Tag Archives: Vegetables

Secrets for Maintaining the Freshness of Vegetables

Everyone is familiar with the fact that food keeps getting more and more expensive to buy as the days pass. This is made obvious due to factors like the family budget being tightened, forcing people to make sure that they do not waste any morsel of food. The problem is, it is sad to note that a lot of food researchers have discovered that a typical family will dispose of the good parts of expensive food every 365 days! The good news is that individuals who order products from Magic Kitchen will get good deals, so it is worth visiting.

Each person must do their part to lessen food wastage as it is a huge responsibility. With more careful thought on the food items that they really need and buy, every person in the world has the power to bring down the quantity of food being disposed within a year. Produce that is still fresh is often the food that is regularly thrown away, and it is the responsibility of all the customers to do something about this. They have to take action for the environment, and also to lower their monthly or weekly food expenses by being more familiar with the fresh food that they purchase, and the potential waste that will occur if they do not consume it promptly.

Consumers have to keep in mind that fresh food can easily spoil, so rather than disposing of it or allowing it to rot, here are some secrets for maintaining the freshness of vegetables:

Organize the weekly grocery visit

Prior to going to the grocery store, it is best for the homeowner to think of the meals that he or she will cook on the following week. It basically means that people should only purchase the food items they need, and resist the temptation to get all of the products that they can see on the store shelves.

While this may affect those individuals who are on a budget, they have to avoid buying cheaply priced food merchandise because they are more likely to perish faster. A lot of fresh vegetables can be put in storage for a maximum of 3 days. The exception is the root vegetables that can last within 7 days to a few weeks, but it depends on the storage medium and the method they are contained.

Keeping foods that are incompatible

As unusual as it is, storing vegetables and fruits in the same place may cause issues since they are incompatible with one another. This is true, even if food products are bought from Gourmet Station.

After vegetables and fruits are picked, they release Ethylene. It is a gas that has no smell or taste, but the vegetables are sensitive to this, and will quicken their ripening process.

The Essential Food Groups: Fruits and Vegetables

Every organism that lives needs proper nutrition to continue to thrive. It is a necessary element that provides sustenance for the body, the healthy growth of the individual, the ability of the body to patch up destroyed tissues, and the normal operation of every body part. The average person will end up consuming a big assortment of food products on a daily basis. Every edible is placed under a specific group depending on their nutrient group, composition, and the ideal portion that all the items should take up in the daily diet of a typical individual.

All of the groups have an array of varied nutritional values, and every nutrient is important for the well-being and health of everyone. The human body needs minerals, vitamins, enzymes, fats, proteins and carbohydrates to remain healthy and strong. The problem is that the body is not able to process all of the nutrients by itself, so it relies on a number of external sources to help it.

Using essential fatty acids and Vitamin C as examples, the body can only get these nutrients if the food that is eaten is full of these chemicals (like fruits and vegetables). If the body is not able to get enough of these nutrients, the person will eventually go through health issue due to nutritional deficiency. This will also affect the ability of the human body to recover from infections and ailments and repair wounds. VitaminLife provides nutritional supplements that can prevent nutritional deficiency.

Fresh veggies are a significant component in a healthy diet. They offer a number of enzymes, fibers, minerals and vitamins which are known for their benefits to health. Because vegetables do not have much fats or sugar, people who are going through those weight loss programs are always advised by their physicians to eat them. Veggies generally consist of a lot of dietary fiber, which means that the digestive system will be healthier. Most vegetables have phytochemicals that help take away the components for health issues like cancer, heart disease and diabetes. Nutritionists recommend consuming all veggies raw or as a juice as much as possible since pickling, canning or cooking them may take away some important nutrients.

Fruits contain high levels of carbohydrates, fibers, minerals, and vitamins. They are packed with a lot of antioxidants that guard the human body from damage to the cells because of oxidative stress and free radicals. Fruits that contain citrus such as oranges, grapes and lemons have a lot of Vitamin C in them. High levels of Vitamin A are present in sources like peaches, nectarines, cantaloupes and apricots. The best news of all is that fruits can easily be consumed raw or as a fresh juice or smoothie.

Energy Foods Against Depression

Depression is defined as a low mood state and refusal to do anything which may have a harmful effect on a person’s physical state, view of the world, feelings, behavior or thoughts. People who are depressed may feel restless, hurt, irritable, guilty, worthless, helpless, worried, hopeless, empty, anxious or sad.

Foods that are designed to boost energy levels are full of complex carbohydrates like the ones stored in whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. These foods will keep depression away and enhance the body including the immune system. Costco sells a lot of these healthy products at affordable prices.

Whole Grains

People who are depressed have a tendency to snack on junk food in an effort to feel better. This is a job for the whole grains. Aside from helping the person bring down the levels of insulin, triglycerides and bad cholesterol, these foods are full of fiber and protein. This means that the person feels full for a longer time since the body absorbs the grains at a slow rate.

A good example of this is Quinoa. This specific whole grain tastes great and has a considerable amount of protein for easier burning of fat. The Amaranth is great for countering depression and is a fine energy booster. In contrast to other grains that are free of gluten, it is packed with the maximum amounts of protein, calcium, healthy fats and carbohydrates. Alternative grains that are worth trying include Teff and Spelt, as they can also enhance metabolism and energy.

Instead of eating junk food that are devoid of antioxidants and vitamins such as cakes, candy and soda, get a handful of fruits. These foods may have sugar in them, but they also contain fiber, vitamins and antioxidants that are designed to maintain the energy level in the body.

Bananas are full of healthy carbohydrates that become blood sugar and then fuel for energy, as well as low amounts of fiber for easy digestion. The result is a quick burst of energy because the sugar is absorbed by the body at a fast rate. Other energy sources include citrus fruits like oranges and grapefruit which have high vitamin C content. The body will use these healthy chemicals to produce the energy-filled amino acids.

Parents want their children to eat their vegetables because they contain a lot of fiber. The fiber content in these foods will contribute to energy that will last a long time. Veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus and green beans are packed with tons of healthy fiber. Compared to foods that have little fiber and large amounts of calories, vegetables will keep the body powered up and full for a longer duration.

On a final note, spinach is rich in iron that will prevent fatigue as well as depression.

Eat Your Way To A Healthy You: Top Five Healthy Vegetables

Staying healthy in this day and age can be a challenge especially for busy people like you and me. Because of the busy lives people live these days, preparing healthy dishes can be chore and we are all stuck with fast food and microwaveable meals. Preparing meat dishes can be time-consuming and unhealthy as well.

Solution? Eat more vegetables. We all know that vegetables are rich in nutrients and vitamins. Not only that, they are also easy to prepare and cook making them perfect for a busy you. However, not all vegetables are equally nutritious with some more vitamins more than ever. What are these vegetables? Here is a list:

  • Dark Green Kale

Dark green kale is rich in antioxidants which are perfect for fighting free radicals in the body. It is also rich in calcium, fiber, vitamins and phytochemicals. Eating dark green kale lessens the risk of developing eye-related problems as well as cancer. Dark green kale can be chopped and sprinkled with extra virgin olive oil for a quick and healthy snack. Make a healthy kale salad by mixing it with some quinoa, raw almonds, carrots and tahini sauce. However you prepare this vegetable, you can be sure to enjoy its great taste and nutrition.

  • Spinach

Although you won’t be as strong as Popeye when you eat spinach, there are still many benefits of eating this healthy vegetable. Spinach contains protein, potassium, minerals and lots of vitamins like Vitamin E and C. Spinach can be sauted, steamed or even cooked in a microwave. It is that simple to prepare this yummy and healthy vegetable.

  • Chard

Chard is another green leafy vegetable that is not only healthy but easy to prepare as well. It contains high amounts of minerals and vitamins that will keep your body strong and healthy. It can also be eaten raw but some people prefer it cooked. Stir fry chard with garlic, onions and sea salt is one way to prepare this vegetable. Chard is also perfect for soups.

  • Brussel Sprouts

Most people especially kids are not fond of brussel sprouts but this is one of the most nutritious vegetable in the market. It contains minerals, vitamins and fiber, which helps in muscle development.

  • Brocolli

Another healthy vegetable you shouldn’t forget is broccoli. This tasty vegetable contains protein as well as other nutrients like calcium, thiamin, iron and riboflavin. Stir fry broccoli with extra virgin olive oil, some herbs and lemon juice and you’re good to go.

Staying healthy is a challenge but with these vegetables on your food list, you can never go wrong. These vegetables are yummy, healthy and best of all-easy to cook.

Top Side Dishes For Steak Recipes

Steak is considered one of the most delicious dishes all over the globe. Although you can cook steak every day, it’s often prepared for special occasions. This is why choosing the right ingredient is very important when cooking steak recipes.

You also need to consider the type of side dish that will complement your steak recipe if you want to have a complete meal. Choosing the right side dish for your steak adds a whole new flavor to your steak meal. If you’re planning on cooking steak, here are some tips on how to choose the right side dish that will complement your steak recipe.

Casseroles and Salads

Casseroles and salads are great side dishes to any steak recipe.  You can cook scalloped potatoes baked with plain yogurt, sour cream or mascarpone. Baked macaroni and cheese with sweet cheese, feta cheese, penne pasta, Gruyere and bread crumbs is also a great choice.

If you want a healthier alternative, try making a garden salad by combining arugula, cherry tomatoes, shallots, mandarin orange and champagne vinegar. It is not only healthy; it is also very delicious and will perfectly complement any steak dish you make.

