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World Applied Sciences Journal 32 (1): 83-87, 2014

ISSN 1818-4952
IDOSI Publications, 2014
DOI: 10.5829/idosi.wasj.2014.32.01.84128

Formation of an Oil Paint Using Alkyd Resin from Soyabean Oil

J.U. Ezeagba, 1U.J.M. Ikezu and 2E.O. Iloh

Department of Chemical Sciences Tansian University Umunya, Anambra State, Nigeria

Department of Pure and Industrial Chemistry Anambra State University Uli, Nigeria

Abstract: Soya bean oil was extracted from Soya bean seed. The colour of oil is pale yellow and the
percentage oil content of the Soya bean seed was found to be 57.6%. The oil was reacted with glycerol at
a temperature of about 250-260C to convert the oil to its monoester. The resulting product was polymerized
with pthalic anhydride to produce an alkyd resin. The resin product was highly viscous fluid with a light
brown colour. An oil paint was formulated with the resin product as the binder and titanium dioxide as pigment.
The paint is white in colour. Many tests were carried out and the results showed that the paint compared well
to standards.
Key words: Soya Bean Oil

Resin And Paint

In the 1620s, the Dutch greatly increased the

availability of white lead and lowered the cost by
invention of the stack process. Later in the century,
vermillion a manmade type of pigment was developed,
as was kings yellow [4].
18th century- The discovery of Prussian blue provided
a much needed intense deep blue, readily available
after 1724.
19th century-Painting had received a rapid and strong
impulsion, which finally led to the great painting of the
Renaissance. But the technique is not enough alone to
create a near perfect art and many improvements would be
yet achieved. Each following generation will bring his
brick to the building.
Oil is able to dry and polymerize to a semi-fluid state
if it
enough unsaturated fatty acids
preferably di-or tri-unsaturated [4]. The participation of
mono-unsaturated (oleic) acid is not well known but
rather limited [5].
Since several years, varieties of vegetable and
non-edible oils are used in paint industry as they are able
to dry quickly, sometimes more quickly than linseed oile.
gsoyabean oils [6]. The drying process itself results in a
polymerization upon uptake of oxygen. The complex
mechanism includes mainly the oxidation degradation

The term paint is normally used to describe

any liquid, liquefiable or mastic composition that,
after application to a substrate in a thin layer, is
converted to a solid film [1]. It can also be used to
describe liquid material before application and
coating after it has been applied and dried.
The purpose of paint is to protect the surface of metals
and wood from attack by rain, dust and gases in the
air, it can also be applied to impart beauty and
protection [1].
Paint is the group of emulsions generally
consisting of pigments suspended in a liquid
medium used as decorative or protective coating
[2]. Its earliest appearance was recorded 30,000 years
ago [2].
New colours were also first discovered in Egyptian
blue dates around 500BC and red Lead was discovered by
accident in 2500BC [3].
RenaissanceIn the 16th century they discovered
easier way to extract the intense warm blue (ultramarine
blue). Cobalt blue glass offered a brilliant sky blue,
though this had to be scattered on paint vanish to get
full effect [3].

Corresponding Author: Ezeagba J.U., Department of Chemical Sciences,

Tansian University, Umunya, Anambra State, Nigeria.

World Appl. Sci. J., 32 (1): 83-87, 2014

of unsaturated fatty acids leading to formation of

aldehyde groups later transformed into carboxylic
groups. Thus dicarboxylic acid are progressively formed
with aging of the mixture. Pimelic, suberic, uzelaic and
subacic acids being mainly found in an old paint [7].
The main components of paints are binders, diluents,
pigment and additive. The binder, commonly called the
vehicle, is the film-forming component of paint. It is the
only component that must be present [3]. It is the part of
the paint in which the pigment is suspended.
It is often referred to as carrier, just as anything else
is used to carry something. The binder imparts adhesion
and strongly influences properties such as gloss,
durability, flexibility and toughness. Binders include
synthetic or natural resins such as alkyds, acrylics,
polyurethanes, polyesters, melamine resins, epoxy, or
oils [4]. Binders can be categorized according to the
mechanisms for drying or curing. Although drying may
refer to evaporation of the solvent or thinner, it usually
refers to oxidative cross-linking of the binders and is
indistinguishable from curing. Some paints form by
solvent evaporation only, but most rely on cross-linking
processes [5].
Diluent is the volatile component of paint and
does not become part of the paint film. The main
purposes of the diluent are to dissolve the polymer and
adjust. It also controls flow and application properties
and in some cases can affect the stability of the
paint while in liquid state [6]. Its main function is as the
carrier for the non volatile components. To spread
heavier oils (for example, linseed) as in oil-based interior
house paint, a thinner oil is required. These volatile
substances impart their properties temporarily once the
solvent has evaporated, the remaining paint is fixed to
the surface.
Pigment and Fillers can be seen as solid powder
which may be fine or appear as grains [6].Pigments are
granular solids incorporated in the paint to contribute
color. Pigments can be classified as either natural or
synthetic and inorganic and organic in composition.
Inorganic pigments contain both coloured and white
pigments while the organic are all coloured [7].
Natural pigments include various clays, calcium
carbonate, mica, silicas and talcs while Synthetics
include engineered molecules, calcined clays, blanc fixe,
precipitated calcium carbonate and synthetic pyrogenic

Hiding pigmentswhich include titanium dioxide,

phthalo blue, red iron oxide protect the substrate from
the harmful effects of ultraviolet light. Fillers are a special
type of pigment that serve to thicken the film, support its
structure and increase the volume of the paint.
Some pigments are toxic, such as the lead pigments
that are used in lead paint. Paint manufacturers began
replacing white lead pigments with titanium white
(titanium dioxide), before lead was banned in paint for
residential use in 1978 by the US Consumer Product
Safety Commission. The titanium dioxide used in most
paints today is often coated with silica/alumina/zirconium
for various reasons, such as better exterior durability or
better hiding performance (opacity) promoted by more
optimal spacing within the paint film.
Besides the three main categories of ingredients,
paint can have a wide variety of miscellaneous additives,
which are usually added in small amounts, yet provide a
significant effect on the product. Some examples include
additives to modify surface tension, improve flow
properties, improve the finished appearance, increase
wet edge, improve pigment stability, impart antifreeze
properties, control foaming and control skinning [8].
Other types of additives include catalysts, thickeners,
stabilizers, emulsifiers, texturizers, adhesion promoters,
UV stabilizers, flatteners (de-glossing agents), biocides
to fight bacterial growth and the like.
Additives normally do not significantly alter the
percentages of individual components in a formulation
Scientific reasons were advanced that pigments
make opaque and lasting coatings consist of several
component including resins, vegetable oils and solvents.
Vegetable oil impartvalueable properties to coating but
in order to furnish these properties, the oil must be
incorporated into the formulation either by cooking,
simple blending or by melting resins into the oil.
Soyabean oil is generally supplied as refined oil
characterized by pale colour, low odour and low acidity
substitutes for linseed oil as a drying time regulator and
to reduce yellowing. The main advantages of using this
soyabean oil is that the need for traditional solvent as
white spirit can be effectively eliminated which leads to
the following benefits:
Zero volatile organic content.
Eliminate healthy risk associated with solvent in
respiratory systems.

Environmental friendly, solvent free and 100%

biodegradable in nature.
Brushes and other equipment can be easily cleaned
with water.
Minimize fire risk.

fractions, such as hexane or trichloroethane in extraction

[9]. The seed is separated from the spiny husk
mechanically or by sun drying in the open until the
casing splits. The soya bean oil was extracted by variety
of process or combination of processes to remove the
bulk of the oil remaining in the press cake, crude
soyabean oil is pale coloured oil, but turns colourless
after refining and bleaching.

Aim of the Research: The main aim of this research is

sourcing of local raw material used for the formulation of
oil paints. Emphasis was on improving the quality of
alkyd resin using low cost soyabean oil as alternative
for high cost oils like linseed oil.

Sample Collection: The soyabean

seeds were
collected from the market, dried under the sun, ground
and soaked in n-hexane,the whole set was left for two
days, the extracted oil and the solvent were collected.
The oil was separated from the solvent using simple
distillation and heating at temperature between 60-80C.
The distilling solvent was condensed and trapped in
the thimble, while the oil remained in the round bottom

The basic operation in manufacturing of paints
(oil based and water based) is the dispersion of pigment
in the paint media. There variation in composition and
handling methods. The procedure for both paint
production are outlined below:

% oil = weight of oil/weight of seed x 100/1

=130/22.8 x100/1=57.6%

Mixing of the binder and solvent to form the vehicle.

Dispersing pigments in some area of the vehicle to
form a paste with addition of some additives.
Thinning by the addition of solvents and vehicles.
Straining and clarifying to remove coarse particles.
Checking/ controlling the physical properties to
conform to specification.
Filling, canning and packaging.

Synthetic of Alkyl Resin: Alkyd resins were prepared

by reacting polybasic acids and polyhydric alcohol
with an oil or fatty acid. Fatty acid method was used.
This involves direct esterification of phthalic anhydride
and glycerol at a temperature range of 210-240C.
The alkyd produced from the fatty acid method is
diluted with oil to a desired concentration at an elevated

Paint Formulation Principles: This is the process of

mixing the right kind of raw material (pigment film formers
and additives) in correct weight proportions to provide
paint with specific properties. The principles and
experimentally determined facts of physics and chemistry
is a special guide to the formulation of paints required to
meet special conditions of domestic and industrial use.
The following requirements are considered before any

Sample Preparation: White oil based paint was produced

by mixing thoroughly the raw material below with stirrer.
Quality Control Test on the Formulated Paint:
The adhesion of a paint to a surface depends on good
wettings and therefore on the cleanliness of the surface.
In practice, it is impossible to remove all impurities and
paints must therefore tolerate degree of dirt [3, 4]. Thus it
is likely that tolerance of dirt is an important factor in
the adhesion

Consistency in the viscosity.

