Test 2

Industrial Chemicals

The Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) regulates _____.

True or False: The U.S. Geographical Survey found that 80% of U.S. streams contain at least trace amounts of over 80 waste-water contaminants.

_____ is/are known to have (a) short persistence time(s).

Transport of airborne toxicants, a specific problem in agricultural environments, is called pesticide _____.

Gonadal abnormalities, male feminization, low birth rates.

Studies of endocrine disruptions have shown that they are associated with ______.

Endocrine disruptions.

The worldwide drop in sperm counts among men has been attributed to _____.

Not reviewed before being sold

Chemicals used in cosmetics in the United States are _____.

True or False: Worldwide, bird flu, SARS and AIDS represent the three leading causes of death by infectious disease.

True or False: In the United States, home accidents represent more risk than airplane accidents.

Concentrations of methyl mercury are higher in large fish relative to concentration in the air. This is best described as _____.

True or False: Breakdown products of toxic compounds always are non-toxic and biodegradable.

Pesticide toxicity

Rachel Carson's book "Silent Spring" primarily focuses on the environmental problems associated with _____.

True or False: Synthetic pesticides have been found in high concentrations in uninhabited polar regional.

Innocent until-proven guilty approach

Prior to 2005, no rules regulating mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants existed in the United States. This represents the _____.

There is a long lag time between exposure to the agent and disease

Carcinogens may be difficult to identify because _____.

Indoor Pollutants

Radon, cigarette smoke, asbestos, and lead all have in common that they are all _____.

Toxicants that cause harm by affecting the immune system include _____.

Often have effects that are manipulative

Synergistic effects of toxicants

Type of sedimentary rock formed from physically eroded material.

True or False: The 1977 Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act forbids mining on publicly owned lands that have intact ecosystems.

Surface strip mining and mountaintop removal

Which mining creates the greatest environmental damage?

Placer mining

_____ is a type of mining method used by the exploited coltan miners of Congo.

Precious metals and gems

What materials are mined using placer mining?

The reaction of newly exposed sulfur-containing rocks with oxygen and water to produce sulfuric acid.

Acid drainage from mines is caused by _____?

Rock that has undergone heat or pressure that causes it to change form is called _____.

Non-renewable and limited in supply

Mineral Resources are _____.

True or False: All landmasses were once joined together in a super-continent called Pangaea.

High concentration layers of a material are close to the surface

Strip mining is used when _____.

All of these can be explained by the interaction of crustal plates

The boundaries between the crustal plates can be used to explain _____.

Any U.S citizen(s) to stake and patent a claim and keep all minerals benefits from him (them) selves.

The General Mining Act of 1872 permitted _____.

The structural sphere of Earth best described as the rocks and sediment is the _____.

Drilling for geothermal power has increased the number of volcanic eruption

Our choices have led to increased damage from natural disasters. Which of these has not?

Pyroclastic flow

Rapidly moving, descending and sometimes fatal mass of toxic gases, ash, and rock fragments accompanying a volcanic eruption are known as _____.

Subsurface mining

Which mining technique is the most dangerous to miners?

Occurs when denser ocean crusts slide beneath lighter continental crusts

The process of subduction _____.

Crust - Mantle - Core

Which of the following is in correct order for the shallowest to deepest regions of Earth's structural?

_____ is the controversial name proposed in 2008 for the contemporary geological horizon that shows the effects of human impact on the surface of the planet.

True or False: Coal is commonly extracted by strip mining.

All mine contracts have required the mining company to restore the mined area to premining conditions once the mine is closed.

Which of the following statements about the laws that govern mining on public land in the United States is false?

Removing large debris and allowing suspended solids to settle

In a municipal water treatment plant, the primary treatment step consists of _____.

It drained the Aral Sea and increased the salt content of soils

Why was the irrigation of Soviet cotton farming operations a problem?

Data indicates that the present rate of freshwater consumption in most developed countries is _____.

A region of low-lying land that is periodically flooded when a river overflows

Which of the following best describes floodplains?

Refers to the capture of animals not meant to be caught

By-catch _____.

Avoid using chemical fertilizers in the pond's watershed

You want to maintain a healthy pond at your school site. Last year another pond became eutrophic, to avoid that, you want to _____.

True or False: Into the mid-20th century, it was common for U.S. coastal cities to dump trash into the ocean.

Decreased in the last 30 years in places such as the Great Lakes

Water pollution in the United States has _____.

Will probably continue because aging dams are reviewed periodically for safety

Dam removal in the country _____.

Occur mostly in temperate coastal areas

Salt marshes _____.

Are "no-take" areas in the oceans

Marine Reserves _____.

True or False: Only 5% of Earth's human population relies directly on groundwater for its needs.

True or False: Sea Urchins, limpets, barnacles, sea stars and crabs are all common species in fresh water ponds.

Kill pathogenic organisms

The use of chlorine of UV radiation in wastewater treatment plants serves to _____.

Permanent wetlands

Which of the following best describes the initial ecological consequences of falling water tables?

A small scale method of treating wastewater

A septic system is _____.

washing dishes by hand

Which of the following will not contribute to water conservation?

True or False: The World Commission on Water in 1999 concluded that over half of the world's major rivers are depleted.

May take variety of pathways in the hydrologic cycle

Precipitation that falls on Earth's surface _____.

When a water-bearing layer is trapped between two layers that are less permeable

An artesian aquifier occurs _____.

True or False: The Majority of the oil polluting our oceans is from large spills.

Used as fertilizer in the United States

Much of the "biosolids" material that is the end product of a water treatment plant is _____.

Warm, moisture-laden air rushing into low pressure areas over warm tropical oceans can generate _____.

Which of the following contributes to photochemical smog?

Burning of fossil fuels

Industrial smog forms on cool, wet days and is caused by _____.

True or False: Indoor air pollution has the greatest impact on the developing world.

Carbon Monoxide (CO)

_____ is an EPA criteria pollutant that results from the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels. It harms health by preventing hemoglobin from binding to oxygen.

Concentrations of _____ have been reduced as a result of the Montreal Protocol.

Formed on hot, sunny days from pollutants often generated by automobiles

Photochemical smog is _____.

Furniture, foam insulation, pressed/laminated wood and carpets are all potential sources of _____.

Temperature inversion

_____ can trap air pollution in one place for many days.

The pattern of atmospheric conditions found across a relatively large geographic region over a long period is _____.

The Earth's ozone layer that limits damaging solar radiation striking the planet is found in the ______.

Indoor air pollutants

Radon, asbestos, formaldehyde, chloroform, and mold spores are all _____.

Experienced industrial smog that killed 12,000 people

In 1952, London _____.

True or False: Lead is banned worldwide as a gasoline additive.

Specific spots, such as a factory's smokestacks, where large quantities of pollution are discharged

Point sources of air pollution are _____.

Total emissions of the six have declined more than 50% since 1970

The EPA tracks six criteria air pollutants. Which of the following statements about the criteria air pollutants and efforts to control them is true?

Are installed in smoke stacks to reduce acid deposition

Scrubbers _____.

Chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) refrigerants

The Ozone is largely a consequence of the use of _____.

True or False: Carbon dioxide is one of the six major pollutants monitored by the EPA under the auspices of the Clean Air Act.

True or False: Removal of forests reduces the Earth's ability to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Close to _____ of U.S. residents live in coastal areas.

Are changes in the Earth's rotation and orbit around the sun that affect climate

Miankovitch cycles _____.

_____ concentrations have increased the most since 1750.

Mayors of 720 cities signed an agreement to achieve the same reductions as the Kyoto protocol

How has the United States addressed global climate change?

True or False: According to data released in 2008, Canada and the U.S. have achieved the greenhouse gas reductions set by the Kyoto protocol.

Electricity generation

In the United States, the two main sources of anthropogenic carbon dioxide are transportation and _____.

A cap is placed on the total allowed carbon emissions, and right to emit carbon can be traded (or bought and sold)

How would a cap-and-trade program help cut carbon emissions?

An increase in Earth's average surface temperature

The greenhouse effect is defined as _____.

True or False: A university or city that achieves carbon neutrality emits no net carbon dioxide.

Is an international panel that concluded that climate change has influenced biomes and economics

Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change _____.

Electricity generation; Transportation

The largest source of anthropogenic greenhouse gases in the United States is _____, followed by _____.

True or False: Major volcanic eruptions and the aerosols they release contribute to short-term warming of Earth's climate.

Convert 500 natural gas burning electrical generations plants to coal

All of the following would be effective strategies to reduce the rate of global climate change except _____.

Lack of full scientific certainty shall not be used to postpone measures to prevent environmental degradation

In legislation, the precautionary principle states that _____.

Kyoto is to carbon dioxide as Montreal is to _____.

Aerosols (particularly sulfur compounds) and dusts

A substance that contributes to atmospheric cooling is _____.

Developed countries created the current problems, so they should make the sacrifices necessary to clean them up.

What is the justification that the proponents of the Koyoto Protocol offer for developing countries having requirements different from those of developed countries?