Asparagus and mushrooms that are mashed, pureed or grilled are the best side dish for any beef steak recipe. Simply add garlic, cumin, chives, or saffron for flavor and you’re good to go.

Other healthy alternatives include cooked or pureed sweet potatoes, parsnips, butternut squash and rutabagas. Adding sour cream, yogurt or butter will make these side dishes more delicious. Another great side dish for steak is boiled or grilled broccoli seasoned with olive oil, lemon juice and salt & pepper.

If you have no time to prepare side dishes for your steak recipes, why not use bread or rolls instead? You can buy different types of bread on your local store which you can use as it is or spice it up with some herbs. You can also spread add cheese and scallions to the bread to create aromatic bread that will surely whet your appetite. Topped it up with some soup and you’ll have a healthy and mouth-watering meal.

To have a healthy and balanced meal, you need to have carbohydrates in your dish. Therefore, it’s a great idea to have grains as a side dish to your steak recipe. Risotto, couscous and buttered egg noodles are just some examples of side dishes that will perfectly complement your steak recipe.

Selecting the perfect side dish for your steak recipe can either make your meal very appetizing or a disaster.  Therefore, you need to choose wisely and select the side dish based on your main dish. If your dish is heavy and flavorful, you might want to balance it by choosing light salad or vegetables.

However, there’s no need to play safe and choose the typical side dishes. Experiment on the different choices to add variety and more flavor to your steak recipes.

Want Some Grilled Foods? Here Are Some Great Ideas

Whether it’s for an outdoor party or a simple dinner with family, barbeque or grilled foods are always a great choice.  Grilled foods are one of the most versatile dishes to prepare. When it comes to grilled dishes, you can use a wide range of foods. Here are some of the top five foods that are perfect for grilling outdoors.

Whether it’s sausage or steak, meat has always been a favorite among those who love grilled dishes. Pork and beef meat are perfect for outdoor grilling and are best served with delicious barbeque sauce.  Add some tasty vegetable salad, grilled corn, or some salsa and you’re good to go.  Just make sure to choose lean meat for a healthier meal. And don’t forget to mix up your favorite drink and enjoy.

Chicken meat is also a great choice for grilled dishes. The great thing about chicken is that it’s versatile and can be mixed with other foods.  Grilling chicken is also a healthier choice over frying.  Be sure to marinate the chicken on your favorite sauce overnight to make it tastier and more delicious. To make it healthier, you can remove the skin and choose chicken fillet instead. Adding herbs on the chicken while grilling will make your grilled chicken surely mouth-watering.

Contrary to popular belief, vegetables will make a great grilled dish. Zucchinis, bell peppers, tomatoes, asparagus and potatoes are just some of the vegetables you can grill. Grilled vegetables are great as side dishes or as garnishes for your main dish. Grilled vegetables are also easy to prepare. Simply sprinkle some salt, pepper, oil and some herb and start grilling.  Grilled vegetables are not just yummy, they’re healthy as well.

If you love seafood and is running out of ideas on seafood recipes, then try grilled seafood.  Seafood like squids, prawn, mussels and crab are perfect for grilling outdoors. These foods are tasty and yummy, too. However, preparing grilled seafood is different from typical grilled food. Use lemon juice, seasoning and herbs to marinate the seafood instead of using barbeque sauce. This will bring out the natural flavors of the seafood. Top that with some delicious salad and you’ll be in for a treat.

Seasonal Springtime Vegetables

Spring is a time of the year that everyone looks forward to because of the good tidings that come with it. These include the appearance of taste of freshly grown vegetables and fruits. There are quite a number of seasonal springtime vegetables that you will find at the stores at the onset of spring. While some of them are available during other times of the year, they are never as fresh as they are during the springtime.

Moreover, the springtime vegetables have a high level of antioxidants which in turn go a long way towards a healthier and happier you. As such, seasonal springtime vegetables that are locally grown give you an even better reason to look forward to enjoying some of the best fruit and vegetables that the season has to offer.

Some of the most common leafy springtime vegetables that can be enjoyed during spring include purple sprouting broccoli, asparagus, watercress, chicory, rhubarb, radishes, jersey new royal potatoes, spinach and spring onions. Many people prefer eating asparagus at this time of the year, compared to other vegetables.  Maybe that’s because in the culinary world, the asparagus is considered to be the first sign of spring! It is advisable to buy these vegetables when you see them in the shops because the season doesn’t last for long.

Some of the things that you need to look at before buying asparagus includes the fact that they should have a bright color, closed tips and tender but firm stalks. The purple sprouting broccoli, which can be mistaken for flowers, is also another spring delight. The leaves have a bluish green color while the stems are also slender and firm. This vegetable is preferred for the preparation of soups and pasta sauces.

The other spring vegetable that is most sought after is chicory. This is because it has a unique bitter taste that makes a perfect combination when taken with fish. It is also used for making raw salads that are mixed with orange segments and other leaves. On the other hand, spinach is packed with vitamins. However, it should be bought in large quantities as it tends cook down. It is also ideal for soups and salads.

Watercress is also liked by most people because it is believed to have chemicals that fight cancer-causing cells. When buying, you will need to choose the leaves that have a dark green appearance. Spring vegetables are preferred because during this time they are in plenty hence you can be sure of getting fresh leafy supplies as opposed to the other times of the year.

The Benefits of a Vegetarian Diet

In pursuit of good health, you eat nutritious food and take different kinds of vitamins. You try to have an adequate amount of rest. You have made exercise as part of your daily routine in order for you to maintain your desired weight.  Some people decide to simply reduce their consumption of meat and replace them with enriched food as part of their diet for they believe it is one way to be healthy.

By taking into consideration of choosing healthy foods in your nutrition like deciding to be vegetarian is advantageous to your body. They serve as an additional health benefits. Eating plant based food should not be taken for granted as they are essential to your existence especially if you want to have a longer life. What you intake will affect your whole body as the saying goes “you are what you eat.”

If you decide to choose vegetables or decide on a strict vegetarian diet, it may be advisable to consult your doctor first.  They will help people especially with some health concerns and people who are old enough. The doctor can discuss and explain any health matters you may have related to a major dietary change.

Aside from consulting a physician, you may also seek advice from a registered dietician as they are competent also in evaluating your nutritional issues. Becoming vegetarian offers a number of health benefits such as:

1. Various studies show that eating vegetables is associated with lower blood pressure, less heart disease, lower cholesterol, lower risk of cancer, and maintain the preferred weight.

2.You can get enough proteins from vegetables such as beans, nuts, grains and lentils. Eating a range of vegetable protein in a day can provide all the protein required for a healthy diet.

3. Green leafy vegetables are a good source of carotene and beneficial especially to persons with hypertension. It helps eliminate fatty acids deposited in the alimentary canal that would usually lodge in the vessels.

4. Vegetables are rich source of iron. These include peas, beans, spinach, raisins, peaches, nuts seeds and whole grains. They are perfect food for people who are suffering from anemia.

5. They provide a lot of vitamins that are good for the body like Vitamin D which you can also get from the sun light, Vitamin B which is helpful in the formation of red blood cells and many other vitamins that are essential for the body.

6. A vegetarian diet is healthy for children as well as an older person for it is more crucial for people in these groups to choose nutritious foods. It can be helpful in the growth and development of children. It is also helpful to the older people as these individuals have special diets because of some health concerns.


Germany / 02-03-2017

At least 90 antisemitic crimes committed in Saxony during 2016

Source: bild

The number of antisemitic crimes committed in Saxony remains high. In 2016, at least 90 of them had been reported, left-wing politician Kerstin Köditz said in Dresden on Wednesday. This means that the number may be lower compared to the number recorded last year, but still remains above the long-term average. For this reason, she did not wish to describe this rise as a consistent trend.

The expert on radical movements in her party makes a habit of regularly studying the numbers in addressment to parlement. In most cases, the incidents reported include hate speech and incitements against Jews as well as Holocaust denial. In 2012, 51 incidents were reported, which constitute the lowest number recorded since 2004. By 2015, the number reached its current record levels at a peak of 120 incidents.

Köditz claims that in almost all cases, one must take into account that „The incident was brought about by right-wing sentiments or motives“. This conclusion was reached by meticiously comparing single incidents against the statistical analysis of right-wing motivated crimes: „The development seen in antisemitic crimes in recent years also resulted from a general rise in the number of right-wing incidents and the increasingly widespread propaganda on social networks.“


28 August 2016

The Patentability Question

The principal issue that the Delegate was required to address can be understood by reference to claim 1 of ISSCO’s Australian patent application no. 2013205483:

A method of producing human stem cells comprising:
    (a) obtaining a blastocyst by cultivating an activated unfertilized oocyte at low O2 tension wherein the blastocyst is haploid or diploid and lacks paternal imprinting;
    (b) transferring the blastocyst to a layer of feeder cells, and culturing the transferred blastocyst in media under high O2 tension, wherein the blastocyst is haploid or diploid and lacks paternal imprinting;
    (c) mechanically isolating an inner cell mass (ICM) containing pluripotent cells of the ICM from trophectoderm of the blastocyst of stem (b); and
    (d) culturing the pluripotent cells of the ICM of step (c) on a layer of feeder cells in media under high O2 tension,
wherein the blastocysts are cultivated from an unfertilized oocyte that has been activated by contacting the oocyte with an ionophore at high O2 tension and then contacting the unfertilized oocyte with a serine threonine kinase inhibitor under low O2 tension and wherein the oocyte genome is haploid or diploid and lacks paternal imprinting.
The significance of the phrase I have bolded, ‘lacks paternal imprinting’, will become apparent.
The examiners of this, and other, claims filed by ISSCO rejected them under subsection 18(2) on the basis that (see paragraph [16] of the Delegate’s decision):
...the cultivation of an activated unfertilized oocyte as claimed represents the cultivation of a human embryo, and as such represents a biological process for the generation of a human being. While the method is not explicitly directed to a method of generating a human being, the method includes a step where a human being (ie a parthenogenically-activated oocyte) is produced, and therefore the subject matter of the claim is not patentable.
This form of objection raises two distinct questions:
  1. Does a method which, overall, is not directed to human beings, or the biological processes for their generation, fall foul of subsection 18(2) if it nonetheless involves one or more steps that might be characterised as such?
  2. Is a parthenogenetically-activated oocyte a ‘human being’?
Spoiler alert: the answers (according to the Delegate) are ‘yes’ and ‘no’.

