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Explorations in the world of science.

The Long Hot Summer Sept. 24, 2018

This summer the Northern Hemisphere has been sweltering in unusually high temperatures. It’s been hot from the Arctic to Africa. This has led to increased deaths, notably in Canada, and more wildfires, even in Lancashire and in Sweden. Can we say that this heatwave – and the extreme drought in Australia – is a result of climate change? Or is just part of the variable weather patterns we have on our planet? Roland Pease gets answers to these questions from the world’s leading climate and weather scientists. He picks apart the influences of the jet stream, the El Nina and ...

Tags: biology, space, science, science & medicine, geology, research, environment, engineering, health, frontiers, astrophysics, chemistry, technology, bbc: discovery,, tech, news, teknix

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Sodium Sept. 17, 2018
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Fluorine Sept. 3, 2018
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Naomi Alderman on the life and death of Hypatia, the ancient Greek mathematician
Descartes' "Daughter" Aug. 13, 2018
Philip Ball goes back to the 17th Century to talk about Descartes and his "daughter"
How 19th century chemist Wohler made a natural product in the lab
Philip Ball on the real Cyrano de Bergerac and his 17th century space ship.
The Nun’s Salamander July 23, 2018
Why are Mexican nuns breeding a rare salamander? Could they save this remarkable species?
The Aztec Salamander July 16, 2018
Saving a cultural icon and biomedical marvel from extinction.
Gateway to the Mind July 9, 2018
Could our microbiome have an influence on our mood and behaviour?
Dirt and Development July 2, 2018
How the microbes in us set us on a path of health or chronic disease
New research into manipulating our microbiome to stay healthy and beat chronic disease
Do Insects Feel Pain? June 18, 2018
Do insects experience pain and suffering?
Killing insects in the name of research upsets some people. How do scientists justify it?
And how do bats differentiate their own echolocation signals?
Plus, how can we measure the age of the Universe?
Why Do We Dream? May 21, 2018
And are machines better than humans when it comes to recognising faces?
And what makes something sharp?
And why do I get so many static shocks?


African Walk

African Walk 1

When I take photos of animals I also memorise a feeling that will help me later express a story in a picture. That’s why it’s important I am there and take the pics myself.

When I saw the photo that Nicola took in her South African trip,  I knew immediately that would become a painting.   Or two.

I actually made two, small yes, and quickly painted to stay effective. I watched them grow together, allowing them to become different…

African Walk 2

Even though I didn’t take it myself, the photo conveys a powerful story and the composition is very effective. It proved very alive to me.

So I ‘borrowed’ it.


We all have digital assets, why not monetize them?

digital assets monetize

Whether we are aware of it or not, we all have digital assets. While corporations like Facebook make billions off of our data, we never see a penny.

However, thanks to the advent of blockchain and ethereum-based technology, ordinary people with no programming experience whatsoever have the ability monetize their digitals assets.

“Digital assets” basically refers to anything that comes in a digital form, including emails, documents, images, audio, video, and similar digital files that are stored on digital devices.

Most people’s digital assets include personal, social, and IoT data, as well as digital content such as music, art, and text files.

What prevents people from turning their digital assets into a profit is that they lack both the technical skills to do so, and that most of their digital assets are unorganized, fragmented, and spread across the vast expanses of cyberspace.

A Decentralized Marketplace

To counteract this issue, Zenodys has created a decentralized marketplace that incentivizes people and companies to trade digital assets in a fully standardized and actionable form using blockchain technology.

digital assets monetize
Jernej Adamic

With a decentralized end-to-end development framework and P2P marketplace for digital assets built on the ethereum blockchain, all digital assets are immediately organized and available in a standardized form through a distributed network and therefore reusable and reconfigurable, virtually without limits.

“On a global scale, we are big believers that people all around the world should be involved in the shaping of this digital revolution: through the simplicity we want to provide them with,” said Jernej Adamic, Co-Founder and CEO at Zenodys.

Simplicity is a major part of the platform, which provides simple drag and drop tool. Once Zenody’s has all the digital assets (data, algorithms, applications) at hand, they are then standardized, so users can simply drag and drop them together to build completely new applications.

The platform works in three steps:

  1. The seller of the digital asset publishes the asset on the marketplace and sets
    the price.
  2. Users (developers, business developers, etc.) can then combine these assets
    with others in their applications by using a drag-and-drop interface.
  3. Buyers purchase the assets. Tokens will be distributed after an end-user
    accesses and purchases the digital asset from the marketplace. After
    purchase, smart contracts distribute Tokens to the author(s) of the digital
    asset(s) in real time.

digital assets monetize

The Tech

The technology at the heart of the platform is the Zenodys state-of-the-art visual development tool, which radically simplifies the development process by allowing anyone to join in. The smart contract based marketplace facilitates collaboration and power of the crowd, and provides fair monetization throughout.

For the more technically advanced, digital assets such as algorithms, code, APIs, and applications can also be monetized.

Additionally, advanced users can write custom code directly into the visual workflow to extend and finetune the functionality which offers them total control and flexibility.

Zenody’s artificially intelligent matching algorithms analyze which visual code blocks, microservices, hashed elements and dApps in the network can be reused in the project, which significantly speeds up the project’s development.

With its algorithms Zenody’s has a sandbox environment for hosting dynamic assets, and not just a simple picture or file transfer from point A to point B.

Transparency and trust make up the backbone of ethereum blockchain users; however, certain companies have abused that trust with their Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs).

When dealing with ICOs, it is important to ensure that it is legit, and according to CryptoSlate, there are 7 key signs of an ICO scam, none of which apply to Zenodys.

Let’s break those 7 key signs down:

  1. Poor online presence: One glimpse at the Zenodys website can put this one to rest, and its founders can easily be found on LinkedIn.
  2. Guaranteed Profits: The only thing Zenodys guarantees is transparency.
  3. Solutionism: Zenodys does not pretend to massively disrupt an industry, but rather offers simplicity and organization to complex and fragmented data.
  4. Empty GitHub Repositories: here is the GitHub link for Zenodys.
  5. No White Paper, Bad White Papers, or Blatantly Plagiarized White Papers: Read it and weep.
  6. Shady Premines to a small group of investors: Zenodys was the winning project at IcoBox, with a historical record of more than 46,000 of the investing votes.
  7. No Roadmap or Unrealistic Roadmaps: You can check out Zenodys’ protocol here.

Having passed the CryptoSlate litmus test with flying colors, the Zenodys Token will implemented as an ERC20 compatible token on Ethereum and its trajectories (i.e. Ethereum 2.0, and a future Ethereum 3.0, etc.).

Ethereum blockchain founder Vitalik Buterin predicts that “an ‘Ethereum 3.0’ would incorporate ‘starks’ and ‘multilayer sharding’ and strengthen ‘cross-shard communication’.”

Interoperability with wallets and other tokens is on the cutting edge of technology, and in the case of Zenodys it’s not just inside Ethereum, but between Blockchain technologies like Monero and IOTA as well.

Sharding refers to a type of database partitioning that separates very large databases the into smaller, faster, more easily managed parts called data shards.

Zenodys’ ICO offers a supply of CoinZZ Tokens (ZZ) that will be issued at the Token sale (Token Generation Event – TGI) in June 2018 the latest and no more Tokens will be created.

Blockchain smart contracts handle all the transactions and balances in a secure and reliable manner.

The Demand

For a platform and a marketplace to be successful, demand must equal supply, and vice versa. For Zenody’s, that demand is for people to have their assets standardized, organized, and always available.

The demand-side strategy for the platform involves initiating community and enterprise open calls that will tackle specific problems related to AI, smart energy, and Industry 4.0.

The benefits can include everything from better risk assessment in insurance cases to energy production from microgrids for utilities, or even a better organized supply chain for multiple parties.

The platform could also have an impact in emerging countries where the demand would be high and where access to tech education is still extremely challenging. Furthermore, the tools that Zenodys is developing are ideal to run on low-cost hardware – perfect for emerging markets.

The Mission

After going through all the technical aspects, Zenodys’ mission is really quite simple — to create the world’s first database for every digital asset out there, be it in digital or physical form, so that all these assets will be always reachable, searchable and easily reusable in millions of ways, including the building of applications.

“On personal level,” says Adamic, “everyone has all these assets and we will enable them to monetize them without giveaways or tradeoffs. Our platform allows people to use assets to build applications with just simple drag and dropping, and then monetize them. The system is that simple.”

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Hello again everyone.  This was a relatively light week for the Court of Appeal.  Only five non-criminal decisions were released.  Four related to real property issues (adverse possession, leases, failed closings, mortgages, writs of possession and title insurance).  The other related to the costs of a motion and appeal in the context of setting aside administrative dismissals.  The Hazelton Lanes decision is a black mark on the administration of justice.  It is an unfortunate and stark reminder to trial counsel of the importance of proper and timely documentary disclosure and cooperation and communication between counsel to focus on what is relevant to ensure that cases are tried fairly and efficiently.  In this case, as the Court of Appeal said, the trial “spiralled out of control” and went from a 3 day trial to a 50 day trial without being decided on the merits.  The end result is that the parties will now have to do it all over again.

Wishing everyone a fine weekend.

John Polyzogopoulos

Blaney McMurtry LLP
Tel: 416.593.2953

Fernandez v. Unique Auto Collision Network Solution Corp., 2014 ONCA 800

[Hoy A.C.J.O, Epstein and Hourigan JJ.A.]

