing is acceptable but righteousness, innocence, and purity. This is not liability for another's fault. For when it is said, that the sin of Adam has made us obnoxious to the justice of God, the meaning is not, that we, who are in ourselves innocent and blameless, are bearing his guilt, but that since by his transgression we are all placed under the curse, he is said to have brought us under obligation. Through him, however, not only has punishment been derived, but pollution instilled, for which punishment is justly due. Hence Augustine, though he often terms it another's sin, (that he may more clearly show how it comes to us by descent,) at the same time asserts that it is each individual's own sin. And the Apostle most distinctly testifies, that "death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned," (Rom. 5: 12;) that is, are involved in original sin, and polluted by its stain. Hence, even infants bringing their condemnation with them from their mother's womb, suffer not for another's, but for their own defect. For although they have not yet produced the fruits of their own unrighteousness, they have the seed implanted in them. Nay, their whole nature is, as it were, a seed-bed of sin, and therefore cannot but be odious and abominable to God. Hence it follows, that it is properly deemed sinful in the sight of God; for there could be no condemnation without guilt.
Next comes the other point, viz., that this perversity in us never ceases, but constantly produces new fruits, in other words, those works of the flesh which we formerly described; just as a lighted furnace sends forth sparks and flames, or a fountain without ceasing pours out water. Hence, those who have defined original sin as the want of the original righteousness which we ought to have had, though they substantially comprehend the whole case, do not significantly enough express its power and energy. For our nature is not only utterly devoid of goodness, but so prolific in all kinds of evil, that it can never be idle. Those who term it concupiscence use a word not very inappropriate, provided it were added, (this, however, many will by no means concede,) that everything which is in man, from the intellect to the will, from the soul even to the flesh, is defiled and pervaded with this concupiscence; or, to express it more briefly, that the whole man is in himself nothing else than concupiscence.
9. Sin overturns the whole man
I have said, therefore, that all the parts of the soul were possessed by sin, ever since Adam revolted from the fountain of righteousness. For not only did the inferior appetites entice him, but abominable impiety seized upon the very citadel of the mind, and pride penetrated to his inmost heart, (Rom. 7: 12; Book 4, chap. 15, sec. 10-12,) so that it is foolish and unmeaning to confine the corruption thence proceeding to what are called sensual motions, or to call it an excitement, which allures, excites, and drags the single part which they call sensuality into sin. Here Peter Lombard has displayed gross ignorance, (Lomb., lib. 2 Dist. 31.) When investigating the seat of corruption, he says it is in the flesh, (as Paul declares,) not properly, indeed, but as being more apparent in the flesh. As if Paul had meant that only a part of the soul, and not the whole nature, was opposed to supernatural grace. Paul himself leaves no room for doubt, when he says, that corruption does not dwell in one part only, but that no part is free from its deadly taint. For, speaking of corrupt nature, he not only condemns the inordinate nature of the appetites, but, in particular, declares that the understanding is subjected to blindness, and the heart to depravity, (Eph. 4: 17, 18.)
The third chapter of the Epistle to the Romans is nothing but a description of original sin; The same thing appears more clearly from the mode of renovation. For the spirit, which is contrasted with the old man, and the flesh, denotes not only the grace by which the sensual or inferior part of the soul is corrected, but includes a complete reformation of all its parts, (Eph. 4: 23.) And, accordingly, Paul enjoins not only that gross appetites be suppressed, but that we be renewed in the spirit of our mind, (Eph. 4: 23,) as he elsewhere tells us to be transformed by the renewing of our mind, (Rom. 12: 2.) Hence it follows, that that part in which the dignity and excellence of the soul are most conspicuous, has not only been wounded, but so corrupted, that mere cure is not sufficient. There must be a new nature. How far sin has seized both on the mind and heart, we shall shortly see. Here I only wished briefly to observe, that the whole man, from the crown of the head to the sole of the foot, is so deluged, as it were, that no part remains exempt from sin, and, therefore, everything which proceeds from him is imputed as sin. Thus Paul says, that all carnal thoughts and affections are enmity against God, and consequently death, (Rom. 8:6-7.)
10. Sin is not our nature, but its derangement
Let us have done, then, with those who dare to inscribe the name of God on their vices, because we say that men are born vicious. The divine workmanship, which they ought to look for in the nature of Adam, when still entire and uncorrupted, they absurdly expect to find in their depravity. The blame of our ruin rests with our own carnality, not with God, its only cause being our degeneracy from our original condition.
And let no one here glamour that God might have provided better for our safety by preventing Adam's fall. This objection, which, from the daring presumption implied in it, is odious to every pious mind, relates to the mystery of predestination, which will afterwards be considered in its own place, (Tertull. de Prescript., Calvin, Lib. de Predest.) Meanwhile let us remember that our ruin is attributable to our own depravity, that we may not insinuate a charge against God himself, the Author of nature. It is true that nature has received a mortal wound, but there is a great difference between a wound inflicted from without, and one inherent in our first condition. It is plain that this wound was inflicted by sin; and, therefore, we have no ground of complaint except against ourselves. This is carefully taught in Scripture. For the Preacher says, "Lo, this only have I found, that God made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions," (Eccl. 7: 29.) Since man, by the kindness of God, was made upright, but by his oven infatuation fell away unto vanity, his destruction is obviously attributable only to himself, (Athanas. in Orat. Cont. Idola.)
11. "Natural" corruption of the "nature" created by God
We says then that man is corrupted by a natural viciousness, but not by one which proceeded from nature. In saying that it proceeded not from nature, we mean that it was rather an adventitious event which befell man, than a substantial property assigned to him from the beginning. We, however call it natural to prevent any one from supposing that each individual contracts it by depraved habit, whereas all receive it by a hereditary law. And we have authority for so calling it. For, on the same grounds the apostle says, that we are "by nature the children of wrath," (Eph. 2: 3.) How could God, who takes pleasure in the meanest of his works be offended with the noblest of them all? The offence is not with the work itself, but the corruption of the work. Wherefore, if it is not improper to say, that, in consequence of the corruption of human nature, man is naturally hateful to God, it is not improper to say, that he is naturally vicious and depraved. Hence, in the view of our corrupt nature, Augustine hesitates not to call those sins natural which necessarily reign in the flesh wherever the grace of God is wanting. This disposes of the absurd notion of the Manichees, who, imagining that man was essentially wicked, went the length of assigning him a different Creator, that they might thus avoid the appearance of attributing the cause and origin of evil to a righteous God.
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Historical Views of the Rockaways
The ocean dumping of garbage, trash, street sweeping, dead animals, butcher shop waste, ash from factories, wood, etc. reared its ugly head during the last decade of the 1800s. The beaches of the Rockaways, Coney Island, and those of eastern Long Island were all noted in newspapers of the time as being strewn with all of the above, and then some.
Even articles written about the big hotels in Rockaway Park told of this unhealthy condition at Rockaway Beach and Far Rockaway. The reporters told of invisible beach inspectors and health inspectors supposedly appointed by the city, or was it Tammany Hall.
Ocean tugboats were supposed to tow their line of two or three garbage scows out to one hundred miles off shore, most likely over the Hudson River canyon, into the coastal plane eons ago, by the river of the same name.
Although the practice was ended in 1924 with the opening of … garbage landfills … there were many instances of repetitions, but investigations into the matter turned out to be a lot of garbage in the New York bight was the reason given.
In the latter years of the last century, medical syringes, medical waste and body parts were found on our beaches, and all has been quiet since washups stopped.
Today's view is of a garbage scow being dumped of its pleasant cargo that was published in Harper's Weekly, in September of 1892. The article with same was titled, "Defilers of the Beach."
When our sewage disposal plants went into operation decades ago, photos and articles in newspapers told of solid wastes from these plants being dumped closer to shore by the "Honey Boats" used for this purpose. Oh well!
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Pika decision could have far-reaching effects
SALT LAKE CITY The government is expected to decide whether a tiny, mountain-dwelling mammal should become the first animal in the continental United States to get federal protections primarily because of climate change.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's decision about the future of the American pika is expected Friday. If the pikas become protected under the Endangered Species Act, some legal experts predict it could have ramifications for future climate policies.
The pika - a furry, big-eared relative of the rabbit - lives mostly in high, rocky mountain slopes in 10 Western states.