HFC-23 (a hydrochlorofluorocarbon)

Which greenhouse gas traps the most heat per molecule?

El Nino

The exceptionally strong warning of the eastern Pacific Ocean is referred to as _____.

Increased sales of SUVs and truck. and increased speed limits

Two of the reasons for the lack of improvement in fuel efficiency (mpg) in the U.S. over the past 30 years include _____.

Can be improved as individuals, prodded by economic necessity, make conscious choices to reduce personal consumption

Energy conservation in the United States _____.

Fossil fuel energy

Which of the following energy sources is considered nonrenewable?

Before mining techniques improved in the 1700s, the energy resource that was most used for heating and cooking was _____.

Either biogenic or thermogenic

Natural gas is _____.

Transforming fissionable isotopes by addition or subtraction of neutrons

Atomic energy in power plants is created via _____.

True or False: As of 2008, the top six nations in oil reserves are all in the Middle East.

The greatest environmental impact is increased greenhouse gases

When we burn fossil fuels _____.

The country has such large reserves of coal

Coal continues to be used in the United States, This is partially because _____.

True or False: There are some energy sources that can be either renewable or nonrenewable, depending on the manner and rate at which we use them.

Burning coal releases sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides

How does the burning of coal contribute to acid rain?

A prediction, based on rates of extraction and new discovery, of when a country's or global oil production will be at a maximum and then start to fail

Hubbert's peak is _____.

Slightly decreased

Between 1987-2008, the average miles per gallon of U.S. vehicles has _____.

True or False: At present China is both the leading producer and consumer of coal, followed by the U.S. in second place.

True or False: Although fossil fuels are a nonrenewable source of energy, the energy they contain originally came from a renewable source.

Water in the containment vessel is kept under high pressure, and heat from the fission reactions heat the water to well that turns a turbine that drives a generator and makes electricity.

Where does the energy generated by nuclear fission go in the process of making electricity?

Seismic surveying

Scientists search for fossil fuels in many ways. Sending a sound wave into the ground (by exploding dynamite, thumping the ground with a large weight, or using an electric vibrating machine) and measuring it return to the surface at receiving stations is called _____.

True or False: At present, the U.S. produces slightly more oil than it consumes.

Russia and the United States

Deposits of natural gas are most numerous in _____.

The expense of extracting and processing them has been too high

Oil shale and oil sands have only recently begun to be exploited as a source of petroleum because _____.

True or False: Renewable energy sources have received far less in subsidies, tax breaks, and other incentives from governments than have conventional sources.

It can be made from the nonfood portions of plants and from wood

How is cellulosic ethanol different from traditional corn-based ethanol?

The price of corn and of corn-based foods has greatly increased

One of the socio-economic drawbacks to producing large-scale ethanol from corn is _____.

The fastest growing source of electricity generations using renewable resources is _____.

True or False: In the net measuring system, homeowners who generate electricity with photocells sell the excess to the power company and receive credit for the power donated

Which of the following countries is not a top consumer of hydropower?

Almost all rivers that can be dammed for power generation have been dammed

Why is no growth expected for hydropower?

Building a house so that sunlight can get in through large windows in the winter but is blocked during the summer

An example of passive solar energy use is _____.

Produces little air pollution

Hydropower generated through dams _____.

The second fastest growing new renewable energy source is _____.

Wind turbines

Which of the following currently produce(s) 23 times as much energy as it consumes?

Which renewable enrgy source is the most used worldwide?

Includes charcoal and manure from domestic animals

Biomass _____.

It is the only one not based on the energy of the sun

How is geothermal power different from the other commercially used forms of renewable energy?

It is a renewable resource if managed correctly

Which of the following is characteristic of combustion of biomass for energy production?

Has the greatest potential for generation in Texas and California

In the United States, wind power _____.

True or False: Today's economies are powered by fossil fuels, with four-fifths of all primary energy coming from oil, coal, and natural gas.

True or False: The sun's raw energy is so strong that if only 0.1% of Earth's surface were covered with solar panels, we would have enough solar energy to power all the world's electrical plants.

True or False: Waste generation has more than doubled in the United States since 1960.

Lead, cadmium, mercury

Which of the following are classified as heavy metals?

True or False: Current waste practices in the United States include the greatest proportions of trash being landfilled, with lesser amounts being incinerated, recycled, and composted.

Bring your own coffee cup to coffee breaks of cafes

Which of the following represents a strategy of reuse?

purchasing items made from recycles matericals

Closing the recycling loop refers to _____.

True or False: People in developing nations presently generate more waste per capital than people in developed nations.

E-wastes: cellphones, computer components

The most recent category of hazardous watse showing up increasingly in landfills and containing heavy metals are/is _____.

Solid waste produced from incinerators is less toxic than landfill waste

Incineration has all of the following benefits over landfilling EXCEPT _____.

True or False: Most municipal solid waste comes from packaging and disposable goods.

True or False: People in developing nations presently generate more waste per capita than people in developed nations.

Used to store and concentrate dilute liquid hazardous waste before it is moved to permanent disposal option

A surface impoundment is _____.

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Prenatal Exercises for Your Project

The postmortem exercise, used to summarize project successes and failures, is not the only way to gain process efficiencies crucial to the success of any IT project. Many times prenatal exercises are in order. Prenatal exercises are a simple yet powerful way to organize the activities and communicate expectations associated with any project before the project begins.

If you have ever been part of a postmortem exercise, you probably remember it with less than fond memories. The goal of the postmortem is to record the successes, failures, and any issues that arose during a project so that they can be documented as "lessons learned" and then prevented in future projects. A member of the team, typically the project manager, gathers the important players together at the completion of a project to go over the good, bad, and ugly. By this time, most members of the team, especially the test team and development team, are sick and tired of the application and the problems they ran into.

The last thing that people want to do at the end of a project is dredge up problems that are better left alone. What is that saying about letting sleeping dogs lie? More often than not, this activity can turn into a finger-pointing exercise where inadequacies in the project are blamed on groups or individuals. This, in turn, can lead to building up more walls between departments and hindering the success of future projects. Many times, this information is then stored in some directory on the network, rather than acting on the findings to institute process improvement.

I propose that the postmortem exercise, even if done well, is a less than optimal way to gain process efficiencies that are crucial to the success of any IT project. More appropriately, prenatal exercises are in order. You may be asking yourself, "What are prenatal exercises?"

From the Latin root, "prea" or "pre" meaning before, and "natalis" or "natal" meaning being born, the word may be used to define activities that take place before the birth of a project that can help to ensure its success. In this article, I plan to outline a very simple, yet powerful way to organize the activities associated with any project before it begins.

With any new idea, it is important that the people involved understand the benefits. Below is a list of ideas that you should share with people at your company regarding the benefits of prenatal exercises.

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Causes + Latisse

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Why is my Latisse Not Working As Well After 6 Weeks?

After 6 weeks, my eyelashes were so much longer but not that much darker. However, after about 3 months I actually started losing some of my eyelashes... READ MORE

Can Latisse Cause Dizziness?

Is It Possible to Develop Acne While on Latisse?

I am 39, and aside from the occasional zit here and there, I typically do not have an issue with acne. However, in the last few weeks, I have... READ MORE

Will Latisse Cause Infertility?

Will Latisse Cause Infertility? READ MORE

Can Latisse Cause a Genital Herpes Outbreak?

I just started using Latisse and had a genital herpes outbreak around the same time (I haven't had an outbreak in 2 years). Are they correlated?... READ MORE

Risk of Latisse causing older-looking eyes?

I'm am considering trying Bimatoprost (Latisse/Careprost), but I'm concerned about the risk of periorbital fat loss around the eyes which is... READ MORE

What is causing redness around eyes? Under and upper eyelid mostly. (Photo)

I have redness around eyes..not so much eyeball..Eyeballs can be dry feeling and very mildly irritated at times. Nothing major though and no dryness... READ MORE

Can prolonged use of Latisse make your eyelashes fall out?

I've been using Latisse for over 4 years on and off (mostly on). I have notice this happen twice already in the 6 months . My lashes look amazing and... READ MORE

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Ubytování v Evropě i ve světe   |   Rezervace (Log on)
Svět > Brazílie > Salvaterra

Salvaterra - Ubytování - Hotel - Hostel

nalezeno: 4, zobrazeno: 1 - 4

Fazenda do Carmo
Fazenda do Carmo     Mapa

Fazenda do Carmo, Rio Camara, Ilha Do Marojo Municipio Salva Terra SN, Salvaterra

Offering a garden, Fazenda do Carmo offers accommodation in Salvaterra. Belém is 47 km from the property. Bed linen is featured. Fazenda do Carmo also includes a sun terrace. You can play table tennis and billiards at the property, and the area is popular for horse riding and fishing. A number of activities are offered in the area, such as canoeing and hiking. Barcarena is 46 km.. více info

Pousada dos Corações
Pousada dos Corações     Mapa

Pousada Bosque dos Aruãs
Pousada Bosque dos Aruãs     Mapa

Pousada dos Guarás
Pousada dos Guarás     Mapa

Město, Hotel:

Když zadáte datum a dáte zjistit dostupnost,
zobrazí se také ceny hotelů v daném období!