Y. Barre, for the appellant

G. Gryguc, for the respondents

Keywords: Stay, Writs of Possession, Vendor Take-Back Mortgages, Extension of Time to Appeal

Facts:  On June 14, 2013, Justice Firestone granted judgment to the respondent mortgagees on two vendor take-back mortgages subject to a reference report.  On June 10, 2014, Pardu J.A. dismissed the moving party’s motion for: (i) leave to appeal to the Court of Appeal; (ii) an order extending the time to appeal the judgment and the report; and (iii) stays of enforcement of the judgment and the writs of possession pending the appeal. On June 26, 2014, Justice Matlow in the Divisional Court dismissed the appellants’ motion to have the writs of possession stayed on the basis that the material filed did not support the relief claimed. The moving parties brought a motion to the Court of Appeal returnable on August 6, 2014, seeking an order extending the time to appeal the judgment, the reference report, and the order of Justice Matlow. They did not attend on the return date and the motion was dismissed as abandoned by Pardu J.A. The moving parties now bring a motion seeking a review of the order of Pardu J.A. dated August 6, 2014.  They submit that the motion had been adjourned and should not have been on the list on that date.

Issue: Did the motion judge err in dismissing the request to extend the time to appeal?

Held: Motion dismissed.

No. The court found that the record did not permit them to understand what happened on August 6, 2014. However, the court considered the merits of the underlying motion, and determined that there were none. The request for an extension of time to appeal the judgment and reference had already been denied by Pardu J.A. and it was found that there were also no grounds to order a stay of the writs of possession or judgment as there is no appeal pending. In any event, the court stated that the properties have been sold.

806480 Ontario Limited v. RNG Equipment Inc., 2014 ONCA 796

[Laskin, Pepall and Pardu JJ.A.]

J.H. McNair, for the appellant

J.W. Makins, for the respondent

Keywords:   Administrative Dismissals, Setting Aside, Costs, Varying Costs

The appellant successfully appealed a motion judge’s refusal to set aside the administrative dismissal of its action. After the hearing of the appeal, the Court observed that the Registrar had dismissed the appellant’s action prior to the deadline set out in the status notice. The appellant was awarded costs “in the agreed sum of $8,000.”

The respondent moves to vary the costs award, arguing that not only should costs not follow the event, but also that it should be awarded the costs originally granted to it as the successful party on the original motion. The respondent argues that had the appellant brought the premature dismissal to the respondent’s attention, the respondent would have consented to the setting aside of the administrative dismissal, and the appeal would have been unnecessary.

The respondent further argued that the respondent did not agree to costs fixed at $8,000, and that it should have been given an opportunity to make submissions on costs.

Issue: Do the above circumstances justify a departure from the usual rule that costs should follow the event?

Holding: Appeal dismissed.

No. Either party could have discovered that the dismissal was untimely. Had the respondent noticed, it could have consented immediately to the relief sought.  The Court found that the respondent did agree to the quantum of costs.

Fischer v. Stewart Title Guaranty Company, 2014 ONCA 798

[Strathy C.J.O., Feldman and Lauwers JJ.A.]

H. A. Swartz, for the appellan

A. M. Kennedy, for the respondent

Keywords: Real Property Law, Title Insurance, Title Defect, Marketable Title

The appellant’s claim against his title insurer was dismissed on a motion for summary judgment. The motion judge held that, according to the wording of the policy, the previous use of the land as a marijuana grow-op did not constitute a “title defect” or make the title “unmarketable.”

Issue: Did the motion judge err in holding that the title insurer was not liable to cover the appellant’s loss?

Holding: Appeal dismissed.

No. The motion judge’s conclusion that this was not a title defect is unassailable. Even assuming that the land was unmarketable, the title was marketable and was unencumbered by defects that would permit a purchaser to refuse to perform a contract of sale. This conclusion is consistent with authority from the U.S. that comments that the purpose of title insurance is not to protect the insured against loss arising from physical damage to property.

Hazelton Lanes Inc. v 1707590 Ontario Limited, 2014 ONCA 697

[Sharpe, Simmons and Benotto JJ.A.]

M.A. Davis, R.D. Davis and R. Macdonald, for the appellants

W.A. Chalmers, for the respondents

Judges, Trial, Reasonable Apprehension of Bias, Contempt of Court, Mareva Injunctions, Mid-Trial Directions

This appeal arose out of the trial of a commercial action between the appellants/defendants, 1707590 Ontario Limited (“170”) and its sole shareholder, officer and director, John Faraci (“Faraci”), and the respondents/plaintiffs, Hazelton Lanes Inc. (“Hazelton”) and its controlling shareholder and directing mind, Stephen Chan (“Chan”). The dispute involved a variety of claims. These were: against 170 for rental arrears, breach of a lease and declaration of a validly terminated lease, and against Faraci for disputed legal fees and a real estate transaction that failed to close. The counter-claims by the appellants/defendants included a declaration that the version of the lease governing the relationship between Hazelton and 170 was that set out in Schedule “A” to the statement of defence and counterclaim (which included handwritten amendments), and declarations and other relief concerning the allegedly improper termination of the lease between Hazelton and 170.

Rather than the scheduled 3 days, the trial lasted about 50 days of court time, consisting of about 30 days of evidence and about 20 days of motions. Nothwithstanding the length of the trial, the matter was not ultimately decided on the merits.

During Faraci’s cross-examination, the trial judge, Matlow J., interjected and made comments that Faraci’s evidence “defie[d] common sense” and was “gobbledygook”. In addition, during the cross-examination, respondents’ counsel obtained 19 mid-trial directions from the trial judge requiring the appellants to obtain, produce and organize for respondents’ counsel masses of documents that had never previously been requested.

On a subsequent day at trial, in response to a request for a mid-trial costs order, the trial judge suggested that the respondents bring a motion for a Mareva injunction. The next court date, the trial judge granted the respondents’ ex parte motion to amend their statement of claim to add five new defendants and several new causes of action. The respondents’ request for an ex parte Mareva injunction against all appellants was also granted. The trial judge later ordered Faraci to “comply fully with all orders directed to him throughout the trial” within 8 days, failing which the respondents could renew their previous motion for an order finding the appellants to be in contempt of court.

Subsequently, the appellants brought a motion for leave to appeal the order to “comply fully” and brought a motion to stay the order. The stay motion was dismissed. The appellants then brought a motion seeking to set aside the order, asking the trial judge to recuse himself, and seeking a mistrial. The trial judge dismissed the motion. The trial judge later commented adversely on Faraci’s credibility and that of an added defendant. Then, on the contempt motion, the trial judge found the appellants in contempt for failing to comply with his previous orders, and ordered them to pay $35,000 into court as security for costs of the motion. On the respondents’ subsequent motion, the trial judge struck out the appellants’ statement of defence and counterclaim for failing to make the $35,000 payment into court as required under his order. The trial judge later granted to the respondents partial default judgment on several claims. In addition, the trial judge awarded the respondents costs of the action fixed on a substantial indemnity basis in the amount of $650,000.

The appellants appealed from all these orders made during the trial.

Holding: Appeal allowed. A new trial was ordered before a different trial judge.

At least three aspects of the trial judge’s conduct, taken together, gave rise to a reasonable apprehension of bias:

(1) The trial judge made statements and findings during the trial indicating that he had prejudged Faraci’s conduct and credibility. Namely, these were: the trial judge’s interjections and adverse comments on Faraci’s credibility during Faraci’s cross-examination; his suggestion that respondents’ counsel bring a Mareva injunction motion; and his findings on the Mareva injunction motion and a related ruling that Faraci had engaged in a fraudulent scheme to divest himself of assets. Excerpts of the relevant portions of Faraci’s cross-examination and the trial judge’s interjections were included in Appendix “B” of the Court of Appeal’s reasons.

(2) The trial judge made 19 directions for mid-trial production of masses of documents that had not previously been requested and the relevance and probative value of which had not been established. He should have taken a more realistic and proportionate approach to production. Much more modest directions would have sufficed. If such documents were not produced, it would have been open to the trial judge to draw an adverse inference from their non-production. Instead, the trial judge directed and oversaw production of masses of documents mid-trial, without analyzing the potential relevance or probative value of the documents at issue and without considering the impact of his directions on trial efficiency and fairness. The breadth and lack of relevance of the documents created an appearance that the trial judge was disdainful of the appellants and was prepared to accede unquestioningly to respondents’ counsel’s production requests. A consolidated summary of the trial judge’s 19 directions was included in Appendix “A” of the Court of Appeal’s reasons.

(3) The trial judge found that Faraci and 170 were in contempt for failing to “comply fully” with the 19 mid-trial directions. The ruling contained no analysis of the extent to which Faraci and 170 had complied or of the validity of their reasons for any non-compliance. The trial judge’s failure to consider Faraci’s evidence and his failure to conduct a direction by direction analysis of compliance suggests more than mere inadvertence or misapprehension. Rather, his treatment of the issue demonstrates he had become aligned with the respondents.

Although an appellate court will generally require a complete trial record to determine whether a claim for reasonable apprehension of bias has been made out, there was no complete trial record in this case because the trial was not completed. Furthermore, the Court of Appeal rejected respondents’ counsel’s submission that a more complete trial record would demonstrate why the trial judge’s 19 mid-trial directions were necessary and appropriate. The respondents had not identified specific aspects of the trial that would justify the trial judge’s actions or detract from the appellants’ claim of a reasonable apprehension of bias.

Regarding costs, all parties contributed to the trial spiralling out of control. In these circumstances, no costs were awarded for the trial or for the appeal.

Guerard v. Gray, 2014 ONCA 790

[Blair, Juriansz & Rouleau JJ.A.]

T. Green, for the appellants

J.Y. Obagi, for the respondents

Keywords: Real Property Law, Adverse Possession, Boundary Dispute, Neighbours

Facts: This case is an appeal of the judgment of Abrams J. granting an order vesting title to the disputed land to the respondents. Specifically, it was held at trial that the Grays acquired title by adverse possession to a narrow strip of land lying between their property and the Guerard’s property.

Issue: Did Abrams J. err in his order vesting title to the disputed land to the respondents?

 Holding: The appeal was dismissed and the respondents were entitled to costs on a partial indemnity basis.