Pikas are well-suited for alpine conditions but, as temperatures warm, they're forced to move up-slope. In some places, though, scientists say the pika has run out of room to run and populations have disappeared.
The Associated Press
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Keeping Students Actively Engaged
Strategies for actively engaging students so they have opportunities for success
- Grades: 3–5, 6–8
Active teaching helps students learn because it keeps them motivated and attentive by allowing them to succeed at academic tasks. No matter what your instructional style or how much experience you have, you must actively engage students and allow them plenty of chances to succeed.
Call it direct instruction, explicit instruction, active teaching, structured learning, or any other phrase. But when it means teachers organizing and clearly leading learning activities, it works. Direct instruction means that teachers carefully structure academic tasks. They tell students how to accomplish these tasks, and they guide them through exercises leading to mastery. They give students frequent opportunities for practice, and they assess whether re-teaching or more practice is necessary.
First-grade teachers directly instructing reading groups, for example, introduce new words to students, pointing out important phonetic features. They talk about what a word means and give examples of how it is used. They let students practice words in oral reading and ask questions to make sure students understand what they read and can analyze the words.
To actively teach fractions, a teacher introduces the topic, explains what fractions are, gives concrete examples, works problems on the board, guides the class in working problems together, makes sure children understand the lesson, then gives them opportunities to practice independently with problems they can handle.
While the current thinking favors more student-centered, individualized approaches, most researchers and experienced teachers agree that there is a time and a place for active teaching. Certain topics, concepts, and skills are better taught directly by the teacher. Researchers also caution that many of the individualized or student discovery approaches rely on high degrees of learner independence, concentration, and self motivation not always evident in all children. Further, the research suggests that students even need explicit instruction in becoming independent learners (how to work alone, how and when to seek help, seeking solutions to problems that might arise, knowing what resources are needed).
Active teaching clearly works. But like other strategies, it works best when adapted to particular students and situations. For example, many teachers describe the "mini-lessons" they give on English usage or mechanics as problems occur while students are writing. These lessons are examples of active teaching. The need for active teaching also varies with grade level. In the upper grades, teachers can spend more time presenting and less time directing practice.
Active teaching also works best when cognitive achievement (as measured by standardized tests) is the goal. Other approaches, researchers suggest, may be more appropriate for growth in non-cognitive areas, such as attitudes, emotions, interests, and social development.
It's your judgment call. Use your professional knowledge of students and situations to decide when and where you'll actively teach.
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Researchers from Johns Hopkins, the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center (New York, N.Y.) and the University of California, San Diego, have shown that drug "cocktail" therapy for AIDS does not completely clear the body of HIV. Rather, small amounts of the virus remain "hidden" in immune system cells, unable to cause disease or develop resistance to anti-AIDS drugs.
The findings give hope for long-term survival with HIV infection. But the results also suggest these individuals must continue multiple-drug therapy to prevent reactivation of the infection and active disease. The "cocktail" comprises the relatively new protease inhibitors, plus such long-used drugs as AZT and ddI.
"The bad news is we can't yet get rid of the virus entirely," says Robert F. Siliciano, M.D., associate professor of medicine. "The number of immune system cells that remain infected with HIV declines only very slowly. But the good news is that as long as people infected with HIV keep taking the triple-drug cocktail, they have an excellent chance of surviving the infection for a long time, without developing symptoms of the disease." Siliciano is senior author of an article reporting these results in the Nov. 14 issue of Science.
The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health (Center for AIDS Research) and by the Research Center for AIDS and HIV Infection of the San Diego Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
The new results follow reports by Aaron Diamond researcher David Ho, M.D. that drug cocktail therapy reduced HIV to such low levels it was no longer detectable. Ho suggested that treatment might stop active replication of the virus completely. The present study was undertaken to find and measure HIV "reservoirs" if they existed.
"Ho's idea of measuring the decline in the level of HIV in various reservoirs of the virus was a revolutionary way of looking at the disease," says Siliciano. "Our study identified a specific reservoir that may persist for a long time."
The Hopkins-led researchers studied 22 patients treated with triple-drug therapy for up to 30 months. The patients, who were treated at the Johns Hopkins AIDS Service, received close supervision to ensure they remained on their demanding treatment schedule. This prevented patients from suffering rebounds in their HIV levels and provided the team with a group of individuals with no detectable levels of HIV measurable by standard laboratory methods.
CD4+ lymphocytes are immune system cells targeted by HIV. Most CD4+ lymphocytes infected with HIV produce many copies of the virus before dying. But some of these infected cells survive, become inactive, and enter a resting phase. During the resting phase, these infected cells do not produce new copies of HIV, but remain a reservoir of the virus that triple-drug therapy cannot eliminate, the researchers say.
"We studied patients whose viral loads had been undetectable for prolonged periods of time," says Joel Gallant, M.D., director of the AIDS outpatient clinic. "That kind of success in keeping levels so low was achieved by the combined efforts of our AIDS Service staff and highly motivated patients. That was important in our ability to study HIV in their resting CD4+ cells."
Several Hopkins scientists, led by Joseph B. Margolick, M.D., Ph.D., used a sophisticated cell-sorting technique called flow cytometry to produce very pure populations of resting CD4+ cells from the partially purified cells provided by Siliciano. "We have a special facility for sorting out cells from HIV-infected people, while minimizing hazard to laboratory workers," Margolick says.
"Using the highly purified cells, we found that even after triple-drug therapy reduced HIV to undetectable levels, AIDS virus genetic material remained "hidden" inside "resting" CD4+ lymphocytes," says Diana Finzi, a graduate student working with Siliciano, and lead author of the study. "The team also showed that when the resting cells were stimulated to reproduce, the AIDS virus also replicated."
The multi-institutional study also found that "cocktail" therapy increased the numbers of healthy, uninfected CD4+ cells in all patients--strong evidence that the treatment was successful despite the potentially deadly reservoir of HIV in resting CD4+ cells.
"Fortunately, however, HIV in these resting cells doesn't appear to mutate into drug-resistant forms during triple-drug therapy," Siliciano says. "And because the virus mutates only when it's replicating, this lack of drug resistance suggests the virus is not replicating. So this is a strong argument for not taking these patients off triple-drug therapy."
Other authors of the paper include Martin Markowitz and David Ho (Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center, New York, N.Y.); Douglas D. Richman (University of California, San Diego); and Monika Hermankova, Theodore Pierson, Lucy M. Carruth, Christopher Buck, Richard Chaisson, Thomas Quinn, Karen Chadwick, and Ronald Brookmeyer (Johns Hopkins).
The above post is reprinted from materials provided by Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.
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By Victoria White
GAINESVILLE, Fla.---Women who work out at home lose more weight and do a better job of keeping if off than those who are part of a group exercise program, say University of Florida researchers who conducted a study comparing the two approaches to weight loss.
The findings contradict popular assumptions that it's easier to stick to an exercise regimen if peer pressure is involved.
"For some people, the hurdle of getting to a group site is enough to stop them from going altogether or to limit their visits," said researcher Michael Perri, professor of clinical and health psychology at UF's College of Health Professions.
In a 15-month UF experiment, home exercisers kept up with their workouts, stuck through to the end of the study and monitored their diet at a higher rate than their counterparts in a group exercise program. The result: The home team averaged more than 25 pounds off their frame, compared with about 15 pounds for the others. All participants were helped along by periodic group meetings with a behavior-modification therapist.
The results were published in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology.
Obesity is associated with five of the 10 leading causes of death in the United States. Despite billions of dollars spent annually on diet pills, programs and special foods, more than a third of American adults are overweight, and the number is rising.
"Thirty pounds in 30-day programs are doomed to fail," Perri said. "But if people approach the problem with realistic expectations, even those who have been sedentary can adopt healthy exercise habits and maintain a modest weight loss.
"There are many ways to lose weight, but maintaining the loss is a significant problem," Perri said. "That is why we should look at weight control as an ongoing problem, much like diabetes or hypertension. You don't expect to cure a diabetic after a couple of months of treatment.
"For many who have successfully kept weight off, a key contributor is increased physical activity," Perri continued. "But most people who begin an exercise program give it up. We wanted to find ways that make it more likely that people will continue."