‘Incidental’ Embryos

The first of the above questions is pretty easy to answer.  Clearly the exclusion in subsection 18(2) addresses moral and ethical concerns around the patenting of something that arguably amounts to human life, and to the provision of a patent incentive for the commercial development of such technologies.

That being the case, prohibiting the patenting of human beings, or the biological processes for their generation, while allowing the patenting of applications that essentially involve such subject matter would render the exclusion largely ineffective.  As the Delegate concluded (at [22]):

With regard to s18(2), the amendments to the Act were responsive to public concern regarding the patentability of human beings and reproductive technologies for producing human beings. ... I consider that the exclusion of biological processes where a (potentially human) entity is created, and is subsequently used (or even destroyed to allow the use of the cells produced) for another purpose, provides a clear representation of the type of mischief that Parliament was addressing. Put another way, it would be inconsistent with the intended purpose of s18(2) if the inclusion of additional steps following the production of a human being or human embryo resulted in the claim circumventing the s18(2) exclusion.

Is a Fatherless Embryo ‘Human’?

As highlighted in the claim above, a parthenogenetically-activated oocyte has no father, i.e. it carries no paternal genetic information and ‘lacks paternal imprinting’.

This is important because although there are many species in nature that can reproduce parthenogenetically, mammals are not among them.  On the contrary, mammals have evolved such that both maternal and paternal genetic material is essential to proper development.  Parthenogenetic mammals, lacking paternally imprinted genes, develop abnormalities are are generally considered non-viable.

The delegate characterised the second question above, i.e. ‘is it a human being?’ as ‘whether the entity produced at any point in the method claimed can reasonably claim the status of a human being. In other words, does the formation of a blastocyst via parthenogenic oocyte activation represent a “process that directly relates to the generation of a human being”’  (Delegate’s decision at [28]).

The Delegate found that it does not (at [30]-[31]):

In the context of the claimed invention, an early developmental structure, or blastocyst, is formed following activation of the oocyte. This structure is analogous to a blastocyst formed following fertilisation of an oocyte by a sperm, but it is not the same. ... [T]he entity produced following parthenogenic oocyte activation does not have the potential to lead to birth so does not lie on the pathway from fertilisation to birth, and thus cannot claim the status of a human being. At each point from oocyte activation to the formation of the blastocyst, as well as developmental stages further down the developmental path, the entity is not a human being.

A clear distinction between the two entities is that the blastocyst produced by parthenogenic oocyte activation contains only maternal DNA. As a result, these blastocysts do not contain a complete genome. They lack all the imprinted genes that would be provided by the paternal genome and are also incapable of developing the extraembryonic tissues that support embryogenesis .... Furthermore, as the mammalian oocytes activated in the claimed methods are not totipotent (i.e. they cannot divide and produce all of the differentiated cells of an organism), it is not possible for any subsequent entity to develop into a human being.

Accordingly, the blastocysts created in the course of performing the claimed methods do not qualify as ‘human beings’, and therefore do not fall foul of subsection 18(2).

Consistency With European Position

There is nothing especially unusual about Australia’s exclusion from patentability of biotechnologies involving ‘human beings’.  The European Biotechnology Directive – which authorises patenting of a broad range of biotechnology – also explicitly excludes such things, e.g. at Article 6(2):

...the following, in particular, shall be considered unpatentable:
(a) processes for cloning human beings;
(c) uses of human embryos for industrial or commercial purposes

As a result, ISSCO ran into difficulties in obtaining patents on its technology in the UK.  It appealed Patent Office rejections to the UK High Court, which referred a question to the European Court of Justice (CJEU) to assist it in reaching a decision.  That question was:

Are unfertilised human ova whose division and further development have been stimulated by parthenogenesis, and which, in contrast to fertilised ova, contain only pluripotent cells and are incapable of developing into human beings, included in the term ‘human embryos’ in Article 6(2)(c) of [The Biotechnology Directive] ...?

The CJEU answered this question as follows (Case no. C-364/13):

[The Directive] must be interpreted as meaning that an unfertilised human ovum whose division and further development have been stimulated by parthenogenesis does not constitute a ‘human embryo’, within the meaning of that provision, if, in the light of current scientific knowledge, that ovum does not, in itself, have the inherent capacity of developing into a human being, this being a matter for the national court to determine.

Following this ruling, it does not appear that the matter was required to return to the UK High Court for judgment.  I note, however, that the two UK applications at issue, GB0621068.6 and GB0621069.4, have both now resulted in granted patents.

Conclusion – A Human Embryo Needs a Mummy and a Daddy

Australia is currently embroiled in a debate as to whether or not we should make it legal for people who love each other and want to spend their lives together to marry, regardless of their individual genders.  This is, it should be noted, already the law in the US, the UK, Ireland, New Zealand, Canada and South Africa, among others.  This makes Australia an outlier and a laggard in our peer group which I, personally, think is a disgrace.  And since our politicians, whom we already elected to represent us, are incapable of agreeing to step up and take responsibility, it seems we are to be subjected to a costly and divisive plebiscite in order to tell them what they, in fact, already know, which is that a majority of Australians are in favour of removing this ugly and unnecessary form of discrimination.

And, just to be absolutely clear, it is also my view that children will thrive in any happy and supportive environment, regardless of the gender of their parents and/or guardians.  Equally obviously, there are many ‘traditional’ family environments in which children do not thrive... or worse.

There is no question, however, that biology is pretty critical to conception and successful development of a foetus.  As we see in this case, a blastocyst with one mummy and no daddies is not a viable human being.  Rather, it is the result of an extraordinarily clever and advanced development in biotechnology that could have significant positive implications for the future of healthcare, and benefit many future generations regardless of the genders of their parents – biological or otherwise.

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Clostridium difficile is a major cause of diarrhea, responsiible for almost all cases of the life-threatening pseudomembranous colitis (PMC) and about a quarter of antibiotic-associated diarrheas (AAD). C.difficile is a normal component of the fecal flora in 2-3% of healthy adults, however is much more common in hospitalised patients.

Antibiotic treatment can cause suppression of the more predominent organisms making up the fecal flora and so can lead to proliferation of C.difficile, normally only a minor component. Many antibiotic drugs are thought to be predisposed to AAD and PMC, however clindamycin, ampicillin and the cephalosporins are the more commonly asscoiated. Pathogenic strains produce two polypeptide toxins (A and B). Toxin A is an enterotoxin causing excessive fluid secretion and inflammation, whereas toxin B is a cytotoxin.

Treatment. Fluid replacement and cessation of the predisposing antibiotic are the usual approaches to treatment, however in the more severe cases metronidazole or vancomycin may also be used.


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Study film history, critical theory and the language of aesthetics and develop the writing skills necessary to be a film critic or film historian.

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Explore all areas of production from directing to cinematography, editing, production design or audio design. Figure out what interests you have and then tell the world your story.

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Master the marriage of art created by hand and by computer as you design an animated character, create special effects, or use our motion capture stage to tell stories for the screen.

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Learn the business behind the business. You will learn how to identify and develop creative properties, manage a budget, and assemble a team of key creatives; and that’s just the beginning.

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Push your creativity to the limits as a screenwriter who gives the actors their voice through your words.

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Become a storyteller for business as you sharpen your creative skills in writing and design and learn to strategically use all forms of media, from film to social media.

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Bring stories to life in front of the camera as you develop your acting talent for stage and screen.

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Tell stories for all types of visual media outlets by reporting the news or explore issues in a documentary.

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Learn to develop characters, write dialogue, create a series “bible” and develop the on-going storylines that drive episodic television.

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You can always tell when things are running smoothly in a company when you’re looking at the progress made in current projects. If the project management strategy is efficient, deadlines are respected, the employees know exactly what their job is and what’s expect of them and budget doesn’t become a problem anymore. However, it’s not


Parker, The Internet Is Unstable, on February 14, 2017:

Why is it, therefore, that we have built the World Wide Web for a stable & fast Internet connection, rather than the much more common unstable & slow Internet connection?

Too often I see apps fail miserable when on a flaky connection, or worse not work at all with no connection. This is unacceptable. Parker promises to design for the reality not the Silicon Valley dream.


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We provide a comprehensive counter fraud service through a centrally based, professionally qualified team of experienced specialists, dedicated only to counter fraud work.

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Working in partnership to share information and develop proactive approaches to countering fraud, where fraud is identified we ensure that relevant sanctions are applied wherever appropriate.