Appearance (e.g colour).
Package conditions.
Application properties : type of coating- whether an
exterior or interior and the type of material it will be
applied on.

Table 1: List of raw materials and quantity used

Extraction of Oill: Soya bean oil (Glycine max.L) can be

extracted continuously using the hydraulic presses
introduced at the beginning of the 19th century. Modern
solvent extraction methods use light paraffin petroleum

Raw materials

Quantity Used (g)

Alkyd resin

Mixer drier (cobalt, lead & manganese)

Zinc Naphthanate

Procedure: A rough asbestos plate was cleaned

properly and allowed to dry. A coat of the paint was
applied and allowed to dry for hours. Adhesive tape
method was used. A piece of pressure sensitive adhesive
type was applied to the panel and the area covered by the
tape cut round through to the asbestos with razor blade.
The end of the tape was then pulled sharply at right angle
to the panel.

Table 2: Summary of the results

Drying time

24 hours

Very Good

The paint film applied on a brushed tinplate pane became

hard dry in not more than 24 hours from the time of the

Water Resistance: This test was carried out to show the

stability of the paint in the presence of water swelling,
blistering and absorption. Moisture absorption taking
place in paints can lead to swelling of the film and if this
severe blisters form. However, highly pigmented films
exhibit less swelling but the greater permeability to both
air and moisture can lead to severe blistering.

Brushability: The paint brush easily and possess good

leveling property when applied at a spreading rate of
approximately 10m2 per liter to a cream faced, gypsum
plaster board. These complies to the Standard
Organization of Nigeria.
Opacity: Small quantity of high quality paint covers
a given surface area whereas a paint of low quality
requires a large volume to give coverage to the surface.
This paint has good opacity and was able to cover well at
not more than two coats which is according to the
standard [7].

Procedure: In this test initial panel was used.

After application of paint sample on the panel the brush
out were allowed several hours (about 24h) to dry.
The test panel were immersed in a beaker of water and
allowed to remain for 48 hours
Drying Time: Drying time is the time required of paint
from time of application to dry to hard resistance film.
Drying mechanism involves paint drying on the surface
but remains soft and tacks beneath. This requires special
type of drier like zinc Naphthanate.

An oil modified alkyd resin was successfully
prepared from thesoyabean oil. The iodine value of this
oil classifies it as semi drying. The drying performance of
the alkyd resin appears quite good, hence exploitable for
the formulation of an oil paint.

Procedure: The paint samples were applied and the time

was noted. They were then allowed to remain for some
time being monitored at some interval.

Brushability and Weathering Test: Brushability is the

ease with which paint flows as it brushed on a surface.
It depends very much on the viscosity of the paint in

Procedure: A hard brush was used to brush out the paint

samples. After the brush out, the paints were exposed to
the atmosphere to determine the effect of weather change
on it. The two most important agents of weathering are
sunlight and rain.

Drying Time: Drying time of paint depends on the

environment, mainly on temperature and humidity.
The result revealed that oil paint had the drying surface
time of 24 hours which is in conformity with the standard.

Allans, I. and J.H. Dlant, 1984. Concise Science

Dictionary,1st Edition Oxford, New York, pp: 214.
Berendsen, A.M. and A.M. Berendsen, 1989. Marine
painting manual. London: Graham &Trotman. ISBN
1-85333-286-0, pp: 113.
Carrow, M.C., 1950. Encyclopaedia of Chemical
Technology, 2nd Edition, Vol 14, Hill Book Company,
New York, pp: 462-491.
Eastlake, C.L., 1967. Material for a History of Oil
Painting, Dover Publications, New York, pp: 145-162.,
Manipulation, Calculation and Data Management"],
pp: 61.
Grolier, L., 1989. Encyclopaedia Americana,
International Edition, Printed and Manufactured
in USA, pp: 205-214.

Larousse, 1995. Dictionary of Science and

Technology, Larousse Kingfisher Chamber Inc,
Great Britain, pp: 829.
Marldey, K.S., 1951. Soyabean and Soyabean
Products, Dover Publications, New York, pp:145-162.

Nigeria Industrial Standard, 1990. (NIS) 278: Udc

667.6 Standard for Paints and Varnishes part 6: Test
Methods for Paints and Varnishes.


Art as Politics at Texas State University

As part of Texas State University’s ongoing Common Experience initiative, pianist, composer, and Texas State alum Dr. Wayne Oquin returned to his alma mater last night as the artistic director for “Let Freedom Ring,” a one-night-only performance in celebration of the First Amendment. The performance was the culmination of the sixth annual Julliard Joins Texas State program, a collaborative performance by students from both schools.

Oquin’s program was an eclectic mix of music, dance, video and theatrical performances that linked Debussy, Bartók and other 20th-century composers with Martin Luther King Jr. and Molly Ivins. The seemingly disparate musical selections were at times jarring and dissonant, and elsewhere aching, soaring or sweet. The program featured vocal pieces sung by the unhesitating baritone voice of Julliard’s Davone Tines, and the explosive choreography of Adam Barruch. There was even a solo played on a “prepared piano,” which had nuts, bolts and weather-stripping applied to its strings. In lesser hands the diverse selection of performances might have felt like a couple hours’ worth of channel-surfing, but under Oquin’s direction the effect was investigative and conversational. The “jangling discords of our nation” mentioned in King’s “I Have a Dream” speech were first made audible in Bartók’s Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion, and the “symphony of brotherhood” King proposed could be heard in the program’s finale, Oquin’s Tower Ascending, performed by Julliard soloists and the Texas State Wind Symphony.

Oquin, who now teaches at Julliard, is known for incorporating music, dance and theater in his works—which seemed especially apropos to this year’s free speech theme. Central to the program were performances by actors Eugene Lee and Barbara Chisholm. Lee delivered two of King’s most famous speeches, beautifully rendering King’s zeal in the early years of the civil rights movement, and the weary determination he exhibited just before his assassination.

The program’s indisputable highlight was Chisholm’s performance of an excerpt from her one-woman show, Red Hot Patriot: The Kick-Ass Wit of Molly Ivins. Ivins was known for her unflinching and often humorous coverage of Texas and national politics, and Chisholm’s Ivins is tough-talking, coarse and knee-slapping funny. But she is also a stringent idealist, reminding the audience that each person’s voice is a powerful political tool. Her message: that Americans should take to the streets, banging pots and pans and demanding justice and good governance from our leaders. “All of your life, whatever you do, you have another job. You are a citizen,” Chisholm urged, and as the lights went down, the wings of the auditorium resonated with the clanking of pots and pans.

Revisiting the words of thinkers and activists such as Ivins and King serves as a reminder of their principles, but Oquin’s program exceeded this goal by demonstrating the fundamental importance of the First Amendment to both art and activism. Art is about communication, and for this reason it is inherently political. Like democracy, its existence depends upon people’s ability to express ideas.

Do you think free access to journalism like this is important?

E. D. Watson is the Nonfiction Editor of Newfound Journal. She lives and writes in San Marcos, Texas.

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WASHINGTON -- The rich aren't taxed enough and the middle class is taxed too much. As for your taxes, you probably think they're too high as well.

Those are the results of an Associated Press-GfK poll that found that most people in the United States support President Barack Obama's proposal to raise investment taxes on high-income families.

The findings echo the populist messages of two liberal senators -- Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Bernie Sanders of Vermont -- being courted by the progressive wing of the Democratic Party to run for president in 2016. The results also add weight to Obama's new push to raise taxes on the rich and use some of the revenue to lower taxes on the middle class.

Obama calls his approach "middle-class economics."

It's not flying with Republicans in Congress, who oppose higher taxes.

But Bob Montgomery of Martinsville, Virginia, said people with higher incomes should pay more.

"I think the more you make the more taxes you should pay," said Montgomery, who is retired after working 40 years at an auto dealership. "I can't see where a man makes $50,000 a year pays as much taxes as somebody that makes $300,000 a year."

Also, 60 percent said middle-class households pay too much in federal taxes, while 7 percent said they paid too little.

Obama laid out a series of tax proposals as part of his 2016 budget released this month. Few are likely to win approval in the Republican-controlled Congress. But if fellow Democrats were to embrace his ideas, they could play a role in the 2016 race.

One proposal would increase capital gains taxes on households making more than $500,000. In the survey, 56 percent favored the proposal, while only 16 percent opposed it.

Democrats, at 71 percent, were the most likely to support raising taxes on capital gains. Among Republicans and independents, 46 percent supported it.

Obama's other tax plans didn't fare as well.

About 27 percent said they favored making estates pay capital gains taxes on assets when they are inherited, and 36 percent opposed it.

Just 19 percent said they supported the president's aborted plan to scale back the tax benefits of popular college savings plans, 529 accounts, named after a section in federal tax law. Obama withdrew the proposal after Republicans and some Democrats in Congress opposed it.

"I think that's a poor idea," said Jamie Starr of suburban Atlanta. "Being that I'm a mother of five children, that is a wonderful program."

"That's kids trying to make their own away in this world without having student loans," she said.

Obama's proposal to levy a new tax on banks was supported by 47 percent of those surveyed. Only 13 percent opposed it, while 36 percent were undecided.

It's tax season, that time of the year when people are confronted by their obligations to the government. The poll found that 56 percent of us think our own federal taxes are too high, and 4 percent said they pay too little.

If taxes are increased, a slight majority said the additional money should help pay down the national debt. Using the money to cut other taxes or fund government programs were less popular options.

Republicans, in general, are more likely than Democrats to oppose higher taxes, except when it comes to low-income families.

Only 19 percent of respondents said low-income families pay too little in federal taxes, but there was a significant split between the political parties. Just 10 percent of Democrats said low-income families pay too little, while 33 percent of Republicans said they don't pay enough.