Through newspaper ads, researchers recruited 49 women between the ages of 40 and 60 who were overweight and had not engaged in regular aerobic exercise. On average, they weighed more than 190 pounds.
All participants were asked to limit their diet to 1,200 calories per day and to attend weekly two-hour group sessions for 26 weeks to learn weight management techniques, including self-monitoring and stimulus control. For the next 26 weeks, group sessions on maintaining changes in eating and exercise habits were held once every two weeks.
Half the participants were selected randomly for group exercise, with the rest assigned to individual, home-based workouts.
Exercise for both groups consisted of 30-minute walks five times weekly. The group exercisers were to walk together three days each week for the first 26 weeks and twice weekly after that, with the remainder of the exercise to be done on their own.
In the first six months, results were similar in amount of exercise, improvement in cardiovascular performance and amount of weight loss, with an average decline of 20.6 pounds for the group exercisers and 22.9 for those who worked out at home. After that, however, more of the group exercisers dropped out, and even those who continued with the workouts averaged fewer minutes of walking each week. The home exercisers, meanwhile, continued to lose.
At the end of 15 months, the home exercisers had maintained an average loss of more than 25.6 pounds, compared with 15.4 pounds for the others. Even when program dropouts are excluded from the calculations, the home exercisers did better, averaging a 26.2 pound weight loss, compared with 20.2 pounds for the group exercisers.
"According to surveys, most people would prefer to exercise at home," Perri said. "Another advantage you would expect is that when the program ends, it should be easier for the home exercisers to continue what they were doing.
"The home group also did a better job of monitoring their food intake," Perri said. "It appears that if you take good care of yourself by exercising, there is a good chance you'll follow dietary recommendations."
Perri suggested that when beginning any weight-loss program, it is important to consider whether long-term help is available.
At Weight Watchers International Inc., people who have met their goal through the program are encouraged to continue coming monthly for a weigh-in and meeting--at no charge if they are within two pounds of their target weight.
"We don't talk about our program as a diet that you go on and off," said Cara Bishop, manager of consumer affairs for Weight Watchers. "It's a way of life that we want you to maintain."
Recent UF Health Science Center news releases also are available on the UF Health Science Center Communications home page. Point your browser to http://www.vpha.health.ufl.edu/hscc/index.html.
For the UF Health Science Center topic/expert list, point your browser to http://www.health.ufl.edu/hscc/experts.html
The above post is reprinted from materials provided by University Of Florida Health Science Center. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.
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New discoveries about anti-HIV antibodies may bring researchers a step closer to creating an effective HIV vaccine, according to a new paper co-authored by scientists at the Vaccine Research Center of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health.
Scientists know that an HIV-neutralizing antibody called b12 binds to gp120, an HIV surface protein, at one of the few areas of the virus that does not mutate: the site where gp120 initially attaches to human immune cells. It was thought that exposing the human immune system to this site on gp120 would generate antibodies that, like b12, can neutralize HIV. Studies have found that for unknown reasons, however, the vast majority of antibodies that recognize this site do not block the virus from infecting cells. Now a new study solves this puzzle, suggesting that antibodies must home in precisely on the site of initial gp120 attachment to successfully neutralize HIV.
The gp120 protein usually appears on the surface of HIV and on infected cells in inactive forms of viral debris or non-functional viral spikes. Only rarely do gp120 molecules appear on the surface of the virus in a functional viral spike, which contains a cluster of three gp120 molecules, known as a trimer, in specific alignment. HIV uses this functional viral spike to bind to immune cells and infect them.
The new study shows that most antibodies able to bind to non-functional forms of gp120 cannot bind to gp120 in the functional viral spike and therefore cannot neutralize HIV. Further, the study demonstrates that the reason most anti-gp120 antibodies similar to b12 cannot bind to the functional viral spike is because of the way these antibodies attach to gp120. A close examination of two such antibodies illustrated that their binding positions on gp120 cause a key portion of the protein either to swing in or flare out in positions incompatible with the trimer structure. In contrast, the position of b12 antibody binding allows gp120 to neatly form its normal trimeric structure.
The scientists conclude that generating HIV neutralizing antibodies will require teaching the immune system to make antibodies that precisely target the site of vulnerability on gp120 as it appears in the functional viral spike rather than targeting the plentiful forms of viral debris such as single gp120 molecules.
The above post is reprinted from materials provided by NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.
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The quality of public reporting of bloodstream infection rates among hospitals may be effected by the variation in surveillance methods, according to a study in the November 10 issue of JAMA.
"Public reporting of hospital-specific infection rates is widely promoted as a means to improve patient safety. Central line [central venous catheter]-associated bloodstream infection (BSI) rates are considered a key patient safety measure because such infections are frequent, lead to poor patient outcomes, are costly to the medical system, and are preventable. Publishing infection rates on hospital report cards, which is increasingly required by regulatory agencies, is intended to facilitate interhospital comparisons that inform health care consumers and provide incentive for hospitals to prevent infections. Interhospital comparisons of infection rates, however, are valid only if the methods of surveillance are uniform and reliable across institutions," the authors write.
Michael Y. Lin, M.D., M.P.H., of Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, and colleagues conducted a study to assess institutional variation in performance of traditional central line-associated BSI surveillance. The study included 20 intensive care units among 4 medical centers (2004-2007). Unit-specific central line-associated BSI rates were calculated for 12-month periods. Infection preventionists (infection control practitioners), blinded to study participation, performed routine prospective surveillance using Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) definitions. A computer algorithm reference standard was applied retrospectively using criteria that adapted the same CDC surveillance definitions.
Twenty ICUs in 4 medical centers contributed 41 twelve-month unit periods, representing 241,518 patient-days (total number of days beds were occupied by patients in the ICUs during the study period) and 165,963 central line-days (total number of days patients had a central line in place in the ICUs during the study period). Across all unit periods, the median (midpoint) infection preventionist-measured central line-associated BSI rate was 3.3 infections per 1,000 central line-days. The median rate determined by the computer algorithm was 9.0 per 1,000 central line-days.
When unit periods were analyzed in aggregate across medical centers, overall correlation between computer algorithm and infection preventionist rates was weak. When stratified by medical center, the researchers found that the point estimates of the correlations varied widely.
Additional analysis demonstrated significant variation among medical centers in the relationship between computer algorithm and expected infection preventionist rates. "The medical center that had the lowest rate by traditional surveillance (2.4 infections per 1,000 central line-days) had the highest rate by computer algorithm (12.6 infections per 1,000 central line-days)," the authors write.
"In this study, we found strong evidence of institutional variation in central line-associated BSI surveillance performance among medical centers. Inconsistent surveillance practice can have a significant effect on the relative ranking of hospitals, which threatens the validity of the metric used by both funding agencies and the public to compare hospitals. As central line-associated BSI rates gain visibility and importance -- in the form of public report cards, infection reduction campaigns such as 'Getting to Zero,' and financial incentives for reducing rates by private insurers and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services -- we should seek and test surveillance measures that are as reliable and objective as possible."
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Governments must help tackle undernutrition with committed funds and decisive action, in order to address poor health and poor economic prospects in the developing world, according to a new briefing paper released May 17, 2011.
The paper is authored by ten international experts from the fields of agriculture, sustainable development, trade, policy, and global development, known as the Montpellier Panel, chaired by Sir Gordon Conway, Professor of International Development and Director of Agriculture for Impact at Imperial College London.
The Panel is calling for governments to guarantee financial support to a programme called Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN), which was launched by the United Nations in 2010 and has since been endorsed by over 100 global institutions. Governments of countries including Canada, France, Ireland, UK and USA, as well as donors such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the World Bank have pledged support to this programme, but many have not. The panel is calling for more countries to align with SUN, and for those who already support SUN to match their political commitment with clear financial contributions for developing countries.
The programme draws on scientific and medical evidence, presented in a child undernutrition 'special issue' of The Lancet in 2009, to give guidance on what action should be taken to improve the health of mothers and their young children, and the economic prospects of afflicted nations.
Hunger and inadequate nutrition causes poor health and stunted growth in a third of all the world's children under 5 years old. The briefing paper authors urge governments to take direct actions to tackle child undernutrition including: giving zinc supplements to manage diarrhea; Iron-folic acid supplements for pregnant women, to prevent and treat anaemia; de-worming drugs for children to reduce amount of nutrients they lose from their food; and other nutrition-specific health interventions for pregnant women and children under the age of two.