SQLMinus - a far friendlier SQL client

"The SQL Client that sucks far less."-me, circa 1997

What is SQLMinus ?

SQLMinus is an SQL Client with many developer-friendly features including::
screenshot of sqlminus

Who is SQLMinus meant for?

It probably is more programmer friendly, than end-user friendly, although this is less so than earlier.
This tool is meant for fast querying of tables, repetitive querying, quick sorting and linking across tables.
It sacrifices features not used often, for ease of frequently used features. It almost completely eliminates having to type mundane SQL statements to join tables or filter data !
It is inspired by vim, mutt and other "intelligent"Unix softwares.

What are the prerequisites?

You need the following:

Downloading SQLMinus

Download SQLMinus from here

How do I install ?

This is the minimal configuration for the tool. You may study the other
options and configure them later at your own speed.

How to I run the tool?

I give the command "./runnit.sh" or "java isql/SQLForm &" on the
linux prompt in the folder
where the class file are.

When the tool loads (5-7 seconds on a P2 350 with 1.4.2), i press the connect button (unless i have configured ocnnect in the ini). This
loads the tables from the database in the list on the right top.

Clicking on a table, will populate the columns list on right bottom.

I often select a table and press the data button (or alt-D). This
displays the data in a table.

When i select a column, it gets inserted into the input area. I can thus
construct an SQL statement. I could also press the Construct button -
it will make the SQL for me. I then select the SQL with the mouse
and press "Run Selected". Or if there is only one statement
i can press "Run".

I can go to the History area and select a previously executed statement
and run it.
I frequently press "?" on a code field - immediately the related master table row is displayed. Else i am prompted to create a link.
I then keep jumping across tables without ever having to write a query.
I frequently press "o" or "O" after selecting one or more fields to sort or reverse sort on those fields.
I frequently press "y" after selecting one or more fields to save their values in memory. I can then select a table and press "alt-shift-d" to view matching rows for the saved values.
SQLMinus is really useful when it comes auto-construction. Once i set my links, it picks up descriptive fields from related tables and displays them automatically.

What does the name SQLMinus mean?

"SQLplus, minus the pain". I have used sqlplus for many years - it
doesnt provide completion of names, editing of command line etc. I
found it very frustrating. The only advantage was that you could run
sqlplus on telnet.

What about Stability/ Bugs?

Error handling is minimal, but should not affect you at all.

- In some rare instances tab-completion eats up the previous word also.
- When there is an error in command/sql, it says "Nothing selected".
- There are bugs in the metadata information returned by Oracle's drivers, thus i have put hacks in place. (in one instance the java.sql.Types field, doesnt correspond to the typename).
- mysql and Oracle often require different parameters while fetching metadata. You may need to change them if you have a problem on another database, or even on your instance. (fetching table/column/index/constraint info).
- I haven't figured out a way of informing user that a CREATE/DROP/ALTER
or other statement has succeeded.

What about speed/efficiency?

Since this is written entirely in Java, it may be slow if used with very large tables. Usually its best when jumping back and forth between a large number of linked tables, while troubleshooting an application error, or answering a query.

What does it not provide?

This list has reduced dramatically. Database specific features like running stored procedures are one feature.
- running queries in the background - calling stored procedures.

How does it stack up to other clients?

Anyone using SQLMinus?

There have been many downloads from sourceforge. Once in a while i get a mail of appreciation (much welcome), so there are many users.

How can I help?

- Use the tool
- Report bugs to me at rahulkumar at users dot sourceforge dot net )
- Give feedback on features required
- Give suggestions for improving the UI
- Be a vegetarian. Stop killing living beings.

More details on features - see features

How does it look ?

On clicking Meta button
Selected Employee Table
Then click Data button
Select Frame View, select a table, then click Data button
Select Employee and Dept and click Construct
Select department and then List, View Columns
Select department and then List, View Indexes
Autolink example - on Timesheet table, select EMPID fields and press ?. View related Employee Data. Jump to other related tables from there.
AutoConstruct example - Select fields from only TimesheetItems, 3 others tables are linked, and descriptions of selected codes displayed.
Note: This software works fine, but is more or less abandoned. IF yu wish you may take over the source and continue.
See Raining Sockets for a high-performance NIO framework High Performance IO in Java

SourceForge.net Logo


March 25, 2010--Groundwater vulnerability (Environmental News Network)

Groundwater is contained in aquifers, underground layers of water-bearing permeable rock or sediment such as silt, sand, or clay. Under, and sometimes over the aquifer is an aquiclude, a solid, impermeable layer such as clay that the water cannot penetrate. The top surface of the water saturated material is called the water table. For millennia, humans have dug wells to access this bountiful source of fresh water. Due to unsound environmental practices and the sheer increase in human numbers, aquifers around the world have been coming under heavy duress. There is even an Aquifer Vulnerability Index that is used by geologists and hydrogeologists to determine which areas are most being contaminated or depleted.


CFD Online Discussion Forums

CFD Online Discussion Forums (
-   Main CFD Forum (
-   -   zero flux bc's on FDM 9-noded patch (

E Siebrits August 14, 2001 12:35

zero flux bc's on FDM 9-noded patch
Given equation:

d/dx(X1*du/dx + X2*du/dy) + d/dy(Y2*du/dx + Y1*du/dy) = ...

where X1, Y1, etc are constants.

2nd-order FDM discretization of this equation system on a regular mesh (with rectangular elements) yields a 9-noded molecule in variable 'u' with the usual W, E, S, N, and C (center) coeffs, but also NW, NE, SW, and SE.

My question is how to correctly apply a zero flux bc, especially when acute or obtuse corners are present on the mesh boundaries of an irregular-shaped 2D domain?

Any pointers will be welcome!

John C. Chien August 14, 2001 14:37

Re: zero flux bc's on FDM 9-noded patch
(1). Through the coordinate transformation of the original equations and the boundary conditions.

joe August 14, 2001 21:09

Re: zero flux bc's on FDM 9-noded patch
your answer is like this ...

A : How can I cook chinese food ?

B : Through your hand.

John C. Chien August 15, 2001 00:07

Re: zero flux bc's on FDM 9-noded patch
(1). I guess there is the missing part. That is the mesh. (2). By using the coordinate transformation, you will have the governing equation written in the general coordinates, which is yet unknown. (3). But if you then create a mesh which is normal to the boundary, then the zero flux boundary condition is just: t(Xi_at wall, Eta, Zeta)= t(Xi_at wall - 1, Eta, Zeta), if Xi is the coordinate normal to the local wall. (4). If you are serious about the zero flux condition, then the numerical grid generation is a good one to try. (5). By the way, I normally by-pass the cooking step, and buy the Chinese food (cooked) at the local mall's PANDA EXPRESS fast food place. (6). So, zero flux means the normal gradient is zero, that is you need to define the local wall point and a point on the line normal to the wall point. That means a local mesh line must be normal to the wall. When you have this local behavior of the mesh, the zero flux condition is very simple.

John C. Chien August 15, 2001 00:19

Re: zero flux bc's on FDM 9-noded patch
(1). If on the other hand, you insist on using the regular coordinates (Cartesian or the like), then you can find a point of the mesh near the wall first, then draw a normal to the wall, find the wall point, then assign the value on the wall equal to the near the wall point. (2). After you have these wall point values updated, then use interpolation to compute the values at other wall points if needed.


The Taiwan Intellectual Property Office (TIPO) determined in an administrative Decision of Opposition affirming that Red Bull’s trademark is famous not only for energy drinks or automobile services, but fashion products as well on March 25, 2015.

A Japanese company (opposed party) was holding a registered mark “Bull Device” (opposed mark) in class 14, 18, and 25, namely the products of timepieces, shoes, clothes, bags, etc. Red Bull Asia (opposing party) filed for an opposition action against the registration of the opposed mark arguing that its “Double Bull Device” marks (opposing marks), although designated on energy drinks only, have become well-known to the relevant consumers in Taiwan prior to the registration of the opposed mark on May 5 of 2012 and such fame was additionally affirmed in precedent cases by the Intellectual Property Court (IP Court).

Click here to view image.

During the course of review by TIPO, the opposing party demonstrated the presence of the opposing mark in association with the fashion products as evidence of actual use of the opposing mark. Red Bull alleged that the two marks are similar and the products where the marks are used were overlapping, and therefore the consumers were likely to be confused by seeing the two marks.

The opposed party countered to the contrary, that the marks are not similar because the logo design of opposed mark conveys a different idea. Moreover, being adopted from a common animal, the device of a bull is widely utilized in the world; therefore, the opposing party has no right to exclude others from utilizing it. Lastly, the Japan Patent Office (JPO) had made a decision on the same issue determining that the two marks are visually different by their distinguishing features; one is the device of an American bison while the other is that of a fighting bull. To sum up, it should be considered that there was no likelihood of confusion.