According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, the poorest 20 percent of households paid less than 1 percent of all federal taxes in 2011, the latest year for data. The top 10 percent paid more than half of all federal taxes.

That's OK, said Sen. Sanders, an independent from Vermont, because wealthy people have seen their incomes soar while the rest of the country's wages have been much more flat.

"Most people understand that at a time when the rich are becoming much richer, the middle class is continuing to disappear," Sanders said. "And people also understand that the very wealthy and large corporations are able to take advantage of huge loopholes, which enable them not to pay their fair share of taxes."

Obama has been pushing to raise taxes on the rich since his first campaign for president in 2008. He has had some success. In January 2013, Obama persuaded Republicans in Congress to let income tax rates go up for families making more than $450,000 a year. It was part of a deal that made permanent a large package of tax cuts first enacted under Republican President George W. Bush.

Some liberals are looking for a candidate to push for higher taxes on the rich in the 2016 race. Sanders and Democrat Warren would fit the profile, though Warren says she is not running for president and Sanders says he has not made up his mind.

Among Democrats, Hillary Rodham Clinton is seen as the front-runner for the nomination; she has yet to make her candidacy official.

Clinton hasn't offered specifics on how she would approach taxes as a candidate. But she offered a glimpse of her views following Obama's State of the Union Address in January, when she tweeted that Obama "pointed way to an economy that works for all. Now we need to step up & deliver for the middle class. #FairShot #FairShare."

The AP-GfK Poll of 1,045 adults was conducted online Jan. 29-Feb. 2, using a sample drawn from GfK's probability-based KnowledgePanel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.

Respondents were first selected randomly using phone or mail survey methods, and later interviewed online. People selected for KnowledgePanel who didn't otherwise have access to the Internet were provided access at no cost to them.

AP-GfK Poll: http://www .ap-gfkpoll. com


As we have previously noted, Congress this year is actively considering two bills that would create a federal private right of action for trade secret theft: The Trade Secrets Protection Act (H.R. 5233) and the Defend Trade Secrets Act (S. 2267). These bills have been spurred in large part by increased foreign cyber-espionage affecting


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The Environmental Investigation Agency UK’s vision is a future where humanity respects, protects and celebrates the natural world for the benefit of all.

EIA UK investigates and campaigns against environmental crime and abuse. Their focus is the protection of climate, forests, ocean and wildlife. They turn the evidence we gather in the field into expert reports targeted at authorities who can make a difference, and campaign for improved governance and effective enforcement. UK Reg. Charity No. 1182208.

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\input zb-basic \input zb-matheduc \iteman{ZMATH 2014d.00827} \itemau{S\'anchez, Ernesto; Land\'{\i}n, Pedro Rub\'en} \itemti{Levels of probabilistic reasoning of high school students about binomial problems.} \itemso{Chernoff, Egan J. (ed.) et al., Probabilistic thinking. Presenting plural perspectives. Dordrecht: Springer (ISBN 978-94-007-7154-3/hbk; 978-94-007-7155-0/ebook). Advances in Mathematics Education, 581-597 (2014).} \itemab Summary: In this chapter, some aspects of the process in which students come to know and use the binomial probability formula are described. In the context of a common high school probability and statistics course, a test of eight problems was designed to explore the performance of students in binomial situations. To investigate the influence of instruction to overcome some common cognitive bias or their persistency, the first three problems are formulated in a way that may induce bias. Each one is structurally equivalent to another problem phrased to avoid any bias that was included in the test. Also, the second and third problems were administered before and after the course to assess the changes produced by instruction. A hierarchy of reasoning, designed in a previous study, was adapted and used to classify the answers of the students in different levels of reasoning. The classification of these answers points out that the components of knowledge, the classical definition of probability, the rule of product of probabilities, combinations, and the binomial probability formula, are indicators of transitions between levels. The influence of the phrasing of the problems is strong before instruction, but weak after it. \itemrv{~} \itemcc{K64 K54 E54} \itemut{hierarchy; SOLO levels; probabilistic reasoning; binomial distribution} \itemli{doi:10.1007/978-94-007-7155-0\_31} \end


Microgrid Stabilization by Electrolyzer with Optimal Fuzzy Gain Scheduling PID Control

Theerawut Chaiyatham and Issarachai Ngamroo

Electrolyzer, microgrid, fuzzy gain scheduling, bee colony optimization

This paper presents the alleviation of power fluctuation by the electrolyzer (EZ) in a stand-alone microgrid (MG) with hybrid power generations from wind, photovoltaic, fuel cell, and diesel engine. In this MG, the intermittent power generations from wind and photovoltaic cause the severe power fluctuation. With the fast response of EZ, the power absorbed by EZ can be controlled to compensate for power oscillation, in addition to the hydrogen production for fuel cell. The structure of active and reactive power controllers of EZ is the fuzzy gain scheduling of proportional-integral-derivative (FGS-PID) controller. Without trial and error, the scale factors, the membership functions, and the control rules of the FGS-PID controller are automatically optimized by bee colony optimization. Simulation study confirms that the proposed EZ with optimal FGS-PID controller is much superior to the optimal PID controller in terms of damping effect and robustness against disturbances.

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RTA 600

RTA 600:

RTA600 is attendance device manufacturer by Hundure Technology Ltd (www.hundure.com), which is either of Proximity card or Barcode type used mostly in the manufacturing industries. Its very robust hardware usually operated in RS232/RS485/RS422 mode. It has also got wiegand reader input for Proximity card/Barcode which facilitates use of both the technology together.

·        Dual function for Time Attendance and Basic Access Control.

·        Dynamic control of memory up to 2,047 cardholders /5,000 transaction data.

·        Standalone/Network communication via RS232/RS422/RS485, dial-up modem and TCP/IP. (External Converter

·        LCD display of date, time, card number, shift schedule, Cardholder name.

·        Programmable shift schedule.

·        20 bell output enabled for shift change and disabled for holidays.

·        External parallel printer port for real time data output and examination.

·        Data collection software with DBF or TXT file export formats.

·        Limitation of unsuccessful swiped card attempts.

·        Memory full warning.

·        Invalid and re-swiped card off-the-record saves memory capacity.

·        Built in UPS for normal system operation during power outages.

·        On board Lithium battery for max.60 days data storage during power outage.

·        Watchdog function ensures system free from halting.


The Qualities of God

Notes from "A Purpose Derived Life"
(a work in progress)

In the search for a life purpose (or purposes), I explore the possibility of deity as a source of inspiration. The problem with that is that there are so many ideas of what a deity is. Who is God? Each person can answer that question differently. Even members of the same spiritual practice can have different ideas of god. Think about Christianity alone. Wars have been fought over different views of God

In order to discuss inspiration through theology, we have to come to grips with these different concepts. I put forth the idea that deity has four main qualities: number, presence. relationship, and involvement.

I began today with the characteristic of number. Deity can be seen as a single concept and there are traditions that worship many gods. Some traditions see deity as many-in-one or as a single presence that exists within all things.

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Needle pricking sensation on skin surface when hot – general q and a forum – ehealthforum electricity video ks2

For the past two months, every time my body warms up a little bit (such as being in a warm room, having too many layers of clothes on, having the heat in the car at normal settings or feeling flustered or embarrased), I get this sharp painful but quick needle pricking sensation across random locations all over my back, my underarms, and the back of my upper legs. The sensation is quick but painful. It honestly feels like someone is stabbing me repeatedly with needles all over the place. The sensation does not stop until I manage to cool myself down either by taking a cold shower or going outside in the cold weather.

I’ve talked to my family physician about it, and she says my blood work has come back normal and attributed it to my body’s natural reaction to heat. However, I normally do not react to heat like this. This has happened to me once before many years ago, but I don’t recall how it went away. I receive this sensation at least once a day, and it is starting to bother me both physically and mentally. Does anyone have any information on what it is and how I can make it go away?

Hi there, I have exactly the same symptoms like you (toshina). For the past one month I have been experiencing this needle prickling all over my body (especially my back, underarms, buttocks and thighs). Just to know, do you have really dry skin? when the needle prickling sensation come, do you see any changes on the skin that you feel the needles? I’ve already seen two skin specialist and both say that I have mild urticaria/hives. Its a disorder that comes once or twice in our live time and there is no direct cure. The first specialist prescribed me with antihistamine and also nicotinamide (or vitamin B3). The dosage for the vitamin B3 was really high like 500mg and taken 3 times a day (for one month) and one antihistamine per day. But after taking the medication for 2 weeks i didn’t feel significant improvement. So I consulted the second specialist, she said roughly the same things like the first specialist and advised that I up the dosage on antihistamine to 2 tablets a day. She said I should do this consistently until the symptoms have gone away but after a week of doing so, once I felt that the symptoms has subsided a bit thus I’ve stopped taking the antihistamine because it causes mild drowsiness and I didn’t feel like taking it during the day and I seldom get the attacks during evening if I’m not hot or anxious. Do you have any problems when you exercise? I feel that I can’t sweat especially on the parts of the skin that have the symptoms. Do you feel the attacks coming back whenever you are anxious? when you receive some shocking news or when you feel your heart starting to pump faster? I really hope someone can share how they can make it go away completely.

Hey guys, for the past year i have been getting this sensation. It is caused by the exact same factors you have listed here. If i feel anxious, excited or if i’m out in the sun for too long i get a painful sensation of needle pricks on the skin. It hurts and only underneath my wrists appear little dots that are not red but white. This pain occurs mainly on my neck, hands and ankle and occurs for only a short period of time (2-4 minutes). Symptoms fade after moving into the shade and cooling down. I have gone to my GP and he said it was nothing serious/life threatening. Cannot recall exactly what he said, but it is to do with the reaction of heat with my blood cells. Anyways i have found the best way to avoid this is to keep cool and stay away from prolong periods in the sun. If symptoms appear i drink a lot of water and take big breaths to calm myself down. Just remember to keep calm, because it seems if you worry about it when it occurs it will stay for longer and be more painful. Just relax! Been to multiple doctors and all say its nothing to be worried about.

