Why Do Guinea Pigs Squeal? Find Out Now!
Guinea pigs are very sociable animals, and because of this, they have evolved to produce a series of vocalizations they use to communicate with other individuals of their species.
Why Do Guinea Pigs Squeal? Find Out Now!
Last update: 30 December, 2020
Guinea pigs are called "Cuys" in some countries of South America. This name has an onomatopoeic origin and it refers to the vocalizations that these rodents emit regularly, in both domestic and wild environments. In this article, we pose the following question: Why do guinea pigs squeal? If you want the answer, we encourage you to read on.
Communication in the animal world is a fascinating evolutionary process, and, for this reason, various ethological researchers are trying to decipher the meaning of language in the different species in the animal kingdom.
About guinea pigs
Before entering fully into the world of guinea pig communication, we need to define the species in question. Surprising as it may seem, the guinea pig (Cavia porcellus) is a species of hybrid rodent belonging to the family Caviidae. These curious pets are the result of the crossing of diverse species of the Cavia genus, such as Cavia aparea or Cavia magna.
Some of the differential characteristics of these small mammals are the following:
 - They come from the Andean region of South America
 - They weigh about 2 lbs and live between five and eight years
 - Guinea pigs are herbivorous animals and require a continuous supply of fiber and vitamin C to enjoy good health
 - This species has different morphotypes, which differ by the color arrangement and nature of their coat.
 - They're affable, calm rodents, and live in social groups.
It's this last characteristic that gives us the first clue as to why guinea pigs squeal. If an animal lives in a society, it has to have some way of communicating with its relatives, right?
Three guinea pigs posing.
So, why do guinea pigs squeal?
As simple as the question may seem, several ethological studies have designed experimental models to discover the reason for these vocalizations. This task is certainly not a simple one. Besides the existence of variations at an individual level, the squeals seem to have a different meaning according to the age of the guinea pig.
The guinea pig is especially multifaceted since, according to this research, it's capable of emitting up to 11 different tonalities. Some of them respond to the following situations:
 - Guinea pigs (especially the youngest ones) emit more audible sounds when they are in a new environment. This coincides with cortisol level increases in their bodies, a stress-related hormone.
 - When separated from their mothers, the guinea pigs emit calls out of loneliness, which are accompanied by an increase in the animal's movements and general agitation. Once the little ones return to their parents, the mothers emit a series of purrs to calm their offspring.
However, not everything is linked to the relationship between mothers and their children, since many other vocalizations are related to other processes. Up next, we'll be mentioning some examples.
A sound for every situation
Several studies have researched when, how, and why different vocalizations occur in various situations. These are some of the results:
 - The chortle is the most common vocalization among guinea pigs. It seems to be present in all kinds of situations, whether they're social or not. The emission of these preliminary sounds is very present when two individuals meet and try to identify each other. In addition, these sounds are later substituted by other noises more appropriate to the situation.
 - The moaning sounds they make are produced, in general, when a situation causes discomfort in the animal. For example, when a non-receptive female is approached by a reproductive male.
 - The squeaking sound is produced when the guinea pig experiences some type of physical pain.
There are many more sounds and noises emitted by guinea pigs, but one idea is clear: guinea pigs squeal to communicate with each other. Each tone has a specific function, and, from an evolutionary point of view, it's much more effective to warn others of a negative interaction with a sound than with a physical activity that requires more energy.
A close-up of a brown guinea pig.
A matter of sociability
As we've seen, social animals such as guinea pigs have developed complex linguistic mechanisms to communicate different feelings and emotions. This is beneficial for all members of the group since they can detect danger more quickly and avoid unnecessary fights among themselves.
In the animal world, everything has a biological response. Therefore, if you have a guinea pig at home, we encourage you to try to understand in what situations and with what frequency it produces these noises. After all, it may be trying to convey a message, such as continuous stress or feeling of loneliness.
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Gerbils and Guinea pigs are great pets. In fact, they've secured a spot in the hearts of many families throughout many generations.
 - Arch-Tirado, E., & Collado-Corona, M. A. (2002). Análisis de vocalizaciones en periodos de soledad en cobayos recién nacidos, como normo-oyentes y con sordera provocada. Cirugia y Cirujanos70(6), 442-448.
 - Cavia, wikipedia. Recogido a 28 de julio en _URL_
 - Verduzco-Mendoza, A., Alfaro-Rodríguez, A., & Arch-Tirado, E. (2012). Etología y bioacústica en ratas y cobayos. Revista Mexicana de Comunicación, Audiología, Otoneurología y Foniatría1(1), 7-12.
 - Berryman, J. C. (1976). Guinea‐pig vocalizations: Their structure, causation and function. Zeitschrift für Tierpsychologie41(1), 80-106.


Why Does My Floor Machine Keep Tripping Breakers
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Why Does My Floor Machine Keep Tripping Breakers
April 27, 2023 Fred Hueston Comments Off
Why Does My Floor Machine Keep Tripping Breakers
By Frederick M. Hueston StoneForensics.com
Does your floor machines keep blowing breakers? Are you using an extension cord? If so, this may be your problem.
When it comes to operating heavy-duty floor machines, it's essential to use the right equipment and take proper safety precautions. One common issue that can arise when using these machines is blowing breakers. If you're experiencing this problem, the culprit may be the use of an extension cord.
Extension cords are a convenient way to power tools and equipment, but they can also be a safety hazard. When using a floor machine, it's important to ensure that the cord you're using is rated for the machine's amperage requirements. Using an extension cord that is not rated for the machine can cause the cord to overheat and potentially start a fire.
In addition to safety concerns, using an extension cord with a floor machine can also cause performance issues. The cord may not be able to supply enough power to the machine, causing it to run poorly or not at all. This can lead to damage to the machine's motor and other components.
To avoid these issues, it's best to avoid using extension cords with floor machines whenever possible. Instead, use a cord that is the appropriate length to reach the nearest electrical outlet. If you must use an extension cord, make sure it is rated for the amperage of the machine and that it is in good condition with no fraying or damage.
Another factor that can contribute to blowing breakers is overloading the circuit. If you're using multiple machines or tools on the same circuit, it can cause the breaker to trip. To avoid this, try to spread the use of your equipment and avoid using multiple high-amperage machines at the same time.
Blowing breakers when using a floor machine can be a frustrating and potentially dangerous problem. By following proper safety precautions and avoiding the use of extension cords whenever possible, you can help prevent this issue and keep your floor machine running smoothly.


Communication, Policy, Research
134 – Why is it hard for research to influence policy?
Some research, probably a minority, is conducted with the serious intent of supporting or influencing policy. Within that subset of research, only a minority succeeds in its policy intent. Why is that?
I spend a fair bit of time talking to people involved in government policy at different levels, trying to encourage the use of approaches to decision making that will address questions such as: Will this policy really achieve the desired outcomes? Will the desired behaviour change really occur in response to the planned policy mechanisms? Of the things that money could be spent on in a particular program, which will give the most worthwhile results for the dollars spent?
They seem like common-sense questions that should be of interest to anybody involved, but it often seems extremely difficult to have them taken seriously. Why is that?
There is actually a fair bit of commentary in the research literature about the difficulties that researchers have in influencing policy. A broad range of reasons for poor uptake of research results by policy makers have been identified, including the following.
Non-scientific considerations matter. Sometimes scientific information may be known to policy makers, but the decision reached may still appear to be inconsistent with the science. This may or may not be a concern. It may simply reflect that policy makers and managers consider additional factors, such as legal mandates, societal desires, economic benefits and costs, rights, distributional equity and procedural fairness.
Hidden agendas. There may be political or bureaucratic objectives unrelated to the public interest, so that research that seeks to advance the public interest is not wanted.
Policy fashions and crises. Policy attention tends to be directed to certain issues with high currency, often issues where there is a perceived crisis (e.g. see PD#123), and this may leave little scope for research (or any other input) to influence policy in a policy area that is not currently high on the agenda. We observed this occurring in Australia around 2000 with land and water degradation due to salinity. Now salinity is no longer perceived as a crisis, and policy attention has shifted to another area of perceived crisis: climate change. The fall of salinity as a policy issue is remarkable. At one point it dominated all discussions about the environment in Australia, and now it seems to be hardly mentioned outside Western Australia. Even when an issue is perceived to be in crisis, it doesn't necessarily follow that research results will be noticed and acted on. For example, research that challenges preconceptions will tend to be dismissed, especially when there is a lot of momentum behind a particular view of the issue.
Timing issues. "Information must be timely to be useful" (Jacobs, 2002, p.9). "Policy generally moves faster than science, and the capacity of science to provide information may require more time than policy makers are willing to accept, especially for politically hot issues" (Clark et al., 1998, p.9).
Difficulty getting access. Policy makers often rely primarily on locally based and trusted experts with whom they are familiar. This is understandable, given the flood of information that policy makers can face on some issues, but it does not ensure that the most appropriate information is used, and it can make it very hard for new researchers or outside researchers to be heard.
Distrust. There may be suspicion about motivations of scientists, so that they are treated as just another interest or lobby group. The growth of public advocacy by some high-profile scientists feeds these suspicions. Even without overt advocacy, some environmental scientists tend to intertwine facts and values, and this affects the perceived independence of their scientific advice.
Incentives facing researchers. It may be that scientists are not conducting research that is relevant to policy, or not making efforts to make their science known to policy makers. "University reward systems rarely recognize inter-disciplinary work, outreach efforts, and publications outside of academic journals, which limits the incentives for academics to participate in real-world problem solving and collaborative efforts" (Jacobs, 2002, p.14). This probably helps to explain the observed lack of so-called "boundary spanners", these being individuals who can link the worlds of science and management and translate the concerns of one to members of the other (Clark et al., 1998).
Communication problems. Research findings may be communicated in ways that policy makers cannot understand, using jargon, technical language, or mathematics. Conversely, policy makers also have a comprehensive set of jargon, and may have trouble expressing their information needs in ways that researchers can respond to.
Lack of expertise. In some situations there is rapid turnover or movement of staff in government policy agencies, leading to lack of expertise by responsible staff and lack of knowledge of relevant science and scientists. A culture may develop in government agencies that detailed subject knowledge is not necessary.
I believe that understanding of the adoption of new policy ideas by policy makers can be enhanced by a knowledge of the research literature on adoption of innovations (e.g. Pannell et al. 2006). Here are some generalisations from that literature that are relevant to the policy sphere:
 1. Most potential adopters considering an innovation are sensibly cautious. They do not rush in, but seek information to improve their eventual decision about the innovation.
 2. Where decision makers do not have personal experience with an innovation, they rely to some extent on external sources of information. As decision makers gain personal experience, this tends to have a dominant influence on their perceptions and their actual behaviour.
 3. External sources of information are given more or less weight depending on factors such the expertise and credibility of the information source, the relevance of the external information to the decision maker's circumstances, and the number of external sources reinforcing the message with similar information.
 4. Apparently misguided decisions to adopt or not adopt an innovation can often be easily understood and seen as reasonable if one makes the effort to learn about the objectives and perceptions of the individual decision makers involved.
 5. Many factors influence the speed of adoption of an innovation. Key ones include: the extent to which adopting the innovation is superior to maintaining existing practice; the ease with which the innovation can be observed and evaluated; the number of other potential adopters who have already adopted it; and the intensity and quality of efforts to promote the innovation.
David Pannell, The University of Western Australia
Further Reading
Pannell, D.J. and Roberts, A.M. (2008). Conducting and delivering integrated research to influence land-use policy: an Australian case study, INFFER Working Paper 0803, University of Western Australia, Perth (submitted to Environmental Science and Policy). Full paper (70K).
Clark, R.N.; Meidinger, E.E., Miller, G., Rayner, J., Layseca, M., Monreal, S., Fernandez, J., and Shannon, M.A., 1998. Integrating science and policy in natural resource management: lessons and opportunities from North America. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-441. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 22 p. Here.
Jacobs, K (2002). Connecting science, policy and decision-making: a handbook for researchers and science agencies. NOAA Office of Global Programs, Boulder, Colorado. Here.
Acknowledgement: The article draws on various published papers, particularly those by Sue Briggs, Michael Carolan, Lonnie King and those by Clark et al. and Jacobs cited above. See the paper by Pannell and Roberts (2008) for full details.