No. Abrams J. did not err in his order, as he made clear findings of fact supported by the record, and applied the correct principles of law to those facts. He properly observed that the Grays proved that, through the occupation of their predecessors, their possession of the disputed land was of the same nature and substance as when the lands were first registered in the Land Titles system. On appeal, the appellants raised a new argument that a finding of adverse possession did not entitle the respondents to the full width of the disputed land. It was found that it was too late for this argument to be considered. The appellants previously consented to the use of a survey at trial to determine the extent of the boundaries of land, and they did not present any evidence to the contrary on the issue.


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Drug and Alcohol Rehab Facilities in Woodinville, Washington

If a person is going in and out of rehabilitation centers, and relapsing frequently, it isn't that they are a lost cause. However, it does mean that there is a problem with the rehabilitation choice they keep failing at. In many instances, these failures to stay abstinent occur because someone isn't remaining in rehab long enough nor are they addressing the actual causes of addiction. By way of example, if someone is just receiving detox services or short-term rehab, there are probably things in their immediate environment back at home which might be being left unresolved meaning a sure relapse once they return. Having the ability to identify and take care of these types of drug triggers often takes quite a bit of time, and it takes being away from that specific environment to be able to have clarity about what they are and rid them from one's life. Long-term inpatient and residential alcohol and drug rehabilitation programs in Woodinville are often not the first choice when one wants rehabilitation simply because they require a more significant commitment. They are however an individual's best opportunity in Woodinville at being able to get off drugs forever, particularly if the center offers a rehabilitation plan that thoroughly addresses every aspect of the person's life that may be prompting their drug use.

If someone close to you is struggling with drug abuse and won't get help, or has given up on help due to past failures, work with a quality drug and alcohol rehabilitation center yo get an intervention in the works. An intervention can help where other efforts have not if conducted properly, so that the individual can see what he stands to lose if they don't receive rehabilitation and what he has to gain if he does. So consult with a drug rehab counselor in Woodinville today to get an intervention started if it is the right step.

Woodinville, WA Demographics

Land Demographics, Woodinville, WA.

Area: 40.409999847412 Sq. Miles
Land Area: 40.159999847412 Sq. Miles
Water Area: 0.26 Sq. Miles
Pop Density: 876.46 per Sq. Mile
Elevation: 10 Ft.
Time Zone: Pacific (GMT -8)

Woodinville Education Demographics

In Elem School: 5,514 (48.30 %)
In High School: 2,503 (21.93 %)
In College: 1,771 (15.51 %)

Household and Income Statistics in: Woodinville, WA.

Households: 12,005 Households%: 100.00 %
Income Less Than 10k: 164 (1.37 %)
Income 10kTo14999: 275 (2.29 %)
Income 15kTo24999: 537 (4.47 %)
Income 25kTo34999: 707 (5.89 %)
Income 35kTo49999: 1,287 (10.72 %)
Income 50kTo74999: 2,262 (18.84 %)
Income 75kTo99999: 2,182 (18.18 %)
Income 100kTo149999: 2,503 (20.85 %)
Income 150kTo199999: 915 (7.62 %)
Income 200korMore: 1,173 (9.77 %)
Median Household Income in Woodinville: $82,922.00
Average Household Size: 2.94
Woodinville Average Income Per Person Of Household: $28,204.76

Local drug and alcohol treatment in Woodinville, Washington:

  • Motivations Treatment Center

    Motivations Treatment Center is a Drug and Alcohol Rehab, Outpatient Drug Rehab Program specializing in Dui/Dwi Offenders. This facility accepts Self Payment, Private Insurance - located at 17311 135th Avenue NE Woodinville, WA. 98072. The phone number is 425-481-2112.

  • Sound Family Center LLC

    Sound Family Center LLC - Drug and Alcohol Rehab, Outpatient Drug Rehab Program
    Specialized in Adolescent Treatment, Co-Occurring Mental And Substance Abuse Disorders, Treatment for Women, Treatment for Men, Criminal Justice Clients, Assistance For Hearing Impaired. Payment forms accepted: Self Payment, Private Insurance.
    Located at 17924 140th Avenue NE Woodinville, WA. 98072. The phone number is 425-419-4800.

Woodinville, WA

Day of Meeting
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In a split decision, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that a failure to promptly report a barge leak was a “continuing” criminal violation of the Ports and Waterways Safety Act (PSWA). United States v. Canal Barge Co., No. 09-5388 (6th Cir. 01/07/11).

In 2005, defendant’s barge was carrying 400,000 gallons of benzene down the Mississippi River and sprang a leak near St. Louis, Missouri. Jeffrey Scarborough, defendant’s employee and the pilot of the barge’s towboat, instructed deckhands to seal the leak by rubbing a bar of soap over a crack in the hull. Later the defendant’s port captain, Paul Barnes, directed the pilot to apply an epoxy patch, which temporarily sealed the leak. Captain Randy Martin, who had been off duty when the leak was discovered, resumed control of the towboat later that day.

The barge was transferred to a towboat owned by a different company near Cairo, Illinois, and towed onto the Ohio River. Four days later, the patch failed, and the new towboat pilot notified the Coast Guard office in Louisville, Kentucky. The barge was subsequently cleaned and permanently repaired.

The government filed an indictment in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky against the Canal Barge Co., Scarborough, Barnes, and Martin. A jury found the defendants guilty of violating the PWSA, but the trial court granted defendants’ motion for a judgment of acquittal on the ground of improper venue, ruling that the charge should have been brought in Missouri, where the leak initially occurred.

The Sixth Circuit noted that Congress has the power to create a “continuing offense” by defining the locality of a crime as extending “over the whole area through which force propelled by an offender operates.” According to the court’s majority, the applicable Coast Guard regulation imposes an obligation to report immediately. This immediate obligation, however, “does not mean that the obligation ceases as soon as there has been some delay in reporting,” according to the court. Rather, it continues until the Coast Guard is made aware of the condition. Thus, the Sixth Circuit reversed the district court.

The dissenting judge wrote that the majority opinion correctly concluded that the evidence was sufficient to convict defendants, but she disagreed that the failure to “immediately” notify the Coast Guard was a continuing offense.


The Federal Circuit heard arguments on Friday in Lighting Ballast Control LLC v. Philips Electronics North America. In March, the court granted a petition for rehearing en banc to reconsider its 1998 ruling in Cybor Corp. v. FAS Techs. Inc., which held that district court claim construction rulings are reviewed on appeal entirely de novo (without deference). The rehearing was granted to address the following questions:

  1. Should this court overrule Cybor Corp. v. FAS Technologies, Inc., 138 F.3d 1448 (Fed. Cir. 1998)?
  2. Should this court afford deference to any aspect of a district court’s claim construction?
  3. If so, which aspects should be afforded deference?

The case was closely watched in the IP community and attracted numerous amicus briefs offering a range of views on the questions presented. Interestingly, both parties as well as the United States as amicus curiae argued that Cybor should be overruled and that deference should be given to at least some aspects of claim construction. The parties disagree primarily on the third question of which aspects of claim construction should be given deference.

Lighting Ballast argued that all facets of claim construction should be given deference, analogizing interpreting a patent claim to interpreting a contract, with the patent claim being the contract and the patent’s specification and other items used to interpret it being parole evidence for which deferential review should be given.

Universal Lighting and the government favored a narrower approach, under which a district court’s findings based on intrinsic evidence, such as the patent specification and prosecution history, would continue to be reviewed de novo, whereas findings based on extrinsic evidence such as expert testimony would be reviewed for clear error.

While many observers believed the court’s decision to rehear the case en banc signaled the court leaning toward overruling Cybor, much of the questioning during the arguments seemed to suggest a reluctance to disturb Cybor’s holdings. Judge Lourie expressed concern that deferential review would impede uniformity because different courts could arrive at different constructions of the same patent. Judge Bryson also questioned whether stare decisis alone prevented the court from overruling Cybor, particularly if only to make a small change to its holding.

Judge Moore repeatedly voiced concern over categorizing as a “historical fact” the question of how a person skilled in the art understood a claim term at the time of invention, urging that this is really tantamount to the ultimate issue of claim construction which she believes the Supreme Court in Markman called a legal issue. She was particularly concerned that if Cybor were overruled, litigants would rush to characterize many claim constructions issues as “historical facts” in hopes of obtaining deferential review.

On the question of uniformity, counsel for Universal Lighting urged any lack of uniformity resulting from overruling Cybor would be outweighed by the increased predictability in patent litigation. Counsel for Lighting Ballast urged the concern is largely theoretical and that nonuniform decisions have resulted even under the de novo standard when different panels of the Federal Circuit reviewed district court decisions involving the same patent. The government argued that the public is unlikely to be harmed by any non-uniformity because a later construction that differs from an earlier construction is likely to be more detrimental to the patentee, because collateral estoppel usually prevents a later ruling from being more favorable to the patentee.

Chief Judge Rader, who authored a strongly worded dissent in the Cybor opinion, remained uncharacteristically quiet during arguments apart from making introductory remarks and at one point cut off counsel whose time had expired. It will be particularly interesting to see whether the Chief Judge garners a “quiet” majority on the side of overruling Cybor. The court is expected to issue its ruling later this year.


Solving the Sky-High Costs of Ocean Exploration with A.I.

Research ships are vital for advancing marine science but are costly to operate. Oscar Pizarro, a scientist at the University of Sydney’s Australian Centre for Field Robotics and the Schmidt Ocean Institute, thinks automated expeditions are the future of ocean science.

Written by Ian Evans Published on Read time Approx. 6 minutes
The team on board the R/V Falkor begins early-morning testing by lowering a drone into the ocean.SOI/ Leighton Rolley

A major challenge in studying the ocean is simply the cost. According to a report published by UNESCO last year, ocean research vessels rack up charges ranging from $10,000 to more than $40,000 a day to operate. Increasing costs “will almost certainly” constrain the future use of such ships, researchers found.