I’ve been experiencing this same symptom (the medical term is paresthesia, for anyone curious)for roughly the last 3 weeks. It’s gotten so painful at times that I can only hold my head in my hands, and wait for it to pass. The sensation *only* ever happens on my mid-back to mid-shoulder blades, and seems to happen whenever I get overly hot or fatigued. This is an issue for me, as I’ve also become quite easily fatigued in this time period. In fact, no amount of sleep I manage to get seems to give me any type of energy, lol.

I haven’t changed anything in my daily routine, including the products I use, so I’m a bit reluctant to write this one off as an alergy. I’m 25 years old, with no prior medical conditions, and no previous allergies. I *only* drink cold water, several times a day including when I first wake up. I haven’t experienced any rashes, bumps, or anything similar. The only other symptoms that started around the same time are the constant fatigue, and recurring headaches (usually they’re strongest when I first wake in the morning, and subside over time).

My wife and I are really stumped on this one. I haven’t gone to see a GP yet, as I wanted to do my own research first to ensure that it wasn’t just something a common cure could fix. Also, I have no history of anxiety issues, although I was diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder (a psychological disorder, similar in some ways to Bipolar Disorder) when I was younger.

Perhaps it’s finally time for me to schedule that appointment with the GP or a dermatologist, although I doubt I’m going to receive any solid answers from either. Oh, I almost forgot another factor some have in common…I don’t take any vitamins, or any other supplements.


Spacex’s final upgrade to its falcon 9 rocket isn’t quite final yet — quartz frictional electricity examples

SpaceX debuted the last major upgrade of the Falcon 9 rocket in a successful launch on May 11. But it has yet to demonstrate that a critical system in the redesigned rocket is safe enough to carry astronauts to the International Space Station for NASA.

Before the launch, SpaceX CEO and chief designer Elon Musk told reporters he believed that the new Falcon 9 met NASA’s stringent criteria for flying humans into space, but that he “could be mistaken.” Indeed, the vehicle that flew last week—which is designed to fly 10 times in a row with minimal refurbishment—still wasn’t in “crew configuration.” It lacked an upgrade to advanced high-pressure vessels that worry NASA safety advisors and took the blame for the launchpad explosion of a Falcon 9 in 2016 during fueling.

While the data derived from the May 11 launch will be used to demonstrate the vehicle’s capabilities and safety to NASA, SpaceX will still need to fly the rocket seven more times with the new tanks integrated and in “crew configuration” before the agency will certify it to carry astronauts.

“In aerospace, ‘testing like we fly” is a long standing tenant for safe operations and understanding of critical systems,” the space agency said in a statement, adding that “early Falcon 9 Block 5 flights will provide important insight into the rocket, and will contribute to the certification efforts for the Falcon 9 Block 5 configuration for crew.”

SpaceX told Quartz that the new vessels are now ready to go for an uncrewed demonstration mission scheduled in August. In 2017, the company launched eight rockets in the final five months of the year. It’s aiming for a faster cadence in 2018—so barring a rocket failure, SpaceX should have seven opportunities before its targeted crewed flight in December 2018. The bottle problem

SpaceX chills its propellants, particularly liquid oxygen, to make them denser and thus pack more power into the same volume of tank. It also uses lightweight bottles that are made of advanced carbon composites and lined with aluminum to store helium gas that maintains pressure in the propulsion system.

When the Falcon 9 was destroyed in 2016, engineers ultimately blamed the ultra-cold liquid oxygen, which they believe solidified inside a buckle in the aluminum liner of one of those bottles, known as a composite overwrap pressure vessels or COPVs. Solid oxygen is extremely volatile. Any friction or shock can cause it to ignite—which it did, destroying the rocket and the satellite on top of it. SpaceX changed its fueling procedures after the mishap, and has had no further anomalies.

Since then, SpaceX and NASA have worked feverishly to solve the problem with the bottles. Ahead of the May 11 launch, Musk said he thought concerns about the COPVs were “overblown”—but also that his team “agonized” over the redesign and tested “the living daylights” out of what he called “probably the most advanced pressure vessel ever developed by humanity.” He added that, should NASA have any further concerns, his team could swap out the COPVs and use tanks made out of Inconel, an alloy traditionally used in aerospace.

Musk’s company is known for constantly iterating the designs of its vehicles, a process that has seen it develop the first vertical-takeoff-and-landing reusable rocket to reach orbit—and one that is cheap enough to seize market share from competitors to boot. But NASA officials have fretted about how that approach affects safety, and after a launch failure in 2015, pushed SpaceX to reorganize for more reliability.


Proof of Impossibility - Does This Diophantine Equation Have An Integer Solution? Hilbert's Tenth Problem

Does This Diophantine Equation Have An Integer Solution? Hilbert's Tenth Problem

For reference until this entry can be better constructed see Franzén pages 70–71.

This problem is related to Fermat's last theorem, only recently proved by Andrew Wiles (1994). Previously in his book (p. 10, 11) Franzén describes what a Diophantine equation is and gives good examples (Fermat's last theorem has to do with a simple type of Diophantine equation recognizable to students as part of the conclusion of the Pythagorean theorem when the exponent is "2").

Question: Does any arbitrary "Diophantine equation" have an integer solution? Answer: undecidable.
Fermat's last theorem: "No equation of the form
xn + yn = zn with n greater than 2 have any solution in positive integers" (Franzén p. 11)

Franzén introduces "Hilbert's 10nth problem" and the MRDP theorem (Matiyasevich-Robinson-Davis-Putnam theorem) which states that no algorithm exists which can decide whether or not a Diophantine equation has any solution at all. Franzén's treatment is a creditable job but relies on the reader's understanding of certain terminology with reference to Turing's theorem that he develops a few pages beforehand: MRDP uses the undecidability proof of Turing: "... the set of solvable Diophantine equations is an example of a computably enumerable but not decidable set, and the set of unsolvable Diophantine equations is not computably enumerable" (p. 71).

Franzén also introduces a really fun unsolved problem, very easy to describe—even an elementary-algebra student in junior high could get the question: the Collatz conjecture (3n + 1 conjecture, Ulam's problem). That something so easy to describe and fun to fiddle with is unsolved is rather shocking! (Franzén, p. 11).

Read more about this topic:  Proof Of Impossibility

Famous quotes containing the words tenth, problem and/or equation:

    The tenth day of Christmas,
    My true love sent to me
    Ten pipers piping,
    —Unknown. The Twelve Days of Christmas (l. 64–66)

    Raymond Chandler (1888–1959)

    Anna Quindlen (b. 1952)


Toshiba Corporation

07/05/2019 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 07/04/2019 19:58

Toshiba Improves Power Conversion Efficiency of Tandem Solar Cells with Transparent Cuprous Oxide

18 Jun, 2019
Toshiba Corporation

TOKYO─Toshiba Corporation (TOKYO: 6502) has achieved a breakthrough in photovoltaic power generation by developing a low-cost tandem solar cell fabricated with transparent cuprous oxide (Cu2O) that surpasses the power conversion efficiency of today's widely used monocrystalline silicon (Si) solar cells. The cells are expected to find use in diverse new green energy applications, including on-site renewable power generation and storage systems, distributed regional power supplies, and energy aggregation to balance power supply and demand.

Tandem solar cells improve overall power conversion efficiency by layering different types of solar cells as top and bottom cells, and using both to generate power. Toshiba is a leader in their development, and has recorded significant advances with cells using copper, one of the world's most abundant elements. In January 2019, the company announced the world's first low-cost transparent cell fabricated with cuprous oxide, and simultaneously developed a tandem solar cell that used the transparent cuprous oxide cell as the top cell. This realized a power conversion efficiency of 22%, equivalent to that of a monocrystalline silicon cell. In its latest advance, Toshiba has developed a tandem cell that surpasses the efficiency of the monocrystalline silicon, and raised the power conversion efficiency rate by 1.8%, to 23.8%.
Toshiba will present the details of this technology at IEEE PVSC 46 in Chicago, from June 16 to 21, 2019.

The Japanese government's Fifth Strategic Energy Plan, adopted in July 2018, targets establishing solar power generation as a primary power source by 2030. Achieving this and the required power output will require increased use of tandem solar cells, so as to make effective use of limited installation areas.

Currently commercialized tandem solar cells incorporate gallium-arsenide semiconductors. While these cells have a reported power generation efficiency in the high 30% range, 1.5 to 2 times higher than crystalline silicon solar cells, their manufacturing costs are astronomical─several hundred to several thousand times higher than for crystalline silcon solar cells.

Toshiba's transparent cuprous oxide solar cell generates power by absorbing short-wavelength light, while allowing about 80% of the long-wavelength light to pass through. By developing technologies for producing transparent cuprous oxide and combining its use with broadly available monocrystalline silicon cells, a broad range of short- to long-wavelength light can be converted to energy, realizing low-cost, high-efficiency tandem solar cells.

After developing a transparent cuprous oxide, Toshiba channeled efforts into developing an efficient cell to realize the primary feature of tandem-type cells: a power conversion efficiency of the tandem-type cell surpassing that of the bottom cell alone. When developed in January 2019, the tandem-cell efficiency was 4.4% for the top cell and 17.6% for the bottom cell, a combined efficiency of 22%, equivalent to that of a monocrystalline silicon cell.