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Variations in DNA methylation of interferon gamma and programmed death 1 in allograft rejection after kidney transplantation
Background: The role of DNA methylation in the regulation of the anti-donor-directed immune response after organ transplantation is unknown. Here, we studied the methylation of two mediators of the immune response: the pro-inflammatory cytokine interferon γ (IFNγ) and the inhibitory receptor programmed death 1 (PD1) in naïve and memory CD8+ T cell subsets in kidney transplant recipients receiving immunosuppressive medication. Both recipients experiencing an episode of acute allograft rejection (rejectors) as well as recipients without rejection (non-rejectors) were included. Results: CpGs in the promoter regions of both IFNγ and PD1 were significantly (p < 0.001) higher methylated in the naïve CD8+ T cells compared to the memory T cell subsets. The methylation status of both IFNγ and PD1 inversely correlated with the percentage of IFNγ or PD1-producing cells. Before transplantation, the methylation status of both IFNγ and PD1 was not significantly different from healthy donors. At 3 months after transplantation, irrespective of rejection and subsequent anti-rejection therapy, the IFNy methylation was significantly higher in the differentiated effector memory CD45RA+ (EMRA) CD8+ T cells (p = 0.01) whereas the PD1 methylation was significantly higher in all memory CD8+ T cell subsets (CD27+ memory; p = 0.02: CD27− memory; p = 0.02: EMRA; p = 0.002). Comparing the increase in methylation in the first 3 months after transplantation between rejectors and non-rejectors demonstrated a significantly more prominent increase in the PD1 methylation in the CD27− memory CD8+ T cells in rejectors (increase in rejectors 14%, increase in non-rejectors 1.9%, p = 0.04). The increase in DNA methylation in the other memory CD8+ T cells was not significantly different between rejectors and non-rejectors. At 12 months after transplantation, the methylation of both IFNγ and PD1 returned to baseline levels. Conclusions: The DNA methylation of both IFNγ and PD1 increases the first 3 months after transplantation in memory CD8+ T cells in kidney transplant recipients. This increase was irrespective of a rejection episode indicating that general factors of the kidney transplantation procedure, including the use of immunosuppressive medication, contribute to these variations in DNA methylation.
|Persistent URL||_URL_.1186/s13148-_PHONE_-0, _URL_|
Boer, K, de Wit, L.E.A, Peters, F.S, Hesselink, D.A, Hofland, L.J, Betjes, M.G.H, … Baan, C.C. (2016). Variations in DNA methylation of interferon gamma and programmed death 1 in allograft rejection after kidney transplantation. Clinical Epigenetics, 8(1). doi:10.1186/s13148-_PHONE_-0

source: m-a-p/FineFineWeb


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The hamstring muscles frequently suffer injury during high-speed running, though the factors that make an individual more susceptible to injury remain poorly understood. The goals of this study were to measure the musculotendon dimensions of the biceps femoris long head (BFlh) muscle, the hamstring muscle injured most often, and to use computational models to assess the influence of variability in the BFlh's dimensions on internal tissue strains during high-speed running. High-resolution magnetic resonance (MR) images were acquired over the thigh in 12 collegiate athletes, and musculotendon dimensions were measured in the proximal free tendon/aponeurosis, muscle and distal free tendon/aponeurosis. Finite element meshes were generated based on the average, standard deviation and range of BFlh dimensions. Simulation boundary conditions were defined to match muscle activation and musculotendon length change in the BFlh during high-speed running. Muscle and connective tissue dimensions were found to vary between subjects, with a coefficient of variation (CV) of 17±6% across all dimensions. For all simulations peak local strain was highest along the proximal myotendinous junction, which is where injury typically occurs. Model variations showed that peak local tissue strain increased as the proximal aponeurosis width narrowed and the muscle width widened. The aponeurosis width and muscle width variation models showed that the relative dimensions of these structures influence internal muscle tissue strains. The results of this study indicate that a musculotendon unit's architecture influences its strain injury susceptibility during high-speed running.
Keywords: Active lengthening; Acute strain injury; Athletes; Finite element model simulation; Hamstrings.
Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.