One of the biggest expenses? The crew itself. That’s why Oscar Pizarro, a principal research fellow at the University of Sydney’s Australian Centre for Field Robotics and chief scientist at the Schmidt Ocean Institute, thinks taking humans out of the mix is an answer. He recently led a research cruise testing automated research drones that he hopes could, eventually, undertake an expedition on their own from an autonomous ship.

The Slocum glider from the University of Michigan. (SOI/ Monika Naranjo Gonzalez)

The 20-day expedition on board the research vessel Falkor returned this week after deploying a fleet of drones to map the seafloor off the coast of Hawaii. Teams from several research institutions and universities used a variety of drones, aiming to improve each automated system and the team’s ability to keep track of multiple drones at once. It’s an idea that Pizarro thinks will one day lead to cheaper, automated expeditions, leaving human researchers on land.

Oceans Deeply spoke with Pizarro about the expedition while he was aboard the Falkor, traveling from the coast of Maui to the Big Island.

Oceans Deeply: Why is it important to be mapping the coral reefs and the seafloor with automated technology?

Oscar Pizarro: We really depend, as a global civilization, on the ocean. We really need it to be healthy for us to also stay alive and healthy; and in order to make informed decisions and trade-offs between how we exploit it and how we look after the ocean, we need to have good science, and science ultimately relies on having good observations.

If observations are expensive, you will have fewer of them, and you will have to rely more on your assumptions and models. But if you have observations that are good quality, you can have better predictions that can inform decision-making, policymaking and hopefully that will help look after the oceans and keep them healthy for everybody on this planet.

The AUV Sirius on the aft deck of the R/V Falkor. (SOI / Logan Mock-Bunting)

Oceans Deeply: What are the challenges in designing these autonomous vehicles to map the seafloor?

Pizarro: There are plenty of them – just ironing out glitches in software for everything from the logging instruments to making control decisions, to executing missions where you’re trying particular behaviors.

There’s a lot of logic built into it, in terms of how to behave when something goes wrong – what to do at the end of a mission when you haven’t heard from your human overlords. There’s a lot of smarts built into these systems. Some of that may not be fully tested, and so there’s a bit of iteration just getting all that stuff glued together and talking end-to-end. Sometimes, when you add a new instrument or a new capability, that may break or may need to be updated, or sometimes one of your instruments has an internal upgrade, and that produces other problems.

Then, hardware-wise, if it’s a new system, some of the things may not have spent enough time being run through the paces and confronted with the range of demands you may expect in terms of currents, or depth, or simultaneous load of thrusters going on while using high-power sampling interference.

Then there’s just operating in a new environment. You tend to find that when things are operating, the situation may change faster than you realize, and then these autonomous systems have to make these decisions on their own. Often they’re doing the right thing, but sometimes they’re not and that’s where you have to go in and iterate again. So, the challenges are also in learning from using these things in real-world situations.

An IVER AUV is moved via crane. (SOI/ Monika Naranjo Gonzalez)

Oceans Deeply: What are the benefits of having multiple drones that are doing the same thing?

Pizarro: The point of having multiple platforms is that you should be able to perform a survey more quickly, or collect more data for the same amount of time you’re spending at sea.

One of the greatest limiting factors is ship time, so it’s more about how do you run in parallel this type of work so that you’re multiplying the capabilities of a ship like Falkor.

And the challenges there are in this planning. “Oh, we’re supposed to be here at 10 a.m., and also 2km (1.2 miles) to the west at 10 a.m.” Can’t do both, right? So what are we going to do? The tools that help us deal with having many things in the air at the same time is one of the aspects that we’re also trying to develop further on this trip.

What we’re trying to get here is showing multiple vehicles operating together in a way that’s sensible in that we’re getting high-quality scientific data out of them without swamping the human operators and without requiring too much of an army of specialists to do so.

The Lagrangian Float weighs 60lb (30kg), making it much simpler to manage than most AUVs. (SOI/ Monika Naranjo Gonzalez)

Oceans Deeply: What does your work on this expedition tell you about the future of drones and humans in oceanographic research?

Pizarro: I’d like to think that the future is bright. These platforms and their capabilities are only going to get better. I think what really motivates me in the long term is how to make them more cost-effective and scaleable. So how do we deploy a large number of autonomous systems and sample the ocean at a much broader and intensive scale than we do today, without it costing hundreds or thousands of times more? We’re not going to spend much more money than we do on this. How do we get more out of the money we’re spending on it?

It seems that autonomous systems that ultimately don’t rely on having people in the field is the way to go. These demonstrations, these tools that we’re slowly putting together, will likely play a role in that type of scenario – where you have an autonomous surface vessel that deploys unmanned underwater vehicles away from civilization with light oversight from people, doing fairly complex operations, like imaging the sea floor. And it’s not costing you tens of thousands of dollars to just be there.

The University of Rhode Island’s Lagrangian Float is small, light and easy to deploy. (SOI/ Monika Naranjo Gonzalez)

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The Atlantic World and Virginia, 1550-1624

The Atlantic World and Virginia, 1550-1624

The Atlantic World and Virginia, 1550-1624

The Atlantic World and Virginia, 1550-1624

In response to the global turn in scholarship on colonial and early modern history, the eighteen essays in this volume provide a fresh and much-needed perspective on the wider context of the encounter between the inhabitants of precolonial Virginia and the English. This collection offers an interdisciplinary consideration of developments in Native America, Europe, Africa, the Caribbean, and the Chesapeake, highlighting the mosaic of regions and influences that formed the context and impetus for the English settlement at Jamestown in 1607. The volume reflects an understanding of Jamestown not as the birthplace of democracy in America but as the creation of a European outpost in a neighborhood that included Africans, Native Americans, and other Europeans.

With contributions from both prominent and rising scholars, this volume offers far-ranging and compelling studies of peoples, texts, places, and conditions that influenced the making of New World societies. As Jamestown marks its four-hundredth anniversary, this collection provides provocative material for teaching and launching new research.

The local inhabitants of Tsenacommacah, the Paspaheghs, knew their environment well. They used the best lands in the region for their home sites and fields, knew where to hunt and fish nearby, and eschewed swamp land since it attracted mosquitoes and could not be farmed. Hence, in the spring of 1607, they must have viewed askance the group of English colonizers who had sailed up the Chesapeake to establish a fortified camp on a marshy island that the Indians deemed unworthy of settling themselves. It was not much of a village, nor did the newcomers seem like much of a threat to the Powhatan Confederacy that dominated the peoples of Tsenacommacah. But unlike earlier English visitors who had arrived farther south in the mid1580s at Roanoke in modern-day North Carolina, these immigrants proved to have more staying power. Despite difficult times at first, including periodic confrontations between the Powhatans and the English, the settlement named after King James survived. It became a permanent intrusion into In-

This volume grew from a remarkable and innovative conference sponsored by the Omo
hundro Institute of Early American History and Culture. Fredrika J. Teute designed
the conference and subsequently played a crucial role in developing the individual
essays here and the overall concept of the volume. Her energy led to a genuine circum
Atlantic effort and, in the process, made a lasting contribution to our understanding of
the early modern world. Her vision for this book and wise counsel were invaluable for
me from the moment I joined the project. I also want to thank Daniel H. Usner, Jr., and
the other reviewers, who each provided detailed analyses of specific essays and helped
the authors develop their arguments for this collection. Ron Hoffman, in addition to
his role in the organization of the conference, also shaped particular essays here. Kathy
Burdette performed remarkable copy-editing, and Mendy C. Gladden provided cru
cial support throughout the process of organizing the volume. All of the essays in this
collection have benefited from the rigorous and thoughtful insights that are defining
elements of the Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture’s publi
cation program.

In developing this introduction, I thank Lisa Bitel, Fredrika J. Teute, and Kathy
Burdette for their extraordinary efforts, as well as the Huntington Library for permis
sion to reproduce the images here.

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If you discover an error after you file your tax return, you can correct it by amending your return. Here are ten facts from the Internal Revenue Service about amending your federal tax return:

1. When to amend a return You should file an amended return if your filing status, your dependents, your total income or your deductions or credits were reported incorrectly.

2. When not to amend a return. In some cases, you do not need to amend your tax return. The IRS usually corrects math errors or requests missing forms ? such as W-2s or schedules ? when processing an original return. In these instances, do not amend your return.

3. Form to use Use Form 1040X, Amended U.S. Individual Income Tax Return, to amend a previously filed Form 1040, 1040A or 1040EZ. Make sure you check the box for the year of the return you are amending on the Form 1040X. Amended tax returns cannot be filed electronically.

4. Multiple amended returns If you are amending more than one year’s tax return, prepare a 1040X for each return and mail them in separate envelopes to the appropriate IRS processing center.

5. Form 1040X The Form 1040X has three columns. Column A shows original figures from the original return (if however, the return was previously amended or adjusted by IRS, use the adjusted figures). Column C shows the corrected figures. The difference between Column A and C is shown in Column B. There is an area on the back of the form to explain the specific changes and the reason for the change.

6. Other forms or schedules If the changes involve other schedules or forms, attach them to the Form 1040X.

8. Additional tax If you owe additional tax, you should file Form 1040X and pay the tax as soon as possible to limit interest and penalty charges.

10. Processing time Normal processing time for amended returns is 8 to 12 weeks. Form 1040X and instructions are available at or by calling 800-TAX-FORM (800-829-3676).


Is Skipping Breakfast Bad for You?

By Katharine Paljug @kpaljug
May 16, 2017

Yes. Skipping breakfast could hurt your heart, while eating a morning meal creates healthy patterns that protect your heart throughout your adult life.

If you are one of the 31 million American adults who regularly skip breakfast, you may be at risk for developing heart problems.

A scientific statement from the American Heart Association (AHA) has come down firmly on the side of breakfast. Eating breakfast — and perhaps more importantly, eating breakfast mindfully — is good for your heart.

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: How to Eat Healthier: Change How You Cook

How important is breakfast?

Is breakfast really the most important meal of the day? It depends on who you ask.