From bottom to top, the transparent cuprous oxide solar cell is composed of a rear transparent electrode, a p-layer, an n-layer, and a front transparent electrode (Figure. 1). The thin cuprous oxide film forming the p-layer absorbs short-wavelength light, and the generated positive current is extracted from the rear electrode; negative current is extracted from the front electrode via the n-layer. The combination of p and n layers creates an energy difference between the two layers at the p-n junction. As the potential difference increases, the voltage that can be extracted as electricity decreases commensurately, and the efficiency decreases (Figure. 2).

Toshiba accordingly focused on the material used in the n-layer and employed a newly developed n-type oxide semiconductor in place of conventional materials to reduce the potential difference (Figure. 3). This technology realized a tandem solar cell that achieves a power conversion efficiency 23.8%. This is 1.8% higher than the 22% efficiency of a monocrystalline silicon bottom cell, and confirms improved efficiency from the use of a tandem cell.

Toshiba will further optimize the n-layer to reduce energy loss, thereby further improving efficiency. Once tandem solar cells with efficiencies exceeding 30% are realized, they are expected to find use in new green energy applications, such as on-site power generation and battery storage systems, distributed regional power supplies, and energy aggregation to adjust the balance of power supply and demand. More advanced future applications are expected to include cars, buses, trains, and drones operating on solar energy.

Toshiba aims to complete technology development for transparent cuprous oxide solar cells and their application in tandem solar cells by 2022. The company will continue to pursue research and development aimed at realizing efficiencies of over 30%, significantly surpassing the performance of today's monocrystalline silicon solar cells.


Daniel Taylor

Daniel is one of the most experienced lawyers in the business having previously worked for the Press. Today, Daniel specialises in all aspects of media law including libel, privacy, internet law and confidentiality. Cases he has been involved in have led to changes in the law governing the media. He is also a highly experienced commercial litigator having acted for both Claimants and Defendants in numerous high-profile actions and highly sensitive media cases.
Daniel has represented household names in their actions against the media, including actors, TV presenters and sportsmen. A founding member of the Art Due Diligence Group, Daniel draws on years of experience of reputation management in the art world, conducting art market litigation and indeed any industry, such as the yachting industry, where parties to the transaction wish their names to be kept out of the press.


Brighton beach

The waves beat against the rocky shore (it was not a sandy beach), and the water seemed to blend seamlessly with the blue sky. Seagulls surveyed tourists from above, swerving down to snatch bits of food whenever they saw the chance.

Pebbly beach in Brighton

Brighton Pier
In Hong Kong, it was easy to get a view of the sea. However, spending three months in London staring at law books every night (or every other night…) has made me long for the sea more than ever. The incredible view more than made up for having to wake up at 7am.

Brighton Harbour

While waiting for the sun to set (and to take even more pictures…) we went to Brighton Pier. We spent a fortune on arcade games and a couple of rides (with flimsy seatbelts…), leaving with our wallets considerably lighter than when we first came. By now, the air had grown even colder and hues of red and orange began to appear in the sky. People began setting up tripods near the shoreline to capture the sunset.

Brighton Harbour sunset

When the sky became completely dark (which was only around 4pm), we made our way back to the train station, where an exciting episode of we-were-hungry-so-we-bought-food-but-we-nearly-missed-the-train-so-we-had-to-run took place, which rendered us out of breath and extremely tired. We managed to take a nap during the train ride before proceeding to Winter Wonderland at Hyde Park (all signs of fatigue gone at this point due to our excitement for yet another round of food and rides). I may write about my experience at Winter Wonderland at some point in the near future, so watch out for that!

Brighton beach skyline


While the upper back and neck take the hit for our poor posture, they are usually not the root cause of our issues.
Allow your neck to change from shortened and uncomfortable to lengthened and relaxed as you ease into each position.


Renault (EPA:RNO) Given a €76.00 Price Target at Royal Bank of Canada

Royal Bank of Canada set a €76.00 ($88.37) price target on Renault (EPA:RNO) in a report published on Wednesday, Borsen Zeitung reports. The firm currently has a buy rating on the stock.

A number of other research firms have also weighed in on RNO. Nord/LB set a €50.00 ($58.14) target price on Renault and gave the stock a sell rating in a research note on Thursday, June 6th. Bank of America set a €155.00 ($180.23) target price on Continental and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on from GBX 385 ($5.03) to GBX 480 ($6.27) and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 3rd. UBS Group set a $170.00 target price on United Rentals and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Friday, June 28th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a buy rating on shares of Extended Stay America in a research note on Tuesday, July 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. Renault currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of €69.82 ($81.18).

Shares of RNO opened at €51.06 ($59.37) on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of €54.24. Renault has a 52-week low of €73.71 ($85.71) and a 52-week high of €100.70 ($117.09).

Renault Company Profile

Renault SA designs, manufactures, sells, and distributes vehicles. The company operates through Automotive, Sales Financing, and AVTOVAZ segments. It offers passenger and light commercial, and electric vehicles primarily under the Renault, Dacia, Renault Samsung Motors, Alpine, and LADA, as well as under the Nissan, Datsun, and Infiniti brands.

Featured Article: What does a bar chart mean for investors?

Analyst Recommendations for Renault (EPA:RNO)

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Discover the Top Reasons You Cannot Lose Weight!

For some people exercising, eating healthy and cutting calories have all been tried over and over but the scale still won’t budge! The frustration is relentless and many undoubtedly just want to give up. There may be hidden causes to this weight loss resistance, which urges your body to hang on to extra weight — no matter what diet or exercise measures you take!

After the age of 35, our systems are very vulnerable to any disruption in the intricate balancing networks in our body. For the few women who do manage to lose weight, often gain it back quickly — unless they address the underlying root cause.

The most common systemic imbalances that lead to weight loss resistance in women and men are connected to the extremely delicate symphony of hormones. The key players are the thyroid and adrenal hormones as well as estrogen and progesterone, leptin and ghrelin. Once the body regains balance, the weight comes off easily. One other factor to weight loss resistance is hidden food allergies or sensitivities.

Most Common Causes of Weight Loss Resistance

Thyroid imbalance
When thyroid hormones are low, the body’s metabolic rate is dramatically slowed down. Energy can become diminished; depression can take over and even the digestive system slows resulting in constipation. Unwanted weight gain and fighting for every pound are just a few of the hallmark symptoms of low thyroid function.
Adrenal imbalance
During times of stress, the adrenal glands release cortisol and adrenaline to mobilize quick energy for a “fight or flight” situation. Yet most modern stress doesn’t call for extra calories for us to physically fight or flee, so these get stored as fat. Long-term stress causes your body to hang on to every calorie it can in preparation for crisis. There are more cortisol or stress hormone receptors in our stomach than any other area. This is the reason that the “spare tire” forms around the abdomen during times of chronic stress.

Hormonal imbalance
As early as 35-years-old, our estrogen and progesterone levels can begin to fluctuate. And to preserve fertility for as long as possible, the body hangs on to extra fat — especially in the belly because this fat can make estrogen. It is estimated that at least 50% of the population is in a state of “estrogen dominance” which simply means that progesterone levels are in a lower state than estrogen. This imbalance creates the perfect environment for weight gain.
Sleep imbalance
A lack of sleep affects our ability to lose weight due to 2 hormones called Leptin and Ghrelin. These two hormones that are key in this process become out of balance when good quality sleep does not occur on a regular basis. Ghrelin is the ‘go’ hormone that tells you when to eat and is responsible for the hunger feelings. When you are sleep-deprived, ghrelin is produced in larger quantities causing an increase in appetite and cravings. Leptin on the other hand is the hormone that tells you to stop eating, and when you are sleep deprived less leptin is produced. A leptin deficiency prevents the brain from telling the stomach that you are full!

Food allergies or sensitivities. Digestive imbalances, detoxification issues, and inflammation, which can lead to weight loss resistance can all be the result of food allergies or sensitivities. These sensitivities or allergic responses is yet another form of stress which increases cortisol causing weight gain as a protective measure. In addition, an overload of toxins can mimic our hormones and disrupt fat deposition, as well as alter the way we metabolize sugar. Inflammation can cause weight gain through the loss of insulin control and quick conversion of carbohydrates to belly fat. What does all this mean? You could be eating all the “right” foods that are actually “wrong” for you! Often people are allergic or sensitive to foods that are seemingly healthy.

So, despite all the best efforts sometimes there is just more to the story than we realize. If you have been frustrated by doing all the right “stuff” but simply not getting the desired results, then discovering the root cause and restoring balance can help to change your outcome.

Top Tests to Uncover Your Hidden Causes of Weight Loss Resistance

Food Allergy Panel- this simply blood test helps to reveal 190 hidden food allergies and sensitivities as well as any signs of Candida- a common yeast overgrowth that can cause weight gain.

Complete Female Hormone Panel- this test combines blood and saliva to reveal imbalances in all of the hormones including progesterone, estrogen, testosterone, cortisol, DHEA and all 4 thyroid hormones (TSH, free T4, free T3 and TPO).

Complete Male Hormone Panel- this test combines blood and saliva to reveal imbalances in all of the hormones including estrogen, testosterone, cortisol, DHEA, SHBG, PSA and all 4 thyroid hormones (TSH, free T4, free T3 and TPO).

Thyroid Panel - Imbalances of the thyroid are connected into many female and male hormone issues. A dysfunctional thyroid can affect almost every aspect of health. It is one of the most under-diagnosed hormonal imbalances together with estrogen dominance and metabolic syndrome. A complete thyroid profile includes free T4, free T3, TSH, and TPO and can indicate the presence of an imbalance in thyroid function.

Adrenal Panel - The main function of the adrenal glands is to provide stress coping and survival responses. Higher and more prolonged levels of circulating cortisol (like those associated with chronic stress) have been shown to have negative effects including weight gain. The Adrenal Stress Index is a saliva panel tests several markers for adrenal health.