10 Steps To An Effective Manufacturing Operations Management Strategy
10 Steps To An Effective Manufacturing Operations Management Strategy
Overcoming the challenges of making company-wide manufacturing operations more customer driven needs to start with a clear definition of what success looks like.
 - Having accurate, real-time production visibility improves product quality, order accuracy and customer satisfaction while driving down manufacturing costs at the plant level.
 - Keeping manufacturing operations across all locations focused on a common set of goals improves gross margins, reducing the total cost per unit while improving on-time order delivery and perfect order performance.
 - The era of Manufacturing Intelligence has arrived, fueled by data from Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES), with manufacturing operations management strategies accelerating adoption company-wide.
 - Improving product quality, reducing cycle times, automating manual workflows and streamlining plant floor operations are a few of the many benefits of adopting a company-wide manufacturing operations management strategy.
Defining the strategic goal of having all production centers contributing to a series of company-wide lean manufacturing, supply chain, quality, and production, service and customer satisfaction goals galvanize diverse production locations together.
Instead of having to rely on many different, disconnected systems to manage diverse production locations to a common set of goals, manufacturers are adopting company-wide Manufacturing Execution Management (MES) systems.
Planning and scheduling, quality management, inventory optimization, tooling management, preventative and predictive maintenance, and Manufacturing Intelligence are the core functional areas included in an MES today.
Meeting Customer Expectations Of Real-Time Responsiveness And Quality
Across all selling and service channels customers expect real-time responses to their questions in addition to product quality that is world class. How well a manufacturer meets or exceeds these expectations will have as big impact on their future growth opportunities. That's why having a scalable, secure manufacturing operations management strategy in place is key to future growth.
The core components of this strategy are available in an MES. They need to be orchestrated to excel in the context of a given manufacturer's unique challenges. While each manufacturer's operations strategies and challenges are different, many share the following:
 - Increasing company-wide production efficiency across all plant locations from the production team to the location level while reducing costs.
 - Making quality a core part of production operations with each plant making contributions to overarching quality goals instead of allowing it to be a siloed function.
 - Achieving real-time supply chain, order management and production performance visibility across all manufacturing operations.
 - Excelling at data collection to the machine, team and plant level including piloting Internet of Things (IoT) as a means to capture data in real-time.
 - Defining manufacturing operations analytics that encompasses all production centers and provides updates on Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) and Manufacturing Intelligence.
10 Steps To Defining An Effective Manufacturing Operations Management Strategy
Increasing customer trust, making on-time order shipments, earning a reputation for high-quality products, achieving traceability, and optimizing production scheduling are all achievable with manufacturing operations management strategies. The following ten steps serve as a guideline for getting started:
1. Select an underperforming product line as the basis for a pilot to define a manufacturing operations framework.
The worst-performing product lines often have multiple problems, from lack of customer awareness and sales to production scheduling, quality, traceability challenges or fulfillment problems. With an underperforming product it will also be easier to capture the factors contributing to its turnaround.
2. Define a common set of metrics and KPIs that can scale across all manufacturing operations and create a useful dashboard.
Resist the tendency to add in dozens of metrics and KPIs. Instead, concentrate only on the most relevant to streamlining manufacturing operations. Consider creating a roadmap of the most relevant metrics and KPIs that need to be added in the future once additional data collection systems and processes are in place.
3. Define how the MES will capture machine-level data including equipment utilization and key process parameters.
The goal of this step is to capture machine-level data that can be used for calculating Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) and the additional metrics and KPIs on the dashboard. Process-related parameters at the machine level also need to be captured and aggregated to the work center and plant level.
These metrics will be used over time to calculate machine or asset utilization value. This data will also be used for defining analytics that monitors machine performance against set limits.
4. For purposes of the pilot, enable older machines with PLCs and add-on sensors.
Using a PLC Controller and sensor on older machines is commonly done in the first series of steps in a pilot to provide 100% visibility across an entire plant floor. Gaining data from older machines could provide insights into how the product could potentially be redesigned for more efficient manufacturing too.
5. Define and test all the system integration links necessary to capture the metrics and KPIs needed for the dashboard.
Create and test the real-time integration links that will power the dashboard. Then make the dashboard live on a company Intranet site just to the cross-functional team members. It's a good idea also to think ahead on which future metrics and KPIs could be included, for example traceability, inbound inspection and measures of corrective action/preventative action (CAPA) during this integration test phase.
6. Gain senior management support by having a VP or C-level executive lead the cross-functional team responsible for fine-tuning the manufacturing operations strategy.
Making change management work starts with a senior executive being on the team to remove organizational and technical issues that block progress. Senior executives who evangelize manufacturing operations management strategies improve the odds of these initiatives' success by 75% or more based on Boston Consulting Group studies of IT change management.
7. Cross-functional team members need to provide data on how their specific areas are working to improve the pilot products' performance at every meeting.
Providing an overview of the pipeline along with incentives and any special promotions needs to be the focus of marketing and sales. Quality needs to cover any blocking issues or challenges, and manufacturing operations, the overall effectiveness of the strategy. Finance can provide insights into how any shifts in production strategy as a result of the data have improved gross margins. In short every team member needs to provide insights that can help determine how best to improve product performance.
8. Use pilot data to begin a company-wide Manufacturing Intelligence strategy.
The foundation of any solid manufacturing operations management strategy is real-time, accurate, reliable data. Once an MES is providing data at a constant rate, it's best to move beyond the basics and introduce Manufacturing Intelligence into the operations management strategy framework. Adding in predictive analytics ability that can interpret and provide recommendations on quality data is invaluable for improving operations.
9. Start planning for greater integration between ERP and MES to provide financial insights into manufacturing operations.
Translating what's happening on the shop floor into financial metrics will drive C-level executives' dashboards once the manufacturing operations management strategy gets going. Getting real-time integration enabled between accounting and MES will provide financial insights that can guide further strategies for improving manufacturing performance.
10. Conclude the pilot and define a timeline for the company-wide launch of a manufacturing operations strategy based on the insights gained.
With the MES providing the data for the dashboard and a member of the senior management team owning the manufacturing operations management strategy, there is a very good chance of success. With the pilot completed, scaling the operations management strategy to every plant will go more smoothly based on the lessons learned.
Real-time manufacturing data to increase visibility and shop floor control
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The positive net impact of a product, company, municipality or a country on the mitigation of climate change.
Climate positivity prevents or mitigates climate change with a positive outcome from society's perspective. In practice, more carbon is removed from the atmosphere than is emitted into it, so that the amount of emissions is negative (see carbon negativity and negative emissions). For example, a climate positive city could reverse the net climate impact of its region one of a warming into one of cooling. The concept is related to climate negativity.


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Definition of Fish odor syndrome
Fish-odor syndrome: An inborn error of metabolism that is associated with an offensive body odor whose scent is similar to the smell of rotting fish. Fish-odor syndrome is due to the excessive excretion of trimethylamine (TMA) in urine, sweat, and breath. This syndrome is caused by a mutation in the gene for the enzyme flavin-containing monooxygenase-3 (FMO3). Dietary modifications to reduce the consumption of triethylamine precursors may provide some relief of symptoms. Also known as trimethylaminuria.
Last Editorial Review: 3/19/2012
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Brief Lives Quiz | Eight Week Quiz A
Buy the Brief Lives Lesson Plans
Name: _________________________ Period: ___________________
Multiple Choice Questions
1. What book in the series does this one pick up after?
(a) 5th.
(b) 7th.
(c) 4th.
(d) 6th.
(a) So she can forget what happened between her and Dream.
(b) So she can rule the way she wants.
(c) So she can live more simply than before.
(d) So she can get some powers.
3. What is the name of Andros's grandson?
(a) Kurt.
(b) Kris.
(c) Krane.
(d) Karl.
4. What kind of creature is Dream?
(a) A God.
(b) An Endless.
(c) An Immortal.
(d) A Creator.
5. Who does Matthew talk to about Dream's lovers?
(a) Leonard.
(b) Luca.
(c) Lenny.
(d) Lucien.
Short Answer Questions
1. What just ended before this book began?
2. How was Delirium helped through her transformation?
3. What city does Delirium meet with a vagrant woman at the beginning of the book?
4. Why does Delirium say she is having such a hard time holding herself together at the beginning of the book?
5. Who warns Dream about trying to find Destruction?
(see the answer key)
This section contains 210 words
(approx. 1 page at 300 words per page)
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Element Package | Enterprise Architect User Guide
Element Package
The Element Package contains information about an element and its associated extended properties such as testing and project management information. An element is the basic item in an Enterprise Architect model. Classes, Use Cases and Components are all different types of UML element.
This diagram illustrates the relationships between an element and its associated extended information. The related information is accessed through the collections owned by the element (for example, Scenarios and Tests). It also includes a full description of the element object (the basic model structural unit).
Example


text:
Freezing herbs may not seem to like something many people do, but it's a great way to preserve them. Parsley is a notoriously difficult herb to keep fresh.
Whether you have tried to keep many a parsley plant alive on your kitchen windowsill or have a handful of leaves lying limp and sad in your refrigerator, we've all struggled with parsley.
Of course, there's the option of dried parsley which is useful, keeps well, and is still delicious but isn't as good as fresh parsley.
One of the reasons parsley is dried is so that it will keep longer but you can freeze dried parsley. You can also freeze fresh parsley but this needs a bit more work than dried parsley.
So, if your parsley is currently looking a little sad and you're looking for a way to desperately preserve it instead of tragically throwing it away (again), read on for some tips and tricks.
How to Freeze Parsley
There are a few different ways to freeze parsley, but the best one for you depends on what you will be using it for.
Freezing dried parsley is easy and probably the simplest option in this guide. Dried parsley can simply be placed in a container and then inside the freezer. It will keep its shape while frozen and the pieces won't clump together.
If you decide to defrost the dried parsley, then it may become soft and soggy. When something is frozen, ice crystals form on them which then defrost as the food defrosts. This water will then be absorbed by the parsley.
But, no problem, simply sprinkle the frozen parsley into whatever dish you might be making. As the food cooks, the parsley will defrost, and the water will evaporate.
Freezing Fresh Parsley
Freezing fresh parsley is different from freezing dried parsley. As dried parsley has already been preserved through the drying, it doesn't need anything additional doing to it.
This is true of fresh parsley (to an extent) and you can place stems and/or leaves or parsley in a freezer bag and just throw it in the freezer.
If you choose to do this, then make sure that you squeeze out all of the air beforehand. Then, when you want to use it, you can just snap off a piece and throw it in with the other ingredients.
There is a chance, however, that fresh parsley may react badly to being frozen and wilt and become discolored. The best way to freeze parsley is in an ice cube tray with butter.
You may have seen this in kitchen "hack" videos and thought it looked like a cool idea but one that probably doesn't work that well. But let me tell you, it's a great way to not only keep parsley for longer but completely up your cooking game.
It's super simple to do as well. Just chop up some parsley and mix it with some butter. Add a little chopped garlic too if you fancy, and then spoon the mixture into ice cube trays. Then, freeze the cubes and take them out as and when you need them.
Voila, you have seasoning ready and waiting in your freezer. It's delicious and will help keep your parsley from going to waste. It will also make cooking dinner so much easier as you won't have to prep as much.
How to Defrost Parsley
Defrosting parsley is perhaps not the best option. Once parsley has been frozen, it's best to use it as it is. When parsley is defrosted, it will potentially take on water and become mushy.
Your best choice, if you choose to freeze parsley, is to use it frozen. It's unlikely that you will be using parsley in something that isn't being cooked, so using frozen parsley will be fine.
But, if you choose to defrost the parsley, make sure you do so in the refrigerator. It's always best to defrost food in the refrigerator as it is a slower process. Defrosting at room temperature or in the microwave is an option, but it won't work as well.
Remove the parsley from its container and place it on a few layers of paper towels on top of a plate. The paper towels help absorb the water that comes off the parsley as it defrosts. This won't stop it from going completely mushy, but it might help.
Factors to Consider Before Freezing Parsley
Before you freeze parsley, consider what you're going to be using it for. If you're going to use it in any kind of cooking, then you should be fine to cook it frozen.
If you plan to use it for roasting, then you may be able to use it frozen but this might not be a great option. As the parsley defrosts, steam will be produced which, if the other food in the oven isn't also frozen, may affect the cooking process and the taste and texture of the other food.
The best way to freeze parsley is in an ice cube tray with some butter. This will be absolutely delicious, no matter what you're cooking.
Overall, freezing parsley isn't a bad idea. If you freeze dried parsley, then it should be okay but this isn't really necessary. Dried parsley keeps for a long time and if you're worried that your dried parsley may be going bad, then you're not using it often enough. You need to make better use of this delicious herb!
If you choose to freeze fresh parsley so that you can use them in cooking when they're frozen, then be prepared for them to stick together. They may also go bad and become discolored.
If you decide to defrost either the dried parsley or fresh parsley, then be prepared for it to go really mushy and not taste as nice. The best option, by far, is to chop to parsley up and freeze it in an ice cube tray with some butter and garlic. Delicious!
We hope you feel confident in freezing leftover heavy cream so that you can take steps to reduce your food waste.
Heavy cream can be added to hot and cold recipes and is always a good staple to have on hand. It is best when used in sauces as the whipping capacities may not be as good, but it will still hold air.
Your dessert presentation will always be fantastic and you never have to worry about not having any heavy cream in. Take care to follow these steps so you freeze heavy cream perfectly every time.