TIPO’s findings and reasons are summarized as follows:

  1. The opposing mark is well-known and operates in diversified goods/services.

Based on the presented evidence, TIPO recognized that the uses of the opposing mark were not only limited to energy drinks but products in class 14, 18, and 25, and such uses have been widely disseminated through mass media, Internet, etc. in more than 120 countries of the world. It was further determined in at least two preceding judgments from the IP Court that the opposing party has expanded its diversified operation to the fields of timepieces, shoes, clothes, bags, umbrella, key chains, etc., and therefore the opposing mark has become well-known.

  1. Two party’s marks are similar.

TIPO finds that both marks are depicted as a bull, as viewed from the side, adopting a head-down position, having a upright tail, having a hunched/curled back, and having the bull’s legs bending inwards towards the belly. Differences are minor in overall impression and concept of the outer appearances. Consumers will not make a detailed comparison of the marks but will only rely on their imperfect recollection upon seeing the marks, as TIPO added. It was therefore determined that the opposed mark would mislead the consumers as if the labeled products had originated from the same source as of the opposing mark.

  1. Level of distinctiveness is high.

The opposing mark is composed of a “Double Bull Device” and the wording either “Red Bull” or “Toro Rosso,” which does not directly describe, letting along to suggest, any information relating to the designated products. Furthermore, since the opposing mark used in energy drinks has already been famous, there is a prima facie impression that the opposing mark is considerably distinctive.

  1. Degree of awareness in relevant consumers is high.

As explained previously, the opposing mark has been used widely in fashion products in Taiwan, whereas the evidence presented by opposed party shows only that the opposed mark has been used in Japan. Such evidence was found to be less convincing to believe that Taiwanese consumers had already been familiarized with the opposed mark, and therefore, the opposing mark shall deserve greater protection.

As for the JPO’s decision that is in favor of the opposed mark, TIPO points out that trademark protection is rooted on principles of territoriality. As such, the pending case shall be determined based on the evidence and facts in Taiwan.

In view of the foregoing, TIPO concluded that the two marks are similar and likely to confuse relevant consumers. Therefore, the registration of the opposed mark was in violation of the Trademark Act, and the trademark’s registration in classes 14, 18, and 25 must be canceled.


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The Foundations Of The Creative Imagination

Why is the human mind able to create? In a certain sense this question
may seem idle, childish, and even worse. We might just as well ask why
does man have eyes and not an electric apparatus like the torpedo? Why
does he perceive directly sounds but not the ultra-red and ultra-violet
rays? Why does he perceive changes of odors but not magnetic changes?
And so on ad infinitum. We will put the question in a very different
manner: Being given the physical and mental constitution of man such as
it is at present, how is the creative imagination a natural product of
this constitution?

Man is able to create for two principal reasons. The first, motor in
nature, is found in the action of his needs, appetites, tendencies,
desires. The second is the possibility of a spontaneous revival of
images that become grouped in new combination.

1. We have already shown in detail that the hypothesis of a
"creative instinct," if the expression is used not as an abbreviated or
metaphorical formula but in the strict sense, is a pure chimera, an
empty entity. In studying the various types of imagination we have
always been careful to note that every mode of creation may be reduced,
as regards its beginnings, to a tendency, a want, a special, determinate
desire. Let us recall for the last time these initial conditions of all
invention--these desires, conscious or not, that excite it.

The wants, tendencies, desires--it matters not which term we adopt--the
whole of which constitutes the instinct of individual preservation, have
been the generators of all inventions dealing with food-getting,
housing, making of weapons, instruments, and machines.

The need for individual and social expansion or extension has given rise
to military, commercial, and industrial invention, and in its
disinterested form, esthetic creation.

As for the sexual instinct, its psychic fertility is in no way less than
the physical--it is an inexhaustible source of imagination in everyday
life as well as in art.

The wants of man in contact with his fellows have engendered, through
instinctive or reflective action, the numerous social and practical
creations regulating human groups, and they are rough or complex, stable
or unstable, just or unjust, kindly or harsh.

The need of knowing and of explaining, well or ill, has created myths,
religions, philosophical systems, scientific hypotheses.

Every want, tendency or desire may, then, become creative, by itself or
associated with others, and into these final elements it is that
analysis must resolve "creative spontaneity." This vague expression
corresponds to a sum, not to a special property. Every invention,
then, has a motor origin; the ultimate basis of the constructive
imagination is motor.

2. But needs and desires by themselves cannot create--they are only a
stimulus and a spring. Whence arises the need of a second condition--the
spontaneous revival of images.

In many animals that are endowed only with memory the return of images
is always provoked. Sensation from without or from within bring them
into consciousness under the form, pure and simple, of former
experience; whence we have reproduction, repetition without new
associations. People of slight imagination and used to routine approach
this mental condition. But, as a matter of fact, man from his second
year on, and some higher animals, go beyond this stage--they are capable
of spontaneous revival. By this term I mean that revival that comes
about abruptly, without apparent antecedents. We know that these act
in a latent form, and consist of thinking by analogy, affective
dispositions, unconscious elaboration. This sudden appearance excites
other states which, grouped into new associations, contain the first
elements of the creative act.

Taken altogether, and however numerous its manifestations, the
constructive imagination seems to me reducible to three forms, which I
shall call sketched, fixed, objectified, according as it remains
an internal fancy, or takes on a material but contingent and unstable
form, or is subjected to the conditions of a rigorous internal or
external determinism.

(a) The sketched form is primordial, original, the simplest of all; it
is a nascent moment or first attempt. It appears first of all in
dreaming--an embryonic, unstable and uncoordinated manifestation of the
creative imagination--a transition-stage between passive reproduction
and organized construction. A step higher is revery, whose flitting
images, associated by chance, without personal intervention, are
nevertheless vivid enough to exclude from consciousness every impression
of the external world--so much so that the day-dreamer re-enters it only
with a shock of surprise. More coherent are the imaginary constructions
known as "castles in Spain"--the works of a wish considered
unrealizable, fancies of love, ambition, power and wealth, the goal of
which seems to be forever beyond our reach. Lastly, still higher, come
all the plans for the future conceived vaguely and as barely
possible--foreseeing the end of a sickness, of a business enterprise, of
a political event, etc.

This vague and "outline" imagination, penetrating our entire life, has
its peculiar characters--the unifying principle is nil or ephemeral,
which fact always reduces it to the dream as a type; it does not
externalize itself, does not change into acts, a consequence of its
basically chimerical nature or of weakness of will, which reduces it to
a strictly internal and individual existence. It is needless to say that
this kind of imagination is a permanent and definite form with the
dreamers living in a world of ceaselessly reappearing images, having no
power to organize them, to change them into a work of art, a theory, or
a useful invention.

The "sketched" form is or remains an elementary, primitive, automatic
form. Conformably to the general law ruling the development of
mind--passage from indefinite to definite, from the incoherent to the
coherent, from spontaneity to reflection, from the reflex to the
voluntary period--the imagination comes out of its swaddling-clothes,
is changed--through the intervention of a teleological act that assigns
it an end; through the union of rational elements that subdue it for an
adaptation. Then appear the other two forms.

(b) The fixed form comprises mythic and esthetic creations,
philosophical and scientific hypotheses. While the "outline" imagination
remains an internal phenomenon, existing only in and for a single
individual, the fixed form is projected outwards, made something else.
The former has no reality other than the momentary belief accompanying
it; the latter exists by itself, for its creator and for others; the
work is accepted, rejected, examined, criticised. Fiction rests on the
same level as reality. Do not people discuss seriously the objective
value of certain myths, and of metaphysical theories? the action of a
novel or drama as though it were a matter of real events? the character
of the dramatis personae as though they were living flesh and blood?

The fixed imagination moves in an elastic frame. The material elements
circumscribing it and composing it have a certain fluidity; they are
language, writing, musical sounds, colors, forms, lines. Furthermore, we
know that its creations, in spite of the spontaneous adherence of the
mind accepting them, are the work of a free will; they could have been
otherwise--they preserve an indelible imprint of contingency and

(c) This last mark is rubbed out without disappearing (for a thing
imagined is always a personal thing) in the objectified form that
comprises successful practical inventions--whether mechanical,
industrial, commercial, military, social, or political. These have no
longer an arbitrary, borrowed reality; they have their place in the
totality of physical and social phenomena. They resemble creations of
nature, subject like them to fixed conditions of existence and to a
limited determinism. We shall not dwell longer on this last character,
so often pointed out.