Insulin Resistance Testing – Insulin resistance is a condition in which normal amounts of insulin are inadequate to produce a normal insulin response from fat, muscle and liver cells. This can be a major underlying cause to unwanted weight gain. This occurs because the process by which glucose passing through the cell wall with the help of insulin to be converted into energy becomes impaired. As a result of this impairment glucose remains in the blood stream causing an increase in blood sugar which is then sent to the liver for once there, the sugar is converted into fat and carried via the blood stream throughout the body. This process can lead to weight gain and obesity.
All these tests are available at Essential Health Natural Wellness Clinic. Book an appointment to uncover your roadblocks to weight loss.


gentrification Content gentrification Content for Feminist Research Institute en What is Feminist Research: Jeanelle Hope
Cultural Studies doctoral candidate Jeanelle Hope is researching the role black women artists play in combatting gentrification in the Oak Park neighborhood of Sacramento.  Hope places gentrification in a greater historical context of a racial resegregation that has been ongoing since deindustrialization.
 August 29, 2018 - 2:18am Scott Tsuchitani What is Feminist Research: Karen Tongson
Karen Tongson discusses queer theory, gentrification, and popular culture.  Feminist research of popular culture can help us understand what kinds of interventions we can make into prevailing cultural messages and create conditions of possibility for new narratives and trajectories.
 July 04, 2018 - 1:47am Scott Tsuchitani


Partnering is essential to advancing rare disease therapies, but while researchers, drugmakers, and patient groups share a common desire to bring new treatments to market, differences in how they operate, their culture, and priorities can derail progress. We spoke to Karen Erickson, associate executive director of community engagement at the Alpha-1 Foundation, about the elements of successful partnering, how to align the differing interests of the participants, and how to get everyone to work together to achieve common goals.

September 13, 2017


Plural Heavens

The Hebrew word shamayim occurs 400 times in the Scriptures. It is a plural word for things that are high up. In all languages, words can have different meanings, depending on the context.

Sometimes shamayim can refer to the atmosphere, as when God continued to command fliers to fly above the earth in the face of the “raqiya shamayim.” (Raqiya is the noun of the verb to spread out, like a runner is the noun of the verb to run.) Day two: “Then God repeatedly commanded (Qal Imperfect), ‘Let there be a raqiya in the midst of the waters, and let it intensively, causally and in unbroken continuity separate (Hiphil Participle) the waters from the waters.’ God continued to make (Qal Imperfect) the raqiya to continually and intensively separate (Hiphil Imperfect) the waters which were below the raqiya from the waters which were above the raqiya; and it was so. God repeatedly called (Qal Imperfect) the raqiya shamayim. And there was evening and morning, day two.” Evidently the “raqiya shamayim” on day two refers to the atmosphere that spread out as water was ejected into space.

Enceladus geysersNASA photographed 90 geysers jetting water into an ice ring from the moon Enceladus. Instruments also detected a nascent atmosphere emerging along with the water. Proverbs 8:28 mentions God’s wisdom when he intensively made hard the clouds above, when the geysers of the deep were powerful. Dr. Frank, from the U. of Iowa, photographed 20 UV-absorbing streaks falling to Earth every minute. Snow balls falling to Earth absorb UV. Perhaps this is returning water, since comets and Mars have different deuterium percentages than local water. The picture of Encleadus is from NASA’s Cassini.  The geysers are jetting out from near the south pole.

Shamayim can also refer to the stars. Genesis 1:14-19. “Then God repeatedly said, (Qal Imperfect) ‘Let there be lights in the raqiya shamayim to intensively be separating (Hiphil Infinitive) the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years; and let them be for lights in the raqiya shamayim to intensively be shining (Hiphil Infinitive) on the earth’; and it was so. God continued to intensively make (Hiphil Imperfect) two great lights, the greater light to govern the day, and the lesser light to govern the night; and the stars also. God continued to set them (Qal Imperfect) in the raqiya shamayim to intensively be shining (Hiphil Infinitive) on the earth and to be ruling (Qal Infinitive) over day and Hubble Utra Deep field (UV) with galaxy 3031night and to be intensively separating (Hiphil Infinitive) light from darkness; and God continued to see (Qal Imperfect) that it was good. There was evening and morning, day four.” The three references to “raqiya shamayim” refer to celestial lights that spread out. Notice how the Hebrew grammar differs from the traditional “ex nihilo” interpretation, based on the Latin grammar. The picture is from NASA’s Hubble telescope showing light from UV to IR in the Hubble Ultra Deep. The spiral galaxy in the upper right  is UDF-3031. It has two arms made of blue star globs with a child galaxy (yellow) at the end of one arm.

What did the shamayim (Sun, Moon and stars) spread out from? Evidently they emerged from what God created first. First God created (Qal Perfect) the shamayim and the earth. The fourth Hebrew word (et) is not translated. It shows that God created the entire universe first. Could shamayim on day one refer to multiple unformed galaxies?

What did the shamayim look like (when they were created)? We are only told that the Earth was unformed and dark. What happened when God’s wind intensively dithered in unbroken continuity (Piel Participle) over the face of the primordial place? Was it God’s continuing command for light to continue to be (Qal Imperfect verbs) that gave matter extension? Why is it that light continues to dither around within all matter? Is this what gives matter the ability to have extension?

Cosmic history is the only continuum that is visible to the creation era. What we observe fits biblical cosmic history. Wait, doesn’t the Bible teach that the Earth is young? There is not a single reference in the Bible of a young earth? According to Hebrews 11:3, God commanded the plural eons to passively form from things unseen. Indeed we observe (at many ranges) how innumerable galaxies grew from “things not seen”, clearly supporting the reference to multiple eons. We even observe great bursts of gamma light periodically arriving from the creation era. It often shines from the areas where the arms of primordial galaxies were forming. Perhaps this is God continuing to energize matter with light, as per the literal text.

Isaiah 44:24 I, the LORD, continue to actively (in unbroken continuity) make (Qal Active Participle) all things; actively (in unbroken continuity) I continue to stretch out the heavens and actively (in unbroken continuity) continue to stretch out the Earth by myself. I cause (in unbroken continuity) the omens of boasters to fail, Making fools out of diviners, Causing wise men to draw back and turning their knowledge into intensive foolishness (Piel Perfect).

What we observe in cosmic history shows that God will make foolish the greatest system of humanist knowledge ever contrived by man, science. At many ranges we observe how trillions of star streams emerged from what is not seen as billions of galaxies intrinsically grew, often into local growth spirals. The atomic clocks, the orbits and the space matter takes up all change together, relationally. Even local atomic clocks, when compared to their transponded reflections from hours ago (Pioneer Anomaly), also blue-shift (relative to distance) just like the atoms in hundreds Michael Netzer's Growing Earthof billions of galaxies. (The fastest atomic clocks are local). Even our Earth has continued (in unbroken continuity) to spread out, as explained in the above text. The continents fit together on a minuscule globe and the ocean floors developed after the continents. The gif of the growing Earth is from Michael Netzer who allows its distribution with attribution.

Scientists have invented the greatest system of mythology in history, the 99% invisible universe. They imagine that 84% of all matter is invisible. Why? No galactic stars follow their mathematical laws. They claim that 70% of all processes in the universe involve the spreading vacuum of space time that stretches light and pushes galaxies away. No one has ever detected any time, space time or light being stretched by vacuums. They even speculate that stars gravitated from space dust. We observe at many ranges how globs packed with stars emerged and spread out as small galaxies grew into large ones as the visible properties of all matter continue to change.

Whirlpool star globsHow great will be the triumph of God’s word over science, the system that was historically founded on the false idea the Bible predicted for the last days. What idea? That all things that exist remain the same (see the Greek text for 2 Peter 3:3-6). Scientific definitions of matter and time, scientific empiricism, methods and mathematics were contrived with that presumption. Use your eyes to carefully test the notion, invented by medieval scholastics, that the essences of substance (its intrinsic properties) are changeless.


tool 2.6 icon accomodations2x.pngTHE MOST COMMON ACCOMMODATIONS are changes in job duties or modified hours of work.

An employer can benefit from the specific skills of a qualified person without needing to significantly modify the workspace or the work environment. We can reduce the impact of disabilities and create a productive and inclusive society. We can do so by changing our response to people who live with different abilities. An accommodation supports the workplace needs of people with disabilities. Accommodations are bridges; without them, daily and routine activities can be out of reach.
Wheelchair ramp:  Canadian employers qualify for funding. Costs can vary, generally ranging from $600 to $1,500.
Assistive Listening Systems: Assisted communication devices, such as Personal FM Systems and the Phonak Roger Easy Pen, are designed to improve speech understanding in difficult listening conditions. These devices help reduce issues relating to background noise and reverberation. Costs approximately $300 to $1,800.
Braille:  Portable Braille Smartwatch technology (e.g. Dot) can allow users to access emails, messages, tweets and books anywhere, anytime. Using Bluetooth, the Dot translates text into Braille (cost is about $350). Other Braille technologies (such as printers) can emboss on both sides of a page. The cost of smaller print production volumes range from $1,800 to $5,000.
Reading pen: This portable hand-held scanning device reads words out loud. Simply glide the reading pen over the text, and the words are spoken and displayed in large font on the built-in screen. Accommodates learning and/or reading difficulties, such as dyslexia. About $300.
Video relay service, or VRS, is a service funded through Canada’s National Contribution Fund that enables people to have video conversations over the Internet. SRV Canada VRS is offered in Canada and is available in four languages, ASL/English and LSQ/French. It brings Deaf or Hard of Hearing people closer together with employers, friends, family, and service providers. Launched in 2016, VRS is replacing the teletypewriter (TTY).
Technology:  New technology offers solutions that enable people who are deaf to participate in group conversations. Using the participant’s smartphone microphone, the app captures what others are saying and converts it into text in real time, making it possible to join the discussion. Other devices, such as virtual keyboards and voice command devices, are designed to make computer technology easier to use.
Amplified phones: These are designed to help with communication, and cost about $100.
Guide dogs and service dogs:  These professionally-trained work animals are matched to clients’ needs based on walking speed and home/work environments. Non-profit organizations gather donations to provide these dogs for free to families (since it can take up to 2 years and $35,000 to train each dog).
Large print: This refers to the formatting of text or documents in which the typeface lettering (font) is considerably larger than usual to accommodate people who have limited vision.
Ergonomic workstations:  Office furniture and other fixtures can be designed to maximize task performance and to minimize fatigue and injuries by matching equipment to the user's body size, strength and range of motion. Costs range from $300 to $2,500.