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COVID-19 Response: For Nonprofits
An update to our nonprofit partners on our response to COVID-19:
Updated January 19, 2021
The Hartford Foundation's COVID-19 Response Fund has made more than 230 grants, distributing more than $9.6 million, since the start of the pandemic. The fund initially focused on basic human needs as a result of health and economic impacts of the pandemic, and then transitioned to supporting a wide variety of nonprofits to provide services safely, including personal protective equipment (PPE), cleaning costs, technology and minor building enhancements.
Throughout 2021, the COVID-19 Response Fund will make investments on a rolling basis. Examples of potential grant areas include:
- Vaccine education, outreach and distribution to reach residents who may be hesitant to get vaccinated.
- Systemic approaches to help students catch up on lost learning with a focus on reducing inequities.
Our grantmaking through the COVID-19 Response Fund will be focused on collaborative and systemic efforts. Check this page periodically for updates as the work progresses. We welcome your feedback and ideas at any point; we know it is paramount to remain flexible and responsive to the changing needs of the community.
In considering grants, the Foundation will take into account the following criteria:
- Priority level of the disparity addressed and target population expected to benefit.
- Strength of collaboration and coordination with existing nonprofit, state and local pandemic responses.
- Ability of the proposed strategy to leverage other resources.
- Cultural competency and agency governance diversity (board and staff leadership) that is representative of beneficiaries of the proposed efforts.
- Level of impact on residents of the Greater Hartford region.
The Foundation is proactively working with public entities, nonprofits and other stakeholders to make targeted investments addressing the disparities created or exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. This work is also taking place within our outcome areas.
Thank you for all of the incredible work your organization has contributed to this year.

source: openbmb/Ultra-FineWeb


it's just a good practice for me.
Okay, that should do it for the pulse channels! Onto the others. These portions will be significantly shorter...
As I said before, I'm not going to go into parameters that I almost never use. Feel free to explore them for yourself if you're creating more 'experimental' music but for most compositions, they're not crucial.
As mentioned earlier, the triangle channel has no volume control which means no CC's for volume, loop, etc. It also doesn't have any duty cycle or pulse width as it always generates the same tone.
It does, however, have pitch control which is identical to the pulse pitch control using either fine pitch (CC#8) or channel pitch in your DAW. As such, I also prefer to use the channel pitch but fine pitch is a greater consideration for this channel as the pitch steps are further apart so if you want more subtle vibrato or smoother pitch bends, you may want to look into using this instead.
As an additional note for both the triangle and pulse channels, pitch steps get further apart with higher frequencies. In other words, if you change the pitch to +1 cent on a high note, it will jump further than the same +1 cent step on a lower note. For this reason, when controlling pitch via either fine pitch or channel pitch, be more conservative with high notes and more liberal with lower notes. In my experience, I need to change the value on lower notes 3 or 4 cents before the difference is noticeable while on higher notes, I tend to space out lower values to avoid sounding too'shaky'.
This is a rare case where I never use the custom MIDI controls. If you do decide to utilize them, they operate similarly to the same ones detailed in the pulse channel uses above. Volume, loop and length envelopes are available but the noise channel is unique in the sense that there is little to no difference in the sound of a single long note and a series of short notes placed one after another. This affords us the ability to change the volume of the noise channel without manual drawing in the event editor. That is to say, if you place 16 short notes in a row at descending note velocity values, it will sound almost exactly the same as a single note occupying the same duration with a manual volume change drawn in the event editor at 16 equal, descending steps across the duration of the note. Also, since I can copy/paste notes (and associated values) but not event editor data in FL Studio, I always construct my noise channel tracks from groups of short 1/4 or 1/8 step notes that change in single note velocity across the duration of what I construct as separate 'instruments'. This is much easier and far quicker than drawing in the event editor for every single note, plus it affords us unique possibilities for giving the illusion of mutliple drum-like sounds overlapping! More on that later...
The only control I use for DPCM currently is the Bank Switch (CC#14). This simply switches between the sample sets loaded onto the MidiNES cart. Each bank has 128 samples for a total of 256 (mostly) unique percussion-based sounds to choose from. Although a good variety of samples are included, if you search around the Internet, there may be available documentation for how to load custom samples with additional hardware/software. I'm more musician than modder so I haven't explored this option much. Also, since I tend to use the noise and DCPM in tandem for drums (and often times will use only the noise channel), I don't use as many different DPCM samples as I might if I was utilizing the DPCM alone, and I don't really consider using the pitch (CC#3) since the variety of available preloaded instruments include toms and other drum sounds at varying pitches already. I also usually stick with the default bank as it has more basic percussion samples but you can switch between them with a value below 64 for one and 64 or above for the other.
An additional note to close out this portion of the tutorial:
The parameters I've covered here reflect only a portion of the potential for MidiNES and I realize that. However, in an effort to keep the focus on composition and in the spirit of overcoming limitations and pushing envelopes, I've only really covered those which I consider to be absolutely essential for creating creative but more'standard' compositions. Why else would we be making music with some of the most basic hardware available if we didn't love the challenge!?
Last edited by Doctor Octoroc (Jan 19, 2019 7:59 pm)
For this section, I'll be focusing specifically on the MIDI CC's associated with the volume control of the two pulse channels and how to implement them for a variety of note styles. Now that we know how the controls effect the volume, we can apply them in various combinations to achieve desired results. How you assign each control to the channel will depend on your DAW but here is how it's done in FL Studio:
Adding Controls to the Event Editor in FL Studio
First off, look for this row of icons and open the browser (by default, it'll open up on the left side of the workspace).
Expand the following menus: CURRENT PROJECT > GENERTORS > MIDI OUT > PULSE 01 (or whatever you named the channel you're editing, but for starters, we'll be editing events for Pulse 01). Once you expand the channel name, you'll see the names of all of the custom controls you created. Right-click any of these and you'll get a pop-up with the option to 'edit events in piano roll'. Upon selecting this, the bottom pane of the piano roll window should expand and you'll see an empty grid where you'll be drawing all of your values. Alternatively, if the event editor is already expanded, you can drag and drop the control name into the event editor pane. It is within this pane that we will be assigning all of our control values and any values entered will apply to the notes directly above them in the piano roll portion of the piano roll window. The control values appear like a bar graph and any value entered will remain up to the end of the track until a different value is entered further in the timeline. They also lock to the same note segment divisions that the notes do so if you have'step' selected, setting a value in the event editor will create a bar as wide as full step intervals. The grid in the event editor will also change as different lengths of step are selected (much like the grid in the piano roll does) so upon selecting 1/2 step, for example, the grid divisions will double. Selecting the correct step length will be important when drawing in the event editor because we want the contols to apply to the same intervals as the notes, or some evenly divided fraction thereof. It takes some getting used to drawing in the event editor but you'll get the hang of it.
Also, at any point after you've chosen a particular control from the browser to edit in the piano roll, you can access it again more quickly by right-clicking within the empty area to the left of the event editor grid (and below the piano graphic) and selecting that control from the pop-up menu. Alternatively, you can select it from a drop down menu in the title bar of the piano roll window. By default, this will have'velocity' shown but it will always show the name of the control you are currently editing in the event editor. All previously added controls will be shown in either menu (pop-up or drop down) along with the channel they're associated with so after adding the 'duty cycle' control for pulse 01, for example, it will be listed as "Pulse 01 - Duty Cycle" in these menus and you can select them more quickly than going to the browser every time. You will also be able to select the channel volume, channel pitch, or note velocity via these menus at any time (they won't be in the generators list as they're not specific, custom CC signals).
If you're following along with this guide in your DAW and want to learn by doing, these are the values to apply to both pulse channels at this point:
- Channel Volume = 127
- Channel Pitch = 0 cents
- Duty Cycle (CC#1) = 64 (50%)
- Length Envelope (CC#9) = 127
- Loop Envelope = (CC#10) 127
- Volume Envelope (CC#11) = 127
These values create solid notes with full volume and sound like the leads in the 'Super Mario Bros.' and 'The Legend of Zelda' themes. These are also the values I apply at the start of just about every track I create as a standard and then I build upon them (or change them, but usually, I'm not certain how I'll be manipulating the parameters until I at least have a melody laid out).
Okay, onto the volume related techniques!
A common style of note you'll hear a lot in classic NES tracks is delay. Delay is essentially an 'echo' of the note that is commonly done in commercial tracks with effects generators. Of course, we don't have anything like that built into the NES, so we have to get creative. You could run your track through a delay filter during or after recording the track (or track parts) but it's not a 'pure' technique as it wouldn't be possible to create this with the original hardware alone. We're trying to utilize the hardware, not take the easy way out!
Delay Utilizing Both Pulse Channels
The easiest way to create a delay or echo effect is to lay down notes (at 100% note velocity) to create