Some studies say eating breakfast helps you lose weight, some say it doesn’t, while still others show mixed results. Or does eating breakfast improve children’s behavior and focus in school? Research indicates that it does, though that might be because children who go hungry at home are more likely to have behavior problems.

Many of these studies, however, focus on the short-term impact of breakfast. By contrast, the statement from the AHA is concerned with long-term health and eating patterns.

In reviewing breakfast research from multiple studies around the world, the AHA team found consistent evidence that regularly skipping breakfast can negatively impact your eating habits and cardiovascular health.

Breakfast, snacking, and obesity

Weight, body mass index (BMI), and obesity are strong predictors for cardiovascular health, and the ways that eating or not eating breakfast can affect your weight have been the subject of frequent study.

Though some research indicates that skipping breakfast can help weight loss, the AHA points to long-term studies, which found that eating breakfast leads to a more sustainable eating pattern and can help you maintain a healthy BMI and body weight.

According to study data collected from smartphones, adults are moving away from a traditional breakfast-lunch-dinner eating pattern. This shifts your circadian clock, which can create metabolic changes that increase your risk of developing chronic diseases.

In particular, moving away from three defined meals leads to more snacking throughout the day. These irregular eating patterns are strong predictors of obesity, and people who regularly skip breakfast are more likely to snack throughout the day and eat late at night. Skipping breakfast has also been linked to increased waist circumference and high BMI, both risk factors for obesity and heart disease.

Other research has found that specifically eating a healthy, nutrient-dense breakfast is linked to lower levels of obesity and healthier BMI for women. Eating breakfast, the AHA concludes, establishes a healthy eating pattern for the rest of the day and prevents the unhealthy weight-gain that puts you at risk for heart disease.

Risk factors for heart disease

Other risk factors for heart disease have been linked to skipping breakfast as well.

A 2013 study of adults ages 20 to 39 found that breakfast skippers were more likely to have high levels of unhealthy cholesterol and high blood pressure, both of which increase your risk of developing heart disease. A 2015 study of women who regularly skip breakfast found increased levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which can put strain on your heart and lead to high blood pressure.

Skipping breakfast has also been linked to both poor glucose regulation in the body and increased likelihood of type 2 diabetes, both of which are predictors for developing heart disease. And a 2013 study published by the AHA also found that men who regularly skipped breakfast had a 27 percent higher risk of developing coronary heart disease than those who regularly ate a morning meal.

Mindful eating will benefit your heart

The statement’s authors do acknowledge that more research needs to be done to assess the health impact of breakfast for minority and low socioeconomic groups, but “the data suggest that making changes that promote more regular intake of energy during the day, perhaps with a greater proportion of calories earlier in the day, has positive effects on risk factors for heart disease.”

In other words, having breakfast creates eating patterns that promote good heart health throughout your adult life.

However, the statement goes on to say that simply eating breakfast may not be enough. To protect your heat, you need to eat mindfully, make deliberate choices about when and what you eat, and focus on your food as you eat rather than allowing yourself to be distracted by other demands or tasks.

“Mindful attention to the timing and frequency of eating occasions could lead to healthier lifestyle and cardiometabolic risk factor management,” the statement’s authors conclude. “Ultimately, clinicians may be able to use this information to suggest to patients that a more intentional approach… could be the basis of a healthier lifestyle.”

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: “Mindful Eating” Helps Families Control Weight

May 16, 2017

Reviewed By:

Janet O’Dell, RN


Enter to Win a Wireless Pen-Sized Oscilloscope!

IKALOGIC is giving away an IkaScope! (retail value $379)

The IkaScope WS200 is a pen-shaped battery-powered wireless oscilloscope that streams captured signals to almost any Wi-Fi-connected screen.

The IkaScope WS200 offers a 30 MHz bandwidth with its 200 Msamples/s sampling rate and maximum input of +/-40 Vpp. It provides galvanically-isolated measurements even when a USB connection is charging the internal battery. The IkaScope WS200 will work on desktop computers (Windows, Mac and Linux) as well as on mobile devices like tablets or smartphones. The free application software can be downloaded for whichever platform is needed.
The IkaScope WS200 has no power switch. It detects pressure on the probe tip and turns on automatically. Patented ProbeClick technology saves battery life: all power-consuming circuitry is only turned on when the probe tip is pressed, and the IkaScope WS200 automatically shuts down completely after a short period of non-use. The internal 450 mAh battery lasts about one week with daily regular use before recharging is necessary. An isolated USB connection allows for recharging the internal battery: two LEDs in the unit indicate battery charge and Wi-Fi status.

Clicking the Autoset button on the IkaScope software automatically adjusts gain and time-base to quickly view the signal optimally. The IkaScope WS200 also knows when to measure and when to hold the signal display without the need for a Run/Stop button. The IkaScope’s innovative Automatic History feature saves a capture of the signal when releasing pressure on the ProbeClick tip. The History Database is divided into Current Session and Favorites, where signal captures are permanently saved, even after the application is closed. Previously measured signals can quickly be recalled.

Most desktop oscilloscopes have a static reference grid with a fixed number of divisions, but the IkaScope allows pinch and zoom on touch screens (or zoom in/out with a mouse wheel), stretching the grid and allowing an operator to move and zoom through a signal capture for detailed review. The associated software even has a share button on the screen: simply click on it to share screenshot measurements.

IKALOGIC | www,ikalogic.com

Technology and Test Solutions for 5G

Next-Gen Communications

As carriers worldwide prepare for 5G communications, chip suppliers and test equipment vendors are evolving their products to meet the challenges of the 5G era.

By Jeff Child, Editor-in-Chief

The technologies that are enabling 5G communications are creating new challenges for embedded system developers. Faster mobile broadband data rates, massive amounts of machine-to-machine network interfacing and daunting low latency constraints all add to the complexity of 5G system design. Feeding those needs, chip vendors over the past 12 months have been releasing building blocks like modem chips and wideband mixers supporting 5G. And test equipment vendors are keeping pace with test gear designed to work with 5G technology.

With standards expected to reach finalization around 2020, 5G isn’t here yet, But efforts worldwide are laying the groundwork to deploy it. For its part, the Global mobile Suppliers Association (GSA) released a report in October 2017 entitled “Evolution from LTE to 5G.” According to the report, there is a frenzy of testing of 5G technology and concepts worldwide. The GSA has identified 103 operators in 49 countries that are investing in 5G technology in the form of demos, lab trials or field tests that are either under way or planned. Operators are sharing their intentions in terms of launch timetables for 5G, or prestandards 5G. The earliest launch dates currently planned are by operators in Italy and the US. Those early launches are necessarily limited in scope to either specific applications, or in limited geographic areas where they will function as extended commercial trials. Figure 1 shows the countries and the current planned dates for the earliest 5G launches in those countries.

Here is a map of pre-standards and standards-based 5G network plans announced. It shows the countries and current planned dates for the earliest 5G launches in those countries. (Source: Global mobile Suppliers Association (GSA)).

Intel and Qualcomm have been the big players to watch for 5G enabling technologies. In October 2017, Qualcomm Technologies, a subsidiary of Qualcomm, hit a significant milestone successfully achieving a 5G data connection on a 5G modem chipset for mobile devices. The Qualcomm Snapdragon X50 5G modem chipset achieved speeds and a data connection in the 28 GHz mmWave radio frequency band. The solution is expected to accelerate the delivery of 5G new radio (5G NR) enabled mobile devices to consumers. Along with the chip set demo Qualcomm Technologies previewed its first 5G smartphone reference design for the testing and optimization of 5G technology within the power and form-factor constraints of a smartphone.

The 5G data connection demonstration showed the chip set achieving Gigabit/s download speeds, using several 100 MHz 5G carriers and demonstrated a data connection in the 28 GHz millimeter wave (mmWave) spectrum. In addition to the Snapdragon X50 5G modem chipset, the demonstration also used the SDR051 mmWave RF transceiver IC. The demonstration made use of Keysight Technologies’ new 5G Protocol R&D Toolset and UXM 5G Wireless Test Platform. Qualcomm Technologies was the first company to announce a 5G modem chipset in 2016. The Snapdragon X50 5G NR modem family is expected to support commercial launches of 5G smartphones and networks in the first half of 2019. …

Read the full article in the January 330 issue of Circuit Cellar

The Future of Test-First Embedded Software

The term “test-first” software development comes from the original days of extreme programming (XP). In Kent Beck’s 1999 book, Extreme Programming Explained: Embrace Change (Addison-Wesley), his direction is to create an automated test before making any changes to the code.

Nowadays, test-first development usually means test-driven development (TDD): a well-defined, continuous feedback cycle of code, test, and refactor. You write a test, write some code to make it pass, make improvements, and then repeat. Automation is key though, so you can run the tests easily at any time.

TDD is well regarded as a useful software development technique. The proponents of TDD (including myself) like the way in which the code incrementally evolves from the interface as well as the comprehensive test suite that is created. The test suite is the safety net that allows the code to be refactored freely, without worry of breaking anything. It’s a powerful tool in the battle against code rot.

To date, TDD has had greater adoption in web and application development than with embedded software. Recent advances in unit test tools however are set to make TDD more accessible for embedded development.

In 2011 James Grenning published his book, Test Driven Development for Embedded C (Pragmatic Bookshelf). Six years later, this is still the authoritative reference for embedded test-first development and the entry point to TDD for many embedded software developers. It explains how TDD works in detail for an unfamiliar audience and addresses many of the traditional concerns, like how will this work with custom hardware. Today, the book is still completely relevant, but when it was published, the state-of-the art tools were simple unit test and mocking frameworks. These frameworks require a lot of boilerplate code to run tests, and any mock objects need to be created manually.