Adequate nutrition is critically important during the first 1,000 days of a child's development, including his or her development in the womb. Undernutrition during this window causes largely irreversible, long-term effects on brain growth and educational development and leads to an estimated 3.5 million maternal and child deaths annually. The briefing paper says actions like promoting breastfeeding and breast milk supplements containing multiple micronutrients, such as vitamins and essential minerals, and even basic hygiene and handwashing during the 1,000 days can have a significant impact on chronic hunger and child mortality.
Additionally, the Montpellier Panel argues that it is just as important for countries that need to tackle child undernutrition to overcome their agricultural challenges to ensure households can grow or produce a range of suitable foods and meet their minimum nutritional requirements.
According to the briefing paper these challenges include increasing the productivity of, and the ability to produce, crops that are high in micronutrients as well as improving the capacity to process or store raw crops so they can be used in times of shortage.
Professor Sir Gordon Conway, Professor of International Development and Director of Agriculture for Impact at Imperial College London, said: "Undernutrition leads to susceptibility to illness, impaired cognitive functioning and lower educational performance, and this directly affects the economic development of a country. Furthermore, investment in agricultural development has a multiplier effect that can improve nutrition and drive economic growth. Studies show that both direct, short-term nutrition interventions and agricultural solutions have been found to be highly cost-effective, so there is no reason why we can't tackle child undernutrition now."
Briefing paper author Tom Arnold, who is CEO of international humanitarian organisation Concern Worldwide, said: "The first 1000 days of a child's life are crucial, yet not enough is being done to safeguard the development of children during this period. We are calling for donor governments to support the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) agenda and provide funds to developing country programmes pursuing the SUN agenda."
Co-author Katy Wilson, from Agriculture for Impact at Imperial College London, said: "Agriculture is an important development path to better nutrition. European government donors should support national and regional agricultural policies in developing countries that support food production and ensure access to the means to achieve this, including not only financial contributions, but logistical and educational support from a variety of stakeholders."
Governments of those countries most affected by child undernutrition must take the lead in formulating long-term strategies to tackle the problem, say the authors. However they urge donor governments to invest more resources in agricultural research as well as nutritional and agricultural education programmes.
They say it is also key to improve the economic prospects of smallholder farmers by connecting them to outlets at which they can sell their produce and buy resources like fertiliser and seeds, for example by forming large organisations or cooperatives, farmers become more attractive to commercial buyers or international farming contractors. Additionally, government-backed technologies such as mobile phones with market data services, or infrastructure such as new roads, improve farmers access to buyers and markets.
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What happens when human brain cells that surround and support neurons are implanted into the brains of newborn mice? Researchers reporting in the March 7th issue of the Cell Press journal Cell Stem Cell recently found that such mice had enhanced learning and memory when compared with normal mice that hadn't received the transplanted human cells. The findings indicate that these supportive cells, called glia, play an important role in human cognition.
As the human brain evolved, glia became much larger and more varied than those in the brains of rodents. Glia do not conduct electrical impulses like neurons do, but they can modulate neural activity, leading researchers to wonder how these evolutionary changes have benefited humans.
"To assess the species-specific contribution of glia to neural processing and plasticity and the specific advantages, if any, of human glia in cognition, we grafted human glial progenitor cells into the brains of newborn mice and then waited for the mice to grow to adulthood," explains Dr. Steve Goldman, who together with his collaborator Dr. Maiken Nedergaard directs the Center for Translational Neuromedicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center. "We then assessed both neurophysiological and behavioral measures of learning and memory, finding that the engrafted mice exhibited more rapid learning of both conditioned associations and goal-directed tasks." The neuronal connections within their brains also demonstrated characteristics of enhanced learning.
These findings indicate that human glia differ functionally from those of rodents and that they contribute significantly to learning. "As such, our findings suggest that the evolution of human cognition may reflect the development of human-specific glial form and function," says Dr. Goldman.
In a parallel study published in the journal in early February, Dr. Goldman and his team reported that they could efficiently generate glial progenitor cells from human skin cells reprogrammed into induced pluripotent cells. As a result, the researchers can now establish glial progenitor cells on a patient-specific basis from individuals with brain diseases, including a number of neuropsychiatric and neurological disorders that are relatively specific to humans. By implanting these cells into mice as they did in this most recent study, the investigators can assess the role of glial cells in these disorders, as well as test different treatment strategies that target abnormal glial function. They are currently carrying out these experiments with cells from patients with schizophrenia and Huntington's disease.
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Naturalist John Muir was near the epicenter of the 1872 earthquake, and wrote of it in his book Our National Parks.
Aprils edition of the San Francisco Real Estate Circular attempted to put earthquake fears to rest with an editorial which read: San Francisco is in very little more danger of a disastrous earthquake than the Eastern States of being flooded by a overflow of the Atlantic ocean.
A Chronicle representative at Lone Pine sent this report, which detailed some of the Inyo County damage.
The earthquake which occurred at half past 2 oclock on the morning of Tuesday, March 26th, was the greatest convulsion of nature that has taken place in the United States since 1812.
Although it was felt from Oregon to Central America and Mexico, it seems to have spent its force in the Owens river region, distant from this city hundreds of miles, and lying on the opposite side of the Sierra Nevada on the line of the state of Nevada. Independence and other settlements in the the locality suffered from the disastrous effects, but it was the fate of Lone Pine in Inyo County to be marked for destruction as the center of the earths convulsive action.
The first great shock laid in ruins all the adobe buildings in the place and
caused the death of 30 persons. During the ensuing week it was computed that more
than a thousand shocks were felt
One of the tragic deaths was that of Antonia Montoya, a misguided young Mexican woman, who on the fearful night shared her couch with a paramour. Of this, our correspondent at Lone Pine writes:
The shock startled them out of their sleepSan Francisco Chronicle
April 21, 1872
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The Mexican-American War was a war fought between the United States and Mexico between 1846 and 1848. It is also called the U.S.-Mexico War. In the U.S. it is also known as the Mexican War; in Mexico it is also known as the U.S. Intervention, the U.S. Invasion of Mexico, the United States War Against Mexico, and the War of Northern Aggression (this last name is more commonly used in the American South to refer to the American Civil War).
The war grew out of unresolved conflicts between Mexico and Texas. After having won its independence from Mexico in 1836, the Republic of Texas was annexed by the United States in 1845; however, the southern and western borders of Texas remained disputed during the Republic's lifetime. That same year tensions between the two countries over territory were raised when the United States government offered to pay off the Mexican debt to American settlers if Mexico allowed the U.S. to purchase the territories of Alta California and Nuevo México from Mexico.
General Zachary Talyor on campain during the Mexican-American War
The U.S. government claimed that the southern border of Texas was the Rio Grande; Mexico maintained it to be the Nueces River. President James K. Polk ordered General Zachary Taylor to place troops between the two rivers. Taylor crossed the Nueces, ignoring Mexican demands that he withdraw, and marched south to the Rio Grande where he began to build Fort Brown. Fighting began on April 24, 1846 when Mexican cavalry captured one of the American detachments near the Rio Grande. After the border clash and battles at Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma, Polk requested a declaration of war, announcing to Congress that the Mexicans had "invaded our territory and shed American blood upon American soil". The U.S. Congress declared war on May 13, 1846. Northerners and Whigs generally opposed the war while Southerners and Democrats tended to support it. Mexico declared war on May 23.
During the course of the war, around 13,000 American soldiers were killed. Of these deaths, only about 1.5% (~195) were from actual combat; the rest stemmed from disease and unsanitary conditions during the war. It is also estimated that, if post-war deaths from war-related causes are counted, the combined U.S. casualty rate for the war was very high, 30-40%. Mexican casualties remain somewhat of a mystery, and are estimated at 25,000.