In order the better to comprehend the distinction between the three
forms of imagination let us borrow for a moment the terminology of
spiritualism or of the common dualism--merely as a means of explaining
the matter clearly. The "outline" imagination is a soul without a body,
a pure spirit, without determination in space. The "fixed" imagination
is a soul or spirit surrounded by an almost immaterial sheath, like
angels or demons, genii, shadows, the "double" of savages, the
peresprit of spiritualists, etc. The objectified imagination is soul
and body, a complete organization after the pattern of living people;
the ideal is incarnated, but it must undergo transformation, reductions
and adaptations, in order that it may become practical--just as the
soul, according to spiritualism, must bend to the necessities of the
body, to be at the same time the servant of, and served by, the bodily

According to general opinion the great imaginers are found only in the
first two classes, which is, in the strict sense of the word, true; in
the full sense of the word false. As long as it remains "outline," or
even "fixed," the constructive imagination can reign as supreme
mistress. Objectified, it still rules, but shares its power with
competitors; it avails nought without them, they can do nothing without
it. What deceives us is the fact that we see it no longer in the open.
Here the imaginative stroke resembles those powerful streams of water
that must be imprisoned in a complicated network of canals and
ramifications varying in shape and in diameter before bursting forth in
multiple jets and in liquid architecture.

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Truman Capote and the Legacy of In Cold Blood

Truman Capote and the Legacy of In Cold Blood

By Ralph F. Voss
The University of Alabama Press, 2011
$34.95, Hardcover; $14.99, eBook
Reviewed by Marianne Moates Weber

Voss was in high school in Plainsville, Kansas, when the gruesome Clutter murders occurred more than fifty years ago, and like other Kansans, the horrific story became part of his history. He vividly recalls the time when murderers were on the loose and everyone in his small hometown was in fear for their lives. While the crime shocked a town, the event barely made the national news, except to the discriminating eye of a writer who was looking for a story to challenge a new style of writing he was contemplating—the nonfiction novel. Truman Capote spied a small newspaper article about the murders and felt that urge writers experience when the creative juices flow. Thus the seeds of In Cold Blood were born.

Capote, with the help of his friend, Nelle Harper Lee, traveled to Kansas to interview law enforcement, neighbors and friends of the Clutters, and eventually the murderers themselves. Capote developed a close personal relationship with the two men who committed the heinous crime. It would take more than a decade for justice to be served, however, and all the while Capote wrote, awaited outcome of the appeals, and delved deeper into alcohol and drugs. He and the murderers were like rams locked in a death brawl—the outcome could be none other than death.

To make Voss’ interpretation of the Clutter crime legacy all the more interesting, Voss highlights his research on Truman Capote and In Cold Blood with his personal perspective. The heinous crime destroyed the innocence in the nation’s heartland as portrayed in The Wizard of Oz. Like Capote, Voss knew both intuitively and professionally that there was much to say about creative process in investigative journalism, and Voss is as thorough in his explanation of the legacy as Capote is in writing In Cold Blood.

In reading Voss’ work, I found a story so compelling that it reads like a mystery novel. Fictive elements provide a strong sense of place, emotion, character development, realistic dialogue. The text is interspersed with black and white photographs and contains a plethora of chapter notes. Voss takes time to tell the story of Capote’s life, his Alabama roots, and the impact of his writing on the literary world. Chapters such as “The Myth of the Nonfiction Novel,” “The Gay Subtext of In Cold Blood,” and the “Legacy of Creative Influence” delve into the psychology of the man and the importance of his work. Although any reader of In Cold Blood is familiar with the story and its outcome, Voss artfully provides a fresh look at the investigative process and the elements that drove Capote to pursue the crime story. Voss’ book is a must read for the Capote aficionado. April 2012

Marianne Moates Weber is a freelance writer in Prattville, Ala., and is the author of Truman Capote’s Southern Years (UA Press).


Q. What is the ISEE?

Q. How does it differ from the SSAT?
A. The idea that either test is “harder” is flawed. The SSAT is no more difficult than the ISEE and vice versa. Also, most schools will accept either exam, though it is important to make sure that you know what your target schools expect and prefer.

The key difference in the two exams is in their complexity. The SSAT is a more complex exam than the ISEE – however, this does not mean that it is harder.

Q. Which test should I then have my child take?
1. If your child has a mastery of the material, but has issues with timing and with more complex questions, he/she should take the ISEE. The ISEE is a more straightforward and your child lacks logical reasoning skills, the ISEE is the test you will want to go with.

2. If your child is good at solving puzzles and dealing with complex wording and concepts, then he/she should take the SSAT.

Q. How is the test formatted?
A. Like the SSAT, the ISEE has three levels:  Lower level, for entrance in grades 5-6; Middle level, for entrance in grades 7-8; Upper level, for entrance in grades 9-12.

Q. What subject areas does the test cover?
A.  The test covers:

Verbal Reasoning– This section consists of two parts: synonyms and sentence completions.
Quantitative Reasoning/Math-The Lower Level consists of word Problems, and the middle and upper levels consist of word problems and quantitative comparisons.
All questions found in the two math sections of the ISEE are linked to the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) Standards. The ISEE uses the following NCTM strands as a basis for the Quantitative Reasoning and Math section: numbers and operations, algebra, geometry, measurement, data analysis and probability, and problem solving.
Reading Comprehension– The Lower Level contains five reading passages, each followed by five questions. The Middle and Upper levels contain six reading passages, each followed by six questions. The passages include topics related to history, science, literature, and contemporary life.
The types of questions focus on six categories: main idea, supporting ideas, inference, vocabulary, organization/logic, and tone/style/figurative.
Essay– The essay is not scored, but is photocopied and sent to schools to which the student is applying.


To Punt or not to Punt: Policy Advice based on Observational Data

Rocky Long, second year head football coach of the San Diego State Aztecs, is facing a problem that is similar, in some respects, to what voters face.  Coach Long may choose to never punt the football once the Aztecs cross midfield, regardless of distance on fourth downs.  He is listening to advice suggesting that the strategies of many previous coaches were wrong.  Coach Long says “We had one of our professors in our business school … go over a system we are thinking about using.  We’ll have a chart come game time that will determine what we do in different situations.”

Voters must decide whether the policies of another Obama Administration will help turn the economy around and contribute to more job creation, or if the Romney campaign proposals will be more successful in achieving these goals.  Football and economic policy advice are both derived from observational, not experimental, data.  It is difficult to know what might happen if alternative policies were to be enacted.  Analysts look to history, in similar circumstances with similar policy options, and hope this provides useful guidance.

Coach Long’s decision apparently follows the strategy of high school coach Kevin Kelley of Pulaski Academy in Little Rock, Arkansas who has been remarkably successful.  But college football is not high school football.  The strategy also appears similar to advice given by Berkeley macroeconomist David Romer, who several years ago found that NFL teams kick surprisingly often on fourth down.

Romer concluded that teams are not pursuing strategies that would maximize their chance of winning the game.  Romer may be correct, but we should be cautious because his study is based purely on observational data.  It is possible that the real world problem is more complicated than the model used to analyze the data.  Whenever economics (or other social science) professors explain that agents motivated by self-interest are making choices not in their self-interest, the professors may have mis-specified their model or may misunderstand the real-world problem that people are attempting to solve.

Romer’s paper is interesting, well written, and well executed.  All of the criticisms raised here are ones that Romer acknowledges, but they aren’t enough to sway his opinion and policy advice.  The data Romer analyzed indicated that NFL teams rarely try for a first down on fourth down.  The primary question is why?  Romer’s explanation is myopia.  An alternative explanation is that a failed fourth down attempt will shift momentum in the game.

The key problem with observational data is that it is difficult to calculate the expected outcome from counterfactual decisions and policies.  Romer argues that teams are not optimizing because he believes they would be successful fairly often on fourth down and two yards to go.  He concludes this despite rarely seeing teams attempting this play.  So how does Romer “guesstimate” the likelihood of success on fourth down and two?  He looks at outcomes of third down plays with two yard to go in the first quarter of games.  He uses first quarter plays because once enough game time has elapsed and the score is uneven, both teams will adjust their game strategies.  He assumes that third down strategies and outcomes are very similar to what would happen on fourth down plays (if they actually were to occur) because he doesn’t have enough data on fourth down plays.  Even if he observed more fourth down plays, they would not be a random or representative sample of teams and/or game situations.  Romer’s assumptions are made out of necessity, not because they are realistic or accurate.

It is also important to note that Romer’s empirical model does not allow for momentum.  The value of having possession of the ball with first down and ten yards to go on a given yard line (say midfield) in his empirical model is completely independent of how one reached that position on the field.  In the language of dynamic programming, the state variables for the optimization problem include down and yardage, but not the sequence of plays leading up to that point.  He imposes this assumption, as good applied economists often do, to make the problem tractable.  He recognizes that momentum could matter and makes some supplemental calculations to show that teams don’t perform much differently immediately after very bad plays (fumbles, interceptions, blocked kicks, and long kickoff and punt returns by the opponent) and just after very good plays (touchdowns) than they do after typical plays.  This is, at best, a half-hearted attempt to determine whether there is momentum in NFL games.  The model simply doesn’t take the idea of momentum shifts seriously, but avoiding these shifts seems to be a key reason why coaches kick field goals rather than go for it on fourth down.