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Season 7: Episode 1: Love Blactually

Brian meets the girl of his dreams, Carolyn. However, Cleveland moves right in and sweeps Carolyn off her feet. Desperate to win her back, Brian must do anything he can, even if it means involving Cleveland's ex-wife, Loretta.

Upcoming Airings

(subject to change)
2:00 pm, tuesday, april 25th

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Status - Now On DVD

Studio - Valhalla Productions

Director - Neels Clasen

Producers - Andre Frauenstein, Samuel Frauenstein, Dries Maree, (Danie Bester)

Screenplay -

Genre - Comedy

Language - English

If one had to describe the type of comedy content it would be something between Trevor Noah’s hugely popular stand-up comedy and Leon Schuster’s iconic candid camera. Stylistically the references would be The Dictator meets Monty Python. Leon Schuster and Trevor Noah are both masters of comedy and have perfected the art of exploring various cultural, socio-economic differences and stereotypes in a hilarious and highly entertaining way. It is our aim to be as entertaining, hilarious, relevant and accessible to an audience whilst bringing The Land of Milk and Money to life.

The film follows the antics of three accidental time travellers who each represent a different segment of society - a Jew, a Christian, and a Muslim. In the distant past they discover a map to the The Land of Milk and Money, but after a feud in the jail, where they unfortunately reside, the three charlatans each end up with a third of the torn map. This forces them to work together in order to find their way to this ‘promised land’.

They escape and follow the map to a magical waterhole. They are engulfed and torpedoed into the future. The three reluctant heroes, frightened and overwhelmed at first, quickly find their feet in modern society and learn to exploit mass media, become self-help gurus, endorse a product or two and host their own reality show, whilst on their way to find The Land of Milk and Money.

The film explores the perceptions we have of others on the basis of cultural, religious and social differences in a comical and entertaining way. It also forces each of our flawed characters on a journey of self-discovery and personal growth. The comedy often deals with very serious issues but allows the audience to digest it in a palatable format. The scenarios created in the movie allow the audience to reflect and ponder about the world they inhabit and their perceptions of culture, identity and community.

This ‘promised land’ is a physical place where peace can be found, but more than that, it is a metaphysical place of peace inside each of us. The Land of Milk and Money will make you laugh out loud, journey with our characters, engage with their emotional turmoil, and maybe even help you find your own idea of a ‘promised land’.

  • Richard Lukunku
  • Sans Moonsamy
  • Francois Jacobs
  • Angelique Gerber
Target Audience

LSM 6-10

50% Female / 50% Male

Digital Download coming soon!

DVD's also available at your local retail store.


Since its founding in 1914, on the eve of World War I, the Fellowship of Reconciliation has worked tirelessly to promote nonviolence as a means of resolving conflict and achieving justice and peace worldwide. Beginning in the U.S. in 1915 FOR worked against the war fever of the time. FOR formed local groups in New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago, Salt Lake City, Seattle, and Los Angeles.

There have been active FOR members in the Pacific Northwest since then.

Since 1958, there has been a regional FOR conference every year in Seabeck, WA, that brings together more than 200 people primarily from Washington, Oregon, and British Colombia.

Olympia FOR was organized in 1976 and has continued to be one of the most active FOR groups in the country. It is part of WWFOR.

Western Washington FOR has maintained an active presence at least since the 1960s, when a group of FOR activists began meeting at Jim and Roberta Brumbaugh’s peace house every third Sunday. By the mid-1980s, WWFOR was able to rent an office at Woodland Park Prebyterian Church in Seattle, with a full-time organizer.

Mission Statement

FOR is a faith-based, interfaith, pacifist organization which works on a variety of peace and justice issues. It is affiliated with local chapters, the national FOR and the international FOR.

Vision Statement

FOR envisions a world of justice, peace, and freedom. It is a revolutionary vision of a beloved community where differences are respected, conflicts addressed nonviolently, oppressive structures dismantled, and where people live in harmony with the earth, nurtured by diverse spiritual traditions that foster compassion, solidarity, and reconciliation.


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How to Write and Serve Tenant Eviction Notices in Alabama

Updated on July 29, 2016

Alabama Evictions

Alabama evictions require landlords to provide two types of notice to tenants: The first notice informs the tenant of the landlord's intention to file an eviction and gives the tenant the chance to change her behavior, or pay her rent, to prevent an eviction. If the tenant doesn't take action, the landlord can file for an eviction, but must have the tenant served with a court summons.

Lease or Rental Agreement Termination

If a landlord decides not to renew a lease, she must give the tenant notice of her decision in the time period specified by the lease agreement. If the tenant is renting on a month-to-month basis, the landlord has to give the tenant at least 30 days notice or seven days notice for a week-to-week arrangement.

Abandonment Notices

When a landlord suspects that a tenant has abandoned the property, he must send a notice that gives the tenant two weeks to respond. If the tenant does not respond, the landlord can assume that the tenant abandoned the property and can remove the tenant's possessions.

Quit or Cure Notices

When a tenant violates the lease in some way, or fails to pay rent, the landlord must send a “quit or cure” notice. This is a written notice that informs the tenant of the landlord's intention to evict the tenant if the problem isn't resolved. In cases where the tenant is late with rent, the notice must give the tenant seven days to get caught up before the landlord can file for eviction. If the tenant is violating property rules, such as by making noise or refusing to clean up a mess, the landlord must give the tenant 14 days to get the situation under control before filing for eviction.

Eviction Notices

If a tenant does not pay his rent or change his behavior, the landlord can go to court. Once this happens, the tenant must be served with a legal eviction notice. The tenant then has 7 business days to file a response with the court. If the tenant doesn't file a response, the landlord can have the sheriff evict the tenant soon after the seven-day time frame expires. If the tenant does file a response, the case goes to court, and the judge makes a decision whether to evict the tenant or allow him to stay.

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, ,

Last installment, we found that Bayesian hypothesis testing freed us from pitting the null hypothesis against its the mirror image. That’s incredibly important, because most of the time we don’t want to put two perfectly-opposed hypotheses in opposition.

The “non-random” hypothesis of previous installments, which I’ll dub H1 from now on, includes the possibility of someone’s precognition being consistently wrong. In real life, that would never happen: said person would quickly learn to do the opposite of whatever their instinct demanded. So let’s propose H2: precognition exists, but in practice only does better than chance.

This change breaks some assumptions. Bernstein was using a frequentist model, which neatly carved up the probability space, so the odds of precognition existing plus the odds of it being bupkis neatly summed to 1. With H2, though, we’ve created a gap in that space and can’t get away with just a subtract.

Dividing up the One approach is to retreat to frequentism, and fill in the gap with another hypothesis (which I’ll dub H2′). Bayes’ Theorem can easily handle an arbitrary number of hypotheses, after all…

Bayes' Theorem, when applied to multiple hypotheses… but now we’ve introduced a nuisance hypothesis. We don’t really care about H2‘, because we suspect its probability is vanishingly small, yet we have to drag it along anyway just to answer the question.

The other approach is to abandon frequentism completely. The Bayesian interpretation is that we’re looking at degrees of belief, not partitions. We Bayesians don’t need to colour within the lines: the certainty of two, three, or even all of our hypotheses don’t have to add up to one. Theoretically they don’t even need to stay bound between 0 and 1, because all we really care about is the proportion of relative belief among competing hypotheses. This approach offers a lot of flexibility, for good or ill.

Naturally, I’ll opt for the second approach.

While we’re at it, let’s incorporate some of Bem’s other data in that paper. Being proper statisticians, after all, we should always look at the sum total of all relevant evidence.

Success Trials Experiment
828 1560 Experiment 1: erotic images
238 480 Experiment 1: neutral images
246 480 Experiment 1: negative images
536 1080 Experiment 1: positive images
2790 5400 Experiment 2: negative images
1274 2400 Experiment 5: Negative images
1186 2400 Experiment 5: Neutral Images
1251 2496 Experiment 7: Boredom, non-stimulus seekers
1105 2304 Experiment 7: Boredom, stimulus seekers

I'm aww in ur tables, tabbylatin' thinsThis isn’t every experiment or case; I chose this subset because each could be precisely described by the binomial distribution. We’ll need to upgrade our program to handle this extra data. To switch from H1 to H2, change this line…

prob := random.Float64()    // H1: not random

… to this …

prob := .5 + random.Float64()*.5    // H2: not random, but always better than chance

… and punch “Run.” Here’s what I get, for both H1 and H2:

Success/Trials H1/H0 H2/H0
828/1560 0.588416 1.211814
238/ 480 0.057852 0.049696
246/ 480 0.066529 0.092845
536/1080 0.039115 0.032298
2790/5400 0.340399 0.678042
1274/2400 2.448912 4.912015
1186/2400 0.03033 0.017051
1251/2496 0.025082 0.02749
1105/2304 0.178838 0.008695
overall Bayes Factor
0 0
1/overall 99536693.052594 407936437.373478

BWAHAHAHAHAHA! Defeat, from the jaws of VICTORY!!That wasn’t expected! Let’s do some quick math so we can compare H1 and H2 directly:

Comparing different Bayes Factors, in this case H1 and H2So H1 is the better hypothesis, with about four times the certainty of H2. Looking over the individual factors, H2 did better as the success rate climbed above chance, but lost ground when the success rate hovered around neutrality and took a major blow when faced with worse-than-chance results. H1‘s inclusion of mildly-worse cases was actually a boon, but nowhere near enough to stand up to the random chance hypothesis (henceforth H0).