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Luck Egalitarianism: Reconciling Libertarianism and Socialism to Ensure True Equality

by Andrew Gripp, published

Moral Luck, Constitutive Luck

Luck plays a tremendous role in our lives. Consider two people who are texting while driving in a residential neighborhood: one such driver, through sheer coincidence, ends up striking a pedestrian, while the other driver passes through without incident. Though their behavior is identical, our reactions – and the view of the justice system – toward their behavior varies greatly and hinges considerably on the element of mere chance. In a sense, one driver was simply luckier than the other.

Moral philosophers are only recently beginning to debate and refine our attitudes about the role of luck in particular situations. Thomas Nagel, for instance, has been writing on the subject of "moral luck" since the late 1970s, and philosophers like Sam Harris continue to challenge our preconceptions about how the role of factors and events beyond our control should guide our moral reasoning.

However, the example of the texting drivers above is narrow and situational. Though Nagel was indeed interested in sorting out the role of luck in specific, everyday events, he also contemplated the larger issue of luck in terms of what skills, attributes, character, and life opportunities people possess based on the circumstances of their birth – that grand lottery. Nagel referred to this kind of luck as "constitutive luck."

Constitutive luck determines who we are, and thus, who we become. Consider your present moment. It is purely a matter of luck that you live in a time and place, for instance, when and where you are able to access the Internet and read this article. It is also a matter of constitutive luck that you are physically able to read this article – that you were not born blind, for instance. It is also a matter of chance that you were raised in a society that values literacy and in a community that had the resources to teach you how to read.

However, much of the world is not so lucky. Nearly one billion of the world's 7 billion people are illiterate, approximately the same number are hungry, and more than 2.5 billion people live on less than $2 a day. And while you almost certainly worked hard to achieve what you have and to be able to do what you can do, you cannot discount the role of constitutive luck in allowing you to have the opportunity to make such accomplishments in the first place. Here is Sam Harris' take on the often overlooked issue of the role of luck in human flourishing:

On the basis of this reasoning, Harris concludes: "Those who have been especially lucky – the smart, well-connected, and rich – should count their blessings, and then share some of these blessings with the rest of society."

It is this defense of redistribution to offset the role of bad luck and to allow everyone the same opportunity to flourish that is the thesis of the rest of this essay. It attempts to show to what extent libertarianism (or, interchangeably, "classical liberalism") is reconcilable with policies that could be described as socialist – or social democratic – in nature.

In other words, it attempts to show not only the similarities between these two apparently polar philosophies, but how they can be combined to justify a new philosophy – luck egalitarianism – that maximizes liberty while also giving everyone an equal chance to succeed, regardless of the circumstances of their birth.

The Role of Luck in Rawlsian Liberalism

One of the first political philosophers to take seriously the role of this kind of luck was John Rawls (1921-2002). Rawls' method for determining how to organize a just society is as follows: he asks, "What rules would future members of a society agree upon before entering that society? What rules would they put in place to ensure they had an equal chance of flourishing?"

Rawls imagined that in this "original position," people would rationally agree to several principles if they stood behind a "veil of ignorance" that prevented them from knowing what talents, abilities, or station they would inherit in that society. These principles are (1) the enjoyment of basic liberties, (2a) the equality of opportunity, and (2b) a guarantee that inequality that arises in that society (such as in terms of wealth) does not come at the expense of the least-advantaged.

Again, the role of constitutive luck is central to Rawls' philosophy: people agree to these principles because they do not know what abilities or disabilities they will assume in this society. Since one does not choose the traits and environment that largely determine how one fares in life, Rawls considered them "arbitrary from a moral point of view." Given this randomness, Rawls believed that these principles were rational, fair, and just, since they would, if adhered to, allow people regardless of their luck – good or bad – to have an equal chance of pursuing their goals without obstruction from others and without being held back by conditions beyond their control.

While Rawls' philosophy satisfied many liberals (in both the classical and American senses of the word), some "radical" political philosophers pointed out flaws or inconsistencies in Rawls' work. One such philosopher was G.A. Cohen (1941-2009). Cohen criticized, among others aspects of Rawls' philosophy, his tolerance of inequality.

According to Rawls, society ought to begin from a position of material equality (because of the "morally arbitrary" nature of our inherited nature and environment), and society should only permit inequality to arise if the least well-off see an improvement in their material position. However, Cohen objected: if people begin from a state of material equality due to the "morally arbitrary" distribution of talents and disabilities, why should that equality vanish once there are simply more goods to go around (assuming that all people work to the best of their ability to contribute to the social product)?

Luck Egalitarianism, Equality of Access to Advantage

Yet Cohen, a luck egalitarian, does not believe in total equality of outcome – that everyone should possess the same amount of wealth.

Cohen argued that everyone should have the same opportunity to succeed, and he suggested that Rawls' philosophy, which tolerates extreme inequality insofar as the worst-off benefit in some way (no matter how insignificantly), was bound to fail to guarantee that equal opportunity as inequalities accumulated over time.

Rawls himself also recognized the "fragility of justice" – to use a term coined by luck egalitarian Kok-Chor Tan – in the real-world application of his system: namely, Rawls feared that the free market leads to "an oligopolistic configuration of accumulations that succeeds in maintaining unjustified inequalities and restrictions on fair opportunity."

This observation is relevant to the situation in modern America. While capitalism has indeed increased the country's overall standard of living, some have benefited far more than others. Rawls and Cohen ask us to consider how we ensure that everyone has the same opportunity to succeed. How can we make sure that those saddled with bad luck in this unequal society have a fair shot at success?

Let's note that most Americans, including many conservatives and even libertarians, agree with Rawls and Cohen about the value of the equality of opportunity. Ted Cruz, for instance, announced at Liberty University that "every single child, regardless of race, regardless of ethnicity, regardless of wealth or ZIP Code...has the right to a quality education."

Yet luck egalitarians take a broader view of the equality of opportunity. They regard the nearly exclusive focus on education as an anemic conception of what allows people to flourish. Luck egalitarians believe that such flourishing requires not only a quality education, but also the consideration of all environmental and biological factors that affect one's ability to realize one's potential. Luck egalitarians believe in negating all unelected disadvantages – not only one's chance residence in a lousy school district, but also other inhibiting factors, such as a lack of access to basic nutrition or essential medical care.

After all, what good is access to public education when the child is held back by other factors – like a poor diet or undiagnosed or untreated physical, mental, or emotional problems – that prevent the child from fully taking advantage of that education?

To differentiate this fuller, broader notion from the narrowly liberal understanding of the equality of opportunity, Cohen and other luck egalitarians support what is often referred to as an "equality of access to advantage."

While Rawlsian liberals and luck egalitarians will quibble over how to provide a genuine equality of opportunity (or access to advantage) to all citizens, such arguments are unlikely to faze die-hard libertarians. But, as we shall see, even some libertarians are aware of and responsive to the effects of bad luck.

Libertarianism and Luck

One such libertarian who was critical of Rawls' version of liberalism was Robert Nozick (1938-2002). Indeed, Nozick's renowned right-libertarian manifesto, Anarchy, State, and Utopia, published in 1974, was a reply to Rawls' A Theory of Justice, published in 1971.

Central to Nozick's philosophy is the concept of "self-ownership," whereby no one is entitled to another's wealth or property so long as that person acquired his goods justly – that is, through his own labor or through a fair bargain – what Nozick calls "just acquisition" and "just transfer," respectively.

Nozick is therefore insensitive to the notion of the equality of opportunity: he opposes taxation to provide public education on the grounds that such taxation amounts to state theft of an individual's protected wealth.

While there are various ways to critique Nozick's libertarianism and the priority it gives to the concept of self-ownership (such as by appealing to other first principles, such as consequentialism), there is a loophole in Nozick's philosophy that makes it susceptible to a more radical critique.

According to Nozick, people are entitled to retribution if they are directly or indirectly affected by prior unjust transactions. Nozick's "principle of rectification" allows for transfer payments to compensate for the victims of historical injustices. Thus, Nozick was sensitive to the argument for reparations to amend for slavery because the descendants of slaves are born at a disadvantage given the violation of their ancestor's self-ownership and self-determination.

However, such reasoning plays into Karl Marx's critique of capitalism. Marx's scholarship on the history of "primitive accumulation" revealed that the new capital-owning class, the bourgeoisie, acquired its land and wealth through the forceful expulsion of people from commonly-owned property. This process created a new class of landless, propertyless proletarians who had no means to make a living but through selling their labor to the new owners of capital. Marx referred to this process of primitive accumulation as the "original sin" of capitalism – one that has infected class relations for centuries.

If the descendants of slaves are the victims of historical injustice, as Nozick grants, is it not thus true that the descendants of the dispossessed proletarians (that is, nearly everyone) are also the victims of the process of primitive accumulation?

In other words, if Nozick is sympathetic to the bad luck of the descendants of slaves and believes they are deserving of entitlements to compensate for that bad luck, why is he not sympathetic to bad luck in general? Would it not be absurd, for instance, for a wealthy descendant of a slave to receive reparations while a poor white child born with disabilities would have no access to advantage? Is Nozick not arbitrary or inconsistent in his recognition of the causes and responsibility to alleviate the effects of bad luck that arise from the random circumstances of our birth, whatever the origins of that bad luck might be?