Rocky Long, at San Diego State, may follow the advice of economics and business school professors and forsake the punt.  But he should do so understanding how the policy advice was determined.  It is extremely difficult for economics professors to evaluate counterfactual policies- whether it is a forecast of what will happen if teams ran and passed on fourth down or a “guesstimate” of the 2012 unemployment rate had there been no stimulus package in 2009.

Asking economics professors, the Congressional Budget Office or other forecasters to evaluate alternative policies and predict what might happen over the next decade also has limited value.  Many of these same professionals either didn’t forecast the recession or underestimated its severity.  Government economists and advisors didn’t know how deep the downturn was until a year or two later when the data came in.  Mis-estimation of the recession in the midst of the downturn is the explanation given for the woefully inaccurate prediction that the stimulus would keep the unemployment rate below 8%.

It is unwise to rely too heavily on economists as authorities on counterfactual policies.  Economists can’t easily determine what would have happened had there been no stimulus, or how the economy might perform if taxpayers earning more than $200,000 were to face higher marginal tax rates.  In fact they struggle to measure output and employment in real-time.  Predictions about hypothetical economic policies are as fraught with error as predictions about fourth down decisions that have rarely been tried in the past.

Throwing Money at the Chicago Public Schools

Chicago public school teachers are on strike.  Issues include negotiations over possible pay increases, health care benefits, and job security over the next four years.  The negotiations in Chicago are important nationally because tough bargaining will be necessary for cities and states to gain control of the cost of compensation, health care and retirement benefits of public employees.  The bargaining between public administration officials and taxpayers on one side of the table and union leaders and public servants on the other will be instrumental in determining future tax rates, public debt and the quality and quantity of public services.  Moreover, because of the increase in Federal government funding of local governments, taxpayers in swing states such as Iowa, Wisconsin, Ohio and Virginia should be mindful of how their tax dollars have been spent in Chicago.  The funding of public elementary and secondary schools has become a Federal issue. The Chicago public school system is an excellent example of how education finance has changed over the past decade.

The Chicago public schools spent $12,193 per student in 2011.  This is a bit higher than the average for the state of Illinois and for the U.S. as a whole but is far less than the average in other large cities such as New York and Washington, DC.  In a series of tweets on Monday Josh Barro of Bloomberg View identified several reasons why teacher salaries are about the same in New York and Chicago but Chicago has lower expenditure per student: (1) class sizes are larger in Chicago, (2) a smaller fraction of students in Chicago are special needs students, (3) non-wage benefits are less expensive (and possibly less generous) in Chicago, and (4) the pension system for Chicago public school teachers is nut funded as well as the New York teacher pension system.

Federal funding of big city school districts is on the rise.  Nationwide about 12.5% of public school finances are provided by Federal aid.  Put differently for each $1 of local property taxes spent on schools the Federal government contributes 44 cents.  The Chicago public schools rely much more on Federal aid than the average district. About 23.3% of the finances of the Chicago schools are provided by Federal aid.  For each $1 in local property taxes in Chicago that are spent on schools, the Federal government contributes 59 cents.  These figures and the ones that follow are from Chicago public school budget documents.

The fact that the performance and efficiency of the Chicago public schools is now a Federal concern is a relatively recent phenomenon.  The following figure shows that, adjusting for inflation, Federal aid to the Chicago public schools increased by over 85% per student between 2002 and 2011.

Overall spending per student, after adjusting for inflation, has increased by 26.5% since 2002.  More than half of this additional funding has been paid for with Federal aid.  Moreover even though spending per student and Federal aid has fallen very slightly from 2009 to 2011 (adjusted for inflation) overall spending and Federal aid are much higher than just five years ago.

Where did the money go?  Enrollment in Chicago schools fell by 8% since 2002 so there is less reason to build new schools in Chicago than in cities with rapidly growing populations of school-age children.  Class sizes have not changed much in Chicago since 2002 despite the large increases in real spending per student.  The average class size increased from 22.6 to 23.2 for elementary students and fell from 20 to 19.8 in secondary schools.Everyone interested in the future fiscal health of our country should follow the Chicago negotiations between the teachers’ union and Mayor Emanuel.  Taxpayers throughout the country help finance schools in Chicago, New York and other large cities.  The administrators and teachers’ unions need to be responsive to their constituents, who now include taxpayers from across the country.  The Federal government provides more than $1.1 billion in aid to the Chicago schools per year.  This is not a large sum when one considers that the Federal government spends $1.1 billion every two and a half hours.  Nonetheless, quite the late great Illinois Senator Everett Dirksen “A billion here, a billion there, and pretty soon you’re talking real money.”

NFL Replacement Referees are Less Disruptive than the 2011 Player Lockout

Work stoppages are costly to labor and management.  One cost of a strike in professional sports is the diminished quality of play that results from missed practices.  Some teams and players, especially those with less experience, are harmed more by reductions in practice time.  In an earlier blog post I demonstrated that strikes in the NBA are associated with subsequent reductions in the shooting efficiency of players.  This post compares the impact of the NFL player lockout of 2011 to the referee lockout of 2012 on NFL game outcomes.

Itis clear to NFL fans that the replacement referees, used in the first two games of 2012, make more imistakes than experienced referees.  Although the lockout with referees seems to introduce additional noise into game outcomes, it appears that referee errors are largely uncorrelated with teams’ strengths and weaknesses.  In contrast, it appears that the lockout with players favored stronger and more experienced teams.

The player lockout of 2011 drastically reduced the amount of practice time prior to the beginning of the season.  One would expect this to have a larger effect on teams with less experienced players and teams that made more roster and coaching changes prior to the season.  Successful teams are likely to have greater stability in their personnel, have more experience playing as a team, and are less likely to change offensive or defensive coaching philosophies.  Therefore it would not be surprising that a loss in pre-season practice time harmed the weaker teams more than the stronger teams.  This is exactly what happened last year.  Final score differentials in NFL games were unusually high in the first two weeks of the 2011 season, immediately after the lockout.

In contrast there is less reason to expect that the use of replacement referees during the NFL’s lockout with the more experienced referees would tend to favor stronger or weaker teams.  In fact, the final score differentials in the two weeks of the 2012 season are only slightly higher than in earlier seasons despite the use of replacement referees.

The margin of victory in an NFL game includes signals of the opposing teams’ strengths and noise due to luck, player injuries, weather, and other factors.  These factors include the impact of a shortened training camp due to the player lockout in 2011 and the use of replacement referees in 2012.  The following chart shows the mean absolute score differential for games in the first two weeks of the 2009 through 2012 seasons.The mean score differential was 26% higher early in the 2011 season than it was in the first two weeks of the 2009 and 2010 seasons.  Games were more lopsided by about 2.66 points per game in the first two weeks of 2011.  If the team most disadvantaged by the shortened preseason always lost the game, the average impact of lost practice time is a 2.66 points advantage for the winning team.  If missed practices sometimes worked to the detriment of the winning team the average gross effect on scoring would be somewhat larger.  (If the impact of reduced practice time was uncorrelated with team strength the gross impact could be as high as a swing of 5.32 points per game.)  It seems likely that shortened practices altered outcomes by at least 3 to 4 points per game and sometimes worked to the disadvantage of the team that ultimately won the game.

In contrast there is a much smaller difference between the average margin of victory/loss between the 2009 and 2010 seasons and the first week of 2012.  Although replacement referees have affected the calls on the field, their impact on the typical score differential is only 41% of the increase caused by the players lockout.

Work stoppages and strikes are costly.  The 2011 player lockout caused game outcomes to be more uneven.  Weaker teams with more rookies and roster changes seemed to be harmed more than successful veteran teams by the lockout of players and loss of practice time.  The impact of the strike may have been as high as a swing of 3 to 4 points per game, on average.  In contrast the use of replacement referees in 2012 increased final score differentials by much less.

Employment Growth during Presidencies of Barack Obama and George W. Bush

Stubbornly High Unemployment

Unemployment and Democratic Mayors at the DNC

Why Has Job Growth Been So Slow? Fewer New Businesses

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Goldstar Member’s Event Journal

Clean Comedy for Everyone

Thirdcoastplayers 052112
Saturday June 1, 2013 / 7:30pm
Clean Comedy for Everyone
2 tickets
General Admission

How was your experience?

It's hard to find improv comedy that truly is family friendly. I was highly impressed with the Third Coast Comedy Players - even when some suggestions from the audience were less than G-rated, they players managed to re-interpret the material to turn it back around to a scenario I wasn't embarrassed by. Bravo! I look forward to going again soon.