A noteworthy, if controversially–remembered, group of fighters was Saint Patrick's Battalion (San Patricios), a group of several hundred immigrant soldiers (mostly from Ireland) who deserted the U.S. Army in favor of the Mexican side. According to one version of events, the Battalion deserted after having experienced harsh religious discrimination in the United States, and found common cause with Mexico due to its status as a largely Catholic country. Most would die in the conflict. Some were captured and hanged, reputedly by generals instructed to make sure that the last thing they saw was the lowering of the Mexican flag and the raising of the U.S. flag. Some historians claim that these men were actually prisoners of war and forced to fight for Mexico. Others argue that they were simply traitors and deserters. There are, in any event, a number of monuments to these soldiers in present-day Mexico.
According to data from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, the last surviving US veteran of the conflict, Owen Thomas Edgar, died on September 3, 1929 at the age of 98.
General Taylor on Horseback at the Battle of Buena Vista, February 23, 1847, lithograph by N. Currier, 1847.
Mexico lost much of its territory in the war, leaving it with a lasting bitterness towards the United States. Santa Anna fled to exile in Venezuela. General Porfirio Díaz, President of Mexico from 1877–1911, would later lament: "¡Pobre México! Tan lejos de Dios, y tan cerca de los Estados Unidos." ("Poor Mexico! So far from God, and so close to the United States.")
In the United States, victory in the war brought a surge in patriotism as the acquisition of new western lands – the country had also acquired the southern half of the Oregon Country in 1846 – seemed to fulfill citizens' belief in their country's Manifest Destiny. While Ralph Waldo Emerson rejected war "as a means of achieving America's destiny," he accepted that "most of the great results of history are brought about by discreditable means." The war made a national hero of Zachary Taylor, a Southern Whig, who was elected president in the election of 1848.
However, this period of national euphoria would not last long. The war had been widely supported in the southern states but largely opposed in the northern states. This division largely developed from expectations of how the expansion of the United States would affect the issue of slavery. At the time, Texas recognized the institution of slavery, but Mexico did not. Many Northern abolitionists viewed the war as an attempt by the slave-owners to expand slavery and assure their continued influence in the federal government. Henry David Thoreau wrote his essay Civil Disobedience and refused to pay taxes because of this war.
The main issue which furthered sectionalism was the expansion of slavery into the national territories. The Missouri Compromise of 1820 banned slavery in national territories north of 36 degrees, 30 minutes (roughly the southern border of Missouri, although that state had been exempted). Also, the Senate was constructed to give equal balance to slave and free states. The Missouri Compromise, however, left room for more free states than slave states and, if continued, would upset the balance of power within the Senate. Thus, many Southerners supported the war to provide more room for slavery to expand (believing that if slavery were not allowed to continue to expand, it would ultimately die out). There were proposals during this time to split Texas (which was easily the largest state in the Union geographically) into multiple slave states, but this did not come to pass.
During the first year of the war, Congressman David Wilmot introduced a bill which would prohibit slavery in any new territory captured from Mexico. This bill, which became known as the Wilmot Proviso caused an immediate outcry from Southerners on both sides of the congressional aisle. To Southerners, it looked as if the north was willing to abandon parity within the senate, and the Wilmot Proviso sparked further hostility between the sections. The bill itself was passed by the House of Representatives but failed in the Senate, with both votes on sectional lines.
In 1848 Democrats proposed a new solution to the issue of whether territories should have slavery, known as popular sovereignty. This would allow for voters within a territory to determine for themselves whether or not they would allow slavery within their territory. The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 would make popular sovereignty the law of the land, striking down the Missouri Compromise. In protest of this, the Republican Party was organized that year by opponents of the expansion of slavery.
Ulysses S. Grant, who served in the war under Taylor's command, would later consider the war to be one of the causes of the American Civil War: "The occupation, separation and annexation [of Texas] were ... a conspiracy to acquire territory out of which slave states might be formed for the American Union." Many of the generals of the latter war had fought in the former, including Grant, Ambrose Burnside, Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.
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This week saw the results of the Berkeley Earth Surface Temperature (BEST) study published in a peer-reviewed journal. Originally set up to test scientific consensus on human induced climate change, the study sparked considerable interest among climate skeptics. But after much commotion and with BEST study now coming to a close, do we know anything now that we didn't already?
BEST results published in peer-reviewed journal by Roz Pidcock, The Carbon Brief, Jan 21, 2013
Barack Obama said more about climate change in his inauguration speech – and expressed it more forcefully – than he did at any point in the 2012 election campaign and during much of his first term.
Climate change occupied a significant chunk of Monday's speech, and Obama did not stint on the language, suggesting it was a religious and patriotic duty to deal with the challenge.
Climate change moves to forefront in Obama's second inaugural address by Suzanne Goldenberg, The Guardian (UK), Jan 21, 2013
As President Obama made clear in his inaugural address Monday, failing to confront the threat of climate change in his second term would be a betrayal of future generations. “Some may still deny the overwhelming judgment of science,” Obama said, “but none can avoid the devastating impact of raging fires, and crippling drought and more powerful storms.” Actually, there are some who can avoid fires, drought and storms, but most of them voted for Mitt Romney.
Global Warming Is a Domestic Crisis by Juan Cole, TruthDig, Jan 22, 2013
The enormous sheets of ice that lie atop Greenland may not be as prone to catastrophic melting as many scientists thought, even if the planet continues to warm and temperatures remain high for hundreds of years. But while that may sound like good news, new evidence also suggests that parts of the even vaster ice sheets that lie atop Antarctica could be more unstable than once believed.
Greenland’s Ice Sheet More Stable Than Once Believed by Michael D. Lemonick, Climate Central, Jan 23, 2013
The climate campaign of 2009-2010 didn't lack for corporate boosters, lobbying teams nor policy analysts. What it lacked was public support.
Hot Years and Cold Truths: The Past and Future of Climate Legislation by Nathaniel Loewentheil, The Huffington Post, Jan 22, 2013
“I can merely tell you that every time in recent earth history where we’ve had these kinds of temperatures for any protracted period of time, two polar ice sheets have catastrophically collapsed,” said Jerry X. Mitrovica, an earth physicist at Harvard who collaborates with Dr. Raymo.
How High Could the Tide Go? by Justin Gillis, New York Times, Jan 21, 2013
The question lurking behind the fight in North America over Keystone, the tar sands and climate change generally is: How much of the planet's remaining fossil fuels can we burn?
How Much Will Tar Sands Oil Add to Global Warming? by David Biello, Scientific American, Jan 23, 2013
But Sandy is the future, climate scientists said. As carbon dioxide emissions blast past worst-case scenarios, rising sea levels and storm surges will reshape every U.S. coastline, from San Francisco to Houston to New York. It is only beginning to dawn on Americans, half of whom live on the coasts, that their future is a battle against the sea.
In the impulse to rebuild from Sandy, much of it financed by the federal government, big questions need to be answered. What to protect, and how? Where to retreat? Where to stand fast?
Is rebuilding in hurricane zones wise? by Carolyn Lochhead, San Francisco Chronicle, Jan 20, 2013
Barack Obama faced intense pressure to break with his inauguration day promise on climate change on Thursday, after a bipartisan majority in the Senate urged approval of the Keystone XL pipeline.
Obama faces Keystone dilemma after Senate urges pipeline approval by Suzanne Goldenberg, The Guradian (UK), Jan 24, 2013
What I did not point out is that, now matter how fast it happens, the increase of sea level will not be an even rise everywhere on the planet. Rising sea level, it turns out, is “lumpy” – the sea goes up more in some places than others.
This may seem strange, since we tend to think of the ocean as a giant bathtub filled with water. If you turn on the faucet and add water to a tub, of course, it rises evenly. Why doesn’t the ocean work that way?
Sea Level and the Limits of the Bathtub Analogy by Justin Gillis, Jan 22, 2013
It is abundantly clear that the target of a 2-degree Celsius limit to climate change was mostly derived from what seemed convenient and doable without any reference to what it really means environmentally. Two degrees is actually too much for ecosystems. Tropical coral reefs are extremely vulnerable to even brief periods of warming. The elevated atmospheric CO2 also has raised the acidity of the oceans, which affects the ability of coral and mollusks such as oysters to build shells and skeletons. A 2-degree world will be one without coral reefs (on which millions of human beings depend for their well-being).
The Climate Change Endgame by Thomas Lovejoy, New York Times, Jan 21, 2013
Posted by John Hartz on Saturday, 26 January, 2013
|The Skeptical Science website by Skeptical Science is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.|
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An executive information system is a type of management information
system that facilitates and supports senior executive information
and decision-making needs.