We need to do better. So let’s narrow down our hypothesis by adding some more premises.

If a change is too small, for instance, human beings won’t notice it. Irving Good put the minimal odds ratio we can typically detect at 5:4, or about 55%.[1] Some people claim to have seen or experienced precognition, so if it genuinely exists some fraction of the public must have a success rate greater than 55%. By the same token, since some people claim they haven’t then some fraction must succeed less than 55%. Therefore, precognitive abilities must vary across people. We have no idea how this ability would vary, but if it’s controlled by a small number of factors, like most other things, it probably follows a Gaussian distribution.

I couldn’t find any polls asking how many people thought they were precognitive, but I did find a few asking if precognition existed; about 26% thought it did, within a margin of 3% (which I’ll round up to 5%, to be generous). If we equivocate between the two, then we’ve got a constraint on those Gaussian distributions: the population with precognitive strength greater than 55% or less than 45% is between 21 and 31% of the total.

Figuring out exactly which distributions meet those requirements is a pain, but with a little thought we can rough out some bounds. The average value of a Gaussian distribution sits at the halfway point, so if the average success ratio is greater than 55% then over half of all people will have a success rate greater than that. That violates the constraint, so the average of the distribution must be less than 55%. Similar arguments set a floor of 45%, giving us a range for the mean.

About 66% of a Gaussian distribution’s values are within a standard deviation of the average. But this means 34% are not, and that’s pretty close to 26+-5%. So a Gaussian in the middle of the 45-55 range can’t have a standard deviation greater than 5 percentage points or so (that’s half of 55 minus 45), otherwise we’d again violate the constraint. Others in that range must have deviations lower than that, as more of their values would leak over the line, and no Gaussian can have a standard deviation below 0.

Is simple logicsTah-da, we have our distribution: precognition in the general public follows a Gaussian distribution with an average success rate between 45 and 55%, and a standard deviation between 0 and 5 points. As with H1, we’ll argue worse-than-chance odds don’t make sense, but this time we’ll handle things by mirroring rates below 45% above the 50/50 line, as those would be noticed, and conveniently leave those mildly-worse possibilities intact.

If we assume test results exactly mirror the population, then we have a new hypothesis too! But notice the progression here:

H1: precognition exists.
H2: precognition exists AND it’s never worse than chance.
H3: precognition exists AND if noticeable it’s never worse than chance AND across the population it has a Gaussian distribution AND the average value of said distribution is too small to be noticed AND the standard deviation is small enough that only a certain percentage of people notice.

These theories are steadily getting more complicated. Each component of a theory carries a certainty value, established from our background knowledge, and like any chain of probabilities they’d multiply together. Since each certainty is at most 100%, the net result is that as we add assumptions to a theory we lower its… background certainty…

Hey, that’s Ockham’s Razor, isn’t it? It’s amazing what a little statistics can get you. I can’t help but think I’ve forgotten to do something, though…

[HJH 2015-05-28: Updated a link, minor edits for clarity.]

[1] Good, Irving J. “Studies in the History of Probability and Statistics. XXXVII AM Turing’s Statistical Work in World War II.” Biometrika, 1979, 393–96.


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Great Change Happens at the Dinner Table

The powerful messages presented at the Smart 2014 were astonishing. The energy was electric, almost palpable throughout the historic Shrine Auditorium, as 8 different speakers inspired 7,000 people. As a mantra driving the conference, the event opened with Ronald Reagan setting the framework:

“And let me offer lesson number one about America: All great change in America begins at the dinner table. So, tomorrow night in the kitchen I hope the talking begins.” Reagan continued,“It won't count for much, and it won't last unless it's grounded in thoughtfulness and knowledge,”

The compelling segments following Reagan’s charge gave everyone direction and passion to mold those conversations in a way to change not only my life, but to have a butterfly effect on generations to follow. The ultimate grounding.

Communication Built on Love & Respect

Conversations around the table cover a variety of topics, and the full range of emotions.  Dave Ramsey described his personal gamut from excitement with the announcement of a child, terror with the first trip to the emergency room to the fear signing bankruptcy papers. Life happens, and it is rarely simple.

And the foundation for successfully navigating this thing we call life fundamentally comes down to communication. The most basic form of communication is between a husband and wife.

Dr. Emerson Eggerichs had the audience rolling laughter as he outlined the obvious differences between men and women, from describing their wardrobe to purchasing “self-help” books to how they perceive value. But the clear message was recognizing that men and women have vulnerabilities where the other has strengths.

Dave Ramsey LIVE ?@DaveRamseyLIVE Nov 1

"During conflict 83% of men said they feel disrespected and 72% of women said they feel unloved." @loverespectinc #Smart2014

Rather than passing judgment, instead use your strength to compliment theirs, learning to address their felt need during conflict. For women, use your loving ability to exhibit tremendous respect. For men, showcase your incredible respect in loving tones.  By honoring their strength, your relationship will strengthen, giving you the power to navigate challenges life throws at you triumphantly.

Inciting Change

Dave Ramsey stood before the table on the stage. “This is where I decided to change my life.” The raw emotion was palpable as he described determining “enough is enough” when he confronted the man in the mirror, propelling him to embark on building his own business.

Chris Hogan characterized a pivotal step to moving toward success when you develop those life-altering moments as identifying the difference between chance and opportunity. “Opportunities lead you somewhere. Chances only have a 50/50 chance of leading you somewhere. “

When you develop those life-altering moments, one of the key elements to successfully moving forward hinges on the ability to identify the difference between chance and opportunity. Chris Hogan characterized the difference as “Opportunities lead you somewhere. Chances only have a 50/50 chance of leading you somewhere.” Grab the opportunities, and avoid the chances.

Andy Andrews narrowed down the science of creating change to two key elements. First, determine “What’s in it for me?” Second, establish proof beyond a reasonable doubt. Encouragement is great. Proof is better. Especially the type of proof that makes things so clear you can’t see or believe anything but that. When that type of proof collides with what’s in it for me, change happens instantaneously. Harness this power to pursue opportunities when you discover clear proof that what you are doing isn’t working.

Whose Problems are they?

Life is rarely cut and dry. It involves people, lots of people. And people aren’t perfect. And with the imperfections combined with crazy life situations, many times we find our selves in problematic situations.

And Dr. Henry Cloud helped describe how to clarify when these problematic situations are our problem, or your opportunity to help someone else have some problems.

It’s called boundaries, and they come in handy more often than we realize. You only have the ability to control you, and how others influence you. Boundaries help you keep in perspective when other people camouflage their problems as ours.  This allows us to focus on pursuing the opportunities

Developing a legacy from Change

The true power comes when we magnify the change in our lives to create a legacy of change. Andrews said it best with, “Every move you make matters.” And this applies to everything, even something as simple as the flutter of butterfly wings. Imagine the impact of conversations, mentorships, generosity, love or respect if something as a flutter can change wind patterns around the world.

And one of the most powerful of impacts we can create comes back to those moments around the dinner table, with your family.

Passing on that Legacy

Children, perhaps one of the most apparent ways to leave a legacy, have the ability to learn so much from their parents. In fact, the most important channel we have to empowering our children is through active parenting. Dr. Meg Meeker described the most important messages your kids can take away from parents:

  • What do you THINK about me?
  • How do you FEEL about me?
  • What do you HOPE for me?

She highlighted that parents are highlighted with all the tools we need to successfully raise the next generations, especially dads. The key is to ensure they get the right messages from us.

Rachel Cruze, living proof that leaving a legacy works, empowered parents to engage their children to continue in their legacy, especially with money. Teach them to work, so they can learn to save, spent and give. Then they have the ability to pass that on to their children, creating powerful generational change.

We are able to leave legacies throughout all areas of our lives. Joy Eggerichs’s new project brought to light one often overlooked area: your relationship. She described the beautiful accountability and transformation "when older couples pour into younger relationships, their relationship is strengthened.”

Driving the Mission Home

As the Smart Conference ended, and thousands of us left feeling inspired and motivated, one phrase kept going through my mind:

After all eight of the speakers slipped behind Developthe curtain, what remained was the guidance and power to develop life-changing moments around the dinner table. And everyone in the room knew it.

We had the ability to develop a legacy.

Twitter Frenzy

You get 7,000 people into a room with a mission to light up Twitter, let’s just say that there were a few stellar tweets. Who knew being smart could be so hilarious!


Java Class instances are represented as a Virtuoso/PL variable values using a Java VM Global Reference. Each time such a Virtuoso/PL variable value is created or copied, it adds a Java VM Global Reference. When it is freed, it removes the Java VM global reference, allowing the Java Garbage collector (GC) to free it. Each of the API VSEs create a Java VM local frame upon it's start, and frees it upon exit. This allows for fast deallocation of the local objects created by mapping Virtuoso/PL native values to Java objects.


EPJB Colloquium: The continuous-time random walk, fifty years on

This Colloquium paper published in EPJ B by R. Kutner and J. Masoliver revisits the most significant achievements and future possibilities for continuous-time random walk (CTRW), a versatile and widely applied formalism.

EPJ B Highlight - The secrets of vibration-enhanced conductivity in graphene

Graphene structure. The transverse short-wavelength vibrational mode is excited by applying initial displacements to the atoms of the red and blue sublattices in opposite directions along the Z axis.