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Title: gametophyte sporophyte cycle of a plant
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User: During the life cycle of a plant, gametophyte is to n as sporophyte is to A. n2. B. 2n2. C. n 2 D. 2n. Weegy: During the life cycle of a plant, gametophyte ...Gametophyte and Sporophyte The life cycle of a plant involves the alternation of two generations: gametophyte and sporophyte generations. However, what is the ...A sporophyte is the diploid multicellular stage in the life cycle of a plant or alga. It develops from the zygote produced when a haploid egg cell is fertilized by a ...A gametophyte is the haploid multicellular stage in the alternation of generations life cycle of plants and algae. It develops from a spore by mitotic cell division ...Mosses are unique because they spend most of their lives with only one set of genetic material rather than the normal two sets. We will look at this cycle and how the ...When you’re studying the life cycle of plants, fungi and protists, you will come across the term alternation of generations. This alternation of generation refers ...gametophyte, in certain plants, sexual phase (or an individual representing the phase) in the alternation of generations—a phenomenon in which two distinct phases ...Plant Life Cycles. Unlike animals, plants have multicellular haploid and multicellular diploid stages in their life cycle. Gametes develop from the multicellular ...The gametophyte of the fern is monoecious since both the male and female sexual parts (termed antheridia and archegonia) are both on the same plant.7/12/2010 · The sporophyte generation is the diploid stage in the life cycle of a rose plant. The sporophyte, meaning “spore plant” in Greek, bears reproductive cells.
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Telepan in kitchenBill Telepan cares passionately about where his food comes from.  At his  Upper West Side restaurant, Telepan, he builds menus around seasonal, local foods that he personally sources from area farms.  In the introduction to his book, Inspired by Ingredients (Simon & Schuster), he writes: “As far as I’m concerned, farmers are the ultimate prep cooks. The decisions they make and the work they do are the first building blocks of every dish we serve at my restaurant …  For example, I want to know if they use pesticides, or if they do, that they use natural ones.”  Bill knows that fracking poses a danger to  the local farms that he treasures, so he has signed our letter to Governor Cuomo, asking him to ban fracking in New York State.  Please join him by writing to Governor Cuomo today.


As the wildfire season continues to heat up in Northern California, Cal Fire is trying to predict the weather far down the road.

There's hope a developing El Nino pattern building in the Pacific could lead to a wetter fall and winter.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecasters are saying that, and Daniel Berlant with Cal Fire says, their scientists are seeing the same signs.

"And we are watching closely to see if an El Nino event pattern will build up and what that could mean for an early rainy season," Berlant said.

Right now, there's not enough data for most meteorologists to say with certainty that Northern California will get soaked if the El Nino takes hold, but the possibility has obvious implications for the fire season and Cal Fire's ability to do its job.


Why I Don’t Trust the IPCC for Climate Science

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is an intergovernmental body, set up at the request of member governments. It was first established in 1988 by two United Nations organizations, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and later endorsed by the United Nations General Assembly through Resolution 43/53. Its mission:

"to provide comprehensive scientific assessments of current scientific, technical and socio-economic information worldwide about the risk of climate change caused by human activity, its potential environmental and socio-economic consequences, and possible options for adapting to these consequences or mitigating the effects."

Note carefully that the mission of the IPCC clearly states "climate change caused by human activity" as a foregone conclusion - before it even begins to do any scientific research!

The chief characteristic which distinguishes a scientific method of inquiry from other methods of acquiring knowledge is that scientists seek to let reality speak for itself, supporting a theory when a theory's predictions are confirmed and challenging a theory when its predictions prove false.

Journalists are among the IPCC's most ardent admirers. They say that it’s “Climate Bible” is written by thousands of the world's top experts who all agree with its conclusions. They routinely use words such as gold standard, authoritative, and pre-eminent to describe it. Indeed, when discussing the IPCC the media sound more like cheerleaders than hard-nosed reporters:
the IPCC...has shown us the way (Time magazine)
It is chapter and verse, it is Holy Writ (Irish Independent)
most scientists have been awed by the IPCC's deliberate work (New York Times)
The greatest feat of global scientific cooperation ever seen...utterly unique and authoritative (UK Guardian)

Let us be sensible for a moment. Planet Earth is 4.5 billion years old. During that time it has endured all sorts of perfectly natural climate transformations. As recently as 20,000 years ago 97% of Canada was covered by ice. This ice melted and the Ice Age went away by itself.

It is claimed repeatedly that the "IPCC engages thousands of the world's best experts."

But such claims are bogus. For starters, some of the world's most experienced experts have been left out in the cold. In 2005 an atmospheric science professor from Colorado State University named William Gray told a US Senate Committee:

“Despite my 50 years of meteorology experience and my many years of involvement in seasonal hurricane and climate prediction, I have never been asked for input on any of the [IPCC] reports.”

The reason he wasn't invited to the party, he says, is because he doesn't think global warming causes more (or stronger) hurricanes. "They know my views and do not wish to have to deal with them."

You can find numerous examples of this kind of "cherry picking" at the IPCC. This suggests the IPCC defines top scientists and best experts differently than do most of us.

In early 2010 the InterAcademy Council, an organization comprised of science bodies from around the world, took an historic step. It established a committee whose purpose was to investigate IPCC policies and procedures.

The collected answers to the questionnaire total 678 pages. As early as page 16, someone complains that: "some of the lead authors...are clearly not qualified to be lead authors."
Here are other direct quotes:
There are far too many politically correct appointments, so that developing country scientists are appointed who have insufficient scientific competence to do anything useful.
This is reasonable if it is regarded as a learning experience, but in my chapter...we had half of the [lead authors] who were not competent.
(p. 138)
The whole process...[is] flawed by an excessive concern for geographical balance. All decisions are political before being scientific. (p. 554)
…half of the authors are there for simply representing different parts of the world. (p. 296)

According to the IAC report, IPCC assessments are intended to rely mainly on peer-reviewed literature. An analysis of the 14,000 references cited in the Third Assessment Report found that peer-reviewed journal articles comprised 84 percent of references in Working Group I, but comprised only 59 percent of references in Working Group II and 36 percent of references in Working Group III.
The current IPCC procedure requires authors to critically assess unpublished or non-peer-reviewed sources, reviewing their quality and validity before incorporating them (Appendix D).Non-peer-reviewed sources are to be listed in the reference sections of IPCC reports, followed by a statement that they are not peer-reviewed.

it is clear that these procedures are not always followed. A search through the Working Group reports of the fourth assessment found few instances of information flagged as unpublished or non-peer-reviewed. Blogs, newspaper articles, press releases, advocacy group reports, and proprietary data were thought by many to be inappropriate.

The infamously wrong IPCC Fourth Assessment prediction in 2007 that the Himalayan glaciers could disappear by 2035 or sooner was based on a World Wildlife Fund report that was based on a 1999 article in New Scientist that, in turn, was based on unfounded speculation in an email from an Indian professor! This is not good climate science. It is politically motivated JUNK SCIENCE PROPAGANDA.

However, the IAC report did not pick up what, to me, is the clearest indication that IPCC is a con game:

Instead of first determining WHETHER there is genuine warming ARISING FROM causes about which man has some control, it PREDETERMINES its structures and conclusions, thus (from p.6 of IAC's report):

Working Group I assesses the physical scientific aspects of the climate system and climate change, including attribution of past change and projections of future change.
Working Group II assesses the vulnerability of socioeconomic and natural systems to climate change [NOTE that man made climate change  is first ASSUMED] negative and positive consequences of climate change, and options for adapting to it.
Working Group III assesses policy and technology options for mitigating climate change [NOTE that man made climate change  is first ASSUMED] through, for example, limiting or preventing greenhouse gas emissions and enhancing activities that remove them from the atmosphere.

IPCC has, in this manner, PREDETERMINED IN ADVANCE that there IS a MAN-MADE problem worth studying. Once again, this is not how real science works.

Journalists say we should trust the IPCC's conclusions because its reports have been written by the world's finest scientific minds. But in order for that to be the case the IPCC would need to apply very different criteria when selecting its authors.

The improper relationship between activists and the IPCC is illustrated by a 2007 Greenpeace publication. The foreword to that document was written by none other than Rajendra Pachauri, head of the IPCC. At the end of his remarks, beside his photograph, he is identified not as a private individual expressing private opinions but as the chairman of the IPCC. The following year Pachauri wrote another foreword for another Greenpeace publication. Think about this for a moment. The IPCC's role is similar to that of a trial judge. It examines the scientific evidence and decides whether or not human-produced carbon dioxide is guilty of triggering climate change. How much faith would you have in the impartiality of a murder trial if the judge was hearing evidence during the day and partying with the prosecution team during the evening?

Climate modelers also write other IPCC report sections – including the crucial attribution chapter. For the IPCC's 2007 report, the two most senior authors of that chapter – Gabriele Hegerl and Francis Zwiers – were both climate modelers. They based their decision on what they believe their models reveal. [footnote 7-2] But the computer models are flawed. The IPCC may claim that the world's top scientific minds and climate modelers are one and the same. But I think that's a stretch. In July 2007, five IPCC authors wrote an article for Scientific American in which they equated climate models with a fortune-teller's crystal ball. On the one hand, they declared it a certainty that people, plants, and animals would all be living with the consequences of human-induced climate change "for at least the next thousand years." On the other, they said: Unfortunately, the crystal ball provided by our climate models becomes cloudier for predictions out beyond a century or so. Each of us has to make up our own mind regarding whom to trust and what to believe. But when I became a grownup, I stopped believing in crystal balls.