text:
Have material to donate? Email our Curatorial Selection Team at _EMAIL_.
What's in this research guide?
Protest and dissent have been a part of Australia's history since the arrival of the First Fleet. They have shaped many important social and cultural changes within this nation and continue to do so to this day. As a collector of all things important to Australia's social, cultural, and political history the National Library of Australia has amassed several collections relating to protest and dissent in Australia.
In this research guide you will find tips for researching topics using our collections, information about collection materials and suggestions for other reliable resources. On this page you will find a few tips and hints to help you search our catalogue and Trove.
It is important to note that the number of protests that have occurred on Australian soil is too vast for this guide to cover all of them. The highlights in this guide represent a sample, focusing on movements that the Library has a large amount of supportive material on. If you wish to find out more about a protest that is not listed here, we suggest following up with us through Ask a Librarian.
Tips for searching the catalogue for Protest and Dissent materials
- Start simple and choose a few distinctive words. Use words that relate to the event you are researching (for example, searching for Ballarat 1854 will bring up results for the Eureka Stockade as this was where it took place). Ensure all words are spelt correctly, otherwise no results will appear.
- Narrow your results after your first initial word search, using the options on the right side (format, E-resources, author, subject area, series, decade, etc.). Some of the best results come from a simple word search with one option applied to narrow results (for example, searching for the Vietnam War with the pictures options to narrow results).
- When you find a result that you like, look at the subject headings in the record and use them to find other materials on the same topic. They might be general, such as Protest movements -- Australia., or very specific, such as Eureaka Stockade, Ballarat, Vic., 1854. or Black lives matter movement -- Australian Capital Territory -- Canberra -- Photographs.
If you are searching more broadly on the topic, it can be useful to start by using subject headings such as Protest movements -- Australia, Social movements -- Australia or Social change -- Australia.
Tips for searching Trove for Protest and Dissent materials
- You can use the Categories tab in Trove search to identify specific types of protest material. Archived newspapers are always useful, but you might want to look further afield to Images, Maps & Artefacts for visual records of protest. The Web Archive is an excellent place to find online records, news and websites for contemporary movements and protest, such as Schools Strike for Climate or the George Floyd protests. Historical snapshots of websites such as UN Youth Australia or Amnesty International Australia can show you point-in-time information, from the David Hicks national day of protest to approaches voicing dissent during COVID-19 lockdowns. Where available, there are archived websites from as early as 1996.
- Trove is a discovery service for both the Library's collection materials and those which belong to other libraries, galleries, archives and museums. As such, it can lead you to historical collections held by other institutions. Many of Australia's university libraries and archives have online material or records of their physical collections, which often include records of student politics and campus protests. The Melbourne University Archive is one example which includes records and links to resources from the Malcolm Fraser collection. This collections includes materials relating to protesting the Vietnam war, censorship protests, French nuclear testing in the Pacific and much more.
- When searching contemporary journal articles, news sources and archived websites for information about protest movements, slogans and hashtags can be an effective way to identify material. For example, the phrase "Convoy of No Confidence" was frequently used to describe the 2011 Anti-Carbon Tax Rally, and more recently 'March4Justice' for the gender equality rallies, or _TAG_ for the 2021 anti-vaccine rallies in Australia.


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Allnorth's Engineering Lead, Dr. Sasan Iranpour will be a presenting author at the upcoming American Society of Mechanical Engineers – International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition – IMECE2019.
The Presentation titled Seismic Design of Buried Pipelines: Past, Present and Future will be one of the presentations at the conference, November 8 – 14, 2019 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Conference information can be found here: _URL_
A review of seismic design criteria of buried pipelines shows that these criteria are not yet fully established. This study reviews the past methods and recent developments for the seismic design of buried pipelines, and highlights areas that require more research to develop a systematic design procedure for practicing engineers. Using an approach recently implemented by the author, it shows how a coupled fully nonlinear soil?structure interaction analysis can be implemented to design a ductile pipeline system, hence reducing the possibility of brittle fracture. This, in turn, makes it possible to complete a design for projects where the available code?based engineering approaches cannot provide a solution, and a more robust analysis and design approach is required.
Dr. Sasan Iranpour, P.Eng., is a seasoned Project Manager and Structural Subject Matter Expert with more than 23 years of diverse experience in various sectors. His experience ranges from one of the tallest structures in the world and the most challenging tunneling project in North America, to the full field development of a multi-billion dollar project in the oil & gas industry.


text:
What is Democratic Socialism?
This booklet provides a general introduction to the Democratic Socialism endorsed in the nations of the British Commonwealth. It was written specifically for the Co-operative Commonwealth Youth Movement, Saskatchewan Section.
Carlyle King, What is Democratic Socialism (Ottawa: Co-Operative Commonwealth Federation, 1943).
What is Democratic Socialism? 1943.pdf (29.83 MB)
Booklet, 36 pages, 12 cm x 17 cm
Ley and Lois Smith War, Memory and Popular Culture Research Collection - Western University - London, Ontario
Second World War


Fun Easy English - new-american-english-reductions-reduced-words-topic-word-to-have-to-hafta.
American English Reductions - Hafta
In this lesson you will learn the American English reduction hafta.
Quick Links
what + is + word whassup whatser whatsiz
word + me gimme lemme
word + have coulda mighta musta shoulda woulda
word + to gonna gotta hafta hasta oughta wanna
do + not + know donno dunno
did + you + word jeet jev jever
word + you betcha doncha getcha gotcha howarya howdya howjya howujya
jya whaddaya whaddaya wancha whajya whenjya wherjya whojya
word + of frunna kinda kindsa lotsa lotta outta sorta typa
Reductions: "hafta"
 - This American English reduction is formed when you combine and reduce the following words.
 - hafta = have + to
 - This American English reduction is used in the following way.
 - I hafta work overtime tonight.
 - This American English reduction has the following meaning.
 - I have to work overtime tonight.
Examples: "hafta"
 - Do you hafta be so crazy all the time?
 - (Meaning: Why can't you act normally?)
 - What do you hafta do today?
 - (Meaning: What are you required to do today?)
 - Why do you hafta go there?
 - (Meaning: Why are you required to go there?)
 - You hafta pay for your food.
 - (Meaning: You must pay for your food.)
 - They hafta travel to Buffalo, New York today.
 - (Meaning: They are required to travel to Buffalo, New York today.)
Note: Hafta can be used with singular or plural pronouns like I, you, we, and they. Hafta cannot be used with the singular pronouns he and she. Hafta can be used for interrogative (question) sentences.
From YOUR Teacher: Hafta
This American English reduction is used often in everyday conversation.
Note: Reductions
Remember the following:
 - Reductions are reduced forms of English words.
 - Reductions, such as hafta are not real words in English.
 - You need to use reductions in order to sound more natural.
 - You need to know reductions in order to understand conversations between native English speakers.
 - Reductions are used extensively in American TV, movies, music, literature, and in conversations among native English speakers.
Reductions In Music and TV
Fun Easy English - Reductions
This is the Fun Easy English reductions introduction video.
Hey Friends,
I really tried to find a good video for this REDUCTION.
If you know a good song, TV commercial, or movie clip with this reduction, please post the link in the comments section at the bottom of this page.
Reduction Tips
Audio Program
(Beginner - Listening)
Wanna, Gonna, Hafta: Getting Relaxed With Reduced Forms of Speech - A five minute audio program of the written script below. The English is spoken at 75% of normal speed.
AA: I'm Avi Arditti with Rosanne Skirble, and this week on Wordmaster: reduced forms in spoken American English.
RS: We're talking about forms like whaddaya -- meaning "what do you," as in "whaddaya say?" "Whaddaya Say?" is also the title of a popular teaching book on reduced forms by Nina Weinstein.
AA: She did extensive research on the subject as a graduate student at the University of California, Los Angeles, and as a teaching fellow at Harvard.
NINA WEINSTEIN: "There were a lot of assumptions. People felt that maybe it was a sort of uneducated kind of speech or maybe it was caused by informality or things like this. So my master's thesis is actually on what causes reduced forms.
"And what I found was speed of speech was statistically significant as a cause for reduced forms, not informality. Though in informal speech we tend to speak more quickly, and so we think it's the informality, but actually it's the speed of speech."
RS: "What do you find? Do you find certain patterns of reductions? Is there a way in which you can almost predict, if you are a speaker of English as a foreign language, that you can almost predict when or how it's going to happen?"
NINA WEINSTEIN: "Yes, yes -- in fact, you can learn the reduced forms before. There are fifty to seventy common reduced forms that everyone should know from a listening point of view. Sometimes, I think, teachers feel that students will just pick this up. And they do pick up some, but they don't pick up all of them."
AA: "Can you give us a few of the most common reduced forms?"
NINA WEINSTEIN: "The three most common reduced forms are wanna, which is the spoken form of 'want to'; gonna, which is the spoken form of 'going to' plus a verb; and hafta, which is the spoken form of 'have to.' And one of these forms will occur about every two minutes."
AA: "On average in a conversation?"
NINA WEINSTEIN: "Yes, in unscripted spoken English."
AA: "That's amazing. And we're talking about common, everyday speech. And yet I could see maybe some students who are learning English who want to maybe apply for a job or meet with an employer or someone, a professor, and maybe they're afraid that they're going to sound uneducated or that they're too informal. What do you say about that?"
NINA WEINSTEIN: "Informality -- informality actually is a very, very large part of American English. And as I tell my students, the majority of English is informal, though we do have situations that call for formality. I don't think that students should worry about their own use of the reduced forms because non-native speakers generally don't reach the speed of speech to have reductions. And so their speech will not reduce naturally.
"I don't advise students unnaturally adapting these forms because, as I said, they're a natural flow of spoken English. But what I do suggest that they do is, if they want to sound more natural, regardless of whether it's an interview situation or just in everyday speech, they could adopt the three most common reduced forms in their speech because these are almost like vocabulary items. They're that common.
"As far as the job interview goes, as I said, I don't think students should adopt the fifty to seventy common reduced forms in their own speech. But they need to understand the interviewer, who will be using reduced forms."
RS: "Now beyond these top three, is there a top ten?"
NINA WEINSTEIN: "I wouldn't say there's a top ten. If I were to just give you some really common ones, one of the more common question forms would be 'what do you/what are you' changing to whaddaya. You can put that together with want to -- 'what do you want to' would be naturally pronounced as whaddaya wanna: 'Whaddaya wanna do?' 'Whaddaya wanna have?' Of course, we talked about gonna, which is 'going to' plus verb.
"We've got gotta, which is 'have got to': 'I've got to do this.' 'I've got to go there.' I think those are common, but I think the ones that are represented in 'Whaddya Say?' are really the most common. And I can't cut it off at ten, because actually in my research I found three hundred and five reduced forms."
A: Nina Weinstein, the author of "Whaddaya Say? Guided Practice in Relaxed Speech," speaking with us from VOA's Los Angeles bureau.
RS: And we gotta go. That's Wordmaster for this week. To learn more about American English, visit our Web site, _URL_.
AA: And our e-mail address is _EMAIL_. With Rosanne Skirble, I'm Avi Arditti.
Audio Program
(Beginner - Listening)
To Master Rhythms of English, You Really Hafta Learn Reductions - A five minute audio program of the written script below. The English is spoken at 75% of normal speed.
RS: "Can't ya, don'tcha."
AA: Slangman David Burke, talking about reductions in a segment from two thousand. You can learn about his language teaching materials at slangman.com. And that's WORDMASTER for this week. Archives are at _URL_. And our e-mail is _EMAIL_. With Rosanne Skirble, I'm Avi Arditti.
Reduced Forms
Broadcast on "Coast to Coast": January 16, 2003
AA: I'm Avi Arditti with Rosanne Skirble and this week on Wordmaster, English teacher Lida Baker explains some of the shortcuts that work their way into conversational American speech.
RS: They're called reduced forms, or reductions. And, since it was noon when we spoke to Lida, she served up the perfect lunchtime example:
BAKER: "So tell me, jeet yet?"
RS: "No we haven't eaten yet (laughter)."
BAKER: "See, you understood what I