Of course, this argument, if granted, leaves open the question of how that injustice is to rectified; nevertheless, it brings the importance of history and chance – of luck – to bear on Nozick's libertarianism.

As an aside, it is also worth observing that Nozick's libertarianism is more extreme than that of his classical liberal forebears. Adam Smith (1723-1790), the father of free market economics, endorsed progressive taxation, public education, and a host of state interventions. And John Locke (1632-1704), perhaps the most influential liberal philosopher, wrote in his First Treatise (the more theological prelude to his better known and more politically-oriented Second Treatise) about the "duty of charity" – the responsibility of the well-off to help the less fortunate:

Clarifying Luck Egalitarianism

It is important to stress several aspects of luck egalitarianism.

First, luck egalitarianism does value liberty, but it does not regard others' wealth as wholly untouchable: it seeks to maximize liberty to the extent that it allows for everyone to have the same opportunities regardless of the circumstances of their birth. If there were a way to guarantee this kind of equality with a 15 percent flat tax, then luck egalitarians would readily embrace it.

Second, luck egalitarianism does not justify Soviet-style communism or a command economy. Instead, luck egalitarianism recommends policies most closely associated with Scandinavian-style social democracy. Countries like Norway, Denmark, and Finland – where social mobility is greater than in the United States – subsidize not only education, but also health care and other basic life necessities that are prerequisites for ensuring a genuine equality of opportunity.

Third, luck egalitarianism is not incompatible with capitalism insofar as it relates to the operation of a market economy alongside that of a social democratic welfare state. In fact, one can make the case that luck egalitarianism effectively guarantees what libertarianism only valorizes in the abstract – that is, not only establishing the importance and righteousness of self-determination, but also the means to achieve it through the equality of access to advantage.

Finally, luck egalitarianism does not demand an equality of outcome of any kind. In this regard, libertarians and luck egalitarians agree: differences in wealth and income should reflect one thing – effort (recall Cohen's assumption about everyone working to the best of their ability and Harris' encouragement of hard work and disapproval of free riders). Again, one can make the case that luck egalitarians are more loyal to this value than libertarians, since under libertarianism, not only effort, but other factors – especially those beyond one's control – largely determine a person's destiny. Under luck egalitarianism, however, inhibiting factors such as initial poverty or inherited disabilities are compensated for – thus accentuating the role of effort and increasing social mobility.

Such a reconciliation of libertarian and socialist principles through a philosophy such as luck egalitarianism would go a long way to guaranteeing a genuine equality of opportunity – a value shared by nearly all Americans. In a country where health emergencies kill and bankrupt tens of thousands of people each year, where millions of children receive substandard education because of their residence in poor school districts, and where the circumstances of one's birth and upbringing are largely determinative of one's social mobility, such a philosophy, if embraced, could not only heal the social divisions in this country, but its political divisions as well.

About the Author


Agalmatakia | Greece

Name in Original Language

Area Where Played

The word αγαλματάκια (agalmatakia) in Greek means “little statues, statuettes”. It refers to the players’ trying to remain motionless in their position. The game is often also called στρατιωτάκια (stratiotakia = little soldiers). A variation of the game, in which the players should stay motionless while standing on one leg, is attested in Greek antiquity under the name ακινητίνδα (akinetinda), which derives from the word ακίνητος (akinitos = motionless). Agalmatakia / stratiotakia is a version of a universal game pattern in which the players must stay motionless. The English variation is called “statues” and falls within the “musical chairs” family of games.

Detailed Description

A child with eyes closed stays apart from the other with its back turned to them and asks: “Αγαλματάκια ακίνητα, αμίλητα, αγέλαστα, μέρα ή νύχτα;” (Little statues (little soldiers), motionless, speechless, smile-less, is it day or night?). If the other children answer “Night”, it means they are not ready yet. When they answer “Day”, the child opens its eyes and looks at them, while they try to stay frozen in their position despite the child’s trying to make them move, smile or laugh by talking to them, saying jokes, grinning or even tickling them (which kinds of such physical provocations are allowed is established in the beginning of the game). If a child is caught moving, it takes the role of the interrogator (“mana”). In a variation, the children tried to adopt “elegant” positions copied from well-known statues , advertisement, cinema posters, etc.


Week 6: Front and back hip in gait

Get your Biomechanics assessed early to avoid injuries

Personal Training series: Running shoes and running biomechanics

There are many shoes on the market at the moment for running. Running biomechanics have taken a big shift in the last 5 years.  Running brands such as Asics, Brooks and  Saucony have created shoes which are designed to prevent collapsing of the foot, or increased cushioning for those people with high arches. The general understanding of biomechanics and these types of shoes, is one which involves a heel strike pattern. In this pattern the heel will hit the ground first, the heel of the shoe absorbs the shock; the heel then controls the foot as it passes through mid stance and toe off.

Conventional shoes have worked over time for some people; however for others they have not made any difference, and some people who wear these shoes are still prone to knee, hip and lower back pain. When running with a heel strike pattern it is thought that as the heel strikes in front of the body there is a vertical force passed back up through the leg, the hip, the groin, the knee, and the lower back and that this results in injury.

Over the last 5 years there has been a wealth of research and contentious debate over the benefits of forefoot running. Forefoot running is where a person runs landing more towards the mid and front of their foot, instead of the heel being the first point of contact when the foot hits the ground during running. The foot also lands underneath the body and the stress imposed on joints are reduced.

Support for forefoot running comes from practical demonstrations on treadmills. When someone walks on a treadmill they have a characteristic heel strike pattern; however as the speed of the treadmill is increased they naturally start to run more towards the mid and forefoot. It has been theorised that the body is not designed to run with a heel strike pattern. When videoed at a faster speed on the treadmill the foot can be seen to strike more towards the mid foot and spring off. When seen at its best – like in Olympic marathon runners – the foot will actually hit the ground under the body; it is then kicked up behind their back using the hamstring muscles, before quickly returning to land again directly under the body.

The theory that running on the forefoot reduces joint pressure has been researched. With forefoot running the force of the body passes directly up through the body vertically –thereby relying upon the natural cushioning effect of the quads and the hip muscles. If the body is stiff enough – and the biomechanics are correct – the knee and hip joints can absorb the repetitive loading of running and hence reduce injury to the joints.

There are now shoes which have been adapted for forefoot running. Vivo barefoot is one of these companies and has created a range of shoes designed for walking right through to cross country running. Forefoot running shoes are designed to have minimalistic cushioning in the foot. These shoes are designed for the foot to feel the ground and reaction forces of the ground as the foot hits the floor. When the foot can feel the landing onto the floor, it can stimulate muscles to fire and get immediate push off onto the opposite leg. The soles of these shoes are very thin and Vivo Barefoot have described the sole to being as close to skin depth as possible.

Clients have reported they enjoy using these shoes. They feel completely different to thick soled shoes. They also give a refreshing feel to the foot at contact with the ground. The key is that this ‘feel’ will stimulate better muscular activity, shock absorption and reduction injuries. There are many successful runners in Olympics and World Championships who do not have a forefoot running pattern. It is not advised that everyone run on their forefoot – and a physiotherapist and trainer will be able to tell whether your body is capable of withstanding the pressure required to learn how to forefoot run.

Recently a trainer started forefoot running; it has taken 4 months for him to be able to run on his forefoot for 10km continuous running. To change to a forefoot running pattern requires significant adaptation and change within the body. The runner must allow time for this adaptation to occur because if they push themselves too hard and too fast in training injuries will occur.

I believe forefoot running biomechanics seems to make sense; however I have also seen that not everyone is prepared to take the time to learn how to forefoot run and people who run heel strike can still become world champions.

If you want to learn how to forefoot run it is important that you see a forefoot running coach – such as a physiotherapist who has experience, or an independent specialised coach.

Personal Training series: Foot and Ankle injuries

The foot is often overlooked by medical professionals and trainers. The foot can be a common cause of problems in other areas of the body. Biomechanics of the foot can be complex; however if assessed with video analysis, looking at joint play within the foot and how the muscles are coordinated to control the foot, then often the problem can be identified.

I have treated a runner who developed groin pain because he developed a stiff first toe (big toe). He was a 100m sprinter which involved rapid bursts out of the blocks and ten seconds of very intense running. Over time the big toe created abnormal ankle movement which led to knee, hip, pelvic and lower back pain. The weakest link among all these joints was his groin. The groin pain affected him so badly he could no longer compete for that season.

Another illustration is someone who has had a previous ankle injury and the ankle joint is stiff. When comparing the right and left sides they can see that one side of their body has less ankle movement when they squat. The restriction in the ankle will create abnormal knee and hip motion and have consequences on the pelvis and lumbar spine. The ankle joint can be a difficult joint to increase mobility. To keep the improved range of motion often requires regular home stretching. Sometimes a Physiotherapist is required to help return normal joint play to the smaller joints within the foot.

The foot and ankle are made up of an array of small and long bones; these bones all have to work in a coordinated fashion to enable the ankle joint to move correctly. It is the job of the physiotherapist and trainer to identify where these smaller restrictions may be – where they affect or present as generalised pain in other parts of the body.

Clinically, if the ankle has been fractured or sprained there can be restrictions due to a poor healing process.  If the restriction has come on with no trauma then maybe the ankle has been restricted over time due to myofascial restrictions throughout the foot and ankle. The latter can be corrected much more quickly. When a client has on-going assessment by their personal trainer and Physiotherapist myofascial restrictions like this can be easily identified, especially in the foot but also throughout the rest of the body.

The foot and ankle are the first parts of the body to connect with the ground when walking, standing, running. Before training, it is important that the foot and ankle have normal range of motion to prevent injury.

Learning to run on the Forefoot at Vivobarefoot running clinic