It provides easy access to internal and external information relevant
to organizational goals.
EIS are enterprise-wide DSS that help top-level executives analyze,
compare, and highlight trends in important variables so that they can
monitor performance and identify opportunities and problems.
In recent years, the term EIS has lost popularity in favor of business
Components OF EIS
EIS components can typically be classified as:
3) User interface
The basic hardware needed for a typical EIS includes four components:
1) Input data-entry devices. These devices allow the executive to enter,
verify, and update data immediately
2) The central processing unit, which is the kernel because it controls the
other computer system components
3) Data storage files. The executive can use this part to save useful
4) several EIS products for networked workstations became available.
These systems require less support and less expensive computer
A typical EIS includes four software components:
1) Text-handling software—documents are typically text-based.
2) Graphic base—graphics can turn volumes of text and statistics into visual
information for executives.
3) Typical graphic types are: time series charts,scatter diagrams, maps,
motion graphics, sequence charts, and comparison-oriented graphs.
4) Model base—EIS models contain routine and special statistical, financial,
and other quantitative analysis.
An EIS must be efficient to retrieve relevant data for decision makers, so
the user interface is very important.
Several types of interfaces can be available to the EIS structure, such as
As decentralizing is becoming the current trend in companies,
telecommunications will play a pivotal role in networked information
Transmitting data from one place to another has become crucial for
establishing a reliable network.
telecommunications within an EIS can accelerate the need for access to
Applications OF ESI
EIS helps executives find those data according to user-defined
criteria and promote information-based insight and understanding.
Unlike a traditional management information system presentation,
EIS can distinguish between vital and seldom-used data, and track
different key critical activities for executives,
both which are helpful in evaluating if the company is meeting its
After realizing its advantages, people have applied EIS in many
areas, especially, in manufacturing, marketing, and finance areas.
Advantages of EIS
Provides timely delivery of company summary information.
Information that is provided is better understood.
EIS provides timely delivery of information.
Management can make decisions made promptly.
Improves tracking information
Offers efficiency to decision makers
Disadvantages of EIS
1) System dependent
2) Limited functionality, by design.
3) Information overload for some managers.
4) Benefits hard to quantify.
5) High implementation costs.
6) System may become slow, large, and hard to manage.
7) Need good internal processes for data management.
A decision support system (DSS) is a computer-based information
system that supports business or organizational decision
DSSs serve the management, operations, and planning levels of an
organization and help to make decisions, which may be rapidly changing
and not easily specified in advance.
Decision support systems can be either fully computerized, human or a
combination of both.
DSSs include knowledge-based systems.
Three fundamental components of a DSS architecture are :-
1) the database (or knowledge base),
2) the model (i.e., the decision context and user criteria), and
3) the user interface.
4) The users themselves are also important components of the
DSS components may be classified as:
1) Inputs: Factors, numbers, and characteristics to analyze
2) User Knowledge and Expertise: Inputs requiring manual analysis
by the user
3) Outputs: Transformed data from which DSS "decisions" are
4) Decisions: Results generated by the DSS based on user criteria
DSS is extensively used in business and management.
Executive dashboard and other business performance software allow
faster decision making, identification of negative trends, and better
allocation of business resources.
Due to DSS all the information from any organization is represented in the
form of charts, graphs.
A growing area of DSS application, concepts, principles, and techniques is
in agricultural production, marketing for sustainable development.
Improves personal efficiency.
Speed up the process of decision making.
Increases organizational control.
Encourages exploration and discovery on the part of the decision maker.
Speeds up problem solving in an organization.
Facilitates interpersonal communication.
Promotes learning or training.
Generates new evidence in support of a decision.
Creates a competitive advantage over competition.
Reveals new approaches to thinking about the problem space.
Helps automate managerial processes.
Create Innovative ideas to speed up the performance.
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The TransCanada tar sands pipeline project is bad for the economy, and worse for the environment. Yes, we talk a lot about how peak oil, more specifically oil producers’ inability to keep up with civilization’s demand, tanks the economy every time it gets too expensive.
And it’s true that the estimated 830,000 barrels a day from the Keystone XL Pipeline (KXL) would slightly (a shade under one percent of current world daily production) mitigate the issue. But so what? As the economy expands — if it’s expanding on the back of oil — we’ll just grow and outpace the additional supply and then be back in the same cycle: expensive oil, tanking economy, lower oil demand, cheaper oil, renewed economic expansion, expensive oil again, repeat.
So the argument that our own oil thesis suggests that we need the Canadian tar sands oil won’t fly. If anything, building the KXL will prolong our oil dependence and make the inevitable, emancipating transition to renewables even more difficult.
The Keystone XL pipeline project proposal will be perhaps the most key event in the recent history of either advancing or thwarting the growth of the ultimately necessary green economy. As such, it’s been very well documented. For us, the key observations are:
- Recovering tar sands requires a strip mining operation, leaving only a moonscape-like terrain in its wake
- Much of the proposed 95,000 square miles to be mined is in Canada’s boreal forest, which will be irreversibly damaged and no longer able to support its eco system and no longer able to sequester carbon
- The lifecycle of the resulting petroleum products (“well to wheel”) is as much as 82 percent more carbon intensive than is the U.S. average for conventional oil
- Leading U.S. climatologist Dr. James Hansen believes if we burn a significant quantity of Canadian tar sands oil it will become “implausible to stabilize climate and avoid disastrous global climate impacts.”
- Canadian tar sand reserves contain a few hundred gigatons of carbon: Dr. Hansen further notes that Canadian “tar sands are estimated…to contain at least 400 GtC (equivalent to about 200 ppm CO2).” Meaning if we burn all Canada’s tar sands, we will on that basis alone be committed to a total of at least 600 parts per million atmospheric carbon, a level associated with approximately 6.3 degrees Fahrenheit of global warming, causing sufficient damage to “likely impoverish much of humanity.”
- The process of getting oil from tar sands is energy intensive, requiring heavy consumption of natural gas
- The process is also very water intensive, requiring four times more water (1,000 liters of water per barrel), than conventional oil. And as the Guardian has pointed out “there are alternatives to fossil fuels but really no alternatives to fresh water.”
- Water used in the process becomes dangerously contaminated, with multiple carcinogens and other poisons, leaving toxic tailings ponds
- No surprise, then, that the Toronto Star reported last week, “Deformed fish found in lake downstream from oilsands.”
- KXL will thus almost certainly damage the key Athabasca watershed: as recently reported in Nature: “Oil-mining operations in Canada’s main tar sands region are releasing a range of heavy and toxic metals — including mercury, arsenic and lead — into a nearby river and its watershed, according to a new study…[including] 13 elements classified as priority pollutants.”
- Representative Henry Waxman has said of the pipeline that it will carry “the dirtiest source of transportation fuel currently available.”
- Track record concerns: in a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, seven U.S. senators note that the already-existing Keystone tar sands oil pipeline (which terminates in Oklahoma) “has been in operation for less than one year and has spilled 12 times.” The KXL will traverse much of America’s key watershed and farmland, and there’s no reason to expect it to perform any better.
The single KXL upside I might have cited was energy security, something along the lines of, “well at least we’re getting the oil from a friendly ally, and the dollars we’re exchanging for the oil won’t end up funding hate-teaching madrassas somewhere.” But we don’t even get that. The reason the pipe terminates in Houston is so the KXL oil or its refined products can be boarded on tankers and shipped abroad, making it difficult to see how the project lessens our dependence on OPEC.
On the contrary, shipping all this new supply offshore means that sellers such as the Saudis will retain their power to price oil in the U.S. as high as they see fit. So, effectively, the main benefits of KXL to the United States are profits to big oil (ConocoPhillips is a key backer of tar sands oil production, as may be ExxonMobil and Dutch/global oil giant Shell, but disclosure of the project’s partners is surprisingly hard to come by), and the approximately 4,000 project jobs that building the pipe will create (that number is from KXL developers’ own report to the U.S. State Dept.).