Physicists define a smart way of inducing large-amplitude vibrations in graphene models, which could open the door for novel electronic applications

Graphene, the one-atom-thick material made of carbon atoms, still holds some unexplained qualities, which are important in connection with electronic applications where high-conductivity matters, ranging from smart materials that collectively respond to external stimuli in a coherent, tunable fashion, to light-induced, all-optical networks. Materials like graphene can exhibit a particular type of large-amplitude, stable vibrational modes that are localised, referred to as Discrete Breathers (DBs). The secret to enhancing conductivity by creating DBs lies in creating the external constraints to make atoms within the material oscillate perpendicular to the direction of the graphene sheet. Simulations-based models describing what happens at the atomic level are not straightforward, making it necessary to determine the initial conditions leading to the emergence of DBs. In a new paper published in EPJ B, Elham Barani from the Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran, and colleagues from Russia, Iran and Singapore use a systematic approach to identify the initial conditions that lend themselves to exciting DBs in graphene, ultimately opening the door to understanding the keys to greater conductivity.

Illustrative picture of the system studied.

EPJ B Highlight - When crystal vibrations‘ inner clock drives superconductivity

Superconductor. © ktsdesign/Fotolia

Tweaking equations to drive greater superconductivity-inducing crystal vibrations proves theoretical possibility of creating higher temperature superconductors

Superconductivity is like an Eldorado for electrons, as they flow without resistance through a conductor. However, it only occurs below a very low critical temperature. Physicists now believe they can enhance superconductivity - the idea is to externally drive its underlying physical phenomena by changing how ions vibrating in the crystal lattice of the conductor material, called phonons, interact with electron flowing in the material. Andreas Komnik from the University of Heidelberg and Michael Thorwart from the University of Hamburg, Germany, adapted the simplest theory of superconductivity to reflect the consequences of externally driving the occurrence of phonons. Their main result, published in EPJ B, is a simple formula explaining how it is theoretically possible to raise the critical temperature using phonon driving.

EPJ B Special issue dedicated to the Volker Heine Award

EPJ B Colloquium: First-principles dynamics of electrons and phonons

Feynman diagram for the phonon-electron scattering process

First-principles calculations combining density functional theory and many-body perturbation theory can provide microscopic insight into the dynamics of electrons and phonons in materials. In this EPJ B Colloquium, Marco Bernardi, winner of the Psi’K young investigator award, reviews this theoretical and computational framework, focusing on perturbative treatments of scattering, dynamics, and transport of electrons and phonons. The article examines applications of these first-principles calculations in electronics, lighting, spectroscopy, and renewable energy.

EPJ B Highlight - Supersonic phenomena, the key to extremely low heat loss nano-electronics

Low-frequency pinned discrete breather when the on-site interaction largely overwhelms the inter-site force.

Supersonic solitary waves in nano-electronics crystals show potentials for electric charge or matter transport and energy storage with extremely low heat dissipation

Freak waves, as well as other less striking localised excitations, occur in nature at every scale. The current theory and models of such waves can be applied to physics and, among others, to oceanography, nonlinear optics and lasers, acoustics, plasmas, cosmological relativity and neuro-dynamics. However, they could also play a significant role at the quantum scale in nano-electronics. In a recent study, Manuel G. Velarde from the Pluridisciplinary Institute of the University Complutense of Madrid, Spain, and colleagues, performed computer simulations to compare two types of localised excitations in nano-electronics. Their findings, published in a recent study in EPJ B, confirm that such localised excitations are natural candidates for energy storage and transport. These, in turn, could lead to applications such as transistors with extremely low heat dissipation not using silicon.

EPJ B Highlight - New method helps stabilise materials with elusive magnetism

Visualisation of itinerant ferromagnetic domains.

Stabilising materials with transient magnetic characteristics makes it easier to study them

Magnetic materials displaying what is referred to as itinerant ferromagnetism are in an elusive physical state that is not yet fully understood. They behave like a magnets under very specific conditions, such as at ultracold temperatures near absolute zero. Physicists normally have no other choice than to study this very unique state of matter in a controlled fashion, using ultracold atomic gases. Now, a team based at ETH Zurich, Switzerland has introduced two new theoretical approaches to stabilise the ferromagnetic state in quantum gases to help study the characteristics of itinerant ferromagnetic materials. These results were recently published in EPJ B by Ilia Zintchenko and colleagues.

EPJ B Highlight - How cooperation emerges in competing populations

The fraction of cooperative players as a function of the site-occupancy probability ρ obtained using numerical simulations.

New theoretical approach to understand the dynamics of populations reaching consensus votes or of spreading epidemics

Social behaviour like reaching a consensus is a matter of cooperation. However, individuals in populations often spontaneously compete and only cooperate under certain conditions. These problems are so ubiquitous that physicists have now developed models to understand the underlying logic that drives competition. A new study published in EPJ B shows the dynamics of competing agents with an evolving tendency to collaborate that are linked through a network modelled as a disordered square lattice. These results are the work of Chen Xu from Soochow University, Suzhou, China and colleagues. They believe that their theoretical framework can be applied to many other problems related to understanding the dynamical processes in complex systems and networked populations, such as the voter dynamics involved in reaching a consensus and spreading dynamics in epidemic models and in social networks.

EPJ B Highlight - Surprising qualities of insulator ring surfaces

A ring torus embedded in 3D-space.

Topological insulators behave like insulators at their core and allow good conductivity on their surface. They owe their characteristics to a new quantum state within the material discovered in 2007 and 2009 for 2D and 3D materials, respectively. Scientists studying the surface of ring-shaped, or toric, topological insulators, have just discovered some characteristics that had only previously been confirmed in spheres. Jakson Fonseca from the University Federal of Viçosa, Brazil, and colleagues describe their findings in a paper published in EPJ B. These results could hold considerable potential for applications in electronics. Indeed, this discovery means that the curved surface induces internal fields, called gauge fields, in the electrons carrying the electric charge located at the surface. By contrast, in graphene, similar fiels have been induced by mechanical tensions or defects in the way the carbon atoms are arranged in the one-atom-thick honeycomb lattice.

I’d like to thank you for the excellent job you have done. It’s indeed a great pleasure to see that so much effort during more than one year pays off so nicely with the publication of these interesting proceedings, that I believe mark one of the most important meetings on relativistic jet physics of the last years.
It’s been indeed a pleasure to work with you and I’d definitely recommend your publishing services among my colleagues.

Dr. Jose L. Gómez, Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía, Spain
Editor EPJ Web of Conferences vol. 61, 2013

ISSN: 2100-014X (Electronic Edition)

© EDP Sciences

Conference announcements

Magnetic Island, Queensland, Australia, 22-24 July 2017


The aim of the Sustainable Foods Summit is to explore new horizons for eco-labels and sustainability in the food industry by discussing key industry issues. How do organic, fairtrade and other eco-labeling schemes further sustainability? With growing proliferation in labels, what are the prospects for a single sustainability standard for food products? What are the practical application of sustainability metrics? What advances are occurring in sustainable ingredients? What developments are happening in formulation, production and marketing of sustainable food and beverages? Such questions are regularly addressed at this international series of summits.

Avrim Lazar, Principal Consultant of the Global Salmon Initiative (GSI), will be speaking at the Sustainable Foods Summit on January 19, to discuss how the GSI is taking a new approach to sustainable food systems, based on greater transparency and cooperation as a means to accelerated improvements in industry sustainability. Please click here for access to the program.


Project Details

The Role of Levels of Organization in Biological Thought

Daniel Brooks, 2015 - 2017, Fellow Postdoctoral

My research project will focus on analyzing the role of ‘levels of organization’ in scientific reasoning about explanation in biology.

The concept of ‘levels’ evokes a hierarchical image of the world that is vertically stratified into a graduated continuity: The things found at one horizontal slice of the world somehow 'make up' or 'are continuous with' things found at another slice, and so on. Yet, despite its ubiquity, ‘levels’ remains a decisively ambiguous concept in biology. The 'things' that constitute the horizontal image of the world can vary widely between different contexts. Sometimes they refer to real objects, like part-whole compositional relationships, or they can refer to epistemic units, such as the “level of genetics” or “level of ecology”. In my dissertation, I showed that this variability reveals usage of ‘levels’ in science to be governed mostly by its intuitive appeal, whose justification is based on context-dependent criteria of adequacy. Far from useless, however, ‘levels’ instead exemplifies what one philosopher calls “productive ambiguity” of open-ended helping concepts in science. For this reason, philosophical analyses should abandon attempts to unify different uses of ‘levels’ and acknowledge the fragmentary character of the concept.

This research project will expand on this foundation by explicating two distinct roles attributed to the concept of ‘levels’ in different arenas of scientific reasoning concerning explanation. One of these roles is pedagogical, and is often encountered in introductory textbooks to biology, such as the Campbell Biology series, where ‘levels’ is used to introduce the major unifying themes of the field. Another role is organizational, and is encountered in professional research literature of working scientists, in particular review articles and commentaries on the state of research in a certain area of investigation. Here ‘levels’ is often used by scientists as a theoretical device with which to navigate within complex phenomena distributed across multiple levels, or to coordinate interdisciplinary efforts for investigating such phenomena that cannot be adequately addressed by any one of the involved disciplines alone. Though distinct, these roles complement one another in biological reasoning, albeit in starkly different contexts of scientific practice.