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Infant Formula Shortage: How has the FDA Altered Regulations to Help?
Over the past year, the nation has been concerned over an infant formula shortage that has become a crisis for many families in the United States. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is responsible for offering support and relief to families affected by this shortage in any way they can. Accordingly, the FDA loosened infant formula regulations. Specifically, the FDA allowed for an increased supply of infant formula by the announcement to infant formula manufacturers of the agency's intention to temporarily exercise enforcement discretion. Enforcement was on a case-by-case basis, for specific infant formula requirements. This went into effect from May 16, 2022, through November 14, 2022, and was specifically designed to protect infants' health. Essentially, selective enforcement would allow the FDA to grant permission for formulas despite not meeting all the regulations.
Got (Plant-Based) Milk? New FDA Guidance for Plant-Based Milk
Plant-based milks have been on the rise congruently with the movement towards living a plant-based diet and lifestyle. The FDA calls these products Plant-Based Milk Alternatives (PBMA). There are many different PBMA's on the market, because there are a wide array of sources that can be used to produce PBMA's and methods for processing. Some of the most popular examples of PBMA's include oat milk, almond milk, and soy milk, but there are many PBMA's made from other nuts, seeds, and alternative sources. PBMA's are currently in the news because the FDA has just released draft labeling guidance (guidance) and recommendations for nutrition fact labeling. This draft guidance applies to any PBMA that uses "milk" in its name. The FDA's draft labeling guidance will likely help educate more consumers on PBMA's and their nutrition facts, hopefully leading to generally more informed consumers and labeling transparency.
Federal Safeguards Against Drug Shortages
From October 2022 to January 2023, there was a nationwide Adderall shortage. This recent shortage is no surprise since the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced several Adderall shortages since 2019. Although the recent shortage has ended, researchers fear there will be more Adderall shortages in the coming year as prescribing rates continue to rise. More importantly, the recent shortage has made patients worried about future shortages and concerned about why the federal government has not done more to prevent drug shortages.
Expansion of Generic Labeling for Food
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has loosened the approval for labels on meat, poultry, and egg products. By March 2023, the process for approval of certain labels on certain food products will essentially be discontinued under the Expansion of Generic Labeling Rule.
A Concerning Combination: Heavy Metals and Baby Food
On January 24, 2023, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced their plans to work towards drafting regulation to limit lead levels in baby food. The FDA has found that lead in products such as food, supplements, and cosmetics can have detrimental and long term effects on humans, and especially on certain groups such as young children. Young children are specifically vulnerable to harmful effects of lead consumption because they are still physically smaller and going through development. While the FDA has regulated lead in food and other products, the FDA's recent focus on decreasing lead levels in baby food highlights the concerning trend of federal regulations which are under-inclusive.
When Dangerous Drugs Are No Longer Dangerous- The FDA and Black Box Warnings
Black box warnings are assigned to prescription drugs by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to alert of serious sides effects, such as injury or death. The smoking cessation drug, Chantix, previously had one of these black box warnings attached to it, but that warning has since been removed. This transition from a "dangerous drug" to a non-dangerous drug raises various important regulatory concerns regarding the marketing of this drug and other popular prescription drugs as well as the role of the FDA in regulating "dangerous" drugs.
Life or Death: The Fast Track to FDA Approval
After five years, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a drug for ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis): Relyvrio. While the drug is expected to significantly prolong the life of ALS patients, who typically die within a few years after diagnosis, the fast approval of the drug raises concerns regarding the FDA's fast-tracking process of approval.
Agency Officials Trade Stock in Companies their Agencies Oversee
More than 2,500 government officials ranging from the Commerce Department to the Treasury Department reported owning stock in companies whose share prices correspond to decisions made by their respective agencies. With obvious conflicts of interest arising, what has happened, and what are some major takeaways from this investigative report?
FDA's Response to Baby Formula Shortage
This year the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has come under fire for its slow response to the nationwide baby formula shortage. In September 2022, FDA Commissioner Robert M. Califf authorized the release of an internal report. The report details how the baby formula shortage occurred, the FDA's response to the shortage, and the challenges it faced in resolving the shortage. The report also revealed the changes in FDA regulatory procedure to ensure another shortage does not occur.
A New FDA Rule Will Change the Future of the Hearing Aid Industry
Thanks to a new FDA final rule, published in August of this year, Americans can soon purchase specific hearing aids over-the-counter (OTC) without a hearing exam, prescription, or fitting. Although this rule will improve access to hearing aid devices and lower the costs for those with hearing impairments, many critics are convinced the rule will do more harm than good.


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The impact force induced by waves overtopping a dike with a vertical wall on its crest, and with a shallow foreshore seaward of the dike, was studied. To this end, physical model tests were performed in a wave flume at a typical scale of 1:25. The goal of this study was to develop a method to estimate the maximum forces on the wall during a known storm peak. The time series of water depth at toe of the dike, flow thickness at seaward edge of the dike crest and impact forces were measured. An empirical Generalized Pareto distribution is verified as the best distribution for the extreme overtopping wave forces.
- Generalized Pareto distribution
- Impact force
- Overtopping wave
- Shallow foreshore


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# Some functions for NLP
# Author: Wes Barnett
from re import sub
from string import punctuation
from nltk.stem.porter import PorterStemmer
from sklearn.feature_extraction.text import CountVectorizer
def process_text(txt):
"""Processes text in preparation for word stemming. Specifically it makes all
letters lowercase, removes line breaks and tabs, and converts numbers, urls, email
addresses, and dollar signs into symbolic characters. Removes additional
punctuation.
Parameters
----------
txt : string
The text to be processed.
Returns
-------
txt : string
The processed text.
"""
# Make text all lowercase, remove line breaks and tabs
txt = txt.lower()
txt = sub("\n", " ", txt)
txt = sub("\t", " ", txt)
txt = sub("/", " ", txt)
txt = sub("", "", txt)
# Convert numbers, urls, email addresses, and dollar signs
txt = sub("[0-9]+", "number", txt)
txt = sub("(http|https)://[^\s]*", "httpaddr", txt)
txt = sub("[^\s]+@[^\s]+", "emailaddr", txt)
txt = sub("[$]+", "dollar", txt)
# Remove additional punctuation
table = str.maketrans({key: None for key in punctuation})
txt = txt.translate(table)
return txt
def stemmed_words(doc):
"""Calls the text cleaner and then does stemming. This should be defined as the
'analyzer' in CountVectorizer() when called later.
Parameters
----------
doc : string
The text that will be processed and with words that will be stemmed.
Returns
-------
tokens : Generator
Stemmed and tokenized words.
"""
doc = process_text(doc)
stemmer = PorterStemmer()
analyzer = CountVectorizer(decode_error="ignore").build_analyzer()
tokens = (stemmer.stem(w) for w in analyzer(doc))
return tokens
You can't perform that action at this time.