Apart from that all we get is the risk of a hosting a 1,700 mile pipe designed to make the dirtiest kind of oil available to the rest of the world. Well, that and a warmer climate, and dirtier air and water, all of which will end up costing far more than total KXL profits, in the long term. And, no question, the project will be profitable to its backers: the IEA figures there may be as many as 315 billion barrels of oil in Canada’s tar sands, and all-in costs of recovery are $40 per barrel at the high end. Oil’s currently about $85 per barrel, so…well suffice it to say the math is pretty compelling for the beneficiaries. The problem, as ever, is that the profits will be funneled to a select few while the economic costs will be borne by everyone. Another classic case of privatization of profits/public risk and loss. And all for what’s been called “the tar sands road to China.”
And 4,000 short-term jobs don’t help the economy much overall; hundreds of thousands of permanent green jobs will be far healthier for us in all ways (more on green economy jobs in later posts). And the same folks that will be temporarily employed to build the pipeline could be permanently employed to build out our renewable energy and next economy infrastructures. Green Alpha co-founder and CFO Jeremy Deems came up with a very succinct way of characterizing the KXL: “economic disaster, environmental suicide.”
Yet up against all this comes the official U.S. Department of State conclusion that the pipeline’s impacts will be “limited.” State’s KXL review could have been neither “rigorous” nor “transparent,” in spite of reports of reassurances from Secretary Clinton that “we are leaving no stone unturned in this process.” Experts at the EPA write that, on the contrary, State’s report excluded such factors as “the purpose and need for the project, potential greenhouse gas (GHG emissions associated with the project, air pollutant emissions at the receiving refineries, pipeline safety/spill response, potential impacts to environmental justice communities, wetlands and migratory birds.” Or, you know, pretty much everything.
But as far as State is concerned, it’s pipeline approved; “Keystone XL’s supporters said the State Department decision catapulted the project toward eventual approval.” Let’s hope not. Because the economic benefit, such as it is, will be to already wealthy oil and banking executives. Nice for them, but frankly pathetic up against the negative consequences. President Obama could still decline to allow the project, but that seems unlikely.
The lesson here is that it’s very difficult, and in some ways unwise, to put yourself between oil executives and potentially trillions of dollars of revenue, even if you’re the U.S. government, and especially if you want to get or stay ahead of your opponents in a race for campaign dollars. So, as always, we have to assume that there will be no top-down policy solution to prevent climate change or to advance the next economy. We have to do this for ourselves, solving it from the bottom up, developing and investing in better and cheaper forms of energy, and developing the best solutions to civilization’s looming threats.
Garvin Jabusch is the cofounder of Green Alpha Advisors, LLC and manages The Sierra Club Green Alpha Portfolio — a unique blend of Green Alpha Advisors’ Next Economy universe and the Sierra Club’s proprietary green-investment guidelines.
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This image presents a composite of X-rays from Chandra (red, green, and blue) and optical data from Hubble (gold) of Cassiopeia A, the remains of a massive star that exploded in a supernova. Inset: A cutout of the interior of the neutron star, where densities increase from the crust (orange) to the core (red) and finally to the region where the "superfluid" exists (inner red ball).
Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/xx; Optical: NASA/STScI; Illustration: NASA/CXC/M.Weiss
The ultradense core of an exploded star contains a bizarre form of superconducting matter called a superfluid, new studies suggest.
Two teams of researchers using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory detected a rapid dip in the temperature of Cassiopeia A (Cas A), which is a neutron star — the remnant left behind when a massive star ends its life in a supernova explosion. The huge temperature drop is solid evidence for the presence of a strange state of matter in the core of Cas A, researchers said.
"The rapid cooling in Cas A’s neutron star, seen with Chandra, is the first direct evidence that the cores of these neutron stars are, in fact, made of superfluid and superconducting material," Peter Shternin of the Ioffe Institute in St. Petersburg, Russia, said in a statement. He is leader of one of the teams.
Superfluids made of charged particles are also superconductors, which allow electric current to flow with no resistance.
A neutron star cools off
Cas A is the remnant of a huge star that exploded about 330 years ago. The neutron star is about 11,000 light-years away, in the constellation Cassiopeia.
Researchers in both of the new studies found that it has cooled by about 4 percent over a 10-year period.
"This drop in temperature, although it sounds small, was really dramatic and surprising to see," said Dany Page of the National Autonomous University in Mexico, leader of the other research team. "This means that something unusual is happening within this neutron star."
Neutron stars are some of the densest known objects. One teaspoon of neutron star stuff has a mass of 6 billion tons. [The Strangest Things in Space]
The pressure in the star’s core is so immense that most of the electrons there merge with protons, producing neutrons, researchers said.
Physicists have developed detailed models to predict how matter should behave at such high densities, including the possibility that superfluids may form.
Superfluidity is a friction-free state of matter, and superfluids created in labs here on Earth exhibit remarkable properties. It can climb upward, for example, and escape airtight containers, researchers said.
Superfluids in dead star's core
In their studies, both research groups found evidence that Cas A's rapid cooling is due to the formation of a neutron superfluid in the neutron star's core, and that this happened within the last 100 years or so.
The details of Shternin's study will appear in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society Letters. The reseach by Page and his team will appear in the journal Physical Review Letters.
Cas A's dropping temperatures are consistent with theory, which predicts that a neutron star should undergo a distinct cool-down during the transition to the superfluid state, researchers said.
During this time, nearly massless, weakly interacting particles called neutrinos form in huge numbers and then escape, taking energy with them. The cooling is expected to continue for another few decades before slowing down, researchers said.
On Earth, the appearance of superfluidity in materials occurs at extremely low temperatures, near absolute zero, about minus 273 degrees Celsius (minus 459.6 degrees Fahrenheit). But in neutron stars, it can take place at temperatures near 1 billion degrees F because interactions of particles occur via the strong nuclear force — the force that binds quarks together to make protons and neutrons, and protons and neutrons together to form atomic nuclei.
Until now, there was a very large uncertainty in estimates of this critical temperature. But the new research pins it down to between 900 million and 1.8 billion degrees F (500 million to 1 billion degrees C), researchers said.
"It turns out that Cas A may be a gift from the universe because we would have to catch a very young neutron star at just the right point in time," said Page’s co-author Madappa Prakash, from Ohio University.
"Sometimes a little good fortune can go a long way in science."
Helping shed light on neutron stars
The researchers said their findings suggest that the Cas A supernova remnant can serve as a good test bed for studying how ultradense matter behaves at the atomic level.
These results are also important for understanding the diversity among neutron stars, including pulsation, magnetar outbursts and the evolution of powerful neutron star magnetic fields, researchers said. The new studies could also help scientists better understand small, sudden changes in highly magnetized, rotating neutron stars known as pulsars.
Past studies of the pulsar changes, known as glitches, have yielded evidence of superfluid neutrons in the crust of a neutron star, where densities are lower than in the core.
The new research on Cas A, however, provides the first direct evidence for superfluid neutrons and protons in the core of a neutron star, researchers said.
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http://www.space.com/10931-neutron-star-bizarre-superfluid-core.html
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President John F. Kennedy in his historic message to a joint session of the Congress, on May 25, 1961 declared, "...I believe this nation should commit…Read More »
itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth." This goal was achieved when astronaut Neil A. Armstrong became the first human to set foot upon the Moon at 10:56 p.m. EDT, July 20, 1969. Shown in the background are, (left) Vice President Lyndon Johnson, and (right) Speaker of the House Sam T. Rayburn. Less «
2 of 17
Briefing the President
A briefing is given by Major Rocco Petrone to President John F. Kennedy during a tour of Blockhouse 34 at the Cape Canaveral Missile Test Annex.
3 of 17
I Love a Parade
President John F. Kennedy (left), John Glenn and General Leighton I. Davis ride together during a parade in Cocoa Beach, Florida after Glenn's historic first U.S. human orbital spacefight.