If the IPCC followed proper scientific principles and wasn’t a politically motivated arm of the United Nations, I’d have a lot more faith in their reports. Unfortunately, that is not the case.


HomebulletScriptsbulletTag: algorithm (46 results)
  1. lib_bcrypt
    139 total visits
    lib_bcrypt is a script for supporting bcrypt hashing in PHP which can be used to encrypt password (or any other type of) strings using the bcrypt algorithm. Documentation on how to upgrade from md5() and sha1() hashes is included with the download package's README file. Requirements:- CRYPT_BLOWFISH PHP support
  2. Zebra_Mppt
    255 total visits
    This is a php algorithm script providing an implementation of the modified preorder tree traversal algorithm. MPTT is a fast algorithm for storing hierarchical data in a relational database.Zebra_Mppt script integrates this complicated algorithm with PHP applications, providing tools for adding, deleting, moving and copying nodes around the tree. It can also be used to query the nodes for information.To ...
  3. Sound Regex
    443 total visits
    This PHP Script uses Soundex algorithm to create a regular expressions, which is based in a given word that can perform a soundex comparison on large texts. It is created to search for similar words in a text using soundex.It will convert words to be searched in a regular expression that would match other words that would result in the ...
  4. Checknum Class
    159 total visits
    This is a PHP script to calculate checksum verification numbers using the Luhn mod10 algorithm. It calculate the verification digit of a string of digits according to the Peter Luhn algorithm.The script can also calculate what digit should be added before or after a sequence of digits to make the resulting number validate according to the Luhn algorithm.Requirements:- PHP 3.0 ...
  5. No Screenshot
    1384 total visits
    This class can be used to find prime numbers with the Sieve of Atkin algorithm.It can take a limit number and find all prime numbers smaller than the given limit.
  6. No Screenshot
    2017 total visits
    This script implements a variant of the soundex algorithm for Turkish. The soundex algorithm converts words into an hash that represents the way the word is spelled in English. This script implements a modified version the algorithm to consider Turkish spelling instead of English.
  7. No Screenshot
    1985 total visits
    This script provides and implementation of several algorithms to sort the elements of an array. The algorithms that are implemented are: Merge sort, Shell sort and Bubble sort.
  8. No Screenshot
    2064 total visits
    This script implements base methods to apply genetic algorithms to arbitrary subjects. Its functions can be call instantiating a class object or called static methods. The script can perform several types of generic algorithm operations like crossover, mutation, selection and death over populations of any objects of the same class. It can be used as a base implementation of genetic ...
  9. No Screenshot
    2967 total visits
    This script can be used to compute the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) of sampled data, as well the inverse Fast Fourier transform. It takes an array of sample data values and calculates the respective Fast Fourier Transform. The result is returned as an array of complex values. The script can also do the opposite, i.e. compute the inverse Fast Fourier ...
  10. No Screenshot
    1717 total visits
    This package can be used to perform different types of geometric operations with polygons. It provides generic polygon and vertex classes that support mixing lines and arc segments between vertices. Polygons may be self-intersecting. It provides means to perform boolean operations AND and OR (Intersect and Union) with the shapes and compute shape clipping (A-B and B-A).
  11. No Screenshot
    1636 total visits
    This PHP script takes the coordinates of a set of points and draws lines that minimize the distance to the points using the least square fit PHP algorithm. The generateded graph will be saved to PNG image file. Requirements:- PHP 4.0 or Higher
  12. No Screenshot
    1408 total visits
  13. No Screenshot
    1832 total visits
    Anti_Util_CircularReference can be used to find circular references using waypoint array.It takes an array of pairs of values that are links between to points for instance in a map. The script traverses the array of values and detects when there groups of points that form a cyclic reference. Requirements: PHP 5.0 or higher
  14. No Screenshot
    1899 total visits
    Dijkstra can be used to find the best route between two points using the Dijkstra algorithm. It takes as parameters an array with all possible routes between to points and the start point. Dijkstra can get the best path and the distance to each network point. Requirements: PHP 5 or higher
  15. No Screenshot
    2255 total visits
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What does BPP mean in Networking?

This page is about the meanings of the acronym/abbreviation/shorthand BPP in the Computing field in general and in the Networking terminology in particular.

Bidirectional Parallel Port

Computing » Networking

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What does BPP mean?

In computational complexity theory, BPP, which stands for bounded-error probabilistic polynomial time is the class of decision problems solvable by a probabilistic Turing machine in polynomial time, with an error probability of at most 1/3 for all instances. Informally, a problem is in BPP if there is an algorithm for it that has the following properties: It is allowed to flip coins and make random decisions It is guaranteed to run in polynomial time On any given run of the algorithm, it has a probability of at most 1/3 of giving the wrong answer, whether the answer is YES or NO.

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"BPP." Abbreviations.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2016. Web. 28 Sep. 2016. <http://www.abbreviations.com/term/62688>.


Dianna Agron’s Mismatched Getup: Yay or Nay (POLL)

Dianna Covers Cosmo!
Dianna Agron explains why she keeps quiet.
Dianna's Pink 'Do!
Dianna Agron dyes her hair for 'Glee.'
Glee gal Dianna Agron always looks gorgeous when she steps out for a photo op, but was this mismatched style a hit?

The actress celebrated her NYLON magazine cover at The Writer’s Room in Los Angeles, and chose a multi-printed dress and bejeweled headband. She finished off the getup with a pair of black ankle boots.

We’re kind of like her outrageous outfit, but what do you think: Yay or Nay? Cast your vote in the poll and play fashion critic in the comments!

As we all know, Dianna gained her fame from her singing show Glee, but admitted to NYLON that she doesn’t like being compared to her character Quinn.

“In the beginning, [reporters] really wanted us to be like our characters, to simplify things. I was playing a well put-together, popular character, and they were trying to push me into it, like that had been my entire life. And the whole time, my teenage self was crying at that.”


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Evan Hughes

What the Amazon vs. Hachette Debate Ignores: Independent Authors

Lorraine Devon Wilke | Posted 08.08.2014 | Books
Lorraine Devon Wilke

It's a fascinating debate, a fascinating time, one that mirrors much of what's already happened in the music industry, in journalism, art and photography; even online news aggregation. And, as in all revolutionary movements, the paradigm is shifting, to use a weary phrase.


Scientists create 'supersoldier' ants

Nightmarish “supersoldier” ants with huge heads and jaws have been created by activating ancient genes that trigger their development.

Scientists believe the monster ants may be a genetic throwback to an ancestor that lived millions of years ago.

Supersoldier ants can occur naturally in the wild, but only rarely. In the deserts of America and Mexico, their job is to protect the colony from raids by invading army ants. The supersoldiers use their enormous heads to block the nest entrance and attack any enemy ants that get too close.

Scientists showed that ordinary ants of the species Pheidole morrisi contain all the genetic tools needed to turn them into supersoldiers.

By dabbing their larvae with a special hormone, they were able to induce the development of “supersoldiers” instead of normal worker and soldier ants.

The research is reported today in the journal Science.

Authors Dr Rajendhran Rajakumar, from McGill University, Canada, and colleagues wrote: “We uncovered an ancestral development potential to produce a novel supersoldier subcaste that has been retained throughout a hyperdiverse ant genus that evolved 35 to 60 million years ago.” The results suggest that holding on to ancestral development toolkits may play an important role in evolving new physical traits, say the researchers.


Amazon Kindle Time Travel Romance Best Seller

5 Time Award Winner!

dragonFire of the Dragon

Being sent back in time to the Middle Ages wouldn't be so bad if the knight in shining armor who comes to your rescue didn't swoop down in the form of a fire-breathing dragon. Unfortunately for Jill Donahue, that's just the way things have been going in her life lately.

A Maiden
Wrenched back in time through the magical power of an old dragon tapestry found in a vintage clothing store, Jill Donahue lands in an ancient medieval town where the villagers decide to sacrifice her to the local dragon. As if the threat of being eaten alive by a giant flying lizard isn't bad enough, she learns there’s a curse surrounding the tapestry and she has to break it in order to get back to her time. But she isn't the only one whose fate is tied to the ancient weaving...

A Dragon
Baelin of Gosforth is a valiant knight who has been cursed by a vindictive witch to live as a dragon for eleven months out of each year. Now he has thirty days to break the curse or he turns back into a fire-breathing beast and, as much as he hates to admit it, he needs Jill's help to do it.

And A Curse
Forced to face many challenges along the way—from the harsh world they travel through to the fiery passion they both try to deny—each is determined to break the curse so the other can get their happily-ever-after. And it just might work, if Jill can manage to overlook the fire-breathing, bat-winged remnants of Baelin's dragon half long enough to see the man beneath the beast and get the job done.

Click here to see an excerpt, reviews, awards
and where to buy
Fire of the Dragon

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