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The lack of measurements of three-dimensional (3D) distribution of horizontal wind vectors is a major challenge in atmospheric science. Here, we develop an algorithm to retrieve winds for nine pressure levels at 1° grid spacing from 70°N to 70°S. The retrieval is done by tracking water vapor from the hyperspectral Cross-track Infrared Sounder aboard two polar satellites (NOAA-20 and Suomi-NPP) that have overlapped tracks separated by 50 min. We impose a gross error check by flagging retrievals that are too different from ERA-5 reanalysis. Testing the algorithm for the first week of January and July 2020 indicates that our algorithm yields 104 wind profiles per day and these 3D winds qualitatively agree with ERA-5. Compared with radiosonde data, the errors are within the range of reported errors of cloud-tracking winds.
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Earth and Planetary Sciences


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Cecil Ingold was one of the world's leading mycologists (scientists who study fungi)who was best known for his discovery of Ingoldian fungi and for his research into the physical mechanisms of spore dispersal.
Ingoldian fungi are an important and ubiquitous group of aquatic fungi that play a key role in aquatic ecosystems by processing dead vegetation and recycling nutrients.
His long-term botanical studies of aquatic fungi started in 1938. He analysed water samples he collected from a brook near his home in Cropston, Leicestershire. He firmly believed that botanists should collect and work with fresh material, gathered from the field.
He despised the traditional dependence on preserved or pickled specimens. He combined acute powers of observation, whether on forays or peering down a microscope, with…


%0 Conference Paper %B Joint International Semantic Technology Conference %D 2015 %T Alignment Aware Linked Data Compression %A Joshi, Amit Krishna %A Pascal Hitzler %A Dong, Guozhu %X
The success of linked data has resulted in a large amount of data being generated in a standard RDF format. Various techniques have been explored to generate a compressed version of RDF datasets for archival and transmission purpose. However, these compression techniques are designed to compress a given dataset without using any external knowledge, either through a compact representation or removal of semantic redundancies present in the dataset. In this paper, we introduce a novel approach to compress RDF datasets by exploiting alignments present across various datasets at both instance and schema level. Our system generates lossy compression based on the confidence value of relation between the terms. We also present a comprehensive evaluation of the approach by using reference alignment from OAEI.
%B Joint International Semantic Technology Conference %G eng


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Compressed Manifold Modes for Mesh Processing
MetainformationenComputer Graphics Forum (Proc. of Symposium on Geometry Processing SGP), vol. 33, no. 5. 2014
This paper introduces compressed eigenfunctions of the Laplace-Beltrami operator on 3D manifold surfaces. They constitute a novel functional basis, called the compressed manifold basis, where each function has local support. We derive an algorithm, based on the alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM), to compute this basis on a given triangulated mesh. We show that compressed manifold modes identify key shape features, yielding an intuitive understanding of the basis for a human observer, where a shape can be processed as a collection of parts. We evaluate compressed manifold modes for potential applications in in shape matching and mesh abstraction. Our results show that this basis has distinct advantages over existing alternatives, indicating high potential for a wide range of use-cases in mesh processing.


The Queen Mother's teeth: Why were they so bad?
THE QUEEN MOTHER is one of the most famous Queens in British history, after she stood by her husband's side during his unexpected and difficult rise to the throne.
The Queen Mother was known as the Smiling Duchess, due to her strong character. However, her smiles have caused some to comment on her discoloured teeth in later life. So, why did they look this way?
Matthew Rose, our Restorative Dentist spoke to the Daily Express to give some insight into why this is the case and a look at historic Dentistry.
To read the article in full, click here, and if you want to leave a comment, please do!
Considering Dental Implants?


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By the tap hole with the ironworker
What sort of grunting noises does the furnace in the Landscape Park make when pig iron is being produced? What blooming surprises do you think you're in for when you set off to explore nature in the park? What happens if the furnace gets a sore "throat"? The guided tours through the Landscape Park are as varied as the former ironworks itself.
Whether it's through the Parklands or the area around Blast Furnace 5 and high up to the viewing platform – a guided tour through the Landscape Park will show you a piece of living industrial and cultural history.
Part of that living history is, for example, the fact that former ironworkers regularly come here to meet up with the Blast Furnace again. Standing in front of the Blast Furnace's run-off chute they talk to visitors about the hot working conditions and give an insight into an ironworker's life. It's especially on the torchlit guided tours at weekends that the works once more gives off a fiery glow just as it did thirty years ago. But please note – on the evening tours a torch is essential!


Keep updated
How Waukesha Library Revamped Its Public Access Computers
Waukesha Library at night
Waukesha, Wisconsin might be most famous for being a "guitar town." It's the birthplace of Les Paul, music pioneer and inventor of the iconic Gibson Les Paul guitar. But the Waukesha Public Library also deserves fame for its innovative programs and dedication to its community. With the help of TechSoup's Refurbished Computer Initiative (RCI), the library is able to provide the valuable service of public access computers to Waukesha residents.
A Dynamic and Diverse Community
Located west of Milwaukee, Waukesha has a population of about 71,000. The library is the largest in a system of 17 libraries, and it serves about 100,000 people. The library supports a wide range of community members, everybody from tech-savvy students (the Waukesha school district has an iPad program) to manga-loving teens (who publish a biannual teen-created fanzine) to those who are homebound.
Waukesha has also increased its materials and services for non-English speaking people and English-language learners. The city has a growing Hispanic community that makes up more than 10 percent of the total population. The library works with local nonprofits, such as La Casa de Esperanza and the Waukesha Hispanic Collaborative Network, to provide Spanish-language programming, such as parenting classes and story times. The library works with the Greater Waukesha Literacy Council to mentor and tutor adults in English as a second language, reading, writing, spelling, and math.
Best Practices for Helping Patrons with E-Readers
E-reader assistance
"I love that I can check out e-books from you … but I have no idea how to make them work."
The other day, my friend and I had a work party at my local library. My friend had another agenda, however: to finally figure out how to check out e-books from the library on her iPad. Despite being tech-savvy, she was having issues getting through all of the different steps the e-books required to work on her iPad.
Turns out, this happens frequently. My colleague Jim Lynch wrote about his personal experience in Why Is It So Hard to Use E-Books from the Library?
Assistive Technology Tips from Expert Librarians
Edge Benchmark 11 states:
Common Craft's Video Love Letter to Libraries
Did you know that 98% of public libraries offer some form of technology training? And 95% offer employment and workforce development programs? Of course you do.
Libraries know all about how libraries support access to and use of technology. Unfortunately, in many cases the same can't be said of your legislators, local voters, the mainstream media, and others who may influence public library funding and support.
Common Craft put together a snappy video to help libraries address this perception issue.
Content Management Systems for Library Websites
Teen on a computer at the library
Why the Clean Reader App Negatively Impacts Literacy
Generally, I'm all for mobile apps or computer programs that support literacy. TechSoup for Libraries had a webinar a few months ago, in fact, on ways librarians can incorporate apps and technology into story time.
But when I heard about Clean Reader, the app that scrubs out "profanity" from books and replaces it with alternative words, I was offended. It's not explicit language that makes me grimace, but the fact that this app is a blatant form of censorship.
Your Library Can Support Makers Without Having a Makerspace
Some school and public libraries around the world are setting up makerspaces or creative tinkering spaces, but not every library has the space or budget to do so. How can your library support makers without having its own makerspace? There are lots of ways to do it. Here are a few tips to get you started.
Resources for Training Library Staff on Mobile Operating Systems
Can You Get Tech Advice from a Print Book?
I was scanning the ALA Store when a book caught my eye: Technology for Small and One-Person Libraries: A LITA Guide. Given how many of our TechSoup for Libraries members come from small libraries, I thought this book would be a great subject for our very first book review! Is this guide something that belongs on every rural librarian's shelves? Can you get technology tips from a printed book? Will even the tech-savviest of librarians get something out of this book? Yes, yes, … and yes!
A Quick Caveat on Books About Tech
I'm possibly stating the obvious here, but it's important to note that when you buy a book on technology, there is almost always going to be something out-of-date in it. Technology moves so fast that even if the publisher were to continuously release updated versions of the book, it still couldn't keep up.
 Technology for Small and One-Person Libraries was published in 2013, and although the authors do a great job of keeping the descriptions and names of technology general, there is some information that isn't quite current. For example, the social media chapter lists a few platforms and tools to check out, but doesn't include Tumblr, Instagram, or Pinterest, which have become quite popular among libraries.
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Comment: Parens Patriae :
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Parens Patriae :
This is the "philosophy" used to explain the arrogation of power in these matters.
Parens patriae is Latin for "parent of the nation." In law, it refers to the public policy power of the state to intervene against an abusive or negligent parent, legal guardian or informal caretaker, and to act as the parent of any child or individual who is in need of protection. For example, some children, incapacitated individuals, and disabled individuals lack parents who are able and willing to render adequate care, requiring state intervention. In U.S. litigation, parens patriae can be invoked by the state to create its standing to sue; the state declares itself to be suing on behalf of its people. For example, the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvement Act of 1976 (15 USC 15(c)), through Section 4C of the Clayton Act, permits state attorneys general to bring parens patriae suits on behalf of those injured by violations of the Sherman Antitrust Act.