4 of 17
You Deserve a Medal
Former President John F. Kennedy presents Dr. Robert R. Gilruth Director of the Manned Spacecraft Center, Houston, Texas with the Medal for Distinguished…Read More »
Federal Civil Service. The ceremony took place on the White House Lawn. In attendance were second from left to right: Astronaut Alan Sheppard, Astronaut John Glenn, Dr. Robert R. Gilruth, NASA Administrator James Webb, President John F. Kennedy. Less «
5 of 17
Trophy for the Right Stuff
NASA Administrator James E. Webb (center) cites the space achievements of the Project Mercury Astronauts who received the 1963 Collier Trophy Award in…Read More »
a ceremony held at the White House on October 10, 1963. President John F. Kennedy (left) and Vice President Lyndon Johnson accompanied Webb at the ceremony. Five of the Mercury Seven astronauts are visible in the row behind James Webb. They are (starting from JFK's left): Alan Shepard, Donald "Deke" Slayton, John Glenn, Virgil "Gus" Grissom, and Scott Carpenter. Less «
6 of 17
Astronaut, President & Cosmonaut
Second cosmonaut German Titov (right) appears with NASA astronaut John Glenn and President John Kennedy at the White House in 1962. Titov was in Washington…Read More »
to give his account of the Vostok 2 spaceflight to the Committee on Space Research (COSPAR). The twenty-five-year-old Titov was the youngest person to ever go into space - a record that still stands to this day. Less «
7 of 17
Model of a Mariner Spacecraft Presented to President Kennedy
Dr. William H. Pickering, (center) director of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, presents a model of a Mariner spacecraft to President John F.Kennedy,…Read More »
(right) in 1961. NASA Administrator James Webb is standing directly behind the model. Less «
8 of 17
Astronaut Honors in Living Color
Astronaut John Glenn, Jr. is honored by President John F. Kennedy after his historical first manned orbital flight. The ceremony is being held at the Manned…Read More »
Spacecraft Center in Langley, Virginia. The Center moved to Houston, Texas later that year, where it continues to reside. Less «
9 of 17
The President and the Scientist
President John F. Kennedy visited Marshall Space Flight Center on September 11, 1962. Here President Kennedy and Dr. Wernher von Braun, MSFC Director, tour one of the laboratories.
10 of 17
"Up There! That's Where I Say We Should Go!"
Dr. Wernher von Braun explains the Saturn Launch System to President John F. Kennedy. NASA Deputy Administrator Robert Seamans is to the left of von Braun.
11 of 17
"When Do We Get to Meet Jackie?"
President John F. Kennedy congratulates astronaut Alan B. Shepard, Jr., the first American in space, on his historic May 5th, 1961 ride in the Freedom…Read More »
7 spacecraft and presents him with the NASA Distinguished Service Award. The ceremony took place on the White House lawn. Shepard's wife, Louise (left in white dress and hat), and his mother were in attendance as well as the other six Mercury astronauts and NASA officals, some visible in the background. Less «
12 of 17
There Will Be a Quiz Later
Dr. George Mueller gives Saturn V orientation to President John F. Kennedy and officals in Blockhouse 37. Front row, left to right: George Low, Dr. Kurt…Read More »
Debus, Dr. Robert Seamans, James Webb, President Kennedy, Dr. Hugh Dryden, Dr. Wernher von Braun, General Leighten Davis, and Senator George Smathers. Less «
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"Why Does Rice Play Texas?"
President Kennedy speaks before a crowd of 35,000 people at Rice University in the football field. The following are excerpts from his speech. " ... We…Read More »
set sail on his new sea because there is a new knowledge to be gained, and new rights to be won, and they must be won and used for the progress of all people.
... Whether it will become a force for good or ill depends on man, and only if the United States occupies a position of pre-eminence can we help decide whether this new ocean will be a sea of peace or a new terrifying theater of war. But I do say space can be explored and mastered without feeding the fires of war, without repeating the mistakes that man has made with extending his writ around this globe of ours.
...There is no strife, no prejudice, no national conflict in outer space as yet. Its conquest deserves the best of all mankind, and its opportunity for peaceful cooperation may never come again. But why, some say the Moon? Why choose this as our goal? And they may well ask, why climb the highest mountian? Why - 35 years ago - why fly the Atlantic? Why does Rice play Texas? We choose to go to the Moon, we choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one in which we intend to win, and the others too." Less «
14 of 17
"I Hope That Survival Gear Isn't Needed."
Astronaut John H. Glenn, Jr., gives United States President John F. Kennedy a quick run-down on the display of survival gear. The Chief Executive took…Read More »
a quick tour of a dozen NASA displays set up for him after the classified briefing. Less «
15 of 17
President John F. Kennedy and Astronaut John Glenn
President John F. Kennedy shakes hands with Astronaut John H. Glenn Jr. after presenting him with the NASA Distinguished Service Award. Glenn's wife stands behind him.
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President John F. Kennedy Visits Kennedy Space Center
President John F. Kennedy steps off of Air Force One to tour the Launch Complex 37 facilities.
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President Kennedy Arrives at the Cape Canaveral Missile Test Annex Skid Strip
After arriving at the Cape Canaveral Missile Test Annex Skid Strip on Sept. 11, 1962, President John F. Kennedy is welcomed by a color guard and Center Director Kurt Debus (right).
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http://www.space.com/11643-photos-jfk-kennedy-nasa-space-race.html?cmpid=555136
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States Department of Agriculture -
||Southern Research Station
200 Weaver Boulevard
P.O. Box 2680
Asheville, NC 28802
Popular Winter Berries May Be Harmful to Nearby Forests Use Care When Disposing of Bittersweet Decorations
(Asheville, NC) The dried vines of Oriental bittersweet, with their vibrant orange berries, have become popular in winter decorations, used with dried florals and wrapped around trees and wreaths for a natural look. However, the bittersweet vine is not native to this area, and it spreads and replaces native plants. It is now becoming a serious threat to many native plant communities in the eastern United States, and is particularly abundant near Asheville. Forest Service scientists of the Southern Research Station have been studying the invasive strategies of bittersweet. Research by scientists at the Bent Creek Experimental Forest indicates that an important control strategy would be to minimize spread of the seeds from the vines by people, birds, and animals.
Oriental bittersweet was introduced to North America from southeast Asia in 1860 as an ornamental plant. A century later, this highly invasive woody vine had spread to 33 States. It grows especially well in open, disturbed sites, but also grows in low light conditions under closed canopies, responding with rapid growth if the canopy is removed – an invasive strategy referred to as "sit and wait." As a rapid grower, it blocks out light needed by native vegetation, killing native plants, and weakening trees. People contribute to spreading the seeds by continuing to plant it as an ornamental, and by decorating with the berry stems and then discarding them outside.
The Bent Creek Experimental Forest is one of 26 units of the USDA Forest Service Southern Research Station. It is located near Asheville on the Pisgah National Forest. The Southern Research Station is responsible for research and development related to forested ecosystems throughout the 13 Southern States.
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http://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/newsroom/newsrelease/2002/nr_2002-02-05-winter_berries.htm
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fineweb
| 1,980
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University of Phoenix
Health Assessment and Promotion for Vulnerable Population
August 31, 2012
Self-Awareness in Teen Pregnancy and Vulnerable Populations. Vulnerable populations are groups that are not well integrated into the health care system because of ethnic, cultural, economic, geographic, or health characteristics ("Vulnerable populations," 2010, para. 1). Teen pregnancy falls into this category because health-related problems that will negatively influence the teen and child’s lives. Some of the issues the teen can face are parenting problems, relationship problems to include domestic violence, sexually transmitted diseases, child abuse, poor birth outcomes, and suicide attempts. The many problems that arise are from a lack of social and environmental resources that leads to poor decision-making. Teen pregnancy has been on the decline since 1990 dropping 40%. In the United States about 975,000 teens 15 – 19 become pregnant every year. Pregnancies for black and Hispanic teens are two to three times higher than white teenagers ("U.S. teen pregnancy," 2012, para. 3). Birth rates of 20.1 per 1000 teenagers from 15 -17, and 0.5 per 1000 for the youngest age group 10 – 14 have dropped the past two years after a brief increase the previous year. It is hard to determine the age of the father of teen mothers because the information on men are missing on women under 25 that gave birth or the age was not reported. Going to high school in the early 1980s I did see some girls leave the school and discovered later they were pregnant. Sex was something to experiment with, and there were always rumors on what guys were doing what girls. I never thought of or heard about the number of girls who got pregnant. I didn’t think about the consequences that were to follow or how they affect the girls or guys involved. I was in my own little world, and it never...
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http://www.studymode.com/essays/Self-Awareness-In-Teen-Pregnancy-1454534.html
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fineweb
| 1,881
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