To conduct this analysis I will focus on two case studies from science in which levels are prominently used in both of the roles specified above. The first, macromolecular structure, is treated in a well-defined local manner, focusing on features of (some) macromolecules such as nucleic acid and proteins (but, tellingly, not lipids or sugars). The second, the nervous system, is treated in a more open-ended general manner, owing to the vast complexity of neural phenomena that ‘levels’ is used to investigate.


Writing a research paper in history is an interesting experience. The historical events which are highly enlightening are quite fascinating to study. But do not misunderstand that it will be easy to study the subject. Even though science subjects are claimed to be the most difficult subjects to learn, it is not exactly so. Each subject presents its own challenges and so does history. Writing a history research paper can be a long and tedious procedure. Unless you are organized throughout the process, you will find the task frustrating and even impossible.

A research paper is not a single bodied document. It has many parts which are bound together to form a complete document. A research paper abstract reaches through to your audience before your research paper does. Hence it is important to contain the essence of your complete research paper in this short presentation. The main point to remember about a research paper abstract is that it should stay within the length specified in the guidelines. In case there are no instructions regarding the length of your abstract in your history research paper guidelines, then the basic rule of ‘200 words’ applies to your abstract.

Considering the unique nature of a history research paper where the points are all tightly linked together, it is not easy to prepare a good abstract. You will have to consider many things in order to be able to prepare an effective abstract.

Once you have finished writing your research paper, you can start preparing the abstract. Read through your research paper to pick the most important points you have presented. See if you can include all of them in your abstract. If not, then you will have to reconsider the chosen points to pick the ones which cannot be avoided. This can be determined only with due consideration to the type of research paper you are writing.

If you are really good with words and have good precise writing skills, you might be able to accomplish the task of including all the main points in your abstract. But more than often, a history research paper will refuse to fit completely into an abstract. There will be too many individual points, each important in its own way. It is up to you to assess the objective of your research paper and choose the necessary points accordingly.

Since you will not be able to elaborate on any points, in your abstract, be very selective about your choice of words. Your abstract is supposed to give your audience a very good idea of the contents of your research paper. Remember to include the keywords of your research paper in your abstract to make your research paper available for those who are searching for reference material on your topic.

A good abstract will be short and informative. It will successfully showcase the most interesting aspects of your history research paper. An effective abstract will urge your readers to read through the rest of your document. But also remember that giving misleading or deceptive information in your research paper abstract can disqualify your research paper.


How we're building a common coordinate system for mixed reality

What if you could actually touch a hologram? And what if you didn’t even need a HoloLens to interact with one? Our team has been thinking about how we could extend the capabilities of the HoloLens and further break down the barriers of mixed reality. We want to recreate the magical moment when you realize the digital world sees and responds to you within the world of HoloLens.

We paired the Kinect with a HoloLens and have mapped the Kinect’s understanding of people and space with the anchoring system of the HoloLens. The key was creating a common coordinate space within a physical room. We transform the Kinect’s output to our common coordinate system and broadcast the Kinect on a network so that multiple devices can subscribe to it. Each subscribed HoloLens shares a set of anchors that is tied to our room’s coordinate system. By using the anchor sharing service multiple HoloLens can share our common coordinate system.

When we first saw the Kinect’s data within the HoloLens we were pleasantly surprised at the dimensionality that the HoloLens is able to add and the sense of presence the Kinect’s data has within the HoloLens. Though Microsoft demoed Holoportation, this capability hasn’t been available as part of the initial SDK. By connecting the Kinect to the HoloLens it will enable us to go beyond the SDK and explore the greater freedom of interaction and gestures within the digital world that is shared by the HoloLens.

With our common coordinate system, we look forward to anchoring other digital systems beyond the Kinect to the HoloLens. In the world of mixed reality, we don’t see a distinction for physical objects and the digital data that is augmented onto them. All systems can share an awareness of the physical objects and their digital components by agreeing on a common coordinate system and the paired data.

Alan Shimoide is a Technology Director for the Razorfish Emerging Experiences team, based out of our San Francisco office.


Trade Secrets: DTSA, UTSA and Related Claims

Trade Secret misappropriation cases can now be filed both in state courts pursuant to UTSA model acts and as of May 2016, in federal courts pursuant to the new Defend Trade Secrets Act 2016 (DTSA) and its civil remedy provisions. Here is a link to the DTSA bill passed by both houses of Congress and signed into law recently: This new federal law is being described as the most sweeping new change in federal law on intellectual property since the passage of the Lanham Act in 1946. For the first time, federal criminal law on economic espionage and trade secret theft has been amended to provide civil legal and equitable relief for theft victims. We have written and spoken about this law in national publications (see USLAW Fall/Winter 2016 Magazine and DRI's In-House Defense Quarterly Winter 2017 magazine) and conferences.

What are trade secrets?

Trade secrets provide an effective means for a company to protect certain kinds of proprietary and confidential information, and this protection is separate and distinct from that offered through the patent laws (see one of our articles discussing the differences here). However, under the DTSA, UTSA and state statutes like PUTSA, companies need to take appropriate steps before the law will recognize and protect those trade secrets. For instance, only some kinds of information can potentially qualify as a trade secret

  1. provide a competitive or business advantage to the company;
  2. must be kept secret with a level of secrecy commensurate with its value to the company; and
  3. must not be generally known in the industry.

The law of trade secrets is generally broad enough to encompass a variety of different kinds of information that provide a company with a competitive advantage, including formulas, recipes, drawings, manufacturing processes, customer lists, business plans, costing information, and vendor lists, among other things.

Finally, trade secret protection is not like the protections afforded by the patent laws, which allow a patent owner to restrict the use or sale of an invention, regardless of whether the infringer independently developed the invention or even had knowledge of the patent. Trade secret laws will only protect a company from others misappropriating the information (e.g., stealing it, enticing others to break their confidentiality obligations, etc.). Trade secret laws generally do not prohibit others from independently developing or reverse engingeering a product or process.

While the laws vary from state to state, in general, most states provide for the ability to receive compensatory and punitive damages, injunctive relief, and attorney's fees against those who misappropriate another's trade secrets.

Trade Secret Resources:

The following resources discuss Pennsylvania's law on trade secrets (PUTSA), as well as the DTSA and the Uniform Trade Secrets Act:

A new federal trade secret law--the Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016 (DTSA)--has passed Congress and was signed by the President in May 2016. It creates an additional body of law to protect trade secrets, creates federal jurisdiction for trade secret misappropriation lawsuits and provide for both injunctive and damages relief, including enhanced damages and legal fees, and also enhances the criminal punishment for misappropriation as well by increasing the amount of fines that can be levied. DTSA provides for civil seizure of violating goods and a special master provision to oversee injunctive orders.

Attorneys Henry SneathRobert WagnerKelly Williams, and others have experience representing and advising clients about their business secrets and have litigated these issues in Courts throughout the country. Henry Sneath is an Adjunct Professor of Law at the Duquesne University School of Law on Trade Secret Law and the law of Unfair Competition in business. In addition, the firm has co-authored the Pennsylvania section of DRI's compendium on trade secrets and other articles on Trade Secret law and made presentations on trade secrets throughout the country.

The Pittsburgh attorneys at Picadio Sneath Miller & Norton, P.C. can help guide clients in evaluating the appropriate means to protect their proprietary information and maintain its secrecy.

Contact Our Pennsylvania Intellectual Property Lawyers Today: Business Litigation. Pittsburgh Strong.®

Attorney Henry Sneath chairs the firm's Intellectual Property Practice Group. Contact him at 412-288-4013. Our PSMN ® Pittsburgh intellectual property attorneys help clients navigate intellectual property and other business disputes by providing them with the knowledge and information needed to make informed decisions.


How local influences drive design in the digital age // by Paolo Cardini (Part 1)

My wife is a hopeless flea market addict. I’ve been involved in this kind of scouting multiple times, exploring the same spot for years or rummaging through the oddest venues all around the world. "What are we looking for?" I used to ask at the beginning of my career as hunter’s assistant. The deal my wife was yearning for, and still is, was an authentic object, belonging to an authentic person who lived in an authentic place and behaved in authentic ways.

Digital tools expose us to the threat of aesthetic and cultural homogenization.

A few years ago I conducted a research study with my students on the relation between time, time zones, and social patterns. We decided to use selfies, taken at different times of day in different parts of the planet, as the main driver for our investigation. The discovery was quite disquieting. It didn’t matter if the images depicted a South American or an East European teenager; all the self-portraits looked terribly similar, and they all followed the pre-built path of digital self-portrait stereotypes, from foodies to feeties.

There's a global hybrid aesthetic of the data world today. Should we just embrace it, or should we care more about what happens to authenticity? And is our digital reality even able to help preserve what we call authentic?

Cultural hacking is an important part of the process for bringing authenticity back to products.

In 2006 Time’s cover was pointing at YOU as person of the year. YOU represented millions of anonymous contributors to the common cause of the net, who, rather than seeking Warhol’s fifteen minutes of fame, are now playing the role of invisible ghost writers. It is true that digital tools provide vast possibilities but, at the same time, they expose us to the threat of aesthetic and cultural homogenization. If we look at the rise of desktop manufacturing, for example, and observe the products coming out from 3D printers, laser cutters, or CNC machines, we can observe a new and impersonal international style. The aesthetic of the fab lab is quite similar to the modernist aesthetic of the machine, where design is a direct representation of technology and there is very little space for local identity.