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Anyone can be get lucky, but to have consistent success in the whitetail woods you need strategy, experience, reconnaissance, and some understanding of how deer live. One today's episode I focus on how you can define deer movement in order to multiply your chances for success, while spending little to no money.
- Deer are creatures of habit, and to be consistently successful you need to both learn their habits and how to influence those habits.
- The main ways to impact deer movement are by cutting trails, building mock scraps, digging water holes, planting food plots, and adding cover.
- Cutting trails can help by creating a path of least resistance in areas that are thick and hard to move through.
- Mock scrapes can give deer a focal point to come to and stop at along a trail or in a movement area.
- Water holes help in the same way a mock scrap when used on dry parcels or on high ground.
- Food plots, especially small ones like 1/2 an acre to 1/8 of an acre, can give deer a place to browse on their way to more substantial food supplies. I recommend a perennial crop, something cheap and low maintenance, like clover.
- Adding cover can create bedding areas and give deer more peace of mind for traveling through or eating in an area. One of the worst habitats is open woods in all directions, deer need places to hide.
- Even if you are unable to add any of these habitat improvements, the more you know about them, the better you can read naturally occurring ones and use them to your advantage.


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We're on the subject of viscosity maintenance again, and for good reason too. The matter is one that needs to be addressed year round, in both hot and cold weather. However, this time we're talking about maintaining the proper viscosity of your liquids under all perceivable circumstances, whether in room temperature, on cold or hot days.
Viscosity Maintenance Has Two Sides
In previous articles, we've discussed viscosity maintenance as it applies to maintaining low viscosity levels in your liquids through the use of Powerblanket® heating products. Of course, the reason we've talk so much about this is because it's pertinent to so many scenarios. However, maintaining low viscosity levels is only half the story when it comes to the entire viscosity conundrum. Some operations and product maintenance require the other side of the spectrum. In other words, Powerblanket can help with maintaining high viscosity levels as well.
If you store or use liquids that need to be very low in viscosity, then Powerblanket heating solutions can help you keep your liquids at temperatures high enough to keep the viscosity of the liquid very low. But, if the opposite challenge is your concern, Powerblanket can help there too. Our new Powerblanket ICE cooling products can keep your liquids cool enough to maintain high viscosity levels, even in really hot weather.
If the liquids you're storing are at risk of losing their viscous qualities when the temperatures rise, then Powerblanket ICE is going to be an invaluable ally for your operations. Powerblanket ICE comes in three performance levels and will help you keep your liquids cool and viscous, even in really hot weather.
- Keep your liquids cool during hot weather, maintaining viscous qualities and eliminating spoiled product
- Eliminate downtime associated with lost viscosity and the need for expensive cooling interventions
- Increase output and profit by increasing operational efficiency
Powerblanket ICE Features:
- Powerblanket ICE uses Powerblanket patented heat-spreading technology in reverse to draw heat away from the container and cool the contents inside.
- Powerblanket ICE covers and insulates your container with the same robust system used in the Powerblanket heating products.
- All three performance levels of Powerblanket ICE, the ice pack, ice box, and chiller-driven systems are portable (120VAC required).
- Powerblanket ICE allows you to control the temperature of bulk materials with ease:
- Increase yields (Bulk materials that sit at high temperatures will reduce yield for most viscous liquids. With Powerblanket ICE, you can bring the temperature down, and keep it there.)
- Maintain the viscous quality of your liquids
- Decrease operational inefficiencies
- Blankets can be left installed and running while bulk material containers are in use.


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The black-eyed pea, black-eyed bean or goat pea, a legume, is a subspecies of the cowpea, grown around the world for its medium-sized, edible bean. It belongs to the Fabaceae family and is of the genus Vigna. They are a crucial ingredient in one of the most famous dishes of Egypt. Similarly, they are used in several dishes around the world.
|Packing||As per the requirement|


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OCUFA is concerned about the erosion of democratic, transparent, and accountable collegial governance practices at Ontario's universities as they respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. With it becoming abundantly clear that universities will not be able to return to their usual operations in the foreseeable future, some administrations are foregoing their responsibility to respect the shared governance structures of their institutions and, instead, are making academic decisions without the involvement of senates and academic councils or proper consultation with faculty.
OCUFA appreciates the priority university administrations have placed on protecting the safety and health of members of the campus community while determining how best to wrap up the winter term. In the past few weeks, universities have had to take many unprecedented emergency measures and implement swift changes to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, as institutions shift to making longer-term decisions about their academic and operational activities for the summer and fall terms, they face challenging decisions about how to carry out the teaching and research that is core to their purpose. OCUFA is extremely worried by the unilateral and non-consultative approaches some administrations have engaged in to make these decisions. These approaches have seen the voices of faculty ignored, undermining the collegial governance processes that are vital to the effective operations of Ontario's postsecondary institutions.
Ontario universities pride themselves in their shared model of governance, where voices of members of the campus community are heard and decisions are made through democratic, transparent, and accountable collegial processes. Therefore, it is very concerning that some administrations are undermining these principles by ignoring their obligation to follow proper procedure and respect the long-standing decision-making structures of their institutions. Given the technological capacities of our universities that render remote meetings possible, there is no justification for excluding faculty voices by circumventing critical governing bodies and processes. As the OCUFA policy statement on collegial governance clearly states, "while postsecondary institutions need to change to adjust to changing political, social, economic, and cultural conditions, these changes need to be determined and implemented through collegial processes that involve the meaningful participation of faculty, staff, and students."
Respecting these foundational decision-making structures is not just an exercise in democratic accountability, but the most effective way for universities to address the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. It is only through the collective wisdom and efforts of all members of the campus community that Ontario's universities will be able to chart a path forward that maintains the quality of education and research. As more information becomes available about future enrolment and university revenue, and as further decisions need to be made about course delivery, research, student support, and campus safety measures, administrations must engage with faculty through existing collegial governance structures to ensure that all decisions with academic implications are made by senates or equivalent bodies.
Public universities exist to create knowledge, educate, and serve the common good. As postsecondary institutions continue to respond to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is vitally important that the safety of the campus community is prioritized. However, universities must not use this pandemic as an excuse to ignore their democratic, transparent, and accountable collegial governance structures. University administrations must respect collegial governance and the voices of faculty.
Ontario's universities have a vital role to play in helping the province navigate this pandemic, but it is only by working together that we can effectively guide our institutions towards a future where the vibrant energy of students and faculty returns to our campuses.


A visual mechanism
to put brands into the conversation.
Define your strategy
Define and visualize the social media strategy through topics of conversation. Each petal is a topic and its size depends on the amount of posts you publish about it. Each color represents a category. Customize your flower according to your brand!
Understand and improve the conversation
The solution tracks the social interest behind the conversation and shows pollen. Pollen are visual indicators that let you know where your brand is having an impact and how (likes, shares, comments, RTs...). Identify the people behind pollen and get actionable insights!


text:
Sound and Migration Patterns
While the crab eating fox is not a migratory species, they do have a range of vocalizations, including barking, howling, and whimpering. These sounds are used for communication within their social group or to attract a mate. They also communicate through scent marking, with their urine acting as a territorial marker.
Social Groups and Behavior
As mentioned earlier, crab eating foxes are mainly solitary animals, except during the breeding season and when raising their young. They are primarily nocturnal and crepuscular, meaning they are most active at night and during twilight hours. This behavior helps them avoid the intense heat of the day and also allows them to hunt for their preferred prey, which is more active during these times.
Threats and Conservation Status
Like many other species, the crab eating fox is facing multiple threats, leading to a decline in their population. Habitat loss due to deforestation and human development is one of the main threats to these animals. They are also hunted for their fur, which was in high demand in the past but is now illegal in most countries. Additionally, diseases spread by domestic dogs can have a devastating effect on wild fox populations.
Currently, the crab eating fox is classified as "Least Concern" on the IUCN Red List, meaning they are not at risk of extinction. However, their population is decreasing, and conservation efforts are necessary to ensure their long-term survival.
Impact on Ecosystem and Human Use
Despite its small size, the crab eating fox plays a crucial role in its ecosystem. As an omnivorous predator, they help regulate prey populations, ensuring a balance in the ecosystem. They also contribute to seed dispersal, playing a vital role in the growth and diversity of plant communities.
In the past, humans hunted these foxes for their thick and soft fur, which was used to make hats and other clothing items. However, with stricter laws and conservation efforts, this practice has significantly reduced. Nowadays, these animals are mainly used for research purposes to better understand their behavior and ecology.
Distinctive Features and Interesting Facts
The crab eating fox has a unique appearance, with large ears and a distinctive bushy tail. These physical traits not only add to their charm but also serve a purpose. The large ears help them regulate their body temperature and listen for potential predators, while the bushy tail provides balance and acts as a signaling mechanism.
One interesting fact about the crab eating fox is that despite its name, crabs do not make up the majority of its diet. In fact, studies have shown that fruits make up the largest part of their diet, with crabs and insects being a secondary source of food. However, their love for crabs is still significant and plays a crucial role in shaping their environment, as they are the only known mammal species to efficiently crack open crabs.
Given their size and agility, the crab eating fox has a few predators to worry about. Large carnivores like jaguars, pumas, and large birds of prey pose a threat to these foxes. However, their elusive nature and nocturnal behavior make it challenging for predators to catch them.
The crab eating fox may not be as well-known as other canid species, but it is undoubtedly one of the more interesting and unique animals in the wild. From their monogamous reproductive behavior to their love for crabs and important role in their ecosystem, these animals have captured the hearts of those who have had the pleasure of encountering them. As we continue to learn more about these fascinating creatures, it is our responsibility to protect and conserve their habitat for future generations to enjoy.
The Fascinating Life of the Crab Eating Fox: Natural Adaptations and Survival Strategies
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