In the rest of the software world though, unit test tools are significantly more mature. In most other languages used for web and application development, it’s easy to create and run many unit tests, as well as to create mock objects automatically.
Since 2011, the current state of TDD tools has advanced considerably with the development of the open-source tool Ceedling. It automates running of unit tests and generation of mock objects in C applications, making it a lot easier to do TDD. Today, if you want to test-drive embedded software in C, you don’t need to roll-your-own test build system or mocks.

With better tools making unit testing easier, I suspect that in the future test-first development will be more widely adopted by embedded software developers. While previously relegated to the few early adopters willing to put in the effort, with tools lowering the barrier to entry it will be easier for everyone to do TDD.
Besides the tools to make TDD easier, another driving force behind greater adoption of test-first practices will be the simple need to produce better-quality embedded software. As embedded software continues its infiltration into all kinds of devices that run our lives, we’ll need to be able to deliver software that is more reliable and more secure.

Currently, unit tests for embedded software are most popular in regulated industries—like medical or aviation—where the regulators essentially force you to have unit tests. This is one part of a strategy to prevent you from hurting or killing people with your code. The rest of the “unregulated” embedded software world should take note of this approach.

With the rise of the Internet of things (IoT), our society is increasingly dependent on embedded devices connected to the Internet. In the future, the reliability and security of the software that runs these devices is only going to become more critical. There may not be a compelling business case for it now, but customers—and perhaps new regulators—are going to increasingly demand it. Test-first software can be one strategy to help us deal with this challenge.

This article appears in Circuit Cellar 318.

Matt Chernosky wants to help you build better embedded software—test-first with TDD. With years of experience in the automotive, industrial, and medical device fields, he’s excited about improving embedded software development. Learn more from Matt about getting started with embedded TDD at electronvector.com.

eSOL RTOS & Debugger Support for Software Development

Imperas Software recently announced its support for eSOL’s eMCOS RTOS and eBinder debugger. The partnership is intended to accelerate embedded software development, debugging, and testing.

The Imperas Extendable Platform Kit (EPK) features a Renesas RH850F1H device and it runs the eSOL eMCOS real time operating system. Imperas simulators can use the debugger from the eSOL IDE, eBinder, for efficient software debugging and testing.

Source: eSOL

New RF Signal Generator

RIGOL Technologies recently expanded its portfolio of RF Test solutions with the launch of the DSG800 Series RF Signal Generator. The series—which is targeted at engineers implementing Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and other RF interfaces in embedded systems—covers output frequencies from 9 kHz to 3 GHz. It provides maximum output power up to 20 dBm and low SSB phase noise of –105 dBc/Hz, amplitude accuracy of ±0.5 dB, and frequency resolution 0.01 Hz at any frequency. An oven-controlled crystal oscillator timebase provides less than 5 ppb temperature stability and less than 30 ppb/year aging stability.DSG800 Rigol

The DSG800 RF signal generators provide:

  • Conventional sweep functions (step, list, logarithmic, and linear)
  • Analog modulation functions including amplitude modulation (AM), frequency modulation (FM), phase modulation (ΦM), and pulse modulation
  • An optional pulse train generation capability for translating serial data onto an RF link

    There are two models in the DSG800 series. THe DSG815 (9 kHz to 1.5 GHz) costs $1,999. The DSG830 (9 kHz to 3 GHz) costs $3,599.

Source: RIGOL Technologies

Issue 286: EQ Answers

Question 1—A divider is a logic module that takes two binary numbers and produces their numerical quotient (and optionally, the remainder). The basic structure is a series of subtractions and multiplexers, where the multiplexer uses the result of the subtraciton to select the value that gets passed to the next step. The quotient is formed from the bits used to control the multiplexers, and the remainder is the result of the last subtraction.

If it is implemented purely combinatorially, then the critical path through all of this logic is quite long (even with carry-lookahead in the subtractors) and the clock cycle must be very slow. What could be done to shorten the clock period without losing the ability to get a result on every clock?

Answer 1—Pretty much any large chunk of combinatorial logic can be pipelined in order to reduce the clock period. This allows it to produce more results in a given amount of time, at the expense of increasing the latency for any particular result.

Divider logic is very easy to pipeline, and the number of pipeline stages you can use is fairly arbitrary. You could insert a pipeline register after each subtract-mux pair, or you might choose to do two or more subtract-mux stages per pipeline register You could even go so far as to pipeline the subtracts and the muxes separately (or even pipeline *within* each subtract) in order to get the fastest possible clock speed, but this would be rather extreme.

The more pipeline registers you use, the shorter the critical path (and the clock period) can be, but you use more resources (the registers). Also, the overall latency goes up, since you need to account for the setup and propagation times of the pipeline registers in the clock period (in addition to the subtract-mux logic delays). This gets multiplied by the number of pipeline stages in order to compute the total latency.

Question 2—On the other hand, what could be done to reduce the amount of logic required for the divider, giving up the ability to have a result on every clock?

Answer 2—If you don’t need the level of performance provided by a pipelined divider, you can computes the quotient serially, one bit at a time. You would just need one subtractor and one multiplexer, along with registers to hold the input values, quotient bits and the intermediate result.

You could potentially compute more than one bit per clock period using additional subtract-mux stages. This gives you the flexibility to trade off space and time as needed for a particular application.

Question 3—An engineer wanted to build an 8-MHz filter that had a very narrow bandwidth, so he used a crystal lattice filter like this:

However, when he built and tested his filter, he discovered that while it worked fine around 8 MHz, the attenuation at very high frequencies (e.g., >80 MHz) was very much reduced. What caused this?

Answer 3—The equivalent circuit for a quartz crystal is something like this:EQ-fig2-CC287-June14

The components across the bottom represent the mechanical resonance of the crystal itself, while the capacitor at the top represents the capacitance of the electrodes and holder. Typical values are:

  • Cser: 10s of fF (yes, femtofarads, 10-15F)
  • L: 10s of mH
  • R: 10s of ohms
  • Cpar: 10s of pF

The crystal has a series-resonant frequency based on just Cser and L. It has a relatively low impedance (basically just R) at this frequency.

It also has a parallel-resonant (sometimes called “antiresonant”) frequency when you consider the entire loop, including Cpar. Since Cser and Cpar are essentially in series, together they have a slightly lower capacitance than Cser alone, so the parallel-resonant frequency is slightly higher. The crystal’s impedance is very high at this frequency.

But at frequencies much higher than either of the resonant frequencies, you can see that the impedance of Cparalone dominates, and this just keeps decreasing with increasing frequency. This reduces the crystal lattice filter to a simple capacitive divider, which passes high freqeuncies with little attenuation.

Question 4—Suppose you know that a nominal 10.000 MHz crystal has a series-resonant frequency of 9.996490 MHz and a parallel-resonant frequency of 10.017730 MHz. You also know that its equivalent series capacitance is 27.1 fF. How can you calculate the value of its parallel capacitance?

Answer 4—First, calculate the crystal’s equivalent inductance, based on the series-resonant frequency:EQ-equation1-CC287-June14

Next, calculate the capacitance required to resonate with that inductance at the parallel-resonant frequency:EQ-equation2-CC287-June14

Finally, calculate the value of Cpar required to give that value of capacitance when in series with Cser:EQ-equation3-CC287-June14

Note that all three equations can be combined into one, and this reduces to:EQ-equation4-CC287-June14

Build an Adequate Test Bench (EE Tip #127)

It’s in our makeup as engineers that we want to test our newly received boards as soon as possible. We just can’t wait to connect them to a power supply and then use our test bench equipment (e.g., generators, oscilloscopes, switches or LEDs, and so on) for simulation.

Circuit Cellar columnist Robert Lacoste's workspace in Chaville, France.

Circuit Cellar columnist Robert Lacoste’s clean, orderly workspace in Chaville, France.

But due to our haste, the result is usually a PCB under test lying on a crowded workbench in the middle of a mesh of test cables, alligator clamps, prototyping boards, and other probes. Experience shows that the probability of a short circuit or mismatched connection is high during this phase of engineering excitement.

Test Board

Rather than requiring a mesh of test wires, it is often wise to develop a small test PCB that will drastically simplify the test phase. Here the ancillary board provided a clean way to connect a Microchip Technology ICD3 debugger, a JTAG emulator, a debug analyzer, and a power supply input.

Take your time: prepare a real test bench to which you can connect your board. It could be as simple as a clean desk with properly labeled wires, but you might also need to anticipate the design of a test PCB in order to simplify the cabling.—Robert Lacoste, “Mixed-Signal Designs,” CC25:25th Anniversary Issue, 2013.

Issue 284: EQ Answers

Can you name all of the signals in the original 25-pin RS-232 connector?

Pins 9, 10, 11, 18, and 25 are unassigned/reserved. The rest are:

Pin Abbreviation Source Description
1 PG Protective ground
2 TD DTE Transmitted data
3 RD DCE Received data
4 RTS DTE Request to send
5 CTS DCE Clear to send
6 DSR DCE Data Set Ready
7 SG Signal ground
8 CD DCE Carrier detect
12 SCD DCE Secondary carrier detect
13 SCTS DCE Secondary clear to send
14 STD DTE Secondary transmitted data
15 TC DCE Transmitter clock
16 SRD DCE Secondary received data
17 RC DCE Receiver clock
19 SRTS DTE Secondary request to send
20 DTR DTE Data terminal ready
21 SQ DCE Signal quality
22 RI DCE Ring indicator
23 DTE Data rate selector
24 ETC DTE External transmitter clock

What is the key difference between a Moore state machine and a Mealy state machine?

The key difference between Moore and Mealy is that in a Moore state machine, the outputs depend only on the current state, while in a Mealy state machine, the outputs can also be affected directly by the inputs.

What are some practical reasons you might choose one state machine over the other?

In practice, the difference between Moore and Mealy in most situations is not very important. However, when you’re trying to optimize the design in certain ways, it sometimes is.

Generally speaking, a Mealy machine can have fewer state variables than the corresponding Moore machine, which will save physical resources on a chip. This can be important in low-power designs.