/FISHBONE 'LEGO // via Hugdetta

/FISHBONE 'LEGO // via Hugdetta

You cannot really say where a website has been designed or where a code has been written or where a piece of plastic has been printed; you can eventually only recognize which kind of tool has been used to shape them. Objects that originate from analog production, on the contrary, are more often connected to local resources and specific cultural nuances. The textile industry was historically based on water-powered mills and located in regions with streams and rivers; paper umbrellas were created to protect nobility from sunlight in response to a social demand for pale skin characteristic of specific cultures.

The emotional relationship we develop with our belongings is important, but how can we deal with authenticity? I’m interested in bottom up phenomenon, where new design approaches foster genuine localism and product de-globalization. Cultural hacking is an important part of the process for bringing authenticity back to products. Middle-Eastern-hacked Ikea furniture or the Icelandic Lego made of fish bones are straightforward examples of physical transformation from global to local, from anonymous to authentic artifacts.

About Paolo Cardini

Paolo Cardini is Associate Professor in Industrial Design at Rhode Island School of Design. His previous appointment was within the interdisciplinary design graduate program at Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar.  His work ranges from product to interaction design and from integrated communication to strategic planning.

He studied Industrial design at Politecnico di Milano and Glasgow School of Art and he has been department chair for the bachelor and master courses in Industrial Design at Istituto Europeo di Design in Turin.

He designs and consults for various international firms and he is lecturing in conferences and design schools worldwide contributing actively to the field with papers and publications.


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a socialistworld is possible: the history of the cwi by peter taaffe
new introduction

Lost opportunities in France

In Europe, the USFI’s most prominent national section is the Ligue Communiste Revolutionnaire (LCR – Revolutionary Communist League), in France.

On a number of occasions since 1995, including in recent elections, the opportunity has existed to take decisive steps towards the formation of a new mass workers’ party. The LCR together with Lutte Ouvrière (LO) seemed to be attracting significant support from young people and workers protesting at the shift to the right of the ‘pluralist left’, the Socialist Party (PS), in the main, but also the French Communist Party (PCF). For instance, in January 2004, two months before the French regional elections, polls indicated that 9% of the French population would vote for the LO/LCR candidates and another 22% were seriously considering it. However, the LO/LCR alliance suffered a serious setback. It polled only 3.3% of the vote in the European elections and lost all its 5 MEPs. A short-term squeezing of the vote of the smaller left parties can sometimes occur when voters flock to an opposition that is seen as the ‘lesser evil’, so as to defeat the parties of the right. However, LO/LCR ran a lacklustre campaign, which was deficient in putting forward fighting demands and a clear explanation of a socialist alternative. They attacked the parties of the ‘traditional left’, such as the ex-social democratic PS, and described them as ‘social-liberals’ – whatever that means! But they did not raise the idea of a new workers’ party as a socialist alternative to the bourgeois parties. It was discarded as something for after the elections; in the meantime another opportunity has been lost.

What is needed is an active campaign and plan of action for the formation of a new workers’ party. Two years previously, the combined vote of LO and LCR reached 10.4% in the first round of the presidential elections, such was the opposition to the outgoing PS/PCF government. The movement against Jean Marie Le Pen, who reached the second round of the presidential elections by beating the then prime minister Jospin into third place, was an enormous opportunity to initiate a lively broad campaign for a new workers’ party.

Instead, the LCR, by adopting the slogan, "Fight the National Front in the streets and in the polling stations’, did not present an independent working class position and allowed the working class to be mobilised behind Chirac, the incumbent president. Chirac, who received less than 20% of the vote in the first round of the presidential elections, and who was widely seen as totally corrupt, came out of the second round with 82.15% of the vote. This formed the basis for a second election victory for the right and the subsequent formation of a government with the confidence to attack fundamental workers’ rights, like welfare and pension ‘reforms’.

In May and June 2003, there was another opportunity to form a new workers’ party. The protests against the government’s pension reform led to a situation of a near general strike, with millions demonstrating against the right-wing Raffarin government. The need for a mass party defending the rights of workers and the poor was in the forefront of everyone’s mind, as nobody believed the parties of the ‘Gauche plurielle’ (PS, PCF and Greens) had any alternative to offer.

In an opinion poll taken the week after the massive demonstration on Sunday 25 May 2003, 47% said they thought the PS would be neither better nor worse in dealing with pension reform (47% said the same on education reform and 50% on health reform). At demonstrations a layer of the workers’ blamed the radical left for calling for a Chirac vote in the presidential elections a year earlier – saying that this had lead to a stronger right-wing government. In the aftermath of the struggle against pension reform, when trade union leaders only just saved the government by avoiding a general strike, attention switched again to the political stage.12


Android Universal User ID, for Android Freaks Everywhere

Many of us android application developers develop for many AppStore platforms such as Google Play Store, Amazon AppStore, and many others which requires as much as we may like Google Play Services a Google Play Services agnostic solution. On top of that with Android M release we no longer have a certain hardware IDs to use to generate a User ID and thus we need a better solution.

A Universal User ID, or if you will UUID, gets used for several things. It can be the unique ID to determine if its a unique application installation in the case of us wanting to collect application use statistics. It can help us track bug reports in case of ANRs. It just makes good developer best practices sense to have a Universal User ID for every user of your application.

Yes, we will touch on math a little bit. Do not worry you will not be force to think very hard. Right now we have about 1.5 billion Android Device users and Google has about 1 billion GMail users.

To complicate matters we have two android device form factors that have possible multi-users, the android tablet and the android TV. When Unix was created in the 1970s they could only envision progress so far and only used 64bit numbers for machine ID.

The hardware IDs that android might use are based on this, for example the WIFI MAC is 64bit, so is the simCard ID, and so is the machine deviceID for cellular networks. At 100 to 300 million tablets that does not sound too bad but at 500 million multi-user devices combined with the potential app to have 1 billion installs we start to run into number clash problems as 64bit is only about:

2⁶⁴ = 18,000,0000 trillion

Thus, in no clash theory we could use Android_ID via Settings.Secure and we would still get an encrypted hashed copy of the machine ID for our own use as an application ID. What is the problem with that?

With Android 6.x we got the benefit of encrypted disks in that on those Android Devices the user can have the whole thing encrypted. Rooting wise, its impossible for a thief to root break an Android Device that has been User encrypted. But not every device owner is educated yet to fully enable that even with the Snowden revelations. You should do it by-the-way as an android device user and owner as it protects you in so many ways.

For those that still have Android 4.x devices, they are still susceptible to a thief grabbing the device and rooting to get the unencrypted Android_ID and other information to steal people’s identities.

Providing a slight obstacle to the bad guys and bad girls doing that is just a good best practice to have in place. Plus, its somewhat fun to think of those bad guys and bad girls having a bad time in breaking into something. Not as fun as watching them have a bad time, which is why I envy devops developers sometimes.

The Java Language itself has an UUID class to allow use to compute a 128bit UUID using the most significant bits and least significant bits and also a random method to generate an unique UUID. We will use the random method.

We have two things to do check if the UUID has been generated and stored and if not than compute an UUID and store it as encrypted. And we know that this particular class we come up with will be used in the extended Application class so we need to make sure that we handle SharedPreferences storage correctly as we are or still will be on the main thread.

Okay, let’s step through this class. You know what protected static final does as far as protecting the two variables, PREFS_FILE and PREFS_DEVICE_UUID, from third party manipulation. You cannot even grab it via reflection.

Any one of you know why we are using:

protected volatile static UUID uuid;

With the other two variables we did not have to worry about Atomic behavior or word tear, but the UUID is a 128bit number so in our locking down to one thread(synchronized (DroidUuidFactory.class)) we want the variable to be written once and seen right away as a number to be read by other threads.

We all live in this multi-CPU android device environment, even my low end $100 android phone has a multi-cpus. In such a multi-threaded environment synchronizing SharedPreferences editing is somewhat mandatory.

True, if the class WAS GUARANTEED TO ONLY BE CALLED AS A METHOD IN THE EXTENDED APPLICATION CLASS than I would not have to probably worry so much about threading. But, if I put the call in an activity instead for a small application the activity is not a guaranteed as a singleton in multi-cpu multi-threaded environments. So I implemented the class in such a way that it can be used both with extended Application classes and activity classes.

That is part of library design in determining all the use cases for the class and designing the class appropriately to handle all the use cases. That is a learned habit and skill. Do not worry you will get that skill, just keep practicing and you will find that that skill starts to take shape as you progress in programming.

Rest of the code is just cycling through our logic in checking if the UUID has been stored and or computed.

Did you notice that I did not encrypt randomUUID?

Let’s step through the reasons why. One, in not using anything that has a real ID in it I avoid information leakage and avoid having to prompt a user for granting permission for the read phone state(A GOOD IDEA!). Two, encryption has a speed performance penalty and this class gets used in the extended Application class initialization so it has to return from the method call in a fast way.

To use the class its just in the extended Application class onCreate method:

DroidUuidFactory myUUId =new DroiodUuidFactory(context);

So in showing best practices in computing a unique UUID I have given you a taste of best practices in threading on multiple cpus, security and information leakage on mobile devices, etc. Good development habits to have in Android Application Development.

As a side benefit we get some cross App-Store independence to use this class with android applications that are deployed to other than Google Play Store and by not using any information secret to the phone we also avoid having to prompt the user to unnecessarily grant the read phone state permission.

If you are a Chicago funded Start-Up(If not than you might have to accept me remote coding) and seeking a Senior Android Application Developer unicorn, you may like my thinking and methods and my contact directions and information are in the link below. But please, I prefer co-founders to contact me rather than recruiters or HR.