On the other hand, a Moore machine will typically have shorter logic paths between flip-flops (total combinatorial gate delays), which will enable it to run at a higher clock speed than the corresponding Mealy machine.

What is the key feature that distinguishes a DSP from any other general-purpose CPU?

Usually, the key distinguishing feature of a DSP when compared with a general-purpose CPU is that the DSP can execute certain signal-processing operations with few, if any, CPU cycles wasted on instructions that do not compute results.

One of the most basic operations in many key DSP algorithms is the MAC (multiply-accumulate) operation, which is the fundamental step used in matrix dot and cross products, FIR and IIR filters, and fast Fourier transforms (FFTs). A DSP will typically have a register and/or memory organization and a data path that enables it to do at least 64 MAC operations (and often many more) on unique data pairs in a row without any clocks wasted on loop overhead or data movement. General-purpose CPUs do not generally have enough registers to accomplish this without using additional instructions to move data between registers and memory.

Issue 282: EQ Answers

Construct an electrical circuit to find the values of Xa, Xb, and Xc in this system of equations:

21Xa – 10Xb – 10Xc = 1
–10Xa + 22Xb – 10Xc = –2
–10Xa – 10Xb + 20Xc = 10

Your circuit should include only the following elements:

one 1-Ω resistor
one 2-Ω resistor
three 10-Ω resistors
three ideal constant voltage sources
three ideal ammeters

The circuit should be designed so that each ammeter displays one of the values Xa, Xb, or Xc. Given that the Xa, Xb, and Xc values represent currents, what kind of circuit analysis yields equations in this form?

You get equations in this form when you do mesh analysis of a circuit. Each equation represents the sum of the voltages around one loop in the mesh.

What do the coefficients on the left side of the equations represent? What about the constants on the right side?

The coefficients on the left side of each equation represent resistances. Resistance multiplied by current (the unknown Xa, Xb, and Xc values) yields voltage.
The “bare” numbers on the right side of each equation represent voltages directly (i.e., independent voltage sources).

What is the numerical solution for the equations?

To solve the equations directly, start by solving the third equation for Xc and substituting it into the other two equations:

Xc = 1/2 Xa + 1/2 Xb + 1/2

21Xa – 10Xb – 5Xa – 5Xb – 5 = 1
–10Xa + 22Xb – 5Xa – 5Xb – 5 = –2

16Xa – 15Xb = 6
–15Xa + 17Xb = 3

Solve for Xa by multiplying the first equation by 17 and the second equation by 15 and then adding them:

272Xa – 255Xb = 102
–225Xa + 255Xb = 45

47Xa = 147 → Xa = 147/47

Solve for Xb by multiplying the first equation by 15 and the second equation by 16 and then adding them:

240Xa – 225Xb = 90
–240Xa + 272Xb = 48

47Xb = 138 → Xb = 138/47

Finally, substitute those two results into the equation for Xc:

Xc = 147/94 + 138/94 + 47/94 = 332/94 = 166/47

Finally, what is the actual circuit? Draw a diagram of the circuit and indicate the required value of each voltage source.

The circuit is a mesh comprising three loops, each with a voltage source. The common elements of the three loops are the three 10-Ω resistors, connected in a Y configuration (see the figure below).

cc281_eq_fig1The values of the voltage sources in each loop are given directly by the equations, as shown. To verify the numeric solution calculated previously, you can calculate all of the node voltages around the outer loop, plus the voltage at the center of the Y, and ensure they’re self-consistent.

We’ll start by naming Va as ground, or 0 V:

Vb = Va + 2 V = 2 V

Vc = Vb + 2 Ω × Xb = 2V + 2 Ω × 138/47 A = 370/47 V = 7.87234 V

Vd = Vc + 1 Ω × Xa = 370/47 V + 1 Ω × 147/47A = 517/47 V = 11.000 V

Ve = Vd – 1 V = 11.000 V – 1.000 V = 10.000 V

Va = Ve – 10 V = 0 V

which is where we started.

The center node, Vf, should be at the average of the three voltages Va, Vc, and Ve:

0 V + 370/47 V + 10 V/3 = 840/141 V = 5.95745 V

We should also be able to get this value by calculating the voltage drops across each of the three 10-Ω resistors:

Va + (Xc – Xb) × 10 Ω = 0 V + (166 – 138)/47A × 10 Ω = 280/47 V = 5.95745 V

Vc + (Xb – Xa) × 10 Ω = 370/47V + (138-147)/47A × 10 Ω = 280/47 V = 5.95745 V

Ve + (Xa – Xc) × 10 Ω = 10 V + (147-166)/47 A × 10 Ω = 280/47 V = 5.95745 V

Issue 280: EQ Answers

What is the key difference between the following two C functions?

#define VOLTS_FULL_SCALE 5.000
#define KPA_PER_VOLT 100.0
#define KPA_THRESHOLD 200.0

/* adc_reading is a value between 0 and 1
bool test_pressure (float adc_reading)
  float voltage = adc_reading * VOLTS_FULL_SCALE;
  float pressure = voltage * KPA_PER_VOLT;

  return pressure > KPA_THRESHOLD;

bool test_pressure2 (float adc_reading)
  float voltage_threshold = KPA_THRESHOLD / KPA_PER_VOLT;
  float adc_threshold = voltage_threshold / VOLTS_FULL_SCALE;

  return adc_reading > adc_threshold;

The first function, test_pressure(), converts the ADC reading to engineering units before making the threshold comparison. This is a direct, obvious way to implement such a function.

The second function, test_pressure2(), converts the threshold value to an equivalent ADC reading, so that the two can be compared directly.

The key difference is in performance. The first function requires that arithmetic be done on each reading before making the comparison. However, the calculations in the second function can all be performed at compile time, which means that the only run-time operation is the comparison itself.

How many NAND gates would it take to implement the following translation table? There are five inputs and eight outputs. You may consider an inverter to be a one-input NAND gate.

Inputs Outputs
0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 1

First of all, note that there are really only four inputs and three unique outputs for this function, since input E is always 1 and outputs GHI are always 0. The only real outputs are F, plus the groups JK and LM.

Since the other 27 input combinations haven’t been specified, we can take the output values associated with all of them as “don’t care.”

The output F is simply the inversion of input C.

The output JK is high only when A is high or D is low.

The output LM is high except when B is low and C is high.

Therefore, the entire function can be realized with a total of five gates:

Quick history quiz: Who were the three companies who collaborated to create the initial standard for the Ethernet LAN?

The original 10-Mbps Ethernet standard was jointly developed by Digital Equipment Corp. (DEC), Intel, and Xerox. It was released in November 1980, and was commonly referred to as “DIX Ethernet.”

What was the name of the wireless network protocol on which Ethernet was based? Where was it developed?

The multiple access with collision detection protocol that Ethernet uses was based on a radio protocol developed at the University of Hawaii. It was known as the “ALOHA protocol.”

Issue 278: EQ Answers

Problem 2—Why is this necessary?

Problem 3—What is the AND gate’s output?

Issue 276: EQ Answers

Problem 1
Suppose you have an ordinary switch mode buck regulator. The input voltage is 100 V, the switch’s duty cycle is exactly 50%, and you measure the output voltage as 70 V. Is this converter operating in continuous conduction mode or discontinuous conduction mode? How can you tell?

Answer 1
If a switch mode buck converter is operating in continuous conduction mode, then the output voltage is the fraction of the input voltage as defined by the duty cycle. 100 V × 0.5 would equal 50 V. Therefore, this converter is operating in discontinuous conduction mode.

Note that continuous conduction mode includes the case in which synchronous (active) rectification is being used and the current through the coil is allowed to reverse direction when the output is lightly loaded. The output voltage in relation to the input voltage will still be defined by the switch duty cycle.

Therefore, we also know that the regulator in question is not using synchronous rectification, but rather is using a diode instead.

Problem 2
Since a diode can be placed in a High-Impedance state (reverse-biased) or a Low-Impedance state (forward-biased), they are sometimes used to switch AC signals, including audio and RF. What determines the magnitude of a signal that a diode can switch?

Answer 2
When diodes are used for signal switching, there are two considerations with regard to the magnitude of the signal relative to the DC control signal:

  • In the Blocking state, the reverse bias voltage must be greater than the peak signal voltage to prevent signal leakage. Also, a high-bias voltage reduces the parasitic capacitance through the diode. PIN diodes are often used for RF switching because of their ultra-low capacitance.
  • In the On state, the forward DC control current through diode must be greater than the peak AC signal current, and it must be large enough so that the current doesn’t approach the diode curve’s “knee” too closely, introducing distortion.

Obviously, the diode needs to be rated for both the peak reverse voltage and the peak forward current created by the combination of the control signal and the application signal.

Problem 3
What common function does the following truth table represent?

0 0 0 ? 0 0 0
0 0 1 ? 0 0 1
0 1 0 ? 0 1 0
0 1 1 ? 0 0 1
1 0 0 ? 1 0 0
1 0 1 ? 0 0 1
1 1 0 ? 0 1 0
1 1 1 ? 0 0 1

Answer 3
The truth table implements a form of priority encoder:

Z is set if C is set, otherwise
Y is set if B is set, otherwise
X is set if A is set

In other words, C has the highest priority and A has the lowest. However, unlike conventional priority encoders that produce a binary output, this one produces a “one hot” encoding.

Problem 4
Write the equations for the logic that would implement the table.

Answer 4
The logic is quite straightforward:

Z = C
Y = B & !C
X = A & !B & !C

Issue 274: EQ Answers

The answers to the Circuit Cellar 274 Engineering Quotient are now available. The problems and answers are listed below.

Problem 1—What is wrong with the name “programmable unijunction transistor?”

Answer 1—Unlike the original unijunction transistor—which really does have just a single junction—the programmable unijunction transistor (PUT) is actually a four-layer device that has three junctions, much like a silicon-controlled rectifier (SCR).

Problem 2—Given a baseband channel with 3-kHz bandwidth and a 40-dB signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), what is the theoretical capacity of this channel in bits per second?

Answer 2—The impulse response of an ideal channel with exactly 3 kHz of bandwidth is a sinc (i.e., sin(x)/x) pulse in the time domain that has nulls that are 1/6,000 s apart. This means you could send a series of impulses through this channel at a 6,000 pulses per second rate. And, if you sampled at exactly the correct instants on the receiving end, you could recover the amplitudes of each of those pulses with no interference from the other pulses on either side of it.

However, a 40-dB signal-to-noise ratio implies that the noise power is 1/10,000 of the maximum signal power. In terms of distinguishing voltage or current levels, this means you can send at most sqrt(10,000) = 100 distinct levels through the channel before they start to overlap, making it impossible to separate one from another at the receiving end.

100 levels translates to log2100 = 6.64 binary bits of information. This means the total channel capacity is 3,9840 bits/s (i.e., 6,000 pulses/s × 6.64 bits/pulse).

This is the basis for the Shannon-Hartley channel capacity theorem.

Problem 3—In general, is it possible to determine whether a system is linear and time-invariant (LTI) by simply examining its input and output signals?

Answer 3—In general, given an input signal and an output signal, you might be able to definitively state that the system is not linear and time-invariant (LTI), but you’ll never be able to definitively state that it is, only that it might be.

The general technique is to use information in the input signal to see whether the output signal can be composed from the input features. Input signals (e.g., impulses and steps) are easist to analyze, but other signals can also be analyzed.

Problem 4—One particular system has this input signal:

Figure 1

The output is given by:

Figure 2

Is this system LTI?

Answer 4—In this example, the input is a rectangular pulse that can be analyzed as the superposition of two step functions that are separated in time, one positive-going and the other negative-going. This makes the analysis easy, since you can see the initial response to the first step function then determine whether the response following the second step is a linear combination of two copies of the first part of the response.

In this case, the response to the first step function at t = 0 is that the output starts rising linearly, also at t = 0. The second (negative) input step function occurs at t = 0.5, and if the system is LTI, you would expect the output to also change what it’s doing at that time. In fact, you would expect the output to level off at whatever value it had reached at that time, because the LTI response to the second step should be a negative-going linear ramp, which, when added to the original response, should cancel out.

However, this is not the output signal received, so this system is definitely not LTI.

Issue 272: EQ Answers

3-bit INPUT 8-bit OUTPUT
000 00000000
001 00100100
010 01001001
011 01101101
100 10010010
101 10110110
110 11011011
111 11111111

Answer 3—Believe it or not, yes it can.

See www.qsl.net/ns8o/Induction_Generator.html for additional details.

Issue 270: EQ Answers

Contributed by David Tweed


Ephesians 5:15-16

“Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.”This is a great verse for me because it motivates me. As followers of Christ, we are called to live our lives intentionally. The verse says to be “very careful” how we live. In other words, carpe diem! The days we live in are evil and we have a world that’s watching us, waiting for us to drop the ball, waiting for us to disgrace the Cross of Christ.

But we are called to live, not as unwise, but as wise! Life is short…very short and I just had a reminder of that this weekend. We only get one shot at this life and we need to make the most of it. I want the Spirit to guide me and help me see the opportunities place before me. I hope to make a difference for the Kingdom.

Here is a song this verse makes me think of (ignore the pictures).

So the question is simple: How will you live your life?

God bless,


 I have been tried through the ages, and am found to be true.
 I strive for beauty and for symmetry.
 In my heart are wisdom and strength and courage for those who ask.
 I lift up the fallen and shelter the sick.
 I hark to the orphans' cry, the widow's tears, and the pain of the old and destitute.
 I am neither church, nor party or school, yet my sons bear a full share of responsibility to God, to country, to Neighbour and themselves.
 At the end I commit them, as each one undertakes the journey beyond the vale into the glory of everlasting life.
 I ponder the sand within the glass and think how small a single life in the eternal universe is.
 Always have I taught immortality, and even as I raise men from darkness into light, I am a way of life.

 I Am Freemasonry


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Promise Theory
Principles and Applications

This book written in collaboration with Jan A. Bergstra.

"Promise Theory offers a methodology for generating certainty on top of uncertain foundations. This book presents the formal foundations of Promise Theory. It lays out the formalisms in a clear, concise, understandable way that makes them accessible to non-mathematicians. If you want to fully understand the conceptual mechanisms that underlie the distributed systems that make up today's "cloud services", you should start with this book."
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Melting ice caps

The melting of the polar ice caps is caused by the overall increase in global temperature, and this melting can have serious consequences for all organisms on earth. This rate of polar ice caps melting has been being measured since 1979 during the first half of the period, this rate of loss was 8,300 square miles it has now doubled in the last half of this measurement period to 19,500 square miles per year. Ice is melting at the poles impacts will be global ice shelves are massive, floating platforms of ice that surround the ice-covered continents of antarctica and greenland when they melt, sea level isn't directly affected because this ice is already in the ocean but scientists have learned that. During the modest decline in 2005 through 2012, the media presented a daily barrage of melting ice cap stories since the ice caps rebounded – and then some – how have the media reported the.

melting ice caps What if all the ice melted on earth ft bill nye  special thanks to business insider for their ice melting video, watch the full version here:  melting ice caps:.

According to nasa, the polar ice caps are melting at an alarming rate of 9% per decade the thickness of the arctic ice has decreased by 40% since the 1960s according to scientists at the us center for atmospheric research, if the current rate of global temperature rise continues, the arctic will be free of ice by 2040. Ice caps melting facts by brett smith updated april 24, 2017 due to the hot-button, politically charged nature of the climate change debate, agreed-upon facts regarding the melting of the polar ice caps can be hard to find. The melting ice caps are affecting the animals and they are going extinct the reason is because the ice that is remaining is farther from shore,which is making it more difficult to get to the larger the gap between the ice caps and land, the rougher the wave conditions. There are eight major ice caps and ice fields in the queen elizabeth islands, which account for 25 percent of arctic land ice, not including greenland many of the glaciers flow directly into marine basins, including the arctic ocean, baffin bay and nares strait.

A new trade route for energy supplies is opening up north of the arctic circle as some of the warmest temperatures on record shrink ice caps that used to lock ships out of the area. Ice sheets data from nasa's grace satellites show that the land ice sheets in both antarctica (upper chart) and greenland (lower) have been losing mass since 2002 both ice sheets have seen an acceleration of ice mass loss since 2009. Melting polar ice caps recently, there has been a disinformation campaign about the melting polar ice caps there have been numerous articles stating that the melting of ice caps have been at a record low, but that still does not hide the truth that the polar ice caps are indeed melting and at an alarming rate. Ice-dependant animals, such as walruses and ring seals will be greatly affected by the melting ice caps (treehuggercom) they have fewer places to rest on, as well as fewer places to hunt if the ice caps keep melting, their lives will become in great danger. Quick facts on ice sheets what is an ice sheet large high-altitude plateaus on the ice caps alter storm tracks and create cold downslope winds close to the ice surface summer melt on the ice sheet increased by 30 percent, reaching a new record in 2007 at higher elevations, an increase in winter snow accumulation has partially offset.

The melting of the polar ice caps increases global warming because ice glaciers deflects or bounces off about 80% heat from the sun and retain or absorb about 20% of it however, when sunlight falls on earth, only 20% of the heat is deflected and 80% is absorbed. When temperatures rise and ice melts, more water flows to the seas from glaciers and ice caps, and ocean water warms and expands in volume (any more than a glass of water will overflow when. A large section of the mighty west antarctica ice sheet has begun falling apart and its continued melting now appears to be unstoppable, two groups of scientists reported on monday. If we keep burning fossil fuels indefinitely, global warming will eventually melt all the ice at the poles and on mountaintops, raising sea level by 216 feet.

And the arctic has other frozen land areas—mountain glaciers and ice caps—in places like iceland, the canadian and russian arctic, alaska and norway’s svalbard islands. But there might be a less dramatic reason than polar ice melting for the higher ocean level -- the higher temperature of the water water is most dense at 4 degrees celsius above and below this temperature, the density of water decreases (the same weight of water occupies a bigger space. Warming seas and melting ice sheets making it the single largest source of sea level rise from melting ice credit: nasa/saskia madlener sea level rise is a natural consequence of the warming of our planet we know this from basic physics when water heats up, it expands so when the ocean warms, sea level rises.

The melt then began at low altitudes, and in recent years has spread to the whole ice sheet in july 2012, for example, 97 percent of the greenland ice cap experienced surface melting, according to remote sensing by satellite. Are the ice caps melting data shows that the polar ice caps are melting due to both natural and human factorsdata comes from nasa satellites and is accepted by skeptics and climate change advocates alike. The natural resources defense council works to safeguard the earth - its people, its plants and animals, and the natural systems on which all life depends.

  • The graph above shows arctic sea ice extent on september 23, 2018, along with daily ice extent data for four previous years and the record low year 2018 is shown in blue, 2017 in green, 2016 in orange, 2015 in brown, 2014 in purple, and 2012 in dotted brown.
  • “the ice caps were going to melt, they were going to be gone by now, but now they’re setting records, so ok, they’re at a record level” donald trump president of the united states.
  • The effects of global warming in the arctic, or climate change in the arctic include rising air and water temperatures, loss of sea ice, and melting of the greenland ice sheet with a related cold temperature anomaly, observed since the 1970s.

Sea level rise is a natural consequence of the warming of our planet. According to nasa, an estimated 2 trillion tons of ice melted from 2003-8 (5 years) that is an average of 400,000,000,000 tons a year sustainability ninja: 2 trillion tons of arctic ice melted in last 5 years (nasa data. The melted ice can also form dark melt water pools, which absorb more heat from the sun than white ice sheets, which reflect the sun most read stay up to date with our daily newsletter.

Melting ice caps
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